bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Illicit drug consumption estimated by wastewater analysis in different districts of Milan: A case study
Authors: Castiglioni Sara , Borsotti Andrea , Riva Francesco , Zuccato Ettore 
Published: December 2014

AbstractIntroduction and AimsWastewater analysis is a new approach developed to estimate illicit drug (ID) consumption in large communities, such as a city. We tested the ability of this approach to detect differences in consumption in different districts of a city.Design and MethodsConsumption of cocaine, heroin, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (cannabis active principle), amphetamine, methamphetamine and ecstasy was estimated by analysis of selected drug excretion residues in composite 24 h samples of untreated urban wastewater by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Samples were collected from the inlet of the three main Milan wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), each serving a district of the city (west, center and east). In each WWTP, samples were taken daily for seven consecutive days in November 2010 and March 2011.ResultsWe observed significant differences of ID consumption (expressed as mg/day/1000 inhabitants) among districts: consumption of some ID was significantly higher in the eastern district (P < 0.01 for THC, P < 0.001 for cocaine and P < 0.0001 for heroin by one‐way analysis of variance), while consumption of methamphetamine and amphetamine was higher in the central area (P < 0.0001). Overall, from 2010 to 2011, ID consumption decreased in all the districts, in line with a recent population survey showing decreases from 25 to 55% in the annual prevalence of ID users in Italy.Discussion and ConclusionsThis approach may help to detect ID consumption in different districts of a city and may be useful for planning interventions aimed at specific city areas and substances. [Castiglioni S, Borsotti A, Riva F, Zuccato E. Illicit drug consumption estimated by wastewater analysis in different districts of Milan: A case study. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:128–32]
Bilingualism changes children's beliefs about what is innate
Authors: Byers‐Heinlein Krista , Garcia Bianca 
Published: December 2014

AbstractYoung children engage in essentialist reasoning about natural kinds, believing that many traits are innately determined. This study investigated whether personal experience with second language acquisition could alter children's essentialist biases. In a switched‐at‐birth paradigm, 5‐ and 6‐year‐old monolingual and simultaneous bilingual children expected that a baby's native language, an animal's vocalizations, and an animal's physical traits would match those of a birth rather than of an adoptive parent. We predicted that sequential bilingual children, who had been exposed to a new language after age 3, would show greater understanding that languages are learned. Surprisingly, sequential bilinguals showed reduced essentialist beliefs about all traits: they were significantly more likely than other children to believe that human language, animal vocalizations, and animal physical traits would be learned through experience rather than innately endowed. These findings suggest that bilingualism in the preschool years can profoundly change children's essentialist biases.
WNT10A coding variants and maxillary lateral incisor agenesis with associated dental anomalies
Authors: Mostowska Adrianna , Biedziak Barbara , Zadurska Małgorzata , Matuszewska‐Trojan Sylwia , Jagodziński Paweł P. 
Published: December 2014

Congenital maxillary lateral incisor agenesis (MLIA) is one of the most common subtypes of dental agenesis. Because little is known with regard to the aetiology of this anomaly, the aim of the study was to determine the contribution of nucleotide variants in wingless‐type MMTV integration site family, member 10A (WNT10A), msh homeobox 1 (MSX1), and paired box 9 (PAX9) to the risk of MLIA in a Polish population. Coding regions of the selected genes were analysed by direct sequencing in a group of 20 individuals with unilateral and bilateral MLIA, associated or not with other dental anomalies. The frequencies of the identified nucleotide variants were assessed in an additional cohort of patients with isolated dental agenesis (n = 147) and in 178 controls. Mutation screening showed four non‐synonymous substitutions located in the highly conserved coding sequence of WNT10A in five (25%) of the 20 patients. Analysis of genotyping results revealed that three of these variants – p.Arg113Cys, p.Phe228Ile, and the newly identified p.Arg171Leu – may represent aetiological mutations underlying MLIA with associated dental anomalies. No mutations that were potentially aetiologic were identified in MSX1 and PAX9. In conclusion, this is the first report implicating coding variants in the WNT10A gene in the aetiology of MLIA. These results will require further confirmation using larger‐scale studies.
Assessing the effects of guppy life history evolution on nutrient recycling: from experiments to the field
Authors: El‐Sabaawi Rana W. , Marshall Michael C. , Bassar Ronald D. , López‐Sepulcre Andrés , Palkovacs Eric P. , Dalton Christopher 
Published: December 2014

Summary

Trait evolution can occur in response to anthropogenic alterations to ecosystems and can occur on timescales similar to those of ecological processes suggesting that it could alter ecosystem function. In this study, we characterise the effects of life history evolution on nutrient recycling using the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata) as a model system.

Guppy life history traits evolve in response to predation pressure. When predation pressure is removed, guppy population density and average body size of the population also increase. Therefore, the evolution of guppy life histories involves changes in individual traits and demographic characteristics, both of which can alter nutrient recycling. The relative contributions of these variables to guppy‐driven nutrient recycling are unknown.

We synthesise data from published experiments to disentangle how differences in individual traits, population characteristics and environmental conditions contribute to differences in guppy excretion rates. Individual guppies adapted to the absence of predators [low‐predation (LP) guppies] have lower nitrogen and phosphorus excretion rates than individual guppies adapted to predators [high‐predation (HP) guppies]. However, LP guppy populations excrete twice as much nitrogen as HP populations because of their larger average body size and higher population densities.

We compare these findings to guppy excretion data collected from HP and LP sites in four rivers in Trinidad. Phenotypic and population differences in excretion rates are consistent with those observed in the experiments.

Our study demonstrates that life history evolution can alter nutrient recycling in freshwater ecosystems. Characterizing the combined effects of traits and demographics is essential for understanding the effects of life history evolution on ecosystem processes.
Resistance and resilience of invertebrate communities to seasonal and supraseasonal drought in arid‐land headwater streams
Authors: Bogan Michael T. , Boersma Kate S. , Lytle David A. 
Published: December 2014

Summary

Climate change is expected to intensify drought in many regions, but ecological impacts on stream communities are poorly understood. Many arid‐land streams are characterised by predictable seasonal cycles of wetting and drying, to which species are adapted, but unpredictable supraseasonal droughts may constitute extreme events that challenge resident biota.

In this article, we synthesise research conducted in arid‐land streams of the Madrean Sky Islands (MSI) in Arizona, U.S.A, to evaluate the resistance and resilience of invertebrate communities to drying disturbances caused by normal seasonal drying and severe supraseasonal drought. We also highlight how spatial context (e.g. distance to perennial refuges) influences recovery patterns.

Invertebrate community structure changes predictably as habitat contraction progresses from loss of lateral connectivity to complete drying of MSI streams. When drying events are predictable (e.g. seasonal drying), post‐drought community recovery is often rapid, since most MSI taxa possess life history traits conferring high resistance and/or resilience to stream drying.

Extreme supraseasonal droughts, in contrast, cause unprecedented transitions from perennial to intermittent flow in some MSI streams. While species richness may recover quickly following this flow regime shift, marked turnover in community structure can occur and may delay or preclude recovery to pre‐drought conditions. In such cases, short‐lived (<1 year) strong dispersers replace relatively long‐lived (≥1 year) weak dispersers. As habitat isolation increases, the potential for community recovery from extreme drought decreases.

Many MSI aquatic species are threatened by extreme drought. Extinctions of endemic aquatic species due to habitat drying have already been observed in nearby deserts. Further studies are urgently needed to identify drought‐sensitive species and understand how the loss of such species may affect stream ecosystem functioning.
Differential effects of spatial network structure and scale on population size and genetic diversity of the ninespine stickleback in a remnant wetland system
Authors: Ishiyama Nobuo , Koizumi Itsuro , Yuta Teru , Nakamura Futoshi 
Published: December 2014

SummaryThe management of population size and genetic diversity in fragmented landscapes is the central issue in conservation biology. Functional connectivity between remnant habitat patches affects these parameters. However, the functional connectivity for genetic diversity would be characterised by a greater spatial scale than population size even within the same habitat network. The reason for this difference is that while dispersal frequency generally decreases with increasing distance, only a few immigrants may effectively contribute to gene flow, whereas a certain number of dispersers may be required to influence population abundance.Here, we investigated the effects of habitat network structures on population abundance and genetic diversity of the ninespine stickleback,Pungitius pungitius, in remnant wetland ponds in northern Japan. We tested (i) whether both population abundance and genetic diversity are positively related not only to habitat size but also to connectivity and (ii) whether the dispersal effect extends to greater spatial scales in genetic diversity than in population size.We employed a graph theoretical index to measure the degree of pond connectivity. This index can evaluate the connectivity threshold distance above which individuals cannot disperse and clarify the difference in the spatial scale of effective dispersal between population abundance and genetic diversity.Pond connectivity significantly affected the spatial variation of both population abundance and genetic diversity. In contrast, pond size was related only to population abundance. As we predicted, the connectivity threshold distance for genetic diversity was more than two times greater than that for population abundance (12.5 km versus 5 km, respectively).Our findings indicate that the landscape managers should consider various spatial scales as a conservation unit for the management of a habitat network in accordance with the conservation targets that they establish. We also found that small artificial agricultural ditches and streams may play important roles in sustaining the population networks of wetland organisms.
How do islands become green?
Authors: Heleno Ruben , Vargas Pablo 
Published: December 2014

AbstractAimFour long‐distance dispersal (LDD) modes have generally been considered to play central roles in the colonization of islands by plants: anemochory (dispersal by wind), thalassochory (dispersal by oceanic currents), endozoochory (internal dispersal by animals) and epizoochory (external dispersal by animals). However, seeds can also be transported by vectors different from those to which they are best suited (non‐standard dispersal), meaning that the actual vector of colonization cannot be inferred based on diaspore traits alone. We propose an alternative approach to explore the relative contribution of LDD syndromes to island colonization.LocationEurope and the Azores.MethodsWe scored the presence of syndromes relevant for LDD in the native flora of Europe (c. 10,000 species) and the Azores (148 species). We then contrasted the importance of each syndrome in the recipient flora (Azores) and the source floras (Europe and mainland Portugal) to estimate which, if any, syndrome was particularly successful for overseas colonization. We further investigated whether particular LDD syndromes increased plant distribution within the Azores archipelago.ResultsMost native species in Europe (63%), mainland Portugal (67%) and the Azores (63%) produce unspecialized diaspores. Only species adapted to sea dispersal were overrepresented in the Azores, while those adapted to wind dispersal were underrepresented. The presence of LDD syndromes did not significantly improve the distribution of plant species across the archipelago, except for the moderate advantage of endozoochorous diaspores. Differences in the importance of LDD syndromes across plant families at least partially explain the floristic disharmony of the Azorean flora.Main conclusionsOnly thalassochory appeared to have significantly favoured the colonization of the Azores. The high proportion of unspecialized diaspores, the unexceptional representation of most specialized LDD syndromes and the dissociation between syndromes and inter‐island plant distribution in the Azores suggest that non‐standard events are more common than previously believed in the colonization of islands by plants.
Space to invade? Comparative range infilling and potential range of invasive and native plants
Authors: Bradley Bethany A. , Early Regan , Sorte Cascade J. B. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractAimOur understanding of potential ranges for native and non‐native species is often based on their current geographic distributions. Non‐native species have had less time than co‐occurring native species to expand their ranges following introduction, so non‐native ranges may under‐represent suitable conditions. Therefore it is often assumed that species distribution models will predict disproportionately smaller potential ranges for non‐natives than natives. We compare the distributions of native, endemic, alien and invasive plants to determine how the different range attributes of these groups might influence ecological forecasting.LocationContinentalUSA.MethodsWe compared the geographic ranges of 13,575 plant species (9402 native, 2397 endemic, 1201 alien and 755 invasive) using (1)USonly and (2) global distribution data from herbarium records. We calculatedUSlongitudinal and latitudinal range extents as potential indicators of range‐limiting factors, modelled potential range based on climate using principal components analysis, and calculated occupancy of potential ranges (range infilling).ResultsContrary to expectations, modelled potential ranges were significantly larger for non‐natives than natives, even for species with few occurrences. Distributions of native species, not invasive species, appeared strongly limited longitudinally. However, invasive plants occupied substantially less area within their climatically suitable ranges than native plants (lower range infilling).Main conclusionsInvasive plant distributions were consistently broader, both climatically and geographically, than comparable native species. This suggests that invasive plant distribution models at regional scales arenotunderpredicting potential ranges relative to models for native species. In contrast, the comparatively limited longitudinal ranges of native species suggest a high degree of non‐climatic limitation, which is likely to cause distribution models to underpredict the potential ranges of native species. Invasive plants have not achieved the degree of range infilling expected relative to natives. Thus, plants introduced to theUSstill have plenty of space to invade.
How a multidisciplinary approach involving ethnoecology, biology and fisheries can help explain the spatio‐temporal changes in marine fish abundance resulting from climate change
Authors: Lloret Josep , Sabatés Ana , Muñoz Marta , Demestre Montserrat , Solé Ignasi , Font Toni , Casadevall Margarida , Martín Paloma , Gómez Sílvia 
Published: December 2014

AbstractAimPredicting the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems or how fish and other species are adapting to rising sea temperatures is still subject to much uncertainty, despite considerable progress in recent years. In this study we assess whether our understanding of the impact of sea warming on marine fish can be enhanced with an interdisciplinary approach that collates data from fisheries, fishermen and scientific research. By doing this, we aim to shed light on the major changes in the abundance and diversity of warm and cold water fish in recent decades in relation to sea warming.LocationThis study was conducted in the north‐western Mediterranean, where the impacts of global warming are particularly critical because range shifts are physically constrained.MethodsWe collected and combined statistical data from fisheries, the traditional ecological knowledge of fishermen (TEK), reproductive data (histological gonad analyses and ichthyoplankton surveys) and extensive research into the relevant literature (including systematic catalogues and museum collections and their databases).ResultsWe have found that changes in the abundance of fish have followed a particular spatio‐temporal sequence, with three different phases of colonization in the case of warm‐water species (occasional occurrence, common presence and establishment), and three phases of regression (abundance reduction, range contraction and disappearance from the catch) in the case of cold‐water species.Main conclusionsOverall, the results show that this multidisciplinary approach, combining qualitative and quantitative information from different sources, provides new insight into the observed changes in fish diversity and abundance in relation to climate change.
Thromboelastography identifies children with rare bleeding disorders and predicts bleeding phenotype
Authors: Zia A. N. , Chitlur M. , Rajpurkar M. , Ozgonenel B. , Lusher J. , Callaghan J. H. , Callaghan M. U. 
Published: December 2014

SummaryRare bleeding disorders (RBDs) comprise 3–5% of all congenital bleeding disorders. They can evade typical coagulation screening tests and there is a poor correlation between laboratory results and bleeding phenotype. Thromboelastography (TEG) measures coagulation globally in whole blood samples. The aims of this study were to evaluate the utility of TEG as an adjunct to the routine screening tests employed for the diagnosis of RBDs and to correlate TEG results with the bleeding phenotype in RBDs. TEG parameters and clot kinetics were compared to bleeding phenotypes (asymptomatic, mild, moderate and severe) in 26 RBD patients and 30 normal controls. Clot kinetics correlated strongly with RBDs and with the severity of bleeding phenotype with mean maximum rate of thrombus generation (MRTG) 15.4 mm min−1 in controls vs. 6.0 in RBDs (P < 0.0001, Wilcoxin). The mean MRTG was 7.7 in mildly symptomatic, 5.5 in moderately symptomatic and 4.1 in severely symptomatic patients (P < 0.0001, Kruskal–Wallis). Disorders that are often missed by conventional screening tests, dysfibrinogenaemia and platelet disorders displayed a distinctive TEG curve with markedly decreased maximum amplitude (MA) and low MRTG values. Factor XIII and PAI deficient patients displayed increased fibrinolysis in addition to low MRTGs. All patients with RBDs, but none of the normal controls, had abnormal clot kinetics suggesting that TEG may be an effective screening test for RBDs.
Long‐term follow up of HIV‐1‐infected Korean haemophiliacs, after infection from a common source of virus
Authors: Kim B.‐R. , Kim J.‐E. , Sung H. , Cho Y.‐K. 
Published: December 2014

SummaryIn the early 1990s, 20 haemophiliacs (HPs) were infected with a common source of HIV‐1 viruses through the contaminated clotting factor IX. The aim of this study is to review 20 HPs infected with a common source of virus. The enrolled patients have been consecutively treated with Korean red ginseng (KRG), zidovudine (ZDV) or two‐drug therapy and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). We determined full‐length pol gene over 20 years and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I with peripheral blood mononuclear cells and reviewed medical records. Eighteen HPs experienced various opportunistic infections or clinical manifestations. There were significant inverse correlations between the HLA prognostic score and the annual decrease in CD4+ T‐cell counts prior to HAART (AD) (P < 0.05) and the amount of KRG and the AD (P < 0.01). From 1998, the HPs had been treated with HAART. Each of the two patients died without and with HAART regimen respectively. At present, 16 HPs have been alive with HAART. Among the 16 HPs, 12 and 4 are on HAART‐plus‐KRG and HAART only respectively. Eleven HPs including 2 HPs with G‐to‐A hypermutations had revealed resistance mutations. Ten and two HPs have shown poor adherence and incomplete viral suppres‐sion on HAART respectively. Virological failure based on WHO guidelines was not observed on KRG‐plus‐HAART. Two HPs revealed additional resistance mutations against two classes on KRG‐plus‐HAART. As a nationwide study, we first report overall features on clinical course of Korean haemophiliacs. Further education on the importance of drug adherence is needed.
External fixators for open fractures of tibia and fibula in patients with haemophilia A
Authors: Lin J. , Liu H. , Liu P. , Yang H. 
Published: December 2014

SummaryTo evaluate the efficacy of external fixators(EFs) for management of open fractures of tibia and fibula in patients with haemophilia A. EFs are commonly used in the clinical management of infec‐ted or open fractures when internal fixation is contraindicated and plaster immobilization is inadequate. However, EFs have not been frequently used for these indications in haemophilic patients for fear of pin tract infection and bleeding. This is a retrospective therapeutic study. We describe the use of EF (Orthofix uniplanar fixators) in five patients (mean age: 31.4 years; range: 10–52) with haemophilia A suffering from open fracture of tibia and fibula (Gustilo classification ranging from II to IIIA). The average time to union was 23 weeks (range: 18–30 weeks). Much lower levels were subsequently maintained till wound healing. The average total factor consumption was 358.30 IU kg−1 (range: 272–421 IU kg−1), administered over a period of 14.2 days (range 9–21). There were no major complications related to EF. In summary, EFs can be used safely and effectively in management of open fractures of tibia and fibula in patients with haemophilia A.
Digital infarction in a hemodialysis patient due to embolism from a thrombosed brachial arteriovenous fistula
Authors: YJ Anupama 
Published: December 2014

AbstractAcute onset of digital ischemia and infarction is an unusual complication in patients undergoing hemodialysis. This is a report of a patient on regular hemodialysis who presented with acute distal extremity ischemia, progressing to digital infarction and on evaluation was found to have thrombosis of brachial arteriovenous fistula with embolization to the distal arteries causing digital artery occlusion.