bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reactive oxygen species‐linked regulation of the multidrug resistance transporter P‐glycoprotein in Nox‐1 overexpressing prostate tumor spheroids
Authors: Wartenberg Maria , Hoffmann Edda , Schwindt Heinrich , Grünheck Frank , Petros John , Arnold J. Rebecca S. , Hescheler Jürgen , Sauer Heinrich
Published: July 2005

Expression of the multidrug resistance (MDR) transporter P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp) has been demonstrated to be regulated by hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α (HIF‐1α) and inhibited by intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Herein, P‐gp and HIF‐1α expression were investigated in multicellular prostate tumor spheroids overexpressing the ROS‐generating enzyme Nox‐1 in comparison to the mother cell line DU‐145. In Nox‐1‐overexpressing tumor spheroids (DU‐145Nox1) generation of ROS as well as expression of Nox‐1 was significantly increased as compared to DU‐145 tumor spheroids. ROS generation was significantly inhibited in the presence of the NADPH‐oxidase antagonists diphenylen‐iodonium chloride (DPI) and 4‐(2‐aminoethyl)benzenesulfonyl fluoride (AEBSF). Albeit growth kinetic of DU‐145Nox1 tumor spheroids was decreased as compared to DU‐145 spheroids, elevated expression of Ki‐67 was observed indicating increased cell cycle activity. In DU‐145Nox1 tumor spheroids, expression of HIF‐1α as well as P‐gp was significantly decreased as compared to DU‐145 spheroids, which resulted in an increased retention of the anticancer agent doxorubicin. Pretreatment with the free radical scavengers vitamin E and vitamin C increased the expression of P‐gp as well as HIF‐1α in Nox‐1‐overexpressing cells, whereas no effect of free radical scavengers was observed on mdr‐1 mRNA expression. In summary, the data of the present study demonstrate that the development of P‐gp‐mediated MDR is abolished under conditions of elevated ROS levels, suggesting that the MDR phenotype can be circumvented by modest increase of intracellular ROS generation.
Autocrine signaling of platelet‐derived growth factor regulates disabled‐2 expression during megakaryocytic differentiation of K562 cells
Authors: Tseng Ching-Ping , Chang Pam , Huang Chien-Ling , Cheng Ju-Chien , Chang Shy-Shin
Published: July 2005

Platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF) is involved in megakaryocytopoiesis and is secreted into the culture medium during megakaryocytic differentiation of human leukemic cells. We investigate whether PDGF plays a role in the regulation of the adapter protein Disabled‐2 (DAB2) that expresses abundantly in platelets and megakaryocytes. Western blot analysis revealed that conditioned medium from 12‐O‐tetradecanoylphorbol‐13‐acetate (TPA)‐treated, megakaryocytic differentiating K562 cells upregulated DAB2 expression. DAB2 induction and megakaryocytic differentiation was abrogated when cells were co‐treated with the PDGF receptor inhibitor STI571 or when the conditioned medium was derived from TPA‐plus STI571‐treated cells. Although the level of PDGF mRNA was not altered by STI571, an approximate 44% decrease in PDGF in the conditioned medium was observed. Consistent with these findings, interfering PDGF signaling by PDGF neutralization antibody or dominant negative PDGF receptors attenuated DAB2 expression. Accordingly, transfection of an expression plasmid encoding secreted PDGF upregulated DAB2. This study shows for the first time that PDGF autocrine signaling regulates DAB2 expression during megakaryocytic differentiation.
p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) upregulates catalase levels in response to low dose H2O2 treatment through enhancement of mRNA stability
Authors: Sen Prosenjit , Chakraborty Prabir Kumar , Raha Sanghamitra
Published: July 2005

V79 fibroblasts were repetitively stressed through multiple exposures to a low dose (30 μM) H2O2 in culture for 4 weeks. Catalase activity, protein levels and mRNA levels increased markedly (5–6‐fold) during this time and these augmentations were inhibited by the simultaneous presence of SB203580, an inhibitor of p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (p38MAPK). p38MAPK became dually phosphorylated and ATF‐2, a p38MAPK substrate also became increasingly phosphorylated over the repetitive stress period. Short interfering RNA that induced effective silencing of p38MAPK, was used to silence p38MAPK in V79 fibroblasts. Silencing of p38MAPK drastically hindered the elevation in catalase (protein and mRNA) levels observed after a single low dose (50 μM) of H2O2. The rise in catalase mRNA levels induced by low concentration (single and multiple dose) H2O2 treatment was established to be unconnected with transcriptional upregulation but was brought forth primarily by an enhancement in catalase mRNA stability through the action of p38MAPK. Therefore, our data strongly indicate that activation of p38MAPK is a key controlling step in the upregulation of catalase levels by low dose H2O2 treatment.
Staphylococcal enterotoxin A modulates intracellular Ca2+ signal pathway in human intestinal epithelial cells
Authors: Hu Dong-Liang , Suga Sechiko , Omoe Katsuhiko , Abe Yoshinao , Shinagawa Kunihiro , Wakui Makoto , Nakane Akio
Published: July 2005

We demonstrate here that staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) induces an increase in intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) in human intestinal epithelial cells and the [Ca2+]i is released from intracellular stores. SEA‐induced increase of [Ca2+]i was clearly inhibited by treatment with a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors, N
G‐monomethyl‐L‐arginine and guanidine. Intestinal epithelial cells express endothelial NOS in resting cell condition, and express inducible NOS after stimulating with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α. TNF‐α‐pretreated cells showed a significant increase in [Ca2+]i that was also inhibited by the NOS inhibitor. These results suggest that SEA modulated [Ca2+]i signal is dependent on NOS expression in human intestinal epithelial cells.
Regime Type and Diffusion in Comparative Politics Methodology
Authors: Hanson Stephen E. , Kopstein Jeffrey S.
Published: July 2005

Abstract.In recent years, several prominent political scientists have argued that quantitative and qualitative methodologies should be seen as united by a single logic of scientific inference. Just exactly how this reconciliation of quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches should be effected in practice, however, remains highly contentious. For all its promise, the project of uniting quantitative and qualitative methods in political science has thus reached something of an impasse. Participants on both sides of the quantitative/qualitative debate are convinced that this methodological divide should eventually be transcended, but few have abandoned the conviction that their preferred approach sets the standard by which progress in this endeavor should be judged. Evidently, we still lack consensus on precisely where the distinctive strengths of each methodological approach lie, and how these strengths can be combined effectively in systematic investigations of the political world. In this essay, we argue that a satisfactory synthesis of quantitative and qualitative methods for making causal inferences in comparative politics depends upon the resolution of a prior theoretical problem at the stage of research design: establishing a typology of political regimes and accounting for the mechanisms of their reproduction and diffusion over time and space.

Résumé.Ces dernières années, plusieurs politologues éminents ont soutenu qu'il faudrait considérer les méthodologies quantitative et qualitative comme étant unies par une même logique de déduction scientifique. Comment réaliser cette réconciliation des approches quantitative et qualitative dans la pratique demeure cependant un sujet hautement contesté. Tout prometteur qu'il soit, le projet d'unifier les méthodes quantitative et qualitative en science politique se retrouve en fait dans une impasse. Les participants des deux côtés du débat quantitatif/qualitatif sont persuadés qu'il faudra un jour transcender cette fracture méthodologique, mais ils sont peu nombreux à avoir abandonné la conviction que l'approche qu'ils privilégient établit la norme qui permettra d'évaluer les progrès accomplis. Il est évident qu'il n'y a pas encore de consensus quant aux forces respectives précises de chaque méthode, ni sur la manière de les combiner efficacement pour procéder à des études systématiques du monde politique. Dans cet article, nous avançons qu'une synthèse satisfaisante des méthodes quantitative et qualitative pour arriver à des déductions causales en politique comparée exige qu'on s'emploie à résoudre d'abord un problème théorique à l'étape de la conception de la recherche, à savoir l'établissement d'une typologie des régimes politiques et l'inventaire des mécanismes de leur reproduction et de leur diffusion dans l'espace et dans le temps.
Values and Interests in Attitudes toward Trade and Globalization: The Continuing Compromise of Embedded Liberalism
Authors: Wolfe Robert , Mendelsohn Matthew
Published: July 2005

Abstract.Many analyses of public opinion regarding global integration, and by implication global governance, are based on the material factors or interests driving individual and collective political preferences. In contrast, we show that values and ideology offer a better explanation of attitudes toward trade liberalization than do economic interests, and that the material self-interest factors that do influence opinion about trade are not relevant for opinion about globalization. We use regression analysis of original Canadian public opinion data to show that individuals of whatever skill or educational level who trust multinational corporations and the market, who like the United States, who support more immigration, who oppose a larger welfare state, and who support Canada taking a more active role in the world are more likely to support globalization. We conclude that Canadians' continued support of free trade agreements but wariness about globalization indicates that the compromise of embedded liberalism, a compelling metaphor about the foundation of twentieth-century international organization, continues to shape their understanding of the world.

Résumé.De nombreuses analyses de l'opinion publique concernant l'intégration mondiale, et logiquement la gouvernance mondiale, reposent sur les facteurs ou les intérêts matériels qui influencent les préférences politiques individuelles ou collectives. Par contraste, nous démontrons que les valeurs et l'idéologie offrent une meilleure explication des attitudes à l'égard de la libéralisation des échanges commerciaux que les intérêts économiques. Nous prouvons également que les facteurs matériels d'intérêt personnel modelant l'opinion des gens à l'égard du commerce n'ont aucun impact sur leur opinion à l'égard de la mondialisation. Nous recourons à l'analyse de régression des données originales sur l'opinion publique canadienne pour démontrer qu'indépendamment de leur niveau d'aptitudes ou d'instruction, les personnes, qui font confiance aux multinationales et au marché, qui aiment les États-Unis, qui soutiennent l'immigration, qui s'opposent à l'élargissement de l'État-providence, et qui encouragent la participation du Canada aux affaires mondiales, sont des partisans plus probables de la mondialisation. Nous concluons que le soutien continu des Canadiens pour les accords de libre-échange ainsi que leurs hésitations à l'égard de la mondialisation prouvent que le compromis du libéralisme tacitement enchâssé, métaphore puissante de la fondation de l'organisation internationale du 20esiècle, continue de façonner leur compréhension du monde.
Dialogue and Public Space: An Exploration of Radio and Information Communications Technologies
Authors: Dale Ann , Naylor Ted
Published: July 2005

Abstract.The use of internet technologies, specifically interactive electronic dialogues, has the potential to revive the shrinking Canadian public sphere. Precedent for this assertion can be found in the historical effect of radio technology. The development of Canadian radio forums in the twentieth century such as the National Farm Radio Forum and the Citizen's Forum provided a crude two way interactive medium that helped to shape collective Canadian norms and values. The internet holds the potential to reintroduce national dialogues and reinvigorate the public sphere at a time when Canadians both need and want to address national issues such as environmental concerns and sustainable development. As such dialogue occurs in a “cyberspace” removed from the limitations of physical geography, internet dialogues allow participants from widely diverse groups to come together, surmounting traditional barriers to interaction. Though the danger exists that internet technologies will be abused to reinforce passive static forms of communication, the potential for highly interactive two way dialogue holds the promise of bringing the public into timely and necessary debates on public policy.

Résumé.L'utilisation des technologies de l'Internet, spécifiquement les dialogues électroniques interactifs, a la capacité de ranimer le public canadien. Cette affirmation peut être prouvée en constatant l'effet historique de la technologie de la radio : au vingtième siècle, le développement canadien des tribunes radiophoniques tels que le forum de la ferme nationale et celui des citoyens ont aidé à mettre sur pied un média permettant un dialogue direct entre les participants sur les normes et les valeurs canadiennes collectives. L'Internet a la capacité de réintroduire les dialogues et de revigorer le public national à un moment où les Canadiens ont besoin et veulent discuter des problèmes nationaux tels que l'environnement et le développement durable. Lorsqu'un tel dialogue se produit dans un “ Cyberespace ”, les limites géographiques sont éliminées et ceci permet à des groupes de divers participants de s'unir, surmontant les barrières de communication traditionnelles. Bien que le danger existe où les technologies de l'Internet pourraient être abusées pour ainsi renforcer les formes passives et statiques de communication, le potentiel pour un média permettant un dialogue direct promet de rassembler le public pour des discussions nécessaires sur l'ordre public.
Establishing the Rules of the Game: Election Laws in
Democracies
Authors: MacIvor Heather
Published: July 2005

Establishing the Rules of the Game: Election Laws in Democracies,
Louis Massicotte, André Blais and Antoine Yoshinaka, Toronto:
University of Toronto Press, 2004, pp. 191

Whatever one may think of the 2000 American presidential election, it
did have one salutary effect: it drew worldwide attention to the
importance of fair and impartially applied election laws. The authors of
this work needed no such wake-up call; André Blais and Louis
Massicotte enjoy a well-deserved international reputation for expertise in
this arcane field. But it is likely that their new book, a compendium and
analysis of election laws in 63 countries, will attract wider notice
because of recent events in the United States. Unfortunately (though
understandably), the extreme decentralization and complexity of American
election laws prevented the authors from including the U.S. in their
comparative database. Happily, the remaining countries in the sample offer
more than enough food for thought. The field of election law has been
sadly neglected by political scientists and legal scholars (outside the
United States); if interest in the topic continues to grow over the coming
years, this book should help to nurture a flourishing academic debate.
The Network Society
Authors: Germain Gilbert
Published: July 2005

The Network Society, Darin Barney, London: Polity, 2004, pp. 198

In The Network Society, Darin Barney investigates the claim
that “the spirit of our age is the spirit of the network” (2).
This claim, the so-called “network society thesis,” announces
the birth of a new social order in which “identity, politics, and
economy are structured, and operate, as networks” (2). The argument
that networks form the organizational principle of social, political, and
economic configurations is a direct consequence, we are told, of the
communication and management technologies that mediate virtually all
contemporary societal practices. This being said, Barney sets out to
assess the status of the network society thesis as a truth claim: Does the
thesis in fact describe the arrival of a new societal order or does it
merely provide a script for its possible realization? Although he
concludes the rhetoric of the network society serves both functions,
Barney's ultimate concern is that its prescriptive capacity is
sufficiently powerful that the political will to offset the further
advance of the network society is fast disappearing.
Global Complexity
Authors: Hoffmann Matthew J.
Published: July 2005

Global Complexity, John Urry, London: Polity, 2003 pp. xi,
172

In Global Complexity, John Urry provides at once relatively
familiar discussions of globalization and complexity theory and a
series of new insights for how complexity theory can be deployed to
understand globalization. In fact Urry's discussion blends the
analysis of globalization and complexity theory so thoroughly that he
makes a convincing case that globalization is inexplicable without
complexity theory. The book is long on big (well-conceived) ideas,
description and anecdotal evidence and a bit short on specific
applications and direction for proceeding with a complexity research
agenda. Taken as a whole, Urry provides a compelling case for complexity
and Global Complexity should be considered an important entry in
both the globalization and complexity theory literatures.
Advances in work on breeding wheat with improved grain quality in the twentieth century
Authors: LUPTON F.
Published: July 2005

Biffen demonstrated that the baking quality of wheat was under genetic as well as environmental control. His variety Yeoman made a major contribution to food supplies in UK in the early twentieth century. The science and art of plant breeding for wheat quality in the twentieth century is reviewed, including the development of tests to provide information on baking quality.
Phytomers, phyllochrons, phenology and temperate cereal development
Authors: McMASTER G S.
Published: July 2005

Extensive research has been conducted on temperate cereal development since the inception of the Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge in 1905. This review presents an overview of the orderly and predictable development of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). It begins with the concept of building canopies by the formation, growth and senescence of phytomers (the unit comprised of the leaf, axillary bud, node and internode). Morphological naming schemes for uniquely identifying each plant part are then extended to uniquely name each phytomer unit. The role of the phyllochron (rate of leaf appearance) in synchronizing cereal development and phytomer formation is discussed, as is the use of phenology to predict the timing of the formation, growth and senescence of individual components. The complete developmental sequence of the winter wheat shoot apex correlated with growth stages is extended to spring barley. This overview discusses the abiotic factors controlling cereal development, with special attention given to key questions regarding the critical role of temperature. The review concludes with some cautious glances forward to the exciting possibilities for better understanding of mechanisms controlling the phyllochron and phenology being gained from advances in functional genomics and molecular biology.
Spectrophotometrical pod colour measurement: a non-destructive method for monitoring seed drying?
Authors: COSTE F. , RAVENEAU M. P. , CROZAT Y.
Published: July 2005

A non-destructive indicator of seed water content could significantly help crop scientists with assessment of the effects of environmental conditions during drying on grain qualities or on seed physiological quality. This is particularly important for grain legumes which simultaneously bear pods of different ages. Visual assessment of pod colour has so far been used to date grain legume stages, but now colour can be easily and accurately measured with a portable spectrophotometer. Relationships between the spectrophotometer measurements and the pod and seed water contents were tested in various climatic contexts (3 years: 2000, 2001, 2002; field or greenhouse, two or three sowing dates) for two bean cultivars (Booster and Calypso) and also for one pea cultivar (Baccara) in 2003 near Angers, France. Among the different spectrophotometer measurements, hue angle (h) clearly shows the transition from green (h=180 °) to yellow (h=90 °) and then to red (h=0 °). In each context, h and seed water content (SWC) relationships showed the same pattern of three linear phases: first a steady state; then a sharp decrease from green (h=106–108 °) to yellow (h=85–93 °) just before the end of the seed filling stage for Booster or between the end of the seed filling phase and the beginning of seed drying for Calypso and pea; finally, a slow decrease from yellow to ochre (h=75–78 °) during seed drying. For each bean cultivar, the parameters of the linear relationships showed no differences between maturation conditions. Therefore, 6 h classes matching six SWC classes could be defined over a wide range of SWC between 0·56 and 0·2 g/g for Booster. However for Calypso and pea, only 3 h classes could be defined because of the tight relationships between h and SWC during the end of seed drying, which can be explained by pod walls drying faster than seeds. Hence, spectrophotometer measurements, if calibrated for a given cultivar of a species, could now be used to select pods with seeds of the same water content and therefore to study environmental effects on quality criteria either in controlled conditions or in the field.
A refined model of sleep and the time course of memory formation
Authors: Walker Matthew P.
Published: July 2005

Research in the neurosciences continues to provide evidence that sleep plays a role in the processes of learning and memory. There is less of a consensus, however, regarding the precise stages of memory development during which sleep is considered a requirement, simply favorable, or not important. This article begins with an overview of recent studies regarding sleep and learning, predominantly in the procedural memory domain, and is measured against our current understanding of the mechanisms that govern memory formation. Based on these considerations, I offer a new neurocognitive framework of procedural learning, consisting first of acquisition, followed by two specific stages of consolidation, one involving a process of stabilization, the other involving enhancement, whereby delayed learning occurs. Psychophysiological evidence indicates that initial acquisition does not rely fundamentally on sleep. This also appears to be true for the stabilization phase of consolidation, with durable representations, resistant to interference, clearly developing in a successful manner during time awake (or just time, per se). In contrast, the consolidation stage, resulting in additional/enhanced learning in the absence of further rehearsal, does appear to rely on the process of sleep, with evidence for specific sleep-stage dependencies across the procedural domain. Evaluations at a molecular, cellular, and systems level currently offer several sleep specific candidates that could play a role in sleep-dependent learning. These include the upregulation of select plasticity-associated genes, increased protein synthesis, changes in neurotransmitter concentration, and specific electrical events in neuronal networks that modulate synaptic potentiation.
Rules, similarity, and the information-processing blind alley
Authors: Garzón Francisco Calvo
Published: July 2005

Pothos's revision of rules and similarity in the area of language illustrates the impression that the classicist/connectionist debate is in a blind alley. Under his continuum proposal, both hypotheses fall neatly within the information-processing paradigm. In my view, the paradigm shift that dynamic systems theory represents (Spencer & Thelen 2003) should be submitted to critical scrutiny. Specific formalizations of the Rules versus Similarity distinction may not lead to a form of unification under Generalized Context Models or connectionist networks.
Epistemological requirements for a cognitive psychology of real people
Authors: Campion John
Published: July 2005

Pothos's analysis is difficult to relate to real human mental processes. He tackles four quite different areas of psychology and adduces evidence from a large number of paradigms. Yet despite this very large scope, he employs a single, simplistic descriptive framework. An epistemological analysis, supported by illustrations from real world decision-making, shows that this steers us away from, rather than towards, an understanding of real human cognitive processes.
Do words go to sleep? Exploring consolidation of spoken forms through direct and indirect measures
Authors: Dumay Nicolas , Gaskell M. Gareth
Published: July 2005

We address the notion of integration of new memory representations and the potential dependence of this phenomenon on sleep, in light of recent findings on the lexicalization of spoken words. A distinction is introduced between measures tapping directly into the strength of the newly acquired knowledge and indirect measures assessing the influence of this knowledge on spoken word identification.
Resistance to interference and the emergence of delayed gains in newly acquired procedural memories: Synaptic and system consolidation?
Authors: Korman Maria , Flash Tamar , Karni Avi
Published: July 2005

The progressive multistage stabilization of memory (consolidation) relies on post-acquisition neural reorganization. We hypothesize that two processes subserve procedural memory consolidation and are reflected in delayed post-acquisition performance gains: (1) synaptic consolidation, which is classical Hebbian, and (2) in some tasks, concurrently or consequently, “system consolidation,” which might in some skills be sleep-dependent. Behavioral interference may affect either type of consolidation.
Opposites detract: Why rules and similarity should not be viewed as opposite ends of a continuum
Authors: Marcus Gary
Published: July 2005

Criteria that aim to dichotomize cognition into rules and similarity are destined to fail because rules and similarity are not in genuine conflict. It is possible for a given cognitive domain to exploit rules without similarity, similarity without rules, or both (rules and similarity) at the same time.
Integration of “rules” and “similarity” in a framework of information compression by multiple alignment, unification, and search
Authors: Wolff J. Gerard
Published: July 2005

The Simplicity and Power (SP) theory (Wolff 2003a) provides support for Pothos's proposals by illustrating how the effect of “rules” and “similarity” may be achieved within an integrated model that makes no explicit provision for either concept. The theory is described here in outline with simple examples to show how rules and similarity can emerge as properties of the system in learning, reasoning, categorization, and the parsing of language.
Preferring Rules to Similarity: Coherence, goals, and commitment
Authors: Pothos Emmanuel M.
Published: July 2005

This response to the open peer commentary discusses what should be the appropriate explanatory scope of a rules versus similarity proposal and accordingly evaluates the Rules versus Similarity one. Additionally, coherence, goals, and commitment are presented as inferential notions, fully consistent with the Rules versus Similarity distinction, that allow us to predict when Rules would be preferred to Similarity.
Relationships between roost preferences, ectoparasite density, and grooming behaviour of neotropical bats
Authors: Ter Hofstede Hannah M. , Fenton M. Brock
Published: July 2005

Evidence suggests that behavioural defences, such as habitat selection and grooming behaviour, have evolved in animals in response to the costs associated with ectoparasites. Bat fly and mite densities were compared among wild‐caught bats in Belize with different roosting preferences (cavity, foliage, or both), and grooming behaviour was analysed for bat species with high and low ectoparasite density. Ectoparasites of bats were removed using forceps, and bat grooming behaviour was recorded with a camcorder. Because bat flies pupate on the surface of host roosts, bats that use cavity roosts (a sheltered environment for the pupae) were predicted to have higher densities of bat flies than those that use foliage (exposed environment). Cavity‐roosting species generally had higher densities of bat flies and mites, although the relationship was more evident for bat flies. The grooming behaviour of bats was predicted to differ among species with high or low ectoparasite densities. Although there was no difference in the frequency of grooming behaviours for individuals with and without bat flies, there were differences in grooming behaviour at the species level. Bat species with high ectoparasite densities scratched more than those with low ectoparasite densities. These results suggest that ectoparasite densities and grooming behaviour are related to roosting preferences in bats.
Home range of giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in the Pantanal wetland, Brazil
Authors: Medri Ísis Meri , Mourão Guilherme
Published: July 2005

To obtain data on home range, movements, activity and habitat use by giant anteaters Myrmecophaga tridactyla, seven animals were captured, radio‐collared and monitored from March to December 2001 in a 104‐km2 study area in the Pantanal wetland, Brazil. Four of five males used areas that covered 4.0–7.5 km2 (5.7±1.7 km2), and one of two females monitored occupied a larger area (11.9 km2) than the males, but none of the curves of cumulative area unequivocally reached the asymptote. Generally, there was considerable overlap among individual areas used. The home‐range estimates were calculated using the 100% minimum convex polygon, and 95% adaptive kernel methods. The areas used by the giant anteaters in the Pantanal wetland were larger than home ranges of giant anteaters in the Serra da Canastra National Park, Brazil. The habitat types were generally used in the same order as they occurred in each home range. Two giant anteaters previously monitored with VHF radio‐telemetry were subsequently tracked with a modified global positioning (GPS) system in different periods. The modified GPS acquired data on activity and habitat use for c. 9 days. Giant anteaters did not show a similar pattern of habitat use during the period of study using the modified GPS unit, but their activity patterns were similar. One of the ranges recorded over 9 days with this method was larger than the range obtained over 252 days by standard VHF radio‐telemetry.
Long‐term costs of using heavy shells in terrestrial hermit crabs (Coenobita compressus) and the limits of shell preference: an experimental study
Authors: Osorno José Luis , Contreras‐Garduño Jorge , Macías‐Garcia Constantino
Published: July 2005

Terrestrial hermit crabs use mollusc shells to protect their soft bodies from predation and desiccation, but their use is costly. The energetic short‐term cost of using shells has been demonstrated, yet this could theoretically be overcome by increasing feeding rate or food quality. In the long term, shells have the potential to constrain growth, which may in turn have a negative effect on fitness. Thus crabs should choose the lightest (least expensive to carry) shell amongst those of a size that permit growth. Since in nature lighter shells are also thinner‐walled, these may provide insufficient protection from predation or desiccation, facing the crabs with a trade‐off between protection and growth. This potential trade‐off was investigated in the terrestrial hermit crab Coenobita compressus. Crabs were individually maintained in captivity for a variable period of between 1 and 7 months, during which light or heavy replicates of the preferred shell were available. In a second experiment, crabs were given a choice between a thick (and heavy) or a thin (and light) shell. In addition, the resistance and water retention capacity of thin and thick shells was compared. As predicted, crab growth was negatively correlated with the weight of the shell used, but crabs rejected the thin (light) shells. Thin shells were more likely to break when crabs used the normal ‘rolling’ behaviour in response to perceived threats. In addition, thin shells lost water at a faster rate than thick ones. Since two putative functions of shell use in terrestrial hermit crabs are protection against predation and against desiccation, it is inferred that the preference for shells of intermediate weight in C. compressus results from a balance between the need to grow and the cost of carrying a brittle shell that is not sufficiently water tight.
Molecular systematics and phylogeography in the fairy shrimp Tanymastix stagnalis based on mitochondrial DNA
Authors: Ketmaier Valerio , Mandatori Rita , De Matthaeis Elvira , Mura Graziella
Published: July 2005

Patterns of sequence divergence in about 1 kb of mitochondrial DNA coding for two genes (16s rRNA and cytochrome oxidase I, COI) were analysed in 13 populations of the fairy shrimp Tanymastix stagnalis from Norway, Germany, France, Italy (northern and central Italy plus insular populations from Sardinia and the Tuscan Archipelago) and Spain, and in one presumed population of Tanymastix stellae from Corsica. The latter species was originally known only from a single locality in Sardinia, which has been destroyed by urbanization; the Corsican population was referred to T. stellae by some French authors on the basis of the collection of several cysts from mud. mtDNA data revealed a very low level of genetic divergence between the presumed population of T. stellae and the other T. stagnalis populations included in the study. Our genetic findings do not support the presence of T. stellae in Corsica and are in line with previous SEM studies revealing that all species belonging to the genus Tanymastix produce cysts with identical morphology. The results indicate complex phylogeographic relationships and pronounced genetic differentiation among T. stagnalis populations. The islands of Corsica and Sardinia on the one hand and the island of Capraia (Tuscan Archipelago) on the other were probably colonized independently at different times. Genetic relationships among continental populations do not follow a clear geographical trend, indicating that geographical distance is not the main force shaping the pattern of genetic structuring of the species. Stochastic factors such as multiple and independent founder events probably contributed to the striking pattern of genetic differentiation along with subsequent local adaptation. These results agree with previously published molecular work on several groups of aquatic organisms and further support the high potential for dispersal–low gene flow paradox shown by a large array of animals living in lentic habitats.
Ecomorphological analysis of the masticatory apparatus in the seed‐eating bats, genus Chiroderma (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)
Authors: Nogueira Marcelo R. , Monteiro Leandro R. , Peracchi Adriano L. , de Araújo Alexandre F. B.
Published: July 2005

Recent data have shown that owing to their seed‐predator capacity Chiroderma doriae and Chiroderma villosum trophically depart from all previously studied species within the canopy fruit‐bat ensemble. In this paper, the hypothesis that morphological adaptations related to granivory have evolved in these bats is investigated and discussed. A canonical variate analysis was used to search for possible divergent trends between the masticatory apparatus of Chiroderma and other stenodermatines currently recognized in the same ensemble. A total of 142 specimens representative of eight species was included in the analysis. Species of Chiroderma can be discriminated from all other species in the sample based on the increased development of masseter‐related variables (height of the anterior zygomatic arch, masseter moment arm, and masseter volume), which, in conjunction with other morphological characteristics (dentition and gape angle) discussed herein, corroborates the evolution of durophagy in this group. A complementary analysis based on a Mantel test revealed that the pattern of morphological differentiation that emerged from the canonical variate analysis does not agree with the one expected based solely on the phylogenetic relationships adopted for the canopy fruit‐bats studied here. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that morphological adaptations related to granivory have evolved in Chiroderma.
Hoverfly mimicry deceives humans
Authors: Golding Yvonne , Ennos Roland , Sullivan Matthew , Edmunds Malcolm
Published: July 2005

It is believed that the resemblance of many hoverflies to stinging hymenopterans is a case of Batesian mimicry, though there is little experimental evidence that it is effective in protecting them from predators. In this study the effectiveness of hoverfly mimicry was investigated for humans by presenting groups of university students and schoolchildren with a questionnaire which included pictures of stinging hymenopterans, mimetic hoverflies and dipteran controls. More people thought that the mimics would sting than either of the control flies, though fewer than those who thought that the mimics' hymenopteran models would sting. This showed that the hoverflies' mimicry worked but was not 100% effective. More people thought that the good mimics would sting than poor mimics which were black and yellow, showing that the reaction was not just due to their warning coloration. Students' identification skills were poor; only 77%, 66% and 50% were able to correctly identify wasps, bumblebees and honeybees, respectively, but even knowledgeable students were confused by mimetic hoverflies. Significantly more of the students who had been stung thought that the Hymenoptera would sting and identified Hymenoptera correctly. Students who thought a hymenopteran would sting were in turn more likely to think that its mimic would sting. This suggests that the mimicry is partly mediated by experience. However, even students who had never been stung showed the same pattern of discrimination as those who had, suggesting that information is also passed on culturally. These results suggest that mimicry is effective and might help hoverflies avoid predation by birds but, as many of the subjects said they would kill a stinging insect, this would actually increase their chances of being killed by humans.
Preimplantation development and viability of in vitro cultured rabbit embryos derived from in vivo fertilized gene-microinjected eggs: apoptosis and ultrastructure analyses
Authors: Makarevich A.V. , Chrenek P. , Žilka N. , Pivko J. , Bulla J.
Published: July 2005

Microinjection (Mi) of gene constructs into pronuclei of fertilized eggs is a widely used method to generate transgenic animals. However, the efficiency of gene integration and expression is very low because of the low viability of reconstructed embryos resulting from cell fragmentation and cleavage arrest. As a consequence, only a few viable embryos integrate and express transgene. Since cellular fragmentation and cleavage stage arrest in embryos may be associated with apoptosis, we aimed to test the hypothesis that the low viability of Mi-derived eggs is caused by a high rate of apoptosis in embryos, as a result of the detrimental effect of Mi. Pronuclear stage eggs (19–20 hours post-coitum, hpc) were microinjected with several picolitres of DNA construct into the male pronucleus (gene-Mi); the intact eggs (non-Mi) or eggs microinjected with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS-Mi) served as controls. Epidermal growth factor (EGF; 0, 20 and 200 ng/ml) was added to the culture medium and the embryos were cultured up to 94–96 hpc. Apoptosis was detected using the TUNEL assay, and the ultrastructure was analysed using electron microscopy of Durcupan ACM thin sections of the embryo. Gene-Mi embryos had significantly lower (p<0.05) blastocyst yields and a higher percentage of cleavage-arrested embryos than those in the non-Mi group. In gene-Mi groups, approximately 40% of all cleavage-stage-arrested embryos had fragmented blastomeres. Both gene-Mi-and PBS-Mi-derived blastocysts had a significantly higher TUNEL index (p<0.001) and lower total cell number (p<0.05) than the non-Mi embryos. Comparison of the quality of gene-Mi embryos with that of PBS-Mi embryos indicated that the deleterious effect of Mi on the embryo was caused by the Mi procedure itself, rather than DNA. EGF (at 20 ng/ml) had beneficial effects on the quality of gene-Mi-derived embryos, eliminating the influence of the Mi procedure on apoptosis and embryo cell number. Ultrastructural analysis confirmed a higher occurrence of apoptotic signs (nuclear membrane blebbing, areas with electron-dense material, numerous apoptotic bodies) in Mi-derived cleavage-arrested embryos compared with untreated or Mi-derived normal-looking embryos. These findings suggest an association between embryo cleavage arrest and apoptosis in Mi-derived embryos. Inclusion of EGF in the embryo culture medium can eliminate the detrimental effect of Mi on embryo quality.
Visualization of early embryos of the butterfly Bicyclus anynana
Authors: Masci Jarod , Monteiro Antónia
Published: July 2005

We report on the first attempts, using both light and fluorescence microscopy, to visualize the developing embryo of the butterfly Bicyclus anynana. We developed a new protocol that enabled the clear visualization of the internal egg structures in early embryogenesis (1–24 h after egg laying). Dechorionation was followed by fixation and physical dissection of the external egg structures. Observations of embryonic and extra-embryonic cells were made using a Hoechst nuclear stain that fluoresces in the blue spectrum when bound to DNA and excited with ultraviolet (UV) light under a fluorescence microscope. Preliminary data on the developmental rate of the early embryo are also presented.
Cyclooxygenases and prostaglandin E synthases in preimplantation mouse embryos
Authors: Tan Hui-Ning , Liu Ying , Diao Hong-Lu , Yang Zeng-Ming
Published: July 2005

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is shown to be essential for female reproduction. Cyclooxygenase (COX) is a rate-limiting enzyme in prostaglandin synthesis from arachidonic acid and exists in two isoforms: COX-1 and COX-2. Prostaglandin E synthase (PGES) is a terminal prostanoid synthase and can catalyse the isomerization of the COX product PGH2 to PGE2, including microsomal PGES-1 (mPGES-1), cytosolic PGES (cPGES) and mPGES-2. This study examined the protein expression of COX-1, COX-2, mPGES-1, cPGES and mPGES-2 in preimplantation mouse embryos by immunohistochemistry. Embryos at different stages collected from oviducts or uteri were transferred into a flushed oviduct of non-pregnant mice. The oviducts containing embryos were paraffin-embedded and processed for immunostaining. COX-1 immunostaining was at a basal level in zygotes and a low level at the 2-cell stage, reaching a high level from the 4-cell to blastocyst stage. COX-2 immunostaining was at a low level at the zygote stage and was maintained at a high level from the 2-cell to blastocyst stages. A low level of mPGES-1 immunostaining was observed from the zygote to 8-cell stages. The signal for mPGES-1 immunostaining became stronger at the morula stage and was strongly seen at the blastocyst stage. cPGES immunostaining was strongly observed in zygotes, 2-cell and 8-cell embryos. There was a slight decrease in cPGES immunostaining at the 4-cell, morula and blastocyst stages. mPGES-2 immunostaining was at a low level from the zygote to morula stages and at a high level at the blastocyst stage. We found that the COX-1, COX-2, mPGES-1, cPGES and mPGES-2 protein signals were all at a high level at the blastocyst stage. PGE2 produced during the preimplantation development may play roles during embryo transport and implantation.
Determinants of death in an inpatient hospice for terminally ill cancer patients
Authors: TANG SIEW TZUH , MCCORKLE RUTH , ph.d. ELIZABETH H. BRADLEY
Published: July 2005

Objective:Despite the strong emphasis on home-based end-of-life care in the United States and the recognition of dying at home as a gold standard of quality of care, hospice home care is not a panacea and death at home may not be feasible for every terminally ill cancer patient. Admission to an inpatient hospice and dying there may become a necessary and appropriate solution to distressing patients or exhausted families. However, the factors associated with death in an inpatient hospice have not been examined in previous studies.

Methods:A prospective cohort study was conducted to investigate the determinants of death in an inpatient hospice for terminally ill cancer patients. Approximately two-fifths (40.8%) of the 180 terminally ill cancer patients in this study died in inpatient hospices over the 3-year study period.

Results:Results from Cox proportional hazards model with adjustment for covariates revealed several factors that were significantly associated with dying in inpatient hospice, as opposed to home, in a nursing home, or in the hospital. Patients were more likely to die in an inpatient hospice if they received hospice care before death (hazard ratio [HR] = 7.32, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.21–16.67), if they had a prestated preference to die in an inpatient hospice (HR = 4.86, 95% CI: 2.24–10.51), if they resided in New Haven County (HR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.00–2.93), or if they experienced higher levels of functional dependency (HR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02–1.08).

Significance of results:The high prevalence of inpatient hospice deaths for terminally ill cancer patients in this study was related to the local health care system characteristics, health care needs at the end of life, and personal preference of place of death. Findings from this study may shed light on future directions for developing end-of-life care tailored to the needs of cancer patients who are admitted to hospices and eventually die there.
Spiritual issues and needs: Perspectives from patients with advanced
cancer and nonmalignant disease. A qualitative study
Authors: GRANT ELIZABETH , MURRAY SCOTT A. , KENDALL MARILYN , BOYD KIRSTY , TILLEY STEPHEN , RYAN DESMOND
Published: July 2005

Objective: Health care professionals and policy makers
acknowledge that spiritual needs are important for many patients with
life-limiting illnesses. We asked such patients to describe their
spiritual needs and how these needs may impinge on their physical,
psychological, and social well-being. Patients were also encouraged to
explain in what ways their spiritual needs, if they had any, could be
addressed.

Methods: We conducted two qualitative interviews, 3 months
apart, with 20 patients in their last year of life: 13 patients with
advanced cancer and 7 with advanced nonmalignant illness. We also
interviewed each patient's general practitioner. Sixty-six interviews
were tape-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed.

Results: Patients' spiritual needs centered around their
loss of roles and self-identity and their fear of dying. Many sought to
make sense of life in relation to a nonvisible or sacred world. They
associated anxiety, sleeplessness, and despair with such issues, which at
times resulted in them seeking support from health professionals. Patients
were best able to engage their personal resources to meet these needs when
affirmed and valued by health professionals.

Significance of results: Enabling patients to deal with their
spiritual needs through affirmative relationships with health
professionals may improve quality of life and reduce use of health
resources. Further research to explore the relationship between spiritual
distress and health service utilization is indicated.