bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D–binding protein, total, “nonbioavailable,” bioavailable, and free 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, and mortality in a large population‐based cohort of older adults
Authors: Zhu Anna , Kuznia Sabine , Niedermaier Tobias , Holleczek Bernd , Schöttker Ben , Brenner Hermann 
Published: April 2022

AbstractBackgroundEpidemiological studies consistently find low concentrations of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in blood to be associated with increased mortality, and a recent large‐scale Mendelian randomization study strongly supports a causal relationship among individuals with low vitamin D status. Evolving evidence suggested that bioavailable or free 25(OH)D may better predict mortality. We aimed to compare the prognostic values of vitamin D–binding protein (VDBP), total, bioavailable, complementary “nonbioavailable”, and free 25(OH)D for total and cause‐specific mortality in a large population‐based cohort study of older adults from Germany.MethodsBioavailable, complementary “nonbioavailable”, and free 25(OH)D concentrations were calculated among 5899 participants aged 50–75 years, based on serum concentrations of total 25(OH)D, VDBP, and albumin. The cohort was followed with respect to total and cause‐specific mortality from recruitment in 2001–2002 up to the end of 2018. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the associations between various vitamin D biomarkers and mortality, and further stratified by vitamin D status.ResultsDuring a median follow‐up of 17.1 years, 1739 participants died, of whom 575, 584, and 94 died of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and respiratory diseases, respectively. Very similar inverse associations with total mortality (hazard ratio (HR) per standard deviation decrease: 1.17, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11, 1.24 for total 25(OH)D; HR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.21 for bioavailable 25(OH)D; HR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.18 for free 25(OH)D) and cause‐specific mortalities were seen for all biomarkers of vitamin D status. The strongest associations were consistently seen for respiratory mortality. These inverse associations were strongest among participants with low vitamin D levels (<50 nmol/L). No significant associations were seen between VDBP and mortality.ConclusionsTotal, nonbioavailable, bioavailable, and free 25(OH)D showed very similar inverse associations with total and cause‐specific mortality, which were strongest among those with low vitamin D status in this large population‐based cohort.
Modelling the impact of hunting on the coexistence of congeneric deer species in Central Amazonia
Authors: de Pinho F. F. , Lemos L. P. , Montanarin A. , El Bizri H. R. , Santos J. , Rabelo R. M. , Valsecchi J. , Ramalho E. E. , Paglia A. P. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe long‐term coexistence of sympatric species is dependent on segregation in at least one of three niche dimensions: space, time or feeding habits. Hunting by people can influence species' temporal and spatial patterns and consequently affect their coexistence. We tested the hypothesis that hunting influences spatial and temporal patterns of coexistence of two sympatric deer species (Mazama americana and Mazama nemorivaga) in central Amazonia. We described deer hunting patterns using data from an 18‐year community‐based hunting monitoring program and predicted the spatial distribution of deer hunting trips. We used camera traps to (1) estimate the habitat use patterns of each species through conditional occupancy, (2) evaluate whether these species interact and (3) assess how modelled hunting intensity affects deer habitat occupancy. We also tested the temporal overlap of activity time between both species and hunters. We did not find evidence of hunting effects on occupancy and interaction, nor of spatial segregation among the deer species. M. americana was primarily nocturnal and M. nemorivaga primarily diurnal. The overlap between species' temporal activities was relatively low, suggesting temporal niche segregation between species. Hunting activity was mainly diurnal and overlapped with M. nemorivaga active hours. However, we found that M. americana was more frequently hunted than M. nemorivaga. The probability of daytime activity was not influenced by hunting intensity. Temporal segregation, with asynchrony of activity periods, seems to be the mechanism behind the coexistence of M. americana and M. nemorivaga in Central Amazonia. The absence of hunting effects on brocket deer species in our study area suggests a low impact of harvest on both species' behaviour. This indicates that contexts of low human density and large extensions of pristine forests can enable hunted brocket deer populations to be sustained through source‐sink dynamics.
Geographic distance, sedimentation, and substrate shape cryptic crustose coralline algal assemblages in the world’s largest subtropical intertidal algal reef
Authors: Zhan Shing Hei , Chen Ling , Liao Chen‐Pan , Chang Wun‐Ruei , Li Cheng‐Chin , Tang Guang‐You , Liou Ching‐Yu , Wang Wei‐Lung , Wang Shih‐Wei , Liu Shao‐Lun 
Published: April 2022

AbstractAlgal reefs, concreted by crustose coralline algae (CCA), are the main biotic reefs in temperate waters but rare in the subtropics and tropics. The world's largest known intertidal algal reef in the subtropics is the Taoyuan Algal Reef (TAR) located in the northwestern coast of Taiwan. The biodiversity and ecology of the TAR are scarcely explored, and now the reef is imperiled by industrialization. Here, we document cryptic species of CCA in Taiwan, particularly the TAR, by sequencing thepsbA genes of over 1800 specimens collected across Taiwan. We also examine the ecological background of the TAR by surveying its benthic composition and measuring its environmental parameters. Our data reveal that the TAR harbours a high diversity of cryptic CCA species (27 molecular operational taxonomic units, or mOTUs), many of which are potentially new to science (18 mOTUs) and/or endemic to the TAR (9 mOTUs). Comparing the CCA species inventory of the TAR with the rest of Taiwan shows that the TAR represents a unique hotspot of CCA taxa in the waters of Taiwan. Our analyses show that variation in the CCA assemblages in the TAR is associated with geographic distance, sedimentation, and substrate type (for example, reef vs. hermit crab shell), suggesting that dispersal limitation and contemporary environmental selection shape the CCA assemblages in the TAR. The data from this study can inform the monitoring of human impacts on the health of the TAR and contribute to our understanding of the ecological processes underlying algal reef development.
Community composition of bacteria isolated from Swiss banknotes varies depending on collection environment
Authors: Bischofberger Anna M. , Hall Alex R. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractHumans interact constantly with surfaces and associated microbial communities in the environment. The factors shaping the composition of these communities are poorly understood: some proposed explanations emphasize the influence of local habitat conditions (niche‐based explanations), while others point to geographic structure and the distance among sampled locations (dispersal‐based explanations). However, the relative roles of these different drivers for microbial community assembly on human‐associated surfaces are not clear. Here, we used a combination of sampling, sequencing (16S rRNA) and culturing to show that the composition of banknote‐associated bacterial communities varies depending on the local collection environment. Using banknotes collected from various locations and types of shops across Switzerland, we found taxonomic diversity dominated by families such asPseudomonadaceaeandStaphylococcaceae, but with banknote samples from particular types of shops (especially butcher shops) having distinct community structure. By contrast, we found no evidence of geographic structure: similarity of community composition did not decrease with increasing distance among sampled locations. These results show that microbial communities associated with banknotes, one of the most commonly encountered and exchanged human‐associated surfaces, can reflect the local environmental conditions (in this case, the type of shop), and the signal for this type of variation was stronger than that for geographic structure among the locations sampled here.
Genetic composition and diversity of Arabica coffee in the crop’s centre of origin and its impact on four major fungal diseases
Authors: Zewdie Beyene , Bawin Yves , Tack Ayco J. M. , Nemomissa Sileshi , Tesfaye Kassahun , Janssens Steven B. , Van Glabeke Sabine , Roldán‐Ruiz Isabel , Ruttink Tom , Honnay Olivier , Hylander Kristoffer 
Published: April 2022

AbstractConventional wisdom states that genetic variation reduces disease levels in plant populations. Nevertheless, crop species have been subject to a gradual loss of genetic variation through selection for specific traits during breeding, thereby increasing their vulnerability to biotic stresses such as pathogens. We explored how genetic variation in Arabica coffee sites in southwestern Ethiopia was related to the incidence of four major fungal diseases. Sixty sites were selected along a gradient of management intensity, ranging from nearly wild to intensively managed coffee stands. We used genotyping‐by‐sequencing of pooled leaf samples (pool‐GBS) derived from 16 individual coffee shrubs in each of the 60 sites to assess the variation in genetic composition (multivariate: reference allele frequency) and genetic diversity (univariate: mean expected heterozygosity) between sites. We found that genetic composition had a clear spatial pattern and that genetic diversity was higher in less managed sites. The incidence of the four fungal diseases was related to the genetic composition of the coffee stands, but in a specific way for each disease. In contrast, genetic diversity was only related to the within‐site variation of coffee berry disease, but not to the mean incidence of any of the four diseases across sites. Given that fungal diseases are major challenges of Arabica coffee in its native range, our findings that genetic composition of coffee sites impacted the major fungal diseases may serve as baseline information to study the molecular basis of disease resistance in coffee. Overall, our study illustrates the need to consider both host genetic composition and genetic diversity when investigating the genetic basis for variation in disease levels.
Performance of rapid on‐site evaluation of touch imprints of lung tissue biopsies for the diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis in patients without HIV infection
Authors: Wang Hansheng , Wang Lei , Luo Zhengning , Li Dan , Luo Guoshi , Ren Tao , You Hui , Liu Yan , Tang Yijun , Wang Meifang 
Published: April 2022

AbstractBackground and ObjectiveThe diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis depends on serum testing, histopathology and mycological culture; there are few studies on touch imprints of lung tissue biopsies for the diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis in patients without HIV infection. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the accuracy and timeliness of on‐site touch imprint cytology in the diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis during CT‐guided percutaneous lung biopsy.MethodsWe retrospectively analysed the diagnosis and treatment of 56 patients with final proof of pulmonary cryptococcosis through histopathology and culture or surgical resection from September 2015 to February 2021. Diagnostic methods and treatment and the turnaround time for diagnosis were analysed.ResultsThe sensitivity of rapid on‐site evaluation was 89.3%, and the sensitivity of serology, histopathology and mycological culture was 53.6%, 91.1% and 61.5%, respectively, compared with the final diagnosis. The average turnaround time to diagnose pulmonary cryptococcosis by on‐site touch imprint cytology was 8.3 ± 0.9 min, which was significantly faster than serum testing, histopathology and mycological culture.ConclusionOn‐site touch imprint cytology showed good sensitivity and timeliness in the diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis. In addition, it contributed to the triage of biopsies based on the preliminary diagnosis. On‐site touch imprint cytology should be applied and promoted in the diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis during biopsy.
Convergent gene clusters underpin hyperforin biosynthesis in St John's wort
Authors: Wu Song , Malaco Morotti Ana Luisa , Wang Shanshan , Wang Ya , Xu Xiaoyan , Chen Jianghua , Wang Guodong , Tatsis Evangelos C. 
Published: April 2022

Summary

The meroterpenoid hyperforin is responsible for the antidepressant activity of St John's wort extracts, but the genes controlling its biosynthesis are unknown.

Using genome mining and biochemical work, we characterize two biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) that encode the first three steps in the biosynthesis of hyperforin precursors.

The findings of syntenic and phylogenetic analyses reveal the parallel assembly of the two BGCs. The syntenous BGC in Mesua ferrea indicates that the first cluster was assembled before the divergence of the Hypericaceae and Calophyllaceae families. The assembly of the second cluster is the result of a coalescence of genomic fragments after a major duplication event. The differences between the two BGCs – in terms of gene expression, response to methyl jasmonate, substrate specificity and subcellular localization of key enzymes – suggest that the presence of the two clusters could serve to generate separate pools of precursors.

The parallel assembly of two BGCs with similar compositions in a single plant species is uncommon, and our work provides insights into how and when these gene clusters form. Our discovery helps to advance our understanding of the evolution of plant specialized metabolism and its genomic organization. Additionally, our results offer a foundation from which hyperforin biosynthesis can be more fully understood, and which can be used in future metabolic engineering applications.
Initial oak regeneration responses to experimental warming along microclimatic and macroclimatic gradients
Authors: Meeussen C. , De Pauw K. , Sanczuk P. , Brunet J. , Cousins S. A. O. , Gasperini C. , Hedwall P.‐O. , Iacopetti G. , Lenoir J. , Plue J. , Selvi F. , Spicher F. , Uria Diez J. , Verheyen K. , Vangansbeke P. , De Frenne P. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractQuercusspp. are one of the most important tree genera in temperate deciduous forests in terms of biodiversity, economic and cultural perspectives. However, natural regeneration of oaks, depending on specific environmental conditions, is still not sufficiently understood. Oak regeneration dynamics are impacted by climate change, but these climate impacts will depend on local forest management and light and temperature conditions.Here, we studied germination, survival and seedling performance (i.e. aboveground biomass, height, root collar diameter and specific leaf area) of four oak species (Q. cerris, Q. ilex, Q.roburandQ. petraea). Acorns were sown across a wide latitudinal gradient, from Italy to Sweden, and across several microclimatic gradients located within and beyond the species’ natural ranges. Microclimatic gradients were applied in terms of forest structure, distance to the forest edge and experimental warming.We found strong interactions between species and latitude, as well as between microclimate and latitude or species. The species thus reacted differently to local and regional changes in light and temperature ; in southern regions the temperateQ.roburandQ. petraeaperformed best in plots with a complex structure, whereas the MediterraneanQ. ilexandQ. cerrisperformed better in simply structured forests with a reduced microclimatic buffering capacity. The experimental warming treatment only enhanced height and aboveground biomass of Mediterranean species.Our results show that local microclimatic gradients play a key role in the initial stages of oak regeneration; however, one needs to consider the species‐specific responses to forest structure and the macroclimatic context.
A Pluralistic Virtue‐Centered Theory of Judging
Authors: Bassham Gregory , Ostrowski Olivia 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThough first proposed more than two decades ago, virtue jurisprudence—broadly, the attempt to apply the insights and perspectives of virtue ethics to law and legal theory—has failed to gain much traction in the legal academy. This is partly due, we suggest, to the dominance of traditionalist neo‐Aristotelian approaches to virtue jurisprudence—most notably in the work of Lawrence Solum, the most prominent theoretical architect and defender of virtue jurisprudence. In this paper, we sketch in broad strokes an alternative form of virtue jurisprudence—a pluralistic virtue‐centered approach—and explain how it might work, particularly in the field of constitutional adjudication. Such an approach, we argue, has major advantages over prevailing neo‐Aristotelian models, and may well have wider appeal.
Confronting inequality beyond sustainable development: The case for eco‐human rights and differentiation
Authors: Cullet Philippe 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe development model emphasizing economic growth has been at the root of today's environmental crises. Its reshaping as ‘sustainable’ development was supposed to address its shortcomings while giving particular attention to the needs of the poor. This has largely failed and in the process inequalities have increased significantly. Inequalities between people need to be addressed through eco‐human rights that are collective and multi‐level to better reflect today's environmental challenges. These rights build on the idea of solidarity rights, are framed around the principle of subsidiarity and the need for accountability beyond a single State. Inter‐State inequality has been addressed in part through differential treatment in environmental law. It needs to be reconfirmed to address ongoing inequalities and increased resistance to such measures; needs to be more flexible to reflect the specific situation of smaller groups of countries; and needs to integrate elements of intra‐State inequality.
Robust Generalised Bayesian Inference for Intractable Likelihoods
Authors: Matsubara Takuo , Knoblauch Jeremias , Briol François-Xavier , Oates Chris J. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractGeneralised Bayesian inference updates prior beliefs using a loss function, rather than a likelihood, and can therefore be used to confer robustness against possible mis-specification of the likelihood. Here we consider generalised Bayesian inference with a Stein discrepancy as a loss function, motivated by applications in which the likelihood contains an intractable normalisation constant. In this context, the Stein discrepancy circumvents evaluation of the normalisation constant and produces generalised posteriors that are either closed form or accessible using the standard Markov chain Monte Carlo. On a theoretical level, we show consistency, asymptotic normality, and bias-robustness of the generalised posterior, highlighting how these properties are impacted by the choice of Stein discrepancy. Then, we provide numerical experiments on a range of intractable distributions, including applications to kernel-based exponential family models and non-Gaussian graphical models.
Detrital zircon in an active sedimentary recycling system: Challenging the ‘source‐to‐sink’ approach to zircon‐based provenance analysis
Authors: Andersen Tom , van Niekerk Herman , Elburg Marlina A. 
Published: April 2022

ABSTRACTThe age and properties of detrital zircon in a sediment reflect properties of the rocks in which the zircon crystallized, and not necessarily the immediate precursor of the host sediment. Where clastic sediments are recycled, these properties are preserved so that U‐Pb ages and Lu‐Hf data on zircon grains will no longer give information on the routing of detritus. Because the crustal evolution and sedimentary recycling history of Southern Africa is well‐established, Holocene sediments in the region provide a good test example for detrital zircon geochronology applied to sands or sandstones with a complex recycling history. Data from 16 samples of unconsolidated sand, including dunes from the southern part of the Kalahari Basin, beach sands at the Atlantic coast, and isolated inland dune occurrences, yield ranges of early Mesozoic to late Archaean ages. Uranium–lead and lutetium–hafnium isotope data provide no evidence of direct derivation of zircon from protosources in crystalline bedrock. The complex distribution patterns can be decomposed into seven ‘provenance components’ that have previously been encountered in Palaeoproterozoic to Jurassic sedimentary rocks in the region. These components occur in non‐random combinations, in proportions that suggest mixing of recycled material from different sedimentary precursors. Taking pre‐Cenozoic geology, Cretaceous to Pleistocene drainage history of southern Africa and Holocene wind and current patterns into account, it is possible to work out a consistent model for transport of detritus from sedimentary precursors into the basin, followed by aeolian remobilization within the basin itself. The detrital zircon distributions can thus be interpreted from prior knowledge of the basin filling history, regional geology, geomorphology, drainage evolution and wind pattern. This amounts to a line of reasoning from ‘sink back to (intermediate) ‘source’, which is the opposite of the ‘(proto)source‐to‐sink’ paradigm commonly invoked in detrital zircon studies.
Negotiating Whiteness: Exploring White elementary school‐age children's racial identity development
Authors: Hazelbaker Taylor , Mistry Rashmita S. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractA robust body of research has examined ethnic‐racial identity (ERI) development during middle childhood, predominantly among children of color. However, White children's ethnic‐racial identification and negotiation of Whiteness is less well understood. To address this gap, this study explored (a) the labels that White children use to define themselves and (b) their identity‐related beliefs and knowledge. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 53 monoracial White children (Mage = 8.97, SD = 1.72) attending a racially diverse elementary school in the Midwestern United States. Results revealed that children most often identified as American or with an ethnic heritage label (e.g., German); few used the label "White." In describing their identification choices, children endorsed colorblind beliefs (e.g., race does not matter), conflated their American identity with being White, and described practices associated with Whiteness as normative. In addition, they described cultural practices associated with their ethnic heritage. Implications for the racial socialization of White children and the development of anti‐racism among White children are discussed.