bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Epistasis and the evolutionary dynamics of measured genotypic values during simulated serial bottlenecks
Authors: JARVIS J. P. , CHEVERUD J. M. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe evolutionary effects of epistasis have been primarily explored analytically and most empirical studies have utilized yeast, viral and bacterial populations. Empirical analyses in multi‐cellular organisms are rare because of experimental constraints. Here, we report the results of a genome‐wide scan for two‐way epistasis in 16 traits related to body size and composition in F2 mice from the LG/J by SM/J intercross. We analyze two‐locus genotypic values at quantitative trait loci (QTL), which provides an especially detailed view of epistatic architectures, to evaluate their predicted evolutionary consequences via Monte Carlo simulations. Epistatic profiles vary, but all traits show complicated genetic architectures which are largely hidden in single locus QTL scans. On average, detected epistatic effects are comparable in size to marginal effects. Simulations demonstrate an expected preservation, and often inflation, of heritable variance across several generations of small effective population size for many identified epistatic pairs over a range of starting allele frequencies.
Microbial colonisation of artificial and deep‐sea sediments in the Arctic Ocean
Authors: Kanzog Corinna , Ramette Alban 
Published: June 2009

AbstractAlthough environmental factors such as grain size and organic carbon content may influence the distribution of microbes in marine sediments, there has been little experimental study of the topic to date. To investigate how those sediment variables affect microbial colonisation under in situ conditions, deep‐sea sediments and artificial sediments (glass beads, sands) were incubated in the Arctic deep sea at 2500 m water depth with or without chitin, one of the most important carbon polymers in marine environments. Microbial abundance, biomass, chitobiase activity and changes in community structure were monitored after 7 days and 1 year. In control sediments without chitin addition, no significant changes in microbial abundance, biomass and activity were observed after 1 year. In the presence of chitin, however, considerable increases in these parameters were recorded in all three sediment types tested. Regardless of chitin addition, natural deep‐sea sediments were always associated with higher values of microbial abundance, biomass and activity compared with artificial sediments. Sediment type was always found to be the most significant factor explaining variation in enzymatic activity and bacterial community structure as compared to the effects of chitin amount, incubation time, and changes in cell number or biomass. Overall, this is the first in situ study that has addressed the effects of multiple factors and their interactions on abundance, biomass, activity and community structure of microbial communities in the deep Arctic Ocean.
Meta‐analysis of physiological effects of skin‐to‐skin contact for newborns and mothers
Authors: Mori Rintaro , Khanna Rajesh , Pledge Debbie , Nakayama Takeo 
Published: June 2009

AbstractBackground:  Skin‐to‐skin care has been adopted all over the world, although physiological changes during or after it have not been evaluated very well. The purpose of the present study was therefore to investigate whether skin‐to‐skin contact for newborn babies and their mothers affects body temperature, heart rate and oxygen saturation of the babies.Methods:  Studies investigating body temperature, heart rate and oxygen saturation of babies during and/or after skin‐to‐skin contact were systematically searched and reviewed. Meta‐analyses to examine the effects and meta‐regression analyses to investigate correlations between the effects and birthweight, duration of the care, environmental temperature, and resources of the setting, were conducted.Results:  A total of 23 studies were included. Meta‐analyses showed evidence of an increase in body temperature (weighted mean difference [WMD] 0.22°C, P < 0.001) and a decrease in saturation of babies (WMD −0.60%; P= 0.01) during skin‐to‐skin care, compared with those before skin‐to‐skin care. Increase in body temperature was more evident in middle–low‐income settings (WMD, 0.61°C, P < 0.001) than high‐income settings (WMD 0.20°C, P < 0.001). Both the positive effect on body temperature and the negative effect on saturation were more marked in cold environments than where the environmental temperature was higher (WMD 0.18°C, P < 0.001; WMD −0.82%, P= 0.02).Conclusion:  Skin‐to‐skin care is effective in increasing the body temperature of babies, especially where resources are limited and the environment is cold. Decreased oxygen saturation of the babies, however, warrants further prospective studies to confirm the findings.
Matrix composition and community structure analysis of a novel bacterial pyrite leaching community
Authors: Ziegler Sibylle , Ackermann Sonia , Majzlan Juraj , Gescher Johannes 
Published: June 2009

SummaryHere we describe a novel bacterial community that is embedded in a matrix of carbohydrates and bio/geochemical products of pyrite (FeS2) oxidation. This community grows in stalactite‐like structures – snottites – on the ceiling of an abandoned pyrite mine at pH values of 2.2–2.6. The aqueous phase in the matrix contains 200 mM of sulfate and total iron concentrations of 60 mM. Micro‐X‐ray diffraction analysis showed that jarosite [(K,Na,H3O)Fe3(SO4)2(OH)6] is the major mineral embedded in the snottites. X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure experiments revealed three different sulfur species. The major signal can be ascribed to sulfate, and the other two features may correspond to thiols and sulfoxides. Arabinose was detected as the major sugar component in the extracellular polymeric substance. Via restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, a community was found that mainly consists of iron oxidizing Leptospirillum and Ferrovum species but also of bacteria that could be involved in dissimilatory sulfate and dissimilatory iron reduction. Each snottite can be regarded as a complex, self‐contained consortium of bacterial species fuelled by the decomposition of pyrite.
Synergistic effect of the human GLP‐1 analogue liraglutide and a dual PPARα/γ agonist on glycaemic control in Zucker diabetic fatty rats
Authors: Brand C. L. , Galsgaard E. D. , Tornehave D. , Rømer J. , Gotfredsen C. F. , Wassermann K. , Knudsen L. B. , Vølund A. , Sturis J. 
Published: June 2009

Aim/Hypothesis:  Combination therapies are increasingly common in the clinical management of type 2 diabetes. We investigated to what extent combined treatment with the human glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) analogue liraglutide and the dual PPARα/γ agonist ragaglitazar would improve glycaemic control in overtly diabetic Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats.Methods:  Ninety overtly diabetic male ZDF rats were stratified into groups with matched haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (9.0 ± 0.1%). Liraglutide (15 and 50 μg/kg subcutaneously twice daily), ragaglitazar (1 and 3 mg/kg perorally once daily) and their vehicles were studied as monotherapy and in combination in a 3 × 3 factorial design.Results:  After 4‐week treatment, synergistic effects on HbA1c, non‐fasting morning blood glucose (BG) and/or 24‐h BG profiles were observed with three of the four combinations. The relationship between plasma insulin and BG in combination‐treated animals approached that of historical lean ZDF rats representing normal glucose homeostasis, suggesting that insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity were markedly improved. Increased insulin immunostaining in islets further supports the improved beta‐cell function and/or insulin sensitivity in combination‐treated animals. The synergistic effect on glycaemic control was found without a similar synergistic increase in beta‐cell mass in the combination groups.Conclusions/Interpretation:  Our data demonstrate that combination treatment with a human GLP‐1 analogue and a dual PPARα/γ agonist through distinct mechanism of actions synergistically improves glycaemic control in the ZDF rat.
Organisational Justice and Citizenship Behaviors: A Study in the Portuguese Cultural Context
Authors: Rego Arménio , Cunha Miguel Pina e 
Published: June 2009

Theoretical and empirical evidence suggests that justice and organisational citizenship behaviors (OCB), as well as the relationship between them, are not culture free. However, most studies have been carried out in parts of Asia and Northern Europe, and especially in the USA, shedding little understanding on the dynamics of justice and OCB in less‐studied contexts. We show how four dimensions of organisational justice predict four dimensions of OCB in an under‐studied context—Portugal, a feminine, collectivistic, high power distance and low performance‐oriented culture—a profile that is antipodal to that of US culture. A sample of 269 employees reported their justice perceptions, their OCBs being described by supervisors. The findings suggest that: (a) employees are more sensitive to the interactional dimensions of justice than to the procedural and distributive ones; (b) among the interactional dimensions, the interpersonal one is more predictive of some OCB dimensions than the informational one.Des données théoriques et empiriques suggèrent que la justice et les comportements de citoyenneté organisationnelle (OCB), tout comme la relation entre eux, ne sont pas sans base culturelle. Toutefois, la plupart des études ont été menées dans certaines parties de l’Asie, de l’Europe du Nord, et plus particulièrement aux USA, ce qui restreint la compréhension des dynamiques de la justice et des OCB qui peuvent être appréhendés dans d’autres contextes. Nous montrons comment 4 dimensions de la justice organisationnelle prédisent 4 dimensions des OCB dans un contexte peu étudié—le Portugal, une culture féminine, orientée vers la collectivité, avec une forte distance au pouvoir et de faibles performances—, un profil aux antipodes de la culture américaine. Chacun des 269 employés de l’échantillon indique ses perceptions de la justice, ses OCB ont été décrits par ses supérieurs. Les résultats montrent que (a) les employés sont plus sensibles aux dimensions interactionnelles de la justice qu’à celles procédurales et distributives (b) parmi les dimensions interactionnelles, l’interpersonnelle est plus prédictive de certaines dimensions des OCB plutôt que l’informationnelle.
Inequality for Wage Earners and Self‐Employed: Evidence from Panel Data*
Authors: Albarran Pedro , Carrasco Raquel , Martinez‐Granado Maite 
Published: June 2009

AbstractIn this paper we highlight the importance of analysing the evolution of income inequality separately for employees and self‐employed workers. Using Spanish panel data on income and consumption for the period 1987–96, we find noticeable differences across these groups in the evolution of income inequality, and in the relative importance of the transitory and permanent components of income variance. The evolution of inequality is mainly explained by movements in the transitory component for the self‐employed and by the permanent component for the employees. Our results suggest that different policies should be implemented for each group.
Why a Victim's Age is Irrelevant When Assessing the Wrongness of Killing
Authors: COHEN DANIEL , LUCK MORGAN 
Published: June 2009

abstractIntuitively, all killings are equally wrong, no matter how old one's victim. In this paper we defend this claim — The Equal Wrongness of Killings Thesis — against a challenge presented by Kasper Lippert‐Rasmussen. Lippert‐Rasmussen shows The Equal Wrongness of Killings Thesis to be incompatible with two further theses: The Unequal Wrongness of Renderings Unconscious Thesis and The Equivalence Thesis. Lippert‐Rasmussen argues that, of the three, The Equal Wrongness of Killings Thesis is the least defensible. He suggests that the most convincing considerations apparently in favour of the Equal Wrongness thesis may be satisfied just as well if we adopt an alternative principle, a ‘Prioritarian View’ about the wrongness of killing. We argue that The Prioritarian View does not resolve the trilemma: it too is inconsistent with the other two theses. Instead, we argue, the most plausible resolution of the trilemma involves a rejection, rather, of The Unequal Wrongness of Renderings Unconscious Thesis. In its place, we offer an attractive principle that is compatible with both The Equal Wrongness of Killings Thesis as well as The Equivalence Thesis.
Avian eggshell thickness: scaling and maximum body mass in birds
Authors: Birchard G. F. , Deeming D. C. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe avian eggshell represents a highly evolved structure adapted to the physiological requirements of the embryo and the potential fracturing forces it is exposed to during incubation. Given its many roles, it is not surprising that the eggshell is also central to the current hypothesis about maximum avian body mass. Eggshell thickness (L) and strength has historically been scaled as a function of initial egg mass (IEM). However, maximum incubator mass (IM) is likely a better indicator of the forces the shell must be selected to withstand during incubation. We compare the results of analyses ofL2(an indicator of shell strength) as a function of IEM and IM. We conclude from IM scaling that megapode and kiwi eggshells are not thin but rather are thicker than expected and in general birds with a clutch size of 1 have thicker shells, and further, that reversed sexual dimorphism in the large, particularly extinct birds may be a strategy to avoid shell breakage during incubation of the largest eggs without creating a shell so thick as to inhibit hatching.
The University of Plymouth Sexual Health SIM experience in Second Life®: evaluation and reflections after 1 year
Authors: Kamel Boulos Maged N. , Toth‐Cohen Susan 
Published: June 2009

AbstractBackground and objectives:  Virtual environments such as Second Life are increasingly used as venues for public health education. This paper reports an evaluation of a sexual health project in Second Life, designed to provide education about sexually transmitted infections, prevention of unintended pregnancy and promotion of equalitarian sexual relationships.Methods:  The University of Plymouth Sexual Health SIM provides a wide variety of educational experiences, including opportunities to test knowledge of sexual health through quizzes and games, web resources integrated within the virtual context and live seminars on sexual health topics. Primary methods of evaluation consisted of a survey (n = 135) and traffic statistics on the virtual programme.Results:  Evaluation results indicated that the Sexual Health SIM was positively viewed by its audience and fostered development of a vibrant virtual community.Conclusions:  While these results are promising, it is important to keep in mind the many challenges of delivering and evaluating the impact of educational programmes within 3‐D virtual environments.
State Power, Private Plots and the Greening of Havana's Urban Agriculture Movement
Authors: PREMAT ADRIANA 
Published: June 2009

AbstractDrawing on ethnographic research conducted over a decade from 1997 to 2007 in Havana, Cuba, this paper applies Henri Lefebvre's insights on the social production of space to the processes involved in the creation of officially‐sanctioned sustainable urban agriculture sites. Without denying the important function of the state in these processes, this paper highlights the significant role played by a range of non‐state actors, and interests, largely left out from most scholarly accounts of Cuba's recent agricultural developments. In this manner, the paper offers a more refined understanding of the influence and the limits of the Cuban state at the current historical juncture.
Immediate efficacy of diode laser application in the treatment of dentine hypersensitivity in periodontal maintenance patients: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Sicilia Alberto , Cuesta‐Frechoso Susana , Suárez Alfonso , Angulo Jorge , Pordomingo Armando , De Juan Pablo 
Published: June 2009

AbstractBackground: To evaluate the immediate efficacy in the reduction of dentine hypersensitivity (DH) when applying an 810 nm diode laser (DL), and a 10% potassium nitrate bioadhesive gel (NK10%).Material and Methods: Forty‐five consecutive periodontal maintenance patients of both sexes, with a DH≥2 on the verbal rating scale (VRS) in one or more teeth, were randomly allocated into three equal groups: 15 patients received DL and placebo gel; 15 patients were tested with a placebo laser and NK10%; and the remaining 15 received a placebo laser and placebo gel. The DH was evaluated at the start of the study, 15 and 30 min. after the laser application, and on days 2, 4, 7, 14, 30 and 60 by a blind examiner.Results: After 15 min., observations showed a reduction in DH after an evaporative stimulus (ES) of 36.9% (0.86), three times greater than that of the control group (0.23) (p=0.008). After 14 days, this effect was even greater [DL 71.7% (1.67)/NK10% 36.3% (1.73)/control 28.1% (0.73); p=0.004], and lasted until day 60 [65.7% (1.53)/30.4% (0.73)/25.8% (0.67); p=0.01].Conclusions: The DL and NK10% gel were proven effective in the treatment of DH. A significantly greater immediate response was observed with DL.
Optical transfer diagnosis of pigmented lesions: a pilot study
Authors: Swanson David L. , Laman Susan D. , Biryulina Marina , Nielsen Kristian P. , Ryzhikov Gennady , Stamnes Jakob J. , Hamre Borge , Zhao Lu , Castellana Frank S. , Stamnes Knut 
Published: June 2009

Objective: To evaluate the potential of a novel imaging technology, optical transfer diagnosis (OTD), for differentiation of benign from malignant pigmented melanocytic lesions.Design: Patients with pigmented lesions suspicious for melanoma were referred for OTD. After scanning, lesions were biopsied for histopathologic examination, each by two separate dermatopathologists. To create morphologic–physiologic maps, the imaging system used the morphologic and physiologic parameters derived from prediction models of light absorption and scattering by chromophores such as hemoglobin, keratin, and melanin at different epidermal and dermal depths. The relative entropies were analyzed for output prediction of malignancy vs. nonmalignancy.Setting: General dermatology clinic in a tertiary care academic medical center.Patients: Fifty patients with suspected melanoma.Intervention: OTD of pigmented lesions suspicious for melanoma, followed by biopsies for histopathologic examination.Main outcome measures: Histopathologic confirmation of malignant lesions identified by OTD as melanoma.Results: Sixty‐three pigmented suspicious lesions were scanned before being biopsied for histopathologic examination by the two dermatopathologists. Of the 63 lesions, five were identified as melanoma and 58 were found to be benign (including three seborrheic keratoses and 55 melanocytic nevi). OTD was able to identify the malignant lesions with 100% sensitivity and 94.8–96.6% specificity.Conclusions: Further study is indicated, but this technology is a promising adjunct to clinical skin cancer screening. Additionally, if the physiologic prediction models can be validated, OTD may facilitate the noninvasive study of some aspects of cutaneous physiology.
Microsatellite markers for the Common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) and their amplification in other Pseudocheirids
Authors: LANCASTER MELANIE L. , COOPER STEVEN J. B. , CARTHEW SUE , TAYLOR ANDREA 
Published: June 2009

AbstractEleven microsatellite markers were developed for the Common ringtail possum, an arboreal marsupial abundant in fragmented forests of south‐eastern Australia. Loci were highly polymorphic (4–32 alleles per locus) and heterozygosity ranged from 0.66 to 1. Two loci deviated significantly from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium proportions, possibly because of low‐frequency null alleles. These markers will be informative for examining patterns of gene flow, relatedness and mating systems within fragmented populations of the Common ringtail possum and have potential for use in other Pseudocheirids.
genhet: an easy‐to‐use R function to estimate individual heterozygosity
Authors: COULON A. 
Published: June 2009

Abstract genhet is an R function which calculates the five most used estimates of individual heterozygosity. The advantage of this program is that it can be applied to any diploid genotype dataset, without any limitation in the number of individuals, loci or alleles. Its detailed manual should allow people who have never used R before to make the function work quite easily. The program is freely available at http://www.aureliecoulon.net/research/ac‐computer‐programs.html.
The global methane cycle: recent advances in understanding the microbial processes involved
Authors: Conrad Ralf 
Published: June 2009

SummaryThe global budget of atmospheric CH4, which is on the order of 500–600 Tg CH4 per year, is mainly the result of environmental microbial processes, such as archaeal methanogenesis in wetlands, rice fields, ruminant and termite digestive systems and of microbial methane oxidation under anoxic and oxic conditions. This review highlights recent progress in the research of anaerobic CH4 oxidation, of CH4 production in the plant rhizosphere, of CH4 serving as substrate for the aquatic trophic food chain and the discovery of novel aerobic methanotrophs. It also emphasizes progress and deficiencies in our knowledge of microbial utilization of low atmospheric CH4 concentrations in soil, CH4 production in the plant canopy, intestinal methanogenesis and CH4 production in pelagic water.
Changing Epidemiology of
Streptococcus pyogenes emm
Types and Associated Invasive and Noninvasive Infections in Southern Taiwan
Authors: Su Yu-Fang , Wang Shih-Min , Lin Ya-Lan , Chuang Woei-Jer , Lin Yee-Shin , Wu Jiunn-Jong , Lin Ming T. , Liu Ching-Chuan 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACT

A total of 242 isolates were recovered from 76 patients with invasive diseases, 89 with scarlet fever, and 77 with pharyngitis. The most frequent
emm
types were types 12 (43.4%), 4 (18.2%), and 1 (16.9%).
emm
12 reemerged in 2005 and peaked in 2007.
emm
11 was recovered only from patients with invasive disease.
Role of Cholesterol Pathways in Norovirus Replication
Authors: Chang Kyeong-Ok 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACT

Norwalk virus (NV) is a prototype strain of the noroviruses (family
Caliciviridae
) that have emerged as major causes of acute gastroenteritis worldwide. I have developed NV replicon systems using reporter proteins such as a neomycin-resistant protein (NV replicon-bearing cells) and a green fluorescent protein (pNV-GFP) and demonstrated that these systems were excellent tools to study virus replication in cell culture. In the present study, I first performed DNA microarray analysis of the replicon-bearing cells to identify cellular factors associated with NV replication. The analysis demonstrated that genes in lipid (cholesterol) or carbohydrate metabolic pathways were significantly (
P
< 0.001) changed by the gene ontology analysis. Among genes in the cholesterol pathways, I found that mRNA levels of hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) synthase, squalene epoxidase, and acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT), ACAT2, small heterodimer partner, and low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR)-related proteins were significantly changed in the cells. I also found that the inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis using statins (an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor) significantly increased the levels of NV proteins and RNA, whereas inhibitors of ACAT significantly reduced the replication of NV in replicon-bearing cells. Up- or downregulation of virus replication with these agents significantly correlated with the mRNA level of LDLR in replicon-bearing cells. Finally, I found that the expression of LDLR promoted NV replication in
trans
by transfection study with pNV-GFP. I conclude that the cholesterol pathways such as LDLR expression and ACAT activity may be crucial in the replication of noroviruses in cells, which may provide potential therapeutic targets for viral infection.