bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Zen, Emotion, and Social Engagement
Authors: Feleppa Robert
Published: August 2009

Some common conceptions of Buddhist meditative practice emphasize the elimination of emotion and desire in the interest of attaining tranquility and spiritual perfection. But to place too strong an emphasis on this is to miss an important social element emphasized by major figures in the Mahāyāna and Chan/Zen Buddhist traditions who are critical of these quietistic elements and who stress instead an understanding of an enlightenment that emphasizes enriched sociality and flexible readiness to engage, and not avoid, life’s fluctuations in fortune and essential impermanence. It is argued here that these criticisms of quietism are bolstered by recent advances in the philosophy and psychology of the emotions that highlight the role of emotions in framing the context of decision making—that is, in sorting out the relevant from the irrelevant, identifying salience, and directing decisions when uncertainty prevents definitive judgment. This research makes clearer why self-liberation is fundamentally a matter of liberation from judgmental habit and inflexibility, and lends support to a view of enlightenment that emphasizes compassionate engagement with others. It also provides for a more plausible picture of the cognitive transformation involved in liberation and sheds light on the rationale for certain traditional Chan and Zen teaching tactics, such as those involving koan introspection.
The Way of Heart: Mencius' Understanding of Justice
Authors: Wang Huaiyu
Published: August 2009

Through a comparative study of the meanings and origins of justice symbolized in the Greek word dikē and the Chinese word yi , this essay explores an alternative understanding of justice exemplified in Mencius' teaching and illuminates a possibility of social and political justice that originates in the human heart instead of reason. On the basis of a genealogical study of yi that identifies its root meanings as "the dignity of the self " and "amity and affinity," this study recovers and revives a way of justice that may preserve and promote the dignity of the individual and the solidarity of political community at once without succumbing to the violence and rigidity of traditional Western metaphysics. In so doing, it highlights a long overlooked dimension of early Confucian moral practice and establishes its unique relevancy for the contemporary debates on justice.
Gene expression profiling of maternal blood in early onset severe preeclampsia: identification of novel biomarkers
Authors: Sun Cheng-Juan , Zhang Liang , Zhang Wei-Yuan
Published: August 2009

Aims:To investigate candidate genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) that are associated with early onset severe preeclampsia (ES-PE) and to describe candidate genes function using microarrays and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Methods:PBMC RNA was extracted from six patients with ES-PE and five uncomplicated pregnancies. The HG_U133 plus 2.0 Affymetrix GeneChips that represented 47,000 genes were used to measure gene expression in each sample. Significance analysis of microarray identified potential signature genes characterizing ES-PE vs. uncomplicated pregnancies. Eight genes were selected for confirmation by real-time PCR of 32 patients with ES-PE and 24 uncomplicated pregnancies, matched for maternal age, parity, race and gestational weeks.

Results:Using a whole-genome approach to study the molecular determinants of ES-PE, 72 genes were found to be differentially expressed between cases and controls, including 38 up-regulated genes and 34 down-regulated genes in the group of ES-PE. Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor, three domains, long cytoplasmic tail, 2 (KIR3DL2), aldo-keto reductase family 1, member C3 (AKR1C3), churchill domain containing 1 (CHURC1), and solute carrier family 25, member 13 (SLC25A13) were validated to be down-regulated in the patients with ES-PE by real-time PCR.

Conclusions:Expression of genes with diverse function is associated with ES-PE risk, providing opportunities for the development of non-invasive diagnosis.
Delivery mode for the extremely premature fetus: a statement of the prematurity working group of the World Association of Perinatal Medicine
Authors: Skupski Daniel W. , Greenough Anne , Donn Stephen M. , Arabin Birgit , Bancalari Eduardo , Vladareanu Radu
Published: August 2009

Recent retrospective publications have suggested that cesarean delivery may be beneficial for the extremely premature fetus. This article displays the available evidence and discusses this issue, including many aspects such as the difficulty in deciding when delivery is imminent, the negative impact on maternal morbidity and mortality and the cost to society of such a policy. The available scientific evidence does not support a recommendation for cesarean delivery for improving survival or decreasing morbidity for the extremely premature fetus.
Fetal Growth Restriction and Chronic Lung Disease Among Infants Born Before the 28th Week of Gestation
Authors: Bose Carl , Van Marter Linda J. , Laughon Matthew , O'Shea T. Michael , Allred Elizabeth N. , Karna Padmani , Ehrenkranz Richard A. , Boggess Kim , Leviton Alan ,   for the Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborn Study Investigators
Published: August 2009

OBJECTIVE: Improvement in survival of extremely premature infants over the past several decades has resulted in an increase in the number of infants with chronic lung disease (CLD). Historical neonatal exposures associated with CLD now less frequently precede the disease. There is now increasing interest in exposures and events before delivery that predict CLD. The objective of this study was to identify current prenatal predictors of CLD.

METHODS: We collected data about prenatal, placental, and neonatal characteristics of 1241 newborns who were delivered before completion of the 28th week of gestation. Associations between prenatal factors, microbiologic and histologic characteristics of the placenta, and selected neonatal characteristics and CLD risk were first evaluated in univariate analyses. Subsequent multivariate analyses investigated the contribution of prenatal factors, particularly fetal growth restriction (FGR), to CLD risk.

RESULTS: Among the prenatal factors, birth weight z scores, used as a marker of FGR, provided the most information about CLD risk. Indicators of placental inflammation and infection were not associated with increased risk of CLD. Within nearly all strata of prenatal, placental, and neonatal variables, growth-restricted infants were at increased CLD risk, compared with infants who were not growth-restricted. FGR was the only maternal or prenatal characteristic that was highly predictive of CLD after adjustment for other risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS: FGR is independently associated with the risk of CLD. Thus, factors that control fetal somatic growth may have a significant impact on vulnerability to lung injury and in this way increase CLD risk.
Group‐size‐mediated habitat selection and group fusion–fission dynamics of bison under predation risk
Authors: Fortin Daniel , Fortin Marie-Eve , Beyer Hawthorne L. , Duchesne Thierry , Courant Sabrina , Dancose Karine
Published: August 2009

For gregarious animals the cost–benefit trade‐offs that drive habitat selection may vary dynamically with group size, which plays an important role in foraging and predator avoidance strategies. We examined how habitat selection by bison (Bison bison) varied as a function of group size and interpreted these patterns by testing whether habitat selection was more strongly driven by the competing demands of forage intake vs. predator avoidance behavior. We developed an analytical framework that integrated group size into resource selection functions (RSFs). These group‐size‐dependent RSFs were based on a matched case–control design and were estimated using conditional logistic regression (mixed and population‐averaged models). Fitting RSF models to bison revealed that bison groups responded to multiple aspects of landscape heterogeneity and that selection varied seasonally and as a function of group size. For example, roads were selected in summer, but not in winter. Bison groups avoided areas of high snow water equivalent in winter. They selected areas composed of a large proportion of meadow area within a 700‐m radius, and within those areas, bison selected meadows. Importantly, the strength of selection for meadows varied as a function of group size, with stronger selection being observed in larger groups. Hence the bison–habitat relationship depended in part on the dynamics of group formation and division. Group formation was most likely in meadows. In contrast, risk of group fission increased when bison moved into the forest and was higher during the time of day when movements are generally longer and more variable among individuals. We also found that stronger selection for meadows by large rather than small bison groups was caused by longer residence time in individual meadows by larger groups and that departure from meadows appears unlikely to result from a depression in food intake rate. These group‐size‐dependent patterns were consistent with the hypothesis that avoidance of predation risk is the strongest driver of habitat selection.
Nutrient enrichment alters storage and fluxes of detritus in a headwater stream ecosystem
Authors: Benstead Jonathan P. , Rosemond Amy D. , Cross Wyatt F. , Wallace J. Bruce , Eggert Sue L. , Suberkropp Keller , Gulis Vladislav , Greenwood Jennifer L. , Tant Cynthia J.
Published: August 2009

Responses of detrital pathways to nutrients may differ fundamentally from pathways involving living plants: basal carbon resources can potentially decrease rather than increase with nutrient enrichment. Despite the potential for nutrients to accelerate heterotrophic processes and fluxes of detritus, few studies have examined detritus–nutrient dynamics at whole‐ecosystem scales. We quantified organic matter (OM) budgets over three consecutive years in two detritus‐based Appalachian (USA) streams. After the first year, we began enriching one stream with low‐level nitrogen and phosphorus inputs. Subsequent effects of nutrients on outputs of different OM compartments were determined using randomized intervention analysis. Nutrient addition did not affect dissolved or coarse particulate OM export but had dramatic effects on fine particulate OM (FPOM) export at all discharges relative to the reference stream. After two years of enrichment, FPOM export was 340% higher in the treatment stream but had decreased by 36% in the reference stream relative to pretreatment export. Ecosystem respiration, the dominant carbon output in these systems, also increased in the treatment stream relative to the reference, but these changes were smaller in magnitude than those in FPOM export. Nutrient enrichment accelerated rates of OM processing, transformation, and export, potentially altering food‐web dynamics and ecosystem stability in the long term. The results of our large‐scale manipulation of a detrital ecosystem parallel those from analogous studies of soils, in which net loss of organic carbon has often been shown to result from experimental nutrient addition at the plot scale. Streams are useful model systems in which to test the effects of nutrients on ecosystem‐scale detrital dynamics because they allow both the tracking of OM conversion along longitudinal continua and the integrated measurement of fluxes of transformed material through downstream sites.
Long‐term persistence of a Neotropical ant‐plant population in the absence of obligate plant‐ants
Authors: Moraes Sinara C. , Vasconcelos Heraldo L.
Published: August 2009

Interactions between ants and ant‐plants are considered classic examples of obligate mutualisms. Previous studies have indicated that for many ant‐plants the loss of ant colonies results in severe defoliation or mortality. Although individual plants can persist for some period of time without their mutualistic partners, to date populations of ant‐free plants have only been recorded at high altitudes or on remote islands where herbivores are also scarce. We studied the interaction between ants, herbivores, and the ant‐plant Tococa guianensis in the Cerrado region of central Brazil. Using a survey conducted across a large geographic region, we show that there is interpopulation variation in ant occupancy across sites and habitats. At most sites surveyed, plants were inhabited by Allomerus octoarticulatus, an obligate plant‐ant. Plants with obligate ants had significantly lower standing levels of herbivore damage than plants with opportunistic ants and plants with no ant occupants. Furthermore, experimental removal of A. octoarticulatus resulted in increased levels of damage in both young and mature leaves. Despite the protection provided by obligate ants, populations of T. guianensis were found to persist without these ants in some areas. Plants without A. octoarticulatus had significantly greater leaf toughness and trichome density than those with A. octoarticulatus. Furthermore, trichome density in plants with A. octoarticulatus increased after ants were removed, probably as a response induced by increased levels of herbivore damage. To our knowledge, this is the first record of the occurrence of native myrmecophyte populations without their mutualistic ants in mainland low‐elevation sites. Several factors may help to explain the long‐term persistence of T. guianensis populations without plant‐ants in some areas of the Brazilian Cerrado, including its potential for induced morphological defenses against insect herbivores and selection for increased levels of constitutive defenses. In addition, T. guianensis may be under lower herbivore pressure in the sites we studied than in other parts of its range because existing populations were small, isolated, and some were very close to the edge of this species' distribution.
Repeatability in lactation performance and the consequences for maternal reproductive success in gray seals
Authors: Lang S. L. C. , Iverson S. J. , Bowen W. D.
Published: August 2009

In mammals, the most significant maternal effect on offspring growth during lactation is the ability of females to efficiently transfer milk energy to their neonates. However, despite the importance of the transfer of milk energy to both maternal and offspring fitness, nothing is known about the extent to which variation among females may be attributed to differences in individual quality or environmental variation in natural populations. We measured repeatability over multiple lactation periods in components of lactation performance in free‐ranging, multiparous gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) females to examine to what extent variation among females in pup weaning mass may be attributed to inherent differences in their physiological capacity to deliver milk energy. Levels of repeatability were high for milk composition (r= 0.38–0.50), daily milk output (r= 0.46), and the duration of lactation (r= 0.57), demonstrating that there are consistent differences among females in these characters across lactations and that the overall capacity of gray seal females to deliver milk energy to their pups is characteristic of individuals. The repeatability in pup weaning mass (r= 0.48) was consistent with the values for the components of total milk energy output and suggests that, over a large proportion of their reproductive life, individual gray seal females will consistently wean pups with greater or lesser probabilities of survival. Our results suggest that inherent differences among females in their physiological capacity to deliver milk energy may be an important component of variation in individual quality and, thus, lifetime reproductive success in mammals. High levels of repeatability also suggest that components of milk energy transfer may have a significant heritable genetic basis.
Patch size effects on plant species decline in an experimentally fragmented landscape
Authors: Collins Cathy D. , Holt Robert D. , Foster Bryan L.
Published: August 2009

Understanding local and global extinction is a fundamental objective of both basic and applied ecology. Island biogeography theory (IBT) and succession theory provide frameworks for understanding extinction in changing landscapes. We explore the relative contribution of fragment size vs. succession on species' declines by examining distributions of abundances for 18 plant species declining over time in an experimentally fragmented landscape in northeast Kansas, USA. If patch size effects dominate, early‐successional species should persist longer on large patches, but if successional processes dominate, the reverse should hold, because in our system woody plant colonization is accelerated on large patches. To compare the patterns in abundance among patch sizes, we characterize joint shifts in local abundance and occupancy with a new metric: rank occupancy–abundance profiles (ROAPs). As succession progressed, statistically significant patch size effects emerged for 11 of 18 species. More early‐successional species persisted longer on large patches, despite the fact that woody encroachment (succession) progressed faster in these patches. Clonal perennial species persisted longer on large patches compared to small patches. All species that persisted longer on small patches were annuals that recruit from the seed bank each year. The degree to which species declined in occupancy vs. abundance varied dramatically among species: some species declined first in occupancy, others remained widespread or even expanded their distribution, even as they declined in local abundance. Consequently, species exhibited various types of rarity as succession progressed. Understanding the effect of fragmentation on extinction trajectories requires a species‐by‐species approach encompassing both occupancy and local abundance. We propose that ROAPs provide a useful tool for comparing the distribution of local abundances among landscape types, years, and species.
Consequences of recruitment decisions and heterogeneity on age‐specific breeding success in a long‐lived seabird
Authors: Aubry Lise M. , Koons David N. , Monnat Jean-Yves , Cam Emmanuelle
Published: August 2009

An individual's age at first reproduction and investment in successive reproductive attempts are involved in mechanisms that can impede somatic repair, resulting in a decline in reproductive abilities with age (reproductive senescence). We used long‐term data from the Black‐legged Kittiwake, a long‐lived seabird, to address the relationship between recruitment age, age‐specific breeding success (BS), and reproductive senescence, while accounting for breeding experience and temporal variation in BS. We first detected late‐life improvement in BS across all recruitment groups, which we recognized as “within‐generation selection” or the selective disappearance of “frail” phenotypes. When such heterogeneity was accurately accounted for, we showed that all individuals suffered reproductive senescence. We first highlighted how different combinations of pre‐ and post‐recruitment experience across recruitment groups resulted in maximal BS at intermediate ages. BS increased in early recruits as they gained post‐recruitment experience, whereas late recruits gained pre‐recruitment experience that led to high BS at recruitment. Only individuals recruiting at intermediate ages balanced their pre‐ and post‐recruitment experience. Consistent with the “cumulative reproductive cost hypothesis,” we also observed a faster decline in BS in early recruits at advanced ages, whereas individuals delaying recruitment experienced the slowest decline in BS with age. Early recruits, however, reached the highest levels of BS at intermediate ages, sensus stricto (10–13 years old), whereas individuals delaying recruitment experienced the lowest at similar ages. These divergent trajectories may reflect a “delayed trade‐off” balancing a maximization of midlife BS against reproductive senescence at advanced ages. Additionally, annual variation in BS had a greater effect on individuals early in life, suggesting that experienced individuals were able to buffer out the effects of temporal variation on BS, which can ultimately improve fitness in stochastic environments. Our findings stress that (1) both observed and unobserved heterogeneity are important in detecting within‐individual senescence, and (2) short‐term trade‐offs may be rare in long‐lived species; thus, cumulated reproductive costs should be invoked as an alternative mechanism underlying reproductive senescence.
PanTHERIA: a species‐level database of life history, ecology, and geography of extant and recently extinct mammals
Authors: Jones Kate E. , Bielby Jon , Cardillo Marcel , Fritz Susanne A. , O'Dell Justin , Orme C. David L. , Safi Kamran , Sechrest Wes , Boakes Elizabeth H. , Carbone Chris , Connolly Christina , Cutts Michael J. , Foster Janine K. , Grenyer Richard , Habib Michael , Plaster Christopher A. , Price Samantha A. , Rigby Elizabeth A. , Rist Janna , Teacher Amber , Bininda-Emonds Olaf R. P. , Gittleman John L. , Mace Georgina M. , Purvis Andy
Published: August 2009

Analyses of life‐history, ecological, and geographic trait differences among species, their causes, correlates, and likely consequences are increasingly important for understanding and conserving biodiversity in the face of rapid global change. Assembling multispecies trait data from diverse literature sources into a single comprehensive data set requires detailed consideration of methods to reliably compile data for particular species, and to derive single estimates from multiple sources based on different techniques and definitions. Here we describe PanTHERIA, a species‐level data set compiled for analysis of life history, ecology, and geography of all known extant and recently extinct mammals. PanTHERIA is derived from a database capable of holding multiple geo‐referenced values for variables within a species containing 100 740 lines of biological data for extant and recently extinct mammalian species, collected over a period of three years by 20 individuals. PanTHERIA also includes spatial databases of mammalian geographic ranges and global climatic and anthropogenic variables. Here we detail how the data fields are extracted and defined for PanTHERIA using a customized data input format (MammalForm); how data were collected from the literature, species names and sources tracked, error‐checking and validation procedures applied, and how data were consolidated into species‐level values for each variable. Tables of the consolidated species‐level values are made available for each of two recent species‐level taxonomic classifications of mammals, as well as associated taxonomic synonymy conversion and data‐input files. This study provides a useful guide to prospective researchers on how to structure and codify life‐history, ecological, geographic, and taxonomic data and methods to extract meaningful species‐level traits. It also provides comprehensive information on traits like size, diet, environmental conditions, and ecology to permit macroecological and macroevolutionary analyses of this important clade.

The complete data sets corresponding to abstracts published in the Data Papers section of the journal are published electronically in Ecological Archives at 〈http://esapubs.org/archive〉. (The accession number for each Data Paper is given directly beneath the title.)
Biotic and abiotic controls on diurnal fluctuations in labile soil phosphorus of a wet tropical forest
Authors: Vandecar Karen L. , Lawrence Deborah , Wood Tana , Oberbauer Steven F. , Das Rishiraj , Tully Katherine , Schwendenmann Luitgard
Published: August 2009

The productivity of many tropical wet forests is generally limited by bioavailable phosphorus (P). Microbial activity is a key regulator of P availability in that it determines both the supply of P through organic matter decomposition and the depletion of bioavailable P through microbial uptake. Both microbial uptake and mineralization occur rapidly, and their net effect on P availability varies with soil moisture, temperature, and soil organic matter quantity and quality. Exploring the mechanisms driving P availability at fine temporal scales can provide insight into the coupling of carbon, water, and nutrient cycles, and ultimately, the response of tropical forests to climate change. Despite the recognized importance of P cycling to the dynamics of wet tropical forests and their potential sensitivity to short‐term fluctuations in bioavailable P, the diurnal pattern of P remains poorly understood. This study quantifies diurnal fluctuations in labile soil P and evaluates the importance of biotic and abiotic factors in driving these patterns. To this end, measurements of labile P were made every other hour in a Costa Rican wet tropical forest oxisol. Spatial and temporal variation in Bray‐extractable P were investigated in relation to ecosystem carbon flux, soil CO2 efflux, soil moisture, soil temperature, solar radiation, and sap‐flow velocity. Spatially averaged bi‐hourly (every two hours) labile P ranged from 0.88 to 2.48 μg/g across days. The amplitude in labile P throughout the day was 0.61–0.82 μg/g (41–54% of mean P concentrations) and was characterized by a bimodal pattern with a decrease at midday. Labile P increased with soil CO2 efflux and soil temperature and declined with increasing sap flow and solar radiation. Together, soil CO2 efflux, soil temperature, and sap flow explained 86% of variation in labile P.
Compensatory responses to food restriction in juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas)
Authors: Roark Alison M. , Bjorndal Karen A. , Bolten Alan B.
Published: August 2009

The purpose of this study was to assess the compensatory responses to food restriction and subsequent increased food availability in juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Turtles were fed an ad libitum ration for 12 weeks (AL), a restricted ration for 12 weeks (R), or a restricted ration for 5 weeks and an ad libitum ration for 7 weeks (R‐AL). Analysis of covariance was used to test the relationships between (1) growth and body size, (2) intake and body size, and (3) growth and intake for each of the three treatment groups. Body composition of turtles in each group was also evaluated at the beginning of the study and after weeks 5 and 12. After the switch to ad libitum feeding, R‐AL turtles consumed comparable amounts of food and grew faster than AL turtles on a size‐adjusted basis, but mean body sizes did not converge, although the overlap in their size ranges increased with time. The R‐AL turtles also converted food to growth more efficiently and allocated proportionally more nutrients to protein accretion, thereby restoring body composition (except mineral content) to AL levels by the end of the study. Thus, accelerated size‐specific growth without hyperphagia restored body condition but not size. These results indicate that (1) intake in juvenile green turtles is maximal when food is readily available and cannot be increased to compensate for a previous period of food limitation, (2) growth rates of ad libitum‐fed turtles are only mildly plastic in response to past nutritional history, and (3) priority rules for nutrient allocation favor the attainment of an optimal condition rather than an optimal size. Nutritional setbacks experienced during the vulnerable juvenile stage could therefore have long‐lasting consequences for wild turtles in terms of size‐specific mortality risk, but these risks may be mitigated by the potential benefits of maintaining sufficient body stores.
Trait‐based assembly and phylogenetic structure in northeast Pacific rockfish assemblages
Authors: Ingram Travis , Shurin Jonathan B.
Published: August 2009

If natural communities are assembled according to deterministic rules, coexisting species will represent a nonrandom subset of the potential species pool. We tested for signatures of assembly rules in the distribution of species' traits in Pacific rockfish (Sebastes spp.) assemblages. We used morphology, dietary niche (estimated with stable nitrogen isotopes), and distribution data to identify traits that relate to local‐scale resource use (the α‐niche) and to environmental gradients (the β‐niche). We showed that gill raker morphology was related to trophic position (an α‐niche axis), while relative eye size was associated with depth habitat (a β‐niche axis). We therefore hypothesized that, within assemblages of coexisting rockfish species, the gill raker trait would be overdispersed (evenly spaced) due to limiting similarity, while relative eye size would be clustered due to environmental filtering. We examined the evolutionary relatedness of coexisting species to ask whether phylogenetic community structure and trait distributions gave similar indications about the roles of assembly processes. We tested the trait distributions and phylogenetic structure of 30 published rockfish assemblages against a null model of random community assembly. As predicted, the gill raker trait tended to be more evenly spaced than expected by chance, as did overall body size, while relative eye size was more clustered than expected. Phylogenetic community structure appeared to reflect historical dispersal and speciation and did not provide consistent support for assembly rules. Our results indicate that rockfish community assembly is nonrandom with regard to species' traits and show how distinguishing traits related to the α‐ and β‐niches and incorporating functional morphology can provide for powerful tests of assembly rules.
Wolf presence and increased willow consumption by Yellowstone elk: implications for trophic cascades
Authors: Creel Scott , Christianson David
Published: August 2009

Recent increases in the height and growth ring width of willow (Salix spp.) and other woody plants in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) have been attributed to a behaviorally mediated trophic cascade from wolves (Canis lupus) to elk (Cervus elaphus) to willows. This hypothesis predicts that individual elk consume less willow in response to the presence of wolves, but this prediction has not been directly tested with data from elk. We collected 727 fecal samples from elk in the Gallatin Canyon portion of the GYE over three winters and used microhistological methods to quantify the proportion of willow in each sample. We then tested the effect of wolf presence on willow consumption by elk, controlling for the effects of snow conditions, sex, and habitat type. During the period of study, 8–17 wolves occupied the study area, and wolves were locally present on 49% of 260 sampling days, stratified at two‐week intervals across three drainages. Over the three years combined, willow consumption was related to snow conditions, wolf presence, and a wolf × sex interaction. As expected, willow consumption increased with deeper and less penetrable snow, and this effect was strong. Contrary to expectation, willow consumption increased in the presence of wolves. As with other aspects of antipredator behavior, wolves had different effects on willow consumption by males and females. Finally, we aggregated the data to estimate winter‐long mean willow consumption within each drainage; at this broader scale, willow consumption again increased as predation risk increased. In summary, willow consumption was more strongly affected by snow conditions than by the presence of wolves. Interactions between elk and willow were affected by wolves, but not as predicted by the hypothesis that wolf presence favors willow release through a reduction in the selection of willow by individual elk. If a trophic cascade is operating, our results suggest that a decline in the size of the elk population (to roughly one‐half its size immediately prior to wolf recovery) may be more important than changes in the willow consumption of individual elk. Finally, reduced grazing of herbaceous vegetation may be equally important for vegetation dynamics.
Climate warming strengthens indirect interactions in an old‐field food web
Authors: Barton Brandon T. , Beckerman Andrew P. , Schmitz Oswald J.
Published: August 2009

Climate change is expected to alter trophic interactions within food chains, but predicting the fate of particular species is difficult because the predictions hinge on knowing exactly how climate influences direct and indirect interactions. We used two complementary approaches to examine how climate change may alter trophic interactions within an old‐field food web composed of herbaceous plants, grasshopper herbivores, and spider predators. We synthesized data spanning 15 years of experimentation during which interannual mean growing season temperature varied by 2°C and precipitation by 2.5 cm. We also manipulated temperature within mesocosms to test the affect of temperature on primary production and strength of direct and indirect trophic interactions. Both approaches produced similar results: plant production was not directly affected by temperature or precipitation, but the strength of top‐down indirect effects on grasses and forbs increased by 30–40% per 1°C. Hence, the net effect of climate change was to strengthen top‐down control of this terrestrial system.
Approximate analytical solutions of the generalized Woods-Saxon potentials including the spin-orbit coupling term and spin symmetry
Authors: Ikhdair Sameer , Sever Ramazan
Published: August 2009

We study the approximate analytical solutions of the Dirac equation for the generalized Woods-Saxon potential with the pseudo-centrifugal term. We apply the Nikiforov-Uvarov method (which solves a second-order linear differential equation by reducing it to a generalized hypergeometric form) to spin- and pseudospin-symmetry to obtain, in closed form, the approximately analytical bound state energy eigenvalues and the corresponding upper- and lower-spinor components of two Dirac particles. The special cases κ = ±1 (s = $$
\tilde l
$$ = 0, s-wave) and the non-relativistic limit can be reached easily and directly for the generalized and standard Woods-Saxon potentials. We compare the non-relativistic results with those obtained by others.
Intestinal Parasites and Sanitary Practices among the Rural Children
Authors: Azam SA Sultana , Bhuiyan MM Rahman , Chowdhury M Zaforullah , Miah K Ali
Published: August 2009

Infestation with intestinal parasites is a common problem throughout the world. It is estimated that at least one quarter of the world's population is clinically infected with intestinal parasites. In this article, we have tried to explore the relation between intestinal parasites and sanitary practices among the rural children in Bangladesh. doi: 10.3329/taj.v20i1.3081 TAJ 2007; 20(1): 01-05
Contraceptive Acceptance among Eligible Couples Residing in Rajshahi City Corporation
Authors: Sultana S , Jahan M Sarwar , Islam M Mofakharul
Published: August 2009

A descriptive type of cross sectional study was carried out among the eligible couples residing in Rajshahi City Corporation during the period of three moths from 1st April to 30th June, 2005 with a view to collect information about the acceptance of contraceptive methods from 366 respondents with 50 male and 316 female. The mean age in female respondents is 27.22 yrs. and male 30.2 years. The mean number of living children is 2.6 in female respondents and 2.1 in male respondents. Majority of the respondents 65.51% were housewives. 11.71% of the respondents were illiterate. Most of the respondents had knowledge regarding contraceptive methods. In this study 93.67% of female respondents & 20% of male respondents were currently using contraceptive methods. The modern methods were oral pill 21.6% IUCDs 14.9%, injection 35.14%, Norplant 12.16%, condom 16.0%, safe period 6.76%, Tubectomy 9.46%, Vasectomy 4.0% and 6.13% were non acceptors of contraceptives. Temporary methods were more accepted than the permanent methods. 84.2% female and 16% male respondents accepted temporary methods. Permanent methods were adopted by 9.5% female and by 4% male only. Study shows that percentage of the contraceptive method users increased with the level of education. The major causes for not accepting contraceptive methods were fear of complications (46.7% among female and 23% among male), opposition of the elderly (13% among female and 6.4% among male) and 55% male said about female partner's preference as user, so they did not use methods by them. Major causes for not accepting permanent methods were fear of operation (43% among female and 55.6% among male), religious barrier (31.9% among female and 42.2% among male), fear for decreased physical ability (12.5% among female and 2.2% among male) and lastly familial pressure (among 12.5% female). Most of the female 50.9% and only 2% male respondents faced problems during contraceptive use and the nature of the problem were mainly physical complication, spouse opposition and 3.16% female faced unwanted pregnancy while practicing method. Hospital supplies of contraceptives to the respondents were more i.e. 23% and 24% by the NGOs worker. It encourages people to accept contraceptive methods. Main causes of dropout among the respondents were desire for more children specially son preference and also due to health problems.   doi: 10.3329/taj.v20i1.3083 TAJ 2007; 20(1): 11-16
A Comparative Study of Electrocardiographic and Echocardiographic Evidence of Left ventricular Hypertrophy
Authors: Mia M Razzak , Ekram ARM Saifuddin , Haque M Azizul , Raisuddin M
Published: August 2009

This study was carried out in medicine and cardiology indoor of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital from November 2004 to October 2005. 100 cases were selected for this study in random manner. Sensitivity of ECG to diagnose LVH was found to be 87.5%, and specificity was only 50%. ECG is relatively insensitive and can't accurately identify the severity of LVH.   doi: 10.3329/taj.v20i1.3085 TAJ 2007; 20(1): 24-27
Comparative Study Between Three Intravenous Drugs Thiopentone Sodium, Propofol and Midazolam: Study of 100 Cases and Critical Review
Authors: Mondol SK , Rahim MA
Published: August 2009

Intravenous anesthesia became possible with drugs available since 1930 and the concept rapidly became popular with patients and anaesthetists. From the patient's point of view it had the advantage of producing rapid loss of consciousness without excitement, distress, or the sensation of smothering often produced by a tightly pressed facemask. For the anesthetist, there was the predictable anaesthesia which was ideally rapid in onset and without coughing or movements. Thiopentone sodium, propofol and midazolam have been used in our comparative clinical study (About 100 cases) as an intravenous anaesthetic agent. Our clinical study was into three aged groups such as neonates & children (40 cases), middle aged (40 cases) and elderly (20 cases). 100 cases were divided into paediatric cases, in outpatient procedures, in neurosurgical cases, in geriatric anaesthesia, in obstetric cases. In our comparative study, we have seen when propofol used for induction of anaesthesia in briefer procedures, results in a significantly quicker recovery and an earlier return of psychomotor function as compared with thiopentone and midazolam irrespective of the agent used for maintenance of anaesthesia.   doi: 10.3329/taj.v20i1.3086 TAJ 2007; 20(1): 28-35
Tubercular Cervical Lymphadenopathy Clinicopathological Study of Thirty Cases
Authors: Biswas P Kumar , Begum SMK Nahar
Published: August 2009

A clinico-pathological study of tuberculosis in cervical lymph nodes was carried out among 30 cases irrespective of age and sex. Tuberculosis was common in adolescent and young adult life (63.3%). It was more prevalent in female (63.4%) and in poor socioeconomic condition (60%). Most of the cases were non-vaccinated (70%) and majority (70%) was tuberculin positive. doi: 10.3329/taj.v20i1.3087 TAJ 2007; 20(1): 36-38
Endoscopic Evaluation of Transabdominal Sonographically Suggested Gastric Carcinoma
Authors: Alim MA , Ahad MA , Rashid MH , Islam QT , Ekram ARMS , Razzaqe MA
Published: August 2009

Transabdominal ultrasonography (TAS) is a widely used imaging modality for large variety of abdominal complaints. But indeed it has limited values for diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases. Literatures on the value of transabdominal ultrasonography on diagnosis and preoperative staging of gastric cancer are sparse. So the aim of this study is to assess the accuracy and limitations of ultrasonography for diagnosis and detection of spreading of gastric carcinoma.Fifty eight sonographically diagnosed patients were included in this study. UGI endoscopy was done in all patients. Five patients were excluded from study because of negative biopsy though endoscopy revealed suspicious lesion. The accuracy of conventional transabdominal sonography of fluid filled stomach was evaluated for diagnosis of gastric carcinoma as compared to endoscopy. The age range was between 14-75 years with mean age 43.5 years (SD ±14.2). The maximum numbers of patients (28.3%) were within the age group 40-49 years. The male and female ratio was 1.2:1. Fifty (94.3%) out of 53 patients of sonographically detectable gastric carcinoma actually have true malignancy proven by endoscopic biopsy and 3 (5.6%) were endoscopically normal & no biopsy was taken. Distal gastric carcinoma has been more precisely located than proximal by sonography. Besides this sonography provided an estimate of extragastric spread of tumour (34%) which is not possible by endoscopy. So in conclusion transabdominal sonography is an useful supportive modality for diagnosis and pre-operative assessment of exogastric spread of gastric cancer and indeed a supplementary diagnostic procedure to endoscopy.   doi: 10.3329/taj.v20i1.3089 TAJ 2007; 20(1): 48-51
Impact of an ORT Corner in a Teaching Hospital
Authors: Bari Md Iqbal , Haque Imdadul , Alam Tanjila
Published: August 2009

An ORT (Oral Rehydration Therapy) Corner was set up in Rajshahi Medical College in July 1990. 4267 Patients aged between 0-12 years who attended the ORT corner of the diarrhoeal training unit in the year of 2003 were studied to find out the impact of this unit in the management of diarrhoeal diseases in children and its effect on diarrhoeal admission in the hospital. 53.56% (2285) of them were male and 46.21% (1972) were female. Only 1.54% (66) of the patient who attended the ORT Corner needed hospital admission. 78.72% Patients were under 5 year of age and 90.57% (3865) patients had no dehydration (group-A) and they were sent home with ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution) and necessary advice. 8.3% (355) patients had some dehydration (Group -B) and they were treated at the ORT corner with ORS for 2-6 hours and sent home after initial rehydration. But 19 (0.44%) patients had needed hospital admission later due to failure of ORS treatment. 47 (1.10%) Patient had severe dehydration (Group-C), who had persistent diarrhoea and immediately admitted in Paediatric unit and given necessary treatment. Total diarrhoeal admission in indoor was 74 in 2002 and 66 in 2003 and a significant reduction in admission was observed during the study period from that of the previous year. (p < 0.01). It was concluded that the ORT corner was vary effective simple and safe in the management of diarrhoea in children and reduced the number of diarrhoeal admissions in the hospital.   doi: 10.3329/taj.v20i1.3090 TAJ 2007; 20(1): 52-55
Bardet Biedl Syndrome- A Case Report
Authors: Haque M Azizul , Sharmin LS , Islam Q Tarikul , Ekram ARM Saifuddin
Published: August 2009

Bardet Biedl syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive condition with a wide spectrum of clinical features. The accepted major criteria for diagnosis include retinal dystrophy, obesity, polydactyly, male hypogonadism, mental retardation and renal dysfunction. We have presented a 16 year old male patient exhibiting characteristic features of Bardet Biedl syndrome (BBS) and then the literature is reviewed.   doi: 10.3329/taj.v20i1.3092 TAJ 2007; 20(1):56-59
Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Its Management
Authors: Islam QT , Ekram ARM Saifuddin , Ali ASM Shawkat , Ali M Ayub
Published: August 2009

Major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases are hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia, smoking and obesity. In this review article, we have tried to discuss the updated management of each major risk factor.   doi: 10.3329/taj.v20i1.3096 TAJ 2007; 20(1): 71-78
Safe Oral Antidiabetic Agents in Cardiac Patients: An Update
Authors: Haque SMS , Pathan F
Published: August 2009

Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of mortality among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, accounting for 60-80% of death in these patients. Despite recent studies demonstrating likely benefit of good glycaemic control in decreasing cardiovascular risk in type 2 DM, there have been lingering concerns about potential adverse cardiovascular effects of insulin secretagogues, specifically sulphonylureas. In this review article, we have tried to explore the issue of safe oral anti-diabetic agents in patients having different cardiovascular diseases.   doi: 10.3329/taj.v20i1.3097 TAJ 2007; 20(1): 79-86
Endoscopic Evaluation of Achalasia Cardia
Authors: Ahad Md Abdul
Published: August 2009

doi: 10.3329/taj.v20i2.3066TAJ December 2007; Volume 20 Number 2
Endoscopic Determination of Location of Gastric Cancer in Bangladesh
Authors: Alim MA , Ahad MA , Rashid MH , Islam QT , Ekram ARMS , Rassaqe MA
Published: August 2009

The incidence of gastric cancer has declined from half a century ago in the west. However, contrary to general trend of steady decline in the incidence of gastric cancer, many western countries have noticed in recent decades an increase in gastric cancer in cardia with declining trend in distal involvement. In the developed world including the Japan, the highest prevalent country of gastric cancer, the distal stomach has remained predominant although a trend toward a proximal shift has been noted. So the study was performed to estimate the cancer by tumour location in Bangladesh. One hundred and sixty five patient were endoscopically assessed for location of cancer. The age range of the patients were 19 to 70 years and male outnumbered the female (2:1). The stomach is divided apparently into upper, middle and lower third by dividing the lesser and greater curvature in two equidistant points and joining the points. Distal or antral gastric carcinoma was found to be the commonest location (56.9%) followed by body (29.6%), cardia (9.09%) and diffusely involved (4.2%). The study also depicted no significant change in location of tumour with age of the patients. All patients were subjected to serological test for H. pylori and 106(64.2%) gave positive results. In conclusion, Bangladeshi population has shown no change in age predilection with site specificities of gastric carcinoma and the antrum continues to be the commonest site of malignancy. doi: 10.3329/taj.v20i2.3067 TAJ 2007; 20(2): 95-98
Pattern of Non-Motor Fluctuations in Patients of Parkinsons Disease
Authors: Ali MA , Haque A , Anwarullah AKM , Ahmed Q
Published: August 2009

Parkinson's disease is a common disease of old age, whose major symptoms are of motor nature. Apart from the symptoms related to motor activity, patients of PD also experience various other fluctuating symptoms of a non-motor nature. These non-motor fluctuations (NMF) have been classified according to their characteristics into three categories; dysautonomic, mental (cognitive / psychiatric), and sensory / pain. These non-motor fluctuations may have a varied presentation and unless recognized by the physicians to be a feature of PD itself, lead to unnecessary and often costly or harmful investigations. The varied presentations of the non-motor fluctuations in patients of PD are presented in this study. 128 patients of PD from the Movement Disorder Clinic of the Neurology Out Patient Department of BSMMU were included in this study. 106 had motor fluctuations and 111 had non-motor fluctuations. The non-motor fluctuations were classified into sensory in 67 (63.2%) patients, autonomic in 78 (73.6%) patients and psychiatric in 18 (17%) patients. The most frequent sensory fluctuations were akathisia, pain and tingling sensations. Excessive sweating, drooling, oral dryness and flushing were the common autonomic fluctuations while depression and fatigue were the common psychiatric complaints. Most of the non-motor fluctuations were associated with motor fluctuations and with the "off" state. doi: 10.3329/taj.v20i2.3071 TAJ 2007; 20(2): 116-121