bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Experimental study on the toxicity of imidacloprid given in syrup to honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies
Authors: Faucon Jean‐Paul , Aurières Clément , Drajnudel Patrick , Mathieu Laeticia , Ribière Magali , Martel Anne‐Claire , Zeggane Sarah , Chauzat Marie‐Pierre , Aubert Michel FA 
Published: September 2004

AbstractTwo groups of eight honey bee colonies were fed with two different concentrations of imidacloprid in saccharose syrup during summer (each colony was given 1 litre of saccharose syrup containing 0.5 µg litre−1 or 5 µg litre−1 of imidacloprid on 13 occasions). Their development and survival were followed in parallel with control hives (unfed or fed with saccharose syrup) until the end of the following winter. The parameters followed were: adult bee activity (number of bee entering the hive and pollen carrying activity), adult bee population level, capped brood area, frequency of parasitic and other diseases, mortality, number of frames with brood after wintering and a global score of colonies after wintering. The only parameters linked to feeding with imidacloprid‐supplemented saccharose syrup when compared with feeding with non‐supplemented syrup were: a statistically non‐significant higher activity index of adult bees, a significantly higher frequency of pollen carrying during the feeding period and a larger number of capped brood cells. When imidacloprid was no longer applied, activity and pollen carrying were re‐established at a similar level for all groups. Repeated feeding with syrup supplemented with imidacloprid did not provoke any immediate or any delayed mortality before, during or following the next winter, whereas such severe effects are described by several French bee keepers as a consequence of imidacloprid use for seed dressing in neighbouring cultures. In any case, during the whole study, mortality was very low in all groups, with no difference between imidacloprid‐fed and control colonies. Further research should now address several hypotheses: the troubles described by bee keepers have causes other than imidacloprid; if such troubles are really due to this insecticide, they may only be observed either when bees consume contaminated pollen, when no other sources of food are available, in the presence of synergic factors (that still need to be identified), with some particular races of bees or when colonies are not strong and healthy. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Parametric accelerated failure time models with random effects and an application to kidney transplant survival
Authors: Lambert Philippe , Collett Dave , Kimber Alan , Johnson Rachel 
Published: September 2004

AbstractAccelerated failure time models with a shared random component are described, and are used to evaluate the effect of explanatory factors and different transplant centres on survival times following kidney transplantation. Different combinations of the distribution of the random effects and baseline hazard function are considered and the fit of such models to the transplant data is critically assessed. A mixture model that combines short‐ and long‐term components of a hazard function is then developed, which provides a more flexible model for the hazard function. The model can incorporate different explanatory variables and random effects in each component. The model is straightforward to fit using standard statistical software, and is shown to be a good fit to the transplant data. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Potential bias in estimates of the size of maturity of crabs derived from trap samples
Authors: Smith Kim D. , Hall Norman G. , de Lestang Simon , Potter Ian C. 
Published: September 2004

Abstract
The size at the onset of sexual maturity (SOM) of female crustaceans is typically estimated using logistic regression analysis of the proportions of mature females in sequential size classes. The validity of this approach depends on the composition of the samples reflecting accurately that present in the environment. However, catches obtained by traps, a passive fishing method, typically contain disproportionately greater numbers of large crabs, whereas those obtained using active fishing methods, such as seine-netting and otter trawling, will presumably represent far better the size composition of the population. Moreover, we demonstrate that samples of female Portunus pelagicus caught by trapping were predominantly mature, whereas those collected by seining and trawling contained numerous immature as well as mature females. Therefore, the samples of females collected by trap are clearly biased towards mature crabs. Consequently, for any size class, it would be predicted that the proportion of mature females in trap catches will be overestimated, so shifting the logistic curve fitted to the proportions of mature crabs in each size class to the left, and yielding an underestimate of the SOM. This conclusion is substantiated by the fact that the carapace width of female Portunus pelagicus, at which 50% of individuals reach maturity (SOM50), was estimated to be markedly greater when using the proportion of mature females obtained by seine-netting and otter trawling, i.e. 101.1 mm, than by trapping, i.e. 86.1 mm. Data on the size and maturity status of the deep-sea crabs Hypothalassia acerba and Chaceon bicolor are available only from trap catches. From the above data for P. pelagicus, it is considered likely that, through a greater vulnerability of mature females of these species to capture by traps, the respective SOM50s derived for female H. acerba and C. bicolor from trap samples (carapace lengths of 69.7 and 90.5 mm) will be considerable underestimates of the true values.
Cesarean section intraoperative blood loss and mode of placental separation
Authors: Ramadani H. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate whether manual removal of the placenta is associated with significant blood loss compared with spontaneous separation of the placenta during cesarean delivery.DesignA randomized prospective study of 400 women with normal pregnancies undergoing cesarean delivery at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Patients were randomly assigned to the study group, (manual placental removal, n=200) or the control group (spontaneous placental separation, n=200). Operative blood loss was assessed by the volumetric and gravimetric methods. Hemoglobin levels were evaluated the third postoperative day and patient's postoperative complications were recorded.ResultsThe mean±S.D. amount of blood loss associated with manual and spontaneous removal of the placenta was 713±240 and 669±253 ml, respectively. This difference was statistically significant (P=0.04). There was a postoperative decrease in hemoglobin levels in both groups. Preoperative hemoglobin levels were 11.6±3 g/dl in the study group and 11.2±1.1 g/dl in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.006). The postoperative hemoglobin levels at day 3 were 9.0±1.2 g/dl in the study group and 9.9±1.2 g/dl in the control group (P=0.003), also a statistically significant difference. The incidence of endometritis, wound infection, and need for blood transfusion was similar in the two groups.ConclusionManual delivery of the placenta was significantly associated with greater operative blood loss and greater decrease in postoperative hemoglobin levels, but with shorter operative time compared with spontaneous placental separation. No difference in postoperative complications was noted between the groups.
Dual transduction of insulin‐like growth factor‐I and interleukin‐l receptor antagonist protein controls cartilage degradation in an osteoarthritic culture model
Authors: Haupt Jennifer L. , Frisbie David D. , McIlwraith C. Wayne , Robbins Paul D. , Ghivizzani Steve , Evans Chris H. , Nixon Alan J. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractThis study evaluated the potential of gene induced synoviocyte expression of a combination of insulin‐like growth factor‐I (AdIGF‐I) and interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist protein (AdIL‐1Ra) to control articular cartilage degradation in vitro. Cartilage explants and synovial membrane were harvested from young mature horses. Synovial monolayers were established and either (1) maintained as untransduced controls; (2) transduced with AdIGF‐I at 200 MOI in 500 μl serum‐free medium; (3) transduced with AdIL‐1Ra at 100 MOI; or (4) transduced with a combination of AdIGF‐I (200 MOI) and AdIL‐1Ra (100 MOI). Following transduction, cartilage explants were exposed to the synovial monolayer medium using co‐culture inserts. Cultures were maintained for 6 days in either serum‐free medium or medium containing 10ng/ml recombinant human interleukin‐1β. At termination, synovial cell RNA was isolated for real‐time PCR analysis, and cartilage explants were collected for H&E and toluidine blue staining, immunohistochemistry for type II collagen and IGF‐I, in situ localization of IGF‐I and type II collagen gene expression, and biochemical assays. Synovial monolayers were readily transduced with both AdIGF‐I and AdIL‐1Ra. IGF‐I and IL‐1Ra protein were secreted at beneficial levels throughout the experiment, having peak concentrations of 94.6ng/ml and 33.0ng/ml, respectively. Transduction with IGF‐I promoted cartilage production of proteoglycan and type II collagen, suggesting a beneficial role for healing injured cartilage. Transduction with IL‐1Ra decreased the synovial expression of IL‐1α and IL‐1β and matrix metalloproteinases, indicating a mechanism for prevention of matrix degradation. The beneficial effects of the combination of anabolic growth factors and catabolic blockers were evident in improved preservation of proteoglycan content of cartilage explants exposed to the depleting effects of IL‐1. These results show that gene therapy combining anabolic growth factors to stimulate matrix synthesis and catabolic blockers to prevent matrix degradation by IL‐1, protects and causes partial restoration of cartilage matrix, and suggest a potential benefit of combination gene therapy for cartilage healing. © 2004 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) follow migratory prey. Seasonal expansion of a clan territory in Etosha, Namibia
Authors: Trinkel Martina , Fleischmann Paul H. , Steindorfer Albert F. , Kastberger Gerald 
Published: September 2004

AbstractThe spatial organization of one clan of spotted hyenas Crocuta crocuta in the centre of the Etosha National Park, Namibia, is described during the dry and the wet seasons. The clan comprised 11 adults and sub‐adults and occupied a territory of 160 km2 in the dry season and 320 km2 in the wet season. The dry season territory contained a low density (one animal/km2) of resident herbivores, such as gemsbok Oryx gazella, kudu Tragelaphus strepsiceros, giraffe Giraffa camelopardis, steenbok Raphicerus campestris and ostrich Struthio camelus, and a higher density of migratory species (12 animals/km2), principally springbok Antidorcas marsupialis, zebra Equus burchelli and wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus. These migratory species were the main prey of clan members. At the start of the wet season, the migratory herbivores migrated to the north‐west, resulting in a considerable decline in the density of prey in the area used by clan members during the dry season. In response to this decline in prey, clan members followed the migratory herds and shifted the focus of their activities to an area grazed by migratory herbivores during the wet season. There existed a strong spatial relationship between the hyena density and the migratory prey density in both the dry and wet season. We postulate that the considerable enlargement of the clan territory in the wet season is a response to both the migratory movements of prey and an increase in the dispersion of prey during the wet season.
Patterns of reproductive effort in male ungulates
Authors: Mysterud Atle , Langvatn Rolf , Stenseth Nils Chr. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractIn ungulates, males and females have contrasting life histories, as usually only the females raise the young. How reproductive effort in males varies with individual level and population level characteristics has received little attention in the literature. Using published information on direct (weight loss during the rut) and indirect (rut‐related changes in activity budgets, fighting frequency, etc.) measures of reproductive effort, we tested whether effort in males increased with (H1) increasing age, (H2) increasing body size, (H3) decreasing population density, (H4) increasingly female‐biased sex ratio and with a younger male age structure. Consistent with H1, reproductive effort was consistently higher in prime‐aged than in younger males in a large number of studies. Among younger males, sub‐adult males had an equal or higher effort than yearling males. Prime‐aged males had more typical rutting behaviour (e.g. roaring, tending, fighting and chasing frequencies) and they often lowered their intake of forage during the rut. However, reproductive effort usually declined for very old age classes. Reproductive effort increased with size (H2) also after accounting for age. Data on effort vs (H3) density and (H4) sex ratio/male age structure were inconclusive. Clearly, far more studies relating effort to population characteristics are needed before the rutting ecology of male ungulates can be understood.
Heritable variation in testosterone levels in male garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis)
Authors: King R. B. , Cline J. H. , Hubbard C. J. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractCirculating testosterone levels were measured at 195, 318 and 437 days of age in 76 male garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) born to 26 wild‐caught females. Testosterone levels increased significantly with increasing mass at all three ages and differed significantly among families at 318 and 437 days.‘Full‐sib’ estimates of heritability were near one at 318 and 437 days but these estimates may be inflated by maternal effects, dominance and epistasis. Evidence of heritable variation in circulating testosterone levels suggests that the evolution of traits affected by this hormone (reproductive, territorial and agonistic behaviour; body size and shape) might be mediated through changes in this hormonal control mechanism.
A new species of bandicoot,Microperoryctes aplini, from western New Guinea
Authors: Helgen Kristofer M. , Flannery Timothy F. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractA distinctive new striped bandicoot of the genusMicroperoryctes (M. aplininew species) is described and compared withMicroperoryctes murina, another little‐known bandicoot with which the new species has been confused in the past. The smallest of all living bandicoots,M. apliniis apparently restricted to high‐elevation forests in the Arfak Mountains of the Vogelkop Peninsula of western New Guinea. The similarly smallM. murinais known only from high‐elevation forests on Gunung Sumuri, a peak in the Weyland Range of western New Guinea. The two species differ markedly in fur colour and ornamentation, pelage texture, external proportions, and quantitative and qualitative craniodental aspects, and may not be immediately related to one another.
The chronology and frequency of a stress marker (linear enamel hypoplasia) in recent and archaeological populations ofSus scrofain north‐west Europe, and the effects of early domestication
Authors: Dobney Keith , Ervynck Anton , Albarella Umberto , Rowley‐Conwy Peter 
Published: September 2004

AbstractLinear enamel hypoplasia (LEH), a deficiency in enamel formation visible on mammal tooth crowns, can be used as a retrospective indicator of physiological stress and developmental health in humans and animals. In this first study, for north‐western Europe, the condition has been recorded from prehistoric (mesolithic) and recent populations of wild boar, and from domestic pigs belonging to early farming (neolithic) communities. It was possible to show that LEH occurs in recent and ancient populations of wild boar from north‐west Europe, and that the occurrence of the condition can be explained by the same events within the animal's life (birth, weaning, winter starvation) as has been previously suggested for archaeological domestic pig samples. The frequency of LEH is consistently low within all ancient and recent populations of wild boar studied, a remarkable observation given the pronounced differences in the living conditions of these two diachronically well‐separated groups, mainly linked with the increasing human pressure on recent populations of wild animals. Early domestic samples generally show high LEH frequencies, although considerable variation exists between the samples. It is suggested that these high frequencies are, in general, the result of domestication, while the variation could be related to differences in early husbandry. The observation of LEH, therefore, provides a valuable tool for studying the history of animal domestication.
Survey of the gastrointestinal parasites of the primate community at Tambopata National Reserve, Peru
Authors: Phillips Kimberley A. , Haas Meghan E. , Grafton Brian W. , Yrivarren Mirtha 
Published: September 2004

AbstractThe main objective of this project was to provide baseline data on faecal parasites of groups of non‐human primates from Tambopata Research Center, Tambopata National Reserve, Peru. All primate species found in this area were sampled: red howler monkeys Alouatta seniculus, night monkeys Aotus vociferans, spider monkeys Ateles bezlebuth chamek, brown titi monkeys Callicebus brunneus, white‐fronted capuchins Cebus albifrons, brown capuchins Cebus apella, saddleback tamarins Saguinus fuscicollis and squirrel monkeys Saimiri sciureus. Individuals from four howler monkey troops, three brown titi monkey troops, two squirrel monkey troops and one troop each of night monkeys, spider monkeys, brown capuchins, white‐fronted capuchins and saddleback tamarins were sampled. Faecal samples were collected from July to October 2002 from 86 individuals. A concentration test was used to analyse faecal samples. Results indicate the presence of various protozoans, Ancyclostoma sp., Ascaris sp., Strongyloides stercoralis, Trichuris trichiura, Prosthenorchis elegans and Schistosoma mansoni.
Selective consumption by predators of different body regions of prey: is rate of energy intake important?
Authors: Chen Xiaolin , Dickman Chris R. , Thompson Michael B. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractIf the energy‐density of prey bodies is not uniform, predators usually should maximize their rate of energy intake while foraging by selectively consuming energy‐rich regions of their prey and discarding other parts. In this study, the hypothesis of selective body‐part consumption was tested using two species of dasyurid marsupials, Sminthopsis youngsoni and Ningaui ridei, and their invertebrate prey in arid central Australia. Energy‐densities were similar for several divergent types of prey, including whole insects, centipedes, and spiders (20.2 ± 2.19 (sd) J/mg ash‐free dry mass), but there were marked differences in energy‐density among orders of insects and also between different body regions of invertebrates. In captivity, the two dasyurid species consumed different body regions of prey in the same way. For beetles and cockroaches, the rank order for selection of body parts was abdomen, thorax, head, then legs; for centipedes it was body, then head + legs; and for spiders it was opisthosoma, prosoma and then legs. Selection of prey body regions by the marsupials correlated closely with the energy‐densities of these regions, and also with the rates of energy intake that they yielded. In the field, selection of body parts of arthropod prey by dasyurids probably occurs primarily when prey is abundant. This selection should allow maximization of rates of energy intake in favourable periods and should, in turn, allow dasyurid predators to effectively exploit pulses of prey resources in the temporally variable desert environment.
Digestive strategies in two sympatrically occurring lagomorphs
Authors: Kuijper D. P. J. , van Wieren S. E. , Bakker J. P. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractSeparation of low digestible fibres and fermentation of the digestible part of the food in the caecum is an adaptation of some small herbivores to cope with low‐quality forage. The caecum content is later re‐ingested as soft faeces so that the herbivore can benefit from this protein‐rich material. This is known as caecotrophy and is a common phenomenon in species of leporids, although differences exist between hares and rabbits. Hares have amorphous soft faeces and the amount of soft faeces produced is smaller compared to that of rabbits. Both factors suggest that hares have smaller benefits from re‐ingestion of the caecal contents compared with rabbits and, as a consequence, have a less efficient digestion (mainly of nitrogen) compared to rabbits. The assertion was tested whether digestive efficiency is different between the two herbivores and how this affects the choice of food plants in a natural situation. A feeding trial was conducted using hares and rabbits fed with diets with a range of fibre contents. Dry matter digestibility was not different, but nitrogen digestibility was lower in hares than in rabbits, indicating a less efficient digestion of protein. Both taxa showed a different response to increased fibre content in the diet. Rabbits maximized digestibility by increasing retention time of the food, hares maximized digestion rate by increasing the passage rate of the food through the digestive tract. The daily digestible nitrogen intake was higher in hares Lepus europaeus than that in rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus, indicating that hares compensated for their lower nitrogen digestibility. Hares were predicted to select for higher quality plant species in a natural situation, but they had, on average, a lower nitrogen and higher total fibre content in their diet compared to sympatrically occurring rabbits. This indicated that hares did not compensate for their lower digestive efficiency by selecting higher quality food plants. The present experiment shows that hares and rabbits have different digestive strategies to cope with low quality forage. Rabbits had a higher N‐digestibility by increasing the retention time, whereas hares appeared to compensate for their lower N‐digestibility by increasing the processing rate, when food quality deteriorated.
Characterization of a calmodulin-regulated Ca2+-dependent-protein-kinase-related protein kinase, AtCRK1, from Arabidopsis
Authors: WANG Ying , LIANG Shuping , XIE Qi-Guang , LU Ying-Tang 
Published: September 2004

An AtCRK1 [Arabidopsis thaliana CDPK (Ca2+-dependent protein kinase)-related protein kinase 1] has been characterized molecularly and biochemically. AtCRK1 contains the kinase catalytic domain and a CaM (calmodulin)-binding site. Our results demonstrated that AtCRK1 could bind CaM in a Ca2+-dependent manner. This kinase phosphorylated itself and substrates such as histone IIIS and syntide-2 in a Ca2+-independent manner and the activity was stimulated by several CaM isoforms through its CaM-binding domain. This domain was localized within a stretch of 39 amino acid residues at positions from 403 to 441 with Kd=67 nM for CaM binding. However, the stimulation amplification of the kinase activity of AtCRK1 by different CaM isoforms was similar.