bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evolution of form and function: morphophysiological relationships and locomotor performance in tropidurine lizards
Authors: Kohlsdorf T. , Navas C. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractLocomotor capacity is often considered an excellent measure of whole animal performance because it requires the integrated functioning of many morphological, physiological (and biochemical) traits. However, because studies tend to focus on either structural or functional suits of traits, we know little on whether and how morphological and physiological traits coevolve to produce adequate locomotor capacities. Hence, we investigate the evolutionary relationships between morphological and physiological parameters related to exercise physiology, using tropidurine lizards as a model. We employ a phylogenetic principal component analysis (PCA) to identify variable clusters (factors) related to morphology, energetic metabolism and muscle metabolism, and then analyze the relationships between these clusters and measures of locomotor performance, using two models (star and hierarchical phylogenies). Our data indicate that sprint performance is enhanced by simultaneous evolutionary tendencies affecting relative limb and tail size and physiological traits. Specifically, the high absolute sprint speeds exhibited by tropidurines from the sand dunes are explained by longer limbs, feet and tails and an increased proportion of glycolytic fibers in the leg muscle, contrasting with their lower capacity for overall oxidative metabolism [principal component (PC1)]. However, when sprint speeds are corrected for body size, performance correlates with a cluster (PC3) composed by moderate loads for activity metabolic rate and body size. The simultaneous measurement of morphological and physiological parameters is a powerful tool for exploring patterns of coadaptation and proposing morphophysiological associations that are not directly predictable from theory. This approach may trigger novel directions for investigating the evolution of form and function, particularly in the context of organismal performance.
Vocal expression of emotions in mammals: mechanisms of production and evidence
Authors: Briefer E. F. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractEmotions play a crucial role in an animal's life because they facilitate responses to external or internal events of significance for the organism. In social species, one of the main functions of emotional expression is to regulate social interactions. There has recently been a surge of interest in animal emotions in several disciplines, ranging from neuroscience to evolutionary zoology. Because measurements of subjective emotional experiences are not possible in animals, researchers use neurophysiological, behavioural and cognitive indicators. However, good indicators, particularly of positive emotions, are still lacking. Vocalizations are linked to the inner state of the caller. The emotional state of the caller causes changes in the muscular tension and action of its vocal apparatus, which in turn, impacts on vocal parameters of vocalizations. By considering the mode of production of vocalizations, we can understand and predict how vocal parameters should change according to the arousal (intensity) or valence (positive/negative) of emotional states. In this paper, I review the existing literature on vocal correlates of emotions in mammals. Non‐human mammals could serve as ideal models to study vocal expression of emotions, because, contrary to human speech, animal vocalizations are assumed to be largely free of control and therefore direct expressions of underlying emotions. Furthermore, a comparative approach between humans and other animals would give us a better understanding of how emotion expression evolved. Additionally, these non‐invasive indicators could serve various disciplines that require animal emotions to be clearly identified, including psychopharmacology and animal welfare science.
Effects of conservation agriculture on soil quality and productivity in contrasting agro‐ecological environments of Zimbabwe
Authors: Thierfelder C. , Wall P. C. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractExperimentation by farmers with conservation agriculture (CA) is increasing in southern Africa, but local longer term data on these new production systems are scarce. This study focuses on CA research at two contrasting on‐farm sites and one on‐station long‐term trial in Zimbabwe. The on‐farm trials were conducted at Chikato village on a sandy soil at Zimuto Communal Area with low rainfall and at Hereford farm near Bindura on a clay‐rich soil in a high rainfall area. The on‐station trial was at Henderson Research Station near Mazowe where more in‐depth soil studies were possible. Results of CA systems from the on‐station site show on average 38 and 65% greater water infiltration on ripline‐seeded (RS) and direct‐seeded CA treatments compared with conventionally ploughed control treatments. Results from on‐farm sites show a 123 and 168% greater aggregate stability at Hereford and 11 and 24% lower dispersion ratio at Chikato on the two CA compared with the conventionally ploughed control treatments. Soil carbon increased by 46% in the first 20 cm on the sandy soils at Chikato in RS and by 104% in direct‐seeded CA treatments in four cropping seasons from 2004 to 2008, while it stayed at low levels on the conventionally tilled control treatment. Yields on CA plots were higher on the sandy soils in dry seasons, but lower in very wet seasons because of waterlogging. Yields on clay soils were less affected by the rainfall season. Crop productivity from CA systems increased at all sites over time owing to better management although significant differences between CA and conventional treatments on the three sites were apparent only after several cropping seasons. Conservation agriculture offers practical solutions to small‐scale farmers threatened by future soil degradation and fertility loss, but its successful use will depend on weed control and adequate application of fertilizers. The results indicate that there is no immediate increase in maize (Zea mays L.) yield when changing from a tilled to a CA system, but there is gradual improvement in some soil quality indicators over time.
A software tool for estimating the capacity of agricultural land in England and Wales for recycling organic materials (ALOWANCE)
Authors: NICHOLSON F. A. , HUMPHRIES S. , ANTHONY S. G. , SMITH S. R. , CHADWICK D. , CHAMBERS B. J. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractAgricultural Land and Organic ‘Waste’: A National Capacity Estimator (ALOWANCE) is a GIS‐based tool that estimates the available agricultural landbank in England and Wales for recycling organic materials based on a number of physical and practical constraints, and legislative restrictions. It can be used to identify areas where there is a potential shortage or surplus of available agricultural land and to determine the length of time for which the agricultural landbank would continue to be available to receive organic materials. Two versions of ALOWANCE have been developed. ALOWANCE‐PLUS is a PC‐based tool that provides the full functionality of ALOWANCE to a small number of ‘expert’ users. It incorporates scenario testing capabilities, allowing the agricultural landbank capacity to be calculated interactively. ALOWANCE‐ONLINE is a web‐based version that provides information to ‘general’ users, including pre‐selected map ‘layers’ (generated from ALOWANCE‐PLUS) and a simple query tool. Results from ALOWANCE‐PLUS showed that after exclusions and after accounting for current sources of organic materials (livestock manures, biosolids, compost, paper crumble and digestate), the estimated agricultural landbank in England and Wales for the addition of ‘new’ sources of organic materials was c. 5.1 million ha. Spatial representations showed that in some parts of the country (e.g. north‐west England), the agricultural landbank was already under ‘pressure’ and transport of any future emerging sources of organic materials away from these areas may be required.
Processing Fluency and Investors’ Reactions to Disclosure Readability
Authors: RENNEKAMP KRISTINA 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACTThe SEC's emphasis on the use of plain English is designed to make disclosures more readable and more informative. Using an experiment, I find that more readable disclosures lead to stronger reactions from small investors, so that changes in valuation judgments are more positive when news is good and more negative when news is bad. Drawing on research in psychology to explain this result, I predict and find that processing fluency from a more readable disclosure acts as a subconscious heuristic cue and increases investors’ beliefs that they can rely on the disclosure. Although I do not find that more readable disclosures directly increase perceptions of management credibility, I do find evidence of an indirect effect operating through feelings of processing fluency. In supplemental analyses, I find that investors who receive more readable disclosures revise their valuation judgments to be less extreme when they are explicitly made aware of the potential for variation in readability. I discuss potential explanations for these revised valuation judgments.
Headaches in Soldiers With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Findings and Phenomenologic Descriptions
Authors: Finkel Alan G. , Yerry Juanita , Scher Ann , Choi Young S. 
Published: May 2012

Objective.— The primary goal of this study was to use headache criteria‐based classification for headache types described by service members.Background.— Headache is common in soldiers returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. To date, few papers have provided detailed descriptions of these headaches.Methods.— The first 25 patients seen by a certified headache specialist at the Traumatic Brain Injury Center at Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, NC, between August 2008 and December 2009 are reported.Results.— Service members described a total of 55 headaches. Most, but not all, headaches began within 1 week after injury. Migraine type was most common. Aura occurred in 5 soldiers. Continuous headaches were described in 88%. Uncommon headache types including cluster type were diagnosed. Additional symptoms and service outcomes are described.Conclusions.— We conclude that headaches occurring after various types of head injury, including explosions, can be assigned primary and secondary headache diagnoses using standard classifications not necessarily available to larger survey‐based studies.
Metal Mining and Environmental Assessments
Authors: Tuusjärvi Mari , Vuori Saku , Mäenpää Ilmo 
Published: May 2012

SummaryWhen mining is included in life cycle assessment (LCA), the solving of multifunctionality can be necessary in the inventory phase, as many mines produce multiple metals. Although the methodology of LCA is standardized, the methodology for solving this multifunctionality by allocation has remained controversial. In this article, we review the problems of allocation in the context of mining and introduce a new allocation method applicable to metal mining. The new normalized mass‐based (NMB) allocation method is a derivative of a mass‐based (MB) allocation method. In the new method, the masses of mined metals are normalized with predefined reference values to enable better description of the physical and economic causalities of the mining system. The NMB allocation method is compared to the MB and value‐based (VB) allocation methods in case studies. The results indicate that the most suitable methods for allocation in metal mining are NMB allocation and VB allocation (when based on average prices). The ability to reflect changes in production and the economic value of metals without the need for additional price data make the NMB allocation method a reasonable option for allocation in environmental studies related to metal mining.
Antimicrobial activity of platelet (PLT)‐poor plasma, PLT‐rich plasma, PLT gel, and solvent/detergent‐treated PLT lysate biomaterials against wound bacteria
Authors: Burnouf Thierry , Chou Ming‐Li , Wu Yu‐Wen , Su Chen‐Yao , Lee Lin‐Wen 
Published: May 2012

BACKGROUND: Platelet (PLT) gels exhibit antimicrobial activity useful for wound healing. The nature of the antibacterial component(s) is unknown.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: PLT‐poor plasma (PPP), PLT‐rich plasma (PRP), PLT gel (PG), and solvent/detergent‐treated PLT lysate (S/D‐PL) from two donors were evaluated either native or after complement heat inactivation. Materials were spiked at a 10% ratio (vol/vol) with approximately 107‐8 colony‐forming units/mL with four Gram‐positive and four Gram‐negative bacteria of the wound flora. Bacterial count was determined by plate assays at time of spiking and after 3 and 48 hours at 31°C. Bacteria growth inhibition tests were also performed.RESULTS: There was no viable Escherichia coli colony for 48 hours after spiking to the plasma and PLT materials from both donors, corresponding to greater than 7.51 to greater than 9.05 log inactivation. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus were inactivated (approx. 4.7, 7, and 2 log, respectively) 3 hours after spiking to PRP, PPP, or S/D‐PL from the first donor but less (1.1, 4.6, and 0.2 log, respectively) in PG, before a regrowth at 48 hours in all materials. Similar data were obtained with the second donor. No plasma and PLT material had antimicrobial activity against Enterobacter cloacae, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Complement‐inactivated samples had no antimicrobial activity.CONCLUSION: Plasma complement is mostly responsible for the activity of plasma and PLT biomaterials against E. coli, P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae, and S. aureus. Activation of the coagulation to prepare PG may reduce antimicrobial activity. These findings may help optimize the control of wound infections by blood biomaterials.
“God made beautiful things”: Proper faith and religious authority in a Jordanian high school
Authors: Adely Fida 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACTOutside the formal and intended curriculum in Jordanian schools, the efforts of students and instructors to teach about religion and living piously as Muslim women span a myriad of spaces and approaches. At the al‐Khatwa Secondary School for Girls, tensions surrounding religious authority were enmeshed with struggles outside school, specifically with a local piety movement and with a politics of authenticity that has women at its center. Competing interpretations of Islamic orthodoxy, and contests for moral authority, come to the fore in schools in unique ways, and schools provide a space and tools for young women to negotiate these tensions. [women, education, Islam, schools, Jordan, religion]
Language and the frontiers of the human: Aymara animal‐oriented interjections and the mediation of mind
Authors: Smith Benjamin 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACTIn this article, I offer an analysis of Peruvian Aymara speech directed toward sheep and alpacas, children, and marbles (specifically, the use of “animal‐oriented interjections”). The use of these forms positions addressees as reduced (quasi) agents and thereby mediates Aymara ideologies about the scaled or graduated character of those enminded beings that regularly act as addressees. Ultimately, the analysis reveals an Aymara human–nonhuman frontier that requires attention to both the interactional encounters sustained across perceived ontological divides (divides understood to turn on species and ethnodevelopmental difference, etc.) and the (scaled) character of the ideologies that renders these divides “ontological.”[humans, animals, childhood, materiality, semiotics, mind, Andes]
The sexual economy of a sugar plantation: Privatization and social welfare in northern Tanzania
Authors: Holt Norris Alison , Worby Eric 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACTDrawing on intensive ethnographic work, we explore how privatization has transformed the field of social and sexual relations on a large sugar plantation in northern Tanzania. Privatization has resulted in permanent layoffs, intensified labor discipline, and the displacement of former residents and of informal economic activities from the plantation itself into villages on the plantation perimeter. We show how spatial and temporal changes in the labor economy of the plantation following privatization have had complex consequences for residents and have fueled a new sexual economy. [plantation workers, privatization, sovereignty, sexual economy, sugar estates, Tanzania]
NGOs as shadow pseudopublics: Grassroots community leaders’ perceptions of change and continuity in Porto Alegre, Brazil
Authors: Junge Benjamin 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACTIn this article, I examine changing meanings of participation for grassroots community leaders in Porto Alegre, Brazil, since the 2004 defeat of the Workers Party (PT) municipal government and a subsequent rise in the presence of both the private sector and NGOs in community politics. Through an ethnographic analysis of community politics in one municipal district, based on interviews I carried out in 2008, I argue that the changing relationship between state, private sector, and civil society has contributed to destabilization of the narrative of active citizenship hegemonic in earlier years, implanting a market‐oriented, individualistic ethos in its place. [participation, citizenship, civil society, neoliberalism, NGOs, private sector, Brazil]
ZrB2–SiC Sharp Leading Edges in High Enthalpy Supersonic Flows
Authors: Monteverde Frédéric , Savino Raffaele 
Published: May 2012

Aero‐thermodynamic tests have been carried out in an arc‐jet supersonic plasma wind tunnel using a very sharp wedge made of ultra‐high temperature ceramic (UHTC) in the ZrB2–SiC system. The comparison with a lower thermal conductivity ceramic material (Si3N4–MoSi2) with the same sharp shape, pointed out at the performance advantages of the UHTC material. When subjected to heat fluxes in the order of 7 MW/m2, the surface temperature of the UHTC wedge increased up to 2450°C near the leading edge. The present study demonstrated that the high thermally conductive UHTC survived such extreme conditions by re‐distributing heat over colder regions downstream of the sharp tip. As a consequence, radiative equilibrium temperatures in the range 1400°C–1650°C were established over 85% of the exposed surface. On the other hand, the less thermally conductive Si3N4–MoSi2 material failed to withstand the same heat flux and underwent partial melting with significant mass loss. The post‐test microstructural observations of the UHTC wedge proved to be a fundamental source of information which was input into a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code and by a thermal simulation software to simulate the experimental tests and correlate the in situ observations of the material evolution during testing.
Employment and real macroeconomic stability: The regressive role of financial flows in Latin America
Authors: FFRENCH‐DAVIS Ricardo 
Published: May 2012

Abstract.The author examines economic reforms carried out in Latin America since the 1990s. Price stabilization was achieved, but there has been insufficient growth and economic instability has been detrimental to productive investment and employment. Frequent crises have had a serious recessionary effect and have discouraged capital formation and the creation of decent jobs. Financial capital flows were the chief cause of this general economic situation. A positive recovery in 2010 resumed the climb towards progress begun in the 2004–08 period, but was accompanied by high levels of precarious employment and serious deficiencies in macroeconomic policy.
Toll‐Like Receptor 4 Expression in Decidual Cells and Interstitial Trophoblasts Across Human Pregnancy
Authors: Schatz Frederic , Kayisli Umit A. , Vatandaslar Emre , Ocak Nehir , Guller Seth , Abrahams Vikki M. , Krikun Graciela , Lockwood Charles J. 
Published: May 2012

ProblemToll‐like receptor‐4 (TLR‐4) protects against Gram‐negative bacteria expressed lipopolysaccharide and ‘danger signals’ from injured or dying cells. Although decidual cells (DCs) and interstitial trophoblasts (ITs) are in close contact, TLR‐4 has been studied extensively only in ITs.Method of studyFormalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded serial sections of endometrium in follicular and luteal phases and deciduas from first and second trimester elective terminations and third trimester normal deliveries were immunostained for TLR‐4, trophoblast‐specific cytokeratin, and DC‐specific vimentin. HSCORE assessed TLR‐4 immunostaining in DCs versus ITs.Results
TLR‐4 HSCORES were significantly higher in: (i) first trimester DCs than luteal phase pre‐decidual stromal cells; (ii) first and third versus second trimester DCs, but similar between third trimester deciduas parietalis and basalis; (iii) first versus second trimester ITs; (iv) DCs versus ITs across gestation.ConclusionHigher TLR‐4 in DCs than ITs suggests DCs as primary targets for Gram‐negative bacteria and/or inflammation‐related danger signals.
Noradrenaline use for septic shock in children: doses, routes of administration and complications
Authors: Lampin ME , Rousseaux J , Botte A , Sadik A , Cremer R , Leclerc F 
Published: May 2012

AbstractAim:  To report our 10 year experience with noradrenaline use in children with septic shock focusing on doses, routes of administration and complications.Methods:  Retrospective single‐centre review of children with septic shock who received noradrenaline between 2000 and 2010.Results:  We identified 144 children with septic shock treated with noradrenaline, in 22% as the first‐line drug. The median volume resuscitation before vasoactive agent administration was 50 mL/kg interquartile range [IQR: 30–70]. Mean doses of noradrenaline ranged from 0.5 ± 0.4 μg/kg per min (starting dose) to 2.5 ± 2.2 μg/kg per min (maximum dose). Noradrenaline was administered via peripheral venous access or intra‐osseous route in 19% of cases for a median duration of 3 h [IQR: 2–4] without any adverse effects. The use of noradrenaline increased over the study period. Mortality rate was 45% with a significant decrease over the study period. Adverse effects included arrhythmia in two children and hypertension in eight children. None of these arrhythmias required treatment and hypertension resolved with the noradrenaline dose reduction.Conclusion:  Higher doses of noradrenaline than those suggested in the literature may be necessary to reverse hypotension and hypoperfusion. The use of noradrenaline through peripheral venous access or intra‐osseous route was safe, without any adverse effects.
Therapeutic choices, and the nurse practitioner's role, in type 2 diabetes when metformin alone is no longer enough
Authors: Tierney Kathryn 
Published: May 2012

Abstract Purpose:This article provides an overview of the currently available treatments for type 2 diabetes (T2D), outlining the most up to date information to assist nurse practitioners (NPs) to make informed prescribing decisions for T2D therapy once patients are no longer able to maintain blood glucose control using lifestyle modification and/or metformin therapy.Data sources:Published guidelines for the management of T2D, review articles, primary manuscripts, and FDA prescribing information documents.Conclusions:In the past, options for the treatment of T2D were limited. However, there is now an ever increasing number of available therapeutic choices for T2D, that, as well as glycemic control, offer significant additional benefits, particularly in terms of reducing hypoglycemic risk and weight gain. Consequently, these newer agents provide both patients and NPs with a much greater choice for ongoing therapy.Implications for practice:The differing benefits and risk profiles shown by the currently available antidiabetic treatments provide NPs with a unique opportunity to tailor treatment plans more closely to the requirements of each patient. This approach can ensure that the right drug reaches the right patient, which should in turn promote greater treatment compliance and improved outcomes, ultimately slowing disease progression.