bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Enhanced growth reduces precocial male maturation in Atlantic salmon
Authors: Moreau Darek T. R. , Fleming Ian A. 
Published: December 2011

Summary1. Understanding the proximate and ultimate mechanisms shaping the expression of alternative reproductive phenotypes is a fundamental question in life‐history evolution. Precocial maturation in fishes, one such alternative phenotype, has been thought to reflect rapid growth and/or energy accumulation; however, mechanistically linking these specific traits to discrete life‐history patterns is complex and poorly understood.2. Here, we use growth hormone (GH) transgenic Atlantic salmon to elucidate the effects of intrinsically fast growth on precocial male maturation as parr (freshwater life stage). Despite facilitating growth to sizes typical of mature wild‐type parr, transgenesis did not influence maturation in the first year of life. In the second year, the number of maturing transgenic parr was only half that of non‐transgenic individuals.3. By manipulating intrinsic growth and controlling for both environment and genetic background, this study provides direct empirical evidence suggesting that the physiological mechanisms promoting growth do not play a causative role in precocial male maturation in fishes.4. In addition, this study provides the first empirical data on the relative incidence of precocial male maturation in GH transgenic and non‐transgenic Atlantic salmon and, therefore, provides valuable information for the ecological risk assessment process.
Bioclimate and growth history affect beech lifespan in theItalianAlps andApennines
Authors: Di Filippo Alfredo , Biondi Franco , Maugeri Maurizio , Schirone Bartolomeo , Piovesan Gianluca 
Published: December 2011

AbstractWhen site factors reduce growth rates, tree lifespan tends to increase. This study investigates processes leading to such inverse relationship inFagus sylvaticastands distributed along two elevation gradients, with an emphasis on climatic response, suppression periods, and growth trends. Dendrochronological records from old‐growth beech populations sampled at different elevations within two different bioclimatic regions (Alps vs.Apennines), were used to investigate factors that control tree lifespan. Differences between old‐growth (12) and nearby managed (15) stands were used to assess effects of silvicultural practices on maximum age. Logging reduced tree lifespan not only by removing older trees, but also by reducing the number of years beech individuals spent in the shaded understory. Tree lifespan and growth rates were affected by climate (spring–summer temperature) and were inversely related to one another along elevation gradients. The greatest lifespan was observed in old‐growth high‐mountain populations, and was related not only to slower growth due to a shorter growing season, but also to multidecadal periods of growth suppression during the initial development stages in the understory (i.e., slower growth rates at the youngest cambial ages). Past unfavorable climatic periods (in this case, theLittleIceAge) also helped increase tree lifespan. Using a linear model, we estimated a reduction in beech lifespan of 23 ± 5 years for each degree of warming. Basal area increment of trees with the maximum observed lifespan showed an increasing trend over time. Because growth of old (>300 years) trees has increased in theAlps, while it has recently declined in theApennines, different bioclimatic regions can have opposite responses to global climatic change. In the next decades, if warming continues, beech lifespan could be reduced in theAlps by faster growth and in theApennines by drought‐induced mortality.
Region‐wide changes in marine ecosystem dynamics: state‐space models to distinguish trends from step changes
Authors: Spencer Matthew , Mieszkowska Nova , Robinson Leonie A. , Simpson Stephen D. , Burrows Michael T. , Birchenough Silvana N. R. , Capasso Eva , Cleall‐Harding Polly , Crummy Julia , Duck Callan , Eloire Damien , Frost Matthew , Hall Ailsa J. , Hawkins Stephen J. , Johns David G. , Sims David W. , Smyth Timothy J. , Frid Chris L. J. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractRegime shifts are sudden changes in ecosystem structure that can be detected across several ecosystem components. The concept that regime shifts are common in marine ecosystems has gained popularity in recent years. Many studies have searched for the step‐like changes in ecosystem state expected under a simple interpretation of this idea. However, other kinds of change, such as pervasive trends, have often been ignored. We assembled over 300 ecological time series from sevenUKmarine regions, covering two to three decades. We developed state‐space models for the first principal component of the time series in each region, a common measure of ecosystem state. Our models allowed both trends and step changes, possibly in combination. We found trends in three of seven regions and step changes in two of seven regions. Gradual and sudden changes are therefore important trajectories to consider in marine ecosystems.
Predicting the potential distribution of a riparian invasive plant: the effects of changing climate, flood regimes and land‐use patterns
Authors: Murray Justine V. , Stokes Kate E. , van Klinken Rieks D. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractClimate change is likely to affect plants in multiple ways, but predicting the consequences for habitat suitability requires a process‐based understanding of the interactions. This is at odds with existing approaches that are mostly phenomenological and largely restricted to predicting the effects of changing temperature and rainfall on species distributions at a coarse spatial scale. We examine the multiple effects of climate change, including predicting the effects of altered flood regimes and land‐use change, on the potential distribution of the invasive riparian species lippia (Phyla canescens) across a 26 000 km2 catchment in eastern Australia. We determined habitat suitability for lippia by combining process‐understanding of experts and an eco‐physiological bioclimatic model within a Bayesian belief network. The bioclimatic model predicted substantial changes in habitat suitability by 2070 under both a wetter (Echam Mark 3) and drier (Hadley Centre Mark 2) climate change scenario, but only the more likely drier scenario reduced suitability in our test region. The area suitable for lippia was predicted to increase at least threefold with increased flooding under a wet climate scenario, although this would be partially negated by land‐use change to cultivation. The region would become unsuitable to lippia with reduced flooding under a drier scenario irrespective of land‐use changes, although existing populations would persist if grazing persisted. Independent field validation verified model structure and parameterization, and therefore the opinion of experts, but identified site‐scale deficiencies in the available environmental data layers. Model predictions suggest that adaptation options for managing lippia will be greatly reduced under a drying scenario, but identify potential restoration opportunities under either scenario. This work highlights the value of predictive models that incorporate process‐understanding at sufficiently fine spatial resolution to capture the important processes underpinning habitat suitability.
Monocytes from tuberculosis patients that exhibit cleaved caspase 9 and denaturalized cytochrome c are more susceptible to death mediated by Toll‐like receptor 2
Authors: Chávez‐Galán Leslie , Sada‐Ovalle Isabel , Baez‐Saldaña Renata , Chávez Raúl , Lascurain Ricardo 
Published: December 2011

SummaryExperimental models have shown that lipoproteins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis induce apoptosis via Toll‐like receptor 2 (TLR2) in the THP‐1 cell line and in monocyte‐derived macrophages from healthy volunteers. We found an increased percentage of circulating monocytes in patients with tuberculosis (TB) in comparison to healthy controls. Patients with TB showed a higher TLR2 and TLR4 expression density on monocytes, and a higher proportion of TLR2+ monocytes, as well as increased serum tumour necrosis factor‐α level. In culture, monocytes from TB patients were more susceptible to death than monocytes from healthy controls. Moreover, death‐susceptible monocytes were positive to both TLR2 and TLR4 at the start of culture. Freshly obtained monocytes from TB patients exhibited cleaved caspase 9 and denaturalized cytochrome c. For levels of caspase 8, apoptosis‐regulating signal kinase 1, and phospho‐p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase there was no difference between samples from TB patients and from healthy controls. The culture filtrate antigen extract from M. tuberculosis H37Rv strain induced the death of monocytes from patient with TB after a 4‐hr incubation, which was abrogated by neutralizing antibodies for TLR2 but not TLR4. Similarly, Pam3CSK4, a synthetic agonist triacylated ligand to TLR2, also induced the death of monocytes, although it did not increase levels of cleaved caspase 9. Our findings suggest that monocytes from TB patients are more susceptible to death, probably through mitochondrial damage, and that cell death increases in the presence of mycobacterial antigen by a TLR2‐dependent pathway.
Application of the dual attribute time‐intensity (DATI) sensory method to the temporal measurement of bitterness and astringency in sorghum
Authors: Kobue‐Lekalake Rosemary I. , Taylor John R. N. , de Kock Henriëtte L. 
Published: December 2011

SummaryBitterness and astringency are attributes generally cited as the cause of tannin sorghums being unpalatable. The objective here was to determine the effect of sorghums with varying tannin content on bitterness and astringency simultaneously using dual attribute time‐intensity (DATI). A trained panel assessed bitterness and astringency of bran infusions of tannin and tannin‐free sorghums. In both sorghum types, bitterness developed and reached maximum intensity faster (Tmax 22.5 s; P < 0.001) than astringency (27.9 s). The duration of the astringent sensation (Dtot 69.9 s) lasted longer than bitterness (66.3 s). Overall, the temporal parameters for bitterness distinguished infusions from tannin and tannin‐free sorghums slightly more clearly than those for astringency. The research established that, for sorghum, bitterness and astringency are related. The DATI method also revealed that panellists’ perceptions of the time course of bitterness and astringency differ.
Parasites and invasions: a biogeographic examination of parasites and hosts in native and introduced ranges
Authors: Blakeslee April M. H. , Altman Irit , Miller A. Whitman , Byers James E. , Hamer Caitlin E. , Ruiz Gregory M. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractAim  To use a comparative approach to understand parasite demographic patterns in native versus introduced populations, evaluating the potential roles of host invasion history and parasite life history.Location  North American east and west coasts with a focus on San Francisco Bay (SFB).Methods  Species richness and prevalence of trematode parasites were examined in the native and introduced ranges of two gastropod host species, Ilyanassa obsoleta and Littorina saxatilis. We divided the native range into the putative source area for introduction and areas to the north and south; we also sampled the overlapping introduced range in SFB. We dissected 14,781 snails from 103 populations and recorded the prevalence and identity of trematode parasites. We compared trematode species richness and prevalence across the hosts’ introduced and native ranges, and evaluated the influence of host availability on observed patterns.Results  Relative to the native range, both I. obsoleta and L. saxatilis have escaped (lost) parasites in SFB, and L. saxatilis demonstrated a greater reduction of trematode diversity and infection prevalence than I. obsoleta. This was not due to sampling inequalities between the hosts. Instead, rarefaction curves suggested complete capture of trematode species in native source and SFB subregions, except for L. saxatilis in SFB, where infection was extremely rare. For I. obsoleta, infection prevalence of trematodes using fish definitive hosts was significantly lower in SFB compared to the native range, unlike those using bird hosts. Host availability partly explained the presence of introduced trematodes in SFB.Main conclusions  Differential losses of parasite richness and prevalence for the two gastropod host species in their introduced range is probably the result of several mechanistic factors: time since introduction, propagule pressure, vector of introduction, and host availability. Moreover, the recent occurrence of L. saxatilis’ invasion and its active introduction vector suggest that its parasite diversity and distribution will probably increase over time. Our study suggests that host invasion history and parasite life history play key roles in the extent and diversity of trematodes transferred to introduced populations. Our results also provide vital information for understanding community‐level influences of parasite introductions, as well as for disease ecology in general.
A protocol for temporal calibration of general area cladograms
Authors: Folinsbee Kaila E. , Evans David C. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractAim To describe a protocol for incorporating a temporal dimension into historical biogeographical analysis, while maintaining the essential independence of all datasets, involving the generation of general area cladograms.Location Global.Methods General area cladograms (GACs) are a reconstruction of the evolutionary history of a set of areas and unrelated clades within those areas. Nodes on a GAC correspond to speciation events in a group of taxa; general nodes are those at which multiple unrelated clades speciate. We undertake temporal calibration of GACs using molecular clock estimates of splitting events between extant taxa as well as first appearance data from the fossil record. We present two examples based on re‐analysis of previously published data: first, a temporally calibrated GAC generated from secondary Brooks parsimony analysis (BPA) of six extant bird clades from the south‐west of North America using molecular clock estimates of divergence times; and second, an analysis of African Neogene mammals based on a phylogenetic analysis for comparing trees (PACT) analysis.Results A hypothetical example demonstrates how temporal calibration reveals potentially critical information about the timing of both unique and general events, while also illustrating instances of incongruence between dates generated from molecular clock estimates and fossils. For the African Neogene mammal dataset, our analysis reveals that most mammal clades underwent geodispersal associated with the Neogene climatic optimum (c. 16 Ma) and vicariant speciation in central Africa correlated with increased aridity and cooler temperatures around 2.5 Ma.Main conclusions Temporally calibrated GACs are valuable tools for assessing whether coordinated patterns of speciation are associated with large‐scale climatic or tectonic phenomena.
Understanding the online information‐seeking behaviours of young people: the role of networks of support
Authors: Eynon R. , Malmberg L.‐E. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractInformation seeking is one of the most popular online activities for young people and can provide an additional information channel, which may enhance learning. In this study, we propose and test a model that adds to the existing literature by examining the ways in which parents, schools, and friends (what we call networks of support) effect young people's online information behaviours, while at the same time taking into account young people's individual characteristics, confidence, and skills to use the Internet. Using path analysis, we demonstrate the significance of networks of support in understanding the uptake of online information seeking both directly and indirectly (through enhancing self‐concept for learning and online skills). Young people who have better networks of support, particularly friends who are engaged in technology, are more likely to engage in online information seeking. While quantitative models of this nature cannot capture the complexity of individual online search practices, these findings may assist in the development of policy and practice to support young people to make the most effective use of the Internet for information seeking.
On the cusp of change: examining pre‐service teachers' beliefs about ICT and envisioning the digital classroom of the future
Authors: Fluck A. , Dowden T. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractFew contemporary pre‐service teachers would have completed their schooling with the extensive aid of computers. Yet, classroom use of information and communication technology (ICT) is now ubiquitous in much of the world. Today's pre‐service teachers are the ‘cusp generation’ who, at a unique moment in history, straddle the two worlds of the ballpoint pen and the computer mouse. This study examined pre‐service teachers' beliefs about their stakeholder role in terms of influencing ICT innovation and adoption. The pre‐service teachers expected their future pupils to learn with computers much more extensively than they had; however, their beliefs about the transformative use of ICT in schooling were divergent. To address these findings, a teaching intervention was designed, which enabled pre‐service teachers to ‘envision’ their practice in the digital classroom of the future. This involved the generation of new learning outcomes only achievable using ICT in pedagogy and assessment, and unfettered by the confines of the traditional pre‐digital curriculum. Ninety‐five per cent of the cohort was assessed as completing the intervention successfully. This paper finishes by discussing methods of equipping the cusp generation to negotiate the tensions inherent between current classroom practice and the rapid emergence of digital technologies in schools.
Disappearing and reappearing differences in drug‐eluting stent use by race
Authors: Federspiel Jerome J. , Stearns Sally C. , Reiter Kristin L. , Geissler Kimberley H. , Triplette Matthew A. , D'Arcy Laura P. , Sheridan Brett C. , Rossi Joseph S. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractRationale, aims and objectives  Drug‐eluting coronary stents (DES) rapidly dominated the marketplace in the United States after approval in 2003, but utilization rates were initially lower among African American patients. We assess whether racial differences persisted as DES diffused into practice.Methods  Medicare claims data were used to identify coronary stenting procedures among elderly patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Regression models of the choice of DES versus bare mental stent controlled for demographics, ACS type, co‐morbidities and hospital characteristics. Diffusion was assessed in the short run (2003–2004) and long run (2007), with the effect of race calculated to allow for time‐varying effects.Results  The sample included 381 887 Medicare beneficiaries treated with stent insertion; approximately 5% were African American. Initially (May 2003–February 2004), African American race was associated with lower DES use compared to other races (44.3% versus 46.5%, P < 0.01). Once DES usage was high in all patients (March–December 2004), differences were not significant (79.8% versus 80.3%, P = 0.45). Subsequent concerns regarding DES safety caused reductions in DES use, with African Americans having lower use than other racial groups in 2007 (63.1% versus 65.2%, P < 0.01).Conclusions  Racial disparities in DES use initially disappeared during a period of rapid diffusion and high usage rates; the reappearance of disparities in use by 2007 may reflect DES use tailored to unmeasured aspects of case mix and socio‐economic status. Further work is needed to understand whether underlying differences in race reflect decisions regarding treatment appropriateness.
The process evaluation of two interventions aimed at portion size in worksite cafeterias
Authors: Vermeer W. M. , Leeuwis F. H. , Koprulu S. , Zouitni O. , Seidell J. C. , Steenhuis I. H. M. 
Published: December 2011

How to cite this article
Vermeer W.M., Leeuwis F.H., Koprulu S., Zouitni O., Seidell J.C. & Steenhuis I.H.M. (2012) The process evaluation of two interventions aimed at portion size in worksite cafeterias. J Hum Nutr Diet.25, 180–188AbstractBackground:  In a previous study, the effectiveness of introducing a small meal in addition to the existing size and a proportional pricing strategy have been assessed in Dutch worksite cafeterias. To assess the degree of implementation and to inform the design of future interventions, the present study aimed to describe the process evaluation of both interventions.Methods:  Process evaluation components from Baranowski and Stables, and Rogers (i.e. Recruitment, Maintenance, Context, Resources, Implementation, Exposure, Contamination, and Continued use) were chosen as a theoretical basis. The process evaluation involved qualitative (e.g. structured observations, semi‐structured interviews) and quantitative data (e.g. consumer questionnaires) collected from 17 intervention and eight control worksite cafeterias.Results:  In all intervention cafeterias, two portion sizes were offered. The pricing instructions were followed in 13 intervention cafeterias. The cafeterias managers indicated that they did not consider offering large and small meals as being complex, risky or time‐consuming to implement. Some managers perceived the consumer demand as high, others as (too) low. One year after the study had ended, nine of the intervention cafeterias had continued (at least partly) to follow the protocol.Conclusions:  Offering a smaller portion size in addition to the existing size, as well as proportional pricing, was generally implemented as prescribed by the protocol and can be considered promising in terms of continued use. However, additional efforts are needed to make the intervention more effective in motivating consumers to replace their large portion with a small portion.
Pharmacokinetics of oral rufinamide in dogs
Authors: WRIGHT H. M. , CHEN A. V. , MARTINEZ S. E. , DAVIES N. M. 
Published: December 2011

Wright, H. M., Chen, A. V., Martinez, S. E., Davies, N. M. Pharmacokinetics of oral rufinamide in dogs.J. vet. Pharmacol. Therap. 35, 529–533.The objective of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetic properties and short‐term adverse effect profile of single‐dose oral rufinamide in healthy dogs. Six healthy adult dogs were included in the study. The pharmacokinetics of rufinamide were calculated following administration of a single mean oral dose of 20.0 mg/kg (range 18.6–20.8 mg/kg). Plasma rufinamide concentrations were determined using high‐performance liquid chromatography, and pharmacokinetic data were analyzed using commercial software. No adverse effects were observed. The mean terminal half‐life was 9.86 ± 4.77 h. The mean maximum plasma concentration was 19.6 ± 5.8 μg/mL, and the mean time to maximum plasma concentration was 9.33 ± 4.68 h. Mean clearance was 1.45 ± 0.70 L/h. The area under the curve (to infinity) was 411 ± 176 μg·h/mL. Results of this study suggest that rufinamide given orally at 20 mg/kg every 12 h in healthy dogs should result in a plasma concentration and half‐life sufficient to achieve the therapeutic level extrapolated from humans without short‐term adverse effects. Further investigation into the efficacy and long‐term safety of rufinamide in the treatment of canine epilepsy is warranted.