bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio: a novel predictor for short‐term prognosis in acute‐on‐chronic hepatitis B liver failure
Authors: Liu H. , Zhang H. , Wan G. , Sang Y. , Chang Y. , Wang X. , Zeng H. 
Published: August 2013

SummaryAcute‐on‐chronic hepatitis B liver failure (ACHBLF) has a poor prognosis in patients with hepatitis B virus infection. The role of the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), which reflects the inflammatory status of the patient before treatment, has never been studied in this setting. To investigate the predictive value of NLR in patients with ACHBLF, a retrospective cohort with 216 patients and a prospective validation cohort with 73 patients were recruited. Multivariate analyses showed that total bilirubin (TBIL), NLR, age and model for end‐stage liver disease (MELD) score had prognostic significance for survival. Both NLR (0.781) and MELD score (0.744) had higher ROC curves, which differed significantly from those for age (0.615) and TBIL (0.691), but not from each other (P = 0.94). NLR ≤2.36 predicted lower mortality (with 91.6% sensitivity and 86.0% negative predictive value), and NLR >6.12 was a warning sign for higher mortality risk (with 90.1% specificity and 80.3% positive predictive value). These results demonstrated that pretreatment NLR was associated with the prognosis of patients with ACHBLF, and elevated NLR predicted poor outcome within 8 weeks. We suggest that NLR cut‐offs of ≤2.36 and >6.12 are powerful markers for predicting mortality in ACHBLF.
Using genetic techniques to quantify reinvasion, survival and in situ breeding rates during control operations
Authors: Veale A. J. , Edge K.‐A. , McMurtrie P. , Fewster R. M. , Clout M. N. , Gleeson D. M. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractDetermining the origin of individuals caught during a control/eradication programme enables conservation managers to assess the reinvasion rates of their target species and evaluate the level of success of their control methods. We examine how genetic techniques can focus management by distinguishing between hypotheses of ‘reinvasion’ and ‘survivor’, and defining kin groups for invasive stoats (Mustela erminea) on Secretary Island, New Zealand. 205 stoats caught on the island were genotyped at 16 microsatellite loci, along with 40 stoats from the opposing mainland coast, and the age and sex were determined for each individual. Using these data, we compare and combine a variety of genetic techniques including genetic clustering, population assignment and kinship‐based techniques to assess the origin of each stoat. The population history and individual movement could be described in fine detail, with results indicating that both in‐situ survival and breeding, and reinvasion are occurring. Immigration to the island was found to be generally low, apart from in 1 year where around 8 stoats emigrated from the mainland. This increased immigration was probably linked to a stoat population spike on the mainland in that year, caused by a masting event of southern beech forest (Nothofagus sp.) and the subsequent rodent irruption. Our study provides an example of some of the ways genetic analyses can feed directly into informing management practices for invasive species.
Genetics at the verge of extinction: insights from the Iberian lynx
Authors: Casas‐Marce M. , Soriano L. , López‐Bao J. V. , Godoy J. A. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractPopulation viability might become compromised by the loss of genetic diversity and the accumulation of inbreeding resulting from population decline and fragmentation. The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) provides a paradigmatic example of a species at the verge of extinction, and because of the well‐documented and different demographic histories of the two remaining populations (Doñana and Andújar), it provides the opportunity to evaluate the performance of analytical methods commonly applied to recently declined populations. We used mitochondrial sequences and 36 microsatellite markers to evaluate the current genetic status of the species and to assess the genetic signatures of its past history. Mitochondrial diversity was extremely low with only two haplotypes, alternatively fixed in each population. Both remnant populations have low levels of genetic diversity at microsatellite markers, particularly the population from Doñana, and genetic differentiation between the two populations is high. Bayesian coalescent‐based methods suggest an earlier decline starting hundreds of years ago, while heterozygosity excess and M‐ratio tests did not provide conclusive and consistent evidence for recent bottlenecks. Also, a model of gene flow received overwhelming support over a model of pure drift. Results that are in conflict with the known recent demography of the species call for caution in the use of these methods, especially when no information on previous demographic history is available. Overall, our results suggest that current genetic patterns in the Iberian lynx are mainly the result of its recent decline and fragmentation and alerts on possible genetic risks for its persistence. Conservation strategies should explicitly consider this threat and incorporate an integrated genetic management of wild, captive and re‐introduced populations, including genetic restoration through translocations.
Convergence of gut microbiomes in myrmecophagous mammals
Authors: Delsuc Frédéric , Metcalf Jessica L. , Wegener Parfrey Laura , Song Se Jin , González Antonio , Knight Rob 
Published: August 2013

AbstractMammals have diversified into many dietary niches. Specialized myrmecophagous (ant‐ and termite‐eating) placental mammals represent a textbook example of evolutionary convergence driven by extreme diet specialization. Armadillos, anteaters, aardvarks, pangolins and aardwolves thus provide a model system for understanding the potential role of gut microbiota in the convergent adaptation to myrmecophagy. Here, we expand upon previous mammalian gut microbiome studies by using high‐throughput barcoded Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to characterize the composition of gut microbiota in 15 species representing all placental myrmecophagous lineages and their close relatives from zoo‐ and field‐collected samples. We confirm that both diet and phylogeny drive the evolution of mammalian gut microbiota, with cases of convergence in global composition, but also examples of phylogenetic inertia. Our results reveal specialized placental myrmecophages as a spectacular case of large‐scale convergence in gut microbiome composition. Indeed, neighbour‐net networks and beta‐diversity plots based on UniFrac distances show significant clustering of myrmecophagous species (anteaters, aardvarks and aardwolves), even though they belong to phylogenetically distant lineages representing different orders. The aardwolf, which diverged from carnivorous hyenas only in the last 10 million years, experienced a convergent shift in the composition of its gut microbiome to become more similar to other myrmecophages. These results confirm diet adaptation to be a major driving factor of convergence in gut microbiome composition over evolutionary timescales. This study sets the scene for future metagenomic studies aiming at evaluating potential convergence in functional gene content in the microbiomes of specialized mammalian myrmecophages.
Ordered to the Good: Final Causality and Analogical Predication in Thomas Aquinas
Authors: Barnes Corey L. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThomas Aquinas's treatments of analogical predication of the divine names have generated perennial and polarizing debates. This article expands the framework for analysis by examining the divine names through the lens of final causality and the convertibility of being and good, stressing agathological participation as crucial for understanding the metaphysical foundation for analogical predication of the divine names. This approach specifies how analogical predication of the divine names functions as an intermediary end subordinate to the ultimate end of the beatific vision and how the ultimate end of the beatific vision causes the intermediate end of analogical predication.
Arabidopsis GOLDEN2‐LIKE (GLK) transcription factors activate jasmonic acid (JA)‐dependent disease susceptibility to the biotrophic pathogen Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis, as well as JA‐independent plant immunity against the necrotrophic pathogen Botrytis cinerea
Authors: Murmu Jhadeswar , Wilton Michael , Allard Ghislaine , Pandeya Radhey , Desveaux Darrell , Singh Jas , Subramaniam Rajagopal 
Published: August 2013

SummaryArabidopsis thaliana GOLDEN2‐LIKE (GLK1 and 2) transcription factors regulate chloroplast development in a redundant manner. Overexpression of AtGLK1 (35S:AtGLK1) in Arabidopsis also confers resistance to the cereal pathogen Fusarium graminearum. To further elucidate the role of GLK transcription factors in plant defence, the Arabidopsis glk1 glk2 double‐mutant and 35S:AtGLK1 plants were challenged with the virulent oomycete pathogen Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis (Hpa) Noco2. Compared with Col‐0, glk1 glk2 plants were highly resistant to Hpa Noco2, whereas 35S:AtGLK1 plants showed enhanced susceptibility to this pathogen. Genetic studies suggested that AtGLK‐mediated plant defence to Hpa Noco2 was partially dependent on salicylic acid (SA) accumulation, but independent of the SA signalling protein NONEXPRESSOR OF PATHOGENESIS‐RELATED 1 (NPR1). Pretreatment with jasmonic acid (JA) dramatically reversed Hpa Noco2 resistance in the glk1 glk2 double mutant, but only marginally affected the 35S:AtGLK1 plants. In addition, overexpression of AtGLK1 in the JA signalling mutant coi1‐16 did not increase susceptibility to Hpa Noco2. Together, our GLK gain‐of‐function and loss‐of‐function experiments suggest that GLK acts upstream of JA signalling in disease susceptibility to Hpa Noco2. In contrast, glk1 glk2 plants were more susceptible to the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea, whereas 35S:AtGLK1 plants exhibited heightened resistance which could be maintained in the absence of JA signalling. Together, the data reveal that AtGLK1 is involved in JA‐dependent susceptibility to the biotrophic pathogen Hpa Noco2 and in JA‐independent resistance to the necrotrophic pathogen B. cinerea.
Antibacterial effects on dry‐fast and traditional water‐based surgical scrubbing methods: A two‐time points experimental study
Authors: Chen Shu‐Hwa , Chou Chuan‐Yu , Huang Jui‐Chen , Tang Ya‐Fen , Kuo Yur‐Ren , Chien Li‐Yu 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThis study determined the in‐use effects of dry‐fast and traditional hand‐washing surgical scrubs among operating room staff members. This is a static group comparison study with purposive sampling. A total of 156 staff members were recruited in an operating room in a medical center located in southern Taiwan. The participants were divided into traditional and dry‐fast hand‐washing groups. Microbial counts were measured right after the two groups finished surgical scrubbing and at the completion of surgery. The results showed that the use of dry‐fast antisepsis has a better persistent effect (P = 0.001), more nurses chose dry‐fast antisepsis than surgeons (P = 0.012), and the post‐operation number of colonies for nurses was significantly higher than that for surgeons (P = 0.003). Operating room nurses are long‐term and frequent users of antibacterial agents, and their requirement of skin protection is higher. The dry‐fast technique has the advantage of being less irritating to the skin and less time consuming; therefore, brush‐free and dry‐fast antisepsis is recommended.
Effectiveness of a first‐aid intervention program applied by undergraduate nursing students to preparatory school children
Authors: Wafik Wagida , Tork Hanan 
Published: August 2013

AbstractChildhood injuries constitute a major public health problem worldwide. First aid is an effective life‐preservation tool at work, school, home, and in public locations. In this study, the effectiveness of a first‐aid program delivered by undergraduate nursing students to preparatory school children was examined. This quasi‐experimental study was carried out on 100 school children in governmental preparatory schools in Egypt. The researchers designed a program for first‐aid training, and this was implemented by trained nursing students. The evaluation involved immediate post‐test and follow‐up assessment after two months. The results showed generally low levels of satisfactory knowledge and inadequate situational practice among the school students before the intervention. Statistically‐significant improvements were shown at the post‐ and follow‐up tests. Multivariate regression analysis identified the intervention and the type of school as the independent predictors of the change in students' knowledge score, while the intervention and the knowledge score were the predictors of the practice score. The study concluded that a first‐aid training program delivered by nursing students to preparatory school children is effective in improving their knowledge and practice.
Cultural responses to pain in UK children of primary school age: A mixed‐methods study
Authors: Azize Pary M. , Endacott Ruth , Cattani Allegra , Humphreys Ann 
Published: August 2013

AbstractPain‐measurement tools are often criticized for not addressing the influence of culture and ethnicity on pain. This study examined how children who speak English as a primary or additional language discuss pain. Two methods were used in six focus group interviews with 34 children aged 4–7 years: (i) use of drawings from the Pediatric Pain Inventory to capture the language used by children to describe pain; and (ii) observation of the children's placing of pain drawings on red/amber/green paper to denote perceived severity of pain. The findings demonstrated that children with English as an additional language used less elaborate language when talking about pain, but tended to talk about the pictures prior to deciding where they should be placed. For these children, there was a positive significant relationship between language, age, and length of stay in the UK. The children's placement of pain drawings varied according to language background, sex, and age. The findings emphasize the need for sufficient time to assess pain adequately in children who do not speak English as a first language.
Associations between overuse of the internet and mental health in adolescents
Authors: Yoo Yang‐Sook , Cho Ok‐Hee , Cha Kyeong‐Sook 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThis study examined the factors influencing internet addiction levels and mental health in a nationally‐representative sample of 74,980 Korean middle‐ and high‐school students who completed the 2010 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web‐Based Survey. The prevalence rates of potential internet addiction and internet addiction were 14.8% and 3%, respectively. The odds ratios for potential internet addiction were higher in both boys and girls who reported suicidal ideation, depressive mood, moderate or higher subjective stress, moderate or more happiness, or ever having engaged in problematic substance use. Adolescents at high risk for internet addiction had poor mental health outcomes. The findings indicate the need for measures to prevent and manage internet addiction in adolescents that consider the severity of factors related to internet addiction.
Effectiveness of a behavior modification program for older people with uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Ounnapiruk Liwan , Wirojratana Virapun , Meehatchai Nitaya , Turale Sue 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThis quasi‐experimental study examined the effectiveness of a behavior modification program for diabetic control in Thai elders with uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes. Purposive sampling was used to select 30 elders from one community as an intervention group, and 30 from a neighboring community as a control group. The intervention group participated in a program of 12 weeks' duration involving activities related to group counseling, group discussion, and an empowerment process that enhanced appropriate consumption of healthy diet, medication taking, and exercise. Data were collected by interviews using a questionnaire to assess knowledge of diabetes, perceived self‐efficacy, and diabetes control behavior, including fasting blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin, were examined at the baseline and three months thereafter. At program completion, the intervention group had significantly higher scores of knowledge, self‐efficacy, and health behaviors than those in the control group, but blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin were not significantly different. Although nurses can use aspects of this program to benefit elders with diabetes who require support and education, further research is required to provide improved health outcomes such as better glycemic control.
Assessing leaf photoprotective mechanisms using terrestrial LiDAR: towards mapping canopy photosynthetic performance in three dimensions
Authors: Magney Troy S. , Eusden Spencer A. , Eitel Jan U. H. , Logan Barry A. , Jiang Jingjue , Vierling Lee A. 
Published: August 2013

Summary

Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data allow spatially explicit (x, y, z) laser return intensities to be recorded throughout a plant canopy, which could considerably improve our understanding of how physiological processes vary in three‐dimensional space. However, the utility of TLS data for the quantification of plant physiological properties remains largely unexplored. Here, we test whether the laser return intensity of green (532‐nm) TLS correlates with changes in the de‐epoxidation state of the xanthophyll cycle and photoprotective non‐photochemical quenching (NPQ), and compare the ability of TLS to quantify these parameters with the passively measured photochemical reflectance index (PRI).

We exposed leaves from five plant species to increasing light intensities to induce NPQ and de‐epoxidation of violaxanthin (V) to antheraxanthin (A) and zeaxanthin (Z). At each light intensity, the green laser return intensity (GLRI), narrowband spectral reflectance, chlorophyll fluorescence emission and xanthophyll cycle pigment composition were recorded.

Strong relationships between both predictor variables (GLRI, PRI) and both explanatory variables (NPQ, xanthophyll cycle de‐epoxidation) were observed.

GLRI holds promise to provide detailed (mm) information about plant physiological status to improve our understanding of the patterns and mechanisms driving foliar photoprotection. We discuss the potential for scaling these laboratory data to three‐dimensional canopy space.
A stock‐and‐flow simulation model of the US blood supply
Authors: Simonetti Arianna , Forshee Richard A. , Anderson Steven A. , Walderhaug Mark 
Published: August 2013

BackgroundLack of reporting requirements for the amount of blood stored in blood banks and hospitals poses challenges to effectively monitor the US blood supply. Effective strategies to minimize collection and donation disruptions in the supply require an understanding of the daily amount of blood available in the system.Study Design and MethodsA stock‐and‐flow simulation model of the US blood supply was developed to obtain estimates of the daily on‐hand availability of blood, with uncertainty and by ABO/Rh type. The model simulated potential impact on supply of using different blood management practices for transfusion: first in‐first out (FIFO), using the oldest stored red blood cell units first; non‐FIFO likely oldest, preferentially selecting older blood; and non‐FIFO likely newest, preferentially selecting younger blood.ResultsSimulation results showed higher estimates of the steady‐state of the blood supply level for FIFO (1,630,000 units, 95% prediction interval [PI] 1,610,000‐1,650,000) than non‐FIFO scenarios (likely oldest, 1,530,000 units, 95% PI 1,500,000‐1,550,000; and likely newest, 1,190,000 units, 95% PI 1,160,000‐1,220,000), either for overall blood or by blood types.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this model represents a first attempt to evaluate the impact of different blood management practices on daily availability and distribution of blood in the US blood supply. The average storage time before blood is being issued was influenced by blood management practices, for preferences of blood that is younger and also that use specific blood types. The model also suggests which practice could best approximate the current blood management system and may serve as useful tool for blood management.
A comprehensive survey of both RHD and RHCE allele frequencies in sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Granier Thomas , Beley Sophie , Chiaroni Jacques , Bailly Pascal , Silvy Monique 
Published: August 2013

BackgroundThe RH system is one of the most polymorphic blood group systems with numerous allele variants affecting Rh polypeptides expression. This complexity is at the origin of difficulties for transfusion of African patients especially sickle cell disease patients requiring chronic transfusion therapy with high risk of immunization. As a complete survey of RH variants is lacking in African populations, we performed red blood cell genotyping to determine the type and frequency of RHD and RHCE alleles in sub‐Saharan African populations.Study Design and MethodsA total of 347 blood samples were collected from individuals of six nonpygmoid and three pygmoid populations. RH typing was performed using two single‐tube multiplex polymerase chain reaction amplifications (BioArray Solutions, Immucor).ResultsAll six sub‐Saharan nonpygmoid populations exhibited constant variety in both type and frequency of aberrant RHD and RHCE alleles. Predicted partial RH1 (1.8%) and RH5 (0.9%) phenotypes were less than expected. Conversely, predicted partial phenotype RH2 (5.5%) was frequent. Data confirmed the high frequency of samples positive for the non–clinically significant RH10/RH20 antigens (39.5%) and revealed a high frequency of RH54 (DAK, 8.1%). The pygmoid groups showed higher percentages of predicted partial RH antigens and greater heterogeneity reflecting wide genetic differentiation.ConclusionOur data show that frequencies of aberrant RHD and RHCE alleles were similar, irrespective of location and ethnicity. In view of the predicted frequencies and relative clinical significance of both private antigens and high‐prevalence antigens absent, the most relevant assays for individuals of African descent in a transfusion setting are for 1) partial RH2 in the patient and 2) RH54 (DAK) in the donor.