bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Signatures of RNA binding proteins globally coupled to effective microRNA target sites
Authors: Jacobsen Anders , Wen Jiayu , Marks Debora S. , Krogh Anders
Published: May 2010

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), bound to Argonaute proteins (RISC), destabilize mRNAs through base-pairing with the mRNA. However, the gene expression changes after perturbations of these small RNAs are only partially explained by predicted miRNA/siRNA targeting. Targeting may be modulated by other mRNA sequence elements such as binding sites for the hundreds of RNA binding proteins (RNA-BPs) expressed in any cell, and this aspect has not been systematically explored. Across a panel of published experiments, we systematically investigated to what extent sequence motifs in 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs) correlate with expression changes following transfection of small RNAs. The most significantly overrepresented motifs in down-regulated mRNAs are two novel U-rich motifs (URMs), UUUUAAA and UUUGUUU, recently discovered as binding sites for the ELAVL4 (also known as HuD) RNA-BP. Surprisingly, the most significantly overrepresented motif in up-regulated mRNAs is the heptanucleotide AU-rich element (ARE), UAUUUAU, which is known to affect mRNA stability via at least 20 different RNA-BPs. We show that destabilization mediated by the transfected miRNA is generally attenuated by ARE motifs and augmented by URM motifs. These ARE and URM signatures were confirmed in different types of published experiments covering eight different cell lines. Finally, we show that both ARE and URM motifs couple to presumed endogenous miRNA binding sites in mRNAs bound by Argonaute proteins. This is the first systematic investigation of 3′ UTR motifs that globally couple to regulation by miRNAs and may potentially antagonize or cooperate with miRNA/siRNA regulation. Our results suggest that binding sites of miRNAs and RNA-BPs should be considered in combination when interpreting and predicting miRNA regulation in vivo.
The mutational spectrum of non-CpG DNA varies with CpG content
Authors: Walser Jean-Claude , Furano Anthony V.
Published: May 2010

The accumulation of base substitutions (mutations) not subject to natural selection is the neutral mutation rate. Because this rate reflects the in vivo processes involved in maintaining the integrity of genetic information, the factors that affect the neutral mutation rate are of considerable interest. Mammals exhibit two dramatically different neutral mutation rates: the CpG mutation rate, wherein the C of most CpGs (i.e., methyl-CpG) mutate at 10–50 times that of C in any other context or of any other base. The latter mutations constitute the non-CpG rate. The high CpG rate results from the spontaneous deamination of methyl-C to T and incomplete restoration of the ensuing T:G mismatches to C:Gs. Here, we determined the neutral non-CpG mutation rate as a function of CpG content by comparing sequence divergence of thousands of pairs of neutrally evolving chimpanzee and human orthologs that differ primarily in CpG content. Both the mutation rate and the mutational spectrum (transition/transversion ratio) of non-CpG residues change in parallel as sigmoidal (logistic) functions of CpG content. As different mechanisms generate transitions and transversions, these results indicate that both mutation rate and mutational processes are contingent on the local CpG content. We consider several possible mechanisms that might explain how CpG exerts these effects.
Tobacco Mosaic Virus Infection Results in an Increase in Recombination Frequency and Resistance to Viral, Bacterial, and Fungal Pathogens in the Progeny of Infected Tobacco Plants
Authors: Kathiria Palak , Sidler Corinne , Golubov Andrey , Kalischuk Melanie , Kawchuk Lawrence M. , Kovalchuk Igor
Published: May 2010

Our previous experiments showed that infection of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants with Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) leads to an increase in homologous recombination frequency (HRF). The progeny of infected plants also had an increased rate of rearrangements in resistance gene-like loci. Here, we report that tobacco plants infected with TMV exhibited an increase in HRF in two consecutive generations. Analysis of global genome methylation showed the hypermethylated genome in both generations of plants, whereas analysis of methylation via 5-methyl cytosine antibodies demonstrated both hypomethylation and hypermethylation. Analysis of the response of the progeny of infected plants to TMV, Pseudomonas syringae, or Phytophthora nicotianae revealed a significant delay in symptom development. Infection of these plants with TMV or P. syringae showed higher levels of induction of PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENE1 gene expression and higher levels of callose deposition. Our experiments suggest that viral infection triggers specific changes in progeny that promote higher levels of HRF at the transgene and higher resistance to stress as compared with the progeny of unstressed plants. However, data reported in these studies do not establish evidence of a link between recombination frequency and stress resistance.
Optimization of handling and refrigerated storage of guppy Poecilia reticulata sperm
Authors: Sun C. , Huang C. , Su X. , Zhao X. , Dong Q.
Published: May 2010

Sperm collection methods and the effect of osmolality, ions, sugar, temperature, pH and dilution ratio on sperm motility were investigated in guppies Poecilia reticulata. The present study revealed that the sperm was motile in a wide range of osmolalities (200–470 mOsm kg−1) either in Hanks balanced‐salt solution (HBSS) or in non‐electrolyte solutions such as glucose or sucrose. Sperm collected from crushing testes yielded lower motility and shorter motility duration than samples collected without crushing but gentle disruption. Dilution ratios within the range of 1:50 to 1:500 of sperm to HBSS had minimal effect on sperm motility during extended refrigerated storage. Examination of storage temperature showed that refrigerated storage at 4° C was superior to room temperature (25° C). Sperm was found to tolerate a wide range of pH from 5·6 to 7·8, but motility was affected negatively by pH values >7·8.
Diet shifts and food selection of perch Perca fluviatilis and roach Rutilus rutilus in humic lakes of varying water colour
Authors: Estlander S. , Nurminen L. , Olin M. , Vinni M. , Immonen S. , Rask M. , Ruuhijärvi J. , Horppila J. , Lehtonen H.
Published: May 2010

The field data from four humic lakes suggested that water colour may have both direct and indirect effects on inter‐ and intra‐specific interactions of perch Perca fluviatilis and roach Rutilus rutilus. The results agree with suggestions that, compared with R. rutilus, P. fluviatilis may be an inferior forager on zooplankton in highly coloured water. As an indirect effect, water colour decreases the coverage of macrophytes and limits suitable littoral habitats, benefiting R. rutilus over P. fluviatilis. Perca fluviatilis benefiting from complex habitats does not have the advantage in macrophyte‐poor highly coloured water.
Time post-lung transplant correlates with increasing peripheral blood T cell granzyme B and proinflammatory cytokines
Authors: Hodge G , Hodge S , Li-Liew C , Chambers D , Hopkins P , Reynolds P N , Holmes M
Published: May 2010

Immunosuppression therapy following lung transplant fails to prevent chronic rejection/bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome, which we have shown is associated with lack of suppression of peripheral blood T cell granzyme B, interferon (IFN)-γ and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α. We hypothesized that these proinflammatory mediators may increase with time post-transplant in otherwise stable patients before clinical signs of declining lung function, and patients experiencing declining lung function would show a further increase in these mediators. Intracellular cytokine profiles and granzyme B were investigated in T cells in whole blood and airways from lung transplant patients using flow cytometry. There was a significant negative correlation between forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), drug dose and time post-transplant. A significant correlation between increased granzyme B, IFN-γ, interleukin (IL)-2 and TNF-α and time post-transplant was noted in peripheral blood T cells but not lung T cells from stable patients. Patients with similar drug dose but experiencing declining FEV1 showed a further increase in peripheral blood T cell IFN-γ, IL-2 and TNF-α. Time post-lung transplant correlates with increasing peripheral blood T cell granzyme B and proinflammatory cytokines. Declining FEV1 is associated with a further increase in these proinflammatory mediators. Drugs that reduce these inflammatory mediators effectively may reduce the incidence of chronic graft rejection.
AGEs/RAGE in CKD: irreversible metabolic memory road toward CVD?
Authors: Koyama Hidenori , Nishizawa Yoshiki
Published: May 2010

Eur J Clin Invest 2010; 40 (7): 623–635

Background  Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in patients with renal insufficiency, accounting for 50% of all deaths in renal replacement therapy patients. Mortality from cardiovascular diseases in these patients is approximately 9% per year, which is about 30 times the risk in the general population. So far, intensive interventions to the general risk factors, such as high LDL‐cholesterol or C‐reactive protein, have not been successful in improving their cardiovascular outcomes, suggesting that the beneficial effect of risk reduction may be overwhelmed by accumulated risk memorized by long‐term exposure to oxidative stress during the progression of renal failure.

Design  In this review, we propose that this irreversible memory effect in renal failure may be mediated by advanced glycation end‐products (AGEs).

Results  The generation of AGEs has been implicated to be deeply associated with increased oxidative stress. Moreover, interaction of the receptor for AGEs (RAGE) with AGEs leads to crucial biomedical pathway generating intracellular oxidative stress and inflammatory mediators, which could result in further amplification of the pathway involved in AGE generation. Several lines of evidence suggest that AGEs/RAGE axis can profoundly be involved in cardiovascular diseases. Recent advances in AGEs and RAGE measurements led us to be capable of understanding more about the role of AGEs/RAGE axis as a risk for cardiovascular diseases in patients with renal failure.

Conclusion  AGEs/RAGE axis could be a crucial mediator of oxidative stress in renal failure. RAGE could be not only a useful biomarker, but also a potentially therapeutic target to overcome the accumulated adverse metabolic memory in renal failure.
Changing phosphorus concentration and subsequent prophage induction alter composition of a freshwater viral assemblage
Authors: LYMER DAVID , LINDSTRÖM EVA S.
Published: May 2010

1. The effects of nutrients on the temporal variation in viral assemblage composition, and in particular the occurrence of temperate phages, were assessed in mesotrophic Lake Erken over 5 months of the ice‐free period. The percentage of the bacterial community that contained inducible prophages (lysogenic bacteria, LB) changed over the season, being lowest in late spring and highest in early autumn. The most important variables for predicting LB were concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and temperature.

2. The viral assemblage composition, as determined by pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), also changed over the season. Prophages were induced by incubations with mitomycin C and we show, for the first time for natural communities, that the resulting temperate phages could be detected using PFGE.

3. A substantial fraction (19%) of the number of detected operational taxonomic units (OTUs: defined as unique genome sizes) appeared unique to temperate phages and 41% of OTUs increased in relative abundance after treatment with mitomycin C.

4. Different viral OTUs were induced at different times during the season. The most important environmental factor covarying with viral assemblage composition over the period of study, as determined by multivariate analysis, was concentration of TP. In re‐growth cultures with natural bacteria and lowered viral abundance (VA) (decreased virus to bacteria ratio), addition of PO4‐P induced prophages and resulted in subsequent production of temperate phages, as indicated by a decreased percentage of LB and increased VA. Incubations of natural bacterial communities with mitomycin C (field data) or PO4‐P (experiment) changed the viral assemblage composition at a similar rate as the observed monthly changes in the lake.
Using assistive technology services at differing levels of care: healthy older couples’ perceptions
Authors: Harrefors Christina , Axelsson Karin , Sävenstedt Stefan
Published: May 2010

harrefors c.,axelsson k. & sävenstedt s.(2010) Using assistive technology services at differing levels of care: healthy older couples’ perceptions.Journal of Advanced Nursing 66(7), 1523–1532.

Title. Using assistive technology services at differing levels of care: healthy older couples’ perceptions.

Aim. The aim of the study was to describe healthy older couples’ perceptions of using assistive technology services when needing assistance with care.

Background. The use of information technology‐based assistive technology services in elder care has increased as a result of an increase of care performed in private homes. The use of assistive technology services in care of older people at home has been evaluated as something positive by patients, relatives and nursing staff, while as resistance to their increased use has also been noted.

Method. Twelve healthy couples, aged over 70 years, from northern Sweden were interviewed in 2005 about their perceptions of using assistive technology services in the case of being in need of assistance with personal care. Open, individual semi‐structured interviews supported by written vignettes describing three levels of caring needs were used and the data analysed with content analysis.

Findings. The findings were interpreted as one main theme with three categories: Asset or threat depends on caring needs and abilities. Three categories were identified within the theme: Assistive technology services provide an opportunity; The consequences of using assistive technology services are hard to anticipate; and Fear of assistive technology services when completely dependent on care.

Conclusion. Trust and security in the care of older people who are severely ill, dependent on care and living at home should be a hallmark in using assistive technology services. Human presence is an important dimension and must be considered when developing concepts for use of assistive technology services.
Mothering disrupted by illness: a narrative synthesis of qualitative research
Authors: Vallido Tamara , Wilkes Lesley , Carter Bernie , Jackson Debra
Published: May 2010

vallido t., wilkes l., carter b. & jackson d. (2010) Mothering disrupted by illness: a narrative synthesis of qualitative research. Journal of Advanced Nursing 66(7), 1435–1445.

Title.  Mothering disrupted by illness: a narrative synthesis of qualitative research.

Aim.  This paper is a report of a literature review of qualitative empirical research investigating women’s experiences of mothering disrupted by illness.

Background.  As a primary identity, motherhood is endangered by illness. Illness can interfere with a woman’s ability to mother her child/children. Healthcare professionals regularly fail to acknowledge a woman’s dual identities of mother and patient.

Data Sources.  CINAHL, Medline, PsychInfo, Scopus and Sociological abstracts were searched 1980–2009.

Methods.  A narrative synthesis was used, with quality appraisal guided by the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme method. Concepts were analysed thematically, explicating common experiences of women disrupted in their mothering by illness. This allowed for both descriptive and narrative synthesis to occur.

Results.  Thirteen papers were included in the final review. Themes identified were: mechanism of disruption; reframing the mother role; protecting the children; experiencing guilt or shame; problems with healthcare professionals; and living to mother, mothering to live.

Conclusion.  Women disrupted in their mothering by illness view themselves as a mother first and a patient second. Women found themselves unsupported in their mothering role by healthcare professionals, and this may have left them reluctant to broach difficulties they had relinquishing mothering duties when ill. Nurses are well‐positioned to support women in illness by acknowledging the importance of their identity as mothers, offering them opportunities to discuss how illness is disrupting their ability to mother, providing support to help them negotiate the social/emotional distress experienced when mothering is disrupted and, where necessary, referring them to other members of the healthcare team, such as social workers.
Curcumin inhibits reactive oxygen species formation and vascular hyperpermeability following haemorrhagic shock
Authors: Tharakan Binu , Hunter Felicia A , Smythe W Roy , Childs Ed W
Published: May 2010

1. Oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a key mediator of haemorrhagic shock (HS)‐induced vascular hyperpermeability. In the present study, curcumin, a natural anti‐oxidant obtained from turmeric (Curcuma longa), was tested against HS‐induced hyperpermeability and associated ROS formation in rat mesenteric post‐capillary venules in vivo and in rat lung microvascular endothelial cells (RLMEC) in vitro.

2. In rats, HS was induced by withdrawing blood to reduce mean arterial pressure to 40 mmHg for 60 min, followed by resuscitation for 60 min. To investigate vascular permeability, rats were given fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)–albumin (50 mg/kg, i.v.). The FITC–albumin flux was measured in mesenteric post‐capillary venules by determining optical intensity intra‐ and extravascularly under intravital microscopy. Mitochondrial ROS formation was determined using dihydrorhodamine 123 in vivo. Parallel studies were conducted in vitro using serum collected after HS. The serum was tested on rat lung microvascular endothelial cell RLMEC monolayers.

3. In rats, HS induced a significant increase in vascular hyperpermeability and ROS formation in vivo (P < 0.05). Treatment with curcumin (20 μmol/L) attenuated both these effects (P < 0.05). In RLMEC in vitro, HS serum induced monolayer permeability and ROS formation. Curcumin (10 μmol/L) attenuated HS serum‐induced monolayer hyperpermeability and ROS formation. Curcumin (2–100 μmol/L) scavenged 2,2′‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzthiazoline‐6‐sulphonic acid) and 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl radicals in vitro, indicating its potential as a free radical scavenger.

4. The present study demonstrates that curcumin is an inhibitor of vascular hyperpermeability following HS, with its protective effects mediated through its anti‐oxidant properties.
Estimation of primary care treatment costs and treatment efficacy for people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007*
Authors: Currie C. J. , Gale E. A. M. , Poole C. D.
Published: May 2010

Diabet. Med. 27, 938–948 (2010)

Aims  The purpose of this study was to characterize the financial cost and efficacy of primary care treatment for diabetes in the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007.

Methods  Retrospective data were analysed for people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes along with matched control subjects using data from The Health Improvement Network. Costs were attributed from published sources and adjusted for price inflation. Type 2 diabetes was analysed by five commonly used treatment regimens.

Results  It was possible to identify 126 052 people for inclusion: 11 300 (8.9%) with Type 1 diabetes and 114 752 (91.1%) with Type 2. The overall mean prescribing costs per person per year (pppy) increased markedly for people with diabetes from 1997 to 2007: for Type 1, from £573 to £1014 pppy (+77%), and for Type 2, from £39 to £740 pppy (+89%). In 2007, diabetes‐treatment‐specific prescribing represented 57% of prescribing costs in Type 1 diabetes and 28% in Type 2 diabetes. In Type 2 diabetes there was a mean of 5.4 primary care consultations in 1997, increasing to 11.5 pppy in 2007 (+112%). In 1997 the total mean cost of primary care treatment for Type 2 diabetes was £602 pppy, increasing to £1080 in 2007. In Type 1 diabetes, the mean glycated haemoglobin decreased by 0.1% from 8.8% in 2001 to 8.7% in 2007; the corresponding change using insulin in Type 2 diabetes was also 0.1%. Greater improvement in blood pressure and lipids was evident.

Conclusions  Over the 10 year period to 2007, diabetes‐related primary care adjusted costs increased considerably, whereas glycated haemoglobin values did not improve at all over the same period.
Psychological adjustment of well siblings of children with Type 1 diabetes
Authors: Sleeman F. , Northam E. A. , Crouch W. , Cameron F. J.
Published: May 2010

Diabet. Med. 27, 1084–1087 (2010)

Aims  Studies of siblings of children with Type 1 diabetes (Type 1 DM) have shown either increased levels of maladjustment or, alternatively, increased levels of pro‐social behaviour according to whether the sibling or parent was interviewed. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychological adjustment of Type 1 DM siblings using both parent and sibling report and to assess the concordance between child and parent reports.

Methods  Ninety‐nine siblings aged 11–17 years and parents of children with Type 1 DM treated at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne were recruited sequentially. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to assess well siblings’ emotional and behavioural functioning using data collected within a semi‐structured interview. SDQ data between the sibling cohort and normative data sample were compared using independent‐samples t‐tests. Sibling reports and parent reports were compared using a series of paired‐sample t‐tests and correlation analyses.

Results  Type 1 DM siblings did not report greater emotional or behavioural maladjustment or more pro‐social behaviour than norms. Parents rated siblings’ pro‐social behaviour as being comparable with that of youth from the general community; however, parents rated healthy siblings as having lower levels of maladjustment; specifically, significantly fewer conduct problems, hyperactive behaviour and peer‐related problems (all P < 0.01). There were no significant differences between parent ratings and sibling ratings on peer‐related problems or pro‐social behaviour.

Conclusions  Type 1 DM siblings did not report increased behavioural or emotional dysfunction relative to children in the general population and, according to their parents, were even better adjusted than their peers.
The Devil is in the (Bio)diversity: Private Sector “Engagement” and the Restructuring of Biodiversity Conservation
Authors: MacDonald Kenneth Iain
Published: May 2010

Abstract:  Intensified relations between biodiversity conservation organizations and private‐sector actors are analyzed through a historical perspective that positions biodiversity conservation as an organized political project. Within this view the organizational dimensions of conservation exist as coordinated agreement and action among a variety of actors that take shape within radically asymmetrical power relations. This paper traces the privileged position of “business” in aligning concepts of sustainable development and ecological modernization within the emerging institutional context of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Global Environment Facility in ways that help to secure continued access to “nature as capital”, and create the institutional conditions to shape the work of conservation organizations. The contemporary emergence of business as a major actor in shaping contemporary biodiversity conservation is explained in part by the organizational characteristics of modernist conservation that subordinates it to larger societal and political projects such as neoliberal capitalism.
The Rich, the Powerful and the Endangered: Conservation Elites, Networks and the Dominican Republic
Authors: Holmes George
Published: May 2010

Abstract: This paper explores conservation as an elite process in the Dominican Republic. It begins by showing how conservation at a global level is an elite process, driven by a small powerful elite. Looking at the Dominican Republic, it demonstrates how the extraordinary levels of protection have been achieved by a small network of well connected individuals, who have been able to shape conservation as they like, while limiting the involvement by the large international conservation NGOs who are considered so dominant throughout Latin America. Despite this, conservation both globally and in the Dominican Republic is shown to share similar political structures and the same lack of critique of capitalism or its environmental impacts.
Conservative Philanthropists, Royalty and Business Elites in Nature Conservation in Southern Africa
Authors: Spierenburg Marja , Wels Harry
Published: May 2010

Abstract:  The article investigates the increasingly important connections between the private sector and nature conservation agencies. It looks specifically at the connections between two important philanthropists, the late Anton Rupert, a South African business tycoon, and the late Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands. Both have been highly successful in raising funds for nature conservation, and marketing the idea of transfrontier conservation. This paper explores the networks they formed and were part of to try and explain how they were able to do so. It also attempts to analyse how their donations and fund raising have shaped thinking about nature conservation in (southern) Africa.
The Receiving End of Reform: Everyday Responses to Neoliberalisation in Southeastern Mexico
Authors: Wilshusen Peter R.
Published: May 2010

Abstract:  This article builds upon the literature on neoliberalism and environment as well as studies on community forestry by examining the creative accommodations that rural producers have made in navigating Mexico's neoliberal turn. In contrast to previous work that emphasizes macro‐level processes (eg privatization of public natural resources) and local resistance, I employ Bourdieu's theory of practice to examine the symbolic and material dimensions of local responses to neoliberal policy reform. Drawing on research from nine communities in the state of Quintana Roo, I argue that local producers have accommodated neoliberal policies and programs by adopting hybrid logics, property regimes, forms of organization, and modes of exchange. Moreover, I contend that these creative responses constitute elements of a longstanding “culture of accommodation” to institutional change that predates Mexico's neoliberal reforms.
675. JASMINUM MULTIPARTITUM
Authors: Rix Martyn
Published: May 2010

Jasminum multipartitum Hochst. is described and illustrated from material flowering at Kew. Its distribution is given and suggestions for its cultivation are provided.
Discipline and Punish? Youth Gangs' Response to ‘Zero‐tolerance’ Policies in Honduras
Authors: GUTIÉRREZ RIVERA LIRIO
Published: May 2010

The response of youth gangs to ‘zero tolerance’ policing in Honduras are examined with respect to territoriality. Focusing on two main gangs, the Mara Salvatrucha and the 18th Street Gang, the ways in which state authority is challenged are assessed from an analysis of body territoriality, the respatialisation of organisational structures across urban neighbourhoods, and the production of new enclosed spaces of gang territoriality. These redefinitions of group territoriality strengthen the emotional bonds and sense of belonging towards the gang, enabling the emergence of a transnational/imagined community.
Effects of Pioneer Tree Species Hyperabundance on Forest Fragments in Northeastern Brazil
Authors: TABARELLI MARCELO , AGUIAR ANTONIO V. , GIRÃO LUCIANA C. , PERES CARLOS A. , LOPES ARIADNA V.
Published: May 2010

Abstract: Despite many studies on fragmentation of tropical forests, the extent to which plant and animal communities are altered in small, isolated forest fragments remains obscure if not controversial. We examined the hypothesis that fragmentation alters the relative abundance of tree species with different vegetative and reproductive traits. In a fragmented landscape (670 km2) of the Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil, we categorized 4056 trees of 182 species by leafing pattern, reproductive phenology, and morphology of seeds and fruit. We calculated relative abundance of traits in 50 1‐ha plots in three types of forest configurations: forest edges, small forest fragments (3.4–83.6 ha), and interior of the largest forest fragment (3500 ha, old growth). Although evergreen species were the most abundant across all configurations, forest edges and small fragments had more deciduous and semideciduous species than interior forest. Edges lacked supra‐annual flowering and fruiting species and had more species and stems with drupes and small seeds than small forest fragments and forest interior areas. In an ordination of species similarity and life‐history traits, the three types of configurations formed clearly segregated clusters. Furthermore, the differences in the taxonomic and functional (i.e.,trait‐based) composition of tree assemblages we documented were driven primarily by the higher abundance of pioneer species in the forest edge and small forest fragments. Our work provides strong evidence that long‐term transitions in phenology and seed and fruit morphology of tree functional groups are occurring in fragmented tropical forests. Our results also suggest that edge‐induced shifts in tree assemblages of tropical forests can be larger than previously documented.
Breeding Periodicity for Male Sea Turtles, Operational Sex Ratios, and Implications in the Face of Climate Change
Authors: HAYS GRAEME C. , FOSSETTE SABRINA , KATSELIDIS KOSTAS A. , SCHOFIELD GAIL , GRAVENOR MIKE B.
Published: May 2010

Abstract:  Species that have temperature‐dependent sex determination (TSD) often produce highly skewed offspring sex ratios contrary to long‐standing theoretical predictions. This ecological enigma has provoked concern that climate change may induce the production of single‐sex generations and hence lead to population extirpation. All species of sea turtles exhibit TSD, many are already endangered, and most already produce sex ratios skewed to the sex produced at warmer temperatures (females). We tracked male loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) from Zakynthos, Greece, throughout the entire interval between successive breeding seasons and identified individuals on their breeding grounds, using photoidentification, to determine breeding periodicity and operational sex ratios. Males returned to breed at least twice as frequently as females. We estimated that the hatchling sex ratio of 70:30 female to male for this rookery will translate into an overall operational sex ratio (OSR) (i.e., ratio of total number of males vs females breeding each year) of close to 50:50 female to male. We followed three male turtles for between 10 and 12 months during which time they all traveled back to the breeding grounds. Flipper tagging revealed the proportion of females returning to nest after intervals of 1, 2, 3, and 4 years were 0.21, 0.38, 0.29, and 0.12, respectively (mean interval 2.3 years). A further nine male turtles were tracked for short periods to determine their departure date from the breeding grounds. These departure dates were combined with a photoidentification data set of 165 individuals identified on in‐water transect surveys at the start of the breeding season to develop a statistical model of the population dynamics. This model produced a maximum likelihood estimate that males visit the breeding site 2.6 times more often than females (95%CI 2.1, 3.1), which was consistent with the data from satellite tracking and flipper tagging. Increased frequency of male breeding will help ameliorate female‐biased hatchling sex ratios. Combined with the ability of males to fertilize the eggs of many females and for females to store sperm to fertilize many clutches, our results imply that effects of climate change on the viability of sea turtle populations are likely to be less acute than previously suspected.
Oseltamivir Treatment Prevents the Increased Influenza Virus Disease Severity and Lethality Occurring in Chronic Ethanol Consuming Mice
Authors: Langlois Ryan A. , Meyerholz David K. , Coleman Ruth A. , Cook Robert T. , Waldschmidt Thomas J. , Legge Kevin L.
Published: May 2010

Background:  Chronic consumption of ethanol (EtOH) is well recognized to lead to defective innate and adaptive immune responses and increase the severity of pulmonary infections. Our own studies have demonstrated that chronic EtOH consumption decreases CD8 T‐cell immunity to influenza virus infections (IAV) leading to severe infections and mortality. Interestingly, antiviral treatment of IAVs has been shown to be compromised in mice and humans that are immuno‐deficient. It is known that EtOH can alter the pharmacokinetics of antivirals. Therefore, the effectiveness of influenza antiviral therapy during chronic ethanol consumption remains in question.

Methods:  BALB/c mice were placed on 18% (w/v) EtOH in their drinking water for 8 weeks. Chronic EtOH consuming and water controls were then treated with 10 mg/kg oseltamivir orally and infected intranasally with influenza virus 4 hours post‐oseltamivir treatment. The mice were then treated with oseltamivir twice daily until day 7 postinfection. Influenza disease severity was measured by morbidity and mortality, pulmonary viral titers, and histology.

Results:  Chronic EtOH consuming mice infected with IAV and treated with oseltamivir have decreased morbidity and mortality, pulmonary viral titers, and pulmonary pathology compared to untreated EtOH mice.

Conclusions:  Despite the severe immune defect seen in chronic EtOH mice as well as the potential for EtOH to inhibit the conversion of oseltamivir into an active form, treatment with oseltamivir reduces viral shedding as well as disease severity. These data suggest that the combination of a limited adaptive immune response plus the anti‐IAV drug oseltamivir is sufficient to curb high mortality and mediate resolution of IAVs in mice chronically consuming ethanol.
Optimal Atrioventricular Delay in CRT Patients Can Be Approximated Using Surface Electrocardiography and Device Electrograms
Authors: JONES R. CHRISTOPHER , SVINARICH TOM , RUBIN ANDREW , LEVIN VADIM , PHANG ROBERT , MURILLO JAIME , SAMBELASHVILI ALEKSANDRE
Published: May 2010

Electrocardiographic AV Delay Adjustment. Background: Optimization of the atrioventricular (AV) delay (AVD) may result in an improvement in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) outcome. Previous studies have shown positive correlation between interatrial conduction time measured invasively during the implant procedure and optimal AVD determined postimplant using Doppler echocardiography. We hypothesized that the optimal AVD can be predicted noninvasively from surface electrocardiogram (ECG).

Methods: The optimal sensed (SAV) and paced (PAV) AVDs were determined for CRT patients (n = 63) by programming different AVDs (in 20 ms steps, in random sequence) and evaluating Doppler images of the mitral flow (iterative method). The time intervals between atrial sensing (As) and pacing (Ap) to the end of the P‐wave (Pend) and to the right ventricular sensing (RVs) were measured from 5 ECG leads (limb, V1, and V3) and device telemetry during sinus rhythm and atrial pacing.

Results: Optimal SAV was 120 ± 30 ms and correlated with As‐Pend (R = 0.69, P < 0.0001) and As‐RVs (R = 0.45, P = 0.0003). Optimal PAV was 172 ± 38 ms and correlated with Ap‐Pend (R = 0.65, P < 0.0001) and Ap‐RVs (R = 0.60, P < 0.0001). Regression analysis suggested a simple method of AVD adjustment by pacing the ventricles 40 ms after the end of the sensed P‐wave or 30 ms after the end of the paced P‐wave but not at the expense of biventricular capture. Such a method would have resulted in significantly lower deviation from echo‐optimal AVDs compared with programming fixed values.

Conclusion: A simple method of providing 30–40 ms separation between the end of the P‐wave and ventricular pacing pulse can be used to approximate echocardiographically optimal AV delays. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 21, pp. 1226‐1232, November 2010)
Five‐year survival without major disability of extremely preterm infants born at 22–27 weeks’ gestation admitted to a NICU
Authors: Zlatohlávková B , Kytnarová J , Kuběna AA , Fleischnerová A , Dokoupilová M , Plavka R
Published: May 2010

Aim:  To compare the 5‐year survival without major disability in infants born at the threshold of viability at 22–25 weeks who were actively treated in the delivery room and admitted to a NICU to that of those born at 26–27 weeks of gestation.

Methods:  All infants between 22+0 and 27+6 weeks of gestation admitted to a regional intensive care unit during 1999–2003 were enroled prospectively. The survival and major disability at 5 years of age were analysed by gestational age.

Results:  Of 242 treated infants, 202 survived (83.5%). Although the overall survival rate was significantly higher in the 25–27 weeks’ gestation infants than the 22–24 weeks’ gestation infants (p < 0.001), the survival rate among infants 22–24 weeks (63.6%, 63.6%, and 70%) did not significantly differ, likewise infants 25–27 weeks (88.7%, 90.6%, and 92%) had similar results. Overall, 28 children (14.4% of assessed) had major disability. Both survival and survival without major disability were positively influenced by increasing gestational age, increasing birth weight, being born at 25–27 weeks and being female child.

Conclusion:  With an active approach in treatment, the outcome of infants born at 25 weeks is comparable to those born at 26–27 weeks. Thus, the ‘grey zone’ in which the risk of adverse outcome is high narrows to 22–24 weeks.
Do Parental Stressors and Avoidance Coping Mediate Between Parental Depression and Offspring Depression? A 23‐Year Follow‐Up
Authors: Timko Christine , Cronkite Ruth C. , Moos Rudolf H.
Published: May 2010

We examined whether parents' stressors and avoidance coping when offspring were children helped to explain associations between parent depression at baseline and offspring's avoidance coping and depression in adulthood. Self‐report data were collected at baseline and 1 year from parents (N = 326) and at 23 years from adult offspring (N = 326). Associations between parents' depression symptoms at baseline, and their adult offspring's depression symptoms and avoidance coping 23 years later, were partially explained by parents' reliance on avoidance coping in response to negative events at 1 year after baseline.
Maternal Emotional Resources and Socio‐Emotional Well‐being of Children With and Without Learning Disabilities
Authors: Al‐Yagon Michal
Published: May 2010

This study investigated cumulative vulnerability/protection models of individual‐level factors (child's attachment relationship and sense of coherence –SOC) and family‐level factors (mothers' emotional resources), as explaining differences in socio‐emotional and behavioral adjustment among children with learning disabilities (LD) or typical development, age 8–12. Participants included 205 mother‐child dyads (107 LD, 98 typical). Preliminary analyses indicated significant group differences on all but one child measure. SEM analysis revealed high fit between the theoretical model and empirical findings. Model components interrelated differently for the two populations. Outcomes accentuated the potentially meaningful role of mothers' affect and attachment for children's adjustment and children's mediating variables. Findings also highlighted children's attachment and SOC as mediating associations between maternal emotional resources and children's well‐adjusted functioning.
French Maritime Pine Bark (Pinus maritima Lam.) Extract (Flavangenol®) Prevents Chronic UVB Radiation‐induced Skin Damage and Carcinogenesis in Melanin‐possessing Hairless Mice
Authors: Kimura Yoshiyuki , Sumiyoshi Maho
Published: May 2010

A French maritime pine bark extract, Flavangenol®, is widely used as a nutritional supplement for protection against atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes, etc. Chronic exposure to solar UV radiation damages skin, increasing cutaneous thickness, wrinkling and pigmentation, as well as reducing elasticity, and causes skin cancer. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of flavangenol on skin damage and the incidence of skin tumors caused by long‐term UVB irradiation in melanin‐possessing hairless mice. The oral administration of flavangenol (60, 200 or 600 mg kg−1, twice daily) significantly inhibited increases in skin thickness, and the formation of wrinkles and melanin granules, as well as increases in the diameter and length of skin blood vessels. Furthermore, it prevented increases in numbers of apoptotic, Ki‐67‐positive and 8‐hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine (8‐OHdG)‐positive cells, and the expression of skin vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) induced by chronic UVB irradiation. The effect on these biomarkers was associated with a reduction in the incidence of tumors in mice. The antiphotoaging and anticarcinogenetic activities of flavangenol may be due to inhibition of the expression of Ki‐67, 8‐OHdG and VEGF through a scavenging effect on reactive oxygen species.
Application of econometric models for price impact assessment of antidumping measures and labelling laws on global markets: a case study of Vietnamese striped catfish
Authors: Duc Nguyen M.
Published: May 2010

Since obtaining membership to the Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation in 1998, Vietnamese fishery product exports, particularly frozen catfish fillets, to the USA have increased significantly, supported by a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) between the two countries signed in December 2001. With similarities in texture and taste, but of lower price, catfish imports from Vietnam were a concern for US catfish producers. To protect its catfish sector, the US Congress passed a labelling law in November 2002 restricting the use of the word ‘catfish’ to only those fish of the Ictaluridae family, which is farmed popularly in southern states of the USA. Antidumping measures, a trade policy permitted by the World Trade Organization, were also issued by the USA in 2003 leading to tariffs ranging from 44.66% to 63.88% levied on frozen fillet catfish imported from Vietnam. This paper uses selected econometric models to examine the effects of the US laws and policy on prices and trade flows, as a part of a comparative case study of primary production. The models show that the antidumping tariff raised the US domestic price of processed catfish and lowered the Vietnamese export price. The fall in the price of Vietnamese catfish caused by the US tariff raised market demand outside the USA and consequently boosted the Vietnamese export volume of catfish. Empirical models with monthly data from January 1999 to December 2005 examined the effects of the BTA, the US antidumping and the labelling laws on the price and trade flow of frozen catfish fillets. Although the BTA benefited US consumers, the antidumping measures were not favourable to them or to US farmers. The labelling law in reality harmed the US catfish industry.
Development of light response and GABAergic excitation‐to‐inhibition switch in zebrafish retinal ganglion cells
Authors: Zhang Rong‐wei , Wei Hong‐ping , Xia Yi‐meng , Du Jiu‐lin
Published: May 2010

The zebrafish retina has been an important model for studying morphological development of neural circuits in vivo. However, its functional development is not yet well understood. To investigate the functional development of zebrafish retina, we developed an in vivo patch‐clamp whole‐cell recording technique in intact zebrafish larvae. We first examined the developmental profile of light‐evoked responses (LERs) in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) from 2 to 9 days post‐fertilization (dpf). Unstable LERs were first observed at 2.5 dpf. By 4 dpf, RGCs exhibited reliable light responses. As the GABAergic system is critical for retinal development, we then performed in vivo gramicidin perforated‐patch whole‐cell recording to characterize the developmental change of GABAergic action in RGCs. The reversal potential of GABA‐induced currents (EGABA) in RGCs gradually shifted from depolarized to hyperpolarized levels during 2–4 dpf and the excitation‐to‐inhibition (E–I) switch of GABAergic action occurred at around 2.5 dpf when RGCs became light sensitive. Meanwhile, GABAergic transmission upstream to RGCs also became inhibitory by 2.5 dpf. Furthermore, down‐regulation of the K+/Cl− co‐transporter (KCC2) by the morpholino oligonucleotide‐based knockdown approach, which shifted RGC EGABA towards a more depolarized level and thus delayed the E–I switch by one day, postponed the appearance of RGC LERs by one day. In addition, RGCs exhibited correlated giant inward current (GICs) during 2.5–3.5 dpf. The period of GICs was shifted to 3–4.5 dpf by KCC2 knockdown. Taken together, the GABAergic E–I switch occurs coincidently with the emergence of light responses and GICs in zebrafish RGCs, and may contribute to the functional development of retinal circuits.
Regulation of plasticity of glutamate synapses by endocannabinoids and the cyclic‐AMP/protein kinase A pathway in midbrain dopamine neurons
Authors: Haj‐Dahmane Samir , Shen Roh‐Yu
Published: May 2010

Endocannabinoids (eCBs) are lipid signalling molecules which play a key role in the regulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity in the central nervous system. Previous studies have reported that eCBs are released ‘on demand’ in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a brain region critical for reward learning. However, their role in modulating the long‐term plasticity of glutamate synapses of VTA dopamine (DA) neurons remains unknown. In the present study, we showed that low frequency afferent stimulation paired with moderate postsynaptic depolarization elicited anN‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor‐independent long‐term depression (LTD) at glutamate synapses of VTA DA neurons. This form of LTD was caused by a decrease in the probability of glutamate release. Examination of the mechanisms underlying this form of LTD revealed that it was mediated by retrograde eCB signalling. In addition, we found that inhibition of 2‐arachidonoyl glycerol biosynthesis blocked LTD induction, suggesting that 2‐arachidonoyl glycerol is the most likely retrograde eCB messenger mediating LTD. The eCB‐LTD induced at glutamate synapses of VTA DA neurons also required the inhibition of the presynaptic cAMP/PKA pathway. Taken together, these results reveal a critical role of eCBs in controlling the long‐term plasticity of glutamate synapses in VTA DA neurons.