bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Alcohol research and the alcoholic beverage industry: issues, concerns and conflicts of interest
Authors: Babor Thomas F. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACTAims Using terms of justification such as ‘corporate social responsibility’ and ‘partnerships with the public health community’, the alcoholic beverage industry (mainly large producers, trade associations and ‘social aspects’ organizations) funds a variety of scientific activities that involve or overlap with the work of independent scientists. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the ethical, professional and scientific challenges that have emerged from industry involvement in alcohol science.Method Source material came from an extensive review of organizational websites, newspaper articles, journal papers, letters to the editor, editorials, books, book chapters and unpublished documents.Results Industry involvement in alcohol science was identified in seven areas: (i) sponsorship of research funding organizations; (ii) direct financing of university‐based scientists and centers; (iii) studies conducted through contract research organizations; (iv) research conducted by trade organizations and social aspects/public relations organizations; (v) efforts to influence public perceptions of research, research findings and alcohol policies; (vi) publication of scientific documents and support of scientific journals; and (vii) sponsorship of scientific conferences and presentations at conferences.Conclusion While industry involvement in research activities is increasing, it constitutes currently a rather small direct investment in scientific research, one that is unlikely to contribute to alcohol science, lead to scientific breakthroughs or reduce the burden of alcohol‐related illness. At best, the scientific activities funded by the alcoholic beverage industry provide financial support and small consulting fees for basic and behavioral scientists engaged in alcohol research; at worst, the industry's scientific activities confuse public discussion of health issues and policy options, raise questions about the objectivity of industry‐supported alcohol scientists and provide industry with a convenient way to demonstrate ‘corporate responsibility’ in its attempts to avoid taxation and regulation.
Postoperative PTH measurement facilitates day 1 discharge after total thyroidectomy
Authors: Grodski Simon , Lundgren Catharina Ihre , Sidhu Stan , Sywak Mark , Delbridge Leigh 
Published: December 2008

Summary
Objective  A new protocol for postoperative calcium management was developed with the aim of achieving an increase in the proportion of patients being safely discharged on the first postoperative day. We present our experience with the first 50 patients treated under this new protocol.
Patients and design  A cohort study was performed involving the first 50 patients admitted for total or completion thyroidectomy, those data were then compared with a control group. Intact PTH (iPTH) was measured at 4‐h postoperatively and patients with iPTH in the normal range were discharged on the first postoperative day.
Results  Mean age and sex distribution were similar in both groups. Mean lowest postoperative corrected calcium levels in the study group were 2·19 mmol/l and 2·15 mmol/l in the control group (P = 0·24). Parathyroid auto‐transplantaion was associated with low PTH levels (risk ratio = 0·49). Over 50% of patients (n = 27) were successfully discharged on the first postoperative day in the study group and no patient required readmission. Length of stay was significantly shorter in the study group, mean 1·64 vs. 2·20 days (P < 0·05).
Conclusion  The use of iPTH accurately predicts hypocalcaemia after total thyroidectomy and can be used to facilitate safe early discharge for patients.
IUCN classification zones concord with, but underestimate, the population genetic structure of the zebra shark Stegostoma fasciatum in the Indo‐West Pacific
Authors: DUDGEON C. L. , BRODERICK D. , OVENDEN J. R. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe Indo‐West Pacific (IWP), from South Africa in the western Indian Ocean to the western Pacific Ocean, contains some of the most biologically diverse marine habitats on earth, including the greatest biodiversity of chondrichthyan fishes. The region encompasses various densities of human habitation leading to contrasts in the levels of exploitation experienced by chondrichthyans, which are targeted for local consumption and export. The demersal chondrichthyan, the zebra shark, Stegostoma fasciatum, is endemic to the IWP and has two current regional International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List classifications that reflect differing levels of exploitation: ‘Least Concern’ and ‘Vulnerable’. In this study, we employed mitochondrial ND4 sequence data and 13 microsatellite loci to investigate the population genetic structure of 180 zebra sharks from 13 locations throughout the IWP to test the concordance of IUCN zones with demographic units that have conservation value. Mitochondrial and microsatellite data sets from samples collected throughout northern Australia and Southeast Asia concord with the regional IUCN classifications. However, we found evidence of genetic subdivision within these regions, including subdivision between locations connected by habitat suitable for migration. Furthermore, parametric FST analyses and Bayesian clustering analyses indicated that the primary genetic break within the IWP is not represented by the IUCN classifications but rather is congruent with the Indonesian throughflow current. Our findings indicate that recruitment to areas of high exploitation from nearby healthy populations in zebra sharks is likely to be minimal, and that severe localized depletions are predicted to occur in zebra shark populations throughout the IWP region.
Cospeciation of termite gut flagellates and their bacterial endosymbionts: Trichonympha species and ‘Candidatus Endomicrobium trichonymphae’
Authors: IKEDA‐OHTSUBO WAKAKO , BRUNE ANDREAS 
Published: December 2008

AbstractSymbiotic flagellates play a major role in the digestion of lignocellulose in the hindgut of lower termites. Many termite gut flagellates harbour a distinct lineage of bacterial endosymbionts, so‐called Endomicrobia, which belong to the candidate phylum Termite Group 1. Using an rRNA‐based approach, we investigated the phylogeny of Trichonympha, the predominant flagellates in a wide range of termite species, and of their Endomicrobia symbionts. We found that Trichonympha species constitute three well‐supported clusters in the Parabasalia tree. Endomicrobia were detected only in the apical lineage (Cluster I), which comprises flagellates present in the termite families Termopsidae and Rhinotermitidae, but apparently absent in the basal lineages (Clusters II and III) consisting of flagellates from other termite families and from the wood‐feeding cockroach, Cryptocercus punctulatus. The endosymbionts of Cluster I form a monophyletic group distinct from many other lineages of Endomicrobia and seem to have cospeciated with their flagellate host. The distribution pattern of the symbiotic pairs among different termite species indicates that cospeciation of flagellates and endosymbionts is not simply the result of a spatial separation of the flagellate lineages in different termite species, but that Endomicrobia are inherited among Trichonympha species by vertical transmission. We suggest extending the previously proposed candidatus name ‘Endomicrobium trichonymphae’ to all Endomicrobia symbionts of Trichonympha species, and estimate that the acquisition by an ancestor of Trichonympha Cluster I must have occurred about 40–70 million years ago, long after the flagellates entered the termites.
Physical‐chemical plant‐derived signals induce differentiation in Ustilago maydis
Authors: Mendoza‐Mendoza Artemio , Berndt Patrick , Djamei Armin , Weise Carolin , Linne Uwe , Marahiel Mohamed , Vraneš Miroslav , Kämper Jörg , Kahmann Regine 
Published: December 2008

Summary Ustilago maydis is able to initiate pathogenic development after fusion of two haploid cells with different mating type. On the maize leaf surface, the resulting dikaryon switches to filamentous growth, differentiates appressoria and penetrates the host. Here, we report on the plant signals required for filament formation and appressorium development in U. maydis. In vitro, hydroxy‐fatty acids stimulate filament formation via the induction of pheromone genes and this signal can be bypassed by genetically activating the downstream MAP kinase module. Hydrophobicity also induces filaments and these resemble the dikaryotic filaments formed on the plant surface. With the help of a marker gene that is specifically expressed in the tip cell of those hyphae that have formed an appressorium, hydrophobicity is shown to be essential for appressorium development in vitro. Hydroxy‐fatty acids or a cutin monomer mixture isolated from maize leaves have a stimulatory role when a hydrophobic surface is provided. Our results suggest that the early phase of communication between U. maydis and its host plant is governed by two different stimuli.
Genome‐wide responses to carbonyl electrophiles in Bacillus subtilis: control of the thiol‐dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase AdhA and cysteine proteinase YraA by the MerR‐family regulator YraB (AdhR)
Authors: Huyen Nguyen Thi Thu , Eiamphungporn Warawan , Mäder Ulrike , Liebeke Manuel , Lalk Michael , Hecker Michael , Helmann John D. , Antelmann Haike 
Published: December 2008

SummaryQuinones and α,β‐unsaturated carbonyls are naturally occurring electrophiles that target cysteine residues via thiol‐(S)‐alkylation. We analysed the global expression profile of Bacillus subtilis to the toxic carbonyls methylglyoxal (MG) and formaldehyde (FA). Both carbonyl compounds cause a stress response characteristic for thiol‐reactive electrophiles as revealed by the induction of the Spx, CtsR, CymR, PerR, ArsR, CzrA, CsoR and SigmaD regulons. MG and FA triggered also a SOS response which indicates DNA damage. Protection against FA is mediated by both the hxlAB operon, encoding the ribulose monophosphate pathway for FA fixation, and a thiol‐dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase (AdhA) and DJ‐1/PfpI‐family cysteine proteinase (YraA). The adhA–yraA operon and the yraC gene, encoding a γ‐carboxymuconolactone decarboxylase, are positively regulated by the MerR‐family regulator, YraB(AdhR). AdhR binds specifically to its target promoters which contain a 7‐4‐7 inverted repeat (CTTAAAG‐N4‐CTTTAAG) between the −35 and −10 elements. Activation of adhA–yraA transcription by AdhR requires the conserved Cys52 residue in vivo. We speculate that AdhR is redox‐regulated via thiol‐(S)‐alkylation by aldehydes and that AdhA and YraA are specifically involved in reduction of aldehydes and degradation or repair of damaged thiol‐containing proteins respectively.
Mediterranean contributions to cyclostratigraphy and astrochronology
Authors: FISCHER ALFRED G. , HILGEN FREDERIK J. , GARRISON ROBERT E. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractIn 1895, G.K. Gilbert suggested that rhythmical repetition of patterns in the sequences of strata correspond to orbital variations and could provide a chronology for Earth history. This suggestion remained a heuristic hypothesis in need of testing; in this, the Mediterranean region latterly played a crucial role. Its extended sequences of pelagic and lacustrine–paludal strata provide long time series of hierarchical rhythmic variations tied directly to biostratigraphy and to magnetic reversals. The latter provide historical control and links to astronomically calculated curves that have been extended progressively into the past. These comparisons verify the orbital origins of the major sedimentary rhythms and are serving to reduce the age uncertainties of the significant time stratigraphic levels (biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic zones) from an order ofca500 kyr toward the precessional (20 kyr) level. This refinement has essentially been reached for the last 14 Myr of Earth history in the Mediterranean, and beyond in the Pacific Ocean. The cyclic structure of shallow‐water platform carbonates is also hierarchical but here the identification with specific orbital cycles has been equivocal and complicated by conflicts with radiometric data. In the gap‐riddled shallow‐water successions showing hierarchical ‘sequences’, the identification of some third‐order, fourth‐order and fifth‐order ‘sequences’ or ‘parasequences’ with orbital forcing is being explored but remains inferential. Beyond chronology, the orbital variations constitute an endless series of experiments: similar variations in insolation, which resulted in sedimentary patterns formed by a chain of responses extending through atmospheric and hydrospheric dynamics to geological processes and the dynamics of the biotic systems. The emerging patterns offer glimpses into the past, to reveal previously unexpected phenomena such as systematic oscillations in deep‐water aeration and unexpected oscillations in composition of upper‐water plankton: patterns that pose new challenges to the understanding of Earth history.
Mud volcanoes, olistostromes and Argille scagliose in the Mediterranean region
Authors: CAMERLENGHI ANGELO , PINI GIAN ANDREA 
Published: December 2008

AbstractTectonic and sedimentary mélanges, rocks with block‐in‐matrix fabric often referred to as ‘chaotic’, are widespread in the circum‐Mediterranean collisional orogenic belts as well as in submerged Mediterranean Arcs. These rock types have been defined originally as ‘Argille scagliose’ (Bianconi, 1840) and ‘olistostromes’ (Flores, 1955, 1959) in the outcrops of the Apennine chain (Italy). Both terminology and concepts have undergone a rather complex evolution through time owing to the gradual recognition of similar chaotic bodies in all the circum‐Mediterranean orogenic belts. Submarine mud volcanoes of the Mediterranean region, also composed by block‐in‐matrix, more commonly referred to as mud breccias, have a much younger history. These mud breccias were discovered in 1981 and, since then, a growing number of sea‐going geophysical and geological expeditions have allowed the recognition of a major mud volcano belt in the Eastern Mediterranean and of a number of mud diapirs and mud volcano fields from the Black Sea to the Gulf of Cadiz. Structural, textural and genetic similarities between the mud breccias of the Mediterranean mud volcanoes and the olistostromes and Argille scagliose of the Apennines were noted from the very beginning, but the matter has not been the focus of any detailed study. In this paper, the use of the terms in the geological literature is analysed, the distribution of these rock units in the Mediterranean region explored and the assumed genetic processes are identified in order to formulate a common genetic model that can be applied to the evolution of the circum‐Mediterranean sedimentary basins.
Carbonate platforms in the Dolomites area of the Southern Alps – historic perspectives on progress in sedimentology
Authors: SCHLAGER WOLFGANG , KEIM LORENZ 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe area of the Dolomites in the Southern Alps exhibits some of the best outcrops of carbonate platforms and platform‐to‐basin transitions in the world. The region has attracted geologists since the early 19th Century and has been a centre of stratigraphic and sedimentological research ever since. The interpretation of the platforms in the Dolomites as coral reefs dates back to the 1850s and was inspired by the work on modern reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans at that time. Very soon, however, studies in the Dolomites triggered developments of their own. Fieldwork on these Triassic atolls led to a first understanding of the dramatic facies changes at the periphery of reefs and atolls, including the recognition of slope facies and basinward transport of platform material by gravity. In addition, the platforms were used to prove long‐term syndepositional subsidence on the scale of kilometres as early as 1860. After World War II, the study of modern reefs and platforms led to process‐based facies models and this, in turn, guided the sedimentological analysis of the Alpine–Mediterranean belt. Repeatedly, however, the roles became reversed and the Alpine–Mediterranean platforms contributed to the fundamental underpinnings of sedimentology. In the 1980s, mountain‐size outcrops in the Alps and the Apennines were recognized as models for the interpretation of shoal‐water carbonates in seismic data. Seismic models of outcrops in the Dolomites, for instance, gave rise to the concept of pseudo‐unconformities, i.e. rapid lateral facies changes that appear as unconformities in seismic images. In the 1990s, the Alpine–Mediterranean Mesozoic along with the North American and European Palaeozoic revealed the significance of microbially induced carbonate precipitation in constructing large limestone bodies. Studies of ancient rocks led this development because this particular carbonate factory is far less prominent now than it was at certain times in the past.
Tracking the origin of an invasive species: Drosophila subobscura in Argentina
Authors: FERNÁNDEZ IRIARTE P. J. , BALANYÀ J. , PASCUAL M. , MESTRES F. , HASSON E. R. , FONTDEVILA A. , SERRA L. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractBiological invasions are excellent opportunities to study the evolutionary forces leading to the adaptation of a species to a new habitat. Knowledge of the introduction history of colonizing species helps tracking colonizing routes and assists in defining management strategies for invasive species. The Palearctic species Drosophila subobscura is a good model organism for tracking colonizations since it was detected in Chile and western North America three decades ago and later on in the Atlantic coast of Argentina. To unravel the origin of the Argentinean colonizers two populations have been analysed with several genetic markers. Chromosomal arrangements and microsatellite alleles found in Argentina are almost similar to those observed in Chile and USA. The lethal allelism test demonstrates that the lethal gene associated with the O5 inversions in Argentina is identical to that found in Chile and USA, strongly supporting the hypothesis that all the American colonizing populations originated from the same colonization event. A secondary bottleneck is detected in the Argentinean populations and the genetic markers suggest that these populations originated from the invasion of 80–150 founding individuals from Chile.
Selective nectar robbing in a gynodioecious plant (Glechoma longituba) enhances female advantage
Authors: ZHANG Y.‐W. , YANG C.‐F. , ZHAO J.‐M. , GUO Y.‐H. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractNectar robbing not only affects the reproductive fitness of the plant but it may also potentially affect the pollination dynamics of the associated coflowering individuals. In this study, we established that the nectar robber Xylocopa sinensis robs nectar only from the hermaphrodite ramets of the gynodioecious plant Glechoma longituba but not from the female ramets. In populations with high rates of nectar robbing, this results in hermaphrodite ramets having reduced seed set whereas the female ramets have a slightly increased seed set. We hypothesize that selective nectar robbing confers an advantage to female individuals and thus ensures their maintenance in gynodioecious populations. Results of controlled experiments indicated that the reduction in the amounts of nectar available occasioned by nectar robbing resulted in some legitimate pollinators switching to visiting flowers on female rather than hermaphrodite ramets. This resulted in lower pollination rates and seed set for hermaphrodites and higher pollination rates and seed set for females. This study presents a previously unreported mechanism causing female advantage in gynodioecious plants.
Divergence along a steep ecological gradient in lake whitefish (Coregonussp.)
Authors: VONLANTHEN P. , ROY D. , HUDSON A. G. , LARGIADÈR C. R. , BITTNER D. , SEEHAUSEN O. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractTo understand mechanisms structuring diversity in young adaptive radiations, quantitative and unbiased information about genetic and phenotypic diversity is much needed. Here, we present the first in‐depth investigation of whitefish diversity in a Swiss lake, with continuous spawning habitat sampling in both time and space. Our results show a clear cline like pattern in genetics and morphology of populations sampled along an ecological depth gradient in Lake Neuchâtel. Divergent natural selection appears to be involved in shaping this cline given that trait specificPST‐values are significantly higher thanFST‐values when comparing populations caught at different depths. These differences also tend to increase with increasing differences in depth, indicating adaptive divergence along a depth gradient, which persists despite considerable gene flow between adjacent demes. It however remains unclear, whether the observed pattern is a result of currently stable selection‐gene flow balance, incipient speciation, or reverse speciation due to anthropogenic habitat alteration causing two formerly divergent species to collapse into a single gene pool.
Differentiation and Genetic Structure of Sclerophoma pythiophila Strains on Pinus sylvestris in Poland
Authors: Kraj Wojciech 
Published: December 2008

AbstractBetween 1996 and 2006, 97 strains of Sclerophoma pythiophila were isolated from 3 to 10‐year‐old trees of Pinus sylvestris from three regions of Poland differing by climatic conditions and geographic location. On the basis of 56 random amplified microsatellites (RAMS) markers obtained with the use of five primers, very high level of genetic variability of strains (mean Jaccard’s coefficient 0.56) was ascertained. Among the analysed markers only one was completely monomorphic, whereas six were monomorphic in 90%. Greater genetic similarity was ascertained for strains in southern Poland (0.58) in comparison with strains deriving from northern Poland (0.52). Correlation between the percentage share of polymorphic loci and the average annual temperature of places of strain isolation (r = 0.62) were shown, as well as the number of days with snow cover (r = 0.79). On the basis of the amova analysis, it was ascertained that 11.6% of genetic variability was located between regions of the strains origin and 88.4% within the regions.
Clinical features of convulsive status epilepticus: a study of 220 cases in western China
Authors: Chen L. , Zhou B. , Li J. M. , Zhu Y. , Wang J. H. , Sander J. W. , Stefan H. , Zhou D. 
Published: December 2008

Background and purpose:  Convulsive status epilepticus (CSE) is the most common and life‐threatening form of status epilepticus (SE). The aim of this study was to describe the clinical features of CSE in western China.Methods:  Convulsive status epilepticus patients hospitalized from January 1996 to October 2007 were prospectively observed. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of prognosis.Results:  The average age of CSE patients (n = 220) was 37.5 years (SD 20.31), 50% of the patients had a history of epilepsy. The primary cause of CSE was central nervous system infection (32.7%), followed by discontinuation or reduction of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs; 15.5%). The median duration of CSE was 5 h and median duration of seizures before treatment was 2 h; both were longer in rural patients than in urban patients (P < 0.05). The fatality rate on discharge was 15.9%. Logistic regression analysis showed the duration of CSE [odds ratio (OR) 1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–1.07], a history of epilepsy (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.14–0.89), and respiratory depression (OR 5.96, 95% CI 2.49–14.24) were independent predictors of CSE prognosis.Discussion:  Central nervous system infection and AEDs withdrawal in epilepsy patients were the most important causes of CSE. There is a large gap between antiepileptic therapy in China and European Status Epilepticus guidelines.