bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Differential requirements for interleukin (IL)‐4 and IL‐13 in protein contact dermatitis induced by Anisakis
Authors: Nieuwenhuizen N. , Herbert D. R. , Brombacher F. , Lopata A. L. 
Published: February 2009

Background:  Exposure to antigens of the fish parasite Anisakis is associated with the development of protein contact dermatitis in seafood‐processing workers. Understanding the basic mechanisms controlling allergic sensitization through the skin is critical for designing therapies that will prevent the progression of allergic disease.Objective:  To investigate the roles of interleukin (IL)‐4, IL‐13 and the IL‐4Rα in both local skin pathology and systemic sensitization following epicutaneous exposure to Anisakis proteins.Methods:  BALB/c wild‐type (WT) mice and mice deficient in IL‐4, IL‐13 or IL‐4 and IL‐13, as well as mice with cell‐specific impairment of IL‐4Rα expression, were sensitized to Anisakis antigen by repeated epicutaneous application of Anisakis extract. Following this sensitization, skin pathology was recorded and systemic responses were investigated. Intravenous challenge with Anisakis extract was performed to test for the development of biologically relevant systemic sensitization.Results:  In WT mice, epicutaneous sensitization with Anisakis larval antigens induced localized inflammation, epidermal hyperplasia, production of TH2 cytokines, antigen‐specific IgE and IgG1. Intravenous challenge of sensitized mice resulted in anaphylactic shock. Interestingly, IL‐13 deficient mice failed to develop epidermal hyperplasia and inflammation, whilst anaphylaxis was reduced only in strains deficient either in IL‐4 only, or deficient in IL‐4 and IL‐13 concurrently, as well as in mice deficient in IL‐4Rα or with impaired IL‐4Rα expression on CD4+ T cells.Conclusions:  Interleukin‐13 plays a central role in protein contact dermatitis associated with repeated epicutaneous exposure to Anisakis extract, whereas IL‐4 drives systemic sensitization and resultant anaphylactic shock.
Mate choice based on a key ecological performance trait
Authors: SNOWBERG L. K. , BENKMAN C. W. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractMate preference for well‐adapted individuals may strengthen divergent selection and thereby facilitate adaptive divergence. We performed mate choice experiments in which we manipulated male red crossbill (Loxia curvirostra complex) feeding rates. Using association time as a proxy for preference, we found that females preferred faster foragers, which reinforces natural selection because poorly adapted males would be less likely to obtain a mate as well as less likely to survive. Although theoretical models predict direct preference for adaptation and performance, to the best of our knowledge this experiment provides the first evidence of individuals directly assessing feeding performance in mate choice. In species where assessing the ecological adaptation of potential mates is possible, females may gain fitness benefits from choosing a well‐adapted mate directly or indirectly, promoting the use of information about ecological adaptation in mate choice.
Moult speed affects structural feather ornaments in the blue tit
Authors: GRIGGIO M. , SERRA L. , LICHERI D. , CAMPOMORI C. , PILASTRO A. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractGrowing evidence suggests that structural feather colours honestly reflect individual quality or body condition but, contrary to pigment‐based colours, it is not clear what mechanism links condition to reflectance in structural feather colours. We experimentally accelerated the moult speed of a group of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) by exposing them to a rapidly decreasing photoperiod and compared the spectral characteristics of their structural feather colours with those of control birds. Blue tits were sexually dimorphic on the UV/blue crown and on the white cheek feathers. Moult speed, however, dramatically reduced brightness and the saturation only on the UV/blue crown feathers, whereas structural white on the cheek feathers was basically unaffected by moult speed. Given that the time available for moulting is usually confined to the period between the end of the breeding season and migration or wintering, UV/blue colours, but not structural white, may convey long‐term information about an individual’s performance during the previous breeding season. The trade‐off between fast moulting and structural colour expression may represent a previously unrecognized selective advantage for early‐breeding birds.
Investment in the public good through conditional phenotypes   of large effect
Authors: WILD G. , FERNANDES A. D. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractWe investigate the evolution of an individual's willingness to invest in a public good (what we call, helping) in a patch‐structured population with limited natal dispersal. We assume that an individual's decision to invest is informed by its dispersal status: an individual makes one decision given it is native to the patch on which it breeds, and is free to make a different decision given that it is not native to the patch on which it breeds. Unlike previous work, we assume that investment in the public good, and the public good, itself, both have a large effect on individual fecundity. Kin selection analysis reveals that only extreme investment decisions (i.e. ‘always invest’ or ‘never invest’) can be evolutionarily stable. Numerical results suggest that the evolutionary instability of the ‘never invest’ phenotype (what we call, complete nonhelping) implies the evolutionary stability of ‘always invest’ (what we call, complete helping). In addition, numerical results show that bistability of extreme phenotypes is possible, indicating that the adaptive significance of altruism, in this context, is greater than has been previously recognized. Numerical results are supported by computer simulation, and results, themselves, are briefly discussed in a concluding section.
A novel secondary metabolite from the Eucalyptus pathogen Mycosphaerella cryptica
Authors: Assante G. , Nasini G. , Zhang S. , Bradshaw R. E. 
Published: February 2009

SummaryThe most abundant metabolite of the eucalyptus leaf spot pathogen Mycosphaerella cryptica was extracted from agar cultures. The structure of the compound was elucidated by detailed studies of NMR and MS data and by comparison with derivatives. The compound is a previously undescribed diphenylether structurally related to pannaric acid found in lichens. Culture extracts from another species of Mycosphaerella isolated from the same environment yielded 5‐hydroxymethylfuran‐3‐carboxylic acid, a furan acidic compound previously isolated from a basidiomycete fungus. Assays for bioactivity of these metabolites revealed no evidence for antimicrobial activity. Some phytotoxicity was seen on newly emerged leaves of Eucalyptus globulus, but not on juvenile or adult leaves, when treated with either metabolite.
The Chalan beel in Bangladesh: Habitat and biodiversity degradation, and implications for future management
Authors: Hossain Mostafa A. R. , Nahiduzzaman M. , Sayeed M. Abu , Azim M. Ekram , Wahab M. Abdul , Olin Paul G. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractThis study provides an overview of the current resources and fisheries status of the Chalan beel, and identifies the scope of opportunities to evolve existing fisheries management strategies, focusing on fish biodiversity conservation. Chalan beel is the largest, most important watershed in the North Central Bangladesh, and covers an area of about 375 km2 during the monsoon season. The watershed serves about 5 million people, predominantly through fisheries and agricultural activities. Although considerably degraded over time, Chalan beel still supports a diverse ichthyofauna of major importance to the local economy and people's livelihoods. The Chalan beel area incorporates 21 rivers and 93 smaller seasonal beels of varying size. Most of the rivers and beels are at risk of partial or total degradation, as a result of agricultural encroachment, siltation and other anthropogenic activities. During the study, ≈ 83% of the rivers, and 68% of the beels in the lean season, shrunk to 0–5% of their maximum (monsoon) water‐spread area during the dry season (i.e. critical levels for survival of many fish species). A fish catch survey was carried out in the main fishing season (July to December) over two successive years in the three most important catchment areas; namely, the Gumani, Baral and Katagang Rivers. A total of 72 sampling episodes yielded 9818 individuals, representing 114 fish species. The most abundant fish species during the 2‐year study period were punti (Puntius sophore and Puntius ticto), followed by chanda (Chanda nama and Parambassis ranga), chapila (Gudusia chapra) and tengra (Mystus vittatus). The study results indicate at least 19 fish species once considered abundant can now be classified as threatened, with a possibility of local extinction. The mean fish catch was 2.08 ± 0.49 kg, and 1.29 ± 0.32 kg per hour per person, by suti jal (set bag net – the most common gear used in the beel) in 2005 and 2006, respectively, with a significant (P < 0.05) variation among catches in months and years at all three sample sites. In 2005–2006, the annual fish production in Chalan beel was 12 217 tonnes, being less than half of the production observed in 1982. The stakeholders identified several major causes they thought were directly responsible for the continued decrease in fish production and biodiversity of the beel area. Several management strategies were suggested by the same stakeholders, and the findings are discussed in the context of overall developments in the Chalan beel fisheries related to habitat and biodiversity management.
Initial appraisal of water quality of Lake Santa Ana, Mexico
Authors: Gaytán Roberto , De Anda José , González‐Farías Fernando 
Published: February 2009

AbstractLake Santa Ana is located in the Mexican central plateau, a semiarid region characterized by low rainfall and high evaporation rates. Because of the area's climatic conditions, most of its few existing lakes and reservoirs are ephemeral, with significantly reduced surface areas during the dry season. Mexican authorities currently pay little or no attention to these special aquatic ecosystems. As a consequence, several of these waterbodies are severely degraded in regard to both water quantity and quality. As a result, this report describes Lake Santa Ana as a case study. Several water quality parameters, including physicochemical, microbiological and heavy metal concentrations, were measured at eight sampling sites in the lake, and four sites in the lake basin, in 2005. Some dissolved ions were also analysed in 2007 in the lake, and in a well located close to the lake, in order to evaluate possible interactions between groundwater and surface waters. These study results indicate that the lake does not have significant interactions with groundwater in the local aquifer. Most of the measured water quality parameters do not meet the international suggested standards for inland surface waters to sustain aquatic life, and preserve the habitat for both endemic and migratory waterfowl. Loss of aquatic habitats puts at risk the value of the central portion of Mexico as a migratory route for North American waterfowl species.
Conjunctival and episcleral Splendore–Hoeppli phenomenon
Authors: Pinto Nigel , Hirst Lawrence , Whitby Michael 
Published: February 2009

AbstractThe Splendore–Hoeppli phenomenon originally described in 1908 is a rare pathological state with an as yet unknown cause. Reported is the Splendore–Hoeppli phenomenon present in both eyes of a 36‐year‐old woman. The pathology then proceeded to resolve itself completely within 10 weeks. Of note was the fact that the patient actually developed these granulomata despite being on high doses of oral steroids with the lesions disappearing despite her steroids being withdrawn during the resolution phase. An indication is that the phenomenon is unlikely to be because of an autoimmune response.
Carotid intima‐media thickness and apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A‐I ratio in middle‐aged patients with Type 2 diabetes
Authors: Dahlén E. M. , Länne T. , Engvall J. , Lindström T. , Grodzinsky E. , Nystrom F. H. , Östgren C. J. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractAims  To explore the association between carotid intima‐media thickness (IMT) and the apolipoprotein B (apoB)/apolipoprotein A‐I (apoA‐I) ratio compared with conventional lipids in middle‐aged patients with Type 2 diabetes.Methods  We analysed data from 247 patients with Type 2 diabetes, aged 55–66 years, in the Cardiovascular Risk factors in Patients with Diabetes—a Prospective study in Primary care (CARDIPP‐1) study. Primary care nurses measured blood pressure and anthropometric characteristics. Blood samples were taken for laboratory analyses. The carotid IMT was determined by ultrasonography at the University Hospital in Linköping and at the County Hospital Ryhov, Jönköping, Sweden.Results  The ApoB/apoA‐I ratio (r = 0.207, P = 0.001), apoB (r = 0.166, P = 0.009) and non‐high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (non‐HDL‐c) (r = 0.129, P = 0.046) correlated with IMT. Conventional lipids, high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hsCRP), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and systolic blood pressure were not significantly correlated to IMT. A stepwise logistic regression analysis was conducted with IMT as the dependent variable and the apoB/apoA‐I ratio, HbA1c, hsCRP, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐c), total cholesterol, non‐HDL‐c and treatment with statins as independent variables. Following adjustment for age and gender, only the apoB/apoA‐I ratio remained significantly associated with IMT (odds ratio 4.3, 95% confidence intervals 1.7–10.8, P = 0.002).Conclusions  We conclude that there was a significant association between the apoB/apoA‐I ratio and IMT in middle‐aged patients with Type 2 diabetes. The association was independent of conventional lipids, hsCRP, glycaemic control and use of statins.
Selectable marker genes and unintended changes to the plant transcriptome
Authors: Miki Brian , Abdeen Ashraf , Manabe Yuzuki , MacDonald Phil 
Published: February 2009

SummaryThe intended effect of a selectable marker gene is to confer a novel trait that allows for the selection and recovery of transgenic plants. Unintended effects may also occur as a result of interactions between the selectable marker gene or its regulatory elements and genetic elements at the site of insertion. These are called position effects. Other unintended effects may occur if the selectable marker gene has a range of pleiotropic effects related to the functional and regulatory domains within the coding region or the regulatory elements used to drive expression. Both pleiotropic and position effects may generate unpredictable events depending on the process used for transgenesis and the state of knowledge associated with the selectable marker gene. Although some selectable marker genes, such as the neomycin phosphotransferase type II gene (nptII), have no pleiotropic effects on the transcriptomes of transgenic plants, others, such as the bialaphos resistance gene (bar), have pleiotropic effects. These must be clearly understood and accounted for when evaluating the expression patterns conferred by other co‐transforming transgenes under study. The number and kinds of selectable marker genes are large. A detailed understanding of their unintended effects is needed to develop transgenic strategies that will minimize or eliminate unintended and unpredictable changes to plants with newly inserted genes.
Different neurocognitive functions regulating physical aggression and hyperactivity in early childhood
Authors: Séguin Jean R. , Parent Sophie , Tremblay Richard E. , Zelazo Philip David 
Published: February 2009

Background:  There are strong parallels between early childhood and adolescent behavior problems. However, we do not know if behavioral symptoms associate with neurocognitive processes in very young children as they do in older children.Methods:  We studied a population‐based birth cohort of children (N = 1,950) whose developmental trajectories of physical aggression and hyperactivity were assessed between the ages of 17 and 41 months. We measured the following neurocognitive abilities at 41 months of age: Receptive vocabulary, visuospatial organization, and short‐term memory.Results:  After controlling for other neurocognitive abilities, frequent physical aggression was related specifically to receptive vocabulary deficits (p < .0001) while frequent hyperactivity was related specifically to deficits of visuospatial organization (p < .0001). The pattern of associations was robust despite controls for socioeconomic and perinatal status.Conclusions:  The different neurocognitive correlates of physical aggression and hyperactivity problems observed during adolescence are apparent in early childhood. Whereas physical aggression problems are associated with language deficits, hyperactivity problems are related to non‐verbal deficits.
An observational study of the interactions of socially withdrawn/anxious early adolescents and their friends
Authors: Schneider Barry H. 
Published: February 2009

Background:  The friendships of socially withdrawn/anxious children and early adolescents have been found to lack critical rewarding qualities. Observational research may help elucidate the obstacles they face in forming and maintaining high‐quality friendships with sociable peers.Method:  We observed the interactions of 38 socially withdrawn early adolescents with their friends and compared them to a community control group.Results:  In negotiating the sharing of an object, the socially withdrawn, anxious group was more passive than controls. The socially withdrawn, anxious participants engaged less actively in a fast‐paced game involving miniature cars. While completing a quiet drawing task, the socially anxious, withdrawn participants tended to refrain from comparing their work to that of their friends. In all three of our closed‐field situations, the socially withdrawn, anxious participants displayed relatively neutral affect in comparison with the control group.Conclusions:  These results suggest that the social withdrawal and social anxiety of children with social phobia are very evident even within the confines of their close friendships. Therefore, therapeutic interventions at the level of the dyad may be indicated.
Emanuel Miller Lecture: Attachment insecurity, disinhibited attachment, and attachment disorders: where do research findings leave the concepts?
Authors: Rutter Michael , Kreppner Jana , Sonuga‐Barke Edmund 
Published: February 2009

Background:  Despite the evidence on anomalous attachment patterns, there has been a tendency to interpret most of these as reflecting differences in security/insecurity.Methods:  Empirical research findings are reviewed in relation to attachment/insecurity as evident in both infancy and later childhood, disorganised attachment, inhibited attachment disorder, and disinhibited attachment disorder.Findings:  Substantial differences are found in the correlates and meaning of these different features, as well as in the patterns associated with conditions such as autism, psychopathy, and Williams syndrome.Conclusions:  It is seriously misleading to view all of these patterns through the lens of security/insecurity. This heterogeneity in social relationship features necessarily has implications for the assessment measures for social relationships that need to be used.
Do individuals with autism spectrum disorders infer traits from behavior?
Authors: Ramachandran Rajani , Mitchell Peter , Ropar Danielle 
Published: February 2009

Background: Traits and mental states are considered to be inter‐related parts of theory of mind. Attribution research demonstrates the influential role played by traits in social cognition. However, there has been little investigation into how individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) understand traits.Method: The ability of individuals with ASD to infer traits from descriptions of behavior was investigated by asking participants to read trait‐implying sentences and then to choose one of two words that best related to the sentence.Results: In Experiment 1, individuals with ASD performed similarly to matched controls in being faster at choosing the trait in comparison to the semantic associate of one of the words in the sentence. The results from Experiments 1 and 2 provided converging evidence in suggesting that inferring traits from textual descriptions of behavior occurs with relatively little effort. The results of Experiment 3 suggested that making trait inferences took priority over inferring actions or making semantic connections between words.Conclusions: Individuals with ASD infer traits from descriptions of behavior effortlessly and spontaneously. The possibility of trait inference being a spared socio‐cognitive function in autism is discussed.
Extraction and Refinement Strategy for detection of autism in 18‐month‐olds: a guarantee of higher sensitivity and specificity in the process of mass screening
Authors: Honda Hideo , Shimizu Yasuo , Nitto Yukari , Imai Miho , Ozawa Takeshi , Iwasa Mitsuaki , Shiga Keiko , Hira Tomoko 
Published: February 2009

Background:  For early detection of autism, it is difficult to maintain an efficient level of sensitivity and specificity based on observational data from a single screening. The Extraction and Refinement (E&R) Strategy utilizes a public children’s health surveillance program to produce maximum efficacy in early detection of autism. In the extraction stage, all cases at risk of childhood problems, including developmental abnormality, are identified; in the refinement stage, cases without problems are excluded, leaving only cases with conclusive diagnoses.Methods:  The city of Yokohama, Japan, conducts a routine child health surveillance program for children at 18 months in which specialized public health nurses administer YACHT‐18 (Young Autism and other developmental disorders CHeckup Tool), a screening instrument to identify children at risk for developmental disorders. Children who screen positive undergo further observation, and those without disorders are subsequently excluded. To study the efficacy of early detection procedures for developmental disorders, including autism, 2,814 children born in 1988, examined at 18 months of age, and not already receiving treatment for diseases or disorders were selected.Results:  In the extraction stage, 402 (14.3%) children were identified for follow‐up. In the refinement stage, 19 (.7%) of these were referred to the Yokohama Rehabilitation Center and diagnosed with developmental disorders. The extraction stage produced four false negatives, bringing total diagnoses of developmental disorders to 23 (.8%) – including 5 with autistic disorder and 9 with pervasive developmental disorder – not otherwise specified (PDDNOS). Sensitivity was 60% for autistic disorder and 82.6% for developmental disorders. Specificity for developmental disorders rose to 100% with the E&R Strategy. Picture cards used in YACHT‐18 provided a finer screen that excluded some false positive cases.Conclusions:  An extraction and refinement methodology utilizing child health surveillance programs achieve high efficacy for early detection of autism.