bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Mediating Role of Appraisal Feedback Reactions on the Relationship Between Rater Feedback-Related Behaviors and Ratee Performance
Authors: Jawahar I.M.
Published: August 2010

Although feedback is advocated as a means for influencing performance, empirical investigations indicate that the effect of feedback on performance is not uniformly positive. In the proposed model, reactions to feedback, not feedback per se, influence performance. In response to the lack of research on causal mechanisms linking feedback to performance and calls for such research, reactions are proposed to mediate the influence of feedback-related characteristics on performance. Feedback-related characteristics central to models of performance feedback that also corresponded with the three characteristics of the due process model served as antecedents to reactions. Using longitudinal data and previous performance as a control variable, results of structural equation modeling evidenced strong support for the proposed model as antecedents substantially related to ratees’ reactions, and ratees’ reactions indeed influenced subsequent performance. Organizations should design appraisal systems in accordance with the due process framework and train managers in conducting feedback discussions. Specific implications of results for researchers and practitioners are discussed.
Learning Affordances of Consummatory Behaviors: Motivation-Driven Adaptive Perception
Authors: Cos Ignasi , Cañamero Lola , Hayes Gillian M.
Published: August 2010

This article introduces a formalization of the dynamics between sensorimotor interaction and homeostasis, integrated in a single architecture to learn object affordances of consummatory behaviors. We also describe the principles necessary to learn grounded knowledge in the context of an agent and its surrounding environment, which we use to investigate the constraints imposed by the agent’s internal dynamics and the environment. This is tested with an embodied, situated robot, in a simulated environment, yielding results that support this formalization. Furthermore, we show that this methodology allows learned affordances to be dynamically redefined, depending on object similarity, resource availability, and the rhythms of the agent’s internal physiology. For example, if a resource becomes increasingly scarce, the value assigned by the agent to its related effect increases accordingly, encouraging a more active behavioral strategy to maintain physiological stability. Experimental results also suggest that a combination of motivation-driven and affordance learning in a single architecture should simplify its overall complexity while increasing its adaptivity.
“Adverse Forces” in the Brazilian Amazon: Developmentalism Versus Environmentalism and Indigenous Rights
Authors: Zhouri Andréa
Published: August 2010

Since the 1970s, the ghost of an “international conspiracy” to occupy the Brazilian Amazon has emerged against the backdrop of shifting social and political realities. This article looks at how Brazilian political elites and military forces have influenced national interpretations of environmentalism and indigenous peoples’ rights. It considers the formation of long-standing images and ideas perpetuated through economic plans like Avança Brasil , Growth Accelerated Program (PAC), and the Initiative for the Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America (IIRSA) as well as international environmental initiatives such as on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD). Environmentalists and indigenous peoples have been viewed as opponents to economic growth and barriers to development. These images reflect entrenched political positions within Brazilian society, largely unrecognized on the international stage but critical to understanding Brazil’s ambiguous positions in international negotiations.
Decarbonizing the Growth Model of Brazil: Addressing Both Carbon and Energy Intensity
Authors: Abramovay Ricardo
Published: August 2010

Decarbonization of the world economy involves two challenges. The first is to find new carbon-neutral sources of energy which can reduce the reliance on fossil fuels. Solar, wind, and geothermal energy are the main paths to this energy revolution in most developed and emerging countries. Brazil has a great advantage in this respect as already about half of its energy supply comes from biomass and hydroelectricity. However, economic decarbonization also concerns the use of energy. In this respect, Brazil lags behind. Although the carbon intensity of the Brazilian economy has decreased, its energy intensity is rising. This puts into question the efficiency and ultimately the competitiveness of the Brazilian industrial economy itself. This article analyzes data from the state of São Paulo, the most industrialized state of Brazil, to discuss ways of decarbonizing an emerging economy.
The Impact of Emotional Labor and Value Dissonance on Burnout Among Police Officers
Authors: Schaible Lonnie M. , Gecas Viktor
Published: August 2010

Burnout among police officers is a well-documented phenomenon, with police exhibiting significantly rates significantly higher than other occupations. This is not surprising considering the inherent dangers and challenges police face in the course of their duties. However, police are also subject to a host of institutional and cultural forces that are likely to contribute to burnout. This study examines the variety of ways self-processes, societal and institutional policing values, and demands for emotional presentation on police officers interact to produce burnout. Using data collected from a survey of police officers in the Pacific Northwest ( N = 109), we assess three primary hypotheses: (a) The greater the emotional management required of officers, the greater will be their levels of burnout, (b) The greater the dissonance between officer’s own values and those of various reference groups, the greater will be their levels of burnout, and (c) In combination, value dissonance and emotional labor should produce higher levels of burnout than either would independently produce. Results provide mixed support for these hypotheses suggesting that value dissonance only exhibits independent effects on burnout rooted in depersonalization, whereas effects of emotional dissonance vary depending on the type of burnout under consideration. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.
Analysis of constitutive behaviours and processing map of 7020 aluminium alloy
Authors: Liu Q.-J. , Fang G.
Published: August 2010

The authors present a study on the hot formability of 7020 aluminium alloy. Isothermal hot compression tests of solid cylindrical specimens were performed in the temperature range of 300–550°C and the strain rate range of 0·001–10 s–1. Stress–strain curves obtained from the experiment data are fitted using the Sellars–Tegart constitutive equation to obtain the constitutive parameters. Using the dynamic material model, the authors develop a processing map based on the flow stress data. The map shows that the parameters suitable for hot working are a temperature range of 450–550°C and a strain rate range of 0·001–0·1 s–1. This parameter range is where the efficiency of power dissipation is above 27% and where dynamic recrystallisation occurs. Unstable regions to be avoided in hot forming are deduced from an instability condition. The processing map is validated by comparing the microstructures of deformed compression specimens.
The Politics of Schadenfreude: Violence and Queer Cultural Critique in Lucifer Hung's Science Fiction
Authors: Parry Amie , Jen-peng Liu
Published: August 2010

Both avant-garde and popular, Lucifer Hung's writing has attracted a significant amount of critical attention in Chinese academic circles for its explicit sexual and violent content. This article identifies an ethical conundrum faced by critics who want to support Hung's writing as emerging queer cultural production by framing it within progressive discourses of inclusion, but find that the explicit content of Hung's stories at best only rests uneasily within such a framework and therefore propose limited but significant reservations about Hung's queer, feminist, or postcolonial politics. Taking up this conundrum as marking the limits, both aesthetic and political, of the positive and legitimizing discourses of global gay identity, we argue that there is an innovative queer cultural politics to precisely the aspects of Hung's writings that cause the most discomfort for well-intentioned readers. We propose that both the narrative form and content of Hung's science fiction address the homophobic deployments of what we term reticent schadenfreude. By exposing how it renders oppositional or deviant sexual positionalities impossible or off the map of civil discourse in Chinese-speaking contexts, Hung challenges reticent schadenfreude's relative invisibility; by taking up the generic incorporating alien monster from science fiction cultures and appropriating it as a perverse narrative form and point of view, Hung refuses the trap of victim-ethicality as a default category for difference that wants to make itself heard.
Queer Existence under Global Governance: A Taiwan Exemplar
Authors: Ho Josephine Chuen-juei
Published: August 2010

Since the lifting of martial law in 1987, Taiwan has prided itself on steady progress toward liberal democracy with an ever-broadening understanding of human rights that now allegedly includes the rights of gays and lesbians. Yet at the same time, under the child-protection imperative, a series of new laws, litigation, and regulations has been put into place that criminalizes practically all sex-related publications and video images, more specifically any sex-related information, contact, and even inquiries on the Internet. How are we to understand such sexual mass hysteria in Taiwan in an age of seeming social openness and toleration? The present article demonstrates how the politics of sexual stigma and shame that once made up the oppression of gays and lesbians and other sexual minorities in Taiwan has now shifted its field of operation from the realm of culture to that of law. The emergence of this new form of power deployment works not only in collusion with the populist government's urgent desire to consolidate its legitimacy and power, but also in collaboration with expanding global governance through which Taiwan's nation-state status bid hopes to find a promising future at the expense of civil liberties for marginalized sexualities.
Nōkan ( Nō Flute) and Oral Transmission: Cohesion and Musicality through Mnemonics
Authors: Anno Mariko
Published: August 2010

The nōkan (nō flute) is traditionally taught in a mode of oral transmission that involves memorization of shōga (mnemonics) . Shōga help bring a nō play to fruition by keeping the timing and allowing improvisation. This case study discusses the teaching of Issō Yukihiro, an Issō school performer, arguing that nōkan transmission is changing in contemporary practice by certain masters.
Depictions of the Kawara-no-in in Medieval Japanese Nō Drama
Authors: Atkins Paul S.
Published: August 2010

The Kawara-no-in (Riverside Villa) of the courtier Minamoto no Tōru (822–895) figures prominently in tenth-century Japanese literary texts as both a site of elegant play and as a ruined garden redolent of bygone glories. A century after Tōru's death, the villa assumes a malevolent aspect in popular narratives, and Tōru reappears as an angry ghost who threatens visitors sexually and politically. This paper examines how and why nō playwrights originally incorporated both positive and negative views of the Kawara-no-in in early plays about Tōru and his garden, but eventually suppressed the sinister side, arguably to present a more positive depiction of the politically powerful Minamoto family and of aristocratic culture in general.
Focus IBBY
Authors: Page Elizabeth
Published: August 2010

In this issue, we get updates on the newest recipients of the IBBY-Asahi Awards and Hans Christian Andersen Awards, as well as another installment of the history of IBBY, a reminder on the upcoming IBBY Congress, news about a new IBBY section, and a tribute to Australian author Patricia Wrightson.
The Evolution of Children's and Young Adults' Literature in Spain
Authors: Colomer Teresa
Published: August 2010

The author takes us on a guided tour of the history of children's and young adult literature in Spain that spans from the Middle Ages to the present. This historical journey provides insight into how political events shaped the growth of literary traditions across the four official languages of Spain.
The Construction of Identity in Picture Books in Spanish
Authors: Rogero Nieves Martín , Valle Laura Viñas
Published: August 2010

Martín Rogero and Viñas Valle argue that the picture book is currently on the rise in Spain. This article presents us with a sampling and analysis of some these outstanding picture books written in Spanish in the last decade. Reviewed books reflect a global and multicultural world, as well as trends that are endemic to Spain across several categories.
Michael Vick: An Analysis of Press Coverage on Federal Dogfighting Charges
Authors: Laucella Pamela C.
Published: August 2010

Michael Vick's superstar career as a quarterback in the National Football League seemingly came to an end when he pleaded guilty to dogfighting charges on August 20, 2007. This research studied press coverage of Vick's indictment, arraignment, and guilty plea in Richmond, Virginia by analyzing 243 primary documents from The New York Times, Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution , and USA Today . It offers a longitudinal examination of the scandal and elucidates the intersecting worlds of sport, media, race, and culture. This research adds to work on the cultural impact of media and sport, reinforces the criminal-athlete discourse, and elucidates the egregious practice of dogfighting.
Sucre, Bolivia, and the Quiddity of Place
Authors: Gade Daniel W.
Published: August 2010

El concepto de la "personalidad geográfica" se hace un punto de concentración para un enfoque fenomenológico al lugar que quiere reunirse la experiencia con el espacio y el tiempo sin teorización prévia ni separación del sujeto y objeto. Este texto aplica esta idea a Sucre (anteriormente La Plata), ciudad en el corazón de Bolivia que remonta al siglo XVI. Con fuerte abolengo hispánico, el lazo económico a la riqueza argentícia de Potosí quedó imprescindible en el desarrollo. Un sentimiento personal en favor de Sucre a través de cinco décadas se ha derivado del aprecio de su casco viejo como modelo urbano, de la recuperación de su pasado y de la asombrosa energía intelectual de estar allí.
The Craft of Premodern European History of Technology: Past and Future Practice
Authors: Long Pamela O.
Published: August 2010

This essay discusses the history of technology for premodern Europe in terms of historiography and contemporary practices. It treats the origins of the history of technology in the Annales School as developed by Marc Bloch and Lucien Febvre. It focuses on the early years of the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT), including early participants such as Lynn White jr., Melvin Kranzberg, Lewis Mumford, and Abbot Payson Usher. It treats contemporary work in the history of premodern technology across a number of fields including hydrology, mining, textiles, and building construction and emphasizes the importance of primary source research, local history, and traditional technologies as opposed to the traditional focus on invention. Finally, it discusses the future of the field and the importance of developing relationships with other disciplines, such as archaeology and material culture studies.
"It was all a hard, fast ride that ended in the mud": Deconstructing the Myth of the Cowboy in Annie Proulx's Close Range: Wyoming Stories
Authors: Arosteguy Katie O.
Published: August 2010

"'It was all a hard, fast ride that ended in the mud:' Deconstructing the Myth of the Cowboy in Annie Proulx's Close Range: Wyoming Stories " examines a relatively under-discussed collection of Proulx's stories in an effort to show how Proulx complicates the national myth of the cowboy figure. In constructing complex characters who struggle to live with and against the narrow definitions of masculinity offered by the mythical cowboy figure, Proulx draws attention to how this dominant style of masculinity aims to maintain control in this rural Wyoming space. This process of normalizing dominant masculinity functions as the primary cause of anguish for women and men with alternative masculinities and disrupts notions of a US cultural narrative that often positions whiteness and attributes associated with cowboy masculinity at the forefront of national identity.
Reviews
Authors: Treffry-Goatley Astrid , Tomaselli Keyan G
Published: August 2010

The Devil You Dance With: Film Culture in the New South Africa, Audrey Thomas McCluskey (2009), First Edition Urbana and Chicago, University of Illinois Press, (236 pp), ISBN 978-0-252-07574-2 Paperback, R398.00.
Why do Older Consumers Buy Older Brands? The Role of Attachment and Declining Innovativeness
Authors: Lambert-Pandraud Raphaëlle , Laurent Gilles
Published: August 2010

The authors compare three mechanisms that may explain why older consumers tend to prefer older brands. Data are from the French perfume market, in which some market leaders are decades old while hundreds of new entrants launch yearly. The authors reveal monotonically increasing differences across age ranges. Younger consumers have a greater propensity to change their preferred brand, a form of innovativeness that benefits relatively recent entrants, whereas older consumers exhibit a propensity to remain attached for a longer duration to the same preferred brand. Nostalgia for options encountered during an early “formative period” has only a limited impact. Furthermore, strong heterogeneity emerges: At all ages, some consumers frequently change their preferred brand, whereas others remain attached to it for long periods. It is the proportion of these two behaviors that varies across age ranges. The resultant managerial implications indicate that mature consumers are attractive targets because they likely remain attached to a brand longer, that long-established products may still attract new consumers, and that the success of a new brand among young consumers may be ephemeral.
Seasonal glucocorticoid secretion in mountain hares (Lepus timidus)
Authors: Rehnus Maik , Palme Rupert , Filli Flurin , Hackländer Klaus
Published: August 2010

In temperate climates mammals might show elevated glucocorticoid secretion in winter to facilitate catabolism. We investigated the influence of season on the concentration of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (GCMs) in mountain hares throughout the course of 1 year. The results show that mountain hares did not have higher GCM values in winter. Our results suggested that this lagomorph copes with harsh envir-onmental conditions by reducing metabolic rate instead of depleting fat reserves.
Assessment of Cerdocyon thous distribution in an agricultural mosaic, southeastern Brazil
Authors: de Barros Ferraz Katia Maria Paschoaletto Micchi , de Siqueira Marinez Ferreira , Martin Paula Sanches , Esteves Carolina Franco , do Couto Hilton Thadeu Zarate
Published: August 2010

Crab-eating fox, Cerdocyon thous, is a habitat generalist species relatively common throughout its range inhabiting most environments owing to its low habitat requirements. Because no information is available for anthropogenic habitats, this study aimed to describe the species occurrence in a highly fragmented and heterogeneous landscape in southeastern Brazil. C. thous was surveyed in 95 study sites in four main land covers (native forest, eucalyptus forest, sugar cane and pasture) from April to September 2006. Presence records (n=28) and landscape variables (land cover, heterogeneity, stream and forest fragment distance, elevation and slope) were used for modeling in Maxent. The bootstrapping method was used for sampling 70% of the dataset for training and 30% for testing models. The species was equally distributed in all types of land cover, although it was more frequent in the sugar cane areas and more associated with forest fragments and heterogeneous habitats. The potential distribution model predicted forest patches and its surroundings as highly suitable for the species. It also predicted part of the sugar cane matrix as highly suitable, probably related to prey availability. Results suggested that the anthropogenic landscape studied encompasses many suitable habitats for species occurrence, resulting in the necessity to assess its potential role in vertebrate communities.
On the Beauty of Analytical Models for Fatigue Crack Propagation and Fracture—A Personal Historical Review
Authors: Schwalbe Karl-Heinz
Published: August 2010

Starting from James Rice’s classical work on cyclic plastic stresses and deformations in the plastic zone of a Mode III loaded crack, it will be shown that the crack tip opening displacement of a Mode I crack in a work hardening material can be written in analytical form. This result was then used to formulate the blunting line for J-integral testing and to estimate the fatigue crack propagation rate of a number of materials. In a similar manner—based on the strain distribution within the plastic zone of a work hardening material—the initiation of crack extension under static loading was estimated. The stress distribution ahead of a crack and the Ritchie, Knott. and Rice model were applied to the ductile-to-brittle transition of ferritic steels as well as the transition temperature shift due to neutron irradiation. Inspired by Fong Shih’s contribution to the Electric Power Research Institute Handbook, a simple but straightforward method for expressing the δ5 crack opening displacement as a crack driving force for fully plastic conditions was developed, finally ending up in a comprehensive assessment method for cracked components. The application to mismatched welded joints was demonstrated to be possible if the yield load for mismatch is available; this latter task was performed using both slip line theory and finite element (FE) analyses. Application examples of these models will be shown, and it will be seen that estimates using these models are in reasonable agreement with experimental results and FE analyses. Several elements of these models have made their way to international codes and standards.
Mutagenesis as a Genetic Research Strategy
Authors: Falk Raphael
Published: August 2010

Morgan's three students (Muller, Sturtevant, and Bridges) introduced reductionist empirical methods to the study of the chromosomal theory of heredity. Herman J. Muller concentrated on mutations, namely changes in the heterocatalytic properties of genes, without losing their autocatalytic (self-replication) properties. Experimental induction of mutations allowed quantitative analyses of genes' parameters, but hopes to deduce their chemicophysical character were never fulfilled. Once the model for DNA structure was proposed, the reductionist notions of mutation analysis were successfully applied to the molecular genes. However, it was soon realized that the concept of the particulate gene was inadequate. The more the molecular analysis of the genome advanced, the clearer it became that the entities of heredity must be conceived within systems' perspectives, for which special tools for handling large number of variables were developed. Analytic mutagenesis, however, continues to be a major strategy for the study of the cellular and chromosomal mechanisms that control mutation inductions.
A Comparison of Peripheral Marginal Bone Loss at Dental Implants Measured With Conventional Intraoral Film and Digitized Radiographs
Authors: Kamburoğlu Kıvanç , Gülşahı Ayşe , Genç Yasemin , Paksoy Candan Semra
Published: August 2010

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of conventional and bone-condensing implantation techniques and time (6 and 12 months after implantation) on levels of marginal bone surrounding implants and to assess the level of agreement between measurements made using digitized intraoral images and film. The study group consisted of 14 healthy patients (9 female, 5 male; age range, 23–59 years; mean age, 41.1 years) with 28 single-tooth dental implants. In each patient, an implant was placed on one side using a conventional technique and on the opposite side using a bone-condensing technique. Film radiographs were taken at 6 and 12 months following implant placement and were digitized at 300 dpi and 600 dpi using a laser scanner. All scanned images were stored as both TIFF and JPEG files. A single observer twice measured distal and mesial marginal bone loss from film and digitized images. At the mesial site, there was a significant main effect of time (6 and 12 months after implantation) on the measurement of bone loss, F(1, 26) = 6.08, P = .02, but no significant main effect of implantation technique, F(1, 26) = 1.56, P = .223, and no significant interaction between time and technique, F(1, 26) = 2.09, P = .160. Similarly, at the distal site, there was a significant main effect of time on the measurement of bone loss, F(1, 26) = 14.1, P = .001, but no significant main effect of implantation technique, F(1, 26) = 1.21, P = .281. However, in contrast to the mesial site, there was also significant interaction between technique and time on the distal site, F(1, 26) = 4.974, P = .035. Intraobserver intraclass correlation coefficients and repeatability measurements showed high agreement for all image types. The bone-condensing technique resulted in greater marginal bone loss. Marginal bone measurements made using digitized intraoral images and conventional film showed high levels of agreement.
Uso da geoestatística para avaliar a captação automática dos níveis de pressão sonora em instalações de creche para suínos
Authors: Borges Giselle , Miranda Kesia O. da S. , Rodrigues Valéria C. , Risi Natalia
Published: August 2010

Este trabalho teve o objetivo de estudar a influência da distribuição de decibelímetros na captação automática dos níveis de pressão sonora, em ambiente de produção intensiva de suínos. O experimento foi conduzido em sala do setor de creche de uma granja comercial de suínos situada no município de Monte Mor, Estado de São Paulo. A sala foi dividida em dez quadrantes idênticos, e os decibelímetros foram instalados no centro geométrico de cada quadrante. Utilizou-se a geoestatística para avaliar a dependência espacial entre os decibelímetros e para predizer os níveis de pressão sonora em locais onde estes não foram instalados. Os dados foram analisados pela correlação entre os decibelímetros e por intermédio da geoestatística, que possibilitou afirmar que não houve dependência espacial entre os pontos de registro dos níveis de pressão sonora. Por intermédio da interpolação dos pontos de captura utilizando o processo de krigagem, foi possível predizer os níveis de pressão sonora nos locais onde não havia decibelímetros no interior da instalação. Verificou-se homogeneidade de propagação dos níveis de pressão sonora no interior da instalação, concluindo que, para o ambiente avaliado, o uso de somente um equipamento para o registro automático dos níveis de pressão sonora é suficiente.
Expression of inflammation-associated genes in circulating leukocytes collected from horses with gastrointestinal tract disease
Authors: Lopes Marco A. F. , Salter Caroline E. , Vandenplas Michel L. , Berghaus Roy , Hurley David J. , Moore James N.
Published: August 2010

Objective—To investigate whether expression of inflammation-associated genes in leukocytes from horses with gastrointestinal tract (GIT) diseases correlated with the type of disease and outcome.

Animals—10 healthy horses and 50 horses with GIT disease.

Procedures—A blood sample was collected from each healthy horse or horse with GIT disease (during admission to the hospital). Leukocytes were isolated, diluted to a standard concentration, and frozen until RNA extraction. Expression of 14 genes associated with inflammation was quantified by use of a real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR assay. Results were grouped by GIT disease type and disease outcome for comparison.

Results—Horses with GIT disease had colic of unknown etiology (n = 8 horses), GIT inflammation or strangulation (19), or nonstrangulating GIT obstruction (23). Among the 45 horses receiving treatment, 38 were discharged from the hospital, and 7 died or were euthanized. Compared with healthy horses, horses with colic of unknown etiology had similar gene expression. Significant differences in expression of the interleukin-8, leukocyte-selectin molecule, matrix metalloproteinase-9, platelet-selectin molecule, mitochondrial superoxide dismutase, Toll-like receptor 4, and tumor necrosis factor-A genes were detected between healthy horses and horses with GIT disease. Significant differences in expression of the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, interleukin-8, leukocyte-selectin molecule, matrix metalloproteinase-9, platelet-selectin molecule, mitochondrial superoxide dismutase, Toll-like receptor 4, and tumor necrosis factor-A genes were detected among healthy horses and horses grouped by disease outcome.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Inflammatory gene expression in leukocytes of horses with GIT disease appeared to be related to disease pathogenesis and prognosis.
Evaluation of body composition and cartilage biomarkers in large-breed dogs fed two foods designed for growth
Authors: Schoenherr William D. , MacLeay Jennifer M. , Yamka Ryan M.
Published: August 2010

Objective—To evaluate cartilage and bone biomarkers and body composition in growing large-breed dogs consuming a diet designed for growth.

Animals—43 large-breed 2 month-old-puppies.

Procedures—Dogs were randomly assigned to receive 1 of 2 foods until 18 months of age. Dogs were evaluated at 2, 5, 12, and 18 months of age via dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), CBC, serum biochemical profile, and concentrations or activities of taurine, vitamin E, fatty acids, glutathione peroxidase, C-propeptide of type II collagen (CPII), cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), carboxy-terminal cross-linked fragment of type II collagen (CTXII), bone specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP), osteocalcin, ghrelin, and growth hormone.

Results—Blood components largely reflected the composition of the foods. Dogs fed the food with a higher concentration of protein, calcium, n-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants had a lower percentage of body fat and greater percentage of lean body mass at 5, 12, and 18 months of age, and higher CPII:CTXII ratio and lower COMP at 18 months of age. The BAP activity, osteocalcin concentration, and CTXII concentration declined with age, whereas COMP concentration and CPII concentration were similar at all time points for both foods.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—The BAP activity, osteocalcin concentration, and CTXII concentration were greater during growth than at 18 months of age. The food that was proportionately higher in protein, calcium, n-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants increased lean body mass and may have positively affected cartilage turnover as maturity was attained. Whether the rate of cartilage turnover during growth affects development of orthopedic disease or arthritis in adulthood has yet to be determined.
Serum cortisol concentration and force plate analysis in the assessment of pain associated with sodium urate–induced acute synovitis in dogs
Authors: Feldsien Judith D. , Wilke Vicki L. , Evans Richard B. , Conzemius Mike G.
Published: August 2010

Objective—To determine the relationship between serum cortisol concentration and pain severity as measured by force platform gait analysis in dogs with experimentally induced synovitis of the stifle joint.

Animals—10 healthy hound-type dogs.

Procedures—Dogs underwent 2 study phases. In the first phase, serum cortisol concentration, systolic arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and gait data were obtained at 0 (first sample), 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 hours. In the second phase, the same data were gathered immediately before (0 hours) and 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 hours after induction of acute urate synovitis in the left stifle joint. Data were statistically evaluated to compare changes in variable values over time and to determine the accuracy of serum cortisol measurements for diagnosis of acute orthopedic pain.

Results—Following induction of synovitis, ground reaction forces were significantly decreased relative to preinduction values at 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 hours and serum cortisol concentration was significantly increased at 2.5 hours. A cortisol concentration of ≥ 1.6 μg/dL indicated pain with a 91% sensitivity and 35% specificity.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—In this model, cortisol concentration may be useful for diagnosing pain in dogs. Although, with a cutoff of ≥ 1.6 μg/dL, pain would be detected in most dogs with pain, some pain-free dogs would also be identified as having pain. Conversely, dogs with a serum cortisol of < 1.6 μg/dL would be unlikely to have pain. Validation of this diagnostic test in a large, heterogeneous group of clinical patients is necessary.
Evaluation of collars and microchips for visual and permanent identification of pet cats
Authors: Lord Linda K. , Griffin Brenda , Slater Margaret R. , Levy Julie K.
Published: August 2010

Objective—To determine the percentage of pet cats still wearing collars and having functional microchips 6 months after application.

Design—Randomized controlled clinical trial.

Animals—538 client-owned cats.

Procedures—Cats were randomly assigned to wear 1 of 3 types of collars: plastic buckle, breakaway plastic buckle safety, and elastic stretch safety. Each cat was fitted with the assigned collar, and a microchip was inserted SC between the scapulae. Owners completed questionnaires about their experiences and expectations of collars at enrollment and at the conclusion of the study.

Results—391 of the 538 (72.7%) cats successfully wore their collars for the entire 6-month study period. Owners' initial expectations of the cats' tolerance of the collar and the number of times the collar was reapplied on the cats' necks were the most important factors predicting success. Type of collar likely influenced how often collars needed to be reapplied. Eighteen (3.3%) cats caught a forelimb in their collar or caught their collar on an object or in their mouth. Of the 478 microchips that were scanned at the conclusion of the study, 477 (99.8%) were functional.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Most cats successfully wore their collars. Because even house cats can become lost, veterinarians should recommend that all cats wear identification collars since they are the most obvious means of identifying an owned pet. For some cats, collars may frequently come off and become lost; therefore, microchips are an important form of backup identification. Owners should select a collar that their cat will tolerate and should check it often to ensure a proper fit.
Diagnosis and treatment of myelo-osteolytic plasmablastic lymphoma of the femur in a domestic ferret
Authors: Eshar David , Wyre Nicole R. , Griessmayr Pascale , Durham Amy , Hoots Eric
Published: August 2010

Case Description—A 6-year-old 0.82-kg (1.8-lb) spayed female domestic ferret was evaluated because of a 1-month history of decreased activity that had progressively worsened over the past week. The ferret had previously been determined to have adrenocortical disease and was undergoing medical management for the associated clinical signs.

Clinical Findings—Physical examination revealed lameness of the right hind limb with evidence of pain elicited during palpation of the right femur. Results of a CBC suggested mild anemia, and those of a serum biochemical analysis indicated a high blood glucose concentration. Radiography of the limb revealed extensive lysis of the right femur. Cytologic evaluation of a fine-needle aspirate of the bone lesion revealed a dominant plasma cell component. Plasma cell neoplasia was suspected on the basis of these findings.

Treatment and Outcome—Radical right hind limb amputation with mid to caudal hemipelvectomy was performed. Histologic evaluation of the lesion allowed a diagnosis of lymphoma with plasmablastic features, and immunohistochemical testing revealed a few CD79α-postive neoplastic cells and rare BLA36-positive cells. Adjunctive antineoplastic treatment with systemically administered multidrug chemotherapy was initiated. Six months after surgery, the ferret was reevaluated, and chemotherapy was discontinued when results of clinicopathologic tests, whole body survey radiography, and abdominal ultrasonography suggested no recurrence of the disease.

Clinical Relevance—The ferret appeared to cope well with radical hind limb amputation, and the chemotherapeutic protocol used was easy to administer. This treatment approach might lead to better owner and patient compliance in other cases of lymphoma in ferrets.
Diversity analysis in Boro rice (Oryza sativa L.) accessions
Authors: Ahmed MS , Akter Khaleda , Rashid ESMH , Bashar MK
Published: August 2010

An experiment was conducted with 36 accessions of traditional (local) Boro rice germplasm accessions of three different groups (20 accessions as Kaliboro, 12 as Jagliboro and 4 as Tepiboro) during Boro season 2004 at BRRI farm to identify the duplicates with the help of morph-agronomic characters. On the basis of D2 values, the 36 genotypes were grouped into six clusters with a range of intra (0.00 for cluster II to 1.78 for cluster I) and inter cluster (1.99 between cluster I and III to 21.20 between cluster II and III) distances. Cluster I comprised the highest number of genotypes (10) and cluster II the lowest (1), while cluster III, IV, V, and VI included 6, 7, 5, and 7 genotypes, respectively. Differences in cluster means existed for almost all the characters. The highest mean value for seedling height (21.68 cm), 1000-grain weight (20.97 g) and grain yield/hill (6.87 g) were observed in cluster I, II for days to 50% flowering (116), panicle length (22.80 cm), grains/panicle (74), and grain length (8.35 mm), cluster IV for tillers/hill (16.44) and panicles/hill (14.17), cluster V for harvest index (0.32) along with cluster I and VI, and cluster VI for plant height (117.17 cm) and flag leaf area (30.68 cm2). None of the 12 characters had the highest mean value under cluster III. The canonical variate analysis showed in general that the important characters for the differentiation in the descending order of importance were grain length, days to 50% flowering, grains/panicle, grain yield/hill, panicle length, flag leaf area, plant height, seedling height, 1000-grain weight, panicles/hill, harvest index, and tillers/hill, but the similar name group accessions are not duplicate mainly due to dissimilarity of grain length, days to 50% flowering, grains/panicle and grain yield/hill characters. It is apparent from the results that the same name group accessions were quite different from each other. Keywords: Duplicate sorting; rice (Oryza sativa L.); germplasm. DOI: 10.3329/bjar.v35i1.5864Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 35(1) : 29-36, March 2010
Comparative economic analysis of borrwer and non-borrower Boro rice farmers in some selected sites of Mymensingh District
Authors: Sarkar MSK , Hasan MR , Feardous MA , Shuhel MMH , Moniruzzaman M
Published: August 2010

The present study has been conducted to examine the differences in input use, costs and returns of the borrower and non-borrower rice farmers. One hundred samples from four villages under Tiishal Upazila of Mymensingh district were selected for the study. The study reveals that borrower farmers used more inputs and attained more returns through higher yield than their counterparts. The yields of rice per hectare were 5260.80 kg and 4177.34 kg for the borrower and non-borrower farmers, respectively. The gross returns and net returns were Tk. 41699.03 and Tk. 4475.64, respectively, for the non-borrower farmers and Tk. 51589.53. and Tk. 8821.68, respectively, for borrower farmers. The undiscounted BCRs were 1.73 and 1.12 in case of non-borrower farmers and 1.74 and 1.21 for the borrower ones. The study further reveals that credit could be judged as a vital player to increase higher yield through utilization of necessary production inputs. Keywords: Borrower farmer; non-borrower farmer; cost and return. DOI: 10.3329/bjar.v35i1.5867Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 35(1) : 65-76, March 2010
Yield and storability of onion (Allium cepa L.) as affected by varying levels of irrigation
Authors: Biswas SK , Khair A , Sarker PK , Alom MS
Published: August 2010

Bulb yield and storability of onions (cv. BARI Piaj-1) was studied against five levels of irrigation viz., no irrigation, irrigation at 10, 15, 20, and 30 days interval. Yield and storage losses were increased gradually with increasing number of irrigation. The highest yield of onion was obtained with a total of six irrigations at 10 days interval and it was at par with treatment that received four irrigations at 15 days intervals. Losses due to rotting, sprouting, and physiological weight loss were found higher in irrigated treatments. After six months of storage (from 1st week of April to 1st week of October), the maximum cumulative weight loss (56.72%) was recorded in onions irrigated at 10 days interval, while the minimum (46.80%) was recorded in non-irrigated onions. Keywords: Storability; onion bulb; irrigation; storage losses.DOI: 10.3329/bjar.v35i2.5887Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 35(2) : 247-255, June 2010
In vitro root formation and plantlet development in dendrobium orchid
Authors: Khatun MM , Khatun H , Khanam D , Al-Amin Md
Published: August 2010

The experiment was conducted to investigate the combined effect of different plant growth regulators with and without charcoal supplementation for root formation and plantlet development from protocorm like bodies (PLBS) of orchid. The combination of BAP + NAA, BAP + IAA, BAP + IBA, and IAA + IBA at different concentrations were studied. It revealed that the highest number of roots was obtained from 1.0 mg/L each of IAA + IBA combination (6.667) and the highest root length was recorded from 2.0 mg/L BAP + 1.0 mg/L IBA with charcoal supplementation. The treatment combinations, 1.0 mg/L each of BAP + NAA, BAP + IAA, BAP + IBA, and IAA + IBA were found best for producing more rooted plantlets with charcoal supplementation. It revealed that charcoal enhanced the root formation. Keywords: Orchid; Dendrobium; hybrid; In vitro rooting. DOI: 10.3329/bjar.v35i2.5888Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 35(2) : 257-265, June 2010
Growth and yield of okra as influenced by hill elevation and plant de-detoping in hill slope condition
Authors: Firoz ZA , Nasiruddin KM , Mondal MF , Farooq AM
Published: August 2010

Keywords: Okra yield; plant growth; hill elevation; de-topping.DOI: 10.3329/bjar.v35i2.5898Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 35(2) : 355-358, June 2010
Impact of the Soak and the Malt on the Physicochemical Properties of the Sorghum Starches
Authors: Claver Irakoze Pierre , Zhang Haihua , Li Qin , Zhu Kexue , Zhou Huiming
Published: August 2010

Starches were isolated from soaked and malted sorghum and studied to understand their physicochemical and functional properties. The swelling power (SP) and the water solubility index (WSI) of both starches were nearly similar at temperatures below 50 °C, but at more than 50 °C, the starch isolated from malted sorghum showed lower SP and high WSI than those isolated from raw and soaked sorghum. The pasting properties of starches determined by rapid visco-analyzer (RVA) showed that malted sorghum starch had a lower viscosity peak value (86 BU/RVU) than raw sorghum starch (454 BU/RVU). For both sorghum, X-ray diffractograms exhibited an A-type diffraction pattern, typical of cereal starches and the relative degrees of crystallinity ranged from 9.62 to 15.50%. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed that raw sorghum starch showed an endotherm with a peak temperature (Tp) at 78.06 °C and gelatinization enthalpies of 2.83 J/g whereas five-day malted sorghum starch had a Tp at 47.22 °C and gelatinization enthalpies of 2.06 J/g. Storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″) of all starch suspensions increased steeply to a maximum at 70 °C and then decreased with continuous heating. The structural analysis of malted sorghum starch showed porosity on the granule’s surface susceptible to the amylolysis. The results showed that physicochemical and functional properties of sorghum starches are influenced by soaking and malting methods.
Antioxidant Tannins from Stem Bark and Fine Root of Casuarina equisetifolia
Authors: Zhang Shang-Ju , Lin Yi-Ming , Zhou Hai-Chao , Wei Shu-Dong , Lin Guang-Hui , Ye Gong-Fu
Published: August 2010

Structures of condensed tannins from the stem bark and fine root of Casuarina equisetifolia were identified using MALDI-TOF MS and HPLC analyses. The condensed tannins from stem bark and fine root consist predominantly of procyanidin combined with prodelphinidin and propelargonidin, and epicatechin is the main extension unit. The condensed tannins had different polymer chain lengths, varying from trimers to tridecamer for stem bark and to pentadecamer for fine root. The antioxidant activities were measured by two models: 1,1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing/ antioxidant power (FRAP). The condensed tannins extracted from C. equisetifolia showed very good DPPH radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing/ antioxidant power, suggesting that these extracts may be considered as new sources of natural antioxidants for food and nutraceutical products.
The Role of Cannabinoid Receptors in the Descending Modulation of Pain
Authors: Palazzo Enza , Luongo Livio , Novellis Vito de , Rossi Francesco , Maione Sabatino
Published: August 2010

The endogenous antinociceptive descending pathway represents a circuitry of the supraspinal central nervous system whose task is to counteract pain. It includes the periaqueductal grey (PAG)-rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM)-dorsal horn (DH) axis, which is the best characterized pain modulation system through which pain is endogenously inhibited. Thus, an alternative rational strategy for silencing pain is the activation of this anatomical substrate. Evidence of the involvement of cannabinoid receptors (CB) in the supraspinal modulation of pain can be found in several studies in which intra-cerebral microinjections of cannabinoid ligands or positive modulators have proved to be analgesic in different pain models, whereas cannabinoid receptor antagonists or antisense nucleotides towards CB1 receptors have facilitated pain. Like opioids, cannabinoids produce centrally-mediated analgesia by activating a descending pathway which includes PAG and its projection to downstream RVM neurons, which in turn send inhibitory projections to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Indeed, several studies underline a supraspinal regulation of cannabinoids on g-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate release which inhibit and enhance the antinociceptive descending pathway, respectively. Cannabinoid receptor activation expressed on presynaptic GABAergic terminals reduces the probability of neurotransmitter release thus dis-inhibiting the PAG-RVM-dorsal horn antinociceptive pathway. Cannabinoids seem to increase glutamate release (maybe as consequence of GABA decrease) and to require glutamate receptor activation to induce antinociception. The consequent outcome is behavioral analgesia, which is reproduced in several pain conditions, from acute to chronic pain models such as inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Taken together these findings would suggest that supraspinal cannabinoid receptors have broad applications, from pain control to closely related central nervous system diseases such as anxiety and depression.