bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A comparative study of the photosynthetic activity among three temperate seagrass species in Northern Japan
Authors: Sasil‐Orbita Maria Luisa , Mukai Hiroshi 
Published: November 2006

AbstractThe photosynthetic activity of Zostera marina, Zostera asiatica and Phyllospadix iwatensis shoots from populations of Hokkaido (Northern Japan) was determined using the pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometer. Several fluorescence parameters were measured as a function of irradiance and leaf age: electron transport rate (ETR), quantum yield, photochemical quenching (qP) and non‐photochemical quenching (NPQ). The leaf age determined by the leaf position in the shoot bundle strongly influenced the photosynthetic activity of Z. marina, Z. asiatica and P. iwatensis. Young leaves had the maximum electron transport rate (Zm: Leaf 1 = 15.7, Leaf 2 = 16.3; Za: Leaf 1 = 13.0, Leaf 2 = 12.2; and Pi: Leaf 1 = 12.5, Leaf 2 = 11.7) and showed higher photoprotection (NPQ) than old leaves. Among the studied seagrass species, Z. marina had the highest photosynthetic activity (ETRmax = 15.3), in accordance with the highest production in the field in comparison with the other two seagrass species. The PAM fluorometry technique showed to be effective in determining intraspecific (among‐leaves) and interspecific (among‐species) variation in seagrass photosynthetic activity.
Impact of fish farming facilities on Posidonia oceanica meadows: a review
Authors: Pergent‐Martini Christine , Boudouresque Charles‐François , Pasqualini Vanina , Pergent Gérard 
Published: November 2006

AbstractThe impact of fish farming facilities on Posidonia oceanica meadows was assessed from studies of intensive facilities carried out over the last few years. The disturbances caused by these fish farms were measured by means of both abiotic (light, sediment, interstitial water) and biotic variables (meadow density, leaf biometry, lepidochronology, primary production, epiphytes, reserve carbohydrates in the rhizomes), in function of increasing distance from cages and/or inside a geographically close reference site. The results showed significant degradation of these seagrass meadows in all the sectors investigated. When fish farming cages were placed above a P. oceanica bed, the meadow was severely degraded or disappeared and the sediment showed a strong increase in organic matter that could lead to anoxia phenomena. The irreversible impact of fish farming projects on P. oceanica meadows requires the application of the precautionary principle. Several recommendations (site selection, preliminary studies and monitoring over time) are suggested in order to enable piscicultural activities to be incorporated in a global process of Integrated Coastal Zone Management.
Aeromedical evacuations from an east Arnhem Land community 2003–2005: The impact on a primary health care centre
Authors: Peiris David , Wirtanen Cherryl , Hall John 
Published: November 2006

AbstractObjective:  To understand the profile and impact of aeromedical evacuations in remote Indigenous communities. Design:  Descriptive study. Setting:  A primary health care centre in east Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. Participants:  Four hundred and ten evacuations from a total population of more than 2200 were analysed from February 2003 to August 2005. Main outcome measures:  Patient demographics, seasonal variations, diagnostic categories, utilisation of staff resources. Results:  On average 6.5% of the community were evacuated to hospital every year with an evacuation occurring every 2.2 days. Children aged under five years were 3.3‐fold overrepresented in evacuations (comprising 37.7% of those evacuated versus 11.3% of the community, P < 0.001). Four diagnostic categories accounted for 61% of evacuations: respiratory disease (21%), obstetric conditions (15%), gastroenteritis (14%) and injury/poisoning (11%). Over the study period four patients required intubation at the clinic. Evacuation rates were higher in the monsoon season. Forty‐seven per cent of evacuations occurred after hours. The waiting time for plane arrival ranged from one hour to 21 hours with a median wait‐time of three hours.Conclusion:  Aeromedical evacuations place a heavy burden on primary health centres. Clinic staff are regularly required to provide hospital‐level acute care, often for several hours at a time. Meeting this burden competes with primary prevention programs and regular clinic duties. The age and diagnostic profiles encountered in this study have significant implications for the range of skills required to provide an adequate acute care service. This study highlights the need for remote area health centres to be well resourced to meet these needs.
Managing patients at risk of deterioration in rural hospitals: A qualitative study
Authors: Endacott Ruth , Westley Michelle 
Published: November 2006

AbstractObjective:  This paper examines strategies used by nurses to manage patients at risk of deterioration in smaller rural hospitals in Victoria, Australia. Design:  A two‐stage design comprising a postal questionnaire (n = 20) and case studies (n = 7). Case study participants were interviewed and their practice was observed for one shift.Setting:  Smaller rural hospitals in Victoria. Participants:  Registered Nurses (Division 1). Main outcome measure:  Observed and reported strategies used to manage deteriorating patients. Results:  Nurses in this study used clinical strategies and communication strategies when managing patients who might deteriorate. These strategies were adapted to suit the individual rural context. The ability to anticipate patient requirements and confidence to act on clinical presentation were central. Nurses also had to learn the art of referral and they tailored communication according to their perception of the knowledge and skills of medical colleagues. Strategies were also influenced by staffing patterns and expectations of the community and health service. Conclusions:  We conclude that rural nurses play an essential role in assessing and managing risk of deterioration across a range of patient presentations and often in challenging situations. Strategies used by nurses required an understanding of the rural context of care delivery.
Value adding through regional coordination of rural placements for all health disciplines: The Broken Hill experience
Authors: Lyle David , Morris Jocelyn , Garne David , Jones Debra , Pitt Michele , Walker Tara , Weston Richard 
Published: November 2006

AbstractObjective:  To describe the experience of the University of Sydney’s Broken Hill Department of Rural Health (BHUDRH) delivering a regional program in far western NSW.Design:  Case StudySetting:  The Australian Government’s University Departments of Rural Health Program, established in 1997, has been responsible for setting up regionally coordinated rural placement programs for students from all health disciplines in each state and territory.Results:  Over nine years the BHUDRH has harnessed both academic and administrative resources to achieve greater efficiency in program delivery, increased support for students during their placement, and enhanced educational opportunities that draw on regional issues. The Broken Hill program accepts students from 22 Australian universities and places more students in the region, for longer periods than previously (271 students in 2005 compared with 140 students in 1998).Conclusion:  Regional coordination, linked to investments in rural‐based infrastructure and support systems can provide a sustainable platform from which to provide quality rural placements for students from all health disciplines, while at the same time increasing regional capacity to take students.
Role of anisotropic behaviour of Sn on thermomechanical fatigue and fracture of Sn‐based solder joints under thermal excursions
Authors: SUBRAMANIAN K. N. 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACTSolder joints experience thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) as a consequence of thermal stresses that arise from coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatches between various entities present in the joint under thermal excursions. Sn present in solder joints made with alloys containing significant amounts of Sn, exists in a body centred tetragonal (BCT) structure, under normally realized thermal excursion regimes encountered during service. BCT Sn exhibits significant anisotropic behaviour in its physical and mechanical properties as a consequence of its highly unusual c/a ratio of about 0.5. Such severe anisotropy causes significant stresses at the Sn grain boundaries present within the solder joints during thermal excursions, resulting in damage accumulation within the solder. Stresses resulting from this anisotropy can be much larger than those that can arise from CTE mismatches between entities such as solder/substrate, solder/intermetallics etc. Damage accumulation under TMF progresses in the severely constrained region of the solder/substrate interface, and causes the initiation and propagation of the catastrophic crack. This crack propagates within the solder in a region very close to the solder/substrate interface and results in the TMF failure of the joint.
Experimental and numerical studies on size and constraining effects in lead‐free solder joints
Authors: CUGNONI J. , BOTSIS J. , SIVASUBRAMANIAM V. , JANCZAK‐RUSCH J. 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACTThe durability and reliability of lead‐free solder joints depends on a large number of factors, like geometry, processing parameters, microstructure and thermomechanical loads. In this work, the nature and influence of the plastic constraints in the solder due to joining partners have been studied by parametric finite element simulation of solder joints with different dimensions. The apparent hardening due to plastic constraints has been shown to strongly depend on the solder gap to thickness ratio with an inversely proportional evolution.Due to interaction of several parameters, the macroscopic stress–strain constitutive law of lead‐free solder materials should be determined in the most realistic conditions. In order to identify the elasto‐plastic constitutive law of Sn–Ag–Cu solders, a sub‐micron resolution Digital Image Correlation technique has been developed to measure the evolution of strain in solder joints during a tensile test. Experimental results of the stress–strain response of Sn–Ag–Cu solder joints have been determined for several solder gaps. The measured load–displacement curves have been used in an inverse numerical identification procedure to determine the constitutive elasto‐plastic behaviour of the solder material. The effects of geometrical constraints in a real solder joint with heterogeneous stress and strain fields are then studied by comparing the apparent (constrained) and constitutive (non‐constrained) stress–strain relationships.Once the size dependant constraining effects have been removed from the stress–strain relationship, the scale effects can be studied separately by comparing the constitutive elasto‐plastic parameters of joints with a variable thickness. Experimental stress–strain curves (constrained and unconstrained) for Sn–4.0Ag–0.5Cu solder in joints of 0.25–2.4 mm gap are presented and the constraining and the size effects are discussed.
The rate of senescence in maternal performance increases with early‐life fecundity in red deer
Authors: Nussey Daniel H. , Kruuk Loeske E. B. , Donald Alison , Fowlie Martin , Clutton‐Brock Tim H. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractTradeoffs between reproduction and somatic maintenance are a frequently cited explanation for reproductive senescence in long‐lived vertebrates. Between‐individual variation in quality makes such tradeoffs difficult to detect and evidence for their presence from wild populations remains scarce. Here, we examine the factors affecting rates of senescence in maternal breeding performance in a natural population of red deer (Cervus elaphus), using a mixed model framework to control for between‐individual variance. Senescence began at 9 years of age in two maternal performance traits. In both traits, females that produced more offspring in early life had faster rates of senescence. This tradeoff is evident alongside significant effects of individual quality on late life breeding performance. These results present rare evidence in support of the disposable soma and antagonistic pleiotropy theories of senescence from a wild vertebrate population and highlight the utility of mixed models for testing theories of ageing.
A Theory of Favoritism in an International Oligopoly*
Authors: Van Long Ngo , Soubeyran Antoine 
Published: November 2006

AbstractThis paper offers an explanation of the fact that some foreign firms are favored at the expense of others, and characterizes the distribution of favors in terms of the cost parameters of firms. We present a model where favors must be bought: they come from competing contributions. This model is compared with a benchmark model with a benevolent government. We show how the distribution of favors in the favor‐seeking model deviates from the distribution that would be obtained if the government were really benevolent.
Analyzing Modes of Foreign Entry: Greenfield Investment versus Acquisition
Authors: Müller Thomas 
Published: November 2006

AbstractThis paper studies the entry decision of a multinational enterprise into a foreign market. Two alternative entry modes for a foreign direct investment are considered: greenfield investment versus acquisition. In contrast to existing approaches, the acquisition price and the profits under both entry modes are endogenously determined. Interestingly, we find that the optimal entry mode decision is affected by the competition intensity in the market in a nonmonotonic way. When markets are very much or very little competitive, greenfield investment is the optimal entry mode, while for intermediate values it is acquisition.
Welfare‐reducing Domestic Cost Reduction*
Authors: Mukherjee Arijit , Sinha Uday Bhanu 
Published: November 2006

AbstractWe show that cost reduction by a domestic firm may reduce domestic welfare if it changes a foreign firm’s production strategy from foreign direct investment to export. Domestic cost reduction can be welfare reducing when the domestic market is sufficiently small and domestic firm’s marginal cost of production is higher than the foreign firm’s marginal cost of production under foreign direct investment, which is a usual feature of trade between developed and developing countries. So, developing countries with small domestic markets need competent competition policies when encouraging domestic innovation and also trying to attract foreign direct investment.
Sexual dimorphism of body and relative head sizes in neonatal common garter snakes
Authors: Krause M. A. , Burghardt G. M. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractMorphological and behavioral differences between sexes are commonplace throughout the animal kingdom. Body size is one of the most obvious sex differences frequently found in snakes. However, the developmental origins of size differences in many species, including snakes, are not well known. We examined post‐natal variation in sexual size dimorphism in garter snakes Thamnophis sirtalis. The weights, body and tail lengths, and head sizes of male and female neonates born to mothers collected from ecologically dissimilar habitats on Beaver Island, Lake Michigan were compared. Sexual size dimorphism was prominent. Overall, males had significantly longer bodies and tails than females. Females were significantly heavier and had larger heads than male snakes. Maternal site affected head but not body measurements, perhaps due to differences in prey availability. The body condition of maternal females predicted neonatal body length. Significant litter variation suggests heritable variation in morphological traits possibly correlated with feeding success and survival.
Ecology of cobras from southern Africa
Authors: Shine R. , Branch W. R. , Webb J. K. , Harlow P. S. , Shine T. , Keogh J. S. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractLarge slender‐bodied snakes that forage actively for a generalized array of small vertebrates are conspicuous elements of the terrestrial snake fauna of most continents; the venomous elapid species fill this role in much of Asia, Africa and Australia. Our dissections of eight species of cobras from southern Africa Aspidelaps, Hemachatus, Naja; Serpentes and Elapidae (total of 1290 specimens) provide extensive data on sexual dimorphism, reproductive biology and food habits. Females grow larger than males in Aspidelaps lubricus and Naja nigricincta, but (perhaps reflecting selection on male body size due to male–male combat) males grow as large as females in Naja anchietae, Naja melanoleuca, Naja mossambica, Naja nivea and Hemachatus haemachatus, and males grow larger than females in Naja annulifera. Overall, the degree of male size superiority is higher in species with a larger absolute mean adult body size. Male cobras typically have larger heads and longer tails than conspecific females. Fecundity increases with maternal body size, and is higher in the viviparous rhinkals H. haemachatus than in the oviparous Naja species studied. Diets are broad in all eight species, comprising a wide variety of amphibians, reptiles, mammals and (less often) birds. Ontogenetic (size‐related) shifts in dietary composition (amphibian to reptile to mammal) are significant within some taxa (N. annulifera, N. nigricincta) but absent in others (notably N. nivea, the most arid‐adapted species). Overall, despite substantial interspecific variation among the eight study species, strong parallels are evident between the cobras of southern Africa and their ecological counterparts in other continents.
Development and characterization of 11 microsatellite markers in the rock sparrow, Petronia petronia
Authors: GRAPPUTO ALESSANDRO , BARBISAN FEDERICA , DE GIROLAMO MIRKO , PILASTRO ANDREA , ZANE LORENZO 
Published: November 2006

AbstractEleven polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated in the passeriform Petronia petronia using the enrichment protocol FIASCO (fast isolation by AFLP of sequences containing repeats). We detected three to 13 alleles per locus in 25 specimens collected from an Italian population. The level of expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.439 to 0.856. One locus is sex linked to the Z chromosome. The total exclusionary probabilities using these loci for the first and the second parent were 0.978 and 0.999, respectively. These are the first microsatellite loci characterized from the rock sparrow that can be used for estimating population structure and for large‐scale parentage analysis.
Shed skin as a source of DNA for genotyping seals
Authors: SWANSON B. J. , KELLY B. P. , MADDOX C. K. , MORAN J. R. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractObtaining a sufficient number of DNA samples from ice‐breeding marine phocids, in a noninvasive manner, has proven difficult and has limited the ability to use molecular genetics on these species. We evaluate the ability to genotype ringed seals using a novel source of DNA, skin cells shed by the seal as it moults on sea ice. We found that shed skin samples yielded a lower quantity and purity of DNA compared to tissue samples. Nevertheless, the shed skin cells were a viable source of DNA for microsatellite analysis; we found no significant difference in allelic diversity or heterozygosities between tissue samples and shed skin cells. This source of DNA should allow the rapid collection of a large number of noninvasively collected DNA samples in ice‐breeding phocids.
Characterization of microsatellite loci in the creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus)
Authors: SKALSKI GARRICK T. , GROSE MICHAEL J. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractThirty‐two polymorphic microsatellite loci (29 novel, 3 cross‐species) are characterized in the creek chub, Semotilus atromaculatus, a widespread and abundant North American minnow. Novel repeat‐containing sequences were isolated using a standard microsatellite enrichment procedure. A set of di‐, tri‐, and tetranucleotide markers with allele numbers ranging from two 16 are now available for estimating relatedness within and among populations in this ecologically important species.
Thirty‐two single nucleotide polymorphism markers for high‐throughput genotyping of sockeye salmon
Authors: ELFSTROM CARITA M. , SMITH CHRISTIAN T. , SEEB JAMES E. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractWe characterize 32 single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping assays for resolving genotypic variation in sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka in the Pacific Rim. These assays are based on the 5′‐nuclease reaction and thus facilitate high‐throughput genotyping with minimal optimization time. Minor allele frequency differences (Δq) among collections were between 4.7% and 97.9%, resulting in per locus FST estimates of 0.02–0.71 with an average of 0.22.
fastruct: model‐based clustering made faster
Authors: CHEN CHIBIAO , FORBES FLORENCE , FRANÇOIS OLIVIER 
Published: November 2006

AbstractBayesian model‐based clustering programs have gained increased popularity in studies of population structure since the publication of the softwarestructure. These programs are generally acknowledged as performing well, but their running‐time may be prohibitive.fastructis a non‐Bayesian implementation of the classical model with no‐admixture uncorrelated allele frequencies. This new program relies on the expectation–maximization principle, and produces assignment rivalling other model‐based clustering programs. In addition, it can be manyfold faster than Bayesian implementations. The software consists of a command‐line engine, which is suitable for batch analysis of data, and a graphical interface, which is convenient for exploring data.
Sirtuin‐independent effects of nicotinamide on lifespan extension from calorie restriction in yeast
Authors: Tsuchiya Mitsuhiro , Dang Nick , Kerr Emily O. , Hu Di , Steffen Kristan K. , Oakes Jonathan A. , Kennedy Brian K. , Kaeberlein Matt 
Published: November 2006

SummaryTwo models have been proposed for how calorie restriction (CR) enhances replicative longevity in yeast: (i) suppression of rDNA recombination through activation of the sirtuin protein deacetylase Sir2 or (ii) decreased activity of the nutrient‐responsive kinases Sch9 and TOR. We report here that CR increases lifespan independently of all Sir2‐family proteins in yeast. Furthermore, we demonstrate that nicotinamide, an inhibitor of Sir2‐mediated deacetylation, interferes with lifespan extension from CR, but does so independent of Sir2, Hst1, Hst2, and Hst4. We also find that 5 mm nicotinamide, a concentration sufficient to inhibit other sirtuins, does not phenocopy deletion of HST3. Thus, we propose that lifespan extension by CR is independent of sirtuins and that nicotinamide has sirtuin‐independent effects on lifespan extension by CR.
Murine myeloid dendritic cell‐dependent toll‐like receptor immunity is preserved with aging
Authors: Tesar Bethany M. , Walker Wendy E. , Unternaehrer Julia , Joshi Nikhil S. , Chandele Anmol , Haynes Laura , Kaech Susan , Goldstein Daniel R. 
Published: November 2006

SummaryThe immune response is the result of the interplay between innate and adaptive immunity, yet the impact of aging on this interaction is unclear. Addressing this fundamental question will be critical for the development of effective vaccines for the rapidly rising older subpopulation that manifests increased prevalence of malignancies and infections. Therefore, we undertook the current study to investigate whether aging impairs toll‐like receptor (TLR) function in myeloid dendritic cells and whether this leads to reduced T‐cell priming. Our results demonstrate that innate TLR immune priming function of myeloid bone marrow derived and splenic dendritic cells (DC) is preserved with aging using both allogeneic and infectious murine experimental systems. In contrast, aging impairs in vitro and in vivo intrinsic T‐cell function. Therefore, our results demonstrate that myeloid DCs manifest preserved TLR‐mediated immune responses with aging. However, aging critically impairs intrinsic adaptive T‐cell function.