bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The evolution of social discounting in hierarchically clustered populations
Authors: LEHMANN LAURENT , ROUSSET FRANÇOIS 
Published: September 2011

AbstractThe expression of a social behaviour may affect the fitness of actors and recipients living in the present and in the future of the population. When there is a risk that a future reward will not be experienced in such a context, the value of that reward should be discounted; but by how much? Here, we evaluate social discount rates for delayed fitness rewards to group of recipients living at different positions in both space and time than the actor in a hierarchically clustered population. This is a population where individuals are grouped into families, families into villages, villages into clans, and so on, possibly ad infinitum. The group‐wide fitness effects are assumed to either increase or decrease the fecundity or the survival of recipients and can be arbitrarily extended in space and time. We find that actions changing the survival of individuals living in the future are generally more strongly discounted than fecundity‐changing actions for all future times and that the value of future rewards increases as individuals live longer. We also find that delayed fitness effects may not only be discounted by a constant factor per unit delay (exponential discounting), but that, as soon as there is localized dispersal in a population, discounting per unit delay is likely to fall rapidly for small delays and then slowly for longer delays (hyperbolic discounting). As dispersal tends to be localized in natural populations, our results suggest that evolution is likely to favour individuals that express present‐biased behaviours and that may be time‐inconsistent with respect to their group‐wide effects.
Society, demography and genetic structure in the spotted hyena
Authors: HOLEKAMP KAY E. , SMITH JENNIFER E. , STRELIOFF CHRISTOPHER C. , VAN HORN RUSSELL C. , WATTS HEATHER E. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractSpotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) are large mammalian carnivores, but their societies, called ‘clans’, resemble those of such cercopithecine primates as baboons and macaques with respect to their size, hierarchical structure, and frequency of social interaction among both kin and unrelated group‐mates. However, in contrast to cercopithecine primates, spotted hyenas regularly hunt antelope and compete with group‐mates for access to kills, which are extremely rich food sources, but also rare and ephemeral. This unique occurrence of baboon‐like sociality among top‐level predators has favoured the evolution of many unusual traits in this species. We briefly review the relevant socio‐ecology of spotted hyenas, document great demographic variation but little variation in social structure across the species’ range, and describe the long‐term fitness consequences of rank‐related variation in resource access among clan‐mates. We then summarize patterns of genetic relatedness within and between clans, including some from a population that had recently gone through a population bottleneck, and consider the roles of sexually dimorphic dispersal and female mate choice in the generation of these patterns. Finally, we apply social network theory under varying regimes of resource availability to analyse the effects of kinship on the stability of social relationships among members of one large hyena clan in Kenya. Although social bonds among both kin and non‐kin are weakest when resource competition is most intense, hyenas sustain strong social relationships with kin year‐round, despite constraints imposed by resource limitation. Our analyses suggest that selection might act on both individuals and matrilineal kin groups within clans containing multiple matrilines.
Preferential activation of the vagal nodose nociceptive subtype by TRPA1 agonists in the guinea pig esophagus
Authors: Brozmanova M. , Ru F. , Surdenikova L. , Mazurova L. , Taylor‐Clark T. , Kollarik M. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractBackground  The TRPA1 receptor is directly activated by a wide range of chemicals including many endogenous molecules relevant for esophageal pathophysiology. We addressed the hypothesis that the TRPA1 agonists differentially activate esophageal nociceptive subtypes depending on their embryological source (neural crest or epibranchial placodes).Methods  Single cell RT‐PCR and whole cell patch clamp recordings were performed on the vagal neurons retrogradely labeled from the guinea pig esophagus. Extracellular recordings were made in the isolated innervated esophagus preparation ex vivo.Key Results  Single cell RT‐PCR revealed that the majority of the nodose (placodes‐derived) and jugular (neural crest‐derived) TRPV1‐positive esophageal nociceptors express TRPA1. Single fiber recording showed that the TRPA1 agonists allyl‐isothiocyanate (AITC) and cinnamaldehyde were effective in inducing robust action potential discharge in the nerve terminals of nodose nociceptors, but had far less effect in jugular nociceptors (approximately fivefold less). Higher efficacy of the TRPA1 agonists to activate nodose nociceptors was confirmed in the isolated esophagus‐labeled vagal neurons in the whole cell patch clamp studies. Similarly to neural crest‐derived vagal jugular nociceptors, the spinal DRG nociceptors that are also neural crest‐derived were only modestly activated by allyl‐isothiocyanate.Conclusions & Inferences  We conclude that the TRPA1 agonists are substantially more effective activators of the placodes‐derived than the neural crest‐derived esophageal nociceptors. Our data predict that in esophageal diseases the presence of endogenous TRPA1 activators will be preferentially signaled by the vagal nodose nociceptors.
Mother to Child Transfer of IgG and IgA Antibodies Against Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus
Authors: Macchiaverni P. , Arslanian C. , Frazão J. B. , Palmeira P. , Russo M. , Verhasselt V. , Condino‐Neto A. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractThere is strong evidence from animal models that placental and/or breast milk‐mediated transfer of maternal allergen‐specific IgG prevents allergic immune responses in the progeny. Both human and animal data also point to IgA as having an important regulatory role. In contrast, little is known about maternal transfer of IgG and IgA specific for respiratory allergens in humans. Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p) is an indoor allergen that is a major cause of asthma worldwide. We analysed maternal to child Der p‐specific IgG and IgA transfer in a cohort of 77 paired maternal and child samples. We found Der p‐specific IgG and its IgG1, IgG2 and IgG4 subclasses in all cord blood samples. Except for IgG1, cord levels were higher in newborns from atopic mothers (n = 29) compared to non‐atopic mothers (n = 48). Der p‐specific IgA was found in all colostrum samples and levels were independent of maternal atopic status. Notably, anti‐Der p IgG was also found in colostrum and levels were higher in atopic mothers. We believe that our work is a critical first step in the identification of early factors that may impact asthma development and should guide the development of clinical studies that assess whether Der p‐specific IgG and IgA protect children from allergy as demonstrated in animal models.
Precursory small earthquake migration patterns
Authors: Wu Yi‐Hsuan , Chen Chien‐chih , Rundle John B. 
Published: September 2011

Terra Nova, 23, 369–374, 2011AbstractSeismic precursors revealed by statistical physics methods are important for earthquake forecasting and helpful for understanding fault behaviour. One of the precursors, earthquake migration, has been observed in simulated models and rock experiments, as well as anecdotal observations for large earthquakes along major fault zones. However, there has been no systematic methodology for investigating earthquake migration in nature, and only a small number of studies have observed earthquake migration at large scales. In this work, we show that migration of small earthquakes towards the epicentre before large earthquakes can be visualized. We present a method for detecting small earthquake migration in the spatiotemporal domain, and retrospectively apply it to two recent examples of major earthquakes in Taiwan. We observe that anomalous seismicity occurs increasingly close to the epicentre as the occurrence time is approached. At that point, the bulk of the seismicity concentrates on the epicentre, accumulating stress on the rupture zone and leading to the full rupture. Our findings imply a new type of large‐scale pre‐seismic earthquake migration pattern that is complementary to the well‐studied patterns of source‐region activation and quiescence.
Overexpression of Arabidopsis thaliana PTEN caused accumulation of autophagic bodies in pollen tubes by disrupting phosphatidylinositol 3‐phosphate dynamics
Authors: Zhang Yan , Li Sha , Zhou Liang‐Zi , Fox Emily , Pao James , Sun Wei , Zhou Chao , McCormick Sheila 
Published: September 2011

SummaryAutophagy is a pathway in eukaryotes by which nutrient remobilization occurs through bulk protein and organelle turnover. Autophagy not only aides cells in coping with harsh environments but also plays a key role in many physiological processes that include pollen germination and tube growth. Most autophagic components are conserved among eukaryotes, but phylum‐specific molecular components also exist. We show here that Arabidopsis thaliana PTEN, a protein and lipid dual phosphatase homologous to animal PTENs (phosphatase and tensin homologs deleted on chromosome 10), regulates autophagy in pollen tubes by disrupting the dynamics of phosphatidylinositol 3‐phosphate (PI3P). The pollen‐specific PTEN bound PI3P in vitro and was localized at PI3P‐positive vesicles. Overexpression of PTEN caused accumulation of autophagic bodies and resulted in gametophytic male sterility. Such an overexpression effect was dependent upon its lipid phosphatase activity and was inhibited by exogenous PI3P or by expression of a class III phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K) that produced PI3P. Overexpression of PTEN disrupted the dynamics of autophagosomes and a subpopulation of endosomes, as shown by altered localization patterns of respective fluorescent markers. Treatment with wortmannin, an inhibitor of class III PI3K, mimicked the effects by PTEN overexpression, which implied a critical role for PI3P dynamics in these processes. Despite sharing evolutionarily conserved catalytic domains, plant PTENs contain regulatory sequences that are distinct from those of animal PTENs, which might underlie their differing membrane association and thereby function. Our results show that PTEN regulates autophagy through phylum‐specific molecular mechanisms.
Arabidopsis DRB4 protein in antiviral defense against Turnip yellow mosaic virus infection
Authors: Jakubiec Anna , Yang Seong Wook , Chua Nam‐Hai 
Published: September 2011

SummaryRNA silencing is an important antiviral mechanism in diverse eukaryotic organisms. In Arabidopsis DICER‐LIKE 4 (DCL4) is the primary antiviral Dicer, required for the production of viral small RNAs from positive‐strand RNA viruses. Here, we showed that DCL4 and its interacting partner dsRNA‐binding protein 4 (DRB4) participate in the antiviral response to Turnip yellow mosaic virus (TYMV), and that both proteins are required for TYMV‐derived small RNA production. In addition, our results indicate that DRB4 has a negative effect on viral coat protein accumulation. Upon infection DRB4 expression was induced and DRB4 protein was recruited from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, where replication and translation of viral RNA occur. DRB4 was associated with viral RNA in vivo and directly interacted in vitro with a TYMV RNA translational enhancer, raising the possibility that DRB4 might repress viral RNA translation. In plants the role of RNA silencing in viral RNA degradation is well established, but its potential function in the regulation of viral protein levels has not yet been explored. We observed that severe infection symptoms are not necessarily correlated with enhanced viral RNA levels, but might be caused by elevated accumulation of viral proteins. Our findings suggest that the control of viral protein as well as RNA levels might be important for mounting an efficient antiviral response.
Specific delivery of AtBT1 to mitochondria complements the aberrant growth and sterility phenotype of homozygous Atbt1 Arabidopsis mutants
Authors: Bahaji Abdellatif , Muñoz Francisco José , Ovecka Miroslav , Baroja‐Fernández Edurne , Montero Manuel , Li Jun , Hidalgo Maite , Almagro Goizeder , Sesma María Teresa , Ezquer Ignacio , Pozueta‐Romero Javier 
Published: September 2011

SummaryIt has been shown that homozygous AtBT1::T‐DNA Arabidopsis mutants display an aberrant growth and sterility phenotype, and that AtBT1 is a carrier that is exclusively localized to the inner plastidial envelope and is required for export of newly synthesized adenylates into the cytosol. However, a recent demonstration that AtBT1 is localized to both plastids and mitochondria suggested that plastidic AtBT1 is not necessary for normal growth and fertility of Arabidopsis. To test this hypothesis, we produced and characterized homozygous AtBT1::T‐DNA mutants stably expressing either dually localized AtBT1 or AtBT1 specifically localized to the mitochondrial compartment. These analyses revealed that the aberrant growth and sterility phenotype of homozygous AtBT1::T‐DNA mutants was complemented when expressing both the dual‐targeted AtBT1 and AtBT1 specifically delivered to mitochondria. These data confirm that (i) plastidic AtBT1 is not strictly required for normal growth and fertility of the plant, and (ii) specific delivery of AtBT1 to mitochondria is enough to complement the aberrant growth and sterility phenotype of homozygous AtBT1::T‐DNA mutants. Furthermore, data presented here question the idea that the requirement for AtBT1 is due to its involvement in transport of newly synthesized adenylates from the plastid to the cytosol, and suggest that the protein may play as yet unidentified functions in plastids and mitochondria.
Total lymphocyte count is a good marker for HIV‐related mortality and can be used as a tool for starting HIV treatment in a resource‐limited setting
Authors: Oudenhoven Helena P. W. , Meijerink Hinta , Wisaksana Rudi , Oetojo Suryani , Indrati Agnes , van der Ven Andre J. A. M. , van Asten Henri A. G. H. , Alisjahbana Bachti , van Crevel Reinout 
Published: September 2011

SummaryObjectives  Total lymphocyte counts (TLC) may be used as an alternative for CD4 cell counts to monitor HIV infection in resource‐limited settings, where CD4 cell counts are too expensive or not available.Methods  We used prospectively collected patient data from an urban HIV clinic in Indonesia. Predictors of mortality were identified via Cox regression, and the relation between TLC and CD4 cell counts was calculated by linear regression. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to choose the cut‐off values of TLC corresponding with CD4 cell counts <200 and ≤350 cells/μl. Based on these analyses, we designed TLC‐based treatment algorithms.Results  Of 889 antiretroviral treatment (ART)‐naïve subjects included, 66% had CD4 cell counts <200 and 81% had 350 ≤ cells/μl at baseline. TLC and CD4 cell count were equally strong predictors of mortality in our population, where ART was started based on CD4 cell count criteria. The correlation coefficient (R) between TLC and √CD4 was 0.70. Optimal cut‐off values for TLC to identify patients with CD4 cell counts <200 and ≤350 cells/μl were 1500 and 1700 cells/μl, respectively. Treatment algorithms based on a combination of TLC, gender, oral thrush, anaemia and body mass index performed better in terms of predictive value than WHO staging or TLC alone. In our cohort, such an algorithm would on average have saved $14.05 per patient.Conclusion  Total lymphocyte counts is a good marker for HIV‐associated mortality. Simple algorithms including TLC can prioritize patients for HIV treatment in a resource‐limited setting, until affordable CD4 cell counts will be universally available.
Immune response after rabies vaccine in a kidney transplant recipient
Authors: Rodríguez‐Romo R. , Morales‐Buenrostro L.E. , Lecuona L. , Escalante‐Santillán N. , Velasco‐Villa A. , Kuzmin I. , Rupprecht C.E. , De‐Leo C. , Ramírez J. , Alberú J. 
Published: September 2011

R. Rodríguez‐Romo, L.E. Morales‐Buenrostro, L. Lecuona, N. Escalante‐Santillán, A. Velasco‐Villa, I. Kuzmin, C.E. Rupprecht, C. De‐Leo, J. Ramírez, J. Alberú. Immune response after rabies vaccine in a kidney transplant recipient. Transpl Infect Dis 2011: 13: 492–495. All rights reservedAbstract: A 48‐year‐old male kidney‐transplant recipient was bitten by a rabid dog. His immunosuppressive treatment consisted of cyclosporine 60 mg b.i.d., mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) 250 mg t.i.d., and prednisone 5 mg. After wound care, he received 5 doses of purified vero cell rabies vaccine on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 28, and human rabies immunoglobulin, according to international guidelines. Adequate levels of rabies virus neutralizing antibodies were observed after the administration of the third vaccine dose. However, a decrease of antibody titer was detected by day 28. Immunosuppressive medication was minimized, withdrawing MMF and reducing the dose of cyclosporine. Booster doses of the same vaccine were administered on days 38, 41, 45, 52, and 66. Adequate neutralizing antibody response was recovered during the ensuing 12 months, under reduced immunosuppression. Nineteen months after the incident, the patient remains with good graft function and is asymptomatic for rabies. It remains to be determined whether the attained immune response was either the result of the booster vaccinations or the reduction of immunosuppression alone. Nevertheless, such an outcome would have been possible only with the combined management strategy implemented.
Use of the QuantiFERON‐TB Gold interferon‐gamma release assay for screening transplant candidates: a single‐center retrospective study
Authors: Theodoropoulos N. , Lanternier F. , Rassiwala J. , McNatt G. , Preczewski L. , DeMayo E. , Stosor V. , Ison M.G. 
Published: September 2011

N. Theodoropoulos, F. Lanternier, J. Rassiwala, G. McNatt, L. Preczewski, E. DeMayo, V. Stosor, M.G. Ison. Use of the QuantiFERON‐TB Gold interferon‐gamma release assay for screening transplant candidates: a single‐center retrospective study. Transpl Infect Dis 2011. All rights reserved
Background. Tuberculosis (TB) reactivation is a rare but significant complication of organ transplantation, and screening of all transplant candidates for latent infection is recommended with either an interferon‐γ release assay (IGRA) or tuberculin skin test (TST).
Methods. After institutional review board approval, we retrospectively collected data to describe the yield of transplant candidate screening using the QuantiFERON‐TB Gold (QFT) and QuantiFERON‐TB Gold In‐Tube (QFT‐IT) assays since the institution of TB screening in 2008 and the epidemiology of all cases of post‐transplant TB in our institution since 2004.
Results. A total of 2392 patients were screened with either the QFT or QFT‐IT assay through October 2009; 245 (10.2%) tested positive and 206 (8.6%) were indeterminate. Of those with positive results, 107 (43.7%) were foreign born and most of the remainder had prior TB exposures. Of the tests performed at a reference lab, 29% were indeterminate, whereas 14% were indeterminate using our in‐house lab. The majority of indeterminate results were seen in liver transplant candidates (40.6% vs. 11.8% in non‐liver candidates). Three of 694 (0.43%) screened patients who underwent transplantation developed TB post transplant.
Conclusions. Post‐transplant TB occurs at a low rate with universal IGRA‐based candidate screening, which is comparable to studies using TST screening.
Differentiation of Populus species using chloroplast single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers – essential for comprehensible and reliable poplar breeding
Authors: Schroeder H. , Hoeltken A. M. , Fladung M. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractWithin the genus Populus several species belonging to different sections are cross‐compatible. Hence, high numbers of interspecies hybrids occur naturally and, additionally, have been artificially produced in huge breeding programmes during the last 100 years. Therefore, determination of a single poplar species, used for the production of ‘multi‐species hybrids’ is often difficult, and represents a great challenge for the use of molecular markers in species identification. Within this study, over 20 chloroplast regions, both intergenic spacers and coding regions, have been tested for their ability to differentiate different poplar species using 23 already published barcoding primer combinations and 17 newly designed primer combinations. About half of the published barcoding primers yielded amplification products, whereas the new primers designed on the basis of the total sequenced cpDNA genome of Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray yielded much higher amplification success. Intergenic spacers were found to be more variable than coding regions within the genus Populus. The highest discrimination power of Populus species was found in the combination of two intergenic spacers (trnG‐psbK, psbK‐psbl) and the coding region rpoC. In barcoding projects, the coding regions matK and rbcL are often recommended, but within the genus Populus they only show moderate variability and are not efficient in species discrimination.
Fish oil supplementation improved liver phospholipids fatty acid composition and parameters of oxidative stress in male wistar rats
Authors: Popović T. , Borozan S. , Arsić A. , Martačić J. D. , Vučić V. , Trbović A. , Mandić L. , Glibetić M. 
Published: September 2011

SummaryIn the present study, we examined the effects of fish oil supplementation in 3 months old male Wistar rats on changes in plasma and liver lipid metabolism and oxidative stress parameters. Twenty Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups of ten animals: control group and intervention group, treated for 6 weeks with fish oil capsules containing 45 mg eicosapentanoic acid and 30 mg docosahexanoic acid. After intervention, biochemical parameters in plasma [triglycerides (TG), low‐density lipoprotein (LDL), high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) and total cholesterol, urea, creatinine and uric acid], fatty acid (FAs) profile of liver phospholipids and parameters of oxidative stress in liver [activity of catalase, superoxide dismutase and paraoxonase (PON1), concentration of nitrites, lipid peroxidation (LPO), free thiol (SH) groups and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) izoenzymes were determined. Treatment with fish oil improved FAs profile of liver phospholipids, increasing n‐3 FAs and decreasing n‐6/n‐3 ratio. Significant decrease in plasma TG and LDL concentration, and increase in the level of HDL and uric acid were found in intervention group at the end of the study. Catalase activity, LPO, and nitrites concentration in liver were significantly decreased, after the supplementation, together with elevated PON1 activity. Applied treatment significantly improved plasma lipid profile, liver FAs composition and parameters of oxidative stress in male Wistar rats.