bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Environmental conditions conducive to anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) spawning in the Adriatic Sea
Authors: ZORICA BARBARA , VILIBIĆ IVICA , KEČ VANJA ČIKEŠ , ŠEPIĆ JADRANKA 
Published: November 2012

AbstractThe goal of this paper is to investigate the relationship between environmental variables and the occurrence of anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) spawning over a year, in order to enable the timing and strength of high spawning activity to be predicted. Biological sampling of anchovy was conducted on the fishing grounds of the eastern Adriatic (the northernmost semi‐enclosed basin in the Mediterranean) on a monthly basis from January 1999 to December 2010, while data on environmental parameters were taken from in situ measurements at the most representative and best surveyed eastern Adriatic hydrographic station and from I‐COADS monthly surface fields. Anchovy spawning seasonality was defined by monthly changes of the maturity stages and the gonadosomatic index. Fluctuations of the gonadosomatic index revealed that spawning begins in March and lasts until September, with reproductive activity peaking from April to July. A significant correlation was found between the gonadosomatic index and upper layer salinity in the two preceding months, while the lagged wind‐mixing index and surface temperature are barely correlated to the gonadosomatic index. An enhanced input of nutrient‐rich freshwater of river origin, which reduces upper layer salinity and enhances primary production up to 2 months before anchovy spawning, seems to be correlated with the anchovy fertility, especially for a late spawning maximum (in July).
Broad_scale, dense amphipod tube aggregations on the sea bed: implications for resource species that utilize benthic habitats
Authors: VITALIANO JOSEPH , PACKER DAVID , REID ROBERT , GUIDA VINCENT 
Published: November 2012

AbstractDuring a research cruise to Georges Bank in 1999 to study the areas closed to fishing, broad areas of the sea floor (3000_km2) were found to have a high percentage cover of emergent invertebrate tubes. Most of these tubes were attributable to the tubicolous epifaunal amphipod, Ericthonius rubricornis. Our data show the spatial extent that dense clumps of amphipod tubes could cover the sea floor on Georges Bank. When some of the same sites were sampled 1_yr later, in June 2000, the percent cover of the tube clumps on the sea floor was significantly reduced. Biogenic structures, such as invertebrate tubes, are important features of benthic habitats and may provide protection for juvenile fish and invertebrate resource species. Our observations reiterate that biogenic habitat characteristics are not spatially and temporally stable and this needs to be recognized by fisheries managers when managing the living marine resources that utilize these habitats.
Changes in satellite‐derived spring vegetation green‐up date and its linkage to climate in China from 1982 to 2010: a multimethod analysis
Authors: Cong Nan , Wang Tao , Nan Huijuan , Ma Yuecun , Wang Xuhui , Myneni Ranga B. , Piao Shilong 
Published: November 2012

AbstractThe change in spring phenology is recognized to exert a major influence on carbon balance dynamics in temperate ecosystems. Over the past several decades, several studies focused on shifts in spring phenology; however, large uncertainties still exist, and one understudied source could be the method implemented in retrieving satellite‐derived spring phenology. To account for this potential uncertainty, we conducted a multimethod investigation to quantify changes in vegetation green‐up date from 1982 to 2010 over temperate China, and to characterize climatic controls on spring phenology. Over temperate China, the five methods estimated that the vegetation green‐up onset date advanced, on average, at a rate of 1.3 ± 0.6 days per decade (ranging from 0.4 to 1.9 days per decade) over the last 29 years. Moreover, the sign of the trends in vegetation green‐up date derived from the five methods were broadly consistent spatially and for different vegetation types, but with large differences in the magnitude of the trend. The large intermethod variance was notably observed in arid and semiarid vegetation types. Our results also showed that change in vegetation green‐up date is more closely correlated with temperature than with precipitation. However, the temperature sensitivity of spring vegetation green‐up date became higher as precipitation increased, implying that precipitation is an important regulator of the response of vegetation spring phenology to change in temperature. This intricate linkage between spring phenology and precipitation must be taken into account in current phenological models which are mostly driven by temperature.
Optimal timing of power line rights‐of‐ways management for the conservation of butterflies
Authors: Komonen Atte , Lensu Terhi , Kotiaho Janne S. 
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation are the main threats to biodiversity. Human activities also create new habitat types that might fulfil ecological requirements for a variety of species.

This study investigates whether the vegetation clearing (=shrub and tree cutting) on drained mire patches on power line rights‐of‐ways (ROWs) keep plant communities in an early successional stage and thus provide habitats for mire specialist and non‐mire butterflies. It was further studied what would be the optimal clearing interval in terms of butterfly species richness and abundance.

The results show that tree height, especially the height of birch, increases linearly over the 7‐year period following vegetation clearing. The average birch height had a significant negative relationship with the species richness of mire and non‐mire butterflies.
The clearing interval had a significant curvilinear relationship with the abundance of both mire and non‐mire butterflies, such that the highest abundances were documented two to four growing seasons after the clearing, which would hence be the ecologically optimal vegetation clearing cycle.
In general, vegetation management on power line ROWs enhance favourable conditions for butterflies and may maintain habitats for mire‐dependent butterflies, even on drained mires.
Two novel alleles at HLA‐B locus identified in two volunteer bone marrow donors by sequence‐based typing
Authors: Frison S. , Longhi E. , Mantovani M. , Malagoli A. , De Giuli A. , Piccolo G. , Poli F. 
Published: November 2012

SummaryTwo novel human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class I alleles have been identified in two Italian individuals. HLA‐B*27:07:02 is identical to HLA‐B*27:07:01 except for a nucleotide substitution at position 846 (A‐>G) resulting in a silent mutation. HLA‐B*35:206 differs from the most similar allele, HLA‐B*35:08:01, because of a single base mutation at position 149 (G‐>C) causing an aminoacidic change at codon 26 from Gly to Ala.
Suppression of the allogeneic response by the anti‐allergy drug N‐(3,4‐dimethoxycinnamonyl) anthranilic acid results from T‐cell cycle arrest
Authors: Zaher Sarah S. , Coe David , Chai Jian‐Guo , Larkin Daniel F.P. , George Andrew J.T. 
Published: November 2012

SummaryPreviously we have shown that indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase (IDO) and the tryptophan metabolite, 3‐hydroxykynurenine (3HK) can prolong corneal allograft survival. IDO modulates the immune response by depletion of the essential amino acid tryptophan by breakdown to kynurenines, which themselves act directly on T lymphocytes. The tryptophan metabolite analogue N‐(3,4‐dimethoxycinnamonyl) anthranilic acid (DAA, ‘Tranilast’) shares the anthranilic acid core with 3HK. Systemic administration of DAA to mice receiving a fully MHC‐mismatched allograft of cornea or skin resulted in significant delay in rejection (median survival of controls 12 days, 13 days for cornea and skin grafts, respectively, and of treated mice 24 days (P < 0·0001) and 17 days (P < 0·03), respectively). We provide evidence that DAA‐induced suppression of the allogeneic response, in contrast to that induced by tryptophan metabolites, was a result of cell cycle arrest rather than T‐cell death. Cell cycle arrest was mediated by up‐regulation of the cell cycle‐specific inhibitors p21 and p15, and associated with a significant reduction in interleukin‐2 production, allowing us to characterize a novel mechanism for DAA‐induced T‐cell anergy. Currently licensed as an anti‐allergy drug, the oral bioavailability and safe therapeutic profile of DAA make it a candidate for the prevention of rejection of transplanted cornea and other tissues.
Ablation of the cellular prion protein, PrPC, specifically on follicular dendritic cells has no effect on their maturation or function
Authors: McCulloch Laura , Brown Karen L. , Mabbott Neil A. 
Published: November 2012

SummaryFollicular dendritic cells (FDC) are situated in the primary follicles of lymphoid tissues where they maintain the structural integrity of the B‐lymphocyte follicle, and help to drive immunoglobulin class‐switch recombination, somatic hypermutation and affinity maturation during the germinal centre response. FDC can also provide a reservoir for pathogens that infect germinal centres including HIV and prions. FDC express high levels of the normal cellular form of the prion protein (PrPC), which makes them susceptible to prion infection. The function of PrPC is uncertain and it is not known why FDC require such high levels of expression of a protein that is found mainly on cells of the central nervous system. In this study, the function of FDC was assessed in mice that had PrPC ablated specifically in their FDC. In mice with FDC‐specific PrPC ablation, our analysis revealed no observable deficits in lymphoid follicle microarchitecture and FDC status. No effects on FDC ability to trap immune complexes or drive antigen‐specific antibody responses and affinity maturation in B lymphocytes were observed. These data clearly demonstrate that PrPC expression is dispensable for the functional maturation of FDC and their ability to maintain antigen‐specific antibody responses and affinity maturation.
Sleep stabilizes visuomotor adaptation memory: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study
Authors: Albouy Genevieve , Vandewalle Gilles , Sterpenich Virginie , Rauchs Geraldine , Desseilles Martin , Balteau Evelyne , Degueldre Christian , Phillips Christophe , Luxen Andre , Maquet Pierre 
Published: November 2012

SummaryThe beneficial effect of sleep on motor memory consolidation is well known for motor sequence memory, but remains unsettled for visuomotor adaptation in humans. The aim of this study was to characterize more clearly the influence of sleep on consolidation of visuomotor adaptation using a between‐subjects functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) design contrasting sleep to total sleep deprivation. Our behavioural results, based on seven different parameters, show that sleep stabilizes performance whereas sleep deprivation deteriorates it. During training, while a set of cerebellar, striatal and cortical areas is activated in proportion to performance improvement, the recruitment of the hippocampus and frontal cortex protects motor memory against the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation. During retest after sleep loss a cerebello–cortical network, usually involved in the earliest stage of learning, was recruited to perform the task. In contrast, no changes in cerebral activity were observed after sleep, suggesting that it may only support the stabilization of the visuomotor adaptation memory trace.
Multiple tyrosine residues at the GABA binding pocket influence surface expression and mediate kinetics of the GABAA receptor
Authors: Laha Kurt T. , Tran Phu N. 
Published: November 2012

AbstractThe prevalence of aromatic residues in the ligand binding site of the GABAA receptor, as with other cys‐loop ligand‐gated ion channels, is undoubtedly important for the ability of neurotransmitters to bind and trigger channel opening. Here, we have examined three conserved tyrosine residues at the GABA binding pocket (β2Tyr97, β2Tyr157, and β2Tyr205), making mutations to alanine and phenylalanine. We fully characterized the effects each mutation had on receptor function using heterologous expression in HEK‐293 cells, which included examining surface expression, kinetics of macroscopic currents, microscopic binding and unbinding rates for an antagonist, and microscopic binding rates for an agonist. The assembly or trafficking of GABAA receptors was disrupted when tyrosine mutants were expressed as αβ receptors, but interestingly not when expressed as αβγ receptors. Mutation of each tyrosine accelerated deactivation and slowed GABA binding. This provides strong evidence that these residues influence the binding of GABA. Qualitatively, mutation of each tyrosine has a very similar effect on receptor function; however, mutations at β2Tyr157 and β2Tyr205 are more detrimental than β2Tyr97 mutations, particularly to the GABA binding rate. Overall, the results suggest that interactions involving multiple tyrosine residues are likely during the binding process.
Relationship between salivary mucin or amylase and the periodontal status
Authors: Sánchez GA , Miozza VA , Delgado A , Busch L 
Published: November 2012

ObjectiveHere we determine the relationship between salivary levels of mucin and amylase and the clinical parameters of periodontal disease before and after periodontal treatment.SubjectsNinety two subjects were clinically examined and distributed into four groups namely clinically healthy, mild, moderate and severe periodontitis, according to the periodontal status, classified according the values of clinical attachment level (CAL) and probing pocket depth (PPD). Unstimulated saliva was collected for 5 min. Salivary proteins, amylase and mucin were determined by colorimetric methods.ResultsA significant positive correlation (P < 0.0001) was observed between salivary mucin, amylase or protein and PPD or CAL before periodontal treatment while flow rate showed a negative correlation. Mucin and amylase output also showed a positive correlation with PPD or CAL. After treatment, the improvement of clinical parameters was accompanied by a diminution of salivary mucin, amylase or protein concentration and output in moderate and severe group.ConclusionsThe increment of mucin and amylase output in relation to periodontal status indicates that salivary glands respond to the disease by increasing the protective potential of saliva when necessary and return to the normal rate of secretion after the resolution of the inflammatory process.
Blunted Proarrhythmic Effect of Nicorandil in a Langendorff‐Perfused Phase‐2 Myocardial Infarction Rabbit Model
Authors: LEE HUI‐LING , CHANG PO‐CHENG , CHOU CHUNG‐CHUAN , WO HUNG‐TA , CHU YEN , WEN MING‐SHIEN , YEH SAN‐JOU , WU DELON 
Published: November 2012

BackgroundNicorandil (a KATP opener) administration is reported to reduce ventricular arrhythmias 4.8 ± 2.2 hours after myocardial infarction (MI). The electrophysiological changes and the effects on dynamic factors and dynamically induced spatially discordant alternans by nicorandil during phase‐2 MI are unclear.MethodsSimultaneous voltage and intracellular Ca2+ (Cai) optical mapping was performed in nine Langendorff‐perfused hearts 4–5 hours after coronary artery ligation and nine control hearts. Action potential duration (APD) restitution was constructed and arrhythmogenic alternans was induced by dynamic pacing. Western blot studies (Kir6.1 and Kir6.2) were performed in six more hearts for both groups. Nicorandil (100 μM) was administered after baseline studies.ResultsPhase‐2 MI hearts showed longer APD, slower conduction velocity (CV), and higher ventricular fibrillation (VF) inducibility than the control hearts. Nicorandil shortened and restored APD without significant arrhythmogenic effects, and also increased the rate of Cai reuptake and flattened CV restitution to suppress spatially discordant alternans, which might account for a tendency toward higher VF threshold with nicorandil infusion in phase‐2 MI hearts. Immunoblotting studies showed significant down‐regulation of KATP protein expression, which was functionally correlated to the blunted APD shortening response to nicorandil.ConclusionsKATP expression is down‐regulated in phase‐2 MI hearts. Nicorandil restores APD, increases the rate of Cai reuptake, and flattens CV restitution to suppress spatially discordant alternans induction, which ameliorates its proarrhythmic effects during phase‐2 MI.
Harms and Responsibilities Associated with Battery‐Operated Implants (BOI): Who Controls Postmortem Explantation?
Authors: BRAMSTEDT KATRINA A. 
Published: November 2012

The postmortem issues raised by battery‐operated implants (BOI) are complex and issues of consent, setting (clinical vs research), and environmental risks have received little attention in bioethics literature. Analyzing the issues, the following are argued: (1) Patients receiving BOIs should sign a consent form that includes a requirement for postmortem explant of the device; (2) BOI consent forms should require the explanted devices be returned to their manufacturers for Returned Product Analysis; (3) Failure to explant and analyze devices from the research setting fails the research goal of generation of knowledge for the benefit of future patients; (4) Failure to explant and analyze devices from the clinical setting allows product defects to be potentially hidden from patients, families, clinicians, manufacturers, and regulatory agencies; (5) Bodies buried with BOIs potentially harm the environment; (6) Religious or philosophical objections to autopsy should not supersede the duty to explant and analyze BOIs; (7) The concepts herein for BOIs could potentially extend to non‐BOI if the device has failure modes that can lead to a potentially life‐threatening event or can cause permanent debilitating health issues, and the burial or cremation of the device poses environmental harm. In these situations, neither the patient (premortem) nor family (postmortem) should have the right to refuse explant.(PACE 2013; 36:7–10)
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Dabigatran versus Warfarin for Periablation Anticoagulation in Patients Undergoing Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: NIN TAKAMITSU , SAIRAKU AKINORI , YOSHIDA YUKIHIKO , KAMIYA HIROKI , TATEMATSU YASUSHI , NANASATO MAMORU , INDEN YASUYA , HIRAYAMA HARUO , MUROHARA TOYOAKI 
Published: November 2012

BackgroundWe aimed to evaluate the feasibility of an oral direct thrombin inhibitor, dabigatran, as a periprocedural anticoagulant for use with ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF).MethodsConsecutive patients scheduled to undergo an AF ablation were randomly assigned to receive dabigatran (n = 45) or warfarin (n = 45) to compare their clinical feasibility. Both of those oral anticoagulants were discontinued the day before the ablation and were resumed after confirming hemostasis of the venipuncture site. A bridging therapy with heparin was not used in either of the patient groups.ResultsDabigatran was switched to warfarin before the ablation because of dyspepsia in three patients. An occurrence of rebleeding from the venipuncture site was less common in dabigatran‐allocated patients than in warfarin‐allocated patients (20% vs 44%; P = 0.013). The reduction in the D‐dimer level after the initiation of oral anticoagulants was greater in the dabigatran‐allocated patients than in the warfarin‐allocated patients. The time from the initiation of the anticoagulants to the ablation was significantly shorter in the dabigatran‐allocated patients than in the warfarin‐allocated patients (43 ± 7 vs 63 ± 13 days; P < 0.0001). There was only one fatal periprocedural complication in a patient receiving warfarin, who had a mesenteric arterial thrombosis after the ablation.ConclusionsAn anticoagulation strategy with dabigatran may surpass that with warfarin in reducing both the periprocedural risk of minor bleeding and a hypercoagulable state, and the time to ablation in patients undergoing ablation of AF.
Prolonged Atrial Effective Refractory Periods in Atrial Fibrillation Patients Associated with Structural Heart Disease or Sinus Node Dysfunction Compared with Lone Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: UHM JAE‐SUN , MUN HEE‐SUN , WI JIN , SHIM JAEMIN , JOUNG BOYOUNG , LEE MOON‐HYOUNG , PAK HUI‐NAM 
Published: November 2012

BackgroundsAtrial fibrillation (AF) is commonly associated with structural heart disease (SHD) or sinus node dysfunction (SND). We hypothesized that regional atrial effective refractory period (ERP) is different in patients with SHD/SND from lone AF.MethodsWe included 648 patients with AF (age, 56.0 ± 11.0 years; male, 77.3%; paroxysmal AF [PAF], 67.9%; persistent AF [PeAF], 32.1%) who underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA), and compared the clinical characteristics in patients with SHD (n = 132) versus without SHD (n = 516) and those with SND (n = 74) versus without SND (n = 574). ERPs were measured at the high and low right atrium, proximal, and distal coronary sinus.Results(1) Patients with SHD had older age (P < 0.001), greater left atrial (LA) volume (P < 0.001), LA pressure (P = 0.002), and plasma proatrial natriuretic peptide (P = 0.005) than patients without SHD. (2) Patients with SND were older (P = 0.004), more likely female (P = 0.004), and had lower body weight (P < 0.001) and higher E/E′ (P < 0.001) than those without SND. (3) The mean atrial ERP was significantly shorter in patients with PeAF than those with PAF (P < 0.001). The mean ERP was significantly longer in patients with AF with SHD/SND than those with lone AF (P = 0.006). (4) The clinical outcomes of RFCA were not significantly different between SHD/SND and lone AF for 14.8 ± 8.5 months of follow‐up period.ConclusionThe mean atrial ERP was shorter in patients with PeAF than those with PAF due to electrical remodeling. In contrast, AF patients with SHD/SND showed a more prolonged mean atrial ERP than those with lone AF, associated with LA enlargement or left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.
Predictors of High Defibrillation Threshold in the Modern Era
Authors: LIN EDWARD F. , DALAL DARSHAN , CHENG ALAN , MARINE JOSEPH E. , NAZARIAN SAMAN , SINHA SUNIL , SPRAGG DAVID D. , TANDRI HARIKRISHNA , HALPERIN HENRY , CALKINS HUGH , BERGER RONALD D. , TOMASELLI GORDON F. , HENRIKSON CHARLES A. 
Published: November 2012

IntroductionHigh defibrillation threshold (DFT) is a clinical problem in 1–8% of implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator implants. Some clinicians and investigators question whether the benefits of routine DFT testing outweigh the risks. Identification of the predictors of elevated DFT may allow selective application of DFT testing. However, the clinical characteristics of patients with high DFT in the modern era have not been well‐defined.MethodsAll patients who underwent DFT testing in our institution during an 8‐year period were reviewed for this retrospective study. High DFT was defined as less than a 10‐J safety margin on initial testing. For each case, the two cases preceding and two cases following by the same implanter were selected as controls.ResultsOf the 2,138 patients who underwent DFT testing, 48 (2.2%) met criteria for high DFT. Compared to 192 control patients, patients with high DFT were more likely to be younger (P = 0.004), have nonischemic cardiomyopathy (P = 0.036), have a longer QRS interval (P = 0.026), and have a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 0.25 (P = 0.013). On multivariate analysis, only younger age (P = 0.016) and LVEF ≤ 0.25 (P = 0.010) remained statistically significant predictors of elevated DFT.ConclusionsHigh DFT was identified in 2.2% of ICD implants in our institution in recent years. Although younger age and depressed LVEF predicts this problem, elevated DFT occurred in patients of all ages and ejection fractions. Elimination of routine DFT testing appears to be premature given the prevalence and unpredictability of elevated DFT.