bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Community attitudes towards wildlife management in the Bolivian Chaco
Authors: Noss Andrew J. , Cuéllar Rosa Leny 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe process of community wildlife management in the Izozog area of the Bolivian Chaco began with participatory field research – self-monitoring of hunting activities and research on key game species. On-going discussions in community meetings have elicited seven wildlife management recommendations: (1) establishing hunting zones, (2) hunting only adults, (3) hunting only males during the reproductive season, (4) hunting only for the family's needs, (5) hunting only abundant animals, (6) protecting plants that are important to wildlife, and (7) prohibiting hunting by outsiders. We compare community attitudes towards these management measures. A majority of communities favour, in decreasing order, measures 7, 4, 6 and 1, communities are divided with respect to measures 2 and 3, and most communities oppose measure 5. Two socio-economic characteristics of communities – location and ethnicity – are associated with patterns of attitudes towards wild-life management among communities, whereas religion, economic activity and community size are not. Izoceño communities are currently reinterpreting traditional beliefs both to support and to oppose active wildlife management measures.
The extirpation of large mammals and implications for montane forest conservation: the case of the Kilum-Ijim Forest, North-west Province, Cameroon
Authors: Maisels F. , Keming E. , Kemei M. , Toh C. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractA review was carried out of the mammalian fauna of the Kilum-Ijim forest in the mountains of northwest Cameroon. The purpose was to examine the loss of species, particularly of larger mammals, and the implications of this for forest ecology. Information was collected by direct observation, hunter interviews and a literature review. The forest is the largest remaining representative fragment of the West African montane forest habitat. Seventy-seven species of mammal have been recorded in the forest over the last 50 years. Most are small, especially rodents, bats and insectivores. Seven species are endemic to the Kilum-Ijim area. The process of species extirpation probably began over 100 years ago with the loss of the mega-fauna, possibly beginning with elephantLoxodonta africana(several generations ago), and certainly with buffaloSyncerus caffer(at least 20 years ago), and other large mammals. Remaining large mammal population densities are very low and many species are close to regional extinction. The long-term consequences of these extinctions is uncertain but, as many tree species are monkey- or ruminant-dispersed, severe ecosystem damage has probably already occurred. Human population density in the area is around 300 people per sq km, and no sustainable offtake of wild animals will ever be possible that would provide more than a few grams of meat per person per year from the forest. The protein requirements of the communities of the area will have to continue to be supplied from domesticated stock. Since 1987 the Kilum-Ijim Forest Project of BirdLife International has been working to conserve the remaining forest, using a community forestry approach in collaboration with traditional and local authorities and the government of Cameroon. The project is investigating ways to improve the production of domestic animals outside the forest boundary.
Overheated news of a ‘medical breakthrough’
Authors: Silverman William A. 
Published: March 2003

Medicine pays almost exclusive homage to the shock of the new. We place a constant emphasis on novelty. We trumpet the most recent discoveries and give far too little attention to the concepts underlying our accumulated knowledge. Ours is an era of the instantaneous and immediate fact, a time when traditions are dissolving and the perceived need for a dialogue with the past is all but invisible.Richard Horton1
Birthweight, vitamin D receptor genotype and the programming of osteoporosis
Authors: Dennison Elaine M. , Arden Nigel K. , Keen Richard W. , Syddall Holly , Day Ian N. M. , Spector Timothy D. , Cooper Cyrus 
Published: March 2003

SummaryStudies of the association between polymorphisms of the gene for the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and adult bone mass have been inconsistent, pointing to the possibility that gene–environment interactions may vary in different populations. We have demonstrated previously an association between weight in infancy (a marker of the intrauterine and early post‐natal environment) and each of adult bone mass and VDR genotype. We therefore sought to extend these observations in an elderly UK cohort and to investigate the possibility of an interaction between these genetic and early environmental markers of later osteoporosis risk. One hundred and sixty‐five men and 126 women aged 61–73 years for whom birth records were available underwent bone mass measurements at baseline and follow‐up 4 years later. Whole‐blood samples were obtained, DNA extracted using standard techniques and polymorphisms in the VDR and collagen type Iα1 (Col IA1) genes identified. In the cohort as a whole, there were no significant associations between either birthweight or VDR genotype and bone mineral density (BMD) or bone loss rate at either site. However, the relationship between lumbar spine BMD and VDR genotype varied according to birthweight. Among individuals in the lowest third of birthweight, spine BMD was higher (P = 0.01) in individuals of genotype ‘BB’ after adjustment for age, sex and weight at baseline. In contrast, spine BMD was reduced (P = 0.04) in individuals of the same genotype who were in the highest third of the birthweight distribution. A significant (P = 0.02) statistical interaction was also found between VDR genotype and birthweight as determinants of BMD. Similar but slightly weaker associations were seen between lumbar spine bone mineral content (BMC) and VDR genotype in the lowest birthweight tertile. When examining the relationship between Col1A1 genotype and bone mass, lumbar spine BMC was higher in individuals of genotype ‘Ss’ or ‘ss’ in the lowest birthweight tertile (P = 0.02) after adjustment for age, sex and weight at baseline. These results suggest that genetic influences on adult bone size and mineral density may be modified by undernutrition in utero.
Fetal growth and systolic blood pressure in young adulthood: the Swedish Young Male Twins Study
Authors: Johansson‐Kark Malin , Rasmussen Finn , Stavola Bianca De , Leon David A. 
Published: March 2003

SummaryThe objective was to test the fetal origins hypothesis by examining the association between fetal growth and systolic blood pressure in a large cohort of adult male twins of known zygosity. This cohort study is based on a record linkage of routinely collected data from the Swedish Medical Birth Registry, the Swedish Military Conscription Registry and a mailed questionnaire. It comprises 886 pairs of same‐sex male twins born in Sweden in 1973–79 for whom data were available on size at birth and systolic blood pressure, height and weight at age 17–19 years. Based on self‐reported similarity of appearance in childhood, 384 twin pairs were classified as monozygotic (MZ), 269 as dizygotic (DZ) and 233 as of uncertain zygosity (XZ). Differences in systolic blood pressure within and between twin pairs were analysed in relation to birthweight and birthweight‐for‐gestational‐age z‐score using random effects linear models.Within twin pairs, a 1 kg difference in birthweight was associated with a difference of −1.30 mmHg in systolic blood pressure [95% confidence interval −4.15, +1.54] for MZ twins and +0.14 [−3.49, +3.76] for DZ twins; for all twins combined it was −0.21 [−2.13, +1.71]. Between twin pairs, a 1 kg difference in birthweight was associated with a difference of −2.68 mmHg in systolic blood pressure [−4.95, −0.42] for MZ twins and +0.28 [−2.35, +2.91] for DZ twins; for all twins combined −1.68 [−3.15, −0.22]. All these estimates included adjustment for age, year and conscription centre of examination, gestational age and height and weight at conscription. These results provide little support for the fetal origins hypothesis. The estimates of the within‐pair effect in MZ twins and their wide confidence intervals (including zero) cannot exclude the existence of common genetic mechanisms, but are also not inconsistent with an in utero programming effect. This study highlights some methodological problems with twin studies.
Maternal, paternal and environmental tobacco smoking and breast feeding
Authors: Leung Gabriel M. , Ho Lai‐Ming , Lam Tai‐Hing 
Published: March 2003

SummaryThe effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on breast‐feeding patterns are poorly understood, while those of parental smoking on breast‐feeding initiation vs. duration have not been clearly delineated. We conducted a prospective, population‐based birth cohort study to examine the independent effects of maternal, paternal and ETS on breast‐feeding initiation and duration. A total of 6747 Hong Kong Chinese infants were recruited and followed up in 1997–8. We obtained detailed household smoking history and recorded breast‐feeding patterns in three follow‐up interviews over 9 months. We found that both maternal and paternal smoking were associated with not initiating breast feeding (odds ratio [OR] for ever maternal smoking = 2.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.63, 3.86; OR for ever paternal smoking = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.39). Exposure to ETS in utero and post partum were also related to not starting breast feeding (ORETS in utero = 1.10, 95% CI = 0.99,1.24; ORETS post partum = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.36). These effects, however, did not persist for breast‐feeding duration of ≤ 4 months. Cox proportional hazards modelling confirmed the lack of association between any form of smoking and breast‐feeding duration. Our findings suggest that smoking of any kind, during or after pregnancy, is a strong risk indicator for not initiating breast feeding. Smoking as a risk indicator for underlying socio‐economic, demographic and psychosocial factors is probably responsible for most of the observed adverse effects, although we cannot rule out direct contributions from pathophysiological mechanisms. Public health strategies directed at these underlying factors should be vigorously pursued to reduce the adverse effects of tobacco on breast feeding and infant health in general.
Weight and weight gain at 4 months (The Netherlands 1998): influences of nutritional practices, socio‐economic and ethnic factors
Authors: Bulk‐Bunschoten Anneke M. W. , Bodegom Sylvia van , Reerink J. Dorothea , Jong Pieternel C. M. Pasker‐de , Groot Cornelis J. de 
Published: March 2003

SummaryWe describe the determinants of weight gain in the first 4 months of life in a cohort of 3256 infants. The study was designed as a survey with follow‐up. In the period 1 April to 1 July 1998, all infants, usually 4 weeks old but not older than 4 months, brought to a well‐baby clinic for the first time were included. Nutritional practices, demographic data on mother and child, birthweight and a second weight measured between days 118 and 147 were recorded. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. The average weight gain over 4 months was 27.7 g/day for boys and 24.5 g/day for girls. Weight gain was lower with high parity and if the mother was a native Dutch speaker. Nutritional practices affected weight gain only slightly: exclusive breast feeding for 4 months lowered the weight gain by 0.06 g/day. However, because of their higher birthweight, breast‐fed infants weighed a little more than formula‐fed infants at 4 months. In addition, we compared the median weight at the age of 4 months with the median weight at the same age in previous Dutch growth studies. The median weight, adjusted to day 133, was higher in 1998 than in 1965, 1980 and 1997 (boys 7.15 vs. 6.85, 6.77 and 6.95 kg; girls 6.59 vs. 6.49, 6.39 and 6.45 kg respectively).
Maternal factors associated with the duration of breast feeding in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Shawky Sherine , Abalkhail Bahaa A. 
Published: March 2003

SummaryRecently, there has been increasing concern about the decline in breast‐feeding pattern in developing countries. The objectives of this study were to document the recent breast‐feeding trends in Jeddah during the first year of an infant's life and identify the probable maternal risk factors implicated in breast‐feeding cessation. Data were collected from six randomly selected primary health care centres in Jeddah City. All married women with an infant ≤ 12 completed months of age were interviewed, and information on socio‐demographic characteristics, breast feeding and contraceptive use were collected. Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratios for the various maternal risk factors related to breast‐feeding cessation.A total of 400 women were enrolled in the study. Their mean age at delivery was 28.0 years (SD = 4.1 years). Approximately 40.0% had never attended school, 43.0% had at least five children and 13.8% were smokers. Deliveries by caesarean section were reported by 13.0% of women and contraceptive use by 44.7%, among whom oral contraceptives were the commonest method. Around 94.0% of women ever initially breast fed their infants, and this proportion dropped to 40.0% by the infant's 12th month. Women who delivered by caesarean section (OR = 1.9 [95% CI 1.3, 2.8]P = 0.001) and those who used oral contraceptives (OR = 1.5 [95% CI 1.1, 2.2]P = 0.031) were at higher risk of stopping breast feeding and lower probability of maintaining breast feeding to the 12th month post partum than those who delivered vaginally and did not use oral contraceptives.Breast‐feeding practice seems to decline rapidly during the first year of the infant's life. Health care professionals should promote breast‐feeding practice as early as the antenatal period. They should also take into consideration the impact of caesarean section deliveries and early oral contraceptive use to avoid their negative impact on breast‐feeding practice.
Host plant evaluation behaviour of Bemisia tabaci and its modification by external or internal uptake of imidacloprid
Authors: Isaacs Rufus , Cahill Matthew , Byrne David N. 
Published: March 2003

SummaryThe behaviour of adult Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) was observed on leaves of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., to study the process of host plant evaluation. Seven distinct behavioural elements were identified and recorded for a period of 20 min after initial contact with leaves. The behaviour of the whiteflies was observed on untreated leaves or on leaves treated with either foliar or systemically applied imidacloprid. Thus, contact with imidacloprid by whiteflies was either via the external cuticle or by ingestion, allowing determination of the effect of uptake route on host evaluation behaviour. Analysis of behavioural sequences and comparison of latencies, frequencies and durations of elements of behaviour between treatments revealed that host evaluation behaviour was similar on untreated and foliar treated leaves, but markedly different on those treated systemically. After their first probe, whiteflies on systemically treated leaves were much more active, spending significantly greater time walking and dabbing the labium tip onto the leaf surface. There was also a 50% reduction in the total time spent probing into systemically treated leaves, compared to the other treatments. This effect was the result of a shorter mean probe duration, and no effect of treatment was found on the frequency of probing. Pre‐oviposition behaviour was significantly more common on the systemically treated leaves, although the number of eggs laid was similar on all treatments. These results also show that the host evaluation phase of adult female B. tabaci was dominated by probing. The behavioural sequence that leads to probing was affected significantly by imidacloprid when ingested, but not by direct contact with this compound on the leaf surface. The wider implications for the mechanisms of whitefly–host plant interactions are discussed.
Response of female Lutzomyia longipalpis to host odour kairomones from human skin
Authors: Rebollar‐Tellez E. A. , Hamilton J. G. C. , Ward R. D. 
Published: March 2003

Summary Lutzomyia longipalpis Lutz & Neiva (Diptera: Psychodidae) is the vector of Leishmania chagasi, the aetiologic agent of visceral leishmaniasis in the New World. In the present study, the response of female sandflies from Jacobina, Brazil, to human odours from six different volunteers was investigated. Glass Petri dishes were handled by different volunteers and then exposed to female sandflies. There was a significant difference between subjects in that some individuals were more attractive or less repellent to sandflies. Response of flies to handled Petri dishes was higher during the first minutes of observation, suggesting the presence of volatile compounds in hand odours. Extracts of glass Petri dishes that had been handled by the volunteers were made with organic solvents such as acetone, methanol, pentane and ether. These were then concentrated and tested for sandfly response. Only extracts carried out with non‐polar solvents such as pentane and ether were able to transfer odours from handled glass Petri dishes onto clean dishes. The attractivity of male and female human subjects was monitored for 80 days, and minor fluctuations in attractiveness were observed.
Dose‐related upwind anemotaxis and movement up odour gradients in still air in the presence of methyl eugenol by the wild tobacco fly, Bactrocera cacuminata
Authors: Meats A. , Osborne A. 
Published: March 2003

SummaryThe behaviour of Bactrocera cacuminata (Hering) in wind varied according to the concentration of methyl eugenol (0, 95, 327 and 500 μg m−3, respectively). General locomotor activity (as measured by mean distance moved in 5 min, regardless of direction) was not significantly different in the first two treatments but was significantly lower in the others. Most flies in the fourth treatment did not move more than one body length. In the first two treatments, the rate and pattern of movement of most flies was basically similar, with walking in tortuous paths interspersed with short flights and usually no obvious bias in direction. However, 32% of flies in the second treatment did move in a biased direction, achieving upwind anemotaxis of at least 400 mm, but only 2–8% did so in the other conditions. Flies moved up a concentration gradient to a source of methyl eugenol in still air when released at a distance of 100, 150 or 200 mm. With one exception, no more than 40% did this within 3 min of release (whether or not the olfactory stimulus was augmented by a visual one). However, 77% responded when released 100 mm from a combined olfactory and visual stimulus. Visual augmentation of an olfactory stimulus may also be responsible for far fewer flies flying out of the vicinity at distances up to 150 mm, but not 200 mm.
Phase polymorphism in Locusta migratoria: the relative effects of geographical strains and albinism on morphometrics
Authors: Yerushalmi Yoram , Tauber Eran , Pener Meir Paul 
Published: March 2003

SummaryAn albino strain, which had originated from Okinawa, Japan, and a normally coloured strain, which had originated from West Africa, have been used to study density‐dependent morphometric phase characteristics and their changes in adults of the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria (L.). By repeated crossings we also obtained congenic albinos and normal phenotypes and investigated their morphometrics with increasing West African genome, eventually reaching 99.6% West African and 0.4% Okinawa gene pool. The data were analysed by the classical morphometric ratios (F/C and E/F; F = length of the hind femur, C = maximum width of the head, E = length of the fore wings), as well as by canonical discriminant (multivariate) analysis. The latter was based on measurements of F, C and E (as above), as well as of M (minimum width of the pronotum) and H (maximum height of the pronontum). Okinawa albinos showed more solitarious morphometrics and a smaller amplitude of morphometric phase change than West African normal phenotypes. Both the morphometric ratios and the canonical discriminant analysis demonstrated clearly that these differences were caused primarily by the strain (Okinawa vs. West African). However, the pigmentation (albino vs. normal colouration) also affected morphometric phase differences; albinos showed more solitarious morphometrics and somewhat more restricted morphometric phase change than congenic normal phenotypes. The effect of the pigmentation was considerably smaller than that of the strain. The results refute Nolte's claim that albino locusts constitute an extreme solitarious phase, even under crowding. However, Nolte's less extreme claim, that albino locusts have more solitarious morphometrics than normally coloured locusts, is validated by the present results.
The response of the malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, to two components of human sweat, ammonia and l‐lactic acid, in an olfactometer
Authors: Braks M. A. H. , Meijerink J. , Takken W. 
Published: March 2003

SummaryIn an olfactometer study on the response of the anthropophilic malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae s.s. (Diptera, Culicidae) to human sweat it was found that freshly collected sweat, mostly of eccrine origin, was attractive, but that incubated sweat was significantly more attractive than fresh sweat. The behavioural response to l‐lactic acid and ammonia, the main constituents of sweat, was investigated. l‐lactic acid was attractive at one concentration only (11.11 mm) and removal of the l‐lactic acid from the sweat by enzymatic decomposition did not affect the attractiveness of sweat. Ammonia caused attraction over a range of 0.1–13.4 m on glass slides and at 0.84–8.40 μmol/min in an air stream. It is concluded that: human sweat contains kairomones for host‐seeking An. gambiae; ammonia is an important kairomone for this mosquito; and that l‐lactic acid is not a prerequisite in the attraction of An. gambiae to sweat.
Accumulation of aluminium in the cell wall pectin in cultured tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) cells treated with a combination of aluminium and iron
Authors: Chang Y.‐C. , Yamamoto Y. , Matsumoto H. 
Published: March 2003

ABSTRACTIn nutrient medium, aluminium (Al) accumulation in tobacco cells occurs only in the presence of ferrous ion [Fe(II)]. The localization of Al was examined to elucidate a mechanism of Al accumulation. After the digestion of Al‐treated cells with cellulase and pectolyase together, the resulting spheroplasts contained as much Al as the intact cells. However, the cell walls isolated from Al‐treated cells also contained as much Al as the intact cells. Comparison of sugar and Al contents in polysaccharide components extracted chemically from cell walls isolated from intact cells and spheroplasts revealed that the enzymes digested most of the cellulose and hemicellulose, but only half of the pectin, and that Al mainly existed in the pectin remaining in the spheroplasts. Gel‐permeation chromatography of the pectin fraction (NH4‐oxalate extract) from the cell walls of the intact cells indicated that Al was associated with small polysaccharides of approximately 3–7 kDa. These results suggest that a minor part of pectin is a major site of Al accumulation. The content of cell wall pectin increased during Al treatment in nutrient medium. Taken together, we hypothesize that Al may bind to the pectin newly produced during Al treatment.