bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La revista católica Criterio y la defensa del hispanismo durante el segundo gobierno de Juan D. Perón (Argentina, 1952–1955)
Authors: Glozman Mara Ruth
Published: April 2010

El segundo gobierno de Juan D. Perón (1952–1955) fue un período de confrontaciones entre diferentes proyectos político-culturales. En aquel contexto, los intentos del gobierno nacional de distanciarse del discurso hispanista –dominante en las instituciones estatales desde principios del siglo XX– para impulsar la producción de instrumentos lingüísticos propios generaron reacciones de rechazo, en particular de sectores ligados al catolicismo. Este artículo aborda una serie de notas publicadas en 1953 y 1954 por la revista católica Criterio, en las que se reivindica el legado hispánico, la norma literaria y la autoridad académica en materia idiomática. El análisis del corpus da cuenta del conjunto de representaciones y valores con los cuales se legitimó la posición expresada en Criterio, posición en la cual confluían la defensa de la unidad lingüística del español y concepciones prescriptivas ligadas a un proyecto social conservador y jerárquico.
Addiction Treatment Intervention: An Uncontrolled Prospective Pilot Study of Spiritual Self-Schema Therapy with Latina Women
Authors: Amaro Hortensia , Magno-Gatmaytan Cielo , Meléndez Michael , Cortés Dharma E. , Arevalo Sandra , Margolin Arthur
Published: April 2010

Spiritual Self-Schema (3-S) is a weekly 8-session, mindfulness-based, manual-guided, individual intervention targeting addiction and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk behaviors that integrates cognitive behavioral strategies with Buddhist principles and clients’ religious/spiritual beliefs. 3-S is efficacious for reducing drug use and HIV risk behaviors among mixed-gender, methadone-maintained outpatients. The study goal was to conduct a preliminary evaluation of 3-S therapy among urban, low-income Latinas ( n = 13) in residential addiction treatment. Data gathered via in-person interviews (baseline, 8 and 20 weeks postentry) showed high rates of 3-S acceptability and positive changes in a number of outcomes relevant to recovery from addiction and to HIV prevention, including impulsivity, spirituality, motivation for change, and HIV prevention knowledge. The study findings are promising; however, a controlled study with longer follow-up is needed to rigorously assess the efficacy of 3-S therapy with Latinas in substance abuse treatment.
Inferring combined CNV/SNP haplotypes from genotype data
Authors: Su Shu-Yi , Asher Julian E. , Jarvelin Marjo-Riita , Froguel Phillipe , Blakemore Alexandra I.F. , Balding David J. , Coin Lachlan J.M.
Published: April 2010

Motivation: Copy number variations (CNVs) are increasingly recognized as an substantial source of individual genetic variation, and hence there is a growing interest in investigating the evolutionary history of CNVs as well as their impact on complex disease susceptibility. CNV/SNP haplotypes are critical for this research, but although many methods have been proposed for inferring integer copy number, few have been designed for inferring CNV haplotypic phase and none of these are applicable at genome-wide scale. Here, we present a method for inferring missing CNV genotypes, predicting CNV allelic configuration and for inferring CNV haplotypic phase from SNP/CNV genotype data. Our method, implemented in the software polyHap v2.0, is based on a hidden Markov model, which models the joint haplotype structure between CNVs and SNPs. Thus, haplotypic phase of CNVs and SNPs are inferred simultaneously. A sampling algorithm is employed to obtain a measure of confidence/credibility of each estimate.

Results: We generated diploid phase-known CNV–SNP genotype datasets by pairing male X chromosome CNV–SNP haplotypes. We show that polyHap provides accurate estimates of missing CNV genotypes, allelic configuration and CNV haplotypic phase on these datasets. We applied our method to a non-simulated dataset—a region on Chromosome 2 encompassing a short deletion. The results confirm that polyHap's accuracy extends to real-life datasets.

Availability: Our method is implemented in version 2.0 of the polyHap software package and can be downloaded from http://www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/people/l.coin

Contact:  l.coin@imperial.ac.uk

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
“Practically the Uniform of the Tribe”: Dress Codes Among Commercial Travelers
Authors: Popp Andrew , French Michael
Published: April 2010

“Our outer dress does inner work for us, and if clothes “mean”, it is in the first place to ourselves, telling us we are or may be something we have meant to be”

What is it to wear a uniform? Some occupations involve enforced adoption of a uniform, the police and armed services most obviously. Yet other occupations—such as management consultants—adopt styles or codes of dress that, while not enforced, have a currency and coherence such that we might think of them as a tacit uniform. Why—and to what effect—do some occupational groups voluntarily adopt tacit dress codes? This essay will explore those questions in relation to depictions of English traveling salesmen from the start of the nineteenth century to the eve of World War II. Representations of English traveling salesmen (“commercial travelers” in British parlance, the usage that will be adopted hereafter) frequently highlighted their physical appearance and in particular their modes of dress, showing remarkable continuity, certainly across the greater part of the period covered here.
New insights into paracrine mechanisms of human cardiac progenitor cells
Authors: Maxeiner Hagen , Krehbiehl Nina , Müller Andrea , Woitasky Nadine , Akintürk Hakan , Müller Matthias , Weigand Markus A. , Abdallah Yaser , Kasseckert Sascha , Schreckenberg Rolf , Schlüter Klaus‐Dieter , Wenzel Sibylle
Published: April 2010

Aims

Cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) have been shown to promote cardiac regeneration in vivo. Understanding the function of CPCs is essential for further implementation of these cells in the treatment of cardiac diseases. The present study tested the hypothesis that adult CPC exert paracrine effects that lead to an improvement in the functional characteristics of cardiomyocytes. This study also investigated whether aging (we included patients aged between 4 months and 81 years) has any effect on the paracrine mechanisms of CPC.

Methods and results

The supernatant of CPC generated both from human and rat hearts—so called ‘conditioned cardiosphere medium’ improved the contractile behaviour of isolated adult cardiomyocytes in a concentration‐dependent manner after incubation for 24 h and increased the SERCA/NCX ratio. The observed positive effects on contractile behaviour were independent of the CPC donors' age. Conditioned cardiosphere media also normalized angiotensin II‐induced contractile dysfunction. Cytokines released by CPC into the media were detected by cytokine arrays.

Conclusion

The observed diversity of cytokines released by CPC needs to be further elucidated in detail. Nevertheless, CPC are a promising therapeutic approach in the field of cardiac disease. The methods described allow investigation of the underlying paracrine mechanisms in a standardized in vitro situation.
Using biotelemetry to assess the mortality and behaviour of yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis) released with ingested hooks
Authors: Butcher Paul A. , Broadhurst Matt K. , Orchard Beverley A. , Ellis Megan T.
Published: April 2010

Butcher, P. A., Broadhurst, M. K., Orchard, B. A., and Ellis, M. T. 2010. Using biotelemetry to assess the mortality and behaviour of yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis) released with ingested hooks. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 1175–1184. Biotelemetry was used to test the hypotheses of few impacts to yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis) released with ingested hooks. Sixteen sample fish were tagged and tracked (using 18 receivers), along with 32 controls (16 pre-tagged “C1” and 16 simultaneously tagged “C2” fish) for 112 d in Botany Bay, Australia. All fish survived initial release, but seven tags from two C1, four C2, and one hook-ingested fish remained motionless within the first 6 d, and another 23 fish were last detected near the release site (a fish farm). Most disappearances were attributed to recapture by anglers or predation. The latter fatalities were exacerbated among controls, and they possibly resulted from the confounding effects of confinement, including a loss of fitness. Such effects were limited to the first 4 d; after which all fish had similar movements. Most (98%) subsequent detections were within 1 km of the fish farm, likely attributable to the associated habitat and abundant food. Although all fish remained near structures, 18 fish travelled farther. In addition to providing the first fine-scale information on the movements of yellowfin bream, the study validates releasing hook-ingested individuals with the line cut as a means for minimizing mortality.
Evolutionary speed limited by water in arid Australia
Authors: Goldie Xavier , Gillman Len , Crisp Mike , Wright Shane
Published: April 2010

The covariation of biodiversity with climate is a fundamental pattern in nature. However, despite the ubiquity of this relationship, a consensus on the ultimate cause remains elusive. The evolutionary speed hypothesis posits direct mechanistic links between ambient temperature, the tempo of micro-evolution and, ultimately, species richness. Previous research has demonstrated faster rates of molecular evolution in warmer climates for a broad range of poikilothermic and homeothermic organisms, in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. In terrestrial systems, species richness increases with both temperature and water availability and the interaction of those terms: productivity. However, the influence of water availability as an independent variable on micro-evolutionary processes has not been examined previously. Here, using methodology that limits the potentially confounding role of cladogenetic and demographic processes, we report, to our knowledge, the first evidence that woody plants living in the arid Australian Outback are evolving more slowly than related species growing at similar latitudes in moist habitats on the mesic continental margins. These results support a modified evolutionary speed explanation for the relationship between the water-energy balance and plant diversity patterns.
Robust Circadian Rhythms of Gene Expression inBrassica rapaTissue Culture
Authors: Xu Xiaodong , Xie Qiguang , McClung C. Robertson
Published: April 2010

Circadian clocks provide temporal coordination by synchronizing internal biological processes with daily environmental cycles. To date, study of the plant circadian clock has emphasized Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) as a model, but it is important to determine the extent to which this model applies in other species. Accordingly, we have investigated circadian clock function in Brassica rapa. In Arabidopsis, analysis of gene expression in transgenic plants in which luciferase activity is expressed from clock-regulated promoters has proven a useful tool, although technical challenges associated with the regeneration of transgenic plants has hindered the implementation of this powerful tool in B. rapa. The circadian clock is cell autonomous, and rhythmicity has been shown to persist in tissue culture from a number of species. We have established a transgenic B. rapa tissue culture system to allow the facile measurement and manipulation of clock function. We demonstrate circadian rhythms in the expression of several promoter:LUC reporters in explant-induced tissue culture of B. rapa. These rhythms are temperature compensated and are reset by light and temperature pulses. We observe a strong positive correlation in period length between the tissue culture rhythm in gene expression and the seedling rhythm in cotyledon movement, indicating that the circadian clock in B. rapa tissue culture provides a good model for the clock in planta.
The Activity of a Wall-Bound Cellulase Is Required for and Is Coupled to Cell Cycle Progression in the DinoflagellateCrypthecodinium cohnii
Authors: Kwok Alvin C.M. , Wong Joseph T.Y.
Published: April 2010

Cellulose synthesis, but not its degradation, is generally thought to be required for plant cell growth. In this work, we cloned a dinoflagellate cellulase gene, dCel1, whose activities increased significantly in G2/M phase, in agreement with the significant drop of cellulose content reported previously. Cellulase inhibitors not only caused a delay in cell cycle progression at both the G1 and G2/M phases in the dinoflagellate Crypthecodinium cohnii, but also induced a higher level of dCel1p expression. Immunostaining results revealed that dCel1p was mainly localized at the cell wall. Accordingly, the possible role of cellulase activity in cell cycle progression was tested by treating synchronized cells with exogenous dCelp and purified antibody, in experiments analogous to overexpression and knockdown analyses, respectively. Cell cycle advancement was observed in cells treated with exogenous dCel1p, whereas the addition of purified antibody resulted in a cell cycle delay. Furthermore, delaying the G2/M phase independently with antimicrotubule inhibitors caused an abrupt and reversible drop in cellulase protein level. Our results provide a conceptual framework for the coordination of cell wall degradation and reconstruction with cell cycle progression in organisms with cell walls. Since cellulase activity has a direct bearing on the cell size, the coupling between cellulase expression and cell cycle progression can also be considered as a feedback mechanism that regulates cell size.
Phosphorylation of Conserved PIN Motifs DirectsArabidopsisPIN1 Polarity and Auxin Transport
Authors: Huang Fang , Kemel Zago Marcelo , Abas Lindy , van Marion Arnoud , Galván-Ampudia Carlos Samuel , Offringa Remko
Published: April 2010

Polar cell-to-cell transport of auxin by plasma membrane–localized PIN-FORMED (PIN) auxin efflux carriers generates auxin gradients that provide positional information for various plant developmental processes. The apical-basal polar localization of the PIN proteins that determines the direction of auxin flow is controlled by reversible phosphorylation of the PIN hydrophilic loop (PINHL). Here, we identified three evolutionarily conserved TPRXS(N/S) motifs within the PIN1HL and proved that the central Ser residues were phosphorylated by the PINOID (PID) kinase. Loss-of-phosphorylation PIN1:green fluorescent protein (GFP) (Ser to Ala) induced inflorescence defects, correlating with their basal localization in the shoot apex, and induced internalization of PIN1:GFP during embryogenesis, leading to strong embryo defects. Conversely, phosphomimic PIN1:GFP (Ser to Glu) showed apical localization in the shoot apex but did not rescue pin1 inflorescence defects. Both loss-of-phosphorylation and phosphomimic PIN1:GFP proteins were insensitive to PID overexpression. The basal localization of loss-of-phosphorylation PIN1:GFP increased auxin accumulation in the root tips, partially rescuing PID overexpression-induced root collapse. Collectively, our data indicate that reversible phosphorylation of the conserved Ser residues in the PIN1HL by PID (and possibly by other AGC kinases) is required and sufficient for proper PIN1 localization and is thus essential for generating the differential auxin distribution that directs plant development.
MicroRNA Gene Evolution in Arabidopsis lyrata and Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Fahlgren Noah , Jogdeo Sanjuro , Kasschau Kristin D. , Sullivan Christopher M. , Chapman Elisabeth J. , Laubinger Sascha , Smith Lisa M. , Dasenko Mark , Givan Scott A. , Weigel Detlef , Carrington James C.
Published: April 2010

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short regulatory RNAs processed from partially self-complementary foldbacks within longer MIRNA primary transcripts. Several MIRNA families are conserved deeply through land plants, but many are present only in closely related species or are species specific. The finding of numerous evolutionarily young MIRNA, many with low expression and few if any targets, supports a rapid birth-death model for MIRNA evolution. A systematic analysis of MIRNA genes and families in the close relatives, Arabidopsis thaliana and Arabidopsis lyrata, was conducted using both whole-genome comparisons and high-throughput sequencing of small RNAs. Orthologs of 143 A. thaliana MIRNA genes were identified in A. lyrata, with nine having significant sequence or processing changes that likely alter function. In addition, at least 13% of MIRNA genes in each species are unique, despite their relatively recent speciation (∼10 million years ago). Alignment of MIRNA foldbacks to the Arabidopsis genomes revealed evidence for recent origins of 32 families by inverted or direct duplication of mostly protein-coding gene sequences, but less than half of these yield miRNA that are predicted to target transcripts from the originating gene family. miRNA nucleotide divergence between A. lyrata and A. thaliana orthologs was higher for young MIRNA genes, consistent with reduced purifying selection compared with deeply conserved MIRNA genes. Additionally, target sites of younger miRNA were lost more frequently than for deeply conserved families. In summary, our systematic analyses emphasize the dynamic nature of the MIRNA complement of plant genomes.
Double strand RNA‐guided endogeneous E‐cadherin up‐regulation induces the apoptosis and inhibits proliferation of breast carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Junxia Wei , Ping Gao , Yuan Han , Lijun Zhang , Jihong Ren , Fang Lin , Min Long , Xi Wang , Ting He , Ke Dong , Huizhong Zhang
Published: April 2010

E‐cadherin plays a crucial role in epithelial cell–cell adhesion and in the maintenance of tissue architecture. Down‐regulation of E‐cadherin expression correlates with a strong invasive potential, resulting in poor prognosis in many human carcinomas, including breast cancer. Restoration of E‐cadherin can inhibit cell invasion and metastasis in many types of tumors. It has been demonstrated that promoter hypermethylation causes transcriptional down‐regulation of E‐cadherin. Here, using an RNAa technique specifically activating the expression of E‐cadherin through transcriptional regulation, we assessed the phenotype changes of a breast carcinoma cell line with transfection of small‐activating RNAs (saRNAs). We observed cell apoptosis, proliferation inhibition and reduction in human breast cancer migration in vitro. Animal experiment results showed that saRNA could inhibit tumor growth in vivo compared with scramble double‐small RNA (dsRNA).This study provides a new potential strategy for breast cancer therapy, and also demonstrates the potential for saRNA as a therapeutic option for enhancing tumor suppressor gene expression in breast cancer. (Cancer Sci 2010)
Fatty acid synthase inhibitor cerulenin suppresses liver metastasis of colon cancer in mice
Authors: Murata Soichiro , Yanagisawa Kazuhiko , Fukunaga Kiyoshi , Oda Tatsuya , Kobayashi Akihiko , Sasaki Ryoko , Ohkohchi Nobuhiro
Published: April 2010

Fatty acid synthase (FAS) is highly expressed in many kinds of human cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC), and we have investigated the potential use of FAS inhibitors for chemoprevention of liver metastasis of CRC in mice. Expression of FAS was evaluated in murine CRC cell lines Colon 26 and CMT 93. Cerulenin, a natural inhibitor of FAS, induced apoptosis in these cell lines. The ability of cerulenin to prevent development of liver metastatic lesions in Colon 26 was evaluated. The numbers and sizes of liver metastatic CRC tumors were significantly reduced by treating mice with cerulenin. Cerulenin treatment was associated with reduced levels of phosphorylated Akt in Colon 26 cells, suggesting that inhibition of this signal transduction pathway might be involved in the chemopreventive activity of this compound. Based on studies in mouse models, inhibiting FAS would be an effective strategy to prevent and retard growth of liver metastatic tumors of CRC that have high expression of this enzyme. (Cancer Sci 2010; 00: 000–000)
FgTep1p is linked to the phosphatidylinositol‐3 kinase signalling pathway and plays a role in the virulence of Fusarium graminearum on wheat
Authors: ZHANG DAJUN , FAN FEIYU , YANG JINGRAN , WANG XULI , QIU DEWEN , JIANG LINGHUO
Published: April 2010

Both mammalian tensin‐like phosphatase 1 [TEP1; also known as phosphatase deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) or mutated in multiple advanced cancer 1 (MMAC1)] and Saccharomyces cerevisiae ScTep1p are involved in the phosphatidylinositol pathway. In this study, we identified the Fusarium graminearum locus FGSG_04982.3 (named FgTEP1) as the functional homologue of ScTEP1 in the sensitivity of S. cerevisiae cells to wortmannin, the phosphatidylinositol‐3 kinase inhibitor. Deletion of FgTEP1 causes F. graminearum mycelial growth to become sensitive to lithium and reduces the production of conidia. Although conidia lacking FgTEP1 germinate normally, they show reduced germination efficiency in the presence of wortmannin. In addition, we showed that deletion of FgTEP1 reduces the virulence of F. graminearum on wheat. These results indicate that FgTep1p is linked to the phosphatidylinositol‐3 kinase signalling pathway in this plant fungal pathogen.
SNP analysis of AMY2 and CTSL genes in Litopenaeus vannamei and Penaeus monodon shrimp
Authors: Glenn K. L. , Grapes L. , Suwanasopee T. , Harris D. L. , Li Y. , Wilson K. , Rothschild M. F.
Published: April 2010

Genetic studies in shrimp have focused on disease, with production traits such as growth left unexamined. Two shrimp species, Litopenaeus vannamei and Penaeus monodon, which represent the majority of US shrimp imports, were selected for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery in alpha‐amylase (AMY2) and cathepsin‐l (CTSL), both candidate genes for growth. In L. vannamei, four SNPs were found in AMY2 and one SNP was found in CTSL. In P. monodon, one SNP was identified in CTSL. The CTSL gene was mapped to linkage group 28 of P. monodon using the female map developed with the Australian P. monodon mapping population. Association analyses for the AMY2 and CTSL genes with body weight (BW) were performed in two L. vannamei populations. While neither gene was found to be significantly associated with BW in these populations, there was a trend in one population towards higher BW for allele G of CTSL SNP C681G.
Investigation of serum protein systems in Chinese pigs
Authors: Tao J. , Hu W. X. , Msangi C. I. , Luo Z. Y. , Tang L. J. , Qin Z. Q. , Liu S. P. , Tao Y.
Published: April 2010

Polymorphisms of transferrin (Tf), pre‐albumin (Pa), haemopexin (Hpx), ceruloplasmin (Cp) and amylase (Am) of Duroc pigs and Hunan indigenous pigs were investigated using horizontal starch gel electrophoresis. Allele frequencies of Durocs determined in 2004 were compared with frequencies presented in the paper by Baker L.N. (1968) Serum protein variation in Duroc and Hampshire pigs. Vox Sanguinis15, 154–8. The number of serum protein alleles decreased over time and allele frequencies aggregated across certain alleles, including Tf B, PaA, Hpx3, CpB and AmB. Differences in allele frequencies, average heterozygosities and standard genetic distances between the Duroc pigs and Hunan indigenous pig populations were examined. The relationship between Durocs and Hunan indigenous pigs was found to be more distant than those among the three Hunan indigenous pig populations.
Mitochondrial DNA analysis of horses recovered from a frozen tomb (Berel site, Kazakhstan, 3rd Century BC)
Authors: Keyser‐Tracqui C. , Blandin‐Frappin P. , Francfort H.‐P. , Ricaut F.‐X. , Lepetz S. , Crubézy E. , Samashev Z. , Ludes B.
Published: April 2010

Sequence polymorphism of the mitochondrial DNA D‐loop was used to determine the genetic diversity of horses recovered from a Scythian princely tomb dating from the beginning of the 3rd century BC. Eight haplotypes were found among the 13 ancient horse samples tested. Phylogenetical analysis showed that these ancient horse's sequences, along with two Yakut ones, were distributed throughout the tree defined by modern horses’ sequences and are closely related to them. No clear geographical affiliation of the specimens studied was thus determined. Our work, among others, supports the very ancient origin of the matrilines in horses.
Assessing macroinvertebrate metrics for classifying acidified rivers across northern Europe
Authors: JANNICKE MOE S. , SCHARTAU ANN KRISTIN , BÆKKEN TORLEIF , McFARLAND BEN
Published: April 2010

1. The effects of acidification on ecological status of rivers in Northern Europe must be assessed according to the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). Several acidification metrics based on macroinvertebrates already exist in different countries, and the WFD requires that they be comparable across northern Europe. Thus, we compiled macroinvertebrate monitoring data from the U.K. (n = 191 samples), Norway (n = 740) and Sweden (n = 531) for analysis against pH.

2. We tested new and existing acidification metrics developed nationally and used within the Northern Geographical Intercalibration Group. The new metrics were based on the acidification sensitivity of selected species and are proposed as a first step towards a new common indicator for acidification for Northern Europe.

3. Metrics were assessed according to responsiveness to mean pH, degree of nonlinearity in response and consistency in responses across countries. We used flexible, nonparametric regression models to explore various properties of the pressure–response relationships. Metrics were also analysed with humic content (total organic carbon above/below 5 mg L−1) as a covariate.

4. Most metrics responded clearly to pH, with the following metrics explaining most of the variance: Acid Water Indicator Community, Number of ephemeropteran families, Medin's index, Multimetric Indicator of Stream Acidification and the new metric ‘Proportion of sensitive Ephemeroptera’.

5. Most metrics were significantly higher in humic than in clear‐water rivers, suggesting smaller acidification effects in humic rivers. This result supports the proposed use of humic level as a typological factor in the assessment of acidification.

6. Some potentially important effects could not be considered in this study, such as the additional effects of metals, episodic acidification and the contrasting effects of natural versus anthropogenic acidity. We advocate further data collection and testing of metrics to incorporate these factors.
Use of generalised dissimilarity modelling to improve the biological discrimination of river and stream classifications
Authors: LEATHWICK J. R. , SNELDER T. , CHADDERTON W. L. , ELITH J. , JULIAN K. , FERRIER S.
Published: April 2010

1. Classifications that group rivers and streams with similar ecological characteristics are used increasingly to underpin conservation and resource management planning. Uses include identifying systems that may respond similarly to human activities or management actions, setting guidelines and standards to manage human impacts, interpreting data from inventory (survey) and monitoring, and identifying priority sites for conservation management.

2. Traditional approaches to river classification have been based mostly on delineating landscape units (ecoregions), often by grouping adjacent catchments having similar ecological character. However, use of this approach can be complicated by marked local heterogeneity of river systems. Instead, classifications may be more ecologically relevant if individual river or stream segments having similar environmental conditions are grouped together, independent of their geographic locations. The latter approach also allows the use of more rigorous classification procedures, including newly emerging techniques that optimise the ability of a classification to discriminate patterns in parallel sets of biological data.

3. Here, we explore the use of one of these newer techniques, generalised dissimilarity modelling (GDM), an extension of generalised regression techniques, that defines an optimal set of transformations of candidate environmental predictors to maximise explanation of species turnover in site‐based biological data.

4. Using two biological data sets describing the distributions of freshwater fish and macroinvertebrates and a candidate set of functionally relevant environmental variables, we used GDM to identify the variables, weightings and transformations that best explain biological dissimilarities across sites. We then used these as input to a multivariate classification of 567 000 river and stream segments throughout New Zealand. Weightings and transformations of these variables were also specified from the GDM analysis. The matrix of transformed environmental predictors was classified in a two‐stage process, using non‐hierarchical mediod clustering to define an initial set of 400 groups, with relationships between these groups then defined using hierarchical clustering.

5. The resulting classification better discriminates sites with similar biological character than previous classifications, particularly at higher levels of classification detail. Key factors contributing to this success include the use of detailed, segment‐specific environmental variables, coherently accounting for the longitudinal connectivity inherent in rivers including its implications for the construction of biologically relevant predictors, and the use of a modelling technique (GDM) designed to specifically analyse biological turnover and its relationships with environment.
The importance of nutrient co‐limitation in regulating algal community composition, productivity and algal‐derived DOC in an oligotrophic marsh in interior Alaska
Authors: WYATT KEVIN H. , STEVENSON R. JAN , TURETSKY MERRITT R.
Published: April 2010

1. Compared to lakes and streams, we know relatively little about the factors that regulate algae in freshwater wetlands. This discrepancy is particularly acute in boreal regions, where wetlands are abundant and processes related to climate change (i.e. increased permafrost collapse and soil weathering) are expected to increase nutrient inputs into aquatic systems. To investigate how accelerated nutrient inputs might affect algal structure and function in northern boreal wetlands, we added nitrogen, phosphorus and silica to mesocosms in an oligotrophic marsh in interior Alaska.

2. We conducted two in situ mesocosm enrichment experiments during consecutive summer growing seasons, each lasting 24 days. In 2007, we investigated the effects of +N, +P, +Si and +N+P+Si enrichment on benthic algal biomass (chlorophyll‐a, ash‐free dry mass, biovolume), chemistry (N : P ratio) and community composition. In 2008, we expanded our first experiment to investigate the effects +N+P, +N+Si, +P+Si and +N+P+Si on the same algal parameters as well as productivity (mg C m−2 h−1).

3. In both experiments, we measured water‐column dissolved organic carbon (DOC) inside treatment enclosures and related changes in DOC to standing algal biomass.

4. Benthic algal accrual did not increase following 24 days of enrichment with any nutrient alone or with P and Si together (+P+Si), but increased significantly with the addition of N in any combination with P and Si (+N+P, +N+Si, +N+P+Si).

5. Algal productivity (20 mg C m−2 h−1) increased between three‐ and seven‐fold (57–127 mg C m−2 h−1) with the addition of N in combination with any other nutrient (+N+P, +N+Si, +N+P+Si). Water‐column DOC concentration was significantly higher inside N‐combination treatments compared to the control during each season, and DOC increased linearly with benthic algal biomass in 2007 (r2 = 0.89, P < 0.0001) and 2008 (r2 = 0.74, P < 0.0001).

6. Taxonomic composition of the wetland algal community responded most strongly to N‐combination treatments in both seasons. In 2007, there was a significant shift from Euglena and Mougeotia in the control treatment to Chroococcus and Gloeocystis with +N+P+Si enrichment, and in 2008, a Mougeotia‐dominated community was replaced by Gloeocystis in the +N+P treatment and by Nitzschia in +N+Si and +N+P+Si treatments.

7. Together, these data provide several lines of evidence for co‐limitation, and the central importance of N as a co‐limiting nutrient for the wetland algal community. Changes in algal dynamics with increased nutrient concentrations could have important implications for wetland food webs and suggest that algae may provide a functional link between increasing nutrient inputs and altered wetland carbon cycling in this region.
Inter‐regional comparison of land‐use effects on stream metabolism
Authors: BERNOT MELODY J. , SOBOTA DANIEL J. , HALL ROBERT O. , MULHOLLAND PATRICK J. , DODDS WALTER K. , WEBSTER JACKSON R. , TANK JENNIFER L. , ASHKENAS LINDA R. , COOPER LEE W. , DAHM CLIFFORD N. , GREGORY STANLEY V. , GRIMM NANCY B. , HAMILTON STEPHEN K. , JOHNSON SHERRI L. , MCDOWELL WILLIAM H. , MEYER JUDITH L. , PETERSON BRUCE , POOLE GEOFFREY C. , VALETT H. MAURICE , ARANGO CLAY , BEAULIEU JAKE J. , BURGIN AMY J. , CRENSHAW CHELSEA , HELTON ASHLEY M. , JOHNSON LAURA , MERRIAM JEFF , NIEDERLEHNER B. R. , O’BRIEN JONATHAN M. , POTTER JODY D. , SHEIBLEY RICHARD W. , THOMAS SUZANNE M. , WILSON KYM
Published: April 2010

1. Rates of whole‐system metabolism (production and respiration) are fundamental indicators of ecosystem structure and function. Although first‐order, proximal controls are well understood, assessments of the interactions between proximal controls and distal controls, such as land use and geographic region, are lacking. Thus, the influence of land use on stream metabolism across geographic regions is unknown. Further, there is limited understanding of how land use may alter variability in ecosystem metabolism across regions.

2. Stream metabolism was measured in nine streams in each of eight regions (n = 72) across the United States and Puerto Rico. In each region, three streams were selected from a range of three land uses: agriculturally influenced, urban‐influenced, and reference streams. Stream metabolism was estimated from diel changes in dissolved oxygen concentrations in each stream reach with correction for reaeration and groundwater input.

3. Gross primary production (GPP) was highest in regions with little riparian vegetation (sagebrush steppe in Wyoming, desert shrub in Arizona/New Mexico) and lowest in forested regions (North Carolina, Oregon). In contrast, ecosystem respiration (ER) varied both within and among regions. Reference streams had significantly lower rates of GPP than urban or agriculturally influenced streams.

4. GPP was positively correlated with photosynthetically active radiation and autotrophic biomass. Multiple regression models compared using Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) indicated GPP increased with water column ammonium and the fraction of the catchment in urban and reference land‐use categories. Multiple regression models also identified velocity, temperature, nitrate, ammonium, dissolved organic carbon, GPP, coarse benthic organic matter, fine benthic organic matter and the fraction of all land‐use categories in the catchment as regulators of ER.

5. Structural equation modelling indicated significant distal as well as proximal control pathways including a direct effect of land‐use on GPP as well as SRP, DIN, and PAR effects on GPP; GPP effects on autotrophic biomass, organic matter, and ER; and organic matter effects on ER.

6. Overall, consideration of the data separated by land‐use categories showed reduced inter‐regional variability in rates of metabolism, indicating that the influence of agricultural and urban land use can obscure regional differences in stream metabolism.
‘If it is not recorded, it has not been done!’? consistency between nursing records and observed nursing care in an Italian hospital
Authors: De Marinis Maria Grazia , Piredda Michela , Pascarella Maria Chiara , Vincenzi Bruno , Spiga Fiorenza , Tartaglini Daniela , Alvaro Rosaria , Matarese Maria
Published: April 2010

Aims.  The aim of this study is to evaluate the consistency between the care given to patients and that documented, by comparing care observations with nursing records and describing which interventions were reported and which were omitted.

Background.  Assumptions have been made about the relationship between documentation and care actually delivered, but there is insufficient evidence on the relationship between the actual care given and its recording.

Design.  Observational study of the care given, completed by interviews and retrospective survey of records.

Methods.  Structured observation during day shifts in the first six days of admission of pre and postsurgical care provided to 21 consecutive patients undergoing major abdominal surgery and audit of their nursing records. Each observation was completed by short interviews to nurses to ensure observations validity.

Results.  Only 40% of nursing activities observed were included in the nursing records (37% of the assessments and 45% of the interventions). This indicated that nurses carry out more activities than they report. Consistency between performed and recorded care decreased significantly during the days when a higher number of activities were performed. Consistency between recording and observation of assessment activities was 38% for physical needs and 0% for educational needs. Consistency was higher for the assessments of physical signs/symptoms and risk factors for complications compared to the assessment of basic needs and pain. Consistency was 47% for technical interventions and 3% for educational activities.

Conclusions.  Nursing records were not found to be an adequate tool for quality care evaluation, because they did not include all the caring activities that the nurses had carried out.

Relevance to clinical practice.  This study supports the need to identify documentation systems that are easy to complete. Moreover, nursing education should pay more attention to the competences in the field of holistic care and patient education.
Restriction of potato and tomato late blight development by sub‐phytotoxic concentrations of boron
Authors: Frenkel O. , Yermiyahu U. , Forbes G. A. , Fry W. E. , Shtienberg D.
Published: April 2010

Boron is a microelement required for normal growth and development of plants but its positive effect is restricted to a narrow range of concentrations. The gradual increase in use of recycled water, which contains high concentrations of boron for irrigation, has already raised the level of boron in soils and plants in southern Israel. This research was conducted to examine the direct effects of sub‐phytotoxic boron concentrations on potato late blight epidemics and to explore the mode of action of boron against Phytophthora infestans. When boron was applied alone to field grown potato plants it did not affect the epidemic. However, together with a reduced rate of the fungicide Melody Duo (propineb + iprovalicarb), boron improved late blight suppression compared to plants treated with the fungicide alone. The ED50 of boron against P. infestans (256·4 mg L−1) was about 6400 times higher than the ED50 value of the fungicide chlorothalonil (0·04 mg L−1), indicating that boron does not have a direct fungicidal activity that would explain the level of protection seen in the field. In greenhouse experiments conducted with potted tomato plants, boron decreased late blight severity in both treated leaves and distant leaves not treated with boron. The results suggest that boron is active locally but also may induce systemic acquired resistance against P. infestans.
Genetic structure of the grapevine fungal pathogen Phaeomoniella chlamydospora in southeastern Australia and southern France
Authors: Smetham G. M. , Ades P. K. , Péros J.‐P. , Ford R.
Published: April 2010

In this study, 18 microsatellite loci were used to examine the genetic structure and mode of reproduction of Phaeomoniella chlamydospora, the fungus that causes Petri disease of grapevine and is involved in another grapevine disease, esca. A total of 60 southeastern Australian isolates were tested and compared with 64 isolates from southern France. The French population possessed relatively high genotypic diversity (G = 29·2) whilst the Australian population showed low genotypic diversity (G = 11·1), consistent with a limited founder population. Haplotypes from four different grapevine cultivars were not significantly differentiated (Φpt values effectively zero). Likewise, genetic differentiation of haplotypes from different regions within each country was not significant, although small but significant genetic differentiation (9%) was identified between Australia and France. Based on bootstrapped cluster analysis, there did not appear to be any genetic groups within the overall sample of isolates. Significant linkage disequilibrium identified in both countries, together with overrepresented, widespread identical haplotypes, indicated limited genetic recombination and a largely clonal structure consistent with the absence of an observed sexual cycle in this species.
Geochemistry and petrology of garnet‐bearing S‐type Shir‐Kuh Granite, southwest Yazd, Central Iran
Authors: Sheibi Mariyam , Esmaeily Dariush , Nédélec Ann , Bouchez Jean Luc , Kananian Ali
Published: April 2010

The Jurassic Shir‐Kuh granitoid batholith in Central Iran intrudes Lower Jurassic sandstones and shales. The batholith consists of three main facies: (i) a granodioritic facies to the north; (ii) a monzogranitic facies spread throughout the batholith; and (iii) a leucogranitic facies along the northwestern margin. The granodiorites are composed mainly of plagioclase, quartz, K‐feldspar, biotite, and some muscovite, garnet, cordierite, ilmenite, zircon, apatite, and monazite. This facies contains variable amounts of restite minerals which are mainly defined by calcic plagioclase cores and small aggregates of biotite. The monzogranites, with mineral assemblages similar to those in the granodiorites, range from relatively mafic (cordierite‐bearing) to felsic (muscovite‐rich) rocks. The leucogranites, exposed as small stock and dykes, consist mainly of quartz, K‐feldspar, and sodic plagioclase. The batholith is peraluminous, calc‐alkaline, and typical of S‐type, as indicated by Na2O content (2.74%), molecular Al2O3/(CaO + Na2O + K2O) (A/CNK) ratio (1.17), K2O/Na2O ratio (1.39), and isotopic data ([87Sr/86Sr]i = 0.715). The rocks are characterized by enrichment in large ion lithophile elements such as Rb, Th and K and depletion in high field strength elements such as Nb and Ti. Chondrite‐normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns are characterized by light rare earth element (LREE) enrichment, with values of (La/Yb)N between 4.5 and 19.53, unfractionated heavy rare earth element (HREE) with values of (Gd/Yb)N between 0.98 and 2.88, and a distinct negative Eu. The parental magma of the Shir‐Kuh Granite was derived from a plagioclase‐rich metasedimentary source (local anatexis of metagreywacke) in the crust, with heat input from mantle melt components. The separation of restite crystals from the primary melt followed by the fractional crystallization appears to have been an effective differentiation process in the batholith.
Chick starvation in yellow‐eyed penguins: Evidence for poor diet quality and selective provisioning of chicks from conventional diet analysis and stable isotopes
Authors: BROWNE TIFFANY , LALAS CHRIS , MATTERN THOMAS , Van HEEZIK YOLANDA
Published: April 2010

The link between poor reproductive success and diet was investigated in yellow‐eyed penguins Megadyptes antipodes, by assessing diet at two localities separated by about 30 km: the north coast of Stewart Island where breeding success is low (0.38–0.67 chicks per pair in recent years), and Codfish Island where breeding success is higher (0.96–1.51 chicks per pair), and relating this to published data from South Island localities, where average breeding success was 1.1 chicks per pair. Diet composition, meal sizes and energetic content of meals and prey were determined from stomach contents, and stable isotope analyses of chick down, fledgling feathers and adult blood provided information on diet throughout the fledging period. The high proportion of stomachs that were empty or lacked diagnostic remains reduced sample size considerably, and variability between samples reduced the power to detect significant differences in meal size, proportions of empty stomachs and prey diversity of meals. Energetic content of Stewart Island meals was less than Codfish Island meals, and there was a non‐significant trend for smaller meal sizes and reduced prey diversity among Stewart Island samples. Both localities had lower prey diversity and smaller meals than South Island penguins. Blue cod Parapercis colias accounted for 99% of prey biomass in Stewart Island and 70% in Codfish Island stomach samples, where 27% of prey biomass was opalfish Hemerocoetes monopterygius. Isotopic mixing models carried out on larger sample sizes indicated that opalfish comprised a large proportion of the diet at both locations, with adults selectively provisioning chicks with opalfish while feeding mainly on blue cod themselves. We suggest the large blue cod consumed by Codfish Island and Stewart Island penguins, larger than those consumed by South Island penguins, is difficult to transfer to chicks by regurgitation. Oyster dredging around Stewart Island may have reduced the availability and abundance of alternative prey to Stewart Island penguins.
Plant populations track rather than buffer climate fluctuations
Authors: Jongejans Eelke , De Kroon Hans , Tuljapurkar Shripad , Shea Katriona
Published: April 2010

Ecology Letters (2010) 13: 736–743

Climate change not only affects mean temperature and precipitation but also exacerbates temporal fluctuations in these conditions. However, we know relatively little about how species respond to such climate fluctuations, with respect to variation in vital rates (i.e. survival, growth and reproduction of individuals) and population fluctuations. We examine whether populations display evidence of buffering against environmental variation in one of two ways: (1) through negative covariances among vital rates, or (2) reduction of variation in those vital rates to which population growth is most sensitive. We analyse time series of demographic data for 40 plant species and show that there is no evidence for either of these mechanisms. In species in which there is evidence for vital rate covariation, positive covariances between reproduction and survival rates predominate, and tend to magnify the effect of variability. Increasing climate variability is therefore expected to increase population fluctuations and extinction risks.