bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Counting the spots: a molecular and morphological phylogeny of the spotted darner Boyeria (Odonata: Anisoptera: Aeshnidae) with an emphasis on European taxa
Authors: KOHLI MANPREET KAUR , SCHNEIDER THOMAS , MÜLLER OLE , WARE JESSICA L. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractBoyeria irene and Boyeria cretensis are species of spotted dragonflies belonging to the ‘darner’ family, Aeshnidae. In 1991, Peters classified Boyeria from Crete as B. cretensis, based on adult morphological characters. In this study, we used molecular evidence to determine if indeed B. irene and B. cretensis are different species. DNA was sequenced from samples of B. irene (from France, Switzerland, Tunisia, Spain and Italy) and B. cretensis (from Crete). These species were recovered as two different clades with strong support. We conclude that B. irene and B. cretensis are different species, with evidence based on molecular and morphological differences. In addition, we present the first phylogenetic hypothesis for Boyeria for which we have sequenced all but three species. Lastly, we discuss different scenarios that may have led to the present‐day distribution and speciation patterns of Mediterranean Boyeria.
Impact of enterococcal colonization and infection in solid organ transplantation recipients from the Swiss Transplant Cohort Study
Authors: Bucheli E. , Kralidis G. , Boggian K. , Cusini A. , Garzoni C. , Manuel O. , Meylan P.R.A. , Mueller N.J. , Khanna N. , van Delden C. , Berger C. , Koller M.T. , Weisser M. ,   the Swiss Transplant Cohort Study
Published: December 2013

AbstractBackgroundThe burden of enterococcal infections has increased over the last decades with vancomycin‐resistant enterococci (VRE) being a major health problem. Solid organ transplantation is considered as a risk factor. However, little is known about the relevance of enterococci in solid organ transplantation recipients in areas with a low VRE prevalence.MethodsWe examined the epidemiology of enterococcal events in patients followed in the Swiss Transplant Cohort Study between May 2008 and September 2011 and analyzed risk factors for infection, aminopenicillin resistance, treatment, and outcome.ResultsOf the 1234 patients, 255 (20.7%) suffered from 392 enterococcal events (185 [47.2%] infections, 205 [52.3%] colonizations, and 2 events with missing clinical information). Only 2 isolates were VRE. The highest infection rates were found early after liver transplantation (0.24/person‐year) consisting in 58.6% of Enterococcus faecium. The highest colonization rates were documented in lung transplant recipients (0.33/person‐year), with 46.5% E. faecium. Age, prophylaxis with a betalactam antibiotic, and liver transplantation were significantly associated with infection. Previous antibiotic treatment, intensive care unit stay, and lung transplantation were associated with aminopenicillin resistance. Only 4/205 (2%) colonization events led to an infection. Adequate treatment did not affect microbiological clearance rates. Overall mortality was 8%; no deaths were attributable to enterococcal events.ConclusionsEnterococcal colonizations and infections are frequent in transplant recipients. Progression from colonization to infection is rare. Therefore, antibiotic treatment should be used restrictively in colonization. No increased mortality because of enterococcal infection was noted.
Predicting first lifetime plasma donation among whole blood donors
Authors: Godin Gaston , Germain Marc 
Published: December 2013

BackgroundThe aim of the study was to predict a first lifetime plasma donation among whole blood donors.Study Design and MethodsA sample of 252 whole blood donors, who never donated plasma, completed the study questionnaire assessing intention, attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control toward giving plasma. The dependent variables were intention to give plasma and first lifetime plasma donation within 6 months.ResultsAt 6 months, 57 individuals had made 98 plasma donations. First lifetime plasma donation was predicted by intention (p < 0.05) and age (50+ years, p < 0.05). Intention was determined by attitudes (p < 0.001) and perceived behavioral control (p < 0.001).ConclusionPromotional strategies to recruit new plasma donors should target individuals aged 50 years and more. Such strategies should be coupled with actions to lower the perceived barriers and highlight the perceived advantages of becoming a plasma donor.
High‐dose methotrexate in the mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells for patients with non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma: a twelve‐year study in a single center
Authors: Zhang Cheng , Chen Xing‐Hua , Gao Li , Liu Yao , Gao Lei , Kong Pei‐Yan , Zeng Dong‐Feng , Peng Xian‐Gui , Sun Ai‐Hua , Zhang Xi 
Published: December 2013

BackgroundHigh‐dose chemotherapy followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto‐HSCT) is a promising approach for non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Higher cell doses have been associated with a faster blood count recovery and a reduction in transfusion requirements, infection rates, and hospitalization times. Mobilization failure constitutes one of the main reasons for avoiding auto‐HSCT. The role of high‐dose methotrexate (MTX) as mobilization regimen is still unclear.Study Design and MethodsThe effect of high‐dose MTX as a mobilization regimen for 67 adult patients with NHL who received auto‐HSCT was studied between January 2001 and October 2012. The stem cells were mobilized using combination chemotherapy including MTX plus granulocyte–colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF) in 33 patients (Group A), and the stem cells of the other 34 patients were mobilized using the same combination chemotherapy plus G‐CSF without MTX (Group B).ResultsAll of the patients were successfully mobilized in Group A; however, two patients failed in Group B. The median numbers of CD34+ cells collected were 14.36 × 106 and 5.3 × 106 cells/kg for Groups A and B, respectively (p < 0.05). All of the patients experienced a stable neutrophil and platelet (PLT) engraftment. The times to white blood cell engraftment were 8.0 days in Group A and 11.0 days in Group B, and the times to PLT engraftment were 12.0 days in Group A and 13.0 days in Group B (p < 0.05 for both variables).ConclusionHigh‐dose MTX is a powerful regimen component for stem cell mobilization in adult patients with NHL.
In praise of imperfection
Authors: White Gary D. 
Published: December 2013

“I would never teach the Bohr model!” he exclaimed. “I don't believe in teaching things that are just wrong.” He was a respected teacher, and I knew I should listen to what he had to say, but in the end I wasn't convinced that his view was right for me and my classes.
In fact, I do believe in teaching things that are “just wrong”—selectively. For example, I like my introductory physicsstudents to learn the planetary model of Hydrogen, and not only so that we can discuss why it is deficient. It's a great opportunity to “spiral back”1 to Newton's second law, circular motion, conservation of energy, and the origin of electromagnetic radiation—and it does get the ionization energy right if you assume an empirically determined radius for the atom! In addition, knowing specifically when,why, and how a model is wrong is one of the hallmarks that distinguishes science from other endeavors. Furthermore, one might argue that there really are no perfect models (models that successfully incorporate gravitational and quantum effects in one philosophically cohesive whole, for example), so every model is “just wrong” in some sense. Finally, even if there was a “perfect” model of the atom to teach, it does not follow that good pedagogy involves teaching it. Let me explain.
Numerical Simulations of Outdoor Heat Stress Index and Heat Disorder Risk in the 23 Wards of Tokyo
Authors: Ohashi Yukitaka , Kikegawa Yukihiro , Ihara Tomohiko , Sugiyama Nanami 
Published: December 2013

AbstractIn this study, the summertime outdoor heat stress hazard and heat disorder risks (HDR) were simulated numerically using a mesoscale meteorological model combined with an urban canopy model and a building energy model. Model grid maps including the 23 wards of Tokyo (23 Tokyo), Japan, were produced with a 1-km horizontal resolution for the period of July–September 2010. Model simulations of the daily maximum wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGTmax), which was adopted as a heat stress index, indicated the spatial heterogeneity of the heat stress hazard within 23 Tokyo. The heat stress hazard was greater in the inland western region, particularly for sunny conditions in July and August (based on the monthly mean; the maximum difference exceeded 2°C for both sunny and shaded conditions). This likely occurred as a result of greater spatial heterogeneity in the globe temperature than in the air temperature among model grid cells, with differences in the radiation environment induced by differences in urban geometric parameters. Gridded mapping of HDR simulations proceeded in two steps, using the incidence rate and the absolute number of heat disorder patients (HDP). These simulations were achieved by combining the exponential relationships between the actual WBGTmax and the number of HDP with the daytime grid population. Eventually, the resulting HDR maps incorporated the effects of the spatial heterogeneities of both the outdoor heat stress hazard and the daytime grid population.
Evaluated Crop Evapotranspiration over a Region of Irrigated Orchards with the Improved ACASA–WRF Model
Authors: Falk Matthias , Pyles R. D. , Ustin S. L. , Paw U K. T. , Xu L. , Whiting M. L. , Sanden B. L. , Brown P. H. 
Published: December 2013

Abstract
Among the uncertain consequences of climate change on agriculture are changes in timing and quantity of precipitation together with predicted higher temperatures and changes in length of growing season. The understanding of how these uncertainties will affect water use in semiarid irrigated agricultural regions depends on accurate simulations of the terrestrial water cycle and, especially, evapotranspiration. The authors test the hypothesis that the vertical canopy structure, coupled with horizontal variation in this vertical structure, which is associated with ecosystem type, has a strong impact on landscape evapotranspiration. The practical result of this hypothesis, if true, is validation that coupling the Advanced Canopy–Atmosphere–Soil Algorithm (ACASA) and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) models provides a method for increased accuracy of regional evapotranspiration estimates.
ACASA–WRF was used to simulate regional evapotranspiration from irrigated almond orchards over an entire growing season. The ACASA model handles all surface and vegetation interactions within WRF. ACASA is a multilayer soil–vegetation–atmosphere transfer model that calculates energy fluxes, including evapotranspiration, within the atmospheric surface layer.
The model output was evaluated against independent evapotranspiration estimates based on eddy covariance. Results indicate the model accurately predicts evapotranspiration at the tower site while producing consistent regional maps of evapotranspiration (900–1100 mm) over a large area (1600 km2) at high spatial resolution (Δx = 0.5 km).
Modeled results were within observational uncertainties for hourly, daily, and seasonal estimates. These results further show the robustness of ACASA’s ability to simulate surface exchange processes accurately in a complex numerical atmospheric forecast model such as WRF.
Objective Drought Classification Using Multiple Land Surface Models
Authors: Mo Kingtse C. , Lettenmaier Dennis P. 
Published: December 2013

Abstract
The current generation of drought monitors uses physically based indices, such as the standardized precipitation index (SPI), total soil moisture (SM) percentiles, and the standardized runoff index (SRI) to monitor precipitation, soil moisture, and runoff deficits, respectively. Because long-term observations of soil moisture and, to a lesser extent, spatially distributed runoff are not generally available, SRI and SMP are more commonly derived from land surface model–derived variables, where the models are forced with observed quantities such as precipitation, surface air temperature, and winds. One example of such a system is the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS). While monitoring systems based on sources like NLDAS are able to detect droughts, they are challenged by classification of drought into, for instance, the D0–D4 categories used by the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM), in part because of uncertainties among multiple drought indicators, models, and assimilation systems. An objective scheme for drawing boundaries between the D0–D4 classes used by the USDM is explored here. The approach is based on multiple SPI, SM, and SRI indices, from which an ensemble mean index is formed. The mean index is then remapped to a uniform distribution by using the climatology of the ensemble (percentile) averages. To assess uncertainties in the classification, a concurrence measure is used to show the extent to which the different indices agree. An approach to drought classification that uses both the mean of the ensembles and its concurrence measure is described. The classification scheme gives an idea of drought severity, as well as the representativeness of the ensemble mean index.
Genome comparison of two Magnaporthe oryzae field isolates reveals genome variations and potential virulence effectors
Authors: Chen Chenxi , Lian Bi , Hu Jinnan , Zhai Huanchen , Wang Xingxing , Venu RC , Liu Erming , Wang Zhilong , Chen Meilian , Wang Baohua , Wang Guo-Liang , Wang Zonghua , Mitchell Thomas K 
Published: December 2013

Abstract

Background
Rice blast caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae is an important disease in virtually every rice growing region of the world, which leads to significant annual decreases of grain quality and yield. To prevent disease, resistance genes in rice have been cloned and introduced into susceptible cultivars. However, introduced resistance can often be broken within few years of release, often due to mutation of cognate avirulence genes in fungal field populations.

Results
To better understand the pattern of mutation of M. oryzae field isolates under natural selection forces, we used a next generation sequencing approach to analyze the genomes of two field isolates FJ81278 and HN19311, as well as the transcriptome of FJ81278. By comparing the de novo genome assemblies of the two isolates against the finished reference strain 70–15, we identified extensive polymorphisms including unique genes, SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism) and indels, structural variations, copy number variations, and loci under strong positive selection. The 1.75 MB of isolate-specific genome content carrying 118 novel genes from FJ81278, and 0.83 MB from HN19311 were also identified. By analyzing secreted proteins carrying polymorphisms, in total 256 candidate virulence effectors were found and 6 were chosen for functional characterization.

Conclusions
We provide results from genome comparison analysis showing extensive genome variation, and generated a list of M. oryzae candidate virulence effectors for functional characterization.
Cognitive profile in patients with a first-ever lacunar infarct with and without silent lacunes: a comparative study
Authors: Blanco-Rojas Lorena , Arboix Adrià , Canovas David , Grau-Olivares Marta , Oliva Morera Joan Carles , Parra Olga 
Published: December 2013

Abstract

Background
The detection of early neuropsychological abnormalities as precursors of cognitive decline of vascular origin in patients with lacunar stroke is a subject of increasing interest. The objective of this study was to assess whether there were differences in the performance of a battery of neuropsychological tests in first-ever lacunar stroke patients with and without associated silent multiple lacunar infarctions found incidentally on the brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.

Methods
A total of 72 consecutive patients with first-ever lacunar infarction were studied 1 month after stroke. All patients underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation, which included the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT), Phonetic Verbal Fluency Test (PMR), Semantic Verbal Fluency Test (category “animals”), Digit Span Forward and Backward from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III), and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).

Results
A total of 38 patients (52.7%) had silent multiple lacunar infarcts, with corona radiata as the most frequent topography (P < 0.023). White matter hyperintensities (leukoaraiosis) were observed in 81.1% of patients with silent multiple lacunar infarcts and in 50% with a single lacunar infarction (P < 0.007). Patients in both groups showed similar scores in the MMSE, but those with associated silent lacunar infarctions showed a poorer performance in the semantic fluency test (P < 0.008) and in short delayed verbal memory (P < 0.001). In both cases, however, leukoaraiosis was not statistically significant in multivariate linear regression models adjusted by confounding covariates. In these models, multiple silent lacunar infarctions and education were independent predictors of poor performance in the semantic fluency test and in short delayed verbal memory.

Conclusions
The presence of silent multiple lacunar infarctions documented on brain MRI scans in patients with first-ever lacunar stroke was associated with mild neuropsychological abnormalities, particularly in the performance of executive functions (semantic fluency) and short delayed verbal memory. According to these findings, in the initial stages of small vessel disease, mild neuropsychological abnormalities appear to be related to lacunes rather than to leukoaraiosis or perivascular hyperintensities of vascular cause.
Auditory pre-experience modulates classification of affect intensity: evidence for the evaluation of call salience by a non-human mammal, the bat Megaderma lyra
Authors: Kastein Hanna B , Kumar Vinoth AK , Kandula Sripathi , Schmidt Sabine 
Published: December 2013

AbstractIntroductionImmediate responses towards emotional utterances in humans are determined by the acoustic structure and perceived relevance, i.e. salience, of the stimuli, and are controlled via a central feedback taking into account acoustic pre-experience. The present study explores whether the evaluation of stimulus salience in the acoustic communication of emotions is specifically human or has precursors in mammals. We created different pre-experiences by habituating bats (Megaderma lyra) to stimuli based on aggression, and response, calls from high or low intensity level agonistic interactions, respectively. Then we presented a test stimulus of opposite affect intensity of the same call type. We compared the modulation of response behaviour by affect intensity between the reciprocal experiments.ResultsFor aggression call stimuli, the bats responded to the dishabituation stimuli independent of affect intensity, emphasising the attention-grabbing function of this call type. For response call stimuli, the bats responded to a high affect intensity test stimulus after experiencing stimuli of low affect intensity, but transferred habituation to a low affect intensity test stimulus after experiencing stimuli of high affect intensity. This transfer of habituation was not due to over-habituation as the bats responded to a frequency-shifted control stimulus. A direct comparison confirmed the asymmetric response behaviour in the reciprocal experiments.ConclusionsThus, the present study provides not only evidence for a discrimination of affect intensity, but also for an evaluation of stimulus salience, suggesting that basic assessment mechanisms involved in the perception of emotion are an ancestral trait in mammals.
Using state level employment thresholds to explain Okun’s Law
Authors: Herzog Ryan W 
Published: December 2013

Abstract
In this paper we implement a non-dynamic panel threshold model for fifty U.S. states to better understand the factors determining changes in Okun’s Law. We test for asymmetries in Okun’s Law controlling for changes in industry employment. We find changes in output on unemployment are least sensitive for states with relatively large employment within government, construction, and natural resources sectors and lower employment levels in financial, professional and business services and manufacturing sectors. States with lower manufacturing employment have a less sensitive output to unemployment relationship, but the reverse does not apply. States with larger shares of employment within manufacturing sectors do not have a significantly more sensitive relationship compared to the national average.

JEL codes

E3; R1; J6
Full employment: a distant dream for Europe
Authors: Gill Indermit , Koettl Johannes , Packard Truman 
Published: December 2013

Abstract
Today, Europe is a continent of low participation, low employment labor markets. Many observers would like to blame poor employment outcomes on the Euro or on austerity. But these are dangerous distractions from real problems that constitute imperatives for structural reform. There are differences across countries, but there is a “European model” of work: almost every European economy has more stringent employment protection and more generous social benefits than peers in North America, Oceania, and East Asia. This has led to low labor force participation and high unemployment, especially among young Europeans. Layered on top of these weak labor markets is the rapid onset of aging; if policies are not changed, Europe will lose about a million workers every year for the next five decades, especially in the 2030s. In short, Europe has to increase both the demand for and supply of labor. To do so, Europeans have to begin viewing competition as a necessary good, not an unnecessary evil. Restructuring unemployment and pension benefits will help to increase participation and reverse the decline of the workforce, but policies that promote competition for jobs and mobility of job-seekers are needed to increase the demand for labor. To get to full employment, Europe has to alter the employment protection laws that give too much power to those with jobs while marginalizing others to the fringes of the economy. Europeans will have to reduce and restructure the generous social benefits that simultaneously discourage young people from searching seriously for work and encourage older workers to quit work too early. Europeans will have to view mobility of workers as a prerequisite of European integration, not just a possible consequence of it. If all this is augmented by reforms to reduce public debt, encourage enterprise and innovation, and stabilize finance, Europe will have a vibrant economy, with high participation and full employment.

Jel codes

I38 - Government Policy; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs, J08 - Labor Economics Policies, J21 - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure, J24 - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity, J32 - Nonwage Labor Costs and Benefits; Private Pensions, J42 - Monopsony; Segmented Labor Markets
Stereospecific Aerobic Oxidative Dehydrocoupling of P(O)–H Bonds with Amines Catalyzed by Copper
Authors: Zhou Yongbo , Yang Jia , Chen Tieqiao , Yin Shuang-Feng , Han Daoqing , Han Li-Biao 
Published: December 2013

Abstract
Copper-catalyzed stereospecific oxidative dehydrocouplings of P(O)–H bonds with amines under air took place efficiently at room temperature to afford the corresponding amidophosphorus compounds in high yields. Mechanistic studies showed that this dehydrocoupling reaction proceeded stereospecifically with inversion of stereochemistry at phosphorus.