bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Switchgrass growth and pine–switchgrass interactions in established intercropping systems
Authors: Tian Shiying , Cacho Julian F. , Youssef Mohamed A. , Chescheir George M. , Fischer Milan , Nettles Jami E. , King John S. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractIntercropping switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) with loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) has been proposed for producing bioenergy feedstock in the southeastern United States. This study investigated switchgrass growth and pine–switchgrass interactions at two established experimental fields (7‐year‐old Lenoir site and 5‐year‐old Carteret site) located on the coastal plain of eastern United States. Position effects (edge and center of switchgrass alley in intercropping plots) and treatment effects (intercropping vs. grass‐only) on aboveground switchgrass growth were evaluated. Interspecific interactions with respect to capturing resources (light, soil water, and nitrogen) were investigated by measuring photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) above grass canopy, soil moisture, and soil mineral nitrogen contents. Switchgrass growth was significantly (P = 0.001) affected by treatments in Lenoir and by position (P < 0.0001) in both study sites. Relative to the center, PAR above grass canopy at edge in both sites was about 48% less during the growing season. Soil water content during the growing season at the edge of grass alley was significantly (P = 0.0001) lower by 23% than at the center in Lenoir, while no significant (P = 0.42) difference was observed in Carteret, in spite of more grass growth at center at both sites. Soil mineral nitrogen content at the center of intercropping plots in Lenoir (no fertilization during 2015) was significantly (P < 0.07) lower than at the edge during the peak of growing season (June, July, and August), but not during early and late parts of growing season (May, September, and November). Position effects on soil water and mineral nitrogen were less evident under conditions with higher external inputs (rainfall and fertilization) and lower plant uptake during nongrowing seasons. Results from this study contributed to a better understanding of above‐ and belowground pine–switchgrass interactions which is necessary to properly manage this new cultivation system for bioenergy production in the southeastern United States.
Seed dormancy and dormancy‐breaking methods in Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. (Poaceae)
Authors: He X. Q. , Wang Y. R. , Hu X. W. , Baskin C. C. , Baskin J. M. , Lv Y. Y. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractLeymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. is a perennial grass with high productivity and forage value; however, poor stand establishment, often due to seed dormancy, limits its widespread use for forage production. To investigate the mechanism of seed dormancy and to develop effective methods of improving germination, the contribution of each part of the caryopsis to dormancy was investigated, and a number of single or combined dormancy‐breaking pre‐treatments were conducted using three seed lots. The palea, lemma, pericarp/testa, and endosperm all contributed to seed dormancy. The contribution of each part to dormancy was 23·4%, lemma; 6·2%, palea; 28·4%, pericarp/testa; and 42·0%, endosperm. Hull (palea and lemma) removal, pericarp/testa piercing, and soaking in distilled water or 30% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) significantly decreased the percentage of dormant seeds (i.e. increased germination). Treating hull‐removed and pericarp/testa‐pierced seeds with gibberellic acid (GA3) also significantly decreased the percentage of dormant seeds. Compared with each of the single pre‐treatments, the combined pre‐treatment of pre‐soaking in water for 1 d, then 30% NaOH for 60 min and treating with 300 μm GA3 resulted in the highest germination (89%); and seed viability was 91%.
Canopy characteristics and tillering dynamics of Marandu palisade grass pastures in the rainy–dry transition season
Authors: Santana S. S. , Brito L. F. , Azenha M. V. , Oliveira A. A. , Malheiros E. B. , Ruggieri A. C. , Reis R. A. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThe objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of pasture management during the rainy–dry transition season in Jaboticabal, Brazil, on the structural and tillering characteristics of Marandu palisade grass. The treatments were as follows: 15 cm sward height in the rainy season and ungrazed in the rainy–dry transition season (15/0); 25 cm sward height during the rainy season and fixed stocking rate of 2·5 AU ha−1 during the rainy–dry transition season (25/2·5); and 35 cm sward height in the rainy season and fixed stocking rate of 2·5 AU ha−1 in the rainy–dry transition season (35/2·5). There were more herbage mass, stem and dead herbage mass in treatments 25/2·5 and 35/2·5 than 15/0. Tiller appearance rate was greater in treatment 15/0 and tiller mortality rate was higher in treatment 35/2·5 compared to treatment 15/0. Tiller population stability index was 1 in treatment 15/0 and lower in treatment 35/2·5. Although treatment 15/0 showed favourable structural and tillering characteristics, it also has the lowest herbage mass. Treatment 25/2·5 can be regarded as an adequate management strategy for Marandu palisade grass, since it has similar herbage mass and better tillering characteristics than treatment 35/2·5.
Distribution and community structure of chloropid flies (Diptera: Chloropidae) in Nearctic glacial and post‐glacial grasslands
Authors: Solecki Anna M. , Buddle Christopher M. , Wheeler Terry A. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractArthropod species inhabiting disjunct xeric grasslands in the Yukon Territory, Canada may be relicts of Pleistocene steppe assemblages widespread in Beringia during glaciation, or they may be recent remnants of northward expansion of southern grassland communities during the early‐Holocene Hypsithermal. To assess the likely origin of the Yukon grassland arthropod community, grassland‐associated Chloropidae (Diptera) were compared from three regions: the Canadian Prairies, the Peace River region of Alberta and the southern Yukon.If Yukon grassland insect communities, like those in the Peace region, result primarily from northward dispersal during the Hypsithermal, chloropid assemblages in all regions would be similar, except that species richness would decline with increasing latitude. If, however, they are primarily relicts of Pleistocene steppe communities, Yukon chloropid assemblages would be distinct from southern assemblages.There was a latitudinal gradient of decreasing species richness and Yukon assemblages were distinct from Prairie and Peace region assemblages, based on cluster analysis, non‐metric multidimensional scaling and pairwise comparisons of Morisita similarity indices.Community‐level analyses suggest that Yukon assemblages have been separated from those in the Prairies and Peace regions since before the Hypsithermal and likely contain a mix of relict populations inhabiting Pleistocene steppe remnants in East Beringia with recent northward post‐glacial dispersal from the southern Prairies. Dispersal from eastern Russia via Beringia appears to have been negligible.
Policy and marketing changes to help curb childhood obesity: government ban vs. industry self‐regulation
Authors: Dumitrescu Claudia , Shaw Hughner Renée , Shultz Clifford J. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractChildhood obesity has become a public health crisis requiring action from government and food marketers. Building on attribution theory, this study advances understanding of how parents respond to information about policies intended to restrict sales promotion (i.e. toy premiums) paired with children's fast food meals, the consumption of which is often linked to obesity. This research uses experimental design to test the effects of two types of sales promotion restrictions on parents’ attitudes and behavioural intentions: industry self‐regulated restrictions and restrictions arising from government‐mandated policies. The results show that a toy premiums ban may lead to higher satisfaction with, and behavioural intentions toward, less‐healthy food products. These responses are explained by parents’ minimized tendency to blame the food marketers for less‐healthy meals. The contributions of this research have theoretical and practical implications for policy makers, food marketers and consumer researchers.
Children's participation in brand‐based social networks: examining the role of evaluative social identity, self‐esteem and anticipated emotions on commitment and desire to recommend
Authors: Hook Margurite , Baxter Stacey , Kulczynski Alicia 
Published: June 2016

AbstractSocial networks involving the social interactions and personal relationships of brand devotees (brand‐based social networks) are valuable company and marketing resources, playing a major role in brand and product promotion, and facilitating word‐of‐mouth. This research sought to examine the influence of evaluative social identity on brand‐based social network commitment and network recommendations, specifically for children. The sample for the study comprised 394 Australian children, 6–14 years of age, who participate in an informal offline social network for the brand ‘Minecraft’. This research introduces anticipated emotions (positive and negative) as the mechanisms underlying the influence of evaluative social identity on brand‐based social network commitment and network recommendations. Specifically, when children are unable to participate in the brand network, they will experience negative emotions. When children are allowed to participate positive emotions are experienced. These emotions, both positive and negative, are found to enhance children's commitment to the brand‐based social network and also their desire to refer the network to non‐members. Further, this research provides evidence that the relationship between evaluative social identity, and both network commitment and network recommendations, is only observed for children with low personal self‐esteem. This research provides unique insight into the under‐researched area of children and brand‐based social networks, and introduces new moderating and mediating effects on established relationships, with findings useful for both academics and practitioners.
Preparation of stable microcapsules from disrupted cell of Haematococcus pluvialis by spray drying
Authors: Chen Limei , Liu Xiumin , Li Demao , Chen Wuxi , Zhang Ke , Chen Shulin 
Published: June 2016

SummaryHaematococcus pluvialis, including astaxanthin, disrupted by high‐pressure homogenisation was microencapsulated with Maillard reaction products as wall materials by spray drying. The microcapsules were characterised by scanning electron microscope, size analysis and also the storage stability. The optimised cell disruption process for H. pluvialis based on response surface optimisation was 70 MPa of pressure, 7.38% of H. pluvialis concentration and homogenisation once with a disruption rate of 98.96 ± 0.12%. The optimised spray drying process consisted of a wall‐to‐core material ratio of 2.4:1, inlet temperature of 180 °C and outlet temperature of 80 °C with a microencapsulation rate and microcapsule production rate of (92.1 ± 0.1)% and (97.7 ± 0.2)%, respectively. Characterisation and stability test showed that this microencapsulation process ensured the stability of astaxanthin.
Strategies to address the nursing shortage in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Aboshaiqah A. 
Published: June 2016

AimTo investigate the nursing shortage in Saudi Arabia and specifically the shortage of Saudi nurses in the healthcare workforce and to propose solutions.MethodsLiterature published from 1993 to 2013 providing relevant information on the nursing shortage, cultural traditions and beliefs, and nursing education and policies in Saudi was accessed from multiple sources including Medline, CINAHL Plus and Google Scholar and from official Saudi government document and was reviewed.ResultsSaudi Arabia depends largely on an expatriate workforce, and this applies to nursing. Saudi Arabia is experiencing a nursing shortage in common with most countries in the world and a shortage of Saudi nationals, especially women, in the healthcare workforce. The world shortage of nursing is extrinsic to Saudi, but intrinsic factors include a poor image of the nursing profession in the country that is exacerbated by cultural factors.Conclusions/implicationsWith the call for the Saudization of the workforce to replace the imported workforce by Saudi nationals, including nurses, through the 1992 Royal Decree, Saudi Arabia faces a problem in attracting and retaining Saudi nationals in the nursing workforce. Solutions are suggested that are aimed at improving the public image of nursing through education and the use of the media and improvements in the workplace by addressing working processes such as teamwork, ensuring adequate staffing levels and addressing some aspects of culture which may make working in nursing more compatible with being a Saudi national.
An integrative review of pursing policy and political competence
Authors: Benton D.C. , Al Maaitah R. , Gharaibeh M. 
Published: June 2016

IntroductionFor several decades, there have been repeated calls for nurses to become more involved in policy and political processes.AimsThe purpose of this article is to conduct an integrative review to identify and assess the current state of the science relating to supporting the pursuit of greater involvement by the nursing profession in policy and political processes.DesignStandard integrative review procedures were used to identify studies that examined how policy competence could be achieved. A comparative thematic approach to synthesis was used. Both published and grey literature written in English between January 1965 and January 2015 were identified via a structured search of CINAHL, SCOPUS, Science Direct and Google Scholar.ResultsForty‐five primary studies were identified with literature from North America dominating, but contributions from low‐ and middle‐income countries have recently started to feature. Studies tended to focus on the immediate impact of didactic and action learning–based approaches. The majority of articles were descriptive survey designs utilizing small convenience samples.Conclusions and policy implicationMany programmes of education have focused on developing an understanding of legislative policy and political processes, but the development of policy and political competencies at team and institutional levels has been ignored. Existing research have looked at the short‐term effects of educational programmes. At this time, there are conflicting reports on the impact of variables such as gender and educational preparation on policy and political competence. There is an urgent need to address these major gaps if nurses at all levels are to play a full role in shaping policy and political process.
Is love in the air or at first sight? Mate finding cues used by sympatric male velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae)
Authors: VanderSal‐Jensen Nicole D. , Crews Sarah C. , Gillespie Rosemary G. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractMate finding has been examined in a wide range of hymenopteran families, with the greatest knowledge from social species and parasitoids used in pest management. Velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) provide a unique system to study mate finding because short‐lived flying males must find solitary, wingless females that have spatially and temporally dispersed emergence. Based on limited field observations, it is thought that male velvet ants may use visual, chemical, and vibratory cues for mate finding, though there have been no controlled experiments to test these hypotheses. Using choice experiments, this study aims to determine the role of visual and airborne chemical cues used in female detection by three sympatric species of Dasymutilla males. We find that visual cues are not used for initial female detection and that airborne chemicals are sufficient for female detection. We also discover that males readily approach females of different species, indicating airborne chemicals are not used for species recognition. Despite the lack of discrimination by males, we determined that the sympatric, morphologically similar species show no genetic introgression, and therefore some other isolating mechanism must be at play after males make initial contact with the females.
Care pathways for organ donation after brain death: guidance from available literature?
Authors: Hoste Pieter , Vanhaecht Kris , Ferdinande Patrick , Rogiers Xavier , Eeckloo Kristof , Blot Stijn , Hoste Eric , Vogelaers Dirk , Vandewoude Koenraad 
Published: June 2016

AbstractAimsA discussion of the literature concerning the impact of care pathways in the complex and by definition multidisciplinary process of organ donation following brain death.BackgroundEnhancing the quality and safety of organs for transplantation has become a central concern for governmental and professional organizations. At the local hospital level, a donor coordinator can use a range of interventions to improve the donation and procurement process. Care pathways have been proven to represent an effective intervention in several settings for optimizing processes and outcomes.DesignA discussion paper.Data sourcesA systematic review of the Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE and The Cochrane Library databases was conducted for articles published until June 2015, using the keywords donation after brain death and care pathways. Each paper was reviewed to investigate the effects of existing care pathways for donation after brain death. An additional search for unpublished information was conducted.DiscussionAlthough literature supports care pathways as an effective intervention in several settings, few studies have explored its use and effectiveness for complex care processes such as donation after brain death.Implications for nursingNurses should be aware of their role in the donation process. Care pathways have the potential to support them, but their effectiveness has been insufficiently explored.ConclusionFurther research should focus on the development and standardization of the clinical content of a care pathway for donation after brain death and the identification of quality indicators. These should be used in a prospective effectiveness assessment of the proposed pathway.
The Communitarization of the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice: Why Institutional Change does not Translate into Policy Change
Authors: Trauner Florian , Ripoll Servent Ariadna 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThis article proposes an explanation as to why institutional change – understood as more competences for the European Union's supranational institutions – has rarely led to policy change in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (AFSJ). It draws attention to the constraints that newly empowered actors have faced in the wake of introducing the co‐decision procedure. If the key principles of a given AFSJ sub‐policy – its ‘policy core’ – were defined before institutional change occurred, the Council (as the dominant actor of the early intergovernmental co‐operation) has found it easier to prevail in the altered structural environment and to co‐opt or sideline actors with competing rationales. The article compares the importance of the new decision‐making procedure with two alternative pathways potentially leading to policy change, namely, the power of litigation and the impact of unexpected external events.
Quantitative changes in palatal donor site thickness after free gingival graft harvesting: a pilot study
Authors: Keskiner Ilker , Aydogdu Ahmet , Balli Umut , Kaleli Ayca E. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractAimThe aim of this study was to investigate how donor sites thickness quantitatively change over time and at different points of donor site in spontaneous palatal wound healing after free gingival graft (FGG) harvesting.Materials and MethodsForty individuals were enrolled and divided into the following two groups based on the residual tissue thickness (RTT) after harvesting: Group 1, <2 mm; and Group 2, ≥2 mm. FGGs were standardized according to their dimensions and thickness and then harvested. Tissue filling was measured at three points of the defect area (mesial, central and distal) at various time points (baseline, after harvesting, and at 1, 3 and 6 months).ResultsThe thickness of newly formed tissue from the baseline to 1 month after harvesting was greater in Group 2 than in Group 1, whereas the thickness from 1 to 3 months and from 3 to 6 months after harvesting was greater in Group 1 than in Group 2 (p < 0.005). RTT was positively correlated with tissue filling in all the groups at all time points (p < 0.05).ConclusionsThe palatal mucosal thickness after FGG harvesting might affect the filling of the defect. Within the study period, the periphery of the palatal wounds filled earlier and to a greater extent compared with the centre of the wounds.
Atopic predisposition in cholinergic urticaria patients and its implications
Authors: Altrichter S. , Koch K. , Church M.K. , Maurer M. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractBackgroundCholinergic urticaria (CholU) is a frequent chronic urticaria disorder with itchy weal and flare‐type skin reactions in response to physical exercise or passive warming. A higher frequency of atopy among CholU patients has been reported, but the significance of this observation is unclear.ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence and relevance of atopy in CholU patients.Materials and MethodsThirty CholU patients were assessed for atopic skin diathesis (atopic predisposition) by use of the Erlangen Atopy Score and divided into atopic and non‐atopic predisposed CholU individuals. Both groups were assessed for disease severity (CholUSI) and activity (CholUAS7), quality of life impairment [Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and CU‐Q2OL], seasonal exacerbation, total and specific serum IgE and comorbidities.ResultsCholU patients were found to exhibit high rates of atopic predisposition (57%), with higher prevalence and scores in female than in male patients. High Erlangen Atopy Scores were linked to high CholU severity, activity and impact on QoL. Atopic predisposed CholU patients show different seasonal exacerbation patterns, IgE specificity and comorbidity profiles as compared to non‐atopic CholU patients.ConclusionAtopic predisposition and cholinergic urticaria appear to be linked more closely than previously thought, which suggests shared pathogenetic mechanisms. Atopic patients with cholinergic urticaria have more severe disease and poorer quality of life than those who do not. Thus, all cholinergic urticaria patients should be assessed for atopic predisposition.
Potential pollination maintenance by an exotic allodapine bee under climate change scenarios in the Indo‐Pacific region
Authors: Silva D. P. , Groom S. V. C. , da Silva C. R. B. , Stevens M. I. , Schwarz M. P. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractRecent studies suggest an alarming decline in pollinators across many regions of the world due to multiple factors. One potential factor is climate change, which poses both direct and indirect threats to pollinator populations. To help ameliorate the impact of declining populations on the function of ecological and agricultural systems, there is a need to identify species that may adapt to limit the magnitude of this pollination deficit. The South West Pacific has a highly depauperate endemic bee diversity and numerous non‐indigenous species, including honeybees. One allodapine bee, Braunsapis puangensis, has been accidentally introduced to Fiji where it has rapidly spread across multiple islands and become locally abundant. It is a long‐tongued bee, unaffected by honeybee pathogens, and has the potential to become an important crop pollinator. Here, we model the distribution of this species under different climate scenarios to determine how it is likely to respond to future climate change. We show that its distribution is unlikely to contract, but potentially expand with climate warming. These scenarios therefore indicate that the plasticity in B. puangensis populations may allow it to represent an important crop pollinator in this region should honeybee populations decline.