title: PeerJ description: Articles published in PeerJ link: https://peerj.com/articles/index.rss3?journal=peerj&page=1433 creator: info@peerj.com PeerJ errorsTo: info@peerj.com PeerJ language: en title: Populations and assemblages living on the edge: dung beetles responses to forests-pasture ecotones link: https://peerj.com/articles/6148 last-modified: 2018-12-13 description: Edge effects alter insect biodiversity in several ways. However, we still have a limited understanding on simultaneous responses of ecological populations and assemblages to ecotones, especially in human modified landscapes. We analyze edge effects on dung beetle populations and assemblages between livestock pastures and native temperate forests (Juniperus and pine-oak forests (POFs)) to describe how species abundances and assemblage parameters respond to edge effects through gradients in forest-pasture ecotones. In Juniperus forest 13 species avoided the ecotones: six species showed greater abundance in forest interior and seven in pasturelands, while the other two species had a neutral response to the edge. In a different way, in POF we found five species avoiding the edge (four with greater abundance in pastures and only one in forest), two species had a neutral response, and two showed a unimodal pattern of abundance near to the edge. At the assemblage level edge effects are masked, as species richness, diversity, functional richness, functional evenness, and compositional incidence dissimilarity did not vary along forest-pasture ecotones. However, total abundance and functional divergence showed higher values in pastures in one of the two sampling localities. Also, assemblage similarity based on species’ abundance showed a peak near to the edge in POF. We propose that conservation efforts in human-managed landscapes should focus on mitigating current and delayed edge effects. Ecotone management will be crucial in livestock dominated landscapes to conserve regional biodiversity and the environmental services carried out by dung beetles. creator: Ana Paola Martínez-Falcón creator: Gustavo A. Zurita creator: Ilse J. Ortega-Martínez creator: Claudia E. Moreno uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6148 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2018 Martínez-Falcón et al. title: Characterization of five complete Cyrtodactylus mitogenome structures reveals low structural diversity and conservation of repeated sequences in the lineage link: https://peerj.com/articles/6121 last-modified: 2018-12-13 description: Mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of five Cyrtodactylus were determined. Their compositions and structures were similar to most of the available gecko lizard mitogenomes as 13 protein-coding, two rRNA and 22 tRNA genes. The non-coding control region (CR) of almost all Cyrtodactylus mitogenome structures contained a repeated sequence named the 75-bp box family, except for C. auribalteatus which contained the 225-bp box. Sequence similarities indicated that the 225-bp box resulted from the duplication event of 75-bp boxes, followed by homogenization and fixation in C. auribalteatus. The 75-bp box family was found in most gecko lizards with high conservation (55–75% similarities) and could form secondary structures, suggesting that this repeated sequence family played an important role under selective pressure and might involve mitogenome replication and the likelihood of rearrangements in CR. The 75-bp box family was acquired in the common ancestral genome of the gecko lizard, evolving gradually through each lineage by independent nucleotide mutation. Comparison of gecko lizard mitogenomes revealed low structural diversity with at least six types of mitochondrial gene rearrangements. Cyrtodactylus mitogenome structure showed the same gene rearrangement as found in most gecko lizards. Advanced mitogenome information will enable a better understanding of structure evolution mechanisms. creator: Prapatsorn Areesirisuk creator: Narongrit Muangmai creator: Kirati Kunya creator: Worapong Singchat creator: Siwapech Sillapaprayoon creator: Sorravis Lapbenjakul creator: Watcharaporn Thapana creator: Attachai Kantachumpoo creator: Sudarath Baicharoen creator: Budsaba Rerkamnuaychoke creator: Surin Peyachoknagul creator: Kyudong Han creator: Kornsorn Srikulnath uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6121 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2018 Areesirisuk et al. title: Acute effects of contract-relax proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching of hip abductors and adductors on dynamic balance link: https://peerj.com/articles/6108 last-modified: 2018-12-13 description: BackgroundBalance control has been shown to play a fundamental role both in everyday life and many athletic activities. An important component of balance control is the somatosensory information gained from muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs. The changes in the muscle-tendon unit stiffness could alter the ability to detect and respond promptly to changes of an unstable environment. One of the procedures affecting muscle stiffness is stretching, and contract-relax PNF stretching (CRS) is considered as one of the safest and most effective techniques. So far, there are no studies on the impact of CRS of hip adductor and abductor muscles on body balance. These muscle groups are responsible for maintaining mediolateral balance which is of particular interest, since it is more affected by ageing and disease and since its deterioration has been associated with an increased risk of falling. In light of the above, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a single dose of contract-relax proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching of hip adductors and abductors on mediolateral dynamic balance.MethodsThe study involved 45 healthy individuals (age 19–23 years) assigned to the intervention group (IG) or the control group (CG). Balance testing was carried out before (Pre) and immediately after CRS in the intervention group or after 5-minute rest in the control group (Post). There were performed three repetitions of the CRS targeting the adductor and abductor muscles of the hip.ResultsStatistically significant differences between Pre and Post condition were observed only in the intervention group. The values of all measured variables defining the body’s dynamic balance were significantly lower immediately after the applied CRS, which indicates an improved body balance: Global Index (p = 0.0001), total area of sway (p = 0.0001), external area of sway (p = 0.00004), external time (p = 0.0004) and reaction time (p = 0.0003).ConclusionsA single dose of contract-relax proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching of the hip adductor and abductor muscles improved mediolateral dynamic balance. creator: Rafał Szafraniec creator: Krystyna Chromik creator: Amanda Poborska creator: Adam Kawczyński uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6108 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2018 Szafraniec et al. title: The influence of maternal body mass index and physical activity on select cardiovascular risk factors of preadolescent Hispanic children link: https://peerj.com/articles/6100 last-modified: 2018-12-13 description: BackgroundMaternal obesity and physical inactivity have been identified as correlates of overweight and obesity and physical inactivity in older preadolescents; however, no study has explored this relationship in Hispanic preadolescents. Furthermore, the relation between maternal physical activity (PA) and blood pressure (BP) in Hispanic preadolescents has not been examined.PurposeThis study aimed to assess the associations between Hispanic mothers’ PA and body mass index (BMI) and their preadolescents’ PA, screen time, BP, and BMI.MethodsData of 118 mother-child (aged 2–10 years) dyads enrolled in a cross-sectional study of metabolic syndrome in Hispanic preadolescents at a community health center in Johnson City, TN were used. Parent and child questionnaires were used to ascertain mothers’ BMI and PA and preadolescents’ PA and screen time. Preadolescents’ height, weight, and BP were measured. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the association between child and maternal variables, adjusting for mother’s education and the child’s sex and age.ResultsPradolescents of obese mothers were more likely than preadolescents of mothers with normal weight to engage in less than three days of at least 60 min of vigorous PA per week (OR: 6.47, 95% CI [1.61–26.0]). Preadolescents whose mothers did not engage in moderate PA were more likely to engage in less than three days of at least 60 min of vigorous PA per week (OR: 2.92, CI [1.18–7.24]); and have elevated BP (OR: 2.50, 95% CI [1.02–4.53]) than preadolescents whose mothers engaged in moderate PA.DiscussionOur results show a negative relationship between maternal obesity and preadolescent PA, and a positive relationship between lower maternal PA and elevated BP and lower PA in Hispanic preadolescents. This suggests that interventions aimed at improving Hispanic preadolescents’ PA and BP may use maternal PA and maternal BMI (for preadolescent PA) as a modification strategy to improve health in Hispanic preadolescents. creator: Basil A. Alhassan creator: Ying Liu creator: Deborah Slawson creator: Jonathan M. Peterson creator: Jo-Ann Marrs creator: William A. Clark creator: Arsham Alamian uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6100 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2018 Alhassan et al. title: Isolation and identification of pathogenic fungi and oomycetes associated with beans and cowpea root diseases in Oman link: https://peerj.com/articles/6064 last-modified: 2018-12-13 description: The purpose of this study was to characterize fungal and oomycete species associated with root diseases of Phaseolus vulgaris, Vigna unguiculata, V. radiata and Vicia faba in Oman. Root samples were collected from plants suffering from weakened growth and yellowing symptoms. Fungal species were isolated on 2.5% potato dextrose agar amended with 10 mg l−1 rifampicin and 200 mg l−1 of ampicillin and identification was based on sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal RNA gene (ITS rRNA), glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH), translation elongation factor-1 alpha (TEF), beta-tubulin (TUB), calmodulin (CMD), actin (ACT). Isolations yielded 204 fungal isolates belonging to nine different genera, with most isolates belonging to Alternaria and Fusarium. Molecular identification revealed that the isolates belong to 20 fungal species, the most dominant of which was Alternaria alternata. Pathogenicity tests were conducted on each plant species. The inoculations on P. vulgaris revealed that Pythium aphanidermatum induced rotting, damping-off and wilt symptoms while Fusarium equiseti induced yellowing symptoms on the leaves. Rhizoctonia solani produced lesions and root rot on Vigna unguiculata while Curvularia muehlenbeckiae and Curvularia caricae-papayae produced root lesions on the roots of V. unguiculata and V. radiata, respectively. Alternaria alternata produced brown symptoms on the tap root of Vicia faba. P. aphanidermatum resulted in a significant reduction in the fresh weight, dry weight and shoot length of Phaseolus vulgaris. The study shows that several fungal species can be found associated with the roots of beans and Vigna unguiculata in Oman and can result in varying disease symptoms. This is the first report of root lesions produced by Curvularia muehlenbeckiae on the roots of V. unguiculata and by C. caricae-papayae on V. radiata worldwide. creator: Asma Al-Jaradi creator: Issa Al-Mahmooli creator: Rhonda Janke creator: Sajeewa Maharachchikumbura creator: Nadiya Al-Saady creator: Abdullah M. Al-Sadi uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6064 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2018 Al-Jaradi et al. title: Rapid increases in soil pH solubilise organic matter, dramatically increase denitrification potential and strongly stimulate microorganisms from the Firmicutes phylum link: https://peerj.com/articles/6090 last-modified: 2018-12-12 description: Rapid and transient changes in pH frequently occur in soil, impacting dissolved organic matter (DOM) and other chemical attributes such as redox and oxygen conditions. Although we have detailed knowledge on microbial adaptation to long-term pH changes, little is known about the response of soil microbial communities to rapid pH change, nor how excess DOM might affect key aspects of microbial N processing. We used potassium hydroxide (KOH) to induce a range of soil pH changes likely to be observed after livestock urine or urea fertilizer application to soil. We also focus on nitrate reductive processes by incubating microcosms under anaerobic conditions for up to 48 h. Soil pH was elevated from 4.7 to 6.7, 8.3 or 8.8, and up to 240-fold higher DOM was mobilized by KOH compared to the controls. This increased microbial metabolism but there was no correlation between DOM concentrations and CO2 respiration nor N-metabolism rates. Microbial communities became dominated by Firmicutes bacteria within 16 h, while few changes were observed in the fungal communities. Changes in N-biogeochemistry were rapid and denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) increased up to 25-fold with the highest rates occurring in microcosms at pH 8.3 that had been incubated for 24-hour prior to measuring DEA. Nitrous oxide reductase was inactive in the pH 4.7 controls but at pH 8.3 the reduction rates exceeded 3,000 ng N2–N g−1 h−1 in the presence of native DOM. Evidence for dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium and/or organic matter mineralisation was observed with ammonium increasing to concentrations up to 10 times the original native soil concentrations while significant concentrations of nitrate were utilised. Pure isolates from the microcosms were dominated by Bacillus spp. and exhibited varying nitrate reductive potential. creator: Craig R. Anderson creator: Michelle E. Peterson creator: Rebekah A. Frampton creator: Simon R. Bulman creator: Sandi Keenan creator: Denis Curtin uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6090 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2018 Anderson et al. title: The impact of pneumococcal vaccination on pneumonia mortality among the elderly in Japan: a difference-in-difference study link: https://peerj.com/articles/6085 last-modified: 2018-12-12 description: BackgroundIt is plausible that the routine immunization among infants using pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 13 (PCV13) from 2013 and among the elderly using pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine 23 (PPV23) from 2014 contributed to reducing the pneumonia mortality among the elderly in Japan. The present study aimed to estimate the causal effect of this vaccination on pneumonia mortality, using the available cause-of-death data and employing a difference-in-difference (DID) design.MethodsTwo types of mortality data, that is, prefecture-dependent and age- and gender-specific mortality data, from 2003 to 2017 were retrieved. We used mortality due to malignant neoplasm and heart disease as control groups and employed a DID design with an assumed parallel mortality trend between pneumonia and control group mortality since 2013 to estimate the causal effect of pneumococcal vaccination from 2014.ResultsOur estimation based on malignant neoplasm and heart disease as controls indicated that the reduced pneumonia mortality in 2017 owing to pneumococcal vaccination was as large as 41.9 (33.2, 50.6) and 31.2 (23.8, 38.6) per 100,000 individuals, respectively. The largest mortality reduction was observed for the oldest group (aged ≥90 years), especially among men.DiscussionThe pneumococcal vaccination program, perhaps mainly represented by high vaccination coverage of PCV13 among children and partly by PPV23 administration with low coverage among the elderly in Japan, was shown to have reduced the pneumonia mortality in the elderly at the population level. creator: Sung-mok Jung creator: Hyojung Lee creator: Hiroshi Nishiura uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6085 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2018 Jung et al. title: Ranaviruses and reptiles link: https://peerj.com/articles/6083 last-modified: 2018-12-12 description: Ranaviruses can infect many vertebrate classes including fish, amphibians and reptiles, but for the most part, research has been focused on non-reptilian hosts, amphibians in particular. More recently, reports of ranaviral infections of reptiles are increasing with over 12 families of reptiles currently susceptible to ranaviral infection. Reptiles are infected by ranaviruses that are genetically similar to, or the same as, the viruses that infect amphibians and fish; however, physiological and ecological differences result in differences in study designs. Although ranaviral disease in reptiles is often influenced by host species, viral strain and environmental differences, general trends in pathogenesis are emerging. More experimental studies using a variety of reptile species, life stages and routes of transmission are required to unravel the complexity of wild ranavirus transmission. Further, our understanding of the reptilian immune response to ranaviral infection is still lacking, although the considerable amount of work conducted in amphibians will serve as a useful guide for future studies in reptiles. creator: Wytamma Wirth creator: Lin Schwarzkopf creator: Lee F. Skerratt creator: Ellen Ariel uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6083 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2018 Wirth et al. title: Short-term interval aerobic exercise training does not improve memory functioning in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis—a randomized controlled trial link: https://peerj.com/articles/6037 last-modified: 2018-12-12 description: BackgroundOnly few aerobic exercise intervention trials specifically targeting cognitive functioning have been performed in multiple sclerosis.Objective and MethodsThis randomized controlled trial with 34 patients in the intervention group (IG) (mean: 38.2 years (±9.6)) and 34 patients in the control group (CG) (mean: 39.6 years (±9.7)) aimed to determine the effects of aerobic exercise on cognition in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The primary outcome was verbal learning assessed by the verbal learning and memory test (VLMT). Patients were randomized to an IG or a waitlist CG. Patients in the IG exercised according to an individually tailored training schedule (with two to three sessions per week for 12 weeks). The primary analysis was carried out using the intention-to-treat (ITT) sample with ANCOVA adjusting for baseline scores.ResultsA total of 77 patients with RRMS were screened and 68 participants randomized (CG n = 34; IG n = 34). The sample comprised 68% females, had a mean age of 39 years, a mean disease duration of 6.3 years, and a mean expanded disability status scale of 1.8. No significant effects were detected in the ITT analysis for the primary endpoint VLMT or any other cognitive measures. Moreover, no significant treatment effects were observed for quality of life, fatigue, or depressive symptoms.ConclusionThis study failed to demonstrate beneficial effects of aerobic exercise on cognition in RRMS. The trial was prospectively registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02005237). creator: Lisa Baquet creator: Helge Hasselmann creator: Stefan Patra creator: Jan-Patrick Stellmann creator: Eik Vettorazzi creator: Andreas K. Engel creator: Sina Cathérine Rosenkranz creator: Jana Poettgen creator: Stefan Michael Gold creator: Karl-Heinz Schulz creator: Christoph Heesen uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6037 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2018 Baquet et al. title: Founder effects drive the genetic structure of passively dispersed aquatic invertebrates link: https://peerj.com/articles/6094 last-modified: 2018-12-11 description: Populations of passively dispersed organisms in continental aquatic habitats typically show high levels of neutral genetic differentiation despite their high dispersal capabilities. Several evolutionary factors, including founder events, local adaptation, and life cycle features such as high population growth rates and the presence of propagule banks, have been proposed to be responsible for this paradox. Here, we have modeled the colonization process to assess the impact of migration rate, population growth rate, population size, local adaptation and life-cycle features on the population genetic structure in these organisms. Our simulations show that the strongest effect on population structure are persistent founder effects, resulting from the interaction of a few population founders, high population growth rates, large population sizes and the presence of diapausing egg banks. In contrast, the role of local adaptation, genetic hitchhiking and migration is limited to small populations in these organisms. Our results indicate that local adaptation could have different impact on genetic structure in different groups of zooplankters. creator: Javier Montero-Pau creator: Africa Gómez creator: Manuel Serra uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6094 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2018 Montero-Pau et al.