bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Influence of leaf herbivory, root herbivory, and pollination on plant performance in Cucurbita moschata
Authors: HLADUN KRISTEN R. , ADLER LYNN S. 
Published: January 2009

Abstract 1. Plants experience herbivory on many different tissues that can affect reproduction directly by damaging tissues and decreasing resource availability, or indirectly via interactions with other species such as pollinators.2. This study investigated the combined effects of leaf herbivory, root herbivory, and pollination on subsequent damage, pollinator preference, and plant performance in a field experiment using butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata). Leaf and root herbivory were manipulated using adult and larval striped cucumber beetles (Acalymma vittatum F.), a cucurbit specialist.3. Leaf herbivory reduced subsequent pistillate floral damage and powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca fuliginea) infection. In spite of these induced defences, the overall effect of leaf herbivory on plant reproduction was negative. Leaf herbivory reduced staminate flower production, fruit number, and seed weight. In contrast, root herbivory had a minimal impact on plant reproduction.4. Neither leaf nor root herbivory altered pollinator visitation or floral traits, suggesting that reductions in plant performance from herbivory were as a result of direct rather than indirect effects. In addition, no measured aspect of reproduction was pollen limited.5. Our study reveals that although leaf herbivory by the striped cucumber beetle can protect against subsequent damage, this protection was not enough to prevent the negative impacts on plant performance.
Fish community characteristics of the lower Gambia River floodplains: a study in the last major undisturbed West African river
Authors: LOUCA VASILIS , LINDSAY STEVE W. , MAJAMBERE SILAS , LUCAS MARTYN C. 
Published: January 2009

Summary1. The Gambia River is the last major West African river that has not been impounded. However, a hydroelectric dam is being constructed and substantial changes to the hydrology and ecology of the system are expected.2. Little information is available on the impact of water impoundments in semi‐arid regions on downstream floodplain fish communities, due to the scarcity of pre‐intervention data. Because profound impacts on physical habitat, salinity and nutrient transport can occur downstream of such impoundments, a knowledge of the species‐habitat associations of biota such as fishes is necessary for understanding likely changes and how to limit them.3. Fish were sampled using cast and hand nets along two transects on the floodplain, and with fyke nets in two ‘bolongs’ (creeks) from May to November 2005 and 2006 in the lower reaches of the Gambia River, close to the salt water front where ecological changes due to the construction of the dam are likely to be pronounced.4. Greatest fish species richness was associated with low conductivity, low pH and deep water. Bolongs held greater species richness compared with other floodplain habitats, probably because they acted as conduits for fish moving on and off the floodplain. Species richness and catch biomass increased rapidly following the first rains and then declined.5. Using a multivariate analysis, three main species groups were identified on the floodplain; one associated with deeper water, one with less brackish water and one with shallow, open water. Tilapia guineensis was the commonest species on the floodplains.6. The floodplains provide nursery habitats as many fish captured were immature, particularly for species where adults are mainly encountered in the main channel. Several small‐sized floodplain specialists were also represented by a high proportion of mature individuals.7. Impoundment is expected to reduce seasonal flooding of the floodplain in the lower Gambia River, downstream of the impoundment, resulting in reduced occurrence of aquatic habitats, especially bolongs, together with lower dissolved oxygen and increased salinity, leading to alteration of the floodplain fish communities, benefiting salt‐tolerant species, reducing overall species richness and probably reducing floodplain fish production.
Filters and templates: stonefly (Plecoptera) richness in Ouachita Mountains streams, U.S.A.
Authors: SHELDON ANDREW L. , WARREN JR MELVIN L. 
Published: January 2009

Summary1. We collected adult stoneflies periodically over a 1‐year period at 38 sites in two headwater catchments in the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas, U.S.A. The 43 species collected were a subset of the Ozark‐Ouachita fauna and the much larger fauna of the eastern U.S.A. We estimated 78–91% species coverage in the two catchments using jackknife extrapolation of species richness from our survey.2. Many streams, especially small ones, lacked surface water for months, but others, both small and large, flowed permanently.3. Using published regional presence–absence and coarse ecological data in a discriminant function analysis (DFA), we identified stream size (negative) and regional frequency of occurrence (positive) as predictors of presence in these headwater catchments. For the combined catchments, the extrapolated richness (51 spp.) was similar to an estimate (48 spp.) based on predicted absences from DFA and the Ouachita provincial total of known stonefly species (57 spp.).4. Local species richness (1–27 spp. per site) was correlated strongly with stream size (catchment area) but was independent of stream drying. Generic richness was correlated negatively with stream drying and positively, but less strongly, with stream size.5. Regionally endemic stoneflies dominated in drying streams, and widely distributed species dominated in more permanent streams. The composition of stonefly assemblages was associated with regional factors (species pools, regional abundance, evolution of tolerant endemic species, regional climate) and local factors (drying, stream size).
Defensive compound concentration in boreal lichens in response to simulated nitrogen deposition
Authors: NYBAKKEN LINE , JOHANSSON OTILIA , PALMQVIST KRISTIN 
Published: January 2009

AbstractNitrogen (N) deposition is expected to increase in northwestern Europe the next 50–100 years. The effects of higher N availability on lichens will presumably depend on their capacity to acquire carbon (C), that is, of the timing and duration of the wet and active state. If lichens respond like plants, their C and N status may affect their concentration of carbon‐based secondary compounds (CBSCs), and thus their defence against herbivores, detrimental radiation, pathogens and parasites. In the present study we have manipulated N availability and timing and duration of the metabolically active state by spraying lichen transplants in an old spruce forest with rainwater or rainwater with added N corresponding to 50 kg N ha−1 yr−1. The spraying was applied either at night, in the morning or at noon to also investigate the effect of timing and duration of the active state. Concentrations of N, chlorophyll a (Chl a) and CBSCs were measured before and after one summer's spraying of 10 thalli in each of four different lichen species; Alectoria sarmentosa, Lobaria scrobiculata, Platismatia glauca, and Xanthoria aureola. The added N was readily taken up by all the lichen species. A. sarmentosa, P. glauca, and X. aureola increased their Chl a concentration in response to increased N, while L. scrobiculata increased Chl a in response to increased active time. None of the studied species reduced their concentration of secondary compounds during the experimental period, but in P. glauca the concentration of all compounds were significantly lower in N‐treated thalli compared with those that got only rainwater. The results are consistent with a high degree of constitutive defence in three of four species, and we conclude that all the investigated lichens seem to have rather robust chemical defence systems despite considerable manipulation of the environmental conditions.
Interplay between global patterns of environmental temperature and variation in nonshivering thermogenesis of rodent species across large spatial scales
Authors: RODRÍGUEZ‐SERRANO ENRIQUE , BOZINOVIC FRANCISCO 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to test for correlations of mass‐independent nonshivering thermogenesis (NST) in rodent species with climatic factors such as maximum and minimum geographic temperature. We first analyzed whether the responses of rodents show a phylogenetic signal. If so, and if the NST over a broad geographical range is similar, then such responses probably reflect physiological evolutionary adaptation. Our results show that NST did not show phylogenetic signal, appears to be evolutionary labile and is negatively correlated with environmental temperature. We predicted that species evolved in cold climates will exhibit higher mass‐independent NST than species from warmer habitats. Indeed, we observed that the relationships between mass‐independent NST and minimum temperature (rs=−0.411, P=0.009) as well as between NST and maximum temperature (rs=−0.443, P=0.004) were both negatively and significantly correlated, thus supporting our predictions. Thus, thermal physiology may be a significant factor underlying the ecological and evolutionary success of animals. Finally we suggest that due to the pressing need to explain and predict the likely biological impact of climatic change, advances in this field are necessary.
Natural killer cells: integrating diversity with function
Authors: Cheent Kuldeep , Khakoo Salim I. 
Published: January 2009

SummaryThe key role of natural killer cells in many aspects of the immune response is now being recognized. The last decade has seen an exponential increase in our understanding of the workings of these cells. Receptor diversity is crucial in allowing natural killer cells to respond effectively to a variety of different pathogens. This article reviews aspects of natural killer cell diversity that combine to generate populations of functional natural killer cells that exist within both the individual and throughout the population at large.
Systems and people under pressure: the discharge process in an acute hospital
Authors: Connolly Michael , Grimshaw Jane , Dodd Mary , Cawthorne Julie , Hulme Tarnya , Everitt Sarah , Tierney Stephanie , Deaton Christi 
Published: January 2009

Aims.  To understand the perspective of hospital‐based health professionals with regard to preparing patients for discharge from an acute hospital in England.Background.  The hospital experience in England over recent years is characterised by increasing admission rates and decreasing length of stay. Legislation and policy initiatives have also focussed upon the need to reduce delayed discharges. Discharge preparation is known to be a complex intervention with multiple obstacles within and outside of the hospital setting.Design.  Qualitative.Methods.  Posters were displayed within a hospital asking health professionals to take part in a focus group. Maximum variation, in terms of job titles, was sought for within the sample. Focus groups were held in December 2006. Six senior members of staff divided into pairs to run them. All groups were taped and transcribed verbatim and analysed using a framework approach.Results.  Three focus groups were conducted, which involved 11 nurses, 15 allied health professionals, five social workers and one doctor. Analysis identified the following themes and sub themes:

Conflicting pressures on staff:
Casualties arising from conflicting pressures:

Conclusions.  Pressures described during focus groups stemmed from five main sources: external targets placed upon the system, internal hospital inflexibility and poor communication, the dominance of the medical model of care, a desire to address the complex needs of individuals and a lack of community services. Staff felt themselves to be victims of these competing pressures and that many of the solutions were beyond their influence. Staff described the dehumanising effect of sometimes having to ignore patient concerns, wishes and choices.Relevance to clinical practice.  Understanding of the pressures surrounding discharge could inform relevant service improvements.
Compulsory continuing professional development: a questionnaire‐based survey of the UK dietetic profession
Authors: Sturrock J. B. E. , Lennie S. C. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractBackground:  Continuing professional development (CPD) for Health Professions Council (HPC) registrants became mandatory in July 2006. Some health professions have identified external barriers to CPD participation, and other research suggests that mandatory CPD can devalue learning. The present study aimed to investigate current CPD practices of UK dietitians and to identify their attitudes towards the new mandatory requirement.Methods:  UK Dietitians were asked to participate in an online questionnaire made available via an advert placed on the British Dietetic Association’s website and in an electronic newsletter.Results:  Of 206 respondents, 98.1% kept a CPD portfolio. Those who had undertaken the ‘ABC’ placement model (23.7%) were more likely to keep their portfolio up to date (P = 0.006). Only 41.3% dietitians were confident that they would currently meet the minimum CPD requirement, whereas 77.2% believed they would comply by the first audit in 2010. Some 50.5% dietitians considered their CPD time commitment insufficient due to obstacles such as workload and time constraints. A total of 96.1% respondents acknowledged the importance of undertaking CPD, with the introduction of a mandatory system appearing to provide the motivation to engage in CPD.Conclusions:  UK dietitians are currently engaging in CPD. There is, however, concern regarding achievement of the compulsory requirement for the HPC 2010 audit. The findings show barriers exist to engaging in CPD activities and to maintaining a portfolio. These issues could be addressed with the introduction of protected time for CPD.
Disparities in the prevalence of cognitive delay: how early do they appear?
Authors: Hillemeier Marianne M. , Farkas George , Morgan Paul L. , Martin Molly A. , Maczuga Steven A. 
Published: January 2009

SummaryCognitively delayed children are at risk for poor mental and physical health throughout their lives. The economically disadvantaged and some race/ethnic groups are more likely to experience cognitive delay, but the age at which delays first emerge and the underlying mechanisms responsible for disparities are not well understood. The objective of this study was to determine when sociodemographic disparities in cognitive functioning emerge, and identify predictors of low cognitive functioning in early childhood. Data were from 7308 singleton and 1463 multiple births in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study‐Birth Cohort (ECLS‐B), a nationally representative cohort of children born in the USA in 2001. Multiple logistic regression analyses examined associations between sociodemographic characteristics and low cognitive functioning at 9 and 24 months, and tested whether gestational and birth‐related factors mediate these associations.Sociodemographic characteristics were statistically significant predictors of low cognitive functioning among singletons at 24 months, including the three lowest quintiles of socio‐economic status [lowest quintile, odds ratio (OR) = 2.7, 95% confidence interval [CI][1.7, 4.1]], non‐white race/ethnicity (African American OR = 1.8 [95% CI 1.3, 2.5], Hispanic OR = 2.3 [95% CI 1.6, 3.2]), and gender (male OR = 2.1, [95% CI 1.7, 2.5]). Gestational and birth characteristics associated with low cognitive function at 9 months included very low and moderately low birthweight (OR = 55.0 [95% CI 28.3, 107.9] and OR = 3.6 [95% CI 2.6, 5.1]), respectively, and very preterm and moderately preterm delivery (OR = 3.6 [95% CI 2.0, 6.7] and OR = 2.4 [95% CI 1.7, 3.5]), respectively, but they had weaker effects by 24 months (ORs for birthweight: 3.7 [95% CI 2.3, 5.9] and 1.8 [95% CI 1.4, 2.3]; ORs for preterm: 1.8 [95% CI 1.1, 2.9] and 0.9 [95% CI 0.7, 1.3]). Results for multiple births were similar. Sociodemographic disparities in poor cognitive functioning emerged by 24 months of age, but were not mediated by gestational or birth characteristics. Further investigation of processes whereby social disadvantage adversely affects development prior to 24 months is needed.
Plasma membrane H+‐ATPase‐dependent citrate exudation from cluster roots of phosphate‐deficient white lupin
Authors: TOMASI NICOLA , KRETZSCHMAR TOBIAS , ESPEN LUCA , WEISSKOPF LAURE , FUGLSANG ANJA THOE , PALMGREN MICHAEL GJEDDE , NEUMANN GÜNTER , VARANINI ZENO , PINTON ROBERTO , MARTINOIA ENRICO , CESCO STEFANO 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTWhite lupin (Lupinus albus L.) is able to grow on soils with sparingly available phosphate (P) by producing specialized structures called cluster roots. To mobilize sparingly soluble P forms in soils, cluster roots release substantial amounts of carboxylates and concomitantly acidify the rhizosphere. The relationship between acidification and carboxylate exudation is still largely unknown. In the present work, we studied the linkage between organic acids (malate and citrate) and proton exudations in cluster roots of P‐deficient white lupin. After the illumination started, citrate exudation increased transiently and reached a maximum after 5 h. This effect was accompanied by a strong acidification of the external medium and alkalinization of the cytosol, as evidenced by in vivo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis. Fusicoccin, an activator of the plasma membrane (PM) H+‐ATPase, stimulated citrate exudation, whereas vanadate, an inhibitor of the H+‐ATPase, reduced citrate exudation. The burst of citrate exudation was associated with an increase in expression of the LHA1 PM H+‐ATPase gene, an increased amount of H+‐ATPase protein, a shift in pH optimum of the enzyme and post‐translational modification of an H+‐ATPase protein involving binding of activating 14‐3‐3 protein. Taken together, our results indicate a close link in cluster roots of P‐deficient white lupin between the burst of citrate exudation and PM H+‐ATPase‐catalysed proton efflux.
Messinian deposits and erosion in northern Tunisia: inferences on Strait of Sicily during the Messinian Salinity Crisis
Authors: El Euch‐El Koundi Narjess , Ferry Serge , Suc Jean‐Pierre , Clauzon Georges , Melinte‐Dobrinescu Mihaela Carmen , Gorini Christian , Safra Anissa , Zargouni Fouad 
Published: January 2009

AbstractOutcrops, offshore wells, electric logs and seismic profiles from northern Tunisia provide an opportunity to decipher the Messinian Salinity Crisis in the Strait of Sicily. Messinian deposits (including gypsum beds) near the Tellian Range reveal two successive subaerial erosional surfaces overlain by breccias and marine Zanclean clays, respectively. In the Gulf of Tunis, Messinian thick evaporites (mostly halite) are strongly eroded by a fluvial canyon infilled with Zanclean clays. The first erosional phase is referred to the intra‐Messinian tectonic phase and is analogous to that found in Sicily. The second phase corresponds to the Messinian Erosional Surface that postdates the marginal evaporites, to which the entire Sicilian evaporitic series must refer. The Western and Eastern Mediterranean basins were separated during deposition of the central evaporites.
Immunodetection of Cocaine‐ and Amphetamine‐Regulated Transcript in the Rumen, Reticulum, Omasum and Abomasum of the Sheep
Authors: Arciszewski M. B. , Barabasz S. , Skobowiat C. , Maksymowicz W. , Majewski M. 
Published: January 2009

SummaryEnteric nerves harbour a wide array of neuropeptides playing a key role in the regulation of gastrointestinal tract functions. In this study, the distribution patterns of cocaine‐ and amphetamine‐regulated transcript‐immunoreactive (CART‐IR) nerve fibres as well as the percentages of CART‐positive enteric neurons were immunohistochemically assessed in the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum of the sheep. Double staining were applied, to elucidate whether neuropeptide Y (NPY), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), substance P (SP), somatostatin or serotonin co‐exist in CART‐IR gastric structures. In the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum, a majority of myenteric neurons identified by immunoreactivity to Hu C/D were CART‐positive (47.1 ± 3.6%, 45.1 ± 3.0%, 41.6 ± 2.6% and 40.9 ± 2.9% respectively). The smooth musculature of the forestomachs as well as abomasum was innervated with numerous CART‐IR nerve fibres. Blood vessels‐associated CART‐positive nerve terminals were identified in the submucosa of the reticulum only. Lamina muscularis mucosae of the omasum and abomasum was moderately innervated with CART‐IR nerve terminals. In the abomasum sparse CART‐IR nerve fibres were seen between mucosal glands. A small population of endocrine cells of the abomasum also exhibited the presence of CART. All neuronal elements as well as endocrine cells IR to CART were negative to somatostatin and/or serotonin. No immunoreactivity to VIP, NPY and/or SP was found in myenteric ganglia‐projecting CART‐positive nerve fibres. The co‐localization of CART with VIP, NPY and/or SP was regularly observed in myenteric neurons as well as the smooth muscle layer‐ and lamina muscularis mucosae‐projecting nerve fibres. CART‐IR nerve terminals located between mucosal glands of the abomasum frequently co‐stored VIP, NPY and/or SP. Although the exact function of CART in the ovine forestomachs/stomach has to be elucidated, several potential functions (like enteric nerves protection) have been suggested.
Phosphorylated Human Lectin Galectin‐3: Analysis of Ligand Binding by Histochemical Monitoring of Normal/Malignant Squamous Epithelia and by Isothermal Titration Calorimetry
Authors: Szabo P. , Dam T. K. , Smetana Jr K. , Dvořánková B. , Kübler D. , Brewer C. F. , Gabius H.‐J. 
Published: January 2009

SummaryThe human lectin galectin‐3 is a multifunctional effector with special functions in regulation of adhesion and apoptosis. Its unique trimodular organization includes the 12‐residue N‐terminal sequence, a substrate for protein kinase CK1‐dependent phosphorylation. As a step towards elucidating its significance, we prepared phosphorylated galectin‐3, labelled it and used it as a tool in histochemistry. We monitored normal and malignant squamous epithelia. Binding was suprabasal with obvious positive correlation to the degree of differentiation and negative correlation to proliferation. The staining pattern resembled that obtained with the unmodified lectin. Basal cell carcinomas were invariably negative. The epidermal positivity profile was akin to distribution of the desmosomal protein desmoglein, as also seen with keratinocytesin vitro. In all cases, binding was inhibitable by the presence of lactose, prompting further investigation of the activity of the lectin site by a sensitive biochemical method, i.e. isothermal titration calorimetry. The overall affinity and the individual enthalpic and entropic contributions were determined. No effect of phosphorylation was revealed. This strategic combination of histo‐ and biochemical techniques applied to an endogenous effector after its processing by a protein kinase thus enabled a detailed monitoring of the binding properties of the post‐translationally modified lectin. It underscores the value of using endogenous lectins as a histochemical tool. The documented approach has merit for applications beyond lectinology.