bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Extremely acidic, pendulous cave wall biofilms from the Frasassi cave system, Italy
Authors: Macalady Jennifer L. , Jones Daniel S. , Lyon Ezra H. 
Published: February 2007

SummaryThe sulfide‐rich Frasassi cave system hosts an aphotic, subsurface microbial ecosystem including extremely acidic (pH 0–1), viscous biofilms (snottites) hanging from the cave walls. We investigated the diversity and population structure of snottites from three locations in the cave system using full cycle rRNA methods and culturing. The snottites were composed primarily of bacteria related to Acidithiobacillus species. Other populations present in the snottites included Thermoplasmata group archaea, bacteria related to Sulfobacillus, Acidimicrobium, and the proposed bacterial lineage TM6, protists, and filamentous fungi. Based on fluorescence in situ hybridization population counts, Acidithiobacillus are key members of the snottite communities, accompanied in some cases by smaller numbers of archaea related to Ferroplasma and other Thermoplasmata. Diversity estimates show that the Frasassi snottites are among the lowest‐diversity natural microbial communities known, with one to six prokaryotic phylotypes observed depending on the sample. This study represents the first in‐depth molecular survey of cave snottite microbial diversity and population structure, and contributes to understanding of rapid limestone dissolution and cave formation by microbially mediated sulfuric acid speleogenesis.
The evidence‐based pathway for peri‐operative management of open and robotically assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy
Authors: Kaufman Melissa R. , Baumgartner Roxelyn G. , Anderson Laura W. , Smith Joseph A. , Chang Sam S. , Herrell S. Duke , Cookson Michael S. 
Published: February 2007

Associate EditorAsh TewariEditorial BoardRalph Clayman, USAInderbir Gill, USARoger Kirby, UKMani Menon, USAOBJECTIVETo assess reports supporting the novel and comprehensive evidence‐based pathway for radical prostatectomy (RP), as collaborative‐care pathways have helped to optimize management of patients treated with RP and such clinical pathways provide an ideal framework for constructing an original evidence‐based pathway for the complete peri‐operative care of these patients.PATIENTS AND METHODSWe searched for articles on Medline via PubMed to identify reports describing consensus opinions on appropriate aspects of the peri‐operative management of patients treated with RP, specifically seeking to discern information on preoperative antibiotic regimen, peri‐operative laboratory testing, use of β‐blockers for those at cardiac risk, pulmonary treatment, deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis, diet advancement, pain management, anti‐emetic use, bowel regimen, and catheter removal after RP.RESULTSAvailable reports were used to substantiate each variable of our collaborative‐care pathway for RP. When available, meta‐analyses were used to provide a broad review of the recognized clinical research. Otherwise, many controlled studies and retrospective reviews were relied upon to provide evidence to construct a framework for clinical decision‐making.CONCLUSIONSThis is the first pathway for the peri‐operative management of major urological procedure that is well integrated into current literature. The critical aspects of clinical decision‐making in the patient treated with RP were validated by the available research.
Seasonal patterns in biomass smoke pollution and the mid 20th‐century transition from Aboriginal to European fire management in northern Australia
Authors: Bowman David M. J. S. , Dingle Joanne K. , Johnston Fay H. , Parry David , Foley Michael 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTAim  Globally, most landscape burning occurs in the tropical savanna biome, where fire is a characteristic of the annual dry season. In northern Australia there is uncertainty about how the frequency and timing of dry season fires have changed in the transition from Aboriginal to European fire management.Location  In the tropical eucalypt savannas that surround the city of Darwin in the northwest of the Northern Territory of Australia.Methods  Our study had three parts: (1) we developed a predictive statistical model of mean mass (µg) of particulates 10 µm or less per cubic metre of air (PM10) using visibility and other meteorological data in Darwin during the dry seasons of 2000 and 2004; (2) we tested the model and its application to the broader air shed by (a) matching the prediction of this model to PM10 measurements made in Darwin in 2005, (b) matching the predictions to independent measurements at two locations 20 km to the north and south of Darwin and (c) matching peaks in PM10 to known major fire events in the region (2000–01 dry seasons); and (3) we used the model to explore changes in air quality over the last 50 years, a period that spans the transition from Aboriginal to European land management.Results  We demonstrated that visibility data can be used reliably as a proxy for biomass burning across the largely uncleared tropical savannas inland of Darwin. Validations using independent measurements demonstrated that our predictive model was robust, and geographically and temporally representative of the regional airshed. We used the model to hindcast and found that seasonal air quality has changed since 1955, with a trend to increasing PM10 concentrations in the early dry season.Main conclusions  The results suggest that the transition from Aboriginal to European land management has been associated with an increase in fire activity in the early months of the dry season.
Modelling the effects of climate change on the potential feeding activity of Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Den. & Schiff.) (Lep., Notodontidae) in France
Authors: Robinet Christelle , Baier Peter , Pennerstorfer Josef , Schopf Axel , Roques Alain 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTAim  We investigated whether climate change has affected the potential feeding activity of a winter active larva, the pine processionary moth (PPM), Thaumetopoea pityocampa L., and whether it may explain its range expansion.Location  The study area is France and, at a smaller scale, the Paris Basin.Methods  We used a statistical model derived from Huchon and Démolin [1970 Revue Forestière Française (special issue: La lutte biologique en forêt), 220–234] to test whether their model, updated with climate change, could explain the observed range expansion. Since Battisti and colleagues have recently shown that climate could affect survival of the PPM through its effect on feeding activity, we also developed a mechanistic model based on larval feeding requirements (night air temperature above 0 °C and temperature inside the nest above 9 °C on the preceding day). We reconstructed the geographical distribution of feeding activity and we compared the resulting change with the PPM range expansion.Results  The statistical model did not successfully predict the observed expansion but the mechanistic model showed considerable change in the feeding activity of the PPM. In the Paris Basin, the PPM border coincided with a zone unfavourable for feeding activity in the period 1992–96. Feeding conditions became more favourable in the period 2001–04, and the PPM succeeded in crossing this zone. Over larger temporal and spatial scales improved feeding conditions in the north‐western part of France were forecast by the mechanistic model.Main conclusions  (1) The range distribution of the PPM in the Paris Basin is no longer limited by unfavourable feeding conditions. (2) The pattern of range expansion of the PPM is now governed mainly by its dispersal capabilities and host tree distribution. (3) At the country scale, this approach gives an approximate prediction of the potential distribution of the PPM, though the model may not be reliable in mountainous regions.
Effects of seasonality on the species–area relationship: a case study with birds in urban parks
Authors: Murgui Enrique 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTAim  To examine how parameters of the species–area curve and factors determining bird species richness are affected by seasonality.Location  One hundred and thirty urban parks of the city of Valencia (Spain) ranging between 0.03 and 18.6 ha.Methods  Bird censuses were conducted monthly during 1998 and 2004. For each park, 27 variables were recorded as measures of size, structure and isolation. Linear regression was used to test for patterns in species richness relative to independent variables. The results of each season were compared.Results  Curves corresponding to the breeding period (spring–summer) had significantly higher intercepts, but slopes did not change across seasons. Turnover rates of resident species were dependent on patch size and isolation considering spring, but not autumn, from different years. Additionally, turnover rates in spring were lower in parks in close proximity to others than in isolated ones. In all seasons, the number of bird species showed a strong relationship with park area, which explained c. 60% of the variation in species numbers. Habitat variables and park isolation explained a small amount of the variation in species numbers. The data did not give support to the random placement hypothesis.Main conclusions  The overall conclusions of this study give little support to the possible influence of seasonality on species–area relationship or on the three main hypotheses explaining it. This lack of influence of seasonality could be explained by the seasonal stability of the bird populations of the parks within the study area as a consequence of different factors, mainly the characteristics of the species pool, similarity in the features of the parks irrespective of their size, and stability of resources and conditions across seasons. The question of whether this lack of influence of seasonality on the species–area relationship occurs in those ecological systems that have a larger seasonal variation than the urban parks of the study area remains unresolved. Closer examination of the seasonal patterns reported in this study is likely to be useful in increasing our understanding of the species–area relationship.
Heterologous signals allow efficient targeting of a nuclear‐encoded fusion protein to plastids and endoplasmic reticulum in diverse plant species
Authors: Gnanasambandam Annathurai , Polkinghorne Ian G. , Birch Robert G. 
Published: February 2007

SummaryApproximately 30% of plant nuclear genes appear to encode proteins targeted to the plastids or endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The signals that direct proteins into these compartments are diverse in sequence, but, on the basis of a limited number of tests in heterologous systems, they appear to be functionally conserved across species. To further test the generality of this conclusion, we tested the ability of two plastid transit peptides and an ER signal peptide to target green fluorescent protein (GFP) in 12 crops, including three monocots (barley, sugarcane, wheat) and nine dicots (Arabidopsis, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, lettuce, radish, tobacco, turnip). In all species, transient assays following microprojectile bombardment or vacuum infiltration using Agrobacterium showed that the plastid transit peptides from tomato DCL (defective chloroplast and leaves) and tobacco RbcS [ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) small subunit] genes were effective in targeting GFP to the leaf plastids. GFP engineered as a fusion to the N‐terminal ER signal peptide from Arabidopsis basic chitinase and a C‐terminal HDEL signal for protein retention in the ER was accumulated in the ER of all species. The results in tobacco were confirmed in stably transformed cells. These signal sequences should be useful to direct proteins to the plastid stroma or ER lumen in diverse plant species of biotechnological interest for the accumulation of particular recombinant proteins or for the modification of particular metabolic streams.
Suppression and restoration of male fertility using a transcription factor
Authors: Li Song Feng , Iacuone Sylvana , Parish Roger W. 
Published: February 2007

SummaryThe Arabidopsis AtMYB103 gene codes for an R2R3 MYB domain protein whose expression is restricted to the tapetum of developing anthers and to trichomes. Down‐regulation of expression using anti‐sense leads to abnormal tapetum and pollen development, although seed setting still occurs (Higginson, T., Li, S.F. and Parish, R.W. (2003) AtMYB103 regulates tapetum and trichome development in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant J. 35, 177–192). In this study, we show that blocking the function of the AtMYB103 gene, employing either an insertion mutant or an AtMYB103EAR chimeric repressor construct under the control of the AtMYB103 promoter, results in complete male sterility and failure to set seed. These plants exhibit similar abnormalities in tapetum and pollen development, with the tapetum becoming highly vacuolated at early stages and degenerating prematurely. No exine is deposited on to the pollen wall. The degeneration of pollen grains commences prior to pollen mitosis, the pollen collapsing and largely lacking cytoplasmic content. A restorer containing the AtMYB103 gene under the control of a stronger anther‐specific promoter was introduced into pollen donor plants and crossed into the male sterile plants transgenic for the repressor. The male fertility of F1 plants was restored. The chimeric repressor and the restorer constitute a reversible male sterility system which could be adapted for hybrid seed production. This is the first reversible male sterility system targeting a transcription factor essential for pollen development. Strategies for generating inducible male sterility and maintainable male sterility for the production of hybrid crops are discussed.
The complete nucleotide sequence of the coffee (Coffea arabicaL.) chloroplast genome: organization and implications for biotechnology and phylogenetic relationships amongst angiosperms
Authors: Samson Nalapalli , Bausher Michael G. , Lee Seung‐Bum , Jansen Robert K. , Daniell Henry 
Published: February 2007

SummaryThe chloroplast genome sequence ofCoffea arabicaL., the first sequenced member of the fourth largest family of angiosperms, Rubiaceae, is reported. The genome is 155 189 bp in length, including a pair of inverted repeats of 25 943 bp. Of the 130 genes present, 112 are distinct and 18 are duplicated in the inverted repeat. The coding region comprises 79 protein genes, 29 transfer RNA genes, four ribosomal RNA genes and 18 genes containing introns (three with three exons). Repeat analysis revealed five direct and three inverted repeats of 30 bp or longer with a sequence identity of 90% or more. Comparisons of the coffee chloroplast genome with sequenced genomes of the closely related family Solanaceae indicated that coffee has a portion ofrps19duplicated in the inverted repeat and an intact copy ofinfA. Furthermore, whole‐genome comparisons identified large indels (> 500 bp) in several intergenic spacer regions and introns in the Solanaceae, includingtrnE(UUC)–trnT(GGU) spacer,ycf4–cemAspacer,trnI(GAU) intron andrrn5–trnR(ACG) spacer. Phylogenetic analyses based on the DNA sequences of 61 protein‐coding genes for 35 taxa, performed using both maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood methods, strongly supported the monophyly of several major clades of angiosperms, including monocots, eudicots, rosids, asterids, eurosids II, and euasterids I and II.Coffea(Rubiaceae, Gentianales) is only the second order sampled from the euasterid I clade. The availability of the complete chloroplast genome of coffee provides regulatory and intergenic spacer sequences for utilization in chloroplast genetic engineering to improve this important crop.
Collective Bargaining as Industrial Democracy: Hugh Clegg and the Political Foundations of British Industrial Relations Pluralism
Authors: Ackers Peter 
Published: February 2007

AbstractHugh Clegg and Allan Flanders are generally recognized as the founding fathers of postwar British academic Industrial Relations (IR). While Flanders is regarded as the chief ‘theorist’ of pluralism, Clegg’s own contribution is seen mainly in terms of his empirical research and public policy work: as the author of numerous detailed studies and the field’s major textbook, the first Director of the Industrial Relations Research Unit at the University of Warwick, a member of the Donovan Commission and many other enquiries. Indeed,Trade Unionism under Collective Bargaining(1976) is often regarded as Clegg’s one and only foray into IR theory. This paper explores Clegg’s largely forgotten early writing on industrial democracy to argue that he made a critical, independent theoretical contribution to the British IR paradigm.
Trade Unions and Political Participation in the European Union: Still Providing a Democratic Dividend?
Authors: D’Art Daryl , Turner Thomas 
Published: February 2007

AbstractDecline in electoral participation is a feature of many Western democracies. In this paper, we focus on the relationship between trade union membership and political participation. Workplace authority structures, trade union membership and union presence have been identified as important influences on electoral participation. Based on a survey of employees in 15 member states of the European Union, we test for a relationship between political participation, union membership and union workplace presence. The independent effect of trade union membership on political participation was found to be both significant and positive and is associated with higher levels of political activism and electoral participation. Furthermore, an institutional context that facilitates high levels of union density seems likely to have an overall positive effect on citizen participation.
We Provoked Business Students to Unionize: Using Deception to Prove an IR Point
Authors: Taras Daphne , Steel Piers 
Published: February 2007

AbstractMany industrial relations (IR) scholars experience some angst at their (mis)placement in business schools. While our expertise broadens the curriculum, the topics central to IR and union–management matters often are met with student resistance, particularly in North America. At our wits’ end, we decided to employ a deception simulation. We devised an award winning exercise that broke business students’ psychological contract with their professor and gave them an opportunity to organize collectively to redress this injustice. Students observed first‐hand the triggers of union organizing as well as their responses to inequity. Anonymous student feedback showed an overwhelmingly positive reception to the exercise. Ethical standards developed to scrutinize deception are used to review our own exercise according to our profession’s standards. Deception is rarely used in teaching and is often associated with malevolent, callous or selfish ends. We challenge this viewpoint. Its power is in generating relevant controversies and evoking emotions that help memory consolidation.
The Influence of Gender Differences on Story Retellings
Authors: Olson Arthur , Davies Anne 
Published: February 2007

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to determine the differences between third and sixth grade female and male students when retelling orally a story read silently. The students' retelling of the story was analyzed by comparing how closely, both structurally and linguistically, they paralleled the T‐units or communication units of the author. In general, female students performed significantly differently than did male students. The researchers examine these differences in light of recent research in the area of gender differences.
Comparing modes of privatisation: a study of the telecommunications sectors in Argentina and Mexico, 1990–2000
Authors: Tuman John P. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTThis article examines the variation in the post‐privatisation pattern of labour and employment relations in the telecommunications sectors of Argentina and Mexico. The findings suggest that the initial mode of privatisation—negotiated vs. imposed reform—shaped changes in employment, subcontracting and work rules in the period following privatisation. The research also suggests, however, that negotiated reform is more likely to emerge only when certain political incentives are present.
Maternal health in Northern Nigeria—a far cry from ideal
Authors: Galadanci HS , Ejembi CL , Iliyasu Z , Alagh B , Umar US 
Published: February 2007

Objective  To determine the level of maternal care in Northern Nigeria.Design  A cross‐sectional descriptive study design was used.Setting  The Study was Community based and carried out in the ten states that constitute UNICEF D zone in northeast Nigeria.Population  Women who delivered in the 11 months preceding the survey and resident in the study area.Methods  The WHO cluster sampling methodology was used to draw a sample of 210 eligible women in each of the 10 local government areas (LGAs).Main outcome measures  Utilization of antenatal care (ANC) services, tetanous toxoid immunization, skilled attendant at delivery and postnatal care.Results  Majority of the respondents, 73.2%, were between the ages 20 and 34 years. Overall, 50% of the women attended antenatal clinics during their last pregnancy, with a range of ANC coverage by LGA of 14.0–81.0%. The proportion of women who booked in the first, second and third trimesters was 22.8, 63.0 and 14.2%, respectively. The antenatal services offered ranged from 95.7% for abdominal examination to 41.2% for urine examination. Sixty percent of the women received no tetanus toxoid in their last pregnancy, 11% had one dose and 29% had at least two doses. Home delivery was still the norm throughout the zone with 1791 (85.3%) delivering at home. Up to 80.5% of the deliveries were supervised by personnel with no verifiable training in sanitary birthing techniques. Only 11.4% (233) of those who received ANC had postnatal check‐up.Conclusions  Maternal health care as evidenced above is far from the ideal. Likewise, the commitment of the 5th Millennium Development Goal is extremely far‐reaching: to reduce the maternal mortality ratio by 75% by the year 2015 with this level of maternal care.
Isolation and characterization of eight microsatellite loci in the icefish Chaenocephalus aceratus (Perciformes, Notothenioidei, Channichthyidae)
Authors: SUSANA EMANUELE , PAPETTI CHIARA , BARBISAN FEDERICA , BORTOLOTTO ERICA , BUCCOLI SIMONA , PATARNELLO TOMASO , ZANE LORENZO 
Published: February 2007

AbstractWe characterized eight polymorphic microsatellites in the Scotia icefish Chaenocephalus aceratus (Perciformes, Notothenioidei, Channichthyidae) that is endemic of Southern Ocean waters surrounding the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Microsatellites were isolated from a partial genomic library enriched for an AC motif. The number of alleles ranged from two to 19 with a mean observed hererozygosity of 0.71. Loci were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and no evidence for linkage disequilibrium was found. These molecular markers will be useful to investigate Scotia icefish genetic structure, possibly providing insights on its effective population size and demographic history.
Characterization of microsatellite loci isolated in Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus)
Authors: JOHN J. ST. , KYSELA R. F. , OYLER‐MCCANCE S. J. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractPrimers for 15 microsatellite loci were developed for Mountain Plover, a species whose distribution and abundance have been reduced drastically in the past 30 years. In a screen of 126 individuals collected from four breeding locales across the species’ range, levels of polymorphism ranged from two to 13 alleles per locus. No two loci were found to be linked, although one locus revealed significant departures from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. These microsatellite loci can be used in population genetic studies, ultimately aiding in management efforts for Mountain Plover. Additionally, these markers can potentially be used in studies investigating the mating system of Mountain Plover.