bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A labour-saving system of yam (Dioscorea spp.) production through weed control with herbicides, the elimination of staking, and cropping at high density
Authors: Onwueme I. C. , Fadayomi O. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYExperiments were made over a 3-year period in order to evolve a production package for yam that would eliminate the laborious operations of hand weeding and staking. First, nine herbicides were applied to yam plots before or after yam emergence. On the basis of weed control effectiveness and low phytotoxicity to yam plants, ametryne (2-(ethylamino)-4-(isopropylamino)-6-(methylthio)-S-triazine) was chosen for subsequent experimentation. Next, ametryne at 2, 4 or 6 kg/ha was applied to yam plots either immediately after planting, or with 1 kg/ha paraqviat (l, 1'-dimethyl-4,4'- bipyridinium ion) 3 weeks after planting. The delayed applications gave more effective weed control and higher yields than the early applications. For the delayed application, 4 and 6 kg ametryne/ha did not give significantly different yields, but yielded significantly more than 2 kg/ha. When a combination of ametryne at 4 kg/ha and paraquat at 1 kg/ha was applied 3, 6 or 9 weeks after planting, the weed control effectiveness was greatest at 6 weeks after planting while the 3- and 6-week applications did not give significantly different yields. Herbicide applied 9 weeks after planting gave the poorest weed control and the lowest yields.Finally comparisons were made between the conventional staked, hand-weeded yam production, and a new production package in which the yams were not staked and weeds were controlled with ametryne (4 kg/ha) + paraquat (1kg/ha) applied at or just before emergence. When small (150g) setts were used, yields from the new package were not significantly lower than those from the conventional system, even though the new package was considerably less laborious. Cultivation with large setts, however, resulted in a decrease in yield when the plants were not staked. Strategies that could further enhance the attractiveness of the new production
Growth and water relations of diverse populations of Lolium perenne exposed to drought in field, glasshouse and controlled environment
Authors: Amin Md R. , Thomas H. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYNineteen populations of Lolium perenne were grown near Aberystwyth as small plots (sown in 1988) in the field, and as pot plants (sown in 1989) in the glasshouse and controlled environment (CE). In the summer of 1989 they were subjected to drought, and then rewatered. Herbage growth and water relations characters were measured. There was significant diversity between populations (narrowsense heritability) for: herbage production and yield stability before, during and after drought; tillering; osmotic potential and adjustment; tissue water content; and membrane stability (MS) following heat shock. There were no such differences in leaf water conductance, MS following desiccation shock, or chlorophyll stability under osmotic stress. The range of expression of characters was very different in the three environments, as was the ranking of populations, emphasising the danger of working in unnatural environments. Correlation analysis revealed no relationships between growth and physiological characters that were consistent across environments. Nevertheless, hierarchical cluster analysis indicated that some populations having a ‘hay-type’ morphology performed well over all three environments, and merit further study.
Rethinking child difficulty: The effect of NP type on children's processing of relative clauses in Hebrew
Authors: ARNON INBAL 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTChildren find object relative clauses difficult. They show poor comprehension that lags behind production into their fifth year. This finding has shaped models of relative clause acquisition, with appeals to processing heuristics or syntactic preferences to explain why object relatives are more difficult than subject relatives. Two studies here suggest that children (age 4 ; 6) do not find all object relatives difficult: a corpus study shows that children most often hear and produce object relatives with pronominal subjects. But they are most often tested on ones with lexical-NP subjects (e.g.The nurse thatthe girlis drawing). When tested on object relatives with pronominal subjects (e.g.The nurse thatIam drawing), similar to those they actually hear and produce, Hebrew speakers aged 4 ; 6 show good comprehension (85% accuracy) that matches their production ability. This suggests a different path of relative clause acquisition, one that is sensitive to fine-grained distributional information.
Civic Solidarity in Hong Kong and Taiwan
Authors: Lo Ming-Cheng Miriam , Bettinger Christopher P. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThis study examines civic solidarity in Hong Kong and Taiwan at key democratic moments. Using political cartoons published during the 1995 LegCo election campaign in Hong Kong and the 2000 presidential election campaign in Taiwan, our findings indicate that the cultural codes of liberty, though not typically considered part of traditional Chinese values, have become the dominant cultural source for discourse in civil society. Values of caring and state paternalism, which resemble subsets of Confucian values, exist as competing, alternate cultural codes. In Taiwan, politically-divided members of civil society appear to share the same cultural language, thereby fostering a basis for mutual engagement. Nevertheless, little mutual engagement is actually found among politically divergent discourses. In Hong Kong, even a shared cultural language cannot be documented. The conclusion discusses the broader implications of these findings for the inclusive potential of civic discourses, amidst competing identity claims, in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
A simple model for simulating immunity rate dynamics in a tropical free-range poultry population after avian influenza vaccination
Authors: LESNOFF M. , PEYRE M. , DUARTE P. C. , RENARD J.-F. , MARINER J. C. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYIn developing countries, vaccination against highly pathogenic avian influenza subtype H5N1 (HPAI) in free-range poultry flocks is usually implemented as periodic campaigns and newborn chicks are generally not vaccinated by farmers between vaccination passes. The demographic population turnover leads to a continuous decrease in the population immunity rate (PIR) over time. We present a simple Leslie matrix model for estimating population turnover and PIR dynamics in a hypothetical small-size vaccinated free-range poultry population. Four different vaccination scenarios were identified assuming necessary procedures to achieve immunity. The results indicate that high levels of population immunity are difficult to sustain. Assuming an animal immunity response of 80% after vaccination and a constant population size, PIR 4 months after vaccination was ⩽30% in all the scenarios. Predictions averaged over time showed mean PIR between 36% and 48%, which is below the population immunity thresholds for eradication approximated fromR0estimates.
Elective affinities? Human rights and humanitarian law
Authors: Droege Cordula 
Published: March 2009

AbstractComplementarity and mutual influence inform the interaction between international humanitarian law and international human rights law in most cases. In some cases when there is contradiction between the two bodies of law, the more specific norm takes precedence (lex specialis). The author analyses the question of in which situations either body of law is more specific. She also considers the procedural dimension of this interplay, in particular concerning the rules governing investigations into alleged violations, court access for alleged victims and reparations for wrongdoing.
There's no place like home: states' obligations in relation to transfers of persons
Authors: Gillard Emanuela-Chiara 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe article sets out states' obligations in relation to transfers of persons under international law, and revisits the key elements of the principled non-refoulement, including its application where persons are transferred from one state to another within the territory of a single state; the range of risks that give rise to application of the principle; important procedural elements; and the impact on the principle of so called diplomatic assurances.: : : : : : :
Epidemiology and Control of Pertussis Outbreaks in a Tertiary Care Center and the Resource Consumption Associated With These Outbreaks
Authors: Leekha Surbhi , Thompson Rodney L. , Sampathkumar Priya 
Published: March 2009

Objective.To describe the epidemiology and control of 2 separate outbreaks of pertussis at a large tertiary care center and the resource consumption associated with these outbreaks.Design.Descriptive study.Setting.The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, a tertiary care center catering to both referral patients and patients from the community.Methods.We reviewed routine and enhanced surveillance data collected by infection prevention and control practitioners during the outbreaks. Pertussis was diagnosed either on the basis of a nasopharyngeal specimen positive for Bordetella pertussis by use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or on the basis of a compatible clinical syndrome along with an epidemiologic link to PCR-confirmed cases.Results.Two pertussis outbreaks, the first community based and the second hospital based (ie, due to transmission among healthcare personnel), occurred during the period from October 2004 through October 2005. In the first outbreak from November 2004 through March 2005, there were 109 cases diagnosed; 105 (96%) of these cases were diagnosed on the basis of a nasopharyngeal specimen positive for B. pertussis by use of PCR. Adolescents 10-19 years of age were most affected (77 cases [71%]). Only 13 cases (12%) occurred among healthcare personnel; however, many healthcare personnel required postexposure prophylaxis. A second outbreak of 122 cases occurred during the period from July through October 2005; of these 122 cases, 96 (79%) were diagnosed on the basis of a nasopharyngeal specimen positive for B. pertussis by use of PCR, and 64 (52%) involved healthcare personnel. There were many instances of transmission among healthcare personnel and from patients to healthcare personnel, but no documented transmission from healthcare personnel to Patients. The outbreaks were controlled by aggressive case finding, treatment of those infected, prophylaxis of all healthcare personnel and patients who had contact with both probable and confirmed cases, implementation of educational efforts, and compliance with respiratory etiquette. Vaccination of healthcare personnel against pertussis began in October 2005.Conclusion.Pertussis remains a public health problem. Outbreaks in healthcare facilities consume the resources of those facilities in terms of personnel, testing, treatment of cases, and prophylaxis of those individuals who were in contact with those cases. Adult vaccination may reduce the disease burden.
A Statewide System for Improving Influenza Vaccination Rates in Hospital Employees
Authors: Polgreen Philip M. , Polgreen Linnea A. , Evans Thomas , Helms Charles 
Published: March 2009

Objective.To describe and report the progress of a provider-initiated approach to increase influenza immunization rates for healthcare workers.Design.Observational study.Setting.The State of Iowa.Subjects.Acute care hospitals in Iowa.Methods.Hospitals reported rates of employee influenza vaccination to a provider-based collaborative during 2 influenza seasons (2006-2007 and 2007-2008). Hospital characteristics related to higher vaccination rates were examined.Results.One hundred (87.0%) of 115 Iowa hospitals and/or health systems participated in season 1; individual hospital vaccination rates ranged from 43.5% to 99.2% (mean, 72.4%; median, 73.1%). In season 2, 115 (100%) of 115 Iowa hospitals and/or health systems participated. Individual hospital vaccination rates ranged from 53.6% to 100% (mean, 79.5%; median, 82.0%). In both seasons, urban and large hospitals had vaccination rates that were 6.3% to 7.6% lower than those of hospitals in other locations. Hospitals that used declination statements had influenza vaccination rates 12.6% higher than hospitals that did not use declination statements in season 2.Conclusion.The initial vaccination rates were high for healthcare workers in Iowa, especially in smaller rural hospitals, and rates increased during season 2. The successful voluntary approach for reporting influenza vaccination rates that we describe provides an efficient platform for collecting and disseminating other statewide measures of healthcare quality.
Global change and eutrophication of coastal waters
Authors: Rabalais Nancy N. , Turner R. Eugene , Díaz Robert J. , Justić Dubravko 
Published: March 2009

AbstractRabalais, N. N., Turner, R. E., Díaz, R. J., and Justić, D. 2009. Global change and eutrophication of coastal waters. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 1528–1537. The cumulative effects of global change, including climate change, increased population, and more intense industrialization and agribusiness, will likely continue and intensify the course of eutrophication in estuarine and coastal waters. As a result, the symptoms of eutrophication, such as noxious and harmful algal blooms, reduced water quality, loss of habitat and natural resources, and severity of hypoxia (oxygen depletion) and its extent in estuaries and coastal waters will increase. Global climate changes will likely result in higher water temperatures, stronger stratification, and increased inflows of freshwater and nutrients to coastal waters in many areas of the globe. Both past experience and model forecasts suggest that these changes will result in enhanced primary production, higher phytoplankton and macroalgal standing stocks, and more frequent or severe hypoxia. The negative consequences of increased nutrient loading and stratification may be partly, but only temporarily, compensated by stronger or more frequent tropical storm activity in low and mid-latitudes. In anticipation of the negative effects of global change, nutrient loadings to coastal waters need to be reduced now, so that further water quality degradation is prevented.
What drove tuna catches between 1525 and 1756 in southern Europe?
Authors: Ganzedo U. , Zorita E. , Solari A. P. , Chust G. , del Pino A. Santana , Polanco J. , Castro J. J. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractGanzedo, U., Zorita, E., Solari, A. P., Chust, G., Santana del Pino, A., Polanco, J., and Castro, J. J. 2009. What drove tuna catches between 1525 and 1756 in southern Europe? – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 1595–1604. From 1525 to 1756, catches of tuna in almadrabas (trapnets) fluctuated greatly, but the overall trend was a downwards one. The aim of this study is to assess the potential influence of climatic factors on tuna fishing. We performed time-series analysis of the climate over the years 1525–1756 and determined whether such events can be related to historical data on bluefin tuna catches in the almadrabas of Medina Sidonia. We used a generalized linear model to relate the tuna catches to climatic parameters. We carried out variance partitioning analysis of tuna catches to assess the relative contribution of climate from temporal autocorrelation. The temporal autocorrelation in tuna catches was used as a surrogate for the contribution of the population dynamics to variation in the catch series. The results indicated that climate accounted for up to 12.3% of the total variance, the temporal effects (autocorrelation) accounted for up to 38.8% of the total variance, and up to 35.7% of the catch was accounted for by the joint effect of the two components. The significant variance accounted for by climate suggests that low temperatures during the Maunder minimum (the so-called “The Little Ice Age”, years 1640–1715) may have reduced both recruitment and abundance of tuna in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Our findings suggest that both environmental and population dynamic components played an important role in regulating the almadraba catches in Medina Sidonia.
Light Regulation of Gibberellin Biosynthesis in Pea Is Mediated through the COP1/HY5 Pathway
Authors: Weller James L. , Hecht Valérie , Vander Schoor Jacqueline K. , Davidson Sandra E. , Ross John J. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractLight regulation of gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis occurs in several species, but the signaling pathway through which this occurs has not been clearly established. We have isolated a new pea (Pisum sativum) mutant, long1, with a light-dependent elongated phenotype that is particularly pronounced in the epicotyl and first internode. The long1 mutation impairs signaling from phytochrome and cryptochrome photoreceptors and interacts genetically with a mutation in LIP1, the pea ortholog of Arabidopsis thaliana COP1. Mutant long1 seedlings show a dramatic impairment in the light regulation of active GA levels and the expression of several GA biosynthetic genes, most notably the GA catabolism gene GA2ox2. The long1 mutant carries a nonsense mutation in a gene orthologous to the ASTRAY gene from Lotus japonicus, a divergent ortholog of the Arabidopsis bZIP transcription factor gene HY5. Our results show that LONG1 has a central role in mediating the effects of light on GA biosynthesis in pea and demonstrate the importance of this regulation for appropriate photomorphogenic development. By contrast, LONG1 has no effect on GA responsiveness, implying that interactions between LONG1 and GA signaling are not a significant component of the molecular framework for light–GA interactions in pea.
Cigarette smoking is an independent risk factor for type 2 diabetes: a four‐year community‐based prospective study
Authors: Cho Nam H. , Chan Juliana C. N. , Jang Hak Chul , Lim Soo , Kim Hyung L. , Choi Sung Hee 
Published: March 2009

SummaryObjectives  We investigated the association between smoking and its additive effects with insulin resistance and β‐cell function on the incidence of type 2 diabetes in a prospective population‐based cohort study.Design and method  A total of 10 038 subjects were recruited from rural and urban areas. All subjects underwent 75 g oral glucose tolerance tests and full biochemical assessments at baseline and during 4‐year follow‐up period. The final analysis was limited to 4041 men due to the low smoking rates in women.Results  The ex‐ and heavy current smokers had the highest incidence of diabetes of 12·5% and 11·1% respectively, compared with never‐smokers (7·9%) during 4 years. After multivariate adjustment by Cox‐proportional hazard model, ex‐ and current smokers reveal a relative risk of 1·60 (95% CI: 1·07–2·39), 2·06 (1·35–3·16, for <20 cigarettes/day) and 2·41 (1·48–3·93, for ≥20 cigarettes/day) respectively compared with never smokers. The risk of new onset diabetes was the highest in those with low homeostasis model assessment for beta cell function (HOMA‐β) and high homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR) group in both smokers and never smokers.Conclusions  Smoking is an independent risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus and showed synergistic interaction with the status of low insulin secretion and high insulin resistance for developing diabetes. Given the high rates of smoking and growing burden of diabetes in the world, cessation of smoking should be considered as one of the key factors for diabetes prevention and treatment programmes.
What steps should be considered in the patient who has had a negative cervical exploration for primary hyperparathyroidism?
Authors: Harrison Barney 
Published: March 2009

SummaryThe key to cure of the patient with persistent primary hyperparathyroidism is a clear understanding of the investigations, operative procedure and pathology related to the initial procedure. Reinvestigation and subsequent surgery should be performed in a specialist unit. A logical pathway of increasingly sophisticated localization studies (MIBI, ultrasound, CT/MRI, selective venous catheterization for PTH) will usually guide the surgeon to the missing parathyroid gland/s. Improved preoperative localization can facilitate the use of a minimally invasive small incision approach. The surgeon must have a detailed knowledge of the nuances of parathyroid embryology and a meticulous surgical technique, not only to identify and safely remove the retained gland/s but also do so without causing unnecessary morbidity. Results of re‐operation (84–98% cure) from centres of excellence are highly commendable, yet the use of ‘new’ technology (that includes intra‐operative PTH) has not translated into improved outcomes in all cases. Some parathyroid glands are extremely difficult to find! Re‐operative parathyroid surgery is a challenge, sometimes easy, and on other occasions extremely difficult.
Depletion of soil organic carbon and nitrogen under Pinus taeda plantations in Southern Brazilian grasslands (Campos)
Authors: Wiesmeier M. , Dick D. P. , Rumpel C. , Dalmolin R. S. D. , Hilscher A. , Knicker H. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryEstablishment of pine (Pinus spp.) plantations on grasslands could increase carbon (C) sequestration to counteract increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. In the grasslands of the southern Brazilian highland (Campos), large areas have been converted to Pinus plantations over the last 30 years. In order to assess the impact of this land‐use change on the amount and composition of soil organic matter (SOM), we investigated a grassland pasture site (G), and both an 8‐year‐old (P8) and a 30‐year‐old (P30) plantation with Pinus taeda. Soil samples down to 45 cm were analysed for texture, pH, soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (Ntot) concentrations. Chemical composition of SOM was determined by using cross‐polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS) 13C NMR spectroscopy. We analysed for stable C isotope (δ13C) and assessed the lignin composition by CuO oxidation. Additionally, contents of pyrogenic organic material (PyOM) were determined because the Campos is regularly burnt. Both pine plantations revealed relatively small SOC concentrations in the mineral soil of 72.6 mg g−1 (P8) and 56.8 mg g−1 (P30) and Ntot concentrations of 4.0 mg g−1 (P8) and 2.9 mg g−1 (P30) for the A horizon, while grassland showed significantly (P < 0.01) larger contents of 100.2 mg g−1 for SOC and 5.9 mg g−1 for Ntot. Accumulation of litter layers suggests decreased input of organic material into the mineral soil under pine, which was confirmed by the δ13C values and lignin composition. Smaller contents of vanillyl‐ (V), syringyl‐ (S), and cinnamyl (C)‐phenols, smaller ratios of S/V and C/V, and smaller ratios of acidic to aldehydic forms of V and S phenols indicated a high degree of decomposition of residual grass‐derived SOM in the upper part of the mineral soil (0–10 cm) under pine plantations. This was confirmed by CPMAS 13C NMR spectroscopy, showing an increasing Alkyl C/O‐Alkyl C ratio at the same depth. No significant changes in the contents of PyOM could be detected, but all sites tended to show the greatest concentrations at deeper soil depths > 15 cm, indicating a vertical relocation of PyOM. The results suggest that decomposition of residual SOM originating from grassland species contributes to the decrease of SOC and Ntot and to an acidification in the topsoil under pine plantations. We also suggest that slow litter decomposition and incorporation and the absence of fires at the plantations are additional reasons for the reduced amount of SOM. Depletion of SOM and the acidification of the topsoil may reduce the availability and supply of nutrients and diminish the C sequestration potential of the mineral soil.