bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Reproductive potential of mature oocytes after conventional ovarian hyperstimulation for in vitro fertilization
Authors: Zhang John J. , Yang Mingxue , Merhi Zaher 
Published: January 2016

AbstractObjectiveTo compare cumulative live birth rate according to the rate of use of metaphase II (MII) oocytes in conventional ovarian stimulation protocols for in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection.MethodsIn a cohort study, patients aged 18–38 years undergoing their first IVF treatment at one US center were enrolled between February 1, 2009, and August 31, 2013. Ovarian response was categorized by the yield of MII oocytes (low: 1–2; intermediate: 3–6; high: ≥ 7). The main outcome measure was cumulative live birth rate over a 6‐month period.ResultsAmong 250 participants, 3240 oocytes (mean ± SEM 12.96 ± 0.50) were retrieved and there were 152 (60.8%) live births. Overall, 172 (68.8%) participants had a high oocyte yield, 61 (24.4%) an intermediate yield, and 17 (6.8%) a low yield. The cumulative live birth rate was 58.8% (10/17) in the low‐yield group, 55.7% (34/61) in the intermediate‐yield group, and 62.8% (108/172) in the high‐yield group (P = 0.35).ConclusionIn conventional ovarian stimulation, live birth rate is not affected by the ovarian response. Whether oocytes produced from a low ovarian response are biologically more effective than oocytes obtained from a high ovarian response remains to be determined.
Neuroanatomical assessment of the impact of negative emotion on implicit memory in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder
Authors: Park Shin-Eui , Yang Jong-Chul , Jeong Gwang-Woo 
Published: January 2016

ObjectiveWe performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to discriminate the differential brain activation patterns in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and healthy controls during implicit retrieval tasks with emotionally neutral and unpleasant words.MethodsSixteen patients with OCD (mean age: 31.4±10.1 years) and 16 healthy controls (mean age: 32.6±5.8 years) with no history of neurological or psychiatric illness underwent 3-T fMRI. The stimulation paradigm consisted of the following cycle: rest, encoding of a string of two-syllable words, rest, and retrieval of the previously encoded words with the first consonant omitted.ResultsDuring the implicit retrieval task with emotionally neutral words, no distinct brain activity was observed in either the patients with OCD or healthy controls. On the other hand, during the retrieval task with unpleasant words, the patients with OCD showed predominant activity in the superior/middle temporal pole, medial superior frontal gyrus, and orbitofrontal cortex (uncorrectedp<0.001, extent threshold: 30 voxels), whereas the healthy controls did not show any distinct regions of activation.ConclusionThis study revealed the differential brain activation patterns between patients with OCD and healthy controls during implicit memory tasks with unpleasant words. Our results suggest that the impact of negative emotion on implicit memory task may be associated with the symptomatology of OCD. This finding may be helpful for understanding the neural mechanisms that underlie implicit memory retrieval, particularly the interaction between emotion and cognition, in patients with OCD.
Discussion: the Fengate/Northey landscape
Authors: Pryor Francis 
Published: January 2016

On 14 February 1992, all the archaeological participants in the project met for a seminar at Flag Fen. Drafts of the papers published in this Special section were presented by their authors, and after each paper there was a lively general discussion.This concluding paper does not pretend to be a synthesis of that discussion, because good archaeology cannot be done by committee. Having said that, I have tried to include the views of all dissenting voices, to give balance to the interpretations offered here. I have also tried to credit those individuals who put forward some of the excellent ideas that came from the meeting. In the discussion that follows ‘pers. comm.’ should be read as a coded reference to the St Valentine’s Day Seminar.
Lactobacillus acidophilus modulates inflammatory activity by regulating the TLR4 and NF-κB expression in porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells after lipopolysaccharide challenge
Authors: Lee Sang In , Kim Hyun Soo , Koo Jin Mo , Kim In Ho 
Published: January 2016

AbstractA total of forty weaned pigs ((Landrace×Yorkshire)×Duroc) were used to evaluate the effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus on inflammatory activity after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Experimental treatments were as follows: (T1) control diet+saline challenge; (T2) control diet with 0·1 % L. acidophilus+saline challenge; (T3) control diet+LPS challenge; and (T4) control diet with 0·1 % L. acidophilus+LPS challenge. On d-14, piglets were challenged with saline (T1 and T2) or LPS (T3 and T4). Blood samples were obtained at 0, 2, 4, 6 and 12 h after being challenged and analysed for immune cell cytokine production and gene expression pattern. The L. acidophilus treatment increased the average daily weight gain (ADWG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) compared with the control diet. With the control diet, the LPS challenge (T3) increased the number of immune cells and expression of TNF-α and IL-6 compared with the saline challenge (T1). Whereas with the saline challenge L. acidophilus treatment (T2) increased the number of leucocytes and CD4 compared with the control diet (T1), with the LPS challenge L. acidophilus treatment (T4) decreased the number of leucocytes, lymphocytes, CD4+ and CD8+ and expression of TNF-α and IL-6 compared with the control diet (T3). L. acidophilus treatment decreased the expression of TRL4 and NF-κB in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) after LPS challenge, which leads to inhibition of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-8 and IL1B1 and to induction of IL-4 and IL-10. We suggested that L. acidophilus improved ADWG and ADFI and protected against LPS-induced inflammatory responses by regulating TLR4 and NF-κB expression in porcine PBMC.
Association between alcohol consumption and serum paraoxonase and arylesterase activities: a cross-sectional study within the Bavarian population
Authors: Schwedhelm Carolina , Nimptsch Katharina , Bub Achim , Pischon Tobias , Linseisen Jakob 
Published: January 2016

AbstractHigh alcohol consumption is an important risk factor for chronic disease and liver degeneration. Paraoxonase (PON1) and arylesterase (AE) are functions of the enzyme paraoxonase, which is synthesised by the liver. Paraoxonase circulates in plasma bound to HDL and hydrolyses lipid peroxides, protecting lipoproteins against oxidative modification. It has been shown that excessive alcohol consumption leads to a reduction of serum PON1 and AE activities; however, studies investigating the association with low and moderate alcohol consumption are scarce. We investigated the cross-sectional association between alcohol consumption and serum activities of PON1 and AE using data from the population-based Bavarian Food Consumption Survey II survey. PON1 and AE activities were quantified in serum samples of 566 male and female study participants (aged 18–80 years), and dietary intake including alcohol consumption was estimated from three 24-h dietary recalls. The association between alcohol consumption and PON1 and AE activities was analysed using linear regression, adjusted for age, sex and socio-economic status. There was no strong association between alcohol consumption and enzymatic activities of PON1 and AE in the Bavarian population. PON1 activity was seen to be lowest in non-drinkers (0 g/d) and highest in people who consumed 15·1–30 g of alcohol/d. AE activity increased across alcohol consumption categories, with a mean maximum difference of 14 U/ml (Pfor linear trend0·04). These associations were attenuated after adjustment for blood concentrations of HDL. The results of this study do not support the hypothesis that alcohol consumption is related to important alterations in PON1 and AE activities.
Agronomic performance of maize populations divergently selected for diferulate cross-linkage
Authors: SANTIAGO R. , BARROS-RIOS J. , ALVAREZ A. , MALVAR R. A. 
Published: January 2016

SUMMARYThe direct response of a divergent selection programme for total cell wall ester-linked diferulate concentration in maize pith stalk tissues and its indirect effect on cell wall degradability and corn borer resistance have been previously evaluated. Since increased total diferulate concentration is expected to improve crop performance in response to corn borers, the objective of the present research was to evaluate the indirect response of the divergent selection for diferulates on agronomic traits under corn borer infestation. For this purpose, five maize populations with contrasting total diferulate concentrations were evaluated four environments for performance under protected and infested conditions. Measured traits were: days to anthesis, days to silking, plant height, stalk lodging, grain moisture at harvest and grain yield. High diferulate populations showed a significant reduction in anthesis (precocity), and were 11 cm taller than the starting population, while low diferulate populations were 9 cm shorter, and showed nearly 1 t/ha lower grain yield than the original and high diferulate populations. The analysis showed that cycles of selection were positively correlated with flowering, plant height and grain yield. The infestations with borers produced >1 t/ha of reduction in grain yield; although the higher diferulate populations showed a better performance under infestation than the low diferulate populations. This positive effect on the grain yield by increasing diferulate content can be considered an extra in order to breed for resistance to corn borers.
Varietal and harvesting stage variation in the content of carotenoids, ascorbic acid and tocopherols in the fruit of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.)
Authors: Dhillon Narinder P. S. , Lin Chung-Cheng , Sun Zhanyong , Hanson Peter M. , Ledesma Dolores R. , Habicht Sandra D. , Yang Ray-Yu 
Published: January 2016

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) is an important market vegetable in the tropics. The objectives of this study were to (1) conduct a preliminary evaluation of genetic diversity in bitter gourd flesh (without seeds) for phytonutrient (carotenoid, ascorbic acid and tocopherol) contents with the aim to understand which phytonutrients might be increased through breeding, (2) assess the association between fruit traits and phytonutrient contents and (3) evaluate the effect of the fruit harvest stage on phytonutrient contents. A total of 17 diverse bitter gourd entries of various commercial market types were evaluated for fruit traits and phytonutrient contents for 2 years. Significant differences (P= 0.05) among the entries were detected for total carotenoids, total tocopherols, dry matter and fruit traits. Mean total carotenoid contents of the entries ranged from 10 to 1335 μg/100 g fresh weight in year 1 and 10 to 1185 μg/100 g fresh weight in year 2. Mean ascorbic acid contents were 69 and 61 mg/100 g fresh weight in year 1 and year 2, respectively. Total tocopherol contents among the entries ranged from 480 to 1345 and 445 to 2145 μg/100 g fresh weight in year 1 and year 2, respectively. Total carotenoid and ascorbic acid contents were highest at 12 days after fruit set (DAFS), but total tocopherol contents were highest from 14 to 20 DAFS. A 100 g portion of bitter gourd fruit can meet 190, 17 and 8% of the recommended daily allowances of vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin A, respectively, for adults.
C-reactive protein point-of-care testing and antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tract infections in rural primary health centres of North Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Yebyo Henock , Medhanyie Araya Abrha , Spigt Mark , Hopstaken Rogier 
Published: January 2016

AbstractUnjustified antibiotic prescribing for acute upper respiratory infections (URTIs) is probably more common in poor-resource settings where physicians are scarce. Introducing C-reactive protein (CRP) point-of-care testing in such settings could reduce the misuse of antibiotics, which could avert antibiotic resistance. However, information useful for the applicability of CRP test in resource-limited settings is lacking. This study aimed to elicit the frequency of antibiotic prescribing and distribution of CRP levels in remote, rural settings in Ethiopia. We included 414 patients with acute URTIs from four health centres. Health professionals recorded the clinical features of the patients, but the laboratory professionals measured the CRP levels of all patients at the point of care. The most prominent respiratory causes for consultation were acute URTIs combined (44.4%), and lower respiratory tract infections—pneumonia (29.71%) and acute bronchitis (25.84%). The CRP distribution was <20 mg/l, 20–99 mg/l and 100 mg/l or more in 66.6%, 27.9% and 5.5% of the patients, respectively. The CRP levels were significantly different among these clinical diagnoses (X2=114.3, P<0.001, d.f.=4). A wide range of antibiotics was administered for 87.8% of the patients, regardless of the diagnostic or prognostic nature of their diseases. Antibiotic prescribing for acute URTIs in the rural areas of Ethiopia is unduly high, with high proportions of mild, self-limiting illness, mostly URTIs. Implementation of CRP point-of-care testing in such resource-constrained settings, with low- or middle-grade healthcare professionals, could help reconcile the inappropriate use of antibiotics by withholding from patients who do not benefit from antibiotic treatment.
Creativity and city tourism repositioning: the case of Valencia, Spain.
Authors: Nácher Escriche J. M. , SimóTomás P. 
Published: January 2016

Abstract

This chapter investigates the capacity of creativity in reshaping the city tourism product for Valencia (Spain), an emerging creative urban destination. Creative activities induce an urban interaction between visitors and residents. Urban planning strategies show a growing interest of public authorities in promoting creative districts of the city as tourism destinations, given the boost experienced by cultural and city tourism in the past years. In this context, and focusing on creative neighbourhoods or urban clusters of the city, the chapter develops and implements a methodology to characterize better the interaction of creative districts and urban travellers.
Visual semantics and destination competitiveness: the case of wedding tourism in Mexico.
Authors: Novo Espinosa de los Monteros G. , Osorio Garcia M. 
Published: January 2016

Abstract

This chapter analyses how visual semantics in tourism marketing can be employed to foster the competitiveness of a destination. It is particularly interested in getting to know how the systematized use of schemas provides meaning to tourism communication and, in the current study case, how new iconic elements are added to the images used to represent tourism. To report on how these new visual semantics are added to the imagery of tourism, a relatively recent tourism product in Mexico is analysed: wedding tourism.
The potential effects of climate change on the tourism industry: a study in Turkey.
Authors: Pİnar M. , Bİrkan I. , Tanİl G. , Uysal M. 
Published: January 2016

Abstract

This chapter investigates the potential effects of climate change and global warming in Turkey. The chapter begins by reviewing the perceptions of hotel managers on the impact of these two salient issues on the tourism industry. Also analysed is the commitment to actions within the industry in order to face the situation. Further, the study tests for the linkage between managers' perceptions and their demographic profile. By employing a factor analysis, five individual factors are identified, suggesting five different areas of concern of the managerial staff about the impact of climate change on the evolution of business.
Green economy practices in the tourism industry: the case of Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Authors: Nhemachena C. , Jonas S. , Karuaihe S. 
Published: January 2016

Abstract

This chapter explores the degree of understanding of the green economy concept and the green practices undertaken by the tourism industry in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The findings show that there is generally a lack of understanding of the green economy concept among the 41 tourism businesses sampled. Further, the main green economy practices being implemented include water- and electricity/energy-saving initiatives driven mainly by the need to cut operating costs and increase net profits. Most of the tourism businesses interviewed showed a lack of knowledge of any government policies and/or incentives to promote green economy investments in the tourism industry besides the provision of energy-saving bulbs. The results also show the need for increased awareness-raising on the green economy concept and how it will benefit the businesses, including skills development in green economy practices to encourage implementation. The lack of information on the green economy and the high costs of implementation were identified as the key constraints in implementing green economy initiatives in the province.
Tourism policy and the challenge of seasonality: the case of the Balearic Islands.
Authors: Alemany M. , García M. A. , Aguilo Á. 
Published: January 2016

Abstract

This chapter studies the role of tourism policy in providing adequate responses to the challenge of seasonality at a crowded coastal destination in Spain, the Balearic Islands. The study starts by developing a qualitative review of the evolution of successive marketing plans in the Balearics in the framework of tourism policies. Strategies based on product, price and communication policies conform to the main approach of the public policies to this matter. Further, the study tests for a statistical correlation between the policy stimuli set out in the regional plans and the evolution of the seasonal behaviour of tourists. In spite of being unable to establish a link between the main features of the marketing plans and the behaviour of demand, a coincidence has been found between expansive economic cycles and periods of reduction in seasonality.
Expenditure and stay behaviour of nature-based visitors: the case of Costa Rica.
Authors: Artal-Tur A. , Briones-Peñalver A. J. 
Published: January 2016

Abstract

This chapter explores the expenditure and stay behaviour of tourists, and the capacity of these two variables in improving the sustainability of a nature-based destination such as Costa Rica. Two equations explaining the expenditure and stay patterns of international tourists arriving in Costa Rica are estimated. In particular, the study tests for the role played by time and budget restrictions, socio-economic features of visitors, destination characteristics and previous knowledge of the country. All these findings help to improve the knowledge on visitors' behaviour arriving in a nature-based tourist location, obtaining interesting conclusions to improve the management of the destination on a sustainable basis.
Recent research on operant conditioning in horses.
Authors: McGreevy P. D. , Hawson L. 
Published: January 2016

Abstract
This paper introduces the key challenges encountered when investigating the human-horse interface. With a focus in recent research on the application of learning theory in horses, it reviews the progress made in the emergent discipline of equitation science over the past decade. An appreciation of the role of learning theory in horse training is still in its infancy and is still refuted by traditionalists who believe that the horse can be trained as a willing participant that knows what is being asked of it. Despite this predictable resistance, the growing body of peer-reviewed evidence shows how equitation science reveals equestrian techniques that are difficult to justify within an ethical framework. Regardless of what some traditional critics claim, equitation science does nothing to undermine the emotional bonds that humans share with horses. On the contrary, it forces those who use horses to adopt a horse-centric approach to their training; an approach that ensures the cognitive powers of their trainees is not overestimated. The strength of this approach lies in acknowledging that training deficits are the main cause of poor performance, and that rider safety and horse welfare can be compromised by sloppy application of learning theory. The present paper describes the tools being used to study rider-horse interactions and concludes with a summary of the abiding challenges in applying learning theory to equitation.
The global land rush: implications for agricultural communities.
Authors: German L. A. 
Published: January 2016

Abstract
Over the past decade, a host of interrelated and mutually reinforcing processes have stimulated a renewed interest in farmland in the global South. This has resulted in a growing trend in which long-term rights over customary land and natural resources are being acquired by corporations, investment funds and government agencies alike, either as an investment vehicle, risk hedging mechanism or economic asset. While the data on large-scale land acquisitions are notoriously slippery and hard to acquire (Edelman 2013), estimates place the scope of land acquisitions initiated since 2000 at between 38 million and 55.7 million ha (Land Matrix online database (http://www.landmatrix.org/en/ [accessed 19 October 2015])). Some have viewed these trends as an opportunity to secure much-needed investment in rural areas, in the anticipation of the benefits that will flow from it: employment, technological innovation, smallholder market integration and other positive social and economic spillovers. It has also been met with a critical response from other circles due to the risks posed to rural livelihoods, food and tenure security, the environment and self-determination. This paper reviews what is known about the implications of large-scale land acquisitions for agricultural communities in the global South, with a focus on Africa and on the (relatively limited) empirical work that has been done to shed light on a very polarized debate. Following a brief overview of the trends and drivers of the land rush, I review the evidence around some of the key themes defining this debate. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of implications for further research.