bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Neuroendocrinology of Sex-Role Reversal
Authors: Lipshutz Sara E , Rosvall Kimberly A 
Published: May 2020

Synopsis
Females of some species are considered sex-role reversed, meaning that they face stronger competition for mates compared to males. While much attention has been paid to behavioral and morphological patterns associated with sex-role reversal, less is known about its physiological regulation. Here, we evaluate hypotheses relating to the neuroendocrine basis of sex-role reversal. We refute the most widely tested activational hypothesis for sex differences in androgen secretion; sex-role reversed females do not have higher levels of androgens in circulation than males. However, we find some evidence that the effects of androgens may be sex-specific; circulating androgen levels correlate with some competitive phenotypes in sex-role reversed females. We also review evidence that sex-role reversed females have higher tissue-specific sensitivity to androgens than males, at least in some species and tissues. Organizational effects may explain these relationships, considering that early exposure to sex steroids can shape later sensitivity to hormones, often in sex-specific ways. Moving forward, experimental and correlative studies on the ontogeny and expression of sex-role reversal will further clarify the mechanisms that generate sex-specific behaviors and sex roles.
The Role of Stochasticity in the Origin of Epigenetic Variation in Animal Populations
Authors: Biwer C , Kawam B , Chapelle V , Silvestre F 
Published: May 2020

SynopsisEpigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation modulate gene expression in a complex fashion are consequently recognized as among the most important contributors to phenotypic variation in natural populations of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Interactions between genetics and epigenetics are multifaceted and epigenetic variation stands at the crossroad between genetic and environmental variance, which make these mechanisms prominent in the processes of adaptive evolution. DNA methylation patterns depend on the genotype and can be reshaped by environmental conditions, while transgenerational epigenetic inheritance has been reported in various species. On the other hand, DNA methylation can influence the genetic mutation rate and directly affect the evolutionary potential of a population. The origin of epigenetic variance can be attributed to genetic, environmental, or stochastic factors. Generally less investigated than the first two components, variation lacking any predictable order is nevertheless present in natural populations and stochastic epigenetic variation, also referred to spontaneous epimutations, can sustain phenotypic diversity. Here, potential sources of such stochastic epigenetic variability in animals are explored, with a focus on DNA methylation. To this day, quantifying the importance of stochasticity in epigenetic variability remains a challenge. However, comparisons between the mutation and the epimutation rates showed a high level of the latter, suggesting a significant role of spontaneous epimutations in adaptation. The implications of stochastic epigenetic variability are multifold: by affecting development and subsequently phenotype, random changes in epigenetic marks may provide additional phenotypic diversity, which can help natural populations when facing fluctuating environments. In isogenic lineages and asexually reproducing organisms, poor or absent genetic diversity can hence be tolerated. Further implication of stochastic epigenetic variability in adaptation is found in bottlenecked invasive species populations and populations using a bet-hedging strategy.
Getting Humans Off Monkeys’ Backs: Using Primate Acclimation as a Guide for Habitat Management Efforts
Authors: Thompson Cynthia L , Williams Susan H , Glander Kenneth E , Teaford Mark F , Vinyard Christopher J 
Published: May 2020

Synopsis
Wild primates face grave conservation challenges, with habitat loss and climate change projected to cause mass extinctions in the coming decades. As large-bodied Neotropical primates, mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata) are predicted to fare poorly under climate change, yet are also known for their resilience in a variety of environments, including highly disturbed habitats. We utilized ecophysiology research on this species to determine the morphological, physiological, and behavioral mechanisms howlers employ to overcome ecological challenges. Our data show that howlers at La Pacifica, Costa Rica are capable of modifying body size. Howlers displayed reduced mass in warmer, drier habitats, seasonal weight changes, frequent within-lifetime weight fluctuations, and gradual increases in body mass over the past four decades. These within-lifetime changes indicate a capacity to modify morphology in a way that can impact animals’ energetics and thermodynamics. Howlers are also able to consume foods with a wide variety of food material properties by altering oral processing during feeding. While this capability suggests some capacity to cope with the phenological shifts expected from climate change and increased habitat fragmentation, data on rates of dental microwear warn that these acclimations may also cost dental longevity. Lastly, we found that howlers are able to acclimate to changing thermal pressures. On shorter-term daily scales, howlers use behavioral mechanisms to thermoregulate, including timing activities to avoid heat stress and utilizing cool microhabitats. At the seasonal scale, animals employ hormonal pathways to influence heat production. These lines of evidence cumulatively indicate that howlers possess morphological, physiological, and behavioral mechanisms to acclimate to environmental challenges. As such, howlers’ plasticity may facilitate their resilience to climate change and habitat loss. While habitat loss in the tropics is unlikely to abate, our results point to a potential benefit of active management and selective cultivation to yield large, interconnected forest fragments with targeted phenology that provides both a complex physical structure and a diversity of food sources. These steps could assist howlers in using their natural acclimation potential to survive future conservation threats.
Genetic evidence that higher central adiposity causes gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: a Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Green Harry D , Beaumont Robin N , Wood Andrew R , Hamilton Benjamin , Jones Samuel E , Goodhand James R , Kennedy Nicholas A , Ahmad Tariq , Yaghootkar Hanieh , Weedon Michael N , Frayling Timothy M , Tyrrell Jessica 
Published: May 2020

Abstract

Background
Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is associated with multiple risk factors but determining causality is difficult. We used a genetic approach [Mendelian randomization (MR)] to identify potential causal modifiable risk factors for GORD.

Methods
We used data from 451 097 European participants in the UK Biobank and defined GORD using hospital-defined ICD10 and OPCS4 codes and self-report data (N = 41 024 GORD cases). We tested observational and MR-based associations between GORD and four adiposity measures [body mass index (BMI), waist–hip ratio (WHR), a metabolically favourable higher body-fat percentage and waist circumference], smoking status, smoking frequency and caffeine consumption.

Results
Observationally, all adiposity measures were associated with higher odds of GORD. Ever and current smoking were associated with higher odds of GORD. Coffee consumption was associated with lower odds of GORD but, among coffee drinkers, more caffeinated-coffee consumption was associated with higher odds of GORD. Using MR, we provide strong evidence that higher WHR and higher WHR adjusted for BMI lead to GORD. There was weak evidence that higher BMI, body-fat percentage, coffee drinking or smoking caused GORD, but only the observational effects for BMI and body-fat percentage could be excluded. This MR estimated effect for WHR equates to a 1.23-fold higher odds of GORD per 5-cm increase in waist circumference.

Conclusions
These results provide strong evidence that a higher waist–hip ratio leads to GORD. Our study suggests that central fat distribution is crucial in causing GORD rather than overall weight.
Detection of heterogeneous vancomycin intermediate resistance in MRSA isolates from Latin America
Authors: Castro Betsy E , Berrio Maritza , Vargas Monica L , Carvajal Lina P , Millan Lina V , Rios Rafael , Hernandez Angie K , Rincon Sandra , Cubides Paola , Forero Erika , Dinh An , Seas Carlos , Munita Jose M , Arias Cesar A , Reyes Jinnethe , Diaz Lorena 
Published: May 2020

AbstractBackgroundVancomycin is a common first-line option for MRSA infections. The heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (hVISA) phenotype is associated with therapeutic failure. However, hVISA isolates are usually reported as vancomycin susceptible by routine susceptibility testing procedures.ObjectivesTo detect and characterize the hVISA phenotype in MRSA isolates causing infections in nine Latin American countries.MethodsWe evaluated a total of 1189 vancomycin-susceptible MRSA isolates recovered during 2006–08 and 2011–14. After an initial screening of hVISA using glycopeptide-supplemented agar strategies, the detection of hVISA was performed by Etest (GRD) and Macro-method (MET). Isolates deemed to be hVISA were subjected to population analysis profile/AUC (PAP/AUC) and WGS for further characterization. Finally, we interrogated alterations in predicted proteins associated with the development of the VISA phenotype in both hVISA and vancomycin-susceptible S. aureus (VSSA) genomes.ResultsA total of 39 MRSA isolates (3.3%) were classified as hVISA (1.4% and 5.6% in MRSA recovered from 2006–08 and 2011–14, respectively). Most of the hVISA strains (95%) belonged to clonal complex (CC) 5. Only 6/39 hVISA isolates were categorized as hVISA by PAP/AUC, with 6 other isolates close (0.87–0.89) to the cut-off (0.9). The majority of the 39 hVISA isolates exhibited the Leu-14→Ile (90%) and VraT Glu-156→Gly (90%) amino acid substitutions in WalK. Additionally, we identified 10 substitutions present only in hVISA isolates, involving WalK, VraS, RpoB and RpoC proteins.ConclusionsThe hVISA phenotype exhibits low frequency in Latin America. Amino acid substitutions in proteins involved in cell envelope homeostasis and RNA synthesis were commonly identified. Our results suggest that Etest-based methods are an important alternative for the detection of hVISA clinical isolates.
Vaginal bacterial community composition and concentrations of estradiol at the time of artificial insemination in Brangus heifers
Authors: Messman Riley D , Contreras-Correa Zully E , Paz Henry A , Perry George , Lemley Caleb O 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
The knowledge surrounding the bovine vaginal microbiota and its implications on fertility and reproductive traits remains incomplete. The objective of the current study was to characterize the bovine vaginal bacterial community and estradiol concentrations at the time of artificial insemination (AI). Brangus heifers (n = 78) underwent a 7-d Co-Synch + controlled internal drug release estrus synchronization protocol. At AI, a double-guarded uterine culture swab was used to sample the anterior vaginal tract. Immediately after swabbing the vaginal tract, blood samples were collected by coccygeal venipuncture to determine concentrations of estradiol. Heifers were retrospectively classified as pregnant (n = 29) vs. nonpregnant (n = 49) between 41 and 57 d post-AI. Additionally, heifers were classified into low (1.1 to 2.5 pg/mL; n = 21), medium (2.6 to 6.7 pg/mL; n = 30), and high (7.2 to 17.6 pg/mL; n = 27) concentration of estradiol. The vaginal bacterial community composition was determined through sequencing of the V4 region from the 16S rRNA gene using the Illumina Miseq platform. Alpha diversity was compared via ANOVA and beta diversity was compared via PERMANOVA. There were no differences in the Shannon diversity index (alpha diversity; P = 0.336) or Bray–Curtis dissimilarity (beta diversity; P = 0.744) of pregnant vs. nonpregnant heifers. Overall, bacterial community composition in heifers with high, medium, or low concentrations of estradiol did not differ (P = 0.512). While no overall compositional differences were observed, species-level differences were present within pregnancy status and estradiol concentration groups. The implications of these species-level differences are unknown, but these differences could alter the vaginal environment thereby influencing fertility and vaginal health. Therefore, species-level changes could provide better insight rather than overall microbial composition in relation to an animal’s reproductive health.
A Case Report of Heterotopic Ossification Caused by High-Voltage Electric Injury
Authors: Liu Shengli , Zheng Jiansheng , Zheng Qingyi 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThis case report described the diagnosis and treatment of a patient with ectopic bone injury due to high-pressure electric shock. A 24-year-old male patient suffered from burns that covered 50% of TBSA, including on limbs and torso, after coming into contact with 10-kV high-voltage electricity. A repeated Meek micrografting technique (MEEK) was applied for wound healing; skin grafts were cut into micrografts and expanded at a ratio of 1:4 to cover large areas after burn trauma. After the injury, right elbow redness, fever, pains, and joint movement disorder were reported by the patient, which might be attributed to excessive exercises and acute scarring. However, these symptoms were not treated immediately. Six months after the injury, his right elbow joint showed 90° locking and a restricted 5° movement capacity. X-ray examination revealed a new bone formation at the inner tibia shin. In addition, 3D CT showed the formation of right tibia, the ruler bone, and the skull of the humming bridge. Under general anesthesia, the right elbow joint was released, the medial collateral ligament was repaired, and the hinge external fixator was fixed. A large number of hyperplastic bone masses were found at the right elbow joint during surgery, specifically in the foot bone hawk’s beak nest. No complications after surgery were observed. X-ray examination in February showed disappearance of the bone bridge and normal relationship of the right elbow joint. This case study revealed that electric shock injury could lead to ectopic bone formation, and much attention should be paid on any changes that indicate aseptic inflammation, such as redness, swelling, fever, and pain during the treatment process. Finally, identification of the scar constriction phase could indicate surgical treatment in order to promote the limb rehabilitation process.
A general-purpose time-step criterion for simulations with gravity
Authors: Grudić Michael Y , Hopkins Philip F 
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACT
We describe a new adaptive time-step criterion for integrating gravitational motion, which uses the tidal tensor to estimate the local dynamical time-scale and scales the time-step proportionally. This provides a better candidate for a truly general-purpose gravitational time-step criterion than the usual prescription derived from the gravitational acceleration, which does not respect the equivalence principle, breaks down when $\boldsymbol {a}=0$, and does not obey the same dimensional scaling as the true time-scale of orbital motion. We implement the tidal time-step criterion in the simulation code gizmo, and examine controlled tests of collisionless galaxy and star cluster models, as well as galaxy merger simulations. The tidal criterion estimates the dynamical time faithfully, and generally provides a more efficient time-stepping scheme compared to an acceleration criterion. Specifically, the tidal criterion achieves order-of-magnitude smaller energy errors for the same number of force evaluations in potentials with inner profiles shallower than ρ ∝ r−1 (i.e. where $\boldsymbol {a}\rightarrow 0$), such as star clusters and cored galaxies. For a given problem these advantages must be weighed against the additional overhead of computing the tidal tensor on-the-fly, but in many cases this overhead is small.
Searching for thermal inversion agents in the transmission spectrum of KELT-20b/MASCARA-2b: detection of neutral iron and ionised calcium H&K lines
Authors: Nugroho Stevanus K , Gibson Neale P , de Mooij Ernst J W , Watson Chris A , Kawahara Hajime , Merritt Stephanie 
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACT
We analyse the transmission spectra of KELT-20b/MASCARA-2b to search for possible thermal inversion agents. The data consist of three transits obtained using HARPSN and one using CARMENES. We removed stellar and telluric lines before cross-correlating the residuals with spectroscopic templates produced using a 1D plane-parallel model, assuming an isothermal atmosphere and chemical equilibrium at solar metallicity. Using a likelihood-mapping method, we detect Fe i at &gt; 13σ, Ca ii H$\&$K at &gt; 6σ and confirm the previous detections of Fe ii, Ca ii IR Triplet, and Na i D. The detected signal of Fe i is shifted by −3.4 ± 0.4 km s−1 from the planetary rest frame, which indicates a strong day–night wind. Our likelihood-mapping technique also reveals that the absorption features of the detected species extend to different altitudes in the planet’s atmosphere. Assuming that the line lists are accurate, we do not detect other potential thermal inversion agents (NaH, MgH, AlO, SH, CaO, VO, FeH, and TiO) suggesting that non-chemical equilibrium mechanisms (e.g. a cold-trap) might have removed Ti- and V-bearing species from the upper atmosphere. Our results, therefore, show that KELT-20b/MASCARA-2b cannot possess an inversion layer caused by a TiO/VO-related mechanism. The presence of an inversion layer would therefore likely be caused by metal atoms such as Fe i and Fe ii. Finally, we report a double-peak structure in the Fe i signal in all of our data sets that could be a signature of atmospheric dynamics. However, further investigation is needed to robustly determine the origin of the signal.
Optical properties and dust temperatures in clumpy diffuse medium
Authors: Ostrovskii Andrei B , Parfenov S Yu , Vasyunin A I , Ivlev A V , Sokolova V A 
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACT
In this study, we explore the impact of inhomogeneities in the spatial distribution of interstellar dust on spatial scales of ≤1 au caused by ion shadowing forces on the optical properties of diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) as well as on the dust temperature. We show that recently proposed possibility that interstellar dust grains in the diffuse ISM are grouped in spherical cloudlets (clumps) may significantly affect the observed optical properties of the diffuse ISM in comparison to that calculated under the commonly accepted assumption on the uniform dust/gas mixture if the size of clumps ≳0.1 au. We found that opacity of an arbitrary region of diffuse ISM quickly decreases with growth of dusty clumps. We also studied the dependence of opacity and dust temperature inside the dusty clumps on their size. We show that the clumps larger than 0.1 au are opaque for far-ultraviolet radiation. Dust temperature exhibits a gradient inside a clump, decreasing from the edge to the centre by several degrees for a clump of a size of 0.1 au and larger. We argue that dust temperatures and high opacity within clumps larger than 0.1 au may facilitate somewhat more efficient synthesis of molecules on surfaces of interstellar grains in the diffuse ISM than it was anticipated previously. On the other hand, the presence of clumps with sizes below 0.1 au makes small or negligible influence on the optical properties of the diffuse ISM in comparison to the case with uniform dust/gas mixture.
A molecular absorption line survey towards the AGN of Hydra-A
Authors: Rose Tom , Edge A C , Combes F , Hamer S , McNamara B R , Russell H , Gaspari M , Salomé P , Sarazin C , Tremblay G R , Baum S A , Bremer M N , Donahue M , Fabian A C , Ferland G , Nesvadba N , O’Dea C , Oonk J B R , Peck A B 
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACT
We present Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array observations of the brightest cluster galaxy Hydra-A, a nearby (z = 0.054) giant elliptical galaxy with powerful and extended radio jets. The observations reveal CO(1−0), CO(2–1), 13CO(2–1), CN(2–1), SiO(5–4), HCO+(1–0), HCO+(2–1), HCN(1–0), HCN(2–1), HNC(1–0), and H2CO(3–2) absorption lines against the galaxy’s bright and compact active galactic nucleus. These absorption features are due to at least 12 individual molecular clouds that lie close to the centre of the galaxy and have velocities of approximately −50 to +10 km s−1 relative to its recession velocity, where positive values correspond to inward motion. The absorption profiles are evidence of a clumpy interstellar medium within brightest cluster galaxies composed of clouds with similar column densities, velocity dispersions, and excitation temperatures to those found at radii of several kpc in the Milky Way. We also show potential variation in a ∼10 km s−1 wide section of the absorption profile over a 2 yr time-scale, most likely caused by relativistic motions in the hot spots of the continuum source that change the background illumination of the absorbing clouds.
Impact of UK Tobacco Control Policies on Inequalities in Youth Smoking Uptake: A Natural Experiment Study
Authors: Anyanwu Philip Emeka , Craig Peter , Katikireddi Srinivasa Vittal , Green Michael James 
Published: May 2020

Abstract

Introduction
UK countries implemented smoke-free public places legislation and increased the legal age for tobacco purchase from 16 to 18 years between 2006 and 2008. We evaluated the immediate and long-term impacts of these UK policy changes on youth smoking uptake and inequalities therein.

Aims and Methods
We studied 74 960 person-years of longitudinal data from 14 992 youths (aged 11–15 years) in annual UK household surveys between 1994 and 2016. Discrete-time event history analyses examined whether changes in rates of youth smoking transitions (initiation, experimentation, and escalation to daily smoking or quitting) or their inequalities (by parental education) were associated with policy implementation. Parallel analyses examined smoke-free legislation and the change in legal age. We interpret the results as a combined effect of the two pieces of legislation as their implementation dates were too close to identify separate effects. Models were adjusted for sex, age, UK country, historical year, tobacco taxation, and e-cigarette prevalence, with multiple imputation for missing data.

Results
For both policies, smoking initiation reduced following implementation (change in legal age odds ratio [OR]: 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.55 to 0.81; smoke-free legislation OR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.56 to 0.82), while inequalities in initiation narrowed over subsequent years. The legal age change was associated with annual increases in progression from initiation to occasional smoking (OR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.07 to 1.50) and a reduction in quitting following implementation (OR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.35 to 0.94). Similar effects were observed for smoke-free legislation but CIs overlapped the null.

Conclusions
Policies such as these may be highly effective in preventing and reducing socioeconomic inequalities in youth smoking initiation.

Implications
UK implementation of smoke-free legislation and an increase in the legal age for tobacco purchase from 16 to 18 years were associated with an immediate reduction in smoking initiation and a narrowing of inequalities in initiation over subsequent years. While the policies were associated with reductions in the initiation, progression to occasional smoking increased and quitting decreased following the legislation.