bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A review of non‐glove personal protective equipment‐related occupational dermatoses reported to EPIDERM between 1993 and 2013
Authors: Bhoyrul Bevin , Lecamwasam Kamalini , Wilkinson Mark , Latheef Faheem , Stocks Susan J. , Agius Raymond , Carder Melanie 
Published: November 2018

BackgroundPersonal protective equipment (PPE) is defined as equipment that protects the wearer’s body against health/safety risks at work. Gloves cause many dermatoses. Non‐glove PPE constitutes a wide array of garments. Dermatoses resulting from these have hitherto not been documented.ObjectivesTo determine the incidence and types of non‐glove PPE‐related dermatoses.Patients/MethodsWe analysed incident case reports from dermatologists of non‐glove PPE‐related dermatoses to a UK‐wide surveillance scheme (EPIDERM) between 1993 and 2013.ResultsThe dermatoses associated with non‐glove PPE accounted for 0.84% of all occupational skin disease. Of all PPE‐related cases, 194 (9.2%) were attributable to non‐glove PPE. Of these, 132 (68.0%) occurred in men, and the median age (both male and female) was 42 years (range 18‐82 years). The non‐glove PPE‐related dermatoses were diagnosed as: allergic contact dermatitis (47.4%), irritant contact dermatitis (16.0%), friction (11.3%), occlusion (11.3%), unspecified dermatitis (8.8%), acne (3.1%), infections (1.5), and contact urticaria (0.52%). The industries most associated with non‐glove PPE‐related dermatoses were manufacturing (18.6%), public administration and defence (17.0%), health and social work (15.5%), and transport, storage, and communication (9.8%).ConclusionsClothing, footwear, facemasks and headgear need to be recognized as causes of dermatoses occurring at body sites less commonly associated with occupational skin disease.
Melatonin protects mesenchymal stem cells from autophagy‐mediated death under ischaemic ER‐stress conditions by increasing prion protein expression
Authors: Lee Jun Hee , Yoon Yeo Min , Han Yong‐Seok , Jung Seo Kyung , Lee Sang Hun 
Published: November 2018

AbstractObjectThe purpose of this study was to explore whether melatonin could protect mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) against ischaemic injury, by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and autophagy both in vivo and in vitro.Materials and MethodsTo confirm the protective effect of melatonin against ER stress in MSCs, markers of cell viability, apoptosis and autophagy were analysed. To further investigate the regenerative effect of melatonin‐treated MSCs in ischaemic tissues, a murine hindlimb ischaemic model was established.ResultsUnder oxidative stress conditions, treatment with melatonin suppressed the activation of ER stress–associated proteins and autophagy‐associated proteins acting through upregulation of cellular prion protein (PrPC) expression. Consequently, inhibition of apoptotic cell death occurred. Melatonin also promoted the activation of MnSOD and catalase activities in MSCs. In a murine hindlimb ischaemia model, melatonin‐treated MSCs also enhanced the functional limb recovery as well as neovascularization. These beneficial effects of melatonin were all blocked by knock‐down of PrPC expression.ConclusionMelatonin protects against ER stress/autophagy‐induced apoptotic cell death by augmenting PrPC expression. Thus, melatonin‐treated MSCs could be a potential cell‐based therapeutic agent for ER stress–induced ischaemic diseases, and melatonin‐induced PrPC might be a key molecule in ameliorating ER stress and autophagy.
Effects of simulated observation errors on the performance of species distribution models
Authors: Fernandes Rui F. , Scherrer Daniel , Guisan Antoine 
Published: November 2018

AbstractAimSpecies distribution information is essential under increasing global changes, and models can be used to acquire such information but they can be affected by different errors/bias. Here, we evaluated the degree to which errors in species data (false presences–absences) affect model predictions and how this is reflected in commonly used evaluation metrics.LocationWestern Swiss Alps.MethodsUsing 100 virtual species and different sampling methods, we created observation datasets of different sizes (100–400–1,600) and added increasing levels of errors (creating false positives or negatives; from 0% to 50%). These degraded datasets were used to fit models using generalized linear model, random forest and boosted regression trees. Model fit (ability to reproduce calibration data) and predictive success (ability to predict the true distribution) were measured on probabilistic/binary outcomes using Kappa, TSS, MaxKappa, MaxTSS and Somers'D (rescaled AUC).ResultsThe interpretation of models’ performance depended on the data and metrics used to evaluate them, with conclusions differing whether model fit, or predictive success were measured. Added errors reduced model performance, with effects expectedly decreasing as sample size increased. Model performance was more affected by false positives than by false negatives. Models with different techniques were differently affected by errors: models with high fit presenting lower predictive success (RFs), and vice versa (GLMs). High evaluation metrics could still be obtained with 30% error added, indicating that some metrics (Somers'D) might not be sensitive enough to detect data degradation.Main conclusionsOur findings highlight the need to reconsider the interpretation scale of some commonly used evaluation metrics: Kappa seems more realistic than Somers'D/AUC or TSS. High fits were obtained with high levels of error added, showing that RF overfits the data. When collecting occurrence databases, it is advisory to reduce the rate of false positives (or increase sample sizes) rather than false negatives.
The presbycardia phenotype: Cardiac remodeling and valvular degeneration in nonagenarians
Authors: Iskandar Aline , Mowakeaa Samer , Sardana Mayank , Fitzgibbons Timothy P. , Tighe Dennis A. , Parker Matthew W. , Kakouros Nikolaos , McManus David , Aurigemma Gerard P. 
Published: November 2018

BackgroundNonagenarians (NON) are a growing segment of the population and have a high prevalence of cardiac disease. Many findings encountered on their echocardiograms are also found in younger individuals with valvular or myocardial disease. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe this distinct echocardiographic phenotype.MethodsWe identified our study population by querying our echo database to identify unique septuagenarians (SEPT) and nonagenarians (NON) who underwent a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2014. Exclusion criteria were LVEF < 50%, any akinetic wall segment, aortic stenosis, moderate‐severe AR and/or severe MR, coronary revascularization within 60 days of study echo, and prior valve surgery.ResultsThe mean age of SEPT was 73.0 ± 2.0 and NON was 92.0 ± 2.1 (P < 0.001). There was no gender difference between groups. NON had significantly smaller LV end‐diastolic diameters than SEPT (41.6 ± 5.7 mm vs 48.0 ± 7.0 mm, P < 0.001). NON had a greater relative wall thickness (0.51 ± 0.10 vs 0.40 ± 0.08, P < 0.001) and more frequently had concentric remodeling or hypertrophy. NON had higher E/Ea ratios and estimated LA pressures (P < 0.01). 48% of NON had moderate‐severe mitral annular calcification compared to 25.0% of SEPT (P < 0.01).ConclusionsHerein, we provide the first comprehensive echocardiographic description of ‘presbycardia'; concentric LVH, asymmetric septal hypertrophy, mitral and aortic valve calcification, and increased epicardial fat thickness. This pattern of findings may be increasingly seen as the population ages.
Soil erosion–runoff relations on cultivated land: Insights from laboratory studies
Authors: Mamedov Amrakh I. , Levy Guy J. 
Published: November 2018

Land degradation in the form of soil erosion is a major problem in semiarid and arid regions. Understanding the processes and mechanisms affecting the generation of runoff and subsequent soil erosion in these regions is essential for the development of improved soil and water conservation and crop management practices. We performed a meta‐analysis of both published and unpublished runoff and soil erosion data and the relations between them; data were obtained from numerous semiarid regions (211 samples, 720 simulations), exposed to drip type laboratory rain simulators. The samples varied in their intrinsic properties (e.g. texture and organic matter) and extrinsic conditions (e.g. rain properties and soil condition). Both runoff and soil erosion were considerably affected by the inherent soil and rain properties, and soil conditions within agricultural fields. The relation identified between soil loss and runoff could be expressed either as a nonlinear (exponential or power) or a linear function. Exponential and power functions applied mostly to situations where conditions tended to harm soil structural stability and enhance destabilization of surface aggregates (e.g. high rain kinetic energy, conventional tillage and sodicity). Linear functions applied to cases associated with conditions that enhanced the stability of soil structure (e.g. slow wetting, amendment with soil stabilizers, and minimum tillage in clay soil). The established soil loss–runoff relation (SLRR) contributed to a better understanding of the mechanisms governing overland flow and soil loss at the small plot scale. The relations identified might also assist in (a) further development of soil erosion models and research techniques to be linked with field‐scale data (e.g. by using the connectivity concept) and (b) the design of more suitable management practices for soil and water conservation to decrease soil degradation.Highlights

Soil loss–runoff relations were studied in 211 semiarid soils under different extrinsic conditions.
Soil loss–runoff relations could be expressed as nonlinear (exponential or power) or linear.
Conditions that enhanced destabilization of surface aggregates resulted in nonlinear soil loss–runoff relations.
Linear soil loss–runoff relations were noted for conditions that stabilize soil structure (e.g. aggregate stability).
Diagnostic usefulness of plexus magnetic resonance imaging in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculopathy without electrodiagnostic criteria of demyelination
Authors: Fargeot G. , Viala K. , Theaudin M. , Labeyrie M.‐A. , Costa R. , Léger J. M. , Adams D. , Vandendries C. , Labeyrie C. 
Published: November 2018

Background and purposeThe usefulness of plexus magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculopathy (CIDP) without definite European Federation of Neurological Societies/Peripheral Nerve Society (EFNS/PNS) electrodiagnostic criteria is currently unclear.MethodsData from consecutive patients with clinical manifestations suggesting CIDP, with or without (CIDP‐D and CIDP‐ND, respectively) definite EFNS/PNS electrodiagnostic criteria, and referred for plexus MRI in our imaging centre were retrospectively analysed. An expert committee of neurologists compared the level of suspicion of CIDP in CIDP‐ND patients to the blinded/unblinded MRI findings. Plexus MRI was reviewed by a neuroradiologist blinded to the final diagnosis.ResultsIn all, 38 patients were assessed with suspected CIDP‐ND [7/38 (18%) probable; 13/38 (34%) possible; 18/38 (47%), no EFNS/PNS electrodiagnostic criteria], plus 10 with CIDP‐D. Thirty‐six of the 38 (95%) fulfilled clinical criteria of CIDP variants, including pure sensory neuropathy in 22/36 (61%). Plexus MRI showed abnormalities in 22/38 (58%) patients including increased nerve signal intensity on T2‐weighted images in 22/22 (100%), nerve enlargement in 20/22 (91%) and contrast enhancement in 8/22 (36%). Plexus MRI enabled the expert committee's final diagnosis to be adjusted in 7/38 (18%) patients, and in conjunction with nerve conduction studies was a supportive criterion to classify 7/24 (29%) patients as definite CIDP. MRI abnormalities were more asymmetrical (P = 0.03) and less diffuse (P = 0.1) in CIDP‐ND than in CIDP‐D.ConclusionsOur observations suggest that plexus MRI makes a valuable contribution to the diagnosis of CIDP‐ND patients. Further studies are needed to investigate inter‐rater reliability of clinical and imaging criteria of CIDP in these patients, and the impact on outcomes.
Female mate choice is a reproductive isolating barrier in Heliconius butterflies
Authors: Southcott Laura , Kronforst Marcus R. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractIn sexually reproducing organisms, speciation involves the evolution of reproductive isolating mechanisms that decrease gene flow. Premating reproductive isolation, often the result of mate choice, is a major obstacle to gene flow between species because it acts earlier in the life cycle than other isolating barriers. While female choice is often considered the default mode in animal species, research in the butterfly genus Heliconius, a frequent subject of speciation studies, has focused on male mate choice. We studied mate choice by Heliconius cydno females by pairing them with either conspecific males or males of the closely related species Heliconius pachinus. Significantly more intraspecific trials than interspecific trials resulted in mating. Because male courtship rates did not differ between the species when we excluded males that never courted, we attribute this difference to female choice. Females also performed more acceptance behaviours towards conspecific males. Premating isolation between these two species thus entails both male and female mate choice, and female choice may be an important factor in the origin of Heliconius species.
Modulation of trail laying in the ant Lasius neglectus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and its role in the collective selection of a food source
Authors: Frizzi Filippo , Talone Francesco , Santini Giacomo 
Published: November 2018

AbstractIn this study, we explored the feeding behaviour of the invasive garden ant Lasius neglectus. In particular, we investigated its ability to select the more profitable resource in a binary choice and its pheromonal trail marking. When facing a choice between two different energy sources, workers were rapidly recruited to the most profitable one, although both the speed of the recruitment and the number of ants varied considerably with the difference between the solutions. When facing two identical sources, workers were massively recruited onto one of the two in 80% of tests, whereas in the remaining 20% the workforce was split equally between the two. In the second experiment, we supplied a single food source and then assessed if the number of marks per ant was affected by solution concentration and direction of movement (nestward or foodward), and if it varied over time. Marking activity increased with solution concentration, was more intense in nestward‐moving ants, and decreased over time. All these effects, although significant, were not pronounced. However, the marking activity of the very first ants visiting the resource was more intense, and this seems to be sufficient to explain the collective selection of the most valuable resource. Finally, marks were not evenly distributed along the trail, but concentrated at some points. The behaviour of L. neglectus is partly comparable to that of Lasius niger, but appears to be more similar to that of other invasive ant species, suggesting a possible primary role of the marking behaviour in influencing the invasiveness of this species.
Discovery and analysis of a novel type of the serine biosynthetic enzyme phosphoserine phosphatase in Thermus thermophilus
Authors: Chiba Yoko , Yoshida Ayako , Shimamura Shigeru , Kameya Masafumi , Tomita Takeo , Nishiyama Makoto , Takai Ken 
Published: November 2018

Studying the diversity of extant metabolisms and enzymes, especially those involved in the biosynthesis of primary metabolites including amino acids, is important to shed light on the evolution of life. Many organisms synthesize serine from phosphoserine via a reaction catalyzed by phosphoserine phosphatase (PSP). Two types of PSP, belonging to distinct protein superfamilies, have been reported. Genomic analyses have revealed that the thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus lacks both homologs while still having the ability to synthesize serine. Here, we purified a protein from T. thermophilus which we biochemically identified as a PSP. A knockout mutant of the responsible gene (TT_C1695) was constructed, which showed serine auxotrophy. These results indicated the involvement of this gene in serine biosynthesis in T. thermophilus. TT_C1695 was originally annotated as a protein with unknown function belonging to the haloacid dehalogenase‐like hydrolase (HAD) superfamily. The HAD superfamily, which comprises phosphatases against a variety of substrates, includes also the classical PSP as a member. However, the amino acid sequence of the TT_C1695 was more similar to phosphatases acting on non‐phosphoserine substrates than classical PSP; therefore, a BLASTP search and phylogenetic analysis failed to predict TT_C1695 as a PSP. Our results strongly suggest that the T. thermophilus PSP and classical PSP evolved specificity for phosphoserine independently.EnzymesPhosphoserine phosphatase (PSP; EC 3.1.3.3); serine hydroxymethyltransferase (EC 2.1.2.1); 3‐phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.95); 3‐phosphoserine aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.52).
Fatigue life prediction for vibration isolation rubber based on parameter‐optimized support vector machine model
Authors: Liu Qiaobin , Shi Wenku , Chen Zhiyong 
Published: November 2018

AbstractGiven the small sample size, nonlinearity, and large dispersion of the measured data of fatigue performance for vibration isolation rubbers, the fatigue life prediction model for vibration isolation rubber materials was established using a support vector machine (SVM). A modified gravity search algorithm (MGSA) is proposed to optimize the parameters of the SVM. Using environmental temperature, the Rockwell hardness of the rubber compound, and the engineering strain peak as the input variables, the model was trained based on the experimental fatigue data of vibration isolation rubber materials. For comparison, the standard genetic algorithm, the standard particle swarm algorithm, and the standard simulated annealing algorithm are also implemented. Moreover, a back propagation neural network regression model is applied to the life prediction, with the conclusion that the prediction accuracy and the efficiency of MGSA are better than those of extant methods. This work can provide reference for further fatigue life prediction and structural improvement of rubber parts.
Effects of climate and demography on reproductive phenology of a harvested marine fish population
Authors: Rogers Lauren A. , Dougherty Annette B. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractShifts in phenology are a well‐documented ecological response to changes in climate, which may or may not be adaptive for a species depending on the climate sensitivity of other ecosystem processes. Furthermore, phenology may be affected by factors in addition to climate, which may accentuate or dampen climate‐driven phenological responses. In this study, we investigate how climate and population demographic structure jointly affect spawning phenology of a fish species of major commercial importance: walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus). We use 32 years of data from ichthyoplankton surveys to reconstruct timing of pollock reproduction in the Gulf of Alaska and find that the mean date of spawning has varied by over 3 weeks throughout the last >3 decades. Climate clearly drives variation in spawn timing, with warmer temperatures leading to an earlier and more protracted spawning period, consistent with expectations of advanced spring phenology under warming. However, the effects of temperature were nonlinear, such that additional warming above a threshold value had no additional effect on phenology. Population demographics were equally as important as temperature: An older and more age‐diverse spawning stock tended to spawn earlier and over a longer duration than a younger stock. Our models suggest that demographic shifts associated with sustainable harvest rates could shift the mean spawning date 7 days later and shorten the spawning season by 9 days relative to an unfished population, independent of thermal conditions. Projections under climate change suggest that spawn timing will become more stable for walleye pollock in the future, but it is unknown what the consequences of this stabilization will be for the synchrony of first‐feeding larvae with production of zooplankton prey in spring. With ongoing warming in the world’s oceans, knowledge of the mechanisms underlying reproductive phenology can improve our ability to monitor and manage species under changing climate conditions.
Back to the future? Late Holocene marine food web structure in a warm climatic phase as a predictor of trophodynamics in a warmer South‐Western Atlantic Ocean
Authors: Bas Maria , Briz i Godino Ivan , Álvarez Myrian , Vales Damián G. , Crespo Enrique A. , Cardona Luis 
Published: November 2018

AbstractStable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in the skeletal elements of both ancient and modern marine species from the Beagle Channel were used to compare the structure of Late Holocene and modern food webs, and predict potential changes as a result of a Sea Surface Temperature (SST) increase in the region. Complementary, ancient and modern shells of limpets and mussels were isotopically analysed to explore changes in the isotopic baseline and compare marine food webs through time after an appropriate correction for baseline shifts. Results confirmed a declining pattern of marine primary productivity during the Late Holocene in the Beagle Channel. In general, the isotopic niches overlapped largely in the ancient food web in comparison to the current marine one, with the exception of that of cormorants (Phalacrocorax sp.). Our data suggest that all the species that have undergone intense human exploitation (Arctocephalus australis, Otaria flavescens and Merluccius sp.) significantly increased their trophic levels. The most important finding of this work was the very high isotopic overlap between snoek (Thyrsites atun) and hake (Merluccius sp.) during the Late Holocene. Increasing SST as a result of global warming could favour the recolonization of the southern South‐Western Atlantic Ocean by snoek from the South‐Eastern Pacific Ocean, with a potential impact on the landings of the economically important Argentine and Austral hake. These findings highlight the relevance of using zooarchaeological remains for providing predictions about marine food webs changes in the near future.