bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Revisiting the origin and diversification of vascular plants through a comprehensive Bayesian analysis of the fossil record
Authors: Silvestro Daniele , Cascales‐Miñana Borja , Bacon Christine D. , Antonelli Alexandre 
Published: January 2015

Summary

Plants have a long evolutionary history, during which mass extinction events dramatically affected Earth's ecosystems and its biodiversity. The fossil record can shed light on the diversification dynamics of plant life and reveal how changes in the origination–extinction balance have contributed to shaping the current flora.

We use a novel Bayesian approach to estimate origination and extinction rates in plants throughout their history. We focus on the effect of the ‘Big Five’ mass extinctions and on estimating the timing of origin of vascular plants, seed plants and angiosperms.

Our analyses show that plant diversification is characterized by several shifts in origination and extinction rates, often matching the most important geological boundaries. The estimated origin of major plant clades predates the oldest macrofossils when considering the uncertainties associated with the fossil record and the preservation process.

Our findings show that the commonly recognized mass extinctions have affected each plant group differently and that phases of high extinction often coincided with major floral turnovers. For instance, after the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary we infer negligible shifts in diversification of nonflowering seed plants, but find significantly decreased extinction in spore‐bearing plants and increased origination rates in angiosperms, contributing to their current ecological and evolutionary dominance.
Silicon induces resistance to the brown spot fungus Cochliobolus miyabeanus by preventing the pathogen from hijacking the rice ethylene pathway
Authors: Van Bockhaven Jonas , Spíchal Lukáš , Novák Ondřej , Strnad Miroslav , Asano Takayuki , Kikuchi Shoshi , Höfte Monica , De Vleesschauwer David 
Published: January 2015

Summary

Although numerous studies have shown the ability of silicon (Si) to mitigate a wide variety of abiotic and biotic stresses, relatively little is known about the underlying mechanism(s). Here, we have investigated the role of hormone defense pathways in Si‐induced resistance to the rice brown spot fungus Cochliobolus miyabeanus.

To delineate the involvement of multiple hormone pathways, a multidisciplinary approach was pursued, combining exogenous hormone applications, pharmacological inhibitor experiments, time‐resolved hormone measurements, and bioassays with hormone‐deficient and/or ‐insensitive mutant lines.

Contrary to other types of induced resistance, we found Si‐induced brown spot resistance to function independently of the classic immune hormones salicylic acid and jasmonic acid. Our data also rule out a major role of the abscisic acid (ABA) and cytokinin pathways, but suggest that Si mounts resistance to C. miyabeanus by preventing the fungus from hijacking the rice ethylene (ET) machinery. Interestingly, rather than suppressing rice ET signaling per se, Si probably interferes with the production and/or action of fungal ET.

Together our findings favor a scenario whereby Si induces brown spot resistance by disarming fungal ET and argue that impairment of pathogen virulence factors is a core resistance mechanism underpinning Si‐induced plant immunity.
When the lights go out: the evolutionary fate of free‐living colorless green algae
Authors: Figueroa‐Martinez Francisco , Nedelcu Aurora M. , Smith David R. , Reyes‐Prieto Adrian 
Published: January 2015

SummaryThe endosymbiotic origin of plastids was a launching point for eukaryotic evolution. The autotrophic abilities bestowed by plastids are responsible for much of the eukaryotic diversity we observe today. But despite its many advantages, photosynthesis has been lost numerous times and in disparate lineages throughout eukaryote evolution. For example, among green algae, several groups have lost photosynthesis independently and in response to different selective pressures; these include the parasitic/pathogenic trebouxiophyte genera Helicosporidium and Prototheca, and the free‐living chlamydomonadalean genera Polytomella and Polytoma. Here, we examine the published data on colorless green algae and argue that investigations into the different evolutionary routes leading to their current nonphotosynthetic lifestyles provide exceptional opportunities to understand the ecological and genomic factors involved in the loss of photosynthesis.
Pathways from life‐historical events and borderline personality disorder to symptomatic disorders among suicidal psychiatric patients: A study of structural equation modeling
Authors: Hayashi Naoki , Igarashi Miyabi , Imai Atsushi , Yoshizawa Yuka , Asamura Kaori , Ishikawa Yoichi , Tokunaga Taro , Ishimoto Kayo , Tatebayashi Yoshitaka , Kumagai Naoki , Ishii Hidetoki , Okazaki Yuji 
Published: January 2015

AimsSuicidal behavior (SB) is a major mental health problem. The research has identified many factors related to SB, such as problems in the developmental period and psychiatric and personality disorders. However, the interrelation of these factors has not been clearly delineated.MethodsThe subjects were 155 patients consecutively admitted with SB to a psychiatric center in Tokyo. Structured interviews, including the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV (SCID)‐I and SCID‐II, were conducted to determine characteristics of the SB‐related factors. To illustrate their interrelation, this study applied the technique of structural equation modeling. The latent constructs of life‐historical events, borderline personality disorder (BPD) features and three symptomatic disorders (depression, anxiety disorders and substance dependence) were aligned in the chronological order of their manifestation, and connected one another within the model. Indicator variables of life‐historical events were maltreatment in the developmental period and early onset of problematic behaviors. Indicators of BPD features and symptomatic disorders included the scales composed of the items in the SCID‐I and II.ResultsThe constructed model with favorable goodness‐of‐fit indices confirmed that BPD features had a mediating role in which they were influenced by life‐historical events, and exerted an influence on the symptomatic disorders. Outside the BPD‐mediating paths, the model suggested three clinically interpretable links between life‐historical events and symptomatic disorders.ConclusionsThe model of this study demonstrated the pathways from life‐historical events and BPD to symptomatic disorders, and indicated a generating process of psychiatric comorbidity among suicidal patients. The wide‐range view this study portrayed has important clinical implications, and deserves further substantiation by future studies.
Association of HMOX1 gene promoter polymorphisms with hyperbilirubinemia in the early neonatal period
Authors: Katayama Yoshinori , Yokota Tomoyuki , Zhao Hui , Wong Ronald J , Stevenson David K , Taniguchi‐Ikeda Mariko , Nakamura Hajime , Iijima Kazumoto , Morioka Ichiro 
Published: January 2015

AbstractBackgroundHeme oxygenase (HO) is the rate‐limiting enzyme in the heme degradation pathway that produces bilirubin. The promoter region of human heme oxygenase‐1 (HMOX1) contains a polymorphic (GT)n repeat that can regulate gene expression. Here, we investigated the association of (GT)n repeat length in the HMOX1 promoter region with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in a population of Japanese term neonates.MethodsUsing polymerase chain reaction and fragment analysis, we determined the number of (GT)n repeats in 149 Japanese neonates. To omit the effects of the G71R mutation in uridine diphosphoglucuronosyltransferase on hyperbilirubinemia, we excluded 41 neonates with the G71R mutation. As a result, 25 neonates with hyperbilirubinemia and 83 non‐hyperbilirubinemic controls were included in this prospective case–control study. Allele and genotype frequencies of (GT)n repeats in the HMOX1 gene were compared between hyperbilirubinemic and non‐hyperbilirubinemic control neonates.ResultsThe prevalence of short alleles (<22 (GT)n repeats) was significantly higher in hyperbilirubinemic than in control neonates (18% vs 7%, P = 0.015). Hyperbilirubinemia was more frequent in homozygous or heterozygous short allele carriers than control neonates (28% vs 11%, respectively, P = 0.03). Possession of short alleles was significantly associated with the development of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (OR, 3.1; 95%CI: 1.03–9.53).ConclusionsInfants carrying short alleles (<22 (GT)n repeats) in the HMOX1 gene promoter region appear to be at a higher risk for developing neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.
ADHD symptoms, breast‐feeding and obesity in children and adolescents
Authors: Türkoğlu Serhat , Bilgiç Ayhan , Akça Ömer Faruk 
Published: January 2015

AbstractBackgroundAttention‐deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been found to be related to overweight/obesity in children and adolescents, but it is a heterogeneous disorder, and the relationships between the dimensions of ADHD and overweight/obesity are not clear. The aim of this study was to explore which dimensions of the disorder are specifically associated with overweight/obesity.MethodsThe study sample consisted of 300 treatment‐naive children with ADHD and 75 healthy controls aged 7–17 years. The ADHD module of the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia–Present and Lifetime Version was used to diagnose ADHD. The severity of ADHD symptoms was assessed via Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS). The weight, height, and breast‐feeding duration of the study samples and controls were recorded. Body mass index (BMI) was categorized according to the national age/sex‐specific reference values.ResultsThe rate of overweight/obese children was higher in the ADHD group. The association between ADHD symptoms and BMI percentile scores was evaluated using structural equation modeling. In that model, it was observed that the Cognitive Problems/Inattentive and Oppositional subscores of the CPRS had a positive predictive effect on the BMI percentile scores, but breast‐feeding duration had a negative predictive effect on the BMI percentile scores.ConclusionInattention, oppositionality and breast‐feeding duration were associated with overweight/obesity in children and adolescents with ADHD. Longitudinal studies are needed to more fully understand this relationship and the mechanisms underlying the association between ADHD and overweight/obesity.
Between Political Religion and Politicized Religion: Interwar Fascism and Religion Revisited
Authors: Assoudeh Eliot 
Published: January 2015

AbstractThe following article surveys the relationships between fascist ideology and religion in interwar Europe. First, it provides a working definition for the term ‘clerical fascism’ through the exploration of 14 case studies presented at the 2006 international workshop on Clerical Fascism in interwar Europe. Next, it argues that fascism, understood as a syncretic coalition between political and politicized religion, improves the analytical understanding of how fascist movements and religious entities extended collaborations. This approach enables us to study not only how fascist and religious forces respond to political opportunities but also how these collectivities reshape political context in their favor and create new opportunities. In most cases, battles over two key factions, the ‘custody of youths’ and the ‘rebirth of nations’, provided both political and politicized camps with opportunities to cooperate or struggle.
Incidence and clinical predictors of endobronchial tuberculosis in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis
Authors: Jung Sung‐Soo , Park Hee‐Sun , Kim Ju‐Ock , Kim Sun‐Young 
Published: January 2015

AbstractBackground and objectiveIncidence and predictors of endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) remain unknown because of the lack of prospective studies. Our objective was to assess the incidence and predictors of concomitant EBTB in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB).MethodsWe prospectively performed routine bronchoscopic examination in all patients with PTB to detect EBTB. Clinical and bronchoscopic findings were analyzed to elucidate predictors of EBTB.ResultsBronchoscopies of 429 PTB patients were performed at a tertiary referral hospital in Korea. Among those, 233 patients (54.3%) had EBTB. Female gender (odds ratio (OR) 4.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.78–10.63), longer symptom duration (>4 weeks; OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.05–5.46), and no previous history of tuberculosis (OR 4.16, 95% CI 1.22–14.18) were found to be the independent predictors of concomitant EBTB in patients with active PTB. Most of the EBTB/PTB patients had mild stenosis, and more than 20% of them had severe stenosis at the time of diagnosis. Patients with EBTB had follow‐up bronchoscopy to evaluate persistent airway stenosis. Persistent bronchostenosis with the lumen narrowed by more than one third occurred in 20.7% (30/145) of patients. The involvement length and decreased forced expiratory volume in 1 s were the risk factors for persistent bronchostenosis.ConclusionsIn patients with active PTB, 50% or more have EBTB. Female gender and longer duration of symptoms are the main predictors of concomitant EBTB. Immediate diagnostic bronchoscopy in patients with active PTB should be considered in selected patients for detection of brocnhostenosis.
Tax Competition and Economic Integration
Authors: Hafner Kurt A. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractThis article examines the role of tax competition and economic integration in a core–periphery setting, where agglomeration forces are present. I present a New Economic Geography model, which accounts for firm entry/exit and international mobility of skilled labor employed in the public R&D sectors. In contrast to other literature on tax competition, I focus on its impact on labor migration and net earnings of skilled and unskilled labor. Economic integration is modeled as trade liberalization, an easing of factor mobility restrictions and technology diffusion. I find that tax competition favors skilled labor when trade costs are reduced. In contrast, unskilled labor benefits when factor mobility restrictions are eased and technology diffusion is enhanced.
Inequality and Saving: Further Evidence from Integrated Economies
Authors: Gu Xinhua , Huang Bihong , Tam Pui Sun , Zhang Yang 
Published: January 2015

AbstractRenewed attention to inequality and saving has arisen owing to their pronounced implications for global imbalances and financial crises. We show that the relationship between saving and inequality is negative if savers' funds are borrowed by spending households for consumption as in theUSA, but positive if saving is allocated through financial systems to investing firms for production as inChina. This theoretical result is largely consistent with empirical evidence found from these two increasingly integrated economies and other related countries by estimating panel‐data models. The policy implication is that inequality must be reduced in order to increase saving in theUSAand otherOrganisation forEconomicCo‐operation andDevelopment (OECD) countries and to boost consumption in China and other parts of emergingAsia.
Poverty Reduction through Growth and Redistribution Policies—a Panel Analysis for 59 Developing Countries
Authors: Belke Ansgar , Wernet Andreas 
Published: January 2015

AbstractIn this paper, we empirically test the determinants of growth, as derived from a semi‐endogenous growth model, in terms of its poverty‐reducing effects. We base our empirical analysis of the growth and distribution effect of economic policies on a panel data set of 59 developing countries, divided into two subgroups, and a sample period ranging from 1960 to 2004. For purposes of estimation we make use of the generalized methods of moments (GMM) system estimator. The estimations reveal a poverty‐reducing effect of investment. In contrast population growth induces higher poverty. The import of knowledge is growth enhancing only for countries at a higher stage of development—meanwhile the positive growth effect of an increasing democratization is limited to the poor developing countries.
Business Cycle Synchronization in the EnlargedEU: The Role of Bilateral Trade andFDI
Authors: Asteriou Dimitrios , Moudatsou Argiro 
Published: January 2015

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to investigate the determinants of business cycle (BC) synchronization across 21 (old and new) countries of the enlargedEuropeanUnion (EU). It utilizes international data to evaluate the linkages among bilateral trade in goods, bilateral foreign direct investment (FDI) flows andBCco‐movements. The paper contributes to the current literature by examining the relationship using the latest available data (sample range: 1998–2011), and thus taking into account the European sovereign debt crisis period. It also examines the role ofFDI, which though increasingly important in the flows of international production factors, is currently neglected by the literature. Preliminary results show thatFDIhas no direct effect onBCsynchronization while international trade helps to synchronizeBCs but only before the recent financial crisis (pre‐2008) and only for the traditionalEUcountries.
A cross‐sectional study on Swedish licensed nurses' use, practice, perception and knowledge about complementary and alternative medicine
Authors: Jong Mats , Lundqvist Veronica , Jong Miek C. 
Published: January 2015

RationaleNo data exist on the percentage of licensed nurses in Sweden who practise a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).ObjectiveTo investigate the use, practice, perception and knowledge of CAM among a representative sample of licensed nurses in Sweden.MethodsA cross‐sectional descriptive anonymous survey on CAM‐related issues was distributed between April and June 2012 to 1200 licensed nurses who were member of the Swedish Association of Health Professionals (Vårdförbundet).ResultsA total of 335 nurses (28%) responded to the survey of which 83% reported to have used at least one CAM method for self‐care. Massage (59.7%), dietary supplements (51.3%) and mind–body therapies (24.8%) were most frequently used. CAM practice was reported by 11 and 43% of the nurses wished to practise a CAM method in the future. Main barriers for practise of CAM were lack of knowledge, lack of scientific evidence and little knowledge on legislative issues concerning CAM. A high proportion (73%) of nurses never or seldom asked patients about CAM use although 59.1% opined that health‐care personnel should inform clients about CAM when they ask for it. Having knowledge about CAM was found to be significantly (p < 0.05) associated with a higher odds of respondents to ask their patients about CAM use (OR 3.3; CI 1.4–7.6). Similar findings on CAM use, knowledge and perception were observed in a confirmatory analysis among an additional convenience sample of 625 nurses in Sweden.ConclusionLicensed nurses in Sweden seemed to have an overall positive attitude towards CAM. Although CAM practice was low, a substantial number wished to practise a CAM method in the future. Main barrier for CAM practise and communication was lack of knowledge and evidence, emphasizing the need for structural education, information and research on CAM in Sweden.
Prognostic factors in canine acute leukaemias: a retrospective study
Authors: Novacco M. , Comazzi S. , Marconato L. , Cozzi M. , Stefanello D. , Aresu L. , Martini V. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractCanine acute leukaemias (ALs) have a poor prognosis, with reported survival times (ST) of only a few weeks or months. Also, clinical studies assessing prognostic factors are lacking. This study aims to retrospectively assess variables that predict ST in dogs with AL, and to identify correlations between outcome and therapeutic protocols. Diagnosis and sub‐classification into AL subtypes was made based on haematological findings, morphological assessment and flow cytometric immunophenotyping. Clinical–pathological features of AL subtypes at presentation concurred with those described in the literature. A normal neutrophil count at presentation significantly prolonged ST (P = 0.027). Additionally, there was a trend for anaemic dogs to have shorter survival compared with those without anaemia, and the incorporation of cytosine in the chemotherapy protocol produced a moderate but not significant increase in median ST for dogs with AL. Further prospective studies with standardized treatments are needed to confirm and improve our results.
Finite basis problem for semigroups of order six
Authors: Lee Edmond W. H. , Zhang Wen Ting 
Published: January 2015

AbstractTwo semigroups are distinct if they are neither isomorphic nor anti-isomorphic. Although there exist $15\,973$ pairwise distinct semigroups of order six, only four are known to be non-finitely based. In the present article, the finite basis property of the other $15\,969$ distinct semigroups of order six is verified. Since all semigroups of order five or less are finitely based, the four known non-finitely based semigroups of order six are the only examples of minimal order.
The PGT2, a New 2-MW Class Efficient Gas Turbine: Applications and Operating Experience in Cogeneration
Authors: Benvenuti Erio , Sargenti Marco 
Published: January 2015

The PGT2 is a single-shaft gas turbine with a 2 MW ISO electric output that, after an extensive factory development program has been launched into industrial service with a number of cogeneration applications in small-medium size industries. The two-stage high pressure ratio compressor combined with the single-can combustor and the two-stage air-cooled transonic turbine provides a compact and rugged architecture. The turbine inlet temperature in the 1050–1100 °C class and the 12.5:1 pressure ratio provide a 25% electrical efficiency and a high exhaust temperature that make this machine attractive for a variety of both civil and industrial applications like hospitals and pulp and paper mills, textile, tiles, cement, glass and food production. The exhaust heat recovery boiler can be either a commercial unit or compact once-through type of proprietary design that is housed in a vertical exhaust duct to substantially reduce powerplant footprint area when space is limited. The first application that has provided the most extensive operating experience so far is cogeneration in a paper mill in central Italy. Detailed studies on the potential energy saving and on the return of investment cycle were made in collaboration with the client, and provided a valuable basis for further studies that led to additional orders for paper mills, textile and tile industries. The first installed unit is a package comprising a once-through-flow boiler that was full-load tested at the factory before shipping. Commissioning of the cogeneration plant was started in 30 days after shipment and the plant was taken over by the client in less than three months. A dedicated telephone line allows the power plant to be monitored directly from Florence, thus making it possible to gather operational data in real time and to provide this first customer with prompt assistance during the 4-year service and maintenance contract period.
This paper describes the PGT2 design and performance features, the technical and economic evaluations made for the first application, the cogeneration plant layout and a summary of the most significant operational data collected in the initial months or regular service in the paper mill.