bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Contrasting effects of two exotic invasive hemipterans on whole‐plant resource allocation in a declining conifer
Authors: Soltis Nicole E. , Gómez Sara , Gonda‐King Liahna , Preisser Evan L. , Orians Colin M. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractInvasive herbivores can cause widespread dieback of naïve native hosts in the invaded range. Some consume leaves, some bore through wood, whereas others, such as piercing‐sucking insects, alter plant resource allocation through changes to source‐sink dynamics and depletion of long‐term stores. Invasive sap‐sucking herbivores that target cells critical to resource transport and storage may have particularly large effects. Herbivory by two exotic hemipterans, hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA),Adelges tsugaeAnnand (Adelgidae), and elongate hemlock scale (EHS),Fiorinia externaFerris (Diaspididae), have very different effects on eastern hemlock,Tsuga canadensis(L.)Carrière (Pinaceae). Although these insects differ in both timing and feeding site on their hemlock host, the reasons for their differential effects are poorly understood. Here, using potted seedlings in a common garden, we examined the effects of these two herbivores on resource uptake and allocation immediately after an initial attack. We labeled the plants with a single pulse of13CO2and a supply of15NH415NO3every third day to obtain a whole‐plant perspective on resource uptake and allocation. After 10 weeks of controlled infestation, plants were measured and divided into tissue types (needles, branches, main stem, and roots). In each tissue we quantified biomass,13C,15N, total carbon (C), nitrogen (N), protein, and starch pools. Hemlock woolly adelgid feeding decreased new needle biomass by 34%, increased13C allocation to roots and main stems by 130%, and increased15N allocation to old foliage by 18%. Hemlock woolly adelgid infestation also resulted in increased starch storage in old branches over new needles, and marginally increased protein content plant‐wide. Elongate hemlock scale infestation resulted in a different growth pattern, with a 27% increase in biomass allocation to the main stem. Elongate hemlock scale also caused a 23% increase in N allocation to roots and main stem. Increases in resource allocation to main stem and belowground may indicate herbivore‐induced changes to storage patterns, or compensatory increased fine root growth to facilitate nutrient and water uptake. These resource allocation effects likely underlie the rapid and dramatic decline of hemlock in response toHWAfeeding, and the considerably milder effects ofEHSfeeding.
Apparency revisited
Authors: Strauss Sharon Y. , Cacho N. Ivalú , Schwartz Mark W. , Schwartz Ari C. , Burns Kevin C. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractHow easy a plant is to find, or its apparency, is thought to shape plant defenses. Recent meta‐analyses suggest that the types of plant defenses employed are not well‐predicted by apparency, or apparency can be confounded with life history traits like woodiness and stature. Here, we suggest that the searching environments in which plants grow also influence plant apparency and should thus affect investment in plant defense. Specifically, bare, unvegetated environments may result in greater apparency of inhabitants of all statures to enemies, as a result of loss of associational resistance. We make several predictions about plant defenses in simple searching environments. (1) Plants living in simple searching environments should be more highly defended than plants living in more vegetated, complex searching environments. (2) Plant defenses involving signals—both, signals serving to hide plants and aposematic signals—should be favored in simple searching environments. (3) Levels of damage from enemies in simple searching environments should be related to defensive strategy (resistance, aposematism, mimicry, or crypsis); apparent plants should have low damage, because, as they are easily found, they should be well‐defended though physical or chemical defense. In contrast, predictions about damage levels in cryptic plants are harder to make, as damage reflects both whether plants are encountered or not, as well as overall palatability. If crypsis is favored in more palatable species, as has been suggested previously, we predict that cryptic plants should have greater variance in damage and greater maximum damage, if, once found, plants are palatable. (4) Organisms from diverse evolutionary lineages inhabiting the same simple searching environments should adapt to selection from apparency by converging on similar background matching or aposematic defenses. We then test some of these predictions with descriptive data collections in two simple searching environments: largely unvegetated graywacke scree mountaintops ofNewZealand and serpentine barrens of northernCalifornia (USA). We find that plants that are more apparent (i.e., do not match local rock color as measured across 300–700 nm wavelengths) are more defended, as inferred from mean damage received. In contrast, cryptic species in the same habitats get 7× more heavily damaged, once found, suggesting overall greater palatability. There was no evidence of greater variation in damage, as measured by coefficient of variation, but maximum damage was much greater on cryptic species in both habitats. Convergence on gray substrate is found in diverse species of plants inNewZealand, as well as by scree‐living grasshoppers; in California, grasshoppers have also converged on substrate color, and seed color of a non‐cryptic plant also matches local outcrops. Considering searching environment and enemy searching abilities when evaluating plant apparency to enemies may shed more light on this challenge to plants.
Ameliorative effect of statin therapy on oxidative damage in heart tissue of hypercholesterolemic rabbits
Authors: Sozer Volkan 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a high‐cholesterol diet in the presence and absence of statin on Cu‐Zn‐superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn‐SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl (PCO), and nitric oxide (NO) of blood and heart tissue, the antioxidant activity of serum paraoxonase‐1 (PON‐1), and on the blood lipid profile of rabbits. The animals were divided into four groups each of which included 10 rabbits. Rabbits in group 1 received a regular rabbit chow diet (normal diet) for 8 weeks; those in group 2 received atorvastatin (0.3 mg atorvastatin per day/kg body weight) for 8 weeks; those in group 3 received high‐cholesterol diet for 8 weeks; and those in group 4 received high‐cholesterol diet for 4 weeks, a high‐cholesterol diet + atorvastatin (0.3 mg atorvastatin per day/kg body weight) for 8 weeks. The parameters were measured by spectrophotometric methods. As expected, the atherogenic diet caused a pronounced increase in lipid profile (notHDL) parameters. Rabbits in group 3 showed higherPCO,MDA, andNOlevels in circulating and heart tissue compared to the rabbits in group 1. Atorvastatin has prevented or limitedLDLoxidation and has showed constitutively beneficial effects in group 4. IncreasedLDL‐C,PCO,MDA, andNOlevels leading to decreasingPON‐1 activity thus create a predisposition to atherogenesis in this model. But atorvastatin administration partly ameliorated oxidative damage in heart injury of hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Atorvastatin which functions as a potent antioxidant agent may inhibit thisLDL‐C oxidation by increasingPON‐1 activity in atherogenesis.
The prokaryotic zinc‐finger: structure, function and comparison with the eukaryotic counterpart
Authors: Malgieri Gaetano , Palmieri Maddalena , Russo Luigi , Fattorusso Roberto , Pedone Paolo V. , Isernia Carla 
Published: August 2015

Classical zinc finger (ZF) domains were thought to be confined to the eukaryotic kingdom until the transcriptional regulator Ros protein was identified in Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The Ros Cys2His2 ZF binds DNA in a peculiar mode and folds in a domain significantly larger than its eukaryotic counterpart consisting of 58 amino acids (the 9–66 region) arranged in a βββαα topology, and stabilized by a conserved, extensive, 15‐residue hydrophobic core. The prokaryotic ZF domain, then, shows some intriguing new features that make it interestingly different from its eukaryotic counterpart. This review will focus on the prokaryotic ZFs, summarizing and discussing differences and analogies with the eukaryotic domains and providing important insights into their structure/function relationships.
Ordinary stoichiometry of extraordinary microorganisms
Authors: Neveu M. , Poret‐Peterson A. T. , Anbar A. D. , Elser J. J. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractAll life on Earth seems to be made of the same chemical elements in relatively conserved proportions (stoichiometry). Whether this stoichiometry is conserved in settings that differ radically in physicochemical conditions (extreme environments) from those commonly encountered elsewhere on the planet provides insight into possible stoichiometries for putative life beyond Earth. Here, we report measurements of elemental stoichiometry for extremophile microbes from hot springs of Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Phototrophic and chemotrophic microbes were collected in locations spanning large ranges of temperature (24 °C to boiling), pH (1.6–9.6), redox (0.1–7.2 mg L−1dissolved oxygen), and nutrient concentrations (0.01–0.25 mg L−1, 0.7–12.9 mg L−1, 0.01–42 mg L−1NH4+, 0.003–1.1 mg L−1P mostly as phosphate). Despite these extreme conditions, the microbial cells sampled had a major and trace element stoichiometry within the ranges commonly encountered for microbes living in the more moderate environments of lakes and surface oceans. The cells did have somewhat high C:P and N:P ratios that are consistent with phosphorus (P) limitation. Furthermore, chemotrophs and phototrophs had similar compositions with the exception of Mo content, which was enriched in cells derived from chemotrophic sites. Thus, despite the extraordinary physicochemical and biological diversity of YNP environments, life in these settings, in a stoichiometric sense, remains much the same as we know it elsewhere.
Sediment‐phosphorus dynamics can shift aquatic ecology and cause downstream legacy effects after wildfire in large river systems
Authors: Emelko Monica B. , Stone Micheal , Silins Uldis , Allin Don , Collins Adrian L. , Williams Chris H. S. , Martens Amanda M. , Bladon Kevin D. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractGlobal increases in the occurrence of large, severe wildfires in forested watersheds threaten drinking water supplies and aquatic ecology. Wildfire effects on water quality, particularly nutrient levels and forms, can be significant. The longevity and downstream propagation of these effects as well as the geochemical mechanisms regulating them remain largely undocumented at larger river basin scales. Here, phosphorus (P) speciation and sorption behavior of suspended sediment were examined in two river basins impacted by a severe wildfire in southern Alberta, Canada. Fine‐grained suspended sediments (<125 μm) were sampled continuously during ice‐free conditions over a two‐year period (2009–2010), 6 and 7 years after the wildfire. Suspended sediment samples were collected from upstream reference (unburned) river reaches, multiple tributaries within the burned areas, and from reaches downstream of the burned areas, in the Crowsnest and Castle River basins. Total particulate phosphorus (TPP) and particulate phosphorus forms (nonapatite inorganic P, apatite P, organic P), and the equilibrium phosphorus concentration (EPC0) of suspended sediment were assessed. Concentrations of TPP and the EPC0 were significantly higher downstream of wildfire‐impacted areas compared to reference (unburned) upstream river reaches. Sediments from the burned tributary inputs contained higher levels of bioavailable particulate P (NAIP) – these effects were also observed downstream at larger river basin scales. The release of bioavailable P from postfire, P‐enriched fine sediment is a key mechanism causing these effects in gravel‐bed rivers at larger basin scales. Wildfire‐associated increases in NAIP and the EPC0 persisted 6 and 7 years after wildfire. Accordingly, this work demonstrated that fine sediment in gravel‐bed rivers is a significant, long‐term source of in‐stream bioavailable P that contributes to a legacy of wildfire impacts on downstream water quality, aquatic ecology, and drinking water treatability.
Application of a two‐pool model to soil carbon dynamics under elevated CO2
Authors: van Groenigen Kees Jan , Xia Jianyang , Osenberg Craig W. , Luo Yiqi , Hungate Bruce A. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractElevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations increase plant productivity and affect soil microbial communities, with possible consequences for the turnover rate of soil carbon (C) pools and feedbacks to the atmosphere. In a previous analysis (Van Groenigen et al., 2014), we used experimental data to inform a one‐pool model and showed that elevated CO2 increases the decomposition rate of soil organic C, negating the storage potential of soil. However, a two‐pool soil model can potentially explain patterns of soil C dynamics without invoking effects of CO2 on decomposition rates. To address this issue, we refit our data to a two‐pool soil C model. We found that CO2 enrichment increases decomposition rates of both fast and slow C pools. In addition, elevated CO2 decreased the carbon use efficiency of soil microbes (CUE), thereby further reducing soil C storage. These findings are consistent with numerous empirical studies and corroborate the results from our previous analysis. To facilitate understanding of C dynamics, we suggest that empirical and theoretical studies incorporate multiple soil C pools with potentially variable decomposition rates.
Effect of health Baduanjin Qigong for mild to moderate Parkinson's disease
Authors: Xiao Chun‐Mei , Zhuang Yong‐Chang 
Published: August 2015

AimThe present study investigated the effectiveness of Baduanjin Qigong on symptoms related to gait, functional mobility and sleep in Parkinson disease (PD) patients.MethodsA total of 100 patients (age 67.53 ± 8.56 years, range 55–80 years) with mild to moderate PD were randomly assigned to two groups. Participants in the Baduanjin Qigong group (BQG) received a Baduanjin Qigong program, consisting of four 45‐min sessions each week and daily walking 30 min for 6 months. Participants in the control group were carried out daily walking for 30 min. Pre‐ and post‐intervention testing was carried out to assess sleep quality, fatigue, functional mobility and gait performance in these participants.ResultsAfter the 6‐month Baduanjin Qigong intervention, the BQG showed sleep quality improvements in the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale score (P = 0.049), Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale‐2 (PDSS‐2) total score (P = 0.039), Motor Symptoms at Night (PDSS‐2) score (P = 0.039), PD Symptoms at Night (PDSS‐2) score (P = 0.029), Disturbed Sleep (PDSS‐2) score (P = 0.037). The BQG showing functional mobility capacity greater improvements in the Berg Balance Scale (P = 0.041) and 6‐minute walk test (P = 0.042), and greater decrease in the Timed Up & Go (s; P = 0.046). The BQG showing gait function increased in the gait speed (m/s; P = 0.011). However, this was not the case for the control group, which remained at the same level as pretest performance.ConclusionsBQG improved the gait performance, functional mobility and sleep quality in older adults with PD at the 6‐month follow up. It is as an alternative home exercise program for older adults in rehabilitation for PD. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2016; 16: 911–919.
Differences of oral health conditions between adults and older adults: A census in aSouthernBrazilian city
Authors: Boscato Noeli , Schuch Helena S , Grasel Claudia E , Goettems Marilia L 
Published: August 2015

AimTo assess differences in the oral diseases/conditions between adults and older adults.MethodsA cross‐sectional study was carried out with all adults and older adults inLuzerna,SouthBrazil (n = 569). Clinical data included use of and need for dental prostheses; number of decayed, missing and filled teeth; and temporomandibular disorder. Differences between adults and older adults were evaluated using χ2‐tests. Associations between independent variables and the use of and need for dental prostheses were determined using Poisson regression analyses (P < 0.05).ResultsIncreased number of decayed, missing and filled teeth, use of and need for dental prostheses, higher use of complete dentures, and fewer temporomandibular disorder signs and symptoms were observed in older adults. After adjustments, lower social class (P = 0.001) and unmarried status (P = 0.05) were associated with greater need for prosthetic rehabilitation. Women (P = 0.02), older individuals (P < 0.001) and those of lower socioeconomic status (P = 0.001) had a higher risk of using prostheses.ConclusionA significant difference of oral conditions between adults and older adults was observed. The frequency of use of and need for dental prostheses was higher for older adults, although they had reported lower frequency of temporomandibular disorder. Women, married and individuals of higher socioeconomic status showed better oral health conditions.Geriatr Gerontol Int 2016; 16: 1014–1020.
Chemical Considerations for an Updated National Assessment of Brackish Groundwater Resources
Authors: McMahon P.B. , Böhlke J.K. , Dahm K.G. , Parkhurst D.L. , Anning D.W. , Stanton J.S. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractBrackish groundwater (BGW) is increasingly used for water supplies where fresh water is scarce, but the distribution and availability of such resources have not been characterized at the national scale in the United States since the 1960s. Apart from its distribution and accessibility, BGW usability is a function of the chemical requirements of the intended use, chemical characteristics of the resource, and treatment options to make the resource compatible with the use. Here, we discuss relations between these three chemical factors using national‐scale examples and local case studies. In a preliminary compilation of BGW data in the United States, five water types accounted for the major‐ion composition of 70% of samples. PHREEQC calculations indicate that 57–77% of samples were oversaturated with respect to barite, calcite, or chalcedony. In the study, 5–14% of samples had concentrations of arsenic, fluoride, nitrate, or uranium that exceeded drinking‐water standards. In case studies of the potential use of BGW for drinking water, irrigation, and hydraulic fracturing, PHREEQC simulations of a hypothetical treatment process resembling reverse osmosis (RO) showed that BGW had the potential to form various assemblages of mineral deposits (scale) during treatment that could adversely affect RO membranes. Speciation calculations showed that most boron in the irrigation example occurred as boric acid, which has relatively low removal efficiency by RO. Results of this preliminary study indicate that effective national or regional assessments of BGW resources should include geochemical characterizations that are guided in part by specific use and treatment requirements.
Synthesis and Characterization of ZnCr2O4 Nanospinel Prepared via Homogeneous Precipitation Using Urea Hydrolysis
Authors: Tajizadegan Hamid , Heidary Azam , Torabi Omid , Golabgir Mohammad‐Hosein , Jamshidi Amin 
Published: August 2015

In situ and homogeneous hydrolysis of urea was utilized to design a homogeneous precipitation method to synthesize the ZnCr2O4 functional material. The as‐prepared nanospinel was systematically studied in terms of crystal structure, morphology, texture, and light absorption. A well‐crystalline single phase of ZnCr2O4 nanospinel with a spongy network structure was obtained. Transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction observations confirmed the formation of monocrystalline nanoparticles of ZnCr2O4 with the nanosize of 13 nm. The synthesized nanospinel showed a low direct band gap value of 1.8 eV with appropriate absorption in the visible light region, which was a remarkable result for this route.
Posterior vs. Anterior Circulation Infarction: Demography, Outcomes, and Frequency of Hemorrhage after Thrombolysis
Authors: Dorňák Tomáš , Král Michal , Hazlinger Martin , Herzig Roman , Veverka Tomáš , Buřval Stanislav , Šaňák Daniel , Zapletalová Jana , Antalíková Kristýna , Kaňovský Petr 
Published: August 2015

Background Intravenous thrombolysis is considered to be the standard specific reperfusion therapy in acute ischemic stroke in both anterior and posterior cerebral circulation. Aims Our aim was to evaluate the 90-day outcome and rate of intracranial hemorrhage after recombinant tissue plasminogen activator administration in posterior circulation stroke and to compare the intracranial hemorrhage risk for posterior circulation stroke and anterior circulation stroke. Methods The set consisted of 877 consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients (777 anterior circulation stroke; 100 posterior circulation stroke) who underwent intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in a standard dose of 0·9 mg/kg. The role of following factors was assessed: presenting characteristics, intracranial hemorrhage classification according to ECASS I, mortality, and 90-day clinical outcome assessed using the modified Rankin scale. Results Good clinical outcomes (modified Rankin scale 0–2) were noted in 59% of posterior circulation stroke patients, with a mortality rate of 19%. Intracerebral hemorrhage was significantly less frequent in posterior circulation stroke than in anterior circulation stroke patients (5·1 vs. 17·2%; P = 0·002). The risk of large hemorrhage (parenchymal hematoma 1 and 2) was 5·2 times higher in anterior circulation stroke patients ( P = 0·007). The following additional statistically significant differences were found between posterior circulation stroke and anterior circulation stroke patients: median age, male gender, presence of atrial fibrillation, hyperlipidemia, median time to treatment, and median blood glucose level on admission. Conclusions Our study suggests that posterior circulation stroke is associated with a lower risk of intracranial hemorrhage than anterior circulation stroke is.
Novel agents for castration‐resistant prostate cancer: Early experience and beyond
Authors: Fujimoto Naohiro 
Published: August 2015

AbstractAndrogen deprivation therapy is the initial treatment for men with advanced prostate cancer. Almost all these patients eventually develop progressive castration‐resistant prostate cancer despite an initial favorable response. Docetaxel was the first agent to show a survival benefit in patients with castration‐resistant prostate cancer. After cancer progression on docetaxel, patients with castration‐resistant prostate cancer had few therapeutic options. A better understanding of the mechanisms of resistance to androgen deprivation therapy has led to the development of novel agents with distinct mechanisms of action. Prospective, large‐scale clinical trials have shown overall survival benefits with the hormonal agents abiraterone acetate and enzalutamide, the immunotherapeutic agent sipuleucel T, the chemotherapeutic agent cabazitaxel, and bone‐targeted Ra‐223. Although these agents provided clinical benefit, treatment for castration‐resistant prostate cancer remains a major clinical challenge. We recognize many questions, such as methods to select patients for specific treatments, optimal sequencing and drug combinations, and means to overcome drug resistance. There is an urgent need to answer these questions and to establish better treatment strategies. The development of biomarkers that are predictive of treatment results is also required. The present article reviews new castration‐resistant prostate cancer treatments, and discusses possible resistant mechanisms as well as potential drug combinations and optimal sequencing.