bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Reproductive biology and embryonic development of Centroscymnus coelolepis in Portuguese mainland waters
Authors: Veríssimo Ana , Gordo Leonel , Figueiredo Ivone 
Published: October 2003

Abstract
A total of 871 females (76–122 cm) and 86 males (68–100 cm) of Centroscymnus coelolepis caught in Portuguese mainland waters were examined for reproductive characteristics. One hermaphroditic individual of 95 cm was found. Males were few in numbers and dominated by immature specimens. Female length at first sexual maturity was 98.5 cm. Mean ovarian and uterine fecundity were 13.2 oocytes per female and 9.9 embryos per pregnant female, respectively. Total length of embryos with completely absorbed external yolk sacs ranged between 233 and 300 mm. Sex ratio (F/M) of embryos with completely absorbed external yolk sac was 0.9. All stages of reproduction were found during the 12-month sampling period. Results were compared with those from other regions. A hypothesis is formulated on the existence of several regional populations based on morphometric and reproductive parameters observed in different areas.
Sustained exponential population growth of grey seals at Sable Island, Nova Scotia
Authors: Bowen W.D , McMillan J , Mohn R 
Published: October 2003

Abstract
Grey seal pup production on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, has been monitored since the early 1960s. We estimated pup production on Sable Island in 1997 using aerial photography with a correction for detection of pups on the imagery and a statistical model to account for the proportion of pups not born at the time of the survey. A total of 20 863 pups were counted on the colour positives. When corrected for the proportion of pups seen on the imagery (0.96) and the proportion of pups born before the survey (east colony 0.94, west colony 0.66), estimated total pup production was 25 400 with approximate 95% confidence limits of 23 500 and 26 900. The 1997 estimate indicates that pup production in this population, now the largest grey seal colony in the world, has been increasing exponentially at an annual rate of 12.8% for four decades in the face of considerable environmental variability.
A review of long‐distance movements by marine turtles, and the possible role of ocean currents
Authors: Luschi Paolo , Hays Graeme C. , Papi Floriano 
Published: October 2003

Sea turtle movements often occur in open‐sea unsheltered areas, and are therefore likely to be influenced by major oceanographic processes. Only recently has work started to examine the possible relationships of these movements with dynamic oceanic features, and consequently a clear picture of such interaction is only available in a few cases.Newborn sea turtles are thought to rely on oceanic currents to reach their pelagic nursery habitats. The actual extent and timing of these developmental migrations are known for only a few populations, but these movements probably last several years and range over thousands of km. Large juveniles that have been tracked during their pelagic stage were found to make long‐distance movements, sometimes swimming against the prevailing currents. Older juveniles of most species leave the pelagic habitat to recruit to neritic developmental habitats. This is a very poorly documented phase of the sea turtle life‐cycle, and the few available indications show that turtles may have to swim actively for enormous distances to counterbalance their previous drift with the current.The course and extent of adult postnesting migrations vary greatly among different turtle species, but two main patterns are evident. Some species, like green, hawksbill and loggerhead turtles, shuttle between the nesting beach and a specific feeding area used for the entire inter‐reproductive period. In these cases, individuals swim, rather than drift, to complete their journeys, with possible advection due to currents sometimes helping them to quickly reach their target, but sometimes providing navigational challenges.Other species such as the olive ridley and the leatherback turtle, leave the coastal nesting areas to reach the pelagic environment where they forage, and perform wandering movements. Major oceanographic processes (such as main currents and eddies) have been recently shown to have a remarkable influence on leatherback movements, making it questionable whether these journeys are to be considered migrations or, rather, prolonged stays in vast feeding areas.
Burning the engine: a time‐marching computation of fat and protein consumption in a 5420‐km non‐stop flight by great knots, Calidris tenuirostris
Authors: Pennycuick C. J. , Battley Philip F. 
Published: October 2003

Samples of great knots (Calidris tenuirostris) were collected in an earlier project, before and after a 5420‐km migration stage from Australia to China (believed to be flown non‐stop) to determine the mass of fat consumed, and also the mass of protein withdrawn from the flight muscles and other organs. The flight was simulated by a “time‐marching” computation, which calculated the fuel energy required, and allowed different hypotheses to be tried for the consumption of protein. The simulation predicted that the great knots would take about 4 days to cover the distance, in agreement with field estimates. Realistic predictions of the consumption of fat and protein were obtained by setting the conversion efficiency to 0.23 and the body drag coefficient to 0.10, withdrawing sufficient protein from the flight muscles to keep the specific work in the myofibrils constant throughout the flight, and taking enough additional protein from other tissues to bring the energy derived from oxidising protein to 5% of the total energy consumed.The same computation was applied to published data on the pre‐migration body composition of bar‐tailed godwits (Limosa lapponica), which are said to migrate over 10 000 km from Alaska to New Zealand. The computed range for a sample killed by collision with an obstruction, while actually departing from Alaska, was sufficient to reach the South Pole. A second sample, shot before departure from New Zealand, would have run out of fat before reaching Alaska, but could easily have reached northern Australia, where these godwits stage on their northbound migration. The higher range estimate for the Alaskan birds was not due to higher fat mass (only 5% difference) but to a higher fat fraction, which they had achieved by reducing the mass of other organs before departure.Some recent observations of high chemical power, observed in wind tunnel experiments, have been interpreted as being due to much lower conversion efficiency than the value of 0.23 assumed here, but this interpretation is flawed. Measurements of mechanical power from another wind tunnel project were also unexpectedly high, suggesting that unsteady flight by wind tunnel birds increases their power requirements, both mechanical and chemical, with no implications for efficiency. The calculated power is for “steady horizontal flight”, meaning that a valid test of predicted power requires birds to be trained to hold a constant position in the test section, while maintaining a steady wingbeat frequency and amplitude. This has not been achieved in recent experiments, and is hard to achieve when using physiological methods, because of the long periods of continuous flight needed. Measurements of mechanical rather than chemical power require shorter flight times, and offer better prospects for reliable power measurements.
Influence of the Murine Oestrous Cycle on the Induction of Mucosal Immunity
Authors: Gockel Christine M. , Bao Shisan , Holland Michael K. , Beagley Kenneth W. 
Published: October 2003

Problem: To determine if the stage of oestrous cycle, at the time of immunization, affects the magnitude of mucosal and systemic immunity.Method of study: Female BALB/c mice were immunized with tetanus toxoid and cholera toxin by the oral, intranasal and transcutaneous routes. Groups of mice were immunized at proestrus, oestrus, postestrus and diestrus. Antibodies in serum and mucosal secretions were determined by ELISA and T cell responses by lymphocyte proliferation assay.Results: Oral immunization at the oestradiol dominant stage of cycle (oestrus and proestrus) significantly enhanced TT‐specific IgG and IgA levels in female reproductive tract (FRT) secretions and TT‐specific IgA levels in faecal extracts. Transcutaneous immunization at diestrus enhanced TT‐specific IgG in faecal extracts. TT‐specific T cell proliferation is greatest following intranasal immunization at proestrus and transcutaneous immunization at diestrus, particularly in the caudal and lumbar lymph nodes draining the FRT and colon.Conclusions: Reproductive cycle‐associated changes in the endogenous sex hormones oestradiol and progesterone influence the levels of vaccine‐induced immunity in the FRT and distal colon following oral and transcutaneous immunization.
Actions of Tumor Necrosis Factor‐α on Oocyte Maturation and Embryonic Development in Cattle1
Authors: Soto P. , Natzke R. P. , Hansen P. J. 
Published: October 2003

Problem:  Infertility can accompany mastitis in cattle. Involvement of tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) in this phenomenon is suggested by observations that circulating concentrations of TNF‐α are elevated after intramammary infection or infusion of endotoxin. It was hypothesized that (1) TNF‐α acts on the oocyte during maturation to decrease the percent of oocytes that cleave and develop following fertilization; (2) exposure of embryos to TNF‐α after fertilization reduces development to the blastocyst stage; and (3) TNF‐α increases the proportion of blastomeres that undergo apoptosis in a stage‐of‐development dependent manner.Method of study:  In one experiment, oocytes were matured with various concentrations of TNF‐α and then fertilized and cultured without TNF‐α. In another study, embryos were cultured with TNF‐α for 8 days beginning after fertilization. Finally, embryos were collected at the two or four‐cell stage (at 28–30 hr after insemination) or when ≥9‐cells (at day 4 after insemination) and cultured ± TNF‐α for 24 hr. The proportion of blastomeres undergoing apoptosis was then determined by the TUNEL procedure.Results:  Addition of TNF‐α to maturation medium did not affect the proportion of oocytes that cleaved. However, the percent of oocytes that developed to the blastocyst stage at day 8 after insemination was reduced (P = 0.05) at all TNF‐α concentrations tested (0.1–100 ng/mL). When added during embryo culture, there was no significant effect of TNF‐α on the proportion of oocytes that became blastocysts. In addition, TNF‐α did not induce apoptosis in two and four‐cell embryos. For embryos ≥9‐cells, however, 10 and 100 ng/mL TNF‐α increased (P < 0.05) the percent of blastomeres labeling as TUNEL‐positive.Conclusion:  TNF‐α can have deleterious actions on oocyte maturation that compromise development of the resultant embryo. While exposure of fertilized embryos to TNF‐α did not inhibit development to the blastocyst stage, TNF‐α increased the percentage of blastomeres undergoing apoptosis when exposure occurred for embryos ≥9‐cells. Increased blastomere apoptosis could conceivably compromise subsequent embryo survival.
COX‐2 expression in striated muscle under physiological conditions
Authors: Sudbø J , Reith A , Flørenes VA , Nesland JM , Ristimäki A , Bryne M 
Published: October 2003

Objectives: The role of cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) in disease has been extensively studied, (Annu Rev Med (2002) 53:35; N Engl J Med (2001) 345:433) but less information is available with respect to possible physiological functions of COX‐2. Information on how and where COX‐2 is expressed under physiological conditions may increase our understanding of its physiological role. Previous studies have revealed a COX‐2 dependent production of prostanoids under physiological conditions, without entirely determining the source of this production.Materials and methods: To assess COX‐2 expression under normal conditions, we analyzed tissue specimens that were removed from 30 healthy study subjects in conjunction with surgical procedure related to insertion of dental implants and from three patients which had muscle tissue from Quadriceps femoris muscle removed as part of surgical treatment of soft tissue sarcomas not directly affecting the muscle tissue. Immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting (Western blotting) was used to assess the presence of COX‐2 protein.Results: In 25 of 30 patients (83%), COX‐2 protein was expressed in striated muscle, as assessed by immunohistochemistry. All cases had COX‐2 expression verified by Western blotting. In none of the 25 subjects with COX‐2 expression did we notice concomitant inflammation of the adjacent submucosal tissue.Conclusions: It is a novel finding that COX‐2 is expressed in striated muscle under physiological conditions. COX‐2 activity in striated muscle is a possible explanation for the hitherto unknown localization of prostanoids synthesis under physiological conditions.
Prevalence of oral leukoplakia and lichen planus in 1167 Iranian textile workers
Authors: Jahanbani J 
Published: October 2003

Objective:  To evaluate the prevalence of oral precancerous lesions in textile workers.Materials and methods:  A cross‐sectional study was undertaken to assess a total of 1167 textile factory workers randomly selected from a total of 6947. An overall 97 women and 1070 men aged 18–69 years (mean=31.8 years) were studied. Regular smoking during the past 6 months was considered as the smoker group. Leukoplakia lesions were classified in accordance to Axell criteria [Axell T, Pindborg JJ, Smith CJ and Van‐der‐waal I (1996). J Oral Pathol Med25: 49].Results:  The results showed that 115 workers (9.9%) had red and white lesions. Among these 43 positive detections (3.7%) had leukoplakia and six cases (0.5%) had lichen planus. The smoking habits of the workers were limited to cigarette smoking. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between tobacco smoking and oral leukoplakia (P < 0.001).Conclusion:  There was a statistically significant positive correlation between tobacco smoking and leukoplakia in this relatively young cohort with generally mild tobacco use. The prevalence of leukoplakia had an inverse relationship with the level of education.
Clinical and pathological features of the murine AT‐84 orthotopic model of oral cancer
Authors: Lou E , Kellman RM , Hutchison R , Shillitoe EJ 
Published: October 2003

Objective:  The murine AT‐84 orthotopic model of oral cancer was assessed to find how similar it is to human oral cancer. This was done because testing of new treatments for oral cancer requires the use of a realistic animal model.Materials and methods:  Tumors were induced at orthotopic (oral) or heterotopic (flank) sites and their features were compared. The therapeutic effects of surgery, 5‐fluorouracil and cisplatin were measured on the orthotopic tumors.Results:  Tumors had the histological appearance of a sarcomatoid carcinoma, invading locally and causing weight loss and death. The oral tumors metastasized to the lungs frequently. Tumors could be treated with some success by surgery or chemotherapy, but generally recurred.Conclusions:  The similarities to human oral cancer suggest that the model will be very useful in the evaluation of experimental therapies for oral cancer.
Primate Rituals: The Function of Greetings between Male Guinea Baboons
Authors: Whitham Jessica C. , Maestripieri Dario 
Published: October 2003

AbstractThe bond‐testing hypothesis suggests that social animals can obtain honest information about the quality of their dyadic relationships by exchanging costly, high‐risk signals (Zahavi & Zahavi 1997). We evaluated this hypothesis by investigating whether adult male baboons use intense greeting interactions to test the quality and strength of their social bonds. Intense greetings involve intimate and risky behaviors such as embracing and the diddling of the penis and/or scrotum. Data were collected on a colony of 40 Guinea baboons (Papio papio) at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. Fifteen adult male baboons were focally observed for 30‐min sessions over a 6‐mo period, resulting in 195 h of observation. We assessed the quality of male–male relationships using measures of affiliation, aggression, and social tolerance. As predicted by the bond‐testing hypothesis, dyads with strong social bonds exchanged a higher frequency of intense greetings than did pairs with poor relationships. We found no support for the competing hypotheses, that suggest that greetings have an aggressive or submissive function or are used as a form of post‐conflict reconciliatory behavior. Neither dominance relationships nor contextual variables were predictive of intense greeting patterns. We suggest that by imposing on his partner, a male baboon is able to obtain reliable information about this individual's current willingness to cooperate and invest in the relationship.
Successful Application of Video‐Projected Human Images for Signalling to Dogs
Authors: Pongrácz Péter , Miklósi Ádám , Dóka Antal , Csányi Vilmos 
Published: October 2003

AbstractDogs were tested (1) in a two‐way choice experiment, where the experimenter indicated a baited bowl by pointing; and (2) in a task where the owner was asked to command the dog to execute simple obedience tasks. In expt 1 dogs (n = 10) were tested at first in the presence of the experimenter (three dimensional condition, 3D), that was followed by a series of pointing trials when the life‐sized image of the experimenter was projected onto the wall by the means of a video‐projector (two dimensional condition, 2D). Dogs performed correctly more often than expected by chance in both 3D and 2D conditions. In expt 2 the commanding owner was either present in the room (3D), or her/his image was projected on the screen (2D), or only her/his voice was audible for the dog through a speaker (0D). The performance of the dogs (n = 10) decreased to great extent comparing the 3D and 0D condition, as the number of different actions the dogs obeyed was significantly less in the 0D condition. However, there was no difference in the number of different actions obeyed in the 3D and 2D conditions. Our results show that dogs readily obey life‐sized, interactive moving image in various communicative situtations. We suppose that the difference between 2D and 3D conditions can be attributed partially to the lack of some additional communicative signals as sounds (verbal cues) and odours (from the human), and to some changes in the context.
Orientation by magnetic field in leaf‐cutter ants, Atta colombica (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Authors: Banks Alexander N. , Srygley Robert B. 
Published: October 2003

AbstractLeaf‐cutter ants (Atta colombica) use trail following to travel between foraging sites and the home nest. However, this combination of pheromone and visual cues is likely to be complemented by a directional reference system such as a compass, used not only when foraging but also during colony formation, where foraging trails degrade or where ants become displaced. One candidate system is the magnetic polarity compass. We tested the orientation of leaf‐cutter ants under a magnetic field of reversed‐polarity, with the prediction that the ants would show 180° deflection compared with control ants in an unchanged geomagnetic field. When the sun's disc was unobstructed by clouds, orientation was the same as that of control ants, implying that magnetic cues were not used to orient. However, when the sky was overcast, ants in the experimental treatment significantly shifted their mean orientation both in comparison with controls and reversed‐polarity ants under the sun. Although a total reversal in orientation was not induced, the results demonstrate that Atta respond to magnetic reversal in the absence of sunlight cues, and suggest a role for magnetic cues in determining direction during orientation.
Changes in Candida albicans colonization and morphology under influence of voriconazole
Authors: Bernhardt Hannelore , Knoke M. , Bernhardt J. 
Published: October 2003

SummaryThe aim was the investigation of fungal colonization and morphological alterations under the influence of voriconazole in an in vitro system. Voriconazole stopped growth and colonization of Candida albicans (wild type SC5314) on cover slips in microtiter plates dependent on drug concentration, the time of Candida growth before the input of voriconazole and oxygen concentration. The direct microscopy by fluorescence staining with the optical brightener Blancophor® showed short bizarrely deformed mycelia looking swollen. The colonization on cover glass was diminished. Microcolonies or starting of biofilm formation as in the control was not observed. The metabolic activity was demonstrated by vital staining with FUN® 1 resulting in red fluorescent structures in the yeast forms and mycelia in the controls. Under voriconazole influence the remaining cells only showed a green or pale yellow fluorescence. Most of the cells lost their metabolic activity.
Guideline vulvovaginal candidosis: Guideline of the German Dermatological Society, the German Speaking Mycological Society and the Working Group for Infections and Infectimmunology of the German Society for Gynecology and Obstetrics
Authors: Mendling W. , Seebacher C. 
Published: October 2003

SummaryThe Guideline vulvovaginal candidosis, as passed by three German medical societies, is presented.
A novel technique to evaluate the adhesion of Candida species to gingival epithelial cells
Authors: Nikawa H. , Egusa H. , Makihira S. , Nishimura M. , Ishida K. , Furukawa M. , Hamada T. 
Published: October 2003

SummaryWe developed an in vitro ATP assay technique to extract cellular and fungal ATP separately, which allowed to evaluate quantitatively the adhesion of the yeasts to monolayers of human gingival epithelial cells. Thirteen isolates of Candida spp. representing three species (i.e. Candida albicans, C. tropicalis and C. glabrata) were used in the present study. When the adherent capacity of the Candida species was compared, C. albicans exhibited highest capacity of adherence to gingival epithelial cells, followed by C. tropicalis, and C. glabrata was the lowest [analysis of variance (anova), P < 0.01]. The germ tubes of C. albicans exhibited significantly higher adherence capacity than their blastoconidia cells (anova, P < 0.01), which was not observed with a C. albicans isolate, defect of germ tube formation. Our results suggested that the adherence of C. albicans is promoted by germ tube formation and may play an important role in the pathogenesis of the fungus.
Tinea capitis due to Microsporum audouinii in Malta
Authors: Vella Zahra L. , Vella Briffa D. 
Published: October 2003

SummaryWe describe a case of tinea capitis in a 4‐year‐old boy caused by Microsporum audouinii var. langeronii. This is the first recorded case of tinea capitis due to this dermatophyte in the Maltese Islands.
Decreased monocytic phagosomal acidification among chronic paracoccidioidomycosis patients
Authors: Teresa Guereño M. , Rosario Silaf M. , Javier Bava A. , Negroni Ricardo , Diez Roberto A. 
Published: October 2003

SummaryTo determine the ability of monocyte phagosomal acidification in chronic paracoccidioidomycosis, 13 patients were recruited at different times during follow‐up and compared with 18 normal controls. Eight patients were studied at diagnosis, six of them also during treatment and five additional patients after ending treatment. Phagosomal acidification of monocytes, triggered by challenge with opsonized zymosan, was evaluated with acridine orange and expressed as percentage of orange‐stained intracellular particles, as mean ± SE. In comparison with controls, acidification was severely impaired before treatment (33 ± 11% vs. 67 ± 6%) and reached values similar to controls during treatment (73 ± 6%, n = 6). In addition, phagosomal acidification of the patients studied after treatment (63 ± 4%) had no difference when compared with controls. This study demonstrates that phagosomal acidification is perturbed among chronic paracoccidioidomycosis patients and reverses with antifungal treatment.