bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Phase II Feasibility Study of Weekly Paclitaxel in Heavily Pretreated Advanced Gastric Cancer Patients with Poor Performance Status
Authors: Im Chong Kun , Rha Sun Young , Jeung Hei-Cheul , Jeong Jaeheon , Lee Soo Hyeon , Noh Sung Hoon , Roh Jae Kyung , Chung Hyun Cheol
Published: December 2009

Purpose: We investigated the efficacy and safety of weekly paclitaxel monotherapy in previously treated patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) and poor performance status (PS) according to the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG). Patients and Methods: Patients with evaluable disease who failed at least one previous chemotherapy and had a PS of 2–3, received paclitaxel 70 mg/m2 on days 1, 8 and 15 every 4 weeks. Results: The median overall survival (OS) was 5.5 months (95% confidence interval, CI, 3.3–7.8) and progression-free survival was 2.1 months (95% CI, 1.2–3.0). The overall response rate was 3.8% and the disease control rate was 25.0%. Treatment-related toxicities were tolerable. OS was 7.1 (95% CI, 5.4–9.5) and 3.7 months (95% CI, 2.1–5.3) for patients with PS-ECOG 2 and 3, respectively (p < 0.001). When evaluated according to the previous treatment, OS was 5.1 (95% CI, 3.3–7.0) and 6.5 months (95% CI, 3.8–9.3) for patients receiving two and three or more lines of treatment, respectively (p = 0.815). With multivariate analysis, PS was a significant factor for OS. Conclusion: Survival in patients treated with weekly paclitaxel monotherapy was comparable to other second- or third-line chemotherapies for AGC, with acceptable toxicities in previously treated patients with poor PS.
Sedation during Flexible Bronchoscopy in Patients with Pre-Existing Respiratory Failure: Midazolam versus Midazolam plus Alfentanil
Authors: Dreher Michael , Ekkernkamp Emelie , Storre Jan Hendrik , Kabitz Hans-Joachim , Windisch Wolfram
Published: December 2009

Background: The use of sedation during flexible bronchoscopy (FB) is undisputed; however, the combination of benzodiazepines and opiates, although reasonable, is suggested to cause hypoventilation, particularly in patients with pre-existing respiratory failure. Objectives: To assess respiratory function during FB. Methods: Transcutaneous PCO2 (PtcCO2), oxygen saturation, patients’ tolerance, time after FB until recovery and application of drug dosage were assessed in patients receiving either midazolam with alfentanil (n = 15) or midazolam alone (n = 15) for sedation for FB. Results: There were no differences in PtcCO2 values during FB between the two groups (all p > 0.05). However, PtcCO2 significantly increased over time in both groups (both p < 0.001; RM-ANOVA on ranks). Minimum oxygen saturation (SaO2) [89 (interquartile range 79.8/92.8) vs. 86 (interquartile range 82.3/87.8)%; p = 0.46] and the duration until recovery, i.e., achieving an ALDRETE score of ≧9 [30 (interquartile range 10/90) vs. 10 (interquartile range 10/105) min; p = 0.68] were comparable for monosedation and combined sedation, respectively. The total amount of midazolam [4.0 (interquartile range 4.0/4.0) vs. 2.0 (interquartile range 2.0/2.0) mg; p < 0.001] was lower in patients receiving combined sedation. Significantly lower scores for pain and asphyxia, and a clear tendency to less nausea and cough were reported by patients receiving combined sedation. Conclusions: Combined sedation during FB produced a comparable degree of desaturation and hypoventilation, and is associated with a comparable time to full recovery compared to monosedation in patients with pre-existing respiratory failure. Importantly, FB using combined sedation is better tolerated by patients despite only 50% midazolam consumption.
To What Extent Does High-Latitude Wave Forcing Drive Tropical Upwelling in the Brewer–Dobson Circulation?
Authors: Ueyama Rei , Wallace John M.
Published: December 2009

The causes of the annual cycle and nonseasonal variability in the globally averaged, equator-to-pole Brewer–Dobson circulation (BDC; defined here as the equatorially symmetric component of the Lagrangian-mean meridional circulation) are investigated based on zonally averaged, lower-stratospheric temperature data from satellite-borne Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) and Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU). Time-varying vertical velocities in the BDC are inferred from departures of the meridional temperature profiles from the respective radiative equilibrium temperature profiles. Equatorward of ∼45°N/S, the annual-mean profile of lower-stratospheric temperature and the seasonal and nonseasonal variations about it project almost exclusively onto the equatorially symmetric component. The climatological-mean annual cycle accounts for nearly 90% of the month-to-month variance of the equatorially symmetric component of the temperature field; January/February is colder than July/August equatorward of ∼45°N/S and warmer than July/August poleward of that latitude. The equator-to-subpolar temperature contrast roughly doubles from July/August to January/February, implying an approximate doubling of the strength of the BDC. The nonseasonal variability is dominated by a similar pattern. Tropical upwelling in the BDC, as inferred from of the temperature field, varies in response to variations in eddy heat fluxes at high latitudes with comparable strength on the intraseasonal and interannual time scales; it does not appear to be correlated with equatorial tropospheric planetary wave activity or with variations in wave forcing in subtropical lower stratosphere. It is concluded that high-latitude wave forcing plays an important role in modulating tropical upwelling in the BDC across a wide range of frequencies.
Patterns of Wintertime Jet Stream Variability and Their Relation to the Storm Tracks*
Authors: Athanasiadis Panos J. , Wallace John M. , Wettstein Justin J.
Published: December 2009

A new approach is put forward for defining extratropical teleconnection patterns. The zonal wind field at 250 hPa is analyzed separately in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Ocean sectors during the winter season (December–March). Teleconnectivity of this field is found to be particularly strong. EOF analysis of the zonal wind field yields patterns that (i) are robust with respect to the range of frequencies included in the data, (ii) relate clearly to the position of the climatological-mean jets, and (iii) are broadly consistent with their traditionally defined counterparts in terms of climatic impacts. The patterns are characterized by a north–south shifting or an extension/retraction of the eddy-driven jet in its exit region and similar changes at the entrance region of the subtropical jet. The patterns also reflect the degree of separation between the subtropical and eddy-driven jets. Atlantic EOFs 1 and 2 are counterparts of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and eastern Atlantic pattern, respectively, while Pacific EOF 1 is the counterpart of the Pacific–North America (PNA) pattern. Pacific EOF 2, a pattern that has not been previously noted, has a pronounced impact on the jet configuration and precipitation over the western coast of North America. This pattern may be of particular interest for precipitation forecasting applications. Atlantic EOF 1 exhibits a long decorrelation time and strong negative skewness. The relation between these jet variability patterns and the storm-track variability is examined, including the dynamical interaction between baroclinic waves and the jets. In each sector, the eddy forcing is found to maintain the respective jet anomalies.
Regime Transitions of Steady and Time-Dependent Hadley Circulations: Comparison of Axisymmetric and Eddy-Permitting Simulations
Authors: Bordoni Simona , Schneider Tapio
Published: December 2009

Steady-state and time-dependent Hadley circulations are investigated with an idealized dry GCM, in which thermal forcing is represented as relaxation of temperatures toward a radiative-equilibrium state. The latitude ϕ0 of maximum radiative-equilibrium temperature is progressively displaced off the equator or varied in time to study how the Hadley circulation responds to seasonally varying forcing; axisymmetric simulations are compared with eddy-permitting simulations. In axisymmetric steady-state simulations, the Hadley circulations for all ϕ0 approach the nearly inviscid, angular-momentum-conserving limit, despite the presence of finite vertical diffusion of momentum and dry static energy. In contrast, in corresponding eddy-permitting simulations, the Hadley circulations undergo a regime transition as ϕ0 is increased, from an equinox regime (small ϕ0) in which eddy momentum fluxes strongly influence both Hadley cells to a solstice regime (large ϕ0) in which the cross-equatorial winter Hadley cell more closely approaches the angular-momentum-conserving limit. In axisymmetric time-dependent simulations, the Hadley cells undergo transitions between a linear equinox regime and a nonlinear, nearly angular-momentum-conserving solstice regime. Unlike in the eddy-permitting simulations, time tendencies of the zonal wind play a role in the dynamics of the transitions in the axisymmetric simulation. Nonetheless, the axisymmetric transitions are similar to those in the eddy-permitting simulations in that the role of the nonlinear mean momentum flux divergence in the zonal momentum budget shifts from marginal in the equinox regime to dominant in the solstice regime. As in the eddy-permitting simulations, a mean-flow feedback—involving the upper-level zonal winds, the lower-level temperature gradient, and the poleward boundary of the cross-equatorial Hadley cell—makes it possible for the circulation fields to change at the transition more rapidly than can be explained by the steady-state response to the thermal forcing. However, the regime transitions in the axisymmetric simulations are less sharp than those in the eddy-permitting simulations because eddy–mean flow feedbacks in the eddy-permitting simulations additionally sharpen the transitions.
Developing a Performance Measure for Snow-Level Forecasts
Authors: White Allen B. , Gottas Daniel J. , Henkel Arthur F. , Neiman Paul J. , Ralph F. Martin , Gutman Seth I.
Published: December 2009

The snow level, or altitude in the atmosphere where snow melts to rain, is an important variable for hydrometeorological prediction in mountainous watersheds; yet, there is no operational performance measure associated with snow-level forecasts in the United States. To establish a performance measure, it is first necessary to establish the baseline performance associated with snow-level forecasts. Using data collected by vertically pointing Doppler radars, an automated algorithm has been developed to detect the altitude of maximum radar reflectivity in the radar bright band that results from the precipitation melting process. This altitude can be used as a proxy for the snow level, partly because it always exists below the freezing level, which is defined as the altitude of the 0°C isotherm. The skill of freezing-level forecasts produced by the California–Nevada River Forecast Center (CNRFC) is evaluated by comparing spatially interpolated and forecaster-adjusted numerical model freezing-level forecasts with observed freezing levels estimated by radars operating at 2875 MHz (S band). The freezing level was chosen instead of the snow level as the comparison parameter because the radar algorithm and the CNRFC have different interpretations of the snow level. The evaluation occurred at two sites: one in the coastal mountains north of San Francisco and the other in the Sierra Nevada. The evaluation was conducted for forecasts made during the winter wet season of 2005/06. Although the overall mean freezing-level forecast bias is small enough not to be hydrologically significant, about 15% of the forecasts had biases greater than 300 m (forecast too low). The largest forecast biases were associated with freezing levels above 2.3 km that were underforecasted by as much as 900 m. These high freezing-level events were accompanied by the heaviest precipitation intensities, exacerbating the flood threat and making the forecast even more challenging.
Evaluating the JULES Land Surface Model Energy Fluxes Using FLUXNET Data
Authors: Blyth Eleanor , Gash John , Lloyd Amanda , Pryor Matthew , Weedon Graham P. , Shuttleworth Jim
Published: December 2009

Surface energy flux measurements from a sample of 10 flux network (FLUXNET) sites selected to represent a range of climate conditions and biome types were used to assess the performance of the Hadley Centre land surface model (Joint U.K. Land Environment Simulator; JULES). Because FLUXNET data are prone systematically to undermeasure surface fluxes, the model was evaluated by its ability to partition incoming radiant energy into evaporation and how such partition varies with atmospheric evaporative demand at annual, seasonal, weekly, and diurnal time scales. The model parameters from the GCM configuration were used. The overall performance was good, although weaknesses in model performance were identified that are associated with the specification of the leaf area index and plant rooting depth, and the representation of soil freezing.
Tropical Transition of the 2001 Australian Duck
Authors: Garde Luke Andrew , Pezza Alexandre Bernardes , Tristram Bye John Arthur
Published: December 2009

In March 2001, a hybrid low pressure system, unofficially referred to as Donald (or the Duck), developed in the Tasman Sea under tropical–extratropical influence, making landfall on the southeastern Australian coast. Here, it is shown that atmospheric blocking in the Tasman Sea produced a split in the subtropical jet, allowing persistent weak vertical wind shear to manifest in the vicinity of the developing low. It is hypothesized that this occurred through sustained injections of potential vorticity originating from higher latitudes. Hours before landfall near Byron Bay, the system developed an eye with a short-lived warm core at 500 hPa. Cyclone tracking revealed an erratic track before the system decayed and produced heavy rains and flash flooding.

A three-dimensional air parcel backward-trajectory scheme showed that the air parcels arriving in the vicinity of the mature cyclone originated from tropical sources at lower levels and from the far extratropics at higher levels, confirming the hybrid characteristics of this cyclone. A high-resolution (0.15°) nested simulation showed that recent improvements in the assimilation scheme used by the Australian models allowed for accurately simulating the system’s trajectory and landfall, which was not possible at the time of the event. Compared to the first South Atlantic hurricane of March 2004, the large-scale precursors were similar; however, the Duck was exposed to injections of upper-level potential vorticity and favorable surface heat fluxes for a shorter period of time, resulting in it achieving partial tropical transition only hours prior to landfall.
PPARα and PPARγ Coactivation Rapidly Induces Egr-1 in the Nuclei of the Dorsal and Ventral Urinary Bladder and Kidney Pelvis Urothelium of Rats
Authors: Egerod Frederikke Lihme , Svendsen Jette Eldrup , Hinley Jennifer , Southgate Jennifer , Bartels Annette , Brünner Nils , Oleksiewicz Martin B.
Published: December 2009

To facilitate studies of the rat bladder carcinogenicity of dual-acting PPARα+γ agonists, we previously identified the Egr-1 transcription factor as a candidate carcinogenicity biomarker and developed rat models based on coadministration of commercially available specific PPARα and PPARγ agonists. Immunohistochemistry for Egr-1 with a rabbit monoclonal antibody demonstrated that male vehicle-treated rats exhibited minimal urothe-lial expression and specifically, no nuclear signal. In contrast, Egr-1 was induced in the nuclei of bladder, as well as kidney pelvis, urothelia within one day (2 doses) of oral dosing of rats with a combination of 8 mg/kg rosiglitazone and 200 mg/kg fenofibrate (specific PPARγ and PPARα agonists, respectively). These findings were confirmed by Western blotting using a different Egr-1 antibody. Egr-1 was induced to similar levels in the dorsal and ventral bladder urothelium, arguing against involvement of urinary solids. Egr-1 induction sometimes occurred in a localized fashion, indicating physiological microheterogeneity in the urothelium. The rapid kinetics supported that Egr-1 induction occurred as a result of pharmacological activation of PPARα and PPARγ, which are coexpressed at high levels in the rat urothelium. Finally, our demonstration of a nuclear localization supports that the Egr-1 induced by PPARα and PPARγ coactivation in the rat urothelium may be biologically active.
Corneal Neovascularization and Ocular Irritancy Responses in Dogs Following Topical Ocular Administration of an EP4-Prostaglandin E2 Agonist
Authors: Aguirre Shirley A. , Huang Wenhu , Prasanna Ganesh , Jessen Bart
Published: December 2009

Prostaglandin receptor agonists have intraocular pressure–lowering effects in humans and are of interest in the treatment of glaucoma. The prostanoid receptor agonist PF-04475270 is a potent and selective agonist of the prostaglandin E2 receptor EP4. This paper characterizes the toxicity associated with topical ocular administration of PF-04475270 in beagles. Dogs were given PF-04475270 topically to the eye on a consecutive daily dosing schedule for one or four weeks followed by a one-or four-week reversal period, respectively. Clinical observations, ophthalmic, and laboratory parameters were recorded. Necropsies were conducted at the end of the dosing and recovery phases, and histologic examinations performed. Corneal neovascularization that was considered adverse was observed at doses of ≥1.0 μg/eye and was not reversed by the end of the recovery phase. Dogs dosed with ≥0.25 μg/eye developed a dose-related conjunctival hyperemia that persisted throughout the reversal period. Corneal neovascular cells stained positive with EP4 and the endothelial biomarker Factor VIII-vWF. Other histopathology findings observed at doses of ≥1.0 μg included single-cell necrosis and neutrophils in the cornea, inflammatory cell infiltrates in the iris/ciliary body, and iridal endothelial cell hypertrophy. A resolving acute to subacute inflammation in the iris/ciliary body was observed after the four-week recovery period.
CD137 ligand mediates opposite effects in human and mouse NK cells and impairs NK-cell reactivity against human acute myeloid leukemia cells
Authors: Baessler Tina , Charton Jean Enno , Schmiedel Benjamin Joachim , Grünebach Frank , Krusch Matthias , Wacker Alexander , Rammensee Hans-Georg , Salih Helmut Rainer
Published: December 2009

Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in the immunosurveillance of leukemia. Their reactivity is governed by a balance of activating and inhibitory receptors including various members of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) family. Here we report that human NK cells acquire expression of the TNFR family member CD137 upon activation, and NK cells of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients display an activated phenotype with substantial CD137 expression. CD137 ligand (CD137L) was detectable on leukemic cells in 35% of 65 investigated AML patients, but not on healthy CD34+ cells, and expression was associated with monocytic differentiation. Bidirectional signaling following CD137-CD137L interaction induced the release of the immunomodulatory cytokines interleukin-10 and TNF by AML cells and directly diminished granule mobilization, cytotoxicity, and interferon-γ production of human NK cells, which was restored by blocking CD137. Cocultures of NK cells with CD137L transfectants confirmed that human CD137 inhibits NK-cell reactivity, while activating signals were transduced by its counterpart on NK cells in mice. Our data underline the necessity to study the function of seemingly analog immunoregulatory molecules in mice compared with men and demonstrate that CD137-CD137L interaction enables immune evasion of AML cells by impairing NK-cell tumor surveillance in humans.
Reclaiming the Nation through Public Murals
Authors: Carey David , Little Walter E.
Published: December 2009

In a nation that often silences them, Maya in Guatemala are increasingly expressing themselves through public murals. When teachers, artists, students, and other residents of San Juan Comalapa painted the history of their nation, town, and people, they portrayed resistance, accommodation, and collaboration. The persistence of Mayan markers throughout the images stands as a reminder that Maya-Kaqchikel are not simply reinventing a sense of nation with murals; rather, they have been reclaiming the nation at every step in its long, often harsh history. For the recent past, the images depict Guatemala's civil war (1960-96), the poverty and racism that were among its causes, and Kaqchikel responses to violence and economic injustice. Based on local Kaqchikel interpretations of history, the murals serve multiple purposes for Comalapenses: local historical representations of the past, critiques of the government and of themselves, expressions of community creativity, mobilizations of development aid funds, and a source of civic pride. This essay considers these multiple purposes: first, by culturally and historically contextualizing the murals as a distinct Comalapa tradition; and second, by placing the murals in dialogue with the state and with Comalapenses who think about the past and critique the murals themselves.
Social Violence, Political Conflict, and Latin American Film
Authors: Trumper Camilo D.
Published: December 2009

This article examines the political role of documentary film in Chile between 1970 and 1973. Based on a careful study of two influential films, Pedro Chaskel and Hector Ríos's Venceremos and Patricio Guzman's The Battle of Chile, the author argues that documentary filmmakers engaged, analyzed, and sought to inform the political trajectory of Allende's peaceful road to socialism, highlighting the revolutionary potential of film while experimenting with aesthetic and formal languages appropriate to the political context of the time. Turning their attention to the ways in which everyday experience was politicized, and paying special attention to the political struggle played out in city streets, these filmmakers were able to explore the relationship between political change, social inequality, and everyday and state violence. These films are, in short, important documents for the writing of a cultural history of political change in the late twentieth century.
Biocompatible and Highly Sensitive Nitric Oxide Sensor Particles Prepared by Layer-by-layer Assembly
Authors: Amemori Suzuka , Matsusaki Michiya , Akashi Mitsuru
Published: December 2009

Biocompatible sensor particles with high nitric oxide (NO) sensitivity were fabricated by a combination of layer-by-layer assembly and acid-free chitosan dissolving techniques. The sensor particles encapsulating 4,5-diaminofluorescein (DAF-2), an NO fluorescent probe, can detect 5–500 nM NO and had higher cytocompatibility as compared to DAF-2 molecules. These sensor particles will be useful for quantitative and spatial analyses of extracellular NO molecules from living cells.
Preparation and Characterization of a New-type Composite Photocatalyst of 3DOM TiO2/Carbon Materials
Authors: Li Shi , Zhao Dongfeng , Zheng Jingtang , Wan Yong
Published: December 2009

In this paper, a new-type composite photocatalyst of titania/carbon (TiO2/C) with three-dimensional ordered macroporous (3DOM) structure was successfully prepared by combining the macroporous structure of 3DOM carbon and the catalytic properties of TiO2. Under ultraviolet light, the obtained 3DOM TiO2/C materials were used to degrade Methyl Orange solution as simulated organic waste–water and had a high catalytic activity. Furthermore, compared with commercial Degussa p25 catalyst, obtained 3DOM TiO2/C materials displayed an excellent regenerative ability.
Preparation and Molecular Recognition of SERS Probe Based on Gold Nanoparticles Constructed from PEG–Oligoamine Copolymer Possessing a Coumarin Group between PEG and Oligoamine
Authors: Furusho Hitoshi , Oishi Motoi , Kishi Tetsuo , Yasumori Atsuo , Nagasaki Yukio
Published: December 2009

Novel gold nanoparticles (GNPs) as a SERS probe were prepared using two types of functional PEG/oligoamine polymers possessing biotin as biotag molecules at the PEG end or a coumarin moiety as a Raman probe molecule between the PEG and oligoamine segments. Eventually, the GNPs showed excellent dispersion stability under physiological conditions, as well as remarkable SERS signal resulting from molecular recognition between streptavidin and the biotin tag, even in the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA).
Oxidative Arylation Mediated by Naphthalene-1,8-diylbis(diphenylmethylium): Synthetic Route to Triarylsulfonium Salts
Authors: Tanabe Hiroyuki , Kawai Takaharu , Saitoh Terunobu , Ichikawa Junji
Published: December 2009

Dicationic species, naphthalene-1,8-diylbis(diphenylmethylium), successfully promoted oxidative arylation of the sulfur atom in (4-N,N-dialkylaminophenyl) phenyl sulfides with (4-N,N-dialkylaminopheny)silanes, affording triarylsulfonium salts in good yield.
Solution-processable Oligothiophene Derivatives with Branched Alkyl Chains and Their Thin-film Transistor Characteristics
Authors: Lu Ming , Nagamatsu Shuichi , Yoshida Yuji , Chikamatsu Masayuki , Azumi Reiko , Yase Kiyoshi
Published: December 2009

Introduction of branched alkyl chains at the terminal positions of sexithiophene drastically improves the solubility of the compound, while still maintaining satisfactory charge carrier mobility. Field-effect transistors based on spin-coated films of the sexithiophene derivative exhibited p-type characteristics. Post thermal treatment enhanced crystallinity of the films and afforded a field-effect mobility of 0.11–0.18 cm2 V−1 s−1 and an on/off ratio of 104.
Fabrication of Ni/Al2O3 Core–Shell Nanowire Arrays in Porous Alumina Membranes
Authors: Li Chengyong , Wang Xuehua , Chen Gui , He Lei , Cao Hong
Published: December 2009

Ordered Ni/Al2O3 core–shell nanowire arrays were prepared in porous alumina membrane via alternating current electrodeposition and chemical etching methods. The shape of the inner Ni core is columnar with a diameter of 50 nm. The shape of the outer Al2O3 shell is a regular hexagon and the well thickness is about 40 nm. This novel structured material can be used as a media for magnetic storage and high-temperature nanoelectronic devices.
Tighter Packing Leads to Higher Enantiopurity: Effect of Basicity on the Enantiopurity of N-Acylamino Acid-templated Chiral Mesoporous Silica
Authors: Qiu Huibin , Che Shunai
Published: December 2009

Tighter packing of aromatic group-substituted N-acylamino acids in micelles at lower basicity significantly enhances intermolecular steric hindrance between adjacent amphiphiles and helps the formation of chiral mesoporous silica with higher enantiopurtiy.
Modes of reception for fictional films
Authors: Suckfüll Monika , Scharkow Michael
Published: December 2009

In this paper, involvement in fictional films is defined as a multidimensional construct consisting of qualitatively differing, interdependent modes of reception. Based on theoretical considerations that we developed further through successive questionnaire studies, we construct a four-factor-model with the latent factors Identity Work, In-Emotion, Imagination, and Production. We subsequently develop and validate a measurement instrument, the Modes of Reception Inventory, which assesses dominant modes of reception for fictional films. The psychometric properties and the construct validity of this scale are tested using structural equation modeling. Finally, we discuss possible extensions and applications of modes of reception for audience research.
Narrative-based learning: Possible benefits and problems
Authors: Glaser Manuela , Garsoffky Bärbel , Schwan Stephan
Published: December 2009

This paper addresses the issue of narrative influence on knowledge acquisition in science education. Special characteristics of narratives and of narrative processing are compared to characteristics and processing of traditional expository educational materials. This paper goes beyond the existing literature on processing of media presentations that combine narrative and educational contents. Effects of four distinctive narrative features – dramatization, emotionalization, personalization, and fictionalization – are discussed with regard to their influence on single steps in knowledge acquisition (interest, attention, elaboration, and representation) to explain the superiority of narratives over expository material found in some studies. The need for a model describing the complex relationships between the effects of the single narrative characteristics on knowledge acquisition is proposed.
A contribution from Barn Owl pellets analysis to known micromammalian distributions in Buenos Aires province, Argentina
Authors: Teta Pablo , González-Fischer Carlos M. , Codesido Mariano , Bilenca David N.
Published: December 2009

No abstract available
First record of Ardops nichollsi from Antigua, Lesser Antilles
Authors: Lindsay Kevel C. , Kwiecinski Gary G. , Pedersen Scott C. , Bacle Jean-Pierre , Genoways Hugh H.
Published: December 2009

No abstract available
Use of photographic capture-recapture sampling to estimate density of Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena): implications for conservation
Authors: Harihar Abishek , Ghosh Mousumi , Fernandes Merwyn , Pandav Bivash , Goyal Surendra P.
Published: December 2009

No abstract available
Observation of Sumatran striped rabbit (Nesolagus netscheri) in the wild
Authors: Dinets Vladimir
Published: December 2009

No abstract available
Variations of Thiaminase I Activity pH Dependencies among Typical Great Lakes Forage Fish and Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus
Authors: Zajicek James L. , Brown Lisa , Brown Scott B. , Honeyfield Dale C. , Fitzsimons John D. , Tillitt Donald E.
Published: December 2009

The source of thiaminase in the Great Lakes food web remains unknown. Biochemical characterization of the thiaminase I activities observed in forage fish was undertaken to provide insights into potential thiaminase sources and to optimize catalytic assay conditions. We measured the thiaminase I activities of crude extracts from five forage fish species and one strain of Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus over a range of pH values. The clupeids, alewife Alosa pseudoharengus and gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum, had very similar thiaminase I pH dependencies, with optimal activity ranges (≥90% of maximum activity) between pH 4.6 and 5.5. Rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax and spottail shiner Notropis hudsonius had optimal activity ranges between pH 5.5–6.6. The thiaminase I activity pH dependence profile of P. thiaminolyticus had an optimal activity range between pH 5.4 and 6.3, which was similar to the optimal range for rainbow smelt and spottail shiners. Incubation of P. thiaminolyticus extracts with extracts from bloater Coregonus hoyi (normally, bloaters have little or no detectable thiaminase I activity) did not significantly alter the pH dependence profile of P. thiaminolyticus–derived thiaminase I, such that it continued to resemble that of the rainbow smelt and spottail shiner, with an apparent optimal activity range between pH 5.7 and 6.6. These data are consistent with the hypothesis of a bacterial source for thiaminase I in the nonclupeid species of forage fish; however, the data also suggest different sources of thiaminase I enzymes in the clupeid species.
Effects of Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Deficiency in Lake Trout Alevins and Preventive Treatments
Authors: Lee Bong-Joo , Jaroszewska Marta , Dabrowski Konrad , Czesny Sergiusz , Rinchard Jacques
Published: December 2009

The objectives of this study were to examine the effect of thiamine immersion of fish from a population known for compromised survival as a result of early mortality syndrome (EMS) and to investigate the cause–response relationship between thiamine concentration and lesions in tissues in swim-up-stage lake trout Salvelinus namaycush alevins. Lake trout eggs from 14 fish from Lake Michigan were artificially fertilized and the progeny divided into two groups based on the thiamine concentration (low (<0.73 nmol/g) or high (>0.85 nmol/g)) in the unfertilized eggs. Progeny were treated or not with a thiamine solution (2,000 mg/L for 2 h) at hatching or the swim-up stage. The survival of progeny in control groups at the swim-up stage correlated with thiamine concentration. The low thiamine-treated groups had significantly higher survival between the swim-up stage (812.0 degree-days) and 16 d after swim-up (963.3 degree-days) than the control groups; the survival of the high thiamine-treated groups did not differ between treated and control fish, regardless of the treatment at hatching and the swim-up stage. Control alevins that had low thiamine levels showed EMS, which resulted in 94.9–100% mortality 16 d after the swim-up stage. No pathological changes were observed in the brain, olfactory lobe, eye, liver, or muscle in alevins of high thiamine-treated group. Glycogen deposits in the liver of alevins from the low control group were variable, no glycogen being observed in the hepatocytes of 7 of the 24 fish. We demonstrate that thiamine treatment at swim-up enhances the survival of EMS-affected lake trout relative to treatment at hatching.
Thiaminase Activity of Crucian CarpCarassius carassiusInjected with a Bacterial Fish Pathogen,Aeromonas salmonicidasubsp. salmonicida
Authors: Wistbacka Svante , Lönnström Lars-Gustaf , Bonsdorff Erik , Bylund Göran
Published: December 2009

Dietary thiaminase I is a cause of thiamine deficiency in animals. The physiological significance of thiaminase in the organisms containing this enzyme is not known, nor are the factors causing variation in their thiaminase activity. Tests were performed to evaluate the effect a pathogen might have on thiaminase activity in fish, when analyzed both with a cosubstrate added (CATA tests) and no cosubstrate added (NCATA tests). Pyridine is known as a cosubstrate specific for thiaminase I activity that does not accelerate thiaminase II activity. Crucian carp Carassius carassius known to harbor thiaminase I activity were injected intramuscularly with live Aeromonas salmonicida, a pathogenic bacterium of fish. For comparison, other groups were injected with formalin-killed bacteria and phosphate-buffered saline, respectively; an untreated group of fish was kept as a control. The bacteria did not contain any thiaminase activity. Significantly higher thiaminase activities (CATA and NCATA) were measured in all tissues (whole blood, injected muscle, uninjected muscle, and whole fish homogenates) of fish injected with live bacteria than in the saline-injected and the uninjected groups. The thiaminase activity of blood and that in the injected, inflamed muscle tissue followed different allocation patterns in fish injected with live A. salmonicida. The amount of thiaminase I enzyme appeared to be elevated in the whole blood of injected fish in the absence of natural cosubstrate(s). The thiaminase activity of the injected, inflamed muscle suggested that both the amount of thiaminase enzyme and some yet-unidentified natural cosubstrate(s) were elevated. This suggests that in addition to the enzyme, some cosubstrate(s) of fish or pathogen origin play a regulatory role in the so-far-unknown physiological significance of thiaminase I activity in vivo. It is suggested that the health of fish should be considered when searching for factor(s) affecting its thiaminase activity.
Influence of Thiamine Deficiency on Lake Trout Larval Growth, Foraging, and Predator Avoidance
Authors: Fitzsimons John D. , Brown Scott B. , Williston Bill , Williston Georgina , Brown Lisa R. , Moore Kristin , Honeyfield Dale C. , Tillitt Donald E.
Published: December 2009

Diet-related thiamine deficiency increases the acute mortality, known as early mortality syndrome, of salmonines from some of the Great Lakes. The consequences of thiamine deficiency as measured at the egg stage for other important early life stage processes like growth, foraging efficiency, and predator avoidance that may also result in mortality, are unknown. Accordingly, we investigated the impacts of low thiamine on the specific growth rate (SGR) of first-feeding fry, the ability of first-feeding fry to capture Daphnia, fry emergence in the presence of a potential predator (round goby Apollina (formerly Neogobius) melanostomus), and predation by slimy sculpin Cottus cognatus. We used a combination of thiamine-deficient and thiamine-replete wild stocks of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush for this purpose. From these investigations we developed predictive relationships. Specific growth rate was related to egg thiamine concentration. From the exponential relationship, it was predicted that the threshold egg thiamine concentrations associated with 20% and 50% reductions in SGR are 8.1 and 5.1 nmol/g, respectively. The foraging rate on Daphnia was also related to egg thiamine concentration by an exponential relationship. It was predicted that the threshold concentrations associated with 20% and 50% reductions in this rate are 6.9 and 2.9 nmol/g, respectively. The presence of a round goby significantly reduced emergence success, but the level of goby predation was unrelated to egg thiamine concentration. Sculpin predation was related, although weakly, to the initial egg thiamine concentration. This research found that thiamine deficiency affected growth, foraging, and predator avoidance in lake trout fry. Growth effects resulting from thiamine deficiency may represent the most sensitive means of monitoring the impact of the secondary consequences of thiamine deficiency. Mortality associated with the combined effects of reduced growth and foraging has the potential to seriously impair lake trout recruitment.
Thiamine Deficiency Effects on the Vision and Foraging Ability of Lake Trout Fry
Authors: Carvalho Paulo S. M. , Tillitt Donald E. , Zajicek James L. , Claunch Rachel A. , Honeyfield Dale C. , Fitzsimons John D. , Brown Scott B.
Published: December 2009

The exact causes of the historical recruitment failures of Great Lakes lake trout Salvelinus namaycush are unknown. Thiamine deficiency has been associated with neurological abnormalities in lake trout that lead to early mortality syndrome (EMS) in salmonine swim-up fry, and EMS-related mortality at the swim-up stage is a factor that contributes to the reproductive failure of lake trout populations in the Great Lakes. The potential for adverse effects of thiamine deficiency beyond the swim-up stage is unknown. We investigated the effects of low egg thiamine on behavioral functions in young, post-swim-up lake trout fry. The behavioral endpoints included visual acuity and prey capture rates in the same groups of lake trout fry from each family. Low-thiamine eggs were produced by feeding lake trout broodstock diets entailing thiaminase activity. The thiamine content of the spawned eggs ranged from 0.3 to 26.1 nmol/g. Both visual acuity and prey capture rates were affected by the thiamine content of the eggs. The visual acuity of lake trout was severely affected by low egg thiamine, mainly at thiamine concentrations below the threshold of 0.8 nmol/g but also at higher concentrations in field-collected eggs. Feeding was also reduced with low egg thiamine content. The reduction of prey capture rates was dramatic below 0.8 nmol/g and less dramatic, but still significant, in a portion of the families with egg thiamine concentrations of less than 5.0 nmol/g from both laboratory and field samples. Approximately one-third of the latter families had reduced feeding rates. Deficits in visual acuity may be part of the mechanism leading to decreased feeding rates in these fry. The effects of low egg thiamine on both of the behavioral endpoints studied increase the risk of low recruitment rates in Great Lakes lake trout populations.
Accounting for animal movement in estimation of resource selection functions: sampling and data analysis
Authors: Forester James D. , Im Hae Kyung , Rathouz Paul J.
Published: December 2009

Patterns of resource selection by animal populations emerge as a result of the behavior of many individuals. Statistical models that describe these population‐level patterns of habitat use can miss important interactions between individual animals and characteristics of their local environment; however, identifying these interactions is difficult. One approach to this problem is to incorporate models of individual movement into resource selection models. To do this, we propose a model for step selection functions (SSF) that is composed of a resource‐independent movement kernel and a resource selection function (RSF). We show that standard case‐control logistic regression may be used to fit the SSF; however, the sampling scheme used to generate control points (i.e., the definition of availability) must be accommodated. We used three sampling schemes to analyze simulated movement data and found that ignoring sampling and the resource‐independent movement kernel yielded biased estimates of selection. The level of bias depended on the method used to generate control locations, the strength of selection, and the spatial scale of the resource map. Using empirical or parametric methods to sample control locations produced biased estimates under stronger selection; however, we show that the addition of a distance function to the analysis substantially reduced that bias. Assuming a uniform availability within a fixed buffer yielded strongly biased selection estimates that could be corrected by including the distance function but remained inefficient relative to the empirical and parametric sampling methods. As a case study, we used location data collected from elk in Yellowstone National Park, USA, to show that selection and bias may be temporally variable. Because under constant selection the amount of bias depends on the scale at which a resource is distributed in the landscape, we suggest that distance always be included as a covariate in SSF analyses. This approach to modeling resource selection is easily implemented using common statistical tools and promises to provide deeper insight into the movement ecology of animals.
Differential resource selection within shared habitat types across spatial scales in sympatric toads
Authors: Indermaur Lukas , Winzeler Thomas , Schmidt Benedikt R. , Tockner Klement , Schaub Michael
Published: December 2009

Differential habitat selection is a central component in the evolution of species, but it has been quantified rarely for sympatric species in relation to the multiple impacts of resources at the spatial scales at which animals operate. Our main goal was to quantify the selection of terrestrial summer habitats in a natural floodplain in Italy by two sympatric amphibians (Bufo bufo spinosus and B. viridis) as a function of habitat type, prey density, and temperature. We applied a Bayesian resource selection model at three spatial scales: (1) home range placement within the floodplain, (2) space use within 95% home ranges, and (3) space use within 50% core areas. Using these data we explored whether processes acting at large scales lead to space use patterns at small scales and whether the two species use the same habitat types in a way that would facilitate coexistence.

Habitat selection was determined by habitat type, prey density, and temperature at all spatial scales, resulting in slightly higher prey density and significantly lower temperature within than outside home ranges. We conclude that amphibians perceive the distribution of habitat types as well as gradients in prey density and temperature at all spatial scales. The effects of habitat type dominated home range placement while prey density and temperature most strongly affected space use within home ranges. Our results suggest that home range placement relies on broad habitat features that indicate resource availability at small spatial scales. At the smallest spatial scale, the selection of prey and refugia is most probably facilitated due to the accumulation of environmental information as animals may sample the entire area.

Both species largely preferred the same habitat types, but used them differently in relation to resources across the three spatial scales. For example, while one species used the same habitat type for foraging, the other used it for resting or both resting and foraging. Niche differentiation through differential resource selection within shared habitat types at all spatial scales may therefore facilitate the coexistence of the two species in terrestrial summer habitats.
The evolutionary ecology of generalization: among‐year variation in host plant use and offspring survival in a butterfly
Authors: Wiklund Christer , Friberg Magne
Published: December 2009

The majority of phytophagous insects are relatively specialized in their food habits, and specialization in resource use is expected to be favored by selection in most scenarios. Ecological generalization is less common and less well understood, but it should be selected for by (1) rarity of resources, (2) resource inconstancy, or (3) unreliability of resource quality. Here, we test these predictions by studying egg distribution and offspring survival in the orange tip butterfly, Anthocharis cardamines, on different host plants in Sweden over a five‐year period. A total of 3800 eggs were laid on 16 of the 18 crucifers available at the field site during the five years. Three main factors explained host plant generalization: (1) a rarity of food resources in which the female encounter rate of individual crucifer plants was low and within‐year phenological succession of flowering periods of the different crucifers meant that individual species were suitable for oviposition only within a short time window, which translates to a low effective abundance of individual crucifer species as experienced by females searching for host plants, making specialization on a single crucifer species unprofitable; (2) variation in food resources in which among‐year variation in availability of any one host plant species was high; and (3) larval survivorship varied unpredictably among years on all host plants, thereby necessitating a bet‐hedging strategy and use of several different host plants. Unpredictable larval survival was caused by variation in plant stand habitat characteristics, which meant that drowning and death from starvation affected different crucifers differently, and by parasitism, which varied by host plant and year. Hence, our findings are in agreement with the theoretical explanation of ecological generalization above, helping to explain why A. cardamines is a generalist throughout its range with respect to genera within the Cruciferae.