bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Foot complications in Type 2 diabetes: an Australian population‐based study
Authors: Tapp R. J. , Shaw J. E. , De Courten M. P. , Dunstan D. W. , Welborn T. A. , Zimmet P. Z. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractAims  To determine the prevalence and risk factors for neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease (PVD) in the Australian diabetic population and identify those at high risk of foot ulceration.Methods  The Australian Diabetes Obesity and Lifestyle study included 11 247 adults aged ≥ 25 years in 42 randomly selected areas of Australia. Neuropathy and PVD were assessed in participants identified as having diabetes (based on self report and oral glucose tolerance test), impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance and in a random sample with normal glucose tolerance (total n = 2436).Results  The prevalence of peripheral neuropathy was 13.1% in those with known diabetes (KDM) and 7.1% in those with newly diagnosed (NDM). The prevalence of PVD was 13.9% in KDM and 6.9% in NDM. Of those with diabetes, 19.6% were at risk of foot ulceration. Independent risk factors for peripheral neuropathy were diabetes duration (odds ratio (95% CI) 1.73 (1.33–2.28) per 10 years), height (1.42 (1.08–1.88) per 10 cm), age (2.57 (1.94–3.40) per 10 years) and uric acid (1.59 (1.21–2.09) per 0.1 mmol/l). Risk factors for PVD were diabetes duration (1.64 (1.25–2.16) per 10 years), age (2.45 (1.86–3.22) per 10 years), smoking (2.07 (1.00–4.28)), uric acid (1.03 (1.00–1.06) per 0.1 mmol/l) and urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (1.11 (1.01–1.21) per 1 mg/mmol).Conclusions  The prevalence of neuropathy and PVD was lower in this population than has been reported in other populations. This may reflect differences in sampling methods between community and hospital‐based populations. Nevertheless, a substantial proportion of the diabetic population had risk factors for foot ulceration.
Comparison of patients’ and healthcare professionals’ beliefs about and attitudes towards Type 2 diabetes
Authors: Clark M. , Hampson S. E. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractAims  To compare patients’ and healthcare professionals’ beliefs and attitudes towards diabetes.Methods  One hundred and four healthcare professionals (nurses, dieticians, general practitioners) and 100 of their patients with Type 2 diabetes completed the Diabetes Attitude Scale, 3rd version (DAS‐3). Healthcare professionals also answered questions about their provision of diabetes care.Results  Healthcare professionals viewed Type 2 diabetes as more serious than their patients. Most of the healthcare professionals considered diabetes harder to treat than other chronic conditions and felt that they did not have adequate time and resources to treat their diabetes patients effectively.Conclusions  This study suggests that an important part of forming collaborative alliances with patients is to recognize the distinction between practitioner and patient perspectives in Type 2 diabetes.
Distribution and habitat use of water frog hybrid complexes in France
Authors: Pagano Alain , Crochet Pierre André , Graf J.‐D. , Joly Pierre , Lodé Thierry 
Published: March 2003

AbstractHybrid zones are either distributed along clines or in a mosaic of patches. This distribution may depend upon variation in taxon habitat use. Habitat use and distribution of diverse taxa of water frogs (Rana ridibunda,R. lessonae,R. perezi,R.kl.grafiandR.kl.esculenta) in France are analysed to determine whether water frog complexes conform to the mosaic or clinal model. Biogeographical scenarios may be invoked in order to explain the distribution of water frogs. However, the distribution ofR. pereziandR.kl.grafi, being restricted to regions characterized by Mediterranean or Oceanic climatic conditions, suggests that these frogs do not endure cold winters.R. ridibundais widespread in Southern France and its distribution suggests multiple introductions. It is concluded that water frogs conform to the mosaic zone model rather than to the tension zone model because: (i) taxa exhibited differences in habitat use, (ii) pure parental species were documented and (iii) hybrids are not unfit relative to parental species.
Research frontiers in null model analysis
Authors: Gotelli Nicholas J. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractNull models are pattern‐generating models that deliberately exclude a mechanism of interest, and allow for randomization tests of ecological and biogeographic data. Although they have had a controversial history, null models are widely used as statistical tools by ecologists and biogeographers. Three active research fronts in null model analysis include biodiversity measures, species co‐occurrence patterns, and macroecology. In the analysis of biodiversity, ecologists have used random sampling procedures such as rarefaction to adjust for differences in abundance and sampling effort. In the analysis of species co‐occurrence and assembly rules, null models have been used to detect the signature of species interactions. However, controversy persists over the details of computer algorithms used for randomizing presence–absence matrices. Finally, in the newly emerging discipline of macroecology, null models can be used to identify constraining boundaries in bivariate scatterplots of variables such as body size, range size, and population density. Null models provide specificity and flexibility in data analysis that is often not possible with conventional statistical tests.
Kelp rafts in the Southern Ocean
Authors: Smith Stephen D. A. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractKelp rafts were surveyed during three summer traverses between Hobart and Macquarie Island (subAntarctic) to determine the potential for dispersal of kelp‐associated macroinvertebrates across the latitudes of 46–53°S. Rafts of Durvillaea antarctica dominated the sightings (94% of rafts) and extrapolations to the full Southern Ocean between these latitudes indicate a figure of over 70 million rafts afloat at any one time, 20 million of which support a holdfast, the habitat supporting the highest faunal diversity in attached kelp plants. In contrast, few, small rafts of Macrocystis pyrifera were observed. The potential for dispersal of fauna is presumed to be related to the species of kelp with which they are associated. Empirical studies of survival of animals while drifting at sea, and also on making land‐fall, are required to allow fuller interpretation of the significance of these findings.
Effects of drought on contrasting insect and plant species in the UK in the mid‐1990s
Authors: Morecroft M. D. , Bealey C. E. , Howells O. , Rennie S. , Woiwod I. P. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractAimWe examined the effects of drought in the summer of 1995 and the subsequent year on contrasting species of plants, moths, butterflies and ground beetles. We tested whether population increases were associated with: (a) species of warm environments (b) species of dry environments (c) species with rapid reproduction (d) species with high rates of dispersal.LocationThe study was conducted at Environmental Change Network (ECN) sites throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland.MethodsClimate monitoring, recording of plant species in permanent plots, transect walking for butterflies, light trapping for moths and pitfall trapping for carabid beetles were used.ResultsThere was an overall increase in the number of species recorded in permanent vegetation plots between 1994 and 1996, principally among the annual and biennial vascular plants, probably as a result of gap colonization in grasslands. Most butterfly and moth species increased between 1994 and 1995. Among the butterflies, a southern distribution and high mobility were associated with species tending to increase throughout the period 1994–96, whereas declining species tended to have a northern distribution. A similar number of carabid beetle species increased as decreased in the period 1994–96; decreasing species tended to be associated with lower temperatures and wetter soils.ConclusionsCurrent climate change scenarios indicate that the incidence of droughts in the United Kingdom will increase. A series of dry, hot summers could lead to a rapid change in the population of some species although others, including many plants, may be more resilient. This may lead to complex changes in ecosystems and needs to be considered in planning conservation strategies.
Pastoral management vs. land abandonment in Mediterranean uplands: impact on land snail communities
Authors: Labaune Corinne , Magnin Frédéric 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe aim of the study was to assess the impact of a pastoral management chosen to limit the recent expansion of woodland on a Mediterranean mountain on land snail diversity. An additional aim was to acquire quantitative data that could be used to identify pasture environments from Holocene molluscan assemblages. The work was undertaken at the Luberon mountain, Provence, south of France. We used a stratified quantitative sampling scheme according to altitude and vegetation structure. A total of 80 sites were studied. Large species were collected within a 5 × 5‐m plot. Small species were extracted from litter and surface soil. A standard procedure for site description was used based on 35 environmental variables. Grazing pressure was estimated according to the impact of grazing on the herb layer. Correspondence analysis and canonical correspondence analysis were performed using canoco 4.0 software. The distribution of land snails is related to altitude and grazing intensity. Large patches of grazed grassland harbour open country and mountain snail species. Thermophilic open ground species are located in grazed grasslands at lower altitude. Shade‐loving species are present in ungrazed scrublands or in small clearings on the upper slopes. The lowest species richness, diversity and equitability are associated with large patches of grazed grassland, the presence of a continuous cover of short grass reinforcing this negative impact on snail diversity. Our study is consistent with similar works on land snails or other invertebrates but discordant with vegetation studies. A homogeneous grazed herb layer significantly reduces snail diversity and abundance. Heterogeneity seems to favour snail diversity both at the local and landscape scales. However, sheep grazing contributes to the expansion of suitable habitats for rare snail species.
Do human activities raise species richness? Contrasting patterns in United States plants and fishes
Authors: McKinney Michael L. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractIn a given area, human activities usually cause the extinction of native species and the establishment of non‐native species. A key conservation issue is whether non‐native establishment tends to outpace native species extinction to produce a net gain in species richness. To determine this, empirical data must be accumulated at various scales. I show that, within the United States, the number of established non‐native plant species per state does tend to outpace the number of extinct and threatened species per state. The net gain in plant species is strongly and positively correlated with human population density. Continuation of this trend predicts substantial gains in net plant species richness for all states in the United States as human population grows. This contrasts with freshwater fishes, where most states show a net loss of species diversity as extinct and threatened species exceed established non‐native species. Changes in fish diversity do not correlate strongly with human population or non‐native species but are largely driven by the decline of native fish species.
Distribution of vascular plant species richness and endemic richness along the Himalayan elevation gradient in Nepal
Authors: Vetaas Ole R. , Grytnes John‐Arvid 
Published: March 2003

AbstractAim Species richness and endemic richness vary along elevation gradients, but not necessarily in the same way. This study tests if the maxima in gamma diversity for flowering plants and the endemic subset of these plants are coherent or not.Location The study was conducted in Nepal, between 1000 and 5000 m a.s.l.Methods We used published data on distribution and elevational ranges of the Nepalese flora to interpolate presence between maximum and minimum elevations. Correlation, regression and graphical analyses were used to evaluate the diversity pattern between 1000 and 5000 m a.s.l.Results The interval of maximum species endemic to Nepal or the Himalayas (3800–4200 m) is above the interval of maximum richness (1500–2500 m). The exact location of maximum species density is uncertain and its accuracy depends on ecologically sound estimates of area in the elevation zones. There is no positive statistically significant correlation between log‐area and richness (total or endemic). Total richness is positively correlated with log‐area‐adjusted, i.e. estimated area adjusted for the degree of topographic heterogeneity. The proportion of endemic species increases steadily from low to high elevations. The peak in endemism (c. 4000 m) corresponds to the start of a rapid decrease in species richness above 4000 m. This may relate to the last glacial maximum (equilibrium line at c. 4000 m) that penetrated down to 2500–3000 m. This dynamic hard boundary may have caused an increase in the extinction rate above 4000 m, and enhanced the probability of isolation and facilitated speciation of neoendemics, especially among genera with a high proportion of polyploids.Main conclusions The results reject the idea of corresponding maxima in endemic species and species richness in the lowlands tentatively deduced from Stevens’ elevational Rapoport effect. They confirm predictions based on hard boundary theory, but hard‐boundaries should be viewed as dynamic rather than static when broad‐scale biogeographical patterns with a historical component are being interpreted.
Glacial refugia of temperate, Mediterranean and Ibero‐North African flora in south‐eastern Spain: new evidence from cave pollen at two Neanderthal man sites
Authors: Carrión José S. , Yll Errikarta I. , Walker Michael J. , Legaz Alfonso J. , Chaín Celia , López Antonio 
Published: March 2003

ABSTRACTAim To locate glacial refugia of thermophilous plant species in Spain.Location Two south‐eastern Spanish Neanderthal man sites in Murcia; namely, the inland Cueva Negra del Estrecho del Río Quípar and the coastal Sima de las Palomas del Cabezo Gordo.Methods We use pollen found in cave sediments as a source of palaeobotanical and palaeoecological information. The findings are discussed with regard both to animal remains from both sites, and also to other refugia in south‐eastern Spain and elsewhere in the Iberian Peninsula.Results Both sequences show persistence of abundant mesothermophilous trees during the last glacial stage, suggesting both localities were reservoirs of phytodiversity and woodland species. At both sites, deciduous and evergreen oaks are the most abundant components, followed by a wide variety of deciduous trees and sclerophyllous shrubs, including Ibero‐North African xerothermic scrub near the coast.Conclusions Incomplete information underlies a common misapprehension that Iberian glacial refugia were confined to southernmost parts of the peninsula. A rather different picture of Quaternary refugia emerges from consideration of pollen sequences from caves (and other inputs such as macroscopic charcoal, spatial genetic structure of present‐day populations, faunal remains, and present‐day distribution of thermophilous species). This picture offers a view of numerous viable areas for woodland species in southern Spain, in addition to others in the mountain ranges, both in continental central Spain and those of northern Spain: these stretch from the Mediterranean coast of Catalonia to the westernmost extent of the Bay of Biscay.
A candidate gene study of F cell levels in sibling pairs using a joint linkage and association analysis
Authors: Garner Chad , Tatu Thanusak , Game Laurence , Cardon Lon R. , Spector Tim D. , Farrall Martin , Thein Swee Lay 
Published: March 2003

AbstractIntroduction Fetal haemoglobin (Hb F) and fetal cell (FC) levels in adults show considerable variation and the heritability of FC levels has been estimated to be 89% in the healthy European population; measured genotype analyses have shown the trait to be influenced by several genetic factors. In addition to the β‐globin gene complex on chromosome 11p, linkage analyses have reported loci affecting FC levels on chromosomes Xp22.2–p22.3 and 6q23.Methods We have genotyped a sample of approximately 300 unselected, same sex, dizygotic twin pairs from the St. Thomas’ UK Adult Twin Register for markers in these three regions and carried out a linkage analysis of FC levels. We also used a new method to simultaneously test for linkage and allelic association, and association caused by population stratification or admixture.Results There was no evidence for linkage of FC levels to chromosomes Xp22.2–p22.3 and 6q23. However, the β‐globin cluster was shown to be significantly linked and to be responsible for approximately one‐third of the additive genetic variance in FC levels in the sample.Conclusions The report represents the first application of this method to a sample of nonsimulated data and demonstrates the effectiveness of the approach. Combined linkage and association analysis of the β‐globin complex showed a strong association between the XmnI‐Gγ site and FC levels and that the observed association is not an artifact of recent population admixture or stratification.
The impact of subsidies upon fisheries management and sustainability: the case of the North Atlantic
Authors: Munro Gordon , Sumaila Ussif R 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThis paper provides both an estimate and assessment of subsidies in fisheries in the North Atlantic. The subsidies are estimated, on the basis of data taken from an OECD study and the Sea Around US Project database, to be in the order of US$ 2.0–2.5 billion per year. The assessment of the impact of the subsidies upon resource management and sustainability requires an examination of the underlying economics of subsidies in fisheries. There is general agreement, to which we subscribe, that fisheries subsidies do great harm by exacerbating the problems arising from the ‘common pool’ aspects of capture fisheries. Many economists, however, believe it that, if the ‘common pool’ aspects of a fishery could be removed by, for example, establishing a full‐fledged property rights system, the negative impact of fisheries subsidies would prove to be trivial.This paper demonstrates that the aforementioned comfortable belief is unfounded. Fisheries subsidies can be seriously damaging, even if the ‘common pool’ aspects of the fishery are removed. There is also a widely held belief among economists and government officials that subsidies used for vessel decommissioning schemes, far from being harmful, actually have a beneficial impact upon resource management and sustainability, or are at worst, neutral. About 20% of the fisheries subsidies in the North Atlantic are directed towards these purposes. In this paper, we argue that these seemingly beneficial subsides can, in fact, be highly negative in their impact.
On biological species, species concepts and individuation in the natural world
Authors: Mayden Richard L 
Published: March 2003

AbstractI am a realist and argue that biological species exist in nature. I also argue that the validity of findings of the many disciplines within the natural sciences employing biological species in their endeavours of inquiry are unequivocally linked to the accuracy of the species used in experiments. Few scientists today see the fundamental importance of taxonomic and systematic studies in both addressing accuracy of diversity and the delineation of species diversity for other areas of science. The basic controversial issues in the debate revolve around opinions regarding the nature of species as either Individuals or Classes, confusion of Species as a taxonomic category and as entities in nature, the varied practitioners studying diversity, a general lack of a Lineage perspective and a gross chauvinistic perspective on the types of data worthy of exposing and delineating diversity. I argue that species in nature are Individuals and form Lineages. As Individuals, they cannot be defined but can only be diagnosed in time. The category Species is a Class with a definition. The difficulties realised by scientists studying biodiversity in ‘defining’ a species hinges upon the fact that as natural entities they cannot be defined. Recognizing and understanding the origins of characters in species is further complicated if one views species in nature as Classes and lacks an appreciation for the Lineage and the origin and retention of traits through time. This forms an interesting paradox that many scientists have fallen victim to wherein species are viewed as Classes (hence definable, but immutable) yet are used to understand the process of descent that involves lineages and Individuals! The pre‐Darwinian Class perspective of species, combined with a common chauvinistic perspective on characters ultimately delays progress and places a ‘glass ceiling’ on species diversity for planet Earth. One resolution to the species and species concept issue is to view the concepts in a hierarchical manner of primary (theoretical) and secondary (operational) concepts. Interestingly, the issue of Individuals versus Classes for naturally occurring entities is much more widespread and exists in many other scientific fields. Thus, a hierarchical perspective of having a primary, nonoperational concept for natural entities and multiple operational concepts serving as ‘tools’ for discovering natural things consistent with the primary concept is a heuristic methodology that is applicable to the advancement of many areas of science.
Behaviour: an important diagnostic tool for Lake Malawi cichlids
Authors: Stauffer Jay R , McKaye Kenneth R , Konings Ad F 
Published: March 2003

AbstractHistorically, the cichlid fishes of Lake Malawi, which probably represent one of the best examples of rapid radiation of vertebrates, have been diagnosed with morphological and genetic data. Many of the populations once thought to be conspecific have been hypothesized to be separate species based on behavioural data. The use of behavioural data, as expressed in mate choice based on colour patterns or bower shapes, has been successfully used to diagnose both rock‐dwelling and sand‐dwelling cichlid species. Additionally, a combination of bower shapes and courtship patterns have been used as synapomorphies to diagnose genera within the Lake Malawi cichlid flock. It is concluded that taxonomists need to include behavioural data with morphological and genetic databases to diagnose species and to determine the phylogenetic relationships within this diverse assemblage of fishes.