bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High levels of extra‐group paternity in a population of Australian magpiesGymnorhina tibicen: evidence from microsatellite analysis
Authors: Hughes J. M. , Mather P. B. , Toon A. , Ma J. , Rowley I. , Russell E.
Published: November 2003

Breeding systems vary widely in birds, from monogamous pairs through to complex group systems where subordinates assist breeding individuals to rear young each season. The Australian magpie varies geographically both in plumage patterns and social organization. Some populations of both eastern and western plumage forms are plural breeders with group size varying from three to over 15 mature individuals. This study used variation at microsatellite loci to determine the level of extra‐group paternity in a population of the western form near Perth in Western Australia. Extra‐group paternity was the highest recorded for any bird species to date (82%) and indicates that few offspring within a territory are sired by the social partner of the female. In addition, the data indicated that nearly 10% of juveniles were not the genetic offspring of any female within their territory, suggesting some intraspecific brood parasitism. Taken together, these findings are remarkable considering the highly territorial nature of the species and the extent of territorial defence practised by all members of the group towards extra‐group conspecifics during daylight hours.
Environmentally related patterns of reproductive modes in the aphid Myzus persicae and the predominance of two ‘superclones’ in Victoria, Australia
Authors: Vorburger Christoph , Lancaster Melanie , Sunnucks Paul
Published: November 2003

Asexual organisms that naturally coexist with sexual relatives may hold the key to understanding the maintenance of sex and recombination, a long‐standing problem in evolutionary biology. This situation applies to the peach‐potato aphid, Myzus persicae, in southeastern Australia where cyclical parthenogens form mixed populations with obligate parthenogens. We collected M. persicae from several areas across Victoria, genotyped them at seven microsatellite loci and experimentally determined their reproductive mode. The geographic distribution of reproductive modes was correlated with two environmental variables that differentially affect obligate and cyclical parthenogens; obligate parthenogens were less frequent in areas with cold winters because they cannot produce frost‐resistant eggs while cyclical parthenogens were limited by the availability of their primary host, peach, on which sexual reproduction takes place. Clonal diversity increased with the proportion of cyclical parthenogens in a sample because they tended to have unique microsatellite genotypes, whereas many obligate parthenogens were copies of the same genotype. Two obligately asexual genotypes stood out as being very abundant and widespread, one constituting 24% and the other 17.4% of the entire collection. Both of these highly successful genotypes were present in the majority of all collection sites. Genetic population structure was weak, albeit significant, with a multilocus FST of only 0.021 when samples were reduced to only one representative of each genotype. Interestingly, obligate parthenogens were, on average, more heterozygous and exhibited larger allele size differences between the two alleles at individual loci than cyclical parthenogens. This striking pattern could result from hybridization, for which we have no evidence, or may reflect the previously proposed model of biased mutational divergence of microsatellite alleles within asexual aphid lineages.
Pedigree‐based assignment tests for reversing coyote (Canis latrans) introgression into the wild red wolf (Canis rufus) population
Authors: Miller Craig R. , Adams Jennifer R. , Waits Lisette P.
Published: November 2003

The principal threat to the persistence of the endangered red wolf (Canis rufus) in the wild is hybridization with the coyote (Canis latrans). To facilitate idengification and removal of hybrids, assignment tests are developed which use genotype data to estimate identity as coyote, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 or full red wolf. The tests use genotypes from the red wolves that founded the surviving population and the resulting pedigree, rather than a contemporary red wolf sample. The tests are evaluated by analysing both captive red wolves at 18 microsatellite loci, and data simulated under a highly parameterized, biologically reasonable model. The accuracy of assignment rates are generally high, with over 95% of known red wolves idengified correctly. There are, however, tradeoffs between ambiguous assignments and misassignments, and between misidengifying red wolves as hybrids and hybrids as red wolves. These result in a compromise between limiting introgression and avoiding demographic losses. The management priorities and level of introgression determine the combination of test and removal strategy that best balances these tradeoffs. Ultimately, we conclude that the use of the assignment tests has the capacity to arrest and reverse introgression. To our knowledge, the presented approach is novel in that it accounts for genetic drift when the genotypes under analysis are temporally separated from the reference populations to which they are being assigned. These methods may be valuable in cases where reference databases for small populations have aged substantially, pedigree information is available or data are generated from historical samples.
Rangewide phylogeography of a bird‐dispersed Eurasian shrub: contrasting Mediterranean and temperate glacial refugia
Authors: Hampe A. , Arroyo J. , Jordano P. , Petit R. J.
Published: November 2003

We studied the phylogeography of alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus), a bird‐dispersed shrub or small tree distributed over most of Europe and West Asia and present in three of the four main refugia of West Palaearctic temperate woody plants: the Iberian Peninsula, the Balkans and Anatolia. A total of 78 populations from 21 countries were analysed for chloroplast DNA variation using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP), and 21 different haplotypes were distinguished. We found a very strong overall population differentiation (GST = 0.81) and phylogeographical structure, and a sharp contrast between the haplotype‐rich refugia and the almost completely uniform area of postglacial colonization. The haplotype network comprises three lineages made up of haplotypes from the Iberian Peninsula, Anatolia with the Caucasus, and temperate Europe. The Iberian and the Anatolian branches represent parts of a major lineage that spans over the whole northern Mediterranean Basin and some neighbouring areas and probably dates back to the Tertiary. Many haplotypes of this lineage are distributed locally and most populations are fixed for a single haplotype; these populations have apparently been very stable since their establishment, experiencing negligible gene flow and few mutations. The temperate European lineage consists of one very widespread and abundant plus six locally distributed haplotypes. Four of them are located in Southeast Europe, the putative refugium of all extant temperate European populations. Contrary to populations from Iberia and Anatolia,F. alnuspopulations from the southeastern European refugium have most genetic variation within populations. Bird‐mediated seed dispersal has apparently allowed not only a very rapid postglacial expansion ofF. alnusbut also subsequent regular seed exchanges between populations of the largely continuous species range in temperate Europe. In contrast, the disjunctF. alnuspopulations persisting in Mediterranean mountain ranges seem to have experienced little gene flow and have therefore accumulated a high degree of differentiation, even at short distances. Populations from the southern parts of the glacial refugia have contributed little to the postglacial recolonization of Europe, but their long‐term historical continuity has allowed them to maintain a unique store of genetic variation.
Primary sex ratios in birds: problems with molecular sex identification of undeveloped eggs
Authors: Arnold Kathryn E. , Orr Kate J. , Griffiths Richard
Published: November 2003

Sex allocation studies seek to ascertain whether mothers manipulate offspring sex ratio prior to ovulation. To do so, DNA for molecular sexing should be collected as soon after conception as possible, but instead neonates are usually sampled. Here, we aim to identify and quantify some of the problems associated with using molecular techniques to identify the sex of newly laid avian eggs. From both fertilized and unfertilized chicken (Gallus gallus) eggs, we sampled (1) the blastoderm/disc, (2) vitelline membrane and (3) a mixture of (1) and (2). Thus, we replicated scenarios under which contaminated samples are taken and/or unfertilized eggs are not identified as such and are sampled. We found that two commonly used molecular sexing tests, based on the CHD‐1 genes, differed in sensitivity, but this did not always predict their ability to sex egg samples. The vitelline membrane was a considerable source of maternal and probably paternal contamination. Fertile eggs were regularly assigned the wrong sex when vitelline membrane contaminated the blastoderm sample. The membrane of unfertilized eggs was always female, i.e. maternal DNA had been amplified. DNA was amplified from 47 to 63% of unfertilized blastodiscs, even though it was highly unlikely that DNA from a single haploid cell could be amplified reliably using these polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. Surprisingly, the blastodiscs were identified as both males and females. We suggest that in these cases only maternal DNA was amplified, and that ‘false’ males, Z not ZZ, were detected. This was due to the reduced ability of both sets of primers to anneal to the W chromosome compared to the Z chromosome at low DNA concentrations. Overall, our data suggested that estimates of primary sex ratios based on newly laid eggs will be appreciably inaccurate.
Contrasting patterns of mitochondrial and microsatellite population structure in fragmented populations of greater prairie‐chickens
Authors: Johnson Jeff A. , Toepfer John E. , Dunn Peter O.
Published: November 2003

Greater prairie‐chickens (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) were once found throughout the tallgrass prairie of midwestern North America but over the last century these prairies have been lost or fragmented by human land use. As a consequence, many current populations of prairie‐chickens have become isolated and small. This fragmentation of populations is expected to lead to reductions in genetic variation as a result of random genetic drift and a decrease in gene flow. As expected, we found that genetic variation at both microsatellite DNA and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers was reduced in smaller populations, particularly in Wisconsin. There was relatively little range‐wide geographical structure (FST) when we examined mtDNA haplotypes but there was a significant positive relationship between genetic (FST) and geographical distance (isolation by distance). In contrast, microsatellite DNA loci revealed significant geographical structure (FST) and a weak effect of isolation by distance throughout the range. These patterns were much stronger when populations with reduced levels of genetic variability (Wisconsin) were removed from the analyses. This suggests that the effects of genetic drift were stronger than gene flow at microsatellite loci, whereas these forces were in range‐wide equilibrium at mtDNA markers. These differences between the two molecular markers may be explained by a larger effective population size (Ne) for mtDNA, which is expected in species such as prairie‐chickens that have female‐biased dispersal and high levels of polygyny. Our results suggest that historic populations of prairie‐chickens were once interconnected by gene flow but current populations are now isolated. Thus, maintaining gene flow may be important for the long‐term persistence of prairie‐chicken populations.
Weeds resistant to chlorsulfuron and atrazine from the north‐east grain region of Australia
Authors: ADKINS S. W. , WILLS D. , BOERSMA M. , WALKER S. R. , ROBINSON G. , MCLEOD R. J. , EINAM J. P.
Published: November 2003

The resistance of weeds to triazine and sulfonylurea herbicides has been recorded in several countries. The extent of the problem in the north‐east grain region of Australia is uncertain. In an initial study, resistance to chlorsulfuron and atrazine in 15 weed species was investigated. The study showed that at least six of them have evolved resistance to one or other of these herbicides. Two collections of Rapistvum rugosum L., three of Sisymbrium orientale L., five of Sonchus oleraceus L., one of Fallopia convolvulus (L.) A. Love and one of Sisymbrium rhellungii O. Schultz were resistant to the recommended rate of chlorsulfuron (15 g a.i. ha‐1). Resistance to chlorsulfuron was not discovered in three collections of Sisymbrium L., two of Brassica tournefortii Gouan. three of Emex australis Steinh. and 11 of Phalaris paradoxa L. Two collections of Urochtoa panicoides Beauv. were resistant, and three collections possibly resistant, to the recommended rate of atrazine(1.8 kg a.i. ha‐1). Resistance to atrazine was not found in 12 collections of Hibiscus urionum L., nine of Salvia reflexa L., two of Parthenium hysterophorus L., two of Amaranthus viridis L. and 14 of Echinochloa colona (L) Link. The resistance status of four weeds (R. rugosum. F. convolvulus, S. thellungii and U. panicoides was confirmed using a multiple dose‐response screen and is the first report of resistance for these species. Herbicide usage records show that resistance has developed after 3‐10 years of selection with chlorsulfuron and 2‐15 years of selection with atrazine, with no correlation between the frequency of use and the degree of resistance for any of the species where eight or more collections were made.
The ER‐Lumenal Domain of the HHV‐7 Immunoevasin U21 Directs Class I MHC Molecules to Lysosomes
Authors: Hudson Amy W. , Blom Daniël , Howley Peter M. , Ploegh Hidde L.
Published: November 2003

Like all members of the herpesvirus family, human herpesvirus‐7 has evolved mechanisms to evade immune detection. The human herpesvirus‐7 gene product U21 encodes an immunoevasin that binds to class I major histocompatibility complex molecules and diverts them to a lysosomal compartment. Here we show that the cytoplasmic tail of U21, although sufficient to sequester a heterologous membrane protein (CD4 chimera), has no effect on U21's ability to redirect class I major histocompatibility complex molecules to lysosomes. Instead, the ER‐lumenal domain of U21 is sufficient to redirect class I major histocompatibility complex molecules to the lysosomal compartment. These observations demonstrate a novel viral immunoevasive mechanism for U21, and implicate the ER‐lumenal domain of a type I transmembrane protein in lysosomal sorting.
Shape‐shifting discourses of anorexia nervosa: reconstituting psychopathology
Authors: Hardin Pamela K.
Published: November 2003

HARDIN PK. Nursing Inquiry 2003; 10: 209–217

Shape‐shifting discourses of anorexia nervosa: reconstituting psychopathology

This article explores how the circuitous relationship between individuals, the media, and discursive systems replicate and reinforce the act of self‐starvation in young women. Using a feminist poststructuralist methodology, the focus of this article is on how discourses and institutional practices operate to position young women who take up the subject position of wanting to be diagnosed as anorexic. Utilizing data from online accounts and individual interviews, I attend to the ways in which young women are institutionally positioned as ‘anorexics’ and the effects that those positions have on their behaviors, in addition to reinforcing institutional practices that construct anorexia nervosa. Questions addressed through this inquiry are: How do institutional practices create and continue to constitute ‘anorexia nervosa’? How do discourses operate to position young women such that they are either included and/or excluded into the category of ‘anorexia nervosa’? What are the effects and consequences that emanate from these positionings?
Cultural frameworks of nursing practice: exposing an exclusionary healthcare culture
Authors: Blackford Jeanine
Published: November 2003

BLACKFORD J. Nursing Inquiry 2003; 10: 236–244

Cultural frameworks of nursing practice: exposing an exclusionary healthcare culture

Drawing on a feminist praxis study in which nurses were asked to explore their experiences in caring for people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, cultural frameworks bounded by interconnected markers of race, ethnicity and gender were constructed to analyse the nurses’ narrative accounts. The aims of this paper are to discuss the analytical framework that draws on black feminist and postcolonial writers used to examine the cultural constructions of nursing practice. It will also draw attention to one of the major findings of the study in which, through this analytical process, broader connections between health and multicultural government policies, institutional structures and the microcosm of nursing practice were exposed. Through this analysis, an exclusionary whitecentric healthcare culture was exposed, which rendered people of non‐English speaking background invisible.
Blood loss during posterior spinal fusion surgery in patients with neuromuscular disease: is there an increased risk?
Authors: Edler Alice , Murray David J. , Forbes Robert B.
Published: November 2003

Background Scoliosis surgery in paediatric patients can carry significant morbidity associated with intraoperative blood loss and the resultant transfusion therapy. Patients with neuromuscular disease may be at an increased risk for this intraoperative blood loss, but it is unclear if this is because of direct vascular pathophysiological changes or the fact that neuromuscular patients typically have more extensive orthopaedic disease and more vertebral segments involved. This study examined the risk of extensive blood loss (>50% of total blood volume) in patients with neuromuscular disease compared with patients who did not have neuromuscular disease when the extent of the surgery (number of segments fused), age and preoperative coagulation profile where taken into consideration.

Methods Retrospective chart review of 163 paediatric patients was preformed. Patients who carried a diagnosis of preexisting neuromuscular disease were classified as such. Idiopathic, traumatic and iatrogenic scoliosis were classified as nonneuromuscular. Extensive blood loss was defined as >50% of estimated total blood volume. Logistic regression was used to predict the risk of extensive blood loss between the two groups when age, weight, extent of surgery was controlled for and anaesthetic and surgical techniques remained similar.

Results Patients with neuromuscular disease did not vary significantly in age, weight, or preoperative haematocrit and platelet count from patients without neuromuscular disease. Neuromuscular patients did have significantly more vertebral segments fused. When this difference was controlled for statistically, neuromuscular patients had an almost seven times higher risk (adjusted odds ration 6.9, P < 0.05) of losing >50% of their estimated total blood volume during scoliosis surgery.

Conclusions Patients with neuromuscular disease can present various anaesthetic challenges during scoliosis surgery, among these is the inherent risk of extensive blood loss. Recognizing this may help anaesthesiologists and surgeons more accurately prepare for and treat intraoperative blood loss during scoliosis surgery in patients with neuromuscular disease.
The Protective Effects of Religiousness and Parent Involvement on the Development of Conduct Problems Among Youth Exposed to Violence
Authors: Pearce Michelle J. , Jones Stephanie M. , Schwab‐stone Mary E. , Ruchkin Vladislav
Published: November 2003

This study examined the protective effects of religiousness and parent involvement for the development of conduct problems beyond the effects of risk factors. Measures of violence exposure, conduct problems, parent involvement, and religiousness, from the longitudinal Social and Health Assessment survey, were completed by 1,703 high‐risk urban adolescents (12.5±1.7 years; 53% female). Witnessing of and victimization by community violence appeared to be significant risk factors for an increase in conduct problems over a 1‐year period. Religiousness and parental involvement were each uniquely associated with a decrease in conduct problems. Moreover, several dimensions of religiousness moderated the relationship between violence exposure and conduct problems, buffering the negative effects of violence exposure. Implications of these findings for prevention efforts are discussed.
Does Work Pay Psychologically as Well as Economically? The Role of Employment in Predicting Depressive Symptoms and Parenting Among Low‐Income Families
Authors: Cybele raver C.
Published: November 2003

This longitudinal study examined quantity and quality of maternal employment as predictors of depressive symptoms and parenting style in a sample of 94 low‐income mothers whose 4‐year‐old children were enrolled in Head Start at baseline. Results suggest that answers to the question of whether work “pays” are complex: Findings suggest some benefits of greater employment participation while also indicating that women holding lower prestige jobs experienced increases in their use of negative parenting style, net of baseline demographic and psychological characteristics. Sparse evidence for selection processes was found, with cohabitation and maternal depressive symptoms modestly predictive of subsequent maternal employment. Implications of these findings for welfare reform and educationally related policies for low‐income families are discussed.
Adolescents' Emotion Regulation in Daily Life: Links to Depressive Symptoms and Problem Behavior
Authors: Silk Jennifer S. , Steinberg Laurence , Morris Amanda Sheffield
Published: November 2003

This study examined links between emotion regulation and adjustment in a sample of 152 adolescents in Grades 7 (M age=12) and 10 (M age=15). Emotion regulation was assessed using the experience sampling method, in which adolescents provided multiple reports about the intensity, lability, and strategies used to regulate negative emotions across 1 week. Adolescents also completed self‐report measures of adjustment. Adolescents who reported more intense and labile emotions and less effective regulation of these emotions also reported more depressive symptoms and problem behavior. Responding to negative emotions with disengagement (e.g., denial) or involuntary engagement (e.g., rumination) was less effective in regulating negative affect, and greater use of these strategies was related to higher levels of depressive symptoms and problem behavior.
Examining Stress Reactivity in Neonates: Relations Between Cortisol and Behavior
Authors: Keenan Kate , Grace Desia , Gunthorpe Dana
Published: November 2003

The association between cortisol and behavioral reactivity to a medical heel stick and a neurobehavioral exam was examined in 100 healthy African American neonates, who have been underrepresented in this area of research. Using continuous measures, behavioral distress was associated with cortisol reactivity to both stressors. High levels of behavioral distress, however, were associated with cortisol reactivity only in response to the neurobehavioral exam. In contrast, low levels of behavioral distress were associated with cortisol reactivity only in response to the heel stick. The results highlight potentially important parameters for exploring the relation between biological and behavioral reactivity to stress such as the operationalization of behavioral distress and the context in which a stress response is elicited.
Equity Purchases by Insiders and the Filing of Antidumping Petitions
Authors: Hartigan James C. , Rogers Cynthia L.
Published: November 2003

The paper presents the first analysis of insider trading in the context of public policy implementation. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proscribes trading by corporate insiders upon material information that is not yet in the public domain. Although the SEC interprets what constitutes material information, it has historically focused on earnings, mergers, and acquisitions. Using a panel of US firms from 1985–87, the authors disclose a significant relationship between the filing of an antidumping petition and insider buying in the two months preceding the filing month. This suggests that the SEC should expand its focus to include public policy.
Disintegration and Trade
Authors: Fidrmuc Jan , Fidrmuc Jarko
Published: November 2003

The gravity model is used to assess the impact of disintegration on trade among the former constituent republics of three demised federations in central and eastern Europe: the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia. The authors find evidence of a very strong home bias around the time of disintegration, with trade exceeding normal trade intensity 24‐fold (for Slovenia and Croatia) to 43‐fold (the former Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia). Disintegration was followed by a sharp fall in trade intensity, although the legacy of a common past remains strong. By 1998, trade relations still exceeded the normal level 2‐fold in the case of Slovenia and Croatia, 7‐fold for the former Czechoslovakia, 13‐fold for the Baltics, and 30‐fold for Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. Such trade intensities surpass the effects of formal preferential trade areas such as the EU or the impact of reunification on trade between East and West Germany.
Does Capital Account Liberalization Discipline Budget Deficit?
Authors: Kim Woochan
Published: November 2003

The paper investigates whether free capital mobility leads a government to tighten its budget deficit for fear of being penalized from the international capital market. The author tests the hypothesis using three‐stage least squares (3SLS), which can control for the endogenous nature of capital account liberalization. Even the conservative measure shows that, if capital account liberalization were exogenously imposed, ceteris paribus, government budget deficit would be reduced by 2.275% of GDP. Furthermore, 3SLS results show that this disciplinary effect is stronger for countries under a fixed exchange rate regime or for countries with weak central bank independence. The disciplinary effect is also found to be stronger in more recent periods—the 1990s—during which capital market integration has been most prevalent.
Government Guarantees, Investment, and Vulnerability to Financial Crises
Authors: Irwin Gregor , Vines David
Published: November 2003

The paper presents a new model of the East Asian crisis which combines three elements—moral hazard, investment collapse, and multiple equilibria—in a single account. The study locates the causes of the crisis in poor financial regulation, highly leveraged financial institutions, and implicit guarantees to the financial sector. The model has a unique long‐run equilibrium with overinvestment. But in the short run, in which the capital stock is fixed, there may be multiple equilibria. In a crisis the government is forced to renege on its guarantees; the effect is a rapid reversal of foreign capital flows.
Does Trade Increase Inequality when Skills are Endogenous?
Authors: Janeba Eckhard
Published: November 2003

The paper explores the role of government policies in a situation where the wage gap between high‐skilled and low‐skilled workers is widening owing to increasing foreign competition in low‐skilled intensive goods. A two‐period, three‐sector general‐equilibrium model of a small open economy is developed in which individuals choose whether to invest in skills or not. The government influences individual decision‐making through its tax system. The paper shows that increasing import competition or lowering taxes on skilled workers widens inequality when the skill distribution is exogenous (the direct effect), but often the opposite occurs through the indirect effect, that is through the additional incentive to become skilled. Numerical results indicate that there exists a nonmonotonic relationship between the terms of trade and inequality. The indirect effect tends to dominate the direct effect when import competition is intense, and vice versa.
Automatic and effortful information processing in unipolar major depression
Authors: Hammar Åsa
Published: November 2003

The present study investigated attentional dysfunction in patients with recurrent unipolar major depression in a visual search paradigm. The attentional aspects of automatic and effortful information processing were examined. The general hypothesis was that patients with unipolar major depression would have more problems with tasks that require effortful information processing than with tasks that require only automatic information processing. A task requiring effortful processing attracts attention, is more demanding, and is instruction‐driven. A task that is automatically processed does not invoke attention, is less demanding, and is stimulus‐driven. The results showed that the patient group needed significantly longer reaction times on the tasks requiring more effortful information processing than the control group, but there were no significant differences between groups on tasks requiring automatic information processing. Thus it seems as if the depressed patients show an impaired profile as a function of the degree of effort a task requires.
The Narcissistic Personality Inventory: Applicability in a Swedish population sample
Authors: Kansi Juliska
Published: November 2003

A Swedish translation of the 40‐item Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) was mailed to 410 participants, aged 21–61 years, randomly sampled from the Swedish general population. The participation rate was 62%. The applicability of a previously published seven‐factor structure (Raskin & Terry) and a four‐factor structure (Emmons) was investigated. The factor structure found in the present in the Swedish sample corresponded better with Emmons's version. Therefore the four‐factor structure was chosen. Because the correspondence to Emmons's factor structure was not perfect, a revised NPI for Swedish use was constructed. The total scale score is usually used, although the Swedish NPI includes four subscales: Leadership/Power, Exhibitionism/Self‐admiration, Superiority/Arrogance, and Uniqueness/Entitlement. For the total scale, the internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.80 and the test–retest correlation was 0.93. The total scale score correlated with self‐esteem as well as the interpersonal style and emotional aspects of psychopathy, supporting the validity of the scale.
The Göteborg discothèque fire, 1998
Authors: Dyregrov Atle , Frykholm Ann‐Margret , Lilled Lars , Broberg Anders G. , Holmberg Ingvar
Published: November 2003

Findings from a study of 563 adolescents’ reactions following a discotheque fire that killed 63 young people in Göteborg in October 1998 are presented. The group answered a questionnaire seven months following the disaster. The questionnaire included the Impact of Event Scale (IES) and the Birleson Depression Self‐Rating Scale (DSRS). The level of trauma was found to be very high, while depression scores were less elevated. A little under a third of the students scored above a clinical cut‐off point (> 35) on the IES, indicating high posttraumatic stress levels. Girls evidenced more depression and traumatic stress reactions than boys. Levels of reactions increased with more closeness (knowing victims personally) and if the adolescents were of non‐Swedish origin.
The use of coping strategies by Danish children classed as bullies, victims, bully/victims, and not involved, in response to different (hypothetical) types of bullying
Authors: Kristensen Sandie M. , Smith Peter K.
Published: November 2003

The coping strategies employed in response to different types of bullying, by 305 Danish children (142 boys, 163 girls) in school years four to nine (aged 10–15 years), were investigated. Children were classed into four bully–victim status types. A revised version of the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire was used for the classification of children, and a Self‐Report Coping Measure for the investigation of coping strategies. The coping strategy of Externalizing was used significantly more by children classed as bully/victims compared with victims and not involved children; Seeking Social Support and Internalizing were preferred significantly more by girls, whereas Externalizing was preferred significantly more by boys; Distancing, Seeking Social Support, and Internalizing were favored significantly more by children in years four to six compared with children in years seven to nine. Looking at coping strategies in response to different types of bullying, Seeking Social Support was used significantly more in response to attack on property relative to verbal bullying, social exclusion, and indirect bullying, and Distancing was used significantly less in response to attack on property compared with any of the other types of bullying. The results are discussed in relation to implications for educational practice.
RENAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE SYMPOSIUM: The Implications of Water Quality in Hemodialysis
Authors: Hoenich Nicholas A. , Levin Robert
Published: November 2003

Water used in dialysis requires additional treatment to minimize patient exposure to potential contaminants that may be present in drinking water. Although standards for the chemical purity of water are in existence and have eliminated many of the problems seen in renal units in the 1970s, some problems remain, and the importance of newer contaminants arising from changes in water treatment at the municipal level are being recognized. Despite this, recent surveys have indicated considerable shortcomings in compliance with chemical standards. The water quality used in the preparation of dialysis fluid also requires minimal bacterial content. Staff working in renal units are frequently unaware of the level of microbiologic contamination in their dialysis fluid arising from the presence of biofilm in the dialysis machines and the water distribution network. Bacterial fragments generated by such biofilms are able to cross the dialysis membrane and stimulate an inflammatory response in the patient. Such inflammation has been implicated in the mortality and morbidity associated with dialysis. The desire to improve treatment outcomes has led to the application of more stringent standards for the microbiologic purity of dialysis fluid and to the introduction of ultraclean dialysis fluid into clinical practice.
Measuring Success: Evaluating the Restoration of a Grassy Eucalypt Woodland on the Cumberland Plain, Sydney, Australia
Authors: Wilkins S. , Keith D. A. , Adam P.
Published: November 2003

Abstract We compared the floristic composition and structure of restoration areas of eucalypt woodland with untreated pasture (control) and remnant vegetation (reference) in western Sydney. The restored areas comprised over 1,000 ha of abandoned pasture, which had been treated to reduce weeds and planted with seedlings of 26 native plant species raised from seed obtained locally from remnant vegetation. Plantings were carried out 0–9 years ago. Floristic composition was measured in quadrats using frequency scores and cover abundance. As far as possible treatments and restoration ages were replicated across sites. Ordination and analyses of similarity failed to distinguish the composition of restored vegetation from that of untreated pasture, which were both significantly different from that of remnant vegetation. There was a weak compositional trend with age of restored vegetation, but this was not in the direction of increasing resemblance to remnant vegetation. There was some evidence for convergence in structural features of restored with remnant vegetation, but this was at least partly attributed to plant growth. Subject to constraints imposed by the sampling design, environmental factors, and spatial variation were discounted as explanations for the results. The results therefore suggest either failure of restoration treatments or a restoration trajectory that is too slow to detect within 10 years of establishment. Our conclusions agree with those of similar studies in other ecosystems and support: (1) the need to monitor restoration projects against ecological criteria with rigorous sampling designs and analytical methods, (2) further development of restoration methods, and (3) regulatory approaches that seek to prevent damage to ecosystems rather than those predicated on replacing losses with reconstructed ecosystems.
Islands, Exotic Herbivores, and Invasive Plants: Their Roles in Coastal California Restoration
Authors: Donlan C. Josh , Croll Donald A. , Tershy Bernie R.
Published: November 2003

Abstract The Pacific islands off southern California, U.S.A. and Baja California, Mexico hold potential for the conservation and restoration of California Mediterranean coastal ecosystems. However, the presence of exotic herbivores and invasive plants pose threats to these systems. Here, we use introduced herbivore removal as a large‐scale experimental manipulation to examine the importance of top‐down and bottom‐up processes to a large‐scale restoration effort. Using a paired approach on the Todos Santos Islands, Mexico we removed herbivores from one island, while they temporarily remained on an adjacent and similar island. We augmented this experiment with smaller scale herbivore exclosures on the control island. At both scales we failed to detect an herbivore effect on the plant community; rather plant community dynamics appeared to be dominated by El Niño related precipitation and exotic annuals. A parallel experiment on the San Benito Islands, Mexico revealed a different dynamic: Top‐down effects on the plant community by exotic herbivores were evident. Differences in the response from the plant communities to both exotic herbivore presence and removal between these two island groups, along with Santa Barbara Island, U.S.A., where restoration has been on‐going, raise important questions in ecosystem restoration. The history of anthropogenic disturbance, exotic plant abundance, and aridity play roles in postherbivore removal recovery. Although island conservation practitioners have honed the ability to remove exotic mammals from islands, development of invasive plant removal techniques is needed to fully capitalize on the conservation potential of California island ecosystems.
Bird Perches Increase Forest Seeds on Puerto Rican Landslides
Authors: Shiels Aaron B. , Walker Lawrence R.
Published: November 2003

Abstract Landslides result in the loss of vertical vegetative structure, soil nutrients, and the soil seed bank. These losses impede timely recovery of tropical forest communities. In this study we added bird perches to six Puerto Rican landslides with three types of surfaces (bare, climbing fern, grass) in an effort to facilitate inputs of forest seeds through bird dispersal and to accelerate plant succession. Numbers of bird‐dispersed forest seeds were significantly higher in plots beneath introduced perches than in control plots. Perches did not increase forest seedling densities compared with control plots. Seven different species of birds were observed on introduced perches. Because 99% of the seed inputs to controls and perch plots in the six landslides were wind‐dispersed seeds (mostly graminoids), perches can improve landslide restoration if woody plants establish and shade out the dominant graminoid and climbing fern ground cover. Although increasing seed inputs from forest species is a critical step in accelerating revegetation of landslides, we suggest that supplemental restoration techniques be applied in addition to bird perches to promote forest recovery.
Factors Affecting the Early Survival and Growth of Native Tree Seedlings Planted on a Degraded Hillside Grassland in Hong Kong, China
Authors: Hau Billy C. H. , Corlett Richard T.
Published: November 2003

AbstractThe effects of seasonal drought, belowground competition, and low soil fertility on the survival and growth over 2 years of four native tree species planted on a degraded hillside grassland in Hong Kong were studied in a field transplant experiment using three‐way analysis of variance. The tree species wereSchima superba(Theaceae),Castanopsis fissa(Fagaceae),Schefflera heptaphylla(Araliaceae), andSapium discolor(Euphorbiaceae), and the treatments were dry season irrigation, herbicide, and fertilizer. Each species responded differently to the treatments.Sapiumhad a very low survival rate as a result of wind damage at the exposed study site. All three treatments significantly reduced the survival rate ofCastanopsisseedlings, whereas herbicide reduced it forSapiumbut increased it forSchefflera. The significant effects on seedling growth were all positive, except for a strong negative effect of herbicide onCastanopsisgrowth. Overall, the results suggest that all three factors—seasonal drought, belowground competition, and low soil nutrients—can significantly impair seedling growth on a degraded hillside site in Hong Kong but that their relative importance differs among species. The growth benefits of the three treatments were largest and most consistent forSchima, which as a mature forest dominant would be expected to be particularly sensitive to the environmental conditions on degraded open sites. This study highlights the fact that more systematic planting trials are needed to identify suitable native tree species for cost‐effective reforestation on degraded hillsides in Hong Kong and South China.
Effects of Prescribed Fire and Season of Burn on Recruitment of the Invasive Exotic Plant, Potentilla recta, in a Semiarid Grassland
Authors: Lesica Peter , Martin Brian
Published: November 2003

Abstract Prescribed fire is often used to restore grassland systems to presettlement conditions; however, fire also has the potential to facilitate the invasion of exotic plants. Managers of wildlands and nature reserves must decide whether and how to apply prescribed burning to the best advantage in the face of this dilemma. Herbicide is also used to control exotic plants, but interactions between fire and herbicides have not been well studied. Potentilla recta is an exotic plant invading Dancing Prairie Preserve in northwest Montana. We used a complete factorial design with all combinations of spring burn, fall burn, no burn, picloram herbicide, and no herbicide to determine the effects of fire, season of burn, and their interaction with herbicide on the recruitment and population growth of P. recta over a 5‐year period. Recruitment of P. recta was higher in burn plots compared with controls the first year after the fire, but this did not lead to significant population growth in subsequent years, possibly due to drier than normal conditions that occurred most years of the study. Effect of season of burn was variable among years but was higher in fall compared with spring burn plots across all years. Herbicide effectively eliminated P. recta from sample plots for 3–5 years. By the end of the study density of P. recta was greater in herbicide plots that were burned than those that were not. Results suggest that prescribed fire will enhance germination of P. recta, but this will not always lead to increased population growth. Prescribed fire may reduce the long‐term efficacy of herbicide applied to control P. recta and will be most beneficial at Dancing Prairie when conducted in the spring rather than the fall. Results of prescribed fire on exotic plant invasions in semiarid environments will be difficult to predict because they are strongly dependent on stochastic climatic events.
Congenital Eventration of the Diaphragm in Children: 25 Years' Experience in Three Pediatric Surgery Centers
Authors: Yazıcı M. , Karaca İ. , Arıkan A. , Erikçi V. , Etensel B. , Temir G. , Şencan A. , Ural Z. , Mutaf O.
Published: November 2003

Eventration of the diaphragm is generally defined as an abnormal elevation of all or a portion of an attenuated but otherwise intact diaphragmatic leaf. Previous studies have indicated that eventration is a relatively rare condition, which can be symptomatic and requires surgery. We aimed to evaluate our patients with diaphragmatic eventration, and to discuss their characteristics in the light of the relevant literature. We retrospectively analyzed age, sex, incidence, location of the eventration, symptoms, associated anomalies, surgical technique, complications and survival in our patients. Between 1974 and 1999, 33 patients were treated in the Pediatric Surgery Departments of Ege University, SSK Children's Hospital and Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, 18 of them boys and 15 girls. The ages of our patients ranged from three days to 12 years. All of the patients had at least one of the respiratory symptoms such as cough, respiratory distress and fever; 3 newborns were admitted with severe respiratory distress while children belonging to higher age groups had symptoms of acute or recurrent pulmonary infections and failure to thrive. The eventration was right-sided in 22, 11 eventrations were left-sided. Diagnosis was performed with the help of a number of radiological studies such as fluoroscopic investigation, contrast study of the upper gastrointestinal system, direct X-ray graphies of the thorax, CT scan and ultrasonography, as necessary. Surgery was performed via thoracotomy in 20 patients and the 12 other patients underwent laparotomy for plication. One patient underwent thoracoabdominal plication. Two patients died because of cardio-respiratory complications in the early postoperative period and the rest of them survived to annual follow-ups.

In conclusion, diaphragmatic eventration is an important condition which can eventually be mortal. Early diagnosis is necessary and plication is the treatment of choice.
Nitric oxide mediates human chorionic gonadotrophin-induced prostaglandin E generation in rat oocyte - cumulus complexes
Authors: Jawerbaum Alicia , Gonzalez Elida T. , Faletti Alicia , Novaro Virginia , Gimeno Martha A. F.
Published: November 2003

To determine whether nitric oxide (NO) generation mediates human chorionic
gonadotrophin (hCG)-induced prostaglandin E (PGE) secretion by
oocyte–cumulus complexes (OCC), the secretion of PGE by cultured rat OCC
in the presence of NO donors and NO synthase (NOS) inhibitors was
characterized. NO donors (sodium nitroprusside and 3-morpholino-sydnonimine-
hydrochloride) increased PGE accumulation in OCC to values similar to those
obtained in the presence of hCG. The three NOS inhibitors tested
(N G -nitro-L-arginine methyl ester,
NG -monomethyl-L-arginine and
aminoguanidine) prevented the hCG-induced PGE accumulation in cultured OCC.
This effect appears to be specific since D-enantiomers
NG -nitro-D-arginine methyl ester
and NG -monomethyl-D-arginine had
no effect. The present results suggest that NO mediates the hCG-induced
accumulation of PGE in rat OCC, a process which may occur
in vivo in preovulatory follicles prior to ovulation.