bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Yield variability in rainfed crops as influenced by climate variables
Authors: Arumugam Surendran , K.R. Ashok , Kulshreshtha. Suren N. , Vellangany Isaac , Govindasamy Ramu 
Published: November 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to explore the impact of climate change on yields and yield variances in major rainfed crops and measure possible changes in yields under projected climate changes in different agro-climatic zones of Tamil Nadu, India. Although many empirical studies report the influence of climate change on crop yield, only few address the effect on yield variances. Even in such cases, the reported yield variances were obtained through simulation studies rather than from actual observations. In this context, the present study analyzes the impact of climate change on crops yield and yield variance using the observed yields.

Design/methodology/approach
– The Just-Pope yield function (1978) is used to analyze the impact of climate change on mean yield and variance. The estimated coefficient from Just-Pope yield function and the projected climatic data for the year 2030 are incorporated to capture the projected changes in crop yield and variances.

Findings
– By the year 2030, the yield of pulses is estimated to decline in all the zones (Northeast, Northwest, Western, Cauvery delta, South and Southern zones), with significant declines in the Northeast zone (6.07 per cent), Cauvery delta zone (3.55 per cent) and South zone (3.54 per cent). Sorghum yield may suffer more in Western zone (2.63 per cent), Southern zone (1.92 per cent) and Northeast zone (1.62 per cent). Moreover, the yield of spiked millet is more likely to decrease in the Southern zone (1.39 per cent), Northeast zone (1.21 per cent) and Cauvery delta zone (0.24 per cent), and the yield of cotton may also decline in the Northeast zone (12.99 per cent), Northwest zone (8.05 per cent) and Western zone (2.10 per cent) of Tamil Nadu, India.

Originality/value
– The study recommends introducing appropriate crop insurance policies to address possible financial losses to the farmers. Prioritizing area-specific stress-tolerant crop varieties without complementing yield would sustain crops cultivation further.
Emissions and trade in Southeast and East Asian countries: a panel co-integration analysis
Authors: Ibrahim Mansor H. , Rizvi Syed Aun R. 
Published: November 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the implication of trade on carbon emissions in a panel of eight highly trading Southeast and East Asian countries, namely, China, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Design/methodology/approach
– The analysis relies on the standard quadratic environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) extended to include energy consumption and international trade. A battery of panel unit root and co-integration tests is applied to establish the variables’ stochastic properties and their long-run relations. Then, the specified EKC is estimated using the panel dynamic ordinary least square (OLS) estimation technique.

Findings
– The panel co-integration statistics verifies the validity of the extended EKC for the countries under study. Estimation of the long-run EKC via the dynamic OLS estimation method reveals the environmentally degrading effects of trade in these countries, especially in ASEAN and plus South Korea and Hong Kong.

Practical implications
– These countries are heavily dependent on trade for their development processes, and as such, their impacts on CO2 emissions would be highly relevant for assessing their trade policies, along the line of the gain-from-trade hypothesis, the race-to-the-bottom hypothesis and the pollution-safe-haven hypothesis.

Originality/value
– The analysis adds to existing literature by focusing on the highly trading nations of Southeast and East Asian countries. The results suggest that reassessment of trade policies in these countries is much needed and it must go beyond the sole pursuit of economic development via trade.
Managing Neotropical oil palm expansion to retain phylogenetic diversity
Authors: Prescott Graham W. , Gilroy James J. , Haugaasen Torbjørn , Medina Uribe Claudia A. , Foster William A. , Edwards David P. 
Published: November 2015

Summary

The expansion of tropical agriculture is a major driver of the extinction crisis. A key question is whether biodiversity losses can be minimized by restricting future expansion to low‐productivity farmland and retaining forest fragments, especially in rapidly changing Neotropical landscapes.

We investigated these methods in the context of avian phylogenetic diversity, which summarizes the evolutionary history preserved within communities. Evidence suggests that phylogenetic diversity plays an important role in maintaining key ecosystem functions.

We collected data on avian communities in the Colombian Llanos, a region highlighted as being optimal for the expansion of oil palm, at the expense of existing habitats including forest remnants and improved cattle pastures.

PD, a measure of phylogenetic richness, and MPD, a measure of the phylogenetic distance between individuals in a community in deep evolutionary time, were significantly higher in forest than in oil palm or pasture, but did not differ significantly between oil palm and pasture. MNTD, a measure of distance between individuals in a community at the intra‐familial and intra‐generic level, was significantly higher in oil palm and pasture than in forest. However, median evolutionary distinctiveness (ED) was highest in pasture, partly due to the abundance of distinct waterbirds, but did not differ between oil palm and forest. PD in oil palm and pasture increased with the extent of remnant forest cover.

Synthesis and applications. The PD (a measure of phylogenetic richness) and MPD (a measure of the phylogenetic distance) of bird communities in this region can best be conserved by ensuring that new oil palm plantations replace pasturelands rather than forest. A secondary benefit of preserving forest would be the enhancement of PD in the surrounding agricultural landscape. This strategy will need to be coupled with measures to either reduce pasture demand or to intensify existing cattle production to ensure that forest is not replaced by pasture elsewhere.
P2Y12 receptor blockade synergizes strongly with nitric oxide and prostacyclin to inhibit platelet activation
Authors: Chan Melissa V. , Knowles Rebecca B. M. , Lundberg Martina H. , Tucker Arthur T. , Mohamed Nura A. , Kirkby Nicholas S. , Armstrong Paul C. J. , Mitchell Jane A. , Warner Timothy D. 
Published: November 2015

AimsIn vivo platelet function is a product of intrinsic platelet reactivity, modifiable by dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), and the extrinsic inhibitory endothelial mediators, nitric oxide (NO) and prostacyclin (PGI2), that are powerfully potentiated by P2Y12 receptor blockade. This implies that for individual patients endothelial mediator production is an important determinant of DAPT effectiveness. Here, we have investigated this idea using platelets taken from healthy volunteers treated with anti‐platelet drugs.MethodsThree groups of male volunteers (n = 8) received either prasugrel (10 mg), aspirin (75 mg) or DAPT (prasugrel + aspirin) once daily for 7 days. Platelet reactivity in the presence of diethylammonium (Z)‐1‐(N,N‐diethylamino)diazen‐1‐ium‐1,2‐diolate (DEA/NONOate) and PGI2 was studied before and following treatment.ResultsEx vivo, PGI2 and/or DEA/NONOate had little inhibitory effect on TRAP‐6‐induced platelet reactivity in control conditions. However, in the presence of DAPT, combination of DEA/NONOate + PGI2 reduced platelet aggregation (74 ± 3% to 19 ± 6%, P < 0.05). In vitro studies showed even partial (25%) P2Y12 receptor blockade produced a significant (67 ± 2% to 39 ± 10%, P < 0.05) inhibition when DEA/NONOate + PGI2 was present.ConclusionsWe have demonstrated that PGI2 and NO synergize with P2Y12 receptor antagonists to produce powerful platelet inhibition. Furthermore, even with submaximal P2Y12 blockade the presence of PGI2 and NO greatly enhances platelet inhibition. Our findings highlight the importance of endothelial mediator in vivo modulation of P2Y12 inhibition and introduces the concept of refining ex vivo platelet function testing by incorporating an assessment of endothelial function to predict thrombotic outcomes better and adjust therapy to prevent adverse outcomes in individual patients.
Ready to Fight: Reliable Predictors of Attack in a Cooperatively Breeding, Non‐Passerine Bird
Authors: Grieves Leanne A , Logue David M , Quinn Jim S 
Published: November 2015

AbstractSignal reliability is a major focus of animal communication research. Aggressive signals are ideal for measuring signal reliability because the signal referent – attack or no attack – can be measured unambiguously. Signals of aggressive intent occur at elevated rates in aggressive contexts, predict subsequent aggression by the signaler, and elicit appropriate responses from receivers. We tested the ‘predictive criterion’ in smooth‐billed anis, Crotophaga ani, by broadcasting one of two playback types (‘ahnee’ calls only or ‘ahnee + hoot’ calls), presenting a taxidermic mount, and observing the animals’ behavior. Based on the hypotheses that ‘hoot’ calls and ‘throat‐inflation’ displays signal aggressive intent, we predicted that they would be associated with attack, and that signaling rate would increase over the time period leading up to an attack. Indeed, both hoots and throat‐inflation displays reliably predicted attack. The second prediction, that signaling rate increases in the time leading up to attack, was strongly supported for throat‐inflation displays, which increased over the pre‐attack period in both treatments. Hoots increased over the pre‐attack period in ahnee playbacks but not in ahnee + hoot playbacks. Hierarchical signaling systems are characterized by early, less‐reliable predictors of attack, and later, more reliable predictors of attack. During both natural and simulated interactions, the more‐reliable throat‐inflation display tended to precede the less‐reliable hoot call, suggesting that this signaling system is not hierarchical. In a comparison of 11 putative signals of aggressive intent in birds, the throat‐inflation display had the second highest mutual information (reduction in uncertainty) among visual signals and non‐passerine signals while hoots had below‐average mutual information. Natural observations indicate that both hoots and throat‐inflation displays occur in the context of aggressive between‐group encounters, and hoots also occur during within‐group interactions. Throat‐inflation displays appear to be reliable indicators of aggressive intent, but the function of hoot calls is less clear.
Sexual Selection in Black Morph Girardinus metallicus (Pisces: Poeciliidae): Females Can Spot a Winner (But We Cannot)
Authors: Kolluru Gita R. , Castillo Crystal , Hendrickson Michele , Hughes Meghan , Krause Paris , LePiane Krista , McCann Colleen , Pavia Emily , Porter Colin , Rodriguez Rodet , Rodriguez‐Cabrera Tomas , Scott Ellen , Willrodt McCall , Bertram Susan M. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractMale–male competition may interfere with the ability of females to choose mates by interrupting courtship or by favoring highly aggressive males who may damage females during mating attempts. Alternatively, females may benefit by mating with dominant males, and female choice and male–male competition may therefore act in unison. The same traits, including aggressiveness, may indicate male quality to females and to rivals. We investigated sexual selection in the black morph of the endemic Cuban poeciliid fish, Girardinus metallicus, to ascertain the links between morphological and behavioral traits and success in intra‐ and intersexual selection. Males conspicuously exhibit their black ventral surface and gonopodium to females during courtship. Dichotomous choice tests revealed female association preferences for certain males, and those same males were more successful in monopolizing access to females when the fish were allowed to directly interact. Dominant males followed, courted, and copulated with females more than subordinate males within a pair, and it appears that females could either assess dominance based on cues we did not measure, or could influence subsequent mating success by their behavior during the dichotomous choice trials. There was an interaction between black status (i.e., whether the male in each pair had more or less ventral black coloration than the other male in that pair) and dominance, such that low‐black dominant males courted early and then shifted to following females, whereas high‐black dominant males courted far more later in the observation period. These results hint at the importance for sexual selection of the interplay between a static morphological trait (black coloration) and a dynamic behavioral trait (aggressiveness), but the functional significance of the courtship display remains a mystery.
Integrating theory into disturbance interaction experiments to better inform ecosystem management
Authors: Foster Claire N. , Sato Chloe F. , Lindenmayer David B. , Barton Philip S. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractManaging multiple, interacting disturbances is a key challenge to biodiversity conservation, and one that will only increase as global change drivers continue to alter disturbance regimes. Theoretical studies have highlighted the importance of a mechanistic understanding of stressor interactions for improving the prediction and management of interactive effects. However, many conservation studies are not designed or interpreted in the context of theory and instead focus on case‐specific management questions. This is a problem as it means that few studies test the relationships highlighted in theoretical models as being important for ecological management. We explore the extent of this problem among studies of interacting disturbances by reviewing recent experimental studies of the interaction between fire and grazing in terrestrial ecosystems. Interactions between fire and grazing can occur via a number of pathways; one disturbance can modify the other's likelihood, intensity or spatial distribution, or one disturbance can alter the other's impacts on individual organisms. The strength of such interactions will vary depending on disturbance attributes (e.g. size or intensity), and this variation is likely to be nonlinear. We show that few experiments testing fire–grazing interactions are able to identify the mechanistic pathway driving an observed interaction, and most are unable to detect nonlinear effects. We demonstrate how these limitations compromise the ability of experimental studies to effectively inform ecological management. We propose a series of adjustments to the design of disturbance interaction experiments that would enable tests of key theoretical pathways and provide the deeper ecological understanding necessary for effective management. Such considerations are relevant to studies of a broad range of ecological interactions and are critical to informing the management of disturbance regimes in the context of accelerating global change.
Climate change and larval transport in the ocean: fractional effects from physical and physiological factors
Authors: Kendall Matthew S. , Poti Matt , Karnauskas Kristopher B. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractChanges in larval import, export, and self‐seeding will affect the resilience of coral reef ecosystems. Climate change will alter the ocean currents that transport larvae and also increase sea surface temperatures (SST), hastening development, and shortening larval durations. Here, we use transport simulations to estimate future larval connectivity due to: (1) physical transport of larvae from altered circulation alone, and (2) the combined effects of altered currents plus physiological response to warming. Virtual larvae from islands throughout Micronesia were moved according to present‐day and future ocean circulation models. The Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) spanning 2004–2012 represented present‐day currents. For future currents, we altered HYCOM using analysis from the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Earth System Model, version 1‐Biogeochemistry, Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 experiment. Based on the NCAR model, regional SST is estimated to rise 2.74 °C which corresponds to a ~17% decline in larval duration for some taxa. This reduction was the basis for a separate set of simulations. Results predict an increase in self‐seeding in 100 years such that 62–76% of islands experienced increased self‐seeding, there was an average domainwide increase of ~1–3% points in self‐seeding, and increases of up to 25% points for several individual islands. When changed currents alone were considered, approximately half (i.e., random) of all island pairs experienced decreased connectivity but when reduced PLD was added as an effect, ~65% of connections were weakened. Orientation of archipelagos relative to currents determined the directional bias in connectivity changes. There was no universal relationship between climate change and connectivity applicable to all taxa and settings. Islands that presently export large numbers of larvae but that also maintain or enhance this role into the future should be the focus of conservation measures that promote long‐term resilience of larval supply.
Circulating and myometrial markers of oxidative stress in pregnant women with fetal growth restriction
Authors: Biberoglu Ebru , Biberoglu Kutay , Kirbas Ayse , Daglar Korkut , Genc Metin , Avci Aslihan , Danisman Nuri 
Published: November 2015

AbstractAimThe objective of this study was to identify the relationship between fetal growth restriction (FGR) and oxidative stress. The mechanisms that protect against oxidative stress in the local microenvironment were investigated by comparing the activities of the markers, both in the circulation and myometrium.Materials and MethodsMyometrial tissue and serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), xanthine oxidase (XO), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) markers were measured in 20 FGR and 20 healthy pregnancies.ResultsThe mean duration of gestation at delivery was shorter (P = 0003) and the mean birthweight was lower P < 0001) in the FGR study group compared with the control group, as expected. While MDA and CAT concentrations were higher in the serum (P < 0.02 and P < 0.01, respectively), but lower in the myometrial samples (P < 0.01) in the FGR versus the control group, XO and myometrial SOD values were comparable in both groups.ConclusionsAlthough our data demonstrated that FGR is associated with oxidative stress, the exact role and mechanism of the oxidant and antioxidant imbalance is obscure. We speculate that despite limited local synthesis of CAT, effective and efficient removal of MDA in the uterine environment explains high MDA and CAT serum concentrations in women with FGR. Alternatively, a well‐functioning myometrial system could rescue the fetus from reactive oxygen species, as demonstrated by lowered MDA and depleted CAT resulting from hyperconsumption. Elevated serum MDA and CAT levels in the serum may reflect the ‘spillover’ of these markers from the uterus to the circulation.
Commodity Fetishism and Consumer Senses: Turn‐of‐the‐Twentieth‐Century Consumer Activism in the United States and England
Authors: Skotnicki Tad 
Published: November 2015

AbstractAt the turn of the twentieth century, the National Consumers’ League, the Co‐operative Wholesale Society, and the Women's Co‐operative Guild encouraged people to become ethical consumers. I argue that we can explain their common strategies by invoking commodity fetishism. By casting their consumer activism as a practical response to the fetish of commodities, we explain: 1) activists’ use of sensory techniques – both figurative and literal – to connect producers, commodities, and consumers and 2) their commitment to the ethical power of the senses. This account reveals the virtues of commodity fetishism as a tool for understanding the dynamics of consumer activism.
Evaluating genomic divergence and parallelism in replicate ecomorphs from young and old cichlid adaptive radiations
Authors: McGee Matthew D. , Neches Russell Y. , Seehausen Ole 
Published: November 2015

AbstractComparative genomic studies of closely related species typically focus on single species pairs at one given stage of divergence. That makes it difficult to infer the continuum of evolutionary process during speciation and beyond. Here, we use whole‐genome resequencing to examine genomic patterns of divergence in three sympatric cichlid species pairs with very similar functional and ecological differentiation, but different ages. We find a strong signature of increasing genomic divergence with time in both the mitochondrial genome and the nuclear genome. In contrast to many other systems, we find that in these cichlids, regions of elevated relative differentiation also exhibit increased absolute differentiation. We detect a signature of convergent evolution in a comparison of outlier regions across all three species pair comparisons, but the extent of it is modest, and regions that are strongly divergent in any one pair tend to be only slightly elevated in the other pairs, consistent with a repeatable but polygenic basis of traits that characterize the ecomorphs. Our results suggest that strong functional phenotypic differentiation, as seen in all three species pairs, is generally associated with a clear signature of genomic divergence, even in the youngest species pair.
Scope of practice of optometrists working in the UK Hospital Eye Service: a national survey
Authors: Harper Robert , Creer Rosalind , Jackson Jonathan , Ehrlich Daniel , Tompkin Andrew , Bowen Michael , Tromans Cindy 
Published: November 2015

AbstractPurposeThe role of the optometrist in the Hospital Eye Service (HES) has undergone significant development in recent years to include extended areas of clinical practice more traditionally undertaken by ophthalmologists, commensurate with a growing demand for increased capacity in ophthalmic services. In this report, we present the findings from a national survey of the scope of practice of optometrists working in the UK HES.MethodsA survey was designed to incorporate questions on the provision of core services before seeking detailed information on the scope of practice within extended roles to include: ophthalmic sub‐specialist areas where optometrists currently practice; the undertaking of specific procedures within these services; the relative autonomy of practice within these extended roles; and the training and accreditation requirements for working within extended roles. SurveyMonkey was used to disseminate the survey to the head of optometry in 79 HES units throughout the UK.ResultsResponses were received from 70 of the 79 (89%) survey invitations. A substantial majority of respondents (N = 67/70, 96%) indicated that optometrists undertook extended roles. Glaucoma is the leading extended role service provided by optometrists (92% of respondents providing extended role services), with roles in macula (71%), medical retina/diabetes (67%), cataract (55%) and corneal services (55%) also being relatively common. A wide variety of clinical procedures or interventions are undertaken as part of these services, which for a small number of optometrists now also includes the undertaking of specific laser procedures. There is evidence for a significant degree of autonomy within these extended roles. The primary mode of training is an ‘apprentice’ model, incorporating sessions worked under supervision in ophthalmology clinics. Methods of accreditation for optometric participation in extended role services are varied.ConclusionsWhile optometrists working within the UK HES continue to undertake the traditional clinical roles of refraction, clinically necessary contact lenses, and low vision rehabilitation, it is clear that these professionals now undertake a wide range of extended clinical roles, with a transformed scope of practice now incorporating diverse roles traditionally undertaken by medical practitioners.