bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Diet and body condition of cave‐dwelling dwarf crocodiles (Osteolaemus tetraspis, Cope 1861) in Gabon
Authors: Shirley Matthew H. , Burtner Brittany , Oslisly Richard , Sebag David , Testa Olivier 
Published: September 2016

AbstractWe present the first ever observations of dwarf crocodiles (Osteolaemus tetraspis) selectively utilizing a cave ecosystem. We analysed crocodile diet to preliminarily assess the degree of ecological isolation of cave‐dwelling crocodiles from their forest‐dwelling conspecifics despite their physical proximity. We additionally conducted the first study of body condition of dwarf crocodiles and compared cave‐dwelling individuals to surface‐dwelling individuals from a variety of alternative habitats and sites as a means to better understand the implications of a semihypogean life on this species. Crocodiles captured in the caves appeared to forage exclusively in the caves and ate mostly cave crickets and bats, whereas crocodiles captured in the surrounding forest habitat consumed primarily freshwater crustaceans and insects and were not found to consume cave‐dwelling prey. Juvenile cave crocodiles had significantly higher body condition compared to juvenile forest crocodiles, which did not vary amongst forest locations. The difference in body condition between adult cave and forest crocodiles was not statistically significant despite also being higher; we suspect this is an artefact of the low sample size rather than a real nondifference. Forest adult crocodiles generally had significantly higher body condition than juveniles, but did not vary by site or habitat. This lack of variation suggests that habitat type is not the most important factor influencing dwarf crocodile body condition. Our results provide a unique insight into facultative cave use by a principally surface‐dwelling species and reinforce the necessity for further research into this unique system to better understand the evolutionary‐scale implications of cave habitat use by dwarf crocodiles.
Towards national comprehensive gestational diabetes screening – consequences for neonatal outcome and care
Authors: Koivunen Sanna , Torkki Annukka , Bloigu Aini , Gissler Mika , Pouta Anneli , Kajantie Eero , Vääräsmäki Marja 
Published: September 2016

AbstractIntroductionThe change from risk‐factor‐based to nearly comprehensive screening of gestational diabetes (GDM) identifies more but milder cases of the disease. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of this screening policy change on neonatal outcomes and care.Material and methodsA population‐based register study in Finland. GDM cases during risk‐factor‐based (year 2006, n = 5179) and comprehensive (2010, n = 6679) screenings were identified through the Medical Birth Register. All singletons without maternal GDM or prepregnancy diabetes served as controls (n = 51 746 and n = 52 386, respectively). The main outcomes were macrosomia, neonatal hypoglycemia and the need for care in a neonatal ward.ResultsIn the GDM group, the mean birthweight decreased between the study years from 3660 g to 3595 g and the prevalence of macrosomia from 5.6 to 4.1% even after adjustment for maternal age, parity and prepregnancy body mass index. The adjusted mean difference in birthweight between GDM and control newborns decreased from 70 to 22 g between the study years. The prevalence of neonatal hypoglycemia increased from 18.0 to 22.1% in the GDM group. However, neonatal hypoglycemia was more often treated without care in a neonatal ward. The proportion of infants treated on a neonatal ward decreased in both the GDM and control groups between the study years.ConclusionsIn newborns, comprehensive GDM screening led to decreased mean birthweight and macrosomia rates, but the prevalence of neonatal hypoglycemia increased. This places substantial demands for delivery hospitals and healthcare resources.
The interaction effect of attentional bias and attentional control on dispositional anxiety among adolescents
Authors: Ho Samuel M. Y. , Yeung Dannii , Mak Christine W. Y. 
Published: September 2016

Research has shown that children and adolescents with attentional control deficits tend to have high anxiety and exhibit threat‐related selective attentional bias. This study aimed to investigate how positive and negative attentional biases would interact with attentional control on dispositional anxiety. One hundred and twenty participants aged 18 years of age or younger participated in a visual dot‐probe task to measure their attentional bias and completed psychological questionnaires to measure their trait anxiety, and attentional control. Mean reaction times to the probe in milliseconds were used to measure attentional bias. Overall, our participants showed a bigger tendency towards attending to positive emotional stimuli than to negative emotional stimuli. Adolescents with high dispositional anxiety showed poorer attentional control. Regression analyses showed that attentional control interact with negative attentional bias to affect anxiety. For participants with high attentional control, higher negative attentional bias was associated with lower trait anxiety. Trait anxiety was not related to negative attentional bias for participants with low attentional control. Positive attentional bias showed no significant relationship with dispositional anxiety, either alone or in interaction with attentional control. Theoretical and clinical implications of the findings are also discussed.
Selective activation of vascular Kv7.4/Kv7.5 K+ channels by fasudil contributes to its vasorelaxant effect
Authors: Zhang Xuan , An Hailong , Li Junwei , Zhang Yuanyuan , Liu Yang , Jia Zhanfeng , Zhang Wei , Chu Li , Zhang Hailin 
Published: September 2016

Background and PurposeKv7 (Kv7.1–7.5) channels play an important role in the regulation of neuronal excitability and the cardiac action potential. Growing evidence suggests Kv7.4/Kv7.5 channels play a crucial role in regulating vascular smooth muscle contractility. Most of the reported Kv7 openers have shown poor selectivity across these five subtypes. In this study, fasudil – a drug used for cerebral vasospasm – has been found to be a selective opener of Kv7.4/Kv7.5 channels.Experimental ApproachA perforated whole‐cell patch technique was used to record the currents and membrane potential. Homology modelling and a docking technique were used to investigate the interaction between fasudil and the Kv7.4 channel. An isometric tension recording technique was used to assess the vascular tension.Key ResultsFasudil selectively and potently enhanced Kv7.4 and Kv7.4/Kv7.5 currents expressed in HEK293 cells, and shifted the voltage‐dependent activation curve in a more negative direction. Fasudil did not affect either Kv7.2 and Kv7.2/Kv7.3 currents expressed in HEK293 cells, the native neuronal M‐type K+ currents, or the resting membrane potential in small rat dorsal root ganglia neurons. The Val248 in S5 and Ile308 in S6 segment of Kv7.4 were critical for this activating effect of fasudil. Fasudil relaxed precontracted rat small arteries in a concentration‐dependent fashion; this effect was antagonized by the Kv7 channel blocker XE991.Conclusions and ImplicationsThese results suggest that fasudil is a selective Kv7.4/Kv7.5 channel opener and provide a new dimension for developing selective Kv7 modulators and a new prospective for the use, action and mechanism of fasudil.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis multi-drug-resistant strain M induces IL-17+IFNγ– CD4+ T cell expansion through an IL-23 and TGF-β-dependent mechanism in patients with MDR-TB tuberculosis
Authors: Basile J I , Kviatcovsky D , Romero M M , Balboa L , Monteserin J , Ritacco V , Lopez B , Sabio y García C , García A , Vescovo M , Montaner P G , Palmero D , del Carmen Sasiain M , de la Barrera S 
Published: September 2016

Summary
We have reported previously that T cells from patients with multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) express high levels of interleukin (IL)-17 in response to the MDR strain M (Haarlem family) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). Herein, we explore the pathways involved in the induction of Th17 cells in MDR-TB patients and healthy tuberculin reactors [purified protein derivative healthy donors (PPD+ HD)] by the M strain and the laboratory strain H37Rv. Our results show that IL-1β and IL-6 are crucial for the H37Rv and M-induced expansion of IL-17+interferon (IFN)-γ– and IL-17+IFN-γ+ in CD4+ T cells from MDR-TB and PPD+ HD. IL-23 plays an ambiguous role in T helper type 1 (Th1) and Th17 profiles: alone, IL-23 is responsible for M. tuberculosis-induced IL-17 and IFN-γ expression in CD4+ T cells from PPD+ HD whereas, together with transforming growth factor (TGF-β), it promotes IL-17+IFN-γ– expansion in MDR-TB. In fact, spontaneous and M. tuberculosis-induced TGF-β secretion is increased in cells from MDR-TB, the M strain being the highest inducer. Interestingly, Toll-like receptor (TLR)-2 signalling mediates the expansion of IL-17+IFN-γ– cells and the enhancement of latency-associated protein (LAP) expression in CD14+ and CD4+ T cells from MDR-TB, which suggests that the M strain promotes IL-17+IFN-γ– T cells through a strong TLR-2-dependent TGF-β production by antigen-presenting cells and CD4+ T cells. Finally, CD4+ T cells from MDR-TB patients infected with MDR Haarlem strains show higher IL-17+IFN-γ– and lower IL-17+IFN-γ+ levels than LAM-infected patients. The present findings deepen our understanding of the role of IL-17 in MDR-TB and highlight the influence of the genetic background of the infecting M. tuberculosis strain on the ex-vivo Th17 response.
Trade‐offs and efficiencies in optimal budget‐constrained multispecies corridor networks
Authors: Dilkina Bistra , Houtman Rachel , Gomes Carla P. , Montgomery Claire A. , McKelvey Kevin S. , Kendall Katherine , Graves Tabitha A. , Bernstein Richard , Schwartz Michael K. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractConservation biologists recognize that a system of isolated protected areas will be necessary but insufficient to meet biodiversity objectives. Current approaches to connecting core conservation areas through corridors consider optimal corridor placement based on a single optimization goal: commonly, maximizing the movement for a target species across a network of protected areas. We show that designing corridors for single species based on purely ecological criteria leads to extremely expensive linkages that are suboptimal for multispecies connectivity objectives. Similarly, acquiring the least‐expensive linkages leads to ecologically poor solutions. We developed algorithms for optimizing corridors for multispecies use given a specific budget. We applied our approach in western Montana to demonstrate how the solutions may be used to evaluate trade‐offs in connectivity for 2 species with different habitat requirements, different core areas, and different conservation values under different budgets. We evaluated corridors that were optimal for each species individually and for both species jointly. Incorporating a budget constraint and jointly optimizing for both species resulted in corridors that were close to the individual species movement‐potential optima but with substantial cost savings. Our approach produced corridors that were within 14% and 11% of the best possible corridor connectivity for grizzly bears(Ursus arctos)and wolverines(Gulo gulo), respectively, and saved 75% of the cost. Similarly, joint optimization under a combined budget resulted in improved connectivity for both species relative to splitting the budget in 2 to optimize for each species individually. Our results demonstrate economies of scale and complementarities conservation planners can achieve by optimizing corridor designs for financial costs and for multiple species connectivity jointly. We believe that our approach will facilitate corridor conservation by reducing acquisition costs and by allowing derived corridors to more closely reflect conservation priorities.
Setting population targets for mammals using body mass as a predictor of population persistence
Authors: Hilbers Jelle P. , Santini Luca , Visconti Piero , Schipper Aafke M. , Pinto Cecilia , Rondinini Carlo , Huijbregts Mark A.J. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractConservation planning and biodiversity assessments need quantitative targets to optimize planning options and assess the adequacy of current species protection. However, targets aiming at persistence require population‐specific data, which limit their use in favor of fixed and nonspecific targets, likely leading to unequal distribution of conservation efforts among species. We devised a method to derive equitable population targets; that is, quantitative targets of population size that ensure equal probabilities of persistence across a set of species and that can be easily inferred from species‐specific traits. In our method, we used models of population dynamics across a range of life‐history traits related to species’ body mass to estimate minimum viable population targets. We applied our method to a range of body masses of mammals, from 2 g to 3825 kg. The minimum viable population targets decreased asymptotically with increasing body mass and were on the same order of magnitude as minimum viable population estimates from species‐ and context‐specific studies. Our approach provides a compromise between pragmatic, nonspecific population targets and detailed context‐specific estimates of population viability for which only limited data are available. It enables a first estimation of species‐specific population targets based on a readily available trait and thus allows setting equitable targets for population persistence in large‐scale and multispecies conservation assessments and planning.
Equitable Representation of Ecoregions is Slowly Improving Despite Strategic Planning Shortfalls
Authors: Kuempel Caitlin D. , Chauvenet Alienor L. M. , Possingham Hugh P. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractRepresenting all ecosystem types in protected areas (PAs) is central to international conservation agreements (i.e., Aichi Target 11) and ensuring the persistence of biodiversity. In response to these agreements, we have seen rapid growth of PA networks, but we do not know how this affects ecosystem representation. We explored this question by investigating drivers and trends of representation during periods of rapid land acquisition using the protection equality metric. We found that 90.9% of the studied countries have improved protection equality through time. Periods of rapid area expansion resulted in greater increases in protection equality, particularly through multiple, smaller PAs as opposed to fewer, larger PAs. However, observed increases may not be due to strategic planning, as protection equality from random PA allocation was statistically similar to observed values within six country‐level simulations. Future international agreements should hold countries accountable to meeting multiple objectives and prioritize conservation outcomes over individual targets.
Global Coverage of Agricultural Sustainability Standards, and Their Role in Conserving Biodiversity
Authors: Tayleur Catherine , Balmford Andrew , Buchanan Graeme M. , Butchart Stuart H. M. , Ducharme Heather , Green Rhys E. , Milder Jeffrey C. , Sanderson Fiona J. , Thomas David H. L. , Vickery Juliet , Phalan Ben 
Published: September 2016

AbstractVoluntary sustainability standards have increased in uptake over the last decade; here, we explore their potential contribution to biodiversity conservation and other aspects of agricultural sustainability. We reviewed the content of 12 major crop standards and quantified their global coverage. All standards included some provisions for the protection of biodiversity, but we only identified two with criteria that prohibited all deforestation. We found records of certified cropland in 133 countries, and estimated that certified crop area increased by 11% (range 8.8–13.5%) per year from 2000 to 2012, but still only covered 1.1% (range 1.0–1.2%) of global cropland. The crops with the highest levels of certification were heavily traded commodities: coffee, cocoa, tea, and palm oil each had 10% or more of their total global production area certified. Coverage was lower for other crops, including the world's most important staple foods (maize, rice, and wheat). Sustainability standards have considerable potential to contribute to conservation, but there is an ongoing need for better evaluation of how effectively they are implemented. We present examples of ways in which governments, companies, financial institutions, and civil society can work together to scale up and target certification to places where it can have the greatest positive impact.
Navigating the Space between Research and Implementation in Conservation
Authors: Toomey Anne H. , Knight Andrew T. , Barlow Jos 
Published: September 2016

AbstractRecent scholarship in conservation biology has pointed to the existence of a “research‐implementation” gap and has proposed various solutions for overcoming it. Some of these solutions, such as evidence‐based conservation, are based on the assumption that the gap exists primarily because of a communication problem in getting reliable and needed technical information to decision makers. First, we identify conceptual weaknesses with this framing, supporting our arguments with decades of research in other fields of study. We then reconceptualize the gap as a series of crucial, productive spaces in which shared interests, value conflicts, and complex relations between scientists and publics can interact. Whereas synonyms for “gap” include words such as “chasm,” “rift,” or “breach,” the word “space” is connected with words such as “arena,” “capacity,” and “place” and points to who and what already exists in a specific context. Finally, we offer ways forward for applying this new understanding in practice.
The multi‐ethnic global lung initiative 2012 and Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reference values do not reflect spirometric measurements in Black boys and men from Tanzania
Authors: Rębacz‐Maron Ewa 
Published: September 2016

SummaryThe interpretation of spirometric results of Black Africans according to reference standards based on data from outside their native environment may lead to the wrong conclusions. This article aims to characterize the ventilatory capacity of boys and men from Tanzania according to forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow (PEF) and FEV1/FVC based on the collected anthropological material and to compare them to NHANES III, Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) African American predicted values and GLI2012 equations. The analysis included spirometric measurements of n = 295 participants from Tanzania. Pearson's correlation analysis and the backward stepwise multiple regression analysis were performed. FEV1, FVC, PEF and FEV1/FVC results were compared to the NHANES III African American predicted values as well as to the GLI2012 equations. FEV1 measurements are lower than the reference values according to NHANES III and GLI2012 equations by 22·1% and 25·8%. FVC results fell short of the NHANES III predicted by 29·5% and of GLI2012 by 32·5%. The average %FEV1/FVC scores for the boys and men exceeded the recommended GLI2012 predicted by 10·5–15·2%. All the spirometric measurements included in the analysis were statistically significantly correlated with age, body height, sitting height, trunk length and body weight. The application of prediction formulae developed for non‐African populations overestimates the values for Black Africans. The results of spirometric measurements are ecosensitive and dependent on various external (environmental) factors.
Hypoxia and low‐dose inflammatory stimulus synergistically enhance bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell migration
Authors: Yu Yang , Yin Yuan , Wu Rui‐Xin , He Xiao‐Tao , Zhang Xi‐Yu , Chen Fa‐Ming 
Published: September 2016

AbstractObjectivesCell migration is necessary for numerous physiological cell processes. Although either inflammatory or hypoxic stimuli of certain dose and duration have positive influence on cell migration, their combination has not been shown to result in a synergistic effect.Materials and methodsIn this study, we investigated combined effects of hypoxia and low‐dose inflammatory stimulus (one‐tenth of that of a previously used concentration) on migration of human bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs).ResultsOur results from real‐time PCR, Western blot analysis and an immunofluorescence assay, showed that dual stimulation up‐regulated CXCR4 expression. Based on tablet scratch experimentation and transwell assay, the dual stimuli exhibited greater positive effects on cell migration than a single inflammatory or hypoxic stimulus. When effects of various pre‐treatments on cell proliferation, differentiation and immunosuppression were screened, cells subjected to the hypoxic stimulus or dual stimuli had increased cell proliferation, while short‐term inflammatory stimulus and/or hypoxic stimulus had no negative effect on cell differentiation and immunosuppression.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that the combination of hypoxia and low‐dose inflammatory stimuli enhances the potential of BMMSCs to migrate, thus identifying cell pre‐treatment conditions that could enhance future stem cell‐based therapeutics.
Can myocardial performance index predict the presence of silent ischemia in asymptomatic type 2 diabetic patients?
Authors: Al‐Daydamony Mohammad M. , El‐Tahlawi Mohammad A. , Shawky Ahmad 
Published: September 2016

BackgroundCoronary artery disease (CAD) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes. Silent myocardial ischemia (SMI) is common in patients with diabetes and is associated with poorer prognosis. Myocardial performance index “Tei index” that reflects both left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function. The aim of our study was to test the value of Tei index in prediction of SMI in asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes.Patients and MethodsAsymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes were included in our study. We excluded patients with known CAD, previous revascularization, low ejection fraction, or abnormal ECG from the study. All patients had undergone history taking and clinical examination, ECG, echocardiography with measuring of Tei index and Holter monitoring for detecting silent ischemia.ResultsA total of 200 patients were recruited. We divided our patients into two groups: Group I: 64 patients with SMI, Group II: 136 patients without SMI. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding clinical and conventional echocardiographic data. Tei index was significantly higher in patients with silent ischemia (P<.00001). Sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values of Tei index ≥0.6 in prediction of Holter detected silent ischemia were 85.9%, 90%, 78.6%, and 88.6%, respectively. We found a significant positive correlation between Tei index and number of ischemic episodes (r=.366, P=.0029).ConclusionMeasuring Tei index is helpful in predicting the presence of silent ischemia in asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes.