bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Plant–plant interactions and environmental change
Authors: Brooker Rob W. 
Published: June 2006

SummaryNatural systems are being subjected to unprecedented rates of change and unique pressures from a combination of anthropogenic environmental change drivers. Plant–plant interactions are an important part of the mechanisms governing the response of plant species and communities to these drivers. For example, competition plays a central role in mediating the impacts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition, increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, climate change and invasive nonnative species. Other plant–plant interaction processes are also being recognized as important factors in determining the impacts of environmental change, including facilitation and evolutionary processes associated with plant–plant interactions. However, plant–plant interactions are not the only factors determining the response of species and communities to environmental change drivers – their activity must be placed within the context of the wide range of factors that regulate species, communities and ecosystems. A major research challenge is to understand when plant–plant interactions play a key role in regulating the impact of environmental change drivers, and the type of role that plant–plant interactions play. Although this is a considerable challenge, some areas of current research may provide the starting point to achieving these goals, and should be pursued through large‐scale, integrated, multisite experiments.

Contents

Summary
271

I.
Introduction
272

II.
Plant–plant interactions mediate the impacts of environmental change
273

III.
Plant–plant interactions in context
276

IV.
Understanding variation in the role of plant–plant interactions
278

V.
Concluding remarks
281

Acknowledgements
281

References
281
Intentional modulation of emotional responding to unpleasant pictures: An ERP study
Authors: Moser Jason S. , Hajcak Greg , Bukay Emily , Simons Robert F. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractIntentionally altering responses to unpleasant stimuli affects physiological and hemodynamic activity associated with emotional and cognitive processing. In the present experiment, we measured the late‐positive potential (LPP) of the visually evoked event‐related brain potential to examine the effects of intentional emotion modulation on electrophysiological correlates of emotional and cognitive processing. Seventeen participants received instructions to view, suppress, and enhance emotional responses to unpleasant stimuli. Results revealed significantly decreased electrophysiological activity during suppression of emotional responses beginning around 250 ms poststimulus and lasting several hundred milliseconds. These data suggest that ERPs are sensitive to emotion modulation/regulation processes.
The antisaccade task as a research tool in psychopathology: A critical review
Authors: Hutton Samuel B. , Ettinger Ulrich 
Published: June 2006

AbstractThe antisaccade task is a measure of volitional control of behavior sensitive to fronto‐striatal dysfunction. Here we outline important issues concerning antisaccade methodology, consider recent evidence of the cognitive processes and neural mechanisms involved in task performance, and review how the task has been applied to study psychopathology. We conclude that the task yields reliable and sensitive measures of the processes involved in resolving the conflict between volitional and reflexive behavioral responses, a key cognitive deficit relevant to a number of neuropsychiatric conditions. Additionally, antisaccade deficits may reflect genetic liability for schizophrenia. Finally, the ease and accuracy with which the task can be administered, combined with its sensitivity to fronto‐striatal dysfunction and the availability of suitable control conditions, may make it a useful benchmark tool for studies of potential cognitive enhancers.
Sex differences in negative affective response during nicotine withdrawal
Authors: Hogle Joanne M. , Curtin John J. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractThis study examined physiological indicants of the neurobiological mediators of negative affect during acute nicotine withdrawal. Eighty subjects (41 male) were assigned to one of four groups (24‐h deprived or nondeprived dependent smokers, occasional smokers, and nonsmokers) and participated in an instructed fear conditioning paradigm involving cued administration of electric shock. Negative affective response was measured with fear‐potentiated startle during cues that signaled electric shock and during the postcue offset recovery period. Salivary cortisol and self‐report measures were also collected. Fear‐potentiated startle results indicated that affective recovery postcue offset was delayed in nicotine‐deprived women. Nicotine‐deprived women also displayed elevated cortisol levels throughout the fear conditioning procedure.
Beware misleading cues: Perceptual similarity modulates the N2/P3 complex
Authors: Azizian Allen , Freitas Antonio L. , Parvaz Mohammad A. , Squires Nancy K. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractEvent‐related potentials were used to investigate neural processes relating perceptual similarity to action control. To assess whether perceptual overlap among targets and nontargets would modulate the N2/P3 complex, the present study used multiple nontarget categories varying in their targetlike characteristics. Participants made one (relatively rare) response to a low‐probability stimulus (target), and they made a different (relatively common) response to all other stimuli (nontargets). The critical nontarget categories had equivalent probability (.10) but varied in their targetlike characteristics. Supporting the N2 component as sensitive to the strength of conflicting action imperatives, perceptual overlap among targets and nontargets elicited a prominent N2. In contrast, amplitude of the P3 component appeared most sensitive to the extent of cognitive processing needed for categorization.
Land evaluation for forestry: a study of the land requirements for growing Pinus radiata D. Don in the Basque Country, northern Spain
Authors: Olarieta J. R. , Besga G. , Rodríguez‐Ochoa R. , Aizpurua A. , Usón A. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractLand requirements for the growth of Pinus radiata D. Don were studied in 112 plots by comparing site index (SI) values with land characteristics. The SI at the reference age of 20 years ranged from 10.4 to 32.7 m. The growth of Radiata pine increased as soil rootable depth increased, with a mean depth of about 50 cm in plots with an SI higher than 29 m. The results show that soil physical properties had a major influence on growth rates with soils of a loamy texture resulting in higher rates than clay rich soils. Soil nitrogen and phosphorus availability had significant effects on growth on soils developed on non‐volcanic parent material whilst potassium availability was significant in soils on volcanic parent material. There were strong interactions among the land characteristics of each land unit so that the magnitude of the specific effect of a given variable was highly dependent on the values of the others. Results are discussed in relation to land use planning.
Larval growth and development in the caddisfly Cheumatopsyche brevilineata under natural thermal regimes
Authors: MOCHIZUKI Shoko , KAYABA Yuichi , TANIDA Kazumi 
Published: June 2006

Abstract Cheumatopsyche brevilineata (Iwata) is a filter‐feeding caddisfly without distinct or distinguishable cohorts. In a semi‐natural channel, we reared fourth and fifth instar larvae of C. brevilineata in individual cages with hourly recording of water temperature. We calculated the individual growth rate from the wet‐weight gain of each larva, and the development rate from the ratio of larvae that progressed to the next instar or pupal stage during each rearing experiment. We analyzed the linear regressions of growth (increase in size) and development (physiological and morphological progression toward maturity) rates against the statistical parameters of water temperatures during each rearing period, i.e. mean and given percentiles of water temperatures. We presumed that the most appropriate parameter of water temperature to explain larval growth and development would show a peak value of the determination coefficients (r2) in the linear regressions. There were highly significant regressions in the growth rates for fourth and fifth instar larvae and in development rates for fourth instar larvae against every statistical parameter of water temperature, but not in the development rates for fifth instar larvae. For the growth of fourth and fifth instar larvae, we could not specify the most appropriate parameters of water temperatures, because we observed no clear peaks in the determination coefficients. For the development of fourth instar larvae, this parameter could be the 65th percentile value, where the development zero temperature and effective degree‐days were 11.1°C and 56 degree‐days, respectively.
Faunal makeup of wild bees and their flower utilization in a semi‐urbanized area in central Japan
Authors: HISAMATSU Masaki , YAMANE Sôichi 
Published: June 2006

AbstractThe species composition of wild bees and their flower utilization patterns were surveyed from April to November in 1996 in a semi‐urbanized area adjacent to Sugao Marsh, Ibaraki, central Japan. A total of 750 individuals belonging to 43 species in six families were collected. The most dominant family was Halictidae, for which 13 species and 251 individuals were collected. The most dominant species was Colletes patellatus (120 individuals) of the Colletidae. The results at Sugao were compared with those obtained from three other areas of Ibaraki Prefecture, which have similar climatic conditions, yet have different environmental characteristics in terms of human impact. The four sites in Ibaraki can be classified into two groups: the first comprising Sugao and Mito in cultivated and/or human‐dwelling areas, and the second comprising Yamizo and Gozen’yama, in forest areas with more natural elements. The number of species at Sugao was the smallest among the four study sites. On the other hand, the values for species evenness at Sugao were the second‐highest of the four study sites. These findings show that the different characteristics of different bee communities reflect their local environmental conditions, including their floral compositions. The bees visited 36 flower species in 20 families, and 70.7% of all individuals studied visited Compositae flowers. The heavy utilization of composite flowers is possibly because of the existence of a simplified flora consisting of a few dominant composite plant species. Among these plants, Solidago altissima and Lactuca indica made large contributions to supporting autumn bees, especially Colletes patellatus and Colletes perforator, which are solitary and oligolectic on Compositae.
Sexual dimorphism and allometry in two seed beetles (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)
Authors: COLGONI Andrew , VAMOSI Steven M. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractMale Callosobruchus chinensis (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) have elaborated, pectinate antennae, which are absent from conspecific females and both sexes of a congener, Callosobruchus maculatus. To begin to unravel the mechanisms producing this striking dimorphism, we examined which morphological traits best explain body size variation in bruchid beetles and quantified sexual dimorphism of antenna size through allometric analyses. Using principal component analyses, we found that elytron length and pronotum width were significantly correlated with the first principal component, which was interpreted as explaining variation in body size. Regressions of log‐transformed body size measures on log‐transformed antenna length revealed that males of both species had longer antennae than conspecific females for any given body size, although most of this effect was attributable to higher intercepts, rather than increased allometry, in males. Comparisons among heterospecific males revealed that C. maculatus males have noticeably longer antennae than C. chinensis males at large body sizes. Callosobruchus chinensis males, thus, appear to have increased the receptive area of their antennae by adding to the width of, rather than further elongating, their antennae. Finally, we found evidence for positive allometry between log‐transformed antenna length and log‐transformed antenna width in C. chinensis males. We discuss our results in the context of evidence supporting the presence of an additional, and potentially unique, sex pheromone in C. chinensis females.
Astegopteryx spinocephala (Hemiptera: Aphididae), a new aphid species producing sterile soldiers that guard eggs laid in their gall
Authors: KUROSU Utako , BURANAPANICHPAN Sawai , AOKI Shigeyuki 
Published: June 2006

Abstract Astegopteryx spinocephala sp. nov., a soldier‐producing aphid species forming banana‐bunch shaped galls on Styrax benzoides in northern Thailand, is described. We found that galls of the species are formed in approximately June and last for almost 1 year, and that the aphid completes its life cycle without migrating to secondary hosts. Many alate sexuparae appeared in March/April, when many sexuals (arostrate males and rostrate females) and eggs were found in live subgalls guarded by soldiers that plugged the ostiole with their sclerotized, spiny heads. Two healthy galls sampled in April contained 2799 and 2659 eggs, respectively. Many live galls were still found in May, and some at the beginning of June. These galls contained both active soldiers and eggs, some of which had already hatched. This indicates that soldiers of A. spinocephala guard eggs until they hatch in at least some galls.
Taxonomic notes on Japanese species of the Nomada furva species group (Hymenoptera: Apidae)
Authors: MITAI Katsushi , TADAUCHI Osamu 
Published: June 2006

AbstractThe furva species group of the genus Nomada in Japan is taxonomically revised and the following three species are recognized: N. okubira Tsuneki, 1973, stat. nov., N. pulawskii Tsuneki, 1973, and N. taicho Tsuneki, 1973. Nomada okubira is raised to species rank, and N. etigonis Tsuneki, 1986, is synonymized under N. okubira. Detailed illustrations of male terminalia are provided for N. okubira and N. taicho. A key to the Japanese species is provided.
Changing patterns of pericardial disease in patients with end‐stage renal disease
Authors: BANERJEE Anindya , DAVENPORT Andrew 
Published: June 2006

AbstractPericarditis can occur in patients with chronic renal failure before initiation of dialysis. It is also described in established dialysis patients. Traditionally, the cause of pericarditis in such settings has been attributed to uremia and/or inadequate dialysis and it is consequently thought that intensifying the dialysis process in such patients could improve outcome. We report here 7 cases of acute pericarditis in patients with end‐stage renal disease on renal replacement therapy. Only 3 of the patients gave any history of chest pain, and a pericardial friction rub was only noted in 2. Despite a period of intensive dialysis, none of the patients improved and all required pericardial drainage as the definitive curative procedure. The clinical presentation of acute pericarditis in dialysis patients therefore may be atypical and pericardial drainage should be considered early, as intensive dialysis alone may not lead to resolution.
Physical disability, psychological status, and health‐related quality of life in older hemodialysis patients and age‐matched controls
Authors: ALTINTEPE Lutfullah , LEVENDOGLU Funda , OKUDAN Nilsel , GUNEY Ibrahim , Savas CILLI Ali , UGURLU Hatice , TONBUL Zeki , GOKBEL Hakki , TURK Suleyman 
Published: June 2006

AbstractWe aimed at comparing the elderly adults and normal subjects with regard to their disability, psychological status, and quality of life (QOL). One hundred and twenty‐five dialysis patients and 61 controls were recruited in the study. Depression and anxiety symptoms of the patients were evaluated with the Psychological Symptom Screening List (SCL 90‐R). For evaluating the disability, the Rivermead mobility index (RMI) was utilized. For evaluating the QOL, we used the short form‐36 (SF‐36) scale. The Rivermead mobility index of the patients (9.6±3.4) was found. When compared with controls, dialysis patients had higher levels of disability (p=0.0001). Depression and anxiety symptom scores of these patients were also significantly higher than that of the controls (p<0.05). There was a correlation between the disability and depression symptom scores (r: 0.171, p=0.037). Both physical and mental capacity scores of the dialysis patients were lower than those of the controls (p<0.05 and p<0.05) QOL scores for elderly hemodialysis patients were found to be lower. Their disability was higher, making them dependable on others during their daily lives. Specific exercise programs should be developed for these patients. Even the smallest effort in this regard will result in improvements in physical functioning while bringing them significant benefits.
Metastatic potential of melanomas defined by specific gene expression profiles with no BRAF signature
Authors: Hoek Keith S. , Schlegel Natalie C. , Brafford Patricia , Sucker Antje , Ugurel Selma , Kumar Rajiv , Weber Barbara L. , Nathanson Katherine L. , Phillips David J. , Herlyn Meenhard , Schadendorf Dirk , Dummer Reinhard 
Published: June 2006

SummaryThe molecular biology of metastatic potential in melanoma has been studied many times previously and changes in the expression of many genes have been linked to metastatic behaviour. What is lacking is a systematic characterization of the regulatory relationships between genes whose expression is related to metastatic potential. Such a characterization would produce a molecular taxonomy for melanoma which could feasibly be used to identify epigenetic mechanisms behind changes in metastatic behaviour. To achieve this we carried out three separate DNA microarray analyses on a total of 86 cultures of melanoma. Significantly, multiple testing correction revealed that previous reports describing correlations of gene expression with activating mutations in BRAF or NRAS were incorrect and that no gene expression patterns correlate with the mutation status of these MAPK pathway components. Instead, we identified three different sample cohorts (A, B and C) and found that these cohorts represent melanoma groups of differing metastatic potential. Cohorts A and B were susceptible to transforming growth factor‐β (TGFβ)‐mediated inhibition of proliferation and had low motility. Cohort C was resistant to TGFβ and demonstrated high motility. Meta‐analysis of the data against previous studies linking gene expression and phenotype confirmed that cohorts A and C represent transcription signatures of weakly and strongly metastatic melanomas, respectively. Gene expression co‐regulation suggested that signalling via TGFβ‐type and Wnt/β‐catenin pathways underwent considerable change between cohorts. These results suggest a model for the transition from weakly to strongly metastatic melanomas in which TGFβ‐type signalling upregulates genes expressing vasculogenic/extracellular matrix remodelling factors and Wnt signal inhibitors, coinciding with a downregulation of genes downstream of Wnt signalling.
Evaluation of melanin‐related metabolites as markers of solar ultraviolet‐B radiation
Authors: Wakamatsu Kazumasa , Ito Shosuke 
Published: June 2006

SummaryUltraviolet‐B (UVB) radiation due sunlight can result in sunburns and/or suntans. Sunburn occurs only several hours after solar UVB radiation, while a suntan requires several days to several weeks to develop. In the present study, we measured serum and urine levels of melanin‐related metabolites, 5‐S‐cysteinyldopa (5‐S‐CD) and 6‐hydroxy‐5‐methoxyindole‐2‐carboxylic acid (6H5MI2C), in nine subjects exposed to normal sunlight over the course of 12 months. We collected samples in the middle of each month and examined the variation of the markers, the correlation between them, and their correlation with solar UVB radiation. Those markers exhibited a seasonal variation with lower values in the winter and higher values in the summer. Levels of 5‐S‐CD and 6H5MI2C in the serum showed 48% and 54% increases in the summer compared with those in the winter, respectively. Comparison of 5‐S‐CD in the serum and urine showed the highest correlation (r2 = 0.344), followed by the pair of 5‐S‐CD and 6H5MI2C in the serum. Levels of 5‐S‐CD in the serum showed the highest correlation (r2 = 0.729) with the mean solar UVB radiation during the first 10 d of the month, while 6H5MI2C in the serum was highly correlated (r2 = 0.483) with solar UVB radiation during the previous month. Levels of 5‐S‐CD and 6H5MI2C in the serum appear to reflect the degrees of skin injury and pigmentation in the skin, respectively.
Butyrylcholinesterase Activity in Gestational Diabetes: Correlation with Lymphocyte Subpopulations in Peripheral Blood
Authors: Mahmoud Fadia F. , Haines David D. , Abul Habib T. , Omu Alexander E. , Abu‐Donia Mohammad B. 
Published: June 2006

Problem  Inefficient clearance of pregnancy‐threatening toxins may contribute to gestational diabetes (GD) and Type II diabetes mellitus (DM) through mechanisms involving immune dysregulation.Method of Study  Peripheral venous blood from pregnant Kuwaiti women in third trimester, including 15 GD and 17 DM patients, 14 healthy pregnant (HP) and eight non‐pregnant subjects, was analyzed by two‐color flow cytometery for number and percentage representation of T lymphocytes. Buterylcholinesterase (BuChE) activity was measured using buterylthiocholine iodide and spectrophotometry.Results  Relative to HP, GD patients exhibited higher ratios of activated and memory phenotypes, including CD4+ CD25+ (P < 0.01), CD4+ HLA‐DR (P < 0.05) and CD4+ CD45RO+ (P < 0.05) cells. Serum BuChE activity exhibited positive correlation within the HP cohort with CD4+ CD25+ (P < 0.05), but not in GD and DM cohorts.Conclusions  Positive correlation between BuChE and a (presumptive) ‘regulatory’ T‐cell phenotype in HP, but not GD or DM may indicate existence of protective detoxification mechanisms against oxidative stress in normal pregnancies.
Genetic polymorphisms of adhesion molecules in children with severe RSV‐associated diseases
Authors: Krueger M. , Puthothu B. , Heinze J. , Forster J. , Heinzmann A. 
Published: June 2006

SummaryAdhesion molecules are involved in the pathophysiology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)‐associated diseases. By testing polymorphisms within ICAM‐1, VCAM‐1 and E‐selectin, we found no evidence for association of any polymorphism with severe RSV infections. Thus, we conclude that these genes do not predispose to severe RSV‐associated diseases.
Protein tyrosine phosphatase non‐receptor type 22 (PTPN22) gene R620W variant and sporadic idiopathic hypoparathyroidism in Asian Indians
Authors: Ray D. , Tomar N. , Gupta N. , Goswami R. 
Published: June 2006

SummaryRecently, a gain of function variant C1858T of the lymphoid‐specific protein tyrosine phosphatase non‐receptor (LYP, PTPN22) gene has been reported to be associated with several autoimmune disorders including Graves’ disease, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and vitiligo. The present study was carried out in 80 patients with sporadic idiopathic hypoparathyroidism (SIH) [43 males and 37 females, mean ± SD age and duration of symptoms 32.5 ± 14.1 years and 6.7 ± 7.2 years (range 1 day to 35 years), respectively] and 193 healthy controls (male : female ratio 91:102, mean ± SD age, 43.1 ± 11.6 years) to assess association of 1858T allele with the disease. Polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was performed to genotype C1858T variant. The frequency of occurrence of 1858T allele was 4/160 (2.5%) in SIH and 5/386 (1.3%) in the control alleles (odds ratio 1.95, 95% CI 0.51–7.37). Thus, the present study reveals that 1858T allele is rare (1.3%) in Asian Indians. The trend of higher prevalence of 1858T allele in patients with SIH needs to be studied further in other population with higher rate of the allele to support the autoimmune basis of the disease.