bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Estimating partial observability and nonlinear climate effects on stochastic community dynamics of migratory waterfowl
Authors: Almaraz Pablo , Green Andy J. , Aguilera Eduardo , Rendón Miguel A. , Bustamante Javier 
Published: February 2012

Summary1. Understanding the impact of environmental variability on migrating species requires the estimation of sequential abiotic effects in different geographic areas across the life cycle. For instance, waterfowl (ducks, geese and swans) usually breed widely dispersed throughout their breeding range and gather in large numbers in their wintering headquarters, but there is a lack of knowledge on the effects of the sequential environmental conditions experienced by migrating birds on the long‐term community dynamics at their wintering sites.2. Here, we analyse multidecadal time‐series data of 10 waterfowl species wintering in the Guadalquivir Marshes (SW Spain), the single most important wintering site for waterfowl breeding in Europe. We use a multivariate state‐space approach to estimate the effects of biotic interactions, local environmental forcing during winter and large‐scale climate during breeding and migration on wintering multispecies abundance fluctuations, while accounting for partial observability (observation error and missing data) in both population and environmental data.3. The joint effect of local weather and large‐scale climate explained 31·6% of variance at the community level, while the variability explained by interspecific interactions was negligible (<5%). In general, abiotic conditions during winter prevailed over conditions experienced during breeding and migration. Across species, a pervasive and coherent nonlinear signal of environmental variability on population dynamics suggests weaker forcing at extreme values of abiotic variables.4. Modelling missing observations through data augmentation increased the estimated magnitude of environmental forcing by an average 30·1% and reduced the impact of stochasticity by 39·3% when accounting for observation error. Interestingly however, the impact of environmental forcing on community dynamics was underestimated by an average 15·3% and environmental stochasticity overestimated by 14·1% when ignoring both observation error and data augmentation.5. These results provide a salient example of sequential multiscale environmental forcing in a major migratory bird community, which suggests a demographic link between the breeding and wintering grounds operating through nonlinear environmental effects. Remarkably, this study highlights that modelling observation error in the environmental covariates of an ecological model can be proportionally more important than modelling this source of variance in the population data.
Case study of cognitive behavioural therapy awareness educational programme using blended learning, UK
Authors: EL ANSARI W. , DUNNE J. 
Published: February 2012

Accessible summary
This paper highlighted some opportunities as well as challenges in relation to cognitive behavioural therapy, and examined a cognitive behavioural therapy awareness educational programme delivered by a blended learning approach at the University of Gloucestershire, UK.
The challenges associated with initiation and running of such educational programmes included the time commitments for busy practitioners to complete the award, learners' motivation and engagement with the course, and some challenges associated with e‐leaning.
The paper concludes with suggestions for the way forward for such educational programmes.
AbstractThis paper examined the opportunities as well as challenges in relation to the use of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). The opportunities include the increased range of mental health conditions and other disorders where CBT (in isolation or with other interventions) could be effective to address them, as well as policies around workforce education and training that support the expansion of psychological therapies, particularly CBT services. The challenges include the urgent need of heightened awareness among the wider platform of health and social care workers about CBT principles, structure, framework, methods of delivery, wider applications, evaluation and appropriate referral of clients, and stepped model of care. In response to such needs, the paper described CBT awareness educational award at the University of Gloucestershire, UK: the Certificate of Professional Studies in Awareness of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies Practice delivered at Level III and M level. The challenges associated with the initiation and running of such educational programmes are highlighted, as well as suggestions for the way forward considering the learners', employers' and educational providers' perspectives.
Individualized, transdiagnostic approaches to complex presentations: a case study
Authors: BINNIE J. 
Published: February 2012

Accessible summary
Basing psychological treatment on diagnosis can work but not always.
People are complicated and so are their problems.
Being responsive and adapting treatment plans is important.
AbstractCognitive behavioural therapy is an evidence‐based approach to helping people resolve their mental distress. Cognitive behavioural therapy practitioners are often encouraged to adapt their interventions according to the person's diagnosis. However, this approach can be too simplistic. This paper aimed to reflect on working with complex clinical presentations and to explore how transdiagnostic approaches can be effectively integrated into standard cognitive behavioural interventions. To achieve these aims, a case study of cognitive behavioural therapy assessment and treatment was presented. The interventions used are described in detail. The move away from a diagnostic‐led intervention to a transdiagnostic perspective based on the individualized formulation is described. Reflections on the process are discussed and the overall approach used is evaluated with recommendations made to enhance future clinical practice.
Fish migrate underground: the example of Delminichthys adspersus (Cyprinidae)
Authors: PALANDAČIĆ ANJA , MATSCHINER MICHAEL , ZUPANČIČ PRIMOŽ , SNOJ ALEŠ 
Published: February 2012

AbstractComplex aquatic systems of karst harbour a rich but little‐investigated biodiversity. In Croatia and Bosnia–Herzegovina karst, temporal springs are inhabited by a group of minnow‐like fishes that retreat to the associated ground water during dry seasons and spend several months underground. The most abundant species in this group is Delminichthys adspersus (Heckel 1843), which also has the most fragmented distribution range. To determine the population composition and dispersal patterns, and to detect potential underground migration, a large genetic data set comprising 544 specimens of D. adspersus covering most of its distribution area was analysed. Analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences (∼1000 bp) and eight microsatellite loci showed that D. adspersus comprises at least three subpopulations with gene flow occurring among them. Coalescent‐based analysis revealed a complex migration pattern, with several unidirectional dispersal paths, including between temporal springs that share no surface connection. The results of this study suggest the existence of recurrent underground migration of fish in a karst environment and demonstrate the complexity of its hydrological network. The findings are relevant to conservation strategies for endemic karst organisms and karst ecosystems as a whole.
Targeting of Cameleons to various subcellular compartments reveals a strict cytoplasmic/mitochondrial Ca2+ handling relationship in plant cells
Authors: Loro Giovanna , Drago Ilaria , Pozzan Tullio , Schiavo Fiorella Lo , Zottini Michela , Costa Alex 
Published: February 2012

SummaryHere we describe use of a mitochondrial targeted Cameleon to produce stably transformed Arabidopsis plants that enable analyses of mitochondrial Ca2+ dynamics in planta and allow monitoring of the intra‐mitochondrial Ca2+ concentration in response to physiological or environmental stimuli. Transgenic plants co‐expressing nuclear and mitochondrial targeted Cameleons were also generated and analyzed. Here we show that mitochondrial Ca2+ accumulation is strictly related to the intensity of the cytoplasmic Ca2+ increase, demonstrating a tight association between mitochondrial and cytoplasmic Ca2+ dynamics. However, under all experimental conditions, mitochondrial Ca2+ dynamics were substantially different from those monitored in the cytoplasm, demonstrating that mitochondria do not passively sense cytosolic Ca2+, but actively modulate the intra‐mitochondrial level of the cation. In particular, our analyses show that the kinetics of Ca2+ release from mitochondria are much slower than in the cytoplasm and nucleus. The mechanisms and functional implications of these differences are discussed.
A heat‐activated calcium‐permeable channel – Arabidopsis cyclic nucleotide‐gated ion channel 6 – is involved in heat shock responses
Authors: Gao Fei , Han Xiaowei , Wu Jianhai , Zheng Shuzhi , Shang Zhonglin , Sun Daye , Zhou Rengang , Li Bing 
Published: February 2012

SummaryAn increased concentration of cytosolic calcium ions (Ca2+) is an early response by plant cells to heat shock. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the heat‐induced initial Ca2+ response in plants is unclear. In this study, we identified and characterized a heat‐activated Ca2+‐permeable channel in the plasma membrane of Arabidopsis thaliana root protoplasts using reverse genetic analysis and the whole‐cell patch‐clamp technique. The results indicated that A. thaliana cyclic nucleotide‐gated ion channel 6 (CNGC6) mediates heat‐induced Ca2+ influx and facilitates expression of heat shock protein (HSP) genes and the acquisition of thermotolerance. GUS and GFP reporter assays showed that CNGC6 expression is ubiquitous in A. thaliana, and the protein is localized to the plasma membrane of cells. Furthermore, it was found that the level of cytosolic cAMP was increased by a mild heat shock, that CNGC6 was activated by cytosolic cAMP, and that exogenous cAMP promoted the expression of HSP genes. The results reveal the role of cAMP in transduction of heat shock signals in plants. The correlation of an increased level of cytosolic cAMP in a heat‐shocked plant with activation of the Ca2+ channels and downstream expression of HSP genes sheds some light on how plants transduce a heat stimulus into a signal cascade that leads to a heat shock response.
The bHLH protein ROX acts in concert with RAX1 and LAS to modulate axillary meristem formation in Arabidopsis
Authors: Yang Fang , Wang Quan , Schmitz Gregor , Müller Dörte , Theres Klaus 
Published: February 2012

SummaryDuring post‐embryonic shoot development, new meristems are initiated in the axils of leaves. They produce secondary axes of growth that determine morphological plasticity and reproductive efficiency in higher plants. In this study, we describe the role of the bHLH‐protein‐encoding Arabidopsis gene REGULATOR OF AXILLARY MERISTEM FORMATION (ROX), which is the ortholog of the branching regulators LAX PANICLE1 (LAX1) in rice and barren stalk1 (ba1) in maize. rox mutants display compromised axillary bud formation during vegetative shoot development, and combination of rox mutants with mutations in RAX1 and LAS, two key regulators of axillary meristem initiation, enhances their branching defects. In contrast to lax1 and ba1, flower development is unaffected in rox mutants. Over‐expression of ROX leads to formation of accessory side shoots. ROX mRNA accumulates at the adaxial boundary of leaf and flower primordia. However, in the vegetative phase, axillary meristems initiate after ROX expression has terminated, suggesting an indirect role for ROX in meristem formation. During vegetative development, ROX expression is dependent on RAX1 and LAS activity, and all three genes act in concert to modulate axillary meristem formation.
The impact of photoperiod insensitive Ppd‐1a mutations on the photoperiod pathway across the three genomes of hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Authors: Shaw Lindsay M. , Turner Adrian S. , Laurie David A. 
Published: February 2012

SummaryFlowering time is a trait that has been extensively altered during wheat domestication, enabling it to be highly productive in diverse environments and providing a rich source of variation for studying adaptation mechanisms. Hexaploid wheat is ancestrally a long‐day plant, but many environments require varieties with photoperiod insensitivity (PI) that can flower in short days. PI results from mutations in the Ppd‐1 gene on the A, B or D genomes, with individual mutations conferring different degrees of earliness. The basis of this is poorly understood. Using a common genetic background, the effects of A, B and D genome PI mutations on genes of the circadian clock and photoperiod pathway were studied using genome‐specific expression assays. Ppd‐1 PI mutations did not affect the clock or immediate clock outputs, but affected TaCO1 and TaFT1, with a reduction in TaCO1 expression as TaFT1 expression increased. Therefore, although Ppd‐1 is related to PRR genes of the Arabidopsis circadian clock, Ppd‐1 affects flowering by an alternative route, most likely by upregulating TaFT1 with a feedback effect that reduces TaCO1 expression. Individual genes in the circadian clock and photoperiod pathway were predominantly expressed from one genome, and there was no genome specificity in Ppd‐1 action. Lines combining PI mutations on two or three genomes had enhanced earliness with higher levels, but not earlier induction, of TaFT1, showing that there is a direct quantitative relationship between Ppd‐1 mutations, TaFT1 expression and flowering.
Phylloquinone (vitamin K1) biosynthesis in plants: two peroxisomal thioesterases of lactobacillales origin hydrolyze 1,4‐dihydroxy‐2‐naphthoyl‐coa
Authors: Widhalm Joshua R. , Ducluzeau Anne‐Lise , Buller Nicole E. , Elowsky Christian G. , Olsen Laura J. , Basset Gilles J. C. 
Published: February 2012

SummaryIt is not known how plants cleave the thioester bond of 1,4‐dihydroxy‐2‐naphthoyl‐CoA (DHNA‐CoA), a necessary step to form the naphthoquinone ring of phylloquinone (vitamin K1). In fact, only recently has the hydrolysis of DHNA‐CoA been demonstrated to be enzyme driven in vivo, and the cognate thioesterase characterized in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis. With a few exceptions in certain prokaryotic (Sorangium and Opitutus) and eukaryotic (Cyanidium, Cyanidioschyzon and Paulinella) organisms, orthologs of DHNA‐CoA thioesterase are missing outside of the cyanobacterial lineage. In this study, genomic approaches and functional complementation experiments identified two Arabidopsis genes encoding functional DHNA‐CoA thioesterases. The deduced plant proteins display low percentages of identity with cyanobacterial DHNA‐CoA thioesterases, and do not even share the same catalytic motif. GFP‐fusion experiments demonstrated that the Arabidopsis proteins are targeted to peroxisomes, and subcellular fractionations of Arabidopsis leaves confirmed that DHNA‐CoA thioesterase activity occurs in this organelle. In vitro assays with various aromatic and aliphatic acyl‐CoA thioester substrates showed that the recombinant Arabidopsis enzymes preferentially hydrolyze DHNA‐CoA. Cognate T‐DNA knock‐down lines display reduced DHNA‐CoA thioesterase activity and phylloquinone content, establishing in vivo evidence that the Arabidopsis enzymes are involved in phylloquinone biosynthesis. Extraordinarily, structure‐based phylogenies coupled to comparative genomics demonstrate that plant DHNA‐CoA thioesterases originate from a horizontal gene transfer with a bacterial species of the Lactobacillales order.
Direct to consumer genetic testing: a systematic review of position statements, policies and recommendations
Authors: Skirton H , Goldsmith L , Jackson L , O'Connor A 
Published: February 2012

Skirton H, Goldsmith L, Jackson L, O’Connor A. Direct to consumer genetic testing: a systematic review of position statements, policies and recommendations.In healthcare settings, genetic tests to determine whether an individual had inherited a genetic mutation are ordered by a health professional, and the results are interpreted and conveyed to the patient by that person. However, direct to consumer genetic testing (DTCGT) has enabled individuals to purchase genetic tests and receive results without the intervention of a health professional. To inform a set of guidelines for consumers and health professionals, we undertook a systematic review of position statements, policies and recommendations on the use of DTCGT. We performed a search of seven databases and the Internet for relevant documents. The search terms were ‘direct to consumer’ and ‘genetic test', and documents in English published from 2002 to 2011 were included. The search retrieved 314 items, of which 14 were eligible for review. Five themes were derived from thematic analysis: motivation for use, potential benefits, potential harms, recommendations to guide consumers and need for research. The authors of these documents described more potential harms than benefits, but, although some stated that direct to consumer testing should be actively discouraged, others supported consumer rights to make autonomous choices. Further research into the impact of direct to consumer testing on health services and consumers is required to inform policies.
Associations between atopic markers in asthma and intestinal helminth infections in Cuban schoolchildren
Authors: Vereecken Kim , Kanobana Kirezi , Wördemann Meike , Junco Diaz Raquel , Menocal Heredia Lenina , Ruiz Espinosa Aniran , Nuñez Fidel Angel , Rojas Rivero Lazara , Bonet Gorbea Mariano , Polman Katja 
Published: February 2012

To cite this article: Vereecken K, Kanobana K, Wördemann M, Junco Diaz R, Menocal Heredia L, Ruiz Espinosa A, Nuñez FA, Rojas Rivero L, Bonet Gorbea M, Polman K. Associations between atopic markers in asthma and intestinal helminth infections in Cuban schoolchildren. Pediatric Allergy Immunology 2012: 23: 332–338.AbstractTotal serum IgE (tIgE), allergen‐specific IgE (sIgE), and skin prick test (SPT) are commonly used markers for atopy and atopic disease. The association between these measures and their relationship to clinical symptoms differs in affluent and non‐affluent countries. We investigated the role of intestinal helminth infections in observed variations in atopic markers and asthma, and possible diagnostic and epidemiological consequences. A cross‐sectional study was conducted in Cuban schoolchildren (n = 1285; 4–14 yrs). Atopy was determined by SPT, sIgE, and tIgE; asthma by International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire; and intestinal helminth infections by stool examination. Percentages of tIgE, sIgE, and SPT positives were 88.9%, 25.5%, and 16.5%, respectively. Asthma was found in 20.8%, and helminth infections in 20.9% of the children. All three atopic markers were significantly associated with each other and with asthma. Median tIgE levels were higher in helminth‐infected than in uninfected children, irrespective of their status of atopy/asthma. Discordant results between SPT and sIgE were observed in 22.6% of the children. Among SPT positives, 41% were sIgE negative. The proportion of SPT negatives among sIgE positives was 74% in helminth‐infected and 58.4% in uninfected children (p < 0.05). Helminth infections affected tIgE levels, reconfirming the limited value of tIgE for diagnosis of atopy and asthma in tropical areas. Higher frequencies of sIgE than positive SPTs were observed, especially in helminth‐infected children. This corresponds with current hypothesis on the role of helminths in atopy. However, the observed proportion of sIgE negatives among children with positive SPT suggests that other mechanisms may also be involved.
The stationary distribution of a continuously varying strategy in a class‐structured population under mutation–selection–drift balance
Authors: LEHMANN L. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractMany traits and/or strategies expressed by organisms are quantitative phenotypes. Because populations are of finite size and genomes are subject to mutations, these continuously varying phenotypes are under the joint pressure of mutation, natural selection and random genetic drift. This article derives the stationary distribution for such a phenotype under a mutation–selection–drift balance in a class‐structured population allowing for demographically varying class sizes and/or changing environmental conditions. The salient feature of the stationary distribution is that it can be entirely characterized in terms of the average size of the gene pool and Hamilton's inclusive fitness effect. The exploration of the phenotypic space varies exponentially with the cumulative inclusive fitness effect over state space, which determines an adaptive landscape. The peaks of the landscapes are those phenotypes that are candidate evolutionary stable strategies and can be determined by standard phenotypic selection gradient methods (e.g. evolutionary game theory, kin selection theory, adaptive dynamics). The curvature of the stationary distribution provides a measure of the stability by convergence of candidate evolutionary stable strategies, and it is evaluated explicitly for two biological scenarios: first, a coordination game, which illustrates that, for a multipeaked adaptive landscape, stochastically stable strategies can be singled out by letting the size of the gene pool grow large; second, a sex‐allocation game for diploids and haplo‐diploids, which suggests that the equilibrium sex ratio follows a Beta distribution with parameters depending on the features of the genetic system.
Intestinal glucose absorption in calves as affected by different carbohydrate sources
Authors: Klinger S. , Noci B. , Müller K. , Breves G. 
Published: February 2012

SummaryFrom numerous recent studies, it has been demonstrated that the development of the forestomach system in ruminants and thus microbial carbohydrate fermentation do not exclude the potential of the small intestines for enzymatic carbohydrate digestion and subsequent monosaccharide absorption. However, the role of regulatory nutritional factors is still under discussion. Therefore, we investigated the kinetic parameters of intestinal Na+‐dependent glucose absorption and SGLT1 expression using isolated brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) from the jejunum of 10‐week‐old calves kept on either hay, concentrate or corn silage‐based diets in addition to milk replacer. While the maximal transport capacity was significantly higher for concentrate and corn silage‐fed animals, SGLT1 protein expression was highest in BBMV isolated from hay‐fed animals. This observation differs from the prevalent conception that induction of Na+‐dependent glucose uptake via SGLT1 is based on an increased number of transporters at the brush border membrane.