bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Loss of apatite caused irreversible early-Holocene lake acidification
Authors: Boyle John F.
Published: July 2007

Lakes created by retreating ice at the end of the last glaciation underwent rapid acidification during the first few thousand years of their existence, a phenomenon attributed in part to progressive leaching of soil bases since it was discovered more than 80 yeas ago. Though a role for leaching is still acknowledged, the most recent studies see this as subordinate to the effects of biological and climatic changes initiated by deglaciation, chiefly primary vegetation succession and species immigration. Until now there has been no quantitative test of the relative importance of these different mechanisms. Here I use geochemical modelling of runoff acidity to show that the extent and timing of early Holocene lake acidification in eight published palaeoecological records can be explained by leaching of the calcium phosphate mineral apatite from the granitic till soils of their catchments, at a rate controlled by simple dissolution kinetic factors. This shows that a single progressive abiotic process is capable of explaining a natural phenomenon that is currently attributed to complex biological and climatic interactions. The finding has important implications for our understanding of long-term lake ecosystem development because the mechanism is inherently irreversible, in contrast to the alternative ecological and climatic mechanisms which are not. Furthermore, the finding reinforces the view that long-term ecosystem modelling cannot safely neglect nutrient limitation, as is currently the practice in widely used global dynamic vegetation models.
Down-regulation of TGFβ1 and leptin ameliorates thioacetamide-induced liver injury in lipopolysaccharide-primed rats
Authors: Chen Huan-Nan , Fan Sabrina , Weng Ching-Feng
Published: July 2007

Pretreatment with a low dose of bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) caused the reduction of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes and inflammatory factors which are capable of protecting the liver from a lethal LPS challenge. However, the effects of LPS pretreatment on the expression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) and leptin in thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver fibrosis remain unknown. In this study, Sprague-Dawley rats were pretreated intraperitoneally with LPS (5 mg/kg body weight) for 24 h, and subsequently treated with TAA (200 mg/kg body weight/ 3 days) for 1 month to examine the effects of LPS on TAA-injured rats. LPS pretreatment was associated with lower granulation and lower ( P < 0.05) GOT/GPT than in TAA-injured rats. The LPS-pretreated group had less collagen (Sirius red histochemical staining). Semiquantitative RT-PCR showed that the levels of collagen 3 and TGFβ1 mRNAs were lower ( P < 0.05) in the liver of LPS-pretreated rats than in TAA-injured rats. TGFβRI mRNA in the liver of LPS-pretreated rats exceeded ( P < 0.05) that in TAA-injured rats. LPS pretreatment reduced the leptin content (Western blot) below that of TAA-injured rats. These results imply that LPS pretreatment (endotoxin tolerance) alleviates the TAA-induced liver fibrosis of rats by reducing TGFβ1 and leptin content.
Australian Parent and Teacher Ratings of the DSM-IV ADHD Symptoms
Authors: Gomez Rapson
Published: July 2007

Objective: The aims of the study were to examine differential symptom functioning (DSF) and agreement across parent and teacher ratings for the DSM-IV ADHD inattention (IA) and hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI) symptoms, listed in the Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale (DBRS). Method: DSF was examined using a parametric technique involving ordinal logistic regression, and also a nonparametric technique known as kernel smoothing implemented in the program TestGraf. To accomplish the aims, Australian parents and teachers completed the DBRS for 213 children, between 6 and 11 years of age. Results: The results of both analytical procedures showed no DSF across all the IA and HI symptoms. Additional results indicated low parent-teacher agreement. Conclusion: The absence of DSF suggests that previous reports of low parent-teacher agreement are likely to reflect a true state of affairs and that parent and teacher ratings can be compared. In this context, the low parent-teacher agreement can be interpreted as indication that the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are situation specific. (J. of Att. Dis. 2007; 11(1) 17-27)
Creativity, identity and healing: participants' accounts of music therapy in cancer care
Authors: Daykin Norma , McClean Stuart , Bunt Leslie
Published: July 2007

This article reports on findings from a study of the accounts of people participating in music therapy as part of a programme of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in supportive cancer care. The article outlines the perceived effects of music therapy, which shares many characteristics with CAM therapies as well as offering a distinct contribution as a creative therapy. Hence in this article we draw on theories and writings from the sociology of CAM as well as those relating to music, healing and aesthetics in order to explore participants' accounts. The importance of identity and the role of creativity in processes of individuation are key themes emerging from the analysis.

While music and creativity are often seen uncritically as resources for health and well-being, we draw attention to the challenges and complexity of diverse responses to music, framed by personal biographies that are in turn often situated within socially constructed notions of aesthetics. We argue that in research on music therapy, as well as other CAM therapies, issues of identity can be key to an understanding of questions of therapeutic impact.
Venous thromboprophylaxis in trauma: a review
Authors: Singh Mangat Karanjit , Mehra Akshay , Yunas Idnan , Porter Keith
Published: July 2007

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among trauma patients. In the UK, the Government has recently acknowledged this and, with the impending National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines, is hoping to provide uniform direction of prophylactic measures for inpatients of all hospital specialties. Numerous comprehensive guidelines currently exist and provide an evidence-based approach to prophylaxis of this potentially preventable condition. This article helps to clarify the current evidence regarding prophylactic measures, along with an introduction to the new NICE guidelines and their place in the management of trauma patients.
Initial public offerings and the acquisition of entrepreneurial firms
Authors: Ragozzino Roberto , Reuer Jeffrey J.
Published: July 2007

Information asymmetries between buyers and sellers can create inefficiencies in mergers & acquisition (M&A) markets and prevent acquirers from gaining access to valuable resources and capabilities via acquisitions. Entrepreneurial firms face similar problems in raising external capital, due to the asymmetric information that separates them from prospective investors. In this article, we bring together the strategy, financial economics and entrepreneurship literatures and exploit the initial public offering (IPO) context to examine the informational characteristics of newly public entrepreneurial firms. We construct hazard models that offer strong evidence that certain IPO characteristics signal the value of entrepreneurial firms and thereby attract M&A suitors.
Local News and Perceptions of the Rhetoric of Political Advertising
Authors: Allen Barbara , Stevens Daniel P. , Marfleet Gregory , Sullivan John , Alger Dean
Published: July 2007

As viewer numbers of national news have declined, local news has grown in importance as a source of political information. Yet prominent research into its effects concludes that its impact on political attitudes and behavior is minor. We theorize and demonstrate that the influence of local news may be indirect and subtle but nevertheless important. Using multiple methods, we show a clear relationship between perceptions of campaign rhetoric and watching local news, even when controlling for individual-level characteristics; this response, in turn, has an indirect effect on turnout. We explain this finding as a combination of the “mean social world” presented by local news, the nature of political coverage, and the perception of local news stations as simply another player in the campaign. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our results for the role of local news in politics and what might be done to make its contribution more positive.
Gender and Runaways
Authors: Kempf-Leonard Kimberly , Johansson Pernilla
Published: July 2007

Runaway is a status offense for which there is concern that youths, particularly girls, are vulnerable to the “evils of the streets.” Prior research suggests that many personal and family risks of runaway are gendered, that the streets may be meaner, and that the strategies for survival disproportionately serve to criminalize girls. Moreover, patriarchial values may make the juvenile justice response to runaway girls overly harsh “for their own good.” Unfortunately, research has been hampered by small or biased samples. This study examines many risk factors to discern patterns and gender differences among runaway youths for whom there is a status offense charged. Many charged runaway youths are followed to determine the nature of official responses and whether responses appear gendered. The findings have implications for changes in how officials respond to runaway youths, both in terms of what will better serve the youths' best interests and for improving public safety.
Policing Girlhood? Relational Aggression and Violence Prevention
Authors: Chesney-Lind Meda , Morash Merry , Irwin Katherine
Published: July 2007

Relational, covert, and indirect aggression among girls has recently caught the attention of those interested in school violence prevention. In the name of being gender responsive, violence prevention or antibullying programs are being encouraged to include this form of aggression among the sorts of behaviors one seeks to prevent. The authors review the literature on relational aggression and suggest that the research to date does not necessarily support the notions that such aggression is the exclusive province of girls, that those who engage in it have other social problems, and most importantly, that it is equivalent to physical aggression, violence, or bullying. The authors argue, then, that scarce violence prevention resources should not be diverted to prevent this nonviolent behavior. Furthermore, the authors speculate that policing what is essentially noncriminal behavior simply encourages further and unnecessary control over girls and brings an increased number of girls into noncompliance with school rules and policies.
Metacognition and Foreign Language Cultural Instruction
Authors: Ivers John J.
Published: July 2007

In a recently published, well-received book, What the Best College Teachers Do, author Ken Bain expounds on 15 years of meticulous research into the attributes and techniques of successful college instructors. One of his main conclusions is that the best college teachers employ what he calls metacognition, or thinking about thinking. He explains that students are inspired when taken on deep intellectual forays. Examples of such cerebral expeditions are probing for tacit assumptions, critically examining the socially constructed paradigms that manipulate our realities, and examining the implications of particular lines of thought. In foreign language classes, the teaching of culture provides a medium for the instructor to exploit this pedagogical resource. Yet most culture taught in foreign language classes is so superficial as to not lend itself to critical reflection or significant paradigm shifts. This article discusses how Bain's findings can be utilized to improve cultural instruction and stimulate the raising of consciousness.
Clinical medication review by a pharmacist of elderly people living in care homes: pharmacist interventions
Authors: Alldred David P , Zermansky Arnold G , Petty Duncan R , Raynor David K , Freemantle Nick , Eastaugh Joanne , Bowie Peter
Published: July 2007

Objectives

To describe the rate and nature of pharmacist interventions following clinical medication review of elderly people living in care homes.

Setting

Care home residents aged 65+ years, prescribed at least one repeat medication, living in nursing, residential and mixed care homes for older people in Leeds, UK.

Method

Analysis of data from care home residents receiving clinical medication review in the intervention arm of a randomised controlled trial. Intervention outcomes for each medicine were evaluated for each resident.

Key findings

Three-hundred and thirty-one residents were randomised to receive a clinical medication review and 315 (95%) were reviewed by the study pharmacist; 256 (77%) residents had at least one recommendation made to the general practitioner. For the 2280 medicines prescribed, there were 672 medicine-related interventions: medicines for cardiovascular system (167 (25%)), nutrition and blood (121 (18%)), central nervous system (113 (17%)) and gastrointestinal conditions (86 (13%)) accounted for 487 (73%) of medicine-related interventions. There were 75 non-medicine-related interventions. The most common interventions were ‘technical’ (225 (30%)), ‘test to monitor medicine’ (161 (22%)), ‘stop drug’ (100 (13%)), ‘test to monitor conditions' (75 (10%)), ‘start drug’ (76 (10%)), ‘alter dose’ (40 (5%)) and ‘switch drug’ (37 (5%)). Recommendations to stop a medicine were most common for CNS drugs (32 (32%)). The most common medicine to be recommended to be started was calcium and vitamin D (45 (59%)). Following a recommendation to test to monitor a medicine, 23 (14%) medicines required a change.

Conclusions

This study has demonstrated that clinical medication review by a pharmacist can identify medicine problems in approximately 80% of care home residents, requiring intervention in 1 in 4 of their prescribed medications.
A description of patients presenting with minor illness in community pharmacies in southern Chile
Authors: Akesson Carin , Paulos Claudio , Marín Francisco , Salazar Cecilia
Published: July 2007

Objective

To describe the characteristics of patients presenting with minor illness in community pharmacies in southern Chile.

Setting

The study was carried out in three community pharmacies belonging to a major chain in the south of Chile, during eight consecutive days in each pharmacy between June and July 2003.

Method

A questionnaire was designed and completed, by a pharmacy student, who observed patients suffering from any of the eight symptoms or conditions of nasal congestion, cough, dys-menorrhoea, head lice, diarrhoea, constipation, heartburn and acne, attending the sample community pharmacies during the observation period.

Key findings

A total of 678 presentations was registered, the patients were mainly female (64.9%) and adults (68.8%). In almost half (46.2%) of the presentations, the patients sought help for the symptom of cough. The sex of the patients was associated with the condition presented, but not the kind of attention sought. Females, more frequently than males (44.8% versus 32.4%), came to the pharmacy on behalf of another person. In a majority of the consultations (57.5%), the patient sought a recommendation on how to deal with his/her health problem, rather than asking for a product by name. The pharmacist carried out the service personally in only 2.4% of the cases and the patients were referred to a physician in less than 1% of the cases. The reason most frequently indicated (38.2%) by the individuals who sought help for their health problems was prompt attention.

Conclusion

An average of 28 patients daily sought help for one of the target conditions and in almost half of the cases this was for the symptom of cough. A cause of concern is the very low frequencies with which patients were attended to by the pharmacist or referred to a physician, leaving the choice of treatment in the hands of the pharmacy assistant or the patient.
Methods for the Study of Embryotrophic Nutrition
Authors: Beck F. , Lloyd J. B.
Published: July 2007

In Early post-implantation stages of development, before the establishment of an intimate relationship between the maternal and foetal circulations, embryonic nutrition is carried out largely by the breakdown of macro-molecules in certain phagocytic extra-embryonic membranes. This communication is concerned with defining histochemica, electron microscopic and biochemical parameters which make it possible to identify the membranes concerned. In vivo and in vitro systems for the measurement of the amount of macromolecular breakdown occurring in certain foetal membranes are presented. It is suggested that interference with these catabolic processes may produce congenital malformations or result in abortion of the conceptus.
The Production of Rabbits free from Lesions Associated with Encephalitozoon Cuniculi
Authors: Mcc Howell J. , Edington N.
Published: July 2007

Lesions produced by Encephalitozoon cuniculi are common in the central nervous system of laboratory rabbits, and may affect experimental results. Post-mortem examination often does disclosed that three manifested typical lesions, while the other seven did not. Of the fourteen young born to the three does in which lesions were discovered, four (29 per cent) were free from obvious evidence of the disease. Of the fifty young born to the seven lesion-free does, forty-seven (94 per cent) were also free from such lesions.
Surgical anaesthesia of mice: evaluation of tribromo-ethanol, ether, halothane and methoxyflurane and development of a reliable technique
Authors: Tarin D. , Sturdee A.
Published: July 2007

Methoxyflurane is easily the best of the 4 agents for producing well controlled surgical anaesthesia in mice. Its particular advantages are that operative and post-operative mortality are negligible, 1 person can both control the level of anaesthesia and perform the surgical operation, there is no serious hazard for the administrator, and the anaesthetic can be administered with very simple apparatus.
Improved production from polygamous groups of mice
Authors: Barber B. R. , Dioguardi P.
Published: July 2007

A method is described of producing a higher number of offspring of a single sex, from polygamous groups of mice, by the use of selective culling at birth.
Influence of restricting the diet on breeding in genetically obese mice
Authors: Eastcott A.
Published: July 2007

A system for breeding from obese male mice ( ob/ob) by restricting food intake is described. It is shown that a 40% reduction in food intake at 6½-8½ weeks of age is optimal in the colony under review. Males on restricted diet did not mate immediately but went through a period of adaptation; the mean time before vaginal plugs were observed was 30 days. Subsequent vaginal plugs occurred on average every 17 days and 69% of these matings resulted in litters. Under optimal conditions over 90% of all obese males set up on restricted diets mated and sired young.
Variations in the blood clotting time and lipid patterns of the Nigerian monkey, Cercopithecus aethiops tantalus, during captivity
Authors: Alozie T. C. , Bassir O.
Published: July 2007

The blood clotting time and serum lipid values of newly-captured Nigerian monkeys were determined during the period of adaptation. Large fluctuations in serum free and total cholesterol and phospholipid values were observed throughout the 12-week period of investigation. The variations in blood clotting time were not significant ( p > 0·05). These wide variations in lipid values suggest the need for caution in interpreting data from newly-captured subhuman primates.
Depilatory effects of certain chemicals during the first hair growth cycle in sucking mice
Authors: Panaretto B. A. , Tunks D. A. , Munro S.
Published: July 2007

The chemicals were administered, subcutaneously, orally or topically. Generally, the depilation produced in the mice by mimosine or cyclophosphamide differed from that produced by the steroid analogues tested. In the first 2 cases almost completely naked mice were commonly seen, while in the steroid-treated groups the complete inhibition of all hair fibres was rare. This is discussed in relation to the effects of the same compounds on wool growth in sheep. When related to body weight, the doses of cyclophosphamide (62 mg/kg0.75) and dexamethasone (5-10 mg/kg0.75), that depilated mice in our experiments were in good agreement with those reported to inhibit the growth of wool fibres in some sheep.

An example of synergism in depilatory effect between dexamethasone and cyclophosphamide is also presented.

The time of onset and the initial spread over the body of the 2nd hair cycle in depilated mice was observed.
Spontaneous glomerular basement membrane changes in the golden Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus): a light and electron microscope study
Authors: Van Marck E. A. E. , Jacob W. , Deelder A. M. , Gigase P. L. J.
Published: July 2007

Changes in apparently healthy hamsters, consistent with proteinuria, are reported, but no IgG deposits or amyloid in the glomeruli were detected. Further investigation is required into the significance and the aetiology of these, as yet, obscure alterations.
Trends in the use of nonhuman primates in biomedical programmes
Authors: LeCornu Ann , Rowan A. N.
Published: July 2007

Recent surveys of the use of primates in biomedical laboratories indicate that the demand, especially for imported animals, is declining. Reasons for this trend are not clear, although restrictions on export by countries of origin undoubtedly have a significant effect. More precise survey techniques and terminology would aid comparisons and help to identify the factors involved in changes in demand.
Volvulus at the i1eocaecal junction in germfree mice
Authors: Djurickovic Slobodan M. , Ediger Raymond D. , Hong Chou C.
Published: July 2007

16 cases of intestinal volvulus were observed in a total of 200 inbred C57BL/6N, GR/N, and DBA/2N germfree mice during the course of 2 years. The volvulus was a twisting of the caecum at the junction of the ileum, caecum and colon, resulting in occlusion and death. In each case the caecum was greatly enlarged. During the same period no intestinal volvulus was seen in 5 other germfree strains or in F1 to F4 generations of identical strains of microflora-associated and conventionalized mice.
Haematological findings in healthy and diseased rabbits, a multivariate analysis
Authors: Hinton M. , Jones D. R. E. , Festing M. F. W.
Published: July 2007

Haematological data from 94 diseased rabbits and 23 healthy adult rabbits were analysed statistically using principal components analysis and multiple discriminant function analysis. The 1st principal component accounted for 32% of the variation and was interpreted as showing total blood cellularity. This was decreased in the majority of diseased rabbits, principally due to anaemia, although in a few it was slightly increased possibly as a result of dehydration. The 2nd principal component (22% of the variation) had high positive loadings on monocyte and heterophil counts and weak negative loadings on the red cell characters. This component was interpreted as the response of the white blood cells to disease. When classification analysis was used to decide whether or not an animal was 'normal' the heterophil and lymphocyte counts alone provided almost as accurate an assessment as when all the blood parameters were taken into account. The role of these analyses in the diagnosis of disease is discussed.
Automated estimation of time of death in rats by continuous temperature recording
Authors: Jones Peter A.
Published: July 2007

A method of continuous body temperature monitoring in unrestrained rats is described which enables accurate quantitation of survival.
A method for intratracheal inoculation of mice
Authors: Yap K. L.
Published: July 2007

The apparatus used is simple and easily manufactured in the laboratory.
The vascularly and luminally perfused small intestine in vitro: dissection technique and model system
Authors: Hutchison J. D. , Undrill V. J. , Porteous J. W.
Published: July 2007

The quantitative study in vitro of a wide range of intestinal functions is best achieved by perfusing the intestine simultaneously by the luminal and vascular routes. A comprehensive description is given of the dissections involved in preparing a selected segment of jejunum for such simultaneous perfusions. Attention is drawn to a number of occasional aberrant vascular structures which require special attention if successful perfusions are to be established. It is essential to restore the ATP and diphosphoglycerate concentrations of erythrocytes, and to assess their deformability, before incorporating them in the vascular perfusion medium. The perfusion equipment, the perfusion media and the general conduct of a perfusion experiment, are described.
Detection of Klebsiella pneumoniae antibodies in Aotus l. lemurinus (Panamanian Owl Monkey) using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test
Authors: Obaldia Nicanor
Published: July 2007

An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), was adapted to detect antibodies against Klebsiella pneumoniae in Aotus l. lemurinus monkeys. It was used to define the prevalence of infection and the immunogenicity of an Al(OH)3 bacterin in a population of laboratory born A. l. lemurinus monkeys. This represents a preliminary step to reduce K. pneumoniae produced mortality. A striking finding during a cross-sectional prevalence study was that none of the babies of less than 2 months old had detectable levels of antibody. The antibody prevalence gradually increased in all other age groups reaching 87·5% in the 8-10-month-old group. These results indicate that infection with K. pneumoniae occurred sometime between 2 and 6 months of age, probably as a result of oral-faecal contamination and a change in the feeding and grooming behaviour. To determine whether infants had maternal antibodies or if they were asymptomatic carriers of the bacterium, a cross-sectional study was done in 15 infants less than 4 months old and their mothers. K. pneumoniae antibodies were detected in 11/15 mothers with serum titers ranging from 1:4 to >1:256 and the bacterium was isolated from 3 babies and one mother and her baby. Results showed that no maternal antibodies remained in babies older than 3 weeks old. A prospective study indicated a reduction in mortality from 20% for the previous 3 years to 3·7% (3/79) in AL(OH)3 K. pneumoniae bacterin vaccinated infants born during 1988-89.
Grass pollen specific antibody in the plasma of normal dogs
Authors: Wheeler A. W.
Published: July 2007

An investigation carried out with healthy beagle dogs showed that their plasmas contained detectable levels of grass pollen specific IgG antibody, as measured by a radiometric assay involving the binding of IgG to radio-iodinated staphylococcal protein A. These samples did not, however, contain detectable homocytotropic-type antibodies specific for grass pollen extract.
The variability of organ weight background data in rats
Authors: Gur Ephraim , Waner Trevor
Published: July 2007

The variability of organ weight data in a series of 5 control groups of Sprague-Dawley rats was studied. Differences in body weight and organ weight data were detected between the studies. Attempts to reduce the variability of organ weights by using analysis of covariance or organ to brain weight ratios were only partially successful. Factors which may influence animals under controlled conditions and result in variability between studies are discussed. It is concluded that caution is needed when considering the use of organ weight background data as a means of comparison. The findings are in agreement with other fields of study in toxicological testing, and emphasize the importance of using a concurrent control for the purpose of comparison of data.
Responses of laboratory animals to some injectable anaesthetics
Authors: Smith William
Published: July 2007

Xylazine, ketamine, methohexitone and alphadalone/alphaxalone, were administered intraperitoneally, intramuscularly or intravenously to mice, rats, guineapigs and rabbits. Times for disappearance and reappearance of reflexes were recorded, and duration of loss of reflex. Delivering a predetermined dose gave a varying individual response, ranging from inadequate anaesthesia to death. Using reflexes to assess depth of anaesthesia was of limited value. Reflex movements to noxious stimuli generally persisted even at dose rates that caused prolonged recovery times and death. Conversely, in rats there was no response to a cutaneous stimulus in some animals even though recumbency was almost restored.
Folic acid and vitamin B12 status of vervet monkeys used for nutritional research
Authors: Venter F. S. , Cloete H. , Seier J. V. , Faber M. J. , Fincham J. E.
Published: July 2007

Plasma and red blood cell (RBC) folic acid levels, as well as plasma vitamin B12 levels were determined in Vervet monkeys ( Cercopithecus aethiops). All the vervets were apparently healthy and without symptoms or lesions typical of folic acid and/or vitamin B12 deficiencies. Competitive protein binding radioassays were used to determine folate and vitamin B12 values in animals fed 4 different diets. The B12 levels for all the groups ranged between 866 and 5867 pg/ml and showed an inverse relationship with the FA measurements. The lowest mean RBC folic acid content in a group fed an atherogenic diet for 3 years was 12·8 ng/ml. For the other 3 diets, mean RBC folic acid levels were 90·7, 132·3 and 152·8 ng/ml, respectively.

A megadose of 25·6 mg of folic acid per day for 99 days was given to 3 adult males. No obvious toxic effects were observed in these animals although mean RBC folic acid levels increased to 1013 ng/ml.
The inheritance and breeding results of hairless descendants of Mexican hairless dogs
Authors: Kimura T. , Ohshima S. , Doi K.
Published: July 2007

The inheritance and breeding results of hairless descendants of Mexican hairless dogs (MHDs) were investigated. When the male hairless dogs were bred to female beagles, the birth ratio of hairless and haired dogs was 1:1. Mating between MHDs gave both hairless and haired pups. The results indicated that an autosomal dominant monogenic gene was responsible for their hairless characteristics. We propose the symbol Hm for this gene (hairless, Mexican type). The survival rate of hairless pups was markedly lower than that of haired ones. It was elevated to 50-90% by warming their cages to a minimum of 25°C.
Cannulation of the lateral saphenous vein-a rapid method to gain access to the venous circulation in anaesthetized guineapigs
Authors: Nau Roland , Schunck Ortwin
Published: July 2007

Previously published methods of venous puncture in guineapigs did not provide reliable venous access for more than a few minutes, and therefore surgical intervention was necessary to cannulate the femoral or external jugular vein or the vena cava. In the present report cannulation of the Vena saphena lateralis via the Vena plantaris lateralis or of the Vena saphena medialis is described by inserting a 22 gauge teflon catheter. These catheters are commercial products. The method is timesaving and inexpensive. Successful cannulation was accomplished in 34 of 35 guineapigs. No lethal incidents occurred.
Measurement of blood pressure and heart rate by telemetry in conscious unrestrained marmosets
Authors: Schnell Christian R. , Wood Jeanette M.
Published: July 2007

A system is described for the continuous measurement of blood pressure, heart rate and motor activity by telemetry in conscious marmosets freely moving in their home cages. Consistent diurnal variations in these parameters were observed under standard conditions. However these parameters were sensitive to changes in the environment. Blood pressure values were similar to those measured by non-telemetric methods in conscious restrained marmosets while heart rate values were significantly lower.
A transport and monitoring unit for piglets under general anaesthesia
Authors: Søfteland Eirik , Hillestad Ttrygve , Framstad Tore , Thorsen Terje , Holmsen Holm
Published: July 2007

A transport and monitoring unit for fully anaesthetized piglets (weight 20-30 kg) was made. The unit provided easy transport for short or longer distances while at the same time making continuous monitoring of invasive blood pressure (IBP), temperature and HR possible. The animals stayed in the unit for the duration of the experiments which required that the anaesthetized animal be kept in exactly the same position for several hours. This, as well as the experimental animal's welfare, was ensured by the unit. Such a unit can be used for any lengthy transportation of experimental animals to research facilities located separately from animal laboratories.
Leptospira interrogans serovar sejroe infection in a group of laboratory dogs
Authors: Scanziani E. , Crippa L. , Giusti Anna M. , Luini M. , Pacciarini Maria L. , Tagliabue Silvia , Cavalletti E.
Published: July 2007

Interstitial nephritis was seen histologically in 19 (59%) out of 32 pure-breed beagle dogs (16 males and 16 females) subjected to standard safety tests. In these animals no clinical abnormalities were observed and all the tested parameters (haematology, biochemistry and urine analysis) were within the normal ranges. Leptospiral antibody titres ranging from 1:100 to 1:6400, against a serovar ( hardio) belonging to the Sejroe serogroup, were detected by the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) in the serum of the 19 dogs with interstitial nephritis. All animals without renal lesions were seronegative. Leptospiral antigen was detected immunohistochemically in the kidneys of 4 dogs; leptospires were detected in Warthin-Starry stained sections of one dog. Leptospires were isolated from the kidneys of 3 of the 4 dogs examined by bacterial culture. The isolated strains were typed as serovar sejroe by restriction endonuclease digestion and Southern blot hybridization analysis of their DNA. It was concluded that Leptospira interrogans serovar sejroe, was responsible for an asymptomatic chronic renal infection which was widespread in this group of laboratory dogs.
Ovarian changes in Sprague-Dawley rats produced by nocturnal exposure to low intensity light
Authors: Beys Eric ,   ThomasHodge, Nohynek Gerhard J.
Published: July 2007

This study was performed to investigate the potential effects of nocturnal, low-intensity light upon ovarian morphology of female Sprague-Dawley rats and to investigate the cause for ovarian changes which had been observed in an earlier study following transient exposure of control female Sprague-Dawley rats to indirect light of minimal intensity during the nocturnal 12-h dark cycle. Twenty female Sprague-Dawley CD rats (initial age: 5 weeks) were kept for 8 weeks under our standard laboratory conditions including a daily 12-h light cycle (light intensity: approximately 200 lux) followed by a 12-h dark cycle with exposure to an indirect light source of low intensity (approximately 30 lux). Ten female control rats of comparable age from a concurrent toxicology study housed in an adjacent animal room under our standard 12 h light/dark cycle served as controls. At the end of the study the rats were sacrificed, necropsied and the ovaries were evaluated histopathologically. In 5 of the 20 animals we found ovarian atrophy consisting of decreased number and size of corpora lutea and increased number of tertiary follicles and/or follicular cysts. Most corpora lutea present in these ovaries were old, indicating the absence of recent ovulations. In contrast, the incidence of ovarian changes in the control group was 0/10. In conclusion, nocturnal exposure of female Sprague-Dawley rats to light of minimal intensity produced a substantial incidence of ovarian changes and suggests that the incidence of ovarian atrophy observed in a previous study may have been due to transient exposure to indirect nocturnal light of minimal intensity.
Carbon dioxide euthanasia in rats: oxygen supplementation minimizes signs of agitation and asphyxia
Authors: Coenen A. M. L. , Drinkenburg W. H. I. M. , Hoenderken R. , van Luijtelaar E. L. J. M.
Published: July 2007

This paper records the effects of carbon dioxide when used for euthanasia, on behaviour, electrical brain activity and heart rate in rats. Four different methods were used. Animals were placed in a box (a) that was completely filled with carbon dioxide; (b) into which carbon dioxide was streamed at a high flow rate; (c) into which carbon dioxide was streamed at a low flow rate and (d) into which a mixture of carbon dioxide and oxygen was streamed at a fast rate. It was found that the cessation of behaviour was associated with an aberrant pattern of electrical brain activity together with an abnormally low heart rate. The time to reach this point was shortest in those animals placed in the box filled with pure carbon dioxide, longer when carbon dioxide was introduced at a high rate into the box, longer still when oxygen was added to the carbon dioxide gas, and longest when carbon dioxide was streamed slowly into the box. In the condition with pure carbon dioxide, signs of behavioural agitation and asphyxia were seen. This was also true for the two conditions in which carbon dioxide streamed into the box, but to a lesser degree. These signs occurred when some degree of consciousness may still have been present in the animals. Signs of agitation and asphyxia were almost completely absent in the condition where oxygen was added to the carbon dioxide. These results not only demonstrate the usefulness of behavioural criteria next to electrophysiological indices, but also demonstrate that the negative effects of carbon dioxide euthanasia can be prevented by an additional supply of oxygen.
Influence of prostaglandins E2 and F2α on passage pressure across the uterotubal junction and isthmus in the rat
Authors: Ortega-Moreno J.
Published: July 2007

The influence of prostaglandins E2 and F2α on passage pressure across the uterotubal junction (UTJ) and isthmus were studied in rats that were either in the pro-oestrus, oestrus, metoestrus or dioestrus phases. Effects of these prostaglandins were also investigated in rats that had been either ovariectomized and treated with oestradiol or medroxiprogesterone acetate, or only ovariectomized. In each rat, the left UTJ was surgically resected and the isthmus anastomosed to the uterine horn, whereas the right UTJ was left untouched. The passage pressures across the left isthmus and the right UTJ were measured before and after prostaglandin treatment.

The pressures obtained in the UTJ in the oestrus phase and oestrogen-treated ovariectomized animals were lower than those registered in the remaining groups. Prostaglandin E2 decreased the pressures when compared with pre-treatment measures in all groups. Significantly higher pressures were registered across the UTJ in prostaglandin F2α than in E2 treatment, with these higher pressures being similar to pre-treatment pressures. Both hormonal changes throughout the oestrous cycle and prostaglandin E2 treatment had a similar influence on the passage pressure across the isthmus, as that described for UTT, but with lower values.

The results indicate that prostaglandin E2 decreases the passage pressure across both UTJ and isthmus and can have an influence on the regulation of transport across these 2 areas.
Serological studies of Corynebacterium kutscheri and coryneform bacteria using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
Authors: Boot R. , Thuis H. , Bakker R. , Veenema J. L.
Published: July 2007

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure Corynebacterium kutscheri antibodies in mice and rats was developed. Seven c. kutscheri isolates showed considerable serological relationship, but Japanese isolates differed from the British isolates. The ELISA appeared specific since c. kutscheri antigen did not react with antisera against 8 heterologous coryneform species. Antibodies to c. kutscheri were to a limited extent absorbed by autologous and homologous antigen, but not at all by the heterologous coryneform species.

In naturally infected wild Rattus norvegicus and laboratory NA rats, the ELISA demonstrated high ODs to c. kutscheri.
The topography, structure and incidence of mineralized bodies in the basal ganglia of the brain of cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis)
Authors: Wadsworth P. F. , Jones H. B. , Cavanagh J. B.
Published: July 2007

Whole coronal slices from 6 levels of the brain of 16 cynomolgus monkeys (8 control and 8 treated by daily gavage with a novel pharmaceutical agent for one year) were examined histologically. Mineralized bodies were identified only in coronal sections passing through the optic chiasma and mammillary bodies.

Identical mineralized structures were present in the basal ganglia of both control and treated animals. The majority were seen in the globus pallidus, occasionally in the putamen and once in the nearby caudate nucleus. These structures were partially ferruginated and also partially calcified. They appeared to arise in relation to small vessels. They are part of the naturally occurring background pathology of several species of non-human primates and the incidence in this study (3/8 control and 5/8 treated) was approximately what might be expected from reports in the literature. Mineralized bodies of the basal ganglia of primates represent a spontaneous lesion with a characteristic distribution. They may cause confusion in interpretation of toxicological studies if their natural occurrence is not appreciated.
Guidelines and legal codes for the welfare of non-human primates in biomedical research
Authors: Poole Trevor B.
Published: July 2007

Recommendations have been drawn up in different countries for the housing of non-human primates. Four of them are compared and it is clear that there is little consistency with regard to spatial allowances or suitable temperature and humidity ranges. Often the cage sizes quoted are incompatible with requirements to meet the behavioural needs of the animals. Only one provides guidance on primates' different social needs. To achieve greater consistency and credibility, guidelines should be regularly revised to include advances in our knowledge of the animals' needs.
Renewable Energy Development – Challenges for Bangladesh
Authors: Tarik-ul-Islam Md. , Ferdousi Sara
Published: July 2007

In Bangladesh, annual per capita energy consumption is approximately 200 KgOE3, which is among the lowest in the world. Presently, 70% of the population does not have access to electricity in Bangladesh (GoB, 2004). The average system loss is 20.97% (GoB, 2006). The demand for power is estimated to increase 300 MW annually (GoB, 1996a). In contrast, concerns have been raised about the conventional energy production from fossil fuels that significantly contributes to environmental degradation at the local, regional and global levels. This situation calls for adoption of sustainable energy strategies that permeate every level of the economy and can provide rural dwellers with the services that they want and need.

With this backdrop, Bangladesh has been experiencing a gradual shift towards exploring renewable energy resources as a means to fuel rural development in the off-grid areas. The country is endowed with abundant renewable energy resources. The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), with its mandate for sustainable rural development has embarked on a program for demonstration and transfer of renewable energy technologies in the off-grid rural areas. The project “Sustainable Rural Energy (SRE)‘ has been conceived within the overall framework of ‘Sustainable Environment Management Programme (SEMP)’ with financial support from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This project has already completed a number of renewable energy installations demonstrating diversified community applications of these technologies for livelihood and socio-economic improvement of the people living in the remote off-grid villages. The lessons learned from these demonstration plants reveal that, with careful forward planning, renewable energy can provide far-reaching economic and social benefits to people living in remote rural areas in Bangladesh. The private sectors and NGOs (Non-government organizations) have started to take part in the process of renewable energy development with great promise and enthusiasm. However, the process encounters policy, institutional and technological barriers, which are critical for continued development in this sector.
Our Adoptee, Our Alien: Transnational Adoptees as Specters of Foreignness and Family in South Korea
Authors: Kim Eleana
Published: July 2007

Since the late 1990s, adult adopted Koreans have been officially welcomed back to their country of birth as "overseas Koreans," a legal designation instituted by Korea's state-sponsored "globalization" (segyehwa) project. Designed to build economic and social networks between Korea and its seven million compatriots abroad, this policy projects an ethnonationalist and deterritorialized vision of Korea that depends upon a conflation of "blood" with "kinship" and "nation." Adoptees present a particularly problematic subset of overseas Koreans: they have biological links to Korea, but their adoptions have complicated the sentimental and symbolic ties of "blood" upon which this familialist and nationalist state policy depend. Because international adoption replaces biological with social parenthood and involves the transfer of citizenship, to incorporate adoptees as "overseas Koreans," the state must honor the authority and role of adoptive parents who raised them, even as they invite adoptees to (re)claim their Koreanness. Government representations optimistically construe adoptees as cultural "ambassadors" and economic "bridges," yet for adoptees themselves––whose lives have been split across two nations, two families and two histories––the cultural capital necessary to realize their transnational potential seems to have already been forfeited. Based on fieldwork with an expatriate community of adoptees living and working in Seoul, this article examines how adoptees are specters of both family and foreignness in Korea. I argue that, rather than demonstrating the possibilities of a borderless world, Korean adoptees illuminate how state practices and political economy structure "kinship" and "nation" for transnational subjects caught up in contemporary dialectics of nationalism and globalization
Refiguring Kinship in the Space of Adoption
Authors: Yngvesson Barbara
Published: July 2007

International conventions and domestic adoption laws in Euro-American nations regulate the construction of adoptive families through a series of legal fictions. The most significant of these is the principle of the legal clean break, which cancels a child's ties to pre-adoptive kin and incorporates him or her into the adoptive family (and adoptive nation) "as if" s/he were the family's (the nation's) "own." Drawing on research with transnationally adopted adults and their families in Sweden and the United States, and on memoirs and films produced by adopted adults who have reunited with (officially nonexistent) kin, I focus on the productivity of this space of erasure, where biology is both cancelled and discovered anew as a site of surface (dis)connection, and continuity is produced over time in a series of returns. This work has implications for our understanding of what Foucault (1997) describes as "the biological-type caesura" in the production of "what appears to be a biological domain" in the adoptive nations to which adoptive children are sent and those to which they return. At the same time it suggests some of the ways that familiar cultural forms (the nation, the family, the Swedish, and so forth) are reconfigured by the presence of a child (and later an adult) whose quality as "almost the same, but not quite" confounds any sense of what a biological family (or native land) might naturally be.