bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Linking human and ecological components to understand human–wildlife conflicts across landscapes and species
Authors: Teixeira Lucas , Tisovec‐Dufner Karina Campos , Marin Gabriela de Lima , Marchini Silvio , Dorresteijn Ine , Pardini Renata 
Published: May 2020

AbstractHuman–wildlife conflicts (HWC) are complex conservation challenges that impair both wildlife populations and human livelihood. Research on HWC, however, has traditionally approached ecological and human components separately, hampering a broader understanding of connections between ecological drivers and human dimensions of conflicts. We developed a model that integrates ecological and human components of HWC to investigate how the amount of remaining native forest (forest cover, a key ecological variable known to influence species occurrence and abundance) affects human experiences with wildlife (contact with species and attacks on livestock) and how such experiences influence tolerance via beliefs, emotions, and attitudes. We tested the model with piecewise structural equation modeling and data on human interactions with 3 mammals with different rarity and body size: opossum (Didelphis aurita), crab‐eating fox (Cerdocyon thous), and puma (Puma concolor). Data were obtained by interviewing 114 landowners across 13 Atlantic Forest landscapes (10–50% forest cover). Forest cover was associated with high chance of attacks on livestock, and thus with low tolerance, only in the case of the puma. Effects of distinct experiences with wildlife on beliefs and emotions varied across species. Beliefs and emotions toward wildlife influenced tolerance toward all species, but negative emotions affected tolerance toward only with the puma. Conflicts with large carnivores, such as pumas, can then be understood as disservices provided by forests, indicating the relevance of framing HWC more broadly to consider trade‐offs with ecosystems services. For some species, positive experiences with wildlife may counteract the negative effects of attacks on livestock in shaping tolerance. Models such as ours—that link ecological and human dimensions—can help identify more effective leverage points to improve HWC mitigation.
Botulinum toxin type A for the treatment of dyssynergic defaecation in adults: a systematic review
Authors: Chaichanavichkij P. , Vollebregt P. F. , Scott S. M. , Knowles C. H. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractAimDyssynergic defaecation (DD) is characterized by inappropriate coordination of the pelvic floor muscles during defaecation, resulting in impaired stool expulsion. The mainstay of treatment is biofeedback and alternative therapies are limited in those who do not respond. This systematic review evaluated botulinum toxin type A injection (BTXA) as a treatment option for dyssynergia.MethodsPubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for studies evaluating adult patients with DD treated with BTXA injection into the puborectalis and/or external anal sphincter. All study designs, except case reports, were included in the review with no language restriction. Studies limited to patients with specific neurological diagnoses or with a follow‐up period under 1 month were excluded. Study selection, assessment and data extraction were performed by two reviewers and results were synthesized narratively.ResultsEleven studies (three randomized control trials) involving 248 participants were included. All studies used the transanal approach to deliver the injection, most commonly at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions using digital palpation for guidance. The most commonly used patient position was left lateral, and most studies did not use any anaesthesia. The dose of BTXA varied (Botox 12–100 units, Dysport 100–500 units), and outcomes measured were heterogeneous (global rating ± up to five investigations). Symptomatic improvement varied between 29.2% and 100% and adverse effects occurred in 0% to 70%.ConclusionThe evidence to support using BTXA for DD is poor and only covers a transanal approach. Future studies should redress these limitations: heterogeneity of design, dose and outcome measures.
Diastolic function in young patients with cryptogenic stroke: A case–control pilot study
Authors: Pirinen Jani , Kuusisto Jouni , Järvinen Vesa , Martinez‐Majander Nicolas , Sinisalo Juha , Pöyhönen Pauli , Putaala Jukka 
Published: May 2020

AbstractBackgroundIschaemic stroke in young individuals often remains cryptogenic. In this pilot study, we investigated, whether advanced echocardiography methods could find differences in the diastolic function between young cryptogenic stroke patients and stroke‐free controls.MethodsWe recruited 30 cryptogenic ischaemic stroke patients aged 18–49 and 30 age‐ and sex‐matched stroke‐free controls among participants of the Searching for Explanations for Cryptogenic Stroke in the Young: Revealing the Etiology, Triggers, and Outcome (SECRETO) study (NCT01934725). We measured diastolic function parameters derived from speckle tracking strain rate, Doppler techniques and 4D volumetry. We also performed statistical analyses comparing only the highest and lowest tertile of cases and controls for each parameter.ResultsNone of our patients or controls had diastolic dysfunction according to ASE/EACVI criteria. However, compared to stroke‐free controls, the stroke patient group had lower E/A ratio of mitral inflow, lower lateral and mean e’, lower A/a’ ratio, lower strain rate in early diastole and lower speckle tracking‐derived e/a ratio. When comparing the lowest tertiles, patients also had a lower peak filling rate by 4D volumetry, a lower peak early filling fraction (fraction of left ventricular filling during early diastole), and lower velocities in a series of the tissue Doppler‐derived diastolic parameters and blood flow/tissue velocity ratios.ConclusionOur study displayed subtle differences in diastolic function between patients and stroke‐free controls, which may play a role in early‐onset cryptogenic stroke. The differences were clearer when the lowest tertiles were compared, suggesting that there is a subgroup of young cryptogenic stroke patients with subclinical heart disease.
Calcitriol inhibits osteoclastogenesis in an inflammatory environment by changing the proportion and function of T helper cell subsets (Th2/Th17)
Authors: Bi Chun‐Sheng , Li Xuan , Qu Hong‐Lei , Sun Li‐Juan , An Ying , Hong Yong‐Long , Tian Bei‐Min , Chen Fa‐Ming 
Published: May 2020

AbstractObjectivesPreviously, we found that by regulating T helper (Th) cell polarization, calcitriol intervention inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced alveolar bone loss in an animal periodontitis model, but the underlying cellular events remain unknown.Materials and methodsIn this study, mouse Th cells were incubated in an inflammatory environment in the presence of dendritic cells (DCs) and LPS. Then, the potential of the Th cells to undergo Th2/Th17 polarization, the RANKL expression of the polarized Th cells and the subsequent influences of the polarized Th cells on RAW264.7 cell osteoclastogenesis in response to calcitriol administration were assessed. Finally, the effects of calcitriol on antigen presentation by DCs during these cellular events were evaluated.ResultsIn response to calcitriol administration, Th cells in an inflammatory environment exhibited an enhanced potential for Th2 polarization along with a decreased potential for Th17 polarization. In addition, RANKL expression in Th17‐polarized cells was largely inhibited. Furthermore, inflammation‐induced osteoclastogenesis in RAW264.7 cells was suppressed following coculture with calcitriol‐treated Th cells. During these cellular events, increased expression of Th2 promoters (such as OX‐40L and CCL17) and decreased expression of Th17 promoters (such as IL‐23 and IL‐6) were found in DCs.ConclusionsCalcitriol can inhibit osteoclastogenesis in an inflammatory environment by changing the proportion and function of Th cell subsets. Our findings suggest that calcitriol may be an effective therapeutic agent for treating periodontitis.
Hypomagnesemia after heart transplantation or left ventricular assist device implant for end‐stage heart failure
Authors: Racca Vittorio , Scaglione Anna , De Maria Renata , Panzarino Claudia , Santangelo Maria Antonia , Cipriani Manlio 
Published: May 2020

AbstractBackgroundPatients with advanced heart failure undergoing heart transplant (HTx) or left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implant are at high risk of magnesium deficiency, that may favor development of diabetes. We aimed to comparatively assess prevalence and correlates of hypomagnesemia during cardiac rehabilitation between 51 HTx and 46 LVAD recipients.Methods and ResultsWe measured serum magnesium and correlated it to clinical and laboratory findings upon admission (T1) and at discharge (T2) from cardiac rehabilitation. Among LVAD, magnesium levels increased from admission to discharge. Among HTx, magnesium concentrations were below normal in 33% and 47% at T1 and T2, respectively, and decreased from admission to discharge. HTx on tacrolimus showed greater decreases in magnesium and increases in glucose levels than those on cyclosporine.Magnesium levels were inversely associated with >15 mg/dL increased glucose concentrations between T2 and T1 (HR 0.373, 95% CI 0.154‐0.903, P = .029) after adjustment for pre‐existing diabetes, insulin resistance markers, calcineurin inhibitors (cyclosporine/tacrolimus), prednisone doses, and magnesium supplementation.ConclusionHypomagnesemia is rare in LVAD recipients, but common within 1 month from HTx, worsens during rehabilitation, despite immunosuppression tapering and magnesium supplements, and is independently associated to increasing glucose levels. Studies evaluating whether correcting hypomagnesemia improves outcome are warranted.
Twice‐Daily Doravirine Overcomes the Interaction Effect from Once‐Weekly Rifapentine and Isoniazid in Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Lam Edwin , Schaefer Joseph , Zheng Richard , Zhan Tingting , Kraft Walter K. 
Published: May 2020

Doravirine (DOR) is a non‐nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of HIV‐1. Its use in combination with rifapentine (RPT), an antituberculosis (TB) antibiotic, may reduce the exposure of DOR compromising viral suppression in those living with HIV‐1 co‐infected with TB. We conducted a prospective, phase I, open label, two‐period, fixed sequence, drug interaction study to evaluate the effect of once‐weekly RPT and isoniazid (INH) on the pharmacokinetics (PKs) of DOR in healthy volunteers. DOR 100 mg was administered alone twice‐daily for 4 days in period 1. In period 2, once‐weekly RPT + INH were co‐administered with multiple doses of DOR 100 mg twice‐daily for study days 7, 14, and 21. Plasma was obtained for DOR PKs when given alone and co‐administered with RPT + INH. Eleven healthy volunteers enrolled and completed the study. The geometric mean ratios and 90% confidence intervals for DOR area under the concentration‐time curve from zero to 12 hours (AUC0–12) and C12 in the presence of RPT + INH compared with DOR alone were 0.71 (0.60–0.85) and 0.69 (0.54–0.89), respectively. Although exposures were moderately reduced in the presence of RPT + INH, trough DOR values were within the concentration range associated with virological suppression. These results demonstrate that a modest decrease in DOR exposure would unlikely be clinically relevant in a virally suppressed patient co‐administered once‐weekly RPT + INH.
Autism and attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorders and symptoms in children with neurofibromatosis type 1
Authors: Morotti Hadley , Mastel Sarah , Keller Kory , Barnard Rebecca A , Hall Trevor , O'Roak Brian J , Fombonne Eric 
Published: May 2020

AimTo evaluate if autism symptoms and diagnoses are more common in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) than in typically developing children, to which levels, and to determine if co‐occurring attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptomatology accounts for this increase.MethodWe searched hospital electronic medical records (EMR) for International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision NF1 and co‐occurring diagnoses codes. We recruited a subsample of 45 children (mean age 9y 2mo; SD 2y 7mo; range 5–12y; 22 males, 23 females) and collected parental reports of autism symptomatology, adaptive behavior, and behavioral problems that were compared to those of 360 age‐ and sex‐matched controls from the Simons Simplex Collection (SSC) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; SSC‐ASD) or typically developing (SSC‐TD).ResultsThe EMR search identified 968 children with NF1; 8.8% had ADHD and 2.1% had ASD co‐occurring diagnoses. In the subsample, the mean autism scale score for participants with NF1 was below cut‐off for significant autism symptoms. Participants with NF1 had significantly more autism and behavioral symptoms than SSC‐TD participants, and significantly less than SSC‐ASD participants, with one exception: ADHD symptom levels were similar to those of SSC‐ASD participants. In analyses that controlled for internalizing, ADHD, and communication scores, the difference in autism symptom levels between participants with NF1 and typically developing controls disappeared almost entirely.InterpretationOur results do not support an association between NF1 and autism, both at the symptom and disorder levels.What this paper adds

Diagnoses of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were more common in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) than in the general child population.

Diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder were no more common in children with NF1 than in the general child population.

Increases in autism symptoms did not reach clinically significant thresholds.

Co‐occurring ADHD symptoms accounted for increased autism questionnaire scores.

Adaptive behavior in participants with NF1 showed normal socialization but lower communication proficiency.
The clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with diabetes and secondary hyperglycaemia with coronavirus disease 2019: A single‐centre, retrospective, observational study in Wuhan
Authors: Zhang Yang , Li Haichao , Zhang Jian , Cao Yedi , Zhao Xue , Yu Nan , Gao Ying , Ma Jing , Zhang Hong , Zhang Junqing , Guo Xiaohui , Liu Xinmin 
Published: May 2020

AbstractAimTo explore whether coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients with diabetes and secondary hyperglycaemia have different clinical characteristics and prognoses than those without significantly abnormal glucose metabolism.Materials and methodsWe retrospectively analysed 166 COVID‐19 patients at Tongji Hospital (Wuhan) from 8 February to 21 March 2020. Clinical characteristics and outcomes (as of 4 April 2020) were compared among control (group 1), secondary hyperglycaemia (group 2: no diabetes history, fasting plasma glucose levels of ≥7.0 mmol/L once and HbA1c values <6.5%) and patients with diabetes (group 3).ResultsCompared with group 1, groups 2 and 3 had higher rates of leukocytosis, neutrophilia, lymphocytopenia, eosinopenia and levels of hypersensitive C‐reactive protein, ferritin and d‐dimer (P < .05 for all). Group 2 patients had higher levels of lactate dehydrogenase, prevalence of liver dysfunction and increased interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) than those in group 1, and a higher prevalence of increased IL‐8 was found in group 2 than in group 3 (P < .05 for all). The proportions of critical patients in groups 2 and 3 were significantly higher compared with group 1 (38.1%, 32.8% vs. 9.5%, P < .05 for both). Groups 2 and 3 had significantly longer hospital stays than group 1, which was nearly 1 week longer. The composite outcomes risks were 5.47 (1.56‐19.82) and 2.61 (0.86‐7.88) times greater in groups 2 and 3 than in group 1.ConclusionsHyperglycaemia in both diabetes and secondary hyperglycaemia patients with COVID‐19 may indicate poor prognoses. There were differences between patients with secondary hyperglycaemia and those with diabetes. We recommend that clinicians pay more attention to the blood glucose status of COVID‐19 patients, even those not diagnosed with diabetes before admission.
Effects of different variable sets on the potential distribution of fish species in the Amazon Basin
Authors: Alvarez Facundo , Gerhard Pedro , Paiva Silva Daniel , Spacek Godoy Bruno , Montag Luciano Fogaça de Assis 
Published: May 2020

AbstractEstimating species’ potential distribution is one of the main objectives of macroecology, especially when sampling biases can affect knowledge on how environmental variables affect species distribution. Ecological niche models estimate species’ environmental niches from different variables and their occurrences. Using the presence‐only data from eight Amazonian fish species, which inhabit rivers and streams, we aimed to (a) explore the effect of different sets variables on the spatial distributions of target species and (b) evaluate the predictive responses of MaxEnt to sets of variables with different degrees of complexity. MaxEnt has high flexibility in relation to the input data and its performance is influenced by a moderate number of adjustable parameters, allowing for high precision results when balancing underestimation and overestimation errors. We used environmental predictors in MaxEnt the principal components of climatic, topographic and edaphic variables as inputs. The combination of topographic and edaphic variables produced more precise and spatially restricted distribution ranges for all species when compared to those generated with climatic variables. All models reached high AUC values, especially for stream species. Modelled range sizes were broader for the river species, suggesting different tolerance thresholds and habitat preferences when compared to stream species. The complexity of the different variables sets did not affect MaxEnt's prediction capacity. However, for stream species, MaxEnt showed a greater predictive power. This work increases the knowledge with regards to the influence of different environmental predictors on the spatial patterns of the distribution of Amazonian fish.
Differential effects of the temporal and spatial distribution of audiovisual stimuli on cross‐modal spatial recalibration
Authors: Bruns Patrick , Dinse Hubert R. , Röder Brigitte 
Published: May 2020

AbstractVisual input constantly recalibrates auditory spatial representations. Exposure to isochronous audiovisual stimuli with a fixed spatial disparity typically results in a subsequent auditory localization bias (ventriloquism aftereffect, VAE), whereas exposure to spatially congruent audiovisual stimuli improves subsequent auditory localization (multisensory enhancement, ME). Here, we tested whether cross‐modal recalibration is affected by the stimulation rate and/or the distribution of audiovisual spatial disparities during training. Auditory localization was tested before and after participants were exposed either to audiovisual stimuli with a constant spatial disparity of 13.5° (VAE) or to spatially congruent audiovisual stimulation (ME). In a between‐subjects design, audiovisual stimuli were presented either at a low frequency of 2 Hz, as used in previous studies of VAE and ME, or intermittently at a high frequency of 10 Hz, which mimics long‐term potentiation (LTP) protocols and which was found superior in eliciting unisensory perceptual learning. Compared to low‐frequency stimulation, VAE was reduced after high‐frequency stimulation, whereas ME occurred regardless of the stimulation protocol. In two additional groups, we manipulated the spatial distribution of audiovisual stimuli in the low‐frequency condition. Stimuli were presented with varying audiovisual disparities centered around 13.5° (VAE) or 0° (ME). Both VAE and ME were equally strong compared to a fixed spatial relationship of 13.5° or 0°, respectively. Taken together, our results suggest (a) that VAE and ME represent partly dissociable forms of learning and (b) that auditory representations adjust to the overall stimulus statistics rather than to a specific audiovisual spatial relationship.
Offspring polymorphism and bet hedging: a large‐scale, phylogenetic analysis
Authors: Scholl Joshua P. , Calle Leonardo , Miller Nick , Venable D. Lawrence 
Published: May 2020

AbstractOffspring polymorphism is a reproductive strategy where individual organisms simultaneously produce offspring that differ in morphology and ecology. It occurs across the Tree of Life but is particularly common among plants, where it is termed seed (diaspore) heteromorphism. The prevalence of this strategy in unpredictably varying environments has resulted in the assumption that it serves as a bet‐hedging mechanism. We found 101 examples of this strategy in southwestern North America. We provide phylogenetically informed evidence for the hypothesis that the occurrence of seed heteromorphism increases with increasing environmental variability, though this pattern was only significant for aridity, one of our two rainfall variability metrics. We provide a strong test of bet hedging for a large, taxonomically diverse set of seed heteromorphic species, lending support to the hypothesis that bet hedging is an important mechanistic driver for the evolution of seed heteromorphism.
Entropy‐controlled deep features selection framework for grape leaf diseases recognition
Authors: Adeel Alishba , Khan Muhammad Attique , Akram Tallha , Sharif Abida , Yasmin Mussarat , Saba Tanzila , Javed Kashif 
Published: May 2020

AbstractSeveral countries are most reliant on agriculture either in terms of employment opportunities, national income, availability of a raw material, food production, to name but a few. However, it faces a big challenge such as climate changes, diseases, pets, weeds etc. Therefore, last decade has provided a machine learning‐based solution to the agricultural community, which helped farmers to identify the diseases at the early stages. In this article, our focus is on grape diseases, and proposes a novel framework to identify and classify the selected diseases at the early stages. A deep learning‐based solution is embedded into a conventional architecture for optimal performance. Three primary steps are involved; (a) feature extraction after applying transfer learning on pre‐trained deep models, AlexNet and ResNet101, (b) selection of best features using proposed Yager Entropy along with Kurtosis (YEaK) technique, (c) fusion of strong features using proposed parallel approach and later subject to classification step using least squared support vector machine (LS‐SVM). The simulations are performed on infected grape leaves obtained from the plant village dataset to achieving an accuracy of 99%. From the simulation results, we sincerely believe that our proposed approach performed exceptionally compared to several existing methods.
The effects of new public management on the quality of public services
Authors: Lapuente Victor , Van de Walle Steven 
Published: May 2020

AbstractHave New Public Management (NPM) reforms in public organizations improved the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of public policies? NPM reforms, understood as a style of organizing public services towards the efficiency and efficacy of outputs, have been controversial. They have been accused of importing practices and norms from the private sector that could collide with core public values, such as impartiality or equity. Yet, with few exceptions, we lack systematic empirical tests of the actual effects that NPM reforms have had on the delivery of public services. In this introductory article, we summarize a special issue devoted to cover this gap. And, overall, we find that neither the catastrophic nor the balsamic effects of NPM reforms are confirmed, but the success (or failure) depends on the administrative, political and policy context those reforms take place.