bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Integrating alpha, beta, and phylogenetic diversity to understand anuran fauna along environmental gradients of tropical forests in western Ecuador
Authors: Amador Luis , Soto‐Gamboa Mauricio , Guayasamin Juan M. 
Published: September 2019

AbstractThe study of current distribution patterns of amphibian species in South America is of particular interest in areas such as evolutionary ecology and conservation biology. These patterns could be playing an important role in biological interactions, population size, and connectivity, and potential extinction risk in amphibians. Here, we tested the effects of spatial and environmental factors on the variation, turnover, and phylogenetic diversity of anuran amphibian species in tropical forests of western Ecuador. Data for presence/absence of 101 species of 34 genera and 10 families registered in 12 sites (nested in four biogeographic units) were obtained through fieldwork, museum collections, and literature records. We examined the influence of geographical, altitudinal, temperature, and precipitation distances on differences in anuran composition between sites. We found significant positive correlations among all of these variables with anuran distribution. The greatest alpha diversity (species richness) was found in the Equatorial Chocó biogeographic unit. Equatorial Pacific biogeographic unit could act as a transition zone between the Equatorial Chocó and Equatorial Tumbes. The western Andes (Western Cordillera biogeographic unit) was the most dissimilar and exhibited a higher species turnover rate than the other biogeographic units. Our results suggest that precipitation and elevation play a key role in maintaining the diversity of amphibian species in western Ecuador.
Environmental variables associated withNothophaeocryptopus gaeumanniipopulation structure and Swiss needle cast severity in Western Oregon and Washington
Authors: Bennett Patrick I. , Stone Jeffrey K. 
Published: September 2019

AbstractThe environment has a strong influence on the abundance and distribution of plant pathogenic organisms and plays a major role in plant disease. Climatological factors may also alter the dynamics of the interactions between plant pathogens and their hosts.Nothophaeocryptopus(=Phaeocryptopus)gaeumannii, the causal agent of Swiss needle cast (SNC) of Douglas‐fir, is endemic to western North America where it exists as two sympatric, reproductively isolated lineages. The abundance of this fungus and the severity of SNC are strongly influenced by climate. We used statistical and population genetic analyses to examine relationships between environment, pathogen population structure, and SNC severity. AlthoughN. gaeumanniiLineage 2 in western Oregon and Washington was most abundant where SNC symptoms were most severe, we did not detect a significant relationship between Lineage 2 and disease severity. Warmer winter temperatures were inversely correlated with foliage retention (AFR) and positively correlated with the relative abundance of Lineage 2 (PL2). However when distance inland, which was strongly correlated with bothAFRandPL2, was included in the model, there was no significant relationship between Lineage 2 andAFR. Spring/early summer dew point temperatures also were positively associated with totalN. gaeumanniiabundance (colonization index (CI)) and inversely correlated withAFR. Warmer summer mean temperatures were associated with lowerCIand higherAFR. Our results suggest that the two lineages have overlapping environmental optima, but slightly different tolerance ranges. Lineage 2 was absent from more inland sites where winters are colder and summers are warm and dry, while Lineage 1 occurred at most sites across an environmental gradient suggesting broader environmental tolerance. These relationships suggest that climate influences the abundance and distribution of this ecologically important plant pathogen and may have played a role in the evolutionary divergence of these two cryptic fungal lineages.
Communities at the extreme: Aquatic food webs in desert landscapes
Authors: Moran Nicholas P. , Wong Bob B. M. , Thompson Ross M. 
Published: September 2019

AbstractStudying food webs across contrasting abiotic conditions is an important tool in understanding how environmental variability impacts community structure and ecosystem dynamics. The study of extreme environments provides insight into community‐wide level responses to environmental pressures with relevance to the future management of aquatic ecosystems. In the western Lake Eyre Basin of arid Australia, there are two characteristic and contrasting aquatic habitats: springs and rivers. Permanent isolated Great Artesian Basin springs represent hydrologically persistent environments in an arid desert landscape. In contrast, hydrologically variable river waterholes are ephemeral in space and time. We comprehensively sampled aquatic assemblages in contrasting ecosystem types to assess patterns in community composition and to quantify food web attributes with stable isotopes. Springs and rivers were found to have markedly different invertebrate communities, with rivers dominated by more dispersive species and springs associated with species that show high local endemism. Qualitative assessment of basal resources shows autochthonous carbon appears to be a key basal resource in both types of habitat, although the particular sources differed between habitats. Food‐web variables such as trophic length, trophic breadth, and community isotopic niche size were relatively similar in the two habitat types. The basis for the similarity in food‐web structure despite differences in community composition appears to be broader isotopic niches for predatory invertebrates and fish in springs as compared with rivers. In contrast to published theory, our findings suggest that the food webs of the hydrologically variable river sites may show less dietary generalization and more compact food‐web modules than in springs.
Environmental effects on community productivity of aquatic macrophytes are mediated by species and functional composition
Authors: Fu Hui , Yuan Guixiang , Li Wei , Ge Dabing , Zou Dongsheng , Huang Zhenrong 
Published: September 2019

AbstractEnvironmental variations are rapidly altering plant species and functional composition, which may have consequent influences on ecosystem functioning. We measured species and functional diversity of macrophyte community as well as environmental variables in 1,008 plots in 24 freshwater lakes across Yunnan–Guizhou plateau and Yangtze River in south China. We used generalized multilevel path models to test how the environmental effects on macrophytes productivity directly and indirectly through changes in species and functional diversity. We found distinct species and functional responses to the four groups of environmental variables:water quality, heterogeneity, climate, and topography. Macrophyte communities tended to be high richness and dominated by species with high‐stem dry mass content and long flowering duration at eutrophic, heterogeneous, high altitude, or deepwater habitats. Submersed and annual species with high‐specific leaf area dominated in heterogeneous and high altitude conditions, whereas species with high shoot and leaf dry mass content as well as thin stem and lamina dominated in heterogeneous and low‐altitude conditions. Functional dispersion (FDis) decreased in heterogeneous and high‐altitude habitats and increased at deepwater. These changes in functional composition have subsequently significant influences on community productivity, involving the opposite pathways of positive effects of community‐weighted mean (CWM) traits and negative effects of FDis, ultimately contributing to the observed invariable macrophytes productivity along the tested environmental gradients. Our results provide strong evidences that both species and functional composition mediate the cascading effects of environments on macrophytes productivity.
False‐negative detections from environmental DNA collected in the presence of large numbers of killer whales (Orcinus orca)
Authors: Pinfield Róisín , Dillane Eileen , Runge Anne Kathrine W. , Evans Alice , Mirimin Luca , Niemann Jonas , Reed Thomas E. , Reid David G. , Rogan Emer , Samarra Filipa I. P. , Sigsgaard Eva Egelyng , Foote Andrew D. 
Published: September 2019

AbstractWhile environmental DNA (eDNA) is becoming increasingly established in biodiversity monitoring of freshwater ecosystems, the use of eDNA surveys in the marine environment is still in its infancy. Here, we use two approaches: targeted quantitative PCR (qPCR) and whole‐genome enrichment capture followed by shotgun sequencing in an effort to amplify killer whale DNA from seawater samples. Samples were collected in close proximity to killer whales in inshore and offshore waters, in varying sea conditions and from the surface and subsurface but none returned strongly positive detections of killer whale eDNA. We validated our laboratory methodologies by successfully amplifying a dilution series of a positive control of killer whale DNA. Furthermore, DNA of Atlantic mackerel, which was present at all sites during sampling, was successfully amplified from the same seawater samples, with positive detections found in ten of the eighteen eDNA extracts. We discuss the various eDNA collection and amplification methodologies used and the abiotic and biotic factors that influence eDNA detection. We discuss possible explanations for the lack of positive killer whale detections, potential pitfalls, and the apparent limitations of eDNA for genetic research on cetaceans, particularly in offshore regions.
Genomic and clinical predictors of lacosamide response in refractory epilepsies
Authors: Heavin Sinéad B. , McCormack Mark , Wolking Stefan , Slattery Lisa , Walley Nicole , Avbersek Andreja , Novy Jan , Sinha Saurabh R. , Radtke Rod , Doherty Colin , Auce Pauls , Craig John , Johnson Michael R. , Koeleman Bobby P. C. , Krause Roland , Kunz Wolfram S. , Marson Anthony G. , O'Brien Terence J. , Sander Josemir W. , Sills Graeme J. , Stefansson Hreinn , Striano Pasquale , Zara Federico ,   EPIGEN Consortium,   EpiPGX Consortium, Depondt Chantal , Sisodiya Sanjay , Goldstein David , Lerche Holger , Cavalleri Gianpiero L. , Delanty Norman 
Published: September 2019

AbstractObjectiveClinical and genetic predictors of response to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are largely unknown. We examined predictors of lacosamide response in a real‐world clinical setting.MethodsWe tested the association of clinical predictors with treatment response using regression modeling in a cohort of people with refractory epilepsy. Genetic assessment for lacosamide response was conducted via genome‐wide association studies and exome studies, comprising 281 candidate genes.ResultsMost patients (479/483) were treated with LCM in addition to other AEDs. Our results corroborate previous findings that patients with refractory genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE) may respond to treatment with LCM. No clear clinical predictors were identified. We then compared 73 lacosamide responders, defined as those experiencing greater than 75% seizure reduction or seizure freedom, to 495 nonresponders (<25% seizure reduction). No variants reached the genome‐wide significance threshold in our case‐control analysis.SignificanceNo genetic predictor of lacosamide response was identified. Patients with refractory GGE might benefit from treatment with lacosamide.
Identification of modal parameters of a 600‐m‐high skyscraper from field vibration tests
Authors: Zhang Junwei , Li Qiusheng 
Published: September 2019

SummaryAccurate prediction of the dynamic responses of a high‐rise building subjected to dynamic loads such as earthquake and wind excitations requires the information of its structural dynamic properties such as modal parameters including natural frequencies and damping ratios. This paper presents the identification results of the modal parameters based on field vibration tests on a 600‐m high skyscraper. A set of tests, including ambient vibration test (AVT) and free vibration test (FVT), were conducted on the skyscraper to identify its modal parameters. Firstly, this paper presents and discusses the modal parameters of the skyscraper assessed by several identification methods applied to the AVT measurements. These methods include the wavelet transform (WT) method, the stochastic subspace identification (SSI) method, and the random decrement technique (RDT). Secondly, an active mass damper (AMD) system with total mass 1000 tons equipped into the skyscraper was used to excite the building for estimation of the modal parameters by FVT. Thirdly, this paper presents observations on the structural dynamic behavior of the skyscraper with the operation of the AMD system during a typhoon event. The field measurement results show that the AMD system functioned efficiently for suppression of the wind‐induced vibrations of the skyscraper during the typhoon. This paper aims to further understand the structural dynamic properties of super‐tall buildings and provide useful information for structural design and vibration control of future skyscrapers.
Propagation of hydraulic fracture under the joint impact of bedding planes and natural fractures in shale reservoirs
Authors: Gong Tao , Xia Binwei , Liu Lang , Peng Ziye , Gao Yugang 
Published: September 2019

AbstractThe generation of the complex fracture network through hydraulic fracturing is a prerequisite for economic exploitation of shale gas. Bedding planes and natural fractures in shale reservoirs exert a direct impact on the propagation of hydraulic fracture and the formation of the complex fracture network. Based on theoretical analysis and flow‐stress‐damage coupled approach, the propagation of hydraulic fracture under the joint impact of the bedding planes and the natural fractures is studied. The results show the main factors that influence the fracture propagation are the horizontal principal stress difference, the minimum horizontal principal stress, the approaching angle of bedding plane (AABP), the intersection angle of natural fracture (IANF), and the cohesion of the reservoir matrix and the bedding plane. The bigger the horizontal principal stress difference is and the smaller AABP and the cohesion are, the more likely hydraulic fracture will propagate toward the direction of the maximum horizontal principle stress; the smaller AABP and the cohesion are, the more easily it will propagate along the bedding planes; AABP and IANF are the key factors that affect the fracture network formation and both of them bear a negative correlation on the principal stress difference for the formation of the fracture network; the smaller the stress difference and the cohesion difference between the bedding plane and the reservoir matrix are, and AABP is close to IANF and they are in the middle of its value range, the more easily the fracture network forms. The research results are of great significance to reveal the propagation law of hydraulic fracture and the formation of the complex fracture network in shale reservoirs and the efficient exploitation of shale gas.
Hepatobiliary Analyses Suggest Chronic PAH Exposure in Hakes (Urophycis spp.) Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Authors: Struch Rachel E. , Pulster Erin L. , Schreier Andrea D. , Murawski Steven A. 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
Prior to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, we lacked a comprehensive baseline of oil contamination in the Gulf of Mexico's sediments, water column, and biota. Gaps in prespill knowledge limit our ability to determine the aftereffects of the Deepwater Horizon blowout or prepare to mitigate similar impacts during future oil spill disasters. We examined spatiotemporal differences in exposure to and metabolism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 2 hake species (Urophycis spp.) to establish a current baseline for these ecologically important, abundant, and at-risk demersal fishes. Gulf hake (Urophycis cirrata) and southern hake (Urophycis floridana) were collected throughout the Gulf of Mexico during extensive longline surveys from 2012 to 2015. Analyses of biliary PAH metabolites and liver PAH concentrations provided evidence of exposures to di- and tricyclic compounds, with the highest concentrations measured in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Species-specific differences were not detected, but temporal trends observed in biliary PAHs suggest a decrease in acute exposures, whereas increasing liver PAHs suggest chronic exposures marked by greater assimilation than metabolism rates. To our knowledge, the present study provides the first multitissue contaminant analyses, as well as the most exhaustive biometric analyses, for both gulf and southern hakes. Though sources of exposure are complex because of multiple natural and anthropogenic PAH inputs, these results will facilitate the development of much needed health metrics for Gulf of Mexico benthos. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:2740–2749. © 2019 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.
Abstract
Analyses of biliary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) metabolites and liver PAH concentrations provide evidence of recent and chronic exposure to di- and tricyclic compounds, with the highest concentrations measured in the northern Gulf of Mexico. DWH = Deepwater Horizon; NC = north central; SW = southwest; WFS = west Florida shelf.
A Prospective Study Identifying Predictive Factors of Cardiac Decompensation After Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt: The Toulouse Algorithm
Authors: Billey Chloé , Billet Sophie , Robic Marie Angèle , Cognet Thomas , Guillaume Maeva , Vinel Jean Pierre , Péron Jean Marie , Lairez Olivier , Bureau Christophe 
Published: September 2019

Background and Aims
Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is now a standard for the treatment of portal hypertension–related complications. After the TIPS procedure, incidence and risk factors of cardiac decompensation are poorly known. The main objectives were to measure the incidence of the onset of cardiac decompensation after TIPS and identify the predictive factors.

Approach and Results
All patients with cirrhosis treated with TIPS between May 2011 and June 2016 were considered for inclusion. They received a cardiac assessment by standard biological parameters, transthoracic echocardiography, and right heart catheterization. Patients were followed for 1 year after TIPS insertion. The main endpoint was the incidence of cardiac decompensation requiring hospitalization. One hundred seventy‐four patients were treated by TIPS during the period. One hundred patients who underwent a complete cardiac evaluation were included. A cardiac decompensation occurred in 20% of the patients. The parameters associated with the occurrence of severe cardiac decompensation were a prolonged QT interval corrected (462 vs. 443 ms; P = 0.05), an elevated pre‐TIPS brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) or N‐terminal pro‐brain natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) level, an elevated E/A ratio (1.5 vs. 1.0; P = 0.001) and E/e′ ratio (11 vs. 7; P < 0.001), and a left atrial dilatation (40 vs. 29 mL/m2; P = 0.011). The presence of aortic stenosis was also associated with cardiac decompensation. A level of BNP <40 pg/mL and NT‐proBNP <125 pg/mL allowed identifying patients without risk of cardiac decompensation. Additionally, absence of diastolic dysfunction criteria at echocardiography ruled out the risk of further cardiac decompensation.

Conclusions
Hospitalization for cardiac decompensation is observed in 20% of patients in the year after TIPS insertion. Combining BNP or NT‐proBNP levels and echocardiographic parameters should help improve patient selection.
Evaluating Mediterranean diet adherence in university student populations: Does this dietary pattern affect students' academic performance and mental health?
Authors: Antonopoulou Marina , Mantzorou Maria , Serdari Aspasia , Bonotis Konstantinos , Vasios Giorgos , Pavlidou Eleni , Trifonos Christina , Vadikolias Konstantinos , Petridis Dimitris , Giaginis Constantinos 
Published: September 2019

SummaryAdherence to a healthy diet such as Mediterranean Diet (MD) may exert beneficial effects in university students, promoting their academic performance and quality of life, as well as their mental and physical health status. In this aspect, the present study aimed to critically analyze the current epidemiological evidence concerning MD adherence of university students' populations. PubMed database was comprehensively searched, using relative keywords.Students' dietary habits are moving away from MD guidelines towards unhealthy eating patterns, especially for those living away from home and even for students with a Mediterranean country origin. Most of the available studies have documented that poorer students' health status was associated with lower MD adherence. Higher MD adherence was correlated with lower depression risk, while higher perceived stress score with lower fruit and vegetables intake. The access of students to information and knowledge provided by courses and lectures did not effectively enhance their compliance to MD. Alarmingly enough, the majority of students, even from medical and nutritional university departments, showed inadequate knowledge on healthy eating habits. Due to the influence of diet on the quality of life and the mental and physical health of students, it is crucial to redirect research focus on this important aspect.
Functional connectivity differences in brain networks from childhood to youth
Authors: İçer Semra 
Published: September 2019

AbstractExamining while using the resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs‐fMRI) of brain development in terms of functional connectivity between childhood and adulthood in healthy subjects gives important information. In this study, it was aimed to examine the changes in functional networks between healthy age groups by using rs‐fMRI for prepuberty (childhood), puberty, and adolescence by examining changes within and between networks. The rs‐fMRI data in this study were obtained from the New York University Child Study in ADHD200 database. The data that 53 healthy subjects selected from the New York University dataset were split into three groups in the 8‐9, 13‐14, and 16‐18 age ranges, and these groups included 18, 18, and 17 healthy subjects, respectively. The functional connectivity of data that preprocessed using the statistical parametric mapping routine was analyzed with ROI‐to‐ROI analysis by the CONN toolbox and the changes in the resting brain networks were obtained. Multiple voxel comparisons in statistical analyses were determined with the false discovery rate corrected p value (p‐FDR), p < .05 for positive and negative correlations. According to our findings, within‐network connectivity increases from childhood to young adulthood, and the connection between networks is weaker in childhood, also it has many dispersed connections, but less and strong links came out with advancing age. In addition, the brain begins to show a number of functional differences in adolescence, along with new changes that occur. The examination of resting‐state networks in healthy children will make significant contributions to the scientific infrastructure and literature in terms of both identifying normal brain development and comparing it with neurological and psychiatric problems.