bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dichorionic triplet pregnancies: risk of miscarriage and severe preterm delivery with fetal reduction versus expectant management. Outcomes of a cohort study and systematic review
Authors: Morlando M , Ferrara L , D'Antonio F , Lawin‐O'Brien A , Sankaran S , Pasupathy D , Khalil A , Papageorghiou A , Kyle P , Lees C , Thilaganathan B , Bhide A 
Published: April 2015

BackgroundIn trichorionic pregnancies, fetal reduction from three to two lowers the risk of severe preterm delivery, but provides no advantage in survival. Similar data for dichorionic triamniotic (DCTA) triplets is not readily available.ObjectivesTo document the natural history of DCTA triplets and the effect of reduction on the risk of miscarriage and severe preterm delivery, compared with expectant management.Search strategySystematic search on MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library.Selection criteriaDCTA triplets with three live fetuses at 8–14 weeks of gestation, outcome data with expectant management and/or reduction, miscarriage before 24 weeks of gestation and/or severe preterm delivery before 32–33 weeks of gestation.Data collection and analysisFive studies were included. Data from these were combined with data from three centres.Main resultsThere were 331 DCTA triplets. The miscarriage rate was 8.9% (95% CI 5.8–13.3%) and the severe preterm delivery rate was 33.3% (95% CI 27.5–39.7%), with expectant management. The miscarriage rate was 14.5% (95% CI 7.6–26.2%) with a reduction of the monochorionic pair, 8.8% (95% CI 3.0–23.0%) with a reduction of one fetus of the monochorionic pair, and 23.5% (9.6–47.3%) with a reduction of the fetus with a separate placenta. Severe preterm delivery rates were 5.5% (95% CI 1.9–14‐9%), 11.8% (95% CI 4.7–26.6%), and 17.6% (95% CI 6.2–41.0%), respectively.ConclusionsIn DCTA triplets, expectant management is a reasonable choice when the top priority is a liveborn infant. Where the priority is to minimise severe preterm delivery, the most advisable option is fetal reduction. Further studies are needed to clarify which particular technique is advisable to optimise the outcome.
Deviant early pregnancy maternal triglyceride levels and increased risk of congenital anomalies: a prospective community‐based cohort study
Authors: Nederlof M , de Walle HEK , van Poppel MNM , Vrijkotte TGM , Gademan MGJ 
Published: April 2015

ObjectiveThe maternal lipid profile could be of importance in congenital anomaly development. This study therefore investigates whether the maternal lipid profile during early pregnancy is associated with major nonsyndromic congenital anomalies (MNCA).DesignProspective community‐based cohort study.SettingAmsterdam Born Children and their Development (ABCD) study.PopulationA cohort of 3074 pregnant women recruited in 2003–2004 and their offspring.MethodsNon‐fasting blood samples from pregnant women participating in the ABCD‐study (median 12.9 weeks of gestation) were analysed for triglycerides (TG), cholesterol (TC), free fatty acids (FFA), apolipoprotein B (ApoB), and apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA) (n = 3074). The perinatal outcome (MNCA) was obtained from the Youth Health Care Registration and two questionnaires. Adjustment was made for ethnicity.Main outcome measureMNCA prevalence.ResultsThe prevalence of MNCA was 2.2% (n = 68: 20 cardiovascular, 25 bone and muscle, and 23 other single anomalies). A nonlinear association was found between maternal TG levels and MNCA prevalence. With a lower or higher level of maternal TG, the estimated probability increased: a TG level of 0.73 mmol/l (5th percentile), of 1.28 mmol/l (50th percentile), and of 2.35 mmol/l (95th percentile) corresponded with an estimated probability of 3.6, 2.1, and 2.9%, respectively. Unadjusted subgroup analyses showed that the U‐shaped association was most prominent for cardiovascular congenital anomalies. Other lipids were not associated with MNCA.ConclusionsBoth low and high maternal TG levels during early pregnancy were associated with an increased risk of MNCA in offspring. This suggests that an attempt should be made to normalise TG levels before or during early pregnancy; however, replication of our results is necessary before clinical practice recommendations can be made.Tweetable abstractBoth low and high maternal TG levels during early pregnancy were associated with an increased risk of MNCA in offspring. This suggests that an attempt should be made to normalise TG levels before or during early pregnancy; however, replication of our results is necessary before clinical practice recommendations can be made.
Maternal and neonatal outcomes after implementation of a hospital policy to limit low‐risk planned caesarean deliveries before 39 weeks of gestation: an interrupted time‐series analysis
Authors: Hutcheon JA , Strumpf EC , Harper S , Giesbrecht E 
Published: April 2015

ObjectiveTo evaluate the extent to which implementing a hospital policy to limit planned caesarean deliveries before 39 weeks of gestation improved neonatal health, maternal health, and healthcare costs.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingBritish Columbia Women's Hospital, Vancouver, Canada, in the period 2005–2012.PopulationWomen with a low‐risk planned repeat caesarean delivery.MethodsAn interrupted time series design was used to evaluate the policy to limit planned caesarean deliveries before 39 weeks of gestation, introduced on 1 April 2008.Main outcome measuresComposite adverse neonatal health outcome (respiratory morbidity, 5‐minute Apgar score of <7, neonatal intensive care unit admission, mortality), postpartum haemorrhage, obstetrical wound infection, out‐of‐hour deliveries, length of stay, and healthcare costs.ResultsBetween 2005 and 2008, 60% (1204/2021) of low‐risk planned caesarean deliveries were performed before 39 weeks of gestation. After the introduction of the policy, the proportion of planned caesareans dropped by 20 percentage points (adjusted risk difference of 20 fewer cases per 100 deliveries; 95% CI −25.8, −14.3) to 41% (1033/2518). The policy had no detectable impact on adverse neonatal outcomes (2.2 excess cases per 100; 95% CI −0.4, 4.8), maternal complications, or healthcare costs, but increased the risk of out‐of‐hours delivery from 16.2 to 21.1% (adjusted risk difference 6.3 per 100; 95% CI 1.6, 10.9).ConclusionsWe found little evidence that a hospital policy to limit planned caesareans before 39 weeks of gestation reduced adverse neonatal outcomes. Hospital administrators intending to introduce such policies should anticipate, and plan for, modest increases in out‐of‐hours and emergency‐timing.Tweetable abstractImplementing a policy to limit planned caesareans before 39 weeks of gestation did not improve newborn health.
Two novel sodium channel mutations associated with resistance to indoxacarb and metaflumizone in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella
Authors: Wang Xing‐Liang , Su Wen , Zhang Jian‐Heng , Yang Yi‐Hua , Dong Ke , Wu Yi‐Dong 
Published: April 2015

AbstractIndoxacarb and metaflumizone belong to a relatively new class of sodium channel blocker insecticides (SCBIs). Due to intensive use of indoxacarb, field‐evolved indoxacarb resistance has been reported in several lepidopteran pests, including the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella, a serious pest of cruciferous crops. In particular, the BY12 population of P. xylostella, collected from Baiyun, Guangdong Province of China in 2012, was 750‐fold more resistant to indoxacarb and 70‐fold more resistant to metaflumizone compared with the susceptible Roth strain. Comparison of complementary DNA sequences encoding the sodium channel genes of Roth and BY12 revealed two point mutations (F1845Y and V1848I) in the sixth segment of domain IV of the PxNav protein in the BY population. Both mutations are located within a highly conserved sequence region that is predicted to be involved in the binding sites of local anesthetics and SCBIs based on mammalian sodium channels. A significant correlation was observed among 10 field‐collected populations between the mutant allele (Y1845 or I1848) frequencies (1.7% to 52.5%) and resistance levels to both indoxacarb (34‐ to 870‐fold) and metaflumizone (1‐ to 70‐fold). The two mutations were never found to co‐exist in the same allele of PxNav, suggesting that they arose independently. This is the first time that sodium channel mutations have been associated with high levels of resistance to SCBIs. F1845Y and V1848I are molecular markers for resistance monitoring in the diamondback moth and possibly other insect pest species.
A Review of the United States' Past and Projected Water Use
Authors: Perrone Debra , Hornberger George , van Vliet Oscar , van der Velde Marijn 
Published: April 2015

AbstractGood information and data on water demands are needed to perform good analyses, yet collecting and compiling spatially and temporally consistent water demand data are challenges. The objective of our work was to understand the limitations associated with water‐use estimates and projections. We performed a comprehensive literature review of national and regional United States (U.S.) water‐use estimates and projections. We explored trends in past regional projections of freshwater withdrawals and compared these values to regional estimates of freshwater withdrawals made by the U.S. Geological Survey. Our results suggest a suite of limitations exist that have the potential for influencing analyses aiming to extract explanatory variables from the data or using the data to make projections and forecasts. As we explored regional projections, we paid special attention to the two largest water demand‐side sectors — thermoelectric energy and irrigation — and found thermoelectric projections are more spread out than irrigation projections. All data related to water use have limitations, and there is no alternative to making the best use that we can of the available data; our article provides a comprehensive review of these limitations so that water managers can be more informed.
Magnetic resonance angiography or digital subtraction catheter angiography for follow‐up of coiled aneurysms: Do we need both?
Authors: Lane Annah , Vivian Philip , Coulthard Alan 
Published: April 2015

AbstractIntroductionEndovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms is now common. Digital subtraction catheter angiography (DSA) is the gold standard for imaging follow‐up of coiled intracranial aneurysms; however, it is an invasive procedure with a risk of complications. Time‐of‐flight magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is an alternative non‐invasive imaging method. In a previous study, we found that MRA at 1.5T was comparable to DSA for detection of aneurysm recurrence in this patient group and subsequently added MRA to the routine follow‐up protocol. In the current study, we further compare MRA with DSA to determine whether MRA could safely replace DSA.MethodsPatients who had endovascular coiling procedure for intracranial aneurysm from 10/2004 to 6/2010 were identified from our database. A radiologist and a radiology registrar compared MRA and DSA for all patients who received both modalities. DSA was considered as the reference technique. ‘Agreement’ or ‘disagreement’ between modalities was noted regarding absence or presence of aneurysm recurrence.ResultsThe study group comprised 86 treatments of 80 aneurysms in 73 patients. There were 83/86 agreements between modalities and 3 disagreements. In one case, MRA identified a recurrence that was not seen on the corresponding DSA. In two cases, DSA showed a minor recurrence that was not seen on MRA.ConclusionOf the two MRA ‘misses’, neither would have resulted in different management. MRA is a safe and accurate modality for follow‐up of coiled aneurysms and can replace DSA.
Analysis of plant gene expression during passion fruit–Xanthomonas axonopodisinteraction implicates lipoxygenase 2 in host defence
Authors: Munhoz C.F. , Santos A.A. , Arenhart R.A. , Santini L. , Monteiro‐Vitorello C.B. , Vieira M.L.C. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractPassiflora edulisis the major species of passionflowers grown worldwide, mainly for juice production and fresh fruit, in climates ranging from cool subtropical (purple variety) to warm tropical (yellow variety). The bacterial leaf spot, caused byXanthomonas axonopodispv.passiflorae(Xap) can be a serious disease affecting passion fruit production in commercial orchards, particularly under moist field conditions. In this study we describe a first analysis of host gene expression in this pathosystem. We used suppression subtractive hybridization to construct twocDNAlibraries enriched for transcripts induced and repressed byXap, respectively, 24 h post inoculation with a highly virulent strain. High‐quality sequences were obtained resulting in 998 unisequences that were used for annotation. In accordance withBLASTXresults performed byBlast2GOtool, 86.7% of the unisequences showed similarity to other plant species' proteins related to different functional categories. Sixty‐three transcripts were similar toArabidopsis thalianadefence‐related proteins identified in thePLAZAplatform.In silicopredicted protein–protein interactions were detected on the basis of theSTRINGdatabase for 35 of the 63 defence‐related proteins. At this early stage of interaction, a set of genes was selected fromBlast2GOcategorization results and analysed by quantitative PCR (qPCR). The expression profiles changed in response to the pathogen for 76% of these genes (48/63) and the differences in expression ratios ranged from 0.51‐fold to 1.83‐fold. In later stages of interactions (5 and 9 days post inoculation) when disease‐associated symptoms were visible,qPCRanalyses were performed for 14 genes selected from both libraries. The expression profiles of all genes were found to be changed by the pathogen. The gene that responded most strongly to the pathogen attack encodes a lipoxygenase 2. In inoculated plants, its expression was induced 500‐fold and 300‐fold, 5 and 9 dpi, respectively, compared to controls, suggesting an important role of this gene in passion fruit defence. Moreover, we showed that most of the genes involved in well‐known pathogen recognition signalling pathways were repressed byXapand this lends support to the idea that the jasmonic acid signalling pathway fails to be activated during the first hours of interaction.
An investigation of the short‐ and long‐run relations between executive cash bonus payments and firm financial performance: a pitch
Authors: Beaumont Stacey J. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThis letter is a discussion of the application of the pitch template developed by Faff (2015) to a financial accounting research topic. The pitch template focuses ideas into key areas, giving clear and concise direction in planning and structuring the research idea. In this instance, the template is used in a nonlinear manner to develop a research proposal to investigate the relation between cash bonus payments and firm financial performance.
Knowledge of campaign finance regulation reduces perceptions of corruption
Authors: Avkiran Necmi K. , Kanol Direnç K. , Oliver Barry 
Published: April 2015

AbstractWe use an experimental survey design to measure how campaign finance regulation influences perceptions of political corruption and trust in politicians when citizens are exposed to information about regulation. Unlike most observational studies, results of this experimental study suggest that knowledge of campaign finance regulation substantially reduces citizens’ perceptions of corruption but has only limited effect on trust in politicians. Findings have crucial implications for public policy. At a time when public cynicism about politics is high, a significant reduction in perceptions of political corruption through successful dissemination of campaign finance regulation would be a boost to the legitimacy of democracies.
A randomised controlled trial of radial artery cannulation guided by Doppler vs palpation vs ultrasound
Authors: Ueda K. , Bayman E. O. , Johnson C. , Odum N. J. , Lee J. JY. 
Published: April 2015

SummaryWe randomly allocated 749 participants to radial artery cannulation by anaesthetic trainees, guided by Doppler (244), palpation (256) or ultrasound (249). Ultrasound increased the rate of cannulation at the first attempt by 14% (95% CI 5–22%), from 39% with Doppler or palpation, p = 0.002 for both. There were no differences in the rates of cannulation 5 min after the procedure started: 147/244 (60%) with Doppler; 160/256 (63%) with palpation; and 171/249 (69%) with ultrasound, p = 0.13.
Social learning through a REDD+ ‘village agreement’: Insights from the KFCP in Indonesia
Authors: Mulyani Mari , Jepson Paul 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThis paper examines the process for establishing a ‘village agreement’ using the Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership (KFCP) as a case study. REDD+ is designed as a ‘performance‐based’ mechanism and requires a contractual agreement between the parties involved. Since its implementation will affect the life of forest‐dependent communities, it is vital that villagers have sufficient ability to negotiate their interests during the agreement process. This paper investigates the degree of ‘social learning’ essential for developing actors' capacity to negotiate rules and interests with outsiders involved in the agreement process (between KFCP and the seven villages involved) and how this meshes with notions of ‘participation’. It found that while ‘social learning’ occurred as a result of the well‐designed participatory process conducted by KFCP, villagers' ability to secure their interests was influenced by a learning experience accumulated from their previous engagement with several development/conservation projects. This finding contributes to literature by emphasising how historical context plays a significant role in the success of present learning and the efficacy or otherwise of a contractual agreement. Therefore historical aspects should be taken into account in site selection and the design of future REDD+ projects.
Bayesian nonlinear model selection for gene regulatory networks
Authors: Ni Yang , Stingo Francesco C. , Baladandayuthapani Veerabhadran 
Published: April 2015

SummaryGene regulatory networks represent the regulatory relationships between genes and their products and are important for exploring and defining the underlying biological processes of cellular systems. We develop a novel framework to recover the structure of nonlinear gene regulatory networks using semiparametric spline‐based directed acyclic graphical models. Our use of splines allows the model to have both flexibility in capturing nonlinear dependencies as well as control of overfitting via shrinkage, using mixed model representations of penalized splines. We propose a novel discrete mixture prior on the smoothing parameter of the splines that allows for simultaneous selection of both linear and nonlinear functional relationships as well as inducing sparsity in the edge selection. Using simulation studies, we demonstrate the superior performance of our methods in comparison with several existing approaches in terms of network reconstruction and functional selection. We apply our methods to a gene expression dataset in glioblastoma multiforme, which reveals several interesting and biologically relevant nonlinear relationships.
Children's judgements of social withdrawal behaviours
Authors: Watling Dawn 
Published: April 2015

Ding et al. (Brit. J. Dev. Psychol., 2015; 33, 159–173) demonstrated that Chinese children discriminate between the three subtypes of social withdrawal: Shyness, unsociability, and social avoidance. This commentary on the Ding et al.'s paper highlights the need to further explore the following: (1) children's understanding of the implications of being shy, unsociable, or socially avoidant, including assessing these which we know are associated with outcomes for socially withdrawn children; (2) what additional subtypes might exist naturally within the Chinese culture; and (3) consider the implications of social withdrawal on children's developing social skills.
A digital badging dataset focused on performance, engagement and behavior‐related variables from observations in web‐based university courses
Authors: McDaniel Rudy , Fanfarelli Joseph R. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThis dataset contains participant data related to the use of badging (achievement) feedback in pedagogical design. Two sections each of web‐based graphic design and web design undergraduate courses were offered at the University of Central Florida. A badging system for achievements was included in one section of each. Performance, engagement and behavior‐related data were collected. The dataset comprises complete data from 44 undergraduate students. This paper includes a justification for data collection, methodology and preexisting usage of the data. It also discusses limitations of the dataset.
A molecular characterization of the agonist binding site of a nematode cys‐loop GABA receptor
Authors: Kaji Mark D , Kwaka Ariel , Callanan Micah K , Nusrat Humza , Desaulniers Jean‐Paul , Forrester Sean G 
Published: April 2015

Background and PurposeCys‐loop GABA receptors represent important targets for human chemotherapeutics and insecticides and are potential targets for novel anthelmintics (nematicides). However, compared with insect and mammalian receptors, little is known regarding the pharmacological characteristics of nematode Cys‐loop GABA receptors. Here we have investigated the agonist binding site of the Cys‐loop GABA receptor UNC‐49 (Hco‐UNC‐49) from the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus.Experimental ApproachWe used two‐electrode voltage‐clamp electrophysiology to measure channel activation by classical GABA receptor agonists on Hco‐UNC‐49 expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, along with site‐directed mutagenesis and in silico homology modelling.Key ResultsThe sulphonated molecules P4S and taurine had no effect on Hco‐UNC‐49. Other classical Cys‐loop GABAA receptor agonists tested on the Hco‐UNC‐49B/C heteromeric channel had a rank order efficacy of GABA > trans‐4‐aminocrotonic acid > isoguvacine > imidazole‐4‐acetic acid (IMA) > (R)‐(−)‐4‐amino‐3‐hydroxybutyric acid [R(−)‐GABOB] > (S)‐(+)‐4‐amino‐3‐hydroxybutyric acid [S(+)‐GABOB] > guanidinoacetic acid > isonipecotic acid > 5‐aminovaleric acid (DAVA) (partial agonist) > β‐alanine (partial agonist). In silico ligand docking revealed some variation in binding between agonists. Mutagenesis of a key serine residue in binding loop C to threonine had minimal effects on GABA and IMA but significantly increased the maximal response to DAVA and decreased twofold the EC50 for R(−)‐ and S(+)‐GABOB.Conclusions and ImplicationsThe pharmacological profile of Hco‐UNC‐49 differed from that of vertebrate Cys‐loop GABA receptors and insect resistance to dieldrin receptors, suggesting differences in the agonist binding pocket. These findings could be exploited to develop new drugs that specifically target GABA receptors of parasitic nematodes.