bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Molecular phylogeny and systematics of Neotropical toucanets in the genus Aulacorhynchus (Aves, Ramphastidae)
Authors: Bonaccorso Elisa , Guayasamin Juan M. , Peterson A. Townsend , Navarro‐Sigüenza Adolfo G. 
Published: March 2011

Bonaccorso, E., Guayasamin, J. M., Peterson, A. T. & Navarro‐Sigüenza, A. G. (2011). Molecular phylogeny and systematics of Neotropical toucanets in the genus Aulacorhynchus (Aves, Ramphastidae). —Zoologica Scripta, 40, 336–349.We studied the phylogenetic relationships in the genus Aulacorhynchus, an assemblage of Neotropical toucanets distributed from Mexico south to Bolivia. Based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA characters, we obtained a robust hypothesis of relationships for all recognized species, including good representation of distinct geographic populations. Our results support the monophyly of the genus Aulacorhynchus, but contradict previous taxonomic arrangements. The genus is made up of three major clades: the Aulacorhynchus prasinus complex, Aulacorhynchus huallagae + Aulacorhynchus coeruleicinctis, and Aulacorhynchus haematopygus + Aulacorhynchus sulcatus + Aulacorhynchus derbianus. Andean populations of A. derbianus are more closely related to A. sulcatus than to Pantepuian populations of A. derbianus, rendering A. derbianus paraphyletic. Based on the molecular phylogeny, and information on geographic distributions and morphological and behavioural characters, we review the specific status of these taxa and propose a new taxonomic arrangement within Aulacorhynchus.
Review of current varicocelectomy techniques and their outcomes
Authors: Diegidio Paul , Jhaveri Jay K. , Ghannam Suzanne , Pinkhasov Ruben , Shabsigh Ridwan , Fisch Harry 
Published: March 2011

What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?The relationship between varicocele and infertility is well established, and several surgical and radiological techniques for varicocelectomy are currently used in practice. The postoperative benefits of the surgery is also well established. The AUA has set forth guidelines on the evaluation and indications for treatment of varicocele; however, to date, there is no consensus as to which surgical technique should be considered the gold standard.This paper evaluates the current methods in practice and evaluates them based on specific and stringent criteria. All surgical and radiological methods that are frequently used were included. We suggest that by using either of the two microsurgical techniques, inguinal or subinguinal, that there would be better outcomes across all parameters postoperatively with better long term outcomes. We also investigated several new techniques and made recommendations for further research.OBJECTIVES
To review all the various techniques and their results and efficiencies to provide practicing urologists with some guidance for choice of technique
To discuss improvements of varicocelectomy techniques in the last 15 years and their impact on results of surgery.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
A PubMed English literature review of literature from 1995 to present.
RESULTS
Pregnancy rates were highest with microsurgical subinguinal technique
Varicocele recurrence rates were lowest with microsurgical subinguinal technique
Hydrocele formation rates were lowest with microsurgical inguinal technique
Surgical complications were highest in the laparoscopic technique
Varicocelectomy by itself or in conjunction with IVF is cost effective
CONCLUSIONS
Microsurgical subinguinal or microsurgical inguinal techniques offer best outcomes
Varicocelectomy is a cost effective treatment modality for infertility
Further research is needed to explore new developments in varicocelectomy
IL‐23 gene therapy for mouse bladder tumour cell lines
Authors: Kuramoto Tomomi , Fujii Reona , Nagai Hiroshi , Belladonna Maria Laura , Yoshimoto Takayuki , Kohjimoto Yasuo , Inagaki Takeshi , Hara Isao 
Published: March 2011

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the antitumour effects of IL‐23 gene transfer into mouse bladder carcinoma (MBT2) cells.
To investigate the mechanisms underlying the subsequent constitutive secrection of IL‐23 by the MBT2 cells

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An expression vector containing IL‐23 gene was introduced into MBT2 cells by liposome‐mediated gene transfer, and secretion of IL‐23 was confirmed by ELISA.
The in vivo antitumour effect of IL‐23‐secreting MBT2 cells (MBT2/IL‐23) was examined by injecting the cells into syngeneic C3H mice.
A tumour vaccination study using mitomycin C (MMC)‐treated IL‐23‐secreting MBT2 cells was carried out, and the usefulness of in vivo CD25 depletion for an additional vaccine effect was also investigated.
The mechanisms underlying the antitumour effects were investigated by antibody depletion of CD8 or CD4 T cells, or natural killer cells, and cells infiltrating the tumour sites in vivo were assessed using immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

Stable transformants transduced with MBT2/IL‐23 secreted IL‐23 into the culture supernatant.
Genetically engineered IL‐23‐secreting MBT2 cells were rejected in syngeneic mice.
MBT2/IL‐23‐vaccinated mice inhibited the tumour growth of parental MBT2 cells injected at a distant site and this vaccine effect was enhanced by combination with in vivo CD25 depletion by an antibody.
The main effector cells for the direct antitumour effect of MBT2/IL‐23 were CD8 T cells, which was shown by in vivo depletion and immunohistochemical study.

CONCLUSIONS

IL‐23‐secreting MBT2 cells were rejected in syngeneic mice by the activation of CD8 T cells.
MMC‐treated MBT2/IL‐23 can have a tumour vaccine effect for parental MBT2 cells, and this effect was enhanced by combination with in vivo CD25 depletion.
The global relationship between climate, net primary production and the diet of spiders
Authors: Birkhofer Klaus , Wolters Volkmar 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACTAim We compiled data on prey utilization of spiders at a global scale to better understand the relationship between current climate or net primary production (NPP) and diet breadth, evenness and composition in spiders. We test whether the productivity and the diversity–climatic‐stability (DCS) hypotheses focusing on diversity patterns may also explain global patterns in prey utilization by web‐building and cursorial spiders.Location A global dataset of 95 data points from semi‐natural and natural terrestrial habitats spanning 41.3° S to 56.1° N.Methods We collected data on spider prey (29 groups, mostly order‐level invertebrate taxa) through extensive literature research to identify the relationship between climatic conditions and NPP and spider diets based on 66 studies of prey composition in 82 spider species.Results The number of prey groups in spider diets was positively related to NPP, after accounting for differences in sampling effort in the original studies. In general, diet breadth was significantly higher for spider species in tropical environments. Prey individuals in spider diets were more evenly distributed among different prey groups in warmer environments with lower fluctuations in precipitation. Collembola and other spiders were more common prey for spiders with a cursorial hunting mode. Myriapoda and Collembola were more common prey in cooler climates with more stable precipitation, whereas Isoptera, Lepidoptera, Psocoptera and Coleoptera showed the opposite pattern.Main conclusions The positive relationship between diet breadth and NPP and the negative relationship between prey evenness and seasonality in precipitation support the productivity and the DCS hypotheses, respectively. This effect on global patterns of invertebrate predator–prey interactions suggests that trophic interactions between spiders and their prey are sensitive to climatic conditions. Climatic conditions may not only affect spider community composition, but also considerably alter the functional role of these abundant invertebrate predators in terrestrial ecosystems.
Global pattern and local variation in species–area relationships
Authors: Sólymos Péter , Lele Subhash R. 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACTAim  We conducted a meta‐analysis of species–area relationships (SARs) by combining several data sets and important covariates such as types of islands, taxonomic groups, latitude and spatial extent, in a hierarchical model framework to study global pattern and local variation in SARs and its consequences for prediction.Location  One thousand nine hundred and eighteen islands from 94 SAR studies from around the world.Methods  We developed a generalization of the power‐law SAR model, the HSARX model, which allows: (1) the inclusion of multiple focal parameters (intercept, slope, within‐study variance), (2) use of multiple effect modifiers based on a collection of SAR studies, and (3) modelling of the between‐ and within‐study variability.Results  The global pattern in the SAR was the average of local SARs and had wide confidence intervals. The global SAR slope was 0.228 with 90% confidence limits of 0.059 and 0.412. The intercept, slope and within‐study variability of local SARs showed great heterogeneity as a result of the interaction of modifying covariates. Confidence intervals for these SAR parameters were narrower when other covariates in addition to area were accounted for, thus increasing the accuracy of the predictions for species richness. The significant effect of latitude and the interaction of latitude, taxa and island type on the SAR slope indicated that the ‘typical’ latitudinal diversity gradient can be reversed in isolated systems.Main conclusions  The power‐law relationship underlying the HSARX model provides a good fit for non‐nested SARs across vastly different spatial scales by taking into account other covariates. The HSARX framework allows researchers to explore the complex interactions among SAR parameters and modifying variables, to explicitly study the scale dependence, and to make robust predictions on multiple levels (island, study, global) with associated prediction intervals. From a prediction perspective, it is not the global pattern but the local variation that matters.
Bio‐ORACLE: a global environmental dataset for marine species distribution modelling
Authors: Tyberghein Lennert , Verbruggen Heroen , Pauly Klaas , Troupin Charles , Mineur Frederic , De Clerck Olivier 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACTAim  The oceans harbour a great diversity of organisms whose distribution and ecological preferences are often poorly understood. Species distribution modelling (SDM) could improve our knowledge and inform marine ecosystem management and conservation. Although marine environmental data are available from various sources, there are currently no user‐friendly, high‐resolution global datasets designed for SDM applications. This study aims to fill this gap by assembling a comprehensive, uniform, high‐resolution and readily usable package of global environmental rasters.Location  Global, marine.Methods  We compiled global coverage data, e.g. satellite‐based and in situ measured data, representing various aspects of the marine environment relevant for species distributions. Rasters were assembled at a resolution of 5 arcmin (c. 9.2 km) and a uniform landmask was applied. The utility of the dataset was evaluated by maximum entropy SDM of the invasive seaweed Codium fragile ssp. fragile.Results  We present Bio‐ORACLE (ocean rasters for analysis of climate and environment), a global dataset consisting of 23 geophysical, biotic and climate rasters. This user‐friendly data package for marine species distribution modelling is available for download at http://www.bio‐oracle.ugent.be. The high predictive power of the distribution model of C. fragile ssp. fragile clearly illustrates the potential of the data package for SDM of shallow‐water marine organisms.Main conclusions  The availability of this global environmental data package has the potential to stimulate marine SDM. The high predictive success of the presence‐only model of a notorious invasive seaweed shows that the information contained in Bio‐ORACLE can be informative about marine distributions and permits building highly accurate species distribution models.
Coping with Workplace Ostracism: The Roles of Ingratiation and Political Skill in Employee Psychological Distress
Authors: Wu Long‐Zeng , Yim Frederick Hong‐kit , Kwan Ho Kwong , Zhang Xiaomeng 
Published: March 2011

abstractThe study reported here examined the relationship between workplace ostracism and employee psychological distress (i.e. job tension, emotional exhaustion, and depressed mood at work) by focusing on the joint moderating effects of ingratiation and political skill. Data from a two‐wave survey of 215 employees in two oil and gas firms in China indicated that as predicted, workplace ostracism was positively related to psychological distress. Moreover, the findings showed that when employee political skill was high, ingratiation neutralized the relationship between workplace ostracism and psychological distress, but when it was low, ingratiation exacerbated the relationship.
Evidence for motor planning in monkeys: rhesus macaques select efficient grips when transporting spoons
Authors: Nelson Eliza L. , Berthier Neil E. , Metevier Christina M. , Novak Melinda A. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractMcCarty and colleagues (1999) developed the elevated spoon task to measure motor planning in human infants. In this task, a spoon containing food was placed on an elevated apparatus that supported both ends of the spoon. The handle was oriented to the left or right on different trials. We presented naïve adult rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) with the elevated spoon problem, and observed how monkeys learned the affordances of spoons over sessions. Strikingly, monkeys developed two different strategies for efficient spoon transport in just 12 to 36 trials. In subsequent testing with a novel double bowl spoon approximately 1 year later, monkeys demonstrated that they were attending to the baited spoon bowl and continued to select efficient grips for transporting the spoon. Monkey data were contrasted with previous studies in human infants using a perception‐action perspective in an effort to understand the fundamentals of tool use and motor planning that may be common in the development of these abilities across species and their origins in human behavior.
Socioeconomic gradients and child development in a very low income population: evidence from Madagascar
Authors: Fernald Lia C.H. , Weber Ann , Galasso Emanuela , Ratsifandrihamanana Lisy 
Published: March 2011

AbstractOur objectives were to document and examine socioeconomic gradients across a comprehensive set of child development measures in a population living in extreme poverty, and to interpret these gradients in light of findings from the neuroscience literature. We assessed a nationally representative sample of 3–6‐year‐old children (n = 1332) from 150 communities of Madagascar using standard tests of development. We found that children whose families were in the top wealth quintile or whose mothers had secondary education performed significantly better across almost all measures of cognitive and language development and had better linear growth compared with children of women in the lowest wealth quintile or women with no education. These differences between children of low and high socioeconomic position were greatest for receptive language, working memory, and memory of phrases. The mean difference in the scores between children in the highest and lowest socioeconomic status categories doubled between age 3 and age 6, and the biggest gaps across socioeconomic position by age 6 were in receptive language and sustained attention. Our results suggest that even within the context of extreme poverty, there are strong associations between family socioeconomic status and child development outcomes among preschool children, and that the language and executive function domains exhibit the largest gradients.
What’s mine is mine: twelve‐month‐olds use possessive pronouns to identify referents
Authors: Saylor Megan M. , Ganea Patricia A. , Vázquez Maria D. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThis research investigated 12‐month‐olds’ ability to use person‐specific language to determine to which of several absent things a person is referring. Infants were introduced to two experimenters who played separately with a different ball. One researcher asked infants to retrieve her object when both balls were hidden. Infants selected the correct object when researchers used the pronoun my, but failed to do so when the was used. The present research provides the first evidence of 12‐month‐olds’ comprehension of possessive pronouns and indicates that infants use person‐specific language to resolve reference.
Disease severity evaluation among dermatological out‐patients: a comparison between the assessments of patients and physicians
Authors: Tabolli S. , Sampogna F. , Pagliarello C. , Paradisi A. , Spagnoli A. , Abeni D. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractBackground  The assessment of a patient’s disease severity is an essential component in the formulation of treatment strategies.Objectives  To compare disease severity assessment by patients and by physicians, and to describe the possible discrepancies between them.Methods  For each patient, we obtained the Physician Global Assessment (PhGA) and the Patient Global Assessment (PtGA). Data were completed for 2.578 patients. Sixty‐one physicians participated in the study. We calculated the agreement between PtGA and PhGA scores using the weighted kappa statistics; a multinomial logistic regression was performed to assess the risk of disagreement considering both patient and physician variables.Results  Differences in the percentages of severity level, identified by patients and by physicians, were always statistically significant (P < 0.05). Overall, the weighted Cohen’s kappa was in the range of 0.09–0.34, depending on the diseases. Gender differences between patients and physicians did not influence the agreement. In the multinomial model female patients (OR = 1.38; 95% CI, 1.07–1.77), patients with higher educational levels (OR = 2.71; 95% CI, 2.12–3.46), and patients with impaired quality of life (OR = 1.56; 95% CI 1.23–1.97) had a higher risk to be underestimated for their disease severity by physicians, independently by physician gender and experience.Conclusions  Combining the subjective report with the objective severity assessment of the lesions, dermatologists may reach a better determination of how severity of disease is perceived by their patients and how they feel about the effectiveness of treatment. PtGA and PhGA might be considered in routine clinical assessments and not only for research activities.
Efficacy of tumour necrosis factor‐α antagonists in aphthous ulceration: review of published individual patient data
Authors: O’Neill I.D. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractBackground  Severe aphthous ulceration may require systemic immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory therapy, but a small subset of patients remains resistant to or intolerant of these agents. Although use of TNF‐α antagonists in aphthous ulceration is increasingly reported, the current evidence base for use is weak and evaluation of individual cases may provide the best available data to support such use.Objectives  The aim of this study was to review all published data on the use of TNF‐α antagonists in patients with severe aphthous ulceration refractory to systemic agents and discusses this in the context of any possible benefits that may guide any future use.Methods  A comprehensive search on MEDLINE and EMBASE from 1995 to 2010 was performed using pre‐defined search terms, with articles included if they met specific criteria.Results  Sixteen cases from individual case reports or small case‐series in which use of TNF‐α antagonists in aphthous ulceration were identified in which details of previous systemic therapy and use of subsequent adjunctive therapy were available. Agents with reported success in resolving active ulceration and reducing ulcer recurrence were infliximab, etanercept and adalimumab.Conclusions  Evidence for efficacy of TNF‐α antagonists in aphthous ulceration infection is limited. Such data suggest that in patients with severe aphthous ulceration TNF‐α antagonists have some efficacy in inducing ulcer resolution and reducing recurrence. These agents may represent an option in severe refractory aphthosis, although in the absence of controlled studies, caution is advocated if use is to be considered.
Moderate correlation between quality of life and disease activity in adult patients with atopic dermatitis
Authors: Haeck I.M. , ten Berge O. , van Velsen S.G.A. , de Bruin‐Weller M.S. , Bruijnzeel‐Koomen C.A.F.M. , Knol M.J. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractBackground  Studies assessing the relationship between disease activity and quality of life (QoL) in adults with atopic dermatitis (AD), before and after therapy are lacking. The relation between disease activity and QoL in AD patients was evaluated before (t = 0) and after 6 weeks (t = 6) of treatment with cyclosporin 5 mg/kg.Methods  In 54 patients with severe AD, disease activity was assessed using objective Scoring Atopic Dermatitis index (SCORAD), Six Area Six Sign Atopic Dermatitis (SASSAD), ‘rule of nines’ extent score and serum levels of thymus and activation‐regulated chemokine (TARC). Patients filled out the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). To study the relation between disease activity and QoL, correlations were calculated and regression analysis was performed.Results  At t = 0 there was a small, non‐significant correlation between the DLQI and the objective SCORAD, ‘rule of nines’ or serum TARC levels. At t = 6 the objective SCORAD, serum TARC and the ‘rule of nines’ score showed moderate and significant correlations with the DLQI (r = 0.34, P = 0.02; r = 0.31, P = 0.03; r = 0.49, P < 0.001). An individual’s improvement in disease activity (objective SCORAD, SASSAD and ‘rule of nines’) with 10 points was associated with an improvement of 1.3, 1.5 and 1.1 points respectively in DLQI.Conclusions  Disease activity correlated better with QoL when disease activity was less severe and disease extent (‘rule of nines’) correlated better with QoL than disease severity. An individual’s improvement of 10 points in disease activity was accompanied by only a small improvement in QoL. Other factors than disease activity may influence QoL in patients with AD.
Toll‐like receptors and skin
Authors: Ermertcan A.T. , Öztürk F. , Gündüz K. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractToll‐like receptors are important pattern recognition receptors which have key roles in both innate and adaptive immune responses. They are strongly associated with the pathogenesis of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, Toll‐like receptors have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of several skin diseases such as skin infections, psoriasis, acne vulgaris, lichen planus, Behçet’s disease, leprosy, syphilis, Lyme disease, atopic dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis, mycosis fungoides, non‐melanoma skin cancers and melanoma. In this manuscript, the structure and functions of Toll‐like receptors in immune responses, their impact on skin diseases and recent advances on therapeutic usage have been reviewed.