bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Functional responses in habitat selection by tropical birds moving through fragmented forest
Authors: Gillies Cameron S. , St. Clair Colleen Cassady
Published: December 2009

1. The ability of animals to move through a landscape is a fundamental determinant of population persistence in fragmented habitats. This movement can be affected by both the composition and configuration of the remaining habitat. To date, few studies have examined the habitat selection of animals moving in novel landscapes or addressed whether animals exhibit a functional response in selection as available habitat changes.

2. To assess habitat selection during movement, we translocated 60 individuals of two species of birds with differing forest dependency in three configuration treatments in a highly fragmented, tropical dry forest landscape: along a forested riparian corridor, along a fencerow (row of live trees) or across pasture. We closely followed the return routes of translocated birds to determine their choice of habitat and proximity to the forest edge. We then tested whether habitat composition or configuration (treatment) best explained individual variation in habitat selection.

3. Both species preferred habitat closer to the forest edge, but this preference was weaker in the forest specialist, the barred antshrike Thamnophilus doliatus. This species selected routes in forest habitat, which included riparian corridors, over fencerow and stepping stone habitat, which were all preferred over pasture habitat.

4. By contrast, the forest generalist, the rufous‐naped wren Campylorhynchus rufinucha preferred forest equally to fencerow and stepping stone habitat over pasture habitat. For it, fencerows were selected more strongly than stepping stones.

5. Analysis of the individual variation in selection for forest habitat revealed that both species exhibited a functional response to habitat configuration, selecting forest more strongly in riparian corridor treatments where it was also more abundant. The forest specialist also reduced its preference for edge habitat in riparian corridor treatments.

6.
Synthesis and applications. The unprecedented precision of our route information demonstrates the extent to which our forest specialist preferred to travel in forest relative to fencerow and stepping stone habitat. Functional responses to habitat configuration indicated that both species make more use of other habitats when forested corridors are not present. Stepping stones in particular may be important features to the conservation of forest birds in highly fragmented habitats.
Oilseed rape crops distort plant–pollinator interactions
Authors: Diekötter Tim , Kadoya Taku , Peter Franziska , Wolters Volkmar , Jauker Frank
Published: December 2009

1. New incentives at the national and international level frequently lead to substantial structural changes in agricultural landscapes. Subsidizing energy crops, for example, recently fostered a strong increase in the area cultivated with oilseed rape Brassica napus across the EU. These changes in landscape structure affect biodiversity and associated ecosystem services.

2. Mass‐flowering oilseed rape has been shown to positively affect colony growth and densities of bumblebees, which may enhance pollination services in agroecosystems. Not considered, however, have been species‐specific traits of pollinators resulting in disproportionate benefits from these recurrent resource pulses. A subsequent community shift towards the subsidized species potentially distorts plant–pollinator interactions in the surrounding landscape.

3. We analysed the effects of mass‐flowering crops on the abundance of legitimate long‐tongued bumblebee pollinators, nectar robbing by illegitimate short‐tongued bumblebees and seed set in the long‐tubed flowers of red clover Trifolium pratense in 12 landscape sectors with differing amounts of oilseed rape.

4. Densities of long‐tongued bumblebees visiting long‐tubed plants decreased with increasing amounts of oilseed rape. The simultaneous increase of nectar robbing suggests that resource depletion is a likely explanation for this decline which may lead to a distortion in plant–pollinator interactions. The decline in long‐tongued bumblebees, however, did not result in an immediate effect on seed set. In contrast, seed set increased with increasing amounts of semi‐natural habitats, indicating the positive effects of these habitats on the legitimate long‐tongued pollinators.

5.
Synthesis and applications. Accounting for species‐specific traits is essential in evaluating the ecological impacts of land‐use change. The disproportional trait‐specific benefits of increasing oilseed rape to short‐tongued bumblebees may abet an increasingly pollinator‐dependent agriculture but simultaneously threaten the more specialized and rare long‐tongued species and their functions. Semi‐natural habitats were found to positively affect seed set in long‐tubed plants indicating that they can counteract the potentially distorting effects of transient mass‐flowering crops on plant–pollinator interactions in agroecosystems. Future agri‐environmental schemes should aim to provide diverse and continuous resources matching trait‐specific requirements of various pollinators in order to avoid resource competition. Thereby they harmonize the economic interest in abundant pollinators and the conservation interest in protecting rare species.
Multiregional comparison of the ecological and phylogenetic structure of butterfly species richness gradients
Authors: Hawkins Bradford A.
Published: December 2009

Aim  To examine butterfly species richness gradients in seven regions/countries and to quantify geographic mean root distance (MRD) patterns. My primary goal is to determine the extent to which an explanation for butterfly richness patterns based on tropical niche conservatism and the evolution of cold tolerance, proposed for the fauna of Canada and the USA, applies to other parts of the world.

Location  USA/Canada, Mexico, Europe/NW Africa, Transbaikal Siberia, Chile, South Africa and Australia.

Methods  Digitized range maps for butterfly species in each region were used to map richness patterns in summer (for all areas) and winter (for USA/Canada, Europe/NW Africa and Australia). A phylogeny resolved to subfamily was used to map the geographic MRD patterns. Regression trees and general linear models examined climatic and vegetation correlates of species richness and MRD within and among regions.

Results  Various combinations of climate and vegetation were strong predictors of species richness gradients within regions, but unresolved ‘regional’ factors contributed to the multiregional pattern. Regionally based differences in phylogenetic structure also exist, but MRD is negatively correlated with temperature both within and across areas. MRD patterns consistent with tropical niche conservatism occur in most areas. With a possible partial exception of Mexico, faunas in cold climates and in mountains are more derived than faunas in lowlands and tropical/subtropical climates. In USA/Canada, Europe and Australia, winter faunas are more derived than summer faunas.

Main conclusions  The phylogenetic pattern previously found in the USA and Canada is widespread in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and niche conservatism and the evolution of cold tolerance is the likely explanation for the development of the global butterfly species richness gradient over evolutionary time. Contemporary climate also influences species richness patterns but is unlikely to be a complete explanation globally. The importance of climate is also manifested in the seasonal loss of more basal butterfly elements outside the tropics in winter.
Evidence‐based practice among primary care physicians in Kuwait
Authors: Ahmad Abeer S. H. , Al‐Mutar Nouf B. E. , Al‐Hulabi Fahad A. S. , Al‐Rashidee Eman S. L. , Doi Suhail A. R. , Thalib Lukman
Published: December 2009

Objectives  The level of evidence‐based practice (EBP) and awareness has not been previously assessed among primary care physicians in Kuwait. The objectives of this study were to quantify the level of EBP and awareness in Kuwait and identify the factors related to EBP.

Method  We used a cross sectional study that enrolled 332 primary care physicians in 57 primary care centres randomly chosen in Kuwait. A self‐administered questionnaire was used to collect the data with a response rate of about 93%.

Results  Although half of the physicians self reported that they use EBP most of the time, further analysis revealed that only about 24% of this group had a reasonable understanding of EBP. Most of the clinical practice in the Kuwaiti primary care system seems to be based on the clinician's own judgment or what they learned in the medical school and traditional text books, rather than evidence‐based sources. None of the physicians had an Internet connection at their work place and a vast majority of them had no access to international journals nor were confident about critical appraisal of published evidence.

Conclusion  Overall level of awareness of evidence‐based medicine (EBM) among primary care physicians in Kuwait was considerably low. Training in the areas of EBM as well as making sure the Kuwaiti primary care centres have access to evidence‐based sources are critically important if primary care in Kuwait were to become evidence based.
Clinical research: up from ‘clinical epidemiology’
Authors: Miettinen Olli S. , Bachmann Lucas M. , Steurer Johann
Published: December 2009

Clinical research must be understood to be the foundation of scientific medicine of the clinical type. But the essence of scientific clinical medicine remains a matter of profound confusion, even in clinical academia, and so does the essence of clinical research. The confusion now revolves, principally, around ‘clinical epidemiology’. We address clinical research in the meaning of quintessentially ‘applied’ clinical research, which we take to be the foundation of the scientific knowledge base of clinical medicine, of gnosis (dia‐, etio‐, pro‐) in it. More specifically, we address the essence, priorities, and status quo of this research – and argue that the requisite theory of this is not a matter of ‘clinical epidemiology’ but of theory of clinical research endogenous to clinical (rather than epidemiological) academia.
Rationality in medicine
Authors: Miettinen Olli S.
Published: December 2009

Kant taught that, ‘Where we find . . . illusions and fallacies . . . , there seems to be required a . . . code of mental legislation . . . founded upon the nature of reason and the objects of its exercise . . . which no fallacy will be able to withstand or escape from . . . ' I address, critically, the Flexnerian and EBM conceptions of scientific medicine and Groopman's ideas about errors of reasoning in the practice of medicine; I underscore the need for theory of medicine, founded on reason and governing cognition about and in the practice of medicine; and I sketch the dawn of rationality in medicine.
‘We hold these truths to be self‐evident’: deconstructing ‘evidence‐based’ medical practice
Authors: Devisch Ignaas , Murray Stuart J.
Published: December 2009

Rationale, aims and objectives  Evidence‐based medicine (EBM) claims to be based on ‘evidence’, rather than ‘intuition’. However, EBM's fundamental distinction between quantitative ‘evidence’ and qualitative ‘intuition’ is not self‐evident. The meaning of ‘evidence’ is unclear and no studies of quality exist to demonstrate the superiority of EBM in health care settings. This paper argues that, despite itself, EBM holds out only the illusion of conclusive scientific rigour for clinical decision making, and that EBM ultimately is unable to fulfil its own structural criteria for ‘evidence’.

Methods  Our deconstructive analysis of EBM draws on the work of the French philosopher, Jacques Derrida. Deconstruction works in the name of justice to lay bare, to expose what has been hidden from view. In plain language, we deconstruct EBM's paradigm of ‘evidence’, the randomized controlled trial (RCT), to demonstrate that there cannot be incontrovertible evidence for EBM as such. We argue that EBM therefore ‘auto‐deconstructs’ its own paradigm, and that medical practitioners, policymakers and patients alike ought to be aware of this failure within EBM itself.

Results  EBM's strict distinction between admissible evidence (based on RCTs) and other supposedly inadmissible evidence is not itself based on evidence, but rather, on intuition. In other words, according to EBM's own logic, there can be no ‘evidentiary’ basis for its distinction between admissible and inadmissible evidence. Ultimately, to uphold this fundamental distinction, EBM must seek recourse in (bio)political ideology and an epistemology akin to faith.
Evidence‐based medicine among hospital doctors in Jordan: awareness, attitude and practice
Authors: Al Omari Mousa , Khader Yousef , Jadallah Khaled , Dauod Ali Shakir , Al‐shdifat Amjad Ali Khalaf , Khasawneh Nofan M.
Published: December 2009

Objectives  The aim of this cross‐sectional study was to determine the awareness and attitude of hospital doctors towards evidence‐based medicine (EBM) and their related educational needs.

Methods  A questionnaire study was performed on a randomly selected sample of 386 hospital doctors from both a teaching hospital and the Ministry of Health general hospitals in Jordan. Attitude towards EBM, best method of moving from opinion‐based medicine to EBM, accessing and interpreting evidence and perceived barriers to practise EBM among participants were the main outcome measures.

Results  Participants welcomed promotion of EBM and 91.2% agreed that research findings are helpful in daily management of patients. About one‐third of respondents (32.7%) thought that the most appropriate way to move towards EBM was by seeking and applying EBM summaries. About one half of participants (47.9%) were unaware of Cochrane database and only 5% used it to help in clinical decision making. More than half (53.7%) reported that they had access to the Internet at their office. Only minority understand the technical terms used in EBM. The major barriers to practising EBM were threat to clinical freedom/judgement, limited resources and facilities, patient overload absence of library in the locally and lack of personal time.

Conclusions  Although there is a high support among doctors for the promotion of EBM, there is a deficit in knowledge and skills of EBM. Hence, the time appears ripe for planning and implementing an effective EBM educational programme for both undergraduate and postgraduate doctors.
On the causal structure of information bias and confounding bias in randomized trials
Authors: Shahar Eyal , Shahar Doron J.
Published: December 2009

Randomized trials are undoubtedly different from observational studies, but authors sometimes propose differences between these designs that do not exist. In this article we examine two claims about randomized trials: first, a recent claim that the causal structure of exposure measurement (information) bias in a randomized trial differs from the causal structure of that bias in an observational study. Second, a long‐standing claim that confounding bias cannot operate in a randomized trial – if randomization was perfectly implemented. Using causal diagrams (causal directed acyclic graphs), we show that both claims are false in the context of an intention‐to‐treat analysis. We also describe a previously unrecognized mechanism of information bias, and suggest that the term ‘information bias’ should replace the terms ‘measurement bias’ and ‘observation bias’.
The Effects of Neurokinin B upon Gonadotrophin Release in Male Rodents
Authors: Corander M. P. , Challis B. G. , Thompson E. L. , Jovanovic Z. , Loraine Tung Y. C. , Rimmington D. , Huhtaniemi I. T. , Murphy K. G. , Topaloglu A. K. , Yeo G. S. H. , O’Rahilly S. , Dhillo W. S. , Semple R. K. , Coll A. P.
Published: December 2009

Growing evidence suggests the tachykinin neurokinin B (NKB) may modulate gonadotrophin secretion and play a role in sex‐steroid feedback within the reproductive axis. NKB signalling has recently been identified as being necessary for normal human reproductive function, although the precise mechanisms underpinning this role remain to be established. We have used rodents to explore further the role of NKB within the reproductive axis. In particular, we have studied its interactions with kisspeptin, a neuropeptide essential for reproductive function in rodent and human with close anatomical links to NKB within the hypothalamus. Intraperitoneal administration of NKB (50 nmol) to male mice had no effect on circulating luteinsing hormone (LH) levels and, although i.p. kisspeptin (15 nmol) increased LH five‐fold, co‐administration of NKB and kisspeptin was indistinguishable from kisspeptin alone. Intracerebroventricular administration of NKB (10 nmol) to male mice also had no effect on LH levels, with 1 nmol kisspeptin i.c.v. significantly increasing LH compared to control (0.37 ± 0.18 versus 5.11 ± 0.28 ng/ml, respectively). Interestingly, i.c.v. co‐administration of NKB and kisspeptin caused a significant increase in LH concentrations compared to kisspeptin alone (8.96 ± 1.82 versus 5.11 ± 0.28 ng/ml respectively). We used hypothalamic explants from rats to assess the effect of NKB on gonadotrpohin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion ex vivo. Doses of NKB up to 1000 nm failed to stimulate GnRH secretion, whereas 100 nm kisspeptin robustly increased GnRH secretion. Of note, co‐administration of NKB with kisspeptin abrogated the effect of kisspeptin, producing no GnRH release above basal state. Finally, we analysed the expression of Tac2/Tacr3 (genes encoding NKB and NK3R, respectively) within the arcuate nucleus in different nutritional states. After a 48‐h fast, the expression of both Tac2 and Tacr3 showed a significant increase, in contrast to levels of Kiss1 and Kiss1r mRNA, which remained unchanged. In male rodent models, NKB and kisspeptin have different effects upon gonadotrophin release and appear to interact in a complex manner.
Somatostatin Actions on Rat Supraoptic Nucleus Oxytocin and Vasopressin Neurones
Authors: Meddle S. L. , Bull P. M. , Leng G. , Russell J. A. , Ludwig M.
Published: December 2009

Magnocellular neurones in the supraoptic nucleus (SON) receive major afferent inputs from the brainstem that have been implicated in the regulation of oxytocin and vasopressin secretion from the posterior pituitary. Notably, at parturition, some neurones that project from the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) in the brainstem directly to the SON are activated. Many of these are noradrenergic and regulate oxytocin secretion during parturition, whereas others contain somatostatin and their role is unclear. In the present study, we report that, at parturition, somatostatin mRNA expression in the NTS is significantly increased compared to pregnancy, suggesting an active role for these neurones at that time. Intracerebroventricular somatostatin infusion significantly increased plasma oxytocin secretion in both virgin female and pregnant rats. Intracerebroventricular somatostatin increased SON oxytocin and vasopressin neurone firing‐rates, and increased Fos expression in the SON and paraventricular nucleus and in the subfornical organ. Retrodialysis of somatostatin onto the ventrally exposed SON also increased vasopressin neurone firing rate but, unexpectedly, decreased oxytocin neurone firing rate. The experiments indicate that somatostatin neurones in the NTS are activated during parturition but, because the direct effects of somatostatin on oxytocin neurones are inhibitory, this direct pathway does not appear to contribute to enhanced oxytocin release at this time, although indirect somatostatin effects may do so.
Role of aquaporins in root water transport of ectomycorrhizal jack pine (Pinus banksiana) seedlings exposed to NaCl and fluoride
Authors: LEE SEONG HEE , CALVO‐POLANCO MÓNICA , CHUNG GAP CHAE , ZWIAZEK JANUSZ J.
Published: December 2009

Effects of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungus Suillus tomentosus on water transport properties were studied in jack pine (Pinus banksiana) seedlings. The hydraulic conductivity of root cortical cells (Lpc) and of the whole root system (Lpr) in ECM plants was higher by twofold to fourfold compared with the non‐ECM seedlings. HgCl2 had a greater inhibitory effect on Lpc in ECM compared with non‐ECM seedlings, suggesting that the mercury‐sensitive, aquaporin (AQP)‐mediated water transport was largely responsible for the differences in Lpc between the two groups of plants. Lpc was rapidly and drastically reduced by the 50 mm NaCl treatment. However, in ECM plants, the initial decline in Lpc was followed by a quick recovery to the pre‐treatment level, while the reduction of Lpc in non‐ECM seedlings progressed over time. Treatments with fluoride reduced Lpc by about twofold in non‐ECM seedlings and caused smaller reductions of Lpc in ECM plants. When either 2 mm KF or 2 mm NaF were added to the 50 mm NaCl treatment solution, the inhibitory effect of NaCl on Lpc was rapidly reversed in both groups of plants. The results suggest that AQP‐mediated water transport may be linked to the enhancement of salt stress resistance reported for ECM plants.
Variation in salinity tolerance and shoot sodium accumulation in Arabidopsis ecotypes linked to differences in the natural expression levels of transporters involved in sodium transport
Authors: JHA D. , SHIRLEY N. , TESTER M. , ROY S. J.
Published: December 2009

Salinity tolerance can be attributed to three different mechanisms: Na+ exclusion from the shoot, Na+ tissue tolerance and osmotic tolerance. Although several key ion channels and transporters involved in these processes are known, the variation in expression profiles and the effects of these proteins on Na+ transport in different accessions of the same species are unknown. Here, expression profiles of the genes AtHKT1;1, AtSOS1, AtNHX1 and AtAVP1 are determined in four ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana. Not only are these genes differentially regulated between ecotypes, the expression levels of the genes can be linked to the concentration of Na+ in the plant. An inverse relationship was found between AtSOS1 expression in the root and total plant Na+ accumulation, supporting a role for AtSOS1 in Na+ efflux from the plant. Similarly, ecotypes with high expression levels of AtHKT1;1 in the root had lower shoot Na+ concentrations, due to the hypothesized role of AtHKT1;1 in retrieval of Na+ from the transpiration stream. The inverse relationship between shoot Na+ concentration and salinity tolerance typical of most cereal crop plants was not demonstrated, but a positive relationship was found between salt tolerance and levels of AtAVP1 expression, which may be related to tissue tolerance.
ACO1, a gene for aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylate oxidase: effects on internode elongation at the heading stage in rice
Authors: IWAMOTO M. , BABA‐KASAI A. , KIYOTA S. , HARA N. , TAKANO M.
Published: December 2009

Although reports on a gene for 1‐amino‐cyclopropane‐1‐carboxylate (ACC) oxidase (ACO1) in rice (Oryza sativa L.) suggest that high levels of its transcript are associated with internode elongation of deep‐water rice during submergence, the role of ACO1 in rice development is largely unknown. The tissue‐specificity of ACO1 expression indicated that its transcript significantly accumulated in lower parts of elongating internodes at the heading stage. Histochemical analysis and in situ hybridization showed that the ACO1 expression was localized in the basal parts of leaf sheaths immediately above nodes or the lower parts of elongating internodes. To further examine the role of ACO1, ACO1‐deficient (aco1) and overexpressing (ACO1‐OX) mutants were characterized. The total length of the elongated internodes of aco1 mutants was slightly shorter than that of wild‐type plants and that of ACO1‐OX mutants was longer. Interestingly, expression of the ACC synthase gene ACS1 and ethylene signalling gene OsEIN2 was up‐regulated in the aco1 mutants. This study suggests that the ACO1 has a little effect on internode elongation at the heading stage, and that up‐regulation of the ACS1 and OsEIN2 expression may attenuate inhibition of internode elongation.
Mapping of the dog skin based on biophysical measurements
Authors: Oh Won‐Seok , Oh Tae‐Ho
Published: December 2009

Trans epidermal water loss (TEWL), skin hydration status and pH were determined in 14 skin regions of five healthy male Beagle dogs (2–4 years) both before and after anaesthesia. Trans epidermal water loss was highest for the footpad and head and lowest for the inguinal region. Skin hydration status was higher in the ear but did not vary significantly in other regions. Skin pH was usually alkaline with the highest values on the lower back and tail. Following anaesthesia, TEWL and skin hydration were significantly lower on the head, upper back and footpad, and upper back and elbow respectively, while skin pH was unaffected by this procedure. While measurement of pH would seem to be valid anywhere on the body in anaesthetized dogs, regional factors should be considered when interpreting TEWL and skin hydration values and when treating regional skin diseases in veterinary practice.
Differential effects of nutrient availability on the secondary metabolism of Austrian pine (Pinus nigra) phloem and resistance to Diplodia pinea
Authors: Wallis C. , Eyles A. , Chorbadjian R. A. , Riedl K. , Schwartz S. , Hansen R. , Cipollini D. , Herms D. A. , Bonello P.
Published: December 2009

Nutrient availability can modulate the incidence and severity of plant diseases. We examined the effects of fertility on (i) host resistance and (ii) secondary metabolite production in the Pinus nigra Arnold –Diplodia pinea (Desm.) Kickx pathosystem. Following preconditioning of trees to one of three fertility levels for one growing season, phloem tissue of one branch was harvested for chemical analyses while another branch on the same whorl was inoculated with the fungus to assess resistance. Nutrient availability had concave and convex quadratic effects on concentrations of total monoterpenes and total phenolics respectively, but had no effect on fungal lesion lengths. Lesion lengths were negatively correlated with lignin, suggesting that this compound is an important factor in resistance. Counteracting effects of nutrient availability on phenolic and terpenoid pathways may explain why fertility had no effect on expression of disease resistance.
First Report and the Genetic Variability of Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus Occurring on Bottle Gourd in Myanmar
Authors: Kim Ok‐Kyung , Mizutani Tadasuke , Natsuaki Keiko T. , Lee Key‐Woon , Soe Khin
Published: December 2009

Bottle gourd [Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standl.] plants showing leaf mosaic and mottle were observed in Myanmar in 2007 and shown by RT‐PCR and ELISA to be infected with Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV). This is the first report of the virus occurring in Myanmar. Despite considerable differences in geographical origins, natural host species and year of sampling of 22 CGMMV isolates, we found low genetic variation of the CP gene except for isolates GR3 and GR5, which showed similarity higher than 97%; based on the MP gene, and 16 CGMMV isolates showed similarity higher than 94% in nucleotide identities by pairwise comparison. Using MluI restriction endonuclease for CP genes, the CGMMV isolates fell into three types: Type I and Type II were included in the SH group and Type III in the W group. The two CGMMV isolates from Myanmar were found to belong to Type I and Type III, respectively.
Helicobacter pylori colonization of the human gastric epithelium: A bug's first step is a novel target for us
Authors: Sheu Bor‐Shyang , Yang Hsiao‐Bai , Yeh Yu‐Chun , Wu Jiunn‐Jong
Published: December 2009

After Helicobacter pylori enters the stomach, three steps are vital for infection: (i) establishing colonization; (ii) evading host immunity; and (iii) invading gastric mucosa; the last step is what is associated with diverse outcomes. Urease activity and motility mediated by the flagella of H. pylori are important in harboring colonies beneath the gastric mucus in niches adjacent to the epithelium. Several putative adhesins attach the organism to the gastric epithelium and prompt the succeeding processes for evading host immunity and invading the mucosa. Successful colonization is thus the leading and critical step. From another point of view, this can be a novel target to control this common and important infection. This review summarizes the putative adhesins that influence the evasion of host immunity, and how these could determine different clinico‐pathologic outcomes. The putative adhesins include the interplay between bacterial and host Lewis antigens (type I: Lea and Leb; type II: Lex and Ley), the dominant pathway between BabA and Leb, the SabA adhesin binding to sialylated Lex that is upregulated in inflamed gastric tissue or those with weak‐Leb, the CagL apparatus to adapt with the α5β1 integrin to mediate a type IV secretory system for CagA translocation into the epithelium; and other outer membrane proteins as HopZ, AlpA/AlpB, or OipA, without known corresponding receptors. This review implicates the adhesins vital for bugs that could be alternatively provided as novel targets for us to overcome the colonization.
A challenge to chronic kidney disease in Asia: The report of the second Asian Forum of Chronic Kidney Disease Initiative
Authors: TSUKAMOTO YUSUKE , JHA VIVEKANAND , BECKER GAVIN , CHEN HUNG CHUN , PERKOVIC VLADO , PRODJOSUDJADI WIGUNO , TUNGSANGA KRIANG , WANG HAIYAN , MORAD ZAKI
Published: December 2009

Background:  The Asian Forum of Chronic Kidney Disease Initiative started in 2007 in Hamamatsu, Japan when delegates from 16 countries joined together to facilitate collaboration in studying chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the Asia–Pacific region. Based on the outcome of the first meeting, the second meeting was organized as a consensus conference to frame the most relevant issues, and develop research recommendations and action plan.

Proceedings:  The meeting was held on 4 May 2008 as a pre‐conference meeting to the 11th Asian Pacific Congress of Nephrology in Kuala Lumpur. This meeting consisted of three sessions: Session I was dedicated to the estimation of glomerular filtration rate and the standardization of serum creatinine measurements. Session II discussed specific considerations in the aetiology of and risk factors for end‐stage renal disease in Asia. We concluded that there were regional specific problems that might lead to a very high prevalence of end‐stage renal disease. Session III discussed the issue of facilitation of coordination and integration of the CKD initiative between developed and developing countries in the Asia–Pacific region.

Conclusion:  The following action plans were formulated: (i) validating the existing global estimated glomerular filtration rate equation or creating a new one using serum creatinine standardized by a central laboratory; (ii) establishing a pan‐Asian CKD registry to facilitate risk analysis of CKD and its comorbidities; (iii) adapting existing clinical practice guidelines for CKD detection and management to address specific problems in this region; and (iv) working closely with other international professional organizations to promote manpower development and education in different aspects of CKD in developing countries.
Behavioural and cognitive abnormalities in an imprinting centre deletion mouse model for Prader–Willi syndrome
Authors: Relkovic Dinko , Doe Christine M. , Humby Trevor , Johnstone Karen A. , Resnick James L. , Holland Anthony J. , Hagan Jim J. , Wilkinson Lawrence S. , Isles Anthony R.
Published: December 2009

The genes in the imprinted cluster on human chromosome 15q11–q13 are known to contribute to psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia and autism. Major disruptions of this interval leading to a lack of paternal allele expression give rise to Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS), a neurodevelopmental disorder with core symptoms of a failure to thrive in infancy and, on emergence from infancy, learning disabilities and over‐eating. Individuals with PWS also display a number of behavioural problems and an increased incidence of neuropsychiatric abnormalities, which recent work indicates involve aspects of frontal dysfunction. To begin to examine the contribution of genes in this interval to relevant psychological and behavioural phenotypes, we exploited the imprinting centre (IC) deletion mouse model for PWS (PWS‐IC+/−) and the five‐choice serial reaction time task (5‐CSRTT), which is primarily an assay of visuospatial attention and response control that is highly sensitive to frontal manipulations. Locomotor activity, open‐field behaviour and sensorimotor gating were also assessed. PWS‐IC+/− mice displayed reduced locomotor activity, increased acoustic startle responses and decreased prepulse inhibition of startle responses. In the 5‐CSRTT, the PWS‐IC+/− mice showed deficits in discriminative response accuracy, increased correct reaction times and increased omissions. Task manipulations confirmed that these differences were likely to be due to impaired attention. Our data recapitulate several aspects of the PWS clinical condition, including findings consistent with frontal abnormalities, and may indicate novel contributions of the imprinted genes found in 15q11–q13 to behavioural and cognitive function generally.
Four Documents, a Non‐Citizen, and a Diplomatic Controversy: The Documentation of Identity in the Mid‐Nineteenth Century
Authors: ROBERTSON CRAIG
Published: December 2009

A forgotten diplomatic controversy centered on the claim to U.S. protection by a yet‐to‐be‐naturalized citizen is analyzed to offer insights into the mid‐nineteenth century understanding of the status and function of the documentation of individual identity. It makes clear the documentation of identity had a contested and gradual development. Documentation was contested in that people (both officials and members of the public) struggled to understand how it was that a document identified a person. This uncertainty centered not only on who had the authority to document identity, but how that authority was represented on a document. Beyond its mid‐nineteenth century and U.S. focus this essay is intended to provide the context for an understanding of the administrative, bureaucratic, and social developments that had to occur before identification documents could play a pivotal role in the development of the twentieth century state. In this way it suggests that official identification is an important object of analysis for debates about the articulation of information and governing in state formation.
What controls polyspermy in mammals, the oviduct or the oocyte?
Authors: Coy Pilar , Avilés Manuel
Published: December 2009

A block to polyspermy is required for successful fertilisation and embryo survival in mammals. A higher incidence of polyspermy is observed during in vitro fertilisation (IVF) compared with the in vivo situation in several species. Two groups of mechanisms have traditionally been proposed as contributing to the block to polyspermy in mammals: oviduct‐based mechanisms, avoiding a massive arrival of spermatozoa in the proximity of the oocyte, and egg‐based mechanisms, including changes in the membrane and zona pellucida (ZP) in reaction to the fertilising sperm. Additionally, a mechanism has been described recently which involves modifications of the ZP in the oviduct before the oocyte interacts with spermatozoa, termed “pre‐fertilisation zona pellucida hardening”. This mechanism is mediated by the oviductal‐specific glycoprotein (OVGP1) secreted by the oviductal epithelial cells around the time of ovulation, and is reinforced by heparin‐like glycosaminoglycans (S‐GAGs) present in oviductal fluid. Identification of the molecules contributing to the ZP modifications in the oviduct will improve our knowledge of the mechanisms of sperm‐egg interaction and could help to increase the success of IVF systems in domestic animals and humans.
Patriotic vs. proceduralist citizenship: Australian representations
Authors: FOZDAR FARIDA , SPITTLES BRIAN
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT. The relationship of the individual to the nation‐state is often conceived by theorists in terms of either an emotional ethno‐cultural bond (to the traditional ‘nation’), or a civic legal‐rational connection (to the ‘state’). Such a distinction is fundamentally problematic for settler nations with diverse migrant populations. Australia is such a society built on the integration of migrants into an increasingly multicultural polity. The role of citizenship in this process of integration and nation‐building is contested. As in other Western democracies, recent moves to increase the value and uptake of citizenship by eligible residents have occurred using discourses of ethno‐cultural patriotism. Yet little is known about how migrants to Australia view citizenship. Australian political scientists Betts and Birrell (2007) have argued that most Australians envisage citizenship in terms of monocultural patriotic commitment, while government and the intellectual elite take a more civic ‘proceduralist’ approach. To explore the validity of this dichotomy, and its relevance to migrants, we analyse migrants' constructions of Australian citizenship from two sources, a government website and interviews, finding evidence of both patriotism and proceduralism, but significant overlap in the way the perspectives are articulated. Differences between the data sets, in representations of economic productivity, identity and exclusion, are also discussed. We conclude that everyday conceptualisations of Australian citizenship by migrants combine patriotism and proceduralism, and indicate a degree of complexity and ambivalence missing in Betts and Birrell's formulation.
Obstetric brachial plexus palsy: a prospective, population‐based study of incidence, recovery, and residual impairment at 18 months of age
Authors: LAGERKVIST ANNA‐LENA , JOHANSSON URBAN , JOHANSSON ANNIKA , BAGER BÖRJE , UVEBRANT PAUL
Published: December 2009

Aim  The aim of this investigation was to study the incidence of obstetric brachial plexus palsy (OBPP), to prospectively follow the recovery process, to assess the functional outcome at 18 months of age, and to find early prognostic indicators.

Method  Of the 38 749 children born between 1999 and 2001 in western Sweden, 114 (70 males, 44 females) had an OBPP. Ninety‐eight children were examined on six occasions at up to 18 months of age. Muscle strength, range of motion, hand preference, and functional abilities were noted, and the severity of the OBPP was classified.

Results  The incidence of OBPP was 2.9 per 1000 live births, and the incidence of persisting OBPP was 0.46 per 1000. At 3 months of age, the predictive value of regained elbow flexion for complete recovery was 100%, 99% of shoulder external rotation, and 96% of forearm supination. Most of the 18 children with persisting OBPP could perform functional activities but asymmetries were noted. Five children had a mild, 11 had a moderate, and two had a severe impairment. Three had undergone nerve surgery, one with a mild and two with a severe persisting impairment.

Interpretation  Most children with an OBPP recover completely. Muscle strength at 3 months of age can be used to predict outcome.
Electromyographic tools to assess hemidiaphragm paralysis
Authors: Jammes Yves , Budin‐Poirier Cécile , Brégeon Fabienne
Published: December 2009

Non‐invasive measurements of the phrenic nerve conduction time (CT) and diaphragmatic electromyographic response to voluntary inspiratory efforts may help to document an abnormal diaphragmatic function in the presence of hemidiaphragm elevation on chest radiographs. Twenty‐one patients were addressed for the diagnosis of abnormal placement and motion of the right (13) or left (8) cupola on chest radiographs. CT was measured by recording the diaphragmatic M‐wave evoked by electrical transcutaneous phrenic nerve stimulation. The integrated diaphragmatic surface electromyogram (Edi) was recorded during sniff and Müller manoeuvres. Four patients were followed up during the next 8–16 months. Among the twenty‐one patients, five (24%) had a lengthened or absent CT. A right‐to‐left peak Edi asymmetry was measured in fourteen (67%), including those having abnormal CT. Agreement between side‐related radiographic abnormalities and Edi asymmetry was high in the cases of an elevation of the right cupola (12/13, 92%) but poor when the left cupola was suspected (1/8, 13%). Long‐term follow‐up of Edi asymmetry showed a partial or total recovery. Thus, the combination of measurements of phrenic nerve CT and Edi recordings during voluntary inspiratory efforts confirmed 67% of the radiographic suspicion of diaphragmatic dysfunction.
NEW FRAMES OF ARCHAEOMETRICAL DESCRIPTION OF SPINDLE WHORLS: A CASE STUDY OF THE LATE ENEOLITHIC SPINDLE WHORLS FROM THE 1C SITE IN GRÓDEK, DISTRICT OF HRUBIESZÓW, POLAND
Authors: CHMIELEWSKI T. , GARDYŃSKI L.
Published: December 2009

The essential role of yarn spinning in textile production is indisputable. In this context, spindle whorls, the basic spinning accessories that can be found in the archaeological record, are commonly discussed. Even though the importance of the technical specification of spindle whorls has been already recognized by some authors, their functional characteristics are usually limited to the basic parameters affecting their usage range (i.e., weight, diameter and height). And since the mass moment of inertia of spindle whorls is considered to be a salient index when discussing their technical variability, the descriptions are deficient. With this short study, we intend to implement further research with more complete and flexible frames for the description of spindle whorls, based on a simple and fast‐paced method of the angular mass measurement as well as relevant typology based on clear morphometrical criteria. On the basis of the examination of a small sample of Eneolithic artefacts (the South‐Eastern Group of the Funnel Beaker Culture, c. 3650 to 2800 bc), a case study of the functioning of spindle whorls is also conducted.
NEW EVIDENCE FOR APULIAN RED‐FIGURE PRODUCTION CENTRES
Authors: THORN J. , GLASCOCK M.
Published: December 2009

A total of 52 South Italian red‐figure vases were subjected to neutron activation analysis. The primary aim of the study was to determine whether all Apulian red‐figure pottery datable to the period c. 430–340 bc was produced at the Greek colony of Taras, as has been widely assumed. Three chemically distinct compositional groups were isolated and compared to archaeological reference material from Taranto. The results of this comparison suggest that some Early Apulian red‐figure pottery may have been produced outside of Taras from the fifth century bc onwards.
Seasonal changes of phospholipids in last instar larvae of rice stem borer Chilo suppressalis Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)
Authors: IZUMI Yohei , KATAGIRI Chihiro , SONODA Shoji , TSUMUKI Hisaaki
Published: December 2009

Phospholipids of the cell membrane have been studied from the viewpoint of how overwintering insects inhabiting temperate zones adapt to low temperature. The transition of cell membrane phospholipids from a liquid crystalline phase to a gel phase is a crucial cause of cold or freezing injuries. We determined the qualitative and quantitative changes of phospholipids in the last instar larvae of the rice stem borer in summer and winter. We found that the total amount of their phospholipids did not change significantly between summer and winter and that the sum of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) comprised about 85% of their total phospholipids. In summer, the ratio of their PE to PC was almost one, while from autumn to mid‐winter it increased and reached three in February. The fatty acid compositions of PC hardly changed, and the percentage of unsaturated fatty acids did not exceed 50%. In contrast, the percentage of unsaturated fatty acids of PE in overwintering larvae increased up to 80% as ambient temperatures fell and oleic acid mainly contributed to the high percentage of unsaturation. In the present study, the relationship between the quantitative and qualitative changes of phospholipids and adaptation of the rice stem borer to cold winter climate are discussed.
Effect of stinging nettle habitats on aphidophagous predators and parasitoids in wheat and green pea fields with special attention to the invader Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
Authors: ALHMEDI Ammar , HAUBRUGE Eric , FRANCIS Frédéric
Published: December 2009

The relative occurrence and seasonal abundance of aphids and their natural enemies were visually assessed between May and July 2005–2006 in four types of habitats located in Gembloux (Namur province, Belgium): green pea, wheat and stinging nettle either planted in or naturally growing in woodland adjacent to these crops. Results showed that: (i) Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris, Sitobion avenae F. and Microlophium carnosum Buckton were the most common aphid species, respectively, on green pea, wheat and stinging nettle either in or near field crops; (ii) stinging nettle and field crops shared several important aphidophagous insect species such as the ladybird Coccinella septempunctata L., hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus De Geer and braconid wasp Aphidius ervi Haliday; (iii) the shared beneficial species were typically recorded earlier on stinging nettles than on crops; and (iv) the spatial occurrence of the invasive ladybird Harmonia axyridis Pallas was distinctly associated with stinging nettles, particularly in 2005. Stinging nettles and field crops partially coincide in time, enabling the movement of natural enemies among them. These findings suggest that the presence of stinging nettles in landscapes seems to enhance the local density of aphidophagous insect communities necessary for aphid biocontrol in field crops.
Pre‐dispersal seed predation of bayberry Myrica rubra by Thiotricha pancratiastis (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) on Yakushima Island, Japan
Authors: FUJITA Mariko , MATSUI Kiyoshi , TERAKAWA Mari , KOMAI Furumi , YUMOTO Takakazu , MAETO Kaoru
Published: December 2009

We investigated pre‐dispersal seed predation by insects in a bayberry Myrica rubra Sieb. et Zucc. (Myricaceae) on Yakushima Island, Japan. To clarify the patterns of seed fate and predation, all fruit that fell into seed traps were collected to allow any insect larvae within the fruit to emerge, and the fruit were finally dissected to determine whether or not they had been attacked by insect predators. Two lepidopteran species, Thiotricha pancratiastis (Meyrick) (Gelechiidae) and Neoblastobasis spiniharpella Kuznetzov & Sinev (Blastobasidae), emerged from the fruits. Thiotricha pancratiastis is the major seed predator of M. rubra, attacking the fruits intensively during the primary stage of fruit development. Thiotricha pancratiastis had been known as a foliage feeder (leaf miner) of M. rubra, but we revealed that the insect is also an important seed predator of the bayberry.
The genus Asiabregma Belokobylskij, Zaldivar & Maeto (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from China, with description of a new species
Authors: TAN Jiang‐Li , HE Jun‐Hua , CHEN Xue‐Xin
Published: December 2009

The small Asian genus Asiabregma Belokobylskij, Zaldivar & Maeto 2008 is recorded from China for the first time and one new species, A. achterbergi sp. nov., is described and illustrated. A key to species of genus Asiabregma is updated to include A. achterbergi. The relationship between Asiabregma and other members of the subtribe Facitorina and the systematic position of Facitorina are discussed.