bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Factors affecting the distribution of dorcas gazelle
Authors: Chammem M. , Selmi S. , Nouira S. , Khorchani T. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractThe dorcas gazelle Gazella dorcas was very common and widespread in Tunisia. Nowadays, only some small isolated populations still survive in the desert areas of the southern part of the country. Factors affecting the distribution of this species in Tunisia have never been investigated despite the importance of such investigations for elaborating long‐term conservation plans for the remaining wild populations. Using data on gazelle occurrence and on a set of habitat and human variables collected in south‐eastern Tunisia, we aimed to identify the factors affecting gazelle distribution in this area. In particular, we investigated the relevance of habitat versus human factors for gazelle occurrence probability. As predicted, we found that human variables were the most relevant factors shaping the distribution patterns of gazelles in the studied area. Gazelles tended to avoid areas where agricultural development has occurred but did not seem to be disturbed by livestock. Overall, our results suggest that the occurrence probability of dorcas gazelle in southern Tunisia was mainly dependent on human presence and land use, rather than habitat characteristics. The recent intensification of agriculture in the more remote areas of southern Tunisia may thus constitute a serious threat to the conservation of this endangered species.
Urban badger setts: characteristics, patterns of use and management implications
Authors: Davison J. , Huck M. , Delahay R. J. , Roper T. J. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractDamage caused by badger setts is an important source of human–carnivore conflict in urban areas of the UK, yet little is known about the spatial distribution of urban badger setts or their pattern of occupation. We compared the density, spatial distribution and size of setts in four urban and two rural study areas in the UK and assessed the applicability to urban systems of distinguishing between ‘main’ and ‘outlier’ setts. In addition, we used radio‐telemetry to investigate diurnal patterns of sett use in one urban area (Brighton). It was possible to distinguish between main and outlier setts in urban environments, and local sett densities were comparable in urban and rural areas. However, urban badgers used substantially fewer setts than did a nearby rural population, and they spent a smaller proportion of days in outlier setts. Social groups with larger ranges had more setts available to them and, within groups, individuals with larger ranges used more setts. Outliers appeared to serve multiple functions, including allowing efficient and safe travel to important parts of the home range. We conclude that sett densities can be high in urban habitats, suggesting significant potential for sett‐related problems to arise. The fact that urban main setts can be distinguished from outliers enables management actions to be tailored accordingly. In particular, because main setts seem to represent a particularly valuable resource to urban badgers, alternatives to the closure of problem main setts need to be considered.
First application of satellite telemetry to track African straw‐coloured fruit bat migration
Authors: Richter H. V. , Cumming G. S. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractDespite long‐standing awareness of the potentially important ecological role of fruit bats, we know little about the ecology of the vast majority of species. Here we report the results of a pilot satellite tracking study aimed at establishing the scale of movement of the straw‐coloured fruit bat Eidolon helvum. This was the first ever attempt to track African fruit bats using satellite telemetry. We tagged four bats with solar‐charged 12 g satellite transmitters at Kasanka National Park in December 2005 and obtained a combined total of 104 different location fixes over a 149‐day period. Before migrating, bats foraged as far as 59 km from the roost in a single evening; by contrast, one migrating individual moved 370 km in one night. Bats travelled an average 29 km day−1 over the period of study, with bats that appeared to be migrating moving north‐west from Kasanka at an average 90 km day−1. The greatest cumulative distance travelled by a single bat was 2518 km in 149 days. The results show conclusively that the straw‐coloured fruit bat E. helvum is capable of migrating thousands of kilometres across central Africa on an annual basis, implying that the fruit pulse in northern Zambia is richer than anything on offer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the same time of the year.
Gender and parental influences on the growth of a sexually dimorphic carnivorous marsupial
Authors: Foster W. K. , Taggart D. A. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractThe life histories of carnivorous marsupials, or dasyurids, make them useful subjects for studying maternal investment, such as sex ratio and lactational investment. One group of annual breeding dasyurids are male semelparous, strongly sexually dimorphic, produce large litters that weigh two to three times the weight of the mother at weaning and show biases in siring success and sex ratio. Red‐tailed phascogales Phascogale calura belong to this group and in captivity they have shown biases in siring success with body weight. The growth rates of young of this species were investigated to determine whether sex‐biased maternal investment occurs. No relationship was evident between maternal weight and the sex ratio of young, indicating no sex‐ratio adjustment with maternal condition. In contrast, a positive relationship was evident between maternal weight and the weight of offspring at weaning, with weaning weight being correlated with weight at maturity. Dimorphism in weight emerged during suckling, with an average dimorphic ratio of 1.5 achieved by maturity. In contrast, dimorphism in skeletal measures did not emerge until after weaning, with an average dimorphic ratio of 1.14 achieved by maturity. The sex differences in growth during suckling provide support for a male bias in maternal investment.
Tumor necrosis factor p55 and p75 receptors are involved in chemical‐induced apoptosis of dentate granule neurons
Authors: Harry G. Jean , Lefebvre d’Hellencourt Christian , McPherson Christopher A. , Funk Jason A. , Aoyama Mineyoshi , Wine Robert N. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractLocalized tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNFα) elevation has diverse effects in brain injury often attributed to signaling via TNFp55 or TNFp75 receptors. Both dentate granule cells and CA pyramidal cells express TNF receptors (TNFR) at low levels in a punctate pattern. Using a model to induce selective death of dentate granule cells (trimethyltin; 2 mg/kg, i.p.), neuronal apoptosis [terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP‐biotin in situ end labeling, active caspase 3 (AC3)] was accompanied by amoeboid microglia and elevated TNFα mRNA levels. TNFp55R (55 kDa type‐1 TNFR) and TNFp75R (75 kDa type‐2 TNFR) immunoreactivity in AC3+ neurons displayed a pattern suggestive of receptor internalization and a temporal sequence of expression of TNFp55R followed by TNFp75R associated with the progression of apoptosis. A distinct ramified microglia response occurred around CA1 neurons and healthy dentate neurons that displayed an increase in the normal punctate pattern of TNFRs. Neuronal damage was decreased with i.c.v. injection of TNFα antibody and in TNFp55R−/−p75R−/− mice that showed higher constitutive mRNA levels for interleukin (IL‐1α), macrophage inflammatory protein 1‐α (MIP‐1α), TNFα, transforming growth factor β1, Fas, and TNFRSF6‐assoicated via death domain (FADD). TNFp75R−/− mice showed exacerbated injury and elevated mRNA levels for IL‐1α, MIP‐1α, and TNFα. In TNFp55R−/− mice, constitutive mRNA levels for TNFα, IL‐6, caspase 8, FADD, and Fas‐associated phosphatase were higher; IL‐1α, MIP‐1α, and transforming growth factor β1 lower. The mice displayed exacerbated neuronal death, delayed microglia response, increased FADD and TNFp75R mRNA levels, and co‐expression of TNFp75R in AC3+ neurons. The data demonstrate TNFR‐mediated apoptotic death of dentate granule neurons utilizing both TNFRs and suggest a TNFp75R‐mediated apoptosis in the absence of normal TNFp55R activity.
Photogrammetric and lidar data integration using the centroid of a rectangular roof as a control point
Authors: Mitishita Edson , Habib Ayman , Centeno Jorge , Machado Alvaro , Lay Jennifer , Wong Carmen 
Published: March 2008

AbstractThe integration of photogrammetric images and lidar data is becoming a powerful procedure that can be applied in the optimisation of photogrammetric mapping techniques. The complementary nature of lidar and photogrammetric data optimises the performance of many procedures used to extract 3D spatial information from data. For example, photogrammetric imagery enables the accurate extraction of building borders and lidar provides accurate 3D points that give information on the physical surfaces of buildings. These properties demonstrate the usefulness of combining the two types of data to achieve a more robust and complete reconstruction of 3D objects. Photogrammetric procedures require the exterior orientation parameters (EOPs) of the images to extract mapping information. Despite the availability of GPS/INS systems, which greatly assist in direct georeferencing of the imagery, the majority of commercially available photogrammetric systems require control information in order to carry out photogrammetric mapping. Due to improvements in the accuracy of lidar systems in recent years, lidar data is considered a viable source of photogrammetric control. Point features are the principal source of control for photogrammetric triangulation, although linear features and planar patches have also been used. This paper presents a method of georeferencing photogrammetric images using lidar data. The method uses the centroids of rectangular building roofs as control points in the photogrammetric procedure. The centroid of a rectangular building roof derived using lidar data is equivalent to a single control point with 3D coordinates, and can therefore be used in traditional photogrammetric systems. Two photogrammetric experiments were carried out to verify the feasibility of the methodology. The results obtained from these experiments confirm the feasibility of applying the proposed methodology to the georeferencing of photogrammetric images using lidar data.
Monitoring and Assessing Structural Damage in Historic Buildings
Authors: Armesto Julia , Arias Pedro , Roca Javier , Lorenzo Henrique 
Published: March 2008

AbstractIn the cultural heritage field, the monitoring of the integrity of structures can greatly benefit from 3D digitising techniques. The aim of deformation analysis and structural surveillance is the early detection of damage in order to be able to react appropriately and in good time. The devices that have been traditionally used in the measurement of fissures, cracks and fractures are contact tools whose application depends on accessibility; moreover, they only provide discrete point measurements rather than giving a continuous record of the damage dimension in the whole affected area, as modern 3D modelling techniques can do. Among these techniques, close range photogrammetry is still the most complete, economical, portable, flexible and widely used approach in architectural applications. This paper is focused on the application of close range photogrammetry in the detection and monitoring of structural damage. The following procedure is proposed: the gathering at different epochs of 3D point clouds in the neighbourhood of cracks; the comparison among the successive point clouds by means of shape parameters; and the application of a bootstrap test for the detection of the significant statistical results. This procedure is applied to the analysis of structural damage detected in a masonry structure of cultural heritage interest: Basílica da Ascensión, located in the north‐west of Spain.
The effect of mode of delivery and anaesthesia on neonatal blood pressure
Authors: SEDAGHAT Negin , ELLWOOD David , SHADBOLT Bruce , KECSKES Zsuzsoka , FALK Michael C. , BRUSSEL Thomas , KENT Alison L. 
Published: March 2008

Background:  Many factors may effect blood pressure (BP) in the early neonatal period, including mode of delivery and anaesthesia, on which there is little reported.Aims:  To determine whether the mode of delivery, anaesthesia and maternal age have an effect on neonatal BP in the first three days of life.Methods:  Healthy, term neonates from August 2003–2005 were enrolled in the study. Infants of mothers with hypertension of any cause, diabetes of any cause, illicit substance use, congenital or chromosomal anomaly, and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit were excluded. Information on maternal age, duration of labour, mode of delivery, anaesthesia and postdelivery analgesic use was obtained. Blood pressure readings from day one to three of life were analysed.Results:  Four hundred and six infants were enrolled into the study. Both spinal anaesthesia and elective caesarean delivery were associated with a lower systolic BP reading on day one, but not on day two or three (P = 0.004 and P = 0.023, respectively). Multivariate analysis indicated that spinal anaesthesia was the most significant variable for a lower systolic BP on day one (P = 0.022). There was no correlation between maternal age and BP on day one to three.Conclusions:  Spinal anaesthesia is associated with a statistically lower systolic BP on the first day of life; the clinical significance is as yet unclear.
Placental cultures in the era of peripartum antibiotic use
Authors: BHOLA Kavita , AL‐KINDI Hunaina , FADIA Mitali , KENT Alison L. , COLLIGNON Peter , DAHLSTROM Jane E. 
Published: March 2008

Background:  Histological examination of the placenta can provide valuable information that aids diagnosis and management for both the mother and the fetus. Positive placental cultures may also provide the clinician with valuable information on which to base therapy.Aims:  To determine the incidence of positive placental cultures, the association with chorioamnionitis and whether the rate is affected by antibiotic administration in the peripartum period.Methods:  A retrospective study of placentas submitted for histopathology and microbiology culture in higher risk deliveries over a 12‐month period in a laboratory at a tertiary facility. Data collected included gestation age, duration of rupture of membranes, maternal fever, group B Streptococcus status, intrapartum antibiotics, placental culture result and the histopathology result.Results:  Of the 412 placentas submitted, 26% (106 of 412) had histological evidence of in utero inflammation. Sixty‐three percent (259 of 412) of placentas were submitted for culture. Of these, only 4.6% (12 of 259) had a positive culture result, with 75% (nine of 12) having histological evidence of acute inflammation. Group B streptococcus and Escherichia coli were the most common isolates. Forty‐two per cent (five of 12) of these women had received peripartum antibiotics.Conclusions:  Positive placental cultures are found in only a small number of placentas with histological evidence of chorioamnionitis and funisitis. The current method of placental swabbing and culture technique is highly specific but not sensitive. The value of performing current routine placental cultures appears limited.
Prolonged maintenance of 2,3‐diphosphoglycerate acid and adenosine triphosphate in red blood cells during storage
Authors: De Korte Dirk , Kleine Mya , Korsten Herbert G.H. , Verhoeven Arthur J. 
Published: March 2008

BACKGROUND: Current additive solutions (ASs) for red cells (RBCs) do not maintain a constant level of critical metabolites such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and 2,3‐diphosphoglycerate acid (2,3‐DPG) during cold storage. From the literature it is known that the intracellular pH is an important determinant of RBC metabolism. Therefore, a new, alkaline, AS was developed with the aim to allow cold storage of RBCs with stable product characteristics.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Whole blood–derived RBCs (leukoreduced) were resuspended in experimental medium phosphate‐adenine‐guanosine‐glucose‐gluconate‐mannitol (PAGGG‐M; pH 8.2) with and without washing in the same medium. During cold storage several in vitro variables, such as intracellular pH, 2,3‐DPG, ATP, and hemolysis, were analyzed.RESULTS: During cold storage, RBCs resuspended in PAGGG‐M showed a constant ATP level (approx. 6 μmol/g Hb) and a very limited hemolysis (<0.2%). The 2,3‐DPG content showed an increase until Day 21 (150% of initial level), followed by a slow decrease, with at Day 35 still 100 percent of the initial level. RBCs washed in PAGGG‐M even showed a continuous increase of 2,3‐DPG during 35 days, with a maximum level of 200 percent of the initial value. The effect of PAGGG‐M appears to be related to long‐lasting effects of the initial intracellular pH shortly after production.CONCLUSION: Resuspension of RBCs in our alkaline medium PAGGG‐M resulted in a RBC unit of high quality during storage for up to at least 35 days, with 2,3‐DPG levels of higher than 10 μmol per g Hb, hemolysis of less than 0.2 percent, and ATP levels of higher than 5 μmol per g Hb.
Cardiac Effects of Electrical Stun Guns: Does Position of Barbs Contact Make a Difference?
Authors: LAKKIREDDY DHANUNJAYA , WALLICK DONALD , VERMA ATUL , RYSCHON KAY , KOWALEWSKI WILLIAM , WAZNI OUSSAMA , BUTANY JAGDISH , MARTIN DAVID , TCHOU PATRICK J. 
Published: March 2008

Background:

The use of electrical stun guns has been rising among law enforcement authorities for subduing violent subjects. Multiple reports have raised concerns over their safety. The cardiovascular safety profile of these devices in relationship to the position of delivery on the torso has not been well studied.
Methods:

We tested 13 adult pigs using a custom device built to deliver neuromuscular incapacitating (NMI) discharge of increasing intensity that matched the waveform of a commercially available stun gun (TASER® X‐26, TASER International, Scottsdale, AZ, USA). Discharges with increasing multiples of output capacitances were applied in a step‐up and step‐down fashion, using two‐tethered barbs at five locations: (1) Sternal notch to cardiac apex (position‐1), (2) sternal notch to supraumbilical area (position‐2), (3) sternal notch to infraumbilical area (position‐3), (4) side to side on the chest (position‐4), and (5) upper to lower mid‐posterior torso (position‐5). Endpoints included determination of maximum safe multiple (MaxSM), ventricular fibrillation threshold (VFT), and minimum ventricular fibrillation induction multiple (MinVFIM).
Results:

Standard TASER discharges repeated three times did not cause ventricular fibrillation (VF) at any of the five locations. When the barbs were applied in the axis of the heart (position‐1), MaxSM and MinVFIM were significantly lower than when applied away from the heart, on the dorsum (position‐5) (4.31 ± 1.11 vs 40.77 ± 9.54, P< 0.001 and 8.31 ± 2.69 vs 50.77 ± 9.54, P< 0.001, respectively). The values of these endpoints at position‐2, position‐3, and position‐4 were progressively higher and ranged in between those of position‐1 and position‐5. Presence of ventricular capture at a 2:1 ratio to the delivered TASER impulses correlated with induction of VF. No significant metabolic changes were seen after standard NMI TASER discharge. There was no evidence of myocardial damage based on serum cardiac markers, electrocardiography, echocardiography, and histopathologic findings confirming the absence of significant cardiac effects.
Conclusions

: Standard TASER discharges did not cause VF at any of the positions. Induction of VF at higher output multiples appear to be sensitive to electrode distance from the heart, giving highest ventricular fibrillation safety margin when the electrodes are placed on the dorsum. Rapid ventricular capture appears to be a likely mechanism of VF induction by higher output TASER discharges.
Space‐Time Database for Standardization of Adult Magnetocardiogram‐Making Standard MCG Parameters
Authors: KANDORI AKIHIKO , OGATA KUNIOMI , WATANABE YASUSHI , TAKUMA NORIKO , TANAKA KIMIO , MURAKAMI MASAHIRO , MIYASHITA TSUYOSHI , SASAKI NOBUO , OKA YUJI 
Published: March 2008

Background:

The magnetocardiogram (MCG) is a promising medical tool for detecting and visualizing abnormal cardiac electrical activation in heart‐disease patients. However, there is no large‐scale MCG database of healthy subjects, and there is little knowledge of gender‐ and age‐related influences on MCG data.
Methods and Results:

We obtained MCG data from 869 subjects (554 men, 315 women) using a conventional 64‐channel MCG system, which covers the whole heart. Electrocardiogram (ECG) data were also obtained; 464 people (268 men, 196 women) were identified as a normal group using ECG data. Time intervals (PQ, QRS, QT, and QTc), current distributions (maximum current vector (MCV), and the total current vector (TCV)) of MCG data of the 464 normal subjects were analyzed to obtain basic MCG parameters. Although mean values of PQ and QRS intervals of the male subjects were slightly longer than those of the female subjects, no intervals were correlated with gender or age. The correlation between PQ intervals of ECG and those of MCG was better than the correlation between QRS and QT intervals of ECG and those of MCG. Both MCV and TCV angles were much smaller than the electrical‐axis angle in ECG. Although TCVs of the QRS and T waves were stable, the women's mean T‐wave‐TCV angles significantly increased with age. The maximum amplitude of the P wave was about 1.7 pT, and the value of the QRS complex was about 20–25 pT. Moreover, the T‐wave amplitude decreases with age.
Conclusion:

The MCG standard space‐time parameters determined here provide a normal range for MCG parameters.
Implantable Cardioverter‐Defibrillators in Patients with Left Ventricular Noncompaction
Authors: KOBZA RICHARD , JENNI ROLF , ERNE PAUL , OECHSLIN ERWIN , DURU FIRAT 
Published: March 2008

Background:

Left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is a rare, congenital cardiomyopathy and can be associated with heart failure, embolic events, arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death. Implantation of implantable cardioverter‐defibrillators in these patients is a treatment option, but data on long‐term follow‐up are limited. The aim of the study was to analyze the clinical outcome of patients with LVNC who were treated with an implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD).
Methods:

We conducted a retrospective study on 12 patients (mean age: 45 ± 13 years, range 20–60) with LVNC, who underwent ICD implantation for secondary (n = 8) and primary (n = 4) prevention.
Results:

During a median follow‐up of 36 months, five patients (42%) presented with appropriate ICD therapy: in four of the eight patients (50%) in whom the ICD was implanted as a secondary prevention and in one of the four patients (25%) for whom the ICD was implanted for primary prevention. In eight patients (66%) supraventricular tachyarrhythmias were documented. Improvement of left ventricular function could be observed in one of two patients with a biventricular ICD.
Conclusions:

Potentially life‐threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias may occur in patients with LVNC. ICD therapy may be effective for primary and secondary prevention in these patients. Due to the high prevalence of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias devices with reliable detection enhancements should be considered.