bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of pistachio by‐products on digestibility, milk production, milk fatty acid profile and blood metabolites in Saanen dairy goats
Authors: Sedighi‐Vesagh R. , Naserian A. A. , Ghaffari M. H. , Petit H. V. 
Published: July 2014

SummaryThe objective of this study was to investigate the effects of pistachio by‐products (PBP) on nutrient digestibility, blood metabolites and milk fatty acid (FA) profile in Saanen dairy goats. Nine multiparous lactating Saanen goats (on day 90 post‐partum, 45 ± 2/kg BW) were randomly assigned to a 3 × 3 Latin square design with three treatment diets: 1) control diet (alfalfa hay based), 2) 32% PBP and 3) 32% PBP + polyethylene glycol (PEG‐4000; 1 g/kg dry matter). Each period lasted 21 days, including 14 day for treatment adaptation and 7 day for data collection. Pistachio by‐products significantly decreased (p < 0.01) crude protein (CP) digestibility compared with the control diet (64.4% vs. 58.7%), but PEG addition did not differ for CP digestibility of goats fed 32% PBP + PEG and those fed the two other diets. The digestibility of NDF tended (p = 0.06) to decrease for goats fed PBP compared with those fed the control diet. Yields of milk and 4% fat‐corrected milk were not affected by dietary treatments. Compared with the control diet, PBP supplementation appreciably changed the proportions of almost all the milk FA measured; the main effects were decreases (p < 0.01) in FA from 8:0 to 16:0 and increases (p < 0.01) proportions of cis‐9, trans‐11 18:2 and trans‐11 18:1, monounsaturated FA, polyunsaturated FA and long‐chain FA. The saturated FA, short‐chain FA and medium‐chain FA proportions were lower (p < 0.01) in goats fed the two PBP supplemented diet than in those fed the control diet and PEG addition led to intermediate proportions of saturated FA, unsaturated and monounsaturated FA. Inclusion of PBP in the diet decreased (p < 0.01) plasma concentrations of glucose and urea nitrogen compared with the control diet. It was concluded that PBP can be used as forage in the diet of dairy goats without interfering with milk yield. Inclusion of 32% PBP in the diet of dairy goats had beneficial effects on milk FA profile but PEG addition to PBP did not contribute to enhance further milk FA profile.
Drowned, buried and carried away: effects of plant traits on the distribution of native and alien species in riparian ecosystems
Authors: Catford Jane A. , Jansson Roland 
Published: July 2014

SummaryRiparian vegetation is exposed to stress from inundation and hydraulic disturbance, and is often rich in native and alien plant species. We describe 35 traits that enable plants to cope with riparian conditions. These include traits for tolerating or avoiding anoxia and enabling underwater photosynthesis, traits that confer resistance and resilience to hydraulic disturbance, and attributes that facilitate dispersal, such as floating propagules. This diversity of life‐history strategies illustrates that there are many ways of sustaining life in riparian zones, which helps to explain high riparian biodiversity. Using community assembly theory, we examine how adaptations to inundation, disturbance and dispersal shape plant community composition along key environmental gradients, and how human actions have modified communities. Dispersal‐related processes seem to explain many patterns, highlighting the influence of regional processes on local species assemblages. Using alien plant invasions like an (uncontrolled) experiment in community assembly, we use an Australian and a global dataset to examine possible causes of high degrees of riparian invasion. We found that high proportions of alien species in the regional species pools have invaded riparian zones, despite not being riparian specialists, and that riparian invaders disperse in more ways, including by water and humans, than species invading other ecosystems.

Contents

Summary
19

I.
Introduction
19

II.
Functional traits and life‐history adaptations of riparian plants
20

III.
Local and regional patterns in the distribution of riparian plants
24

IV.
Alien plant invasion in riparian zones
26

V.
Modification and management of riparian plant communities
30

VI.
Conclusions and future research
32

Acknowledgements
33

References
33
Preterm birth and risk of type 1 and type 2 diabetes: systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Li S. , Zhang M. , Tian H. , Liu Z. , Yin X. , Xi B. 
Published: July 2014

SummaryPreterm birth is suggested to play an important role in the development of diabetes. However, results have been inconsistent. We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis to clarify the relationship between preterm birth and type 1 and type 2 diabetes. PubMed, Embase and ISI Web of Science were searched. A total of 18 studies (including 2,176,480 participants and 22,073 cases) for type 1 diabetes and five studies (including 31,478 participants and 1,898 cases) for type 2 diabetes were included in the current meta‐analyses. We calculated pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) using fixed‐effects model to evaluate the relations between preterm birth and type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The results suggested that preterm birth was significantly associated with increased risk of type 1 diabetes (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.11–1.25), with no evidence of between‐study heterogeneity (I2 = 13.2%, P = 0.296). Preterm birth was also significantly associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes (OR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.32–1.72), with no evidence of (I2 = 0.0%, P = 0.557). Subgroup analyses suggested that there was significant association in both case‐control studies (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.06–1.26) and cohort studies (relative risk = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.11–1.29) for type 1 diabetes, and similar results were found for type 2 diabetes. The results suggested that preterm birth was a significant and independent risk factor for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Predictors of Cerebral Microembolization during Phased Radiofrequency Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation: Role of the Ongoing Rhythm and the Site of Energy Delivery
Authors: NAGY‐BALO EDINA , KISS ALEXANDRA , CONDIE CATHERINE , STEWART MARK , EDES ISTVAN , CSANADI ZOLTAN 
Published: July 2014

BackgroundPulmonary vein isolation with phased radiofrequency current and use of a pulmonary vein ablation catheter (PVAC) has recently been associated with a high incidence of clinically silent brain infarcts on diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging, and a high microembolic signal (MES) count detected by transcranial Doppler. We investigated the potential effects of the ongoing rhythm and the target vein during energy delivery (ED) on MES generation during PVAC ablations.Methods and ResultsA total of 735 EDs during 48 PVAC ablations were analyzed. MES counts were recorded for each ED and time‐stamped for correlation with the ongoing rhythm and the target vein for each ED. Significantly higher MES counts were observed during ablations of the left‐sided as compared with the right‐sided pulmonary veins (P = 0.0003). Similarly, higher MES counts were detected during EDs in atrial fibrillation as compared with sinus rhythm when the temperature was >56°C (P < 0.0001). The ongoing rhythm had no effect on the number of MESs at lower temperatures during ablation.ConclusionsBoth the ongoing rhythm during ED and the site of ablation influence microembolus generation during PVAC ablation procedures.
Human tyrosinase is able to oxidize both enantiomers of rhododendrol
Authors: Ito Shosuke , Gerwat Wolfram , Kolbe Ludger , Yamashita Toshiharu , Ojika Makoto , Wakamatsu Kazumasa 
Published: July 2014

SummaryRacemic RS‐4‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2‐butanol (rhododendrol, RD) was used as a topical skin‐whitening agent until it was recently reported to induce leukoderma. We then showed that oxidation of RD with mushroom tyrosinase rapidly produces RD‐quinone, which is quickly converted to RD‐cyclic quinone and RD‐hydroxy‐p‐quinone. In this study, we examined whether either or both of the enantiomers of RD can be oxidized by human tyrosinase. Using a chiral HPLC column, racemic RD was resolved optically to R(−)‐RD and S(+)‐RD enantiomers. In the presence of a catalytic amount of l‐dopa, human tyrosinase, which can oxidize l‐tyrosine but not d‐tyrosine, was found to oxidize both R(−)‐ and S(+)‐RD to give RD‐catechol and its oxidation products. S(+)‐RD was more effectively oxidized than l‐tyrosine, while R(−)‐RD was less effective. These results support the notion that the melanocyte toxicity of RD depends on its tyrosinase‐catalyzed conversion to toxic quinones and the concomitant production of reactive oxygen species.
Larval fish assemblage recovery: a reflection of environmental change in a large degraded river
Authors: Mapes Robert L. , DuFour Mark R. , Pritt Jeremy J. , Mayer Christine M. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractEstuaries are globally important to fisheries but face many anthropogenic stressors that reduce water quality and degrade benthic habitat. The Maumee River estuary has been degraded by industrial contaminants, high sediment and nutrient loads, channelization and elimination of surrounding wetlands, lessening its value as spawning habitat for fishes of Lake Erie. Regulation and better management practices (BMPs) in the watershed have improved the water quality in this estuary, which should result in a response of the biotic community. We compared recent (2010/2011) larval fish assemblage data to similar data from the 1970s (1976/1977) in order to identify changes due to improved water and habitat quality. Family‐level diversity was greater in recent study years compared to the 1970s and family richness increased from 6 to 10. In addition, the abundance of lithophilic spawning fishes was significantly greater in the recent study years. Increased diversity and family richness were consistent with increased water quality in the Maumee River whereas the observed increase in abundance of lithophilic spawners was consistent with an increase in the amount or quality of benthic habitat used by species in these families for spawning. Better wastewater management and agricultural practices in coastal watersheds can benefit the early life stages of fishes, thus benefitting coastal fisheries. Furthermore, larval fish assemblages may be useful indicators of biological integrity because of their sensitivities to environmental change. Routine sampling of estuarine larval fish assemblages could provide practitioners with insight into ecosystem changes and measure the response of the biotic community to restoration.
Root Inputs Influence Soil Water Holding Capacity and Differentially Influence the Growth of Native versus Exotic Annual Species in an Arid Ecosystem
Authors: McKinney Jordan , Cleland Elsa E. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractInvasion by exotic annual species is increasingly impacting Southern California arid lands, altering ecosystem processes and plant community composition. With climate change, the Southwestern United States is expected to experience increasingly variable rainfall. Larger rainfall events could facilitate invasion by exotic species that can capitalize on high resource conditions. Exotic annual species also have dense shallow root systems that could create positive feedbacks to further invasion by increasing soil organic matter and water holding capacity. Alternatively, fine root inputs could create negative feedbacks to exotic plant growth if they stimulate microbial nutrient immobilization. The dual influences of rainfall regime and fine root inputs on species performance were evaluated in an experiment where native and exotic species were grown individually and in combination under varying watering regimes (large infrequent or small frequent pulses, holding total rainfall constant) and root additions (with or without sterilized exotic roots). Mean soil moisture increased with larger infrequent watering events, and also with root addition. Plant growth (both native and exotic) increased with larger watering events, but declined with root addition. Exotic species growth declined more than native species growth with root additions. Mechanistically, root addition lowered inorganic nitrogen (N) availability, and microbial N immobilization increased with soil moisture content. Together these results show that increased fine root production promotes negative feedbacks to growth of exotic species via microbial N immobilization, especially under conditions of high soil moisture. Further, our results suggest that organic carbon additions are a potentially effective strategy for suppressing growth of problematic desert invaders.
Mowing Reduces Exotic Annual Grasses but Increases Exotic Forbs in a Semiarid Grassland
Authors: Prevéy Janet S. , Knochel David G. , Seastedt Timothy R. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractCheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and other exotic winter‐active plants can be persistent invaders in native grasslands, growing earlier in the spring than native plants and pre‐empting soil resources. Effective management strategies are needed to reduce their abundance while encouraging the reestablishment of desirable native plants. In this 4‐year study, we investigated whether mowing and seeding with native perennial grasses could limit growth of exotic winter‐actives, and benefit growth of native plants in an invaded grassland in Colorado, United States. We established a split‐plot experiment in October 2008 with 3 mowing treatments: control, spring‐mowed, and spring/summer‐mowed (late spring, mid‐summer, and late summer), and 3 within‐plot seeding treatments: control, added B. tectorum seeds, and added native grass seeds. Cover of plant species and aboveground biomass were measured for 3 years. In March and June of 2010, 2011, and March of 2012, B. tectorum and other winter‐annual grasses were half as abundant in both mowing treatments as in control plots; however, cover of non‐native winter‐active forbs increased 2‐fold in spring‐mowed plots and almost 3‐fold in spring/summer‐mowed plots relative to controls. These patterns remained consistent 1 year after termination of treatments. Native cool‐season grasses were most abundant in spring‐mowed plots, and least abundant in control plots. There was higher cover of native warm‐season grasses in spring/summer‐mowed plots than in control plots in July 2011 and 2012. The timing of management can have strong effects on plant community dynamics in grasslands, and this experiment indicates that adaptive management can target the temporal niche of undesirable invasive species.
Computer‐assisted reading intervention with a phonics approach for children using cochlear implants or hearing aids
Authors: Nakeva von Mentzer Cecilia , Lyxell Björn , Sahlén Birgitta , Dahlström Örjan , Lindgren Magnus , Ors Marianne , Kallioinen Petter , Uhlén Inger 
Published: July 2014

The present study examined computer‐assisted reading intervention with a phonics approach for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children in Sweden using cochlear implants or hearing aids, or a combination of both. The study included 48 children, 5, 6 and 7 years of age. Sixteen children with normal hearing (NH) served as a reference group. The first purpose of the study was to compare NH and DHH children's reading ability at pre and post‐intervention. The second purpose was to investigate effects of the intervention. Cognitive and demographic factors were analyzed in relation to reading improvement. Results showed no statistically significant difference for reading ability at the group level, although NH children showed overall higher reading scores at both test points. Age comparisons revealed a statistically significant higher reading ability in the NH 7‐year‐olds compared to the DHH 7‐year‐olds. The intervention proved successful for word decoding accuracy, passage comprehension and as a reduction of nonword decoding errors in both NH and DHH children. Reading improvement was associated with complex working memory and phonological processing skills in NH children. Correspondent associations were observed with visual working memory and letter knowledge in the DHH children. Age was the only demographic factor that was significantly correlated with reading improvement. The results suggest that DHH children's beginning reading may be influenced by visual strategies that might explain the reading delay in the older children.
The Selves of Social Animals: Comments on Gruen
Authors: Shoemaker David 
Published: July 2014

AbstractIn this commentary onLoriGruen's “Death as aSocialHarm,” I first lay out the basics ofGruen's argument, then I offer some critical discussion, and finally I explore whether there might be some metaphysical structure that would support her most provocative idea—that death harms oursocial selves. What would it take for this idea to be more than metaphor, so that when a loved one dies a part ofmehas died? In constructing one possibility, I draw from the distinction between identity and what matters in identity to paint a picture of social selves whose relationships are constructed out of the tendrils of psychological connectedness and continuity that serve to unite different stages of single persons. I conclude by exploring whether this metaphysical picture is sufficient to generate the conclusions at whichGruen aims.
Animalism and the Lives of Human Animals
Authors: Snowdon Paul 
Published: July 2014

AbstractIt is suggested that the best way to interpret animalism is as an identity thesis saying that each of us is identical to an animal. Since there are disagreements about the nature of animal persistence, this means that animalism itself not does not explicitly propose criteria of identity for persons. It implies the negative claim that features that have nothing to do with animal persistence have nothing to do with our persistence. Thinking of it as an identity thesis also makes sense of the nature of the arguments surrounding the thesis. Central to such arguments are claims about the persistence of animals and persons in certain imagined scenarios. To adjudicate such arguments, we need a secure grip on some claims about animal persistence. Often these are generated by a theory of animal persistence. In the second part of the paper, it is argued that the attempt to build such theories on the assumption that life is essential for animal existence is implausible. In the way we speak, we seem not to recognise death as the ceasing to exist of an animal. No better way to think of animals is proposed in this paper.
The long‐term use of soap does not affect the pH‐maintenance mechanism of human skin
Authors: Takagi Y. , Kaneda K. , Miyaki M. , Matsuo K. , Kawada H. , Hosokawa H. 
Published: July 2014

BackgroundThe pH at the surface of healthy human skin is around 5. Cleansing the skin with soap increases the pH of the skin, which then returns to a more acidic pH within a few hours. However, the effects of skin cleansing with soap over a long time on the pH regulatory system is still unclear.ObjectWe compared the pH of the skin between users of a soap‐based cleanser and of a mild‐acidic cleanser prior to and following the cleansing.MethodThis study had two groups of subjects, one group who had used a soap‐based cleanser for more than 5 years and the other group who had used a mild‐acidic cleanser for more than 5 years. The pH on the inner forearm of each subject was measured prior to and for 6 h after cleansing with a soap bar.ResultThere were no differences between the pH of the skin these two groups prior to cleansing, immediately after cleansing or in the pH recovery rate for 6 h.ConclusionThese results suggest that long‐term continuous use of a soap‐based cleanser does not affect the pH‐maintaining mechanism of human skin.
Analytic parallel‐polarized light imaging technique using various light‐emitting diodes: a comparison with skin conductance values
Authors: Kim D. H. , Choi J. E. , Ryu H. J. , Seo S. H. , Kye Y. C. , Ahn H. H. 
Published: July 2014

BackgroundThe quantitative difference of the light reflected from a skin surface can be analyzed using parallel‐polarized light (PPL) photography when combined with an analytic technique similar to colorimetric photography.ObjectiveTo improve the PPL photography technique as an assessment tool for the evaluation of skin condition using light‐emitting diodes (LED) of different colors.MethodParallel‐polarized light images were taken using white and green LED illuminators. The acquired images were transformed to CIELAB coordinates. An in‐house skin conductance meter was constructed to assess skin hydration level. A dermatologist evaluated the clinical grading of dryness and glossiness. These clinical severities were also compared statistically with the CIELAB values.ResultsAs with the green illuminator, the correlation analysis of whole sites showed that the L* value positively correlated with age (r = 0.18677, P < 0.05), and that the a* value has negative and positive relationships with age (r = −0.20528, P < 0.05) and glossiness (r = 0.20885, P < 0.05) respectively.ConclusionThe correlations between CIELAB values and multiple characteristics of skin were more significant when green LED was applied than when white light was applied. In addition, coherent relationships between the grade of dryness and skin conductance values showed that visual assessment could be appropriate for the study as with objective measurement.
Advanced Test Cell Diagnostics for Gas Turbine Engines (USAF Automated Jet Engine Test Strategy – AJETS)
Authors: Roemer Michael J. , Kacprzynski Gregory J. , Schoeller Michael , Howe Ron , Friend Richard 
Published: July 2014

Improved test cell diagnostics capable of detecting and classifying engine mechanical and performance faults as well as instrumentation problems is critical to reducing engine operating and maintenance costs while optimizing test cell effectiveness. Proven anomaly detection and fault classification techniques utilizing engine Gas Path Analysis (GPA) and statistical/empirical models of structural and performance related engine areas can now be implemented for real-time and post-test diagnostic assessments. Integration and implementation of these proven technologies into existing USAF engine test cells presents a great opportunity to significantly improve existing engine test cell capabilities to better meet today’s challenges.
A suite of advanced diagnostic and troubleshooting tools have recently been developed and implemented for gas turbine engine test cells as part of the Automated Jet Engine Test Strategy (AJETS) program. AJETS is an innovative USAF program for improving existing engine test cells by providing more efficient and advanced monitoring, diagnostic and troubleshooting capabilities. This paper describes the basic design features of the AJETS system; including the associated data network, sensor validation and anomaly detection/diagnostic software that was implemented in both a real-time and post-test analysis mode. These advanced design features of AJETS are currently being evaluated and advanced utilizing data from TF39 test cell installations at Travis AFB and Dover AFB.