bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy and its effects on neurodevelopment: what is known and what remains uncertain
Authors: Gray Ron , Mukherjee Raja A. S. , Rutter Michael 
Published: February 2009

ABSTRACTIt has been claimed that mothers' drinking during pregnancy may affect the neurodevelopment of around 1% of all children. If this is true, then prenatal alcohol exposure represents an important risk factor for neurodevelopmental problems, giving rise to a large burden of disability which could be potentially preventable. Evidence to support this idea has come from animal experiments and human observational studies. However, such findings need to be supported by more robust research designs. Because randomized controlled trials in this area are neither feasible nor ethical, suggestions are made for further research making more use of natural experiments.
Parental alcohol dependence and the transmission of adolescent behavioral disinhibition: a study of adoptive and non‐adoptive families
Authors: King Serena M. , Keyes Margaret , Malone Stephen M. , Elkins Irene , Legrand Lisa N. , Iacono William G. , McGue Matt 
Published: February 2009

ABSTRACTAim  To examine the genetic and environmental influences of parental alcoholism on offspring disinhibited behavior.Design  We compared the effect of parental alcoholism history on offspring in adoptive and non‐adoptive families. In families with a history of parental alcohol dependence, we examined the effect of exposure to parental alcoholism symptoms during the life‐time of the adolescent.Setting  Assessments occurred at the University of Minnesota from 1998 to 2004.Participants  Adolescents adopted in infancy were ascertained systematically from records of three private Minnesota adoption agencies; non‐adopted adolescents were ascertained from Minnesota birth records. Adolescents and their rearing parents participated in in‐person assessments.Measurements  For adolescents, measures included self‐ reports of delinquency, deviant peers, substance use, antisocial attitudes and personality. For parents, we conducted DSM‐IV clinical assessments of alcohol abuse and dependence.Findings  A history of parental alcohol dependence was associated with higher levels of disinhibition only when adolescents were related biologically to their rearing parents. Within families with a history of parental alcoholism, exposure to parental alcohol misuse during the life‐time of the adolescent was associated with increased odds of using alcohol in adopted adolescents only.Conclusions  These findings suggest that the association between a history of parental alcohol dependence and adolescent offspring behavioral disinhibition is attributable largely to genetic rather than environmental transmission. We also obtained some evidence for parental alcohol misuse as a shared environmental risk factor in adoptive families.
Drinking patterns, dependency and life‐time drinking history in alcohol‐related liver disease
Authors: Hatton Jennifer , Burton Andrew , Nash Harriet , Munn Emma , Burgoyne Lesley , Sheron Nick 
Published: February 2009

ABSTRACTAims  To examine the hypothesis that increases in UK liver deaths are a result of episodic or binge drinking as opposed to regular harmful drinking.Design  A prospective survey of consecutive in‐patients and out‐patients.Setting  The liver unit of a teaching hospital in the South of England.Participants  A total of 234 consecutive in‐patients and out‐patients between October 2007 and March 2008.Measurements  Face‐to‐face interviews, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, 7‐day drinking diary, Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire, Lifetime Drinking History and liver assessment.Findings  Of the 234 subjects, 106 had alcohol as a major contributing factor (alcoholic liver disease: ALD), 80 of whom had evidence of cirrhosis or progressive fibrosis. Of these subjects, 57 (71%) drank on a daily basis; only 10 subjects (13%) drank on fewer than 4 days of the week—of these, five had stopped drinking recently and four had cut down. In ALD patients two life‐time drinking patterns accounted for 82% of subjects, increasing from youth (51%), and a variable drinking pattern (31%). ALD patients had significantly more drinking days and units/drinking day than non‐ALD patients from the age of 20 years onwards.Conclusions  Increases in UK liver deaths are a result of daily or near‐daily heavy drinking, not episodic or binge drinking, and this regular drinking pattern is often discernable at an early age.
Quantitative trait loci for porcine white blood cells and platelet‐related traits in a White Duroc × Erhualian F2 resource population
Authors: Yang S. , Ren J. , Yan X. , Huang X. , Zou Z. , Zhang Z. , Yang B. , Huang L. 
Published: February 2009

SummaryWhite blood cell count and platelets are implicated as risk factors for common complex diseases. Genetic factors substantially affect these traits in humans and mice. However, little is known about the genetic architecture of these traits in pigs. To identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for leucocyte‐ and platelet‐related traits in pigs, the total leucocyte number and differential leucocyte counts including the fraction of basophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, and a series of platelet parameters including platelet count, mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width and plateletcrit were measured in 1033 F2 animals on 240 days from a White Duroc × Erhualian intercross resource population. A total of 183 informative microsatellites distributed across 19 pig chromosomes (SSC) were genotyped across the entire resource population. Thirty‐three QTL were identified for the examined traits, including eight genome‐wide significant QTL for white blood cells and differential leucocyte counts on SSC2, 7, 8, 12 and 15 and six significant QTL for platelet‐related traits on SSC2, 8, 13 and X. Erhualian or White Duroc alleles were not systematically associated with increased phenotypic values. These results not only confirmed many QTL identified previously in the mouse and swine, but also revealed a number of novel QTL for the traits recorded. Moreover, it is the first time that QTL for platelet‐related traits in pigs have been reported.
Ant colony optimization as a method for strategic genotype sampling
Authors: Spangler M. L. , Robbins K. R. , Bertrand J. K. , MacNeil M. , Rekaya R. 
Published: February 2009

SummaryA simulation study was carried out to develop an alternative method of selecting animals to be genotyped. Simulated pedigrees included 5000 animals, each assigned genotypes for a bi‐allelic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) based on assumed allelic frequencies of 0.7/0.3 and 0.5/0.5. In addition to simulated pedigrees, two beef cattle pedigrees, one from field data and the other from a research population, were used to test selected methods using simulated genotypes. The proposed method of ant colony optimization (ACO) was evaluated based on the number of alleles correctly assigned to ungenotyped animals (AKP), the probability of assigning true alleles (AKG) and the probability of correctly assigning genotypes (APTG). The proposed animal selection method of ant colony optimization was compared to selection using the diagonal elements of the inverse of the relationship matrix (A−1). Comparisons of these two methods showed that ACO yielded an increase in AKP ranging from 4.98% to 5.16% and an increase in APTG from 1.6% to 1.8% using simulated pedigrees. Gains in field data and research pedigrees were slightly lower. These results suggest that ACO can provide a better genotyping strategy, when compared to A−1, with different pedigree sizes and structures.
Transformation of the offshore benthic community in Lake Michigan: recent shift from the native amphipod Diporeia spp. to the invasive mussel Dreissena rostriformis bugensis
Authors: NALEPA THOMAS F. , FANSLOW DAVID L. , LANG GREGORY A. 
Published: February 2009

Summary1. The native amphipod Diporeia spp. was once the dominant benthic organism in Lake Michigan and served as an important pathway of energy flow from lower to upper trophic levels. Lake‐wide surveys were conducted in 1994/1995, 2000 and 2005, and abundances of Diporeia and the invasive bivalves Dreissena polymorpha (zebra mussel) and Dreissena rostriformis bugensis (quagga mussel) were assessed. In addition, more frequent surveys were conducted in the southern region of the lake between 1980 and 2007 to augment trend interpretation.2. Between 1994/1995 and 2005, lake‐wide density of Diporeia declined from 5365 to 329 m−2, and biomass (dry weight, DW) declined from 3.9 to 0.4 g DW m−2. The percentage of all sites with no Diporeia increased over time: 1.1% in 1994/1995, 21.7% in 2000 and 66.9% in 2005. On the other hand, total dreissenid density increased from 173 to 8816 m−2, and total biomass increased from 0.4 to 28.6 g DW m−2. Over this 10‐year time period, D. r. bugensis displaced D. polymorpha as the dominant dreissenid, comprising 97.7% of the total population in 2005. In 2007, Diporeia was rarely found at depths shallower than 90 m and continued to decline at greater depths, whereas densities of D. r. bugensis continued to increase at depths greater than 50 m.3. The decline in Diporeia occurred progressively from shallow to deep regions, and was temporally coincident with the expansion of D. polymorpha in nearshore waters followed by the expansion of D. r. bugensis in offshore waters. In addition, Diporeia density was negatively related to dreissenid density within and across depth intervals; the latter result indicated that dreissenids in shallow waters remotely influenced Diporeia in deep waters.4. With the loss of Diporeia and increase in D. r. bugensis, the benthic community has become a major energy sink rather that a pathway to upper trophic levels. With this replacement of dominant taxa, we estimate that the relative benthic energy pool increased from 17 to 109 kcal m−2 between 1994/1995 and 2005, and to 342 kcal m−2 by 2007. We project that previously observed impacts on fish populations will continue and become more pronounced as the D. r. bugensis population continues to expand in deeper waters.
Does the disturbance hypothesis explain the biomass increase in basin‐wide Amazon forest plot data?
Authors: GLOOR M. , PHILLIPS O. L. , LLOYD J. J. , LEWIS S. L. , MALHI Y. , BAKER T. R. , LÓPEZ‐GONZALEZ G. , PEACOCK J. , ALMEIDA S. , De OLIVEIRA A. C. ALVES , ALVAREZ E. , AMARAL I. , ARROYO L. , AYMARD G. , BANKI O. , BLANC L. , BONAL D. , BRANDO P. , CHAO K.‐J. , CHAVE J. , DÁVILA N. , ERWIN T. , SILVA J. , Di FIORE A. , FELDPAUSCH T. R. , FREITAS A. , HERRERA R. , HIGUCHI N. , HONORIO E. , JIMÉNEZ E. , KILLEEN T. , LAURANCE W. , MENDOZA C. , MONTEAGUDO A. , ANDRADE A. , NEILL D. , NEPSTAD D. , VARGAS P. NÚÑEZ , PEÑUELA M. C. , CRUZ A. PEÑA , PRIETO A. , PITMAN N. , QUESADA C. , SALOMÃO R. , SILVEIRA MARCOS , SCHWARZ M. , STROPP J. , RAMÍREZ F. , RAMÍREZ H. , RUDAS A. , Ter STEEGE H. , SILVA N. , TORRES A. , TERBORGH J. , VÁSQUEZ R. , Van Der HEIJDEN G. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractPositive aboveground biomass trends have been reported from old‐growth forests across the Amazon basin and hypothesized to reflect a large‐scale response to exterior forcing. The result could, however, be an artefact due to a sampling bias induced by the nature of forest growth dynamics. Here, we characterize statistically the disturbance process in Amazon old‐growth forests as recorded in 135 forest plots of the RAINFOR network up to 2006, and other independent research programmes, and explore the consequences of sampling artefacts using a data‐based stochastic simulator. Over the observed range of annual aboveground biomass losses, standard statistical tests show that the distribution of biomass losses through mortality follow an exponential or near‐identical Weibull probability distribution and not a power law as assumed by others. The simulator was parameterized using both an exponential disturbance probability distribution as well as a mixed exponential–power law distribution to account for potential large‐scale blowdown events. In both cases, sampling biases turn out to be too small to explain the gains detected by the extended RAINFOR plot network. This result lends further support to the notion that currently observed biomass gains for intact forests across the Amazon are actually occurring over large scales at the current time, presumably as a response to climate change.
Endometrial stromal sarcomas with extensive endometrioid glandular differentiation: report of a series with emphasis on the potential for misdiagnosis and discussion of the differential diagnosis
Authors: McCluggage W Glenn , Ganesan Raji , Herrington C Simon 
Published: February 2009

Aims:  To describe a series of endometrial stromal sarcomas with large numbers of endometrioid‐type glands.Methods and results:  The eight tumours occurred in patients aged 42–74 years. In three cases, the neoplasm arose in the uterine corpus and in the others there was either an extrauterine origin or the origin could not be determined since multiple sites were involved. In four cases, glands were present throughout the neoplasm and in the others there were areas of typical endometrial stromal sarcoma without glands. In one case, glands were present only in the recurrent neoplasm. The malignant stromal component comprised, for the most part, typical endometrial stromal sarcoma. In two patients, repeated biopsy specimens from the vagina or cervix were initially diagnosed as endometriosis, and in some cases there was a significant delay in diagnosis. Apart from endometriosis, other diagnostic considerations, depending on the tumour location and exact morphology, included adenomyosis, adenosarcoma and carcinosarcoma.Conclusions:  Endometrial stromal sarcoma with extensive endometrioid glandular differentiation is rare. The presence of glands often results in diagnostic difficulty with a significant risk of misdiagnosis or delay in diagnosis. It is likely that some cases reported in the literature as aggressive endometriosis represent this entity.
Computerized analyses of morphology and proliferative activity differentiate hepatoblastoma from paediatric hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Tsai Hung‐Wen , Tsai Hsun‐Heng , Kuo Fang‐Ying , Chang Kung‐Chao 
Published: February 2009

Aims:  To differentiate hepatoblastoma (HB) from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by computerized image analysis. This is critical for treatment modalities and prognostic stratification but is usually difficult in small biopsy specimens.Methods and results:  Computerized image‐processing technology was used to calculate the nuclear–cytoplasmic ratio (N/C), cellularity (CEL) and other cellular and nuclear parameters in HB (n = 18) and paediatric HCC (pHCC, n = 11). The proliferation index (PI) and apoptotic index (AI) were also measured. Fetal type HB (FHB) compared with pHCC had more uniform nuclei (P ≤ 0.014), lower PI (P = 0.028) and AI (P = 0.009), whereas the embryonal type HB (EHB) had a higher N/C (P < 0.001), higher CEL (P = 0.043), smaller cells (P = 0.043) and higher PI (P = 0.020) than pHCC. Moreover, EHB had a higher N/C (P < 0.001), higher CEL (P = 0.021), smaller cells (P = 0.021), more nuclear pleomorphism (P ≤ 0.036) and higher PI (P < 0.001) than FHB. Multivariate analysis showed that FHB, EHB and pHCC could be classified accurately by a regression model. This logistic model further correctly stratified four additional test cases from biopsy specimens.Conclusions:  These results indicate that computerized morphometric analysis can yield useful criteria to distinguish HB from pHCC in small biopsy specimens, and, compared with FHB, the poorer prognosis of EHB may result from its more undifferentiated (immature) and proliferative phenotype.
Effects of density and ontogeny on size and growth ranks of three competing tree species
Authors: Boyden Suzanne B. , Reich Peter B. , Puettmann Klaus J. , Baker Timothy R. 
Published: February 2009

SummaryRank reversals in species performance are theoretically important for structuring communities, maintaining diversity and determining the course of forest succession. Species growth ranks can change with ontogeny or in different microenvironments, but interactions between ontogeny and the environment are not well‐understood because of the lack of long‐term forest competition studies. While early differences in growth among species may reflect intrinsic differences in shade‐tolerance and physiology, ontogenetic trends in growth and variation in neighbourhood density and composition may change or even reverse early patterns of growth rankings.We experimentally studied spatial and temporal patterns of species interactions and growth for three northern tree species:Larix laricina,Picea marianaandPinus strobus. We compared species size and growth rankings over an 11‐year period, for different species mixtures planted at four density levels in north‐eastern Minnesota, USA.The benefits of different growth strategies changed with ontogeny and density leading to reversals in the size rank of competing species over time and space. High‐density stands promoted dominance and resource pre‐emption byL. laricina, whereas lower‐density stands favoured gradual accumulation of biomass and eventual dominance byP. strobus. In the absence of strong neighbour competition, ontogenetic trends in growth had greater influence on growth patterns.Species interactions affected the productivity of mixed stands vs. monocultures. Species generally grew more in monoculture than when planted withP. strobusat low density, or withL. laricinaat high density. OnlyL. laricinaandP. marianashowed potential for greater overall productivity, or over‐yielding, when planted together than alone, probably because of improved resource uptake by the highly stratified canopy.Synthesis. Density predictably determined whether size‐asymmetric growth or ontogenetic growth trends would drive early establishment and growth patterns. Variation in vertical and horizontal structure that results from early competitive dynamics can influence the successional trajectory or character of the mature forest. This study extends previous efforts to identify the causes of rank reversals in communities and understand the importance of temporal changes beyond the early years of seedling establishment.
Severe HDL deficiency due to novel defects in the ABCA1 transporter
Authors: Pisciotta L. , Bocchi L. , Candini C. , Sallo R. , Zanotti I. , Fasano T. , Chakrapani A. , Bates T. , Bonardi R. , Cantafora A. , Ball S. , Watts G. , Bernini F. , Calandra S. , Bertolini S. 
Published: February 2009

Abstract.Objectives.  The objective was the identification and functional characterization of mutations in the ABCA1 gene in four patients with severe HDL deficiency.Subjects.  Patients were referred to the clinic because of almost complete HDL deficiency.Methods.  The ABCA1 gene was sequenced directly. The analysis of the ABCA1 protein, ABCA1 mRNA and ABCA1‐mediated cholesterol efflux was performed in cultured fibroblasts. Intracellular localization of ABCA1 mutants was investigated in transfected HEK293 cells.Results.  Two patients were homozygous for mutations in the coding region of the ABCA1 gene, resulting in an amino acid substitution (p.A1046D) and a truncated protein (p.I74YFsX76). The third patient was homozygous for a splice site mutation in intron 35 (c.4773 + 1g>a), resulting in an in‐frame deletion of 25 amino acids (del p.D1567_K1591) in ABCA1. These patients had clinical manifestations of accumulation of cholesterol in the reticulo‐endothelial system. The fourth patient, with preclinical atherosclerosis, was a compound heterozygote for two missense mutations (p.R587W/p.W1699C). ABCA1‐mediated cholesterol efflux was abolished in fibroblasts from patients with p.A1046D and del p.D1567_K1591 mutants and in fibroblasts homozygous for p.R587W. A reduced ABCA1 protein content was observed in these cells, suggesting an increased intracellular degradation. The mutant p.W1699C was largely retained in the endoplasmic reticulum, when expressed in HEK293 cells.Conclusions.  The homozygotes for mutations which abolish ABCA1 function showed overt signs of involvement of the reticulo‐endothelial system. This was not the case in the compound heterozygote for missense mutations, suggesting that this patient retains some residual ABCA1 function that reduces cholesterol accumulation in the reticulo‐endothelial system.
High‐frequency field measurements of diurnal carbon isotope discrimination and internal conductance in a semi‐arid species, Juniperus monosperma
Authors: BICKFORD CHRISTOPHER P. , MCDOWELL NATE G. , ERHARDT ERIK B. , HANSON DAVID T. 
Published: February 2009

ABSTRACTWe present field observations of carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) and internal conductance of CO2 (gi) collected using tunable diode laser spectroscopy (TDL). Δ ranged from 12.0 to 27.4‰ over diurnal periods with daily means from 16.3 ± 0.2‰ during drought to 19.0 ± 0.5‰ during monsoon conditions. We observed a large range in gi, with most estimates between 0.04 and 4.0 µmol m−2 s−1 Pa−1. We tested the comprehensive Farquhar, O'Leary and Berry model of Δ (Δcomp), a simplified form of Δcomp (Δsimple) and a recently suggested amendment (Δrevised). Sensitivity analyses demonstrated that varying gi had a substantial effect on Δcomp, resulting in mean differences between observed Δ (Δobs) and Δcomp ranging from 0.04 to 9.6‰. First‐order regressions adequately described the relationship between Δ and the ratio of substomatal to atmospheric CO2 partial pressure (pi/pa) on all 3 d, but second‐order models better described the relationship in July and August. The three tested models each best predicted Δobs on different days. In June, Δsimple outperformed Δcomp and Δrevised, but incorporating gi and all non‐photosynthetic fractionations improved model predictions in July and August.
Carbon‐isotope records of the Early Jurassic (Toarcian) oceanic anoxic event from the Valdorbia (Umbria–Marche Apennines) and Monte Mangart (Julian Alps) sections: palaeoceanographic and stratigraphic implications
Authors: SABATINO NADIA , NERI RODOLFO , BELLANCA ADRIANA , JENKYNS HUGH C. , BAUDIN FRANÇOIS , PARISI GUIDO , MASETTI DANIELE 
Published: February 2009

AbstractThe Toarcian oceanic anoxic event (ca 183 Ma) coincides with a global perturbation marked by enhanced organic carbon burial and a general decrease in calcium carbonate production, probably triggered by changes in the composition of marine plankton and elevated carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. This study is based on high‐resolution sampling of two stratigraphic successions, located in Valdorbia (Umbria–Marche Apennines) and Monte Mangart (Julian Alps), Italy, which represent expressions of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event in deep‐water pelagic sediments. These successions are characterized by the occurrence of black shales showing relatively low total organic carbon concentrations (compared with coeval strata in Northern Europe), generally < 2%, and low hydrogen indices. On this basis, they are similar to other Toarcian black shales described from the Tethyan region. The positive and negative carbon‐isotope records from the two localities permit a high‐resolution correlation such that ammonite biostratigraphy information from Valdorbia can be transferred to those parts of the Monte Mangart section that lack these fossils. Spectral analyses of δ13Corg values and of CaCO3 percentages from the sedimentary records of both the Valdorbia and Monte Mangart sections reveal a strong cyclic pattern, best interpreted as an eccentricity signal which hence implies a duration of ca 500 kyr for the negative carbon‐isotope excursion. Based on the carbon‐isotope curves obtained, the high‐resolution correlation between the Italian successions and a section in Yorkshire (Northern Europe) confirms the supposition that the apparent mismatch between the dating of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event in the Boreal and Tethyan realms is an artefact of biostratigraphy.