bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The impacts of repeated cold exposure on insects
Authors: Marshall Katie E. , Sinclair Brent J. 
Published: April 2012

SummaryInsects experience repeated cold exposure (RCE) on multiple time scales in natural environments, yet the majority of studies of the effects of cold on insects involve only a single exposure. Three broad groups of experimental designs have been employed to examine the effects of RCE on insect physiology and fitness, defined by the control treatments: ‘RCE vs cold’, which compares RCE with constant cold conditions; ‘RCE vs warm’, which compares RCE with constant warm conditions; and ‘RCE vs matched cold’ which compares RCE with a prolonged period of cold matched by time to the RCE condition. RCE are generally beneficial to immediate survival, and increase cold hardiness relative to insects receiving a single prolonged cold exposure. However, the effects of RCE depend on the study design, and RCE vs warm studies cannot differentiate between the effects of cold exposure in general vs RCE in particular. Recent studies of gene transcription, immune function, feeding and reproductive output show that the responses of insects to RCE are distinct from the responses to single cold exposures. We suggest that future research should attempt to elucidate the mechanistic link between physiological responses and fitness parameters. We also recommend that future RCE experiments match the time spent at the stressful low temperature in all experimental groups, include age controls where appropriate, incorporate a pilot study to determine time and intensity of exposure, and measure sub-lethal impacts on fitness.
Small organ size contributes to the slow pace of life in tropical birds
Authors: Wiersma Popko , Nowak Brittany , Williams Joseph B. 
Published: April 2012

SUMMARYAttributes of an animal’s life history, such as reproductive rate or longevity, typically fall along a ‘slow–fast’ continuum. Animals at the fast end of this continuum, such as temperate birds, are thought to experience high rates of mortality and invest more resources in reproduction, whereas animals at the slow end, such as tropical birds, live longer, have fewer offspring and invest more resources in self-maintenance. We have previously shown that tropical birds, compared with temperate species, have a reduced basal (BMR) and peak metabolic rate (PMR), patterns consistent with a slow pace of life. Here, we elucidate a fundamental linkage between the smaller mass of central organs of tropical species and their reduced BMR, and between their smaller flight muscles and reduced PMR. Analyses of up to 408 species from the literature showed that the heart, flight muscles, liver, pancreas and kidneys were smaller in tropical species. Direct measurements on 49 species showed smaller heart, lungs, flight muscles, liver, kidneys, ovaries and testes in tropical species, as well as lower feather mass. In combination, our results indicate that the benign tropical environment imposes a relaxed selection pressure on high levels of sustained metabolic performance, permitting species to reduce the mass of organs that are energetically costly to maintain. Brain, gizzard and intestine were exceptions, even though energy turnover of brain and intestine are high. Feather mass was 37% lower in tropical species compared with similar-sized temperate birds, supporting the idea that temperate birds require more insulation for thermoregulation.
Auditory processing at two time scales by the cricketGryllus bimaculatus
Authors: Grobe Bianca , Rothbart Matti M. , Hanschke Anne , Hennig R. Matthias 
Published: April 2012

SUMMARYThe acoustic display of many cricket species consists of series of pulses grouped into chirps, and thus information is distributed over both short and long time scales. Here we investigated the temporal cues that females of the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus used to detect a chirp pattern on a longer time scale than the fast pulse pattern. First, over a range of chirp and pause durations (100–400 ms), the duty cycle of the chirp pattern emerged as the most important cue for detection. The songs of males showed a distribution at lower duty cycles than preferred by females. The duty cycle also limited the responses of females at very short durations and pauses (below 80 ms). Second, by systematic variation of pulse and chirp periods of stimuli, an intermediate response field emerged that revealed the best responses of female crickets to patterns with amplitude modulations on both short and long time scales. On average, females also responded weakly to stimuli that contained amplitude modulations of only one time scale. Third, test patterns were constructed by addition of modulation frequencies rather than rectangular pulses. These tests showed that female crickets processed the chirp pattern in the time domain and tolerated noise levels up to a modulation depth of 50%. The combined evidence from all three approaches indicated inhibitory effects of unattractive patterns on both time scales. The fusion of short and long time scales during auditory processing by female crickets corresponded to a weighted AND-like operation of two processing modules, the pulse and the chirp filter.
Regulation of the mTOR signaling network in hibernating thirteen-lined ground squirrels
Authors: Wu Cheng-Wei , Storey Kenneth B. 
Published: April 2012

SUMMARY
For many small mammals, survival over the winter months is a serious challenge because of low environmental temperatures and limited food availability. The solution for many species, such as thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus), is hibernation, an altered physiological state characterized by seasonal heterothermy and entry into long periods of torpor that are interspersed with short arousals back to euthermia. During torpor, metabolic rate is strongly reduced to achieve major energy savings, and a coordinated depression of non-essential ATP-expensive functions such as protein synthesis takes place. This study examines the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, a crucial component of the insulin receptor network, over six stages of the torpor–arousal cycle of hibernation. Immunoblots showed that the phosphorylation state of mTORSer2448 was strongly reduced in skeletal muscle (by 55%) during late torpor but increased by 200% during early arousal compared with euthermia. However, the phosphorylation state of this residue remained relatively constant in cardiac muscle during torpor but was enhanced during entrance into torpor and early arousal from torpor stages (by 2.9- and 3.2-fold, respectively). Phosphorylation states of upstream regulators of mTOR, p-AktThr473 and p-TSC2Thr1462, were also suppressed in skeletal muscle by 55 and 51%, respectively, during late torpor, as were selected downstream substrates – p-4E-BP1Thr46 and p-S6Ser235 contents dropped by 74 and 41%, respectively. Overall, the results indicate suppressed mTOR signaling in skeletal muscle, but not cardiac muscle, during torpor. By contrast, activation of mTOR and other components of the mTORC1 complex (p-PRAS40Thr246 and GβL) occurred during early arousal in both skeletal and cardiac muscle.
Odorant tuning of olfactory crypt cells from juvenile and adult rainbow trout
Authors: Bazáes Alejandra , Schmachtenberg Oliver 
Published: April 2012

SUMMARY
Teleost fish lack independent olfactory organs for odorant and pheromone detection. Instead, they have a single sensory epithelium with two populations of receptor neurons, ciliated and microvillous, that are conserved among vertebrates, and a unique receptor cell type named the olfactory crypt cell. Crypt cells were shown to be chemosensory neurons that project to specific areas in the olfactory bulb, but their odorant tuning and overall function remain unclear. Reproduction in fish is generally synchronized by sex pheromonal signaling between males and females, but the sensors responsible for pheromone detection remain unknown. In crucian carp, a seasonal variation in the population of olfactory crypt cells and their brain projections pathways, involved in reproduction, led to the hypothesis of a role as sex pheromone detectors. In the present study, morphology and localization of olfactory crypt cells were compared between juvenile and mature rainbow trout of both sexes, and calcium imaging was used to visualize responses of crypt cells from the three groups to common social and food-related odorants, sex hormones and conspecific tissue extracts. Crypt cells from mature trout were found to be larger than those of juvenile specimens, and preferentially localized to the apical surface of the olfactory epithelium. Although a fraction of crypt cells of all groups responded to common odorants such as amino acids and bile salts, cells from mature trout showed a characteristic preference for gonadal extracts and hormones from the opposite sex. These results support an involvement of olfactory crypt cells in reproduction-related olfactory signaling in fishes.
Health Care Commissioning
Authors: Light Kate , Harden Melissa , Stirk Lisa , Wright Kath 
Published: April 2012

Health care commissioning has been described as a multifaceted cycle that includes planning, procurement and evaluation of health services. Unsurprisingly for such a complex procedure, different approaches are taken in by different countries. This diversity presents a challenge when choosing websites for an international audience, so we have selected resources that provide support for activities that are likely to be central to any system of commissioning. Some sites are country-specific regarding the details of what they provide (for instance, the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care in England), but nevertheless they serve as a model of the type of information that commissioners need at various stages of the cycle. Other elements that are likely to be required include management skills (the World Health Organization: management for health services delivery website), and knowledge of the effectiveness of various delivery processes (the Health Systems Evidence website from McMaster University). If you would like to comment on this edition of “What's on the Web” please contact:
Deformation and Fracture of Oxides Fabricated on 304L Stainless Steel via Pulsed Laser Irradiation
Authors: Lawrence Samantha K. , Stauffer Douglas D. , Major Ryan C. , Adams David P. , Gerberich William W. , Bahr David F. , Moody Neville R. 
Published: April 2012

ABSTRACTLocalized heating of metals and alloys using a focused laser beam in ambient atmosphere produces dielectric oxide layers that have characteristic optical appearances including different colors. Nanoindentation probed the deformation and fracture of laser-fabricated oxides on 304L stainless steel. Conductive nanoindentation measured electrical contact resistance (ECR) of the same colored oxides indicating a correlation between laser exposure, conductance during loading, current-voltage (I-V) behavior at constant load, and indentation response. Microscopy and X-ray diffraction examined the microstructure and chemical composition of the oxides. Combining techniques provides a unique approach for correlating mechanical behavior and the resulting performance of the films in conditions that cause wear.
Swelling Pressures of Compacted Bentonite/Sand Mixtures
Authors: Gray M. N. , Cheung S. C. H. , Dixon D. A. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractCompacted bentonitic clay/sand mixtures are being considered for use as buffer materials in the Canadian concept for nuclear fuel waste disposal. This paper describes a laboratory study of the swelling pressures that develop in statically compacted, air-dry specimens of mixtures of sodium bentonite and silica sand as they are saturated with double-distilled, deionized water. The results are interpreted with the aid of scanning electron microscope observations of the soils' structures.It is shown that the sand acts as an inert filler material, and swelling pressures are controlled by a parameter termed the effective clay dry density, γC, defined as the ratio of the mass of clay to the combined volume of the claq plus voids in the mixture. A threshold value of γC exists below which swelling pressures can be expected to be isotropic. Above the threshold value of γC, pressures parallel to the axis of compaction can be expected to be greatgr than those perpendicular to it. This is related to a change in soil fabric as γC is increased above the threshold value. For the Canadian disposal concept, γC would probably be below the limiting value and swelling pressures of 2.5 MPS or less are expected. The swelling pressures are likely to be isotropic within a saturated buffer mass.
The Risk for Anemia with Targeted Therapies for Solid Tumors
Authors: Barni Sandro , Cabiddu Mary , Guarneri Paolo , Lonati Veronica , Petrelli Fausto 
Published: April 2012

Abstract

Background.
Anemia is a common manifestation in patients with cancer. Little is known about the frequency of and risk for anemia with targeted therapies used to treat solid tumors.

Methods.
We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of solid tumors by comparing targeted therapy (alone or in combination) with standard therapy alone to calculate the incidence and relative risk (RR) for anemia events associated with these agents. Overall, 24,310 patients were included in the analysis.

Results.
The addition of targeted therapies to standard treatment (chemotherapy or placebo/best supportive care) increased the risk for all grades of anemia by 7%. The RR for all grades (incidence, 44%) and grades 1–2 (incidence, 38.9%) of anemia was higher with biological therapies alone but not when combined with chemotherapy. The risk was significant for erlotinib, trastuzumab, and sunitinib. Bevacizumab was associated with a lower risk for anemia. Anti–epidermal growth factor receptor, anti–human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, anti–vascular endothelial growth factor receptors, and tyrosine kinase inhibitors predicted RRs of 1.24, 1.20, 0.82, and 1.33, respectively, and all of these values were significant.

Conclusion.
Grade 1–2 anemia is frequently associated with biological agents. The risk is particularly associated with small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (gefitinib and erlotinib), breast cancer, and lung cancer. Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents are not labeled for use with targeted therapies (without chemotherapy) and the treatment is supportive only.
Cardiopulmonary and sedative effects of the peripheral α2-adrenoceptor antagonist MK 0467 administered intravenously or intramuscularly concurrently with medetomidine in dogs
Authors: Rolfe Nicole G. , Kerr Carolyn L. , McDonell Wayne N. 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
Objective—To evaluate the cardiopulmonary and sedative effects of the peripheral α2-adrenoceptor antagonist MK 0467 when administered IM or IV concurrently with medetomidine in dogs.
Animals—8 adult dogs.
Procedures—Dogs received 20 μg of medetomidine/kg, IM, alone or concurrently with MK 0467 (0.4 mg/kg, IM), and 10 μg of medetomidine/kg, IV, alone or concurrently with MK 0467 (0.2 mg/kg, IV), in a randomized crossover study. Sedation characteristics were scored and hemodynamic measurements and arterial and mixed-venous blood samples for blood gas analysis were obtained before (time 0; baseline) and for 90 minutes after treatment.
Results—Heart rate (HR), mixed-venous partial pressure of oxygen (Pvo2), and cardiac index (CI) were significantly lower and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), systemic vascular resistance (SVR), and oxygen extraction ratio (ER) were significantly higher after administration of medetomidine IM or IV, compared with baseline values. Administration of medetomidine and MK 0467 IM caused a significantly higher heart rate, CI, and Pvo2 and significantly lower MAP, SVR, and ER for 60 to 90 minutes than did IM administration of medetomidine alone. Administration of medetomidine and MK 0467 IV caused a significantly higher CI and Pvo2 and significantly lower MAP, SVR, and ER for 45 to 90 minutes than did IV administration of medetomidine alone. There was no significant difference in sedation scores among treatments.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—In dogs, MK 0467 administered concurrently with medetomidine IV or IM reduced the cardiovascular effects of medetomidine but had no detectable effect on sedation scores.
Comparison of four ventilatory protocols for computed tomography of the thorax in healthy cats
Authors: Henao-Guerrero Natalia , Ricco Carolina , Jones Jeryl C. , Buechner-Maxwell Virginia , Daniel Gregory B. 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
Objective—To identify ventilatory protocols that yielded good image quality for thoracic CT and hemodynamic stability in cats.
Animals—7 healthy cats.
Procedures—Cats were anesthetized and ventilated via 4 randomized protocols (hyperventilation, 20 seconds [protocol 1]; single deep inspiration, positive inspiratory pressure of 15 cm H2O [protocol 2]; recruitment maneuver [protocol 3]; and hyperventilation, 20 seconds with a positive end-expiratory pressure of 5 cm H2O [protocol 4]). Thoracic CT was performed for each protocol; images were acquired during apnea for protocols 1 and 3 and during positive airway pressure for protocols 2 and 4. Heart rate; systolic, mean, and diastolic arterial blood pressures; blood gas values; end-tidal isoflurane concentration; rectal temperature; and measures of atelectasis, total lung volume (TLV), and lung density were determined before and after each protocol.
Results—None of the protocols eliminated atelectasis; the number of lung lobes with atelectasis was significantly greater during protocol 1 than during the other protocols. Lung density and TLV differed significantly among protocols, except between protocols 1 and 3. Protocol 2 TLV exceeded reference values. Arterial blood pressure after each protocol was lower than before the protocols. Mean and diastolic arterial blood pressure were higher after protocol 3 and diastolic arterial blood pressure was higher after protocol 4 than after protocol 2.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Standardization of ventilatory protocols may minimize effects on thoracic CT images and hemodynamic variables. Although atelectasis was still present, ventilatory protocols 3 and 4 provided the best compromise between image quality and hemodynamic stability.
Urinary recovery of orally administered chromium 51–labeled EDTA, lactulose, rhamnose, d-xylose, 3-O-methyl-d-glucose, and sucrose in healthy adult male Beagles
Authors: Frias Rafael , Steiner Jörg M. , Williams David A. , Sankari Satu , Westermarck Elias 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
Objective—To provide values for gastrointestinal permeability and absorptive function tests (GIPFTs) with chromium 51 (51Cr)-labeled EDTA, lactulose, rhamnose, d-xylose, 3-O-methyl-d-glucose, and sucrose in Beagles and to evaluate potential correlations between markers.
Animals—19 healthy adult male Beagles.
Procedures—A test solution containing 3.7 MBq of 51Cr-labeled EDTA, 2 g of lactulose, 2 g of rhamnose, 2 g of d-xylose, 1 g of 3-O-methyl-d-glucose, and 8 g of sucrose was administered intragastrically to each dog. Urinary recovery of each probe was determined 6 hours after administration.
Results—Mean ± SD (range) percentage urinary recovery was 6.3 ± 1.6% (4.3% to 9.7%) for 51Cr-labeled EDTA, 3.3 ± 1.1% (1.7% to 5.3%) for lactulose, 25.5 ± 5.0% (16.7% to 36.9%) for rhamnose, and 58.8% ± 11.0% (40.1% to 87.8%) for 3-O-methyl-d-glucose. Mean (range) recovery ratio was 0.25 ± 0.06 (0.17 to 0.37) for 51Cr-labeled EDTA to rhamnose, 0.13 ± 0.04 (0.08 to 0.23) for lactulose to rhamnose, and 0.73 ± 0.09 (0.60 to 0.90) for d-xylose to 3-O-methyl-d-glucose. Median (range) percentage urinary recovery was 40.3% (31.6% to 62.7%) for d-xylose and 0% (0% to 0.8%) for sucrose.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Reference values in healthy adult male Beagles for 6 of the most commonly used GIPFT markers were determined. The correlation between results for 51Cr-labeled EDTA and lactulose was not as prominent as that reported for humans and cats; thus, investigators should be cautious in the use and interpretation of GIPFTs performed with sugar probes in dogs with suspected intestinal dysbiosis.
Matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression in mammary gland tumors in dogs and its relationship with prognostic factors and patient outcome
Authors: Santos Andreia A. , Lopes Célia C. , Marques Raquel M. , Amorim Irina F. , Gärtner Maria F. , de Matos Augusto J. F. 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
Objective—To immunohistochemically evaluate matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 expression in benign and malignant mammary gland tumors (MMTs) in dogs and relate expression to prognostic factors and patient outcome.
Animals—118 female dogs with naturally occurring mammary gland tumors and 8 dogs without mammary gland tumors.
Procedures—24 benign mammary gland tumors and 94 MMTs (1/affected dog) were obtained during surgical treatment; control mammary gland tissue samples were collected from unaffected dogs after euthanasia for reasons unrelated to the study. Tumors were evaluated for proliferation, invasive growth, histologic grade, and metastatic capacity; expression of MMP-9 was determined immunohistochemically, and its relationship with clinical and histologic findings was investigated. For dogs with MMTs, follow-up continued for 2 years; data were used to compute overall survival time and disease-free interval and construct survival curves.
Results—MMTs had significantly higher MMP-9 expression in stromal cells and in neo-plastic cells than did the benign neoplasms. Stromal MMP-9 expression was also higher in highly proliferative tumors and in tumors with invasive growth, high histologic grade, and metastatic capacity. Furthermore, tumors from patients with shorter overall survival times and disease-free intervals had higher expression of MMP-9 in stromal cells.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—In dogs with MMTs, level of MMP-9 expression by stromal cells was related to factors of poor prognosis and shorter overall survival times and disease-free intervals. These results suggested that MMP-9 produced by tumor-adjacent stromal cells contributed to MMT progression in female dogs and that assessment of MMP-9 expression may be a valuable prognostic factor.
Evaluation of the aqueous humor flow rate in the eyes of clinically normal cats by use of fluorophotometry
Authors: Crumley William R. , Rankin Amy J. , Allbaugh Rachel A. 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
Objective—To evaluate aqueous humor flow rate in the eyes of clinically normal cats by use of a noninvasive technique successfully used in other species.
Animals—20 domestic shorthair cats.
Procedures—1 drop of 10% fluorescein sodium was instilled into both eyes of 5 cats every 5 minutes until 3 drops had been administered. Fluorophotometry was performed at 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 hours after fluorescein application to monitor fluorescein removal and determine aqueous humor flow rate. The 3-drop protocol was used for the remaining 15 cats, and fluorophotometry was performed at 5, 6, 7, and 8 hours after fluorescein application. Aqueous humor flow rates were calculated manually by use of established equations with minor adjustments to constant values to reflect feline anatomic features. Correlation coefficients and slope ratios were calculated to assess the legitimacy of the flow rate data. Paired t tests were calculated to assess for differences between the right and left eyes.
Results—Mean ± SD calculated aqueous humor flow rate in the right, left, and both eyes of the 20 cats was 5.94 ± 2.30 μL/min, 5.05 ± 2.06 μL/min, and 5.51 ± 2.21 μL/min, respectively. Correlation coefficients and slope ratios revealed that the aqueous humor flow rates were accurate. No significant differences in values for the right and left eyes were detected.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Accurate aqueous humor flow values for cats can be determined by use of the fluorophotometric technique evaluated in this study.