bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Alternative states models provide an effective framework for invasive species control and restoration of native communities
Authors: Firn Jennifer , House Alan P. N. , Buckley Yvonne M. 
Published: December 2009

Summary 1. Identifying the mechanisms that facilitate invasion is crucial for the design of preventative measures and understanding the invasion process, but not necessarily for the design of effective control strategies. 2. When a novel disturbance is identified as facilitating invasion, the intuitive control strategy is to restore the previous disturbance regime. This recommendation is implicitly based on traditional models of succession, which explain the dynamics of few natural ecosystems. We investigate whether the application and/or manipulation of novel disturbances designed explicitly under an alternative states model are more effective for restoration. 3. Using a field trial, we manipulated a relatively new disturbance (ungulate grazing), a facilitator of invasion, to determine its effects on the invasive grass species, Eragrostis curvula and the rest of the plant community. The split‐plot design used excluded and permitted grazing and was combined with reductions in the biomass of the invader using mowing and selective application of herbicides. We also altered soil nutrient conditions and monitored responses over two growing seasons characterized by different rainfall patterns. 4. We found that the control strategy based implicitly on traditional successional models (removing the causal disturbance and killing the invasive grass) was not the most effective option for restoring a desirable native community. While this control strategy reduced the abundance of the invader and increased native grasses, it led to an increase in the abundance of an undesirable exotic forb, Verbena tenuisecta. The most effective control strategy was based on alternative states models and involved the maintenance of grazing and the use of fertilizers to increase the palatability of the invader. With this strategy, the abundance of the invader decreased because grazing pressure increased, native grasses increased and the exotic forb was maintained at low levels. 5. Synthesis and applications. The control strategy based on the alternative states models initially appears at odds with restoration efforts, because livestock grazing and nutrient addition are associated with the degradation of plant communities worldwide. However, for effective restoration, we found approaches that take into consideration the dynamics of the novel invader‐dominated system were the most effective in the short term.
A modern pollen–climate calibration set based on lake sediments from the Tibetan Plateau and its application to a Late Quaternary pollen record from the Qilian Mountains
Authors: Herzschuh Ulrike , Birks H. J. B. , Mischke Steffen , Zhang Chengjun , Böhner Jürgen 
Published: December 2009

AbstractAim  Fossil pollen spectra from lake sediments on the Tibetan Plateau have been used for qualitative climate reconstruction, but no modern pollen–climate calibration set based on lake sediments is available to infer past climate quantitatively. This study aims to develop such a dataset and apply it to fossil data.Location  The Tibetan Plateau, between 30 and 40° N and 87 and 103° E.Methods  We collected surface sediments from 112 lakes and analysed them palynologically. The lakes span a wide range of mean annual precipitation (Pann; 31–1022 mm), mean annual temperature (Tann; −6.5 to 1 °C), and mean July temperature (TJuly; 2.6–19.7 °C). Redundancy analysis showed that the modern pollen spectra are characteristic of their respective vegetation types and local climate. Transfer functions for Pann, Tann and TJuly were developed with weighted averaging partial least squares. Model performance was assessed by leave‐one‐out cross‐validation.Results  The root mean square errors of prediction (RMSEP) were 104 mm (Pann), 1.18 °C (Tann) and 1.17 °C (TJuly). The RMSEPs, when expressed as percentages of the gradient sampled, were 10.6% (Pann), 15.7% (Tann) and 11.9% (TJuly). These low values indicate the good performance of our models. An application of the models to fossil pollen spectra covering the last c. 50 kyr yielded realistic results for Luanhaizi Lake in the Qilian Mountains on the north‐eastern Tibetan Plateau (modern Pann 480 mm; Tann−1 °C). Tann and Pann values similar to present ones were reconstructed for late Marine Isotope Stage 3, with minimum values for the Last Glacial Maximum (c. 300 mm and 2 °C below present), and maximum values for the early Holocene (c. 70 mm and 0.5 °C greater than present).Main conclusions  The modern pollen–climate calibration set will potentially be useful for quantitative climate reconstructions from lake‐sediment pollen spectra from the Tibetan Plateau, an area of considerable climatic and biogeographical importance.
HLA‐B27 and ankylosing spondylitis: tales from China
Authors: López de Castro J.A. 
Published: December 2009

Abstract The two most frequent HLA‐B27 subtypes worldwide are B*2704 and B*2705. In the Han population of China B*2704 and, to a lower extent, B*2705 are found with significant frequency, and both are associated to ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Two articles in this issue report that the association to AS in this ethnic group is stronger for B*2704 than for B*2705. Thus, at least among the Han, B*2704 would be the strongest known susceptibility factor for AS.
HLA‐B27 polymorphism in patients with juvenile and adult‐onset ankylosing spondylitis in Southern China
Authors: Mou Y. , Wu Z. , Gu J. , Liao Z. , Lin Z. , Wei Q. , Huang J. , Li Q. 
Published: December 2009

Abstract Distribution of B27 subtypes in juvenile and adult‐onset ankylosing spondylitis (JAS and AAS) in Southern China was studied. A total of 505 patients belonged to Han population were included (145 JAS and 360 AAS patients), and 1368 healthy individuals were included as controls. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐B27 typing was performed by Luminex liquid array combining polymerase chain reaction‐sequence specific oligonucleotide probe (PCR‐SSOP) and/or serological method. HLA‐B27 subtyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction‐sequence specific primer (PCR‐SSP). The sequence‐based typing was performed for the B*2715 samples to verify the PCR‐SSP results. HLA‐B27 was presented in 453 of 505 patients (89.7%), compared with 74 of 1368 controls (5.41%). B*2704 subtype in AS group was significantly higher than controls and B*2705 subtype significantly lower. B*2715 and B*2702 were found in 1.32% and 0.66% of the B27‐positive patients but none in controls, and there was no significant difference between either of them and controls. B27‐positive patients were 134 (92.4%) in JAS group and 319 (88.6%) in AAS group. There was no significant difference for B27 subtypes distribution between JAS (B*2704, 05, 15) and AAS (B*2704, 05, 15, 02) groups. The frequency of B*2715 in two groups was 3 (2.24%) and 3 (0.94%), respectively. The onset age of three JAS patients carrying B*2715 was 5, 9 and 13 years old, respectively. Our results suggested that B*2704 was the predominant subtype in AS patients in Southern China. B*2715 was observed in AS group only and slightly more in JAS than in AAS, and the patients carrying this allele tended to have early onset, B*2715 may be disease‐association subtype.
Local adaptation at the range peripheries of Sitka spruce
Authors: MIMURA M. , AITKEN S. N. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractHigh‐dispersal rates in heterogeneous environments and historical rapid range expansion can hamper local adaptation; however, we often see clinal variation in high‐dispersal tree species. To understand the mechanisms of the species’ distribution, we investigated local adaptation and adaptive plasticity in a range‐wide context in Sitka spruce, a wind‐pollinated tree species that has recently expanded its range after glaciations. Phenotypic traits were observed using growth chamber experiments that mimicked temperature and photoperiodic regimes from the limits of the species realized niche. Bud phenology exhibited parallel reaction norms among populations; however, putatively adaptive plasticity and strong divergent selection were seen in bud burst and bud set timing respectively. Natural selection appears to have favoured genotypes that maximize growth rate during available frost‐free periods in each environment. We conclude that Sitka spruce has developed local adaptation and adaptive plasticity throughout its range in response to current climatic conditions despite generally high pollen flow and recent range expansion.
Influence of inflorescence size on sexual expression and female reproductive success in a monoecious species
Authors: Torices R. , Méndez M. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractSex allocation theory forecasts that larger plant size may modify the balance in fitness gain in both genders, leading to uneven optimal male and female allocation. This reasoning can be applied to flowers and inflorescences, because the increase in flower or inflorescence size can differentially benefit different gender functions, and thus favour preferential allocation to specific floral structures. We investigated how inflorescence size influenced sexual expression and female reproductive success in the monoecious Tussilago farfara, by measuring patterns of biomass, and N and P allocation. Inflorescences of T. farfara showed broad variation in sex expression and, according to expectations, allocation to different sexual structures showed an allometric pattern. Unexpectedly, two studied populations had a contrasting pattern of sex allocation with an increase in inflorescence size. In a shaded site, larger inflorescences were female‐biased and had disproportionately more allocation to attraction structures; while in an open site, larger inflorescences were male‐biased. Female reproductive success was higher in larger, showier inflorescences. Surprisingly, male flowers positively influenced female reproductive success. These allometric patterns were not easily interpretable as a result of pollen limitation when naïvely assuming an unequivocal relationship between structure and function for the inflorescence structures. In this and other Asteraceae, where inflorescences are the pollination unit, both male and female flowers can play a role in pollinator attraction.
Squash vine borer (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) management in pumpkin in the mid‐Atlantic
Authors: Brust Gerald E. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractSquash vine borer (SQVB) is becoming a more significant pest of pumpkins in the mid‐Atlantic region, because the pest’s oviposition occurs over a 4‐ to 6‐week period, insecticides are commonly applied over this entire time. This can lead to unnecessary applications that are not well timed with the activity of the moth. This study compared five treatments: (i) weekly insecticide applications, (ii) applications based on insect thresholds from pheromone trap counts, (iii) applications based on thresholds from observations of adults, (iv) combination of treatments two and three and (v) control (no insecticide). Studies were conducted over a 2‐year period at two locations. Using only observations of SQVB adults or pheromone traps to determine when to treat pumpkins resulted in significantly more damage and yield loss compared to spraying weekly. Adults were difficult to monitor as the season progressed and were not observed in the field even though egg counts of SQVB were usually greatest at mid‐season. Few adult SQVB were captured in pheromone traps until 4 weeks into the season even though SQVB were active in the field. Combining the two management strategies resulted in a 50% reduction in insecticide applications and yields that were equal to the weekly spray treatment.
Role of sea surface temperature and rainfall in determining the stock and fishery of the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris, Mollusca, Cephalopoda) in Tunisia
Authors: Chédia Jabeur , Widien Khoufi , Amina Bakhrouf 
Published: December 2009

AbstractOctopus (Octopus vulgaris, Mollusca, Cephalopoda) is an important and valuable fishery resource on the eastern and southern coasts of Tunisia, but its landings are highly variable. This paper explores the effect of environment on octopus catch per unit effort (CPUE) during a 12‐year period, through correlation analyses and the incorporation into surplus production models of sea surface temperature (SST) and rainfall data collected during cold (January–May) and hot (August–October) seasons. CLIMPROD software was used to select the appropriate model and fit it to the fishery and environment data. In both seasons, SST significantly contributed to CPUE variability; fishery production was influenced positively by cold season SST but negatively by hot season SST. Due to a poor fit with cold season data, the impact of rainfall was analysed only for the hot season, during which it has a positive effect on production. Results are discussed in view of the life‐cycle of octopus and the dynamics of the Tunisian fishery. This first study of octopus variability in Tunisia highlights the necessity to incorporate environmental influence into stock assessment and management advice.
Seasonal changes of antioxidant and oxidative parameters in the coralPocillopora capitataon the Pacific coast of Mexico
Authors: Liñán‐Cabello Marco A. , Flores‐Ramírez Laura A. , Zenteno‐Savin Tania , Olguín‐Monroy Norma O. , Sosa‐Avalos Ramón , Patiño‐Barragan Manuel , Olivos‐Ortiz Aramis 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThe physiological responses of the coralPocillopora capitatato environmental conditions common in winter and summer were studied in 2007 during February–March (winter) and June–July (summer) at La Boquita reef (Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico). Shallow and deep sampling stations were established at different distances from a small jetty built next to the Juluapan Lagoon. We analyzed superoxide radicals () and lipid peroxidants (TBARS); the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione‐S‐transferase (GST); chlorophylla(Chla), zooxanthellae density (ZD); and mycosporine‐like amino acids (MAAs). Our results showed that the, TBARS, CAT, GST, MAAs, and Chla,levels were significantly higher in summer (P < 0.05); no seasonal difference was found for GPx, GR or ZD. We found significant differences (P < 0.05) in winter only for Chlaand ZD at shallow sites and, in contrast, forat deeper sites. The results of this study indicate that increasing temperature and radiation associated with seasonal changes (from winter to summer), the efficiency of the enzymes GST, CR and GPX, and the production of MAAs together form a powerful mechanism forP. capitatato offset the detrimental effects of environmental change.
Changes in survivorship, behavior, and morphology in native soft‐shell clams induced by invasive green crab predators
Authors: Whitlow W. Lindsay 
Published: December 2009

AbstractMany studies on invasive species show reduced native densities, but few studies measure trait‐mediated effects as mechanisms for changes in native growth rates and population dynamics. Where native prey face invasive predators, mechanisms for phenotypic change include selective predation, or induced behavioral or morphological plasticity. Invasive green crabs, Carcinus maenas, have contributed to declines in native soft‐shell clams, Mya arenaria, in coastal New England, USA. We tested the hypothesis that clam ability to detect chemical cues from predators or damaged conspecifics would induce greater burrowing depth as a refuge from invasive crabs, and greater burrowing would require increased siphon growth. To determine how crab predation affected clam survivorship and phenotypic traits in the field, clams in exclosure, open, and crab enclosure plots were compared. Crab predation reduced clam density, and surviving clams were deeper and larger, with longer siphons. To determine whether the mechanism for these results was selective predation or induced plasticity, phenotypes were compared between clams exposed to chemical cues from crab predation and clams exposed to seawater in laboratory and field experiments. In response to crab predation cues, clams burrowed deeper, with longer siphons and greater siphon mass. Overall, crab predation removed clams with shorter siphons at shallow depths, and crab predation cues induced greater burrowing depths and longer siphons. Longer siphons and greater siphon mass of deeper clams suggests clams may allocate energy to siphon growth in response to crabs. By determining native behavior and morphological changes in response to an invasive predator, this study adds to our understanding of mechanisms for invasive impacts and illustrates the utility of measuring trait‐mediated effects to investigate predator–prey dynamics.
LONG‐TERM PROGNOSIS OF BILE DUCT STONES: ENDOSCOPIC PAPILLARY BALLOON DILATATION VERSUS ENDOSCOPIC SPHINCTEROTOMY
Authors: Kojima Yuko , Nakagawa Hiroshi , Miyata Akihiro , Hirai Takanori , Ohyama Itaru , Okada Akihisa , Hiramatsu Takeshi , Ohhara Yasuji , Kuwahara Takamichi 
Published: December 2009

Aim:  Endoscopic papillary balloon dilatation (EPBD), which allows preservation of papillary functions, is used as the first‐line therapy in our hospital for common bile duct (CBD) stones to reduce biliary complications. In the present study, we investigated causal factors for CBD stones and compared long‐term prognosis between EPBD and endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST).Methods:  A total of 453 EPBD and 233 EST cases treated between April 1996 and May 2007 were examined. They were categorized into four groups: group 1, gallbladder (GB) with stones was resected after CBD stones were extracted (cholecystectomy for GB with stones); group 2, GB with stones was not resected after CBD stones were extracted (no cholecystectomy for GB with stones); group 3, only CBD stones were extracted while the GB without stones was not resected (GB without stones); and group 4, CBD stones with a history of cholecystectomy (absence of GB). Then, postoperative recurrence of CBD stones was compared. To examine changes in papillary functions by EPBD, Oddi's sphincter pressure was measured before and after EPBD.Results:  Recurrence was observed in 31 EPBD and 40 EST cases. When recurrence rates by EPBD/EST were compared among the four treatment groups, they were lower with EPBD than with EST in all groups. Oddi's sphincter functions were preserved by 70% after EPBD.Conclusion:  Low‐pressure EPBD in combination with isosorbide dinitrate enabled preservation of papillary functions by 70%, which would improve a long‐term prognosis.
Predictors of glycaemic control in patients with Type 1 diabetes commencing continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion therapy
Authors: Shalitin S. , Gil M. , Nimri R. , De Vries L. , Gavan M. Y. , Phillip M. 
Published: December 2009

Diabet. Med. 27, 339–347 (2010)AbstractAims  To identify variables that predict glycaemic control in Type 1 diabetic patients switched to a continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) regimen, in order to improve patient selection for this treatment.Methods  The notes of 421 Type 1 diabetic patients aged 2.6–39.8 years (median 19.4) who initiated CSII treatment in 1998–2007 and used it for ≥ 1 year were reviewed. Details about their background and disease‐related and treatment‐related variables were recorded. At pump initiation, the mean age was 15.9 ± 7.2 years, mean diabetes duration 6.4 ± 5.8 years. Mean time of CSII use was 4.1 ± 2.1 years. Good glycaemic control was defined by glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) stratified by age (American Diabetes Association target levels). Improvement in glycaemic control was defined as a reduction of ≥ 0.5% in HbA1c from baseline. The change in the rate of severe hypoglycaemic or diabetic ketoacidosis events was also determined.Results  There was a significant sustained decrease in HbA1c with CSII for an average of 6 years, without increased rates of hypoglycaemia. Achievement of target HbA1c was significantly associated with the following parameters at pump initiation: lower HbA1c (P < 0.001), younger age (< 12 years), shorter diabetes duration (P < 0.001) and more frequent daily self blood glucose monitoring (SBGM) (P < 0.01). Improved glycaemic control was associated with longer CSII use (P = 0.032) and higher HbA1c at CSII initiation (P < 0.001).Conclusions  Switching patients to CSII resulted in sustained decrease in HbA1c and improved glycaemic control in patients with high HbA1c. Young age, frequent SBGM and lower HbA1c at pump initiation were identified as predictors of achieving glycaemic targets with CSII.
Capitalism and Climate Change: Can the Invisible Hand Adjust the Natural Thermostat?
Authors: Storm Servaas 
Published: December 2009

Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.(Robert Frost, ‘Fire and Ice’, New Hampshire 1923)ABSTRACTCan climate change be stopped while fossil fuel capitalism remains the dominant system? What has to be done and what has to change to avoid the worst‐case consequences of global warming? These questions are debated in the six contributions which follow. This introduction to the debate sets the stage and puts the often widely diverging views in context, distinguishing two axes of debate. The first axis (‘market vs. regulation’) measures faith in the invisible hand to adjust the natural thermostat. The second axis expresses differences in views on the efficiency and equity implications of climate action. While the contributions do differ along these axes, most authors agree that capitalism's institutions need to be drastically reformed and made fundamentally more equitable. This means a much broader agenda for the climate movement (going beyond carbon trading and technocratic discussion of mitigation options). What is needed for climate stability is a systemic transformation based on growth scepticism, a planned transition to a non‐fossil fuel economy, democratic reform, climate justice, and changed global knowledge and corporate and financial power structures.
Capitalism, Climate Change and the Transition to Sustainability: Alternative Scenarios for the US, China and the World
Authors: Li Minqi 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACTThis contribution evaluates the geopolitical and technical issues involved in climate stabilization and discusses alternative technical paths towards the required emission reductions in the US, China and the world. There are no plausible scenarios in which climate stabilization is compatible with a pace of capital accumulation required for economic and political stability under a capitalist system. Meaningful and effective actions towards climate stabilization presuppose and require fundamental social change.
Climate as Investment
Authors: Lohmann Larry 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACTThe climate crisis and the credit crisis have made the political issues surrounding investment and finance more critical than ever before. Proposals for ‘Green New Deals’ and the like — aimed at tackling both global warming and global recession — are streaming forth worldwide. Yet many such proposals are incoherent in that they overlook the need for an immediate start to a programme of phasing out both fossil fuels and purported fossil fuel substitutes such as nuclear power and industrial‐scale agrofuels. They also tend to rely on Northern‐biased conceptions of technology transfer and intellectual property that the climate crisis has helped make obsolete. To overcome these problems, future climate movements will have to focus increasingly on the democratization of research, planning and finance.