bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Responding to literature through storytelling, artifacts and multigenre writing practices: explorations of cultures and self
Authors: Varga‐Dobai Kinga 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThis manuscript describes how innovative literacy practices such as multigenre writing and artifactual critical literacy have been used to tap into pre‐service teachers' cultural identities while responding to literature. In the process of responding to literature, personal experience is crucial; therefore, in this study, I focused on the relationship between that personal experience and cultural identity. The multigenre writings or artifact narratives of pre‐service teachers in response to realistic fiction books became extensions of those real‐life stories and provided information about the students' cultural background. Thus, the study also investigates the possibilities these new tools offer for intercultural learning.
Go forth, evolve and prosper: the genetic basis of adaptive evolution in an invasive species
Authors: Franks Steven J. , Munshi‐South Jason 
Published: April 2014

Invasive species stand accused of a familiar litany of offences, including displacing native species, disrupting ecological processes and causing billions of dollars in ecological damage (Cox ). Despite these transgressions, invasive species have at least one redeeming virtue – they offer us an unparalleled opportunity to investigate colonization and responses of populations to novel conditions in the invaded habitat (Elton ; Sakai et al. ). Invasive species are by definition colonists that have arrived and thrived in a new location. How they are able to thrive is of great interest, especially considering a paradox of invasion (Sax & Brown ): if many populations are locally adapted (Leimu & Fischer ), how could species introduced into new locations become so successful? One possibility is that populations adjust to the new conditions through plasticity – increasing production of allelopathic compounds (novel weapons), or taking advantage of new prey, for example. Alternatively, evolution could play a role, with the populations adapting to the novel conditions of the new habitat. There is increasing evidence, based on phenotypic data, for rapid adaptive evolution in invasive species (Franks et al. ; Colautti & Barrett ; Sultan et al. ). Prior studies have also demonstrated genetic changes in introduced populations using neutral markers, which generally do not provide information on adaptation. Thus, the genetic basis of adaptive evolution in invasive species has largely remained unknown. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Vandepitte et al. () provide some of the first evidence in invasive populations for molecular genetic changes directly linked to adaptation.
Large‐scale fungal diversity assessment in the Andean Yungas forests reveals strong community turnover among forest types along an altitudinal gradient
Authors: Geml József , Pastor Nicolás , Fernandez Lisandro , Pacheco Silvia , Semenova Tatiana A. , Becerra Alejandra G. , Wicaksono Christian Y. , Nouhra Eduardo R. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe Yungas, a system of tropical and subtropical montane forests on the eastern slopes of the Andes, are extremely diverse and severely threatened by anthropogenic pressure and climate change. Previous mycological works focused on macrofungi (e.g. agarics, polypores) and mycorrhizae in Alnus acuminata forests, while fungal diversity in other parts of the Yungas has remained mostly unexplored. We carried out Ion Torrent sequencing of ITS2 rDNA from soil samples taken at 24 sites along the entire latitudinal extent of the Yungas in Argentina. The sampled sites represent the three altitudinal forest types: the piedmont (400–700 m a.s.l.), montane (700–1500 m a.s.l.) and montane cloud (1500–3000 m a.s.l.) forests. The deep sequence data presented here (i.e. 4 108 126 quality‐filtered sequences) indicate that fungal community composition correlates most strongly with elevation, with many fungi showing preference for a certain altitudinal forest type. For example, ectomycorrhizal and root endophytic fungi were most diverse in the montane cloud forests, particularly at sites dominated by Alnus acuminata, while the diversity values of various saprobic groups were highest at lower elevations. Despite the strong altitudinal community turnover, fungal diversity was comparable across the different zonal forest types. Besides elevation, soil pH, N, P, and organic matter contents correlated with fungal community structure as well, although most of these variables were co‐correlated with elevation. Our data provide an unprecedented insight into the high diversity and spatial distribution of fungi in the Yungas forests.
Parallel signatures of selection in temporally isolated lineages of pink salmon
Authors: Seeb L. W. , Waples R. K. , Limborg M. T. , Warheit K. I. , Pascal C. E. , Seeb J. E. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractStudying the effect of similar environments on diverse genetic backgrounds has long been a goal of evolutionary biologists with studies typically relying on experimental approaches. Pink salmon, a highly abundant and widely ranging salmonid, provide a naturally occurring opportunity to study the effects of similar environments on divergent genetic backgrounds due to a strict two‐year semelparous life history. The species is composed of two reproductively isolated lineages with overlapping ranges that share the same spawning and rearing environments in alternate years. We used restriction‐site‐associated DNA (RAD) sequencing to discover and genotype approximately 8000 SNP loci in three population pairs of even‐ and odd‐year pink salmon along a latitudinal gradient in North America. We found greater differentiation within the odd‐year than within the even‐year lineage and greater differentiation in the southern pair from Puget Sound than in the northern Alaskan population pairs. We identified 15 SNPs reflecting signatures of parallel selection using both a differentiation‐based method (BAYESCAN) and an environmental correlation method (BAYENV). These SNPs represent genomic regions that may be particularly informative in understanding adaptive evolution in pink salmon and exploring how differing genetic backgrounds within a species respond to selection from the same natural environment.
Business in Fragile Environments: Capabilities for Conflict Prevention
Authors: Ganson Brian 
Published: April 2014

AbstractWhile normative frameworks proscribing and prescribing company action in conflict‐prone environments grow in number, both the practice‐oriented and more theoretical literature have been relatively silent on the question of whether and how a company's distinctive organizational capabilities contribute to conflict risk mitigation or conflict resolution in fragile contexts. This article links the practical experience of company managers with conflict management theory to posit that organizational capabilities are a crucial explanatory variable for the gap between desired and observed company performance in fragile contexts. It models a management system for conflict prevention with empirical and theoretical referents. The model provides practitioners with useful diagnostic entry points as they work to improve company operations. At the same time, it brings together diverse conflict management perspectives on company operations in fragile environments so that future case data may be ordered and compared and further theoretical propositions developed and tested.
Mediators' Cognitive Role Schema
Authors: Zarankin Adi , Wall James A. , Zarankin Tal G. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThis study identifies the cognitive role schema of 189 practicing mediators. An initial analysis of the mediators' questionnaire responses revealed 13 facets in the mediators' schema, and a second analysis condensed this to four goals: agreement, improvement of the parties' relationship, benefit the parties as well as society, and improve the mediation process. Not only do these facets indicate how the mediators think, but they also provide predictions about the mediators' behavior (e.g., they will strive primarily for agreement).
Lead Extraction Experience with High Frequency Excimer Laser
Authors: TANAWUTTIWAT TANYANAN , GALLEGO DANIEL , CARRILLO ROGER G. 
Published: April 2014

BackgroundA higher frequency Excimer laser sheath using an 80‐Hz pulse repetitive rate was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in April 2012. We reported our initial clinical experience with a high‐frequency Excimer laser sheath and compared it with lower‐frequency laser sheaths which have been previously used.MethodsIn this single center, retrospective cohort study, we evaluated patients who underwent lead extraction from December 2008 to May 2013. Those who underwent lead removal without using a laser sheath or with approaches other than subclavian were excluded. Primary endpoints included total laser time, number of pulses, and complications. Data on clinical characteristics, lead type, indications, and outcomes were prospectively collected and analyzed.ResultsA total of 427 patients were included in the study (72.6% male; age 67.9 ± 15.23 years). Lower frequency and higher frequency laser sheaths were used in 315 and 112 patients, respectively. A total of 821 leads were removed with 765 leads (93.2%) extracted using the Excimer laser sheath. Lead age was 5.71 ± 4.96 years. Complete extraction was seen in all patients. A higher‐frequency laser sheath was associated with a lower laser time and a lower total number of laser pulses even after adjustments for the number of leads, type of leads, and lead age. In the higher frequency group, mortality rate was 0.9% and minor complication rate was 3.6%.ConclusionsWhen compared with the lower‐frequency laser sheath, the higher‐frequency laser sheath requires less laser times and more efficient amount of pulses for lead extraction with comparable success rate. Due to the rarity of major and minor complications, no statistical significance was found between the two groups.
Touch attitudes in cross‐sex friendships: We're just friends
Authors: MILLER MICHAEL J. , DENES AMANDA , DIAZ BRIANNA , RANJIT YERINA 
Published: April 2014

AbstractResults from this survey indicated that within heterosexual cross‐sex friendships, perceptions of friendship intimacy for females were more strongly tied to their positive attitudes toward: enacting and receiving more touch, enacting and receiving more safe haven (e.g., caretaking) touch, and perceiving touch as more sexually arousing, when compared to males. Females were more motivated not to touch their cross‐sex friends in public regardless of intimacy perceptions and did not positively perceive safe haven touch if they did not have a romantic partner. It is argued that males' and females' attitudes toward touch in cross‐sex friendships diverge due to evolved differences related to parental investment and the manner in which they are socialized to perceive their roles in cross‐sex friendships.
Can Organic Amendments Be Useful in Transforming a Mediterranean Shrubland into a Dehesa?
Authors: Tarrasón David , Ojeda Gerardo , Ortiz Oriol , Alcañiz Josep M. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractTransforming a shrubland into a dehesa system may be useful for recovering certain productive and regulatory functions of ecosystems such as grazing potential, soil erosion control, and also for reducing the risk of wildfire. However, the productivity of the herbaceous cover and tree development in the transformed system may be limited by soil fertility, especially after wildfire events. Previous studies have shown that adequate doses of sewage sludge may improve soil fertility and facilitate plant recovery, but few studies have focused on plant biodiversity assessment. Here, we compare the effects of sewage sludge that has undergone different post‐treatments (dewatering, composting, or thermal drying) as a soil amendment used to transform a fire‐affected shrubland into a dehesa, on tree growth and pasture composition (vegetation cover, species richness, and diversity). In the short term, sewage sludge causes changes in both pasture cover and tree growth. Although no major differences in vegetation species richness and composition have been detected, fertilization using sewage sludge was shown to modify the functional diversity of the vegetation community. Rapid replacement of shrubs by herbaceous cover and ruderal plants (e.g. Bromus hordeaceus and Leontodon taraxacoides) and of the three grass species sown (Festuca arundinacea, Lolium perenne, and Dactylis glomerata) was observed, whereas N‐fixing species (leguminous) tended to be more abundant in nonfertilized soils and soils amended with composted sludge. These results indicate that sewage sludge modifies the functionality of vegetation when applied to soils, and that the response varies according to the treatment that the sludge has undergone.
Why Pine Barrens Restoration Should Favor Barrens Over Pine
Authors: Bried Jason T. , Patterson William A. , Gifford Neil A. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractPine barrens include an assortment of pyrogenic plant communities occurring on glacial outwash or rocky outcrops scattered along the Atlantic coastal plain from New Jersey to Maine, and inward across New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and the northern Great Lakes region. At least historically, pine barrens provided some of the highest quality terrestrial shrublands and young forests in the eastern North American sub‐boreal and northern temperate region. However, the mosaic open‐canopy, sparse‐shrub, and grassland early successional state is generally lacking in contemporary pine barrens. Many sites in the northeastern United States have converted to overgrown scrub oak (Quercus ilicifolia, Quercus prinoides) thickets and closed canopied pitch pine (Pinus rigida)‐dominated forests. Thinning pitch pine is a contentious issue for the imperiled pitch pine‐scrub oak barrens community type (G2 Global Rarity Rank, 6–20 occurrences). Here we provide a historical, ecological, and resource management rationale for thinning pitch pine forest to restore savanna‐like open barrens with a mosaic of scrub oaks, heath shrubs, and prairie‐like vegetation. We postulate that the contemporary dominance of pitch pine forest is largely of recent anthropogenic origin, limits habitat opportunities for at‐risk shrubland fauna, and poses a serious wildfire hazard. We suggest maintaining pitch pine‐scrub oak barrens at 10–30% average pitch pine cover to simultaneously promote shrubland biodiversity and minimize fire danger.
Trade Liberalisation: The Effects of Free Trade Agreements on the Competitiveness of the Dairy Sector
Authors: Couillard Catherine , Turkina Ekaterina 
Published: April 2014

AbstractIn recent years, preferential trade agreements (PTAs), free trade agreements (FTAs) in particular, have proliferated while WTO negotiations have stagnated. This paper contributes to the literature on trade liberalisation and the agricultural sector by analysing the effects of FTAs on the competitiveness of the dairy sector across 76 countries and over a 20‐year period from 1990 to 2009. With a longitudinal econometric model, the results demonstrate that when a country has a revealed comparative advantage in the dairy sector, FTAs positively influence several indicators of competitiveness in the dairy sector, such as production, market share and trade balance. The results also indicate that multilateral FTAs are more beneficial than bilateral FTAs. There is strong empirical evidence that FTAs are more beneficial to developed countries than to developing countries. There is no statistical evidence to support the hypothesis about a relationship between FTAs and farm‐gate price.
Deterministic polynomial factoring and association schemes
Authors: Arora Manuel , Ivanyos Gábor , Karpinski Marek , Saxena Nitin 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe problem of finding a nontrivial factor of a polynomial$f(x)$over a finite field${\mathbb{F}}_q$has many known efficient, but randomized, algorithms. The deterministic complexity of this problem is a famous open question even assuming the generalized Riemann hypothesis (GRH). In this work we improve the state of the art by focusing on prime degree polynomials; let$n$be the degree. If$(n-1)$has a ‘large’$r$-smooth divisor$s$, then we find a nontrivial factor of$f(x)$in deterministic$\mbox{poly}(n^r,\log q)$time, assuming GRH and that$s=\Omega (\sqrt{n/2^r})$. Thus, for$r=O(1)$our algorithm is polynomial time. Further, for$r=\Omega (\log \log n)$there are infinitely many prime degrees$n$for which our algorithm is applicable and better than the best known, assuming GRH. Our methods build on the algebraic-combinatorial framework of$m$-schemes initiated by Ivanyos, Karpinski and Saxena (ISSAC 2009). We show that the$m$-scheme on$n$points, implicitly appearing in our factoring algorithm, has an exceptional structure, leading us to the improved time complexity. Our structure theorem proves the existence of small intersection numbers in any association scheme that has many relations, and roughly equal valencies and indistinguishing numbers.
The Transcription Factor Gata6 Links Tissue Macrophage Phenotype and Proliferative Renewal
Authors: Rosas Marcela , Davies Luke C. , Giles Peter J. , Liao Chia-Te , Kharfan Bashar , Stone Timothy C. , O’Donnell Valerie B. , Fraser Donald J. , Jones Simon A. , Taylor Philip R. 
Published: April 2014

Gata6 Controls Peritoneal MacsMacrophages seed tissues throughout the body and are shaped both phenotypically and functionally by the microenvironment they inhabit. Despite such heterogeneity, most tissue macrophages self-renew by local proliferation. How this is regulated, however, is unclear.Rosaset al.(p.645, published online 24 April) used gene expression analysis to show that the transcription factor Gata6 is specifically expressed in peritoneal macrophages. Gata6 was critical for maintaining the transcriptional signature of peritoneal macrophages and for their proliferative renewal during homeostasis and under inflammatory conditions.
Causal Relationship between Microbial Ecology Dynamics and Proteolysis during Manufacture and Ripening of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Cheese Canestrato Pugliese
Authors: De Pasquale Ilaria , Calasso Maria , Mancini Leonardo , Ercolini Danilo , La Storia Antonietta , De Angelis Maria , Di Cagno Raffaella , Gobbetti Marco 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACT

Pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, community-level physiological profiles determined by the use of Biolog EcoPlates, and proteolysis analyses were used to characterize Canestrato Pugliese Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) cheese. The number of presumptive mesophilic lactococci in raw ewes' milk was higher than that of presumptive mesophilic lactobacilli. The numbers of these microbial groups increased during ripening, showing temporal and numerical differences. Urea-PAGE showed limited primary proteolysis, whereas the analysis of the pH 4.6-soluble fraction of the cheese revealed that secondary proteolysis increased mainly from 45 to 75 days of ripening. This agreed with the concentration of free amino acids. Raw ewes' milk was contaminated by several bacterial phyla:
Proteobacteria
(68%; mainly
Pseudomonas
),
Firmicutes
(30%; mainly
Carnobacterium
and
Lactococcus
),
Bacteroidetes
(0.05%), and
Actinobacteria
(0.02%). Almost the same microbial composition persisted in the curd after molding. From day 1 of ripening onwards, the phylum
Firmicutes
dominated.
Lactococcus
dominated throughout ripening, and most of the
Lactobacillus
species appeared only at 7 or 15 days. At 90 days,
Lactococcus
(87.2%),
Lactobacillus
(4.8%; mainly
Lactobacillus plantarum
and
Lactobacillus sakei
), and
Leuconostoc
(3.9%) dominated. The relative utilization of carbon sources by the bacterial community reflected the succession. This study identified strategic phases that characterized the manufacture and ripening of Canestrato Pugliese cheese and established a causal relationship between mesophilic lactobacilli and proteolysis.
Mechanism of Algal Aggregation by Bacillus sp. Strain RP1137
Authors: Powell Ryan J. , Hill Russell T. 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACT

Alga-derived biofuels are one of the best alternatives for economically replacing liquid fossil fuels with a fungible renewable energy source. Production of fuel from algae is technically feasible but not yet economically viable. Harvest of dilute algal biomass from the surrounding water remains one of the largest barriers to economic production of algal biofuel. We identified
Bacillus
sp. strain RP1137 in a previous study and showed that this strain can rapidly aggregate several biofuel-producing algae in a pH- and divalent-cation-dependent manner. In this study, we further characterized the mechanism of algal aggregation by RP1137. We show that aggregation of both algae and bacteria is optimal in the exponential phase of growth and that the density of ionizable residues on the RP1137 cell surface changes with growth stage. Aggregation likely occurs via charge neutralization with calcium ions at the cell surface of both algae and bacteria. We show that charge neutralization occurs at least in part through binding of calcium to negatively charged teichoic acid residues. The addition of calcium also renders both algae and bacteria more able to bind to hydrophobic beads, suggesting that aggregation may occur through hydrophobic interactions. Knowledge of the aggregation mechanism may enable engineering of RP1137 to obtain more efficient algal harvesting.
Bacterial Targets as Potential Indicators of Diesel Fuel Toxicity in Subantarctic Soils
Authors: van Dorst Josie , Siciliano Steven D. , Winsley Tristrom , Snape Ian , Ferrari Belinda C. 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACT

Appropriate remediation targets or universal guidelines for polar regions do not currently exist, and a comprehensive understanding of the effects of diesel fuel on the natural microbial populations in polar and subpolar soils is lacking. Our aim was to investigate the response of the bacterial community to diesel fuel and to evaluate if these responses have the potential to be used as indicators of soil toxicity thresholds. We set up short- and long-exposure tests across a soil organic carbon gradient. Utilizing broad and targeted community indices, as well as functional genes involved in the nitrogen cycle, we investigated the bacterial community structure and its potential functioning in response to special Antarctic blend (SAB) diesel fuel. We found the primary effect of diesel fuel toxicity was a reduction in species richness, evenness, and phylogenetic diversity, with the resulting community heavily dominated by a few species, principally
Pseudomonas
. The decline in richness and phylogenetic diversity was linked to disruption of the nitrogen cycle, with species and functional genes involved in nitrification significantly reduced. Of the 11 targets we evaluated, we found the bacterial
amoA
gene indicative of potential ammonium oxidation, the most suitable indicator of toxicity. Dose-response modeling for this target generated an average effective concentration responsible for 20% change (EC
20
) of 155 mg kg
−1
, which is consistent with previous Macquarie Island ecotoxicology assays. Unlike traditional single-species tolerance testing, bacterial targets allowed us to simultaneously evaluate more than 1,700 species from 39 phyla, inclusive of rare, sensitive, and functionally relevant portions of the community.