bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Seasonality of oestrus, ovulation and ovulation rate of Sicilo‐Sarde sheep
Authors: Lassoued N. , Rekik M. , Khenissi S. , Merai A. 
Published: September 2013

SummaryThis study aimed to investigate monthly changes in oestrus and ovulatory activity of Sicilo‐Sarde sheep. Experimental animals comprised 25 adult and 10 maiden ewes at the start of the experiment. For 12 consecutive months (September–August), the females were exposed to natural photoperiod and permanently kept in presence of seven aproned rams. Oestrus was checked daily and ovarian activity was monitored by monthly endoscopies during the last week of each month. Ovulation rate for a particular month was assessed as the sum of corpora lutea or corpora albicans present on both ovaries at the time of endoscopy. Proportions of ewes observed in oestrus at least once a month were lowest in March (24.3%) and highest in June and October (100%). They tended (p < 0.06) to be different according to age, dropping during summer from a common value of 100% in June to 85.7% and 90% in July and then to 57.1% and 70% in August for, respectively, the Adults and Maiden females. Overall, the experimental period, 92.5% and 83.8% of Adult and Maiden ewes ovulated at least once per month (p < 0.01) respectively. Least proportions ovulating, attained 60% and 30% in April for, respectively, Adult and Maiden ewes before peaking up at 100% again in May (p < 0.05). Mean (±SD) ovulation rate of Sicilo‐Sarde sheep is 1.40 ± 0.503. Adult females had a higher (p < 0.001) ovulation rate than Maiden sheep with respective average values of 1.51 ± 0.516 and 1.16 ± 0.373. It varied little between months and decreased in Adults from a maximum value of 1.95 in October to a minimum value of 1.16 in April. It is concluded that benchmarking seasonal variations of reproductive activity in Sicilo‐Sarde breed would be valuable in designing improved management calendars for this breed.
High Patient Satisfaction After Inflatable Penile Prostheses Implantation Correlates with Female Partner Satisfaction
Authors: Vakalopoulos Ioannis , Kampantais Spyridon , Ioannidis Stavros , Laskaridis Leonidas , Dimopoulos Panagiotis , Toutziaris Chrysovalantis , Koptsis Michail , Henry Gerard D. , Katsikas Vasileios 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Patient and female partner satisfaction after implantation of an inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) assessed by objective means, and the correlation between the partners, is important for determining postoperative sexual life.

Aim
The primary goal was to evaluate patients' erectile function and patients' and their partners' satisfaction after IPP implantation. A secondary aim was to investigate potential determinative factors of satisfaction according to device characteristics, demographics, and cause of erectile dysfunction (ED).

Methods
Ninety patients, who underwent IPP implantation as an alternative to refractory or undesirable medical treatment for ED, were evaluated. Patients who could not or refused to participate, or were out of a relationship, were excluded. The 69 remaining patients were evaluated for their pre- and postoperative erectile function and posttreatment satisfaction for themselves and their partners.

Main Outcome Measures
Preoperative and postoperative scores on the International Index of Erectile Function Questionnaire–five items (IIEF-5) were compared. The Erectile Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction (EDITS) was given to males and their female partners. Patient demographics, etiology of ED, and implant characteristics were correlated also with patients' EDITS scores.

Results
Mean IIEF-5 scores demonstrated a significant improvement after IPP implantation: from 8.88 ± 3.75 to 20.97 ± 4.37 (P &lt; 0.001). The mean patients' EDITS score was 75.48 ± 20.54, whereas mean female partners' score was 70.00 ± 22.92, highlighting high posttreatment satisfaction for both. Regression analysis suggested a direct linear correlation of satisfaction between the sexual partners as a degree of satisfaction. There were no statistically significant differences according to level of education or implant characteristics. Concerning the etiology of ED, no conclusions could be made.

Conclusions
Overcoming previous limitations in determining post-IPP implantation satisfaction, our study reiterates high rates of patient and partner satisfaction. Of particular note, patient satisfaction appears independent of prosthesis type and cylinder length.
Are habitat fragmentation, local adaptation and isolation‐by‐distance driving population divergence in wild rice Oryza rufipogon?
Authors: Zhao Yao , Vrieling Klaas , Liao Hui , Xiao Manqiu , Zhu Yongqing , Rong Jun , Zhang Wenju , Wang Yuguo , Yang Ji , Chen Jiakuan , Song Zhiping 
Published: September 2013

AbstractHabitat fragmentation weakens the connection between populations and is accompanied with isolation by distance (IBD) and local adaptation (isolation by adaptation, IBA), both leading to genetic divergence between populations. To understand the evolutionary potential of a population and to formulate proper conservation strategies, information on the roles of IBD and IBA in driving population divergence is critical. The putative ancestor of Asian cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) is endangered in China due to habitat loss and fragmentation. We investigated the genetic variation in 11 Chinese Oryza rufipogon populations using 79 microsatellite loci to infer the effects of habitat fragmentation, IBD and IBA on genetic structure. Historical and current gene flows were found to be rare (mh = 0.0002–0.0013, mc = 0.007–0.029), indicating IBD and resulting in a high level of population divergence (FST = 0.343). High within‐population genetic variation (HE = 0.377–0.515), relatively large effective population sizes (Ne = 96–158), absence of bottlenecks and limited gene flow were found, demonstrating little impact of recent habitat fragmentation on these populations. Eleven gene‐linked microsatellite loci were identified as outliers, indicating local adaptation. Hierarchical AMOVA and partial Mantel tests indicated that population divergence of Chinese O. rufipogon was significantly correlated with environmental factors, especially habitat temperature. Common garden trials detected a significant adaptive population divergence associated with latitude. Collectively, these findings imply that IBD due to historical rather than recent fragmentation, followed by local adaptation, has driven population divergence in O. rufipogon.
The exception proves the rule? Dual targeting of nuclear‐encoded proteins into endosymbiotic organelles
Authors: Baudisch Bianca , Langner Uwe , Garz Ingo , Klösgen Ralf Bernd 
Published: September 2013

Summary

Plant cells harbor two types of endosymbiotic organelle: mitochondria and chloroplasts. As a consequence of endosymbiotic gene transfer, the majority of their proteins are encoded in the nucleus and post‐translationally ‘re’‐imported into the respective target organelle. The corresponding transport signals are usually selective for a single organelle, but several proteins are transported into both the mitochondria and chloroplasts.

To estimate the number of proteins with such dual targeting properties in Arabidopsis, we classified the proteins encoded by nuclear genes of endosymbiotic origin according to the respective targeting specificity of their N‐terminal transport signals as predicted by the TargetP software package. Selected examples of the resulting protein classes were subsequently analyzed by transient transformation assays as well as by in organello protein transport experiments.

It was found that most proteins with high prediction values for both organelles show dual targeting with both experimental approaches. Unexpectedly, however, dual targeting was even found among those proteins that are predicted to be localized solely in one of the two endosymbiotic organelles. In total, among the 16 candidate proteins analyzed, we identified 10 proteins with dual targeting properties.

This unexpectedly high proportion suggests that such transport properties are much more abundant than anticipated.
Reading Ornament
Authors: Dembeck Till 
Published: September 2013

AbstractThis paper puts the most fundamental philological operation into the center of the theory of culture: the seemingly trivial act of recognizing the shape of a letter in the “ornamental” abundance of the material text. Culture is described as a comprehensive term for all mechanisms, which interrelate social events with their “scripts,” that is to say, with their proto‐textual foundations. Culture continuously, but variably, determines what is actually significant in the potential ornaments of “social text.” The common quest of philology and cultural studies is to re‐evaluate this text's seemingly ornamental details and to uncover their significance. In order to reunite these only seemingly oppositional approaches, literary scholarship must put genuinely philological operations in the center of its methodological repertoire.
Time‐geographic Derivation of Feasible Co‐presence Opportunities from Network‐constrained Episodic Movement Data
Authors: Versichele Mathias , Neutens Tijs , Claeys Bouuaert Manuel , Van de Weghe Nico 
Published: September 2013

AbstractCertain datasets on moving objects are episodic in nature – that is, the data is characterized by time gaps during which the position of the object is unknown. In this article, a model is developed to study the sparsely sampled network‐constrained movement of several objects by calculating both potential and feasible (i.e. more likely) co‐presence opportunities over time. The approach is applied to the context of a static sensor network, where the location of an object is only registered when passing a sensor location along a road network. Feasibility is incorporated based on the deviation from the shortest path. As an illustration, the model is applied to a large Bluetooth tracking dataset gathered at a mass event. The model output consists of maps showing the temporal evolution of the distribution of feasible co‐presence opportunities of tracked visitors over the network (i.e. the number of visitors that could have been present together). We demonstrate the model's usefulness in studying the movement and distribution of a crowd over a study area with relatively few sampling locations. Finally, we discuss the results with a special emphasis on the distinction between feasible and actual presence, the need for further validation and calibration, and the performance of the implementation.
Blood transfusion; additional historical aspects. Part 2. The introduction of chemical anticoagulants; trials of ‘Phosphate of soda’
Authors: Boulton F. E. 
Published: September 2013

SUMMARYThe pioneers of transfusion medicine around the turn of the 19th into the 20th centuries struggled with the awkward propensity of shed blood to clot. This article, a companion to a previous one (Boulton, 2013, Submitted for publication), describes in more detail how they recognised a potential for chemical anticoagulants which led to the introduction for a short period of sodium phosphate to aid blood transfusion: these cases preceded the introduction of citrate (Mollison, 2000, British Journal of Haematology, 108, 13–18).
Myocardial contusion and rib fracture repair in an adult horse
Authors: Peters Sarah T. , Hopkins Amber , Stewart Suzanne , Slack Joanne , de Solis Cristobal Navas 
Published: September 2013

AbstractObjectiveTo describe the clinical findings and management of myocardial injury secondary to blunt thoracic trauma and rib fracture in an adult horse.Case SummaryA 6‐year‐old Warmblood gelding presented for treatment of blunt thoracic trauma. Sonographic examination of the thorax revealed a complete, mildly comminuted fracture of the left 5th rib with a fragment overlying the left atrium and coronary artery, hemothorax, and subjective left ventricular dyskinesis. Evidence of myocardial injury included atrial fibrillation, ventricular ectopy, and increased plasma cardiac troponin I concentration. The rib fracture was repaired under general anesthesia using a wire and plate technique. The atrial fibrillation converted to normal sinus rhythm coincidentally with intraoperative local infusion of mepivicaine in administration of intercostal perineural analgesia. Continuous, resting, and exercising electrocardiograms, serial cardiac troponin I concentrations and echocardiograms were used to monitor the myocardial injury. The horse was discharged after 5 days of hospitalization. Reexaminations 3 and 15 months after the initial trauma showed healing of the fracture and no evidence of myocardial sequelae.New or Unique Information ProvidedTo our knowledge, this is the first documentation of the diagnosis and monitoring of myocardial injury secondary to blunt thoracic trauma, as well as surgical repair of a rib fracture in an adult horse. Rib fractures and myocardial trauma can be successfully managed in adult horses and myocardial injury should be considered in cases of thoracic trauma.
Frequency of Resistance in Obligate Anaerobic Bacteria Isolated from Dogs, Cats, and Horses to Antimicrobial Agents
Authors: Lawhon S. D. , Taylor A. , Fajt V. R. 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACTClinical specimens from dogs, cats, and horses were examined for the presence of obligate anaerobic bacteria. Of 4,018 specimens cultured, 368 yielded 606 isolates of obligate anaerobic bacteria (248 from dogs, 50 from cats, and 308 from horses). There were 100 specimens from 94 animals from which only anaerobes were isolated (25 dogs, 8 cats, and 61 horses). The most common sites tested were abdominal fluid (dogs and cats) and intestinal contents (horses). The most common microorganism isolated from dogs, cats, and horses wasClostridium perfringens(75, 13, and101 isolates, respectively). The MICs of amoxicillin with clavulanate, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, metronidazole, and penicillin were determined using a gradient endpoint method for anaerobes. Isolates collected at necropsy were not tested for antimicrobial susceptibility unless so requested by the clinician. There were 1/145 isolates tested that were resistant to amoxicillin-clavulanate (resistance breakpoint ≥ 16/8 μg/ml), 7/77 isolates tested were resistant to ampicillin (resistance breakpoint ≥ 2 μg/ml), 4/242 isolates tested were resistant to chloramphenicol (resistance breakpoint ≥ 32 μg/ml), 12/158 isolates tested were resistant to clindamycin (resistance breakpoint ≥ 8 μg/ml), 10/247 isolates tested were resistant to metronidazole (resistance breakpoint ≥ 32 μg/ml), and 54/243 isolates tested were resistant to penicillin (resistance breakpoint ≥ 2 μg/ml). These data suggest that anaerobes are generally susceptible to antimicrobial drugsin vitro.
Clostridium difficile Genotypes in Piglet Populations in Germany
Authors: Schneeberg Alexander , Neubauer Heinrich , Schmoock Gernot , Baier Sylvia , Harlizius Jürgen , Nienhoff Hendrik , Brase Katja , Zimmermann Stefan , Seyboldt Christian 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

Clostridium difficile
was isolated from 147 of 201 (73%) rectal swabs of piglets from 15 farms of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. In 14 farms, 14 to 100% (mean, 78%) of the animals tested were culture positive. The rate of isolation was 68% postpartum, increased to 94% in animals 2 to 14 days of age, and declined to 0% for animals 49 days of age and older. There was no link between isolation and antibiotic treatment or diarrhea of piglets. Strains were assigned to 10 PCR ribotypes, and up to 4 PCR ribotypes were found to be present at the same time on a farm. The closely related PCR ribotypes 078 (55%) and 126 (20%) were most frequently recovered and were present in 13 of the 14 positive farms. The comparison of multilocus VNTR (variable number of tandem repeats) analysis (MLVA) data from this study and previously published data on human, porcine, and bovine PCR ribotype 078 isolates from 5 European countries revealed genetic differences between strains of different geographic origin and confirmed the relatedness of human and porcine
C. difficile
isolates. This study demonstrated that the human-pathogenic PCR ribotypes 078 and 126 are predominant in piglets in Germany. The results suggest that presence of
C. difficile
is correlated with animal age but not with antibiotic treatment or clinical disease. MLVA indicated that strains of the same geographical origin are often genetically related and corroborated the hypothesis of a close epidemiological connection between human and porcine
C. difficile
isolates.
Scopulariopsis, a Poorly Known Opportunistic Fungus: Spectrum of Species in Clinical Samples and
In Vitro
Responses to Antifungal Drugs
Authors: Sandoval-Denis Marcelo , Sutton Deanna A. , Fothergill Annette W. , Cano-Lira Josep , Gené Josepa , Decock C. A. , de Hoog G. S. , Guarro Josep 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

Ninety-nine isolates of clinical origin, tentatively identified as
Scopulariopsis
or
Microascus
, were morphologically and molecularly characterized by a combined analysis of the D1/D2 domains of the 28S rRNA gene and a fragment of the elongation factor 1-α gene (EF1-α) sequences. The most prevalent species was
Scopulariopsis brevicaulis
(49.4%), followed by
Scopulariopsis gracilis
(14.4%),
Scopulariopsis brumptii
(7.2%),
Microascus cinereus
(5.2%), the
Scopulariopsis candida
species complex (3.1%), and
Microascus cirrosus
(2.1%). The most common anatomic sites of isolation were the respiratory tract (61.6%), superficial tissue (19.2%), and deep tissue or fluid samples (19.2%). The antifungal susceptibilities of the isolates to eight drugs were tested
in vitro
, with all the drugs generally showing poor activity.
Multicenter Evaluation of a Commercial Cytomegalovirus Quantitative Standard: Effects of Commutability on Interlaboratory Concordance
Authors: Hayden R. T. , Shahbazian M. D. , Valsamakis A. , Boonyaratanakornkit J. , Cook L. , Pang X. L. , Preiksaitis J. K. , Schönbrunner E. R. , Caliendo A. M. 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT
Commutability of quantitative reference materials has proven important for reliable and accurate results in clinical chemistry. As international reference standards and commercially produced calibration material have become available to address the variability of viral load assays, the degree to which such materials are commutable and the effect of commutability on assay concordance have been questioned. To investigate this, 60 archived clinical plasma samples, which previously tested positive for cytomegalovirus (CMV), were retested by five different laboratories, each using a different quantitative CMV PCR assay. Results from each laboratory were calibrated both with lab-specific quantitative CMV standards (“lab standards”) and with common, commercially available standards (“CMV panel”). Pairwise analyses among laboratories were performed using mean results from each clinical sample, calibrated first with lab standards and then with the CMV panel. Commutability of the CMV panel was determined based on difference plots for each laboratory pair showing plotted values of standards that were within the 95% prediction intervals for the clinical specimens. Commutability was demonstrated for 6 of 10 laboratory pairs using the CMV panel. In half of these pairs, use of the CMV panel improved quantitative agreement compared to use of lab standards. Two of four laboratory pairs for which the CMV panel was noncommutable showed reduced quantitative agreement when that panel was used as a common calibrator. Commutability of calibration material varies across different quantitative PCR methods. Use of a common, commutable quantitative standard can improve agreement across different assays; use of a noncommutable calibrator can reduce agreement among laboratories.
Actinomyces urogenitalis Bacteremia and Tubo-Ovarian Abscess after an
In Vitro
Fertilization (IVF) Procedure
Authors: Van Hoecke Frederik , Beuckelaers Ellen , Lissens Peter , Boudewijns Michael 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

We describe the first case of bacteremia due to
Actinomyces urogenitalis
. Bacteremia was secondary to a tubo-ovarian abscess following transvaginal oocyte retrieval. Identification was established by matrix-assisted desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and confirmed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
A. urogenitalis
should be considered as a potential causative agent of infection after gynecological procedures.
Antibody Recognition of the Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin Receptor Binding Site
Authors: Hong Minsun , Lee Peter S. , Hoffman Ryan M. B. , Zhu Xueyong , Krause Jens C. , Laursen Nick S. , Yoon Sung-il , Song Langzhou , Tussey Lynda , Crowe James E. , Ward Andrew B. , Wilson Ian A. 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT
Influenza virus is a global health concern due to its unpredictable pandemic potential. This potential threat was realized in 2009 when an H1N1 virus emerged that resembled the 1918 virus in antigenicity but fortunately was not nearly as deadly. 5J8 is a human antibody that potently neutralizes a broad spectrum of H1N1 viruses, including the 1918 and 2009 pandemic viruses. Here, we present the crystal structure of 5J8 Fab in complex with a bacterially expressed and refolded globular head domain from the hemagglutinin (HA) of the A/California/07/2009 (H1N1) pandemic virus. 5J8 recognizes a conserved epitope in and around the receptor binding site (RBS), and its HCDR3 closely mimics interactions of the sialic acid receptor. Electron microscopy (EM) reconstructions of 5J8 Fab in complex with an HA trimer from a 1986 H1 strain and with an engineered stabilized HA trimer from the 2009 H1 pandemic virus showed a similar mode of binding. As for other characterized RBS-targeted antibodies, 5J8 uses avidity to extend its breadth and affinity against divergent H1 strains. 5J8 selectively interacts with HA insertion residue 133a, which is conserved in pandemic H1 strains and has precluded binding of other RBS-targeted antibodies. Thus, the RBS of divergent HAs is targeted by 5J8 and adds to the growing arsenal of common recognition motifs for design of therapeutics and vaccines. Moreover, consistent with previous studies, the bacterially expressed H1 HA properly refolds, retaining its antigenic structure, and presents a low-cost and rapid alternative for engineering and manufacturing candidate flu vaccines.