bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Food habits of three carnivore species (Viverricula indica, Herpestes urva, and Melogale moschata) in Fushan Forest, northern Taiwan
Authors: Chuang Shun‐An , Lee Ling‐Ling
Published: March 2009

The food habits and degrees of dietary overlap of lesser oriental civet (Viverricula indica), crab‐eating mongoose (Herpestes urva), and ferret badger (Melogale moschata) inhabiting the Fushan Forest, northern Taiwan, were studied using faecal analysis between February 1993 and June 1994. Laboratory analysis of 154 civet faeces, and 174 mongoose faeces showed that both species fed on a wide variety of food items, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, crustaceans, insects, oligochaetes, gastropods, chilopods, arachnids, and plants. Insects, oligochaetes, plants, and mammals were the four most important food items in the civets' diet, whereas crustaceans, insects, amphibians, and reptiles were the four most important food items consumed by mongooses. Amphibians were the only vertebrates, together with invertebrates and plants, found in the 64 ferret badger faeces we analysed, and oligochaetes, insects, and amphibians were the most important food items consumed by ferret badgers. The diversity of diet was highest in the mongoose, followed by the civet, and was lowest in the ferret badger.

The degree of dietary overlap was greatest between the civet and the ferret badger, followed by that of the civet and mongoose. The mongoose and ferret badger had the lowest degree of dietary overlap. However, the degree of dietary overlap varied in different seasons. Invertebrates were the most important food source for the carnivores in Fushan Forest.
A simulation model of the effect of mowing of agricultural grassland on the breeding success of the corncrake (Crex crex)
Authors: Green R. E. , Tyler G. A. , Stowe T. J. , Newton A. V.
Published: March 2009

The corncrake has been declining in numbers and distribution in Britain for more than 100 years. Meadows mowed for hay or silage are the most frequent habitat and nests and broods placed there are often destroyed during mowing. Observations of radio‐tagged females and watches of meadows during mowing are used to describe the timing of breeding, the duration of various stages of the breeding cycle and mortality rates of clutches and broods. It is shown that females frequently produce two clutches per season and that clutch and brood survival are high in the absence of mowing. The majority of nests are placed in meadows liable to be mowed during the breeding season and this proportion increases during the season. Mowing from the outside of the meadow towards the centre causes greater mortality of corncrake chicks than mowing from the centre outwards. A simulation model is developed to permit productivity (chicks reared to independence per female) to be estimated for a range of average mowing dates and for mowing from the outside inwards and from the centre outwards. The model indicates a large effect of the average date of mowing on productivity and only a small effect of the spread of mowing dates. Mowing from the centre of the field outwards is estimated to result in substantial increases in productivity via improved chick survival, especially when the average mowing date is early. Differences in productivity, estimated from average mowing dates, between regions of Britain and Ireland with stable or slowly declining corncrake populations and those with rapidly declining populations, are approximately large enough for differences in mowing practice to be the principal cause of the observed difference in population trend. Current conservation programmes for corncrakes in Britain and Ireland, which include payments to farmers to delay mowing and to mow from the centre of the field outwards, are evaluated using the simulation model. The improvement in productivity caused by the conservation measures should be sufficient to halt the long‐term population decline provided that they can be implemented widely enough.
Home range and habitat use by the serotine bat, Eptesicus serotinus, in England
Authors: Robinson M. F. , Stebbings R. E.
Published: March 2009

Serotine nursery roosts with less than 20 bats were found to have home ranges of at least 24 to 77 km2 and core areas of activity from 13 to 33 km2. The size of the range may have increased further if more individuals had been tracked, as three of the four colonies studied had not reached their asymptotes. The total home‐range area covered by four serotine colonies was 127.36 km2. Excluding non‐breeding bats, a density of one bat per 120 ha was estimated. However, actual density was likely to be higher if there were additional non‐breeding females and immatures that were not in nursery roosts. Colonial home ranges and core areas overlapped, with individuals from different colonies feeding at the same sites. Individual home ranges (n= 32) varied from 0.16 to 47.58 km2, but these were not used exclusively by one individual. Around the colonial core area and breeding roosts, home ranges were used by all individuals from a single colony. It is only further from the core area that ranges appeared to be used by individuals. The distance from roost to feeding areas varied by up to 7.4 km, but the bat usually commuted along lines of trees and hedges and over pastures. This resulted in greater distances being travelled than if they had flown by a direct route. On average, individuals commuted distances of 8 km each night between feeding areas, with a maximum distance of over 41 km. They visited between 0 and 10 feeding sites each night (mean = 2.89).
Studies on Recent Macroporidae (Bryozoa: Cheilostomatida), with new taxa and ontogeny of the ovicells
Authors: López de la Cuadra C. M. , Gómez J. C. García
Published: March 2009

The Recent species of the Bryozoan family Macroporidae are discussed after study of type and newly collected material using the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The diagnosis of the family and the descriptions of Recent species are updated, using characters previously overlooked or incompletely known. Three new species are described: Macropora brownisp. nov. and Macropora uttleyisp. nov. from Three Kings Island, New Zealand, the latter differing from other species in the features of female zooids and ovicells and in its uniserial growth; Macropora georgiensissp. nov., the first macroporid found in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost in distribution, being found on South Georgia Island. The geographical range of the family is extended to sub‐Antarctic waters of the Atlantic Ocean. A study on the ontogeny of the ovicells of Macroporidae is included and the conclusion is drawn that, in most cases, the ovicell is subimmersed, supported by a kenozooid, and that maternal zooids are differentiated early in ontogeny into female zooids (here termed gynozooids).
The breeding biology of the black‐crowned night‐heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) and the little egret (Egretta garzetta) at the Huleh Nature Reserve, Israel
Authors: Ashkenazi S. , Yom‐tov Y.
Published: March 2009

The breeding biologies of the black‐crowned night‐heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) and the little egret (Egretta garzetta) were studied in the mixed heron breeding colony at the Huleh Nature Reserve, Israel, from 1977 to 1980. Both studied species have resident (30%) and migrating populations. The colony consisted of about 3,000 pairs of seven breeding species nesting in 5‐7 highly synchronous mixed species sub‐colonies from mid‐March to mid‐September. Mean time‐lapse between initiation of two sub‐colonies is 20.45 days. Mean duration of egg‐laying within a sub‐colony is 12.45 days and of hatching is 12.38 days. Nests are built each year mainly with papyrus stems and there are significant differences among little egrets, night‐herons and cattle egrets in their tendency to use different nesting material. Mean clutch size was 3.41 for little egrets and 2.97 for night‐herons, while the most frequent clutch size was three in both species (54.9% and 68.5%, respectively). Mean fresh laid egg masses were 27.15 g and 31.33g for little egrets and night‐herons, respectively. The variability in egg mass within a clutch was significantly smaller (on average 12 times and 7 times for little egrets and nightherons, respectively) than between clutches. Incubation of each egg lasts 21.6 days in little egrets and 21.1 days in night‐herons. Mean egg mass loss during incubation was 14.6% and 13.8% for little egrets and night‐herons, respectively. Hatching success is 90.2% (n= 177) in little egrets and 92.4% (n= 258) in night‐herons, and hatching order is related to laying order in both species. Hatchling's mass at hatch ranged from 13‐26 g (n= 34), 74.8% of initial egg mass for little egrets and 19‐29 g (n= 30), 73.8% of initial egg mass for night‐herons. Chick development rates were studied in nature and in captivity. In both species there is a linear correlation between a chick's age and its body dimensions. Chicks reach adult dimensions at about one month and fledge at the age of 35‐42 days. Fledged chicks disperse during the first year up to 50‐60km from the colony. Survival rates for chicks up to the age of 28 days are 69.9% and 56.6% for little egrets and night‐herons, respectively. The main mortality factor for eggs and chicks is probably predation by avian predators. Data on minimum longevity, 10‐11 years for little egrets and 7‐8 years for night‐herons, were obtained from resightings of tag‐marked individuals. Long‐term monitoring and study of the structure and breeding parameters of a regionally important colony in relation to known environmental effects are an essential tool for conservation and management plans for colonial species.
The two‐humped camel (Camelus bactrianus): new light on its distribution, management and medical treatment in the past
Authors: Peters Joris , Driesch Angela von den
Published: March 2009

Eastern and north‐eastern Iran and the adjacent Kopet Dagh foothills in south‐western Turkmenistan have been postulated to be the region where the domestication of the two‐humped camel took place. However, none of the evidence so far brought forward for in situ domestication in this area holds up to closer serutiny. Moreover, the postpleistocene distribution of the wild camel (Csmelus ferus) did not include Central Asia. Consequently, we claim that the region where the two‐humped camel was domesticated must lie further to the east.

Among the peoples with a long‐standing tradition in camel husbandry are the Chinese, as is illustrated by the antiquity of the texts on camel diseases and their treatment. In this contribution, the oldest camel treatise handed down in literature is presented and discussed.
Hybridization between the Galápagos land and marine iguana (Canolophus subcristatusandAmblyrhynchus cristatus) on Plaza Sur
Authors: Rassmann K. , Trillmich F. , Tautz D.
Published: March 2009

Hybridization plays an important role in the evolution of some of the vertebrate taxa on the Galápagos Islands, such as the Darwin finches. Conversely, only a single possible hybrid between the Galápagos marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus) and the land iguana (Conolophus) has been reported from the island Plaza Sur. In this paper, the hybrid status of a morphologically unusual iguana from this island is confirmed, using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA). Sequencing of the hybrid's mitochondrial cytochrome b gene revealed that it was the offspring of a female land iguana and a male marine iguana. Preliminary molecular analyses of morphologically typical marine and land iguanas from Plaza Sur did not detect introgression of nuclear or mitochondrial markers between species. The potential significance of hybridization for the evolution of the Plaza Sur iguana populations is discussed.
Auditory neuropathy: unexpectedly common in a screened newborn population
Authors: DOWLEY ANDREW C , WHITEHOUSE WILLIAM P , MASON STEVE M , COPE YVONNE , GRANT JUDITH , GIBBIN KEVIN P
Published: March 2009

Auditory neuropathy, or dyssynchrony, is defined by an abnormal or absent auditory brainstem response but intact otoacoustic emissions or cochlear microphonics. It is associated with impaired hearing on behavioural pure‐tone audiometry, absent acoustic reflexes, and poor speech perception, particularly in noisy environments. These results suggest a disorder of inner hair‐cell and or eighth‐nerve function. We describe a case‐note survey of patients with and without auditory neuropathy, using data from the local newborn hearing screening programme collected prospectively from 2002 to 2007. During this period, 45 050 infants were screened with otoacoustic emissions, 30 patients were diagnosed with suspected severe to profound hearing loss (16 males, 14 females), and 12 of those 30 had auditory neuropathy (six males, six females). Mean gestational age was 33 weeks 1 day in the auditory neuropathy group and 35 weeks in the non‐auditory neuropathy group. The most significant risk factors for auditory neuropathy were hyperbilirubinaemia (p=0.018), sepsis (p=0.024), and gentamicin exposure (p=0.024). Children with auditory neuropathy comprise a subgroup of patients with hearing impairment involving different pathologies most commonly associated with the risk factors related to admission to neonatal intensive care units. Improvement is possible with maturity, at least in a minority.
Relation between physical fitness and gross motor capacity in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy
Authors: VERSCHUREN OLAF , KETELAAR MARJOLIJN , GORTER JAN WILLEM , HELDERS PAUL J M , TAKKEN TIM
Published: March 2009

Aim  To examine the relation between physical fitness and gross motor capacity in children with cerebral palsy (CP) who were classified in Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I or II.

Method  In total, 68 children with CP (mean age 12y 1mo, SD 2y 8mo; 44 males, 24 females; 45 classified as having spastic unilateral CP, 23 as having spastic bilateral CP) participated in this study. All participants performed a maximal aerobic exercise test (10m Shuttle Run Test), a short‐term muscle power test (Muscle Power Sprint Test), an agility test (10×5m sprint test), and a functional muscle strength test (30s repetition maximum) within 2 weeks. Gross motor capacity was concurrently assessed using dimensions D (standing) and E (walking, running, and jumping) of the 88‐item version of the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM).

Results  No relation between aerobic capacity, body mass index, and dimensions D and E of the GMFM was found. The correlations between short‐term muscle power, agility, functional muscle strength, and dimensions D and E of the GMFM were moderate to high (r∼0.6–0.7).

Interpretation  The relations found between short‐term muscle power, agility, functional muscle strength, and gross motor capacity indicate the importance of these components of physical fitness, and may direct specific interventions to maximize gross motor capacity in children and adolescents with CP.
Trends in prevalence and characteristics of cerebral palsy among Icelandic children born 1990 to 2003
Authors: SIGURDARDÓTTIR SOLVEIG , THÓRKELSSON THÓRDUR , HALLDÓRSDÓTTIR MARGRÉT , THORARENSEN ÓLAFUR , VIK TORSTEIN
Published: March 2009

Aim  To describe trends in cerebral palsy (CP) prevalence, severity, and associated impairments among 139 Icelandic children (65 males, 74 females) born from 1990 to 1996 (period one) and 1997 to 2003 (period two).

Method  A population‐based study using systematically collected data on motor functioning and associated impairments of children with CP. Mean age at assessment was 5 years 5 months (SD 7.68 mo) in period one and 5 years 5 months (SD 10.44mo) in period two. Infants with postneonatal CP were excluded.

Results  Prevalence of CP per 1000 live births was 2.2 in period one and 2.3 in period two (p=0.862); it decreased from 1.5 to 0.9 for children born at term, was stable for preterm births, but increased from 33.7 to 114.6 for very preterm births (p=0.002). Concurrently, neonatal and infant mortality rates decreased in Iceland. The proportion of children born preterm increased over time (p=0.002), whereas improvements in gross motor function assessed with the Gross Motor Function Classification System were confined to term births (p=0.009). The proportion of children with diplegia increased, accompanied by a decrease in the proportion with quadriplegia (p=0.047). Furthermore, among term births there was a significant reduction over time in the proportion of children with epilepsy (p=0.030) and in the proportion with two or more associated impairments (p=0.030).

Interpretation  Although CP prevalence remained stable over 14 years, we observed a decrease in prevalence and severity of the disability among term births.
Reproductive success of Tree PipitsAnthus trivialisin relation to habitat selection in conifer plantations
Authors: BURTON NIALL H. K.
Published: March 2009

Aspects of the reproductive success of Tree PipitsAnthus trivialiswere examined in relation to broad‐scale habitat and nest‐site selection in Thetford Forest, a coniferous plantation forest in eastern England. Three habitat classes were defined corresponding to previously reported densities of Tree Pipits: clearfell and recently planted stands (habitat class A: low density), stands 2–5 years old (B: high density) and stands 6 years or older (C: low density). The preference for 2–5‐year‐old stands indicated by higher densities was supported by the timing of territory settlement. Tree Pipits also showed distinct preferences for nest‐site characteristics that were relatively consistent across habitat classes and throughout the breeding season. At the ‘habitat scale’, results were consistent with the predictions of the ideal despotic distribution model. First clutches were laid significantly earlier in the preferred habitat class B. Overall nesting success (i.e. the proportion of nests producing fledglings), but not clutch size, also varied between habitats, being greater in habitat classes B and C than in habitat class A. The variation in overall nesting success between habitats was primarily driven by low nest survival rates during the laying/incubation period in clearfell and recently planted stands. Nest survival rates during the nestling period were lower in the preferred 2–5‐year‐old (and older) stands and declined over the course of the study. Preferences for nest‐site characteristics (at least for those that were measured) provided no apparent benefit to nest survival rates. Overall nesting success thus appeared to be determined at the habitat scale, perhaps because the broad differences in cover between habitats affected the likelihood of nest predation (the main cause of nest failure). It is suggested that the very low nesting success experienced by Tree Pipits in clearfell and new stands may be one factor in the species’ relative avoidance of this habitat and preference for 2–5‐year‐old stands.
Interspecific brood parasitism in galliform birds
Authors: KRAKAUER ALAN H. , KIMBALL REBECCA T.
Published: March 2009

Mode of development in birds helps determine the form of brood parasitism a species exhibits. Most knowledge of precocial brood parasites comes from a single avian family, the waterfowl (Anatidae: Anseriformes). Here we review cases of interspecific brood parasitism (IBP) in a second group of precocial birds, the order Galliformes. IBP is uncommon but taxonomically widespread, occurring in at least 11 species and in four of five galliform families. By far the most common brood parasite is the Ring‐necked PheasantPhasianus colchicus. Hosts were generally other ground‐nesting precocial species. It is unclear whether the absence of IBP in the Cracidae (Guans, Curassows, and Chachalacas) is due to the paucity of research on tropical gamebirds or because tropical birds such as the Cracidae may be less likely to practise IBP. Galliform birds mirror the trend found in ducks in which virtually all species that parasitize heterospecifics are also conspecific brood parasites (CBP). This association supports the hypothesis that IBP as an adaptive tactic or strategy may evolve from CBP. Alternatively, or additionally, egg‐dumping may represent reproductive error on the part of females, such that concordance between CBP and IBP could be a byproduct of having sufficient knowledge of breeding biology only for a subset of galliform species.
Narrow sea crossings present major obstacles to migrating Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus
Authors: BILDSTEIN KEITH L. , BECHARD MARC J. , FARMER CHRISTOPHER , NEWCOMB LAURA
Published: March 2009

The flight behaviour of Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus was studied at a major migration bottleneck, the Strait of Gibraltar in southernmost Spain, during the autumns of 2004 to 2007. The 14‐km‐wide sea channel significantly impeded the southern migration of the species into Africa, with many birds attempting repeated passage for weeks before crossing, and others not crossing at all and overwintering in Southern Spain. Water‐crossing attempts were restricted to times between 11:00 and 14:00 h on days with light or variable winds, or on days with strong winds from the north or west. No crossing attempts were made on days with strong winds from the south or east. Vultures attempted to cross the Strait in large flocks and never attempted to do so alone. Although 29% of the birds soared during crossing attempts, at least until they flew beyond visible range of approximately 4 km, most engaged in considerable flapping flight when attempting to cross. Overall, birds flying over water flapped more than 10 times as frequently as those flying over land prior to crossing attempts. Vultures did not flap continuously, but intermittently in brief bouts of flapping interspersed with periods of gliding or soaring flight. The number of flaps per bout over water was significantly greater than the number of flaps per bout over land. Vultures flying over water that flapped at rates of 20 flaps or more per minute typically aborted attempted crossings and returned to Spain in intermittent flapping and gliding flight. There are numerous reports of Vultures falling into the Strait and drowning while attempting to cross, as well as reports of returning Vultures collapsing on the beach having reached Spain in spring (Barrios Partida 2006). Our observations indicate that passage of Griffon Vultures at the Strait of Gibraltar is limited by the species’ over‐water flapping‐flight abilities, including its inability to flap continuously for even short periods of time. We suggest that even relatively short sea crossings represent significant obstacles to migrating Vultures and discuss the implications of this limitation on the distribution and abundance of the species.
A dwarf species of the Phalacrocoracoidea (cormorants and anhingas) from the early Miocene of Germany
Authors: MAYR GERALD
Published: March 2009

A tarsometatarsus of a diminutive representative of the Phalacrocoracoidea, the clade including the Phalacrocoracidae (cormorants) and Anhingidae (anhingas), is described from the early Miocene of Germany. The fossil is assigned to a new species Limicorallus (?) carbunculus, and closely resembles the tarsometatarsus of extant Phalacrocoracidae in overall morphology. Limicorallus (?) carbunculus is the smallest representative of the Phalacrocoracoidea, reaching only two‐thirds the size of the extant Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus. By significantly lowering the minimum size of the Phalacrocoracoidea, this new species adds to our knowledge of the early diversity of this clade.
Diet specificity is not associated with increased reproductive performance of Golden EaglesAquila chrysaetosin Western Scotland
Authors: WHITFIELD D. P. , REID ROBIN , HAWORTH PAUL F. , MADDERS MIKE , MARQUISS MICK , TINGAY RUTH , FIELDING ALAN H.
Published: March 2009

Amongst raptor species, individuals with specialized diets are commonly observed to have higher reproductive output than those with general diets. A suggested cause is that foraging efficiency benefits accrue to diet specialists. This diet specificity hypothesis thus predicts that diet breadth and reproductive success should be inversely related within species. We highlight, however, that a prey availability hypothesis also makes the same prediction in some circumstances. Hence, when high diet specificity results from high encounter rates with an abundant, preferred prey, then prey availability may affect reproductive success, with diet specialization as an incidental correlate. Using three insular study areas in western Scotland, we examine diet specificity and reproductive success in Golden EaglesAquila chrysaetos. Diet breadth and breeding productivity were not negatively related in any of our study areas, even though birds with specific diets did tend to have a higher incidence of preferred prey (grouse and lagomorphs) in the diet. Indeed, in two study areas there was evidence that diet generalists had higher breeding productivity. Our results therefore failed to support the diet specificity hypothesis but were consistent with the prey availability hypothesis. We highlight that although many other studies are superficially consistent with the diet specificity hypothesis, our study is not alone in failing to provide support and that the hypothesis does not provide a generic explanation for all relevant results. Diet specificity in predators can be at least partially a response to prey diversity, availability and distribution, and benefits associated with different prey types, so that being a generalist is not necessarily intrinsically disadvantageous. We suggest that the available evidence is more consistent with variation in prey abundance and availability as a more influential factor explaining spatial and temporal variation in breeding productivity of ‘generalist’ species such as the Golden Eagle. Under this argument, prey abundance and availability are the main drivers of variation in reproductive output. Diet specificity is a consequence of variation in prey availability, rather than a substantial cause of variation in reproductive success.
A Model for Taxonomic Work on Homoxenous Coccidia: Redescription, Host Specificity, and Molecular Phylogeny ofEimeria ranaeDobell, 1909, with a Review of Anuran‐HostEimeria(Apicomplexa: Eimeriorina)
Authors: JIRKŮ MILOSLAV , JIRKŮ MILAN , OBORNÍK MIROSLAV , LUKEŠ JULIUS , MODRÝ DAVID
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACT.We attempt to extend knowledge of anuranEimeria, and to provide a model for a complex approach to studies on coccidia. New host and geographic records of coccidia in European Anura are provided. In the second part,Eimeria ranaeDobell, 1909is redescribed from European terrestrial frogs of the genusRanabased on light microscopic and ultrastructural data on both exogenous and endogenous developmental stages, host specificity, and molecular phylogenetic data. Results of experimental transmissions show for the first time that the host specificity ofE. ranaeis restricted to the genusRanaand that isolates from tadpoles and adults are conspecific. Disappearance of infection during metamorphosis was confirmed experimentally, suggesting that infections in adults result from reinfections. Poikilotherm‐hostEimeriaspecies possessing a Stieda body (SB) are for the first time included in a molecular phylogenetic analysis.Eimeria ranaeandEimeria arnyifrom a colubrid snake form together a well‐supported clade, basal to other SB‐bearing coccidia. The other analysed reptile–host eimerians,Eimeria tropiduraandCholeoeimeriasp., which possess bivalved sporocysts and lack a SB, represent a distinct basal lineage of the eimeriid clade. The third part of the article reviews anuran‐hostEimeria. Three distinct oocyst morphotypes, apparently correlating with the character of endogenous development, are recognized and characterized among anuran eimeriids.
Axenic Culture of the Heterotrophic Dinoflagellate Pfiesteria shumwayae in a Semi‐Defined Medium
Authors: SKELTON HAYLEY M. , BURKHOLDER JOANN M. , PARROW MATTHEW W.
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACT. A semi‐defined, biphasic culture medium was developed that supported the axenic growth of three strains of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Pfiesteria shumwayae. Maximum cell yields and division rates in the semi‐defined medium ranged from 0.1 × 105 to 4.0 × 105 cells/ml and 0.5 to 1.7 divisions/day, respectively, and depended on the concentration of the major components in the medium as well as the P. shumwayae strain. The medium contained high concentrations of certain dissolved and particulate organic compounds, including amino acids and lipids. Pfiesteria shumwayae flagellated cells were attracted to insoluble lipids present in the medium and appeared to feed on the lipid particles, suggesting that phagocytosis may be required for growth in axenic culture. Development of a semi‐defined medium represents significant progress toward a completely defined axenic culture medium and subsequent determination of the biochemical requirements of P. shumwayae, needed to advance understanding of the nutritional ecology of this species. Further, this medium provides an economical, simplified method for generating high cell densities of P. shumwayae in axenic culture that will facilitate controlled investigations on the physiology and biochemistry of this heterotrophic dinoflagellate.
Chromalveolates and the Evolution of Plastids by Secondary Endosymbiosis1
Authors: KEELING PATRICK J.
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACT. The establishment of a new plastid organelle by secondary endosymbiosis represents a series of events of massive complexity, and yet we know it has taken place multiple times because both green and red algae have been taken up by other eukaryotic lineages. Exactly how many times these events have succeeded, however, has been a matter of debate that significantly impacts how we view plastid evolution, protein targeting, and eukaryotic relationships. On the green side it is now largely accepted that two independent events led to plastids of euglenids and chlorarachniophytes. How many times red algae have been taken up is less clear, because there are many more lineages with red alga‐derived plastids (cryptomonads, haptophytes, heterokonts, dinoflagellates and apicomplexa) and the relationships between these lineages are less clear. Ten years ago, Cavalier‐Smith proposed that these plastids were all derived from a single endosymbiosis, an idea that was dubbed the chromalveolate hypothesis. No one observation has yet supported the chromalveolate hypothesis as a whole, but molecular data from plastid‐encoded and plastid‐targeted proteins have provided strong support for several components of the overall hypothesis, and evidence for cryptic plastids and new photosynthetic lineages (e.g. Chromera) have transformed our view of plastid distribution within the group. Collectively, these data are most easily reconciled with a single origin of the chromalveolate plastids, although the phylogeny of chromalveolate host lineages (and potentially Rhizaria) remain to be reconciled with this plastid data.
RVU Ready? Preparing Emergency Medicine Resident Physicians in Documentation for an Incentive‐based Work Environment
Authors: Carter Kelly A. , Dawson Brian C. , Brewer Kori , Lawson Luan
Published: March 2009

Objectives:  The emergency medicine (EM) job market is increasingly focused on incentive‐based reimbursement, which is largely based on relative value units (RVUs) and is directly related to documentation of patient care. Previous studies have shown a need to improve resident education in documentation. The authors created a focused educational intervention on billing and documentation practices to meet this identified need. The hypothesis of this study was that this educational intervention would result in an increase in RVUs generated by EM resident physicians and the average amount billed per patient.

Methods:  The authors used a quasi‐experimental study design. An educational intervention included a 1‐hour lecture on documentation and billing, biweekly newsletters, and case‐specific feedback from the billing department for EM resident physicians. RVUs and charges generated per patient were recorded for all second‐ and third‐year resident physicians for a 3‐month period prior to the educational intervention and for a 3‐month period following the intervention. Pre‐ and postintervention data were compared using Student’s t‐test and repeated‐measures analysis of variance, as appropriate.

Results:  The evaluation and management (E/M) chart levels billed during each phase of the study were significantly different (p < 0.0001). The total number of RVUs generated per hour increased from 3.17 in the first phase to 3.71 in the second phase (p = 0.0001). During the initial 3‐month phase, the average amount billed per patient seen by a second‐ or third‐year resident was $282.82, which increased to $301.94 in the second phase (p = 0.0004).

Conclusions:  The educational intervention positively affected resident documentation resulting in greater RVUs/hour and greater billing performance in the study emergency department (ED).
Mean or green: which values can promote stable pro‐environmental behavior?
Authors: De Groot Judith I. M. , Steg Linda
Published: March 2009

In most cases, pro‐environmental behavior does not maximize individual interests, but mainly benefits other people or the environment. We propose that although acting on the basis of egoistic considerations may result in pro‐environmental behavior, altruistic and biospheric considerations provide the most stable basis for pro‐environmental behavior. We present two strategies to promote stable pro‐environmental behavior. The first way is increasing the saliency of altruistic and biospheric values in specific situations, thereby reducing the relative strength of egoistic values. The second way is making the often “anti‐environmental” egoistic values compatible with “pro‐environmental” altruistic and biospheric values. We explain these options and translate it to possible interventions, policy implications, and follow‐up research to promote “green” behavior.
Clinical and histological findings after intravitreal injection of bevacizumab (Avastin®) in a porcine model of choroidal neovascularization
Authors: Lassota Nathan , Prause Jan Ulrik , Scherfig Erik , Kiilgaard Jens Folke , La Cour Morten
Published: March 2009

Purpose:  To examine the effect of intravitreally injected bevacizumab (Avastin®) on the histological and angiographic morphology of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in a masked and placebo‐controlled animal study.

Methods:  Choroidal neovascularization was induced surgically in 11 porcine eyes by perforating Bruch’s membrane with a retinal perforator. After closure of the ports used for the vitrectomy, which was performed to facilitate the Bruch’s membrane rupture, 0.05 ml of either bevacizumab or Ringer‐Lactat (placebo) was injected into the vitreous cavity. Eyes were enucleated after 14 days. Fundus photographs and fluorescein angiograms (FAs) were obtained immediately prior to enucleation. Sections of formalin‐ and paraffin‐embedded eyes were examined by light microscopy and by immunohistochemical staining.

Results:  Placebo‐injected eyes exhibited the highest propensity to leak, with five of six eyes leaking on FA, whereas only one of five bevacizumab‐injected eyes exhibited leakage. On histological examination, all 11 eyes contained CNV membranes of similar size, regardless of treatment. The number of vascular endothelial cells was significantly reduced (p = 0.03) in CNV membranes from eyes that had been injected with bevacizumab when compared with CNV membranes from placebo‐injected eyes. There was a trend towards more retinal pigment epithelium cells (p = 0.16) and fewer glial fibres (p = 0.08) in membranes from bevacizumab‐treated eyes compared with placebo‐treated eyes. Bevacizumab was identified immunohistochemically in the inner limiting membrane (ILM) and to a lesser degree in the remaining retina. Strong staining was also detected in both retinal blood vessels and entire CNV membranes with no cellular predisposition. Vascular endothelial growth factor expression was found in the CNV membranes, in the ILM, in the ganglion cell layer, in Müller cells throughout the neuroretina and in retinal blood vessels.

Conclusions:  Bevacizumab significantly reduced the proliferation of vascular endothelial cells in CNV membranes and showed a strong trend towards a reduction of leakage from these membranes. After a single injection, bevacizumab did not exhibit a size reducing effect on CNV, but it was still present in the membranes 14 days after intravitreal injection.
Properties of scoring auctions
Authors: Asker John , Cantillon Estelle
Published: March 2009

This article studies scoring auctions, a procedure commonly used to buy differentiated products: suppliers submit offers on all dimensions of the good (price, level of nonmonetary attributes), and these are evaluated using a scoring rule. We provide a systematic analysis of equilibrium behavior in scoring auctions when suppliers' private information is multidimensional (characterization of equilibrium behavior and expected utility equivalence). In addition, we show that scoring auctions dominate several other commonly used procedures for buying differentiated products, including menu auctions, beauty contests, and price‐only auctions with minimum quality thresholds.
Imperfect competition and quality signalling
Authors: Daughety Andrew F. , Reinganum Jennifer F.
Published: March 2009

We examine the interplay of imperfect competition and incomplete information in the context of price competition among firms producing horizontally and vertically differentiated substitute products. Incomplete information about vertical quality (consumer satisfaction) signalled via price softens price competition. Low‐quality firms always prefer the incomplete information game to the full‐information analog. Moreover, for “high‐value” markets with a sufficiently high proportion of high‐quality firms, these firms also prefer incomplete information to full information. We find that an increase in the loss to consumers associated with the low‐quality product may perversely benefit low‐quality firms; we consider applications to tort reform and professional licensing.
Information and bargaining in the hold‐up problem
Authors: Lau Stephanie
Published: March 2009

This article incorporates an information structure with partial information into the canonical hold‐up problem. The optimal information structure balances the tradeoff between ex ante efficiency (the “information rent” effect) and ex post efficiency (the “bargaining disagreement” effect). With one‐shot bargaining, it occurs at an intermediate level of information asymmetry; when there is repeated bargaining, it is attained with perfect asymmetry. Asymmetric information, the parameter that is frequently ignored in the literature, turns out to be an important welfare instrument for the hold‐up problem. Our results therefore provide a basis for institutional design regarding the optimal control of information flow.
Status and incentives
Authors: Auriol Emmanuelle , Renault Régis
Published: March 2009

This article introduces status as reflecting an agent's claim to recognition in her work. This is a scarce resource: increasing an agent's status requires that another agent's status be decreased. Higher‐status agents are more willing to exert effort in exchange for money; better‐paid agents would exert higher effort in exchange for improved status. The results are consistent with actual management practices: (i) egalitarianism is desirable in a static context; (ii) in a long‐term work relationship, juniors' compensation is delayed; and (iii) past performance is rewarded by pay increases along with improved status within the organization's hierarchy.
A Product Dissection-Based Methodology to Benchmark Product Family Design Alternatives
Authors: Thevenot Henri J. , Simpson Timothy W.
Published: March 2009

Today’s companies are pressured to develop platform-based product families to increase variety, while keeping production costs low. Determining why a platform works, and alternatively why it does not, is an important step in the successful implementation of product families and product platforms in any industry. Internal and competitive benchmarking is essential to obtain knowledge of how successful product families are implemented, thus avoiding potential pitfalls of a poor product platform design strategy. While the two fields of product family design and benchmarking have been growing rapidly lately, we have found few tools that combine the two for product family benchmarking. To address this emerging need, we introduce the product family benchmarking method (PFbenchmark) to assess product family design alternatives (PFDAs) based on commonality/variety tradeoff and cost analysis. The proposed method is based on product family dissection, and utilizes the Comprehensive Metric for Commonality developed in previous work to assess the level of commonality and variety in each PFDA, as well as the corresponding manufacturing cost. The method compares not only (1) existing PFDAs but also (2) the potential cost savings and commonality/variety improvement after redesign using two plots—the commonality/variety plot and the cost plot—enabling more effective comparisons across PFDAs. An example of benchmarking of two families of valves is presented to demonstrate the proposed method.
Design and Error Analysis of Multiball Artifact Composed of Simple Features to Evaluate Pitch Measurement Accuracy
Authors: Komori Masaharu , Li Haixiang , Takeoka Fumi , Osawa Sonko , Sato Osamu , Kiten Takashi , Shirasaki Daisuke , Kondo Yohan
Published: March 2009

The strength and vibration/noise of gears are influenced by the pitch deviation of micrometer order and therefore, advanced quality control is needed in gear manufacturing processes using measuring instruments. The accuracy of the pitch measuring instrument is verified using a master gear or artifact, but their accuracy is not sufficiently high. An artifact with higher accuracy for the evaluation and calibration of the pitch measurement is necessary in order to respond to the requirement of gear accuracy. In this research, the multiball artifact, a novel high-precision pitch artifact, is proposed for use in the evaluation of pitch measuring instruments. The multiball artifact is composed of balls, a cylinder, and a plane, where the center cylinder or center ball is surrounded by the balls on the plane. The positions of those elements are decided automatically by the contact among those elements. Balls, cylinders, and planes can be manufactured with accuracy on the order of several tens of nanometers. Therefore, this artifact can realize high accuracy. In addition, this artifact does not need advanced techniques in manufacturing and assembly. This leads to the reduction in manufacturing cost. In this report, the concept and structure of the multiball artifact are proposed, and theoretical analysis on the measurement of the artifact is carried out. Feasible angular pitch is analyzed theoretically. For a cylinder-centered artifact, it is easy to realize the target angular pitch by adjusting the cylinder diameter. Ball-centered types suffer from the limitation of the variation in ball diameter if standard balls are used, but an angular pitch close to the target pitch is possible through the selection of an appropriate combination of balls. The effects of the dimensional deviation of the diameter of the center cylinder, the inclination of the center cylinder, the dimensional deviation of the surrounding ball diameters, the sphericity of balls, and the flatness of the base plane are analyzed. Deviations in the cylinder have a comparatively large effect on angular pitch. On the other hand, the effect of the deviation of the ball or base plane is smaller. The feasible angular pitch is clarified, and it is verified that the concept and structure of the multiball artifact are effective. The effects of deviations in the form and dimension of the composing elements are analyzed, and it is clarified that the accuracy of the cylinder is important.
A Metamodeling Approach for Uncertainty Analysis of Nondeterministic Systems
Authors: Choi Hae-Jin , Allen Janet K.
Published: March 2009

Modern complex engineering applications are often nondeterministic systems that include sources of uncertainty that cannot be parametrized numerically; this is unparametrizable uncertainty. One example is the uncertainty in the behavior of a mechanical system due to heterogeneous material properties on the microscale (e.g., grain boundary effects on microstructure). Another example is the uncertainty in the performance of a complex topology structure due to random topology imperfections. In this paper, we propose a method for metamodeling these nondeterministic systems for efficient uncertainty analysis in robust design. Generalized linear models for mean responses and heteroscadastic response variances are estimated iteratively in an integrated manner. Estimators that may be used for predicting mean and variance models are introduced. The usefulness of this metamodeling approach is demonstrated with the example of a linear cellular alloy heat exchanger. Applications for these heat exchangers include actively cooled supersonic aircraft skins and engine combustor liners. Linear cellular alloy heat exchangers have unparametrizable uncertainty due to randomly distributed cracks in cell walls, as well as parametrizable uncertainty due to variability in wall thickness and inlet air velocity. Nondeterministic metamodels for estimating total steady state heat transfer rates in linear cellular alloy heat exchangers are developed and the results of using these metamodels are compared with those obtained by the finite element analysis (FEA) models of the linear cellular alloys.
Computational Implications of Cooperative Plasticity Induction at Nearby Dendritic Sites
Authors: Morita Kenji
Published: March 2009

Cooperative interactions at nearby synapses may endow individual neurons with computational functions.
EGFR Signals to mTOR Through PKC and Independently of Akt in Glioma
Authors: Fan Qi-Wen , Cheng Christine , Knight Zachary A. , Haas-Kogan Daphne , Stokoe David , James C. David , McCormick Frank , Shokat Kevan M. , Weiss William A.
Published: March 2009

Akt is dispensable for signaling between EGFR and mTOR in glioma cells, whereas PKC is critical.
Characterization of the Intrinsic and TSC2-GAP–Regulated GTPase Activity of Rheb by Real-Time NMR
Authors: Marshall Christopher B. , Ho Jason , Buerger Claudia , Plevin Michael J. , Li Guang-Yao , Li Zhihong , Ikura Mitsuhiko , Stambolic Vuk
Published: March 2009

An NMR-based assay enables real-time analysis of the GTPase activity of Rheb and of the effect of its GTPase-activating protein TSC2.
Differential Requirement of mTOR in Postmitotic Tissues and Tumorigenesis
Authors: Nardella Caterina , Carracedo Arkaitz , Alimonti Andrea , Hobbs Robin M. , Clohessy John G. , Chen Zhenbang , Egia Ainara , Fornari Alessandro , Fiorentino Michelangelo , Loda Massimo , Kozma Sara C. , Thomas George , Cordon-Cardo Carlos , Pandolfi Pier Paolo
Published: March 2009

Conditional inactivation of
mTor
has little effect in adult mouse prostate, but suppresses tumor initiation and progression.
The Long Way Around
Authors: Foley John F.
Published: March 2009

Leptin decreases insulin production in part by inhibiting the activity of the insulin secretagogue osteocalcin in an epinephrine-dependent manner.
Roads to Death City
Authors: Gough Nancy R.
Published: March 2009

Genome-wide RNAi screen reveals genes involved in necroptosis, a form of necrotic cell death.
Scaffolding Through Phosphatidic Acid–Enriched Domains
Authors: Gough Nancy R.
Published: March 2009

The interaction of multiple components of the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade with phosphatidic acid contributes to activation at the membrane.
How Macrophages Make Metastases
Authors: Ray L. Bryan
Published: March 2009

Tumor cells make a proteoglycan that stimulates macrophages to help promote metastasis.
Drosophila
Toll Pathway: The New Model
Authors: Ashok Yashwanth
Published: March 2009

New data has led to reevaluation of the proteolytic cascades that activate Toll in flies.
Ionic Signals to Community Formation
Authors: Gough Nancy R.
Published: March 2009

Small molecules that trigger potassium leakage from bacteria lead to biofilm formation.