bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Arc to craton provenance switching in a Late Palaeozoic subduction complex, Wandilla and Shoalwater terranes, New England Fold Belt, eastern Australia
Authors: Leitch E. C. , Fergusson C. L. , Henderson R. A.
Published: January 2004

The Wandilla and Shoalwater terranes of the northern New England Fold Belt are accretionary subduction complexes formed during the Carboniferous at the convergent plate boundary that extended along the eastern edge of Palaeozoic Gondwana. Sandstones from the Wandilla terrane are quartz‐poor and quartz‐intermediate lithic or feldspathic volcanic sandstones that were derived principally from the associated magmatic arc, whereas those of the Shoalwater terrane are quartz‐rich and were sourced from a cratonic region dominated by low‐grade metamorphic and granitic rocks. The location of the Shoalwater source cannot be determined unambiguously but probably was situated to the north with detritus supplied longitudinally to the convergent plate boundary. At that time arc‐derived sediment was confined to the forearc basin behind an outer arc ridge, the physiographic manifestation of the accreted rocks of the Wandilla terrane. The tectonic situation may have been similar to that of the present‐day Lesser Antilles subduction system where quartzose sediment carried down the Orinoco River is transported northward and incorporated into the Barbados Ridge subduction complex.
Stratigraphy and correlation of Carboniferous ignimbrites, Rocky Creek region, Tamworth Belt, Southern New England Orogen, New South Wales*
Authors: Roberts J. , Wang X. , Fanning M.
Published: January 2004

Carboniferous (Visean to Westphalian) pyroclastics and lava flows in the Rocky Creek region, used to redefine the base of the Kiaman reversal, are formally defined or redefined and the status of the main formations clarified. These units include the Caroda Formation, containing the Kooringal Dacite, Boomi Rhyolite and Barney Springs Andesite Members; the Clifden Formation with the Wanganui Andesite, Glen Idle Rhyolite, Appleogue Dacite, Bexley Rhyolite, Pine Cliffs Rhyolite and Downs Rhyodacite Members; Rocky Creek Conglomerate with the Hazelvale Rhyodacite, Mt Hook Rhyolite, Darthula Rhyodacite and Pound Rock Rhyodacite Members; and Lark Hill Formation with the Eulowrie Pyroclastic, Tycannah Rhyodacite and The Tops Rhyolite Members; a number of informal units are also described. The restriction of most volcanic units to one of the three thrust blocks (Boomi, Kathrose and Darthula blocks) of the Rocky Creek region, suggests their current relationships reflect either shortening due to overthrusting or an original distribution affected by depositional or erosional processes. A westerly increase in the proportion of ignimbrites indicates nearness to sources in that direction. Intermediate volcanism, largely confined to southern and central parts of the Boomi block in the east, began in the Visean and ended in the early Namurian. Acid volcanism also began in the Visean in the northern Boomi block but, with the exception of the Peri Rhyolite Member of the Clifden Formation, did not become widespread until later in the Namurian and Westphalian. In contrast, only acid volcanism took place during the early Namurian to Westphalian in the Kathrose and Darthula blocks. Correlations based on AS3 and SL13 SHRIMP dates illustrate a discordance of about 3% when compared with the most likely location for the base of the Kiaman reversal. The bases of both the Rocky Creek Conglomerate and Lark Hill Formation appear to be slightly diachronous.
Age of the Mt Boggola volcanic succession and further geochronological constraint on the Ashburton Basin, Western Australia
Authors: SIRCOMBE K. N.
Published: January 2004

The age of strata in the Palaeoproterozoic Ashburton Basin is not well constrained, particularly the generally homogeneous, turbiditic and thick Ashburton Formation containing only a small fraction of volcanics suitable for geochronological examination. The Mt Boggola volcanic succession is one of these rare occurrences, consisting of mafic pillow lavas and breccia overlain by BIF, chert, ferruginous pelite, mafic volcaniclastics and possible felsic tuffs identified in the course of mineral exploration. A locality proximal to the volcanic succession is interpreted as a fragmental volcaniclastic unit derived with minimal reworking from a tuff. Zircon extracted from this unit has yielded a SHRIMP 207Pb/206Pb weighted‐mean age of 1829 ± 5 Ma (95% conf.: χ2 1.0). This age is significantly older than that of the June Hill Volcanics in the northwest of the Ashburton Basin that had previously been surmised to be potentially coeval, and provides a further constraint on the evolution and diachroneity of the Ashburton Formation.
Dynamics of evolutionary patterns of clades in a food web system model
Authors: Yoshida Katsuhiko
Published: January 2004

The evolutionary patterns of animal species clades in an evolving food web system were examined by computer simulation. In this system, each animal species fed on other species according to feeding preference. The food web system evolved via the appearance and extinction of species. The model succeeded in reproducing evolutionary patterns of diversity similar to those seen in the fossil record. This result indicates that the model reproduced the temporal changes of the rates of colonization and extinction of species in the system, which have been decided a priori in the previous stochastic models. In the food web system, the numbers of both predatory and prey species influenced the temporal diversity patterns in each clade in the system. The number of prey species fluctuated strongly, whereas the number of predatory species gradually increased with time. Therefore, temporal diversity patterns were influenced mainly by the number of predatory species. As a result of the gradual increase of the number of predatory species, it was difficult for each clade to maintain its species diversity for a long time. Slight changes of interspecific interaction can sometimes decide the destiny of a clade. When a clade is faced with extinction, if one predatory species of the clade becomes extinct and one or two prey species of the clade appear, the species diversity in the clade increases again. This result indicates that slight changes of interspecific interaction sometimes decide the destiny of a clade.
Cascading effects of a specialist parasitoid on plant biomass in aCitrusagroecosystem
Authors: Matsumoto Takashi , Itioka Takao , Nishida Takayoshi
Published: January 2004

We studied a specialist parasitoid (Coccobius fulvusCompere et Annecke; Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), its host (the arrowhead scale,Unaspis yanonensisKuwana; Hemiptera: Diaspididae) and the host plant (Citrus unshiuMarc; Rutaceae) to examine the indirect effects, via host–parasitoid interactions, of the parasitoid on plant biomass. We compared plant biomass and herbivore abundance in a system of two trophic levels (plants and herbivores) with a system of three trophic levels (plants, herbivores and parasitoids) using enclosure experiments in an agricultural setting. Each of eight youngCitrustrees was infested with 40 scales and placed in an enclosure. We introduced three female parasitoids into half of the enclosures and monitored temporal changes in scale density and cumulative parasitism for the subsequent 11 months. Plant biomass was then compared between treatment groups (parasitoids added) and controls (parasitoids excluded). During the experiment, cumulative parasitism increased rapidly in the parasitoid‐addition enclosures to a maximum of 89%, and the number of live scales in the control enclosures was approximately 10‐fold that in the treatment enclosures. At the end of the experiment, plant biomass was threefold higher in the parasitoid‐addition enclosures than in the control enclosures. These results have two implications for terrestrial communities. First, specialist parasitoids, which are the principal natural enemies of most herbivorous insects, can trigger trophic cascades in the same way that generalist predators can. Second, cascading effects can be detected by observing changes in plant biomass. The latter finding is contrary to recent conclusions about top‐down cascades (i.e. that trophic cascades are less likely to be observed when plant biomass, rather than plant damage, is considered as the plant‐response variable).
Pigment dynamics and autumn leaf senescence in a New England deciduous forest, eastern USA
Authors: Lee David W. , O'Keefe John , Holbrook N. Michele , Feild Taylor S.
Published: January 2004

The leaves of woody plants at Harvard Forest in Central Massachusetts, USA, changed color during senescence; 70% (62/89) of the woody species examined anatomically contained anthocyanins during senescence. Anthocyanins were not present in summer green leaves, and appeared primarily in the vacuoles of palisade parenchyma cells. Yellow coloration was a result of the unmasking of xanthophyll pigments in senescing chloroplasts. In nine red‐senescing species, anthocyanins were not detectable in mature leaves, and were synthesized de novo in senescence, with less than 20 µg cm−2of chlorophyll remaining. Xanthophyll concentrations declined in relation to chlorophyll to the same extent in both yellow‐ and red‐leaved taxa. Declines in the maximum photosystem II quantum yield of leaves collected prior to dawn were only slightly less in the red‐senescing species, indicating no long‐term protective activity. Red‐leaved species had significantly greater mass/area and lower chlorophyll a/bratios during senescence. Nitrogen tissue concentrations in mature and senescent leaves negatively correlated to anthocyanin concentrations in senescent leaves, weak evidence for more efficient nitrogen resorption in anthocyanic species. Shading retarded both chlorophyll loss and anthocyanin production inCornus alternifolia,Acer rubrum,Acer saccharum,Quercus rubraandViburnum alnifolium. It promoted chlorophyll loss in yellow‐senescingFagus grandifolia. A reduced red : far‐red ratio did not affect this process. Anthocyanins did not increase leaf temperatures inQ. rubraandVaccinium corymbosumon cold and sunny days. The timing of leaf‐fall was remarkably constant from year to year, and the order of senescence of individual species was consistent.
Seasonal changes in an intertidal annual algal assemblage in northern Japan: The role of pre‐emption and grazing on algal replacement
Authors: Noda Takashi , Minamiura Noriko , Miyamoto Yasushi
Published: January 2004

The pattern and process of seasonal changes in an intertidal annual algal assemblage were examined at Hiura, northern Japan. Short‐term field experiments (<2 months’ duration) were set up to quantify the effects of both grazing and pre‐emption on species replacement in the assemblage in three different seasons. An 8‐month field experiment was set up to quantify long‐term effects, including the indirect effects of both grazing and competitive dominance on the community structure. Results suggested that seasonal change in the algal assemblage resulted from the interaction of abiotic environmental change, competition and grazing. The relative contribution of these factors varied within a short period, presumably as a result of seasonal changes in physical environmental stress, free space availability and grazing pressure. From February to March, when grazer density was low and there was much free space available for algae, the dominant species shifted from foliose green algaMonostroma angicavato filamentous red algaBangia atropurpurea, becauseB. atropurpureagrew faster thanM. angicava. This species replacement was not influenced strongly by biological interaction but by temporal changes in abiotic environmental conditions. From April to mid May, when there was less free space available for algae in the natural community, the dominantB. atropurpureadecreased with increasing foliose red algaPorphyra yezoensis, because onlyP. yezoensiswas able to invade an area pre‐empted by algae. Grazing did not affect this species replacement. After mid May, the two dominant species,P. yezoensis and B. atropurpurea, decreased. Their decline was mainly caused by desiccation stress and was partially affected by grazing.
Germinable soil seed‐bank of former grassland converted to coniferous plantation
Authors: Maccherini Simona , De Dominicis Vincenzo
Published: January 2004

The influence of afforestation with cedars on field layer vegetation and on the germinable soil seed‐bank were investigated along a 60‐m transect merging from open grassland to sparse and dense canopy cover. A total of 132 species were found, 76 in the seed‐bank and 109 in the vegetation, with 53 species in common. Conifer cover was not found to be associated with a decrease in total number of species in the vegetation or seed‐bank, but the mean number of species in the vegetation, total cover in field layer vegetation and mean number of individuals in the seed‐bank decreased significantly from grassland to forest stands. The grassland seed‐bank was dominated by Saxifraga tridactylites and Veronica agrestis; the seed‐bank of plots of scattered cedars was dominated by Trifolium incarnatum ssp. molinerii; and that of dense cedar plantations was dominated by Campanula rapunculus. The number and cover of grassland species of field layer vegetation decreased in the forest, with respect to open grassland, and the same trend was found for density of individuals in the seed‐bank. It is concluded that grassland restoration by cutting cedars cannot rely on the presence of grassland species in the soil seed‐bank.
Assessment of ‘top‐down’ and ‘bottom‐up’ forces as determinants of rotifer distribution among lakes in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Yoshida Takehito , Urabe Jotaro , Elser James J.
Published: January 2004

Predation and food supply are generally perceived as important determinants of spatial and temporal variations of populations. The population dynamics of freshwater rotifers have been well researched in this aspect. However, their spatial variations have attracted less attention and have not been studied by simultaneously considering both predation and food supply. We studied spatial variations of rotifer abundance among 34 Canadian boreal lakes. A large part of the variance of rotifer abundance was associated with variables related to trophic status including chlorophyll a and total phosphorus. However, abundances of mesozooplankton such as potential predators and competitors did not correlate with rotifer abundance and did not explain the residual of the regression between rotifer abundance and chlorophyll a. The results of the present study indicated that variation in rotifer abundance among lakes was caused by ‘bottom‐up’ forces related to food supply and not by ‘top‐down’ predatory interactions. This provides a contrast to previous empiric and experimental studies that reported that temporal variations of rotifer abundance were mainly regulated by ‘top‐down’ interactions. This discrepancy suggests that overall differences in rotifer abundance among lakes are mainly determined by ‘bottom‐up’ forces while temporal changes in single lakes are shaped by ‘top‐down’ forces. Meanwhile, the composition of rotifer species was correlated with mesozooplankton abundance as well as trophic status. Rotifer species with long spines or rigid loricae were found in the lakes where mesozooplankton were abundant, which suggests that defensive morphology could have affected the rotifer species distribution among the study lakes.
Preferable summering habitat of returning adult masu salmon in the natal stream
Authors: Edo Kaneaki , Suzuki Kenichi
Published: January 2004

The preferable summering habitat of returning adult masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou Brevoort was examined in 31 study pools of a small stream in northern Hokkaido, Japan. A total of 23 salmon were captured and were present in only 10 of the study pools. Female salmon were found to be significantly larger than male salmon. Habitat characteristics were expressed by six environmental variables: mean water depth, maximal cover size, mean current velocity, pool volume, substratum coarseness and cover area. There were no significant differences between the pools with salmon and those without salmon in terms of substratum coarseness and cover area. However, significant differences were found in mean water depth, maximal cover size, mean current velocity and pool volume. The analysis found that the pools with salmon were discriminated from those without salmon at a level of 93.5% which was determined by the six environmental variables. Our results revealed that the returning adult salmon selectively used the pools with greater depth, large cover and slow current velocity as their preferable summering habitat. The results also found that the summering habitat of salmon can be estimated by measuring only six environmental variables. Therefore, these variables can be considered useful parameters in determining the summering habitat components of returning adult masu salmon and can contribute to the conservation and restoration strategy of this species by providing a better understanding of the relationship between fish and their habitat.
Legend of hepatitis B vaccination: The Taiwan experience
Authors: CHAN CHO‐YU , LEE SHOU‐DONG , LO KWANG‐JUEI
Published: January 2004

Hepatitis B, a disease entity currently affecting more than 350 million persons worldwide, is also a serious health problem in Taiwan. Liver cirrhosis and hepatoma, which are both closely correlated with hepatitis B, are among the 10 leading causes of death in Taiwan. A mass hepatitis B vaccination program, conducted by the government of Taiwan, was started in 1984. Prior to this vaccination program, a series of viral epidemiological surveys, transmission pattern studies, and pilot immunization trials proved the clinical, economic, and strategic benefits of mass immunization, thus providing the impetus for the implementation of this mass vaccination program. The success of this program has led to a decline in hepatitis B carrier rates among children in Taiwan from 10% to <1%. Furthermore, the mortality rate of fulminant hepatitis in infants and the annual incidence of childhood hepatoma have also decreased significantly in recent years. This is one of the most remarkable success stories in the field of public health.
Hyperexpression of inducible costimulator on lamina propria mononuclear cells in rat dextran sulfate sodium colitis
Authors: ISHII KENICHI , KANAI TAKANORI , TOTSUKA TERUJI , URAUSHIHARA KOJI , ISHIKURA TAKAHIRO , YAMAZAKI MOTOMI , OKAMOTO RYOICI , ARAKI AKIHIRO , MIYATA TATSUYA , TEZUKA KATSUAKI , NAKAMURA TETSUYA , WATANABE MAMORU
Published: January 2004

Background and Aims:  The authors have previously shown that a third member of the CD28 family, inducible costimulator (ICOS), was increased in the inflamed intestinal mucosa of murine experimental colitis, and that the blockade of ICOS ameliorated the development of colitis. However, the role of ICOS in rat intestinal inflammation and its expression profile remains unclear. In the present study, the authors investigated the involvement of ICOS in the development of rat dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)‐induced colitis, and the therapeutic potential of anti‐ICOS monoclonal antibody (mAb) in colitis.

Methods:  The authors first examined expression of ICOS protein in normal rat by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. Sprague–Dawley rats were fed 3.0% DSS. The expression of ICOS on infiltrating lamina propria mononuclear cells and splenocytes were examined. The DSS‐fed rats were then administered anti‐ICOS mAb to test its effect on the development of colitis.

Results:  Unlike mice and human, ICOS was expressed on a part of CD4+ T‐cells from the thymus, spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes and lamina propria. Levels of ICOS on CD4+ T‐cells from the spleen and colonic lamina propria were significantly upregulated after Concanavalin A (Con A) stimulation. In addition, ICOS was also upregulated on CD4+ T‐cells from DSS‐fed rats compared with those from non DSS‐fed rats. However, anti‐ICOS mAb did not ameliorate the development of both acute and chronic DSS colitis.

Conclusion:  These results suggest that the different expression of ICOS in rats plays a distinct role in rat intestinal inflammation.
Current therapeutic approaches in childhood chronic hepatitis B infection: A multicenter study
Authors: DIKICI BUNYAMIN , OZGENC FUNDA , KALAYCI AYHAN GAZI , TARGAN SEREF , OZKAN TANJU , SELIMOGLU AYSE , DOGANCI TUMAY , KANSU AYDAN , TOSUN SELMA , ARSLAN NUR , KASIRGA ERHUN , BOSNAK MEHMET , HASPOLAT KENAN , BUYUKGEBIZ BENAL , AYDOGDU SEMA , GIRGIN NURTEN , YAGCI RASIT VURAL
Published: January 2004

Background and Aim:  The aim of the present study was to compare the therapeutic efficacy of three different regimens in childhood chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection.

Methods:  A total of 182 children with CHB infection were prospectively allocated to three random groups. Sixty‐two patients in the first group received high‐dose interferon (IFN)‐α 2b (10 MU/m2) thrice/weekly alone for 6 months. In the second (n = 60) and third groups (n = 60), IFN‐α was used for 6 months (5 MU/m2) thrice/weekly in combination with lamivudine (LAM) (4 mg/kg, maximum 100 mg/day) for 12 months. Lamivudine was started simultaneously with IFN in the second group, while it was started 2 months prior to IFN injections in the third group.

Results:  The initial mean alanine aminotransferase (ALT) values for the first, second and third groups were 109 ± 93 IU/L, 101 ± 64 IU/L and 92 ± 42 IU/L, respectively (P > 0.05). At the end of the therapy, ALT values decreased to 82 ± 111 IU/L, 38 ± 41 IU/L and 29 ± 16 IU/L in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The mean ALT value of the first group was significantly different to the second and third groups (P = 0.046 and P = 0.002, respectively) at the end of the therapy and these differences were found to be sustained after 18 months. However, results in the second and third groups were similar (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in HBeAg clearance and anti‐HBe seroconversion at the initial stage, 12 months and 18 months between the three groups (P > 0.05). Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA clearance in the first group was different from the second and third groups, while the second and third groups had similar HBV DNA clearance ratios at 12 and 18 months. No significant difference was found in the complete response (normalization of ALT, clearance of HBV DNA and seroconversion of anti HBe) ratios of all groups (at 12 months: 28.8, 45.5, 35.8% and at 18 months 33.3, 49 and 34% in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively, P > 0.05).

Conclusions:  Although the ALT normalization and HBV DNA clearance ratios of IFN plus LAM combination groups were better than the high‐dose IFN‐α monotherapy group, no significant difference was found in the complete response ratios of all three groups.
Helicobacter pylori is a fragile bacteria when stored at low and ultra‐low temperatures
Authors: OHKUSA TOSHIFUMI , Miwa HIROTO , ENDO SHU , OKAYASU ISAO , SATO NOBUHIRO
Published: January 2004

Background and Aim:  Usually, bacteria are cryopreserved for short‐term storage at low and ultra‐low temperatures. There are no reports as to whether Helicobacter pylori is a fragile bacteria when stored at low and ultra‐low temperatures as compared with other intestinal bacteria. A study was done on seven H. pylori strains and other intestinal bacteria to compare different temperatures for storage of organisms in saline solution.

Methods:  Seven H. pylori strains, specifically American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) strains 43504 and TN2GF4, and five strains isolated from the present patients were grown on a modified Skirrow's agar for H. pylori. Escherichia coli and Bacteroides distasonis, both representing isolates from the present patients, were grown on trypticase soy blood agar for E. coli, and EG agar for B. distasonis. Culture was for 4–5 days under microaerobic, aerobic and anaerobic conditions at 37°C. Cells were harvested by scraping growth from the solid medium and into sterile saline. The cells were adjusted to concentrations of 109 viable cells/mL in saline and preserved at 4°C, −20°C, or −80°C for 3 weeks before reculture under microaerobic, aerobic and anaerobic conditions at 37°C for 7 days. After incubation, morphologically distinct colonies were counted, isolated, and identified by standard bacteriologic techniques. The H. pylori were morphologically analyzed by electronic microscopy before and after preservation. Mongolian gerbils were inoculated with the cryopreserved H. pylori to evaluate the bacterial infectivity.

Results:  Six  of  the  seven  H. pylori strains  failed  to  culture  after  being  preserved  at  4°C,  −20°C, or −80°C. Only ATCC 43504 could be cultured after freezing at −80°C. The number of H. pylori ATCC 43504 before preservation was 9.0 ± 0.5 (log10 no. organisms/mL) and decreased to 5.7 ± 0.6 after preservation. Morphologically, all H. pylori except ATCC 43504 strains transformed from a bacillary to a coccoid form after preservation. In addition, none of the H. pylori strains could infect Mongolian gerbils after preservation. Escherichia coli and B. distasonis were recovered. Titers before and after 4°C, −20°C, and −80°C, respectively, were 9.1 ± 0.2, 8.9 ± 0.5, 8.6 ± 0.3, and 8.7 ± 0.3 for E. coli and 9.1 ± 0.4, 8.7 ± 0.6, 8.6 ± 0.5, and 8.8 ± 0.3 for B. distasonis.

Conclusions:  Helicobacter pylori is a fragile bacteria for storage at low and ultra‐low temperatures in comparison with other intestinal bacteria.
Increased hepatic and renal expressions of multidrug resistance‐associated protein 3 in Eisai hyperbilirubinuria rats
Authors: KURODA MAKOTO , KOBAYASHI YOSHINAO , TANAKA YUJI , ITANI TOSHIO , MIFUJI RUMI , ARAKI JUN , KAITO MASAHIKO , ADACHI YUKIHIKO
Published: January 2004

Background and Aim:  Eisai hyperbilirubinuria rats (EHBR) are animal models of Dubin–Johnson syndrome, which suffer from jaundice due to impaired biliary excretion of bilirubin glucuronides. In EHBR, deficiency of multidrug resistance‐associated protein 2 (mrp2) causes defective biliary excretion of numerous organic anions. However, little is known about the expression of other organic anion transporters in this mrp2‐deficient model. The aim of the present study was to investigate adaptive expressions of mrp1, mrp3, mrp6, organic anion transporting polypeptide 1 (oatp1) and oatp2 in liver and kidney of EHBR.

Methods:  For the present study, EHBR (n = 5) were used. Hepatic and renal mRNA expression of the aforementioned transporters was determined by constructed semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay. Their protein expression was determined by western blotting. Localization of hepatic and renal mrp3 was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats (n = 5) were used as normal controls.

Results:  Deficiency of mrp2 protein was confirmed in EHBR. Hepatic and renal expression of mrp3 mRNA was 53.6% (P < 0.001) and 82.9% (P < 0.001), and its protein expression was 298.9% (P < 0.001) and 245.0% (P = 0.001) higher in EHBR than in SD rats, respectively. Hepatic and renal expression of mrp1 and mrp6 mRNA was not significantly different between EHBR and SD rats. The mrp1 and mrp6 proteins were expressed in very low amounts in the liver and kidney of both EHBR and SD rats. In contrast to mrp3, hepatic expression of oatp1 and oatp2 mRNA was 33.9% (P = 0. 001) and 38.6% (P < 0.001), and their protein expression was 57.4% (P < 0.05) and 51.0% (P < 0.01) lower in EHBR than in SD rats, respectively. Hepatic and renal mrp3 protein was localized at the basolateral membrane.

Conclusions:  Mrp3 plays an important role in the compensation of mrp2 deficiency in liver and kidney of EHBR. Hepatic expressions of mrp3, oatp1 and oatp2 changed adaptively in this animal model. This is a compensatory mechanism for reducing injury to hepatocytes from cytotoxic materials that increase in mrp2 deficiency.
Measuring floristic homogenization by non‐native plants in North America
Authors: McKinney Michael L.
Published: January 2004

Aim  To determine if non‐native plant species are homogenizing species composition among widely dispersed plant communities.

Location  Twenty localities in North America.

Methods  Species lists among localities were compared to measure the influence of non‐native species richness at each locality on the Jaccard Index (JI) of similarity between localities.

Results  After removing the effects of distance, because shared native species decreased with distance, three (nonexclusive) lines of evidence indicate that non‐native species promote homogenization. First, pairs of sites with a high combined total of non‐native species tend to have higher similarity than those with a low total of non‐natives. Second, for a given distance, more non‐native than native species tended to be shared among localities. Third, whereas most of the site comparisons with high total non‐native richness have a non‐native/native JI ratio greater than 1 (often much greater), only half of the comparisons with low total non‐native richness have a ratio greater than one.

Main conclusions  These findings provide quantitative support for the widely held, but rarely tested, notion that non‐native species tend to homogenize biological communities because they are more commonly shared among communities. Such testing is important as non‐native species could theoretically have no impact or even reduce homogenization among communities, if non‐native colonizers consist of different species pools.
Local and regional abundance of exotic plant species on Mediterranean islands: are species traits important?
Authors: Lloret Francisco , Médail Fréderic , Brundu Giuseppe , Hulme Philip E.
Published: January 2004

Aim  We assess the importance of three relevant and readily obtainable life‐history traits (dispersal syndrome, stem height and growth form) and biogeographical origin (European vs. non‐European) on the local and regional abundance of over 400 exotic plant species across eight Mediterranean islands.

Location  The Mediterranean islands of Lesbos, Rhodes, Crete, Malta, Corsica, Sardinia, Majorca and Minorca.

Methods  We adopt two abundance criteria for each exotic species: the proportion of islands in which the species occurs (regional abundance), and a qualitative estimate of species abundance within each of five islands (local abundance). Subsequently, we assess the relationship between local and regional abundance, as well as the role of key life‐history traits on both regional and local abundance. These analyses were undertaken separately for the European exotics and the non‐European exotics.

Results  Only 10.9% of the species occur on more than four islands, and only four species are present on all eight islands. Both local and regional abundances were higher for the non‐European than the European species. Local and regional abundances were positively correlated, particularly for exotics with non‐European origins. Wind‐dispersed species tended to have higher regional abundance than species dispersed by other means but this trend only occurred for local abundance on two islands — Corsica and Majorca. Neither a species’ growth form nor its stem height explained trends in regional or local abundance.

Conclusions  Although wind‐dispersed exotics are more widespread in the Mediterranean, plant life‐history traits appear to play a lesser role in invasion success than area of biogeographical origin. In general, exotic species of non‐European origin were more abundant at both local and regional scales. Invasion patterns should be interpreted at both local and regional scales, but the stochastic nature of biological invasions may limit deterministic interpretations of invasion patterns, especially if islands are studied in isolation.
From sampling stations to archipelagos: investigating aspects of the assemblage of insular biota
Authors: Sfenthourakis Spyros , Giokas Sinos , Tzanatos Evangelos
Published: January 2004

Aim  To investigate the formation of nestedness and species co‐occurrence patterns at the local (sampling station), the intermediate (island group), and the archipelago scale.

Location  The study used data on the distribution of terrestrial isopods on 20 islands of the central Aegean (Greece). These islands are assigned to two distinct subgroups (Kyklades and Eastern islands).

Methods  The Nestedness Temperature Calculator was used to obtain nestedness values and maximally nested matrices, the EcoSim7 software and a modified version of Sanderson (2000) method were used for the analysis of species co‐occurrences. Idiosyncratic temperatures of species and the order of species placement in the maximally nested matrices were used for further comparisons among spatial scales. The relationships of nestedness values with beta‐diversity, habitat diversity and a number of ecological factors recorded for each sampling station were also investigated.

Results  Significant nestedness was found at all spatial scales. Levels of nestedness were not related to beta‐diversity or habitat diversity. Nestedness values were similar among spatial scales, but they were affected by matrix size. The species that contributed most to the nested patterns within single islands were not the same as those that produce nestedness at the archipelago scale. There was significant variation in the frequency of species occurrence among islands and among spatial scales. There was no direct effect of ecological factors on the shaping of patterns of nestedness within individual islands, but habitat heterogeneity was crucial for the existence of such patterns. Positive associations among species prevailed at all scales when species per station were considered, while negative associations prevailed in the species per island matrices. All associations resulted from the habitat structure of sampling stations and from particularities of geographical distributions.

Conclusions  There was no clear‐cut distinction between nestedness patterns among spatial scales, even though different species, and partially different factors, contributed to the formation of these patterns in each case. There was a core of species that contributed to the formation of nested patterns at all spatial scales, while the patterns of species associations suggested that biotic interactions are not an important causal factor. The results of this study suggest that locally rare species cannot be widespread at a higher spatial scale, while locally common species can have a restricted distribution.
Geographic gradients of deforestation and mammalian communities in a fragmented, temperate rain forest landscape
Authors: Lomolino Mark V. , Perault David R.
Published: January 2004

Aim  We studied the temporal and spatial patterns in deforestation and community structure of mammals in a fragmented old‐growth, temperate rain forest to test the hypothesis that anthropogenic habitat conversion advances in a nonrandom manner across native landscapes, and that its effects on ecological communities are both persistent and predictable.

Location  The location is the Hood Canal district of Olympic National Forest, Washington, USA.

Results  Deforestation followed the apparently general pattern observed for deforestation of tropical rain forests and other native landscapes, advancing first along low and relatively level valleys, then to areas at higher elevations and along steeper slopes, and eventually to sites more distant from those of initial land conversion and transportation centres. Mammal surveys within this area indicated that this nonrandom advance of deforestation has created relatively steep geographical and topographic gradients in both local and landscape‐level factors and, ultimately, in the structure of mammalian communities.

Conclusion  The close and likely causal relationship between anthropogenic habitat loss and the ecological dynamics of mammalian communities and dependent species (e.g. spotted owls) indicates that our abilities to understand and eventually reduce the current extinction crisis may rely heavily on our understanding of, and abilities to modify, the manner in which we expand across and transform native landscapes.
Latitudinal gradient in species richness of the New World Triatominae (Reduviidae)
Authors: Rodriguero Marcela S. , Gorla David E.
Published: January 2004

Aim To quantify the latitudinal gradient in species richness in the New World Triatominae and to explore the species‐energy and area hypotheses as possible causes.

Location The gradient was studied for North and South America, between 43° N and 32° S.

Methods A database was constructed containing the geographical distribution of the 118 New World Triatominae species based on data extracted from several published sources. Species richness was recorded as the number of species present within 5° latitudinal bands. We used univariate and multivariate models to analyse the relationship between area within each latitudinal belt, land surface temperature, and potential evapotranspiration as explanatory variables, and species richness. All variables were georeferenced and data were extracted using a GIS.

Results Species richness of Triatominae increases significantly from the poles towards the Equator, peaking over the 5°−10 ° S latitudinal band. It increases according to a linear model, both north and south of the Equator, although a quadratic model fits better to southern hemisphere data. Richness correlates with habitable geographical area, when it is analysed through a nonlinear multiple regression factoring out latitude, only in the southern hemisphere. Regarding the species‐energy hypothesis, a multiple regression analysis controlling the effect of latitude shows a significant relationship between temperature and species richness. This effect is more pronounced in the southern hemisphere. Species richness shows a strong longitudinal trend south of the Equator (increasing to the east), but not north of the Equator. This differential pattern is reflected in significant interactions between longitude and both latitude and temperature in models of the species richness of the New World Triatominae.

Main conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first time that a latitudinal gradient in species richness has been shown and analysed for obligate haematophagous organisms, and it shows that the species–energy hypothesis can account for this phenomenon. This relationship is stronger in the southern hemisphere.
Networks of organizational learning and adaptation in retail TNCs
Authors: Currah Andrew , Wrigley Neil
Published: January 2004

Abstract In this article we contribute to a growing body of literature concerned with the socio‐cultural dynamics of learning and adaptation inside firms. Specifically, we apply a ‘competence‐based’ view of the firm to a newly emerging breed of retail‐industry transnational corporations (TNCs). We situate these firms within the context of ‘relational networks’ and then consider – from a geographical perspective – the complex interplay between ‘extra‐firm’ networks and ‘intra‐firm’ networks, and between store‐based learning and organizational adaptation. We argue that the competitiveness of the retail TNC increasingly rests upon its ability to adapt the portfolio of retail formats to different and rapidly changing business environments by mobilizing and blending knowledge from multiple locations. This, it is suggested, is leading to the emergence of a ‘reflexive’ or ‘hybridized’ model of retail globalization.
Linking return visits and return migration among Commonwealth Eastern Caribbean migrants in Toronto
Authors: Duval David Timothy
Published: January 2004

AbstractIn this article I explore a theoretical link between return visits and return migration using ethnographic data obtained through fieldwork among members of the broader Commonwealth Eastern Caribbean community in Toronto, Canada. Return visits are periodic but temporary sojourns made by members of migrant communities to their external homeland or another location where strong social ties exist. As a result, the conceptual framework in this article revolves around transnationalism as the return visit is shown to be a transnational exercise that may facilitate return. Using data from ethnographic fieldwork, three themes highlight the link between return visits and return migration: (1) the need to facilitate ties such that relationships are meaningful upon permanent return; (2) the functional nature of the return visit, such that changes are measured and benchmarked against what is remembered and internalized by the migration after the migration episode; and (3) the knowledge that return visits aid in reintegration.
(Re)politicizing global financial governance: what's ‘new’ about the ‘New International Financial Architecture’?
Authors: Langley Paul
Published: January 2004

Abstract This article is a contribution to the (re)politicization of global financial governance currently underway in the interdisciplinary field of international political economy (IPE). Particular reference is made to the economistic and technicist discourse prevalent in the so‐called ‘New International Financial Architecture’ (NIFA) process. It is argued that a (re)politicized reading of global financial governance is enabled by a conceptualization of governance networks that combines the institutional focus of existing IPE research with a concern with the discursive dynamics of authority relations and that situates governance networks in the power relations, contestation, contradictions and reproduction of global finance. Claims to ‘newness’ regarding the NIFA process, made by both the ‘architects’ themselves and left unchallenged by the majority of IPE scholars, are also disputed. The NIFA process is shown to have continued the contested development of an exclusionary transnational neo‐liberal network of governance that first began to emerge in the mid‐1970s.
Getting Your Feet Wet: Becoming a Public Health Nurse, Part 1
Authors: SmithBattle Lee , Diekemper Margaret , Leander Sheila
Published: January 2004

Abstract  While the competencies and theory relevant to public health nursing (PHN) practice continue to be described, much less attention has been given to the knowledge derived from practice (clinical know‐how) and the development of PHN expertise. A study was designed to address this gap by recruiting nurses with varied levels of experience and from various practice sites. A convenience sample of 28 public health nurses and seven administrators/supervisors were interviewed. A subsample, comprised of less‐experienced public health nurses, were followed longitudinally over an 18‐month period. Data included more than 130 clinical episodes and approximately 900 pages of transcripts and field notes. A series of interpretive sessions focused on identifying salient aspects of the text and comparing and contrasting what showed up as compelling, puzzling, and meaningful in public health nurses' descriptions. This interpretive analysis revealed changes in understanding of practice and captured the development of clinical know‐how. In Part 1, we describe the sample, study design, and two aspects of clinical knowledge development—grappling with the unfamiliar and learning relational skills—that surfaced in nurses' descriptions of early clinical practice. In Part 2, which is to be published in the next issue of Public Health Nursing (SmithBattle, Diekemper, & Leander, 2004), we explore gradual shifts in public health nurses' understanding of practice that led to their engagement in upstream, population‐focused activities. Implications of these findings for supporting the clinical learning of public health nurses and the development of expertise are described.
Factors Influencing Homelessness in Women
Authors: Anderson Debra Gay , Rayens Mary Kay
Published: January 2004

Abstract  The specific aims of the article were to: (i) compare childhood experiences of intimacy and autonomy as they occurred in the families of origin of women who have and women who have not experienced homelessness; (ii) compare social support, reciprocity, and conflict as they occurred in the childhood support networks and in the current support networks of women who have and women who have not experienced homelessness; (iii) examine the relationships between intimacy and autonomy in families of origin and the social support networks from childhood of women who have and women who have not experienced homelessness. Descriptive correlational design: 255 women were interviewed to determine levels of intimacy, autonomy, social support, reciprocity, and conflict in childhood relationships. The ANCOVA models for each of support, reciprocity, and conflict indicated a significant group effect. The post‐hoc analysis for support indicated that the homeless group was significantly lower in support and reciprocity and significantly higher in conflict than the never‐homeless groups. The never‐homeless, never‐abused group scored significantly higher on autonomy and intimacy than the homeless or the never‐homeless, abused groups. This study demonstrates the significance of families of origin and learning how to develop and utilize support systems in preventing or reducing homelessness.
Informal Caregiving Burden: An Overlooked Aspect of the Lives and Health of Women Transitioning from Welfare to Employment?
Authors: Kneipp Shawn M. , Castleman Joan B. , Gailor Nicole
Published: January 2004

Abstract  Informal caregiving occurs among communities in all socioeconomic strata and is largely provided by women. Although an extensive amount of research focusing on caregiver burden has been conducted within nursing, little is known about informal caregiving among low‐income women, particularly within the context of welfare reform. This study examined the extent of informal caregiver burden in low‐income women transitioning off welfare and the relationship between informal caregiving and maintaining employment. A random sample of 32 adults who had recently received welfare was obtained (n = 31 women), although there was significant difficulty locating potential subjects. Sixty‐three percent of participants were providing nonparental forms of informal caregiving. Caregiver burden scores among this group were highest in the time‐dependence dimension of caregiving. Over 30% of participants reported having to leave a job within the past year because of their caregiving responsibilities. These findings suggest that the informal caregiving responsibilities of low‐income women may be an overlooked aspect of welfare reform policy. Given the emphasis on case management and policy advocacy in their roles, public health nurses are uniquely positioned to partner with local welfare‐to‐work organizations, educate program staff, and further develop existing assessment processes to better address caregiving responsibilities within low‐income families.