bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
No evidence for nuclear introgression despite complete mtDNA replacement in the Carpathian newt (Lissotriton montandoni)
Authors: Zieliński P. , Nadachowska‐Brzyska K. , Wielstra B. , Szkotak R. , Covaciu‐Marcov S. D. , Cogălniceanu D. , Babik W. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractPatterns of interspecific introgression may vary geographically, and the distribution of introgressed variants can yield insight into the historical dynamics of genetic interactions between hybridizing species. Urodele amphibians, often characterized by limited mobility, deep intraspecific genetic structuring and vulnerability to climatic changes, constitute suitable models for such historical inferences. Here, we combine an extensive survey of the mitochondrial (mtDNA) and nuclear (15 microsatellites) genomes in the Carpathian newt, Lissotriton montandoni (Lm) with species distribution modelling (SDM). Populations of the smooth newt, L. vulgaris (Lv) from the areas surrounding the Lm range were also sampled to test whether gene flow between these hybridizing species extends beyond the area of strict syntopy. The extent of introgression differs dramatically between the mitochondrial genome and the nuclear genome. While multiple, spatially and temporally distinct introgression events from Lv resulted in complete mtDNA replacement in Lm, there was little evidence of recent interspecific nuclear gene flow in the assayed markers. Microsatellite differentiation within Lm defines three units, probably derived from separate glacial refugia, located in the northern, eastern and southern part of the Carpathians. In situ survival and range fragmentation of Lm are supported by SDM, corroborating the role of the Carpathians as a major refugial area. Our results, in combination with previous reports of extensive introgression of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes, emphasize the complexity of historical gene exchange between Lm and Lv.
Reconstructing paternal genotypes to infer patterns of sperm storage and sexual selection in the hawksbill turtle
Authors: Phillips Karl P. , Jorgensen Tove H. , Jolliffe Kevin G. , Jolliffe San‐Marie , Henwood Jock , Richardson David S. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractPostcopulatory sperm storage can serve a range of functions, including ensuring fertility, allowing delayed fertilization and facilitating sexual selection. Sperm storage is likely to be particularly important in wide‐ranging animals with low population densities, but its prevalence and importance in such taxa, and its role in promoting sexual selection, are poorly known. Here, we use a powerful microsatellite array and paternal genotype reconstruction to assess the prevalence of sperm storage and test sexual selection hypotheses of genetic biases to paternity in one such species, the critically endangered hawksbill turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata. In the majority of females (90.7%, N = 43), all offspring were sired by a single male. In the few cases of multiple paternity (9.3%), two males fertilized each female. Importantly, the identity and proportional fertilization success of males were consistent across all sequential nests laid by individual females over the breeding season (up to five nests over 75 days). No males were identified as having fertilized more than one female, suggesting that a large number of males are available to females. No evidence for biases to paternity based on heterozygosity or relatedness was found. These results indicate that female hawksbill turtles are predominantly monogamous within a season, store sperm for the duration of the nesting season and do not re‐mate between nests. Furthermore, females do not appear to be using sperm storage to facilitate sexual selection. Consequently, the primary value of storing sperm in marine turtles may be to uncouple mating and fertilization in time and avoid costly re‐mating.
H2A.Z and H2B.Z double‐variant nucleosomes define intergenic regions and dynamically occupy var gene promoters in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Petter Michaela , Selvarajah Shamista A. , Lee Chin Chin , Chin Wai Hoe , Gupta Archna P. , Bozdech Zbynek , Brown Graham V. , Duffy Michael F. 
Published: February 2013

SummaryHistone variants are important components of eukaryotic chromatin and can alter chromatin structure to confer specialized functions. H2B variant histones are rare in nature but have evolved independently in the phyla Apicomplexa and Trypanasomatida. Here, we investigate the apicomplexan‐specific Plasmodium falciparum histone variant Pf H2B.Z and show that within nucleosomes Pf H2B.Z dimerizes with the H2A variant Pf H2A.Z and that Pf H2B.Z and Pf H2A.Z occupancy correlates in the subset of genes examined. These double‐variant nucleosomes also carry common markers of euchromatin like H3K4me3 and histone acetylation. Pf H2B.Z levels are elevated in intergenic regions across the genome, except in the var multigene family, where Pf H2A.Z/Pf H2B.Z double‐variant nucleosomes are only enriched in the promoter of the single active var copy and this enrichment is developmentally regulated. Importantly, this pattern seems to be specific for var genes and does not apply to other heterochromatic gene families involved in red blood cell invasion which are also subject to clonal expression. Thus, Pf H2A.Z/Pf H2B.Z double‐variant nucleosomes appear to have a highly specific function in the regulation of P. falciparum virulence.
The development of a foliar fungal pathogen does react to leaf temperature!
Authors: Bernard Frédéric , Sache Ivan , Suffert Frédéric , Chelle Michaël 
Published: February 2013

Summary

The thermal performance curve is an ecological concept relating the phenotype of organisms and temperature. It requires characterization of the leaf temperature for foliar fungal pathogens. Epidemiologists, however, use air temperature to assess the impacts of temperature on such pathogens. Leaf temperature can differ greatly from air temperature, either in controlled or field conditions. This leads to a misunderstanding of such impacts.

Experiments were carried out in controlled conditions on adult wheat plants to characterize the response of Mycosphaerella graminicola to a wide range of leaf temperatures. Three fungal isolates were used. Lesion development was assessed twice a week, whereas the temperature of each leaf was monitored continuously.

Leaf temperature had an impact on disease dynamics. The latent period of M. graminicola was related to leaf temperature by a quadratic relationship. The establishment of thermal performance curves demonstrated differences among isolates as well as among leaf layers.

For the first time, the thermal performance curve of a foliar fungal pathogen has been established using leaf temperature. The experimental setup we propose is applicable, and efficient, for other foliar fungal pathogens. Results have shown the necessity of such an approach, when studying the acclimatization of foliar fungal pathogens.
Aegilops tauschii single nucleotide polymorphisms shed light on the origins of wheat D‐genome genetic diversity and pinpoint the geographic origin of hexaploid wheat
Authors: Wang Jirui , Luo Ming‐Cheng , Chen Zhongxu , You Frank M. , Wei Yuming , Zheng Youliang , Dvorak Jan 
Published: February 2013

Summary

Hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum, genomes AABBDD) originated by hybridization of tetraploid Triticum turgidum (genomes AABB) with Aegilops tauschii (genomes DD). Genetic relationships between A. tauschii and the wheat D genome are of central importance for the understanding of wheat origin and subsequent evolution.

Genetic relationships among 477 A. tauschii and wheat accessions were studied with the A. tauschii 10K Infinium single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array.

Aegilops tauschii consists of two lineages (designated 1 and 2) having little genetic contact. Each lineage consists of two closely related sublineages. A population within lineage 2 in the southwestern and southern Caspian appears to be the main source of the wheat D genome. Lineage 1 contributed as little as 0.8% of the wheat D genome. Triticum aestivum is subdivided into the western and Far Eastern populations. The Far Eastern population conserved the genetic make‐up of the nascent T. aestivum more than the western population. In wheat, diversity is high in chromosomes 1D and 2D and it correlates in all wheat D‐genome and A. tauschii chromosomes with recombination rates.

Gene flow from A. tauschii was an important source of wheat genetic diversity and shaped its distribution along the D‐genome chromosomes.
Differences in Clinical and Echocardiographic Parameters between Paroxysmal and Persistent Atrial Flutter in the AURUM 8 Study: Targets for Prevention of Persistent Arrhythmia?
Authors: LICKFETT LARS , MITTMANN‐BRAUN ERICA , WEISS CHRISTIAN , SPENCKER SEBASTIAN , JUNG WERNER , HAVERKAMP WILHELM , WILLEMS STEPHAN , DENEKE THOMAS , KAUTZNER JOSEF , WIEDEMANN MICHAEL , SIEBELS JÜRGEN , PITSCHNER HEINZ F. , HOFFMANN ELLEN , HINDRICKS GERD , ZABEL MARKUS , VESTER ERNST , SCHWACKE HARALD , LEYEN JOHANNES V. , MEWIS CHRISTIAN , BAUER WOLFGANG , LEWALTER THORSTEN 
Published: February 2013

PurposeCavotricuspid isthmus‐dependent atrial flutter (AFL) can occur in a paroxysmal or persistent pattern. The aim of this study was to identify clinical, echocardiographic, and electrophysiological risk factors independently associated with persistence of AFL.MethodsPatients of the recently published AURUM 8 study with paroxysmal versus persistent AFL were compared with respect to clinical and echocardiographic baseline characteristics as well as procedural parameters. The AURUM 8 study is a randomized, multicenter clinical trial comparing the efficacy and safety of gold versus platinum‐iridium 8‐mm‐tip ablation. AFL was paroxysmal in 218 patients and persistent in 210 patients.ResultsUnivariate analysis revealed that patients with persistent AFL had higher New York Heart Association class (P = 0.002), shorter time since 1st AFL episode (median 0.18 vs 0.34, P = 0.037), a higher prevalence of previous coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (17% vs 9%, P = 0.02), left ventricular hypertrophy (17% vs 8%, P = 0.005), dyspnea during AFL (P < 0.001), mitral regurgitation (P = 0.002), tricuspid regurgitation (P = 0.049), and pulmonary hypertension (P = 0.01). Palpitations during AFL were less frequent in patients with persistent AFL (P = 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that age, weight, AFL diagnosis after initiation of class IC or III antiarrhythmic drugs for atrial fibrillation, history of left ventricular hypertrophy, dyspnea during AFL and mitral regurgitation on echocardiography were significant independent variables associated with persistent AFL. A history of atrial fibrillation and palpitations during AFL were independently associated with paroxysmal AFL.ConclusionsWe were able to identify clinical and echocardiographic risk factors associated with persistence of typical AFL. Treatment of these risk factors can potentially not only prevent the transition from paroxysmal to persistent AFL, but maybe also the development or initiation of AFL in general.
Effects of SEA0400 on Arrhythmogenicity in a Langendorff‐Perfused 1‐Month Myocardial Infarction Rabbit Model
Authors: CHOU CHUNG‐CHUAN , CHANG PO‐CHENG , WEN MING‐SHIEN , LEE HUI‐LING , CHU YEN , BABA AKEMICHI , MATSUDA TOSHIO , YEH SAN‐JOU , WU DELON 
Published: February 2013

BackgroundThe effects of SEA0400, a Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) blocker, on dynamic factors and arrhythmogenic alternans in 1‐month myocardial infarction (MI) hearts remain unknown.MethodsSimultaneous voltage and intracellular Ca2+ (Cai) optical mapping was performed in 12 rabbit hearts with MI for 1 month and six normal rabbit hearts as control. Western‐blot studies were performed in both groups in an additional six hearts for each. Action potential duration (APD) restitution was constructed and arrhythmogenic alternans was induced by dynamic pacing. SEA0400 (0.03, 3 μM) was administered after baseline studies.ResultsSEA0400 suppressed pacing‐induced ventricular premature beats in a concentration‐dependent manner. SEA0400 at 0.03 μM steepened APD restitution slopes and enhanced spatially discordant alternans (SDA), which became insignificant at 3 μM. The VF inducibility was seven of nine at baseline, nine of nine at 0.03 μM SEA0400, and five of nine at 3 μM SEA0400 (P = NS). Significant upregulation of NCX in the remote but not periinfarct zone and less degree downregulation of DHP1α in the remote versus periinfarct zone may play a role in enhancing SDA induction by SEA0400 in 1‐month MI hearts.ConclusionsIn 1‐month MI hearts, SEA0400 suppresses pacing‐induced ventricular premature beats, but also is proarrhythmic by steepening APD restitution and enhancing SDA via NCX inhibition. Heterogeneous upregulation of NCX and downregulation of DHP1α may contribute to SDA augmentation by SEA0400 in this model. The insignificant effect of SEA0400 on VF inducibility suggests that suppression of both reentry and triggered activity is required to suppress VF induction in this model.
Pediatric allergy and immunology in Israel
Authors: Geller‐Bernstein Carmi , Etzioni Amos 
Published: February 2013

AbstractAfter the geographic and sociodemographic settings as well as the health care in Israel are briefly described, the scope of pediatric allergy and immunology in Israel is presented. This includes specific disorders commonly encountered, the environment that induces symptoms, the specialists who treat them, and the common challenges of patients, parents, doctors, and allied health personnel who collaborate to manage the maladies and patient care. Allergies usually affect some overall 15–20% of the pediatric population. The main allergens are inhaled, ingested, or injected (insects stings). Generally, the incidence of the various allergens affecting children in Israel, is similar to other parts of the Western world. Owing to the high consanguinity rate in the Israeli population, the prevalence of the various immunodeficiency conditions (in the adaptive as well as the innate system) is higher than that reported worldwide. Pediatric allergists/immunologists also treat autoimmune disorders affecting the pediatric group. Pediatric allergy and clinical immunology are not separate specialties. The 25 specialists who treat children with allergic/immunologic diseases have undergone a basic training in Pediatrics. They also received an additional 2‐yr training in allergy and clinical immunology and then have to pass the board examinations. They work mainly in pediatric allergy units, in several hospitals that are affiliated to the five medical schools in the country. Aside from clinical work, most of the centers are also heavily involved in clinical and basic research in allergy and immunology.
The Social Significance of Human Biomonitoring
Authors: Washburn Rachel 
Published: February 2013

AbstractOver the past few decades, developments in analytical chemistry have made it possible to measure low‐level chemical exposures in human fluids and tissues through a process called human biomonitoring. Recent biomonitoring data suggest that humans are exposed to a wide variety of naturally occurring and synthetic environmental chemicals ranging from pesticides and plasticizers to flame‐retardants. These data have provoked new questions about the safety of many environmental chemicals and the adequacy of environmental regulations. Biomonitoring has also attracted the attention of social scientists and scholars in the humanities, resulting in a small but growing body of literature that examines the social impacts of this technique in the contexts of environmental advocacy and environmental justice efforts, chemical regulation and toxic torts, and studies that provide research participants with personal exposure data. Some work also addresses how biomonitoring data are reshaping notions of the body and its ties to historic and contemporary economic and political processes. This paper shows that while there is agreement that biomonitoring data provide novel information about the relationships between bodies and environments, there is debate about the extent to which this information will be used to advance environmental justice and the adoption of more precautionary chemical policies.
Flexicurity: A New Paradigm for the Analysis of Labor Markets and Policies Challenging the Trade‐Off Between Flexibility and Security
Authors: Muffels Ruud , Wilthagen Ton 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThe aim of the article is to discuss the concept of flexicurity presented as a new paradigm for analyzing modern labor markets (analytical perspective) and as a metaphor for policies striving for a better balance between flexibility and security (normative perspective). The purpose is to clarify these analytical and normative meanings of the flexicurity concept from a theoretical and empirical perspective. Flexicurity has been a policy strategy since 2005/2006 endorsed by the European Commission and put on top of the political agenda for the European Employment Strategy and EU 2020, the 10‐year strategy of the EU. We briefly sketch the tenets of the flexicurity approach by discussing the main issues in the European academic and policy debate. We subsequently present empirical evidence based on the definition of dynamic outcome indicators for assessing the performance of 26 countries in the EU in balancing flexibility and security. The findings challenge the conventionally presumed trade‐off between flexibility and security.
Subordinating Myth: Latino/a Immigration, Crime, and Exclusion
Authors: Longazel Jamie 
Published: February 2013

AbstractRhetoric about “crime‐prone immigrants” has contributed to increased enforcement of the U.S.‐Mexico border, the passage of punitive immigration laws, and state and local efforts to make life difficult for new arrivals. Yet scholarly research refutes the notion that immigrants commit more crime. How do we explain this glaring contradiction? By reviewing recent research on immigration, crime, and social control in the context of racial stratification, this article describes the criminalization of Latino/a immigrants in the U.S. as asubordinating myth; that is, a falsity used as part of a larger effort to misallocate material, political, and cultural resources. Four ways in which the criminalization of immigrants contributes to racial exclusion are discussed: the profiting from immigration detention; the political scapegoating of racialized immigrants; the degrading of racialized bodies in enforcement efforts; and the literal control of exploitable populations. The article concludes with a call to develop further our understanding of the relationship between immigration and crime from this critical perspective in order tosubordinate the mythof immigrant criminality.
Region, Social Identities, and Disclosure Practices as Predictors of Heterosexist Discrimination Against Sexual Minorities in the United States
Authors: Swank Eric , Fahs Breanne , Frost David M. 
Published: February 2013

Exposure to heterosexist discrimination may vary by a person's place of residency. Utilizing a minority stress perspective, an online survey of self‐identified lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals (n = 285) examined whether rural and small town inhabitants experienced greater exposure to six types of enacted stigma. After comparing the frequency of enacted stigma by community type, findings demonstrated that rural LGBs reported experiencing more homophobic statements, property damage, and employment discrimination than urban LGBs. Small town LGBs also encountered additional amounts of housing discrimination and were more often chased by strangers compared with urban sexual minorities. Finally, disclosure practices and hierarchies based on race and social class also influenced exposure to discrimination. The importance of spatial factors often intensified when respondents disclosed their sexual identity more publicly. When exploring racial and class differences, affluent sexual minorities experienced less employment discrimination and white sexual minorities were less likely to experience several forms of heterosexist events (especially being punched and kicked).
Anterior uveal spindle cell tumor in a blue‐eyed mixed‐breed dog
Authors: Olbertz Letícia , Langohr Ingeborg , Werner Juliana , Pessoa Lenita , Kiupel Matti , Agnew Dalen , Montiani‐Ferreira Fabiano 
Published: February 2013

AbstractA female, eight‐year‐old, mixed‐breed blue‐eyed dog was presented for ophthalmic evaluation because its left eye had “changed color” one year previously. The before left eye was enucleated and submitted for evaluation. Histopathological analysis revealed an invasive neoplastic mass effacing most of the ventral aspect of the iris stroma. A diagnosis of an anterior uveal spindle cell tumor was made. Immunohistochemical results were strongly suggestive of a schwannoma, but some smooth muscle differentiation was also observed. Two and a half years after therapeutic enucleation there was no evidence of neoplasm recurrence or metastasis.
Integration of hydrological and habitat simulation methods to define minimum environmental flows at the basin scale
Authors: Peñas Francisco Jesús , Juanes José Antonio , Álvarez‐Cabria Mario , Álvarez Cesar , García Andrés , Puente Araceli , Barquín Jose 
Published: February 2013

AbstractNew environmental policies establish the need to maintain the ecological integrity of freshwater ecosystems. The hydrologic regime is a key element in determining river processes and therefore the definition of environmental flow regimes (EFR) is essential to achieve this goal. The EFR can be broadly defined as the water required to sustain freshwater and estuarine ecosystems, and the human livelihood that depend on these ecosystems. Nevertheless, the role of the EFR and the methods to calculate them has not been clearly stated in many countries. This paper sets out a procedure to calculate EFRs, which includes not only a minimum flow, but also a temporal variability of this flow. The procedure integrates the results of hydrologic and habitat simulation methods in a temporal scale that takes into consideration the natural hydrologic seasonality while providing a certain level of flexibility to regulate water resources still meeting the requirements of the Spanish Water Planning legislation. The results highlighted the advantages of using different methodological approaches to calculate EFRs. Therefore, this study concludes the validity of a relatively simple hydrologic method for defining minimum environmental flows at a period of maximum hydrologic stress, but also the need to consider different approaches to take into account as many ecosystem elements as possible.
Spatiotemporal variations in euphotic depth and their correlation with influencing factors in a tributary of the Three Gorges Reservoir
Authors: Zhou Hong , Fang Fang , Li Zhe , Guo Jing‐song , de Koning Jaap , van der Graaf J. H. J. M. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractAfter the initial impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), most of its tributaries have been influenced because of the backwater and the input of nutrients. The spatiotemporal variability in euphotic depth and its major influencing factors were investigated in the Xiaojiang River Basin of the TGR to reveal this change. Analyses were based on the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and water quality indices in five sampling sites of the Xiaojiang River from May 2007 to April 2009. Results showed only slight spatial variation in the average euphotic depth while significant temporal variation was taken place. Moreover, correlation analysis indicated that the diffuse attenuation coefficients for PAR (Kd(PAR)) was significantly correlated to the total suspended solids (TSS) (R2 = 0.6794), but not to chlorophyll‐a (Chl‐a) (R2 = 0.045). The unique hydrological conditions of the TGR might be the determinants of the spatiotemporal variability.