bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Husbandry Factors and the Resumption of Luteal Activity in Open and Zero‐Grazed Dairy Cows in Urban and Peri‐Urban Kampala, Uganda
Authors: Kanyima BM , Båge R , Owiny DO , Ntallaris T , Lindahl J , Magnusson U , Nassuna‐Musoke MG 
Published: June 2014

ContentsThe study investigated the influence of selected husbandry factors on interval to resumption of post‐partum cyclicity among dairy cows in urban and peri‐urban Kampala. A prospective study of 85 day post‐partum period of 59 dairy cows in open (n = 38) and zero grazing (n = 21) systems was conducted on 24 farms. Cows of parity 1–6 were recruited starting 15–30 days post‐partum. Progesterone (P4) content in milk taken at 10–12 day intervals was analysed using ELISA. The cow P4 profiles were classified into ‘normal’ (< 56 days), ‘delayed’ (> 56 days), ‘ceased’ or ‘prolonged’ (if started < 56 days but with abnormal P4 displays) resumption of luteal activity and tested for association with husbandry and cow factors. Of the 59 cows, luteal activity in 81.4% resumed normally and in 18.6%, delayed. Only 23.7% maintained regular luteal activity, while the others had ceased (10.2%), prolonged (37.3%) or unclear luteal activity (20.3%). There were no differences between open and zero‐grazed cows. Milk production was higher (p < 0.05) in zero than open grazing, in urban than peri‐urban and in cows fed on brew waste (p < 0.001) compared with mill products and banana peels. Results suggest that luteal activity resumes normally in a majority of cows, although only a minority experienced continued normal cyclicity once ovulation had occurred, in the two farming systems irrespective of feed supplements or water, and that supplementing with brew waste is beneficial for milk production.
Adolescent Problem Behavior in Toronto, Canada
Authors: Strohschein Lisa , Matthew Alvinelle 
Published: June 2014

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative association of unique aspects of social capital at the level of families, schools, and neighborhoods on adolescent self‐reported violence, property crimes, and substance use. Data come from the 2006 Canadian International Youth Survey that asked adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15 in the metropolitan city of Toronto (N = 3, 101) about their problem behavior. Poisson regression models revealed that parental monitoring, school performance, peer approval of illegal activities, and neighborhood social disorder were consistently associated with all three adolescent problem behaviors, net of controls. Results were more mixed for remaining measures of social capital on adolescent problem behavior. Interestingly, neighborhood cohesion was a significant predictor of adolescent substance use, but operated in a direction that was contrary to the proposed hypotheses. These findings highlight the importance of teasing out how different facets of social capital in different environments are linked to adolescent problem behavior.
Biodiversity and biogeography in Madagascar: revision of the endemic flea beetle genus NeoderaDuvivier, 1891 with description of 19 new species (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini)
Authors: D'ALESSANDRO PAOLA , URBANI FABRIZIA , BIONDI MAURIZIO 
Published: June 2014

AbstractA revision of the Malagasy flea beetle genus Neodera Duvivier is provided. This genus includes 31 species of which 19 are new to science: Neodera amplicollis sp.n., N. breviantennata sp.n., N. didiensis sp.n., N. diversitarsis sp.n., N. jenisi sp.n., N. kraussi sp.n., N. longicollis sp.n., N. marojejyensis sp.n., N. nigrotibialis sp.n., N. opaca sp.n., N. pauliani sp.n., N. perroti sp.n., N. peyrierasi sp.n., N. reducta sp.n., N. similvadoni sp.n., N. sogai sp.n., N. speronata sp.n., N. straminoides sp.n. and N. vadoni sp.n.. The following two synonymies are proposed: N. fraterna Duvivier = N. amarella Bechyné and N. fulva Jacoby = N. hilari Bechyné. In addition, neotypes for N. emarginata Duvivier and N. fraterna Duvivier, and lectotypes for N. fulva Jacoby, N. imitatrix Duvivier, N. madagassa (Harold), N. picticornis (Harold), N. transversicollis Jacoby and N. varicornis (Harold) are designated. Additionally, the revision comprises a key for the identification of all 31 species considered, some habitus photos, microscope and scanning electron micrographs of many diagnostic characters, including median lobe of aedeagus and spermatheca. A first phylogenetic analysis based on parsimony is also provided. It is used with distributional data to put forward hypotheses about the natural history of the taxon in the light of the species differentiation models proposed thus far for Madagascar.This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CABEB580-7591-4F49-A838-280C6DE0B0F9.
Defining acceptable epidemiology ranges in donor populations based on the contamination risk of finished plasma‐derived products
Authors: Lovick S. , Bycholski K. , Gröner A. 
Published: June 2014

BackgroundFor a given plasma‐derived product, the risk of final product contamination by hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus depends upon the epidemiology in the donor population, the virus load in a donation, the product yield and the effective virus reduction capacity in manufacturing.Study Design and MethodsA Monte Carlo simulation model was developed to estimate the risk of virus contamination of a final product resulting from virus contamination of plasma pools for fractionation. The model was run for both source and recovered plasma at various incidence rates for the three viruses to determine virus loads in minipools and fractionation pools resulting from donations with virus levels below test sensitivities. Together with the virus reduction capacity and yield of a theoretical worst case plasma‐derived product, the contamination risk in a final vial was calculated.ResultsAcceptable upper‐bound centre‐level incidence rates in the donor population (per donor centre) result in final products with very high margins of virus safety; the largest determinant of these ‘Process Limits’ is the virus reduction capacity of the manufacturing process. Short donation intervals and long inventory hold periods for source plasma compensates the lower incidence rates typically observed in recovered plasma donors.ConclusionsThe model calculates process limits for epidemiological data at collection centres based on an appropriate margin of virus safety for final products. The model also takes into consideration the impact of different donor/donation management systems for source and recovered plasma on the number of low viraemic donations entering the plasma pool for fractionation.
Variant Influenza Associated with Live Animal Markets, Minnesota
Authors: Choi M. J. , Morin C. A. , Scheftel J. , Vetter S. M. , Smith K. , Lynfield R. ,   The Variant Influenza Investigation Team
Published: June 2014

SummaryVariant influenza viruses are swine‐origin influenza A viruses that cause illness in humans. Surveillance for variant influenza A viruses, including characterization of exposure settings, is important because of the potential emergence of novel influenza viruses with pandemic potential. In Minnesota, we have documented variant influenza A virus infections associated with swine exposure at live animal markets.
Ankle dorsiflexor muscle size, composition and force with ageing and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Maddocks Matthew , Jones Matthew , Snell Thomas , Connolly Bronwen , de Wolf‐Linder Susanne , Moxham John , Rafferty Gerrard F. 
Published: June 2014

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?
The study examined the relationship between muscle size and strength in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients as well as young and elderly healthy control subjects. We hypothesized that ankle dorsiflexor muscle strength would be reduced by COPD as well as by ageing, and that this would be as a result of changes in both size and composition of the muscle.
What is the main finding and its importance?
These data demonstrate that the loss of skeletal muscle strength in COPD was related to changes in muscle composition, with infiltration of non‐contractile tissue beyond that seen during normal ageing.
Loss of skeletal muscle strength is a well‐recognized feature of ageing and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Reductions in muscle size provide only a partial explanation for this loss of strength, and additional contributory factors remain undetermined. We hypothesized that reductions in skeletal muscle strength, as measured in the ankle dorsiflexor muscles, would be reduced with ageing and COPD as a result of changes in both size and composition of the tibialis anterior muscle. Twenty healthy young subjects, 18 healthy elderly subjects and 17 patients with COPD were studied. Ankle dorsiflexor muscle strength was assessed by maximal voluntary contraction (ADMVC) and 100 Hz supramaximal electrical stimulation of the peroneal nerve (100 HzAD). Tibialis anterior cross‐sectional area (TACSA) and composition, as assessed by echo intensity (TAEI), were measured using ultrasonography. Despite a lack of differences in TACSA between groups, ADMVC and 100 HzAD were significantly reduced in COPD patients compared with both healthy elderly and healthy young subjects, when expressed as absolute values and when normalized to TACSA (P < 0.01). The TAEI was, however, higher in COPD patients compared with healthy elderly (P = 0.025) and healthy young subjects (P = 0.0008), suggesting increased levels of non‐contractile tissue. Across all participants, ADMVC and 100 HzAD correlated positively with TACSA (r = 0.78, P < 0.0001) and negatively with TAEI (r = −0.46, P < 0.0005). The variance in 100 HzAD was best explained with a regression model incorporating TACSA, TAEI, age and COPD status (r2 = 0.822, P = 0.001). These data demonstrate that the loss of skeletal muscle strength in COPD is related to changes in muscle composition, with infiltration of non‐contractile tissue beyond that seen during normal ageing.
Spatial effects of shifting prisms on properties of posterior parietal cortex neurons
Authors: Karkhanis Anushree N. , Heider Barbara , Silva Fabian Muñoz , Siegel Ralph M. 
Published: June 2014

Key points
The posterior parietal cortex contains multiple spatial representations and is involved in online monitoring of visually guided hand movements.
Single unit recordings were performed in two areas of macaque monkey posterior parietal cortex during a visually guided reaching task with variable eye position.
To test the adaptability of neural responses, shifting prisms were introduced to create a discrepancy between perceived and actual reach location.
The majority of neurons changed average firing rate and/or eye position tuning during the prism exposure.
The direction of tuning change did not correlate with the direction of prism shift, suggesting more generalized network effects due to the perturbation.
Population analysis using Euler angles and translations demonstrated systematic transformations between conditions supporting the notion of network behaviour.
AbstractThe posterior parietal cortex contains neurons that respond to visual stimulation and motor behaviour. The objective of the current study was to test short‐term adaptation in neurons in macaque area 7a and the dorsal prelunate during visually guided reaching using Fresnel prisms that displaced the visual field. The visual perturbation shifted the eye position and created a mismatch between perceived and actual reach location. Two non‐human primates were trained to reach to visual targets before, during and after prism exposure while fixating the reach target in different locations. They were required to reach to the physical location of the reach target and not the perceived, displaced location. While behavioural adaptation to the prisms occurred within a few trials, the majority of neurons responded to the distortion either with substantial changes in spatial eye position tuning or changes in overall firing rate. These changes persisted even after prism removal. The spatial changes were not correlated with the direction of induced prism shift. The transformation of gain fields between conditions was estimated by calculating the translation and rotation in Euler angles. Rotations and translations of the horizontal and vertical spatial components occurred in a systematic manner for the population of neurons suggesting that the posterior parietal cortex retains a constant representation of the visual field remapping between experimental conditions.
Ether- and Ester-Bound
iso
-Diabolic Acid and Other Lipids in Members of Acidobacteria Subdivision 4
Authors: Sinninghe Damsté Jaap S. , Rijpstra W. Irene C. , Hopmans Ellen C. , Foesel Bärbel U. , Wüst Pia K. , Overmann Jörg , Tank Marcus , Bryant Donald A. , Dunfield Peter F. , Houghton Karen , Stott Matthew B. 
Published: June 2014

ABSTRACT

Recently,
iso
-diabolic acid (13,16-dimethyl octacosanedioic acid) has been identified as a major membrane-spanning lipid of subdivisions 1 and 3 of the
Acidobacteria
, a highly diverse phylum within the
Bacteria
. This finding pointed to the
Acidobacteria
as a potential source for the bacterial glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers that occur ubiquitously in peat, soil, lakes, and hot springs. Here, we examined the lipid composition of seven phylogenetically divergent strains of subdivision 4 of the
Acidobacteria
, a bacterial group that is commonly encountered in soil. Acid hydrolysis of total cell material released
iso
-diabolic acid derivatives in substantial quantities (11 to 48% of all fatty acids). In contrast to subdivisions 1 and 3 of the
Acidobacteria
, 6 out of the 7 species of subdivision 4 (excepting “
Candidatus
Chloracidobacterium thermophilum”) contained
iso
-diabolic acid ether bound to a glycerol in larger fractional abundance than
iso
-diabolic acid itself. This is in agreement with the analysis of intact polar lipids (IPLs) by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS), which showed the dominance of mixed ether-ester glycerides.
iso
-Diabolic acid-containing IPLs were not identified, because these IPLs are not released with a Bligh-Dyer extraction, as observed before when studying lipid compositions of subdivisions 1 and 3 of the
Acidobacteria
. The presence of ether bonds in the membrane lipids does not seem to be an adaptation to temperature, because the five mesophilic isolates contained a larger amount of ether lipids than the thermophile “
Ca
. Chloracidobacterium thermophilum.” Furthermore, experiments with
Pyrinomonas methylaliphatogenes
did not reveal a major influence of growth temperature over the 50 to 69°C range.
Insect Gut Bacterial Diversity Determined by Environmental Habitat, Diet, Developmental Stage, and Phylogeny of Host
Authors: Yun Ji-Hyun , Roh Seong Woon , Whon Tae Woong , Jung Mi-Ja , Kim Min-Soo , Park Doo-Sang , Yoon Changmann , Nam Young-Do , Kim Yun-Ji , Choi Jung-Hye , Kim Joon-Yong , Shin Na-Ri , Kim Sung-Hee , Lee Won-Jae , Bae Jin-Woo 
Published: June 2014

ABSTRACT

Insects are the most abundant animals on Earth, and the microbiota within their guts play important roles by engaging in beneficial and pathological interactions with these hosts. In this study, we comprehensively characterized insect-associated gut bacteria of 305 individuals belonging to 218 species in 21 taxonomic orders, using 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes. In total, 174,374 sequence reads were obtained, identifying 9,301 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at the 3% distance level from all samples, with an average of 84.3 (±97.7) OTUs per sample. The insect gut microbiota were dominated by
Proteobacteria
(62.1% of the total reads, including 14.1%
Wolbachia
sequences) and
Firmicutes
(20.7%). Significant differences were found in the relative abundances of anaerobes in insects and were classified according to the criteria of host environmental habitat, diet, developmental stage, and phylogeny. Gut bacterial diversity was significantly higher in omnivorous insects than in stenophagous (carnivorous and herbivorous) insects. This insect-order-spanning investigation of the gut microbiota provides insights into the relationships between insects and their gut bacterial communities.
Does Campylobacter jejuni Form Biofilms in Food-Related Environments?
Authors: Teh Amy Huei Teen , Lee Sui Mae , Dykes Gary A. 
Published: June 2014

ABSTRACT

Campylobacter jejuni
is one of the most frequent causes of bacterial gastrointestinal food-borne infection worldwide. This species is part of the normal flora of the gastrointestinal tracts of animals used for food production, including poultry, which is regarded as the primary source of human
Campylobacter
infections. The survival and persistence of
C. jejuni
in food processing environments, especially in poultry processing plants, represent significant risk factors that contribute to the spread of this pathogen through the food chain. Compared to other food-borne pathogens,
C. jejuni
is more fastidious in its growth requirements and is very susceptible to various environmental stressors. Biofilm formation is suggested to play a significant role in the survival of
C. jejuni
in the food production and processing environment. The aims of this minireview were (i) to examine the evidence that
C. jejuni
forms biofilms and (ii) to establish the extent to which reported and largely laboratory-based studies of
C. jejuni
biofilms provide evidence for biofilm formation by this pathogen in food processing environments. Overall existing studies do not provide strong evidence for biofilm formation (as usually defined) by most
C. jejuni
strains in food-related environments under the combined conditions of atmosphere, temperature, and shear that they are likely to encounter. Simple attachment to and survival on surfaces and in existing biofilms of other species are far more likely to contribute to
C. jejuni
survival in food-related environments based on our current understanding of this species.
Automated Design of Probes for rRNA-Targeted Fluorescence
In Situ
Hybridization Reveals the Advantages of Using Dual Probes for Accurate Identification
Authors: Wright Erik S. , Yilmaz L. Safak , Corcoran Andrew M. , Ökten Hatice E. , Noguera Daniel R. 
Published: June 2014

ABSTRACT

Fluorescence
in situ
hybridization (FISH) is a common technique for identifying cells in their natural environment and is often used to complement next-generation sequencing approaches as an integral part of the full-cycle rRNA approach. A major challenge in FISH is the design of oligonucleotide probes with high sensitivity and specificity to their target group. The rapidly expanding number of rRNA sequences has increased awareness of the number of potential nontargets for every FISH probe, making the design of new FISH probes challenging using traditional methods. In this study, we conducted a systematic analysis of published probes that revealed that many have insufficient coverage or specificity for their intended target group. Therefore, we developed an improved thermodynamic model of FISH that can be applied at any taxonomic level, used the model to systematically design probes for all recognized genera of bacteria and archaea, and identified potential cross-hybridizations for the selected probes. This analysis resulted in high-specificity probes for 35.6% of the genera when a single probe was used in the absence of competitor probes and for 60.9% when up to two competitor probes were used. Requiring the hybridization of two independent probes for positive identification further increased specificity. In this case, we could design highly specific probe sets for up to 68.5% of the genera without the use of competitor probes and 87.7% when up to two competitor probes were used. The probes designed in this study, as well as tools for designing new probes, are available online (
http://DECIPHER.cee.wisc.edu
).
Objectively assessed physical activity, adiposity, and inflammatory markers in people with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Hamer Mark , Hackett Ruth A , Bostock Sophie , Lazzarino Antonio I , Carvalho Livia A , Steptoe Andrew 
Published: June 2014

ObjectiveInflammatory processes may play an important role in the development of acute coronary syndromes in people with type 2 diabetes; thus, strategies to control inflammation are of clinical importance. We examined the cross-sectional association between objectively assessed physical activity and inflammatory markers in a sample of people with type 2 diabetes.MethodsParticipants were 71 men and 41 women (mean age=63.9±7 years), without a history of cardiovascular disease, drawn from primary care clinics. Physical activity was objectively measured using waist-worn accelerometers (Actigraph GT3X) during waking hours for seven consecutive days.ResultsWe observed inverse associations between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (per 10 min) with plasma interleukin-6 (B=−0.035, 95% CI −0.056 to −0.015), interleukin-1ra (B=−0.033, 95% CI −0.051 to −0.015), and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (B=−0.011, 95% CI −0.021 to 0.000). These associations largely persisted in multivariable adjusted models, although body mass index considerably attenuated the effect estimate.ConclusionsThese data demonstrate an inverse association between physical activity and inflammatory markers in people with type 2 diabetes.
Improving the management of patients with acute red eyes in a large London Emergency Department
Authors: Saifuddin Aamir , Brookes Rachel 
Published: June 2014

AbstractAnecdotal evidence suggested that the management of patients with eye complaints in the Emergency Department (ED) at King's College Hospital, London was suboptimal. Acute ophthalmology is often poorly covered at undergraduate level in the United Kingdom which can affect patient safety. Furthermore, it was notoriously difficult to obtain specialist advice within working hours. Contact lens (CL) wearers are prone to Pseudomonas conjunctivitis which requires certain antibiotics and mismanagement of this has led to sight-threatening consequences locally. Junior doctor surveys suggested under-confidence in managing eye problems and initial audit showed that eye assessments are frequently incomplete during ED clerkings. For example, CL status and visual acuity were documented in 63% and 77% of cases respectively; however, these were increased when a dedicated pro forma was used. To address these multiple issues, a new 'eye examination pro forma' was created, along with integrated clinical guidelines based on local expert practice. This would prompt staff to elicit key information to help guide management. A new referral pathway was also introduced to facilitate access to ophthalmology services. On re-auditing seven months later, the new pro forma was completed for only 28% of patients, though this was associated with a higher rate of documentation of all parameters. The referral pathways worked efficiently and patients with red flag features were identified and managed more appropriately than before. We learnt that it is important that someone personally drives the innovations from the outset, otherwise prolonged change is difficult. Secondly, junior doctors may not be proficient with slit lamp use, for instance, so targeted teaching is required, not simply new pathways. Full engagement with the pro forma and effective patient management should then improve simultaneously. Specific teaching is now being implemented and permanent staff have been recruited to oversee the project. We plan to re-audit in November 2014.