bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pretarsus and distal margin of the terminal tarsomere as an unexplored character system for higher‐level classification in Cholevinae (Coleoptera, Leiodidae)
Authors: ANTUNES‐CARVALHO CAIO , GNASPINI PEDRO 
Published: December 2015

AbstractCholevinae are well founded as a monophylum, but their internal phylogenetic relationships constitute a matter of longstanding dispute. The morphology has been the main source of information in most available phylogenetic studies on the subfamily. Most of the characters used, however, were limited to easily visible external structures and genitalia. Here we investigate the informative power of an unexplored character system for the higher‐level systematics of Cholevinae: the morphology of the pretarsus and distal margin of the terminal tarsomere. We analysed and documented these structures in representatives of the five most species‐rich tribes of Cholevinae (encompassing 13 subtribes) using scanning electron microscopy. We identified several diagnostic features and recognize potential synapomorphies at the tribal, subtribal and generic levels. The architecture of the median and empodial sclerites (including the empodial setae), the shape and composition of the medial projection of the distal margin of the terminal tarsomere, and the armature of the claws were considered a promising source of information for delimiting tribes and subtribes. Our data challenge the traditional view of a close proximity of Eucatopini and Ptomaphagini as well as a previously suggested synapomorphy of Leptodirini, and reinforce the monophyly of Ptomaphagini. This contribution is one of the rare comparative studies on the coleopteran pretarsus and one of very few evaluating the systematic usefulness of the distal margin of the terminal tarsomere in insects.
Prevalence and Characterization of Salmonella Isolated from Feral Pigs Throughout Texas
Authors: Cummings K. J. , Rodriguez‐Rivera L. D. , Grigar M. K. , Rankin S. C. , Mesenbrink B. T. , Leland B. R. , Bodenchuk M. J. 
Published: November 2015

SummaryFeral pigs are one of the most abundant free‐roaming ungulates in the United States, yet their role in the ecology and transmission of foodborne pathogens is poorly understood. Our objectives were to estimate the prevalence of Salmonella shedding among feral pigs throughout Texas, to identify risk factors for infection, and to characterize the isolates. Faecal samples were collected from feral pigs in Texas from June 2013 through May 2015. Standard bacteriologic culture methods were used to isolate Salmonella from samples, and isolates were characterized via serotyping and anti‐microbial susceptibility testing. The prevalence of faecal Salmonella shedding among sampled pigs was 43.9% (194/442), with positive pigs originating from 50 counties. Pigs sampled during fall and summer were significantly more likely to be shedding Salmonella than pigs sampled during winter. High serovar diversity was evident among the isolates, and many of the detected serovars are leading causes of human salmonellosis. The most common serovars were Montevideo (10.0%), Newport (9.1%), and Give (8.2%). Resistance to anti‐microbial agents was rare. The burgeoning feral pig population in the United States may represent an emerging threat to food safety.
NON-IONIZING ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION EFFECT ON NERVE FIBER ACTION POTENTIAL OF HUMAN BODY – A REVIEW
Authors: Noor Azizi Muhammad Syafiq , Aris Nor Azlan , Salleh Azahari , Othman Adib , Mohamad Najmiah Radiah 
Published: November 2015

The use of electromagnetic radiations (EM) has been increased manifold in recent times mainly due to technological advances. Electromagnetic energy was absorbed by some proportion in the human body which results to an undesirable side-effect. There is a concern on the effect of the electromagnetic radiation on biological systems in general and particularly on human nervous systems. This paper presents a review on non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation effect that has been conducted by various researchers. Through this review, we hope to provide better understanding and awareness on what is essentially happening to action potentials on electrical nerve fiber of human body if there is a presence of interference from non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation
ROCK SLOPE ASSESSMENT USING KINEMATIC AND NUMERICAL ANALYSES
Authors: Mohammed Al-Bared Mohammed Ali , Abdullah Rini Asnida , Mohd Yunus Nor Zurairahetty , Mohd Amin Mohd For , Awang Haryati 
Published: November 2015

This paper presents stability assessment of rock slopes at Jalan Kuari, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. The site is a disused quarry slope where a low cost residential area of Pangsapuri Intan was built very close to it, frequent instability at the rock slope have been reported. A detailed discontinuity assessment was carried at the site, then, the kinematic and numerical analyses were performed in order to determine the stability of the rock slope. The kinematic analysis was carried out using DIPS 5.0 software and the results showed that about 19% is the percentage of the wedge failure that is encountered for the rock slope. Meanwhile, the finite element method of analysis in Phase2 showed that the slope is in stable condition, with the Strength Reduction Factor (SRF) of 2.0. The difference between the results of the kinematic and the finite element analyses is because, the kinematic analysis considered the discontinuities volume and orientations with regards to the slope face, while the finite element, analysed the slope with respect to strength properties. Since the slope is a disused quarry, where previous blasting work had produced fractures on the rock face, these discontinuities and fractures are more influencing the instability and the result from kinematic analysis shows a good agreement with the field observation.
EVALUATION OF VS,30 ESTIMATING MODELS FOR INDONESIA
Authors: A. Prakoso Widjojo , Sukanta I Nyoman 
Published: November 2015

Series of strong-motion instruments are being installed as part of the seismic hazard reduction program. One of the required information for an instrument station is the geotechnical characteristics, particularly the 30 m deep weighted average of shear wave velocity, VS,30. The VS,30 values of 25 strong-motion instrument stations in western part of Java Island and western-southern part of Sumatra Island were used to evaluate the topographical information and the geomorphological information based VS,30 estimation models. The ratio of the measured VS,30 to the estimated VS,30 is evaluated, and the simple statistical parameters could not suggest the better model. No apparent geographical and/or geological factors could be identified as the affecting factor as well. Furthermore, the ratio is found to decrease with increasing the estimated values. Based on these observations, several recommendations are proposed, including to develop a new VS,30 estimation model, specifically for Indonesia
DEVELOPMENT OF SEISMIC MICROZONATION MAPS OF SEMARANG, INDONESIA
Authors: Partono Windu , Retno Wardani Sri Prabandiyani , Irsyam Masyhur , Maarif Syamsul 
Published: November 2015

The new Indonesian Code for seismic resistance design for building has been issued recently. It follows the concept of Risk-Targeted Maximum Considered Earthquake (MCER). Seismic risk microzonation of Semarang is analyzed using the new concept. Seismic risk microzonation study for hazard mitigation is also performed for the whole city based on deterministic approach, considering the closes distance fault (Lasem Fault). Interpretation of local site effects is performed by carrying one-dimensional ground response analysis. Depth of bedrock is estimated based on single station feedback seismometer measurement. Geotechnical parameters are interpreted from recent and previous measurements. The result of deterministic microzonation study includes the distribution of surface peak ground acceleration (PGA) and spectral acceleration due to Lasem Fault. The obtained results are compared with the distribution of surface PGA and spectral acceleration obtained through new code.
Direct effect of chronic hypoxia in suppressing large conductance Ca2+‐activated K+ channel activity in ovine uterine arteries via increasing oxidative stress
Authors: Hu Xiang‐Qun , Huang Xiaohui , Xiao Daliao , Zhang Lubo 
Published: November 2015

Key points
Chronic hypoxia has a direct effect in down‐regulating the BKCa channel β1 subunit and inhibiting the BKCa channel activity in uterine arteries of pregnant sheep.
Oxidative stress plays a causal role in hypoxia‐mediated suppression of BKCa channel function.
The steroid hormone‐induced effect on BKCa channels is a target of hypoxia‐mediated oxidative stress.
Inhibition of oxidative stress ameliorates the adverse effect of hypoxia both ex vivo and in vivo in pregnant sheep exposed to long‐term high‐altitude hypoxia.
Our findings provide novel evidence of a causative role of oxidative stress in hypoxia‐mediated inhibition of the BKCa channel activity in uterine arteries and new insights in understanding and alleviating pregnancy complications associated with gestational hypoxia such as pre‐eclampsia and fetal growth restriction.
AbstractUterine arteries of pregnant sheep acclimatized to long‐term high‐altitude hypoxia were associated with a decrease in large‐conductance Ca2+‐activated K+ (BKCa) channel activity. The present study tested the hypothesis that prolonged hypoxia has a direct effect in suppressing BKCa channel activity by increasing oxidative stress. Uterine arteries were isolated from non‐pregnant and near‐term (∼142 days) pregnant sheep, and were treated ex vivo with 21.0 or 10.5% O2 for 48 h. The hypoxia treatment significantly increased the production of reactive oxygen species in uterine arteries, which was blocked by N‐acetylcysteine. In uterine arteries of pregnant sheep, hypoxia significantly inhibited BKCa channel current density, decreased NS1619‐induced relaxations and increased pressure‐dependent tone, which were annulled by N‐acetylcysteine. In accordance, hypoxia resulted in down‐regulation of BKCa channel β1 subunit, which was restored in the presence of N‐acetylcysteine. In addition, the N‐acetylcysteine treatment significantly increased BKCa channel β1 subunit abundance and BKCa channel current density in uterine arteries from pregnant sheep exposed to high‐altitude hypoxia (3801 m, : 60 mmHg) for 110 days. In uterine arteries of non‐pregnant animals, hypoxia inhibited steroid hormone‐induced up‐regulation of BKCa channel current density and NS1619‐mediated relaxations, which were reversed by N‐acetylcysteine. Furthermore, the synthetic superoxide dismutase and catalase mimetic EUK‐134 also ablated the effects of hypoxia on BKCa channel currents in uterine arteries. The results demonstrate a direct effect of hypoxia in inhibiting the BKCa channel activity in uterine arteries via increased oxidative stress.
Dynorphin inhibits basal forebrain cholinergic neurons by pre‐ and postsynaptic mechanisms
Authors: Ferrari L. L. , Agostinelli L. J. , Krashes M. J. , Lowell B. B. , Scammell T. E. , Arrigoni E. 
Published: November 2015

Key points
The basal forebrain is an important component of the ascending arousal system and may be a key site through which the orexin neurons promote arousal.
It has long been known that orexin‐A and ‐B excite basal forebrain cholinergic neurons, but orexin‐producing neurons also make the inhibitory peptide dynorphin.
Using whole‐cell recordings in brain slices, we found that dynorphin‐A directly inhibits basal forebrain cholinergic neurons via κ‐opioid receptors, and decreases afferent excitatory synaptic input to these neurons.
While the effects of dynorphin‐A and orexin‐A desensitize over multiple applications, co‐application of dynorphin‐A and orexin‐A produces a sustained response that reverses depending on the membrane potential of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons. At −40 mV the net effect of the co‐application is inhibition by dynorphin‐A, whereas at −70 mV the excitatory response to orexin‐A prevails.
AbstractThe basal forebrain (BF) is an essential component of the ascending arousal systems and may be a key site through which the orexin (also known as hypocretin) neurons drive arousal and promote the maintenance of normal wakefulness. All orexin neurons also make dynorphin, and nearly all brain regions innervated by the orexin neurons express kappa opiate receptors, the main receptor for dynorphin. This is remarkable because orexin excites target neurons including BF neurons, but dynorphin has inhibitory effects. We identified the sources of dynorphin input to the magnocellular preoptic nucleus and substantia innominata (MCPO/SI) in mice and determined the effects of dynorphin‐A on MCPO/SI cholinergic neurons using patch‐clamp recordings in brain slices. We found that the orexin neurons are the main source of dynorphin input to the MCPO/SI region, and dynorphin‐A inhibits MCPO/SI cholinergic neurons through κ‐opioid receptors by (1) activation of a G protein‐coupled inwardly rectifying potassium current, (2) inhibition of a voltage‐gated Ca2+ current and (3) presynaptic depression of the glutamatergic input to these neurons. The responses both to dynorphin‐A and to orexin‐A desensitize, but co‐application of dynorphin‐A and orexin‐A produces a sustained response. In addition, the polarity of the response to the co‐application depends on the membrane potential of BF neurons; at −40 mV the net effect of the co‐application is inhibition by dynorphin‐A, whereas at −70 mV the excitatory response to orexin‐A prevails. This suggests that depending on their state of activation, BF cholinergic neurons can be excited or inhibited by signals from the orexin neurons.
Electroacupuncture Attenuates Hepatic Lipid Accumulation via Amp-Activated Protein Kinase (Ampk) Activation in Obese Rats
Authors: Gong Meirong , Cao Chen , Chen Fengli , Li Qian , Bi Xiaolin , Sun Yinong , Zhan Zhen 
Published: December 2015

Background Electroacupuncture (EA) may offer an effective alternative approach for the treatment of obesity. EA mobilizes energy stores, but its effect on hepatic lipid metabolism is unknown, and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Objective To examine the effect of EA on hepatic lipid accumulation in diet-induced obese (DIO) rats, and to explore potential underlying mechanisms. Methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a normal diet (control group, n=10) or a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks to induce obesity. Those exhibiting diet-induced obesity were subdivided into two groups, one receiving EA (DIO+EA group, n=10) and one left untreated (DIO group, n=10) and observed for a further 4 weeks. Body, liver and fat pad weight were measured, and liver injury was assessed histologically as well as by measuring serum values of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Hepatic triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol were quantified by enzymatic colorimetric methods. Expression of liver AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC), and carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT-1) was measured by Western blotting. Results EA treatment led to a reduction in body, liver and fat pad weight in DIO rats. This was accompanied by decreases in hepatic TG and total cholesterol values, fatty droplet accumulation, and serum concentrations of ALT and AST. Furthermore, EA treatment restored phosphorylation levels of AMPK (Thr172) and ACC (Ser79) inhibited by HFD, and increased CPT-1 expression. Conclusions EA reduces HFD-induced hepatic lipid accumulation, an effect that appears to be mediated through AMPK signalling pathways. Our results shed new light on the mechanisms by which EA may reduce obesity.
“It's not healthy and it's decidedly not masculine”: a media analysis of UK newspaper representations of eating disorders in males
Authors: MacLean Alice , Sweeting Helen , Walker Laura , Patterson Chris , Räisänen Ulla , Hunt Kate 
Published: December 2015

ObjectivesRecent qualitative research found young men reporting that an expectation that eating disorders (EDs) mainly affect young women led them, and others, to only recognise their symptoms when their ED had become entrenched. This raises questions about how these stereotypes persist. We therefore explored how EDs in males were represented in articles published in UK newspapers over a 10-year period (7.12.2002–7.12.2012), specifically attending to whether newsprint media represent EDs in males as ‘gender appropriate’, ‘gender anomalous’ or ‘gender neutral’.DesignA qualitative thematic analysis of UK newspaper articles.MethodsWe searched two databases, Newsbank and LexisNexis, for newspaper articles including ED and male terms in the lead/first paragraph. Following de-duplication, 420 articles were scrutinised; 138 met inclusion criteria for detailed textual analysis and were imported into NVivo10.FindingsThe number of articles peaked in 2008 when a UK politician announced that he had experienced bulimia nervosa. Analysis of how the articles portrayed male ED-related characterisations and experiences revealed that they conveyed ambiguous messages about EDs in males. Despite apparently aiming to dispel stereotypes that only young women experience EDs and to address stigma surrounding EDs in males, many aspects of the articles, including repetition of phrases such as ‘a young woman's illness’, serve to reinforce messages that EDs are inherently ‘female’ and so ‘anomalous’ for men.ConclusionsNewspaper articles represent men with EDs asatypical of men, as a result of having an ED (and any feminising or demasculinising characteristics associated with this),andasatypical of people with EDs, who are still usually portrayed as teenage girls. Such media representations frame a cultural paradigm in which there is an expectation that men may feel shame about or strive to conceal EDs, potentially contributing to men with EDs delaying help-seeking, gaining late access to treatments and reducing chances of successful outcomes.
Alcohol use, socioeconomic deprivation and ethnicity in older people
Authors: Rao Rahul , Schofield Peter , Ashworth Mark 
Published: December 2015

ObjectivesThis study explores the relationship between alcohol consumption, health, ethnicity and socioeconomic deprivation.Participants27 991 people aged 65 and over from an inner-city population, using a primary care database.Primary and Secondary Outcome MeasuresPrimary outcome measures were alcohol use and misuse (>21 units per week for men and >14 for units per week women).ResultsOlder people of black and minority ethnic (BME) origin from four distinct ethnic groups comprised 29% of the sample. A total of 9248 older drinkers were identified, of whom 1980 (21.4%) drank above safe limits. Compared with older drinkers, older unsafe drinkers contained a higher proportion of males, white and Irish ethnic groups and a lower proportion of Caribbean, African and Asian groups. For older drinkers, the strongest independent predictors of higher alcohol consumption were younger age, male gender and Irish ethnicity. Independent predictors of lower alcohol consumption were Asian, black Caribbean and black African ethnicity. Socioeconomic deprivation and comorbidity were not significant predictors of alcohol consumption in older drinkers. For older unsafe drinkers, the strongest predictor variables were younger age, male gender and Irish ethnicity; comorbidity was not a significant predictor. Lower socioeconomic deprivation was a significant predictor of unsafe consumption whereas African, Caribbean and Asian ethnicity were not.ConclusionsAlthough under-reporting in high-alcohol consumption groups and poor health in older people who have stopped or controlled their drinking may have limited the interpretation of our results, we suggest that closer attention is paid to ‘young older’ male drinkers, as well as to older drinkers born outside the UK and those with lower levels of socioeconomic deprivation who are drinking above safe limits.
Exploring threats to generalisability in a large international rehabilitation trial (AVERT)
Authors: Bernhardt Julie , Raffelt Audrey , Churilov Leonid , Lindley Richard I , Speare Sally , Ancliffe Jacqueline , Katijjahbe Md Ali , Hameed Shahul , Lennon Sheila , McRae Anna , Tan Dawn , Quiney Jan , Williamson Hannah C , Collier Janice , Dewey Helen M , Donnan Geoffrey A , Langhorne Peter , Thrift Amanda G 
Published: December 2015

ObjectiveThe purpose of this paper is to examine potential threats to generalisability of the results of a multicentre randomised controlled trial using data from A Very Early Rehabilitation Trial (AVERT).DesignAVERT is a prospective, parallel group, assessor-blinded randomised clinical trial. This paper presents data assessing the generalisability of AVERT.SettingAcute stroke units at 44 hospitals in 8 countries.ParticipantsThe first 20 000 patients screened for AVERT, of whom 1158 were recruited and randomised.ModelWe use the Proximal Similarity Model, which considers the person, place, and setting and practice, as a framework for considering generalisability. As well as comparing the recruited patients with the target population, we also performed an exploratory analysis of the demographic, clinical, site and process factors associated with recruitment.ResultsThe demographics and stroke characteristics of the included patients in the trial were broadly similar to population-based norms, with the exception that AVERT had a greater proportion of men. The most common reason for non-recruitment was late arrival to hospital (ie, >24 h). Overall, being older and female reduced the odds of recruitment to the trial. More women than men were excluded for most of the reasons, including refusal. The odds of exclusion due to early deterioration were particularly high for those with severe stroke (OR=10.4, p<0.001, 95% CI 9.27 to 11.65).ConclusionsA model which explores person, place, and setting and practice factors can provide important information about the external validity of a trial, and could be applied to other clinical trials.Trial registration numberAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12606000185561) and Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01846247).