bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Accounting for the position of verbal agreement morphology with psycholinguistic and diachronic explanatory factors
Authors: Enrique-Arias Andrés
Published: October 2007

This article attempts a more complete explanation of the position of verbal agreement affixes which, unlike other inflections, lack a correlation with word order and are prefixes relatively more frequently. An analysis of the factors that determine the position of affixes during morphologization reveals that agreement inflections originate in relatively more mobile sources (unstressed pronouns) and are associated to polymorphemic hosts. This, in combination with a proposed psycholinguistic principle, which during morphologization, prevents fusion of grammatical markers to complex sequences of inflections (for which crosslinguistic statistical evidence is supplied) can be used to explain the position of agreement markers.
Proprioceptive-state expressions in Thai
Authors: Iwasaki Shoichi
Published: October 2007

While the structure consisting of a topic and a clausal comment, often referred to as the double-topic, double-subject, or double-nominative sentence, has been discussed in the literature, the internal constituent order within the comment has rarely been a target of study of linguistic typology. The purpose of the paper is to compare two constituent order possibilities found in Thai and other Southeast Asian languages to argue specific constructional meanings associated with them.

In Thai, the topic with a clausal comment is used when a body-part is involved, and it may take the form of either [ N1 [ N2 V ]] or [ N1 [ V N2 ]]. In this structure, the topic (N1) is a possessor of N2 (= body-part), and the comment is a clause consisting of an intransitive verb (V) and a body-part noun (N2).

These two constituent orders are distributed between the external-state and proprioceptive (internal) state. Thus physical sensations (e.g. “I have a headache”) and emotions (e.g. “I am sad”) are expressed with the [VN] structure in the comment, while the description of external-states such as physical appearances (e.g. “My head is big”) is expressed with [NV]. Since proprioceptive states can only be experienced directly by the experiencer himself and contrast with external states which can be observed by anyone, the constituent order reflects fundamentally different cognitive realities experienced by the speaker.

I claim that the [VN] order has a structural meaning of “proprioceptively registered experience” in the Thai grammar. This explains further why some other internal events such as “recovering from cold” or “exhausting one’s physical strength” which do not directly involve body parts also take the [VN] order in the comment.

I will also argue that the initial noun (N1) in the proprioceptive-state expression is a topic noun added to the more fundamental topicless structure, [VN], whereas the initial noun in the external-state description is an integral part of the basic argument structure. Finally, I will situate the distributional pattern of [VN] and [NV] found in Thai among other East and Southeast Asian languages.
“Object complements” and conversation towards a realistic account
Authors: Thompson Sandra A.
Published: October 2007

Based on a corpus of conversational English, I argue that the standard view of complements as subordinate clauses in a grammatical relation with a complement-taking predicate is not supported by the data. Rather, what has been described under the heading of complementation can be understood in terms of epistemic/evidential/evaluative formulaic fragments expressing speaker stance toward the content of a clause. This analysis, in which CTPs and their subjects are stored and retrieved as formulaic stance markers accounts for the grammatical, pragmatic, prosodic, and phonological data more satisfactorily than a complementation analysis.
From a pragmatic marker to a direct object marker
Authors: Sadler Misumi
Published: October 2007

Several researchers have reported the increased use of o and semantic/pragmatic or syntactic motivations for direct object marking based on texts from between the 8th and 11th centuries. However, very few studies documented direct object marking after that period on until Modern Japanese, and the claims regarding semantic/pragmatic or syntactic motivations were not substantiated. By quantitatively examining an 11th century text and two later translations of it, this study documents evidence that o-marking was pragmatically motivated in the 11th century. However, as o-marking gradually increased over the years to be fully grammaticized as a direct object marker by the 20th century, its correlation with the pragmatic factors weakened.
Copulas in Sgaw Karen
Authors: Pustet Regina
Published: October 2007

Many languages have copula systems involving more than one copula. In such languages, the functional scopes of the participating copulas vary. This kind of typological variation has not yet been studied in great detail. In Sgaw Karen, three copulas exist, and the functional differences among these can be defined at the semantic as well as at the pragmatic level. For instance, the contrast between the copulas mewæþ and kʔ seems to be coextensive with the notional difference between nouns and adjectives as postulated by theorists such as Croft, Langacker, and Wierzbicka.
Towards a typology of tail–head linkage in Papuan languages
Authors: de Vries Lourens
Published: October 2007

In this article a typological overview of tail–head linkage (THL) in Papuan languages is presented. There are two types of THL, chained THL and thematized THL. The chained type is the default type and its morphosyntactic form follows from the basic clause linkage type in a given Papuan language, for example when switch reference constructions are the basic type of clause linkage, then the default type of THL takes the form of switch reference constructions. Chained THL carries referential coherence mechanisms (e.g. gender agreements, switch reference) and event sequencing mechanisms (e.g. sequence-simultaneity morphology) across chain boundaries. The second, marked, type of THL is with nominalized clauses that discontinue the event and participant lines. The head clause in this type of THL is a thematic NP that is syntactically separate from the chain and this reflects thematic discontinuity: the thematic head clause is off-sequence. In languages like Wambon and Usan the two types of THL select different verb types: medial verbs that express switch reference (same versus different subject) and/or sequence-simultaneity distinctions occur in the chained type and independent verbs that cannot express these distinctions occur in the second, thematic type. THL has four functions, referential coherence, processing ease, thematic continuity (chained type) and thematic discontinuity (thematized type). The phonological form of THL (slowly pronounced, rising intonation, pause phenomena) reflects its processing function to give speakers and addressees a break between two chains.
Politeness
Authors: Xie Chaoqun , He Ziran , Lin Dajin
Published: October 2007

Little progress has been made in modern politeness studies despite mountains of publications that have been bombarding the politeness market over the past three or so decades, rendering the latter in much a mess. It is argued in this paper that (1) politeness does not necessarily entail sincerity, and sincere politeness and insincere politeness should be distinguished; (2) there is no need to develop two different frameworks to account for politeness and impoliteness respectively; any framework that can be used to examine politeness phenomena should also aim for dealing with impoliteness phenomena; (3) polite language is not necessarily equated with politeness, and impolite language is not necessarily equated with impoliteness; and (4) though there is some need to differentiate between polite behaviour and politic behaviour, between politeness1 and politeness2, Watts’ (2003) work is problematic.
Issues of Language and Ethnicity in the Postclassic Maya Codices
Authors: Vail Gabrielle
Published: October 2007

Researchers have long attributed the prehispanic Maya codices to a Yucatecan provenience, based on their style and on the occurrence of Yucatec words spelled phonetically in the glyphic texts. This interpretation has recently been challenged by two studies that demonstrate the presence of Ch’olan vocabulary and morphological features in the Dresden and Madrid codices, alongside the better known Yucatec spellings (Wald 1994, Lacadena 1997). The present study identifies the linguistic affiliation of lexical items in the codical texts (Yucatecan, Ch’olan, or indeterminate), and charts the distribution of Yucatecan and Ch’olan terms in the Madrid Codex as a means of identifying patterns of usage. Several models are examined to account for the linguistic diversity of the manuscript, including (a) possible bilingualism of scribes; (b) lexical borrowing; (c) errors introduced by copying; and (d) the likelihood that certain glyphs were logographic, and could have different values depending on the language being recorded. It is argued that the Madrid Codex was drafted by Yucatecan scribes who were influenced in various ways by Ch’olan speakers — a situation comparable to the use of Spanish loanwords in the Colonial Books of Chilam Balam.
Bilingualism in the Maya Codices and the Books of Chilam Balam
Authors: Bricker Victoria R.
Published: October 2007

The bilingualism recently discovered in the Maya codices by Robert Wald and Alfonso Lacadena has parallels in the Colonial Maya Books of Chilam Balam, which show both linguistic and scriptural bilingualism — involving, on the one hand, the Maya and Spanish languages, and on the other, the logosyllabic and alphabetic scripts of these two cultures. The article explores the continuities and discontinuities in these language contact phenomena with respect to vocabulary, morphology, syntax, spelling conventions, style, and text format.
Emergent spelling patterns in Sm’algyax (Tsimshian, British Columbia)
Authors: Stebbins Tonya N.
Published: October 2007

Efforts to strengthen endangered languages very often involve vernacular literacy. Although the development of written materials can be of benefit to communities, the process of developing a written standard is frequently long and complex. This paper describes the development of writing in Sm’algyax, a Tsimshianic language of British Columbia, Canada. The practical orthography used to write Sm’algyax has now been in use for over twenty years, but the development of spelling conventions for writing the language is still on-going. Using a critical discourse analysis approach, this paper identifies the many factors that influence the development of the Sm’algyax writing system, and describes their interaction.
Clause packaging in writing and speech
Authors: Verhoeven Ludo , Aparici Melina , Cahana-Amitay Dalia , van Hell Janet G. , Kriz Sarah , Viguié-Simon Anne
Published: October 2007

This article analyses clause packaging in the written narrative and expository texts in Dutch, English, French, Hebrew, and Spanish by grade-school children and adults. A “clause package” is defined as a text unit consisting of clauses linked by syntactic, thematic, and discursive criteria. Our study attempts to arrive at an understanding of cross-linguistic universals in the distribution of clause-package types as a function of Genre and Modality in both children and adults. To this end, we distinguish finite vs. nonfinite coordination, subordination, and relativization; we compare their distribution in the five languages; and we examine the semantics of the conjunctions occurring in narrative vs. expository texts. Results show that, in all languages, children tend to use more coördinate devices than adults, whereas adults use more adverbial, complement, and relative clauses. A clear interaction was found between Genre and type of clause packaging: For both children and adults, coordination was the preferred device in narrative, whereas subordination occurred more often in the expository texts.
Text openings and closings in writing and speech
Authors: Tolchinsky Liliana , Johansson Victoria , Zamora Anita
Published: October 2007

The differentiation of text segments to fulfil specific discourse functions (e.g. to introduce a topic, or to state the time and place of a story), along with the definition of clear textual boundaries that set the text apart from the situational context, are two aspects of the configuration of a text as an autonomous semantic unit. This paper analyzes the opening and closing elements of narrative and expository texts to determine whether they function as well defined boundaries, and fulfil a specific discourse function with respect to the text as a whole. The population for this study consisted of 120 participants, 10 at each of the Age levels of grade school, junior high, high school, and university, yielding 40 participants in each of three target Languages: English, Spanish, and Swedish. The database included 480 texts divided by Modality (written vs. spoken) and Genre (narrative vs. expository). All text openings and closing were coded for positioning, i.e. the framework used by speaker/writers to introduce or conclude the topic developed in their texts, and for functioning, i.e. the role these elements play in the text. Results showed that, as texts become more “detached” from the situation in which they are produced, their component parts become more functionally differentiated. This process is described first in the openings of narrative and expository texts, and later in the closings of expository texts; narrative closings remain a problematic area of text construction for most speaker/writers in this study, in every Age group. These processes of detachment and internal functional specification of text components occurred earlier in writing than in speech. The cross-linguistic differences found in the study are related to different teaching practices, rather than to language specific features.
“Written language but easily to use!”
Authors: Thonhauser Ingo
Published: October 2007

Questions of biliteracy and multiliteracies increasingly move into the centre of literacy research. This paper focuses on the question how perceptions of spoken and written language are shaped by diglossia and multilingual language practices in Lebanon. A brief introduction to the language situation in modern Lebanon, plus a discussion of the basic concepts of literacy and diglossia, are followed by a study of excerpts of a series of qualitative case studies, conducted in Beirut. Multilingualism in Lebanon is characterised by a dominance of colloquial Lebanese Arabic in oral discourse; this contrasts with the use of a variety of languages — English, French and Modern Standard Arabic — in the written domain. The analysis of statements taken from the interviews suggests that perceptions of continuity and discontinuity between the spoken/written modes are related to and shaped by diglossia. The paper ends with an outlook on educational implications.
Group III nitride and SiC based MEMS and NEMS: materials properties, technology and applications
Authors: Cimalla V , Pezoldt J , Ambacher O
Published: October 2007

With the increasing requirements for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) regarding stability, miniaturization and integration, novel materials such as wide band gap semiconductors are attracting more attention. Polycrystalline SiC has first been implemented into Si micromachining techniques, mainly as etch stop and protective layers. However, the outstanding properties of wide band gap semiconductors offer many more possibilities for the implementation of new functionalities. Now, a variety of technologies for SiC and group III nitrides exist to fabricate fully wide band gap semiconductor based MEMS. In this paper we first review the basic technology (deposition and etching) for group III nitrides and SiC with a special focus on the fabrication of three-dimensional microstructures relevant for MEMS. The basic operation principle for MEMS with wide band gap semiconductors is described. Finally, the first applications of SiC based MEMS are demonstrated, and innovative MEMS and NEMS devices are reviewed.
Evaluation of Antioxidant Properties of Phaulopsis fascisepala C.B.Cl. (Acanthaceae)
Authors: Adesegun S. A. , Fajana A. , Orabueze C. I. , Coker H. A. B.
Published: October 2007

The antioxidant activities of crude extract of Phaulopsis fascisepala leaf were evaluated and compared with α‐tocopherol and BHT as synthetic antioxidants and ascorbic acid as natural‐based antioxidant. In vitro, we studied its antioxidative activities, radical‐scavenging effects, Fe2+‐chelating ability and reducing power. The total phenolic content was determined and expressed in gallic acid equivalent. The extract showed variable activities in all of these in vitro tests. The antioxidant effect of P. fascisepala was strongly dose dependent, increased with increasing leaf extract dose and then leveled off with further increase in extract dose. Compared to other antioxidants used in the study, α‐Tocopherol, ascorbic acid and BHT, P. fascisepala leaf extract showed less scavenging effect on α,α,‐diphenyl‐β‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and less reducing power on Fe3+/ferricyanide complex but better Fe2+‐chelating ability. These results revealed the in vitro antioxidant activity of P. fascisepala. Further investigations are necessary to verify these activities in vivo.
Ficus racemosa Stem Bark Extract: A Potent Antioxidant and a Probable Natural Radioprotector
Authors: Veerapur V. P. , Prabhakar K. R. , Parihar Vipan Kumar , Kandadi Machendar Reddy , Ramakrishana S. , Mishra B. , Satish Rao B. S. , Srinivasan K. K. , Priyadarsini K. I. , Unnikrishnan M. K.
Published: October 2007

Ethanol extract (FRE) and water extract (FRW) of Ficus racemosa (family: Moraceae) were subjected to free radical scavenging both by steady state and time resolved methods such as nanosecond pulse radiolysis and stopped‐flow spectrophotometric analyses. FRE exhibited significantly higher steady state antioxidant activity than FRW. FRE exhibited concentration dependent DPPH, ABTS•-, hydroxyl radical and superoxide radical scavenging and inhibition of lipid peroxidation with IC50 comparable with tested standard compounds. In vitro radioprotective potential of FRE was studied using micronucleus assay in irradiated Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cells (V79). Pretreatment with different doses of FRE 1h prior to 2 Gy γ‐radiation resulted in a significant (P < 0.001) decrease in the percentage of micronucleated binuclear V79 cells. Maximum radioprotection was observed at 20 μg/ml of FRE. The radioprotection was found to be significant (P < 0.01) when cells were treated with optimum dose of FRE (20 μg/ml) 1 h prior to 0.5, 1, 2, 3 and 4 Gy γ‐irradiation compared to the respective radiation controls. The cytokinesis‐block proliferative index indicated that FRE does not alter radiation induced cell cycle delay. Based on all these results we conclude that the ethanol extract of F. racemosa acts as a potent antioxidant and a probable radioprotector.
Interannual to diurnal variability in the near-surface scattering layer in Drake Passage
Authors: Chereskin T. K. , Tarling G. A.
Published: October 2007

Chereskin, T. K., and Tarling, G. A. 2007. Interannual to diurnal variability in the near-surface scattering layer in Drake Passage. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 1617–1626. Backscattering strength was estimated from 127 shipboard surveys with an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) made during Drake Passage transits from 1999 to 2004. The backscattering strength is used to determine the characteristics of the near-surface scattering layer, which south of the Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front (SACCF) is dominated by Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba). Diel vertical migration in the upper 150 m was the dominant variability observed in any single transect. When averaged over depth, there was a well-defined annual cycle in backscattering strength, with a factor of four increase from a late-winter minimum to a spring-summer maximum over a period of four months, followed by a more gentle decline during late summer and autumn. In addition, there were significant differences in scattering strength north and south of the Polar Front (PF) on both seasonal and interannnual time-scales. The average summer maximum to the north of the PF was more than twice the maximum to the south, but the winter minima were about the same. On interannual time-scales, scattering strength south of the PF displayed a negative linear trend primarily attributable to a fourfold decrease in backscattering strength south of the SACCF. No significant long-term trend in the scattering strength north of the SACCF was observed.
Correcting for effective area fished in fishery-dependent depletion estimates of abundance and capture efficiency
Authors: Walter John F. , Hoenig John M. , Gedamke Todd
Published: October 2007

Walter, J. F. III, Hoenig, J. M., and Gedamke, T. 2007. Correcting for effective area fished in fishery-dependent depletion estimates of abundance and capture efficiency. – ICES Journal of Marine Science 64: 000–000. Depletion methods are widely used to estimate capture efficiency and abundance. However, they are highly dependent on the depletion area assumed. In open-ocean depletion studies, it is difficult to determine the true area of depletion. Satellite vessel monitoring systems (VMS) offer the potential to determine the area effectively fished. Observer-collected catch-and-effort data from the 1999 Atlantic sea scallop fishery in Georges Bank Closed Area II were used to obtain spatially-explicit DeLury depletion estimates of dredge efficiency and abundance, with corrections for fished area made using VMS data. Non-area-corrected efficiency estimates often had theoretically impossible values, indicating that the naïvely assumed fished area was likely too big. Fine-scale spatial analyses on individual depletion cells confirmed this result. Corrected-area efficiency estimates exhibited reduced variability and more plausible efficiencies, with 70% of 289 individual depletion estimates falling between 20% and 55%, with a mean of 46%. Abundance estimates from individual depletion studies matched maps of abundance from a preseason survey. Results indicated a total abundance of ∼17 million pounds of scallop meat weight in the fished area, of which 6 million pounds were landed, providing an overall exploitation rate of 35%.
Steroid hormones in bluegill, a species with male alternative reproductive tactics including female mimicry
Authors: Knapp Rosemary , Neff Bryan D
Published: October 2007

The proximate mechanisms underlying the evolution and maintenance of within-sex variation in mating behaviour are still poorly understood. Species characterized by alternative reproductive tactics provide ideal opportunities to investigate such mechanisms. Bluegill (
Lepomis macrochirus
) are noteworthy in this regard because they exhibit two distinct cuckolder (parasitic) morphs (called sneaker and satellite) in addition to the parental males that court females. Here we confirm previous findings that spawning cuckolder and parental males have significantly different levels of testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone. We also report, for the first time, that oestradiol and cortisol levels are higher in cuckolders than in parental males. The two cuckolder morphs did not differ in average levels of any of the four hormones. However, among satellite males which mimic females in appearance and behaviour, there was a strong negative relationship between oestradiol levels and body length, a surrogate for age. This finding suggests that for satellite males, oestradiol dependency of mating behaviour decreases with increasing mating experience. Although such decreased hormone dependence of mating behaviour has been reported in other taxa, our data represent the first suggestion of the relationship in fishes.
On the impossibility of localization in linear thermoelasticity
Authors: Quintanilla R
Published: October 2007

In the middle of the 1990s, Green & Naghdi proposed three theories of thermoelasticity that they labelled as types I, II and II. The type II theory, which is also called thermoelasticity without energy dissipation, is conservative and the solutions cannot decay with respect to time. It is well known that, in general, in the linear theories of thermoelasticity of types I and III, the solutions decay with respect to time. In many situations this decay is at least exponential. In this paper we study whether this decay can be fast enough to guarantee the solutions to be zero in a finite time. We investigate the impossibility of the localization in time of the solutions of linear thermoelasticity for the theories of Green & Naghdi. This means that the only solution that vanishes after a finite time is the null solution. The main idea is to show the uniqueness of solutions for the backward in time problem. To be precise, for type III thermoelasticity we will prove the impossibility of localization of solutions in the case of bounded domains, and for the type I thermoelasticity in the case of exterior domains, even when the solutions can be unbounded, whether the spatial variable goes to infinity.
Intact automatic imitation of human and robot actions in autism spectrum disorders
Authors: Bird Geoffrey , Leighton Jane , Press Clare , Heyes Cecilia
Published: October 2007

The existence of a specialized imitation module in humans is hotly debated. Studies suggesting a specific imitation impairment in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) support a modular view. However, the voluntary imitation tasks used in these studies (which require socio-cognitive abilities in addition to imitation for successful performance) cannot support claims of a specific impairment. Accordingly, an automatic imitation paradigm (a ‘cleaner’ measure of imitative ability) was used to assess the imitative ability of 16 adults with ASD and 16 non-autistic matched control participants. Participants performed a prespecified hand action in response to observed hand actions performed either by a human or a robotic hand. On compatible trials the stimulus and response actions matched, while on incompatible trials the two actions did not match. Replicating previous findings, the Control group showed an automatic imitation effect: responses on compatible trials were faster than those on incompatible trials. This effect was greater when responses were made to human than to robotic actions (‘animacy bias’). The ASD group also showed an automatic imitation effect and a larger animacy bias than the Control group. We discuss these findings with reference to the literature on imitation in ASD and theories of imitation.
Breed relationships facilitate fine-mapping studies: A 7.8-kb deletion cosegregates with Collie eye anomaly across multiple dog breeds
Authors: Parker Heidi G. , Kukekova Anna V. , Akey Dayna T. , Goldstein Orly , Kirkness Ewen F. , Baysac Kathleen C. , Mosher Dana S. , Aguirre Gustavo D. , Acland Gregory M. , Ostrander Elaine A.
Published: October 2007

The features of modern dog breeds that increase the ease of mapping common diseases, such as reduced heterogeneity and extensive linkage disequilibrium, may also increase the difficulty associated with fine mapping and identifying causative mutations. One way to address this problem is by combining data from multiple breeds segregating the same trait after initial linkage has been determined. The multibreed approach increases the number of potentially informative recombination events and reduces the size of the critical haplotype by taking advantage of shortened linkage disequilibrium distances found across breeds. In order to identify breeds that likely share a trait inherited from the same ancestral source, we have used cluster analysis to divide 132 breeds of dog into five primary breed groups. We then use the multibreed approach to fine-map Collie eye anomaly (cea), a complex disorder of ocular development that was initially mapped to a 3.9-cM region on canine chromosome 37. Combined genotypes from affected individuals from four breeds of a single breed group significantly narrowed the candidate gene region to a 103-kb interval spanning only four genes. Sequence analysis revealed that all affected dogs share a homozygous deletion of 7.8 kb in the NHEJ1 gene. This intronic deletion spans a highly conserved binding domain to which several developmentally important proteins bind. This work both establishes that the primary cea mutation arose as a single disease allele in a common ancestor of herding breeds as well as highlights the value of comparative population analysis for refining regions of linkage.
Molecular phylogeny of songbirds (Aves: Passeriformes) and the relative utility of common nuclear marker loci
Authors: Treplin Simone , Siegert Romy , Bleidorn Christoph , Thompson Hazell Shokellu , Fotso Roger , Tiedemann Ralph
Published: October 2007

While the monophyly of the largest avian order Passeriformes as well as its suborders suboscines (Tyranni) and oscines (Passeri) is well established, lower phylogenetic relationships of this fast radiated taxon have been a continuous matter of debate, especially within the suborder oscines. Many studies analyzing phylogenetic relationships of the Passeriformes using molecular markers have been published, which led to a better resolved phylogeny. Conflicting hypotheses and still remaining uncertainties, especially within the Passerida, have repeatedly stimulated further research with additional new markers. In the present study we used a combination of established molecular markers (RAG‐1, RAG‐2, c‐myc) and the recently introduced ZENK. We accomplished phylogenetic analyses using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference, both separately for all genes and simultaneously. To assess the phylogenetic utility of the different genes in avian systematics we analyzed the influence of each data partition on the phylogenetic tree yielded by the combined approach using partitioned Bremer support. Compared with the other single gene analyses, the ZENK trees exhibited by far the best resolution and showed the lowest amount of homoplasy. Our data indicate that this gene is—at least in passerines—suitable for inference of even old taxonomic splits.

Our combined analysis yields well‐supported phylogenetic hypotheses for passerine phylogeny and apart from corroborating recently proposed hypotheses on phylogenetic relationships in the Passeriformes we provide evidence for some new hypotheses. The subdivision of the Passerida into three superfamilies, Sylvioidea, Passeroidea and Muscicapoidea, the first as sister to the two latter groups is strongly supported. We found evidence for a split between Paridae and the remaining Sylvioidea.

© The Willi Hennig Society 2007.
Ciliated intestinal protozoa of black (Diceros bicornis michaeli) and white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum simum) in Kenya
Authors: Obanda V. , Gakuya F. , Lekolool I. , Chege S. , Okita B. , Manyibe T.
Published: October 2007

The aim of this study was to survey ciliated intestinal protozoa of the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli) and white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) in Kenyan National Parks. Faecal samples from 28 rhinoceroses that were chemically immobilized for translocation were opportunistically collected. Presence of ciliates was assessed using faecal floatation and sedimentation techniques. The ciliates were identified using cellular morphological features. Ophryoscoleciidae, Cycloposthiidae and Blepharocrythiidae were the three ciliate families represented. Ophryoscoleciidae had nine genera, Cycloposthiidae six genera and Blepharocorythiidae 1 genus. The dominant ciliate genus in all the rhinoceroses that were sampled was entodinium. It was found that the nutrient composition of the diet influences the diversity and numbers of intestinal ciliates, which in turn regulates the nutrient available to the animal. This interplay of nutrient composition of diet, ciliate diversity and nutritional benefits to the host has been used as an index to assess the nutritional state of ruminants. Because of the occurrence of rumenal ciliates in the hindgut fermentative chamber of the rhinoceros, such an index can be used to guide the formulation of feed mixtures for rhinoceros in captivity and remote nutritional assessments of rhinoceros both in free‐range and in captivity.
Phase I study of eptifibatide in patients with sickle cell anaemia
Authors: Lee Sheritha P. , Ataga Kenneth I. , Zayed Mohamed , Manganello Jeanne M. , Orringer Eugene P. , Phillips David R. , Parise Leslie V.
Published: October 2007

TheαIIbβ3 antagonist eptifibatide is an effective treatment for patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Platelet reactivity and CD40 ligand (CD40L) may play a role in the pathophysiology of sickle cell anaemia (SCA) similar to that in ACS, suggesting that inhibition of platelet aggregation and CD40L release by eptifibatide may benefit patients with SCA. Following eptifibatide infusion, safety and pharmacodynamic data were obtained from four SCA patients in their non‐crisis, steady states. Eptifibatide was well tolerated, with no adverse changes in the haematological, biochemical or coagulation parameters studied. Eptifibatide did not increase plasma levels of platelet factor 4 or beta‐thromboglobulin, P‐selectin exposure or platelet:leucocyte aggregate formation. Moreover, decreases in platelet aggregation and soluble CD40L (sCD40L) levels achieved in SCA patients were comparable to those observed in the treatment of ACS. Finally, indicators of inflammation, macrophage inflammatory protein‐1α, tumour necrosis factor‐αand myoglobin were reduced following eptifibatide infusion, while vasodilation correlatives, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP‐2 and MMP‐9) and leptin were increased. Based on these phase I results, eptifibatide may benefit SCA patients by inhibiting platelet aggregation, decreasing sCD40L levels and favourably altering plasma levels of inflammatory mediators.
Clinical differences between children and adults with pulmonary hypertension and sickle cell disease
Authors: Hagar R. Ward , Michlitsch Jennifer G. , Gardner Jennifer , Vichinsky Elliott P. , Morris Claudia R.
Published: October 2007

Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is an important co‐morbidity in sickle cell disease (SCD). Despite increasing research in adults, the prevalence and implication of this condition in children is unknown. Charts of 362 SCD patients followed at the Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland were reviewed to determine clinical variables associated with obtaining echocardiographic screening for PHT, clinical associations of PHT, and associated mortality following diagnosis in adults and children with SCD. In this cohort, patients with underlying lung abnormalities or those on chronic transfusions were more likely to have echocardiograms, however the diagnosis of PHT was often unrecognized. A different clinical phenotype for PHT in adults versus children was identified. Associations with PHT for adults included age, renal and lung disease, hepatitis C, chronic transfusions, and a history of acute chest syndrome (ACS), with ACS being protective. Surprisingly, for children, a history of sepsis, along with a history of ACS, or obstructive lung disease were associated with PHT. Survival analysis found significant mortality for PHT, with a hazard ratio of 17·3 (95% confidence interval 4·9–60·4). The divergent clinical spectrum for PHT between adults and children may point to different age‐specific mechanisms or biological expression of PHT.
The management of antenatal venous thromboembolism in the UK and Ireland: a prospective multicentre observational survey*
Authors: Voke Jennifer , Keidan Jane , Pavord Sue , Spencer Neil H. , Hunt Beverley J. ,   British Society for Haematology Obstetric Haematology Group
Published: October 2007

This prospective observational study reports on 126 women from 25 UK centres with image‐proven antenatal venous thromboembolism (VTE), 62% deep vein thrombosis and 38% pulmonary embolism. Thrombophilia screening was of limited benefit except to identify antithrombin deficiency. Sixteen (13%) patients had previous VTE, all but one was related to previous pregnancy or combined oral contraceptive and 12 received no thromboprophylaxis in the index pregnancy, the other four thus received inadequate low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) doses. Treatment was with dalteparin in 25%, enoxaparin in 47%, tinzaparin in 25% and unfractionated heparin alone in 3%. 66% of patients received once‐daily LMWH. Anti‐activated factor X (anti‐Xa) monitoring was performed at 90% of centres, with a wide range of target values. Thus current management of antenatal VTE, despite widely diverse clinical practice, appeared effective and safe, for there were no recurrent events and postpartum haemorrhage was not increased when compared to known rates. Larger studies are required to confirm this. The need for twice as opposed to once daily LMWH and for anti‐Xa monitoring is questioned by this study. The importance of clinical risk assessment and adherence to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists guidelines on antenatal thromboprophylaxis, with adequate LMWH dosing is confirmed.
The frequency and fitness consequences of communal breeding in a natural population of burying beetles: a test of reproductive skew
Authors: SCOTT MICHELLE PELLISSIER , LEE WOO‐JAI , Van Der REIJDEN E. D.
Published: October 2007

Abstract1. Reproductive cooperation occurs in diverse taxa and a defining characteristic of these social systems is how reproduction is shared. Both male and female burying beetles (Nicrophorusspp.) facultatively form associations to bury a carcass and rear a single brood, making burying beetles a model system for testing skew theory.

2. In this study, 50% of 40–45 g carcasses and 75% of 55–60 g ones were buried by more than one male and/or femaleNicrophorus tomentosus.

3. Females were significantly more likely to cooperate on 55–60 g carcasses than on 40–45 g ones.

4. Analysis of parentage of 13 broods using microsatellite loci as genetic markers showed that maternity analysis of only 2% of the young excluded all females captured leaving the brood chamber after burial. Males previously mated with resident females or displaced by resident males fathered 7% of the young.

5. The male and female remaining the longest were usually the parents of the most offspring, and reproductively dominant individuals also tended to be the largest.

6. Although all but two or three individuals that helped to bury the carcass produced some offspring, reproduction was often not shared equitably. Reproduction of females was significantly skewed on six of nine 40–45 g carcasses but shared fairly equitably on all three 55–60 g ones. Reproduction was skewed among males on 7 of 10 broods.

7. Both males and females relinquished a greater proportion of the brood as the days of assistance from all consexuals increased.
Relationships among long'term fisheries abundances, hydrographic variables, and gross pollution indicators in northeastern U.S. estuaries
Authors: ROSE KENNETH A. , SUMMERS J. KEVIN
Published: October 2007

Categorical time series regression was applied to 55 fish stocks in the Potomac, Hudson, Narragansett, Delaware, and Connecticut estuaries for the period 1929–1975. Interannual variability in catch per unit effort (CPUE) was related to CPUE, hydrographic variables, and pollution variables, lagged back in time to represent the conditions contributing to the multiple ages comprising each fishery. Hydrographic variables included water temperature and flow in the estuary– and, for offshore spawning stocks, wind direction and magnitude–during the months of spawning and early life stage development. Pollution variables included measures of dissolved oxygen conditions in the estuaries, volume of material dredged, and sewage loading (or human population). Lagged CPUE, hydrographic variables, and pollution variables all played important roles in explaining historical variability in CPUE. Lagged CPUE was significant in 45 of 55 stocks generally accounting for 5–35% of the variability. Lagged hydrographic variables were significant in 53 of 55 stocks, explaining an additional 5–40% of the variability unaccounted for by lagged CPUE. Lagged pollution variables were significant in 35 of 55 stocks, generally accounting for an additional 5–30% of the variability not explained by lagged CPUE and hydrographic variables. Results did not exhibit expected patterns of consistency in the importance of lagged CPUE for a species across estuaries or consistency in the importance of pollution variables across estuaries. Results did exhibit the expected north‐to‐south longitudinal pattern in the importance of timing of the hydrographic variables, the months of importance being one or two months later in more northerly estuaries. Higher‐order interaction effects were important in almost all stocks that were well‐modeled by categorical time series regression. Of the 30 stocks with final regression models having R2 > 0.55, 26 stocks involved significant interaction effects, five had only significant interaction effects (no significant main effects), and 20 stocks had significant interactions involving variables not significant as main effects. The difficulties involved in analyzing long‐term trends in fish populations and partitioning variability between natural and anthropogenic sources are discussed.
A numerical analysis of population dynamics of the sand lance (Ammodytes personatus) in the eastern Seto Inland Sea, Japan
Authors: KIMURA SHINGO , KISHI MICHIO J. , NAKATA HIDEAKI , YAMASHITA YOH
Published: October 2007

The Japanese sand lance (Ammodytes personatus) population in the Seto Inland Sea shows large fluctuations every few years. Its recruitment to the fishery resources is much more dependent on the survival rate of 0‐age fish than is the case for other fish species because 0‐age fish directly recruit to next‐year spawning adults. Since the 0‐age fish population depends on its larval population, which is easily influenced by natural and human impacts, high larval mortality due to predation by adults and high dispersion of larvae by wind‐driven currents from spawning grounds to other locations can have very important effects on stock fluctuations. A numerical model of population dynamics of the sand lance in the eastern Seto Inland Sea was developed that focuses on wind‐induced transport and adult predation of the larvae. The model successfully simulated the two‐year periodic fluctuation and was consistent with actual fluctuations in fishery catches. It suggests that the various coefficients given in the model are appropriate to explain the actual population dynamics of the sand lance. The model shows that adult predation on the larvae plays a very important role in the two‐year periodic fluctuation, and the maximum predation rate is estimated to be ten individuals per day. Wind‐induced transport modifies the impact of this predation. Variances in the two‐year periodic fluctuation become smaller with weaker westerly wind velocity. The appropriate transport rates from Bisan Strait and the Harima‐nada Sea are estimated to be 0.04 d‐1 and 0.01 d‐1, respectively.
Sardine and anchovy regime fluctuations of abundance in four regions of the world oceans: a workshop report
Authors: LLUCH‐BELDA D. , SCHWARTZLOSE R. A. , SERRA R. , PARRISH R. , KAWASAKI T. , HEDGECOCK D. , CRAWFORD R. J. M.
Published: October 2007

Regimes of high abundance of sardine (Sardinops sagax and Sardina pilchardus) have alternated with regimes of high abundance of anchovy (Engraulis spp.) in each of the five regions of the world where these taxa co‐occur and have been extensively fished. When one taxon has been plentiful, the other has usually been at a reduced level of abundance, and vice versa. Changes in the four heavily fished regions that support S. sagax–the Japanese, Californian, Humboldt, and Benguela systems–from a regime dominated by one taxon to a high level of abundance of the other have occurred more or less simultaneously. In the Pacific Ocean, sardines have tended to increase during periods of increasing global air and sea temperatures and anchovies to decrease. The Japanese system is dominated by sardines to a greater extent than the other systems, and sardines off Japan appear to increase as the Kuroshio Current cools. At the eastern edge of the Pacific Ocean, sardines colonize cooler areas during periods of warming. The Benguela system is out of phase with the three Pacific systems. The four systems all appeared to be in a state of flux in the 1980s. Increased abundance of the subdominant taxon is often one of the first signs of change. Sardines are relatively sedentary in refuge areas when scarce but change behavior to become highly migratory and colonize cooler areas when abundant. Anchovies, by contrast, expand around a fixed geographic center.
Modeling the transport and survival of Japanese sardine larvae in and around the Kuroshio Current
Authors: KASAI AKIHIDE , KISHI MICHIO J. , SUGIMOTO TAKASHIGE
Published: October 2007

We have numerically modeled the advection and diffusion of sardine eggs and larvae to investigate the larval transport processes of Japanese sardine from the spawning grounds by the Kuroshio.

The results indicated that the offshore drift current induced by the winter monsoon and the location of the spawning ground have significant effects on the survival of the Japanese sardine. The contribution of the drift current, the distance of the spawning ground from the Kuroshio axis, and the eddy diffusivity to the larval retention in the coastal area is approximately expressed by the following equation: where R is the retention rate in the coastal area, a the variance of initial distribution of eggs, T the time after the eggs were spawned, – V0 the velocity of the wind‐induced offshore current, y0 the distance of the center of the spawning area from the Kuroshio axis, and K the coefficient of horizontal eddy diffusivity.

The year‐to‐year variation in larval survival rates stimulated by the two‐dimensional model are consistent with those estimated previously by using field data of egg and larval abundance during 1978–1988.
Observation and analysis of fishery processes: larval pollock at Shelikof Strait, Alaska
Authors: VASTANO ANDREW C. , INCZE LEWIS S. , SCHUMACHER JAMES D.
Published: October 2007

Conditions affecting distributions of larval walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) were examined at Shelikof Strait, Alaska, during springtime, 1986 and 1987. Abundance and distribution of larval pollock southwest of the Strait's southern entrance was determined with oblique plankton tows taken each year in May. Infrared images of sea surface temperature patterns were derived from AVHRR scenes obtained by NOAA satellites during each April and May. Pattern displacements between 24‐hour‐interval images were used to estimate surface motion. Each spring, measurements were taken by remote weather stations and ships, and a nearsurface current meter record was obtained during 1987. Treated as quasi‐synoptic, spatial relations between sets of surface temperature, surface flow, and larval pollock distributions show coincidences between submesoscale physical and biological features. The highest larval abundances occurred as patches within a cold plume (1986) and an eddy (1987). These confirm that physical features can retain larval pollock on the continental shelf. Observations are examined for evidence of physical and biological events that jointly can cause such coincidences and foster alternatives for survival during transport to nursery grounds. Explanations for presence of cohorts observed within the 1987 eddy are given in terms of spatial and temporal relationships evident between spawning and hatching areas, hatch date distributions, meanders, eddy generation and movement, background flow, and advection times. The observations, analyses, and results are consistent with the concept of a coupled, fluctuating biophysical process that can emulate variations in larval abundance and provide a multiplicity of system pathways for early‐life stages representations.