bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Traditions and plant use during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum recovery by the Kry ethnic group in Lao PDR
Authors: Lamxay Vichith , de Boer Hugo J , Björk Lars 
Published: May 2011

AbstractBackgroundActivities and diet during the postpartum period are culturally dictated in many Southeast Asian cultures, and a period of confinement is observed. Plants play an important role in recovery during the postpartum period in diet and traditional medicine. Little is known of the Kry, a small ethnic group whose language was recently described, concerning its traditions and use of plants during pregnancy, parturition, postpartum recovery and infant healthcare. This research aims to study those traditions and identify medicinal plant use.MethodsData were collected in the 3 different Kry villages in Khammouane province, Lao PDR, through group and individual interviews with women by female interviewers.ResultsA total of 49 different plant species are used in women's healthcare. Plant use is culturally different from the neighboring Brou and Saek ethnic groups. Menstruation, delivery and postpartum recovery take place in separate, purpose-built, huts and a complex system of spatial restrictions is observed.ConclusionsTraditions surrounding childbirth are diverse and have been strictly observed, but are undergoing a shift towards those from neighboring ethnic groups, the Brou and Saek. Medicinal plant use to facilitate childbirth, alleviate menstruation problems, assist recovery after miscarriage, mitigate postpartum haemorrhage, aid postpartum recovery, and for use in infant care, is more common than previously reported (49 species instead of 14). The wealth of novel insights into plant use and preparation will help to understand culturally important practices such as traditional delivery, spatial taboos, confinement and dietary restrictions, and their potential in modern healthcare.
En1 and Wnt signaling in midbrain dopaminergic neuronal development
Authors: Alves dos Santos Maria TM , Smidt Marten P 
Published: May 2011

Abstract
Dopaminergic neurons of the ventral mesodiencephalon are affected in significant health disorders such as Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and addiction. The ultimate goal of current research endeavors is to improve the clinical treatment of such disorders, such as providing a protocol for cell replacement therapy in Parkinson's disease that will successfully promote the specific differentiation of a stem cell into a dopaminergic neuronal phenotype. Decades of research on the developmental mechanisms of the mesodiencephalic dopaminergic (mdDA) system have led to the identification of many signaling pathways and transcription factors critical in its development. The unraveling of these pathways will help fill in the pieces of the puzzle that today dominates neurodevelopment research: how to make and maintain a mdDA neuron. In the present review, we provide an overview of the mdDA system, the processes and signaling molecules involved in its genesis, with a focus on the transcription factor En1 and the canonical Wnt pathway, highlighting recent findings on their relevance - and interplay - in the development and maintenance of the mdDA system.
Coordinated trafficking of synaptic vesicle and active zone proteins prior to synapse formation
Authors: Bury Luke AD , Sabo Shasta L 
Published: May 2011

Abstract

Background
The proteins required for synaptic transmission are rapidly assembled at nascent synapses, but the mechanisms through which these proteins are delivered to developing presynaptic terminals are not understood. Prior to synapse formation, active zone proteins and synaptic vesicle proteins are transported along axons in distinct organelles referred to as piccolo-bassoon transport vesicles (PTVs) and synaptic vesicle protein transport vesicles (STVs), respectively. Although both PTVs and STVs are recruited to the same site in the axon, often within minutes of axo-dendritic contact, it is not known whether or how PTV and STV trafficking is coordinated before synapse formation.

Results
Here, using time-lapse confocal imaging of the dynamics of PTVs and STVs in the same axon, we show that vesicle trafficking is coordinated through at least two mechanisms. First, a significant proportion of STVs and PTVs are transported together before forming a stable terminal. Second, individual PTVs and STVs share pause sites within the axon. Importantly, for both STVs and PTVs, encountering the other type of vesicle increases their propensity to pause. To determine if PTV-STV interactions are important for pausing, PTV density was reduced in axons by expression of a dominant negative construct corresponding to the syntaxin binding domain of syntabulin, which links PTVs with their KIF5B motor. This reduction in PTVs had a minimal effect on STV pausing and movement, suggesting that an interaction between STVs and PTVs is not responsible for enhancing STV pausing.

Conclusions
Our results indicate that trafficking of STVs and PTVs is coordinated even prior to synapse development. This novel coordination of transport and pausing might provide mechanisms through which all of the components of a presynaptic terminal can be rapidly accumulated at sites of synapse formation.
Clinical and animal research findings in pycnodysostosis and gene mutations of cathepsin K from 1996 to 2011
Authors: Xue Yang , Cai Tao , Shi Songtao , Wang Weiguang , Zhang Yanli , Mao Tianqiu , Duan Xiaohong 
Published: May 2011

Abstract
Cathepsin K (CTSK) is a member of the papain-like cysteine protease family. Mutations in the CTSK gene cause a rare autosomal recessive bone disorder called pycnodysostosis (OMIM 265800). In order to follow the advances in the research about CTSK and pycnodysostosis, we performed a literature retrospective study of 159 pycnodysostosis patients reported since 1996 and focused on the genetic characteristics of CTSK mutations and/or the clinical phenotypes of pycnodysostosis. Thirty three different CTSK mutations have been found in 59 unrelated pycnodysostosis families. Of the 59 families, 37.29% are from Europe and 30.51% are from Asia. A total of 69.70% of the mutations were identified in the mature domain of CTSK, 24.24% in the proregion, and 6.06% in the preregion. The hot mutation spots are found in exons 6 and 7. CTSK mutations result in total loss or inactivity of the CTSK protein, which causes abnormal degradation of bone matrix proteins such as type I collagen. Skeletal abnormalities, including short stature, an increase in bone density with pathologic fractures, and open fontanels and sutures, are the typical phenotypes of pycnodysostosis. Research on Ctsk
-/- mouse models was also reviewed here to elucidate the biological function of Ctsk and the mechanism of pycnodysostosis. New evidence suggests that Ctsk plays an important role in the immune system and may serve as a valid therapeutic target in the future treatment of pycnodysostosis.
Rapid change of strategy is necessary for development of dromedary camel pastoralism in the Cholistan desert of Pakistan
Authors: Raziq Abdul , de Verdier Kerstin , Younas Muhammad 
Published: May 2011

Abstract
The Cholistan desert is part of the ancient Hakra River civilization, one of the oldest of the Aryan settlers in the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the largest deserts in Pakistan, inhabited by around 1.2 million Rohi pastoral people practicing mobile livestock husbandry. This production system is extremely important for food security and conservation of livestock and landscape. The camel is one of the important animal genetic resources and about 80,000 are found in the desert. The main tribe with camel herds is Marrecha. The desert pastoralists also raise goats, sheep and cattle breeds. The major camel breed is Marrecha following by Brela. The precious camel genetic resources are under threat due to commercial agricultural practices, land grabbing and faulty development projects. The policies come from the top and pastoral peoples do not participate in formulating strategies for development. Hence the projects are not supported by local livestock keepers and always result in failure. There is an urgent need to save this pastoral livestock system, especially the camel breeds. It is suggested that niche marketing, value addition, ecotourism and participation of pastoral people in development policies may help achieve this goal. Organization of the livestock keepers in the region can be an efficient tool to halt land grabbing
Modulated contact frequencies at gene-rich loci support a statistical helix model for mammalian chromatin organization
Authors: Court Franck , Miro Julie , Braem Caroline , Lelay-Taha Marie-Noëlle , Brisebarre Audrey , Atger Florian , Gostan Thierry , Weber Michaël , Cathala Guy , Forné Thierry 
Published: May 2011

Abstract
Background
Despite its critical role for mammalian gene regulation, the basic structural landscape of chromatin in living cells remains largely unknown within chromosomal territories below the megabase scale.

Results
Here, using the 3C-qPCR method, we investigate contact frequencies at high resolution within interphase chromatin at several mouse loci. We find that, at several gene-rich loci, contact frequencies undergo a periodical modulation (every 90 to 100 kb) that affects chromatin dynamics over large genomic distances (a few hundred kilobases). Interestingly, this modulation appears to be conserved in human cells, and bioinformatic analyses of locus-specific, long-range cis-interactions suggest that it may underlie the dynamics of a significant number of gene-rich domains in mammals, thus contributing to genome evolution. Finally, using an original model derived from polymer physics, we show that this modulation can be understood as a fundamental helix shape that chromatin tends to adopt in gene-rich domains when no significant locus-specific interaction takes place.

Conclusions
Altogether, our work unveils a fundamental aspect of chromatin dynamics in mammals and contributes to a better understanding of genome organization within chromosomal territories.
Temperature-dependent modification of muscle precursor cell behaviour is an underlying reason for lasting effects on muscle cellularity and body growth of teleost fish
Authors: Steinbacher Peter , Marschallinger Julia , Obermayer Astrid , Neuhofer Alois , Sänger Alexandra M. , Stoiber Walter 
Published: May 2011

SUMMARY
Temperature is an important factor influencing teleost muscle growth, including a lasting (‘imprinted’) influence of embryonic thermal experience throughout all further life. However, little is known about the cellular processes behind this phenomenon. The study reported here used digital morphometry and immunolabelling for Pax7, myogenin and H3P to quantitatively examine the effects of thermal history on muscle precursor cell (MPC) behaviour and muscle growth in pearlfish (Rutilus meidingeri) until the adult stage. Fish were reared at three different temperatures (8.5, 13 and 16°C) until hatching and subsequently kept under the same (ambient) thermal conditions. Cellularity data were combined with a quantitative analysis of Pax7+ MPCs including those that were mitotically active (Pax7+/H3P+) or had entered differentiation (Pax7+/myogenin+). The results demonstrate that at hatching, body lengths, fast and slow muscle cross-sectional areas and fast fibre numbers are lower in fish reared at 8.5 and 13°C than at 16°C. During the larval period, this situation changes in the 13°C-fish, so that these fish are finally the largest. The observed effects can be related to divergent cellular mechanisms at the MPC level that are initiated in the embryo during the imprinting period. Embryos of 16°C-fish have reduced MPC proliferation but increased differentiation, and thus give rise to larger hatchlings. However, their limited MPC reserves finally lead to smaller adults. By contrast, embryos of 13°C-fish and, to a lesser extent, 8.5°-fish, show enhanced MPC proliferation but reduced differentiation, thus leading to smaller hatchlings but allowing for a larger MPC pool that can be used for enhanced post-hatching growth, finally resulting in larger adults.
Minimum daily core body temperature in western grey kangaroos decreases as summer advances: a seasonal pattern, or a direct response to water, heat or energy supply?
Authors: Maloney Shane K. , Fuller Andrea , Meyer Leith C. R. , Kamerman Peter R. , Mitchell Graham , Mitchell Duncan 
Published: May 2011

SUMMARY
Using implanted temperature loggers, we measured core body temperature in nine western grey kangaroos every 5 min for 24 to 98 days in spring and summer. Body temperature was highest at night and decreased rapidly early in the morning, reaching a nadir at 10:00 h, after ambient temperature and solar radiation had begun to increase. On hotter days, the minimum morning body temperature was lower than on cooler days, decreasing from a mean of 36.2°C in the spring to 34.0°C in the summer. This effect correlated better with the time of the year than with proximate thermal stressors, suggesting that either season itself or some factor correlated with season, such as food availability, caused the change. Water saving has been proposed as a selective advantage of heterothermy in other large mammals, but in kangaroos the water savings would have been small and not required in a reserve with permanent standing water. We calculate that the lower core temperature could provide energy savings of nearly 7%. It is likely that the heterothermy that we observed on hot days results either from decreased energy intake during the dry season or from a seasonal pattern entrained in the kangaroos that presumably has been selected for because of decreased energy availability during the dry season.
The hydrodynamic disturbances of two species of krill: implications for aggregation structure
Authors: Catton Kimberly B. , Webster Donald R. , Kawaguchi So , Yen Jeannette 
Published: May 2011

SUMMARY
Krill aggregations vary in size, krill density and uniformity depending on the species of krill. These aggregations may be structured to allow individuals to sense the hydrodynamic cues of neighboring krill or to avoid the flow fields of neighboring krill, which may increase drag forces on an individual krill. To determine the strength and location of the flow disturbance generated by krill, we used infrared particle image velocimetry measurements to analyze the flow field of free-swimming solitary specimens (Euphausia superba and Euphausia pacifica) and small, coordinated groups of three to six E. superba. Euphausia pacifica individuals possessed shorter body lengths, steeper body orientations relative to horizontal, slower swimming speeds and faster pleopod beat frequencies compared with E. superba. The downward-directed flow produced by E. pacifica has a smaller maximum velocity and smaller horizontal extent of the flow pattern compared with the flow produced by E. superba, which suggests that the flow disturbance is less persistent as a potential hydrodynamic cue for E. pacifica. Time record analysis reveals that the hydrodynamic disturbance is very weak beyond two body lengths for E. pacifica, whereas the hydrodynamic disturbance is observable above background level at four body lengths for E. superba. Because the nearest neighbor separation distance of E. superba within a school is less than two body lengths, hydrodynamic disturbances are a viable cue for intraspecies communication. The orientation of the position of the nearest neighbor is not coincident with the orientation of the flow disturbance, however, which indicates that E. superba are avoiding the region of strongest flow.
What causes wing wear in foraging bumble bees?
Authors: Foster Danusha J. , Cartar Ralph V. 
Published: May 2011

SUMMARYFlying is an ecologically important behaviour in many insects, but it often results in permanent wing damage. Although wing wear in insects is often used as a method to determine insect age, and is associated with an increased risk of mortality, the causes of wing wear are unresolved. In this paper, we examine whether wing use while foraging explains wing wear in bumble bees (Bombus spp.). Wing wear may result from three distinct flight characteristics during foraging: time spent in flight, flight frequency and frequency of wing collisions with vegetation. To test these hypotheses for causes of wing wear, we recorded digital video of individually marked bumble bees foraging in nature on 12 different plant species that result in variation in these flight characteristics, and recaptured these individuals to photograph their wings over time. Bumble bees with a higher frequency of wing collisions showed an increased loss of wing area, which became more severe over time. Neither time in flight nor flight frequency was uniquely and significantly associated with wing wear. Therefore, the collision frequency hypothesis best explained wing wear in bumble bees. We conclude that wing use during foraging in bumble bees results in wing wear. Wing wear reflects behaviour, not simply age. Because wing wear has elsewhere been shown to increase mortality, this study provides an important mechanism linking foraging behaviour with lifespan.
What triggers the aerobic dive limit? Patterns of muscle oxygen depletion during dives of emperor penguins
Authors: Williams Cassondra L. , Meir Jessica U. , Ponganis Paul J. 
Published: May 2011

SUMMARYThe physiological basis of the aerobic dive limit (ADL), the dive duration associated with the onset of post-dive blood lactate elevation, is hypothesized to be depletion of the muscle oxygen (O2) store. A dual wavelength near-infrared spectrophotometer was developed and used to measure myoglobin (Mb) O2 saturation levels in the locomotory muscle during dives of emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri). Two distinct patterns of muscle O2 depletion were observed. Type A dives had a monotonic decline, and, in dives near the ADL, the muscle O2 store was almost completely depleted. This pattern of Mb desaturation was consistent with lack of muscle blood flow and supports the hypothesis that the onset of post-dive blood lactate accumulation is secondary to muscle O2 depletion during dives. The mean type A Mb desaturation rate allowed for calculation of a mean muscle O2 consumption of 12.4 ml O2 kg–1 muscle min–1, based on a Mb concentration of 6.4 g 100 g–1 muscle. Type B desaturation patterns demonstrated a more gradual decline, often reaching a mid-dive plateau in Mb desaturation. This mid-dive plateau suggests maintenance of some muscle perfusion during these dives. At the end of type B dives, Mb desaturation rate increased and, in dives beyond the ADL, Mb saturation often reached near 0%. Thus, although different physiological strategies may be used during emperor penguin diving, both Mb desaturation patterns support the hypothesis that the onset of post-dive lactate accumulation is secondary to muscle O2 store depletion.
Post-prandial changes in protein synthesis in red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) larvae
Authors: McCarthy Ian D. , Fuiman Lee A. 
Published: May 2011

SUMMARY
Protein synthesis is one of the major energy-consuming processes in all living organisms. Post-prandial changes in protein synthesis have been studied in a range of animal taxa but have been little studied in fish larvae. Using the flooding-dose method, we measured post-prandial changes in whole-body rates of protein synthesis in regularly fed red drum Sciaenops ocellatus (Linnaeus) larvae for 24–28 h following their daily meal. Fractional rates of protein synthesis increased from a baseline (pre-feeding) rate of 16% day–1 to a post-prandial peak of 48% day–1 ca. 8 h after feeding before declining to 12% day–1 after 24–28 h. The overall mean daily rate of protein synthesis was calculated as 27% day–1. Although suggested as energetically impossible in larval poikilotherms, our results show that rates in excess of 30% day–1 can be attained by larval fishes for a few hours but are not sustained. The average daily energetic cost of protein synthesis was estimated as 34% of daily total oxygen consumption, ranging from 19% immediately before feeding to 61% during the post-prandial peak in protein synthesis. This suggests that during the post-prandial peak, protein synthesis will require a large proportion of the hourly energy production, which, given the limited metabolic scope in fish larvae, may limit the energy that could otherwise be allocated to other energy-costly functions, such as foraging and escape responses.
Tarantulas cling to smooth vertical surfaces by secreting silk from their feet
Authors: Rind F. Claire , Birkett Chris Luke , Duncan Benjamin-James A. , Ranken Alexander J. 
Published: May 2011

SUMMARY
Like all spiders, tarantulas (family Theraphosidae) synthesize silk in specialized glands and extrude it from spinnerets on their abdomen. In one species of large tarantula, Aphonopelma seemanni, it has been suggested that silk can also be secreted from the tarsi but this claim was later refuted. We provide evidence of silk secretion directly from spigots (nozzles) on the tarsi of three distantly related tarantula species: the Chilean rose, Grammostola rosea; the Indian ornamental, Poecilotheria regalis; and the Mexican flame knee, Brachypelma auratum, suggesting tarsal silk secretion is widespread among tarantulas. We demonstrate that multiple strands of silk are produced as a footprint when the spider begins to slip down a smooth vertical surface. The nozzle-like setae on the tarsi responsible for silk deposition have shanks reinforced by cuticular thickenings, which serve to prevent the shanks' internal collapse while still maintaining their flexibility. This is important as the spigots occur on the ventral surface of the tarsus, projecting beyond the finely divided setae of the dry attachment pads. We also reveal the structure and disposition of the silk-secreting spigots on the abdominal spinnerets of the three tarantula species and find they are very similar to those from the earliest known proto-spider spinneret from the Devonian period, giving another indication that silk secretion in tarantulas is close to the ancestral condition.
Photoalignment and Photoinduced Molecular Reorientation of Photosensitive Materials
Authors: Kawatsuki Nobuhiro 
Published: May 2011

Abstract
Photosensitive materials for photoalignment of liquid crystals (LCs) and photoinduced molecular reorientation are described, especially focusing on azobenzene-containing materials and photocrosslinkable polymers. All the materials generate photoinduced optical anisotropy by means of linearly polarized (LP) light exposure. The large optical anisotropy is induced when the axis-selective photoreaction is accompanied by molecular reorientation.
Synthesis of a Chiral-structured Molecular Magnet Based on a Cyano-bridged Co–W Bimetal Assembly
Authors: Komori Orisaku Keiko , Nakabayashi Koji , Ohkoshi Shin-ichi 
Published: May 2011

Abstract
A three-dimensional chiral-structured molecular magnet based on a Co–W bimetal assembly, [CoII(H2O)2][CoII(pyrimidine){(R)-1-(4-pyridyl)ethanol)}]2[WV(CN)8]2·7.5H2O, is synthesized. This compound exhibits a spontaneous magnetization due to ferromagnetic ordering between CoII (S = 3/2) and WV (S = 1/2) with a Curie temperature of 19 K and coercive field of 3600 Oe.
A Biomimetic Approach for Creating Thermally Stable Polyimide-coated Honeycomb Films
Authors: Yabu Hiroshi , Nakamichi Yuki , Hirai Yuji , Shimomura Masatsugu 
Published: May 2011

Abstract
In this paper, we show a simple biomimetic approach for fabricating thermally stable porous films with multilayered structures by mimicking beetle wings. Honeycomb-patterned porous films (honeycomb films) of poly(1,2-butadiene) (PB) were successfully prepared by casting chloroform solution of PB and amphiphilic polymer under humid conditions. After formation of layer-by-layer (LbL) film of poly(amic acid) (PAA), which is a precursor of polyimide, and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) onto the surface of PB honeycomb films, PAA was successfully converted to polyimide by chemical imidization. After imidization, the LbL-coated honeycomb films have high thermal stability.