bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of impulsive noise on marine mammals: investigating range‐dependent risk
Authors: Hastie Gordon , Merchant Nathan D. , Götz Thomas , Russell Debbie J. F. , Thompson Paul , Janik Vincent M. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractConcerns exist about the impacts of underwater noise on marine mammals. These include auditory damage, which is a significant risk for marine mammals exposed to impulsive sounds such as explosions, pile‐driving, and seismic air guns. Currently, impact assessments use different risk criteria for impulsive and non‐impulsive sounds (e.g., ships, drilling). However, as impulsive sounds dissipate through the environment, they potentially lose hazardous features (e.g., sudden onset) and become non‐impulsive at some distance from the source. Despite management implications, a lack of data on range‐dependent characteristics currently limits their inclusion in impact assessments. We address this using acoustic recordings of seismic air guns and pile‐driving to quantify range dependency in impulsive characteristics using four criteria: (1) rise time < 25 ms; (2) quotient of peak pressure and pulse duration > 5,000 Pa/s; (3) duration < 1 s; (4) crest factor > 15 dB. We demonstrate that some characteristics changed markedly within ranges of ~10 km, and that the mean probability of exceeding criteria 1 and 2 was <0.5 at ranges >3.5 km. In contrast, the mean probability of exceeding criteria 3 remained >0.5 up to ~37.0 km, and the mean probability of exceeding criteria 4 remained <0.5 throughout the range. These results suggest that a proportion of the recorded signals should be defined as impulsive based on each of the criteria, and that some of the criteria change markedly as a result of propagation. However, the impulsive nature of a sound is likely to be a complex interaction of all these criteria, and many other unrelated parameters such as duty cycle, recovery periods, and sound levels will also strongly affect the risk of hearing damage. We recommend future auditory damage studies and impact assessments explicitly consider the ranges at which sounds may lose some of their potentially hazardous characteristics.
Landscape genetic inferences vary with sampling scenario for a pond‐breeding amphibian
Authors: Seaborn Travis , Hauser Samantha S. , Konrade Lauren , Waits Lisette P. , Goldberg Caren S. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractA critical decision in landscape genetic studies is whether to use individuals or populations as the sampling unit. This decision affects the time and cost of sampling and may affect ecological inference. We analyzed 334 Columbia spotted frogs at 8 microsatellite loci across 40 sites in northern Idaho to determine how inferences from landscape genetic analyses would vary with sampling design. At all sites, we compared a proportion available sampling scheme (PASS), in which all samples were used, to resampled datasets of 2–11 individuals. Additionally, we compared a population sampling scheme (PSS) to an individual sampling scheme (ISS) at 18 sites with sufficient sample size. We applied an information theoretic approach with both restricted maximum likelihood and maximum likelihood estimation to evaluate competing landscape resistance hypotheses. We found that PSS supported low‐density forest when restricted maximum likelihood was used, but a combination model of most variables when maximum likelihood was used. We also saw variations when AIC was used compared to BIC. ISS supported this model as well as additional models when testing hypotheses of land cover types that create the greatest resistance to gene flow for Columbia spotted frogs. Increased sampling density and study extent, seen by comparing PSS to PASS, showed a change in model support. As number of individuals increased, model support converged at 7–9 individuals for ISS to PSS. ISS may be useful to increase study extent and sampling density, but may lack power to provide strong support for the correct model with microsatellite datasets. Our results highlight the importance of additional research on sampling design effects on landscape genetics inference.
Seasonal variation in food availability and relative importance of dietary items in the Gambian epauletted fruit bat (Epomophorus gambianus)
Authors: Amponsah‐Mensah Kofi , Cunningham Andrew A. , Wood James L. N. , Ntiamoa‐Baidu Yaa 
Published: April 2019

Abstract

The Gambian epauletted fruit bat (Epomophorus gambianus) is very common across a variety of West African habitats, but very little information is available on its feeding ecology or its contribution to ecosystem function.

We investigated seasonal variation in food availability and the relative importance of dietary items used by this species in a forest‐savannah transitional ecosystem. Dietary items were identified from 1,470 samples of fecal and ejecta pellets which had been collected under day roosts or from captured bats over a 2‐year period (2014–2015).

Plant phenology studies illustrated strong seasonal correlations between fruiting and flowering and rainfall patterns: Fruits were available throughout the year but with peaks of abundance during the rainy season, while flowers were mostly abundant during the dry season. Epomophorus gambianus bats utilized fruit and flower resources from 30 plant species. Although the plant species used depended on seasonal availability, there were clear preferences for certain species.

Flowers were an important food source for this fruit bat species especially during the dry season, contributing up to 79% of dietary items when fruit abundance was low. Ficus fruits were also important food item for E. gambianus, constituting over 40% of all dietary samples identified.

Policy implications. Our results show the importance of flowers in the diet of E. gambianus and highlight this species as an important pollinator and seed disperser, including for economically and ecologically important plant species. These findings contribute to an improved understanding of the ecological importance and potential role of this species in the forest‐savannah transition ecosystem for the development of fruit bat conservation management strategies.
Spatiotemporal variations of vegetation and its determinants in the National Key Ecological Function Area on Loess Plateau between 2000 and 2015
Authors: Hao Haiguang , Li Yuanyuan , Zhang Huiyuan , Zhai Ruixue , Liu Haiyan 
Published: April 2019

AbstractChina defined 25 National Key Ecological Function Areas in 2010 and adopted various measures to support ecosystem restoration in these areas. During the process of environment policymaking, it is important to observe the variation of vegetation and its driving factors. In this paper, we chose the National Key Ecological Function Area (NKEFA) on Loess Plateau as the study area. Based on MODIS‐NDVI data between 2000 and 2015, the trend analysis was used to depict the change in NDVI and the stepwise regression analysis method was used to quantitatively assess its determinants. The results show that: (a) The vegetation coverage in study area was low in the northwest and high in the southeast, corresponding to the distribution of precipitation and temperature. (b) NDVI in the growing season increased remarkably from 0.2841 in 2000 to 0.4199 in 2015 with a linear tendency of 0.085/10a. About 71.22% of the study area experienced an extremely significant increasing of NDVI, while only 0.03% of the total area suffered from significant decreasing of NDVI. (c) Compared to climatic factors, ecosystem conservation policies, and labor transfer contributed more to the vegetation changes in the study area. In order to ensure ecological security and sustainable development in these areas, it is necessary to maintain the continuity of ecological compensation policy. Moreover, developing targeted eco‐compensation policies and encouraging farmers to participate in nonfarm employment are effective ways to reach a win–win outcome of reducing the ecosystem pressure and improving the welfare of rural households.
Short‐term reservoir draining to streambed for juvenile salmon passage and non‐native fish removal
Authors: Murphy Christina A. , Taylor Gregory , Pierce Todd , Arismendi Ivan , Johnson Sherri L. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractFish passage out of reservoirs is a critical issue for downstream movement of juvenile salmonids and other migratory species. Reservoirs can delay downstream migrations by juvenile salmon for months or years. Here, we examine whether a novel management activity implementing annual short‐term draining of a reservoir to streambed improves timely downstream migration of juvenile salmonids. We analyse 12 years of fish capture data from a screw trap located downstream of Fall Creek Reservoir (Oregon, USA) to examine changes in timing of passage out of the reservoir and to compare fish species composition pre‐ and post‐draining. We observed a contraction in the timing of downstream migration for juvenile Chinook Salmon and reduction of yearlings in years following draining. We suggest that briefly draining the reservoir to streambed leads to reduced abundance of warm‐water invasive fishes in the reservoir after it refills. These changes could decrease predation and shift competition between invasive and resident riverine‐adapted native fishes in the reservoir. Collectively, our findings suggest that this low‐cost reservoir management option may improve passage and connectivity for juvenile Chinook Salmon while also decreasing the abundance of invasive fish species in the reservoir. This case study underscores the crucial need for further evaluations of reservoir draining in other systems and contexts.
MIC‐MAC: An automated pipeline for high‐throughput characterization and classification of three‐dimensional microglia morphologies in mouse and human postmortem brain samples
Authors: Salamanca Luis , Mechawar Naguib , Murai Keith K. , Balling Rudi , Bouvier David S. , Skupin Alexander 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe phenotypic changes of microglia in brain diseases are particularly diverse and their role in disease progression, beneficial, or detrimental, is still elusive. High‐throughput molecular approaches such as single‐cell RNA‐sequencing can now resolve the high heterogeneity in microglia population for a specific physiological condition, however, the relation between the different microglial signatures and their surrounding brain microenvironment is barely understood. Thus, better tools to characterize the phenotypic variations of microglia in situ are needed, particularly for human brain postmortem samples analysis. To address this challenge, we developed MIC‐MAC, a Microglia and Immune Cells Morphologies Analyser and Classifier pipeline that semiautomatically segments, extracts, and classifies all microglia and immune cells labeled in large three‐dimensional (3D) confocal image stacks of mouse and human brain samples. Our imaging‐based approach enables automatic 3D‐morphology characterization and classification of thousands of individual microglia in situ and revealed species‐ and disease‐specific morphological phenotypes in mouse aging, human Alzheimer's disease, and dementia with Lewy Bodie's samples. MIC‐MAC is a precision diagnostic tool that allows a rapid, unbiased, and large‐scale analysis of microglia morphological states in mouse models and patient brain samples.
Survival of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma in young adults
Authors: Oliver Jamie R. , Wu S. Peter , Chang Clifford M. , Roden Dylan F. , Wang Binhuan , Hu Kenneth S. , Schreiber David , Givi Babak 
Published: April 2019

AbstractBackgroundSmall cohort studies have suggested oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) could be associated with worse prognosis in individuals younger than 40.MethodsWe compared the survival of all OTSCC cases in the National Cancer Database under 40 years old with those older than 40, excluding patients over 70. Cox regression and propensity score matched (PSM) survival analyses were performed.ResultsA total of 22 930 OTSCC patients were identified. The under 40 group consisted of 2566 (9.9%) cases; 20664 were 40 to 70 (90.1%). Most were male (13 713, 59.8%), stage I‐II (12 754, 72.4%), and treated by surgery alone (13 973, 63.2%). Survival in patients under 40 was higher (79.6% vs 69.5%, P < .001). In PSM analysis (n = 2928) controlling for all 10 significant factors in multivariate regression, patients under 40 had a 9% higher 5‐year survival (77.1% vs 68.2%, P < .001).ConclusionContrary to the prior reports, younger patients with OTSCC did not have worse survival in the National Cancer Database.
Decentralization and health resources transfer to local governments in Burkina Faso: A SWOT analysis among health care decision makers
Authors: Zon Hilaire , Pavlova Milena , Groot Wim 
Published: April 2019

AbstractBackground and AimsIn line with the decentralization policy, in 2009, the central government of Burkina Faso issued a decree to transfer health resources to local governments for fulfilling their new responsibilities in health care provision. The first stage of this health care decentralization process involved the basic health care facilities, composed of primary health care facilities, maternities, dispensaries, maternal and child health centers, and essential drugs depots.This study seeks to explore the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) associated with the health resources transfer in Burkina Faso, from the perspective of decision makers.MethodsWe used a qualitative research approach. We conducted 17 semistructured interviews with 17 representatives of key decision‐making groups, in August to December 2017 in Burkina Faso. The participants included mayors of municipalities, health district managers, policy decision makers, and donors/partners. The data collected were subjected to a directed qualitative content analysis, and the SWOT framework was used to select themes and codes for the analysis.ResultsThe most cited strength was the improvement of local governance, which also creates the opportunity for an enhanced partnership and decentralized cooperation. As expected, however, the limited financial capacity of local governments is an important weakness. Furthermore, misuse of financial resources threatens the resources transfer. Recommendations to improve decentralization and health resources transfer included effective enforcement of decentralization's laws and policies, strengthening local governments' capacities, adequate funding, and evaluation of the resources transfer process.ConclusionsAn analysis of the preconditions for a successful resources transfer is needed to provide guidance to policy.
Tumor lysis syndrome following cabazitaxel administration for metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer: A case report
Authors: Oshima Masashi , Mayumi Shozaburou , Yazaki Kai , Nakamura Yuuki , Konishi Tsuzumi , Saito Kimitoshi , Washino Satoshi , Miyagawa Tomoaki 
Published: April 2019

IntroductionTumor lysis syndrome is a rare and potentially fatal complication of oncological treatment. It is characterized by biochemical changes associated with the rapid lysis of malignant cells, usually after chemotherapy. Tumor lysis syndrome is typically noted in patients with hematological malignancies, and it rarely occurs in patients with solid tumors.Case presentationWe report a case of tumor lysis syndrome after cabazitaxel administration for metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer. To our knowledge, tumor lysis syndrome after cabazitaxel therapy has not been reported previously. The patient was a 77‐year‐old man who developed clinical tumor lysis syndrome after a single dose of cabazitaxel for metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer. He was treated with hydration and the recombinant uricolytic agent rasburicase, and his condition improved.ConclusionIt is extremely important to assess the risk factors for tumor lysis syndrome and to perform active prevention procedures in order to avoid fatal outcomes. It may be beneficial to use rasburicase in patients with established tumor lysis syndrome.
Enhanced adhesion of plasma‐sprayed commercially pure titanium porous coatings to polished Mg‐PSZ ceramic substrates
Authors: Tilden David S. , Roy Marie E. , Whiteside Leo A. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the suitability of a plasma sprayed titanium porous coating on polished magnesia‐stabilized zirconia (Mg‐PSZ) ceramic surfaces. We hypothesized that diffusion bonding was responsible for the adhesion of the coating to the ceramic substrate. Mg‐PSZ tensile test coupons were vibratory polished (roughness Sa = 0.50 μm) or vibratory polished/lapped (Sa = 0.12 μm) before coating and testing. The exposed surfaces after tensile testing were examined by energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX) analysis. Mg‐PSZ shear test coupons were vibratory polished (Sa = 0.48 μm). As the surface roughness of the ceramic substrate decreased by a factor of 4.175, the coating tensile strength increased from 62.6 to 66.8 MPa, comparable to that of porous coated cobalt chromium (CoCr) and titanium (Ti‐6Al‐4V) coupons. EDX analyses found titanium everywhere on the ceramic surface after the titanium layer was pulled off with tensile testing, even on areas that appeared to be “clean” to the naked eye. This suggested that titanium oxide compounds were present at the interface, where the oxygen required could only result from diffusion bonding across the interface. Diffusion bonding may also explain the significantly higher amounts of zirconium on the coating surface that had been pulled off the smoother lapped ceramic coupons. The measured shear strength of porous‐coated ceramic coupons was significantly higher than that of CoCr and Ti‐6Al‐4V coupons. The superior adherence of the titanium coating to Mg‐PSZ suggests this process has great clinical potential in arthroplasty, especially for patients with metal sensitivity. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 107A: 1925–1932, 2019.
Human umbilical cord‐derived scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering
Authors: Safari Fatemeh , Fani Nesa , Eglin David , Alini Mauro , Stoddart Martin J. , Baghaban Eslaminejad Mohamadreza 
Published: April 2019

AbstractSince articular cartilage is an avascular tissue, it has limited self‐regeneration capacity after damage. Current methods for human bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cell (hBM‐MSC) differentiation into cartilage result in tissues with a lower quality as compared to native articular cartilage. Decellularized biological scaffolds have the potential to provide appropriate signals, in order to support cellular retention, migration, proliferation, and differentiation. Given the high amount of collagen, hyaluronic acid (HA), and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) in umbilical cord, this tissue can be considered as an abundant natural biomaterial for tissue engineering applications. Human umbilical cord‐derived scaffolds were prepared, and the chondrogenic induction of hBM‐MSCs loaded onto the scaffolds was investigated. Gelatin‐based scaffolds as a commercial material was used as a control. The results show that hBM‐MSCs in tissue‐derived scaffolds have an increased expression of chondrogenic markers compared with gelatin, whereas there are no significant differences between the expression of hypertrophic and osteogenic markers between tissue and gelatin scaffolds. In conclusion, it is confirmed that umbilical cord‐derived scaffolds are able to provide a native environment for the cells and can promote cartilage differentiation. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 107A: 1793–1802, 2019.
A new subset of small stem cells in bovine bone marrow stromal cell populations
Authors: Pan Shaohui , Chen Yu‐Chen , Zhao Ning , Feng Xiang , Yang Dan‐Dan , Wang Yongshen , Jin Zi‐Bing 
Published: April 2019

AbstractBone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) are a unique population of multipotent cells that exhibit pluripotent properties to a certain extent and are significantly heterogeneous in terms of the cell population. We isolate a small cell subpopulation from bovine BMSCs, bovine small stem cells (bSSCs), and herein characterize their properties. The bSSCs are smaller in size and express nuclear Oct‐4 and other pluripotency markers. In addition, when cultured in suspension conditions, bSSCs form three‐dimensional spheres and display a strong capability for self‐renewal and differentiation into cells from three germ layers. Notably, bSSCs display neural features with Sox1 and Pax6 expression. Using bSSCs as donor nuclear cells for somatic cell nuclear transfer, we further demonstrate that the developmental potential of cloned embryos in vitro is significantly increased. Our study identifies a new bovine bone marrow stromal cell–derived stem cell subtype that could have broad importance for developmental biology as well as great potential for regenerative medicine.
Identification of blood microRNA alterations in patients with severe active alopecia areata
Authors: Sheng Youyu , Qi Sisi , Hu Ruiming , Zhao Jun , Rui Wenlong , Miao Ying , Ma Jingwen , Yang Qinping 
Published: April 2019

AbstractBackgroundAlopecia areata (AA) is a common inflammatory disease characterized by cellular infiltration of T cells targeting the anagen‐stage hair follicle. Lack of efficacious treatment for AA may be due to little knowledge about its exact cellular mechanism. Studies have demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in the regulation of inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. However, little is known about the role of miRNAs in AA.ObjectiveThe present study aimed to explore the blood miRNAs alterations in patients with severe active AA.MethodsWe constructed a bipartite miRNA‐messenger RNA (mRNA) regulatory network by the validated miRNA‐mRNA relationships. Subsequently, the miRNA‐miRNA synergistic network was formed in consideration of the Gene Ontology function enrichment of coregulated target genes. Lastly, the functional network was identified by the ingenuity pathway analysis.ResultsBy using an Agilent microarray that covers 2549 human miRNAs, we identified 36 significantly differentially expressed miRNAs in severe active AA patients. miRNA target gene prediction and functional annotation analysis showed significant enrichment in several pathways including the ribosome, cancer, cell cycle, insulin signaling, transforming growth factor‐βsignaling, and p53 signaling pathways. Analysis of the three kinds of network showed that miR‐185‐5p, miR‐125b‐5p, and miR‐186‐5p might play important and synergistic roles in the active phase of AA. According to the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, several miRNAs were selected for the quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction validation. Among the miRNAs, miR‐210 and miR‐1246 had high prediction with high accuracy.ConclusionBlood dysregulated miRNAs are potentially associated with the severe active AA. These miRNAs could function synergistically and might be promising targets for the development of novel treatments for AA in the future.