bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Implications of hypoxia tolerance for wetland refugia use in Lake Nabugabo, Uganda
Authors: Reid Andrea J. , Farrell Maxwell J. , Luke Max N. , Chapman Lauren J. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractAquatic hypoxia can affect predator‐prey interactions by altering the success rate of the predator and/or the vulnerability of prey. For example, in the Lake Victoria basin of East Africa, native prey exploit hypoxic wetlands as refugia from predation by introduced Nile perch (Lates niloticus). Here, it is predicted that species exploitation of wetlands depends on their hypoxia tolerance relative to the heterogeneity of wetland hypoxia. In this study, we compared the hypoxia tolerance of four fish taxa that differ in their use of hypoxic wetlands in Lake Nabugabo, Uganda: the cichlid Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor victoriae that inhabits the dense swamp interior; and three taxa that inhabit wetland ecotones including Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), L. niloticus and juvenile endemic haplochromine cichlids. We characterised hypoxia tolerance by exposing fish to progressive hypoxia and quantifying variation in aquatic surface respiration (ASR). The effect of body size on tolerance was explored in L. niloticus by quantifying ASR behaviour across a range of size classes. ASR behaviour was also compared between O. niloticus groups from wetland versus open‐water habitats to detect habitat‐associated intraspecific variation. The most tolerant taxon was the swamp specialist P. multicolor, indicated by its low ASR thresholds and small percentage of fish using ASR during the final sample interval. The other three taxa did not differ in ASR behaviour, and no differences were detected between O. niloticus groups. Body size effects were present for L. niloticus suggesting a lower tolerance to hypoxia in larger‐bodied individuals, thus limiting their ability to penetrate wetlands.
Predicting ecosystem stability from community composition and biodiversity
Authors: de Mazancourt Claire , Isbell Forest , Larocque Allen , Berendse Frank , De Luca Enrica , Grace James B. , Haegeman Bart , Wayne Polley H. , Roscher Christiane , Schmid Bernhard , Tilman David , van Ruijven Jasper , Weigelt Alexandra , Wilsey Brian J. , Loreau Michel 
Published: February 2013

AbstractAs biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate, an important current scientific challenge is to understand and predict the consequences of biodiversity loss. Here, we develop a theory that predicts the temporal variability of community biomass from the properties of individual component species in monoculture. Our theory shows that biodiversity stabilises ecosystems through three main mechanisms: (1) asynchrony in species’ responses to environmental fluctuations, (2) reduced demographic stochasticity due to overyielding in species mixtures and (3) reduced observation error (including spatial and sampling variability). Parameterised with empirical data from four long‐term grassland biodiversity experiments, our prediction explained 22–75% of the observed variability, and captured much of the effect of species richness. Richness stabilised communities mainly by increasing community biomass and reducing the strength of demographic stochasticity. Our approach calls for a re‐evaluation of the mechanisms explaining the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem stability.
Highly‐enhanced larval growth during the cold season mediated by the basking behavior of the butterfly Parnassius citrinarius (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)
Authors: Akiyama Koji , Nishida Takayoshi 
Published: February 2013

AbstractSome insect species are thought to grow quickly, even in low temperatures under natural conditions, presumably by conducting basking behaviors to use sunlight. However, whether basking behavior in fact enhances developmental speed and shortens the larval period in the field has not been determined. Moreover, few studies have examined whether basking is behavioral thermoregulation or simply the result of highly‐heterogeneous heat environments in the field. To examine these issues, we conducted field observations and laboratory experiments using larvae of Parnassius citrinarius Motschulsky, which mature within a short period after the thaw in early spring. First, body temperatures of larvae were measured under sunny and cloudy conditions. Second, larval preference for warmer locations was examined. Finally, we compared the developmental speed of larvae when they basked under field conditions and when did not bask in laboratory conditions under different air temperature regimes. Under sunny conditions, larval body temperature was substantially higher than either the temperature of the host plant or the air temperature, and was equivalent to the temperature of dead leaves, which the larvae used as basking sites. In contrast, no such tendency was observed under cloudy conditions. Larvae exhibited an exclusive preference for warmer locations. Moreover, in the field, despite the low ambient temperature, larvae grew much faster than those reared in the laboratory. These results imply that the basking behavior of P. citrinarius larvae is active thermoregulation to maintain high body temperatures in the cold season.
Transport of endocannabinoids across the plasma membrane and within the cell
Authors: Fowler Christopher J. 
Published: February 2013

Endocannabinoids are readily accumulated from the extracellular space by cells. Although their uptake properties have the appearance of a process of facilitated diffusion, it is by no means clear as to whether there is a plasma membrane transporter dedicated to this task. Intracellular carrier proteins that shuttle the endocannabinoid anandamide from the plasma membrane to its intracellular targets such as the metabolic enzyme, fatty acid amide hydrolase, have been identified. These include proteins with other primary functions, such as fatty‐acid‐binding proteins and heat shock protein 70, and possibly a fatty acid amide hydrolase‐like anandamide transporter protein. Thus, anandamide uptake can be adequately described as a diffusion process across the plasma membrane followed by intracellular carrier‐mediated transport to effector molecules, catabolic enzymes and sequestration sites, although it is recognized that different cells are likely to utilize different mechanisms of endocannabinoid transport depending upon the utility of the endocannabinoid for the cell in question.
Global environmental changes: setting priorities for Latin American coastal habitats
Authors: Turra Alexander , Cróquer Aldo , Carranza Alvar , Mansilla Andrés , Areces Arsenio J. , Werlinger Camilo , Martínez‐Bayón Carlos , Nassar Cristina Aparecida Gomes , Plastino Estela , Schwindt Evangelina , Scarabino Fabrizio , Chow Fungyi , Figueroa Felix Lopes , Berchez Flávio , Hall‐Spencer Jason M. , Soto Luis A. , Buckeridge Marcos Silveira , Copertino Margareth S. , de Széchy Maria Tereza Menezes , Ghilardi‐Lopes Natalia Pirani , Horta Paulo , Coutinho Ricardo , Fraschetti Simonetta , Leão Zelinda Margarida de Andrade Nery 
Published: February 2013

AbstractAs the effects of the Global Climate Changes on the costal regions of Central and South Americas advance, there is proportionally little research being made to understand such impacts. This commentary puts forward a series of propositions of strategies to improve performance of Central and South American science and policy making in order to cope with the future impacts of the Global Climate Changes in their coastal habitats.
Seasonal variability in net ecosystem carbon dioxide exchange over a young Switchgrass stand
Authors: Wagle Pradeep , Kakani Vijaya Gopal 
Published: February 2013

AbstractUnderstanding carbon dynamics of switchgrass ecosystems is crucial as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) acreage is expanding for cellulosic biofuels. We used eddy covariance system and examined seasonal changes in net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) and its components – gross ecosystem photosynthesis (GEP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) – in response to controlling factors during the second (2011) and third (2012) years of stand establishment in the southern Great Plains of the United States (Chickasha, OK). Larger vapor pressure deficit (VPD > 3 kPa) limited photosynthesis and caused asymmetrical diurnal NEE cycles (substantially higher NEE in the morning hours than in the afternoon at equal light levels). Consequently, rectangular hyperbolic light–response curve (NEE partitioning algorithm) consistently failed to provide good fits at high VPD. Modified rectangular hyperbolic light–VPD response model accounted for the limitation of VPD on photosynthesis and improved the model performance significantly. The maximum monthly average NEE reached up to −33.02 ± 1.96 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1 and the highest daily integrated NEE was −35.89 g CO2 m−2 during peak growth. Although large differences in cumulative seasonal GEP and ER were observed between two seasons, total seasonal ER accounted for about 75% of GEP regardless of the growing season lengths and differences in aboveground biomass production. It suggests that net ecosystem carbon uptake increases with increasing GEP. The ecosystem was a net sink of CO2 during 5–6 months and total seasonal uptakes were −1128 ± 130 and −1796 ± 217 g CO2 m−2 in 2011 and 2012, respectively. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the annual carbon status of a switchgrass ecosystem can be a small sink to small source in this region if carbon loss from biomass harvesting is considered. However, year‐round measurements over several years are required to assess a long‐term source‐sink status of the ecosystem.
Impact of surgeon and volume on extended lymphadenectomy at the time of robot‐assisted radical cystectomy: results from the International Robotic Cystectomy Consortium (IRCC)
Authors: Marshall Susan J. , Hayn Matthew H. , Stegemann Andrew P. , Agarwal Piyush K. , Badani Ketan K. , Balbay M. Derya , Dasgupta Prokar , Hemal Ashok K. , Hollenbeck Brent K. , Kibel Adam S. , Menon Mani , Mottrie Alex , Nepple Kenneth , Pattaras John G. , Peabody James O. , Poulakis Vassilis , Pruthi Raj S. , Palou Redorta Joan , Rha Koon‐Ho , Richstone Lee , Schanne Francis , Scherr Douglas S. , Siemer Stefan , Stöckle Michael , Wallen Eric M. , Weizer Alon Z. , Wiklund Peter , Wilson Timothy , Woods Michael , Guru Khurshid A. 
Published: February 2013

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?
Lymph node dissection and it's extend during robot‐assisted radical cystectomy varies based on surgeon related factors.
This study reports outcomes of robot‐assisted extended lymphadenectomy based on surgeon experience in both academic and private practice settings.
Objective
To evaluate the incidence of, and predictors for, extended lymph node dissection (LND) in patients undergoing robot‐assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) for bladder cancer, as extendedLND is critical for the treatment of bladder cancer but the role of minimally invasive surgery for extended LND has not been well‐defined in a multi‐institutional setting.
Patients and Methods
Used the International Robotic Cystectomy Consortium (IRCC) database.
In all, 765 patients who underwent RARC at 17 institutions from 2003 to 2010 were evaluated for receipt of extended LND.
Patients were stratified by age, sex, clinical stage, institutional volume, sequential case number, and surgeon volume.
Logistic regression analyses were used to correlate variables to the likelihood of undergoing extended LND.
Results
In all, 445 (58%) patients underwent extended LND.
Among all patients, a median (range) of 18 (0–74) LNs were examined.
High‐volume institutions (≥100 cases) had a higher mean LN yield (23 vs 15, P < 0.001).
On univariable analysis, surgeon volume, institutional volume, and sequential case number were associated with likelihood of undergoing extended LND.
On multivariable analysis, surgeon volume [odds ratio (OR) 3.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.37–5.06, P < 0.001] and institution volume [OR 2.65, 95% CI 1.47–4.78, P = 0.001) were associated with undergoing extended LND.
Conclusions
Robot‐assisted LND can achieve similar LN yields to those of open LND after RC.
High‐volume surgeons are more likely to perform extended LND, reflecting a correlation between their growing experience and increased comfort with advanced vascular dissection.
The Consequences of Banking Crises for Public Debt
Authors: Furceri Davide , Zdzienicka Aleksandra 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to assess the consequences of banking crises for public debt. Using an unbalanced panel of 154 countries from 1980 to 2006, the paper shows that banking crises are associated with a significant and long‐lasting increase in government debt. The effect is a function of the severity of the crisis. In particular, for severe crises, comparable to the most recent one in terms of output losses, banking crises are followed by a medium‐term increase of about 37 percentage points in the government gross debt‐to‐GDP ratio. In addition, the debt ratio increased more in countries with a higher initial gross debt‐to‐GDP ratio, with a higher share of foreign debt, and with a lower quality of institutions. The increase in government debt is also a function of the size of the fiscal stimuli implemented to counter the economic downturns and varies with the type of banking intervention policy used.
Exclusion and Informality: The Praetorian Politics of Land Management in Cairo, Egypt
Authors: Dorman W.J. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractSince the late 1970s, Western aid agencies, including the US Agency for International Development (AID) and the World Bank, sought to assist the Egyptian government in planning its capital, Cairo. The aim was to foster an administratively competent Egyptian state able to respond, for example, to informal urbanization of the city's agricultural periphery by channelling the city's growth into planned and serviced desert sites. However, these initiatives were almost entirely unsuccessful. Egyptian officials rejected engagement with the informal urbanization process. The projects became enmeshed in bureaucratic struggles over control of valuable state desert land. This article examines these failed planning exercises, first, in order to assess what they indicate about Egypt's authoritarian dispensation of power, in place since 1952 but challenged in the February 2011 overthrow of President Husni Mubarak. It concludes that project failure is diagnostic of the regime's exclusionary nature and the presence of autonomous centres of power such as the Egyptian military. Secondly, the article looks at how this political order shaped Cairo's largely uncontrolled growth by constraining the Egyptian state's capacity to manage it. Thus, urban planning in Cairo reveals how authoritarian power relations have been inscribed upon Egyptian social space.
Modeling antecedents of university students' study behavior and grade point average
Authors: Richardson Michelle , Abraham Charles 
Published: February 2013

AbstractTwo prospective surveys tested theory‐based models of university students' study behavior and grade point average (GPA). The theory of planned behavior (TPB) and personality systems interaction (PSI) theory were tested. The TPB fitted the data for self‐reported study but was less useful when applied to GPA. Some support for PSI theory was found although results varied for study behavior verses GPA. In Study 1, an interaction between volitional competency and subjective norm explained unique variation in study behavior controlling for TPB variables and past behavior. In Study 2, implicit attention control had a direct effect on GPA after the TPB variables and past achievement were controlled. Implications for interventions designed to improve tertiary‐level academic achievement are discussed.
Long‐term drivers of forest composition in a boreonemoral region: the relative importance of climate and human impact
Authors: Reitalu Triin , Seppä Heikki , Sugita Shinya , Kangur Mihkel , Koff Tiiu , Avel Eve , Kihno Kersti , Vassiljev Jüri , Renssen Hans , Hammarlund Dan , Heikkilä Maija , Saarse Leili , Poska Anneli , Veski Siim 
Published: February 2013

AbstractAimTo assess statistically the relative importance of climate and human impact on forest composition in the late Holocene.LocationEstonia, boreonemoral Europe.MethodsData on forest composition (10 most abundant tree and shrub taxa) for the late Holocene (5100–50 calibrated years before 1950) were derived from 18 pollen records and then transformed into land‐cover estimates using the REVEALS vegetation reconstruction model. Human impact was quantified with palaeoecological estimates of openness, frequencies of hemerophilous pollen types (taxa growing in habitats influenced by human activities) and microscopic charcoal particles. Climate data generated with the ECBilt‐CLIO‐VECODE climate model provided summer and winter temperature data. The modelled data were supported by sedimentary stable oxygen isotope (δ18O) records. Redundancy analysis (RDA), variation partitioning and linear mixed effects (LME) models were applied for statistical analyses.ResultsBoth climate and human impact were statistically significant predictors of forest compositional change during the late Holocene. While climate exerted a dominant influence on forest composition in the beginning of the study period, human impact was the strongest driver of forest composition change in the middle of the study period, c. 4000–2000 years ago, when permanent agriculture became established and expanded. The late Holocene cooling negatively affected populations of nemoral deciduous taxa (Tilia, Corylus, Ulmus, Quercus, Alnus and Fraxinus), allowing boreal taxa (Betula, Salix, Picea and Pinus) to succeed. Whereas human impact has favoured populations of early‐successional taxa that colonize abandoned agricultural fields (Betula, Salix, Alnus) or that can grow on less fertile soils (Pinus), it has limited taxa such as Picea that tend to grow on more mesic and fertile soils.Main conclusionsCombining palaeoecological and palaeoclimatological data from multiple sources facilitates quantitative characterization of factors driving forest composition dynamics on millennial time‐scales. Our results suggest that in addition to the climatic influence on forest composition, the relative abundance of individual forest taxa has been significantly influenced by human impact over the last four millennia.
Does the ‘European Grouping of Territorial Co‐operation’ Promote Multi‐level Governance within the European Union?
Authors: Nadalutti Elisabetta 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThrough the analysis of Regulation 1082/2006 (also known as ‘The European Grouping of Territorial Co‐operation’), which enables regional and local authorities from different European Union (EU) countries to set up co‐operation groupings as legal entities for projects of cross‐border and trans‐European significance, this article aims to assess whether the daily politics of the EU is still state driven in a zero‐sum game, and conversely, whether states and state representatives are no longer the only interface between the sub‐national and supranational levels and the operation of power across the various levels of governance on a local/national/supranational level in a non‐zero‐sum game. The article will show that a type of ‘multi‐level governance’ is emerging in cross‐border regions in which cross‐border activities are empowering the regional/local level (sub‐national level), permitting it to circumvent/supersede the national level through a process of negotiation and ‘alliances’. Furthermore, it will be highlighted that Regulation 1082/2006 is a clear example of multi‐level governance in practice.
A consensus report on appropriate treatment optimization and transitioning in the management of moderate‐to‐severe plaque psoriasis
Authors: Mrowietz U. , de Jong E.M.G.J. , Kragballe K. , Langley R. , Nast A. , Puig L. , Reich K. , Schmitt J. , Warren R.B. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractBackgroundThere is limited information on systemic and biological treatment optimization and transitioning in routine clinical practice.ObjectiveTo provide practical guidance on treatment optimization and transitioning for moderate‐to‐severe plaque psoriasis.MethodsDermatologists from 33 countries contributed to the Transitioning Therapies programme. Fourteen questions were identified. Answers were drafted based on systematic literature reviews (7/14 questions) and expert opinion (7/14 questions). Using a modified Delphi procedure, dermatologists from 30 countries voted on their level of agreement with each draft answer (scale: 1–9, strong disagreement to strong agreement). Consensus was defined as ≥75% of participants scoring within the 7–9 range.ResultsConsensus was achieved on the answers to all questions. Recommendations for the use of cyclosporine and methotrexate were agreed. Transitioning from a conventional systemic therapy to a biological agent may be done directly or with an overlap (if transitioning is required because of lack of efficacy) or potentially with a treatment‐free interval (if transitioning is required for safety reasons). Combination therapy may be beneficial. Continuous therapy for patients on biologicals is strongly recommended. However, during successful maintenance with biological monotherapy, a dosage reduction may be considered to limit drug exposure, although this may carry the risk of decreased efficacy. Switching biologicals for reasons of efficacy should be done without a washout period, but switching for reasons of safety may require a treatment‐free interval.ConclusionThis consensus provides practical guidance on treatment optimization and transitioning for moderate‐to‐severe plaque psoriasis, based on literature reviews and the expert opinion of dermatologists from across the globe.
Local adaptation of a Drosophila parasitoid: habitat‐specific differences in thermal reaction norms
Authors: Moiroux J. , Delava E. , Fleury F. , van Baaren J. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractLocal climate is an important source of selection on thermal reaction norms that has been well investigated in cline studies, where populations sampled along altitudinal or latitudinal gradients are compared. Several biotic factors vary with climate, but are rarely integrated as alternative agents of selection to climatic factors. We tested the hypothesis that habitat may select for thermal reaction norms and magnitude of phenotypic plasticity in a drosophila parasitoid, independently of the climate of origin. We sampled populations of Leptopilina boulardi, a Drosophila parasitoid in two different habitats, orchards and forests. Orchards offer laying opportunities over small distances for parasitoids, with a low variability in the number of hosts per patch, while forests offer more dispersed and more variable patches. The sampling was realized in a temperate and a Mediterranean climate. We measured egg load, volume of eggs, longevity and lipid content for parasitoids reared at two temperatures. Reaction norms were opposite for populations from forests and orchards for investment in reproduction, independently of the climate of origin. The maximal investment of resources in reproduction occurred at the lower temperature in orchards and the higher temperature in forests. Host distribution differences between habitats may explain these opposite reaction norms. We also observed a flatter reaction norm for egg load in forests than in orchards. This relative canalization may have been selected in response to the higher variability in laying opportunities observed in forests. Our results demonstrate the potential role of resource distribution in evolution of thermal plasticity.