bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Termites amplify the effects of wood traits on decomposition rates among multiple bamboo and dicot woody species
Authors: Liu Guofang , Cornwell William K. , Cao Kunfang , Hu Yukun , Van Logtestijn Richardus S. P. , Yang Shijian , Xie Xiufang , Zhang Yalin , Ye Duo , Pan Xu , Ye Xuehua , Huang Zhenying , Dong Ming , Cornelissen Johannes H. C. 
Published: May 2015

Summary

Wood decomposition is a key process in the terrestrial carbon cycle, controlling carbon storage with feedback to climate. In (sub) tropical forest, termites are major players in wood decomposition, but their role relative to that of microbial decomposers and wood traits of different tree species is poorly understood. The current literature also has strong bias towards dicot tree decomposition, while abundant woody monocots, particularly bamboos, also contribute greatly to (sub) tropical carbon cycling.

Here, we present the first experiment to disentangle effects of dead wood traits and termite activity on decomposition of 66 angiosperm species of wide‐ranging phylogenetic position: 31 bamboos, eight non‐bamboo Poaceae, 18 eudicots and nine magnoliids. We incubated dead stems of up to 4 size classes per species in a ‘common garden’ in tropical S China. We tested the hypotheses that (i) dead wood of bamboo (monocots) is less decomposable than dead wood of eudicots or magnoliids; (ii) both microbial‐ and termite‐driven decomposition show negative relationships with initial wood density and with dry matter content.

Bamboo wood generally decomposed more slowly than dicot wood but only slightly slower at given wood density or diameter. Wood decomposition in both bamboo and dicot clades decreased with wood density or dry matter content. Termites contributed greatly to this pattern, explaining 53.4% of the variance in wood decomposition and preferentially attacking dead wood of lower initial density, which corresponded with thicker outer culm walls in the case of bamboo species. Thus, termites strongly strengthen the relationship between species' wood traits and litter decomposition as driven by microbial activity.

Synthesis. These previously unknown relationships among dead wood quality, diameter, termites and decomposing microbes of both woody monocots and dicots will advance our understanding of the driving mechanisms of (sub) tropical wood decomposition and its contribution to the global carbon cycle.
XoxF encoding an alternative methanol dehydrogenase is widespread in coastal marine environments
Authors: Taubert Martin , Grob Carolina , Howat Alexandra M. , Burns Oliver J. , Dixon Joanna L. , Chen Yin , Murrell J. Colin 
Published: May 2015

SummaryThe xoxF gene, encoding a pyrroloquinoline quinone‐dependent methanol dehydrogenase, is found in all known proteobacterial methylotrophs. In several newly discovered methylotrophs, XoxF is the active methanol dehydrogenase, catalysing the oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde. Apart from that, its potential role in methylotrophy and carbon cycling is unknown. So far, the diversity of xoxF in the environment has received little attention. We designed PCR primer sets targeting clades of the xoxF gene, and used 454 pyrosequencing of PCR amplicons obtained from the DNA of four coastal marine environments for a unique assessment of the diversity of xoxF in these habitats. Phylogenetic analysis of the data obtained revealed a high diversity of xoxF genes from two of the investigated clades, and substantial differences in sequence composition between environments. Sequences were classified as being related to a wide range of both methylotrophs and non‐methylotrophs from Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria. The most prominent sequences detected were related to the family Rhodobacteraceae, the genus Methylotenera and the OM43 clade of Methylophilales, and are thus related to organisms that employ XoxF for methanol oxidation. Furthermore, our analyses revealed a high degree of so far undescribed sequences, suggesting a high number of unknown bacterial species in these habitats.
Molecular characterization of arginine deiminase pathway in Laribacter hongkongensis and unique regulation of arginine catabolism and anabolism by multiple environmental stresses
Authors: Xiong Lifeng , Teng Jade L. L. , Watt Rory M. , Liu Cuihua , Lau Susanna K. P. , Woo Patrick C. Y. 
Published: May 2015

SummaryThe betaproteobacterium Laribacter hongkongensis is associated with invasive bacteremic infections and gastroenteritis. Its genome contains two adjacent arc gene cassettes (arc1 and arc2) under independent transcriptional control, which are essential for acid resistance. Laribacter hongkongensis also encodes duplicate copies of the argA and argB genes from the arginine biosynthesis pathway. We show that arginine enhances the transcription of arcA2 but suppresses arcA1 expression. We demonstrate that ArgR acts as a transcriptional regulator of the two arc operons through binding to ARG operator sites (ARG boxes). Upon temperature shift from 20°C to 37°C, arcA1 transcription is upregulated while arcA2, argA2, argB2 and argG are downregulated. The transcription of arcA1 and arcA2 are augmented under anaerobic and acidic conditions. The transcription levels of argA1, argA2, argB1, argB2 and argG are significantly increased under anaerobic and acidic conditions but are repressed by the addition of arginine. Deletion of argR significantly decreases bacterial survival in macrophages, while expression of both arc operons, argR and all five of the anabolic arg genes increases 8 h post‐infection. Our results show that arginine catabolism in L. hongkongensis is finely regulated by controlling the transcription of two arc operons, whereas arginine anabolism is controlled by two copies of argA and argB.
Excessive Access Cannulation Site Bleeding Predicts Long‐Term All‐Cause Mortality in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Tsai Wan‐Chuan , Chen Hung‐Yuan , Lin Chi‐Lin , Huang Shu‐Chen , Hsu Shih‐Ping , Pai Mei‐Fen , Peng Yu‐Sen , Chiu Yen‐Ling 
Published: May 2015

AbstractOur group has previously reported that excessive vascular access bleeding during dialysis treatment in stable hemodialysis (HD) patients was associated with anemia and may indicate poorer health. The association between excessive blood loss from access cannulation site and clinical outcomes was unknown. We hypothesized that excessive access bleeding may have an impact on all‐cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality in this population. We prospectively conducted an observational, longitudinal study of 360 HD patients. Excessive access bleeding was defined as at least an occurrence of blood loss greater than 4 mL per HD session during a study period of one month. During a median follow‐up of 83 months, all‐cause mortality and CV mortality were registered. Outcomes were analyzed by Kaplan–Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses. A total of 118 (32.8%) participants died and 54 of these were from CV death. Using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression, access bleeding was found to be an independent predictor of all‐cause mortality (HR 1.67, 95% CI 0.96–2.91, P = 0.070) but not for CV death (HR 1.53, 95% CI 0.88–2.68, P = 0.135). Our study identified that excessive access cannulation site bleeding could be a novel marker for increased risk of death in HD patients.
Taxonomic review of theHaliplidae (Coleoptera) in theKorean peninsula
Authors: Lee Dae‐Hyun , van Vondel Bernhard Johannes , Lee Soong Hwa , Ahn Kee‐Jeong 
Published: May 2015

AbstractA taxonomic review ofKoreanHaliplidaeAubé is presented. Eight species in two genera are recognized, one of which (Haliplus diruptusBalfour‐Browne) is reported for the first time inSouthKorea. We also found thatH. ovalis Sharp previously recorded in theKorean peninsula was an incorrect identification ofH. chinensis Falkenström. Habitus and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) photographs, diagnoses of genera, additional characters of species and diagnostic characters with illustrations of the species are provided.
Barriers to the use of paediatric clinical practice guidelines in rural and regional New South Wales Australia
Authors: Cohn Sarah L. , Gautam Bijender , Preddy John S. , Connors John R. , Kennedy Sean E. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractObjectiveTo identify barriers to compliance with paediatric clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) in emergency departments in rural and regional New South Wales (NSW), Australia, and to propose strategies to increase their use.DesignCross‐sectional survey.SettingTen emergency departments in rural and regional NSW.ParticipantsFifty medical officers.Main outcome measuresUse of clinical practice guidelines and perceived barriers to their usage.ResultsOnly 22% of medical officers reported that they used the CPGs frequently when managing sick children. Major barriers to the use of CPGs were a lack of awareness of their existence, a lack of training in their use and poor access to the guidelines in printed or electronic format.ConclusionIn order to increase compliance with the paediatric CPGs, medical officers in rural and regional NSW require further training and education. The CPGs need to be readily available in either printed or electronic format.
A dataset for education‐related majors' performance measures with pre/post‐video game practice
Authors: Novak Elena , Tassell Janet Lynne 
Published: May 2015

AbstractThis dataset includes a series of 30 education‐related majors' performance measures before and after they completed a 10‐hour video game practice in a computer lab. The goal of the experimental study was to examine the effects of action video gaming on students' mathematics performance and mathematics anxiety as mediated by the effect of attention on working memory. The dataset includes students' pre‐ and posttest performance measures for geometry, word and non‐word mathematics problems, perceived cognitive load associated with mathematics assessment, mental rotation test, working memory assessment, mathematics anxiety and confidence in learning mathematics.
Phase 1 study of the safety, pharmacokinetics, and antitumour activity of the BCL2 inhibitor navitoclax in combination with rituximab in patients with relapsed or refractory CD20+ lymphoid malignancies
Authors: Roberts Andrew W. , Advani Ranjana H. , Kahl Brad S. , Persky Daniel , Sweetenham John W. , Carney Dennis A. , Yang Jianning , Busman Todd B. , Enschede Sari H. , Humerickhouse Roderick A. , Seymour John F. 
Published: May 2015

SummaryThe oral BCL2 inhibitor navitoclax has moderate single‐agent efficacy in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and minor activity in lymphoma in Phase 1 trials. Navitoclax synergizes with rituximab in preclinical models of B‐cell lymphoid cancers. We report the safety, pharmacokinetics and clinical activity of this combination. Patients received navitoclax (200–325 mg) daily and four standard weekly doses of rituximab. Twenty‐nine patients were enrolled across three dose‐escalation cohorts and a safety expansion cohort (250 mg/d navitoclax). The combination was well tolerated. Common toxicities were mild diarrhoea (79%) and nausea (72%). Grade 4 thrombocytopenia occurred in 17% of patients (dose limiting at 325 mg/d). CD19+ counts were severely reduced, while CD3+ cells (~ 20%) and serum immunoglobulin M levels (~ 33%) were also reduced during the first year. The maximum tolerated dose for navitoclax in combination was 250 mg/d. Pharmacokinetic analyses revealed no apparent interactions between the drugs. The response rate in patients with follicular lymphoma was 9/12, including five complete responses. All five patients with CLL/small lymphocytic leukaemia achieved partial responses. One of nine patients with aggressive lymphoma responded. The addition of rituximab to navitoclax 250 mg/d is safe; the combination demonstrates higher response rates for low‐grade lymphoid cancers than observed for either agent alone in previous Phase 1 trials.
Altered expression of caspases-4 and -5 during inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer: Diagnostic and therapeutic potential
Authors: Flood B , Oficjalska K , Laukens D , Fay J , O'Grady A , Caiazza F , Heetun Z , Mills K H G , Sheahan K , Ryan E J , Doherty G A , Kay E , Creagh E M 
Published: May 2015

SummaryCaspases are a group of proteolytic enzymes involved in the co-ordination of cellular processes, including cellular homeostasis, inflammation and apoptosis. Altered activity of caspases, particularly caspase-1, has been implicated in the development of intestinal diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the involvement of two related inflammatory caspase members, caspases-4 and -5, during intestinal homeostasis and disease has not yet been established. This study demonstrates that caspases-4 and -5 are involved in IBD-associated intestinal inflammation. Furthermore, we found a clear correlation between stromal caspase-4 and -5 expression levels, inflammation and disease activity in ulcerative colitis patients. Deregulated intestinal inflammation in IBD patients is associated with an increased risk of developing CRC. We found robust expression of caspases-4 and -5 within intestinal epithelial cells, exclusively within neoplastic tissue, of colorectal tumours. An examination of adjacent normal, inflamed and tumour tissue from patients with colitis-associated CRC confirmed that stromal expression of caspases-4 and -5 is increased in inflamed and dysplastic tissue, while epithelial expression is restricted to neoplastic tissue. In addition to identifying caspases-4 and -5 as potential targets for limiting intestinal inflammation, this study has identified epithelial-expressed caspases-4 and -5 as biomarkers with diagnostic and therapeutic potential in CRC.
Convolution Filtering of Continuous Signed Distance Fields for Polygonal Meshes
Authors: Sanchez Mathieu , Fryazinov Oleg , Fayolle Pierre‐Alain , Pasko Alexander 
Published: May 2015

AbstractSigned distance fields obtained from polygonal meshes are commonly used in various applications. However, they can have C1 discontinuities causing creases to appear when applying operations such as blending or metamorphosis. The focus of this work is to efficiently evaluate the signed distance function and to apply a smoothing filter to it while preserving the shape of the initial mesh. The resulting function is smooth almost everywhere, while preserving the exact shape of the polygonal mesh. Due to its low complexity, the proposed filtering technique remains fast compared to its main alternatives providing C1‐continuous distance field approximation. Several applications are presented such as blending, metamorphosis and heterogeneous modelling with polygonal meshes.
Mate Choice by Both Sexes Maintains Reproductive Isolation in a Species Flock of Pupfish (Cyprinodon spp) in the Bahamas
Authors: West Rhiannon J. D. , Kodric‐Brown Astrid 
Published: May 2015

AbstractFemale and male mate choices can reinforce reproductive isolation after sympatric speciation. Using a binary choice design, we examine the importance of visual cues in female mate choice in all three sympatric species of pupfish on San Salvador Island. We also examine the importance of olfactory cues in female choice of the hard‐shelled invertebrate specialist (Cyprinodon brontotheroides). We examine male mate choice in two of the three species, the scale eater (C. desquamator) and the detritivore (C. variegatus). Females of all three species use visual cues and prefer conspecific males. C. brontotheroides females do not use olfactory cues to discriminate between conspecific and heterospecific males. Males of C. desquamator and C. variegatus also preferentially court conspecific females. Thus, mutual mate choice, where both females and males exhibit mate choice, acts as a strong behavioral pre‐mating isolation mechanism in these sympatrically speciated pupfish.
Evaluation of non‐traditional modelling techniques for forecasting salmon returns
Authors: McCormick J. L. , Falcy M. R. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractForecasting adult salmon abundance is problematic when the number of observations is small relative to the number of potential explanatory variables. Machine learning and other non‐traditional techniques employ algorithms designed to prevent model overfitting. Data from 18 coho salmon,Oncorhynchus kisutch(Walbaum), and seven Chinook salmon,Oncorhynchus tschawytscha(Walbaum), populations on the Oregon coast were used to evaluate the forecast performance of artificial neural networks, elastic net, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, principal component regression (PCR) and ridge regression (RR) compared to several more traditional techniques. In general, the non‐traditional modelling techniques evaluated in this study performed similarly to the traditional techniques with the exception of sibling regression. This suggests that they have merit for improving actual predictions. Among the non‐traditional techniques,PCRresulted in the lowest prediction error for the coho salmon populations, andRRpredicted Chinook salmon returns most accurately. The techniques explored are not an easy solution to a difficult problem. Spurious conclusions about the processes that generate salmon returns still may result as evidenced by the inclusion of an unrelated variable in many of the non‐traditional models.
Vegetation shift from deciduous to evergreen dwarf shrubs in response to selective herbivory offsets carbon losses: evidence from 19 years of warming and simulated herbivory in the subarctic tundra
Authors: Ylänne Henni , Stark Sari , Tolvanen Anne 
Published: May 2015

AbstractSelective herbivory of palatable plant species provides a competitive advantage for unpalatable plant species, which often have slow growth rates and produce slowly decomposable litter. We hypothesized that through a shift in the vegetation community from palatable, deciduous dwarf shrubs to unpalatable, evergreen dwarf shrubs, selective herbivory may counteract the increased shrub abundance that is otherwise found in tundra ecosystems, in turn interacting with the responses of ecosystem carbon (C) stocks and CO2 balance to climatic warming. We tested this hypothesis in a 19‐year field experiment with factorial treatments of warming and simulated herbivory on the dominant deciduous dwarf shrub Vaccinium myrtillus. Warming was associated with a significantly increased vegetation abundance, with the strongest effect on deciduous dwarf shrubs, resulting in greater rates of both gross ecosystem production (GEP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) as well as increased C stocks. Simulated herbivory increased the abundance of evergreen dwarf shrubs, most importantly Empetrum nigrum ssp. hermaphroditum, which led to a recent shift in the dominant vegetation from deciduous to evergreen dwarf shrubs. Simulated herbivory caused no effect on GEP and ER or the total ecosystem C stocks, indicating that the vegetation shift counteracted the herbivore‐induced C loss from the system. A larger proportion of the total ecosystem C stock was found aboveground, rather than belowground, in plots treated with simulated herbivory. We conclude that by providing a competitive advantage to unpalatable plant species with slow growth rates and long life spans, selective herbivory may promote aboveground C stocks in a warming tundra ecosystem and, through this mechanism, counteract C losses that result from plant biomass consumption.
Firm Innovation and Co‐Location in Portugal
Authors: Faria Ana Paula , Barbosa Natália , Eiriz Vasco 
Published: May 2015

AbstractThis paper investigates the geographical distribution and concentration of firms’ innovation persistence and innovation type (product and process) based on three waves of the Portuguese Community Innovation Survey data covering the period 1998–2006. The main findings are: 1) both innovation persistence and innovation type are asymmetrically distributed across Portuguese regions, 2) the degree of correlation between geographical location and innovative output varies with the innovation type, and 3) the correlation between geographical unit and innovation increases when the spatial unit of analysis is narrower. The results suggest that the firms’ choices of geographical location have a long‐lasting effect, engendering no equal probabilities of being persistently innovative.
Quantitative evaluation of apically extruded debris with Twisted File Adaptive instruments in straight root canals: reciprocation with different angles, adaptive motion and continuous rotation
Authors: Karataş E. , Arslan H. , Kırıcı D. Ö. , Alsancak M. , Çapar İ. D. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractAimTo evaluate the influence of movement kinematics when using Twisted File Adaptive instruments (SybronEndo, Orange, CA, USA) (TF Adaptive) on the amount of apically extruded debris.MethodologyForty‐eight extracted mandibular incisor teeth were selected. The teeth were randomly divided into four groups (n ꞊ 12), and the root canals were instrumented using the following movement kinematics: TF Adaptive motion, 90° clockwise (CW) to 30° counterclockwise (CCW) reciprocating motion, 150°CW to 30°CCW reciprocating motion or continuous rotation. TF Adaptive instruments were used for all groups. Debris extruded apically during instrumentation was collected in pre‐weighed Eppendorf tubes, and after drying, the mean weight of the debris was assessed with an electronic balance. The data were analysed statistically using a one‐way analysis of variance.ResultsThe 90° CW to 30° CCW reciprocating motion produced the highest mean extrusion value, and this was significantly greater when compared with continuous rotation (P < 0.05). 150° CW to 30° CCW reciprocating, adaptive and continuous rotation motions produced similar amounts of debris extrusion (P > 0.05).ConclusionMovement kinematics affected the amount of apically extruded debris when using Twisted File Adaptive instruments.
Adiposity is related to decrements in cardiorespiratory fitness in obese and normal‐weight children
Authors: Tsiros M. D. , Coates A. M. , Howe P. R. C. , Walkley J. , Hills A. P. , Wood R. E. , Buckley J. D. 
Published: May 2015

SummaryBackgroundObese children are typically less physically active than their normal‐weight peers and are often assumed to be ‘unfit’.ObjectiveInvestigate the relationships between adiposity, physical activity levels and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in obese and normal‐weight children. A secondary aim was to examine obese/normal‐weight differences in CRF.MethodsObese (N = 107) and normal‐weight (N = 132) 10–13‐year‐olds participated. Fat‐free mass (FFM), percent fat, physical activity and peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) were assessed. Analyses were adjusted for socioeconomic status (SES).ResultsHigher percent fat was inversely associated with VO2peak normalized for mass (r = −0.780, P < 0.001) even after controlling for physical activity (r = −0.673, P < 0.001). While higher percent fat was also inversely associated with VO2peak normalized for FFM, this was only significant in males (r = −0.247, P = 0.004) and did not persist after controlling for physical activity (r = −0.059 P = 0.526). Compared with normal‐weight children, obese children had higher absolute VO2peak, lower VO2peak corrected for mass (P ≤ 0.009) and lower VO2peak corrected for FFM (P = 0.041) that did not persist after controlling for SES (P = 0.086).ConclusionObesity‐related inefficiencies in CRF were evident. Higher adiposity was associated with poorer CRF relative to mass, irrespective of physical activity levels. However, low physical activity levels may be responsible for associations between adiposity and CRF relative to FFM seen in boys, indicating the importance of encouraging physical activity.