bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Incision and Curettage Versus Steroid Injection for the Treatment of Chalazia: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Aycinena Alicia R. P. , Achiron Asaf , Paul Michael , Burgansky-Eliash Zvia 
Published: June 2015

Purpose:
To compare the efficacy of the chalazia treatment modalities of incision and curettage (I&C) and intralesional steroid injections (SI).

Methods:
Full publications of randomized controlled trials that compared I&C with SI were identified. Aggregated success rate, weighted summary proportions, and weighted pooled relative risk for success were calculated for each method.

Results:
Data were extracted from 8 publications that met these criteria, between 1984 and 2013. There were 288 patients treated by SI with aggregate success rate of 60.4% with 1 injection and 72.5% with 1 or 2 injections. The range of the success rate was 8.7 to 86.7% for 1 injection. The success rate for the second SI was 19.0%, with a range of 0% to 53.8%. There were 264 patients treated by I&C with a larger aggregate success rate of 78.0% with 1 procedure and 86.7% with 1 or 2 procedures (p < 0.05 for both comparisons). The range of the success rates was 60.0% to 92.0% for 1 I&C. The success rate for the second I&C was 90.65%, with a range of 83.3% to 100%. Compared with I&C, the overall relative risk for SI with 1 procedure was 0.77 (p = 0.05), while the overall relative risk for 1 or 2 procedures was 0.89 (p = 0.002).

Conclusions:
This analysis shows that I&C is more effective than SI with 1 procedure. This benefit is reduced when comparing 1 or 2 attempts of I&C and SI. Studies failed to show a difference in the incidence of complications with either procedure.
Pyvolve: A Flexible Python Module for Simulating Sequences along Phylogenies
Authors: Spielman Stephanie J. , Wilke Claus O. 
Published: June 2015

AbstractWe introduce Pyvolve, a flexible Python module for simulating genetic data along a phylogeny using continuous-time Markov models of sequence evolution. Easily incorporated into Python bioinformatics pipelines, Pyvolve can simulate sequences according to most standard models of nucleotide, amino-acid, and codon sequence evolution. All model parameters are fully customizable. Users can additionally specify custom evolutionary models, with custom rate matrices and/or states to evolve. This flexibility makes Pyvolve a convenient framework not only for simulating sequences under a wide variety of conditions, but also for developing and testing new evolutionary models. Pyvolve is an open-source project under a FreeBSD license, and it is available for download, along with a detailed user-manual and example scripts, fromhttp://github.com/sjspielman/pyvolve.
A survival model based on met expectations
Authors: Valle Mauricio A. , Ruz Gonzalo A. , Varas Samuel 
Published: June 2015

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a model of voluntary employee turnover based on the theory of met expectations and self-perceived efficacy of the employee, using data from a field survey conducted in a call center.Design/methodology/approachThe paper formulates a model of employee turnover. First explaining the fulfillment of expectations from initial expectations of the employee (before starting work) and their experience after a period of time. Second, explaining the turnover of employees from the fulfillment of their expectations.FindingsSome of the variability in the fulfillment of expectations can be explained by the difference between expectations and experiences in different job dimensions (e.g. income levels and job recognition). Results show that the level of fulfillment of expectations helps explain the process of employee turnover.Research limitations/implicationsThis work provides evidence for the met expectation theory, where the gap between the individual’s expectations and subsequent experiences lead to abandonment behaviors in the organization.Practical implicationsThe results suggest two paths of action to reduce the high turnover rates in the call center: the first, through realistic expectations setting of the employee, and the second, with a constant monitoring of the fulfillment of those expectations.Originality/valueA statistical model of survival is used, which is appropriate for the study of the employee turnover processes, and its inherent temporal nature.
ICT adoption in hotels and electronic word-of-mouth
Authors: Velázquez Beatriz Moliner , Blasco María Fuentes , Gil Saura Irene 
Published: June 2015

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how information and communication technology (ICT) adoption in hotels contributes to satisfaction and loyalty from the consumer perspective, considering the online dimension of recommendations.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative research based on a structured questionnaire and using a personal survey method was developed. Surveys were conducted on 386 guests from Spanish hotels. Causal methodology by testing structural equation model was applied.FindingsSignificant relationships are obtained in the sequence “ICT use perception – satisfaction with ICT – overall satisfaction with the hotel – dimensions of loyalty” and the mediating effect of positive electronic word-of-mouth intention between ICT satisfaction and general intention to recommend the hotel is confirmed.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research can replicate these relationships in other tourist services and employ multidimensional scales to measure word-of-mouth behaviour.Originality/valueThe novelty of this work is that it studies the relationships between ICT, satisfaction and loyalty in hotel services, paying particular attention to positive word-of-mouth behaviour, both conventional and online.
Self-employment as a moderator between work and life satisfaction
Authors: Loewe Nicolas , Araya-Castillo Luis , Thieme Claudio , Batista-Foguet Joan Manuel 
Published: June 2015

PurposeThe correlation between work and life satisfaction varies substantially across studies, suggesting that the strength of the relationship may depend on the studied population and its circumstances. The purpose of this paper is to assess the strength of the relationship in the context of Chile and the moderator effect of self-employment (SE), whether a worker is self-employed or on a salary.Design/methodology/approachBased on the idea that work plays a more central role in the life of a self-employed person than in that of a salaried worker, the authors hypothesized that the strength of the relationship between work and life satisfaction will be stronger for the former. The measures used in this study were part of a large questionnaire administered to investigate several characteristics of the Chilean population. The authors used multiple regression analysis to test the moderator effect of SE on the strength of the relationship between work satisfaction and life satisfaction.FindingsThe results from a national sample of 658 Chilean workers indicate that the relationship between work satisfaction and life satisfaction is positive. Furthermore, the relationship is stronger for self-employed workers than for salaried workers. The authors also found a small negative direct effect of SE on life satisfaction, which suggests that the self-employed might be, on average, less satisfied with their lives than their salaried counterparts.Originality/valueThe sample used in the current study was not only substantially larger in size but also more representative of the current workforce because it included both genders. Consequently, the results are more robust and generalizable.
Within‐family parent–offspring co‐adaptation in a wild bird: on static traits, behavioural reaction norms, and sex differences
Authors: Lucass Carsten , Korsten Peter , Eens Marcel , Müller Wendt 
Published: June 2015

Summary

Parental care, a central component of reproduction in a wide range of animal species, often involves elaborate behavioural interactions between parents and their offspring. Due to the reciprocal nature of these interactions, it has been hypothesized that parental and offspring behaviours (e.g. parental food provisioning and offspring begging) are not only target but also agent of selection. These traits are therefore expected to co‐evolve, ultimately leading to co‐adaptation of parent and offspring behaviours within families. However, empirical data on such parent–offspring co‐adaptation are limited, particularly for wild populations. Furthermore, mean levels of behaviour (as measured in previous studies) may not adequately describe the dynamic nature of the reciprocal interplay between parents and their offspring, and instead rather the behavioural reaction norms for provisioning and begging may be co‐adapted.

We applied a large‐scale cross‐fostering study over 3 consecutive breeding seasons to investigate whether provisioning behaviour of wild blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) parents covaries with the begging behaviour of their genetic, cross‐fostered offspring. We simultaneously analysed parent and offspring behaviours, both as static traits (mean levels) and behavioural reaction norms (offspring begging as a function of food deprivation and parental provisioning as a function of short‐term experimental changes in brood size).

Neither maternal nor paternal provisioning rates covaried with the begging intensity of their genetic offspring when analysed as mean levels of behaviour. However, the slopes of the reaction norms for provisioning and begging were negatively correlated between male, but not female, parents and their genetic offspring. Thus, fathers that change their provisioning rate strongly with brood size sire offspring whose level of begging only weakly increases with hunger, and vice versa.

The observed covariation suggests the existence of sex‐specific optima for parent–offspring trait combinations. Thus, our study not only highlights the importance of a behavioural reaction norm approach when investigating parent–offspring interactions, but also stresses the relevance of considering parents as separate units, at least for biparental species.
Effects of elevation and nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization on plant defence compounds in subarctic tundra heath vegetation
Authors: De Long Jonathan R. , Sundqvist Maja K. , Gundale Michael J. , Giesler Reiner , Wardle David A. 
Published: June 2015

Summary

Plant chemical and structural defence compounds are well known to impact upon herbivory of fresh leaves and influence decomposition rates after leaf senescence. A number of theories predict that alleviating nutrient limitation and reducing other environmental stressors will result in decreased production of plant chemical defences.

In this study, we measured plant defence properties [total polyphenols (TP), condensed tannins (CT) and lignin concentrations, and protein complexation capacity (PCC)] in both fresh and senesced plant leaves in a fully factorial N and P fertilization experiment set‐up at each of three elevations along an elevational gradient in Swedish subarctic tundra heath vegetation. Further, we performed a decomposition of variance analysis on community‐weighted averages (CWAs) of plant defence properties to determine the relative contributions of interspecific and intraspecific variation to the total variation observed in response to elevation and nutrient addition.

We hypothesized that N fertilization would reduce plant defence properties and that this reduction would be greater at higher elevations, while the effects of P fertilization would have no effect at any elevation.

At the community level, N addition reduced CT and PCC in both fresh and senesced leaves and TP in senesced leaves, while P addition had few effects, broadly in line with our hypothesis. The effects of N addition frequently varied with elevation, but in contrast to our hypothesis, the said effects were strongest at the lowest elevations. The effects of N addition and the interactive effect of N with elevation were primarily driven by intraspecific, rather than interspecific, variation.

Our findings suggest that as temperatures warm and N availability increases due to global climate change, secondary metabolites in subarctic heath vegetation will decline particularly within species. Our results highlight the need to consider the effects of both nutrient availability and temperature, and their interaction, in driving subarctic plant defence.
Divergent evolution in antiherbivore defences within species complexes at a single Amazonian site
Authors: Endara María‐José , Weinhold Alexander , Cox James E. , Wiggins Natasha L. , Coley Phyllis D. , Kursar Thomas A. 
Published: June 2015

Summary

Classic theory in plant–insect interactions has linked herbivore pressure with diversification in plant species. We hypothesize that herbivores may exert divergent selection on defences, such that closely related plant species will be more different in defensive than in non‐defensive traits.

We evaluated this hypothesis by investigating two clades of closely related plant species coexisting at a single site in the Peruvian Amazon: Inga capitata Desv. and Inga heterophylla Willd. species complexes. We compared how these lineages differ in the suite of chemical, biotic, phenological and developmental defences as compared to non‐defensive traits that are related to habitat use and resource acquisition. We also collected insect herbivores feeding on the plants.

Our data show that sister lineages within both species complexes are more divergent in antiherbivore defences than in other non‐defensive, functional traits. Moreover, the assemblages of herbivore communities are dissimilar between the populations of coexisting I. capitata lineages.

Synthesis. Our results are consistent with the idea that for the I. capitata and I. heterophylla species complexes, interactions with their natural enemies may have played a significant role in their phenotypic divergence and potentially in their diversification and coexistence. It also suggests that defensive traits are evolutionary labile.
Fine‐scale spatial genetic structure analysis of the black truffle Tuber aestivum and its link to aroma variability
Authors: Molinier Virginie , Murat Claude , Frochot Henri , Wipf Daniel , Splivallo Richard 
Published: June 2015

SummaryTruffles are symbiotic fungi in high demand by food connoisseurs. Improving yield and product quality requires a better understanding of truffle genetics and aroma biosynthesis. One aim here was to investigate the diversity and fine‐scale spatial genetic structure of the Burgundy truffle Tuber aestivum. The second aim was to assess how genetic structuring along with fruiting body maturation and geographical origin influenced single constituents of truffle aroma.A total of 39 Burgundy truffles collected in two orchards were characterized in terms of aroma profile (SPME‐GC/MS) and genotype (microsatellites). A moderate genetic differentiation was observed between the populations of the two orchards. An important seasonal and spatial genetic structuring was detected. Within one orchard, individuals belonging to the same genet were generally collected during a single season and in the close vicinity from each other. Maximum genet size nevertheless ranged from 46 to 92 m. Geographical origin or maturity only had minor effects on aroma profiles but genetic structuring, specifically clonal identity, had a pronounced influence on the concentrations of C8‐ and C4‐VOCs.Our results highlight a high seasonal genetic turnover and indicate that the aroma of Burgundy truffle is influenced by the identity of single clones/genets.
Organic matter quantity and source affects microbial community structure and function following volcanic eruption on Kasatochi Island, Alaska
Authors: Zeglin Lydia H. , Wang Bronwen , Waythomas Christopher , Rainey Frederick , Talbot Sandra L. 
Published: June 2015

SummaryIn August 2008, Kasatochi volcano erupted and buried a small island in pyroclastic deposits and fine ash; since then, microbes, plants and birds have begun to re‐colonize the initially sterile surface. Five years post‐eruption, bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) copy numbers and extracellular enzyme activity (EEA) potentials were one to two orders of magnitude greater in pyroclastic materials with organic matter (OM) inputs relative to those without, despite minimal accumulation of OM (< 0.2%C). When normalized by OM levels, post‐eruptive surfaces with OM inputs had the highest β‐glucosidase, phosphatase, NAGase and cellobiohydrolase activities, and had microbial population sizes approaching those in reference soils. In contrast, the strongest factor determining bacterial community composition was the dominance of plants versus birds as OM input vectors. Although soil pH ranged from 3.9 to 7.0, and %C ranged 100×, differentiation between plant‐ and bird‐associated microbial communities suggested that cell dispersal or nutrient availability are more likely drivers of assembly than pH or OM content. This study exemplifies the complex relationship between microbial cell dispersal, soil geochemistry, and microbial structure and function; and illustrates the potential for soil microbiota to be resilient to disturbance.
Critical biogeochemical functions in the subsurface are associated with bacteria from new phyla and little studied lineages
Authors: Hug Laura A. , Thomas Brian C. , Sharon Itai , Brown Christopher T. , Sharma Ritin , Hettich Robert L. , Wilkins Michael J. , Williams Kenneth H. , Singh Andrea , Banfield Jillian F. 
Published: June 2015

SummaryNitrogen, sulfur and carbon fluxes in the terrestrial subsurface are determined by the intersecting activities of microbial community members, yet the organisms responsible are largely unknown. Metagenomic methods can identify organisms and functions, but genome recovery is often precluded by data complexity. To address this limitation, we developed subsampling assembly methods to re‐construct high‐quality draft genomes from complex samples. We applied these methods to evaluate the interlinked roles of the most abundant organisms in biogeochemical cycling in the aquifer sediment. Community proteomics confirmed these activities. The eight most abundant organisms belong to novel lineages, and two represent phyla with no previously sequenced genome. Four organisms are predicted to fix carbon via the Calvin–Benson–Bassham, Wood–Ljungdahl or 3‐hydroxyproprionate/4‐hydroxybutarate pathways. The profiled organisms are involved in the network of denitrification, dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia, ammonia oxidation and sulfate reduction/oxidation, and require substrates supplied by other community members. An ammonium‐oxidizing Thaumarchaeote is the most abundant community member, despite low ammonium concentrations in the groundwater. This organism likely benefits from two other relatively abundant organisms capable of producing ammonium from nitrate, which is abundant in the groundwater. Overall, dominant members of the microbial community are interconnected through exchange of geochemical resources.
InnerMongolian steppe arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities respond more strongly to water availability than to nitrogen fertilization
Authors: Li Xiaoliang , Zhu Tingyao , Peng Fei , Chen Qing , Lin Shan , Christie Peter , Zhang Junling 
Published: June 2015

SummaryPlant community productivity and species composition are primarily constrained by water followed by nitrogen (N) availability in the degraded semi‐arid grasslands ofInnerMongolia. However, there is a lack of knowledge on how long‐termNaddition and water availability interact to influence the community structure of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, and whetherAMfungi contribute to the recovery of degraded grasslands. Soils and roots of the dominant plant speciesStipa grandisandAgropyron cristatumwere sampled under two water levels andN) rates after 8 years. The abundance and diversity ofAMfungi remained relatively resilient after the long‐term addition of water andN. Variation in theAMfungal communities in soils and roots were affected primarily by watering.AMfungal abundance and operational taxonomic unit (OTU) richness were significantly correlated with average aboveground net primary productivity and biomass of plant functional groups. Hyphal length density was significantly correlated with plant richness, the average biomass ofS. grandisand perennial forbs. Both water and plant biomass had a considerable influence on theAMfungal assemblages. The tight linkages betweenAMfungi with aboveground plant productivity highlight the importance of plant–microbe interactions in the productivity and sustainability of these semi‐arid grassland ecosystems.
Combining metagenomics with metaproteomics and stable isotope probing reveals metabolic pathways used by a naturally occurring marine methylotroph
Authors: Grob Carolina , Taubert Martin , Howat Alexandra M. , Burns Oliver J. , Dixon Joanna L. , Richnow Hans H. , Jehmlich Nico , von Bergen Martin , Chen Yin , Murrell J. Colin 
Published: June 2015

SummaryA variety of culture‐independent techniques have been developed that can be used in conjunction with culture‐dependent physiological and metabolic studies of key microbial organisms in order to better understand how the activity of natural populations influences and regulates all major biogeochemical cycles. In this study, we combined deoxyribonucleic acid‐stable isotope probing (DNA‐SIP) with metagenomics and metaproteomics to characterize an uncultivated marine methylotroph that actively incorporated carbon from 13C‐labeled methanol into biomass. By metagenomic sequencing of the heavy DNA, we retrieved virtually the whole genome of this bacterium and determined its metabolic potential. Through protein‐stable isotope probing, the RuMP cycle was established as the main carbon assimilation pathway, and the classical methanol dehydrogenase‐encoding gene mxaF, as well as three out of four identified xoxF homologues were found to be expressed. This proof‐of‐concept study is the first in which the culture‐independent techniques of DNA‐SIP and protein‐SIP have been used to characterize the metabolism of a naturally occurring Methylophaga‐like bacterium in the marine environment (i.e. Methylophaga thiooxydans L4) and thus provides a powerful approach to access the genome and proteome of uncultivated microbes involved in key processes in the environment.
Global parasite and Rattus rodent invasions: The consequences for rodent‐borne diseases
Authors: MORAND Serge , BORDES Frédéric , CHEN Hsuan‐Wien , CLAUDE Julien , COSSON Jean‐François , GALAN Maxime , CZIRJÁK Gábor Á , GREENWOOD Alex D , LATINNE Alice , MICHAUX Johan , RIBAS Alexis 
Published: June 2015

AbstractWe summarize the current knowledge on parasitism‐related invasion processes of the globally invasive Rattus lineages, originating from Asia, and how these invasions have impacted the local epidemiology of rodent‐borne diseases. Parasites play an important role in the invasion processes and successes of their hosts through multiple biological mechanisms such as “parasite release,” “immunocompetence advantage,” “biotic resistance” and “novel weapon.” Parasites may also greatly increase the impact of invasions by spillover of parasites and other pathogens, introduced with invasive hosts, into new hosts, potentially leading to novel emerging diseases. Another potential impact is the ability of the invader to amplify local parasites by spillback. In both cases, local fauna and humans may be exposed to new health risks, which may decrease biodiversity and potentially cause increases in human morbidity and mortality. Here we review the current knowledge on these processes and propose some research priorities.