bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Meteorological conditions influence short‐term survival and dispersal in a reinforced bird population
Authors: Hardouin Loïc A. , Robert Alexandre , Nevoux Marie , Gimenez Olivier , Lacroix Frederic , Hingrat Yves 
Published: June 2014

SummaryA high immediate mortality rate of released animals is an important cause of translocation failure (‘release cost’). Post‐release dispersal (i.e. the movements from the release site to the first breeding site) has recently been identified as another source of local translocation failure. In spite of their potential effects on conservation program outcomes, little is known about the quantitative effects of these two sources of translocation failure and their interactions with environmental factors and management designs.Based on long‐term monitoring data of captive‐bred North African houbara bustardsChlamydotis undulata undulata(hereafter, houbara) over large spatial scales, we investigated the relative effects of release (e.g. release group size, period of release), individual (e.g. sex and body condition) and meteorological (e.g. temperature and rainfall) conditions on post‐release survival (n = 957 individuals) and dispersal (n = 436 individuals).We found that (i) rainfall and ambient air temperature had, respectively, a negative and a positive effect on houbara post‐release dispersal distance; (ii) in interaction with the release period, harsh meteorological conditions had negative impact on the survival of houbara; (iii) density‐dependent processes influenced the pattern of departure from the release site; and (iv) post‐release dispersal distance was male‐biased, as natal dispersal of wild birds (although the dispersal patterns and movements may be influenced by different processes in captive‐bred and in wild birds).Synthesis and applications. Our results demonstrate that post‐release dispersal and mortality costs in translocated species may be mediated by meteorological factors, which in turn can be buffered by the release method. As the consequences of translocation programs on population dynamics depend primarily upon release costs and colonization process, we suggest that their potential interactions with meteorological conditions must be carefully addressed in future programs (i) through monitoring of short‐term post‐release mortality to understand its link with environmental conditions, (ii) by carefully choosing the season of release to minimize exposition of inexperienced individuals to harsh conditions and (iii) by generalizing the use of long‐term weather forecast to adapt release effort and staggering releases over several years to buffer meteorological effects.
Do human activities influence survival and orientation abilities of larval fishes in the ocean?
Authors: SIEBECK Ulrike E. , O'CONNOR Jack , BRAUN Christoph , LEIS Jeffrey M. 
Published: June 2014

AbstractThe larval stages of most marine fishes spend days to weeks in the pelagic environment, where they must find food and avoid predators in order to survive. Some fish only spend part of their life history in the pelagic environment before returning to their adult habitat, for example, a coral reef. The sensory systems of larval fish develop rapidly during the first few days of their lives, and here we concentrate on the various sensory cues the fish have available to them for survival in the pelagic environment. We focus on the larvae of reef fishes because most is known about them. We also review the major threats caused by human activities that have been identified to have worldwide impact and evaluate how these threats may impact larval‐fish survival and orientation abilities. Many human activities negatively affect larval‐fish sensory systems or the cues the fish need to detect. Ultimately, this could lead to decreased numbers of larvae surviving to settlement, and, therefore, to decreased abundance of adult fishes. Although we focus on species wherein the larvae and adults occupy different habitats (pelagic and demersal, respectively), it is important to acknowledge that the potential anthropogenic effects we identify may also apply to larvae of species like tuna and herring, where both larvae and adults are pelagic.
Function of lateral line canal morphology
Authors: KLEIN Adrian , BLECKMANN Horst 
Published: June 2014

AbstractFish perceive water motions and pressure gradients with their lateral line. Lateral line information is used for prey detection, spatial orientation, predator avoidance, schooling behavior, intraspecific communication and station holding. The lateral line of most fishes consists of superficial neuromasts (SNs) and canal neuromasts (CNs). The distribution of SNs and CNs shows a high degree of variation among fishes. Researchers have speculated for decades about the functional significance of this diversity, often without any conclusive answers. Klein et al. () examined how tubules, pore number and pore patterns affect the filter properties of lateral line canals in a marine teleost, the black prickleback (Xiphister atropurpureus). A preliminary mathematical model was formulated and biomimetic sensors were built. For the present study the mathematical model was extended to understand the major underlying principle of how canal dimensions influence the filter properties of the lateral line. Both the extended mathematical model and the sensor experiments show that the number and distribution of pores determine the spatial filter properties of the lateral line. In an environment with little hydrodynamic noise, simple and complex lateral line canals have comparable response properties. However, if exposed to highly turbulent conditions, canals with numerous widely spaced pores increase the signal to noise ratio significantly.
Neural basis of the stress response in a pufferfish, Takifugu obscurus
Authors: WANG Xiaojie , ZHAO Shuang , LI Chao , LIU Xin , SONG Jiakun 
Published: June 2014

AbstractWhen faced with danger, pufferfish react with both a fast‐start escape response and inflation behavior. The neural basis of these stress responses in the pufferfish has not been described. The present study reveals that during inflation behavior, the buccal cavity expands and compresses as a pump to control the direction of water flow and draws water in and out. The inflation involves a series of major anatomical modifications of the head. The greatly enlarged first branchiostegal ray and its associated hyohyoideus abductor muscle are the key mechanisms responsible for this behavior. The nerve branch innervating the hyohyoideus abductor muscle is highly developed, and its central origin at the motor nucleus of the VIIth cranial nerve was revealed by tract‐tracing using the carbocyanine dye DiI. The central connections from its origin were found to be several motor nuclei in the medulla and the spinal cord, the nuclei of cranial nerve III and IV in the mesencephalon, and the pretectalis superficialis and periventricular preoptic nuclei in the diencephalon. Both the sympathetic cells and the parvocellular part of the periventricular preoptic nucleus might play a neuro‐endocrine role in the rapid movement of the buccal cavity during puffing behavior in this species of pufferfish. The central circuit revealed by this study is hypothesized to mediate the C‐start escape behavior and puffing behavior.
Effects of break crops, and of wheat volunteers growing in break crops or in set‐aside or conservation covers, all following crops of winter wheat, on the development of take‐all (Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici) in succeeding crops of winter wheat
Authors: Jenkyn J.F. , Gutteridge R.J. , White R.P. 
Published: June 2014

AbstractExperiments on the Rothamsted and Woburn Experimental Farms studied the effects on take‐all of different break crops and of set‐aside/conservation covers that interrupted sequences of winter wheat. There was no evidence for different effects on take‐all of the break crops per se but the presence of volunteers, in crops of oilseed rape, increased the amounts of take‐all in the following wheat. Severity of take‐all was closely related to the numbers of volunteers in the preceding break crops and covers, and was affected by the date of their destruction. Early destruction of set‐aside/conservation covers was usually effective in preventing damaging take‐all in the following wheat except, sometimes, when populations of volunteers were very large. The experiments were not designed to test the effects of sowing dates but different amounts of take‐all in the first wheats after breaks or covers apparently affected the severity of take‐all in the following (second) wheats only where the latter were relatively late sown. In earlier‐sown second wheats, take‐all was consistently severe and unrelated to the severity of the disease in the preceding (first) wheats. Results from two very simple experiments suggested that substituting set‐aside/conservation covers for winter wheat, for 1 year only, did not seriously interfere with the development of take‐all disease or with the development or maintenance of take‐all decline (TAD). With further research, it might be possible for growers wishing to exploit TAD to incorporate set‐aside/conservation covers into their cropping strategies, and especially to avoid the worst effects of the disease on grain yield during the early stages of epidemics.
Chronic hypoxia increases arterial blood pressure and reduces adenosine and ATP induced vasodilatation in skeletal muscle in healthy humans
Authors: Calbet J. A. L. , Boushel R. , Robach P. , Hellsten Y. , Saltin B. , Lundby C. 
Published: June 2014

AbstractAimsTo determine the role played by adenosine, ATP and chemoreflex activation on the regulation of vascular conductance in chronic hypoxia.MethodsThe vascular conductance response to low and high doses of adenosine and ATP was assessed in ten healthy men. Vasodilators were infused into the femoral artery at sea level and then after 8–12 days of residence at 4559 m above sea level. At sea level, the infusions were carried out while the subjects breathed room air, acute hypoxia (FIO2 = 0.11) and hyperoxia (FIO2 = 1); and at altitude (FIO2 = 0.21 and 1). Skeletal muscle P2Y2 receptor protein expression was determined in muscle biopsies after 4 weeks at 3454 m by Western blot.ResultsAt altitude, mean arterial blood pressure was 13% higher (91 ± 2 vs. 102 ± 3 mmHg, P < 0.05) than at sea level and was unaltered by hyperoxic breathing. Baseline leg vascular conductance was 25% lower at altitude than at sea level (P < 0.05). At altitude, the high doses of adenosine and ATP reduced mean arterial blood pressure by 9–12%, independently of FIO2. The change in vascular conductance in response to ATP was lower at altitude than at sea level by 24 and 38%, during the low and high ATP doses respectively (P < 0.05), and by 22% during the infusion with high adenosine doses. Hyperoxic breathing did not modify the response to vasodilators at sea level or at altitude. P2Y2 receptor expression remained unchanged with altitude residence.ConclusionsShort‐term residence at altitude increases arterial blood pressure and reduces the vasodilatory responses to adenosine and ATP.
Analysis of Adult Cerebral Cortex and Hippocampus Transcriptomes Reveals Unique Molecular Changes in the Ts1Cje Mouse Model of Down Syndrome
Authors: Guedj Faycal , Pennings Jeroen L. A. , Wick Heather C. , Bianchi Diana W. 
Published: June 2014

AbstractWe investigated gene expression and functional differences between Ts1Cje mice and wild‐type (WT) littermates in adult cerebral cortex and hippocampus. These two brain regions are affected in people with Down syndrome, but have not been previously molecularly characterized in Ts1Cje mice. Total RNA was prepared from the brains of 8–10‐week‐old Ts1Cje mice (n = 6) and WT littermates (n = 5) and hybridized to Affymetrix 1.0 ST gene mouse arrays. Differentially regulated genes were identified and used to perform in silico functional analyses to better characterize dysregulated pathways in both brain regions. Hippocampus had more significantly differentially expressed genes compared with cortex (30 vs. 7 at a Benjamini‐Hochberg false discovery rate of 20%). We identified novel genes that were differentially regulated in adult brains, including Cyb5r1, Fsbp, Vmn2r110, Snd1 and Zhx2. Functional analyses in Ts1Cje mice highlighted the importance of NFAT signaling, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and olfactory perception via G‐protein signaling. In a comparison of adult Ts1Cje and WT brains, we identified new genes and pathway differences in the cortex and hippocampus. Our analyses identified physiologically relevant pathways that can serve as targets for the development of future treatments to improve neurocognition in Down syndrome.
The ecology of the planktonic diatom Cyclotella and its implications for global environmental change studies
Authors: Saros J. E. , Anderson N. J. 
Published: June 2014

ABSTRACTThe fossil record of diatoms in lake sediments can be used to assess the effects of climate variability on lake ecosystems if ecological relationships between diatom community structure and environmental parameters are well understood. Cyclotella sensu lato taxa are a key group of diatoms that are frequently dominant members of phytoplankton communities in low‐ to moderate‐productivity lakes. Their relative abundances have fluctuated significantly in palaeolimnological records spanning over a century in arctic, alpine, boreal and temperate lakes. This suggests that these species are sensitive to environmental change and may serve as early indicators of ecosystem effects of global change. Yet patterns of change in Cyclotella species are not synchronous or unidirectional across, or even within, regions, raising the question of how to interpret these widespread changes in diatom community structure. We suggest that the path forward in resolving seemingly disparate records is to identify clearly the autecology of Cyclotella species, notably the role of nutrients, dissolved organic carbon and light, coupled with better consideration of both the mechanisms controlling lake thermal stratification processes and the resulting effects of changing lake thermal regimes on light and nutrients. Here we begin by reviewing the literature on the resource requirements of common Cyclotella taxa, illustrating that many studies reveal the importance of light, nitrogen, phosphorus, and interactions among these resources in controlling relative abundances. We then discuss how these resource requirements can be linked to shifts in limnological processes driven by environmental change, including climate‐driven change in lakewater temperature, thermal stratification and nutrient loading, as well as acidification‐driven shifts in nutrients and water clarity. We examine three case studies, each involving two lakes from the same region that have disparate trends in the relative abundances of the same species, and illustrate how the mechanisms by which these species abundances are changing can be deciphered. Ultimately, changes in resource availability and water clarity are key factors leading to shifts in Cyclotella abundances. Tighter integration of the autecology of this important group of diatoms with environmental change and subsequent alterations in limnological processes will improve interpretations of palaeolimnological records, and clarify the drivers of seemingly disparate patterns in fossil records showing widespread and rapid changes across the northern hemisphere.
Local architecture of the vastus intermedius is a better predictor of knee extension force than that of the other quadriceps femoris muscle heads
Authors: Ando Ryosuke , Saito Akira , Umemura Yoshihisa , Akima Hiroshi 
Published: June 2014

SummaryThe purpose of this study was to determine whether the muscle architecture of each head of the quadriceps femoris (QF) at multiple regions can be used to predict knee extension force. Muscle thickness and pennation angle were measured using sonographic images from multiple regions on each muscle of the QF with the knee flexed to 90°. The fascicle lengths of the rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL) and vastus intermedius (VI) muscles were estimated based on sonographic images taken along the length of the thigh. The muscle architecture of the vastus intermedius was determined in two separate locations using sonographic images of the anterior (ant‐VI) and lateral portions (lat‐VI). The maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) was measured during isometric knee extension at a knee joint angle of 90°. The relationship between MVC force and muscle architecture was examined using a stepwise linear regression analysis with MVC force as the dependent variable. The muscle thickness of the ant‐VI was selected as an independent variable in the first step of the linear regression analysis (R2 = 0·66, P<0·01). In the second step, pennation angle of the lat‐VI was added to the model (R2 = 0·91, P<0·01). These results suggest that among the four muscles that make up the QF, the muscle architecture of the VI is the best predictor of knee extension force.
Split distance: a key landscape metric shaping amphibian populations and communities in forest fragments
Authors: Lion Marília Bruzzi , Garda Adrian Antonio , Fonseca Carlos Roberto 
Published: June 2014

AbstractAimHabitat split isolates forest fragments where terrestrial adults of many amphibian species live from aquatic‐breeding sites where their larvae develop, causing population declines and shifts in community structure. In contrast to most fragmentation theoretical frameworks which point to the relevance of fragment area and isolation, a recent theoretical model predicts that split distance, defined as the shortest distance between a forest fragment edge and the nearby stream, should affect negatively the abundance and occurrence probability of populations in forest fragments and, consequently, their total abundance and species richness. The model further predicts that the quality of the matrix between the two habitats, called split matrix, will modulate such responses. Here, we provide the first test of these theoretical predictions.LocationAtlantic Forest, Brazil.MethodsSplit distance was estimated for all fragments of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, a highly disturbed biodiversity hotspot. Then, we selected 23 forest fragments, within a 1166‐km2 landscape, in a design that insured orthogonality between split distance (0–2000 m) and fragment size (1.7–30 ha). Split matrix quality (SMQ) and proximity, a measure of the availability of forest around the focal fragment, were estimated and controlled for in the analyses. Using multiple regression analyses with control for spatial autocorrelation, and AIC multimodel inference, we evaluated the relative importance of split distance, SMQ, fragment size and proximity to determine amphibian community and population attributes.ResultsMost Atlantic Forest fragments were affected by habitat split. Consistent with the theoretical predictions, species richness, abundance and the occurrence probability of many species declined with split distance and increased with SMQ, even when controlling for fragment size and isolation.Main conclusionsSplit distance can be used as a surrogate for conservation value of forest fragments for aquatic‐breeding amphibians in landscape planning and restoration enterprises.
The Controversy Over Controversies: A Plea for Flexibility and for “Soft‐Directive” Teaching
Authors: Warnick Bryan R. , Spencer Smith D. 
Published: June 2014

AbstractA controversy rages over the question of how should controversial topics be taught. Recent work has advanced the “epistemic criterion” as the resolution to this controversy. According to the epistemic criterion, a matter should be taught as controversial when contrary views can be entertained on the matter without the views being contrary to reason. When an issue is noncontroversial, according to the epistemic criterion, the correct position can be taught “directively,” with the teacher endorsing that position. When there is a legitimate controversy, the view should be taught “nondirectively,” with the teacher remaining neutral. In response, Bryan Warnick and Spencer Smith argue that the proponents of the epistemic criterion fail to recognize the multidimensional nature of what it means to learn to be rational. Recognizing this complexity undermines the link between the epistemic status of the controversy and directiveness of one's teaching, suggesting more flexibility in how teachers approach controversial issues. It also implies the need for a new category of teaching, which Warnick and Smith call “soft‐directive” teaching.
The local strain energy density approach applied to pre‐stressed components subjected to cyclic load
Authors: Ferro P. 
Published: June 2014

ABSTRACTAhead of sharp V‐notches, residual stresses, arising from the solidification of a fusion zone, have the same asymptotic nature of the stress field induced by mechanical loads. This stress field significantly affects the engineering properties of structural components, notably fatigue life and corrosion resistance of welded joints. Tensile residual stresses can reduce the fatigue strength of welded joints particularly in the high‐cycle regime, where no stress redistribution due to local plasticity phenomena is expected to be present. The aim of this work is to analyse, by means of the numerical simulation, the residual stress redistribution near a V‐notch tip induced by cyclic loads and to propose a method, based on the local strain energy approach, for the fatigue resistance estimation of pre‐stressed components. The numerical solutions of the problem were carried out under the hypothesis of generalized plane strain conditions by means of SYSWELD and SYSTUS codes.
Factors influencing root canal retreatment strategies by general practitioners and specialists in Australia
Authors: Wenteler G. L. , Sathorn C. , Parashos P. 
Published: June 2014

AbstractAimTo evaluate the effect of tooth radiographic features on root canal retreatment strategies used by general dental practitioners and dental specialists in Australia.MethodsA descriptive survey study comprising a web‐based questionnaire was sent to general dental practitioners and specialists. The questionnaire diagrammatically represented six different clinical scenarios with variables including type of coronal restoration, quality of root filling and the size and presence of a periapical radiolucency. Treatment options included no treatment, orthograde retreatment, periapical surgery and replacement with an implant. For each of the six scenarios, the participant was asked to select a minimum size cut‐off point where treatment would be initiated and also indicate the preferred treatment option.ResultsA total of 639 questionnaires were submitted online. In teeth without a cast core restoration, the quality of root filling influenced the selection of no treatment as an option (P < 0.001). The presence of a cast post/core restoration influenced both the treatment cut‐off point and treatment option, with more practitioners selecting larger lesions as cut‐off points (P < 0.001) and more treatment options involving both implant placement (P < 0.001) and periapical surgery (P < 0.001). With more complex treatment planning (i.e. cast post/core restorations and inadequate root filling), general practitioners proposed implant placement more readily compared with specialists (P < 0.001).ConclusionsGeneral practitioners and specialists vary their root canal retreatment strategies according to quality of root filling and type of coronal restoration. Whilst all clinical scenarios could be managed by contemporary endodontic techniques, teeth were still treatment planned for extraction and replacement with an implant. This may be due to the fact that implants are heavily marketed by the dental industry and with more stringent outcome criteria applied to the assessment of root canal treatment compared with implant placement, evidence‐based decision‐making may be distorted. Future emphasis should be placed on changing practitioners' attitudes towards the retention of salvageable teeth by contemporary endodontic measures.