bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modelling the effect of habitat fragmentation on climate‐driven migration of European forest understorey plants
Authors: Dullinger Stefan , Dendoncker Nicolas , Gattringer Andreas , Leitner Michael , Mang Thomas , Moser Dietmar , Mücher Caspar A. , Plutzar Christoph , Rounsevell Mark , Willner Wolfgang , Zimmermann Niklaus E. , Hülber Karl 
Published: August 2015

AbstractAimThe rate of climate change might exceed the migration capacity of plants, particularly where habitats became fragmented by human land use. Except for some tree species, the extent to which habitat fragmentation decreases migration rates has nevertheless been little evaluated. Here, we compare simulated migration rates of understorey herbs, which comprise the big part of temperate forest plant diversity, under varying levels of fragmentation at a continental scale.LocationEurope.MethodsWe combined simulations of demography and seed dispersal to simulate migration of 16 hypothetical forest herb species through a virtual, continuously forested landscape of 50 × 50 km and through 1179 50 × 50 km regions spanning most of the European Union's territory plus Norway and Switzerland. Each region was subdivided into a 250‐m raster of sites, which were rated as suitable to a species if covered by forest according to current land cover maps and future land cover scenarios. The 16 hypothetical species were defined by combinations of those trait values that control demographic and dispersal processes.ResultsIn continuous forests, simulated migration rates of the 16 species varied between ~95 and ~225 m/y. Current forest fragmentation was predicted to reduce migration rates to about 70% on average across the continent, but to below 25% in many parts of western and southern Europe. Under future land use, migration rates might slightly increase in economically marginal regions.Main conclusionsOur results indicate that even on a continuously forested continent most understorey herbs would be unable to track climate warming and that habitat fragmentation will reduce migration rates to values an order of magnitude lower than expected climate velocities in parts of Europe. We conclude that, instead of concentrating conservation efforts in protected areas, facilitating the movement of species through the average countryside should become a conservation priority.
Sense, Nonsense, and Violence: Levinas and the Internal Logic of School Shootings
Authors: Keehn Gabriel , Boyles Deron 
Published: August 2015

AbstractUtilizing a broadly Levinasian framework, specifically the interplay among his ideas of possession, violence, and negation, Gabriel Keehn and Deron Boyles illustrate how the relatively recent sharp turn toward the hypercorporatized school and the concomitant transition of the student from simple (potential) customer to a type of hybrid consumer/consumable has rendered it more difficult for students to see themselves as engaged in any type of serious ethical relationship with those around them. To be unable to see their peers as Others, in other words, makes it easier for students to perpetrate a specific type of violence against them. Keehn and Boyles suggest that current popular policy responses to gun violence in schools (such as increased security, zero‐tolerance policies, antibullying initiatives, and mental‐health policy revisions) are approaches that, at best, fail to address the root cause of gun violence in schools and, at worst, are themselves branches of that root: namely, a homogenizing corporatism that creates an ethical vacuum in the schoolhouse.
Biological control as an ecosystem service: partitioning contributions of nature and human inputs to yield
Authors: BENGTSSON JAN 
Published: August 2015

1. The concept of ecosystem services (ES) has rapidly entered policy and planning agendas nationally and globally. However, its usefulness is hampered by, for example, insufficient understanding of underlying ecological processes and poorly developed and competing conceptual frameworks.2. It is suggested that final ecosystem services, such as yield, can be partitioned into components describing contributions from ecosystems (regulating and maintenance ES as natural inputs) and human inputs. This conceptual framework is tested by examining the relative importance of farming system (conventional vs. organic, indicating human inputs, and management), landscape (field shape and landscape heterogeneity), and biological control of aphids by natural enemies (indicating a regulating ES) for barley yield on 10 fields in central Sweden.3. Although biological control was related to increased yield, its contribution was relatively small (<20%). The farming system explained most of the magnitude and variation in yield (47% of the variation, of which 34% was unique). Landscape and biological control had the largest shared contribution to variation in yield (14%). Conventional farming management seemed to have a larger effect on yield than biological control. This could be interpreted as indicating that agricultural production should be further intensified to increase yields, but a high dependency on external inputs may cause further environmental problems, such as eutrophication, and may not be sustainable.4. Although preliminary, the results suggest that partitioning of natural and human inputs is useful to analyse the contribution of regulating ES to final ecosystem services, and how ES are co‐produced by ecosystems and humans.
PCR detection of Scardovia wiggsiae in combination with Streptococcus mutans for early childhood caries‐risk prediction
Authors: Vacharaksa Anjalee , Suvansopee Prangkhae , Opaswanich Nuttorn , Sukarawan Waleerat 
Published: August 2015

The microbial factor is an important determinant in caries risk assessment. This study aimed to use detection, by PCR, of Scardovia wiggsiae, in combination with Streptococcus mutans, for the accurate prediction of caries risk in children. Detection of Lactobacillus, as a caries‐specific species, was also performed. Dental plaque, as well as infected dentine when available, was collected from children who were caries‐free (n = 30) or diagnosed with early childhood caries (n = 30), and the prevalence and abundance of S. wiggsiae and S. mutans were estimated using quantitative PCR. Lactobacillus was amplified by Lactobacillus genus‐specific primers and then sequenced. Both S. wiggsiae and S. mutans were concurrently detected in 19 children diagnosed with early childhood caries, but in none of the caries‐free children. The positive predictive value was 1 in children with S. wiggsiae‐ and S. mutans‐positive test results, compared with 0.58 when only S. mutans was detected and 0.9 when only S. wiggsiae was detected. The abundance of S. wiggsiae and S. mutans in infected dentine was higher than that in dental plaque from children. Diverse Lactobacillus species were observed in dental plaque but none appeared to be caries‐specific. In conclusion, the detection of S. wiggsiae in combination with S. mutans improves the positive predictive value and the specificity of the test.
Defoliation patterns and their implications for the management of vegetative tropical pastures to control intake and diet quality by cattle
Authors: Benvenutti M. A. , Pavetti D. R. , Poppi D. P. , Gordon I. J. , Cangiano C. A. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThis study assessed the use of pasture attributes to control daily intake and diet quality during progressive defoliation on pastures of Axonopus catarinensis. Three consecutive 12‐day grazing treatments of progressive defoliation were conducted with Brahman cross‐steers. Daily forage intake and defoliation dynamics were assessed using a pasture‐based method. The treatments differed in initial sward height (33, 44 and 61 cm) and herbage mass (1030, 1740 and 2240 kg ha−1). The post‐grazing residual sward height, at which forage intake decreased, appeared to increase with the initial sward height (12·3, 14·6 and 15·5 cm). Steers grazed up to four distinctive grazing strata in all treatments. The depth and herbage mass content of the top grazing stratum were at least five times higher than the lower grazing strata in all treatments. This explains why forage intake decreased when the top grazing stratum was removed in approximately 93% of the pasture area in all treatments, equivalent to approximately 7% of the pasture area remaining ungrazed. We conclude that the residual ungrazed area of the pasture, rather than residual sward height, can be used to develop grazing management strategies to control forage intake and diet quality in a wide range of pasture conditions.
Lactic acid bacteria strains for enhancing the fermentation quality and aerobic stability of Leymus chinensis silage
Authors: Zhang Q. , Li X. , Zhao M. , Yu Z. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractLeymus chinensis is an important grass in China and Russia. Six lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains (LB, LPL1, LPL2, LPL3, LCL and WH) from L. chinensis silage were screened and identified and their effects on fermentation quality were investigated. All six strains were grown at 6·5% NaCl and pH 4·00. Strains LPL1, LPL2 and LPL3 were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum, and LB, WH and LCL were classified as Lactobacillus brevis, Weissella hellenica and Lactobacillus casei respectively. The six isolated strains and a commercial inoculant (Lactobacillus buchneri) were added to L. chinensis for ensiling at densities of 500 and 600 kg m−3. The control was sprayed with the same volume of distilled water. The effects of the strains on fermentation quality after 45 d ensiling and aerobic stability during 8 d of exposure to air were evaluated. The 600 kg m−3 silage had lower pH, butyric acid, ammonia nitrogen content and coliform bacteria counts than the 500 kg m−3 density silage (P < 0·05). The six isolated strains decreased pH, butyric acid content and increased lactic acid content, and all inoculants increased L. chinensis silage aerobic stability except LCL (P < 0·05). The fermentation quality of L. chinensis silage increased with higher ensiling density. The LAB strains improved the fermentation quality, and high‐quality silage could be obtained at low ensiling density with the addition of the LAB strains. The strains improved the aerobic stability; Lb. buchneri and Lb. brevis showed the best performance.
Linkage of deep sea rapid acidification process and extinction of benthic foraminifera in the deep sea at the Paleocene/Eocene transition
Authors: Kawahata Hodaka , Nomura Ritsuo , Matsumoto Katsumi , Nishi Hiroshi 
Published: August 2015

AbstractOcean Drilling Program Leg 199 Site 1220 provides a continuous sedimentary section across the Paleocene/Eocene (P/E) transition in the carbonate‐bearing sediments on 56–57 Ma oceanic crust. The large negative δ13C shift in seawater is likely due to the disintegration of methane hydrate, which is expected to be rapidly changed to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and well‐oxygenated seawater, leading to a reduction in deep‐sea pH. A pH decrease was very likely responsible for the emergence of agglutinated foraminiferal fauna as calcareous fauna was eliminated by acidification at the P/E transition at Site 1220. The absence of the more resistant calcareous benthic foraminifera and the presence of the planktonic foraminifera at Site 1220 is interesting and unique, which indicates that calcareous benthic foraminifera suffered greatly from living on the seafloor. Box model calculation demonstrates that, assuming the same mean alkalinity as today, pCO2 must increase from 280 ppm to about 410 ppm for the calcite undersaturation in the deep ocean and for the oversaturation in the surface ocean during the P/E transition. The calculated increased pCO2 coincides with paleo‐botanical evidence. The current global emission rate (∼7.3 peta (1015) gC/y) of anthropogenic carbon input is approximately 30 times of the estimate at the P/E transition. The results at the P/E transition give an implication that the deep sea benthic fauna will be threatened in future in combination with ocean acidification, increased sea surface temperature and more stratified surface water.
Gestational hypermethioninaemia alters oxidative/nitrative status in skeletal muscle and biomarkers of muscular injury and inflammation in serum of rat offspring
Authors: Schweinberger Bruna M. , Turcatel Elias , Rodrigues André F. , Wyse Angela T. S. 
Published: August 2015

SummaryIn this study we evaluated oxidative/nitrative stress parameters (reactive oxygen species production, lipid peroxidation, sulfhydryl content, superoxide dismutase, catalase and nitrite levels), as well as total protein content in the gastrocnemius skeletal muscle of the offspring of rats that had been subjected to gestational hypermethioninaemia. The occurrence of muscular injury and inflammation was also measured by creatine kinase activity, levels of creatinine, urea and C‐reactive protein and the presence of cardiac troponin I in serum. Wistar female rats (70–90 days of age) received methionine (2.68 μmol/g body weight) or saline (control) twice a day by subcutaneous injections during the gestational period (21 days). After the rats gave birth, pups were killed at the twenty‐first day of life for removal of muscle and serum. Methionine treatment increased reactive oxygen species production and lipid peroxidation and decreased sulfhydryl content, antioxidant enzymes activities and nitrite levels, as well as total protein content in skeletal muscle of the offspring. Creatine kinase activity was reduced and urea and C‐reactive protein levels were increased in serum of pups. These results were accompanied by reduced muscle mass. Our findings showed that maternal gestational hypermethioninaemia induced changes in oxidative/nitrative status in gastrocnemius skeletal muscle of the offspring. This may represent a mechanism which can contribute to the myopathies and loss of muscular mass that is found in some hypermethioninaemic patients. In addition, we believe that these results may be relevant as gestational hypermethioninaemia could cause damage to the skeletal muscle during intrauterine life.
Limitation of the activated partial thromboplastin time as a monitoring method of the direct thrombin inhibitor argatroban
Authors: Guy S. , Kitchen S. , Maclean R. , Van Veen J. J. 
Published: August 2015

SummaryBackgroundArgatroban is licensed for patients with heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia and monitoring is conventionally by activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) ratio with a target of 1.5–3.0 and not exceeding 100 s. The APTT may be influenced by coagulopathies, lupus anticoagulant and raised FVIII levels. Variable but not clinically significant sensitivity of APTT reagents to argatroban has been highlighted in other studies.MethodsResidual plasma of 15 patients (n = 124 samples) was tested on Sysmex™ CS series using the Hemoclot® thrombin inhibitor assay (HTI) and APTT ratio (Actin FS and SynthASil). A subgroup from four patients (n = 31) were tested on ACL TOP™ to compare the different platforms with the HTI. Spiked normal pooled plasma was tested with Actin FS, Actin FSL, SynthASil and APTT‐SP on their respective platforms (CS5100™ and ACL TOP™) to assess reagent sensitivity.ResultsMean concentration of argatroban by HTI assay for patient plasma was 0.47 μg/mL; the mean APTT ratio using Actin FS was 1.89 and for SynthASil 1.56. There was a poor correlation between APTT and the HTI. In the spiked normal pooled plasma, Actin FS gave a significantly higher APTT ratio than the other three reagents for the various argatroban concentrations.ConclusionsHemoclot ® thrombin inhibitor assay should be considered in patients on argatroban, particularly if there is concern the APTT may not be reflective of the degree of anticoagulation with argatroban due to other factors including coagulopathies in critically ill patients, the presence of a lupus anticoagulant or very high FVIII levels.
Evaluation of the main coagulation tests in the presence of hemolysis in healthy subjects and patients on oral anticoagulant therapy
Authors: D'Angelo G. , Villa C. , Tamborini A. , Villa S. 
Published: August 2015

SummaryIntroductionOur study was designed to evaluate, on healthy subjects and patients on oral anticoagulant therapy vitamin K antagonist (OAT‐vka), the possible interference caused by hemolysis on the main coagulation tests.MethodsTo obtain hemolyzed samples, two methods were used: heat shock and mechanical system. The coagulation tests on hemolyzed samples were performed employing optical automated analyser BCSxp (Siemens Healthcare®). Moreover, the prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) tests were also carried out manually using an electromechanical device (KC4 – Amelung).ResultsThe PT test, on healthy subjects, in case of moderate hemolysis can be performed without significant interference on automatic instrument. On manual instrument, the PT test can be performed even in case of marked hemolysis. For patients on OAT‐vka, the PT test in case of marked hemolysis can be performed both on automatic and manual instrument. For the aPTT test, it can be carried out manually, because also in case of marked hemolysis a statistically significant difference was not observed. For the fibrinogen test, a dramatic concentration decrease was already clear for weak hemolysis. A decreased function on antithrombin test was statistically significant for mild‐moderate hemolysis. The D‐dimer test showed increased values for mild hemolysis.ConclusionsThe rejection of hemolyzed sample and/or the request of a second sample are not always the proper attitudes to take for performing clotting tests. The rational management of the hemolyzed samples decreases the employment of both nursing and technical staff significantly, the turnaround time and, consequently, does not lead to additional costs for each patient involved.
The β‐N‐acetylhexosaminidase gene family in the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens
Authors: Xi Y. , Pan P.‐L. , Zhang C.‐X. 
Published: August 2015

Abstractβ‐N‐Acetylhexosaminidases (HEXs) are enzymes that can degrade the chitin oligosaccharides that are produced by the activity of chitinases on chitin in insects. Using bioinformatic methods based on genome and transcriptome databases, 11 β‐N‐acetylhexosaminidase genes (NlHexs) in Nilaparvata lugens were identified and characterized. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a six‐grouped tree topology. The O‐Linked N‐acetylglucosaminidase (O‐GlcNAcase) group includes NlHex11, which harbours a catalytic domain that differs from that of the other 10 NlHexs. Observations of the expression of NlHexs during different developmental stages revealed that NlHex4 is expressed with periodicity during moulting. Although the tissue‐specific expression patterns of most NlHexs were nonspecific, NlHex4 was found to be expressed mainly in the female reproductive system as well as in the integument. RNA interference (RNAi) demonstrated failure to shed the old cuticle only in the nymphs treated with double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA) targeting NlHex4, and these nymphs eventually died; no observable morphological abnormalities were found in insects treated with dsRNAs targeting the other 10 NlHexs. Based on this study and our previous analyses, a ‘5 + 1 + 3’ pattern of chitinolytic enzymes is proposed, in which five chitinases, one NlHEX and three chitin deacetylases are required for moulting in N. lugens. A better understanding of chitin metabolism in the hemimetabolous insect, N. lugens, would be achieved by considering three chitinolytic enzyme families: chitinase, chitin deacetylase and β‐N‐acetylhexosaminidase.
Glass Formation and Ionic Conduction Behavior in GeSe2–Ga2Se3–NaI Chalcogenide System
Authors: Zhai Sumin , Li Legang , Chen Feifei , Jiao Qing , Rüssel Christian , Lin Changgui 
Published: August 2015

Series of glassy and glass‐ceramic samples in the GeSe2–Ga2Se3–NaI system is prepared by melt‐quenching technique and the glass‐forming region is well‐defined by XRD investigations. Na‐ion conduction behavior is systemically studied by impedance measurements. For the glasses in the series (100−2x)GeSe2–xGa2Se3–xNaI, ionic conductivities increased with increasing x, whereas the attributed activation energy of ion conduction decreases. The enhanced mechanism is discussed by employing Raman spectra. In addition, the effect of the crystal phases NaI and Ga2Se3 on the ionic conduction behavior in the (70−x)GeSe2–xGa2Se3–30NaI samples is discussed. Although it shows that the poorly conducting crystallites of NaI and Ga2Se3 have a negative effect on the ionic conductivities in this series, the highest ionic conductivity of 1.65 × 10−6 S/cm is obtained in the 45GeSe2–25Ga2Se3–30NaI glass. Finally, this study also demonstrates a possible way to search appropriate Na‐ion solid electrolytes for all‐solid‐state batteries.
Thermal Conductivity of Molten Li2O–B2O3 and K2O–B2O3 Systems
Authors: Kim Youngjae , Morita Kazuki 
Published: August 2015

Using the transient hot‐wire method, the thermal conductivity properties of the molten Li2O–B2O3 and K2O–B2O3 systems were measured. The thermal conductivity increases with decreasing the temperature due to the borate structure change. In addition, calculations of the one‐dimensional Debye temperature and the phonon mean free paths as a function of temperature of the alkali borate systems were made. At a fixed temperature of 1273 K, the effect of the alkali oxide concentration on the thermal conductivity was evaluated. Within a range of 10–30 mol% Li2O (or K2O), a positive relationship between the thermal conductivity and 4‐coordinate boron was obtained. However, below 10 mol% Li2O (or K2O), the change in the intermediate‐range order of the borate structure had a more dominant effect on the thermal conductivity. Finally, the effect of cations on the thermal conductivity in the various molten R2O–B2O3 (R=Li, Na and K) systems was considered. Depending on the type of cation, the change in the ionization potential had an effect on the thermal conductivity and also resulted in a change in the bond strength.
Wing trait–inversion associations in Drosophila subobscura can be generalized within continents, but may change through time
Authors: Simões P. , Fragata I. , Lopes‐Cunha M. , Lima M. , Kellen B. , Bárbaro M. , Santos M. , Matos M. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractClinal variation is one of the most emblematic examples of the action of natural selection at a wide geographical range. In Drosophila subobscura, parallel clines in body size and inversions, but not in wing shape, were found in Europe and South and North America. Previous work has shown that a bottleneck effect might be largely responsible for differences in wing trait–inversion association between one European and one South American population. One question still unaddressed is whether the associations found before are present across other populations of the European and South American clines. Another open question is whether evolutionary dynamics in a new environment can lead to relevant changes in wing traits–inversion association. To analyse geographical variation in these associations, we characterized three recently laboratory founded D. subobscura populations from both the European and South American latitudinal clines. To address temporal variation, we also characterized the association at a later generation in the European populations. We found that wing size and shape associations can be generalized across populations of the same continent, but may change through time for wing size. The observed temporal changes are probably due to changes in the genetic content of inversions, derived from adaptation to the new, laboratory environment. Finally, we show that it is not possible to predict clinal variation from intrapopulation associations. All in all this suggests that, at least in the present, wing traits–inversion associations are not responsible for the maintenance of the latitudinal clines in wing shape and size.