bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Response Entropy™ is not more sensitive than State Entropy™ in distinguishing the use of esmolol instead of remifentanil in patients undergoing gynaecological laparoscopy
Authors: Valjus M. , Ahonen J. , Jokela R. , Korttila K.
Published: October 2005

Background:  Monitoring of analgesia remains a challenge during general anaesthesia. Activation of Response Entropy™ (RE) to painful stimuli has been suggested to be a sign of inadequate analgesia. We evaluated the ability of RE to be more sensitive than State Entropy™ (SE) in measuring nociception in patients undergoing gynaecological laparoscopy. Our hypothesis was that while keeping SE at a predetermined level, RE would be higher in patients receiving a beta‐blocking agent (esmolol) instead of an opioid (remifentanil) during a propofol/nitrous oxide anaesthesia.

Methods:  Fifty‐one women aged between 22–53 years were randomly assigned to receive esmolol (n = 25) or remifentanil (n = 26). SE was kept at 50 ± 5. RE and SE were recorded at an interval of 30 s to 2 min and the areas under the RE and SE value‐time curves (AUCRE and AUCSE) were calculated during the time of intubation and start of surgery as well as during the entire anaesthesia. The difference between RE and SE recordings in both groups was determined by subtracting the AUCSE from the corresponding AUCRE. Movements of the patients were recorded.

Results:  No significant differences were detected in any of the several AUC values between the groups. The difference between RE and SE recordings was similar in both groups. Every patient in the esmolol group moved some time during the procedure interfering with surgery while no one in the remifentanil group moved.

Conclusion:  In patients undergoing gynaecological laparoscopic day‐case surgery, RE seems not to be more sensitive than SE in guiding the use of opioids during general anaesthesia.
Myocardial glycerol release, arrhythmias and hemodynamic instability during regional ischemia‐reperfusion in an open chest pig model
Authors: Metzsch C. , Liao Q. , Steen S. , Algotsson L.
Published: October 2005

Background:  To develop cardioprotection against peri‐operative myocardial ischemia‐reperfusion injury, we need animal models where the local metabolism and blood flow are studied concomitantly with the global circulatory consequences during regional coronary occlusion.

Methods:  In six anesthetized domestic pigs, the largest branch of the circumflex artery was occluded for 30 min. Microdialysate was sampled from the ischemic and non‐ischemic myocardium along with continuous measurements of local coronary artery flow, global hemodynamics and registration of arrhythmias, from baseline through to 30 min of ischemia and 180 min of reperfusion.

Results:  During ischemia, the microdialysate glucose concentration decreased, the glycerol concentration increased and the lactate/pyruvate ratio increased significantly. For glycerol, there was a further increase at reperfusion. During ischemia, cardiac output was unchanged; however, during reperfusion there was a significant drop lasting for several minutes, longer than the period in which an increased number of arrhythmias were registered.

Conclusion:  The present study demonstrates deranged circulation and arrhythmias corresponding to ischemic metabolism after regional myocardial ischemia and reperfusion. Reperfusion induced more pronounced circulatory changes than the actual ischemia. A substantial increase in myocardial glycerol release seems to be a marker of ischemic metabolism and may prove to be an indicator of reperfusion injury.
Seed caching by woylies Bettongia penicillata can increase sandalwood Santalum spicatum regeneration in Western Australia
Authors: MURPHY MARIE T. , GARKAKLIS MARK J. , HARDY GILES E. St. J.
Published: October 2005

Abstract  The role a small marsupial, the woylie Bettongia penicillata, might play in the recruitment and regeneration of Western Australian sandalwood Santalum spicatum through its seed caching behaviour was investigated in this study. To determine the fate of the seeds, cotton thread was attached to the seeds and the trail followed. A total of 25 seed caches were located. All of the seeds were found in separate caches, which was consistent with scatter‐hoarding behaviour. The average distance from the source of the seeds to the cache was 43.1 m ± 5.8 m at Dryandra woodland and 29.1 m ± 3.8 m at Karakamia sanctuary. The mean cache depth was 4.3 cm ± 0.2 cm at Dryandra woodland compared with 4.6 cm ± 0.3 cm at Karakamia sanctuary. Significantly more seedlings and saplings grew away from sandalwood trees at sites where woylies were present than at sites with no woylies. In contrast, significantly more seedlings and saplings grew under adult sandalwood trees at the site without woylies than where they were present, although there were significantly lower rates of recruitment and sandalwood regeneration at these sites. In addition, significantly more whole, undisturbed sandalwood seeds were found under the parent trees at the woylie‐free site than at the site with woylies. These findings strongly suggest that little seed dispersal or regeneration of sandalwood occurs in the absence of woylies. Through scatter‐hoarding, woylies have the potential to disperse and cache sandalwood seeds away from the source and significantly alter the subsequent regeneration of sandalwood. Furthermore, by caching seeds large distances away from a source, woylies could modify the distribution of sandalwood in an area.
Grasstree (Xanthorrhoea preissii ) leaf growth in relation to season and water availability
Authors: KORCZYNSKYJ DYLAN , LAMONT BYRON B.
Published: October 2005

Abstract Water stress usually arrests growth of even the most deep‐rooted species during summer drought in Mediterranean‐type climates. However, scant evidence suggests that grasstrees may represent an unusual exception. We used weather data and plant water potential to investigate the relationship between leaf growth and season in the grasstree,Xanthorrhoea preissiiEndl. (Xanthorrhoeaceae). Leaf production in two contrasting habitats revealed continuous annual growth, oscillating between maximum rates (2.5–3.2 leaves/d) in late‐spring to autumn, to a minimum rate of 0.5 leaf/d during winter but never stopping. While the rate of leaf production during the fast‐growth season was positively correlated with temperature above 17–18°C, leaf elongation commenced substantially earlier in the year (from 12°C). Leaf water potentials cycled annually, with predawn readings commonly measured as zero during winter–spring and as low as −1.26 MPa during summer, but never indicating stress by exceeding the turgor loss point. Leaf death was synchronized with summer drought. The fast (summer) growth period was characterized by rapidly fluctuating leaf production, particularly in banksia woodland, where plant growth reliably responded quickly to >18 mm of rainfall. Within 24 h of 59 mm of simulated rainfall, grasstrees in banksia woodland showed a marked increase in water potential, and leaf production reached 7.5 times the controls, confirming their capacity to respond to temporary spasmodic summer rains. Rainfall was the best climatic variable for predicting woodland grasstree leaf production during summer, whereas leaf production of forest grasstrees was most closely correlated with daylength. This plastic response of grasstrees between seasonal weather extremes is relatively rare among other mediterranean floras, and has implications for a recently proposed technique for ageing grasstrees.
Synchrony in capture dates suggests cryptic social organization in sea snakes (Emydocephalus annulatus, Hydrophiidae)
Authors: SHINE RICHARD , SHINE TERRI , SHINE JAMES M. , SHINE BENJAMIN G.
Published: October 2005

Abstract  Complex sociality is widespread in lizards, but the difficulties of directly observing social interactions in free‐ranging snakes have precluded such studies for most snake species. However, a type of data already available from mark‐recapture studies (dates of capture and recapture of individually marked animals) can reveal social substructure within snake populations. If individuals associate with each other in social groups, we expect synchrony in the dates of capture and recapture of those animals. A field study of turtle‐headed sea snakes (Emydocephalus annulatus) in New Caledonia reveals exactly this phenomenon. For example, animals that were captured on the same day in one year often were recaptured on the same day the following year. Analysis rejects non‐social interpretations of these data (such as spatial‐temporal confounding in sampling, intrapopulation heterogeneity in cues for activity), suggesting instead that many individual sea snakes belong to ‘social’ groups that consistently move about together. The phenomenon of capture synchrony during mark‐recapture studies can provide new insights into the occurrence and correlates of cryptic social aggregations.
Differential expression of cell fate determinants in neurons and glial cells of adult mouse spinal cord after compression injury
Authors: Chen Jian , Leong Soo‐Yuen , Schachner Melitta
Published: October 2005

Cellular responses after spinal cord injury include activation of astrocytes, degeneration of neurons and oligodendrocytes, and reactions of the ependymal layer and meningeal cells. Because it has been suggested that tissue repair partially recapitulates morphogenesis, we have investigated the expression of several developmentally prominent molecules after spinal cord injury of adult mice where neurogenesis does not occur after injury. Cell fate determinants Numb, Notch‐1, Shh and BMPs are abundantly expressed during development but mostly decline in the adult. In the present study, we investigated whether these genes are triggered by spinal cord injury as a sign of attempted recapitulation of development. Expression of Numb, Notch, Shh, BMP2/4 and Msx1/2 was analysed in the adult mouse spinal cord after compression injury by in situ hybridization up to 1 month after injury. The mRNA expression levels of Notch‐1, Numb, Shh, BMP4 and Msx2 increased in the grey matter and/or white matter and in the ependyma rostral and caudal to the lesion site after injury. However, BMP2 and Msx1 were not up‐regulated. Combining immunohistochemistry of cell type‐specific markers with in situ hybridization we found that all the up‐regulated genes were expressed in neurons. Moreover, Numb, BMP4 and Msx2 were also expressed by GFAP‐positive astrocytes, while Shh was expressed by MBP‐positive oligodendrocytes. In conclusion, the cell fate determinants Notch‐1, Numb, Shh, BMP4 and Msx2 are expressed in neurons and/or glial cells after injury in a time‐dependent manner, suggesting that these genes reflect to some extent an endogenous self‐repair potential by recapitulating some features of development.
κ‐ and δ‐opioid receptor functional activities are increased in the caudate putamen of cannabinoid CB1receptor knockout mice
Authors: Urigüen Leyre , Berrendero Fernando , Ledent Catherine , Maldonado Rafael , Manzanares Jorge
Published: October 2005

The purpose of this study was to examine the functional interaction between endogenous opioid and cannabinoid receptor systems in the caudate putamen and nucleus accumbens. We therefore examined by autoradiography the functional activity and density of µ‐, κ‐ and δ‐opioid receptors in both brain regions of cannabinoid CB1receptor knockout mice. Functional activity was estimated by measuring agonist‐stimulated [35S]GTPγS binding. Results showed that deletion of the CB1cannabinoid receptor markedly increased κ‐opioid (50%) and δ‐opioid (42%) receptor activities whereas no differences were found in µ‐opioid receptor in the caudate putamen. In contrast, binding autoradiography showed a similar density of µ‐, κ‐ and δ‐opioid receptors between mutant and wild‐type mice. No differences were found in densities or activities of µ‐, κ‐ and δ‐opioid receptors between mutant and wild‐type mice in the nucleus accumbens. Taken together, our results revealed that deletion of CB1cannabinoid receptors produced a pronounced increase in the activity of κ‐ and δ‐opioid receptors in the caudate putamen. This endogenous interaction between opioid and cannabinoid receptors may be relevant to further understand a variety of neuroadaptative processes involving the participation of opioid receptors, such as motor behaviour, emotional responses and drug dependence.
ON EQUILIBRIUM FOR OVERLAPPING GENERATIONS ORGANIZATIONS*
Authors: Prescott Edward C. , Ríos‐Rull José‐Víctor
Published: October 2005

Necessary conditions for equilibrium are that beliefs about the behavior of other agents are rational and individuals maximize. We argue that in stationary OLG environments this implies that any future generation in the same situation as the initial generation must do as well as the initial generation did in that situation. We conclude that the existing equilibrium concepts in the literature do not satisfy this condition. We then propose an alternative equilibrium concept, organizational equilibrium that satisfies this condition. We show that equilibrium exists, it is unique, and it improves over autarky without achieving optimality. Moreover, the equilibrium can be readily found by solving a maximization program.
DEALER PRICING OF CONSUMER CREDIT*
Authors: Bertola Giuseppe , Hochguertel Stefan , Koeniger Winfried
Published: October 2005

Price discrimination incentives may induce dealers to bear the financial cost of their customers' credit purchases. We focus on how financial market imperfections make it possible to segment the customer population. When borrowing and lending rates differ from each other and from the rate of interest on a durable good purchase, the structure of those rates influences customers' choices to purchase on credit or cash terms, and the scope for dealers' price discrimination. Empirical analysis of a set of installment‐credit, personal‐loan, and regional interest rate data offers considerable support to the assumptions and implications of our theoretical framework.
MANAGING SWITCHING COSTS IN MULTIPERIOD PROCUREMENTS WITH STRATEGIC BUYERS*
Authors: Lewis Tracy R. , Yildirim Huseyin
Published: October 2005

This article examines the use of switching costs by long‐lived strategic buyers to manage dynamic competition between rival suppliers. The analysis reveals how buyers may employ switching costs to their advantage. We show that when switching costs are high, a buyer may induce suppliers to price more competitively by credibly threatening to replace the incumbent supplier with his rivals. The implications of this finding for adoption of technology and firm organization are explored in settings in which the buyer is integrated with the suppliers and where the buyer is an outsourcer.
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE AND EXPERIENCE RATING: INSURANCE VERSUS EFFICIENCY*
Authors: Mongrain Steeve , Roberts Joanne
Published: October 2005

Unemployment insurance (UI) distorts firms' layoff decisions by reducing the cost of laying off workers. To dampen this increase, it has been suggested that UI should be financed with an experience‐rated tax. Despite the fact that increasing the level of experience rating can reduce unemployment, it can reduce the insurance coverage workers receive. With high experience rating, firms may reduce their severance payments by more than the UI benefit. We build a model where competitive firms offer contracts with severance payments to risk‐averse workers. Frictions in the labor market lead to incomplete insurance. This article shows that less than full‐experience rating enables the government to increase the insurance coverage workers receive. Welfare implications are also investigated.
Root architecture and wind‐firmness of mature Pinus pinaster
Authors: Danjon Frédéric , Fourcaud Thierry , Bert Didier
Published: October 2005

This study aims to link three‐dimensional coarse root architecture to tree stability in mature timber trees with an average of 1‐m rooting depth.

Undamaged and uprooted trees were sampled in a stand damaged by a storm. Root architecture was measured by three‐dimensional (3‐D) digitizing. The distribution of root volume by root type and in wind‐oriented sectors was analysed.

Mature Pinus pinaster root systems were organized in a rigid ‘cage’ composed of a taproot, the zone of rapid taper of horizontal surface roots and numerous sinkers and deep roots, imprisoning a large mass of soil and guyed by long horizontal surface roots. Key compartments for stability exhibited strong selective leeward or windward reinforcement. Uprooted trees showed a lower cage volume, a larger proportion of oblique and intermediate depth horizontal roots and less wind‐oriented root reinforcement.

Pinus pinaster stability on moderately deep soils is optimized through a typical rooting pattern and a considerable structural adaptation to the prevailing wind and soil profile.
Nickel hyperaccumulation as an elemental defense of Streptanthus polygaloides (Brassicaceae): influence of herbivore feeding mode
Authors: Jhee Edward M. , Boyd Robert S. , Eubanks Micky D.
Published: October 2005

No study of a single nickel (Ni) hyperaccumulator species has investigated the impact of hyperaccumulation on herbivores representing a variety of feeding modes.

Streptanthus polygaloides plants were grown on high‐ or low‐Ni soils and a series of no‐choice and choice feeding experiments was conducted using eight arthropod herbivores. Herbivores used were two leaf‐chewing folivores (the grasshopper Melanoplus femurrubrum and the lepidopteran Evergestis rimosalis), a dipteran rhizovore (the cabbage maggot Delia radicum), a xylem‐feeder (the spittlebug Philaenus spumarius), two phloem‐feeders (the aphid, Lipaphis erysimi and the spidermite Trialeurodes vaporariorum) and two cell‐disruptors (the bug Lygus lineolaris and the whitefly Tetranychus urticae).

Hyperaccumulated Ni significantly decreased survival of the leaf‐chewers and rhizovore, and significantly reduced population growth of the whitefly cell‐disruptor. However, vascular tissue‐feeding insects were unaffected by hyperaccumulated Ni, as was the bug cell‐disruptor.

We conclude that Ni can defend against tissue‐chewing herbivores but is ineffective against vascular tissue‐feeding herbivores. The effects of Ni on cell‐disruptors varies, as a result of either variation of insect Ni sensitivity or the location of Ni in S. polygaloides cells and tissues.
Loci controlling partial resistance to rice blast do not show marked QTL × environment interaction when plant nitrogen status alters disease severity
Authors: Talukder Zahirul I. , McDonald A James S. , Price Adam H.
Published: October 2005

Plant disease susceptibility is often increased by nitrogen (N) application. Therefore, it is important to know if resistance loci are effective in different plant N environments.

One‐hundred lines of the Bala × Azucena rice (Oryza sativa) mapping population were grown in two N treatments and tested for partial resistance to blast (Magnaporthe grisea) isolate CD100. Disease severity (DS), the number and size of lesions and plant N and C concentrations were measured and the results subject to quantitative trait loci (QTL) and QTL × environment analysis.

There was a 66% higher plant N concentration in the high N treatment and DS increased significantly, mostly as a result of increased numbers of lesions. Nine regions contained QTL for disease traits but only one showed evidence of statistically significant QTL × treatment interaction. This was a large effect quantitative trait locus at marker R1933 on chromosome 12 which was less effective at high N.

Apparently, blast disease is increased by higher plant N, but the efficacy of partial resistance genes is not greatly affected by N application.
Stratification by cyanobacteria in lakes: a dynamic buoyancy model indicates size limitations met by Planktothrix rubescens filaments
Authors: Walsby Anthony E.
Published: October 2005

The ability of the Planktothrix rubescens to stratify in Lake Zürich is related to the size and shape of the cyanobacterial filaments.

Detailed measurements made in the lake are used in a dynamic computer model of buoyancy regulation to investigate the vertical movements of filaments tracking the depth at which the irradiance would support neutral buoyancy. The movement of the filament lags behind the constantly changing target depth owing to (a) the time taken for the filament to respond to the irradiance by changing its density and (b) the time it takes to move by sinking down or floating up through the water column.

The model simulates the stratification depth over a 5‐month period of the summer from the continuous measurements of irradiance and weekly measurements of light attenuation and temperature, without any further adjustment over the period. Models using filaments of the size observed in Lake Zürich explain several details of the observed depth changes: smaller planktonic cyanobacteria (e.g. Limnothrix sp.) are unable to migrate fast enough and larger ones (e.g. Anabaena spp.) will overshoot and become entrained in the epilimnion.

The model can be used to simulate recruitment of Planktothrix filaments from different depths after vernal stratification. Recruitment of filaments from depths down to 45 m will contribute to the metalimnetic population increase in early July.
Rhizosphere geometry and heterogeneity arising from root‐mediated physical and chemical processes
Authors: Hinsinger Philippe , Gobran George R. , Gregory Peter J. , Wenzel Walter W.
Published: October 2005

The rhizosphere differs from the bulk soil in a range of biochemical, chemical and physical processes that occur as a consequence of root growth, water and nutrient uptake, respiration and rhizodeposition. These processes also affect microbial ecology and plant physiology to a considerable extent. This review concentrates on two features of this unique environment: rhizosphere geometry and heterogeneity in both space and time. Although it is often depicted as a soil cylinder of a given radius around the root, drawing a boundary between the rhizosphere and bulk soil is an impossible task because rhizosphere processes result in gradients of different sizes. For instance, because of diffusional constraints, root uptake can result in a depletion zone extending <1 mm for phosphate to several centimetres for nitrate, while respiration may affect the bulk of the soil. Rhizosphere processes are responsible for spatial and temporal heterogeneities in the soil, although these are sometimes difficult to distinguish from intrinsic soil heterogeneity. A further complexity is that these processes are regulated by plants, microbial communities and soil constituents, and their many interactions. Novel in situ techniques and modelling will help in providing a holistic view of rhizosphere functioning, which is a prerequisite for its management and manipulation.
Chromosomal regions with quantitative trait loci controlling cadmium concentration in brown rice (Oryza sativa)
Authors: Ishikawa Satoru , Ae Noriharu , Yano Masahiro
Published: October 2005

A novel mapping population consisting of 39 chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) was used to locate the putative quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for cadmium (Cd) concentration in brown rice (Oryza sativa). The mapping population carried a single chromosome segment of ‘Kasalath’ (indica) in each line overlapping with neighbouring segments in a ‘Koshihikari’ (japonica) genetic background.

The parents and CSSLs were grown in pots filled with Cd‐polluted soil until grain filling. The brown rice of three of the 39 CSSLs had significantly lower Cd concentrations than that of Koshihikari, and the brown rice of a further three had significantly higher concentrations.

On the basis of graphical genotypes of CSSLs, putative QTLs controlling the Cd concentration in brown rice were detected on chromosomes 3, 6 and 8.

Each of the CSSLs was nearly isogenic to Koshihikari, which is the most popular rice cultivar in Japan: they carried > 90% of the Koshihikari genetic background. Therefore, the development of a new Koshihikari with less Cd concentration in brown rice would be feasible in the near future.
Evolution and maintenance of pollen‐colour dimorphisms in Nigella degenii: habitat‐correlated variation and morph‐by‐environment interactions
Authors: Jorgensen Tove Hedegaard , Andersson Stefan
Published: October 2005

Dimorphism in pollen colour is rare among flowering plants, but occurs in two geographically and morphologically distinct subspecies of Nigella degenii (Ranunculaceae). We evaluated the role of genotype‐by‐environment interactions in the maintenance of two pollen morphs within each of these subspecies.

Morph frequencies in a number of populations were related to current habitat conditions, and an extensive common‐garden experiment involving both optimal and stressful conditions (drought and nutrient deficiency) was carried out.

The putatively derived (dark) pollen morph of N. degenii ssp. barbro has a higher frequency on slopes facing north or east than on slopes facing south or west. Plants of the dark morph also have a higher mortality under drought stress or nutrient deficiency. Data available for N. degenii ssp. jenny provide little evidence for habitat‐correlated variation in morph frequency or morph‐specific differences in fitness under optimal and stressful growth conditions.

Our results suggest that morph‐by‐environment interactions in mortality could contribute to the maintenance of pollen‐colour dimorphisms in N. degenii ssp. barbro.
Noradrenaline overflow in mouse dentate gyrus following locus coeruleus and natural stimulation: real‐time monitoring by in vivo voltammetry
Authors: Yavich Leonid , Jäkälä Pekka , Tanila Heikki
Published: October 2005

The pattern of catecholaminergic innervation of the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus, particularly the relatively dense and selective noradrenergic input, creates favourable conditions for real‐time monitoring of noradrenaline (NA) release following stimulation of the locus coeruleus (LC) by in vivo voltammetry. Two electrochemically active species with different temporal characteristics were registered in the DG following electrical stimulation of the LC. Several approaches, including testing of anatomical and pharmacological specificity, coating of microelectrodes with Nafion and use of fast cyclic voltammetry, were used to verify the characteristics of electrochemical responses. The first sharp peak that appeared immediately during stimulation was definitely associated with NA overflow. The second late peak was possibly attributable to ascorbic acid. We examined the characteristics of α‐2 adrenoceptor regulation of NA release in the DG, and showed for the first time that noradrenergic terminals resemble dopaminergic terminals in their mechanisms of increasing the refilling rate of the readily releasable pool following stimulation repeated at short intervals. Amperometric registration of NA in the DG was complicated by interference with electrical activity of hippocampus. This interference could be used, after appropriate filtration, for simultaneous recording from the same microelectrode of NA release and electrical activity of the hippocampus.
The timing, duration and pattern of moult and its relationship to breeding in a population of the European Greenfinch Carduelis chloris
Authors: NEWTON I. , ROTHERY P.
Published: October 2005

Moult was studied in 1 year among Greenfinches trapped in a garden in east‐central England. Over the period June–December 2003, 333 captures of 179 individual adults provided information on breeding condition, moult, body weight, sex and age (yearling or older adult, equivalent to birds in their second or later calendar years, respectively). About 95% of all birds (sex and age groups combined) started primary feather moult from 2 July to 14 August, and finished from 10 October to 22 November. The mean date of moult onset in the population as a whole was 24 July. On average, males began 8 days before females, and yearlings began 6 days before older birds. The mean duration of moult was 100 days, whether the figure was calculated for the population as a whole or just for the 36 individual birds that were caught more than once during moult. However, moult rate was slightly slower, and moult duration slightly longer, in yearlings than in older adults of both sexes. No evidence was found for any systematic relationship between moult onset date and rate (duration). Breeding and moult overlapped by up to 5 weeks or more in individual birds, and some birds probably started to moult as early as the incubation stage of their last clutch of the season. The cloacal protuberance (taken as indicative of breeding condition) had regressed in all males by the time the fifth primary was shed, and the brood patch had regressed and re‐feathered in all females by the time the fourth primary was shed. The bulk of feather replacement in the secondary, tail and body tracts occurred in the second half of primary moult, and after cloacal protuberances and brood patches were completely regressed. In all birds examined near the end of primary moult the secondaries were still growing, and would have continued growth for up to another 19 days or more, extending the end of the moulting season into December. Body mass during moult was affected significantly by sex and age, as well as by time of day, amount of food in gullet, reproductive condition and date. No firm evidence emerged that body mass was affected by moult stage, after allowing for effects of date and other variables (although there was a non‐significant negative relationship between moult stage and body mass in males). In the population as a whole, the breeding season (from first egg‐laying to independence of last young) was spread over 21 weeks and moult over 24 weeks. With an overlap between the two events at the population level of up to 9 weeks, the two processes together took up to 36 weeks, some 69% of the year.
Seasonal changes in carotenoid‐ and melanin‐based plumage coloration in the Great TitParus major
Authors: FIGUEROLA JORDI , SENAR JOAN CARLES
Published: October 2005

Plumage coloration plays an important role as a signal of individual quality. We studied plumage coloration in two Great TitParus majorpopulations to test the hypothesis that coloration changes during the year without moult. As expected, the coloration of ‘yellow’ and ‘dark green’ areas in the breast and back changed with time but not the colour characteristics of the ‘black’ crown. This suggests that colours based on carotenoids could be more exposed to abrasion or fading than melanin‐derived colours, although other factors could affect the patterns of change found. Our results show that effects of colour alteration could be important to the understanding of the potential for reliable signalling of different colours. Seasonal changes in plumage colour should be considered in future analysis of intraspecific variation in coloration.
Non‐breeding behaviour of Magenta Petrels Pterodroma magentae at Chatham Island, New Zealand
Authors: IMBER M. J. , TAYLOR G. A. , TENNYSON A. J. D. , AIKMAN H. A. , SCOFIELD R. P. , BALLANTYNE J. , CROCKETT D. E.
Published: October 2005

Magenta Petrels Pterodroma magentae were caught at light‐attraction stations on southwest Chatham Island, New Zealand, and most were fitted with transmitters. Of 52 captured since 1993, 71% were males, and all 36 tracked adequately proved to be non‐breeders in the breeding season of capture. Our data indicated no sex bias in their probability of being captured at lights. Males provided 86% of trackings, and 87% of trackings of birds flying over the breeding area were males. Males landed 118 times; females 13 times. Only males were found on the ground, by night and day, apparently unassociated with burrows (three with and ten without transmitters), but subsequently digging burrows (n = 8). Of 19 birds banded as fledglings up to 2000, males were first recaptured nearing 4 years old (at lights and on the ground) and a female nearing 6 years old (in burrow). Among 37 fledglings, the sex ratio was even. Nine tracked males occupied burrows, as did two females, but the latter were older recaptures (10+ and 25+ years old). It appears that only males claimed existing, or dug new, burrows. They then attracted a mate to the burrow by means unknown, but from among females frequenting an inshore courtship area near the colony, or occasionally flying over the colony, at night. Females established in burrows, but then losing their mate, were able to re‐mate there, by calling from near the burrow or by attracting a mate in flight or from the postulated inshore courtship area. Both sexes sometimes took years to pair or re‐mate, possibly reflecting the dearth of available mates.
Phylogenetic affinities and inter‐island differentiation in the Vitelline Warbler Dendroica vitellina, a West Indian endemic
Authors: MARKLAND HELEN M. , LOVETTE IRBY J.
Published: October 2005

The Vitelline Warbler Dendroica vitellina is endemic to the Cayman Islands and Swan Islands in the West Indies. This study examined the phylogenetic affinities of the Vitelline Warbler and assessed mitochondrial differentiation among the three Cayman Island populations. Species‐level phylogenetic analyses based on 3639 nucleotides of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence were used to place the Vitelline Warbler in the larger Dendroica radiation. These analyses confirmed that the Vitelline Warbler is the sister taxon of the Prairie Warbler Dendroica discolor, a species that breeds in continental North America. The magnitude of mitochondrial differentiation between these sister taxa (2.4%) supports their current classification as separate taxonomic species. Additional comparisons based on the 1041‐nucleotide NDII gene sequence from 26 Vitelline Warblers provided evidence of within‐species genetic structure. NDII haplotypes from Grand Cayman vs. Cayman Brac/Little Cayman differed by 6–10 nucleotide substitutions, and no haplotypes were shared among these island groups, supporting the current separation of the Cayman Island populations into two subspecies. These patterns support the biogeographical scenario that the Vitelline Warbler was derived from a mainland population of the Prairie Warbler. This may have occurred due to a loss of migration in ancestral populations or from over‐water dispersal of a mainland resident population.
Sano di Pietro's Assunta polyptych for the Convent of Santa Petronilla in Siena
Authors: Norman Diana
Published: October 2005

Since its incorporation into Siena's first public art collection early in the nineteenth century, the provenance of Sano di Pietro's polyptych of The Virgin of the Assumption with Saints has been recognised as the Clarissan church of Santa Petronilla. To date, however, there has been very little comment as to the significance of the provenance of the altarpiece, particularly in relation to the choice of subject matter. This essay explores the complex history of this major Clarissan foundation in Siena, identifying its first location beyond Siena's principal northern gate of Porta Camollia and then describing its subsequent removal during the mid sixteenth century into the safety of the city itself and to the church where the altarpiece was discovered in 1810. Recognising that the presence of a Clarissan donor figure on the central painting of the polyptych provides plausible evidence that the altarpiece was commissioned for the original convent church, the essay further demonstrates how the circumstances of the foundation of Santa Petronilla in the second decade of the thirteenth century provide a key for the principal subject matter of the altarpiece. The remaining imagery of the altarpiece is then discussed in terms of its general relevance for a fifteenth‐century community of Clarissan nuns and for the particular devotional concerns of the nuns of Santa Petronilla. It is argued that this late fifteenth‐century Sienese altarpiece offers a revealing example of the way in which art commissioned by enclosed orders of female religious within Renaissance Italy could be closely related to their own concerns and priorities. (pp. 433–457)
Renaissance monuments to favourite sons
Authors: McHam Sarah Blake
Published: October 2005

This essay focuses on a previously unnoticed large group of public monuments that was erected at civic expense in fifteenth‐century Italy to honour Roman literary notables like Virgil, Ovid, Livy, Pliny the Elder, Pliny the Younger, Catullus and Virtruvius. All the memorials to Roman authors were civic commissions, prominently located in the public spaces of Italian Renaissance cities, either as freestanding statues in the main square, or installed on the exterior of the town hall, or even on the cathedral. Most of the sculptures were not of high artistic quality, or by famous sculptors, or in major centres of artistic production like Florence or Venice. Some never made it past the design stage. For all these reasons, they have not been integrated into the study of Renaissance art history. Consequently, art historians have not realised that some of these parochial monuments introduce important features associated with the Renaissance revival of ancient art that are usually ascribed to later, more famous sculptures. (pp. 458–486)
In praise of art: text and context of Leonardo's Paragone and its critique of the arts and sciences
Authors: Azzolini Monica
Published: October 2005

Leonardo da Vinci's Paragone is often taken as the first significant testimony of the newly acquired status of the Renaissance artist in society. It is not clear, however, how much input (if any) Leonardo had in its composition. It seems, in fact, that the work was largely compiled from Leonardo's notes by his pupil Francesco Melzi soon after his death. For this reason, a number of scholars have been reluctant to take it as fully representative of Leonardo's achievements and opinions. By looking at the relationship between the text and the extant originals, as well as the interrelations between medical concepts and Leonardo's anatomical studies around 1480–1485, this paper seeks to show that both the rhetorico‐dialectical argumentation of the Paragone and its contents reflect to a high degree Leonardo's interests and opinions at the time. In exploring the interconnections between rhetoric and medicine as they emerge in the Paragone, this paper argues that its rhetorical and dialogical modes of argumentation (particularly exempla, accumulation and syllogism) rest on medical and philosophical principles belonging both to a rhetorical and a medical tradition that were common currency in Milan during Leonardo's early sojourn in the city. (pp. 487–510)
Indices for assessment of hemodialysis adequacy: A comparison of different formulae
Authors: Arogundade Fatiu , Barsoum Rashad S
Published: October 2005

Of the various indices used in the assessment of dialysis adequacy, fractional urea clearance controlled for volume of distribution “Kt/V” remains the most widely used. Its determination is best performed by formal urea kinetic modeling (UKM), which is laborious and cumbersome, and the computational softwares are largely unavailable, particularly in developing countries. Consequently, different equations have been developed that approximate the formal UKM determination. Of the available formulae, that from second‐generation logarithmic equation have been found to approximate values derived from formal UKM closely. We set out to determine the clinical utility of percent reduction of urea and Kt/V formulae derived from it, using the logarithmic equation as the standard.
Antibody response to Engerix‐B® and Recombivax‐HB® hepatitis B vaccination in end‐stage renal disease
Authors: Lacson Eduardo , Teng Ming , Ong Janus , Vienneau Lori , Ofsthun Norma , Lazarus J Michael
Published: October 2005

Recombivax‐HB® (REC) and Engerix‐B® (ENG) are FDA‐approved vaccines for hepatitis B virus (HBV) in end‐stage renal disease (ESRD). This study compares antibody response rates between them in routine clinical practice. Patients completing the recommended 40 μg dose of REC (3 doses) or ENG (4 doses) between January 1, 2000 to April 30, 2003 were eligible. Patients with prior positive HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) or antibody (HBsAb) test results were excluded. The conversion rate and persistence of protective titer (HBsAb titer≥10 IU/mL) were tracked for 1 year. A supplemental analysis of a one‐to‐one matched patient sample was also performed. REC patients (N=885) were older, had longer dialysis vintage, and had a larger proportion of whites than ENG patients (N=13,661). Cumulative conversion response was greater in ENG (58%) than REC (40%) at 1 year (p<0.0001). The odds ratio for response to ENG compared with REC was 1.96 (95% limits: 1.56, 2.45; p<0.0001) adjusted for age, gender, race, diabetes, vintage, BSA, hemoglobin, and eKt/V. Persistent protective HBsAb after 1 year was 77% (ENG) vs. 53% (REC). HBsAg was positive in 208 ENG patients (1.5%) with all but 1 because of transient, vaccine‐related antigenemia. The difference in conversion response favoring ENG persisted in a one‐to‐one sample matched for age, gender, race, modality, and dialysis vintage. The study found higher seroconversion response to ENG compared with REC at several time points up to 1 year. Protective HBsAb disappeared in 23–47% of patients 1 year later, validating CDC recommendations to re‐test HBsAb yearly. The observed difference in response rates may be related to the extra ENG dose given at the second month (0, 1, 2, 6 regimen). The study raises a hypothesis that requires confirmation in a prospective clinical trial.
Intradialytic changes in reflective properties of the arterial system during a single hemodialysis session
Authors: Mardare Nicoleta‐Genoveva , Goldsmith David JA , Gusbeth‐Tatomir Paul , Covic Adrian
Published: October 2005

Increased aortic stiffness—measured as aortic augmentation index (AIx), a global stiffness marker—has emerged as a powerful predictor of survival in hemodialysis (HD). A single HD session is known to produce considerable improvement in aortic stiffness. We set out, for the first time, to examine the relative contributions to the post‐HD drastic improvement in aortic stiffness of ultrafiltration rate and volume, or blood pressure (BP) changes. Aortic AIx (difference between the first and the second systolic peak of the aortic pressure waveform divided by pulse wave height) was determined hourly and recorded by applanation tonometry using a SphygmoCor™ device in 20 chronic HD patients (9 males, age 55.1 years). The other parameters recorded were: weight pre‐ and post‐HD, ultrafiltration volume (UFV), hemoglobin, albumin, creatinine, urea reduction rate (URR), calcium and PTH, and BP. The dialysis significantly decreased AIx from 24.2±11.27% to 15.57±12.58% (p<0.05). In a univariate analysis, the intradialytic decrease in AIx (AIx 0–4) did not correlate with UFV, URR or with any of the biochemical markers. Significant correlations for AIx 0–4 were age (p=0.018), systolic blood pressure (SBP) at the beginning of HD (p=0.049), the intradialytic decrease in the SBP (p=0.001), and in pulse pressure (PP) (p=0.009). Multivariate stepwise regression showed that the decrease in SBP, PP, and intradialytic percentage reduction in weight explained 64.9% of the total variation in AIx 0–4. The decrease in SBP was the most important factor influencing the AIx variation (b=1.54, p=0.007). The most significant reduction in AIx was from the beginning of HD to the third hour (p=0.039), and correlated with the reduction in SBP (p=0.006) and PP (p=0.025) between the same moments. A single HD session produces a drastic improvement in aortic stiffness. The effect is not explained by the UFV depletion but is highly correlated with the decrease in SBP and PP. Further work is now needed to explore a potential role for endothelin and nitric oxide metabolism.
Automatic feedback control of relative blood volume changes during hemodialysis improves blood pressure stability during and after dialysis
Authors: Franssen Casper F M , Dasselaar Judith J , Sytsma Paulina , Burgerhof Johannes G M , de Jong Paul E , Huisman Roel M
Published: October 2005

Automatic feedback systems have been designed to control relative blood volume changes during hemodialysis (HD) as hypovolemia plays a major role in the development of dialysis hypotension. Of these systems, one is based on the concept of blood volume tracking (BVT). BVT has been shown to improve intra‐HD hemodynamic stability. We first questioned whether BVT also improves post‐HD blood pressure stability in hypotension‐prone patients and second, whether BVT is effective in reducing the post‐HD weight as many hypotension‐prone patients are overhydrated because of an inability to reach dry weight. After a 3‐week period on standard HD, 12 hypotension‐prone patients were treated with two consecutive BVT treatment protocols. During the first BVT period of 3 weeks, the post‐HD target weight was kept identical compared with the standard HD period (BVT‐constant weight; BVT‐cw). During the second BVT period of 6 weeks, we gradually tried to lower the post‐HD target weight (BVT‐reduced weight; BVT‐rw). In the last week of each period, we studied intra‐HD and 24 hr post‐HD blood pressure behavior by ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM). Pre‐ and post‐HD weight did not differ between standard HD and either BVT‐cw or BVT‐rw. Heart size on a standing pre‐dialysis chest X‐ray did not change significantly throughout the study. There were less episodes of dialysis hypotension during BVT compared with standard HD (both BVT periods: p<0.01). ABPM data were complete in 10 patients. During the first 16 hr post‐HD, systolic blood pressure was significantly higher with BVT in comparison with standard HD (both BVT periods: p<0.05). The use of BVT in hypotension‐prone patients is associated with higher systolic blood pressures for as long as 16 hr post‐HD. BVT was not effective in reducing the post‐HD target weight in this patient group.
SCID‐repopulating activity of human umbilical cord blood–derived hematopoietic stem and/or progenitor cells in a nonobese diabetic/Shi‐SCID mice serial xenotransplantation model and immune cell activities in vitro: a comparative study of the filter method and the hydroxyethyl starch method
Authors: Yasutake Mikitomo , Zheng Yizhou , Inoue‐Nagamura Tokiko , Akagawa Eiji , Tokushima Yasuo , Terashima Shuji , Takahashi Tsuneo A.
Published: October 2005

BACKGROUND: A novel filter system was developed for umbilical cord blood (UCB) volume reduction. The aim of this study was to compare the functions of cryopreserved UCB cells processed by the filter and by the hydroxyethyl starch (HES) sedimentation method from the aspect of the graft quality.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: UCB specimens were divided into two portions, processed in parallel by the filter or HES, and then cryopreserved in the clinical setting. The thawed UCB specimens containing 1 × 105 CD34+ cells were injected into nonobese diabetic/Shi‐SCID mice, and the engraftment capacity in primary and secondary transplants was assessed. The functions of natural killer (NK) cells and monocyte‐derived dendritic cells (DCs) were also assayed in vitro.

RESULTS: The percentage of recovery of CD34+ cells by both methods was equivalent. In the marrow of the primary transplant recipients, the percentage of hCD45+ cells in the filter group and HES group was 58.2 ± 31.6 and 46.5 ± 28.4 percent, respectively (p = 0.016). The engraftment capacity and multilineage differentiation in the secondary transplantations were equal in both groups. The cytotoxic activity of the NK cells and phagocytosis activity of the DCs from both the groups were similar.

CONCLUSION: The filter yielded a desirable percentage of recovery of hematopoietic cells with engraftment ability in the clinical setting. Thus, it is considered that the filter system may be useful for UCB banking for cord blood transplantation.