bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Reproductive biology of the lentil bobtail squid, Rondeletiola minor (Cephalopoda: Sepiolidae) from the eastern Mediterranean
Authors: Önsoy Bahadir , Ceylan Beytullah , Salman Alp 
Published: February 2012

A total of 208 Rondeletiola minor were sampled from the eastern Mediterranean with the depth contours of 150, 350 and 550 m. Body sizes of 32 mature females ranged from 11.8 to 19.5 mm dorsal mantle length (ML), that of mature males were 11.1–19.1 mm ML. Potential fecundity varied between 192 and 315 eggs in maturing females, and ripe egg sizes were 1.1–3.0 mm. Ripe egg amount did not exceed 15% of the fecundity. The average number of spermatophores was 176 with two extreme individuals that had 557 and 674 spermatophores, respectively. Spawning occurs continuously with an asynchronous ovulation pattern. Mature animals were found throughout the year with a peak in gonadosomatic index in spring. The life cycle of R. minor was estimated to be 10 months with different cohorts in reproduction depending on how temperature affects the hatching.
Changes in the small intestine ofSchistosoma mansoni-infected mice fed a high-fat diet
Authors: DE BARROS ALENCAR ALBA CRISTINA MIRANDA , NEVES RENATA HEISLER , DE OLIVEIRA ALBANITA VIANA , MACHADO-SILVA JOSÉ ROBERTO 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYThe consumption of a high-fat diet modifies both the morphology of the small intestine and experimentally tested effects of schistosomiasis mansoni. However, whether a schistosomiasis infection associated with a high-fat diet causes injury to the small intestine has never been investigated. Mice were fed either a high-fat or a standard-fat diet for 6 months and were then infected withSchistosoma mansonicercariae. Physical characteristics of the intestinal tissue (mucosal thickness, small intestinal villi length and height, and abundance of goblet cells and enterocytes on the villous surface) and the distribution of granulomas along the intestinal segments and their developmental stage were measured at the time of sacrifice (9 or 17 weeks post-infection). The group fed a high-fat diet exhibited different granuloma stages, whereas the control group possessed only exudative granulomas. The chronically infected mice fed a high-fat diet exhibited higher granuloma and egg numbers than the acutely infected group. Exudative, exudative/exudative-productive and exudative-productive granulomas were present irrespective of diet. Computer-aided morphometric analysis confirmed that villus length, villus width, muscular height and submucosal height of the duodenal and jejunal segments were affected by diet and infection. In conclusion, a high-fat diet and infection had a significant impact on the small intestine morphology and morphometry among the animals tested.
Seasonal and biogeographical patterns of gastrointestinal parasites in large carnivores: wolves in a coastal archipelago
Authors: BRYAN HEATHER M. , DARIMONT CHRIS T. , HILL JANET E. , PAQUET PAUL C. , THOMPSON R. C. ANDREW , WAGNER BRENT , SMITS JUDIT E. G. 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYParasites are increasingly recognized for their profound influences on individual, population and ecosystem health. We provide the first report of gastrointestinal parasites in gray wolves from the central and north coasts of British Columbia, Canada. Across 60 000 km2, wolf feces were collected from 34 packs in 2005–2008. At a smaller spatial scale (3300 km2), 8 packs were sampled in spring and autumn. Parasite eggs, larvae, and cysts were identified using standard flotation techniques and morphology. A subset of samples was analysed by PCR and sequencing to identify tapeworm eggs (n=9) andGiardiacysts (n=14). We detected ⩾14 parasite taxa in 1558 fecal samples.Sarcocystissporocysts occurred most frequently in feces (43·7%), followed by taeniid eggs (23·9%),Diphyllobothriumeggs (9·1%),Giardiacysts (6·8%),Toxocara caniseggs (2·1%), andCryptosporidiumoocysts (1·7%). Other parasites occurred in ⩽1% of feces. Genetic analyses revealedEchinococcus canadensisstrains G8 and G10,Taenia ovis krabbei, Diphyllobothrium nehonkaiense,andGiardia duodenalisassemblages A and B. Parasite prevalence differed between seasons and island/mainland sites. Patterns in parasite prevalence reflect seasonal and spatial resource use by wolves and wolf-salmon associations. These data provide a unique, extensive and solid baseline for monitoring parasite community structure in relation to environmental change.
Blood feeding in juvenileParagnathia formica(Isopoda: Gnathiidae): biochemical characterization of trypsin inhibitors, detection of anticoagulants, and molecular identification of fish hosts
Authors: MANSHIP B. M. , WALKER A. J. , JONES L. A. , DAVIES A. J. 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYThe 3 post-marsupial juvenile stages of the gnathiid isopod,Paragnathia formica, are haematophagous ectoparasites of fishes that may, in heavy infestations, cause host mortality. Protein digestion in fed stage 3 juveniles is accomplished by cysteine proteinases, but what bioactive compounds attenuate host haemostatic, inflammatory and immunological responses during feeding is unknown. Trypsin inhibitory activity and anticoagulant activity were detected in crude extracts of unfedP. formicastage 1 juveniles; fractionation of stage 1 crude extracts by ion exchange chromatography resulted in 3 preparations each displaying these bioactivities. Further characterization revealed anti-thrombin activity in 2 of these preparations, whilst the third displayed the strongest anticoagulant activity that targeted a factor of the intrinsic coagulation pathway. Three trypsin inhibitors (18 kDa, 21 kDa, and 22 kDa) were also detected using reverse zymography. In parallel, homogenates of fed stage 2 and 3 juveniles were used to identify their fish hosts by amplifying the 16S mitochondrial rDNA and 18S genomic rDNA vertebrate gene regions. Blood from at least 4 fish families had been ingested by separate individuals during feeding. This study demonstrates that trypsin inhibitors and anticoagulants are present inP. formicajuveniles which could suppress host haemostatic, inflammatory and immunological responses during feeding, and that juveniles are not host specific.
Experimental assessment of the effects of gastrointestinal parasites on offspring quality in chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarctica)
Authors: PALACIOS M. J. , VALERA F. , BARBOSA A. 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYParasites reduce host fitness and consequently impose strong selection pressures on their hosts. It has been hypothesized that parasites are scarcer and their overall effect on hosts is weaker at higher latitudes. Although Antarctic birds have relatively low numbers of parasites, their effect on host fitness has rarely been investigated. The effect of helminth parasitism on growth rate was experimentally studied in chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica) nestlings. In a total of 22 two-nestling broods, 1 nestling was treated with anthelminthics (for cestodes and nematodes) while its sibling was left as a control. Increased growth rate was predicted in de-wormed nestlings compared to their siblings. As expected, 15 days after treatment, the experimental nestlings had increased body mass more than their siblings. These results show a non-negligible negative effect of helminth parasites on nestling body condition that would presumably affect future survival and thus fitness, and it has been suggested there is a strong relationship between body mass and mortality in chinstrap penguins.
Use of larval, parasitic female and egg antigens fromStrongyloides venezuelensisto detect parasite-specific IgG and immune complexes in immunodiagnosis of human strongyloidiasis
Authors: GONÇALVES A. L. R. , NUNES D. S. , GONÇALVES-PIRES M. R. F. , UETA M. T. , COSTA-CRUZ J. M. 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYThe aim of this study was to use larval, parasitic female and egg antigens fromStrongyloides venezuelensisto detect parasite-specific IgG and immune complexes in human serum samples by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In total, 95 serum samples were analysed, consisting of 30 patients harbouringS. stercoralislarvae, 30 healthy subjects and 35 patients with other parasites. Sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic efficiency were calculated. A significant statistical difference was found in the detection of immune complexes and antibodies in patients harbouringS. stercoralislarvae from larval and eggs antigens, with higher positivity using larval antigen. The larval antigen showed the highest values for sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic efficiency in ELISA from detection of immune complexes. For the first time we used IgG anti-larvae, IgG anti-parasitic females or IgG anti-eggs for immune complex detection. We concluded that the association of antibody and immune complex detection could be used in the diagnosis of human strongyloidiasis.
The strengths of – and some of the challenges for – Bayesian models of cognition
Authors: Griffiths Thomas L. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractBayesian Rationality(Oaksford & Chater 2007) illustrates the strengths of Bayesian models of cognition: the systematicity of rational explanations, transparent assumptions about human learners, and combining structured symbolic representation with statistics. However, the book also highlights some of the challenges this approach faces: of providing psychological mechanisms, explaining the origins of the knowledge that guides human learning, and accounting for how people make genuinely new discoveries.
The End of ‘Modes of Liability’ for International Crimes
Authors: STEWART JAMES G. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractModes of liability, such as ordering, instigation, superior responsibility, and joint criminal liability, are arguably the most-discussed topics in modern international criminal justice. In recent years, a wide range of scholars have rebuked some of these modes of liability for compromising basic concepts in liberal notions of blame attribution, thereby reducing international defendants to mere instruments for the promotion of wider sociopolitical objectives. Critics attribute this willingness to depart from orthodox concepts of criminal responsibility to international forces, be they interpretative styles typical of human rights or aspirations associated with transitional justice. Strangely, however, complicity has avoided these criticisms entirely, even though it, too, fails the tests international criminal lawyers use as benchmarks in the deconstruction of other modes. Moreover, the source of complicity's departures from basic principles is not international as previously suggested – it stems from international criminal law's emulation of objectionable domestic criminal doctrine. If, instead of inheriting the dark sides of domestic criminal law, we apply international scholars’ criticisms across all modes of liability, complicity disintegrates (as do all other modes of liability) into a broader notion of perpetration. A unitary theory could also attach to all prosecutions for international crimes, both international and domestic, transcending the long-endured fixation on modes of liability within the discipline.
Epidemiology, disease spectrum and economic burden of non-typhoidal Salmonella infections in Taiwan, 2006–2008
Authors: CHEN P. L. , LI C. Y. , HSIEH T. H. , CHANG C. M. , LEE H. C. , LEE N. Y. , WU C. J. , LEE C. C. , SHIH H. I. , KO W. C. 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYThe purpose of this study was to understand the seasonal, geographical and clinical characteristics of Taiwanese patients hospitalized for non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) infections and their economic burden. Hospital data obtained from the Taiwan National Health Insurance (NHI) database between 2006 and 2008 were analysed. Infants had the highest annual incidence of 525 cases/100 000 person-years. Elderly patients aged >70 years had the highest in-hospital mortality rate (2·6%). Most (82·6%) gastroenteritis occurred in children aged <10 years. Septicaemia, pneumonia, arthritis and osteomyelitis occurred mainly in patients aged >50 years. A median medical cost for NTS-associated hospitalizations was higher for patients with septicaemia than for those with gastroenteritis. Seasonal variation of NTS-associated hospitalizations was correlated with temperature in different areas of Taiwan. In summary, infants had a high incidence of NTS-associated hospitalizations. However, the elderly had a higher in-hospital mortality rate and more invasive NTS infections than children.
Receptor targets of amacrine cells
Authors: ZHANG CHI , McCALL MAUREEN A. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractAmacrine cells are a morphologically and functionally diverse group of inhibitory interneurons. Morphologically, they have been divided into approximately 30 types. Although this diversity is probably important to the fine structure and function of the retinal circuit, the amacrine cells have been more generally divided into two subclasses. Glycinergic narrow-field amacrine cells have dendrites that ramify close to their somas, cross the sublaminae of the inner plexiform layer, and create cross talk between its parallel ON and OFF pathways. GABAergic wide-field amacrine cells have dendrites that stretch long distances from their soma but ramify narrowly within an inner plexiform layer sublamina. These wide-field cells are thought to mediate inhibition within a sublamina and thus within the ON or OFF pathway. The postsynaptic targets of all amacrine cell types include bipolar, ganglion, and other amacrine cells. Almost all amacrine cells use GABA or glycine as their primary neurotransmitter, and their postsynaptic receptor targets include the most common GABAA, GABAC, and glycine subunit receptor configurations. This review addresses the diversity of amacrine cells, the postsynaptic receptors on their target cells in the inner plexiform layer of the retina, and some of the inhibitory mechanisms that arise as a result. When possible, the effects of GABAergic and glycinergic inputs on the visually evoked responses of their postsynaptic targets are discussed.
September Arctic sea ice predicted to disappear near 2°C global warming above present
Authors: Mahlstein Irina , Knutti Reto 
Published: February 2012

The decline of Arctic sea ice is one of the most visible signs of climate change over the past several decades. Arctic sea ice area shows large interannual variability due to the numerous factors, but on longer time scales the total sea ice area is approximately linearly related to Arctic surface air temperature in models and observations. Overall, models however strongly underestimate the recent sea ice decline. Here we show that this can be explained with two interlinked biases. Most climate models simulate a smaller sea ice area reduction per degree local surface warming. Arctic polar amplification, the ratio between Arctic and global temperature, is also underestimated but a number of models are within the uncertainty estimated from natural variability. A recalibration of an ensemble of global climate models using observations over 28 years provides a scenario independent relationship and yields about 2°C change in annual mean global surface temperature above present as the most likely global temperature threshold for September sea ice to disappear, but with substantial associated uncertainty. Natural variability in the Arctic is large and needs to be considered both for such recalibrations as well as for model evaluation, in particular when observed trends are relatively short.
Social environment affects juvenile dispersal in great tits (Parus major)
Authors: Nicolaus Marion , Michler Stephanie P. M. , Jalvingh Kirsten M. , Ubels Richard , van der Velde Marco , Komdeur Jan , Both Christiaan , Tinbergen Joost M. 
Published: February 2012

Summary1. Habitat selection can affect individual fitness, and therefore, individuals are expected to assess habitat quality of potential breeding sites before settlement.2. We investigated the role of social environment on juvenile dispersal behaviour in the great tit (Parus major). Two main contradictory hypotheses can be formulated regarding social effects on juvenile dispersal as follows: (i) High fledgling density and sex ratio may enhance the intensity of local (kin) competition and, therefore, reduce individual survival chance, enhance emigration and reduce settlement (‘repulsion’ hypothesis) (ii) Alternatively, high fledgling density and sex ratio may signal high‐quality habitat or lead to aggregation and thus increase individual survival chance, reduce emigration and enhance settlement (‘attraction’ hypothesis).3. To disentangle positive from negative effects of high density and male‐biased sex ratio on dispersal, we manipulated the social composition of the fledgling population in 12 semi‐isolated nest‐box areas (plots) via a change of fledgling density (low/high) as well as fledgling sex ratio (female‐biased/balanced/male‐biased) across 3 years. We then tested whether experimental variation in male and female fledgling densities affected variation in local survival, emigration and settlement of juveniles, and whether social effects on survival and dispersal support the ‘repulsion’ or ‘attraction’ hypothesis.4. We found no experimental effects on local survival and emigration probabilities. However, consistent with the ‘attraction’ hypothesis, settlement was significantly and positively affected by local experimental sex ratio in each of the study years: both male and female juveniles avoided female‐biased plots and settled more in plots that were balanced and male‐biased the previous year.5. Our study provides unprecedented experimental evidence that local sex ratio plays a causal role in habitat selection. We suggest that settlers avoid female‐biased plots because a high proportion of females may reflect the absence or the low quality of local resources in the habitat. Alternatively, male territory acquisition may be facilitated by a high local density of ‘candidate’ males, and therefore, juveniles were less successful in settling in female‐biased plots.
Evaluating the effectiveness of human–orangutan conflict mitigation strategies in Sumatra
Authors: Campbell‐Smith Gail , Sembiring Rabin , Linkie Matthew 
Published: February 2012

Summary1. Crop raiding by great apes is an emerging conservation issue across their range. It is important because it involves highly threatened species that can cause significant economic damage and be killed in retribution. Yet, to date, no quantitative study has sought to test possible solutions for preventing this form of human–wildlife conflict.2. From February 2007 to August 2009, we monitored crop‐raiding patterns across a Sumatran agroforest landscape to determine background levels of human–orangutan conflict. We also intensively monitored a subset of 50 farms to assess changes in farmer attitudes towards orangutan management; differences between farmer reported and independently enumerated monetary loss from crop raiding; and the effectiveness of mitigation techniques in reducing orangutan crop raiding on 35 treatment farms (25 trialling noise deterrents and 10 trialling tree nets) in comparison with 15 control farms over a pre‐trial (12 month) and a trial (18 month) phase. Five months after the trials had ended, the ongoing use or uptake of the techniques were assessed.3. Across the wider landscape, background levels of mean daily orangutan crop‐raiding incidents per month (±SE) farms did not significantly differ between the pre‐trial (9·1 ± 3·7) and trial (7·1 ± 4·3) phases, whilst on the 35 treatment farms it reduced significantly. Furthermore, crop yield increased (+60·8%) on the netted trial trees, but reduced (−27·4%) on the control farm trees. Despite this, there was no subsequent use of this technique, unlike those farmers (40%) who continued using the less‐effective noise deterrents.4. Farmer participation in the project yielded unexpected and positive attitude changes, from preferring orangutan removal (pre‐trial) to in situ management with crop protection measures (post‐trial). However, project participation may have increased farmer expectations of receiving compensation because the treatment farmers consistently overestimated their crop losses, unlike the control farmers who did not.5. Synthesis and applications. Whilst human–orangutan conflicts caused substantial losses to local livelihoods, the identification of an effective mitigation method (nets) neither guaranteed its continued use nor uptake. Developing easy to install nets for valuable tree crops is therefore recommended. Nevertheless, the project intervention efforts did create benign farmer attitudes towards orangutan management, an essential prerequisite for managing large‐bodied mammals in conflict with people.
Combining the regression discontinuity design and propensity score‐based weighting to improve causal inference in program evaluation
Authors: Linden Ariel , Adams John L. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThe regression discontinuity (RD) design is considered to be the closest to a randomized trial that can be applied in non‐experimental settings. The design relies on a cut‐off point on a continuous baseline variable to assign individuals to treatment. The individuals just to the right and left of the cut‐off are assumed to be exchangeable – as in a randomized trial. Any observed discontinuity in the relationship between the assignment variable and outcome is therefore considered evidence of a treatment effect. In this paper, we describe key advances in the RD design over the past decade and illustrate their implementation using data from a health management intervention. We then introduce the propensity score‐based weighting technique as a complement to the RD design to correct for imbalances in baseline characteristics between treated and non‐treated groups that may bias RD results. We find that the weighting strategy outperforms standard regression covariate adjustment in the present data. One clear advantage of the weighting technique over regression covariate adjustment is that we can directly inspect the degree to which balance was achieved. Because of its relative simplicity and tremendous utility, the RD design (either alone or combined with propensity score weighting adjustment) should be considered as an alternative approach to evaluate health management program effectiveness when using observational data.