bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Post‐clearing recovery of coastal dunes invaded by Acacia longifolia: is duration of invasion relevant for management success?
Authors: Marchante Hélia , Freitas Helena , Hoffmann John H. 
Published: June 2011

Summary1. Invasive plants destroy the structure and function of many ecosystems but removal is expensive, so the likelihood of success should be assessed before a major control programme commences. Trial clearings can clarify how best to design and perform broad‐scale clearing programmes. Such trials need to consider the range of conditions that might affect the outcome of control operations, not least the duration of invasion before clearing commences, a parameter that has rarely been considered previously.2. The recovery of plant communities was monitored over 6 years in a Portuguese coastal dune system after the removal of invasive Acacia longifolia plants, together with the underlying litter in half of the cleared areas but not in the remainder. Areas that had been invaded for >20 years (long‐invaded) as opposed to <7 years (recently invaded) were compared.3. After the removal of A. longifolia, recently invaded areas had more exotic plant species but also higher native species richness, plant cover, initial diversity and species turnover rates than long‐invaded areas. Generalist native species were initially very abundant in cleared areas but progressively gave way to species more typical of dunes. Six years after clearing, many species that usually occur on dunes were still missing. Therophytes were the most abundant life form immediately after clearing, but nanophanerophytes, chamaephytes and A. longifolia increased with time. Seedlings of A. longifolia were most abundant in long‐invaded areas, but litter removal along with plants promoted increased plant species richness and cover and decreased susceptibility to reinvasion.4. Synthesis and applications. A number of variables can affect the outcome of clearing invasive plant species. For A. longifolia on Portuguese dunes, recently invaded areas should be prioritized and thick litter layers should be removed along with the invader. Even so, recovery of native flora was not complete in this study, and other management actions are needed to supplement clearing operations, for example propagation of native species or prescribed fires to deplete the invasive species seed bank. Although complete restoration of the ecosystem will almost always be impossible, it should be possible in the long term to create an ecosystem with a structure and function that resembles the original habitat.
Spatial structure and the effects of host and soil environments on communities of ectomycorrhizal fungi in wooded savannas and rain forests of Continental Africa and Madagascar
Authors: TEDERSOO LEHO , BAHRAM MOHAMMAD , JAIRUS TEELE , BECHEM ENEKE , CHINOYA STEPHEN , MPUMBA REBECCA , LEAL MIGUEL , RANDRIANJOHANY EMILE , RAZAFIMANDIMBISON SYLVAIN , SADAM AVE , NAADEL TRIIN , KÕLJALG URMAS 
Published: June 2011

AbstractMycorrhizal fungi play a key role in mineral nutrition of terrestrial plants, but the factors affecting natural distribution, diversity and community composition of particularly tropical fungi remain poorly understood. This study addresses shifts in community structure and species frequency of ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi in relation to host taxa, soil depth and spatial structure in four contrasting African ecosystems. We used the rDNA and plastid trnL intron sequence analysis for identification of fungi and host plants, respectively. By partitioning out spatial autocorrelation in plant and fungal distribution, we suggest that African EcM fungal communities are little structured by soil horizon and host at the plant species and family levels. These findings contrast with patterns of vegetation in these forests and EcM fungal communities in other tropical and temperate ecosystems. The low level of host preference indirectly supports an earlier hypothesis that pioneer Phyllanthaceae may facilitate the establishment of late successional Fabaceae and potentially other EcM host trees by providing compatible fungal inoculum in deforested and naturally disturbed ecosystems of tropical Africa.
Exocytosis and growth do not occur only at hyphal tips
Authors: Read Nick D. 
Published: June 2011

SummaryMycologists have put extreme emphasis on hyphal tip growth as the primary mode of growth in filamentous fungi. Much attention has also been focused on the exocytosis of extracellular enzymes from hyphal tips. However, growth and exocytosis commonly occur at hyphal locations other than tips. Here I briefly review our limited understanding of growth and exocytosis during intercalary hyphal extension, subapical branch initiation, septum formation and secondary wall thickening. Secretion of extracellular enzymes and adhesion molecules from subapical hyphal regions is also discussed. Recent research using advanced live‐cell imaging techniques (e.g. Hayakawa et al., 2011 in this issue) is providing new insights into the mechanistic basis of many of these processes.
Functional characterization of the ferroxidase, permease high‐affinity iron transport complex from Candida albicans
Authors: Ziegler Lynn , Terzulli Alaina , Gaur Ruchi , McCarthy Ryan , Kosman Daniel J. 
Published: June 2011

Summary Saccharomyces cerevisiae expresses two proteins that together support high‐affinity Fe‐uptake. These are a multicopper oxidase, Fet3p, with specificity towards Fe2+ and a ferric iron permease, Ftr1p, which supports Fe‐accumulation. Homologues of the genes encoding these two proteins are found in all fungal genomes including those for the pathogens, Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. At least one of these loci represents a virulence factor for each pathogen suggesting that this complex would be an appropriate pharmacologic target. However, the mechanism by which this protein pair supports Fe‐uptake in any fungal pathogen has not been elucidated. Taking advantage of the robust molecular genetics available in S. cerevisiae, we identify the two of five candidate ferroxidases likely involved in high‐affinity Fe‐uptake in C. albicans, Fet31 and Fet34. Both localize to the yeast plasma membrane and both support Fe‐uptake along with an Ftr1 protein, either from C. albicans or from S. cerevisiae. We express and characterize Fet34, demonstrating that it is functionally homologous to ScFet3p. Using S. cerevisiae as host for the functional expression of the C. albicans Fe‐uptake proteins, we demonstrate that they support a mechanism of Fe‐trafficking that involves channelling of the CaFet34‐generated Fe3+ directly to CaFtr1 for transport into the cytoplasm.
Deciphering tectonic‐ and erosion‐driven exhumation of the Nevado–Filábride Complex (Betic Cordillera, Southern Spain) by low temperature thermochronology
Authors: Vázquez Mercedes , Jabaloy Antonio , Barbero Luis , Stuart Finly M. 
Published: June 2011

Terra Nova, 23, 257–263, 2011AbstractNew apatite (U‐Th)/He and fission‐track data from the Nevado–Filábride complex in the Sierra Nevada of southern Spain are used to constrain the Neogene exhumation history. Apatite (U‐Th)/He ages are close to fission‐track ages in western Sierra Nevada indicating that rapid cooling occurred at 8–6 Ma, consistent with exhumation due to extension along the Mecina Fault. The western Sierra de los Filabres cooled rapidly at c. 12 Ma, while the central Sierra de los Filabres experienced less rapid cooling at 8 Ma. The age distribution in the Sierra de los Filabres can be explained by exhumation due to flexural uplift to the south‐west of the footwall of the Mecina Fault. The lower cooling rates in the central Sierra de los Filabres suggest that folding and erosion were the main exhumation processes during the Late Tortonian.Terra Nova, 00, 1–7, 2011
A NAC domain protein family contributing to the regulation of wood formation in poplar
Authors: Ohtani Misato , Nishikubo Nobuyuki , Xu Bo , Yamaguchi Masatoshi , Mitsuda Nobutaka , Goué Nadia , Shi Fusun , Ohme‐Takagi Masaru , Demura Taku 
Published: June 2011

SummaryWood harvested from trees is one of the most widely utilized natural materials on our planet. Recent environmental issues have prompted an increase in the demand for wood, especially as a cost‐effective and renewable resource for industry and energy, so it is important to understand the process of wood formation. In the present study, we focused on poplar (Populus trichocarpa) NAC domain protein genes which are homologous to well‐known Arabidopsis transcription factors regulating the differentiation of xylem vessels and fiber cells. From phylogenetic analysis, we isolated 16 poplar NAC domain protein genes, and named them PtVNS (VND‐, NST/SND‐ and SMB‐related proteins) genes. Expression analysis revealed that 12 PtVNS (also called PtrWND) genes including both VND and NST groups were expressed in developing xylem tissue and phloem fiber, whereas in primary xylem vessels, only PtVNS/PtrWND genes of the VND group were expressed. By using the post‐translational induction system of Arabidopsis VND7, a master regulator of xylem vessel element differentiation, many poplar genes functioning in xylem vessel differentiation downstream from NAC domain protein genes were identified. Transient expression assays showed the variation in PtVNS/PtrWND transactivation activity toward downstream genes, even between duplicate gene pairs. Furthermore, overexpression of PtVNS/PtrWND genes induced ectopic secondary wall thickening in poplar leaves as well as in Arabidopsis seedlings with different levels of induction efficiency according to the gene. These results suggest that wood formation in poplar is regulated by cooperative functions of the NAC domain proteins.
‘Managing patient involvement’: provider perspectives on diabetes decision‐making
Authors: Shortus Tim , Kemp Lynn , McKenzie Suzanne , Harris Mark 
Published: June 2011

AbstractBackground  Most studies of shared decision‐making focus on acute treatment or screening decision‐making encounters, yet a significant proportion of primary care is concerned with managing patients with chronic disease.Aim  To investigate provider perspectives on the role of patient involvement in chronic disease decision‐making.Design  A qualitative, grounded theory study of patient involvement in diabetes care planning.Setting and participants  Interviews were conducted with 29 providers (19 general practitioners, eight allied health providers, and two endocrinologists) who participated in diabetes care planning.Results  Providers described a conflict between their responsibilities to deliver evidence‐based diabetes care and to respect patients’ rights to make decisions. While all were concerned with providing best possible diabetes care, they differed in the emphasis they placed on ‘treating to target’ or practicing ‘personalized care’. Those preferring to ‘treat to target’ were more assertive, while ‘personalized care’ meant being more accepting of the patient’s priorities. Providers sought to manage patient involvement in decision‐making according to their objectives. ‘Treating to target’ meant involving patients where necessary to tailor care to their needs and abilities, but limiting patient involvement in decisions about the overall agenda. ‘Personalized care’ meant involving patients to tailor care to patient preference.Discussion and conclusions  Respecting a patient’s autonomy and delivering high‐quality diabetes care are important to providers. At times it may not be possible to do both, so a careful balance is required. Involving patients in decision‐making may be a means to this end, rather than an end in itself.
Hepatic steatosis in hepatitis B virus infected patients: Meta‐analysis of risk factors and comparison with hepatitis C infected patients
Authors: Machado Mariana V , Oliveira António G , Cortez‐Pinto Helena 
Published: June 2011

AbstractBackground and Aims:  Although hepatic steatosis (HS) has an association with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, an association with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is controversial. We performed a meta‐analysis to evaluate HS prevalence and risk factors, in HBV infection.Methods:  Standard guidelines for performance of meta‐analyses were followed. Studies with HS assessed by histology were included. Pooled odd ratios (OR) and standardized mean differences (SMD) were obtained with the random‐effects model and DerSimonian‐Laid method.Results:  Seventeen out of 21 studies were included, comprising 4100 HBV infected patients. Overall HS prevalence was 29.6%. Eight studies also included 945 HCV infected patients, showing decreased risk of HS in HBV versus HCV patients (OR 0.55, 95%CI [0.45–0.67], P < 0.001). In HBV, HS positively associated with male gender (OR 1.74, 95%CI [1.28–2.38], P < 0.001), body mass index (SMD 2.17, 95%CI [1.23, 3.11], P < 0.001), obesity (OR 6.59, 95%CI [3.51–12.257], P = 0.003), diabetes (OR 2.62, 95%CI [1.37–4.00], P = 0.004), glycemia (SMD 0.84, 95%CI [0.00, 1.67], P = 0.049), triglycerides (SMD 1.18, 95%CI [0.48, 1.89], P = 0.001), cholesterol (SMD 0.88, 95%CI [0.31, 1.45], P = 0.003), moderate alcohol consumption (OR 1.54, 95%CI [1.10–2.15], P = 0.011) and negatively with HBV DNA (SMD −74.12, 95%CI [−82.93, −65.31], P < 0.001). HS had no association with aminotransferases, HBeAg, genotype or hepatic histology, necroinflammation or fibrosis.Conclusion:  HS in HBV seems to be as frequent as in the general population, and lower than in HCV infected patients, relating to metabolic factors but not with hepatic histology severity. A puzzling strong negative association between viral load and HS, may even suggest a protective effect of the virus on HS.
Preoperative evaluation of the longitudinal extent of borderline resectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma by intraductal ultrasonography
Authors: Choi E Ryoung , Chung Yun Hee , Lee Jong Kyun , Lee Kyu Taek , Lee Kwang Hyuck , Choi Dong Wook , Choi Seong Ho , Heo Jin Seok , Jang Kee‐Taek , Park Sang Mo , Lim Jae Hoon 
Published: June 2011

AbstractBackground and Aim:  In patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HC), longitudinal tumor extent is important for curative resection. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the longitudinal extents of HC using transpapillary intraductal ultrasonography (IDUS) for optimal surgical planning.Methods:  From July 2006 to April 2010, a total of 42 patients with borderline resectable HC were enrolled at Samsung Medical Center, a tertiary referral hospital in Seoul, Korea. All patients were evaluated using multi‐detector computed tomography (MDCT), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and IDUS. The new modified Bismuth Type (MBT) classification, in which the traditional Bismuth type IV stage is divided into stages IVa and IVb, was used to determine whether the tumor invaded the left lateral section. Among the subtypes of HC, the periductal infiltrative type (PDI) and intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPN‐B) were compared. The accuracies of CT, ERCP, and IDUS were assessed through comparison with the postoperative histology findings.Results:  A total of 42 patients were prospectively enrolled, and the tumor extent could be assessed histologically in 30 patients. The accuracies of CT, ERCP, and IDUS were 66.6%, 60%, and 90%, respectively. The accuracy of IDUS was 85.7% in 21 patients with PDI and 100% in nine patients with IPN‐B.Conclusions:  Hilar cholangiocarcinoma staging based on IDUS findings was highly accurate. We therefore highly recommend using IDUS for optimal surgical planning in patients with borderline resectable HC.
Functional characterization of genetic variants in the apical sodium‐dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT; SLC10A2)
Authors: Ho Richard H , Leake Brenda F , Urquhart Brad L , Gregor Jamie C , Dawson Paul A , Kim Richard B 
Published: June 2011

AbstractBackground and Aim:  The major transporter responsible for bile acid uptake from the intestinal lumen is the apical sodium‐dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT, SLC10A2). Analysis of the SLC10A2 gene has identified a variety of sequence variants including coding region single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that may influence bile acid homeostasis/intestinal function. In this study, we systematically characterized the effect of coding SNPs on SLC10A2 protein expression and bile acid transport activity.Methods:  Single nucleotide polymorphisms in SLC10A2 from genomic DNA of ethnically‐defined healthy individuals were identified using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based temperature gradient capillary electrophoresis (TGCE) system. A heterologous gene expression system was used to assess transport activity of SLC10A2 nonsynonymous variants and missense mutations. Total and cell surface protein expression of wild‐type and variant ASBT was assessed by Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence confocal microscopy. Expression of ASBT mRNA and protein was also measured in human intestinal samples.Results:  The studies revealed two nonsynonymous SNPs, 292G>A and 431G>A, with partially impaired in vitro taurocholate transport. A novel variant, 790A>G, was also shown to exhibit near complete loss of taurocholate transport, similar to the previously identified ASBT missense mutations. Examination of ASBT protein expression revealed no significant differences in expression or trafficking to the cell surface among variants versus wild‐type ASBT. Analysis of ASBT mRNA and protein expression in human intestinal samples revealed modest intersubject variability.Conclusions:  Genome sequencing and in vitro studies reveal the presence of multiple functionally relevant variants in SLC10A2 that may influence bile acid homeostasis and physiology.
The Problem of Slums: Shifting Methods of Neoliberal Urban Government in Morocco
Authors: Bogaert Koenraad 
Published: June 2011

ABSTRACTThis article puts forward two main arguments. First, it highlights the relationship between different phases of neoliberalism in Morocco together with the specific methods and techniques of urban government that were deployed in an effort to govern the slums and their populations. A period of ‘roll back neoliberalism’ during the 1980s generated reforms that tried to increase government control over the urban territory to compensate for the negative social outcomes of structural adjustment. The subsequent period of ‘roll out neoliberalism’ coincided with the attempt to manage and regulate the slum population through new modalities of state intervention. Second, while evolutions in neoliberal government reflected a gradual process, this transition in Morocco was accelerated by security concerns following two moments of serious urban violence: the 1981 riots and the 2003 suicide bombings in Casablanca. Therefore, Morocco's recent political transformations cannot be understood in terms provided by the mainstream narrative linking economic liberalization to democratization. Rather, they reflect a profound shift towards intrinsically authoritarian modalities of neoliberal government which are clearly revealed at the urban scale.
Climate Change, Conflict and Development in Sudan: Global Neo‐Malthusian Narratives and Local Power Struggles
Authors: Verhoeven Harry 
Published: June 2011

ABSTRACTDystopian accounts of climate change posit that it will lead to more conflict, causing state failure and mass population movements. Yet these narratives are both theoretically and empirically problematic: the conflict–environment hypothesis merges a global securitization agenda with local manipulations of Northern fears about the state of planetary ecology. Sudan has experienced how damaging this fusion of wishful thinking, power politics and top‐down development can be. In the 1970s, global resource scarcity concerns were used locally to impose the fata morgana of Sudan as an Arab‐African breadbasket: in the name of development, violent evictions of local communities contributed to Sudan's second civil war and associated famines. Today, Darfur has been labelled ‘the world's first climate change conflict’, masking the long‐term political‐economic dynamics and Sudanese agency underpinning the crisis. Simultaneously, the global food crisis is instrumentalized to launch a dam programme and agricultural revival that claim to be African answers to resource scarcity. The winners, however, are Sudan's globalized Islamist elites and foreign investors, whilst the livelihoods of local communities are undermined. Important links exist between climatic developments and security, but global Malthusian narratives about state failure and conflict are dangerously susceptible to manipulations by national elites; the practical outcomes decrease rather than increase human security. In the climate change era, the breakdown of institutions and associated violence is often not an unfortunate failure of the old system due to environmental shock, but a strategy of elites in wider processes of power and wealth accumulation and contestation.
Genes to ecosystems: exploring the frontiers of ecology with one of the smallest biological units
Authors: Wymore Adam S. , Keeley Annika T. H. , Yturralde Kasey M. , Schroer Melanie L. , Propper Catherine R. , Whitham Thomas G. 
Published: June 2011

SummaryGenes and their expression levels in individual species can structure whole communities and affect ecosystem processes. Although much has been written about community and ecosystem phenotypes with a few model systems, such as poplar and goldenrod, here we explore the potential application of a community genetics approach with systems involving invasive species, climate change and pollution. We argue that community genetics can reveal patterns and processes that otherwise might remain undetected. To further facilitate the community genetics or genes‐to‐ecosystem concept, we propose four community genetics postulates that allow for the conclusion of a causal relationship between the gene and its effect on the ecosystem. Although most current studies do not satisfy these criteria completely, several come close and, in so doing, begin to provide a genetic‐based understanding of communities and ecosystems, as well as a sound basis for conservation and management practices.ContentsSummary19I.Introduction19II.Fundamental principles and the community genetics equivalent of Koch’s postulates20III.Genes, invasions and competition21IV.Mutation, resistance and ecosystem consequences24V.Heritable traits, pine cones and climate26VI.Gene expression, fish and pollution28VII.An emphasis on foundation species and their biotic and abiotic interactions31VIII.Applications to the human condition32IX.Conclusions32Acknowledgements33References33