bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Practitioner perspective on REDD: Commercial challenges in project‐based rainforest protection financing in the Asia Pacific region
Authors: Weaver Sean 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThis paper presents a practitioner perspective on community‐based REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) projects in the Pacific Islands. It draws upon the author's experience in forest conservation financing since 1987, and REDD project and programme design, development and implementation since 2006. The aim is to highlight the commercial challenges faced by REDD practitioners, and explore strategic (including policy) solutions to meet these challenges. The paper begins by situating REDD as a tool for forest conservation and community development. Following a brief overview of the key elements of REDD project development procedures, the paper examines commercial (particularly market access) challenges faced by project proponents, together with challenges associated with the supply and demand dynamic for REDD credits in the global carbon market. This is situated against a backdrop of global policy stagnation in the REDD sector and the implications of this for those at the frontier of community‐based forest protection efforts on the ground. The paper culminates by showing the importance of an effective partnership between governments, rainforest communities and the private sector in regional and global rainforest conservation financing.
Using cumulative sums of martingale residuals for model checking in nested case‐control studies
Authors: Borgan Ørnulf , Zhang Ying 
Published: April 2015

SummaryStandard use of Cox regression requires collection of covariate information for all individuals in a cohort even when only a small fraction of them experiences the event of interest (fail). This may be very expensive for large cohorts. Further in biomarker studies, it will imply a waste of valuable biological material that one may want to save for future studies. A nested case‐control study offers a useful alternative. For this design, covariate information is only needed for the failing individuals (cases) and a sample of controls selected from the cases’ at‐risk sets. Methods based on martingale residuals are useful for checking the fit of Cox's regression model for cohort data. But similar methods have so far not been developed for nested case‐control data. In this article, it is described how one may define martingale residuals for nested case‐control data, and it is shown how plots and tests based on cumulative sums of martingale residuals may be used to check model fit. The plots and tests may be obtained using available software.
Will MOOCs transform learning and teaching in higher education? Engagement and course retention in online learning provision
Authors: de Freitas Sara Isabella , Morgan John , Gibson David 
Published: April 2015

AbstractMassive open online courses (MOOCs) have been the subject of much polarised debate around their potential to transform higher education in terms of opening access. Although MOOCs have been attracting large learner cohorts, concerns have emerged from the early evidence base centring upon issues of quality in learning and teaching provision, and there is clear evidence that impressive headline figures on MOOC enrolments often contrast with extremely low course completion rates. To address these concerns of quality, low retention and the need for engagement, this paper provides a review and case study of MOOC provision. The review considers the current position of MOOCs as a change agent for higher education provision, and the case study considers lessons learnt from an Astronomy MOOC which uses the Open2Study platform. This paper asks about new engagement strategies needed for face‐to‐face and online learners, and explores how course retention can be improved in online provision.
The British Society for Haematology: ‘What have the Romans ever done for us?’
Authors: Baglin Trevor , Carrington Paddy , Jackson Graham ,   the Board of Trustees of the BSH
Published: April 2015

Summary
‘….Alright, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, the roads, fresh water and public health………………what have the Romans ever done for us?’
From Monty Python's Life of Brian

An organizational review of the British Society for Haematology (BSH) was started in November 2013 and completed in June 2014. Many members of the Society participated in the surveys and have given their views, including those on the Shape of Training Greenaway report. Members' views were incorporated in the review and these have informed the eight strategic aims agreed at the Board meeting on 10 June 2014. The BSH will aim to realise these strategic aims over the next three to five years.
α1‐Adrenoceptor activation of PKC‐ε causes heterologous desensitization of thromboxane receptors in the aorta of spontaneously hypertensive rats
Authors: Zhao Yingzi , Vanhoutte Paul M , Leung Susan W S 
Published: April 2015

Background and PurposeIn the aorta of adult spontaneously hypertensive (SHR), but not in that of normotensive Wistar‐Kyoto (WKY), rats, previous exposure to phenylephrine inhibits subsequent contractions to PGE2. The present experiments were designed to examine the mechanism(s) underlying this inhibition.Experimental ApproachIsometric tension was measured in isolated rings of SHR and WKY aortae. Gene expression and protein presence were measured by quantitative real‐time PCR and Western blotting respectively.Key ResultsIn aorta of 18 weeks SHR, but not age‐matched WKY, pre‐exposure to phenylephrine inhibited subsequent contractions to PGE2 that were mediated by thromboxane prostanoid (TP) receptors. This inhibition was not observed in preparations of pre‐hypertensive 5‐week‐old SHR, and was significantly larger in those of 36‐ than 18‐week‐old SHR. Pre‐exposure to the PKC activator, phorbol 12,13‐dibutyrate, also inhibited subsequent contractions to PGE2 in SHR aortae. The selective inhibitor of PKC‐ε, ε‐V1‐2, abolished the desensitization caused by pre‐exposure to phenylephrine. Two molecular PKC bands were detected and their relative intensities differed in 36‐week‐old WKY and SHR vascular smooth muscle. The mRNA expressions of PKC‐α, PKC‐ε, PK‐N2 and PKC‐ζ and of G protein‐coupled kinase (GRK)‐2, GRK4 and β‐arrestin2 were higher in SHR than WKY aortae.Conclusions and ImplicationsThese experiments suggest that in the SHR but not the WKY aorta, α1‐adrenoceptor activation desensitizes TP receptors through activation of PKC‐ε. This heterologous desensitization is a consequence of the chronic exposure to high arterial pressure.
Activation of PPAR‐δ induces microRNA‐100 and decreases the uptake of very low‐density lipoprotein in endothelial cells
Authors: Fang Xi , Fang Li , Liu Ao , Wang Xiaohong , Zhao Beilei , Wang Nanping 
Published: April 2015

Background and PurposeIncreased level of very low‐density lipoprotein (VLDL) is a key feature of the metabolic syndrome and is associated with cardiovascular diseases. PPAR‐δ agonists play a protective role in lipid metabolism and vascular function. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of PPAR‐δ in the uptake of VLDL in endothelial cells and its underlying mechanism(s).Experimental ApproachUptake of VLDL in HUVECs was assessed by Dil‐fluorescent labelling of VLDL. Levels of VLDL receptor mRNA and microRNA (miR‐100) were detected by quantitative PCR. The target genes of miR‐100 were predicted using bioinformatics analysis. 3′‐Untranslated region (3′‐UTR) luciferase reporter and Argonaute 1 pull‐down assays were used to validate the target of miR‐100.Key ResultsPPAR‐δ agonist GW501516 decreased uptake of VLDL and expression of VLDL receptor at mRNA and protein levels. GW501516 inhibited the luciferase reporter activity of the 3′‐UTR of VLDL receptor. VLDL receptor was a direct target of miR‐100. miR‐100 was significantly increased by GW501516 in HUVECs. Transfection of a miR‐100 mimic decreased the mRNA and protein levels of VLDL receptor and uptake of VLDL. Furthermore, a miR‐100 inhibitor abolished the inhibitory effect of PPAR‐δ on VLDL receptor expression and VLDL uptake.Conclusions and ImplicationsIn endothelial cells, activation of PPAR‐δ decreased VLDL receptor expression and VLDL uptake via the induction of miR‐100. These results provided a novel mechanism for the vascular protective effect of PPAR‐δ agonists.
Regeneration of Juvenile Woody Plants after Fire in a Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest of Southern India
Authors: Mondal Nandita , Sukumar Raman 
Published: April 2015

AbstractWoody tree species in seasonally dry tropical forests are known to have traits that help them to recover from recurring disturbances such as fire. Two such traits are resprouting and rapid post‐fire growth. We compared survival and growth rates of regenerating small‐sized individuals (juveniles) of woody tree species after dry season fire (February–March) at eight adjacent pairs of burnt and unburnt transects in a seasonally dry tropical forest in southern India. Juveniles were monitored at 3‐mo intervals between August 2009 and August 2010. High juvenile survivorship (>95%) was observed in both burnt and unburnt areas. Growth rates of juveniles, analyzed at the community level as well as for a few species individually (especially fast‐growing ones), were distinctly higher in burnt areas compared to unburnt areas after a fire event, particularly during the pre‐monsoon season immediately after a fire. Rapid growth by juveniles soon after a fire may be due to lowered competition from other vegetative forms such as grasses, possibly aided by the availability of resources stored belowground. Such an adaptation would allow a juvenile bank to be retained in the understory of a dry forest, from where individuals can grow to a possible fire‐tolerant size during favorable conditions.
The Use of Tilted Implant for Posterior Atrophic Maxilla
Authors: Barnea Eitan , Tal Haim , Nissan Joseph , Tarrasch Ricardo , Peleg Michael , Kolerman Roni 
Published: April 2015

AbstractPurposeTo retrospectively analyze the influence of implant inclination on marginal bone loss at freestanding implant‐supported fixed partial prostheses (FPPs) over a medium‐term period of functional loading.Materials and MethodsTwenty‐nine partially edentulous patients with freestanding FPDs supported by two implants placed in a two‐stage procedure comprised the study group. The anterior implant was placed axially, and the posterior tilted distally. Mesial or distal inclination of each implant was measured in relation to the vertical axis perpendicular to the occlusal plane. Average bone loss was compared between straight and tilted implants, smokers, and nonsmokers.ResultsMean angulation of the anterior axial‐positioned implant was 3.45 degrees distally (range 0–8) and of the distal implants was 32.83 degrees distally (range 20–50 degrees). Average bone loss after 1, 3, and 5 years was 0.89 (SD = 0.73), 1.18 (SD = 0.74), and 1.50 (SD = 0.81), respectively, for axial implants, and 0.98 (SD = 0.69), 1.10 (SD = 0.60) and 1.50 (SD = 0.67) for tilted implants, with no significant correlation between implant angulation and bone loss. A significant correlation between implant angulation and annual bone loss was obtained for tilted implants only (r = 0.52, p = .004).Using Albrektsson criteria, the success rate was 89.6% (26 out of 29 implants) for straight and 93.1% (27 out of 29) for tilted implants.ConclusionThe study demonstrates no effect of implant angulation on peri‐implant bone loss in the posterior maxilla.
Response of Dictyostelium discoideum to UV‐C and involvement of poly (ADP‐ribose) polymerase
Authors: Mir H. , Alex T. , Rajawat J. , Kadam A. , Begum R. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractObjectivesRadiation and chemical mutagens are direct DNA‐damaging agents and ultraviolet (UV) radiation is frequently used in biological studies. Consequent to ozone depletion, UV‐C could become a great challenge to living organisms on earth, in the near future. The present study has focused on the role of poly (ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP) during UV‐C‐induced growth and developmental changes in Dictyostelium discoideum, a phylogenetically important unicellular eukaryote.Materials and methodsDictyostelium discoideum cells were exposed to different doses of UV‐C and PARP activity, and effects of its inhibition were studied. Expression of developmentally regulated genes yakA, car1, aca, csA, regA, ctnA, ctnB, gp24, hspD and dsn were analysed using semiquantitative RT‐PCR.ResultsWe report that the D. discoideum cells displayed PARP activation within 2 min of UV‐C irradiation and there was increase in NO levels in a dose‐dependent manner. UV‐C‐irradiated cells had impaired growth, delayed or blocked development and delayed germination compared to control cells. In our previous studies we have shown that inhibition of PARP recovered oxidative stress‐induced changes in D. discoideum; however, intriguingly PARP inhibition did not correct all defects as effectively in UV‐C‐irradiated cells. This possibly was due to interplay with increased NO signalling.ConclusionsOur results signify that UV‐C and oxidative stress affected growth and development in D. discoideum by different mechanisms; these studies could provide major clues to complex mechanisms of growth and development in higher organisms.
Sample attrition in the RLMS, 2001–10
Authors: Gerry Christopher J. , Papadopoulos Georgios 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThe data of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS) – Higher School of Economics represents one of the few nationally representative sources of household and individual data for Russia. These data have been collected since 1992 and in recent years, thanks to more secure financial and logistical support, have become a resource increasingly drawn upon by scholars and students for national and cross‐national studies. In this paper, we examine the extent of non‐random attrition in the RLMS and discuss the circumstances under which this might give rise to biases in econometric analysis. We illustrate this with an example drawn from the health sphere.
Informality and mobility
Authors: Slonimczyk Fabián , Gimpelson Vladimir 
Published: April 2015

AbstractInformality is a defining characteristic of labour markets in developing and transition countries. This paper analyzes patterns of mobility across different forms of formal and informal employment in Russia. Using the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey household panel we estimate a dynamic multinomial logit model with individual heterogeneity and correct for the initial conditions problem. Simulations show that structural state dependence is weak and that transition rates from informal to formal employment are not lower than from non‐employment. These results lend support to the integrated view of the labour market.
A prospective analysis of labour market status and self‐rated health in the UK and Russia
Authors: Platts Loretta G. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractComparing prospective data from the UK and Russia, this paper analyzes whether the association of labour market status, and particularly unemployment, with subsequent health varies by the level of state protection provided to the unemployed. While the UK's unemployment welfare regime is classified as providing minimal protection, the Russian regime is sub‐protective. Employing Cox duration analysis upon data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey and the British Household Panel Survey for the period 2000–2007, this study finds that labour market status and economic circumstances independently predicted individual‐level declines in self‐rated health and, contrary to expectations, the associations of unemployment with health decline were similarly sized in the two countries.
Changes in household composition as a shock‐mitigating strategy
Authors: Abanokova Kseniya , Lokshin Michael 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThis paper uses data from the Russian Longitudinal Survey that span the two recent economic recessions of 1998 and 2008 to study the effect of declining incomes on household composition. We hypothesize that individuals face a trade‐off between taking advantage of economies of scale and specialization when living with others, and individual privacy. Consumption smoothing is achieved by forgoing privacy during the crisis and results in increases in household size. Our empirical results suggest that members of households that experienced negative income shocks are more likely to move in with others compared to individuals residing in households whose income remained the same or increased.
Firm Investment decisions in the post‐conflict context
Authors: O'Reilly Colin W. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractEconomic and political transition can occur through peaceful or violent means. Violent transition disrupts the incentive for firms to make productive investments. This paper studies the determinants of profit reinvestment for firms in post‐conflict transition economies. Results indicate that while access to finance is an important determinant of reinvestment during transition, it is not as important in the post‐conflict context. However, property rights protections, in particular institutions of contract enforcement, are a more important determinant of profit reinvestment for firms operating in the post‐conflict environment than for firms in general. This indicates that obstacles to investment are context specific.
Identification and genetic analysis of the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus from Pinus yunnanensis
Authors: Wang X. Z. , Wang L. F. , Wang Y. , Huang Y. Q. , Ding Z. G. , Zhou J. , Gou D. P. 
Published: April 2015

SummaryIn China, pinewood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, was first discovered from Pinus thunbergii in 1982. Thus far, 14 species in the genus Pinus have been reported to be infected by PWN under natural conditions. Pinus yunnanensis, a pine species native to south‐western China, is considered a pioneer tree for barren hill afforestation in areas undergoing rocky desertification. In this study, we detected PWN in dead P. yunnanensis trees in Anlong County, Guizhou Province, China, using both morphological and molecular methods. To our knowledge, this is the first report of PWN from P. yunnanensis in China. To investigate the possible origin of this new outbreak, mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase gene subunit I and cellulase gene sequences were used to evaluate genetic relationships among worldwide PWN isolates. Phylogenetic tree and haplotype networks revealed that the Anlong isolate (BxChQAL008) sequence was identical to those of seven Chinese isolates collected from Sichuan, Chongqing, Zhejiang, Anhui and Shandong (372–1500 km from Anlong County), but different from the isolate BxChQZY030 collected from the same province (330 km from Anlong County). It is suggested, therefore, that more than one introduction of PWN into Guizhou Province has taken place. The Anlong isolate was likely introduced from neighbouring or more distant provinces rather than from outside China. Moreover, the absence of a correlation between geographic and genetic distance was observed using Mantel test analysis, providing evidence that human‐induced dispersal plays a fundamental role in the spread of the PWN in this region.
Sport science for salmon and other species: ecological consequences of metabolic power constraints
Authors: Martin B. T. , Nisbet R. M. , Pike A. , Michel C. J. , Danner E. M. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractFor metabolically demanding behaviours, power supply (ATP resynthesis per unit time) is an important constraint on performance. Yet ecology as a discipline lacks a framework to account for these power constraints. We developed such a framework (borrowing concepts from sports science) and applied it to the upriver migration of anadromous fish. Our models demonstrate how metabolic power constraints alters optimal migratory behaviour; in response to strong counter flows, fish minimise cost of transport by alternating between rapid, anaerobically fuelled swimming and holding to restore spent fuels. Models ignoring power constraints underestimated the effect of elevated water temperature on migration speed and costs (by up to 60%). These differences were primarily due to a temperature‐mediated reduction in aerobic scope that impairs the ability of fish to rapidly migrate through warm waters. Our framework provides a mechanistic link between temperature‐induced reductions in aerobic scope and their ecological consequences for individuals, populations and communities.
EU‐project DROPSA: first achievements regarding pathway analyses for fruit pests
Authors: Steffen K. , Grousset F. , Petter F. , Suffert M. , Schrader G. 
Published: April 2015

The EU project ‘DROPSA’ started in 2014 and aims to improve plant health strategies in the fruit sector. The project is being conducted by an international consortium of 26 partners consisting of phytosanitary organizations, companies, research institutes and universities and will last 50 months. Results will be disseminated via conventional publications and will be brought together in the development of risk‐based strategies to prevent the introduction of new fruit pests. This article describes the task related to the preparation of alert lists of pests that may be introduced into Europe with the trade of fruit. Activities of this task include the investigation of pathways of introduction for fruit pests into Europe, the development of alert lists for selected fruit crops and a review of current legislation. A review of introductions, interceptions and outbreaks that occurred during the last 10–15 years was conducted and is summarized, showing the relevance of fruit trade for the international movement of pests. Work has started on the development of alert lists for selected pathways. In this context, important fruit crops (including Malus, Vaccinium, Vitis, Citrus) were selected.
Occurrence of Grapevine Pinot gris virus in Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy): field monitoring and virus quantification by real‐time RT‐PCR
Authors: Bianchi G. L. , De Amicis F. , De Sabbata L. , Di Bernardo N. , Governatori G. , Nonino F. , Prete G. , Marrazzo T. , Versolatto S. , Frausin C. 
Published: April 2015

Since 2003 the presence of a new syndrome characterized by symptoms of stunting, chlorotic mottling, leaf deformation, reduced yields and quality has been reported in some white berry varieties of Vitis vinifera in Trentino‐Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia vineyards. The identification of a new virus, provisionally called Grapevine Pinot gris virus (GPGV), in a cv. Pinot gris vine suggested an association between this new syndrome and the virus presence (Giampetruzzi et al., 2012), however the contemporary presence of GPGV in both symptomatic and asymptomatic plants has still to be explained. In this work, a large‐scale monitoring over a 3‐year period (2012–14) of Friuli Venezia Giulia vineyards and nurseries has shown a widespread presence of GPGV in symptomatic plants and also in asymptomatic vines, even if at a slightly lower percentage. Quantitative analyses of the virus titer revealed a great variability in the viral content of both symptomatic and asymptomatic plants but the mean GPGV quantity in symptomatic vines was significantly higher than in asymptomatic plants.