bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Movement, injuries and growth of members of a natural population of the Pacific pygmy octopus, Octopus digueti
Authors: Voight Janet R.
Published: July 2009

Sampling inadequacies and an inability to distinguish age classes have limited our knowledge of octopus biology in nature. Using an artificial shelter sampling technique (Voight, 1988a), and defining mature males by the presence of enlarged suckers (Voight, In press), an intertidal population of Octopus digueti was monitored for one year.

In total, 803 octopuses were narcotized; the mass, sex, arm injuries and reproductive condition of each octopus were recorded. Captures were more frequent in lower intertidal areas offering higher shelter availability and a more moderate environment. Capture rates, assumed to indicate octopus movement, correlated with sea temperature except during full moon periods when they were reduced. Over 26%, of the octopuses handled had damaged arms or arm tips, with dorsal arm pairs more often injured. The overall sex ratio was significantly male biased, probably due to maturity‐linked mobility differences between the sexes.

Reproduction occurred throughout the year; reproductively competent adults, brooding females and juveniles were present every month. However, annual temperature oscillations synchronize spring hatching of eggs spawned from winter to early spring, creating a clear spring cohort. Growth and age at maturity of males in the spring and autumn cohorts were estimated. Variance was too high for these parameters to be estimated in the winter cohort. Growth rates of males over 12 weeks of age did not differ from those reported in laboratory rearing studies. Estimated average age at maturity ranged from 20 to 32 weeks, depending on temperature.
Population studies and reproduction of the feral cattle (Bos taurus) of Amsterdam Island, Indian Ocean
Authors: Berteaux D. , Micol T.
Published: July 2009

Amsterdam Island has supported a population of feral cattle since 1871. In 1987 a fence was erected across the island, and in 1988 and 1989 the whole population (n = 1059) living south of the fence (study area) was removed. Nine hundred and sixty one culls were analysed. Age of calves indicated that reproduction was seasonal, as 78% of births occurred within four months. Age at first calving ranged from 2–4 years. An estimation of the fertility (rate of conception) was 0‐73 foetuses per cow per year.

In the north part of the study area, 50–80 males have been killed for beef each year since 1951. The effect of hunting was analysed and a zone where cattle had been free from human interference was defined. In this zone sex ratio was biased towards males (252 M:201 F), owing to female biased mortality in individuals older than three years. The cause of the biased mortality might be a differential use of food resources between sexes.
Predatory shell drilling by two species of Austroginella (Gastropoda: Marginellidae)
Authors: Ponder W. F. , Taylor J. D.
Published: July 2009

Predatory shell drilling of bivalve mollusc shells is reported for the gastropods Austroginella johnstoni and A. muscaria from south‐eastern Australia. This is the first record of this feeding behaviour in the family Marginellidae. The drill holes are circular and paraboloid, with a small inner penetration hole. The corroded nature of the aragonite crystals within the drill holes suggests a chemical dissolution drilling mechanism. No obvious accessory boring organ was located. The gastropods have subepithelial gland cells in the proboscis, a pair of small salivary glands and a large foregut gland. The latter has a duct bypassing the valve of Leiblein and joining the anterior oesophagus.
Root‐derived CO2 efflux via xylem stream rivals soil CO2 efflux
Authors: Aubrey Doug P. , Teskey Robert O.
Published: July 2009

DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.03019.xCommentary p 4
The first Holocene relative sea‐level curve from the middle part of Hardangerfjorden, western Norway
Authors: ROMUNDSET ANDERS , LOHNE ØYSTEIN S. , MANGERUD JAN , SVENDSEN JOHN INGE
Published: July 2009

Romundset, A., Lohne, Ø. S., Mangerud, J. & Svendsen, J. I. 2009: The first Holocene relative sea‐level curve from the middle part of Hardangerfjorden, western Norway. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2009.00108.x. ISSN 0300‐9483.

The first relative sea‐level (RSL) curve from the mid‐Hardangerfjorden area covering the entire Holocene is presented. The curve is based on a series of AMS 14C dates on terrestrial plant macrofossils across the isolation level in each of five lakes located between 3.5 and 74.5 m a.s.l. During the first 1200 years, the RSL fell very rapidly from the marine limit at 98 m a.s.l. to 33 m a.s.l., i.e. at a rate of 5.4 cm yr−1. The emergence rate then slowed considerably and was close to standstill 8000–6500 cal. yr BP. However, an emergence of 16.5 m has taken place during the past 6000 years. Radiocarbon dates of terrestrial plant macrofossils from the basal strata in a lake above the marine limit and mollusc shells from glaciomarine silt in the isolation basins yielded a mean age for the local ice‐margin retreat of 11 300 cal. yr BP. This verifies that Hardangerfjorden was glaciated during the Younger Dryas – an interpretation that has recently been disputed. The ice margin retreated at a rate of about 300 m yr−1 from the position of the Younger Dryas moraine to this site some 60 km further into the fjord.
River sections at the Byzovaya Palaeolithic site – keyholes into the late Quaternary of northern European Russia
Authors: HEGGEN HERBJØRN PRESTHUS , SVENDSEN JOHN INGE , MANGERUD JAN
Published: July 2009

Heggen, H. P., Svendsen, J. I. & Mangerud, J. 2009: River sections at the Byzovaya Palaeolithic site – keyholes into the late Quaternary of northern European Russia. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2009.00109.x. ISSN 0300‐9483.

The geological history of northern European Russia over the past two glacial cycles is reconstructed from the stratigraphy in river bluffs along the upper reaches of the Pechora River. From a till bed near the base of the sections it is inferred that the Barents–Kara Ice Sheet covered the area during the late Saalian (MIS 6). After deglaciation, and prior to the last interglacial, the area was flooded by an ice‐dammed lake, suggesting that the Pechora Basin was blocked by a subsequent ice advance at the very end of the Saalian. Ice‐wedge casts and periglacial sediments reflect a pronounced cooling with formation of permafrost during the Early Weichselian (MIS 5d). An overlying thick sequence of shallow lacustrine sediments accumulated in the ice‐dammed Lake Komi, formed by the advancing Barents–Kara Ice Sheet 80–100 kyr BP (MIS 5b?). Following drainage of the lake, many of the older formations were eroded by fluvial activity. Animal remains found together with palaeolithic artefacts within debrisflow sediments at the base of one of the incised gullies yielded radiocarbon ages around 28 000–30 000 14C yr BP (33–34 cal. kyr BP). The surface with traces of human activities was subsequently covered by aeolian sediments representing the northern extension of the European belt of periglacial coversand that accumulated in the cold and dry climate during the late Weichselian (MIS 2). The results of this work confirm the assumption that the last shelf‐centred ice sheet that covered this part of Russia occurred during the late Saalian (MIS 6), but that this glaciation was followed by a younger and less extensive ice advance that has not been described before. There are no indications that local glaciers originating in the Ural Mountains reached the Pechora River valley throughout the last two glacial cycles.
Gaining Traction: Retreading the Wheels of Marine Conservation
Authors: DOUKAKIS PHAEDRA , PARSONS E. C. M. , BURNS WILLIAM C. G. , SALOMON ANNE K. , HINES ELLEN , CIGLIANO JOHN A.
Published: July 2009

Abstract:  A number of international treaties address the conservation of marine resources. The declining state of the world's oceans suggests that these treaties are not succeeding and could use improvement. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is increasingly embracing the conservation of marine species. We examine the evolution of marine species protection under CITES and illuminate some of the mechanisms used and challenges faced in implementing CITES protection. We found that clarification is needed on when and where CITES applies and how CITES should work with other treaties and institutions. The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) can contribute to increased effectiveness of CITES for marine conservation. Foremost, the SCB community could foster dialogue on creating a broad vision of how CITES should apply to marine species and how it can synergistically interact with other important marine‐conservation treaties and institutions. More specific contributions could focus on defining listing criteria for marine species, improving the science behind the nondetriment finding, and offering technical guidance on species proposals. A future role for SCB could be to contribute to the enhanced effectiveness of other marine conservation agreements such as the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, the International Whaling Commission, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Conservation Focus on Europe: Major Conservation Policy Issues That Need to Be Informed by Conservation Science
Authors: PULLIN ANDREW S. , BÁLDI ANDRÁS , CAN OZGUN EMRE , DIETERICH MARTIN , KATI VASSILIKI , LIVOREIL BARBARA , LÖVEI GABOR , MIHÓK BARBARA , NEVIN OWEN , SELVA NURIA , SOUSA‐PINTO ISABEL
Published: July 2009

Abstract:  Europe is one of the world's most densely populated continents and has a long history of human‐dominated land‐ and seascapes. Europe is also at the forefront of developing and implementing multinational conservation efforts. In this contribution, we describe some top policy issues in Europe that need to be informed by high‐quality conservation science. These include evaluation of the effectiveness of the Natura 2000 network of protected sites, implications of rapid economic and subsequent land‐use change in Central and Eastern Europe, conservation of marine biodiversity and sustainability of fisheries, the effect of climate change on movement of species in highly fragmented landscapes, and attempts to assess the economic value of ecosystem services and biodiversity. Broad policy issues such as those identified are not easily amenable to scientific experiment. A key challenge at the science–policy interface is to identify the research questions underlying these problem areas so that conservation science can provide evidence to underpin future policy development.
A Generic Impact‐Scoring System Applied to Alien Mammals in Europe
Authors: NENTWIG WOLFGANG , KÜHNEL ELFI , BACHER SVEN
Published: July 2009

Abstract:  We present a generic scoring system that compares the impact of alien species among members of large taxonomic groups. This scoring can be used to identify the most harmful alien species so that conservation measures to ameliorate their negative effects can be prioritized. For all alien mammals in Europe, we assessed impact reports as completely as possible. Impact was classified as either environmental or economic. We subdivided each of these categories into five subcategories (environmental: impact through competition, predation, hybridization, transmission of disease, and herbivory; economic: impact on agriculture, livestock, forestry, human health, and infrastructure). We assigned all impact reports to one of these 10 categories. All categories had impact scores that ranged from zero (minimal) to five (maximal possible impact at a location). We summed all impact scores for a species to calculate "potential impact" scores. We obtained "actual impact" scores by multiplying potential impact scores by the percentage of area occupied by the respective species in Europe. Finally, we correlated species’ ecological traits with the derived impact scores. Alien mammals from the orders Rodentia, Artiodactyla, and Carnivora caused the highest impact. In particular, the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), muskrat (Ondathra zibethicus), and sika deer (Cervus nippon) had the highest overall scores. Species with a high potential environmental impact also had a strong potential economic impact. Potential impact also correlated with the distribution of a species in Europe. Ecological flexibility (measured as number of different habitats a species occupies) was strongly related to impact. The scoring system was robust to uncertainty in knowledge of impact and could be adjusted with weight scores to account for specific value systems of particular stakeholder groups (e.g., agronomists or environmentalists). Finally, the scoring system is easily applicable and adaptable to other taxonomic groups.
How to Build an Efficient Conservation Fence
Authors: BODE MICHAEL , WINTLE BRENDAN
Published: July 2009

Abstract:  Barriers are used to achieve diverse objectives in conservation and biosecurity. In conservation management, fences are often erected to exclude introduced predators and to contain diseased animals or invasive species. Planning an efficient conservation fence involves a number of decisions, including the size and design of the enclosure. We formulated the first general framework for building a fence that minimizes long‐term management costs by balancing the expense of constructing a more secure barrier against the costs of coping with more frequent failures. The approach systematically considers the range of potential solutions to a well‐defined fencing problem and results in a solution that maximizes conservation return on investment. We illustrated this method by designing efficient fences to address two different conservation goals: exclusion of invasive predators from populations of threatened eastern barred bandicoots (Perameles gunnii) and maintenance of isolated populations of healthy Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii). A systematic approach to conservation fencing allows the best fence design to be chosen quantitatively and defensibly. It also facilitates conservation decisions at a strategic level by allowing fencing to be compared transparently with alternative conservation management actions.
Identifying Anomalous Reports of Putatively Extinct Species and Why It Matters
Authors: ROBERTS DAVID L. , ELPHICK CHRIS S. , REED J. MICHAEL
Published: July 2009

Abstract:  As species become very rare and approach extinction, purported sightings can stir controversy, especially when scarce management resources are at stake. We used quantitative methods to identify reports that do not fit prior sighting patterns. We also examined the effects of including records that meet different evidentiary standards on quantitative extinction assessments for four charismatic bird species that might be extinct: Eskimo Curlew (Numenius borealis), Ivory‐billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis), Nukupu`u (Hemignathus lucidus), and O`ahu `Alauahio (Paroreomyza maculata). For all four species the probability of there being a valid sighting today, given the past pattern of verified sightings, was estimated to be very low. The estimates of extinction dates and the chance of new sightings, however, differed considerably depending on the criteria used for data inclusion. When a historical sighting record lacked long periods without sightings, the likelihood of new sightings declined quickly with time since the last confirmed sighting. For species with this type of historical record, therefore, new reports should meet an especially high burden of proof to be acceptable. Such quantitative models could be incorporated into the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List criteria to set evidentiary standards required for unconfirmed sightings of “possibly extinct” species and to standardize extinction assessments across species.
Dynamic or Static Capabilities? Process Management Practices and Response to Technological Change*
Authors: Benner Mary J.
Published: July 2009

Whether and how organizations adapt to changes in their environments has been a prominent theme in organization and strategy research. Within this research, there is controversy about whether organizational routines hamper or facilitate adaptation. Organizational routines give rise to inertia but are also the vehicles for change in recent work on dynamic capabilities. This rising interest in routines in research coincides with an increase in management practices focused on organizational routines and processes. This study explores how the increasing use of process management practices affected organizational response to a major technological change through new product developments. The empirical setting is the photography industry over a decade, during the shift from silver‐halide chemistry to digital technology. The advent and rise of practices associated with the new ISO 9000 certification program in the 1990s coincided with increasing technological substitution in photography, allowing for assessing how increasing attention to routines through ISO 9000 practices over time affected ongoing responsiveness to the technological change. The study further compares the effects for the incumbent firms in the existing technology with nonincumbent firms entering from elsewhere. Relying on longitudinal panel data models as well as hazard models, findings show that greater process management practices dampened response to new generations of digital technology, but this effect differed for incumbents and nonincumbents. Increasing use of process management practices over time had a greater negative effect on incumbents' response to the rapid technological change. The study contributes to research in technological change by highlighting specific management practices that may create disconnects between firms' capabilities and changing environments and disadvantage incumbents in the face of radical technological change. This research also contributes to literature on organizational routines and capabilities. Studying the effects of increasing ISO 9000 practices undertaken in firms provides an opportunity to gauge the effects of systematic routinization of organizational activities and their effects on adaptation. This research also contributes to management practice. The promise of process management is to help firms adapt to changing environments, and, as such, managers facing technological change may adopt process management practices as a response to uncertainty and change. But managers must more fully understand the potential benefits and risks of process management to ensure these practices are used in the appropriate contexts.
Managing Flow: A Process Theory of the Knowledge‐Based Firm by Ikujiro Nonaka, Ryoko Toyama, and Toru Hirata in collaboration with Susan J. Bigelow, Ayano Hirose, and Florian Kohlbacher
Authors: Hart Mark A.
Published: July 2009

Books reviewed in this issue:

Managing Flow: A Process Theory of the Knowledge‐Based Firm

Strategy, Innovation, and Change: Challenges for Management

Marketing Metaphoria: What Deep Metaphors Reveal about the Minds of Consumers
Percutaneous Epicardial Radiofrequency Ablation of Ventricular Arrhythmias After Failure of Endocardial Approach: A 9‐Year Experience
Authors: GRIMARD CAROLINE , LACOTTE JÉRÔME , HIDDEN‐LUCET FRANÇOISE , DUTHOIT GUILLAUME , GALLAIS YVES , FRANK ROBERT
Published: July 2009

Epicardial RF Ablation After Endocardial Approach. Introduction: Management of recurrent ventricular tachycardia (VT) remains difficult. Neither medical treatments nor conventional endocardial radiofrequency (RF) ablation are efficient to prevent some recurrences. In these cases, a percutaneous pericardial approach may be required.

Methods: Among all the patients referred to our center between 1998 and 2007 for a VT ablation, 276 endocardial and 35 epicardial procedures were performed, the latter in case of failure of the conventional approach. We report in this study the efficacy and the safety of these 35 interventions analyzed retrospectively.

Results: Thirty‐five epicardial procedures were attempted in 32 patients. An electric storm was present in 5 of 32 (16%) patients, with other individuals presenting with a recurrent VT despite drug therapy and a previous endocardial ablation. Pericardial space was reached in 28 of 32 patients by a xyphoidian puncture. An immediate success of RF on clinical VT was obtained in 22 of 29 (76%) cases. During a mean follow‐up of 384 ± 405 days, only 9 patients (26%) experienced a recurrence of a sustained VT. One patient died from tamponade during the procedure despite surgical drainage. Other complications had no significant consequences.

Conclusion: Percutaneous epicardial puncture is feasible and relatively safe in patients with recurrent VT in whom conventional endocardial RF ablation failed. Epicardial RF ablation offers a high success rate in these challenging patients with only few severe complications. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 21, pp. 56–61, January 2010)
Hybrid Literacies: The Case of a Quechua Community in the Andes
Authors: De La Piedra María Teresa
Published: July 2009

Drawing on data from an ethnographic study in a Quechua rural community in the Peruvian Andes, this article examines hybrid literacy practices among bilingual rural speakers in the context of the household and the community. I examine the coexistence of two types of textual practices that operate side by side, at times integrated in the same activity. Hybrid literacies in this Andean community challenge narrow views of literacy, because they include diverse media of communication. [Peru, Quechua language, Indigenous education, literacy, communities]
Becoming Neuquino in Mapuzugun: Teaching Mapuche Language and Culture in the Province of Neuquén, Argentina
Authors: Szulc Andrea
Published: July 2009

This article explores the sense of belonging promoted by the current program of Educación Intercultural Bilingüe (EIB) of the province of Neuquén for Mapuche children, examining the design and implementation of this program. The analysis reveals how this program reinforces a hegemonic definition of Mapuche identity, which relegates Mapuche culture to times past and to a rural setting. At the same time, the program subordinates the Mapuche identity to the provincial realm, and merges it with the Argentine and Catholic identities in supposed “harmony.” [Mapuche childhood, sense of belonging, bilingual intercultural education, Indigenous policy]
Sexual Dimorphism of the Humerus in Contemporary Cretans—A Population‐Specific Study and a Review of the Literature*
Authors: Kranioti Elena F. , Michalodimitrakis Manolis
Published: July 2009

Abstract: Sex determination is the first essential step for positive identification when a decomposed body is recovered. Taking into consideration the population aspect of sexual dimorphism of the skeleton, the present study aimed to create a sex identification technique using osteometric standards, derived from a contemporary Cretan population. A total of 168 left humeri were measured according to standard osteometric techniques. The differences between the means in males and females were significant (p < 0.0005). About 92.3% of cases were correctly classified when all measurements were applied jointly. Stepwise procedure produced an accuracy rate of 92.9%. The most effective single dimension was vertical head diameter (89.9%). The current study provides standards for a population that has not been represented so far in the existing databases. It demonstrates that the humerus is an effective bone for the estimation of sex because even in a fragmentary state it can give high classification accuracy.
Control of aphids on wheat by generalist predators: effects of predator density and the presence of alternative prey
Authors: Oelbermann Katja , Scheu Stefan
Published: July 2009

There is evidence for both positive and negative effects of generalist predators on pest populations and the various reasons for these contrasting observations are under debate. We studied the influence of a generalist predator,Pardosa lugubris(Walckenaer) (Araneae: Lycosidae), on an aphid pest species,Rhopalosiphum padi(L.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae; low food quality for the spider), and its host plant wheat,Triticumspec. (Poaceae). We focused on the role of spider density and the availability of alternative prey,Drosophila melanogasterMeigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae; high food quality). The presence of spiders significantly affected plant performance and aphid biomass. Alternative prey and spider density strongly interacted in affecting aphids and plants. High spider density significantly improved plant performance but also at low spider density plants benefited from spiders especially in the presence of alternative prey. The results suggest that generalist arthropod predators may successfully reduce plant damage by herbivores. However, their ability to control prey populations varies with predator nutrition, the control of low‐quality prey being enhanced if alternative higher‐quality prey is available.
The impact of a parasitic nematode, Thripinema fuscum, on the feeding behavior and vector competence of Frankliniella fusca
Authors: Sims Kelly R. , Funderburk Joe E. , Reitz Stuart R. , Boucias Drion G.
Published: July 2009

Frankliniella fusca (Hinds) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is the predominant thrips species found inhabiting and reproducing in peanut, Arachis hypogaea L. (Fabaceae), and is one of at least seven thrips species reported to transmit Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). The entomogenous nematode Thripinema fuscum Tipping & Nguyen (Tylenchida: Allantonematidae), a natural enemy of F. fusca, parasitizes larval and adult populations under field conditions. All known Thripinema species render the host female thrips sterile and have the potential to suppress pest populations to near extinction. As a result, secondary spread of TSWV in peanut is reduced. Reduction of the virus under field conditions may also be due to lower transmission rates caused by parasite‐induced alterations in host feeding behavior. Therefore, the feeding rates of healthy and parasitized F. fusca male and female cohorts on leaf discs were recorded daily for 10 days and digital images were subjected to image analysis and viral transmission rates were compared daily using double antibody sandwich enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Thripinema fuscum reduced the feeding of female F. fusca by nearly 65%, and the ability of females to transmit TSWV by 50%. Potential mechanisms underlying the parasite‐induced alterations in feeding behavior and transmission are discussed. Parasitism by T. fuscum significantly reduced male longevity, but female longevity was not affected. These results provide further evidence that T. fuscum aids in regulating viruliferous F. fusca pest populations and suggests its potential as a biological control agent for inoculative release in peanut.
Clinical relevance and functional implications for human leucocyte antigen‐g expression in non‐small‐cell lung cancer
Authors: Lin A. , Zhu C.‐C. , Chen H.‐X. , Chen B.‐F. , Zhang X. , Zhang J.‐G. , Wang Q. , Zhou W.‐J. , Hu W. , Yang H.‐H. , Xu H.‐H. , Yan W.‐H.
Published: July 2009

HLA‐G has been documented both in establishment of anti‐tumour immune responses and in tumour evasion. To investigate the clinical relevance of HLA‐G in non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC), expression status and potential significance of HLA‐G in NSCLC were analysed. In this study, HLA‐G expression in 101 NSCLC primary lesions and plasma soluble HLA‐G (sHLA‐G) from 91 patients were analysed with immunohistochemistry and ELISA, respectively. Correlations between HLA‐G status and various clinical parameters including survival time were evaluated. Meanwhile, functional analysis of transfected cell surface HLA‐G expression and plasma sHLA‐G form NSCLC patients on natural killer (NK) cell cytolysis were performed. Data revealed that HLA‐G was expressed in 41.6% (42/101) NSCLC primary lesions, while undetectable in adjacent normal lung tissues. HLA‐G expression in NSCLC lesions was strongly correlated to disease stages (P= 0.002). Plasma sHLA‐G from NSCLC patients was markedly higher than that in normal controls (P= 0.004), which was significantly associated with the disease stages (I versus IV, P= 0.025; II versus IV, P= 0.029). Patient plasma sHLA‐G level (≥median, 32.0 U/ml) had a significantly shorter survival time (P= 0.044); however, no similar significance was observed for the lesion HLA‐G expression. In vitro data showed that both cell surface HLA‐G and patient plasma sHLA‐G could dramatically decrease the NK cell cytolysis. Our findings indicated that both lesion HLA‐G expression and plasma sHLA‐G in NSCLC is related to the disease stage and can exert immunosuppression to the NK cell cytolysis, indicating that HLA‐G could be a potential therapeutic target. Moreover, plasma sHLA‐G in NSCLC patients could be used as a prognosis factor for NSCLC.
An immunohistochemical study of laminin in basal cell carcinoma
Authors: Mostafa Wedad Z. , Mahfouz Soheir M. , Bosseila Manal , Sobhi Rehab M. , El‐Nabarawy Eman
Published: July 2009

Background: Laminins are components of the extracellular matrix that mediate cell adhesion, growth, migration, proliferation and differentiation. Basement membrane (BM) laminins, in particular, may play a role in enhancing carcinoma cell motility.

Aim: To evaluate the distribution pattern of laminin in basal cell carcinoma (BCC), as regards the basement membrane, cellular cytoplasm, peritumoral lacunae and surface epithelium and to correlate laminin distribution with different variants of BCC.

Patients and Methods: Skin biopsy specimens were obtained from 21 BCC patients for routine histopathological and immunohistochemical study. Laminin was evaluated qualitatively and semiquantitatively using monoclonal mouse antihuman antibody (Dako‐Laminin, 4C7. Code No: MO638, which reacts with the terminal globular domain of the α5 chain)

Results: The majority of BCC cases showed patchy cytoplasmic distribution of laminin. The BM expression of laminin, in most cases, was well defined, fine and linear with irregular areas of thickening. Staining intensity was moderate in differentiated and mixed variants, weak in superficial spreading and absent in morpheic types.

Conclusion: Cytoplasmic and basement membrane laminin is important in the pathogenesis and invasion of BCC. Most laminin was in basement membrane zone (BMZ), and the more differentiated the tumor, the more cytoplasmic and BM staining it expressed.
Cytophagic and S‐100 protein immunoreactive myeloid leukemia cutis
Authors: Thomas Crystal G. , Patel Rajiv M. , Bergfeld Wilma F.
Published: July 2009

Myeloid leukemia cutis (LC) is the cutaneous involvement by neoplastic leukocytes of the myeloid series. Myeloid LC may occur de novo or concurrently with acute myeloid leukemias, chronic myeloid leukemias, other myeloproliferative disorders or myelodysplastic syndromes. We describe an unusual case of cytophagic S‐100 protein immunoreactive leukemia cutis presenting in an 87‐year‐old woman without prior history of myeloid leukemia or other hematologic disorders. We outline key histologic and immunohistochemical features that aide in the diagnosis of LC. The presence of cytophagocytosis on histologic examination, a phenomenon more commonly associated with lymphoid rather than myeloid malignancies, provided a clue to the possibility of a malignant process. The atypical myeloid infiltrate showed S‐100 protein positivity, an unusual finding that may be seen in LC. Although not commonly reported in LC, the presence of S‐100 protein positivity and cytophagocytosis should not lead to the premature exclusion of LC as a possible diagnosis until a thorough clinical, histologic and immunohistochemical evaluation is performed. In addition, the presence of cytophagocytosis has been shown to have prognostic significance for patients with myeloid leukemia.

Thomas CG, Patel RM, Bergfeld WF. Cytophagic and S‐100 protein immunoreactive myeloid leukemia cutis.
Basal cell carcinoma with perineural invasion: reexcision perineural invasion?
Authors: Bechert Charles J. , Stern Jere B.
Published: July 2009

Background: Perineural invasion (PI) in basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, especially of the head and neck, has been reported to indicate an increased morbidity. Reexcision perineural invasion (RPI), a benign mimic of tumoral perineural invasion, may present a difficult histologic differential diagnosis.

Methods: We surveyed the medical literature for PI occurring in basal cell carcinomas to investigate the degree to which the reported cases occurred in reexcision specimens vs. primary biopsy specimens.

Results: We found large retrospective studies of 14,120 basal cell carcinomas evaluated for PI in which 310 cases of PI were identified (2.2%), and 20 sporadic case reports of basal cell carcinomas with PI. Of 310 cases of basal cell carcinoma with PI, 196 (63%) were in reexcision specimens. Of 20 sporadic reports, 17 (85%) were in reexcision specimens.

Conclusion: The high percentage of PI occurring in reexcision specimens vs. primary excisions may indicate that many of the reported cases of basal cell carcinomas with PI are actually examples of RPI.

Bechert CJ, Stern JB. Basal cell carcinoma with perineural invasion: reexcision perineural invasion?
Giant superficial angiomyxoma of the vulva: a case report and review of the literature
Authors: Kim Hyun‐Soo , Kim Gou Young , Lim Sung‐Jig , Ki Kyung‐Do , Kim Hyun Cheol
Published: July 2009

Superficial angiomyxomas (SAMs) are rare, benign cutaneous tumors frequently involving the subcutis. Only 15 cases of SAM involving the vulva have been reported, ranging from 0.9 to 4 cm in diameter. A 26‐year‐old woman presented with a 7‐year history of a large, pedunculated cutaneous mass on the left labium major, measuring 12.5 × 11 × 10.5 cm and mimicking a soft tissue sarcoma. The mass was relatively well‐circumscribed, but unencapsulated and multilobulated. Microscopically, the mass showed a conglomerate of moderately‐to‐sparsely cellular angiomyxoid lobules. Each lobule consisted of scattered spindle‐shaped or stellate tumor cells set in an abundant myxoid stroma. Thin‐walled, small‐to‐medium‐sized blood vessels were distributed diffusely throughout the stroma. Scattered stromal neutrophils were also observed. No large vessels or plexiform capillaries were apparent. There was no perivascular accentuation of stromal cells or smooth muscle bundles. The tumor cells constantly expressed vimentin, CD34, CD44 and S‐100, but none expressed estrogen receptors (ERs) and progesterone receptors (PRs), desmin or cytokeratin. Together, these findings were diagnostic of a SAM. Giant SAMs of the vulva can mimic aggressive angiomyxomas (AAMs) and angiomyofibroblastomas (AMB), as well as soft tissue sarcomas. Giant SAMs should be included in the differential diagnosis of vulvar soft tissue tumors.

Kim H‐S, Kim GY, Lim S‐J, Ki K‐D, Kim HC. Giant superficial angiomyxoma of the vulva: a case report and review of the literature.
Low‐affinity nerve growth factor receptor (P75 NGFR) as a marker of perineural invasion in malignant melanomas
Authors: Chan Maren M. , Tahan Steven R.
Published: July 2009

Background: Perineural invasion (PNI) is a well‐recognized route of tumor extension in cutaneous neoplasms. Despite an established association with increased local recurrences and metastases, the mechanisms responsible for PNI have yet to be elucidated. We hypothesize that P75 NGFR, a nerve growth factor receptor, may be implicated in the pathogenesis of PNI in these tumors.

Methods: P75 NGFR immunohistochemical staining was performed on 47 skin tumors with PNI including invasive squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs = 29), basal cell carcinomas (BCCs = 8) and malignant melanomas (MMs = 10). These were compared with similar lesions without PNI (SCCs = 7, BCCs = 7 and MMs = 9).

Results: P75 NGFR staining was absent in all invasive SCCs irrespective of the presence of PNI (n = 0/36). Two BCCs with PNI (n = 2/8) and three without PNI (n = 3/7) showed focal P75 NGFR staining. Interestingly, 8 of 10 invasive MMs with PNI had positive P75 NGFR expression (80%), in contrast to only 1 of 9 without PNI (11%).

Conclusions: P75 NGFR may play a mechanistic role in invasive MMs demonstrating PNI. Furthermore, its expression may serve as a marker of PNI in those tumors that lack histological evidence of nerve involvement at the time of excision.

Chan MM, Tahan SR. Low‐affinity nerve growth factor receptor (P75 NGFR) as a marker of perineural invasion in malignant melanomas.
Melatonin downregulates nuclear erythroid 2‐related factor 2 and nuclear factor‐kappaB during prevention of oxidative liver injury in a dimethylnitrosamine model
Authors: Jung Kyung Hee , Hong Sang‐Won , Zheng Hong‐Mei , Lee Don‐Haeng , Hong Soon‐Sun
Published: July 2009

Abstract:  Melatonin has potent hepatoprotective effects as an antioxidant. However, the signaling pathway of melatonin in the induction of antioxidant enzymes against acute liver injury is not fully understood. The study aimed to determine whether melatonin could prevent dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)‐induced liver injury through nuclear erythroid 2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2) and inflammation. Liver injury was induced in rats by a single injection of DMN (30 mg/kg, i.p.). Melatonin treatment (50 mg/kg/daily, i.p.) was initiated 24 hr after DMN injection for 14 days, after which the rats were killed and samples were collected. Serum and antioxidant enzyme activities improved in melatonin‐treated rats, compared with DMN‐induced liver injury group (P < 0.01). Melatonin reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells and necrosis in the liver, and increased the expression of NADPH: quinone oxidoreductase‐1, heme oxygenase‐1, and superoxide dismutase‐2, which were decreased by DMN. Melatonin increased expression of novel transcription factor, Nrf2, and decreased expression of inflammatory mediators including tumor necrosis factor‐alpha, interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐6, and inducible nitric oxide synthase. The increased nuclear binding of nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) in the DMN‐induced liver injury group was inhibited by melatonin. Our results show that melatonin increases antioxidant enzymes and Nrf2 expression in parallel with the decrease of inflammatory mediators in DMN‐induced liver injury, suggesting that melatonin may play a role of antioxidant defense via the Nrf2 pathway, by reducing inflammation by NF‐κB inhibition.
The history of dentistry and medicine relationship: could the mouth finally return to the body?
Authors: Vieira CLZ , Caramelli B
Published: July 2009

The relationship between dentistry and medicine has been acknowledged throughout the history of humanity. This relationship was documented in ancient medicine accounts, and has survived until the present day, accompanied by the evolution of molecular technologies. Although we have had very important researchers’ contributions in this interdisciplinary area, mainly after the 18th century, the knowledge on oral infections is still ignored by or unknown to the majority of clinical dentists and physicians. These circumstances could be changed through a broader divulgation of this complex relationship, both in the dentistry and in the medicine areas, which in turn would have a significant impact in systemic health worldwide. This movement has already started, as was observed in a World Health Assembly resolution which called for oral health to be integrated into chronic disease prevention programs in 2007. This was a significant indicator of changing perceptions of oral health over the past several decades. This brief review reports the evolution through time of the knowledge on the association between dental infections and systemic diseases, as well as the paths which we could take to consolidate this historical trend.
Induction of MMP‐1 (collagenase‐1) by relaxin in fibrocartilaginous cells requires both the AP‐1 and PEA‐3 promoter sites
Authors: Kapila S , Xie Y , Wang W
Published: July 2009

Structured Abstract

Authors –  Kapila S, Xie Y, Wang W

Objectives –  Relaxin induces the matrix metalloproteinase MMP‐1 (collagenase‐1) in TMJ fibrocartilaginous cells, and this response is potentiated by β‐estradiol. We identified the MMP‐1 promoter sites and transcription factors that are induced by relaxin with or without β‐estradiol in fibrocartilaginous cells.

Material and Methods –  Early passage cells were transiently transfected with the pBLCAT2 plasmid containing specific segments of the human MMP‐1 promoter regulating the chloramphenicol acyl transferase (CAT) gene and co‐transfected with a plasmid containing the β‐galactosidase gene. The cells were cultured in serum‐free medium alone or medium containing 0.1 ng/ml relaxin, or 20 ng/ml β‐estradiol or both hormones, and lysates assayed for CAT and β‐galactosidase activity.

Results –  Cells transfected with the −1200/−42 or −139/−42 bp MMP‐1 promoter‐reporter constructs showed 1.5‐fold and 3‐fold induction of CAT by relaxin in the absence or presence of β‐estradiol, respectively. Relaxin failed to induce CAT in the absence of the −137/−69 region of the MMP‐1 promoter, which contains the AP‐1‐and PEA3‐binding sites. Using wild type or mutated minimal AP‐1 and PEA‐3 promoters we found that both these promoter sites are essential for the induction of MMP‐1 by relaxin. The mRNAs for transcription factors c‐fos and c‐jun, which together form the AP‐1 heterodimer, and Ets‐1 that modulates the PEA‐3 site, were upregulated by relaxin or β‐estradiol plus relaxin.

Conclusion –  These studies show that both the AP‐1 and PEA‐3 promoter sites are necessary for the induction of MMP‐1 by relaxin in fibrocartilaginous cells.
Genetic studies of craniofacial anomalies: clinical implications and applications
Authors: Hart TC , Hart PS
Published: July 2009

Structured Abstract

Authors – Hart TC, Hart PS

The objective of the study was to overview the role of genetic research in fostering translational studies of craniofacial diseases of dental interest. Background information is presented to illustrate influences affecting genetic research studies of Mendelian diseases. Genetic studies of amelogenesis imperfecta, dentinogenesis imperfecta, hereditary gingival fibromatosis and Papillon Lefèvre syndrome are reviewed. Findings are presented to illustrate how translational applications of clinical and basic research may improve clinical care. Clinical and basic science research has identified specific genes and mutations etiologically responsible for amelogenesis imperfecta, dentinogenesis imperfecta, hereditary gingival fibromatosis and Papillon Lefèvre syndrome. These findings are enabling researchers to understand how specific genetic alterations perturb normal growth and development of dental tissues. Identification of the genetic basis of these conditions is enabling clinicians and researchers to more fully understand the etiology and clinical consequences of these diseases of dental importance. Findings from genetic studies of dental diseases provide a basis for diagnostic genetic testing and development of therapeutic intervention strategies directed at the underlying disease etiology. These studies are advancing our understanding of the development of dental tissues in health and disease. The dental community must consider how to incorporate these developments into effective disease prevention paradigms to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of individuals with genetic diseases.
High prevalence of impaired fasting glucose in Chinese children and adolescents with prehypertension/hypertension
Authors: Zhao Lei , Ma Ya‐Hong , Xu Jian‐Xin , Li Shu‐Bo , Yang Jin‐Kui
Published: July 2009

Aim:  To assess the prevalence of impaired fasting glucose among Chinese children and adolescents with prehypertension/hypertension (PHP/HP), overweight/obesity (OW/OB) or both in the general population.

Methods:  In total, 3409 children and adolescents among the age group of 10–18 years were enrolled. These subjects were then divided into four groups: OW/OB, PHP/HP, OW/OB + PHP/HP and a control group. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and lipid levels were measured in children with a body mass index ≥85th percentile and/or blood pressure ≥90th percentile and in 100 subjects randomly selected from the control group. The oral glucose tolerance test was performed in all the subjects with fasting glucose ≥5.6 mmol/L.

Results:  Eighty‐one impaired fasting glucose subjects and one girl with type 2 diabetes were identified. The prevalence of impaired fasting glucose in PHP/HP (7.03%) was not significantly different from that in the OW/OB + PHP/HP group (8.59%), but was higher than that in the OW/OB group (3.31%).

Conclusion:  Although the American Diabetes Association does not recommend the FPG test for children and adolescents with PHP/HP, in this study, we found that children and adolescents with PHP/HP have a higher prevalence of impaired fasting glucose than those with OW/OB. Further validation of these findings is warranted and a type 2 diabetes screening protocol for Chinese children and adolescents needs to be established.
Product Innovations in Emerging Economies: The Role of Foreign Knowledge Access Channels and Internal Efforts in Chinese Firms
Authors: Li Jing , Chen Dong , Shapiro Daniel M.
Published: July 2009

In this paper, we theoretically and empirically investigate factors that contribute to product innovation by firms in emerging markets. Combining the innovation literature with the latecomer literature on ‘catch-up’ strategies of firms in newly industrialized economies, we posit that access to foreign knowledge is essential for fostering product innovation. In particular, we investigate how innovation clusters formed by inward foreign direct investments in an emerging market and export activities of a firm are effective channels for acquiring foreign knowledge. We also suggest firms that invest in research and development and marketing activities benefit further from access to foreign knowledge due to increased absorptive capacity. Empirically, we employ information on over 160,000 indigenous manufacturing firms in China in 2005–2006. We find strong empirical support for our theoretical framework and conclude by discussing the implications for both theory and managerial practice.
How to shake the invisible hand (when Robinson meets Friday)
Authors: Billot Antoine
Published: July 2009

We propose defining the invisible hand by: (i) modelling the mechanism itself (rather than just assuming its existence); and (ii) making explicit the limit conditions of its working. For that purpose, we simply assimilate the working of the invisible hand mechanism with the existence of a social preference such that individual and social optimalities are consistent. In introducing the possibility of interaction among individuals, we then suggest that the standard “singleton case,” or “atomistic individualism,” is just an extreme feature of a more general requirement that we call the network agreement. Our main result is that the invisible hand mechanism does keep on working when there is an interaction between Robinson and Friday if the former (respectively, the latter) is sensitive to the latter (respectively, the former) in such a way that they exhibit some agreement in preferences. Hence, the singleton case naturally satisfies this property because neither Robinson nor Friday can disagree with himself. Further cooperative situations are also allowed in order to extent the invisible hand mechanism to cases with interactions.
New Haemolytic Potential Assay on an Alternative Insect Model
Authors: Berger Josef
Published: July 2009

Abstract: A new screening test of a haemolytic potential is presented onSpodopteralarvaein vivo. The assay was evaluated using phenylhydrazine, the well‐known xenobiotic which induces haemolysis in mammals. Haemocyte disintegration causes changes in total haemocyte counts and differentials. It is shown that only qualitative evaluation of panoptically stained haemolymph smears is sufficient, fast and cheap to detect haemolytic potential. The presented assay also prevents unneeded, non‐ethical use of vertebrates.