bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Elevated atmospheric CO2 affects soil microbial diversity associated with trembling aspen
Authors: Lesaulnier Celine , Papamichail Dimitris , McCorkle Sean , Ollivier Bernard , Skiena Steven , Taghavi Safiyh , Zak Donald , Van Der Lelie Daniel
Published: March 2008

The effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 (560 p.p.m.) and subsequent plant responses on the soil microbial community composition associated with trembling aspen was assessed through the classification of 6996 complete ribosomal DNA sequences amplified from the Rhinelander WI free‐air CO2 and O3 enrichment (FACE) experiments microbial community metagenome. This in‐depth comparative analysis provides an unprecedented, detailed and deep branching profile of population changes incurred as a response to this environmental perturbation. Total bacterial and eukaryotic abundance does not change; however, an increase in heterotrophic decomposers and ectomycorrhizal fungi is observed. Nitrate reducers of the domain bacteria and archaea, of the phylum Crenarchaea, potentially implicated in ammonium oxidation, significantly decreased with elevated CO2. These changes in soil biota are evidence for altered interactions between trembling aspen and the microorganisms in its surrounding soil, and support the theory that greater plant detritus production under elevated CO2 significantly alters soil microbial community composition.
Diversity and mode of transmission of ammonia‐oxidizing archaea in marine sponges
Authors: Steger Doris , Ettinger‐Epstein Piers , Whalan Stephen , Hentschel Ute , De Nys Rocky , Wagner Michael , Taylor Michael W.
Published: March 2008

The model marine crenarchaeote ‘Cenarchaeum symbiosum’ is until now the only ammonia‐oxidizing archaeon known from a marine sponge. Here, phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rRNA and ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) genes revealed the presence of putative ammonia‐oxidizing archaea (AOA) in a diverse range of sponges from the western Pacific, Caribbean and Mediterranean. amoA diversity was limited even between different oceans, with many of the obtained sequences (75.9%; ntotal = 83) forming a monophyletic, apparently sponge‐ (and coral‐) specific lineage, analogous to those previously inferred from comparative 16S rRNA gene studies of sponge‐associated microbes. The presence of AOA in sponge larvae, as detected by 16S rRNA and amoA PCR assays as well as by fluorescence in situ hybridization, suggests they are vertically transmitted and thus might be of importance for ammonia detoxification within the sponge.
Retrieval of entire genes from environmental DNA by inverse PCR with pre‐amplification of target genes using primers containing locked nucleic acids
Authors: Yamada Kazutaka , Terahara Takeshi , Kurata Shinya , Yokomaku Toyokazu , Tsuneda Satoshi , Harayama Shigeaki
Published: March 2008

We had been unsuccessful to amplify desired nucleotide sequences from various environmental DNA samples by using the inverse polymerase chain reaction (IPCR) technique, most probably because the copy numbers of target DNA sequences had been quite low. To enrich the target DNA sequences prior to IPCR, a rolling‐circle amplification was used with a site‐specific primer containing locked nucleic acids (LNAs). This pre‐amplified IPCR (PAI‐PCR) method increased the sensitivity of PCR almost 10 000 times compared with the standard IPCR in model experiments using Escherichia coli. We then applied the PAI‐PCR method to isolate glycosyl hydrolase genes from DNAs extracted from vermiform appendixes of horses and termite guts. The flanking sequences of the target genes were amplified and cloned successfully using PAI‐PCR, whereas standard IPCR resulted in no amplification.
An AbrB‐like protein might be involved in the regulation of cylindrospermopsin production by Aphanizomenon ovalisporum
Authors: Shalev‐Malul Gali , Lieman‐Hurwitz Judy , Viner‐Mozzini Yehudith , Sukenik Assaf , Gaathon Ariel , Lebendiker Mario , Kaplan Aaron
Published: March 2008

Certain filamentous cyanobacteria, including Aphanizomenon ovalisporum, are potentially toxic owing to the formation of the hepatotoxin cylindrospermopsin. We previously identified a gene cluster in A. ovalisporum likely to be involved in cylindrospermopsin biosynthesis, including amidinotransferase (aoaA) and polyketide‐synthase (aoaC), transcribed on the reverse strands. Analysis of the genomic region between aoaA and aoaC identified two transcription start points for each of these genes, differentially expressed under nitrogen and light stress conditions. The transcript abundances of these genes and the cylindrospermopsin level were both affected by nitrogen availability and light intensity. Gel shift assays and DNA affinity columns isolated a protein that specifically binds to a 150 bp DNA fragment from the region between aoaA and aoaC, and MS/MS analyses identified similarity to AbrB in other cyanobacteria and in Bacillus sp. Comparison of the native AbrB isolated from A. ovalisporum with that obtained after cloning and overexpression of abrB in Escherichia coli identified specific post‐translational modifications in the native cyanobacterial protein. These modifications, which are missing in the protein expressed in E. coli, include N‐acetylation and methylation of specific residues. We discuss the possible role of these modifications in the regulation of cylindrospermopsin production in Aphanizomenon.
Evidence for a human‐specific Escherichia coli clone
Authors: Clermont Olivier , Lescat Mathilde , O'Brien Claire L. , Gordon David M. , Tenaillon Olivier , Denamur Erick
Published: March 2008

Escherichia coli is a widespread commensal of the vertebrate intestinal tract. Until recently, no strong association between a particular clone and a given host species has been found. However, members of the B2 subgroup VIII clone with an O81 serotype appear to be human host specific. To determine the degree of host specificity exhibited by this clone, a PCR‐based assay was used to screen 723 faecal and clinical isolates from humans, and 904 faecal isolates from animals. This clone was not detected among the animal isolates, but was discovered in people living in Africa, Europe and South America. The clone is rarely isolated from people suffering from intestinal or extraintestinal disease and is avirulent in a mouse model of extraintestinal infection. Fine‐scale epidemiological analysis suggests that this clone is competitively dominant relative to other members of the B2 phylogenetic group and that it has increased in frequency over the past 20 years. This clone appears to be a good candidate for use as a probiotic, and may be suitable as an indicator of human faecal contamination in microbial source tracking studies.
The influence of habitat heterogeneity on freshwater bacterial community composition and dynamics
Authors: Shade Ashley , Jones Stuart E. , McMahon Katherine D.
Published: March 2008

Multiple forces structure natural microbial communities, but the relative roles and interactions of these drivers are poorly understood. Gradients of physical and chemical parameters can be especially influential. In traditional ecological theory, variability in environmental conditions across space and time represents habitat heterogeneity, which may shape communities. Here we used aquatic microbial communities as a model to investigate the relationship between habitat heterogeneity and community composition and dynamics. We defined spatial habitat heterogeneity as vertical temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) gradients in the water column, and temporal habitat heterogeneity as variation throughout the open‐water season in these environmental parameters. Seasonal lake mixing events contribute to temporal habitat heterogeneity by destroying and re‐creating these gradients. Because of this, we selected three lakes along a range of annual mixing frequency (polymictic, dimictic, meromictic) for our study. We found that bacterial community composition (BCC) was distinct between the epilimnion and hypolimnion within stratified lakes, and also more variable within the epilimnia through time. We found stark differences in patterns of epilimnion and hypolimnion dynamics over time and across lakes, suggesting that specific drivers have distinct relative importance for each community.
Novel concepts in the diagnosis, pathophysiology and management of idiopathic megabowel
Authors: Gladman M. A. , Knowles C. H.
Published: March 2008

A proportion of patients with intractable constipation have persistent dilatation of the bowel, which in the absence of an organic cause is termed idiopathic megabowel (IMB). Whilst uncommon, this condition results in considerable morbidity. Traditional methods of identifying such patients are associated with inherent methodological limitations with anorectal manometry and contrast studies overestimating and underestimating the prevalence of the condition, respectively. Recently, controlled, pressure‐based distension during fluoroscopic imaging has allowed more accurate identification of patients on the basis of a rectal diameter > 6.3 cm at the minimum distension pressure. Histopathological abnormalities of all three final effectors of sensorimotor function have been reported, although it remains unclear whether these changes are primary, secondary or epiphenomic. Physiological abnormalities of sensorimotor function, namely impaired perception of rectal distension and delayed colonic transit are well documented in patients with IMB. Further, the recent demonstration of two subgroups of patients, defined on the basis of rectal compliance, suggests the possibility that they differ pathophysiologically, although the clinical relevance of this distinction is uncertain. Surgery is performed when conservative therapy is ineffective or poorly tolerated. Numerous procedures have been attempted with variable success rates and significant mortality and morbidity. Surgery should preferably be performed in specialist centres given the relative infrequency with which such patients are encountered, and that they require comprehensive clinical, psychological and physiological evaluation preoperatively.
Disease stage and psychosocial outcomes in colorectal cancer
Authors: Simon A. E. , Thompson M. R. , Flashman K. , Wardle J.
Published: March 2008

Objective  Disease stage is a strong predictor of cancer survival and is therefore assumed to influence psychosocial outcomes. However, existing findings are inconsistent, perhaps reflecting limited sample sizes, especially among patients with advanced disease. There has also been an emphasis on breast cancer, resulting in a focus on outcomes among women. The present study investigated associations between disease stage and psychosocial wellbeing in 128 patients (52% male, 48% female) diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Method  Patients diagnosed within the past year in a single hospital were invited to participate in a questionnaire study and give permission for staging information to be obtained from their medical records. The questionnaire included measures of anxiety, depression, quality of life, social support, social difficulties and quality of medical interactions.

Results  Patients with more advanced disease were more anxious (P < 0.01) and depressed (P < 0.001), perceived their social support as lower (P < 0.01), and had a worse quality of life (P < 0.01). Women with advanced disease had more severe colorectal symptoms (P < 0.01), and worse physical (P < 0.01) and emotional (P < 0.05) quality of life than men.

Conclusion  Patients with advanced colorectal cancer have unmet psychosocial needs. Women may be more strongly affected by advanced disease than men.
A cost‐effectiveness analysis of delayed sphincteroplasty for anal sphincter injury
Authors: Tan E. K. , Jacovides M. , Khullar V. , Teoh T.‐G. , Fernando R. J. , Tekkis P. P.
Published: March 2008

Objective  Anal‐sphincter injury may result in faecal incontinence. Sphincteroplasty is usually performed as a primary (immediate) procedure. Delayed sphincteroplasty (DS) can be performed if there is significant trauma or soiling, if the primary procedure has failed, and if the injury was not recognized initially. This study aimed to determine the cost to patient and health service in the event a DS is performed.

Method  Patients with anal‐sphincter‐injury who underwent primary sphincteroplasty (PS)/DS were identified from the published literature (primary, n = 103; delayed, n = 777) using Medline, Embase, Ovid and Cochrane databases for studies published between 1976 and 2006. Studies included described at least one of the measured outcomes – probability of functional success/failure and quality of life (QOL). An economic model was constructed and decision analysis performed using a decision tree based on a Markov process. Main outcomes were quality‐adjusted‐life‐years (QALYs) gained from each strategy, costs incurred and incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio (ICER) over a 10‐ and 15‐year time horizon.

Results  Over 10 years, primary sphincteroplasty (PS) produced a gain of 5.72 QALYs for an estimated £2750, giving an ICER of £487 per QALY. DS produced a gain of 3.73 QALYs for a cost of £2667, giving an ICER of £719 per QALY. Both procedures fell below the £10 000 per QALY willingness‐to‐pay threshold, but PS produced the highest QALYs. Both procedures performed poorly beyond the 10‐year mark.

Conclusion  If DS has to be performed, the resultant cost is greater with concurrently lower QALYs gained. Successful PS substantially improves QOL and reduces overall cost‐of‐treatment.
Metformin, but not pioglitazone, decreases postchallenge plasma ghrelin levels in type 2 diabetic patients: a possible role in weight stability?
Authors: Kusaka I. , Nagasaka S. , Horie H. , Ishibashi S.
Published: March 2008

Aim:  Effects of metformin and pioglitazone on body weight are clearly different. Recently, the role of ghrelin, an orexigenic peptide derived from stomach, has been appreciated. Plasma ghrelin levels display a preprandial peak and postprandial suppression, suggesting its physiological role. We hypothesized that metformin or pioglitazone may modulate circulating ghrelin levels and this modulation may be related to differential effects on body weight with these agents.

Methods:  Thirty‐five Japanese type 2 diabetic patients [21 men and 14 women, age 62 ± 2 years, body mass index (BMI) 26.6 ± 0.5 kg/m2 and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) 8.2 ± 0.1%, mean ± s.e.] were randomly assigned to groups for the addition of metformin or pioglitazone. At baseline and 4 months later, a 75‐g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed to measure plasma ghrelin levels.

Results:  In 33 subjects who completed the study, the overall decrease in HbA1c (∼1%) was comparable between the two groups. As expected, BMI increased in the pioglitazone group but not in the metformin group. After the treatment, plasma ghrelin levels at each point of OGTT remained unchanged in the pioglitazone group. In the metformin group, fasting ghrelin levels were unaltered, whereas the absolute levels at 30, 60 and 120 min decreased significantly. The area under the curve for the 2‐h ghrelin profile also decreased significantly.

Conclusions:  Metformin, but not pioglitazone, decreased plasma ghrelin levels after the glucose load. This decrease may in part account for weight stability in type 2 diabetic patients treated with metformin.
Glimepiride as insulin sensitizer: increased liver and muscle responses to insulin
Authors: Mori R. C. T. , Hirabara S. M. , Hirata A. E. , Okamoto M. M. , Machado U. F.
Published: March 2008

Aim:  Glimepiride, a low‐potency insulin secretagogue, is as efficient on glycaemic control as other sulphonylureas, suggesting an additional insulin‐sensitizer role. The aim of the present study was to confirm the insulin‐sensitizer role of glimepiride and to show extra‐pancreatic effects of the drug.

Methods:  Three‐month‐old monosodium glutamate (MSG)–induced obese insulin‐resistant rats were treated (OG) or not treated (O) with glimepiride for 4 weeks and compared with age‐matched non‐obese rats (C). Insulin sensitivity in whole body, glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) protein content, glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in oxidative skeletal muscle and phospho‐glycogen synthase kinase (p‐GSK3) and glycogen content in liver were analysed.

Results:  Insulin sensitivity, analysed by the insulin tolerance test, was 30% lower in O than in C rats (p < 0.05), and OG rats recovered this parameter (p < 0.05). In oxidative muscle, glimepiride increased the GLUT4 protein content (50%, p < 0.001) and recovered the obesity‐induced reduction (∼20%) of the in vitro insulin‐stimulated glucose uptake and incorporation into glycogen. In liver, glimepiride increased p‐GSK3 (p < 0.01) and glycogen (p < 0.05) contents.

Conclusion:  The increased GLUT4 protein expression and glucose utilization in oxidative muscle and the increased insulin sensitivity and glycogen storage in liver evidence the insulin‐sensitizer effect of glimepiride, which must be important to enable the glimepiride drug to promote an efficient glycaemic control.
Fluctuation and reproducibility of exposure and effect of insulin glargine in healthy subjects*
Authors: Becker R. H. A. , Frick A. D. , Teichert L. , Nosek L. , Heinemann L. , Heise T. , Rave K.
Published: March 2008

Aim:  Low diurnal fluctuation and high day‐to‐day reproducibility in exposure and effect characterize beneficial basal insulin products. Two insulin glargine (LANTUS) formulations [without (R) or with polysorbate‐20 (T)], added to minimize unfolding of proteins and subsequent formation of fibril structures, were assessed for equivalence in exposure and effect, and aspects of fluctuation and reproducibility in time–concentration and time–action profiles.

Methods:  A dose of 0.4 U/kg was subcutaneously administered to 24 healthy subjects in a two‐sequence (R‐T‐R‐T or T‐R‐T‐R), randomized, four‐way crossover trial utilizing 30‐h Biostator‐based euglycaemic glucose clamps.

Results:  Identical serum insulin glargine concentration and time–action profiles established average, individual and population equivalence in insulin exposure and effect. Point estimates for 24‐h area under the curve for insulin (INS–AUC0–24 h) and glucose infusion rates (GIR–AUC0–24 h) were 97% [90% confidence interval (CI): 91–103%] and 100% (88–114%), respectively. Within‐subject variability (coefficient of variation) for INS–AUC0–24 h and GIR–AUC0–24 h were 19% (95% CI: 14–25%) and 34% (24–43%), respectively. The diurnal relative fluctuation of the serum insulin glargine concentration was 20% (95% CI: 19–21%).

Conclusion:  Insulin glargine in either formulation presents with a high day‐to‐day reproducibility of a uniform release after injection enabling an effective basal insulin supplementation.
Evidence that vildagliptin attenuates deterioration of glycaemic control during 2‐year treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes and mild hyperglycaemia*
Authors: Scherbaum W. A. , Schweizer A. , Mari A. , Nilsson P. M. , Lalanne G. , Wang Y. , Dunning B. E. , Foley J. E.
Published: March 2008

Aim:  To assess the 2‐year efficacy and tolerability of vildagliptin (50 mg once daily) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and mild hyperglycaemia.

Methods:  This was a multicentre, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial comprising a 52‐week core study with a 4‐week, active treatment–free washout followed by a 52‐week extension study with another washout period conducted in 131 drug‐naïve patients with T2DM and mild hyperglycaemia [glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) 6.2–7.2%]. All patients received lifestyle counselling at each study visit. Efficacy and tolerability were assessed during visits at weeks 0 (core study baseline), 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 40 and 52 of active treatment; at week 56 (i.e. after the first washout period); at weeks 68, 80, 96 and 108 and at week 112 (i.e. after the second washout period). Standard meal tests were also performed at weeks 0, 24, 52, 56, 80, 108 and 112 to assess postprandial glycaemia and β‐cell function, which was quantified by glucose area under the curve (AUC0–2 h)/insulin secretory rate (ISR) AUC0–2 h (ISR/G). Changes from baseline and between‐treatment differences (placebo‐adjusted changes from baseline during vildagliptin treatment) were analysed by ancova.

Results:  The placebo‐adjusted change from week 0 in HbA1c was −0.3 ± 0.1% after 1 year of vildagliptin treatment (p < 0.001) and −0.5 ± 0.2% after 2 years (p = 0.008). The placebo‐adjusted change from core study baseline in fasting plasma glucose, in glucose AUC0–2 h and in the β‐cell function parameter, ISR/G, tended to be greater after 2 years than after 1 year of treatment with vildagliptin. Even after a 4‐week washout, the placebo‐adjusted change from week 0 to week 112 in ISR/G was 3.2 ± 1.6 pmol/min/m2/mM (p = 0.058) and the placebo‐adjusted difference in the change from week 0 to week 112 in HbA1c was −0.3 ± 0.1% (p = 0.051). The incidences of adverse events (AEs), serious AEs and discontinuations because of AEs were similar in the two treatment groups, and hypoglycaemic episodes were reported by no patient receiving vildagliptin and by two patients receiving placebo.

Conclusions:  In drug‐naïve patients with mild hyperglycaemia, 2‐year treatment with vildagliptin 50 mg once daily attenuated the progressive loss of glycaemic control seen in patients receiving only lifestyle counselling (and placebo). This appears to be because of a corresponding attenuation of the deterioration of β‐cell function as assessed by ISR/G.
Glucose‐lowering activity of the dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor saxagliptin in drug‐naive patients with type 2 diabetes*
Authors: Rosenstock J. , Sankoh S. , List J. F.
Published: March 2008

Aim:  Enhancing the physiologic actions of the endogenous incretin hormones, glucagon‐like peptide‐1 and glucose‐dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, by inhibiting dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP‐4), the enzyme responsible for their degradation, is an emerging treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of dose ranges of the DPP‐4 inhibitor saxagliptin (BMS‐477118) in patients with T2DM.

Methods:  In a 12‐week, multicentre, randomized, parallel‐group, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial conducted at 152 out‐patient US study centres, 338 (low‐dose cohort) and 85 (high‐dose cohort) drug‐naive patients with T2DM and inadequate glycaemic control (baseline HbA1c ≥6.8 and ≤9.7%) were randomized. Following a 2‐week washout, patients received saxagliptin 2.5, 5, 10, 20 or 40 mg once daily, or placebo, for 12 weeks (low‐dose cohort). In a second cohort, patients received saxagliptin 100 mg once daily, or placebo, for 6 weeks (high‐dose cohort). The main outcome measure was saxagliptin dose response assessed as change from baseline in HbA1c following double‐blind treatment.

Results:  In all treatment arms, saxagliptin significantly reduced HbA1c by 0.7–0.9% from an average baseline of 7.9% vs. placebo (0.3% reduction) in the low‐dose cohort. Placebo‐subtracted HbA1c reductions were 0.45–0.63% (low‐dose cohort). Saxagliptin had significant placebo‐subtracted reductions in fasting serum glucose (14–25 mg/dl). Postprandial glucose levels at 60 min following a standard liquid meal test were reduced by 24–41 mg/dl vs. placebo. Saxagliptin was weight neutral. Adverse events were similar across treatment groups, including placebo, with a very low incidence of confirmed hypoglycaemia in saxagliptin treatment arms.

Conclusions:  Saxagliptin effectively improved glycaemic control in drug‐naive patients with T2DM and was generally safe, with a tolerability profile similar to placebo.
Spermatozoa of the Anomalodesmata (Bivalvia, Mollusca) with special reference to relationships within the group
Authors: Healy John M. , Bieler Rüdiger , Mikkelsen Paula M.
Published: March 2008

Sperm ultrastructure in the marine bivalve order Anomalodesmata is considered in the light of new information for Australian Myochama anomioides and Cuspidaria latesulcata. In M. anomioides, the acrosomal complex lies posterior to the nucleus, in contact with the asymmetrical midpiece mitochondria – an unusual configuration reported from most of the studied Anomalodesmata. Spermatozoa of M. anomioides resemble those of Myadora brevis (both in family Myochamidae). Myochamid spermatozoa are considerably less modified than those of the Lyonsiidae or Laternulidae, and may prove a basal type within the non‐septibranch anomalodesmatans. In contrast, C. latesulcata differs from other examined anomalodesmatans in having an anterior acrosomal complex and radial midpiece mitochondria (classic aquasperm features). Sperm data for the Anomalodesmata are limited but congruent with the most recent phylogenetic analyses that recognize distinct ‘thraciid’ and ‘lyonsiid’ clades. Results for C. latesulcata suggest septibranch origins before the development of a posteriorly positioned acrosomal complex and mitochondrial asymmetry.
Ontogenetic scaling of scansorial surface area and setal dimensions of Chondrodactylus bibronii (Gekkota: Gekkonidae): testing predictions derived from cross‐species comparisons of gekkotans
Authors: Webster Nicole B. , Johnson Megan K. , Russell Anthony P.
Published: March 2008

Little is known of how the adhesive apparatus of gekkotans scales with growth. Cross‐species comparisons of certain characteristics, using size as a comparator to investigate scaling relationships, suggest certain relationships between subdigital pad area and body size. The manner in which the adhesive apparatus grows and scales within any one species, however, remains unknown, and it is unclear whether interspecific and intraspecific patterns are similar. To address this, we examined a post‐hatching ontogenetic series of the southern African gecko Chondrodactylus bibronii and demonstrate that setal density, setal basal diameter and setal spacing remain relatively constant in relation to size, indicating conserved subdigital pad assembly rules that are independent of size. Conversely, however, average and maximal setal lengths increase slightly and isometrically with size, an outcome that is probably explained by setal row recruitment, and the surface area of the subdigital pads scales close to, but below, isometry with respect to body mass and snout–vent length, it therefore does not increase sufficiently with size to compensate for the increase in mass. As a result, relative adhesive capacity decreases with growth with a regression slope of –0.45.
Taxonomic review and phylogenetic analysis of central EuropeanEresusspecies (Araneae: Eresidae)
Authors: ŘEzáč Milan , Pekár Stano , Johannesen Jes
Published: March 2008

Ladybird spiders (Eresusspp.) have attracted scientific interest since the 18th century, but taxonomical knowledge of the genus is unsatisfactory. Early classification based on colour and size variation divided EuropeanEresusinto numerous species. These were later lumped into one predominant morphospecies,Eresus niger/E. cinnaberinus, which could be found from Portugal to Central Asia. Here, we perform a major revision ofEresusfrom northern and central Europe using morphological, phenological, habitat, distribution and molecular data. Three species,E. kollari,E. sandaliatusandE. moravicussp. n. were distinguished. The nameE. niger(originallyAranea nigra) cannot be used as the nameA. nigrawas used for a previous spider species. The nameE. cinnaberinusis considered anomen dubium. The three species differ in size, colour pattern, shape of prosoma and copulatory organs, phenology, and have slightly different habitat requirements. No morphologically intermediate forms were recorded. In contrast to distinct morphology and phenology, the genus is genetically complex. Genetically, the mitochondrial haplotypes ofE. sandaliatusandE. moravicussp. n. are monophyletic, whereas those ofE. kollariare paraphyletic. Eastern central EuropeanE. kollariis likely a hybrid lineage betweenE. sandaliatusand the monophyletic western central EuropeanE. kollari. Because eastern and western EuropeanE. kollariare morphologically and phenologically indistinguishable, we did not formally split them. However, detailed population‐based research in the future may partitionE. kollariinto additional species.
C‐reactive protein level predicts prognosis in patients with muscle‐invasive bladder cancer treated with chemoradiotherapy
Authors: Yoshida Soichiro , Saito Kazutaka , Koga Fumitaka , Yokoyama Minato , Kageyama Yukio , Masuda Hitoshi , Kobayashi Tsuyoshi , Kawakami Satoru , Kihara Kazunori
Published: March 2008

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of C‐reactive protein (CRP) level on the prognosis of patients with muscle‐invasive bladder cancer treated with chemoradiotherapy (ChRT), as it is increasingly recognized that the presence of a systemic inflammatory response is associated with poor survival in various malignancies.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The clinical records of 88 patients with bladder urothelial carcinoma (cT2–4 N0M0) treated with ChRT were reviewed retrospectively. ChRT comprised external beam radiotherapy to the bladder (40 Gy) with two cycles of cisplatin (50–100 mg) at 3‐week intervals. Elevated CRP was defined as >0.5 mg/dL. The survival rate was calculated using the Kaplan‐Meier method, and a multivariate analysis was used to identify significant factors associated with prognosis, using a Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

During the median (range) follow‐up of 33 (3–117) months, 19 patients died from bladder cancer; the 5‐year cancer‐specific survival (CSS) rate was 73%. Ten patients had a high CRP level before ChRT (≥0.5 mg/dL) and their CSS rate was significantly worse than that in the remaining patients (P = 0.003). Multivariate analysis showed that CRP and cT stage were independent prognostic indicators for CSS, with a hazard ratio of 1.80 (95% confidence interval 1.01–2.97; P = 0.046). Among 10 patients in those with elevated CRP the CRP levels became normal after ChRT in six, of whom all but one was alive with no evidence of recurrence or metastasis during the follow‐up. By contrast, all four with no CRP normalization after ChRT died within 2 years.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge this is the first study to report that elevation of CRP before treatment predicts a poor prognosis in patients with muscle‐invasive bladder cancer who are receiving ChRT. Furthermore, failure of CRP levels to normalize after ChRT was associated with extremely poor survival.
How sudden is a compelling desire to void? An observational cystometric study on the suddenness of this sensation
Authors: De Wachter Stefan , Wyndaele Jean‐Jacques
Published: March 2008

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether a compelling desire to void (CDV) is always perceived suddenly, or whether it can result from the gradual build‐up of bladder‐filling sensations.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The pattern of filling sensations was evaluated during standard cystometric bladder filling in 75 patients who complained of urgency and showed detrusor overactivity during cystometry. Cystometric filling ended when a CDV was reported. The ‘warning volume’ is defined as the difference in volume between the first perception of filling and the volume at CDV.

RESULTS

Different patterns of bladder‐filling sensations were reported. A CDV occurred suddenly, without a preceding sensation in 13% of the patients, whereas 66% reported at least two normal preceding filling sensations before a CDV. The bladder volume at the CDV was significantly smaller in patients that reported no or just one preceding sensation compared with those that reported the normal pattern of two or three sensations (P < 0.005). The bladder volume at which the first filling perception was reported was not different regardless of whether it was described as a first sensation of filling, a first desire or a CDV (P = 0.42). The warning volumes were not different between patients with one or no standardized filling sensations (P = 0.7), but they were significantly smaller than in patients with two or three filling sensations (P = 0.85).

CONCLUSION

A CDV can occur suddenly if normal filling sensation is disturbed, but also gradually if normal filling sensation is preserved. In cases of disturbed filling sensation, the volume at CDV and the warning volume are significantly lower.
PROBABILITY‐BASED OPTIMAL DESIGN
Authors: McGree J. M. , Eccleston J. A.
Published: March 2008

Optimal design of experiments has generally concentrated on parameter estimation and, to a much lesser degree, on model discrimination. Often an experimenter is interested in a particular outcome and wishes to maximize in some way the probability of this outcome. We propose a new class of compound criteria and designs that address this issue for generalized linear models. The criteria offer a method of achieving designs that possess the properties of efficient parameter estimation and a high probability of a desired outcome.
HEAVY‐TAILED‐DISTRIBUTED THRESHOLD STOCHASTIC VOLATILITY MODELS IN FINANCIAL TIME SERIES
Authors: Chen Cathy W. S. , Liu F. C. , So Mike K. P.
Published: March 2008

To capture mean and variance asymmetries and time‐varying volatility in financial time series, we generalize the threshold stochastic volatility (THSV) model and incorporate a heavy‐tailed error distribution. Unlike existing stochastic volatility models, this model simultaneously accounts for uncertainty in the unobserved threshold value and in the time‐delay parameter. Self‐exciting and exogenous threshold variables are considered to investigate the impact of a number of market news variables on volatility changes. Adopting a Bayesian approach, we use Markov chain Monte Carlo methods to estimate all unknown parameters and latent variables. A simulation experiment demonstrates good estimation performance for reasonable sample sizes. In a study of two international financial market indices, we consider two variants of the generalized THSV model, with US market news as the threshold variable. Finally, we compare models using Bayesian forecasting in a value‐at‐risk (VaR) study. The results show that our proposed model can generate more accurate VaR forecasts than can standard models.
CONDITIONAL EXPECTATION FORMULAE FOR COPULAS
Authors: Crane Glenis J. , Hoek John van der
Published: March 2008

Not only are copula functions joint distribution functions in their own right, they also provide a link between multivariate distributions and their lower‐dimensional marginal distributions. Copulas have a structure that allows us to characterize all possible multivariate distributions, and therefore they have the potential to be a very useful statistical tool. Although copulas can be traced back to 1959, there is still much scope for new results, as most of the early work was theoretical rather than practical. We focus on simple practical tools based on conditional expectation, because such tools are not widely available. When dealing with data sets in which the dependence throughout the sample is variable, we suggest that copula‐based regression curves may be more accurate predictors of specific outcomes than linear models. We derive simple conditional expectation formulae in terms of copulas and apply them to a combination of simulated and real data.
THE AD‐AS MODEL AND ITS SOLUTIONS: SOME NEW RESULTS IN A DISEQUILIBRIUM PERSPECTIVE*
Authors: CHIRCO ALESSANDRA , COLOMBO CATERINA
Published: March 2008

This paper discusses the logical foundation and the solutions of a microfounded aggregate demand … aggregate supply model under the disequilibrium hypothesis. We first show that a) the latter hypothesis is the only one ensuring model consistent expectations and that b) price predetermination, more than price flexibility, should be embodied in an AD‐AS framework. Then we develop a full AD‐AS scheme, both under excess supply and excess demand for labour. We prove that in the latter case no well defined equilibrium exists. Finally, we discuss stability and perform some comparative statics exercises.
ON EXPORT‐LED GROWTH IN AUSTRALIA AND CANADA: COINTEGRATION, CAUSALITY AND STRUCTURAL STABILITY*
Authors: BODMAN PHILIP M.
Published: March 2008

This paper uses cointegration and vector‐error correction (VEC) modelling to investigate whether the export‐led growth hypothesis applies to Australian and Canadian exports and labour productivity. The Johansen (1988) procedure is used to test whether manufacturing and aggregate measures of exports and labour productivity are cointegrated. Exports and labour productivity are found to be cointegrated, suggesting the export‐led growth hypothesis holds for the small, open Australian and Canadian economies, although the estimated cointegrating vectors suggest the relationship is of small order. The tests suggested in Hansesn (1992), for parameter stability in relationships with I(1) variables, are estimated to examine if the parameters estimated from the Johansen procedure are unstable and whether the null of cointegration can be rejected in favour of structural change. No evidence is found of parameter instability in either the Australian or Canadian long‐run relationships at conventional significance levels. Estimation of VEC models suggests that exports are seen to cause productivity growth, although the quantitative impacts are again small. The reverse causality is rejected for both countries, except for the Canadian manufacturing sector for which there is a small, significant positive effect of labour productivity on manufactured exports.
FISCAL ILLUSION (THE FLYPAPER EFFECT) AND GOVERNMENT SPENDING IN AUSTRALIA*
Authors: STEWART MARK F.
Published: March 2008

Work in the US and Canada has found the flypaper effect to be evident at the national as well as the sub‐national government level. This paper uses the methodology developed by Robert R. Logan (1986) to examine how the payment of inter‐governmental grants has affected government expenditure in Australia. The analysis is of both the recipient and payee governments.
AUSTRALIAN COMMODITY EXPORT PASS‐THROUGH AND FEEDBACK CAUSALITY FROM COMMODITY PRICES TO THE EXCHANGE RATE
Authors: WEBBER ANTHONY G.
Published: March 2008

Commodity export pass‐through is examined for Australia in an attempt to determine whether Australia is a price‐taker in its commodity export trade. This is undertaken for seven categories of Australia's main commodity good exports. We also determine if there is feedback causality from particular world commodity prices back to the exchange rate as is often hypothesised for commodity good intensive exporting countries. It is found that Australian commodity good export pass‐through is complete for the goods which are relatively less important in its export trade but is incomplete (although high) for the goods which are most important in its export trade. There is significant feedback causality to the exchange rate from the world price of coal and wheat, two of Australia's most important commodity good exports over the 1980s and early 1990s.
COMPUTER SKILLS AND WAGES*
Authors: MILLER PAUL , MULVEY CHARLES
Published: March 2008

Data from the 1993 Survey of Training and Education show that 52 per cent of males and 60 per cent of females had at some time used a computer. An analysis using earnings functions reveals that computer usage is associated with a wage premium of between 12 and 16 per cent. Experiments show that omission of a variable recording computer usage from a wage equation will result in a bias of between 10 and 15 per cent in the estimated return to a year of schooling and similar distortion to the estimated return to experience.
CORRUPTION AND THE ANTI‐CORRUPTION MOVEMENT: THE MODELLING AND ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION IN CHINA*
Authors: YAO SHUNTIAN
Published: March 2008

In this paper the author offers an explanation for the increasing extent of China's corruption problem during the past several years. A mathematical model is constructed, in which the conflicts among three groups of the Chinese population in the anti‐corruption movement are modelled as a two person game. The existence of Nash equilibrium is discussed. It is pointed out that the corruption level may increase as the GNP grows, as long as the majority of the people continue to be strategically passive. While the focus of this paper is on China's present situation, the author believes that this method of modelling and of analysis is also applicable to some other autocratic countries in the world.
THE FISCAL DIVIDEND MYTH OF AN INCOME/GST TAX SWITCH*
Authors: GRANT SIMON , KING STEPHEN P.
Published: March 2008

Reaping a windfall fiscal dividend from the taxation of the ‘underground’ economy's expenditures on ‘legitimate’ commodities is often seen as a significant advantage for a goods and services tax (GST) over an income tax. This claim ignores the changes in prices in the underground economy which would arise from the introduction of a GST. Employing a general equilibrium model which allows for tax evasion, we show that any ‘dividend’ arising from a change in the income tax/GST mix is equivalent to a rise in the income tax rate without a GST.
THE COST OF INCOME REDISTRIBUTION IN AUSTRALIA
Authors: CAMPBELL H.F. , BOND K.A.
Published: March 2008

This paper analyses the effect of raising effective marginal tax rates on the income of the representative household in each gross income decile in Australia by one percentage point, and distributing the proceeds of the tax increase either in the form of an equal grant, or as an equal payment to members of households in the lower half of the income distribution. The effectiveness of the program in redistributing income is measured as the ratio of total gains in disposable income to households in target deciles to losses in non‐target groups, or as the proportional reduction in the poverty gap. The cost is measured as the ratio of the sum of the income‐equivalent of changes in the welfare of non‐target groups to those of target groups, or as the ratio of income‐equivalent losses to gains.
THE AGGREGATE DEMAND FOR LABOUR IN AUSTRALIA: A META‐ANALYSIS*
Authors: DOUCOULIAGOS CHRIS
Published: March 2008

In this paper, meta‐analysis techniques are applied to 34 studies of the aggregate demand for Australian labour. Inverse associations between the real wage and employment and demand and unemployment are established, and positive associations between demand and employment and the real wage and unemployment are established. The associations are stronger with respect to the real wage. The results suggest that at least two‐thirds of the variation in estimates across studies is artifactual and is due to specification differences. It is argued in this paper that the available studies are of limited value to policy formulation.

No single empirical study can provide definitive measures of a particular parameter. This guarantees that substantial numbers of empirical studies of the more important parameters describing labor demand will have been produced. (Hamermesh, 1993, p. 61)
HAS NEW ZEALAND'S EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS ACT INCREASED EMPLOYMENT AND REDUCED WAGES?*
Authors: MALONEY TIM
Published: March 2008

The Employment Contracts Act 1991 substantively altered the structure of the industrial relations system in New Zealand. This study estimates the effects of this legislation on employment levels and average hourly earnings in this country using disaggregate industry level data from 1986(1) to 1996(2). In the five years following the enactment of the ECA, nonagricultural union membership declined from 49.5 to 27.2 per cent of the work force. This is an important consideration because our regression analysis suggests that this decrease in unionisation is solely responsible for any effects of the ECA on the labour market. Full‐time equivalent employment grew by 14.2 per cent between 1991(2) and 1996(2). At least 2.3 percentage points of this employment growth can be attributed to this legislation. If the ECA was partly responsible for the recent economic recovery, then more of this employment growth could be credited to this act. There are two basic reasons why the ECA might have increased employment over the past five years. It could have lowered hourly earnings, or increased effective labour demand. Estimates of a reduced‐form wage equation and a structural labour demand function both point to the latter explanation. Since there is no statistical evidence that ECA reduced hourly earnings, falling unionisation must have increased effective labour demand.
THE FOREIGN CURRENCY LOANS AFFAIR: SOME COMMENTS
Authors: VALENTINE TOM
Published: March 2008

Kingston (1995) discusses the legal complications arising out of the foreign currency loans taken out in the middle eighties. This note discusses a number of points of difference within Kingston's interpretations. The most important example of these is the predictability of the losses arising from the loans. Some potential solutions of the problems identified by Kingston, and in this note, are also canvassed.
Development vs. Terrorism: Money Transfers and EU Financial Regulations in the UK
Authors: Vlcek William
Published: March 2008

This article considers recent developments in the campaign to combat terrorist financing in Europe and the intersection of these measures with the flow of migrant remittances from the European Union (EU) to third countries. Migrants frequently leave behind families that they expect to support from their earnings. Measures to combat the financing of terrorism (CFT) and the related increase in anti-money laundering (AML) regulation make it increasingly expensive for migrants to share their wages with the family left behind. The result is a tension between the desire of migrant labour to send money home and fears of insecurity against the financing of terrorism. This issue is considered in the context of the new Regulation ‘On Information on the Payer Accompanying Transfers of Funds’ (Regulation (EC) No. 1781/2006).
Computational Analysis of Dissipative Heating Due to Impact Between a Micro‐Particle Cluster and a Deformable Wall
Authors: Panchadhar Rohan , Gonthier Keith A.
Published: March 2008

Abstract:  A combined finite and discrete element method is used to examine the energetics of a micro‐particle cluster that impacts a deformable planar wall. The method combines conservation principles with a penalty based, two‐dimensional (2‐D) distributed potential force algorithm, and an elastic‐viscoplastic and friction constitutive theory, to predict thermomechanical fields within the wall and cluster resulting from both particle‐wall and particle‐particle contact. Emphasis is placed on characterizing the temporal and spatial partitioning of wall and cluster energy for both normal (θ= 0°, whereθis incidence angle) and oblique (θ= 45°) impact. Predictions for an initially close‐packed cluster of well‐resolved particles, each having an initial radius and speed of 50μm and 500 m/s, indicate that particles adjacent to the wall experience significant dissipative heating due to plastic and friction work. Frictionally induced temperature rises in excess of 2,000 K are predicted for cluster mass located in the immediate vicinity of sliding contact surfaces, even for normal impact, whereas temperature rises near 200 K are predicted for significantly larger cluster mass due to plastic work. Friction is shown to significantly affect cluster kinetic energy, and to weakly affect its elastic potential energy and plastic work. This analysis highlights the importance of friction as a viable heating mechanism that may trigger combustion of energetic clusters.
Internal imagery training in active high jumpers
Authors: OLSSON C.‐J. , JONSSON BERT , NYBERG LARS
Published: March 2008

The main purpose of this study was to examine whether the use of internal imagery would affect high jumping performance for active high jumping athletes. Over a period of six weeks, a group of active high jumpers were trained with an internal imagery program for a total of 72 minutes. This group was compared to a control group consisting of active high jumpers that only maintained their regular work‐outs during the same time period. Four variables were measured; jumping height, number of failed attempts, take‐off angle, and bar clearance. There was a significant improvement on bar clearance for the group that trained imagery (p < 0.05) but not for the control group. No other differences were found. The results suggest that internal imagery training may be used to improve a component of a complex motor skill. Possible explanations and future recommendations are discussed.