bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Morphometric analysis of Chilean blue whales and implications for their taxonomy
Authors: Pastene Luis A. , Acevedo Jorge , Branch Trevor A. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractIn the Southern Hemisphere, blue whales are currently divided into two subspecies, Antarctic blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia) and pygmy blue whales (B. m. brevicauda), but there is some debate about whether Chilean blue whales should also be considered as a separate subspecies. Here, we provide novel morphometric data to directly address this taxonomic question from a biological survey of 60 blue whales taken during the 1965/1966 Chilean whaling season. The data show that maximum body length and mean body length of both sexually mature females and males for Chilean blue whales are intermediate between pygmy and Antarctic blue whales; and that fluke‐anus lengths of Chilean blue whales are significantly different from pygmy blue whales, but not necessarily from Antarctic blue whales. There is also some support from the data that snout‐eye measurements are different among all three groups. These data provide further confirmation that Chilean blue whales are a distinct population requiring separate management from other blue whale populations, and are also consistent with suggestions that Chilean blue whales are not the same subspecies as pygmy blue whales.
Neonatal osteoma cutis due to a mutation in GNAS
Authors: Levy‐Shraga Yael , Barel Ortal , Javasky Elisheva , Barzilai Aviv , Greenberger Shoshana 
Published: June 2019

AbstractWe describe a 4‐week‐old baby boy who presented with white firm cutaneous nodules and failure to thrive. He did not have dysmorphic features, and laboratory tests including serum calcium, phosphorous, thyroid function, and parathyroid hormone level were within normal ranges. Whole exome sequencing revealed an inactivating mutation in GNAS that was previously described as causing pseudohypoparathyroidism.
Cutaneous involvement of polymorphic post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disorder in a child after liver transplantation
Authors: Chen Kuan‐Yu , Lin Chien‐Yio , Kuo Tseng‐tong , Shih Lee‐Yung , Chang Chih‐Hao , Chen Wei‐Ti , Yang Chin‐Yi 
Published: June 2019

AbstractPost‐transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is one of the most common de novo malignancies in patients who receive immunosuppressive therapy after solid organ transplantation. We report a case of a 5‐year‐old girl who presented with indurated violaceous skin nodules 3.5 years post–liver transplantation, diagnosed as polymorphic PTLD, also involving Waldeyer's ring, spleen, and multiple lymph nodes. Through reduction of immunosuppression, most of the lesions resolved and the liver allograft was preserved.
The Expat Gap: Are Local‐Born Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries at a Disadvantage When Seeking Grant Funding?
Authors: Lall Saurabh A. , Chen Li‐Wei , Davidson Abigayle 
Published: June 2019

AbstractDonor agencies and foundations use grants to stimulate entrepreneurial growth in developing countries. However, some practitioners have asked whether these grants tend to flow to expatriate entrepreneurs with ties to developed countries (where most grants originate), rather than to local entrepreneurs. This article tackles this question using a data set of 3,434 nascent ventures from 92 developing countries. The authors find that ventures with ties to a developed country are significantly more likely to raise grant financing and in more substantial amounts. Ventures with a founder born in a developed country are the most likely to receive grants, with a weaker effect when considering prior work experience in a developed country. This “expat gap” cannot be explained by differences in education level, prior experience, or ties to other developing countries. Donors seeking to support local entrepreneurs in developing countries should consider ways to make their recruitment and selection processes more equitable.
Women’s Empowerment and Child Malnutrition: The Case of Mozambique
Authors: Deutsch Joseph , Silber Jacques 
Published: June 2019

AbstractUsing data from the 2011 Demographic and Health Survey in Mozambique this paper checks whether women empowerment has an impact on the nutritional status of children. We evaluate the degree of empowerment of women via multidimensional approaches, making a distinction between five domains: decision making, use of violence by husband/partner, attitude of the woman towards this use of violence, available information, material resources. Each domain includes several questions reflecting different aspects of empowerment. For each domain of empowerment, three different methods of aggregation are used: correspondence analysis, the so‐called Alkire and Foster methodology and the “fuzzy sets” approach. The impact of women empowerment on the nutritional status of children is analyzed via the MIMIC approach. No clear‐cut conclusion concerning the possible impact of women’s empowerment on the nutritional status of children could be drawn. But, ceteris paribus, the material wealth of the household, the educational level of the mother and her BMI are positively correlated with the nutritional status of children which is also higher when the child is female. Finally, there are important differences in the nutritional status of children between the various regions of Mozambique and this nutritional status is in most regions lower in rural areas.
Introduction to Special Issue on: ‘Inequalities in the Least Developed Countries – Some Lessons from Africa’
Authors: Gradín Carlos , Tarp Finn 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThis special issue comprises six papers analysing different dimensions of inequalities in African countries. Three papers deal with the trend in inequality in consumption in Mozambique, with multidimensional poverty in four sub‐Saharan countries, and with the relationship between living conditions and subjective well‐being in African countries. The other three are focused on gender issues and are focused on Mozambique, dealing with gender inequalities in the access to contract farming arrangements as well as to employment out of subsistence agriculture, or with the effect of women’s empowerment on children’s health. This introduction provides a short overview of how they contribute to a better understanding of inequalities in low‐income countries.
Suicide and Types of Agriculture: A Time‐Series Analysis in Japan
Authors: Kanamori Mariko , Kondo Naoki 
Published: June 2019

ObjectiveIn recent years, rural areas have reported higher suicide rates than urban areas worldwide. Although agricultural activity is a key characteristic of many rural areas, rurality may also have heterogeneous qualities based on the type of agriculture pursued. However, to date, no study has examined potential linkages between suicide rate and types of agriculture.MethodIn this study, we used 1983–2007 annual time‐series data of the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of suicide and product‐specific agricultural outputs in Japanese municipalities to shed light on this phenomenon. We conducted a multilevel linear regression analysis, taking into account a hierarchical structure of the time‐series data, limiting our analysis to municipalities where agricultural land use was high.ResultsOur multilevel analysis showed that the animal husbandry output was positively associated with suicideSMRin both women and men, with a stronger relationship among women, whereas no association was observed in agricultural crop output. Temporal analysis showed that the association could be observed consistently throughout the period between 1983 and 2007.ConclusionsThis study raises the possibility that the industrial and cultural characteristics of communities that rely on animal husbandry may be associated with an increased risk of suicide.
Retrospective evaluation of the association between admission blood glucose and l‐lactate concentrations in ponies and horses with gastrointestinal disease (2008‐2016): 545 cases
Authors: Dunkel Bettina , Mason Charlotte Jane , Chang Yu‐Mei 
Published: June 2019

AbstractObjectivesA recent study described increased l‐lactate concentrations in ponies with gastrointestinal disease compared to horses, but blood glucose (BG) concentrations were not considered. The study tested the hypothesis that BG and l‐lactate concentrations are correlated in horses and ponies with gastrointestinal disease and that BG concentrations, not equid type (pony vs horse), are an independent predictor of L‐lactate concentrations. It was further hypothesized that equid type was an independent predictor of BG concentrations.DesignRetrospective study 2008–2016.SettingUniversity teaching hospital.AnimalsAdmission data from 545 animals (384 horses and 161 ponies) with gastrointestinal disease.InterventionsNone.Measurements and Main ResultsData collected included signalment, clinicopathological findings on admission, and nature and location of the gastrointestinal lesion (strangulating vs non‐strangulating and large vs small intestinal lesion). The association between admission blood l‐lactate concentrations, equid type (pony or horse) and BG concentrations was investigated in a multivariable model. Admission l‐lactate and BG concentrations were strongly correlated (n = 522; r = 0.63; P < 0.001). Ponies had significantly higher l‐lactate (2.7 mmol/L (0.5–18.0 mmol/L) vs 1.4 mmol/L (0.3–19 mmol/L); P < 0.001) and BG concentrations than horses (8.4 mmol/L (4.2–24.4 mmol/L); 151 mg/dL (76–439 mg/dL) vs 6.9 mmol/L (3.4–26.8 mmol/L); 124 mg/dL (61–482 mg/dL); P < 0.001). In the multivariable analysis, l‐lactate concentrations were significantly and positively associated with admission BG concentrations in all animals and also with equid type. For each millimole per liter (18 mg/dL) increase in BG, l‐lactate concentrations increased by 7.9% (5.9, 9.9); P < 0.001. In comparison to ponies, l‐lactate concentrations were decreased by 27.7% (37.4, 16.5); P < 0.001 in horses. Admission BG concentrations were significantly and positively associated with l‐lactate concentrations in all animals. For each millimole per liter increase in l‐lactate concentration, BG concentration increased by 6.2% (4.7, 7.6; P < 0.001). Admission BG concentrations were not associated with equid type.ConclusionAdmission BG concentrations and equid type are independent predictors of blood l‐lactate concentrations in equids with gastrointestinal disease, but their relationship requires further investigation.
Effect of intra‐abdominal hypertension on plasma exogenous creatinine clearance in conscious and anesthetized dogs
Authors: Jang Min , Son Won‐Gyun , Jo Sang‐Min , Kim Hyunseok , Shin Chi Won , Lee Inhyung 
Published: June 2019

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of intra‐abdominal pressure (IAP) on plasma exogenous creatinine clearance in both conscious and anesthetized dog models using a balloon technique to generate intra‐abdominal hypertension.DesignProspective, cross‐over, experimental study.SettingUniversity‐based small animal research facility.AnimalsSix healthy male Beagle dogs.InterventionsA balloon device comprising a Foley urinary catheter and latex balloon was placed in the intra‐abdominal cavity. Plasma exogenous creatinine clearance was compared after intravenous administration of exogenous creatinine solution at 80 mg/kg under 4 different treatment conditions as follows: control and IAP levels of 25 mm Hg in conscious dogs and control and IAP levels of 25 mm Hg in anesthetized dogs (CC, C25, AC, and A25, respectively). Samples were obtained before (T0) and 10, 20, 30, 60, 90, 120, 240, 360, 480, and 600 min after administration of creatinine in all treatment groups.Measurements and main resultsThere were no significant differences in plasma creatinine concentration for CC, AC, and C25 during the treatment period. However, in the A25 treatment condition, the plasma creatinine concentration increased significantly at 10, 20, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after administration of creatinine (P < 0.05). Plasma creatinine clearances were 5.0 ± 0.5, 4.7 ± 1.2, 5.5 ± 0.9, and 2.5 ± 0.5 mL/kg/min for 600 min (CC, AC, C25, and A25, respectively). In the A25 treatment condition, the plasma exogenous creatinine clearance decreased significantly to 50%, 47%, and 55% of that under control conditions (CC, AC, and C25, respectively). After decompression of the abdomen, plasma creatinine concentrations declined rapidly and returned to basal concentrations.ConclusionsIntra‐abdominal hypertension under general anesthesia could cause renal hypoperfusion. Timely decompression may improve the outcome of acutely increased IAP when surgery and/or general anesthesia is required in canine patients.
Different paths, same destination: divergent action potential responses produce conserved cardiac fight‐or‐flight response in mouse and rabbit hearts
Authors: Wang Lianguo , Morotti Stefano , Tapa Srinivas , Francis Stuart Samantha D. , Jiang Yanyan , Wang Zhen , Myles Rachel C. , Brack Kieran E. , Ng G. André , Bers Donald M. , Grandi Eleonora , Ripplinger Crystal M. 
Published: June 2019

Key points
Cardiac electrophysiology and Ca2+ handling change rapidly during the fight‐or‐flight response to meet physiological demands.
Despite dramatic differences in cardiac electrophysiology, the cardiac fight‐or‐flight response is highly conserved across species.
In this study, we performed physiological sympathetic nerve stimulation (SNS) while optically mapping cardiac action potentials and intracellular Ca2+ transients in innervated mouse and rabbit hearts.
Despite similar heart rate and Ca2+ handling responses between mouse and rabbit hearts, we found notable species differences in spatio‐temporal repolarization dynamics during SNS.
Species‐specific computational models revealed that these electrophysiological differences allowed for enhanced Ca2+ handling (i.e. enhanced inotropy) in each species, suggesting that electrophysiological responses are fine‐tuned across species to produce optimal cardiac fight‐or‐flight responses.
AbstractSympathetic activation of the heart results in positive chronotropy and inotropy, which together rapidly increase cardiac output. The precise mechanisms that produce the electrophysiological and Ca2+ handling changes underlying chronotropic and inotropic responses have been studied in detail in isolated cardiac myocytes. However, few studies have examined the dynamic effects of physiological sympathetic nerve activation on cardiac action potentials (APs) and intracellular Ca2+ transients (CaTs) in the intact heart. Here, we performed bilateral sympathetic nerve stimulation (SNS) in fully innervated, Langendorff‐perfused rabbit and mouse hearts. Dual optical mapping with voltage‐ and Ca2+‐sensitive dyes allowed for analysis of spatio‐temporal AP and CaT dynamics. The rabbit heart responded to SNS with a monotonic increase in heart rate (HR), monotonic decreases in AP and CaT duration (APD, CaTD), and a monotonic increase in CaT amplitude. The mouse heart had similar HR and CaT responses; however, a pronounced biphasic APD response occurred, with initial prolongation (50.9 ± 5.1 ms at t = 0 s vs. 60.6 ± 4.1 ms at t = 15 s, P < 0.05) followed by shortening (46.5 ± 9.1 ms at t = 60 s, P = NS vs. t = 0). We determined the biphasic APD response in mouse was partly due to dynamic changes in HR during SNS and was exacerbated by β‐adrenergic activation. Simulations with species‐specific cardiac models revealed that transient APD prolongation in mouse allowed for greater and more rapid CaT responses, suggesting more rapid increases in contractility; conversely, the rabbit heart requires APD shortening to produce optimal inotropic responses. Thus, while the cardiac fight‐or‐flight response is highly conserved between species, the underlying mechanisms orchestrating these effects differ significantly.
Endocytic recycling of Na+–K+–Cl− cotransporter type 2: importance of exon 4
Authors: Marcoux Andrée‐Anne , Slimani Samira , Tremblay Laurence E. , Frenette‐Cotton Rachelle , Garneau Alexandre P. , Isenring Paul 
Published: June 2019

Key points
Na+–K+–Cl− cotransporter type 2 (NKCC2) is a 27‐exon membrane protein that is expressed in the thick ascending limb (TAL) of Henle where it is involved in reabsorption of the ultrafiltered NaCl load.
It comes as three splice variants that are identical to each other except for the residue composition of exon 4 and that differ in their transport characteristics, functional roles and distributions along the TAL.
In this report, it is shown that the variants also differ in their trafficking properties and that two residues in exon 4 play a key role in this regard. One of these residues was also shown to sustain carrier internalization.
Through these results, a novel function for the alternatively spliced exon of NKCC2 has been identified and a domain that is involved in carrier trafficking has been uncovered for the first time in a cation–Cl− cotransporter family member.
AbstractNa+–K+–Cl− cotransporter type 2 (NKCC2) is a 12‐transmembrane (TM) domain cell surface glycoprotein that is expressed in the thick ascending limb (TAL) of Henle and stimulated during cell shrinkage. It comes as three splice variants (A, B and F) that are identical to each other except for TM2 and the following connecting segment (CS2). Yet, these variants do not share the same localization, transport characteristics and physiological roles along the TAL. We have recently found that while cell shrinkage could exert its activating effect by increasing NKCC2 expression at the cell surface, the variants also responded differentially to this stimulus. In the current work, a mutagenic approach was exploited to determine whether CS2 could play a role in carrier trafficking and identify the residues potentially involved. We found that when the residue of position 238 in NKCC2A (F) and NKCC2B (Y) was replaced by the corresponding residue in NKCC2F (V), carrier activity increased by over 3‐fold and endocytosis decreased concomitantly. We also found that when the residue of position 230 in NKCC2F (M) was replaced by the one in NKCC2B (T), carrier activity and affinity for ions both increased substantially whereas expression at the membrane decreased. Taken together, these results suggest that CS2 is involved in carrier trafficking and that two of its residues, those of positions 238 and 230, are part of an internalization motif. They also indicate that the divergent residue of position 230 plays the dual role of specifying ion affinity and sustaining carrier internalization.
H‐reflex conditioning during locomotion in people with spinal cord injury
Authors: Thompson Aiko K. , Wolpaw Jonathan R. 
Published: June 2019

Key points
In people or animals with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI), changing a spinal reflex through an operant conditioning protocol can improve locomotion.
All previous studies conditioned the reflex during steady‐state maintenance of a specific posture. By contrast, the present study down‐conditioned the reflex during the swing‐phase of locomotion in people with hyperreflexia as a result of chronic incomplete SCI. The aim was to modify the functioning of the reflex in a specific phase of a dynamic movement.
This novel swing‐phase conditioning protocol decreased the reflex much faster and farther than did the steady‐state protocol in people or animals with or without SCI, and it also improved locomotion.
The reflex decrease persisted for at least 6 months after conditioning ended.
The results suggest that conditioning reflex function in a specific phase of a dynamic movement offers a new approach to enhancing and/or accelerating recovery after SCI or in other disorders.
AbstractIn animals and people with incomplete spinal cord injury, appropriate operant conditioning of a spinal reflex can improve impaired locomotion. In all previous conditioning studies, the reflex was conditioned during steady‐state maintenance of a stable posture; this steady‐state protocol aimed to change the excitability of the targeted reflex pathway; reflex size gradually changed over 8–10 weeks. The present study introduces a new protocol, comprising a dynamic protocol that aims to change the functioning of the reflex pathway during a specific phase of a complex movement. Specifically, we down‐conditioned the soleus H‐reflex during the swing‐phase of locomotion in people with hyperreflexia as a result of chronic incomplete SCI. The swing‐phase H‐reflex, which is absent or very small in neurologically normal individuals, is abnormally large in this patient population. The results were clear. With swing‐phase down‐conditioning, the H‐reflex decreased much faster and farther than did the H‐reflex in all previous animal or human studies with the steady‐state protocol, and the decrease persisted for at least 6 months after conditioning ended. The H‐reflex decrease was accompanied by improvements in walking speed and in the modulation of locomotor electromyograph activity in proximal and distal muscles of both legs. These results provide new insight into the factors controlling spinal reflex conditioning; they suggest that the conditioning protocols targeting reflex function in a specific movement phase provide a promising new opportunity to enhance functional recovery after SCI or in other disorders.
Genomics of the Pathogenic Clostridia
Authors: Moore Robert J. , Lacey Jake A. 
Published: June 2019

ABSTRACT

Whole-genome sequences are now available for all the clinically important clostridia and many of the lesser or opportunistically pathogenic clostridia. The complex clade structures of
C. difficile
,
C. perfringens
, and the species that produce botulinum toxins have been delineated by whole-genome sequence analysis. The true clostridia of cluster I show relatively low levels of gross genomic rearrangements within species, in contrast to the species of cluster XI, notably
C. difficile
, which have been found to have very plastic genomes with significant levels of chromosomal rearrangement. Throughout the clostridial phylotypes, a large proportion of the strain diversity is driven by the acquisition and loss of mobile elements, including phages, plasmids, insertion sequences, and transposons. Genomic analysis has been used to investigate the diversity and spread of
C. difficile
within hospital settings, the zoonotic transfer of isolates, and the emergence, origins, and geographic spread of epidemic ribotypes. In
C. perfringens
the clades defined by chromosomal sequence analysis show no indications of clustering based on host species or geographical location. Whole-genome sequence analysis helps to define the different survival and pathogenesis strategies that the clostridia use. Some, such as
C. botulinum
, produce toxins which rapidly act to kill the host, whereas others, such as
C. perfringens
and
C. difficile
, produce less lethal toxins which can damage tissue but do not rapidly kill the host. The genomes provide a resource that can be mined to identify potential vaccine antigens and targets for other forms of therapeutic intervention.