bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The process of domestication
Authors: CLUTTON‐BROCK JULIET 
Published: April 2008

AbstractDomestication involves both culture and biology. The cultural process of domestication begins when animals are incorporated into the social structure of a human community and become objects of ownership, inheritance, purchase and exchange. The morphological changes that occur in domestic animals come second to this integration into human society. The biological process resembles evolution and begins when a small number of parent animals are separated from the wild species and are habituated to humans. These animals form a founder group, which is changed over successive generations, in response to natural selection under the new regime imposed by the human community and its environment, and also by artificial selection for economic, cultural, or aesthetic reasons. In the wild, the evolution of a subspecies occurs when a segment of a species becomes reproductively isolated by a geographical barrier. With domestic animals, this separation leads to the development of different breeds.
Pets and pests in Roman and medieval Britain
Authors: O'CONNOR T. P. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractHumans and other vertebrates interact in a variety of relationships which are inadequately described by a simple division of these other animals into wild, feral, tame, and domestic taxa. Discussion of the process and semantic meaning of domestication has largely taken place in the context of the adoption of settled agriculture, but is equally relevant to complex urban societies. Certain species adopted a synanthropic relationship in the first ‘villages’ of the early Holocene, and co‐existence with pets has a similar antiquity. The nature of the relationship between people and their pets is complex, and scarcely amenable to archaeological investigation, as part of the mutual benefit has an emotional basis, or centres on the symbolic role of certain species within different societies. The status of Cats in medieval towns in Britain and Ireland is a case in point, with opinions varying from the exploitation of Cats for skins, through neglected feral living, to a pet status much as today. The truth probably subsumes all three interpretations. Rats seem to have adapted to commensalism in northern Europe more slowly than Mice, and there may be evidence that Rats were more vulnerable to changes in habitat. Archaeology can usefully examine the community ecology of Roman and medieval towns, but any such research must move away from simple concepts of wild or domestic status.
A review of the endoparasites of wild House Mice Mus domesticus
Authors: TATTERSALL F.H. , NOWELL F. , SMITH R.H. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractA tabular checklist of the parasites of wild House Mice Mus domesticus is presented, with data on prevalence rates and geographic location. Parasites most often recorded are: Syphacia obvelata, Taenia taeniformis, Aspiculuris tetraptera, Hymenolepis diminuta and Trichuris maris. The near‐global distribution of House Mice and their ability to survive in a wide range of conditions render House Mouse parasites ideal for the study of environmental influences on parasites and transmission of parasites to new hosts.
Arthropod parasites of elephant‐shrews, with particular reference to ticks
Authors: FOURIE L.J. , TOIT J. S. DU , KOK D. J. , HORAK I. G. 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACTElephant‐shrews from sub‐Saharan Africa are infested by a large variety of arthropod parasites including ticks, mites, fleas, lice and the larvae of a calliphorid fly. Lists of the ectoparasites recorded from these animals are presented. Of particular importance are the ixodid ticks infesting elephantshrews, as several of these can cause toxicosis, particularly paralysis in domestic animals, while others serve as important vectors of disease. Twenty‐seven ixodid tick species belonging to six genera recorded from elephant‐shrews are listed. Both host‐and tick‐dependent factors must be examined in order to determine the ecology of ticks infesting elephant‐shrews and their relationship to disease in domestic and wild animals.
The male reproductive system and the phylogeny of elephant‐shrews (Macroscelidea)
Authors: WOODALL PETER F. 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACTElephant‐shrews show many unusual features of their reproductive systems. The testes lie in the abdominal cavity, just caudal to the kidneys, and are relatively very small. The epididymis is long and most sperm are stored in a coiled region, possibly homologous to the cauda epididymidis, adjacent to the rectum. Spermatogenesis occurs throughout the year but there are marked seasonal changes in the size of the testis and accessory glands. The spermatozoa have a spatulate‐shaped nucleus with a long acrosome. The subacrosome is pointed or more rounded in Macroscelides and Petrodromus but is anvil‐shaped in Elephantulus with lateral barbs. Coarse fibres 1,5,6 and 9 are enlarged but in E. edwardii there is a great enlargement of all the coarse fibres. The accessory glands consist of five pairs of prostate glands, a uterus masculinus and a pair of bulbourethral glands. The penis is very long and runs cranially under the abdominal skin. The distal end of the glans has a characteristic shape for each genus. Features of the male reproductive system give no support for the suggested relationship of elephant‐shrews with lagomorphs and rodents but do show some similarities with the paenungulates (hyrax, elephant and sireneans).
The social and reproductive biology of Humpback Whales: an ecological perspective
Authors: CLAPHAM PHILLIP J. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractExisting knowledge of the social organization, mating system and reproduction of Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) is reviewed to assess how our current understanding of this wide‐ranging marine mammal fits into the predictive framework developed from ecological studies of more accessible terrestrial taxa. The small unstable groups characteristic of this species on its summer feeding grounds appear to be a function of absence of predation and of the patchy, mobile nature of most prey; the absence of territoriality and the minimal importance of kinship in associations are also predictable consequences of the latter. The mating system is similar to both leks and to male dominance polygyny, in which males display (sing) or directly compete (perhaps sometimes in coalitions) for access to females. However, the rigid spatial structure characteristic of classic leks is absent. The mating system of this species is sufficiently different to merit a novel category, and ‘floating lek’ is proposed. The widespread distribution of females resulting from absence of both predation and resources during the breeding season preclude simultaneous monopolization by males of more than one potential mate. Furthermore, these factors, together with a male‐biased operational sex ratio, minimize the possibility of competition among females. The intensity of intrasexual competition among males conforms to predictions derived from information on testis size and from expectation of future reproductive success. Female choice and, to a lesser extent, differential allocation of competitive effort by males, appears likely. Lack of interpopulation variation in social and mating behaviour, and in general reproductive biology, is likely a response to similarity of marine environmental conditions. Year‐to‐year variation in reproductive rates may be linked to variations in the abundance of prey. The invariably uniparous nature of female Humpback Whales is assumed to be related to the energetic demands of lactation, and the lower ratio of available energy partitioned to reproduction that is characteristic of larger mammals. The reversed sexual size dimorphism of this species may reflect different selective pressures on males and females. Finally, there is now evidence that, as in some other taxa, offspring sex ratio is related to maternal condition.
The conflict between humans and elephants in the central African forests
Authors: BARNES R. F. W. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractElephants and humans each suffer from the presence of the other when they occupy the same forests. Farmers risk losing their crops to elephants, while elephants are displaced by settlements, agriculture, roads and development projects. Elephants have also been hunted for ivory. The ivory trade in the equatorial forests expanded in the nineteenth century as Europe prospered, and then again in the twentieth century as the Far East prospered. Forest elephant numbers were depleted each time.Elephants are unpopular in the forest zone, and increasing human populations combined with the spread of democracy in central Africa pose a major threat to their future. If elephants are to be tolerated by villagers living in the equatorial forests, the costs they impose must be reduced and the benefits to the rural populace must be increased. A three‐pronged strategy is suggested, involving land‐use planning, measures to mitigate crop damage, and programmes to enhance the value of elephants. Elephants could be viewed as assets if their importance in the forest ecosystem were recognized, if they were domesticated for logging or transport, or if their presence was one of the factors which attracted tourists to the forest zone. However, management strategies based on hunting have the best chance of conserving elephants because of the importance of hunting in the culture of the forest people. Sport hunting for trophies may bring the greatest revenues. Community wildlife‐management programmes, where village councils make the decisions, could prevent overexploitation. There are no simple answers, however, because one form of management may conflict with the goals of another.
Changes in the distributions of Red and Grey Squirrels in Scotland
Authors: BRYCE J. 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACTChanges in the distribution of Red and Grey Squirrels in Forestry Commission land were examined using a replacement index for the period of 1980–94. Data from each administrative region in Scotland were examined separately. No region was found to have experienced a significant replacement of Red Squirrels by Grey Squirrels. However, significant trends in the area occupied by one or both Squirrel species were observed in the Borders and Strathclyde. Other areas appear to have experienced little or inconsistent changes in the last 15 years.
Speciation with gene flow could be common
Authors: NOSIL PATRIK 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThe likelihood of speciation in the face of homogenizing gene flow (i.e. without complete geographical isolation) is one of the most debated topics in evolutionary biology. Demonstrating this phenonemon is hampered by the difficulty of isolating the effects of time since population divergence vs. gene flow on levels of molecular genetic differentiation. For example, weak genetic differentiation between taxa could be due to recent divergence, gene flow, or a combination of these factors. Nonetheless, a number of convincing examples of speciation with gene flow have recently emerged, owing in part to the development of new analytical methods designed to estimate gene flow specifically. A recent example of speciation with gene flow in salamanders (Niemiller et al. 2008) further advances our understanding of this phenonemon, by showing that gene flow between cave and spring salamanders was ongoing during speciation, rather than having occurred after a long period of allopatric divergence. Future work on the ecological and genetic factors reducing gene flow will likely increase our understanding of the conditions that faciliate divergence in the face of gene flow.
Ancient DNA and conservation: lessons from the endangered kiwi of New Zealand
Authors: SHEPHERD L. D , LAMBERT D. M 
Published: April 2008

AbstractConservation genetics typically seeks to map the distribution of contemporary genetic variation across space, and to use the resulting genetic parameters to infer any likely short‐term evolutionary consequences for rare and endangered species. Recent developments in the study of ancient DNA now enable the extension of genetic variation studies backwards in time and provide a context by which to interpret contemporary levels of genetic variation, in addition to any patterns of genetic change over time. Ancient DNA research can also help to determine past levels of genetic diversity, identify species’ boundaries and reveal former ranges among morphologically cryptic taxa. Ancient DNA sequence data for the New Zealand kiwi (Apteryx spp.) are presented and we show that most ancient populations of rowi and tokoeka exhibited private mitochondrial DNA haplotypes. Moreover, we illustrate that the extinction of these populations has led to the loss of considerable genetic variation. We also use ancient DNA methodology to determine past species distributions for brown kiwi and great spotted kiwi whose bones are morphologically indistinguishable.
Loss of tafazzin in yeast leads to increased oxidative stress during respiratory growth
Authors: Chen Shuliang , He Quan , Greenberg Miriam L. 
Published: April 2008

SummaryThe tafazzin (TAZ) gene is highly conserved from yeast to humans, and the yeast taz1 null mutant shows alterations in cardiolipin (CL) metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction and stabilization of supercomplexes similar to those found in Barth syndrome, a human disorder resulting from loss of tafazzin. We have previously shown that the yeast tafazzin mutant taz1Δ, which cannot remodel CL, is ethanol‐sensitive at elevated temperature. In the current report, we show that in response to ethanol, CL mutants taz1Δ as well as crd1Δ, which cannot synthesize CL, exhibited increased protein carbonylation, an indicator of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The increase in ROS is most likely not due to defective oxidant defence systems, as the CL mutants do not display sensitivity to paraquat, menadione or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Ethanol sensitivity and increased protein carbonylation in the taz1Δ mutant but not in crd1Δ can be rescued by supplementation with oleic acid, suggesting that oleoyl‐CL and/or oleoyl‐monolyso‐CL enables growth of taz1Δ in ethanol by decreasing oxidative stress. Our findings of increased oxidative stress in the taz1Δ mutant during respiratory growth may have important implications for understanding the pathogenesis of Barth syndrome.
The ‘core’ and ‘accessory’ regulons of Pseudomonas‐specific extracytoplasmic sigma factors
Authors: Cornelis Pierre 
Published: April 2008

SummaryPyoverdine is a fluorescent, high‐affinity peptide siderophore produced by different Pseudomonas species. The genes for pyoverdine biosynthesis depend on PvdS, an extracytoplasmic sigma factor. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Swingle et al. demonstrate that in the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae PvdS not only regulates the production of pyoverdine (core regulon), but also controls expression of other genes likely to be involved in the adaptation to the environment (accessory regulon). This accessory regulon is variable, as different sets of genes seem to be recruited according to the Pseudomonas species and its specific ecological niche.
Purification and characterization of elicitor‐induced lipoxygenase in tobacco cells
Authors: Fournier Joélle , Pouénat Marie‐Laure , Rickauer Martina , Rabinovltch‐Chable Hélène , Rigaud Michel , Esquerré‐Tugayé Marie‐Thérèse 
Published: April 2008

SummaryLipoxygenase activity was induced in a tobacco cell suspension culture by treatment with glycopeptide elicitors prepared from the cell walls of Phytophthora parasitica var, nicotianae, and in tobacco seedlings infected by this fungal pathogen. Upon purification and characterization, the enzyme appeared to have a molecular weight of 96000, a pl of 5.1 and a Km of 20.9 μM with linoleic acid as substrate. According to its acidic optimum pH, it belongs to type‐2 lipoxygenases. Using linoleic, linolenic and arachidonic acids as substrates, the products formed in vitro by lipoxygenase were characterized. 9‐ and 5‐hydroperoxides were the main products obtained from the C18 and C20 fatty acids, respectively, thereby indicating that a 5‐lipoxygenase accounts for most of the elicitor‐induced activity, since the main site of insertion of molecular oxygen is on C‐5 of arachidonic acid. Small amounts of 13‐hydroperoxides were also formed from the C18 fatty acids. In vitro, the strongest inhibitors of tobacco lipoxygenase were n‐propylgallate and nordihydroguaiaretic acid. The possible involvement of this enzyme in signaling phenomena leading to defense induction in plants via jasmonic acid and other fatty acid‐derived products is discussed.
Accurate transcription initiation of Vicia faba rDNA in a whole cell extract from embryonic axes
Authors: Yamashita Junko , Nakajima Tadaka , Tanifuji Shigeyuki , Kato Atsushi 
Published: April 2008

SummaryAn in vitro assay system is presented for analyses of transcription of the Vicia faba rRNA gene. The system consists of a whole cell extract from the embryonic axes of V. faba, substrates and exogenously added rDNA fragments. Specific initiation at the promoter was determined by a size analysis of the transcripts synthesized from DNA templates of various molecular sizes. This transcription was dependent on RNA polymerase I, since the reaction mixtures contain α‐amanitin. Furthermore, the primer extension experiment showed that at least a part of each transcript started at the same nucleotide, which was previously determined by in vivo S1 analysis. Therefore, it is suggested that accurate transcription of the rRNA gene occurred in this system.
A clinical trial of red‐cell concentrate prepared from blood collected in half‐strength citrate anticoagulant
Authors: Murphy W. G. , Palmer J. B. , Wilson R. , Prowse C. V. , McClelland D. B. L. 
Published: April 2008

Summary. Earlier studies have indicated that plasma from blood donations drawn into half‐strength citrate anticoagulant (0·5 CPD‐A2) may give improved yields of factor VIII:C after fractionation. It has also been shown previously that cellular components from blood donations drawn into 05 CPD‐A2 have satisfactory in‐vitro and in‐vivo properties. The present study examines the clinical use of red cell concentrate (RCC) from 0·5 CPD‐A2 blood donations.Forty‐nine patients who were undergoing elective orthopaedic surgery and who required blood transfusion received 0·5 CPD‐A2 RCC. A transfused control group of 107 patients received standard CPD‐A1 RCC for their transfusion requirements. Patients in the two transfused groups had similar haemoglobin responses to transfusion. All patients experienced a moderate pyrexia following the operation. Both study groups showed similar responses to serum lactate dehydrogenase levels in the 2 weeks following surgery, and in postoperative peripheral blood platelet counts. Serious postoperative complications arose in both groups. In the 0·5 CPD‐A2 group two patients had pulmonary emboli (one fatal) and one patient had a non‐fatal myocardial infarction. Three patients had pulmonary emboli in the CPD‐A1 transfused group.These incidences of major adverse events were within the expected range of these complications in patients who were undergoing major joint replacement surgery and did not differ significantly between the study groups. This study indicates that red cell concentrate prepared in half‐strength citrate anticoagulant is comparable to that prepared in CPD‐A1 for patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery.
SAT, a ‘new’ low frequency blood group antigen, which may be associated with two different MNS variants
Authors: Daniels G. L. , Green C. A. , Okubo Y. , Seno T. , Yamaguchi H. , Ota S. , Taguchi T. , Tomonari Y. 
Published: April 2008

Summary. A new private blood group antigen, SAT, was identified in an NFLD‐Japanese woman as a result of testing 10,480 blood donors with a serum containing anti‐NFLD and anti‐SAT. Three other sera were subsequently also shown to contain anti‐SAT. The donor's family showed that SAT is inherited as a dominant character and may be associated with a weak M antigen. Serological and immunochemical analysis revealed no other aberrations in the MNS system.Study of a second SAT+ Japanese blood donor and his family suggested that SAT is associated with an unusual MNS variant resulting from a hybrid glycophorin comprising the N‐terminus of glycophorin A and the C‐terminus of glycophorin B. The propositus appears to be homozygous for the gene that produces the putative hybrid, which differs from previously described glycophorin (A‐B) hybrids by expressing no S, s or U antigen. SAT antigen, therefore, may be associated with two different MNS variants in the only two families in which it has been identified.
Transmission of HIV by transfusion of HIV‐screened blood: the value of a national register
Authors: Courtois F. , Jullien A. M. , Chenais F. , Noel L. , Pinon F. 
Published: April 2008

SUMMARY. A National Register of transfusion‐transmitted infections was opened by the French Society of Blood Transfusion on 1 October, 1986. Out of 54 initially reported cases of HIV‐infection, allegedly transmitted by blood components, further investigation could be completed in 33 cases. The transfusional origin of contamination was considered as established or probable in 28/33 cases, either because a potentially infectious unit was identified among those transfused to the recipient (23/28), or because the recipient was known to be seronegative before transfusion (5/28), or both (10/28). In 5/33 cases transfusion was considered as presumably responsible for contamination because no other risk factor was found in the recipient.Among the 33 documented cases of HIV‐transmission by screened blood, 29 (88%) occurred between 1985 and 1987, and four (12%) during 1988.Out of 19 implicated donors later found seropositive, 16 belonged to a high‐risk group for HIV‐infection. The majority of HIV‐infections occurred as a consequence of blood donation in the window period between contamination and the appearance of detectable antibodies in the donor's serum (11/19). In three instances, however, human and operational errors led to the release of seropositive units.We conclude that the main value of this Register is to provide a potential trend‐indicator of transfusion‐related infectious risks, to allow objective documentation of reported cases and to contribute to the improvement of blood transfusion practice.
A controlled trial of intra‐operative autologous transfusion in cardiothoracic surgery measuring effect on transfusion requirements and clinical outcome
Authors: Bell K. , Stott K. , Sinclair C. J. , Walker W. S. , Gillon J. 
Published: April 2008

SUMMARY. We carried out a prospective, controlled trial of intra‐operative autologous transfusion (IOAT) in cardiac surgery using the Haemonetics Cellsaver 4, to determine the effects on transfusion requirements and early clinical outcome. Intra‐operative autologous transfusion in unselected patients resulted in a reduction in the use of red cells in patients undergoing first‐time operations (IOAT median 3 units, controls median 4 units, P=0.0023), with no difference in the use of other blood products. Post‐operative haemoglobin was higher in IOAT patients (IOAT 11.6 g/dl ± 1.1 versus controls 11.2 g/dl ± 0.98, P < 0.001). There is therefore the potential for a further reduction in homologous blood use in the IOAT group. There was no difference in early clinical outcome in the two groups; in particular the incidence of coagulopathies was not influenced by IOAT.The routine use of IOAT would add substantially to the cost of these operations. The decision to use it must therefore be based on an assessment of the value of the reduction in risk to the patient achieved by a small reducton in homologous donor exposures.