bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating the relationships between the distribution of British ground beetle species (Coleoptera, Carabidae) and temperature, precipitation and altitude
Authors: Eyre M. D. , Rushton S. P. , Luff M. L. , Telfer M. G.
Published: May 2005

Aims We examine the relationships between the distribution of British ground beetle species and climatic and altitude variables with a view to developing models for evaluating the impact of climate change.

Location Data from 1684 10‐km squares in Britain were used to model species–climate/altitude relationships. A validation data set was composed of data from 326 British 10‐km squares not used in the model data set.

Methods The relationships between incidence and climate and altitude variables for 137 ground beetle species were investigated using logistic regression. The models produced were subjected to a validation exercise using the Kappa statistic with a second data set of 30 species. Distribution patterns for four species were predicted for Britain using the regression equations generated.

Results As many as 136 ground beetle species showed significant relationships with one or more of the altitude and climatic variables but the amount of variation explained by the models was generally poor. Models explaining 20% or more of the variation in species incidence were generated for only 10 species. Mean summer temperature and mean annual temperature were the best predictors for eight and six of these 10 species respectively. Few models based on altitude, annual precipitation and mean winter temperature were good predictors of ground beetle species distribution. The results of the validation exercise were mixed, with models for four species showing good or moderate fits whilst the remainder were poor.

Main conclusions Whilst there were many significant relationships between British ground beetle species distributions and altitude and climatic variables, these variables did not appear to be good predictors of ground beetle species distribution. The poor model performance appears to be related to the coarse nature of the response and predictor data sets and the absence of key predictors from the models.
Continental and regional ranges of North American mammals: Rapoport's rule in real and null worlds
Authors: Arita Héctor T. , Rodríguez Pilar , Vázquez‐Domínguez Ella
Published: May 2005

Aim To assess the relationship between species richness and distribution within regions arranged along a latitudinal gradient we use the North American mammalian fauna as a study case for testing theoretical models.

Location North America.

Methods We propose a conceptual framework based on a fully stochastic mid‐domain model to explore geographical patterns of range size and species richness that emerge when the size and position of species ranges along a one‐dimensional latitudinal gradient are randomly generated. We also analyse patterns for the mammal fauna of North America by comparing empirical results from a biogeographical data base with predictions based on randomization null models.

Results We confirmed the validity of Rapoport's rule for the mammals of North America by documenting gradients in the size of the continental ranges of species. Additionally, we demonstrated gradients of mean regional range size that parallel those of continental range. Our data also demonstrated that mean range size, measured both as a continental or a regional variable, is significantly correlated with the geographical pattern in species richness. All these patterns deviated sharply from null models.

Main conclusions Rapoport's statement of an areographic relationship between species distribution and richness is highly relevant in modern discussions about ecological patterns at the geographical scale.
Electrophysiological identification of antennal pH receptors in the ground beetle Pterostichus oblongopunctatus
Authors: Merivee Enno , Ploomi Angela , Milius Marit , Luik Anne , Heidemaa Mikk
Published: May 2005

Abstract.  Electrophysiological responses of antennal taste bristles to 100 mm acetate and phosphate buffers were tested at pH 3–11 in the ground beetle Pterostichus oblongopunctatus (F.) (Coleoptera, Carabidae). Additionally, responses of these sensilla to 10 and 100 mm phosphate buffers were compared with each other. Generally, in response to these stimulating solutions, two sensory cells, classified as a salt cell (cation cell) and a pH cell, respectively, showed action potentials distinguished by differences in their amplitudes and polarity of spikes. The firing rate of the cation cell increased with increasing buffer concentration, and was influenced by buffer pH in a complicated way. The best stimulus for the second cell (pH cell) was pH of the stimulating buffer solution. As the pH of the stimulus solution increased, higher rates of firing were produced by the pH cell. For example, the number of action potentials elicited by 100 mm phosphate buffer at pH 11.1 was approximately 16‐fold higher compared with that at pH 8.1, and firing rates during the first second of the response were 27.9 and 1.7 imp/s, respectively. The pH cell did not fire or fired at very low frequency (first second response below 5 imp/s) at pH 3–6. This level of acidity probably represents the pH preferences of this ground beetle in its forest habitat and hibernating sites. By contrast to the cation cell, the pH cell responded to increases in buffer concentration by decreasing its firing rate.
Do grazing caddisfly larvae of Melampophylax mucoreus (Limnephilidae) use their antennae for olfactory food detection?
Authors: Spänhoff Bernd , Kock Christian , Meyer Alexander , Meyer Elisabeth I.
Published: May 2005

Abstract.  The behaviour of larvae of Melampophylax mucoreus (Limnephilidae; Trichoptera) is studied to test their capacity for food detection over long distances by olfaction. In aquaria experiments with stagnant water, the larvae rapidly accumulate on a biofilm‐covered stone (offered food patch) but not on control stones without biofilm‐cover. Larvae in an artificial flow channel (flume), with uni‐directional flow between an arrangement of stones covered with biofilm and stones without biofilm, can find food patches upstream from their location more rapidly than downstream. Stimuli transported towards the larvae by the water current might assist food location. However, no significant differences could be found in the movement of larvae with intact antennae compared with larvae without antennae. The results lead to the conclusion that the larvae of M. mucoreus find food patches mainly by random movement, which is assisted by their high mobility. Long‐distance olfactory orientation towards food patches, mediated by antennae, can be precluded. Gustatory stimuli appear to play an important role in contact‐chemoreception to identify biofilm patches on stone surfaces. Scanning electron microscopy studies of the larval head reveal that the antennae of M. mucoreus are small pegs (50 µm in length) with an apical plate (15 µm in diameter). The mouthparts of the larvae, especially the maxillary palps, show a variety of different sensilla types that are possibly used for contact‐chemoreception. These sensilla also could be responsible for the orientation towards a food resource upstream of the larvae.
Influence of carbon dioxide gas on German cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae) knockdown, recovery, movement and feeding
Authors: Branscome D. D. , Koehler P. G. , Oi F. M.
Published: May 2005

Abstract.  Carbon dioxide anaesthesia differentially affects the knockdown and recovery of cockroaches, depending on the strain and the length of time that the colony has been subjected to a CO2 regime. Adult males from two laboratory and two field‐collected strains of German cockroaches, Blattella germanica, are knocked down within 7–45 s after exposure to CO2. After 5 min of CO2 exposure, presumptive recovery (i.e. the time for the cockroach to right itself after knockdown) for laboratory strains occurs significantly sooner than for field‐collected strains. Control cockroaches, exposed to compressed air rather than CO2, exit harbourage cups rapidly (≤3.20 min). However, although allowed a recovery period of 5 min, significant movement impairment occurs for all cockroach strains anaesthetized with CO2. Carbon dioxide exposure significantly reduces consumption of 2.15% hydramethylnon bait and delays mortality even when 24 h is allowed for recovery before bait placement. Cockroaches allowed to recover for 48 h after 5 min of CO2 exposure consume significantly more bait and die significantly faster than CO2 exposed groups allowed 24 h of recovery, and mortality is not significantly different from nonanaesthetized bait‐fed controls.
Neuropeptides regulating development and reproduction in insects
Authors: Gäde Gerd , Hoffmann Klaus‐Hubert
Published: May 2005

Abstract.  This review deals with those neuropeptidic hormones that are completely known in their primary structure together with the control processes that are linked directly or indirectly to development and reproduction. Actions are assessed for neuropeptides that regulate ecdysteroid and Juvenile Hormone production; oocyte growth or yolk deposition; and ecdysis and courtship behaviour. The combined data on the primary sequence, gene expression, biosynthesis, release, interaction with the receptor and mode of action provide an accurate account of the current knowledge on how these peptides function.
Could learning of pollen odours by honey bees (Apis mellifera) play a role in their foraging behaviour?
Authors: Cook Samantha M. , Sandoz Jean‐Christophe , Martin Andrew P. , Murray Darren A. , Poppy Guy M. , Williams Ingrid H.
Published: May 2005

Abstract.  The role of pollen odour cues in the foraging behaviour of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) is poorly understood. Using classical conditioning of the proboscis extension response, in which bees learn to associate an odour with a sucrose reward, the present study tests whether odours of bee‐collected pollen from the hive environment or odours of fresh pollen on the anthers of flowers could be used in pollen foraging. Honey bees efficiently learn odours from field‐bean (Vicia faba) bee‐collected pollen and oilseed‐rape (Brassica napus) bee‐collected pollen, hand‐collected pollen, anthers and whole flowers, demonstrating that honey bees can learn pollen odours associatively in biologically realistic concentrations. Honey bees learn pollen odours of oilseed rape better than field bean and, although they generalize these two odours, they easily distinguish between them in discrimination tests, suggesting that pollen odours may be used in species recognition/discrimination. There is little evidence that honey bees can recognize whole flowers based on previous experience of bee‐collected pollen odour. However, they generalize the odours of oilseed‐rape anthers and whole flowers, suggesting that anther pollen in situ may play a more prominent role than bee‐collected pollen in foraging behaviour.
Photoperiodic determination of gynoparae and males of damson‐hop aphid Phorodon humuli
Authors: Campbell Colin A. M. , Tregidga Emma L.
Published: May 2005

Abstract.  Sexual morph production in Phorodon humuli is controlled by daylength. Wingless aphids reared from birth in short‐day conditions (LD 12 : 12 h) and transferred when adult to long‐day conditions (LD 18 : 6 h) produce only gynoparae and males until death some 7 weeks later, whereas those reared in long days and transferred to short days produce 20% wingless parthenogenetic females, 50% gynoparae and 30% of males in an overlapping sequence. No winged morph capable of re‐infesting hop is produced. Less mature embryos are more sensitive to short days than older embryos because 100% of the former became gynoparae after 4 days of exposure of their mothers, and 59% when their mothers were exposed for the 4 days immediately preceding the birth of their offspring. Two days of exposure to short days switches 94% of young embryos from wingless to gynopara production when mature. The response to short days is irreversible. Wingless aphids reared from birth to adult in short days produce 30% fewer offspring than those reared to the same stage in long days and are male‐biased, with 76–78% of their offspring being male.
Differential responses of thermal tolerance to acclimation in the sub‐Antarctic rove beetle Halmaeusa atriceps
Authors: Slabber Sarette , Chown Steven L.
Published: May 2005

Abstract.  Investigations of the responses to acclimation of upper and lower lethal limits and limits to activity in insects have focused primarily on Drosophila. In the present study, Halmaeusa atriceps (Staphylinidae) is examined for thermal tolerance responses to acclimation, and seasonal acclimatization. In summer and winter, lower lethal temperatures of adults and larvae are approximately −7.6 ± 0.03 and −11.1 ± 0.06 °C, respectively. Supercooling points (SCPs) are more variable, with winter SCPs of −5.4 ± 0.4 °C in larvae and −6.3 ± 0.8 °C in adults. The species appears to be chill susceptible in summer and moderately freeze tolerant in winter, thus showing seasonal acclimatization. Similar changes cannot be induced solely by acclimation to low temperatures in the laboratory. Upper lethal temperatures show a weaker response to acclimation. There are also significant responses to acclimation of critical thermal limits. Critical thermal minima vary between −3.6 ± 0.2 and −0.6 ± 0.2 °C in larvae, and from −4.1 ± 0.1 to −0.8 ± 0.2 °C in adults. By contrast, critical thermal maxima vary much less within adults and larvae. These findings are in keeping with the general pattern found in insects, although this species differs in several respects from others found on Marion Island.
Depositional record of an avulsive fluvial system controlled by peat compaction (Neogene, Most Basin, Czech Republic)
Authors: RAJCHL MICHAL , ULIČNÝ DAVID
Published: May 2005

This paper illustrates the response of a fluvial depositional system to the interplay between peat compaction and clastic sediment supply, at a range of spatial and temporal scales, as documented by extensive exposures in an open‐cast mine in the Most Basin, part of the Oligo‐Miocene Ohře Rift (Eger Graben) basin system in the Czech Republic. The Most Basin is characterized by the occurrence of a number of phenomena resulting from syn‐ and post‐depositional interactions between clastic sedimentary systems and the underlying accumulation of organic material that was the precursor of the main lignite seam of up to 45 m thickness. The studied strata are interpreted as deposits of an avulsive, mixed‐load fluvial system. The large‐scale depositional architecture documents an existence of at least five stratal packages up to 1500 m wide and up to several tens of metres thick, representing a record of long‐term evolution of a clastic floodplain bordered by accumulating peat. Within each of the packages, several small‐scale channel‐belts were documented. Individual packages are separated by carbonaceous mudstones indicating a period of reduced clastic input and interpreted as due to avulsion of the fluvial channels out of the floodplain limit. Two main, mutually linked, processes controlled the evolution of the studied fluvial system: (i) syndepositional compaction of the underlying peat and (ii) avulsions of the channels away from the original floodplain, resulting in formation of a new floodplain. The processes which caused the channels of the Hrabák fluvial system to reach the avulsion threshold were: (i) decrease of rate of creation of accommodation leading to increased sinuosity and thus to a decreased channel slope, and (ii) cross‐floodplain tilting of the channel belt caused by differential compaction of underlying organic‐rich substratum.
The dynamic characteristics and migration of a pyramid dune
Authors: WANG TAO , ZHANG WEIMIN , DONG ZHIBAO , QU JIANJUN , JING ZHEFAN , WANG WANFU , FENG JIANMIN
Published: May 2005

The results of wind tunnel experiments and field observations show that when the intersection angle between airflow direction and dune crest (ridge) line is > 30°, a reverse vortex is formed. Because of the convergence of sand streams from the windward and lee slopes at the crest, sand accumulates in the crestal region, causing vertical growth. Nevertheless, studies also show that the common asymmetry of the two slopes of a dune may significantly influence the evolution of arms of a pyramid dune. The migration rates of pyramid dunes are mediated by the interplay of their arms moving transversely and the vertical growth in response to the variations in wind regimes. Comparing the effects of airflow transverse to a given arm with longitudinal airflow, it is indicated that the transverse airflow is more significant in controlling the arms of pyramid dunes. The whole body of the studied pyramid dune, particularly the upper quarter section, migrated SE direction during the monitoring period. The patterns of wind erosion and deposition change alternately with seasonal variations in wind directions. The W, NE and SE sides undergo constant erosion, deposition and both erosion and deposition, respectively. The results of long‐term monitoring of a pyramid dune show that southerly winds, resulting from a local circulation, markedly affect the transverse migration of the whole pyramid dune.
Sedimentation in an actively tilting half‐graben: sedimentology and stratigraphy of Late Tournaisian–Viséan (Mississippian, Lower Carboniferous) carbonate rocks in south County Wexford, Ireland
Authors: NAGY ZSOLT R. , SOMERVILLE IAN D. , GREGG JAY M. , BECKER STEPHEN P. , SHELTON KEVIN L. , SLEEMAN ANDREW G.
Published: May 2005

The Wexford Basin (south‐eastern Ireland) is a NE–SW‐trending sedimentary basin containing carbonates and evaporites deposited during the Late Tournaisian and Viséan. Two separate depositional areas are defined on the basis of facies and facies associations. Sediments were deposited in inner ramp, lagoonal and peritidal environments near Rosslare, and in a more open‐marine, shallow‐ to moderately deep‐water, mid to outer ramp environment in the western area around Duncormick. Thick breccia deposits that occur in the Wexford Basin formed as a result of (i) fault movement that produced syn‐sedimentary debris flows in the Late? Chadian (Breccia type I); (ii) dissolution of anhydrite/gypsum and subsequent collapse of sedimentary strata (Breccia type II); and (iii) fracturing and brecciation of porous rock caused by the movement of high temperature, late diagenetic fluids along fault planes (Breccia type III). The NE–SW facies polarity displayed by both sedimentary successions was the result of NW–SE extension and the reactivation of the NE–SW‐trending Wexford Boundary Fault during the Chadian. Extension at the SE margin of the basin with downthrow to the NNW gave the basin a half‐graben character. Thickening of the debris flow deposits to the SW suggests that while the half‐graben was being tilted it also underwent a NE–SW block rotation due to an axial component of that normal fault.
Wildfires and seasonal aridity recorded in Late Cretaceous strata from south‐eastern Arizona, USA
Authors: FINKELSTEIN DAVID B. , PRATT LISA M. , CURTIN TARA M. , BRASSELL SIMON C.
Published: May 2005

Lithostratigraphic and organic chemostratigraphic studies of fluvial/lacustrine sediments in the Late Cretaceous Fort Crittenden Formation in south‐eastern Arizona USA, reveal changes in palaeoclimate and tectonics as well as associated fluctuations in lake level. The lower Fort Crittenden is dominated by marginal wetland to deep‐water lake deposits, whereas the upper Fort Crittenden is characterized by wetland to deltaic deposits. Abundance of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and reflectance of fusinite substantiate the impact of wildfires within the watershed. Organic geochemical evidence of wildfires is linked with sedimentological indicators of seasonal aridity suggesting that wildfires were common occurrences. Sedimentological evidence for seasonal aridity includes mottles and pseudoslickensides on ped structures within wetland mudstones. Distinct variations in PAH assemblages, characterized by the number of aromatic rings, indicate that there were variations in the intensities of wildfires, assuming no variations in the types of fuel. Fusinite reflectance values are consistent with combustion temperatures from 470 to 550 °C observed in modern wildfires.
RADIUS – rapid particle analysis of digital images by ultra‐high‐resolution scanning of thin sections
Authors: SEELOS KLEMENS , SIROCKO FRANK
Published: May 2005

RADIUS is a newly developed particle‐size measurement technique, based on evaluation of digital images of thin sections. Analyses are performed with sub‐millimetre sample resolution and are thus designed to work on a single lamina of laminated sediments. The method covers grain sizes from medium silt to coarse sand. The application contains pattern‐recognition modules that allow the detection of typical particle distributions of loess, organic detritus, turbidites and tephra layers. Cutting and hiding effects of particles on thin sections are corrected by empirical correction matrices. The calculated analysis results are compared with manually counted and measured samples to calibrate the application settings. The method can be applied to all fine‐grained clastic sediments, particularly to laminated lake sediments.
Changes to lake ecosystem structure resulting from fish cage farm emissions
Authors: Håkanson Lars
Published: May 2005

This study demonstrates how a given lake (Lake S. Bullaren, Sweden) would respond to emissions from a fish cage farm. The main questions to be answered are: How would emissions of feed spill and faeces from a fish farm influence the production and biomass of key functional organisms and how long would such changes remain if the fish farm is closed down? The work is based on a comprehensive lake ecosystem model, LakeWeb, which accounts for production, biomass, predation, abiotic/biotic interactions of nine key functional groups of organisms, phytoplankton, bacterioplankton, two types of zooplankton (herbivorous and predatory), two types of fish (prey and predatory), as well as zoobenthos, macrophytes and benthic algae. The LakeWeb model gives seasonal variations (the calculation time is one week). It has been calibrated and critically tested using empirical data and regressions based on data from many lakes. These tests have demonstrated that the model can capture typical functional and structural patterns in lakes very well, lending credibility to the results presented in this study. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first time that effects from fish cage farm emissions on lake ecosystem structure have been quantified at the ecosystem scale. To carry out studies such as these in the traditional manner, by extensive field work in one or a few lakes, would be very demanding, in terms of costs, personnel and time. This work has demonstrated that fish farm emissions would cause significant increases in the biomass of wild fish, without corresponding increases in algal volume. Thus, it is concluded that the fish farm emissions influence the lake's secondary production more markedly than primary production. Although this finding might seem to be a paradox, it is related to the fact that wild fish directly consume food spill and faeces from the fish farm, thereby creating a specific foodweb pathway, as described in this study.
Mortalities of lesser flamingos in Kenyan Rift Valley saline lakes and the implications for sustainable management of the lakes
Authors: Ndetei Robert , Muhandiki Victor S.
Published: May 2005

Lesser flamingo populations in the Kenyan Rift Valley saline lakes respond to changes in phytoplankton species’ composition and densities, behavioural needs, breeding cycles and environmental conditions. The numbers of flamingos are high when the density of blue‐green algaeArthrospira fusiformis(Spirulina platensis) is high, stimulating flamingo courtship and display. The numbers decline when lake levels decline, resulting in low phytoplankton densities and a domination by toxic phytoplankton species. In Kenyan saline Rift Valley lakes, heavy metals, pesticides, algal toxins (microcystin), bacterial infection and malnutrition are plausible causes of lesser flamingo mortalities. The production of cyanotoxins by toxic phytoplankton, as a result of declining lake water levels, could be a major factor contributing to the increased mortality of lesser flamingos. Integrated management of the lakes and their catchments is required to ensure the future well‐being of the lesser flamingos.
A decision‐making framework for ecological impacts associated with the accumulation of cyanotoxins (cylindrospermopsin and microcystin)
Authors: White Susan H. , Duivenvoorden Leo. J. , Fabbro Larelle D.
Published: May 2005

Toxins produced by cyanoprokaryotes are a key issue in aquatic management because of their potential to exert adverse effects on humans and aquatic biota. The information gap regarding bioaccumulation and biomagnification processes associated with cyanotoxins, however, has resulted in inadequacies in the management and maintenance of biological diversity in lakes and reservoirs affected by toxic cyanoprokaryote blooms. This paper examines the potential for, and effects of, bioaccumulation of two common cyanotoxins, microcystin and cylindrospermopsin, in aquatic organisms. The factors influencing cyanotoxin bioavailability are discussed in the context of the challenges associated with understanding and managing toxin accumulation. Based on the characteristics of cyanotoxin bioavailability, exposure and uptake routes, a theoretical, predictive model for cyanotoxin bioaccumulation is proposed. Key concepts include monitoring changes in toxin availability throughout the progression of a toxic bloom and the prediction of ecological effects based on internal tissue concentrations. The model explores the minimum requirements that managers must undertake in order to properly assess bioaccumulation risk in terms of frequency of toxin testing, toxin fraction determination and assessment of aquatic organisms.
Clinical significance of TT virus infection in children with chronic hepatitis B
Authors: Kasirga Erhun , Sanlidag Tamer , Akçali Sinem , Keskin Sükran , Aktas Erdinç , Karakoç Zehra , Helvaci Mehmet , Sözen Gülben , Kuzu Müge
Published: May 2005

Abstract
Background
: The pathogenic role of TT virus (TTV) is not clear in patients with chronic hepatitis B. The aims of the present study were to determine the frequency of TTV positivity in serum and saliva samples and the possible role of TTV in children with chronic hepatitis B.

Methods
: Sera and saliva from 29 healthy children and 25 children with chronic hepatitis B were tested for TTV‐DNA by means of real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Results
: Fifty‐two percent (13/25) of the serum samples and 32% (8/25) of the saliva samples were positive for TTV‐DNA in children with chronic hepatitis B. In healthy non‐transfused children, TTV‐DNA was detected in 58% (17/29) of the serum samples and 41% (12/29) of the saliva samples. Six (46%) of 13 children with chronic hepatitis and 10 (59%) of 17 healthy children had TTV‐DNA positivity both in serum and saliva samples. Two serum samples were negative for TTV‐DNA while the saliva samples were positive for TTV‐DNA in chronic hepatitis B and control groups. Mean age, sex, serum alanine aminotransferase levels, hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐DNA values were similar in TTV‐positive and ‐negative children with chronic hepatitis B. However, total histologic activity index (HAI), periportal necrosis and portal inflammation scores were significantly higher in children with HBV‐DNA and TTV‐DNA viremia (P = 0.013, P = 0.008, P = 0.015, respectively).

Conclusions
: Because total HAI, periportal necrosis and portal inflammation scores were higher in children with TTV coinfection, TTV infection may contribute to the progression of liver damage in children with chronic hepatitis B.
Complications of varicella in healthy children in Izmir, Turkey
Authors: Koturoglu Güldane , Kurugöl Zafer , Çetin Nuran , Hizarcioglu Murat , Vardar Fadil , Helvaci Mehmet , Çapar Zafer , Özkinay Ferda , Özkinay Cihangir
Published: May 2005

Abstract
Background
: The purpose of the paper was to evaluate the indications of hospital admissions and complications of varicella infection in immunologically healthy children.

Methods
: Between 1997 and 2001, patient records of children hospitalized due to varicella infection were reviewed. Incidence and clinical spectrum of complications and their distribution related to age and seasonal variations were analyzed.

Results
: A total of 178 immunocompetent children were hospitalized for varicella complications during the study period. This resulted in a crude incidence of 6.3/100 000 population at risk. All hospital admissions were due to accompanying complications. The majority of complications occurred in preschool‐age children with a median age of 3 years. No gender predominance was found. The most frequent complications were infectious complications, which were observed in 79 children (44%). Superinfections of the skin were present in 24 patients. Pneumonia was observed in 59 children: 49 had bacterial, 10 had viral pneumonia. Pyogenic arthritis was seen in two children and one had concomitant osteomyelitis. Group A β‐hemolytic streptococci were recovered from two patients with invasive bacterial infections. A total of 68 (38%) neurologic complications were observed. Cerebellar ataxia was present in 24, encephalitis was present in 17. Infectious complications occurred more frequently in younger children (median age: 2 years), whereas neurologic complications occurred at an older age (median age: 6 years). Hematologic complications were seen in nine children. There was a seasonal distribution of complications with a peak in January.

Conclusion
: Complications of varicella requiring hospitalization in immunocompetent children are more frequent than previously thought.
Detection of adenovirus DNA in clinical samples by SYBR Green real‐time polymerase chain reaction assay
Authors: Watanabe Masahiro , Kohdera Urara , Kino Minoru , Haruta Tsunekazu , Nukuzuma Syoichi , Suga Tomoko , Akiyoshi Kyoko , Ito Masahiro , Suga Shigeru , Komada Yoshihiro
Published: May 2005

Abstract
Background
: Adenoviruses are associated with a variety of diseases including upper respiratory tract infections, acute conjunctivitis, cystitis and gastroenteritis. Adenoviruses can also cause fatal disseminated infections in patients undergoing stem cell transplantation. Measurement of adenovirus load in clinical samples from localized adenovirus infections or disseminated adenovirus infections may provide important information for analyzing the pathogenesis of various adenovirus infections. The purpose of the present study was to develop and optimize a highly sensitive real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to detect a wide range of adenoviruses and to detect adenovirus DNA in clinical samples from immunocompetent children.

Methods
: Clinical samples of throat swabs and blood were collected from 111 patients suspected of having adenovirus infection. The copy number of adenovirus DNA was measured by real‐time PCR assay.

Results
: SYBR Green real‐time PCR assay is able to detect 10–106 copies of standard adenovirus DNA per run. Adenovirus DNA was detected in all culture‐positive samples serotyped as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 11. Viral loads on throat swabs from immunocompetent children with adenovirus infection ranged from 105 to 1011 copies/mL. Adenovirus DNA was detected in 60% of blood samples and copy number ranged from 103 to 105 copies/mL.

Conclusion
: SYBR Green real‐time PCR is a useful quantitative tool for analysis of adenovirus DNA. The present results for immunocompetent children with adenovirus infections provided basic data for comparison with data obtained from immunocompromised patients.
Helicobacter pylori infection in children with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
Authors: Hayashi Hiroko , Okuda Masumi , Aoyagi Noriyuki , Yoshiyama Megumi , Miyashiro Eikichi , Kounami Shinji , Yoshikawa Norishige
Published: May 2005

Abstract
Background
: Recently a high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection has been reported in adult patients with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (cITP). Furthermore, after H. pylori eradication therapy in such patients, their platelet counts have been observed to increase, suggesting that H. pylori may be a causative agent of adult cITP. However, there have been only a few reports of children with cITP. The purpose of the present paper was to examine the association between H. pylori infection and cITP in Japanese children.

Methods
: Helicobacter pylori stool antigens (HpSA) were measured and the prevalence of H. pylori infection was determined in 10 children with cITP.

Results
: Helicobacter pylori infection was found in only two of the subjects. In a boy, the urea breath test (UBT) was also positive and the patient received eradication therapy using amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and lansoprazole for 1 week. The therapy was successful and the patient's platelet count increased. The response was maintained throughout more than 1 year of follow up.

Conclusions
: The prevalence of H. pylori infection in children with cITP is not high. However, the platelet count increased after eradication therapy in a boy with cITP. It is suggested that the eradication of H. pylori infection would be valuable in children, as well as in adults, with cITP.
Evolution in the hypervariable region of the hepatitis C virus in two infants infected by mother‐to‐infant transmission
Authors: Ishii Tsutomu , Ohto Hitoshi , Takeuchi Chikako , Ariga Hiromichi , Hirai Shigeru , Ujiie Niro , Suzuki Hitoshi , Okamoto Hiroaki
Published: May 2005

Abstract
Background
: There is little data on the evolution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) quasispecies in infants infected by mother‐to‐infant transmission during long‐term follow up. The hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) of the HCV genome was investigated in two mother–infant pairs from birth to 7.6 and 10.2 years, respectively.

Methods
: Ten cDNA clones of HVR1 generated from HCV‐RNA and extracted from serum samples of both pairs were analyzed. The sequences were compared with regard to variability, identity, and hydrophobia profile, and analyzed by phylogenetic studies.

Results
: The alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level was high with fluctuation in infant A and almost within the normal range in infant B. Sequence diversity was higher in infant A at 7.6 years than in infant B at 9.3 years (sequence identity with the mothers’; 69.3–70.7% vs 85.3–90.7% for nucleotides, and 48% vs 68–72% for amino acids, respectively). Compared to the first samples, amino acid changes greatly increased in infant A (35.2% at 4.9 years and 52% at 7.6 years), but not in infant B (4% at 5.6 years and 27.5% at 9.3 years). Phylogenetic studies revealed that quasispecies in infant A evolved to a greater extent than that in infant B. Hydrophobia profile analyses revealed that dynamic shifts between hydrophilia and hydrophobia occurred in both infants.

Conclusions
: As in adults, the evolution of HVR1 and variability of quasispecies increased in infants infected through mother‐to‐infant transmission for 10 years after birth. A large episode of ALT elevation suggested the emergence of escape mutants and the evolution of new quasispecies.
Gene transfer of vascular endothelial growth factor reduces bleomycin‐induced pulmonary hypertension in immature rabbits
Authors: Gong Fangqi , Tang Hongfeng , Lin Yumin , Gu Weizhong , Wang Wei , Kang Manli
Published: May 2005

Abstract
Background
: The purpose of the present paper was to investigate the effect of gene transfer of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on bleomycin (BLM)‐induced pulmonary hypertension in immature rabbits.

Methods
: Immature rabbits (1 month old) were divided into control group (intratracheal injection of normal saline), BLM group (intratracheal injection of BLM), liposome group (intratracheal injection of BLM and liposomes) and the trans‐gene group (intratracheal injection of BLM and DNA−liposome complex). The pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) were measured by microcatheter, the pathological changes and the expression of VEGFmRNA and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) mRNA of endothelial cells in pulmonary arteries were evaluated by hematoxylin−eosin (HE) and in situ hybridization.

Results
: The PAP of the BLM and liposome groups were higher than the PAP of the control and trans‐gene groups. The thickness of wall increased and the cavity became narrow, and thickness index and area index increased in mid‐ and small‐sized pulmonary arteries of the BLM and liposome groups. VEGF trans‐gene was able to reduce those changes; the level of VEGFmRNA and eNOSmRNA expression in pulmonary arterial endothelial cells decreased in the BLM and liposome groups. The level of VEGFmRNA expression in the trans‐gene group was higher than that in the BLM and liposome groups, but lower than that in the control group.

Conclusion
: The PAP was elevated, the thickness of wall increased and the cavity became narrow in mid‐ and small‐sized pulmonary arteries, and the level of VEGFmRNA and eNOSmRNA expression in pulmonary arterial endothelial cells decreased in immature rabbits after 2 weeks of intratracheal injection of 4 units/kg BLM. VEGF trans‐gene could reduce those changes.
Psychological evaluation of children with idiopathic constipation and their parents
Authors: Ozokutan Bulent Hayri , Zoroglu Salih , Ceylan Haluk , Ozkan K Ugur
Published: May 2005

Abstract
Background
: Constipation is one of the most common problems in childhood. In idiopathic constipation it is not possible to identify primary cause in every case. Child behavioral problems and disturbances in parent–child relationships have been cited as causes of constipation. Constipation is a source of anxiety to the child and to the family. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate psychological characteristics of constipated children and their parents.

Methods
: Thirty‐two otherwise healthy children with idiopathic constipation over 4 years old were prospectively evaluated between January 2002 and June 2003. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Symptom Checklist‐90 revised (SCL‐90‐R) were used to assess the psychological profiles of the children and the parents, respectively. Thirty children with inguinal hernia who had no constipation or other problems, and their parents were asked to complete the checklists as controls. The scores of the constipation group were compared statistically with those of the control group.

Results
: In the constipation group there were 19 boys and 13 girls with a mean age of 7.3 years (4–14 years). All the patients responded to medical treatment. Constipated children and their parents were not found to have more behavior problems than the control group (P > 0.05).

Conclusions
: Children with idiopathic constipation and their parents do not show significant behavioral and emotional problems. Their psychological profiles are not different from the general population.
Urinary uracil in female patients with ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency
Authors: Sumi Satoshi , Imaeda Masayuki , Ito Tetsuya , Ueta Akihito , Ban Kyoko , Ohkubo Yumiko , Togari Hajime
Published: May 2005

Abstract
Background
: Female patients with ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD) show a wide range of clinical severity, from asymptomatic to lethal hyperammonemia. It is important to establish a simple method to distinguish symptomatic from asymptomatic patients.

Methods
: Uracil and orotic acid concentrations were analyzed in three female patients with OTCD at both the hyperammonemia‐attack and interval stages. These concentrations were compared with those in asymptomatic female patients reported previously.

Results
: Uracil concentrations in symptomatic female patients were uniformly higher than those in asymptomatic female patients at both the hyperammonemia‐attack and interval stages.

Conclusion
: Uracil may present a useful index for detecting OTCD female patients who are destined to suffer from hyperammonemia attack. Further data on uracil concentrations are necessary to establish the threshold for distinguishing symptomatic from asymptomatic subjects.
β‐lactam antibiotic resistance in aerobic commensal fecal flora of newborns
Authors: Duman Murat , Abacioglu Hakan , Karaman Meral , Duman Nuray , Özkan Hasan
Published: May 2005

Abstract
Background
: The purpose of the present paper was to prospectively determine the rate of β‐lactam antibiotic resistance in commensal fecal flora of newborns and the risk factors leading to this colonization.

Methods
: One hundred and eighteen newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) group (n = 38), the neonatal ward group (n = 36), and the control group (n = 44) were enrolled. Three or four stool samples were obtained from each infant, 15 days apart. Bacterial growth in Eozin Methylene Blue (EMB) agar + 10 µg ampicillin/mL was considered to be ampicillin‐resistant bacteria, and antibiotic susceptibility and extended spectrum β‐lactamases (ESBL) production was investigated in those bacteria.

Results
: Colonization with ampicillin‐resistant commensal fecal flora microorganisms was determined in 75.2% of 367 stool samples. Klebsiella spp. and Escherichia coli were identified in 59% and 41% of the samples, respectively. The lowest rate of ampicillin‐resistant bacterial colonization was determined in the NICU group. Microorganisms producing ESBL were identified in 33.7% of 367 stool samples. Fifty‐one and 73 of ampicillin‐resistant E. coli and Klebsiella spp. isolates were determined to produce ESBL, respectively. There was no difference with respect to colonization with ESBL‐producing microorganisms between the three groups. When risk factors related to colonization with ESBL‐producing microorganisms in stool samples were evaluated through the whole study period, very low birthweight, vaginal delivery, infant antibiotic usage, maternal antibiotic usage, male sex and premature rupture of membranes were determined as risk factors, while feeding with nasogastric tube was identified as a protective factor. When the risk factors related to colonization with ESBL‐producing bacteria in stool samples after discharge from the hospital were evaluated, failure to feed breast milk was determined as the only risk factor.

Conclusions
: To decrease mortality and morbidity due to infection caused by resistant microorganisms colonized in the intestine flora of the infant, protection of normal non‐pathogenic bacterial colonization is important. This can be provided by feeding neonates with breast milk, application of infection control measures efficiently, and limitation of antibiotic usage only to strict clinical indications.
Political and Individual Rationales of Student Mobility: a case‐study of ERASMUS and a French regional scheme for studies abroad
Authors: PAPATSIBA VASSILIKI
Published: May 2005

The aim of this article is to analyse political rationales for promoting student mobility in Europe and discuss these in the light of individual experiences of mobile students. Since the creation of the ERASMUS programme in 1987, student mobility in Europe has been the subject of unusual political promotion. More recently, in the context of the Bologna process, the goal of increasing student mobility has been reaffirmed by various higher education actors. Student mobility is thought to be both a component of the European Higher Education Area and one of its outcomes. Beyond this apparent widespread acceptance, we examine, on the one hand, underlying legitimating ideas and rationales that accompanied the institutionalisation of student mobility by the European Commission and a regional French authority. We also discuss the extent to which drives for mobility and outcomes at the individual student level are in line with the political perceptions and expectations of the above‐mentioned institutional actors.
Defining Strategic and Excellence Bases for the Development of Portuguese Higher Education
Authors: ROSA MARIA JOÃO , SARAIVA PEDRO M. , DIZ HENRIQUE
Published: May 2005

A self‐assessment model was developed for the Portuguese higher education institutions (HEIs) which was based on an empirical study aiming at better understanding their strategic and quality management and innovation practices and tools and on the study of several quality assessment models developed both for HEIs and business organisations. From the results obtained it was possible to conclude that the model can be successfully applied to HEIs as a self‐assessment tool to support their continuous quality improvement efforts.
SELF, SUBJECT, AND CHOSEN SUBJECTION  Rabbinic Ethics and Comparative Possibilities
Authors: Wyn Schofer Jonathan
Published: May 2005

This paper formulates the categories of “ethics,”“self,” and “subject” for an analysis of classical rabbinic ethics centered on the text, The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan. Early rabbis were concerned with the realms of life that today's scholars describe as ethics and self‐cultivation, yet they had no overarching concepts for either the self/person or for ethics. This analysis, then, cannot rely only upon native rabbinic terminology, but also requires a careful use of contemporary categories. This paper first sets out basic features of Rabbi Nathan and presents appropriate formulations of the relevant scholarly terms. The latter sections address possibilities for employing and revising these categories in descriptive and comparative studies more broadly, first surveying relevant scholarship on Christian, Muslim, and Manichaean sources, and then turning to ancient East Asian sources with a particular focus upon passages in the Zhuangzi.
COMPARATIVE RELIGIOUS ETHICS AND THE PROBLEM OF “HUMAN NATURE”
Authors: Stalnaker Aaron
Published: May 2005

Comparative religious ethics is a complicated scholarly endeavor, striving to harmonize intellectual goals that are frequently conceived as quite different, or even intrinsically opposed. Against commonly voiced suspicions of comparative work, this essay argues that descriptive, comparative, and normative interests may support rather than conflict with each other, depending on the comparison in question, and how it is pursued. On the basis of a brief comparison of the early Christian Augustine of Hippo and the early Confucians Mencius and Xunzi on the topic of “human nature,” this paper advocates a particular account of comparative religious ethics, and argues for the complexity of the idea of “human nature.” Different elements of this family of concerns are central to religious ethics generally, and to theories and practices of moral development and personal formation specifically.
WILLIAM AMES'S CALVINIST AMBIGUITY OVER FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE
Authors: Davis James Calvin
Published: May 2005

Reformed Christianity's qualified embrace of freedom of conscience is perhaps best represented by William Ames (1576–1633). This essay explores Ames's interpretation of conscience, his understanding of its relationship to natural law, Scripture, and civil authority, and his vacillation on the subject of conscientious freedom. By rooting his interpretation of conscience in natural law, Ames provided a foundation for conscience as an authority whose convictions are binding and worthy of some civil respect and freedom. At the same time, his Puritan worldview ultimately required the deference of conscience to the superior manifestations of divine law in Scripture and civil institutions. As a result, Ames provided raw ingredients for a theological doctrine of freedom of conscience despite his unwillingness to commend the idea himself consistently. In this way, Ames symbolizes an ambiguity on freedom of conscience characteristic of the broader Reformed tradition.