bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Segregation of the polypeptide translocation apparatus to regions of the endoplasmic reticulum containing ribophorins and ribosomes. II. Rat liver microsomal subfractions contain equimolar amounts of ribophorins and ribosomes.
Authors: Marcantonio E E , Amar-Costesec A , Kreibich G
Published: May 2004

Ribophorins I and II, two transmembrane glycoproteins characteristic of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are thought to be part of the translocation apparatus for proteins made on membrane bound polysomes. To study the stoichiometry between ribophorins and membrane-bound ribosomes we have determined the RNA and ribophorin content in rat liver microsomes or in microsomal subfractions of different density (i.e., ribosome content). The specificity of antibodies against the ribophorins was demonstrated by Western blot analysis of rat liver rough microsomes separated by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The ribophorin content of microsomal subfractions was determined by indirect immunoprecipitation and for ribophorin I by a radioimmune assay. In the latter assay a molar ratio of ribophorin I/ribosomes approaching one was calculated for total microsomes as well as in the gradient subfractions. We therefore suggest that ribophorins mediate the binding of ribosomes to endoplasmic reticulum membranes or play a role in co-translational process which depend on this binding, such as the insertion of nascent polypeptides into the membrane or their transfer into the cisternal lumen.
Multicultural Evaluation of the Performance of Contingent Valuation for Forest Fire Prevention
Authors: Loomis John , Gonzalez‐Caban Armando , Hesseln Hayley
Published: May 2004

This article evaluates the ability of contingent valuation to measure the benefits received by several ethnic groups from a prescribed burning forest fire reduction program similar to President Bush's Healthy Forest Initiative. Reasons for refusing to pay higher taxes for the prescribed burning program were not statistically different between African Americans, Hispanics, and whites. Mean willingness to pay of whites was $400, whereas for African Americans it was $505, but the difference is not statistically significant. The results suggest a substantial statewide willingness to pay by whites and African Americans for forest fuel reduction projects using prescribed burning in California. (JEL Q26, Q23, J15)
The Relationship of Pari‐mutuel Wagering and Casino Gaming to Personal Bankruptcy
Authors: Thalheimer Richard , Ali Mukhtar M.
Published: May 2004

In this article, the relationship of the availability of pari‐mutuel wagering and casino gaming opportunities to personal (nonbusiness) bankruptcy filings is investigated. An econometric model was developed relating the number of personal bankruptcies to sociodemographic, legal, and economic factors. In addition, a unique measure of access to casino and pari‐mutuel gaming was included. Population, personal income, age, race, divorce rate, unemployment rate, and the ratio of debt to disposable personal income were found to be significant determinants of personal bankruptcies. Access to pari‐mutuel or casino gaming facilities was found not to have a significant impact on personal bankruptcies. (JEL K1, K4, D1, L83)
In this issue
Authors: Cook A.
Published: May 2004

Introduction to the July 1998 issue of
Notes and Records
.
Robert Hookeapos;s work as surveyor for the city of London in the aftermath of the great fire. Part three: settlement of disputes and complaints arising from rebuilding
Authors: Cooper M. A. R.
Published: May 2004

Administration of the sections of the Rebuilding Acts that defined materials and the types of new buildings permitted after the Great Fire of 1666 was primarily the responsibility of the City. Only after new and widened streets had been staked out and foundation certificates issued could owners start to rebuild. Disputes then arose from time to time between neighbours. Complaints were made that some rebuilding was contrary to the Acts. These disputes and complaints were brought to the City for settlement. When similar disputes had arisen before the Fire, the City's Viewers were ordered to visit the sites, inspect the buildings in dispute and report in writing to the City, giving their findings and recommendations for settlement.
The Portland Vase: Sir William Hamilton, Josiah Wedgwood and the Darwins
Authors: Keynes M.
Published: May 2004

The Portland Vase in the British Museum is named after the Dukes of Portland who owned it from 1786 to 1945, and is the finest piece of Roman cameo–glass in existence. From a report of 1697 it is probable, but not certain, that it was discovered in 1582 near a marble sarcophagus found on excavation of a burial chamber in a mound, known as the Monte del Grano, beside the Via Tuscolana, three miles south–east of the Porta San Giovanni of ancient Rome.
Doctor Erasmus Darwin's death in 1802
Authors: Cook G. C. , King-Hele D.
Published: May 2004

On 22 April 1802,
The Times
carried the following notice:

On Sunday morning [18 April], while writing in his study, died, at the Priory near Derby, to which he had lately removed, DR. DARWIN,
without the least previous indisposition
[our italics]. This Gentleman justly held a high rank in the literary world, by his writings of the Botanic Garden, Zoonomia, Phytologia, &c.

However, he
had
had previous health problems, and this cursory account of the death of Erasmus Darwin, F.R.S. (1731–1802) cannot be accepted at face value. The idea that Erasmus suffered a sudden cardiac death, probably with an ischaemic basis, has been accepted by subsequent biographers. However, evidence from recently available manuscripts is not consistent with this view.
The summer of 1914: diary of a botanist
Authors: Boney A.D.
Published: May 2004

F.O. Bower, F.R.S., Regius Professor of Botany in the University of Glasgow, attended the 1914 meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in Australia as President of Section K (Botany). Items from the daily diary that he kept include a running commentary on shipboard life on the outward voyage, sharp observations on some of his scientific colleagues and on meetings, the impacts of news and rumours of the distant war, and describe the hazards of the return voyage at peril from German commerce raiders.
Honoring the Bios in Lutheran Bioethics
Authors: Meilaender Gilbert
Published: May 2004

Abstract:  A Lutheran bioethic honors the body by being anti‐Gnostic (and finding moral wisdom in the body's limits), by being anti‐Pelagian (and requiring the reshaping of our disordered desires), and by being anti‐Sadducean (in affirming that the new creation, though continuous with and fulfilling the old, also transforms and perfects it in ways that go beyond the earthly life we know). Such an approach to bioethics is illustrated here through discussion of the way in which new reproductive technologies may distort our understanding of the relation between the generations, thereby losing sight of the bios in bioethics.
Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial of Zonisamide as Adjunctive Treatment for Refractory Partial Seizures
Authors: Sackellares J. Chris , Ramsay R. Eugene , Wilder B. Joseph , Browne Thomas R. , Shellenberger M. Kent
Published: May 2004

Summary:  Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate efficacy and safety of zonisamide (ZNS) as adjunctive treatment for patients with refractory partial seizures.

Methods: This randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study was conducted at four epilepsy treatment centers. It included a baseline phase (8 to 12 weeks) and a double‐blind treatment phase (12 weeks). Initially, patients randomized to ZNS treatment were given a 7‐mg/kg/d dosage. When investigators found that adverse effects could be reduced by gradually introducing ZNS, patients were allowed to begin treatment at lower doses (100 mg or ∼1.5 mg/kg/d) titrated over several weeks to a maximum of 400 to 600 mg/d. Primary and secondary efficacy measures were the median percentage reduction from baseline in seizure frequency and the proportion of patients achieving a ≥50% reduction from baseline (responder rate). Patient and physician global assessments also served as indicators of efficacy. Safety was assessed primarily by treatment‐emergent adverse events.

Results: ZNS‐treated patients had a 28.9% reduction in seizure frequency, which differed significantly from the 4.7% increase in placebo‐treated patients. The responder rate for ZNS‐treated patients was 26.9%, compared with 16.2% for placebo‐treated patients. At study's end, 66.2% of ZNS‐treated patients and 12.3% of placebo‐treated patients considered their condition improved; similarly, physicians assessed 63.6% of ZNS‐treated patients and 10.8% of placebo‐treated patients as improved. The most frequently reported adverse events with ZNS treatment included somnolence, irritability, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue.

Conclusions: As adjunctive treatment, ZNS was generally well tolerated and significantly improved seizure control among patients with refractory partial seizures.
Autosomal Recessive Idiopathic Epilepsy in an Inbred Family from Turkey: Identification of a Putative Locus on Chromosome 9q32‐33
Authors: Baykan Betül , Madia Francesca , Bebek Nerses , Gianotti Stefania , Güney Ahmet Ilter , Cine Naci , Bianchi Amedeo , Gökyiğit Ayşen , Zara Federico
Published: May 2004

Summary: Purpose:The study describes the clinical features of an inbred family from Turkey with three members affected by seizures and tests possible autosomal recessive (AR) inheritance by means of linkage analysis.

Methods:Personal and family history was obtained from each subject, and general physical, neurologic, and EEG examinations were performed. A set of 382 fluorescence‐labeled markers was used for the initial genome‐wide search. A further set of 83 markers was used to map the locus precisely and to exclude the remaining genome.

Results:Twelve individuals from three generations were examined. Two subjects were affected by idiopathic epilepsy, whereas, their brother experienced a single unprovoked generalized seizure. Two siblings affected by idiopathic epilepsy and their unaffected sister showed a photoparoxysmal response to photic stimulation. Nine family members reported migraine. The genome‐wide search led to the identification of a unique homozygous, 15.1‐cM region shared by subjects with seizures on chromosome 9q32‐33 and providing a lod score of 2.9. This locus, however, was not associated with migraine in this pedigree.

Conclusions:The study suggests that idiopathic epileptic traits with AR inheritance might be underestimated in the general population and that inbred pedigrees may represent powerful tools for the identification of AR genes.
Regional Cerebral Hyperperfusion with Ictal Dystonic Posturing: Ictal–Interictal SPECT Subtraction
Authors: Joo Eun Yeon , Hong Seung Bong , Lee Eun Kyung , Tae Woo Suk , Kim Jee Hyun , Seo Dae Won , Hong Seung Chyul , Kim Seunghwan , Kim Myoung‐Hee
Published: May 2004

Summary:  Purpose: Ictal–interictal single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) subtraction was performed to find brain structures related to ictal dystonic posturing (DP) in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).

Methods: Thirty‐two patients with mesial TLE who had ictal and interictal SPECTs were included. They were divided into two groups; DP group with ictal dystonia during ictal SPECT (n = 15) and Non‐DP group without ictal DP (n = 17). Ictal–interictal SPECT subtraction was performed, and then subtracted SPECT was coregistered with brain spoiled gradient recalled (SPGR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The ictal hyperperfusion on subtracted SPECT was analyzed in basal ganglia, frontal cortex, thalamus, temporal lobe, and insular cortex.

Results: The incidences of ictal hyperperfusion on brain regions in DP versus Non‐DP groups were 80.0% (12 of 15 patients) versus none (0 of 17), p = 0.001, χ2, in caudate nucleus; 93.3% (14 of 15) versus 47.0% (eight of 17), p = 0.005, in putamen; and 80.0% (12 of 15) versus 41.2% (seven of 17), p = 0.026, in thalamus. No significant difference of ictal hyperperfusion was found in globus pallidus, temporal lobes, insular and frontal cortices between DP and Non‐DP groups. DP patients showed an earlier age at seizure onset [8.6 years (DP) vs. 15.7 years (Non‐DP) (p = 0.015)] and a longer duration of seizure history [19.0 years (DP) vs. 11.9 years (Non‐DP) (p = 0.015)].

Conclusions: Caudate nucleus, putamen, and thalamus were significantly related to the ictal DP during TLE seizures. Our study showed first an active involvement of the caudate nucleus in the generation of ictal DP.
Economic Evaluation of Epilepsy in Kiremba (Burundi): A Case–Control Study
Authors: Nsengiyumva Georges , Druet‐Cabanac Michel , Nzisabira Léopold , Preux Pierre‐Marie , Vergnenègre Alain
Published: May 2004

Summary:  Purpose: Epilepsy is a common disease whose prevalence across Africa is extremely variable (from 5 to 74‰). Its social and economic consequences in this continent are not well established. The objective of this study was to compare the cost of care of patients with epilepsy with that of controls in the commune of Kiremba in Burundi.

Methods: The survey was carried out in the commune of Kiremba from March 1, 2001, to April 30, 2001. A sample of cases (patients with epilepsy) and controls was taken from the general population. The economic analysis was conducted from the viewpoint of the patient. Data collected were direct medical costs (consultations, admissions to hospital, complementary examinations, treatments) and indirect costs (evaluated from the number of days of family life disrupted).

Results: In this study, 1,056 patients were included (352 patients with epilepsy and 704 controls). The total annual cost of patients with epilepsy was US$11.0 against US$7.3 for controls (p = 0.03). The indirect costs represented 75.8% of the total cost. For the people with epilepsy that took antiepileptic treatment (n = 18), the annual average total cost became US$48.4. The number of disrupted days was 10.2 days (SD, 18.7 days) for the treated patients with epilepsy and 2.0 days (SD, 9.0 days) for the untreated ones (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Epilepsy was responsible for an extra cost: an increased direct cost along with more disruption of family life. This extra cost remained after adjustment for use of health care and antiepileptic treatments. Various measures could be envisioned to reduce the impact of indirect costs.
The Coexistence of Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy and Partial Epilepsy
Authors: Nicolson Andrew , Chadwick David W. , Smith David F.
Published: May 2004

Summary:  Purpose: To describe the clinical, EEG, and imaging data of a series of patients with features of both idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) and partial epilepsy.

Methods: A computerized database of all patients attending the regional epilepsy clinic was used to identify all patients with IGE. Case notes were reviewed, and cases with clinical evidence of co‐existing partial epilepsy identified.

Results: Nine cases with clinical features of a partial and generalized‐onset epilepsy and with electrophysiological evidence of IGE are presented. This represented <1% of the overall IGE population in the clinic. Five (55.6%) patients are currently in remission, with successful epilepsy surgery in one patient.

Conclusions: The coexistence of IGE and partial epilepsy is uncommon, and if appropriate treatment with a broad‐spectrum antiepileptic drug is given, then the prognosis can be good. Surgery should be considered for those cases with medically intractable partial‐onset seizures as part of this syndrome.
Very Fast Rhythmic Activity on Scalp EEG Associated with Epileptic Spasms
Authors: Kobayashi Katsuhiro , Oka Makio , Akiyama Tomoyuki , Inoue Takushi , Abiru Kiyoko , Ogino Tatsuya , Yoshinaga Harumi , Ohtsuka Yoko , Oka Eiji
Published: May 2004

Summary:  Purpose: Very fast activity was investigated on the ictal EEGs of epileptic spasms to elucidate the pathophysiology of West syndrome (WS) and related disorders from a novel point of view.

Methods: The traces of scalp ictal EEG of spasms temporally were expanded in 11 patients whose clinical diagnosis was symptomatic WS in six, cryptogenic WS in two, Aicardi syndrome in one, and symptomatic generalized epilepsy after WS in the remaining two. Time evolution of averaged power spectra of the ictal fast activity also was analyzed in each patient.

Results: Rhythmic gamma activity with frequency ranging from 50 to 100 Hz was detected in a total of 345 of 537 spasms. Fast activity was seen bilaterally in nine patients, was lateralized to one hemisphere in another, and appeared independently on each hemisphere in the remaining infant with Aicardi syndrome. Power spectra showed a clear peak corresponding to spasm‐associated gamma rhythm, with frequency centering ∼65 Hz and ranging from 51 to 98 Hz. The morphology and spectral characteristics of ictal gamma rhythm were completely different from those of muscle activity or alternating current (AC) artifacts.

Conclusions: Spasm‐associated gamma activity was clearly detected on the scalp. This observation may provide a clue to the pathophysiology of spasms.
Benign Familial Infantile Convulsions: Linkage to Chromosome 16p12‐q12 in 14 Families
Authors: Weber Yvonne G. , Berger Andrea , Bebek Nerses , Maier Sabine , Karafyllakes Skevos , Meyer Nancy , Fukuyama Yukio , Halbach Anne , Hikel Christiane , Kurlemann Gerhard , Neubauer Bernd , Osawa Makiko , Püst Burkhard , Rating Dietz , Saito Kayoko , Stephani Ulrich , Tauer Ulrike , Lehmann‐Horn Frank , Jurkat‐Rott Karin , Lerche Holger
Published: May 2004

Summary: Purpose:Benign familial infantile convulsions (BFIC) is a form of idiopathic epilepsy. It is characterized by clusters of afebrile seizures occurring around the sixth month of life. The disease has a benign course with a normal development and rare seizures in adulthood. Previous linkage analyses defined three susceptibility loci on chromosomes 19q12‐q13.11, 16p12‐q12, and 2q23‐31. However, a responsible gene has not been identified. We studied linkage in 16 further BFIC families.

Methods:We collected 16 BFIC families, without an additional paroxysmal movement disorder, of German, Turkish, or Japanese origin with two to eight affected individuals. Standard two‐point linkage analysis was performed.

Results:The clinical picture included a large variety of seizure semiologies ranging from paleness and cyanosis with altered consciousness to generalized tonic–clonic seizures. Interictal EEGs showed focal epileptiform discharges in six patients, and three ictal EEGs in three distinct patients revealed a focal seizure onset in different brain regions. In all analyzed families, we found no evidence for linkage to the BFIC loci on chromosomes 19q and 2q, as well as to the known loci for benign familial neonatal convulsions on chromosomes 8q and 20q. In 14 of the families, the chromosome 16 locus could be confirmed with a cumulative maximum two‐point lod score of 6.1 at marker D16S411, and the known region for BFIC could be narrowed to 22.5 Mbp between markers D16S690 and D16S3136.

Conclusions:Our data confirm the importance of the chromosome 16 locus for BFIC and may narrow the relevant interval.
Mood Disturbance before and after Seizure Surgery: A Comparison of Temporal and Extratemporal Resections
Authors: Wrench Joanne , Wilson Sarah J. , Bladin Peter F.
Published: May 2004

Summary:  Purpose: Mood disturbance is a common comorbid condition of temporal lobe epilepsy before and after seizure surgery. Few studies have examined mood disturbance in patients undergoing resections outside the temporal lobe (extratemporal resections). This study aimed to compare the early, postoperative evolution of mood disturbance in temporal and extratemporal lobe epilepsy patients to examine the effect of site of surgical resection on mood outcome.

Methods: The study used a longitudinal design and was qualitative in nature. Sixty seizure surgery patients (43 temporal resections, 17 extratemporal resections) were assessed before surgery and at discharge, 1 month, and 3 months after surgery, by using the Austin CEP Interview. Psychosocial adjustment, psychiatric difficulties, including depression and anxiety, and seizure frequency were assessed.

Results: Before surgery, both temporal and extratemporal patients had significant psychiatric histories with similarly high rates of depression (33 and 53%, respectively) and anxiety (23 and 18%, respectively). After surgery, significantly more temporal patients were seizure free at each of the reviews compared with extratemporal patients. Temporal patients also reported significantly higher levels of depression (26%), anxiety (42%), and psychosocial adjustment difficulties (64%) at the 1‐month review than did extratemporal patients. Mood disturbance was significantly associated with adjustment difficulties in both groups, but was not related to seizure outcome at any review period.

Conclusions: A general increase in mood disturbance was evident after surgery, particularly in temporal resection patients at the 1‐month review. Site of surgery and psychosocial adjustment showed significant associations with postoperative mood disturbance, supporting the role of both neurobiological and psychosocial factors in mood outcome.
Five or More Acute Postoperative Seizures Predict Hospital Course and Long‐term Seizure Control after Hemispherectomy
Authors: Koh Susan , Nguyen Snow , Asarnow Robert F. , LoPresti Christine , Yudovin Sue , Shields W. Donald , Vinters Harry V. , Mathern Gary W.
Published: May 2004

Summary:  Purpose: Acute postoperative seizures (APOSs) are those that occur in the first 7 to 10 days after surgery, and previous studies in temporal lobe epilepsy patients support the notion that APOSs may foretell failure of long‐term seizure control. It is unknown whether APOSs also predict seizure outcome or hospital course after hemispherectomy.

Methods: Hemispherectomy patients (n = 114) were studied retrospectively and subdivided into the following groups: No APOSs, 1 to 5 APOSs, or >5 APOSs. Intensive care unit (ICU) nursing staff or family members reported and described the APOS events. APOS categories were compared with pre‐ and postsurgery clinical variables abstracted from the medical record.

Results: APOSs occurred in 22.6% of hemispherectomy patients. Compared with the 0 and 1 to 5 APOS groups, patients with >5 APOS showed (a) longer seizure durations before surgery, (b) longer hospitalizations, (c) later oral food intake, (d) more frequent lumbar punctures, (e) worse seizure control at 0.5 and 1 year after surgery, (f) more antiepileptic drug (AED) use at 2 and 5 years after surgery, and (g) higher reoperation rate. No similar differences were found between the 0 and 1 to 5 APOS groups. The day of the APOS, whether the APOS was typical of preoperative seizures, and postsurgery scalp EEG did not predict long‐term seizure control. APOS patients in the 1 to 5 and >5 groups had lower pre‐ and postsurgery Vineland developmental quotients compared with those without an APOS.

Conclusions: Hemispherectomy patients with >5 APOSs had a more prolonged and complicated hospital course and worse postsurgery seizure control, more AED use, and higher reoperation rate than did patients with 0 or 1 to 5 APOSs. Thus the number of APOSs was a predictor of postsurgery seizure control and can be used to counsel patients and families about prognosis after hemispherectomy.
Freeze Lesion–Induced Focal Cortical Dysplasia Predisposes to Atypical Hyperthermic Seizures in the Immature Rat
Authors: Scantlebury Morris H. , Ouellet Pierre‐Luc , Psarropoulou Caterina , Carmant Lionel
Published: May 2004

Summary:  Purpose: To determine the effects of focal cortical dysplasia on the behavioral and electrographic features of hyperthermia‐induced seizures (HSs) in rats.

Methods: A right sensorimotor cortex freeze lesion was induced in postnatal day 1 (P1) rat pups, and HSs were provoked at P10 under continuous monitoring of core temperature; EEGs were recorded from the right amygdala during and after hyperthermia. Controls included both sham‐operated at P1 and naïve rats.

Results: HSs began with jaw myoclonus, followed by hindlimb clonus and generalized convulsions (GCs), and terminated by a period of posthyperthermia depression. The threshold temperature and latency of jaw myoclonus were similar across the groups. However, both the threshold temperature and latency of GCs were significantly lower in lesioned pups than in controls (40.5 ± 0.5°C, n = 24, vs. 42.0 ± 0.2°C, n = 21; p < 0.001; 6.7 ± 0.6 min, n = 20, vs. 8.4 ± 0.6 min, n = 22; p < 0.05). In lesioned pups, the threshold and latencies for jaw myoclonus and hindlimb clonus were similar, whereas in controls, the progression from one to the other was marked by significant differences in both parameters. Posthyperthermia depression was longer in lesioned (13.3 ± 1.2 min, n = 21) than in control (8.0 ± 0.8 min, n = 20; p < 0.0001) pups. Ictal EEG activity was recorded during both behavioral seizures and posthyperthermia depression.

Conclusions: An HS in rats with a localized freeze lesion results in lower threshold GC and prolonged ictal manifestations, thus supporting a pathophysiologic link between focal cortical dysplasia and atypical febrile seizures, conditions that have a high prevalence in children with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.
Preserved Episodic Memory in Subcortical Band Heterotopia
Authors: Janzen Laura , Sherman Elisabeth , Langfitt John , Berg Michel , Connolly Mary
Published: May 2004

Summary:  Purpose: Neuropsychological profiles of four patients with subcortical band heterotopia (SBH) are presented to delineate further the phenotype of this disorder.

Methods: Standardized, norm‐referenced measures of cognitive functioning, including intelligence, processing speed, attention, language, visuomotor skills, memory, and fine motor ability were administered to four patients with magnetic resonance imaging evidence of SBH.

Results: Despite intellectual impairment and other severe cognitive deficits, all four patients displayed relatively intact episodic memory.

Conclusions: This selective sparing of memory functions has not been previously reported in individuals with SBH and suggests that doublecortin does not play a role in the development of memory systems in the mesial temporal region, which tend to be spared in SBH.
Correlation between 1H MRS and Memory before and after Surgery in Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with Hippocampal Sclerosis
Authors: Hanoğlu Lütfü , Özkara Ciḡdem , Keskinkiliç Cahit , Altin Ümmühan , Uzan Mustafa , Tuzgen Saffet , Dinçer Alp , Özyurt Emin
Published: May 2004

Summary:  Purpose: Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS), which can demonstrate neuronal loss and gliosis, may be used as a sensitive tool for lateralization of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Although the correlation between the memory functions and 1H MRS has been investigated, its predictive value after surgery has not been studied previously. This study evaluated memory and 1H MRS values of medically intractable patients with mesial TLE and hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE‐HS) before and after selective amygdalohippocampectomy (SAH).

Methods: Twenty‐two patients underwent memory tests and 1H MRS investigation before and 6 months after SAH and were compared with nine control subjects.

Results: The 1H MRS scores were found to be significantly low on the pathological side of the patients. Both right‐sided 1H MRS of right TLE and left‐sided 1H MRS values of left TLE patients were correlated only with verbal memory scores. Statistical analysis did not reveal any significance for nonverbal memory scores for both TLE groups on either side, which showed no significant correlation between material specificity and 1H MRS findings. Conversely, regression analyses demonstrated that high right‐ and low left‐sided 1H MRS values obtained before surgery may predict a decline in verbal learning scores after surgery.

Conclusions:
1H MRS can be considered as a useful tool to determine the lateralization in patients with MTLE‐HS before the surgery. Although only a weak relation exists between the MRS values and memory scores, presurgical MRS scores may be predictive for a possible deterioration in verbal memory after surgery. However, further studies with higher numbers of cases are needed for confirmation of the results.
Postnatal effects of incubation length in mallard and pheasant chicks
Authors: Nilsson Jan‐Åke , Persson Irene
Published: May 2004

Eggs of mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) and ring‐necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) were incubated in clutches arranged to stimulate embryos to hatch earlier or later than normal. This manipulation of hatching time was achieved by combining eggs of different age in the same clutch. To ensure hatching synchrony, embryos communicate with each other during the last stage of incubation, resulting in either a delay or an acceleration of hatching. Embryos of both species that accelerated their hatching time suffered a higher mortality rate after hatching. Combining mortality with the proportion of hatchlings that suffered from leg deformities, impeding their movements, resulted in a cost also to pheasant chicks delaying their hatching. Chicks of both species accelerating hatching time had a lower minimum mass and a shorter tarsus length than control chicks, whereas chicks delaying hatching time either grew as well or slightly better than control chicks. Mallard chicks had better balance and mobility immediately after hatching the longer they stayed in the egg. This indicates that the period immediately before hatching, is an important period for muscular and organ maturity. Reducing this period results in costs affecting post‐hatching survival. The strategy to assure synchronous hatching in mallards and pheasants probably reflect a trade‐off between the negative effects of shifting the age at hatching away from normal and differences in predation risk during different stages of reproduction.
Re‐evaluating the role of selective abscission in moth/yucca mutualisms
Authors: Shapiro Judith , Addicott John F.
Published: May 2004

Conflicts of interest are common to mutualisms, particularly those derived from exploitative interactions. Conflicts of interest are particularly pronounced in pollination/seed predation mutualisms, such as moth/yucca interactions, where consumption of seeds by larvae of a plant's pollinator will raise the fitness of the pollinator but lower the fitness of the plant. A central question in these mutualisms is, therefore, “what limits seed predation?” If plants with excess flowers selectively abscise flowers containing many eggs, they may reduce seed predation and overall increase their fecundity. If eggs in abscised flowers die, selective abscission may additionally contribute to the limitation or regulation of pollinator populations, thereby decreasing the probability of future overexploitation.

We examined the effect of selective abscission in the mutualism betweenYucca kanabensisand one of its pollinating moths,Tegeticula altiplanella. Per capita mortality of moth eggs due to abscission was high (95.5%), but did not increase on inflorescences with more ovipositions per flower. Overall mortality was partitioned into two components based upon the proportion of visited flowers abscised (i.e. resource‐limitation) and additional mortality (=selective abscission). Resource‐limitation per se inflicted 93.9% egg mortality, or most of the mortality due to abscission. But, the average number of eggs in fruit was lower than the average number of eggs in flowers, indicating that there was some selectivity of abscission. However, neither source of mortality increased on inflorescences with more ovipositions per visited flower. Egg mortality resulting from selective abscission was not as high as possible, because the yuccas appeared to use oviposition‐damaged ovules as a cue for selective abscission, and there was considerable variation in the relationship between oviposition number and damaged ovules. However, even if yuccas had retained the flowers containing the fewest eggs, selective abscission still would not have been higher on inflorescences with more ovipositions per flower.

Considering also that, 1) number of ovipositions is a poor predictor of the number of larvae that hatch and feed on the developing seeds in a fruit and that, 2) there are several moth/yucca interactions in which selective abscission does not occur, we conclude that abscission, and particular selective abscission, may have density‐limiting effects on moth populations, but will fail as general explanations for regulating the dynamics of moth populations.
Active selection for large guppies, Poecilia reticulata, by the pike cichlid, Crenicichla saxatilis
Authors: Johansson Jan , Turesson Håkan , Persson Anders
Published: May 2004

Size‐selective predation has been proposed to be one important evolutionary force shaping life‐history traits in guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Populations living in the presence of the ring‐tailed pike cichlid (Crenicichlasaxatilis) are smaller, mature earlier, allocate more energy to offspring and get more and smaller young than guppies in localities without Crenicichla. We investigated if Crenicichlasaxatilis is a size‐selective predator, if the selectivity is a result of active choice and if the optimal prey size can be explained according to an optimal foraging model. In single‐prey experiments we quantified the predators’ pre‐capture costs (time), capture success, and post‐capture costs (time) for four different prey sizes spanning from 10 to 40 mm total length. To see which of the components of the prey cycle the predator takes into account for its choice, we then predicted prey values and optimal prey size with 6 different models that included one or more of the prey cycle components.

In two multiple prey experiments, the cichlids were given the choice of the two and four different prey sizes simultaneously. Crenicichlasaxatilis actively selected the largest guppies in both cases. The three prey‐value functions that included handling time (post‐capture cost) did not accurately predict the prey choice. Instead the prey‐value functions that took into account pre‐capture cost (approach and attack time) were able to correctly predict the choice of the largest guppy size, suggesting that pre‐capture costs may be more important than post‐capture costs for prey choice in Crenicichlasaxatilis. The study confirms that Crenicichlasaxatilis is a size‐selective predator selecting large guppies, while earlier evidence for selectivity for large prey in Crenicichla cichlids has been weak and equivocal. Our result strengthen the possibility that size‐selective predation is a mechanism in life‐history evolution in guppies.
Where have all the cavies gone? Causes and consequences of predation by the minor grison on a wild cavy population
Authors: Kraus Cornelia , Rödel Heiko G.
Published: May 2004

We investigated whether predation by the minor grison (Galictis cuja, a small mustelid) played a key role in limiting a wild cavy population (Cavia magna), ultimately leading to its local extinction. Radio‐telemetry and capture‐mark‐recapture techniques were used to estimate grison predation rates (kill rates), time‐specific probabilities of apparent mortality (population loss rate), overall mortality and grison predation for the cavy population. Additionally, we present data on alternative prey species, grison diet and reproduction to show potential proximate mechanisms of grison predation on wild cavies. The predictions specified were mostly confirmed: (1) grison predation was responsible for almost 80% of the cavies killed by known predators; (2) grison predation probabilities paralleled those of overall mortality of cavies over time; and (3) also those of the apparent mortality of the population. Thus, the population dynamics and the local extinction of the cavy population were not due to emigration processes. (4) Grison predation rates were not density‐dependent, but showed pronounced peaks during the austral summer. The grison mainly preyed on small mammals: two water‐rat species and the wild cavies. When the availability of alternative prey decreased in summer, the grison appeared to specialise on cavies. The onset of grison reproduction was somewhat delayed in relation to the onset of cavy reproduction. The lack of alternative prey coincided with high grison food demands due to reproduction, leading to a very high predation pressure ultimately resulting in the local extinction of the cavy population. We conclude that grison predation was indeed the main factor driving changes of the cavy population studied and speculate why caviomorph rodents might be especially susceptible to local extinction processes.
Testing hypotheses for excess flower production and low fruit‐to‐flower ratios in a pollinating seed‐consuming mutualism
Authors: Holland J. Nathaniel , Bronstein Judith L. , DeAngelis Donald L.
Published: May 2004

Pollinator attraction, pollen limitation, resource limitation, pollen donation and selective fruit abortion have all been proposed as processes explaining why hermaphroditic plants commonly produce many more flowers than mature fruit. We conducted a series of experiments in Arizona to investigate low fruit‐to‐flower ratios in senita cacti, which rely exclusively on pollinating seed‐consumers. Selective abortion of fruit based on seed predators is of particular interest in this case because plants relying on pollinating seed‐consumers are predicted to have such a mechanism to minimize seed loss. Pollinator attraction and pollen dispersal increased with flower number, but fruit set did not, refuting the hypothesis that excess flowers increase fruit set by attracting more pollinators. Fruit set of natural‐ and hand‐pollinated flowers were not different, supporting the resource, rather than pollen, limitation hypothesis. Senita did abort fruit, but not selectively based on pollen quantity, pollen donors, or seed predators. Collectively, these results are consistent with sex allocation theory in that resource allocation to excess flower production can increase pollen dispersal and the male fitness function of flowers, but consequently results in reduced resources available for fruit set. Inconsistent with sex allocation theory, however, fruit production and the female fitness function of flowers may actually increase with flower production. This is because excess flower production lowers pollinator‐to‐flower ratios and results in fruit abortion, both of which limit the abundance and hence oviposition rates, of pre‐dispersal seed predators.
Over‐expression of ascorbate peroxidase in tobacco chloroplasts enhances the tolerance to salt stress and water deficit
Authors: Badawi Ghazi Hamid , Kawano Naoyoshi , Yamauchi Yasuo , Shimada Emi , Sasaki Ryozo , Kubo Akihiro , Tanaka Kiyoshi
Published: May 2004

The role of APX (ascorbate peroxidase) in protection against oxidative stress was examined using transgenic tobacco plants. The full length cDNA, coding Arabidopsis thaliana L. APX fused downstream to the chloroplast transit sequence from A. thaliana glutathione reductase, was cloned into appropriate binary vector and mobilized into Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58C2. Leaf discs were infected with the Agrobacterium and cultured on medium supplied with kanamycin. The incorporation of the gene in tobacco genome was confirmed by Southern dot blot hybridization. Transgenic lines were generated, and the line Chl‐APX5 shown to have 3.8‐fold the level of APX activity in the wild‐type plants. The isolated chloroplasts from this line showed higher APX activity. During early investigation, this line showed enhanced tolerance to the active oxygen‐generating paraquat and sodium sulphite. The first generation of this line, also, showed enhanced tolerance to salt, PEG and water stresses, as determined by net photosynthesis. The present data indicate that overproducing the cytosolic APX in tobacco chloroplasts reduces the toxicity of H2O2.
Protein‐level expression and localization of sucrose synthase in the sugarcane culm
Authors: Schäfer Wolfgang E. , Rohwer Johann M. , Botha Frederik C.
Published: May 2004

No comprehensive studies on the localization of sucrose synthase (SuSy, EC 2.4.1.13) in sugarcane internodes have been reported. The expression and localization of SuSy in young (internode 3) to mature (internode 9) internodes of sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) var. N19 was investigated. Enzyme activity in the top and bottom, as well as the peripheral and core parts of the internodes suggested that SuSy is present ubiquitously but that levels can differ significantly in different parts of the internodes and with maturity. This was also confirmed by immunohistochemistry, which showed that both vascular and storage parenchyma tissues contain SuSy in young and mature internodes. The ratio of sucrose breakdown to synthesis activity increased approximately 12‐fold from an average of 0.12 in internode three to 1.4 in internode nine. This indicates that different forms of SuSy are present in young and mature internodes, or that the ratios of different isoforms differ between young and mature internodes. Immunoblotting showed that at least one form of SuSy present in young tissue was absent, or present below detection limits, in mature culm tissue.
Carbon partitioning in leaves and tubers of transgenic potato plants with reduced activity of fructose‐6‐phosphate,2‐kinase/fructose‐2,6‐bisphosphatase
Authors: Rung Jesper H. , Draborg Henriette H. , Jørgensen Kirsten , Nielsen Tom H.
Published: May 2004

The role of fructose‐2,6‐bisphosphate (Fru‐2,6‐P2) in regulation of carbon metabolism was investigated in transgenic potato plants (Solanum tuberosum L. cv Dianella) transformed with a vector containing a cDNA‐sequence encoding fructose‐6‐phosphate,2‐kinase (F6P,2‐K, EC 2.7.1.105)/fructose‐2,6‐bisphosphatase (F26BPase, EC 3.1.3.46) in sense or antisense direction behind a CaMV 35S promoter. The activity of F6P,2‐K in leaves was reduced to 5% of wild‐type (WT) activity, and the level of Fru‐2,6‐P2 was reduced both in leaves (10% of the WT level) and in tubers (40% of the WT level). Analysis of photosynthetic 14CO2 metabolism, showed that in plant lines with reduced Fru‐2,6‐P2 level the carbon partitioning in the leaves was changed in favour of sucrose biosynthesis, and the soluble sugars‐to‐starch labelling ratio was doubled. The levels of soluble sugars and hexose phosphates also increased in leaves of the transgenic plants. Most notably, the levels of hexoses were four‐ to six‐fold increased in the transgenic plants. In tubers with reduced levels of Fru‐2,6‐P2 only minor effects on carbohydrate levels were observed. Furthermore, carbon assimilation in tuber discs supplied with [U‐14C]‐sucrose showed only a moderate increase in labelling of hexoses and a decreased labelling of starch. Similar results were obtained using [U‐14C]‐glucose. No differences in growth of the transgenic lines and the WT were observed. Our data provide evidences that Fru‐2,6‐P2 is an important factor in the regulation of photosynthetic carbon metabolism in potato leaves, whereas the direct influence of Fru‐2,6‐P2 on tuber metabolism was limited.
Isolation of a novel barley cDNA encoding a nuclear protein involved in stress response and leaf senescence
Authors: Barth Olaf , Zschiesche Wiebke , Siersleben Sylvia , Humbeck Klaus
Published: May 2004

In order to isolate genes involved in the early acclimation of winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Trixi) to a combined cold and light stress of 2°C and 600 μmol m−2 s−1 restriction fragment differential display‐polymerase chain reaction was performed. Impact of the cold‐treatment on the leaves was characterized by measuring chlorophyll content and photosystem II efficiency. By this approach several cDNAs of genes that quickly and transiently up‐regulated during early stages of the stress were identified. One of these genes (HvFP1) includes sequence motifs representing a heavy metal associated domain (HMA), nuclear localization signals (NLS) and a farnesylation motif. This gene is also induced at drought stress, during leaf senescence and after exposure to abscisic acid. Analysis of its spatial expression patterns in barley plants either grown at 21 or 2°C showed that in contrast to the situation in leaves transcript level of this gene is high not only in cold‐treated plants but also in controls kept at 21°C in plant compartments enriched in meristematic tissues. The nuclear localization of the protein was confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy of epidermal onion cells after particle bombardment with chimeric HVFP1‐GFP constructs. Using a construct with a modified farnesylation motif yielded a different pattern of nuclear distribution of the chimeric protein.
Reduction of dark chilling stress in N2‐fixing soybean by nitrate as indicated by chlorophyll a fluorescence kinetics
Authors: Van Heerden Philippus D. R. , Strasser Reto J. , Krüger Gert H. J.
Published: May 2004

Sub‐optimal night temperatures below 15°C (dark chilling) frequently reduce soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] production. Nitrate application is known to alleviate some of the negative effects of low root zone temperatures, probably by counteracting the inhibition caused by decreased symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF). Under field conditions, however, dark chilling is frequently not accompanied by low root zone temperatures. The possibility that nitrate might increase dark‐chilling tolerance under these conditions is still largely unexplored. In addition to quantifying vegetative development by means of the plastochron index, O–J–I–P (O–I1–I2–P) chlorophyll a fluorescence transients were recorded in soybean genotypes of contrasting chilling tolerance during and following exposure to dark chilling in the absence of low root zone temperatures. Plants, inoculated with the N2‐fixing bacteria, Bradyrhizobium japonicum, were grown with and without nitrate supplementation. The recorded O–J–I–P chlorophyll a fluorescence transients were analysed by the so‐called JIP‐test which translates stress‐induced alterations in these transients to changes in biophysical parameters that quantifies the energy flow through photosystem II (PSII). One of these parameters, the performance index (PIABS), combines the three main functional steps (light energy absorption, excitation energy trapping, and conversion of excitation energy to electron transport) of photosynthetic activity by a PSII reaction centre complex into a single multiparametric expression. By using the PIABS we could convincingly show that nitrate supplementation considerably enhances dark‐chilling tolerance and recovery capacity of plants in the absence of low root zone temperatures. This was especially true for the chilling‐sensitive genotype (‘Java 29’), suggesting that the response of SNF to dark chilling might be an important factor contributing towards genotypic differences in chilling tolerance. Our results corroborated previous reports about the superior chilling tolerance of ‘Maple Arrow’, a chilling‐tolerant genotype. The results obtained indicated that the PIABS is a far more sensitive indicator of dark‐chilling stress than the maximum quantum yield of primary photochemistry (FV/FM).