bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Accuracy of breeding values when using and ignoring the polygenic effect in genomic breeding value estimation with a marker density of one SNP per cM
Authors: Calus M.P.L. , Veerkamp R.F.
Published: September 2010

Genomic selection is based on breeding values that are estimated using genome‐wide dense marker maps. The objective of this paper was to investigate the effect of including or ignoring the polygenic effect on the accuracy of total genomic breeding values, when there is coverage of the genome with approximately one SNP per cM. The importance of the polygenic effect might differ for high and low heritability traits, and might depend on the design of the reference dataset. Hence, different scenarios were evaluated using stochastic simulation. Accuracies of the total breeding value of juvenile selection candidates depended on the number of animals included in the reference data. When excluding polygenic effects, those accuracies ranged from 0.38 to 0.55 and from 0.73 to 0.79 for traits with heritabilities of 10 and 50%, respectively. Accuracies were improved by including a polygenic effect in the model for the low heritability trait, when the LD‐measure r2 between adjacent markers became smaller than ∼0.10, while for the high heritability trait there was already a small improvement at r2 between adjacent markers of 0.14. In all situations, the estimated total genetic variance was underestimated, particularly when the polygenic effect was excluded from the model. The haplotype variance was less underestimated when more animals were added in the reference dataset.
Effects of hay intake and feeding sequence on variables in faeces and faecal water (dry matter, pH value, organic acids, ammonia, buffering capacity) of horses
Authors: Zeyner A. , Geißler C. , Dittrich A.
Published: September 2010

To investigate effects of hay intake and feeding sequence on indicators of the microbial activity within the hindgut, six horses were fed 1.00 kg oats plus 0.50, 0.67, 0.83 or 1.00 kg hay/100 kg body weight (BW) × day, each for 14 days. Oats was offered either 30 min prior to hay (OA) or in the reversed sequence (HA) in a 2 × 8‐week crossover design. Because typically exercised horses should be subjected to the study, faeces was used as substrate. Faecal dry matter (DM), the faecal waters’ short‐chain fatty acids (SCFA, in mmol/l) and molar percentages (mol%) of propionate and iso‐butyrate were highest with OA (p < 0.01). Acetate mol%, acetate–propionate quotient (A/P) and buffering capacities 1 and 2 (BC1: current pH to pH 6; BC2: pH 6 to 5) of the faecal water were highest with HA (p < 0.01). While the hay intake rose, faecal pH, acetate mol%, A/P, BC1 and BC2 (the latter with HA only) increased (p < 0.05), but DM, SCFA and propionate mol% declined (p < 0.05). The hay‐induced rise in A/P and BC1 was much higher with HA than with OA.l‐Lactate and ammonia were unaffected by the feeding sequence and hay intake. In conclusion, hay intake and feeding sequence influence the microbial activity within the hindgut, although the concentrate level remains consistent. In horse rations with 1.00 kg oats/100 kg BW × day amounts of at least 0.83 kg hay/100 kg BW × day and offering the hay first seem to have the potency to protect the hindgut content from acidification. Behavioural abnormality was not observed any longer first with 1.00 kg hay/100 kg BW × day.
Eine erweiterte Evaluation der Neurolept‐Anästhesie für Meerschweinchen mit einer Analyse gemischt‐exspiratorischer Gase während Spontanatmung. Wirkung des Fastens auf das kardiorespiratorische System und den Metabolismus*
Authors: Özbek M. , Domack U. , Barnikol W. K. R.
Published: September 2010

Das beatmete Meerschweinchen wurde oft für neurophysiologische und respiratorische Studien eingesetzt. Diese Spezies ist auch für eine Evaluation künstlicher Sauerstoffträger, entwickelt aus Hämoglobin, geeignet, weil seine Sauerstoff‐Hämoglobin‐Bindung der des Menschen sehr ähnlich ist. Andererseits ist eine Narkose dieser Tiere wegen kardio‐respiratorischer Depression mit herkömmlichen Verfahren schwierig.

Bewährt hat sich die folgende intraperitoneal zu verabreichende Neurolept‐Anästhesie: 0,2 mg Fentanyl (Janssen/D), 10 mg Droperidol (Janssen/D) sowie 400 mg Urethan in 10 ml isotonischer Natriumchlorid‐Lösung pro kg Körpergewicht.

Unser neues Tier‐Modell ermöglicht, mit einem speziellen Ventilsystem den Gasaustausch unter Spontanatmung, kardiovaskuläre wie auch Blutgaswerte und damit den Säure‐Basen‐Status zu messen.

Die vitalen Parameter der Tiere, blieben über mehr als 6 Stunden stabil und nahe bei Werten wacher Tiere, insbesondere der mittlere arterielle Blutdruck. Deswegen ist diese etablierte Neurolept‐Anästhesie des Meerschweinchens für Forschungszweck zu bevorzugen.

Nüchterne Tiere zeigten signifikant erniedrigte Blut‐pH‐ (7,345 bzw. 7,401) sowie Herzfrequenz‐ (244 bzw. 277 min−1) und Ventilationswerte (167 bzw. 205 ml/min) im Vergleich zu nicht nüchternen Tieren.
Trace Mineral Profile in Blood and Hair from Cattle Environmentally Exposed to Lead and Cadmium Around Different Industrial Units
Authors: Patra R. C. , Swarup D. , Sharma M. C. , Naresh R.
Published: September 2010

The present investigation was carried out to assess the trace mineral profile in blood and hair from cows environmentally exposed to lead and cadmium and to examine if these toxic heavy metals in blood and hair could affect blood copper, cobalt, zinc and iron concentrations and their accumulation in hair. Respective blood and tail hair samples were collected from adult cows above 3 years, reared in different industrial localities. Samples were also collected from urban areas with small industrial units (n = 55) and areas supposed to be free from pollution. The concomitant exposure of animals to both the heavy metal pollutants was not recorded in either of the industrial or urban locality. Blood lead was significantly (P < 0.01) correlated with blood copper (r = −0.339), cobalt (r = −0.224) and iron (r = −0.497). The increasing blood lead concentrations, irrespective of area of collection of samples, was associated with declining blood copper and iron, and cows with blood lead level above 0.60 μg/ml had significantly (P < 0.05) lower blood copper and iron. The higher blood lead but not cadmium significantly influenced the accumulation of lead (r = 0.323,P < 0.01) and cadmium (r = 0.204,P < 0.01) in hair possibly leading to significantly (P < 0.05) higher accumulation of both lead and cadmium in hair from cattle around lead–zinc smelters and closed lead‐cum‐operational zinc smelter, where blood cadmium level was comparable with that from unpolluted area. Concentration of zinc (r = 0.237,P < 0.01) and iron (r = 0.183,P < 0.01) but not copper and cobalt in tail hair was significantly influenced by their respective blood concentration. Both the hair lead and cadmium had a significant (P < 0.01) positive correlation with hair copper (r = 0.234, 0.294), zinc (r = 0.489, 0.775), and iron (r = 0.385, 0.643) concentrations. Thus, it is concluded from the present study that the higher blood lead concentrations in cattle irrespective of locality/industrial operations areas affected trace elements profile in blood and hair.
Canine Leishmaniasis Chemotherapy: Dog's Clinical Condition and Risk of Leishmania Transmission
Authors: João A. , Pereira M. A. , Cortes S. , Santos‐Gomes G. M.
Published: September 2010

The aim of this study was to investigate whether treatment against canine leishmaniasis reduced the presence of Leishmania in the healthy skin of dogs, affecting the capacity of parasite transmission. A total of 37 dogs from an endemic region of leishmaniasis were studied. Thirteen symptomatic animals revealed parasites in the bone marrow and eight had also in the skin. Five of the 22 dogs that had been treated with meglumine antimoniate alone, meglumine antimoniate or trifluralin followed by allopurinol or just with allopurinol had the parasite in bone marrow but none showed Leishmania in the skin. One dog that was treated only with aminosidine was polisymptomatic and had parasites in bone marrow and skin. The different treatments used in this study did not completely eliminate the parasite allowing relapses to occur when the treatment is discontinued, but the use of meglumine antimoniate or allopurinol, alone or combined may improve dogs clinical condition and reduce or eliminate the parasite from the skin decreasing the probability of Leishmania transmission.
Associations between Defensin Polymorphism and Somatic Cell Count in Milk and Milk Utility Traits in Jersey Dairy Cows
Authors: Wojdak‐Maksymiec K. , Kmieć M. , ŻUkiewicz A.
Published: September 2010

The aim of the study was to investigate associations between combined defensin genotypes (CDGs) and somatic cell count (SCC) in Jersey cows. The study included a herd of 184 dairy Jersey cows from Wielkopolska region in Poland. Polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis with TaqI restrictase established the existence of 12 CDGs with a frequency of over 1%. The most frequent were A1A2B1B2C1C2 and A1A2B1B2C1‐ genotypes with a frequency of 56.9783% and 12.5% respectively. The study also confirmed the existence of a statistically significant association between SCC and the year of study, season, lactation stage and cow. The highest SCC (transformed into a logarithmic scale) was found in the milk of cows with A1‐B1‐C1C2 genotype, whereas the lowest one in cows with A2‐B1B2C1C2 genotype. Another aim of the project was to study the association between CDG and milk production traits, such as daily milk yield and fat and protein content. CDG was found to be a significant factor affecting daily milk yield and non‐significant for fat and protein content. The highest daily milk yield was observed in cows with CDGs A1A2B1B2C2‐ and ‐A2‐B1B2C1‐, whereas the lowest one was characteristic of ‐A2‐B1‐C1C2 and A1A2B1‐C1‐ animals. Fat content was found to be related to CDG genotype in the opposite way; the highest values were recorded in animals with ‐A2‐B1B2C1‐ genotype, the lowest – in animals with ‐A2‐B1‐C1C2 genotype. Similar results were observed in protein content in milk ‐A2‐B1B2C1‐, the highest content and ‐A2‐B1‐C1C2, the lowest content. The results confirm the hypothesis of using CDG as an SCC marker. However, further studies should be conducted to confirm these results before CDG can be used as a marker in a mass selection of dairy cows.
Immunization with Outer Membrane Proteins ofPasteurella multocida(6:B) Provides Protection in Mice
Authors: Basagoudanavar S. H. , Singh D. K. , Varshney B. C.
Published: September 2010

The immunoprotective efficacy ofPasteurella multocida(6:B) outer membrane proteins (OMPs) was examined in the mouse model. Bacterial OMPs were extracted using sarkosyl method and analysed by sodium dodecyl sulphate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. Prototype vaccines were prepared using OMPs with adjuvants including dioleoyl phosphatidyl choline‐based liposome and Montanide ISA206 water‐in oil‐in water emulsion. Antibody response to the vaccine was monitored using indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The results of the study showed that immunized mice had high titre with both the formulations. The vaccinated mice were able to survive a live virulent bacterial challenge. Based on the findings of the study it can be inferred that OMPs are important determinants of immunoprotection hence can serve as vaccine candidates against haemorrhagic septicaemia.
Spatial and Temporal Patterns in Structure of Macrobenthic Assemblages. A Three‐Year Study in the Northern Adriatic Sea in Front of the Po River Delta
Authors: Ambrogi1 R. , Bedulli2 D. , Zurijni3 G.
Published: September 2010

Abstract. Coastal benthic communities in soft‐bottom deposits of a restricted area were studied by seasonal sampling at nine stations. Faunal assemblages at three different depths were consistently different and exhibited a seasonal pattern of abundance and diversity. Multivariate statistical analyses suggest that each community structure is very similar during the three summer samplings; in autumn and winter many causes of disturbance can disrupt this structure, which is reconstituted the following summer. The stability of benthic communities in this physically variable environment is discussed and a “cyclic” adjustment mechanism of stability is proposed to explain the dynamics of the benthos in this area.
Pistillate‐parental differences and the ability to produce interspecific hybrids between Lycopersicon esculentum and ‘peruvianum‐complex’ species (L. peruvianum and L. chilense)
Authors: Egashira H. , Ogawa R. , Kanno H. , Tanisaka T. , Imanishi S.
Published: September 2010

To overcome the cross‐breeding barriers between the cultivated tomato Lycopersicon esculentum and the ‘peruvianum‐complex’, hybrid production ability (HPA) and pistillate‐parental differences were investigated. As a criterion of HPA, the number of germinated ovules per fruit (GPF) was used. GPF was expressed as GPF = OPF × GPO, where OPF is the number of ovules per fruit, and GPO is the proportion of germinated ovules to total ovules obtained. The interspecific crossing between nine varieties and three ‘peruvianum‐complex’ accessions revealed that the cultivars ‘Sekaiichi’,‘Ponde Rooza’ and ‘Early Pink’ showed quite high and stable GPF over the years, but the cv.‘Best of All’ produced no hybrids. Variance analysis for GPF, OPF and GPO, and their correlation with seven sexual organ morphological traits and three fruit morphological traits were performed. These results indicated that choosing both the pistillate parents with wider reproductive organs for high OPF and appropriate environmental conditions for high GPO might be significant for enhancing GPF in interspecific crossing.
Variability of selected characters of production biology and essential oil accumulation in populations of Achillea crithmifolia
Authors: Németh É. , Bernáth J. , Pluhár Zs.
Published: September 2010

Although data on chemical properties of Achillea species are numerous, morphological studies are rare. Therefore, during 1995‐97, some morphological and production biological characters (height, width, number of stems, dry flower mass and leaf colour) of Achillea crithmifolia, their stability over years and generations, their dependence upon plant age and their correlations with the accumulation of essential oil were examined. The populations investigated were raised from seed materials stored in the genebank of the Department.

The considerable diversity of the populations indicated a high degree of heterozygosity of these traits in natural stands. Variability was highest in number of stems (15.3‐37.4 pieces) and essential oil content (0.63‐1.27%). This variability did not disappear during three successive generations of inbreeding, although a decrease in variance was observed. Essential oil content was shown to have a higher heritability than other properties. Correlations of plant height, width and number of shoots were medium (r = 0.539‐0.757), and their correlation with the essential oil content was also significant. Both the year of examination and age of the plants exerted a strong influence on most of the characters studied.
Effects of short‐term storage on germinability of pistachio pollen
Authors: Vaknin Y. , Eisikowitch D.
Published: September 2010

The effects of short‐term storage under room conditions (constant 25°C and 35% relative humidity), refrigeration (4°C) and freezing (‐20°C) on the germinability of pollen of pistachio, Pistacia vera L., were studied and the effects of desiccation and pollen age on its germinability were reassessed. It was found that: (1) weight loss as a result of desiccation was positively correlated with germinability; (2) pollen grains stored in room conditions only germinated after prehydration, which restored germinability even after 7 days of exposure; (3) refrigerated (4°C) pollen grains retained their germinability for at least a week; (4) frozen pollen grains irreversibly lost most of their germinability; (5) 2‐day‐old pollen grains, within the anthers, retained their germinability under room conditions. These findings will contribute to the improvement of pistachio pollen preservation and help to find a simple and inexpensive method for its short‐term storage, while retaining its germinability.
New sources of resistance for stripe rust in barley
Authors: Münnich C. , Walther U. , Weber W. E. , Leithold B.
Published: September 2010

Eight spring barley accessions from the gene bank in Gatersleben, Germany, and 10 cultivars were tested for stripe rust resistance. Tests were performed at the seedling stage in the growth chamber and as adult plants in the field. All accessions and six cultivars were scored as resistant against race 24 under all test conditions, with very few plants as exceptions, while the susceptible control cultivars ‘Karat’ and ‘Certina’, and four other cultivars were attacked in all cases. Differences between accessions and between cultivars were detected after infection with isolates from ‘Trumpf’ and ‘Bigo’ (seedling tests only). Infection structures within seedling leaves without pustules and for the first time within leaves of adult plants from the field were analysed by fluorescence microscopy. With this method additional genetic Differences in the resistance reaction could be detected which could not to be seen in the resistance test. Crosses between the accessions and the susceptible cultivar ‘Karat’ led to segregating F2 progenies. The percentage of resistant plants varied between the accessions. This also indicates a different genetic basis of resistance in the accessions. The infection structures observed by fluorescence microscopy stopped earlier in leaves of the two accessions HOR 8979 and HOR 8991 than in leaves of other accessions in all the tests. These accessions were the only ones with more than 50% resistant plants in all F2 tests. In general, the accessions from the gene bank can be used as new resistance sources against stripe rust.
Common resistance of wheat to members of the Fusarium graminearum species complex and F. culmorum
Authors: Tóth B. , Kászonyi G. , Bartók T. , Varga J. , Mesterházy Á.
Published: September 2010

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is the most important disease of wheat in Central Europe. Although common resistance of wheat against several Fusarium species has been proposed recently, no data were available for the recently described species/lineages of F. graminearum and F. culmorum. In this study, twenty wheat genotypes were tested under field conditions by spraying inocula of isolates of eight species of the F. graminearum species complex, and three lineages of F. culmorum in 2003–2004. The severity of FHB, Fusarium damaged kernels, yield reduction and deoxynivalenol/nivalenol contamination were measured. F. culmorum isolates were in general more aggressive to wheat than those belonging to the F. graminearum species complex. The various wheat genotypes exhibited similar reactions against the different Fusarium isolates, indicating that resistance to F. graminearum sensu stricto was similar to that for the other species of the F. graminearum species complex examined. This is an important message to breeders as the resistance relates not only to any particular isolate of F. graminearum, but similarly to isolates of other Fusarium species.
Performance of sugar beet hybrids with sugar beet root maggot‐resistant pollinators
Authors: Campbell L. G. , Miller J. , Rekoske M. , Smith L. J.
Published: September 2010

Sugar beet root maggot (SBRM; Tetanops myopaeformis) is a major insect pest of sugar beet throughout much of North America. Two insecticides with the same mode of action are used almost exclusively for SBRM control. Alternative control strategies would be required if insecticide‐resistant SBRM developed or the insecticides were no longer available due to regulatory actions. Germplasm lines with SBRM resistance are available, but information on the SBRM resistance of hybrid cultivars created by crossing these lines with a SBRM‐susceptible cms parental line is lacking. This study compared the performance of four hybrids with SBRM‐resistant pollinators to two susceptible hybrids, with and without insecticide, in four environments. In all environments, the hybrids with the SBRM‐resistant pollinators and no insecticide had root yields equal to the SBRM‐susceptible commercial hybrid with insecticide. In two environments, the root yields of the SBRM‐susceptible hybrids were low and the difference between the root yields with and without insecticide was relatively small, indicating the insecticide was ineffective. In contrast, the root yields of the SBRM‐resistant hybrids, with or without insecticide, in these trials were substantially higher than the susceptible hybrids and similar to corresponding root yields at the other sites. Based upon these trials, it appears that hybrids produced with the currently available resistance sources would have sufficient SBRM resistance to prevent catastrophic yield reductions due to SBRM feeding, could reduce uncertainty caused by fluctuations in insecticide effectiveness, would provide protection against the development of insecticide‐resistant SBRM strains, and also provide a useful level of SBRM protection, if the current insecticides were no longer available.
Parturition in Domestic Animals: Targets for Future Research
Authors: Taverne MAM , Van Der Weijden GC
Published: September 2010

Contents

Compared with other parts of the reproductive cycle, the parturition process of domestic animals has received relatively little attention from researchers during the last two decades. Yet, interventions during parturition, either by the owner or the veterinarian, are frequently judged necessary and perinatal losses in most of the domestic species are (still) rather high. The present paper focuses on the birth process in three domestic species, the dog, pig and cow, mainly because most of the experimental and research work of the authors themselves was dealing with these three species. Against the background of specific clinical problems, breeding circumstances and economic performance, selected topics and questions are addressed to identify areas for future research. These are, among others, related to the mechanisms that trigger the birth process (are the foetuses involved in the dog and sow?), the role of hormones and cytokines during ripening of the cervix (activation and/or de‐activation of specific matrix metallo‐proteinases and their local inhibitors), the functional significance of fetal body movements to prepare the foetus for expulsion, and the exact time course of events involved in the transportation of an individual foetus from its intrauterine location, via the pelvic canal, to the outside world. Research on some of these topics, such as the ripening of the cervix in cows, might also contribute to resolve clinical problems in human obstetrics.
Pup Growth Rates and Breeding Female Weight Changes in Two Populations of Captive Bred Degus (Octodon degus), a Precocial Caviomorph Rodent
Authors: Long CV , Ebensperger LA
Published: September 2010

Contents

Caviomorph rodents are renowned for comparatively long gestations and producing relatively precocious offspring. The degu (Octodon degus) is one such caviomorph, originating in central Chile and providing communal pup care within wild groups. Reported are pup growth data for two populations of captive bred degus in Britain and Chile (representing wild populations), for the first time analysing pup development over the postpartum and weaning period in detail. Pups in both colonies were found to be similarly precocial at birth as assessed by open eyes and presence of full body hair. Degu pups in the British colonies put on weight at a rate of 2–3 g/day, while pups in the Chilean colonies put on weight at a rate of 1–2 g/day over the first 14 days. At birth, individual neonates weighed 5 ± 1% of maternal mass for the British sample and 6 ± 0.5% for the Chilean sample. Sexual dimorphism occurred in the weight and growth rates of pups in both samples, despite the lack of sexual dimorphism in adults of the species. Data for breeding female weight changes were also analysed, providing the first reported observations for this crucial period. Pregnant female weight gain was found to vary over the course of gestation, and post partum weight changes varied significantly between breeding females in accordance with litter size.
Children of Darfur: A vulnerable population
Authors: Chaikin Jennifer
Published: September 2010

Four years of intense war in Darfur has created an entire generation of children who might never recover. Children in this region are particularly vulnerable and suffer from issues including physical and psychological illness, malnutrition, rape and unlawful military recruitment. This international crisis is among the most important public health issues in the world. The responsibility of the international community to these children is significant and required to break this cycle. This paper will discuss the concerns surrounding these children, how current strategies are failing and proposed public health nursing interventions.
The value of participatory action research in clinical nursing practice
Authors: Glasson Janet B , Chang Esther ML , Bidewell John W
Published: September 2010

This paper demonstrates the value of participatory action research (PAR) and promotes its use by nurses in clinical practice. PAR has gained popularity in nursing and health‐care research, offering a way of developing practice‐based knowledge that can improve nursing care. PAR is described in detail: what PAR is, how to use PAR in clinical practice, and the steps in the PAR cycle as applied during an exemplar study in which nurses used PAR to address their concerns and develop, implement and evaluate a model of care in an acute medical ward. The authors advocate PAR as a collaborative means to improve the nursing care for patients in varied clinical practice settings.
AIDS care in Nigeria: Are nurses comfortable performing procedures?
Authors: Oyeyemi Adetoyeje Y , Oyeyemi Bashir O , Bello Ibrahim S
Published: September 2010

Nurses' feeling of comfort during care is important to stay on the job and for their choice of specialty of care. This study aimed to assess nurses' level of comfort in providing care to patients living with AIDS and to determine the sociodemographic variables that influence nurses' comfort. Nurses in four hospitals in Nigeria (n = 277) were surveyed using a questionnaire that elicited information on their demographic characteristics, previous AIDS encounter, and their comfort taking vital signs, casually handling, administering enema and mouth‐to‐mouth resuscitation, and in recommending exercise and physical therapy to patients living with AIDS. Nigerian nurses were uncomfortable with resuscitation and also showed discomfort not wearing gloves while handling these patients. Being single and male gender influenced nurses' comfort with vital signs and enema administration. Special orientation to include analysis of common tasks and procedures for new nurses assigned to AIDS units is suggested.
Geochemical characteristics of Tertiary Sagara oil from an active forearc basin, Shizuoka, Japan
Authors: Yessalina Svetlana , Suzuki Noriyuki , Saito Hiroyuki
Published: September 2010

Abstract  The Sagara oil field is located in the Neogene Kakegawa Basin, close to the Izu collision zone at the junction between the main Japanese Islands and the Izu–Bonin Arc. The Sagara oil field is one of the few oil fields situated in a forearc basin on the Pacific side of Japan and is present in a sedimentary basin with poor oil‐generating potential. Several crude oils from Sagara oil field were investigated to infer their origin. Organic geochemical characteristics of Sagara oils showed the influences of light biodegradation, migration‐contamination, and migration‐fractionation. The maturity levels of Sagara oils evaluated based on abundant alkylnaphthalenes corresponded to 0.9–1.2% vitrinite reflectance. Sagara oils were characterized by significant amounts of higher plant biomarkers, a high pristane/phytane ratio and an absence of organic sulphur compounds, suggesting a siliciclastic source rock deposited under nearshore to fluvial–deltaic environments. Numerous faults and fractures in the active forearc basin provided excellent conduits and facilitated upward migration of light hydrocarbons generated at greater depth in the Kakegawa Basin.
Age model, physical properties and paleoceanographic implications of the middle Pleistocene core sediments in the Choshi area, central Japan
Authors: Kameo Koji , Okada Makoto , El‐Masry Moamen , Hisamitsu Toshio , Saito Saneatsu , Nakazato Hiroomi , Ohkouchi Naohiko , Ikehara Minoru , Yasuda Hisato , Kitazato Hiroshi , Taira Asahiko
Published: September 2010

Abstract  A continuous, well‐preserved core was obtained from the Choshi area, on the Pacific side of Japan, to investigate paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic changes around the northwestern Pacific region during the middle Pleistocene. Siliciclastic sequences in the core are divided into five formations – the Obama, Yokone, Kurahashi and Toyosato Formations in the Inubo Group and the Katori Formation, in ascending order. Examination of calcareous nannofossils and magnetic polarities detected four datums in the core sediments of the Inubo Group: the top of Reticulofenestra asanoi, the base of Helicosphaera inversa, the top of Pseudoemiliania lacunosa and the Brunhes–Matuyama boundary. Fourteen marine isotope stages (MIS24–MIS11) were identified in the δ18O and δ13C records based on detected datums and the graphic correlation with the standard stack oxygen isotope curve. Magnetic susceptibility and gamma‐ray attenuation porosity evaluator density were also measured and low values characterize the glacial intervals. Biogenic sedimentation by primary production may be larger during the glacial periods because of invasions of nutrient‐rich northern surface‐waters related to the southward shift of the Kuroshio front in the Choshi area.
Zircon U–Pb ages from tuff beds of the upper Mesozoic Tetori Group in the Shokawa district, Gifu Prefecture, central Japan†
Authors: Kusuhashi Nao , Matsumoto Ai , Murakami Masaki , Tagami Takahiro , Hirata Takafumi , Iizuka Tsuyoshi , Handa Takeshi , Matsuoka Hiroshige
Published: September 2010

Abstract  The upper Mesozoic Tetori Group contains numerous fossils of plants and marine and non‐marine animals. The group has the potential to provide key information to improve our understanding of the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous biota of East Asia. However, the depositional age of the Tetori Group remains uncertain, and without good age constraints, accurate correlation with other areas is very difficult. As a first step in obtaining reliable ages for the formations within the Tetori Group, we used laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry to measure the U–Pb ages of zircons collected from tuff beds in the Shokawa district, Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture, central Japan. The youngest reliable U–Pb ages from the tuff beds of the Ushimaru, Mitarai and Okurodani Formations are 130.2 ± 1.7, 129.8 ± 1.0 and 117.5 ± 0.7 Ma, respectively (errors represent 2 SE). These results indicate that the entire Tetori Group in the Shokawa district, which was previously believed to be correlated to the Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous, is in fact correlated to the Lower Cretaceous. The maximum ages of the Ushimaru, Mitarai and Okurodani Formations are late Hauterivian to Barremian, late Hauterivian to Barremian and Barremian to Aptian, respectively.
Geochemistry, K–Ar geochronology and Sr–Nd–Pb isotope compositions of pitchstone in Gohado, southwestern Okcheon Belt, South Korea
Authors: Kim Cheong‐Bin , Rajesh V. J. , Santosh M.
Published: September 2010

Abstract  Geochemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotope characteristics, as well as K–Ar geochronology of a massive pitchstone (volcanic glass) stock erupted into Late Cretaceous lapilli tuff and rhyolite in the Gohado area, southwestern Okcheon Belt, South Korea, are reported. The pitchstones are highly evolved with SiO2 contents ranging from ∼72 to 73 wt%, K2O/Na2O ratios of 1.04–1.23 and low MgO/FeOt values (0.17–0.20). The pitchstones are weakly peraluminous and the ASI (molar Al2O3/Na2O + K2O + CaO) values are significantly lower than 1.1. The pitchstones also display a general calc‐alkaline nature with significant alkali contents. The rare earth elements (REE) compositions show moderately fractionated nature with (La/Yb)N ranging from 11 to 16. Chondrite normalized REE patterns show relative enrichment of light REE over heavy REE and moderate Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* ratio varies from 0.53 to 0.57). A distinct negative Nb anomaly is observed for all pitchstones on a primitive mantle normalized trace element diagram, typical of subduction‐related magmatism and crustal‐derived granites. All these features are characteristic of I‐type granites derived from a continental arc. The pitchstones have Zr contents of 98.5–103.5 ppm with zircon thermometry yielding temperatures of 749–755°C (mean 752°C). The K–Ar analyses of representative pitchstone samples yielded ages of 58.7 ± 2.3 and 62.4 ± 2.1 Ma with a mean age of 61 Ma. The rocks show nearly uniform initial 87Sr/86Sr isotopic ratios of 0.7104–0.7106 and identical 143Nd/144Nd initial ratio of 0.5120. The rocks display negative εNd (61 Ma) values of −12. The depleted mantle model ages (TDM) range from 1.54 Ga to 1.57 Ga. The Pb isotope ratios are 206Pb/204Pb = 18.522–18.552, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.642–15.680 and 208Pb/204Pb = 38.794–38.923. These ratios suggest that the Gohado pitchstones were formed in a continental arc environment by partial melting of a 1.54 Ga to 1.57 Ga parental sources of lower crustal rocks probably of mafic or intermediate compositions.
Thermal maturity assessment of the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Nampo Group, mid‐west Korea: Reconstruction of thermal history
Authors: Egawa Kosuke , Lee Yong Il
Published: September 2010

Abstract  Thermal maturity of the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Nampo Group, a sediment‐fill of the Chungnam Basin located in the central western part of South Korea, was assessed by illite crystallinity measurement and sandstone microtexture analysis. The Nampo Group consists of a fluvio‐lacustrine deposit bearing meta‐anthracitic coals and was over‐thrusted by the basement rocks. Sandstones are characterized by down sequence increasing illite crystallinity, from anchizone to epizone, which is strongly suggestive of burial heating. Deep‐burial diagenesis and deformation are evidenced by well‐developed pressure solution textures, whose intensity tends to increase down sequence, and by ductile deformation in the lowermost strata. On the basis of the result of illite crystallinity measurement, the maximum paleo‐temperature and total burial depth of the Nampo Group are estimated to be ca 340°C and 10 km, respectively; these conditions are in good agreement with the observed ductile deformation features. The absence of strata younger than the Nampo Group in and around the Chungnam Basin suggests that deep burial of the Nampo Group was caused by tectonic crustal loading. The tectonic overload was because of basement over‐thrusting that occurred during the Jurassic Daebo orogeny, which is closely related to the orthogonal subduction of the Izanagi Plate beneath the East Asian continent. Subsequent hydrothermal alteration disturbed the thermal maturity pattern, resulting in anomalously high illite crystallinity and meta‐anthracitization.
Sandstone diagenesis of the Lower Cretaceous Sindong Group, Gyeongsang Basin, southeastern Korea: Implications for compositional and paleoenvironmental controls
Authors: Lee Yong Il , Lim Dong Hyun
Published: September 2010

Abstract  The Gyeongsang Basin is a non‐marine sedimentary basin formed by extensional tectonism during the Early Cretaceous in the southeastern Korean Peninsula. The sediment fill starts with the Sindong Group distributed along the western margin of the basin. It consists of three lithostratigraphic units: the Nakdong (alluvial fan), Hasandong (fluvial) and Jinju (lacustrine) formations with decreasing age. Sindong Group sandstones are classified into four petrofacies (PF) based on their detrital composition: PF‐A consists of the lower Nakdong Formation with average Q73F12R15; PF‐B the upper Nakdong and lower Hasandong formations with Q66F15R18; PF‐C the middle Hasandong to middle Jinju formations with Q49F29R22; and PF‐D the upper Jinju Formation with Q26F34R41. The variations of detrital composition influenced the diagenetic mineral assemblage in the Sindong Group sandstones. Illite and dolomite/ankerite are important diagenetic minerals in PF‐A and PF‐B, whereas calcite and chlorite are dominant diagenetic minerals in PF‐C and PF‐D. Most of the diagenetic minerals can be divided into early and late diagenetic stages of formation. Early diagenetic calcites occur mostly in PF‐C, probably controlled by arid to semiarid climatic conditions during the sandstone deposition, no early calcite being found in PF‐A and PF‐B. Late‐stage calcites are present in all Sindong Group sandstones. The calcium ions may have been derived from shale diagenesis and dissolution of early stage calcites in the Hasandong and Jinju sandstones. Illite, the only diagenetic clay mineral in PF‐A and lower PF‐B, is inferred to be a product of kaolinite transformation during deep burial, and the former presence of kaolinite is inferred from the humid paleoclimatic conditions during the deposition of the Nakdong Formation. Chlorites in PF‐C and PF‐D are interpreted to be the products of transformation of smectitic clay or of precipitation from alkaline pore water under arid to semiarid climatic conditions. The occurrence of late‐stage diagenetic minerals largely depended on the distribution of early diagenetic minerals, which was controlled initially by the sediment composition and paleoclimate.
Mantle heterogeneity beneath the Antarctic–Phoenix Ridge off Antarctic Peninsula
Authors: Choi Sung‐Hi , Choe Won‐Hie , Lee Jong‐Ik
Published: September 2010

Abstract  We determined the Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions of basalts recovered from the Antarctic–Phoenix Ridge (APR), a fossil spreading center in the Drake Passage, Antarctic Ocean, in order to understand the nature of the subridge mantle source. There are no known hotspots in close proximity to the site. We observe that small‐scale isotopic heterogeneity exists at a shallow level in the subaxial mantle of the APR. Enriched (E‐type) mid‐ocean ridge basalts (MORB) coexist with normal (N‐type) MORB in this region. The E‐type basalts are: (i) relatively young compared to the N‐type samples; (ii) were erupted after the extinction of the APR; and (iii) have been generated by low‐degree partial melting of an enriched mantle source. Extinction of the APR likely caused the extent of partial melting in this region to decrease. We interpret that the geochemically enriched materials dispersed in the ambient depleted mantle were the first fraction to melt to form the E‐type MORB.
Accessing residential care from an acute hospital: Can we be more efficient?
Authors: Whitehead Craig , Wundke Rachel , Williamson Lou , Finucane Paul
Published: September 2010

Abstract Hospitalized patients who require admission to residential care are often thought to make prolonged and inappropriate use of hospital resources. There are no Australian data on the factors that contribute to length of hospital stay for such patients. The aim of this study was to determine the timing of critical steps in discharge planning for hospitalized patients who need residential care. We prospectively audited 100 consecutive referrals to an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) from one acute hospital in South Australia. Case notes were examined to determine the timings of critical events in discharge planning. We found 47% of patients were discharged to a nursing home, 16% to a hostel, 11% died, 10% returned home and 16% went to another facility. The average length of hospital stay was 27.2 days, and an average of 8.4 days elapsed before a decision to seek residential care was first recorded. A further 4.5 days elapsed before ACAT referral, 4.6 days before ACAT approval and 9.7 days before a residential care bed became available. We conclude that people admitted to our hospital from the community and who subsequently need residential care, spend 36% of their stay awaiting a residential care bed. Most of their hospital stay has elapsed before residential care is considered necessary and referral and approval processes have been activated. Strategies to reduce length of stay should perhaps focus on the earlier recognition of the need for residential care and accelerated referral and assessment processes. Earlier involvement by social work and occupational therapy should be considered.
Question of ‘patients’ versus ‘clients’
Authors: Ramdass Michael J , Naraynsingh Vijay , Maharaj Dale , Badloo Keith , Teelucksingh Surujpaul , Perry Andrew
Published: September 2010

Abstract Our study showed that of the 300 consecutive people interviewed at the General Hospital at Port‐of‐Spain, Trinidad, most persons (80%) preferred to be called ‘patients’ as opposed to 7% choosing the term ‘client’ and 6% opting for the term ‘customer’. This proves our hypothesis that in the developing world people prefer to maintain the doctor–patient relationship and leave the word ‘client’ and ‘customer’ for the businessman.
Retrospective audit of standards and quality in colposcopy services in a district hospital
Authors: Shylasree TS , Ashraf M , Jayawickrama NS
Published: September 2010

Abstract A retrospective audit to compare the performance of a colposcopy clinic with the standards set by National Health Service Cervical Screening Programme (NHSCSP) was carried out at Caerphilly District Miners Hospital, South Wales, United Kingdom. The study sample size consisted of 150 women who underwent colposcopy and diathermy large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ) for abnormal cytology during January l995 to January 1998. The results showed deficiencies in the areas of communication for clinic appointments for women with high‐grade cytology and in information given to general practitioners about test results. The services fell short of the standards in recording of colposcopy findings and grading of lesions. The rest of the parameters audited reached the NHSCSP standards. Recommendations to improve communication and to increase the objectivity of recording colpscopy findings were made. A more practical approach to set standards in areas of communication was suggested.
Molecules, morphology and maps: New directions in evolutionary genetics
Authors: Bachmann Konrad
Published: September 2010

With the characterization of a complete nucleotide sequence of a plant genome within sight, we are getting access to the ultimate source of data for evolutionary genetics. This achievement could hardly have been imagined twenty years ago. The rapid progress in methods is generating novel results that require a reassessment of our ideas about the relationship between the evolution of genomes and organisms, and of the relationship between genotype and phenotype. The widespread incongruence between chloroplast and nuclear (organismal) phylogenies was not previously suspected. It shows that introgression based on ‘wide crosses’ is a regular process in natural populations, and geneflow among species and genera must influence the distribution of genes and alleles as much as linear, phyletic inheritance. Speciation from hybrids at the diploid level seems to be stabilized by the creation of new epistatic interactions. Speciation via allopolyploidy also involves more than the additive action of the combined genomes; rearrangements and homogenization of non‐coding repetitive sequences seems to occur quickly, and repetitive rDNA sequences of the combined genomes are homogenized to one of the parental sequences or to a recombinant sequence. Diploidization of allopolyploid genomes involves the evolution of redundant genes. This has profound effects on morphological evolution. Extrapolation from the developmental genetics of model systems (e.g.Arabidopsis) has shown that single mutations in regulatory genes can explain major differences in diagnostic characters between taxa. This seems to be in conflict with the general assumption that morphological evolution proceeds gradually by the selection of allelic polymorphisms in populations. Where plants with major morphological character differences can be crossed to produce fertile offspring, genetic analysis aided by molecular marker maps confirms that major regulatory genes are involved. At the same time, such experiments suggest a hypothesis integrating saltatory evolution and population genetics. The key factor is genetic redundancy through duplicate or modifier genes that reduce the phenotypic penetrance of the major gene. A low incidence of the new, at first unadapted phenotype, possibly mainly under environmental stress conditions, facilitates selection for the proper genetic background and for a new ‘integrated genotype’. Such episodes of saltatory evolution are likely to be linked to reticulate evolution; wide hybrids are likely to break up the protective modifier networks and expose major gene effects, while polyploidy immediately generates genetic redundancy
Evolution of interactions between plants and their pollinators
Authors: Morgan Martin T.
Published: September 2010

Our theoretical understanding of plant reproductive character evolution often only implicitly includes pollinator behavior and the community ecological context of pollination. Reciprocal reservations apply to studies of pollinator evolution. I recast selection models to incorporate interaction between plants of one species with the pollinators of another, emphasizing primarily the plant perspective. I then include pollination and community processes, such as optimal foraging and interspecific competition for pollinators. This highlights how many models implicitly assume that a plant species exerts a monopoly on its pollinators. Such an assumption is at odds with the observation of widespread generalist interactions. Reconsideration of previous literature surveys and studies of plant–pollinator interaction illustrate this perspective.
Genetic diversity and conservation of common wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) in China
Authors: SONG ZHIPING , LI BO , CHEN JIAKUAN , LU BAO‐RONG
Published: September 2010

Common wild rice (Oryza rufipogon Griff.), known as the ancestor of Asian cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.), is the most important germplasm for rice improvement. The first male sterility gene was found in the wild rice, and introduced to the cultivated rice, which launched the fast development of the high‐yielding hybrid rice. Other agronomically beneficial traits in the wild rice, such as rice tungro virus resistance, bacterial leaf blight (Xa21 gene) resistance and acid sulfate soil tolerance, have played important roles in rice breeding. China has the northernmost distribution area of wild rice possessing great genetic diversity. However, most of the populations of this species have disappeared in China over the last three decades, mainly caused by habitat loss, fragmentation and other human disturbances. Unfortunately, the decline of existing populations still continues. In the present study, we reviewed studies on genetic diversity and conservation of this wild rice in China, concentrating on population structure, pollen competition, pollen/gene flow from cultivated rice to wild rice, and ecological restoration in relation to in situ conservation. The relatively high genetic diversity of populations of O. rufipogon in China suggests that there is great value for conservation. Considerable gene flow from cultivated rice to wild rice may alter the genetic structure of natural populations of O. rufipogon and eventually lead to its genetic erosion. Pollen competition between wild and cultivated rice has caused a low rate of crop‐to‐wild gene flow, but it does not completely prevent gene flow from the crop. Effective isolation measures should be undertaken in the regions where in situ conservation of O. rufipogon is carried out. Reintroduction is an important alternative for the in situ conservation of wild rice species. As wild rice is an important genetic resource, both in situ and ex situ conservation strategies are needed.