bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Plasticity to soil water deficit in Arabidopsis thaliana: dissection of leaf development into underlying growth dynamic and cellular variables reveals invisible phenotypes
Authors: AGUIRREZABAL LUIS , BOUCHIER‐COMBAUD SANDRINE , RADZIEJWOSKI AMANDINE , DAUZAT MYRIAM , COOKSON SARAH JANE , GRANIER CHRISTINE 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACTGenetic variability in the plasticity of leaf area expansion in response to water deficit has been reported in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, the objective was to identify the underlying dynamic and cellular processes involved in this variability. Twenty‐five accessions were subjected to identical soil water deficit treatments. In all accessions, the plasticity of leaf production was low compared with that of individual leaf expansion. A subset of accessions was selected for further dissection of individual leaf expansion into its underlying variables: the rate and duration of leaf expansion and epidermal cell number and area. In all accessions, water deficit had opposite effects on the rate and duration of leaf expansion. The accumulation of these effects was reflected in changes in final leaf area. At the cellular level, moderate water deficits had opposite effects on cell number and cell size, but more severe ones reduced both variables. The importance of these opposing effects is highlighted by the behaviour of the accession An‐1, for which the compensation between the decrease in leaf expansion rate and the increase in the duration of expansion is total. This dynamic plasticity in response to water deficit is not detectable when only final measurements are done.
The cytosolic Na+ : K+ ratio does not explain salinity‐induced growth impairment in barley: a dual‐tracer study using 42K+ and 24Na+
Authors: KRONZUCKER HERBERT J. , SZCZERBA MARK W. , MOAZAMI‐GOUDARZI MARYAM , BRITTO DEV T. 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACTIt has long been believed that maintenance of low Na+ : K+ ratios in the cytosol of plant cells is critical to the plant’s ability to tolerate salinity stress. Direct measurements of such ratios, however, have been few. Here we apply the non‐invasive technique of compartmental analysis, using the short‐lived radiotracers 42K+ and 22Na+, in intact seedlings of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), to evaluate unidirectional plasma membrane fluxes and cytosolic concentrations of K+ and Na+ in root tissues, under eight nutritional conditions varying in levels of salinity and K+ supply. We show that Na+ : K+ ratios in the cytosol of root cells adjust significantly across the conditions tested, and that these ratios are poor predictors of the plant’s growth response to salinity. Our study further demonstrates that Na+ is subject to rapid and futile cycling at the plasma membrane at all levels of Na+ supply, independently of external K+, while K+ influx is reduced by Na+, from a similar baseline, and to a similar extent, at both low and high K+ supply. We compare our results to those of other groups, and conclude that the maintenance of the cytosolic Na+ : K+ ratio is not central to plant survival under NaCl stress. We offer alternative explanations for sodium sensitivity in relation to the primary acquisition mechanisms of Na+ and K+.
Large‐scale histological analysis of leaf mutants using two simple leaf observation methods: identification of novel genetic pathways governing the size and shape of leaves
Authors: Horiguchi Gorou , Fujikura Ushio , Ferjani Ali , Ishikawa Naoko , Tsukaya Hirokazu 
Published: October 2006

SummaryObservations of cellular organization are essential in understanding the mechanisms underlying leaf morphogenesis. These observations require several preparative steps, such as fixation and clearing of organs, and such procedures are time‐consuming and labor‐intensive for large‐scale analyses. Thus, we have developed simple methods for the observation of leaf epidermal and mesophyll cells. To visualize the epidermis, a gel cast was made of the leaf surface, which was then observed under a light microscope. To visualize the leaf mesophyll cells, leaves were immersed in a solution containing Triton X‐100, briefly centrifuged, and then viewed under a light microscope. These methods allowed us to conduct a histological phenome analysis for a large number of known and newly isolated leaf‐shape/size mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana by measuring various parameters, including cell number, size, and distribution of cells within a leaf blade. Mutants showed changes in leaf size caused by specific increases or decreases in the number and/or size of cells. In addition, altered cell distributions in the leaf blade were observed, resulting from increases or decreases in the number of cells along the proximo‐distal or medio‐lateral axis, or recruitment of cells along a particular axis at the expense of other leaf parts. These results provide a phenomic view of the cellular behavior involved in organ size control and leaf‐shape patterning.
Energy, range dynamics and global species richness patterns: reconciling mid‐domain effects and environmental determinants of avian diversity
Authors: Storch David , Davies Richard G. , Zajíček Samuel , Orme C. David L. , Olson Valerie , Thomas Gavin H. , Ding Tzung‐Su , Rasmussen Pamela C. , Ridgely Robert S. , Bennett Peter M. , Blackburn Tim M. , Owens Ian P. F. , Gaston Kevin J. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractSpatial patterns of species richness follow climatic and environmental variation, but could reflect random dynamics of species ranges (the mid‐domain effect, MDE). Using data on the global distribution of birds, we compared predictions based on energy availability (actual evapotranspiration, AET, the best single correlate of avian richness) with those of range dynamics models. MDE operating within the global terrestrial area provides a poor prediction of richness variation, but if it operates separately within traditional biogeographic realms, it explains more global variation in richness than AET. The best predictions, however, are given by a model of global range dynamics modulated by AET, such that the probability of a range spreading into an area is proportional to its AET. This model also accurately predicts the latitudinal variation in species richness and variation of species richness both within and between realms, thus representing a compelling mechanism for the major trends in global biodiversity.
Thermal range predicts bird population resilience to extreme high temperatures
Authors: Jiguet Frédéric , Julliard Romain , Thomas Chris D. , Dehorter Olivier , Newson Stuart E. , Couvet Denis 
Published: November 2006

AbstractThe identification of the characteristics of species that make them susceptible or resilient to climate change has been elusive because non‐climatic influences may dominate short‐ and medium‐term changes in population and distribution sizes. Here we studied the 2003 French heat wave, during which other confounding variables remained essentially unchanged, with a correlational approach. We tested the relationship between population resilience and thermal range by analysing the responses of 71 bird species to a 6‐month heat wave. Species with small thermal ranges showed the sharpest decreases in population growth rate between 2003 and 2004 in locations with the highest temperature anomalies. Thermal range explained the resilience of birds to the heat wave independently of other potential predictors, although it correlated with nest location and broad habitat type used by species. The geographically deduced thermal range appears to be a reliable predictor of the resilience of these endothermic species to extreme temperatures.
Emotion Situation Knowledge in Elementary School: Models of Longitudinal Growth and Preschool Correlates
Authors: Fine Sarah E. , Izard Carroll E. , Trentacosta Christopher J. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractWe examined individual differences in developmental trajectories of emotion situation knowledge (ESK), at three time points throughout elementary school in a sample of children from economically disadvantaged families. Results showed that ESK and the subscales of joy, fear, anger, shame and interest exhibited positive growth from the first to the fifth grade, whereas scores on the sad subscale declined slightly. Preschool verbal ability predicted first grade scores for joy, fear, and anger, and growth in scores for shame across time. Preschool negative emotional intensity predicted slower growth in overall ESK and the anger and shame subscales. Taken together, these results broaden our basic knowledge of how children's use of situational cues to infer others' emotions develops in middle and late childhood.
DIGGING WELLS WHILE HOUSES BURN? WRITING HISTORIES OF HINDUISM IN A TIME OF IDENTITY POLITICS
Authors: WHITE DAVID GORDON 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACTOver the past fifty years, a number of approaches to the recovery of the multiple pasts of Hinduism have held the field. these include that of the discipline of History of religions as it is constituted in north america as well as those of the Hindu nationalists, the colonial and post‐colonial historians, and the subaltern studies school. None of these approaches have proven satisfactory because, for methodological or ideological reasons, none have adequately addressed human agency or historical change in their accounts of the pasts out of which modern‐day Hinduism has emerged. the Hindu nationalist historians hark back to an extended Vedic golden age in which religious practice remained unchanged until the corruptions spawned by the Turkish invasions of the eleventh century. Many Western indologists and historians of religion specializing in Hinduism never leave the unalterable ideal worlds of the scriptures they interpret to investigate the changing real‐world contexts out of which those texts emerged. The colonial and postcolonial historians focus on the past two hundred years as the period in which all of the categories through which India continues to interpret itself—including Hinduism—were imposed upon it from without. Adducing examples of Hindu practitioners and thinkers from the colonial period, subaltern theorists and others argue that historical thought is itself alien to the authentic Indian mind. This article suggests a number of interpretive strategies for retrieving the multiple Hinduisms of the past and of the medieval period in particular as that time out of which most modern‐day practices of Hinduism emerged. These include an increased emphasis on non‐scriptural sources and a focus on regional traditions.
The rise and fall of social partnership in postsocialist Europe: the Commonwealth of Independent States
Authors: Borisov Vadim , Clarke Simon 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACTTraditional trade unions throughout the postsocialist world embraced ‘social partnership’ as a means to secure their institutional survival in a radically changed economic and political environment. The commitment of national governments to social partnership ebbed and flowed through the 1990s, but it was confirmed, at least rhetorically, in Central and Eastern Europe by the prospect and requirements of accession to the European Union. This article explores the fate of social partnership in the ‘other half’ of Europe, the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, where social dialogue has largely been abandoned and trade unions alternatively marginalised or subordinated to the state apparatus.
The Year of Workers’ Mobility
Authors: Ingham Mike , Ingham Hilary 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACTThe year 2006 is the European Year of Workers’ Mobility. This article seeks to assess how effective such a designation might be in the context of the problems that currently confront the EU. While it finds that the underlying potential is significant, the reality is that the year has been framed more with political than with social and economic goals to the fore and the result is a disappointment.
Practitioner Review: Psychosocial interventions for children with selective mutism: a critical evaluation of the literature from 1990–2005
Authors: Cohan Sharon L. , Chavira Denise A. , Stein Murray B. 
Published: November 2006

Background:  There have been several reports of successful psychosocial interventions for children with selective mutism (SM), a disorder in which a child consistently fails to speak in one or more social settings (e.g., school) despite speaking normally in other settings (e.g., home). The present literature review was undertaken in order to provide an up‐to‐date summary and critique of the SM treatment literature published in the past fifteen years.Methods:  PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases were searched to identify SM treatment studies published in peer‐reviewed journals between 1990 and 2005.Results:  A total of 23 studies were included in the present review. Of these, ten used a behavioral/cognitive behavioral approach, one used a behavioral language training approach, one used a family systems approach, five used a psychodynamic approach, and six used multimodal approaches to SM treatment.Conclusions:  Although much of this literature is limited by methodological weaknesses, the existing research provides support for the use of behavioral and cognitive‐behavioral interventions. Multimodal treatments also appear promising, but the essential components of these interventions have yet to be established. An outline of a cognitive‐behavioral treatment package for a typical SM child is provided and the review concludes with suggestions for future research.
Are correlations among foliar traits in ferns consistent with those in the seed plants?
Authors: Karst Amanda L. , Lechowicz Martin J. 
Published: November 2006

Summary
Broad‐based studies of gymnosperms and angiosperms reveal consistent and functionally significant correlations among foliar traits such as leaf mass per area (LMA), maximum photosynthetic rate (Aarea), foliar nitrogen (Narea), foliar chlorophyll (Chl) and leaf longevity.
To assess the generality of these relationships, we studied 20 fern species growing in the understorey of a temperate deciduous forest.
We found that foliar Narea increases with LMA, and that foliar Narea and Aarea are positively correlated with one another, as are foliar Narea and Chl. The ferns in general have very low LMA compared with most seed plants; Aarea, Narea and Chl are below median values for seed plants but are not extreme. Species with overwintering fronds have significantly higher LMA than species with fronds that senesce at the end of the growing season, as well as a significantly higher C : N ratio in frond tissue and relatively high foliar N on an areal basis.
Correlations among foliar traits associated with gas exchange in these forest understorey ferns are in accordance with patterns reported for seed plants, suggesting a high degree of functional constraint on the interrelationships among key elements in foliar design.
Mercury concentration and fish consumption in Taiwanese pregnant women
Authors: Hsu C‐S , Liu P‐L , Chien L‐C , Chou S‐Y , Han B‐C 
Published: November 2006

Objective  The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between fish consumption and total mercury concentration in maternal blood, umbilical cord blood, and placenta tissue of pregnant women in Taiwan.Design  Cross‐sectional study.Setting  A medical centre in Taipei, Taiwan.Sample  Sixty‐five pregnant women delivered between July 2004 and March 2005.Methods  We administered a questionnaire to each woman in the third trimester and collected blood samples and placenta tissue after delivery. Mercury concentrations in the maternal blood, cord blood and placenta tissue were measured using mercury analyser (Hiranuma HG‐310, Hitachi, Japan). A dietitian calculated the quantity of fish consumed from the questionnaire.Main outcome measures  The total mercury concentration in maternal blood, cord blood and placenta tissue.Results  The mean total mercury concentration in maternal blood, cord blood and placenta tissue was 9.1 ± 0.40 microgram/l, 10.0 ± 0.55 microgram/l and 19.2 ± 1.8 ng/g, respectively. Eighty‐nine percent of the maternal blood mercury concentrations exceeded the US National Research Council recommended value of 5.8 microgram/l. Fish consumption while pregnant correlated significantly with maternal blood and cord blood mercury concentrations.Conclusions  Total mercury concentrations of maternal blood, cord blood and placenta tissue commonly exceeded recommended values, and were higher in women who ate fish more than three times a week while pregnant.
Growing Talent for Inclusion: using an appreciative inquiry approach into investigating classroom dynamics
Authors: Doveston Mary , Keenaghan Marian 
Published: November 2006

This paper reports on an Appreciative Inquiry project called ‘Growing Talent for Inclusion’ which has been running since 2002. The project grew out the authors’ work in a Local Authority Support Service assisting schools to meet the needs of pupils with a range of additional educational needs. Faced with a large number of individual referrals, many relating to the emotional, social and behavioural needs of pupils, it was considered that an eco – systemic approach was required and that a priority was to support pupils and teachers in developing more effective and satisfying interpersonal relationships in the classroom.‘Growing Talent for Inclusion’ uses Appreciative Inquiry to investigate a management change process which has been used within large organisations and communities but less commonly at classroom level. It is a type of action research which is solution not problem focused and therefore lends itself well to a research focus of improving classroom dynamics.The paper introduces a 4‐D Cycle of Appreciative Inquiry: discovery, dream, design and deliver, as advocated by Cooperrider and Srivastva, 1987, which guides the identification, acknowledgment and amplification of skills pertinent to improving social dynamics within the classroom and discusses the methodological issues which arise from this collaborative, participative form of inquiry.A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods has been used to identify and track the development of attributes for improving working relationships in four different primary and secondary classrooms in three schools. 76 pupils and four teachers have been involved in the project since its inception in 2002 with classes in a further three primary schools using the approach during the academic year 2005–2006.Findings from the project show an increase in the number of pupils with whom other pupils are happy to work, a reduction in the number of pupils identified as socially excluded at the beginning of the project and enhanced capacity of the group in terms of the talents identified for growth. Feedback from staff and students also suggests that the process of noticing and acknowledging strengths has contributed to improvements in working relationships.
THE INFORMATIONAL ROLE OF BANK LOAN RATINGS
Authors: Yi Ha‐Chin , Mullineaux Donald J. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractWe analyze the relatively new phenomenon of credit ratings on syndicated loans, asking first whether they convey information to the capital markets. Our event studies show that initial loan ratings and upgrades are not informative, but downgrades are. The market anticipates downgrades to some extent, however. We also examine whether public information reflecting borrower default characteristics explains cross‐sectional variation in loan ratings and find that ratings are only partially predictable. Our evidence suggests that loan and bond ratings are not determined by the same model. Finally, we estimate a credit spread model incorporating bank loan ratings and other factors reflecting default risk, information asymmetry, and agency problems. We find that ratings are related to loan rates, given the effect of other influences on yields, suggesting that ratings provide information not reflected in financial information. Ratings may capture idiosyncratic information about recovery rates, as each of the agencies claims, or information about default prospects not available to the market.
Parties, Institutional Control, and Trust in Government*
Authors: Gershtenson Joseph , Ladewig Jeffrey , Plane Dennis L. 
Published: October 2006

Objectives. Partisanship should affect evaluations of Congress just as it affects evaluations of the president, and these institutional evaluations should affect political trust. We argue that the relationship between partisanship and trust is dependent on partisan control of Congress and that much of party identification's influence on trust occurs indirectly through approval of governmental institutions.Methods. Using data collected before and after the 2002 congressional elections by the Center for Survey Research and Analysis at the University of Connecticut, we examine changes in frequency distributions and mean values for trust and institutional approval. We use multivariate regression models and a path model to estimate the causes of political trust and self‐perceived change in trust.Results. We find evidence that party control of government and party identification are important in explaining trust and institutional approval. The Republican takeover of the Senate led Republicans to evaluate the Senate more favorably and to become more trusting of the government, while having the opposite effect on Democrats.Conclusions. The changes in approval and trust resulting from the 2002 elections suggest that at least some segment of the population is cognizant of changes in the political environment and updates its views of government when the political environment changes.
Can health workers diagnose dementia in the community?
Authors: Jacob K. S. , Senthil Kumar P. , Gayathri K. , Abraham S. , Prince M. J. 
Published: November 2006

Objective:  This study attempted to evaluate sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of the diagnosis of dementia made by trained community health workers.Method:  A total of 1000 subjects over the age of 65 years were recruited for the study. The community health workers identified nine subjects as having dementia. This was compared against an education adjusted diagnosis of dementia made in accordance with the 10/66 dementia research group protocol.Results:  The sensitivity and specificity of the community health worker diagnosis was 3.8% and 99.4% respectively. The false positive rate and positive predictive values were 55.6% and 44.4%, respectively. The false negative rate and negative predictive value were 10.3% and 89.7% respectively. Similar values were obtained against a DSM IV diagnosis. Subjects with dementia who were correctly diagnosed by the community health workers and those whose condition was missed did not differ significantly on socio‐demographic and clinical variables.Conclusion:  Informal screening by community health workers resulted in low sensitivity and positive predictive values. Screening strategies in situations of low prevalence are not effective.