bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
e-Surveillance in Animal Health: use and evaluation of mobile tools
Authors: MADDER M. , WALKER J. G. , VAN ROOYEN J. , KNOBEL D. , VANDAMME E. , BERKVENS D. , VANWAMBEKE S. O. , DE CLERCQ E. M. 
Published: April 2012

SUMMARYIn the last decade, mobile technology offered new opportunities and challenges in animal health surveillance. It began with the use of basic mobile phones and short message service (SMS) for disease reporting, and the development of smartphones and other mobile tools has expanded the possibilities for data collection. These tools assist in the collection of data as well as geo-referenced mapping of diseases, and mapping, visualization and identification of vectors such as ticks. In this article we share our findings about new technologies in the domain of animal health surveillance, based on several projects using a wide range of mobile tools, each with their specific applicability and limitations. For each of the tools used, a comprehensive overview is given about its applicability, limitations, technical requirements, cost and also the perception of the users.The evaluation of the tools clearly shows the importance of selecting the appropriate tool depending on the envisaged data to be collected. Accessibility, visualization and cost related to data collection differ significantly among the tools tested. This paper can thus be seen as a practical guide to the currently available tools.
COST-UTILITY ANALYSIS OF ADJUVANT THERAPIES FOR BREAST CANCER IN IRAN
Authors: Bastani Peivand , Kiadaliri Aliasghar Ahmad 
Published: April 2012

Objectives:The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-utility of Docetaxel with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (TAC) and 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide (FAC) in node-positive breast cancer patients in the south of Iran.Methods:A double blind study was done on a cohort of 100 patients suffering from breast cancer with node-positive over 8 months in the radiotherapy center of Namazi hospital, Shiraz-Iran. Health-related quality of life was assessed using questionnaire (QLQ-C30) from European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). QLQ-C30 scale scores were mapped to 15D and EuroQol 5D utilities to measure the quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs).Third party payer point of view was applied to measure and value the cost of treatments. Cost data were extracted from hospital and health insurance organizations. Robustness of the results was checked through a two way sensitivity analysis.Results:TAC was associated with higher deterioration in HRQoL during treatment and higher improvements over 4 months follow-up. On average, the cost of treatment per patient in TAC was 15 times higher than FAC (p< .001). In overall, TAC was resulted in lower QALYs and higher cost over study period.Conclusions:FAC was a dominant option versus TAC in short-term. The higher improvement in HRQoL over follow-up in TAC may not compensate the more intensive deterioration caused during treatment in short-term. The short time horizon of study may limit the generalizability of our findings and, hence, there is a need to conduct long-term economic evaluation studies whenever data is available to inform decision making.
KrF Pulsed Laser Ablation of Thin Films Made from Fluorinated Heterocyclic Poly(Naphthyl-Imide)s
Authors: Damaceanu Mariana-Dana , Rusu Radu-Dan , Olaru Mihaela Adriana , Timpu Daniel , Bruma Maria 
Published: April 2012

AbstractAmong the many aspects of laser ablation, development of conical structures induced by excimer laser radiation on polyimide surfaces has been thoroughly investigated. Because the mechanisms that produce these surface textures are not fully understood, two theories, photochemical bond breaking and thermal reaction, have been introduced. Here we present the first study of ultraviolet laser ablation behavior of thin films made from fluorinated poly(naphthyl-imide)s containing oxadiazole rings and the investigation of the mechanism of cone-like structure formation at two laser fluences, 57 and 240 mJ/cm2. The morphology of thin films before and after laser ablation was studied by using various spectroscopy techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, time-resolved emission and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and contact angle measurements. All of the data suggest impurities shielded at low fluence radiation (57 mJ/cm2) and a radiation hardening process at high value fluence (240 mJ/cm2), which are proposed as the main mechanisms for laser ablation of our polyimide films, and we bring evidence to support them.
Stocker performance and production in mixed tall fescue–bermudagrass pastures of the Southern Piedmont USA
Authors: Franzluebbers Alan J. , Stuedemann John A. , Seman Dwight H. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractStocker performance and production from mixed cool- and warm-season perennial pastures are important determinants of agricultural sustainability that can be influenced by management. We evaluated the factorial combination of three sources of nutrient application (inorganic only, organic+inorganic combination, and organic only) and two forage utilization regimes [low grazing pressure (LGP) and high grazing pressure (HGP)] on steer stocking density and rate, performance and production during 7 years of pasture management {tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh.] overseeded into existing Coastal bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] sod} on a Typic Kanhapludult in Georgia, USA. Nutrient source had few major impacts on responses, except for lower animal performance with organic fertilization (broiler litter) than with organic+inorganic and inorganic only fertilization, especially with LGP. Seasonal changes in stocking weight and rate occurred, not only as expected due to environmental conditions and dominant forage species present, but that also counteracted expected differences imposed by grazing pressure; signaling negative feedback of HGP on forage productivity. Steer performance was greatest in spring and summer under both grazing pressures, but was significantly reduced with increasing grazing pressure in the autumn and winter due to low forage availability. Across years, steer gainha−1 (863kgha−1) was not different between grazing pressures, but gainha−1 declined with time under HGP and was stable with time under LGP. Reducing grazing pressure to a moderate level can lead to equivalent steer production as HGP, and would likely contribute to a more sustainable balance among production, socio-economic and environmental goals. These multi-year results will help cattle producers in warm, moist climates design and implement more sustainable grazing systems.
Lake‐size dependency of wind shear and convection as controls on gas exchange
Authors: Read Jordan S. , Hamilton David P. , Desai Ankur R. , Rose Kevin C. , MacIntyre Sally , Lenters John D. , Smyth Robyn L. , Hanson Paul C. , Cole Jonathan J. , Staehr Peter A. , Rusak James A. , Pierson Donald C. , Brookes Justin D. , Laas Alo , Wu Chin H. 
Published: April 2012

High‐frequency physical observations from 40 temperate lakes were used to examine the relative contributions of wind shear (u*) and convection (w*) to turbulence in the surface mixed layer. Seasonal patterns of u* and w* were dissimilar; u* was often highest in the spring, while w*increased throughout the summer to a maximum in early fall. Convection was a larger mixed‐layer turbulence source than wind shear (u*/w* < 0.75) for 18 of the 40 lakes, including all 11 lakes <10 ha. As a consequence, the relative contribution of convection to the gas transfer velocity (k, estimated by the surface renewal model) was greater for small lakes. The average k was 0.54 m day−1 for lakes <10 ha. Because u* and w*differ in temporal pattern and magnitude across lakes, both convection and wind shear should be considered in future formulations of lake‐air gas exchange, especially for small lakes.
On De Giorgi’s conjecture and beyond
Authors: Del Pino Manuel , Kowalczyk Michal , Wei Juncheng 
Published: April 2012

We consider the problem of existence of entire solutions to the Allen–Cahn equation Δ
u
+
u
-
u
3
= 0 in

, usually regarded as a prototype for the modeling of phase transition phenomena. In particular, exploiting the link between the Allen–Cahn equation and minimal surface theory in dimensions
N
≥9, we find a solution,
u
, with ∂

x

N

u
> 0, such that its level sets are close to a nonplanar, minimal, entire graph. This counterexample provides a negative answer to a celebrated question by Ennio de Giorgi [De Giorgi E (1979)
Proceedings of the International Meeting on Recent Methods in Nonlinear Analysis (Rome, 1978)
, 131–188, Pitagora, Bologna]. Our results suggest parallels of De Giorgi’s conjecture for finite Morse index solutions in two and three dimensions and suggest a possible program of classification of all entire solutions.
Breeding for disease resistance in livestock and fish.
Authors: Stear M. J. , Nikbakht G. , Matthews L. , Jonsson N. N. 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
Breeding for disease resistance offers improved animal welfare and increased returns for breeders. It is now practised in cattle, sheep, pig, chicken and fish farming. This review provides an overview for the non-specialist of the strategies to breed for disease resistance, with equal weighting on traditional phenotypic methods and the changes being introduced by modern genomic tests. It starts by explaining four key concepts in selective breeding: heritability, estimated breeding value (EBV), repeatability and genetic correlation. It then explains the decisions required to create selection objectives, selection criteria and selection indices. The response to selection is then considered with emphasis on the factors that constrain the response to selection: generation interval, variation in breeding values, selection intensity, effective population size and the accuracy of selection. Quantitative genetic theory can accurately predict the response to selective breeding of production traits, but is less effective at predicting the response to selection for resistance to microbial and parasitic diseases because selecting resistant animals and culling susceptible animals can alter the rate of disease transmission. Mathematical models are therefore required to predict the effect of genetic and epidemiological changes on disease incidence.
optiCall: a robust genotype-calling algorithm for rare, low-frequency and common variants
Authors: Shah T. S. , Liu J. Z. , Floyd J. A. B. , Morris J. A. , Wirth N. , Barrett J. C. , Anderson C. A. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractMotivation: Existing microarray genotype-calling algorithms adopt either SNP-by-SNP (SNP-wise) or sample-by-sample (sample-wise) approaches to calling. We have developed a novel genotype-calling algorithm for the Illumina platform, optiCall, that uses both SNP-wise and sample-wise calling to more accurately ascertain genotypes at rare, low-frequency and common variants.Results: Using data from 4537 individuals from the 1958 British Birth Cohort genotyped on the Immunochip, we estimate the proportion of SNPs lost to downstream analysis due to false quality control failures, and rare variants misclassified as monomorphic, is only 1.38% with optiCall, in comparison to 3.87, 7.85 and 4.09% for Illuminus, GenoSNP and GenCall, respectively. We show that optiCall accurately captures rare variants and can correctly account for SNPs where probe intensity clouds are shifted from their expected positions.Availability and implementation: optiCall is implemented in C++ for use on UNIX operating systems and is available for download at http://www.sanger.ac.uk/resources/software/opticall/.Contact: optiCall@sanger.ac.uk
Management and outcomes following an acute coronary event in patients with chronic heart failure 1999–2007
Authors: Ranasinghe Isuru , Naoum Chris , Aliprandi‐Costa Bernadette , Sindone Andrew P. , Steg P. Gabriel , Elliott John , McGarity Bruce , Lefkovits Jeffrey , Brieger David ,   on behalf of the Australia–New Zealand GRACE
Published: April 2012

AimThe outcome of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) following an ischaemic event is poorly understood. We evaluated the management and outcomes of CHF patients presenting with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and explored changes in outcomes over time.Method and resultsA total of 5556 patients enrolled in the Australia–New Zealand population of the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) between 1999 and 2007 were included. Patients with CHF (n = 609) were compared with those without CHF (n = 4947). Patients with CHF were on average 10 years older, were more likely to be female, had more co‐morbidities and cardiac risk factors, and were more likely to have a prior history of angina, myocardial infarction, and revascularization by coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) when compared with those without CHF. CHF was associated with a substantial increase in in‐hospital renal failure [odds ratio (OR) 1.76, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15–2.71], readmission post‐discharge (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.17–1.90), and 6‐month mortality (OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.55–3.27). Over the 9 year study period, in‐hospital and 6 month mortality in those with CHF declined by absolute rates of 7.5% and 14%, respectively. This was temporally associated with an increase in prescription of thienopyridines, beta‐blockers, statins, and angiotensin II receptor blockers, increased rates of coronary angiography, and 31.8% absolute increase in referral rates for cardiac rehabilitation.ConclusionsAcute coronary syndrome patients with pre‐existing CHF are a very high risk group and carry a disproportionate mortality burden. Encouragingly, there was a marked temporal improvement in outcomes over a 9 year period with an increase in evidence‐based treatments and secondary preventative measures.
Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography in Neonatal Cholestasis
Authors: Shteyer Eyal , Wengrower Dov , Benuri‐Silbiger Ishay , Gozal David , Wilschanski Michael , Goldin Eran 
Published: April 2012

ABSTRACTBackground:Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is not as widely used in children as in adults and is performed in few specialized centers. The aim of the present study was to review the experience of ERCP in children younger than 3 months in a national referral center.Methods:A retrospective chart review was performed of all of the babies younger than 3 months who underwent ERCP between 2000 and 2010. Data on demographics, diagnosis, type of anesthesia, treatments, and complications were collected.Results:A total of 27 babies, 14 boys, were examined. Median age was 55 days (range 33–89). Ultrasound was normal in 16 infants, whereas others included small gallbladder (4), biliary stones (3), and dilated bile ducts (3). Thirteen infants underwent earlier liver biopsy, which was inconclusive. ERCP led to the diagnosis of biliary atresia in 13 infants who had subsequent surgery. In others, ERCP showed choledochal cyst (1), biliary stones (2), dilated bile ducts (1), and normal examination (6); there were 5 failures. The final diagnoses in our cohort were extrahepatic biliary atresia (15), biliary stones (5), neonatal hepatitis (4), choledochal cyst (1), paucity of intrahepatic bile duct (1), and congenital hepatic fibrosis (1). Diagnoses in the failed ERCP group included biliary atresia (2), bile duct paucity (1), and biliary stones (2). In 4 (19%) infants with clinical suspicion of extrahepatic biliary atresia, a normal ERCP ruled out the diagnosis and avoided an intraoperative cholangiogram. No complications, including pancreatitis, were reported.Conclusions:ERCP in infants is feasible and has no complications. It may serve as an additional diagnostic tool in neonatal cholestasis in inconclusive cases and may prevent more invasive procedures. ERCP may be part of the algorithm of neonatal cholestasis when it is available and other investigations fail to confirm a diagnosis.
Gibbsiella dentisursi sp. nov., isolated from the bear oral cavity
Authors: Saito Masanori , Shinozaki‐Kuwahara Noriko , Takada Kazuko 
Published: April 2012

ABSTRACTA Gram‐negative, rod‐shaped, non‐spore forming and non‐motile bacterium, designated strain NUM 1720T, was isolated from the oral cavity of bears. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strain NUM 1720T was shown to be related to Gibbsiella quercinecans (99.4%). The gyrB and rpoB gene sequences of strain NUM 1720T showed 98.0% and 98.2% similarity with those of G. quercinecans. The DNA‐DNA hybridization value of strain NUM 1720T with G. quercinecans was 63.8%. The G + C content of the genomic DNA of the isolates was 55.0 mol%. Fatty acid analysis data supported the affiliation of strain NUM 1720T to the genus Gibbsiella. The major menaquinone and ubiquinone were MK‐8 and Q‐8, respectively. Strain NUM 1720T can be differed from G. quercinecans by the reactions to acetoin, inositol and D‐arabinose. Strain NUM 1720T therefore represents a novel species, for which the name Gibbsiella dentisursi sp. nov. is proposed, with type strain NUM 1720T (= JCM 17201T = DSM 23818T).
Safety and efficacy of icatibant self-administration for acute hereditary angioedema
Authors: Boccon-Gibod I , Bouillet L 
Published: April 2012

Summary
We evaluated the efficacy and safety of icatibant self-administration in 15 patients with hereditary angioedema (HAE) types I or III, for 55 acute attacks (mostly severe or very severe). Icatibant self-administration was generally effective: first symptom improvement occurred in 5 min–2 h (HAE type I; n = 17) and 8 min–1 h (HAE type III; n = 9) for abdominal attacks and 5–30 min (HAE type I; n = 4) and 10 min–12 h (HAE type III; n = 6) for laryngeal attacks. Complete symptom resolution occurred in 15 min–19 h (HAE type I; n = 8) and 15 min–48 h (HAE type III; n = 9) for abdominal attacks and 5–48 h (HAE type I; n = 3) and 8–48 h (HAE type III; n = 5) for laryngeal attacks. No patient required emergency hospitalization. The only adverse events were mild, spontaneously resolving injection site reactions. Patients reported that carrying icatibant with them gave them greater confidence in managing their condition.
Foraging guild membership explains variation in waterbird responses to the hydrological regime of an arid‐region flood‐pulse river in Namibia
Authors: CUMMING GRAEME S. , PAXTON MARK , KING JACKIE , BEUSTER HANS 
Published: April 2012

Summary1. Little is known about hydrological influences on tropical waterbird communities. We used a 16‐year data set (1991–2007) of waterbird censuses, together with a classification of observed species into foraging guilds, to explore the relationships between natural variations in flow regime, foraging guild and the community composition of waterbirds at the Okavango River in the Caprivi Strip of north‐eastern Namibia, southern Africa.2. We addressed three hypotheses to explain variation in waterbird community composition: (i) exploitation (birds move towards resource‐rich patches to exploit periods of high food abundance); (ii) escapism (declines in regional habitat quality force birds to aggregate in perennial waterbodies); and (iii) interaction (bird assemblages are dominated by intra‐ and interspecific interactions, such as flock formation for breeding or moulting, that can be explained better by life history demands or competition than by resource availability).3. Waterbirds in different foraging guilds responded strongly but at different periods to changes in the hydrological environment, creating a complex but predictable successional pattern in community composition through time. Deep‐water feeders responded fastest (abundance peaking 2 months post‐flood), followed by shallow‐water feeders (4 months) and emergent vegetation feeders (7 months). Species that forage on short vegetation or in mud showed a bimodal response with peaks in abundance at 3 and 8 months post‐flood.4. Our results indicated a strong effect of the local flow regime and hence supported the exploitation hypothesis. The foraging guild approach allowed us to identify clear patterns in a highly complex ecosystem and shows considerable promise as an analytical tool for similar data sets. Our results further suggest that while the entire bird community will be affected by hydrological alterations such as impoundments, water extraction and climate change, deep‐water feeders may be one of the most vulnerable groups.
Floral classification of Yucatan Peninsula honeys by PCA & HS‐SPME/GC–MS of volatile compounds
Authors: Cuevas‐Glory Luis , Ortiz‐Vázquez Elizabeth , Pino Jorge A. , Sauri‐Duch Enrique 
Published: April 2012

SummaryIn the current work, we focus on the application of principal component analysis (PCA) to differentiate the floral origin of three types of honeys of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico [Tahonal (Viguiera dentata Blake, var. heliantoides), Dzidzilché (Gymnopodium floribundum Rolfen) and Haabín (Piscidia piscipula L.)], by using the volatile compounds of the honey obtained by HS‐SPME/GC–MS with PDMS/DVB fibres. About 70 peaks were detected in each honey sample, many of them were found with similar retention times in the analysed honeys. The PCA with three factors (nearly 68% of the total variance) discriminates between the three types of honeys, which leads us to conclude that it is possible to successfully differentiate samples from different unifloral honeys according to their volatile composition.
The missing link in coenzyme A biosynthesis: PanM (formerly YhhK), a yeast GCN5 acetyltransferase homologue triggers aspartate decarboxylase (PanD) maturation in Salmonella enterica
Authors: Stuecker Tara N. , Hodge Kelsey M. , Escalante‐Semerena Jorge C. 
Published: April 2012

SummaryCoenzyme A (CoA) is an essential cofactor for all forms of life. The biochemistry underpinning the assembly of CoA in Escherichia coli and other enterobacteria is well understood, except for the events leading to maturation of the L‐aspartate‐α‐decarboxylase (PanD) enzyme that converts pantothenate to β‐alanine. PanD is synthesized as pro‐PanD, which undergoes an auto‐proteolytic cleavage at residue Ser25 to yield the catalytic pyruvoyl moiety of the enzyme. Since 1990, it has been known that E. coli yhhK strains are pantothenate auxotrophs, but the role of YhhK in pantothenate biosynthesis remained an enigma. Here we show that Salmonella enterica yhhK strains are also pantothenate auxotrophs. In vivo and in vitro evidence shows that YhhK interacts directly with PanD, and that such interactions accelerate pro‐PanD maturation. We also show that S. enterica yhhK strains accumulate pro‐PanD, and that not all pro‐PanD proteins require YhhK for maturation. For example, the Corynebacterium glutamicum panD+ gene corrected the pantothenate auxotrophy of a S. enterica yhhK strain, supporting in vitro evidence obtained by others that some pro‐PanD proteins autocleave at faster rates. We propose the name PanM for YhhK to reflect its role as a trigger of pro‐PanD maturation by stabilizing pro‐PanD in an autocleavage‐prone conformation.