bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Phylogeographical structure in the coastal species Senecio rodriguezii (Asteraceae), a narrowly distributed endemic Mediterranean plant
Authors: Molins Arántzazu , Mayol Maria , Rosselló Josep A. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractAim  Our goals were (1) to assess the levels of chloroplast DNA variation in a narrowly distributed plant restricted to continental islands, (2) to ascertain whether a phylogeographical structure is present in plants restricted to coastal linear systems, and (3) to interpret the results in the light of the known palaeogeography of these islands.Location  The Eastern Balearic Islands (Majorca and Minorca) in the Western Mediterranean Basin.Methods  Sampling included 134 individuals from 28 populations of Senecio rodriguezii covering the entire range of the species. Sequences of the chloroplast genome (trnT–trnL spacer) were obtained and parameters of population genetic diversity and substructure were determined (hsht, Gst). The geographical structure of genetic variation was assessed by an analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). Additionally, a spatial AMOVA (SAMOVA) was used to identify groups of populations that were geographically homogeneous and maximally differentiated from each other. Finally, a pattern of isolation by distance was assessed by testing the correlation between the matrix of pairwise ΦST values and the matrix of geographical distances between pairs of populations using a Mantel test.Results  Seven haplotypes were detected in S. rodriguezii. Only two of them were shared between islands; all of the others were restricted to Majorca (two) or Minorca (three). Overall, we found high levels of genetic diversity and significant geographical structuring of cpDNA markers. Most of the variation detected can be attributed to differences among populations (84.6%), but there was also a significant differentiation between the islands.Main conclusions  Our results support the view that the Balearic Islands constitute a reservoir of genetic diversity, not only for widespread Mediterranean taxa, but also for endemic ones. The intraspecific genetic structure found in S. rodriguezii suggests that its population history was dominated by both expansion and contraction events. This has resulted in a species that is highly structured genetically, showing very few shared haplotypes between islands, and a high number of haplotypes restricted to small geographical areas within the islands. Changes in habitat availability and dynamic processes of population fragmentation and connectivity due to repeated cycles of sea‐level changes during the Quaternary are the possible underlying factors that have shaped the cpDNA pool of this endemic species on a regional scale.
Out of sight, out of mind: high cryptic diversity obscures the identities and histories of geminate species in the marine bivalve subgenus Acar
Authors: Marko P. B. , Moran A. L. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractAim  The rise of the Isthmus of Panama and the formation of ‘geminate’ species pairs serves as an important model of allopatric speciation. However, to function as a model system, hypothesized geminates must first be shown to be each other’s closest living relatives. If the presence of cryptic taxa obscures true relationships, the biogeographical histories of transisthmian taxa are likely to be misinterpreted. We have therefore completed a phylogeographic survey of the transisthmian bivalve subgenus Acar in the genus Barbatia to characterize patterns of tropical American diversity and to place transisthmian taxa in a regional phylogeographic context.Location  Tropical America.Methods  Mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences were obtained from 233 specimens of Acar. Sequences were analysed using cladistic and Bayesian methods. Divergence times between species were inferred from net nucleotide divergences and a coalescence‐based method.Results  The survey revealed 22 COI clades that were also monophyletic at ITS, indicating that the taxonomy of Acar is potentially greater than a fivefold diversity underestimate. The lone previously recognized geminate [Barbatia (Acar) gradata and Barbatia (Acar) domingensis] is composed of 15 clades. Among the four transisthmian lineages identified, two diverged more than 14 Ma; the two other geminates split just prior to the time of final seaway closure. In addition to a fourfold increase in the number of known geminates, our data show that within‐basin diversification has been more impressive, with one geminate splitting into five monophyletic clades in the Western Atlantic alone since seaway closure. Electron microscopy of the larval shells of specimens indicates that the transisthmian lineage with the greatest rate of post‐Isthmian diversification possesses non‐planktonic larvae, a life‐history feature linked to high speciation rates.Main conclusions  Our analyses revealed that the identities of geminate pairs split by the Isthmus of Panama were obscured by extremely high tropical American cryptic diversity. Although we have identified four geminates, only two appear to have been split by the Isthmus. Our uncovering of extensive post‐Isthmian diversification is consistent with the palaeontological perspective that the final closure of the Central American Seaway was followed by high rates of subgeneric diversification, particularly in the tropical Western Atlantic.
Invasion and survival of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida in non‐phagocytic cells of gilthead sea bream, Sparus aurata L.
Authors: Acosta F , Vivas J , Padilla D , Vega J , Bravo J , Grasso V , Real F 
Published: April 2009

AbstractFluorescence microscopy and gentamicin protection assays were used to investigate the ability of four Photobacterium damselae subsp. pisicida (Phdp) strains to adhere to and to invade the fish epithelial cell line, SAF‐1, derived from Sparus aurata. All strains tested were detected intracellularly using both techniques, although internalization levels varied among strains. Treatment with cytochalasin D and experiments carried out at 4 °C demonstrated that a functional host cell cytoskeleton and active cell metabolism are necessary for bacterial internalization. Intracellular bacteria were detected for up to 7 days with a round morphology and were stained with DAPI, indicating that some bacterial cells may remain viable inside SAF‐1 cells. Our in vitro findings indicate that Phdp are capable of adhering, entering and surviving within the non‐phagocytic epithelial cell line SAF‐1, which may be important for persistence and establishment of a carrier state in S. aurata.
Low‐dose cyclosporine A therapy increases the regulatory T cell population in patients with atopic dermatitis
Authors: Brandt C. , Pavlovic V. , Radbruch A. , Worm M. , Baumgrass R. 
Published: April 2009

Background:  Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a T cell dependent chronic relapsing inflammatory skin disorder successfully treated with cyclosporine A (CsA). Clinical observations indicate that even low‐dose CsA therapy is successful in severely affected AD patients. We studied the impact of low‐dose CsA therapy on the ability of T helper cells to be activated, and examined whether regulatory T (Treg) cells are increased in these patients.Methods:  Peripheral T cells were activated in a whole blood sample and interleukin‐2 producing cells were measured by intracellular cytokine staining. Regulatory T cells were analyzed by intracellular FoxP3 staining. Regulatory T cells (CD4+CD25+CD127low) and effector T cells (CD4+CD25−CD127+) were sorted by flow cytometry and used for suppression assays.Results:  A group of AD patients treated with low‐dose CsA had a significantly larger Treg cell population than a healthy control subject group. In individual patients, onset of low‐dose CsA therapy reduced the ability of T cells to be activated to 42 ± 18% (P < 0.005) and significantly increased Treg cells, both in absolute numbers (1.6‐fold change) and frequencies (1.7‐fold change). Treg cells from AD patients showed similar suppressive capacities as Treg cells from healthy donors. Furthermore, Treg cells from AD patients had skin homing properties.Conclusion:  Our results indicate that the therapeutic effect of low‐dose CsA therapy in AD patients might be not only mediated by the inhibition of T cell hyperactivity but also by an increased population of Treg cells.
Conflicting selection on diaspore traits limits the evolutionary potential of seed dispersal by ants
Authors: MANZANEDA A. J. , REY P. J. , ALCÁNTARA J. M. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractConflicts of selection on diaspore traits throughout the dispersal cycle can limit the evolutionary consequences of seed dispersal. However, these conflicts have never been investigated in directed dispersal systems. We explored conflicts of selection through life stages of dispersal in the myrmecochorous herb Helleborus foetidus. Seeds are subject to two contrasting partial selective scenarios. Undispersed seeds are subject to positive directional selection on seed size characters, whereas seeds dispersed are subject to stabilizing selection for size. In both scenarios, seedling establishment determined the magnitude and direction of selection. This does not reflect ant preferences for seed size. However, total selection still depends largely on ant activity, as ants control the relative importance of each selective scenario. We advocate the use of analytical approaches combining multiplicative fitness and microenvironment‐specific selection to more realistically estimate the realized selection on traits functional during several life stages. This approach may be extended to any organism dispersing offspring to different environments.
Translocons on the inner and outer envelopes of chloroplasts share similar evolutionary origin in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: LV H.‐X. , GUO G. Q. , YANG Z.‐N. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThe process of importing nuclear encoded proteins into chloroplasts is mediated by the Translocons on the Outer/Inner Envelope of Chloroplasts (TOC and TIC complex). The ancestor of the TOC complex was formed by pre‐existing proteins from the cyanobacterial ancestor; other proteins recruited from the host cell or cyanobacterial ancestor were subsequently integrated into the complex. However, little is known about the origin of the TIC complex. In this work, the origin of the TIC complex was investigated through one of its channel proteins, AtTic21. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that AtTic21 is conserved in photosynthetic organisms. AtTic21 showed 33% sequence identity to a Synechocystis protein SynTic21. The successful genetic complementation of an AtTic21 knockout mutant by SynTic21 plus the transit peptide coding sequence of AtTic21 suggested that SynTic21 is an ortholog of AtTic21. The sequence and functional conservation between SynTic21 and AtTic21 suggested that the TIC complex shares a similar evolutionary origin to the TOC complex.
Inbreeding depresses short and long distance dispersal in three congeneric spiders
Authors: BONTE D. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractDispersal is one of the most important precopulatory inbreeding avoidance mechanisms and subject to landscape related selection pressures. In small populations, inbreeding within and between populations may strongly affect population dynamics if it reduces fitness and gene‐flow. While inbreeding avoidance is generally considered to be a key evolutionary driver of dispersal, potential effects of inbreeding on the dispersal process, are poorly known. Here, I document how inbreeding within a population, so by mating among relatives, affects the survivorship and the dispersal behaviour of three congeneric spider Erigone species (Araneae: Linyphiidae) that differ in habitat preference and regional rarity. The three species were chosen as a model because they allow the assessment of both long and short distance dispersal motivation (respectively ballooning and rappelling) under laboratory conditions. Inbreeding reduced both long and short distance dispersal modes in the three congeneric species. Because survival was depressed after inbreeding, with a tendency of reduced survival loss in the rare and highly stenotopic species, energetic constraints are likely to be the underlying mechanism. Inbreeding consequently depresses silk‐related dispersal in three related spiders. This may induce an inbreeding depression vortex with important consequences for range expansion and metapopulation dynamics of aerially dispersing species from highly fragmented landscapes.
Occurrence of Alaskan‐type mafic‐ultramafic intrusions in the North Qilian Mountains, northwest China: Evidence of Cambrian arc magmatism on the Qilian Block
Authors: Tseng Chien‐Yuan , Zuo Guo‐Chao , Yang Huai‐Jen , Yang Houng‐Yi , Tung Kuo‐An , Liu Dun‐Yi , Wu Han‐Quan 
Published: April 2009

AbstractField relationships, mineralogy and petrology, whole‐rock chemistry, and age of the Zhamashi mafic–ultramafic intrusion in the North Qilian Mountains, northwest China, have been studied in the present work. The Zhamashi intrusive body consists of ultramafic, gabbroic, and dioritic rocks in a crudely concentrically zoned structure. The ultramafic rocks are layered cumulates with rock types varying continuously from dunite through wehrlite and olivine clinopyroxenite to clinopyroxenite. The gabbroic and dioritic rocks are also layered or massive cumulates with rock types varying continuously from noritic gabbro through hornblende gabbro to diorite. The ultramafic and adjoining gabbroic rocks are discontinuous in lithology and discordant in structure across the interface. The interface is steep, sharp, and fractured. Contact metamorphic zones are well developed between the Zhamashi intrusive body and the country rock. The concentrically zoned structure of the intrusive body and the intrusion into the continental crust are the two main pieces of evidence for considering that the Zhamashi intrusion is Alaskan‐type. The mineral chemistry of the chromian spinels (Cr‐spinels) and clinopyroxenes, and the variation trend of the whole‐rock compositional plot in the (Na2O + K2O)–FeO–MgO (AFM) diagram are also supportive of this consideration. The age of the Zhamashi intrusive body, determined with sensitive high mass‐resolution ion microprobe on the zircon grains, is 513.0 ± 4.5 Ma. Parental magma of the Zhamashi intrusion is compositionally close to the primitive magma produced by partial melting of the mantle peridotite. It was differentiated by fractional crystallization at low total pressure and under H2O‐rich conditions in an arc environment to form all the major rock types. The concentrically zoned structure of the Zhamashi intrusive body was constructed in two stages: formation of a stratiform‐type layered sequence, followed by diapiric re‐emplacement. The occurrence of the Alaskan‐type intrusion suggests an active continental margin and Cambrian arc magmatism for the northern margin of the Qilian Block.
Formation of chaotic rock units during primary accretion processes: Examples from the Miura–Boso accretionary complex, central Japan
Authors: Yamamoto Yuzuru , Nidaira Manami , Ohta Yasufumi , Ogawa Yujiro 
Published: April 2009

AbstractChaotic rock units exposed in the upper part of the accretionary complex preserve detailed tectonic information related to the periods before, during, and immediately after accretion. Based on the detailed survey in the upper Miocene Miura–Boso accretionary complex, central Japan, three types of chaotic rock units were identified on the basis of the grain sizes and characteristics of blocks and surrounding matrices. The chaotic rock units composed of silt matrices and sandy to pebbly blocks (Type 3) formed by gravity‐driven slumping upon the seafloor. The slumping occurred contemporaneously with deposition of the Misaki and Nishizaki Formations within the Izu–Bonin forearc. Vertical variations in the direction of slump vergence represent successive changes from an initially flat seabed to tilting to the northwest and finally to the southeast. Slumping with a northwest vergence indicates landward tilting of the seafloor immediately prior to accretion, whereas vergence to the southeast reflects oceanward tectonic tilting that occurred once the sediments had crossed the deformation front. Other chaotic rock units that have matrices abundant in sand and pebbles (Types 1, 2) formed as a result of subsurface liquefaction and injection associated with large earthquakes that occurred during and after accretion of the sediments. These chaotic rock units are useful in examining surface/subsurface changes such as tectonic tilting of the seafloor and earthquake events during the initial accretion process.
Foraminiferal evidence of submarine sediment transport and deposition by backwash during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
Authors: Sugawara Daisuke , Minoura Koji , Nemoto Naoki , Tsukawaki Shinji , Goto Kazuhisa , Imamura Fumihiko 
Published: April 2009

AbstractMicropaleontological analysis of nearshore to offshore sediments recovered from the southwestern coast of Thailand was performed to clarify the submarine processes of sediment transport and deposition during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The distribution pattern of benthic foraminifers showed seaward migration after the tsunami event. Agglutinated foraminifers, which are characteristic of an intertidal brackish environment, were identified in the post‐tsunami samples from foreshore to offshore zones. These suggest that sediments originally distributed in foreshore to nearshore zones were transported offshore due to the tsunami backwash. On the other hand, the distribution pattern of planktonic and benthic species living in offshore zones showed slight evidence of landward migration by the tsunami. This suggests that landward redistribution of sediments by the tsunami run‐up did not occur in the offshore seafloor of the study area. Our results and a review of previous studies provide an interpretation of submarine sedimentation by tsunamis. It is possible that tsunami backwashes induce sediment flows that transport a large amount of coastal materials seaward. Thus, traces of paleotsunami backwashes can be identified in offshore sedimentary environments as the accumulation of allochthonous materials. This can be recognized as changes in benthic foraminiferal assemblages.
Health and well‐being in school‐age children following persistent crying in infancy
Authors: Brown Mary , Heine Ralf G , Jordan Brigid 
Published: April 2009

Aim:  To examine the physical and mental health outcomes at school‐age of a cohort of children who participated in a randomised clinical trial of treatments for persistent crying in infancy.Methods:  Participants and parents attended for a standard physical examination and clinical mental health assessment of the children. Parents completed the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ), Forsyth Child Vulnerability Scale, Recent Life Events Questionnaire, RAND‐36 Health Status Inventory and a study questionnaire about medical and socio‐demographic characteristics.Results:  Seventy‐five of 127 (59%) traced infant–parent dyads participated. There were no significant differences in baseline demographic characteristics, infant crying or maternal stress between those who participated and those who declined. Mothers who participated had higher Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores. The study group had poorer mental health, as measured on the SDQ, than a community sample (26.3% vs. 9.9% abnormal cases, risk ratio 2.56 (confidence interval 1.72, 3.80)). Fifteen of 61 (24.6%) children who attended for the clinical mental health assessment met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, criteria for a mental disorder. In the 4 weeks preceding the assessment, the child's health limited family activities more than in a community sample (CHQ‐Family Activities; P < 0.001). Parents had less time for personal needs compared with community norms (CHQ‐Parent Time; P < 0.001) and were more likely to worry about their child's health (CHQ‐Parent E; P < 0.001).Conclusion:  At school‐age, children with a history of hospitalisation for persistent crying in infancy had a significantly higher prevalence of mental health problems and mental disorders, as compared with community samples.
Implementation of a checklist to assist in the rapid identification of seriously ill children in the emergency department: An observational study
Authors: Hayden Georgina , Hewson Peter H , Eddey David , Smith Darren , Vuillermin Peter J 
Published: April 2009

Aim:  Interventions are required to expedite the identification and treatment of seriously ill children in the emergency department (ED). The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the implementation of a features of serious illness in children checklist (FSIC) for ED nursing staff would be associated with a reduction in the presentation‐to‐treatment time (PTTT) among children who required hospital admission and active treatment.Methods:  An observational study was conducted 8 weeks before and 8 weeks after the implementation of the FSIC. The study was conducted in a busy combined adult and paediatric ED. Participants were children admitted to the hospital via the ED with a potentially life‐threatening illness.Results:  A total of 3640 patients age less than 18 years attended the ED during the observation period. Of these, 214 patients met the eligibility criteria: 111 pre‐FSIC and 103 post‐FSIC. The overall ED workload and case‐mix were similar during the two observation periods. The PTTT was on average 16% (95% confidence interval, 17–33%; P = 0.302) longer following the implementation of the FSIC.Conclusion:  The implementation of a checklist to assist ED nursing staff in the identification of seriously ill children was not effective in reducing the delay between presentation and the initiation of treatment among children who were admitted to the hospital. Larger studies are required to determine whether similar strategies are effective among a more critically ill subgroup. Consideration should also be given to alternative strategies to expedite the identification and treatment of seriously ill children in the ED.
Outcome of biliary atresia in Malaysia: A single‐centre study
Authors: Lee Way‐Seah , Chai Pei‐Fan , Lim Kean‐Seng , Lim Li‐Han , Looi Lai‐Meng , Ramanujam Trndivanam Muthurangam 
Published: April 2009

Aim:  This study aimed to determine the outcome of the operation of children with biliary atresia (BA) at a tertiary paediatric referral centre in Malaysia.Methods:  A prospective study on all patients with BA referred to the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur, from 1996 to 2005 was conducted. Survival with native liver, liver transplantation (LT) or death at 2 years of age was determined.Results:  The median age at referral of the 57 patients with BA seen at University of Malaya Medical Centre was 62 days. Kasai procedure was not performed in nine patients who were all referred late (median age of referral 180 days). The median age at hepatoportoenterostomy (HPE) of the remaining 48 patients was 70 days. A total of 53 (93%) patients had type 3 BA, while only 1 (2%) patient had BA splenic malformation. At 2 years, the survival rate with native liver for the 48 patients who had HPE was 37%, while the overall survival (native liver and LT) rate was 40%. Two of the four patients who had LT survived with a liver graft at 2 years.Conclusions:  The 2‐year survival with native liver following corrective surgery for BA in UMMC, Malaysia, compares favourably with other international figures, but the overall survival rate was adversely affected by a lack of timely LT. The outcome of BA in Malaysia may be further improved by increasing the awareness among child‐health professionals on the importance early referral for appropriate surgery in infants suspected of having BA.