bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A climatically extreme year has large impacts on C4species in tallgrass prairie ecosystems but only minor effects on species richness and other plant functional groups
Authors: Arnone John A. , Jasoni Richard L. , Lucchesi Annmarie J. , Larsen Jessica D. , Leger Elizabeth A. , Sherry Rebecca A. , Luo Yiqi , Schimel David S. , Verburg Paul S.J. 
Published: April 2011

Summary1. The occurrence and intensity of climate extremes, such as extremely warm years, are expected to continue to increase with increasing tropospheric radiative forcing caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.2. Responses of terrestrial ecosystem processes and services – such as above‐ground net primary productivity (ANPP) and maintenance of plant species diversity – to these extreme years for multiple years post‐perturbation are poorly understood but can have significant feedback effects on net ecosystem CO2uptake and ecosystem carbon sequestration.3. We exposed six 12 000‐kg intact natural tallgrass prairie monoliths to an extremely warm year (+4 °C in 2003) in the second year of a 4‐year study (2002–2005) using the EcoCELL whole‐ecosystem controlled‐environment, gas exchange facility. Six control monoliths were not warmed in the second year but were maintained under average field conditions. Natural diel and seasonal patterns in air temperature were maintained in both treatments throughout the study. Thus, with the exception of the second year in the ‘warmed’ treatment, we created 4 years of nearly identical climate in all EcoCELLs.4. Interannual ANPP (10 cm clipping height) responses of the entire plant community to the extreme year were largely determined by responses of the dominant C4grasses. These included large decreases in ANPP in 2003 followed by complete recovery to levels observed in the control ecosystems in the year following warming. Species richness and productivity of the nitrogen‐fixing plant functional group appeared to play a role in defining overall plant community ANPP, however, even though this richness and productivity could not explain the decrease in community ANPP observed in warmed ecosystems in the second year (2003) of the study or its recovery in the year after (2004). Surprisingly, very few of the 67 species present in plant communities during the 4‐year study responded to the warm year at any time during or after the treatment.5. Synthesis. Results from this study indicate that as extreme climate years become more prevalent, their immediate and lagged impacts on collective ecosystem processes, such as whole‐community ANPP, may be very pronounced, but effects on component ecosystem processes may be limited to the dominant plant functional group (ANPP).
Climate extremes initiate ecosystem‐regulating functions while maintaining productivity
Authors: Jentsch Anke , Kreyling Juergen , Elmer Michael , Gellesch Ellen , Glaser Bruno , Grant Kerstin , Hein Roman , Lara Marco , Mirzae Heydar , Nadler Stefanie E. , Nagy Laura , Otieno Denis , Pritsch Karin , Rascher Uwe , Schädler Martin , Schloter Michael , Singh Brajesh K. , Stadler Jutta , Walter Julia , Wellstein Camilla , Wöllecke Jens , Beierkuhnlein Carl 
Published: April 2011

Summary 1. Studying the effects of climate or weather extremes such as drought and heat waves on biodiversity and ecosystem functions is one of the most important facets of climate change research. In particular, primary production is amounting to the common currency in field experiments world‐wide. Rarely, however, are multiple ecosystem functions measured in a single study in order to address general patterns across different categories of responses and to analyse effects of climate extremes on various ecosystem functions. 2. We set up a long‐term field experiment, where we applied recurrent severe drought events annually for five consecutive years to constructed grassland communities in central Europe. The 32 response parameters studied were closely related to ecosystem functions such as primary production, nutrient cycling, carbon fixation, water regulation and community stability. 3. Surprisingly, in the face of severe drought, above‐ and below‐ground primary production of plants remained stable across all years of the drought manipulation. 4. Yet, severe drought significantly reduced below‐ground performance of microbes in soil indicated by reduced soil respiration, microbial biomass and cellulose decomposition rates as well as mycorrhization rates. Furthermore, drought reduced leaf water potential, leaf gas exchange and leaf protein content, while increasing maximum uptake capacity, leaf carbon isotope signature and leaf carbohydrate content. With regard to community stability, drought induced complementary plant–plant interactions and shifts in flower phenology, and decreased invasibility of plant communities and primary consumer abundance. 5. Synthesis. Our results provide the first field‐based experimental evidence that climate extremes initiate plant physiological processes, which may serve to regulate ecosystem productivity. A potential reason for different dynamics in various ecosystem services facing extreme climatic events may lie in the temporal hierarchy of patterns of fast versus slow response. Such data on multiple response parameters within climate change experiments foster the understanding of mechanisms of resilience, of synergisms or decoupling of biogeochemical processes, and of fundamental response dynamics to drought at the ecosystem level including potential tipping points and thresholds of regime shift. Future work is needed to elucidate the role of biodiversity and of biotic interactions in modulating ecosystem response to climate extremes.
The ecological role of climate extremes: current understanding and future prospects
Authors: Smith Melinda D. 
Published: April 2011

Summary 1. Climate extremes, such as severe drought, heat waves and periods of heavy rainfall, can have profound consequences for ecological systems and for human welfare. Global climate change is expected to increase both the frequency and the intensity of climate extremes and there is an urgent need to understand their ecological consequences. 2. Major challenges for advancing our understanding of the ecological consequences of climate extremes include setting a climatic baseline to facilitate the statistical determination of when climate conditions are extreme, having sufficient knowledge of ecological systems so that extreme ecological responses can be identified, and finally, being able to attribute a climate extreme as the driver of an extreme ecological response, defined as an extreme climatic event (ECE). 3. The papers in this issue represent a cross‐section of the emerging field of climate extremes research, including an examination of the palaeo‐ecological record to assess patterns and drivers of extreme ecological responses in the late Quaternary, experiments in grasslands assessing a range of ecological responses and the role of ecotypic variation in determining responses to climate extremes, and the quantification of the ecological consequences of a recent ECE in the desert Southwest of the USA. 4. Synthesis. The papers in this Special Feature suggest that although the occurrence of ECEs may be common in palaeo‐ecological and observational studies, studies in which climate extremes have been experimentally imposed often do not result in ecological responses outside the bounds of normal variability of a system. Thus, ECEs occur much less frequently than their potential drivers and even less frequently than observational studies suggest. Future research is needed to identify the types and time‐scales of climate extremes that result in ECEs, the potential for interactions among different types of climate changes and extremes, and the role of genetic, species and trait diversity in determining ecological responses and their evolutionary consequences. These research priorities require the development of alternative research approaches to impose realistic climate extremes on a broad range of organisms and ecosystems.
Biological Flora of the British Isles:Epipogium aphyllumSw.
Authors: Taylor Lin , Roberts David L. 
Published: April 2011

Summary1. This account provides information on all aspects of the biology ofEpipogium aphyllumSw. that are relevant to understanding its ecological characteristics and behaviour. The main topics are presented within the standard framework of theBiological Flora of the British Isles: distribution, habitat, communities, response to biotic factors, responses to environment, structure and physiology, phenology, reproductive characteristics, herbivores and disease, history and conservation.2. Epipogium aphyllumis a native mycoheterotrophic herb, with a British distribution that is restricted to a few beech and oak woodlands in the Chilterns and the Welsh Borders. Sightings are scarce, the majority of years passing with no observations in the British Isles. The species extends throughout temperate Eurasia, with concentrations of records in Scandinavia and the foothills of the Alps.3. Epipogium aphyllumis most commonly found growing in the deep shade of dense woodland; its achlorophyllous nature means that it is entirely dependent on its endomycorrhizal symbiont (Inocybesp.) for nutrition.4. The biology of reproduction is poorly understood. Sexual reproduction, both entomogamous and autogamous, appears inefficient, as fruiting plants are rare. Vegetative propagation can occur via bulbils attached to the underground stolons.5. Both the occurrence and timing of flowering are highly unpredictable, the season extending from late May to early October. A wet winter followed by a warm summer is thought to trigger flowering. The rhizome can survive underground undetected for many years.6. Epipogium aphyllumhas repeatedly been described as Britain’s rarest orchid. Sightings since its first English record in 1854 have been interrupted by periods of decades. A recent observation gap of more than two decades led to suggestions of extirpation, though this assumption has been challenged by statistical modelling and refuted by the discovery of a single depauperate flower on the Welsh Borders in 2009. Primary threats to this species already at the edge of its natural range include deforestation and degradation of its native broadleaf habitat, as well as trampling, herbivory and climate change. As a result, extirpation of the Ghost Orchid from Britain is still likely in the near future.
Whole‐genome array CGH identifies pathogenic copy number variations in fetuses with major malformations and a normal karyotype
Authors: D'Amours G , Kibar Z , Mathonnet G , Fetni R , Tihy F , Désilets V , Nizard S , Michaud JL , Lemyre E 
Published: April 2011

D’Amours G, Kibar Z, Mathonnet G, Fetni R, Tihy F, Désilets V, Nizard S, Michaud JL, Lemyre E. Whole‐genome array CGH identifies pathogenic copy number variations in fetuses with major malformations and a normal karyotype.Despite a wide range of clinical tools, the etiology of mental retardation and multiple congenital malformations remains unknown for many patients. Array‐based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) has proven to be a valuable tool in these cases, as its pangenomic coverage allows the identification of chromosomal aberrations that are undetectable by other genetic methods targeting specific genomic regions. Therefore, aCGH is increasingly used in clinical genetics, both in the postnatal and the prenatal settings. While the diagnostic yield in the postnatal population has been established at 10–12%, studies investigating fetuses have reported variable results. We used whole‐genome aCGH to investigate fetuses presenting at least one major malformation detected on ultrasound, but for whom standard genetic analyses (including karyotype) failed to provide a diagnosis. We identified a clinically significant chromosomal aberration in 8.2% of tested fetuses (4/49), and a result of unclear clinical significance in 12.2% of tested fetuses (6/49). Our results document the value of whole‐genome aCGH as a prenatal diagnostic tool and highlight the interpretation difficulties associated with copy number variations of unclear significance.
Hepatic artery reconstruction with the jejunal artery of the Roux‐en‐Y limb in pediatric living donor liver re‐transplantation
Authors: Wakiya T. , Sanada Y. , Mizuta K. , Umehara M. , Urahashi T. , Egami S. , Hishikawa S. , Nakata M. , Hakamada K. , Yasuda Y. , Kawarasaki H. 
Published: April 2011

Wakiya T, Sanada Y, Mizuta K, Umehara M, Urahashi T, Egami S, Hishikawa S, Nakata M, Hakamada K, Yasuda Y, Kawarasaki H. Hepatic artery reconstruction with the jejunal artery of the Roux‐en‐Y limb in pediatric living donor liver re‐transplantation.Abstract: When re‐anastomosis and re‐transplantation becomes necessary after LDLT, arterial reconstruction can be extremely difficult because of severe inflammation and lack of an adequate artery for reconstruction. Frequently, the recipient’s HA is not in good condition, necessitating an alternative to the HA. In such cases, the recipient’s splenic artery, right gastroepiploic artery or another vessel can be safely used for arterial reconstruction. There have, however, been few reports on using the jejunal artery. Herein, we report our experience with arterial reconstruction using the jejunal artery of the Roux‐en‐Y limb as an alternative to the HA. A three‐yr‐old girl who had developed graft failure due to early HA thrombosis after LDLT required re‐transplantation. At re‐transplantation, an adequate artery for reconstruction was lacking. We reconstructed the artery by using the jejunal artery of the Roux‐en‐Y limb, as we judged it to be the most appropriate alternative. After surgery, stent was deployed because hepatic blood flow had reduced due to kinking of the anastomosed site, and a favorable outcome was obtained. In conclusion, when an alternative to the HA is required, using the jejunal artery is a feasible alternative.
Obstructed defaecation: what is the role of rehabilitation?
Authors: Pucciani F. , Reggioli M. , Ringressi M. N. 
Published: April 2011

AbstractAim  The study was designed to evaluate the results of rehabilitative treatment in patients suffering from obstructed defaecation.Method  Between January 2008 and July 2010, 39 patients (37 women, age range 25–73 years; and two men, aged 57 and 67 years) affected by obstructed defaecation were included in the study. After a preliminary clinical evaluation, including the Obstructed Defaecation Syndrome (ODS) score, defaecography and anorectal manometry were performed. All 39 patients underwent rehabilitative treatment according to the ‘multimodal rehabilitative programme’ for obstructive defaecation. At the end of the programme, all 39 patients were reassessed by clinical evaluation and anorectal manometry. Postrehabilition ODS scores were used to categorize patients arbitrarily into three classes, as follows: class I, good (score ≤ 4); class II, fair (score > 4 to ≤ 8); and class III, poor (score > 8).Results  After rehabilitation, there was significant improvement in the overall mean ODS score (P < 0.001). Thirty (76.9%) patients were included as class I (good results), of whom eight (20.5%) were symptom free. Five (12.8%) patients were considered class III. A significant postrehabilitative direct correlation was found between ODS score and pelvic surgery (ρs = 0.54; P < 0.05). Significant differences were found between pre‐ and postrehabilitative manometric data from the straining test (P < 0.001), duration of maximal voluntary contraction (P < 0.001) and conscious rectal sensitivity threshold (P < 0.02).Conclusion  After rehabilitation, some patients become symptom free and many had an improved ODS score.
Stapled transanal rectal resection and sacral nerve stimulation – impact on faecal incontinence and quality of life
Authors: Boenicke L. , Kim M. , Reibetanz J. , Germer C.‐T. , Isbert C. 
Published: April 2011

AbstractAim  The aim of the study was to assess the impact of stapled transanal rectal resection (STARR) on pre‐existing faecal incontinence and quality of life in patients suffering from obstructive defaecation syndrome (ODS) and to evaluate the efficiency of sequential sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) for improvement of persistent incontinence after STARR.Method  Thirty‐one patients with ODS and major faecal incontinence prior to STARR were prospectively enrolled. The outcome was measured using the Cleveland Clinic Constipation and Incontinence score (CCS, CCIS), Faecal Incontinence Qualities‐of‐Life Index (FIQL), Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality‐of‐Life (PAC‐QOL) and EuroQol visual analogue scale (EQ‐VAS).Results  The overall levels of constipation (CCS from 13.1 ± 3.8 to 6.2 ± 5.4; P < 0.001) and incontinence (CCIS from 12.6 ± 3.2 to 9.4 ± 5.1; P = 0.005) were significantly improved after STARR; concordantly, the global and specific quality of life were significantly improved. Following postoperative constipation and incontinence, three different groups of patients were differentially referred to SNS. In group I (n = 16, 52%), both constipation (CCS from 12.6 ± 4.0 to 3.6 ± 1.9; P < 0.001) and incontinence (CCSI from 12.43 ± 3.2 to 5.1 ± 1.9; P < 0.001) were improved. In group II (n = 8, 25%), only constipation was improved (CCS from 12.3 ± 2.3 to 3.3 ± 2.2; P < 0.001), while incontinence persisted (CCIS from 12.8 ± 2.9 to 13.1 ± 3.1; P > 0.05). In group III (n = 7, 23%) there was no improvement at all. Sacral nerve stimulation was successfully carried out in six (85%) of seven patients in group II (post‐SNS CCSI 6.1 ± 1.7; P = 0.01) but failed in five of five patients in group III.Conclusion  Stapled transanal rectal resection improves quality of life in ODS patients with both severe constipation and faecal incontinence. Sacral nerve stimulation may efficiently improve persisting incontinence after STARR in selected patients.
Applying tangible story avatars to enhance children's collaborative storytelling
Authors: Liu Chen‐Chung , Liu Kuo‐Ping , Wang Pi‐Hui , Chen Gwo‐Dong , Su Mu‐Chun 
Published: April 2011

AbstractSoftware avatars are increasingly applied to support children's collaborative storytelling because avatars may serve as a transparent shield or as embodied agents to facilitate creativity in children. However, when using avatars, it is not easy for children to practise and refine their speaking skills by narrating their stories to an audience. The programming difficulties involved in that process tend to distract attention away from the collaborative storytelling activity itself. This study therefore proposes an interaction model featuring tangible story avatars (TSAs) that can serve as a platform to scaffold collaborative story creation, revision and narrative. A 9‐week study with 16 children aged 8 years was conducted to evaluate the interaction model with the TSAs. The results suggest that the TSAs may play three primary roles in facilitating collaborative storytelling: as a tool for developing confidence, as a tool for reflective story development and as a group artefact. Researchers and educators may find it valuable to consider these three roles in designing the TSAs in support of collaborative storytelling in similar contexts.
A study of user's acceptance on situational mashups in situational language teaching
Authors: Huang Angus F. M. , Yang Stephen J. H. , Liaw Shu‐Sheng 
Published: April 2011

AbstractSituational awareness and mashups are two key factors influencing the success of situational language teaching. However, traditional situational language teaching cannot smoothly conduct relevant learning activities in changing learning context. This study developed a situational mashups system for detecting users' context and proposed a research model for evaluating users' acceptance on the situational mashups in situational language teaching. The proposed model consisted of users' individual experiences, situational learning theory and technology acceptance theory. The experimental results showed that users' experiences of using computer, Internet, mashups system and mashups‐based learning, as well as users' perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of situational mashups are all key factors affecting users' acceptance of situational mashups in situational language teaching.
Nonlinear relationship between electrodermal activity and heart rate variability in patients with acute schizophrenia
Authors: Rachow Tobias , Berger Sandy , Boettger Michael Karl , Schulz Steffen , Guinjoan Salvador , Yeragani Vikram K. , Voss Andreas , Bär Karl‐Jürgen 
Published: April 2011

AbstractWe investigated to what degree tonic skin conductance levels (SCL) and cardiac autonomic dysfunction are interrelated in schizophrenia. Heart rate variability (HRV) and SCL were simultaneously assessed in 18 unmedicated patients and 18 controls matched for age, sex, weight, and smoking habits. For comparison to prior studies, phasic sympathetic skin responses (SPR) were also recorded. Compared to controls, patients had prolonged SPR latency and reduced SPR amplitude with a right‐greater‐than‐left asymmetry, which was inversely correlated with positive symptoms. An autonomic imbalance was reflected in linear and nonlinear measures of HRV and increased SCL. Patients showed a stronger nonlinear association between SCL and heart rate than controls. HRV and SCL findings were strongly affected by group differences in breathing rate. Stronger HRV‐SCL coupling in patients may suggest augmented sympathetic modulation in schizophrenia.
Neuroprotective properties of marrow‐isolated adult multilineage‐inducible cells in rat hippocampus following global cerebral ischemia are enhanced when complexed to biomimetic microcarriers
Authors: Garbayo Elisa , Raval Ami P. , Curtis Kevin M. , Della‐Morte David , Gomez Lourdes A. , D’Ippolito Gianluca , Reiner Teresita , Perez‐Stable Carlos , Howard Guy A. , Perez‐Pinzon Miguel A. , Montero‐Menei Claudia N. , Schiller Paul C. 
Published: April 2011

J. Neurochem. (2011) 119, 972–988.AbstractCell‐based therapies for global cerebral ischemia represent promising approaches for neuronal damage prevention and tissue repair promotion. We examined the potential of marrow‐isolated adult multilineage‐inducible (MIAMI) cells, a homogeneous subpopulation of immature human mesenchymal stromal cell, injected into the hippocampus to prevent neuronal damage induced by global ischemia using rat organotypic hippocampal slices exposed to oxygen‐glucose deprivation and rats subjected to asphyxial cardiac arrest. We next examined the value of combining fibronectin‐coated biomimetic microcarriers (FN‐BMMs) with epidermal growth factor (EGF)/basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) pre‐treated MIAMI compared to EGF/bFGF pre‐treated MIAMI cells alone, for their in vitro and in vivo neuroprotective capacity. Naïve and EGF/bFGF pre‐treated MIAMI cells significantly protected the Cornu Ammonis layer 1 (CA1) against ischemic death in hippocampal slices and increased CA1 survival in rats. MIAMI cells therapeutic value was significantly increased when delivering the cells complexed with FN‐BMMs, probably by increasing stem cell survival and paracrine secretion of pro‐survival and/or anti‐inflammatory molecules as concluded from survival, differentiation and gene expression analysis. Four days after oxygen and glucose deprivation and asphyxial cardiac arrest, few transplanted cells administered alone survived in the brain whereas stem cell survival improved when injected complexed with FN‐BMMs. Interestingly, a large fraction of the transplanted cells administered alone or in complexes expressed βIII‐tubulin suggesting that partial neuronal transdifferentiation may be a contributing factor to the neuroprotective mechanism of MIAMI cells.