bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Body size distributions in North American freshwater fish: large‐scale factors
Authors: Griffiths David 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACTAim  To document continental‐ and regional‐scale variation in the size distributions of freshwater fish and examine some energetic, evolutionary and biogeographic explanations for these patterns.Location  North America.Methods  Regional species lists, coupled with habitat and body size information, were used to document the spatial patterns.Results  At the continental scale, riverine specialist fishes show a unimodal, right‐skewed, body size distribution whereas habitat generalist and lacustrine specialist species exhibit bimodal size distributions, with only a slight preponderance of small‐mode species. Most large‐mode species are migratory. Resident species, unlike migratory ones, show a latitudinal increase in mean size, but the size increase across all species is steeper because the importance of large migratory species increases with latitude. Size distributions change from right‐ to left‐skewed with increasing latitude. Maximum body size does not change with increasing family richness but minimum size declines and skewness increases, consistent with diversification of small species. Skewness does not vary with mean family body size.Main conclusions  Post‐glacial recolonization by large, habitat generalist, migratory species is the main determinant of latitudinal size distribution trends. There is little support for the energetic hypothesis, but the data are consistent with a negative Cope's rule.
Large‐scale transcriptome analysis in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), an orphan legume crop of the semi‐arid tropics of Asia and Africa
Authors: Hiremath Pavana J. , Farmer Andrew , Cannon Steven B. , Woodward Jimmy , Kudapa Himabindu , Tuteja Reetu , Kumar Ashish , BhanuPrakash Amindala , Mulaosmanovic Benjamin , Gujaria Neha , Krishnamurthy Laxmanan , Gaur Pooran M. , KaviKishor Polavarapu B. , Shah Trushar , Srinivasan Ramamurthy , Lohse Marc , Xiao Yongli , Town Christopher D. , Cook Douglas R. , May Gregory D. , Varshney Rajeev K. 
Published: May 2011

SummaryChickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important legume crop in the semi‐arid regions of Asia and Africa. Gains in crop productivity have been low however, particularly because of biotic and abiotic stresses. To help enhance crop productivity using molecular breeding techniques, next generation sequencing technologies such as Roche/454 and Illumina/Solexa were used to determine the sequence of most gene transcripts and to identify drought‐responsive genes and gene‐based molecular markers. A total of 103 215 tentative unique sequences (TUSs) have been produced from 435 018 Roche/454 reads and 21 491 Sanger expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Putative functions were determined for 49 437 (47.8%) of the TUSs, and gene ontology assignments were determined for 20 634 (41.7%) of the TUSs. Comparison of the chickpea TUSs with the Medicago truncatula genome assembly (Mt 3.5.1 build) resulted in 42 141 aligned TUSs with putative gene structures (including 39 281 predicted intron/splice junctions). Alignment of ∼37 million Illumina/Solexa tags generated from drought‐challenged root tissues of two chickpea genotypes against the TUSs identified 44 639 differentially expressed TUSs. The TUSs were also used to identify a diverse set of markers, including 728 simple sequence repeats (SSRs), 495 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 387 conserved orthologous sequence (COS) markers, and 2088 intron‐spanning region (ISR) markers. This resource will be useful for basic and applied research for genome analysis and crop improvement in chickpea.
Political Connections, Financing Friction, and Corporate Investment: Evidence from Chinese Listed Family Firms
Authors: Xu Nianhang , Xu Xinzhong , Yuan Qingbo 
Published: May 2011

AbstractUsing a sample of Chinese family firms from 2000 to 2007, we investigate the investment behaviour of family firms and the effects of these firms’ political connectedness on their investments in a relationship‐based economy. Consistent with previous evidence that Chinese family firms have difficulty in financing, our results demonstrate that underinvestment due to problems with asymmetric information rather than overinvestment resulting from problems of free cash flow prevails in such firms. We further find that the political connectedness of family firms can help mitigate the underinvestment problem, with the mitigation effect being more pronounced in financially constrained firms.
The role of the family in institutional long‐term care: cultural management of filial piety in China
Authors: Zhan Heying Jenny , Feng Zhanlian , Chen Zhiyu , Feng Xiaotian 
Published: May 2011

Zhan HJ, The role of the family in institutional long‐term care – cultural management of filial piety in ChinaInt J Soc Welfare 2011: 20: S121–S134 © 2011 The Author(s), International Journal of Social Welfare © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare.This study used both qualitative and quantitative data collected in Nanjing, China, from 2008 to 2009, to examine the role of the family in long‐term institutional elder care. The qualitative data reported on four separate groups of family members and their elderly parents residing in institutions. The survey included information from 140 elder care institutions (over 95% of all urban elder care institutions) in Nanjing. The quantitative data provided a background from which to understand the qualitative responses of family members obtained during the focus group discussions. The qualitative data added a contextualized understanding of the reasons for institutional placement and aspects of the families' continued involvement in long‐term care. In conclusion, Chinese families, unlike families in the West, are currently struggling to manage the cultural demands of elder care together with the usual financial, caregiving, and emotional concerns. Managing stigma has been one of the adult children's prevalent themes in the transition from familial to institutional care.
Customer retention in sports organization marketing: examining the impact of team identification and satisfaction with team performance
Authors: Gray Gordon T. , Wert‐Gray Stacia 
Published: May 2011

AbstractOver the past two decades, relationship marketing efforts have assumed a prominent role in sports organization marketing. A sports organization that successfully implements relationship marketing programmes is able to develop long‐term relationships with its fans, thus increasing the likelihood of customer retention. This study examines customer retention in sports organization marketing by considering the impact of team identification and satisfaction with team performance on four fan consumption behaviours: in‐person attendance, media‐based attendance, purchase of team merchandise and word‐of‐mouth communication related to the team. Survey data were collected from 300 fans of more than 40 professional and collegiate teams involved in seven sports. Results suggest that both team identification and satisfaction with team performance impact multiple consumption behaviours, as represented by fans' intentions to engage in future consumption. Team identification was found to have the greater impact on consumption behaviours, suggesting that a sports organization's continuing efforts to bond with its fans may provide greater benefits than efforts to improve the team's competitive performance.
Stent Treatment of Inferior Vena Cava Compression in an Ovine With a Total Artificial Heart
Authors: Tuzun Egemen , Parnis Steve , Rios Jesse , Winkler Jo Anna , Cohn William E. 
Published: May 2011

AbstractAlthough current continuous‐flow total artificial hearts (CFTAHs) are much smaller than previous models, venous kinking may still occur after device implantation, especially in smaller animals. By inserting a self‐expanding stent at the site of venous narrowing in a sheep model implanted with a CFTAH, we were able to restore the normal venous geometry and dramatically increase the CFTAH output. Because this percutaneous approach avoids the challenges associated with reoperation in these cases, it may be useful to other CFTAH investigators.
Identification of lipids that accumulate during the routine storage of prestorage leukoreduced red blood cells and cause acute lung injury
Authors: Silliman Christopher C. , Moore Ernest E. , Kelher Marguerite R. , Khan Samina Y. , Gellar Lauren , Elzi David J. 
Published: May 2011

BACKGROUND: Lipids accumulate during the storage of red blood cells (RBCs), prime neutrophils (PMNs), and have been implicated in transfusion‐related acute lung injury (TRALI). These lipids are composed of two classes: nonpolar lipids and lysophosphatidylcholines based on their retention time on separation by high‐pressure liquid chromatography. Prestorage leukoreduction significantly decreases white blood cell and platelet contamination of RBCs; therefore, it is hypothesized that prestorage leukoreduction changes the classes of lipids that accumulate during storage, and these lipids prime PMNs and induce acute lung injury (ALI) as the second event in a two‐event in vivo model.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: RBC units were divided: 50% was leukoreduced (LR‐RBCs), stored, and sampled on Day 1 and at the end of storage, Day 42. Priming activity was evaluated on isolated PMNs, and the purified lipids from Day 1 or Day 42 were used as the second event in the in vivo model.RESULTS: The plasma and lipids from RBCs and LR‐RBCs primed PMNs, and the LR‐RBC activity decreased with longer storage. Unlike RBCs, nonpolar lipids comprised the PMN‐priming activity from stored LR‐RBCs. Mass spectroscopy identified these lipids as arachidonic acid and 5‐, 12‐, and 15‐hydroxyeicsotetranoic acid. At concentrations from Day 42, but not Day 1, three of four of these lipids individually, and the mixture, primed PMNs. The mixture also caused ALI as the second event in a two‐event model of TRALI.CONCLUSION: We conclude that the nonpolar lipids that accumulate during LR‐RBC storage may represent the agents responsible for antibody‐negative TRALI.
Platelet pool inventory management: theory meets practice
Authors: de Kort Wim , Janssen Michiel , Kortbeek Nikky , Jansen Naud , van der Wal Jan , van Dijk Nico 
Published: May 2011

BACKGROUND: The shelf life of platelet concentrates (PCs) is a matter of days. Simultaneously, the demand is highly variable, shortages are not allowed, and producing too many results in outdating. Concurrently, younger PCs, implying an extended time till outdating (TTO), are preferred. Common PC inventory management relies on experience‐based order‐up‐to rules. This study aimed at minimizing outdating and shortages, while extending the TTO through a theoretical approach. It focuses on PCs processed from whole blood donations.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A combined approach of stochastic dynamic programming and simulation techniques (SDP/S), from the mathematical discipline operations research, has been implemented. This approach included the design of the dedicated software tool thrombocyte inventory management optimizer (TIMO). Based on the 2007 data, an optimal order‐up‐to rule was calculated. Outdating percentages and TTOs have been collected from August 2005 to July 2010. The resulting order‐up‐to rule has been applied and adjusted from summer 2007 onward.RESULTS: Over the study period, the results of the practical implementation showed significant improvements. The median weekly outdating percentage dropped to less than 1% and a gain in TTO of 0.48 day was reached. The results and the additional computer simulations brought confidence to the personnel to apply and adopt the “theoretical” approach and TIMO.CONCLUSION: Applying theory may help a blood bank to improve its PC inventory management and may help to identify to what extent practical limits can approach theoretical limits. The application of the theory has led to both a significant improvement and a more structured and less panic‐driven PC inventory management.
Hemolytic anemia after kidney transplantation: a prospective analysis
Authors: Achkar Ruth , Chiba Akemi K. , Zampieri‐Filho José P. , Pestana José O.M. , Bordin José O. 
Published: May 2011

BACKGROUND: Hemolysis may occur in 9% to 40% of patients after solid organ transplantation and be caused by the passenger lymphocyte syndrome (PLS).STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We have prospectively examined 217 kidney transplant recipients before (Day −1) and after (up to Days +10, +20, and +30) surgery. ABO‐identical transplant was performed in 180 (82.9%) patients, while 37 (17.1%) individuals received ABO‐compatible nonidentical grafts. Direct antiglobulin tests (DATs) were performed by tube technique (polyspecific anti‐human globulin [IgG + C3d]), positive DAT samples were further tested by gel agglutination (monospecific anti‐IgG, ‐IgM, ‐IgA, or ‐C3), and eluates were prepared from DAT‐positive red blood cells (RBCs) by the dichloromethane elution test.RESULTS: We observed that 34 of 217 (15.7%) patients developed a positive DAT up to Day +30. The percentage of patients with positive DATs was significantly higher in those having ABO‐compatible nonidentical transplants compared to those that received ABO‐identical grafts (10/37 = 27.0% vs. 24/180 = 13.3%; p = 0.037). Specific RBC antibodies (anti‐A or anti‐B) were found in only 5 of 37 (13.5%) patients having ABO‐compatible nonidentical transplants who presented with clinical hemolysis. We found only three reactive eluates from 24 patients with positive DATs who received ABO‐identical transplants but had no hemolysis.CONCLUSIONS: Our data collected prospectively demonstrated that: 1) positive DATs occurred in 15.7% of all patients up to Day +30 after a kidney transplant; 2) the DAT positivity occurred up to Day +10 in 9.7% of all transplanted patients; 3) the majority of the transplant recipients with a positive DAT had a nonreactive RBC eluate; and 4) PLS was the cause of a positive DAT in 13.5% of patients submitted to ABO‐compatible nonidentical kidney transplants.
Complement (C1q) fixing solid‐phase screening for HLA antibodies increases the availability of compatible platelet components for refractory patients
Authors: Fontaine Magali J. , Kuo Jenny , Chen Ge , Galel Susan A. , Miller Evelyn , Sequeira Flavia , Viele Maurene , Goodnough Lawrence T. , Tyan Dolly B. 
Published: May 2011

BACKGROUND: Immune refractoriness to platelet (PLT) transfusion is primarily due to HLA antibody. Patients at our institution are identified as refractory due to HLA by a Luminex‐based immunoglobulin (Ig)G–single‐antigen‐bead (SAB) assay, but in highly sensitized patients, antigen‐negative compatible donors cannot be found due to the high sensitivity of the IgG‐SAB method. We developed an assay that detects only HLA antibodies binding the first complement component (C1q). We hypothesized that the C1q‐SAB method might be more relevant than the IgG‐SAB method because the antibodies identified may activate the complement cascade causing PLT destruction.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Thirteen highly sensitized refractory patients received 177 PLT units incompatible by the IgG‐SAB method. They were retrospectively retested by the C1q‐SAB method. Calculated percent reactive antibody (CPRA) and HLA antibody specificities were compared between the two methods and corrected count increment (CCI) values were analyzed. Additionally the impact of ABO compatibility on CCI responses was evaluated.RESULTS: The mean CPRA value was significantly lower by C1q‐SAB (60%) than by IgG‐SAB (94%; p < 0.05). Patients showed significantly better CCI (10.6 × 109 ± 0.8 × 109/L) with C1q‐compatible (n = 134) than with C1q‐incompatible PLTs (n = 43) (2.5 × 109 ± 0.9 × 109/L/m2; p < 0.0001). ABO compatibility did not significantly impact the CCI values (p < 0.0001). Our results show that 75% of PLT units previously considered incompatible were actually compatible.CONCLUSION: For highly refractory patients to PLT transfusion, the C1q‐based SAB binding assay may be a better method for identifying clinically relevant HLA antibodies and selecting PLT units that will result in acceptable CCI.
Atorvastatin Inhibits Homocysteine‐Induced Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress through Activation of AMP‐Activated Protein Kinase
Authors: Jia Fang , Wu Chunfang , Chen Zhenyue , Lu Guoping 
Published: May 2011

SUMMARYAim: Accumulating evidence suggests that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress plays a fundamental role in the initiation and development of atherosclerosis. Atorvastatin is known to exert pleiotropic effects on cardiovascular system. This study was designed to examine the effect of atorvastatin on homocysteine (Hcy)‐induced activation of ER stress and the potential mechanisms regarding AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK). Methods and results: Apolipoprotein E‐deficient (apoE−/–) mice were administrated with methionine or atorvastatin and sacrificed 2 months later for plasma tests and immunohistochemical analysis. To further study the mechanisms, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were incubated with various concentrations of Hcy for 1 h, or 500 μmol/L Hcy for 1–24 h. Furthermore, we challenged HUVECs with Hcy in the presence or absence of atorvastatin, 5‐amino‐4‐imidazolecarboxamide riboside‐l‐beta‐D‐ribofuranoside (AICAR), an AMPK agonist, and AMPK‐DN that expressed a dominant‐negative mutant of AMPK. Expression levels of ER stress markers were measured by real‐time PCR and Western blot analysis. Our data revealed that atorvastatin prevented Hcy‐induced ER stress in the aortic roots of hyperhomocysteinemic mice. In vitro study showed atorvastatin suppressed Hcy‐induced ER stress in HUVECs as well. AICAR is found to have the same effect as that of atorvastatin, which could be antagonized by AMPK‐DN. Conclusions: Atorvastatin inhibits Hcy‐induced ER stress both in vitro and in vivo. The protective effect of atorvastatin against Hcy‐induced vascular injury is mediated by AMPK activation.
Reportable Animal Diseases in the United States
Authors: Allen H. 
Published: May 2011

SummaryTimely reporting of animal diseases is fundamental to the detection of emerging threats, rapid and effective outbreak response, and ultimately the health of both animals and humans. In the United States, each state has the authority to regulate reporting of diseases. While past research has reviewed reportable human diseases, the research on reportable animal diseases has assessed only veterinarian knowledge and understanding of law rather than identifying the actual statutes and regulation that exists. Therefore, this article reviewed the statutes, regulations, and online reportable animal disease lists from the 50 states and District of Columbia to describe the legal landscape of animal disease reporting. The findings suggest wide variation in state animal disease reporting requirements. Three hundred and forty distinct diseases, agents, and categories were identified, with only 15 diseases being listed by 40 or more states. States typically require reporting of animal diseases within 48 h. Substantial consideration needs to be given to the implications of these variations for rapid and effective animal and zoonotic disease detection and reporting in the United States, particularly in light of One Health initiatives and international obligations.
Temporal scaling of episodic point estimates of seed predation to long‐term predation rates
Authors: Davis Adam S. , Daedlow Daniel , Schutte Brian J. , Westerman Paula R. 
Published: May 2011

Summary1. Post‐dispersal seed predation influences plant population dynamics in many terrestrial ecosystems, including weeds in arable systems, the focus of this study. Simulation models of management effects on weed demography require estimates of long‐term seed predation as input, yet extremely rapid seed losses to predators force most measurements of weed seed predation rates to be made at a daily time‐scale.2. We compared several models for estimating , the annual proportion of weed seeds consumed by granivores, from repeated short‐term seed predation measurements. Competing models differed in duration of seed exposure to predators and weighting of short‐term predation rates by concurrent seed rain. Verification data were obtained from field studies at experimental locations in Germany and the USA in which parallel measurements of short‐ and long‐term weed seed predation were made in cereal crops.3. Robust predictions of were given by a model that exposed seeds to predators for two 48‐h predation intervals, with no weighting of predation rates by seed rain. Model performance was consistent across locations, years, weed species and predator type. Resampling indicated that high temporal sampling intensity was critical to model performance and should be prioritised over high levels of spatial replication.4. Estimates of made from our experimental data and 10 published time series of short‐term weed seed predation rates followed a normal distribution with μ = 0·52 and σ2 = 0·05. Additional work is necessary to assess applicability of the predictive model to seed predation time series from natural systems.5.
Synthesis and applications: Our results demonstrate that annual rates of weed seed predation may be reliably predicted from repeated short‐term predation measurements. Predicted values may then be used in applied demographic models. At a more fundamental level, these results indicate that weed seed predation in arable fields is an episodic process, in which newly dispersed seeds are subjected to brief, intense predation, after which they become unavailable to granivores because of burial. Future efforts at managing agroecosystems to promote weed seed predation may benefit by viewing the process as dynamic and ephemeral.
Transition towards a ‘non‐smoker’ identity following smoking cessation: An interpretative phenomenological analysis
Authors: Vangeli Eleni , West Robert 
Published: May 2011

Objective. A recent theory of motivation (PRIME theory) has proposed that the formation of a ‘non‐smoker’ identity is necessary for long‐term abstinence. This study aimed to explore how a smoker's sense of identity changes following smoking cessation.Design. This was a qualitative, semi‐structured interview study with a purposive sample of individuals who had quit smoking. An interpretative phenomenological approach was taken to elicit in‐depth accounts of the participants’ understanding of smoking, stopping, and maintaining abstinence.Methods. Ten participants who quit smoking with the support of a National Health Service (NHS) stop‐smoking service in England and were still abstinent a year later were interviewed. An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the interview transcripts was conducted. Prospective contextual detail of motivational and other variables pre‐quit were also obtained from the clinic assessment form that participants completed at the first group session.Results. A process of identity change was observed towards that of a ‘non‐smoker’, assisted initially by a transient identity of ‘team stop‐smoker’ accompanied by a sense of achievement. All participants retained a residual attraction to smoking suggesting that the process was not complete and reflecting an ‘ex‐smoker’ identity. Participants labelled themselves as non‐smokers regardless of how much transition had occurred.Conclusions. It appears useful to distinguish two levels of ‘non‐smoker’ identity: a surface level comprising the simple label and a deep level made up of often conflicting thoughts and feelings about oneself in relation to smoking. A total coherent ‘non‐smoker’ identity does not appear to be necessary for long‐term abstinence.