bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Relationship of prepartum plasma concentrations of estrone sulfate and estradiol‐17β with the weight of the calf and placental parameters in Holstein–Friesian cows
Authors: SHAH Kapil D. , NAKAO Toshihiko , KUBOTA Hirokazu , MAEDA Teruo 
Published: September 2007

ABSTRACTThe aim was to evaluate the relationship of prepartum plasma estrone sulfate (E1S) and estradiol‐17β (E2β) concentrations with the weight of the calf and the placental parameters. Holstein–Friesian cows (n = 33) inseminated artificially with Japanese Black beef bull semen at Hiroshima University Farm in Japan were used for the experiment. Blood samples were taken every day from day 270 of gestation until the day after calving. The plasma samples were analyzed for E1S and E2β by enzyme immunoassay. The calf birth weight was taken immediately after calving. Complete fetal membranes were collected from 19 cattle and the weights of the placental components and the number of cotyledons were recorded. All 33 cattle delivered singleton normal calves. The prepartum plasma E1S concentration was found to correlate significantly (P < 0.01) with the calf birth weight (r = 0.83), total fetal membrane weight (r = 0.81), cotyledonary weight (r = 0.79) and inter‐cotyledonary membrane weight (r = 0.64), but it did not correlate significantly with the number of cotyledons, whereas prepartum plasma E2β was not found to correlate significantly with the weight of either the calf or any of the placental components except the number of cotyledons. In conclusion, prepartum plasma E1S, not plasma E2β, was found to correlate significantly with the weight of the calf and the placental components.
Stress responses in neonatal meat and layer Nagoya chicks
Authors: TOMONAGA Shozo , NODA Kenji , SUENAGA Rie , ASECHI Mari , ADACHI Nami , KINO Katsutoshi , NAKAMURA Akihiro , DENBOW D. Michael , FURUSE Mitsuhiro 
Published: September 2007

ABSTRACTWe reported that meat chicks have either a greater capability to acclimatize to novel environments, or a blunted hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal response to novel environments compared with layer chicks in a commercial base. The present study compared the differences in behavior and plasma corticosterone concentrations under isolation‐induced stress between neonatal meat and layer Nagoya chicks which had been separated from the same population. Both types of neonatal chicks reared in groups were individually separated and their spontaneous activity and distress‐induced vocalizations were monitored for 10 min. The responses of the two types were remarkably different, with the meat chicks being less active than the layer chicks. Distress‐induced vocalizations were fewer in the meat than in the layer chicks. The meat chicks spent more time in a sleeping posture during isolation‐induced stress. Plasma corticosterone concentrations measured at the end of the test tended to be higher in the layer chicks than in meat ones, but not significantly. In conclusion, the selection of Nagoya chickens for meat and layer may have trends similar to those observed in commercial chickens in relation to stress susceptibility.
South African paediatric food‐based dietary guidelines
Authors: Bourne Lesley T. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractSouth African efforts to address both under‐ and overnutrition , and other nutrition‐related public health issues, utilizing food‐based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) as an educational tool, are introduced. However, the focus is placed on the development of paediatric FBDGs for infants and young children, from birth up to the age of 7 years, and how these were made compatible with scientific and local public health evidence on the one hand, and existing South African FBDGs for children over the age of 7 years, adolescents and adults, on the other. Members of the Working Group and other stakeholders are gratefully acknowledged.
Addressing malnutrition in young children in South Africa. Setting the national context for paediatric food‐based dietary guidelines
Authors: Bourne Lesley T. , Hendricks Michael K. , Marais Debbie , Eley Brian 
Published: September 2007

AbstractDespite various national nutrition and primary healthcare programmes being initiated in South Africa over the last decade, child health has deteriorated. This is seen by the rise in infant and child mortality rates, the high prevalence of preventable childhood diseases, e.g. diarrhoea and lower respiratory tract infections, and the coexistence of under‐nutrition along with HIV/AIDS. Poor dietary intake, food insecurity and poor quality of basic services prevail within this precarious causal web. The national Integrated Nutrition Programme is a comprehensive nutrition strategy that focuses on children below 6 years old, at‐risk pregnant and lactating women, and those affected by communicable and non‐communicable diseases. Focus areas relevant to pre‐school children include disease‐specific nutrition treatment, support and counselling; growth monitoring and promotion (GMP); micronutrient malnutrition control; breastfeeding promotion, protection and support; contributions to household food security; nutrition interventions among HIV‐infected children; and nutrition promotion, education and advocacy. Progress towards this includes the Baby‐Friendly Hospital Initiative; mandatory fortification of maize meal and wheat flour with multiple micronutrients; vitamin A supplementation coverage and mandatory iodization of salt by legislation; the provision of free road‐to‐health charts for GMP; and the National School Nutrition Programme. Since 2003, the basis of the nutrition education strategy has been the locally developed food‐based dietary guidelines (FBDGs), directed at adults and school‐going children. This review sketches the backdrop to and motivation for the introduction of specifically targeted paediatric FBDGs, for mothers and caregivers of children from birth to age 7 years, as a national initiative.
Optimizing the introduction of complementary foods in the infant's diet: a unique challenge in developing countries
Authors: Van Der Merwe Julanda , Kluyts Megan , Bowley Nadia , Marais Debbie 
Published: September 2007

AbstractBeing one of a series of technical support papers pertaining to the South African paediatric food‐based dietary guidelines, this paper specifically deals with two of the guidelines proposed for the age group 6–12 months regarding the introduction of complementary foods in the infant's diet. Studies have shown that most of South African infants receive solid foods at the age of 4 months or earlier while only a small percentage are breastfed exclusively until 6 months. The untimely and inappropriate introduction of complementary foods have been shown to be risk factors for both under‐ and over‐nutrition with resultant under‐ or overweight, stunting and micronutrient deficiencies. Optimal timing for the introduction of complementary foods will depend on the infant's physiological and developmental status. Small, frequent meals of easily digestable, smooth, semisolid nutrient‐ and energy‐dense complementary foods should initially be offered while gradually increasing variety in both the type and texture of food. Protein and carbohydrate intake should increase with the infant's age while preference should be given to foods rich in micronutrients. It should be observed that certain foods, such as fresh cow's milk and egg white, because of their allergenic properties, as well as fat‐free and high‐fibre foods, excessive fruit juice and low nutrient value drinks such as tea are not recommended. Timely introduction of appropriate complementary foods is vital for the immediate and long‐term health of the infant and caregivers should be accordingly advised on feeding at this age.
Water: a neglected nutrient in the young child? A South African perspective
Authors: Bourne Lesley T. , Harmse Berna , Temple Norman 
Published: September 2007

AbstractWater is considered an essential nutrient because the body cannot produce enough water itself, by metabolism of food, to fulfil its need. When the quantity or quality of water is inadequate, health problems result, most notably dehydration and diarrhoea. As a result of contaminated water and poor hygiene, related infections are still a serious problem. Indeed, in the South African setting water availability and sanitation are critical issues because of the prevalence of childhood diarrhoea and also the HIV/AIDS crisis. Though considerable efforts have been made to improve the water and sanitation problems in South Africa – especially with regard to water supply infrastructure – there is still room for much improvement. Water is a healthy alternative to calorie‐dense, non‐nutritive beverages, such as artificial fruit drinks and soda. The latter should be avoided as they contribute little other than energy and may contribute to overweight and obesity. Also, they displace more nutritious foods from the child's diet. Consumption of fruit juice should also be limited. These issues highlight the need for a specific guideline relating to water intake in the paediatric food‐based dietary guidelines.
Nutrition and HIV/AIDS in infants and children in South Africa: implications for food‐based dietary guidelines
Authors: Hendricks Michael K. , Eley Brian , Bourne Lesley T. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThe implications for food‐based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) that are being developed in South Africa are reviewed in relation to HIV‐exposed and ‐infected children. The nutritional consequences of HIV infection and nutritional requirements along with programmes and guidelines to address undernutrition and micronutrient deficiency in these children are also investigated. Based on studies for HIV‐infected children in South Africa, more than 50% are underweight and stunted, while more than 60% have multiple micronutrient deficiencies. Nutritional problems in these children are currently addressed through the Prevention‐of‐Mother‐to‐Child Transmission Programme (PMTCT), the Integrated Nutrition Programme and Guidelines for the Management of HIV‐infected Children which include antiretroviral (ARV) therapy in South Africa. Evaluations relating to the implementation of these programmes and guidelines have not been conducted nationally, although certain studies show that coverage of the PMTCT and the ARV therapy programmes was low. FBDGs for infants and young children could complement and strengthen the implementation of these programmes and guidelines. However, FBDGs must be in line with national and international guidelines and address key nutritional issues in these infants and young children. These issues and various recommendations are discussed in detail in this review.
The effects of wounding type, preculture, infection method and cocultivation temperature on the Agrobacterium‐mediated gene transfer in tomatoes
Authors: Ahsan N. , Lee S.‐H. , Lee D.‐G. , Anisuzzaman M. , Alam M. F. , Yoon H.‐S. , Choi M. S. , Yang J.‐K. , Lee B.‐H. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractTo reduce the complexity of Agrobacterium‐mediated gene transfer in tomatoes, effects of various parameters, such as shoot regeneration medium (SRM), wounding type, infection method, preculture and cocultivation temperature, have been evaluated. Transformation frequency was analysed by the Agrobacterium strain LBA4404, harbouring a recombinant binary expression vector pIG121Hm‐GS, which contained the glutathione synthetase gene under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter. The transformation frequency was highly dependent on the wound type of the explants, the infection method and the cocultivation temperature. On the other hand, a commonly used, preincubation method of the explants, on the preculture medium, did not show any significant improvement regarding transformation frequency. Optimal transformation frequency was observed when fresh perforated cotyledonary explants were directly infected with a bacterial solution A, followed by cocultivation at 24°C in a coculture medium for 2 days and subsequent shoot regeneration on a selective SRM1. The presence of transgene, in putative transgenic plants, was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern blot analyses. By using the most effective treatment from each category, an average of 20.7% kanamycin‐resistant and PCR‐positive shoots were recovered from the three tomato cultivars examined. The optimisation of these parameters may offer a simple, consistent, efficient and much less laborious protocol for tomato transformation.
Antioxidation of Anthocyanins in Photosynthesis Under High Temperature Stress
Authors: Shao Ling , Shu Zhan , Sun Shu‐Lan , Peng Chang‐Lian , Wang Xiao‐Jing , Lin Zhi‐Fang 
Published: September 2007

Abstract Chlorophyll fluorescence and antioxidative capability in detached leaves of the wild type Arabidopsis thaliana L. ecotype Landsberg erecta (Ler) and three mutants deficient in anthocyanins biosynthesis (tt3, tt4, and tt3tt4) were investigated during treatment with temperatures ranging 25–45 °C. In comparison with the wild type, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters Fv/Fm, ΦPSII, electron transport rate (ETR), Fv/Fo and qP in three anthocyanin‐deficient mutants showed a more rapidly decreasing rate when the temperature was over 35 °C. Non‐photochemical quenching (NPQ) in these mutants was almost completely lost at 44 °C, whereas the content of heat stable protein dropped and the rate of the membrane leakage increased. Fo‐temperature curves were obtained by monitoring Fo levels with gradually elevated temperatures from 22 °C to 72 °C at 0.5 °C/min. The inflexion temperatures of Fo were 45.8 °C in Ler, 45.1 °C in tt3, 44.1 °C in tt4 and 42.3 °C in tt3tt4, respectively. The temperatures of maximal Fo in three mutants were 1.9–3.8 °C lower than the wild type plants. Meanwhile, three mutants had lower activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and an inferior scavenging capability to DPPH (1.1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhy.drazyl) radical under heat stress, and in particular tt3tt4 had the lowest antioxidative potential. The results of the diaminobenzidine‐H2O2 histochemical staining showed that H2O2 was accumulated in the leaf vein and mesophyll cells of mutants under treatment at 40 °C, and it was significantly presented in leaf cells of tt3tt4. The sensitivity of Arabidopsis anthocyanins‐deficient mutants to high temperatures has revealed that anthocyanins in normal plants might provide protection from high temperature injury, by enhancing its antioxidative capability under high temperature stress.
Community Dynamics of Seed Rain in Mixed Evergreen Broad‐leaved and Deciduous Forests in a Subtropical Mountain of Central China
Authors: Shen Ze‐Hao , Tang Yuan‐Yuan , Lü Nan , Zhao Jun , Li Dao‐Xing , Wang Gong‐Fang 
Published: September 2007

Abstract Seed dispersal is a key process within community dynamics. The spatial and temporal variations of seed dispersal and the interspecific differences are crucial for understanding species coexistence and community dynamics. This might also hold for the mixed evergreen broadleaved and deciduous forests in the mountains of subtropical China, but until now little existing knowledge is available for this question. In 2001, we chose to monitor the seed rain process of our mixed evergreen broad‐leaved and deciduous forest communities in Mount Dalaoling National Forest Park, Yichang, Hubei Province, China. The preliminary analyses show obvious variations in seed rain density, species compositions and timing of seed rain among four communities. The average seed rain densities of the four communities are 2.43 ± 5.15, 54.13 ± 182.75, 10.05 ± 19.30 and 24.91 ± 58.86 inds./m2
, respectively; about one tenth the values in other studies in subtropical forests of China. In each community, the seed production is dominated by a limited number of species, and the contributions from the others are generally minor. Fecundity of evergreen broadleaved tree species is weaker than deciduous species. The seed rain of four communities begins earlier than September, and stops before December, peaking from early September to late October. The beginning date, ending date and peak times of seed rain are extensively varied among the species, indicating different types of dispersal strategies. According to the existing data, the timing of seed rain is not determined by the climate conditions in the same period, while the density of seed rain may be affected by the disturbances of weather variations at a finer temporal resolution.
Hyperoxia reduces basal release of nitric oxide and contracts porcine coronary arteries
Authors: Pasgaard T. , Stankevicius E. , Jørgensen M. M. , Østergaard L. , Simonsen U. , Frøbert O. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractAim:  The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether changes in nitric oxide (NO) concentration is involved in hyperoxia‐induced vasoconstriction in porcine conduit coronary arteries.Methods:  The effect of hyperoxia on NO release and vasoconstriction was evaluated by tension recording, microsensor measurements, and immunoblotting in porcine conduit coronary arteries contracted with U46619 or 5‐hydroxytryptamine.Results:  In endothelium‐intact segments exchanging 20% O2, 5% CO2, 75% N2 (normoxia) for 95% O2, 5% CO2 (hyperoxia) increased contraction. In segments without endothelium hyperoxia‐evoked contraction was abolished, but restored by an encircling donor segment with endothelium. An inhibitor of NOS, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA, 300 μm), reduced hyperoxic contraction and basal NO concentration by, respectively, 38 ± 12% and 46 ± 3% (P < 0.05, n = 9). A NO donor, S‐nitroso‐N‐acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), increased NO concentration and evoked relaxation to the same levels in normoxic and hyperoxic conditions. β‐actin and endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) protein expression was similar in normoxic and hyperoxic arterial segments. Phosphorylation of eNOS was unaltered in normoxia vs. hyperoxia, but phosphorylation of eNOS‐Ser1177 was increased and phosphorylation of eNOS‐Thr495 decreased by U46619. Blockers of ATP‐sensitive, voltage‐dependent and calcium‐activated K+ channels did not change hyperoxic contraction. However, high extracellular K+ concentration or a second and third exposure to hyperoxia decreased contraction.Conclusion:  The present study provides direct evidence that hyperoxia reduces basal release of NO leading to depletable endothelium‐dependent vasoconstriction in porcine coronary arteries independent of changes in eNOS phosphorylation.
Church–State Relations in Europe
Authors: Sandberg Russell , Doe Norman 
Published: September 2007

AbstractAcademic lawyers frequently distinguish between three models of church–state relations in Europe: state–church systems, separation systems and hybrid systems. However, the sociologist of religion Grace Davie has suggested that by using sociological, historical and legal evidence to understand religion in Europe, we can reveal a basic common ‘European’ approach to religion, which also acknowledges the differences between the northern Protestant state–church systems and the southern Catholic separation systems. This article seeks to elucidate the legal model and to assess whether Davie's analysis is preferable in light of the legal evidence. This will enable a tentative conclusion to be made as to the religious identity of the continent: Is Europe Christian or secular?
Hip‐Hop Language in Sociolinguistics and Beyond
Authors: Cutler Cecelia 
Published: September 2007

AbstractHip‐hop language (HHL) is a hot topic in academia. Sociolinguists have been interested in its relationship to African American English as well as innovations in terms of its grammar and vocabulary. A couple of questions connect research from a number of related fields on HHL and culture: What does it mean to be authentic in hip‐hop culture in terms of language and other aspects of identity such as one's race, class, and connection to young urban Black Americans? How do participants perform their hip‐hop identity in terms of language? And how do local hip‐hop scenes use language to express local identities? This article explores research on these topics as it pertains to HHL, also taking into account a range of disciplines from cultural studies and philosophy to musicology, identifying new trends and possible areas for collaboration, and highlighting areas that are in need of greater attention. The article also touches on frameworks for analyzing language use in general in such areas as ‘crossing’ and ‘styling’.
Heritage Languages: In the ‘Wild’ and in the Classroom
Authors: Polinsky Maria , Kagan Olga 
Published: September 2007

AbstractHeritage speakers are people raised in a home where one language is spoken who subsequently switch to another dominant language. The version of the home language that they have not completely acquired – heritage language – has only recently been given the attention it deserves from linguists and language instructors. Despite the appearance of great variation among heritage speakers, they fall along a continuum based upon the speakers’ distance from the baseline language. Such a continuum‐based model enables researchers and instructors to classify heritage speakers more accurately and readily. This article discusses the results of research on lower‐proficiency speakers, identifying recurrent features of heritage languages in phonology, morphology, and syntax. Preliminary results indicate that different heritage languages share a number of structural similarities; this finding is important for the understanding of general processes involved in language acquisition. The article also presents implications of the main findings for language education and identifies areas needing further study.
Clinical experience with intravenous iron
Authors: AUERBACH MICHAEL 
Published: September 2007

SUMMARYRecently there has been an enormous tumult over the use of the erythropoiesis‐stimulating agents (ESAs) epoetin alfa and beta and darbepoetin alfa. Recommendations ranging from stopping their use in certain tumor types to withholding therapy until hemoglobin levels reach 9 g/dL or less have been proposed. These recommendations result from inconclusive and imbalanced trials favoring the placebo groups but which nonetheless raise significant concerns about the potential of ESAs to upregulate erythropoietin receptors on tumor cells. Therefore, there has never been a greater need to ensure that appropriate administration of intravenous iron is given with ESAs. In several published and soon‐to‐be‐published trials comparing adjuvant therapy with intravenous and oral iron, without exception intravenous iron improved hemoglobin and hematopoietic responses, shortened times to maximal response, decreased exposure to ESAs and provided huge cost savings. Furthermore, these benefits were independent of patients’ pretreatment iron parameters, such as serum ferritin, transferrin saturation and the presence or absence of bone marrow hemosiderin. Nonetheless, resistance to intravenous iron usage in oncology abounds. This resistance is due to misinformation and misinterpretation of the incidence and clinical nature of serious adverse events. Now that there are three safe intravenous iron preparations, a new paradigm incorporating intravenous iron to ESA therapy in oncology needs to be examined.