bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
High sensitivity and specificity of a new functional flow cytometry assay for clinically significant heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia antibodies
Authors: Garritsen H. S. , Probst‐Kepper M. , Legath N. , Eberl W. , Samaniego S. , Woudenberg J. , Schuitemaker J. H. N. , Kroll H. , Gurney D. A. , Moore G. W. , Zehnder J. L. 
Published: August 2013

SummaryIntroductionHeparin‐induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a life‐threatening condition, in which the anticoagulant heparin, platelet factor 4 (PF4), and platelet‐activating antibodies form complexes with prothrombotic properties. Laboratory tests to support clinical diagnosis are subdivided into functional, platelet activation assays, which lack standardization, or immunological assays, which have moderate specificity toward HIT.In this study, clinical performance of HITAlert, a novel in vitro diagnostic (IVD) registered platelet activation assay, was tested in a large cohort of HIT‐suspected patients and compared with immunological assays.MethodsFrom 346 HIT‐suspected patients (single center), clinical data including 4T pretest probability results, citrated platelet‐poor plasmas, and sera were collected, allowing direct comparison of clinical observations with HITAlert results. HITAlert performance was compared with PF4 IgG ELISA (246 patients, three centers) and PF4 PaGIA (298 patients, single center).ResultsHITAlert showed high sensitivity (88.2%) and specificity (99.1%) when compared with clinical diagnosis. Agreement of HITAlert with PF4 ELISA‐ and PF4 PaGIA‐positive patients is low (52.7 and 23.2%, respectively), while agreement with PF4 IgG ELISA‐ and PF4 PaGIA‐negative patients is very high (98.1 and 99.1%, respectively).ConclusionHITAlert performance is excellent when compared with clinical HIT diagnosis, making it a suitable assay for rapid testing of platelet activation due to anticoagulant therapy.
Development and Integration of a Groundwater Simulation Model to an Open Geographic Information System
Authors: Almeida C.N. , Roehrig J. , Wendland E. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThis study presents the implementation of a spatial decision support system (SDSS) named ARENA. The program has been developed based on object‐oriented concepts using the Java programming language. The SDSS is made up of a groundwater simulation tool coupled to an open geographic information system (open GIS). Both the open GIS and groundwater simulation package share common spatial and nonspatial entities during the modeling process. A dedicated interface provides direct access to the GIS data without the need of external files. The finite element method is used to solve the partial differential equation that governs groundwater flow. The system implementation is presented by depicting the main classes and coupling procedures. A study case demonstrates the applicability of the simulation tool.
Physiological regulation in infants of women with a mood disorder: examining associations with maternal symptoms and stress
Authors: Johnson Katrina C. , Brennan Patricia A. , Stowe Zachary N. , Leibenluft Ellen , Newport D. Jeffrey 
Published: August 2013

BackgroundThe offspring of mothers with mood disorders may evidence increased behavioral problems as early as preschool; however, no study to date has examined psychophysiological characteristics during infancy, particularly among offspring of mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Elucidating psychobiological mechanisms of risk early in development is critical to inform prevention and early intervention efforts.MethodThis study compared physiological and behavioral responsivity in 6‐month‐old infants (N = 329) of mothers with lifetime histories of bipolar disorder (BD, n = 44), major depressive disorder (MDD, n = 244), or no history of Axis I disorders (CTL, n = 41). Infant respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was measured in a laboratory stressor paradigm. Measures of infant affect and behavior during mother–infant interaction, current maternal depressive symptoms, and exposure to stressful life events were examined with respect to diagnostic group and RSA.ResultsGroups did not differ in baseline RSA or infant affect measures. However, during the stressor task, infants of mothers with BD evidenced increases in RSA, while infants of MDD and CTL mothers evidenced decreases in RSA. Though levels of postnatal stress and current levels of maternal depressive symptoms differed among groups, neither of these factors predicted infant psychophysiological responses.ConclusionsAt 6 months of age, infants of mothers with BD show differences in psychophysiological regulation. These differences cannot be accounted for by perinatal outcome, current maternal depressive symptoms, or exposure to stressful life events, and thus may reflect endophenotypic markers of psychopathological risk.
Inbreeding depression in an insect with maternal care: influences of family interactions, life stage and offspring sex
Authors: Meunier J. , Kölliker M. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractAlthough inbreeding is commonly known to depress individual fitness, the severity of inbreeding depression varies considerably across species. Among the factors contributing to this variation, family interactions, life stage and sex of offspring have been proposed, but their joint influence on inbreeding depression remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that these three factors jointly shape inbreeding depression in the European earwig,Forficula auricularia. Using a series of cross‐breeding, split‐clutch and brood size manipulation experiments conducted over two generations, we first showed that sib mating (leading to inbred offspring) did not influence the reproductive success of earwig parents. Second, the presence of tending mothers and the strength of sibling competition (i.e. brood size) did not influence the expression of inbreeding depression in the inbred offspring. By contrast, our results revealed that inbreeding dramatically depressed the reproductive success of inbred adult male offspring, but only had little effect on the reproductive success of inbred adult female offspring. Overall, this study demonstrates limited effects of family interactions on inbreeding depression in this species and emphasizes the importance of disentangling effects of sib mating early and late during development to better understand the evolution of mating systems and population dynamics.
Cross‐generational effects of temperature on flight performance, and associated life‐history traits in an insect
Authors: Ferrer A. , Dorn S. , Mazzi D. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractNongenetic parental effects may affect offspring phenotype, and in species with multiple generations per year, these effects may cause life‐history traits to vary over the season. We investigated the effects of parental, offspring developmental and offspring adult temperatures on a suite of life‐history traits in the globally invasive agricultural pestGrapholita molesta. A low parental temperature resulted in female offspring that developed faster at low developmental temperature compared with females whose parents were reared at high temperature. Furthermore, females whose parents were reared at low temperature were heavier and more fecund and had better flight abilities than females whose parents were reared at high temperature. In addition to these cross‐generational effects, females developed at low temperature had similar flight abilities at low and high ambient temperatures, whereas females developed at high temperature had poorer flight abilities at low than at high ambient temperature. Our findings demonstrate a pronounced benefit of low parental temperature on offspring performance, as well as between‐ and within‐generation effects of acclimation to low temperature. In cooler environments, the offspring generation is expected to develop more rapidly than the parental generation and to comprise more fecund and more dispersive females. By producing phenotypes that are adaptive to the conditions inducing them as well as heritable, cross‐generational plasticity can influence the evolutionary trajectory of populations. The potential for short‐term acclimation to low temperature may allow expanding insect populations to better cope with novel environments and may help to explain the spread and establishment of invasive species.
Weak impact of fine‐scale landscape heterogeneity on evolutionary potential in Arabidopsis lyrata
Authors: Paccard A. , Vance M. , Willi Y. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractMicrohabitat heterogeneity can lead to fine‐scale local adaptation when gene flow is restricted, which may be important for the maintenance of genetic variation within populations. This study tested whether microhabitat heterogeneity was associated with trait differences in a population of Arabidopsis lyrata and studied its impact on the genetic variance–covariance (G) matrix. Maternal seed families were collected from dune tops and bottoms, two microhabitats known to vary significantly in water availability. In a common garden experiment, replicate individuals per family were raised under wet and dry conditions, and physiological, morphological and life‐history traits were assessed. Plants from the two microenvironments differed in their response to treatment in two performance components, in stomata density and most strongly in flowering time. Under wet conditions, plants originating from dune bottoms flowered 4 weeks earlier than those from dune tops. Only one of three G‐matrix comparisons revealed that habitat heterogeneity and evolutionary potential were positively linked. The number of independent trait dimensions was larger in the entire population than within subpopulations separated by microhabitat under wet conditions. However, the size of the G‐matrix was no larger in the entire population than within subpopulations separated by microhabitat, and trait correlation structure between microhabitats and treatments was not significantly different. These results indicate that fine‐scale habitat heterogeneity likely led to local adaptation, which weakly affected levels of across‐trait genetic variation.
Genetic variation underlies temperature tolerance of embryos in the sea urchinHeliocidaris erythrogramma armigera
Authors: Lymbery R. A. , Evans J. P. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractOcean warming can alter natural selection on marine systems, and in many cases, the long‐term persistence of affected populations will depend on genetic adaptation. In this study, we assess the potential for adaptation in the sea urchinHeliocidaris erythrogramma armigera, anAustralian endemic, that is experiencing unprecedented increases in ocean temperatures. We used a factorial breeding design to assess the level of heritable variation in larval hatching success at two temperatures. Fertilized eggs from each full‐sibling family were tested at 22 °C (current spawning temperature) and 25 °C (upper limit of predicted warming this century). Hatching success was significantly lower at higher temperatures, confirming that ocean warming is likely to exert selection on this life‐history stage. Our analyses revealed significant additive genetic variance and genotype‐by‐environment interactions underlying hatching success. Consistent with prior work, we detected significant nonadditive (sire‐by‐dam) variance in hatching success, but additionally found that these interactions were modified by temperature. Although these findings suggest the potential for genetic adaptation, any evolutionary responses are likely to be influenced (and possibly constrained) by complex genotype‐by‐environment and sire‐by‐dam interactions and will additionally depend on patterns of genetic covariation with other fitness traits.
Alternative polyadenylation and miR‐34 family members regulate tau expression
Authors: Dickson John R. , Kruse Carla , Montagna Daniel R. , Finsen Bente , Wolfe Michael S. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractTau pathologically aggregates in Alzheimer's disease, and evidence suggests that reducing tau expression may be safe and beneficial for the prevention or treatment of this disease. We sought to examine the role of the 3′‐untranslated region (3′‐UTR) of human tau mRNA in regulating tau expression. Tau expresses two 3′‐UTR isoforms, long and short, as a result of alternative polyadenylation. Using luciferase reporter constructs, we found that expression from these isoforms is differentially controlled in human neuroblastoma cell lines M17D and SH‐SY5Y. Several microRNAs were computationally identified as candidates that might bind the long, but not short, tau 3′‐UTR isoform. A hit from a screen of candidates, miR‐34a, was subsequently shown to repress the expression of endogenous tau protein in M17D cells. Conversely, inhibition of endogenously expressed miR‐34 family members leads to increased endogenous tau expression. In addition, through an unbiased screen of fragments of the human tau 3′‐UTR using a luciferase reporter assay, we identified several other regions in the long tau 3′‐UTR isoform that contain regulatory cis‐elements. Improved understanding of the regulation of tau expression by its 3′‐UTR may ultimately lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies.
imagemRNA 3'‐untranslated regions (3'‐UTR) often regulate transcript stability or translation. Despite the centrality of the tau protein in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, the human tau 3'‐UTR has been little studied. This report identifies regions of the tau 3'‐UTR that influence expression and shows that microRNA (miR)‐34a targets this 3'‐UTR to lower expression, which is considered an important therapeutic goal.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: A MICROECONOMIC REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Authors: Schmitz Jan , Schrader Jan 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThis paper provides a review of the theoretical and empirical literature on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Depending on whether an individual can be considered as selfish, or whether she has also social preferences, motives for CSR, can be explained in different ways. Furthermore, we explicitly highlight the influence of different Corporate Governance System on CSR as well as the relationship between firms' size and social commitment. Because it is difficult to distinguish between different theories in empirical studies, we argue that an experimental approach might be suitable to test theories of CSR.
Linking Childhood Maltreatment With Girls' Internalizing Symptoms: Early Puberty as a Tipping Point
Authors: Mendle Jane , Leve Leslie D. , Van Ryzin Mark , Natsuaki Misaki N. 
Published: August 2013

Earlier physical maturation may often be preceded by a range of adversities and life stressors. This study investigates childhood maltreatment, internalizing symptoms, and pubertal timing in girls residing in foster care (N = 100, M = 11.54 years old at Time 1). Girls were assessed at two time points 2 years apart. There were no direct effects of maltreatment on internalizing symptoms; rather, childhood sexual abuse predicted earlier pubertal development which, in turn, was associated with higher levels of internalizing symptoms concurrently and longitudinally. This distinctive role for early pubertal timing suggests that the heightened sexual circumstances of puberty may be especially disturbing for girls whose lives have already been disrupted by inappropriate and unwanted sexual experiences.
Calvin's Reformation in Geneva: Self and Social Signalling
Authors: LEVY GILAT , RAZIN RONNY 
Published: August 2013

AbstractAs Weber () recognized, Calvinistic beliefs about predestination may constitute a powerful incentive for good works; an individual wishes to receive assurances about her future prospects of salvation, and good works may provide a positive signal about such prospects. These beliefs can in turn create a social pressure to behave well, as good works can also signal to others that individuals belong to the “elect” and are therefore likely to behave well in social interactions. Moreover, the Consistory, an institution created by Calvin to monitor and publicize individuals' behavior, can allow for such social signalling. We analyze these self and social signalling incentives, and show how religions affect levels of cooperation and coordination.
Estimating paleoenvironments using ecological niche models of nearest living relatives: A case study of Eocene Aesculus L.
Authors: HARRIS AJ , PAPEŞ Monica , GAO Yun‐Dong , WATSON Linda 
Published: August 2013

AbstractPast climates experienced by fossil plant species have often been inferred based on the environmental requirements of their evolutionarily nearest living relatives (NLR). Here we have combined paleoclimatic estimation using NLRs with ecolological niche modeling (ENM) and have demonstrated the combined approach by inferring the Eocene environment of Aesculus L. (Hippocastanoideae, Sapindaceae), a genus of woody eudicots with extant species generally preferring temperate climates. Specifically, we applied ENM‐NLR to four Eocene floras in which Aesculus fossils are known to occur: McAbee and Princeton (British Columbia), Republic (Washington State), and Spitsbergen (European Arctic Circle). Additionally, we used ENM‐NLR to estimate whether paleoenvironmental conditions were suitable for Aesculus at a fifth flora, Copper Basin (Nevada), where the fossil record of the genus is less clear. We generated models for all NLRs in Genetic Algorithm for Rule Set Production using georeferenced data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and Bioclim environmental parameters. For each fossil flora, the best models of individual NLRs were summarized into composite community models, which were taken to represent climatically analogous modern communities and used to infer the paleoclimates of the fossil localities. Our results are generally consistent with previous studies that used other methods to estimate paleoclimates and suggest that McAbee, Princeton, Republic, and Spitsbergen had temperate environments. For the Copper Basin flora, our results show ranges of environmental variables that may be too broad for predicting whether Aesculus was present. Our study appears to be the first to combine the NLR approach and ENM to infer paleoclimates.
Association of Dilated Cardiomyopathy with the Striatin Mutation Genotype in Boxer Dogs
Authors: Meurs K.M. , Stern J.A. , Sisson D.D. , Kittleson M.D. , Cunningham S.M. , Ames M.K. , Atkins C.E. , DeFrancesco T. , Hodge T.E. , Keene B.W. , Reina Doreste Y. , Leuthy M. , Motsinger‐Reif A.A. , Tou S.P. 
Published: August 2013

BackgroundMyocardial disease in the Boxer dog is characterized by 1 of 2 clinical presentations, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) characterized by ventricular systolic dysfunction, dilatation and tachyarrhythmias, and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) characterized by ventricular tachyarrhythmias, syncope, and sudden death. BoxerARVChas been associated with a deletion in the striatin gene in some families.Hypothesis/ObjectivesWe hypothesized that both presentations represent a single disease, and the development ofDCMin the Boxer is associated with the striatin deletion.AnimalsThirty‐three adult Boxer dogs withDCM, 29 adult Boxer dogs with the striatin deletion andARVC, and 16 Boxers without cardiac disease.MethodsDNAsamples were evaluated for the striatin deletion. Association of the deletion with theDCMphenotype was tested by a Fisher's exact test.T‐tests were used to evaluate potential differences between the positive heterozygous and positive homozygous groups withDCMwith regard to age,LVIDD,LVIDS, andFS%.ResultsThirty of 33 dogs withDCMwere positive for the striatin deletion. The striatin mutation and the homozygous genotype were strongly associated with theDCMphenotype (P < .001 andP = .005). There was no statistical difference between the heterozygous and homozygous groups with regard to age and echocardiographic measurements.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceThis study demonstrates an association betweenDCMin the Boxer dog and the striatin mutation, particularly with the homozygous genotype. The observation that 3/33 dogs developedDCMand lacked the striatin mutation suggests that there is at least 1 other cause ofDCMin the Boxer dog.
The Effect of an Oral Probiotic Containing Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Bacillus Species on the Vaginal Microbiota of Spayed Female Dogs
Authors: Hutchins R.G. , Bailey C.S. , Jacob M.E. , Harris T.L. , Wood M.W. , Saker K.E. , Vaden S.L. 
Published: August 2013

BackgroundRecurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) are often difficult to treat. Vaginal colonization with lactic acid‐producing bacteria (LAB) is associated with reduced frequency of recurrent UTIs in women. Oral probiotics might help increase the prevalence of vaginal LAB and decrease the frequency of recurrent UTIs in dogs.HypothesisAdministration of an oral probiotic supplement containing Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Bacillus species will increase the prevalence of LAB in the vagina of dogs.AnimalsThirty‐five healthy, spayed female dogs without history of recurrent UTIs.MethodsProspective, controlled study. Enrolled dogs received an oral probiotic supplement for 14 or 28 days. A vaginal tract culture was obtained from each dog before and after oral probiotic administration. Twenty‐three dogs received the oral probiotic supplement daily for a period of 14 days and 12 dogs received the oral probiotic supplement daily for a period of 28 days.ResultsLactic acid‐producing bacteria were isolated from 7 of 35 dogs prior to probiotic administration. After the treatment course, 6 of 35 dogs had LAB isolated. Only one of these dogs had LAB (Enterococcus canintestini) isolated for the first time. Enterococcus canintestini was the most common LAB isolated from all dogs in this study, although it was not included in the probiotic supplement.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceLactic acid‐producing bacteria are not a common isolate from the vaginal vault of dogs. Administration of this oral probiotic supplement for a 2‐ or 4‐week period did not increase the prevalence of vaginal LAB in dogs.
Diagnostic Utility of D‐Dimer Concentrations in Dogs with Pulmonary Embolism
Authors: Epstein S.E. , Hopper K. , Mellema M.S. , Johnson L.R. 
Published: August 2013

BackgroundPulmonary embolism (PE) is a complication of systemic disease in dogs. Antemortem diagnosis is challenging because of the lack of a confirmatory test.ObjectivesTo retrospectively determine the diagnostic utility of D‐dimer concentrations in dogs with necropsy‐confirmed PE.AnimalsTen dogs with PE confirmed at necropsy that had D‐dimer concentrations measured and 10 control dogs with D‐dimer concentrations available that lacked PE on necropsy.MethodsThe computerized medical record database was searched for dogs with necropsy‐confirmed PE that had D‐dimer concentrations measured at that visit. An age‐, sex‐, and breed‐matched control group was identified. Signalment, location of PE, and coagulation profiles were collected. Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV), and positive predictive value (PPV) were calculated using a D‐dimer concentration of 250 ng/mL.ResultsCoagulation profiles were not different between dogs with and without PE. Using 250 ng/mL as a cut‐off D‐dimer concentration, the sensitivity and specificity were 80 and 30%, respectively, for the diagnosis of PE. The NPV and PPV were 60 and 53.0%, respectively. D‐dimer concentration <103 ng/mL had 100% sensitivity for ruling out PE and no value was 100% specific.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceD‐dimer concentrations <250 ng/mL have a high sensitivity for the absence of PE, but PE still can occur in dogs with a normal D‐dimer concentration. Increased D‐dimer concentrations are not specific for PE.