bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Laboratory study of the availability of nutrients in physical fractions of cattle slurry
Authors: Díaz-Fierros F. , Villar M. Carmen , Gil F. , Leirós M. Carmen , Carballas M. , Carballas Tarsy , Cabaneiro Ana
Published: March 2009

The characteristics of three fractions obtained by physical separation from each of 19 cattle slurries are reported, with the aim of investigating their behaviour in the soil. The fraction retained on a 1 mm sieve (F1) was the poorest in nutrient content. The fraction passing through a 1 mm sieve but retained in Richard's apparatus on a cellulose membrane of 2·4 nm pore radius (F2) contains most of the slurry's organic N and Pand most divalent cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+). F3, which passes through the cellulose membrane, contains most of the slurry's inorganic N and most monovalent cations.

The individual fractions are both chemically and physically much more homogeneous than the slurry as a whole, and their relative proportions are well correlated with the slurry's density and dry-matter content (P < 0·001), so that this kind of fractionation may confidently be expected to provide an analytical scheme facilitating research on the behaviour of slurry after its application to soil.
Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus on the production potential of pearl millet–cow pea or green gram intercropping systems under rainfed conditions
Authors: Kaushik S. K. , Gautam R. C.
Published: March 2009

Results are described of an experiment involving various pearl millet–cow pea or green gram planting and interplanting systems under four levels of nitrogen and two levels of phosphorus. Planting of pearl millet in paired rows of 30 and 70 cm gave as much yield as normal planting in uniform rows of 50 cm. The productivity per unit area was increased considerably when pearl millet was interplanted with one row of cow pea or green gram. Cow pea gave higher yield than green gram. Nitrogen fertilizer increased pearl millet as well as intercrops yield significantly. Pearl millet responded up to 60 kg N/ha and intercrops up to 30 kg N/ha. Phosphorus fertilizer did not produce marked improvement in either growth or yield of pearl millet. Application of 40 kg P2O5/ha increased grain yield of intercrops significantly
Effect of reduction in phosphorus intake on salivary phosphorus secretion and on duodenal digesta and dry-matter flow in sheep
Authors: Scott D. , Buchan W.
Published: March 2009

The Agricultural Research Council (1980) has recently published revised estimates of the phosphorus requirements for ruminants. These new estimates are considerably lower than those formerly recommended (Agricultural Research Council, 1965) and some concern has been expressed as to whether or not they are adequate (Cooke, 1982; Todd, 1983).
Effect of green manuring and mineral fertilizer on growth and yield of crops in rice-based cropping on acid lateritic soil
Authors: Sharma A. R. , Mittra B. N.
Published: March 2009

Green manuring in situ with sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea) and dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata) significantly improved growth and yield of transplanted rice. Giving the green manure crops 15 kg N/ha or 15 kg N and 30 kg P2O5/ha further increased yield. Interaction between green manuring and N fertilizer revealed that a considerable quantity of fertilizer N (45–60 kg N/ha) applied to rice could be replaced by incorporation of green manure crops to which a small amount of fertilizer had been applied. Residual fertility in terms of organic carbon and available N, P and K increased under green manuring, whereas N fertilizer made no impact on fertility build up. Grain yield of wheat and gram increased when grown after rice in plots which had grown green manure.
Growth and gastrointestinal nematode parasitism in lambs grazing either lucerne (Medicago sativa) or sulla (Hedysarum coronarium) which contains condensed tannins
Authors: Niezen J. H. , Waghorn T. S. , Charleston W. A. G. , Waghorn G. C.
Published: March 2009

Two grazing experiments were undertaken to evaluate the effects of sulla (Hedysarum coronarium) which contains condensed tannins (CT) and lucerne (Medicago sativa), which does not contain CT, on the performance of parasitized and non-parasitized lambs. The work was carried out near Palmerston North, New Zealand in 1992 and 1993.

Experiment 1 used lambs which were either genetically ‘conventional’ or ‘resistant’ to gastrointestinal nematodes and which had a naturally acquired heavy parasite burden (faecal egg count (FEC) 1300–2500 eggs per gram faeces (epg)). They were either drenched to remove all the parasites or remained undrenched when allocated to pure swards of either sulla or lucerne for the 28-day experimental period. Liveweight gains of drenched lambs were higher with sulla (mean 302 g/day) than with lucerne (mean 245 g/day; P < 0·02) and rates of gain were not reduced (P = 0·10) by genetic resistance to nematodes. Undrenched lambs had mean faecal egg counts of 1090–2220 epg after 28 days, with higher counts in lambs grazing lucerne than in those grazing sulla (P < 0·05). Lambs grazing lucerne also had a much lower average daily gain (ADG) (mean 50 g/day) than those grazing sulla (mean 206 g/day; P < 0·0001). Resistant lambs had reduced (P = 0·07) ADG in the sulla treatment only.

In Expt 2, lambs with a relatively low worm burden (average FEC 250 epg) were either drenched to remove all worms or dosed with 20 000 Trichostrongylus colubriformis infective larvae and grazed on pure sulla or lucerne swards for 42 days. Drenched lambs had a similar liveweight gain (mean 190 g/day) and wool growth when grazing either sulla or lucerne. Undrenched lambs grazing sulla had a greater ADG (mean 129 g/day) than those grazing lucerne (mean −39 g/day; P < 0·0001) and a higher rate of wool growth from mid-side patches (P < 0·009) and larger wool fibre diameter (P < 0·05) than those grazing lucerne. Undrenched lambs grazing sulla had lower FECs (P < 0·05) on days 14, 21, 35 and 42 than those grazing lucerne and lower (P < 0·05) Trichostrongylus colubriformis worm burdens at slaughter. Undrenched lambs had less perineal faecal contamination when grazing sulla rather than lucerne. Parasite-induced anorexia was evident in the lambs grazing lucerne but not in those grazing sulla.

These findings demonstrate that the performance of lambs infected with nematode parasites can vary substantially when given feeds of a similar chemical composition. The superior performance of lambs grazing sulla was probably caused by condensed tannins, which decrease protein degradation in the rumen and can increase post-ruminal protein availability.
The effect of rate, form and timing of fertilizer N on nitrogen uptake and grain N content in spring malting barley
Authors: McTaggart I. P. , Smith K. A.
Published: March 2009

Field experiments were carried out on six sites in eastern Scotland between 1987 and 1989 to determine the effect of nitrogen on the yield, N uptake and grain N concentration of spring barley grown for malting. The effects of fertilizer applications at rates from 0 to 150 kg N ha-1and the timing of application were studied, using three fertilizer forms: calcium nitrate, ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate. Calcium nitrate applications significantly increased grain N concentrations (P< 0·05), and grain yields (P< 0·01 and 0·05) at two sites, above the values obtained with the other fertilizers, but there was no effect at the other sites. Split applications of calcium nitrate increased yields above those from single applications in some treatments at two sites. At low rates, recovery of15N-labelled fertilizer was greatest when applied as calcium nitrate. Recovery fell at higher rates in calcium nitrate treatments, but rose in ammonium sulphate treatments. Uptake of fertilizer N, during the period of stem elongation in June, was significantly greater (P< 0·05) in the calcium nitrate and ammonium nitrate treatments. Maximum uptake was usually reached by the time of anthesis. Uptake of soil N was not as great during the early sampling periods, but continued up to harvest in most treatments. There was evidence of losses, between anthesis and harvest, of fertilizer N previously taken up by the crop. The uptake of soil N remained constant over the range of fertilizer treatments except with ammonium sulphate, where there was evidence of increased uptake at higher fertilizer rates, possibly due to ‘pool substitution’ of15N-labelled fertilizer. The variation in soil N uptake between sites was greater than the variation in fertilizer N uptake caused by different forms of fertilizer and different application times.
A reassessment of the part played by rapid intracellular ice formation in producing frost damage in the field
Authors: Habeshaw D.
Published: March 2009

Observations made on freezing tissue show that the appearance of extracellular freezing can occur in tissues which have been initially frozen intracellularly. Since the evidence for the assumption that intracellular freezing is of rare occurrence in the field is based on the microscopical observation of ‘naturally’ frozen tissue it can no longer be assumed that this process is unconnected with the survival of plants overwintering in the field.
Soil compaction in permanent pasture and its amelioration by slitting
Authors: Davies A. , Adams W. A. , Wilman D.
Published: March 2009

In a field which had been grazed by dairy cows for 26 years, the bulk density of both total soil and fine earth increased rapidly with depth down to 10–12 cm, but decreased below this depth. The bulk density was approximately twice as great in the 10–12 cm as in the 2–4 cm layer. Total porosity in the 10–12 cm layer was only 22%.

Slitting the soil to penetrate the compacted layer approximately doubled net herbage accumulation and the net uptake of N, P and K, raising herbage production and uptake of nutrients from a low level to an acceptable one. Slitting tended to increase the concentrations of nitrate-N and K in herbage, but had little effect on the concentration of total N. Slitting increased the weight of ash-free root in the 10–20 cm depth range.
Plant height and width inheritance and their correlation with some of the yield components in chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.)
Authors: Khosh-Khui M. , Niknejad M.
Published: March 2009

Two chickpea pure lines, one being short and wide in stature and the other tall and narrow, were crossed. Parents, F1 and F2 generations were grown in the field to study the inheritance of plant dimensions, as well as their correlation with seed yield. Heritability, in broad sense, for plant height and width was 36 and 20% respectively. Estimated minimum number of genes for plant height was two and for plant width was three pairs of genes. Plant height showed correlation values of 0·43 and -0·67 with yield of seed and 1000 seed weight respectively. There were no significant correlations between plant width and the same two yield components.
Studies in the physical properties of soil. V. The hysteresis effect in capillary properties, and the modes of moisture distribution associated therewith
Authors: Haines William B.
Published: March 2009

A recapitulation of the main features of the moisture distribution in an ideal soil is given in order to emphasise a point previously neglected, namely, that the changes are not in the main strictly reversible, but fall into two series corresponding to the two directions of moisture change. The cellular nature of the soil pore space imposes a quantum character on the moisture changes over a great part of the higher moisture range. The individual cell does not fill or empty by smooth reversible changes but shows two unstable stages at which filling or emptying is completed at a bound. For falling moisture the suction level is that at which a meniscus can invade a cell through one of its narrow entries, which gives a value in the neighbourhood of 12 T/r for close packing. For rising moisture the suction level is that for which water returns to the cell by the collapse of a bubble in it, giving a lower value in the neighbourhood of 6·9 T/r. A still lower value of 4·5 T/r can be reached for a particular type of distribution confined to the lower moisture range.

All the above suction values are closely verified by measurements made with bronze balls and paraffin oil. A detailed exploration of the case for glistening dew and water has been made, which verifies the theory while illustrating more nearly the behaviour of an irregular soil. The two values which rule the two halves of the “hysteresis loop” for this case of natural or common packing are 6·0 T/r for falling moisture and 4·0 T/r for rising.

The new considerations resolve the differences of opinion raised by R. A. Fisher. It appears that the author has throughout supported a case which belongs correctly to the falling moisture series. Fisher considered a very limited series for the rising moisture case and a hypothetical reversible series, and has been in error in so far as his treatment was regarded as exclusive.
Making Friends at Court: Slow and Indirect Media in US Public Diplomacy in Norway, 1950–1965
Authors: DANIELSEN HELGE
Published: March 2009

This article explores why slow and indirect media were regarded as particularly appropriate means in the US public diplomacy efforts towards Norway in the period 1950–65. The article traces how these strategies were carried out in practice by using as examples exchange programmes and the setting up of American Studies in Norway. The Norwegian case is seen in relation to similar efforts elsewhere, and the article discusses whether this case should be seen as a singular one or as a local variation of more general US public diplomacy strategies. In conclusion, it is suggested that the Norwegian case appears to be an almost ideal-typical example of how ‘culturalist’ public diplomacy approaches were mobilised for political purposes.
The relationship between international humanitarian law and human rights law from the perspective of a human rights treaty body
Authors: Hampson Françoise J.
Published: March 2009

The debate about the simultaneous applicability of international humanitarian law and human rights law also affects human rights treaty bodies. The article first considers the difficulty for a human rights body in determining whether international humanitarian law is applicable; second, it examines the problems in practice in applying thelex specialisdoctrine and the question of derogation in this particular context. The author finally outlines the impact of the debate as to the extent of extraterritorial applicability of human rights law.

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Phase separation, brine formation, and salinity variation at Black Smoker hydrothermal systems
Authors: Coumou D. , Driesner T. , Weis P. , Heinrich C. A.
Published: March 2009

We present the first fully transient 2‐D numerical simulations of black smoker hydrothermal systems using realistic fluid properties and allowing for all phase transitions possible in the system H2O‐NaCl, including phase separation of convecting seawater into a low‐salinity vapor and high‐salinity brine. We investigate convection, multiphase flow, and phase segregation at pressures below, near, and above the critical point of seawater. Our simulations accurately predict the range in vent salinities, from 0.05 to 2.5 times seawater salinity measured at natural systems. In low‐pressure systems at ∼1500 m water depth, phase separation occurs in boiling zones stretching from the bottom of the hydrothermal cell to the seafloor. Low‐salinity vapors and high‐salinity brines can vent simultaneously, and transient variations in vent fluid salinities can be rapid. In high‐pressure systems at roughly ∼3500 m water depth, phase separation is limited to the region close to the underlying magma chamber, and vent fluids consist of a low‐salinity vapor mixed with a seawater‐like fluid. Therefore, vent salinities from these systems are much more uniform in time and always below seawater salinity as long as phase separation occurs in the subseafloor. Only by shutting down the heat source can, in the high‐pressure case, the brine be mined, resulting in larger than seawater salinities. These numerical results are in good agreement with long‐term observations from several natural black smoker systems.
Metallothioneins in Diptera
Authors: Atrian Sílvia
Published: March 2009

Dipterean insecta owe their relevance to the well-known model organism D. melanogaster, and extensively to the Drosophila genus. In the frame of the study of metallothioneins (MTs), they constitute a bizarre exception, since Drosophila is the only metazoan organism synthesizing only MTs similar to the yeast (S. cerevisiae) Cup1 paradigmatic copper-thionein. D. melanogaster MTs are optimized for copper binding and metabolism, and no MT analogous to the mammalian MTs has been identified, unlike in the cases of other Arthropoda and invertebrates analyzed so far (Chapters 7 and 8 of this book). The D. melanogaster genome contains four MT genes (MtnA, MtnB, MtnC, and MtnD), which are clustered in the same genomic region, probably arising from amplifying duplications. The main isoforms are MtnA and MtnB, encoding peptides 40- and 43-amino acids long, comprising 10 and 12 cysteines, respectively. MtnC and MtnD probably arise from recent MtnB duplications and play a minor role in flies. Expression of the four genes is dependent on dMTF-1, a transcriptional activator homologous to the mammalian MTF-1. Major MT synthesis in larvae and adults is observed in the digestive tract, mainly in the midgut, although with a different distribution between MtnA and MtnB. Other tissues of Mtn gene expression are salivary glands, ventricula, Malpighian tubules, and hemocytes. Metal induction increases the rate of MT synthesis in these tissues, but not normally in MT gene-silent organs, and invariably, the best response is obtained for copper, followed by cadmium, and very poorly for zinc. In conclusion, all the available data suggests a definitive role of D. melanogaster MT in copper metabolism (from ingestion to distribution, storage, delivery, and detoxification in the organism) as well as in cadmium tolerance (by digestive assimilation blockage). This is readily confirmed by studies of population genetics that show that both spontaneous MtnA genomic duplications, independently isolated in worldwide locations, and fly strains containing supernumerary Mtn genes constructed in the laboratory are able to tolerate increased copper and cadmium concentrations; while Mtn and dMTF-1 knock-outs are extremely sensitive to these conditions.
Metallothionein-3, Zinc, and Copper in the Central Nervous System
Authors: Vašák Milan , Meloni Gabriele
Published: March 2009

Metallothionein-3 (MT-3), also known as the neuronal growth inhibitory factor, has been discovered by Uchida and coworkers in 1991 in their search for a cellular component responsible for antagonizing aberrant neuritic sprouting and increased survival of cultured neurons stimulated by Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain extract. Since this initial discovery further studies showed that MT-3 possesses peculiar structural and functional properties not shared by other members of the mammalian MT family. Several lines of evidence suggest that the metal-binding protein MT-3 plays a vital role in zinc and copper homeostasis in the brain. Although far from being understood, the unusual structural properties of MT-3 are responsible for its neuronal growth inhibitory activity, involvement in trafficking of zinc vesicles in the central nervous system, protection against copper-mediated toxicity in AD and in controlling abnormal metal-protein interactions in other neurodegenerative disorders.
Metallothionein in Inorganic Carcinogenesis
Authors: Waalkes Michael P. , Liu Jie
Published: March 2009

Metallothionein (MT) is a cysteine-rich, metal-binding protein that plays an important role in the detoxication of heavy metals and in the homeostasis of essential metal ions. Deficiency in MT makes animals highly sensitive to toxicity of some metals, and may predispose to inorganic carcinogenesis. For instance, poor expression of MT in regions of rat prostate is a susceptibility factor in cadmium-induced prostate cancer. Similarly, MT-1/2 null mice, where the major forms of MT are knocked out, are more sensitive than wild-type mice to the carcinogenic effects of cadmium, arsenic, lead, and cisplatin. On the other hand, the carcinogenic potential of nickel is unchanged in MT-1/2 null mice or in MT-1 overexpressing transgenic mice, suggesting a minimal role for this protein in nickel carcinogenesis. Several mechanisms have been proposed for the inhibitory role of MT in inorganic carcinogenesis, including metal sequestration, reduced oxidative stress, adaptation response, acquired apoptosis resistance, and compromised DNA repair. In mice a clear inability to form inclusion bodies is implicated in enhanced lead-induced renal carcinogenesis in MT-1/2 null mice, while downregulation of MT occurs during hepatocarcinogenesis induced by transplacental arsenic. There is a great variation in human MT expression and polymorphisms of the MT gene exist that may affect individual response to toxic metal insult, and poor ability to produce MT in response to metal exposure clearly may predispose individuals to carcinogenesis, by some, but not all, inorganic carcinogens.
High quality factor photonic crystal nanobeam cavities
Authors: Deotare Parag B. , McCutcheon Murray W. , Frank Ian W. , Khan Mughees , Lončar Marko
Published: March 2009

We investigate the design, fabrication, and experimental characterization of high quality factor photonic crystal nanobeam cavities in silicon. Using a five-hole tapered one-dimensional photonic crystal mirror and precise control of the cavity length, we designed cavities with theoretical quality factors as high as 1.4×107. By detecting the cross-polarized resonantly scattered light from a normally incident laser beam, we measure a quality factor of nearly 7.5×105. The effect of cavity size on mode frequency and quality factor was simulated and then verified experimentally.
Design and fabrication of multi-material structures for bioinspired robots
Authors: Cutkosky Mark R , Kim Sangbae
Published: March 2009

New multi-material rapid prototyping processes are making possible the design and fabrication of bioinspired robot structures that share some of the desirable properties of animal appendages. The structures combine stiff and compliant materials and incorporate sensors and other discrete components, resulting in robots that are less demanding to control than traditionally designed robots and more robust. Current challenges include extending this approach to the structures that involve microscopic as well as macroscopic features.
Molecular biomimetics: nanotechnology and bionanotechnology using genetically engineered peptides
Authors: Tamerler Candan , Sarikaya Mehmet
Published: March 2009

Nature provides inspiration for designing materials and systems that derive their functions from highly organized structures. Biological hard tissues are hybrid materials having inorganics within a complex organic matrix, the molecular scaffold controlling the inorganic structures. Biocomposites incorporate both biomacromolecules such as proteins, lipids and polysaccharides, and inorganic materials, such as hydroxyapatite, silica, magnetite and calcite. The ordered organization of hierarchical structures in organisms begins via the molecular recognition of inorganics by proteins that control interactions and is followed by the highly efficient self-assembly across scales. Following the molecular biological principle, proteins could also be used in controlling materials formation in practical engineering via self-assembled, hybrid, functional materials structures. In molecular biomimetics, material-specific peptides could be the key in the molecular engineering of biology-inspired materials. With the recent developments of nanoscale engineering in physical sciences and the advances in molecular biology, we now combine genetic tools with synthetic nanoscale constructs to create a novel methodology. We first genetically select and/or design peptides with specific binding to functional solids, tailor their binding and assembly characteristics, develop bifunctional peptide/protein genetic constructs with both material binding and biological activity, and use these as molecular synthesizers, erectors and assemblers. Here, we give an overview of solid-binding peptides as novel molecular agents coupling bio- and nanotechnology.
The Mechanisms Involved in Seed Dormancy Alleviation by Hydrogen Cyanide Unravel the Role of Reactive Oxygen Species as Key Factors of Cellular Signaling during Germination
Authors: Oracz Krystyna , El-Maarouf-Bouteau Hayat , Kranner Ilse , Bogatek Renata , Corbineau Françoise , Bailly Christophe
Published: March 2009

The physiological dormancy of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) embryos can be overcome during dry storage (after-ripening) or by applying exogenous ethylene or hydrogen cyanide (HCN) during imbibition. The aim of this work was to provide a comprehensive model, based on oxidative signaling by reactive oxygen species (ROS), for explaining the cellular mode of action of HCN in dormancy alleviation. Beneficial HCN effect on germination of dormant embryos is associated with a marked increase in hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anion generation in the embryonic axes. It is mimicked by the ROS-generating compounds methylviologen and menadione but suppressed by ROS scavengers. This increase results from an inhibition of catalase and superoxide dismutase activities and also involves activation of NADPH oxidase. However, it is not related to lipid reserve degradation or gluconeogenesis and not associated with marked changes in the cellular redox status controlled by the glutathione/glutathione disulfide couple. The expression of genes related to ROS production (NADPHox, POX, AO1, and AO2) and signaling (MAPK6, Ser/ThrPK, CaM, and PTP) is differentially affected by dormancy alleviation either during after-ripening or by HCN treatment, and the effect of cyanide on gene expression is likely to be mediated by ROS. It is also demonstrated that HCN and ROS both activate similarly ERF1, a component of the ethylene signaling pathway. We propose that ROS play a key role in the control of sunflower seed germination and are second messengers of cyanide in seed dormancy release.
RNAi‐mediated resistance to Potato spindle tuber viroid in transgenic tomato expressing a viroid hairpin RNA construct
Authors: SCHWIND NORA , ZWIEBEL MICHÈLE , ITAYA ASUKA , DING BIAO , WANG MING‐BO , KRCZAL GABI , WASSENEGGER MICHAEL
Published: March 2009

Because of their highly ordered structure, mature viroid RNA molecules are assumed to be resistant to degradation by RNA interference (RNAi). In this article, we report that transgenic tomato plants expressing a hairpin RNA (hpRNA) construct derived from Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) sequences exhibit resistance to PSTVd infection. Resistance seems to be correlated with high‐level accumulation of hpRNA‐derived short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) in the plant. Thus, although small RNAs produced by infecting viroids [small RNAs of PSTVd (srPSTVds)] do not silence viroid RNAs efficiently to prevent their replication, hpRNA‐derived siRNAs (hp‐siRNAs) appear to effectively target the mature viroid RNA. Genomic mapping of the hp‐siRNAs revealed an unequal distribution of 21‐ and 24‐nucleotide siRNAs of both (+)‐ and (–)‐strand polarities along the PSTVd genome. These data suggest that RNAi can be employed to engineer plants for viroid resistance, as has been well established for viruses.
Dissociation of endothelial function and arterial stiffness in nonobese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Authors: Cussons Andrea J. , Watts Gerald F. , Stuckey Bronwyn G. A.
Published: March 2009

Objective Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with cardiovascular risk but it is not clear if this is independent of obesity and insulin resistance. This study therefore investigates endothelial function and arterial stiffness in nonobese, noninsulin resistant women with PCOS.

Design This is cross‐sectional case–control study.

Patients A total of 19 young women with PCOS, with body mass index (BMI) <30 kg/m2, and 19 healthy controls matched for age and BMI were included in the study.

Measurements Endothelial function was assessed with flow mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery, while arterial stiffness was assessed with pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AI).

Results There were no significant differences between PCOS and control subjects when assessing the following clinical and biochemical variables: blood pressure, homeostasis model assessment insulin‐resistance index, lipids and oestradiol. Women with PCOS had higher free androgen index scores (5·14 ± 3·47vs.3·25 ± 1·42,P = 0·036). The PCOS subjects had significantly lower FMD of the brachial artery compared with the controls (6·5 ± 2·9%vs.10·5 ± 4·0%,P < 0·01). There were no significant differences in markers of arterial stiffness (PWV 5·8 ± 1·1vs.6·0 ± 1·0,P = 0·58, AI 16·5 ± 10·2vs.20·3 ± 10·2,P = 0·25).

Conclusions Women with polycystic ovary syndrome who are young, nonobese, and have no biochemical evidence of insulin resistance, have abnormal vascular function, but normal arterial stiffness, when compared with age and weight matched control subjects. Whether this leads to a greater risk of cardiovascular disease requires further investigation.
Social group size affects Mycobacterium bovis infection in European badgers (Meles meles)
Authors: Woodroffe Rosie , Donnelly Christl A. , Wei Gao , Cox D.R. , Bourne F. John , Burke Terry , Butlin Roger K. , Cheeseman C.L. , Gettinby George , Gilks Peter , Hedges Simon , Jenkins Helen E. , Johnston W. Thomas , McInerney John P. , Morrison W. Ivan , Pope Lisa C.
Published: March 2009

In most social animals, the prevalence of directly transmitted pathogens increases in larger groups and at higher population densities. Such patterns are predicted by models of Mycobacterium bovis infection in European badgers (Meles meles).

We investigated the relationship between badger abundance and M. bovis prevalence, using data on 2696 adult badgers in 10 populations sampled at the start of the Randomized Badger Culling Trial.

M. bovis prevalence was consistently higher at low badger densities and in small social groups. M. bovis prevalence was also higher among badgers whose genetic profiles suggested that they had immigrated into their assigned social groups.

The association between high M. bovis prevalence and small badger group size appeared not to have been caused by previous small‐scale culling in study areas, which had been suspended, on average, 5 years before the start of the current study.

The observed pattern of prevalence might occur through badgers in smaller groups interacting more frequently with members of neighbouring groups; detailed behavioural data are needed to test this hypothesis. Likewise, longitudinal data are needed to determine whether the size of infected groups might be suppressed by disease‐related mortality.

Although M. bovis prevalence was lower at high population densities, the absolute number of infected badgers was higher. However, this does not necessarily mean that the risk of M. bovis transmission to cattle is highest at high badger densities, since transmission risk depends on badger behaviour as well as on badger density.
Does life history predict past and current connectivity for rocky intertidal invertebrates across a marine biogeographic barrier?
Authors: AYRE D. J. , MINCHINTON T. E. , PERRIN C.
Published: March 2009

The southeast Australian coast potentially includes a complex biogeographic barrier, largely lacking exposed rocky shore that may limit the dispersal of rocky intertidal taxa and contribute to the maintenance of two biogeographic regions. Surprisingly, within the 300‐km barrier region, several species considered exposed rocky shore specialists occurred within sheltered sites. We analysed COI sequence variation for 10 rocky intertidal invertebrate species, with a range of life histories, to test the hypotheses that larval type and habitat specificity are strong predictors of gene flow between biogeographic regions. Our data revealed that the southeast corner of Australia includes a strong barrier to gene flow for six of eight species with planktonic larvae, and a coalescence analysis of sequence differentiation (IM model) suggests that a barrier has existed since the Pleistocene. In contrast, two direct developers were not affected by the barrier. Our comparative approach and data from earlier studies (reviewed here) do not support the hypothesis that larval type predicts gene flow across this barrier, instead we found that the ability to utilize sheltered habitat provides a clearer explanation of the phylogeographic break. Indeed, the species that displayed little or no evidence of a phylogeographic break across the barrier each displayed unexpectedly relaxed habitat specificity.
Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid substance P in post‐stroke patients with depression
Authors: Li Ling , Gao Xiaoya , Zhao Jia , Ji Xunming , Wei Huan , Luo Yumin
Published: March 2009

Aims:  To investigate the correlation between the incidence of post‐stroke depression (PSD) and the levels of substance P (SP) in the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Methods:  Ninety‐one stroke patients were divided into PSD (n = 46) and post‐stroke (without depression) groups (n = 45). PSD must have occurred 2–4 weeks after the onset of the stroke and was determined by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD). In addition, the subjects were divided into anterior (n = 67) and posterior circulation stroke groups (n = 24) based on the location of the focus as determined by computed tomography. All recruited patients were graded by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS).

Results:  The results included the following findings: (i) the level of plasma SP in the PSD group (58.47 ± 14.39) was higher than that of the PS group (36.98 ± 9.49; P = 0.000), while the level of CSF SP in the PSD group (72.13 ± 13.06) was higher than that of the post‐stroke group (37.30 ± 12.57; P = 0.03); (ii) the level of plasma SP was positively correlated with the HAMD and NIHSS score; (iii) the level of plasma SP (38.45 ± 12.23), the HAMD score (9.08 ± 8.72), and the NIHSS score (3.25 ± 1.90) of the anterior stroke group (51.21 ± 16.27, 17.46 ± 15.96, and 6.91 ± 3.30, respectively) were higher than those of the posterior stroke group (38.45 ± 12.23, 9.08 ± 8.7, and 3.25 ± 1.90, respectively; P = 0.017, P = 0.001, and P = 0.000, respectively).

Conclusions:  SP in the plasma and CSF of patients exhibited a close correlation with neural damage and the incidence of PSD. This study also suggested that anterior hemispheric strokes may play a significant role in development of PSD.
Failure Mechanism of Deformed Concrete Tunnels Subject to Diagonally Concentrated Loads
Authors: He Wei , Wu Zhishen , Kojima Yoshiyuki , Asakura Toshihiro
Published: March 2009

Abstract:  This article presents a brief description and summary of the testing of scale models of concrete tunnels subjected to diagonally concentrated loads. Based on the experimental findings, an extended discussion is carried out to select a rational compressive model for concrete that represents the dominant failure modes of deformed concrete tunnels. Three main dominant final failure modes are described: structural failure due to the plastic rotation of softening hinges, tensile failure caused by localized cracks, and material failure due to concrete deterioration. A parametric analysis of the material properties of concrete shows that the compressive strength of concrete has a dominant effect on the load‐carrying capacity, although the compressive fracture energy of concrete remarkably influences the post‐peak deformation behavior of the tunnel. Moreover, the soil pressure, which is regarded as a distributed external load, plays an important role in controlling the final failure modes and the deformation behavior of concrete tunnels. The size effect on the load‐carrying capacities of different‐sized concrete tunnels is also discussed based on the numerical simulations.
Expatriate mangers: A historical review
Authors: Harvey Michael , Moeller Miriam
Published: March 2009

As expatriate managers continue to be a viable means for exercising control over foreign operations, they can have a direct impact on organizational performance, and therefore a delineation of the history of these key leaders in order to enhance our understanding of their continued significant impact is a laudable goal. The paper discusses each stage of the human resource management process, beginning with the identification and concluding with the repatriation stage of expatriate managers. Each stage is discussed in terms of the successes as well as problems/failures associated with the individual, organizational, environmental and systemic unit in mind. The paper concludes with future implications emphasizing the necessity to create new and/or enhance current practices relating to the development of expatriate managers’ maximum global impact depending on the evolving nature of the globalization of business.
Elephant spatial use in wet and dry savannas of southern Africa
Authors: Young K. D. , Ferreira S. M. , Van Aarde R. J.
Published: March 2009

The influence of elephants on woody vegetation cover varies from place to place. In part this may be due to the way elephants utilize space across landscapes and within their home ranges in response to the availability and distribution of food. We used location data from 18 cows at six study sites across an east to west rainfall gradient in southern Africa to test whether wet‐ and dry‐season home‐range sizes, evenness of space use within seasonal home ranges and range overlap between seasons and between years, differed between wet and dry savannas. We then tested whether the quantity, distribution and seasonal stability in vegetation productivity, a coarse measure of food for elephants, explained differences. Elephants in wet savannas had smaller wet‐ and dry‐season home ranges and also returned to a higher proportion of previously visited grid cells between seasons and between years than elephants living in dry savannas. Wet‐season home‐range sizes were explained by seasonal vegetation productivity while dry‐season home‐range sizes were explained by heterogeneity in the distribution of vegetation productivity. The influence of the latter on dry‐season home ranges differed among structural vegetation classes. Range overlap between seasons and between years was related to inter‐seasonal and inter‐annual stability in vegetation productivity, respectively. Evenness of elephant spatial use within home ranges did not differ between savanna types, but it was explained by seasonal vegetation productivity and heterogeneity in the distribution of vegetation productivity during the wet season. Differences in elephant spatial use patterns between wet and dry savannas according to vegetation structure and season may need to be included in the development of site‐specific objectives and management approaches for African elephants.
Differential pharmacological properties of GABAAreceptors in axon terminals and soma of dentate gyrus granule cells
Authors: Han Jin‐Wuk , Nakamura Michiko , Choi In‐Sun , Cho Jin‐Hwa , Park Hye‐Mi , Lee Maan‐Gee , Choi Byung‐Ju , Jang Hyun‐Jung , Jang Il‐Sung
Published: March 2009

Although it has been well established that GABAAreceptors are molecular targets of a variety of allosteric modulators, such as benzodiazepines, the pharmacological properties of presynaptic GABAAreceptors are poorly understood. In this study, the effects of diazepam and Zn2+on presynaptic GABAAreceptors have been investigated by measuring the GABAAreceptor‐mediated facilitation of spontaneous glutamate release in mechanically dissociated rat CA3 pyramidal neurons. Diazepam significantly enhanced the muscimol‐induced facilitation (particularly at submicromolar concentrations) of spontaneous glutamate release and shifted the concentration–response relationship for muscimol toward the left, whereas Zn2+(≤ 100 μM) had little effect on the muscimol‐induced facilitation of spontaneous glutamate release. In contrast, Zn2+significantly suppressed the muscimol‐induced currents mediated by GABAAreceptors expressed on dentate gyrus granule cells, which are parent neurons of mossy fibers, whereas the effect of diazepam on GABAAreceptors expressed on dentate gyrus granule cells was lesser than that on presynaptic GABAAreceptors. The results suggest that the pharmacological properties of GABAAreceptors differ considerably between presynaptic (axon terminals) and somatic regions in the same granule cell and that presynaptic GABAAreceptors should be considered as one of the important pharmacological targets of many drugs affecting GABAAreceptors.
Escalating ethanol intake is associated with altered corticostriatalBDNFexpression
Authors: Logrip Marian L. , Janak Patricia H. , Ron Dorit
Published: March 2009

Alcoholism is a chronically relapsing condition, indicative of long‐term neuronal adaptations maintaining the disease even after prolonged abstinence. Previously, we identified brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the dorsal striatum as the central mediator of a homeostatic mechanism which is activated by acute alcohol (ethanol) exposure and functions to decrease the sensitivity of rodents to ethanol‐related behaviors. We hypothesized that extensive exposure to ethanol would result in dysregulation of this BDNF‐mediated protective mechanism, accompanied by heightened ethanol intake. In this study, we demonstrate that while a single bout of ethanol intake increasesBDNFmRNA expression in the dorsal striatum, this effect is no longer observed after 6 weeks of daily ethanol access. Additionally, 6 weeks of ethanol consumption decreasesBDNFin the cortex, a main source of BDNF for the striatum. Importantly, these ethanol‐induced changes inBDNFlevels are not ameliorated by 2 weeks’ abstinence. Together, these data suggest that the BDNF pathway, which is activated following a single bout of ethanol drinking, breaks down by the end of 6 weeks of access and does not recover its protective function after a 2‐week deprivation period. These results suggest that the persistence of altered BDNF signaling may contribute to the inflexibility of addictive behaviors.
Retrospective Voting and Political Representation
Authors: Cho Seok‐ju
Published: March 2009

This article develops a theoretical model of political representation under the single‐member district system. I establish the existence of equilibria in which legislative voting of each legislator depends only on her preference and her electorate's preference and voters sanction badly behaved incumbents and retain well‐behaved ones based solely on their own representatives' roll‐call records. In equilibrium, voters achieve a partial representation with respect to representatives' behavior in each district. However, with respect to representation of the social majority, my findings are indeterminate. On the one hand, there exists an equilibrium in which the majority‐preferred alternative is the outcome guaranteed, except in very special circumstances. On the other hand, this equilibrium is not generally the unique equilibrium, and, for some parameter values, there is an equilibrium in which the majority‐preferred alternative is less likely than the alternative preferred only by the minority to be the outcome.
Game Theory, Information, and Deliberative Democracy
Authors: Landa Dimitri , Meirowitz Adam
Published: March 2009

We contend that, with a suitably broad notion of rationality and a diverse set of motivations, the game‐theoretic tradition is particularly well suited for generating insights about effects of deliberative institutions and that progress in the development of deliberative democratic theory hinges on making proper sense of the relationship between game‐theoretic and normative theoretic approaches to deliberation. To advance this view, we explore the central methodological issues at the core of that relationship and address the arguments raised against the relevance of game‐theoretic work on deliberation. We develop a framework for thinking about the differences in how the normative and the game‐theoretic approaches frame and answer questions about deliberation and articulate an approach to a deliberative democratic theory that builds on the strengths of both of these theoretic traditions, properly informed by empirical scholarship.
From the Ground, Looking Up: Report on the Video nas Aldeias Tour
Authors: BESSIRE LUCAS
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACT  This report compares two recent media events centered on the iconography of Amazonian indigenous peoples to highlight the cultural activism of the collaborative video project, Video nas Aldeias. [Keywords: Amazonia, Video nas Aldeias, indigenous media, cultural activism]
Epicardium: interstitial Cajal‐like cells (ICLC) highlighted by immunofluorescence
Authors: Suciu L. , Popescu L. M. , Regalia T. , Ardelean A. , Manole C. G.
Published: March 2009

During the last few years, there is an increasing interest in the role of the epicardium in cardiac development, myocardial remodelling or repair and regeneration. Several types of cells were described in the subepicardial loose connective tissue, beneath the epicardial mesothe‐lium. We showed previously (repeatedly) the existence of interstitial Cajal‐like cells (ICLCs) in human and mammalian myocardium, either in atria or in ventricles. Here, we describe ICLCs in adult mice epicardium and primary culture as well as in situ using frozen sections. The identification of ICLCs was based on phase contrast microscopy and immunophenotyping. We found cells with characteristic morphologic aspects: spindle‐shaped, triangular or polygonal cell body and typical very long (tens to hundreds micrometres) and very thin cyto‐plasmic processes, with a distinctive ‘beads‐on‐a‐string’ appearance. The dilations contain mitochondria, as demonstrated by MitoTracker Green FM labelling of living cells. Epicardial ICLCs were found positive for c‐kit/CD117 and/or CD34. However, we also observed ICLCs positive for c‐kit and vimentin. In conclusion, ICLCs represent a distinct cell type in the subendocardium, presumably comprising at least two subpopulations: (i) c‐kit/CD34‐positive and (ii) only c‐kit‐positive. ICLCs might be essential as progenitor (or promoter) cells for developing cardiomyocyte lineages in normal and/or injured heart.
The effects of selection for cold tolerance on cross‐tolerance to other environmental stressors in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: MacMillan Heath A. , Walsh Jillian P. , Sinclair Brent J.
Published: March 2009

Abstract  Cross tolerance, whereby tolerance to one environmental stress is correlated with tolerance to other stressors, is thought to be widespread in insects. We used lines of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae) selected for survival at a 1‐h exposure to −5°C to examine the extent to which this selection results in increased tolerance to other stresses, including high and low temperatures, desiccation and starvation. While selection improved tolerance to acute cold exposure and survival at −5°C, there was little effect of selection regime on tolerance to other stressors. There was no correlation between tolerances to any of the stressors, suggesting different mechanisms of tolerance. This supports arguments that correlations between stress tolerances during selection experiments with D. melanogaster may be coincidental. The magnitude of heat‐hardening was apparently constrained by basal tolerance among lines, but the magnitude of the rapid cold‐hardening response was not correlated with basal cold tolerance, implying that the relationship between inducible and basal tolerances differs at high and low temperatures.