bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Why elephant have trunks and giraffe long tongues: how plants shape large herbivore mouth morphology
Authors: Pretorius Yolanda , de Boer Willem F. , Kortekaas Kim , van Wijngaarden Machiel , Grant Rina C. , Kohi Edward M. , Mwakiwa Emmanuel , Slotow Rob , Prins Herbert H. T. 
Published: February 2015

AbstractWe investigated whether mass and morphological spatial patterns in plants possibly induced the development of enlarged soft mouth parts in especially megaherbivores. We used power functions and geometric principles to explore allometric relationships of both morphological and foraging characteristics of mammalian herbivores in the South African savannah, covering a body size range of more than three orders magnitude. Our results show that, although intradental mouth volume scaled to a power slightly less than one to body mass, actual bite volume, as measured in the field, scaled to body mass with a factor closer to 1.75. However, when including the volume added to intradental mouth volume by soft mouth parts, such as tongue and lips (or trunks in elephant), mouth volume scaled linearly with actual bite volume and in a similar fashion as actual bite volume to body size. Bite mass and bite leaf mass scaled linearly with body size. We conclude that these scaling relationships indicate that large herbivores use their enlarged soft mouth parts to not only increase bite volume and thereby bite mass, but also select soft plant parts and thereby increase the leaf mass fraction per bite.
Long term trends in oral antidiabetic drug use among children and adolescents in the Netherlands
Authors: Fazeli Farsani S. , Souverein P. C. , Overbeek J. A. , van der Vorst M. M. J. , Knibbe C. A. J. , Herings R. M. C. , de Boer A. , Mantel‐Teeuwisse A. K. 
Published: February 2015

AimThe aim of the study was to document long term trends in oral antidiabetic drug (OAD) use among children and adolescents in the Netherlands.MethodsA population‐based cohort study was conducted using the Dutch PHARMO Database Network. All patients younger than 20 years old with at least one OAD dispensing were identified. Age‐adjusted and age‐specific incidence (1999–2011) and prevalence (1998–2011) rates of OAD use were calculated. Trends over time were assessed using joinpoint regression software. A subset of PHARMO Database Network (including community pharmacy dispensing records linked to general practitioner data (OPD‐GP database)) was used to assess indications for OADs.ResultsIn 2011, the overall age‐adjusted incidence and prevalence rates of OAD use were 20.7/100 000 (95% CI 19.2, 22.1) person‐years (PY) and 53.8/100 000 (95% CI 51.5, 56.1) persons, respectively. The average annual percentage change (AAPC) in the overall age‐adjusted incidence rates from 1999 to 2011 was 18.9% (95% CI 4.5, 35.2). The incidence and prevalence rates of OAD use were higher among females and older age categories. The increases in rates of OAD use were mainly driven by metformin. For only 50% of the 98 patients in the OPD‐GP database, indications for OAD prescriptions were reported with type 1 diabetes (n = 20), type 2 diabetes (n = 16), and overweight/obesity (n = 10).ConclusionsIncidence and prevalence rates of OAD use in children and adolescents substantially increased in the Netherlands, especially among older age categories (10–14 and 15–19 years) and females. The main indications for use of OADs were type 1 and 2 diabetes and overweight/obesity.
Risk factors for rapid cycling in bipolar disorder
Authors: Valentí Marc , Pacchiarotti Isabella , Undurraga Juan , Bonnín C Mar , Popovic Dina , Goikolea José M , Torrent Carla , Hidalgo‐Mazzei Diego , Colom Francesc , Vieta Eduard 
Published: February 2015

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate the clinical factors associated with the development of rapid cycling, as well as to elucidate the role of antidepressants.MethodsThe present study (NCT01503489) is a prospective, naturalistic cohort study conducted in a sample of 289 patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder followed and treated for up to 14 years. The patients were divided into two groups on the basis of the development of a rapid cycling course (n = 48) or no development of such a course (n = 241), and compared regarding sociodemographic, clinical, and outcome variables.ResultsAmong the 289 patients, 48 (16.6%) developed a rapid cycling course during the follow‐up. Several differences were found between the two groups, but after performing Cox regression analysis, only atypical depressive symptoms (p = 0.001), age at onset (p = 0.015), and number of suicide attempts (p = 0.030) persisted as significantly associated with the development of a rapid cycling course.ConclusionsThe development of rapid cycling during the course of bipolar disorder is associated with a tendency to chronicity, with a poorer outcome, and with atypical depressive symptomatology. Our study also suggests that the development of rapid cycling is associated with a higher use of antidepressants.
Steeply Increasing Growth Differential Between Mixture and Monocultures of Tropical Trees
Authors: Ewel John J. , Celis Gerardo , Schreeg Laura 
Published: February 2015

AbstractStudies of biodiversity and terrestrial ecosystem functioning have concentrated almost exclusively on temperate grasslands. To broaden the reach of biodiversity‐functioning research, five fast growing species, comprising three eudicot trees and two congeneric palms (none symbiotic with nitrogen‐fixing microorganisms), were grown for 13 yr in a replacement‐series mixture and monocultures on a fertile soil in a high‐rainfall area of lowland Costa Rica. The mixture accrued more biomass and had greater net productivity than the average, but not the most productive, monoculture. Relative Land Output (a measure of comparative yield) increased steeply. The combined evidence points to an increase in resource partitioning or facilitation among species over time. Spatial partitioning of aboveground space (for light capture) and soil (possibly for retrieval of deep nitrogen), and facilitation of phosphorus availability by one species, are mechanisms that may account for the inferred complementarity. Extending the generalized findings on biodiversity–productivity relationships from well‐studied grasslands to tropical forests is warranted. Mixtures of fast growing trees can out‐perform the average of their component monocultures, whether the metric is biomass accrual or productivity. The modular growth of long‐lived structure enables arborescent species to retain crown space previously captured and may lead to increased spatial partitioning and facilitation of resources over time.
Amazonian Dark Earth Shapes the Understory Plant Community in a Bolivian Forest
Authors: Quintero‐Vallejo Estela , Klomberg Yannick , Bongers Frans , Poorter Lourens , Toledo Marisol , Peña‐Claros Marielos 
Published: February 2015

AbstractAmazonian Dark Earths (ADE) are the result of human modification of the Amazonian landscape since pre‐Columbian times.ADEare characterized by increased soil fertility compared to natural soils. In the Amazonian forest, soil fertility influences understory herb and fern species composition. However, little research has been done to evaluate the effect ofADEon the composition of the understory community. We evaluated the effects ofADEand soil in 36 plots (150 m × 4 m) established in a Bolivian moist forest (La Chonta). For each plot, we determined soil nutrients, and the composition, richness, and abundance of terrestrial fern, angiosperm herb, and understory palm species. We found that the presence ofADEcreated a gradient in soil nutrients andpHthat affected the understory species composition especially of ferns and palms. Additionally, the higher nutrient concentration and more neutral soilpHonADEsoils caused a decrease of ferns species richness. We therefore conclude that the current composition of the understory community in this particular Bolivian forest is a reflection of past human modifications of the soil.
Relevance of Global Forest Change Data Set to Local Conservation: Case Study of Forest Degradation in Masoala National Park, Madagascar
Authors: Burivalova Zuzana , Bauert Martin R. , Hassold Sonja , Fatroandrianjafinonjasolomiovazo Nandinanjakana T. , Koh Lian Pin 
Published: February 2015

AbstractA global data set on forest cover change was recently published and made freely available for use (Hansen et al. 2013. Science 342: 850–853). Although this data set has been criticized for inaccuracies in distinguishing vegetation types at the local scale, it remains a valuable source of forest cover information for areas where local data is severely lacking. Masoala National Park, in northeastern Madagascar, is an example of a region for which very little spatially explicit forest cover information is available. Yet, this extremely diverse tropical humid forest is undergoing a dramatic rate of forest degradation and deforestation through illegal selective logging of rosewood and ebony, slash‐and‐burn agriculture, and damage due to cyclones. All of these processes result in relatively diffuse and small‐scale changes in forest cover. In this paper, we examine to what extent Hansen et al.'s global forest change data set captures forest loss within Masoala National Park by comparing its performance to a locally calibrated, object‐oriented classification approach. We verify both types of classification with substantial ground truthing. We find that both the global and local classifications perform reasonably well in detecting small‐scale slash‐and‐burn agriculture, but neither performs adequately in detecting selective logging. We conclude that since the use of the global forest change data set requires very little technical and financial investment, and performs almost as well as the more resource‐demanding, locally calibrated classification, it may be advantageous to use the global forest change data set even for local conservation purposes.
Carry‐over Effects of Size at Metamorphosis in Red‐eyed Treefrogs: Higher Survival but Slower Growth of Larger Metamorphs
Authors: Tarvin Rebecca D. , Silva Bermúdez Catalina , Briggs Venetia S. , Warkentin Karen M. 
Published: February 2015

AbstractMost animals have complex life histories, composed of a series of ecologically distinct stages, and the transitions between stages are often plastic. Anurans are models for research on complex life cycles. Many species exhibit plastic timing of and size at metamorphosis, due to both environmental constraints on larval growth and development and adaptive plastic responses to environmental variation. Models predicting optimal timing of metamorphosis balance cost/benefit ratios across stages, assuming that size affects growth and mortality rates in each stage. Much research has documented such effects in the larval period, but we lack an equal understanding of juvenile growth and mortality. Here, we examine how variation in size at metamorphosis in the Neotropical red‐eyed treefrog, Agalychnis callidryas, affects post‐metamorphic growth, foraging, and behavior in the lab as well as growth and survival in the field. Surprisingly, many individuals lost mass for weeks after metamorphosis. In the lab, larger metamorphs lost more mass following metamorphosis, ate similar amounts, had lower food conversion efficiencies, and grew more slowly after mass loss ceased than did smaller ones. In field cages larger metamorphs were more likely to survive than smaller ones; just one froglet died in the lab. Our data suggest that size‐specific differences in physiology and behavior influence these trends. Comparing across species and studies, large size at metamorphosis generally confers higher survival; size effects on growth rates vary substantially among species, in both magnitude and direction, but may be stronger in the tropics.
Drought Impacts Survivorship and Reproductive Strategies of an Epiphyllous Leafy Liverwort in Central Amazonia
Authors: Zartman Charles E. , Amaral July A. , Figueiredo José N. , de Sales Dambros Cristian 
Published: February 2015

AbstractUnderstanding how changing precipitation patterns impact the population dynamics of Amazonian plants is necessary for predicting their long‐term survival. Most terrestrial plants are characterized by life cycles intractably slow for evaluating such demographic consequences. Due to the demands of surviving on an ephemeral substrate such as a leaf surface, epiphyllous (leaf‐inhabiting) bryophytes have some of the fastest generation times for terrestrial plants. Considering these advantages, we investigated the demographic consequences of seasonality in precipitation during one‐year of the epiphyllous bryophyte Radula flaccida Gott. (Radulaceae) in a central Amazonian rain forest. In a 1‐ha sized study area, 154 epiphyll colonies from 18 phorophytes of the understory shrub Naucleopsis ulei (Warb.) Ducke (Moraceae) were marked and colony growth, extinction, recolonization, as well as rates of sexual and asexual expression were measured in nine demographic censuses. The probability of survivorship decreased in the dry season due to the synergistic effects of both increased leaf fall (e.g., loss of occupied patches) and colony mortality on persisting leaves. Asexual expression also declined significantly during the driest months; however, sexual expression, as measured by sporophyte density, was not related to seasonality. Logistic regression probabilities also indicate a minimum threshold colony size for optimal sporophyte expression. Lower survivorship and colony growth in the dry season along with reduced sporophyte production in smaller colonies implies that both demographic stability as well as population structure of Amazonian epiphyll species may be compromised whether climate models projecting prolonged droughts for the region are accurate.
Effects of the Flooding Gradient on Tree Community Diversity in Várzea Forests of the Purus River, Central Amazon, Brazil
Authors: Luize Bruno G. , Silva Thiago S. F. , Wittmann Florian , Assis Rafael L. , Venticinque Eduardo M. 
Published: February 2015

AbstractAmazonian floodplain forests have remarkable variation in tree diversity and structure related to flood duration. We assessed how floodplain forests respond to the continuum flooding gradient and found that Fisher's α values vary up to seven times across the landscape.
Amphibians on Amazonian Land‐Bridge Islands are Affected More by Area Than Isolation
Authors: Lima Janaína R. , Galatti Ulisses , Lima Crisalda J. , Fáveri Sarita B. , Vasconcelos Heraldo L. , Neckel‐Oliveira Selvino 
Published: February 2015

AbstractRiver damming has created fragmented landscapes in parts of the Amazon basin. The resulting decrease in forest area could directly affect amphibian species if large areas of habitat are required to guarantee the presence of specific types of breeding sites. Here, we describe the anuran assemblages on islands created by damming of the Tocantins River twenty years ago in the eastern Amazon basin. We surveyed 10 undisturbed islands varying in size from 3 to 2140 ha and located at distances of up to 6.7 km from the margin of the reservoir. We identified 32 frog species, of which 15, 14, and 3 have aquatic, semiaquatic, and terrestrial development, respectively. The number of frog species increased significantly with island area but was not affected by island distance from the margin. Species with aquatic or semiaquatic development tended to be absent from the smaller islands, regardless of the degree of isolation from the mainland. These findings emphasize the need to preserve specific microhabitats on smaller land‐bridge islands to maintain amphibian diversity in reservoir environments.
Activation of AMP‐activated protein kinase by retinoic acid sensitizes hepatocellular carcinoma cells to apoptosis induced by sorafenib
Authors: Ishijima Naoki , Kanki Keita , Shimizu Hiroki , Shiota Goshi 
Published: February 2015

To improve the outcome of cancer chemotherapy, strategies to enhance the efficacy of anticancer drugs are required. Sorafenib is the only drug to prolong overall survival of the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, the outcome is still not satisfactory. Retinoids, vitamin A derivatives, have been known to exhibit inhibitory effects on various cancers including HCC. In this study, we investigated the effects of combined treatment using sorafenib and retinoids including all‐trans retinoic acid (ATRA), NIK‐333, and Am80 on HCC cells. Cell viability assays in six HCC cell lines, HepG2, PLC/PRF/5, HuH6, HLE, HLF, and Hep3B, revealed that 5 and 10 μM ATRA, concentrations that do not exert cytotoxic effects, enhanced the cytotoxicity of sorafenib, being much more effective than NIK‐333 and Am80. We found that ATRA induced AMP‐activated protein kinase activation, which was followed by reduced intracellular ATP level. Gene expression analysis revealed that ATRA decreased the expression of glycolytic genes such as GLUT‐1 and LDHA. In the combination treatment using ATRA and sorafenib, increased apoptosis, followed by the activation of p38 MAPK and JNK, the upregulation and translocation of Bax to mitochondria, and the activation of caspase‐3, was observed. Suppression of AMP‐activated protein kinase by siRNA restored the viability of the cells treated with ATRA and sorafenib. Our results thus indicate that ATRA is useful for enhancing the cytotoxicity of sorafenib against HCC cells by regulating the energy metabolism of HCC cells.
4‐Aminoquinoline Derivatives as Potential Antileishmanial Agents
Authors: Antinarelli Luciana M. R. , Dias Rafael M. P. , Souza Isabela O. , Lima Wallace P. , Gameiro Jacy , da Silva Adilson D. , Coimbra Elaine S. 
Published: February 2015

The leishmanicidal activity of a series of 4‐aminoquinoline (AMQ) derivatives was assayed against Leishmania amazonensis. This activity against the intracellular parasite was found stronger than for L. amazonensis promastigotes. Neither compound was cytotoxic against macrophages. The compound AMQ‐j, which exhibited a strong activity against promastigotes and amastigotes of L. amazonensis (IC50 values of 5.9 and 2.4 μg/mL, respectively) and similar leishmanicidal activity to reference drugs, was chosen for studies regarding its possible mechanism of action toward parasite death. The results showed that the compound AMQ‐j induced depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential in promastigotes and in L. amazonensis‐infected macrophages, but not in uninfected macrophages. Furthermore, the depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential was dose dependent in infected macrophages. We have established that promastigotes and L. amazonensis‐infected macrophages treated with AMQ‐j were submitted to oxidative stress. This is in line with the increase in the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Leishmania amazonensis‐infected macrophages treated with AMQ‐j did not show a significant increase in the production of nitric oxide. Our results indicate the effective and selective action of AMQ‐j against L. amazonensis, and its mechanism of action appears to be mediated by mitochondrial dysfunction associated with ROS production.
Developmental Differences in Memory During Early Childhood: Insights From Event‐Related Potentials
Authors: Riggins Tracy , Rollins Leslie 
Published: February 2015

Age‐related differences in behavioral and electrophysiological indices of memory were examined in 3‐ to 6‐year‐old children (N = 76). Behaviorally, no differences were observed in children's ability to identify old items; however, 3‐year‐old children were less accurate in correctly rejecting new items, and 3‐ and 4‐year‐old children recalled fewer contextual details compared to 5‐ and 6‐year‐old children. Age‐related differences in electrophysiological measures (800–1,000 ms after stimulus onset) were observed both to items recalled with contextual details, which increased between 3 and 4 years, and items recalled without contextual details, which were greatest in 5‐year‐old children, even after adjusting for global age‐related differences. These findings, interpreted within a dual‐process framework, may suggest changes in both recollection and familiarity processes during early childhood.
Maternal and paternal contribution to intergenerational psychosocial transmission of paan chewing
Authors: Madathil Sreenath A. , Rousseau Marie‐Claude , Allison Paul , Netuveli Gopalakrishnan , Humphris Gerald M. , Varghese Ipe , Shiraz Shameena , Castonguay Genevieve , Thekkepurakkal Akhil‐Soman , Shahul Hameed P. , Nicolau Belinda 
Published: February 2015

AbstractObjectivesPaan chewing is a recognized risk factor for oral cancer in the Asian population. However, there is currently little evidence about the intergenerational psychosocial transmission of paan chewing in South Indian families. We investigated the association between parental and participant's paan chewing in a South Indian population.MethodsA subset of data was drawn from a hospital‐based case–control study on oral cancer, the HeNCe Life study, conducted at Government Dental and Medical Colleges of Kozhikode, South India. Analyses were based on 371 noncancer control participants having diseases unrelated to known risk factors for oral cancer. Demographics, behavioral habits (e.g., paan chewing, smoking), and indicators of socioeconomic position (SEP) of both participants and their parents were collected with the use of a questionnaire‐based interview and a life grid technique. Unconditional logistic regression assessed odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the associations between parental and participant's paan chewing, adjusted for confounders.ResultsOver half of the participants were males (55.2%), and the mean age of participants was 59 (SD = 12) years. After adjusting for age, religion, parents’ SEP, parents’ education, smoking and alcohol consumption, and perceived parenting behavior, we observed that maternal paan chewing and paternal paan chewing were significantly associated with the participant's paan chewing ([OR = 2.40, 95% CI = 1.11–5.21] and [OR = 3.05, 95% CI = 1.48–6.27], respectively).ConclusionsIntergenerational psychosocial transmission of the habit of paan chewing could occur through shared sociocultural or environmental factors.
Low programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) expression in peripheral CD4+ T cells in Japanese patients with autoimmune type 1 diabetes
Authors: Fujisawa R , Haseda F , Tsutsumi C , Hiromine Y , Noso S , Kawabata Y , Mitsui S , Terasaki J , Ikegami H , Imagawa A , Hanafusa T 
Published: February 2015

Summary
Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) is a co-stimulatory molecule that inhibits T cell proliferation. We aimed to clarify PD-1 expression in CD4+ T cells and the association between PD-1 expression and the 7785C/T polymorphism of PDCD1, with a focus on the two subtypes of type 1 diabetes, type 1A diabetes (T1AD) and fulminant type 1 diabetes (FT1D), in the Japanese population. We examined 22 patients with T1AD, 15 with FT1D, 19 with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and 29 healthy control (HC) subjects. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and real-time PCR were utilized to analyse PD-1 expression quantitatively. Genotyping of 7785C/T in PDCD1 was performed using the TaqMan method in a total of 63 subjects (21 with T1AD, 15 with FT1D and 27 HC). FACS revealed a significant reduction in PD-1 expression in CD4+ T cells in patients with T1AD (mean: 4·2 vs. 6·0% in FT1D, P = 0·0450; vs. 5·8% in T2D, P = 0·0098; vs. 6·0% in HC, P = 0·0018). PD-1 mRNA expression in CD4+ T cells was also significantly lower in patients with T1AD than in the HC subjects. Of the 63 subjects, PD-1 expression was significantly lower in individuals with the 7785C/C genotype than in those with the C/T and T/T genotypes (mean: 4·1 vs. 5·9%, P = 0·0016). Our results indicate that lower PD-1 expression in CD4+ T-cells might contribute to the development of T1AD through T cell activation.