bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Migration and dispersal patterns of bats and their influence on genetic structure
Authors: Moussy Caroline , Hosken D.J. , Mathews F. , Smith G.C. , Aegerter J.N. , Bearhop S. 
Published: October 2012

Abstract

Bats are important ecosystems service providers, make a significant contribution to biodiversity and can be important pests and disease vectors. In spite of this, information on their migration and dispersal patterns is limited.

In temperate bats, migration is most evident in females. This reflects seasonal differences in their habitat requirements, and the fact that seasonally suitable sites can be geographically distant. Tropical bats mainly migrate to track variation in food availability.

Little direct information is available on the patterns and drivers of bat dispersal, although drivers may include mate competition and inbreeding avoidance. In many temperate species, differential energy requirements and local resource competition among the sexes drive sexual segregation in the summer: females remain philopatric to their natal region, and frequently to their natal colony, while males disperse. In contrast, many tropical Pteropodidae form single‐male/multi‐female groups in which local resource defence contributes to female‐biased or all‐offspring dispersal from the natal site.

Population genetic studies are the most common source of evidence used to infer the spatial dynamics of bats. As expected, migratory species tend to have less genetically structured populations over large geographical scales due to mating outside of breeding areas, weak migratory connectivity and long‐distance movements. In contrast and as expected, populations of sedentary species tend to be more differentiated at smaller geographical scales.

Despite this general pattern, a range of factors, including historical events, dispersal capabilities, and behavioural, ecological and geographical barriers, are implicated in the genetic partitioning of bat populations, irrespective of movement patterns. These factors limit the study of bat movements using only genetic methods.

Combining population genetics with other methods, such as mark–recapture, tracking or stable isotope analysis, should provide more insight into the movements of these ecologically and economically important species.
Reproductive success of female leopards Panthera pardus: the importance of top‐down processes
Authors: Balme Guy A. , Batchelor Andrew , de Woronin Britz Natasha , Seymour Greg , Grover Michael , Hes Lex , Macdonald David W. , Hunter Luke T.B. 
Published: October 2012

Abstract
Long‐term studies on large felids are rare and yet they yield data essential to understanding the behaviour of species and the factors that facilitate their conservation.
We used the most extensive data set so far compiled on leopards Panthera pardus to establish baseline reproductive parameters for females and to determine the demographic and environmental factors that affect their lifetime reproductive success.
We used comprehensive sightings reports and photographs from ecotourism lodges in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa, to reconstruct life histories for 44 female leopards that gave birth to 172 litters over a 32‐year period.
Leopards appeared to exhibit a birth pulse; most litters were born in the wet season, particularly in December. Mean age at first parturition (n = 26, mean ± standard error = 46 ± 2 months, range = 33–62) was older than previously recorded, possibly due to elevated intraspecific competition. Average litter size was 1.9 ± 0.1 (n = 140, range = 1–3) and declined with maternal age. Age of litters at independence (n = 52, 19 ± 1 months, range = 9–31) was inversely related to prey abundance but did not affect the likelihood of recruitment of offspring. Interbirth intervals differed following successful litters (in which at least one cub survived to independence; n = 55, 25 ± 1 months, range = 14–39) and unsuccessful litters (n = 46, 11 ± 1 months, range = 4–36), as did the time taken to replace litters.
Variation in lifetime reproductive success was influenced mainly by differences in cub survival, which was related to maternal age and vulnerability to infanticide. Cub survival (37%) declined as females got older, perhaps because mothers relinquished portions of their home ranges to philopatric daughters. Male leopards were responsible for many (40%) cub deaths and females appeared to adopt severalstrategies to counter the risk of infanticide, including paternity confusion and displaying a period of reduced fertility immediately after a resident male was replaced.
Our results suggest that the reproductive success of female leopards is regulated primarily by top‐down processes. This should be taken into account in management decisions, particularly when managers are considering the implementation of invasive activities such as legal trophy hunting.
Effectiveness of blood transfusions and risk factors for mortality in children aged from 1 month to 4 years at the Bon Marché Hospital, Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Authors: Mueller Yolanda , Bastard Mathieu , Ehounou Geneviève , Itama Jeff , Quéré Michel , de la Tour Roberto , Vala Louis , Etard Jean‐François , Bottineau Marie‐Claude 
Published: October 2012

AbstractObjective  To assess the effectiveness of blood transfusions in a hospital of north‐eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.Methods  Prospective study of children admitted for severe anaemia. During admission, data were collected on clinical condition and haemoglobin levels, before and after blood transfusion. A linear regression model was built to explore factors associated with haemoglobin level after transfusion. Risk factors for mortality were explored through multivariate logistic regression.Results  Haemoglobin level (Hb) was below 4 g/dl in 35% (230/657), between 4 and 6 g/dl in 58% (348/657) and at least 6 g/dl in another 6% (43/657) of the transfused children. A transfusion of 15 ml/kg of whole blood increased the Hb from 4.4 to 7.8 g/dl. Haemoglobin level after transfusion was associated with baseline Hb, quantity of delivered blood and history of previous transfusions. Overall case‐fatality rate was 5.6% (37/657). Risk factors for deaths were co‐morbidities such as chest infection, meningitis or malnutrition, Hb ≥ 6 g/dl, impaired consciousness or jugular venous distention on admission, and provenance.Conclusion  Transfusion was a frequent practice, the use of which could clearly have been rationalised. While indications should be restricted, quantities of transfused blood should be adapted to needs.
Improved but unsustainable: accounting for sachet water in post‐2015 goals for global safe water
Authors: Stoler Justin 
Published: October 2012

AbstractThe advent and rapid spread of sachet drinking water in West Africa presents a new challenge for providing sustainable access to global safe water. Sachet water has expanded drinking water access and is often of sufficient quality to serve as an improved water source for Millennium Development Goals (MDG) monitoring purposes, yet sachets are an unsustainable water delivery vehicle due to their overwhelming plastic waste burden. Monitoring of primary drinking water sources in West Africa generally ignores sachet water, despite its growing ubiquity. Sub‐Saharan Africa as a region is unlikely to meet the MDG Target for drinking water provision, and post‐2015 monitoring activities may depend upon rapid adaptability to local drinking water trends.
Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in non‐neutropenic patients with and without underlying disease: A single‐centre retrospective analysis of 52 subjects
Authors: DAI ZHICHU , ZHAO HAIJIN , CAI SHAOXI , LV YANHUA , TONG WANCHENG 
Published: October 2012

ABSTRACTBackground and objective:  Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) remains a life‐threatening infection in patients with prolonged neutropenia. Few data are available on IPA in non‐neutropenic patients without underlying immunocompromising conditions.Methods:  All non‐neutropenic patients managed at the institution for a proven and probable IPA over the last 10 years were reviewed retrospectively, and the difference between non‐neutropenic patients with and without underlying disease was investigated.Results:  Among 52 cases of IPA analysed here, 33 were histologically proven; 19 were probable. Forty‐two (80.8%) patients had underlying diseases; 10 (19.2%) patients had no any underlying diseases. There is a significant difference in seasonal distribution among patients with underlying conditions (P = 0.026), but no seasonal difference was found in the other group (P = 0.622). The only significant difference in symptoms between the two groups was fever (P = 0.015). Radiological findings were non‐specific in the two groups. Despite treatment, the overall crude mortality rate among 52 patients was 39%. The overall mortality rate in patients with underlying disease was 45%, while that in patients without underlying conditions was 11%. A Cox multivariate analysis showed that organ failure (hazard ratios: 8.739, 95% CI: 3.770–20.255; P = 0.000) was independently associated with overall mortality.Conclusions:  Clinical features of IPA are not well known in non‐neutropenic patients, especially in those without underlying conditions. In this study, organ failure was associated with a lower rate of survival of non‐neutropenic patients with IPA.
Partial outlet obstruction in rabbits: Duration versus severity
Authors: Levin Robert M , Schuler Catherine , Leggett Robert E , Callaghan Connor , Maknuru Shilpika 
Published: October 2012

ObjectivesOxidative stress is a major etiology of obstructed bladder dysfunction. The major goal of the current study was to correlate the level of oxidative stress with both the severity and duration of obstruction.MethodsA total of 32 New Zealand White rabbits were divided into four equal groups. Groups 1–3 received partial bladder outlet obstructions by standard methods and survived for 4, 8 or 12 weeks. Group 4 received sham surgery at the end of each time period, isolated strips were taken for contractility studies and the balance of the bladder was frozen as muscle and mucosa for quantification of nitrotyrosine and carbonyl‐oxidized proteins derivatized into dinitrophenyl. For each duration, the eight rabbits were divided into three severity groups: mild, intermediate or severe decompensation.ResultsContractile responses decreased in proportion to both severity and duration. The level of both oxidative products correlated to a much higher degree with the level of severity than the duration. There were significant decreases in the contractile responses in the mild decompensation group, whereas the level of derivatized into dinitrophenyl and nitrotyrosine of the muscle remained at control levels. This was not the case for the 4 weeks obstructed group.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that the etiology for the mechanism of contractile dysfunction is not an oxidative stress.
Myostatin inhibits proliferation of human urethral rhabdosphincter satellite cells
Authors: Akita Yasuyuki , Sumino Yasuhiro , Mori Ken‐ichi , Nomura Takeo , Sato Fuminori , Mimata Hiromitsu 
Published: October 2012

ObjectivesMyostatin, a member of the transforming growth factor‐β superfamily, is a negative regulator of myogenesis in skeletal muscle. We examined the effect of myostatin and myostatin inhibition by an antagonistic agent, follistatin, on growth of human urethral rhabdosphincter satellite cells (muscle stem cells) to develop a new strategy for treatment of stress urinary incontinence.MethodsRhabdosphincter satellite cells were cultured and selected by magnetic affinity cell sorting using an anti‐neural cell adhesion molecule antibody. The cells were transfected with simian virus‐40 antigen to extend their lifespan. A cell proliferation assay, a cell cycle analysis and an investigation of signal transduction were carried out. The autocrine action of endogenous myostatin by western blotting, real‐time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunoneutralization using an anti‐myostatin antibody was also evaluated.ResultsSelectively cultured cells expressed markers of striated muscles and successfully differentiated into myotubes. Myostatin inhibited proliferation of these cells through Smad2 phosphorylation and cell cycle arrest. Inhibitory effects of myostatin were reversed by addition of follistatin. However, rhabdosphincter satellite cells did not appear to use autocrine secretion of myostatin to regulate their proliferation.ConclusionsInhibition of myostatin function might be a useful pathway in the development of novel strategies for stimulating rhabdosphincter cells regeneration to treat stress urinary incontinence.
Spatial regression methods capture prediction uncertainty in species distribution model projections through time
Authors: Swanson Alan K. , Dobrowski Solomon Z. , Finley Andrew O. , Thorne James H. , Schwartz Michael K. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractAimThe uncertainty associated with species distribution model (SDM) projections is poorly characterized, despite its potential value to decision makers. Error estimates from most modelling techniques have been shown to be biased due to their failure to account for spatial autocorrelation (SAC) of residual error. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) have the ability to account for SAC through the inclusion of a spatially structured random intercept, interpreted to account for the effect of missing predictors. This framework promises a more realistic characterization of parameter and prediction uncertainty. Our aim is to assess the ability of GLMMs and a conventional SDM approach, generalized linear models (GLM), to produce accurate projections and estimates of prediction uncertainty.InnovationWe employ a unique historical dataset to assess the accuracy of projections and uncertainty estimates from GLMMs and GLMs. Models were trained using historical (1928–1940) observations for 99 woody plant species in California, USA, and assessed using temporally independent validation data (2000–2005).Main conclusionsGLMMs provided a closer fit to historic data, had fewer significant covariates, were better able to eliminate spatial autocorrelation of residual error, and had larger credible intervals for projections than GLMs. The accuracy of projections was similar between methods but GLMMs better quantified projection uncertainty. Additionally, GLMMs produced more conservative estimates of species range size and range size change than GLMs. We conclude that the GLMM error structure allows for a more realistic characterization of SDM uncertainty. This is critical for conservation applications that rely on honest assessments of projection uncertainty.
Pannonia Imperilled: Why Danilo Kiš Still Matters
Authors: COX JOHN K. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractThis essay explores the significance of the works of the Serbian–Jewish–Yugoslav writer Danilo Kiš (1935–89) more than twenty years after his untimely passing. To understand Kiš's place in Serbian culture today, it is necessary to revisit the controversies that bedevilled his public reception in Yugoslavia in the 1970s and 1980s; to understand Kiš's place in Central European history today, though, it is necessary to broaden our familiarity with his increasingly accessible corpus of writing and recontextualize his proverbially anti‐nationalistic and apolitical positions. With an expanded reading of Kiš, he emerges as a useful source of information and critique on Yugoslavia's ‘self‐managing’ socialist system itself as well as a proponent of expanded notions of both East European and Central European identity and of an emotionally authentic if controversial thesis of totalitarian equivalence between fascism and communism.
The impact of peer victimization on later maladjustment: mediating and moderating effects of hostile and self‐blaming attributions
Authors: Perren Sonja , Ettekal Idean , Ladd Gary 
Published: October 2012

Background:  Evidence indicates that being a victim of bullying or peer aggression has negative short‐ and long‐term consequences. In this study, we investigated the mediating and moderating role of two types of attributional mechanisms (hostile and self‐blaming attributions) on children’s maladjustment (externalizing and internalizing problems).Methods:  In total, 478 children participated in this longitudinal study from grade 5 to grade 7. Children, parents, and teachers repeatedly completed questionnaires. Peer victimization was assessed through peer reports (T1). Attributions were assessed through self‐reports using hypothetical scenarios (T2). Parents and teachers reported on children’s maladjustment (T1 and T3).Results:  Peer victimization predicted increases in externalizing and internalizing problems. Hostile attributions partially mediated the impact of victimization on increases in externalizing problems. Self‐blame was not associated with peer victimization. However, for children with higher levels of self‐blaming attributions, peer victimization was linked more strongly with increases in internalizing problems.Conclusions:  Results imply that hostile attributions may operate as a potential mechanism through which negative experiences with peers lead to increases in children’s aggressive and delinquent behavior, whereas self‐blame exacerbates victimization’s effects on internalizing problems.
Histone deacetylase inhibitors preserve function in aging axons
Authors: Baltan Selva 
Published: October 2012

AbstractAging increases the vulnerability of aging white matter to ischemic injury. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors preserve young adult white matter structure and function during ischemia by conserving ATP and reducing excitotoxicity. In isolated optic nerve from 12‐month‐old mice, deprived of oxygen and glucose, we show that pan‐ and Class I‐specific HDAC inhibitors promote functional recovery of axons. This protection correlates with preservation of axonal mitochondria. The cellular expression of HDAC 3 in the central nervous system (CNS), and HDAC 2 in optic nerve considerably changed with age, expanding to more cytoplasmic domains from nuclear compartments, suggesting that changes in glial cell protein acetylation may confer protection to aging axons. Our results indicate that manipulation of HDAC activities in glial cells may have a universal potential for stroke therapy across age groups.
Plasma 3‐nitrotyrosine estimates the reperfusion‐induced cerebrovascular stress, whereas matrix metalloproteinases mainly reflect plasma activity: a study in patients treated with thrombolysis or endovascular recanalization
Authors: Bas Demet Funda , Topcuoglu Mehmet Akif , Gursoy‐Ozdemir Yasemin , Saatci Isil , Bodur Ebru , Dalkara Turgay 
Published: October 2012

AbstractCerebral reperfusion injury may account for complications of thrombolysis and endovascular recanalization. Experimental studies have shown that brain matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity increases during reperfusion and is correlated with oxidative/nitrative stress. Increased plasma MMP levels have been reported in stroke, but no information is available for reperfusion‐induced plasma MMP and 3‐nitrotyrosine (3‐NT, a marker of oxidative/nitrative stress) changes immediately after recanalization. We obtained plasma from 29 patients undergoing endovascular recanalization, 12 patients treated with thrombolysis, and six control patients having diagnostic angiogram before and 1,3, and 24 h after treatment to investigate the effect of cerebral reperfusion on plasma MMP gelatinolytic activity and 3‐NT level. Hypoperfusion was shown distal to the stenotic artery in endovascular treatment patients. Presence of an occluded artery and recanalization was documented in thrombolysis patients. A significant increase was detected in plasma 3‐NT levels 3 and 24 h after stenting/angioplasty. Plasma MMP‐9 gelatinolytic activity rose more than 50% of the pre‐treatment level in 12 of 29 patients. However, this was not statistically significant and not correlated with any of the clinical or radiological correlates of reperfusion injury (e.g., hyperperfusion and hemorrhage). After thrombolysis, a significant increase in plasma MMP‐9 gelatinolytic activity at 3 and 24 h and the cleaved form of MMP‐9 were detected. 3‐NT levels increased by 44% and 62% at 3 and 24 h, which did not achieve statistical significance, but was highly correlated with admission NIH Stroke Scale (r = 0.930 p < 0.001). No change was detected in MMP‐2 in all groups. In conclusion, these data suggest that the increased plasma MMP‐9 levels is not a direct measure of MMP‐9 activity in the reperfused brain but rather a consequence of tissue plasminogen activator infusion, whereas plasma 3‐NT levels appear to originate from the reperfused brain vasculature. The changes in 3‐NT levels may therefore be useful to monitor oxygen/nitrogen radical formation during reperfusion with serial measurements.
Activation of immune responses to brain antigens after stroke
Authors: Becker Kyra J. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractInfection is common after stroke and is independently associated with a worse outcome. The predisposition to infection following stroke is in part related to a sympathetically mediated suppression of the peripheral immune response. The teleological explanation for this immune dysfunction is that it serves to prevent autoimmune responses to brain antigens. We believe that the systemic immune response in patients who develop infection, however, thwarts this seemingly protective response and predisposes to central nervous system autoimmunity. These autoimmune responses may mediate, at least in part, the worse outcome associated with post‐stroke infection.
National interest versus the common good: The Presidency in European Council agenda setting
Authors: Alexandrova Petya , Timmermans Arco 
Published: October 2012

AbstractThe European Council is an institution which brings together the Heads of State, or Governments of the European Union (EU) Member States. For the Presidency, preparing the agenda of European Council meetings involves a tension between loyalties. Existing research is divided over the question whether the Presidency pushes its domestic policy agenda on the EU level. Using empirical data on the Conclusions of European Council meetings, and national executive speeches presented annually in five Member States, this article investigates the relationship between the policy agendas of the EU and its constituent countries. It tests whether national issue attention of the Presidency holder dominates the European Council agenda. The findings suggest that having the Presidency does not provide a de facto institutional advantage for agenda setting power for any of the countries in the sample. The analysis points out that normative and political constrains limit the leeway of presiding Member States to push for domestic agenda preferences in the European Council.