bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The native - exotic plant choice in green roof design: using a multicriteria decision framework to foster urban biodiversity
Authors: Calviño Ana A. , Tavella Julia , Beccacece Hernán M. , Estallo Elizabet L. , Fabián Diego , Moreno María Laura , Salvo Adriana , Fenoglio María Silvina 
Published: January 2022

AbstractGreen roofs are considered key elements of the urban green infrastructure since they offer several environmental benefits, including habitat provision for arthropods. To achieve these benefits and ensure green roof success, an appropriate plant selection is an important step in the design of these infrastructures, especially where green roof technology is emerging like in South American cities. So far, decisions of using native or exotic plant species in green roofs had never been evaluated taking into account the plant potential to foster beneficial arthropods. By applying an integrative multicriteria decision framework that combined the habitat template hypothesis with the potential of plants to attract floral visitors and natural enemies, we obtained a ranked set of candidate native and exotic plant species. Among the best-ranked candidate species, we further compared the performance of six native and six exotic species in 30 experimental green roofs installed in Córdoba city, Argentina. To evaluate plant success, the occurrence and cover of each species were recorded one year after establishment under two management conditions: regular watering and weeding of spontaneous plants, and no management (15 roofs each). All selected species increased their vegetative cover one year after establishment. More interestingly, native plants had an advantage over exotic plant species as they exhibited a significantly higher occurrence and a slightly higher cover with no management than exotics. Native annuals were able to reseed the following season even in the absence of management, thus highlighting the relative importance of lifespan as a useful plant trait for future studies in green roof design. Given that green roofs are one of the possible solutions to ameliorate the negative effects of urban habitat loss on arthropod diversity, the development of an integrative multicriteria decision framework that takes into account the potential of native and exotic plant species for promoting beneficial arthropods would give a new twist in plant selection processes for green roofs.
Rnf149-related is an FGF/MAPK-independent regulator of pharyngeal muscle fate specification
Authors: Vitrinel Burcu , Vogel Christine , Christiaen Lionel 
Published: January 2022

AbstractDuring embryonic development, cell fate specification gives rise to dedicated lineages that underlie tissue formation. In olfactores, which comprise tunicates and vertebrates, the cardiopharyngeal field is formed by multipotent progenitors to both cardiac and branchiomeric muscles. The ascidian Ciona is a powerful model to study the cardiopharyngeal fate specification with cellular resolution, as only 2 pairs of cardiopharyngeal multipotent progenitors give rise to the heart and to pharyngeal muscles (aka atrial siphon muscles, ASM). These progenitors are multilineage primed, in as much as they express a combination of early ASM- and heart-specific transcripts that become restricted to their corresponding precursors, following oriented asymmetric divisions. Here, we identify the primed gene Rnf149-related (Rnf149-r), which becomes restricted to the heart progenitors, but appears to regulate pharyngeal muscle fate specification in the cardiopharyngeal lineage. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated loss knock-out of Rnf149-r function impairs atrial siphon muscle morphogenesis, and down-regulates Tbx1/10 and Ebf, two key determinants of the pharyngeal muscle fate, while upregulating heart-specific gene expression. These phenotypes are reminiscent of loss of FGF-MAPK signaling in the cardiopharyngeal lineage, and integrated analysis of lineage-specific bulk RNA-seq profiling of loss-of-function perturbations identified a significant overlap between FGF-MAPK and Rnf149-r targets. However, functional interaction assays suggested the Rnf149-r does not directly modulate the activity of the FGF-MAPK-Ets1/2 pathway. Instead, we propose that Rnf149-r acts both in parallel to the FGF-MAPK signaling on shared targets, as well as on FGF-MAPK-independent targets through (a) separate pathway(s).
Relapse-like behavior and nAChR sensitization following intermittent access nicotine self-administration
Authors: Tapia Melissa A. , Jin Xiao-Tao , Tucker Brenton R. , Thomas Leanne N. , Walker Noah B. , Kim Veronica J. , Albertson Steven E. , Damuka Naresh , Krizan Ivan , Edassery Seby , Savas Jeffrey N. , Solingapuram Sai Kiran Kumar , Jones Sara R. , Drenan Ryan M. 
Published: January 2022

ABSTRACTMany tobacco smokers consume nicotine intermittently, but the underlying mechanisms and neurobiological changes associated with intermittent nicotine intake are unclear. Understanding intermittent nicotine intake is a high priority, as it could promote therapeutic strategies to attenuate tobacco consumption. We examined nicotine intake behavior and neurobiological changes in male rats that were trained to self-administer nicotine during brief (5 min) trials interspersed with longer (15 min) drug-free periods. Rats readily adapted to intermittent access (IntA) SA following acquisition on a continuous access (ContA) schedule. Probabilistic analysis of IntA nicotine SA suggested reduced nicotine loading behavior compared to ContA, and nicotine pharmacokinetic modeling revealed that rats taking nicotine intermittently may have increased intake to maintain blood levels of nicotine that are comparable to ContA SA. After IntA nicotine SA, rats exhibited an increase in unreinforced responses for nicotine-associated cues (incubation of craving) and specific alterations in the striatal proteome after 7 days without nicotine. IntA nicotine SA also induced nAChR functional upregulation in the interpeduncular nucleus (IPN), and it enhanced nicotine binding in the brain as determined via [11C]nicotine positron emission tomography. Reducing the saliency of the cue conditions during the 5 min access periods attenuated nicotine intake, but incubation of craving was preserved. Together, these results indicate that IntA conditions promote nicotine SA and nicotine seeking after a nicotine-free period.
Non-alcoholic components of Pelinkovac, a Croatian wormwood-based strong liquor, counteract the inhibitory effect of high ethanol concentration on catalasein vitro
Authors: Homolak Jan , Perhoc Ana Babic , Joja Mihovil , Kodvanj Ivan , Toljan Karlo , Virag Davor 
Published: January 2022

AbstractAntioxidant enzyme catalase protects the cells against alcohol-induced oxidative stress by scavenging free radicals and metabolizing alcohol. Concentrations of ethanol present in alcoholic beverages can inhibit catalase and foster oxidative stress and alcohol-induced injury. Non-alcoholic components of pelinkovac counteract the inhibitory effects of high ethanol concentration and acidic pH on catalasein vitro.
Morphogenetic forces planar polarize LGN/Pins in the embryonic head during Drosophila gastrulation
Authors: Camuglia Jaclyn , Chanet Soline , Martin Adam C 
Published: January 2022

AbstractSpindle orientation is often achieved by a complex of Pins/LGN, Mud/NuMa, Gαi, and Dynein, which interacts with astral microtubules to rotate the spindle. Cortical Pins/LGN recruitment serves as a critical step in this process. Here, we identify Pins-mediated planar cell polarized divisions in several of the mitotic domains of the early Drosophila embryo. We found that neither planar cell polarity pathways nor planar polarized myosin localization determined division orientation; instead, our findings strongly suggest that Pins planar polarity and force generated from mesoderm invagination are important. Disrupting Pins polarity via overexpression of a myristoylated version of Pins caused randomized division angles. We found that disrupting forces through chemical inhibitors, depletion of an adherens junction protein or blocking mesoderm invagination disrupted Pins planar polarity and spindle orientation. Furthermore, directional ablations that separated mesoderm from mitotic domains disrupted spindle orientation, suggesting that forces transmitted from mesoderm to mitotic domains can polarize Pins and orient division during gastrulation. To our knowledge, this is the first in vivo example where mechanical force has been shown to polarize Pins to mediate division orientation.
The important choice of reference environment in microevolutionary climate response predictions
Authors: Ergon Rolf 
Published: January 2022

AbstractIt is well documented that individuals of wild populations can adjust to climate change by means of phenotypic plasticity, but few reports on adaptation by means of genetically based microevolution caused by selection. Disentanglement of these separate effects requires that the reference environment (the environmental zero-point) is defined, and this should not be done arbitrarily. The problem is that an error in the reference environment may lead to large errors in predicted microevolution. Together with parameter values and initial mean trait values, the reference environment can be estimated from environmental, phenotypic and fitness data. A prediction error method for this purpose is described, with the feasibility shown by simulations. As shown in a toy example, an estimated reference environment may have large errors, especially for small populations. This may still be a better choice than use of an initial environmental value in a recorded time series, or the mean value, which is often used. Another alternative may be to use the mean value of a past and stationary stochastic environment, which the population is judged to have been fully adapted to, in the sense that the expected geometric mean fitness was at a global maximum. Exceptions are cases with constant phenotypic plasticity, where the microevolutionary changes per generation follow directly from phenotypic and environmental data, independent of the chosen reference environment.
Integrated Tick Management in the Upper Midwest: Impact of Invasive Vegetation Removal and Host-targeted Acaricides onIxodes scapularisInfestation andBorrelia burgdorferiPrevalence of Small Mammals
Authors: Mandli Jordan T. , Lee Xia , Paskewitz Susan M. 
Published: January 2022

ABSTRACTIntegration of tick management strategies has been suggested to overcome ecological variation in tick, host, pathogen, and habitat, yet empirical evidence assessing combined treatment effect on blacklegged ticks,Ixodes scapularisSay, is limited. In this 5-year study (2014-2018) we tested whether combining two methods targeting tick/mammal interactions could reduce juvenileI. scapularis parasitism of two small mammal species,Peromyscus leucopusRafinesque andTamias striatusLinnaeus. Infection of small mammals withBorrelia burgdorferiwas used to evaluate host exposure to feeding ticks. Using a factorial design, removal of invasive vegetation (Amur honeysuckle,Lonicera maackiiRuprecht and common buckthorn,Rhamnus catharticaLinnaeus)was coupled with deployments of permethrin-treated cotton nesting materials (tick tubes) and evaluated against control sites. Removal of invasive vegetation resulted in lower captures ofT. striatussuggesting that treatment impacted reservoir activity in the plots. Deployments of permethrin-treated cotton were effective at reducing the frequency of juvenileI. scapularisparasitism ofP. leucopusby 91% across the study compared to controls. However, tick tubes did not offer consistent protection against mouse exposure toB. burgdorferiexposure. An additive negative effect was detected for juvenile tick intensity onP. leucopuswhen tick tubes were combined with invasive vegetation removal. We conclude that integration of these two methods provides very limited benefit and that permethrin treatment alone offers the best option for reducingI. scapularisinfestation onP. leucopus.
Spread of New Mutations Through Space
Authors: Shaw Kyle , Beerli Peter 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe terms population size and population density are often used interchangeably, when in fact they are quite different. When viewed in a spatial landscape, density is defined as the number of individuals within a square unit of distance, while population size is simply the total count of a population. In discrete population genetics models, the effective population size is known to influence the interaction between selection and random drift with selection playing a larger role in large populations while random drift has more influence in smaller populations. Using a spatially explicit simulation software we investigate how population density affects the flow of new mutations through a geographical space. Using population density, selectional advantage, and dispersal distributions, a model is developed to predict the speed at which the new allele will travel, obtaining more accurate results than current diffusion approximations provide. We note that the rate at which a neutral mutation spreads begins to decay over time while the rate of spread of an advantageous allele remains constant. We also show that new advantageous mutations spread faster in dense populations.
Return and volatility spillovers between South African and Nigerian equity markets
Authors: Bonga-Bonga Lumengo , Phume Maphelane Palesa 
Published: January 2022

PurposeThe paper evaluates the cross-transmission of returns and volatility shocks between Nigeria and South Africa stock markets to infer the extent of interdependence between the two markets. The paper also makes inference to optimal portfolio weights of holding assets in the two markets.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses an asymmetric vector autoregressive-exogenous generalised autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (VAR-X GARCH) model to assess the extent of returns and volatility spillovers between Nigeria and South Africa.FindingsThe results of the empirical analysis show evidence of shock spillovers from the South African stock market to the Nigerian stock market. Moreover, based on the dynamic Sharpe ratio and portfolio weight optimisation, the results indicate the possibility of portfolio diversification when holding simultaneous positions in the two stock markets.Practical implicationsThe results imply the possibility of economic profit for investors who take positions in the two stock markets. The lack of synchronisation of stock markets in the two largest economies in Africa is in contrast with the situations in other regions where stock markets returns of large economies often co-move.Originality/valueThe paper is the first to use the asymmetric VAR-X GARCH model to assess the cross-transmission of shocks between stock markets.
What is in a form? Examining the complexity of application forms and administrative burden
Authors: Brown Jeremiah Thomas , Carey Gemma , Malbon Eleanor 
Published: January 2022

AbstractAnalysis of the welfare state emphasises that access to social security support is a key component of the relationship between the state and the citizen. Recent literature has identified administrative burden as a concept that helps us to understand an emerging dynamic between the state and the citizen, where citizens must deal with increasingly onerous administrative ‘costs’ in order to access services or support from the state. Increased administrative burden has been identified at many stages of access to social security support and government services. Burdens are often talked about in general terms, that is, the amount of administrative complexity associated with a particular welfare service. In this paper, we look at how administrative burden can be found in even the smallest unit of administration—application forms. Taking a form from the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), we contribute to the growing literature on application forms and administrative burden by developing a framework to assess the complexity of questions on an application form. We show that in areas where citizens lives are complex, questions on forms can constrain the capacity of citizens to accurately represent their circumstances and, in turn, constrain their ability to gain access to support.
Asymmetric Inefficiency in the Market Response to Non‐earnings 8‐K Information*
Authors: Li Xing , Tan Qin 
Published: January 2022

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the pricing efficiency of 8‐K filings for events other than earnings announcements. Since these filings provide timely information that is material to investors and explain variations in quarterly returns to a degree similar to other disclosures, understanding how the stock price absorbs their information is important for investors, regulators, and academics. By testing the statistical correlation between the immediate stock returns in response to these filings and subsequent stock returns before, during, and after the forthcoming earnings announcement, we find evidence of investor overreaction to good news but underreaction to bad news in the immediate window. Essentially, the price increases too much for good news but fails to decrease enough for bad news, resulting in overpricing for both. Most of the correction for this overpricing occurs in the period leading up to the forthcoming earnings announcement, while the rest happens during the announcement. Drawing on Miller (1977), we further illustrate that, in the presence of short‐sale constraints, increase in investor disagreement spurred by interpretation difficulty is the most likely mechanism for the observed overpricing. We fail to find sufficient evidence in support of alternative mechanisms, including managerial disclosure strategies, analyst optimistic bias, and retail investor participation. This asymmetric mispricing for non‐earnings 8‐Ks contrasts with the symmetric mispricing commonly found for other types of disclosures, where investors either systematically underreact or overreact to public information. Our results could broadly speak to the pricing of other public information that is inherently difficult to interpret.
Threat of Exit by Non‐Blockholders and Income Smoothing: Evidence from Foreign Institutional Investors in Japan*
Authors: David Parthiban , Duru Augustine , Lobo Gerald J. , Maharjan Johan , Zhao Yijiang 
Published: January 2022

ABSTRACTWe examine how the threat of exit by non‐blockholders (investors with ownership <5%) relates to firms' income smoothing. Unlike informed blockholders, non‐blockholders lack private information and therefore rely more on reported accounting numbers to evaluate firm performance. To isolate the exit threat, we use the unique setting in Japan where strong firm‐centric social norms and lack of insider access lead non‐blockholding foreign institutions to influence management primarily through the threat of exit. We predict and find that foreign non‐blockholders' exit threat is positively associated with the extent of income smoothing. This effect is more pronounced for firms less embedded in Japan's stakeholder‐based system, firms with greater stock liquidity, and firms with higher US institutional ownership. In addition, smoothing associated with such an exit threat, on average, is informative. Our findings suggest that Japanese firms under non‐blockholders' exit threat increase income smoothing to reduce perceived uncertainty and that such smoothing generally meets non‐blockholders' information needs.
Marula (Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra, Anacardiaceae) thrives under climate change in sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Jinga Percy , Zingoni Emmanuel , Bobo Enetia D. , Munosiyei Pias 
Published: January 2022

AbstractClimate change threatens the persistence of some plant species, especially those highly adapted to their microclimates. The aim of the study was to determine the current suitable habitat of marula (Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra) and to forecast the habitat under different climate change scenarios. Predictions were made in Maxent using 490 occurrence records, four representative concentration pathways (RCPs) and three general circulation models (GCMs). Variables used were altitude, soil characteristics, monthly precipitation, monthly minimum and maximum temperatures and 19 bioclimatic variables. The current suitable habitat of marula largely occurs in mopane and dry miombo woodlands of southern Africa, including Madagascar. Permutation importance test showed that precipitation in November (30.1%), temperature seasonality (22.1%) and mean temperature of wettest quarter (14.3%) contributed significantly to the model of the current suitable habitat. When forecasted, the suitable habitat expanded under all GCMs and RCPs. On average in 2050, the range expanded by 26.0% (RCP2.6), 33.8% (RCP4.5), 24.8% (RCP6.0) and 42.3% (RCP8.5), while in 2070, it expanded by 30.0% (RCP2.6), 39.9% (RCP4.5), 33.3% (RCP6.0) and 45.1% (RCP8.5). The subspecies is not directly threatened by climate change, but indirect threats remain uncertain.
Serum periostin among infants with severe bronchiolitis and risk of developing asthma: A prospective multicenter cohort study
Authors: Nanishi Makiko , Fujiogi Michimasa , Freishtat Robert J. , Hoptay Claire E. , Bauer Cindy S. , Stevenson Michelle D. , Camargo Carlos A. , Hasegawa Kohei 
Published: January 2022

AbstractBackgroundInfants hospitalized for bronchiolitis (severe bronchiolitis) are at high risk for developing childhood asthma. However, the pathobiological link between these conditions remains unclear. We examined the longitudinal relationship of periostin (an extracellular matrix protein upregulated in response to type 2 inflammation) during bronchiolitis with the subsequent development of asthma.MethodsIn a 17‐center prospective cohort study of infants (aged <1 year) with severe bronchiolitis, we measured the serum periostin level at hospitalization and grouped infants into 3 groups: low, intermediate, and high levels. We examined their association with asthma development by age 6 years and investigated effect modification by allergic predisposition (eg, infant's IgE sensitization).ResultsThe analytic cohort consists of 847 infants with severe bronchiolitis (median age, 3 months). Overall, 28% developed asthma by age 6 years. In the multivariable model adjusting for nine patient‐level factors, compared to the low periostin group, the asthma risk was significantly higher among infants in the intermediate group (23% vs. 32%, OR 1.68, 95%CI 1.12–2.51, p = .01) and non‐significantly higher in the high‐level group (28%, OR 1.29, 95%CI 0.86–1.95, p = .22). In the stratified analysis, infants with IgE sensitization had a significantly higher risk for developing asthma (intermediate group, OR 4.76, 95%CI 1.70–13.3, p = .002; high group, OR 3.19, 95%CI 1.08–9.36, p = .04). By contrast, infants without IgE sensitization did not have a significantly higher risk (p > .15).ConclusionsIn infants with severe bronchiolitis, serum periostin level at bronchiolitis hospitalization was associated with asthma risk by age 6 years, particularly among infants with an allergic predisposition.