bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interstitial Cajal‐like cells (ICLC) in myocardial sleeves of human pulmonary veins
Authors: Gherghiceanu Mihaela , Hinescu M. E. , Andrei F. , Mandache E. , Macarie C. E. , Faussone‐Pellegrini Maria‐Simonetta , Popescu L. M.
Published: July 2008

We present here evidence for the existence of a new type of interstitial cell in human myocardial sleeves of pulmonary veins: interstitial Cajal‐like cell (ICLC). This cell fulfils the criteria for positive diagnosis of ICLC, including CD 117/c‐kit positivity. Transmission electron microscopy revealed typical ICLC with 2 or 3 very long processes (several tens of mm) suddenly emerging from the cellular body. Also, these processes appear moniliform but extremely thin (0.1–0.4 mm) under the resolving power of the usual microscopy. Cell processes establish close spatial relationships between each other, as well as with capillaries and nerve endings. ICLC appear located among the myocardial cells and particularly at the border between the myocardial sleeve and pulmonary vein wall.
Climate Change Theology
Authors: Echlin Edward P.
Published: July 2008

Reputable reports about climate change are grim. Unless radical mitigation and adaptation is implemented immediately the future of the present planetary biosystem, including humanity, is bleak. As Christians we have considerable resources in our living tradition to guide our own lives and to assist the whole earth community. Genesis, the historical books, wisdom, and the psalms all teach respect for climate as God's gift. Human hubris or idolatry results in climate nemesis. God creates the earth with its climate through his Word. In Jesus God lives in the earth community, experiencing and walking within the restraints of climate in first century Galilee. Jesus’ baptism, his lifestyle, especially his teaching and meals, his passion, death, and resurrection are all climate related. Jesus, in modern parlance lived and died sustainably. We are Jesus risen as sustainable community today.
St. Augustine, Liberalism, and the Defence of Liberal Education
Authors: Topping Ryan N S
Published: July 2008

Failure to attend to the claims of theology as a public form of discourse has made us blind to the true causes of our attachment to the university. In what follows I want to explore why it is that liberal societies continue to value the university but increasingly find it difficult to articulate coherent reasons for its defence. I shall argue that any plausible defence of the value of the university within Western societies requires the concomitant recognition of two propositions: first, of the moral value of the search into the meaning of human freedom and, secondly, of the certainty that human freedom can only properly be exercised in obedience to the objective order of truth. I shall further argue that, for all its strengths, Liberalism as a political doctrine cannot conceptually unite these two propositions because of its commitment to a voluntaristic interpretation of freedom. As a modest proposal for constructive progress in this debate, in my concluding remarks I suggest three ways that St. Augustine's early educational thought makes more intelligible our own educational ideals than do major competing accounts.
Clinical practice guidelines for the management of delirium in older people in Australia
Authors: Tropea Joanne , Slee Jo‐Anne , Brand Caroline A , Gray Len , Snell Tony
Published: July 2008

Delirium is a common and serious condition which is often overlooked or misdiagnosed in older people. In 2006, the first set of national clinical practice guidelines for the management of delirium in older people were developed. This paper provides an abbreviated version of the guideline document which includes recommendations for the detection of delirium (diagnosis and screening), assessment and prediction of risk factors for delirium, prevention of delirium and interventions to manage people with delirium. The guidelines reflect the available evidence base and highlight the limited high level research in delirium care, particularly in the areas of symptom management and screening for delirium.
Delayed versus immediate urethral catheterization following instillation of local anaesthetic gel in men: A randomized, controlled clinical trial
Authors: Garbutt Robert Bruce , McD Taylor David , Lee Victor , Augello Michael R
Published: July 2008

Introduction:  The product information for local anaesthetic (lignocaine) gel recommends a delay of ‘several minutes’ between gel instillation and urethral catheterization in men. However, pilot data indicate that approximately half of physicians omit this delay. We aimed to compare the discomfort of urethral catheterization performed immediately or after a 2 min delay following instillation of local anaesthetic gel.

Methods:  We undertook a randomized, controlled, single‐blinded, clinical trial in four large ED. A convenience sample of men requiring urethral catheterization for urinary retention or output monitoring was enrolled. Participants were randomized to catheterization either immediately (no delay group) or after a 2 min delay (2 min delay group) following the instillation of local anaesthetic gel. The pain score of catheterization was recorded immediately following the catheterization, using a 100 mm visual analogue scale.

Results:  Seventy‐three patients were enrolled. There were 36 and 37 patients randomized to the no delay and 2 min delay groups, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups in mean patient age (71.5 ± 15.1 vs 69.2 ± 15.2 years, respectively, P = 0.53) or in the indication for catheterization (retention 29 vs 27, respectively, P = 0.62). There was no statistically significant difference in pain scores between the two groups. The median (interquartile range) pain scores were 22.2 (23.4) and 27.8 (35.3) for the no delay and the 2 min delay groups, respectively (P = 0.47).

Conclusion:  A 2 min delay following instillation of local anaesthetic gel before urethral catheterization in men does not decrease the pain of the procedure.
DEVELOPMENT OF SAMPLE PREPARATION, PRESENTATION PROCEDURE AND SENSORY DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF GREEN TEA
Authors: LEE SOH MIN , CHUNG SEO‐JIN , LEE OK‐HEE , LEE HYE‐SEONG , KIM YOUNG‐KYUNG , KIM KWANG‐OK
Published: July 2008

Although the infusing condition of green tea is critical in determining green tea quality, the green tea industries lack a validated standardized tea preparation procedure. The objectives were (1) to develop an effective sample preparation and presentation procedure to conduct an objective sensory analysis; and (2) to elucidate the effects of green tea types and infusing conditions on the sensory characteristics of green tea. The optimum infusing times for green tea at two temperatures (60 and 80C) were determined using the just‐about‐right scale evaluated by consumers. Then, a descriptive analysis was conducted. The panelists developed 16 descriptors, and determined the reference samples and the tasting procedure. The optimum infusing time–temperature combinations are approximately 3 min at 60C or 1 min at 80C. The intensity of fermented‐like flavor increased, but cut grass and floral flavor decreased with the lower‐graded tea leaf. Samples infused at 60C–3 min were sweeter but less bitter than samples at 80C–1 min.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The sample preparation method and evaluating conditions developed in this study have been validated using both analytical and consumer studies. The protocols showed to be powerful in discriminating the sensory characteristics between the samples when conducting objective sensory analyses. The sensory lexicons and standards established should be useful to researchers and product developers who are working with flavors of green tea. Additionally, the sample preparation method and evaluation procedure introduced in this study are relatively straightforward, thus, making it possible for the general sensory scientist group to use an effective standardized method when conducting objective sensory analyses of green tea.
Harbor seal population decline in the Aleutian Archipelago
Authors: Small Robert J. , Boveng Peter L. , Byrd G. Vernon , Withrow David E.
Published: July 2008

Abstract

Populations of Steller sea lions, northern fur seals, and northern sea otters declined substantially during recent decades in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands region, yet the population status of harbor seals has not been assessed adequately. We determined that counts obtained during skiff‐based surveys conducted in 1977–1982 represent the earliest estimate of harbor seal abundance throughout the Aleutian Islands. By comparing counts from 106 islands surveyed in 1977–1982 (8,601 seals) with counts from the same islands during a 1999 aerial survey (2,859 seals), we observed a 67% decline over the ∼20‐yr period. Regionally, the largest decline of 86% was in the western Aleutians (n= 7 islands), followed by 66% in the central Aleutians (n= 64 islands), and 45% in the eastern Aleutians (n= 35 islands). Harbor seal counts decreased at the majority of islands in each region, the number of islands with >100 seals decreased ∼70%, and the number of islands with no seals counted increased ∼80%, indicating that harbor seal abundance throughout the Aleutian Islands was substantially lower in the late 1990s than in the 1970s and 1980s.
Diachronic Explanations of Sound Patterns
Authors: Hansson Gunnar Ólafur
Published: July 2008

Phonological systems show clear signs of being shaped by phonetics. Sound patterns are overwhelmingly phonetically ‘natural’, in that they reflect the influence of physical constraints on speech production and perception, and categorical phonological processes often mirror low‐level gradient phonetic effects. The question of how best to explain and model the influence of phonetics on phonology has been approached in different ways, one of which situates the locus of explanation in the diachronic domain of language change, in particular sound change. On this view, recurrent sound patterns merely reflect recurrent sound changes with phonetic origins, typically in speech perception. Explicit models of sound change are reviewed and illustrated, in particular Ohala's listener‐based model and Blevins’ Evolutionary Phonology framework, and the relevance of exemplar‐based models of speech production and perception is also noted. Current issues of controversy regarding the adequacy of diachronic vs. synchronic explanations for the typology of sound patterns are surveyed.
Continuing Validity of the Collective Behavior Approach
Authors: Muukkonen Martti
Published: July 2008

This study evaluates the collective behavior (CB) approach that dominated studies of social movements from the 1920s to the 1970s. Its roots lie in five scholarly traditions: Durkheim (collective consciousness), Mill (a sum of individual cost‐benefit calculations), Weber (charisma and bureaucracy), Simmel (interaction of individuals), and European mass psychology.

CB studies began in Chicago University in the 1920s by Robert E. Park. His pupil Herbert Blumer made the basic classifications in the field. In the interactionist school, Ralph Turner and Lewis Killian stressed the emerging norms that modify CB, and Kurt and Gladys Engel Lang focused on collective processes. In the structure‐functionalistic school, Talcott Parsons stressed the impact of cultural trends in movement emergence, and Neil Smelser developed a value‐added theory of how social movements form.

CB tradition was attacked in the 1960s when its theories did not fit into the student movement and there was a paradigm shift to resource mobilization and Marxist approaches. However, with the rise of constructivism, the ideas of CB have been reinvented in new social movement studies.
Comment on "Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Identifies Neural Progenitor Cells in the Live Human Brain"
Authors: Friedman Seth D.
Published: July 2008

Manganas
et al
. (Reports, 9 November 2007, p. 980) used a metabolic biomarker identified in vitro to characterize the existence of neural progenitor cells in vivo. Although their detailed experiments and general approach are laudable, aspects of their magnetic resonance spectroscopy data and analyses raise questions about their results.
Hopping Hotspots: Global Shifts in Marine Biodiversity
Authors: Renema W. , Bellwood D. R. , Braga J. C. , Bromfield K. , Hall R. , Johnson K. G. , Lunt P. , Meyer C. P. , McMonagle L. B. , Morley R. J. , O'Dea A. , Todd J. A. , Wesselingh F. P. , Wilson M. E. J. , Pandolfi J. M.
Published: July 2008

Hotspots of high species diversity are a prominent feature of modern global biodiversity patterns. Fossil and molecular evidence is starting to reveal the history of these hotspots. There have been at least three marine biodiversity hotspots during the past 50 million years. They have moved across almost half the globe, with their timing and locations coinciding with major tectonic events. The birth and death of successive hotspots highlights the link between environmental change and biodiversity patterns. The antiquity of the taxa in the modern Indo-Australian Archipelago hotspot emphasizes the role of pre-Pleistocene events in shaping modern diversity patterns.
Response to Comments on "Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Identifies Neural Progenitor Cells in the Live Human Brain"
Authors: Djurić Petar M. , Benveniste Helene , Wagshul Mark E. , Henn Fritz , Enikolopov Grigori , Maletić-Savatić Mirjana
Published: July 2008

We reported on a neural progenitor cell biomarker, a lipid-based metabolite enriched in these cells, which we detected using spectroscopy both in vitro and in vivo, and singular value decomposition–based signal processing. The study provided an outline of our computational methodology. Herein, we report more extensively on the method of spectrum analysis used, demonstrating the specificity of our findings.
Determination of Human Rotavirus VP6 Genogroups I and II by Reverse Transcription-PCR
Authors: Lin Yi-Pei , Kao Chuan-Liang , Chang Sui-Yuan , Taniguchi Koki , Hung Pei-Yung , Lin Hsueh-Ching , Huang Li-Min , Huang Hsueh-Hung , Yang Jyh-Yuan , Lee Chun-Nan
Published: July 2008

Based on nucleotide sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the partial VP6 genes, group A rotaviruses can be mainly differentiated into two genogroups. In this study, a method employing reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and degenerate primers was established to assign the VP6 genogroup. VP6 genogroup I and genogroup II could be determined according to the sizes of the amplicons: 380 and 780 bp, respectively. The VP6 genogroup of human reference strains of G1 to G4 and G9 types and RotaTeq vaccine strains could be properly assigned by RT-PCR. Eighty rotavirus-positive fecal samples were subjected to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), RT-PCR, and sequencing of the partial VP6 gene for subgroup and genogroup determination. The results correlated well among these three methods, except for seven samples whose subgroups could not be determined by ELISA. VP6 genogroups of another 150 rotavirus strains recovered between 1981 and 2005 were determined by RT-PCR and sequencing, and the same results were obtained by these two methods. Furthermore, an additional 524 rotavirus-positive fecal samples were tested by RT-PCR, and the VP6 genogroups could be easily determined. The RT-PCR assay developed here provided a reliable and convenient method for assigning the VP6 genogroups of human rotaviruses with a wide range of genetic variation.
Epidemiology of Invasive Methicillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
Clones Collected in France in 2006 and 2007
Authors: Dauwalder Olivier , Lina Gérard , Durand Géraldine , Bes Michèle , Meugnier Hélène , Jarlier Vincent , Coignard Bruno , Vandenesch François , Etienne Jerome , Laurent Frédéric
Published: July 2008

We conducted a prospective multicenter study of methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) isolates, including the first five consecutive clinical isolates, collected between September 2006 and February 2007 in 23 hospitals located throughout France (Fig. 1). The 111 isolates were tested for their antibiotic susceptibility patterns and were extensively characterized by screening for drug resistance and
agr
alleles, multilocus sequence typing (ST), staphylococcal cassette chromosome
mec
(SCC
mec
) typing,
spa
typing, and PCR profiling of 21 toxin genes. Clones were designated by their ST followed by their SCC
mec
type (I to VI). The Lyon clone ST8-IV or ST8-IV
variant
(
n
= 77; 69.4%) was widely distributed. Four minor clones were also detected, namely, the “classical” Pediatric clone ST5-IV (
n
= 9; 8.1%), the “new” Pediatric clone ST5-VI (
n
= 8; 7.2%), the clone Geraldine ST5-I
truncated
(
n
= 7; 6.3%), and the European clone ST80-IV (
n
= 4; 3.6%). The six other isolates were related to five rare clones. Relative to that of other European countries, the situation in France is marked by the predominance of a specific major clone and the worrying emergence of minor clones with enhanced virulence and new antibiotic susceptibility profiles.
Comparative Analysis of Nearly Full-Length Hepatitis C Virus Quasispecies from Patients Experiencing Viral Breakthrough during Antiviral Therapy: Clustered Mutations in Three Functional Genes, E2, NS2, and NS5a
Authors: Xu Zekuan , Fan Xiaofeng , Xu Yanjuan , Di Bisceglie Adrian M.
Published: July 2008

Viral breakthrough is a recognized response pattern to interferon-based antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The emergence of drug-resistant HCV quasispecies variants is assumed to be a major mechanism responsible for viral breakthrough. By using a long reverse transcription-PCR protocol recently developed in our lab, multiple nearly full-length HCV quasispecies variants were generated from 9.1-kb amplicons at both the baseline and breakthrough points in two patients experiencing viral breakthrough. Comparative analyses of consensus dominant quasispecies variants revealed that most mutations, occurring at the time of breakthrough, involved three functional viral genes, E2, NS2, and NS5a. Interestingly, similar mutation patterns were also observed in minor quasispecies variants at baseline. These three genes had the highest values of average amino acid complexity at the HCV 1a population level. No single amino acids were identified to be associated with viral breakthrough. Taken together, at the near-full-length HCV genome level, our data suggested that viral breakthrough might be attributed to the selection of minor quasispecies variants at the baseline with or without additional mutations during antiviral therapy. Furthermore, the pattern for mutation clustering indicated potential mutation linkage among E2, NS2, and NS5a due to structural or functional relatedness in HCV replication.
An Equine Infectious Anemia Virus Variant Superinfects Cells through Novel Receptor Interactions
Authors: Brindley Melinda A. , Zhang Baoshan , Montelaro Ronald C. , Maury Wendy
Published: July 2008

Wild-type strains of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) prevent superinfection of previously infected cells. A variant strain of virus that spontaneously arose during passage, EIAV
vMA-1c
, can circumvent this mechanism in some cells, such as equine dermis (ED) cells, but not in others, such as equine endothelial cells. EIAV
vMA-1c
superinfection of ED cells results in a buildup of unintegrated viral DNA and rapid killing of the cell monolayer. Here, we examined the mechanism of resistance that is used by EIAV to prevent superinfection and explored the means by which EIAV
vMA-1c
overcomes this restriction. We found that the cellular receptor used by EIAV, equine lentivirus receptor 1 (ELR1), remains on the surface of cells chronically infected with EIAV, suggesting that wild-type EIAV interferes with superinfection by masking ELR1. The addition of soluble wild-type SU protein to the medium during infection blocked infection by wild-type strains of virus, implicating SU as the viral protein responsible for interfering with virion entry into previously infected cells. Additionally, interference of wild-type EIAV binding to ELR1 by the addition of either anti-ELR1 antibodies or the ELR1 ectodomain prevented entry of the wild-type strains of EIAV into two permissive cell populations. Many of these same interference treatments prevented EIAV
vMA-1c
infection of endothelial cells but only modestly affected the ability of EIAV
vMA-1c
to enter and kill previously infected ED cells. These findings indicate that EIAV
vMA-1c
retains the ability to use ELR1 for entry and suggest that this virus can interact with an additional, unidentified receptor to superinfect ED cells.
Human reproductive cloning and reasons for deprivation
Authors: Jensen D A
Published: July 2008

Human reproductive cloning provides the possibility of genetically related children for persons for whom present technologies are ineffective. I argue that the desire for genetically related children is not, by itself, a sufficient reason to engage in human reproductive cloning. I show this by arguing that the value underlying the desire for genetically related children implies a tension between the parent and the future child. This tension stems from an instance of a deprivation and violates a general principle of reasons for deprivation. Alternative considerations, such as a right to procreative autonomy, do not appear helpful in making the case for human reproductive cloning merely on the basis of the desire for genetically related children.
Evaluating solutions to sponsorship bias
Authors: Doucet M , Sismondo S
Published: July 2008

More than 40 primary studies, and three recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses, have shown a clear association between pharmaceutical industry funding of clinical trials and pro-industry results. Industry sponsorship biases published scientific research in favour of the sponsors, a result of the strong interest commercial sponsors have in obtaining favourable results.

Three proposed remedies to this problem are widely agreed upon among those concerned with the level of sponsorship bias: financial disclosure, reporting standards and trial registries. This paper argues that all of these remedies either fail to address the mechanisms by which pharmaceutical companies’ sponsorship leads to biased results—design bias, multiple trials with predictable outcomes, fraud, rhetorical effects and publication bias—or else only inadequately address those mechanisms. As a result, the policies normally proposed for dealing with sponsorship bias are unable to eliminate it. Only completely separating public clinical research from pharmaceutical industry funding can eliminate sponsorship bias.
The ethics of killing and letting die: active and passive euthanasia
Authors: McLachlan H V
Published: July 2008

In their account of passive euthanasia, Garrard and Wilkinson present arguments that might lead one to overlook significant moral differences between killing and letting die. To kill is not the same as to let die. Similarly, there are significant differences between active and passive euthanasia. Our moral duties differ with regard to them. We are, in general, obliged to refrain from killing each and everyone. We do not have a similar obligation to try (or to continue to try) to prevent each and everyone from dying. In any case, to be morally obliged to persist in trying to prevent their deaths would be different from being morally obliged to refrain from killing all other people even if we had both obligations.
Evaluating new methodologies for estimating performance on two-lane highways
Authors: Al-Kaisy Ahmed , Durbin Casey
Published: July 2008

This paper examines two new methodologies for field estimation of percent time spent following (PTSF) on two-lane highways. Using speed and time headway data, the two methodologies estimate the percentage of vehicles trapped in platoons, unable to pass slow-moving vehicles. A total of 236 h of field data, including individual speeds and headways, were collected at three study sites in the state of Montana. The study examined the sensitivity of PTSF estimates to some important platooning variables. The study also included a comparison of PTSF estimates from the new methods versus those found using the current United States National Research Council Highway capacity manual (HCM) analytical procedures. Study results showed that the two new methodologies were successful in capturing the effect of platooning variables on PTSF estimates and outperformed the HCM procedures in this regard. Further, the results strongly attest to the promise of the proposed methods in advancing the current analytical procedures for estimating performance on two-lane highways.
The effect of replacement rate and fineness of natural zeolite on the rheological properties of cement-based grouts
Authors: Şahmaran Mustafa
Published: July 2008

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the effect of the replacement rate and fineness of natural zeolite on the rheological properties of cement-based grouts. For this purpose, natural zeolites with two different finenesses were used to partially replace Portland cement at 20%, 30%, and 40% by weight. While preparing the grout mixtures, a constant water to cementitious material ratio (w/CM) of 0.60 was used together with a superplasticizer (SP). Setting times and compressive strength of grouts were also determined as part of the experimental study. Test results indicated that the rheological properties of cement-based grouts were significantly affected by the replacement rate and the fineness of natural zeolite. The replacement rate of cement by natural zeolite for a constant SP content significantly increased the yield stress and apparent and plastic viscosities, and reduced the fluidity and deformability of the cement-based grouts. Moreover, incorporation of a fine natural zeolite resulted in a further decrease in the rheological and workability properties of grouts. With an increase in the dosage of SP, both yield stress and plastic viscosity decreased significantly. Grouts made with natural zeolite also showed pseudoplastic behavior, and shear thinning increased with the increase of zeolite amount and fineness. Test results also indicated that the natural zeolite with different fineness had a marked effect on the setting time and compressive strength of grout mixtures. Therefore, the use of natural zeolite confirms that grouts with satisfactory rheological and mechanical properties can be successfully obtained.
Follower forces: Leipholz's researches into generalized variational principles
Authors: Gladwell G. M. L.
Published: July 2008

Classical variational principles, for conservative systems, are associated with the names of Lagrange and Hamilton. Generalized variational principles for nonconservative systems were introduced by various authors and in various physical contexts in the period 1945 – 1966. This review traces their development and their use, by Leipholz, in the period 1971 – 1986. Key words: follower forces, variational principles, generalized, nonconservative, adjoint systems, stability, divergence, flutter.
Concentrated loads on hollow clay masonry
Authors: Page A. W. , Shrive N. G.
Published: July 2008

The strength of solid masonry beneath a concentrated load is enhanced by the strengthening effect of the more lightly stressed surrounding material. Masonry design codes do not differentiate between solid and hollow masonry in this respect, but enhancement with face-shell bedded hollow masonry is open to question, since failure occurs by splitting of the webs, a totally different failure to that of solid masonry. In the investigation described here, wallettes of face-shell bedded hollow clay masonry were subjected to in-plane concentrated loads to failure. Thirty-four wallettes, some plain and others with bond beams, were subjected to either concentric or eccentric concentrated loads through various sized loading plates. The wallettes failed by local web splitting like face-shell bedded hollow masonry subjected to uniaxial compression. The testing program is described together with the mechanisms of failure, the dispersion of load through bond beams, and the influence of bond beam grout strength. It is shown that strength is enhanced on the basis of loaded length rather than loaded area ratio. Key words: masonry, failure, concentrated loads, hollow, clay, face-shell bedding.
An experimental study of static and dynamic responses of prestressed concrete box irder bridges
Authors: Mirza M. Saeed , Ferdjani O. , Hadj-Arab A. , Joucdar K. , Khaled A. , Razaqpur A. G.
Published: July 2008

Experimental data from static and dynamic tests on [Formula: see text] direct models of simply supported, one- and two-cell, box girder bridges are presented. Variation of flexural and torsional stiffnesses and dynamic characteristics, such as the natural frequency of vibrations and damping ratios of the bridge models at different levels of cracking damage, are examined; in turn, these dynamic characteristics can be used to estimate the cracking damage in the bridge. The physical model proved to be an adequate tool for the study of static and dynamic responses of box girder bridges at all load levels. Key words: box girder bridges, direct physical models, damping ratio, flexural and torsional stiffnesses, level of cracking damage, load–deformation response, load distribution characteristics, longitudinal and transverse strains, natural frequency of vibrations, simulated OHBDC truck.
Seasonal endocrine changes in male and female Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). I. Plasma levels of three androgens, 17α-hydroxy-20β-dihydroprogesterone, and 17β-estradiol
Authors: Mayer Ian , Schmitz Monika , Borg Bertil , Schulz Rüdiger
Published: July 2008

Plasma levels of the androgens testosterone (T), 11-ketotestosterone (OT), and 11-ketoandrostenedione (OA), the progestin 17α-hydroxy-20β-dihydroprogesterone (17,20-P), and 17β-estradiol (E2) were measured by radioimmunoassay over the annual cycle in both adult male and female Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). In both males and females plasma T, OT, and OA all reached their highest levels during the early breeding season in September. The dominant androgen in maturing males was OT, which reached levels of ca. 90 ng/mL. Plasma levels of OT and OA, but not T, were considerably higher in males than in females; 17,20-P peaked later than the androgens, in November in males (14 ng/mL) and October in females (0.8 ng/mL). E2 was always low or nondetectable in males. In maturing females E2 peaked in August (3.5 ng/mL) before falling concomitantly with rising T levels. From January to April plasma levels of all measured steroids were low in both males and females.
Effects of temperature and photoperiod on larval size and survivorship of a burrowing mayfly (Ephemeroptera, Ephemeridae)
Authors: Corkum Lynda D. , Hanes Elizabeth C.
Published: July 2008

There is great size variation in naturally occurring and laboratory-reared populations of larvae of Hexagenia species. We investigated differences in mean larval size and survivorship of Hexagenia limbata and Hexagenia rigida reared at different temperatures (12, 17, and 22 °C) and photoperiods (24 h L, 24 h D, 12 h L: 12 h D) over two time intervals (60 and 120 d) in the laboratory. Owing to space limitations, two sets of replicates (3 replicates per set) were conducted in sequence for the 60-d trial. Larvae were hatched from eggs collected from imagoes at the Detroit River near Windsor, Ontario, and stored at 8 °C. Of the factors examined, temperature alone influenced larval size after 60 d of growth. None of the factors had any significant effect on larval survival after 60 d. Larvae from the second 60-d replicate set (hatched from eggs incubated for 75 d longer than the first set) were larger and exhibited lower survivorship than larvae in the first set. This finding suggests that larval size may not be a good indicator of larval age, especially if eggs have been exposed to low temperatures for varying periods. Temperature and its interaction with photoperiod significantly affected both size and survivorship of larvae reared for 120 d. At 22 °C, larvae reared under the 12 h L: 12 h D regime were larger than those reared under either constant light or dark conditions; no discernible trend in photoperiod was evident at the lower temperatures. Larval survivorship was lowest for treatments exhibiting conflicting environmental cues (12 °C and 24 h L, and 22 °C and 24 h D).
Offspring growth and development responses to maternal transfer of 6-MBOA information in Microtus montanus
Authors: Berger Patricia J. , Negus Norman C. , Pinter Aelita J. , Nagy Tim R.
Published: July 2008

A study of growth and development in juvenile Microtus montanus was undertaken to determine if reproductive information derived from 6-methoxybenzoxazolinone (6-MBOA) could be transferred from the maternal system to offspring prior to weaning. Mature female M. montanus were implanted intraperitoneally with 20-mm Silastic capsules containing 6-MBOA (experimental) or empty capsules (control) and then paired with males. The resulting offspring were reared in the maternal nest until 18 days old and sacrificed at 26 days of age. Data were collected on body weight, total length, and reproductive organ weights. In general, body weight and length were greater in experimental animals than in controls. Paired-testes weights did not differ significantly between control and experimental males. Uteri were significantly heavier in experimental females. The experiment was repeated and some of the female offspring from each treatment group were paired for mating to determine whether there was a breeding advantage as a result of treatment. The data strongly suggest that a transfer of information between mother and offspring occurs and that a breeding advantage accrues to females from mothers who had been treated with 6-MBOA.
Individual variation in the isolation calls of newborn big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus): Is variation genetic?
Authors: Rasmuson Trixie M. , Barclay Robert M. R.
Published: July 2008

Isolation calls of 1-day-old big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) from three maternity colonies in southern Alberta were analyzed to examine the potential for genetically determined vocal signatures. Vocal signatures could be used by a mother to discern her pup from amongst the hundreds of young that may be found within a colony. Variation in four parameters of pup calls (minimum frequency, maximum frequency, peak frequency, and call duration) was analyzed, and statistically significant differences between pups were found, suggesting that this species does have a vocal signature. Isolation calls from the three maternity colonies and from twins within these colonies were then compared with one another to determine if similarities exist within groups of more closely related bats. There was no greater similarity in the isolation calls of pups within a colony than of pups in different colonies, nor were the calls of twins more similar to one another than the calls of less related individuals. These findings suggest that the isolation call is not genetically coded on an individual level (although it may be coded on a species level). Consequently, a mother bat must learn her infant's calls in order to recognize and selectively nurse her own young.
Factors limiting woodland caribou populations and their interrelationships with wolves and moose in southeastern British Columbia
Authors: Seip Dale R.
Published: July 2008

Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), wolves (Canis lupus), and moose (Alces alces) were radio-collared and monitored in two areas of southeastern British Columbia to determine predator–prey interactions. Throughout the year, wolves and moose used similar areas and habitats, and moose were the primary prey of wolves. In winter most caribou used high-elevation habitats and were spatially separated from wolves and moose living in valley bottoms. In summer, caribou, wolves, and moose at Quesnel Lake used similar areas and habitats, whereas in Wells Gray Park most caribou migrated to rugged, mountainous areas, which kept them spatially separated from wolves and moose. The Quesnel Lake caribou population had a high adult mortality rate (29%/year), wolf predation being the major cause. Calf survival to October was low (2.5/100 adult females) when wolves were present and uncontrolled in the area, but was significantly greater (39/100 adult females) when wolves were reduced or absent. The Quesnel Lake caribou population was found to be declining by about 25%/year, and wolf predation appeared to be the major limiting factor. Caribou in Wells Gray Park had a low adult mortality rate (8%/year) and comparatively high calf survival to October (37/100 adult females). The Wells Gray caribou population was found to be slowly increasing, apparently because its migratory behavior kept it separated from wolves and moose throughout the year, resulting in low wolf predation on the caribou.
Male mating tactics in a blister beetle (Coleoptera: Meloidae) vary with female quality
Authors: Brown William D. , Stanford Ruth
Published: July 2008

Male blister beetles Nemognatha nitidula employ alternative postmating tactics. Females oviposit on the underside of closed thistle buds, and males actively search these sites for potential mates. Males at the oviposition site guard their mates for an extended period after mating, whereas males that secure copulations at open flowers (the foraging site) forgo mate guarding. On average, guarded females were larger than both females that mated at the foraging site and nonguarded females at the oviposition site. This suggests that a male's choice of mating tactic is contingent on female body size. However, larger females take longer to oviposit, and so a large-phenotype bias among guarded females may be a consequence of males remaining with mates until all eggs are laid. This was not the case; males often terminated guarding before oviposition ended, and there was no correlation between length of the guarding period and female body size. Thus, male mating tactics in this blister beetle vary with both the female's location (which is indicative of her readiness to oviposit) and her body size.
Mechanics of browsing in dense food patches: effects of plant and animal morphology on intake rate
Authors: Shipley Lisa A. , Spalinger Donald E.
Published: July 2008

There appear to be two dominant forms of the functional response of vertebrate herbivores, corresponding to animals foraging in spatially concentrated or spatially dispersed food patches. We examine the factors contributing to the functional response of herbivores feeding on spatially concentrated browses. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that the instantaneous intake rate of four boreal browsers (moose, Alces alces, woodland caribou, Rangifer tarandus caribou, white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, and snowshoe hares, Lepus americanus) feeding on red maple (Acer rubrum) browse is an asymptotic function of the size of bite obtainable by the herbivore. Based on this functional response model, we also hypothesized that (i) cropping rate of the herbivores would decline curvilinearly with bite size, (ii) intake rate would decline with increasing fibrousness (measured, as the neutral detergent fiber of the foods consumed), and (iii) maximum intake rate would scale as the 2/3 power of herbivore body mass (BM). Intake rates of all animals increased 2- to 10-fold with increasing bite size of stems and leaves, and conformed to the hypothesized asymptotic relation. Similarly, cropping rate declined curvilinearly with increasing bite size, and intake rate declined with increasing fibrousness of foods consumed. Maximum intake rate scaled with BM0.76, not significantly different from the hypothesized exponent of 0.67. These data support the hypothesis that bite size affects intake rate by controlling the ratio of cropping and chewing, and that the asymptotic intake rate of herbivores is related to the food processing capability of the mouth.
Spacing system of the tundra vole (Microtus oeconomus) during the breeding season in Canada's western Arctic
Authors: Lambin Xavier , Krebs Charles J. , Scott Beth
Published: July 2008

We studied the spacing system of a population of tundra voles, Microtus oeconomus, living in wet meadows near Pearce Point, Northwest Territories, using both radiotelemetry and live trapping. The home ranges of sexually active males were larger than female home ranges and males had no spatial overlap with each other. Most females overlapped with other females but with only one male. The mating system was therefore probably polygynous. We suggest that the mating and spacing systems of this species in summer are a consequence of the differences in natal philopatry between females and males.
Effects of ungulate availability on wolf reproductive potential in Alaska
Authors: Boertje R. D. , Stephenson R. O.
Published: July 2008

We compared wolf (Canis lupus) reproductive data for March and April, when ungulate biomass per wolf was high, moderate, and low. The percentage of reproductively active adult females was significantly lower (66% compared with ≥96%, P < 0.001) when ungulate biomass per wolf was low versus moderate or high. Reproductively inactive adult females had significantly less subcutaneous fat (P < 0.01) than reproductively active females when ungulate biomass per wolf was relatively abundant. Average litter size, estimated by counting blastocysts or fetuses, declined significantly (P < 0.001), from 6.9 to 4.6, as ungulate biomass per wolf declined. We conclude that wolf productivity declines as prey availability per wolf declines. However, only when ungulate biomass per wolf declined below levels previously reported in the literature did we observe significant declines in reproductive potential. Ungulate biomass per wolf was low because of large, rapid declines in ungulates and lesser declines in wolves. We recognize that functional relationships, e.g., prey vulnerability and feeding dominance, can influence wolf productivity independently of ungulate biomass per wolf.
Reproduction in two species of arctic arachnids, Pardosa glacialis and Alopecosa hirtipes
Authors: Simpson Mark R.
Published: July 2008

I investigated the relationship between clutch size, female size and mass, and clutch mass in two species of arctic spiders, Alopecosa hirtipes and Pardosa glacialis (Araneae: Lycosidae). Female mass and number of young were significantly correlated with female size in both years of the study. Cocoon mass was significantly correlated with female size in 1991 only. These results are discussed within the context of reproductive trade-offs and models of reproductive effort based on size.
Wounding in Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi)
Authors: Hiruki Lisa M. , Gilmartin William G. , Becker Brenda L. , Stirling Ian
Published: July 2008

Injuries observed on endangered Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi) at Laysan Island and French Frigate Shoals in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands in 1988 and 1989 were classified into six major types, based on the source of the wounds: mating attempts by adult male monk seals; nonmating aggressive interactions with other seals; attacks by large sharks; attacks by cookiecutter sharks (Isistius brasiliensis); contact with coral reef or debris; and entanglement in netting or marine debris. At both locations, injuries inflicted by adult male seals during mobbing incidents, in which many males attempt to mate with one seal, were seen more frequently than other types of injuries in 1988 and 1989. Injury data from 1982 – 1987 at Laysan Island and from 1985 – 1989 at French Frigate Shoals were used to compare the distribution of mating injuries inflicted by adult males and injuries inflicted by large sharks over size and sex classes of seals. Mating injuries caused by adult male seals were seen primarily on adult females but were also seen on seals in other size classes. Mating injuries inflicted by adult males occurred earlier in the year and with greater frequency at Laysan Island than at French Frigate Shoals. Injuries inflicted by large sharks were observed more often on adult male seals than on seals in other size classes at Laysan Island; however, no such difference was seen among size classes at French Frigate Shoals.
Effets de deux mutations neurologiques, minibrain3 et no-bridgeKS49, sur la parade nuptiale chez Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Bouhouche A. , Benziane T. , Vaysse G.
Published: July 2008

Male courtship events of two neurological mutants (nobridgeKS49 (nob) and minibrain3 (mnb)) of Drosophila melanogaster were recorded and subjected to quantitative and sequential analysis. The nob mutation, which disorganizes the protocerebral bridge, causes specific defects in courtship: a low frequency of the copulation attempt and the disappearance of the licking – copulation attempt sequence. Thus, the nob males were unable to copulate with receptive females within the 30-min observation. We think that this may be due to an abnormality in their wing vibrations. The mnb mutant, characterized by a reduction of the brain (by more than 50%), exhibited difficulties in initiating courtship and in maintaining contact with the female during courtship. These courtship defects may be due to visual and locomotor anomalies.
Breeding coloration, mating opportunities, activity, and survival in the lacertid lizard Psammodromus algirus
Authors: Díaz José A.
Published: July 2008

I studied the activity, spacing patterns, courtship behavior, and survival of males (classified into two groups according to the development of the sexual coloration of the head) and females from a population of the lacertid lizard Psammodromus algirus. Brightly colored (C +) males were significantly larger (and probably older) than dull-colored (C −) males, but aspects of behavior differed between study years. In 1989, C+ males had larger home ranges, were more active, overlapped with more females, and courted females more frequently than C− males. In 1990, none of these traits differed between the two categories of males. The variables associated with survival were different in the two sexes. Larger and more active males survived less well than smaller and less active ones, whereas survival of females was related to the fact that the times when they were observed were later in the day. Higher mortality rates could have been due to a higher predation risk affecting animals that were active on more days or under less favorable conditions. I postulate that the increased activity of males (mainly category C+ in years favoring stronger selection) would increase their short-term reproductive success but negatively affect their survival.
Aspects of the life cycle and morphology of Hysterothylacium aduncum (Rudolphi, 1802) (Nematoda, Ascaridoidea, Anisakidae)
Authors: Køie Marianne
Published: July 2008

Gravid Hysterothylacium aduncum from the intestine of eelpout, Zoarces viviparus, were used as the source of eggs for study. The two first moults occurred in the egg, which does not normally hatch spontaneously. The third-stage larva within the egg was not infective to either fishes or non-crustacean invertebrates, but developed into a typical third-stage larva in Acartia tonsa, harpacticoid copepods, various amphipods, isopods, and mysids. Further development in the fish host was apparently dependent only on the length of the larva. Thus, larvae from harpacticoids (< 1 mm long) and larvae less than 1.5 – 2.0 mm long from other crustaceans did not survive in the fish; larvae between about 2 and 3 mm in length remained as third-stage larvae in the fish. Larvae longer than 3 mm moulted into fourth-stage larvae in the intestinal lumen of the fish. Thus, a two-host cycle occurs when fishes ingest crustaceans harbouring third-stage larvae longer than 3 mm, and a cycle of three (or more) hosts when fishes ingest third-stage larvae less than 3 mm long. Ctenophores, chaetognaths, polychaetes, and ophiuroids, which become infected by ingesting infected crustaceans, may act as obligate intermediate hosts or transport hosts.