bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Unusual angiogenic factor plays a role in lizard pregnancy but is not unique to viviparity
Authors: Whittington Camilla M. , Grau Georges E. , Murphy Christopher R. , Thompson Michael B. 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACTAngiogenesis (blood vessel growth), a key process of mammalian pregnancy, facilitates gas exchange and nutrient transport between the mother and the embryo and is regulated by a suite of growth factors. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is crucial to this process in pregnant mammals and potentially pregnant squamates (lizards and snakes), as we investigate here. VEGF111, an unusual and potent angiogenic splice variant of VEGF, increases its expression during pregnancy in the uterus of a viviparous lizard, in parallel with similar increases in uterine angiogenesis during gestation. However, we also find that VEGF111is expressed in oviparous skinks, and is not ubiquitous among viviparous skinks. Thus, different mechanisms of uterine angiogenesis during pregnancy may evolve concurrent with viviparity in different lizard lineages.J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 324B: 152–158, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of mycorrhizal inoculation of upland rice on uptake kinetics of arsenate and arsenite
Authors: Wu Fuyong , Liu Xueping , Wu Shengchun , Wong Ming Hung 
Published: March 2015

AbstractWe assessed the effect of mycorrhizal inoculation on short‐term uptake kinetics of arsenate and arsenite by excised roots of upland rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Zhonghan 221). A concentration of 0.01–0.05 mM arsenic (As) differentially affected the influx rates of both arsenate and arsenite into rice roots non‐inoculated or inoculated with Glomus mosseae and G. versiforme. While Vmax for arsenate uptake by non‐mycorrhizal roots was 1.02 µmol g−1 fresh weight h−1, it was reduced by a factor of 2.4 for mycorrhizal roots (about 0.42 µmol g−1 fresh weight h−1) in the high‐affinity uptake system. However, at high concentrations of 0.5–2.5 mM As only G. versiforme was able to reduce As influx. The results show that mycorrhizal effects on As uptake of upland rice are both concentration and species‐specific.
Combined effects of CO2 and temperature on carbon uptake and partitioning by the marine diatoms Thalassiosira weissflogii and Dactyliosolen fragilissimus
Authors: Taucher J. , Jones J. , James A. , Brzezinski M. A. , Carlson C. A. , Riebesell U. , Passow U. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractCarbon uptake and partitioning of two globally abundant diatom species, Thalassiosira weissflogii and Dactyliosolen fragilissimus, was investigated in batch culture experiments under four conditions: ambient (15°C, 400 μatm), high CO2 (15°C, 1000 μatm), high temperature (20°C, 400 μatm), and combined (20°C, 1000 μatm). The experiments were run from exponential growth into the stationary phase (six days after nitrogen depletion), allowing us to track biogeochemical dynamics analogous to bloom situations in the ocean. Elevated CO2 had a fertilizing effect and enhanced uptake of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) by about 8% for T. weissflogii and by up to 39% for D. fragilissimus. This was also reflected in higher cell numbers, build‐up of particulate and dissolved organic matter, and transparent exopolymer particles. The CO2 effects were most prominent in the stationary phase when nitrogen was depleted and CO2(aq) concentrations were low. This indicates that diatoms in the high CO2 treatments could take up more DIC until CO2 concentrations in seawater became so low that carbon limitation occurs. These results suggest that, contrary to common assumptions, diatoms could be highly sensitive to ongoing changes in oceanic carbonate chemistry, particularly under nutrient limitation. Warming from 15 to 20 °C had a stimulating effect on one species but acted as a stressor on the other species, highlighting the importance of species‐specific physiological optima and temperature ranges in the response to ocean warming. Overall, these sensitivities to CO2 and temperature could have profound impacts on diatoms blooms and the biological pump.
Television viewing and food intake during television viewing in normal-weight, overweight and obese 9- to 11-year-old Canadian children: a cross-sectional analysis
Authors: Borghese Michael M. , Tremblay Mark S. , Leduc Genevieve , Boyer Charles , Bélanger Priscilla , LeBlanc Allana G. , Francis Claire , Chaput Jean-Philippe 
Published: March 2015

AbstractIt is unclear if children of different weight status differ in their nutritional habits while watching television. The objective of the present paper was to determine if children who are overweight or obese differ in their frequency of consumption of six food items while watching television compared with their normal-weight counterparts. A cross-sectional study of 550 children (57·1 % female; mean age = 10 years) from Ottawa, Canada was conducted. Children's weight status was categorised using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut-points. Questionnaires were used to determine the number of hours of television watching per day and the frequency of consumption of six types of foods while watching television. Overweight/obese children watched more television per day than normal-weight children (3·3v.2·7 h, respectively;P= 0·001). Obese children consumed fast food and fruits/vegetables more frequently while watching television than normal-weight or overweight children (P< 0·05). Children who watched more than 4 h of television per d had higher odds (OR 3·21; 95% CI 1·14, 9·03;P= 0·03) of being obese, independent of several covariates, but not independent of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The finding that both television watching and the frequency of consumption of some food items during television watching are higher in children who are obese is concerning. While the nature of the present study does not allow for the determination of causal pathways, future research should investigate these weight-status differences to identify potential areas of intervention.
ALUMINIUM TOLERANCE OF OAT CULTIVARS UNDER HYDROPONIC AND ACID SOIL CONDITIONS
Authors: NAVA I. C. , DELATORRE C. A. , PACHECO M. T. , SCHEEREN P. L. , FEDERIZZI L. C. 
Published: March 2015

SUMMARYAluminium toxicity is an important abiotic factor limiting the growth and yield of oat plants (Avena sativa L.) and other cultivated species. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the response of oat cultivars at the reproductive stage to aluminium under acid soil conditions and to compare with the responses observed at seedling stage under hydroponic conditions. In the soil, the damage to the above-ground part of the plant was estimated by the morphological response to aluminium, shoot length, shoot dry mass and plant height and, to the below-ground part of the plant as the length of roots and root dry mass. In hydroponics, the primary root regrowth was used to define the level of tolerance. The comparison of the results obtained in acid soil with those obtained in hydroponics demonstrated that both conditions produced essentially the same responses. The use of hydroponic solution can be a valuable tool for phenotyping large populations, especially useful for breeding programmes located in regions were aluminium is not present at toxic levels in the soil.
Sedimentary facies analyses from nano- to millimetre scale exploring past microbial activity in a high-altitude lake (Lake Son Kul, Central Asia)
Authors: PACTON MURIEL , SORREL PHILIPPE , BEVILLARD BENOÎT , ZACAÏ AXELLE , VINÇON-LAUGIER ARNAULD , OBERHÄNSLI HEDI 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThe fabric of sedimentary rocks in lacustrine archives usually contains long and continuous proxy records of biological, chemical and physical parameters that can be used to study past environmental and climatic variability. Here we propose an innovative approach to sedimentary facies analysis based on a coupled geomicrobiological and sedimentological study using high-resolution microscopic techniques in combination with mineralogical analyses. We test the applicability of this approach on Lake Son Kul, a high alpine lake in central Tien Shan (Kyrgyzstan) by looking at the mineral fabric and microbial communities observed down to the nanoscale. The characterization of microbe–mineral interactions allows the origin of four carbonate minerals (e.g. aragonite, dolomite, Mg-calcite, calcite) to be determined as primary or diagenetic phases in Lake Son Kul. Aragonite was mainly of primary origin and is driven by biological activity in the epilimnion, whereas diagenetic minerals such as Mg-calcite, calcite, dolomite and pyrite were triggered by bacterial sulphate reduction and possibly by methanotrophic archaea. A new morphotype of aragonite (i.e. spherulite-like precursor) occurs in Unit IV (c. 7100–5000 cal. BP) associated with microbial mat structures. The latter enhanced the preservation of viral relics, which have not yet been reported in Holocene lacustrine sediments. This study advocates that microbe–mineral interactions screened down to the nanoscale (e.g. virus-like particles) can be used successfully for a comprehensive description of the fabric of laminated lake sediments. In this sense, they complement traditional facies sedimentology tools and offer valuable new insights into: (1) the study of microbial and viral biosignatures in Quaternary sediments; and (2) palaeoenvironmental reconstructions.
The occurrence of acanthocephalans in teleost fish from the Bizerte lagoon, Tunisia
Authors: Gargouri L. , Antar R. , Zarrouk F. , Maamouri F. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractSeven species of acanthocephalans were identified for the first time in teleost fish from the Bizerte lagoon, Tunisia, includingNeoechinorhynchus(Hebesoma)agilis(Rudolphi, 1819) Van Cleave, 1916;N.(Neoechinorhynchus)rutiliMüller, 1780 (Neoechinorhynchidae);Acanthocephaloide propinquus(Dujardin, 1845) Meyer, 1932;A. incrassatus(Molin, 1858) Meyer, 1932 (Arhythmacanthidae);Longicollum pagrosomiYamaguti, 1935 (Pomphorhynchidae);Rhadinorhynchus cadenati(Golvan et Houin, 1964) Golvan, 1969 (Rhadinorhynchidae); andTelosentis exiguus(von Linstow, 1901) Van Cleave, 1923 (Illiosentidae).Acanthocephaloide propinquus,N.(N.)rutili,L. pagrosomiandR. cadenatiwere restricted to the rectum and the posterior intestine, whereas the other species (A. incrassatus,T. exiguusandN.(H.)agilis) colonized two or three parts of the intestine. The most diverse acanthocephalan fauna was recorded inLithognathus mormyrus, with three species; two species were reported fromTrachurus trachurus; and a single species was recorded inLiza aurataand inAtherina boyeri.Neoechinorhynchus(N.)rutili,L. pagrosomiandR. cadenatiattained the lowest prevalences of less than 6% and were considered as to be rare species.Acanthocephaloide incrassatus,A. propinquus,T. exiguusandN.(H.)agiliswere satellite species. The diversity of the acanthocephalan fauna in the fish from the Bizerte lagoon is compared with previous studies from other localities. The report ofA. incrassatus,A. propinquusandN.(N.)rutiliinL. mormyruspresents new host records in Mediterranean waters.
Routine intra-operative trans-oesophageal echocardiography yields better outcomes in surgical repair of CHD
Authors: Madriago Erin J. , Punn Rajesh , Geeter Natalie , Silverman Norman H. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractObjectivesTrans-oesophageal echocardiographic imaging is valuable in the pre- and post-operative evaluation of children and adults with CHD; however, the frequency by which trans-oesophageal echocardiography guides the intra-operative course of patients is unknown.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 1748 intra-operative trans-oesophageal echocardiograms performed between 1 October, 2005 and 31 December, 2010, and found 99 cases (5.7%) that required return to bypass, based in part upon the intra-operative echocardiographic findings.ResultsThe diagnoses most commonly requiring further repair and subsequent imaging were mitral valve disease (20.9%), tricuspid valve disease (16.0%), atrioventricular canal defects (12.0%), and pulmonary valve disease (14.1%). The vast majority of those requiring immediate return to bypass benefited by avoiding subsequent operations and longer lengths of hospital stay. A total of 14 patients (0.8%) who received routine imaging required further surgical repair within 1 week, usually due to disease that developed over ensuing days. Patients who had second post-operative trans-oesophageal echocardiograms in the operating room rarely required re-operations, confirming the benefit of routine intra-operative imaging.ConclusionsThis study represents a large single institutional review of intra-operative trans-oesophageal echocardiography, and confirms its applicability in the surgical repair of patients with CHD. Routine imaging accurately identifies patients requiring further intervention, does not confer additional risk of mortality or prolonged length of hospital stay, and prevents subsequent operations and associated sequelae in a substantial subset of patients. This study demonstrates the utility of echocardiography in intra-operative monitoring of surgical repair and highlights patients who are most likely to require return to bypass, as well as the co-morbidities of such manipulations.
The interactive association of dietary diversity scores and breast-feeding status with weight and length in Filipino infants aged 6–24 months
Authors: Wright Melecia J , Bentley Margaret E , Mendez Michelle A , Adair Linda S 
Published: March 2015

AbstractObjectiveTo assess how breast-feeding and dietary diversity relate to infant length-for-ageZ-score (LAZ) and weight-for-ageZ-score (WAZ).DesignBreast-feeding, dietary and anthropometric data from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey were analysed using sex-stratified fixed-effects longitudinal regression models. A dietary diversity score (DDS) based on seven food groups was classified as low (<4) or high (≥4). The complementary feeding patterns were: (i) non-breast-fed with low DDS (referent); (ii) breast-fed with low DDS; (iii) non-breast-fed with high DDS; and (iv) breast-fed with high DDS (optimal). Interactions between age, energy intake and complementary feeding patterns were included.SettingPhilippines.SubjectsInfants (n2822) measured bimonthly from 6 to 24 months.ResultsBreast-feeding (regardless of DDS) was significantly associated with higher LAZ (until 24 months) and WAZ (until 20 months). For example, at 6 months, breast-fed boys with low DDS were 0·246 (95 % CI 0·191, 0·302)sdlonger and 0·523 (95 % CI 0·451, 0·594)sdheavier than the referent group. There was no significant difference in size between breast-fed infants with highv. low DDS. Similarly, high DDS conferred no advantage in LAZ or WAZ among non-breast-fed infants. There were modest correlations between the 7-point DDS and nutrient intakes but these correlations were substantially attenuated after energy adjustment. We elucidated several interactions between sex, age, energy intake and complementary feeding patterns.ConclusionsThese results demonstrate the importance of prolonged breast-feeding up to 24 months. The DDS provided qualitative information on infant diets but did not confer a significant advantage in LAZ or WAZ.
Leon Petrażycki and contemporary socio-legal studies
Authors: Cotterrell Roger 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThe work of the Polish–Russian scholar Leon Petrażycki from the early decades of the twentieth century holds a strikingly paradoxical position in the literature of juristic and socio-legal scholarship: on the one hand, lauded as a supremely valuable contribution to knowledge about the nature of law and, on the other, widely neglected and little known. This paper asks how far Petrażycki's theories, expressed in writings by and about him available to an international readership, can provide insight for contemporary socio-legal studies – not as historical background but as living ideas. How far can his work speak to current issues and inform current debates? What obstacles stand in the way of this? Why have few international scholars engaged with his theories despite their rigour and originality? The paper starts from this last issue before addressing the others. It argues that Petrażycki's radical legal theory offers strikingly distinctive resources for rethinking issues about the role of law in multicultural societies, the nature of developing transnational law, and the significance of law as an aspect or expression of culture.
The cetacean right to life revisited
Authors: Mence David 
Published: March 2015

AbstractMany cetaceans are borderline persons and, as such, have a right to life. This is partly a normative and partly a positive legal claim. While many philosophers agree that cetaceans possess limited moral rights, it can also be shown that most states already behave as though they possess limited legal rights. The most basic of these, the right to life, reflects shifting contemporary norms – especially given scientific evidence as to cetacean sentience, intelligence and autonomy – and the consolidation of customary international law. The recent decision of the International Court of Justice in Whaling in the Antarctic (2014) includes importantobiter dictato this effect and arguably suggests an avenue for future doctrinal development in this area. Nevertheless, while the cetacean right to life already exists, there are a number of obstacles that preclude its enforcement. Perhaps the most significant of these remain the traditional status of the world's oceans as a global commons and the weak sovereignty of international law.
Wnt7a is a novel inducer of β-catenin-independent tumor-suppressive cellular senescence in lung cancer
Authors: Bikkavilli R K , Avasarala S , Van Scoyk M , Arcaroli J , Brzezinski C , Zhang W , Edwards M G , Rathinam M K K , Zhou T , Tauler J , Borowicz S , Lussier Y A , Parr B A , Cool C D , Winn R A 
Published: March 2015

AbstractCellular senescence is an initial barrier for carcinogenesis. However, the signaling mechanisms that trigger cellular senescence are incompletely understood, particularlyin vivo. Here we identify Wnt7a as a novel upstream inducer of cellular senescence. In two different mouse strains (C57Bl/6J and FVB/NJ), we show that the loss of Wnt7a is a major contributing factor for increased lung tumorigenesis owing to reduced cellular senescence, and not reduced apoptosis, or autophagy. Wnt7a-null mice underde novoconditions and in both the strains display E-cadherin-to-N-cadherin switch, reduced expression of cellular senescence markers and reduced expression of senescence-associated secretory phenotype, indicating a genetic predisposition of these mice to increased carcinogen-induced lung tumorigenesis. Interestingly, Wnt7a induced an alternate senescence pathway, which was independent of β-catenin, and distinct from that of classical oncogene-induced senescence mediated by the well-known p16INK4aand p19ARFpathways. Mechanistically, Wnt7a induced cellular senescence via inactivation of S-phase kinase-associated protein 2, an important alternate regulator of cellular senescence. Additionally, we identified Iloprost, a prostacyclin analog, which initiates downstream signaling cascades similar to that of Wnt7a, as a novel inducer of cellular senescence, presenting potential future clinical translational strategies. Thus pro-senescence therapies using either Wnt7a or its mimic, Iloprost, might represent a new class of therapeutic treatments for lung cancer.
Facile and Gram-scale Synthesis of Metal-free Catalysts: Toward Realistic Applications for Fuel Cells
Authors: Kim Ok-Hee , Cho Yong-Hun , Chung Dong Young , Kim Min Jeong , Yoo Ji Mun , Park Ji Eun , Choe Heeman , Sung Yung-Eun 
Published: March 2015

AbstractAlthough numerous reports on nonprecious metal catalysts for replacing expensive Pt-based catalysts have been published, few of these studies have demonstrated their practical application in fuel cells. In this work, we report graphitic carbon nitride and carbon nanofiber hybrid materials synthesized by a facile and gram-scale method via liquid-based reactions, without the use of toxic materials or a high pressure-high temperature reactor, for use as fuel cell cathodes. The resulting materials exhibited remarkable methanol tolerance, selectivity and stability even without a metal dopant. Furthermore, these completely metal-free catalysts exhibited outstanding performance as cathode materials in an actual fuel cell device: a membrane electrode assembly with both acidic and alkaline polymer electrolytes. The fabrication method and remarkable performance of the single cell produced in this study represent progressive steps toward the realistic application of metal-free cathode electrocatalysts in fuel cells.
Quantitative assessment of maternal biomarkers related to one-carbon metabolism and neural tube defects
Authors: Tang Ke-Fu , Li Yao-Long , Wang Hong-Yan 
Published: March 2015

AbstractPericonceptional supplementation with folic acid reduces the occurrence of neural tube defects (NTDs). The association between maternal abnormalities in homocysteine metabolism (e.g., hyperhomocysteinaemia, folate deficiency and low vitamin B12) and the risk of NTDs-affected pregnancies has been widely evaluated in recent years, although the results are conflicting. To investigate this inconsistency, we performed a meta-analysis of 32 studies, involving 1,890 NTD-affected mothers and 3,995 control mothers, to develop an understanding of the relationship between maternal biomarkers related to one-carbon metabolism and NTD. A random-effects model was used to calculate the ratio of means (RoM) between the cases and controls, along with the 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A significant increase in homocysteine levels was observed in NTD-affected mothers compared with controls (RoM: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.09–1.23, P = 1.8 × 10−6). The pooled analysis also revealed that NTD-affected mothers had significantly lower levels of folate (RoM: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.88–0.97, P = 0.002), vitamin B12 (RoM: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.87–0.95, P = 3.6 × 10−5) and red blood cell folate (RoM: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.86–0.98, P = 0.01). Therefore, altered plasma levels of biomarkers related to one-carbon metabolism are associated with NTD-affected pregnancies.
Important biological information uncovered in previously unaligned reads from chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments (ChIP-Seq)
Authors: Ouma Wilberforce Zachary , Mejia-Guerra Maria Katherine , Yilmaz Alper , Pareja-Tobes Pablo , Li Wei , Doseff Andrea I. , Grotewold Erich 
Published: March 2015

AbstractEstablishing the architecture of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) relies on chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by massively parallel sequencing (ChIP-Seq) methods that provide genome-wide transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs). ChIP-Seq furnishes millions of short reads that, after alignment, describe the genome-wide binding sites of a particular TF. However, in all organisms investigated an average of 40% of reads fail to align to the corresponding genome, with some datasets having as much as 80% of reads failing to align. We describe here the provenance of previously unaligned reads in ChIP-Seq experiments from animals and plants. We show that a substantial portion corresponds to sequences of bacterial and metazoan origin, irrespective of the ChIP-Seq chromatin source. Unforeseen was the finding that 30%–40% of unaligned reads were actually alignable. To validate these observations, we investigated the characteristics of the previously unaligned reads corresponding to TAL1, a human TF involved in lineage specification of hemopoietic cells. We show that, while unmapped ChIP-Seq read datasets contain foreign DNA sequences, additional TFBSs can be identified from the previously unaligned ChIP-Seq reads. Our results indicate that the re-evaluation of previously unaligned reads from ChIP-Seq experiments will significantly contribute to TF target identification and determination of emerging properties of GRNs.