scholarly journals Limitations of current knowledge about the ecology of Grey Foxes hamper conservation efforts

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 19079-19092
Author(s):  
Maximilian L. Allen ◽  
Alexandra C. Avrin ◽  
Morgan J. Farmer ◽  
Laura S. Whipple ◽  
Emmarie P. Alexander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Landscape Composition ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Community Studies ◽  
Urocyon Cinereoargenteus ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Species Specific

Species-specific conservation is important for maintaining the integrity of ecological communities but is dependent on sufficiently understanding multiple aspects of a species’ ecology. Species-specific data are commonly lacking for species in geographic areas with little research and species perceived to have insufficient charisma or economic importance. Despite their widespread distribution across central and North America and status as a furbearing mammal, little is known about the ecology of Grey Foxes Urocyon cinereoargenteus compared to other species of furbearing mammals. To understand what is known about this species, especially factors affecting population dynamics, we performed a systematic review of the scientific literature. We found 234 studies about Grey Foxes, with studies increasing substantially over time but with geographic gaps in the Great Plains and most of Mexico and central America. Most studies we reviewed examined relative abundance or occupancy (n= 35), habitat associations (n= 30), primarily as part of larger mammalian community studies, or spatiotemporal effects of other mammalian carnivores (n= 19), predominately Coyote Canis latrans. Grey Foxes were primarily forest-associated although associations with specific forest communities or anthropogenically disturbed habitats varied among studies. Multiple studies across ecoregions reported this fox as among both the most- and least-abundant mammalian carnivore. The inter-specific effects of Coyote were often, but not exclusively, negative and were likely mediated by landscape composition and human development. Importantly, very few studies examined population-effects of coyotes on Grey Foxes. Studies of population trends, demographics, and space use of Grey Foxes were comparatively rare and small inter- and intra-study sample sizes limited our ability to infer broader patterns. We suggest multiple avenues for future research to better understand the population status of this species throughout their range. 

scholarly journals Sustaining Cross-Timbers Forest Resources: Current Knowledge and Future Research Needs

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 4703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omkar Joshi ◽  
Rodney E. Will ◽  
Chris B. Zou ◽  
Gehendra Kharel
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Tallgrass Prairie ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Timbers ◽  
Eastern Deciduous Forest ◽  
The Cross

The Cross-Timbers region of the United States, situated in the southern Great Plains along the western edge of the eastern deciduous forest, was historically Quercus-dominated open forest interspersed with tallgrass prairie and shrubs communities. The historical structure of the Cross- Timbers forests in this region has been altered, mainly due to fire exclusion, such that the current structure is closed-canopy and includes a midstory of fire-intolerant species. This change has reduced many of the important ecosystem services provided. This paper synthesizes existing literature on the Cross-Timbers with the aim of summarizing the current state of Cross-Timbers management related to sustaining ecosystem services and identifying potential research topics and directions needed. Specifically, we consider the ecological, management, and socio-economic issues. In addition, we theorize how the adoption of active forest management will affect ecosystem services and structure of the Cross-Timbers forests.

scholarly journals Factors Affecting Cadence Choice During Submaximal Cycling and Cadence Influence on Performance

2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernst A. Hansen ◽  
Gerald Smith
Keyword(s):  
Power Output ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Central Pattern Generators ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Road Gradient ◽  
Pattern Generators ◽  
Primary Basis

Cadence choice during cycling has been of considerable interest among cyclists, coaches, and researchers for nearly 100 years. The present review examines and summarizes the current knowledge of factors affecting the freely chosen cadence during submaximal cycling and of the influence of cadence choice on performance. In addition, suggestions for future research are given along with scientifically based, practical recommendations for those involved in cycling. Within the past 10 years, a number of papers have been published that have brought novel insight into the subject. For example, under the influence of spinal central pattern generators, a robust innate voluntary motor rhythm has been suggested as the primary basis for freely chosen cadence in cycling. This might clarify the cadence paradox in which the freely chosen cadence during low-to-moderate submaximal cycling is considerably higher and thereby less economical than the energetically optimal cadence. A number of factors, including age, power output, and road gradient, have been shown to affect the choice of cadence to some extent. During high-intensity cycling, close to the maximal aerobic power output, cyclists choose an energetically economical cadence that is also favorable for performance. In contrast, the choice of a relatively high cadence during cycling at low-to-moderate intensity is uneconomical and could compromise performance during prolonged cycling.

The Biological Impact of the Hypervariable N-Terminal Region of Potyviral Genomes

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 255-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongguang Cui ◽  
Aiming Wang
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Plant Viruses ◽  
Specific Protein ◽  
Terminal Region ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Translational Frameshift ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Carboxy Terminal

Potyviridae is the largest family of plant-infecting RNA viruses, encompassing over 30% of known plant viruses. The family is closely related to animal picornaviruses such as enteroviruses and belongs to the picorna-like supergroup. Like all other picorna-like viruses, potyvirids employ polyprotein processing as a gene expression strategy and have single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genomes, most of which are monopartite with a long open reading frame. The potyvirid polyproteins are highly conserved in the central and carboxy-terminal regions. In contrast, the N-terminal region is hypervariable and contains position-specific mutations resulting from transcriptional slippage during viral replication, leading to translational frameshift to produce additional viral proteins essential for viral infection. Some potyvirids even lack one of the N-terminal proteins P1 or helper component-protease and have a genus-specific or species-specific protein instead. This review summarizes current knowledge about the conserved and divergent features of potyvirid genomes and biological relevance and discusses future research directions.

scholarly journals A meta-analysis of the factors affecting eWOM providing behaviour

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elvira Ismagilova ◽  
Nripendra P. Rana ◽  
Emma L. Slade ◽  
Yogesh K. Dwivedi
Keyword(s):  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Economic Incentive ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Information Assimilation

Purpose Numerous studies have examined factors influencing electronic word of mouth (eWOM) providing behaviour. The volume of extant research and inconsistency in some of the findings makes it useful to develop an all-encompassing model synthesising results. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to synthesise findings from existing studies on eWOM by using meta-analysis, which will help to reconcile conflicting findings of factors affecting consumers’ intention to engage in eWOM communications. Design/methodology/approach The findings from 51 studies were used for meta-analysis, which was undertaken using comprehensive meta-analysis software. Findings Factors affecting eWOM providing behaviour were divided into four groups: personal conditions, social conditions, perceptual conditions and consumption-based conditions. The results of the meta-analysis showed that out of 20 identified relationships, 16 were found to be significant (opinion seeking, information usefulness, trust in web eWOM services, economic incentive, customer satisfaction, loyalty, brand attitude, altruism, affective commitment, normative commitment, opinion leadership, self-enhancement, information influence, tie strength, homophily and community identity). Research limitations/implications One of the limitations of this study is that the studies for this research were collected the only form from Web of Science, Scopus and Business Source such as databases, which result in a limited number of studies available for weight and meta-analysis. A wider range of databases should be used by future research. Also, this study only considered quantitative studies and excluded qualitative studies. Thus, future studies could include both types of studies in the meta-analysis. Practical implications By focussing on the best predictors of intention to provide eWOM communications (e.g. self-enhancement and trust in web eWOM services) managers can improve reader engagement and information assimilation. Knowing motivations to engage in eWOM helps platform operators design their service in a more customer-oriented way. By better understanding motivations to engage in eWOM communications marketers and researchers can influence individuals’ online information assimilation which can affect consumer purchase decisions, customer loyalty and consumer commitment to the community. Originality/value Applying meta-analysis helped the reconciliation of conflicting findings, enabled investigation of the strengths of the relationships between motivations and eWOM providing behaviour and offered a consolidated view. The results of this study facilitate the advancement of current knowledge of information dissemination on the internet, which can influence consumer purchase intention and loyalty.

The dynamic threshold model of bandwagon innovations: Role of organizational attention and legitimacy

2021 ◽  
pp. 204138662110542
Author(s):  
Muhammad Jawad
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Threshold Model ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Dynamic Threshold ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Adoption Decision ◽  
Organizational Attention

Innovations are not always adopted due to their expected economic impact but often due to bandwagon pressure. Fueled by economic uncertainty, these “bandwagon innovations” are adopted once the bandwagon pressure reaches a certain threshold. Existing literature, however, has not examined this threshold’s sources nor considered the effect of a bandwagon adoption decision on threshold. Therefore, building on current knowledge about the bandwagon effect, organizational attention, and legitimacy, this paper develops a theoretical model to help understand the factors affecting threshold and making organizations more or less likely to adopt bandwagon innovations. The novel dynamic threshold model proposed here explains how attention to social or economic factors can affect an organization’s threshold. The model shows that the threshold may change such that an organization may be more likely to adopt a bandwagon innovation after prior resistance or resist one after prior adoption. Implications for organizational decision-makers and future research avenues are also discussed.

Cut Flowers Being Sold as Impulse Items: A Look at Factors Affecting Impulse Product Merchandising

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 558c-558
Author(s):  
Jennifer B. Neujahr ◽  
Karen L.B. Gast
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Behavior ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Grocery Stores ◽  
Cut Flowers ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
New Type ◽  
The 1950S ◽  
The Way

Consumer behavior research seems to play an big role in determining the wants and needs of an industry. This research helps to shape the way we market to the consumers and helps make marketing strategies more effective. In the 1950s grocery stores began to sell horticulture products in order to alleviate the growers' surplus. Supermarkets now have seem to found their niche in this market due to the fact that they can influence their consumers to buy their flowers right along with their bread, and get all of their shopping done at once. This new type of sale, commonly referred to as the impulse sale, can relate directly to how well the store is merchandised and maintained. A study was conducted at a local supermarket, to determine the following: good locations for impulse sales items, special conditions affecting impulse sales items, and what types of things could affect demand for impulse items. It was discovered that certain locations make better sales than other locations. Locations that were front and center and allowed easy access to seeing the mixed flower bouquet without having to touch it yielded the best results. The variables used to show a change in demand showed little to some variability and has raised some questions which may be used to conduct future research.

Amruthapala (Decalepis arayalpathra (J. Joseph and V. Chandras.) Venter): A Comprehensive Review on Diversity, Therapeutic Uses, and Valorization of Bioactive Constituents

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 376-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonali Mishra ◽  
Nupur Srivastava ◽  
Velusamy Sundaresan ◽  
Karuna Shanker
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Metabolite ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Bioactive Constituents ◽  
Medicinal Uses ◽  
Comprehensive Review ◽  
Therapeutic Uses ◽  
Decalepis Arayalpathra

Background: Decalepis arayalpathra (J. Joseph and V. Chandras.) Venter is used primarily for nutrition besides its therapeutic values. Traditional preparations/formulations from its tuber are used as a vitalizer and blood purifier drink. The folklore medicinal uses cover inflammation, cough, wound healing, antipyretic, and digestive system management. A comprehensive review of the current understanding of the plant is required due to emerging concerns over its safety and efficacy. Objective: The systematic collection of the authentic information from different sources with the critical discussion is summarised in order to address various issues related to botanical identity, therapeutic medicine, nutritional usage, phytochemical, and pharmacological potentials of the D. arayalpathra. Current use of traditional systems of medicine can be used to expand future research opportunities. Materials and Methods: Available scripted information was collected manually, from peered review research papers and international databases viz. Science Direct, Google Scholar, SciFinder, Scopus, etc. The unpublished resources which were not available in database were collected through the classical books of ‘Ayurveda’ and ‘Siddha’ published in regional languages. The information from books, Ph.D. and MSc dissertations, conference papers and government reports were also collected. We thoroughly screened the scripted information of classical books, titles, abstracts, reports, and full-texts of the journals to establish the reliability of the content. Results: Tuber bearing vanilla like signature flavor is due to the presence of 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (HMB). Among five other species, Decalepis arayalpathra (DA) has come under the ‘critically endangered’ category, due to over-exploitation for traditional, therapeutic and cool drink use. The experimental studies proved that it possesses gastro-protective, anti-tumor, and antiinflammatory activities. Some efforts were also made to develop better therapeutics by logical modifications in 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxy-benzaldehyde, which is a major secondary metabolite of D. arayalpathra. ‘Amruthapala’ offers the enormous opportunity to develop herbal drink with health benefits like gastro-protective, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. Results: The plant has the potential to generate the investigational new lead (IND) based on its major secondary metabolite i.e. 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxy-benzaldehyde. The present mini-review summarizes the current knowledge on Decalepis arayalpathra, covering its phytochemical diversity, biological potentials, strategies for its conservation, and intellectual property rights (IPR) status. Chemical Compounds: 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 69600), α-amyrin acetate (Pubchem CID: 293754), Magnificol (Pubchem CID: 44575983), β-sitosterol (Pubchem CID: 222284), 3-hydroxy-p-anisaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 12127), Naringenin (Pubchem CID: 932), Kaempferol (Pubchem CID: 5280863), Aromadendrin (Pubchem CID: 122850), 3-methoxy-1,2-cyclopentanedione (Pubchem CID: 61209), p-anisaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 31244), Menthyl acetate (Pubchem CID: 27867), Benzaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 240), p-cymene (Pubchem CID: 7463), Salicylaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 6998), 10-epi-γ-eudesmol (Pubchem CID: 6430754), α -amyrin (Pubchem CID: 225688), 3-hydroxy-4-methoxy benzaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 12127).

Disparities in Health Between Black and White Americans: Current Knowledge and Directions for Future Research

2018 ◽  
pp. 456-478
Author(s):  
Thomas E. Fuller-Rowell ◽  
David S. Curtis ◽  
Adrienne M. Duke
Keyword(s):  
Health Disparities ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Public Investment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sociocultural Factors ◽  
White Americans ◽  
Biological Mechanisms ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Racial Ethnic

Conceptual frameworks for racial/ethnic health disparities are abundant, but many have received insufficient empirical attention. As a result, there are substantial gaps in scientific knowledge and a range of untested hypotheses. Particularly lacking is specificity in behavioral and biological mechanisms for such disparities and their underlying social determinants. Alongside lack of political will and public investment, insufficient clarity in mechanisms has stymied efforts to address racial health disparities. Capitalizing on emergent findings from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study and other longitudinal studies of aging, this chapter evaluates research on health disparities between black and white US adults. Attention is given to candidate behavioral and biological mechanisms as precursors to group differences in morbidity and mortality and to environmental and sociocultural factors that may underlie these mechanisms. Future research topics are discussed, emphasizing those that offer promise with respect to illuminating practical solutions to racial/ethnic health disparities.

scholarly journals Protocol for a systematic review on the experience of informal caregivers for people with a moderate to advanced dementia within a domestic home setting

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles James ◽  
Catherine Walshe ◽  
Katherine Froggatt
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Informal Caregivers ◽  
Informal Caregiving ◽  
Bibliographic Databases ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Advanced Dementia ◽  
Home Setting ◽  
Search Terms

Abstract Background The knowledge about the experience of informal caregivers who provide care to people with moderate to advanced dementia in a domestic home setting is limited. A consequence of long hours of caregiving in addition to dealing with normal challenges of daily living is their experience of a poor quality of life. Some of their experiences may be described in terms of a feeling of powerlessness to make changes during care provision. This feeling may also suggest an experience of moral distress. The aim of this systematic review is to synthesise qualitative evidence relating to these experiences. Methods This review adopts a narrative synthesis approach. A search will be conducted for studies written in the English language in the bibliographic databases MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Academic Search Complete covering periods from 1984 to present. Included studies will be qualitative or mixed-methods designs. The search terms will be related to dementia and caregivers, and the process will be focused on dementia at the moderate to the advanced stages within the domestic home setting. Reference lists of included papers will also be searched for additional relevant citations. Search terms and strategies will be checked by two independent reviewers. The identification of abstracts and full texts of studies will be done by the author, while the quality and the risk of bias will also be checked by the two independent reviewers. Discussion Psychological distress is cited as an experience reported within informal caregiving. For the caregiver, it is associated with a negative impact on general health. To date, no synthesis exists on the specific experience of informal caregiving for people with moderate to advanced dementia within the domestic home setting. This review considers that variation of accounts contributes to how the informal caregivers’ general experience is explored in future research. This may enable gaps in current knowledge to be highlighted within the wider context of caregiving in the domestic home setting. Systematic review registration This review is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020183649).

scholarly journals Molecular Mechanisms of Insulin Resistance in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Unraveling the Conundrum in Skeletal Muscle?

2019 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 5372-5381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel K Stepto ◽  
Alba Moreno-Asso ◽  
Luke C McIlvenna ◽  
Kirsty A Walters ◽  
Raymond J Rodgers
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Resistance ◽  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Polycystic Ovary ◽  
Evidence Synthesis ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ovary Syndrome

Abstract Context Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine condition affecting 8% to 13% of women across the lifespan. PCOS affects reproductive, metabolic, and mental health, generating a considerable health burden. Advances in treatment of women with PCOS has been hampered by evolving diagnostic criteria and poor recognition by clinicians. This has resulted in limited clinical and basic research. In this study, we provide insights into the current and future research on the metabolic features of PCOS, specifically as they relate to PCOS-specific insulin resistance (IR), that may affect the most metabolically active tissue, skeletal muscle. Current Knowledge PCOS is a highly heritable condition, yet it is phenotypically heterogeneous in both reproductive and metabolic features. Human studies thus far have not identified molecular mechanisms of PCOS-specific IR in skeletal muscle. However, recent research has provided new insights that implicate energy-sensing pathways regulated via epigenomic and resultant transcriptomic changes. Animal models, while in existence, have been underused in exploring molecular mechanisms of IR in PCOS and specifically in skeletal muscle. Future Directions Based on the latest evidence synthesis and technologies, researchers exploring molecular mechanisms of IR in PCOS, specifically in muscle, will likely need to generate new hypothesis to be tested in human and animal studies. Conclusion Investigations to elucidate the molecular mechanisms driving IR in PCOS are in their early stages, yet remarkable advances have been made in skeletal muscle. Overall, investigations have thus far created more questions than answers, which provide new opportunities to study complex endocrine conditions.

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