bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
How wide to cast the net? Cross‐taxon congruence of species richness, community similarity and indicator taxa in ponds
Authors: BILTON DAVID T. , MCABENDROTH LOUISE , BEDFORD ALAN , RAMSAY PAUL M. 
Published: February 2006

Summary1. Broad‐scale assessments of biodiversity often rely on the use of surrogate taxa, whose reliability has rarely been tested, particularly in freshwater systems. Here we use data from 46 ponds in two regions of the U.K. to explore the performance of macroinvertebrate taxa as surrogates for the rapid assessment of pond biodiversity. For the four dominant taxonomic groups in these ponds (Chironomidae, Coleoptera, Gastropoda and Trichoptera) we explore cross‐taxon species richness relationships in each of the two regions, and also determine the degree of concordance between the different taxa in accurately representing the similarity relationships between pond assemblages.2. Patterns of cross‐taxon congruence in species richness were highly variable among taxa and study sites, making the use of a single taxon as a predictor of overall macroinvertebrate species richness problematic. In contrast, all four taxa show >70% congruence with the pattern of community similarity between sites resulting from the entire macroinvertebrate dataset, this result being consistent within and between regions. Canonical correspondence analysis demonstrated that all taxa were related in a similar manner to measured environmental parameters, meaning that limited additional ecological information is gained by including a wider range of pond taxa in rapid site assessment.3. Single taxonomic groups can, therefore, perform consistently as indicators of community similarity between ponds, and no one taxon dramatically outperforms any other in this respect. The relative merits of the four focal taxa as surrogates for pond invertebrate assemblage composition are discussed with reference to ease of survey, ease of identification and ecological range occupied.4. It is suggested that Coleoptera have a number of advantages as a surrogate taxon, being diverse, easily sampled, readily identified, taxonomically stable, ecologically well understood and occurring across a wide spectrum of pond types. They are therefore recommended for use as a focal group in rapid pond biodiversity assessments, employing an approach such as ours, which examines patterns of assemblage similarity, rather than species richness alone.
Nutrient uptake in streams draining agricultural catchments of the midwestern United States
Authors: BERNOT MELODY J. , TANK JENNIFER L. , ROYER TODD V. , DAVID MARK B. 
Published: February 2006

Summary1. Agriculture is a major contributor of non‐point source pollution to surface waters in the midwestern United States, resulting in eutrophication of freshwater aquatic ecosystems and development of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. Agriculturally influenced streams are diverse in morphology and have variable nutrient concentrations. Understanding how nutrients are transformed and retained within agricultural streams may aid in mitigating increased nutrient export to downstream ecosystems.2. We studied six agriculturally influenced streams in Indiana and Michigan to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the factors controlling nutrient retention and export in agricultural streams using nutrient addition and isotopic tracer studies.3. Metrics of nutrient uptake indicated that nitrate uptake was saturated in these streams whereas ammonium and phosphorus uptake increased with higher concentrations. Phosphorus uptake was likely approaching saturation as evidenced by decreasing uptake velocities with concentration; ammonium uptake velocity also declined with concentration, though not significantly.4. Higher whole‐stream uptake rates of phosphorus and ammonium were associated with the observed presence of stream autotrophs (e.g. algae and macrophytes). However, there was no significant relationship between measures of nutrient uptake and stream metabolism. Water‐column nutrient concentrations were positively correlated with gross primary production but not community respiration.5. Overall, nutrient uptake and metabolism were affected by nutrient concentrations in these agriculturally influenced streams. Biological uptake of ammonium and phosphorus was not saturated, although nitrate uptake did appear to be saturated in these ecosystems. Biological activity in agriculturally influenced streams is higher relative to more pristine streams and this increased biological activity likely influences nutrient retention and transport to downstream ecosystems.
Litter quality, stream characteristics and litter diversity influence decomposition rates and macroinvertebrates
Authors: LEROY CARRI J. , MARKS JANE C. 
Published: February 2006

Summary1. We examined the relative importance of litter quality and stream characteristics in determining decomposition rate and the macroinvertebrate assemblage living on autumn‐shed leaves.2. We compared the decomposition rates of five native riparian tree species (Populus fremontii, Alnus oblongifolia, Platanus wrightii, Fraxinus velutina and Quercus gambelii) across three south‐western streams in the Verde River catchment (Arizona, U.S.A.). We also compared the decomposition of three‐ and five‐species mixtures to that of single species to test whether plant species diversity affects rate.3. Decomposition rate was affected by both litter quality and stream. However, litter quality accounted for most of the variation in decomposition rates. The relative importance of litter quality decreased through time, explaining 97% of the variation in the first week but only 45% by week 8. We also found that leaf mixtures decomposed more quickly than expected, when all the species included were highly labile or when the stream environment led to relatively fast decomposition.4. In contrast to decomposition rate, differences in the invertebrate assemblage were more pronounced across streams than across leaf litter species within a stream. We also found significant differences between the invertebrate assemblage colonising leaf mixtures compared with that colonising pure species litter, indicating non‐additive properties of litter diversity on stream invertebrates.5. This study shows that leaf litter diversity has the capacity to affect in‐stream decomposition rates and stream invertebrates, but that these effects depend on both litter quality and stream characteristics.
Extraordinary number of gene rearrangements in the mitochondrial genomes of lice (Phthiraptera: Insecta)
Authors: Covacin C. , Shao R. , Cameron S. , Barker S. C. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe arrangement of genes in the mitochondrial (mt) genomes of most insects is the same, or near‐identical, to that inferred to be ancestral for insects. We sequenced the entire mt genome of the small pigeon louse, Campanulotes bidentatus compar, and part of the mt genomes of nine other species of lice. These species were from six families and the three main suborders of the order Phthiraptera. There was no variation in gene arrangement among species within a family but there was much variation in gene arrangement among the three suborders of lice. There has been an extraordinary number of gene rearrangements in the mitochondrial genomes of lice!
Sequence variation in trypsin‐ and chymotrypsin‐like cDNAs from the midgut of Ostrinia nubilalis: methods for allelic differentiation of candidate Bacillus thuringiensis resistance genes
Authors: Coates B. S. , Hellmich R. L. , Lewis L. C. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractMidgut expressed alkaline serine proteases of Lepidoptera function in conversion of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) protoxin to active toxin, and reduced level of transcript T23 is associated with Ostrinia nubilalis resistance to Dipel® Bt formulations. Three groups of trypsin‐ (OnT25, OnT23, and OnT3) and two chymotrypsin‐like (OnC1 and OnC2) cDNAs were isolated from O. nubilalis midgut tissue. Intraspecific groupings are based on cDNA similarity and peptide phylogeny. Derived serine proteases showed a catalytic triad (His, Asp, and Ser; except transcript OnT23a), three substrate specificity‐determining residues, and three paired disulphide bonds. RT‐PCR indicated all transcripts are expressed in the midgut. Mendelian‐inherited genomic markers for loci OnT23, OnT3 and OnC1 will be useful for association of alleles with bioassayed Bt toxin resistance phenotypes.
Germ line transformation of the olive fly Bactrocera oleae using a versatile transgenesis marker
Authors: Koukidou M. , Klinakis A. , Reboulakis C. , Zagoraiou L. , Tavernarakis N. , Livadaras I. , Economopoulos A. , Savakis C. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe olive fruit fly (olive fly) Bactrocera oleae (Dacus), recently introduced in North America, is the most destructive pest of olives worldwide. The lack of an efficient gene transfer technology for olive fly has hampered molecular analysis, as well as development of genetic techniques for its control. We have developed a Minos‐based transposon vector carrying a self‐activating cassette which overexpresses the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). Efficient transposase‐mediated integration of one to multiple copies of this vector was achieved in the germ line of B. oleae by coinjecting the vector along with in vitro synthesized Minos transposase mRNA into preblastoderm embryos. The self‐activating gene construct combined with transposase mRNA present a system with potential for transgenesis of very diverse species.
Airway inflammation in subjects with gastro‐oesophageal reflux and gastro‐oesophageal reflux‐related asthma
Authors: CARPAGNANO G. E. , RESTA O. , VENTURA M. T. , AMORUSO A. C. , DI GIOIA G. , GILIBERTI T. , REFOLO L. , FOSCHINO‐BARBARO M. P. 
Published: February 2006

Abstract.Study objectives.  Asthma and gastro‐oesophageal reflux (GER) are both characterized by airway inflammation.Design.  The purposes of this work were (i) to study airway inflammation in patients troubled by gastro‐oesophageal reflux (GER) and GER associated with asthma, (ii) to ascertain whether GER can aggravate asthma by exacerbating the pre‐existing airway inflammation and oxidative stress and (iii) to establish the validity of analysing breath condensate and induced sputum when studying the airways of subjects affected by GER.Patient s and methods.  We enrolled 14 patients affected by mild asthma associated with GER (40 ±12 years), nine with mild but persistent asthma (39 ± 13 years), eight with GER (35 ± 11 years) and 17 healthy subjects (37 ± 9 years). Sputum cell counts and concentrations of interleukin‐4 (IL‐4), IL‐6 and 8‐isoprostane were measured in breath condensate and supernatant.Measurements and results.  GER‐related asthma is characterized by an eosinophilic inflammation, as determined by elevated concentrations of IL‐4 in breath condensate and sputum supernatant, and by sputum cell analysis. GER alone presents a neutrophilic pattern of inflammation when determined by elevated concentrations of IL‐6 in sputum cell analysis. A concomitant increase has been found in 8‐isoprostane in GER associated (or not associated) with asthma.Conclusions.  We conclude that GER is characterized by a neutrophilic airway inflammation and by increased oxidative stress. GER does not however aggravate pre‐existing airway inflammation in asthma patients. Determinations of inflammatory and oxidant markers in the breath condensate of subjects with GER reflect these measured in the induced sputum.
Apo B versus cholesterol in estimating cardiovascular risk and in guiding therapy: report of the thirty‐person/ten‐country panel
Authors: BARTER P. J. , BALLANTYNE C. M. , CARMENA R. , CABEZAS M. CASTRO , CHAPMAN M. JOHN , COUTURE P. , DE GRAAF J. , DURRINGTON P. N. , FAERGEMAN O. , FROHLICH J. , FURBERG C. D. , GAGNE C. , HAFFNER S. M. , HUMPHRIES S. E. , JUNGNER I. , KRAUSS R. M. , KWITEROVICH P. , MARCOVINA S. , PACKARD C. J. , PEARSON T. A. , REDDY K. SRINATH , ROSENSON R. , SARRAFZADEGAN N. , SNIDERMAN A. D. , STALENHOEF A. F. , STEIN E. , TALMUD P. J. , TONKIN A. M. , WALLDIUS G. , WILLIAMS K. M. S. 
Published: February 2006

Abstract.There is abundant evidence that the risk of atherosclerotic vascular disease is directly related to plasma cholesterol levels. Accordingly, all of the national and transnational screening and therapeutic guidelines are based on total or LDL cholesterol. This presumes that cholesterol is the most important lipoprotein‐related proatherogenic risk variable. On the contrary, risk appears to be more directly related to the number of circulating atherogenic particles that contact and enter the arterial wall than to the measured concentration of cholesterol in these lipoprotein fractions. Each of the atherogenic lipoprotein particles contains a single molecule of apolipoprotein (apo) B and therefore the concentration of apo B provides a direct measure of the number of circulating atherogenic lipoproteins. Evidence from fundamental, epidemiological and clinical trial studies indicates that apo B is superior to any of the cholesterol indices to recognize those at increased risk of vascular disease and to judge the adequacy of lipid‐lowering therapy. On the basis of this evidence, we believe that apo B should be included in all guidelines as an indicator of cardiovascular risk. In addition, the present target adopted by the Canadian guideline groups of an apo B <90 mg dL−1 in high‐risk patients should be reassessed in the light of the new clinical trial results and a new ultra‐low target of <80 mg dL−1 be considered. The evidence also indicates that the apo B/apo A‐I ratio is superior to any of the conventional cholesterol ratios in patients without symptomatic vascular disease or diabetes to evaluate the lipoprotein‐related risk of vascular disease.
Does cytomegalovirus play a causative role in the development of various inflammatory diseases and cancer?
Authors: SÖDERBERG‐NAUCLÉR C. 
Published: February 2006

Abstract.Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a herpes virus that infects and is carried by 70–100% of the world's population. During its evolution, this virus has developed mechanisms that allow it to survive in an immunocompetent host. For many years, HCMV was not considered to be a major human pathogen, as it appeared to cause only rare cases of HCMV inclusion disease in neonates. However, HCMV is poorly adapted for survival in the immunosuppressed host and has emerged as an important human pathogen in AIDS patients and in patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy following organ or bone marrow transplantation. HCMV‐mediated disease in such patients has highlighted the possible role of this virus in the development of other diseases, in particular inflammatory diseases such as vascular diseases, autoimmune diseases and, more recently, with certain forms of cancers. Current research is focused on determining whether HCMV plays a causative role in these diseases or is merely an epiphenomenon of inflammation. Inflammation plays a central role in the pathogenesis of HCMV. This virus has developed a number of mechanisms that enable it to hide from the cells of the immune system and, at the same time, reactivation of a latent infection requires immune activation. Numerous products of the HCMV genome are devoted to control central functions of the innate and adaptive immune responses. By influencing the regulation of various cellular processes including the cell cycle, apoptosis and migration as well as tumour invasiveness and angiogenesis, HCMV may participate in disease development. Thus, the various drugs now available for treatment of HCMV disease (e.g. ganciclovir, acyclovir and foscarnet), may also prove to be useful in the treatment of other, more widespread diseases.
The aftermath of the Carnian carbonate platform demise: a basinal perspective (Dolomites, Southern Alps)
Authors: KEIM LORENZ , SPÖTL CHRISTOPH , BRANDNER RAINER 
Published: February 2006

AbstractIn the Dolomites of northernmost Italy the carbonate‐platform growth came to a standstill late in the Early Carnian (Late Triassic). The response to this shutdown of shallow‐water carbonate production in the interplatform basins is largely unknown because erosion has removed most of the soft basinal sediments, giving rise to today's scenic landscape of the Dolomites. Mapping in the central part of the Dolomites and newly available core material has recently revealed a well‐preserved succession of basinal rocks within the Heiligkreuz Hospiz Basin (ital. Ospizio di Santa Croce Basin). In this paper, the regional depositional nature of arrested carbonate platform production is reconstructed by tracing its sedimentological record across the slope and into the basin. The uppermost St. Cassian Formation, the time‐equivalent basinal rocks to the prograding carbonate platforms, is overlain by the Heiligkreuz Formation, whose basal succession was deposited in a restricted and oxygen‐depleted environment immediately post‐dating the platform demise. The succession consists mainly of mudrocks, marlstones, and peloidal packstones, with abundant low‐diversity ostracod and pelecypod fauna and early diagenetic dolomite. C and O isotope values of the basal Heiligkreuz Formation, post‐dating platform demise, average + 2·4 and − 2·4‰, respectively, and largely overlap the isotopic composition of St. Cassian carbonates. A shift toward slightly lowerδ13C values in the Heiligkreuz Formation may reflect incorporation of isotopically depleted C released during bacterial sulphate reduction in the Heiligkreuz sediments. Sedimentological, palaeobiological and geochemical indices suggest that near‐normal marine conditions persisted long after the shutdown of shallow water carbonate‐platform growth, although there are clear indications of severely reduced oxygen levels in the restricted Heiligkreuz Hospiz interplatform basin. The Early Carnian platform demise induced a distinct switch in the locus of carbonate production from the shallow‐water platform and slope to the basin floor and a decrease in the availability of dissolved oxygen in the basinal waters. It is inferred that anoxia extended at least temporarily to the top of the carbonate slope, as indicated by the onlap of normal‐marine mounds by dark marlstones of the basal Heiligkreuz Formation.
The orientation of helical flow in curved channels
Authors: CORNEY RANSOME K. T. , PEAKALL JEFFREY , PARSONS DANIEL R. , ELLIOTT LIONEL , AMOS KATHRYN J. , BEST JAMES L. , KEEVIL GARETH M. , INGHAM DEREK B. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe planform patterns of meandering submarine channels and subaerial fluvial bends show many similarities that have given rise to strong analogies concerning the fluid dynamics of these channel types. Existing models of helical motion in open‐channel bends depict flow that is characterized by surface flow towards the outer bank, and basal flow towards the inner bank. This paper investigates and compares, through an analytical model and physical experiment, flows within fluvial meanders, and submarine channel bends that contain density‐driven gravity currents. The results indicate that the sense of helical motion can be reversed in submarine bends that contain density currents when compared with fluvial bends, and that the orientation of the helical flow is dependent on the vertical distribution of downstream velocity. Specifically, the sense of helical motion is reversed in bends when the maximum downstream velocity is near the bed, resulting in near‐bed flow towards the outer bank. These findings suggest that the dynamics of sediment transport and deposition in curved channels with such velocity profiles will be fundamentally different to those currently assumed from sinuous open‐channels.
Patterns of variation in wing morphology in the cactophilic Drosophila buzzatii and its sibling D. koepferae
Authors: Carreira V. P. , Soto I. M. , Hasson E. , Fanara J. J. 
Published: February 2006

Abstract
Drosophila buzzatii and D. koepferae are two sibling species that breed on the necrotic tissues of several cactus species and show a certain degree of niche overlap. Also, they show differences in several life history traits, such as body size and developmental time, which probably evolved as a consequence of adaptation to different host plants. In this work we investigate the ecological and genetic factors affecting wing morphology variation both within and between species. Three wing traits were scored, distal and proximal wing length and width in isofemale lines reared in two of the most important host cacti: Opuntia sulphurea and Trichocereus terschekii. Our results revealed that differences between species and sexes in wing size and shape were significant, whereas the cactus factor was only significant for wing size. Intraspecific analyses showed that differences among isofemale lines were highly significant for both size and shape in both species, suggesting that an important fraction of variation in wing morphology has a genetic basis. Moreover, the line by cactus interaction, which can be interpreted as a genotype by environment interaction, also accounted for a significant proportion of variation. In summary, our study shows that wing size is phenotypically plastic and that populations of D. buzzatii and D. koepferae harbour substantial amounts of genetic variation for wing size and shape. Interspecific differences in wing size and shape are interpreted in terms of spatial predictability of the different host plants in nature.
Cardiac resynchronisation therapy for heart failure
Authors: Mariani J. A. , Gould P. A. , Broughton A. , Kaye D. M. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractHeart failure (HF) is increasingly common and, despite advances in pharmacotherapeutic management, often progresses. Progression is marked by structural and electrical changes–remodelling. In approximately one‐third of patients, ventricular dilatation is accompanied by intraventricular conduction delays, most commonly the left bundle branch block (LBBB). The presence of LBBB is associated with mechanical dyssynchrony of the heart. Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT), the use of special pacemakers with or without implantable cardioverter defibrillators, aims to resynchronise the failing heart, improving myocardial contraction without increased energetics. Several, large, randomised clinical trials have now established the benefit of CRT in a select group of HF patients, providing functional and, recently shown, mortality benefits. However, a substantial proportion of patients are considered non‐responders to CRT, and studies are now underway to identify the patients most likely to respond to CRT.
Consent in crisis: the need to reconceptualize consent to tissue banking research
Authors: Lipworth W. , Ankeny R. , Kerridge I. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe issues surrounding consent to tissue banking research in Australia are complex and have created a forum of intense debate, thus providing a window of opportunity to critically appraise and challenge standard models of consent for research in general and for tissue banking research in particular. The usual practical difficulties associated with meeting the criteria for valid consent to research (including adequate information provision and voluntariness) are amplified in the case of tissue banking research. A number of models, based on widely accepted ethical principles, have been proposed to improve the process of obtaining consent to tissue banking research, all of which assume that the consent ofindividualtissue donors is needed to meet the criteria for valid consent. Feminist and communitarian theories use many of the same criteria for valid consent but interpret these criteria differently and de‐emphasize the importance of individual autonomy as the central criterion for valid consent. An enriched model of consent incorporating feminist and communitarian ideas could satisfy the currently accepted criteria for valid consent while also furthering a broader range of community values.