bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ecological attributes and trade of white-lipped pythons (Genus Leiopython) in Indonesian New Guinea
Authors: Natusch Daniel J. D. , Lyons Jessica A.
Published: May 2012

White-lipped pythons (WLP) (Genus Leiopython) have been collected from the wild in Indonesian New Guinea and exported for the pet trade since at least 1977. Despite the long duration of trade and recent taxonomic work recognising six different species, virtually nothing is known of the trade dynamics or ecology of these species. Surveys of wildlife traders in Indonesian New Guinea and measurement of 122 WLP provides the first information on trade and ecological attributes of the two most commonly traded species, L. albertisii and L. hoserae. Both species exhibit broadly similar ecological attributes; however, L. hoserae has a longer and wider head than L. albertisii. WLP prey mainly on mammals, although smaller snakes were found to feed on lizards. Reproduction appears to be seasonal with oviposition and hatching occurring in the summer months between December and March. Most trade was in L. albertisii and although traders differentiated between the two species on the basis of colour, both were traded under the name L. albertisii. Examination of CITES export data revealed that in 2004 Indonesia exceeded the government-allocated harvest quota of wild individuals. Although this quota was apparently not exceeded in other years, the results of this study suggest that the unmonitored domestic pet trade and the potential for misdeclaration of wild-caught individuals for export may account for many more snakes than are recorded.
Workplace spirituality, meditation, and work performance
Authors: Petchsawang Pawinee , Duchon Dennis
Published: May 2012

This paper reports two studies that examine how an organization might enable more productive work practices by encouraging the expression of its employees’ spiritual selves in an eastern context. Study 1 shows that people who regularly practice meditation have higher workplace
spirituality scores than people who do not regularly practice meditation. Study 2 reports a quasi-experimental study in which people practiced insight meditation. The data did not reveal a direct effect for the meditation, however spirituality does relate to work performance. Moreover, the
practice of meditation is also found to partially mediate the relationship between workplace spirituality and work performance.
Seed island formation by forced magnetic reconnection
Authors: Yu Q. , Günter S. , Lackner K. , Maraschek M.
Published: May 2012

Neoclassical tearing modes observed in experiments often grow from seed magnetic islands induced by triggers like sawteeth. The formation of seed islands is studied in this paper using both the reduced MHD and two-fluid equations, with the trigger being modelled by externally applied resonant magnetic perturbations. In the linear phase the growth rate of the driven mode is found to be the same as that of the trigger. A slowly growing trigger drives a tearing mode, while a fast one drives a kink-like mode, which becomes a tearing mode later when the trigger's growth slows down. A finite ion sound Larmor radius (ion Larmor radius by using electron temperature) and electron inertia are found to lead to a larger seed island for a given external perturbation. The electron diamagnetic drift and plasma rotation, if increasing the relative rotation between the trigger and the driven mode, decrease the seed island width.
Social isolation, vital exhaustion, and incident heart failure: findings from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study
Authors: Cené Crystal W. , Loehr Laura , Lin Feng‐Chang , Hammond Wizdom Powell , Foraker Randi E. , Rose Kathryn , Mosley Thomas , Corbie‐Smith Giselle
Published: May 2012

Aims

Prospective studies have shown that social isolation (i.e. lack of social contacts) predicts incident coronary heart disease (CHD), but it is unclear whether it predicts incident heart failure (HF) and what factors might mediate this association. HF patients may be more susceptible to social isolation as they tend to be older and may have disrupted social relationships due to life course factors (e.g. retirement or bereavement). We prospectively examined whether individuals with higher vs. low social isolation have a higher incidence of HF and determined whether this association is mediated by vital exhaustion.

Methods and results

We estimated incident HF hospitalization or death among 14 348 participants from Visit 2 (1990–1992) in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study using Cox proportional hazard models which were sequentially adjusted for age, race/study community, gender, current smoking, alcohol use, and co‐morbidities. We conducted mediation analyses according to the Baron and Kenny method. After a median follow‐up of 16.9 person‐years, 1727 (13.0%) incident HF events occurred. The adjusted hazard of incident HF was greater for those in the higher vs. low social isolation risk group (hazard ratio 1.21, 95% confidence interval 1.08–1.35). Our data suggest that vital exhaustion strongly mediates the association between higher social isolation and incident HF (the percentage change in beta coefficient for higher vs. low social isolation groups after adjusting for vital exhaustion was 36%).

Conclusion

These data suggest that greater social isolation is an independent risk factor for incident HF, and this association appears to be strongly mediated by vital exhaustion.
Delayed recovery in peripartum cardiomyopathy: an indication for long‐term follow‐up and sustained therapy
Authors: Biteker Murat , İlhan Erkan , Biteker Gul , Duman Dursun , Bozkurt Biykem
Published: May 2012

Aims

Persistence of left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction after 6 months of diagnosis is believed to be a marker of an irreversible cardiomyopathy in peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM). We sought to determine the length of time required for recovery of LV systolic function (LVSF) in patients with PPCM.

Methods and results

Forty‐two consecutive women with PPCM were enrolled in this prospective study. The minimum required time of follow‐up for inclusion was 30 months. Each patient underwent transthoracic echocardiography, and plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and C‐reactive protein measurement at admission, and every 3 months. Early recovery was defined as normalization of LVSF at 6 months post‐diagnosis. Delayed recovery was defined if the length of time required for recovery of LVSF was longer than 6 months. Persistent left ventricular dysfunction (PLVD) was defined as an ejection fraction of <50% at the end of follow‐up. Twenty patients (47.6%) recovered completely, 10 died (23.8%), and 12 (28.6%) had PLVD. Average time to complete recovery was 19.3 months after initial diagnosis (3–42 months). Early recovery was observed only in six patients (30%), whereas delayed recovery was observed in 14 out of 20 patients (70%). Patients with complete recovery were more likely to have a higher LV ejection fraction and smaller LV end‐systolic dimensions at baseline.

Conclusion

Full recovery of LVSF in PPCM patients often requires longer than 6 months.
Pathogenicity Spectra and Screening for Resistance in Barley Against Tunisian Pyrenophora teres f. teres
Authors: Bouajila Aida , Zoghlami Néjia , Ahmed Maha Al , Baum Michael , Nazari Kumarse
Published: May 2012

This work aimed to determine patterns of pathogenicity in Pyrenophora teres f. teres and to identify potentially effective resistance sources that could be used as breeding material to control net blotch in Tunisia. Extensive pathogenic variability was detected in 85 isolates of P. teres causing net blotch of barley in Tunisia. Based on unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averaging clustering and mean disease rating scores, three distinct virulence groups were identified. The isolates were classified into 23 pathotypes. Pathogenic variability within the groups was higher than that between the groups, a finding that can guide a rational choice of isolates for screening lines as part of a breeding program. Conversely, studying the relationship between geographic and pathotypic structure allowed us to detect a significant isolation by distance pattern, suggesting a regular and gradual dispersal of the pathogen over this spatial scale. Using specific resistance properties of individual barley genotypes as virulence markers, all the differential barley genotypes were shown to be distinct, and no single source of resistance was totally effective against all isolates.
Identification and Characterization of Pale Potato Cyst Nematode (Globodera pallida) in Teplá, the Czech Republic
Authors: Douda O. , Zouhar M. , Urban J. , Čermák V. , Gaar V.
Published: May 2012

Potato cyst nematode poses a significant threat to potato producers in the Czech Republic. Both species of potato cyst nematodes (Globodera rostochiensis and G. pallida) are listed as quarantine pests in the Czech Republic and also by the European Union, European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization, and North American Plant Protection Organization. To date, G. rostochiensis was responsible for all damage to potatoes caused by cyst nematodes in the Czech Republic, while G. pallida was recorded only once in the Czech Republic (2) 8 years ago. It is important to note that this occurrence of G. pallida was not located in the free-cultivation area. In July 2011, soil samples from a potato field located in the area of Teplá (Karlovy Vary Region) were collected, and the cysts extracted were identified as G. pallida according to microscopic observation of cyst fenestra and morphology of juveniles (1). Cyst morphometrics (means from 10 cysts) included: fenestra diameter 21.2 μm, distance fenestra to anus 56.8 μm, Granek's ratio 2.7, number of cuticular ridges between fenestra and anus 14; while second stage juvenile morphometrics (means of 13 specimens) were: L 466.7 μm, stylet 24.2 μm, tail 53.2 μm, body width at anus 13.2, h 28.6, c 8.8, c′ 4.0. Terminus of juvenile tails was rounded, and stylet knobs possessed distinct forward projections. Total DNA was extracted from single cysts using the TriPure reagent (Roche), and the DNA samples were used to amplify cistron rDNA with the following primers: 18S, 5′-TTGATTAGGTCCCTGCCCTTT-3′, and 21S, 5′-TTTCACTCGCCGTTACTAAGG-3′. The amplified region contains the 3′ end of the 18S gene, ITS1, 5.8S, ITS2, and the 5′ end of the 28S gene. Pfu DNA polymerase (Fermentas) was used for accurate amplification. A PCR product of approximately 1.0 kb was amplified from three individual cysts. The PCR amplicons were cloned into pJET1.2 using the CloneJET PCR Cloning Kit (Fermentas) and sequenced in both directions. The sequences of representative isolates were deposited in GenBank (Accession Nos. JQ692592, JQ692593, and JQ692594). The resultant 1.0 kb sequences showed 99% nucleotide identity to sequences of G. pallida from Canada (GenBank Accession Nos. GQ294522.1, GQ355975.1, and GQ294523.1), thus confirming the results of the morphological analyses. To our knowledge, this is the first detection of G. pallida in the free-cultivation area of Karlovy Vary Region, and only the second in the Czech Republic since the first report in 2003 (2).

References: (1) M. W. Brzeski. Page 237 in: Nematodes of Tylenchina in Poland and Temperate Europe. Muzeum I Instytut Zoologii Polska Akademia Nauk, Warszawa 1998. (2) M. Zouhar et al. Plant Disease, 87:98, 2003.
Points of general relativistic shock wave interaction are ‘regularity singularities’ where space–time is not locally flat
Authors: Reintjes Moritz , Temple Blake
Published: May 2012

We show that the regularity of the gravitational metric tensor in spherically symmetric space–times cannot be lifted from
C
0,1
to
C
1,1
within the class of
C
1,1
coordinate transformations in a neighbourhood of a point of shock wave interaction in General Relativity, without forcing the determinant of the metric tensor to vanish at the point of interaction. This is in contrast to Israel's theorem, which states that such coordinate transformations always exist in a neighbourhood of a point on a smooth
single
shock surface. The results thus imply that points of shock wave interaction represent a new kind of
regularity singularity
for perfect fluids evolving in space–time, singularities that make perfectly good sense physically, that can form from the evolution of smooth initial data, but at which the space–time is not locally Minkowskian under any coordinate transformation. In particular, at regularity singularities, delta function sources in the second derivatives of the metric exist in all coordinate systems of the
C
1,1
-atlas, but due to cancellation, the full Riemann curvature tensor remains
supnorm bounded
.
Sons learn songs from their social fathers in a cooperatively breeding bird
Authors: Greig Emma I. , Taft Benjamin N. , Pruett-Jones Stephen
Published: May 2012

Song learning is hypothesized to allow social adaptation to a local song neighbourhood. Maintaining social associations is particularly important in cooperative breeders, yet vocal learning in such species has only been assessed in systems where social association was correlated with relatedness. Thus, benefits of vocal learning as a means of maintaining social associations could not be disentangled from benefits of kin recognition. We assessed genetic and cultural contributions to song in a species where social association was not strongly correlated with kinship: the cooperatively breeding, reproductively promiscuous splendid fairy-wren (
Malurus splendens
). We found that song characters of socially associated father–son pairs were more strongly correlated (and thus songs were more similar) than songs of father–son pairs with a genetic, but no social, association (i.e. cuckolding fathers). Song transmission was, therefore, vertical and cultural, with minimal signatures of kinship. Additionally, song characters were not correlated with several phenotypic indicators of male quality, supporting the idea that there may be a tradeoff between accurate copying of tutors and quality signalling via maximizing song performance, particularly when social and genetic relationships are decoupled. Our results lend support to the hypothesis that song learning facilitates the maintenance of social associations by permitting unrelated individuals to acquire similar signal phenotypes.
Testing the independent species’ arrangement assertion made by theories of stochastic geometry of biodiversity
Authors: Wiegand Thorsten , Huth Andreas , Getzin Stephan , Wang Xugao , Hao Zhanqing , Gunatilleke C. V. Savitri , Gunatilleke I. A. U. Nimal
Published: May 2012

The assertion that the spatial location of different species is independent of each other is fundamental in major ecological theories such as neutral theory that describes a stochastic geometry of biodiversity. However, this assertion has rarely been tested. Here we use techniques of spatial point pattern analysis to conduct a comprehensive test of the independence assertion by analysing data from three large forest plots with different species richness: a species-rich tropical forest at Barro Colorado Island (Panama), a tropical forest in Sinharaja (Sri Lanka), and a temperate forest in Changbaishan (China). We hypothesize that stochastic dilution effects owing to increasing species richness overpower signals of species associations, thereby yielding approximate species independence. Indeed, the proportion of species pairs showing: (i) no significant interspecific association increased with species richness, (ii) segregation decreased with species richness, and (iii) small-scale interspecific interaction decreased with species richness. This suggests that independence may indeed be a good approximation in the limit of very species-rich communities. Our findings are a step towards a better understanding of factors governing species-rich communities and we propose a hypothesis to explain why species placement in species-rich communities approximates independence.
Cross-modal individual recognition in domestic horses (
Equus caballus
) extends to familiar humans
Authors: Proops Leanne , McComb Karen
Published: May 2012

It has recently been shown that some non-human animals can cross-modally recognize members of their own taxon. What is unclear is just how plastic this recognition system can be. In this study, we investigate whether an animal, the domestic horse, is capable of spontaneous cross-modal recognition of individuals from a morphologically very different species. We also provide the first insights into how cross-modal identity information is processed by examining whether there are hemispheric biases in this important social skill. In our preferential looking paradigm, subjects were presented with two people and playbacks of their voices to determine whether they were able to match the voice with the person. When presented with familiar handlers subjects could match the specific familiar person with the correct familiar voice. Horses were significantly better at performing the matching task when the congruent person was standing on their right, indicating marked hemispheric specialization (left hemisphere bias) in this ability. These results are the first to demonstrate that cross-modal recognition in animals can extend to individuals from phylogenetically very distant species. They also indicate that processes governed by the left hemisphere are central to the cross-modal matching of visual and auditory information from familiar individuals in a naturalistic setting.
Seeing orange: prawns tap into a pre-existing sensory bias of the Trinidadian guppy
Authors: De Serrano Alexandra R. , Weadick Cameron J. , Price Anna C. , Rodd F. Helen
Published: May 2012

Sensory bias, a predisposition towards certain signals, has been implicated in the origin of mate preferences in some species. A risk associated with these biases is that they can be co-opted by predators as sensory lures. Here we propose that the orange spots on the brown pincers of a diurnal, predatory species of prawn function as lures for Trinidadian guppies, which have a sensory bias for orange. We exposed female guppies to (i) a life-like model of this Trinidadian prawn with orange, green or no spots on the pincers or (ii) a live, novel (non-Trinidadian) crustacean (crayfish), also with spotted pincers. First, we provide evidence that guppies sympatric with the prawn recognized our model as a potential predator. Next, we found that guppies spent more time in the dangerous head region of the model prawn with orange-spotted pincers compared with unspotted pincers. Finally, we show that allopatric, but not sympatric, guppies spent more time in the vicinity of the head of a live crayfish when orange spots were added to its pincers than when brown spots were added. Our results suggest that the orange spots on prawn pincers can act as a sensory lure.
Personalized medicine: is it a pharmacogenetic mirage?
Authors: Shah Rashmi R. , Shah Devron R.
Published: May 2012

The notion of personalized medicine has developed from the application of the discipline of pharmacogenetics to clinical medicine. Although the clinical relevance of genetically‐determined inter‐individual differences in pharmacokinetics is poorly understood, and the genotype‐phenotype association data on clinical outcomes often inconsistent, officially approved drug labels frequently include pharmacogenetic information concerning the safety and/or efficacy of a number of drugs and refer to the availability of the pharmacogenetic test concerned. Regulatory authorities differ in their approach to these issues. Evidence emerging subsequently has generally revealed the pharmacogenetic information included in the label to be premature. Revised drugs labels, together with a flurry of other collateral activities, have raised public expectations of personalized medicine, promoted as ‘the right drug at the right dose the first time.’ These expectations place the prescribing physician in a dilemma and at risk of litigation, especially when evidence‐based information on genotype‐related dosing schedules is to all intent and purposes non‐existent and guidelines, intended to improve the clinical utility of available pharmacogenetic information or tests, distance themselves from any responsibility. Lack of efficacy or an adverse drug reaction is frequently related to non‐genetic factors. Phenoconversion, arising from drug interactions, poses another often neglected challenge to any potential success of personalized medicine by mimicking genetically‐determined enzyme deficiency. A more realistic promotion of personalized medicine should acknowledge current limitations and emphasize that pharmacogenetic testing can only improve the likelihood of diminishing a specific toxic effect or increasing the likelihood of a beneficial effect and that application of pharmacogenetics to clinical medicine cannot adequately predict drug response in individual patients.
The pathology clinic – pathologists should see patients
Authors: Manek S.
Published: May 2012

S. Manek

The pathology clinic – pathologists should see patients

This invited review describes why and how a pathologist should talk to patients in order to enhance the patient care pathway. The pathologist–patient interaction should become a natural extension to multidisciplinary team decision making, and also become the forum in which patients are helped to understand important aspects of their conditions and the pathological basis for their treatment plans. There is a vast amount of information available through the internet and to digest this can be a difficult process for a patient who is already having to cope with a medical condition. The pathologist is often best placed to sieve through this information and offer the patient the relevant detail necessary to understand the condition and the management pathway. Pathologists can provide up‐to‐date, simple information about malignant and even certain significant benign conditions, and they can do this with the help of several pictorial tools. In this way, the pathologist becomes an even more active member of a clinical team and helps both clinicians and patients to deal with illnesses in a novel way hitherto not considered.
Potential trophodynamic and environmental drivers of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) productivity in the North Pacific Ocean
Authors: ATCHESON MARGARET E. , MYERS KATHERINE W. , DAVIS NANCY D. , MANTUA NATHAN J.
Published: May 2012

Information on prey availability, diets, and trophic levels of fish predators and their prey provides a link between physical and biological changes in the ecosystem and subsequent productivity (growth and survival) of fish populations. In this study two long‐term data sets on summer diets of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in international waters of the central North Pacific Ocean (CNP; 1991–2009) and Gulf of Alaska (GOA; 1993–2002) were evaluated to identify potential drivers of steelhead productivity in the North Pacific. Stable isotopes of steelhead muscle tissue were assessed to corroborate the results of stomach content analysis. We found the composition of steelhead diets varied by ocean age group, region, and year. In both the GOA and CNP, gonatid squid (Berryteuthis anonychus) were the most influential component of steelhead diets, leading to higher prey energy densities and stomach fullness. Stomach contents during an exceptionally warm year in the GOA and CNP (1997) were characterized by high diversity of prey with low energy density, few squid, and a large amount of potentially toxic debris (e.g., plastic). Indicators of good diets (high proportions of squid and high prey energy density) were negatively correlated with abundance of wild populations of eastern Kamchatka pink salmon (O. gorbuscha) in the CNP. In conclusion, interannual variations in climate, abundance of squid, and density‐dependent interactions with highly‐abundant stocks of pink salmon were identified as potential key drivers of steelhead productivity in these ecosystems. Additional research in genetic stock identification is needed to link these potential drivers of productivity to individual populations.
Estimating the stocking potential of fish in impoundments by modelling supply and steady‐state demand
Authors: SMITH JAMES A. , BAUMGARTNER LEE J. , SUTHERS IAIN M. , IVES MATTHEW C. , TAYLOR MATTHEW D.
Published: May 2012

1. Fish stocking is an increasingly common management tool for freshwater and marine environments and is often used to create and maintain fisheries in closed waters. The densities at which fish are stocked can have a large impact on a stocking programme’s success and sustainability. Stocking densities in impoundment sport‐fisheries, for example, are often based on social or practical factors, and ecologically based stocking models are needed to assist the selection of stocking densities that are appropriate for the environment.

2. In this study, stocking density is calculated with a numerical model that balances the supply of prey production with the energetic demand of stocked fish. The model aims to deliver outcomes over a range of potential management objectives, by providing specific consumption scenarios that represent the trade‐off between population abundance and individual body size in stocked fisheries.

3. The model uses a steady‐state population approach to calculate stocking density, which optimises population consumption by maintaining a consistent biomass distribution and encourages sustainable stocking by considering the energetic needs of all cohorts. Carrying capacity is represented by the steady‐state stocking density under a minimum consumption scenario (when fish meet only their minimum energetic needs). The comparison between a desired consumption rate and the existing level of production is used to assess the status or ‘health’ of the existing population and is used to determine whether stocking can occur and whether stocking densities can be sustainably increased. The probability of incorrectly assuming populations are achieving a given consumption level is also estimated, which is an ideal approach for interpreting multiple probability distributions.

4. A Monte‐Carlo analysis of uncertainty was used to provide a probability distribution of stocking density of Australian bass (Macquaria novemaculeata) in three Australian impoundments under various seasonal and consumption scenarios. The likely consumption rates of the existing populations were determined using historical stocking densities, which showed that the three populations were of reasonable health, although one impoundment may be overstocked. The steady‐state stocking densities depended on the desired consumption rate, and there was an eightfold difference in the stocking density aimed at providing large ‘trophy’ fish and the density required to reach carrying capacity.

5. Model outputs of existing abundance and biomass density agreed with empirical estimates of abundance and relative density in these impoundments, which provides support to the model’s accuracy. This supply–demand approach to estimating the range of appropriate stocking densities shows promise as a decision‐support tool for stocked impoundments and other closed fisheries.
A transatlantic survey of nutrition practice in acute pancreatitis
Authors: Duggan S. N. , Smyth N. D. , Sullivan M. O’ , Feehan S. , Ridgway P. F. , Conlon K. C.
Published: May 2012

How to cite this article
 Duggan S.N., Smyth N.D., O'Sullivan M., Feehan S., Ridgway P.F. & Conlon K.C. (2012) A transatlantic survey of nutrition practice in acute pancreatitis. J Hum Nutr Diet. 25, 388–397

Background:  Many guidelines exist for the nutritional management of acute pancreatitis; however, little is known regarding current practice. We aimed to investigate feeding practices, including the use of parenteral/enteral nutrition.

Methods:  The study design was a cross‐sectional, descriptive survey. Electronic surveys were sent to dietitians in the UK, the Republic of Ireland and Canada. Of 253 dietitians surveyed, 204 saw patients with acute pancreatitis regularly or occasionally and were included in the analyses.

Results:  Most dietitians (92.8%) considered early feeding to mean <48 h after presentation. Over half (54.2%) favoured early feeding in severe disease, less in obesity (42%) and more with pre‐existing malnutrition (81.9%). There was a tendency to feed earlier in university hospitals (P = 0.015), especially in obesity (P = 0.011). There was a tendency towards enteral (versus parenteral) nutrition in university hospitals (P = 0.000). The majority preferred the jejunal route (64.2%), although this was lower in the UK (43.8%) than in Canada (77.8%) or Ireland (54.2%). Under one‐quarter of UK dietitians (23.2%) reported the existence of a pancreatic multidisciplinary team in their institutions, although this was lower in Ireland and Canada.

Conclusions:  Despite guidelines, there are gaps in the nutritional management of acute pancreatitis, including a continued reliance on parenteral feeding.
Interleukin‐18 and interferon‐gamma polymorphisms are implicated on proviral load and susceptibility to human T‐lymphotropic virus type 1 infection
Authors: Rocha‐Júnior M. C. , Haddad R. , Cilião Alves D. C. , de Deus Wagatsuma V. M. , Mendes‐Junior C. T. , Deghaide N. H. S. , Takayanagui O. M. , Covas D. T. , Donadi E. A. , Kashima S.
Published: May 2012

Interleukin‐18 (IL‐18) and interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ) exert important functions in both innate and adaptive immune responses against intracellular pathogens and viruses. Previous studies suggested that host genetic factors, including cytokines gene polymorphisms, could be involved in the pathogenesis of human T‐cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV‐1)‐associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Thus, we analyzed −137C/G and −607A/C of the IL‐18 promoter and +874T/A of the IFN‐γ in DNA samples from 98 HTLV‐1‐infected individuals exhibiting or not clinical symptoms and 150 healthy control individuals. The IL‐18 promoter −607CC genotype was significantly lower in HTLV‐1 asymptomatic carriers (HAC) and HTLV‐1‐infected individuals (HAC + HAM/TSP) than healthy control group. In contrast, the −607AC genotype was significantly higher in HAC and HTLV‐1‐infected individuals group compared to the healthy control group. The −137G/−607A IL‐18 haplotype was higher in infected group than healthy control group, and the −137C/−607C IL‐18 haplotype was increased in the healthy control group compared to the others. Finally, the IFN‐γ polymorphism analysis showed that the HTLV‐1‐infected individuals with +874AT genotype presented higher proviral load than +874AA genotype. These data indicate that the IL‐18−607AC genotype and −137G/−607A haplotype could be a risk factor for HTLV‐1 infection, whereas the protective effect could be conferred by −607CC genotype and −137C/−607C haplotype. Also, the IFN‐γ could be implicated on the proviral load levels.
The evolution of alternative developmental pathways: footprints of selection on life‐history traits in a butterfly
Authors: AALBERG HAUGEN I. M. , BERGER D. , GOTTHARD K.
Published: May 2012

Developmental pathways may evolve to optimize alternative phenotypes across environments. However, the maintenance of such adaptive plasticity under relaxed selection has received little study. We compare the expression of life‐history traits across two developmental pathways in two populations of the butterfly Pararge aegeria where both populations express a diapause pathway but one never expresses direct development in nature. In the population with ongoing selection on both pathways, the difference between pathways in development time and growth rate was larger, whereas the difference in body size was smaller compared with the population experiencing relaxed selection on one pathway. This indicates that relaxed selection on the direct pathway has allowed life‐history traits to drift towards values associated with lower fitness when following this pathway. Relaxed selection on direct development was also associated with a higher degree of genetic variation for protandry expressed as within‐family sexual dimorphism in growth rate. Genetic correlations for larval growth rate across sexes and pathways were generally positive, with the notable exception of correlation estimates that involved directly developing males of the population that experienced relaxed selection on this pathway. We conclude that relaxed selection on one developmental pathway appears to have partly disrupted the developmental regulation of life‐history trait expression. This in turn suggests that ongoing selection may be responsible for maintaining adaptive developmental regulation along alternative developmental pathways in these populations.
Interspecific genetics of speciation phenotypes: song and preference coevolution in Hawaiian crickets
Authors: OH K. P. , FERGUS D. J. , GRACE J. L. , SHAW K. L.
Published: May 2012

Understanding the genetic architecture of traits involved in premating isolation between recently diverged lineages can provide valuable insight regarding the mode and tempo of speciation. The repeated coevolution of male courtship song and female preference across the species radiation of Laupala crickets presents an unusual opportunity to compare the genetic basis of divergence across independent evolutionary histories. Previous studies of one pair of species revealed a polygenic basis (including a significant X chromosome contribution) to quantitative differences in male song and female acoustic preference. Here, we studied interspecific crosses between two phenotypically less‐diverged species that represents a phylogenetically independent occurrence of intersexual signalling evolution. We found patterns consistent with an additive polygenic basis to differentiation in both song and preference (nE = 5.3 and 5.1 genetic factors, respectively), and estimate a moderate contribution of the X chromosome (7.6%) of similar magnitude to that observed for Laupala species with nearly twice the phenotypic divergence. Together, these findings suggest a similar genetic architecture underlying the repeated evolution of sexual characters in this genus and provide a counterexample to prevailing theory predicting an association between early lineage divergence and sex‐linked ‘major genes’.
Do female parasitoid wasps recognize and adjust sex ratios to build cooperative relationships?
Authors: ABE J. , KAMIMURA Y.
Published: May 2012

Sex allocation theories provide excellent opportunities to investigate not only the extent to which individuals’ behaviour is adaptive, but also how they use relevant information for their decision‐making. Here, we investigated whether female parasitoid wasps recognize the sex ratios of other females and adjust their laying sex ratios accordingly. Specifically, we tested the prediction of reciprocal cooperation over sex allocation. Theory predicts more female‐biased (cooperative) sex ratios than in the interest of individual benefit, when a restricted number of ovipositing females interact for a long period and their offspring mate within the natal patch. This is because the female‐biased sex ratio reduces competition for mates among the male offspring of the females and increases the overall reproductive productivity of the patch. In this case, females would be expected to respond to more even (noncooperative) sex ratios by others and to retaliate by also producing a less female‐biased sex ratio to avoid exploitation by defectors. However, contrary to this prediction, our experiment using a sterile male technique showed that femaleMelittobia australicadid not change their offspring sex ratios in response to the sex ratios produced by other females. This suggests that their extremely female‐biased sex ratios cannot be explained by reciprocity. A meta‐analysis of studies examining sex recognition ability in parasitoid wasps also did not support the predicted pattern of relevant sex ratio adjustment, suggesting that parasitoid females do not possess this ability. Here, we discuss the conditions necessary for the evolution of reciprocity linked to recognition ability.
Spatio‐temporal pattern of programmed cell death in the developing Drosophila optic lobe
Authors: Togane Yu , Ayukawa Rie , Hara Yusuke , Akagawa Hiromi , Iwabuchi Kikuo , Tsujimura Hidenobu
Published: May 2012

A large number of cells die via programmed cell death during the normal development of the Drosophila optic lobe. In this study, we report the precise spatial and temporal pattern of cell death in this organ. Cell death in the developing optic lobe occurs in two distinct phases. The first phase extends from the start of metamorphosis to the mid‐pupal stage. During this phase, a large number of cells die in the optic lobe as a whole, with a peak of cell death at an early pupal stage in the lamina and medulla cortices and the region of the T2/T3/C neurons, and a smaller number of dead cells observed in the lobula plate cortex. The second phase extends from the mid‐pupal stage to eclosion. Throughout this period, a small number of dying cells can be observed, with a small peak at a late pupal stage. Most of the dying cells are neurons. During the first phase, dying cells are distributed in specific patterns in cortices. The lamina cortex contains two distinct clusters of dying cells; the medulla cortex, four clusters; the lobula plate cortex, one cluster; and the region of the T2/T3/C neurons, one cluster. Many of the clusters maintain their distinct positions in the optic lobe but others extend the region they cover during development. The presence of distinct clusters of dying cells at different phases suggests that distinct mechanisms control cell death during different stages of optic lobe development in Drosophila.
Identification of 3′UTR sequence elements and a teloplasm localization motif sufficient for the localization of Hro‐twist mRNA to the zygotic animal and vegetal poles
Authors: Farooq Mehrin , Choi Jonathan , Seoane Agustin I. , Lleras Roberto A. , Tran Hoan V. , Mandal Stephanie A. , Nelson Christine L. , Soto Julio G.
Published: May 2012

The early localization of mRNA transcripts is critical in sorting cell fate determinants in the developing embryo. In the glossiphoniid leech, Helobdella robusta, maternal mRNAs, such as Hro‐twist, localize to the zygotic teloplasm. Ten seven nucleotide repeat elements (AAUAAUA) called ARE2 and a predicted secondary structural motif, called teloplasm localization motif (TLM), are present in the 3′UTR of Hro‐twist mRNA. We used site‐directed mutagenesis, deletions, and microinjection of labeled, exogenous transcripts to determine if ARE2 elements, and the TLM, play a role in Hro‐twist mRNA localization. Deleting the poly‐A tail and the cytoplasmic polyadenylation element (CPE) had no effect on Hro‐twist mRNA localization. Site‐directed mutagenesis of nucleotides that altered ARE2 element sequences or the TLM suggest that the ARE2 elements and the TLM are important for Hro‐twist mRNA localization to the teloplasm of pre‐cleavage zygotes. Hro‐Twist protein expression data suggest that the localization of Hro‐twist transcripts in zygotes and stage two embryos is not involved in ensuring mesoderm specification, as Hro‐Twist protein is expressed uniformly in most cells before gastrulation. Our data may support a shared molecular mechanism for leech transcripts that localize to the teloplasm.
Dysregulated expression of fatty acid oxidation enzymes and iron‐regulatory genes in livers of Nrf2‐null mice
Authors: Tanaka Yuji , Ikeda Takanori , Yamamoto Kazuo , Ogawa Hiroshi , Kamisako Toshinori
Published: May 2012

Background and Aim:  Hepatic excessive iron may play a role in the pathogenesis of non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Nrf2 is a master regulator of antioxidative responses. However, the role of Nrf2 in lipid and iron homeostasis remains unclear. Accordingly, it was examined how Nrf2 regulates lipid‐related and iron‐regulatory genes after feeding a high‐fat diet (HFD) with iron.

Methods:  Wild‐type and Nrf2‐null mice were fed the following diets: (i) control diet (4% soybean oil) for 12 weeks, (ii) control diet for 8 weeks followed by control diet containing 0.5% carbonyl iron for 4 weeks, (iii) HFD (4% soybean oil and 16% lard) for 12 weeks, (iv) HFD for 8 weeks followed by HFD containing 0.5% carbonyl iron for 4 weeks. Blood and livers were removed after 12 weeks.

Results:  Nrf2‐null control mice exhibited a tendency towards higher hepatic triglycerides compared to wild‐type control mice. Hepatic malondialdehyde was higher and hepatic iron levels tended to be higher in Nrf2‐null mice than wild‐type counterparts while on a HFD. The HFD with iron synergistically induced mRNA expression of Pparα targets, including Acox and Cpt1 in wild‐type mice, yet the induction was diminished in Nrf2‐null mice. Hepatic hepcidin and ferroportin 1 mRNA expression were increased in wild‐type mice after feeding a HFD with iron, but were unchanged in any group of Nrf2‐null mice.

Conclusions:  Nrf2 deletion dysregulates hepatic mRNA expression of β‐oxidation enzymes and iron‐related genes, possibly causing a trend for increased hepatic triglyceride and iron concentrations. Nrf2 may have roles in the progression of NASH.
New three‐dimensional head‐mounted display system, TMDU‐S‐3D system, for minimally invasive surgery application: Procedures for gasless single‐port radical nephrectomy
Authors: Kihara Kazunori , Fujii Yasuhisa , Masuda Hitoshi , Saito Kazutaka , Koga Fumitaka , Matsuoka Yoh , Numao Noboru , Kojima Kazuyuki
Published: May 2012

We present an application of a new three‐dimensional head‐mounted display system that combines a high‐definition three‐dimensional organic electroluminescent head‐mounted display with a high‐definition three‐dimensional endoscope to minimally invasive surgery, using gasless single‐port radical nephrectomy procedures as a model. This system presents the surgeon with a higher quality of magnified three‐dimensional imagery in front of the eyes regardless of head position, and simultaneously allows direct vision by moving the angle of sight downward. It is also significantly less expensive than the current robotic surgery system. While carrying out gasless single‐port radical nephrectomy, the system provided the surgeon with excellent three‐dimensional imagery of the operative field, direct vision of the outside and inside of the patient, and depth perception and tactile feedback through the devices. All four nephrectomies were safely completed within the operative time, blood loss was within usual limits and there were no complications. The display was light enough to comfortably be worn for a long operative time. Our experiences show that the three‐dimensional head‐mounted display system might facilitate maneuverability and safety in minimally invasive procedures, without prohibitive cost, and thus might mitigate the drawbacks of other three‐dimensional vision systems. Because of the potential benefits that this system offers, it deserves further refinements of its role in various minimally invasive surgeries.
‘You needed to rehab … families as well’: family members’ own goals for aphasia rehabilitation
Authors: Howe Tami , Davidson Bronwyn , Worrall Linda , Hersh Deborah , Ferguson Alison , Sherratt Sue , Gilbert Jocelyn
Published: May 2012

Background: Aphasia affects family members in addition to the individuals with the communication disorder. In order to develop appropriate services for the relatives of people with aphasia post‐stroke, their rehabilitation goals need to be identified.

Aim: The aim of the current investigation was to identify the rehabilitation goals that family members of individuals with aphasia have for themselves.

Methods & Procedures: Forty‐eight family members of adults with aphasia post‐stroke participated in in‐depth semi‐structured interviews to identify the rehabilitation goals they had for themselves. All the interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Outcomes & Results: Analysis revealed seven categories of goals that the family members had for themselves: to be included in rehabilitation, to be provided with hope and positivity, to be able to communicate and maintain their relationship with the person with aphasia, to be given information, to be given support, to look after their own well‐being, and to be able to cope with new responsibilities. A few participants reported that, at certain times during the rehabilitation process, they did not have any goals for themselves.

Conclusions & Implications: This study highlights that family members of individuals with aphasia have a number of aphasia‐related rehabilitation goals for themselves. In order to provide a family‐centred approach to rehabilitation, health professionals, including speech–language pathologists, need systematically to identify and address family members’ goals in light of the categories revealed in this investigation.
Recurrence of the acute Charcot foot in diabetes
Authors: Rudrappa S. , Game F. , Jeffcoate W.
Published: May 2012

Diabet. Med. 29, 819–821 (2012)

Background  The acute Charcot foot is thought to occur in people who have a number of predisposing factors, of which distal neuropathy is the most important. But while occurrence in the contralateral foot is not infrequent, recurrence in the same foot seems to be very rare.

Case report  A case is described in which discrete episodes of inflammation of the midfoot occurred in the same foot over a period of 14 years, and were attributed to acute Charcot neuroarthropathy (Charcot foot). There was coincidental evidence of osteomyelitis of the 4th toe but there was no suspicion that the inflammatory episodes of the midfoot were the result of bone infection and they settled without treatment with antibiotics.

Conclusion  This case had clinically diagnosed recurrences of inflammation and destruction typical of the acute Charcot foot over an extended period, and this is most unusual. The implications of the rarity of such recurrences are discussed.
KNOWLEDGE DYNAMICS, STRUCTURAL CHANGE AND THE GEOGRAPHY OF BUSINESS SERVICES
Authors: Ciarli Tommaso , Meliciani Valentina , Savona Maria
Published: May 2012

AbstractThe paper provides a review of and presents some empirical evidence on the dynamics of knowledge, structural change and spatial concentration of economic activities, focusing on the case of business services (BS). It explores how the role of knowledge has evolved in relation to the dimensions of: (i) science, technology and structural change; (ii) the long‐term processes of tertiarization of the economy – in particular the growth of BS; (iii) the spatial concentration of BS as an outcome of the increasing volume and complexity of knowledge and the need to manage it through spatial proximity. Our arguments are supported by empirical evidence on the spatial concentration of BS in the European regions.
Reconceptualizing Resistance: Residuals of the State and Democratic Radical Pluralism
Authors: Martin Deborah G. , Pierce Joseph
Published: May 2012

Abstract:  Arguing that resistance to the state is too narrow a conceptualization of a political project that challenges neoliberalism, we posit that there are latent, residual apparatuses of the state which can be activated as part of a systematic progressive politics. We examine Massachusetts’“Dover amendment”, a legal framework which governs group home siting throughout the state. Dover offers a powerful tool with which to resist a neoliberal socio‐spatial agenda, though it has been underutilized toward enabling an alternative landscape. We analyze how and why Dover has often remained latent as a tool for socio‐spatial resistance, and consider a provocative case in Framingham, Massachusetts that suggests how residual state apparatuses may be leveraged in support of an explicitly resistive, progressive agenda.