bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The contribution of policy, law, management, research, and advocacy failings to the recent extinctions of three Australian vertebrate species
Authors: Woinarski John C.Z. , Garnett Stephen T. , Legge Sarah M. , Lindenmayer David B. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractExtinctions typically have ecological drivers, such as habitat loss. However, extinction events are also influenced by policy and management settings that may be antithetical to biodiversity conservation, inadequate to prevent extinction, insufficiently resourced, or poorly implemented. Three endemic Australian vertebrate species—the Christmas Island pipistrelle (Pipistrellus murrayi), Bramble Cay melomys (Melomys rubicola), and Christmas Island forest skink (Emoia nativitatis)—became extinct from 2009 to 2014. All 3 extinctions were predictable and probably preventable. We sought to identify the policy, management, research, and other shortcomings that contributed to their extinctions or failed to prevent them. These included a lack within national environmental legislation and policy of explicit commitment to the prevention of avoidable extinctions, lack of explicit accountability, inadequate resources for conservation (particularly for species not considered charismatic or not of high taxonomic distinctiveness), inadequate biosecurity, a slow and inadequate process for listing species as threatened, recovery planning that failed to consider the need for emergency response, inability of researchers to identify major threatening factors, lack of public engagement and involvement in conservation decisions, and limited advocacy. From these 3 cases, we recommend: environmental policy explicitly seeks to prevent extinction of any species and provides a clear chain of accountability and an explicit requirement for public inquiry following any extinction; implementation of a timely and comprehensive process for listing species as threatened and for recovery planning; reservation alone not be assumed sufficient to maintain species; enhancement of biosecurity measures; allocation of sufficient resources to undertake actions necessary to prevent extinction; monitoring be considered a pivotal component of the conservation response; research provides timely identification of factors responsible for decline and of the risk of extinction; effective dissemination of research results; advocacy by an informed public for the recovery of threatened species; and public involvement in governance of the recovery process. These recommendations should be applicable broadly to reduce the likelihood and incidence of extinctions.
Addition of a dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor, sitagliptin, to ongoing therapy with the glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist liraglutide: A randomized controlled trial in patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Nauck Michael A. , Kahle Melanie , Baranov Oleg , Deacon Carolyn F. , Holst Jens J. 
Published: October 2016

AimTo determine whether the addition of sitagliptin to pre‐existing therapy with liraglutide changes glycaemic excursions after a mixed meal.MethodsA total of 16 patients with type 2 diabetes treated with metformin and liraglutide (1.2 mg/d for ≥2 weeks) were randomized (sealed envelopes), within a cross‐over design, to be studied on two occasions, after an overnight fast, with (1) sitagliptin (100 mg orally) and (2) placebo (patients and care givers blinded) administered 60 minutes before a mixed meal, or vice versa. Glucose excursions (incremental area under the curve [AUC]; primary endpoint) and insulin, C‐peptide, glucagon and incretin concentrations were measured. The study setting was a metabolic study unit at a specialized diabetes hospital.ResultsAll 16 patients completed the study and were analysed. Glucose (AUCglucose
319 ± 30 [placebo] vs 315 ± 18 mmol.L‐1.min‐1 [sitagliptin], Δ 7 [95% confidence interval −50 to 63] mmol.L‐1.min‐1), insulin, C‐peptide and glucagon concentrations were not affected significantly by sitagliptin treatment (
P
= .60‐1.00). Intact glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) and glucose‐dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) concentrations were augmented by sitagliptin, by 78.4% and 90.2%, respectively (both
P
< .0001). The influence of sitagliptin treatment on incretin plasma concentrations was similar to previously published results obtained in patients with type 2 diabetes on metformin treatment only.ConclusionsSitagliptin, in patients already treated with a GLP‐1 receptor agonist (liraglutide), increased intact GLP‐1 and GIP concentrations, but with marginal, non‐significant effects on glycaemic control. GLP‐1 receptors have probably been maximally stimulated by liraglutide. Our findings do not support combination treatment with GLP‐1 receptor agonists and DPP‐4 inhibitors, but longer‐term trials are needed to support clinical recommendations.
The wound healing trajectory and predictors with combined electric stimulation and conventional care: one outpatient wound care clinic's experience
Authors: Zhou Kehua , Schenk Ronald , Brogan Michael S. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractBackgroundElectric stimulation (E‐stim) has been found to be an effective treatment in improving wound healing rates. However, the wound healing trajectory and its related predictors for complete wound closure (CWC) have not been reported with E‐stim treatment.Materials and methodsThis was a retrospective study. Data on 159 patients treated at an outpatient wound clinic utilizing combined intervention of E‐stim and conventional care were included. The Kaplan–Meier healing curve together with linear regression models depicted the percentage of patients with CWC against time.ResultsWith 100, 112 and 140 days of treatment, the percentages of patients with CWC were 59·12%, 61·01% and 65·41%, respectively. Linear regression models predicted that all patients would achieve CWC by 21·55, 22·26 and 24·80 weeks, respectively. The speed for the increase in the number and percentage of patients with CWC peaked between 50–75 days of treatment. To optimize timely healing, referral to other treatment facilities or change of treatment protocol is warranted around the peak time. With the combined intervention of E‐stim and conventional care, positive predictors for CWC included a shorter wound duration at initial evaluation (P = 0·005, OR = 3·10), better compliance with appointments (P = 0·007, OR = 3·38) and the diagnosis of venous leg ulcer (P = 0·001, OR = 3·88).ConclusionsThis study provided preliminary data on wound healing trajectory and predictors with combined E‐stim and conventional care. E‐stim seemed to expedite wound healing; however, further research studies are needed.
Avoidance of parasitoid attack is associated with the spatial use within a leaf by a lepidopteran leafminer
Authors: Ayabe Yoshiko , Hijii Naoki 
Published: October 2016

AbstractIn prey‐predator systems, top‐down effects can be a powerful determinant for spatial distributions of prey through their search for enemy‐free space. Leafminers live and eat within leaves, making feeding tracks called mines, and mine conspicuousness exposes them to a high risk of parasitism. Those lepidopteran leafminers that use lower leaf surfaces as mining sites show wide evolutionary radiation. We hypothesized that leafminers making mines on the lower surface are less often detected by parasitoids and thus have a selective advantage in avoiding parasitism compared to those on the upper surface. To investigate the adaptiveness of lower‐surface mining, we examined the relationship between parasitism and within‐leaf mine distribution for 3 years using a field population of the leafminer Phyllocnistis spec. (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae, Phyllocnistinae), which prefers the lower surface of leaves of the Japanese privet, Ligustrum japonicum Thunb. (Oleaceae). Parasitoid attack was more frequent in the upper‐surface mines than in the lower‐surface mines and on leaves with upper‐surface mines than on leaves with only lower‐surface mines. When both surfaces were mined, leafminers on the lower surface could avoid parasitism. Upper‐surface mines were attacked by more parasitoid species as compared to lower‐surface mines. Although the results demonstrated that mining on the lower surface was advantageous in avoiding parasitism, the vulnerability of lower‐surface mines to parasitism varied depending on their abundance. When many lower‐surface mines were present, lower‐surface mines suffered a higher parasitism rate than upper‐surface mines, probably because parasitoids formed search images for and concentrated on lower‐surface mines. This study suggests that the preferential use of the lower leaf surface by leafminers is in part attributed to interactions with parasitoids.
Benefits of gene flow are mediated by individual variability in self‐compatibility in small isolated populations of an endemic plant species
Authors: Frye Christopher T. , Neel Maile C. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractMany rare and endemic species experience increased rates of self‐fertilization and mating among close relatives as a consequence of existing in small populations within isolated habitat patches. Variability in self‐compatibility among individuals within populations may reflect adaptation to local demography and genetic architecture, inbreeding, or drift. We use experimental hand‐pollinations under natural field conditions to assess the effects of gene flow in 21 populations of the central Appalachian endemic Trifolium virginicum that varied in population size and degree of isolation. We quantified the effects of distance from pollen source on pollination success and fruit set. Rates of self‐compatibility varied dramatically among maternal plants, ranging from 0% to 100%. This variation was unrelated to population size or degree of isolation. Nearly continuous variation in the success of selfing and near‐cross‐matings via hand pollination suggests that T. virginicum expresses pseudo‐self‐fertility, whereby plants carrying the same S‐allele mate successfully by altering the self‐incompatibility reaction. However, outcrossing among populations produced significantly higher fruit set than within populations, an indication of drift load. These results are consistent with strong selection acting to break down self‐incompatibility in these small populations and/or early‐acting inbreeding depression expressed upon selfing.
Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxin Cry2Ab and survival on single‐toxin and pyramided cotton in cotton bollworm from China
Authors: Liu Laipan , Gao Meijing , Yang Song , Liu Shaoyan , Wu Yidong , Carrière Yves , Yang Yihua 
Published: October 2016

AbstractEvolution of Helicoverpa armigera resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton producing Cry1Ac is progressing in northern China, and replacement of Cry1Ac cotton by pyramided Bt cotton has been considered to counter such resistance. Here, we investigated four of the eight conditions underlying success of the refuge strategy for delaying resistance to Cry1Ac+Cry2Ab cotton, a pyramid that has been used extensively against H. armigera outside China. Laboratory bioassays of a Cry2Ab‐selected strain (An2Ab) and a related unselected strain (An) reveal that resistance to Cry2Ab (130‐fold) was nearly dominant, autosomally inherited, and controlled by more than one locus. Strong cross‐resistance occurred between Cry2Ab and Cry2Aa (81‐fold). Weaker cross‐resistance (18‐ to 22‐fold) between Cry2Ab and Cry1A toxins was also present and significantly increased survival of An2Ab relative to An on cotton cultivars producing the fusion protein Cry1Ac/Cry1Ab or Cry1Ac. Survival on Cry1Ac+Cry2Ab cotton was also significantly higher in An2Ab than in An, showing that redundant killing on this pyramid was incomplete. Survival on non‐Bt cotton did not differ significantly between An2Ab and An, indicating an absence of fitness costs affecting this trait. These results indicate that a switch to three‐toxin pyramided cotton could be valuable for increasing durability of Bt cotton in China.
Whole body vibration affects the cross‐sectional area and symmetry of the m. multifidus of the thoracolumbar spine in the horse
Authors: Halsberghe B. T. , Gordon‐Ross P. , Peterson R. 
Published: October 2016

SummaryWhole body vibration (WBV) has been used as an adjunctive therapy to improve the strength and size of paraspinal muscles as well as postural control in people with lower back pain. It has been proposed that activation of the m. multifidus plays a key role. As the function and anatomy of the m. multifidus in the horse is comparable to that in man, the authors investigated whether WBV might also be a valuable physiotherapeutic modality in horses. The effects of WBV on the cross‐sectional area (CSA) and left to right symmetry of the m. multifidus at various locations of the thoracolumbar spine of the horse was evaluated in a single‐subject quasi‐experimental time‐series design with repeated measure. Nine horses were subject to WBV, 30 min, twice daily, 5 days a week, for 60 days in addition to their regular exercise routine. The CSA of the left and right m. multifidus was measured ultrasonographically at four levels (T15–T16, T16–T17, T18–L1 and L1–L2) along the thoracolumbar spine at Days −30, 0, 30 and 60 of the study. Changes in the CSA and CSA symmetry (left to right) of the m. multifidus were analysed using nonparametric, repeated measures, comparison of mean ranks with post‐hoc analysis as necessary. A significant increase (P<0.05) in m. multifidus CSA was found at all spinal levels after 30 and 60 days of WBV and a statistically significant improvement in m. multifidus symmetry (becoming more symmetrical) was found after 60 days of WBV, indicating that WBV may be a valuable alternative to dynamic mobilisation exercises when an increase in size and improvement in left to right symmetry of the m. multifidus is sought.
Do rivermouths alter nutrient and seston delivery to the nearshore?
Authors: Larson James H. , Frost Paul C. , Vallazza Jon M. , Nelson John C. , Richardson William B. 
Published: October 2016

Summary

Tributary inputs to lakes and seas are often measured at riverine gages, upstream of lentic influence. Between these riverine gages and the nearshore zones of large waterbodies lie rivermouths, which may retain, transform and contribute materials to the nearshore zone. However, the magnitude and timing of these rivermouth effects have rarely been measured.

During the summer of 2011, 23 tributary systems of the Laurentian Great Lakes were sampled from river to nearshore for dissolved and particulate carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations, as well as bulk seston and chlorophyll a concentrations. Three locations per system were sampled: in the upstream river, in the nearshore zone and at the outflow from the rivermouth to the lake. Using stable oxygen isotopes, a water‐mixing model was developed to estimate the nutrient concentration that would occur at the rivermouth if mixing was strictly conservative (i.e. if no processing occurred within the rivermouth). Deviations between these conservative mixing estimates and measured nutrient concentrations were identified as rivermouth effects on nutrient concentrations.

Rivermouths had higher concentration of C and P than nearshore areas and more chlorophyll a than upstream river waters. Compared to the conservative mixing model, rivermouths as a class appeared to be summer‐time sources of N, P and chlorophyll a. Substantial among rivermouth variation occurred both in the effect size and direction for all constituents.

Using principal component analysis, two groups of rivermouths were identified: rivermouths that had a large effect on most constituents and those that had very little effect on any of the measured constituents. ‘High‐effect’ rivermouths had more abundant upstream croplands, which were presumably the sources of inorganic nutrients. Cross‐validated models built using characteristics of the rivermouth were not good predictors of variation in rivermouth effects on most constituents.

For consumers feeding on seston and microbes and vascular autotrophs directly taking up dissolved nutrients, rivermouths are more resource‐rich than upstream riverine or nearby Great Lakes waters. Given declines over time in open‐lake productivity within the Great Lakes, rivermouths may contribute more productivity than their size would suggest to the Great Lakes food web.
Climate Change and Food Systems Research: Current Trends and Future Directions
Authors: Nelson Michael , Zak Kevin , Davine Toby , Pau Stephanie 
Published: October 2016

AbstractRising mean temperatures, sea‐level rise, and the increasing frequencies of extreme climate events, such as drought and heat waves, are expected to destabilize global food systems. In response to this challenge, there has been a growing body of research seeking to address climate change impacts on food systems. To evaluate the current directions of climate change and food systems research, we undertook a literature search of 196 peer‐reviewed articles on the topic of climate change and food systems. Studies varied in scope and methodology, and many were framed in the context of food security. Three recurring themes within climate change and food systems research were identified: (1) vulnerability and adaptation, (2) sustainable food systems, and/or (3) biophysical impacts on food production. Additionally, we identified research gaps and discernible directions for future research. Our synthesis suggests that much of the current climate change and food systems research neglects systems‐based perspectives to conceptualizing problems and solutions, there is little consideration of the differential impacts of biophysical drivers and associated outcomes in different regions, and finally, there is a lack of critical perspectives addressing underlying political structures that maintain current food systems. We suggest that future research bridge these gaps if we are to adequately address the inherently complex nature of food systems under a changing climate.
Coronary artery calcification in Korean patients with incident dialysis
Authors: Bae Eunjin , Seong Eun Yong , Han Byoung‐Geun , Kim Dong Ki , Lim Chun Soo , Kang Shin‐Wook , Park Cheol Whee , Kim Chan‐Duck , Shin Byung Chul , Kim Sung Gyun , Chung Wookyung , Park Jae Yoon , Lee Joo Yeon , Kim Yon Su 
Published: October 2016

AbstractIntroduction: Patients with chronic kidney disease have an extremely high risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). In patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD), coronary artery calcification (CAC) is associated with increased mortality from CVD.Methods: The present study aimed to investigate the risk factors for CAC in Korean patients with incident dialysis. Data on 423 patients with ESRD who started dialysis therapy between December 2012 and March 2014 were obtained from 10 university‐affiliated hospitals. CAC was identified by using noncontrast‐enhanced cardiac multidetector computed tomography. The CAC score was calculated according to the Agatston score, with CAC‐positive subjects defined by an Agatston score >0.Findings: Patients' mean age was 55.6 ± 14.6 years, and 64.1% were men. The CAC‐positive rate was 63.8% (270 of 423). Results of univariate analyses showed significant differences in age, sex, etiology of ESRD and comorbid conditions according to the CAC score. However, results of multiple regression analysis showed that only a higher age was significantly associated with the CAC score. Receiver operating characteristic curves showed that the sensitivity and specificity of L‐spine radiography for diagnosing CAC were 56% and 91%, respectively, for diagnosing CAC (area under the curve, 0.735).Discussion: CAC was frequent in patients with incident dialysis, and multiple regression analysis showed that only age was significantly associated with the CAC score. In addition, L‐spine radiography could be a helpful modality for diagnosing CAC in patients with incident dialysis.
Presenting a New, Non‐Hormonally Mediated Cyclic Headache in Women: End‐Menstrual Migraine
Authors: Calhoun Anne H. , Gill Nicole 
Published: October 2016

BackgroundThis retrospective observational study describes what appears to be a not‐uncommon yet not previously typified headache disorder, “end‐menstrual migraine” (EMM) named for its proximate occurrence with the terminal days of menstrual bleeding each month.MethodsOur menstrual migraine (MM) clinic's database was queried for patients with migraine, regular menses, and the locally used diagnostic code of EMM, signifying the patient's assertion that she had migraine at the end of menses as well as calendar data confirming that association. Serum ferritin levels were available for all subjects with EMM.ResultsAmong the most recently seen 119 women in the clinic, 85 had both regular menses and a diagnosis of migraine, and were thus appropriate for evaluation. In this selected population, 30 women (35.3%) were confirmed to have EMM. Twenty‐eight of those 30 patients (93.3%) had ferritin levels that fell below the generally accepted lower desirable limit of 50 ng/mL (mean = 21.9 ng/mL) – half of whom fell below 18 ng/mL, the established minimum levels for women.ConclusionsEMM is a common complaint in women evaluated for menstrual‐related migraine (MRM), yet these migraines occur many days after the estrogen withdrawal that precipitates MRM. The authors do not believe that EMM is hormonally mediated, but rather that it is causally related to menstrual blood loss, resulting in a brief relative anemia with consequent migraine. Further study is needed to substantiate this association, search for confounders, and evaluate response to iron therapy.
Structural and component mining of nails using bioengineering techniques
Authors: Thatai P. , Sapra B. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractThe human nail is one of the challenging membranes for the scientists to target and to improve the clinical efficacy of ungual formulations. The understanding of nail physiology, impact of hydration on its properties and presence of trace elements in nails as biomarkers has been explored by various researchers in clinical studies. Despite the importance of biophysical techniques for the assessment of structure and physiology of nail, minimum literature analyses biophysical, biochemical and bioanalytical approaches. However, nowadays scientists in bioengineering field are keen in developing non‐invasive, reliable and reproducible techniques for the assessment of different anatomical and functional parameters of nails for testing of ungual products.