bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Increased attractiveness of honeybee hive product volatiles to adult small hive beetle, Aethina tumida, resulting from small hive beetle larval infestation
Authors: Hayes R. Andrew , Rice Steven J. , Amos Brogan A. , Leemon Diana M. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThe small hive beetle, Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), is a recent but significant pest of honeybee [Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae)] hives in various regions throughout the world, including Eastern Australia. The larval stage of this beetle damages hives when they feed on brood, pollen, and honeycomb, leaving behind fermented wastes. In cases of extreme damage, hives collapse and are turned to an odorous mass of larvae in fermenting hive products. The yeast Kodamaea ohmeri (Etchells & Bell) Yamada et al. (Ascomycota) has been consistently isolated from the fermenting material as well as each life stage of this beetle. Various studies have noted that the small hive beetle is attracted to volatiles from hive products and those of the yeast K. ohmeri, although earlier studies have not used naturally occurring hive products as their source of fermentation. This study investigated changes through time in the attractiveness of natural honeybee hive products to the small hive beetle as the hive products were altered by the action of beetle larvae and fermentation by K. ohmeri. We used gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry and choice‐test behavioural assays to investigate these changes using products sampled from three apiaries. Attractiveness of the fermenting hive products (‘slime’) increased as fermentation progressed, and volatile profiles became more complex. Fermenting hive products remained extremely attractive for more than 30 days, significantly longer than previous reports. These results have strong implications for the development of an external attractant trap to assist in the management of this invasive pest.
Molecular characterization and functional analysis of a calponin gene from the pinewood nematode
Authors: Cardoso J. M. S. , Fonseca L. , Gomes P. , Egas C. , Abrantes I. 
Published: April 2015

SummaryIn this study, acDNAsequence corresponding to theBursaphelenchus xylophilus unc‐87homolog gene (Bx‐unc‐87) was identified inB. xylophilustranscriptome and characterized. ThiscDNAhas an 1152‐bp‐long open‐reading frame that is putatively translated into a 383 amino acids peptide. The deduced protein (Bx‐UNC‐87) contains highly conserved regions of the calponin‐like proteins and has high sequence identity to the calponin proteins of other nematodes. InCaenorhabditis elegans, the calponin protein encoded by geneunc‐87is required to maintain the structure of myofilaments in muscle cells of the body wall. The silencing ofBx‐unc‐87gene was performed byRNAi, soaking the nematodes in a solution containing dsRNAof this gene. In addition to a no dsRNAcontrol, a non‐homologous dsRNAcontrol was also included. TheBx‐unc‐87transcription was downregulated in nematodes treated withBx‐unc‐87dsRNAin comparison with the non‐dsRNA‐treated nematodes. dsRNA‐treated nematodes revealed some paralysis and uncoordinated movement in contrast to the regular and sinusoidal movement of the non‐treated nematodes. Furthermore, reproduction was reduced in dsRNA‐treated nematodes. These results suggest that this protein has a function similar to that of theC. eleganshomolog.
Alertness opens the effective flow of sensory information through rat thalamic posterior nucleus
Authors: Sobolewski Aleksander , Kublik Ewa , Swiejkowski Daniel A. , Kamiński Jan , Wróbel Andrzej 
Published: April 2015

AbstractBehavioural reactions to sensory stimuli vary with the level of arousal, but little is known about the underlying reorganization of neuronal networks. In this study, we use chronic recordings from the somatosensory regions of the thalamus and cortex of behaving rats together with a novel analysis of functional connectivity to show that during low arousal tactile signals are transmitted via the ventral posteromedial thalamic nucleus (VPM), a first‐order thalamic relay, to the primary somatosensory (barrel) cortex and then from the cortex to the posterior medial thalamic nucleus (PoM), which plays a role of a higher‐order thalamic relay. By contrast, during high arousal this network scheme is modified and bothVPMand PoM transmit peripheral input to the barrel cortex acting as first‐order relays. We also show that in urethane anaesthesia PoM is largely excluded from the thalamo‐cortical loop. We thus demonstrate a way in which the thalamo‐cortical system, despite its fixed anatomy, is capable of dynamically reconfiguring the transmission route of a sensory signal in concert with the behavioural state of an animal.
Choosing a Mate in a Cocktail Party‐Like Situation: The Effect of Call Complexity and Call Timing between Two Rival Males on Female Mating Preferences in the Túngara Frog Physalaemus pustulosus
Authors: Tárano Zaida 
Published: April 2015

AbstractSignal detection, recognition, and localization are hampered when multiple signalers coincide in time and space, a problem known as ‘cocktail party effect’. In many taxa, senders utter complex calls consisting of two or more elements which often vary in the ease with which they can be assessed in different signaling environments. Receivers’ selective attention to different cues may increase the probability of correctly assigning a signal to its source (localization) in face of conspecific interference. Túngara frogs, Physalaemus pustulosus, produce complex calls consisting of an initial whine, followed by zero up to seven broad‐banded, amplitude‐modulated chucks. Under ideal conditions (without interference or noise), females prefer whines followed by chucks over whines alone, but the preference is not linear; females do not discriminate between whines with one or two chucks. When whines lack chucks, call overlap elicits random responses in females, with no preference for leading calls. In this study, I explored the combined effect of call timing and call complexity on female preferences in a two‐choice paradigm—a simplification of the cocktail party scenario. I tested the hypothesis that the effect of call overlap can be reduced when the calls of one of the two rivals have chucks, specifically more chucks than those of the rival. I gave females a choice between whines alone and with chucks (one or two) presented at three time relations (alternated, abutted, and partially overlapped) and two emission orders (whine with less chucks leading and whine with more chucks leading). I found that the preference for one chuck over no chuck was preserved in all the experimental treatments, but when a w + 2chk preceded a w + chk, either overlapped or abutted, a preference existed for the whine with more chucks. Therefore, an interaction between call order and the number of chucks was obtained. The results only partially supported the hypothesis, and call order emerges as an opportunistic component of signaling in P. pustulosus.
Teaching Language Learners to Elaborate on Their Responses: A Structured, Genre‐Based Approach
Authors: Pryde Michael 
Published: April 2015

AbstractDue to Japanese students' poor record of conversational ability in English in homestay contexts (Pryde, 2014), classroom English language curriculum decisions were reinvestigated in order to better prepare students to participate in study abroad experiences. A genre‐based approach was used to teach and reinforce a conversational structure designed to extend students' second move in the initiation, response, follow‐up (IRF) triadic dialogue. This study discusses how a genre‐based approach can teach language learners to make the most of their role in an IRF‐based conversational framework and specifically investigated the use of an educational tool, termed “quadratic structure,” to improve students' conversational skills, metalinguistic awareness, confidence, and willingness to communicate in the target language. Pedagogical implications for both course design and study abroad are also discussed.
Phase‐field modeling of epitaxial growth of polycrystalline quartz veins in hydrothermal experiments
Authors: Wendler F. , Okamoto A. , Blum P. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractMineral precipitation in an open fracture plays a crucial role in the evolution of fracture permeability in rocks, and the microstructural development and precipitation rates are closely linked to fluid composition, the kind of host rock as well as temperature and pressure. In this study, we develop a continuum thermodynamic model to understand polycrystalline growth of quartz aggregates from the rock surface. The adapted multiphase‐field model takes into consideration both the absolute growth rate as a function of the driving force of the reaction (free energy differences between solid and liquid phases), and the equilibrium crystal shape (Wulff shape). In addition, we realize the anisotropic shape of the quartz crystal by introducing relative growth rates of the facets. The missing parameters of the model, including surface energy and relative growth rates, are determined by detailed analysis of the crystal shapes and crystallographic orientation of polycrystalline quartz aggregates in veins synthesized in previous hydrothermal experiments. The growth simulations were carried out for a single crystal and for grain aggregates from a rock surface. The single crystal simulation reveals the importance of crystal facetting on the growth rate; for example, growth velocity in the c‐axis direction drops by a factor of ~9 when the faceting is complete. The textures produced by the polycrystal simulations are similar to those observed in the hydrothermal experiments, including the number of surviving grains and crystallographic preferred orientations as a function of the distance from the rock wall. Our model and the methods to define its parameters provide a basis for further investigation of fracture sealing under varying conditions.
Association between falls and depressive symptoms or visual impairment among Japanese young‐old adults
Authors: Kojima Reiji , Ukawa Shigekazu , Ando Masahiko , Kawamura Takashi , Wakai Kenji , Tsushita Kazuyo , Tamakoshi Akiko 
Published: April 2015

AimTo investigate the association between falls and self‐reported depressive symptoms or visual impairment among young‐old adults.MethodsA total of 1904 participants (986 men and 918 women) aged 64 years from the New Integrated Suburban Seniority Investigation Project from 1996 to 2005, an age‐specific cohort study in Nisshin, Japan, took part in the present study. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Geriatric Depression Scale. Visual impairment was assessed using a self‐administered questionnaire. The outcome variable was self‐reported injurious falls at the age of 70 years. Multivariate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of depressive symptoms and visual impairment for the incidence of falls were calculated using logistic regression models and adjusted for possible confounding factors.ResultsOverall, 77 (7.8%) men and 126 (13.7%) women reported falls within the past 1 year at age 70 years. Among women, depressive symptoms and visual impairment were significantly associated with falls after adjusting for potential confounders (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.09–2.62; OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.45–3.71, respectively), but not among men. Women with both conditions had a significantly increased risk of falls after adjusting for potential confounders (OR 3.50, 95% CI 1.65–7.13) compared with those with neither condition; the association was not significant among men.ConclusionsDepressive symptoms and visual impairment at age 64 years were significantly associated with an increased risk of falls at age 70 years in Japanese women but not in men. The combination of the two symptoms had an even greater association with fall risk. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; 16: 384–391.
Alterations in Th17 and the Respective Cytokine Levels in Helicobacter pylori‐Induced Stomach Diseases
Authors: Shamsdin Seyedeh Azra , Alborzi Abdolvahab , Rasouli Manoochehr , Hosseini Mohamad Kazem , Bagheri Lankrani Kamran , Kalani Mehdi 
Published: April 2015

AbstractBackgroundInfections by Helicobacter can cause the stimulation of sophisticated immune response in mucosal immunity. Among the different lymphocytes, Th17 plays an important role in the defense against H. pylori and may cause gastritis and peptic ulcer due to the increased activation of Th17 and cytokine changes.AimTo find a relationship between Th17 and IL‐17A, IL‐21, IL‐22, IL‐23, TGF‐β in the patients with H. pylori infection having signs including gastritis and peptic ulcer.MethodsA total of 36 samples from the patients [24 Hp+ and 12 Hp− cases] with dyspepsia symptoms were collected. The percentage of Th17 was measured by flow cytometry. The levels of Th17‐associated cytokines in the sera and supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) which were stimulated with the H. pylori antigen, phytohemagglutinin (PHA), or Dynabeads were measured by ELISA.ResultsPatients were divided into two groups of having either H. pylori infected (peptic ulcer, gastritis (mild, moderate)) or being uninfected. The percentage of Th17 in the patients with peptic ulcer and gastritis was significantly higher than their uninfected counterparts (p ≤ .001). The serum levels of IL‐17A, IL‐23, and TGF‐β in the peptic ulcer and gastritis groups were significantly higher compared with the corresponding levels in the uninfected population (p < .05). A significant association of TGF‐β, IL‐21, and Th17 was observed with low levels of IL‐17A in the mild gastritis patients (p < .05). Significantly higher levels of IL‐22, IL‐17A, IL‐23, and higher Th17 frequencies were detected in the moderate gastritis patients, as compared with the uninfected patients (p ≤ .001).ConclusionIt can be concluded that among the cytokines associated with Th17, the two cytokines of IL‐21 and TGF‐β play a more critical role in peptic ulcer and gastritis in the individuals infected with H. pylori. Furthermore, inflammation varies depending on the type of the cytokine and its secreted level.
Relationship between dietary energy density and dietary quality in overweight young children: a cross‐sectional analysis
Authors: Poole S. A. , Hart C. N. , Jelalian E. , Raynor H. A. 
Published: April 2015

SummaryBackgroundObservational research has found that lower energy density (ED) diets are related to reduced intake of fat and greater intake of fruits and vegetables. No study has examined the relationship between dietary ED and dietary quality, as determined by the Healthy Eating Index‐2005 (HEI), in children who are overweight and obese.ObjectiveExamine the relationship between dietary ED and HEI, determined from 3‐d food records, in 156 children, aged 4–9 years, who had ≥85th percentile body mass index presenting for family‐based obesity treatment.MethodDietary ED, in kcal/g, was calculated using two methods: food and all beverages consumed (food+bev) and food only consumed (food). For calculation of HEI, all components of the HEI were included except oils.ResultsParticipants were classified as consuming a low‐ED, medium‐ED or high‐ED diet using tertile cut‐off points with ED calculated using food and beverages(food+bev) or food only(food). After controlling for group difference in child sex and race and parent sex, LOWfood+bev and LOWfood had significantly (P < 0.05) higher total HEI scores, and total fruit, total vegetable and saturated fat HEI scores than HIGHfood+bev and HIGHfood, with higher scores indicating greater quality.ConclusionsLower dietary ED is associated with higher dietary quality in children presenting for obesity treatment. Additional research investigating an ED prescription on dietary quality in children who are overweight or obese is needed to better understand this relationship.
Simplifying activity networks under generalized precedence relations to extended CPM networks
Authors: Su Zhi‐Xiong , Qi Jian‐Xun , Kan Zhi‐Nan 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThe critical path method (CPM) is a network planning technology with a simple and intuitive representation. However, it can only represent a special precedence relation—the finish‐to‐start minimum time lag. Currently, generalized precedence relations (GPRs) are represented by complex activity networks. We simplify complex activity networks under GPRs by representing the GPRs in a new way. This new extended CPM network is similar to the standard CPM network with the exception that arcs may have negative lengths and cycles. The extended CPM network facilitates problems with GPRs. Although many current models and algorithms are advanced and efficient for the CPM network problem, they are difficult or impossible to improve for GPRs applications. The extended CPM network, however, combats these problems and serves as an illustration of resource leveling with activity splitting. The current 0‐1 binary model formulation for the resource leveling with just finish‐to‐start minimum time lags is also applied to the problem with GPRs using the extended CPM network.
Hybridizations of GRASP with path relinking for the far from most string problem
Authors: Ferone Daniele , Festa Paola , Resende Mauricio G.C. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractAmong the sequence selection and comparison problems, the far from most string problem (FFMSP) is one of the computationally hardest with applications in several fields, including molecular biology where one is interested in creating diagnostic probes for bacterial infections or in discovering potential drug targets. In this paper, we describe several heuristics that hybridize GRASP with different path‐relinking strategies, such as forward, backward, mixed, greedy randomized adaptive forward, and evolutionary path relinking. Experiments on a large set of both real‐world and randomly generated test instances indicate that these hybrid heuristics are both effective and efficient. In particular, the hybrid GRASP with evolutionary path relinking finds slightly better quality solutions compared to the other variants when running for the same number of iterations, while the hybrid with backward path relinking finds better quality solution within a fixed running time.
Combining Ultrasound with Mild Alkaline Solutions as an Effective Pretreatment to Boost the Release of Sugar Trapped in Sugarcane Bagasse for Bioethanol Production
Authors: Eblaghi Marzieh , Niakousari Mehrdad , Sarshar Mohammad , Mesbahi Gholam Reza 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThe aim of this work was to develop and optimize process parameters in ultrasound and sono‐assisted alkaline pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse prior to hydrolysis and bioethanol fermentation processes. Following the optimization of ultrasound time and temperature, the influence of concentration of NaOH solution was examined. The optimal condition in ultrasound pretreatment (35 kHz) was achieved at 5 min and 65C. Ultrasound pretreatment of bagasse prior to hydrolysis step resulted in increased sugar concentration from 3.62 g/L (control, 25C) to 5.78 g/L (65C, 5 min). The micromorphology and cellulose crystallinity for native and pretreated bagasse were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction, respectively. The maximum glucan conversion and bioethanol production of 50% and 0.38 g/g glucose were achieved following sono‐assisted alkaline pretreatment (3% NaOH concentration), respectively. The findings indicate that sono‐assisted alkaline pretreated bagasse can be used as a potential feedstock in bioethanol production.Practical ApplicationsCurrent bioethanol production uses food crops such as sugarcane and maize. Large amounts of sugar molecules are present in the lignocellulose of plant material and current research aims to “unlock” the fermentable sugars in agricultural or forestry wastes and residues. The objective of the present research was to find an optimum pretreatment method by combining ultrasound with various concentrations of mild alkaline solution in order to make use of a greater proportion of lignocellulose materials from the sugarcane bagasse for bioethanol production. The development of an efficient pretreatment to increase the cellulose digestibility and fermentability potential of biomass may be of interest in bioethanol industries.
Determination of vertebral heart score in Goeldi's monkeys (Callimico goeldii)
Authors: Kubiak Marie L. , Jayson Stephanie L. , Saunders Richard A. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractBackgroundGoeldi's monkeys (Callimico goeldii) are callitrichid primates commonly kept in zoological collections, and to date, no cardiac parameters have been recorded. The vertebral heart score (VHS) is an objective method of evaluation of cardiac size well documented in domestic mammals, and the aim of this study was to determine the VHS in Goeldi's monkeys.MethodsIn this retrospective study, right lateral radiographs of thirteen clinically well animals were reviewed and vertebral heart score determined.ResultsThe vertebral heart score was found to be 9.35 ± 0.31.ConclusionsThe observed value appears consistent within the study population and with values for other primate species. The value determined may be of benefit in objectively evaluating cardiac size in this species.
Perfusion MRI in the Evaluation of Suspected Glioblastoma Recurrence
Authors: Blasel Stella , Zagorcic Andrea , Jurcoane Alina , Bähr Oliver , Wagner Marlies , Harter Patrick N. , Hattingen Elke 
Published: April 2015

ABSTRACTPURPOSETreatment‐related changes (TRC) often imitate tumor progression in glioblastomas. Increased regional cerebral blood volume (rCBV) can differentiate tumor progression from TRC after the standardized first‐line radiochemotherapy, but information about diagnostic accuracy of rCBV for patients without any clinical selection criteria is limited. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate if rCBV can differentiate between TRC and tumor progression irrespective of preceding therapies and number of tumor progressions.METHODSWe analyzed mean and maximum rCBV from the enhancing areas normalized to the contralateral white matter in 44 pretreated glioblastomas with MR‐morphological tumor progression. The diagnosis (real progression vs. TRC) was determined by histopathology or by clinical/MRI‐follow‐up. We performed nonparametric tests, receiver operating characteristics (ROC), and Kaplan‐Meier analysis.RESULTSSignificant differences between tumor progression (N = 37) and TRC (N = 7) were found for rCBVmean (2.44 ± 1.05 vs. 1.69 ± .56, P < .03) and rCBVmax (3.40 ± 1.25 vs. 2.21 ± .62, P < .0007). A rCBVmax of 2.6 had 78% sensitivity and 86% specificity to detect tumor progression. Neither rCBVmean nor rCBVmax was predictive for the patient overall survival (OS). There were no statistically different rCBVmean and rCBVmax between the first and further tumor progressions.CONCLUSIONSThe rCBVmax differentiates tumor progression from TRC in unselected recurrent glioblastomas, but it is not predictive for the OS.
Catholic Feminist Ethics Reconsidered
Authors: Haker Hille 
Published: April 2015

AbstractTaking Catholic sexual ethics and liberal feminist ethics as points of departure, this essay argues that both frameworks are ill‐prepared to deal with the moral problems raised by sex trafficking: while Catholic sexual ethics is grounded in a normative understanding of sexuality, liberal feminist ethics argues for women's sexual autonomy, resting upon freedom of action and consent. From a perspective that attends both to the phenomenological interpretation of embodied selves and the Kantian normative interpretation of dignity, it becomes possible to critique both the Catholic and the liberal feminist frameworks of ethics. I argue that Catholic sexual ethics requires a reconceptualization as social ethics in order to meet the challenges of our present time, but that the shift is possible without giving up the moral imperatives of both Catholic and feminist ethics to protect human dignity and women's rights.