bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Melatonin or l‐tryptophan accelerates healing of gastroduodenal ulcers in patients treated with omeprazole
Authors: Celinski Krzysztof , Konturek Stanislaw J. , Konturek Piotr C. , Brzozowski Thomas , Cichoz‐Lach Halina , Slomka Maria , Malgorzata Plonka , Bielanski Wladyslaw , Reiter Russel J.
Published: March 2011

Abstract:  Melatonin and l‐tryptophan (Trp) are highly gastroprotective in humans, but no study has assessed their impact on healing of chronic gastroduodenal ulcers in humans. Three groups (A, B and C) of 14 idiopathic patients in each treatment group with gastroduodenal chronic ulcers were treated with omeprazole (20 mg twice daily) combined either with placebo (group A), melatonin (group B) or with Trp (group C). The rate of ulcer healing was determined by gastroduodenoscopy at day 0, 7, 14 and 21 after initiation of therapy. Plasma melatonin, gastrin, ghrelin and leptin were measured by RIA. On day 7, omeprazole by itself (group A) had not healed any ulcers, but four ulcers were healed with omeprazole plus melatonin and two with omeprazole plus tryptophan. At day 21, all ulcers were healed in patients treated with melatonin or Trp, but only 10–12 ulcers were healed in placebo‐treated patients. After treatment with omeprazole plus melatonin (group B) or Trp (group C), plasma melatonin levels rose several‐fold above initial values. Plasma gastrin level also rose significantly during treatment with omeprazole plus melatonin or Trp, but it was also significantly increased in patients treated with omeprazole plus placebo. Plasma ghrelin levels did not change significantly after treatment with melatonin or Trp, while plasma leptin increased significantly in patients treated with melatonin or Trp but not with placebo. We conclude that melatonin or Trp, when added to omeprazole treatment, accelerates ulcer healing and this likely depends mainly upon the significant increments in plasma melatonin.
Effect of a contusion injury on muscular force, power, work, and fatigue
Authors: Elmer S. , McDaniel J. , Mattson J. , Martin J.
Published: March 2011

The purpose of the investigation was to compare alterations in muscular force, power, work, and fatigue following a contusion injury. We hypothesized that power and work would be more greatly reduced than isometric force due to several mechanisms that would alter the force–velocity relationship and impair activation/relaxation kinetics specific to dynamic muscle contractions. Contusion injury was administered to the gastrocnemius muscle of adult rats using the drop‐mass technique. Isometric force, power during shortening (10, 25, and 40 mm/s), work produced during cyclic contractions (2 and 4 Hz), and fatigue during 60 work loops, were normalized to dry muscle mass and analyzed in control animals (n=11), as well as 1 h (n=11) and 48 h (n=9) following contusion injury. Passive work increased (30–38%) 48 h after injury compared with control (P<0.01). Isometric force, power, and work were significantly reduced by similar magnitudes 1 h (28–33%) and 48 h (28–38%) after injury compared with control (P<0.01). Fatigue index 1 h post‐injury was significantly less than control (75% vs 85%; P=0.02). The observed increases in muscle hysteresis were apparently not large enough to cause greater reductions in power and work than isometric force. We conclude that isometric measures provide adequate quantification of muscular dysfunction following a contusion injury in these animals and may offer sufficient information to determine recovery status in clinical settings as well.
Recovery pattern of motor reflex after a single bout of neuromuscular electrical stimulation session
Authors: Laurin J. , Dousset E. , Carrivale R. , Grélot L. , Decherchi P.
Published: March 2011

We aimed at determining the recovery pattern of neural properties of soleus muscle after a single bout of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) session. Thirteen subjects performed an NMES exercise (75 Hz, 40 contractions, 6.25 s per contraction). Maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), H‐reflex at rest and during voluntary contraction fixed at 60% of MVC (respectively, Hmax and Hsup) and volitional (V) wave were measured before and during the recovery period following this exercise [i.e., immediately after, 2 h (H2), 2 days (D2) and 7 days (D7)]. MVC exhibited an immediate and a delayed declines at 2 days (respectively, −29.8±4.6%, P<0.001; −13.0±3.4%, P<0.05). Likewise, V/Msup was decreased immediately and 2 days after NMES session (respectively, −43.3±11.6%, P<0.05; 35.3±6.6%, P<0.05). The delayed decrements in MVC and V‐wave occurred concomitantly with muscle soreness peak (P<0.001). It could be concluded that motor command alterations after an NMES resistance session contributed to the immediate and also to the delayed decreases in MVC without affecting resting and active H‐reflex excitability. These results suggested that spinal circuitry function of larger motoneurons was inhibited by NMES (as indicated by the depressed V‐wave responses) contrary to the smaller one (indicated by the unchanged H‐reflex responses).
Dynamics of viscoelastic creep during repeated stretches
Authors: Ryan E. D. , Herda T. J. , Costa P. B. , Walter A. A. , Cramer J. T.
Published: March 2011

The present study examined the viscoelastic creep responses in vivo during repeated constant‐torque stretches in human skeletal muscle. Twelve healthy participants completed four consecutive 30‐s constant‐torque passive stretches of the right plantar flexor muscles. Position and surface electromyographic (EMG) amplitude values were quantified at every 5‐s period and the percent change in position was quantified for each 5‐s epoch relative to the total increase in ankle joint position for each stretch. In addition, the absolute changes in position were plotted on a logarithmic time scale and fit with a linear regression line to examine both the rate of increase (slope) and the overall increase in position over the entire stretch (y‐intercept). The percent change and slope were similar (P>0.05) over all four stretches, with the majority of increases in position occurring within the initial 15–20 s of each stretch (84%). Absolute ankle joint position and the y‐intercept increased (P<0.05) following both the first and second stretch but plateaued (P>0.05) after the third stretch. In addition, EMG amplitude values did not change (P>0.05) during or between each 30‐s stretch. These data indicate that the amount and rate of viscoelastic creep were similar during practical durations of constant‐torque stretching despite no change in ankle joint position following three 30‐s stretches.
Experimental and numerical study on the mechanical behavior of the superficial layers of the face
Authors: Barbarino Giuseppe G. , Jabareen Mahmood , Mazza Edoardo
Published: March 2011

Background/purpose: This paper reports a study on the quasi‐static mechanical response of the superficial soft tissue of the face, in particular the skin and the superficial muscoloaponeurotic system (SMAS) plus the superficial fat. The mechanical characterization of soft tissues represents one of the main uncertainties of previously developed numerical models for face simulation.

Methods: Two instruments based on the suction method were used for collecting experimental data: the Cutometer® (2 mm probe aperture diameter) and the Aspiration device (8 mm). Tests were performed in five different regions of the face (jaw, nasolabial, parotideomasseteric, zygomatic and forehead) on the same subject whose magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were used to generate a full 3D finite element model of the face and for whom a series of experimental results for different loading cases are already available. The mechanical parameters of the tissue layers were determined through an inverse finite element analysis. Anatomical data (tissue layers' thickness) were determined through the analysis of a set of high‐resolution MRI scans and ultrasound measurements performed in the regions tested.

Results: The results of Cutometer® measurements show a relatively homogeneous mechanical response in different face regions, while the results of aspiration device measurements, which involve deeper tissues, show a larger variability. Mechanical model parameters of the skin and SMAS were determined for two constitutive model equations: a hyperelastic model based on the Rubin–Bodner formulation and a reduced polynomial model of second order.

Conclusion: The results reported in this work suggest that for simulations of the global behavior of facial soft tissue, such as craniofacial and maxillofacial surgery planning, the skin could be considered as a layer of uniform thickness and of uniform mechanical response through the different regions. Additionally, mechanical models were determined for skin and SMAS that could be used for simulations of surgical procedures requiring a distinction between these tissue layers.
Clathrin Heavy Chain Gene Fusions Expressed in Human Cancers: Analysis of Cellular Functions
Authors: Blixt Maria K. E. , Royle Stephen J.
Published: March 2011

Clathrin is a protein expressed ubiquitously that has important functions in membrane trafficking and mitosis. Two different gene fusions involving clathrin heavy chain (CHC) have been described in human cancers. These involve either anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) or transcription factor binding to IGHM enhancer 3 (TFE3) and raise the possibility that altered clathrin function in cells expressing the fusion proteins could contribute to oncogenesis. In the present study, we tested the functions of CHC‐ALK and CHC‐TFE3 in endocytosis and mitosis. CHC‐ALK is comparable to full‐length CHC in both functions indicating that malignant transformation in cells expressing CHC‐ALK is not because of any change in clathrin function. CHC‐TFE3 is not functional in endocytosis, but can substitute for CHC in mitosis. CHC‐TFE3 causes prolonged interphase that is attributed to the TFE3 portion of the protein. We also describe how CHC‐TFE3 is a dimer. This suggests that clathrin's proposed role in intermicrotubule bridging can be fulfilled not only by trimers but also by dimers. Finally, this study shows that the membrane trafficking and mitotic functions of clathrin are independent and separable.
Fixed drug eruption caused by mefenamic acid: a case series and diagnostic algorithms
Authors: Handisurya Alessandra , Moritz Katharina Barbara , Riedl Elisabeth , Reinisch Christina , Stingl Georg , Wöhrl Stefan
Published: March 2011

Background: Fixed drug eruption is a fairly common drug‐induced hypersensitivity reaction of the skin and the mucous membranes, which is characterized by the re‐occurrence of the lesion(s) exactly on the previously involved sites after repeated administration. The pathogenetic mechanisms of this site‐specificity are not fully elucidated.

Patients and Methods: We report on three cases of fixed drug eruption, including a non‐pigmenting generalized bullous fixed drug eruption, caused by mefenamic acid in its pure form.

Results and Conclusion: Provocation tests with the assumed causative drug represent the gold standard for establishing the diagnosis and for identifying the culprit. Advantages and pitfalls of topical and systemic provocation tests as diagnostic approaches are discussed.
H1N1 infection in children with haematological and oncological diseases in Norway
Authors: Zeller Bernward , Hellebostad Marit
Published: March 2011

Aim:  To describe the impact of H1N1 infections in children with haematological and oncological diseases during the 2009 H1N1 pandemics.

Methods:  A short questionnaire was e‐mailed to all paediatric departments taking care of patients with oncological and chronic haematological diseases, asking for known cases of H1N1 infections in this patient group.

Results:  Nine children treated for cancer and seven children with haematological diseases were registered. No death occurred, but two patients treated for cancer (acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at diagnosis, acute myeloid leukaemia in chemotherapy‐induced bone marrow aplasia) experienced life‐threatening respiratory complications.

Conclusion:  In all patients with haematological disease and most cases of oncological diseases, the infections ran a mild course. However, life‐threatening complications occurred in severely immunosuppressed and neutropenic patients. Delay of anticancer treatment is a concern even in mild cases.
Outcomes of congenital heart disease in late preterm infants: double jeopardy?
Authors: Natarajan Girija , Anne Sreedhar R , Aggarwal Sanjeev
Published: March 2011

Aim:  To evaluate outcomes of late preterm (34–36 6/7 weeks gestation) infants with congenital heart defects requiring surgical intervention during initial admission (added), in comparison with term (37–42 weeks) controls.

Methods:  This was a retrospective chart review of consecutive late preterm and term infants with congenital heart lesions, requiring surgical intervention during initial admission.

Results:  Our cohort (n = 88) comprised 26 late preterm infants (group 1) and 62 term controls (group 2). The two groups differed significantly in mean (SD) gestation [34.5 (1.5) vs. 39.1 (1) weeks)], birth weight [2335 (402) vs. 3173 (401) g] and weight [2602 (739) vs. 3273 (507) g] and age [33 (51) vs. 11 (14) days] at surgery. Cardiac diagnosis frequencies were similar in both groups. The mean (SD) duration of PGE1 [31.9 (56.8) vs. 11.3 (24.9) days] and need for preoperative pressors (25% vs. 8%) were significantly higher in group 1. Death (23% vs. 8%, p = 0.05) tended to be higher in group 1. Rates of necrotizing enterocolitis (23% vs. 1.7%), seizures (19% vs. 0%), oxygen need (12% vs. 0%) and gavage feeds (12% vs. 1.6%) at discharge were all significantly higher in the late preterm cohort.

Conclusions:  These data highlight the extreme vulnerability of infants with the ‘double hits’ of prematurity and heart defects.
Clinical and biological parameters in 166 boys, adolescents and adults with nonmosaic Klinefelter syndrome: a Copenhagen experience
Authors: Aksglæde Lise , Skakkebæk Niels E , Almstrup Kristian , Juul Anders
Published: March 2011

Aim:  Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is the most frequent sex chromosome disorder in males, but the phenotype varies greatly and is therefore highly under‐diagnosed. We aimed at describing the phenotypic characteristics throughout life from clinical follow‐up of our large cohort of patients with KS.

Methods:  A retrospective observational study of 166 males with nonmosaic 47,XXY KS aged 0.3–80.3 years. Data on phenotype, growth, body composition, bone mineral density, sex hormones, lipids, glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1C) and prostate‐specific antigen were recorded. In addition, histological examination of testicular biopsies from 29 patients was performed.

Results:  Patients with Klinefelter were taller already in childhood. All patients had smaller testicular volume and elevated luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle‐stimulating hormone levels in adulthood. Cryptorchidism was reported in 14%, gynaecomastia in 44%, and 36% required speech therapy or educational support. The abnormal biochemical parameters became evident after onset of puberty and correlated with histological findings of a gradual deterioration of seminiferous tubules and massive Leydig cell hyperplasia in adults.

Conclusion:  Our patients presented with a wide spectrum of the classical Klinefelter symptoms. In adulthood, two features were consistently present in every patient: small testes and high LH/testosterone ratio, often despite normal testosterone levels. Such biochemical parameters combined with small testes should lead to a suspicion of KS.
Effects of short‐course androgen therapy on the neurodevelopmental profile of infants and children with 49,XXXXY syndrome
Authors: Samango‐Sprouse Carole A , Gropman Andrea L , Sadeghin Teresa , Kingery Madison , Lutz‐Armstrong Margaret , Rogol Alan D
Published: March 2011

Aim:  The aim of this investigation was to ascertain whether an early course of androgen treatment (three injections testosterone enanthate, 25 mg) could have a positive impact on any domains of neurodevelopmental function in boys with 49,XXXXY.

Methods:  A total of 22 boys with a karyotype of 49,XXXXY participated in a multidisciplinary assessment of neurocognition, speech and language, paediatric neurology and endocrinology evaluations. One group had received early androgen and another group did not receive any hormonal treatment prior to the evaluation. The mean age of treatment for Group 1 was 12 months with the mean age of first evaluation 74 months. The mean age of first evaluation for Group 2 was 87 months. Statistical analysis was completed to determine whether there was a positive treatment effect from androgen therapy.

Results:  There was a significant positive treatment effect in speech and language domain, gestural communication and vocabulary development. No treatment effect was seen on nonverbal capacities.

Conclusion:  Our findings revealed improved function in several areas of development which had been severely delayed in boys with 49,XXXXY. Continued research is underway to expand our understanding of the relationship of androgen, brain function and behavioural outcome in boys with 49,XXXXY.
Allele‐specific PCR typing and sequencing of the mitochondrial D‐loop region in four layer breeds
Authors: HARUMI Takashi , SANO Akiko , MINEMATSU Takeo , NAITO Mitsuru
Published: March 2011

This study aimed to investigate the ability of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) haplotypes in chicken mtDNA for presumption of the origins of chicken meat. We typed five SNPs of the D‐loop region in mtDNA by allele‐specific PCR (AS‐PCR) in 556 hens, that is 233 White Leghorn (WL), 50 Dekalb‐TX35 (D‐TX), 140 Barred Plymouth Rock (BPR) and 133 Rhode Island Red (RIR) kept in the National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science (NILGS, Tsukuba, Japan). Five haplotypes were observed among those chickens by AS‐PCR. WL, D‐TX, BPR and RIR displayed three, two, one and four SNP haplotypes, respectively. By a combination of the haplotypes by AS‐PCR and the breeds, these chickens were classified into 10 groups. After the D‐loop was sequenced in two chickens from every group (20 individuals), 15 SNP sites (including one insertion) and eight sequence haplotypes were observed. In conclusion, haplotype variation was observed in and among the layer breeds of the NILGS. This study demonstrates that SNP haplotypes in mtDNA should be appropriate for the presumption of the origins of chicken meat.
Effects of amino acids infused into the vein on ghrelin‐induced GH, insulin and glucagon secretion in lactating cows
Authors: FUKUMORI Rika , YOKOTANI Akinori , SUGINO Toshihisa , ITOH Fumiaki , KUSHIBIKI Shiro , SHINGU Hiroyuki , MORIYA Naoko , HASEGAWA Yoshihisa , KOJIMA Masayasu , KANGAWA Kenji , OBITSU Taketo , TANIGUCHI Kohzo
Published: March 2011

To investigate the effects of amino acids on ghrelin‐induced growth hormone (GH), insulin and glucagon secretion in lactating dairy cattle, six Holstein cows were randomly assigned to two infusion treatments in a cross‐over design. Mixture solution of amino acids (AMI) or saline (CON) was continuously infused into the left side jugular vein via catheter for 4 h. At 2 h after the start of infusion, synthetic bovine ghrelin was single injected into the right side jugular vein through the catheter. Ghrelin injection immediately increased plasma GH, glucose and non‐esterified fatty acids (P < 0.05) with no difference between both treatments. Additionally, plasma insulin and glucagon concentrations were increased by ghrelin injection in both treatments. The peak value of plasma insulin concentration was greater in AMI compared with CON (P < 0.05). Plasma glucagon concentration showed no difference in the peak value reached at 5 min between both treatments, and then the plasma levels in AMI compared with CON showed sustained higher values (P < 0.05). After plasma glucose concentration reached the peak, the decline was greater in AMI compared with CON (P < 0.05). These results showed that the increased plasma amino acids may enhance ghrelin action which in turn enhances insulin and glucagon secretions in lactating cows.
The Rising Tide of the Transpacific
Authors: Yao Steven G.
Published: March 2011

Bringing together theoretical and methodological resources, as well as concerns, from Asian area studies, comparative literature, modernist studies, American ethnic studies (most especially Asian American studies), and postcolonial studies, transpacific literary and cultural studies encompasses in its general scope the different nations, peoples, and cultural traditions making up the Pacific Rim region, with a particular focus on examining the diverse material and conceptual roles that they (or ideas about them) have played both in the very constitution of western modernity and in its subsequent global spread. This essay offers a brief genealogy of this emergent scholarly formation and discusses recent scholarship that seeks to chart the reciprocal interactions and tensions among the intertwined domains of Pacific Rim geopolitics, cultural production (especially poetry), and racialization that have underwritten and accompanied the rise of Euro‐American modernity and its unevenly contested effort to shape the rest of the world according to its own image.
Reading Early Modern Food: A Review Article
Authors: Fitzpatrick Joan
Published: March 2011

Whilst historians have led the way in the study of early modern food, literary critics are increasingly alert to the importance of this relatively new topic. This essay begins by tracing the context of early modern food studies by exploring what has been written by historians and what has been written on related subjects, such as the body and the role of women as producers and sellers of food. The essay charts important studies of food in early modern drama, poetry and prose by canonical and less well‐known authors from the period before ascertaining where we are today in early modern literary food studies and what we might expect from future criticism on the topic.
Tec family kinases Itk and Rlk / Txk in T lymphocytes: cross‐regulation of cytokine production and T‐cell fates
Authors: Gomez‐Rodriguez Julio , Kraus Zachary J. , Schwartzberg Pamela L.
Published: March 2011

Developing thymocytes and T cells express the Tec kinases Itk, Rlk/Txk and Tec, which are critical modulators of T‐cell receptor signaling, required for full activation of phospholipase Cγ, and downstream Ca2+ and ERK‐mediated signaling pathways. Over the last 10 years, data have implicated the Tec family kinases Itk and Rlk/Txk as important regulators of cytokine production by CD4+ effector T‐cell populations. Emerging data now suggest that the Tec family kinases not only influence cytokine‐producing T‐cell populations in the periphery, but also regulate the development of distinct innate‐type cytokine‐producing T‐cell populations in the thymus. Together, these results suggest that the Tec family kinases play critical roles in helping shape immune responses via their effects on the differentiation and function of distinct cytokine‐producing, effector T‐cell populations.
Tec family kinases: regulation of FcεRI‐mediated mast‐cell activation
Authors: Ellmeier Wilfried , Abramova Anastasia , Schebesta Alexandra
Published: March 2011

Mast cells express the high‐affinity receptor for IgE (FcεRI) and are key players in type I hypersensitivity reactions. They are critically involved in the development of allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma and systemic anaphylaxis, however, they also regulate normal physiological processes that link innate and adaptive immune responses. Thus, their activation has to be tightly controlled. One group of signaling molecules that are activated upon FcεRI stimulation is formed by Tec family kinases, and three members of this kinase family (Btk, Itk and Tec) are expressed in mast cells. Many studies have revealed important functions of Tec kinases in signaling pathways downstream of the antigen receptors in lymphocytes. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the function of Tec family kinases in FcεRI‐mediated signaling pathways in mast cell.
Mineral and Bone Disorders Outcomes Study for Japanese Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 5D Patients: Rationale and Study Design
Authors: Fukuhara Shunichi , Akizawa Tadao , Fukagawa Masafumi , Onishi Yoshihiro , Yamaguchi Takuhiro , Hasegawa Takeshi , Kurokawa Kiyoshi
Published: March 2011

Secondary hyperparathyroidism is common in patients with mineral and bone disorders related to chronic kidney disease. Guidelines for the management of secondary hyperparathyroidism in hemodialysis patients have been promulgated, but evidence on the relationship between treatment and survival is still insufficient. Studying hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism, we have three goals: (i) to record the characteristics of those patients and variations in the patterns of their treatment; (ii) to analyze factors associated with variations in those medical practice patterns; and (iii) to identify the practice patterns and other factors that affect hospitalization, mortality, and other patient‐level outcomes. This is a three‐year prospective observational study with a case‐cohort and a cohort design. Eligible patients comprise all patients who are receiving hemodialysis at the participating facilities and who also have secondary hyperparathyroidism. In the case‐cohort study, the outcomes are relatively infrequent events (all‐cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality). The cohort study will include a randomly selected sample of 40% of all study participants; and the outcomes include hospitalization, parathyroid interventions, bone fracture, and mineral bone density management status. Explanatory variables comprise medications and other factors likely to be associated with the outcomes of dialysis and of secondary hyperparathyroidism, and facility‐level practice patterns. We expect this study to provide evidence regarding factors that affect outcomes in hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism.
Future Use of Tritium in Mapping Pre‐Bomb Groundwater Volumes
Authors: Eastoe C.J. , Watts C.J. , Ploughe M. , Wright W.E.
Published: March 2011

The tritium input to groundwater, represented as volume‐weighted mean tritium concentrations in precipitation, has been close to constant in Tucson and Albuquerque since 1992, and the decrease in tritium concentrations at the tail end of the bomb tritium pulse has ceased. To determine the future usefulness of tritium measurements in southwestern North America, volume‐weighted mean tritium levels in seasonal aggregate precipitation samples have been gathered from 26 sites. The averages range from 2 to 9 tritium units (TU). Tritium concentrations increase with site latitude, and possibly with distance from the coast and with site altitude, reflecting local ratios of combination of low‐tritium moisture advected from the oceans with high‐tritium moisture originating near the tropopause. Tritium used alone as a tool for mapping aquifer volumes containing only pre‐bomb recharge to groundwater will become ambiguous when the tritium in precipitation at the end of the bomb tritium pulse decays to levels close to the analytical detection limit. At such a time, tritium in precipitation from the last one to two decades of the bomb pulse will become indistinguishable from pre‐bomb recharge. The threshold of ambiguity has already arrived in coastal areas with a mean of 2 TU in precipitation and will follow in the next three decades throughout the study region. Where the mean tritium level is near 5 TU, the threshold will occur between 2025 and 2030, given a detection limit of 0.6 TU. Similar thresholds of ambiguity, with different local timing possible, apply globally.
Reading Difficulty after Stroke: Ocular and non Ocular Causes
Authors: Rowe Fiona , Wright David , Brand Darren , Jackson Carole , Price Alison , Walker Linda , Harrison Shirley , Eccleston Carla , Maan Tallat , Scott Claire , Vogwell Linda , Peel Sarah , Robson Leonie , Akerman Nicola , Dodridge Caroline , Howard Claire , Shipman Tracey , Sperring Una , Yarde Sue , Rowe Fiona , MacDiarmid Sonia , Freeman Cicely
Published: March 2011

Background

Ocular causes of reading impairment following stroke include visual field loss, eye movement impairment and poor central vision. Non ocular causes may include cognitive errors or language impairment.

Aim

The purpose of this study was to identify all patients referred with suspected visual impairment who had reported reading difficulty to establish the prevalence of ocular and non ocular causes.

Methods

Prospective, multicentre, observation study with standardised referral and assessment forms across 21 sites. Visual assessment included visual acuity measurement, visual field assessment, ocular alignment, and movement and visual inattention assessment. Multicentre ethical approval and informed patient consent were obtained.

Results

A total of 915 patients were recruited, with a mean age of 69·18 years (standard deviation 14·19). Reading difficulties were reported by 177 patients (19·3%), with reading difficulty as the only symptom in 39 patients. Fifteen patients had normal visual assessment but with a diagnosis of expressive or receptive aphasia. Eight patients had alexia. One hundred and nine patients had visual field loss, 85 with eye movement abnormality, 27 with low vision and 39 patients with visual perceptual impairment. Eighty-seven patients had multiple ocular diagnoses with combined visual field, eye movement, low vision or inattention problems. All patients with visual impairment were given targeted treatment and/or advice including prisms, occlusion, refraction, low vision aids and scanning exercises.

Conclusions

Patients complaining of reading difficulty were mostly found to have visual impairment relating to low vision, eye movement or visual field loss. A small number were found to have non ocular causes of reading difficulty. Treatment or advice was possible for all patients with visual impairment.
Beyond Markets: Sociology, street‐level bureaucracy, and the management of the public sector
Authors: Piore Michael J.
Published: March 2011

This article extends the concept of street‐level bureaucracy to address the problem of the inflexibility and rigidity of governmental rules and regulations, a problem at the heart of the standard economic argument against an active government role in the management of the economy. In so doing, it seeks to create a conceptual bridge over which a range of social science disciplines can be drawn into the debate about public sector management and thereby expand the repertoire of policy tools. The article draws primarily on research on one class of street‐level bureaucratic organizations, labor inspection organizations in Latin America and southern Europe, and secondarily on a project focusing on DARPA, the research arm of the US Department of Defense. In both organizations, line officers have wide discretion in program development and management and in effect adjust to changing economic and social conditions in a way not unlike the market. These adjustments are grounded in tacit rules that evolve through discussion among the line agents coping day‐to‐day with novel cases. Management can influence that evolution by entering into the ongoing discussion and giving it direction. Various ways in which it might do so are examined.
Governing the gap: Forging safe science through relational regulation
Authors: Huising Ruthanne , Silbey Susan S.
Published: March 2011

Designed to close the ubiquitous gap between law on the books and law in action, management systems locate the standard setting and implementation of regulation within the regulated organization itself. Despite efforts to more closely couple aspirations and performance, the gap re‐emerges because the exigencies of practical action exceed the capacity of system prescriptions to anticipate and contain them. Drawing on data from a six‐year ethnographic study of the creation and implementation of an environment, health, and safety management system, this article identifies relational regulation as the approach used by front‐line managers to govern the gap: keeping organizational activities within an acceptable range of variation close to regulatory specifications. We identify four practices – narrating the gap, inquiring without constraint, integrating pluralistic accounts, and crafting pragmatic accommodations – and three conditions under which actors may develop a sociological orientation to enact relational regulation. Overall, the article concludes that the mechanism for assuring compliance resides in the apprehension of relational interdependencies rather than the management system per se.
Cooperative hunting behavior, prey selectivity and prey handling by pack ice killer whales (Orcinus orca), type B, in Antarctic Peninsula waters
Authors: Pitman Robert L. , Durban John W.
Published: March 2011

Abstract

Currently, there are three recognized ecotypes (or species) of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Antarctic waters, including type B, a putative prey specialist on seals, which we refer to as “pack ice killer whale” (PI killer whale). During January 2009, we spent a total of 75.4 h observing three different groups of PI killer whales hunting off the western Antarctic Peninsula. Observed prey taken included 16 seals and 1 Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis). Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) were taken almost exclusively (14/15 identified seal kills), despite the fact that they represented only 15% of 365 seals identified on ice floes; the whales entirely avoided taking crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga; 82% relative abundance) and leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx; 3%). Of the seals killed, the whales took 12/14 (86%) off ice floes using a cooperative wave‐washing behavior; they produced 120 waves during 22 separate attacks and successfully took 12/16 (75%) of the Weddell seals attacked. The mean number of waves produced per successful attack was 4.1 (range 1–10) and the mean attack duration was 30.4 min (range 15–62). Seal remains that we examined from one of the kills provided evidence of meticulous postmortem prey processing perhaps best termed “butchering.”
Assessing population parameters and trends of Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis): An eight‐year mark‐recapture study
Authors: Cantor Mauricio , Wedekin Leonardo L. , Daura‐Jorge Fábio G. , Rossi‐Santos Marcos R. , Simões‐Lopes Paulo C.
Published: March 2011

Abstract

This study represents the first attempt to study the population dynamics of Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis), by evaluating a set of demographic parameters. The population of the Caravelas River estuary, eastern Brazil, was systematically monitored through a long‐term mark‐recapture experiment (2002–2009). Abundance estimates revealed a small population (57–124 dolphins), comprised of resident dolphins and individuals that temporarily leave or pass through the study area. Temporary emigration from the estuary to adjacencies (γ″= 0.33 ± 0.07 SE) and return rate (1 −γ′= 0 .67) were moderate and constant, indicating that some dolphins use larger areas. Survival rate (ϕ= 0.88 ± 0.07 SE) and abundance were constant throughout the study period. Power analysis showed that the current monitoring effort has high probability of detecting abrupt population declines (1 −β= 0.9). Although the monitoring is not yet sensitive to subtle population trends, sufficient time to identify them is feasible (additional 3 yr). Despite such apparent stability, this population, as many others, inhabits waters exposed to multiple human‐related threats. Open and closed population modeling applied to photo‐identification data provide a robust baseline for estimating several demographic parameters and can be applied to other populations to allow further comparisons. Such synergistic efforts will allow a reliable definition of conservation status of this species.
Molecular identification of species in Prunus sect. Persica (Rosaceae), with emphasis on evaluation of candidate barcodes for plants
Authors: QUAN Xu , ZHOU Shi‐Liang
Published: March 2011

Abstract  Species of Prunus L. sect. Persica are not only important fruit trees, but also popular ornamental and medicinal plants. Correct identification of seedlings, barks, or fruit kernels is sometimes required, but no reliable morphological characters are available. Nowadays, the technique of DNA barcoding has the potential to meet such requirements. In this study, we evaluated the suitability of 11 DNA loci (atpB‐rbcL, trnH‐psbA, trnL‐F, trnS‐G, atpF‐H, rbcL, matK, rpoB, rpoC1, nad1, and internal transcribed spacer [ITS]) as candidate DNA barcodes for peaches, using samples from 38 populations, covering all the species in sect. Persica. On the whole, the primers worked well in this group and sequencing difficulties were met only in the case of ITS locus. Five loci (rbcL, matK, rpoB, rpoC, and nad1) have very low variation rates, whereas atpB‐rbcL, atpF‐H, trnH‐psbA, trnL‐F and trnS‐G show more variability. The most variable loci, atpB‐rbcL and trnH‐psbA, can distinguish three of the five species. Two two‐locus combinations, atpB‐rbcL+trnL‐F and atpB‐rbcL+atpF‐H, can resolve all five species. We also find that identification powers of the loci are method‐dependent. The NeighborNet method shows higher species identification power than maximum parsimony, neighbor joining, and unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean methods.
Molecular identification of species in Juglandaceae: A tiered method
Authors: XIANG Xiao‐Guo , ZHANG Jing‐Bo , LU An‐Ming , LI Rui‐Qi
Published: March 2011

Abstract  DNA barcoding is a method of species identification and recognition using DNA sequence data. A tiered or multilocus method has been recommended for barcoding plant species. In this study, we sampled 196 individuals representing 9 genera and 54 species of Juglandaceae to investigate the utility of the four potential barcoding loci (rbcL, matK, trnH‐psbA, and internal transcribed spacer (ITS)). Our results show that all four DNA regions are easy to amplify and sequence. In the four tested DNA regions, ITS has the most variable information, and rbcL has the least. At generic level, seven of nine genera can be efficiently identified by matK. At species level, ITS has higher interspecific p‐distance than the trnH‐psbA region. Difficult to align in the whole family, ITS showed heterogeneous variability among different genera. Except for the monotypic genera (Cyclocarya, Annamocarya, Platycarya), ITS appeared to have limited power for species identification within the Carya and Engelhardia complex, and have no power for Juglans or Pterocarya. Overall, our results confirmed that a multilocus tiered method for plant barcoding was applicable and practicable. With higher priority, matK is proposed as the first‐tier DNA region for genus discrimination, and the second locus at species level should have enough stable variable characters.
Features and distribution patterns of Chinese endemic seed plant species
Authors: HUANG Ji‐Hong , CHEN Jian‐Hua , YING Jun‐Sheng , MA Ke‐Ping
Published: March 2011

Abstract We compiled and identified a list of Chinese endemic seed plant species based on a large number of published references and expert reviews. The characters of these seed plant species and their distribution patterns were described at length. China is rich in endemic seed plants, with a total of 14 939 species (accounting for 52.1% of its total seed plant species) belonging to 1584 genera and 191 families. Temperate families and genera have a significantly higher proportion of endemism than cosmopolitan and tropical ones. The most primitive and derived groups have significantly higher endemism than the other groups. The endemism of tree, shrub, and liana or vine is higher than that of total species; in contrast, the endemism of herb is lower than that of total species. Geographically, these Chinese endemic plants are mainly distributed in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, southwest China. Species richness and proportion of these endemic plants decrease with increased latitude and have a unimodal response to altitude. The peak value of proportion of endemism is at higher altitudes than that of total species and endemic species richness. The proportions of endemic shrub, liana or vine, and herb increase with altitude and have a clear unimodal curve. In contrast, the proportion of tree increases with altitude, with a sudden increase at ∼4000 m and has a completely different model. To date, our study provides the most comprehensive list of Chinese endemic seed plant species and their basic composition and distribution features.
Relative importance of water, energy, and heterogeneity in determining regional pteridophyte and seed plant richness in China
Authors: CHEN Sheng‐Bin , JIANG Gao‐Ming , OUYANG Zhi‐Yun , XU Wei‐Hua , XIAO Yi
Published: March 2011

Abstract  Environmental variables, such as ambient energy, water availability, and environmental heterogeneity have been frequently proposed to account for species diversity gradients. How taxon‐specific functional traits define large‐scale richness gradients is a fundamental issue in understanding spatial patterns of species diversity, but has not been well documented. Using a large dataset on the regional flora from China, we examine the contrast spatial patterns and environmental determinants between pteridophytes and seed plants which differ in dispersal capacity and environmental requirements. Pteridophyte richness shows more pronounced spatial variation and stronger environmental associations than seed plant richness. Water availability generally accounts for more spatial variance in species richness of pteridophytes and seed plants than energy and heterogeneity do, especially for pteridophytes which have high dependence on moist and shady environments. Thus, pteridophyte richness is disproportionally affected by water‐related variables; this in turn results in a higher proportion of pteridophytes in regional vascular plant floras (pteridophyte proportion) in wet regions. Most of the variance in seed plant richness, pteridophyte richness, and pteridophyte proportion explained by energy is included in variation that water and heterogeneity account for, indicating the redundancy of energy in the study extent. However, heterogeneity is more important for determining seed plant distributions. Pteridophyte and seed plant richness is strongly correlated, even after the environmental effects have been removed, implying functional linkages between them. Our study highlights the importance of incorporating biological traits of different taxonomic groups into the studies of macroecology and global change biology.
Discriminating plant species in a local temperate flora using the rbcL+matK DNA barcode
Authors: Burgess Kevin S. , Fazekas Aron J. , Kesanakurti Prasad R. , Graham Sean W. , Husband Brian C. , Newmaster Steven G. , Percy Diana M. , Hajibabaei Mehrdad , Barrett Spencer C. H.
Published: March 2011

1. A major goal of DNA barcoding is to identify species in local floras and ecological communities. With the consensus of a two‐locus DNA barcode (rbcL+matK) by the Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) Plant Working Group (2009), barcoding efforts have begun to focus on building the barcode library for land plants.

2. Here, we establish a barcoding database for a temperate flora of moderate taxonomic breadth at the Koffler Scientific Reserve, Ontario, Canada based on the rbcL+matK barcode. We evaluated the performance of this combination in comparison with three other potential supplementary regions (the coding region rpoC1 and two non‐coding intergenic spacers trnH‐psbA and atpF‐atpH). We examined these markers singly and in combination to evaluate their discriminatory power among 436 species in 269 genera of land plants.

3. Using high‐throughput techniques, we recovered a high‐quality sequence from at least one region for 98.2% of the 513 samples screened; 55% had complete coverage across all five gene regions. Sequencing success was highest for rbcL (91.4% of samples collected) and lowest for rpoC1 (74.5%). The two coding regions rbcL and matK provided a relatively high number of high‐quality bi‐directional sequences compared with the non‐coding intergenic spacers, and in combination were able to correctly identify 93.1% of the species sampled. Marginal increases in species resolution were obtained with the inclusion of the trnH‐psbA intergenic spacer (95.3%), or by using all five gene regions combined (97.3%).

4. There was a weak relation between the number of species per genus and identification success rate using rbcL+matK; 100% for monotypic genera (70.5% of the flora) and 83.6% for polytypic genera. Identification success using the rbcL+matK barcode was higher (100%) for gymnosperms, bryophytes, lycophytes and monilophytes (collectively representing 5% of the flora), compared with angiosperms (92.7%).

5. Our results indicate that the rbcL+matK barcode can provide an acceptably high rate of species resolution in the context of this and other local northern temperate floras. It does so in a cost‐effective manner, with relatively modest laboratory effort, and despite the presence of missing data from individual plastid regions in a subset of samples.
Quantifying the sensitivity of camera traps: an adapted distance sampling approach
Authors: Marcus Rowcliffe J. , Carbone Chris , Jansen Patrick A. , Kays Roland , Kranstauber Bart
Published: March 2011

1. Abundance estimation is a pervasive goal in ecology. The rate of detection by motion‐sensitive camera traps can, in principle, provide information on the abundance of many species of terrestrial vertebrates that are otherwise difficult to survey. The random encounter model (REM,Rowcliffeet al.2008) provides a means estimating abundance from camera trap rate but requires camera sensitivity to be quantified.

2. Here, we develop a method to estimate the area effectively monitored by cameras, which is one of the most important codeterminants of detection rate. Our method borrows from distance sampling theory, applying detection function models to data on the position (distance and angle relative to the camera) where the animals are first detected. Testing the reliability of this approach through simulation, we find that bias depends on the effective detection angle assumed but was generally low at less than 5% for realistic angles typical of camera traps.

3. We adapted standard detection functions to allow for the possibility of smaller animals passing beneath the field of view close to the camera, resulting in reduced detection probability within that zone. Using a further simulation to test this approach, we find that detection distance can be estimated with little or no bias if detection probability is certain for at least some distance from the camera.

4. Applying this method to a 1‐year camera trapping data set from Barro Colorado Island, Panama, we show that effective detection distance is related strongly positively to species body mass and weakly negatively to species average speed of movement. There was also a strong seasonal effect, with shorter detection distance during the wet season. Effective detection angle is related more weakly to species body mass, and again strongly to season, with a wider angle in the wet season.

5. This method represents an important step towards practical application of the REM, including abundance estimation for relatively small (<1 kg) species.