bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of low protein diet and low protein diet supplemented with synthetic essential amino acids on meat quality of broiler chickens
Authors: Kobayashi Hiroyuki , Nakashima Kazuki , Ishida Aiko , Ashihara Akane , Katsumata Masaya 
Published: December 2012

AbstractWe investigated the effects of a low crude protein (CP) diet and a low CP diet supplemented with synthetic essential amino acids (EAA) on the meat quality of broiler chickens. Twenty‐one‐day‐old chickens were assigned to one of three diets: control, low CP (LCP), or low CP supplemented with EAA (ELCP). The chickens received these diets for 10 days. The shear force value (SFV) and free glutamate content of the Pectoralis major muscle were measured as indicators of the meat toughness and taste. The collagen and crude fat content of the muscle and the cross‐sectional area of myofibers were measured to evaluate the effects of the LCP and ELCP diets on meat toughness. The SFV of the ELCP group was 47% lower than that of the control group (P < 0.01). However, the LCP diet did not affect the SFV. The collagen and crude fat content were not affected by the dietary treatment. The cross‐sectional area was lower in the LCP and ELCP groups (P < 0.05) than the control group. The free glutamate content of muscle was not affected by the dietary treatment. Thus, a low CP diet supplemented with EAA is an effective means of producing tender meat.
Drivers of beta‐diversity variation inBromus erectussemi‐natural dry grasslands
Authors: Burrascano Sabina , Anzellotti Ilaria , Carli Emanuela , Del Vico Eva , Facioni Laura , Pretto Francesca , Sabatini Francesco M. , Tilia Agnese , Blasi Carlo 
Published: December 2012

AbstractQuestionsWhat are the main drivers of variation in beta‐diversity forBromus erectussemi‐natural dry grasslands of habitat 6210(*) at different scales? How should environmental variables and spatial patterns be taken into account to conserve the maximum possible beta‐diversity within the habitat?LocationCentralItaly.MethodsWe used 195 vegetation relevés distributed in three nested extents: a single mountain, a mountain chain and southernLazio. Multiple regression on distance matrices was performed using dissimilarity matrices based on: (1) species abundances as response variables; (2) spatial coordinates and environmental parameters (altitude, slope, percentage of rock and stone coverage, aspect, annual rainfall) as explanatory variables. The two groups of explanatory variables were used separately to partition the variation, and jointly to assess the relative contribution of each individual variable. Those variables found to significantly affect beta‐diversity were used to: (1) compare beta‐diversity levels between a set of randomly selected and a set of stratified relevés; and (2) analyse the habitat distribution across environmental gradients. These analyses, together with the curves describing the relationships between spatial distances and composition dissimilarities, were used to inform management decisions for the habitat.ResultsMost of the variance was explained by environmental variables, whose share was higher in the smallest and intermediate extent than in the broadest extent. Community dissimilarity increased in proportion to differences in altitude and spatial distances at every extent. Accordingly, at all the extents, the selection of relevés stratified by altitude or selected taking into account a minimum spatial distance included significantly higher levels of within‐habitat beta‐diversity, than randomly selected relevés. The relation of beta‐diversity to the variation in aspect and annual rainfall varied at different extents.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate that dry grassland management plans aimed at conserving the maximum within‐habitat beta‐diversity should take into account variation in environmental variables, among which altitude proved to be a critical factor at every extent. Also, spatial distances positively affect within‐habitat beta‐diversity levels, and scale‐dependent minimum distances among habitat patches should be taken into account when selecting patches of habitat 6210(*) to be conserved in the study area.
Syn‐depositional thin‐ and thick‐skinned extensional tectonics in the mid‐Cretaceous Lasarte sub‐basin, western Pyrenees
Authors: Bodego Arantxa , Agirrezabala Luis M. 
Published: December 2012

AbstractIn the mid‐Cretaceous Lasarte sub‐basin (LSB) [northeastern Basque‐Cantabrian Basin (BCB)] contemporaneous and syn‐depositional thin‐ and thick‐skinned extensional tectonics occur due to the presence of a ductile detachment layer that decoupled the extension. Despite the interest in extension modes of rift basins bearing intra‐stratal detachment layers, complex cases remain poorly understood. In the LSB, field results based on mapping, stratigraphic, sedimentological and structural data show the relationship between growth strata and tectonic structures. Syn‐depositional extensional listric faults and associated folds and faults have been identified in the supra‐detachment thin‐skinned system. But stratigraphic data also indicate the activation of sub‐detachment thick‐skinned extensional faults coeval with the development of the thin‐skinned system. The tectono‐sedimentary evolution of the LSB, since the Late Aptian until the earliest Late Albian, has been interpreted based on thin‐ and thick‐skinned extensional growth structures, which are fossilized by post‐extensional strata. The development of the thin‐skinned system is attributed to the presence of a ductile detachment layer (Upper Triassic Keuper facies) which decoupled the extension from deeper sub‐detachment basement‐involved faulting under a regional extensional/transtensional regime.
Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of [1,2,4]Triazolo[3,4‐a]phthalazine and Tetrazolo[5,1‐a]phthalazine Derivatives Bearing Substituted Benzylpiperazine Moieties as Positive Inotropic Agents
Authors: Wu Yan , Sun Liang‐Peng , Ma Long‐Xu , Che Jian , Song Ming‐Xia , Cui Xun , Piao Hu‐Ri 
Published: December 2012

Two series of [1,2,4]triazolo[3,4‐a]phthalazine and tetrazolo[5,1‐a]phthalazine derivatives bearing substituted benzylpiperazine moieties have been synthesized and evaluated for their positive inotropic activity by measuring left atrium stroke volume on isolated rabbit heart preparations. The majority of the derivatives exhibited better in vitro activity than the existing drug, milrinone, and 6‐((4‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)piperazin‐1‐yl)methyl)tetrazolo[5,1‐a]phthalazine. 8 m in particular was identified as the most potent with an increased stroke volume of 12.02 ± 0.20% (milrinone: 2.46 ± 0.07%) at a concentration of 3 × 10–5 m. The chronotropic effects of the compounds that exhibited good potency were also evaluated.
Ro52- and Ro60-specific B cell pattern in the salivary glands of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome
Authors: Aqrawi L A , Skarstein K , Øijordsbakken G , Brokstad K A 
Published: December 2012

Summary
Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is characterized by the presence of autoantibodies against the ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles Ro/SSA and La/SSB, and mononuclear cell infiltration of exocrine tissues, especially salivary and lachrymal glands. Low numbers of autoantigen-specific memory B cells and elevated levels of plasma cells have been detected previously in the peripheral blood (PB) of pSS patients compared to controls. As both Ro52 and Ro60-specific cells have been detected in the salivary glands (SG) of pSS patients, we aimed to characterize the SSA-specific B cell pattern in SG biopsies. A series of double immunohistochemical stainings were performed on paraffin-embedded tissue from 10 well-characterized pSS patients for each Ro52 and Ro60 along with CD19, CD5, CD20 or CD27, respectively. Ro52 and Ro60-specific cells detected in SG tissue were found to be CD19+ B cells located outside the CD19+/CD20+ B cell zones (BCZ) and also interstitially. These SSA-specific cells were also quantified. No SSA-specific cells were CD5+, indicating that they do not belong to the B-1 B cell subset. Furthermore, no SSA-specific cells were observed within the CD20+ BCZ. Hence, no SSA-specific memory B cells were detected in these individuals. Contrary to this, SSA-specific cells were found to be CD19+/CD27++, demonstrating that they are differentiating short or long-lived plasma cells. Taken together, our findings suggest that these lower levels of SSA-specific memory B cells in PB and absence of SSA-specific memory B cells in SG of pSS patients could result from activation of these cells into plasma cells at the site of inflammation.
Strengthening kinship families: scoping the provision of respite care in Australia
Authors: Borenstein Juliette , McNamara Patricia ,   Respite Care Consortium
Published: December 2012

AbstractKinship care is the fastest growing form of out‐of‐home care in Australia, as it is in many other countries. The Victorian Government's response has been to establish 18 programmes across the state to provide support to kinship families. The scoping project described here, based on interviews with key programme staff, explores the experiences of the new programmes in providing support, specifically respite care, to kinship families. It has produced a picture, based on qualitative and quantitative data, of how respite care is understood, the perceived respite needs of kinship families, how services are organized and provided, identified barriers to families accessing support, the effect of respite provision and what constitutes optimal practice. The findings establish a basis for a best practice model of service provision for this increasingly significant family type.
The Neighborhood Strikes Back: Community Murals by Youth in Boston's Communities of Color
Authors: SIEBER TIM , CORDEIRO GRAÇA ÍNDIAS , FERRO LÍGIA 
Published: December 2012

AbstractCommunity murals in US inner city neighborhoods offer popular, grassroots representations of local identities and their relation to urban space and community culture. They are powerful tools in building neighborhood solidarity across ethnic groups, generations, and defended gang territories. Designed primarily for local consumption, murals circulate dramatic, alternative representations of local identity, heritage and history, contesting attributions of stigma and danger promulgated in mainstream media. In Boston's Dudley Street corridor that crosscuts its Roxbury and Dorchester neighborhoods, both low‐income communities of color, these themes are evident in the presence of a vibrant series of community murals lining the one‐mile long street. Designed and painted by local youth under the sponsorship of grassroots community‐based organizations, the murals give voice to urban youth's hopes, struggles, and aspirations for their individual and collective futures, from their positions in disadvantaged, multi‐ethnic neighborhoods in a city sharply divided by race and class.
A Divided Provincial Town: The Development from Ethnic to Class Segmentation in Kupang, West Timor
Authors: TIDEY SYLVIA 
Published: December 2012

AbstractThis article focuses on the physical composition of the Eastern Indonesian provincial town of Kupang, a town thought to be characterized by interethnic tensions. I examine the assumption that social segmentation is explainable in terms of ethnicity. In order to show that ethnicity not the sole explanation for social segregation, I draw on urban anthropological insights proposing an anthropology of cities—and in particular Setha M. Low's concept of the “divided city”—to look at the kinds of social segmentation that are suggested by the development of new residential areas in Kupang. When comparing the composition of Kupang during colonial times to its current lay‐out, it becomes clear that, even though Kupang started out as a city characterized by ethnic segmentation, it has been developing towards a city based on class‐segmentation. This class‐segmentation reflects access to state employment and resources. Nevertheless, being a provincial town instead of a larger metropolis, class segmentation (physically or socially) is far from rigid. As such, provincial towns can form a fascinating space to explore physical segregation, social stratification and social mobility. [Eastern Indonesia, Kupang, West Timor, ethnicity, class segmentation].
The Viet Village Urban Farm and the Politics of Neighborhood Viability in Post‐Katrina New Orleans
Authors: TRUITT ALLISON 
Published: December 2012

AbstractViability emerged as a contentious political term in post‐Katrina New Orleans. While initial expert‐led proposals defined neighborhood viability in terms of topography, community‐based groups emphasized the cultural and historical aspects that defined neighborhoods as viable. This analysis focuses on the politics of neighborhood viability with regarding to a specific neighborhood, Village de l'Est, well known for its sizeable Vietnamese population. Community leaders effectively employed cultural discourses to increase the visibility of the neighborhood and make claims on recovery dollars. One of these proposals was for an urban farm. The case‐study presented here focuses on how the proposal made evident how claims of viability often generated generated conflicting visions of neighborhoods in pre‐ and post‐Katrina New Orleans. [Sustainability, Urban farm, Vietnamese Americans, New Orleans]
Reduced Frontal Activation during a Working Memory Task in Mild Cognitive Impairment: a Non‐Invasive Near‐Infrared Spectroscopy Study
Authors: Niu Hai‐Jing , Li Xin , Chen Yao‐Jing , Ma Chao , Zhang Jun‐Ying , Zhang Zhan‐Jun 
Published: December 2012

SummaryAimsWorking memory (WM) impairments are considered to be a main feature of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Functional brain imaging studies have revealed evidence of alterations in the frontal and temporal cortices associated with WM in MCI patients. However, some imaging methods are too expensive for routine clinical use and have a low temporal resolution.MethodsUsing a newly developed near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) system, we studied the spatiotemporal dynamics of oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy‐Hb) during a WM task in eight patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 16 age‐ and gender‐matched healthy controls.ResultsWe performed temporal and spatial correlation analyses on each group during their WM tasks. These results consistently demonstrated that, when compared with the healthy controls, the MCI patients exhibited significantly decreased activation in the left frontal, right superior frontal and left temporal lobes. We found evidence of altered frontal and temporal processing during WM tasks in the MCI patients.ConclusionsThese results confirm the functional deficits in the frontal and temporal cortices and the impairment of WM and cognitive abilities in MCI patients and suggest that fNIRS may be a useful tool for evaluating brain activation in cognitive disorders.
Europe Needs a New Vision for a Natura 2020 Network
Authors: Hochkirch Axel , Schmitt Thomas , Beninde Joscha , Hiery Marietta , Kinitz Tim , Kirschey Jenny , Matenaar Daniela , Rohde Katja , Stoefen Aleke , Wagner Norman , Zink Andreas , Lötters Stefan , Veith Michael , Proelss Alexander 
Published: December 2012

AbstractTwenty years after the world's nations agreed upon the Convention on Biodiversity, there is still a global decline in biodiversity. At present it seems unlikely that the Aichi Targets of halting biodiversity loss by 2020 will be met. Although the European Union is often seen as a pioneer in this regard, as its “Habitats Directive” represents one of the strongest legal tools in nature conservation, biodiversity continues to decline even in Europe. We outline four major problems in the current implementation of the directive. First, prioritization needs to be based upon comprehensive scientific knowledge. This requires a maximized number of red list assessments of European species and a regular adaptation of the annexes in order to focus on those sites with the highest conservation value. Second, strategic conservation plans need to be compiled for highly threatened species and adaptive management plans need to be implemented in each reserve. Third, an improved “on‐ground” monitoring system is necessary, focusing on population trends of priority species and feeding back to management plans and red list assessments. Fourth, substantial financial resources have to be invested in the implementation as well as education in order to reach a societal consensus on the necessity for conservation.
Calculating the benefit of conservation actions
Authors: Maron Martine , Rhodes Jonathan R. , Gibbons Philip 
Published: December 2012

AbstractThe benefit (or additionality) attributable to a conservation action is the difference between the outcomes of two scenarios: (1) the scenario with the conservation action, and (2) the alternative scenario, in which action did not occur. However, many conservation decisions are made using approaches that do not appropriately calculate this benefit. We review recent scientific literature and conservation policies to examine how conservation benefit is calculated in three situations: systematic reserve selection, investment in agri‐environment schemes, and biodiversity offset trades. In the examples we considered, the approaches used to calculate conservation benefit often involved assumptions about the alternative scenario that were not explicit, demonstrably wrong or both. We suggest that assumptions about how conservation value changes over time in the alternative scenario can often be substantially refined, and that making these assumptions explicit by calculating directly the expected difference between the two scenarios is likely to improve the quality of conservation decision‐making.
Efficacy and safety of canagliflozin monotherapy in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus inadequately controlled with diet and exercise
Authors: Stenlöf K. , Cefalu W. T. , Kim K.‐A. , Alba M. , Usiskin K. , Tong C. , Canovatchel W. , Meininger G. 
Published: December 2012

AimsCanagliflozin is a sodium glucose co‐transporter 2 inhibitor in development for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The efficacy and safety of canagliflozin were evaluated in subjects with T2DM inadequately controlled with diet and exercise.MethodsIn this 26‐week, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, phase 3 trial, subjects (N = 584) received canagliflozin 100 or 300 mg or placebo once daily. Primary endpoint was the change from baseline in haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) at week 26. Secondary endpoints included the proportion of subjects achieving HbA1c < 7.0%; change from baseline in fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2‐h postprandial glucose (PPG) and systolic blood pressure (BP); and percent change in body weight, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) and triglycerides. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded throughout the study.ResultsAt week 26, HbA1c was significantly reduced from baseline with canagliflozin 100 and 300 mg compared with placebo (−0.77, −1.03 and 0.14%, respectively; p < 0.001 for both). Both canagliflozin doses significantly decreased FPG, 2‐h PPG, body weight and systolic BP (p < 0.001 for all), and increased HDL‐C compared with placebo (p < 0.01 for both). Overall incidences of AEs were modestly higher with canagliflozin versus placebo; rates of serious AEs and AE‐related discontinuations were low and similar across groups. Incidences of genital mycotic infections, urinary tract infections and osmotic diuresis‐related AEs were higher with canagliflozin; these led to few discontinuations. The incidence of hypoglycaemia was low across groups.ConclusionCanagliflozin treatment improved glycaemic control, reduced body weight and was generally well tolerated in subjects with T2DM inadequately controlled with diet and exercise.
Comparative study of sitagliptin with pioglitazone in Japanese type 2 diabetic patients: the COMPASS randomized controlled trial
Authors: Takihata M. , Nakamura A. , Tajima K. , Inazumi T. , Komatsu Y. , Tamura H. , Yamazaki S. , Kondo Y. , Yamada M. , Kimura M. , Terauchi Y. 
Published: December 2012

AbstractAimsTo compare the efficacy and safety of these two agents and the impact on surrogate markers related to diabetic complications in Japanese type 2 diabetic patients.MethodsIn a multicenter, open‐label trial, 130 patients whose diabetes had been inadequately controlled (HbA1c, 6.9–9.5%) with metformin and/or sulphonylurea were randomly assigned to a sitagliptin group (50 mg/day) or a pioglitazone group (15 mg/day) and were followed up for 24 weeks. At 16 weeks, if the patient's HbA1c level was ≥6.5%, the dose of sitagliptin or pioglitazone was increased up to 100 or 30 mg/day, respectively. Main outcome measure was the difference in the mean changes in the HbA1c level from baseline at 24 weeks between these two groups.ResultsOf the 130 patients who were enrolled, 115 subjects (sitagliptin group: 58 patients, pioglitazone group: 57 patients) completed this trial. At 0 weeks, the mean HbA1c level was 7.47 ± 0.66% in the sitagliptin group and 7.40 ± 0.61% in the pioglitazone group. At 24 weeks, the mean changes in the HbA1c level from baseline were −0.86 ± 0.63% versus −0.58 ± 0.68% (p = 0.024). Hypoglycaemia (2 patients, 3.4% vs. 2 patients, 3.5%), gastrointestinal symptoms (3 patients, 5.2% vs. 1 patient, 1.8%) and pretibial oedema (0 patients, 0% vs. 39 patients, 68.4%, p < 0.001) were observed for 24 weeks.ConclusionsSitagliptin was not only more tolerable, but also more effective than pioglitazone in Japanese type 2 diabetic patients who had been treated with metformin and/or sulphonylurea.
The efficacy and safety of ezetimibe/simvastatin combination compared with intensified lipid‐lowering treatment strategies in diabetic subjects with and without metabolic syndrome
Authors: Jimenez J. G. , Rosen J. B. , Pirags V. , Massaad R. , Hanson M. E. , Brudi P. , Triscari J. 
Published: December 2012

AimsThe objective was to assess the consistency of effect of switching to ezetimibe/simvastatin 10/20 mg versus doubling the baseline statin dose (to simvastatin 40 mg or atorvastatin 20 mg) or switching to rosuvastatin 10 mg across subgroups of subjects with (n = 617) and without (n = 191) metabolic syndrome (MetS).MethodsThis was a post hoc analysis of a randomized, double‐blind, 6‐week study of adults 18–79 years with cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus with low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) ≥70 and ≤160 mg/dl. The percent change in LDL‐C and other lipids was estimated within each subgroup separately. Safety and tolerability were assessed.ResultsIn subjects with MetS, percent changes in LDL‐C and other lipids were greater with ezetimibe/simvastatin versus doubling baseline statin or numerically greater versus switching to rosuvastatin, except high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein (Apo) AI (mean percent changes in LDL‐C were: −22.49% ezetimibe/simvastatin, −9.64% doubled baseline statin and −19.20% rosuvastatin). In subjects without MetS, percent changes in LDL‐C, total cholesterol and Apo B were greater with ezetimibe/simvastatin versus doubling baseline statin or numerically greater versus switching to rosuvastatin (mean percent changes in LDL‐C were: −25.14% ezetimibe/simvastatin, −4.75% doubled baseline statin and −19.75% rosuvastatin). Safety profiles were generally similar.ConclusionThese results showed that switching to ezetimibe/simvastatin 10/20 mg was more effective at reducing LDL‐C, total cholesterol and Apo B versus doubling the baseline statin dose to simvastatin 40 mg or atorvastatin 20 mg or switching to rosuvastatin 10 mg regardless of MetS status. These results were generally similar to those of the full cohort.