bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intrinsic heart rate recovery after dynamic exercise is improved with an increased omega-3 index in healthy males
Authors: Macartney Michael J. , Hingley Lachlan , Brown Marc A. , Peoples Gregory E. , McLennan Peter L. 
Published: October 2014

Dietary fish consumption contributes to a reduced risk of cardiac mortality. In the present study, the effect of low-dose fish oil (FO) supplementation on heart rate (HR) response to intense exercise and recovery was investigated in physically fit males. The subjects (n26) were supplemented (double-blind, parallel design) with (2 × 1 g/d) soya bean oil (control) or tuna FO providing the long-chainn-3 PUFA DHA (560 mg) and EPA (140 mg). Erythrocyte omega-3 index (%EPA+DHA), HR, HR variability and HR recovery were analysed during rest, intense exercise and recovery at baseline and after 8 weeks of supplementation. The mean erythrocyte omega-3 index, which did not differ between the groups at baseline (control 4·2 (sem0·2),n13; FO 4·7 (sem0·2),n13), remained unchanged in the control group (3·9 (sem0·2)), but increased in the FO group (6·3 (sem0·3);P< 0·01). The mean HR during supine resting conditions (control 56 (sem10); FO 59 (sem9)) was not affected by FO supplementation. Poincaré analysis of HR variability at rest exhibited a decreasing trend in parasympathetic activity in the FO group (SD1 (standard deviation of points perpendicular to the axis of line of identity)/SD2 (standard deviation of points along the axis of line of identity): control 0·02 (sem0·01); FO − 0·05 (sem0·02);P= 0·18). Peak HR was not affected by supplementation. However, during submaximal exercise over 5 min, fewer total heart beats were recorded in the FO group ( − 22 (sem6) ( = − 4·5 beats/min)), but not in the control group (+1 (sem4)) (P< 0·05). Supine HR recovery (half-time) after cycling was significantly faster after FO supplementation (control − 0·4 (sem1·2) s; FO − 8·0 (sem1·7) s;P< 0·05). A low intake of FO increased the omega-3 index and reduced the mean exercise HR and improved HR recovery without compromising the peak HR. A direct influence of DHA via reductions in the cardiac intrinsic beat rate was balanced by a reciprocal decrease in vagal tone.
Patterns and predictors of nut consumption: results from the 2008/09 New Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey
Authors: Brown Rachel C. , Tey Siew Ling , Gray Andrew R. , Chisholm Alexandra , Smith Claire , Fleming Elizabeth , Blakey Charlie , Parnell Winsome 
Published: October 2014

Regular nut consumption is associated with reduced CVD risk. Insight into nut consumption patterns provides important information to help design strategies to encourage intake. The present study aimed to describe nut consumption in terms of the percentage of consumers, mean grams eaten among the population and nut consumers, and to identify the predictors of nut consumption. Data from the 24 h dietary recalls of the 2008/09 New Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey (n 4721) were used to measure nut consumption. On the recall day, the percentages of consumers of whole nuts, nut butters and nuts from hidden sources were 6·9 % (n 240), 7·2 % (n 346) and 19·2 % (n 732), respectively (28·9 % (n 1167) combined (total)). The mean grams consumed by the population were relatively low for whole nuts (2·8 g/d), nut butters (0·9 g/d), nuts from hidden sources (1·5 g/d) and total nuts (5·2 g/d). Among consumers, the mean daily grams of whole nuts, nut butters, nuts from hidden sources and total nuts eaten were 40·3, 12·9, 7·8 and 17·9 g/d, respectively. Those aged 15–18 years had the lowest whole nut consumption, but had the highest nut butter consumption. The consumption of total nuts was positively associated with education and socio-economic status, while whole nut consumption was inversely associated with BMI. In conclusion, the low percentage of nut consumers is of concern and new strategies to increase nut consumption are required. Future public health initiatives should be mindful of these patterns and predictors. In particular, different forms of nuts may appeal to different age and socio-economic groups.
Iodine excretion has decreased in Denmark between 2004 and 2010 – the importance of iodine content in milk
Authors: Rasmussen Lone B. , Carlé Allan , Jørgensen Torben , Knuthsen Pia , Krejbjerg Anne , Perrild Hans , Bjergved Lena , Sloth Jens J. , Laurberg Peter , Ovesen Lars 
Published: October 2014

Fortification with the essential trace element iodine is widespread worldwide. In the present study, results on iodine excretion and intake of iodine-rich foods from a cross-sectional study carried out in 2004–5, 4 to 5 years after the implementation of mandatory iodine fortification, were compared with data in a study carried out in 2008–10. The 2008–10 study was a follow-up of a cross-sectional study carried out before iodine fortification was implemented. Participants in the cross-sectional studies were randomly selected. Both studies were carried out in the cities of Aalborg and Copenhagen in Denmark. The median urinary iodine concentration decreased in women from 97 μg/l (n 2862) to 78 μg/l (n 2041) (P< 0·001). The decrease persisted after adjustment for age, city and education, and if expressed as estimated 24 h iodine excretion. The prevalence of users of iodine containing dietary supplements increased from 29·4 to 37·3 % (P< 0·001). The total fluid intake increased in women (P< 0·001), but the intake of other iodine-rich foods did not change. The median urinary iodine concentration did not change in men (114 μg/l (n 708) and 107 μg/l (n 424), respectively), while the total fluid intake decreased (P= 0·001). Iodine content was measured in milk sampled in 2000–1 and in 2013. The iodine content was lower in 2013 (12 (sd 3) μg/100 g) compared with that in 2000–1 (16 (sd 6) μg/100 g) (P< 0·001). In conclusion, iodine excretion in women has decreased below the recommended level. The reason might probably, at least partly, be a decreased content of iodine in milk.
Climatic evolution across oceanic anoxic event 1a derived from terrestrial palynology and clay minerals (Maestrat Basin, Spain)
Authors: CORS JEAN , HEIMHOFER ULRICH , ADATTE THIERRY , HOCHULI PETER A. , HUCK STEFAN , BOVER-ARNAL TELM 
Published: October 2014

AbstractStudies dealing with the response of the continental biosphere to the environmental perturbations associated with Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events (OAEs) are comparatively rare. Here, a quantitative spore-pollen record combined with clay mineral data is presented, which covers the entire early Aptian OAE 1a interval (Forcall Formation, Maestrat basin, east Spain). The well-expressed OAE 1a carbon-isotope anomaly is paralleled by changes in the clay mineral assemblage and by a stepwise decline in the normalized frequency ofClassopollispollen (produced by xerophytic Cheirolepidiaceae) with lowest contents occurring during the positive δ13C shift. In contrast,AraucariacitesandInaperturopollenitespollen show a pronounced increase in relative abundance from low background values to become a significant component of the palynological assemblage during theClassopollisminimum. The observed changes in clay minerals and pollen distribution patterns are interpreted to reflect a major change in the composition of the hinterland vegetation of the Maestrat Basin, most probably due to short-lived but pronounced climatic cooling and changes in humidity. Temperature anomalies driven by organic carbon burial and associated CO2decline have been postulated for all major Mesozoic OAEs. The palynomorph record from the Iberian Maestrat basins indicates that the climax of this cooling episode was significantly delayed in comparison to the end of organic carbon-rich deposition in the world oceans.
Investigating gender disparities in the profile and treatment outcomes of tuberculosis in Ebonyi state, Nigeria
Authors: OSHI S. N. , ALOBU I. , UKWAJA K. N. , OSHI D. C. 
Published: October 2014

SUMMARYGlobally, twice as many men as women are being diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) annually. Little is known about gender differentials in TB in Africa. A retrospective cohort analysis of routine data was conducted on adult TB patients treated between 2011 and 2012 in two large healthcare facilities in Nigeria. Gender differences in their demographic characteristics and treatment outcomes were analysed accordingly. Of 1668 TB patients enrolled, the male:female ratio was 1·4:1. The mean ages of males and females were 40·2 ± 14·7 and 36·1 ± 14·6 years, respectively (ttest 6·62,P < 0·001). Male gender was associated with a higher failure to smear convert after 2 months (21·8%vs. 17·5%,P = 0·06) and 5 months (4·3%vs. 1·5%,P = 0·02) of treatment for smear-positive TB patients. Moreover, men were more likely than women to fail treatment (2·2%vs. 0·7%,P = 0·01). No significant differences exist in the treatment success rates between women and men (78·2%vs. 74·5%,P = 0·08). Adjusted analyses showed significant association between being an urban male and a HIV-infected female with unsuccessful outcome adjusted by socio-demographic and clinical factors. We found that gender disparities exist in TB profile and treatment outcomes in Nigeria and gender-specific strategies are needed to optimize TB management.
SCESS: a WFSA-based automated simplified chinese essay scoring system with incremental latent semantic analysis
Authors: HAO SHUDONG , XU YANYAN , KE DENGFENG , SU KAILE , PENG HENGLI 
Published: October 2014

AbstractWriting in language tests is regarded as an important indicator for assessing language skills of test takers. As Chinese language tests become popular, scoring a large number of essays becomes a heavy and expensive task for the organizers of these tests. In the past several years, some efforts have been made to develop automated simplified Chinese essay scoring systems, reducing both costs and evaluation time. In this paper, we introduce a system called SCESS (automated Simplified Chinese Essay Scoring System) based on Weighted Finite State Automata (WFSA) and using Incremental Latent Semantic Analysis (ILSA) to deal with a large number of essays. First, SCESS uses ann-gram language model to construct a WFSA to perform text pre-processing. At this stage, the system integrates a Confusing-Character Table, a Part-Of-Speech Table, beam search and heuristic search to perform automated word segmentation and correction of essays. Experimental results show that this pre-processing procedure is effective, with a Recall Rate of 88.50%, a Detection Precision of 92.31% and a Correction Precision of 88.46%. After text pre-processing, SCESS uses ILSA to perform automated essay scoring. We have carried out experiments to compare the ILSA method with the traditional LSA method on the corpora of essays from the MHK test (the Chinese proficiency test for minorities). Experimental results indicate that ILSA has a significant advantage over LSA, in terms of both running time and memory usage. Furthermore, experimental results also show that SCESS is quite effective with a scoring performance of 89.50%.
Cystatin C protects neuronal cells against mutant copper-zinc superoxide dismutase-mediated toxicity
Authors: Watanabe S , Hayakawa T , Wakasugi K , Yamanaka K 
Published: October 2014

AbstractAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by the selective and progressive loss of motor neurons. Cystatin C (CysC), an endogenous cysteine protease inhibitor, is a major protein component of Bunina bodies observed in the spinal motor neurons of sporadic ALS and is decreased in the cerebrospinal fluid of ALS patients. Despite prominent deposition of CysC in ALS, the roles of CysC in the central nervous system remain unknown. Here, we identified the neuroprotective activity of CysC against ALS-linked mutant Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1)-mediated toxicity. We found that exogenously added CysC protected neuronal cells including primary cultured motor neurons. Moreover, the neuroprotective property of CysC was dependent on the coordinated activation of two distinct pathways: autophagy induction through AMPK-mTOR pathway and inhibition of cathepsin B. Furthermore, exogenously added CysC was transduced into the cells and aggregated in the cytosol under oxidative stress conditions, implying a relationship between the neuroprotective activity of CysC and Bunina body formation. These data suggest CysC is an endogenous neuroprotective agent and targeting CysC in motor neurons may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for ALS.
Massive fungal biodiversity data re-annotation with multi-level clustering
Authors: Vu Duong , Szöke Szániszló , Wiwie Christian , Baumbach Jan , Cardinali Gianluigi , Röttger Richard , Robert Vincent 
Published: October 2014

AbstractWith the availability of newer and cheaper sequencing methods, genomic data are being generated at an increasingly fast pace. In spite of the high degree of complexity of currently available search routines, the massive number of sequences available virtually prohibits quick and correct identification of large groups of sequences sharing common traits. Hence, there is a need for clustering tools for automatic knowledge extraction enabling the curation of large-scale databases. Current sophisticated approaches on sequence clustering are based on pairwise similarity matrices. This is impractical for databases of hundreds of thousands of sequences as such a similarity matrix alone would exceed the available memory. In this paper, a new approach called MultiLevel Clustering (MLC) is proposed which avoids a majority of sequence comparisons and therefore, significantly reduces the total runtime for clustering. An implementation of the algorithm allowed clustering of all 344,239 ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) fungal sequences from GenBank utilizing only a normal desktop computer within 22 CPU-hours whereas the greedy clustering method took up to 242 CPU-hours.
The Tribolium castaneum cell line TcA: a new tool kit for cell biology
Authors: Silver Kristopher , Jiang Hongbo , Fu Jinping , Phillips Thomas W. , Beeman Richard W. , Park Yoonseong 
Published: October 2014

AbstractThe red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, is an agriculturally important insect pest that has been widely used as a model organism. Recently, an adherent cell line (BCIRL-TcA-CLG1 or TcA) was developed from late pupae of the red flour beetle. Next generation transcriptome sequencing of TcA cells demonstrated expression of a wide variety of genes associated with specialized functions in chitin metabolism, immune responses and cellular and systemic RNAi pathways. Accordingly, we evaluated the sensitivity of TcA cells to dsRNA to initiate an RNAi response. TcA cells were highly sensitive to minute amounts of dsRNA, with a minimum effective dose of 100 pg/mL resulting in significant suppression of gene expression. We have also developed a plasmid containing two TcA-specific promoters, the promoter from the 40S ribosomal protein subunit (TC006550) and a bi-directional heat shock promoter (TcHS70) from the intergenic space between heat shock proteins 68a and b. These promoters have been employed to provide high levels of either constitutive (TC006550) or inducible (TcHS70) gene expression of the reporter proteins. Our results show that the TcA cell line, with its sensitivity to RNAi and functional TcA-specific promoters, is an invaluable resource for studying basic molecular and physiological questions.
Band Gap Tunable Zn2SnO4 Nanocubes through Thermal Effect and Their Outstanding Ultraviolet Light Photoresponse
Authors: Zhao Yan , Hu Linfeng , Liu Hui , Liao Meiyong , Fang Xiaosheng , Wu Limin 
Published: October 2014

AbstractThis work presents a method for synthesis of high-yield, uniform and band gap tunable Zn2SnO4 nanocubes. These nanocubes can be further self-assembled into a series of novel nanofilms with tunable optical band gaps from 3.54 to 3.18 eV by simply increasing the heat treatment temperature. The Zn2SnO4 nanocube-nanofilm based device has been successfully fabricated and presents obviously higher photocurrent, larger photocurrent to dark current ratio than the previously reported individual nanostructure-based UV-light photodetectors and could be used in high performance photodetectors, solar cells and electrode materials for Li-ion battery.
Phylotranscriptomic analysis of the origin and early diversification of land plants
Authors: Wickett Norman J. , Mirarab Siavash , Nguyen Nam , Warnow Tandy , Carpenter Eric , Matasci Naim , Ayyampalayam Saravanaraj , Barker Michael S. , Burleigh J. Gordon , Gitzendanner Matthew A. , Ruhfel Brad R. , Wafula Eric , Der Joshua P. , Graham Sean W. , Mathews Sarah , Melkonian Michael , Soltis Douglas E. , Soltis Pamela S. , Miles Nicholas W. , Rothfels Carl J. , Pokorny Lisa , Shaw A. Jonathan , DeGironimo Lisa , Stevenson Dennis W. , Surek Barbara , Villarreal Juan Carlos , Roure Béatrice , Philippe Hervé , dePamphilis Claude W. , Chen Tao , Deyholos Michael K. , Baucom Regina S. , Kutchan Toni M. , Augustin Megan M. , Wang Jun , Zhang Yong , Tian Zhijian , Yan Zhixiang , Wu Xiaolei , Sun Xiao , Wong Gane Ka-Shu , Leebens-Mack James 
Published: October 2014

Significance
Early branching events in the diversification of land plants and closely related algal lineages remain fundamental and unresolved questions in plant evolutionary biology. Accurate reconstructions of these relationships are critical for testing hypotheses of character evolution: for example, the origins of the embryo, vascular tissue, seeds, and flowers. We investigated relationships among streptophyte algae and land plants using the largest set of nuclear genes that has been applied to this problem to date. Hypothesized relationships were rigorously tested through a series of analyses to assess systematic errors in phylogenetic inference caused by sampling artifacts and model misspecification. Results support some generally accepted phylogenetic hypotheses, while rejecting others. This work provides a new framework for studies of land plant evolution.
Reducing Bias and Filling in Spatial Gaps in Fishery-Dependent Catch-per-Unit-Effort Data by Geostatistical Prediction, II. Application to a Scallop Fishery
Authors: Walter John F. , Hoenig John M. , Christman Mary C. 
Published: October 2014

Abstract
Fishery-dependent catch per unit effort (CPUE) comprises critical input for many stock assessments. Construction of CPUE indices usually employs some method of data standardization. However, conventional methods based on linear models do not effectively deal with the fact that samples are collected with a selection bias or with the problem of filling spatial gaps. Geostatistical interpolation methods can ameliorate some of the biases caused by both of these problems while remaining complementary to traditional linear model-based CPUE standardization. In this paper we present geostatistical estimates of sea scallop Placopecten magellanicus CPUE from tows recorded by onboard observers during an opening of Georges Bank Closed Area II in 1999. By selecting tows for which there was little prior effort (on the basis of accumulated effort measured by vessel monitoring systems), we obtained tows that reflected initial abundance as closely as possible. These tows were used to obtain a variogram which was used in geostatistical prediction of sea scallop CPUE. The kriged mean was substantially lower than the arithmetic sample mean, indicating that a geostatistical approach reduced the influence of repeated sampling in locations of extremely high CPUE and increased the weight of isolated observations in areas of low CPUE. The results produced a map that was qualitatively similar to that obtained from a preseason fishery-independent survey. Overall differences between the two approaches were driven by the extension of predictions into areas at the edges of spatial autocorrelation where kriging predictions approached the grand mean of the data set.
Received July 26, 2013; accepted June 2, 2014
Growth and Mortality of Hatchery-Reared Striped Bass Stocked into Nonnatal Systems
Authors: Callihan Jody L. , Godwin Charlton H. , Dockendorf Kevin J. , Buckel Jeffrey A. 
Published: October 2014

Abstract
Cross-stocking involves the use of fish from nonnatal sources to augment populations. This practice may not be effective, especially if fish from different populations are not well adapted to the environmental conditions of the areas intended for enhancement. Yet, the ecological consequences of cross-stocking have received little attention, particularly in coastal environments. We used tag return data (1990–2010) from an ongoing stock enhancement program to compare the growth and mortality of hatchery-reared Striped Bass Morone saxatilis of Roanoke River origin between their natal (Albemarle Sound estuary) and two nonnatal systems (Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers) in North Carolina. Despite their Roanoke River origin, stocked juveniles exhibited high fidelity (&gt;90%) to nonnatal systems and similarly high growth as in their natal habitat (von Bertalanffy K values were statistically similar among systems and ranged from 0.54 to 0.61). However, time-at-liberty estimators of total mortality (Z) indicated stocked Striped Bass experienced significantly higher mortality in nonnatal (Z values, 0.48–0.51) versus natal (Z = 0.33) systems. Therefore, while cross-stocking may not contribute to stock rebuilding, it appeared to be an effective management tool for supporting local put-and-take fisheries for this recreationally and commercially important species.
Received March 11, 2014; accepted July 16, 2014
Nuclear actin activates human transcription factor genes including the OCT4 gene
Authors: Yamazaki Shota , Yamamoto Koji , Tokunaga Makio , Sakata-Sogawa Kumiko , Harata Masahiko 
Published: October 2014

Abstract
RNA microarray analyses revealed that nuclear actin activated many human transcription factor genes including OCT4, which is required for gene reprogramming. Oct4 is known to be activated by nuclear actin in Xenopus oocytes. Our findings imply that this process of OCT4 activation is conserved in vertebrates and among cell types and could be used for gene reprogramming of human cells.