bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Direct thrombin injection into aneurysmal sac in a patient with a type II endoleak
Authors: El‐Saeity N , Benfayed W , Ramesh N , Feeley M , Torreggiani WC 
Published: September 2004

SummaryEndovascular grafting of abdominal aortic aneurysms provides a good alternative to open surgery, especially in high‐risk patients. Endoleaks are a well‐recognized complication and are typically diagnosed on CT. We descibe a case in which a patient's endoleak was evaluated by MRI and successfully treated by direct thrombin injection into the site of the leak.
Cerebellar metastases from prostatic carcinoma
Authors: Schoenwaelder M , Waugh J , Russell P 
Published: September 2004

SummaryA 67‐year‐old man presented with worsening headaches and gait disturbance, and with minimal clinical signs. A brain MRI showed multiple solid cerebellar metastases. The pathological diagnosis of metastatic carcinoma of the prostate was further suggested by an elevation in prostate specific antigen, and was pathologically confirmed following the neurosurgical removal of the tumours. The rarity of this presentation, as documented in the clinical literature, is reviewed.
Stepping out of the classroom: involving teachers in the evaluation of national special education policy
Authors: Bourke Roseanna , Kearney Alison , Bevan‐Brown Jill 
Published: September 2004

Since Richard Rose relaunched BJSE's Research Section as a forum for the discussion of practitioner research, BJSE has published a series of very successful accounts of individual teacher enquiry and action research. In this article from New Zealand, Roseanna Bourke, now working at the Ministry of Education in Wellington, and her two colleagues, Alison Kearney and Jill Bevan‐Brown, both from the Department of Learning and Teaching at Massey University, present an alternative view of the involvement of teachers in research.In 1999, the Ministry of Education asked a team of researchers from Massey University to evaluate the introduction of New Zealand's first national policy for special education, known as Special Education 2000. The 16‐member research team was contracted to provide a three‐year, multi‐method, longitudinal evaluation incorporating both quantitative and qualitative approaches. This article looks specifically at one aspect of the approach used in the evaluation – the use of teachers as fieldworkers. Teachers across the country were trained as fieldworkers to assist in the collection of data in schools and early childhood centres. Training was given to all teachers on the research aims, methods, ethics, including cultural sensitivity, and rationale for the evaluation. By participating in large‐scale research and acting as ‘fieldworkers’, 68 teachers had the opportunity to develop their skills as researchers, while learning about other schools' perceptions and experiences of the special education policy. The experience provided a means for teachers to become apprenticed into a research culture, and to talk with principals and other teachers about common areas of interest. It also ensured that the research had knowledgeable and credible fieldworkers to collect data in schools.
In vitro total and methane gas production as influenced by rate of nitrogen application, season of harvest and perennial ryegrass cultivar
Authors: Lovett D. K. , Bortolozzo A. , Conaghan P. , O'Kiely P. , O'Mara F. P. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractThe effects of rate of inorganic nitrogen (N) fertilization (0, 80 or 160 kg N ha−1 per regrowth), season of harvest (regrowths 1, 2 and 3) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) cultivar [classified as having either a normal or elevated water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentration genotype] on in vitro gas production and digestibility were assessed. Increased N fertilizer application significantly decreased total gas production (TGP), methane (CH4) production and organic matter digestibility (OMD). The results suggest that the decreases in TGP and CH4 production were associated with a restriction in organic matter (OM) fermentation and an altered crude protein (CP) to structural carbohydrate ratio rather than a modification in the stoichiometry of fermentation. Season of harvest only significantly (P < 0·05) altered in vitro OMD and CH4 production at 8 h, despite altering the chemical composition of the herbage. Cultivar effects on all measured in vitro parameters were not significant presumably because the elevated WSC concentration trait was not expressed strongly in the study.
Turf quality and reliability in varieties of four turfgrass species in contrasting Italian environments
Authors: Russi L. , Annicchiarico P. , Martiniello P. , Tomasoni C. , Piano E. , Veronesi F. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractTurf quality is a complex character of fundamental importance in turfgrass evaluation. It takes into account aesthetic and functional aspects, and depends on several individual components which may vary with time. The use of a synthetic and simple quality score is necessary when evaluating large numbers of varieties. The quality of 110 turfgrass varieties belonging to four species (Lolium perenne, Poa pratensis, Festuca arundinacea and F. rubra) was assessed in the second and third years of growth at three Italian locations, i.e. Lodi (Po Valley, continental climate), Perugia (central Italy, sub‐Mediterranean climate) and Foggia (southern Italy, Mediterranean climate), using a visual score ranging from 9 (outstanding turf) to 1 (very poor turf). A randomized block design with three replicates was used, with varieties of the same species being blocked to facilitate the comparison within species. On average, F. rubra had the lowest turf quality score in summer, whereas the other species had the lowest quality score in winter and the highest quality score in summer and autumn. Components of variance were large for genotype (i.e. variety) main effects in all species. A variety × location interaction was found in F. arundinacea and higher‐order interactions were also found for P. pratensis and F. rubra. Genotype × environment effects were small relative to genotypic effects in L. perenne. Variety × year interactions were small in all cases, whereas variety × location and variety × season interactions were greater. Stability of turf quality across sites, seasons and years was measured for each variety in terms of environmental variance, i.e. the variance of score values across sites, years and seasons. Mean scores and stability values of varieties were integrated into an index of reliability that estimated the lowest score value expected in 0·80 of cases. For each species, a small subset of highly reliable varieties could be identified. Implications of the results for the testing and breeding of varieties in Italy are discussed.
Effect of heading date of perennial ryegrass cultivars on tillering and tiller development in spring and summer
Authors: Laidlaw A. S. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractThree cultivars (two diploid and one tetraploid) in each of three maturity groups (early, intermediate and late) of perennial ryegrass were sown in 10 m2 plots, replicated four times, in Northern Ireland in June 1997 in a study of the effect of heading date on tiller development (including initiation to flower) and turnover of tillers produced at specific times in spring in 1998 and 1999. The plots were harvested seven times in each year. Annual dry‐matter production was similar for all groups in each year. In spring and early summer of both years, tiller density of the diploid cultivars was 1·5 times greater than that of the tetraploid cultivars and the mean tiller density over all swards in June was about 0·40 times greater than that in April. Maximum proportions of reproductive tillers in the early, intermediate and late maturity groups, determined from apical dissections, were found in early April, mid‐May and early June, respectively. Although a high proportion of tillers, which were present when annual observations commenced in spring, was decapitated at the first harvest in the early group, the previous population density was maintained by rapid production of new tillers during May, including those from suppressed tiller buds during reproduction.It is concluded that the relationship between heading date and rate of tiller turnover (including flowering) at specified times in spring is important in sward management throughout the early part of the growing season and should be taken into account in tiller‐based grass growth models.
Stress and recovery of hill pastures in the North Island of New Zealand
Authors: Nicholas P. K. , Kemp P. D. , Barker D. J. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractMoisture and treading treatments were imposed on intact turves that were relocated to a glasshouse after being removed from three hill pastures of different soil fertility in the North Island of New Zealand. The experiment consisted of a 2‐month stress phase, where the treatments were wetting (W), wetting and treading (WT), drying (D) and control (C). In this phase, herbage accumulation rate, tiller density and leaf extension rate were lower on the D turves, and herbage accumulation rate and tiller density were lower on the WT turves than for the C turves. Herbage accumulation rate was higher on the W treatment than on the C treatment.In the 2‐month recovery phase, herbage accumulation rate and leaf extension rate on the D turves were higher than those of the C treatment. Herbage accumulation rate and tiller density took longer to recover on the WT turves but by the end of the recovery period tiller density on these turves exceeded that of the C turves and the original tiller densities on the WT turves. Changes (increase or decrease) in leaf extension rate were associated with the W treatment and tiller density with the WT treatment. Moisture was limiting on the D and C turves, but on the W and WT turves, where moisture was adequate for plant growth, nutrients were limiting, notably phosphorus on the W and WT turves and sulphur on the W turves.The D treatment turves recovered very quickly once the stress was removed but the WT turves were slower to recover. Under the experimental conditions applied, the hill pasture turves were more resilient to the drying treatment than the wetting and treading treatment.
Modelling the comparative productivity and profitability of grass and legume systems of silage production in northern Europe
Authors: Topp C. F. E. , Doyle C. J. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractA pre‐existing mechanistic model of grass growth, developed to simulate grass production in the UK, was extended to include a variety of grass–legume mixtures and used to predict comparative yields across a range of sites in northern Europe, using experimental data from a series of experiments at fifteen sites. Specifically, predictions were made of the comparative yields of grass (Lolium perenne L.), white clover (Trifolium repens L.), red clover (T. pratense L.), lucerne (Medicago sativa L.), lotus (Lotus corniculatus L.) and galega (Galega orientalis Lam.). The results indicated that the model could generate simulated differences in yields between forage crops, which accorded with observed rankings. However, the predictions were more accurate for total yields than individual cuts, for a country than for an individual site, and for monocultures than for grass–legume mixtures. Nevertheless, the results appeared sufficiently robust to be used to prepare forecasts of yield productivity in different agro‐climatic zones in northern Europe. Using estimates of the production costs and economic values for the forages, it was also possible to assess their comparative profitability.The study indicated that red clover, whether grown singly or in a mixture with grass economically outperformed all silage systems based on pure grass swards, even those receiving 400 kg N ha−1. White clover and lucerne were also consistently more profitable than grass‐based systems, receiving 200 kg N ha−1. In relative terms, lucerne appeared to be more profitable in the south and east of the region, while white clover outperformed lucerne in the north and west. In the north and east of the region, there was some evidence that galega might also hold promise as a silage crop, but lotus was not found to be viable under north European environmental conditions.
Performance of cultivated perennial grass mixtures under different grazing intensities in the alpine region of the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Dong S. K. , Kang M. Y. , Hu Z. Z. , Long R. , Pu X. P. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractIn 1998, seeds of four cultivated native perennial grasses, Bromus inermis (B), Clinelymus nutans (C), Elymus nutans (E) and Agropyron cristatum (A), were sown as mixtures with different seed rates in three combinations (B + C, B + E + A and B + E + C + A) in a field study in the north‐eastern part of the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau, China. A grazing experiment was conducted in 2000 to investigate the performance of these grass mixtures at leaf, plant and sward scales under different grazing intensities (GI). Four GIs, expressed as the proportion of herbage consumed by Tibetan lambs in relation to the available biomass (IP), were applied in the summer: no grazing, and 0·30, 0·50 and 0·70 of IP. Tiller numbers of the grasses increased and leaf photosynthetic rate, sward leaf area index (LAI) and herbage mass declined with increase in GI. No effect of GI on specific leaf area was observed. Interactions between GI and grass mixtures on the dynamics of species composition, swards’ LAI and herbage mass were found. Large fluctuations in species composition with different GIs showed the poor species compatibility and sward persistence of these grass mixtures under high GI by sheep.
Analysis of postarousal EEG activity during somnambulistic episodes
Authors: Zadra Antonio , Pilon Mathieu , Joncas Steve , Rompré Sylvie , Montplaisir Jacques 
Published: September 2004

SummaryEarly studies found that electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings during somnambulistic episodes were characterized by a combination of alpha, theta, and delta frequencies, without evidence of clear wakefulness. Three postarousal EEG patterns associated with slow‐wave sleep (SWS) arousals were recently identified in adults with sleepwalking and sleep terrors. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the distribution of these postarousal EEG patterns in 10 somnambulistic patients (three males, seven females, mean age: 25.1, SD: 4.1) evaluated at baseline and following 38 h of sleep deprivation. A total of 44 behavioral arousals were recorded in the laboratory; seven episodes at baseline (five from SWS, two from stage 2 sleep) and 37 episodes during recovery sleep (30 from SWS, seven from stage 2 sleep). There was no significant difference in the distribution of postarousal EEG patterns identified during baseline and recovery sleep. One pattern, comprised of diffuse rhythmic and synchronous delta activity, was preferentially associated with relatively simple behavioral episodes but did not occur during episodes from stage 2 sleep. Overall, delta activity was detected in 48% of the behavioral episodes from SWS and in 22% of those from stage 2. There was no evidence of complete awakening during any of the episodes. The results support the view of somnambulism as a disorder of arousal and suggest that sleepwalkers’ atypical arousal reactions can manifest themselves in stage 2 sleep in addition to SWS.
Comparative utility of instruments for monitoring sleepiness‐related performance decrements in the operational environment
Authors: Balkin Thomas J. , Bliese Paul D. , Belenky Gregory , Sing Helen , Thorne David R. , Thomas Maria , Redmond Daniel P. , Russo Michael , Wesensten Nancy J. 
Published: September 2004

SummaryAs both military and commercial operations increasingly become continuous, 24‐h‐per‐day enterprises, the likelihood of operator errors or inefficiencies caused by sleep loss and/or circadian desynchrony also increases. Avoidance of such incidents requires the timely application of appropriate interventions – which, in turn, depend on the ability to measure and monitor the performance capacity of individuals in the operational environment. Several factors determine the potential suitability of candidate measures, including their relative sensitivity, reliability, content validity, intrusiveness and cumbersomeness/fieldability. In the present study, the relative sensitivity (defined as the ratio of effect size to 95% confidence interval) of several measures to the effects of sleep loss was compared in a sleep restriction experiment, in which groups were allowed 3, 5, 7, or 9 h time in bed (TIB) across seven consecutive nights. Of the measures compared, the Psychomotor Vigilance Test was among the most sensitive to sleep restriction, was among the most reliable with no evidence of learning over repeated administrations, and possesses characteristics that make it among the most practical for use in the operational environment.
Slow horizontal eye movement at human sleep onset
Authors: Porte Helene Sophrin 
Published: September 2004

SummarySlow eye movement (SEM) at human sleep onset has been studied as a function of EEG and behavioral state but has not been subjected to systematic physical measurement. This study counted the frequency of horizontal SEM and quantified its physical properties during hypnagogic EEG stages 3–8 (stage 1 sleep). SEM amplitudes, peak velocities, and durations were digitally measured. As in previous studies SEM occurred throughout stage 1 sleep, coinciding with all tonic states and with all phasic events that classically define stage 1. Within stage 1 the physical properties of SEM varied significantly. In hypnagogic stage 3, where EEG alpha dominates up to half of any 30‐s epoch, the typical SEM was moderate in amplitude, slow, and short‐lasting, and SEM peak velocity described a weak function of SEM amplitude. In stages 5 and 6 combined – characterized by a low‐voltage delta–theta EEG, sustained alpha suppression, and no more than one vertex sharp wave (VSW) per 30‐s epoch – SEM velocity was maximal, and described a strong function of amplitude. Despite low absolute velocities, stage 5/6 SEM could approximate saccade‐like morphologies. In stages 7 and 8 combined, characterized by VSW bursts and incipient spindles or K complexes, SEM was maximal in amplitude and duration but not faster than SEM in stage 5/6. These properties of human SEM are discussed in relation to the anatomy and physiology of SEM in macaque.
The 24‐h growth hormone rhythm in men: sleep and circadian influences questioned
Authors: Brandenberger Gabrielle , Weibel Laurence 
Published: September 2004

SummaryThe 24‐h rhythm of growth hormone (GH) is thought to be controlled primarily by sleep processes with a weak circadian component. This concept has been recently questioned in sleep‐deprived persons. To test the notion of a high sleep‐dependency of GH release, we established simultaneous 24‐h rhythms of GH and melatonin, a circadian marker, in night workers who form a model for challenging sleep and circadian processes. Ten day‐active subjects and 11 night workers were studied during their usual sleep–wake schedule, with sleep from 23:00 to 07:00 hours and 07:00 to 15:00 hours, respectively. Experiments were conducted in sleep rooms under continuous nutrition, bed rest, and dim light. Melatonin and GH were measured every 10 min over 24 h. In day‐active subjects, melatonin and GH showed the well‐known 24‐h profiles, with a major sleep‐related GH pulse accounting for 52.8 ± 3.5% of the 24‐h GH production and the onset of the melatonin surge occurring at 21:53 hours ± 18 min. In night workers, melatonin showed variable circadian adaptation, with the onset of secretion varying between 21:45 and 05:05 hours. The sleep‐related GH pulse was lowered, but the reduction was compensated for by the emergence of large individual pulses occurring unpredictably during waking periods, so that the total amount of GH secreted during the 24 h was constant. One cannot predict the degree of GH adaptation from the highly variable melatonin shift. These results argue against the concept that sleep processes exert a predominant influence on GH release whatever the conditions. When sleep and circadian processes are misaligned, the blunting of the sleep‐related GH pulse is counteracted, as in sleep‐deprived persons, by a compensatory mechanism promoting GH pulses during wakefulness.
DOMINO1, a member of a small plant‐specific gene family, encodes a protein essential for nuclear and nucleolar functions
Authors: Lahmy Sylvie , Guilleminot Jocelyne , Cheng Ching‐Ming , Bechtold Nicole , Albert Sylvie , Pelletier Georges , Delseny Michel , Devic Martine 
Published: September 2004

Summary Arabidopsis embryos carrying the domino1 mutation grow slowly in comparison with wild type embryos and as a consequence reach only the globular stage at desiccation. The primary defect of the mutation at the cellular level is the large size of the nucleolus that can be observed soon after fertilization in the nuclei of both the embryo and the endosperm. The ultrastructure of mutant nucleoli is drastically different from wild type and points to a fault in ribosome biogenesis. DOMINO1 encodes a protein, which belongs to a plant‐specific gene family sharing a common motif of unknown function, present in the tomato DEFECTIVE CHLOROPLASTS AND LEAVES (LeDCL) protein. Using a GFP protein fusion, we show that DOMINO1 is targeted to the nucleus. We propose that inactivation of DOMINO1 has a negative effect on ribosome biogenesis and on the rate of cell division.
Multiple gene detection by in situ RT‐PCR in isolated plant cells and tissues
Authors: Pesquet Edouard , Barbier Odile , Ranocha Philippe , Jauneau Alain , Goffner Deborah 
Published: September 2004

SummaryWith the number of functional genomic approaches in plant biology increasing daily, the demand for rapid and reliable RNA localization techniques for gene characterization is being felt. We present herein a novel, liquid phase in situ RT‐PCR (IS‐RT‐PCR) protocol using a combination of gene‐specific fluorescent primers and spectral confocal microscopy to localize target RNA in epicotyl sections and xylogenic suspension cultures of Zinnia elegans. Potential sources of artefacts from fixation to gene detection were systematically eliminated using both fluorescent primers and nucleotides for 18S rRNA gene detection, resulting in a set of optimal parameters for IS‐RT‐PCR that may be readily adapted to any target gene. By judiciously choosing fluorescent primers with non‐overlapping fluorochromes, we have shown that our technique is readily adapted to multiplex IS‐RT‐PCR, enabling the simultaneous localization of more than one gene within a complex tissue or heterogeneous cell population. A 6‐carboxy‐2′,4,4′,5′,7,7′‐hexachlorofluorescein (6‐HEX)‐labelled primer and a tetrachloro‐6‐carboxy‐fluorescein (TET)‐labelled primer were designed for two marker genes associated with programmed cell death in tracheary elements (TEs): an endonuclease (Zen1) and a cysteine protease (ZcP4), respectively. An additional Cyan5 (Cy5)‐labelled primer was used to monitor 18SrRNA expression. As expected, the 18S signal was constitutively expressed throughout epicotyls sections and living cells in xylogenic in vitro cultures, whereas Zen1 and ZcP4 were co‐localized in forming TEs both in planta and in vitro. Analogous to clustering analysis of gene expression using microarrays to elucidate common metabolic pathways and developmental processes, this novel technique is perfectly adapted to gaining a better understanding of gene function via the coordinated expression of genes in specific cell types of complex tissues and cell populations.