bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ecomorphological relationships and invasion history of non‐native terrestrial bird species on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, suggest ecological fitting during novel community assembly
Authors: Gleditsch Jason M. , Sperry Jinelle H. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe widespread introduction of species has created novel communities in many areas of the world. Since introduced species tend to have generalized ecologies and often lack shared evolutionary history with other species in their communities, it would be expected that the relationship between form and function (i.e., ecomorphology) may change in novel communities. We tested this expectation in a subset of the novel bird community on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. By relating foraging behavior observations to morphology obtained from live birds at four sites across the island, we found many relationships between species’ morphology and foraging ecology that mirrored relationships found in the literature for native‐dominated bird communities. Both movement and certain foraging behaviors were related to a species’ tarsus‐to‐wing ratio. Further, bill morphology was related to gleaning, frugivory, and flycatching behaviors. The commonness of significant ecomorphological relationships suggests that, within O‘ahu's novel bird community, form is strongly related to function. We hypothesize that ecological fitting likely played a major role in the assembly of this novel community conserving the relationships between form and function found in many other bird communities. To further support this hypothesis, we used niche data from EltonTraits 1.0 to determine whether the establishment of bird species introduced to O‘ahu was related to the distinctiveness of their ecological niche from the incumbent community. Introduced species were more likely to establish on O‘ahu if their diets were less similar to the bird species already present on the island. Our results support the idea that ecological fitting is an important mechanism in shaping ecological communities, especially in the Anthropocene, thereby influencing novel community assembly and functioning.
High parasite diversity in the amphipodGammarus lacustrisin a subarctic lake
Authors: Shaw Jenny C. , Henriksen Eirik H. , Knudsen Rune , Kuhn Jesper A. , Kuris Armand M. , Lafferty Kevin D. , Siwertsson Anna , Soldánová Miroslava , Amundsen Per‐Arne 
Published: October 2020

AbstractAmphipods are often key species in aquatic food webs due to their functional roles in the ecosystem and as intermediate hosts for trophically transmitted parasites. Amphipods can also host many parasite species, yet few studies address the entire parasite community of a gammarid population, precluding a more dynamic understanding of the food web. We set out to identify and quantify the parasite community ofGammarus lacustristo understand the contributions of the amphipod and its parasites to the Takvatn food web. We identified seven parasite taxa: a direct life cycle gregarine,Rotundulasp., and larval stages of two digenean trematode genera, two cestodes, one nematode, and one acanthocephalan. The larval parasites use either birds or fishes as final hosts. Bird parasites predominated, with trematodePlagiorchissp. having the highest prevalence (69%) and mean abundance (2.7). Fish parasites were also common, including trematodesCrepidostomumspp., nematodeCystidicola farionis, and cestodeCyathocephalus truncatus(prevalences 13, 6, and 3%, respectively). Five parasites depend entirely onG. lacustristo complete their life cycle. At least 11.4% of the overall parasite diversity in the lake was dependent onG. lacustris, and 16% of the helminth diversity required or used the amphipod in their life cycles. These dependencies reveal that in addition to being a key prey item in subarctic lakes,G. lacustrisis also an important host for maintaining parasite diversity in such ecosystems.
Intraspecific variation and energy channel coupling within a Chilean kelp forest
Authors: Elliott Smith Emma A. , Harrod Chris , Docmac Felipe , Newsome Seth D. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe widespread importance of variable types of primary production, or energy channels, to consumer communities has become increasingly apparent. However, the mechanisms underlying this “multichannel” feeding remain poorly understood, especially for aquatic ecosystems that pose unique logistical constraints given the diversity of potential energy channels. Here, we use bulk tissue isotopic analysis along with carbon isotope (δ13C) analysis of individual amino acids to characterize the relative contribution of pelagic and benthic energy sources to a kelp forest consumer community in northern Chile. We measured bulk tissue δ13C and δ15N for >120 samples; of these we analyzed δ13C values of six essential amino acids (EAA) from nine primary producer groups (n = 41) and 11 representative nearshore consumer taxa (n = 56). Using EAA δ13C data, we employed linear discriminant analysis (LDA) to assess how distinct EAA δ13C values were between local pelagic (phytoplankton/particulate organic matter), and benthic (kelps, red algae, and green algae) endmembers. With this model, we were able to correctly classify nearly 90% of producer samples to their original groupings, a significant improvement on traditional bulk isotopic analysis. With this EAA isotopic library, we then generated probability distributions for the most important sources of production for each individual consumer and species using a bootstrap‐resampling LDA approach. We found evidence for multichannel feeding within the community at the species level. Invertebrates tended to focus on either pelagic or benthic energy, deriving 13–67% of their EAA from pelagic sources. In contrast, mobile (fish) taxa at higher trophic levels used more equal proportions of each channel, ranging from 19% to 47% pelagically derived energy. Within a taxon, multichannel feeding was a result of specialization among individuals in energy channel usage, with 37 of 56 individual consumers estimated to derive >80% of their EAA from a single channel. Our study reveals how a cutting‐edge isotopic technique can characterize the dynamics of energy flow in coastal food webs, a topic that has historically been difficult to address. More broadly, our work provides a mechanism as to how multichannel feeding may occur in nearshore communities, and we suggest this pattern be investigated in additional ecosystems.
Power and limitations of environmental DNA metabarcoding for surveying leaf litter eukaryotic communities
Authors: Lopes Carla Martins , Baêta Délio , Sasso Thais , Vanzetti Agustín , Raquel Zamudio Kelly , Taberlet Pierre , Haddad Célio Fernando Baptista 
Published: October 2020

AbstractLeaf litter habitats shelter a great variety of organisms, which play an important role in ecosystem dynamics. However, monitoring species in leaf litter is challenging, especially in highly diverse environments such as tropical forests, because individuals may easily camouflage themselves or hide in the litter layer. Identifying species based on environmental DNA (eDNA) would allow us to assess biodiversity in this microhabitat, without the need for direct observation of individuals. We applied eDNA metabarcoding to analyze large amounts of leaf litter (1 kg per sample) collected in the Brazilian Atlantic forest. We compared two DNA extraction methods, one total and one extracellular, and amplified a fragment of the mitochondrial 18S rRNA gene common to all eukaryotes, to assess the performance of eDNA from leaf litter samples in identifying different eukaryotic taxonomic groups. We also amplified two fragments of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene to specifically test the power of this approach for monitoring vertebrate species, with a focus on anurans. Most of the eukaryote sequence reads obtained were classified as Fungi, followed by Metazoa, and Viridiplantae. Most vertebrate sequences were assigned to Homo sapiens; only two sequences assigned to the genus Phyllomedusa and the species Euparkerella brasiliensis can be considered true detections of anurans in our eDNA samples. The detection of taxa varied depending on the DNA extraction method applied. Our results demonstrate that the analysis of eDNA from leaf litter samples has low power for monitoring vertebrate species and should be preferentially applied to describe active and abundant taxa in terrestrial communities, such as Fungi and invertebrates.
Comprehensive stereotype content dictionaries using a semi‐automated method
Authors: Nicolas Gandalf , Bai Xuechunzi , Fiske Susan T. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractAdvances in natural language processing provide accessible approaches to analyze psychological open‐ended data. However, comprehensive instruments for text analysis of stereotype content are missing. We developed stereotype content dictionaries using a semi‐automated method based on WordNet and word embeddings. These stereotype content dictionaries covered over 80% of open‐ended stereotypes about salient American social groups, compared to 20% coverage from words extracted directly from the stereotype content literature. The dictionaries showed high levels of internal consistency and validity, predicting stereotype scale ratings and human judgments of online text. We developed the R package Semi‐Automated Dictionary Creation for Analyzing Text (SADCAT; https://github.com/gandalfnicolas/SADCAT) for access to the stereotype content dictionaries and the creation of novel dictionaries for constructs of interest. Potential applications of the dictionaries range from advancing person perception theories through laboratory studies and analysis of online data to identifying social biases in artificial intelligence, social media, and other ubiquitous text sources.
Development of Electrochemical Platform Based on Molecularly Imprinted Poly(methacrylic acid) Grafted on Iniferter‐modified Carbon Nanotubes for 17β‐Estradiol Determination in Water Samples
Authors: Marques Gabriel Lopes , Rocha Luana Rianne , Prete Maiyara Carolyne , Gorla Felipe Augusto , Moscardi dos Santos Dayana , Segatelli Mariana Gava , Teixeira Tarley César Ricardo 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThis paper describes the development of a new electrochemical sensor for 17β‐estradiol (E2) determination based on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with molecularly imprinted polymer grafted onto iniferter‐multiwall carbon nanotubes surface (MIP‐MWCNT) and dihexadecyl‐hydrogen‐phosphate (DHP). The electrochemical method was based on closed‐circuit preconcentration of E2 in 0.1 mol L−1 phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) during 500 s. Upon preconcentration, E2 was determined by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) exhibiting a limit of detection of 0.01 μmol L−1. The sensor exhibited higher selectivity toward E2 and it was applied for E2 determination in natural water samples, with accuracy attested by HPLC‐DAD.
Finite difference solutions for nonlinear water waves using an immersed boundary method
Authors: Xu Yan , Bingham Harry B. , Shao Yanlin 
Published: October 2020

AbstractIn this article, high‐order finite difference solutions of the exact potential‐flow problem for nonlinear water waves are developed which treat both the free surface and the uneven sea bottom boundary conditions using an immersed boundary method (IBM). The convergence, accuracy, and stability of this approach is first established for the linear problem, using various orders of scheme and different grid discretization strategies. The nonlinear wave problem on a flat bottom is then considered, and the solutions are compared with the highly accurate stream function theory solution. The convergence performance of the numerical solution for this nonlinear wave problem is established. Finally, linear wave shoaling and nonlinear wave propagation over a submerged bar are also tested. A preconditioned iterative solution strategy is also developed and shown to provide optimal scaling of the solution effort with increasing number of unknowns. Compared with existing free surface tracking methods, the IBM retains the same level of accuracy and stability when solving the linear problem. For the nonlinear problem, the IBM behaves reasonably in terms of accuracy, but generally with slightly higher computational effort. When it comes to the wave–body interaction problem, it is expected that the IBM will be advantageous compared with the σ‐transform method, since it removes the necessity of constructing an artificial continuous free‐surface inside the body.
Assessing financial protection in health: Does the choice of poverty line matter?
Authors: Ataguba John E. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractFinancial protection in health is an essential aspect of the universal health coverage discourse. It is about ensuring that paying for health services does not affect the ability of households and individuals to afford necessities. A well‐known way to assess financial protection is whether or not people are pushed into—or further into—poverty by paying out‐of‐pocket for health services. Although impoverishment from out‐of‐pocket health spending is not an explicit indicator of the sustainable development goals, it has gained prominence among researchers and policymakers because of its intuitive appeal and link to overall poverty reduction. Using data from Nigeria, this paper demonstrates that the choice of poverty line matters for assessing the impoverishing effect of paying out‐of‐pocket for health services. Among other things, the inconsistencies (or lack of dominance) could occur in ranking impoverishment levels by mutually exclusive groups within a country or in ranking different countries or a country over time. The implication is that the choice of poverty line could lead to manipulation of results for policy and for supporting an agenda that demonstrates an improvement in financial protection when this may not necessarily be the case.
Customers' usage behaviour of e‐banking services: Interplay of electronic banking and traditional banking
Authors: Sandhu Supreet , Arora Sangeeta 
Published: October 2020

AbstractDigital finance which is facilitated by electronic banking is absolutely paramount for realising the developmental objectives of emerging economies. Success of service innovations in the field of electronic banking depends to a great extent on the perceptions and consumption patterns of the intended users of such services. This paper reports on a study that investigated customers' usage of electronic banking services in a multi‐channel context. As e‐banking usage is found still low, banks have scope for further propagation of technology and reaping its benefits. With the inclusion of technology, banks should not ignore the importance of employees as manual and electronic banking are found complementary to each other. There is still need to make electronic banking simpler and more secured as these are the major inhibitors of complete reliance on electronic media.
Serial theft case linkage based on a two‐step cumulative probability model
Authors: Ding Ning , Ma Mingyuan , Zhai Yiming 
Published: October 2020

AbstractAt present, serial theft case linkage remains at the stage of empiricism. In order to overcome this subjective arbitrariness, this study proposes using a ‘two‐step cumulative probability model’ for investigation. In the first step, based on expert grading method, the opinions of 99 policemen were combined to quantify the serial theft case characteristics. In the second step, when a new case occurred, the characteristics of it were compared with the characteristics of each serial theft case, and the corresponding probabilities were added according to the calculations of the second step; when the accumulated points exceeded the threshold, we considered concatenating the new case with the corresponding serial cases. The results demonstrated that the average accuracy of the two‐step cumulative probability model was 87.5% and that the average response rate of the irrelevant case (control group) was 12.3%. We concluded that the two‐step cumulative probability model could assist in criminal investigations.
Impact of trimethylaminuria on daily psychosocial functioning
Authors: Roddy Daniel , McCarthy Philomena , Nerney Darragh , Mulligan‐Rabbitt Jennifer , Smith Edwin , Treacy Eileen P. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackgroundTrimethylaminuria (TMAU) (OMIM #602079) is a rare inherited metabolic condition. TMAU is associated with decreased hepatic trimethylamine N‐oxidation, which leads to an excess of the volatile trimethylamine (TMA) instead of substrate conversion to trimethylamine N‐oxide (TMAO). TMA is a tertiary amine derived from the enterobacterial metabolism of precursors such as choline and phosphatidylcholine present in the diet, and is also a bacterial metabolite of TMAO, a normal constituent of saltwater fish. When the involved enzyme flavin mono‐oxygenase 3 is deficient, TMA builds up and is released in the person's sweat, urine, and breath, giving off a strong body odor. We have recently reported the biochemical and genetic characteristics of 13 Irish adult patients with TMAU attending the main Irish Reference Center. Research on the behavioral and psychosocial aspects of this condition is limited. This study explores the patients' perspectives of living with TMAU in Ireland.MethodsA qualitative descriptive phenomenological approach was used. Six adults participated in this study. Data were gathered through semi‐structured interviews, which were transcribed and analyzed.ResultsThe results suggest that the participants experienced a negative journey to diagnosis. Fear, anxiety, paranoia, and dysfunctional thinking are a constant struggle. Participants reported using avoidant coping mechanisms and strategic planning to navigate daily life.ConclusionIt is considered that the results from this study will inform future interventions with this unique patient cohort.
Efficacy and Safety of Enteral Erythromycin Estolate in Combination With Intravenous Metoclopramide vs Intravenous Metoclopramide Monotherapy in Mechanically Ventilated Patients With Enteral Feeding Intolerance: A Randomized, Double‐Blind, Controlled Pilot Study
Authors: Charoensareerat Taniya , Bhurayanontachai Rungsun , Sitaruno Sirima , Navasakulpong Asma , Boonpeng Apinya , Lerkiatbundit Sanguan , Pattharachayakul Sutthiporn 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackgroundIn this pilot study, we aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of enteral erythromycin estolate in combination with intravenous metoclopramide compared to intravenous metoclopramide monotherapy in mechanically ventilated patients with enteral feeding intolerance.MethodsThis randomized, double‐blind, controlled pilot study included 35 mechanically ventilated patients with feeding intolerance who were randomly assigned to receive 10‐mg metoclopramide intravenously every 6–8 hours in combination with 250‐mg enteral erythromycin estolate (study group) or placebo every 6 hours for 7 days. The primary outcome was an administered‐to‐target energy ratio of ≥80% at 48 hours, indicating a successful feeding. Secondary, prespecified outcomes were daily average gastric residual volume (GRV), total energy intake, administered‐to‐target energy ratio, hospital length of stay, in‐hospital mortality, and 28‐day mortality.ResultsThe rate of successful feeding was not significantly different between the study and placebo groups (47.1% and 61.1%, respectively; P = .51). The average daily GRV was significantly lower in the study group than in the placebo group (β = 91.58 [95% Wald CI, −164.35 to −18.8]), determined by generalized estimating equation. Other secondary outcomes were comparable, and the incidence of adverse events was not significantly different between the 2 groups. One common complication was cardiac arrhythmia, which was mostly self‐terminated.ConclusionAlthough the combination therapy of enteral erythromycin estolate and intravenous metoclopramide reduced GRV, the successful feeding rate and other patient‐specific outcomes did not improve in mechanically ventilated patients with feeding intolerance.
Even a partial pathological response is associated with lower relapse rates in patients with operable rectal cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy
Authors: Koizumi Michihiro , Yamada Takeshi , Shinji Seiichi , Matsuda Akihisa , Yokoyama Yasuyuki , Takahashi Goro , Iwai Takuma , Takeda Kohki , Hara Keisuke , Yoshida Hiroshi 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackgroundNeoadjuvant chemotherapy to treat locally advanced rectal cancer is an effective therapeutic strategy for the prevention of local recurrence and distant organ metastasis after surgery.ObjectivesTo assess the prognostic significance of histopathological tumor response in rectal cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.MethodsThis study included patients with operable rectal cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy using the FOLFOX regimen (5‐fluorouracil, l‐leucovorin, and oxaliplatin) in a hospital between February 2012 and November 2017. The main outcome measure was disease‐free survival with respect to histopathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in resected specimens.ResultsThe median follow‐up was 32 months. Of 48 patients treated with neoadjuvant FOLFOX, 24 (50%) were classified as responders, which included two patients with pathological complete response and 22 patients with partial response. The remaining 24 patients (50%) were classified as nonresponders. Responders had a significantly better 3‐year disease‐free survival than nonresponders (86% vs. 62%, p = .02).ConclusionsPatients whose surgical specimens show a pathological complete response or partial response have good oncologic outcomes.
Eradication of hepatitis C virus preserve liver function and prolong survival in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients with limited life expectancy
Authors: Yeh Ming‐Lun , Kuo Hsing‐Tao , Huang Ching‐I , Huang Chung‐Feng , Hsieh Ming‐Yen , Liang Po‐Cheng , Lin I‐Hung , Hsieh Meng‐Hsuan , Lin Zu‐Yau , Chen Shinn‐Chern , Dai Chia‐Yen , Huang Jee‐Fu , Yu Ming‐Lung , Chuang Wan‐Long 
Published: October 2020

AbstractWhether patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC) benefit from hepatitis C virus (HCV) eradication is uncertain. We aimed to investigate whether a survival benefit was conferred by HCV eradication in aHCC patients. This retrospective cohort study enrolled 168 HCV‐infected aHCC patients from April 2013 to January 2019. All patients were treated with sorafenib. Endpoints included overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), and time to liver decompensation. Patients with undetectable HCV RNA exhibited reduced aspartate aminotransferase and alpha fetoprotein levels, as well as an attenuated proportion of aHCC at initial diagnosis but increased albumin and mean sorafenib daily dosing. Patients with undetectable HCV RNA exhibited significantly longer OS compared to patients with detectable or unknown HCV RNA, which was an independent factor of OS (HR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.350‐0.903, P = .017). Patients with undetectable HCV RNA also presented a trend for longer PFS (HR 0.68, 95% CI: 0.46‐1.00, P = .053). The survival benefit was considered with respect to the significantly prolonged time to Child‐Pugh B scores in patients with undetectable HCV RNA (HR 0.59, 95% CI: 0.38‐0.92, P = .020). Patients with detectable HCV RNA at sorafenib initiation who further received direct acting antiviral therapy also had significantly longer OS (HR 0.11, 95% CI: 0.02‐0.81, P = .030) and PFS (HR 0.23, 95% CI: 0.06‐0.99, P = .048). In conclusion, abolishing HCV viremia preserves liver function and confers a survival benefit in advanced HCC patients on sorafenib treatment.