bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Stress-induced remodelling of the mitral valve: a model for leaflet thickening and superimposed tissue formation in mitral valve disease
Authors: Kruithof Boudewijn P T , Paardekooper Laura , Hiemstra Yasmine L , Goumans Marie-José , Palmen Meindert , Delgado Victoria , Klautz Robert J M , Ajmone Marsan Nina 
Published: September 2019

Abstract

Aims
In mitral valve prolapse (MVP), leaflet thickening has recently been suggested to be due, in addition to a myxomatous degeneration, to the presence of a superimposed tissue (SIT), defined as an additional fibrous layer on top of the original leaflet. The mechanisms of SIT formation are currently unknown. We hypothesized that SIT formation would result from excessive leaflet stress and we used a unique ex vivo model to assess the correlation between leaflet remodelling and the type and location of mechanical stress and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying SIT formation.

Methods and results
Human diseased mitral valves (MVs; n = 21) were histologically analysed for SIT formation and original leaflet thickening. The SIT comprised of various compositions of extracellular matrix and could reach more than 50% of total leaflet thickness. Original leaflet and SIT thickness did not show significant correlation (r = −0.27, P = 0.23), suggesting different regulatory mechanisms. To study the role of the mechanical environment on MV remodelling, mouse MV were cultured in their natural position in the heart and subjected to various haemodynamic conditions representing specific phases of the cardiac cycle and the MVP configuration. SIT formation was induced in the ex vivo model, mostly present on the atrial side, and clearly dependent on the duration, type, and extent of mechanical stress. Specific stainings and lineage tracing experiments showed that SIT comprises of macrophages and myofibroblasts and is associated with the activation of the transforming growth factor-beta and bone morphogenetic protein signalling pathways. Migration of valvular interstitial cells and macrophages through breakages of the endothelial cell lining contributed to SIT formation.

Conclusions
Mechanical stresses induce specific cellular and molecular changes in the MV that result in SIT formation. These observations provide the first insights in the mechanism of SIT formation and represent an initial step to identify potential novel and early treatment for MVP.
Perception of the Müller–Lyer illusion in guppies
Authors: Santacà Maria , Agrillo Christian 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
The Müller–Lyer illusion is a well-known distortion illusion that occurs when the spatial arrangement of inducers (i.e., inwards- or outwards-pointing arrowheads) influences a line’s perceived relative length. To date, this illusion has been reported in several animal species but only in 1 teleost fish (i.e., redtail splitfins Xenotoca eiseni), although teleost fish represent approximately 50% of vertebrate diversity. We investigated the perception of this illusion in another teleost fish: guppies Poecilia reticulata, a species that diverged from the redtail splitfin 65 million years ago. The guppies were trained to select the longer between 2 lines; after meeting the learning criterion, illusory trials were presented. Control trials were also arranged to exclude the possibility that their choices were based on potential spatial biases that relate to the illusory pattern. The guppies’ overall performance indicated that they were susceptible to the Müller–Lyer illusion, perceiving the line with the inwards-pointing arrowheads as longer. The performance in the control trials excluded the possibility that the subjects used the physical differences between the 2 figures as the discriminative cue in the illusory trials. Our study suggests that sensibility to the Müller–Lyer illusion could be widespread across teleost fish and reinforces the idea that the perceptual mechanisms underlying size estimation might be similar across vertebrates.
Reproductive biology of the greater bandicoot rat Bandicota indica (Rodentia: Muridae) in the rice fields of southern Thailand
Authors: Thitipramote N. , Suwanjarat J. , Breed W. G. 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
This study investigated some aspects of the reproductive biology of male and female greater bandicoot rats, Bandicota indica, in southern Thailand from September 2004 to September 2006. In females, body, uterine and preputial gland weights, occurrences of pregnancies and placental scars, and in males, testicular weights and histology, and sizes of accessory sex glands, were recorded. Pregnancies occurred predominantly, but not exclusively, in the wet season, with a higher incidence pregnancies in the second, than in the first, dry season. Uterine and preputial gland weights tended to be lower in the first, but not the second dry season, with placental scars occurring at all times of year. Males tended to have heavier testes in the wet season but some seminiferous tubules contained sperm even in the dry season. Seminal vesicles, but not prostates and preputial glands, tended to be heavier in animals in the wet season. We conclude that the greater bandicoot rat in southern Thailand shows maximal reproductive activity in the wet season with some reproductive activity, albeit variable from year to year, occurring in the dry season depending upon environmental conditions. This study has also shown that females, as well as males, have large preputial glands, and that males invariably have small testes regardless of the time of year. These observations suggest a similar timing of reproduction, but a different breeding biology and perhaps social organisation, from that of the sympatric ricefield rat, Rattus argentiventer
Variations in reproductive strategies between one invasive population and two native populations of Pseudorasbora parva
Authors: Yan Yunzhi , Chen Yifeng 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
Reproductive traits of one invasive population in Lake Fuxian and two native populations in Lakes Chao and Dongting for Pseudorasbora parva were investigated to determine the variations in their reproductive strategies associated with the change of environmental conditions. Compared with the two native populations, P. parva markedly experienced the protraction in their spawning time and the decrease in mortality for adult individuals in Lake Fuxian. The three populations all got their first sexual maturity at the same age, but their total lengths at maturity were quite different for those in Lake Chao were significantly lower than in Lakes Fuxian and Dongting. Additionally, in spite that no significant difference occurred in their relative fecundities for P. parva in Lakes Fuxian and Dongting, the population in Lake Chao showed the markedly higher relative fecundity than the other two populations. These results were analyzed with the variations in water temperature, nutrient status, fishing stress among the three lakes. The relative decline in fecundity for the invasive population, which conflicted with the enemy release hypothesis, was disscussed with the context of the preponderance of another invasive fish, Neosalanx taihuensis, in Lake Fuxian.
Comparison of locomotor behaviour between white-headed langurs Trachypithecus leucocephalus and François’ langurs T .françoisi in Fusui, China
Authors: Xiong Jinrong , Gong Shihua , Qiu Chenggang , Li Zhaoyuan 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
We studied the locomotor behaviour of white-headed langurs Trachypithecus leucocephalus and François’ langurs T .françoisi to test two hypotheses: (1) these monkeys have evolved locomotor ability to support their activities on limestone hills, and (2) François’ langurs have evolved more diverse locomotor skills than white-headed langurs. Data were collected from 1996 - 1998 and in 2005 in Fusui Nature Reserve, Guangxi, and showed that the two species had similar locomotor types, but François’ langurs had more locomotor modes (26) than white-headed langurs (12). Quadrupedal walking and leaping were two major types, and white-headed langurs were more arboreal than François’ langurs. We suggest that, while keeping their ancestral locomotor types, the two species have evolved new types allowing them to live on limestone cliffs. Compared to white-headed langurs, François’ langurs have more diverse locomotor modes that probably have allowed them to live in more habitat types. As an evolutionary outcome’ François’ langurs have a larger distribution range.
The bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus foraging around a fish farm: Effects of prey abundance on dolphins’ behavior
Authors: Díaz López Bruno 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
The extent to which prey abundance influences both bottlenose dolphin foraging behavior and group size in the presence of human activities has not previously been studied. The primary aim of this study was to identify and quantify how wild bottlenose dolphins respond, individually and as groups, to the relative abundance of prey around a fish farm. Detailed views of dolphins’ behavior were obtained by focal following individual animals whilst simultaneously collecting surface and underwater behavioral data. A total of 2150 dive intervals were analyzed, corresponding to 342 focal samples, lasting over 34 hours. Bottlenose dolphins remained submerged for a mean duration of 46.4 seconds and a maximum of 249 seconds. This study provides the first quantified data on bottlenose dolphin diving behavior in a marine fin-fish farm area. This study’s results indicate that within a fish farm area used intensively by bottlenose dolphins for feeding, dolphins did not modify dive duration. Additionally, underwater observations confirmed that dolphins find it easier to exploit a concentrated food source and it appears that hunting tactic and not group size plays an important role during feeding activities. Thus, bottlenose dolphins appear capable of modifying their hunting tactics according to the abundance of prey. When top predators display behavioral responses to activities not directed at them, the task of studying all possible effects of human activities can become even more challenging.
Heat, sight and scent: multiple cues influence foraging site selection by an ambush-foraging snake Hoplocephalus bungaroides (Elapidae)
Authors: Du Weiguo , K. Webb Jonathan , Shine Richard 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
Most mobile organisms respond to multiple cues when selecting habitat types, and laboratory experiments that manipulate only single cues may fail to reveal the true complexity of habitat-selection behaviour. In south- eastern Australia, broad headed snakes Hoplocephalus bungaroides (Elapidae) lie in wait under sun-warmed rocks to ambush velvet geckos Oedura leseuerii (Gekkonidae). Previous laboratory work has shown that both the geckos and the snakes actively select hotter rather than colder rocks, and that the snakes actively select rocks scented by geckos. We manipulated rock temperature and the presence of two types of cues from geckos (chemical and visual information) to clarify the causal basis for foraging site selection by the juveniles of this snake. When given a choice between cold lizard-scented rocks and hot unscented rocks, our captive snakes gave a higher priority to lizard scent than to temperature. The snakes also selected shelter-sites that provided visual as well as scent cues from lizards, rather than shelter-sites with scent cues alone. Thus, although broad-headed snakes show a direct preference for hotter rather than colder rocks in the laboratory, their choice of foraging site in the field may also be influenced by the presence of scent cues from prey. Our laboratory results suggest that habitat selection by broad-headed snakes may be more complex than has been suggested by previous single-factor laboratory trials.
Comparison of social interaction and neural activation in the main olfactory bulb and the accessory olfactory bulb between Microtus mandarinus and Microtus fortis
Authors: Tai Fadao , Wang Wanying , Broders Hugh , Sun Ruyong , Liu Limin , Wang Hongyuan 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
To gain insight into the function of AOB and MOB during different social interaction and in different vole species, the behaviors and neural activation of the olfactory bulbs in social interactions of mandarin voles Microtus mandarinus and reed voles Microtus fortis were compared in the present research. Mandarin voles spent significantly more time attacking and sniffing their opponents and sniffing sawdust than reed voles. During same sex encounters, mandarin voles attacked their opponents for a significantly longer time and sniffed its opponent for shorter time compared with male-female interactions. However, no significant behavioral differences were found during encounters of two individual reed voles, regardless of gender composition of the pair. Using c-Fos as an indicator of neural activation, we observed that neural activation was significantly higher in almost all sub-regions of the main olfactory bulb (MOB) and the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) of mandarin voles compared with reed voles. Numbers of c-Fos-ir neurons in almost all sub-regions of the AOB and the MOB during male-female interactions were also higher than those in interactions of the same sex. Anterior-posterior ratios of Fos-ir neurons in the AOBM (AOBMR) and the AOBG (AOBGR) in male-female interaction were significantly higher than those in interaction of the same sex. The AOBMR of male mandarin voles and reed voles were larger than those of females in male-female interactions. Behavioral patterns are consistent with cellular activity patterns. Consistent level of neural activation in MOB and AOB suggests important roles of both the main olfactory bulb and the accessory olfactory bulb in social interaction in two species.
The function of animal ‘eyespots’: Conspicuousness but not eye mimicry is key
Authors: Stevens Martin , Cantor Abi , Graham Julia , Winney Isabel S. 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
Many animals are marked with conspicuous circular features often called ‘eyespots’, which intimidate predators, preventing or halting an attack. It has long been assumed that eyespots work by mimicking the eyes of larger animals, but recent experiments have indicated that conspicuousness and contrast is important in eyespot function, and not eye mimicry. We undertake two further experiments to distinguish between the conspicuousness and mimicry hypotheses, by using artificial prey presented to wild avian predators in the field. In experiment 1, we test if eyespot effectiveness depends on the marking shape (bar or circle) and arrangement (eye-like and non-eye-like positions). We find no difference between shapes or arrangement; all spots were equally effective in scaring birds. In experiment 2, we test if the often yellow and black colors of eyespots mimic the eyes of birds of prey. We find no effect of shape, and no advantage to yellow and black spots over non-eye-like but equally conspicuous colors. The consistent finding is that eyespot function lies in being a conspicuous signal to predators, and not necessarily due to eye mimicry.
The role of ultrasonic bat detectors in improving inventory and monitoring surveys in Vietnamese karst bat assemblages
Authors: Furey Neil M. , Mackie Iain J. , Racey Paul A. 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
Bats account for 30% of mammal diversity in SE Asia and are potential bioindicators of wider biodiversity impacts resulting from habitat loss and climate change. As existing sampling techniques in the region typically fail to record bats that habitually fly in open areas and at higher altitudes, current inventory efforts are less than comprehensive. Acoustic sampling with bat detectors may help to overcome these limitations for insectivorous bats, but has yet to be tested in mainland SE Asia. To do so, we sampled bats while simultaneously recording the echolocation calls of insectivorous species commuting and foraging in a variety of karst habitats in north Vietnam. Monitoring of cave-dwelling bats was also undertaken. Discriminant function analysis of 367 echolocation calls produced by 30 insectivorous species showed that acoustic identification was feasible by correctly classifying 89. l % of calls. In all habitats, acoustic sampling and capture methods recorded significantly more species each night than capture methods alone. Capture methods consequently failed to record 29 % (ten spp. of aerial insectivores) of the bat fauna in commuting and foraging habitats and 11% (two spp.) of that in our cave sample. Only four of these species were subsequently captured following significantly greater sampling effort. This strongly suggests that acoustic methods are indispensable for maximizing bat inventory completeness in SE Asia. As accurate inventories and monitoring are essential for effective species conservation, we recommend the inclusion of acoustic sampling in future studies of bat assemblages across the region.
The reproductive biology of a Central American cichlid Neetroplus nematopus in Lake Xiloá, Nicaragua
Authors: McKaye Kenneth R. , Hale Jeremy , van den Berghe Eric P. 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
This study was conducted to provide a five-year database on the breeding seasonality and breeding biology of a Central American cichlid fish Neetroplus nematopus, a biparental substratum-spawning cichlid that cares for its eggs, wrigglers, and fry for up to six weeks. A total of 503 breeding pairs were monitored for breeding success. Breeding pairs of N. nematopus are sexually dimorphic in size, with females averaging 39% of male body mass. Fry emerged from 85% of nesting cavities. After three weeks, only 30% of the broods were present in the nesting cavity; these broods had a 30% survival rate, giving a 9% overall survival rate. Nineteen percent of the successful parents with three-week-old broods adopted foreign fry. A consistent unimodal breeding peak in December was observed for five years. This breeding peak differed dramatically from the bimodal breeding season 20 years found in the 1970s. The effects of extensive grenade fishing practices during the 1980s might have played a substantial role in the observed change. Grenade fishing stopped in 1991, and the number of N. nematopus pairs increased by 136% from 1990 to 1995. With increased density of breeding fish, the breeding season for this species also expanded. The balance between divergent selection due to competition for breeding sites and stabilizing selection due to predation pressure on offspring is likely to mold the breeding season for N. nematopus and other cichlids of Lake Xiloá. We suggest that brood adoption and synchrony of breeding is a strategy to reduce predation on the parent's own young.
Avian magnetic compass: Its functional properties and physical basis
Authors: Wiltschko Roswitha , Wiltschko Wolfgang 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
The avian magnetic compass was analyzed in bird species of three different orders – Passeriforms, Columbiforms and Galliforms – and in three different behavioral contexts, namely migratory orientation, homing and directional conditioning. The respective findings indicate similar functional properties: it is an inclination compass that works only within a functional window around the ambient magnetic field intensity; it tends to be lateralized in favor of the right eye, and it is wavelength-dependent, requiring light from the short-wavelength range of the spectrum. The underlying physical mechanisms have been identified as radical pair processes, spin-chemical reactions in specialized photopigments. The iron-based receptors in the upper beak do not seem to be involved. The existence of the same type of magnetic compass in only very distantly related bird species suggests that it may have been present already in the common ancestors of all modern birds, where it evolved as an all-purpose compass mechanism for orientation within the home range.
Identification and expression analysis of bovine ANGPTL gene family
Authors: Guan Zhengbing , Cai Guolin , Sun Junyong , Lu Jian 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
Encoded by seven genes, angiopoietin-like (ANGPTL) family members structurally similar to the angiogenic regulating factor angiopoietin are known to possess biological activities in angiogenesis and metabolism. Here we reports for the first time the identification and expression analysis of all the seven members of bovine ANGPTL gene family, which were designated bANGPTL1 to bANGPTL7 in order. The seven bANGPTL genes consist of 4-9 exons, span 3800-43000 bp and are located on different chromosomes. The deduced amino acid sequences of the members all possess an N-terminal coiled-coil domain and a C-terminal fibrinogen-like domain, both characteristics of angiopoietins. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the 32 identified ANGPTL homologs from 9 species could be classified into two major groups. Real-time quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) analysis revealed that the bANGPTL family members have different expression patterns. This study will be helpful for investigation on the biological role of the bANGPTL family in this economically important species. Furthermore, it provides an insight into the molecular evolution of the emerging ANGPTL family.
Convergences in the diversification of bats
Authors: Fenton M. Brock 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
Twenty-five characters or suites of characters from bats are considered in light of changes in bat classification. The characters include some associated with flower-visiting (two), echolocation (12), roosting (six), reproduction (two) and three are of unknown adaptive function. In both the 1998 and 2006 classifications of bats into suborders (Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera versus Yinpterochiroptera and Yangochiroptera, respectively), some convergences between suborders are the same (e.g., foliage roosting, tent building), but others associated with echolocation differ substantially. In the 1998 phylogeny convergences associated with echolocation (high duty cycle echolocation, nasal emission of echolocation calls) occurred among the Microchiroptera. In the 2006 phylogeny, they occur between Yinpterochiroptera and Yangochiroptera. While some traits apparently arose independently in two suborders (e.g., foliage-roosting, tent building, low intensity echolocation calls, noseleafs, nasal emission of echolocation calls, high duty cycle echolocation behaviour), others appear to have been ancestral (roosting in narrow spaces, laryngeal echolocation, stylohyal-tympanic contact, oral emission of echolocation calls, and small litter size). A narrow profile through the chest is typical of bats reflecting the thoracic skeleton. This feature suggests that the ancestors of bats spent the day in small crevices. Features associated with laryngeal echolocation appear to be ancestral, suggesting that echolocation evolved early in bats but was subsequently lost in one yinpterochiropteran lineage.