bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mild Cognitive Impairment after Lacunar Infarction: Voxel-Based Morphometry and Neuropsychological Assessment
Authors: Grau-Olivares Marta , Bartrés-Faz David , Arboix Adrià , Soliva Joan-Carles , Rovira Mariana , Targa Cecilia , Junqué Carme
Published: February 2007

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether there were differences in neuroradiological features, including white-matter lesions and gray-matter volumes, between patients with lacunar infarction with and without mild cognitive impairment of the vascular type (MCI-V). Methods: A total of 40 patients with lacunar infarction were studied within 1 month after stroke. Results: MCI-V was found in 22 patients, who in comparison with patients without cognitive impairment were significantly older and had fewer years of formal education. MRI subcortical hyperintensities especially in the basal ganglia (putamen and thalamus) were significantly more frequent in the MCI-V group. In the voxel-based morphometric study, patients with MCI-V showed more atrophy bilaterally in the middle temporal gyrus, right and left frontal and posterior bilateral occipitoparietal regions including the posterior cingulate as well as in the cerebellum. A region of interest analysis restricted to the parahippocampi and hippocampi showed further reduced bilateral parahippocampal gyrus and right hippocampus volume reductions in this group of patients. Finally, the amount of white-matter lesions among MCI-V showed negative correlations with gray-matter volume in frontal and temporal areas as well as with the thalamus and mesencephalon. Conclusions: The present findings provide support for an anatomical substrate of the MCI entity in patients with lacunar infarction. Both gray- and white-matter changes seem to contribute to the cognitive impairment of such patients.
Rumor, Trust and Civil Society: Collective Memory and Cultures of Judgment
Authors: Fine Gary Alan
Published: February 2007

Contemporary societies are awash in rumor. For better and worse, we live in an information surround in which there is simultaneously too much information and too little. Many wish to persuade us of truth claims, or, at the very least, to share them. These claims may have an uncertain provenance, but, under the right circumstances, we incorporate them into our belief system, act upon them, and recall them through collective memory.

Given these claims, the question becomes who, what, where and when do we trust. To the extent that reactions to assertions about society channel our actions, judgment is necessary, even if it is only implicit and tacit. The analysis of rumor belongs to the sociology of action. To produce a response, we must judge both those who communicate and what they communicate. As an everyday practice, we engage in the politics of credibility and the politics of plausibility. These concepts are tied to issues of public trust within civil society.
Rumor, Gossip and Urban Legends
Authors: DiFonzo Nicholas , Bordia Prashant
Published: February 2007

The terms ‘gossip’ and ‘urban legend’ are often used interchangeably with ‘rumor’ by both naïve laypersons and professional scholars. Consider our students as naïve laypersons: When asked to evaluate the terms ‘rumor’ and ‘gossip’ along certain dimensions, they rate them almost identically. When asked to ‘think of a rumor’, they frequently report a scandalous tidbit of gossip. Similarly, some of our colleagues - professional scholars of rumor, gossip and/or urban legends - also tend to use these terms interchangeably. For example, participants at a recent interdisciplinary conference on rumor and legend came to no consensus over what distinguishes rumor from legend; scholars of rumor and gossip at a recent conference of social psychologists also argued over whether rumor could be differentiated from gossip. This conceptual fuzziness has been noted for some time (Ojha, 1973). And though much progress has been made in sharpening the construct of rumor (Fine, 1985; Rosnow and Georgoudi, 1985; Rosnow and Kimmel, 2000), ambiguities still remain.

Meaningful and important differences do exist, however. In this article we further clarify the concept of rumor and distinguish it from its two cousins, gossip and urban legend. The source of conceptual difficulties has arisen from insufficient attention to the context and function of these genres of informal communication, and conversely, overmuch attention to content.2 We therefore posit a definition of rumor focused upon contexts, functions and contents. We also examine contexts, functions and contents of gossip and urban legends, and explore similarities and differences between these three forms of social discourse. We begin with rumor.
Note on the plumbiferous Barytes from Shibukuro, prefecture of Akita, Japan
Authors: Ōhashi Ryōichi
Published: February 2007

During 1907, a plumbiferous barytcs, deposited by a hot spring at Hokuto in Taiwan (Formosa), was discovered by Mr. Y. Okamoto. This mineral, although a special name ‘hokutolite’ was proposed for it by Professor K. Jimbō in 1912, is a variety of barytes. It shows a slight difference in its chemical composition as well gs its physical properties from ordinary barytes.
Augite from Nishigatake, Japan
Authors: Ōhashi Ryōichi
Published: February 2007

The following study was carried out in the Mineralogical Laboratory of the University of Cambridge upon specimens which were brought by myself from Japan. My hearty thanks are offered to Professor W. J. Lewis and Dr. A. Hutchinson for their kind permission to use the laboratory and the instruments, and for their constant help throughout my work.
Optical dispersion of three intermediate plagioclases
Authors: Tsuboi Seitarô
Published: February 2007

The optical dispersion phenomena of felspars at the alkalic and calic ends of the plagioclase series have been investigated by C. Viola and S. Kôzu, but for those of intermediate composition the data have been lacking. In view of the usefulness of the dispersion data of felspars for their determination in cleavage-flakes by the method to be described in the next paper, the present writer has made a study of the dispersion of certain intermediate plagioelases.
Afwillite, a new hydrous calcium silicate, from Dutoitspan mine, Kimberley, South Africa
Authors: Parry John , Wright F. E.
Published: February 2007

Mr. Alpheus F. Williams, General Manager of the De Beers Consolidated Mines, discovered in December, 1928, in the Dutoitspan mine, at Kimberley, crystals of a colourless mineral so different in appearance from other minerals observed in the Kimberley mines that it appeared to him to be new and worth detailed study. The mineral was found between the 500 and 750 ft. levels in a large dolerite inclusion in the kimberlite, and is associated with apophyllite, calcite, and natrolite. Up to the present time, less than a pound of the mineral has been found, and by far the larger part of this amount is represented by a few crystals of large size (11 × 4 × 1½ cm.). On closer examination, these crystals are seen to be not a single crystal, but a group of sub-parallel individuals, a type of development that is often observed on the larger crystals of many minerals.
Cathepsin-cleaved Bid promotes apoptosis in human neutrophils via oxidative stress-induced lysosomal membrane permeabilization
Authors: Blomgran Robert , Zheng Limin , Stendahl Olle
Published: February 2007

Lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) is emerging as an important regulator of cell apoptosis. Human neutrophils are highly granulated phagocytes, which respond to pathogens by exhibiting increased production of reative oxygen species (ROS) and lysosomal degranulation. In a previous study, we observed that intracellular, nonphagosomal generation of ROS triggered by adherent bacteria induced ROS-dependent neutrophil apoptosis, whereas intraphagosomal production of ROS during phagocytosis had no effect. In the present study, we measured lysosomal membrane stability and leakage in human neutrophils and found that adherent, noningested, Type 1-fimbriated Escherichia coli bacteria induced LMP rapidly in neutrophils. Pretreatment with the NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenylene iodonium markedly blocked the early LMP and apoptosis in neutrophils stimulated with Type 1-fimbriated bacteria but had no effect on the late LMP seen in spontaneously apoptotic neutrophils. The induced lysosomal destabilization triggered cleavage of the proapoptotic Bcl-2 protein Bid, followed by a decrease in the antiapoptotic protein Mcl-1. Involvement of LMP in initiation of apoptosis is supported by the following observations: Bid cleavage and the concomitant drop in mitochondrial membrane potential required activation of cysteine-cathepsins but not caspases, and the differential effects of inhibitors of cysteine-cathepsins and cathepsin D on apoptosis coincided with their ability to inhibit Bid cleavage in activated neutrophils. Together, these results indicate that in microbe-induced apoptosis in neutrophils, ROS-dependent LMP represents an early event in initiation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, which is followed by Bid cleavage, mitochondrial damage, and caspase activation.
Endocytosis targets exogenous material selectively to cathepsin S in live human dendritic cells, while cell-penetrating peptides mediate nonselective transport to cysteine cathepsins
Authors: Reich Michael , van Swieten Paul F , Sommandas Vinod , Kraus Marianne , Fischer Rainer , Weber Ekkehard , Kalbacher Hubert , Overkleeft Herman S , Driessen Christoph
Published: February 2007

The way the MHC II-associated proteolytic system of APC handles exogenous antigen is key to the stimulation of the T cell in infections and immunotherapy settings. Using a cell-impermeable, activity-based probe (ABP) for papain cathepsins, the most abundant type of endocytic proteases, we have simulated the encounter between exogenous antigen and endocytic proteases in live human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MO-DC). Although cathepsin S (CatS), -B, -H, and -X were active in DC-derived endocytic fractions in vitro, the peptide-size tracer was routed selectively to active CatS after internalization by macropinocytosis. Blocking of the vacuolar adenosine triphosphatase abolished this CatS-selective targeting, and LPS-induced maturation of DC resulted in degradation of active CatS. Conjugation of the ABP to a protein facilitated the delivery to endocytic proteases and resulted in labeling of sizable amounts of CatB and CatX, although CatS still remained the major protease reached by this construct. Conjugation of the probe to a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) routed the tracer to the entire panel of intracellular cathepsins, independently from endocytosis or LPS stimulation. Thus, different means of internalization result in differential targeting of active cathepsins in live MO-DC. CPP may serve as vehicles to target antigen more efficiently to protease-containing endocytic compartments.
Phase I Trial of Polifeprosan 20 With Carmustine Implant Plus Continuous Infusion of Intravenous O6-Benzylguanine in Adults With Recurrent Malignant Glioma: New Approaches to Brain Tumor Therapy CNS Consortium Trial
Authors: Weingart Jon , Grossman Stuart A. , Carson Kathryn A. , Fisher Joy D. , Delaney Shannon M. , Rosenblum Mark L. , Olivi Alessandro , Judy Kevin , Tatter Stephen B. , Dolan M. Eileen
Published: February 2007

Purpose

This phase I trial was designed to (1) establish the dose of O6-benzylguanine (O6-BG) administered intravenously as a continuous infusion that suppresses O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) levels in brain tumors, (2) evaluate the safety of extending continuous-infusion O6-BG at the optimal dose with intracranially implanted carmustine wafers, and (3) measure the pharmacokinetics of O6-BG and its metabolite.

Patients and Methods

The first patient cohort (group A) received 120 mg/m2 of O6-BG over 1 hour followed by a continuous infusion for 2 days at escalating doses presurgery. Tumor samples were evaluated for AGT levels. The continuous-infusion dose that resulted in undetectable AGT levels in 11 or more of 14 patients was used in the second patient cohort. Group B received the optimal dose of O6-BG for 2, 4, 7, or 14 days after surgical implantation of the carmustine wafers. The study end point was dose-limiting toxicity (DLT).

Results

Thirty-eight patients were accrued. In group A, 12 of 13 patients had AGT activity levels of less than 10 fmol/mg protein with a continuous-infusion O6-BG dose of 30 mg/m2/d. Group B patients were enrolled onto 2-, 4-, 7-, and 14-day continuous-infusion cohorts. One DLT of grade 3 elevation in ALT was seen. Other non-DLTs included ataxia and headache. For up to 14 days, steady-state levels of O6-BG were 0.1 to 0.4 μmol/L, and levels for O6-benzyl-8-oxoguanine were 0.7 to 1.3 μmol/L.

Conclusion

Systemically administered O6-BG can be coadministered with intracranially implanted carmustine wafers, without added toxicity. Future trials are required to determine if the inhibition of tumor AGT levels results in increased efficacy.
Long-Term Prediction of Prostate Cancer Up to 25 Years Before Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer Using Prostate Kallikreins Measured at Age 44 to 50 Years
Authors: Lilja Hans , Ulmert David , Björk Thomas , Becker Charlotte , Serio Angel M. , Nilsson Jan-Åke , Abrahamsson Per-Anders , Vickers Andrew J. , Berglund Göran
Published: February 2007

Purpose

We examined whether prostate-specific antigen (PSA) forms and human kallikrein 2 (hK2) measured at age 44 to 50 years predict long-term risk of incident prostate cancer.

Methods

From 1974 to 1986, 21,277 men age ≤ 50 years in Malmö, Sweden, enrolled onto a cardiovascular study (74% participation). The rate of PSA screening in this population is low. According to the Swedish Cancer Registry, 498 were later diagnosed with prostate cancer. We measured hK2, free PSA, and total PSA (tPSA) in archived blood plasma from 462 participants later diagnosed with prostate cancer and from 1,222 matched controls. Conditional logistic regression was used to test for association of prostate cancer with hK2 and PSA forms measured at baseline.

Results

Median delay between venipuncture and prostate cancer diagnosis was 18 years. hK2 and all PSA forms were strongly associated with prostate cancer (all P < .0005). None of the 90 anthropometric, lifestyle, biochemical, and medical history variables measured at baseline was importantly predictive. A tPSA increase of 1 ng/mL was associated with an increase in odds of cancer of 3.69 (95% CI, 2.99 to 4.56); addition of other PSA forms or hK2 did not add to the predictive value of tPSA. tPSA remained predictive for men diagnosed ≥ 20 years after venipuncture, and the predictive value remained unchanged in an analysis restricted to palpable disease.

Conclusion

A single PSA test at age 44 to 50 years predicts subsequent clinically diagnosed prostate cancer. This raises the possibility of risk stratification for prostate cancer screening programs.
Clinicopathologic Features of Osteosarcoma in Patients With Rothmund-Thomson Syndrome
Authors: Hicks M. John , Roth Jill R. , Kozinetz Claudia A. , Wang Lisa L.
Published: February 2007

Purpose

Patients with Rothmund-Thomson syndrome (RTS) and RECQL4 gene mutations have an increased risk of developing osteosarcoma (OS). Because RTS is considered a genomic instability syndrome, patients may experience increased toxicity with chemotherapy. The purpose of this study was to summarize the clinical features and response to therapy of OS in patients with RTS. The results of this analysis will help to define treatment guidelines for this complex and rare condition.

Patients and Methods

An international cohort of patients with RTS and OS was enrolled in an institutional review board–approved study at Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX). Medical records were reviewed, and the following information was extracted: clinical features, treatment, pathologic findings, and clinical outcome.

Results

The median age at diagnosis of OS for the 12 patients was 10 years. The most common primary tumor sites were the long bones (femur, tibia); the most frequent histologic subtype was conventional OS. Histologic response to chemotherapy and outcome were similar to other published large series of sporadic OS. Eight patients are alive and disease free; four died as a result of cancer. Five patients required chemotherapy dose modifications, most commonly due to mucositis from doxorubicin.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that patients with RTS and OS are younger, but that their clinical behavior is similar to patients with sporadic OS. Our report suggests that these patients should initially be treated with conventional doses of chemotherapy as prescribed by current protocols; however, cautious and careful clinical observation is warranted to monitor for enhanced doxorubicin sensitivity in patients with RTS.
Increased Brain Activity to Infant‐Directed Speech in 6‐ and 13‐Month‐Old Infants
Authors: Zangl Renate , Mills Debra L.
Published: February 2007

This study explored the impact of infant‐directed speech (IDS) versus adult‐directed speech (ADS) on neural activity to familiar and unfamiliar words in 6‐ and 13‐month‐old infants. Event‐related potentials were recorded while infants listened to familiar words in IDS, familiar words in ADS, unfamiliar words in IDS, and unfamiliar words in ADS. The results indicated that IDS elicited increased neural activity compared to ADS for both age groups. Six‐month‐olds showed a boost in neural activity to IDS for familiar words only. Thirteen‐month‐olds exhibited increased brain activity to IDS for both familiar and unfamiliar words. The results suggested that IDS changed as a function of development and word familiarity and served as an attentional spotlight to increase brain activity to potentially meaningful words.
Serum Adiponectin and Bone Mineral Density in Women
Authors: Richards J. B. , Valdes A. M. , Burling K. , Perks U. C. , Spector T. D.
Published: February 2007

Context: Bone mineral density (BMD) is positively associated with body weight. This association persists even at non-load bearing sites, suggesting that a nonmechanical factor such as an adipocyte-derived hormone may modulate BMD.

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the relationship between adiponectin, an adipocyte-derived hormone, and BMD.

Design, Setting, Participants: A total of 1735 nondiabetic women were recruited from a large, population-based cohort (mean age, 50.0 yr). We employed linear regression methods to estimate the relationship between adiponectin and BMD.

Main Outcome Measures: Percentage change in BMD (as measured at total hip, spine, femoral neck, and forearm) and markers of bone turnover associated with a doubling of fasting serum adiponectin levels were measured.

Results: Employing age-adjusted analysis, each doubling of serum adiponectin was associated with a mean 2.7% decrease in BMD [total hip, −3.2% (95% confidence interval, −4.1, −2.3); femoral neck, −3.1% (−4.0, −2.1); forearm, −2.0 (−2.6, −1.4); spine, −2.6 (−3.5, −1.7)]. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, including BMI, serum leptin, central fat mass, hormone replacement therapy, smoking, and exercise, this relationship persisted, although decreased in magnitude. When stratified by menopausal status, the relationship between serum adiponectin and BMD strengthened in postmenopausal women but disappeared in premenopausal women. Serum adiponectin was positively associated with serum osteocalcin but not with urine deoxypyridinoline.

Conclusions: After adjustment of measures of body fat, increasing levels of adiponectin were associated with a decrease in BMD, even at non-load bearing sites. These data suggest that adiponectin, an adipocyte-derived hormone, may play a role in bone metabolism through nonmechanical mechanisms and that this effect may be mediated by menopausal status.
hCAF1, a new regulator of PRMT1-dependent arginine methylation
Authors: Robin-Lespinasse Yannis , Sentis Stéphanie , Kolytcheff Chloé , Rostan Marie-Claude , Corbo Laura , Le Romancer Muriel
Published: February 2007

Protein arginine methylation is an emergent post-translational modification involved in a growing number of cellular processes, including transcriptional regulation, cell signaling, RNA processing and DNA repair. Although protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1) is the major arginine methyltransferase in mammals, little is known about the regulation of its activity, except for the regulation induced by interaction with the antiproliferative protein BTG1 (B-cell translocation gene 1). Since the protein hCAF1 (CCR4-associated factor 1) was described to interact with BTG1, we investigated a functional link between hCAF1 and PRMT1. By co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence experiments we demonstrated that endogenous hCAF1 and PRMT1 interact in vivo and colocalize in nuclear speckles, a sub-nuclear compartment enriched in small nuclear ribonucleoproteins and splicing factors. In vitro methylation assays indicated that hCAF1 is not a substrate for PRMT1-mediated methylation, but it regulates PRMT1 activity in a substrate-dependent manner. Moreover, small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated silencing of hCAF1 in MCF-7 cells significantly modulates the methylation of endogenous PRMT1 substrates. Finally, we demonstrated that in vitro and in the cellular context, hCAF1 regulates the methylation of Sam68 and histone H4, two PRMT1 substrates. Since hCAF1 and PRMT1 have been involved in the regulation of transcription and RNA metabolism, we speculate that hCAF1 and PRMT1 could contribute to the crosstalk between transcription and RNA processing.
Synaptotagmins I and IX function redundantly in regulated exocytosis but not endocytosis in PC12 cells
Authors: Lynch Kara L. , Martin Thomas F. J.
Published: February 2007

Synaptotagmin I is considered to be a Ca2+ sensor for fast vesicle exocytosis. Because Ca2+-dependent vesicle exocytosis persists in synaptotagmin I mutants, there must be additional Ca2+ sensors. Multiple synaptotagmin isoforms co-reside on vesicles, which suggests that other isoforms complement synaptotagmin I function. We found that full downregulation of synaptotagmins I and IX, which co-reside on vesicles in PC12 cells, completely abolished Ca2+-dependent vesicle exocytosis. By contrast, Ca2+-dependent exocytosis persisted in cells expressing only synaptotagmin I or only synaptotagmin IX, which indicated a redundancy in function for these isoforms. Although either isoform was sufficient to confer Ca2+ regulation on vesicle exocytosis, synaptotagmins I and IX conferred faster and slower release rates, respectively, indicating that individual isoforms impart distinct kinetic properties to vesicle exocytosis. The downregulation of synaptotagmin I but not synaptotagmin IX impaired compensatory vesicle endocytosis, which revealed a lack of isoform redundancy and functional specialization of synaptotagmin I for endocytic retrieval.
Vapor Switching of Photochromism of Methylenebis{N-(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)aniline} Crystals
Authors: Taneda Masatsugu , Koyama Hiroyuki , Kawato Toshio
Published: February 2007

Photochromic behavior of 5,5′-methylenebis{2-(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylideneamino)phenol} crystal, which exhibited vapochromism, was completely controlled by contact with methanol vapor. Maintenance of a reaction room in the crystal was the key to start solid-state photoinduced isomerizaton of Schiff base.
Dehydrogenative Condensation of (o-Borylphenyl)hydrosilane with Alcohols and Amines
Authors: Kawachi Atsushi , Zaima Masatoshi , Tani Atsushi , Yamamoto Yohsuke
Published: February 2007

o-[(Dimesitylboryl)phenyl]dimethylsilane (1a) undergoes dehydrogenative condensation with alcohols and amines, giving the corresponding alkoxysilanes 4–7 and aminosilanes 8 and 9 in moderate to high yields. It is plausible that the ortho-boryl group in 1a electrophilically activates the Si–H bond.
Shipment Consolidation: Who Pays for It and How Much?
Authors: Dror Moshe , Hartman Bruce C.
Published: February 2007

This paper examines the subject of cost allocation in a multiple product inventory system, allowing for consolidation of shipments. If we order multiple items using an economic order quantity (EOQ) policy, and consolidate shipments, part of the ordering cost is shared, and part is specific to each item; we want to find the consolidation choice with optimal total cost and divide the cost fairly among the individual items. Such a fair division is central to a costing system in which no group of items subsidizes the others; there are no free riders! We use a cooperative inventory game to determine when this can be done. This game is usually not concave, so we want to know what consolidation combinations determine when this cost can be fairly divided, using the core of the game. We prove that consolidation of all the items is cheaper exactly if there are fair cost allocations (core of the game is not empty), which happens when the portion of the ordering cost common to all items is not too small. We further show how sensitive the nonempty core result is to adjustments in the cost parameters and show how to determine a threshold value for the shared ordering cost, which assures the existence of a fair cost allocation.
Future-proof: Upton upon Severn viaduct, UK
Authors: Sreeves John
Published: February 2007

Permanent highway structures are generally not designed to be moved at a later date. The new Upton upon Severn viaduct in Worcestershire, UK is an exception—at some point in the future its 170 m long 10-span deck will be jacked up to clear the flood waters which currently inundate it every five years or so. Carrying the A4104 highway over the notorious River Severn floodplain, it replaces a 1939 reinforced-concrete viaduct that had started to suffer severe structural decay due to poor design and ingress of de-icing salts. The urgency of its replacement meant there was insufficient time for a wholesale elevation of the roadway, so the new structure is designed both for inundation conditions as well as to be raised in future. Composite ‘filler beam’ construction and precast component were used to produce a slender, monolithic deck with minimum impedance to flood flows as well as to reduce the risk of flood delays. This paper describes the design and construction of this unusual, future-proofed, award-winning project.
Intelligent travel: planning for the revolution
Authors: Stewart Will
Published: February 2007

This paper describes the 50-year view by the UK Government's Foresight programme of the future of intelligent transport infrastructure, its implications and its social context. By 2055, it is envisaged that intelligence and pervasive information will be built in to everyday life, encompassing needs to communicate and travel. People will better understand the resource implications as well as the direct costs of their lifestyles—and perhaps they will actually travel less. However, given the slow speed at which infrastructure systems adapt, the research concluded that civil engineers need to start planning now for the inevitable travel revolution. The paper is based on the author's 2006 Unwin lecture, delivered to the Institution of Civil Engineers and Institution of Mechanical Engineers on 6 April 2006, prepared with Phil Blythe of Newcastle University.
Jawole Willa Jo Zollar's Womb Wars: Embodying Her Critical Response to Abortion Politics
Authors: Chatterjea Ananya
Published: February 2007

On a table placed in the center of the stage squats a woman dressed in a rust-colored dress. The focus of the lighting on her, which keeps the rest of the performance space darkened, underscores her presence in isolation. Her arms are stretched out in front, parallel to each other, reaching to no one. The palms are rigid, the separated fingers are taut with tension. Her voice reaches out in a deep undertone, the mouth opens wide to enunciate each word by itself, reinforcing the strange disconnectedness between the relaxation of her lower back and pelvis, and the tension of her upper body, the emphasized separation between her fingers. Her eyebrows are raised, furrowing multiple lines of puzzled anguish across her forehead. Almost motionless, her eyes wide open and unflickering in the trembling light of the candle that is placed in front of her on the table, she speaks in near-choked baritones:

I go down to the river to cleanse myself. I see the stranger dumping sewage in the river. The stranger, he see me. He beat me and rape me. I go to tell my father. He beat me too. I go to tell my mother. She stay silent. I go to tell the doctor. The doctor, he cut my insides out. Who gonna care 'bout the river? Who gonna care 'bout me?
The earliest fossil evidence of the Hamamelidaceae: Late Cretaceous (Turonian) inflorescences and fruits of Altingioideae
Authors: Zhou Zhe‐kun , Crepet William L. , Nixon Kevin C.
Published: February 2007

Fossilized pistillate inflorescences, fruits, and pollen grains from the Turonian (∼90 million years before present) of New Jersey are described as a new genus, Microaltingia, in the family Hamamelidaceae. The fossils are remarkably preserved in exceptional detail. Several morphological and anatomical characters suggest affinities with Hamamelidaceae. These include capitate inflorescences, florets with a hypanthium, two‐carpellate gynoecia, perigynous flowers, tricolpate reticulate pollen, a three‐layered carpel wall, scalariform perforation plates with oblique end walls, and scalariform and opposite/alternate intervascular pitting. The gross morphology of pistillate inflorescences, unisexual flowers, phyllome structure, numerous ovules per carpel, and mode of carpel dehiscence indicate affinities with subfamily Altingioideae, which includes the modern genera Liquidambar and Altingia. Cladistic analysis using a previously published morphological matrix and scoring the fossil for available characters supports the position of the fossil as a sister taxon of modern Altingioideae. Although the fossil exhibits a mosaic of characters found within modern Hamamelidaceae, it is not identical to any modern taxon. Based on cladistic analysis, the fossil appears to be a basal “altingioid” that lacks the derived pollen found in extant Altingioideae and retains the more plesiomorphic tricolpate pollen found in the rest of Hamamelidaceae. The floral characters of the fossils, including phyllomes with stomata, short and straight styles, and small perprolate pollen grains, also indicate the possibility of insect pollination.
Do pollen donors with fastest‐growing pollen tubes sire the best offspring in an anemophilous tree, Betula pendula (Betulaceae)?
Authors: Pasonen Hanna‐Leena , Pulkkinen Pertti , Käpylä Markku
Published: February 2007

The relationship between pollen and progeny performance has been a subject of many studies but the evidence for pollen‐tube growth rate as an indicator of progeny fitness is equivocal. We used an anemophilous tree, Betula pendula, to examine the relationship between pollen‐tube growth rate and seed and seedling performance. We crossed nine maternal plants with pollen from six pollen donors in a clonal B. pendula seed orchard, measured the pollen‐tube growth rates for every cross, and analyzed the performance of the resulting seeds and seedlings. The only significant positive correlation was found between pollen‐tube growth rate and seed mass when we controlled for seed number per inflorescence. Using seed mass as a covariate, we found that only maternal parent had a significant effect on the number of seeds per inflorescence, the percentage of germinable and embryonic seeds, and early seedling growth. Both maternal and paternal parents had significant effects on seedling height after 85 d of growth. These results are in concordance with the general view that maternal effects are usually most apparent in seed characters and during early plant growth. This study does not provide strong evidence for the theory of pollen‐tube growth rate as an indicator of progeny quality.
Genetic structure of the saxicole Pitcairnia geyskesii (Bromeliaceae) on inselbergs in French Guiana
Authors: Sarthou Corinne , Samadi Sarah , Boisselier‐Dubayle Marie‐Catherine
Published: February 2007

South American inselbergs constitute singular and fragmented habitats in the tropical rain forest. Pitcairnia geyskesii is restricted to these habitats and exhibits both sexual and asexual reproduction. The genetic structure of populations on three inselbergs in French Guiana is examined by analysis of ten isozyme loci. All analyzed populations show high levels of genetic variation. On average, 63.3% of loci per population were polymorphic, with a mean number of 2.21 alleles per polymorphic locus, and mean observed and expected heterozygosities of 0.185 and 0.183, respectively. The analyses of genetic variability displayed at different levels (inselbergs, subpopulations, and mats) give different but complementary information. A significant multilocus disequilibrium was detected in one subpopulation, whereas none was observed within the whole populations sampled on the three inselbergs. Tests on spatial genetic structure indicate a patchy distribution of genotypes on two inselbergs. The data give some insights on the reproductive behavior of P. geyskesii. (1) Efficient sexual reproduction leads to seed recruitment at the level of the inselberg. (2) Both clonality and seed recruitment occur within mats. (3) Vegetative spread by fragmentation is involved in the establishment of new mats. There is substantial differentiation (FST = 0.322) and low gene flow among inselbergs (Nm = 0.234). High genetic diversity within inselbergs appears as a consequence of the association of genet longevity induced by clonal replication and recruitment of new genets produced by sexual reproduction.
Molecules and morphology in concert. II. The Festuca brachyphylla complex (Poaceae) in Svalbard
Authors: Fjellheim Siri , Elven Reidar , Brochmann Christian
Published: February 2007

We used a combined molecular and morphological approach to unravel variation in the autogamous Festuca brachyphylla polyploid complex in the arctic archipelago of Svalbard. Forty populations were analyzed for random amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs) and 46 morphological characters. Eighteen RAPD multilocus phenotypes were observed in the 86 plants analyzed, based on 30 polymorphic markers. Multivariate analyses of the RAPD data revealed four distinct groups of multilocus phenotypes; in contrast, the variation was more or less continuous in multivariate analyses of the morphological data. However, we identified several individual morphological characters that unambiguously discriminated among the four groups of RAPD multilocus phenotypes. Analysis of type material suggests that the four groups in Svalbard can be referred to Festuca baffinensis, F. brachyphylla, F. hyperborea, and F. edlundiae. This study shows that concerted analysis of molecules and morphology is a powerful tool in low‐level taxonomy.
Environment‐dependent performance and fitness ofIris brevicaulis,I. fulva(Iridaceae), and hybrids
Authors: Johnston Jill A. , Grise David J. , Donovan Lisa A. , Arnold Michael L.
Published: February 2007

We tested the relative fitness of two LouisianaIrisspecies (Iris brevicaulisandI. fulva) and their first‐generation backcross hybrids in three experimental watering treatments: dry, field capacity, and flooded. Leaf area expansion rate, gas exchange (Amax,gs,ci), and biomass at final harvest were measured for each species and hybrid class in all three environmental treatments. Fitness (based on total biomass) of the four genotypic classes differed significantly with environment. All genotypic classes performed most poorly in the dry treatment. The fitness ranking of genotypic class also changed across environments (significant genotypic class by treatment interaction) with hybrid genotype fitness shifting relative to parental genotypes. Integrating over all treatments, backcrosses toI. fulvashowed the lowest fitness, whereas backcrosses toI. brevicaulisoutperformedI. fulva.The differences in fitness were apparently achieved by a combination of differences in photosynthesis and allocation. In this system, hybrids are not necessarily less fit than their parents, and the relationship between hybrid and parental fitness is influenced by environmental conditions, lending support to the Hybrid Novelty model of hybrid zone evolution.
Scaling of stem and crown in eight Cecropia (Cecropiaceae) species of Brazil
Authors: Sposito Tereza C. , Santos Flavio A. M.
Published: February 2007

The scaling of stem and crown was studied in eight Cecropia species in Amazonian and southeastern forests of Brazil. The Amazonian species, C. concolor, C. palmata, C. purpurascens, C. sciadophylla, and C. ulei were studied in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. The southeastern species, C. glaziovii, C. hololeuca, and C. pachystachya were studied in Linhares, Espírito Santo, Brazil. Measures of diameter, height, number of branches, number of leaves, and total leaf area were log transformed and regressed on height. Three models of mechanical designs of trees, elastic, constant stress, and geometric similarity, were tested for Cecropia. None of the models can totally describe Cecropia, but geometric similarity was a close approximation. Most of the species did not vary in diameter–height relationships between unbranched and branched individuals. Safety factors diminished with height in most species studied. The crown–height relationships were similar for all species. Numbers of branches and leaves showed some variation among species and are related to height of first branching. Total leaf area had a constant allometric relationship among species, although regression intercepts differed according to species leaf areas. The scaling relationships of stem and crown in Cecropia varied with adult size of the studied species.
Spectral reflectance of Picea rubens (Pinaceae) and Abies balsamea (Pinaceae) needles along an elevational gradient, Mt. Moosilauke, New Hampshire, USA
Authors: Richardson Andrew D. , Berlyn Graeme P. , Gregoire Timothy G.
Published: February 2007

Relationships among elevation, foliar morphology, spectral reflectance, and chlorophyll fluorescence of two co‐occurring montane conifers, red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea [L.] Mill.), were investigated along two transects from 460 to 1460 m on Mt. Moosilauke in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, USA. Spectral reflectance (300–1100 nm wavelengths) and the chlorophyll fluorescence Fv/Fm ratio were measured on dark‐adapted needles. Foliar morphology (needle size, shape, and mass) and nitrogen concentrations were measured in the laboratory. Reflectance spectra varied between species and with elevation. Two chlorophyll measures, red edge position and a chlorophyll‐based difference index (Chl NDI = R750 − R705/R750 + R705), indicated more chlorophyll in fir than in spruce and decreasing chlorophyll with increasing elevation in both species. The structure‐independent pigment index (SIPI = R800 − R445/R800 − R680) increased with elevation, indicating an increasing carotenoid : chlorophyll ratio. The photochemical reflectance index (PRI = R531 − R570/R531 + R570), a measure of photosynthetic radiation use efficiency, decreased with increasing elevation up to 1370 m. In the highest elevation site, within the stunted alpine krummholz at 1460 m, PRI was higher than at 1370 m, but still lower than at 1070 m. This same pattern was evident in the chlorophyll fluorescence Fv/Fm measurements. These independent indices indicate higher stress in spruce than fir, which may be related to the “spruce decline” reported in the northeastern USA. Results also indicate progressively increasing stress with increasing elevation up to 1370 m. Stress appears to be lower at 1460 m than at 1370 m, despite the harsher conditions at the very summit of Mt. Moosilauke. This may be a consequence of stress‐tolerant physiology and/or prostrate architecture.
Self‐pollination and its costs in a monoecious fig (Ficus aurea, Moraceae) in a highly seasonal subtropical environment
Authors: Hossaert‐McKey Martine , Bronstein Judith L.
Published: February 2007

The unusual floral phenology of most monoecious figs, related to their highly specialized pollination mutualism with agaonid wasps, combines pronounced dichogamy at the level of inflorescences and individuals with population‐level asynchrony in flowering. This floral phenology ensures that outcrossing strongly predominates. Fig populations may thus be expected to possess deleterious recessive alleles that lead to inbreeding depression when selfing does occur. However, whether monoecious figs are self‐compatible and whether selfing results in inbreeding depression have never been investigated. Using wasps as “pollination tools” and exploiting infrequent overlap in male and female phases on the same tree, we conducted controlled selfed and outcrossed pollination experiments in Ficus aurea. Our results show that this species is totally self‐compatible. No negative effects of selfing could be demonstrated on syconium retention, number of vacant ovaries, seed set, or seed germination. However, wasp production had a tendency to be higher after self‐pollination. While it is possible that inbreeding depression is expressed at later developmental stages, its absence at the early stages we examined is nonetheless surprising for a plant expected to be highly outcrossed. It is likely that selection pressures other than avoidance of inbreeding are responsible for the evolution and maintenance of the unusual floral phenology of figs.
Preformation, architectural complexity, and developmental flexibility in Acomastylis rossii (Rosaceae)
Authors: Meloche Christopher G. , Diggle Pamela K.
Published: February 2007

The duration of preformation and the seasonal pattern of development were studied in the architecturally complex alpine perennial Acomastylis rossii. Each leaf and inflorescence requires 3 yr to progress from initiation through structural and functional maturity to senescence. As a consequence, three cohorts of preformed organs, initiated in successive years, are borne simultaneously by each individual plant. The oldest cohort matures immediately following snowmelt, after which no additional leaves are matured until the following spring. A second cohort remains below ground in the apical bud and continues development, while a third cohort is initiated. Initiation and development of primordia proceed below ground throughout the summer and continue for at least 2.5 mo after aboveground structures have senesced. Acomastylis rossii maintains numerous dormant vegetative buds containing preformed leaf primordia in the axils of senesced leaves. Developmental preformation has been widely reported in arctic and alpine tundra environments and has been theorized to severely constrain rapid responses to environmental variation. The presence of many such preformed structures may mitigate some of the constraint on plant response to environmental variation imposed by the long developmental trajectories of leaves and inflorescences in apical buds.
rbcL data reveal two monophyletic groups of filmy ferns (Filicopsida: Hymenophyllaceae)
Authors: Pryer Kathleen M. , Smith Alan R. , Hunt Jeffrey S. , Dubuisson Jean‐Yves
Published: February 2007

The “filmy fern” family, Hymenophyllaceae, is traditionally partitioned into two principal genera, Trichomanes s.l. (sensu lato) and Hymenophyllum s.l., based upon sorus shape characters. This basic split in the family has been widely debated this past century and hence was evaluated here by using rbcL nucleotide sequence data in a phylogenetic study of 26 filmy ferns and nine outgroup taxa. Our results confirm the monophyly of the family and provide robust support for two monophyletic groups that correspond to the two classical genera. In addition, we show that some taxa of uncertain affinity, such as the monotypic genera Cardiomanes and Serpyllopsis, and at least one species of Microtrichomanes, are convincingly included within Hymenophyllum s.l. The tubular‐ or conical‐based sorus that typifies Trichomanes s.l. and Cardiomanes, the most basal member of Hymenophyllum s.l., is a plesiomorphic character state for the family. Tubular‐based sori occurring in other members of Hymenophyllum s.l. are most likely derived independently and more than one time. While rbcL data are able to provide a well‐supported phylogenetic estimate within Trichomanes s.l., they are inadequate for resolving relationships within Hymenophyllum s.l., which will require data from additional sources. This disparity in resolution reflects differential rates of evolution for rbcL within Hymenophyllaceae.
Biomechanics and anatomy of cladode junctions for two Opuntia (Cactaceae) species and their hybrid
Authors: Bobich Edward G. , Nobel Park S.
Published: February 2007

Hybridization between the introduced arborescent Opuntia ficus‐indica and the native shrubby O. littoralis has led to populations, referred to as O. “occidentalis,” which form thickets that can dominate hillsides of chaparral and that can survive fires. Because the thickets apparently develop via vegetative reproduction, O. “occidentalis” was hypothesized to have a greater ability than its parent species to reproduce vegetatively due to weaker cladode junctions. Of the three taxa, the junctions for O. “occidentalis” had the least amount of wood, despite having cladode masses and junction cross‐sectional areas similar to those of O. littoralis. The cladodes of O. “occidentalis” resisted deflection about their junctions the least and their junctions required the least amount of applied mass and the smallest bending moment to fail mechanically. The junction wood for all three taxa consisted mostly of parenchyma, with lesser amounts of cells with thickened secondary cell walls, indicating that some junction strength depended on hydrostatic pressure, especially for terminal junctions. Libriform fibers, which contribute to support and resist bending moments, were about 80% less frequent in the sub‐subterminal junctions of O. “occidentalis” than in O. ficus‐indica and O. littoralis. Vascular tracheids, which probably reduced shear among cells in the wood, were 90% less frequent in the terminal and sub‐subterminal junction wood of O. “occidentalis” compared to O. littoralis. Thus wood characteristics can account for the weaker junctions of O. “occidentalis” compared to those of O. ficus‐indica and O. littoralis, which apparently increases the ability of the hybrid to reproduce vegetatively.
What data determine whether a plant taxon is distinct enough to merit legal protection? A case study ofSedum integrifolium(Crassulaceae)
Authors: Olfelt Joel P. , Furnier Glenn R. , Luby James J.
Published: February 2007

Measures of molecular and morphological genetic variation are often used to set conservation priorities and design management strategies for plant taxa. Evaluated together they can give insights into a taxon's evolutionary status that neither data type alone can achieve. We investigated the distinctness and variability ofSedum integrifoliumssp.leedyi, a federally and state‐listed taxon, from its conspecific relatives using 33 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers (253 plants) and 37 morphological characters from 1308 common‐garden‐grown plants. We includedS. integrifoliumssp.leedyi(four populations), its conspecific relatives (11 populations), andS. roseaandS. rhodanthumpopulations in our study. The morphological and molecular data correspond in showing thatS. integrifoliumssp.leedyipopulations are highly distinct. However, the data sets differ in their estimates of the relatedness of someS. integrifoliumssp.leedyipopulations and in the percentage variation detected due to differences among them (25 and 9–13% for the molecular and morphological data, respectively) suggesting little gene flow among populations and some differentiation, possibly from selective pressures. Given our data, we recommend thatS. integrifoliumssp.leedyimerits protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and that its populations be managed as distinct units.