bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A 6‐year analysis of the clinicopathological profile of patients with prostate cancer at the University Hospital of the West Indies, Jamaica
Authors: Coard Kathleen C.M. , Skeete Desiree H‐A.
Published: December 2008

OBJECTIVE

To document the clinicopathological characteristics of prostate cancer in a public hospital‐based population in Jamaica, over a 6‐year period, and examine any trends in these characteristics over time, as prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer in Jamaican men, but there are few published reports documenting the clinicopathological profile of this disease in the Jamaican population.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

All patients consecutively diagnosed with prostate cancer by transrectal ultrasonography‐guided biopsy at the University Hospital of the West Indies, from January 2000 to December 2005, were identified at time of diagnosis, and relevant clinical and pathological data collected from the accompanying histopathology request forms.

RESULTS

There were 529 cases of prostate cancer diagnosed over the 6 years. The mean (sd) age was 70.66 (8.74) years, with 137 patients aged 70–74 years. A serum prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level was obtained for 490 (92.6%) patients. Of these, an accurate PSA value was available for 456 (86.2%) patients and a ‘minimum level’ recorded for the remaining 34, all of whom had a PSA level of >100 ng/mL. Of the patients with available PSA information, only 91 (18.5%) had a level of ≤10.0 ng/mL. By contrast, 155 (31.6%) patients had levels of >100 ng/mL. The median (range, interquartile range) serum PSA level for those patients with accurate values was 30.7 (1–14 260, 11.7–109) ng/mL. Histologically, moderately and poorly differentiated cancers accounted for 198 (37.5%) and 160 (30.2%) cases, respectively. Correlation of the variables under investigation confirmed that there was a statistically significant positive and moderate correlation between serum PSA level and Gleason score (Spearman r 0.49; P < 0.001). Statistical analysis of all other variables, including the number of cases of prostate cancer diagnosed annually, showed no significant differences.

CONCLUSION

Compared with many countries, including some in the Caribbean, prostate cancer in Jamaican men is diagnosed when they are older and these patients have significantly higher PSA levels at diagnosis, suggesting more advanced disease. Despite increasing public awareness of prostate cancer, it appears that there has been no significant change in the profile of patients with prostate cancer, at the time of diagnosis, over the last 6 years, findings consistent with the absence of an organized screening programme for prostate cancer in Jamaica.
An analysis of the causes of bladder neck contracture after open and robot‐assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy
Authors: Webb David R. , Sethi Kapil , Gee Kiera
Published: December 2008

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the difference in outcome of bladder neck contracture (BNC) and its causes between large groups of patients undergoing open radical prostatectomy (ORP) and robot‐assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We analysed 200 consecutive RPs performed by one surgeon for prostate cancer, 100 by ORP and 100 by RALP, between March 2003 and September 2007. The operative techniques of bladder neck repair and urethro‐vesical anastomosis were different. The ORP patients had a conventional stomatization and ‘racquet handle’ repair of the bladder if necessary, with mucosal eversion and a direct circular interrupted ‘end‐to‐end’ suture anastomosis between the bladder and urethra. The RALP patients had no bladder neck reconstruction or mucosal eversion and their anastomosis was by the continuous suture ‘parachute’ technique.

RESULTS

There was no BNC in the RALP group, whilst 9% of the ORP group developed a BNC (P < 0.005). Apart from surgical technique, other variables, including patient age, previous transurethral resection of the prostate, Gleason score, T stage, urine infection rate, urinary leakage, blood loss, drain tube removal, anastomotic suture material, catheter type and catheter removal times were statistically comparable in both groups.

CONCLUSION

This series suggests that the major factor involved in the cause of bladder neck contracture after ORP, relates to the stomatization or ‘racquet handle’ bladder neck repair, and the end‐to‐end anastomosis between the urethra and stomatized bladder. Mucosal eversion might also contribute. Normal postoperative urinary leakage when the anastomotic apposition is good seems unlikely to be a significant aetiological factor in the development of BNC. Prolonged urinary leakage results from an anastomotic gap, which heals by second intention, thereby causing scarring and BNC. The RALP ‘parachute’ technique, which expands the anastomosis towards the bladder, appears to protect against BNC. Mucosal eversion is not necessary in the parachute repair.
Outcome of radical prostatectomy for incidental carcinoma of the prostate
Authors: Melchior Sebastian , Hadaschik Boris , Thüroff Sebastian , Thomas Christian , Gillitzer Rolf , Thüroff Joachim
Published: December 2008

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate a contemporary series of patients with incidental prostate cancer detected by transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between 1998 and 2004, 1931 patients had TURP for obstructive voiding symptoms and suspected BPH. Incidental prostate cancer was found in 104 (5.4%); 26 of these patients had a RP. The pathological staging and treatment of these patients were reviewed retrospectively and the follow‐up results obtained.

RESULTS

Of the 26 patients who had RP, 17 had T1a and nine had T1b carcinoma of the prostate. After RP, six (35%) in the T1a group had no residual tumour (pT0) and 11 (65%) had pT2 cancer; the respective incidence in those with T1b was two and seven, with no pT3 disease in either group. The preoperative Gleason grading did not correspond well with that after RP; 30% of the patients had upgraded Gleason scores and 42% showed either downgrading or no residual tumour, with 81% having Gleason scores of <7. After a median follow‐up of 47 months, one patient is receiving hormonal therapy because of biochemical relapse.

Conclusion

Subsequent to stringent PSA testing and prostate biopsy when indicated, the rate of incidental prostate cancer is low. Furthermore, substantially many patients will harbour either no residual cancer or tumours with favourable characteristics in their RP specimens. However, there is currently no possibility to reliably predict the absence of aggressive prostate cancer after TURP, and thus safely recommend observation instead of further therapy. Therefore, patients with incidental prostate cancer need to be counselled individually. The decision ‘treatment or no treatment’ should be determined by the patients’ age and life‐expectancy, tumour aggressiveness in the TURP specimen and the prostate‐specific antigen level after TURP.
Mental Rotation in Human Infants
Authors: Moore David S. , Johnson Scott P.
Published: December 2008

A sex difference on mental-rotation tasks has been demonstrated repeatedly, but not in children less than 4 years of age. To demonstrate mental rotation in human infants, we habituated 5-month-old infants to an object revolving through a 240° angle. In successive test trials, infants saw the habituation object or its mirror image revolving through a previously unseen 120° angle. Only the male infants appeared to recognize the familiar object from the new perspective, a feat requiring mental rotation. These data provide evidence for a sex difference in mental rotation of an object through three-dimensional space, consistently seen in adult populations.
A Sex Difference in Mental Rotation in Young Infants
Authors: Quinn Paul C. , Liben Lynn S.
Published: December 2008

Three- to 4-month-old female and male human infants were administered a two-dimensional mental-rotation task similar to those given to older children and adults. Infants were familiarized with the number 1 (or its mirror image) in seven different rotations between 0° and 360°, and then preference-tested with a novel rotation of the familiar stimulus paired with its mirror image. Male infants displayed a novelty preference for the mirror-image stimulus over the novel rotation of the familiar stimulus, whereas females divided attention between the two test stimuli. The results point toward an early emergence of a sex difference in mental rotation.
What's So Special About Working Memory?
Authors: Mogle Jacqueline A. , Lovett Benjamin J. , Stawski Robert S. , Sliwinski Martin J.
Published: December 2008

Working memory capacity (WMC) has received attention across many areas of psychology, in part because of its relationship with intelligence. The mechanism underlying the relationship is unknown, but the nature of typical WMC tasks has led to two hypothesized mechanisms: secondary-memory processes (e.g., search and retrieval) and the maintenance of information in the face of distraction. In the present study, participants ( N = 383) completed a battery of cognitive tasks assessing processing speed, primary memory, working memory, secondary memory, and fluid intelligence. Secondary memory was the strongest predictor of fluid intelligence and added unique predictive value in models that accounted for working memory. In contrast, after accounting for the variance in fluid intelligence associated with the secondary-memory construct, the working memory construct did not significantly predict variability in fluid intelligence. Therefore, the secondary-memory requirements shared by many memory tasks may be responsible for the relationship between WMC and fluid intelligence, making the relationship less unique than is often supposed.
Increases in Positive Self-Views Among High School Students
Authors: Twenge Jean M. , Campbell W. Keith
Published: December 2008

Previous research has produced contradictory findings on generational change in positive self-views. We examined 13 items measuring self-views in the Monitoring the Future study, a large national study of high school students conducted between 1975 and 2006 (in this analysis, ns between 4,698 and 29,673). Relative to high school students in the 1970s, those in 2006 were more likely to predict that they would be “very good” spouses, parents, and workers; were more satisfied with themselves; and scored higher on self-esteem items measuring self-liking. The 2006 students also reported earning higher grades and being more intelligent. However, 2006 students scored lower on two self-esteem items measuring self-competence than did students in 1975. These results suggest that there has been a small increase in positive self-views across the generations, but that it has not been accompanied by an increase in general self-competence.
Motion Extrapolation Into the Blind Spot
Authors: Maus Gerrit W. , Nijhawan Romi
Published: December 2008

The flash-lag effect, in which a moving object is perceived ahead of a colocalized flash, has led to keen empirical and theoretical debates. To test the proposal that a predictive mechanism overcomes neural delays in vision by shifting objects spatially, we asked observers to judge the final position of a bar moving into the retinal blind spot. The bar was perceived to disappear in positions well inside the unstimulated area. Given that photoreceptors are absent in the blind spot, the perceived shift must be based on the history of the moving object. Such predictive overshoots are suppressed when a moving object disappears abruptly from the retina, triggering retinal transient signals. No such transient-driven suppression occurs when the object disappears by virtue of moving into the blind spot. The extrapolated position of the moving bar revealed in this manner provides converging support for visual prediction.
Limits on Introspection
Authors: Corallo Guido , Sackur Jérôme , Dehaene Stanislas , Sigman Mariano
Published: December 2008

Which cognitive processes are accessible to conscious report? To study the limits of conscious reportability, we designed a novel method of quantified introspection, in which subjects were asked, after each trial of a standard cognitive task, to estimate the time spent completing the task. We then applied classical mental-chronometry techniques, such as the additive-factors method, to analyze these introspective estimates of response time. We demonstrate that introspective response time can be a sensitive measure, tightly correlated with objective response time in a single-task context. In a psychological-refractory-period task, however, the objective processing delay resulting from interference by a second concurrent task is totally absent from introspective estimates. These results suggest that introspective estimates of time spent on a task tightly correlate with the period of availability of central processing resources.
Parental Education Moderates Genetic Influences on Reading Disability
Authors: Friend Angela , DeFries John C. , Olson Richard K.
Published: December 2008

Environmental moderation of the level of genetic influence on children's reading disabilities was explored in a sample of 545 identical and fraternal twins (mean age = 11.5 years). Parents' number of years of education, which is correlated with a broad range of environmental factors related to reading development, was significantly related to the level of genetic influence on reading disability. Genetic influence was higher and environmental influence was lower among children whose parents had a high level of education, compared with children whose parents had a lower level of education. We discuss the implications of these results for behavior genetic and molecular genetic research, for the diagnosis and remediation of reading disabilities, and for policy in public education.
Within-Person Relationships Among Daily Self-Esteem, Need Satisfaction, and Authenticity
Authors: Heppner Whitney L. , Kernis Michael H. , Nezlek John B. , Foster Joshua , Lakey Chad E. , Goldman Brian M.
Published: December 2008

This study examined the within-person relationships among daily self-esteem, felt authenticity (i.e., the operation of one's “true self”), and satisfaction of psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. We also included measures of affect to control for the variance these constructs might share with affect. Over a 2-week period, 116 participants responded daily to measures of these variables. Multilevel random-coefficients modeling revealed that authenticity, autonomy, competence, and relatedness were all positively and significantly related to daily reports of self-esteem, even when we controlled for the contributions of pleasant and unpleasant affect. We discuss the roles of authenticity and psychological needs in daily feelings of self-worth.
Mistaken Identity
Authors: Morris Michael W. , Carranza Erica , Fox Craig R.
Published: December 2008

Four studies investigated whether activating a social identity can lead group members to choose options that are labeled in words associated with that identity. When political identities were made salient, Republicans (but not Democrats) became more likely to choose the gamble or investment option labeled “conservative.” This shift did not occur in a condition in which the same options were unlabeled. Thus, the mechanism underlying the effect appears to be not activated identity-related values prioritizing low risk, but rather activated identity-related language (the group label “conservative”). Indeed, when political identities were salient, Republicans favored options labeled “conservative” regardless of whether the options were low or high risk. Finally, requiring participants to explain the label “conservative” before making their choice did not diminish the effect, which suggests that it does not merely reflect inattention to content or construct accessibility. We discuss the implications of these results for the literatures on identity, priming, choice, politics, and marketing.
Connecting the Dots Within
Authors: Cheng Chi-Ying , Sanchez-Burks Jeffrey , Lee Fiona
Published: December 2008

In two studies drawing from social identity theory and the creative-cognition approach, we found that higher levels of identity integration—perceived compatibility between two social identities—predict higher levels of creative performance in tasks that draw on both identity-relevant knowledge domains. Study 1 showed that Asian Americans with higher identity integration were more creative in developing new dishes using a given set of ingredients, but only when both Asian and American ingredients were available. Study 2 showed that female engineers with higher identity integration were more creative in designing a product, but only when the product was targeted to female users. These findings suggest that the psychological management of multiple social identities may be related to accessibility of multiple knowledge domains, which in turn influences creativity.
A Cross-Species Investigation of Acetylcholine, Attention, and Feature Binding
Authors: Botly Leigh C.P. , De Rosa Eve
Published: December 2008

The binding problem is the brain's fundamental challenge to integrate sensory information to form a unified representation of a stimulus. A recent nonhuman animal model suggests that acetylcholine serves as the neuromodulatory substrate for feature binding. We hypothesized that this animal model of cholinergic contributions to feature binding may be an analogue of human attention. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a cross-species study in which rats and humans learned comparable intramodal feature-conjunction (FC) and feature-singleton (FS) tasks. We challenged the cholinergic system of rats using the muscarinic antagonist scopolamine (0.2 mg/kg) and challenged the attentional system of humans by dividing attention. The two manipulations yielded strikingly similar patterns of behavior, impairing FC acquisition, while sparing FS acquisition and FC retrieval. These cross-species findings support the hypothesis that cholinergically driven attentional processes are essential to feature binding at encoding, but are not required for retrieval of neural representations of bound stimuli.
Contextualizing Change in Marital Satisfaction During Middle Age
Authors: Gorchoff Sara M. , John Oliver P. , Helson Ravenna
Published: December 2008

To address the need for longitudinal marital research that takes contextual factors into account, we investigated change in women's marital satisfaction over 18 years of middle age. We examined not only whether marital satisfaction changed, but also why and how it changed. Marital satisfaction increased in middle age, and increased marital, but not life, satisfaction was linked to the transition to an empty nest. More specifically, the transition to an empty nest increased marital satisfaction via an increase in women's enjoyment of time with their partners, but not via an increase in the quantity of that time with partners. Also, increasing marital satisfaction was not attributable to changing partners. Taken together, these findings support the utility of applying a contextualized approach focused on major life transitions to the study of long-term change in marital satisfaction.
Does the invisible hand have a green thumb? Incentives, linkages, and the creation of wealth out of industrial waste in Victorian England
Authors: DESROCHERS PIERRE
Published: December 2008

‘Loop closing’, that is, the creation of waste recycling linkages between different industries, has been hailed as a means of simultaneously achieving improved economic and environmental performance. As a result of the widespread assumption that traditional market incentives and institutions are not conducive to such an outcome, however, there remains a fair amount of scepticism as to what the capacity of business self‐interest to promote this behaviour actually is. This article challenges the dominant negative perspective by discussing by‐product development in one of the most market‐oriented societies in human history, Victorian England. Building on nineteenth and early twentieth century writings on the topic, as well as a more detailed analysis of the development of valuable by‐products from highly problematic iron and coal gas production residuals, a case is made that the search for increased profitability within the context of private property rights often simultaneously promoted economic and environmental progress in the long run, as well as on different geographical scales.
The Historiography of Sectarianism in Lebanon
Authors: Weiss Max
Published: December 2008

Lebanese history has been more or less defined by its engagement with the problem of sectarianism. Surprisingly rare have been the attempts to systematically trace this trajectory of historical engagement with the problem of sectarianism, though. This article argues that historians, legal scholars, and other writers have employed numerous conceptual and methodological approaches to examine, diagnose, and propose treatments for the problem of sectarianism, and that these approaches, moreover, have changed over time. Ranging from defenses of sectarianism as cultural specificity to condemnations of it as a foreign plot to divide and rule, the historiography of sectarianism in Lebanon has relied on such diverse fields as social science, constitutional law, political theory, and various kinds of historicism. Unfortunately, despite this empirical density, intellectual, legal, and historical discourses on sectarianism have failed to mitigate the material, political, and, most importantly, human costs incurred by the phenomenon of sectarianism in practice.
Measuring Quality of Care in Syncope: Case Definition Affects Reported Electrocardiogram Use but Does Not Bias Reporting
Authors: Schuur Jeremiah D. , Justice Amy
Published: December 2008

Objectives:  The objective was to calculate agreement between syncope as a reason for visiting (RFV) an emergency department (ED) and as a discharge diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD‐9]), to determine whether syncope case definition biases reported electrocardiogram (ECG) usage, a national quality measure.

Methods:  The authors analyzed the ED portion of the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS), 1993–2004, for patients age ≥18 years. A visit was defined as being for syncope if it received one of three RFV or ICD‐9 codes. Agreement between RFV and ICD‐9 codes was calculated, and the percentages of syncope patients (RFV vs. ICD‐9) who had an ECG were compared using chi‐square and multivariate logistic regression.

Results:  Raw agreement between syncope as an RFV and as an ICD‐9 diagnosis code was 30.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 32.6% to 35.5%), representing only moderate agreement beyond chance (κ = 0.50). ECG utilization was lower among visits defined by RFV (64.1%; 95% CI = 62.0% to 66.3%) than for ICD‐9 diagnosis (73.6%; 95% CI = 71.4% to 75.8%). There was no meaningful variation in adjusted ECG use by patient, visit, or hospital characteristics between case definitions. Adjusted ECG use was lower under both case definitions among female patients and discharged patients and increased with age (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:  Despite only moderate agreement, syncope case definition should not bias reported ECG rate by patient, visit, or hospital characteristics. Among ED patients with syncope, ECG is performed less frequently in women, a potentially important disparity.
Pediatric Procedural Sedation with Ketamine: Time to Discharge after Intramuscular versus Intravenous Administration
Authors: Ramaswamy Preeti , Babl Franz E. , Deasy Conor , Sharwood Lisa N.
Published: December 2008

Objectives:  Ketamine is an attractive agent for pediatric procedural sedation. There are limited data on time to discharge comparing intramuscular (IM) vs. intravenous (IV) ketamine. The authors set out to determine whether IM or IV ketamine leads to quicker discharge from the emergency department (ED) and how side effect profiles compare.

Methods:  All patients who had received ketamine IM or IV at a tertiary children’s hospital ED during the 3‐year study period (2004–2007) were identified. Prospective sedation registry data, retrospective medical records, and administrative data were reviewed for drug dosages, use of additional agents, time of drug administration to discharge, total ED time (triage to discharge), and adverse events. A subgroup analysis for patients requiring five or fewer sutures (short suture group) was performed.

Results:  A total of 229 patients were enrolled (60% male) with median age of 2.8 years (IQR =1.8–4.3 years) and median weight of 15.7 kg (range = 8.7–74 kg). Ketamine was most frequently employed for laceration repair (80%) and foreign body removal (9%). Overall, 48% received ketamine IM and 52% received it IV. In the short‐suture subgroup, 52% received ketamine IM, while 48% received it IV. Multivariate linear regression analysis determined time from drug administration to patient discharge as 21 minutes shorter for IV compared with IM administration, adjusted for age and number of additional doses (R2 = −0.35; 95% CI = −0.5 to −0.19; p < 0.001). Total time in the ED (triage to discharge) comparing IV versus IM administration, adjusting for age and gender and number of additional doses, was not significantly different (p = 0.16). In the short‐suture subgroup, time to discharge from administration was also shorter in the IV ketamine group (R2 = −0.454; 95%CI = −0.66 to −0.25; p < 0.001) but similar for total time in ED (p = 0.16). Overall, adverse events occurred in 35% (95% CI = 27% to 45%) of the IM group and 20% (95% CI = 13% to 28%) of the IV group (p = 0.01). Only one patient required brief bag‐mask ventilation.

Conclusions:  In this institution, time from drug injection to discharge was shorter in the IV compared to IM ketamine group, both overall and for the short‐suture group. However, time from triage to discharge was similar.
Virtue in Emergency Medicine
Authors: Larkin Gregory Luke , Iserson Kenneth , Kassutto Zach , Freas Glenn , Delaney Kathy , Krimm John , Schmidt Terri , Simon Jeremy , Calkins Anne , Adams James
Published: December 2008

At a time in which the integrity of the medical profession is perceptibly challenged, emergency physicians (EPs) have an opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to both their patients and their practice through acceptance of a virtue‐based ethic. The virtue‐based ethic transcends legalistic rule following and the blind application of principles. Instead, virtue honors the humanity of patients and the high standards of the profession. Recognizing historical roots that are relevant to the modern context, this article describes 10 core virtues important for EPs. In addition to the long‐recognized virtues of prudence, courage, temperance, and justice, 6 additional virtues are offered unconditional positive regard, charity, compassion, trustworthiness, vigilance, and agility. These virtues might serve as ideals to which all EPs can strive. Through these, the honor of the profession will be maintained, the trust of patients will be preserved, and the integrity of the specialty will be promoted.
Leaf nutrient content and host plant selection by leaf‐cutter ants, Atta laevigata, in a Neotropical savanna
Authors: Mundim Fabiane M. , Costa Alan N. , Vasconcelos Heraldo L.
Published: December 2008

The selection of nutrient‐rich leaves by leaf‐cutter ants (Atta spp.) is thought to be of indirect benefit to these ants by promoting the growth of their symbiotic fungus. However, relatively few studies have analyzed the influence of leaf nutrient content on host plant selection by leaf‐cutter ants, and conflicting results have been found. We compared the content of eight nutritional elements plus the non‐nutrient aluminum between leaves harvested by colonies of Atta laevigata (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Attini) and leaves collected randomly within their foraging areas. In addition, we evaluated whether leaf nutrient content explained the frequency with which these ants attacked and defoliated some of the tree species found in the study area. For 2 years, we monitored 17–26 trees from 15 species and determined the number of times each plant was attacked and the amount and type of foliage removed. Leaves harvested by A. laevigata presented significantly higher concentrations of N, P, K, Zn, and Cu than those collected randomly. This result is likely to reflect the foraging pattern presented by these ants, which were selective both in terms of the plant species and age of leaves most commonly attacked. Young leaves were the only or the main leaf type exploited in many species, and in comparison to mature leaves these presented significantly higher concentrations of P and K. Large differences in the mean number of ant attacks on the tree species studied were also observed, and those presenting more leaf N tended to be the most frequently attacked.
Fruit abscission by Physalis species as defense against frugivory
Authors: Benda Nicole D. , Brownie Cavell , Schal Coby , Gould Fred
Published: December 2008

Fruit abscission as a response to herbivory is well‐documented in many plant species, but its effect on further damage by mobile herbivores that survive fruit abscission is relatively unstudied. Physalis plants (Solanaceae) abscise fruit containing feeding larvae of their main frugivore, Heliothis subflexa Guenée (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a specialist moth. We tested the ability of H. subflexa larvae placed under the plant canopy to find and climb onto two architecturally different Physalis species. Physalis pubescens L., a low, shrub‐like, spreading plant, abscises its fruit at a higher rate than Physalis angulata L., a tall arborescent plant. As a result, small larvae are more often dropped from P. pubescens. Third and fifth instars located P. pubescens faster and with a higher probability than P. angulata. Although fifth instars outperformed third‐instar caterpillars at finding P. angulata, P. pubescens was located equally fast by the two instars. Heliothis subflexa located Physalis plants more successfully and more quickly than a close relative, the generalist Heliothis virescens Fabricius. The higher fruit abscission rates in P. pubescens may be an evolved response to its greater susceptibility to searching caterpillars.
Influence of genetic variation in the fungal endophyte of a grass on an herbivore and its parasitoid
Authors: Bultman Thomas L. , Rodstrom John L. , Radabaugh Kara R. , VanDop Joshua D. , Librizzi James M. , Longwell Leanna L. , Pulas Christina , Grant LaShawn , Sullivan Terrence J.
Published: December 2008

Neotyphodium coenophialum (Glenn, Bacon, Price & Hanlin) (Ascomycota: Clavicipitaceae) is an endophytic fungus that lives symbiotically within grasses and produces alkaloids that can help protect its hosts from some insect pests. We used laboratory‐based experiments to investigate whether fungal genotype influences an herbivore and its parasitoid. We tested whether variation in novel isolates, plus a control lacking fungal infection, affected preference by fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Amphipyrini), and growth and survival of Euplectrus comstockii Howard (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae: Euplectrini), a parasitoid of fall armyworm. Caterpillars preferred leaf blades in choice experiments from uninfected tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh., cultivar Jesup (Poaceae)] and tended to avoid blades from plants containing fungal isolates AR502, AR542, or the most common strain from pastures in Georgia, USA, in tall fescue. However, caterpillars fed as much on leaf blades from plants containing isolate AR502 as from those lacking infection. Parasitoid pupal mass was not influenced by fungal isolate, yet fungal isolate did influence parasitoid survival. Survival was higher than expected for parasitoids reared from hosts fed plants lacking fungal infection, but was lower than expected for those reared from hosts fed plants infected with the common strain or AR542 isolates. In contrast, parasitoids reared from hosts fed plants infected with isolate AR502 did not experience higher mortality than expected by chance. Our results show that N. coenophialum can modify bottom‐up trophic cascades through direct effects on herbivores, as well as indirect effects on a natural enemy of the herbivores and that the fungus may influence the tritrophic interaction in ways that counterbalance herbivore protection provided by the symbiont. Our work also shows that these effects are influenced by fungal genotype. As attempts are made to produce forage cultivars with strains of fungal endophyte that lack negative influences on livestock, it will be prudent for investigators to assess the multi‐trophic effects of these novel associations within agroecosystems.
High food commodity prices: will they stay? who will pay?
Authors: Dewbre Joe , Giner Céline , Thompson Wyatt , Von Lampe Martin
Published: December 2008

Much of the public discussion of the food price crisis has focused on the sharply increased use of food commodities for biofuel production, framing debate in simple food versus fuel terms. Reality is more complex. Multiple forces drove food prices to high levels and, according to findings we report in this article, these forces will sustain high prices over the medium term. We also find that the distinction between high world prices for food commodities and the consumer costs of food is an important one to make. Food consumers do not buy raw food commodities at international prices. The degree to which the price of traded food commodities and the price of food are related depends on a long list of factors, most of which operate to dampen price transmission. In the search for appropriate policy response, it is essential to measure consumer effects correctly and to apportion properly the causes of current high prices.
Food price increases and net food importing countries: lessons from the recent past
Authors: Ng Francis , Aksoy M. Ataman
Published: December 2008

Recent increases in food and other commodity prices have highlighted concerns that many poor countries are net food importers and higher food prices would worsen their trade balances. In this article, we analyze the changes in food trade balances associated with the 32% increase in food prices from 2000/2001 to 2004/2005. We find a small deterioration in food trade balances of low‐income countries and an improvement in middle‐income countries. The deterioration is most severe for countries in conflict and small island states, so attention should be placed first on these countries and on a few very‐low‐income countries that are also vulnerable. Because low‐income countries as a group had much lower agricultural GDP growth rates than middle‐income countries, the answers to food vulnerability in low‐income countries should probably be addressed within the context of incentives for agricultural production.
Implications of high food prices for poverty in Pakistan
Authors: Haq Zahoor ul , Nazli Hina , Meilke Karl
Published: December 2008

The study estimates the impacts of rising world food prices on poverty in rural and urban areas of Pakistan. Household income and expenditure data for 2004/2005 is used to estimate compensated and uncompensated price and expenditure elasticities using the linear approximation of the almost ideal demand system. Taking the unexpected component of higher domestic food prices in 2007/2008, own and cross price compensated elasticities are used to derive the changes in the quantity consumed, food expenditure and impacts on poverty assuming the food crisis happened in 2004/2005. The results indicate that poverty increased by 34.8%, severely affecting the urban areas where poverty increased by 44.6% as compared to 32.5% in rural areas. The estimates show that 2.3 million people are unable to reach even one‐half of poverty line expenditures while another 13.7 million are just below and 23.9 million are just above the poverty line. In the short run, it is important to ensure food availability to these people. In the long run, the policy environment of subsidizing urban food consumers by keeping wheat prices lower than the international price, needs to be reconsidered to provide the right incentives to increase food availability.
The effects of rising food prices on poverty in Mexico
Authors: Valero‐Gil Jorge N. , Valero Magali
Published: December 2008

We evaluate the impact of the rise in food prices during 2006–2008 on the poverty and extreme poverty rates in Mexico. We concentrate on the poor's consumption of staple foods, and analyze the change in their consumption brought about by changed prices. We also allow households receiving income from the farming and livestock sector to benefit from increases in prices of food products. We find a modest increase in poverty using 2006–2007 prices; however, there is a daunting effect on the poor once the 2008 prices are taken into account. After considering the positive effects of public policies announced in 2008, such as reduced taxes and tariffs on food products and greater subsidies to the extremely poor, the poverty rate measured through consumption increases from 25% to 33.5%, and the extreme poverty rate from 10.58% to 15.95%, given the increase in food prices. Further analysis using the theory of optimal taxes suggests policies oriented towards relieving the food price pressure on the Mexican poor should aim at lowering the prices of eggs, vegetable oil, milk, and chicken.
Higher fuel and food prices: impacts and responses for Mozambique
Authors: Arndt Channing , Benfica Rui , Maximiano Nelson , Nucifora Antonio M. D. , Thurlow James T.
Published: December 2008

Rising world prices for fuel and food represent a negative terms‐of‐trade shock for Mozambique. The impacts of these price rises are analyzed using various approaches. Detailed price data show that the world price increases are being transmitted to domestic prices. Short‐run net benefit ratio analysis indicates that urban households and households in the southern region are more vulnerable to food price increases. Rural households, particularly in the North and Center, often benefit from being in a net seller position. Longer‐term analysis using a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of Mozambique indicates that the fuel price shock dominates rising food prices from both macroeconomic and poverty perspectives. Again, negative impacts are larger in urban areas. The importance of agricultural production response in general and export response in particular is highlighted. Policy analysis reveals difficult trade‐offs between short‐run mitigation and long‐run growth. Improved agricultural productivity has powerful positive impacts, but remains difficult to achieve and may not address the immediate impacts of higher prices.
Impacts in Uganda of rising global food prices: the role of diversified staples and limited price transmission
Authors: Benson Todd , Mugarura Samuel , Wanda Kelly
Published: December 2008

This study assesses the potential impact of rising world food prices on the welfare of Ugandan households. While Uganda experienced sharply higher food prices in 2008, as a landlocked, food‐exporting country the causes of those price changes were mainly regional and indirect rather than directly transmitted from global markets. Using trade volumes, food prices, and household survey data we describe how Uganda, unlike some other countries, is partially shielded from direct impacts of global food price movements. Although the majority of Ugandans are net food buyers, the adverse impact at household‐level of rising global prices is moderated by the relatively large quantity and range of staples consumed that come from home production. Moreover, several of these are not widely traded. Some population groups in Uganda are vulnerable to rising food prices, however, primarily those for whom maize is an important staple, including those dependent upon humanitarian relief and the urban poor. Only a relatively small group of Ugandan households will benefit directly and immediately from rising food prices—the significant net sellers of food crops constituting between 12% and 27% of the population. In this assessment we do not estimate the level and extent of wider second round effects from these higher prices.
World food prices and poverty incidence in a food exporting country: a multihousehold general equilibrium analysis for Thailand
Authors: Warr Peter
Published: December 2008

A multisectoral, multihousehold general equilibrium model of the Thai economy is used to analyze the implications of recent increases in international food prices. Higher food prices, especially staple grains, worsen poverty incidence in Thailand despite the presence of large numbers of poor farmers, many of whom benefit from higher prices. The positive effect on the welfare of poor farmers is dominated by the negative effect on poor consumers. Of the recent price increases for rice, sugar, cassava, maize, soybeans, urea, and petroleum, the increases in rice prices raise poverty incidence the most, despite Thailand being the world's largest rice exporter.
Sex‐related parental care strategies in the lesser spotted woodpecker Picoides minor: of flexible mothers and dependable fathers
Authors: Rossmanith Eva , Blaum Niels , Höntsch Kerstin , Jeltsch Florian
Published: December 2008

We investigated sex‐specific parental care behaviour of lesser spotted woodpeckers Picoides minor in the low mountain range Taunus, Germany. Observed parental care included incubation, nest sanitation as well as brooding and feeding of nestlings. Contributions of the two sexes to parental care changed in progress of the breeding period. During incubation and the first half of the nestling period, parental care was divided equally between partners. However, in the late nestling stage, we found males to feed their nestlings irrespective of brood size while females considerably decreased feeding rate with the number of nestlings. This behaviour culminated in desertion of small broods by females shortly before fledging. The fact that even deserted nests were successful indicates that males were able to compensate for the females’ absence. Interestingly, the mating of one female with two males with separate nests could be found in the population, which confirms earlier findings of polyandry in the lesser spotted woodpecker. We conclude that biparental care is not essential in the later stage and one partner can reduce effort and thus costs of parental care, at least in small broods where the mate is able to compensate for that behaviour. Reduced care and desertion appears only in females, which might be caused by a combination of two traits: First, females might suffer higher costs of investment in terms of mortality and secondly, male‐biased sex ratio in the population generally leads to higher mating probabilities for females in the following breeding season. The occurrence of polyandry seems to be a result of these conditions.
Inferring the phylogeography and evolutionary history of the splendid fairy‐wren Malurus splendens from mitochondrial DNA and spectrophotometry
Authors: Kearns Anna M. , Joseph Leo , Edwards Scott V. , Double Michael C.
Published: December 2008

The phylogeographic structure of the widely distributed arid and semi‐arid Australian splendid fairy‐wren Malurus splendens was investigated by using variation in plumage characters and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). We examined sequences of the mtDNA ND2 gene and used spectrophotometry to quantify chromatic variation in plumage in order to test the current morphology‐based intraspecific taxonomy of M. splendens and to discriminate between hypotheses invoking allopatric and parapatric processes in the origin of diversity in the complex. Genetic diversity of M. splendens fell into three divergent geographically structured clades. One represents populations ascribed to the western subspecies M. s. splendens, the other populations of central M. s. musgravi and the third all eastern populations currently ascribed to M. s. emmottorum and M. s. melanotus. Plumage patterns clearly differentiate M. s. splendens and M. s. musgravi, and spectrophotometry identified a step‐wise transition in spectra between M. s. melanotus and M. s. emmottorum. Congruence of patterns of phenotypic and genetic variation among western, central and eastern populations of M. splendens strongly suggests that these populations have diverged in allopatry on either side of historical biogeographic barriers in this region. Decoupled patterns of phenotypic and genetic diversity suggest that the divergence of M. s. melanotus and M. s. emmottorum may have occurred without periods of isolation perhaps in response to differences in local environmental conditions, or alternatively, mtDNA and plumage may have different rates of evolution. Critically, we encountered issues with the placement of the root of the M. splendens complex. The root was placed within the subspecies M. s. splendens separating its northern and southern populations and rendering the subspecies paraphyletic.
Substrate specificity and catalytic mechanism of a xyloglucan xyloglucosyl transferase HvXET6 from barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)
Authors: Hrmova Maria , Farkas Vladimir , Harvey Andrew J. , Lahnstein Jelle , Wischmann Bente , Kaewthai Nomchit , Ezcurra Inés , Teeri Tuula T. , Fincher Geoffrey B.
Published: December 2008

A family 16 glycoside hydrolase, xyloglucan xyloglucosyl transferase (EC 2.4.1.207), also known as xyloglucan endotransglycosylase (XET), and designated isoenzyme HvXET6, was purified approximately 400‐fold from extracts of young barley seedlings. The complete amino acid sequence of HvXET6 was deduced from the nucleotide sequence of a near full‐length cDNA, in combination with tryptic peptide mapping. An additional five to six isoforms or post‐translationally modified XET enzymes were detected in crude seedling extracts of barley. The HvXET6 isoenzyme was expressed in Pichia pastoris, characterized and compared with the previously purified native HvXET5 isoform. Barley HvXET6 has a similar apparent molecular mass of 33–35 kDa to the previously purified HvXET5 isoenzyme, but the two isoenzymes differ in their isoelectric points, pH optima, kinetic properties and substrate specificities. The HvXET6 isoenzyme catalyses transfer reactions between xyloglucans and soluble cellulosic substrates, using oligo‐xyloglucosides as acceptors, but at rates that are significantly different from those observed for HvXET5. No hydrolytic activity could be detected with either isoenzyme. Comparisons of the reaction rates using xyloglucan or hydroxyethyl cellulose as donors and a series of cellodextrins as acceptors indicated that the acceptor site of HvXET can accommodate five glucosyl residues. Molecular modelling supported this conclusion and further confirmed the ability of the enzyme’s active site to accommodate xyloglucan and cellulosic substrates. The two HvXETs followed a ping‐pong (Bi, Bi) rather than a sequential reaction mechanism.