bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Frontløberne som motiv
Authors: Corlin Frederiksen Mai
Published: January 2024

The 2019 protests in Hong Kong unfolded with a visual forcefulness that shaped a movement that was at once popular and radical, peaceful and belligerent, orderly and sabotaging. One of the movement’s central instruments was to occupy the territory of Hong Kong with visual protest material. Protest walls spread with lightning speed from early July and from August and September, the contents of the city’s protest walls were updated every single day by independent, self-organized groupings and individuals. As long as the walls were updated with the latest information, the protest movement could prove that it was still ready for battle and that the Hong Kong they were all fighting for was right there on the wall in front of them.

The image of the frontliners as the ones leading the fight against the police came to play a central role in the formation of a political identity for the protest movement. As the protest movement developed and the violent clashes with the police intensified, the images of the frontliners, dressed in black, wearing gas masks and safety goggles and with flag in their hands, emerged as the image of the protest movement.

In this article, I follow the evolution of the image of the frontliners and the attempt to create a visual language that shapes this specific movement. I follow the development of the frontliners as parts of a history of protest and as parts of an ensemble of protest figures and protest-specific events. I explore what the frontliners and their images do as they unfold in the dynamic between the resistance the movement provides and the oppression they encounter.
Aktiv modstand
Authors: Skinnebach Laura Katrine , Friis Nanna
Published: January 2024

In this article, we examine the notion of ‘active resistance’ as a distinct activist and artistic practice. With the so-called Banana Collective, an art collective comprised of a wide variety of people, as our point of departure we investigate a new mode of political art in which critical, caring, loud-mouthed, uncompromising and loving resistance toward a violent political system are practised simultaneously. This resistance takes place at the edges of democracy, it concerns people our society has displaced at these edges (e.g., refugees and immigrants), but the resistance also finds its way to museums and concert halls: venues where more advantaged eyes are looking. The article discusses whether functioning in this spectrum is what makes The Banana Collective’s work stand out within an increasingly conscious and political art scene. It investigates the collective’s specific take on socially engaged art and points to its potential for influencing current neoliberal and anti-immigrant politics. The article aims to shed light on the specific type of avant-gardism practiced by the group: an avant-gardism that seeks a more radical amalgamation of life and art by building new spaces of appearance and a new language of resistance. And it attempts to answer if this type of direct avant-gardism has the potency of political or/and social change.
Bag masken atter en maske
Authors: Opstrup Kasper
Published: January 2024

This article investigates concatenations of art, activism and occultism in contemporary art and politics while it, simultaneously, develops a notion of the ‘political weird’. Beginning with the Gruppo di Nun’s manifesto for a revolutionary demonology, the article traces the interconnectedness between art, politics, and the occult in a historical perspective, using the tactical media scenes from the 90s, with a particular focus on the Luther Blissett project, as a primary point of comparison to the Nun group. 

This leads to a reflection on the use of myth functions and hyperstitions as ways of destabilizing truth to make art happen and move it from the fictional to the factual, as well as to a discussion of what happens when political terms are being swapped with occult terms as an act of activism. The article argues that this can be seen as attempts on world building that challenge consensual reality in order to construct new commons, new subjectivities, and new outsides. 

The political weird insists that there is an outside and appears when this outside breaks into the present order. It is constituted by irruptions of the irrational and a presence of something that does not belong. Speculating about this outside as a place where barbarians roam, the article, in a final analysis, looks at the intellectual barbarianism of the Kindred of the Kibbo Kift, a youth movement possessed by more than a touch of surrealism which grew out of the British woodcraft movement in the 1920s. 

The Kift wanted to invoke another future populated by new barbarians through the realization of art and fictional ideas from not only Rosicrucianism but also authors like James Fenimore Cooper and H. G. Wells. This, they hoped, would bring about a new era of world peace and universal brotherhood.
Documenta 15 inviteret ind i ruangrupas globalæstetiske beredskab
Authors: Juhl Carsten
Published: January 2024

Anmeldelse af Documenta 15
”Sin fars rareste patent”
Authors: Andersen Kraglund Rikke
Published: January 2024

This article analyzes Lars Saabye Christensen’s novel Maskeblomstfamilien (2003) with a particular focus on uncovering how the novel portrays and addresses the shame and stigma associated with deviating from established gender norms. Drawing on Judith Butler’s works Gender Trouble and Bodies That Matter, the article investigates the social regulation that the novel’s protagonist undergoes in 1960s Norway within the framework of the heterosexual matrix. While Butler’s theoretical texts do not provide extensive descriptions of how the regulation of the heterosexual matrix operates in practice and how it feels to be subjected to it, an analysis of Maske­blomstfamilien offers a more comprehensive understanding of how these regulations function in relation to the allocation of shame, acts of violence and hatred, institutional violence, and social exposure. Concurrently, the novel highlights the protagonist’s resistance to these regulations through strategies such as hyperbolic misquotation.
La fonction d’enseignant coordonnateur ULIS dans le second degré : une posture professionnelle de l’entre-deux dans le parcours de l’élève en situation de handicap
Authors: Petry-Genay Isabelle
Published: January 2024

En France, l’ULIS (unité localisée pour l’inclusion scolaire) constitue un espace scolaire spécifique dont l’enseignant coordonnateur accompagne le parcours de l’élève reconnu handicapé. Fondée sur une enquête qualitative, notre recherche portait sur la réalisation du projet d’orientation des élèves affectés en ULIS. Nous nous intéressons ici à la manière dont les enseignants coordonnateurs sont confrontés à la gestion de l’entre-deux dans leurs pratiques et aux modes d’implication dans cette posture. En esquissant quelques types de positionnement, nous montrons comment les modalités des pratiques et les modalités relationnelles se font écho dans une réflexivité nourrie de l’expérience en construction.
Accompagner la bifurcation professionnelle subie suite à l’apparition d’un handicap : les enjeux de la posture de l’entre-deux des professionnels de l’accompagnement à l’emploi
Authors: Guirimand Nicolas , Dal Mélaine
Published: January 2024

Tout au long de la vie, les risques de rupture professionnelle sont nombreux. Les plus fréquents sont liés à la maladie ou aux accidents de la vie ; ce qui conduit de nombreuses personnes à changer de statut professionnel à travers une reconnaissance du statut de travailleurs handicapés par la Maison départementale des personnes handicapées (MDPH). Cette situation concerne une part importante de la population. Cette recherche réalisée à partir d’une méthodologie qualitative (10 entretiens et 80 questionnaires) propose un éclairage nouveau de l’accompagnement mis en oeuvre lors du bilan de compétences. Elle réinterroge l’accompagnement des demandeurs d’emploi bénéficiant d’une « reconnaissance de travailleurs handicapés » à travers l’entre-deux des postures des professionnels de l’accompagnement à l’emploi, celui de l’entre-deux des épreuves qu’ils surmontent, et enfin celui de l’entre-deux des temporalités de l’insertion des personnes en reconversion subie.
En búsqueda de la ciencia: las estudiantes de secundaria en Chile y la mediación del saber científico en los primeros periódicos escolares femeninos (1897-1907)
Authors: Ramírez Errázuri Verónica , Leyton Alvarado Patricio
Published: January 2024

Objetivo/Contexto: Este trabajo estudia los primeros periódicos escolares chilenos liderados por mujeres, y el papel de las estudiantes de secundaria como mediadoras del saber científico a fines del siglo xix y principios del xx. El análisis se enmarca en la expansión y modernización de la prensa, así como en la influencia del positivismo y las reformas educativas que se estaban implementando en Chile en ese periodo, contexto en el que la clase dirigente consideró como una prioridad el conocimiento científico, tanto en su desarrollo como en el acceso a este por parte de la población. Metodología: El artículo se basa en los trabajos de historiadores de la ciencia que han estudiado los públicos o audiencias legas, entre ellas, a las mujeres, como agentes activos en la circulación y generación de nuevo conocimiento. Esta perspectiva teórica se aplica al análisis de las revistas de cuatro liceos femeninos que se acogieron a los planes de estudios válidos para acceder a la universidad en el periodo, y se complementa con otras fuentes, tales como prospectos y documentos administrativos relevantes. Originalidad: El estudio visibiliza el papel de las mujeres en la difusión y apropiación del conocimiento científico y, en específico, de las escolares chilenas en ese contexto, quienes no han sido estudiadas desde la perspectiva aquí planteada. Conclusiones: Pese a la falta de atención que se le ha brindado a este grupo de la población en materia de contribución científica, se demuestra que las estudiantes de secundaria fueron activas lectoras, divulgadoras y productoras de saberes, que gestionaron revistas, generaron redes e hicieron circular el conocimiento más allá de los muros de sus establecimientos educativos.
Ubiquitin ligase and signalling hub MYCBP2 is required for efficient EPHB2 tyrosine kinase receptor function
Authors: Chang Chao , Banerjee Sara L , Park Sung Soon , Zhang Xiao Lei , Cotnoir-White David , Opperman Karla J , Desbois Muriel , Grill Brock , Kania Artur
Published: January 2024

Eph receptor tyrosine kinases participate in a variety of normal and pathogenic processes during development and throughout adulthood. This versatility is likely facilitated by the ability of Eph receptors to signal through diverse cellular signalling pathways: primarily by controlling cytoskeletal dynamics, but also by regulating cellular growth, proliferation, and survival. Despite many proteins linked to these signalling pathways interacting with Eph receptors, the specific mechanisms behind such links and their coordination remain to be elucidated. In a proteomics screen for novel EPHB2 multi-effector proteins, we identified human MYC binding protein 2 (MYCBP2 or PAM or Phr1). MYCBP2 is a large signalling hub involved in diverse processes such as neuronal connectivity, synaptic growth, cell division, neuronal survival, and protein ubiquitination. Our biochemical experiments demonstrate that the formation of a complex containing EPHB2 and MYCBP2 is facilitated by FBXO45, a protein known to select substrates for MYCBP2 ubiquitin ligase activity. Formation of the MYCBP2-EPHB2 complex does not require EPHB2 tyrosine kinase activity and is destabilised by binding of ephrin-B ligands, suggesting that the MYCBP2-EPHB2 association is a prelude to EPHB2 signalling. Paradoxically, the loss of MYCBP2 results in increased ubiquitination of EPHB2 and a decrease of its protein levels suggesting that MYCBP2 stabilises EPHB2. Commensurate with this effect, our cellular experiments reveal that MYCBP2 is essential for efficient EPHB2 signalling responses in cell lines and primary neurons. Finally, our genetic studies in Caenorhabditis elegans provide in vivo evidence that the ephrin receptor VAB-1 displays genetic interactions with known MYCBP2 binding proteins. Together, our results align with the similarity of neurodevelopmental phenotypes caused by MYCBP2 and EPHB2 loss of function, and couple EPHB2 to a signalling effector that controls diverse cellular functions.
Automatic detection of Opisthorchis viverrini egg in stool examination using convolutional-based neural networks
Authors: Thanchomnang Tongjit , Chaibutr Natthanai , Maleewong Wanchai , Janwan Penchom
Published: January 2024

Background

Human opisthorchiasis is a dangerous infectious chronic disease distributed in many Asian areas in the water-basins of large rivers, Siberia, and Europe. The gold standard for human opisthorchiasis laboratory diagnosis is the routine examination of Opisthorchis spp. eggs under a microscope. Manual detection is laborious, time-consuming, and dependent on the microscopist’s abilities and expertise. Automatic screening of Opisthorchis spp. eggs with deep learning techniques is a useful diagnostic aid.

Methods

Herein, we propose a convolutional neural network (CNN) for classifying and automatically detecting O. viverrini eggs from digitized images. The image data acquisition was acquired from infected human feces and was processed using the gold standard formalin ethyl acetate concentration technique, and then captured under the microscope digital camera at 400x. Microscopic images containing artifacts and O.viverrini egg were augmented using image rotation, filtering, noising, and sharpening techniques. This augmentation increased the image dataset from 1 time to 36 times in preparation for the training and validation step. Furthermore, the overall dataset was subdivided into a training-validation and test set at an 80:20 ratio, trained with a five-fold cross-validation to test model stability. For model training, we customized a CNN for image classification. An object detection method was proposed using a patch search algorithm to detect eggs and their locations. A performance matrix was used to evaluate model efficiency after training and IoU analysis for object detection.

Results

The proposed model, initially trained on non-augmented data of artifacts (class 0) and O. viverrini eggs (class 1), showed limited performance with 50.0% accuracy, 25.0% precision, 50.0% recall, and a 33.0% F1-score. After implementing data augmentation, the model significantly improved, reaching 100% accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. Stability assessments using 5-fold cross-validation indicated better stability with augmented data, evidenced by an ROC-AUC metric improvement from 0.5 to 1.00. Compared to other models such as ResNet50, InceptionV3, VGG16, DenseNet121, and Xception, the proposed model, with a smaller file size of 2.7 MB, showed comparable perfect performance. In object detection, the augmented data-trained model achieved an IoU score over 0.5 in 139 out of 148 images, with an average IoU of 0.6947.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated the successful application of CNN in classifying and automating the detection of O. viverrini eggs in human stool samples. Our CNN model’s performance metrics and true positive detection rates were outstanding. This innovative application of deep learning can automate and improve diagnostic precision, speed, and efficiency, particularly in regions where O. viverrini infections are prevalent, thereby possibly improving infection sustainable control and treatment program.
The Art of Persuasion: Analyzing Advertising Hints in Classic Literary Works
Authors: Hashem Tareq N. , Qtaish Rasha M.
Published: January 2024

Aims: Current study aims to uncover hints and signals for advertising and consumption in classic literature and how these hints and signals managed to give an indication regarding the current reality of marketing and consumption patterns among individuals.

Study Design: The study was descriptive design

Place and Duration of Study: Study was conducted in Jordan through the academic year 2022-2023 between August 2023 and December 2023.

Methodology: qualitative methodology was adopted and open-ended interviews were held with a group of professors within literature faculty of university of Jordan.

Findings: Results of theme analysis indicated the appearance of numerous brands and marketing hints including consumption patterns of the society at the time of creating the novel and numerous appearance of brands which indicated that marketing at that time was based on branding and owning luxurious brands.

Conclusion: Study concluded that classical literature had a contribution to shaping the current image of marketing, as marketing and many of its signals and hints appeared within classic novels and were expressed in different ways depending on the authors, their orientations, and their literary interests

Significance: The current study may appear as an approach to connect between past and future of marketing from a literal perspective
Malformations in Acardiac Twins are Consistent with Reversed Blood Flow: Liver as a Clue to Their Pathogenesis
Authors: Giménez-Scherer Juan Antonio , Davies Belinda R.
Published: March 2004

Because of the uncertainty concerning the origin of the malformations in the acardiac twin, its structure was studied to see if the malformations were random or with a pattern related to the twinning process. Included were 18 cases of dysmorphic twins in which an autopsy demonstrated a rudimentary or absent heart, and in which some polarity was evident. The organs and long bones with alterations were tabulated according to the embryonal–fetal circulation of blood from and to the placenta. Malformations were more often encountered in the superior limbs and organs; the number of altered organs decreased in a cranio–caudal direction. The liver was the exception being affected in 89% of the cases vs. an average of 54% for the other abdominal organs. As the liver lies first in the circulatory path from the placenta to the fetus, the pattern of the malformations was in accordance with the “twin reversed arterial perfusion sequence” (TRAP). The more frequent absence of distal bones ( P = 0.0007) is compatible with reduced perfusion in each limb. The malformations found in the acardiac twins involved brain, esophagus and trachea, liver, other abdominal organs, diaphragm, vertebrae, limbs, anus, and omphalocele; vascular disruption may be the common pathogenesis for the acardiac twins as well as other dysmorphic infants with similar anomalies.
Pediatric Celiac Disease: Clinicopathologic and Genetic Aspects
Authors: Lowichik Amy , Book Linda
Published: March 2004

Evaluation for celiac disease (CD), an autoimmune enteropathy triggered by grain proteins in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats, is a common indication for pediatric endoscopy and biopsy. Duodenal or jejunal biopsy remains key for the initial diagnosis of CD. Small intestinal pathology may be diffuse or focal in CD, and histologic findings are nonspecific and must be interpreted in conjunction with clinical and serologic findings. A standardized grading system for CD biopsies is recommended. This review article summarizes the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, genetics, pathogenesis, and serologic and histologic findings of CD. Clinical management of CD and general handling of small intestinal biopsies are also addressed.
Pathology of Noncirrhotic Portal Hypertension: Clinicopathologic Study in Pediatric Patients
Authors: Abramowsky Carlos , Romero Rene , Heffron Thomas
Published: March 2004

From 1995–2002, 14 patients with predominantly prehepatic, noncirrhotic portal hypertension were evaluated. At presentation, the eight females and six males had a mean age of 9 years (range 2–18). Seven were admitted with gastrointestinal, mostly esophageal bleeding, three with splenomegaly, three with hepato-pulmonary syndrome, and one with hyperammonemia. Imaging studies showed portal vein obstruction in six patients and non-obstructed but frequently anomalous vascular patterns, including hypoplasia of the portal vein, in the remaining eight patients. At the onset, liver function was marginally abnormal in all patients, but thrombocytopenia of approximately 100 × 109/L was consistently observed, probably reflecting chronic mild consumption coagulopathy and hypersplenism. The most striking and frequent histopathologic finding in 25 liver samples, was the presence of hypoplastic portal triads with collapsed portal vein radicles. In contrast, other triads showed markedly distended and misshapen portal vein radicles and likely lymphatics. These two patterns of collapse and distention presumably reflect areas of impaired versus overloaded intrahepatic portal venous flow. Some of the biopsies showed variable portal/sinusoidal fibrosis. Four patients (two with intestinal bleeding, two with hepatopulmonary syndrome) required liver transplants and are doing well. Eight patients are doing well clinically after surgical or spontaneous vascular shunting. Two patients with intestinal bleeding and hepato-pulmonary syndrome, respectively) who had congenital dyskeratosis, underwent bone marrow transplantation and died of nonhepatic-related complications. It is possible to suggest prehepatic causes of portal hypertension even in needle biopsies when collapsed portal vein radicles are present in portal triads, but more than one biopsy sample with larger bore bioptomes may be required to see the changes. Conversely, identifying these changes may suggest to the clinicians the need to work-up a patient for portal hypertension.
Standards for Dysmorphological Diagnosis in Human Fetuses
Authors: Guihard-Costa Anne-Marie , Menez F. , Delezoide A.L.
Published: March 2004

This study provides new standards for some fetal dimensions frequently concerned with dysmorphological syndromes. Seven dimensions were included: the outer and inner canthal distances (OCD and ICD), the anteroposterior and transversal ocular diameters, the biparietal diameter and head circumference, and the inter-nipple distance. Subjects came from a large data set including more than 4000 fetuses autopsied in fetopathology units of pediatric hospitals in Paris between 1986 and 2001. From this data set, 673 subjects were carefully selected by exclusion of multiple pregnancies, macerated and malformed fetuses, and subjects with abnormal karyotypes and severe infections. Fetal ages ranged from 11 to 42 gestational wk, with a very large sample of fetuses in the first half of gestation. The standards of each dimension were computed in relation to age, as well as the ratio ICD/OCD. The mathematical models used to fit the percentile growth curves were carefully selected for each variable. This study supplies a set of accurate standards of specific dimensions useful for dysmorphological diagnosis in fetuses.
Renal Tubular Dysgenesis in an Hydropic Fetus with Trisomy 21: A Case Report with Literature Review
Authors: Jain Vibha , Beneck Debra
Published: March 2004

Renal tubular dysgenesis (RTD) is a rare form of non-cystic renal disease characterized by paucity or absence of proximal renal tubules. Always lethal in the perinatal period, it has been associated with Potter sequence and with other congenital malformations. An autosomal recessive inheritance has been suggested. We present a case of renal tubular dysgenesis associated with fetal hydrops and trisomy 21, with a review of relevant literature.
Features Described and Illustrated in 1684 Suggesting Meckel-Gruber Syndrome
Authors: Kompanje Erwin J.O.
Published: March 2004

In 1684, Mr. Christopher Krahe described a monstrous child, born in Denmark on Friday, February 29, 1684. The description is suggestive of a diagnosis of Meckel-Gruber syndrome (dysencephalia splanchnocystica). This may represent the oldest description and illustration of the syndrome, of which the first detailed description is attributed to Johann Friedrich der Jüngere in 1822.
Quercetin, an Over-the-Counter Supplement, Causes Neuroblastoma-like Elevation of Plasma Homovanillic Acid
Authors: Weldin Josh , Jack Rhona , Dugaw Kathryn , Kapur Raj P.
Published: March 2004

A 22-month-old boy, who regularly consumed the oral dietary supplement, quercetin, was suspected erroneously of having a catecholamine-producing tumor, based on elevated serum and urine levels of the dopamine metabolite, homovanillic acid (HVA). Subsequent studies of healthy adult volunteers showed that significant elevations in plasma HVA are a consequence of quercetin ingestion.
Epstein-Barr Virus-associated Leiomyomatosis and Posttransplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder in a Child with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency: Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Monforte-Muñoz Hector , Kapoor Neena , Saavedra Jorge Albores
Published: March 2004

The occurrence of smooth muscle neoplasms and lymphoproliferative disorders in immunocompromised patients is well recognized. We report the case of an 8-year-old girl with adenosine deaminase (ADA)-deficient severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) status post-bone marrow transplant (BMT), in whom Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was detected in innumerable leiomyomas involving the gallbladder (leiomyomatosis), and multifocal leiomyomas in liver, spleen, pancreas, intestinal tract, and lung. The leiomyomas of the gallbladder, liver, spleen, and lung were asymptomatic, while those located in the colon became clinically manifest by recurrent lower intestinal hemorrhage. The patient also developed extensive EBV-associated polymorphic lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) in nodal and extranodal sites. In addition, there were pulmonary and gastric adenovirus and small and large intestine cryptosporidum infections. Our case appears to be the first example of leiomyomatosis of the gallbladder coexisting with multifocal leiomyomas of the liver, spleen, pancreas, intestinal tract, and lung, as well as EBV-derived lymphoproliferative disorder in a young girl with ADA-deficient SCID. Awareness of the pattern of involvement and of the coexistence of benign leiomyomatous proliferations with lymphoproliferative disorder is of value when gallbladder, pancreatic, biliary tree, lung, and intestinal lesions become clinically manifest in these patients. The demonstration of EBV infection in both leiomyomata and the PTLD suggests a common pathogenesis that may have therapeutic and prognostic implications.
Sexual segregation in ungulates: individual behaviour and the missing link
Authors: Focardi Stefano , Farnsworth Keith , Poli Bianca M. , Ponzetta Maria P. , Tinelli Aleandro
Published: March 2004

Previous “explanations” of sexual segregation in ungulates establish no more than a prerequisite for habitat segregation because they do not include a model of competitive habitat selection. Here we provide one based on the ideal free distributions of mutually competing, optimally foraging, individual deer. We parameterised our model using field data collected from a population of fallow deer (Dama dama) in a Mediterranean forest. The predictions of the inter‐sex competition model were in full agreement with observational data, but those of single sex distributions (conventional theory) were not. The “conventional” hypothesis, that segregation arises simply from sex differences, predicted no more than moderate (20–40%) levels of segregation, even in optimal conditions. By introducing inter‐sex resource competition, the predicted segregation can generally more than double and full segregation becomes possible in some circumstances. The modelling showed segregation to be density‐dependent, varying in complicated ways with season and animal density. Sensitivity analysis showed the vulnerability of the “conventional” understanding of environmental variation and uncertainty. Using our competition model we show that as diet difference increases, direct competition between the sexes declines, so that as males increasingly differ from females, segregation declines and the two sexes are more likely to be found mixed (as long as the chosen food is available to both in the same area). Conversely, small differences among male and female deer are amplified by both food depletion and inter‐sex competition to give substantial levels of segregation. The theoretical framework on which our model is built strongly suggests that sexual dimorphism in the context of scramble competition may be the fundamental cause of sexual habitat‐segregation among ungulates.
Is one parasitoid enough? A test comparing one with a pair of parasitoid species in the biological control of arrowhead scales
Authors: Matsumoto Takashi , Itioka Takao , Nishida Takayoshi , Kaneko Shuji
Published: March 2004

In classic biological control using natural enemies, the question of whether a single species or multiple species should be introduced has been a matter of debate. The introduction of two parasitoids,Aphytis yanonensisandCoccobius fulvus(Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), to control the arrowhead scale,Unaspis yanonensis(Hemoptera: Diaspididae), which is a serious pest in Japanese citrus orchards, has been one of the most successful biological control projects in Japan. The success of this program may be explained by two alternative hypotheses: (1) the parasitoid species work complementarily, or (2) only one of them plays a major role. To test which hypothesis is applicable to this host‐parasitoid system, we conducted caging experiments and observed temporal changes in the proportion of the parasitisms and the densities of arrowhead scales enclosed with one of the following combinations of parasitoids: (1)A. yanonensisandC. fulvustogether, (2)A. yanonensisalone, (3)C. fulvusalone, or (4) neither parasitoid. Parasitisms in the cohorts withA. yanonensisandC. fulvustogether andC. fulvusalone rapidly increased to approximately 70%; parasitism withA. yanonensisalone also increased slightly, although it remained consistently lower that those withA. yanonensisandC. fulvustogether andC. fulvus.At the end of the experiment, parasitisms withA. yanonensisandC. fulvustogether andC. fulvusalone were significantly higher than that withA. yanonensisalone. Parasitism byC. fulvusconstituted most of (74%) the parasitism in the cohort withA. yanonensisandC. fulvustogether. Further, onlyC. fulvussuppressed the population growth rates of scales significantly. These results suggest thatC. fulvusalone successfully suppresses scale populations as efficiently as both species together do.
Demographic sensitivity and persistence of the threatened white‐ and orange‐bellied frogs of Western Australia
Authors: Conroy Simon D. S. , Brook Barry W.
Published: March 2004

Anurans have been the subject of numerous experimental and monitoring studies, yet their autecology under natural conditions remains poorly understood. Previous work has focussed on the pre‐metamorphic life stages, with data suitable for estimating demographic parameters for all life stages collected in few species. This deficiency has almost certainly confounded current views of amphibian autecology and understanding of which mechanisms of decline represent the greatest threats to the persistence of amphibian species. We used a stage‐structured metapopulation model, parameterised with comprehensive field data, to explore the sensitivity of two species of myobatrachid frogs from the southwest of Australia,Geocrinia albaandG. vitellina, to changes in demographic parameters at all life stages. The simulation modelling indicated that the population dynamics of both species were consistently most sensitive to changes in juvenile survival, then to fecundity, and third to both adult survival and standard deviation of survival to about equal extent. In practical terms, this indicates that management interventions which attempt to mitigate reductions in juvenile survival are likely to be most successful in arresting anuran metapopulation declines.
Herbivore response to vegetational diversity: spatial interaction of resources and natural enemies
Authors: Harmon Jason P. , Hladilek Erin E. , Hinton Jennifer L. , Stodola Timothy J. , Andow D. A.
Published: March 2004

Vegetational diversity in agricultural systems is predicted to reduce herbivore populations, but we observed the opposite effect: higher nymph population densities of a functionally monophagous herbivore, the squash bug, Anasa tristis (Hemiptera: Coreidae) in a vegetationally diverse squash‐bean‐corn polyculture than in a squash monoculture. We examined spatial and temporal aspects of squash bug and predator populations in relation to vegetational diversity. Average colonization, oviposition, and mortality rates for the herbivore were similar in monocultures and polycultures. In the polyculture, however, we found that squash bugs eggs were highly aggregated on plants on the outer edges of plots. Predation was also lower on plants near the edges, allowing the large aggregations of eggs found in the polyculture to escape predation and ultimately produce more squash bugs. Spatial interactions between herbivores and natural enemies may underlie some of the general effects of vegetational diversity on herbivores.
Effects of grazing by leaf beetle Galerucella nipponensis on growth and seed production of the aquatic plant Trapa japonica
Authors: Ikeda Kousuke , Nakasuji Fusao
Published: March 2004

This paper investigated the effects of grazing by Galerucella nipponensis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) on growth and seed production of its host plant Trapa japonica (Trapaceae). A water tank experiment demonstrated that the new rosette leaves grazed upon by the beetles had a shorter life span than those of ungrazed rosettes. In ponds, severely grazed T. japonica rosettes produced more new leaves than slightly grazed rosettes. The period of seed production was delayed in years when leaves were severely grazed during the flowering seasons. Grazing peaked in later growing seasons when rosettes produce seeds. The ratio of seed production in the latter half of the peak to that in the early half was higher under severe grazing conditions than slight or moderate grazing conditions. A higher density of seeds in ponds in the current year tended to produce more abundant rosettes in the following spring. These results suggest that the herbivory of G. nipponensis induces compensatory reproduction of T. japonica in a complicated manner.
Niche division and abundance: an evolutionary perspective
Authors: Tokeshi M. , Schmid P. E.
Published: March 2004

In recent years, biodiversity has become an issue of broad academic interest, and its assessment and maintenance are now recognized as an important area of ecological research. While the concept of biodiversity encompasses, first and foremost, the total number of species co‐occurring in a locality, it has increasingly been realized that information on the relative abundances of co‐occurring species is also required for a better understanding of the patterns and dynamics of biodiversity. In many areas of ecological research, “abundance” constitutes a key variable that characterizes populations and communities. The relative abundances of species in natural communities reflect evolutionary and contemporary processes occurring on different spatiotemporal scales. The idea of niche apportionment has been developed to provide an integrated conceptual framework for the study of species abundance patterns in communities. This article reviews a number of important issues surrounding the concept of niche apportionment, including some aspects that have received very little or no consideration in previous ecological literature. The main emphasis here is on possible evolutionary implications and backgrounds. Further, as a universal factor which affects species abundance in one way or another, body size is highlighted and its relationship with abundance (“density–body‐size relation”) is considered, referring in particular to a recent comprehensive analysis of freshwater benthic data. Consideration of this and other studies has led to the formulation of the biomass equivalence rule, that suggests the independence of the biomass measure of abundance from body size, which strengthens the logical basis of niche apportionment models. It is suggested that, compared with Hubbell's neutral theory of biodiversity, niche apportionment with the biomass equivalence rule represents a conceptually more sound and widely applicable approach to elucidating species abundance patterns.
Pleiotropic effect, clock genes, and reproductive isolation
Authors: Miyatake T.
Published: March 2004

The mechanism by which a clock gene pleiotropically controlling life history and behavioral traits causes reproductive isolation is explained using a model species, the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae). Melon flies mate once a day, at dusk. The population selected for life history traits exhibits correlated responses in the time of mating during the day. For example, the fly populations selected for faster (slower) development have an earlier (later) time of mating. A circadian rhythm controls the time of mating. The circadian periods in constant darkness were about 22 h in lines selected for a short developmental period and about 31 h in lines selected for a long developmental period. The data on crosses between the selected lines indicated that the developmental period is controlled by a polygene, whereas the circadian period may be controlled by a single clock gene. These results suggest a clock gene pleiotropically controls developmental and circadian periods in the melon fly. Reproductive isolation may often evolve as an indirect (pleiotropic) consequence of adaptation to different environments or habitats. For example, niches that are temporally or seasonally offset can select organisms with different developmental characteristics. These developmental differences can inadvertently cause reproductive isolation by a variety of means including shifts in mating activity patterns. The difference in time of mating between populations selected for developmental period translated into significant prezygotic isolation, as measured by mate choice tests. If the mating time between populations differed more than 1 h, the isolation index was significantly higher than zero. These findings indicate that premating isolation can be established by a pleiotropic effect of a clock gene. There are many examples in which the difference in timing of reproduction prevents gene flow between populations, such as the egg spawning time in marine organisms, the flowering time in angiosperms, and the time of mating in insects. In such organisms, if genetic correlations between circadian rhythm and reproductive traits exist, multifarious divergent selection for life history traits would often accelerate the evolution of reproductive isolation through clock genes. Natural populations may diverge in reproduction time through drift, direct natural selection for time of reproduction, or as a by‐product effect of genetic correlations. In any case, clock genes are keys in reproductive isolation.
Do sex divergences in reproductive ecophysiology translate into dimorphic demographic patterns?
Authors: Lourdais O. , Bonnet X. , DeNardo D. , Naulleau G.
Published: March 2004

We examined the influence of sex divergences in reproductive role and physiology on catchability and demographic patterns in a closed population of aspic viper (Vipera aspis Linné). During 8 years, there were 4800 captures of 988 adults. In both sexes, captures were more frequent in spring when climatic conditions and reproductive activities impose extended basking periods that make animals more detectable. On average, males were captured more than females, reflecting intense sexual activity (i.e., mate searching) in spring. Reproductive females were more catchable than nonreproductive females, illustrating a major increase in basking behavior associated with reproduction. Estimates of population size revealed a sexually dimorphic demographic system with marked year‐to‐year fluctuations in females contrasting with a more stable male population. This sex difference in population dynamic reflects sex divergences in the acquisition and allocation of energy for reproduction. In both sexes, reproduction is fueled by body reserves. Females, however, need to accumulate substantial body reserves to reach a high body condition threshold before reproduction, whereas the male pattern of energy allocation is more gradual (i.e., no fixed threshold). In addition, reproduction entails major survival cost in females (i.e., most females reproduce just once), whereas males are generally annual breeders. As a consequence of this sex divergence, food abundance, through its direct effect on body store dynamics, influenced major demographic parameters of females (e.g., proportion of reproducing individuals, annual changes in population size) but not males.
Relative importance of weather and density dependence on the dispersal and on‐plant activity of the predator Orius minutus
Authors: Tuda M. , Shima K.
Published: March 2004

The present study evaluated the relative effects of abiotic (weather: temperature, wind speed, and rain) and biotic (intra‐ and intertrophic density dependence: densities of conspecifics, prey per predator individual and leaves on plants) factors on the dispersal and on‐plant activity (foraging and oviposition) of the predatory bug, Orius minutus, under seminatural field conditions. Experiments were conducted at plots, each comprising 25 potted azuki bean plants, placed symmetrically in concentric circles, in 1998 and 1999. At the central pot within each plot, 5 marked females of O. minutus (with a male in 1998) were released, and their location and activity were recorded hourly up to 24 h. A total of 78 individuals were released. Stepwise multiple logistic regression was used to select among weather, density dependence, and time variables. Hourly dispersal probability of individuals was positively correlated with temperature and negatively with time since release and with prey density per individual O. minutus. Hourly probability of individuals being active was positively correlated with temperature and negatively with number of leaves of visited plants and conspecific density per leaf. Between‐year difference was observed in the probability of individuals being active, which was higher in 1998 than in 1999, probably generated by hunger and higher age. By contrast, diffusion rate was estimated to be lower in 1998, suggesting a trade‐off between foraging/oviposition and dispersal by flight. The results indicate that dispersal is affected by temperature and intra‐/intertrophic‐level density dependence within and between trophic levels, as are foraging/oviposition. The importance of incorporating both abiotic and biotic factors should be stressed when modeling predator–prey metapopulation dynamics on a greenhouse scale.
Adolescents’ experiences of parental employment and parenting: connections to adolescents’ well‐being
Authors: Sallinen Marjukka , Kinnunen Ulla , Rönkä Anna
Published: March 2004

This paper examines whether the relationship between parental work and adolescents’ well‐being would be mediated through parenting behaviour. The primary focus was on the experiences of adolescents. Questionnaire‐based data from families (both parents and one children, n=77) and adolescents (n=126) were collected in Finland in 2000 and 2001, respectively. The adolescents were on average 14 years old. Results showed that the relationships between parents’ negative work experiences and adolescents’ depression (all perceived by adolescents) were partially mediated by adolescents’ experience of lessened autonomy granting in parenting and increased conflicts between parents and adolescents. In addition, the relations between fathers’ negative work experiences and adolescents’ negative attitude regarding school (all reported by adolescents) were mediated by adolescents’ perceptions of increased conflicts between fathers and adolescents.
Computer simulation of the KvAP voltage‐gated potassium channel: steered molecular dynamics of the voltage sensor
Authors: Monticelli Luca , Robertson Kindal M. , MacCallum Justin L. , Tieleman D.Peter
Published: March 2004

The recent crystal structures of the voltage‐gated potassium channel KvAP and its isolated voltage‐sensing ‘paddle’ (composed of segments S1–S4) challenge existing models of voltage gating and raise a number of questions about the structure of the physiologically relevant state. We investigate a possible gating mechanism based on the crystal structures in a 10 ns steered molecular dynamics simulation of KvAP in a membrane‐mimetic octane layer. The structure of the full KvAP protein has been modified by restraining the S2–S4 domain to the conformation of the isolated high‐resolution paddle structure. After an initial relaxation, the paddle tips are pulled through the membrane from the intracellular to the extracellular side, corresponding to a putative change from closed to open. We describe the effect of this large‐scale motion on the central pore domain, which remains largely unchanged, on the protein hydrogen‐bonding network and on solvent. We analyze the motion of the S3b–S4 portion of the protein and propose a possible coupling mechanism between the paddle motion and the opening of the channel. Interactions between the arginine residues in S4, solvent and chloride ions are likely to play a role in the gating charge.
Identification of the human sphingolipid C4‐hydroxylase, hDES2, and its up‐regulation during keratinocyte differentiation
Authors: Mizutani Yukiko , Kihara Akio , Igarashi Yasuyuki
Published: March 2004

The C4‐hydroxylation of dihydrosphingosine or dihydroceramide is a key reaction in the biosynthesis of phytosphingolipids, both in yeasts and in mammalian cells. Mouse DES2 (mDES2) was recently cloned and shown to work as a Δ4‐desaturase/C4‐hydroxylase, when expressed in yeast cells. Here, we cloned a human homologue of mDES2, hDES2, by homology search utilizing a BLAST program. When expressed in HEK 293 cells, hDES2 exhibited hydroxylase activity for dihydroceramide. Northern blot analyses of hDES2 revealed high expression in skin, intestines, and kidney, sites reportedly possessing high levels of phytosphingolipids. Furthermore, up‐regulation of hDES2 mRNA expression and subsequent phytoceramide production were observed during vitamin C/serum‐induced differentiation of human keratinocytes. These results suggest that the newly cloned hDES2 plays an essential role in phytosphingolipid synthesis in human skin and other phytosphingolipid‐containing tissues.
The inhibition of cell spreading on a cellulose substrate (cuprophan) induces an apoptotic process via a mitochondria‐dependent pathway
Authors: Gekas Jean , Hindié Mathilde , Faucheux Nathalie , Lanvin Olivia , Mazière Cécile , Fuentès Vincent , Gouilleux-Gruart Valérie , David Bertrand , Mazière Jean-Claude , Lassoued Kaı̈ss , Nagel Marie-Danielle
Published: March 2004

Cell shape was found to be a strong indicator of whether individual cells grow or die, and may play an important role in controlling apoptosis as well as cell growth. We compared here the behaviour of rounded Swiss 3T3 cells aggregated on a cellulose cuprophan membrane to those cultured on dish polystyrene. We demonstrated that cells aggregated on cellulose substrates for up to 48 h underwent programmed cell death that was associated with phosphatidylserine flipping and caspase 9 and caspase 3 activation, suggesting a mitochondria‐dependent apoptotic process. In addition, we found that this phenomenon cannot be entirely explained by disengagement of α5β1 integrin ligation.