bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A quantitative analysis of cellular prion protein (PrPc) expression in Alzheimer's disease (AD), diffuse Lewy body disease (DLBD) and in normal brain
Authors: Pontikis C. , Hudson L. , Lantos P. L. , Rezaie P. 
Published: March 2003

Introduction:  Cellular prion protein (PrPc) is a normal glycosyl phosphatidylinositol‐anchored protein expressed on a wide variety of cell types. Within the CNS, low levels of PrPc are particularly associated with neurons in normal healthy individuals. In contrast, a more pronounced expression of this protein may occur in certain neurodegenerative disorders (Esiri et al. Neuropath Appl Neurobiol 2000; 26: 273; Voigtlander et al. Acta Neuropathol 2001; 101: 417). Overexpression of PrPc has itself been reported to demonstrate neuropathology in transgenic mice (Westaway et al. Cell 1994; 76: 117). The present study investigated whether prion protein is up‐regulated in two well‐characterized neurodegenerative disorders: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and diffuse Lewy body disease (DLBD).Material and methods:  Frozen material (frontal and occipital cortex) from cases with AD (n = 10), DLBD (n = 10) and neuropathologically normal brain (n = 10) were obtained from the MRC Brain Bank (Institute of Psychiatry, London), serially sectioned at 15–20 µm and immunoreacted in entire batches with four antisera to detect PrPc (3f4, sp40, 12f10 and F89/160.1.5) using the DAKO ABC method and DAB as chromogen. Sections from a case with Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease served as positive controls. Negative controls included preincubating test sections with proteinase K/guanidinium thiocyanate/formic acid, omitting primary antibody or incubation with nonspecific IgG. Immunoreactivity within selected brain regions was analysed using OPTIMAS image analysis software (OPTIMAS Corp., USA) on duplicate sections, and data processed as percentage immunoreactivity per defined field, based on a constant threshold (von Eitzen et al. JNEN 1998; 57: 246). The distribution of PrPc was further tested for correlation with glial reactivity (GFAP, PGM‐1).Results:  PrPc expression was mainly localized to the grey matter and was higher in occipital than frontal cortex. PrPc did not colocalize with glial reactivity. Instead, expression within the grey matter appeared to associate with neurons. Expression did not vary significantly between DLBD and controls. However, regional variations in PrPc expression were noted in AD. Epitope specificity of antibodies was also important in detecting PrPc, and may relate to selective regional glycosylation patterns of this protein.Conclusion:  This study indicates that changes in expression of PrPc occur in certain neurodegenerative disorders such as AD. Whether this is secondary to the disease or contributes towards pathology remains to be investigated.
Impact of wildfires on the megafauna of Emas National Park, central Brazil
Authors: Silveira Leandro , Henrique Flávio , Rodrigues G. , de Almeida Jácomo Anah Tereza , Filho José Alexandre F. Diniz 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThis study evaluates the impact of two wildfires, in 1994 and 1995, on the large mammal fauna of Emas National Park, central Brazil. The 1994 fire burned 100 per cent of the park's grassland and after the fire, in a c. 2000-ha survey area, the authors found 16 giant anteaters Myrmecophaga tridactyla, two giant armadillos Priodontes maximus and one tapir Tapirus terrestris that had died in the fire. The 1995 fire burned 15 per cent of the park's grassland and no dead animals were found in a 220-ha survey area. The authors discuss the possible long-term ecological consequences of wildfires on the large mammal fauna of Emas, with a special focus on the giant anteater population, which is particularly susceptible to fires. They recommend a fire management programme, which would include controlled burns on a rotational basis in different sections of the park. The programme would also improve the availability of food for herbivores and control the spread of alien grass species.
Trade in Asian elephant ivory in Sri Lanka
Authors: Santiapillai Charles , Silva Ajith , Karyawasam Champika , Esufali Shameema , Jayaniththi Salila , Basnayake Mano , Unantenne Vasantha , Wijeyamohan S. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractElephantsElephas maximushave declined in range and number in the wild in Sri Lanka, fromc. 12,000 at the turn of the nineteenth century toc. 4000 today. While in the distant past the decline in elephant numbers was due largely to indiscriminate killing by sportsmen and trophy hunters, today elephants are being killed primarily because they interfere with agriculture. Human-elephant conflicts have increased substantially in the recent past and ivory poaching has become a byproduct of such conflicts. Elephant tusks have been used traditionally in the ivory-carving industry in Sri Lanka since the time of the ancient kings. Until the turn of the century, very little ivory was imported from Africa because there was a plentiful supply of tuskers locally available. Sri Lankan ivory carvers started to use African ivory in 1910. Today ivory and fake-ivory products are sold openly to tourists in some 86 shops in the island. Before the listing of the African elephant in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the value of raw ivory in Sri Lanka used to be $US228–285 per kg. After the listing, the price fell to $US72 per kg, reflecting a drastic drop in the demand for ivory from tourists. Many ivory carvers have switched to other jobs or are using substitutes (such as bone and horn) to produce fake-ivory carvings. Only about 7.5 per cent of bulls in Sri Lanka are tuskers and they are under poaching pressure outside protected areas. Given the rarity of tuskers in Sri Lanka, promotion of trade in ivory products, even locally, may pose a serious threat to their long-term survival in the wild.
Arabian oryx reintroduction in Oman: successes and setbacks
Authors: Spalton J. A. , Lawerence M. W. , Brend S. A. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe return of the Arabian oryxOryx leucoryxto Oman symbolized the success of a new approach to species conservation and established reintroduction as a conservation tool. Ten years after the species had been exterminated in the wild by poaching, the first 10 founder oryx, descendants of the ′World Herd′, were reintroduced to the desert in central Oman in January 1982. A second release followed in 1984 and the population grew slowly through a 3-year drought that was broken by rain in June 1986. Further years of good rainfall and more founders meant that by April 1990 there were over 100 oryx in the wild, independent of supplementary feed and water, and using a range of over 11,000 sq km. At that time a new monitoring programme was implemented that allowed the transition from individual- to population-based monitoring and management. The population continued to grow and by October 1995 numbered approximately 280 in the wild (of which 22 were surviving founders) and used over 16,000 sq km of the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary. However, in February 1996 poaching resumed and oryx were captured for sale as live animals outside the country. Despite the poaching the population continued to increase and by October 1996 was estimated to be just over 400. However, poaching intensified and continued through late 1996 and 1997. By September 1998 it had reduced the wild population to an estimated 138 animals, of which just 28 were females. The wild population was no longer considered viable and action was taken to rescue some of the remaining animals from the wild to form a captive herd.
Preliminary notes on the conservation status of Baird's tapir Tapirus bairdii in north-eastern Honduras
Authors: Flesher Kevin 
Published: March 2003

AbstractBetween April and August 1994, three steps were taken to assess the status of Baird's tapir Tapirus bairdii in north-eastern Honduras: (i) forest cover was mapped to estimate the amount of habitat available; (ii) interviews with local people were conducted to determine where the species occurs; and (iii) searches were made for tapir signs in several mountain ranges to corroborate interview information. Local reports and searches indicated that the species occurred in forests throughout the area. Using density estimates of 0.05–0.24 tapirs per sq km, there may be 520–2760 tapirs in the 10,400–11,500 sq km of contiguous rain forest that remains in north-eastern Honduras—a population large enough to have a good chance of long-term persistence. The main threat to the population is human colonization, which is destroying the forest along the rivers and major streams. This is fragmenting the tapii population into isolated units, which will be increasingly subject to the stochastic events that drive small populations to extinction. Hunting, which along with habitat destruction, is a major contributor to the rapid decline of tapir populations in areas of human colonization, does not appear to pose an immediate threat in the study area. However, population trend data are lacking and the impact of hunting on tapirs remains unassessed.
Rare plants on Mount Oku summit, Cameroon
Authors: Maisels Fiona G. , Cheek Martin , Wild Chris 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe forests of the Kilum-Ijim area, around Mount Oku in West Cameroon, are the largest remaining patch of montane forest in West Africa, and the highest in altitude. This important habitat harbours endemic species of both animals and plants but is surrounded by a high density of human settlements: c. 300,000 people live within a day's walk of the forest, which covers only 200 sq km. BirdLife International and the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry, Government of Cameroon, are currently operating the Kilum-Ijim Forest Project, with the overall goal of conserving representative areas of the Cameroon montane forest biome in the long-term. The purpose of the project is toensure that the biodiversity, extent and ecological processes of the Kilum-Ijim Forest are maintained and that the forest is used sustainably by the local communities. The existence of a small Sphagnum community and associated wetland plant species was discovered in 1997 on the summit of Mount Oku, at 2900 m. This site is of extremely high conservation importance because several plant species endemic to the Kilum-Ijim area have been recorded there. In addition, it is the highest Sphagnum bog and the source of the highest stream in West Africa.
Crop-raiding elephants and conservation implications at Way Kambas National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia
Authors: Nyhus Philip J. , Tilson Ronald , Sumianto  
Published: March 2003

AbstractCrop raiding by wild elephants is one of the most significant sources of park–people conflict in Sumatra, Indonesia. The distribution, impact and conservation implications of elephant crop-raiding in 13 villages that border Way Kambas National Park in southern Sumatra were studied for 18 months. The data are based on rapid village and field assessments, data logs maintained by village observers and a quantitative household survey. Elephants raided crops year-round at a mean rate of 0.53 elephants per day for the entire study area. The frequency of crop raiding was related to vegetation type along the park border, the size and presence of rivers, and the distance to the park's Elephant Training Center (ETC), which houses about 150 captive elephants. Wild elephants damaged at least 450,000 sq m of corn, rice, cassava, beans and other annual crops, and close to 900 coconut, banana and other perennial trees in the area surveyed. Elephants killed or injured 24 people over a 12-year period in villages near the park. Villagers try to reduce elephant damage by guarding fields, digging trenches between the park and their fields, and modifying their cropping patterns. Elephant–human conflict decreases the probability of support from local people for conservation efforts. We suggest methods to improve the effectiveness of existing elephant trenches, the need to consider electric fences, external support to affected villages, and compensation to villagers for any damage caused.
Importance of Furugelm Island in the Sea of Japan for wetland birds: the first record of a breeding colony of the Chinese egret Egretta eulophotes
Authors: Litvinenko Natalia M. , Shibaev Yuriy V. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractA new breeding site of the globally threatened Chinese egret Egretta eulophotes was recorded on Furugelm Island in the summer of 1998. The discovery of this colony moves the breeding limit of the species more than 600 km further to the north-east in the Sea of Japan. Thirty to forty pairs of Chinese egrets were discovered on the island, which is also home to thousands of colonial seabirds as well. The egret's colony is within the Far-Eastern Marine Reserve but some of its main foraging sites lie outside the protected area and are disturbed by both tourists and hunters. More worryingly, however, the main threat to the Chinese egret's survival is a new economic development project: the Tumen River Area Development Program. We make an urgent plea for the protection of the Chinese egrets' foraging areas within the Far-Eastern Marine Reserve and recommend that a transfrontier reserve be created to enhance the protection of this important waterbird site.
Contemporary extinctions and population declines of the monarchs (Pomareaspp.) in French Polynesia, South Pacific
Authors: Thibault Jean-Claude , Meyer Jean-Yves 
Published: March 2003

AbstractFour species of monarchs (Pomarea spp.) presently inhabit French Polynesia, one on Tahiti and three on the Marquesas Islands. Although all species populations were abundant during the nineteenth century or at the beginning of the twentieth century, their range and population numbers have recently decreased dramatically: intensive field surveys conducted between 1998 and 2000 reveal that four subspecies are now extinct from five islands in the Marquesas in the last decades. Introduction of the black rat is the major cause of extinction and decline, now amplified by new threats such as aggressive introduced birds and invasive alien plants reducing suitable habitats for breeding.
Identifing priority ecoregions for rodent conservation at the genus level
Authors: Amori Giovanni , Gippoliti Spartaco 
Published: March 2003

AbstractRodents account for 40 per cent of living mammal species. Nevertheless, despite an increased interest in biodiversity conservation and their high species richness, Rodentia are often neglected by conservationists. We attempt for the first time a world-wide evaluation of rodent conservation priorities at the genus level. Given the low popularity of the order, we considered it desirable to discuss identified priorities within the framework of established biodiversity priority areas of the world. Two families and 62 genera are recognized as threatened. Our analyses highlight the Philippines, New Guinea, Sulawesi, the Caribbean, China temperate forests and the Atlantic Forest of south-eastern Brazil as the most important (for their high number of genera) ‘threat-spots’ for rodent conservation. A few regions, mainly drylands, are singled out as important areas for rodent conservation but are not generally recognized in global biodiversity assessments. These are the remaining forests of Togo, extreme ‘western Sahel’, the Turanian and Mongolian-Manchurian steppes and the desert of the Horn of Africa. Resources for conservation must be allocated first to recognized threat spots and to those restricted-range genera which may depend on species-specific strategies for their survival.
Population status of the Alaotran gentle lemur Hapalemur griseus alaotrensis
Authors: Mutschler Thomas , Randrianarisoa A. Jeannicq , Feistner Anna T. C. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe results of a field census of Alaotran gentle lemurs Hapalemur griseus alaotrensis carried out in February and March 1999 are reported. The results are compared with a census carried out 5 years earlier in 1994. Both censuses followed the same methods and were carried out by the same team, using direct observation from canoe. Mean group encounter rates for the lemur were assessed in each location, which allowed us to calculate the relative group density in each site. Qualitative information on habitat condition (on the basis of plant diversity, vegetation height and evidence of burning) was gathered at each site. Additional information, mainly on lemur hunting, was acquired through interviews with local people. In most sites group encounter rate was at least 50 per cent lower than 5 years before. Taking into account unusually low water levels because of a drought at Lac Alaotra in 1999, we estimate that these encounter rates reflect a 30 per cent decline in the total population size over the last 5 years. The main cause of this dramatic decrease was humaninduced fire (habitat degradation) coupled with heavy hunting (poaching of lemurs for food). The importance of assessing regularly both population status and threats, and of adjusting conservation actions accordingly is emphasized.
The conservation status of Tanimbar corella and blue-streaked lory on the Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia: results of a rapid contextual survey
Authors: Jepson Paul , Brickle Nick , Chayadin Yusup 
Published: March 2003

AbstractTwo parrot species, Tanimbar corellaCacatua goffiniand blue-streaked loryEos reticulata, endemic to the Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia, were regularly trapped and sold into the international wild bird trade prior to 1992. Following concerns about numbers entering the trade, but with little knowledge of the remaining wild population or socio-economic role of bird trapping on the islands, international trade in both species was suspended at the 1992 CITES meeting. This paper reports on a rapid survey conducted on the islands in 1993 as a follow-up to the decision on trade. The survey attempted to determine the status of the wild populations, the distribution and activity of the human population, the interaction between Tanimbar corella and agriculture, and the structure of the local commodity-chain for wild-caught parrots. We found that: (a) both parrot species were widely distributed and present at relatively high densities across the largest island in the group, Yamdena; (b) catching of parrots is geographically limited; (c) in the case of Tanimbar corella, at least, the catching is of birds raiding crops and probably involves mainly immature and non-reproductive birds; (d) the international and domestic ban on catching was generally adhered to locally but the reasons for the ban were not widely understood, contributing to a general mistrust of conservationists that still remains. Although not advocating a lifting of the ban on trapping, we do conclude that in this case invoking the precautionary principle without proper consideration of local context may have been counterproductive to conservation goals.
An overview of the status and conservation of the red panda Ailurus fulgens in India, with reference to its global status
Authors: Choudhury Anwaruddin 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe current status and distribution of the red panda Ailurus fulgens in the wild is poorly known. The subspecies fulgens is found in the Himalaya in Nepal, India, Bhutan, northern Myanmar and southwest China, and the subspecies styani occurs further to the east in south-central China. The red panda is an animal of subtropical and temperate forests, with the exception of Meghalaya in India, where it is also found in tropical forests. In the wild, red pandas take a largely vegetarian diet consisting chiefly of bamboo. The extent of occurrence of the red panda in India is about 170,000 sq km, although its area of occupancy within this may only be about 25,000 sq km. An estimate based on the lowest recorded average density and the total area of potential habitat suggests that the global population of red pandas is about 16,000–20,000. Habitat loss and poaching, in that order, are the major threats. In this paper the distribution, status and conservation problems of the red panda, especially in India, are reviewed, and appropriate conservation measures recommended, including the protection of named areas and the extension of some existing protected areas.
The biodiversity of Madagascar: one of the world's hottest hotspots on its way out
Authors: Ganzhorn Jörg U. , Lowry Porter P. , Schatz George E. , Sommer Simone 
Published: March 2003

AbstractMadagascar is renowned not only for its high biodiversity and high degree of endemism, but also for ongoing loss of the original primary vegetation. Here we draw attention to the critical degree of vulnerability of Madagascar's littoral forest, western dry deciduous forest, and evergreen forests of the high plateau. Conservation efforts in these forest formations have been low compared to those in the evergreen rainforest of eastern Madagascar. Due to their fragmented nature these ecosystems urgently require reinforced conservation programmes.
Dramatic declines in saiga antelope populations
Authors: Milner-Gulland E. J. , Kholodova M.V. , Bekenov A. , Bukreeva O. M. , Grachev Iu. A. , Amgalan L. , Lushchekina A. A. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractWe present new data on the size of all the saiga antelope populations; three populations of the subspecies Saiga tatarica tatarica in Kazakhstan, one of S. t. tatarica in Kalmykia, Russia, and two of S. t. mongolica in Mongolia. The data suggest that three populations are under severe threat from poaching and have been declining at an increasing rate for the last 2–3 years. The Ustiurt population in Kazakhstan was relatively secure but is now also under threat. There is evidence of much reduced conception rates in Kalmykia, probably because of selective hunting of adult males. The Mongolian subspecies shows no evidence of recent decline, but is of concern because of the population's small size. The cause of the population declines appears to be poaching for meat and horns, which is a result of economic collapse in the rural areas of Kazakhstan and Kalmykia. We suggest that full aerial surveys be carried out on the Betpak-dala (Kazakhstan) and Mongolian populations, and that funding is urgently required for the control of poaching in all parts of the saiga range.
Range contractions in the Critically Endangered Seychelles terrapins (Pelusiosspp.)
Authors: Gerlach J. , Canning L. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe status of the Seychelles endemic terrapins is reviewed based on field-surveys.Pelusios castanoides intergularisandP. subniger parietalisare confined to a small number of marshes and rivers. All the sites occupied are limited in area (<4.5 ha) and under threat from drainage, predation and invasion by alien water plants. The smallest populations are unlikely to be viable in the long-term. Both species can be categorized as Critically Endangered using the IUCN Red List categories, with highly restricted ranges (2.89 and 6.02 ha forP. castanoidesandP. subniger, respectively) that have decreased by over 50 per cent in recent years. Conservation of these species requires both the protection of wetland habitats and the establishment of new populations in protected areas. A captive breeding programme has been established with the aim of reintroducing juveniles into secure reserves. The endemic speciesP. seychellensismay be extinct.