bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Flood damage assessment in the Pampanga river basin of the Philippines
Authors: Shrestha B.B. , Okazumi T. , Miyamoto M. , Sawano H. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractIn this study, a flood damage assessment method was proposed for the assessment of flood risk in data‐poor river basins by using a physical‐based numerical model, satellite‐based information and socio‐economic factors. The Pampanga river basin of the Philippines was selected for the case study. For the flood damage assessment, hazard characteristics, such as flood depth and duration, were computed using the rainfall runoff inundation model. Agriculture and households, which are major exposures in flood‐prone areas, were taken into account for the flood damage assessment. The potential damage to agriculture was estimated by using the damage functions of agriculture and flood characteristics. The damage functions of agriculture for each growing stage were defined as the function of flood depth and duration. Field investigations and questionnaire surveys were conducted at the selected barangays (villages) in the Pampanga river basin to develop a methodology for household damage estimation. The damage estimation approach for damage to household buildings including assets, was developed based on the flood and household characteristics. The potential damage to house building and assets was estimated. The estimated damage of agriculture and households was compared with the reported values.
Clinical usefulness of the definitions for defining characteristics of activity intolerance, excess fluid volume and decreased cardiac output in decompensated heart failure: a descriptive exploratory study
Authors: de Souza Vanessa , Salloum Zeitoun Sandra , Takao Lopes Camila , Dias de Oliveira Ana Paula , de Lima Lopes Juliana , Bottura Leite de Barros Alba Lucia 
Published: May 2015

Aims and objectivesTo assess the clinical usefulness of the operational definitions for the defining characteristics of the NANDA International nursing diagnoses, activity intolerance, decreased cardiac output and excess fluid volume, and the concomitant presence of those diagnoses in patients with decompensated heart failure.BackgroundContent validity of the operational definitions for the defining characteristics of activity intolerance, excess fluid volume and decreased cardiac output have been previously validated by experts. Their clinical usefulness requires clinical validation.DesignThis was a descriptive exploratory study.MethodsTwo expert nurses independently assessed 25 patients with decompensated heart failure for the presence or absence of 29 defining characteristics. Interrater reliability was analysed using the Kappa coefficient as a measure of clinical usefulness. The Fisher's exact test was used to test the association of the defining characteristics of activity intolerance and excess fluid volume in the presence of decreased cardiac output, and the correlation between the three diagnoses.ResultsAssessments regarding the presence of all defining characteristics reached 100% agreement, except with anxiety. Five defining characteristics of excess fluid volume were significantly associated with the presence of decreased cardiac output. Concomitant presence of the three diagnoses occurred in 80% of the patients. However, there was no significant correlation between the three diagnoses.ConclusionsThe operational definitions for the diagnoses had strong interrater reliability, therefore they were considered clinically useful. Only five defining characteristics were representative of the association between excess fluid volume and decreased cardiac output. Therefore, excess fluid volume is related to decreased cardiac output, although these diagnoses are not necessarily associated with activity intolerance.Relevance to clinical practiceThe operational definitions may favour early recognition of the sequence of responses to decompensation, guiding the choice of common interventions to improve or resolve excess fluid volume and decreased cardiac output.
A randomised clinical trial comparing the patient comfort and efficacy of three different graduated compression stockings in the prevention of postoperative deep vein thrombosis
Authors: Ayhan Hatice , Iyigun Emine , Ince Selami , Can Mehmet Fatih , Hatipoglu Sevgi , Saglam Mutlu 
Published: May 2015

Aims and objectivesTo compare the comfort levels of patients regarding the use of three different graduated compression stockings and to analyse the efficacies of the graduated compression stockings in relation to patient comfort and compliance in prevention of postoperative deep vein thrombosis.BackgroundGraduated compression stockings are very important with other prophylaxis methods in postoperative deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis. In meta‐analyses and systematic review studies, it was reported that knee‐length and thigh‐length graduated compression stockings had similar efficacies. However, there is no randomised study in literature regarding the patient problems and levels of comfort with the use of graduated compression stockings of different sizes and pressures.DesignA randomised clinical trial design.MethodsA total of 219 patients were randomised into three groups (n = 73 in each group). Group I was given low‐pressure, knee‐length graduated compression stockings, group II was given low‐pressure, thigh‐length graduated compression stockings and group III was given moderate‐pressure, knee‐length graduated compression stockings. The level of patients comfort regarding the graduated compression stockings and occurrence of deep vein thrombosis were examined.ResultsThe vast majority of the patients (79·5%) in group III and 52·1% of the patients in group II stated experiencing problems during the use of the graduated compression stockings (p < 0·001). The graduated compression stockings were reported by the patients as being very comfortable in the group I (p < 0·001). No findings of thrombosis were observed in any of the groups.ConclusionThe low‐pressure, knee‐length graduated compression stockings are as effective as the other graduated compression stockings of different pressures and sizes in the postoperative deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis, and the patients have fewer problems while using these graduated compression stockings with a high satisfaction.Relevance to clinical practiceThe combined use of pharmacological, mechanical and physical methods and patient education is effective in the prevention of postoperative deep vein thrombosis. The use of low‐pressure, knee‐length graduated compression stockings in clinical practice may be recommended, as the patients have fewer problems while using these graduated compression stockings with a high satisfaction.
Corporate Taxes and Securitization
Authors: HAN JOONGHO , PARK KWANGWOO , PENNACCHI GEORGE 
Published: May 2015

ABSTRACTMost banks pay corporate income taxes, but securitization vehicles do not. Our model shows that, when a bank faces strong loan demand but limited deposit market power, this tax asymmetry creates an incentive to sell loans despite less‐efficient screening and monitoring of sold loans. Moreover, loan‐selling increases as a bank's corporate income tax rate and capital requirement rise. Our empirical tests show that U.S. commercial banks sell more of their mortgages when they operate in states that impose higher corporate income taxes. A policy implication is that tax‐induced loan‐selling will rise if banks’ required equity capital increases.
Phylogeographical patterns of the gastropod Siphonaria pectinata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Authors: Espinosa Free , Morey‐Rubio Clara , Nakano Tomoyuki 
Published: May 2015

AbstractSiphonaria pectinata is a marine gastropod distributed across the shores of the Western and Eastern Atlantic. Although previous studies have indicated that the species could be a recent introduction to Central and North America from Western Africa and Europe, other authors have questioned this statement. In fact, a recent study has shown that individuals from both sides of the Atlantic are genetically disconnected, rejecting the idea of a recent invasion. However, genetic information on this species is very scarce and based only on a single study using a limited number of specimens and sites. The data reported in the present study represent one step forward, collecting information from 119 specimens from 22 sites that cover the entire distributional range of the species. Populations from the Western Atlantic separated from eastern ones around 1.4−1.9 Mya, whereas the centre of dispersion is located on the eastern side of the Atlantic. Siphonaria pectinata should be considered native to the Western Atlantic and cannot be considered as a species with an amphi‐atlantic distribution owing to the lack of genetic connection between both sides of the Atlantic, as previous authors have pointed out. The presence of a star‐shaped phylogeny is discussed in the context of Plio‐Pleistocene glaciations.
Performance of serum galactomannan in patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis
Authors: Agarwal Ritesh , Aggarwal Ashutosh N. , Sehgal Inderpaul S. , Dhooria Sahajal , Behera Digambar , Chakrabarti Arunaloke 
Published: May 2015

SummaryFew studies have evaluated the performance of serum galactomannan (GM) in patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). Herein, we analyse the diagnostic performance of serum GM in ABPA. Consecutive subjects with ABPA and asthma underwent GM estimation using the Platelia assay (Bio‐Rad Laboratories). An optical density index of >0.5 was considered positive. One hundred and twenty subjects (70 ABPA, 50 asthma) with a mean (SD) age of 33.0 (13.1) were included in the study. The serum GM antigen was positive in 18 (25.7%) subjects with ABPA compared to 9 (18%) subjects with asthma without ABPA (P = 0.32). The sensitivity of the serum GM antigen test in patients with ABPA was 25.7% [95% confidence intervals (CI), 16–38] while the specificity was 82% (95% CI, 69–91). The positive and negative predictive values were 66.7% (95% CI, 46–84%) and 44.1% (95% CI, 34–55), respectively. The area under the ROC curve was 0.54 (95% CI, 0.44–0.64). The sensitivity increased and the specificity decreased with decreasing the serum GM cutoff, and vice versa. The results of this study suggest that serum GM estimation has a limited role in the diagnostic workup of patients with ABPA.
Effects of atorvastatin on oxidative stress in chronic kidney disease
Authors: Fassett Robert G , Robertson Iain K , Ball Madeleine J , Geraghty Dominic P , Coombes Jeff S 
Published: May 2015

AbstractAimStatins have pleiotropic effects that include attenuation of oxidative stress that may be relevant for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. We investigated the effect of long‐term atorvastatin therapy on oxidative stress biomarkers in CKD patients.MethodsThis was a pre‐specified secondary analysis of data from a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial (Lipid lowering and Onset of Renal Disease, LORD) in CKD patients. Participants received 10 mg/day atorvastatin (n = 47) or placebo (n = 39) for 3 years. Plasma measures (total F2‐isoprostanes, malondialdehyde. protein carbonyls, uric acid, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) ) were performed at baseline and at 3 years. Age and sex matched participants (n = 34) with normal kidney function were controls.ResultsCKD patients had significantly (P < 0.05) increased F2‐isoprostanes and uric acid and decreased GPx activity compared with controls. When comparing the treatment (atorvastatin (A) vs placebo (P) ) change from baseline to 3 years, there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in the group difference of the change values: (mean (95% CI), F2‐isoprostanes = 5.3 (−29.2 to 39.8) pg/mL, protein carbonyls = 0.03 (−0.13 to 0.19) nmol/mg, GPx activity = −0.10 (−4.73 to 4.52) (U/L), uric acid = 8.8 (−33.9 to 51.6) μmol/L or TAC = −0.03 (−0.10 to 0.04) mmol/L. A significant difference (P = 0.04) in the change in malondialdehyde between groups, 1.52(0.09 to 2.96) μmol/L, was due to a large decrease in the placebo group.ConclusionCKD patients had elevated oxidative stress that was not attenuated by atorvastatin 10 mg/day for 3 years.
Contrasting growth responses in lamina and petiole during neighbor detection depend on differential auxin responsiveness rather than different auxin levels
Authors: de Wit Mieke , Ljung Karin , Fankhauser Christian 
Published: May 2015

Summary

Foliar shade triggers rapid growth of specific structures that facilitate access of the plant to direct sunlight. In leaves of many plant species, this growth response is complex because, although shade triggers the elongation of petioles, it reduces the growth of the lamina. How the same external cue leads to these contrasting growth responses in different parts of the leaf is not understood.

Using mutant analysis, pharmacological treatment and gene expression analyses, we investigated the role of PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR7 (PIF7) and the growth‐promoting hormone auxin in these contrasting leaf growth responses.

Both petiole elongation and lamina growth reduction are dependent on PIF7. The induction of auxin production is both necessary and sufficient to induce opposite growth responses in petioles vs lamina. However, these contrasting growth responses are not caused by different auxin concentrations in the two leaf parts.

Our work suggests that a transient increase in auxin levels triggers tissue‐specific growth responses in different leaf parts. We provide evidence suggesting that this may be caused by the different sensitivity to auxin in the petiole vs the blade and by tissue‐specific gene expression.
Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities coinvading with Pinaceae host plants in Argentina: Gringos bajo el bosque
Authors: Hayward Jeremy , Horton Thomas R. , Nuñez Martin A. 
Published: May 2015

Summary

Coinvasive ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi allow Pinaceae species to invade regions otherwise lacking compatible symbionts, but ECM fungal communities permitting Pinaceae invasions are poorly understood. In the context of Pinaceae invasions on Isla Victoria, Nahuel Huapi National Park, Argentina, we asked: what ECM fungi are coinvading with Pinaceae hosts on Isla Victoria; are some ECM fungal species or genera more prone to invade than others; and are all ECM fungal species that associate with Northern Hemisphere hosts also nonnative, or are some native fungi compatible with nonnative plants?

We sampled ECMs from 226 Pinaceae host plant individuals, both planted individuals and recruits, growing inside and invading from plantations. We used molecular techniques to examine ECM fungal communities associating with these trees.

A distinctive subset of the ECM fungal community predominated far from plantations, indicating differences between highly invasive and less invasive ECM fungi. Some fungal invaders reported here have been detected in other locations around the world, suggesting strong invasion potential.

Fungi that were frequently detected far from plantations are often found in early‐successional sites in the native range, while fungi identified as late‐successional species in the native range are rarely found far from plantations, suggesting a means for predicting potential fungal coinvaders.
Computer‐aided analyses of mouse retinal OCT images – an actual application report
Authors: Yu Dekuang , Zheng Jin , Zhu Ruilin , Wu Nan , Guan Alex , Cho Kin‐Sang , Chen Dong Feng , Luo Gang 
Published: May 2015

AbstractPurposeThere is a need for automated retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) image analysis tools for quantitative measurements in small animals. Some image processing techniques for retinal layer analysis have been developed, but reports about how useful those techniques are in actual animal studies are rare. This paper presents the use of a retinal layer detection method we developed in an actual mouse study that involves wild type and mutated mice carrying photoreceptor degeneration.MethodsSpectral domain OCT scanning was performed by four experimenters over 12 months on 45 mouse eyes that were wild‐type, deficient for ephrin‐A2 and ephrin‐A3, deficient for rhodopsin, or deficient for rhodopsin, ephrin‐A2 and ephrin‐A3. The thickness of photoreceptor complex between the outer plexiform layer and retinal pigment epithelium was measured on two sides of the optic disc as the biomarker of retinal degeneration. All the layer detection results were visually confirmed.ResultsOverall, 96% (8519 out of 9000) of the half‐side images were successfully processed using our technique in a semi‐automatic manner. There was no significant difference in success rate between mouse lines (p = 0.91). Based on a human observer's rating of image quality for images successfully and unsuccessfully processed, the odds ratios for ‘easily visible’ images and ‘not clear’ images to be successfully processed is 62 and 4, respectively, against ‘indistinguishable’ images. Thickness of photoreceptor complex was significantly different across the quadrants compared (p < 0.001). It was also found that the average thickness based on 4‐point sparse sampling was not significantly different from the full analysis, while the range of differences between the two methods could be up to about 6 μm or 16% for individual eyes. Differences between mouse lines and progressive thickness reduction were revealed by both sampling measures.ConclusionsAlthough the thickness of the photoreceptor complex layer is not even, manual sparse sampling may be as sufficiently accurate as full analysis in some studies such as ours, where the error of sparse sampling was much smaller than the effect size of rhodopsin deficiency. It is also suggested that the image processing method can be useful in actual animal studies. Even for images poorly visible to human eyes the image processing method still has a good chance to extract the complex layer.
Phylogeny and diversification of bryozoans
Authors: Taylor Paul D. , Waeschenbach Andrea 
Published: May 2015

AbstractAlthough only a small fraction of the estimated 6000 extant bryozoan species has been analysed in a molecular phylogenetic context, the resultant trees have increased our understanding of the interrelationships between major bryozoan groups, as well as between bryozoans and other metazoan phyla. Molecular systematic analyses have failed to recover theLophophorata as a monophyletic clade until recently, when phylogenomic data placed theBrachiopoda as sister to a clade formed byPhoronida + Bryozoa. Among bryozoans, classPhylactolaemata has been shown to be the sister group ofGymnolaemata + Stenolaemata, corroborating earlier anatomical inferences. Despite persistent claims, there are no unequivocal bryozoans ofCambrian age: the oldest bryozoans are stenolaemates from theTremadocian ofChina. Stenolaemates underwent a major radiation during theOrdovician, but the relationships between the six orders involved are poorly understood, mostly because the simple and plastic skeletons of stenolaemates make phylogenetic analyses difficult. Bryozoans were hard‐hit by the mass extinction/s in the latePermian and it was not until theMiddleJurassic that they began to rediversify, initially through the cyclostome stenolaemates. The most successful post‐Palaeozoic order (Cheilostomata) evolved a calcareous skeletonde novofrom a soft‐bodied ancestor in theLateJurassic, maintained a low diversity until the mid‐Cretaceous and then began to radiate explosively. A remarkable range of morphological structures in the form of highly modified zooidal polymorphs, or non‐zooidal or intrazooidal modular elements, is postulated to have evolved repeatedly in this group. Crucially, many of these structures have been linked to micropredator protection and can be interpreted as key traits linked to the diversification of cheilostomes.
Expression of fungal acetyl xylan esterase in Arabidopsis thaliana improves saccharification of stem lignocellulose
Authors: Pawar Prashant Mohan‐Anupama , Derba‐Maceluch Marta , Chong Sun‐Li , Gómez Leonardo D. , Miedes Eva , Banasiak Alicja , Ratke Christine , Gaertner Cyril , Mouille Grégory , McQueen‐Mason Simon J. , Molina Antonio , Sellstedt Anita , Tenkanen Maija , Mellerowicz Ewa J. 
Published: May 2015

SummaryCell wall hemicelluloses and pectins are O‐acetylated at specific positions, but the significance of these substitutions is poorly understood. Using a transgenic approach, we investigated how reducing the extent of O‐acetylation in xylan affects cell wall chemistry, plant performance and the recalcitrance of lignocellulose to saccharification. The Aspergillus niger acetyl xylan esterase AnAXE1 was expressed in Arabidopsis under the control of either the constitutively expressed 35S CAMV promoter or a woody‐tissue‐specific GT43B aspen promoter, and the protein was targeted to the apoplast by its native signal peptide, resulting in elevated acetyl esterase activity in soluble and wall‐bound protein extracts and reduced xylan acetylation. No significant alterations in cell wall composition were observed in the transgenic lines, but their xylans were more easily digested by a β‐1,4‐endoxylanase, and more readily extracted by hot water, acids or alkali. Enzymatic saccharification of lignocellulose after hot water and alkali pretreatments produced up to 20% more reducing sugars in several lines. Fermentation by Trametes versicolor of tissue hydrolysates from the line with a 30% reduction in acetyl content yielded ~70% more ethanol compared with wild type. Plants expressing 35S:AnAXE1 and pGT43B:AnAXE1 developed normally and showed increased resistance to the biotrophic pathogen Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis, probably due to constitutive activation of defence pathways. However, unintended changes in xyloglucan and pectin acetylation were only observed in 35S:AnAXE1‐expressing plants. This study demonstrates that postsynthetic xylan deacetylation in woody tissues is a promising strategy for optimizing lignocellulosic biomass for biofuel production.
Effect of high temperature on the production of 2n pollen grains in diploid roses and obtaining tetraploids via unilateral polyploidization
Authors: Crespel Laurent , Le Bras Camille , Relion Daniel , Roman Hanaé , Morel Philippe 
Published: May 2015

AbstractTo integrate the gene pool of a wild species (primarily diploid) into a cultivated pool (primarily tetraploid), a crossing between a dihaploid cultivated rose and a hybrid of Rosa wichurana allowed to obtain interspecific diploid hybrids that produced 2n pollen grains. A return to a tetraploid level sought by breeders can then be considered using sexual polyploidization, obtained by crossing a tetraploid cultivated rose with these hybrids. Application of a high‐temperature regime led to a small but significant increase in the percentage of 2n pollen grains in these hybrids of up to 4.6%. This result was obtained by applying high temperatures close to 32°C during the day to plants cultivated in a glasshouse during recurrent cycles of bloom. Crosses were made between an unreleased tetraploid hybrid tea rose, as a female, and the diploid hybrid that produces the most 2n pollen grains. Tetraploid (42.1%) and triploid (57.9%) offspring were obtained. The use of these 2n pollen grains of the first division restitution type should facilitate the introgression of complex traits of interest.