bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fixed vs. Random Temporal Predictability of Predation Risk: An Extension of the Risk Allocation Hypothesis
Authors: Ferrari Maud C. O. , Rive Alix C. , MacNaughton Camille J. , Brown Grant E. , Chivers Douglas P. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractPredation is a strong selective force acting on prey animals. Predation is by nature highly variable in time; however, this aspect of predation risk has traditionally been overlooked by behavioural ecologists. Lima and Bednekoff proposed the predation risk allocation hypothesis (RAH), predicting how temporal variation in predation risk drives prey antipredator behaviours. This model is based on the concept that prey adaptively allocate their foraging and antipredator efforts across high‐ and low‐risk situations, depending on the duration of high‐ vs. low‐risk situations and the relative risk associated with each of them. An unstudied extension of the RAH is the effect of predictability of predation risk. A predictable risk should lead to prey displaying minimal vigilance behaviours during predictable low‐risk periods and the strongest antipredator behaviours during risky periods. Conversely, an unpredictable predation risk should result in prey displaying constant vigilance behaviour, with suboptimal foraging rates during periods of safety but antipredator behaviours of lower intensity during periods of risk. We tested this extension of the RAH using convict cichlids exposed to high‐risk alarm cues at two frequencies of risk (1× vs. 3×) per day, on either a fixed or random schedule for 5 d. We then tested the fish for a response to high‐risk cues (alarm cues) and to low‐risk cues (disturbance resulting from the introduction of distilled water). Our study supports previous results on the effects of risk frequency and cue intensity on cichlid behaviour. We failed to show an effect of risk predictability on the behavioural responses of cichlids to high‐risk alarm cues, but predictability did influence responses to low‐risk cues. We encourage further studies to test the effect of predictability in other systems.
Female Mate Choice, Calling Song and Genetic Variance in the Cricket,Gryllodes sigillatus
Authors: Champagnon Jocelyn , Cueva del Castillo Raúl 
Published: February 2008

AbstractFemale preferences for song patterns of males ofGryllodes sigillatusand genetic variance of morphological traits correlated with them were analyzed. Females preferred short pulses associated with large males. The males’ thorax width, wing length and femur III length showed stronger relationship with the song pulse duration, whereas the relationship between pulse duration and wing width was not significant. Interestingly, this last trait was the only one that showed significant levels of genetic variance. Perhaps these results could be explained by the evolutionary response to sexual selection. Sexual selection could deplete the genetic variance in the male traits related to male‐mating success.
Reproductive stage tolerance to salinity and alkalinity stresses in rice genotypes
Authors: Rao P. Surekha , Mishra B. , Gupta S. R. , Rathore A. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractSalinity and alkalinity (sodicity) seriously threaten rice production in south Asia. Improving screening methodologies for identifying sources of tolerance is crucial for breeding salt tolerant rices. Rice genotypes of varying tolerance (tolerant, semi‐tolerant and sensitive) were screened in saline soil of electrical conductivity, ECe 4 and 8 dS/m and alkali soil of pH 9.5 and 9.8 in lysimeters. Vegetative growth events were less affected by both the stresses in comparison to reproductive stage. Grain yield was reduced by 26.7%, 45.7% and 50.3% at ECe 8 dS/m in three tolerance groups respectively. At pH 9.8 the reduction was 25.1%, 37.2% and 67.6% in the three groups respectively. Higher floret fertility contributed to higher seed set and grain yields in tolerant genotypes whereas higher spikelet sterility led to poor seed set and lower grain yields in sensitive genotypes. The 1000 grains weight was also significantly reduced at ECe 4 or pH 9.8. Screening at reproductive stage for morphological traits like floret fertility is thus more useful to identify rice genotypes tolerant to both salinity and alkalinity stress. Genotypic (G) and environmental (E) effects and GE interactions were highly significant for the growth attributes and grain yield. Based on analysis of variance, genotypes tolerant to salinity and alkalinity as well to both the stresses were identified.
A Market Based Anti‐Inflation Policy
Authors: Dabscheck Braham 
Published: February 2008

“Of all conceivable macroeconomic institutional innovations. a well‐workina incomes policy probably is the most urgently required. That it is not an easy one to make is demonstrated by the fact that, in the face of an almost worldwide demand for such a technique, neither economists nor administrators seem to have come up with a convincing proposal”.Wallich [41, p.89].
The effects of population density and sociality on scent marking in the yellow mongoose
Authors: Le Roux A. , Cherry M. I. , Manser M. B. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractWe investigated scent marking in the yellow mongoose Cynictis penicillata focusing on a low‐density population where all offspring dispersed upon reaching sexual maturity. Dominant males appeared to be the main territory defenders and demarcators, with offspring foraging and marking only near the territory cores. The cheek‐marking rates of dominant males increased during the breeding season and may have been involved in olfactory mate guarding. We compared our low‐density population with a high‐density population displaying natal philopatry. The two populations differed markedly in terms of individual contributions to territorial marking, as subordinate group members in the low‐density population performed almost no territorial marking or defence, but were the primary scent‐markers and territory defenders in the high‐density population. We discuss scent‐marking distinctions between populations in the context of ecological and social differences.
How oniscophagous spiders overcome woodlouse armour
Authors: Řezáč M. , Pekár S. , Lubin Y. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractWoodlice (Isopoda: Oniscoidea) are well defended by a heavy armour and many species have noxious secretions. Oniscophagy (feeding on woodlice) may be an important part of the biology of at least some members of the spider genus Dysdera (Dysderidae). Yet there little is known about the diet and possible specializations for feeding on woodlice in these spiders. Dysdera has unusual variability in mouthpart morphology, which may be related to the diet. Here, we investigate five species of Dysdera and consider the relationship between mouthpart morphology, capture frequency and prey‐capture behaviour. We show that species with unmodified chelicerae readily capture a variety of arthropods, but refuse woodlice as prey, whereas species with modified chelicerae feed on woodlice and reject most of the other prey. Among the oniscophagic species, the grasping methods used during the capture of woodlice varied. Species with elongate chelicerae inserted one chelicera into the soft ventral side of the woodlouse and placed the other chelicera on the dorsal side of the woodlouse. Species with dorsally concave chelicerae quickly tucked their chelicerae under the woodlouse and bit the ventral side of the woodlouse's body. Species with flattened chelicerae inserted their chelicerae between the sclerites into the armour of the woodlouse.
Mental stress and trapezius muscle activation under psychomotor challenge: A focus on EMG gaps during computer work
Authors: Schleifer Lawrence M. , Spalding Thomas W. , Kerick Scott E. , Cram Jeffrey R. , Ley Ronald , Hatfield Bradley D. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractMomentary reductions in the electrical activity of working muscles (EMG gaps) contribute to the explanation for the relationship between psychosocial stress and musculoskeletal problems in computer work. EMG activity and gaps in the left and right trapezii were monitored in 23 participants under low and high mental workload (LMW and HMW) demands during computer data entry. Increases in EMG activity and decreases in EMG‐gap frequencies in both left and right trapezius muscles were greater during HMW than LMW. In addition, heart period and end‐tidal CO2 were lower during HMW, whereas self‐reported mood states were higher during HMW. The correspondence between lower end‐tidal CO2 and lower EMG‐gap frequencies suggests that hyperventilation (overbreathing) may mediate trapezius muscle activation. The reduction of EMG gaps suggests that the salutary benefits of momentary rest from musculoskeletal work are diminished during mental stress.
Probing attentional dysfunctions in schizophrenia: Startle modification during a continuous performance test
Authors: Hazlett Erin A. , Dawson Michael E. , Schell Anne M. , Nuechterlein Keith H. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractStartle eyeblink modification was measured in 20 relatively asymptomatic medicated schizophrenia outpatients and 18 matched controls in order to test for deficits in early and later stages of attentional processing during a memory‐load version of the Continuous Performance Test. Participants viewed a series of digits and pressed a button after the digit 7 of each 3–7 sequence. On some trials, a startling noise burst was presented either 120 or 1200 ms following cues that a response might be needed soon (the digit 3) and also following noncues. Controls showed greater startle inhibition at 120 ms following cue than noncue prepulses, whereas patients showed equal inhibition to both, suggesting a deficiency in allocation of controlled attentional resources in early stages of processing. The patients, however, did show large startle inhibition at 120 ms when a distracting stimulus accompanied the task‐relevant cue, unlike the controls, who ignored the distracting stimulus. In contrast, both groups showed equal startle inhibition 1200 ms following cue and noncue prepulses, indicating that later modality‐specific attention processes are not impaired in patients during this paradigm. Both groups also showed equal inhibition at 120 ms during passively attended prepulses, suggesting that automatic attentional processes were not impaired in these patients.
Self‐focus and task difficulty effects on effort‐related cardiovascular reactivity
Authors: Gendolla Guido H. E. , Richter Michael , Silvia Paul J. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractTwo experiments examined the joint impact of self‐focused attention and task difficulty on performance‐related cardiovascular reactivity. Predictions were derived from an application of the principles of motivational intensity theory and its integration with the active coping approach to performance conditions that have consequences for self‐esteem. According to this model, self‐focus will induce a state of self‐evaluation and thus augment the importance of success, and cardiovascular reactivity will increase with difficulty until a task becomes impossible or the goal is not worth the necessary resources. Supporting these predictions, 2 experiments found that high self‐focus increased performance‐related systolic blood pressure reactivity when difficulty was unfixed (“do your best”) or fixed at a high level. When the task was easy or impossible, however, high self‐focus did not affect systolic reactivity relative to low self‐focus.
Lateralized frontal activity elicited by attention‐directing visual and auditory cues
Authors: Green Jessica J. , Conder Julie A. , McDonald John J. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractIn event‐related potential studies of voluntary spatial attention, lateralized activity observed over anterior scalp sites prior to an impending target has been interpreted as the activity of a supramodal attentional control mechanism in the frontal lobes. However, variability in the scalp topography and presence of this activity across studies suggests that multiple neural generators contribute to the lateralized activity recorded at the scalp. Using distributed source modeling we found two distinct frontal lobe sources following attention‐directing cues, one dependent on the sensory modality of the eliciting stimulus and one dependent on the response requirements of the task. Differential activity of these sources depending on task parameters suggests that neither source reflects activity necessary for controlling attention.
Attributions, deception, and event related potentials: An investigation of the self‐serving bias
Authors: Krusemark Elizabeth A. , Keith Campbell W. , Clementz Brett A. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractSelf‐serving attributions occur when negative personal outcomes are ascribed to external circumstances and when positive outcomes are ascribed to internal factors. Individuals strategically employ the self‐serving bias to maintain and protect positive self‐views. The current study investigated the neural correlates of the self‐serving bias using dense array EEG, giving 20 participants false (success or failure) feedback during a facial working memory task. Participants made self‐serving attributions during the task, primarily following failure feedback. Voltage and source analyses in response to attribution stimuli revealed that, compared to self‐serving responses, non‐self‐serving attributions were preceded by enhanced dorsomedial frontal cortex activity. This finding suggests that unbiased attributions require greater self‐control, overriding the automatic tendency for self‐enhancement.
Neuronal activity enhances aryl hydrocarbon receptor‐mediated gene expression and dioxin neurotoxicity in cortical neurons
Authors: Lin Chun‐Hua , Juan Shu‐Hui , Wang Chen Yu , Sun Yu‐Yo , Chou Chih‐Ming , Chang Shwu‐Fen , Hu Ssu‐Yao , Lee Wen‐Sen , Lee Yi‐Hsuan 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThe aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand‐activated transcription factor activated by dioxin and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Recent studies have revealed that AhR activity in central neurons depends on the NMDA receptor. In this study, we investigated how the neuronal activity influence AhR‐mediated dioxin‐responsive gene expression and neurotoxicity. Our results show that activation of AhR by the selective agonist 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin induced dioxin‐responsive gene expression and calcium entry, which were attenuated by AhR small interfering RNA, the NMDA receptor channel blocker MK801, and the action potential blocker tetrodotoxin (TTX). In addition, AhR‐mediated gene expression was enhanced in neurons during synaptogenesis (10 days in vitro) compared with younger neurons (4 days in vitro), as was sensitivity to TTX and MK801. Furthermore, TTX and MK801 differentially affected the association of AhR and its transcriptional co‐activator cAMP‐responsive‐element binding protein with the cytochrome P450 1A1 (cyp1A1) gene enhancer. Calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase IV, the cAMP‐responsive‐element binding protein activating enzyme, was also activated by 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin in an activity‐dependent manner. Finally, we found that neuronal susceptibility to dioxin insult was also maturation and activity‐dependent. Together, the results suggest that neuronal activity may facilitate AhR‐mediated calcium signaling, which in turn enhances AhR‐mediated gene regulation and mediated maturation‐dependent dioxin neurotoxicity.
Chronic binge‐like moderate ethanol drinking in rats results in widespread decreases in brain serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine turnover rates reversed by ethanol intake
Authors: Smith James E. , Co Conchita , McIntosh Scott , Cunningham Carol C. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThis research was initiated to assess the turnover rates (TORs) of dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NA), serotonin (5‐HT), aspartate, glutamate, and GABA in brain regions during rodent ethanol/sucrose (EtOH) and sucrose (SUC) drinking and in animals with a history of EtOH or SUC drinking to further characterize the neuronal systems that underlie compulsive consumption. Groups of five male rats were used, with two trained to drink EtOH solutions, two to drink SUC and one to serve as a non‐drinking control. When stable drinking patterns were obtained, rats were pulse labeled intravenously and killed 60 or 90 min later and the TORs of DA, norepinephrine, 5‐HT, aspartate, glutamate, and GABA determined in brain regions. Changes in the TOR of 5‐HT, DA, and NA were detected specific to EtOH drinking, SUC drinking or a history of EtOH or SUC drinking. An acute EtOH deprivation effect was detected that was mostly reversed with EtOH drinking. These results suggest that binge‐like drinking of moderate amounts of EtOH produces a deficit in neuronal function that could set the stage for the alleviation of anhedonic stimuli with further EtOH intake that strengthen EtOH seeking behaviors which may contribute to increased EtOH use in at risk individuals.
Impact of anaesthesia–surgery on D‐dimer concentration and end‐tidal CO2 and O2 in patients undergoing surgery associated with high risk for pulmonary embolism
Authors: Kline Jeffrey A. , Hogg Melanie M. , Mauerhan David R. , Frick Steven L. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryBackground:  The exhaled end‐tidal CO2/O2 ratio and the D‐dimer concentration are diagnostic markers of pulmonary embolism (PE).Objective:  To develop a non‐invasive technique to monitor for PE in surgical patients. We examine the change imparted by anaesthesia–surgery on the end‐tidal CO2/O2 compared with the D‐dimer.Methods:  We enrolled 125 participants undergoing an orthopaedic or oncological operation thought to confer high risk for postoperative PE. We obtained preoperative blood samples in the anaesthesia clinic, and breath samples in the preoperative holding area on the same day of surgery; we repeated blood and breath samples on the postoperative day of discharge. Blood samples were immediately analysed for fibrinogen and D‐dimer (Vidas®; bioMérieux, Durham, NC, USA) concentrations. Breath samples were obtained from 1 min of spontaneous tidal breaths delivered via mouthpiece while the participant breathed room air. All participants had follow‐up at 30 days.Results:  We enrolled 125 participants and had complete data in 104. No participant developed PE or deep venous thrombosis within 30 days. The mean preoperative D‐dimer was 927 ± 928 ng ml−1, and the mean postoperative D‐dimer was 1879 ± 1263 ng ml−1 and the mean relative change was +234 ± 292%. The mean preoperative end‐tidal CO2/O2 was 0·31 ± 0·05 and the mean postoperative end‐tidal CO2/O2 was 0·32 ± 0·07 and the mean relative change was +1·6 ± 20%. The increase in D‐dimer did not correlate with the increase in fibrinogen (r2 = 0·015).Conclusions:  The stress impact of anaesthesia–surgery causes less change in end‐tidal CO2/O2 compared with the D‐dimer. Further work will be required to determine if end‐tidal CO2/O2 can be used to monitor for postoperative PE.
A journey in quest of meaning: a hermeneutic‐phenomenological study on living with memories from intensive care
Authors: Storli Sissel L , Lindseth Anders , Asplund Kenneth 
Published: February 2008

AbstractBackground:  In a short‐term perspective, a high incidence of psychological problems linked to memories from intensive care has been found in survivors of critical illness. Little is known about what kinds of memories patients might carry with them and what it is like to live with memories from intensive care as years go by.Aim:  The aim of this study was to explore the meaning of living with memories from intensive care.Methods:  A hermeneutic‐phenomenological approach. In‐depth interviews with ten former intensive care patients 10 years after their admission.Findings:  Memories of bodily sensations and memories containing strong emotions were surprisingly well kept. Memories residing in the body at a prereflective level and that could be awakened without being triggered by will or conscious thought comprised an important segment of the memory spectrum. Complaints such as panic attacks and anxiety were strongly linked to these kinds of memories and experienced as flashbacks of frightening experiences that entailed strong emotions. Some informants still strove to understand experiences and reactions. Living with these memories and flashbacks was interpreted as a journey in quest of meaning. Having someone and something to live for implied strength on the journey. The presence of close relatives at the bedside provided strength to go on and someone with whom to share experiences afterwards.Conclusion:  A period of critical illness and intensive care stay for treatment may leave durable traces in the patient’s life. Finding meaning of existential and ontological nature seems to be of decisive significance for how people fare in their lives after having lived through intensive care treatment. The identified journey in quest of meaning points to the need for follow‐up programmes, and we must acknowledge close relatives as important resources for the patient both at the bedside and in the subsequent process of discovering meaning in lived experience.
Development in service provision. Making major elective surgery happen. The development of a postoperative surgical unit
Authors: Heller Judy , Murch Phil 
Published: February 2008

AbstractBackground:  Optimizing the provision of elective surgery and reducing waiting list times for elective surgery has been a central theme in this government’s health‐care agenda. The negative impacts of high levels of cancelled surgery have significant implications, for both patient and health‐care resources.Aims:  To describe the development and initial impact of a postoperative surgical unit (POSU), an innovative strategy to optimize provision of major elective surgery.Methods:  Data were collected concerning numbers of cancellations of major elective operations during the first year of POSU’s opening and for the previous year when high‐dependency unit held the only available beds for these patients. Data were also collected concerning the outcome of the admission of these patients. All data collection was standardized.Results:  In the year prior to the opening of POSU, of 503 patients requiring level 2 care postoperatively, 317 underwent elective surgery and 186 patients had their surgery cancelled because of unavailability of level 2 beds. In POSU’s first operational year, of 877 similar patients, 843 had elective surgery and 34 had their surgery cancelled because of unavailability of appropriate dependency beds.Conclusions:  This small project has illustrated how POSU has had a positive impact on decreasing the waiting list times and led to low levels of cancelled major elective surgery. These outcomes have resulted in improvements in delivery of services to patients and in the utilisation of resources.