bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of egg size on post‐hatching development in the Razorbill: an experimental study
Authors: Hipfner J. Mark
Published: November 2003

A recent experimental study reported that Thick‐billed Murre Uria
lomvia chicks that hatched from large eggs grew their wing feathers
more quickly than did small‐egg chicks. There is little evidence of this
(or any other) egg‐size effect on post‐hatching development in other
birds. Thick‐billed Murres are marine birds of the family Alcidae that
employ the unique “intermediate” developmental strategy:
chicks go to sea after 15‐30 days at the nest site, at <30% of adult
mass, accompanied by their male parent. Rapid feather growth during the
brief nestling period is critical to enable chicks to make the transition
from life at the nest site to life at sea quickly and safely. At the
Gannet Islands, Labrador, Canada, in 1996 and 1997, I tested whether egg
size has the same effect on wing‐feather growth in the Razorbill Alca
torda, another of the intermediate auks. To control for underlying correlations between egg size and other parental attributes, eggs were switched randomly among pairs. As in other birds, egg size strongly predicted hatchling mass, and to less extent hatchling size (tarsus length), but had no effect on the rate at which nestlings gained mass. However, egg size had the same effect on wing growth in Razorbills as in Thick‐billed Murres: the wings of large‐egg chicks began rapid, linear growth sooner, indicating that early development of wing feathers was enhanced in large‐egg chicks. Differences in wing length established in this manner persisted through the nestling period. Egg‐size effects on feather growth have not been detected in experimental studies on other birds, suggesting that effects of the magnitude seen in Razorbills and Thick‐billed Murres might reflect evolutionary priorities in the post‐hatching development of intermediate auks.
Low frequency of extra‐pair fertilisations in House Sparrows breeding at high density
Authors: Veiga José P. , Boto Luis
Published: November 2003

The importance that the density of breeders has on the opportunity for extra‐pair fertilisations (EPFs) is controversial. Some evidence supports the idea that population density and frequency of extra‐pair paternity are positively associated, whereas other work does not. In the present paper we estimate EPF frequency in a dense House Sparrow Passer
domesticus colony. We detected extra‐pair nestlings in 9.3% of 54 broods studied, and 7% of 171 nestlings were sired by extra‐pair fathers. The number of clutches laid per female, the change of male or female between two consecutive breeding attempts and the age of the partners showed no association with the presence or absence of extra‐pair fertilisations. Morphometric variables of paired males and females did not discriminate broods with EPFs from those without. We detected a single case of a female laying a “parasitic” egg in the nest of a male that in a previous breeding attempt was the extra‐pair genetic father of her entire brood. The frequency of extra‐pair fertilisation recorded in this study was low compared with that in other House Sparrow populations breeding at lower densities, or other species that breed in colonies. This result does not support the claim that EPF frequency is associated with population density. We propose, as an explanation for this result, that under high intra‐sexual competition for nest sites (1) males may have limited opportunities to search for females for extra‐pair copulations and (2) the high quality of male nest‐owners may reduce female propensity to search for additional sexual partners.
Effects of ectoparasites of young on parents’ behaviour in a Mediterranean population of Blue Tits
Authors: Hurtrez‐Boussès Sylvie , Renaud François , Blondel Jacques , Perret Philippe , Galan Marie‐José
Published: November 2003

In altricial birds, adults are expected to alleviate the impact of parasitism on their young by increasing parental care. We experimentally investigated the effects of blowfly parasitism on adult behaviour in the nest cavity in a population of Blue Tits in which nestlings are heavily parasitized by blowfly larvae. The behaviour of males and females was different, since only the females carried out nest sanitation activities related to the presence of parasites. The time females devoted to nest sanitation was higher in parasitized nests than in experimentally deparasitized ones, suggesting that chicks and adults might share the costs of blowfly parasitism.
The costs of being cool: a dynamic model of nocturnal hypothermia by small food‐caching birds in winter
Authors: Pravosudov Vladimir V. , Lucas Jeffrey R.
Published: November 2003

Many birds could expend substantially less energy at night by using hypothermia, but generally do not. This suggests that the potential savings are offset by costs; one of these costs is presumed to be the risk of predation at night. If this assumption is correct, a bird will face one of two tradeoffs: (1) it can avoid the cost of hypothermia by gaining fat to decrease the risk of starvation, but this increases energetic costs of fat maintenance and risk of diurnal predation, or (2) it can maintain lower fat reserves and use hypothermia at night, but this option increases the risk of nocturnal predation. We used a dynamic model to investigate these trade‐offs and how the use of nocturnal hypothermia changes energy management tactics in food‐caching birds. Our model predicted that: (i) optimal daily routines of fat reserves, feeding rate, food caching, and cache retrieval should be similar in hypothermic and non‐hypothermic birds; (ii) low fat reserves, small cache size, low ambient temperature, and high variability in foraging success favor increased use of hypothermia; (iii) the effect of ambient temperature on the use of hypothermia is especially important at higher levels of variance in foraging success; (iv) hypothermic birds are predicted to have lower mass at dusk than non‐hypothermic individuals while their morning mass should be more similar. Many of these predictions have been supported by empirical data. Also, survival rates are predicted to be higher for birds using hypothermia, especially in the most severe environmental conditions. This is the first attempt to evaluate the role of cache maintenance and variance in foraging success in the use of hypothermia. This is also the first discussion of the relationship between behavior hypothermia and diurnal patterns of energy management.
Do polyandrous shorebirds trade off egg size with egg number?
Authors: Ward David
Published: November 2003

Classical polyandry in birds is rare and is most frequent in the shorebirds (Charadriiformes). Polyandrous shorebirds lay smaller eggs for their body masses than non‐polyandrous shorebirds, indicating that polyandrous female shorebirds may trade egg size off against number of eggs in order to maximize reproductive success. However, this trade‐off may be confounded by phylogeny because most polyandrous species belong to a single family, the Jacanidae. I re‐analysed this adaptive hypothesis using phylogenetically‐independent contrast analyses. These analyses showed that there was no statistically significant difference in egg size between polyandrous and monogamous shorebirds once the effects of phylogeny had been incorporated. This is one of the first studies to show that the results of independent contrasts analyses differ from those where phylogenetic effects have not been taken into account.
Fitness and feather wear in the Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis
Authors: Merilä Juha , Hemborg Christer
Published: November 2003

Individual variation in the degree of feather wear is potentially a useful marker of individual quality or fitness, but next to nothing is known about causes and fitness consequences of feather wear in birds. We studied the effects of sex, age, year and experimental manipulation of brood size on primary feather wear in Collared Flycatchers Ficedula albicollis, and related variation in degree of feather wear to differences in fitness (viz. recruitment, survival). At the end of the breeding period, females and young birds had more worn flight feathers than males and adult birds, and the sexual difference in the degree of feather wear was particularly pronounced in one of the two study years. Experimental reduction of brood size reduced the degree of primary feather wear, whereas experimental enlargement of brood size did not lead to increased feather wear. In both sexes, there was a clear tendency for very old (>5 years old) birds to have more worn feathers than middle aged birds. The individual differences in the degree of feather wear were not correlated with individual differences in recruitment rate of young, but survival probability to the next breeding season increased with increasing degree of feather wear.
Parental influence upon the provisioning schedules of nestling Short‐tailed Shearwaters Puffinus tenuirostris
Authors: Bradley J. S. , Cox J. M. , Nicholson L. W. , Wooller R. D. , Hamer K. C. , Hill J. K.
Published: November 2003

The single young of shearwaters grows slowly and is fed at long, often highly variable, intervals. We monitored the growth patterns of nestling Short‐tailed Shearwaters Puffinus tenuirostris exchanged between nests in order to assess whether the patterns of parental visits or the demands of their young determined the rate of food provisioning in this species. These cross‐fostering trials indicate a strong parental influence upon the rate of food delivery, but did not exclude the possibility of a minor influence from chicks.
Timing and speed of migration in male, female and juvenile Ospreys Pandion haliaetus between Sweden and Africa as revealed by field observations, radar and satellite tracking
Authors: Kjellén Nils , Hake Mikael , Alerstam Thomas
Published: November 2003

Breeding Ospreys were studied in southern Sweden and 13 birds were tracked by satellite telemetry on autumn migration to the African wintering grounds. This was supplemented with studies of migrating birds at Falsterbo and radar trackings from southern Sweden. Females generally left the nest site 2–3 weeks ahead of males and juveniles. Among males, failed breeders migrated significantly earlier than successful breeders. At Falsterbo, Ospreys passed in the order adult females (median 22 Aug), adult males (26 Aug) and juveniles (30 Aug). Birds tracked by radar achieved cross‐country speeds of 18–47 km/h. Most of our birds wintered in an area from The Gambia to the Ivory Coast, with one juvenile in Cameroon and one female in Mozambique. Ospreys spent on average 45 days travelling an average distance of 6742 km with no significant differences between sex and age categories. Between 0 and 44 days were used for stopovers en route. Females generally made more stopovers at northerly latitudes than males. Average speed on migration was 174 km/d, which is similar to speeds reported for other large raptors followed by satellite. Speed on travelling days was on average 257 km/d with males generally moving fastest. There was a clear tendency for lower speeds and more stopovers in Europe than during the crossing of the Sahara. Migratory activity generally took place between 8 a. m. and 5 p. m. local time and we have no indications of birds flying at night. With 9 hours travelling time the expected cross‐country speed, derived from the theory of thermal soaring flight and assuming thermal climb rates of 1–2 m/s, varies from 251 to 360 km/d, which is similar to the observed mean speed on travelling days. Even so, one male travelled 746 km/d between Sweden and Spain. Some Ospreys need a much larger fraction of travelling days than expected from theory, suggesting that they deposit fuel on the breeding grounds before departure. This is supported by a correlation between the observed fraction of days spent travelling and departure date. In late departing Ospreys, especially males and juveniles, a major part of the energy for migration is probably deposited on the breeding grounds.
Magellanic Penguins Spheniscus magellanicus commuting through San Julian Bay; do current trends induce tidal tactics?
Authors: Wilson R. P. , Locca R. , Alejandro Scolaro J. , Laurenti Sonia , Upton Jorge , Gallelli Hector , Frere Esteban , Gandini Patricia
Published: November 2003

The behaviour of Magellanic Penguins Spheniscus magellanicus commuting between their foraging areas and breeding areas in San Julian Bay, Argentina was studied to examine whether tidal rip currents affected travelling patterns. Although there was no apparent relationship between departure and arrival patterns and the state of the tidal cycle, birds travelling against the current dived for longer periods and had shorter rests on the surface than birds travelling with the current. In addition, birds swimming against the current hugged the banks of tidal rivers much more closely than did birds swimming with the current, thus reducing the magnitude of the current against which they had to swim. In cases of extremely high current speeds, birds travelling upstream walked. Models regarding the energetics of movement indicate that the strategies adopted by Magellanic Penguins can result in substantial energy savings.
Plumage redness predicts breeding onset and reproductive success in the House Finch: a validation of Darwin's theory
Authors: McGraw Kevin J. , Stoehr Andrew M. , Nolan Paul M. , Hill Geoffrey E.
Published: November 2003

Darwin (1871) and later Fisher (1958) suggested that sexual selection can drive the evolution of ornamental traits in monogamous species when female preferences for these traits allow well‐ornamented males to begin breeding earlier in a season and, as a result, gain reproductive advantages over poorly ornamented males. However, few studies have been conducted to test this fundamental concept upon which much of the sexual selection theory for monogamous species has been based. In this study, we examined the relationship between breeding onset, reproductive success, and male ornamentation in the House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus, a species in which males display bright carotenoid‐based plumage pigmentation. In previous work, it has been shown that bright male House Finches are preferred as social mates by females and, as a result, begin nesting earlier in the season than do drab orange and yellow males. Here we show that, by initiating breeding earlier in the season, brightly colored males fledge more offspring in a season than do drab males. Thus, differential timing of breeding generates considerable variance in reproductive success among male House Finches and contributes to sexual selection for male plumage ornamentation in this species.
The orientation system and migration pattern of long‐distance migrants: conflict between model predictions and observed patterns
Authors: Thorup Kasper , Rabøl Jørgen
Published: November 2003

The requirements of the orientation system of naïve long‐distance night migrants were analysed by comparing data on Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria, Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris and Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata with data from a computer model of a clock‐and‐compass system. These species show, respectively, a rather restricted winter distribution in East Africa, migration through a very narrow corridor in East Africa, and rather widely distributed recoveries in the Mediterranean with more concentrated recoveries south of the Sahara. For all three species, to obtain the observed concentrations either a very high directional migratory concentration was needed in computer simulations to bring the birds successfully to their wintering areas or misorientating individuals would be subjected to a very high mortality. Neither the very high directional concentration nor the high mortality amongst misorientating individuals fit the empirical data sets. On the basis of the present study, the observed patterns seem difficult to explain by a simple clock‐and‐compass system only, and to account for the exceptionally precise migratory routes shown in this study it is proposed that first‐time migrants might be able to use landscape topography on a regional scale in combination with corrections of directional mistakes/wind displacements.
Pair copulation frequency correlates with female reproductive performance in Tree Sparrows Passer montanus
Authors: Heeb Philipp
Published: November 2003

In socially monogamous birds, males benefit from frequent copulations with their partner if this increases their paternity in the brood. By soliciting and accepting copulation attempts, female birds can control pair copulation frequencies. Engaging in copulations can be costly by taking up time and by increasing the risks of predation and pathogen transmission. Current hypotheses propose that high pair‐copulation frequencies may compensate for these costs by providing females with direct benefits that can result in higher reproductive success. In this study, I examine in a Tree Sparrow population the prediction that high pair‐copulation frequencies are associated with better female reproductive performance. The results show that clutch sizes laid were positively correlated with the pair‐copulation frequency. The length of the incubation period was negatively correlated and, as expected, the number of fledglings was positively correlated with pair‐copulation frequency. The results are consistent with current hypotheses for the evolution of frequent pair copulations and provide one of the few evidences for a positive relation between pair‐copulation frequency and female reproductive performance. This study also suggests that within‐pair copulation frequency could be an early expression of the pairs’ reproductive ability and might signal their phenotypic quality.
Mate switching and copulation behaviour in King Penguins
Authors: Olsson Olof , Bonnedahl Jonas , Anker‐Nilssen Per
Published: November 2003

Extra‐pair paternity (EPP) in monogamous birds may result from either extra‐pair copulations (EPCs) or mate switching. In this study of King Penguins in South Georgia, we observed no EPCs at all, an effect of very efficient mate guarding. Onshore males fast and need not divert attention to foraging or to defending nest or territory, as this species has neither. However, we found that mate switching was common. On average 38% (range: 29%–56%; three years pooled) of the birds established pair bonds with at least one initial partner before switching to the partner they bred with (i.e. the “pair mate”). Of the observed copulations of 44 studied females, 22% were with initial partners and 78% with the pair mate. This and the high proportion of mate switching suggest that roughly 10% of the females could have received sperm from males other than the pair mate. The average copulation frequency was 0.026 h−1, resulting in an estimated 8.2 copulations per clutch (which consists of one egg). That more copulations than necessary for fertilisation occur suggests that males try to protect paternity by sperm competition, and that this is a result of the potential for EPP due to mate switching in King Penguins. All observed copulations except one took place between days 13 and 5, with the peak 7.5 days prior to egg‐laying. The birds found their pair mates (often not the same as in the previous year) on average about 10 days before egg‐laying, and always established themselves at the outskirts of the colony about 8 days before egg‐laying. Thus, most copulations occurred around the time the birds joined the colony. We suggest that it is adaptive to obtain a breeding spot early, because the colony will grow and pairs joining later will protect the offspring. Additionally, we suggest that early copulation outside the colony is adaptive because of the risk of failing to fertilise the egg when copulating among aggressive neighbours inside the dense colony. Based on these two arguments we suggest a “safe place hypothesis” to explain the early copulation peak in King Penguins.
Dietary content may prevent secondary hyperparathyroidism in female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)
Authors: Bruner Julia E. , Davidowitz Bradley I. , Haffa Arlene M. , Binkley Neil
Published: November 2003

Macaque laboratory chows provide relatively more calcium (Ca) and vitamin D (D) than human diets; this may influence skeletal aging. To evaluate this possibility, parameters of skeletal relevance in premenopausal and naturally postmenopausal rhesus monkeys were measured in a cross‐sectional study. Serum osteocalcin (Oc) was elevated in the postmenopausal group (P<0.01), but levels of parathyroid
hormone (PTH) and 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) were not different.
Subsequently, in premenopausal animals, dietary Ca and/or D intake was
reduced to optimal human levels for 8 weeks prior to the evaluation of
the skeletal parameters. Serum 25OHD concentration was reduced
(P<0.01) and a trend (P=0.10) towards increased PTH was
observed in both low D groups. In addition, serum alkaline phosphatase
(ALP) levels were increased in the low Ca group (P<0.01). In conclusion, skeletal turnover, as measured by serum Oc, was increased in naturally postmenopausal rhesus monkeys in the absence of hyperparathyroidism. Dietary D reduction causes a decline in serum 25OHD and an upward trend in PTH.
Changes of hormonal function of the adrenal and gonadal glands in baboons of different age groups
Authors: Goncharova N.D. , Lapin B.A.
Published: November 2003

The purpose of this study was to characterize the changes of hormonal function of the adrenals and gonads during aging in male baboons (Papio hamadryas). Basal levels of plasma dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, pregnenolone, and 17‐hydroxypregnenolone progressively decrease with age from 10–15 years when analyzed by specific radioimmunoassay. However, no significant changes were found in cortisol and 11‐desoxycortisol concentrations. The levels of sexual hormones did not differ in young and mature groups. In the 20–26‐year‐old animals, the concentration of testicular androgens showed a tendency to decrease, while the concentration of biologically active luteinizing hormone (LH) showed a tendency to increase. The old animals exhibited a decrease of plasticity of the pituitary–testicular system, which was manifested in the deceleration of the decrease of LH and T concentrations after the peak values had been reached in response to luteinizing hormone‐releasing hormone (LHRH) administration. The oldest male also developed some refractoriness of the pituitary–gonadal system to the prolonged administration of LHRH agonist. The hormonal imbalance which develops with age may play an important role in the age‐related involutional process.
Accuracy and precision of dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry for body composition measurements in rhesus monkeys*
Authors: Black Angela , Tilmont Edward M. , Baer David J. , Rumpler William V. , Ingram Donald K. , Roth George S. , Lane Mark A.
Published: November 2003

Accuracy of body composition measurements by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) was compared with direct chemical analysis in 10 adult rhesus monkeys. DXA was highly correlated (r‐values >0.95) with direct analyses of body fat mass (FM), lean mass (LM) and lumbar spine bone mineral content (BMC). DXA measurements of total body BMC were not as strongly correlated (r‐value=0.58) with total carcass ash content. DXA measurements of body FM, LM and lumbar spine BMC were not different from data obtained by direct analyses (P‐values >0.30). In contrast, DXA determinations of total BMC (TBMC) averaged 15% less than total carcass ash measurements (P=0.002). In conclusion, this study confirms the accurate measurement of fat and lean tissue mass by DXA in rhesus monkeys. DXA also accurately measured lumbar spine BMC but underestimated total body BMC as compared with carcass ash determinations.
Multi‐tiered treatment of pressure sores in two cynomologous macaques (Macaca fascicularis)
Authors: Duncan Suzanne T.K. , Levi Allan D.O.
Published: November 2003

Successful treatment of one Grade III and two Grade IV pressure sores on two female Macaca fascicularis, subsequent to a T11 hemilaminectomy and left spinal cord hemisection, was achieved through a combined strategy of wound care, diet, and husbandry. Wound care consisted of early and thorough debridement of all necrotic tissue, initial twice daily cleaning with an iodine scrub and application of a multi‐ingredient ointment. Tissue hydrolyzer, a drying agent, vitamin E, ground selenium, and topical antibiotics were applied to the wound during the respective 45‐ and 46‐day courses of treatment. Oral antibiotics were administered; vitamins C and E, and selenium were increased in the diet. No infection occurred and both animals recovered fully to complete the study. Importantly, pressure sores in subsequent study animals were prevented by post‐operative padding of the perch with towel‐covered foam and placement of a wheelchair cushion on the floor of the cage.
“The Distorting Mirror of Hell (On the Interpretation of Pluto's Words in Dante's Inferno VII,1)”
Authors: Nikulin Dmitri
Published: November 2003

The article proposes a new interpretation of a passage in Dante's Inferno VII, 1–2, of the enigmatic phrase “pape Satàn aleppe,” one of the famous “cruces dantesche.” The first section of the paper lays out certain assumptions that lie behind Dante's description of hell. The second section reviews the main existing interpretations of the passage. Finally, in the third section I bring forward a new interpretation, which I support with further evidence. The key passage that helps to explain the lines in question is Inf. III, 5–6. The parallelism between Pluto's “oscure parole” in Inf. VII, 1–2 and the inscription on the infernal gates can be clearly seen once the intrinsic reflection of the divine within the created and the distorting character of hell are both taken into account. By linking the verses to implicit theological and philosophical presuppositions underlying the entire structure of the Comedy, their meaning is thereby established.
Interpreting Art, Interpreting Literature
Authors: Swirski Peter
Published: November 2003

This paper compares and analyzes two of the recent accounts of the ontological status of works of art. Both demand attention not only because they represent some of the most thorough analyses of the problem, but because they have far‐reaching practical consequences for the way in which we (should) interact with works of art, and thus with works of literature. Jerrold Levinson has originally advanced his views in a 1980 essay, “What a Musical Work Is”, revising them in two subsequent versions. Gregory Currie's theory, conceived in part as a response to Levinson's proposals, is outlined in An Ontology of Art (1989), mainly in the third chapter, “Art Works As Action Types”. Although both accounts have their advantages, I argue that conceptual, intuitive, and pragmatic evidence points strongly in favour of accepting only one of them. I begin with a critique of Currie's theses, followed by a review of Levinson's proposals, which leads me to the formulation of a theory of artworks. In the concluding part of my article I apply these findings to the specifically literary‐critical context, arguing for a distinction between literary interpretations and textual readings.
Zwei Auffassungen von der Sprache, Poesie und Nachahmung: Gotthold Ephraim Lessing und Friedrich Schiller1
Authors: Hlobil Tomáš
Published: November 2003

Der Aufsatz untersucht den Unterschied zwischen Schillers und Lessings Vorstellungen von Sprache und Poesie. Lessing reflektierte die Poesie mit Hilfe der wolffianischen Termini (vgl. vor allem natürliche und willkürliche Zeichen). Seine gleichzeitige Überzeugung von der Willkürlichkeit der Worte und von der Priorität der natürlichen Zeichen bewog ihn, die Schlüsselfrage der damaligen Literaturästhetik zu stellen: Wie kann man die Sprache in eine Art natürliche Beziehung zur Wirklickeit bringen und dadurch die Willkürlichkeit der Sprache in der Poesie überwinden? Denn anders wäre die traditionelle aristotelische Auffassung der Poesie als Naturnachahmung nicht mehr logisch zu verteidigen. Auch Schiller reflektierte die Kunst als Naturnachahmung. Im Gegensatz zu Lessing arbeitete er aber nicht mehr mit dem Konzept der natürlichen und willkürlichen Zeichen, denn er fand – unter dem Einfluß Kants – die Zeichen aller Künste als heterogen mit dem geschilderten Objekt. Alle Künste ahmen die Natur ausschließlich aufgrund einer “formalen Ähnlichkeit” mit dem dargestellten Gegenstand (d.h. nicht aufgrund einer Stoffähnlichkeit zwischen den Zeichen und der Natur) nach. Eine eigentümliche Schwierigkeit, die die dichterische Nachahmung begleitet, besteht nach Schillers Meinung nicht in der Willkürlichkeit, sondern in der Allgemeinheit ihrer Zeichen – der Worte. Durch Kant beeinflußt empfand Schiller die Allgemeinheit der Sprache viel stärker, als es die früheren, durch Wolff geprägten Ästhetiker je getan hatten. Denn Kant trennte die Begriffe eindeutig von den Anschauungen und charakterisierte sie als “bloße” leere Formen des Verstandes. Gleichzeitig wurden die Begriffe traditionell als Bedeutungen von Worten bezeichnet. Diese beiden Charakteristiken brachten Schiller zur Überzeugung, daß die Sprache nicht imstande ist, eine individuelle, sinnlich anschauliche Situation auszudrücken, wobei er die Kantsche Ansicht teilte, daß man gerade nur zu solchen Situationen ästhetische Stellung beziehen kann. Die Fähigkeit, der allgemeinen Sprache eine Form einzuprägen, die dem Leser die Darstellung einer anschaulichen Situation (d.h. die Naturnachahmung) vermitteln kann, reflektierte Schiller als eine geheimnisvolle Begabung, die nur künstlerischen Genies zu eigen ist, und die man im Prinzip nicht erklären kann.
The Influence of Ivan Turgenev's Sportsman's Sketches on the Stories of Detlev von Liliencron
Authors: Burns Barbara
Published: November 2003

Although Detlev von Liliencron (1844–1909) cited the Russian writer Ivan Turgenev (1818–1883) as one of the greatest influences on his literary work, the exact nature of the connection between them has not been investigated. The article examines aspects of Turgenev's early work A Sportsman's Sketches which made a particular impression on Liliencron and which, it is argued, served as a model for the development of scenes and characters in Liliencron's own prose. The similarities and differences in the two writers' world‐views and creative scope are considered, and the significance of Turgenev's impact on the formative period of Liliencron's artistic career is evaluated.
La Dispute und die Komödie der Eitelkeit: Spiegelungen zwischen Marivaux und Canetti im Lichte von Hobbes und Rousseau
Authors: Schier Rudolf
Published: November 2003

On the surface, Marivaux's comedy La Dispute purports to explore whether unfaithfulness in love originated with men or with women by positing conditions that imitate the state of nature. However, supported by imagery related to reflections in water, in mirrors, and in paintings, the main theme of the play, which very well may have been inspired by Rousseau's Narcisse, turns out to deal with the growth of self‐love and vanity. In a note to the second Discours, Rousseau establishes a link between these two attitudes on the one hand and the state of nature on the other. The latter concept refers back to Hobbes's Leviathan, and La Dispute can profitably be interpreted in terms of Rousseau's and Hobbes's texts. Hobbes's experiment of imagining man in the state of nature was, however, intended not only to elucidate the past, but also to be a warning of what would happen if society were to break down in the future. The latter is precisely the theme of Canetti's Komödie der Eitelkeit, and it so happens that the main imagery in this play also consists of mirrors and pictures. Whereas in La Dispute the protagonists in the state of nature narcissistically experience images of themselves for the first time after which their vanity steadily increases, in the Komödie der Eitelkeit we are presented with a developed society that is being forced to live altogether without such images and that gradually reverts back to infantile narcissisism. Though starting at opposite ends of the spectrum, both plays thus deal with the intricate dialectic between self‐love, vanity, and love of others.

And, since you know you cannot see yourself

So well as by reflection, I, your glass,

Will modestly discover to yourself

That of yourself which you yet know not of.

Julius Ceasar I. ii. 67–70
« Une fois ne compte pas … » Le paradoxe de la répétition dans l'oeuvre de Milan Kundera
Authors: Boisen Jørn
Published: November 2003

Cette étude est une lecture du Livre du rire et de l'oubli de Milan Kundera. Ce roman très original est compris comme une exploration de deux modalités antinomiques de la répétition: la répétition platonicienne, à travers laquelle la stabilité et l'identité se trouvent renforcées, et la répétition nietzschéenne, qui révèle l'instabilité de l'identité. L'opposition entre ces deux formes de répétition investit de sa dialectique aussi bien la structure formelle que le contenu thématique du roman. À travers la forme en variation, chaque situation du roman se trouve ainsi dans une confrontation complexe et contradictoire avec des situations plus ou moins identiques, leur interdisant de s'imposer comme des énoncés univoques. Cette forme, qui fait ressortir les rapports ironiques à l'intérieur du roman, épouse les interrogations existentielles de l'oeuvre. En effet celle‐ci met en scène des personnages marqués par un aspiration profonde vers les deux pôles de la répétition: le désir d'idylle dans un monde débarrassé des contingences de l'histoire, et le désir de changement. Or les différents récits du livre montrent que les deux formes de la répétition menacent également l'être humain. Par des voies opposées, elles conduisent aux mêmes résultats, l'oubli (par accélération ou par stagnation) et le rire (par nihilisme ou par acceptation béate) et nous font inexorablement glisser de l'être vers le néant.
Zur Biographie Thomas Manns: Beiträge 1995–1998
Authors: Lehnert Herbert
Published: November 2003

Der folgende Bericht ergänzt die Berichte (»review articles«) »Neues zur Biographie Thomas Manns 1995 I«, OL 51, 1996, 369–380, »1995 II«, OL 52, 1997, 211–219 und »1996,«OL 52, 1997, 352–358 und setzt diese fort. Ein Bericht über Beiträge 1999 folgt. Seitenzahlen im Text beziehen sich auf das jeweils besprochene Werk; GW mit Band und Seitenzahl auf Thomas Mann, Gesammelte Werke, Frankfurt a.M.: S. Fischer, 1960/1974.
Elsewhere and Otherwise: Lévinasian Eros and Ethics in Le Clézio’s La quarantaine
Authors: Levy Karen D.
Published: November 2003

Beginning in the 1930s, Emmanuel Lévinas called into question the totalizing priorities of the Western metaphysical tradition and developed a dramatically original description of how subjectivity is constructed in the context of what he terms a face to face encounter with an absolute Other. This destabilizing experience is presented in terms of a summons that demands an ethical response in the form of unqualified moral responsibility for the well being of the Other, without any expectation of reciprocity. In a series of profoundly challenging works, Lévinas analyzes the different stages in the development of this relationship, expressed in masculine oriented terms, and he contrasts the nobility and generosity of ethics with the intimacy of eros and the welcome of the feminine in a protected domestic site. Lévinas insists on the impossibility of fusion and possession in both the ethical and the erotic relationships and seeks to disengage his discourse from essentialist, gender based interpretations. Nevertheless, he privileges terms associated with masculine subjects and likewise seems to endorse stereotypical interpretations of the feminine as fragile and frail, inviting either pity or tenderness. The fact that eros is based on an equivocation between need and the desire for something absolutely Other, which does not depend on any lack, prevents it from attaining the same stature as ethics. And by leaving the feminine out of his discussion of ethics, Lévinas at least downplays the possibility for feminine subjects to respond to the summons of the face to face encounter and accept the risk of living other than in the metaphysical dwelling of Being.

The questions raised in Lévinas’ works concerning eros, ethics, and the feminine assume different configurations and lead elsewhere when explored in proximity to J.M.G. Le Clézio’s emblematic saga La quarantaine. Similar in many ways to Lévinas’ philosophical trajectory, Le Clézio’s literary undertaking details the disjointed stages of a journey from the self‐contained solitude of Being to an exposed elsewhere in what Lévinas calls the “au‐delà de l’être.” The multi‐layered text of La quarantaine fictionalizes the crisis that caused Le Clézio’s great‐uncle to be erased from family history and depicts the transgenerational effects of that disappearance. The originality of Le Clézio’s work stems from the double inscription of the alterity of both eros and ethics in an Other who is gendered female. His text explores the process of rupture and exposure that Lévinas valorizes, but it does so in a way that reveals how a female subject, who both welcomes discreetly and imposes herself indiscreetly, challenges what Lévinas calls the “égoïté tragique” of the other protagonists. Le Clézio’s arrestingly beautiful prose serves as a kind of textual face that expresses concretely the complexity of Lévinas’ preoccupations and summons us as readers to exceed our capacities and live otherwise.
Matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors in gingival mast cells in persons with and without human immunodeficiency virus infection
Authors: Næsse E. P. , Schreurs O. , Helgeland K. , Schenck K. , Steinsvoll S.
Published: November 2003

Background:  Mast cells are a prominent cell type in the gingival infiltrate in periodontitis. In this study we examined the expression by gingival mast cells of matrix metalloproteinases, MMP‐1, MMP‐2, MMP‐8 and the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases, TIMP‐1 and TIMP‐2.

Methods:  Gingival specimens from 12 human immunodeficiency virus‐negative (HIV–) and 15 HIV‐positive (HIV+) patients with chronic marginal periodontitis (CMP), and from 10 HIV– and four HIV+ controls with clinically healthy gingiva (HG) were examined after double immunofluorescence staining for mast cell tryptase, combined with antibodies for MMP‐1, MMP‐2, MMP‐8 or their inhibitors TIMP‐1 and TIMP‐2.

Results:  In the HIV+CMP, HIV+HG and HIV–CMP groups, all mast cells expressed MMP‐1 and MMP‐8, whereas a smaller proportion (40–60%) in the HIV–HG controls displayed such staining. The former groups also displayed a significantly higher proportion (39–64%) of mast cells expressing MMP‐2 as compared with the HIV–HG group (21–31%). All groups displayed similar proportions of TIMP‐1 expressing mast cells (86–100%), whereas significantly increased proportions of TIMP‐2+ mast cells were seen in the HIV+CMP, HIV+HG and HIV–CMP groups (18–25%) as compared with the HIV–HG group (8–13%). Mast cells were the cell type that most prominently expressed MMP‐1 and MMP‐8. MMP‐2 expression was also strong in mast cells, but was also similarly expressed in other cell types.

Conclusion:  The chronically inflamed periodontal lesions in the present study appeared with little evidence of mast cell degranulation. The results show, however, that mast cells in inflamed gingiva have the potential to degrade extracellular matrix if appropriately triggered.
Differential responsiveness of MCF‐7 human breast cancer cell line stocks to the pineal hormone, melatonin
Authors: Ram Prahlad T. , Yuan Lin , Dai Jun , Kiefer Todd , Klotz Diane M. , Spriggs Louaine L. , Hill Steven M.
Published: November 2003

The estrogen receptor (ER)‐positive MCF‐7 human breast cancer cell line has been used extensively for the study of estrogen‐responsive human breast cancer. However, various levels of estrogen responsiveness have been described in different stocks of MCF‐7 cells. Because we have previously shown that the pineal hormone, melatonin, inhibits proliferation of MCF‐7 cells and can modulate ER expression and transactivation, we investigated if various stocks of MCF‐7 cells exhibit a differential responsiveness to the anti‐proliferative effects of melatonin and the possible mechanisms involved. The MCF‐7 stocks (M, O, H) were examined for: (1) mitogenic response to estradiol; (2) steady‐state ER mRNA levels; (3) expression of the mt1 melatonin membrane receptor; (4) growth inhibition by melatonin; and (5) melatonin's modulation of expression of the ER and the estrogen‐regulated genes, PgR, TGFβ and pS2. For all of these parameters, there was a stock‐specific response which showed: MCF‐7M>MCF‐7O>MCF‐7
H. These results demonstrate that there are significant differences in the responsiveness of various stocks of MCF‐7 breast cancer cells to the growth‐inhibitory effects of melatonin which can be correlated with both the level of ER mRNA expression and the degree of estrogen‐responsiveness. These findings suggest that not only may these differences have some impact on the cells’ estrogen‐response pathway, but also that the primary growth‐inhibitory effects of melatonin are transduced through the membrane‐associated G‐protein coupled mt1 melatonin receptor.
Effect of clonidine on plasma ACTH, cortisol and melatonin in children
Authors: Muñóz‐Hoyos A. , Fernández‐García J.M. , Molina‐Carballo A. , Macías M. , Escames G. , Ruiz‐Cosano C. , Acuña‐Castroviejo D.
Published: November 2003

An interaction between melatonin and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) seems to occur in humans and both hormones respond to beta‐adrenergic stimulation. As in lower animal species, human pineal gland also contains α2‐adrenergic receptors as does the
hypothalamus‐pituitary axis. In this study the response of the pineal
gland and of the hypothalamus‐pituitary‐adrenal axis to
α2‐adrenergic stimulation was assessed. Twenty‐nine
children (21 males, mean age 11.2±0.6 yr and eight females, mean
age 9.1±1.1 yr) from the University of Granada Hospital were
studied. The children were diagnosed as having growth problems but with a
normal response of growth hormone (GH) to clonidine test. Changes in
plasma levels of ACTH, cortisol and melatonin were evaluated in these
children after oral administration of the
α2‐adrenoceptor agonist clonidine (100
μg/m2) or a placebo. Plasma ACTH, cortisol and melatonin
were measured before (basal) and at 30, 60 and 90 min after oral
clonidine or placebo administration. Hormonal determinations were carried
out by commercial radioimmunoassay kits, previously standardised in our
laboratory. The results show a significant decrease in plasma ACTH,
cortisol and melatonin 30 min after clonidine administration
(P<0.001), reaching lowest values at 90 min after the drug was
administered. The reduction in the levels of these hormones is
independent of their normal circadian decay since the control group
showed a significantly different pattern of behaviour. These data support
the existence of an inhibitory α2‐adrenergic influence
on both the pineal gland and the hypothalamus‐pituitary‐adrenal in
children and further support the presence of
α2‐adrenoceptors in the human pineal gland.
Photophysical studies on melatonin and its receptor agonists
Authors: Roberts Joan E. , Hu Dan‐Ning , Martinez Lydia , Chignell Colin F.
Published: November 2003

Previous work has demonstrated that melatonin inhibits the growth of both dermal and uveal melanoma cells. Recent clinical trials have found that melatonin is an efficacious treatment for metastatic dermal melanoma. The goal of this study was to provide further insight into the oncostatic mechanism(s) of melatonin. The inhibition of the growth of uveal melanoma cells is dose‐dependent (0.1–10 nM) within the range of endogenous melatonin concentrations (2 nM) found in the human aqueous humor. We know that this inhibition of growth is receptor‐mediated, at least in part, because uveal melanoma cell growth was also blocked by the agonists of melatonin receptors. There are two known membrane receptors for melatonin (Mel1a and Mel1b) and one known
nuclear receptor (Mel2). To determine if singlet oxygen
production and/or quenching contributed to the growth inhibition of
melatonin, we examined the photophysical properties of melatonin and its
agonists. Using flash photolysis, we determined that melatonin and its
membrane receptor agonist 6‐chloromelatonin (Mel1a‐b, Lilly,
Indianapolis, IN) produced very little singlet oxygen
(ϕΔ=0.073 and ϕΔ=0.01,
respectively). There was no detectable singlet oxygen phosphorescence at
1,270 nm for the nuclear receptor agonist CG‐52608 (Mel2,
Novartis, Basel, Switzerland). In contrast, the agonist of the
Mel1b receptor, S‐20098 (Servier, Paris, France), produced
singlet oxygen with a quantum efficiency of
ϕΔ=0.34. Singlet oxygen was quenched by melatonin
and 6‐chloromelatonin at approximately the same rate
(6.1×107 M−1 s−1 and
6.0×107 M−1 s−1 in
CD3OD), while the rate of quenching for the nuclear receptor
agonist CG‐52608 and membrane receptor agonist S‐20098 was less
(2.2×107 M−1 s−1 and
1.5×107 M−1 s−1, respectively). It appears that the production of singlet oxygen by melatonin would not be sufficient to directly block the proliferation of melanoma cells, but may activate gene products that could contribute to the oncostatic effect.
The Benefits of Long‐Range Capital Planning—The Virginia Experience
Authors: Darr Donald
Published: November 2003

In order to be successful in capital outlay decision making, states need to employ certain basic principles and practices. This article provides an overview of capital outlay decision making in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It demonstrates how Virginia has adopted many of these “best practices” into its capital decision making process. Particular emphasis is given to the benefits derived from long‐range capital planning.
Experimental Infection of Cows with Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus in Early Pregnancy – Findings in Serum and Foetal Fluids
Authors: Stokstad M. , Niskanen R. , Lindberg A. , Thorén P. , Belák S. , Alenius S. , Løken T.
Published: November 2003

Nineteen pregnant cows were experimentally infected with bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) between day 74 and 81 of pregnancy. All cows became infected and developed serum antibodies. Sixteen of the cows delivered persistently infected (PI) offspring, whereas the remaining three gave birth to calves with detectable serum antibodies and free from BVDV. The 16 cows with PI foetuses developed higher levels of antibodies in serum during pregnancy than did their three peers carrying non‐PI calves. Multivariate analysis showed that the antibody levels in these two groups of cows were significantly different from day 135 of pregnancy. Foetal fluid was successfully collected from 18 of the 19 infected cows and from five uninfected control cows between 10 and 24 days before delivery by use of a percutaneous, blind puncture technique. No negative effects were observed in the cows or their offspring. BVDV was isolated and detected with an immunoperoxidase test in foetal fluid from 13 of the 16 cows carrying PI foetuses, and from 15 of the cows when a quantitative fluorescent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was used. The negative sample in the PCR assay was positive for BVDV antibodies. The number of viral copies per microlitre in foetal fluids varied between 103 and 1080 in the positive samples. All samples taken from the cows carrying non‐PI foetuses were negative for BVDV in both assays. In this experiment, examination of either serum or foetal fluids could identify the cows carrying a PI foetus. Examination of serum for BVDV antibodies was a reliable indicator of a PI foetus if the serum was collected during the last 2 months of pregnancy. For examination of foetal fluids, both viral and serological analyses should be performed. For viral analysis, PCR should be the test of choice. High levels of BVDV antibodies in conjunction with a negative result in the PCR may be indicative of a false‐negative virus result. Further experience with the method of collection of foetal fluids is necessary for evaluation of its safety. Investigation of pregnant cows in order to discover a PI offspring before it is born could be a useful tool in control and eradication of BVDV.