bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Survey of beef cattle producers to better understand factors influencing cattle movements from an exotic disease modelling perspective
Authors: Dyall T. , Miron D. J. , Donald G. E. , Garner M. G.
Published: June 2010

In late 2008 a survey of beef cattle producers was undertaken to gain a clearer picture of how, why and when producers buy, sell, and move cattle, provide an insight into what influences on-farm decision making and to assist in the development of a simulation model for (modelling) cattle movements. The survey was targeted at beef producers in central and southern inland Queensland and north-western New South Wales.
The survey was part of a project funded by the Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The project focussed on utilising animal movement data from the National Livestock Identification System for 2006 and 2007 in the development of a national-scale spatial simulation model that would be used by national and state animal health agencies as a decision-support tool to assess and manage emerging animal disease threats.
Major highlights arising from the study were that over half of the respondents were beef-only enterprises, with the remainder mixed enterprises (sheep and or cropping), and were predominantly in the breeding and growing production sector. The number of cattle movements, for farms having greater than 50 head, was not related to herd size. The most common movements other than buying or selling cattle were to a property owned by the producer close by (32%) or between properties for agistment (20%). Most types of cattle (cows, bulls, steers, etc) were sold within a few hundred kilometres of the property. The two main factors influencing when to sell cattle were reaching a target weight or matching a buyer/processor’s specification. Pasture availability, current prices and availability of suitable stock were also important factors.
Shearing Merino ewes at different stages of pregnancy: effects on fleece characteristics of progeny
Authors: van Reenen E. H. , Kenyon P. R. , Sherlock R. G. , Hickson R. E. , Morris S. T.
Published: June 2010

Shearing strong-wool ewes at different stages of pregnancy has been shown to influence the follicle population of the offspring which may result in a finer, heavier fleece. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of shearing time of Merino ewes on the liveweight, fleece characteristics and follicle population of their progeny.
Pregnant Merino ewes were allocated to one of three shearing times; mid-pregnancy (d106; 106 days from the introduction of the ram), late-pregnancy (d141) and post-lambing (d191). A skin biopsy was taken from the mid-side of 128 lambs at d359 (~7 months of age) and analysed for primary and secondary follicle density. Mid-side wool samples were collected at d359, d499 and d716. Samples from d359 and d716 were analysed for washing yield, colour and fibre diameter. Greasy fleece weight was measured on d499 and a mid-side sample was taken to measure staple length and staple strength.
Shearing time of Merino ewes had no effect on lamb liveweight at any stage of the experiment. Lambs born to ewes shorn during pregnancy had a lesser (P < 0.05) follicle density, secondary follicle density, follicle number index (FNI) and secondary FNI than those born to ewes shorn post-lambing. However, there was no effect (P > 0.05) of dam shearing treatment on fleece characteristics of progeny. The results indicate that, under the conditions of this study shearing Merino ewes in mid-to-late pregnancy did not alter the fleece characteristics of their progeny.
Achieving adoption and innovation in Australia's beef industry
Authors: Burrow H. M.
Published: June 2010

Beef CRC uses industry value-add and impact as the guiding principle to identify the most appropriate ‘Path to Adoption’ for each one of the practices, tools and technologies it develops. This approach recognises that, regardless of the product type or the method of commercialisation, all Beef CRC’s decisions aimed at achieving commercialisation, utilisation, and/or adoption are designed to achieve and demonstrate maximum value for Australian beef businesses. This is achieved by customising commercialisation approaches to ensure that (1) all Beef CRC technologies are specifically designed to maximise industry adoption and utilisation and (2) all Beef CRC processes aiming to achieve industry adoption and innovation are specifically designed and implemented for that purpose. This paper presents case studies outlining the different approaches used by Beef CRC to maximise adoption, innovation and impact of different product types and different processes (or ‘delivery vehicles’) to achieve demonstrable adoption and impact of complex knowledge-based technologies among the tens of thousands of small-to-medium beef enterprises located throughout Australia.
Global navigation satellite system livestock tracking: system development and data interpretation
Authors: Trotter M. G. , Lamb D. W. , Hinch G. N. , Guppy C. N.
Published: June 2010

The use of global satellite navigation system tracking as a research tool for monitoring livestock activity is increasing. Commercial systems are being developed for the livestock industry. This paper reports on the development of a low-cost, store-on-board Global Positioning System collar suitable for large-scale deployment in livestock herds. A robust collar design that avoids the necessity of external cables has been designed and was tested on beef cattle in western New South Wales. Configured for alternating wake and sleep modes to conserve battery life, the collars obtained a positional fix on 99.9% of attempts. Numerous alternatives for presenting extracted data, based on average diurnal activity, mean daily velocity, Livestock Residence Index and dry sheep equivalent maps are introduced and discussed.
Emi2-mediated Inhibition of E2-substrate Ubiquitin Transfer by the Anaphase-promoting Complex/Cyclosome through a D-Box–independent Mechanism
Authors: Tang Wanli , Wu Judy Qiju , Chen Chen , Yang Chih-Sheng , Guo Jessie Yanxiang , Freel Christopher D. , Kornbluth Sally
Published: June 2010

Vertebrate eggs are arrested at Metaphase II by Emi2, the meiotic anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) inhibitor. Although the importance of Emi2 during oocyte maturation has been widely recognized and its regulation extensively studied, its mechanism of action remained elusive. Many APC/C inhibitors have been reported to act as pseudosubstrates, inhibiting the APC/C by preventing substrate binding. Here we show that a previously identified zinc-binding region is critical for the function of Emi2, whereas the D-box is largely dispensable. We further demonstrate that instead of acting through a “pseudosubstrate” mechanism as previously hypothesized, Emi2 can inhibit Cdc20-dependent activation of the APC/C substoichiometrically, blocking ubiquitin transfer from the ubiquitin-charged E2 to the substrate. These findings provide a novel mechanism of APC/C inhibition wherein the final step of ubiquitin transfer is targeted and raise the interesting possibility that APC/C is inhibited by Emi2 in a catalytic manner.
Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Is Required for EfficientDictyosteliumChemotaxis
Authors: Teo Regina , Lewis Kimberley J. , Forde Josephine E. , Ryves W. Jonathan , Reddy Jonathan V. , Rogers Benjamin J. , Harwood Adrian J.
Published: June 2010

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) is a highly conserved protein kinase that is involved in several important cell signaling pathways and is associated with a range of medical conditions. Previous studies indicated a major role of the Dictyostelium homologue of GSK3 (gskA) in cell fate determination during morphogenesis of the fruiting body; however, transcriptomic and proteomic studies have suggested that GSK3 regulates gene expression much earlier during Dictyostelium development. To investigate a potential earlier role of GskA, we examined the effects of loss of gskA on cell aggregation. We find that cells lacking gskA exhibit poor chemotaxis toward cAMP and folate. Mutants fail to activate two important regulatory signaling pathways, mediated by phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3) and target of rapamycin complex 2 (TORC2), which in combination are required for chemotaxis and cAMP signaling. These results indicate that GskA is required during early stages of Dictyostelium development, in which it is necessary for both chemotaxis and cell signaling.
The Retinoblastoma Protein Modulates Tbx2 Functional Specificity
Authors: Vance Keith W. , Shaw Heather M. , Rodriguez Mercedes , Ott Sascha , Goding Colin R.
Published: June 2010

Tbx2 is a member of a large family of transcription factors defined by homology to the T-box DNA-binding domain. Tbx2 plays a key role in embryonic development, and in cancer through its capacity to suppress senescence and promote invasiveness. Despite its importance, little is known of how Tbx2 is regulated or how it achieves target gene specificity. Here we show that Tbx2 specifically associates with active hypophosphorylated retinoblastoma protein (Rb1), a known regulator of many transcription factors involved in cell cycle progression and cellular differentiation, but not with the Rb1-related proteins p107 or p130. The interaction with Rb1 maps to a domain immediately carboxy-terminal to the T-box and enhances Tbx2 DNA binding and transcriptional repression. Microarray analysis of melanoma cells expressing inducible dominant-negative Tbx2, comprising the T-box and either an intact or mutated Rb1 interaction domain, shows that Tbx2 regulates the expression of many genes involved in cell cycle control and that a mutation which disrupts the Rb1-Tbx2 interaction also affects Tbx2 target gene selectivity. Taken together, the data show that Rb1 is an important determinant of Tbx2 functional specificity.
AspergillusRabBRab5Integrates Acquisition of Degradative Identity with the Long Distance Movement of Early Endosomes
Authors: Abenza Juan F. , Galindo Antonio , Pantazopoulou Areti , Gil Concha , de los Ríos Vivian , Peñalva Miguel A.
Published: June 2010

Aspergillus nidulans early endosomes display characteristic long-distance bidirectional motility. Simultaneous dual-channel acquisition showed that the two Rab5 paralogues RabB and RabA colocalize in these early endosomes and also in larger, immotile mature endosomes. However, RabB-GTP is the sole recruiter to endosomes of Vps34 PI3K (phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase) and the phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate [PI(3)P] effector AnVps19 and rabBΔ, leading to thermosensitivity prevents multivesicular body sorting of endocytic cargo. Thus, RabB is the sole mediator of degradative endosomal identity. Importantly, rabBΔ, unlike rabAΔ, prevents early endosome movement. As affinity experiments and pulldowns showed that RabB-GTP recruits AnVps45, RabB coordinates PI(3)P-dependent endosome-to-vacuole traffic with incoming traffic from the Golgi and with long-distance endosomal motility. However, the finding that Anvps45Δ, unlike rabBΔ, severely impairs growth indicates that AnVps45 plays RabB-independent functions. Affinity chromatography showed that the CORVET complex is a RabB and, to a lesser extent, a RabA effector, in agreement with GST pulldown assays of AnVps8. rabBΔ leads to smaller vacuoles, suggesting that it impairs homotypic vacuolar fusion, which would agree with the sequential maturation of endosomal CORVET into HOPS proposed for Saccharomyces cerevisiae. rabBΔ and rabAΔ mutations are synthetically lethal, demonstrating that Rab5-mediated establishment of endosomal identity is essential for A. nidulans.
ChlamydomonasIFT70/CrDYF-1 Is a Core Component of IFT Particle Complex B and Is Required for Flagellar Assembly
Authors: Fan Zhen-Chuan , Behal Robert H. , Geimer Stefan , Wang Zhaohui , Williamson Shana M. , Zhang Haili , Cole Douglas G. , Qin Hongmin
Published: June 2010

DYF-1 is a highly conserved protein essential for ciliogenesis in several model organisms. In Caenorhabditis elegans, DYF-1 serves as an essential activator for an anterograde motor OSM-3 of intraflagellar transport (IFT), the ciliogenesis-required motility that mediates the transport of flagellar precursors and removal of turnover products. In zebrafish and Tetrahymena DYF-1 influences the cilia tubulin posttranslational modification and may have more ubiquitous function in ciliogenesis than OSM-3. Here we address how DYF-1 biochemically interacts with the IFT machinery by using the model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, in which the anterograde IFT does not depend on OSM-3. Our results show that this protein is a stoichiometric component of the IFT particle complex B and interacts directly with complex B subunit IFT46. In concurrence with the established IFT protein nomenclature, DYF-1 is also named IFT70 after the apparent size of the protein. IFT70/CrDYF-1 is essential for the function of IFT in building the flagellum because the flagella of IFT70/CrDYF-1–depleted cells were greatly shortened. Together, these results demonstrate that IFT70/CrDYF-1 is a canonical subunit of IFT particle complex B and strongly support the hypothesis that the IFT machinery has species- and tissue-specific variations with functional ramifications.
Impingement of liquid jets at atmospheric and elevated pressures: an observational study using paired water jets or water and methylcyclohexane jets
Authors: Yasuda Naohiro , Yamamura Koji , Mori Yasuhiko H.
Published: June 2010

We have observed the impingement of two cylindrical liquid jets of either the same liquid, water, or two mutually immiscible liquids, water and methylcyclohexane (MCH), in either air under normal pressure (0.101 MPa) or nitrogen gas under elevated pressures up to 4.0 MPa. The flow rates of the two jets were adjusted such that they had equal axial momentum. Irrespective of the system pressure, we distinguished two characteristic regimes: the lower flow-rate regime, in which the jet impingement formed a regularly shaped planar sheet, and a higher flow-rate regime, in which a wrinkled sheet repeated azimuthal breakup. The transition from the former to the latter regime occurred at a lower flow rate for the water–MCH impingement than for the water–water impingement. An increase in the system pressure tended to shrink the liquid sheets, to promote the transition to the sheet-breakup regime and to intensify the liquid atomization. The formation of water–MCH compound droplets by the water–MCH impingement was confirmed visually.
The observant mind: self-awareness of attentional status
Authors: Yamagishi Noriko , Anderson Stephen J. , Kawato Mitsuo
Published: June 2010

Visual perception is dependent not only on low-level sensory input but also on high-level cognitive factors such as attention. In this paper, we sought to determine whether attentional processes can be internally monitored for the purpose of enhancing behavioural performance. To do so, we developed a novel paradigm involving an orientation discrimination task in which observers had the freedom to delay target presentation—by any amount required—until they judged their attentional focus to be complete. Our results show that discrimination performance is significantly improved when individuals self-monitor their level of visual attention and respond only when they perceive it to be maximal. Although target delay times varied widely from trial-to-trial (range 860 ms–12.84 s), we show that their distribution is Gaussian when plotted on a reciprocal latency scale. We further show that the neural basis of the delay times for judging attentional status is well explained by a linear rise-to-threshold model. We conclude that attentional mechanisms can be self-monitored for the purpose of enhancing human decision-making processes, and that the neural basis of such processes can be understood in terms of a simple, yet broadly applicable, linear rise-to-threshold model.
Soybean Metabolites Regulated in Root Hairs in Response to the Symbiotic BacteriumBradyrhizobium japonicum
Authors: Brechenmacher Laurent , Lei Zhentian , Libault Marc , Findley Seth , Sugawara Masayuki , Sadowsky Michael J. , Sumner Lloyd W. , Stacey Gary
Published: June 2010

Nodulation of soybean (Glycine max) root hairs by the nitrogen-fixing symbiotic bacterium Bradyrhizobium japonicum is a complex process coordinated by the mutual exchange of diffusible signal molecules. A metabolomic study was performed to identify small molecules produced in roots and root hairs during the rhizobial infection process. Metabolites extracted from roots and root hairs mock inoculated or inoculated with B. japonicum were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry. These combined approaches identified 2,610 metabolites in root hairs. Of these, 166 were significantly regulated in response to B. japonicum inoculation, including various (iso)flavonoids, amino acids, fatty acids, carboxylic acids, and various carbohydrates. Trehalose was among the most strongly induced metabolites produced following inoculation. Subsequent metabolomic analyses of root hairs inoculated with a B. japonicum mutant defective in the trehalose synthase, trehalose 6-phosphate synthase, and maltooligosyltrehalose synthase genes showed that the trehalose detected in the inoculated root hairs was primarily of bacterial origin. Since trehalose is generally considered an osmoprotectant, these data suggest that B. japonicum likely experiences osmotic stress during the infection process, either on the root hair surface or within the infection thread.
Size‐dependent survival of brook troutSalvelinus fontinalisin summer: effects of water temperature and stream flow
Authors: Xu C. L. , Letcher B. H. , Nislow K. H.
Published: June 2010

A 5 year individual‐based data set was used to estimate size‐specific survival rates in a wild brook troutSalvelinus fontinalispopulation in a stream network encompassing a mainstem and three tributaries (1·5–6 m wetted width), western Massachusetts, U.S.A. The relationships between survival in summer and temperature and flow metrics derived from continuous monitoring data were then tested. Increased summer temperatures significantly reduced summer survival rates forS. fontinalisin almost all size classes in all four sites throughout the network. In contrast, extreme low summer flows reduced survival of large fish, but only in small tributaries, and had no significant effects on fish in smaller size classes in any location. These results provide direct evidence of a link between season‐specific survival and environmental factors likely to be affected by climate change and have important consequences for the management of both habitats and populations.
Using life‐history information to assess potential effects of shrimp trawling on small fishes
Authors: Foster S. J. , Vincent A. C. J.
Published: June 2010

The current study presents information on size distributions, size at recruitment to the fishery, size at maturity and patterns of reproduction for several small benthic fishes caught as by‐catch in the southern Gulf of California (Mexico) shrimp trawl fishery: sand perch Diplectrum spp., lumptail searobin Prionotus stephanophrys, bigscale goatfish Pseudupeneus grandisquamis and silver stardrum Stellifer illecebrosus. Pseudupeneus grandisquamis, P. stephanophrys and S. illecebrosus populations were all sexually dimorphic in size. Total‐length (LT)‐based analyses did not provide reliable information on survival and growth. The majority of sampled P. grandisquamis and S. illecebrosus were caught before reproductive maturity, whereas the majority of Diplectrum spp. and almost all P. stephanophrys were mature when caught. LT at 50% gear retention (LTc, mm) v. 50% maturity (LTm, mm): Diplectrum spp. 124·53 v. 131·43; P. grandisquamis 90·98 v. 135·20; S. illecebrosus 82·55 v. 137·30. LTc for P. stephanophrys was 104·73, but LTm could not be modelled for this species as almost all captured individuals were mature. Diplectrum spp., P. grandisquamis and S. illecebrosus were indeterminate spawners, whereas P. stephanophrys appeared to be a determinate spawner. Sex ratios were equal for each of the gonochoristic species. In general, the gonado‐somatic index (IG) increased with increasing LT for all except P. stephanophrys, where IG decreased with increasing LT for both males and females. Mature individuals of all taxa were found throughout the sampling period (September to March), and IG increased with sample day for all except females of P. grandisquamis. The current data suggest the potential for fishery effects on sampled populations of P. grandisquamis and S. illecebrosus.
Movement patterns of catfishes (Ariidae) in a tropical semi‐arid estuary
Authors: Dantas D. V. , Barletta M. , Costa M. F. , Barbosa‐Cintra S. C. T. , Possatto F. E. , Ramos J. A. A , Lima A. R. A. , Saint‐Paul U.
Published: June 2010

From December 2005 to November 2006, 216 samples were taken from the main channel of the Goiana Estuary, representing a total sampled area of 23 ha. Ariidae species were the most abundant in density (1600 individuals ha−1, 53%) and biomass (18 813 g ha−1, 63%). Cathorops spixii was the most abundant in density (1340 individuals ha−1) and biomass (14 203 g ha−1). The variables: number of species, total density and biomass, showed significant interactions between the factors of areas and seasons (P < 0·01). The highest total density (7394 individuals ha−1) and biomass (70 292 g ha−1) occurred in the middle and upper estuaries, respectively, during the early‐rainy season. The density of C. spixii differed significantly between areas and seasons (P < 0·01), while Cathorops agassizii differed significantly only between seasons (P < 0·01). The biomass differed significantly for the species C. spixii, C. agassizii and Sciades herzbergii between seasons, and C. spixii and C. agassizii between areas. Also, the density and biomass of C. spixii and C. agassizii showed interaction between areas and seasons. Only the biomass of S. herzbergii showed interaction between areas and seasons (P < 0·01). This indicates that seasonal variations influenced the distribution of Ariidae species in the different areas of the Goiana Estuary. Moreover, canonical correspondence analysis highlighted a strongly significant correlation (P < 0·01) between the seasonal variations of the environmental gradients (salinity and water temperature) and distribution of catfishes. The management and conservation of estuaries should take into account the life cycle of these species in different estuarine areas and hydrological seasons.
Relative importance of the area and intensity of the orange spots of male guppies Poecilia reticulata as mating traits preferred by females
Authors: Karino K. , Shimada Y. , Kudo H. , Sato A.
Published: June 2010

Digitally modified videos of male guppies Poecilia reticulata were used to examine the relative importance of the area and intensity of the orange spots as mating traits preferred by females. The females prioritized the area of the orange spots over intensity for their mate preference.
Re‐Forming the School: Taking Swedish Lessons
Authors: Johansson Inge , Moss Peter
Published: June 2010

In the context of government decentralisation and integration of services, over the last 15 years Sweden has been developing an all‐day school based on inter‐professional teamworking and adopting a holistic approach to working with children. The article describes these recent educational reforms in Sweden, which have sought to re‐structure the school and develop new ways of working, offers some evaluative comments on this process and considers possible implications of these reforms for other countries. It compares Swedish school reforms with recent English policy developments intended to make ‘extended schools’ a universal provision by 2010.
JAK2 V617F uses distinct signalling pathways to induce cell proliferation and neutrophil activation
Authors: Oku Seido , Takenaka Katsuto , Kuriyama Takuro , Shide Kotaro , Kumano Takashi , Kikushige Yoshikane , Urata Shingo , Yamauchi Takuji , Iwamoto Chika , Shimoda Haruko K. , Miyamoto Toshihiro , Nagafuji Koji , Kishimoto Junji , Shimoda Kazuya , Akashi Koichi
Published: June 2010

The acquired JAK2 V617F mutation is observed in the majority of patients with BCR‐ABL1 negative chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). BCR‐ABL1 negative MPN displays myeloproliferation with an elevated leucocyte alkaline phosphatase (LAP) activity, a neutrophil activation marker. We tried to separate the downstream signalling of JAK2 V617F to stimulate myeloproliferation and LAP activity. NB4, a myeloid lineage cell line, was transduced with Jak2 V617F mutation or wild‐type Jak2. We found that Jak2 V617F mutation, but not wild‐type Jak2 enhanced LAP expression in NB4‐derived neutrophils and proliferation of NB4 cells. JAK2 V617F induces constitutive phosphorylation of STAT3 and STAT5, and uses signalling targets such as Ras/MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt pathways. By using MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126, PI3K inhibitor LY294002, and STAT3 or STAT5 siRNAs, JAK2 V617F was found to specifically use the STAT3 pathway to enhance LAP expression, while STAT5, Ras/MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt, but not STAT3 pathways, were able to stimulate cell proliferation. These data strongly suggest that JAK2 V617F uses distinct signalling pathways to induce typical pathological features of MPN, such as high LAP activity and enhanced cell proliferation.
Leaf‐litter breakdown in pasture and deciduous woodland streams: a comparison among three European regions
Authors: HLADYZ SALLY , TIEGS SCOTT D. , GESSNER MARK O. , GILLER PAUL S. , RÎŞNOVEANU GETA , PREDA ELENA , NISTORESCU MARIUS , SCHINDLER MARKUS , WOODWARD GUY
Published: June 2010

1. Human land‐use has altered catchments on a large scale in most parts of the world, with one of the most profound changes relevant for streams and rivers being the widespread clearance of woody riparian vegetation to make way for livestock grazing pasture. Increasingly, environmental legislation, such as the EU Water Framework Directive (EU WFD), calls for bioassessment tools that can detect such anthropogenic impacts on ecosystem functioning.

2. We conducted a large‐scale field experiment in 30 European streams to quantify leaf‐litter breakdown, a key ecosystem process, in streams whose riparian zones and catchments had been cleared for pasture compared with those in native deciduous woodland. The study encompassed a west–east gradient, from Ireland to Switzerland to Romania, with each of the three countries representing a distinct region. We used coarse‐mesh and fine‐mesh litter bags (10 and 0.5 mm, respectively) to assess total, microbial and, by difference, macroinvertebrate‐mediated breakdown.

3. Overall, total breakdown rates did not differ between land‐use categories, but in some regions macroinvertebrate‐mediated breakdown was higher in deciduous woodland streams, whereas microbial breakdown was higher in pasture streams. This result suggests that overall ecosystem functioning is maintained by compensatory increases in microbial activity in pasture streams.

4. We suggest that simple coefficients of breakdown rates on their own often might not be powerful enough as a bioassessment tool for detecting differences related to land‐use such as riparian vegetation removal. However, shifts in the relative contributions to breakdown by microbial decomposers versus invertebrate detritivores, as revealed by the ratios of their associated breakdown rate coefficients, showed clear responses to land‐use.
Species diversity and decomposition in laboratory aquatic systems: the role of species interactions
Authors: COSTANTINI MARIA LETIZIA , ROSSI LORETO
Published: June 2010

1. Interest in the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem processes is increasing, stimulated by the global species decline. Different hypotheses about the biodiversity‐ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationship have been put forward and various underlying mechanisms proposed for different ecosystems.

2. We investigated BEF relationships and the role of species interactions in laboratory experiments focussing on aquatic decomposition. Species richness at three different trophic levels (leaf detritus, detritus‐colonising fungi and invertebrate detritivores) was manipulated, and its effects on leaf mass loss and fungal growth were assessed in two experiments. In the first, monocultures and mixtures of reed (Phragmites australis), alder (Alnus glutinosa) and oak (Quercus cerris) leaf disks were incubated with zero, one or eight fungal species. Leaf mixtures were also incubated with combinations of three and five fungal species. In the second experiment, reed leaf disks were incubated with all eight fungal species and offered to combinations of one, two, three, four or five macroinvertebrate detritivores with different feeding modes.

3. Results from the first experiment showed that leaf mass loss was directly related to fungal mass and varied unimodally with the number of fungi, with a maximum rate attained at intermediate diversity in oak and reed and at maximum diversity in alder (the fastest decomposing leaf).

4. Mixing litter species stimulated fungal growth but interactions between species of fungi slowed down decomposition. In contrast, mixtures of macroinvertebrate detritivores reduced fungal mass and accelerated leaf decomposition. Possible explanations of the positive relationship between detritivore diversity and decomposition are a reduction in fungal dominance and a differentiation in the use of different resource patches promoted by higher fungal diversity.

5. In conclusion, the results show a general increase in decomposition rate with increasing biodiversity that is controlled by within‐ and between‐trophic level interactions, and support the hypothesis of both bottom‐up and top‐down effects of diversity on this process.
Hes1 regulates embryonic stem cell differentiation by suppressing Notch signaling
Authors: Kobayashi Taeko , Kageyama Ryoichiro
Published: June 2010

Embryonic stem (ES) cells display heterogeneous responses upon induction of differentiation. Recent analysis has shown that Hes1 expression oscillates with a period of about 3–5 h in mouse ES cells and that this oscillating expression contributes to the heterogeneous responses: Hes1‐high ES cells are prone to the mesodermal fate, while Hes1‐low ES cells are prone to the neural fate. These outcomes of Hes1‐high and Hes1‐low ES cells are very similar to those of inactivation and activation of Notch signaling, respectively. These results suggest that Hes1 and Notch signaling lead to opposite outcomes in ES cell differentiation, although they work in the same direction in most other cell types. Here, we found that Hes1 acts as an inhibitor but not as an effector of Notch signaling in ES cell differentiation. Our results indicate that sustained Hes1 expression delays the differentiation of ES cells and promotes the preference for the mesodermal rather than the neural fate by suppression of Notch signaling.
Do changes in environmental and fishing pressures impact marine communities? An empirical assessment
Authors: Rochet Marie‐Joëlle , Trenkel Verena M. , Carpentier André , Coppin Franck , De Sola Luis Gil , Léauté Jean‐Pierre , Mahé Jean‐Claude , Maiorano Porzia , Mannini Alessandro , Murenu Matteo , Piet GerJan , Politou Chrissi‐Yianna , Reale Bruno , Spedicato Maria‐Teresa , Tserpes George , Bertrand Jacques A.
Published: June 2010

1. The development of ecosystem approaches to environmental management implies the need to account for multiple pressures on ecosystems. Trends in multiple metrics that respond differently to changes in major environmental pressures need to be combined to evaluate the impacts of fishing and environmental changes on fish communities.

2. An exploited fish community is viewed as a three‐level food chain in which the two upper levels, or functional groups, are targeted by fishing fleets, while the lowest level is subject to environmental variation. Qualitative modelling is used to predict changes at the two upper levels, that is, top‐down vs. bottom‐up perturbations. Abundance and length metrics are calculated from survey data for 14 Mediterranean and East‐Atlantic groundfish shelf communities at both population and functional group levels. The joint likelihood of time trends in metrics is used to evaluate the evidence for different causes of changes.

3. A wide diversity of impacts is found to have equal evidence at the population level within each community. Consistency between the impacts identified and changes in pressures known from independent information is found at the functional group and community level. The results suggest that there is some compensation between species within functional groups.

4. Synthesis and applications. The method can be used to conduct an integrated assessment of community dynamics subject to multiple pressures. Joint trends in metrics provide evidence of which known pressures are having an impact on the community, and thus, which management actions should be taken to mitigate these changes.
Disrupted sense of self: young women and sexually transmitted infections
Authors: East Leah , Jackson Debra , Peters Kath , O’Brien Louise
Published: June 2010

Aim.  This article is an exploration of young women’s experiences of having a sexually transmitted infection.

Background.  Sexually transmitted infections are prevalent worldwide and have serious physical and psychological sequelae. Although some aspects of having sexually transmitted infections have been identified in the literature, the stigmatised nature of these infections means that relatively little is known about the experiential aspects of these conditions.

Design.  This research used a qualitative feminist approach.

Methods.  Data were collected in 2007 via online interviews with ten women. Thematic analysis was guided by a feminist narrative technique.

Results.  Findings revealed the women had not believed themselves to be at risk of sexually transmitted infections because of perceptions they held about the sorts of women who contract these infections. Because these perceptions were incompatible with their self‐perceived views, the women initially experienced a disruption in their sense of self. To facilitate the restoration of their previously held sense of self, these women engaged in wishful thinking and denial.

Conclusion.  This study illuminates how perceptions of sexually transmitted infections influence the way young women perceive themselves in the context of these infections. Awareness of the detrimental impact contracting sexually transmitted infections can have on young women can help nurses to provide services that facilitate positive and effective coping strategies among this group.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Nurses providing care to women with sexually transmitted infections should promote positive coping strategies that could help curb non‐disclosure and denial among young women who contract these infections. Education focused on sexually transmitted infections should emphasis that all sexually active individuals are at risk of these infections, which could potentially minimise the shame felt by persons who contract these infections. Further, recognition of the gender issues that limit women’s ability to practise safer sex should be incorporated into safer sex education and campaigns.
Plant community properties predict vegetation resilience to herbivore disturbance in the Arctic
Authors: Speed James D. M. , Cooper Elisabeth J. , Jónsdóttir Ingibjörg S. , Van Der Wal René , Woodin Sarah J.
Published: June 2010

1. Understanding the impact of disturbance on vegetation and the resilience of plant communities to disturbance is imperative to ecological theory and environmental management. In this study predictors of community resilience to a simulated natural disturbance are investigated. Responses to disturbance are examined at the community, plant functional type and species level.

2. Field experiments were set up in seven tundra plant communities, simulating disturbance based on the impact of grubbing by an increasing herbivore population of pink‐footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus). The short‐term resilience of communities was assessed by comparing community dissimilarity between control plots and plots subject to three disturbance intensities based on the foraging impact of these geese. Potential for long‐term recovery was evaluated across different disturbance patch sizes.

3. Resilience to disturbance varied between communities; those with higher moss cover and higher soil moisture, such as wetlands and mires, were most resilient to disturbance.

4. The wetter communities demonstrated greater long‐term recovery potential following disturbance. In wetland communities, vegetative recovery of vascular plants and moss was greater in smaller disturbed patches and at the edges of patches.

5. The response of vegetation to disturbance varied with intensity of disturbance, plant community and plant species. The use of functional type classifications only partially explained the variation in species responses to disturbance across communities, thus their use in predicting community changes was limited.

6. Synthesis. The impact of disturbance is shown to be plant‐community specific and related to the initial abiotic and biotic properties of the community. By showing that resilience is partly predictable, the identification of disturbance‐susceptible communities is possible, which is of relevance for ecosystem management.
Morbidity figures from general practice: sex differences in traumatology
Authors: Lagro‐Janssen Toine , Grosicar Janja
Published: June 2010

Background  Trauma prevention starts with to find out the extent of the problem and who it affects. Insight into morbidity figures is therefore necessary.

Aim  To explore sex differences in traumatology and secondary medical care utilization in primary care related to age and socio‐economic status (SES).

Methods  Data were obtained from an academic continuous morbidity registration project in the Netherlands in the period from 1996 to 2006, in which 13 000 patients were followed in 10 successive years.

Results  Sex differences showed a male excess from childhood to 45 years and women showing almost double trauma rates in the elderly. Low SES was associated with the greatest incidence of traumas. The largest sex difference in incidence above 65 years appeared in the high SES with more traumas in women compared with men. From this age on, female morbidity in traumatology outnumbered male morbidity regardless of SES. Considering use of referrals, we found that in the age group 15–45 years men made a greater use of secondary medical care. However, the vastest gender influence in medical care utilization was noticed in the age group over 65 years, outnumbered with women.

Conclusion  Young men and old women are the most at risk for traumatic health problems: men presenting with traumata of the skull, the tibia and ocular trauma's and women with fractures of the femur, humerus and wrist. For both men and women the greatest incidence is in the low SES. Family physicians can play a pivotal role in prevention to focus on their patients with high risks.
An independent evaluation of the modernization of NHS endoscopy services in England: data poverty and no improvement
Authors: Thorne Kymberley , Hutchings Hayley A. , Elwyn Glyn
Published: June 2010

Rationale, aims and objectives  The Modernising Endoscopy Services (MES) programme introduced a focussed modernization drive and data collection regime to English NHS endoscopy services. We independently evaluated the MES programme by comparing routinely collected, service‐related endoscopy data from sites that participated in the MES programme and sites that did not.

Methods  A random selection of 10 endoscopy units who had participated in the MES programme (intervention sites) were compared with a random selection of 10 endoscopy units who redesigned their services independently (control sites). Data on demand, numbers waiting, activity and cancellations were collected for eight time points between January 2003 and April 2006. Data were aggregated into intervention and control groups for statistical analysis using a two‐way analysis of variance. Activity data were validated using an equivalent Hospital Episode Statistics dataset.

Results  Data were not routinely collected by 11 of 19 endoscopy units. Trust‐held datasets were subsequently included to address problems with data availability. The accuracy of the Activity data was successfully validated. Statistical analysis of the data showed that neither the intervention group nor the control group were able to significantly improve their services over time. There was also no significant difference between the intervention group and the control group in the improvement of their endoscopy services at any point time.

Conclusions  Based on the data collected, the intervention programme did not significantly improve NHS endoscopy services in England over and above what could have been achieved independently with only the intention to redesign.
Effects of two educational programmes aimed at improving the utilization of non‐opioid analgesics in family medicine clinics in Mexico
Authors: Doubova (Dubova Svetlana Vladislavovna , Mino‐León Dolores , Reyes‐Morales Hortensia , Flores‐Hernandez Sergio , Torres‐Arreola Laura del Pilar , Pérez‐Cuevas Ricardo
Published: June 2010

Objectives  To develop and test two educational programmes (interactive and passive) aimed at improving family doctors' (FD) prescribing practices and patient's knowledge and use of non‐opioid analgesics (NOA).

Methods  The educational programmes were conducted in two family medicine clinics by using a three‐stage approach: baseline evaluation, design, and implementation of educational activities, and post‐programme evaluation. An interactive educational programme (IEP) was compared with a passive educational programme (PEP); both were participated by FDs and patients. The IEP for FDs comprised of workshops, discussion groups, in‐service training and guidelines, while for patients the IEP consisted of an interactive session with a video, leaflets and a discussion. The PEP consisted in delivering the guidelines to the FDs and the leaflets to patients. The effect of the programmes on the FDs was measured through the appropriateness of prescriptions and analysed using the differences‐in‐differences estimator (D‐in‐D), and on patients through changes in self‐medication and in their knowledge about the proper use and adverse events by analysing the inter‐ and intra‐group differences before and after the programmes.

Results  The IEP obtained better results to improve appropriate FDs prescription of NOA than PEP (D‐in‐D = 15%). Regarding the patients, the PEP group reached higher reduction of self‐medication than the IEP group (13.4% vs. 9.1%); the knowledge of proper NOA use increased by 8.5% in both groups, whereas knowledge of NOA‐related adverse events was better in the IEP (39.6%) than in the PEP group (9.2%).

Conclusions  The IEP was better to improve the doctors' abilities to prescribe NOAs, and both programmes improved patients' knowledge.
Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system: expectations and experiences of users
Authors: Van Doormaal Jasperien E. , Mol Peter G. M. , Zaal Rianne J. , Van Den Bemt Patricia M. L. A. , Kosterink Jos G. W. , Vermeulen Karin M. , Haaijer‐Ruskamp Flora M.
Published: June 2010

Objectives  To explore physicians' and nurses' expectations before and experiences after the implementation of a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system in order to give suggestions for future optimization of the system as well as the implementation process.

Method  On four internal medicine wards of two Dutch hospitals, 18 physicians and 42 nurses were interviewed to measure expectations and experiences with the CPOE system. Using semi‐structured questionnaires, expectations and experiences of physicians and nurses with the CPOE system were measured with statements on a 5‐point Likert scale (1 = completely disagree, 5 = completely agree). The percentage respondents agreeing (score of 4 or 5) was calculated. Chi‐squared tests were used to compare the expectations versus experiences of physicians and nurses and to assess the differences between physicians and nurses.

Results  In general, both physicians and nurses were positive about CPOE before and after the implementation of this system. Physicians and nurses did not differ in their views towards CPOE except for the overview of patients' medication use that was not clear according to the nurses. Both professions were satisfied with the implementation process. CPOE could be improved especially with respect to technical aspects (including the medication overview) and decision support on drug–drug interactions.

Conclusion  Overall we conclude that physicians and nurses are positive about CPOE and the process of its implementation and do accept these systems. However, these systems should be further improved to fit into clinical practice.
The UK National Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Resources and Outcomes Project – a feasibility study of large‐scale clinical service peer review
Authors: Roberts Christopher M. , Buckingham Rhona J. , Stone Robert A. , Lowe Derek , Pearson Michael G.
Published: June 2010

Rationale, aims and objectives Service provision and clinical outcomes for patients admitted with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease remain unacceptably variable despite guidelines and performance feedback of national audit, data. This study aims to assess the impact of mutual peer review on service improvement. The initial phase of this study was to assess the feasibility and determine the practicalities of delivering such a peer review programme on a large scale.

Methods All UK acute hospitals were invited to participate in a reciprocal peer review programme administered by a central team from three UK health organizations. Hospitals with the most resources were paired with those with the least (as defined in a baseline survey) and pairs randomized on a 3:2 basis into intervention or control groups. A number of key quality indicators were derived to measure service levels at the beginning and end of the study. Peer review teams included clinicians and managers from acute and primary care organizations and when possible a patient representative. Visits were focussed on four key areas of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease service. Teams were to agree service improvements and submit plans signed off by participants. Monthly change diaries were to be used to record progress towards agreed goals.

Results A total of 100 hospitals participated in the programme. Overall, 52 of 54 peer review visits took place within a 4‐week time frame and all units submitted service improvement plans within an agreed time frame. Secondary care representatives participated in all visits, primary care in 30 but patients in only 17. The mean number of diaries returned was 2, but 94% of units returned initial and final versions.

Conclusions It is possible to deliver successful large‐scale mutual peer review using a limited but focussed programme. Participation of patients and use of change diaries requires further evaluation.