bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quorum Quenching and Microbial Control through Phenolic Extract of Eugenia Uniflora Fruits
Authors: Rodrigues Adeline Conceição , Zola Flávia Guimarães , Ávila Oliveira Brígida D' , Sacramento Nayara Thais Barbosa , da Silva Elis Regina , Bertoldi Michele Corrêa , Taylor Jason Guy , Pinto Uelinton Manoel 
Published: September 2016

AbstractWe describe the characterization of the centesimal composition, mineral and phenolic content of Eugenia uniflora fruit and the determination of the antioxidant, antimicrobial and quorum quenching activities of the pulp phenolic extract. Centesimal composition was determined according to standard methods; trace elements were measured by total reflection X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The phenolic compounds were extracted by solid‐phase chromatography and quantified by spectrophotometry. Antioxidant activity was determined by using 3 different methods. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated against a panel of foodborne microorganisms and antiquorum sensing activity in Chromobacterium violaceum was performed by measuring inhibition of quorum sensing dependent violacein production. The centesimal composition (per 100 g of pulp) was as follows: protein 3.68 ± 0.21 g, lipids 0.02 ± 0.03 g, carbohydrates 10.31 g and fiber 2.06 g. Trace elements (mg/g of pulp) were determined as: K 0.90, Ca 3.36, Fe 0.60, Zn 0.17, Cl 0.56, Cr 0.06, Ni 0.04, and Cu 0.07. The pulp is a source of phenolic compounds and presents antioxidant activity similar to other berries. The fruit phenolic extract inhibited all tested bacteria. We also found that the fruit phenolic extract at low subinhibitory concentrations inhibited up to 96% of violacein production in C. violaceum, likely due to the fruit's phenolic content. This study shows the contribution of E. uniflora phenolic compounds to the antioxidant, antimicrobial and the newly discovered quorum quenching activity, all of which could be used by the food and pharmaceutical industries to develop new functional products.
Antitumor, Antioxidant, and Nitrite Scavenging Effects of Chinese Water Chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis) Peel Flavonoids
Authors: Zhan Ge , Pan Leiqing , Tu Kang , Jiao Shunshan 
Published: September 2016

AbstractThe preparation, quantification, and characterization of flavonoid compounds from Chinese water chestnut peel (CWCP) flavonoid extract and ethyl acetate fraction (EF), n‐butanol fraction, and water fraction were studied. Among these, EF showed the maximum free radical levels (IC50 values of 0.36, 0.40, and 0.37 mg/mL for DPPH•, ABTS•+, and •OH, respectively), nitrite scavenging effects (IC50 = 1.89 mg/mL), and A549 cell inhibitory activities (IC50 = 776.12 μg/mL) with the highest value of total flavonoid content (TFC, 421.32 mg/g). Moreover, the contents of 8 flavonoids in this fraction were quantified using high‐performance liquid chromatography, and fisetin, diosmetin, luteolin, and tectorigenin were the 4 major flavonoids with levels of 31.66, 29.91, 13.69, and 12.41 mg/g, respectively. Luteolin produced a greater inhibition of human lung cancer A549 cells (IC50 = 59.60 μg/mL) than did fisetin, diosmetin, and tectorigenin. Flow cytometry revealed that the cellular mechanisms of luteolin inhibition of A549 cells were achieved via the induction of cell proliferation arrest at G1 phase and apoptosis/necrosis. Our findings suggest that flavonoids are closely associated with antitumor, antioxidant, and nitrite scavenging effects of CWCP.
Novel application of four‐dimensional wide‐area detector computed tomographic angiography for investigation of median arcuate ligament syndrome
Authors: Cheng Kevin , Doyle Adam , Spilias Dean C , Lau Kenneth K 
Published: September 2016

SummaryThe median arcuate ligament syndrome is a rare disorder characterised by postprandial intestinal angina caused by compression of the coeliac artery by the median arcuate ligament. To date, the diagnosis and treatment of median arcuate ligament syndrome has remained controversial. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of coeliac artery compression demonstrated on the four‐dimensional wide‐area detector CT angiogram.
pcadapt: an R package to perform genome scans for selection based on principal component analysis
Authors: Luu Keurcien , Bazin Eric , Blum Michael G. B. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractThe R package pcadapt performs genome scans to detect genes under selection based on population genomic data. It assumes that candidate markers are outliers with respect to how they are related to population structure. Because population structure is ascertained with principal component analysis, the package is fast and works with large‐scale data. It can handle missing data and pooled sequencing data. By contrast to population‐based approaches, the package handle admixed individuals and does not require grouping individuals into populations. Since its first release, pcadapt has evolved in terms of both statistical approach and software implementation. We present results obtained with robust Mahalanobis distance, which is a new statistic for genome scans available in the 2.0 and later versions of the package. When hierarchical population structure occurs, Mahalanobis distance is more powerful than the communality statistic that was implemented in the first version of the package. Using simulated data, we compare pcadapt to other computer programs for genome scans (BayeScan, hapflk, OutFLANK, sNMF). We find that the proportion of false discoveries is around a nominal false discovery rate set at 10% with the exception of BayeScan that generates 40% of false discoveries. We also find that the power of BayeScan is severely impacted by the presence of admixed individuals whereas pcadapt is not impacted. Last, we find that pcadapt and hapflk are the most powerful in scenarios of population divergence and range expansion. Because pcadapt handles next‐generation sequencing data, it is a valuable tool for data analysis in molecular ecology.
The noise egg: a cheap and simple device to produce low‐frequency underwater noise for laboratory and field experiments
Authors: de Jong Karen , Schulte Gregor , Heubel Katja U. 
Published: September 2016

Summary

Studying the effect of anthropogenic noise on animal behaviour and physiology is a field of growing scientific and management interest. Anthropogenic noise is internationally seen as major environmental concern, but knowledge of the response of animals to noise and its ecological and evolutionary consequences is disparate. Even though fish and invertebrates form the majority of aquatic taxa, the effects of noise on these taxa are largely understudied. Especially the consequences of noise for short‐range communication and behavioural interactions are yet unknown. While experimental studies on this subject are thus greatly needed, the expense of the equipment can be a main factor limiting data generation. Speakers that produce low‐frequency sounds under water are currently either too large or too expensive to allow for sufficient replication in many research set‐ups.

Here, we describe a device that can produce a low‐frequency sound, which can be used as an experimental source of noise both in aquaria and in the field. The device is completely self‐contained and costs around 10 euros per ‘noise egg’.

The sound created consists of frequency bands (harmonics), which has the advantage that broadband and pulsed sounds, such as sounds produced by vocal fish, are easily detected in a spectrogram. Because the sound from the egg attenuates quickly, it can be used in aquaria and in the field to target certain study species or individuals without affecting a large part of the surrounding area.

We have developed the device to study the effects of noise on communication and behaviour in small aquatic animals; however, it could be used for other purposes, such as testing the propagation of certain frequencies in shallow‐water habitats.

We hope the described method will facilitate the generation of experimental data on the effect of noise on behaviour and communication in aquatic animals in a wide variety of study systems and study areas.
Diel activity, frequency and visit duration of pollinators in focal plants: in situ automatic camera monitoring and data processing
Authors: Steen Ronny 
Published: September 2016

Summary

Data collection on interactions between organisms and their environment has traditionally been conducted by on‐site human observations, a time‐consuming enterprise that could explain the shortage of around‐the‐clock observations of free‐ranging wild animals.

In this paper, I outline a time‐efficient procedure to collect data on flower‐visiting animals. The objectives were, first, to model diel activity rhythms by using cosine‐based mixed‐effects regression models (cosinor method) on data from an established automatic video monitoring system and, secondly, to test the use of a cheap off‐the‐shelf digital camera modified for automated monitoring of flower visitors. Two different model systems were studied: foraging bumblebees visiting focal white clovers, monitored around‐the‐clock (193 h) to model diel activity; and honeybees visiting thistles, monitored over a shorter period (5 h) to test the applicability and reliability of a new method for monitoring pollinators. The data were automatically entered and processed using R‐scripts after manual filtering of the images, obviating the need for manual data entry prior to analysis.

For diel activity in bumblebees, the model that gave the best fit included the 24‐h fundamental period and one harmonic, a 12‐h period to modulate the signal, together with temperature. The bumblebees were exclusive diurnal, with activity starting about 5 h after sunrise, peaking sharply in the afternoon and ending about 1 h before sunset. In addition to time of day, activity also increased with temperature.

The off‐the‐shelf digital camera, Canon PowerShot®, with motion detection script, was triggered by every flower‐visiting honeybee. In addition to recorded visitor frequency and visitor duration, it enabled high‐resolution images, which could be important for species identification.

Automatic camera recording is advantageous for close‐up monitoring, compared with continuous video recording, because the latter demands more time and effort in reviewing the material. It could be used to study a range of different species such as pollinators, on‐plant behaviour of herbivorous animals, cavity dwellers or cavity breeders. Moreover, the procedures for automatic data entry, data processing and statistical analysis for modelling diel activity rhythms could have great relevance for researchers using other types of camera monitoring systems operating 24 h per day.
Executive control network connectivity strength protects against relapse to cocaine use
Authors: McHugh Meredith J. , Gu Hong , Yang Yihong , Adinoff Bryon , Stein Elliot A. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractCocaine addiction is characterized by notoriously high relapse rates following treatment. Recent efforts to address poor treatment outcomes have turned to potential neural markers of relapse risk. Accordingly, the present study examined resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) within and between three large‐scale cortical networks: the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN) and executive control network (ECN). All three have been implicated in relapse‐related phenomena including craving, withdrawal and executive control deficits. Forty‐five cocaine‐dependent individuals and 22 healthy controls completed 6‐min resting fMRI scans, The Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, Continuous Performance Test and Cocaine Craving Questionnaire. Cocaine‐dependent individuals completed all measures in the final week of a residential treatment episode. Ten control and 9 abstinent cocaine‐dependent individuals returned for 3–6 month follow‐up scan visits. A group‐level independent component analysis was employed to generate ECN, DMN and SN components. For individuals abstinent up to day 30 post‐treatment (n = 21), we found enhanced pre‐discharge rsFC between the left ECN and both the right ECN and SN as well as between the right ECN and left ECN. Left ECN rsFC effects remained elevated 3–6 months later among abstinent cocaine‐dependent individuals. Relapse was related to fewer years of education and more years smoking but no other demographic, clinical, treatment and neurocognitive characteristics. Findings suggest that interhemispheric ECN and ECN‐SN connectivity strength may protect against relapse to cocaine use following treatment. These patterns of enhanced interhemispheric network connectivity may reflect a greater capacity to engage executive control processes when faced with opportunities to use cocaine post‐treatment.
Ending an Era of Population Control in China: Was the One‐Child Policy Ever Needed?
Authors: Wang Zhihe , Yang Ming , Zhang Jiaming , Chang Jiang 
Published: September 2016

AbstractThe one‐child policy of China, which was initiated in 1980 and was reversed in 2015, has been conceived of as a decision made independently and arbitrarily or a product of impulsive decision making. Therefore, it has received a great deal of criticism from Western democracies. Of course, China faced internal problems related to population, such as the Great Famine of 1958–1961. This might be deemed the direct cause of the one‐child policy. However, the more powerful factors were indirect and of foreign origin. China's one‐child policy was deeply influenced by the West, especially by Western population science. Since the May 4th Movement in 1919, China has had a tendency to worship science because of the Chinese obsession with Western‐style modernization. In other words, China's one‐child policy is a product of blind imitation of Western population science. The action has resulted in serious negative consequences such as an imbalance of the sex ratio, elder‐care problems, human rights violations, undermining of traditional values, and even endangering the regime. Those problems caused China to reverse its one‐child policy. The authors believe that China should develop a postmodern population policy with Chinese character, based on organic thinking, which takes human feelings seriously and empowers people and allows them to act as subjects or agents in decisions about their families, including the size of their family and the selection of gender.
Population Growth and its Implications for Global Security
Authors: Walker Robert J. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractBetween 2015 and 2050 world population is projected to increase by nearly 2.5 billion, rising from 7.3 billion to an estimated 9.8 billion. The vast majority of that projected increase—an estimated 97 percent—will occur in the developing world. Demography is not destiny, but population growth in the developing world is a challenge‐multiplier. In recent decades, notable gains have been made in reducing the incidence of hunger and poverty in the world, but progress has been slow in countries with high fertility rates. The nations with the fastest growing populations tend to rank high on global indices of hunger, poverty, environmental degradation, and fragility; and many of these countries face enormous obstacles to economic development in the form of climate change, regional or ethnic conflict, or water scarcity. Most of these countries also have large numbers of unemployed young people between the ages of 15–24, a demographic factor that can contribute to, or exacerbate, political instability and conflict. Unless fertility rates in these countries fall faster than currently anticipated by demographers, many of these countries face an uncertain future. Lack of progress in improving living conditions in these countries could lead to greater political instability and conflict and increase the growing number of refugees and internally displaced persons in the world.
The Nexus of Population, Energy, Innovation, and Complexity
Authors: Taylor Temis G. , Tainter Joseph A. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractFor the past 200 years, humans have benefited from the abundant, inexpensive, and easily obtained energy of fossil fuels. Energy surpluses such as this are unusual in human history. In systems with little surplus energy, population growth is low and complexity emerges slowly due to the energetic costs it carries. On the rare occasions when energy is readily available, societies respond by growing rapidly. They must become more complex in response to the social, economic, and resource challenges of dense population. More complex societies are more expensive, requiring greater energy per capita. The process of increasing complexity necessitates greater energy production, creating a positive feedback cycle. Past societies have collapsed under such pressures. Population and complexity grew rapidly when the Industrial Revolution replaced economies based on annual solar radiation with economies fueled by fossil energy. The Green Revolution of the 20thcentury is credited with preventing mass starvation, but it has made food production and sustaining population ever‐more dependent on high‐energy (low‐entropy) inputs. Some believe innovation will overcome the limitations of resources and permit unchecked growth. However, increases in complexity, innovation, and fossil energy are all subject to diminishing returns, and cannot continue to support population at current levels.
Rethinking registrar attributes for Australian rural general practice training
Authors: Eley Diann S. , Laurence Caroline , David Michael , Cloninger C. Robert , Walters Lucie 
Published: September 2016

AbstractObjectiveDespite increases in Commonwealth funded general practice (GP) Registrar training positions, workforce trends continue to show geographical maldistribution. This study aimed to identify Registrar attributes which describe a cohort choosing to work in rural practice.DesignCross‐sectional self‐report questionnaire for socio‐demographics, prior training, current training pathway, measures of personality and resilience.Participants and SettingGP Registrars (N= 452) training in either the general or rural pathways of three Registered Training Providers in three states, or training through the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine's independent pathway.Main outcome measureOrdinal logistic regression tested the impact of key variables on the likelihood that Registrars would settle in rural practice. Univariate analysis explored differences between groups and effects of variables.ResultsA significantly increased interest in rural practice was to found to exist among registrars who were male, identified themselves as being rural, had a partner who identified as being rural, were enrolled in a rural training pathway and had high levels of Cooperativeness.ConclusionWe present a discriminating model combining socio‐demographics, prior training and personality variables which challenges Australia to rethink Registrar attributes when training for rural general practice. With significant changes about to occur to GP training in Australia, this paper highlights the need for a more holistic approach which considers personal attributes such as Cooperativeness, rural identity and provision of geographically focused rural training pipelines to encourage Registrars to bond to individual rural communities and further develop their personal connectedness to country life and rural medical practice.
How does the workload and work activities of procedural GPs compare to non‐procedural GPs?
Authors: Russell Deborah J. , McGrail Matthew R. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractObjectivesTo investigate patterns of Australian GP procedural activity and associations with:

geographical remoteness and population size

hours worked in hospitals and in total; and

availability for on‐call

Design and participantsNational annual panel survey (Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life) of Australian GPs, 2011–2013.Main outcome measuresSelf‐reported geographical work location, hours worked in different settings, and on‐call availability per usual week, were analysed against GP procedural activity in anaesthetics, obstetrics, surgery or emergency medicine.ResultsAnalysis of 9301 survey responses from 4638 individual GPs revealed significantly increased odds of GP procedural activity in anaesthetics, obstetrics or emergency medicine as geographical remoteness increased and community population size decreased, albeit with plateauing of the effect‐size from medium‐sized (population 5000–15 000) rural communities. After adjusting for confounders, procedural GPs work more hospital and more total hours each week than non‐procedural GPs. In 2011 this equated to GPs practising anaesthetics, obstetrics, surgery, and emergency medicine providing 8% (95%CI 0, 16), 13% (95%CI 8, 19), 8% (95%CI 2, 15) and 18% (95%CI 13, 23) more total hours each week, respectively. The extra hours are attributable to longer hours worked in hospital settings, with no reduction in private consultation hours. Procedural GPs also carry a significantly higher burden of on‐call.ConclusionsThe longer working hours and higher on‐call demands experienced by rural and remote procedural GPs demand improved solutions, such as changes to service delivery models, so that long‐term procedural GP careers are increasingly attractive to current and aspiring rural GPs.
From change to stability: Investigating Canada's Office of the Auditor General
Authors: Taft Jordan 
Published: September 2016

AbstractThrough its audits and recommendations, Canada's Office of the Auditor General (OAG) has promoted financial probity and good governance for over a century. While OAG recommendations may have inherent value, their full value is realized only when implemented by government. By investigating implementation rates and the OAG's interaction with Parliament, this paper evaluates whether OAG performance and interactions with Parliament have changed over time.
Technocracy or transformation? Mapping women's policy agencies and orienting gender (in)equality in the Canadian provinces
Authors: Paterson Stephanie , Marier Patrik , Chu Felix 
Published: September 2016

AbstractCanadian gender equality policy has taken a “technocratic turn” that favours bureaucratic expertise to monitor and measure (in)equality rather than participatory and consultative mechanisms. While the processes and impacts of this shift are well documented at the federal level, less is known at the provincial level. This article takes stock of provincial gender equality mechanisms, demonstrating variations in women's policy agencies (WPAs) across the ten provinces. It then links these variations to the discursive politics of gender equality within each province. We demonstrate that the potential for transformative orientations of gender equality emerges in WPAs with broad consultative mechanisms.