bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Density dependence, precipitation and biological control agent herbivory influence landscape‐scale dynamics of the invasive Eurasian plant Linaria dalmatica
Authors: Weed Aaron S. , Schwarzländer Mark 
Published: January 2014

Summary

Resource availability and natural enemies are among the most commonly cited mechanisms affecting competitive ability of invasive plants, but their simultaneous effects on plant dynamics are seldom evaluated in the field. Understanding how endogenous and exogenous factors affect invasive plant abundance is essential when evaluating the impact of classical weed biological control agents because misinterpretations of the mechanisms regulating plant demography may bias inference of herbivore impact.

In this study, we report results from a citizen‐science monitoring programme initiated to evaluate the effects of the stem‐mining weevil Mecinus janthiniformis on the Eurasian invasive weed Dalmatian toadflax Linaria dalmatica. We used a discrete model of population dynamics to evaluate the relative importance of endogenous and exogenous processes affecting changes in ramet density of L. dalmatica at 38 spatially replicated sites in Idaho, USA.

Analysis of per‐capita population growth rates based on ramet density indicated the presence of direct density dependence, which was most likely due to intraspecific competition. Changes in ramet density were not influenced by the abundance of the resident plant community.

Precipitation had a strong, positive effect on ramet density of L. dalmatica, while the abundance of M. janthiniformis had a weaker, but significant, negative effect after accounting for the density dependence. There was no support for an interactive effect between precipitation and herbivory.

Synthesis and applications. Our results indicate that biological control is an important factor affecting weed population growth at the landscape scale, but they also suggest that biological control impact may vary considerably on local infestations due to site‐specific variation in rainfall and density‐dependent processes. We recommend that invasive plant management strategies integrate precipitation and biological control agent monitoring into their programmes to estimate expected biological control efficacy. Alternative control methods should be prioritized in areas where herbivore impact is expected to be low.
Staying ‘in the zone’ but not passing the ‘point of no return’: embodiment, gender and drinking in mid‐life
Authors: Lyons Antonia C. , Emslie Carol , Hunt Kate 
Published: January 2014

AbstractPublic health approaches have frequently conceptualised alcohol consumption as an individual behaviour resulting from rational choice. We argue that drinking alcohol needs to be understood as an embodied social practice embedded in gendered social relationships and environments. We draw on data from 14 focus groups with pre‐existing groups of friends and work colleagues in which men and women in mid‐life discussed their drinking behaviour. Analysis demonstrated that drinking alcohol marked a transitory time and space that altered both women's and men's subjective embodied experience of everyday gendered roles and responsibilities. The participants positioned themselves as experienced drinkers who, through accumulated knowledge of their own physical bodies, could achieve enjoyable bodily sensations by reaching a desired level of intoxication (being in the zone). These mid‐life adults, particularly women, discussed knowing when they were approaching their limit and needed to stop drinking. Experiential and gendered embodied knowledge was more important in regulating consumption than health promotion advice. These findings foreground the relational and gendered nature of drinking and reinforce the need to critically interrogate the concept of alcohol consumption as a simple health behaviour. Broader theorising around notions of gendered embodiment may be helpful for more sophisticated conceptualisations of health practices.
Alkaptonuric ochronosis: a clinical study from Ardabil, Iran
Authors: Azami Ahad , Maleki Nasrollah , Tavosi Zahra 
Published: January 2014

AbstractObjectiveOchronosis is a term used to describe pigment deposition that occurs in the connective tissues of patients with alkaptonuria, an autosomal recessive disorder that results from a deficiency of homogentisic acid oxidase. Brown or blue‐gray discoloration of the skin may be seen on the axillary and inguinal areas, face, palms or soles. In addition, blue‐black discoloration can be apparent on skin overlying cartilage in which the pigment is deposited, such as the ears. The sclerae are also typically involved. The cheapest screening test to perform prior to expensive lab tests is the urine oxidation test: having it standing in light for a period of 24 h when suspicion has risen.MethodsRetrospective analysis of patients with ochronotic arthropathy seen between September 2011 to September 2013 was carried out.ResultsSeven patients (four male, three female) with ochronotic arthropathy were seen, their mean age was 46.1 years. All patients had bluish‐black pigmentations of the ear cartilage and sclera. Spondylosis was seen in all, whereas peripheral arthritis was present in five patients. Moderate aortic insufficiency and calcification of the aortic valve was detected in one male patient. Urine screening for homogentisic acid was positive in all seven patients.ConclusionAlkaptonuria is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of the metabolism caused by deficiency of homogentisic acid oxidase. It is suggested that more widespread screening should be undertaken in order to assess the true incidence of the disorder.
The Architecture of Collective Intimacy: Masonic Friendships as a Model for Collective Attachments
Authors: Kaplan Danny 
Published: January 2014

ABSTRACTDespite a growing recognition that interpersonal friendship informs wider forms of solidarity, there is little systematic analysis as to how community members extend the logic of friendship and intimacy to broader organizational and societal context. Masonic organizational practices provide a useful model for this inquiry. Drawing on an ethnographic study of contemporary Israeli Freemasonry, I examine the intersections of interpersonal, public, and collective intimacy in members’ ritual activities and everyday life. The juxtaposition of mundane sociability and Masonic sacred rituals serves to rescale the distance between interpersonal friendship and communal solidarity. As members take on the roles of citizen, bureaucrat, priest, and president concomitantly, they partly collapse the distinctions between personal and collective ties, between the familiar and the revered. These intersections of intimacy are offered as a programmatic research strategy to study how institutionalized patterns of sociability inform civic and national attachments.
Bayesian Spatial Analysis for the Evaluation of Breast Cancer Detection Methods
Authors: Hsieh Jeff Ching‐Fu , Cramb Susanna M. , McGree James M. , Baade Peter D. , Dunn Nathan A.M. , Mengersen Kerrie L. 
Published: January 2014

SummaryThis study investigated the impact of spatial location on the effectiveness of population‐based breast screening in reducing breast cancer mortality compared to other detection methods among Queensland women. The analysis was based on linked population‐based datasets from BreastScreen Queensland and the Queensland Cancer Registry for the period of 1997–2008 for women aged less than 90 years at diagnosis. A Bayesian hierarchical regression modelling approach was adopted and posterior estimation was performed using Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques. This approach accommodated sparse data resulting from rare outcomes in small geographic areas, while allowing for spatial correlation and demographic influences to be included. A relative survival model was chosen to evaluate the relative excess risk for each breast cancer related factor. Several models were fitted to examine the influence of demographic information, cancer stage, geographic information and detection method on women's relative survival. Overall, the study demonstrated that including the detection method and geographic information when assessing the relative survival of breast cancer patients helped capture unexplained and spatial variability. The study also found evidence of better survival among women with breast cancer diagnosed in a screening program than those detected otherwise, as well as lower risk for those residing in a more urban or socio‐economically advantaged region, even after adjusting for tumour stage, environmental factors and demographics. However, no evidence of dependency between method of detection and geographic location was found. This project provides a sophisticated approach to examining the benefit of a screening program while considering the influence of geographic factors.
Ocular dimensions in relation to auxological data in a sample of Swedish children aged 4–15 years
Authors: Raffa Lina H. , Hellström Ann , Aring Eva , Andersson Susann , Andersson Grönlund Marita 
Published: January 2014

AbstractPurposeThe purpose was to characterize normal growth patterns of ocular and optical components and to relate them to auxological data in a sample of Swedish children aged 4–15 years.MethodsA prospective cross‐sectional study was carried out in 143 Swedish children with a mean age of 9.8 years. Variables including gestational age (GA), weight, length and head circumference (HCF) at birth and at the time of assessment were registered. Visual acuity (VA), cycloplegic refraction and biometric measures were obtained. Palpebral fissure length and inner canthal distance were measured. Optic disc morphology as seen on fundus photographs was analysed.ResultsChildren born more mature, with male predilection, were found to have deeper anterior and vitreous chamber depths, longer axial lengths and thinner crystalline lens thickness. No correlations were found between ocular biometric measurements and VA or refraction after adjustment for confounding variables. Inner canthal distance was significantly correlated with birth length (p = 0.03), height, weight, BMI and HCF (p = 0.0008, p = 0.0007, p = 0.037, and p = 0.04, respectively) at time of assessment. Total axial length was found to be significantly correlated with GA (p = 0.0226) and length at assessment in girls (p = 0.0084). Right optic disc and rim areas decreased with increasing age (p = 0.0078 and p = 0.0107, respectively); however, optic disc parameters were not dependent on any other variable.ConclusionThese normative values may serve as a basis for the ocular findings and their relationship to auxological data in Caucasian children aged 4–15 years, as well as for future comparison in patients with paediatric ocular pathologies.
Younie, Sarah & Leask, Marilyn (2013) Teaching with technologies. Open University Press (McGraw‐Hill Maidenhead UK & New York) isbn 978‐033352‐4618‐2 248 pp £22.99 http://mcgraw‐hill.co.uk/html/0335246184.html
Authors: Cowan John 
Published: January 2014

SummaryThe writers set out to provide “an informed overview of the key issues pertaining to technology and education”. The text is more an overview than the “essential reading for busy teachers and students” which the jacket description claims. I recommend this for people who seek such an overview of the development of “technologies” in schools over more than half a century. However, as it's an overview only for England, even then you may find relatively little here of interest or use.John Cowan
Whole‐genome amplification for the detection of molecular targets and minimal residual disease monitoring in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
Authors: Della Starza Irene , De Novi Lucia Anna , Nunes Vittorio , Del Giudice Ilaria , Ilari Caterina , Marinelli Marilisa , Negulici Alina Delia , Vitale Antonella , Chiaretti Sabina , Foà Robin , Guarini Anna 
Published: January 2014

SummaryAccurate genomic characterization requires sufficient amounts of optimal quality DNA. An approach for increasing the DNA amount is the whole‐genome amplification (WGA) method. We applied WGA to the molecular quantification and minimal residual disease (MRD) evaluation of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), aiming to compare the results obtained from genomic DNA and amplified DNA with WGA, and to evaluate the applicability and the reliability of WGA‐DNA. Twenty paired samples from adult ALL patients were sequenced to identify the functional germline V‐D‐J segment at diagnosis; real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ‐PCR) quantitative analysis was performed both at diagnosis and follow‐up. Genomic DNA and WGA‐DNA screening identified equivalent 87 rearrangements. At diagnosis, the quantitative evaluation of genomic DNA samples showed 1 logarithm difference to WGA‐DNA samples; these levels are comparable, being within the degree of acceptability and confidence. In the follow‐up samples, RQ‐PCR analysis on genomic DNA and WGA showed concordant MRD results in 16/18 samples, while 2/18 were MRD‐positive outside the quantitative range by RQ‐PCR (i.e. <5 × 10−5) on genomic DNA and MRD‐negative on WGA‐DNA. WGA‐DNA enables: (i) the design of accurate targets for MRD evaluation in ALL patients, (ii) accurate disease quantification at diagnosis, (iii) MRD quantification comparable to genomic DNA.
Early Palaeozoic evolution of Libya: perspectives from Jabal Eghei with implications for hydrocarbon exploration in Al Kufrah Basin
Authors: Heron D. P. Le , Meinhold G. , Elgadry M. , Abutarruma Y. , Boote D. 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThis paper presents new stratigraphic and sedimentological data of the Ordovician, Silurian, and Mesozoic succession exposed on the western flank of Al Kufrah Basin. Field data (logged sections, photographs, palaeocurrent analyses) are presented from the Jabal Eghei region. This region lies ca. 200 km E of the closest stratigraphic tie point at Mourizidie on the eastern flank of the Murzuq Basin. The succession starts with the Hawaz Formation (Middle Ordovician) comprising >100 m of cross‐bedded and bioturbated sandstones that are interpreted as deposits of tidal currents in an open shelf setting. The contact between the Hawaz and Mamuniyat formations is an erosional unconformity, incised during advance of Late Ordovician ice sheets towards the NE. The Mamuniyat Formation comprises >150 m of massive and graded sandstones tentatively assigned to the Hirnantian, and contains an intraformational, soft‐sediment striated surface that is interpreted to record re‐advance of ice sheets over Jabal Eghei. The outcrop section suggests the sandstone would form an excellent reservoir in the subsurface. The Mamuniyat Formation is overlain by the Tanezzuft Formation (uppermost Ordovician–lowermost Silurian). This includes sandy limestone/calcareous sandstone, a Planolites horizon, and then 50 m of interbedded shale, silt and fine‐grained, graded and hummocky cross‐stratified sandstone recording deposition from both shallow marine turbidity currents and storm flows. A striated pavement in the lower part of this sequence is overlain by calcareous lonestone‐bearing intervals (interpreted as ice‐rafted debris). These features testify to late phases of glacial advance probably post‐dating the regional Hirnantian glacial maximum. The basal Silurian ‘hot shale’ facies is not developed in this area, probably because late glacial advance suppressed the preservation of organic matter. The upper part of the Tanezzuft Formation is truncated by an unconformity above which palaeosol‐bearing fluvial deposits (undifferentiated Mesozoic) occur.
Novel Fragment‐Based QSAR Modeling and Combinatorial Design of Pyrazole‐Derived CRK3 Inhibitors as Potent Antileishmanials
Authors: Goyal Sukriti , Dhanjal Jaspreet K. , Tyagi Chetna , Goyal Manisha , Grover Abhinav 
Published: January 2014

The CRK3 cyclin‐dependent kinase of Leishmania plays an important role in regulating the cell‐cycle progression at the G2/M phase checkpoint transition, proliferation, and viability inside the host macrophage. In this study, a novel fragment‐based QSAR model has been developed using 22 pyrazole‐derived compounds exhibiting inhibitory activity against Leishmanial CRK3. Unlike other QSAR methods, this fragment‐based method gives flexibility to study the relationship between molecular fragments of interest and their contribution for the variation in the biological response by evaluating cross‐term fragment descriptors. Based on the fragment‐based QSAR model, a combinatorial library was generated, and top two compounds were reported after predicting their activity. The QSAR model showed satisfactory statistical parameters for the data set (r2 = 0.8752, q2 = 0.6690, F‐ratio = 30.37, and pred_r2 = 0.8632) with four descriptors describing the nature of substituent groups and the environment of the substitution site. Evaluation of the model implied that electron‐rich substitution at R1 position improves the inhibitory activity, while decline in inhibitory activity was observed in presence of nitrogen at R2 position. The analysis carried out in this study provides a substantial basis for consideration of the designed pyrazole‐based leads as potent antileishmanial drugs.
Impact of Three‐Dimensional Imaging and Pressure Recovery on Echocardiographic Evaluation of Severe Aortic Stenosis: A Pilot Study
Authors: Stähli Barbara E. , Abouelnour Amr , Nguyen Thi Dan Linh , Vecchiati Alessandra , Maier Willibald , Lüscher Thomas F. , Frauenfelder Thomas , Tanner Felix C. 
Published: January 2014

AimsIn patients with aortic stenosis (AS), echocardiographic grading of stenosis severity is important, in particular for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Three‐dimensional (3D) echocardiography and correction for pressure recovery (PR) by energy loss index (ELI) may improve aortic valve area (AVA) calculation.Methods and ResultsThirty‐nine patients with severe AS evaluated for TAVI were included. Left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) and ascending aorta (AA) cross‐sectional area were determined in transthoracic two‐dimensional echocardiography (2DTTE), 2D transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), 3DTEE, and multislice computed tomography (MSCT). AVA was calculated by the continuity equation and corrected for PR. ELI was determined as [(AVA × AA)/(AA − AVA)]/body surface area. LVOT area was 2.41 ± 0.17 cm2 calculated using 2DTTE, 2.82 ± 0.16 cm2 calculated using 2DTEE, 3.96 ± 0.14 cm2 planimetered in 3DTEE, and 4.47 ± 0.18 cm2 planimetered in MSCT (P < 0.001). AA area was 4.62 ± 0.23 cm2 calculated using 2DTTE, 4.64 ± 0.23 cm2 calculated using 2DTEE, 5.35 ± 0.25 cm2 planimetered in 3DTEE, and 6.56 ± 0.31 cm2 planimetered in MSCT (P < 0.001). Indexed aortic valve area (AVAI) calculated by 2DTTE and 2DTEE was smaller (0.27 ± 0.02 cm2/m2 and 0.32 ± 0.02 cm2/m2) compared to 3DTEE (0.45 ± 0.02 cm2/m2; P < 0.001). When AVAI determined by 3DTEE was corrected for PR by calculation of ELI, there was a further increase (0.52 ± 0.03 cm2/m2; P < 0.001), and 10/36 (27.8%) patients were reclassified to moderate AS.ConclusionThree‐dimensional TEE is more accurate than 2DTTE and 2DTEE for determining LVOT and AA dimensions. When AS severity is determined by 3DTEE and corrected for PR using the 3D values, it needs to be reclassified from severe to moderate in almost a third of patients.
Neutrophil‐to‐Lymphocyte Ratio May Predict Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Patients with Psoriasis
Authors: Yurtdaş Mustafa , Yaylali Yalin T. , Kaya Yüksel , Özdemir Mahmut , Özkan İlker , Aladağ Nesim 
Published: January 2014

BackgroundSystemic inflammation beyond the skin may provide an explanation of the increased cardiovascular risk observed in psoriasis. It was hypothesized that neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are potential predictors of subclinical atherosclerosis measured by aortic velocity propagation (AVP) and carotid intima–media thickness (CIMT) in psoriasis.MethodsFifty‐one patients with psoriasis taking no antipsoriatic therapy and 37 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls were prospectively enrolled. The Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) was calculated. Complete blood counts were obtained. Measurements of AVP and CIMT were performed.ResultsThe baseline clinical and demographic features, and white blood cell, platelet, neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, and PLR were similar in both groups. NLR and high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP) were higher in the psoriasis group than the control group (P = 0.001, P < 0.001; respectively). The psoriasis group had lower AVP and higher CIMT values than those of controls (AVP: 48.9 ± 18.1 vs. 64.3 ± 14.5 cm/sec; P < 0.001, CIMT: 0.84 ± 0.29 vs. 0.63 ± 0.27 mm; P = 0.001, respectively). PASI was positively correlated with NLR and hs‐CRP (r = 0.423, P = 0.002; r = 0.315, P = 0.024, respectively). There was an inverse association between AVP and CIMT (r = −0.749, P < 0.001). Binary logistic regression analysis demonstrated that NLR was the only variable able to predict lower AVP (≤41 cm/sec) and higher CIMT (>0.9 mm) values (P = 0.024 and 0.023; respectively).ConclusionNLR is potentially an unrecognized predictor of subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with psoriasis. Future studies assessing the prognostic significance of NLR on cardiovascular event rates in psoriasis patients would be of great interest.
The Vietnam reforms, change in wage inequality and the role of the minimum wage
Authors: Sakellariou Chris , Fang Zheng 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThe Vietnam ‘renovation’ reforms were implemented during the 1990s, but their full effect was only felt several years later. We present evidence on the developments in real wage growth and inequality in Vietnam from 1998 to 2008. Using a variety of approaches (traditional measures of inequality, comparison of density functions, decomposition of the change in real wage by sector as well as a detailed decomposition of the change in the Gini), we present a consistent picture: contrary to what one might have expected given the nature of the reforms, inequality declined sharply in the private sector (but not in the state sector). This study links these developments to the policy of aggressively increasing the minimum wage over the past several years, differences in implementation by sector as well as variation in the over‐time changes in minimum wage.
What potential is there for regeneration of native species from the soil seed bank in Coast Tea Tree‐dominated scrub?
Authors: O'Loughlin Luke S. , Green Peter T. , Morgan John W. 
Published: January 2014

SummaryShrub encroachment generally causes the loss of native species in herbaceous‐dominated communities. The ability of the original ecosystem to return to its pre‐encroachment state (i.e. its ecological resilience) will be partially contingent on the capacity of these species to regenerate from soil‐stored seed. Coast Tea Tree (Leptospermum laevigatum) has formed a dense scrub in many areas previously dominated by grassy woodland, and hence, managers need guidance about the effectiveness of strategies designed to recover the pre‐encroachment vegetation. In this context, we ask: what is the potential of species stored in the soil seed bank to return following Tea Tree removal? A germination experiment was undertaken using soil collected from dense stands of Tea Tree that had been long established. Heat/smoke was applied to soils to simulate the effects of a fire on the soil seed bank, while leaf litter treatments were used to mimic both undisturbed stands and stands where shrubs have been slashed where litter creates a physical barrier to emergence. We found the soil seed bank was dominated by exotic forbs (83% of all germinants) and contained few grasses. Heat and smoke decreased total species density but increased species diversity through the suppression of common exotics. Our data suggest that slashing would result in germination being dominated by exotic flora, but using fire would likely reduce that dominance. However, we conclude that recovery by much of the original flora after site occupation by Coast Tea Tree may be contingent on mechanisms other than soil‐stored seeds.