bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effects of large herbivore grazing on meadow steppe plant and insect diversity
Authors: Zhu Hui , Wang Deli , Wang Ling , Bai Yuguang , Fang Jian , Liu Jun 
Published: October 2012

Summary
The interactions between adjacent trophic levels are essential for ecosystem functioning and stability. Grazing by domestic herbivores is an essential interaction in grasslands, but little information is available on the nature of relationship between plant and insect diversity under grazing by large herbivores.
We examined the effects of large herbivores on the relationship between plant and insect diversity with five grazing treatments (control, cattle, goat, sheep and a mixture of the three grazing types) across three plant diversity levels (low: 4–5 species, intermediate: 8–9 species and high: 15–17 species) in a meadow steppe.
We found that the grazing treatments did not significantly affect plant species richness, but reduced plant biomass, plant height and cover. Grazers affected variation in plant height differently at different plant diversity levels, and this variation increased at the low plant diversity level and decreased at the high plant diversity level after grazing. A similar pattern was observed for insect species richness: grazing had a positive impact at the low plant diversity level, but had a negative impact at the high plant diversity level.
In the absence of grazing, insect species richness was positively associated with plant species richness, but it decreased with increasing plant diversity in the grazing treatments. This was attributed to strong responses of insect species richness to plant height heterogeneity under grazing by large herbivores, implying that plant structural heterogeneity is more important than plant diversity in influencing insect diversity in grazed grasslands.
Synthesis and applications. Grazing by large herbivores may reverse the positive relationship between plant diversity and insect diversity by modifying plant structural heterogeneity. Therefore, the spatial heterogeneity of vegetation structure should be given more attention in future work on plant–insect interactions. This study further highlights the importance of using large herbivore grazing in management actions, not only to maintain diversity but also to mediate trophic interactions in grasslands.
Competition response of European beechFagus sylvaticaL. varies with tree size and abiotic stress: minimizing anthropogenic disturbances in forests
Authors: Fichtner A. , Sturm K. , Rickert C. , Härdtle W. , Schrautzer J. 
Published: October 2012

SummaryNew forest management approaches aim to ensure high biodiversity and climatic adaptability. Silvicultural practices can alter tree–tree interactions and thus influence forest structure and composition. However, knowledge of the interacting effects of competitive and abiotic stress in tree communities is still limited.We assessed growth dynamics of European beechFagus sylvaticain oligo‐ to eutrophic lowland beech forests by quantifying variation in the importance and intensity of competitive interactions among adult trees along a productivity gradient defined by nutrient availability and hydrological characteristics. We further predicted changes in competition indices with various levels of crowding for different forest types. Basal area growth of 1819 canopy trees was analysed using forest inventory data.Competition response of adult trees was inconsistent among forest types. For small timber trees, the intensity (absolute effect) and importance (effect relative to abiotic constraints) of competition decreased with increasing abiotic stress. Growth responses of medium and large timber trees, however, revealed an opposite trend. Thus, in tree communities, competition effects did not follow a general pattern, because tree maturation altered the responsiveness of trees to environmental stress.Resource dependency of competition effects was most pronounced for large timber trees, with lowest sensitivity to changes in crowding conditions occurring on fertile sites. For small and medium timber trees, however, competition effects were strongest in dense stands, with lowest sensitivity to changes in crowding conditions on resource‐limited sites.Synthesis and applications. Tree–tree interactions in beech forests showed a clear pattern which depended on tree maturation and resource supply. This highlights the importance of considering tree size‐related changes along environmental gradients in regional growth models. Our findings indicate that management practices could facilitate both timber production and nature conservation demands by adapting thinning approaches to age‐ and resource‐related tree growth patterns. We propose a distinct reduction in thinning intensity, particularly for larger beech trees growing on sites with optimum below‐ground resources. This would increase the permanent stand volumes and promote natural stand dynamics, which in turn would benefit biodiversity typical of old‐growth beech forest ecosystems.
Does managed coastal realignment create saltmarshes with ‘equivalent biological characteristics’ to natural reference sites?
Authors: Mossman Hannah L. , Davy Anthony J. , Grant Alastair 
Published: October 2012

Summary

Coastal saltmarshes provide distinctive biodiversity and important ecosystem services, including coastal defence, supporting fisheries and nutrient cycling. However, c. 50% of the world's coastal marshes are degraded or have been lost, with losses continuing. In both Europe and North America, there is a legal requirement to create habitats to substitute for losses. How well do created habitats replicate natural salt marshes?
We compared plant communities and environmental characteristics of 18 deliberately realigned (managed realignment, MR ‐ between 1 and 14 years old), 17 accidentally realigned (AR, 25–131 years old) sites with those on 34 natural reference saltmarshes in the UK.
Halophytic species colonized individual realignment sites rapidly, attaining species richness similar to nearby reference marshes after 1 year. Nevertheless, the community composition of MR sites was significantly different from reference sites, with early‐successional species remaining dominant, even on the high marsh.
The dominance of pioneer species on the low and mid‐marsh may be because, at the same elevation, sediments were less oxygenated than on reference sites. Sediments were well oxygenated on the high marsh, but were often drier than on natural marshes.
Overall community composition of AR marshes was not significantly different to reference marshes, but the characteristic perennials Limonium vulgare, Triglochin maritima, Plantago maritima and Armeria maritima remained relatively rare. In contrast, the shrub Atriplex portulacoides was more abundant, and its growth form may inhibit or delay colonization by other species.
Synthesis and applications. Marshes created by managed realignment do not satisfy the requirements of the EU Habitats Directive. Adherence to the Directive might be improved by additional management interventions, such as manipulation of topographic heterogeneity or planting of mid‐ and upper‐marsh species. However, given the inherent variation in natural saltmarshes and projected environmental change, policies that require exact equivalence at individual sites may be unachievable. More realistic goals might require minimum levels of a range of ecosystem functions on a broader scale, across catchments or regions.
Grazing alters ecosystem functioning and C:N:P stoichiometry of grasslands along a regional precipitation gradient
Authors: Bai Yongfei , Wu Jianguo , Clark Chris M. , Pan Qingmin , Zhang Lixia , Chen Shiping , Wang Qibing , Han Xingguo 
Published: October 2012

Summary

The Eurasian steppe has long been subject to grazing by domestic ungulates at high levels, resulting in widespread deterioration of biodiversity and ecosystem services. While abundant evidence demonstrates that heavy grazing alters the ecosystem structure and function of grasslands, research on how grazing specifically affects ecosystem functioning and stoichiometry on broad scales is scarce because of a lack of adequate ungrazed reference sites.

We examined the effects of grazing on ecosystem functioning and C : N : P stoichiometry across a precipitation gradient along the 700 km China–Mongolia transect (CMT), covering three community types: meadow steppe, typical steppe and desert steppe.

Long‐term grazing has dramatically altered the C, N and P pools and stoichiometry of steppe ecosystems along the CMT. Grazing reduced the C, N and P pools in above‐ground biomass and litter, while the responses in below‐ground biomass and soil C, N and P pools to grazing differed substantially among community types.

Grazing increased N content and decreased C : N ratios in all plant compartments, suggesting accelerated N cycling. The altered C : N : P stoichiometry may be explained by changes in the composition of species and functional groups as well as increased foliar N and P contents for the same species in grazed communities.

Synthesis and applications. Plant stoichiometric responses to grazing ranged from large in the meadow steppe to small in the typical steppe to generally insignificant in the desert steppe, implying that different underlying mechanisms operated along the regional precipitation gradient. Our findings suggest that reducing the stocking rate and restoring the vastly degraded steppes are essential to sustain native steppe biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and biological capacity for mitigating the impact of climate change in the Inner Mongolia grassland.
A Longitudinal Study of Emotion Regulation, Emotion Lability‐Negativity, and Internalizing Symptomatology in Maltreated and Nonmaltreated Children
Authors: Kim‐Spoon Jungmeen , Cicchetti Dante , Rogosch Fred A. 
Published: October 2012

The longitudinal contributions of emotion regulation and emotion lability‐negativity to internalizing symptomatology were examined in a low‐income sample (171 maltreated and 151 nonmaltreated children, from age 7 to 10 years). Latent difference score models indicated that for both maltreated and nonmaltreated children, emotion regulation was a mediator between emotion lability‐negativity and internalizing symptomatology, whereas emotion lability‐negativity was not a mediator between emotion regulation and internalizing symptomatology. Early maltreatment was associated with high emotion lability‐negativity (age 7) that contributed to poor emotion regulation (age 8), which in turn was predictive of increases in internalizing symptomatology (from age 8 to 9). The results imply important roles of emotion regulation in the development of internalizing symptomatology, especially for children with high emotion lability‐negativity.
Fur Shading and Modification based on Cone Step Mapping
Authors: Kühnert T. , Brunnett G. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractThis paper presents an algorithm for the real time rendering of fur without adding fur‐specific geometry, such as shells, to the object. It is based on Cone Step Mapping and introduces a local distortion of the view vector to simulate a deformation of the heightfield‐bound hair geometry. While this distortion enables a more realistic fur rendering, some limitations emerge and have to be dealt with. A local light reflectance model including approximations of global light interactions with hair and skin is proposed. We furthermore show how material and geometric properties can locally be influenced through standard texture mapping. This includes most notably the local modification of growth and streak direction of the hairs.
A Global Parity Measure for Incomplete Point Cloud Data
Authors: Seversky L. M. , Yin L. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractShapes with complex geometric and topological features such as tunnels, neighboring sheets, and cavities are susceptible to undersampling and continue to challenge existing reconstruction techniques. In this work we introduce a new measure for point clouds to determine the likely interior and exterior regions of an object. Specifically, we adapt the concept of parity to point clouds with missing data and introduce the parity map, a global measure of parity over the volume. We first examine how parity changes over the volume with respect to missing data and develop a method for extracting topologically correct interior and exterior crusts for estimating a signed distance field and performing surface reconstruction. We evaluate our approach on real scan data representing complex shapes with missing data. Our parity measure is not only able to identify highly confident interior and exterior regions but also localizes regions of missing data. Our reconstruction results are compared to existing methods and we show that our method faithfully captures the topology and geometry of complex shapes in the presence of missing data.
10‐Hydroxy‐2‐decenoic acid prevents ultraviolet A‐induced damage and matrix metalloproteinases expression in human dermal fibroblasts
Authors: Zheng Jinfen , Lai Wei , Zhu Guoxing , Wan Miaojian , Chen Jian , Tai Yan , Lu Chun 
Published: October 2012

AbstractBackground  10‐Hydroxy‐2‐decenoic acid (10‐HDA) is a major fatty acid component of royal jelly, which has been reported to have a variety of beneficial pharmacological characteristics. However, the effects of 10‐HDA on skin photoageing and its potential mechanism of action are unclear.Objective  We investigated the protective effects of 10‐HDA on ultraviolet (UV) A‐induced damage in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). We then explored the inhibitory effects of 10‐HDA on UVA‐induced matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) expression and elucidated the signalling pathways controlling MMPs inhibition.Methods  Primary human dermal fibroblasts were exposed to UVA. Cell proliferation, cellular senescent state and collagen content were analysed using CCK‐8, senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase staining and Sircol collagen assay, respectively. Fluorometric assays were performed to detect the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cells. The mRNA levels of MMP‐1, MMP‐3 and type I (α1) collagen were determined by quantitative real‐time PCR. Western blot was applied to detect the expression of MMP‐1, MMP‐3, JNK and p38 MAPK.Results  HDFs treated with 10‐HDA were significantly protected from UVA‐induced cytotoxicity, ROS, cellular senescence and stimulated collagen production. Moreover, 10‐HDA suppressed the UVA‐induced expression of MMP‐1 and MMP‐3 at both the transcriptional and protein levels. Treatment with 10‐HDA also reduced the UVA‐induced activation of the JNK and p38 MAPK pathways.Conclusion  The data obtained in this study provide evidence that 10‐HDA could prevent UVA‐induced damage and inhibit MMP‐1 and MMP‐3 expressions. Therefore, 10‐HDA may be a potential agent for the prevention and treatment of skin photoageing.
Efficacy and safety of apremilast in subjects with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis: results from a phase II, multicenter, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, parallel‐group, dose‐comparison study
Authors: Papp K.A. , Kaufmann R. , Thaçi D. , Hu C. , Sutherland D. , Rohane P. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractBackground  Apremilast, a small molecule specific inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 4, works intracellularly to modulate pro‐inflammatory and anti‐inflammatory mediator production.Objective  Assess apremilast efficacy and safety in moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.Methods  Phase II, 12‐week, multicenter, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, parallel‐group, dose‐comparison study of 259 subjects randomized 1 : 1 : 1 to placebo, apremilast 20 mg QD or apremilast 20 mg BID.Results  More subjects receiving apremilast 20 mg BID achieved ≥ 75% reduction in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI‐75) vs. placebo (24.4% vs. 10.3%; P = 0.023). A similar proportion of subjects receiving apremilast 20 mg QD and placebo achieved PASI‐75 at week 12 [9/87 (10.3%, each group)]. Mean per cent reduction in PASI from baseline was 17.4% for placebo, 30.3% for apremilast 20 mg QD (P = 0.021 vs. placebo) and 52.1% for apremilast 20 mg BID (P < 0.001). Apremilast 20 mg BID significantly decreased mean body surface area involvement vs. placebo (30.8% vs. 3.2%; P < 0.001). The most common adverse events were headache, nasopharyngitis, diarrhoea and nausea. Most events (> 90%) were mild to moderate and did not lead to study discontinuation. Serious adverse events occurred in four placebo subjects (panic attack, hospitalization for rehabilitation, hospitalization for alcoholism, worsening psoriasis), one receiving apremilast 20 mg QD (knee surgery) and in one receiving apremilast 20 mg BID (worsening psoriasis). The panic attack was considered treatment‐related; both cases of worsening psoriasis occurred after medication discontinuation. No deaths or opportunistic infections were reported.Conclusion  Apremilast 20 mg BID for 12 weeks was effective and well tolerated in subjects with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.
Evaluation of Air Permeation Behavior of Porous SiC Ceramics Synthesized by Oxidation‐Bonding Technique
Authors: Dey Atanu , Kayal Nijhuma , Chakrabarti Omprakash , Innocentini Murilo D. M. , Chacon Welton S. , Coury José R. 
Published: October 2012

Porous SiC ceramics were synthesized by oxidation bonding of compacts of commercial α‐SiC powder at 1300°C. Different volume fractions of petroleum coke powder were used for variation of porosity of ceramics from 36% to 56%. The material exhibited variations of pore size from 3 to 15 μm, flexural strength from 5.5 to 29.5 MPa, and elastic modulus from 3.3 to 27.6 GPa. Air permeation behavior was studied at 26–650°C. At room temperature Darcian (k1) and non‐Darcian (k2) permeability parameters vary from 1.64 to 18.42 × 10−13 m2 and 0.58 to 2.95 × 10−7 m, respectively. Temperature dependence of permeability was explained from structural changes occurring during test conditions.
Secular evolution in action: central values and radial trends in the stellar populations of boxy bulges
Authors: Williams Michael J. , Bureau Martin , Kuntschner Harald 
Published: October 2012

Abstract
We determine central values and radial trends in the stellar populations of the bulges of a sample of 28 edge-on S0—Sb disc galaxies, 22 of which are boxy/peanut-shaped (and therefore barred). Our principal findings are the following. (1) At a given velocity dispersion, the central stellar populations of galaxies with boxy/peanut-shaped bulges are indistinguishable from those of early-type (elliptical and S0) galaxies. Either secular evolution affects stellar populations no differently to monolithic collapse or mergers, or secular evolution is not important in the central regions of these galaxies, despite the fact that they are barred. (2) The radial metallicity gradients of boxy/peanut-shaped bulges are uncorrelated with velocity dispersion and are, on average, shallower than those of unbarred early-type galaxies. This is qualitatively consistent with chemodynamical models of bar formation, in which radial inflow and outflow smear out pre-existing gradients.
Comparing Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Asylophobia: The British Case
Authors: Linehan Thomas 
Published: October 2012

AbstractThis article examines how far discourses on the ‘Other’ and immigration in contemporary Britain resemble antisemitic discourses in Britain during and between the two World Wars. The article contends that there was a particular British species of antisemitism in evidence during the wartime and interwar periods which was made up of a number of key elements, defined here as ‘conspiratorial’, ‘cultural’, ‘religious’, and ‘economic’ forms of anti‐Jewish animosity. The article then considers whether similar elements can be discerned in responses to ‘Other’ maligned groups in the contemporary period, particularly in relation to anti‐Muslim sentiment or Islamophobic discourses. The article then investigates whether we can identify symmetry in relation to another group which has experienced high levels of discrimination in twenty‐first‐century Britain, asylum seekers. Here, the article considers whether one needs to situate contemporary ‘asylophobia’ in a wider explanatory framework which both takes account of the possible ‘re‐cycling’ of earlier stigmatising representations of Jews, and more contemporary influences and developments relating to neo‐liberal globalisation.
Landscapes of ‘Othering’ in Postwar and ContemporaryGermany: The Limits of the ‘Culture of Contrition’ and the Poverty of the Mainstream
Authors: Kallis Aristotle 
Published: October 2012

AbstractIn the 1930s theNationalSocialist regime embarked on a chillingly ambitious and fanatical project to ‘remake’ German society and ‘race’ by deploying a peerless – in both kind and intensity – repertoire of ‘othering’ strategies and measures directed at the Jews, theSinti/Roma, and non‐conformist groups within theThirdReich. At the heart of this campaign was the notion of a ‘zero‐sum’ confrontation between the nation/race and its perceived ‘enemies’: namely, that the existence of these ‘enemies’ within German society threatened the very foundations of theGerman ‘race’ and posed the gravest threat to its mere survival. To what extent can the experience of the 1930s aggressive, violent, and eventually murderous ‘zero‐sum’ mindset provide crucial insights into contemporary discourses of ‘othering’, linked with theEuropean radical‐populist right but increasingly ‘infecting’ the social and political mainstream? The contemporary ‘ethno‐pluralist’ framing of the discussion divulges the persistence of a similar ‘zero‐sum’ mentality that is nurtured by socio‐economic and cultural insecurity, on the one hand, and powerful long‐standing prejudices against particular groups, on the other. The article explores this ‘zero‐sum’ insecurity mindset in the anti‐immigration ‘mainstream’ discourses in theFederalRepublic ofGermany, both before and after re‐unification. It demonstrates how – in contrast to the postwar ‘culture of contrition’ with regard to the memory of the Holocaust – this mindset continues to be a powerful political and psychological refuge for societal insecurities that has an enduring appeal to significant audiences well beyond the narrow political constituencies of the radical right.
Ectocranial suture fusion in primates: as related to cranial volume and dental eruption
Authors: Cray James , Cooper Gregory M. , Mooney Mark P. , Siegel Michael I. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractBackgroundTiming of calvarial suture fusion is important in primate ontogeny. Ages at death are difficult to assess especially for museum collections.Methods1550 skulls of Hominoid, Hylobatidae, Macaca and Papio were observed for fusion. Calvarial expansion (early) and dental eruption (late) were utilized as indicators of ontogeny. Homogeneity of slopes and ANOVA were used to determine differences in timing of fusion.ResultsFor calvarial growth the great apes all showed small levels of calvarial suture remodeling prior to full calvarial expansion. For dental eruption, Homo and Macaca share a common pattern of fusion in late adulthood. The other species show early remodeling. Papio was observed to have distinct patterns for suture fusion progression.ConclusionsThus, suture fusion progression although influenced by evolutionary changes in the robusticity of the craniofacial skeleton can be modeled by the phylogeny among this group. Overall, Homo appears to have a distinct pattern of delayed suture fusion progression.