bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Correlation between decreased choroidal blood flow velocity and the pathogenesis of acute zonal occult outer retinopathy
Authors: Saito Michiyuki , Saito Wataru , Hashimoto Yuki , Yoshizawa Chikako , Shinmei Yasuhiro , Noda Kousuke , Ishida Susumu 
Published: June 2013

AbstractBackgroundTo evaluate changes of choroidal circulation quantitatively using laser speckle flowgraphy in patients with acute zonal occult outer retinopathy.DesignRetrospective observational case series.ParticipantsSixteen eyes of 11 acute zonal occult outer retinopathy patients: seven non‐treated eyes with good visual acuity and nine systemic corticosteroid‐treated eyes with progressive visual acuity loss. Six eyes with thyroid‐associated ophthalmopathy receiving systemic corticosteroid therapy served as controls.MethodsThe mean blur rate, an index of quantitative relative blood flow velocity, in the affected area was measured by laser speckle flowgraphy. The changes of mean blur rate, best‐corrected visual acuity and the average threshold at the affected area on Humphrey perimetry during 24‐week follow up were analysed.Main Outcome MeasuresMean blur rate, best‐corrected visual acuity, and the average threshold.ResultsIn non‐treated eyes, the average mean blur rate significantly increased at 24 weeks, with a significant increase of the average threshold. In corticosteroid‐treated eyes, the mean blur rates at 1, 4, 12 and 24 weeks were significantly higher than the pretreatment value, with significant improvement of best‐corrected visual acuity and the average threshold. The increase in mean blur rate at 4 weeks in corticosteroid‐treated acute zonal occult outer retinopathy eyes was significantly higher than that in corticosteroid‐treated control eyes.ConclusionsIn eyes with acute zonal occult outer retinopathy, the mean blur rate at the affected area significantly increases along with improvement of visual functions. These results suggest that impaired choroidal circulation is involved in the pathogenesis of acute zonal occult outer retinopathy.
Emergence, dispersal, and mate finding via a substrate‐borne sex pheromone in the parasitoid Metaphycus luteolus
Authors: Kapranas Apostolos , Giudice Daniela Lo , Peri Ezio , Millar Jocelyn G. , Colazza Stefano 
Published: June 2013

AbstractMetaphycus luteolus Timberlake (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is a facultatively gregarious parasitoid of soft scale insects. We conducted behavioral experiments to better understand the mating structure of this species. Emergence of male and female offspring is synchronized, beginning at the onset of photoperiod. Both sexes are able to disperse, although dispersal of males from natal patches appears to take longer than dispersal of females. We demonstrated the presence of a female‐produced contact pheromone using open arena bioassays and motion tracking software, testing residues deposited by walking females, and extracts of females. Males responded to the females' ‘chemical footprints’ and to acetone and hexane extracts of females by searching and arrestment on the chemical residues. Responses of males were dose dependent and diminished with time since the stimulus was deposited. Our findings support the hypothesis that non‐local mating among wasps emerging from different hosts may be quite common in these parasitoids. The implications of our results for the mating structure and previously documented sex ratio patterns of these parasitoids are described.
Influence of cabbage resistance and colour upon the diamondback moth and its parasitoid Oomyzus sokolowskii
Authors: Colares Felipe , Silva‐Torres Christian S. A. , Torres Jorge B. , Barros Eduardo M. , Pallini Angelo 
Published: June 2013

AbstractHost plant resistance and biological control are vital integrated pest management tools against the diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), but to date no study has investigated this system including the DBM parasitoid Oomyzus sokolowskii (Kurdjumov) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). We examined oviposition and development of P. xylostella exposed to two commercial cabbage cultivars (green ‘Chato de quintal’ and red ‘Roxo’) and possible effects upon O. sokolowskii. Under free‐choice tests, DBM females laid significantly more eggs on plants of the green cabbage, even though several population growth parameters showed that DBM developed better on the red cabbage. Furthermore, a laboratory free‐choice test with artificially green‐ and red‐painted kale leaf discs demonstrated a similar oviposition preference pattern, with green colour being preferred over red colour. The preference was apparently visually mediated; olfactometer tests showed similar attraction of moths to both green and red cultivars in choice and non‐choice tests. Host plant cultivar had no statistically significant effect on female parasitoid behaviour towards DBM larvae, nor on parasitoid numbers or longevity. Moreover, wasps parasitizing DBM larvae reared on the green cultivar developed more quickly and in larger numbers per parasitized larva. Thus, feeding on green cabbage rather than red does not hinder, and potentially even enhances, control of DBM by O. sokolowskii. On a practical level, these results suggest that intercalating green cabbage cultivars as a trap crop might help protect more profitable red cultivars in growing fields.
Predation promotes survival of beetles with lower resting metabolic rates
Authors: Krams Indrikis , Kivleniece Inese , Kuusik Aare , Krama Tatjana , Mänd Raivo , Rantala Markus J. , Znotiņa Santa , Freeberg Todd M. , Mänd Marika 
Published: June 2013

AbstractThe energetic definition of fitness predicts that natural selection will maximize the residual energy available for growth and reproduction suggesting that energy metabolism might be a target of selection. In this experimental study, we investigated whether female and male yellow mealworm beetles, Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), differ in their hiding behaviour, individual response latency time, and duration of immobility to treatments mimicking an approaching predation threat. We experimentally tested whether consistently repeatable anti‐predatory responses and resting metabolic rates (RMR) correlated with survival rates of individuals exposed to a nocturnal predator, the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout) (Rodentia: Muridae). Resting metabolic rate was part of a syndrome involving anti‐predator behaviour. Individuals with lower RMR concealed themselves against predators in substrate more successfully than individuals with higher RMR, and hiding was associated with longer periods of immobility. Ultimately, mortality was higher in the high‐RMR beetles compared to the low‐RMR beetles. Our results provide direct evidence of natural selection against mobility, i.e., for reduced RMR in T. molitor beetles.
Hybrid rice and insect herbivores in Asia
Authors: Horgan Finbarr G. , Crisol Eduardo 
Published: June 2013

AbstractSince the late 1970s, the area of agricultural land dedicated to hybrid rice has rapidly increased throughout Asia, particularly in China, India, and Vietnam. The pace of hybrid adoption, a generally low genetic diversity of hybrid varieties, and higher agrochemical inputs with hybrid rice compared to conventional varieties has significantly changed the rice landscape. Some authors have associated these changes with an increasing incidence of damage to rice by herbivorous insects. This review examines trends in hybrid adoption in Asia, the associated problems with insect herbivores, and possible solutions to these problems. A series of hypotheses are presented to explain the increased incidence of damage as related to issues of crop susceptibility (hybrid physiology and genetics) and crop vulnerability (management‐related issues). Evidence suggests that hybrid rice has been highly vulnerable to damage from a range of insects. Inadequate attention to issues of planthopper resistance, linked with high agrochemical inputs and a new, vigorous rice type, likely contributed to high levels of planthopper damage in some hybrid rice varieties. Furthermore, hybrid susceptibility to the whitebacked planthopper, Sogatella furcifera (Horváth) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), has been linked to the female (wild abortive‐cytoplasmic male sterile) parent of some hybrid lines. Meanwhile, a high incidence of stem borer damage to hybrids has likely resulted from the interaction of several plant traits with normal hybrid management, and particularly with the higher fertilizer applications associated with hybrid rice. Despite apparently low levels of resistance, hybrid varieties have high tolerance to herbivore damage; however, aspects of hybrid tolerance have been largely neglected in the literature, in breeding programs, and during development of pest management actions. This review suggests that research into the entomology of hybrid rice needs updating as hybrid varieties and management options continue to change over time. Pest management areas that require further research (including strategies for deployment of resistant varieties) are highlighted and a call is made for increased attention to issues of hybrid tolerance for sustainable herbivore management.
A role for the ventral pallidum in context‐induced and primed reinstatement of alcohol seeking
Authors: Perry Christina J. , McNally Gavan P. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractThe ventral pallidum (VP) is a major target of projections from the nucleus accumbens, and has been implicated in the reinstatement of psychostimulant seeking as part of a cortical–striatal–pallidal ‘final common pathway’ for relapse. Here, we studied the role of the VP in context‐induced and primed reinstatement of alcoholic beer seeking, using a combination of microinjections and tract tracing studies. In experiment 1, rats were trained to respond to alcoholic beer in one context (A), and then extinguished in a second context (B), prior to testing for reinstatement (ABA renewal) and extinction (ABB). VP microinjection of the μ‐opioid receptor (MOR) antagonist CTAP prevented reinstatement. In experiment 2, VP microinjection of CTAP also prevented the primed reinstatement of alcoholic beer seeking after rats were trained, extinguished, and tested in the same context. In experiment 3, we employed retrograde neural tract tracing together with c‐Fos immunohistochemistry to identify the VP afferents recruited during context‐induced reinstatement of alcoholic beer seeking. There was evidence for the recruitment of accumbens core→VP, basolateral amygdala→VP and paraventricular thalamus→VP pathways during context‐induced reinstatement. These results indicate that the VP MORs are critical for context‐induced reinstatement, and that the VP receives inputs from a number of regions known to be important in reinstatement of drug seeking.
How specialised must natural enemies be to facilitate coexistence among plants?
Authors: Sedio Brian E. , Ostling Annette M. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractThe Janzen‐Connell hypothesis proposes that plant interactions with host‐specific antagonists can impair the fitness of locally abundant species and thereby facilitate coexistence. However, insects and pathogens that associate with multiple hosts may mediate exclusion rather than coexistence. We employ a simulation model to examine the effect of enemy host breadth on plant species richness and defence community structure, and to assess expected diversity maintenance in example systems. Only models in which plant enemy similarity declines rapidly with defence similarity support greater species richness than models of neutral drift. In contrast, a wide range of enemy host breadths result in spatial dispersion of defence traits, at both landscape and local scales, indicating that enemy‐mediated competition may increase defence‐trait diversity without enhancing species richness. Nevertheless, insect and pathogen host associations in Panama and Papua New Guinea demonstrate a potential to enhance plant species richness and defence‐trait diversity comparable to strictly specialised enemies.
Comparative analysis of known miRNAs across platyhelminths
Authors: Jin Xiaoliang , Lu Lixia , Su Hailong , Lou Zhongzi , Wang Fang , Zheng Yadong , Xu Guo‐Tong 
Published: June 2013

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a subtype of small regulatory RNAs that are involved in numerous biological processes through small RNA‐induced silencing networks. In an attempt to explore the phylogeny of miRNAs across five platyhelminths, we integrated annotated miRNAs and their full genomes. We identified conserved miRNA clusters and, in particular, miR‐71/2 was conserved from planarian to parasitic flatworms and was expanded in free‐living Schmidtea mediterranea. Analysis of 22 miRNA loci provided compelling evidence that most known miRNAs are conserved across platyhelminths. Meanwhile, we also observed alterations of known protein‐coding genes flanking miRNA(s), such as transcriptional direction conversion and locus relocation, in around ~ 41% of 22 known miRNA loci. Compared with Echinococcus multilocularis, the majority of these events occurred in evolution‐distant Hymenolepis microstoma, Schistosoma japonicum or/and S. mediterranea. These results imply rearrangement events occurred near the known miRNA loci.
Very high cycle fatigue characteristics of a chrome‐molybdenum steel treated by ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification technique
Authors: Suh M.‐S. , Suh C.‐M. , Pyun Y.‐S. 
Published: June 2013

ABSTRACTCharacterization of very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) performance is of significant issue for ensuring long‐term durability and reliability of machinery and structural components due to the growing industrial demands and significant requirements of the advanced systems. In this study, VHCF characteristics of nanocrystallized skins (nanoskin) on JIS SCM435 (AISI 4137) steels were investigated as three different nanoskins on the surface, which was fabricated by altering the static load of ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) treatment. The fatigue characterization, which shows linearly proportional correlation in the range of 80–120 µm depth of subsurface, was subjected to severe plastic deformation by altering the static loads of UNSM treatment to 40, 70 and 100 N, respectively. The fatigue strength increased up to 30% in the regime of VHCF. The improved strength mainly resulted from the generation of nanocrystalline structure, the enhanced surface uniformity, hardness and residual stress.
Climate and ecosystem linkages explain widespread declines in North American Atlantic salmon populations
Authors: Mills Katherine E. , Pershing Andrew J. , Sheehan Timothy F. , Mountain David 
Published: June 2013

AbstractNorth American Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) populations experienced substantial declines in the early 1990s, and many populations have persisted at low abundances in recent years. Abundance and productivity declined in a coherent manner across major regions of North America, and this coherence points toward a potential shift in marine survivorship, rather than local, river‐specific factors. The major declines in Atlantic salmon populations occurred against a backdrop of physical and biological shifts in Northwest Atlantic ecosystems. Analyses of changes in climate, physical, and lower trophic level biological factors provide substantial evidence that climate conditions directly and indirectly influence the abundance and productivity of North American Atlantic salmon populations. A major decline in salmon abundance after 1990 was preceded by a series of changes across multiple levels of the ecosystem, and a subsequent population change in 1997, primarily related to salmon productivity, followed an unusually low NAO event. Pairwise correlations further demonstrate that climate and physical conditions are associated with changes in plankton communities and prey availability, which are ultimately linked to Atlantic salmon populations. Results suggest that poor trophic conditions, likely due to climate‐driven environmental factors, and warmer ocean temperatures throughout their marine habitat area are constraining the productivity and recovery of North American Atlantic salmon populations.
Ecological emergence of thermal clines in body size
Authors: Edeline Eric , Lacroix Gérard , Delire Christine , Poulet Nicolas , Legendre Stéphane 
Published: June 2013

AbstractThe unprecedented rate of global warming requires a better understanding of how ecosystems will respond. Organisms often have smaller body sizes under warmer climates (Bergmann's rule and the temperature‐size rule), and body size is a major determinant of life histories, demography, population size, nutrient turnover rate, and food‐web structure. Therefore, by altering body sizes in whole communities, current warming can potentially disrupt ecosystem function and services. However, the underlying drivers of warming‐induced body downsizing remain far from clear. Here, we show that thermal clines in body size are predicted from universal laws of ecology and metabolism, so that size‐dependent selection from competition (both intra and interspecific) and predation favors smaller individuals under warmer conditions. We validate this prediction using 4.1 × 106 individual body size measurements from French river fish spanning 29 years and 52 species. Our results suggest that warming‐induced body downsizing is an emergent property of size‐structured food webs, and highlight the need to consider trophic interactions when predicting biosphere reorganizations under global warming.
Cost‐minimization analysis of a tailored oral health intervention designed for immigrant older adults
Authors: Mariño Rodrigo J , Fajardo Jorge , Calache Hanny , Morgan Mike 
Published: June 2013

AimThis paper presents an economic evaluation, from a societal viewpoint, comparing a community‐based oral health promotion program aimed at improving the gingival health of immigrant older adults, with one‐on‐one chairside oral hygiene instructions at a public dental clinic in Melbourne, Australia.MethodsThe costs associated with implementing and operating the oral health promotion program were identified and measured using 2008 prices. The intervention was based on the Oral Health Information Seminars/Sheets model, and consisted of 10 20‐min oral hygiene group seminars and four 10‐min supervised individual brushing sessions carried out by a non‐oral health professional educator. Health outcomes were measured as a reduction in gingival bleeding. Clinical data showed a 75% reduction in mean gingival bleeding scores among those who took part in the intervention. A population of 100 active, independent‐living older adults living in Melbourne, and members of Italian social clubs, was used for modeling in this analysis.ResultsThis analysis estimated that if an oral hygiene program using the Oral Health Information Seminars/Sheets model was available to 100 older adults, the net cost from a societal perspective would be AUD$6965.20. In comparison, a standard individual oral hygiene instruction program, at public dental clinics, given equivalent levels of case complexity and assuming the same level of effectiveness, would cost AUD$40 185.00. Per participant cost of a community‐based oral health promotion program was $69.65 versus $401.85 for chairside instruction.ConclusionsFindings confirm that community‐based oral health interventions are highly cost‐effective and an efficient use of society's financial resources. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2013; 14: 336–340.
The Registered Sex Offender Population as a Marker of Social Disorganisation
Authors: Gordon Karen E. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractThis study examines characteristics of socially‐disorganised neighbourhoods alongside the density of registered sex offenders (RSOs) using data from the public registry and 2000 and 2010 US census data. While RSOs are found in all types of neighbourhoods, this research suggests that RSOs are more often found in areas with higher than average poverty rates and housing vacancies and lower‐than‐average owner‐occupied housing units and median incomes, potentially causing further stress on already disorganised areas. It is argued that RSO density and average percentages of RSOs within neighbourhoods should be taken into consideration as markers of neighbourhood social disorganisation.
Democracy on Display: A Case for Public Sanctions
Authors: Shemtob Zachary Baron 
Published: June 2013

AbstractThis article begins by discussing the work of Jason Brennan, who argues that voter ignorance is inherently and instrumentally problematic to democratic governance. I then apply this point to the contemporary criminal justice system and penology. I argue that voters' lack of knowledge here is both unjust on those punished and, using the recent work of William J. Stuntz and others, has resulted in egregious consequences. The majority of the article focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of public punishments, concluding that such sanctions have great potential to challenge citizens' ignorance of our penal system. Ultimately, the goal is not to offer any sort of definitive conclusion, but to begin a long‐overdue discussion on the role of public ignorance in our broken prison system, and one way in which such ignorance might be dispelled.
Clinical antibacterial effectiveness of the self‐adjusting file system
Authors: Neves M. A. S. , Rôças I. N. , Siqueira J. F. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractAimTo evaluate in vivo the antibacterial effectiveness of the self‐adjusting file (SAF) using molecular methods.MethodologyRoot canals from single‐rooted teeth with apical periodontitis were instrumented using the SAF system under continuous irrigation with 2.5% NaOCl. DNA extracts from samples taken before and after instrumentation were subjected to quantitative analysis of total bacteria counts and levels of streptococci by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The reverse‐capture checkerboard assay was also used to identify 28 bacterial taxa before (S1) and after (S2) SAF instrumentation. SAF was also compared with a conventional hand nickel–titanium instrumentation technique for total bacterial reduction. Data from qPCR were analysed statistically within groups using the Wilcoxon matched pairs test and between groups using the Mann–Whitney U‐test and the Fisher's exact test, with significance level set at P < 0.05.ResultsSelf‐adjusting file significantly reduced the total bacterial counts from a mean number of 1.96 × 107 cells to 1.34 × 104 cells (P < 0.001). Quantitatively, the 99.9% reduction in total bacterial counts associated with the SAF system was significantly superior to the 95.1% reduction obtained by hand instrumentation (P < 0.001). Qualitatively, SAF resulted in significantly more cases with negative PCR results for bacteria (54.5%) than hand instrumentation (4.5%) (P < 0.001). The SAF system succeeded in significantly reducing the streptococcal levels, but four cases still harboured these bacteria in S2. Checkerboard analysis revealed that not only streptococci but also some anaerobic and even as‐yet‐uncultivated bacteria may resist the effects of chemomechanical procedures.ConclusionThe SAF instrumentation system was highly effective in reducing bacterial populations from infected root canals and performed significantly better than hand instrumentation. However, because half of the samples still had detectable bacteria after preparation with SAF, supplementary disinfection is still required to maximize bacterial elimination.