bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Genomic prediction of reproduction traits for Merino sheep
Authors: Bolormaa S. , Brown D. J. , Swan A. A. , van der Werf J. H. J. , Hayes B. J. , Daetwyler H. D. 
Published: February 2017

SummaryEconomically important reproduction traits in sheep, such as number of lambs weaned and litter size, are expressed only in females and later in life after most selection decisions are made, which makes them ideal candidates for genomic selection. Accurate genomic predictions would lead to greater genetic gain for these traits by enabling accurate selection of young rams with high genetic merit. The aim of this study was to design and evaluate the accuracy of a genomic prediction method for female reproduction in sheep using daughter trait deviations (DTD) for sires and ewe phenotypes (when individual ewes were genotyped) for three reproduction traits: number of lambs born (NLB), litter size (LSIZE) and number of lambs weaned. Genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP), BayesR and pedigree BLUP analyses of the three reproduction traits measured on 5340 sheep (4503 ewes and 837 sires) with real and imputed genotypes for 510 174 SNPs were performed. The prediction of breeding values using both sire and ewe trait records was validated in Merino sheep. Prediction accuracy was evaluated by across sire family and random cross‐validations. Accuracies of genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs) were assessed as the mean Pearson correlation adjusted by the accuracy of the input phenotypes. The addition of sire DTD into the prediction analysis resulted in higher accuracies compared with using only ewe records in genomic predictions or pedigree BLUP. Using GBLUP, the average accuracy based on the combined records (ewes and sire DTD) was 0.43 across traits, but the accuracies varied by trait and type of cross‐validations. The accuracies of GEBVs from random cross‐validations (range 0.17–0.61) were higher than were those from sire family cross‐validations (range 0.00–0.51). The GEBV accuracies of 0.41–0.54 for NLB and LSIZE based on the combined records were amongst the highest in the study. Although BayesR was not significantly different from GBLUP in prediction accuracy, it identified several candidate genes which are known to be associated with NLB and LSIZE. The approach provides a way to make use of all data available in genomic prediction for traits that have limited recording.
Health status, health behaviours and anxiety symptoms of older male caregivers: Findings from the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project
Authors: Shu Chen‐Chun , Cumming Robert G , Kendig Hal L , Blyth Fiona M , Waite Louise M , Le Couteur David G , Handelsman David J , Naganathan Vasi 
Published: February 2017

ObjectiveTo explore differences between older male caregivers and non‐caregivers on health status, health behaviours and well‐being, including symptoms of anxiety.MethodsData were collected through self‐completed questionnaires and face‐to‐face interviews with 1705 community living men aged ≥70 in the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project.ResultsEleven per cent of older men were caregivers, of whom 81.7% were looking after their wives or partners. Older male caregivers did not have worse physical health or more depressive symptoms than non‐caregivers, but being a caregiver was associated with increased likelihood of reporting anxiety symptoms (OR: 2.32, 95% CI: 1.39–3.87). Caregivers had similar levels and frequencies of leisure activities but did more housework activities than non‐caregivers.ConclusionHigher anxiety levels were the main adverse health condition in older male caregivers. Strategies to assist minimising anxiety for caregivers should be a target of interventions.
Letter: multivariate clinical model for eosinophilic oesophagitis – is this generalisable to general population
Authors: Chitsaz E. 
Published: February 2017

Linked ContentThis article is linked to Von Arnim and Rohl et al papers. To view these articles visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.13869 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.13967.
Editorial: can we get more clinical benefit from thiopurine metabolite testing? Authors’ reply
Authors: Wong D. R. , Hooymans P. M. 
Published: February 2017

Linked ContentThis article is linked to Wong and Coenen et al and Fraser papers. To view these articles visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.13879 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.13942.
Editorial: relative efficacy of infliximab and adalimumab in Crohn's disease in an Australian and New Zealand cohort – authors’ reply
Authors: Radford‐Smith G. L. , Hartnell F. , Doecke J. D. 
Published: February 2017

Linked ContentThis article is linked to Doecke and Hartnell et al and Barreiro‐de Acosta and Gisbert papers. To view these articles visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.13880 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.13929.
Direct seeding of 16 Brazilian savanna trees: responses to seed burial, mulching and an invasive grass
Authors: Silva Raíssa R.P. , Vieira Daniel L.M. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractAimsTo address whether seed and seedling functional traits have a significant effect on germination rates and seedling survival in direct‐seeding restoration efforts. We tested the hypotheses that: (1) seed burial only favours the emergence of round seeds; and (2) straw mulching improves soil moisture and prevents the emergence of the invasive grass Urochloa decumbens, promoting the establishment of native tree seedlings.LocationExperimental field, Central Brazil. Savanna, recently dominated by exotic pasture.MethodsWe evaluated the effects of seed burial (surface and buried) and mulching (no‐mulch, 5‐cm straw mulch and 10‐cm straw mulch) on the emergence, survival and growth of 16 species of native Cerrado tree species with variable seed sizes and shapes and seedling types. Thirty seeds of each species were sown per treatment combination in three blocks.ResultsSeed burial did not affect the emergence of species with round seeds, but negatively affected species with flat seeds and phanerocotylar–epigeal–foliaceous seedlings. Straw mulching reduced the emergence of flat seeds and phanerocotylar seedlings, but increased soil moisture and strongly reduced U. decumbens emergence, resulting in a higher growth rate of tree seedlings up to 1 yr for five species.ConclusionDirect seeding is an effective technique to plant a mixture of Cerrado tree species for restoration, provided the soil is well prepared and there are mechanisms to control invasive species.
Efficacy and Tolerability of an Inhaled Selective Glucocorticoid Receptor Modulator – AZD5423 – in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients: Phase II Study Results
Authors: Kuna Piotr , Aurivillius Magnus , Jorup Carin , Prothon Susanne , Taib Ziad , Edsbäcker Staffan 
Published: February 2017

AbstractAZD5423 is a novel, inhaled, selective glucocorticoid receptor modulator (SGRM), which in an allergen challenge model in asthma patients improved lung function and airway hyper‐reactivity. In the current trial, AZD5423 was for the first time tested in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this double‐blind, randomized and parallel group study, we examined airway and systemic effects of two doses of AZD5423, inhaled via Turbuhaler for 12 weeks, in 353 symptomatic patients with COPD (average pre‐bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in one‐second (FEV1) at screening was 50–52% of predicted normal). Pre‐bronchodilator FEV1 was primary variable, with other lung function parameters plus symptoms and 24‐hr plasma cortisol being secondary variables. Plasma concentrations of AZD5423 were also measured. Effects were compared against placebo and a reference glucocorticoid receptor agonist control. Neither AZD5423, at doses which have shown to be efficacious in allergen‐induced asthma, nor the reference control, at double the approved dose, had any clinically meaningful effect in the patient population studied in regard to lung function or markers of inflammation. Both GR modulators were well tolerated and did suppress 24‐hr cortisol. This study suggests that the selected population of patients with COPD does not respond to treatment with AZD5423 as regards lung function, while showing the expected systemic effects. It cannot be ruled out that a favourable lung function response of AZD5423 can be evoked using another experimental setting and/or within a different population of patients with COPD.
Bayesian Response-Adaptive Designs for Basket Trials
Authors: Ventz Steffen , Barry William T. , Parmigiani Giovanni , Trippa Lorenzo 
Published: February 2017

Summary
We develop a general class of response-adaptive Bayesian designs using hierarchical models, and provide open source software to implement them. Our work is motivated by recent master protocols in oncology, where several treatments are investigated simultaneously in one or multiple disease types, and treatment efficacy is expected to vary across biomarker-defined subpopulations. Adaptive trials such as I-SPY-2 (Barker et al., 2009) and BATTLE (Zhou et al., 2008) are special cases within our framework. We discuss the application of our adaptive scheme to two distinct research goals. The first is to identify a biomarker subpopulation for which a therapy shows evidence of treatment efficacy, and to exclude other subpopulations for which such evidence does not exist. This leads to a subpopulation-finding design. The second is to identify, within biomarker-defined subpopulations, a set of cancer types for which an experimental therapy is superior to the standard-of-care. This goal leads to a subpopulation-stratified design. Using simulations constructed to faithfully represent ongoing cancer sequencing projects, we quantify the potential gains of our proposed designs relative to conventional non-adaptive designs.
Teacher structure as a predictor of students’ perceived competence and autonomous motivation: The moderating role of differentiated instruction
Authors: Guay Frédéric , Roy Amélie , Valois Pierre 
Published: February 2017

BackgroundAn important pedagogical practice is the provision of structure (Farkas & Grolnick, 2010, Motiv. Emot., 34, 266). According to self‐determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985, Intrinsic motivation and self‐determination in human behavior, Plenum, New York, NY), structure allows students to develop perceived competence in different school subjects, which in turn facilitates the development of autonomous motivation towards these subjects and limits the development of controlled motivation.AimsIn this study, we test a mediated moderation model that posits that teacher structure has a stronger positive effect on students’ autonomous motivation (and a negative effect on controlled motivation) in French class when differentiated instruction is used, and that this moderation effect is mediated by perceived competence.SampleTo test this model, we used a sample of 27 elementary school teachers and 422 students from Quebec, a province of Canada.MethodsData for teachers and students were collected with self‐report measures. The method used was a correlational one with a single measurement time.ResultsResults revealed that (1) the effect of teacher structure on students’ autonomous motivation was positive only when differentiated instruction strategies were frequently used, and this moderated effect was partially mediated by perceived competence, and (2) teacher structure was negatively associated with students’ controlled motivation only when differentiated instruction was provided infrequently, and this moderated effect was not explained by perceived competence.ConclusionsThese findings are discussed in the light of the literature on SDT and on differentiated instruction.
Impact of treatment variability on survival in immuno‐competent and immuno‐compromised patients with primary central nervous lymphoma
Authors: Karmali Reem , Nabhan Chadi , Petrich Adam M. , Raizer Jeffrey , Peace David , Lukas Rimas , Gordon Leo I. , Basu Sanjib , Chukkapalli Vineela , Venugopal Parameswaran 
Published: February 2017

SummaryPatients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) treated in the ‘real‐world’ setting do not represent those treated on clinical trials and might not be treated similarly. We studied characteristics and variability in care for 113 newly diagnosed PCNSL patients treated at 5 institutions in the Chicago area between 2000 and 2012. In 111 patients, single modality therapy with a high dose methotrexate (HD‐MTX) regimen +/− rituximab, was most commonly employed (n = 65), and 34 underwent radiotherapy (+/− systemic therapy). Fifty‐eight of 108 patients received rituximab. Twenty‐nine of 110 patients (26%) received intrathecal chemotherapy (ITC). Overall response rate was 80% (47% complete responses). With a median follow‐up of 18·7 months, median overall survival (OS) was 65·2 months. In univariate analysis, HD‐MTX (median OS 72·7 vs. 2·7 months, P < 0·001) and rituximab (median not reached versus 28·4 months, P = 0·005) impacted OS favourably. This significance was sustained regardless of immune status and in multivariate analysis. Whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) resulted in a trend for improved OS as compared with systemic therapy alone (P = 0·09), while ITC did not impact survival. Clinical practice has evolved to exclude WBRT and ITC while incorporating rituximab with clinical outcomes comparable in immuno‐competent/compromised patients and similar to those achieved in recent clinical trials.
Sequence architecture and depositional evolution of the northern continental slope of the South China Sea: responses to tectonic processes and changes in sea level
Authors: Lin Changsong , Jiang Jing , Shi Hesheng , Zhang Zhongtao , Liu Jingyan , Qin Chenggang , Li Hao , Ran Huaijiang , Wei An , Tian Hongxun , Xing Zuochang , Yao Qingyu 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe continental slopes of the South China Sea (SCS), the largest marginal sea on the continental shelf of Southeast Asia, are among the most significant shelf‐margin basins in the world because of their abundant petroleum resources and a developmental history related to sea floor spreading since Late Oligocene time. Based on integrated analyses of seismic, well‐logging and core data, we systematically document the sequence architecture and depositional evolution of the northern continental slope of theSCSand reveal its responses to tectonism, sea‐level change and sediment supply. The infill of this shelf‐margin basin can be divided into seven composite sequences (CS1–CS7) that are bounded by regional unconformities. Composite sequencesCS3 toCS7 have formed since Late Oligocene time, and each of them generally reflects a regional transgressive–regressive cycle. These large cycles can be further divided into 20 sequences that are defined by local unconformities or transgressive–regressive boundaries. Depositional–geomorphological systems represented on the continental slope mainly include shelf‐edge deltas, prodelta‐slope fans, clinoforms of the shelf‐margin slope, unidirectionally migrating slope channels, incised slope valleys, muddy slope fans, slope slump‐debris‐flow complexes and large‐scale soft‐sediment deformation of bedding. Changing sea levels, reflected by evidence from sequence architecture in the study area, are generally comparable with those of the Haq (1987) global sea level curve, whereas the regional transgressions and regressions were apparently controlled by tectonic uplift and subsidence. Composite sequencesCS3 andCS4 formed from Late Oligocene to Middle Miocene time and represent continental‐slope deposition during a time of northwest‐northeast seafloor spreading and subsequent development of sub‐basins in the southwest‐centralSCS. The development of composite sequencesCS5 toCS7 after Middle Miocene time was obviously influenced by the Dongsha Movement during convergence between theSCSand Philippine Sea plates. Climatic variations and monsoon intensification may have enhanced sediment supply during Late Oligocene‒Early Miocene (25–21 Ma) and Late Pliocene‒Pleistocene (3–0.8 Ma) times. This study indicates that shelf‐edge delta and associated slope fan systems are the most important oil/gas‐bearing reservoirs in theSCScontinental‐slope area.
Comparison of body mass index at diagnosis of diabetes in a multi‐ethnic population: A case‐control study with matched non‐diabetic controls
Authors: Paul Sanjoy K. , Owusu Adjah Ebenezer S. , Samanta Mayukh , Patel Kiran , Bellary Srikanth , Hanif Wasim , Khunti Kamlesh 
Published: February 2017

AimsTo investigate the probability of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at different body mass index levels compared to matched non‐diabetic controls in a multi‐ethnic population.Materials and methodsThis was a case‐control study of 90 367 patients with incident diabetes and 362 548 age‐sex‐ethnicity matched controls from UK primary care. The probability of developing T2DM was estimated.ResultsCase and control patients were 56 years old at index and 56% were male. Patients with T2DM had significantly higher mean BMI levels by about 5 kg/m2 at diagnosis (32.2 kg/m2) compared to the matched controls (27.4 kg/m2). White Europeans (n = 79 270), African‐Caribbeans (n = 4115) and South Asians (n = 7252) were 58, 48 and 46 years old with a mean BMI of 32.5, 31.1 and 29.2 kg/m2, respectively, at diagnosis. More South Asians developed T2DM at BMI below 30 kg/m2 (38%) than White Europeans (26%) and African‐Caribbeans (29%) (all
P
< .01). Within the 18 to 70‐year age range, South Asian males and females had a significantly higher probability of developing diabetes in the continuously measured BMI range of 18 to 30 kg/m2, compared to White Europeans and African‐Caribbeans. Across all age groups <70 years, South Asians and African‐Caribbeans had a significantly higher probability of developing T2DM in the normal weight and overweight categories, compared to White Europeans. However, this risk pattern of developing diabetes was reversed amongst the obese in all age groups.ConclusionRisk patterns of developing diabetes at different levels of obesity varies among ethnic groups across all ages, while South Asians and African‐Caribbeans carry the highest risk at a younger age and at lower adiposity burden.
Unravelling intravertebral integration, modularity and disparity in Felidae (Mammalia)
Authors: Randau Marcela , Goswami Anjali 
Published: February 2017

SUMMARYMorphological integration and modularity, which describe the relationships among morphological attributes and reflect genetic, developmental, and functional interactions, have been hypothesized to be major influences on trait responses to selection and thus morphological evolution. The mammalian presacral vertebral column shows little variation in vertebral count and therefore specialization for function occurs primarily through modification of vertebral shape. However, vertebral shape has been suggested to be under strong control from developmental canalization, although this has never been explicitly tested. Here, we assess hypotheses of developmental modules in the vertebrae of felids to determine whether developmental interactions are a primary influence on vertebral modularity. Additionally, we analyze the magnitudes of both intravertebral integration and disparity to evaluate if level of integration varies along the vertebral column and, if so, whether integration and disparity are associated. Our results confirm the hypothesis of vertebral developmental modularity, with most presacral vertebrae displaying two modules. Exceptions are concentrated in the boundaries among traditional and functional regions, suggesting that intravertebral modularity may reflect larger‐scale modularity of the felid vertebral column. We further demonstrate that overall integration and disparity are highest in posterior vertebrae, thus providing an empirical example of integration potentially promoting greater morphological responses to selection.
Wittgenstein, Theories of Meaning, and Linguistic Disjunctivism
Authors: Bronzo Silver 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThis paper argues that Wittgenstein opposed theories of meaning, and did so for good reasons. Theories of meaning, in the sense discussed here, are attempts to explain what makes it the case that certain sounds, shapes, or movements are meaningful linguistic expressions. It is widely believed that Wittgenstein made fundamental contributions to this explanatory project. I argue, by contrast, that in both his early and later works, Wittgenstein endorsed a disjunctivist conception of language which rejects the assumption underlying the question that such theories seek to answer—namely, the assumption that the notion of a meaningful linguistic expression admits of non‐circular analysis. Moreover, I give two arguments in favor of the view I ascribe to Wittgenstein: one based on later Wittgenstein's discussion of meaning skepticism and one based on considerations concerning the identity of linguistic expressions.
Hormonally active phytochemicals and vertebrate evolution
Authors: Lambert Max R. , Edwards Thea M. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractLiving plants produce a diversity of chemicals that share structural and functional properties with vertebrate hormones. Wildlife species interact with these chemicals either through consumption of plant materials or aquatic exposure. Accumulating evidence shows that exposure to these hormonally active phytochemicals (HAPs) often has consequences for behavior, physiology, and fecundity. These fitness effects suggest there is potential for an evolutionary response by vertebrates to HAPs. Here, we explore the toxicological HAP–vertebrate relationship in an evolutionary framework and discuss the potential for vertebrates to adapt to or even co‐opt the effects of plant‐derived chemicals that influence fitness. We lay out several hypotheses about HAPs and provide a path forward to test whether plant‐derived chemicals influence vertebrate reproduction and evolution. Studies of phytochemicals with direct impacts on vertebrate reproduction provide an obvious and compelling system for studying evolutionary toxicology. Furthermore, an understanding of whether animal populations evolve in response to HAPs could provide insightful context for the study of rapid evolution and how animals cope with chemical agents in the environment.