bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of bovine k‐casein C allele using allele‐specific polymerase chain reaction
Authors: Chrenek P. , Vašíček D.
Published: March 2011

The amplification of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐product for the k‐casein (k‐CN) C allele using a C‐allele specific primer was developed. This method was compared and controlled with the existing technique of restriction fragment length polymorphism. Analysis of the genomic DNA of a known k‐CN genotype using an allele‐specific primer for k‐CN C does not allow discrimination of the C heterozygous of homozygous forms, but discriminates C‐carriers and non‐C‐carriers. Blood and milk samples of Holstein, Slovak Pied, Slovak Pinzgauer and Brown Swiss cattle were analysed. The occurrence of the C allele was found only in three Brown Swiss cows in heterozygous forms (AC). Complete genotypes were identified by subsequent restriction endonuclease digestion. The results were in agreement with milk protein analysis on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The allele specific (AS)–PCR method described is a useful screening method for the pre‐selection of C‐carriers for subsequent MaeII digestion. Therefore, financial benefit can be achieved.

Zusammfassung

Eine allelspezifische Polymerase Kettenreaktion (PCR) zum Nachweis des k‐Casein (k‐CN) C Allels wurde mit Hilfe von C allel‐spezifischen Primern entwickelt. Diese Methode wurde mit der existierenden Restriktion Fragmentlängen‐Poly‐Morphismen (RFLP) Technik verglichen und kontrolliert. Die Analyse von genomischer DNA unter Anwendung von allelspezifischen Primern für das k‐CN C Allel ergab identische Resultate im Vergleich zur RFLP Methode. Die Anwendung von allelspezifischen Primer ermöglicht nicht die Unterscheidung von C Heterozygoten und CC Homozygoten, aber ermöglicht die Unterscheidung der Träger des C‐Alles von dem Nicht‐Trägern des C‐Allels. Blut‐ und Milchproben der Rassen Holstein, Slowakisches Fleckvieh, Slowakische Pinzgauer, und Brown Swiss wurden analysiert. Das Vorkommen des C Allels wurde nur bei drei Kühen der Rasse Brown Swiss in heterozygoter Form (AC) beobachtet. Diese Genotypen wurden durch Spaltung mit Restriktionsendonukleasen bestätigt und die Resultate stimmten mit der Analyse von Milchproteinen auf PAGE überein. Die beschriebene Allel‐Spezifischen (AS)–PCR Methode ist eine nützliche Suchmethode für die Vorselektion von C‐Trägern für die folgende MaeII Spaltung was einen ökonomischen Vorteil darstellt.
Practitioner's Trial on the Efficacy of Antihypertensive Treatment in Elderly Patients with Hypertension II (PATE‐Hypertension II study) in Japan
Authors: Ogihara Toshio , Matsuoka Hiroaki , Rakugi Hiromi
Published: March 2011

Aim:  Reduction of elevated blood pressure (BP) has been an important treatment goal in elderly hypertensive patients. However, it has been reported that an excessive reduction of systolic BP to less than 120 mmHg might be harmful in such patients. We investigated whether this was the case in a study which assessed long‐term antihypertensive efficacy, tolerability and impact on cardiovascular/cerebrovascular (CV) morbidity/mortality in a large cohort of Japanese patients.

Methods:  This study was performed at general practitioners' offices nationwide with a target sample size of 1500 patients. Hypertensive patients aged 60 years or more who achieved successful BP control with candesartan monotherapy, and who tolerated the treatment for at least 8 weeks, were enrolled into the study and followed for 3 years.

Results:  BP was maintained below the target level of 140/90 mmHg over the 3‐year period. The incidence of CV events during the study period was 20.4/1000 person‐years. Investigation of the relationship between BP and the incidence of CV events revealed that patients with higher BP generally had a higher incidence of events. However, very elderly patients (≥75 years) with a systolic BP (SBP) of less than 120 mmHg also had a higher incidence of CV events compared with those with an SBP of 120–139 mmHg.

Conclusion:  This study demonstrated that treatment with candesartan maintained long‐term control of BP in elderly hypertensive patients without serious adverse events. CV events demonstrated a J‐curve relationship with SBP in patients aged 75 years or older, which suggests that excessive BP reductions might be harmful for very elderly patients. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2011; 11: 414–421.
Diaphragmatic hernia during pregnancy: A case report with a review of the literature from the past 50 years
Authors: Chen Yue , Hou Qiannan , Zhang Zhu , Zhang Jian , Xi Mingrong
Published: March 2011

Diaphragmatic hernia is a rare complication during pregnancy. Only 30 reports have been published on this subject in English between 1959 and 2009. Due to misdiagnoses and management delays, diaphragmatic hernia usually presents itself as a life‐threatening emergency. Here, we present a case report of a patient with a traumatic diaphragmatic hernia who became acutely symptomatic during pregnancy. The diaphragmatic hernia was managed successfully, and we describe the presentation, management and outcome of this case. We also present a review of all of the reported cases of diaphragmatic hernias complicating pregnancy that have been published in English during the past 50 years.
Prediction of exact delivery time in patients with preterm labor and intact membranes at admission by amniotic fluid interleukin‐8 level and preterm labor index
Authors: Yoneda Satoshi , Shiozaki Arihiro , Yoneda Noriko , Shima Tomoko , Ito Mika , Yamanaka Mikiko , Hidaka Takao , Sumi Shigeki , Saito Shigeru
Published: March 2011

Aim:  To examine whether delivery time for preterm labor can be predicted by clinical and biochemical markers at admission.

Methods:  It has previously been reported that interleukin (IL)‐8 and glucose in the amniotic fluid, fetal fibronectin (fFN) in vaginal secretions and the preterm labor index (PLI) are independent risk factors for delivery before 34 weeks' gestation. Using these four markers, we developed an equation model to predict the remaining gestation period after amniocentesis by step‐wise multiple regression analysis in 126 preterm delivery cases (retrospective section of the study). We also evaluated whether this equation model could predict delivery time in 65 new preterm labor patients (prospective section of the study). Finally, we investigated the risk factors for delivery within three days after amniocentesis.

Results:  The period from amniocentesis until delivery was calculated using the following equation by step‐wise multiple regression analysis: predicted period until delivery (days) = 77.1 − 15.8 × log (amniotic IL‐8 level [ng/mL]) − 9.2 × PLI (points). The calculated period until delivery correlated significantly with the actual period until delivery in the prospective study. When a high score of PLI (≥5 points) and a high level of vaginal fFN (≥90 ng/mL) or a high level of amniotic IL‐8 (≥25.5 ng/mL) were present, the positive predictive values were 88.2% and 80.9% in predicting delivery within three days, respectively.

Conclusions:  Using markers reflecting inflammation in the uterus (amniotic IL‐8 or vaginal fFN) and clinical symptoms (PLI), we may be able to predict the exact delivery time in preterm labor patients with intact membranes.
Randomized controlled study comparing misoprostol moistened with normal saline and with acetic acid for second‐trimester pregnancy termination. Is it different?
Authors: Pongsatha Saipin , Tongsong Theera
Published: March 2011

Objective:  To compare the efficacy and adverse effects of 400 µg intravaginal misoprostol for second‐trimester pregnancy termination in live fetuses between two groups: one in which misoprostol was moistened with normal saline solution (NSS) and the other in which misoprostol was moistened with acetic acid.

Materials and Methods:  A total of 179 pregnant women between 14 and 28 weeks of gestation with live fetuses indicated for pregnancy termination were recruited. They were randomly allocated to receive 400 µg intravaginal misoprostol either moistened with NSS (n = 96) or moistened with acetic acid (n = 83). The same dosage was then repeated every 3 h if adequate uterine contractions were not achieved until 48 h after the initiation of misoprostol. The main outcomes were mean abortion time, success rate, and adverse effects.

Results:  The mean abortion time was not significantly different between the groups (24.98 ± 16.42 h vs 25.89 ± 10.34 h, P > 0.05). The rates of abortion within 24 h and 48 h and the adverse effects were also comparable between the groups. Chills and fever were the most common adverse effects in this study.

Conclusion:  Intravaginal misoprostol either moistened with NSS or acetic acid was comparable in terms of efficacy and adverse effects.
Equipment and monitoring – what is in the future to improve safety?
Authors: Campbell Shane , Wilson Graham , Engelhardt Thomas
Published: March 2011

There have been a number of recent developments in the practice of anesthesia and intensive care aimed at improving outcome in terms of reducing both morbidity and mortality, as well as other less‐defined factors, such as quality of service provision. Significant advances have been made in airway devices such as pediatric tracheal tube designs, Microcuff® tracheal tubes, and new laryngoscopes. Noninvasive monitoring devices, including continuous hemoglobin analysis and near infrared spectrometry, are being increasingly used in pediatric anesthesia. Other, ‘scaled‐down’ versions from adult anesthesia care, however, have not universally been shown to result in improved safety and outcomes in pediatric anesthesia.
Germline CAG repeat length of the androgen receptor and time to progression in patients with prostate cancer treated with androgen deprivation therapy
Authors: Misra Dipika , Xie Wanling , Regan Meredith M. , Ross Robert W. , Lee Gwo‐shu , Germain Doris , Kantoff Philip W. , Oh William K.
Published: March 2011

Study Type – Prognosis (retrospective cohort)

Level of Evidence 2b

What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Germline CAG repeat polymorphisms in the androgen receptor (AR‐CAG) have been shown to influence the activity of the androgen receptor, but there has been conflicting data from small retrospective studies evaluating the effect of CAG repeat polymorphisms on response to ADT.

This is the largest published study to date investigating the association of germline AR‐CAG repeat lengths and efficacy of ADT in prostate cancer. Germline AR‐CAG repeat lengths do not predict response to ADT.

OBJECTIVES

• Germline CAG repeat polymorphisms in the androgen receptor (AR‐CAG) have been shown to influence the activity of the AR.

• The purpose of the present study was to determine if AR‐CAG repeat length correlates with time to progression on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• Germline AR‐CAG repeat lengths were determined in a cohort of 480 patients with recurrent or metastatic prostate cancer treated at a single tertiary care institution and correlated to time to progression (TTP) and overall survival.

RESULTS

• There was no significant correlation between differences in the AR‐CAG repeat lengths and TTP or overall survival in patients with prostate cancer receiving ADT.

• AR‐CAG repeat lengths did not significantly correlate with age, prostate‐specific antigen (PSA), Gleason score or clinical stage at diagnosis.

• In patients with metastatic disease, longer AR‐CAG repeat lengths (>23 vs ≤23) were associated with a longer TTP on ADT, but this finding was of borderline significance (median TTP 18.3 vs 15.5 months, P= 0.09; adjusted HR = 0.76, 95% confidence interval = 0.54–1.09).

CONCLUSIONS

• This is the largest published study to date investigating the association of germline AR‐CAG repeat lengths and efficacy of ADT in prostate cancer.

• Germline AR‐CAG repeat lengths do not predict response to ADT.
A QUASI‐LOCALLY MOST POWERFUL TEST FOR CORRELATION IN THE CONDITIONAL VARIANCE OF POSITIVE DATA
Authors: McCabe Brendan P. M. , Martin Gael M. , Freeland Keith
Published: March 2011

A test is derived for short‐memory correlation in the conditional variance of strictly positive, skewed data. The test is quasi‐locally most powerful (QLMP) under the assumption of conditionally gamma data. Analytical asymptotic relative efficiency calculations show that an alternative test, based on the first‐order autocorrelation coefficient of the squared data, has negligible relative power to detect correlation in the conditional variance. Finite‐sample simulation results confirm the poor performance of the squares‐based test for fixed alternatives, as well as demonstrating the poor performance of the test based on the first‐order autocorrelation coefficient of the raw (levels) data. The robustness of the QLMP test, both to misspecification of the conditional distribution and to misspecification of the dynamics, is also demonstrated using simulation. The test is illustrated using financial trade durations data.
CORE EXECUTIVE STUDIES TWO DECADES ON
Authors: ELGIE ROBERT
Published: March 2011

The concept of the ‘core executive’ was introduced by Dunleavy and Rhodes in 1990. Two decades on, what is the state of core executive studies? This article argues that the language of the study of central government has been transformed. In addition, there is now a much broader consideration of the central government space, incorporating ministers, civil servants, and so on. Within core executive studies, the resource‐dependency approach has become dominant. Arguably, though, with its insistence on a structural element to power and its focus on prime ministerial predominance, much of this work collapses back into an interpretation that is close to the conclusions of the pre‐1990 debate. Currently, only the interpretive, ethnographic approach proposed by Rhodes and his co‐authors challenges the new orthodoxy. This article suggests that a resolutely positivist account of the core executive would provide a similar challenge and spark a lively and very welcome debate.
THE IRREPRESSIBLE ROD RHODES: CONTESTING TRADITIONS AND BLURRING GENRES
Authors: WANNA JOHN , WELLER PATRICK
Published: March 2011

Rod Rhodes spent 25 years as the Editor of Public Administration before he retired from that role at the end of 2010. These essays in his honour are intended to celebrate the achievement of those 25 years and reflect on his contribution to the worlds of public administration and political science. Rod has now consolidated the standing of the journal as one of the most significant locations for work on public administration. At the same time, over his career, he has prodded and probed, challenged and innovated, in a wide range of areas. The essays in this special edition have been designed around his intellectual interests over the 40 years of his career, from local government, and networks, to ethnography and narratives. Each author was asked, as appropriate, to identify Rhodes' impact and to assess the present state of the literature. Three articles consider the state of the discipline in the UK, the USA and in the world of comparative politics. Rod is then given the opportunity to reflect on his career and where his interests might lead. As ever he wants the last word! This introduction provides the context for his career and charts in broad terms his intellectual trajectory and contribution.
IT'S PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, ROD, BUT MAYBE NOT AS WE KNOW IT: BRITISH PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN THE 2000s
Authors: HOOD CHRISTOPHER
Published: March 2011

This paper assesses what happened to academic public administration (PA) in Britain in the 2000s in the light of Rod Rhodes' gloomy prognostications about the future of the subject in the late 1990s. It argues that British PA had such a good decade in the 2000s, in funding, output, academic‐practitioner interaction and institutional developments, that it could almost be said to have ‘never had it so good’, even if ‘British PA’ was probably less internationally distinctive in the 2000s than a century before. But even if the subject flourished against the odds in the 2000s, Rhodes' sombre assessment of its future cannot be dismissed. British public administration faces several potential threats in the 2010s and beyond: in funding, research, and teaching capacity. But extinction still seems an unlikely fate for British PA even when a sombre view is taken of the funding outlook and the changing balance of supply and demand.
THE STUDY OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN THE UNITED STATES
Authors: RAADSCHELDERS JOS C.N.
Published: March 2011

The study of public administration in the United States is large in terms of the number of academic programmes, the range of journal publications, and the number of scholars. Its scholarship attracts attention from all over the globe. At the same time it is a public administration that is clearly embedded in a specific national culture, just as anywhere else. Three of the main challenges include the strong increase of quantitative‐statistical methods, the decline of practitioner authors, and substantive specialization to the extent that generalists' perspectives are losing ground.
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AS STORYTELLING
Authors: BEVIR MARK
Published: March 2011

I’ll tell you a story

About Jack a Nory,

And now my story's begun;

I’ll tell you another

Of Jack and his brother,

And now my story is done.

[Anon]

A great writer of fiction both creates a new, unique, individual world – through acts of imagination, through language that feels inevitable, through commanding forms – and responds to a world, the world the writer shares with other people but that is unknown or miss‐known by still more people, confined in their worlds. Call that history, society, what you will. The writers who matter most to us are those who enlarge our consciences and our sympathies and our knowledge.

[Susan Sontag]

This paper elucidates the interpretive approach to public administration that Professor Rhodes and I have developed over the last ten years. It defends the importance of storytelling in governance. The early studies of governance often drew on modernist empiricism and policy network theory to argue that public sector reforms had created a differentiated polity. While this governance literature offered a compelling account of contemporary public administration, it rested on a modernist empiricism that proved vulnerable to questions such as those raised by rational choice theorists about its micro foundations. Professor Rhodes and I thus rejected modernist empiricism in favour of an emphasis on meanings and storytelling. Our interpretive approach rests on ‘meaning holism’. It replaces naÏve empiricism with an anthropological epistemology based on comparing rival accounts. It rejects reified ontologies for recognition of the constructed nature of social reality. It moves away from formal explanations towards historicism. It provides a defence of public administration as storytelling.
‘Ich kann nicht zwei Herren Dienen’: Conscientious Objectors and Nazi ‘Militärjustiz’. The Undocumented Cases of Three Brothers
Authors: Jackman Graham
Published: March 2011

The treatment of conscientious objectors in the Third Reich has been extensively documented. Attention has focused primarily on the Jehovah's Witnesses, who formed the vast majority of those who were executed, and on a small number of individual Catholics and Lutherans. There remain, however, several objectors who died for their religious conviction but whose cases have hitherto not been made public. This essay helps to fill that gap by providing the available details of one such case, that of the Christadelphian Albert Merz. A peculiarity of his case is that he was one of three brothers who were all conscientious objectors, yet he alone suffered the death penalty. The differences in the fates of the three brothers reflect the way in which Nazi treatment of objectors changed with the coming of war. Accordingly, the ways in which Albert Merz's two brothers, Rudolf and August, were dealt with are also outlined here, and the three cases are seen in relation to the legal provisions which determined their differing fates.

Die Behandlung von Kriegsdienstverweigerern im Dritten Reich ist bereits ausführlich untersucht worden. Im Mittelpunkt der Forschung standen verständlicherweise die Zeugen Jehovahs, die weitaus die Mehrheit der wegen Kriegsdienstverweigerung Hingerichteten bildeten; einige Einzelfälle, meist von Katholiken und Protestanten, sind auch dokumentiert worden. Über einige andere Hingerichtete jedoch, deren Verweigerung ebenfalls eine religiöse Überzeugung zugrunde lag, ist bisher nichts veröffentlicht worden. Dieser Aufsatz berichtet über einen solchen Fall, den Urchristen Albert Merz, und trägt so zur Füllung dieser Lücke bei. Eine Besonderheit dieses Falles ist, dass Albert Merz einer von drei Brüdern war, die alle den Kriegsdienst verweigert haben, und dennoch der einzige von ihnen war, der zu Tode verurteilt wurde. Die unterschiedlichen Schicksale der drei Brüder sind ein Indiz für den Wandel in der Behandlung von Kriegsdienstverweigerern, den der Anfang des Krieges mit sich brachte. Daher wird neben dem Fall von Albert Merz auch über die von seinen Brüdern Rudolf und August berichtet. Zum besseren Verständnis dieser Ereignisse werden auch die relevanten gesetzlichen Bestimmungen und Verwaltungsmaßnahmen kurz dargestellt.
Once more the Logos asarkos
Authors: JENSON ROBERT W.
Published: March 2011

Does confession of Christ's pre‐existence involve positing a Logos who ‘before’ Christ's conception was simply ‘not yet’ incarnate? The author confesses inadequacies of his previous attempts on this disputed question, and offers improvements.
A Fractured Transnational Diaspora: The Case of Zimbabweans in Britain
Authors: Pasura Dominic
Published: March 2011

Millions of Zimbabweans living abroad have been described as an emerging diaspora. However, there has been little attempt to question their designation as a diaspora, or indeed, to engage with the more theoretically informed and conceptually rich literature on diaspora. The assumption in this categorisation relies heavily upon popular usage of the term diaspora among Zimbabweans themselves both abroad and in the homeland. However, instead of suppressing discussion by simply pronouncing them “a diaspora”, it is important to examine whether or not they constitute a diaspora. Drawing on the concepts of diaspora and transnationalism and on the author’s multi‐sited ethnographic research in the United Kingdom (hereafter, “Britain”), the article examines how the diaspora was dispersed, how it is constituted in the hostland and how it maintains connections with the homeland. What factors influenced people’s decisions to migrate into the diaspora and how can these phases be classified? What types of migration patterns characterise Zimbabweans’ migration to Britain? The study explores the origin, formation and articulation of the Zimbabwean diaspora in Britain, providing a conceptual and theoretical interpretation of the social formation vis‐à‐vis other accounts of global diasporas. The findings of this study suggest that Zimbabweans abroad are a fractured transnational diaspora. The scattering of Zimbabweans evinces some of the features commonly ascribed to a diaspora such as involuntary and voluntary dispersion of the population from the homeland; settlement in foreign territories and uneasy relationship with the hostland; strong attachment and connection to the original homeland; and the maintenance of diverse diasporic identities. The study represents a contribution to our knowledge of the Zimbabwean diaspora in particular and to the field of diaspora and transnational studies in general.
International Economic Assistance and Migration: The Case of Sub‐Saharan Countries
Authors: Belloc Filippo
Published: March 2011

Development aid is commonly advocated as one of the most effective instruments to reduce international migration. Nevertheless, empirical evidence shows that push factors do not automatically result in massive migrations and that aid policies systematically fail to meet their stated objectives. Recently, several contributions have argued that an increase in sending countries’ wealth may lead to a rise in migration, rather than to a reduction, because it enables people to assume the costs and risks of migrating. However, despite the growing number of studies on this phenomenon, the role played by Official Development Assistance (ODA) has not received attention yet. This paper aims at providing empirical evidence on this specific issue. In particular, we investigate the relation between ODA and international migration rates of sub‐Saharan countries. We argue that ODA may have a positive effect on migration decisions for two reasons. First, ODA improves workers’ ability to cover the costs of migration, by providing new job opportunities and in turn increasing incomes in the recipient country. Second, ODA, which is often associated with development programs in education, communication services, and business opportunities, may also stimulate mobility aspirations of potential migrants. We develop an econometric analysis in order to investigate this hypothesis. Specifically, we perform a three‐stage least square estimation on a sample of 48 sub‐Saharan countries. We build a two‐equation model, so as to allow for endogeneity of ODA, and find that ODA has a positive and statistically significant effect on migration outflows. Thus, as our main contribution, we argue that development aids are not substitute for migration and that the traditional aid policies (such as those of the European Union), aimed at curbing migration by providing international financial aids, might need to be reconsidered.
On the taxonomic status of Dugesia gonocephala and Dugesia subtentaculata (Turbellaria, Tricladida, Paludicola)
Authors: Vries Elizabeth J. De
Published: March 2011

The taxonomic status of Dugesia (Dugesia) gonocephala (Dugès, 1830), the type‐species of the genus Dugesia Girard 1850, and the closely related species Dugesia (Dugesia) subtentaculata (Draparnaud, 1801) have never properly been assessed. Dugesia subtentaculata has usually been regarded as a synonym of D. gonocephala, especially for its asexual races.

In order to assess the status of the two species, studies have been carried out on material from the surroundings of Montpellier, southern France, from which the type‐material of the two species originated. It is concluded that both are valid taxa and neotypes have been designated. Dugesia gonocephala is the common European species, whereas D. subtentaculata has a specifically Mediterranean distribution. Dugesia iberica Gourbault & Benazzi, 1979, originally described from Spain and Mallorca, is conspecific with this latter species.

The morphological and karyological characteristics of the two species and of several fissiparous races belonging to the subgenus Dugesia are discussed.
Population density, home range size and spatial organization of the Cape clawless otter, Aonyx capensis, in a marine habitat
Authors: Arden‐Clarke C. H. G.
Published: March 2011

In a protected area on the southern coast of South Africa, holts (dens) of the Cape clawless otter were spaced at intervals of 470 m and spraints (faeces) were concentrated in the vicinity of the holts. Population density estimates for separate sections of coast were in close agreement, and the mean estimate for the study area was one otter per 1.9 km of coast. The minimum home range size of an adult female was 14.3 km of coast, a 7.5 km central section constituting her core area. A radio‐tracked adult male had a minimum home range size of 19.5 km of coast and a centrally located 12.0 km core area. The known home ranges of four adult males overlapped completely and males were observed foraging together, indicating a clan‐type of social organization.
Correlation of mechanical properties of avian eggshells with hatching strategies
Authors: Bond G. M. , Scott V. D. , Board R. G.
Published: March 2011

Mechanical tests, including experiments designed to simulate the pipping and hatching processes, were combined with acoustic‐emission analysis to show that the eggshells of some avian species (e.g. domestic hen and domestic duck) may be classified as hard and brittle, and others (e.g. Japanese quail and pigeon) as tougher and more flexible. Laboratory and field studies of hatching, and observations of cine films, demonstrated that these differences in the mechanical properties of the shell were related to hatching technique. Whilst chicks in hard brittle Shells made relatively few holes before pushing away a cap, the hatching of chicks contained in tougher, more flexible Shells was characterized by extensive Perforation along a latitude of the shell. Indeed, the latter often continued to perforate the shell for more than a complete revolution before pushing away a cap. The results are then discussed in relation to avian nest environment.
Variation in winter flocking associations and dispersion patterns in the turnstone Arenaria interpres
Authors: Metcalfe N. B.
Published: March 2011

Individual turnstones were found to maintain the same small foraging home ranges each winter, despite the interruptions of a migration to distant breeding grounds. Seasonal variations in fidelity to home ranges were possibly due to local sampling of food distributions in autumn and constraints on remaining with flocks in spring. The limited movements of birds on the wintering grounds resulted in little mixing of the population; multi‐dimensional scaling and cluster analyses showed that foraging birds regularly flocked with as few as 50 other individuals during the course of a winter, despite often roosting in flocks of several hundred. These associations between birds remained stable over long periods of time, although there were seasonal and tidal variations in the overall extent of association.

Dominant birds, which kleptoparasitized those more subordinate, had smaller home ranges. They also tended to be in smaller flocks, and thus on average had weaker associations with other birds than did subordinates, possibly due to their being avoided by those more subordinate.
Mechanical properties of various mammalian tendons
Authors: Bennett M. B. , Ker R. F. , Imery Nicola J. , Alexander R. McN.
Published: March 2011

Dynamic tensile tests have been performed, using physiologically relevant frequencies and stress ranges, on various tendons from the legs and tails of 10 species of mammal. No consistent differences were found between tendons from different species or different anatomical sites. Tangent Young's modulus increases from low values at low stresses to about 1·5 GPa at stresses exceeding 30 MPa. Percentage energy dissipations of 6 to 11% have been measured for different species, but the lower values are probably the most reliable. There is little or no dependence of modulus or energy dissipation on frequency, in the range 0·2–11 Hz. The tensile strength of tendon (at strain rates of the order of 0·05 s−1) is at least 100 MPa.
Toxoplasmosis in a wild rodent population of central Scotland and a possible explanation of the mode of transmission
Authors: Jackson M. H. , W. M. Hutchison  , Siim J. Chr.
Published: March 2011

Three species of rodent, Apodemus sylvaticus, Clethrionomys glareolus and Rattus norvegicus were captured over a two‐year period and examined for Toxoplasma infection using the Sabin‐Feldman dye‐test. Titres of 1: ≥ 10 were considered as positive. The rates of infection during the first year were 20%, 17·6% and 10·9%, respectively, but during the second year only one infected animal (A. sylvaticus) was captured, giving rates of 1·9%, 0% and 0%. Brain cysts were observed in 11 of the 20 animals which had titres of 1: ≥ 10, but no Hammondia cysts were observed in the muscles of any of these 20. Brain cysts were not observed in any animals which had dye‐test titres of 1: ≥ 10. Because of differences between the two years in the numbers and population structure of R. norvegicus, the data for this species could not be analysed unequivocally. The data for A. sylvaticus and C. glareolus show no difference in the rates of infection between males and females, nor between young animals and adults. A congenital mode of transmission of the infection is postulated to explain the difference in infection rates between the two years, the relatively high rates during the first year, and the increasing incidence during that period. Lack of a significant difference between the infection rates in males and females and young and adults fits the model of a congenital infection. The alternative model of contraction of the infection from cat faeces in the environment is not supported by the data.
Predicted range expansion of Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) in forestlands of the southern United States
Authors: Wang Hsiao‐Hsuan , Grant William E. , Swannack Todd M. , Gan Jianbang , Rogers William E. , Koralewski Tomasz E. , Miller James H. , Taylor John W.
Published: March 2011

Aim  We present an integrated approach for predicting future range expansion of an invasive species (Chinese tallow tree) that incorporates statistical forecasting and analytical techniques within a spatially explicit, agent‐based, simulation framework.

Location  East Texas and Louisiana, USA.

Methods  We drew upon extensive field data from the US Forest Service and the US Geological Survey to calculate spread rate from 2003 to 2008 and to parameterize logistic regression models estimating habitat quality for Chinese tallow within individual habitat cells. We applied the regression analyses to represent population spread rate as a function of habitat quality, integrated this function into a logistic model representing local spread, and coupled this model with a dispersal model based on a lognormal kernel within the simulation framework. We simulated invasions beginning in 2003 based on several different dispersal velocities and compared the resulting spatial patterns to those observed in 2008 using cross Mantel’s tests. We then used the best dispersal velocity to predict range expansion to the year 2023.

Results  Chinese tallow invasion is more likely in low and flat areas adjacent to water bodies and roads, and less likely in mature forest stands and in pine plantations where artificial regeneration by planting seedlings is used. Forecasted invasions resulted in a distribution that extended from the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana northward and westward as much as 300 km, representing approximately 1.58 million ha.

Main conclusions  Our new approach of calculating time series projections of annual range expansion should assist land managers and restoration practitioners plan proactive management strategies and treatments. Also, as field sampling continues on the national array of FIA plots, these new data can be incorporated easily into the present model, as well as being used to develop and/or improve models of other invasive plant species.
Geographical variation in patterns of parentage and relatedness in the co‐operatively breeding Ground TitParus humilis
Authors: JOHANNESSEN LARS E. , KE DIANHUA , LU XIN , LIFJELD JAN T.
Published: March 2011

The Ground Tit is a large parid species endemic to the Tibetan Plateau. Here we describe its genetic breeding system based on 2 years of fieldwork on a population from Damshung, Tibet. Genetic relatedness and parentage were analysed using 16 microsatellite markers and sex was determined with a marker on the Z and W chromosomes. We established that 16 of 75 families (21%) were assisted by one or occasionally two male helpers, which in most cases were young from a previous brood of one or both of the breeding adults. The helpers typically stayed with their families throughout the breeding season. Helpers never obtained any paternity in their own families, but one helper was identified as the sire in the only instance of extra‐group (and extra‐pair) parentage detected. Thus, the level of extra‐group/extra‐pair parentage appears to be very low in this Ground Tit population, and sharing of reproduction within family groups is apparently absent. Our results contrast with the findings from another Ground Tit population in Gansu, further northeast in China, with respect to both the number and sex of helpers and the division of parentage within and among family groups. In Gansu, helpers regularly produced offspring and both extra‐pair and extra‐group paternity as well as maternity (egg dumping) was common. Differences in family structure, philopatry, territoriality and potential inclusive fitness benefits can probably explain this contrast, and are likely to reflect the relative costs and benefits of co‐operative breeding.
Patterns of refractive change in myopic subjects during the incipient phase of presbyopia: a preliminary study
Authors: Pointer Jonathan S , Gilmartin Bernard
Published: March 2011

Citation information: Pointer JS & Gilmartin B. Patterns of refractive change in myopic subjects during the incipient phase of presbyopia: a preliminary study. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2011, 31, 487–493. doi: 10.1111/j.1475‐1313.2011.00832.x

Purpose:  Changes in refractive error are well documented over the typical human lifespan. However, a relatively neglected period of investigation appears to be during the late fourth decade; this is at the incipient phase of presbyopia (IP), where the amplitude of accommodation is much reduced and approaches the level where a first reading addition is anticipated. Significantly, informal clinical observation has suggested a low incidence of an unexpected abrupt increase in myopia during IP.

Methods:  We investigated this alleged myopic shift retrospectively by mapping the longitudinal refraction histories of normally‐sighted 35–44 years old British White patients previously examined in routine optometric practice. The refractive trends in the right eyes of healthy myopic subjects (spherical equivalent refraction, SER ≤−0.50 D: N = 39) were analysed relative to that point at which a first near dioptric addition was considered to be clinically useful.

Results:  A refractive change was evident in some subjects during IP; viz, an abrupt increase in myopic SER of between −0.50 and −0.75 D. These individuals (N = 8) represented 20% of the study population of myopic incipient presbyopes. Beyond the pivotal point of the first near addition the longitudinal refraction stabilized in these subjects. In contrast, and as the extent of the available longitudinal data would permit, the remaining myopic eyes maintained an approximately stable refractive trend throughout IP and beyond.

Conclusions:  The anatomical or physiological basis of this specific late (non‐developmental) abrupt myopic refractive change is an intriguing issue. Axial (vitreous chamber elongation), corneal (contour) and lenticular (profile and index) power bases, alone or in concert, might be considered candidates for this hitherto unexplored refractive phenomenon. Although necessarily obtained under conventional conditions of central (0 deg) fixation, our data might also be a reflection of the recent recognition of the possible influence of the peripheral refraction upon the axial error. Consideration of this material provides an impetus for further research, including ocular biometry, a reappraisal of ciliary zonular functional anatomy, renewed investigation of the AC/A ratio, and the extent of a centripetal refractive influence on myopia development.
CHARACTERIZING THE MICROMORPHOLOGY OF SEDIMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH CHINCHORRO MUMMIFICATION IN ARICA, CHILE USING SEM AND EDS
Authors: VAN HOESEN J. , ARRIAZA B.
Published: March 2011

We use scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy‐dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) to analyse clay sediments used during the mummification process of Chinchorro mummies from northern Chile. The significance of this study is that no prior work has characterized the sediment used by the Chinchorro during mortuary preparation and this approach offers a necessary preliminary step towards identifying modern equivalents for the materials used by the Chinchorro. Understanding the unique characteristics of this material may also help understand why they are so well preserved and aid in the future curation of Chinchorro mummies.
MEASURING AND DECOMPOSING CAPITAL INPUT COST
Authors: BALK BERT M.
Published: March 2011

The measurement of total factor productivity change (or difference) vis‐à‐vis labor productivity change crucially depends on the measurement and decomposition of capital input cost. This paper discusses the basics of its measurement and shows that one can dispense with the usual neoclassical assumptions. By virtue of its structural features, the measurement model is applicable to individual establishments and aggregates such as industries, sectors, or economies.
FORECASTING FDI EQUITY INCOME FOR THE DANISH BALANCE OF PAYMENTS
Authors: DAMGAARD JANNICK , LAURSEN MATHIES LAU FRIIS , WEDERKINCK ROBERT
Published: March 2011

Late and significant revisions are often observed in FDI equity income in many countries, hampering the quality of preliminary balance of payments statistics. We test a range of models on Danish data and find that forecasts for FDI equity income based on a combination of past profitability and consensus data for changes in expected private consumption growth outperform forecasts solely based on historical profitability. When the refined models are applied to the Danish balance of payments, the largest improvements are observed for outward and inward FDI separately. Revisions of net FDI equity income only decrease marginally because the significant revisions in gross terms resulting from the historical models have a tendency to (partly) cancel out each other on a net basis.
Epithelium integrity is crucial for the relaxant activity of brain natriuretic peptide in human isolated bronchi
Authors: Matera Maria G. , Calzetta Luigino , Passeri Daniela , Facciolo Francesco , Rendina Erino A. , Page Clive , Cazzola Mario , Orlandi Augusto
Published: March 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSEBrain natriuretic peptide (BNP) plays an important role in several biological functions, including bronchial relaxation. Here, we have investigated the role of BNP and its cognate receptors in human bronchial tone.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHEffects of BNP on responses to carbachol and histamine were evaluated in non‐sensitized, passively sensitized, epithelium‐intact or denuded isolated bronchi and in the presence of methoctramine,Nω‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester (L‐NAME) and aminoguanidine. Natriuretic peptide receptors (NPRs) were investigated by immunohistochemistry, RT‐PCR and real‐time PCR. Release of NO and acetylcholine from bronchial tissues and cultured BEAS‐2B bronchial epithelial cells was also investigated.

KEY RESULTSBNP reduced contractions mediated by carbachol and histamine, with decreased Emax(carbachol: 22.7 ± 4.7%; histamine: 59.3 ± 1.8%) and increased EC50(carbachol: control 3.33 ± 0.88 µM, BNP 100 ± 52.9 µM; histamine: control 16.7 ± 1.7 µM, BNP 90 ± 30.6 µM); BNP was ineffective in epithelium‐denuded bronchi. Among NPRs, only atrial NPR (NPR1) transcripts were detected in bronchial tissue. Bronchial NPR1 immunoreactivity was detected in epithelium and inflammatory cells but faint or absent in airway smooth muscle cells. NPR1 transcripts in bronchi increased after incubation with BNP, but not after sensitization. Methoctramine and quinine abolished BNP‐induced relaxant activity. The latter was associated with increased bronchial mRNA for NO synthase and NO release, inhibited by L‐NAME and aminoguanidine.In vitro, BNP increased acetylcholine release from bronchial epithelial cells, whereas NO release was unchanged.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONSEpithelial cells mediate the BNP‐induced relaxant activity in human isolated bronchi.
Indirect georeferencing of digital SLR imagery using signalised lidar control points
Authors: Mitishita Edson , Cortes João , Centeno Jorge
Published: March 2011

Photogrammetric and lidar data‐sets have been used together in mapping procedures because of their complementary characteristics. However, to perform this integration both data‐sets must be within a common reference frame. Although all lidar systems include a direct georeferencing procedure, the majority of low‐cost photogrammetric systems do not have a facility for direct georeferencing of images even if the data‐sets are captured simultaneously. In recent years, the high accuracy of the lidar data has enabled it to provide a source of photogrammetric control and thus to offer indirect georeferencing. This paper presents a methodology for the indirect georeferencing of digital SLR images using signalised lidar control points, together with the results obtained. The intensity image and raw lidar data‐set were used to extract 3D coordinates of signalised control points. Two bundle adjustments of 21 images were performed. In the first case the coordinates of the control points were obtained by using GPS survey. In the second, they were extracted from a lidar data‐set. The results obtained from these experiments confirm the feasibility of the proposed methodology.
Moxifloxacin‐Containing Triple Therapy versus Bismuth‐Containing Quadruple Therapy for Second‐Line Treatment of Helicobacter pylori Infection: A Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Wu Cheng , Chen Xiao , Liu Jing , Li Ming‐Yang , Zhang Zi‐Qi , Wang Zhi‐Qiang
Published: March 2011

Background:  Moxifloxacin‐containing triple therapy has been suggested as an alternative second‐line therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection.

Aims:  To systematically review the efficacy and tolerance of moxifloxacin‐containing triple therapy in second‐line H. pylori eradication, and to conduct a meta‐analysis of studies comparing this regimen with bismuth‐containing quadruple therapy.

Materials and Methods:  Electronic databases including Medline, Embase, Cochrane controlled trials register, Web of Science, PubMed, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (updated to December 2010), and manual searches were conducted. A meta‐analysis of all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing moxifloxacin‐containing triple therapy to bismuth‐containing quadruple therapy in the second‐line treatment of H. pylori infection was performed.

Results:  Seven RCTs including 787 patients were assessed. The meta‐analysis showed that the eradication rate in the moxifloxacin group was significantly higher than that in the quadruple therapy group (74.9 vs 61.4%, OR 1.89, 95% CI: 1.38–2.58, p < .0001); besides, the rates of side effects and discontinuing therapy because of side effects in the moxifloxacin group were significantly lower than those in the quadruple therapy group (side effects: 10.1 vs 27.8%, OR 0.27, 95% CI: 0.18–0.41, p < .00001; discontinuing therapy because of side effects: 1.4 vs 8.2%, OR 0.18, 95% CI: 0.08–0.40, p < .0001). These results were constant in the sensitivity analyses.

Conclusion:  Moxifloxacin‐containing triple regimen is more effective and better tolerated than the bismuth‐containing quadruple therapy in the second‐line treatment of H. pylori infection.