bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Technical advances at the interface between ecology and statistics: improving the biodiversity knowledge generation workflow
Authors: Warton David I. , McGeoch Melodie A. 
Published: April 2017

Summary

Cross‐disciplinary research between ecologists and statisticians has considerable potential for significant new advances, capitalising on recent advances in technology for collecting and analysing data.

We introduce a Special Feature of five papers showcasing interdisciplinary collaboration, centred around problems estimating biodiversity and how it changes over space and time.

Each paper arose around the Eco‐Stats ‘15 conference at UNSW Sydney, held in December 2015, and more papers inspired by this conference are in preparation. This highlights the potential of interdisciplinary research, and of meetings designed to bring together researchers across disciplines, as a vehicle for scientific advances.
How do predators and scavengers locate resource hotspots within a tropical forest?
Authors: Natusch Daniel J. D. , Lyons Jessica A. , Shine Richard 
Published: April 2017

AbstractIn many parts of the world, wildlife species congregate at ‘hotspot’ locations that offer feeding opportunities unmatched in the wider landscape. But to exploit those resource‐rich sites, animals must first locate them. In tropical Australia, predators and scavengers (especially dingos, scrub turkeys, snakes, and invasive toads) gather beneath large canopy‐emergent trees that house breeding colonies of metallic starlings (Aplonis metallica). Some wildlife species feed on fallen nestlings whereas others consume the rich insect fauna supported by bird detritus, or the other species attracted to those resources. Those congregations largely cease as soon as colony trees fall, suggesting that wildlife aggregations are responses to bird‐associated cues rather than to specific locations. To identify the proximate cues that elicit congregation of wildlife under such trees, we deployed sound cues (starling‐chatter) and two types of scent cues (soil from beneath a starling tree, and complete nests on broken branches). We recorded visitations by animals with camera‐traps. Starling‐chatter did not attract significant numbers of animals, but soil from beneath colony trees attracted many animals (mostly scrub turkeys). Complete nests attracted nest‐predators (dingos, snakes). Our experiments suggest that faunal aggregations beneath colony trees are driven by proximate responses to distinctive scent cues in the soil, especially for species that obtain their food from that bird‐fertilized substrate; but predators that feed directly on fallen nestlings key in specifically on that resource.
Are AZFb deletions always incompatible with sperm production?
Authors: Stouffs K. , Vloeberghs V. , Gheldof A. , Tournaye H. , Seneca S. 
Published: April 2017

SummaryDeletions on the long arm of the Y chromosome are a well‐known cause of male infertility and it is generally accepted that deletions involving the AZFb region are not compatible with sperm production. Here, we report on two patients for whom basic diagnostic tests showed a deletion of the AZFb region. Unexpectedly, both patients had some residual sperm production. Subsequently, extension and additional analyses of the AZFb region disclosed an aberrant deletion pattern. Therefore, these results emphasize the need for a detailed and powerful analysis of cases where first‐line Yq deletion tests reveal an AZFb deletion. Moreover, our study clearly demonstrated that only a very careful selection of test markers will avoid the pitfall of a ‘no further treatment possible’ wrongful conclusion.
Accelerated Failure Time Models for Semi-Competing Risks Data in the Presence of Complex Censoring
Authors: Lee Kyu Ha , Rondeau Virginie , Haneuse Sebastien 
Published: April 2017

SummaryStatistical analyses that investigate risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD) are often subject to a number of challenges. Some of these challenges arise due to practical considerations regarding data collection such that the observation of AD events is subject to complex censoring including left-truncation and either interval or right-censoring. Additional challenges arise due to the fact that study participants under investigation are often subject to competing forces, most notably death, that may not be independent of AD. Towards resolving the latter, researchers may choose to embed the study of AD within the “semi-competing risks” framework for which the recent statistical literature has seen a number of advances including for the so-called illness-death model. To the best of our knowledge, however, the semi-competing risks literature has not fully considered analyses in contexts with complex censoring, as in studies of AD. This is particularly the case when interest lies with the accelerated failure time (AFT) model, an alternative to the traditional multiplicative Cox model that places emphasis away from the hazard function. In this article, we outline a new Bayesian framework for estimation/inference of an AFT illness-death model for semi-competing risks data subject to complex censoring. An efficient computational algorithm that gives researchers the flexibility to adopt either a fully parametric or a semi-parametric model specification is developed and implemented. The proposed methods are motivated by and illustrated with an analysis of data from the Adult Changes in Thought study, an on-going community-based prospective study of incident AD in western Washington State.
Murine models of transplantation tolerance through mixed chimerism: advances and roadblocks
Authors: Mahr B , Wekerle T 
Published: April 2017

AbstractOrgan transplantation is the treatment of choice for patients with end-stage organ failure, but chronic immunosuppression is taking its toll in terms of morbidity and poor efficacy in preventing late graft loss. Therefore, a drug-free state would be desirable where the recipient permanently accepts a donor organ while remaining otherwise fully immunologically competent. Mouse studies unveiled mixed chimerism as an effective approach to induce such donor-specific tolerance deliberately and laid the foundation for a series of clinical pilot trials. Nevertheless, its widespread clinical implementation is currently prevented by cytotoxic conditioning and limited efficacy. Therefore, the use of mouse studies remains an indispensable tool for the development of novel concepts with potential for translation and for the delineation of underlying tolerance mechanisms. Recent innovations developed in mice include the use of pro-apoptotic drugs or regulatory T cell (Treg) transfer for promoting bone marrow engraftment in the absence of myelosuppression and new insight gained in the role of innate immunity and the interplay between deletion and regulation in maintaining tolerance in chimeras. Here, we review these and other recent advances in murine studies inducing transplantation tolerance through mixed chimerism and discuss both the advances and roadblocks of this approach.
The Suburbanization of Islamic Activism in Saudi Arabia
Authors: MENORET PASCAL 
Published: April 2017

AbstractWhat happens to organized protest in an era of global suburbanization? After World War II, Cold War experts depoliticized urban spaces and imposed the notion of “development” as a deterrent to collective action. This article is based on four years of fieldwork in Riyadh and on archival work in Athens and Paris. It examines the making of Saudi suburbia at the hands of Cold War experts, and analyzes Islamist action (al‐‘amal al‐islāmī) in the local and global context of its emergence: the new suburbs that were engineered by urban planners, developers, and builders. [suburbia, Islamism, activism, elections, urbanism, Salafism]
Housing as Battleground: Targeting the City in the Battles of Algiers
Authors: CRANE SHEILA 
Published: April 2017

AbstractIn the months preceding the Algerian war for independence, the mayor of Algiers declared a much‐publicized “battle for housing” through which new apartment complexes were intended to replace the rapidly proliferating bidonvilles, or shantytowns, along the capital city's urban periphery. The declaration in 1956 of a state of emergency in French Algeria marked a shift from the rhetorical framing of mass housing estates as tools of pacification to the overt militarization of residential areas with majority Muslim Algerian populations, areas that were thereafter subject to direct military control and surveillance. By reading evidence gleaned from military reports against substantially different accounts of the city at war by Mouloud Feraoun and others, this essay traces the radical urban transformations effected in Algiers under cover of war as well as the multiple means by which inhabitants actively rewrote these same spaces as battlegrounds. In the process, significant links are revealed between new models of emergency housing and new policies to eliminate the bidonville (shantytown) that were developed in Algiers during the war and later implemented on a grand scale in France. Taking advantage of the state of exception in a war that was not acknowledged as such, the military played an active role in the provision of housing, the policing of residents, and the thoroughgoing transformation of the urban landscape in Algiers. [Algeria, war, colonialism, urban space, housing, shantytowns]
Neuro‐oncological ventral antigen 1 (NOVA1): Implications in neurological diseases and cancers
Authors: Xin Yu , Li Zheng , Zheng Heyi , Ho Jeffery , Chan Matthew T. V. , Wu William K. K. 
Published: April 2017

AbstractNeuro‐oncological ventral antigen 1 (NOVA1) is a RNA‐binding protein that interacts with RNA containing repeats of the YCAY sequence. This protein is a brain‐specific splicing factor regulating neuronal alternative splicing. It has been increasingly recognized as an important contributor to neurological disorders and carcinogenesis. In this review, we summarize the biological functions and pathological roles of NOVA1. The clinical implications of NOVA1 will also be discussed.
Wall‐motion tracking in fetal echocardiography—Influence of frame rate on longitudinal strain analysis assessed by two‐dimensional speckle tracking
Authors: Enzensberger Christian , Achterberg Friederike , Graupner Oliver , Wolter Aline , Herrmann Johannes , Axt‐Fliedner Roland 
Published: April 2017

BackgroundFrame rates (FR) used for strain analysis assessed by speckle tracking in fetal echocardiography show a considerable variation. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the FR on strain analysis in 2D speckle tracking.MethodsFetal echocardiography was performed prospectively on a Toshiba Aplio 500 system and a Toshiba Artida system, respectively. Based on an apical or basal four‐chamber view of the fetal heart, cine loops were stored with a FR of 30 fps (Aplio 500) and 60 fps (Artida/Aplio 500). For both groups (30fps and 60fps), global and segmental longitudinal peak systolic strain (LPSS) values of both, left (LV) and right ventricle (RV), were assessed by 2D wall‐motion tracking.ResultsA total of 101 fetuses, distributed to three study groups, were included. The mean gestational age was 25.2±5.0 weeks. Mean global LPSS values for RV in the 30 fps group and in the 60 fps group were −16.07% and −16.47%, respectively. Mean global LPSS values for LV in the 30 fps group and in the 60 fps group were −17.54% and −17.06%, respectively. Comparing global and segmental LPSS values of both, the RV and LV, did not show any statistically significant differences within the two groups.ConclusionPerformance of myocardial 2D strain analysis by wall‐motion tracking was feasible with 30 and 60 fps. Obtained global and segmental LPSS values of both ventricles were relatively independent from acquisition rate.
Stimulus processing and error monitoring in more‐able kindergarteners with autism spectrum disorder: a short review and a preliminary Event‐Related Potentials study
Authors: Kim So Hyun , Grammer Jennie , Benrey Nurit , Morrison Frederick , Lord Catherine 
Published: April 2017

AbstractDeficits in executive functions (EF) in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been identified. However, there is limited evidence about patterns of deficits in EF‐related skills, especially at the neurobiological level, in young children with ASD and little is known about how these skills are related to other domains of functioning and symptom severity. In this study, we provide a focused review of EF‐related Event‐Related Potentials (ERP) studies in children with ASD, accompanied by preliminary data for neurophysiological correlates of EF on a child‐friendly Go/No‐go task. We focus our preliminary investigation on ERPs associated with stimulus processing (N2, P3) and error monitoring [error/correct‐related negativity (ERN, CRN), error positivity (Pe)] in 5‐year‐old kindergarteners with ASD and typical controls matched on age, gender and task accuracy. Children with ASD showed significantly greater amplitudes of ERN/CRN compared to matched controls, suggesting heightened response monitoring. The ASD group also showed less distinct inhibitory P3 compared to the TD group, potentially suggesting atypical stimulus processing. In children with ASD, higher autism symptom severity was correlated with larger P3. Better behavioral performance on an EF‐related task was correlated with smaller CRN. Our study is the first investigation to demonstrate the presence of N2, P3, ERN/CRN and Pe in kindergartners with ASD. The potential links between ERP patterns and behavioral and clinical features in more‐able children with ASD highlight the need for further exploration into the functional mechanisms of these atypical neural activities and for more focused behavioral interventions targeting cognitive control and response monitoring.
Dynamical entrainment of corticospinal excitability during rhythmic movement observation: a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation study
Authors: Varlet Manuel , Novembre Giacomo , Keller Peter E. 
Published: April 2017

AbstractSpontaneous modulations of corticospinal excitability during action observation have been interpreted as evidence for the activation of internal motor representations equivalent to the observed action. Alternatively or complementary to this perspective, growing evidence shows that motor activity during observation of rhythmic movements can be modulated by direct visuomotor couplings and dynamical entrainment. In‐phase and anti‐phase entrainment spontaneously occur, characterized by cyclic movements proceeding simultaneously in the same (in‐phase) or opposite (anti‐phase) direction. Here we investigate corticospinal excitability during the observation of vertical oscillations of an index finger using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). Motor‐evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded from participants’ flexor and extensor muscles of the right index finger, placed in either a maximal steady flexion or extension position, with stimulations delivered at maximal flexion, maximal extension or mid‐trajectory of the observed finger oscillations. Consistent with the occurrence of dynamical motor entrainment, increased and decreased MEP responses – suggesting the facilitation of stable in‐phase and anti‐phase relations but not an unstable 90° phase relation – were found in participants’ flexors. Anti‐phase motor facilitation contrasts with the activation of internal motor representation as it involves activity in the motor system opposite from activity required for the execution of the observed movement. These findings demonstrate the relevance of dynamical entrainment theories and methods for understanding spontaneous motor activity in the brain during action observation and the mechanisms underpinning coordinated movements during social interaction.
Single stage urethroplasty for perineal hypospadias in a foal
Authors: Harrison J. , Corley K. , Kearney C. , Mushtaq I. 
Published: April 2017

SummaryThe incidence of hypospadias is increasing in man, but the condition is rarely reported in horses. There are few available data regarding the surgical management of this disorder in horses, with no previous published report of urethral reconstructive surgery and only two reports documenting phallectomy procedures. This case report documents hypospadias repair, not previously reported in the horse, in a Thoroughbred foal with proximal hypospadias. The indication for surgery was contact dermatitis of the hind leg, which was impairing the foal's ambulation and had the potential to impair the foal's racing ability. Preoperative examination revealed a proximal hypospadias with a wide urethral plate. The anus was normal. The foal was otherwise thriving. A single stage urethroplasty was performed, during which the urethral plate was tubularised in two layers and the urethral meatus was successfully relocated distally to open upon the glans. The urethroplasty was covered with dartos fascia and the penile shaft skin and prepuce were reconstructed. Minor superficial dehiscence of the wound was successfully managed conservatively. Post‐operatively, urine was voided through the opening created on the glans penis, resolving the contact dermatitis. Follow‐up after 3 years confirmed that the horse continues to void through the re‐sited meatus without complication and had gone on to race successfully. In conclusion, we present the first report of reconstructive urethroplasty for the treatment of a horse for proximal hypospadias with good functionality and long‐term outcome.
Circulating irisin levels as a predictive biomarker for sarcopenia: A cross‐sectional community‐based study
Authors: Chang Jae Seung , Kim Tae Ho , Nguyen Tuyet Thi , Park Kyu‐Sang , Kim Nahyun , Kong In Deok 
Published: April 2017

AimMyokines are peptides released by the skeletal muscle, and have gained popularity as potential biomarkers for sarcopenia. Irisin is a recently identified myokine, but its role in pathological sarcopenia remains unclear. We investigated the validity and accuracy of circulating irisin levels as a potential biomarker for sarcopenia.MethodsWe evaluated the anthropometrics, body composition, sarcopenia‐related parameters and serum irisin levels of 715 community‐dwelling Koreans. Sarcopenia was determined on the basis of the clinical diagnostic criteria of muscle atrophy and weakness, which were proposed by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia.ResultsCirculating irisin levels were correlated with appendicular lean mass/height2 (rmen = 0.275; rwomen = 0.321) and handgrip strength (rmen = 0.219; rwomen = 0.312) in both sexes (all P < 0.01). Furthermore, the mean circulating irisin levels were lower in the sarcopenia group than in the normal group (all P < 0.05). In the logistic regression models, the association between serum irisin concentration and incident sarcopenia persisted even after adjusting for potential confounders, such as sex, age and fat indices (odds ratio 0.20, 95% CI 0.07–0.60; P for trend <0.01). The predictive values of serum irisin for sarcopenia were <1.0 μg/mL in men and <1.16 μg/mL in women, with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves of 0.87 (95% CI 0.77–0.99) and 0.68 (95% CI 0.55–0.81), respectively (all P < 0.01).ConclusionsA low level of circulating irisin is a sensitive marker for muscle weakness and atrophy. Irisin is a potential biomarker for muscle dysfunction that could help predict the onset of sarcopenia and provide new avenues for monitoring age‐related muscle changes. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 2266–2273.
Knowing how to use and understand recipes: What arithmetical understanding is needed when students with mild intellectual disabilities use recipes in practical cooking lessons in Home Economics?
Authors: Granberg Albina , Brante Göran , Olsson Viktoria , Sydner Ylva Mattsson 
Published: April 2017

AbstractThe aim of this study was to explore what arithmetical understanding is needed when students with mild intellectual disabilities use recipes during practical cooking lessons in Home Economics. The settings were compulsory schools in Sweden attended by students with intellectual disabilities. Sixteen lessons in Home Economics during which cooking took place were observed. In total, 37 students and three teachers participated. All students had a mild intellectual disability. Their ages varied, but most were between 13 and 14 years old. The sociocultural perspective on learning, combined with a literacy framework, was used as a theoretical foundation for the study. Main findings are that students need an arithmetical understanding of (i) how to interpret numbers, (ii) how to interpret and use units, and (iii) how to compute when using recipes. The knowledge and skills needed to be able to use a recipe are featured in the concept recipe literacy, capturing both theoretical, declarative knowledge and the more practical, procedural knowledge. Recipe literacy can be used to theorize the use of recipes when learning to cook, as in Home Economics.
Investigating the einkorn (Triticum monococcum) and common wheat (Triticum aestivum) bread crumb structure with X‐ray microtomography: effects on rheological and sensory properties
Authors: Lomolino Giovanna , Morari Francesco , Dal Ferro Nicola , Vincenzi Simone , Pasini Gabriella 
Published: April 2017

AbstractEinkorn wheat (Tm, Triticum monococcum L.) has nutritional characteristics that clearly distinguish it from common wheat (Ta, Triticum aestivum L.) although its rheological dough properties may be less‐performing. Therefore, to better understand the potential of Tm for human consumption and food preparation, we compared the quality of bread baked with ancient einkorn and common wheat leavened with brewer's yeast and sourdough. Results showed that Tm had generally higher firmness (21.6 N vs. 10.5 N), and lower (65.6% vs. 71.2%) and less homogeneous porosity than Ta. These results suggest a minor potential in bread‐making regardless of the Tm high total protein content and underline a weaker gluten ability to expand and retain the fermentation gas. The selection of best‐performing einkorn varieties and leavening agents (e.g. fresh sourdough) can lead to bread products with acceptable texture features, meeting consumer demand for organic, natural and ancient products.
Evaluation of synergistic and antagonistic effects between some selected antioxidants by means of an electrochemical technique
Authors: Palma Alberto , Ruiz Montoya Mercedes , Díaz Manuel Jesús , Arteaga Jesús F. , Estévez Brito Rafael , Rodríguez Mellado José Miguel 
Published: April 2017

SummaryThis work presents a systematic study of the possible interactions in mixtures of the natural antioxidants eugenol, thymol, sesamol and limonene. The antioxidant capacity is measured from the decrease of the DPV signal corresponding to the H2O2oxidation on a mercury electrode in the presence of the antioxidants. A three‐level full factorial design was used to analyse the antioxidant capacity of forty five mixtures. The higher synergistic effect was reached in the mixtures containing eugenol and sesamol (antioxidant capacity increases in a 28.5%). The synergistic and antagonistic effects of the combinations having the lower antioxidant capacity (thymol, sesamol and limonene) ranged between 20.2–26.3% and 8.6–11.8%, respectively. An increase in the eugenol concentration implies a progressive increase in the global synergy, not proportional to the concentration. A possible explanation of the synergy related to the oxidation mechanisms and to the possibility of interaction with the radicals is given.