bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Integrating chytrid fungal parasites into plankton ecology: research gaps and needs
Authors: Frenken Thijs , Alacid Elisabet , Berger Stella A. , Bourne Elizabeth C. , Gerphagnon Mélanie , Grossart Hans‐Peter , Gsell Alena S. , Ibelings Bas W. , Kagami Maiko , Küpper Frithjof C. , Letcher Peter M. , Loyau Adeline , Miki Takeshi , Nejstgaard Jens C. , Rasconi Serena , Reñé Albert , Rohrlack Thomas , Rojas‐Jimenez Keilor , Schmeller Dirk S. , Scholz Bettina , Seto Kensuke , Sime‐Ngando Télesphore , Sukenik Assaf , Van de Waal Dedmer B. , Van den Wyngaert Silke , Van Donk Ellen , Wolinska Justyna , Wurzbacher Christian , Agha Ramsy 
Published: June 2017

SummaryChytridiomycota, often referred to as chytrids, can be virulent parasites with the potential to inflict mass mortalities on hosts, causing e.g. changes in phytoplankton size distributions and succession, and the delay or suppression of bloom events. Molecular environmental surveys have revealed an unexpectedly large diversity of chytrids across a wide range of aquatic ecosystems worldwide. As a result, scientific interest towards fungal parasites of phytoplankton has been gaining momentum in the past few years. Yet, we still know little about the ecology of chytrids, their life cycles, phylogeny, host specificity and range. Information on the contribution of chytrids to trophic interactions, as well as co‐evolutionary feedbacks of fungal parasitism on host populations is also limited. This paper synthesizes ideas stressing the multifaceted biological relevance of phytoplankton chytridiomycosis, resulting from discussions among an international team of chytrid researchers. It presents our view on the most pressing research needs for promoting the integration of chytrid fungi into aquatic ecology.
A Socio‐Technical Perspective To The Right To The City: Regularizing Electricity Access in Rio de Janeiro's Favelas
Authors: Pilo' Francesca 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThis article takes the contemporary transformation in electricity access in Rio de Janeiro's favelas as a starting point for a broader review of the relationship between the right to the city in informal settlements and the neoliberalization of the electricity service (introduction of full cost recovery and ‘the user pays' principle). It examines the socio‐technical process through which contractual customer relationships have been established or restored through regularization of the electricity service in two favelas, namely, the installation of meters and networks. I suggest that applying a science and technology study perspective to the right to the city helps explore both the materiality and the spatial dimension of power and politics and, in so doing, provides an insight into some of the forms of mediation that help reshape recognition, urban practices and the favela dwellers' position within such an essential service. Our analysis shows how the means of recognizing these city dwellers ‘by the network' are materially and symbolically reshaped by commercial processes. The question then is whether this right to the city, which is being reshaped by commercial processes, will be the source of new inequalities or new politicizations.
Measuring Farm and Market Level Economic Impacts of Improved Maize Production Technologies in Ethiopia: Evidence from Panel Data
Authors: Kassie Menale , Marenya Paswel , Tessema Yohannis , Jaleta Moti , Zeng Di , Erenstein Olaf , Rahut Dil 
Published: June 2017

AbstractWhile it is often recognised that agricultural technology adoption decisions are intertwined and best characterised by multivariate models, typical approaches to examining adoption and impacts of agricultural technology have focused on single technology adoption choice and ignored interdependence among technologies. We examine farm‐ and market‐level impacts of multiple technology adoption choices using comprehensive household survey data collected in 2010/11 and 2012/13 in Ethiopia. Economic surplus analysis combined with panel data switching endogenous regression models are used to compute the supply shift parameter (K‐shift parameter), while at the same time controlling for the endogeneity inherent in agricultural technology adoption among farmers. We find that our improved technology set choices have significant impacts on farm‐level maize yield and maize production costs, where the greatest effect appears to be generated when various technologies are combined. The change in maize yield and production costs results in an average 26.4% cost reduction per kilogram of maize output (the K‐shift parameter). This increases the producer and consumer surpluses by US$ 140 and US$ 105 million per annum, respectively. These changes in economic surplus help to reduce the number of poor people by an estimated 788 thousand per year. We conclude that deliberate extension efforts and other policies that encourage integration of technologies are important for maize technologies to yield their full potential at both farm and market levels.
Is Passive Farming A Problem for Agriculture in the EU?
Authors: Brady Mark V. , Hristov Jordan , Sahrbacher Christoph , Söderberg Torben , Wilhelmsson Fredrik 
Published: June 2017

AbstractWe address a new agricultural policy concern following the decoupling of CAP direct payments in 2005: passive farming, whereby landowners maintain their agricultural area to collect payments without producing commodities. It is claimed that passive farming is hindering agricultural development by ‘blocking’ access to farmland for expanding farmers. We evaluate the links between the EU's Single Payment Scheme (SPS), passive farming, land use and agricultural development. Following identification of the rational landowners’ optimal land‐use choice, we evaluate the effects of the SPS using a spatial, agent‐based model that simulates farmers’ competition for land in a case‐study region of Sweden. We show that passive farming does not constrain land from being used in production; on the contrary more land is used than would be the case without the SPS. We conclude that passive farming is not a problem for agriculture, but provides public goods that would otherwise be under provided: preservation of marginal farmland and future food security. However SPS payments on highly productive land inflate land values (capitalisation) and slow structural change, which hinder agricultural development. Consequently CAP goals could be better served by targeting payments on marginal land and phasing out payments to highly productive land.
Novel reductive dehalogenases from the marine sponge associated bacterium Desulfoluna spongiiphila
Authors: Liu Jie , Lopez Nora , Ahn Youngbeom , Goldberg Tatyana , Bromberg Yana , Kerkhof Lee J. , Häggblom Max M. 
Published: June 2017

SummaryDesulfoluna spongiiphila strain AA1 is an organohalide respiring bacterium, isolated from the marine sponge Aplysina aerophoba, that can use brominated and iodinated phenols, in addition to sulfate and thiosulfate as terminal electron acceptors. The genome of Desulfoluna spongiiphila strain AA1 is approximately 6.5 Mb. Three putative reductive dehalogenase (rdhA) genes involved in respiratory metabolism of organohalides were identified within the sequence. Conserved motifs found in respiratory reductive dehalogenases (a twin arginine translocation signal sequence and two iron‐sulfur clusters) were present in all three putative AA1 rdhA genes. Transcription of one of the three rdhA genes was significantly upregulated during respiration of 2,6‐dibromophenol and sponge extracts. Strain AA1 appears to have the ability to synthesize cobalamin, the key cofactor of most characterized reductive dehalogenase enzymes. The genome contains genes involved in cobalamin synthesis and uptake and can grow without cobalamin supplementation. Identification of this target gene associated with debromination lays the foundation for understanding how dehalogenating bacteria control the fate of organohalide compounds in sponges and their role in a symbiotic organobromine cycle. In the sponge environment, D. spongiiphila strain AA1 may thus take advantage of both brominated compounds and sulfate as electron acceptors for respiration.
Bacterial weathering of fossil organic matter and organic carbon mobilization from subterrestrial Kupferschiefer black shale: long‐term laboratory studies
Authors: Stasiuk Robert , Włodarczyk Agnieszka , Karcz Przemysław , Janas Marcin , Skłodowska Aleksandra , Matlakowska Renata 
Published: June 2017

SummaryA large part of the organic carbon present in the lithosphere is trapped in fossil organic matter deposited in sedimentary rocks. Only specialized microorganisms are able to degrade it contributing to the return of the carbon to the global cycle. The role of bacteria in this process is not yet completely understood. In the present laboratory studies, subterrestrial organic‐rich ∼256‐million‐year‐old Kupferschiefer black shale was exposed to the activity of an indigenous consortium of lithobiontic bacteria for 365 days under aerobic conditions. An interdisciplinary research approach was applied, consisting of a detailed comparison of the chemical composition of extractable bitumens as well as resistant to extraction kerogen of the unweathered black shale to that of the bioweathered and chemically weathered, identification of mobilized organic compounds and spectrometry‐based determination of proteomic composition of the bacterial biofilm. The oxidative bioweathering of bitumens and kerogen was confirmed. The mobilization of organic carbon in the form of oxidized organic compounds, such as monohydroxy and dihydroxy alcohols, aldehydes, monocarboxylic and dicarboxylic acids and esters due to the microbial activity, was documented. The enzymes crucial for the aerobic metabolism of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons such as monooxygenases and dehydrogenases were identified in the epilithic biofilm inhabiting the black shale.
Incremental analysis of vertebral centra can reconstruct the stable isotope chronology of teleost fishes
Authors: Matsubayashi Jun , Saitoh Yu , Osada Yutaka , Uehara Yoshitoshi , Habu Junko , Sasaki Tsuyoshi , Tayasu Ichiro 
Published: June 2017

Abstract

Isotope analysis has high potential for understanding fish ecology and food‐web structure in aquatic ecosystems. The utility of isotope analysis will be greatly improved if we can reconstruct the chronology of several isotopes at multiple growth stages of individual fish. However, no practical methods exist for reconstructing the chronology of light‐element isotopes (e.g. δ13C, δ15N, δ34S, and Δ14C) in teleost fishes. Here, we present and test a new analytical approach for reconstructing the isotopic ratios of light isotopes at multiple life‐stages in teleost fishes.

We sampled an anadromous salmon species, masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou (n = 3), along with water from its natal stream and from the ocean. We subdivided the vertebral centra of the salmon equally into 10 sections and extracted bone collagen from each sample. We then measured the stable sulphur isotope ratios of each vertebral section and compared them with δ34S values of the river water and sea water. We also measured the 87Sr/86Sr ratios of otoliths as a reference indicator of salmon migration between fresh water and the ocean.

In all samples, the bone section closest to the centre of the centrum had the lowest δ34S values, which were similar to those of fresh water. The δ34S values gradually increased from the centre to marginal sections, finally reaching constant values similar to those of seawater. The 87Sr/86Sr ratios of sagittal otolith sections had significant inter‐individual differences and were consistent with the patterns of variation of the δ34S values of the vertebral sections.

Our results show that the vertebral centra of teleost fishes record isotopic information from juvenile to adult life stages. We suggest that our method can provide reproducible isotopic chronology, even in teleost fishes smaller than 50 cm. This method can be used in isoscape studies and in studies of the ecology of marine teleost fishes.
Distinguishing distribution dynamics from temporary emigration using dynamic occupancy models
Authors: Valente Jonathon J. , Hutchinson Rebecca A. , Betts Matthew G. 
Published: June 2017

Abstract

Dynamic occupancy models are popular for estimating dynamic distribution rates (colonization and extinction) from repeated presence/absence surveys of unmarked animals. This approach assumes closure among repeated samples within primary periods, allowing estimation of dynamic rates between these periods. However, the impact of temporary emigration (TE; reversible changes in sampling availability) on dynamic rate estimates has not been tested.

Using simulated data, we investigated the degree to which TE could mislead researchers interested in quantifying dynamics. We then compared results from three avian point count datasets to evaluate the likelihood that TE confounds estimates of dynamics for 19 species under a popular sampling protocol.

Simulated experiments indicated that when secondary periods were open to TE, presence of dynamics was correctly identified ≥95.1% of the time, and dynamic rate estimates were accurate. However, dynamic rate estimates were biased when secondary periods were closed to TE. In empirical datasets, dynamic occupancy models had greater support than closed models for all species when secondary sampling periods occurred in immediate succession (i.e. 3 samples within 10 min); however, our results suggest that this is because dynamic estimates were heavily influenced by TE. When counts within a primary period were separated by 24–48 hr, we found evidence of dynamics for less than half of these species. We recommend an alternative sampling approach that allows accurate estimation of dynamic rates when TE is of no interest, and introduce a novel model for estimating both processes simultaneously in rare cases where they are both of biological interest.

Concern for violating the occupancy modelling closure assumption has led to widespread recommendations that samples within primary periods be conducted extremely close in time. However, this may not be the best approach when interest is in quantifying dynamic rates. While dynamic occupancy models provide estimates of “colonization” and “extinction,” these values do not inherently represent dynamics unless TE has been explicitly modelled or accounted for with sampling design. Naiveté to this fact can result in incorrect conclusions about biological processes.
The role of domestication and maternal effects on seed traits of crop–wild sunflower hybrids (Helianthus annuus)
Authors: Hernández F. , Lindström L.I. , Parodi E. , Poverene M. , Presotto A. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractHybridisation between crops and their wild relatives may promote the evolution of weeds. Seed germination and dormancy are the earliest life‐history traits and are highly influenced by the maternal parent. However, the ecological role of the maternal effect on seed traits in the evolution of crop–wild hybrids has received little attention. In this study, we test the relative importance of maternal and hybridisation effects on seed traits of the first generation of crop–wild sunflower hybrids (Helianthus annuus). Seed germination was tested in two wild populations with contrasting dormancy, two cultivated materials and their reciprocal crosses at four different times after harvest and three different temperatures. Seed germination at each of the four times, after ripening response and secondary dormancy were recorded along with four morphological traits. Additionally, the pericarp anatomy was analysed with light and scanning electron microscopy. We observed strong maternal effects on all seed traits. Seed germination, morphology and pericarp anatomy differed largely between the crop and wild seeds and these traits in the crop–wild hybrids resembled their female parent. Slight but significant hybridisation effects were observed in germination, mainly in seeds produced on wild plants. Crop hybridisation changed seed germination, the after ripening response and secondary dormancy in the crop direction. Morphological and anatomical traits associated with domestication strongly correlated with the observed differences in seed germination and dormancy in crop–wild sunflower hybrids. The large maternal effects along with the evolutionary divergence in seed traits were responsible for the large phenotypic differences observed in crop–wild hybrids with the same genetic composition. Wild‐like seed traits of hybrids suggest that there are no barriers to crop gene introgression at the seed level whereas crop‐like seed traits could be strongly selected against, conditioning the selection of traits expressed later in the life cycle and in the next generations.
Wind‐modulated landscape effects on colonization of Brussels sprouts by insect pests and their syrphid antagonists
Authors: Ludwig Martin , Schlinkert Hella , Meyhöfer Rainer 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
Most crop fields are annually cleared, including arthropod populations. Recolonization depends on the source habitat presence in the landscape and often is affected by weather conditions.
The present study identified source habitats and the effects of temperature and prevailing wind direction on colonization of Brussels sprouts by pests and their natural enemies. We sampled arthropods on standardized monitoring plants in 18 landscapes with different areas of potential source habitats.
Most abundant pests and antagonists were Aleyrodes proletella, Brevicoryne brassicae, Plutella xylostella and syrphid larvae. Variation in A. proletella colonization was best explained by the upwind area of oilseed rape (positive effect) and temperature (negative effect). Variation in B. brassicae colonization was best explained by the downwind area of oilseed rape (positive effect), whereas no effects on P. xylostella were found. Syrphid colonization was affected by prey abundance only (positive effect).
The results of the present study suggest that A. proletella was transported downwind, whereas B. brassicae located host plants during an upwind flight for approximately 1 km. This is remarkable for aphids with often limited upwind flight ability. Consideration of prevailing wind directions improves forecasting of the colonization intensity by pests from important source habitats.
ECG‐derived Cheyne‐Stokes respiration and periodic breathing in healthy and hospitalized populations
Authors: Tinoco Adelita , Drew Barbara J. , Hu Xiao , Mortara David , Cooper Bruce A. , Pelter Michele M. 
Published: June 2017

BackgroundCheyne‐Stokes respiration (CSR) has been investigated primarily in outpatients with heart failure. In this study we compare CSR and periodic breathing (PB) between healthy and cardiac groups.MethodsWe compared CSR and PB, measured during 24 hr of continuous 12‐lead electrocardiographic (ECG) Holter recording, in a group of 90 hospitalized patients presenting to the emergency department with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) to a group of 100 healthy ambulatory participants. We also examined CSR and PB in the 90 patients presenting with ACS symptoms, divided into a group of 39 (43%) with confirmed ACS, and 51 (57%) with a cardiac diagnosis but non‐ACS. SuperECG software was used to derive respiration and then calculate CSR and PB episodes from the ECG Holter data. Regression analyses were used to analyze the data. We hypothesized SuperECG software would differentiate between the groups by detecting less CSR and PB in the healthy group than the group of patients presenting to the emergency department with ACS symptoms.ResultsHospitalized patients with suspected ACS had 7.3 times more CSR episodes and 1.6 times more PB episodes than healthy ambulatory participants. Patients with confirmed ACS had 6.0 times more CSR episodes and 1.3 times more PB episodes than cardiac non‐ACS patients.ConclusionContinuous 12‐lead ECG derived CSR and PB appear to differentiate between healthy participants and hospitalized patients.
High‐resolution transbulbar ultrasonography helping differentiate intracranial hypertension in bilateral optic disc oedema patients
Authors: Chen Qian , Chen Weimin , Wang Min , Sun Xinghuai , Sha Yan , Li Zhenxin , Tian Guohong 
Published: June 2017

AbstractPurposeThe enlargement of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) has been proven to be related with raised intracranial pressure (ICP). No prospective study has been focused on utilizing retrobulbar ultrasonography in optic disc oedema patient presented to ophthalmologist.MethodsHigh‐resolution transbulbar ultrasonography was performed in a cohort of patient presented with bilateral optic disc oedema. The subarachnoid space of optic nerve (SAS), ONSD and optic nerve diameter (OND) was measured prior to other ancillaries including lumbar puncture. Subjects were classified into increased intracranial pressure (IIP) and normal intracranial pressure (NIP) group according to the open cerebrospinal fluid pressure more than 200 mm H20. The SAS, ONSD and OND were compared between groups and with normal control. The sensitivity of SAS or ONSD change for predicating intracranial hypertension was assessed.ResultsA total of 20 IIP, 25 NIP patients and 25 normal controls were evaluated. The mean SAS and ONSD measured in idiopathic intracranial hypertension group was significantly increased than that of NIP and controls (p < 0.001), whereas the OND showed no statistic difference between each group. The sensitivities using the SAS and ONSD for differentiating increased ICP in optic disc oedema patients were 0.99 and 0.97, respectively.ConclusionsThe enlarged SAS and ONSD measured by high‐resolution transbulbar sonography are very sensitive parameters to predicate increased ICP in bilateral optic disc oedema patients.
Trading faces: The ‘Korean Look’ and medical nationalism in South Korean cosmetic surgery tourism
Authors: Holliday Ruth , Cheung Olive , Cho Ji Hyun , Bell David 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThis paper addresses the growing phenomenon of cosmetic surgery tourism through a focus on the development of this industry in South Korea. Unlike many discussions of this topic, the paper decentres dominant narratives based on west‐goes‐east or north‐goes‐south journeys. Instead, we look at regional flows by exploring the experiences of Chinese patients travelling to South Korea in search of facial cosmetic surgery – procedures often referred to as the ‘Korean Look’ and associated with exported Korean popular culture. We focus on the contested understandings of the motives for and outcomes of this surgery between Korean surgeons and Chinese patients, documenting one example of the cultural investments and (mis)understandings that can impact on the experiences of medical tourists as they travel across national borders in search of treatment. We situate the development of cosmetic surgery tourism in Korea in the context of a discourse we call ‘medical nationalism’, showing how surgeons in particular reproduce this discourse in terms of pride in their contribution to the economic and reputational success of South Korea on a world stage. However, we demonstrate finally that, as a privatised, feminised and trivialised form of medicine, cosmetic surgery will always fail to deliver in this respect.