bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Self‐Assembled 3D Hierarchically Structured Gamma Alumina by Hydrothermal Method
Authors: Li Yanhui , Peng Cheng , Li Lianglong , Rao Pinggen 
Published: November 2013

Self‐assembled γ‐Al2O3 with hierarchical structure was successfully obtained via thermolysis of γ‐boehmite (γ‐AlOOH) particles, which was hydrothermally derived from aluminum ammonium sulfate hydrate (NH4Al(SO4)2·12H2O), urea, poly‐glycol (PEG)‐2000, and deionized water. SEM observations indicate that the as‐synthesized γ‐AlOOH has hierarchical flower‐like structure, composing of needle‐like building blocks. After calcinations at 800°C, it converts to cubic γ‐Al2O3 with hierarchical structure retained by a topotactical process. N2 adsorption and desorption reveal that the obtained γ‐Al2O3 has a BET surface area of 101 m2/g with a narrow mesoporous size of about 13 nm and a broad macroporous‐size distributions of 200–500 nm, respectively. The as‐generated γ‐Al2O3 with hierarchical structure shows good capacities for removing Congo red from wastewater, indicating that 3D hierarchical structure has excellent adsorption ability.
Synthesis of β‐SiAlON Nanopowder by Ammonolysis of Alumina–Silica Gel
Authors: Zhang Li , Zhang Litong , Lin Zhijun , Jiang Yan , He Jing , Cai Wuji , Li Siwei 
Published: November 2013

A simple method for synthesis of β‐SiAlON powder by nitridation of alumina–silica gel in ammonia was provided. Precursor was obtained from a mixture of nanosized alumina and colloidal silica. Nitridation reactions took place at 1100°C and conversion to β‐SiAlON was achieved at 1300°C for 2–3 h. The synthesized β‐SiAlON powder was nanocrystalline in size (<100 nm).
Unbalanced distribution of materials: the art of giving rise to hepatocytes from liver stem/progenitor cells
Authors: Liu Wei‐Hui , Ren Li‐Na , Chen Tao , You Nan , Liu Li‐Ye , Wang Tao , Yan Hong‐Tao , Luo Hao , Tang Li‐Jun 
Published: November 2013

AbstractLiver stem/progenitor cells (LSPCs) are able to duplicate themselves and differentiate into each type of cells in the liver, including mature hepatocytes and cholangiocytes. Understanding how to accurately control the hepatic differentiation of LSPCs is a challenge in many fields from preclinical to clinical treatments. This review summarizes the recent advances made to control the hepatic differentiation of LSPCs over the last few decades. The hepatic differentiation of LSPCs is a gradual process consisting of three main steps: initiation, progression and accomplishment. The unbalanced distribution of the affecting materials in each step results in the hepatic maturation of LSPCs. As the innovative and creative works for generating hepatocytes with full functions from LSPCs are gradually accumulated, LSPC therapies will soon be a new choice for treating liver diseases.
A prospective study of heart rate and externalising behaviours in young children
Authors: Dierckx Bram , Kok Rianne , Tulen Joke H.M. , Jaddoe Vincent W. , Hofman Albert , Verhulst Frank C. , Bakermans‐Kranenburg Marian J. , van Ijzendoorn Marinus H. , Tiemeier Henning 
Published: November 2013

BackgroundLow heart rate predicts externalising and delinquent behaviour in adults, adolescents and school‐age children. In younger children the evidence is less clear. Moreover, the specificity of the relation between the autonomic nervous system and different forms of externalising behaviour is uncertain. We investigated the longitudinal relation between resting mean heart rate and different externalising behaviours.MethodsIn 412 children of the Generation R Study, we measured resting mean heart rate at 14 months. At 3 years, child problem behaviour was assessed by the mother with the Child Behavior Checklist. In a gift delay task, we observed whether children were compliant and whether they lied about their noncompliance. The association of heart rate with behaviour was contrasted with the effect of harsh parenting.ResultsIn our main analysis, we examined the association between heart rate and reported and observed child behaviour. For comparison, the association of heart rate with behaviour was contrasted with the effect of harsh parenting. Mean heart rate was positively associated with Anxious/Depressed scale scores (β = .1, 95% CI = 0.01; 0.2, p = .04), but not with Aggressive Behaviour (β = .02; 95% CI = −0.1; 0.1, p = .8) nor Attention Problem scale scores (β = .08, 95% CI = −0.3; 0.5, p = .8). We could not demonstrate an association between mean heart rate and noncompliance during the gift delay task (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 0.9; 1.1, p = .2), but lower heart rate predicted higher odds of the child lying (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.3; 0.9, p = .03). In contrast, harsh parenting was associated with mother‐reported Aggressive Behaviour (β = .7, 95% CI = 0.4; 0.9, p < .001) and Attention Problems (β = .2, 95% CI = 0.1; 0.3, p < .001), but not with observed lying (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 0.8; 1.4, p = .8).ConclusionsLower resting mean heart rate at age 14 months predicts low anxiety symptoms and higher odds of lying at age 3 years. Low resting mean heart rate may be less an indicator of early childhood aggression than of fearless behaviour.
Short‐ and long‐term effect of sitagliptin after near normalization of glycemic control with insulin in poorly controlled Japanese type 2 diabetic patients
Authors: Fujisawa Keiko , Yasuda Tetsuyuki , Kaneto Hideaki , Katakami Naoto , Tsuji Mayumi , Kubo Fumiyo , Sasaki Shugo , Miyashita Kazuyuki , Naka Toyoko , Kasami Ryuuichi , Kuroda Akio , Matsuhisa Munehide , Shimomura Iichiro 
Published: November 2013

AbstractAims/IntroductionThe aim of the present study was to examine the short‐ and long‐term effect of sitagliptin on glucose tolerance after near normalization of glycemic control with insulin in poorly controlled type 2 diabetic patients.Materials and MethodsWe consecutively enrolled a total of 30 type 2 diabetic patients whose glycated hemoglobin levels (National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program) were ≥7.4%, stopped all oral antidiabetic drugs and started insulin therapy. When fasting plasma glucose levels became <140 mg/dL, we carried out the first oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). After 1‐week sitagliptin treatment (50 mg/day), the second OGTT was carried out. Furthermore, we evaluated the long‐term efficacy of sitagliptin on glucose tolerance after near normalization of glycemic control with insulin.ResultsAfter 1‐week sitagliptin treatment, the area under the curve of insulin was markedly increased, and the area under the curve of glucagon and glucose was markedly decreased. Duration of diabetes and insulin secretory capacity were correlated with the effect of sitagliptin. Furthermore, interestingly, near normalization of glycemic control with insulin therapy for 1–2 weeks brought out the long‐term effectiveness of sitagliptin on glucose tolerance for 24 weeks, which was not observed with other antidiabetic drugs.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that near normalization of glycemic control with insulin improves the clinical response to sitagliptin in poorly controlled type 2 diabetic patients.
Fitness costs ofCry1Fresistance in fall armyworm,Spodoptera frugiperda
Authors: Vélez A. M. , Spencer T. A. , Alves A. P. , Crespo A. L. B. , Siegfried B. D. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractTransgenic corn,Zea maysL., expressing theBacillus thuringiensisBerliner (Bt) protein Cry1F has been registered forSpodoptera frugiperda(J. E. Smith) control since 2003 in theUSA. Unexpected damage to Cry1F corn was reported in 2006 in Puerto Rico, and Cry1F resistance inS. frugiperdafrom Puerto Rico was documented. The study of fitness costs associated with insect resistance toBtinsecticidal proteins is important for understanding resistance evolution and for evaluating resistance management practices used to mitigate resistance to transgenic corn. Currently, no studies have addressed the fitness costs associated with Cry1F resistance inS. frugiperda. In this study, susceptible and resistant strains with similar genetic background and their reciprocal crosses were used to estimate Cry1F resistance fitness costs. Comparisons between life‐history traits and population growth rates of homozygous susceptible, heterozygous and homozygous resistantS. frugiperdawere used to determine whether the resistance is associated with fitness costs. Major fitness costs were not apparent in either heterozygotes or homozygous resistant insects. However, there was a slight indication of hybrid vigour in the heterozygotes. Additionally, two lines in which the frequency of the resistant alleles was fixed at 0.5 were followed for seven generations, after which the frequency of resistant alleles slightly decreased in both lines. The lack of strong fitness costs associated with Cry1F resistance inS. frugiperdaindicates that initial allele frequencies may be higher than expected in field populations and will tend to remain stable in field populations in the absence of selection pressure (e.g. Puerto Rico).
Is conspecific substrate marking a long‐term external memory of previously colonized overwintering sites in Harmonia axyridis?
Authors: Durieux D. , Fassotte B. , Vanderplanck M. , Brostaux Y. , Fischer C. , Lognay G. , Haubruge E. , Verheggen F. J. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThe multicoloured Asian ladybeetle, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas), aggregates inside dwellings during winters to survive the cold. This beetle uses chemical cues coming from congeners to select an overwintering site. Recent research has shown that they preferentially gather at places where conspecifics previously laid a substrate marking made up of saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons. Some authors have reported that H. axyridis colonizes the same overwintering sites from 1 year to another. Herein, the hypothesis that this substrate marking is used by H. axyridis to settle in the same aggregation sites from one winter to another was tested. To this aim, the temporal modification in the chemical profile of the hydrocarbon marking was studied by performing chromatographic analyses. After 1 year, the overall profile was modified qualitatively and quantitatively: the unsaturated hydrocarbons were no longer detected while some saturated hydrocarbons were still present in large quantities. In a behavioural assay conducted in the laboratory, the 12‐month‐old marking did not induce the aggregation of H. axyridis. This result indicates that the chemical markings left by conspecifics during a previous aggregation period in an overwintering site are not sufficient to induce the gathering of the newly arriving individuals.
Long‐term evaluation of field‐wide oriental beetle (Col., Scarabaeidae) mating disruption in blueberries using female‐mimic pheromone lures
Authors: Rodriguez‐Saona C. R. , Polk D. , Holdcraft R. , Koppenhöfer A. M. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThe oriental beetle, Anomala orientalis (Waterhouse) (Col., Scarabaeidae), is the most important root‐feeding pest of blueberries and turfgrass in New Jersey, USA. Previous studies showed that mating disruption is a feasible option for oriental beetle management; however, assessing its efficiency can be challenging, and little is known on its long‐term effects. Accordingly, we conducted studies to investigate low‐dose pheromone lures equivalent to oriental beetle females (i.e. female mimics) as easy‐to‐use indicators of mating disruption success, determine the distance at which oriental beetle males respond to female‐mimic lures and assess the long‐term (3‐year) effects of mating disruption on oriental beetle populations in entire blueberry fields. Our studies showed that rubber septa baited with 0.3 μg of the oriental beetle sex pheromone (Z)‐7‐tetradecen‐2‐one attract similar numbers of males as compared with virgin females and can thus be used as a female mimic. The range of attraction of this lure was found to be also similar to virgin females and <30 m. In blueberries, mating disruption provided 87% inhibition of oriental beetle populations (trap shutdown) over a 3‐year period. Oriental beetle male captures in disrupted fields were threefold higher along the field edges than in the field interiors, indicating movement of males from nearby areas into the pheromone‐treated fields. In addition, mating disruption reduced male attraction to female‐mimic lures by 93% in all 3 years and reduced the number of larvae in sentinel potted plants in 1 of 2 years. These results show for the first time that mating disruption provides consistent long‐term field‐wide control of oriental beetle populations and that female‐mimic pheromone lures can be used as a new tool to assess oriental beetle mating disruption success.
Outcomes of Abdominal Wall Reservoir Placement in Inflatable Penile Prosthesis Implantation: A Safe and Efficacious Alternative to the Space of Retzius
Authors: Stember Doron S. , Garber Bruce B. , Perito Paul E. 
Published: November 2013

Abstract

Introduction
Inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) surgery is a successful therapeutic option for men with erectile dysfunction. Traditional placement of the reservoir in the retropubic space of Retzius is associated with the rare occurrence of significant complications including bladder, bowel, and vascular injury. An alternative site, posterior to the abdominal wall musculature, has been identified as a potentially safer location for reservoir placement.

Aims
The aim of this study was to describe our technique of abdominal reservoir placement during infrapubic IPP surgery and present our outcomes data.

Methods
We retrospectively reviewed our experience with abdominal reservoir placement during virgin IPP cases. Reservoirs placed anterior and posterior to transversalis fascia were analyzed separately.

Main Outcome Measure
The main outcome measures was assessment of reservoir-related complications including palpable reservoir, reservoir herniation, and injuries to bowel, bladder, or major blood vessels.

Results
There were no injuries to bowel or major blood vessels with abdominal reservoir placement posterior or anterior to the transversalis fascia in properly segregated patients.

Conclusion
Abdominal reservoir placement is a safe and simple surgical method that can be recommended for most men undergoing IPP placement. Men with a history of pelvic surgery can have the reservoir placed between the rectus abdominis musculature and transversalis fascia, while other men can have the reservoir placed between transversalis fascia and peritoneum in order to avoid a palpable reservoir. By applying this protocol, the catastrophic injuries that occur rarely with retropubic reservoir placement can be reliably avoided.
Female Sexual Dysfunction Among Egyptian Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C
Authors: Elshimi Esam , Morad Wesam , Mohamad Noha Ezzat , Shebl Nashwa , Waked Imam 
Published: November 2013

Abstract

Introduction
Chronic hepatitis C is associated with many extrahepatic manifestations that impact and impair the quality of life. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has a high prevalence in Egypt and carries with the diagnosis many social impacts and stigmatization correlates that further impair social function. This might negatively impact patients and their sexual function. Sexuality and sexual function have not been studied well in patients with HCV, especially in women.

Aim
To investigate sexual dysfunction in Egyptian women with chronic hepatitis C.

Main Outcome Measures
Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) scores of patients with hepatitis C, both total and for individual domains, were compared with those of controls.

Methods
The self-administered FSFI questionnaire was completed by 112 sexually active female patients with chronic hepatitis C without liver cirrhosis prior to initiation of therapy by pegylated interferon and ribavirin. Their results were compared to those of 225 age- and socioeconomic class-matched sexually active healthy females.

Results
Significantly more patients than controls had questionnaire scores below the threshold of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) (79% vs. 21%, P &lt; 0.05), and the mean total score for the patients was significantly lower than that for controls (19.54 ± 6.2 vs. 28.43 ± 4.9 P &lt; 0.001). The patients' scores in all domains of the questionnaire were significantly lower than those of the controls.

Conclusion
Chronic hepatitis C negatively impacts female sexual function, affecting all domains of the sex cycle; this warrants further studies and needs to be addressed as part of a comprehensive therapy plan to improve patients' quality of life.
Behavioral responses to snake cues by three species of Neotropical rodents
Authors: Wasko D. K. , Bonilla F. , Sasa M. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThe ability to assess and avoid predation risk is thought to be a major determinant of behavior for small mammals. We assessed the antipredator responses of three Neotropical rodent species (Heteromys desmarestianus, Peromyscus mexicanus and Melanomys caliginosus) to cues (feces or actual presence) of the snake Bothrops asper. We investigated whether rodents avoided entering or spent less time in snake‐cued areas using an experimental arena, and whether rodents reduced foraging efforts (measured by giving‐up density) in snake‐cued areas under laboratory, semi‐natural and field conditions. P. mexicanus and M. caliginosus did not demonstrate any snake avoidance, and did not reduce foraging efforts under any conditions. H. desmarestianus significantly avoided live snakes only at very short distances (<20 cm), and reduced foraging efforts in the presence of snakes only under certain experimental conditions. These results are in contrast to many studies demonstrating antipredator behavior by small mammals in temperate and desert ecosystems in response to cues of predators, including snakes, and were influenced by overall low statistical power. This discrepancy may also be explained by the complexity of tropical forest systems, as rodents must assess a myriad of sensory cues and balance risk from multiple predator groups that require different avoidance strategies. An ambush‐hunting snake such as B. asper may also face strong selective pressure to avoid detection by its mammalian prey.
Development of a simple and rapid method for the specific identification of organism causing anthrax by slide latex agglutination
Authors: Sumithra T.G. , Chaturvedi V.K. , Gupta P.K. , Sunita S.C. , Rai A.K. , Kutty M.V.H. , Laxmi U. , Murugan M.S. 
Published: November 2013

Abstract
A specific latex agglutination test (LAT) based on anti-PA (protective antigen) antibodies having detection limit of 5 × 104 formalin treated Bacillus anthracis cells or 110 ng of PA was optimized in this study. The optimized LAT could detect anthrax toxin in whole blood as well as in serum from the animal models of anthrax infection. The protocol is a simple and promising method for the specific detection of bacteria causing anthrax under routine laboratory, as well as in field, conditions without any special equipments or expertise.

Significance and Impact of the Study
The article presents the first report of a latex agglutination test for the specific identification of the cultures of bacteria causing anthrax. As the test is targeting one of anthrax toxic protein (PA), this can also be used to determine virulence of suspected organisms. At the same time, the same LAT can be used directly on whole blood or sera samples under field conditions for the specific diagnosis of anthrax.
Correlates of gut community composition across an ant species (Cephalotes varians) elucidate causes and consequences of symbiotic variability
Authors: Hu Yi , Łukasik Piotr , Moreau Corrie S. , Russell Jacob A. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractInsect guts are often colonized by multispecies microbial communities that play integral roles in nutrition, digestion and defence. Community composition can differ across host species with increasing dietary and genetic divergence, yet gut microbiota can also vary between conspecific hosts and across an individual's lifespan. Through exploration of such intraspecific variation and its correlates, molecular profiling of microbial communities can generate and test hypotheses on the causes and consequences of symbioses. In this study, we used 454 pyrosequencing and TRFLP to achieve these goals in an herbivorous ant, Cephalotes varians, exploring variation in bacterial communities across colonies, populations and workers reared on different diets. C. varians bacterial communities were dominated by 16 core species present in over two‐thirds of the sampled colonies. Core species comprised multiple genotypes, or strains and hailed from ant‐specific clades containing relatives from other Cephalotes species. Yet three were detected in environmental samples, suggesting the potential for environmental acquisition. In spite of their prevalence and long‐standing relationships with Cephalotes ants, the relative abundance and genotypic composition of core species varied across colonies. Diet‐induced plasticity is a likely cause, but only pollen‐based diets had consistent effects, altering the abundance of two types of bacteria. Additional factors, such as host age, genetics, chance or natural selection, must therefore shape natural variation. Future studies on these possibilities and on bacterial contributions to the use of pollen, a widespread food source across Cephalotes, will be important steps in developing C. varians as a model for studying widespread social insect‐bacteria symbioses.
The broad bacterial blight resistance of rice line CBB23 is triggered by a novel transcription activator‐like (TAL) effector of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae
Authors: Wang Chun‐Lian , Qin Teng‐Fei , Yu Hong‐Man , Zhang Xiao‐Ping , Che Jin‐Ying , Gao Ying , Zheng Chong‐Ke , Yang Bing , Zhao Kai‐Jun 
Published: November 2013

SummaryBacterial blight (BB), caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), is not only a disease devastating rice production worldwide, but also an ideal model system for the study of the interaction between plants and their bacterial pathogens. The rice near‐isogenic line (NIL) CBB23, derived from a cross between a wild rice Oryza rufipogon accession (RBB16) and a susceptible indica rice variety (Jingang 30), is highly resistant to all field Xoo strains tested so far. Although the BB resistance of CBB23 has been widely used in rice breeding programmes, the mechanism of its extremely broad‐spectrum resistance remains unknown. Here, we report the molecular cloning of an avirulence gene, designated as avrXa23, from Xoo strain PXO99A. We validate that AvrXa23, a novel transcription activator‐like effector, specifically triggers the broad‐spectrum BB resistance in CBB23. The prevalence of avrXa23 in all 38 Xoo strains surveyed may explain the broad‐spectrum feature of BB resistance in CBB23. The results will significantly facilitate the molecular cloning of the corresponding resistance (R) gene in the host, and provide new insights into our understanding of the molecular mechanism for broad‐spectrum disease resistance in plants.