bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
New multivariate tests for phylogenetic signal and trait correlations applied to ecophysiological phenotypes of nine Manglietia species
Authors: Zheng Li , Ives Anthony R. , Garland Theodore , Larget Bret R. , Yu Yang , Cao Kunfang 
Published: June 2009

Summary 1.
Phylogenetic signal – the similarity in trait values among phylogenetically related species – is pervasive for most types of traits in most organisms. Traits can often be categorized a priori into groups based on the level of biological organization, functional relations, developmental origins, or genetic underpinnings. Traits within such groups are often expected to be correlated and hence show similar levels of phylogenetic signal. 2.  We developed multivariate statistical methods to test for phylogenetic signal in groups of traits while also incorporating estimates of trait measurement error (including within‐species variation) that can obscure phylogenetic signal. Simultaneously, these methods produce estimates of correlations between traits that are corrected for phylogenetic relationships among species. 3.
We applied these methods to data for 13 morphological and physiological traits gathered in a common‐garden study of nine species of Manglietia (Magnoliaceae). The 13 traits fell into four groups: three traits involved photosynthesis [maximum net photosynthesis (Amax), light saturation point (LSP), light compensation point]; three described leaf morphology (thickness of leaves, palisade tissue, sponge tissue); four related to plant growth (basal stem diameter, crown volume, leaf area, relative growth rate); and three measured thermal tolerance [critical temperature (Tch), peak temperature (Tmax), temperature of half‐inactivation (T50)]. We also constructed a molecular phylogeny for these species from 219 AFLP markers via maximum likelihood estimation under the assumption of sequential binary changes in DNA sequences. 4.
Of the 13 traits, only two photosynthesis traits (Amax and LSP) exhibited statistically detectable phylogenetic signal (P < 0·05) when analysed separately, whether using previously published univariate tests or our new univariate tests that incorporate measurement error. In contrast, multivariate analyses of the four trait groups, estimating simultaneously the phylogenetic signal for all traits and the correlations between traits, revealed a statistically significant phylogenetic signal for two of the four groups (photosynthesis and plant growth), comprising seven traits in total. 5.  Our results demonstrate that even when the number of species in a comparative study is small, resulting in low power for univariate tests, phylogenetic signal can nonetheless be detected with multivariate tests that incorporate measurement error. Furthermore, our simulations show that the joint estimation of phylogenetic signal and trait correlations can lead to better (less biased and more precise) estimates of both.
Functional trait variation and sampling strategies in species‐rich plant communities
Authors: Baraloto Christopher , Timothy Paine C. E. , Patiño Sandra , Bonal Damien , Hérault Bruno , Chave Jerome 
Published: June 2009

Summary 1.  Despite considerable interest in the application of plant functional traits to questions of community assembly and ecosystem structure and function, there is no consensus on the appropriateness of sampling designs to obtain plot‐level estimates in diverse plant communities. 2.
We measured 10 plant functional traits describing leaf and stem morphology and ecophysiology for all trees in nine 1‐ha plots in terra firme lowland tropical rain forests of French Guiana (N = 4709). 3.  We calculated, by simulation, the mean and variance in trait values for each plot and each trait expected under seven sampling methods and a range of sampling intensities. Simulated sampling methods included a variety of spatial designs, as well as the application of existing data base values to all individuals of a given species. 4.  For each trait in each plot, we defined a performance index for each sampling design as the proportion of resampling events that resulted in observed means within 5% of the true plot mean, and observed variance within 20% of the true plot variance. 5.  The relative performance of sampling designs was consistent for estimations of means and variances. Data base use had consistently poor performance for most traits across all plots, whereas sampling one individual per species per plot resulted in relatively high performance. We found few differences among different spatial sampling strategies; however, for a given strategy, increased intensity of sampling resulted in markedly improved accuracy in estimates of trait mean and variance. 6.  We also calculated the financial cost of each sampling design based on data from our ‘every individual per plot’ strategy and estimated the sampling and botanical effort required. The relative performance of designs was strongly positively correlated with relative financial cost, suggesting that sampling investment returns are relatively constant. 7.  Our results suggest that trait sampling for many objectives in species‐rich plant communities may require the considerable effort of sampling at least one individual of each species in each plot, and that investment in complete sampling, though great, may be worthwhile for at least some traits.
Adapt or disperse: understanding species persistence in a changing world
Authors: BERG MATTY P. , KIERS E. TOBY , DRIESSEN GERARD , Van Der HEIJDEN MARCEL , KOOI BOB W. , KUENEN FRANS , LIEFTING MAARTJE , VERHOEF HERMAN A. , ELLERS JACINTHA 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe majority of studies on environmental change focus on the response of single species and neglect fundamental biotic interactions, such as mutualism, competition, predation, and parasitism, which complicate patterns of species persistence. Under global warming, disruption of community interactions can arise when species differ in their sensitivity to rising temperature, leading to mismatched phenologies and/or dispersal patterns. To study species persistence under global climate change, it is critical to consider the ecology and evolution of multispecies interactions; however, the sheer number of potential interactions makes a full study of all interactions unfeasible. One mechanistic approach to solving the problem of complicated community context to global change is to (i) define strategy groups of species based on life‐history traits, trophic position, or location in the ecosystem, (ii) identify species involved in key interactions within these groups, and (iii) determine from the interactions of these key species which traits to study in order to understand the response to global warming. We review the importance of multispecies interactions looking at two trait categories: thermal sensitivity of metabolic rate and associated life‐history traits and dispersal traits of species. A survey of published literature shows pronounced and consistent differences among trophic groups in thermal sensitivity of life‐history traits and in dispersal distances. Our approach increases the feasibility of unraveling such a large and diverse set of community interactions, with the ultimate goal of improving our understanding of community responses to global warming.
The function of CCR3 on mouse bone marrow‐derived mast cells in vitro
Authors: Collington Sarah J. , Westwick John , Williams Timothy J. , Weller Charlotte L. 
Published: June 2009

SummaryThe mechanisms governing the population of tissues by mast cells are not fully understood, but several studies using human mast cells have suggested that expression of the chemokine receptor CCR3 and migration to its ligands may be important. In CCR3‐deficient mice, a change in mast cell tissue distribution in the airways following allergen challenge was reported compared with wild‐type mice. In addition, there is evidence that CCR3 is important in mast cell maturation in mouse. In this study, bone marrow‐derived mast cells (BMMCs) were cultured and CCR3 expression and the migratory response to CCR3 ligands were characterized. In addition, BMMCs were cultured from wild‐type and CCR3‐deficient mice and their phenotype and migratory responses were compared. CCR3 messenger RNA was detectable in BMMCs, but this was not significantly increased after activation by immunoglobulin E (IgE). CCR3 protein was not detected on BMMCs during maturation and expression could not be enhanced after IgE activation. Resting and IgE‐activated immature and mature BMMCs did not migrate in response to the CCR3 ligands eotaxin‐1 and eotaxin‐2. Comparing wild‐type and CCR3‐deficient BMMCs, there were no differences in mast cell phenotype or ability to migrate to the mast cell chemoattractants leukotriene B4 and stem cell factor. The results of this study show that CCR3 may not mediate mast cell migration in mouse BMMCs in vitro. These observations need to be considered in relation to the findings of CCR3 deficiency on mast cells in vivo.
Identification of leucocyte surface protein interactions by high‐throughput screening with multivalent reagents
Authors: Jiang Lei , Neil Barclay A. 
Published: June 2009

SummaryWe describe a high‐throughput screening system to detect interactions between leucocyte surface proteins, taking into account that these interactions are usually of very low affinity. The method involves producing the extracellular regions of leucocyte proteins with tags so that they can be bound to nanoparticles to provide an avid reagent to screen over an array of 36 similar proteins immobilized using the Proteon™ XPR36 with detection by surface plasmon resonance. The system was tested using established interactions that could be detected without spurious binding. The ability to detect new interactions was shown by identifying a new interaction between carcinoembryonic antigen‐related cell adhesion molecule 1 and carcinoembryonic antigen‐related cell adhesion molecule 8.
Classifying movement behaviour in relation to environmental conditions using hidden Markov models
Authors: Patterson Toby A. , Basson Marinelle , Bravington Mark V. , Gunn John S. 
Published: June 2009

Summary 1.
Linking the movement and behaviour of animals to their environment is a central problem in ecology. Through the use of electronic tagging and tracking (ETT), collection of in situ data from free‐roaming animals is now commonplace, yet statistical approaches enabling direct relation of movement observations to environmental conditions are still in development. 2.  In this study, we examine the hidden Markov model (HMM) for behavioural analysis of tracking data. HMMs allow for prediction of latent behavioural states while directly accounting for the serial dependence prevalent in ETT data. Updating the probability of behavioural switches with tag or remote‐sensing data provides a statistical method that links environmental data to behaviour in a direct and integrated manner. 3.  It is important to assess the reliability of state categorization over the range of time‐series lengths typically collected from field instruments and when movement behaviours are similar between movement states. Simulation with varying lengths of times series data and contrast between average movements within each state was used to test the HMMs ability to estimate movement parameters. 4.
To demonstrate the methods in a realistic setting, the HMMs were used to categorize resident and migratory phases and the relationship between movement behaviour and ocean temperature using electronic tagging data from southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii). Diagnostic tools to evaluate the suitability of different models and inferential methods for investigating differences in behaviour between individuals are also demonstrated.
Habitat and roe deer fawn vulnerability to red fox predation
Authors: Panzacchi M. , Linnell J. D. C. , Odden M. , Odden J. , Andersen R. 
Published: June 2009

Summary 1.  Notwithstanding the growing amount of literature emphasizing the link between habitat, life‐history traits and behaviour, few empirical studies investigated the combined effect of these parameters on individual predation risk. We investigated direct and indirect consequences of habitat composition at multiple spatial scales on predation risk by red foxes on 151 radio‐monitored roe deer fawns. We hypothesized that the higher resource availability in fragmented agricultural areas increased predation risk because of: (i) shorter prey movements, which may increase predictability; (ii) larger litter size and faster growth rates, which may increase detectability in species adopting a hiding neonatal anti‐predator strategy. The sharing of risky habitat among littermates was expected to promote whole‐litter losses as a result of predation. 2.  The landscape‐scale availability of agricultural areas negatively affected pre‐weaning movements, but did not influence growth rates or litter size. Predation risk was best described by the interplay between movements and fine‐scale habitat fragmentation: a higher mobility increased the encounter rate and predation risk in highly fragmented home ranges, while it reduced predation risk in forest‐dominated areas with clumped resources because of decreased predictability. This is one of the first demonstrations that movement patterns can be an efficient anti‐predator strategy when adjusted to local conditions. 3.  In accordance with previous studies documenting the existence of family effects (i.e. non‐independence among siblings) in survival, littermates survived or died together more often than expected by chance. In addition, our study specifically demonstrated the occurrence of behaviourally mediated family effects in predation risk: after a fox killed one fawn the probability of a sibling being killed within a few days rose from 20% to 47%, likely because of the win‐stay strategy (i.e. return to a previously rewarding site) adopted by the predator. Hence, the predator’s hunting strategy has the potential to raise fawn mortality disproportionately to predator abundance. 4.  There is increasing evidence that fawns inhabiting highly productive predator‐free habitats are granted lifetime fitness benefits; these potential advantages, however, can be cancelled out when predation risk increases in the very same high‐productivity areas, which might thus turn into attractive sinks.
Reduced post‐operative neutrophil activation in liver transplant recipients suffering from post‐hepatitic cirrhosis
Authors: Jüttner Björn , Younes Alan , Weißig Annette , Ahrens Jörg , Becker Thomas , Scheinichen Dirk 
Published: June 2009

Abstract:  Background:  It has been supposed that liver transplant recipients with hepatitis C virus infection have a higher incidence of infectious complications after transplantation. This study was designed to investigate whether neutrophil function is immediately affected by liver transplantation.Methods:  Biochemical values, plasma levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO), hydrogen peroxide production of neutrophils and neutrophil–platelet complexes were analyzed in 32 patients who underwent liver transplantation and 20 healthy volunteers.Results:  MPO levels were significantly increased 24 h after reperfusion. In post‐hepatitic patients levels were significantly lower three d up to one wk post‐transplant than in patients due to other liver diseases. One wk post‐operatively the respiratory burst activity following N‐formyl‐methionyl‐leucylphenylalanine (fMLP) or (tumor necrosis factor‐α) TNF‐α/fMLP stimulation was depressed in post‐hepatitic recipients. Respiratory burst stimulated with phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate in these patients was increased one wk after transplantation. One d after transplantation the neutrophil–platelet complexes decreased significantly throughout the post‐operative period.Conclusions:  The results of this study suggest a reduced post‐operative neutrophil activation in liver transplant recipients suffering from post‐hepatitic cirrhosis compared to cirrhosis due to other causes. We hypothesized that neutrophil dysfunction in those patients depends on the underlying disease with an increased susceptibility to bacterial or fungal infections.
Pancreas transplant and incidental Meckel’s diverticulum: not always a straightforward decision
Authors: Light Timothy D. , Light Jimmy A. 
Published: June 2009

Abstract:  Introduction:  Unexpected intraoperative findings are not rare in surgical practice. Meckel’s diverticulum with a mass is one such example. There are only two previously reported cases of Meckel’s in transplantation, and neither involved pancreas transplant.Results and discussion:  We present a case report of novel surgical technique using a Meckel’s diverticulectomy site for the duodeno‐enterostomy to managing the exocrine secretions of the transplanted pancreas. We also discuss management of Meckel’s diverticulum. The patient tolerated the procedure without complication, and continues to have normal renal and pancreatic function without any gastrointestinal (GI) complaints. The excised Meckel’s diverticulum contained both gastric and pancreatic tissue.Conclusion:  Although uncertainty about the best management practices exists in the general surgery patient population, given the potential complications that may arise from Meckel’s diverticulum, in transplant patients the Meckel’s should be removed when encountered. The point of excision can safely be incorporated into other intestinal anastomoses.
People’s attitude toward xenotransplantation: affective reactions and the influence of the evaluation context
Authors: Rubaltelli Enrico , Burra Patrizia , Canova Daniele , Germani Giacomo , Tomat Silvia , Ancona Ermanno , Cozzi Emanuele , Rumiati Rino 
Published: June 2009

Abstract:  Background:  One of the major issues in transplantation is to find a strategy to overcome the scarcity of human organs. One of the interventions under investigation is represented by xenotransplantation. The present study aimed to understand the role of psychological factors on people’s perception of xenotransplantation. In particular, we tested a condition in which different alternatives (e.g., human vs. pig donors) are presented together allowing people to compare among them (joint evaluation) and two conditions in which people are presented with only one of the two alternatives and cannot compare them (separate evaluation).Methods:  The study was conducted with three different groups of participants: patients waiting for liver transplantation (N = 31 in joint evaluation and N = 30 in each of the two separate evaluation conditions); students (N = 30 in join evaluation and N = 30 in each of the two separate evaluation conditions); and healthy adults (N = 30 in joint evaluation and N = 30 in each of the two separate evaluation conditions). Participants were presented with hypothetical scenarios and asked how good (or bad) were their feelings toward one or two types of donor (e.g., human and pig).Results:  Patients showed a skeptical attitude toward xenotransplantation both when it was evaluated together with the human donor (P < 0.01) or when it was evaluated separately (P < 0.01). Differently, when asked to evaluate each donor separately healthy adults and students showed similar affective reactions toward the two alternatives (human organ and xenograft).Conclusions:  The present study demonstrates that the evaluation context may increase the impact of affective reactions and reduce healthy people’s ability to use information on the potential benefit of a novel biomedical technology. Regardless of the evaluation context, patients always rely on affective reactions and show an overall preference for the human organ.
Native pancreatic α‐cell adaptation in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic primates: importance for pig islet xenotransplantation
Authors: Dufrane Denis , Maillart Jean‐François , Aouassar Najima , Goebbels Rose‐Marie , Guiot Yves , Gianello Pierre 
Published: June 2009

Abstract:  Background:  Metabolic compatibility between donor and recipient species is an important matter for pig islet xenotransplantation. Glucagon is a key hormone for the function of pig islets as well as control of hypoglycemia in the recipients of the islets. Because a discrepancy exists in the composition of glucagon cells of pig and human/primate islets, the present study was designed to determine the role of native recipient glucagon cells in the treatment of diabetes by islet transplantation in a “pig‐to‐primate” model.Methods:  Streptozotocin‐treated (50 mg/kg) monkeys (n = 12, follow‐up of 6 to 231 days) were compared with non‐diabetic animals (n = 5; follow‐up, 180 days). Metabolic [fasting and intravenous glucose tolerance tests (IVGTTs) for serum levels of glucose, insulin, glucagon] and morphologic (endocrine volume density and cell mass for insulin and glucagon) were compared between non‐diabetic and diabetic animals. Six additional diabetic primates were given transplants of 15 000 adult pig islet equivalents without immunosuppression to monitor glucose, glucagon, insulin, and porcine C‐peptide levels until 48 h after transplantation.Results:  Elevated fasting blood glucose, pathologic IVGTT, destruction of 95% of β‐cell mass, and glycosylated hemoglobin (>13%) were assessed in diabetic monkeys. The serum glucagon levels and glucagon cell mass correlated significantly with diabetes time course of diabetes (R = 0.940, p = 0.005; R = 0.663, p = 0.019, respectively). A mean increase of 89% in glucagon cell mass was observed for primates suffering from diabetes >53 days. No response of glucagon secretion was observed for diabetic animals during IVGTT, because no increase of serum insulin levels followed glucose loading. Blood glucose levels dropped after pig islet xenografts in diabetic primates. This reduction was maintained by an insulin level >20 μU/ml over the period of time of xenograft function (porcine C‐peptide >0.1 ng/ml). A total restoration of native primate glucagon sensitivity to insulin was found after pig islets xenotransplantation as revealed by a reduction of 80% of the glucagon level. When graft dysfunction (>24 h post‐transplantation), the insulin level dropped and glucagon levels rose again (>50 pg/ml).Conclusions:  Native glucagon cells provide morphologic and functional plasticity to diabetes. Adult pig islet xenotransplantation can restore the sensitivity of primate glucagon to insulin but cannot protect the diabetic recipient against hypoglycemia.