title: PeerJ description: Articles published in PeerJ link: https://peerj.com/articles/index.rss3?journal=peerj&page=1486 creator: info@peerj.com PeerJ errorsTo: info@peerj.com PeerJ language: en title: Effects of resveratrol, exercises and their combination on Farnesoid X receptor, Liver X receptor and Sirtuin 1 gene expression and apoptosis in the liver of elderly rats with nonalcoholic fatty liver link: https://peerj.com/articles/5522 last-modified: 2018-09-10 description: BackgroundNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disorder. This study aims to consider effects of resveratrol, exercise and their combination on Farnesoid X receptor (Fxr), the liver X receptor (Lxr) and Sirtuin 1 (Sirt 1) genes expression in the liver of elderly rats with NAFLD.MethodsRats with NAFLD were randomly divided into seven groups including patient, saline, resveratrol (RSV), interval exercise, continuous exercise, interval exercise + RSV and continuous exercise + RSV. Levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in the liver tissue were measured using specific ELISA kits. A TUNEL assay kit was used for the assessment of hepatic cells apoptosis. Lipid profiles were considered by measuring the serum triglyceride, cholesterol, LDL, and HDL. Expression of Sirt1, Lxr and Fxr genes was considered using RT-PCR.ResultsResveratrol administration alone or combined with exercise training significantly improved the expression of Sirt1, Lxr and Fxr genes (p < 0.05) in the hepatic tissue of rats with NAFLD, while levels of AST, ALT, ALP enzymes, as well as apoptotic cells were significantly decreased (p < 0.05).DiscussionAlthough resveratrol alone improves the expression of Sirt1, Lxr and Fxr, as well as liver function, combined therapy with exercise training is more effective to improve NAFLD. creator: Amir Hajighasem creator: Parvin Farzanegi creator: Zohreh Mazaheri creator: Marjan Naghizadeh creator: Ghoncheh Salehi uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5522 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2018 Hajighasem et al. title: Association of burnout with doctor–patient relationship and common stressors among postgraduate trainees and house officers in Lahore—a cross-sectional study link: https://peerj.com/articles/5519 last-modified: 2018-09-10 description: IntroductionBurnout is defined as a prolonged state of physical and psychological exhaustion. Doctors, due to the demanding nature of their job, are susceptible to facing burnout, which has far reaching implications on their productivity and motivation. It affects the quality of care they provide to patients, thus eroding the doctor–patient relationship which embodies patient centeredness and autonomy. The study aims at addressing the stressors leading to burnout and its effect on the doctor–patient relationship.MethodsA descriptive, cross-sectional study design with convenience (non-probability) sampling technique was employed in six major hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan. A total of 600 doctors were approached for the study which included house officers or “HOs” (recent graduates doing their 1 year long internship) and post-graduate trainees or “PGRs” (residents for 4–5 years in their specialties). Burnout was measured using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventor (CBI) while attitudes towards the doctor–patient relationship was measured using the Patient Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS), which measures two components of the relationship: power sharing and patient caring. Pearson correlation and linear regression analysis were used to analyze the data via SPSS v.21.ResultsA total of 515 doctors consented to take part in the study (response rate 85.83%). The final sample consisted of 487 doctors. The burnout score was not associated with the total and caring domain scores of PPOS (P > 0.05). However, it was associated with the power sharing sub-scale of PPOS. Multiple linear regression analysis yielded a significant model, by virtue of which CBI scores were positively associated with factors such as female gender, feeling of burn out, scoring high on sharing domain of PPOS and a lack of personal control while CBI scores were negatively associated with private medical college education, having a significant other, accommodation away from home and a sense of never ending competition. Burnout levels varied significantly between house officers and post graduate trainees. Twenty-three percent of the participants (mostly house officers) had high/very high burnout levels on the CBI (Kristenson’s burnout scoring). Both groups showed significant differences with respect to working hours, smoking status and income.ConclusionAlthough burnout showed no significant association with total and caring domain scores of PPOS (scale used to assess doctor–patient relationship), it showed a significant association with the power sharing domain of PPOS suggesting some impact on the overall delivery of patient care. Thus, it necessitates the monitoring of stressors in order to provide an atmosphere where patient autonomy can be practiced. creator: Waqas Ahmad creator: Huma Ashraf creator: Afnan Talat creator: Aleena Ahmad Khan creator: Ammad Anwar Baig creator: Iqra Zia creator: Zohak Sarfraz creator: Hifsa Sajid creator: Marium Tahir creator: Usman Sadiq creator: Hira Imtiaz uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5519 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2018 Ahmad et al. title: Effects of environmental and anthropogenic landscape features on mule deer harvest in Nebraska link: https://peerj.com/articles/5510 last-modified: 2018-09-10 description: Understanding the habitat use of wildlife species is important for effective management. Nebraska has a variety of habitat types, with the majority being covered by rangeland and cropland. These habitat types likely influence the harvest of mule deer (MD; Odocoileus hemionus) in Nebraska, but their specific effects are unknown, and moreover, harvest may also be influenced by the accessibility of deer habitats for hunters. We modeled which environmental and anthropogenic landscape features influenced harvest densities. Spatial analysis in a Geographic Information System was used to determine the mean values of environmental and anthropogenic landscape features at the county level. We then used a generalized linear model to determine which of those factors influenced MD harvest from 2014–2016. We found that NDVI amplitude, hunter effort, road density, terrain roughness, and canopy cover influence MD harvest in Nebraska. According to our model, MD harvest densities are significantly greater areas with NDVI amplitude ∼38, increasing hunter effort, road densities near 1,750 m/km2, increasing terrain roughness, and decreasing canopy cover. Understanding increased harvest densities of MD can be beneficial for wildlife managers, allowing for more efficient allocation of efforts and expenses by managers for population management. creator: Bryan J. O’Connor creator: Nicolas J. Fryda creator: Dustin H. Ranglack uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5510 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2018 O’Connor et al. title: Unconscious response inhibition differences between table tennis athletes and non-athletes link: https://peerj.com/articles/5548 last-modified: 2018-09-07 description: BackgroundResponse inhibition is associated with successful sporting performance. However, research on response inhibition in athletes from open-skill sports has mainly focused on a consciously triggered variety; little is known about open-skill athletes’ response inhibition elicited by unconscious stimuli.MethodsHere, we explored unconscious response inhibition differences between table tennis athletes (n = 20) and non-athletes (n = 19) using the masked go/no-go task and event-related potentials technique (ERPs).ResultsAt the behavioral level, table tennis athletes displayed shorter go-response times (RTs) than non-athletes in the conscious condition. Furthermore, table tennis athletes exhibited longer response time–slowing (RT-slowing) than non-athletes in the unconscious condition. At the neural level, table tennis athletes displayed shorter event-related potential N2 component latencies than non-athletes for all conditions. More importantly, athletes displayed larger no-go event-related potential P3 component amplitudes than non-athletes at both the conscious and unconscious levels.DiscussionThe present study results suggested that table tennis athletes have superior conscious and unconscious response inhibition compared to non-athletes. creator: Yihong You creator: Yiming Ma creator: Zhiguang Ji creator: Fanying Meng creator: Anmin Li creator: Chunhua Zhang uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5548 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2018 You et al. title: Measurement matters: higher waist-to-hip ratio but not body mass index is associated with deficits in executive functions and episodic memory link: https://peerj.com/articles/5624 last-modified: 2018-09-07 description: BackgroundThe current study aimed to reconcile the inconsistent findings between obesity, executive functions, and episodic memory by addressing major limitations of previous studies, including overreliance on body mass index (BMI), small sample sizes, and failure to control for confounds.MethodsParticipants consisted of 3,712 midlife adults from the Cognitive Project of the National Survey of Midlife Development. Executive functions and episodic memory were measured by a battery of cognitive function tests.ResultsWe found that higher waist-to-hip ratio was associated with deficits in both executive functions and episodic memory, above and beyond the influence of demographics, comorbid health issues, health behaviors, personality traits, and self-perceived obesity. However, higher BMI was not associated with deficits in executive functions and episodic memory. More importantly, these differential associations were robust and stable across adulthood.DiscussionOur findings confirm the association between obesity and episodic memory while highlighting the need for better measures of obesity when examining its associations with individual differences in cognitive functions. creator: Andree Hartanto creator: Jose C. Yong uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5624 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2018 Hartanto and Yong title: A bathypelagic ostracod Conchoecissa nigromaculatus sp. nov. (Myodocopa, Halocyprididae) from the South China Sea link: https://peerj.com/articles/5557 last-modified: 2018-09-07 description: Pelagic ostracods are one of the main groups of zooplankton and are abundant in marine ecosystems worldwide. The record of marine planktonic ostracod species in the central and southern part of the South China Sea accounts over for one-third of the total recorded marine planktonic ostracods in seas around China. In this study, we examined and compared the specimens from a recent cruise in this region that appeared to be different from previously described species of genus Conchoecissa, and then confirmed them as a new bathypelagic species Conchoecissa nigromaculatus. These specimens clearly differed from the other species of genus Conchoecissa with differences observed in the size, carapace, locations of glands, mandible, maxilla, sixth limb, and furca. In this species, mandibular coxal endite has no ventral finger process, maxilla has prominently large endites and has only two claws on the tip, the sixth limb has very simple endites, and this species has distinctive features not previously observed in the tribe Conchoeciini before. It is therefore necessary to emend the diagnosis of this group. creator: Peng Xiang creator: Yu Wang creator: Ruixiang Chen creator: Liyuan Zhao creator: Chunguang Wang creator: Mao Lin uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5557 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2018 Xiang et al. title: Dietary diversity is inversely correlated with pre-pregnancy body mass index among women in a Michigan pregnancy cohort link: https://peerj.com/articles/5526 last-modified: 2018-09-07 description: BackgroundDuring pregnancy, healthy maternal body weight and a nutritionally complete diet provide a favorable environment for fetal development. Yet nearly two-thirds of women of reproductive age in the United States (US) are either overweight or obese. The objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between a measure of dietary diversity and body mass index (BMI) in a sample of women enrolled in a US pregnancy cohort.MethodsDietary data was obtained from one 24-hour dietary recall collected during the third trimester of pregnancy (n = 40). Pre-pregnancy BMI was calculated from pre-pregnancy weight and height self-reported by survey at the time of enrollment. Using the Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W) indicator developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, dietary data was categorized and scored.ResultsOverall, 35% of participants did not achieve minimum dietary diversity (MDD-W ≥5). In addition, 45% of participants were obese, 35% were normal weight and 20% were overweight. Women with higher BMI had lower MDD-W scores than women with lower BMI (p < 0.05). The median MDD-W for both normal and overweight women was ≥5 indicating that normal and overweight pregnant women tended to consume a diet that was high in micronutrients. Conversely, the median MDD-W for obese women was below 5 meaning these women tended to consume a diet that was low in micronutrient density. The most commonly consumed food group was grain. In addition, 75% of all participants consumed sweetened drinks. Individuals with an MDD-W score ≥5, were more likely to have consumed dark green leafy vegetables, vitamin A-rich fruits or vegetables, other vegetables and other fruits than those with MDD-W scores <5.DiscussionIn this study, we show that a food group diversity indicator that has been shown to reflect adequacy of micronutrient intake in populations from less economically developed countries may also be informative in US populations. Furthermore, these results reflect the importance of encouraging all pregnant women with less varied diets to consume more fruits and vegetables. creator: Breanna M. Kornatowski creator: Sarah S. Comstock uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5526 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2018 Kornatowski and Comstock title: The palaeoenvironment of the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Turonian) portion of the Winton Formation, Queensland, Australia link: https://peerj.com/articles/5513 last-modified: 2018-09-07 description: The Winton Formation is increasingly recognised as an important source of information about the Cretaceous of Australia, and, more broadly, the palaeobiogeographic history of eastern Gondwana. With more precise dating and stratigraphic controls starting to provide temporal context to the geological and palaeontological understanding of this formation, it is timely to reassess the palaeoenvironment in which it was deposited. This new understanding helps to further differentiate the upper, most-studied portion of the formation (Cenomanian–Turonian) from the lower portions (Albian–Cenomanian), allowing a coherent picture of the ecosystem to emerge. Temperatures during the deposition of the Upper Cretaceous portion of the Winton Formation were warm, with high, seasonal rainfall, but not as extreme as the modern monsoon. The landscape was heterogeneous, a freshwater alluvial plain bestrode by low energy, meandering rivers, minor lakes and mires. Infrequent, scouring flood events were part of a multi-year cycle of drier and wetter years. The heavily vegetated flood plains supported abundant large herbivores. This was the final infilling of the great Eromanga Basin. creator: Tamara L. Fletcher creator: Patrick T. Moss creator: Steven W. Salisbury uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5513 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2018 Fletcher et al. title: Primary molt in Gruiforms and simpler molt summary tables link: https://peerj.com/articles/5499 last-modified: 2018-09-07 description: Molt summary tables reveal the sequence and mode of flight-feather replacement and how these feathers are divided into independent replacement series. Tables for summarizing molt are relatively new, and the rules for generating them were first formally illustrated using data from a temperate passerine. However, this first illustration failed to address (i) species with primaries divided into more than one replacement series, (ii) species with stepwise primary replacement, which almost always involves incomplete annual replacement of the primaries, and (iii) species with incomplete annual replacement within molt series characterized by single-wave replacement. Here, we review complications that arise in developing molt summary tables for such cases and we offer solutions that remove ambiguity about the direction that molt proceeds within a replacement series and about the recognition of nodal and terminal feathers that mark the beginning and end of molt series. We use these modified molt summary tables to describe the sequence of primary replacement in four groups of Gruiform birds, a group for which primary replacement has been reported to proceed from the outermost primary toward the body, unlike most other birds. Eighty molting Grey-winged Trumpeters, Psophia crepitans, and 124 molting Limpkins, Aramus guarauna, show the sequence of primary replacement is proximal in both groups; furthermore, the primaries of trumpeters are divided into two replacement series, one beginning at the outermost primary P10, and the other beginning at P3. To further evaluate the extent of this highly unusual direction of replacement in Gruiforms, we cast the data (Stresemann & Stresemann, 1966) on primary replacement in upland rails (Rallidae) and flufftails (Sarothruridae) into molt summary tables; both also replace their primaries proximally, from outermost to innermost, suggesting that this mode of primary replacement may be characteristic of Gruiformes. creator: Sievert Rohwer creator: Vanya G. Rohwer uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5499 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2018 Rohwer and Rohwer title: Biodiversity surveys reveal eight new species of freshwater crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura: Potamidae) from Yunnan Province, China link: https://peerj.com/articles/5497 last-modified: 2018-09-07 description: Yunnan Province is known to host the highest species diversity of the true freshwater crabs in China; 50 species have been recorded from the province by 2017. In 2004, our team conducted a biodiversity survey of the freshwater crabs in Yunnan Province to determine how well the diversity of crabs in the area has been characterized. We collected a total of 25 species, of which nine species proved to be new to science, and eight of which are described here. These include four species of the genus IndochinamonYeo & Ng, 2007, two species of the genus PotamiscusAlcock, 1909, and one species each of the genera PararangunaDai & Chen, 1985, and ParvuspotamonDai & Bo, 1994. The new species of Pararanguna and Parvuspotamon represent the second species of respective genera, which are here redefined. Detailed comparisons with morphologically allied species are provided. Photographs of the type specimens of their comparative species which are poorly illustrated in the literature are also provided to allow better understanding of their morphology. This study brings the number of the freshwater crabs of Yunnan Province to 58. Since about 13.8% of the number of species (eight out of 58 species) is increased by surveys conducted within a relatively short period, it is most probable that the species diversity of this group is still understudied in Yunnan Province. creator: Tohru Naruse creator: Jing En Chia creator: Xianmin Zhou uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5497 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2018 Naruse et al.