bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
QTL for the thermotolerance effect of heat hardening, knockdown resistance to heat and chill‐coma recovery in an intercontinental set of recombinant inbred lines of Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: NORRY FABIAN M. , SCANNAPIECO ALEJANDRA C. , SAMBUCETTI PABLO , BERTOLI CARLOS I. , LOESCHCKE VOLKER
Published: October 2008

The thermotolerance effect of heat hardening (also called short‐term acclimation), knockdown resistance to high temperature (KRHT) with and without heat hardening and chill‐coma recovery (CCR) are important phenotypes of thermal adaptation in insects and other organisms. Drosophila melanogaster from Denmark and Australia were previously selected for low and high KRHT, respectively. These flies were crossed to construct recombinant inbred lines (RIL). KRHT was higher in heat‐hardened than in nonhardened RIL. We quantify the heat‐hardening effect (HHE) as the ratio in KRHT between heat‐hardened and nonhardened RIL. Composite interval mapping revealed a more complex genetic architecture for KRHT without heat‐hardening than for KRHT in heat‐hardened insects. Five quantitative trait loci (QTL) were found for KRHT, but only two of them were significant after heat hardening. KRHT and CCR showed trade‐off associations for QTL both in the middle of chromosome 2 and the right arm of chromosome 3, which should be the result of either pleiotropy or linkage. The major QTL on chromosome 2 explained 18% and 27–33% of the phenotypic variance in CCR and KRHT in nonhardened flies, respectively, but its KRHT effects decreased by heat hardening. We discuss candidate loci for each QTL. One HHE‐QTL was found in the region of small heat‐shock protein genes. However, HHE‐QTL explained only a small fraction of the phenotypic variance. Most heat‐resistance QTL did not colocalize with CCR‐QTL. Large‐effect QTL for CCR and KRHT without hardening (basal thermotolerance) were consistent across continents, with apparent transgressive segregation for CCR. HHE (inducible thermotolerance) was not regulated by large‐effect QTL.
A polymorphic drug pump in the malaria parasite
Authors: Saliba Kevin J. , Lehane Adele M. , Kirk Kiaran
Published: October 2008

The human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, has long been known to have a homologue of the human ‘multidrug resistance’ P‐glycoprotein. P‐glycoprotein is an ABC transporter that pumps drugs from multidrug‐resistant cancer cells. The malaria parasite's P‐glycoprotein homologue, Pgh1, is known to influence the sensitivity of malaria parasites to a diverse range of antimalarial drugs, but the mechanism by which it does so has remained obscure. In a new paper, Sanchez et al. report the successful functional expression of Pgh1 in Xenopus laevis oocytes and provide the first direct demonstration of the ability of Pgh1 to transport drugs. The work provides important new insights into the mechanism by which Pgh1 influences malaria parasite drug sensitivity.
Induction of supernumerary larval moulting in the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta: interaction of bisacylhydrazine ecdysteroid agonists with endogenous Juvenile Hormone
Authors: REYNOLDS STUART E. , BROWN AUDREY M. , SETH RAKESH K. , RIDDIFORD LYNN M. , HIRUMA KIYOSHI
Published: October 2008

Abstract When given in a critical dietary dose range, the insecticidal bisacylhydrazine ecdysteroid agonists RH‐5849 or tebufenozide (RH‐5992) cause fifth stage Manduca sexta (L.) larvae to moult to a supernumerary sixth‐stage giant larva. The effect is dependent on exposure to the chemicals immediately after the previous ecdysis. Previous removal of the corpora allata does not interfere with the induction of premature moulting by RH‐5849 but completely prevents the formation of supernumerary larvae. The juvenilizing effect is therefore due to the interaction of the moult‐promoting effect of the ecdysteroid agonists with the high titre of endogenous Juvenile Hormone that is present just after ecdysis to the fifth stage in this insect. The ecdysteroid agonists themselves appear to have no intrinsic Juvenile Hormone‐agonist properties. Sixth‐stage larvae resulting from exposure to critical dietary concentrations of RH‐5849 are morphologically completely larval in character. When transferred to diet without the ecdysteroid agonist, they feed normally and gain weight, growing much larger than control fifth stage insects. At the end of the supernumerary stage, they cease to feed, wander in the usual way, and form a normal pupal cuticle but then die as pharate pupae without shedding the sixth‐stage larval cuticle.
Capacitive effect of cavitation in xylem conduits: results from a dynamic model
Authors: HÖLTTÄ TEEMU , COCHARD HERVE , NIKINMAA EERO , MENCUCCINI MAURIZIO
Published: October 2008

Embolisms decrease plant hydraulic conductance and therefore reduce the ability of the xylem to transport water to leaves provided that embolized conduits are not refilled. However, as a xylem conduit is filled with gas during cavitation, water is freed to the transpiration stream and this transiently increases xylem water potential. This capacitive effect of embolism formation on plant function has not been explicitly quantified in the past. A dynamic model is presented that models xylem water potential, xylem sap flow and cavitation, taking into account both the decreasing hydraulic conductance and the water release effect of xylem embolism. The significance of the capacitive effect increases in relation to the decreasing hydraulic conductance effect when transpiration rate is low in relation to the total amount of water in xylem conduits. This ratio is typically large in large trees and during drought.
Height‐related growth declines in ponderosa pine are not due to carbon limitation
Authors: SALA ANNA , HOCH GÜNTER
Published: October 2008

Decreased gas exchange as trees grow tall has been proposed to explain age‐related growth declines in trees. We examined changes of mobile carbon stores (starch, sugars and lipids) with tree height in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) at two sites differing in water availability, and tested the following hypotheses: (1) carbon supply does not become increasingly limited as trees grow tall; rather, the concentration of mobile carbon compounds increases with tree height reflecting greater reductions of carbon sink activities relative to carbon assimilation; and (2) increases of stored mobile carbon compounds with tree height are greater in drier sites. Height‐related growth reductions were associated with significant increases of non‐structural carbohydrates (NSC) and lipid concentrations in all tissues in the upper canopy and of NSC in the bole. Lipid concentrations in the bole decreased with tree height, but such decrease is not necessarily inconsistent with non‐limiting carbon supply in tall trees. Furthermore, we found stronger increases of mobile carbon stores with tree height at the dry site relative to the moist site. Our results provide first direct evidence that carbon supply does not limit growth in tall trees and that decreases of water availability might negatively impact growth processes more than net‐photosynthesis.
The Messinian Sicilian stratigraphy revisited: new insights for the Messinian salinity crisis
Authors: Roveri Marco , Lugli Stefano , Manzi Vinicio , Schreiber B. Charlotte
Published: October 2008

Controversies around the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC) are because of the difficulties in establishing genetic and stratigraphic relationships between its deep and shallow‐water record. Actually, the Sicilian foreland basin shows both shallow and deep‐water Messinian records, thus offering the chance to reconstruct comprehensive MSC scenarios. The Lower Gypsum of Sicily comprises primary and resedimented evaporites separated in space and time by the intra‐Messinian unconformity. A composite unit including halite, resedimented gypsum and Calcare di Base accumulated between 5.6 and 5.55 Ma in the main depocentres; it records the acme of the Messinian Salinity Crisis during a tectonic phase coupled with sea‐level falls at glacials TG14‐TG12. These deposits fully post‐date primary gypsum, which precipitated in shallow‐water wedge‐top and foreland ramp basins between 5.96 and 5.6 Ma. This new stratigraphic framework results in a three‐stage MSC scenario characterized by different primary evaporite associations: selenite in the first and third stages, carbonate, halite and potash salt in the second one associated with hybrid resedimented evaporites.
Regulation of ACS protein stability by cytokinin and brassinosteroid
Authors: Hansen Maureen , Chae Hyun Sook , Kieber Joseph J.
Published: October 2008

A major question in plant biology is how phytohormone pathways interact. Here, we explore the mechanism by which cytokinins and brassinosteroids affect ethylene biosynthesis. Ethylene biosynthesis is regulated in response to a wide variety of endogenous and exogenous signals, including the levels of other phytohormones. Cytokinins act by increasing the stability of a subset of ACC synthases, which catalyze the generally rate‐limiting step in ethylene biosynthesis. The induction of ethylene by cytokinin requires the canonical cytokinin two‐component response pathway, including histidine kinases, histidine phosphotransfer proteins and response regulators. The cytokinin‐induced myc–ACS5 stabilization occurs rapidly (<60 min), consistent with a primary output of this two‐component signaling pathway. We examined the mechanism by which another phytohormone, brassinosteroid, elevates ethylene biosynthesis in etiolated seedlings. Similar to cytokinin, brassinosteroid acts post‐transcriptionally by increasing the stability of ACS5 protein, and its effects on ACS5 were additive with those of cytokinin. These data suggest that ACS is regulated by phytohormones through regulatory inputs that probably act together to continuously adjust ethylene biosynthesis in various tissues and in response to various environmental conditions.
Disruption of a novel gene for a NAC‐domain protein in rice confers resistance to Rice dwarf virus
Authors: Yoshii Motoyasu , Shimizu Takumi , Yamazaki Muneo , Higashi Takahiko , Miyao Akio , Hirochika Hirohiko , Omura Toshihiro
Published: October 2008

Rice dwarf virus (RDV) is a serious viral pest that is transmitted to rice plants (Oryza sativa L.) by leafhoppers and causes a dwarfism in infected plants. To identify host factors involved in the multiplication of RDV, we screened Tos17 insertion mutant lines of rice for mutants with reduced susceptibility to RDV. One mutant, designated rim1‐1, did not show typical disease symptoms upon infection with RDV. The accumulation of RDV capsid proteins was also drastically reduced in inoculated rim1‐1 mutant plants. Co‐segregation and complementation analyses revealed that the rim1‐1 mutation had been caused by insertion of Tos17 in an intron of a novel NAC gene. The rim1‐1 mutant remained susceptible to the two other viruses tested, one of which is also transmitted by leafhoppers, suggesting that the multiplication rather than transmission of RDV is specifically impaired in this mutant. We propose that RIM1 functions as a host factor that is required for multiplication of RDV in rice.
Integration of comprehensive abortion‐care services in a Maternal and Child Health clinic in Cambodia
Authors: Delvaux Thérèse , Sœur Sophal , Rathavy Tung , Crabbé François , Buvé Anne
Published: October 2008

Objectives  To document the pilot experience of provision of safe abortion/post‐abortion services implemented in 2002 at the Mother Child Health clinic in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, and to profile clients and assess their uptake of post‐abortion contraception.

Methods  The initial package of safe abortion/post‐abortion clinics (SAPAC) services included counselling on family planning and prevention of sexually transmitted infections, pain management, Manual Vacuum Aspiration procedure and standard universal precautions at an affordable price (US$12.5). SAPAC services became operational in August 2002. The data of medical records from 1 August 2002 to 31 December 2005 (2224 clients) were analysed.

Results  The mean number of clients per month attending SAPAC services ranged from 26 in 2002 to 64 in 2005. Fifty‐three per cent were housewives, 24% worked in sales or services, 8% in factories, 11% in bars or karaoke lounges and 3% were brothel‐based sex workers. Ninety‐three per cent of clients came for induced abortion and 7% sought post‐abortion care. Pain management was used in 99% of cases. The overall rate of complications during intervention was 2.1% and dropped from 9.4% in 2002 to 1.3% in 2005. After SAPAC implementation, fewer women in Sihanoukville sought abortion services without any quality control and a safer technique was used. On average, 40% of patients took up contraception after the abortion.

Conclusions  Integrating comprehensive abortion‐care services at a peripheral government health facility is feasible. There is a demand for such services provided at an affordable price in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.
Circumcision among adolescent boys in rural northwestern Tanzania
Authors: Weiss Helen A. , Plummer Mary L. , Changalucha John , Mshana Gerry , Shigongo Zachayo S. , Todd Jim , Wight Daniel , Hayes Richard J. , Ross David A.
Published: October 2008

Objective  Male circumcision reduces risk of HIV among heterosexual men by about 60%. Modelling the impact of circumcision on HIV transmission, and planning service expansion, relies on self‐reported circumcision status. We investigated the validity of self‐reported status.

Methods  Survey and in‐depth interview (IDI) data from adolescents enrolled in a community randomized sexual health intervention trial in rural Mwanza, Tanzania were analysed.

Results  The 5354 male school attenders (median age 15.5 years) were recruited in 1998 and followed for 3 years. At baseline, circumcision prevalence was 13.7% by self‐report and 11.8% by clinical examination, rising to 17.3% by clinical examination at final survey. Only 61.5% of Muslim males were circumcised at the final survey. Of 506 participants who reported being circumcised at baseline, only 78.9% reported this at interim. Similarly, only 84.2% of participants clinically assessed as circumcised at baseline were also assessed as circumcised at interim. At both baseline and interim surveys, about 80% of participants who reported being circumcised were also found to be so at clinical examination. There was a high tolerance and respect for circumcision among male IDI respondents, with widespread belief that it was beneficial for penile hygiene and disease prevention. The majority of female IDI respondents said that they did not know what male circumcision was.

Discussion  Attitudes to male circumcision were positive in this population despite its low prevalence. There were substantial inconsistencies in both self‐reported and clinically assessed circumcision status. Methods are needed to improve self‐report and training of clinicians in this setting.
Prevalence of epilepsy in Rwanda: a national cross‐sectional survey
Authors: Simms Victoria , Atijosan Oluwarantimi , Kuper Hannah , Nuhu Assuman , Rischewski Dorothea , Lavy Christopher
Published: October 2008

Objective  To estimate the prevalence of epilepsy in Rwanda, as part of a survey of musculoskeletal impairment (MSI).

Methods  Cross‐sectional nationally representative survey. Clusters of 105 people were selected with probability proportional to size, using the 2002 national census as the sampling frame. Within each cluster, 80 people were selected through compact segment sampling. Physiotherapists examined all participants using a standard questionnaire to assess the presence of seizures through self‐report, as well as aetiology, treatment needs and severity of the seizures. Health‐related quality of life was assessed using the EuroQol generic health index (EQ5D).

Results  The response rate was 80.8%, with 6757 individuals screened. The estimated prevalence of epilepsy was 0.7% (95% confidence intervals 0.5–0.9%). A quarter (23%) of cases reported that onset of epilepsy was at birth, for 32% onset was between birth and age 5, 23% between ages 5 and 16, and 21% above the age of 16. In 4.3% of people with epilepsy, an accident during a seizure caused permanent MSI, as identified by a case history and physical examination. The majority of people with epilepsy (59.6%) had never received medical treatment for it. Epilepsy was associated with a significantly reduced quality of life.

Conclusions  Epilepsy is a significant and neglected health problem in Rwanda at all ages. Investing in treatment for epilepsy would prevent some disability causing accidents from occurring.
Vector control by insecticide‐treated nets in the fight against visceral leishmaniasis in the Indian subcontinent, what is the evidence?
Authors: Ostyn Bart , Vanlerberghe Veerle , Picado Albert , Dinesh Diwakar Singh , Sundar Shyam , Chappuis François , Rijal Suman , Dujardin Jean‐Claude , Coosemans Marc , Boelaert Marleen , Davies Clive
Published: October 2008

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a deadly vector‐borne disease that causes an estimated 500 000 new cases a year. In India, Nepal and Bangladesh, VL is caused by Leishmania donovani, which is transmitted from man to man by the sandfly Phlebotomus argentipes. In 2005, these three countries signed a memorandum of understanding to eliminate VL from the region. Integrated vector management is one of the pillars of this elimination strategy, alongside early case detection and treatment. We reviewed the evidence of effectiveness of different vector control methods, to examine the potential role of insecticide treated bednets (ITNs). Indoor residual spraying has shown poor impact for various reasons and resistance to DDT is emerging in Bihar. Environmental management performed poorly compared to insecticide based methods. ITNs could give individual protection but this still needs to be proven in randomized trials. Given the constraints of indoor residual spraying, it is worthwhile to further explore the use of ITNs, in particular long lasting ITNs, as an additional tool in the VL elimination initiative.
Self‐administration of cocaine, cannabis and heroin in the human laboratory: benefits and pitfalls
Authors: Haney Margaret
Published: October 2008

The objective of this review is to describe self‐administration procedures for modeling addiction to cocaine, cannabis and heroin in the human laboratory, the benefits and pitfalls of the approach, and the methodological issues unique to each drug. In addition, the predictive validity of the model for testing treatment medications will be addressed. The results show that all three drugs of abuse are reliably and robustly self‐administered by non‐treatment‐seeking research volunteers. In terms of pharmacotherapies, cocaine use is extraordinarily difficult to disrupt either in the laboratory or in the clinic. A range of medications has been shown to significantly decrease cocaine's subjective effects and craving without decreasing either cocaine self‐administration or cocaine abuse by patients. These negative data combined with recent positive findings with modafinil suggest that self‐administration procedures are an important intermediary step between pre‐clinical and clinical studies. In terms of cannabis, a recent study suggests that medications that improve sleep and mood during cannabis withdrawal decrease the resumption of marijuana self‐administration in abstinent volunteers. Clinical data on patients seeking treatment for their marijuana use are needed to validate these laboratory findings. Finally, in contrast to cannabis or cocaine dependence, there are three efficacious Food and Drug Administration‐approved medications to treat opioid dependence, all of which decrease both heroin self‐administration and subjective effects in the human laboratory. In summary, self‐administration procedures provide meaningful behavioral data in a small number of individuals. These studies contribute to our understanding of the variables maintaining cocaine, marijuana and heroin intake, and are important in guiding the development of more effective drug treatment programs.
Impairment of T helper and T regulatory cell responses at birth
Authors: Schaub B. , Liu J. , Schleich I. , Höppler S. , Sattler C. , Von Mutius E.
Published: October 2008

Background:  There is strong evidence that reduced exposures to microbial compounds triggering innate immune responses early in life are critical for the development of allergic illnesses. The underlying mechanisms remain unknown, but will include T‐cell responses either along T helper type 1 (Th1)/Th2 pathways or via T regulatory and Th17 cells. Yet, little is known about innate immune responses and the function of T regulatory/Th17 cells at birth. The aim of this study was to investigate T‐cell responses to innate (Lipid A/LpA, peptidoglycan/Ppg) and adaptive (phytohemagglutinin) stimuli at birth and to compare these findings with adult immune responses.

Methods:  Cord and peripheral blood mononuclear cells including T regulatory and Th17 cells from 25 neonates and 25 adults were examined for proliferation, cytokine secretion, surface, mRNA expression and functional suppression assays.

Results:  Proliferation and cytokine responses to innate stimuli were less mature at birth than in adulthood. T regulatory and Th17 cells were less expressed in cord than in adult blood (Ppg‐induced Foxp3, P = 0.001, LpA‐induced CD4+ CD25+ high, P = 0.02; Th17 : P < 0.0001). Mitogen‐induced suppression of T‐regulatory cells on T‐effector cell function was less efficient in cord than in adult blood (P = 0.01). At both ages, Th17 cells were correlated with Th1/Th2 cells (P < 0.01), but not with interleukin‐10 secretion following innate‐stimulation.

Conclusion:  Innate immune responses are immature at birth. Furthermore, the function of T regulatory and Th17 cells is impaired. Th17 cells in association with Th1/Th2 cells may be involved in early immuno‐modulation. Potent innate immune stimulation early in life can potentially contribute to protection from allergic diseases.
Timeliness of diagnosis of asthma in children and its predictors
Authors: Molis W. E. , Bagniewski S. , Weaver A. L. , Jacobson R. M. , Juhn Y. J.
Published: October 2008

Background:  There is a paucity of literature using medical records to evaluate the timeliness of asthma diagnosis in children and the predictors associated with timeliness of asthma diagnosis.

Methods:  Subjects were obtained from a convenience sample of 839 children, aged 5–13 years. We conducted comprehensive medical record reviews for these children to determine their asthma status by applying predetermined criteria for asthma. Predictors were evaluated for an association with timeliness of asthma diagnosis.

Results:  Of 839 children, 276 children met the criteria for asthma before 18 years of age. Of these subjects, 97 had timely diagnosis of asthma while 179 did not have timely diagnosis of asthma with the median delay of 3.3 years. Children with definite asthma at the time of index date was three times more timely to be diagnosed with asthma [hazard ratios (HR) 3.3, 95% CI: 2.43–4.47, P < 0.001], compared to those with probable asthma. Children with a family history of asthma were more timely to be diagnosed with asthma (HR 1.36, 95% CI: 1.03–1.8, P = 0.031). Children with exercise‐induced wheezing or bronchospasm were more timely to be diagnosed with asthma (HR 1.79, 95% CI: 0.95–3.36, P = 0.07), compared to those with spasmodic (or bronchospastic) cough.

Conclusions:  Many asthmatic children are not diagnosed with asthma in a timely manner, especially in those without the commonly recognized factors associated with asthma. Health care providers need to be reminded that asthma can still occur in those without commonly recognized risk factors. Asthma guidelines need to emphasize this aspect.
Early markers of allergic disease in a primary prevention study using probiotics: 2.5‐year follow‐up phase
Authors: Prescott S. L. , Wiltschut J. , Taylor A. , Westcott L. , Jung W. , Currie H. , Dunstan J. A.
Published: October 2008

Background: We previously reported that aLactobacillus acidophilusprobiotic strain (LAFTI®L10/LAVRI‐A1) given for the first 6 months of life increased the risk of allergen sensitization at 1 year of age.

Methods: To assess the effects on subsequent allergic outcomes, 153 children from the initial prevention cohort (n = 178) were reviewed at 2.5 years of age. Clinical outcomes were assessed in relation to (i) probiotic supplementation; and (ii) immune function previously assessed at 6 months of age.

Results: Supplementation with this probiotic did not reduce the risk of dermatitis at 2.5 years (31/74, 42%) compared with that in placebo group (25/76, 34%). There was no significant reduction in any other allergic disease or allergen sensitization. Inhalant sensitization at 2.5 years (n = 29) was associated with higher proportions of circulating CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T‐cell populations (P = 0.005) and higher allergen‐induced FOXP3 levels (P = 0.003) at 6 months. This was also seen in children with dermatitis. Children with dermatitis at 2.5 years also had significantly lower toll‐like receptor 4 lipopolysaccharide responses at 6 months of age (IL‐12P = 0.04, IL‐6P = 0.039) and lower polyclonal (PHA) responses (IFN‐γP = 0.005, IL‐10P = 0.001, and IL‐6P = 0.001). Children who had previously received the probiotic had fewer gastrointestinal infections in the preceding 18 months (P = 0.023).

Conclusion: The LAFTI®L10 probiotic strain did not have any significant effect on allergy outcomes. Allergic children showed a number of early differences in immune function including altered regulatory T‐cell markers and innate immune function.
Understanding patient sensitization profiles in complex pollen areas: a molecular epidemiological study
Authors: Barber D. , De La Torre F. , Feo F. , Florido F. , Guardia P. , Moreno C. , Quiralte J. , Lombardero M. , Villalba M. , Salcedo G. , Rodríguez R.
Published: October 2008

Background:  Allergy diagnosis in patients exposed to multiple pollen species is complex and misdiagnosis is often a cause for unsuccessful specific immunotherapy.

Objective:  We studied the sensitization profile of individual allergens (major, minor and pan‐allergens) in pollen‐sensitized patients in a region with high exposure to olive pollen by investigating the influence of minor allergens on allergic disease and the association between pan‐ and minor allergen sensitizations.

Methods:  A panel of 13 purified allergens, which included the most relevant allergens in the area, as well as minor olive allergens and pan‐allergens, were screened using a high‐capacity technology (ADVIA‐Centaur®) in 891 patients.

Results:  Olive allergy as measured by specific IgE to Ole e 1 was the leading pollinosis in the area. The minor olive allergens Ole e 7 and Ole e 9 were markers of more severe allergic illness. Profilin sensitization was associated mainly with grass allergy, the second most prevalent pollinosis. Salsola kali pollen allergy was the third most common cause of pollinosis in the area. The prevalence of sensitization to the peach allergen Pru p 3, a nonspecific lipid‐transfer protein, was notable.

Conclusion:  Epidemiological analysis by component‐resolved diagnosis is a new method, which elucidates the interaction between allergen exposure gradient and patient sensitization. High exposure leads to differential sensitization profiles some of which are associated with more severe allergic conditions. Profilin sensitization, related mainly to grass pollinosis, was a marker of more severe grass pollen sensitization.
Song Frequency Does Not Reflect Differences in Body Size among Males in Two Oscine Species
Authors: Cardoso Gonçalo C. , Mamede Ana T. , Atwell Jonathan W. , Mota Paulo G. , Ketterson Ellen D. , Price Trevor D.
Published: October 2008

Large animals, having large vocal organs, produce low sound frequencies more efficiently. Accordingly, the frequency of vocalizations is often negatively related to body size across species, and also among individuals of many species, including several non‐oscine birds (non‐songbirds). Little is known about whether song frequency reveals information about body size within oscine species, which are characterized by song learning and large repertoires. We asked whether song frequency is related to body size in two oscines that differ in repertoire size: the dark‐eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) and the serin (Serinus serinus). We also asked whether the extent to which receivers sample repertoires might influence the reliability of their assessment of body size. We found that none of the frequency traits of song that we investigated was related to male body size, nor did more extensive sampling of repertoires lead to any relationship between frequency and body size. Possible reasons for these results are the small range of variation in size within species, or the elaborate vocal physiology of oscines that gives them great control over a wide frequency range. We discuss these results as they relate to female preferences for high‐frequency song that have been previously reported for oscine species.
Evidence of Social Influences on Cache‐Making by Grey Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis)
Authors: Hopewell Lucy J. , Leaver Lisa A.
Published: October 2008

Many studies have found that scatter‐hoarding animals change their behaviour when storing food in the presence of conspecifics to minimize the likelihood that their caches will be pilfered; they refrain from caching, move away from conspecifics or choose visually obscured sites. This study reports the first evidence that the presence of conspecifics continues to influence the caching behaviour of a scatter‐hoarding mammal, the grey squirrel, after a suitable cache site has been selected and the hoarder is filling and covering its cache. Wild grey squirrels were filmed when storing preferred and less preferred nuts and when they were alone or with conspecifics present. In line with previous findings, squirrels spent longer travelling from the nut patch and were more vigilant when conspecifics were present. However, squirrels also spent longer disguising their caches and were more likely to stop digging and become vigilant when conspecifics were present than when they were alone. In particular, they were most likely to curtail their digging when storing their preferred nuts in the presence of conspecifics. The results indicate that caching squirrels remain sensitive to the presence of conspecifics until the cache is complete and that they respond flexibly to conspecifics according to the type of food they are storing.
Anti‐Predator Signals in the Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs in Response to Habitat Structure and Different Predator Types
Authors: Jones Katherine A. , Whittingham Mark J.
Published: October 2008

Many animals respond to the presence of predators with conspicuous signals such as alarm calling. These signals may aid the detection of the predator by conspecifics or may deter the predator from attack. The advantages of such signals may be dependent upon predator type and habitat type. We measured signalling behaviours (alarm calling and tail flicking) in foraging chaffinches in response to different predator models (hawk and pigeon control, cat and plastic box as control). In addition we measured responses to a cat model when chaffinches were foraging in different habitat structures (obstructed vs. open). There was no difference in the number of individual chaffinches alarm calling in obstructed vs. open habitat, but birds tail flicked more in open habitat, suggesting that tail flicking acts as a visual signal to the predator or conspecifics and therefore unlike auditory cues is influenced by habitat structure. Chaffinches were also more likely to tail flick in response to the cat model than the other three models. Our results are consistent with the idea that animals may respond to ground predators, which spend a large amount of time observing prey before attack, by using signalling behaviours, such as tail flicking and alarm calling. Further work on prey selection by predators is needed to separate the functions of signalling behaviour in response to predators.
Post‐Conflict Non‐Aggressive Behaviours may be neither Friendly nor Conciliatory: Conflict Management of Male Hamadryas Baboons
Authors: Colmenares Fernando , Silveira Fernando
Published: October 2008

The relational model of conflict resolution predicts that after an aggressive conflict there should be a motivational shift from aggression to attraction. Most tests of the reconciliation hypothesis assume, however, that all non‐aggressive post‐conflict behaviours between former opponents are motivationally homogeneous and qualify as friendly reunions. In fact, although the hypothesis predicts an increased occurrence of friendly contacts after conflicts, in practice, however, post‐conflict reunions often include a mixture of contact and non‐contact behaviours. Most reconciliation studies either (often) assume a conciliatory function for post‐conflict reunions or (less often) test functional predictions. Finally, the valuable relationships hypothesis predicts that conciliatory rates should be relatively higher between friends and allies than between non‐friends/allies. In this paper, we use data on non‐aggressive interactions following conflicts between adult male hamadryas baboons that are neither friends nor allies to assess the implications of all these important but largely overlooked issues. The analyses of the rate and temporal relation of non‐contact greeting (NCTG) to anxiety‐related behaviours and side‐directed aggression as well as of the behaviours used during non‐aggressive interactions with male and female third‐parties suggest that the NCTG used by males after conflicts were neither motivationally friendly nor functionally conciliatory. We point out that the gestures exchanged during these post‐conflict NCTG can be interpreted as formalized signals of equal status and that the rate and form of the greetings used by male opponents are indicative of high relationship insecurity and incompatibility respectively. We conclude that although male hamadryas’ post‐conflict NCTG are not conciliatory they may serve to assess their opponents’ attitude and to negotiate the restoring of their pre‐conflict levels of peaceful but non‐amicable co‐existence.
Innate and Learned Shoaling Preferences Based on Body Coloration in Juvenile Mollies,Poecilia latipinna
Authors: Ledesma Jessica M. , McRobert Scott P.
Published: October 2008

Shoaling offers fish enhanced protection from predators through a phenomenon known as the confusion effect. This phenomenon depends on a high degree of phenotypic homogeneity within a shoal, which may confuse predators that have difficulty in targeting a single individual as prey. Accordingly, fish typically choose shoalmates with similar phenotypic characteristics to themselves. In the molly (Poecilia latipinna), dramatic differences in body coloration have been shown to affect shoalmate choice in adults. Here, we show that juvenile mollies (50 d old) were capable of shoaling and that early experience impacted shoalmate choice. When raised in isolation, mollies chose shoalmates with similar body coloration to their own. When raised with other juvenile mollies, test fish chose to associate with individuals of the same coloration as the fish with whom they had been reared. These results show thatP. latipinnaare capable of the behavioral plasticity that has been demonstrated in other fish species, and that early experience affects the impact of body coloration on shoaling decisions in this species.
Case of Bilateral Seminoma in a Trotter Stallion
Authors: Govaere J , Ducatelle R. , Hoogewijs M , De Schauwer C , De Kruif A
Published: October 2008

Contents

This report describes a bilateral seminoma in a stallion. After slaughter, histological examination revealed that the tumour consisted predominantly of polyhedral tumour cells with large nuclei, obvious nucleoli and a small border of cytoplasm. The mitotic index was low and Ki67 staining revealed 4% nuclear staining. To our knowledge, this paper is the first using Ki67 staining as a method to evaluate the mitotic rate in a testicular seminoma in the stallion.
Effect of Suppression of FSH with a GnRH Antagonist (Acyline) Before and During Follicle Deviation in the Mare
Authors: Checura CM , Beg MA , Gastal EL , Gastal MO , Wiltbank MC , Parrish JJ , Ginther OJ
Published: October 2008

Contents

A GnRH antagonist (Acyline) was used to study the role of FSH in early development of a follicular wave in 61 mares. In Experiment 1, a single dose of 3 mg per mare, compared with 0 and 1 mg, suppressed both the FSH and follicle responses to exogenous GnRH. In Experiment 2, high concentrations of FSH were induced by two successive ablations of all follicles ≥ 6 mm on days 10 and 13 (day 0 = ovulation). A single treatment with Acyline resulted in significantly greater suppression of plasma concentrations of FSH than a single treatment with charcoal‐extracted follicular fluid (source of inhibin) or oestradiol. Suppression of FSH was not significantly different between the group treated with Acyline alone and a group treated with a combination of Acyline, inhibin and oestradiol. In Experiment 3, all follicles were ablated on day 10 to induce an FSH surge and a new follicular wave. Acyline treatment on day 10 resulted in an immediate decrease in FSH, without a significant effect on day of emergence of a new wave or growth of follicles from 7 to 11 mm on days 11–13. Treatment on day 15, a day before expected follicle deviation and after the peak of the wave‐stimulating FSH surge, resulted in an immediate decrease in FSH and cessation of follicle growth. Results indicated that growth of follicles for about 2 days after wave emergence was independent of FSH. In contrast, during the decline in the wave‐stimulating FSH surge and before follicle deviation, growth of follicles was dependent on FSH.
Governing the Majority World? Critical reflections on the role of occupation technology in international contexts
Authors: Molke Daniel K. , Rudman Debbie Laliberte
Published: October 2008

Background: Within occupational therapy, increasing attention has been focussed on international development work. However, many have critiqued the focus of knowledge development within occupational therapy and occupational science, arguing that it is focussed on Western values. Questions arise about how occupational therapy and occupational science, and the knowledge and therapeutic technologies that are associated with these communities, will affect the ‘developing’ world, which, recently, some have described as the Majority World.

Aim and method: Using Foucauldian analytical tools, this paper reflects on specific discourses that are foundational for development work. Specifically, this paper attempts to better understand how concepts like ‘occupational justice’ and the ‘occupational being’ are presented in the literature and relate to practices in international contexts. Within this analysis, attention is focussed on how practices associated with occupational development work might also be enmeshed in power dynamics.

Results: This paper outlines how occupational discourses may shape and order life in particular ways and challenges researchers and practitioners to develop a better understanding of how power can operate through occupational discourses and occupational therapy practices. This paper also adds to the literature through the interpretation and explication of various theories that may underpin work in international contexts.

Conclusions/future directions: Suggestions for future directions that will enable the development of more politically and culturally sensitive knowledge and practices are also explored. It is crucial that as a community we become more aware of how our theoretical frameworks may impact and shape practice.
Are we applying interventions with research evidence when targeting secondary complications of the stroke‐affected upper limb
Authors: Gustafsson Louise , Yates Kathryn
Published: October 2008

Background/aim:  This study aimed to survey occupational therapy practice with reference to the current evidence for management of secondary complications of the stroke‐affected upper limb.

Methods:  A questionnaire was developed to identify the clinical practice of occupational therapists in managing the client's stroke‐affected upper limb. Participants were recruited via an email to the national occupational therapy neurology listserve. Occupational therapists working in stroke rehabilitation were invited to complete the questionnaire online or to print off and return.

Results:  Fifty‐five occupational therapists completed the questionnaire. Results revealed that treatment techniques with little to no evidence were used frequently, including pillow cushion supports (98%), positional stretch (94%) and slings (61%). Alternatively, treatment techniques with significant supporting evidence were used at a lower frequency, such as electrical stimulation (39%).

Conclusions:  The results of the questionnaire highlight an inconsistent application of evidence within clinical practice and the consistent application of treatment techniques with poor supporting evidence. This result does not represent poor clinical practice. Rather, it highlights the need for the research literature to articulate the clinical reasoning underpinning clinicians’ selection of treatment techniques and to determine the effectiveness of frequently used, but poorly supported treatment techniques.
Movement skills proficiency and physical activity: A case for Engaging and Coaching for Health (EACH)–Child
Authors: Ziviani Jenny , Poulsen Anne , Hansen Carla
Published: October 2008

Background/aim:  Supporting children's participation in health‐enhancing physical activities is an important occupational goal for therapists. Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are thought to underpin and enable many activity options. This study had two goals: first, to examine the relationship between fundamental movement skills (FMS) and physical activity, and second, to use this and existing evidence to inform strategies whereby children's motivation for and engagement in physical activity can be supported.

Methods:  A cross‐sectional investigation of 124 children, aged 6–12 years, was undertaken. FMS were assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M‐ABC) and physical activity by pedometer step counts.

Results:  A weak but significant association was found between weekend physical activity and balance skills for girls. Correlations between physical activity and ball skills or manual dexterity were not significant for either gender, however, having age appropriate ball skills did result in greater but not significant levels of physical activity for all children when grouped together.

Conclusions:  Findings from this study question the magnitude of the relationship between children's FMS and physical activity as measured by pedometers. If the goal of health enhancement through physical activity engagement is to be realised, it is proposed that community, occupation‐based approaches may offer more potential than skills‐based interventions at increasing activity participation. The concept of Engaging and Coaching for Health (EACH)‐Child is introduced to this end. Occupational therapists are encouraged to work collaboratively with school and community organisations to assist children to find the physical activities that best accommodate their interests, abilities and offer opportunities for lifelong engagement.
Metamorphic and cooling history of the Shimanto accretionary complex, Kyushu, Southwest Japan: Implications for the timing of out‐of‐sequence thrusting
Authors: Hara Hidetoshi , Kimura Katsumi
Published: October 2008

Illite crystallinity, K–Ar dating of illite, and fission‐track dating of zircon are analyzed in the hanging wall (Sampodake unit) and footwall (Mikado unit) of a seismogenic out‐of‐sequence thrust (Nobeoka thrust) within the Shimanto accretionary complex of central Kyushu, southwest Japan. The obtained metamorphic temperatures, and timing of metamorphism and cooling, reveal the tectono‐metamorphic evolution of the complex, and related development of the Nobeoka thrust. Illite crystallinity data indicate that the Late Cretaceous Sampodake unit was metamorphosed at temperatures of around 300 to 310°C, while the Middle Eocene Mikado unit was metamorphosed at 260 to 300°C. Illite K–Ar ages and zircon fission‐track ages constrain the timing of metamorphism of the Sampodake unit to the early Middle Eocene (46 to 50 Ma, mean = 48 Ma). Metamorphism of the Mikado unit occurred no earlier than 40 Ma, which is the youngest depositional age of the unit. The Nobeoka thrust is inferred to have been active during about 40 to 48 Ma, as the Sampodake unit started its post metamorphic cooling after 48 Ma and was thrust over the Mikado unit at about 40 Ma along the Nobeoka thrust. These results indicate that the Nobeoka thrust was active for more than 10 million years.
Paleogeographic reconstructions of the East Asia continental margin during the middle to late Mesozoic
Authors: Lee Yong I.
Published: October 2008

The currently available paleogeographic maps of the East Asia continental margin during the Mesozoic have been recast in the light of recent research results on sediments distributed in Korea and Japan. Both the Korean peninsula and the Inner zone of Southwest Japan exchanged sediment supply during the Middle to Late Mesozoic, suggestive of a close paleogeographic relationship between the two countries at the active continental margin setting. During the latest Middle to earliest Late Jurassic the Mino–Tamba trench was developed along the southeastern Korean peninsula, from which trench‐fill sediments were sourced and to which an accretionary complex was accreted. Lower Cretaceous quartz‐arenite clasts of the Tetori Group in the Hida Marginal Belt of Southwest Japan were derived from pre‐Mesozoic quartz‐arenite strata distributed in the southern central and east central Korean peninsula, suggesting that the Tetori Basin was located close to the central eastern part of the Korean peninsula at the time of deposition of quartz‐arenite clasts, contrary to conventional thought of far distance between the two areas based on paleomagnetic data. During the early Late Cretaceous radiolaria‐bearing chert pebbles and sands in the northern part of the non‐marine Gyeongsang Basin distributed in the southeastern Korean peninsula were derived from the uplifted Mino–Tamba accretionary complex distributed in southwest Japan, suggesting that the Mino–Tamba terrane was land‐connected with the eastern Korean peninsula. These new findings suggest that in contrast to conventional thought, the collage of tectonic blocks in Southwest Japan has assembled in post‐early Late Cretaceous time.