bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Local coexistence and niche differences between the Lusitanian and Mediterranean pine voles (Microtus lusitanicus and M. duodecimcostatus)
Authors: Santos Sara M. , Mathias Maria da Luz , Mira António P. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractIn the present study, we analyzed the coexistence pattern of the Lusitanian pine vole (Microtus lusitanicus) and the Mediterranean pine vole (Microtus duodecimcostatus) in a potential area of sympatry in a Mediterranean landscape (Portugal). We also determined the relative contribution of local, landscape, and spatial factors explaining the differences in the distribution patterns of the two species in the region. Using a kriging interpolation method, we obtained a map of sympatric and allopatric areas of species occurrence. The estimated sympatry area corresponded to a northwest–southeast belt representing 11.3% of the study area. Habitat niche differences were assessed with binomial GLMs followed by a variance partitioning. At a local scale, higher altitude, higher cover of shrubs, lower clay content in the soil, and lower cover of tree canopy were the most important factors distinguishing M. lusitanicus presence sites from those with M. duodecimcostatus. At a larger scale, the presence of forest landscape units and the low abundance of “montado” units were the most influencing landscape factors in the identification of M. lusitanicus occurrence sites when compared to M. duodecimcostatus. Our results suggested that local coexistence of M. lusitanicus and M. duodecimcostatus in the field is a rare event. The differences in distribution patterns of the two pine vole species were mostly explained by fine‐scale environmental factors and by shared spatial effects.
Clinical Evaluation of Ultra-Low Dose Contrast-Enhanced CT in Patients Presenting with Acute Ureteric Colic
Authors: Fowler J.C. , Cutress M.L. , Abubacker Z. , Saleemi M.A. , Alam A. , Shekhdar J. , Wagstaff H. 
Published: May 2010

Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of ultra-low dose contrast-enhanced CT (ULDCECT) and its ability to measure differential renal function (DRF) in patients presenting clinically with acute ureteric colic by comparison to IVU (using an equivalent radiation exposure) and DMSA, respectively. Patients and methods: Fifty-three patients presenting clinically with acute ureteric colic underwent IVU, ULDCECT and DMSA on the same day of their hospital admission. Diagnostic accuracy of ULDCECT and IVU was compared to interventional findings and clinical outcome. Estimation of DRF by ULDCECT was derived through measurement of enhancing renal volumes and DMSA. Results: ULDCECT had superior sensitivity (97%) and specificity (100%) in the identification of renal tract stone disease compared to IVU (84 and 95% respectively), with comparable radiation exposure (1.7 mSv versus 1.4 mSv). Furthermore, ULDCECT revealed non-urological pathology in eight patients (15%), including perforated abdominal viscus and acute appendicitis. There was a very good correlation of ULDCECT and DMSA-derived DRF (regression of near unity, Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.72 ( p < 0.0001)). Conclusion: ULDCECT provides diagnostically accurate imaging in patients presenting with acute ureteric colic and significantly outperforms IVU for a comparable radiation burden. Use of ULDCECT instead of conventional CT-KUB may significantly reduce lifetime radiation exposure of ureteric colic patients without loss of diagnostic accuracy.
Anti-diabetic effects of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) essential oil on glucose- and lipid-regulating enzymes in type 2 diabetic mice
Authors: Chung Mi Ja , Cho Sung-Yun , Bhuiyan Muhammad Javidul Haque , Kim Kyoung Heon , Lee Sung-Joon 
Published: May 2010

The antioxidant activity of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) essential oil (LBEO) on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and its hypoglycaemic effect indb/dbmice were investigated. LBEO scavenged 97 % of DPPH radicals at a 270-fold dilution. Mice administered LBEO (0·015 mg/d) for 6 weeks showed significantly reduced blood glucose (65 %;P < 0·05) and TAG concentrations, improved glucose tolerance, as assessed by an oral glucose tolerance test, and significantly higher serum insulin levels, compared with the control group. The hypoglycaemic mechanism of LBEO was further explored via gene and protein expression analyses using RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Among all glucose metabolism-related genes studied, hepatic glucokinase and GLUT4, as well as adipocyte GLUT4, PPAR-γ, PPAR-α and SREBP-1c expression, were significantly up-regulated, whereas glucose-6-phosphatase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase expression was down-regulated in the livers of the LBEO group. The results further suggest that LBEO administered at low concentrations is an efficient hypoglycaemic agent, probably due to enhanced glucose uptake and metabolism in the liver and adipose tissue and the inhibition of gluconeogenesis in the liver.
The relative importance of socioeconomic indicators in explaining differences in BMI and waist:hip ratio, and the mediating effect of work control, dietary patterns and physical activity
Authors: Kjøllesdal Marte Råberg , Holmboe-Ottesen Gerd , Mosdøl Annhild , Wandel Margareta 
Published: May 2010

Socioeconomic differences in overweight are well documented, but most studies have only used one or two indicators of socioeconomic position (SEP). The aim of the present study was to explore the relative importance of indicators of SEP (occupation, education and income) in explaining variation in BMI and waist:hip ratio (WHR), and the mediating effect of work control and lifestyle factors (dietary patterns, smoking and physical activity). The Oslo Health Study, a cross-sectional study, was carried out in 2000–1, Oslo, Norway. Our sample included 9235 adult working Oslo citizens, who attended a health examination and filled in two complementary FFQ with < 20 % missing responses to food items. Four dietary patterns were identified through factor analysis, and were named ‘modern’, ‘Western’, ‘traditional’ and ‘sweet’. In multivariate models, BMI and WHR were inversely associated with education (P < 0·001/P < 0·001) and occupation (P = 0·002/P < 0·001), whereas there were no significant associations with income or the work control. The ‘modern’ (P < 0·001) and the ‘sweet’ (P < 0·001) dietary patterns and physical activity level (P < 0·001) were inversely associated, while the ‘Western’ dietary pattern (P < 0·001) was positively associated with both BMI and WHR. These lifestyle factors could not fully explain the socioeconomic differences in BMI or WHR. However, together with socioeconomic factors, they explained more of the variation in WHR among men (21 %) than among women (7 %).
Prenatal mercury contamination: relationship with maternal seafood consumption during pregnancy and fetal growth in the ‘EDEN mother–child’ cohort
Authors: Drouillet-Pinard Peggy , Huel Guy , Slama R. , Forhan Anne , Sahuquillo J. , Goua Valérie , Thiébaugeorges Olivier , Foliguet Bernard , Magnin Guillaume , Kaminski Monique , Cordier Sylvaine , Charles Marie-Aline 
Published: May 2010

Maternal seafood intake is of great health interest since it constitutes an important source of n-3 fatty acids, but provides also an important pathway for fetal exposure to Hg. The objective of the present study was to determine associations between Hg contamination and both maternal seafood consumption and fetal growth in French pregnant women. Pregnant women included in the ‘EDEN mother–child’ cohort study answered FFQ on their usual diet in the year before and during the last 3 months of pregnancy, from which frequencies of seafood intake were evaluated. Total hair-Hg level was determined for the first 691 included women. Associations between Hg level, seafood intake and several neonatal measurements were studied using linear regressions adjusted for confounding variables. The median Hg level for mothers was 0·52 μg/g. Maternal seafood intake was associated with Hg level (r 0·33; P < 0·0001). There was no association between Hg level and fetal growth in the whole sample of women, except for an early negative relationship with biparietal diameter. A positive association was found between seafood intake and fetal growth in overweight women only which remained unchanged after adjustment for Hg level (birth weight: +101 g for a difference of 1 sd in seafood consumption; P = 0·008). Although seafood intake was associated with Hg contamination in French pregnant women, the contamination level was low. There was no consistent association between Hg level and fetal growth. Taking into account Hg level did not modify associations between seafood intake and fetal growth.
Determination of thein vivoprebiotic potential of a maize-based whole grain breakfast cereal: a human feeding study
Authors: Carvalho-Wells Andrew L. , Helmolz Kathrin , Nodet Cecelia , Molzer Christine , Leonard Clare , McKevith Brigid , Thielecke Frank , Jackson Kim G. , Tuohy Kieran M. 
Published: May 2010

Epidemiological studies have shown an inverse relationship between risk of CVD and intake of whole grain (WG)-rich food. Regular consumption of breakfast cereals can provide not only an increase in dietary WG but also improvements to cardiovascular health. Various mechanisms have been proposed, including prebiotic modulation of the colonic microbiota. In the present study, the prebiotic activity of a maize-derived WG cereal (WGM) was evaluated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled human feeding study (n32). For a period of 21 d, healthy men and women, mean age 32 (sd8) years and BMI 23·3 (sd0·58) kg/m2, consumed either 48 g/d WG cereal (WGM) or 48 g placebo cereal (non-whole grain (NWG)) in a crossover fashion. Faecal samples were collected at five points during the study on days 0, 21, 42, 63 and 84 (representing at baseline, after both treatments and both wash-out periods). Faecal bacteriology was assessed using fluorescencein situhybridisation with 16S rRNA oligonucleotide probes specific forBacteroidesspp.,Bifidobacteriumspp.,Clostridium histolyticum/perfringenssubgroup,Lactobacillus–Enterococcussubgroup and total bacteria. After 21 d consumption of WGM, mean group levels of faecal bifidobacteria increased significantly compared with the control cereal (P = 0·001). After a 3-week wash-out period, bifidobacterial levels returned to pre-intervention levels. No statistically significant changes were observed in serum lipids, glucose or measures of faecal output. In conclusion, this WG maize-enriched breakfast cereal mediated a bifidogenic modulation of the gut microbiota, indicating a possible prebiotic mode of action.
BEING IGBO AND MUSLIM: THE IGBO OF SOUTH-EASTERN NIGERIA AND CONVERSIONS TO ISLAM, 1930s TO RECENT TIMES
Authors: UCHENDU EGODI 
Published: May 2010

ABSTRACTAmid assumptions of a hegemonic Igbo Christian identity, conversions to Islam began in the late 1930s in the Igbo territory of south-east Nigeria – the only region in the country that was not touched by the nineteenth-century Islamic jihad and subsequent efforts to extend the borders of Islam in Nigeria. Four decades after the emergence of Islam in the Igbo homeland, and with the mixed blessings of a civil war, Igboland began to manifest clear evidence of indigenous Muslim presence. A key aspect of this article is how one can be both Igbo and Muslim. It considers the complex interplay of religious and ethnic identities of Igbo Muslims (including the mapping of religious values onto ethnic ones) until the 1990s, when Igbo Muslims began to disentangle ethnicity from religion, a development that owes much to the progress of Islamic education in Igboland and the emergence of Igbo Muslim scholars and clerics. Igbo reactions to conversions to Islam and the perceived threat of these conversions to Igbo Christian identity also receive some attention in this article.
MILITANTS, MOTHERS, AND THE NATIONAL FAMILY:UJAMAA, GENDER, AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN POSTCOLONIAL TANZANIA
Authors: LAL PRIYA 
Published: May 2010

ABSTRACTBetween 1964 and 1975, development politics in Tanzania came to be organized around a version ofujamaathat normalized distinct gender roles and celebrated a generic ideal of the nuclear family. Yet asujamaavillagization unfolded on the ground in the south-eastern region of Mtwara, rural people's practices rarely conformed to the ideas about gender and family implicit in official discourse and policy. Just as the institution of the family on the ground proved to be a complicated and fractured one, the Tanzanian state's understanding of familyhood and the larger project ofujamaawere deeply riddled with internal tensions.
‘State failure’ in theory and practice: the idea of the state and the contradictions of state formation
Authors: ERIKSEN STEIN SUNDSTØL 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThis article provides a critique of the discourse of ‘failed states’, and outlines an alternative approach. It is argued that by taking the model of the modern state for granted, and by analysing all states in terms of their degree of correspondence with or deviation from this ideal, this discourse does not help us understand the nature of the states in question, or the processes that lead to strong or weak states. Instead, the idea of the state should be treated as a category of practice and not as a category of analysis. Post-colonial state formation could then be analysed by focusing on the inter-relationship between the idea of the state and actual state practices, and on the ways that states have become linked to domestic society on the one hand and their relations with the external world on the other.
Future directions in Antarctic psychology research
Authors: Norris Kimberley , Paton Douglas , Ayton Jeff 
Published: May 2010

AbstractAlthough existing research regarding the experience of Antarctic employment has primarily focused on the absence period (i.e. the period of time in which the expeditioner physically works in Antarctica), it has been repeatedly demonstrated that the majority of expeditioners experience positive outcomes associated with their time ‘on the ice’ despite transient (and frequently subclinical) physical, psychological, and social difficulties. Research strategies directed towards the individual experience of the expeditioner have not been able to fully account for the processes underpinning the adjustment processes that have facilitated seemingly resilient and growth outcomes. Similarly, insufficient research attention has been given to the separate phases of Antarctic employment, nor the potential interdependence between them, which may also provide further insight into these processes. To address these issues it has been argued that an approach incorporating individual, interpersonal, and organizational factors throughout the Antarctic employment experience, from pre-departure through absence, reunion, and reintegration, be adopted.
Brothels: outlaws or citizens?
Authors: Crofts Penny 
Published: May 2010

AbstractHistorically, sex services premises in New South Wales, Australia were regarded and regulated as illegal and disorderly entities; they were policed as outlaws. The Disorderly Houses Amendment Act 1995 [NSW] bestowed legal status, providing an opportunity to regulate sex services premises as legal subjects. Despite these reforms, in many areas brothels continue to be regulated more restrictively than other businesses. I argue that this is because, for many, brothels continue to be perceived as outlaws. They are regarded as inherently unlawful, disorderly, and hence warranting and requiring exclusion from the community. I argue that this conception of brothels as outlaws is constructed and reinforced through regulation. In contrast, some local councils and Land and Environment Court decisions have taken up the opportunity to regard and regulate sex services premises as legal subjects or citizens. The conception of sex services premises as citizen imports an existing legal framework, with associated accountabilities, rights and responsibilities. This shift in conception results in people viewing sex services premises differently, experiencing them differently and regulating them differently.
Does human imitate successful behaviors immediately?
Authors: Xu Zhao-Jin , Zhang Lian-Zhong 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThe emergence and abundance of cooperation in animal and human societies is a challenging puzzle to evolutionary biology. Over the past decades, various mechanisms have been suggested which are capable of supporting cooperation. Imitation dynamics, however, are the most representative microscopic rules of human behaviors on studying these mechanisms. Their standard procedure is to choose the agent to imitate at random from the population. In the spatial version this means a random agent from the neighborhood. Hence, imitation rules do not include the possibility to explore the available strategies, and then they have the possibility to reach a homogeneous state rapidly when the population size is small. To prevent evolution stopping, theorists allow for random mutations in addition to the imitation dynamics. Consequently, if the microscopic rules involve both imitation and mutation, the frequency of agents switching to the more successful strategy must be higher than that of them transiting to the same target strategy via mutation dynamics. Here we show experimentally that the frequency of switching to successful strategy approximates to that of mutating to the same strategy. This suggests that imitation might play an insignificant role on the behaviors of human decision making. In addition, our experiments show that the probabilities of agents mutating to different target strategies are significantly distinct. The actual mutation theories cannot give us an appropriate explanation to the experimental results. Hence, we argue that the mutation dynamics might have evolved for other reasons.
Popular education and social change in Latin America
Authors: Jara Oscar H. 
Published: May 2010

Abstract
This article identifies the shortcomings of the dominant approach to education around the globe today, which does not lead to equitable development. Latin American thinkers point to an alternative perspective based on solidarity, inclusion and humanity. Such a perspective puts social change at the heart of education and is evident in what is known as Popular Education. Jara defines and analyses these complex terms, and provides an historical overview of the development of popular education in Latin America since 1960. He notes the key factors: popular education is ‘substantively political’, and it is underpinned by a liberating pedagogy which is possible in both formal as well as informal education, and which builds people's capacities to question their reality and existing ideologies, and to learn and unlearn continuously.
Disruption ofptLPD1orptLPD2, Genes That Encode Isoforms of the Plastidial Lipoamide Dehydrogenase, Confers Arsenate Hypersensitivity in Arabidopsis
Authors: Chen Weihua , Chi Yingjun , Taylor Nicolas L. , Lambers Hans , Finnegan Patrick M. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractArsenic is a ubiquitous environmental poison that inhibits root elongation and seed germination to a variable extent depending on the plant species. To understand the molecular mechanisms of arsenic resistance, a genetic screen was developed to isolate arsenate overly sensitive (aos) mutants from an activation-tagged Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) population. Three aos mutants were isolated, and the phenotype of each was demonstrated to be due to an identical disruption of plastidial LIPOAMIDE DEHYDROGENASE1 (ptLPD1), a gene that encodes one of the two E3 isoforms found in the plastidial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. In the presence of arsenate, ptlpd1-1 plants exhibited reduced root and shoot growth and enhanced anthocyanin accumulation compared with wild-type plants. The ptlpd1-1 plants accumulated the same amount of arsenic as wild-type plants, indicating that the aos phenotype was not due to increased arsenate in the tissues but to an increase in the innate sensitivity to the poison. Interestingly, a ptlpd1-4 knockdown allele produced a partial aos phenotype. Two loss-of-function alleles of ptLPD2 in Arabidopsis also caused elevated arsenate sensitivity, but the sensitivity was less pronounced than for the ptlpd1 mutants. Moreover, both the ptlpd1 and ptlpd2 mutants were more sensitive to arsenite than wild-type plants, and the LPD activity in isolated chloroplasts from wild-type plants was sensitive to arsenite but not arsenate. These findings show that the ptLPD isoforms are critical in vivo determinants of arsenite-mediated arsenic sensitivity in Arabidopsis and possible strategic targets for increasing arsenic tolerance.
The Maize Mixed-Linkage (1→3),(1→4)-β-d-Glucan Polysaccharide Is Synthesized at the Golgi Membrane
Authors: Carpita Nicholas C. , McCann Maureen C. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractWith the exception of cellulose and callose, the cell wall polysaccharides are synthesized in Golgi membranes, packaged into vesicles, and exported to the plasma membrane where they are integrated into the microfibrillar structure. Consistent with this paradigm, several published reports have shown that the maize (Zea mays) mixed-linkage (1→3),(1→4)-β-d-glucan, a polysaccharide that among angiosperms is unique to the grasses and related Poales species, is synthesized in vitro with isolated maize coleoptile Golgi membranes and the nucleotide-sugar substrate, UDP-glucose. However, a recent study reported the inability to detect the β-glucan immunocytochemically at the Golgi, resulting in a hypothesis that the mixed-linkage β-glucan oligomers may be initiated at the Golgi but are polymerized at the plasma membrane surface. Here, we demonstrate that (1→3),(1→4)-β-d-glucans are detected immunocytochemically at the Golgi of the developing maize coleoptiles. Further, when maize seedlings at the third-leaf stage were pulse labeled with [14C]O2 and Golgi membranes were isolated from elongating cells at the base of the developing leaves, (1→3),(1→4)-β-d-glucans of an average molecular mass of 250 kD and higher were detected in isolated Golgi membranes. When the pulse was followed by a chase period, the labeled polysaccharides of the Golgi membrane diminished with subsequent transfer to the cell wall. (1→3),(1→4)-β-d-Glucans of at least 250 kD were isolated from cell walls, but much larger aggregates were also detected, indicating a potential for intermolecular interactions with glucuronoarabinoxylans or intermolecular grafting in muro.
Bs1, a New Chimeric Gene Formed by Retrotransposon-Mediated Exon Shuffling in Maize
Authors: Elrouby Nabil , Bureau Thomas E. 
Published: May 2010

Abstract
Transposons are major components of all eukaryotic genomes. Although traditionally regarded as causes of detrimental mutations, recent evidence suggests that transposons may play a role in host gene diversification and evolution. For example, host gene transduction by retroelements has been suggested to be both common and to have the potential to create new chimeric genes by the shuffling of existing sequences. We have previously shown that the maize (Zea mays subsp. mays) retrotransposon Bs1 has transduced sequences from three different host genes. Here, we provide evidence that these transduction events led to the generation of a chimeric new gene that is both transcribed and translated. Expression of Bs1 is tightly controlled and occurs during a narrow developmental window in early ear development. Although all Bs1-associated transduction events took place before Zea speciation, a full uninterrupted open reading frame encoding the BS1 protein may have arisen in domesticated maize or in the diverse populations of its progenitor Z. mays subsp. parviglumis. We discuss potential functions based on domain conservation and evidence for functional constraints between the transduced sequences and their host gene counterparts.