bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An unusual case of conjunctival irritation and epiphora following external dacryocystorhinostomy
Authors: Mezzana P , Marabottini N , Scarinci F , Pasquini P 
Published: August 2011

AbstractObjective:The authors discuss a case of conjunctival irritation and epiphora in a patient who had undergone dacryocystorhinostomy three years earlier.Method:Case report, and a review of the world literature concerning lacrimal canalicular air regurgitation after dacryocystorhinostomy.Results:A 70-year-old woman, who used continuous positive airway pressure therapy during sleep, complained of epiphora and conjunctival irritation. She had undergone dacryocystorhinostomy three years earlier. Her right eye had an augmented tear meniscus, with a predominantly medial conjunctival irritation. Conjunctival irritation from lacrimal canalicular air regurgitation was diagnosed. White petrolatum and mineral oil ophthalmic ointment was prescribed, applied topically before sleeping. After one month of treatment, complete relief of symptoms was obtained.Conclusion:There is little current information on managing such patients. It is imperative to discuss this potential complication when considering nasolacrimal surgery in patients using continuous positive airway pressure therapy.
Intratympanic methylprednisolone as first-line therapy in sudden sensorineural hearing loss: preliminary results from a case–control series
Authors: Dallan I , Fortunato S , Casani A P , Panicucci E , Berrettini S , Lenzi R , Nacci A 
Published: August 2011

AbstractBackground:Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is a true audiological emergency, and its management is much discussed. Currently, no single therapy has been proven effective according to evidence criteria. Recently, intratympanic application of steroids has been increasingly used in refractory cases; however, it has only rarely been reported as first-line therapy.Materials and methods:Twenty consecutive patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss treated between July 2008 and January 2010 were enrolled in this prospective, case–control study. Ten patients were treated with intratympanic steroids and 10 with systemic ‘shotgun’ therapy (including steroids, pentoxifylline, low molecular weight heparin and vitamin E). The two groups were homogeneous in all respects. Pure tone averages were assessed before and after treatment for both groups.Results:There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups.Conclusion:Intratympanic steroids seem to offer a valid alternative to systemic therapy, with few risks, in sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients, and we recommend their use as first-line therapy.
Human attitudes towards the conservation of protected areas: a case study from four protected areas in Bangladesh
Authors: Sarker A. H. M. R. , Røskaft E. 
Published: August 2011

AbstractThis study was based on interviews with 388 randomly selected households living near four protected areas in northern and south-eastern Bangladesh: Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary, Teknaf Game Reserve and two forest reserves. The respondents were generally poor and their perception of conservation varied across the study areas. Respondents were generally reluctant to embrace conservation and their attitude towards the conservation of protected areas depended on a set of demographic and socio-economic factors. People in northern Bangladesh had somewhat more positive attitudes towards conservation than those in the south-east. The two most important variables explaining respondents’ attitudes towards conservation were the distance they lived from protected areas and their monthly income. People who are poor and who live closer to the protected areas disliked the conservation measures most.
When conservation precedes development: a case study of the opening up of the Socotra archipelago, Yemen
Authors: Scholte Paul , Al-Okaishi Abdulraqueb , Suleyman Ahmed Saed 
Published: August 2011

AbstractThe Socotra archipelago, Yemen, in the north-west Indian Ocean, has outstanding endemic biodiversity, and was listed as a World Heritage Site in 2008. Although inhabited for 6 millennia Socotra only began to open up to the outside world in 1990. With conservation interventions starting prior to major developments, and building on centuries-old low-intensity resource management, Socotra has been in a unique position to practice pre-emptive conservation. In 1997 modern conservation started with biodiversity and socio-economic surveys, with inputs from communities and decision makers, which fed into the Conservation Zoning Plan. Approved in 2000, this has been the archipelago’s principal conservation planning and management tool. Regulations and bans on fishing practices, the collection of coral stones and export of biological materials have all been relatively well complied with by local communities and authorities. Inappropriate road construction, however, driven by non-islanders, has demonstrated the limits of the Conservation Zoning Plan, highlighting significant institutional challenges in planning and coordination. The capacity of the Socotra-based conservation institution has increased dramatically over the last decade. Its personnel are generally respected, largely because their roles include assisting local communities with development initiatives, underlining the importance of integrating conservation and development at the onset of conservation. Although the integrity of the landscape will inevitably decline, especially along the northern coastline, Socotri conservationists, backed by international support, are in a unique position to shape the archipelago’s future.
Assessing the ongoing threat from veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to Critically Endangered Gyps vultures in India
Authors: Cuthbert Richard J. , Dave Ruchi , Chakraborty Soumya Sunder , Kumar Sashi , Prakash Satya , Ranade Sachin P. , Prakash Vibhu 
Published: August 2011

AbstractUse of the veterinary drug diclofenac is responsible for bringing three species of Gyps vultures endemic to South Asia to the brink of extinction, and the Government of India banned veterinary use of the drug in May 2006. To evaluate the effectiveness of the ban we undertook surveys of > 250 veterinary and general pharmacies in 11 Indian states from November 2007 to June 2010. Twelve different classes of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were purchased from 176 pharmacies. Other than meloxicam (of negligible toxicity to vultures at likely concentrations in their food), diclofenac and ketoprofen (both toxic to vultures), little is known of the safety or toxicity of the remaining nine NSAIDs on sale. Meloxicam was the most commonly encountered drug, sold in 70% of pharmacies, but 50% of the meloxicam brands sold had paracetamol (acetaminophen) as a second ingredient. Diclofenac and ketoprofen were recorded in 36 and 29% of pharmacies, respectively, with states in western and central India having the highest prevalence of diclofenac (44–45%). Although the large number of manufacturers and availability of meloxicam is encouraging, the wide range of untested NSAIDs and continued availability of diclofenac is a major source of concern. Circumvention of the 2006 diclofenac ban is being achieved by illegally selling forms of diclofenac manufactured for human use for veterinary purposes. To provide a safer environment for vultures in South Asia we recommend reducing the size of vials of diclofenac meant for human use, to increase the costs of illegal veterinary use, and taking action against pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacies flouting the diclofenac ban.
Food-web structure of coastal streams in Costa Rica revealed by dietary and stable isotope analyses
Authors: Winemiller Kirk O. , Zeug Steven C. , Robertson Clinton R. , Winemiller Brent K. , Honeycutt Rodney L. 
Published: August 2011

Abstract:Food webs of streams draining tropical rain forests on Costa Rica's Pacific and Caribbean coasts were examined in the 1980s via dietary analyses, and the same streams were surveyed again in 2004 to compare trophic structure based on analysis of stable isotope ratios of fish, macro-invertebrate and plant tissues. Estimates of species’ trophic positions (TP) were calculated from stomach-contents data (51 species; 5420 specimens) and compared with TP estimates derived from analysis of nitrogen isotope ratios (82 taxa; 240 samples). Coefficients of determination for TP based on dietary versus isotopic analysis ranged from 0.18 (Quebrada Camaronal, Corcovado) to 0.73 (Quebrada Estacion, Tortuguero). Consumer taxa within all four streams spanned a broad range of carbon isotope values, indicating assimilation of variable proportions of carbon from periphyton and terrestrial vegetation that in all but one of the streams had similar δ13C values. Approximately half the consumers in all four streams had carbon ratios heavier than any of the in situ production sources examined. This pattern could be explained by consumption of other production sources that were not sampled, including periphyton taxa with variable carbon isotope signatures, or migration of prey and/or consumers between these freshwater and coastal marine habitats.
Disturbance intensity and seasonality affect the resprouting ability of the neotropical dry-forest tree Acacia pennatula: do resources stored below-ground matter?
Authors: Peguero Guille , Espelta Josep Maria 
Published: August 2011

Abstract:Many plant species in tropical dry forests partly base their ability to persist after disturbance on resprouting. Yet little is known if this ability can be affected by the intensity and seasonality of disturbance and whether the amount of resources (starch, N, P) stored in the taproot may constrain this response. We investigated resprouting after experimental clipping or burning, applied before or after the dry season and repeatedly in Acacia pennatula individuals in wooded rangelands of North-West Nicaragua. Each treatment was applied to 12 trees and replicated in six plots. One year after the onset of the experiment, survival and biomass recovery were significantly lower in burned than in clipped individuals (78% ± 4% and 75.3 ± 8.0 g vs. 94% ± 2% and 79.1 ± 6.8 g; mean ± SE). Whatever the disturbance applied, trees disturbed after the dry season significantly showed the lowest survival, growth and concentration of N and P. These results suggest that resprouting in dry tropical species may be constrained by intense disturbances (e.g. burning) but especially if they occur towards the end of the dry season. This phenological constraint could be due to the reduced availability of N and P as this dry season progresses.
Do roads lead to grassland degradation or restoration? A case study in Inner Mongolia, China
Authors: Deng Xiangzheng , Huang Jikun , Huang Qiuqiong , Rozelle Scott , Gibson John 
Published: August 2011

AbstractWe use satellite remote sensing data of grassland cover in Inner Mongolia, China to test whether the existence of and the size of roads in 1995 is associated with the nature of the grassland in 2000 and/or if it affects the rate of change of the grassland between 1995 and 2000. The regression results show that the impact of roads on grassland cover depends on the nature of the resource. When the grassland is composed of relatively high quality grassland, roads lead to degradation, whereas when grassland resources are sparse, access to a road results in the restoration of the resource.
Estimating the value of the reduction in air pollution during the Beijing Olympics
Authors: Du Xiaoyan , Mendelsohn Robert O. 
Published: August 2011

AbstractThis study estimates the willingness-to-pay (WTP) of Beijing residents in order to maintain the improved air quality experienced during the Olympic Games. A double-bounded contingent valuation method is applied to a survey of 566 Beijing residents. The results indicate that the mean annual WTP per household is between CNY 22,000 and 24,000, and the median WTP is around CNY 1,700. The WTP for this actually experienced improvement is significantly higher than the results from previous hypothetical WTP surveys in China.
Socio-economic status and urbanization are linked to snacks and obesity in adolescents in Botswana
Authors: Maruapula Segametsi D , Jackson Jose C , Holsten Joanna , Shaibu Sheila , Malete Leapetswe , Wrotniak Brian , Ratcliffe Sarah J , Mokone George G , Stettler Nicolas , Compher Charlene 
Published: August 2011

AbstractObjectiveTo describe patterns of food consumption associated with overweight/ obesity (OW/OB) and their links to socio-economic status (SES) and urbanization.DesignA nationwide cross-sectional survey.SettingSecondary schools in cities, towns and villages in Botswana, Africa.SubjectsA total of 746 adolescent schoolchildren.ResultsOW/OB is associated with greater SES, city residence and a snack-food diet pattern. Students belonging to higher SES compared with those from a lower SES background reported significantly (P< 0·01) more daily servings of snack foods (1·55v. 0·76) and fewer servings of traditional diet foods (0·99v. 1·68) and also reported that they ate meals outside the home more often (90 %v. 72 %). Students in cities ate significantly (P< 0·01) more servings of snacks (1·69v. 1·05v. 0·51) and fewer servings of traditional foods (0·67v. 1·52v. 1·61) compared with those in urban and rural villages. The odds of OW/OB were increased 1·16-fold with a snack-food diet, a result that was diminished when controlled for SES.ConclusionsThese data suggest that nutritional transition occurs at different rates across urbanization and SES levels in Botswana. In cities, increasing the availability of fruit while reducing access to or portion sizes of snack items is important. Emphasis on continued intake of traditional foods may also be helpful as rural areas undergo economic and infrastructural development.
Nutritional knowledge in European adolescents: results from the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) study
Authors: Sichert-Hellert Wolfgang , Beghin Laurent , De Henauw Stefaan , Grammatikaki Evangelia , Hallström Lena , Manios Yannis , Mesana María I , Molnár Dénes , Dietrich Sabine , Piccinelli Raffaela , Plada Maria , Sjöström Michael , Moreno Luis A , Kersting Mathilde 
Published: August 2011

AbstractObjectiveTo build up sufficient knowledge of a ‘healthy diet’. Here, we report on the assessment of nutritional knowledge using a uniform method in a large sample of adolescents across Europe.DesignA cross-sectional study.SettingThe European multicentre HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) study conducted in 2006–2007 in ten cities in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece (one inland and one island city), Hungary, Italy, Spain and Sweden.SubjectsA total of 3546 adolescents (aged 12·5–17·5 years) completed a validated nutritional knowledge test (NKT). Socio-economic variables and anthropometric data were considered as potential confounders.ResultsNKT scores increased with age and girls had higher scores compared with boys (62 % v. 59 %; P < 0·0001). Scores were approximately 10 % lower in ‘immigrant’ adolescents or in adolescents with ‘immigrant’ mothers. Misconceptions with respect to the sugar content in food or in beverages were found. Overall, there was no correlation between BMI values and NKT scores. After categorization according to BMI, scores increased significantly with BMI group only in boys. These differences disappeared after controlling for socio-economic status (SES). Smoking status and educational level of the mother influenced the NKT scores significantly in boys, as well as the educational levels of both parents in girls.ConclusionsNutritional knowledge was modest in our sample. Interventions should be focused on the lower SES segments of the population. They should be initiated at a younger age and should be combined with environmental prevention (e.g. healthy meals in school canteens).
IRREDUCIBLE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE HAMILTONIAN ALGEBRAH(2r;n)
Authors: YAO YU-FENG , SHU BIN 
Published: August 2011

AbstractLetL=H(2r;n) be a graded Lie algebra of Hamiltonian type in the Cartan type series over an algebraically closed field of characteristicp>2. In the generalized restricted Lie algebra setup, any irreducible representation ofLcorresponds uniquely to a (generalized)p-characterχ. When the height ofχis no more than min {pni−pni−1∣i=1,2,…,2r}−2, the corresponding irreducible representations are proved to be induced from irreducible representations of the distinguished maximal subalgebraL0with the aid of an analogy of Skryabin’s category ℭ for the generalized Jacobson–Witt algebras and modulo finitely many exceptional cases. Since the exceptional simple modules have been classified, we can then give a full description of the irreducible representations withp-characters of height below this number.
First Report of Potato mop-top virus on Potatoes in Washington State
Authors: Crosslin J. M. 
Published: August 2011

In April of 2011, approximately 10% of the tubers of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cv. Alturas, grown in central Washington State and collected from a commercial potato storage facility, were observed to have internal brown spots and arcs typical of infection by either Tobacco rattle virus (TRV) or Potato mop-top virus (PMTV). Ten tubers showing symptoms ranging from a few brown spots to large (2 cm) concentric arcs were tested by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR with primers specific for TRV (3) or PMTV (PMTV2 forward, AGAGCAGCCGTCGAGAATAG; PMTV3 reverse, TCGTCCACCTCTGCGAGTTG). Two symptomless tubers from the same lot were also tested. All symptomatic tubers tested negative for TRV, but eight of the symptomatic tubers were positive for PMTV, as evidenced by production of the expected 416-bp amplified DNA product. The symptomless tubers were negative for both viruses. The eight symptomatic tubers that were positive for PMTV by RT-PCR were also positive for PMTV by ELISA using a commercially available kit (Adgen, Ayr, Scotland). The symptomless tubers were negative for PMTV by ELISA. The 416-bp amplicons obtained with the PMTV primers from two tubers were cloned and three clones of each were sequenced. The consensus sequences for the two samples differed by only one nucleotide and sequences were deposited in GenBank as Accession Nos. JN132116 and JN132117. BLAST analysis showed the sequences were 99 to 100% identical to a portion of the coat protein gene of numerous PMTV isolates. These results confirm that PMTV is present in central Washington State. The virus has been known to affect potatoes in Maine for several years (2) and was recently confirmed in North Dakota (1). PMTV was reportedly found in potatoes grown in numerous locations in the United States, but the specific locations were not reported (4). PMTV is transmitted by the soilborne powdery scab pathogen, Spongospora subterranea, which is widespread in the region of the state where the virus-infected tubers were grown. The confirmation of PMTV in Washington State alerts growers, fieldmen, and diagnostic laboratories to the presence of this potentially serious virus in a major potato-production area of the United States. References: (1) N. David et al. Plant Dis. 94:1506, 2010. (2) D. H. Lambert et al. Plant Dis. 87:872, 2003. (3) D. J. Robinson. J. Virol. Methods 40:57, 1992. (4) H. Xu et al. Plant Dis. 88:363, 2004.
Functional Characterization of Evolutionarily Divergent 4-Coumarate:Coenzyme A Ligases in Rice
Authors: Gui Jinshan , Shen Junhui , Li Laigeng 
Published: August 2011

Abstract4-Coumarate:coenzyme A ligase (4CL; EC 6.2.1.12) is a key enzyme in the phenylpropanoid metabolic pathways for monolignol and flavonoid biosynthesis. 4CL has been much studied in dicotyledons, but its function is not completely understood in monocotyledons, which display a different monolignol composition and phenylpropanoid profile. In this study, five members of the 4CL gene family in the rice (Oryza sativa) genome were cloned and analyzed. Biochemical characterization of the 4CL recombinant proteins revealed that the rice 4CL isoforms displayed different substrate specificities and catalytic turnover rates. Among them, Os4CL3 exhibited the highest turnover rate. No apparent tissue-specific expression of the five 4CLs was observed, but significant differences in their expression levels were detected. The rank in order of transcript abundance was Os4CL3 &gt; Os4CL5 &gt; Os4CL1 &gt; Os4CL4 &gt; Os4CL2. Suppression of Os4CL3 expression resulted in significant lignin reduction, shorter plant growth, and other morphological changes. The 4CL-suppressed transgenics also displayed decreased panicle fertility, which may be attributed to abnormal anther development as a result of disrupted lignin synthesis. This study demonstrates that the rice 4CLs exhibit different in vitro catalytic properties from those in dicots and that 4CL-mediated metabolism in vivo may play important roles in regulating a broad range of biological events over the course of rice growth and development.
Spontaneous rejection of intradermally transplanted non‐engineered tumor cells by neutrophils and macrophages from syngeneic strains of mice
Authors: Ibata Minenori , Takahashi Takeshi , Shimizu Tetsunosuke , Inoue Yoshihiro , Maeda Shogo , Tashiro‐Yamaji Junko , Okada Masashi , Ueda Koichi , Kubota Takahiro , Yoshida Ryotaro 
Published: August 2011

ABSTRACTIt is not surprising that tumors arising spontaneously are rarely rejected by T cells, because in general they lack molecules to elicit a primary T‐cell response. In fact, cytokine‐engineered tumors can induce granulocyte infiltration leading to tumor rejection. In the present study, we i.d. injected seven kinds of non‐engineered tumor cells into syngeneic strains of mice. Three of them (i.e. B16, KLN205, and 3LL cells) continued to grow, whereas four of them (i.e. Meth A, I‐10, CL‐S1, and FM3A cells) were spontaneously rejected after transient growth or without growth. In contrast to the i.d. injection of B16 cells into C57BL/6 mice, which induces infiltration of TAMs into the tumors, the i.d. injection of Meth A cells into BALB/c mice induced the invasion of cytotoxic inflammatory cells, but not of TAMs, into or around the tumors leading to an IFN‐γ‐dependent rejection. On day 5, the cytotoxic activity against the tumor cells reached a peak; and the effector cells were found to be neutrophils and macrophages. The i.d. Meth A or I‐10 cell‐immunized, but not non‐immunized, mice rejected i.p.‐ or i.m.‐transplanted Meth A or I‐10 cells without growth, respectively. The main effector cells were CTLs; and there was no cross‐sensitization between these two kinds of tumor cells, suggesting specific rejection of tumor cells by CTLs from i.d. immunized mice. These results indicate that infiltration of cytotoxic myeloid cells (i.e. neutrophils and macrophages, but not TAMs) into or around tumors is essential for their IFN‐γ‐dependent spontaneous rejection.