bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hatching and viability of rotifer diapausing eggs collected from pond sediments
Authors: GARCÍA‐ROGER EDUARDO M. , CARMONA MARÍA JOSÉ , SERRA MANUEL 
Published: June 2006

Summary1. Planktonic rotifers inhabiting variable environments produce diapausing eggs that accumulate in the sediment of lakes and ponds, forming egg banks that may withstand adverse periods. A common assumption in zooplankton diapausing egg bank studies is to count as viable all eggs in the sediment that look healthy. This assumption should be challenged by asking how effectively ‘healthy‐looking’ eggs represent viable eggs.2. In this study, viability of more than 1100 ‘healthy‐looking’ diapausing eggs belonging to the Brachionus plicatilis species complex was assessed in a laboratory hatching experiment. Eggs were collected at different depths from sediment cores obtained from 15 ponds located in coastal and inland areas of Eastern Spain.3. Only approximately one half of the ‘healthy‐looking’ diapausing eggs hatched after incubation in experimental conditions. Almost all the hatchlings (99.4%) survived to maturity. The proportion of ‘healthy‐looking’ diapausing eggs that hatched varied among areas and among ponds within area, and substantially declined with sediment depth. Most of the hatchlings (88%) were obtained from the uppermost 2 cm of sediment. ‘Healthy‐looking’ eggs from upper sediment layers hatched after significantly shorter incubation times than eggs recovered from deeper layers.4. Both decreased hatching success and increased incubation time for hatching with sediment depth suggest that older ‘healthy‐looking’ eggs are less responsive to hatching stimuli and could become unviable. However, the strong correlation found between the number of ‘healthy‐looking’ eggs and the number of hatchlings indicates that the abundance of ‘healthy‐looking’ eggs is a good index of egg bank viability.
Prostaglandin E2 is a negative regulator on human plasmacytoid dendritic cells
Authors: Son Yonsu , Ito Tomoki , Ozaki Yoshio , Tanijiri Tsutomu , Yokoi Takashi , Nakamura Kengo , Takebayashi Masashi , Amakawa Ryuichi , Fukuhara Shirou 
Published: June 2006

SummaryProstaglandin E2 (PGE2), a major lipid derived from the metabolism of arachidonic acid, is an environmentally bioactive substance produced by inflammatory processes and acts as a cAMP up‐regulator that plays an important role in immune responses. It has been reported that PGE2 has the ability to inhibit the production of interleukin‐12 by myeloid dendritic cells (MDCs) and macrophages, and then induce preferential T helper type 2 (Th2) cell responses. However, little is known of the function of PGE2 for plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs), which may contribute to the innate and adaptive immune response to viral infection, allergy and autoimmune diseases. In the present study, we compared the biological effect of PGE2 on human PDCs and MDCs. PGE2 caused the death of PDCs but MDCs survived. Furthermore, we found that, whereas PGE2 inhibited interferon‐α production by PDCs in response to virus or cytosine–phosphate–guanosine, it inhibited interelukin‐12 production by MDCs in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or poly(I:C). Although both virus‐stimulated PDCs and LPS‐stimulated MDCs preferentially induced the development of interferon‐γ‐producing Th1 cells, pretreatment with PGE2 led both DC subsets to attenuate their Th1‐inducing capacity. These findings suggest that PGE2 represents a negative regulator on not only MDCs but also PDCs.
The lack of RNA‐dependent protein kinase enhances susceptibility of mice to genital herpes simplex virus type 2 infection
Authors: Carr Daniel J. J. , Wuest Todd , Tomanek Lisa , Silverman Robert H. , Williams Bryan R. G. 
Published: June 2006

SummaryMice deficient in RNA‐dependent protein kinase (PKR–/–) or deficient in PKR and a functional 2′,5′‐oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS) pathway (PKR/RL–/–) are more susceptible to genital herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV‐2) infection than wild‐type mice or mice that are deficient only in a functional OAS pathway (RL–/–) as measured by survival over 30 days. The increase in susceptibility correlated with an increase in virus titre recovered from vaginal tissue or brainstem of infected mice during acute infection. There was also an increase in CD45+ cells and CD8+ T cells residing in the central nervous system of HSV‐2‐infected PKR/RL–/– mice in comparison with RL–/– or wild‐type control animals. In contrast, there was a reduction in the HSV‐specific CD8+ T cells within the draining lymph node of the PKR/RL–/– mice. Collectively, activation of PKR, but not of OAS, contributes significantly to the local control and spread of HSV‐2 following genital infection.
Delayed type allergic reaction following the use of nonlatex rubber dam during endodontic treatment
Authors: Sunay H. , Tanalp J. , Güler N. , Bayirli G. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractAim  To describe the development of a delayed type allergic reaction 24 h following the use of nonlatex rubber dam during endodontic treatment. The symptoms were alleviated with adequate medication; however, the patient rejected any further analysis.Summary  In recent years, allergic reactions because of latex rubber dam and gloves have received more attention. Nonlatex products are advocated in clinical use in cases where the patient presents an allergic background. Although rare, adverse reactions may be encountered even with these products. In this article, a very rare case is presented in which a patient developed signs of allergy 24 h after the utilization of nonlatex rubber dam and gloves during endodontic treatment. Signs including visible redness on the mucosa, submucosal oedema and desquamation in the vestibular mucosa were observed. With proper medication, the signs and symptoms were alleviated. Although the patient was referred to an allergy specialist for patch testing, she did not accept any further analysis.Key learning points  This case emphasizes the necessity of precautions during the management of latex‐allergic patients in clinical practice. The unusual response encountered in this patient does not undermine the usefulness of nonlatex rubber dam and gloves in sensitive individuals.
Fetal anomaly screening: what do women want to know?
Authors: Lalor Joan , Begley Cecily 
Published: June 2006

Aim.  This paper reports a study exploring women's experiences of receiving an adverse diagnosis at a routine second trimester ultrasound examination, and the factors that influenced their preparedness for an adverse finding.Background.  Ultrasound has become a routine part of prenatal care offered to pregnant women in most developed countries and technological advances are making it increasingly possible to detect more anomalies, and at earlier gestations. When fetal anomaly detection can be an outcome of the examination, provision of effective information to ensure informed consent for screening remains a challenge.Method.  A grounded theory study (n = 38) was carried out in 2004 and 2005 using an in‐depth interview within 4 weeks of diagnosis and constant comparative analysis.Findings.  The core category of balancing information emerged, whereby women balanced the expectation of a healthy baby and the non‐threatening nature of the ultrasound examination with the shock of an adverse diagnosis. Assumed fetal health was contributed to by being in good health, experiencing normal symptoms of pregnancy and having other healthy children. The majority of women believed that provision of extensive and detailed lists regarding fetal anomaly detection would only cause unnecessary anxiety and worry, and suggested that a less detailed approach is required for a routine screening programme for low‐risk pregnancy.Conclusion.  The drive to inform all women fully of ultrasound detection rates for specific anomalies may be counter‐productive as it will enhance the worry pregnant women already feel in relation to the health of their unborn baby.
Impact of the role of nurse, midwife and health visitor consultant
Authors: Coster Samantha , Redfern Sally , Wilson‐Barnett Jenifer , Evans Amanda , Peccei Riccardo , Guest David 
Published: June 2006

Aim.  This paper describes the findings from one aspect of an evaluation study of the role of the nurse, midwife and health visitor consultant and the consultants’ perceived impact of their role on services and patient care.Background.  The nurse, midwife and health visitor consultant role was established in 2000 in England to improve patient care, strengthen leadership and provide a clinical career opportunity for nurses, midwives and health visitors. An evaluative study was commissioned to report on the role 4 years after the new consultant posts were first established.Method.  A multimethod evaluation was undertaken in 2002–2003 combining focus groups, telephone interviews and a comprehensive questionnaire survey of all the consultants in England. Four hundred and nineteen consultants responded to the questionnaire, 22 volunteered for the focus groups and 32 participated in the interviews.Results.  Nearly half (44%) the consultants who responded to the survey reported having a substantial impact on their service and 55% reported having some positive impact. High reported impact increased to 71% for those who had been in post for 2 years or longer. Consultants felt that they had been most successful in providing better support to staff, but only 10% said that they had a major impact on reducing unnecessary expenditure within the service. Factors associated with high levels of reported impact included engagement in a wide range of activities, perceived competence in the role and strong medical support. Those reporting most impact also reported the greatest dissatisfaction with salary.Conclusion.  As consultants become more established in their posts, they are able to identify improvements in practice, service reconfiguration and educational advantages for staff. Our findings suggest that the true influence of these posts will become clearer over time as the impact of consultants on long‐term organizational change becomes more apparent.
Breaking the silence: nurses’ understandings of change in clinical practice
Authors: Copnell Beverley , Bruni Nina 
Published: June 2006

Aim.  This paper reports a study exploring critical care nurses’ understandings of change in their practice.Background.  In contemporary nursing literature, change in clinical nursing practice is generally understood to be a rational process, synonymous with progress. It is seen as invariably contested, and hence difficult to achieve. It is represented as occurring infrequently. This literature effectively silences clinicians as this discourse of change does not recognize or incorporate their views or practices.Methods.  This study was informed by a Foucauldian poststructuralist framework. The participants were 12 critical care nurses who engaged in three individual in‐depth, focused interviews. The transcripts were deconstructed to reveal participants’ discourses of change and the implications of these discourses for nursing work. The data were generated between 1996 and 1998 as part of a study whose in‐depth analysis was completed in 2003.Findings.  Change was revealed as a highly complex phenomenon, closely intertwined with understandings of clinical nursing work. Participants showed difficulty in identifying or recalling clinical changes. Several dichotomies shaped their understandings of change, including change/stasis, formal/informal and dramatic/subtle. Their experiences of change frequently conflicted with prevailing dominant understandings, but they did not openly challenge them. Rather, they employed dichotomies, such as abstract/concrete and other/self, to enable them to work with these conflicts. As a result, they engaged in practices such as naming other nurses as ‘irrational’.Conclusion.  The data provide new understandings of change in clinical nursing practice, some of which challenge many widely held views (for example, that such change is a rare occurrence). It is argued that a lack of open challenge by clinical nurses contributes to their silencing, promotes disharmony amongst nurses and, hence, works against a collaborative approach to decisions about clinical practice.
Early childhood home visiting programme: factors contributing to success
Authors: Heaman Maureen , Chalmers Karen , Woodgate Roberta , Brown Judy 
Published: June 2006

Aim.  This paper reports a study of the factors that public health nurses, home visitors and parents consider important for the success of an early childhood home visiting programme.Background.  The primary aim of early child home visiting programmes is to promote healthy and safe growth and development of infants and children in at‐risk families. Few studies have focused on actual programme components which foster this outcome.Methods.  The research was a descriptive, qualitative evaluation. Success of the programme was defined as positive changes in families which were seen as directly related to participation. The 58 participants were 24 public health nurses, 14 home visitors and 20 parents. One in‐depth semistructured audio‐taped interview was conducted with each participant between October 2003 and February 2004. All interviews were transcribed and analysed using open coding; themes and categories were developed and reviewed for congruence of coding.Findings.  Participants discussed several factors that they considered important for the success of the programme: its particular characteristics, the programme activities and the healthcare providers.Conclusion.  Components contributing to the success of early childhood home visiting programmes include a strength‐based philosophy, voluntary enrolment of parents, regularly scheduled home visits, a curriculum to structure the home visitor's interventions, and careful attention to the selection, training, and supervision of home visitors.
The ecology of motherhood: the structuring of lactation costs by chacma baboons
Authors: BARRETT LOUISE , HALLIDAY JO , HENZI S. PETER 
Published: June 2006

Summary

Data from a long‐term study of Papio hamadryas ursinus (L.) in the De Hoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa, were used to test the assumptions and predictions of Altmann's model of maternal time budgets.
Female baboons’ feeding time was below model predictions, and there was no evidence for a consistent increase in feeding time with infant age. In addition, female feeding time was not significantly higher than observed baseline feeding times for nonlactating females.
Female baboons reduced activity levels in the first few months post‐partum, as reflected in significant increases in resting time, and there was some indication that females lost body mass over the course of lactation. When feeding demand was high, females sacrificed social time, and conserved resting time.
Females increased vigilance levels during the first 4 months of infant life and were more vigilant overall during lactation than when nonlactating. There was a negative relationship between feeding time and vigilance, but a positive relationship between resting time and vigilance.
Female baboons at De Hoop appear to cope with the energetic costs of lactation by reducing activity levels, although this cannot compensate completely for increased energetic costs. This may not be so much an ‘energy‐sparing’ strategy as a response to threats presented by infanticidal males in this population. Females therefore trade‐off feeding time against vigilance.
Superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in Photobacterium damselae ssp. piscicida
Authors: Díaz‐Rosales P , Chabrillón M , Arijo S , Martinez‐Manzanares E , Moriñigo M A , Balebona M C 
Published: June 2006

AbstractThe ability of a set of Photobacterium damselae ssp. piscicida strains isolated from different fish species to produce different superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase enzymes was determined. Unlike other bacterial pathogens, P. damselae ssp. piscicida is not able to produce different isoforms of SOD or catalase containing different metal cofactors when cultured under oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide or methyl viologen, or under iron depleted conditions. However, iron content of the growth medium influenced the levels of SOD and catalase activity in cells, these levels decreasing with iron availability of the medium. Comparison of virulent and non‐virulent strains of P. damselae ssp. piscicida showed similar contents of SOD, but higher levels of catalase were detected in cells of the virulent strain. Incubation of bacteria with sole, Solea senegalensis (Kaup), phagocytes has shown that survival rates range from 19% to 62%, these rates being higher for the virulent strain. The increased levels of catalase activity detected in the virulent strain indicates a possible role for this enzyme in bacterial survival.
Impact of Bt maize pollen (MON810) on lepidopteran larvae living on accompanying weeds
Authors: GATHMANN ACHIM , WIROOKS LUDGER , HOTHORN LUDWIG A. , BARTSCH DETLEF , SCHUPHAN INGOLF 
Published: June 2006

AbstractEnvironmental risks of Bt maize, particularly pollen drift from Bt maize, were assessed for nontarget lepidopteran larvae in maize field margins. In our experimental approach, we carried out 3‐year field trials on 6 ha total. Three treatments were used in a randomized block design with eight replications resulting in 24 plots: (i) near‐isogenic control variety without insecticide (control), (ii) near‐isogenic control variety with chemical insecticide (Baytroid) and (iii) Bt maize expressing the recombinant toxin. We established a weed strip (20 × 1 m) in every plot consisting of aChenopodium album(goosefoot)/Sinapis alba(mustard) mixture. In these strips we measured diversity and abundance of lepidopteran larvae during maize bloom and pollen shed.C. albumhosted five species but all in very low densities; therefore data were not suitable for statistical analysis.S. albahosted nine species in total. Most abundant werePlutella xylostellaandPieris rapae. For these species no differences were detected between the Bt treatment and the control, but the chemical insecticide treatment reduced larval abundance significantly. Conclusions regarding experimental methodology and results are discussed in regard to environmental risk assessment and monitoring of genetically modified organisms.
Molecular approach for assessing responses of microbial‐feeding nematodes to burning and chronic nitrogen enrichment in a native grassland
Authors: JONES KENNETH L. , TODD TIMOTHY C. , WALL‐BEAM JULIE L. , COOLON JOSEPH D. , BLAIR JOHN M. , HERMAN MICHAEL A. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractA substantial proportion of the primary productivity in grassland ecosystems is allocated belowground, sustaining an abundant and diverse community of microbes and soil invertebrates. These belowground communities drive many important ecosystem functions and are responsive to a variety of environmental changes. Nematodes, an abundant and diverse component of grassland soil communities, are particularly responsive to altered environmental conditions, such as those associated with reduced fire frequency and nitrogen enrichment, with the most consistent responses displayed by microbial‐feeding nematodes. However, much of the available research characterizing nematode responses to environmental change has been carried out at the taxonomic level of family or by broad trophic categories (e.g. fungivores, bacterivores). The extent to which differential responses to environmental change occurs at the genus level or below is unclear. Therefore, the objective of this study was to use molecular methods to quantify the response of microbial‐feeding nematodes, at the lowest levels of taxonomic resolution, to nitrogen enrichment and changes in fire frequency. Using sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) probes for the 18S ribosomal RNA gene and the ITS1 region, we identified 19 microbial‐feeding nematode taxa across four families. When nematodes were sampled across treatments, we found that some nematode taxa within a family responded similarly to nitrogen and burning treatments, while other taxa within the same family respond quite differently. Additionally, although nematodes from different families on average responded differently to nitrogen enrichment and burning, similar responses were seen in nematode taxa that span three taxonomic families. Thus, if nematodes are to be used as indicators of environmental change, care should be taken to assess the response at the lowest taxonomic level possible.
Fine‐scale genetic structure of life history stages in the food‐deceptive orchid Orchis purpurea
Authors: JACQUEMYN HANS , BRYS REIN , VANDEPITTE KATRIEN , HONNAY OLIVIER , ROLDÁN‐RUIZ ISABEL 
Published: June 2006

AbstractIn natural plant populations, fine‐scale spatial genetic structure can result from limited gene flow, selection pressures or historical events, but the role of each factor is in general hard to discern. One way to investigate the origination of spatial genetic structure within a plant population consists of comparing spatial genetic structure among different life history stages. In this study, spatial genetic structure of the food‐deceptive orchid Orchis purpurea was determined across life history stages in two populations that were regenerating after many years of population decline. Based on demographic analyses (2001–2004), we distinguished between recruits and adult plants. For both sites, there was no difference in the proportion of polymorphic loci and expected heterozygosity between life history stages. However, spatial autocorrelation analyses showed that spatial genetic structure increased in magnitude with life history stage. Weak or no spatial genetic structure was observed for recruits, whereas adult plants showed a pattern that is consistent with that found in other species with a predominantly outcrossing mating system. The observed differences between seedlings and adults are probably a consequence of changes in management of the two study sites and associated demographic changes in both populations. Our results illustrate that recurrent population crashes and recovery may strongly affect genetic diversity and fine‐scale spatial genetic structure of plant populations.
Coordinate up‐regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis as a response to light stress in Synechococcus PCC7942
Authors: SCHÄFER LUTZ , SANDMANN MANUELA , WOITSCH SONJA , SANDMANN GERHARD 
Published: June 2006

ABSTRACTCarotenoid biosynthesis is up‐regulated by strong light in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus. By blocking off the pathway at the level of phytoene conversion, light‐dependent accumulation of phytoene was observed. Real‐time PCR studies demonstrated that four genes of the carotenogenic pathway are under transcriptional control. These were the genes encoding phytoene synthase, phytoene desaturase, ζ‐carotene desaturase and β‐carotene hydroxylase. The transcript of the first three follow a similar kinetics, whereas the transcript of β‐carotene hydroxylase increased much faster upon transfer to high light. Promoter activities were determined with transcriptional fusions to chloramphenicol acyltransferase as reporter enzyme. The activity of the promoter of the phytoene desaturase/synthase operon was higher under strong light.