bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Australian medical students’ and junior doctors' perceptions of gender discrepancies in obstetrics and gynaecology
Authors: Win Kyaw Monyi , Cheng Hon C. , Obermair Helena , Woods Cindy , Perry Christopher , de Costa Caroline 
Published: November 2022

BackgroundThere is currently a gender imbalance 85:15 female/male in the intake into specialist training for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG).AimsTo determine the views and perceptions of Australian medical students, and junior doctors in the first five years of practice, toward obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) as a career, including whether there are any perceived barriers to the pursuit of such a career.Materials and MethodsA semi‐structured questionnaire was developed with members of the RANZCOG Gender Equity and Diversity Working Group There were two separate studies: the first involved telephone interviews of medical students across three campuses of a medical school in North Queensland. The second study surveyed junior doctors in Queensland who are members of the Australian Medical Association. Responses were analysed and compared using quantitative and qualitative methods.ResultsBoth studies found that experiences with O&G as a medical student influenced the decision to pursue O&G as a career. Exclusion from clinical scenarios and difficulty establishing good relationship with midwives within busy birthing suites were some reasons deterring male students from O&G. In addition, students felt poorly informed about the specialty in their preclinical years, affecting their early decisions in choice of specialty. Post‐rotation, more female than male students reported positive experiences and were considering O&G as a career.ConclusionsBoth groups see medical student experience as critical in attitudes toward the specialty as a possible career. This experience plays a significant role in encouraging female students toward a career in O&G and discouraging male students. More exposure to the specialty in the preclinical years, and attention to improving clinical rotations for all students, is required.
Effects of escitalopram treatment and chronic mild stress induced from peripuberty on spermatic parameters of adult rats
Authors: Fischer Leonardo Wensing , Mendes Talita Biude , Simas Joana Noguères , Nunes Marina , de Oliva Samara Urban , Miraglia Sandra Maria 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBackgroundThe prevalence of depression in adolescents has significantly increased worldwide. Escitalopram is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor approved for treatment of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents by the Food and Drugs Administration.AimsThis study aimed to evaluate the sperm parameters of adult rats exposed to chronic mild stress (CMS), from peripuberty to adulthood, treated or not with escitalopram.Materials and methodsSixty‐two male rats were distributed into four groups: S ‐ submitted to CMS; E ‐ Escitalopram (10 mg / kg, via gavage); ES ‐ CMS + ES; SC ‐ Sham control. The induced depression protocol consisted of the exposure of the animals to nine different stressors (one stressor/day), randomly for 8 weeks, from peripuberty (41 days postpartum, dpp) to adulthood (97 dpp). The escitalopram treatment period started at 70 dpp and lasted 4 weeks. The euthanasia was performed for biological material collection at 114 dpp. Morphometric, biometric, sperm parameters, oxidative stress analyses, and corticosterone dosage were carried out.ResultsThere was a reduction of the sperm daily production and sperm concentration in the epididymis of rats treated and/or submitted to CMS. These groups (E, S, ES) also showed reduction of the mitochondrial activity; acrosome integrity; sperm chromatin compaction; sperm motility and vitality, besides an increased frequency of morphologically abnormal sperm. The sperm transit time through the epididymis was significantly higher in the escitalopram‐treated rats (E, ES). No differences were observed regarding the sperm DNA fragmentation. The lipid peroxidation was significantly increased at the epididymal (E, S, and ES group) and testicular levels (S group).ConclusionThe CMS with or without escitalopram treatment altered the oxidative status in sperm and male organs, worsening the qualitative and quantitative sperm parameters, which can probably compromise the male fertility.
Integrating plot‐based and remotely sensed data to map vegetation types in a New Zealand warm‐temperate rainforest
Authors: Wiser Susan K. , McCarthy James K. , Bellingham Peter J. , Jolly Ben , Meiforth Jane J. ,   Warawara Komiti Kaitiaki
Published: November 2022

AbstractQuestions(1) What can be learned by extending a national classification into unsampled forest types? (2) Are both remotely sensed and environmental predictors needed to model and map associations? (3) For mapping, are LiDAR‐generated canopy structure parameters or reflectance from spectral imagery more useful? (4) How can we assess uncertainty of a final map?LocationWarawara Forest, Northland, New Zealand.MethodsWe sampled 205 vegetation plots and assigned them to an existing national classification using the fuzzy classification framework of noise clustering. Plots too distinct to be assigned were used to define new associations. We produced spatial models of each association using boosted regression trees. Predictors included 11 environmental, 11 canopy reflectance, and 17 canopy structure variables. We created a composite map by assigning each map pixel to the association with the highest occurrence probability. We evaluated uncertainty by examining locations where no class was predicted with probability above 0.2 and by creating a confusion map based on entropy.ResultsForty‐five plots were assigned to six of 79 existing national associations and 147 plots were used to define two new forest associations. Three shrubland types are widespread nationally, whereas two young forest types are northern. Three mature forest types are narrowly distributed nationally, with the new “High‐elevation hardwood forest” largely restricted to Warawara Forest. Three associations were mapped using remotely sensed predictors alone, whereas two also required environmental predictors. Overall, canopy reflectance predictors explained more deviance than canopy structure. Examining locations where no association was predicted well and where multiple associations were predicted equally showed areas mapped as younger forests to have greatest uncertainty.ConclusionsIn answering our questions, we present a vegetation classification and map for Warawara Forest that provides a framework to guide the indigenous people's management responses to threats to valued communities and their species.
A comparison of elk‐vehicle collision patterns with demographic and abundance data in the Central Canadian Rocky Mountains
Authors: Gunson Kari Elizabeth , Clevenger Anthony Paul , Ford Adam Thomas 
Published: November 2022

AbstractWildlife‐vehicle collisions are a widespread phenomenon that are influenced by species behavior, abundance, and road and landscape interactions. The mortality rate of different age and sex classes can buffer or exacerbate how the population responds to vehicle collisions. We evaluated the demographic‐specific patterns of elk‐vehicle collisions in the Central Canadian Rocky Mountains. More females and adults were involved in collisions, but when compared to the sex and age of the population, males and subadults were more prone to collisions in the fall. The fat marrow content (condition) of elk was greater for road‐ and rail‐kill than predator‐killed elk indicating that vehicle collisions are an additive source of mortality. As traffic volumes increased elk collisions decreased because elk declined over the study period. Evaluation of long‐term datasets can assist in designing mitigation that target the most vulnerable demographics of a population. For example, larger more open wildlife crossing structures have shown to be more suitable for vulnerable demographics such as female grizzly bears, male ungulates, and female ungulates traveling with young. When crossing structures are not practical, demographic‐specific information can inform outreach and awareness programs that strive to elicit a favorable response from motorists ultimately avoiding collisions with animals on roads.
The effects of landscape complexity and local management on a generalist predator in Kenyan maize push‐pull systems
Authors: Salzberg Annika , Luttermoser Tim , Kessler André , Midega Charles A. O. , Khan Zeyaur , Poveda Katja 
Published: November 2022

AbstractFarmers looking to maximize ecosystem services often use diversification practices on their fields to increase abundance and diversity of insect natural enemies. These practices affect functional traits of natural enemies such as body size that can play an important role in their effectiveness as biological control agents. However, landscape features out of the control of farmers might also affect functional traits of natural enemies and their herbivores, including land use surrounding farms. There have been few studies elucidating how landscape complexity and local diversity interact to affect functional traits, and ultimately ecosystem services such as predation on herbivore pests. We examined combined effects of landscape complexity and a local management practice (push‐pull) on lady beetle size, and its consequences for egg predation of lepidopteran pests in Kenyan smallholder maize farms. Cheilomenes sulphurea (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), a potential predator of the invasive fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), was collected in push‐pull and control fields along a landscape gradient. We measured beetle size and conducted feeding assays with fall armyworm eggs. We found that female beetles had larger bodies in landscapes with greater complexity. Predation rates not only increased as a response to beetle size but also in response to landscape complexity, suggesting it is not just size that determines predation. Surprisingly, we did not find any effect of the local management practice or its interaction on functional traits or predation rates. Our study suggests that landscape complexity could benefit pest control through two mechanisms: (1) increase in predator body size, leading to higher predation rates; and (2) changes in predator behavior as a function of landscape characteristics – increasing egg predation. Further studies on these mechanisms would allow deeper understanding of landscape simplification's effect on ecosystem services, as mediated by morphological and behavioral traits, and help us harness these traits to increase biological control.
A diverse parasite pool can improve effectiveness of biological control constrained by genotype‐by‐genotype interactions
Authors: Mundim Fabiane M. , Gibson Amanda K. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe outcomes of biological control programs can be highly variable, with natural enemies often failing to establish or spread in pest populations. This variability has posed a major obstacle in use of the bacterial parasite Pasteuria penetrans for biological control of Meloidogyne species, economically devastating plant‐parasitic nematodes for which there are limited management options. A leading hypothesis for this variability in control is that infection is successful only for specific combinations of bacterial and nematode genotypes. Under this hypothesis, failure of biological control results from the use of P. penetrans genotypes that cannot infect local Meloidogyne genotypes. We tested this hypothesis using isofemale lines of M. arenaria derived from a single field population and multiple sources of P. penetrans from the same and nearby fields. In strong support of the hypothesis, susceptibility to infection depended on the specific combination of host line and parasite source, with lines of M. arenaria varying substantially in which P. penetrans source could infect them. In light of this result, we tested whether using a diverse pool of P. penetrans could increase infection and thereby control. We found that increasing the diversity of the P. penetrans inoculum from one to eight sources more than doubled the fraction of M. arenaria individuals susceptible to infection and reduced variation in susceptibility across host lines. Together, our results highlight genotype‐by‐genotype specificity as an important cause of variation in biological control and call for the maintenance of genetic diversity in natural enemy populations.
Genome‐wide profiling reveals pervasive transcriptional alterations in fibroblasts derived from lesional skin in vitiligo including a reduced potential to proliferate
Authors: Gupta Rohit , Misri Rachita , Gupta Aayush , Chowdhary Manish , Singh Archana 
Published: November 2022

AbstractFibroblasts interact with keratinocytes and melanocytes to maintain skin homeostasis. However, the impact of selective melanocyte loss on the transcriptome of fibroblasts is not fully understood. Thus, we sought to understand the genome‐wide transcriptome of fibroblasts derived from non‐lesional (NL) and lesional (L) dermis in patients with non‐segmental vitiligo. Transcriptional profiling of NL and L fibroblasts was performed on three individuals with vitiligo using next‐generation‐sequencing. Functional protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed for the significantly upregulated and downregulated genes, as well as for a common set of genes that were downregulated in both fibroblasts and epidermis in L skin (identified previously). Proliferation potential of NL and L fibroblasts was assessed experimentally. Genome‐wide transcriptome analysis revealed a total of 414 (282, downregulated; 132, upregulated) differentially expressed (DE)‐transcripts in L as compared to NL fibroblasts. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering of DE‐transcripts segregated L and NL fibroblasts into two distinct clades, despite the apparent heterogeneity in lesions of different vitiligo patients. Gene Ontology analysis of downregulated genes revealed enrichment of keratinocyte‐specific biological processes such as cornification and keratinization. PPI networks constructed for the downregulated and upregulated genes revealed deregulation of several hub genes associated with cell cycle regulation and cAMP metabolism respectively. Similarly, the PPI networks constructed for 67 genes downregulated in both fibroblasts as well as epidermis of L skin revealed downregulation of hub genes including stratifin, PIK3CG and CDH1. Analysis of the in vitro proliferation potential of L fibroblasts revealed a decrease in the expression of proliferation markers Ki67, MCM6, pERK and pCDK2, a decreased S phase population and an increase in alpha‐SMA and collagen expression, corroborating the downregulation of hub genes associated with proliferation identified by PPI network analysis. Our study revealed pervasive transcriptional alterations in L compared to NL fibroblasts in vitiligo. The PPI analysis suggested a reduced potential to proliferate in melanocyte‐deprived lesional fibroblasts, which was validated experimentally as well.
Does systemic hydrochlorothiazide increase the risk of developing ultraviolet radiation‐induced skin tumours in hairless mice?
Authors: Lerche Catharina M. , Al‐Chaer Rami Nabil , Wulf Hans Christian 
Published: November 2022

AbstractHydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) is a frequently prescribed diuretic that exhibits photosensitizing properties. It is used to treat hypertension and edema. Dermato‐epidemiological studies in various populations have linked HCTZ treatment with increased risk of particular types of skin cancer, including malignant melanoma (lentigo subtype), and both basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). This study investigated whether either of two different doses of HCTZ increased the risk of SCC development in mice exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVR). A total of three groups of hairless mice were used in this study (total, N = 71). One group received a low dose (0.26 mg/mouse/day) and another group received a high dose (0.52 mg/mouse/day) of HCTZ in their drinking water; a third UVR control group received only tap water. All three groups were irradiated with UVR until the mice developed three tumours that were 4 mm in size. The times to SCC tumour development were recorded. In the low‐dose group, the median time to develop an SCC tumour was 170 days; in both the high‐dose group and the control group, the median time to develop anexd SCC tumour was 163 days (p ≥ 0.331). In our hairless mouse model, we found that mice treated with UVR plus HCTZ did not develop SCCs more rapidly than mice treated with UVR but not HCTZ.
Rapid adaptation in a fast‐changing world: Emerging insights from insect genomics
Authors: McCulloch Graham A. , Waters Jonathan M. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractMany researchers have questioned the ability of biota to adapt to rapid anthropogenic environmental shifts. Here, we synthesize emerging genomic evidence for rapid insect evolution in response to human pressure. These new data reveal diverse genomic mechanisms (single locus, polygenic, structural shifts; introgression) underpinning rapid adaptive responses to a variety of anthropogenic selective pressures. While the effects of some human impacts (e.g. pollution; pesticides) have been previously documented, here we highlight startling new evidence for rapid evolutionary responses to additional anthropogenic processes such as deforestation. These recent findings indicate that diverse insect assemblages can indeed respond dynamically to major anthropogenic evolutionary challenges. Our synthesis also emphasizes the critical roles of genomic architecture, standing variation and gene flow in maintaining future adaptive potential. Broadly, it is clear that genomic approaches are essential for predicting, monitoring and responding to ongoing anthropogenic biodiversity shifts in a fast‐changing world.
Comparisons of biomass, water use efficiency and water use strategies across five genomic groups ofPopulusand its hybrids
Authors: Renninger Heidi J. , Pitts Justin J. , Rousseau Randall J. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractGenetic improvement and hybridization in thePopulusgenus have led to the development of genotypes exhibiting fast growth, high rooting ability and disease resistance. However, while large biomass production is important for bioenergy crops, efficient use of resources including water is also important in sites lacking irrigation and for maintaining ecosystem water availability. In addition, comparison of water use strategies across a range of growth rates and genetic variability can elucidate whether certain strategies are shared among the fastest growing and/or most water use efficient genotypes. We estimated tree water use throughout the second growing season via sapflow sensors of 48 genotypes from fivePopulustaxa;P. deltoidesW. Bartram ex Marshall × P. deltoides(D × D),P. deltoides × P. maximowicziiA. Henry (D × M),P. deltoides × P. nigraL. (D × N),P. deltoides × P. trichocarpaTorr. & Gray (D × T) andP. trichocarpa × P. deltoides(T × D) and calculated average canopy stomatal conductance (GS). We regressedGSand atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD) wherein the slope of the relationship represents stomatal sensitivity to VPD. At the end of the second growing season, trees were harvested, and their dry woody biomass was used to calculate whole tree water use efficiency (WUET). We found that D × D and D × M genotypes exhibited differing water use strategies with D × D genotypes exhibiting high stomatal sensitivity while retaining leaves while D × M genotypes lost leaf area throughout the growing season but exhibited low stomatal sensitivity. Across measured taxa, biomass growth was positively correlated with WUET, and genotypes representing each measured taxa except D × N and T × D had high 2‐year dry biomass of above 6 kg/tree. Overall, these data can be used to selectPopulusgenotypes that combine high biomass growth with stomatal sensitivity and WUETto limit the negative impacts of bioenergy plantations on ecosystem water resources.
COVID‐19 community assessment hubs in Ireland: A study of staff and patient perceptions of their value
Authors: McAuliffe Eilish , Mulcahy Symmons Sophie , Conlon Ciara , Rogers Lisa , De Brún Aoife , Mannion Marese , Keane Niamh , Glynn Liam , Ryan Joseph , Quinlan Diarmuid 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBackgroundCritical care bed capacity per capita in Ireland is among the lowest in Europe. The COVID‐19 pandemic has put additional strain on an over‐stretched healthcare system. COVID‐19 community assessment hubs (CAHs) were established to prevent unnecessary admission to acute hospitals and to reduce infection spread.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness and acceptability of CAHs and identify how the service might be improved or adapted for possible future use.DesignThis was a mixed methods study, incorporating co‐design with clinical stakeholders. Data collection was via an online survey and semistructured telephone interviews with staff and patients conducted between January and May 2021.Setting and participantsThirty‐one patients completed the survey and nine were interviewed. Twenty interviews were conducted with staff.ResultsThe findings suggest that the CAH model was successful in providing a dedicated pathway for assessing patients with COVID‐19 symptoms, whilst mitigating the risk of infection. Patients were particularly positive about the timely, comprehensive and holistic care they received, as well as the accessibility of the clinics and the friendly attitudes of the staff. Staff welcomed the training and clinical protocols which contributed to their feelings of safety and competency in delivering care to this cohort of patients. They also highlighted the benefits of working in a multidisciplinary environment. Both staff and patients felt that the hubs could be repurposed for alternative use, including the treatment of chronic diseases.DiscussionThis study describes staff and patients' experiences of these hubs. An unexpected outcome of this study is its demonstration of the true value of effective multidisciplinary working, not only for the staff who were deployed to this service but also for the patients in receipt of care in these hubs.ConclusionThis multidisciplinary patient‐centred service may provide a useful model for the delivery of other services currently delivered in hospital settings.Patient or Public ContributionAn earlier phase of this study involved interviews with COVID‐19‐positive patients on a remote monitoring programme. The data informed this phase. Several of the authors had worked in the CAHs and provided valuable input into the design of the staff and patient interviews.