bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A process for assessing the offsetability of biodiversity impacts
Authors: Pilgrim John D. , Brownlie Susie , Ekstrom Jonathan M. M. , Gardner Toby A. , von Hase Amrei , Kate Kerry ten , Savy Conrad E. , Stephens R. T. Theo , Temple Helen J. , Treweek Jo , Ussher Graham T. , Ward Gerri 
Published: December 2012

AbstractBiodiversity offsetting is increasingly being used to reconcile the objectives of conservation and development. It is generally acknowledged that there are limits to the kinds of impacts on biodiversity that can or should be offset, yet there is a paucity of policy guidance as to what defines these limits and the relative difficulty of achieving a successful offset as such limits are approached. In order to improve the consistency and defensibility of development decisions involving offsets, and to improve offset design, we outline a general process for evaluating the relative offsetability of different impacts on biodiversity. This process culminates in a framework that establishes the burden of proof necessary to confirm the appropriateness and achievability of offsets, given varying levels of: conservation concern for affected biodiversity; residual impact magnitude; opportunity for suitable offsets; and feasibility of offset implementation in practice. Rankings for biodiversity conservation concern are drawn from existing conservation planning tools and approaches, including the IUCN Red List, Key Biodiversity Areas, and international bank environmental safeguard policies. We hope that the proposed process will stimulate much‐needed scientific and policy debate to improve the integrity and accountability of both regulated and voluntary biodiversity offsetting.
Sequestering carbon and restoring renosterveld through fallowing: a practical conservation approach for the Overberg, Cape Floristic Region, South Africa
Authors: Mills Anthony J. , Birch Sarah‐Jane C. , Stanway Rosanne , Huyser Onno , Chisholm Ryan A. , Sirami Clelia , Spear Dian 
Published: December 2012

AbstractCarbon credits are a potential source of funding for restoration initiatives that contribute to achieving conservation targets in important biodiversity areas. Here we investigated whether fallowing sequesters carbon; a first step in assessing the viability of using carbon financing to promote restoration of threatened vegetation in agricultural landscapes. We used renosterveld, a critically endangered shrubland vegetation of the Cape Floristic Region, as a case study. Carbon stocks of soil and biomass in active fields, fallow fields and intact renosterveld were compared. The total carbon stocks measured in fallow fields (82 Mg C ha−1) show that fallowing can sequester carbon lost in the conversion from intact renosterveld (84 Mg C ha−1) to active fields (69 Mg C ha−1) and that revenues of US$ 10 – 48 ha−1 yr−1 from carbon credits could accrue. Our findings suggest that carbon financing could be used to incentivise ecological restoration in marginal agricultural landscapes.
Responders to insulin therapy at 18 months in adults with newly diagnosed diabetes: which insulin regimen?
Authors: Idris I. , Pillai A. , Fernando D. J. , Thomson G. , Tate H. 
Published: December 2012

AbstractObjectivesTo describe baseline characteristics of responders to insulin therapy (HbA1c targets < 58 mmol/mol, 7.5%) at 18 months among adults with newly diagnosed diabetes.MethodsA retrospective UK study derived from 479 general practices electronic dataset. We included all adults (age > 18 years) with newly diagnosed diabetes who required insulin therapy within 6 months of diagnosis. The data comprised insulin regimen (long‐acting only; premixed insulin only; basal bolus insulin regimen), gender, Townsend quintile, baseline and an 18‐month measurement of clinical and biochemical variables. Multiple imputations were undertaken and logistic regression used to assess the effect of covariates.ResultsA total of 1492 patients (aged 19–93 years) were analysed. Means (SD) baseline HbA1c and BMI were 10.3% (2.6%) and 29.6 (7.0%), respectively. Following multiple imputation for missing data, logistic regression analysis indicated important covariates to achieve HbA1c targets were baseline HbA1c, lipid lowering therapy, gender and age. Including all covariates, those treated with premixed insulin were 47% more likely to achieve target HbA1c at 18 months than those treated with a basal‐bolus regimes (adjusted OR 1.47; 95% CI 1.12–1.92, P = 0.006)) and 32% more likely than those treated with long‐acting insulin was (adjusted OR 1.32; 95% CI 1.01–1.74, P = 0.044). Those with a higher baseline HbA1c level, on lipid‐lowering therapy, women and younger patients had a lower response rate. Mean weight gain (SD) was 2.4 kg (8.5 kg) and was not influenced by treatment regimen.ConclusionThe use of premixed insulin regimen among newly diagnosed patients with diabetes appears to be most effective in reaching HbA1c target values, independent of other confounders. The appropriate choice of insulin regimen at initiation should therefore take into account various metabolic and psychosocial factors.
The effects of multidisciplinary rehabilitation in patients with early‐to‐middle‐stage Huntington's disease: a pilot study
Authors: Thompson J. A. , Cruickshank T. M. , Penailillo L. E. , Lee J. W. , Newton R. U. , Barker R. A. , Ziman M. R. 
Published: December 2012

Background and purposeDespite advances in the understanding of Huntington's disease (HD), treatment remains symptomatic. Multidisciplinary rehabilitation, however, appears to impact disease progression. Here we show the feasibility, safety and efficacy of a 9‐month multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme in a small cohort of patients with early‐to‐middle‐stage HD.MethodsTwenty patients with HD were assigned to two groups, equally matched for cognitive and motor scores. One group received the intervention, whilst the other served as control. The Unified‐Huntington's‐Disease‐Rating‐Scale‐Total‐Motor‐Score was the primary outcome measure. Neurocognitive/psychological tests, body composition, postural stability, strength and quality of life assessments were secondary outcome measures.ResultsThe intervention reduced motor and postural stability deterioration, with minor improvements in depression, cognition and quality of life. Significant gains were observed for fat‐free mass and strength.ConclusionThis pilot study suggests that a prolonged multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme in early‐to‐middle‐stage HD is feasible, well‐tolerated and associated with therapeutic benefit. Further explorative, larger studies are warranted.
Do evolutionary life‐history trade‐offs influence prostate cancer risk? a review of population variation in testosterone levels and prostate cancer disparities
Authors: Alvarado Louis Calistro 
Published: December 2012

AbstractAn accumulation of evidence suggests that increased exposure to androgens is associated with prostate cancer risk. The unrestricted energy budget that is typical of Western diets represents a novel departure from the conditions in which men's steroid physiology evolved and is capable of supporting distinctly elevated testosterone levels. Although nutritional constraints likely underlie divergent patterns of testosterone secretion between Westernized and non‐Western men, considerable variability exists in men's testosterone levels and prostate cancer rates within Westernized populations. Here, I use evolutionary life history theory as a framework to examine prostate cancer risk. Life history theory posits trade‐offs between investment in early reproduction and long‐term survival. One corollary of life history theory is the ‘challenge hypothesis’, which predicts that males augment testosterone levels in response to intrasexual competition occurring within reproductive contexts. Understanding men's evolved steroid physiology may contribute toward understanding susceptibility to prostate cancer. Among well‐nourished populations of Westerners, men's testosterone levels already represent an outlier of cross‐cultural variation. I hypothesize that Westernized men in aggressive social environments, characterized by intense male–male competition, will further augment testosterone production aggravating prostate cancer risk.
The impact of insecticide resistance on Culex pipiens immunity
Authors: Vézilier Julien , Nicot Antoine , De Lorgeril Julien , Gandon Sylvain , Rivero Ana 
Published: December 2012

AbstractBecause of their role as vectors of diseases, the evolution of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes has been intensively investigated. Insecticide resistance is associated to a wide range of pleiotropic effects on several key life‐history traits of mosquitoes such as longevity and behavior. However, despite its potential implications in pathogen transmission, the effects of insecticide resistance on mosquito immunity have received little, if any, attention. Here, we investigate the impact of insecticide resistance in Culex pipiens, an epidemiologically important vector of a wide array of pathogens. Using both isogenic laboratory strains and field‐caught mosquitoes, we investigate the impact of two main insecticide resistance mechanisms (metabolic detoxification and target site modification) on the relative transcription of several genes involved in the immune response to pathogens, at both their constitutive and inducible levels. Our results show a discrepancy between the isogenic laboratory lines and field‐collected mosquitoes: While in the isogenic strains, insecticide‐resistant mosquitoes show a drastic increase in immune gene expression, no such effect appears in the field. We speculate on the different mechanisms that may underlie this discrepancy and discuss the risks of making inferences on the pleiotropic effects of insecticide‐resistant genes by using laboratory‐selected insecticide‐resistant lines.
Functional characterization of the galactan utilization system of Geobacillus stearothermophilus
Authors: Tabachnikov Orly , Shoham Yuval 
Published: December 2012

Type I galactan is a pectic polysaccharide composed of β‐1,4 linked units of d‐galactose and is part of the main plant cell wall polysaccharides, which are the most abundant sources of renewable carbon in the biosphere. The thermophilic bacterium Geobacillus stearothermophilus T‐6 possesses an extensive system for the utilization of plant cell wall polysaccharides, including a 9.4‐kb gene cluster, ganREFGBA, which encodes galactan‐utilization elements. Based on enzyme activity assays, the ganEFGBA genes, which probably constitute an operon, are induced by short galactosaccharides but not by galactose. GanA is a glycoside hydrolase family 53 β‐1,4‐galactanase, active on high molecular weight galactan, producing galactotetraose as the main product. Homology modelling of the active site residues suggests that the enzyme can accommodate at least eight galactose molecules (at subsites −4 to +4) in the active site. GanB is a glycoside hydrolase family 42 β‐galactosidase capable of hydrolyzing short β‐1,4 galactosaccharides into galactose. Applying both GanA and GanB on galactan resulted in the full degradation of the polymer into galactose. The ganEFG genes encode an ATP‐binding cassette sugar transport system whose sugar‐binding lipoprotein, GanE, was shown to bind galacto‐oligosaccharides. The utilization of galactan by G. stearothermophilus involves the extracellular galactanase GanA cleaving galactan into galacto‐oligosaccharides that enter the cell via a specific transport system GanEFG. The galacto‐oligosaccharides are further degraded by the intracellular β‐galactosidase GanB into galactose, which is then metabolized into UDP‐glucose via the Leloir pathway by the galKET gene products.DatabaseNucleotide sequence data have been deposited in the GenBank database under the accession number JF327803.
Methane indicator values for peatlands: a comparison of species and functional groups
Authors: Gray Alan , Levy Peter E. , Cooper Mark D. A. , Jones Timothy , Gaiawyn Jenny , Leeson Sarah R. , Ward Susan E. , Dinsmore Kerry J. , Drewer Julia , Sheppard Lucy J. , Ostle Nick J. , Evans Chris D. , Burden Annette , Zieliński Piotr 
Published: December 2012

AbstractPrevious studies have shown a correspondence between the abundance of particular plant species and methane flux. Here, we apply multivariate analyses, and weighted averaging, to assess the suitability of vegetation composition as a predictor of methane flux. We developed a functional classification of the vegetation, in terms of a number of plant traits expected to influence methane production and transport, and compared this with a purely taxonomic classification at species level and higher. We applied weighted averaging and indirect and direct ordination approaches to six sites in the United Kingdom, and found good relationships between methane flux and vegetation composition (classified both taxonomically and functionally). Plant species and functional groups also showed meaningful responses to management and experimental treatments. In addition to the United Kingdom, we applied the functional group classification across different geographical regions (Canada and the Netherlands) to assess the generality of the method. Again, the relationship appeared good at the site level, suggesting some general applicability of the functional classification. The method seems to have the potential for incorporation into large‐scale (national) greenhouse gas accounting programmes (in relation to peatland condition/management) using vegetation mapping schemes. The results presented here strongly suggest that robust predictive models can be derived using plant species data (for use in national‐scale studies). For trans‐national‐scale studies, where the taxonomic assemblage of vegetation differs widely between study sites, a functional classification of plant species data provides an appropriate basis for predictive models of methane flux.
Developing competencies for medical librarians in Pakistan
Authors: Ullah Midrar , Anwar Mumtaz A. 
Published: December 2012

AbstractObjectiveTo identify competencies for medical librarians and get these validated from head librarians and employers.MethodsThe survey method was used. A structured questionnaire, listing 84 competency statements, covering eight areas, prepared after extensive literature review, expert scrutiny and pilot testing, using a 5‐point Likert scale was distributed among the head librarians and chairpersons of library committees (CLC) in 115 medical libraries.ResultsSixty seven (58%) useable responses were received from head librarians and 63 (55%) from CLC. Of the 84 competency statements 83 were validated by the head librarians, 44 receiving four or higher mean score while the other 39 statements getting mean scores in the range of 3.97 and 3.06. The CLC validated 80 statements. Only 27 statements received four or higher mean score from CLC while the other 53 got mean scores in the range of 3.97 and 3.22.ConclusionsMedical librarians are required to be well versed with all those competencies which are needed for general librarianship. In addition, they are expected to have adequate knowledge of health sciences environment including medical terminologies and concepts. Sound knowledge of some competencies specific for medical libraries is an additional requirement for library personnel.
How reliable are Malaise traps for biomonitoring? – A bivariate species abundance model evaluation using alpine Chironomidae (Diptera)
Authors: Diserud Ola H. , Stur Elisabeth , Aagaard Kaare 
Published: December 2012

Abstract

In this study, the potential of Malaise traps to collect representative portions of an insect community was investigated. To do so, the complete catch (nearly 22 000 specimens) of male Chironomidae (Diptera) from five parallel Malaise traps along an alpine stream was identified and assigned to 108 different species. The traps were run for 4 weeks in June and July, 2008.

The similarity in community composition between parallel samples, that is, from different traps the same week, was evaluated by fitting a bivariate Poisson‐lognormal species abundance model. The estimated correlation in this bivariate distribution was used as a measure of similarity since this approach is utilising all the available species abundance information and accounts for the sampling process.

Estimated similarities showed non‐significant differences in chironomid community structure between parallel samples. The five Malaise traps sampled equally representative portions of the Chironomidae community present at the site, so the traps were found to be very reliable in the monitoring of Chironomidae community structure.

Application of the bivariate correlation as a similarity measure offers advantages over traditional measures because it takes account of the complete species abundance distributions. This approach provides an approximately unbiased estimate of similarity despite varying sample sizes and detection/non‐detection of species that are present, but rare.
Interleukin‐7 supports survival of T‐cell receptor‐β‐expressing CD4− CD8− double‐negative thymocytes
Authors: Xiong Juan , Parker Brooks L. , Dalheimer Stacy L. , Yankee Thomas M. 
Published: December 2012

SummaryAmong the milestones that occur during T‐cell development in the thymus is the expression of T‐cell receptor‐β (TCR‐β) and the formation of the pre‐TCR complex. Signals emanating from the pre‐TCR trigger survival, proliferation and differentiation of T‐cell precursors. Although the pre‐TCR is essential for these cell outcomes, other receptors, such as Notch and CXCR4, also contribute. Whether interleukin‐7 (IL‐7) participates in promoting the survival or proliferation of pre‐TCR‐expressing cells is controversial. We used in vitro and in vivo models of T‐cell development to examine the function of IL‐7 in TCR‐β‐expressing thymocytes. Culturing TCR‐β‐expressing CD4− CD8− double‐negative thymocytes in an in vitro model of T‐cell development revealed that IL‐7 reduced the frequency of CD4+ CD8+ double‐positive thymocytes at the time of harvest. The mechanism for this change in the percentage of double‐positive cells was that IL‐7 promoted the survival of thymocytes that had not yet differentiated. By preserving the double‐negative population, IL‐7 reduced the frequency of double‐positive thymocytes. Interleukin‐7 was not required for proliferation in the in vitro system. To follow this observation, we examined mice lacking CD127 (IL‐7Rα). In addition to the known effect of CD127 deficiency on T‐cell development before TCR‐β expression, CD127 deficiency also impaired the development of TCR‐β‐expressing double‐negative thymocytes. Specifically, we found that Bcl‐2 expression and cell cycle progression were reduced in TCR‐β‐expressing double‐negative thymocytes in mice lacking CD127. We conclude that IL‐7 continues to function after TCR‐β is expressed by promoting the survival of TCR‐β‐expressing double‐negative thymocytes.
Can liquefied debris flows deposit clean sand over large areas of sea floor? Field evidence from the Marnoso‐arenacea Formation, Italian Apennines
Authors: TALLING PETER J. , MALGESINI GIUSEPPE , FELLETTI FABRIZIO 
Published: December 2012

AbstractThe Marnoso‐arenacea Formation in the Italian Apennines is the only ancient rock sequence where individual submarine sediment density flow deposits have been mapped out in detail for over 100 km. Bed correlations provide new insight into how submarine flows deposit sand, because bed architecture and sandstone shape provide an independent test of depositional process models. This test is important because it can be difficult or impossible to infer depositional process unambiguously from characteristics seen at just one outcrop, especially for massive clean‐sandstone intervals whose origin has been controversial. Beds have three different types of geometries (facies tracts) in downflow oriented transects. Facies tracts 1 and 2 contain clean graded and ungraded massive sandstone deposited incrementally by turbidity currents, and these intervals taper relatively gradually downflow. Mud‐rich sand deposited by cohesive debris flow occurs in the distal part of Facies tract 2. Facies tract 3 contains clean sandstone with a distinctive swirly fabric formed by patches of coarser and better‐sorted grains that most likely records pervasive liquefaction. This type of clean sandstone can extend for up to 30 km before pinching out relatively abruptly. This abrupt pinch out suggests that this clean sand was deposited by debris flow. In some beds there are downflow transitions from turbidite sandstone into clean debrite sandstone, suggesting that debris flows formed by transformation from high‐density turbidity currents. However, outsize clasts in one particular debrite are too large and dense to have been carried by an initial turbidity current, suggesting that this debris flow ran out for at least 15 km. Field data indicate that liquefied debris flows can sometimes deposit clean sand over large (10 to 30 km) expanses of sea floor, and that these clean debrite sand layers can terminate abruptly.
Intermediate/borderline disseminated cutaneous leishmaniasis
Authors: Paniz Mondolfi Alberto E. , Duffey Gabrielle Baker , Horton Lucy E. , Tirado Mariantonieta , Reyes Jaimes Oscar , Perez‐Alvarez Alexandra , Zerpa Olga 
Published: December 2012

AbstractLeishmaniasis is a diverse group of vector‐borne diseases caused by a subset of predominantly intracellular protozoal species of the genus Leishmania. Cutaneous disease may be subdivided into localized, intermediate, and diffuse forms. Intermediate cutaneous leishmaniasis is distributed widely in Latin America and is characterized by cutaneous lesions, which may be accompanied by mucosal disease and demonstrate a tendency toward chronicity and relapse as well as resistance to standard treatment regimens. Leishmania parasites of the subgenus Viannia have been identified as the major etiologic agent of this subset of infections. The present review provides a brief perspective on leishmaniasis followed by a review of classification, transmission, clinical presentation, and evolution of disease, immunology, and current treatment approaches for the intermediate/borderline disseminated subset of cutaneous leishmaniasis.