bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Identification and evolutionary implications of neurotransmitter–ciliary interactions underlying the behavioral response to hypoxia inLymnaea stagnalisembryos
Authors: Goldberg Jeffrey I. , Rich Darren R. , Muruganathan Siva P. , Liu Maple B. , Pon Julia R. , Tam Rose , Diefenbach Thomas J. , Kuang Shihuan 
Published: July 2011

SUMMARYAcceleration of embryonic rotation is a common response to hypoxia among pond snails. It was first characterized in Helisoma trivolvis embryos, which have a pair of sensorimotor neurons that detect hypoxia and release serotonin onto postsynaptic ciliary cells. The objective of the present study was to determine how the hypoxia response is mediated in Lymnaea stagnalis, which differ from H. trivolvis by having both serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons, and morphologically distinct ciliated structures at comparative stages of embryonic development. Time-lapse video recordings of the rotational behavior in L. stagnalis revealed similar rotational features to those previously observed in H. trivolvis, including rotational surges and rotational responses to hypoxia. Serotonin and dopamine increased the rate of rotation with similar potency. In contrast, serotonin was more potent than dopamine in stimulating the ciliary beat frequency of isolated pedal cilia. Isolated apical plate cilia displayed an irregular pattern of ciliary beating that precluded the measurement of ciliary beat frequency. A qualitative assessment of ciliary beating revealed that both serotonin and dopamine were able to stimulate apical plate cilia. The ciliary responses to dopamine were reversible in both pedal and apical plate cilia, whereas the responses to serotonin were only reversible at concentrations below 100 μmol l–1. Mianserin, a serotonin receptor antagonist, and SKF83566, a dopamine receptor antagonist, effectively blocked the rotational responses to serotonin and dopamine, respectively. The rotational response to hypoxia was only partially blocked by mianserin, but was fully blocked by SKF83566. These data suggest that, despite the ability of serotonin to stimulate ciliary beating in L. stagnalis embryos, the rotational response to hypoxia is primarily mediated by the transient apical catecholaminergic neurons that innervate the ciliated apical plate.
The influence of 17β-estradiol on intestinal calcium carbonate precipitation and osmoregulation in seawater-acclimated rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Authors: Al-Jandal Noura J. , Whittamore Jonathan M. , Santos Eduarda M. , Wilson Rod W. 
Published: July 2011

SUMMARYThe intestine of marine teleosts produces carbonate precipitates from ingested calcium as part of their osmoregulatory strategy in seawater. The potential for estrogens to control the production of intestinal calcium carbonate and so influence osmoregulation was investigated in seawater-acclimated rainbow trout following intraperitoneal implantation of 17β-estradiol (E2) at two doses (0.1 and 10 μg E2 g–1). Levels of plasma vitellogenin provided an indicator of estrogenic effect, increasing significantly by three and four orders of magnitude at the low and high doses, respectively. Plasma osmolality and muscle water content were unaffected, whereas E2-treated fish maintained lower plasma [Na+] and [Cl–]. Plasma [Ca2+] and [Mg2+] and muscle [Ca2+] increased with vitellogenin induction, whereas the intestinal excretion of calcium carbonate was reduced. This suggests that elevated levels of circulating E2 may enhance Ca2+ uptake via the gut and simultaneously reduce CaCO3 formation, which normally limits intestinal availability of Ca2+. Increasing E2 caused an elevation of [Na+] and [Cl–] and a reduction of [HCO3–] in intestinal fluid. We speculate that E2 may influence a number of intestinal ion transport processes that ultimately may influence water absorption: (1) reduced NaCl cotransport, (2) reduced Cl– uptake via Cl–/HCO3– exchange and (3) reduced precipitation of Ca2+ and Mg2+ carbonates. Despite these effects on intestinal ion and water transport, overall osmoregulatory status was not compromised in E2-treated fish, suggesting the possibility of compensation by other organs.
Experimentally increased in ovo testosterone leads to increased plasma bactericidal activity and decreased cutaneous immune response in nestling house wrens
Authors: Clairardin Sandrine G. , Barnett Craig A. , Sakaluk Scott K. , Thompson Charles F. 
Published: July 2011

SUMMARY
Maternally derived testosterone in the eggs of birds may benefit nestlings by increasing various aspects of their growth, condition and behavioral development, but these benefits may come at a cost, including suppression of immune responsiveness. Experiments on a variety of species in which in ovo levels of testosterone have been experimentally increased have produced mixed results; some have found increased growth and suppressed immune function of nestlings whereas others have found the opposite. In an attempt to clarify the relationship between in ovo testosterone and nestling size, mass, health state and immune responsiveness, we experimentally increased levels of testosterone in the eggs of house wrens (Troglodytes aedon). We simultaneously determined the size, mass, hematocrit (a measure of health state), cutaneous immune response to phytohaemagglutinin and plasma bactericidal activity of nestlings near the time of fledging. We predicted that nestlings hatching from testosterone-injected eggs would exhibit lower immune responsiveness, but achieve greater mass, size and condition, than nestlings hatching from vehicle-injected control eggs. Instead, we found that nestlings hatching from testosterone-injected eggs had a weaker cutaneous immune response but greater bactericidal activity than those hatching from control eggs. They did not, however, differ significantly in mass, size or hematocrit from controls. These results suggest that experimentally increased in ovo testosterone induced a trade-off between bactericidal activity and the cutaneous immune response. The opposite responses by two different measures of immune function to experimentally increased in ovo testosterone underscore the importance of including multiple immune assays when investigating the potential for trade-offs with the immune system and other physiological functions.
Physiological trade-offs in self-maintenance: plumage molt and stress physiology in birds
Authors: Cornelius Jamie M. , Perfito Nicole , Zann Richard , Breuner Creagh W. , Hahn Thomas P. 
Published: July 2011

SUMMARYTrade-offs between self-maintenance processes can affect life-history evolution. Integument replacement and the stress response both promote self-maintenance and affect survival in vertebrates. Relationships between the two processes have been studied most extensively in birds, where hormonal stress suppression is down regulated during molt in seasonal species, suggesting a resource-based trade-off between the two processes. The only species found to differ are the rock dove and Eurasian tree sparrow, at least one of which performs a very slow molt that may reduce resource demands during feather growth, permitting investment in the stress response. To test for the presence of a molt–stress response trade-off, we measured hormonal stress responsiveness during and outside molt in two additional species with extended molts, red crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) and zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). We found that both species maintain hormonal stress responsiveness during molt. Further, a comparative analysis of all available species revealed a strong relationship between molt duration and degree of hormonal suppression. Though our results support trade-off hypotheses, these data can also be explained by alternative hypotheses that have not been formally addressed in the literature. We found a strong relationship between stress suppression and seasonality of breeding and evidence suggesting that the degree of suppression may be either locally adaptable or plastic and responsive to local environmental conditions. We hypothesize that environmental unpredictability favors extended molt duration, which in turn allows for maintenance of the hormonal stress response, and discuss implications of a possible trade-off for the evolution of molt schedules.
Dominance hierarchy-dependent behavioural plasticity of crayfish avoidance reactions
Authors: Fujimoto Sawako , Hirata Bunpei , Nagayama Toshiki 
Published: July 2011

SUMMARY
Crayfish showed avoidance reactions when mechanical stimulation was applied to their tailfan. The response pattern of the avoidance reaction was dependent on crayfish size. Small crayfish showed an escape-like dart response while larger crayfish displayed a defensive-like turn response. We show that the response pattern to the same sensory stimulus changed with social status in the small crayfish. Crayfish are territorial animals and a dominant–subordinate relationship was determined when two previously unacquainted animals were paired. This winner–loser hierarchy was observed in pairs of small crayfish. Before fighting, all crayfish showed a dart response following mechanical stimulation of the tailfan. However, the probability of occurrence of a turn response increased significantly in the crayfish that won a fight. This behavioural transition from dart to turn response occurred immediately and was maintained for at least 3 days even if a dominant crayfish was isolated again with no opponent.
Do wood ants learn sequences of visual stimuli?
Authors: Riabinina Olena , de Ibarra Natalie Hempel , Howard Lisa , Collett Thomas S. 
Published: July 2011

SUMMARY
The visually guided foraging routes of some formicine ants are individually stereotyped, suggesting the importance of visual learning in maintaining these routes. We ask here whether the wood ant Formica rufa learns a sequence of visual features encountered at different stages along a route, as reported for honeybees. We trained ants in several simple mazes to follow two alternative routes. Along each two-stage route, the ants first encountered one of two priming stimuli. The identity of the priming stimulus determined which of two choice stimuli was rewarded in the second stage of the route. As stimuli we used ultraviolet and yellow/green light panels, and two black-and-white patterns. Did ants learn to pair each colour with the appropriate black-and-white pattern? Ants learnt readily to discriminate between the two coloured stimuli or between the two black-and-white patterns. They could also pair coloured and black-and-white patterns, provided that the two were presented simultaneously. The ants' behaviour with sequential stimuli varied according to whether the priming stimulus was a coloured stimulus or a black-and-white pattern. When the priming stimulus was coloured, ants seemed to learn the two sequences, but tests showed that their success was probably caused by the after-effects of colour adaptation. With a black-and-white priming stimulus and a coloured second stage stimulus, robust sequential learning could not be demonstrated, although under certain experimental conditions a tiny proportion of ants did acquire the sequence. Thus, ants perform conditional discriminations reliably when priming and choice stimuli are simultaneous, but they usually fail when the stimuli are sequential.
Fully reversible phenotypic plasticity of digestive physiology in young house sparrows: lack of long-term effect of early diet composition
Authors: Brzęk Paweł , Kohl Kevin D. , Caviedes-Vidal Enrique , Karasov William H. 
Published: July 2011

SUMMARYFeeding conditions during the nestling period may significantly affect whole-life fitness in altricial birds but little is known about the physiological mechanisms responsible for these effects. Permanent changes (irreversible developmental plasticity) in digestive physiology caused by the neonatal diet may form such a mechanism. We previously showed that the lack of starch in the diet of house sparrow (Passer domesticus) nestlings between 3 and 12 days post-hatching significantly decreased the activity of intestinal maltase, an enzyme essential for starch digestion. To check whether diet-induced variation in maltase activity in young house sparrows is reversible, we raised them under laboratory conditions from 3 until 30 days of age on diets with either 0% starch or 25% starch, with some individuals experiencing a switch in their assigned diet at 12 days of age. We found evidence for the presence of an internal, presumably genetic, program for changes in the activity of maltase and sucrase, which was, however, significantly affected by diet composition (i.e. environmental factor). Digestive enzyme activity in 30 day old birds was not influenced by diet composition prior to day 12 but instead depended only on diet that was fed between days 12 and 30. We conclude that plasticity in the activity of intestinal disaccharidases in house sparrow nestlings represents completely reversible phenotypic flexibility that can help young sparrows to cope with unpredictable variation in food composition during ontogeny without long-term effects on their digestive system. However, comparison with other species suggests that the magnitude of digestive flexibility in young passerines may be evolutionarily matched to species-specific variation in feeding conditions.
Mesoporous Silica Hollow and Solid Spheres by Templating Poly(pyrrole) Inverse Opals
Authors: Yu Aimin 
Published: July 2011

Abstract
Poly(pyrrole) inverse opals (PPY-IO) with three-dimentional (3D) network of macropores were prepared by electropolymerization of pyrrole in the voids of polystyrene (PS) colloidal crystals and subsequently removing the PS. The as-prepared PPY-IO were then served as templates to be filled with prehydrolyzed silica sols followed by calcination to synthesize mesoporous silica spheres with well-controlled diameters. It was demonstrated that the reactant composition of the silica sol played an important role in controlling the shell thickness of the hollow spheres. Solid mesoporous silica spheres could be obtained when a concentrated TEOS sol was used. The morphology and pore structures of PPY-IO and silica spheres were characterized by SEM. TEM and small-angle XRD confirmed the ordered mesostructure of the prepared silica spheres with an average pore size of ca. 6 nm.
Synthesis and Properties of New Trimeric and Tetrameric Tetrathiafulvalenes with Alternate Links
Authors: Nakamura Ken-ichi , Hashimoto Tomomi , Shirahata Takashi , Hino Shojun , Hasegawa Masashi , Mazaki Yasuhiro , Misaki Yohji 
Published: July 2011

Abstract
Trimeric and tetrameric TTFs 1 and 2 linked alternately by methylenedithio groups were synthesized. Cyclic voltammetry and spectroelectrochemistry indicated that the dicationic state of tetrameric TTF 2 exhibited the mixed-valence state constructed not by the tetrameric TTF units but by two dimeric mutually independent TTF units.
One-pot Solvothermal Crystallization of Two Three-dimensional Manganese 2,6-Naphthalenedicarboxylates: Secondary Ligand-induced Pseudopolymorphism
Authors: Chen Jinxi 
Published: July 2011

Abstract
Two manganese 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylates, [Mn(ndc)(DMF)] (1) and [Mn3(ndc)3(DMF)4] (2) (ndc: 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylate), have been isolated from a one-pot reaction system. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction results indicate that both compounds exhibit three-dimensional porous structures. Compounds 1 and 2 can be considered pseudopolymorphs. Careful inspection of the structures of compounds 1 and 2 suggests that the spatial arrangement of a secondary ligand of DMF plays a crucial role in the formation of the two supramolecular isomers.
‘A frightening experience’: detainees’ and carers’ experiences of being detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act
Authors: Riley Genevieve , Freeman Elaine , Laidlaw Jim , Pugh David 
Published: July 2011

Aims This research reports on the views of detainees and their carers of their experiences of being detained under Section 136 (S136) of the Mental Health Act 1983. Individual interviews were conducted with 18 detainees and six carers. Method A semi-structured questionnaire was administered face-to-face to gather qualitative data, which was analysed using a grounded theory approach. Results The results indicated a general dissatisfaction with the quality of care and treatment from both police and professionals. Though several detainees recognized the need for police to be involved, most felt they lacked the skills needed to meet the needs of mentally ill people. Nearly all participants felt that the police station was an inappropriate setting for further assessment, and found their experiences in police cells distressing, making them feel like criminals. Conclusions Detainees and carers would like to see the provision of a place of safety other than emergency departments or police stations, and this study reinforces the Mental Health Code of Practice 2008 which states that police stations should only be used on an exceptional basis.
Can we assess the age of bruises? An attempt to develop an objective technique
Authors: Grossman Sophie E , Johnston A , Vanezis P , Perrett D 
Published: July 2011

Aims The aims of this study were (A) to investigate whether the number of years of forensic experience affected the accuracy with which forensic experts (FEs) were able to age bruises and (B) to identify the properties and colours of a bruise that were utilized by FEs in their assessment of bruise age. The study then investigated the possibility of using a more objective technique. It was decided to use readily available digital photography and software to objectively assess changes in bruise colouration and to investigate if this can be used to age bruises. Methods Twenty-three FEs were shown 25 photographs of bruises of varying but known ages and asked to estimate the ages. In part two of the study, bruises were inflicted on volunteers using a vacuum pump and photographs taken of the bruise daily from infliction to resolution. The images were analysed using Adobe Photoshop®. Red, green and blue (RGB) values were recorded for each bruise and analyses carried out comparing the values over time between subjects and within subjects. Results This study both enhanced and supported a previous conclusion that visual assessment of photographs is an unreliable method for ageing bruises. Additionally, it found that the degree of forensic experience had no effect on accuracy. It also identified that colour (particularly yellow, red and purple) and intensity of colour were the most commonly used properties of a bruise in the assessment of its age. The RGB method proved to be a reliable technique with which to measure bruise colour, but its validity in the assessment of bruise age was poor. Conclusions Visual assessment of bruises is unreliable and the accuracy of ageing was not improved by the degree of forensic experience. The RGB method gave highly reproducible results, but did not accurately assess bruise age. However, results within subjects suggested that there may be individual variation in haemoglobin metabolism.
Effect of seated restraint and body size on lung function
Authors: Parkes John , Thake Doug , Price Mike 
Published: July 2011

Background Previous studies of death during law enforcement restraint have focused on lying restraint positions; this study extends this work to seated restraint positions. Methods Lung function in a standing control position was compared with lung function in seated positions using 40 volunteers. [Figure: see text][Figure: see text][Figure: see text] Results No significant reduction in lung function was detected in an upright seated position. When participants were leant forward while seated, significant reductions in lung function occurred. The application of restraint holds in the seated, leant forward position resulted in a non-significant further reduction in lung function. Reductions in lung function were greater in those participants with higher body mass index (BMI). Conclusions Seated restraint positions with the person leant forward may increase the risk of harm or death during prolonged restraint. The risk will be further increased where the person exhibits higher BMI.
Fabrication and characterization of organic semiconductor for electromagnetic interference shielding material
Authors: Mahmud Habibun Nabi Muhammad Ekramul , Kassim Anuar 
Published: July 2011

Abstract
Conducting polymer films produced by electropolymerization technique are highly conductive, simple, and suitable for use especially in electronic devices. An attempt has been made to produce polypyrrole-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PPy-PVA) conducting polymer composite films using 0.1 m
p-toluene sulfonate dopant at a potential of 1.2 V (vs. standard calomel electrode) on indium tin oxide glass electrode. The potential application of the prepared PPy-PVA conducting polymer composite films as an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding material has been investigated in the present study. The EMI shielding effectiveness of PPy-PVA composite films prepared from different experimental conditions was analyzed in the microwave frequency range of 8–12 GHz. The shielding effectiveness of 45.67–35.7 dB has been demonstrated by PPy-PVA conducting polymer composite films, which appears to be very attractive in any EMI shielding applications where a minimum shielding effectiveness of 35 dB is required.
Assessment of the Validity of Reported Antibiotic Allergic Reactions in Pediatric Patients
Authors: Miller Lauren E. , Knoderer Chad A. , Cox Elaine G. , Kleiman Martin B. 
Published: July 2011

Study Objective. To determine whether a reported antibiotic allergy was likely to have been immunologically mediated.Design. Questionnaire‐based study.Setting. Tertiary care, freestanding children's hospital.Patients. One hundred patients aged 1 month‐18 years for whom guardians reported an allergy to an antibiotic at the time of hospital admission between October 2009 and March 2010.Intervention. Guardians of the patients were interviewed by using a standardized allergy assessment questionnaire.Measurements and Main Results. Based on answers to the questionnaire, the reported allergic reactions were categorized to determine if they were true allergies or adverse reactions. Among the 100 patients, reported allergies were categorized as immunologically mediated reactions in 58%, non‐immunologically mediated adverse drug reactions in 27%, no reaction in 3%, and unknown in 12%. Reactions to penicillins, cephalosporins, or sulfonamides were reported most frequently and were attributed to immunologically mediated reactions in 68% (26/38), 74% (17/23), and 67% (10/15) of instances, respectively.Conclusion. Use of the allergy assessment questionnaire determined that 58% of the 100 reported antibiotic allergies fulfilled criteria for an immunologically mediated reaction. These findings underscore the utility of an allergy assessment questionnaire, versus a simple drug history, in improving the accuracy of reported antibiotic reactions.