bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Osmoprotective Transcription Factor NFAT5/TonEBP Modulates Nuclear Factor-κB Activity
Authors: Roth Isabelle , Leroy Valérie , Kwon H. Moo , Martin Pierre-Yves , Féraille Eric , Hasler Udo
Published: August 2010

Tonicity-responsive binding-protein (TonEBP or NFAT5) is a widely expressed transcription factor whose activity is regulated by extracellular tonicity. TonEBP plays a key role in osmoprotection by binding to osmotic response element/TonE elements of genes that counteract the deleterious effects of cell shrinkage. Here, we show that in addition to this “classical” stimulation, TonEBP protects cells against hypertonicity by enhancing nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activity. We show that hypertonicity enhances NF-κB stimulation by lipopolysaccharide but not tumor necrosis factor-α, and we demonstrate overlapping protein kinase B (Akt)-dependent signal transduction pathways elicited by hypertonicity and transforming growth factor-α. Activation of p38 kinase by hypertonicity and downstream activation of Akt play key roles in TonEBP activity, IκBα degradation, and p65 nuclear translocation. TonEBP affects neither of these latter events and is itself insensitive to NF-κB signaling. Rather, we reveal a tonicity-dependent interaction between TonEBP and p65 and show that NF-κB activity is considerably enhanced after binding of NF-κB-TonEBP complexes to κB elements of NF-κB–responsive genes. We demonstrate the key roles of TonEBP and Akt in renal collecting duct epithelial cells and in macrophages. These findings reveal a novel role for TonEBP and Akt in NF-κB activation on the onset of hypertonic challenge.
DMDM: domain mapping of disease mutations
Authors: Peterson Thomas A. , Adadey Asa , Santana-Cruz Ivette , Sun Yanan , Winder Andrew , Kann Maricel G.
Published: August 2010

Summary: Domain mapping of disease mutations (DMDM) is a database in which each disease mutation can be displayed by its gene, protein or domain location. DMDM provides a unique domain-level view where all human coding mutations are mapped on the protein domain. To build DMDM, all human proteins were aligned to a database of conserved protein domains using a Hidden Markov Model-based sequence alignment tool (HMMer). The resulting protein-domain alignments were used to provide a domain location for all available human disease mutations and polymorphisms. The number of disease mutations and polymorphisms in each domain position are displayed alongside other relevant functional information (e.g. the binding and catalytic activity of the site and the conservation of that domain location). DMDM's protein domain view highlights molecular relationships among mutations from different diseases that might not be clearly observed with traditional gene-centric visualization tools.

Availability: Freely available at http://bioinf.umbc.edu/dmdm

Contact:  mkann@umbc.edu
Using catch rate data for simple cost-effective quota setting in the Australian spanner crab (Ranina ranina) fishery
Authors: O'Neill Michael F. , Campbell Alexander B. , Brown Ian W. , Johnstone Ron
Published: August 2010

O'Neill, M. F., Campbell, A. B., Brown, I. W., and Johnstone, R. 2010. Using catch rate data for simple cost-effective quota setting in the Australian spanner crab (Ranina ranina) fishery. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 1538–1552. For many fisheries, there is a need to develop appropriate indicators, methodologies, and rules for sustainably harvesting marine resources. Complexities of scientific and financial factors often prevent addressing these, but new methodologies offer significant improvements on current and historical approaches. The Australian spanner crab fishery is used to demonstrate this. Between 1999 and 2006, an empirical management procedure using linear regression of fishery catch rates was used to set the annual total allowable catch (quota). A 6-year increasing trend in catch rates revealed shortcomings in the methodology, with a 68% increase in quota calculated for the 2007 fishing year. This large quota increase was prevented by management decision rules. A revised empirical management procedure was developed subsequently, and it achieved a better balance between responsiveness and stability. Simulations identified precautionary harvest and catch rate baselines to set quotas that ensured sustainable crab biomass and favourable performance for management and industry. The management procedure was simple to follow, cost-effective, robust to strong trends and changes in catch rates, and adaptable for use in many fisheries. Application of such “tried-and-tested” empirical systems will allow improved management of both data-limited and data-rich fisheries.
Nurseries, spawning grounds and recruitment of Octopus vulgaris in the Strait of Sicily, central Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Garofalo Germana , Ceriola Luca , Gristina Michele , Fiorentino Fabio , Pace Roberta
Published: August 2010

Garofalo, G., Ceriola, L., Gristina, M., Fiorentino, F., and Pace, R. 2010. Nurseries, spawning grounds and recruitment of Octopus vulgaris in the Strait of Sicily, central Mediterranean Sea. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 1363–1371. The presence of nursery and spawning grounds and the relationship between sea surface temperature (SST) and the abundance of juvenile O. vulgaris in the Strait of Sicily, central Mediterranean, are investigated using fishery-independent data (trawl surveys, 1994–2008). Annual distributions were generated for mature animals and juveniles for spring/summer (the peak spawning season) and autumn (peak recruitment) using an inverse distance weighted deterministic interpolation. Based on the persistence of abundant recruits and mature animals, respectively, nursery and spawning grounds were identified. The correlation between annual recruitment and SST during hatching and recruitment was also investigated. Concentrations of juveniles (nurseries) were located off the southwest coast of Sicily and in the central Strait of Sicily, including south of Lampedusa on the African shelf, but just one consistent concentration of mature animals (spawning grounds) was found in the northwestern part of the Strait. There was a significant positive correlation between recruitment and SST. Results are discussed in the light of environmental parameters, and a hypothesis on possible stock units in the area was developed. The direct and indirect effects of SST variation on the recruitment process were also examined.
Methyl Esterase 1 (StMES1) Is Required for Systemic Acquired Resistance in Potato
Authors: Manosalva Patricia M. , Park Sang-Wook , Forouhar Farhad , Tong Liang , Fry William E. , Klessig Daniel F.
Published: August 2010

Whether salicylic acid (SA) plays a role in systemic acquired resistance (SAR) signaling in potato is currently unclear because potato, unlike tobacco and Arabidopsis, contains highly elevated levels of endogenous SA. Recent studies have indicated that the SA derivative methyl salicylate (MeSA) serves as a long-distance phloem-mobile SAR signal in tobacco and Arabidopsis. Once in the distal, uninfected tissue of these plant species, MeSA must be converted into biologically active SA by the esterase activity of SA-binding protein 2 (SABP2) in tobacco or members of the AtMES family in Arabidopsis. In this study, we have identified the potato ortholog of tobacco SABP2 (StMES1) and shown that the recombinant protein converts MeSA to SA; this MeSA esterase activity is feedback inhibited by SA or its synthetic analog, 2, 2, 2, 2′-tetra-fluoroacetophenone (tetraFA). Potato plants (cv. Désirée) in which StMES1 activity was suppressed, due to either tetraFA treatment or silencing of StMES1 expression, were compromised for arachidonic acid (AA)-induced SAR development against Phytophthora infestans. Presumably due to the inability of these plants to convert MeSA to SA, the SAR-defective phenotype correlated with elevated levels of MeSA and reduced expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes in the untreated distal tissue. Together, these results strongly suggest that SAR signaling in potato requires StMES1, its corresponding MeSA esterase activity, and MeSA. Furthermore, the similarities between SAR signaling in potato, tobacco, and Arabidopsis suggest that at least certain SAR signaling components are conserved among plants, regardless of endogenous SA levels.
A Competitive Index Assay Identifies Several Ralstonia solanacearum Type III Effector Mutant Strains with Reduced Fitness in Host Plants
Authors: Macho Alberto P. , Guidot Alice , Barberis Patrick , Beuzón Carmen R. , Genin Stéphane
Published: August 2010

Ralstonia solanacearum, the causal agent of bacterial wilt, is a soil bacterium which can naturally infect a wide range of host plants through the root system. Pathogenicity relies on a type III secretion system which delivers a large set of approximately 75 type III effectors (T3E) into plant cells. On several plants, pathogenicity assays based on quantification of wilting symptoms failed to detect a significant contribution of R. solanacearum T3E in this process, thus revealing the collective effect of T3E in pathogenesis. We developed a mixed infection-based method with R. solanacearum to monitor bacterial fitness in plant leaf tissues as a virulence assay. This accurate and sensitive assay provides evidence that growth defects can be detected for T3E mutants: we identified 12 genes contributing to bacterial fitness in eggplant leaves and 3 of them were also implicated in bacterial fitness on two other hosts, tomato and bean. Contribution to fitness of several T3E appears to be host specific, and we show that some known avirulence determinants such as popP2 or avrA do provide competitive advantages on some susceptible host plants. In addition, this assay revealed that the efe gene, which directs the production of ethylene by bacteria in plant tissues, and hdfB, involved in the biosynthesis of the secondary metabolite 3-hydroxy-oxindole, are also required for optimal growth in plant leaf tissues.
Diversity, Distribution, and Evolution of Solanum bulbocastanum Late Blight Resistance Genes
Authors: Lokossou Anoma A. , Rietman Hendrik , Wang Miqia , Krenek Pavel , van der Schoot Hanneke , Henken Betty , Hoekstra Roel , Vleeshouwers Vivianne G. A. A. , van der Vossen Edwin A. G. , Visser Richard G. F. , Jacobsen Evert , Vosman Ben
Published: August 2010

Knowledge on the evolution and distribution of late blight resistance genes is important for a better understanding of the dynamics of these genes in nature. We analyzed the presence and allelic diversity of the late blight resistance genes Rpi-blb1, Rpi-blb2, and Rpi-blb3, originating from Solanum bulbocastanum, in a set of tuber-bearing Solanum species comprising 196 different taxa. The three genes were only present in some Mexican diploid as well as polyploid species closely related to S. bulbocastanum. Sequence analysis of the fragments obtained from the Rpi-blb1 and Rpi-blb3 genes suggests an evolution through recombinations and point mutations. For Rpi-blb2, only sequences identical to the cloned gene were found in S. bulbocastanum accessions, suggesting that it has emerged recently. The three resistance genes occurred in different combinations and frequencies in S. bulbocastanum accessions and their spread is confined to Central America. A selected set of genotypes was tested for their response to the avirulence effectors IPIO-2, Avr-blb2, and Pi-Avr2, which interact with Rpi-blb1, Rpi-blb2, and Rpi-blb3, respectively, as well as by disease assays with a diverse set of isolates. Using this approach, some accessions could be identified that contain novel, as yet unknown, late blight resistance factors in addition to the Rpi-blb1, Rpi-blb2, and Rpi-blb3 genes.
A soft-bodied lophophorate from the Silurian of England
Authors: Sutton M. D. , Briggs D. E. G. , Siveter David J. , Siveter Derek J.
Published: August 2010

Soft-bodied taxa comprise an important component of the extant lophophorate fauna, but convincing fossils of soft-bodied lophophorates are extremely rare. A small fossil lophophorate, attached to a brachiopod dorsal valve, is described from the Silurian (Wenlock Series) Herefordshire Lagerstätte of England. This unmineralized organism was bilaterally symmetrical and comprised a subconical body attached basally to the host and partially enclosed by a broad ‘hood’; the body bore a small, coiled lophophore. Where the hood attached laterally, there is a series of transverse ridges and furrows. The affinities of this organism probably lie with Brachiopoda; the hood is interpreted as the homologue of a dorsal valve/mantle lobe, and the attachment as the homologue of the ventral valve and/or pedicle. The ridges are arranged in a manner that suggests constructional serial repetition, indicating that they are unlikely to represent mantle canals. Extant brachiopods are not serially structured, but morphological and molecular evidence suggests that their ancestors were. The new organism may belong to the brachiopod stem group, and might also represent a significant element of the Palaeozoic lophophorate fauna.
Reproductive competition and the evolution of extreme birth synchrony in a cooperative mammal
Authors: Hodge S. J. , Bell M. B. V. , Cant M. A.
Published: August 2010

Reproductive events in animal societies often show a high degree of temporal clustering, but the evolutionary causes of this synchronization are poorly understood. Here, we suggest that selection to avoid the negative effects of competition with other females has given rise to a remarkable degree of birth synchrony in the communal-breeding banded mongoose (
Mungos mungo
). Within banded mongoose groups, births are highly synchronous, with 64 per cent of females giving birth on exactly the same night. Our results indicate that this extreme synchrony arises because offspring suffer an increased risk of infanticide if their mother gives birth before other females, but suffer in competition with older littermates if their mother gives birth after them. These findings highlight the important influence that reproductive competition can have for the evolution of reproductive synchrony.
Social olfaction in marine mammals: wild female Australian sea lions can identify their pup's scent
Authors: Pitcher Benjamin J. , Harcourt Robert G. , Schaal Benoist , Charrier Isabelle
Published: August 2010

Historically, anatomical evidence has suggested that marine mammals are anosmic or at best microsmatic, i.e. absent or reduced olfactory capabilities. However, these neuroanatomical considerations may not be appropriate predictors for the use of olfaction in social interactions. Observations suggest that pinnipeds may use olfaction in mother–pup interactions, accepting or rejecting pups after naso-nasal contact. Such maternal–offspring recognition is a favourable area for investigating the involvement of odours in social recognition and selectivity, as females are evolutionarily constrained to direct resources to filial young. However, there is no experimental, morphological or chemical evidence to date for the use of olfaction in social contexts and for individual odour recognition abilities in pinnipeds. Here, we report unequivocal evidence that Australian sea lion (
Neophoca cinerea
) females can differentiate between the odour of their own pup and that of another, in the absence of any other distinguishing cues. This study demonstrates individual olfactory recognition in a free-ranging wild mammal and is clear evidence of the social function of olfaction in a marine mammal.
Anisotropic spin system, quantized Dirac monopole and the Berry phase
Authors: Bandyopadhyay P.
Published: August 2010

The Berry phase, acquired by an anisotropic spin system with spinJ≥1 when it is adiabatically rotated in a closed circuit, is considered to be associated with a non-quantized Dirac monopole, and has a geometrical as well as a topological component owing to the Dirac string. Here, it is argued that the Berry phase of a spin state withJ≥1 can be associated with a quantized Dirac monopole when the corresponding spin is taken to be an entangled state of a composite system of 1/2 spins. Evidently, this avoids the contribution of the Dirac string, and the Berry phase is purely geometrical in nature.
Solutions to Eshelby’s problems of non-elliptical thermal inclusions and cylindrical elastic inclusions of non-elliptical cross section
Authors: Zou W.-N. , Zheng Q.-S. , He Q.-C.
Published: August 2010

Eshelby’s inclusion problem is solved for non-elliptical inclusions in the context of two-dimensional thermal conduction and for cylindrical inclusions of non-elliptical cross section within the framework of generalized plane elasticity. First, we consider a two-dimensional infinite isotropic or anisotropic homogeneous medium with a non-elliptical inclusion subjected to a prescribed uniform heat flux-free temperature gradient. Eshelby’s conduction tensor field and its area average are first expressed compactly in terms of two boundary integrals avoiding the usual singularity and then specified analytically for arbitrary polygonal inclusions and for inclusions characterized by the finite Laurent series. Next, we are interested in a three-dimensional infinite isotropic or transversely isotropic homogeneous medium with a cylindrical inclusion of a non-elliptical cross section that undergoes uniform generalized plane eigenstrains. The solution to this problem is obtained by decomposing a generalized plane eigenstrain tensor into a plane strain part and an anti-plane strain part, exploiting the mathematical similarity between two-dimensional thermal conduction and anti-plane elasticity, and combining the relevant results of Zou
et al.
(Zou
et al.
2010
J. Mech. Phys. Solids
58
, 346–372. (
doi:10.1016/j.jmps.2009.11.008
)) with those derived in the present work for Eshelby’s conduction tensor field and its area average.
An integrative and functional framework for the study of animal emotion and mood
Authors: Mendl Michael , Burman Oliver H. P. , Paul Elizabeth S.
Published: August 2010

A better understanding of animal emotion is an important goal in disciplines ranging from neuroscience to animal welfare science. The conscious experience of emotion cannot be assessed directly, but neural, behavioural and physiological indicators of emotion can be measured. Researchers have used these measures to characterize how animals respond to situations assumed to induce discrete emotional states (e.g. fear). While advancing our understanding of specific emotions, thisdiscrete emotion approachlacks an overarching framework that can incorporate and integrate the wide range of possible emotional states.Dimensional approachesthat conceptualize emotions in terms of universal core affective characteristics (e.g. valence (positivity versus negativity) and arousal) can provide such a framework. Here, we bring together discrete and dimensional approaches to: (i) offer a structure for integrating different discrete emotions that provides a functional perspective on the adaptive value of emotional states, (ii) suggest how long-term mood states arise from short-term discrete emotions, how they also influence these discrete emotions through a bi-directional relationship and how they may function to guide decision-making, and (iii) generate novel hypothesis-driven measures of animal emotion and mood.
Rapid evolution of cold tolerance in stickleback
Authors: Barrett Rowan D. H. , Paccard Antoine , Healy Timothy M. , Bergek Sara , Schulte Patricia M. , Schluter Dolph , Rogers Sean M.
Published: August 2010

Climate change is predicted to lead to increased average temperatures and greater intensity and frequency of high and low temperature extremes, but the evolutionary consequences for biological communities are not well understood. Studies of adaptive evolution of temperature tolerance have typically involved correlative analyses of natural populations or artificial selection experiments in the laboratory. Field experiments are required to provide estimates of the timing and strength of natural selection, enhance understanding of the genetics of adaptation and yield insights into the mechanisms driving evolutionary change. Here, we report the experimental evolution of cold tolerance in natural populations of threespine stickleback fish (
Gasterosteus aculeatus
). We show that freshwater sticklebacks are able to tolerate lower minimum temperatures than marine sticklebacks and that this difference is heritable. We transplanted marine sticklebacks to freshwater ponds and measured the rate of evolution after three generations in this environment. Cold tolerance evolved at a rate of 0.63
haldanes
to a value 2.5°C lower than that of the ancestral population, matching values found in wild freshwater populations. Our results suggest that cold tolerance is under strong selection and that marine sticklebacks carry sufficient genetic variation to adapt to changes in temperature over remarkably short time scales.
Competition limits adaptation and productivity in a photosynthetic alga at elevated CO
2
Authors: Collins Sinéad
Published: August 2010

When competitive exclusion between lineages and genetic adaptation within lineages occur on the same timescale, the two processes have the potential to interact. I use experimental microbial evolution where strains of a photosynthetic microbe that differ in their physiological response to CO
2
enrichment are grown either alone or in communities for hundreds of generations under CO
2
enrichment. After about 300 generations of growth, strains that experienced competition while adapting to environmental change are both less productive and less fit than corresponding strains that adapted to that same environmental change in the absence of competitors. In addition, I find that excluding competitors not only limits that strain's adaptive response to abiotic change, but also decreases community productivity; I quantify this effect using the Price equation. Finally, these data allow me to empirically test the common hypothesis that phytoplankton that are most able to take advantage of carbon enrichment in single-strain populations over the short term will increase in frequency within multi-strain communities over longer timescales.
Limits to the evolution of assortative mating by female choice under restricted gene flow
Authors: Servedio Maria R.
Published: August 2010

The evolution of assortative mating is a key component of the process of speciation with gene flow. Several recent theoretical studies have pointed out, however, that sexual selection which can result from assortative mating may cause it to plateau at an intermediate level; this is primarily owing to search costs of individuals with extreme phenotypes and to assortative preferences developed by individuals with intermediate phenotypes. I explore the limitations of assortative mating further by analysing a simple model in which these factors have been removed. Specifically, I use a haploid two-population model to ask whether the existence of assortative mating is sufficient to drive the further evolution of assortative mating. I find that a weakening in the effective strength of sexual selection with strong assortment leads to the existence of both a peak level of trait differentiation and the evolution of an intermediate level of assortative mating that will cause that peak. This result is robust to the inclusion of local adaptation and different genetic architecture of the trait. The results imply the existence of fundamental limits to the evolution of assortment via sexual selection in this situation, with which other factors, such as search costs, may interact.
Antagonistic coevolution with parasites maintains host genetic diversity: an experimental test
Authors: Bérénos Camillo , Wegner K. Mathias , Schmid-Hempel Paul
Published: August 2010

Genetic variation in natural populations is a prime prerequisite allowing populations to respond to selection, but is under constant threat from forces that tend to reduce it, such as genetic drift and many types of selection. Haldane emphasized the potential importance of parasites as a driving force of genetic diversity. His theory has been taken for granted ever since, but despite numerous studies showing correlations between genetic diversity and parasitism, Haldane's hypothesis has rarely been tested experimentally for unambiguous support. We experimentally staged antagonistic coevolution between the host
Tribolium castaneum
and its natural microsporidian parasite,
Nosema whitei
, to test for the relative importance of two separate evolutionary forces (drift and parasite-induced selection) on the maintenance of genetic variation. Our results demonstrate that coevolution with parasites indeed counteracts drift as coevolving populations had significantly higher levels of heterozygosity and allelic diversity. Genetic drift remained a strong force, strongly reducing genetic variation and increasing genetic differentiation in small populations. To our surprise, differentiation between the evolving populations was smaller when they coevolved with parasites, suggesting parallel balancing selection. Hence, our results experimentally vindicate Haldane's original hypothesis 60 years after its conception.
Population admixture, biological invasions and the balance between local adaptation and inbreeding depression
Authors: Verhoeven Koen J. F. , Macel Mirka , Wolfe Lorne M. , Biere Arjen
Published: August 2010

When previously isolated populations meet and mix, the resulting admixed population can benefit from several genetic advantages, including increased genetic variation, the creation of novel genotypes and the masking of deleterious mutations. These admixture benefits are thought to play an important role in biological invasions. In contrast, populations in their native range often remain differentiated and frequently suffer from inbreeding depression owing to isolation. While the advantages of admixture are evident for introduced populations that experienced recent bottlenecks or that face novel selection pressures, it is less obvious why native range populations do not similarly benefit from admixture. Here we argue that a temporary loss of local adaptation in recent invaders fundamentally alters the fitness consequences of admixture. In native populations, selection against dilution of the locally adapted gene pool inhibits unconstrained admixture and reinforces population isolation, with some level of inbreeding depression as an expected consequence. We show that admixture is selected against despite significant inbreeding depression because the benefits of local adaptation are greater than the cost of inbreeding. In contrast, introduced populations that have not yet established a pattern of local adaptation can freely reap the benefits of admixture. There can be strong selection for admixture because it instantly lifts the inbreeding depression that had built up in isolated parental populations. Recent work in
Silene
suggests that reduced inbreeding depression associated with post-introduction admixture may contribute to enhanced fitness of invasive populations. We hypothesize that in locally adapted populations, the benefits of local adaptation are balanced against an inbreeding cost that could develop in part owing to the isolating effect of local adaptation itself. The inbreeding cost can be revealed in admixing populations during recent invasions.
Phenotypic evolution of dispersal-enhancing traits in insular voles
Authors: Forsman Anders , Merilä Juha , Ebenhard Torbjörn
Published: August 2010

Evolutionary theory predicts that in metapopulations subject to rapid extinction–recolonization dynamics, natural selection should favour evolution of traits that enhance dispersal and recolonization ability. Metapopulations of field voles (Microtus agrestis) on islands in the Stockholm archipelago, Sweden, are characterized by frequent local extinction and recolonization of subpopulations. Here, we show that voles on the islands were larger and had longer feet than expected for their body size, compared with voles from the mainland; that body size and size-specific foot length increased with increasing geographical isolation and distance from mainland; and that the differences in body size and size-specific foot length were genetically based. These findings provide rare evidence for relatively recent (less than 1000 years) and rapid (corresponding to 100–250 darwins) evolution of traits facilitating dispersal and recolonization in island metapopulations.
Warming reduces metabolic rate in marine snails: adaptation to fluctuating high temperatures challenges the metabolic theory of ecology
Authors: Marshall David J. , McQuaid Christopher D.
Published: August 2010

The universal temperature-dependence model (UTD) of the metabolic theory of ecology (MTE) proposes that temperature controls mass-scaled, whole-animal resting metabolic rate according to the first principles of physics (Boltzmann kinetics). Controversy surrounds the model's implication of a mechanistic basis for metabolism that excludes the effects of adaptive regulation, and it is unclear how this would apply to organisms that live in fringe environments and typically show considerable metabolic adaptation. We explored thermal scaling of metabolism in a rocky-shore eulittoral-fringe snail (Echinolittorina malaccana) that experiences constrained energy gain and fluctuating high temperatures (between 25°C and approximately 50°C) during prolonged emersion (weeks). In contrast to the prediction of the UTD model, metabolic rate was often negatively related to temperature over a benign range (30–40°C), the relationship depending on (i) the temperature range, (ii) the degree of metabolic depression (related to the quiescent period), and (iii) whether snails were isolated within their shells. Apparent activation energies (E) varied between 0.05 and −0.43 eV, deviating excessively from the UTD's predicted range of between 0.6 and 0.7 eV. The lowering of metabolism when heated should improve energy conservation in a high-temperature environment and challenges both the theory's generality and its mechanistic basis.
Acute toxic effects of 8‐epidiosbulbin E, a 19‐norclerodane diterpene from yam Dioscorea antaly, on medaka Oryzias latipes embryos
Authors: Rakotobe L. , Mezhoud K. , Berkal M. , Djediat C. , Jeannoda V. , Bodo B. , Puiseux‐Dao S. , Mambu L. , Edery M.
Published: August 2010

The fractionation of an aqueous extract of yam Dioscorea antaly from Madagascar led to the isolation of terpenoids and flavonoids. Compounds were identified on the basis of modern mass spectrometry and two‐dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D‐NMR). Toxicological effects of the most abundant isolated compound, 8‐epidiosbulbin E were studied on medaka Oryzias latipes embryo‐larval development. The lethal concentration (killing 50%; LC50) to embryos treated 24 h before hatching and for 3 days after hatching was estimated to be 0·56 mg ml−1 (P< 0·05). No mortality was observed with O. latipes larvae exposed after hatching until day 4. Anatomo‐pathological studies of embryos exposed to 0·56 mg ml−1 showed development anomalies of the central nervous system, liver, muscle and intestine. The present data thus extend the model of O. latipes embryos as a useful animal model to analyse the effects of food toxins.
For adults only?:Confronting the implications of AIDS for children and young people
Authors: RUSSELL PHILIPPA
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. Over the past year, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has gripped the public imagination and challenged both individuals and the ‘caring’ professions in terms of prevention and treatment. This article addresses some specific issues relating to children and our need to perceive AIDS as a legitimate concern for child health, education and social services in partnership with the voluntary sector and individual families. The author looks at caring for children with AIDS, the implications for those agencies and families and the need for accurate and honest health education for children
AIDS: health education in schools:The role of the community child health services
Authors: TANDY ANDREW , BAX MARTIN
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. Health education is seen as the only effective method of combating the spread of AIDS, until an adequate immunisation procedure is discovered. The use of both information and education within schools is discussed, particularly emphasising the need for schools and the community child health services to work closely together. The article represents the views of the authors and is not an official document
Services for emotionally disturbed children and their families: a personal view
Authors: STONE FREDERICK H.
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. The invitation to contribute to Children & Society coincided with the writer's official retirement from child psychiatric practice. The development of services, clinical, training, teaching, and research has been an ever present challenge throughout. With just enough sense of ‘distance’ to aspire to a feeling of perspective, but not jet too remote from the scene, the author sets out a personal view of the services for emotionally disturbed children and their families. While progress is painfully slow he concludes that there is sufficient goodwill to achieve some real improvements.
Clinical psychology and child sexual abuse after Cleveland
Authors: BACON HEATHER
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. This paper details some of the unresolved issues for clinical psychologists following the Cleveland crisis and Inquiry. The author argues that psychological expertise can he employed in both the investigative and treatment stages, and in the general evaluation oj the child, particularly henefitting children who present without an initial disclosure, where specialist interviewing techniques can clarify what may have happened. The clinical approach should be developed to meet evidential requirements, useful to both court and child. ‘This requires subjecting their work to scrutiny and crossing professional boundaries to help sexually abused children who may represent a hitherto unrecognised but significant proportion of psychologists’ caseloads
The medical implications of Cleveland
Authors: MILES MARION
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. This article sets the ‘discovery’ of child sexual abuse in context and reviews the key issues for doctors now that the Inquiry Report has been published. In particular the author focuses on the controversy over diagnosis and ‘screening’ Not only is there a need for clarity on these issues, but also a need to restore basic trust between doctors, parents and children. She also urges development of multi‐disciplinary training and working and explores the proposed ‘special assessment teams’, hut concludes that resources will he a major constraint
Mediation in disputes over children: learning from experience
Authors: DAVIS GWYNN , ROBERTS MARIAN
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. One of the most powerful influences upon the practice of conciliation services is the mediators' wish to promote ‘access’ between children and the non‐custodial parent. The authors describe how practitioners at the Bromley Conciliation Bureau learned to qualify their enthusiasm for this objective
A new covenant with adolescents in crisis
Authors: KKIMBLECOMRE FREDERIC , HOGHUGHI MASUD , TKIPP JOHN
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. In this paper two sets of practitioners with concern for two different types of adolescents have come to similar conclusions about the need for a new covenant. It is suggested that this ought to be a matter for public debate, since the authors believe that other professionals, voluntary workers and parents dealing with many other aspects of adolescents' lives, will identify with the issues raised and some of the suggestions made; in particular, that there is a need for a new covenant with young people.
A joy or a hassle: child health care in a multi‐ethnic society
Authors: MAYALL BERRY
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. This paper draws on data from a qualitative study carried out of 33 households and 28 health visitors to explore mothers' perspectives on childcare. The sample of mothers reflects the multi‐ethnic character of the inner London area they live in. The paper explores the extent to which these women, from a wide range of backgrounds, shared common priorities, concerns and perspectives on childcare and childhood; and examines differences between groups of women and factors associated with patterns of difference. It concludes with the challenge this sample of women presents to social attitudes, policies and practices in the UK
Child witnesses in criminal courts
Authors: FLIN RHONA
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. Children attend criminal courts to give evidence both as victims and as bystander witnesses. It is widely accepted that this can be a very stressful experience for children, particularly for those who have been victimised. Before effective reforms can be introduced, it is necessary to identify the principal sources of stress and the possible results of this anxiety on the quality of the child's evidence and on their emotional wellbeing. This article reviews the latest psychological research into the causes and effects of stress on child witnesses taking in evidence from studies in a number of countries, ft is based on recent work by Spencer and Flin (1990)
The role of physical contact in childcare
Authors: WARD ADRIAN
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. There is a risk that recent concern over child sexual abuse will inhibit those working with children from having appropriate physical contact with the children. The author discusses the importance of touch in children's experience, outlines some dilemmas facing the childcare worker, and suggests a number of specific and general ways in which workers may resolve these difficulties, with special reference to residential childcare
False allegations in child sexual abuse: the pattern of referral in an area where reporting is not mandatory
Authors: ANTHONY GRAHAM , WATKEYS JANE
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. This retrospective study considers all referrals received by child health, social services and police of suspected child sexual abuse between the years 1986–1989, within South Glamorgan, Some 410 children were referred and of these 197 were found to have been abused. Of those cases where abuse was not proven, only 63 were judged to be due to false allegations, some of which were considered |malicious. This pattern, of approximately half of referrals being unsubstantiated, is similar to that reported from the United States, where reporting is mandatory. The criteria for diagnosis, and the identifying and presenting features surrounding possible explanations of false allegations are discussed.
Deprivation and Child Abuse: Implications for Strategic Planning in Children's Services
Authors: Baldwin Norma , Spencer Nick
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. The paper reviews the association between material deprivation and child abuse and considers the implications of the association for preventive strategies. The authors conclude that community‐wide strategies aimed at supporting all child carers are more likely to succeed in preventing child abuse than those based on identification of high risk' groups. Common elements of successful community‐wide strategies are presented as are the implications for child protection policy making.
The Psychological Effects of Traumas on Children
Authors: Stallard Paul , Law Fergus
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. There is growing evidence to demonstrate that children involved in traumatic events suffer prolonged and significant psychological distress although adults have been found to consistently deny, underrate, or fail to recognise their seventy. The significant psychological impact of a road traffic accident upon seven adolescents is described and issues regarding their management that contributed to their distress detailed. Implications for adults and services that have contact with child trauma victims are discussed.
Equal Opportunities and Ethnicity in the Early Years: Implementing the Children Act
Authors: Candappa Mono
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY: This paper discusses findings from a research study on the implementation of the Children Act 1989, undertaken a year after the Act came into operation. It covers the three main functions of provider, coordinator, and regulator assigned to local authorities in respect of daycare and related services to children under‐eight; focusing on the ways in which local authorities interpreted the Act in responding to issues of equal opportunities and ethnic diversity.
Eighteen Months Old in Dublin
Authors: Greene Sheila , Wieczorek‐Deering Dorit , Nugent J. Kevin
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY:The data reported and discussed in this article are taken from the Dublin Child Development Study, a longitudinal study which started in 1985 with interviews of 200 women expecting their first child. Using information gathered in the first 18 months of the children's lives, an attempt is made to describe the sample of children as they arrive at the age of 18 months. The findings on the children's development are placed in the context of the study's information on their parents and in the wider social context in which the families lived, in Dublin in the late 1980s.
Fifty Years Ago: the Curtis and Clyde Reports
Authors: Holman Bob
Published: August 2010

Fifty years ago the Curtis and Clyde reports set out the blueprints for a new children's service. They contained an emphasis on the personal needs of deprived children, an insistence on fostering as the method of care best suited for them and the recommendation that a completely new local authority department was required. The following Children Act (1948) established the Children's Departments which soon became synonymous with enlightened child care. The origin of the reports is often attributed to the campaigns of Lady Allen in 1944 and the scandal of the death of a foster child in 1945. But the real origins stemmed from events precipitated by the Second World War, while the contents of the reports can be discerned in even earlier years.
Oral Language Competence, Social Skills and High‐risk Boys: What are Juvenile Offenders Trying to Tell us?
Authors: Snow Pamela C. , Powell Martine B.
Published: August 2010

A cross‐sectional study examining the oral language abilities and social skills of male juvenile offenders is described. Fifty juvenile offenders and 50 non‐offending controls completed measures of language processing and production, and measures of social skill and IQ. Information about type of offending, substance use histories and learning/literacy problems was also gathered.

Young offenders performed significantly worse on all language and social skill measures, but these differences could not be accounted for on the basis of IQ. Just over half of the young offenders were identified as language impaired. This subgroup was compared with non‐language impaired offending peers on a range of variables. The findings have particular implications in the areas of early intervention for high‐risk boys and investigative interviewing of juvenile offenders. © 2007 The Author(s). Journal compilation © 2007 National Children's Bureau.
Developing Responsive Preventative Practices: Key Messages from Children's and Families’ Experiences of the Children's Fund
Authors: Pinnock Katherine , Evans Ruth
Published: August 2010

As part of the prevention and social inclusion agenda, the Children's Fund, set up in 2000, has developed preventative services for children at risk of social exclusion. Drawing on a large qualitative dataset of interviews conducted in 2004/05 with children, young people and their parents/carers who accessed Children Fund services, this article analyses key practices and approaches valued by children and parents. These included: specialist support tailored to individual support needs, family‐oriented approaches, trusting relationships with service providers, multi‐agency approaches and sustainability of services. Finally, the article draws out key lessons for the future development of preventative services.
‘It's Not Fair!’—Voicing Pupils’ Criticisms of School Rules
Authors: Thornberg Robert
Published: August 2010

Socialisation theories have traditionally focused on how children are socialised in a rather unidirectional manner, according to a transmission model. However, more recent research and theories show that children are not just passive recipients, but active agents in their socialisation process. At the same time, children are subordinated to adult control. In school, they are regimented and involuntarily subjected to mass routines, discipline and control. The aim of this study was to explore and give a voice to pupils’ critical thinking about school rules and their teachers’ behaviour in relation to these rules. Ethnographic fieldwork and group interviews with students were conducted in two Swedish primary schools. The findings show that pupils criticise some school rules, distrust teachers’ explanations of particular school rules, perceive some school rules and teachers’ interventions as unfair and inconsistent, perceive no power over the construction of school rules, and express false acceptance and hidden criticism. The findings are discussed in terms of hidden curriculum, power, mentality resistance, democracy, participation and democratic citizenship education.
The effects of midodrine on the natriuretic response to furosemide in cirrhotics with ascites
Authors: Misra V. L. , Vuppalanchi R. , Jones D. , Hamman M. , Kwo P. Y. , Kahi C. , Chalasani N.
Published: August 2010

Aliment Pharmacol Ther2010;32:1044–1050

Background Resistance to loop diuretics is common in patients with ascites. Diminished glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is thought to mediate resistance to loop diuretics. Midodrine, a commonly used alpha‐1 agonist, has been shown to improve GFR in non‐azotemic patients with cirrhosis.

Aim To conduct a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, cross‐over study to test the hypothesis that midodrine significantly increases natriuretic response of IV furosemide in non‐azotemic cirrhotics with ascites.

Methods All subjects participated in both phases, which were (i) furosemide IV infusion + oral midodrine 15 mg administered 30 min before furosemide (ii) furosemide IV infusion + oral placebo administered 30 min before furosemide. Primary outcomes were 6‐h urine sodium excretion and 6‐h total urine volume.

Results A total of 15 patients (men: 8; age: 52.7 ± 7.6 years; serum creatinine: 1.06 ± 0.2 mg/dL) were studied. Total 6‐h urine sodium excretion was 109 ± 42 mmol in the furosemide + midodrine treatment phase and was not significantly different from that in the furosemide + placebo treatment phase (126 ± 69 mmol,P = 0.6). Similarly, mean 6‐h total urine volume was not significantly different between two groups (1770 ± 262 mL vs. 1962 ± 170 mL,P = 0.25).

Conclusions Oral midodrine does not increase the natriuretic response to furosemide in non‐azotemic cirrhotic patients with ascites. Orally administered midodrine does not increase natriuretic response to furosemide in non‐azotemic cirrhotic patients with ascites.
Nalbuphine combined with midazolam for outpatient sedation
Authors: SURY M. R. J. , COLE P. V.
Published: August 2010

Forty patients who required day case fibreoptic bronchoscopy were sedated with either nalbuphine 0.2 mg/kg and midazolam 0.05 mg/kg (n = 20), or midazolam 0.05 mg/kg alone (n = 20). Extra midazolam was administered when required. The degree of respiratory depression measured by arterialised venous carbon dioxide levels was recorded together with heart rate, arterial blood pressure, respiratory rate and sedation score, before administration of the drugs and at regular intervals thereafter. Patients who received nalbuphine had slightly higher carbon dioxide levels but respiratory rate and cardiovascular changes were similar in both groups. The addition of nalbuphine to midazolam improves the quality of sedation but prolongs the recovery time and increases the incidence of side effects.