bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing eutrophication and reference conditions for Scottish freshwater lochs using subfossil diatoms
Authors: Bennion Helen , Fluin Jennie , Simpson Gavin L.
Published: February 2004

The European Council Water Framework Directive requires reference conditions to be determined for all water body types including lakes. We examined the role of palaeolimnology, specifically the diatom record, as a tool for assessing eutrophication and for defining lake reference conditions and ecological status.

Sediment cores (representing c. ad 1850 to present day) were taken from 26 Scottish freshwater loch basins. Radiometric dating techniques (210Pb and 137Cs) established a chronology for each core. Two levels of diatom analysis were employed: a relatively high resolution (15–20 samples) at 21 lochs considered of high interest, and a lower resolution (four to five samples) at the remaining sites.

Detrended correspondence analysis and dissimilarity measures were applied to the core top (present day) and bottom (reference state, c. ad 1850) samples to assess floristic change at each site. Significant floristic change, indicative of nutrient enrichment, occurred in 18 lochs along a broad trophic gradient.

Two‐way indicator species analysis (twinspan) was applied to the bottom (c. ad 1850) samples to classify the ‘reference’ diatom assemblages and thereby characterize the reference floras of the different lake types. twinspan identified four site end‐groups, each with a characteristic diatom assemblage, although there was some overlap in the taxa present in the four groups. Water depth and productivity were key factors that explained the groupings.

Diatom transfer functions that reconstructed total phosphorus (TP) concentrations were used to evaluate eutrophication. Nineteen lochs had increases in diatom‐inferred (DI) TP of > 5 µg l−1 (five of these > 20 µg l−1), six lochs had no change or negligible increases in DI‐TP (< 2 µg l−1), and there was evidence of a decline in DI‐TP in one loch over the period represented by the sediment cores. The inferred increases were significant at 12 lochs.

Synthesis and applications. Our data indicate that it may be difficult to find minimally impacted waters to act as reference sites, particularly for shallow, lowland lake types, in the current population. The derivation of site‐specific reference conditions from the sediment record is a particularly valuable approach in such cases. Ordination, clustering and dissimilarity measures applied to palaeodata, combined with transfer functions, offer powerful techniques for characterizing lake types, defining ecological and chemical reference conditions, and assessing deviation from the reference state.
Behavioural and environmental correlates of soaring‐bird mortality at on‐shore wind turbines
Authors: Barrios Luis , Rodríguez Alejandro
Published: February 2004

Wind power plants represent a risk of bird mortality, but the effects are still poorly quantified. We measured bird mortality, analysed the factors that led birds to fly close to turbines, and proposed mitigation measures at two wind farms installed in the Straits of Gibraltar, one of the most important migration bottlenecks between Europe and Africa.

Bird corpses were surveyed along turbine lines and an associated power line to estimate mortality rates. The behaviour of birds observed within 250 m of turbines was also recorded as a putative indicator of risk. The effects of location, weather and flight behaviour on risk situations (passes within 5 m of turbines) were analysed using generalized linear modelling (GLM).

Mortality caused by turbines was higher than that caused by the power line. Losses involved mainly resident species, mostly griffon vultures Gyps fulvus (0·15 individuals turbine−1 year−1) and common kestrels Falco tinnunculus (0·19 individuals turbine−1 year−1). Mortalities were not associated with either structural attributes of wind farms or visibility.

Vulture collisions occurred in autumn–winter and were aggregated at two turbine lines where risks of collisions were greatest. The absence of thermals in winter forced vultures to use slopes for lift, the most likely mechanism influencing both their exposure to turbines and mortality.

Kestrel deaths occurred during the annual peak of abundance in summer. Carcasses were concentrated in the open habitats around a single wind farm and risk may have resulted from hunting habitat preferences.

Synthesis and applications. We conclude that bird vulnerability and mortality at wind power facilities reflect a combination of site‐specific (wind–relief interaction), species‐specific and seasonal factors. Despite the large number of migrating birds in the study area, most follow routes that are displaced from the facilities. Consequently, only a small fraction of birds on migratory flights was actually exposed to turbines. New wind installations must be preceded by detailed behavioural observation of soaring birds as well as careful mapping of migration routes.
Conservation and biological monitoring of tropical forests: the role of parataxonomists
Authors: Basset Yves , Novotny Vojtech , Miller Scott E. , Weiblen George D. , Missa Olivier , Stewart Alan J. A.
Published: February 2004

The demise of tropical rain forests will lead to a large‐scale extinction of genetic diversity, particularly of arthropods. Curtailing these trends might be facilitated by (i) reducing rates of habitat loss and degradation, (ii) enhancing systematics and (iii) increasing the flow of primary information on tropical biodiversity.

We emphasize the need to examine alternative approaches that could generate a constant stream of data from tropical ecosystems. We argue that data collecting by parataxonomists (local assistants trained by professional biologists) represents one of the most efficient approaches to the study of tropical ecosystems available to date.

Parataxonomists can provide high‐quality biological specimens and ecological information; statistical power will be high due to large sample sizes of data; database growth will be rapid and results will be published in a timely manner; and there will be collateral education of local people in conservation biology by the parataxonomists themselves.

We stress that training local parataxonomists to inventory and monitor biodiversity is a promising and efficient strategy that deserves more attention in conservation biology. In particular, it may be one of the most feasible approaches for the biological monitoring of small and cryptic organisms in species‐rich environments, such as invertebrates in tropical rain forests.

Synthesis and applications.Permanent botanical plots yield a wealth of data on the organization of tropical forests, and their numbers should be increased to monitor tropical biodiversity. Likewise, augmenting the number of local parataxonomist groups in various tropical countries and networking these contingents to monitor functionally diverse taxa may provide an efficient biological monitoring system in tropical forests.
Setting up tropical biodiversity for conservation through non‐damaging use: participation by parataxonomists
Authors: Janzen Daniel H.
Published: February 2004

A parataxonomist is a resident, field‐based, biodiversity inventory specialist who is largely on‐the‐job trained out of the rural work force and makes a career of providing specimens and their natural history information to the taxasphere, and therefore to a multitude of users across society.

Any large inventory effort will benefit from a team of parataxonomists, not only through the large quantity of material and information they will gather and process, but through its among‐year and within‐season continuity.

Parataxonomists’ accuracy increases substantially with pride of workplace ownership, experience, and detail and continuity of iterative feedback from users of specimens and information.

Being drawn from the pool of rural workers into activities that are normally the privilege of university‐educated citizens, parataxonomists require continuous mentoring and encouragement to compensate for their potential social isolation from their former peer groups and the defensive disdain with which they may be treated by more elevated social classes.

Synthesis and applications. Parataxonomists are a key element in setting up wild biodiversity for non‐damaging sustainable development, not only through finding and making biodiversity available, but also by being employed locally by its development. The parataxonomist is to the neighbouring forest as both a literate person and a reference librarian are to a library.
Egg temperature modifies predator avoidance and the effects of the insecticide endosulfan on tadpoles of an Australian frog
Authors: Broomhall Sara D.
Published: February 2004

Attention is shifting from simplistic explanations of global amphibian declines that posit a single cause (such as climate change, pesticide contamination or disease) to more complex scenarios that involve interactive effects. Temperature is a pervasive influence on frog development, particularly during the egg and larval stages. However, the effect of temperatures experienced early in ontogeny on later larval behaviour or response to agrochemicals is little known.

Eggs of the Australian frog Limnodynastes peronii were reared at two temperatures that simulate naturally occurring cool and warm temperature regimes (14 ± 3 °C and 20 ± 3 °C). Tadpoles were then exposed to sublethal concentrations of the organochlorine insecticide endosulfan, at a common temperature. Endosulfan often contaminates aquatic environments, yet its effects on Australian frogs are unknown. Tadpoles reduced feeding after 48 h of exposure to endosulfan concentrations that occur in the field (both 0·03 µg l−1 and 1·3 µg l−1). Feeding remained depressed at 1·3 µg l−1 endosulfan up to 9 days after tadpoles were transferred to endosulfan‐free water.

Egg‐rearing temperature and endosulfan interacted to affect tadpole length. Further, tadpoles exposed to endosulfan were significantly shorter than control tadpoles. They were also more vulnerable to capture by an invertebrate (odonate) predator than controls of the same size when tested 9 days after transfer to clean water. While warm egg‐rearing temperatures significantly decreased vulnerability to capture, tadpoles were proportionally more adversely affected by endosulfan. Thus, egg‐rearing temperature altered predator avoidance and changed the way in which endosulfan affected growth. Moreover, endosulfan significantly decreased feeding, growth and predator avoidance.

Synthesis and applications. Not only can short‐term exposure to endosulfan at levels within regulatory guidelines and frequently reported in natural waterbodies influence tadpole viability, but the sensitivity of the tadpoles to this effect depends upon the thermal regimes that they encounter over their first few days of life. These data therefore suggest that existing water quality prescriptions may not provide adequate protection, while also illustrating how aspects of climate and thermal regimes might interact with pesticides to have cumulative effects on amphibian fitness.
Interactive signalling by phytochromes and cryptochromes generates de‐etiolation homeostasis inArabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Mazzella M. A. , Casal J. J.
Published: February 2004

Single, double, triple and quadruple mutants ofphyA,phyB,cry1andcry2were exposed to different sunlight irradiances and photoperiods to investigate the roll played by phytochrome A, phytochrome B, cryptochrome 1 and cryptochrome 2 during de‐etiolation ofArabidopsis thalianaseedlings under natural radiation. Even the quadruple mutant retained some hypocotyl‐growth inhibition by sunlight. Hypocotyl length was strongly affected by interactions among photoreceptors. DoublephyA phyB,phyA cry1, andcry1 cry2mutants were taller than expected from the additive action of single mutations. Some of these redundant interactions required the presence of phytochromes A and/or B. Interactions among photoreceptors resulted in a 44% reduction of the response to irradiance and a 70% reduction of the response to photoperiod. The complex network of interactions among photoreceptors is proposed to buffer de‐etiolation against changes in irradiance and photoperiod, i.e light fluctuations not related to the positions of the shoot above or below soil level
A role for mitochondrial carbonic anhydrase in limiting CO2 leakage from low CO2‐grown cells of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Authors: Raven J. A.
Published: February 2004

A model is presented which quantifies a possible role for the carbonic anhydrase in the mitochondrial matrix of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii which incorporates the observation that the expression of this enzyme is increased under growth conditions in which the expression of the carbon dioxide‐concentrating mechanism is increased. It is assumed that the inorganic carbon enters the cytosol from the medium, and leaves the cytosol to the plastids, as HCO3− and that there is negligible carbonic anhydrase activity in the cytosol. The role of the mitochondrial carbonic anhydrase is suggested to be the conversion to HCO3– of the CO2 produced in the mitochondria in the light from tricarboxylic acid cycle activity and from decarboxylation of glycine in any photorespiratory carbon oxidation cycle activity which is not suppressed by the carbon concentrating mechanism. If there is a HCO3− channel in the inner mitochondrial membrane then almost all of the inorganic carbon leaves the mitochondria as HCO3−, thus limiting the potential for CO2 leakage through the plasmalemma. This mechanism could increase inorganic C supply to ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase‐oxygenase by some 10% at the energetic expense of less than 1% of the total ATP generation by plastids plus mitochondria.
Nerve growth factor mediates activation of the Smad pathway in PC12 cells
Authors: Lutz Marion , Krieglstein Kerstin , Schmitt Simone , ten Dijke Peter , Sebald Walter , Wizenmann Andrea , Knaus Petra
Published: February 2004

Ligand‐induced oligomerization of receptors is a key step in initiating growth factor signaling. Nevertheless, complex biological responses often require additional trans‐signaling mechanisms involving two or more signaling cascades. For cells of neuronal origin, it was shown that neurotrophic effects evoked by nerve growth factor or other neurotro‐phins depend highly on the cooperativity with cytokines that belong to the transforming growth factor β (TGF‐β) superfamily. We found that rat pheochromocytoma cells, which represent a model system for neuronal differentiation, are unresponsive to TGF‐β1 due to limiting levels of its receptor, TβRII. However, stimulation with nerve growth factor leads to activation of the Smad pathway independent of TGF‐β. In contrast to TGF‐β signaling, activation of Smad3 by nerve growth factor does not occur via phosphorylation of the C‐terminal SSXS‐motif, but leads to heteromeric complex formation with Smad4, nuclear translocation of Smad3 and transcriptional activation of Smad‐dependent reporter genes. This response is direct and does not require de novo protein synthesis, as shown by cycloheximide treatment. This initiation of transcription is dependent on functional tyrosine kinase receptors and can be blocked by Smad7. These data provide further evidence that the Smad proteins are not exclusively activated by the classical TGF‐β triggered mechanism. The potential of NGF to activate the Smad pathway independent of TGF‐β represents an important regulatory mechanism with special relevance for the development and function of neuronal cells or of other NGF‐sensitive cells, in particular those that are TGF‐β‐resistant.
Furanocoumarin biosynthesis in Ammi majus L.
Authors: Hehmann Marc , Lukačin Richard , Ekiert Halina , Matern Ulrich
Published: February 2004

Plants belonging to the Apiaceae or Rutaceae accumulate methoxylated psoralens, such as bergapten or xanthotoxin, as the final products of their furanocoumarin biosynthesis, and the rate of accumulation depends on environmental and other cues. Distinct O‐methyltransferase activities had been reported to methylate bergaptol to bergapten and xanthotoxol to xanthotoxin, from induced cell cultures of Ruta graveolens, Petroselinum crispum and Ammi majus. Bergaptol 5‐O‐methyltransferase (BMT) cDNA was cloned from dark‐grown Ammi majus L. cells treated with a crude fungal elicitor. The translated polypeptide of 38.7 kDa, composed of 354 amino acids, revealed considerable sequence similarity to heterologous caffeic acid 3‐O‐methyltransferases (COMTs). For homologous comparison, COMT was cloned from A. majus plants and shown to share 64% identity and about 79% similarity with the BMT sequence at the polypeptide level. Functional expression of both enzymes in Escherichia coli revealed that the BMT activity in the bacterial extracts was labile and rapidly lost on purification, whereas the COMT activity remained stable. Furthermore, the recombinant AmBMT, which was most active in potassium phosphate buffer of pH 8 at 42 °C, showed narrow substrate specificity for bergaptol (Km SAM 6.5 µm; Km Bergaptol 2.8 µm) when assayed with a variety of substrates, including xanthotoxol, while the AmCOMT accepted 5‐hydroxyferulic acid, esculetin and other substrates. Dark‐grown A. majus cells expressed significant BMT activity which nevertheless increased sevenfold within 8 h upon the addition of elicitor and reached a transient maximum at 8–11 h, whereas the COMT activity was rather low and did not respond to the elicitation. Complementary Northern blotting revealed that the BMT transcript abundance increased to a maximum at 7 h, while only a weak constitutive signal was observed for the COMT transcript. The AmBMT sequence thus represents a novel database accession specific for the biosynthesis of psoralens.
Hydrolytic cleavage by a group I intron ribozyme is dependent on RNA structures not important for splicing
Authors: Haugen Andreassen Peik, Morten , Birgisdottir Ása B. , Johansen Steinar
Published: February 2004

DiGIR2 is the group I splicing‐ribozyme of the mobile twin‐ribozyme intron Dir.S956‐1, present in Didymium nuclear ribosomal DNA. DiGIR2 is responsible for intron excision, exon ligation, 3′‐splice site hydrolysis, and full‐length intron RNA circle formation. We recently reported that DiGIR2 splicing (intron excision and exon ligation) competes with hydrolysis and subsequent full‐length intron circularization. Here we present experimental evidence that hydrolysis at the 3′‐splice site in DiGIR2 is dependent on structural elements within the P9 subdomain not involved in splicing. Whereas the GCGA tetra‐loop in P9b was found to be important in hydrolytic cleavage, probably due to tertiary RNA–RNA interactions, the P9.2 hairpin structure was found to be essential for hydrolysis. The most important positions in P9.2 include three adenosines in the terminal loop (L9.2) and a consensus kink‐turn motif in the proximal stem. We suggest that the L9.2 adenosines and the kink‐motif represent key regulatory elements in the splicing and hydrolytic reaction pathways.
Emerin binding to Btf, a death‐promoting transcriptional repressor, is disrupted by a missense mutation that causes Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy
Authors: Haraguchi Tokuko , Holaska James M. , Yamane Miho , Koujin Takako , Hashiguchi Noriyo , Mori Chie , Wilson Katherine L. , Hiraoka Yasushi
Published: February 2004

Loss of functional emerin, a nuclear membrane protein, causes X‐linked recessive Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy. In a yeast two‐hybrid screen, we found that emerin interacts with Btf, a death‐promoting transcriptional repressor, which is expressed at high levels in skeletal muscle. Biochemical analysis showed that emerin binds Btf with an equilibrium affinity (KD) of 100 nm. Using a collection of 21 clustered alanine‐substitution mutations in emerin, the residues required for binding to Btf mapped to two regions of emerin that flank its lamin‐binding domain. Two disease‐causing mutations in emerin, S54F and Δ95–99, disrupted binding to Btf. The Δ95–99 mutation was relatively uninformative, as this mutation also disrupts emerin binding to lamin A and a different transcription repressor named germ cell‐less (GCL). In striking contrast, emerin mutant S54F, which binds normally to barrier‐to‐autointegration factor, lamin A and GCL, selectively disrupted emerin binding to Btf. We localized endogenous Btf in HeLa cells by indirect immunoflurorescence using affinity‐purified antibodies against Btf. In nonapoptotic HeLa cells Btf was found in dot‐like structures throughout the nuclear interior. However, within 3 h after treating cells with Fas antibody to induce apoptosis, the distribution of Btf changed, and Btf concentrated in a distinct zone near the nuclear envelope. These results suggest that Btf localization is regulated by apoptotic signals, and that loss of emerin binding to Btf may be relevant to muscle wasting in Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy.
Genetic approaches to the cellular functions of polyamines in mammals
Authors: Jänne Juhani , Alhonen Leena , Pietilä Marko , Keinänen Tuomo A.
Published: February 2004

The polyamines putrescine, spermidine and spermine are organic cations shown to participate in a bewildering number of cellular reactions, yet their exact functions in intermediary metabolism and specific interactions with cellular components remain largely elusive. Pharmacological interventions have demonstrated convincingly that a steady supply of these compounds is a prerequisite for cell proliferation to occur. The last decade has witnessed the appearance of a substantial number of studies, in which genetic engineering of polyamine metabolism in transgenic rodents has been employed to unravel their cellular functions. Transgenic activation of polyamine biosynthesis through an overexpression of their biosynthetic enzymes has assigned specific roles for these compounds in spermatogenesis, skin physiology, promotion of tumorigenesis and organ hypertrophy as well as neuronal protection. Transgenic activation of polyamine catabolism not only profoundly disturbs polyamine homeostasis in most tissues, but also creates a complex phenotype affecting skin, female fertility, fat depots, pancreatic integrity and regenerative growth. Transgenic expression of ornithine decarboxylase antizyme has suggested that this unique protein may act as a general tumor suppressor. Homozygous deficiency of the key biosynthetic enzymes of the polyamines, ornithine and S‐adenosylmethionine decarboxylase, as achieved through targeted disruption of their genes, is not compatible with murine embryogenesis. Finally, the first reports of human diseases apparently caused by mutations or rearrangements of the genes involved in polyamine metabolism have appeared.
Squamous cell carcinoma in situ of the skin: History, presentation, biology and treatment
Authors: Arlette John P , Trotter Martin J
Published: February 2004

Squamous cell carcinoma in situ (SCCIS) of the skin is a problem commonly dealt with by dermatologists. The classic presentation, originally described by Bowen, is easily recognized, but presentation on some anatomical surfaces may be associated with less than typical features. Major aetiological factors for this disease are UV light, human papillomavirus infection and immunosuppression. The natural course of SCCIS is usually prolonged, with treatment being appropriate, but not urgent. The choice of therapy requires consideration of the location of the lesion, and a desire for a high cure rate without causing loss of form, function or cosmesis. The immunomodulatory agent imiquimod has offered a significant advance for the topical treatment of SCCIS. Our improved understanding of the underlying biology of SCCIS permits us to make rational choices of treatment. In the future we may be able to determine which of these lesions may progress to invasive disease, and help us select the most effective therapy.
Generalized essential telangiectasia
Authors: Long Dorota , Marshman Gillian
Published: February 2004

A 43‐year‐old woman presented with a 1‐year history of telangiectatic lesions on her lower legs. The lesions progressively spread to involve her thighs and left arm. She had no family or personal history of recurrent haemorrhage or telangiectases. Her general health was unaffected. The diagnosis of generalized essential telangiectasia was made on the basis of clinical presentation and investigations. Generalized essential telangiectasia is a rare condition that can only be diagnosed if other primary and secondary telangiectasias are excluded. It is probably under‐reported, with patients mistakenly diagnosed with atypical hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia.
Primary lymphoma of the heart: Case report and literature review
Authors: Ikeda Hiroshi , Nakamura Shigeo , Nishimaki Haruaki , Masuda Kenji , Takeo Tomohiro , Kasai Kenji , Ohashi Takeki , Sakamoto Nobuhiro , Wakida Yasushi , Itoh Gen
Published: February 2004

Primary cardiac lymphoma (PCL) is a rare and usually fatal neoplasma. A case of PCL in a 78‐year‐old man who complained of exertional dyspnea and peripheral edema is presented. Echocardiography revealed a mass in the right atrium and a diagnosis of low‐grade B‐cell lymphoma was obtained with the surgically resected tumor. The lesion appeared to have originated in the right atrium and involved the right ventricle. The patient died of bronchopneumonia 8 months after the initial consultation. The present case and 39 patients with PCL reported between 1995 and 2002 were reviewed. Forty patients showed various and non‐specific symptoms such as dyspnea, edema, arrhythmia and pericardial effusion. Primary cardiac lymphoma occurred slightly more often in male patients (M : F = 23:17) and in the elderly in general (mean age, 67 years), with lesions found in the following locations, listed in order of frequency: right atrium, pericardium, right ventricle, left atrium, left ventricle, and other sites. Antemortem diagnosis was obtained in 37 of the 40 patients. Thirty‐seven cases were of B‐cell lineage and two cases were of T‐cell lineage. Complete remission was obtained in only 15 of the 40 patients. Although PCL antemortem diagnoses have been made in the majority of recent cases, the prognosis still remains poor.
Malignant eccrine spiradenoma: A case report with pulmonary metastasis
Authors: Chou Shih‐Cheng , Lin Shong‐Ling , Tseng Hui‐Hwa
Published: February 2004

Malignant eccrine spiradenoma is an extremely rare sweat gland tumor. It may develop de novo or arise in pre‐existing benign eccrine spiradenoma. However, most tumors are presented in the latter mode. The case of a 50‐year‐old man with malignant transformation from previously existing benign eccrine spiradenoma over his right lateral thigh is reported. Evidence for this diagnosis includes two distinct morphological components. One is the well demarcated, small round to oval benign eccrine spiradenoma and the other is the malignant element with sarcomatoid differentiation. Some foci of transition between the benign eccrine spiradenoma and the sarcomatoid part are evident and represents that the latter may arise from the former. Whether different morphological patterns influence the patients’ outcome is still doubtful. However, the malignant eccrine spiradenoma is thought to have the capacity of metastasis and lethal potentiality.
Malignant pheochromocytoma of the urinary bladder: Effectiveness of radiotherapy in conjunction with chemotherapy
Authors: YOSHIDA SOICHIRO , NAKAGOMI KAZUAKI , GOTO SHUICHI , KOBAYASHI SATOSHI
Published: February 2004

Abstract A 34‐year‐old Japanese man with malignant pheochromocytoma of the bladder underwent surgical resection and chemoradiotherapy for a local recurrence of lymph node metastasis. Radiotherapy seemed to be effective, indicated by the growth inhibition of the irradiated tumor, decreases in serum and urinary catecholamine levels and a clinical improvement in the refractory stage of the combined chemotherapy.
Primary signet ring cell carcinoma of the prostate: Report and review of 42 cases
Authors: FUJITA KAZUTOSHI , SUGAO HIDEKI , GOTOH TAKAYASU , YOKOMIZO SATOSHI , ITOH YASUHIRO
Published: February 2004

Abstract We report a case of primary signet ring cell carcinoma of the prostate in a 75‐year‐old man. Serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) level at presentation was 9.3 ng/mL. The tumor was confined within the right prostate lobe and the patient was treated with neoadjuvant hormonal therapy and radical prostatectomy. He was alive with no evidence of disease 12 months after surgery. None of the tumor was stained with periodic acid‐Schiff and Alcian blue. Immunohistochemically, the tumor was positive for PSA and prostatic acid phosphatase and negative for carcinoembryonic antigen. We reviewed 41 previously reported cases of signet ring cell carcinoma of the prostate, examining both histopathological and clinical information.
Effect of periprostatic nerve blockade before transrectal ultrasound‐guided prostate biopsy on patient comfort: A randomized placebo controlled study
Authors: INAL GURDAL , YAZICI SERTAC , ADSAN OZTUG , OZTURK BULENT , KOSAN MURAT , CETINKAYA MESUT
Published: February 2004

Background: In the present study, we assessed the efficacy and morbidity of periprostatic local anesthesia before transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)‐guided biopsy of the prostate.

Methods: From August 2001 to February 2002, 98 patients underwent TRUS‐guided prostate biopsy at the Department of 2nd Urology, Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. Ninety patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were randomized into three groups of 30 patients each. Group 1 received no local anesthesia, while group 2 received a periprostatic saline injection 5 min before the biopsy and group 3 received periprostatic local anesthesia with 1% lidocaine. Pain‐scale responses were analyzed for each aspect of the biopsy procedure using a visual analog scale.

Results: There were no differences in pain scores between the three groups during digital rectal examination, intramuscular injection and probe insertion. Mean pain scores during needle insertion in groups 1, 2 and 3 were 5.65 ± 2.35, 6.25 ± 2.04 and 3.16 ± 2.14, respectively. There was no significant difference between the pain scores of groups 1 and 2, whereas pain scores decreased significantly in group 3.

Conclusion: Periprostatic local anesthesia before prostate biopsy is a safe and easy method to increase patient comfort during the procedure.
Factors affecting phytotoxic activity of allelochemicals in soil
Authors: KOBAYASHI KATSUICHIRO
Published: February 2004

Allelopathy is the inhibitory or stimulatory effect of a plant (donor) on other plants (receivers) through the chemicals released from the donor plant to the environment, mostly into the soil. These chemicals may reach the receiver plants in various ways, including leaching from plant foliage, exudation from the roots, and decomposition of dead residue of the donor plants. However, allelopathy in soil is a complicated phenomenon that is affected by soil condition, growth condition of the donor and receiver plants and climatic condition. Allelochemicals in soil are adsorbed on soil solids, and metabolized by chemical and biological reactions during the movement in soil. This behavior is affected by various soil factors, such as soil texture, organic and inorganic matter, moisture and organisms, which affect the phytotoxic activity in soil. If an allelochemical can directly affect the growth of receiver plants in soil, then the allelochemical might be present in the soil water so that it is directly available for absorption by the plant. Thus, it is suggested the concentration of an allelochemical in soil water is a dominant factor directly determining the phytotoxic activity in soil, and the concentration is controlled by soil factors that affect the behavior of adsorption, desorption and degradation in soil.
Assessment method for allelopathic effect from leaf litter leachates
Authors: FUJII YOSHIHARU , SHIBUYA TOMOKO , NAKATANI KEIKO , ITANI TOMIO , HIRADATE SYUNTARO , PARVEZ MOHAMMAD M.
Published: February 2004

In order to elucidate the allelopathic effect of leaf litter leachates under laboratory conditions, a modified ‘sandwich method’, which places leaves between two layers of agar, was used. Fifty mg of leaves was used per 10 cm2 cell. Agar concentrations at 0.5–1.0% were the best for gel support in determining radicle and hypocotyl elongation of lettuce. The optimum incubation time for bioassay was three days after imbibition onset. Among 20 typical tree species in Asia, Cymbopogon citratus and Derris scandens showed the strongest inhibitory activity determined by the sandwich method, followed by Piper betle, Tamarindus indica, and Gliricidia sepium. This bioassay seems to be a reliable method for screening allelopathic activity from leaf litter leachates.
Response of weed flora to combinations of reduced tillage, biocide application and fertilization practices in a 3‐year crop rotation
Authors: MIYAZAWA KAE , TSUJI HIROYUKI , YAMAGATA MAKOTO , NAKANO HIROSHI , NAKAMOTO TOMOMI
Published: February 2004

Weed flora in a crop rotation of soybean, sugar beet, and spring wheat were studied under combinations of conventional and reduced tillage, biocide application, and chemical fertilization to investigate whether any combination of conservational practices offers the potential to increase weed community diversity while maintaining weed biomass at an acceptable level. Weed density increased under reduced biocide application. Weed density and size increased under manure compost application (with reduced chemical fertilization) because of weed seed introduction. Weed emergence from seeds dispersed in the previous year was greater under reduced tillage. Two‐year individuals increased under a combination of reduced tillage, reduced biocide application and manure compost application. These increases in weed population density and size under conservational practices were yet not consistent; rather, they showed an annually fluctuating trend. In terms of weed diversity, species richness and Shannon's diversity index were higher under manure application because of the introduction of new species and probably as a result of suppression of weed growth and reproduction, which can reduce the chance of dominance by certain species. When combined with manure application, reduced tillage may offer the potential for increasing diversity by reducing the competitiveness of dominant species and facilitating establishment of new or minor species.
Allelopathy in the rhizosphere and amended soil of Chenopodium murale L.
Authors: EL‐KHATIB AHMED A. , HEGAZY AHMAD K. , GALAL HANAA K.
Published: February 2004

Soil infested with Chenopodium murale and amended with it were investigated to verify their allelopathic effects on seedling emergence and some growth and physiological parameters of five test species, Trifolium alexandrinum, Triticum aestivum, Melilotus indicus, lycopersicum esculentum and Cucumus sativus. The two types of soil exhibited phytotoxic effects on the seedling emergence of the test species. Growth and physiological parameters were significantly inhibited when the soil was amended with a high concentration of C. murale tissues. Soil amended with shoot tissue had more inhibitory effects than soil amended with root tissue, at the same concentration. M. indicus was more inhibited than the other species in relation to leaf area, dry matter, pigment, carbohydrates and protein contents.
Absorption, translocation and allocation of glyphosate in resistant and susceptible Chilean biotypes of Lolium multiflorum
Authors: PÉREZ ALEJANDRO , ALISTER CLAUDIO , KOGAN MARCELO
Published: February 2004

Glyphosate [N‐(phosphonomethyl) glycine] is currently the most important non‐selective, wide‐spectrum herbicide used worldwide. Introduced in 1974, glyphosate was initially a non‐crop herbicide and plantation crop herbicide, although it is now widely used in no‐till crop production and, more recently, for weed control in herbicide‐resistant transgenic crops, such as maize, soybean and cotton (Baylis 2000; Caseley & Copping 2000). Despite its widespread and long‐term use, no case of evolved resistance to glyphosate was documented until 1996 (Pratley et al. 1996). Since then, a few other cases have been reported. To date, evolved resistance to glyphosate has been identified and documented in Lollium rigidum in Australia (Powles et al. 1998; Pratley et al. 1999), Eleusine indica in Malaysia (Lee & Ngim 2000), and L. rigidum in South Africa and California (USA), and Conyzia canadensis in Delawere (USA) (Van Gessel 2001). Also, accessions of L. rigidum from South Africa and California have been reported to resist glyphosate (Heap 2001). In Chile, the first case of glyphosate‐resistance in Lolium multiflorum was reported in 1999 and documented in 2003 (Pérez & Kogan 2003). This case was the result of an intensive selection pressure caused by the continuous applications of glyphosate in fruit orchards over 8–10 years. The present study is a first approach to elucidating the mechanism involved in the resistance of one biotype of L. multiflorum selected in Chilean orchards.
Phytotoxic sites of action for molecular design of modern herbicides (Part 1): The photosynthetic electron transport system
Authors: WAKABAYASHI KO , BÖGER PETER
Published: February 2004

A bird's eye review was tried to select the bio‐rational targets from known and novel plant‐specific ones for the molecular design of modern herbicides, which exhibit efficient phytotoxicity at a low‐use rate and preserve a good environment in the 21st century. In phytotoxic sites in the photosynthetic electron transport (PET) system discussed in the present article (Part 1), the generally called bleaching herbicides interfering with the biosynthesis of photosynthetic pigments, chlorophylls and carotenoids, and the biosynthesis of plastoquinone, were considered to be good models for the molecular design of modern herbicides. The PET itself was still considered as an interesting target site for new herbicides, although they need to exert their action in all green leaves of weeds to achieve herbicidal efficacy. Because these herbicides never form a tight binding with D1‐protein, their use‐rate cannot be expected to be as low as the herbicides inhibiting chlorophyll or branched amino‐acid biosynthesis. Other herbicidal targets found in chloroplasts, namely ATP and NADPH formations, have already been omitted from the worldwide biorational molecular design program of herbicides targeting the PET system.
The Limits of Mercy
Authors: Bennett Christopher
Published: February 2004

Our characters are formed, at least in part, by forces beyond our control. Should this lead us to mitigate the responsibility of those who turn out badly? Martha Nussbaum argues that we ought to be merciful to wrongdoers on these grounds. Against Nussbaum, I argue that we have important moral reasons to treat people as responsible for character and hence to eschew mercy. Treating someone as responsible is required if we are to treat them as a moral agent, to treat them as having a moral point of view that is worth hearing. However my point is not that there are no reasons for mercy, but simply that there are other reasons, to do with respect, that pull in the opposite direction. The result is not a decision procedure for all cases but a better understanding of the complex moral geography.
A Non‐retributive Kantian Approach to Punishment
Authors: Clark Michael
Published: February 2004

Traditionally Kant's theory of punishment has been seen as wholly retributive. Recent Kantian scholarship has interpreted the theory as more moderately retributive: punishment is deterrent in aim, and retributive only in so far as the amount and type of penalty is to be determined by retributive considerations (the ius talionis). But it is arguable that a more coherent Kantian theory of punishment can be developed which makes no appeal to retribution at all: hypothetical contractors would have no good reason to endorse punishment distributed retributively. This position is first sketched behind Rawls's neo‐Kantian ‘veil of ignorance’, and it is suggested that the same theory will emerge from Scanlon's more relaxed neo‐Kantian position.
Paradise Lost and the Question of Legitimacy
Authors: Hamblet Wendy C.
Published: February 2004

This paper reconstructs the deficiencies of formal democracies to explain the internal injustices of the modern state, the self‐righteous swaggering foreign policy of Western powers, and the dangerously over‐simplified, polar logic characterizing the war rhetoric of the modern era. In a brief tour through the non‐liberal tradition of democratic thought, drawing connections between the tragic mythological origins of Western understandings of self and world, the paper attempts to demonstrate that a failure to find alternate, healthier means of value‐creation has caused Westerners, in their constructive identity work, to adhere themselves to their systems with a ritualized, ‘religious’ fervour. Legitimacy in the world becomes, in the final analysis, a simple matter of might. The possession of firearms and bread render self‐sanctifying myths legitimating aggressions on the argument of ‘good’ powers fighting the battle against ‘evil’ contaminants.
Tarski's Hidden Assumption
Authors: Slater Hartley
Published: February 2004

It is clear that Tarski's T‐scheme, ‘T”p” if and only if p’, does not hold universally. It is not expected to hold, for instance, with ambiguous sentences, or with indexical sentences. Making explicit the circumstances where it does hold, however, is not just logical housekeeping: it turns out to have more radical consequences for the whole approach to Semantics associated with Tarski than has previously been envisaged.
Emotional Disorder
Authors: Whiting Demian
Published: February 2004

In this paper I aim to provide a characterisation of emotional disorder. I begin by criticising the thought that an agent can be judged to be experiencing an emotional disorder if his emotion causes him some type of harm. This then leads me to develop the claim that emotional disorder relates to sufficiently inappropriate emotion, where (sufficiently) inappropriate emotion relates to emotion that fails to be (sufficiently) responsive to the agent's beliefs and/or desires. Finally, I conclude the paper by suggesting that if an essentially non‐cognitivist conception of emotion is accepted then – on the characterisation of emotional disorder that I defend – there may exist strong grounds for thinking that cognitive therapy will be an inappropriate form of treatment in cases of emotional disorder.1
Inheritance and Originality
Authors: Shahrukhi Ali
Published: February 2004

Book reviewed:

Stephen Mulhall. Inheritance and Originality.
Integrative Motivation: Changes During a Year‐Long Intermediate‐Level Language Course
Authors: Gardner R. C. , Masgoret A.‐M. , Tennant J. , Mihic L.
Published: February 2004

The socioeducational model of second Language acquisition postulates that Language learning is a dynamic process in which affective variable influence Language achievement and achievement and experiences in Language learning can influences some affective variables. Five classes of variable are emphasized: integrativeness, attitudes toward the learning situation, motivation, Language anxiety, and instrumental orientation. The present study of a 1‐year intermediate‐level French course reveals that some affective characteristics are more amenable to change than others, and that patterns of change over time are moderated by achievement in the course. Related findings demonstrate very few differences on the affective measures from one class section to another, and that day‐to‐day levels of state motivation are largely invariant, whereas state anxiety might be influenced by environmental events.
Positive Evidence Versus Explicit Rule Presentation and Explicit Negative Feedback: A Computer‐Assisted Study
Authors: Sanz Cristina , Morgan‐Short Kara
Published: February 2004

The facilitative role of explicit information in second Language acquisition has been supported by a significant body of research (Alanen, 1995; Carroll & Swain, 1993; de Graaff, 1997; DeKeyser, 1995; Ellis, 1993; Robinson, 1996, 1997), but counterevidence is also available (Rosa & O’Neill, 1999; VanPatten & Oikkenon, 1996). This experimental study investigates the effects of computer‐delivered, explicit information on the acquisition of Spanish word order by comparing four groups comprised of [+/−Explanation] and [+/−Explicit Feedback]. Results showed that all groups improved significantly and similarly on interpretation and production tests. It is suggested that explicit information may not necessarily facilitate second Language acquisition and that exposing learners to task‐essential practice is sufficient to promote acquisition.
Gesture and Speech in the Vocabulary Explanations of One ESL Teacher: A Microanalytic Inquiry
Authors: Lazaraton Anne
Published: February 2004

This article takes a microanalytic perspective on the speech and gestures used by one teacher of English as a second Language in her intensive English program classroom. Videotaped excerpts from her intermediate‐level grammar course were transcribed to represent the speech, gesture, and other nonverbal behavior that accompanied unplanned explanations of vocabulary that arose during three focus‐on‐form lessons. The gesture classification system of McNeill (1992), which delineates different types of hand movements (iconics, metaphorics, deictics, beats), was used to understand the role the gestures played in these explanations. Results suggest that gestures and other nonverbal behavior are forms of input to classroom second Language learners that must be considered a salient factor in classroom‐based second Language acquisition research.
Risk management behaviour by the Northern Ireland food consumer
Authors: Nelson Roy
Published: February 2004

The main criteria that consumers use during the decision‐making process when purchasing food have traditionally been a combination of prices, incomes, taste and social attitudes, with price being seen as the main determinant. However, in the past 10 years risk has become a ‘new’ criterion that can affect the consumer's decision whether or not to purchase a particular food item. The effect of the perception of risk has been observed during the numerous food scares in the last decade and in trends for the demand for foods that connote a health image. This research, carried out in Northern Ireland, looked at how consumers quantified and managed risk. The research involved 202 primary food consumers and identified the factors that were perceived to be important from both a societal and a personal perspective. Using principal component analysis techniques, societal food risks were seen as either processing or dietary, and personal food risks were seen as either extrinsic or intrinsic. Further investigation into the attributes of the personal risk using the same techniques revealed a three‐factor solution described as fear, involvement and newness. Although these factors cannot be used as predictors of the risk associated with a particular food, they help to describe and explain how the risk may be managed. The relationship between two of the factors, involvement and fear, provide a framework for understanding the way consumers manage their perception of the risk, particularly of high‐risk items. Consumer and scientific knowledge of the risk in question, and the degree of control over the risk were seen as important in the management of the risk in question. The conceptualization of the mechanism by which risks are processed and acted upon provides information regarding risk management and communication strategies that should be employed by educators, food retailers and government policy makers.