bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Folate-Modified Cholesterol-Bearing Pullulan, a New Cancer-Targeted Nanoparticle Drug Carrier: Synthesis and Applications
Authors: Sunamoto Junzo , Ushio Kazutoshi , Lai Douglas T.
Published: October 2006

Folate-modified cholesterol-bearing pullulan (FA-CHP) was synthesized by the reaction of folic acid [.beta]-2-aminoethylamide and 4-nitrophenyl chloroformate-activated cholesterol-bearing pullulan. The substitution ratio was estimated as 10% per glucoside units. Several combinations of FA-CHP, unmodified cholesterol-bearing pullulan (CHP) and doxorubicin (DOX) mixtures were tested for cancer-selective cytotoxicity in vitro. A combination of FA-CHP/CHP/DOX of 1:4:0.02 (weight ratio) had aggressive and selective effects on human epidermoid cancer KB cells, known to express a high level of folate receptor, while the same nanoparticle mixture had a weak effect on the growth of normal human fetal lung fibroblast TIG-1-20 cells.
The bedroom blues: love and lust in the lyrics of early female blues artists
Authors: Watson Greg
Published: October 2006

Blues lyrics have long been recognized for their earthiness, their apparent directness and their ability to make the listener feel as if they are being directly and personally addressed. This article pays particular attention to the manner in which female blues artists talk to their audience about love, in both an ethereal sense and a more down-to-earth sense, and is an extension of the preliminary work of Kuhn (1999), who briefly examined the lyrics of male singers. Kuhn’s study concentrated on the seductive strategies of male blues lyrics and applied speech act theory to her corpus (five songs, by three artists). This article aims to extend Kuhn’s enquiry by examining the lyrics sung by early female blues artists. It is, and has generally been, intuitively assumed by those less familiar with the blues that female artists are less risqué and less assertive in requesting their needs, and more genteel in expressing their desires and feelings. This article investigates this assumption, both qualitatively and quantitatively, by applying an amended model of Tyrmi’s (2004) typology of love. This is applied to a corpus of female blues artists totalling 111 songs by 39 different artists, who predate the 1950s. The results show that these women were as forward as men in stating their needs, often in a most direct and colourful manner, and that sexual metaphor abounds in the lyrics of early female blues artists.
Cross-border competition and the professionalization of accounting: the case of Sri Lanka
Authors: Yapa P. W. Senarath
Published: October 2006

This article explores the accountancy profession in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka obtained independence from Britain in 1948, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL) was established in 1959. The influence of the British (ACCA and CIMA), coupled with the support of the Sri Lankan government for the ICASL, would seem to have provided an environment conducive to the development of the local profession. Such expectations, however, have not been met. The ICASL has produced 2,170 accountants – a number far short of that required to serve the needs of the economy. It appears that the ICASL has pursued an agenda of closure by seeking to restrict the supply of public practitioners. Therefore, the profession in Sri Lanka can be characterized as being beset by cross-border competition between British institutions seeking to exert influence within a former colony and a local organization concerned with achieving closure over practitioners.
Managing The Complexity Of Performance Monitoring Hardware: The Brink Andabyss Approach
Authors: Sprunt Brinkley
Published: October 2006

Recent microprocessor advances have significantly improved the capabilities of on-chip performance monitoring hardware, as is evident in the Pentium 4 processor (Sprunt 2002a). However, the complexity of the performance monitoring hardware has also risen, making the tasks of understanding and using the performance monitoring hardware much more difficult for performance analysts and software developers. Additionally, documentation for these features is becoming increasingly cryptic (Intel Corporation a), further exacerbating the task of using these features effectively. This paper describes a new approach for managing this complexity that enables the full feature set of this hardware to be used while still providing a highlevel, easy-to-use interface. This approach augments reference manual documentation by creating XML descriptions of the performance monitoring hardware capabilities and its desired configuration. This XML-based approach was used to develop the brink and abysstools (Sprunt), which provide high-level interface to the Pentium 4 performance monitoring capabilities.
Grid'5000: A Large Scale And Highly Reconfigurable Experimental Grid Testbed
Authors: Bolze Raphaël , Cappello Franck , Caron Eddy , Daydé Michel , Desprez Frédéric , Jeannot Emmanuel , Jégou Yvon , Lanteri Stephane , Leduc Julien , Melab Noredine , Mornet Guillaume , Namyst Raymond , Primet Pascale , Quetier Benjamin , Richard Olivier , Talbi El-Ghazali , Touche Iréa
Published: October 2006

Large scale distributed systems such as Grids are difficult to study from theoretical models and simulators only. Most Grids deployed at large scale are production platforms that are inappropriate research tools because of their limited reconfiguration, control and monitoring capabilities. In this paper, we present Grid'5000, a 5000 CPU nation-wide infrastructure for research in Grid computing. Grid'5000 is designed to provide a scientific tool for computer scientists similar to the large-scale instruments used by physicists, astronomers, and biologists. We describe the motivations, design considerations, architecture, control, and monitoring infrastructure of this experimental platform. We present configuration examples and performance results for the reconfiguration subsystem.
Interferon-β modulates bone-associated cytokines and osteoclast precursor activity in multiple sclerosis patients
Authors: Weinstock-Guttman Bianca , Hong Jianming , Santos Roseane , Tamaño-Blanco Miriam , Badgett Darlene , Patrick Kara , Baier Monika , Feichter Joan , Gallagher Eileen , Garg Neeta , Ramanathan Murali
Published: October 2006

Purpose Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have a high risk of low bone density. The purpose of this study was to examine the molecular mechanisms potentially capable of modulating bone home-ostasis in response to interferon-β-1a (IFN-β-1a) treatment and the focus was the bone-modulating system comprised of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (RANK), its ligand RANKL and its decoy receptor, osteoprotegerin (OPG).

Methods In this open-label pharmacodynamic study, peripheral blood was obtained from relapsing remitting MS patients just prior to and at multiple time points after intramuscular injection of 30 μg IFN-β-1a. Samples were analysed for RANKL, tumour necrosis factor related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), OPG and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α/β expression. Osteoclast precursor differentiation from peripheral blood cells of MS patients in the presence of exogenously added IFN-β-1a was also assessed. Additionally, the changes in plasma levels of osteocalcin and the C-telopeptides after 1 year of treatment were measured as surrogate markers of bone formation and degradation, respectively.

Results IFN-β-1a treatment modulated RANKL and OPG in a selective, time-dependent manner. The levels of OPG protein decreased 25% at the 8-h time point, then increased 43% at the 24-h time point. The levels of free RANKL reached a maximum at the 8-h time point. Increases in the levels of macrophage inflammatory protein-1β (MIP-1β), a chemokine that increases osteolysis, were observed. The levels of the bone formation marker, osteocalcin, were lower in MS patients compared to controls and increased after one year of treatment. Ex vivo treatment of peripheral blood lymphocytes with IFN-β resulted in a marked reduction of osteoclast-like cells in the presence of RANKL and macrophage colony stimulating factor.

Conclusions IFN-β treatment induces complex, specific and time-dependent changes in multiple proteins and mRNAs related to bone homeostasis in MS patients.
The PASAT performance among patients with multiple sclerosis: analyses of responding patterns using different scoring methods
Authors: Rosti E , Hämäläinen P , Koivisto K , Hokkanen L
Published: October 2006

The Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) is widely used in the evaluation of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients’ cognitive performance, and also used as the sole measure of cognition in a recently developed assessment tool for MS clinical trials, the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC). We analysed if MS patients and healthy controls have different patterns of responding in the PASAT, and whether different scoring methods influence the PASAT’s sensitivity and specificity in detecting disease-associated cognitive impairment. Forty-five relapsing-remitting MS patients and 48 healthy controls were evaluated using the PASAT and a comprehensive neuropsychological examination. Cognitively deteriorated MS patients compensated for their difficulties in PASAT by omitting rather than guessing answers. They skipped items intermittently, which reduces the difficulty of the task. Furthermore, towards the end of the PASAT’s 60-item series MS patients’ performance had a trend to fade whereas controls’ performance was more even throughout the task. The dyad score or the percent dyad score did not essentially improve the sensitivity or the specificity, but the accuracy improved when the answers at the end of the PASAT series were specifically emphasized. Using the combined score, 73% of the patients were correctly classified as cognitively impaired or unimpaired.
Cervical cord magnetization transfer ratio and clinical changes over 18 months in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a preliminary study
Authors: Charil A , Caputo D , Cavarretta R , Sormani M P , Ferrante P , Filippi M
Published: October 2006

Background Magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) permits the quantitative estimation of cervical cord tissue damage in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objective To determine whether a single time-point MTR scan of the cervical cord is associated with short-term disease evolution in patients with relapsing-remitting (RR) MS.

Methods Using a 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system with a tailored cervical cord phased array coil, fast short-tau inversion recovery (fast-STIR) and MTR scans were obtained from 14 untreated patients with RRMS at baseline. Cervical cord MTR histograms were derived. Over the 18- month follow-up period, relapse rate was measured and disability assessed by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score.

Results Average cervical cord MTR was correlated with relapse rate ( r= -0.56, P = 0.037). A moderate correlation ( r values ranging from -0.33 to -0.36) between baseline cervical cord MTR metrics and EDSS changes over 18 months was also noted, albeit statistical significance was not reached ( P = 0.26 and 0.21, respectively) perhaps because of the relatively small sample size.

Conclusions This study suggests that a ‘snapshot’ MT MRI assessment of the cervical cord may detect cervical cord tissue changes associated with short-term disease evolution in RRMS.
Group Status as a Determinant of Organizational Identification After a Takeover: A Social Identity Perspective
Authors: Boen Filip , Vanbeselaere Norbert , Cool Marijke
Published: October 2006

This study investigates the relation between the perceived status of an organization after a takeover (i.e. post-merger status) on employees’ identification with this new organization (i.e. their post-merger identification). Respondents were 234 employees of a corrugated board producing company, which had taken over a smaller company eight months before. As hypothesized, post-merger status was positively related to organizational identification among employees of the lower-status pre-merger company, but they were not related among employees of the higher-status company. Also in line with the expectations, post-merger status was positively related to organizational identification among employees who had identified weakly with their pre-merger group, but not among employees who had identified strongly with their pre-merger group.
The Application of the Personalization Model in Diversity Management
Authors: Ensari Nurcan Karamolla , Miller Norman
Published: October 2006

In an attempt to extend the existing approaches to diversity management, and present a theoretically based intervention strategy that offers ways to reduce prejudice at the workplace, this article reviews the Personalization Model (Brewer & Miller, 1984; Ensari & Miller, 2002; Miller, 2002) and its components (self-other comparison, self-disclosure, and empathy). We argue that, when applied in an organizational context, personalization can improve intergroup relations in organizations, and thereby increase effectiveness and productivity. The present article also discusses how personalization effects can be extended to the out-group as a whole, and proposes alternative ways to implement it in organizations. We further present ideas for future research that can potentially explore the beneficial effects of intergroup personalized contact at the workplace.
The research article and the science popularization article: a probabilistic functional grammar perspective on direct discourse representation
Authors: de Oliveira Janaina Minelli , Pagano Adriana Silvina
Published: October 2006

This article discusses the results of an investigation on discourse representation in a corpus of 34 million words constituted by texts in Brazilian Portuguese from two different genres: the research article and the science popularization article. Drawing on a systemic functional grammar perspective of language and pursuing a probabilistic approach, it focuses on the realization of lexicogrammatical systems of direct discourse representation as enacting interpersonal and social relationships. It is argued that the citation practices employed by writers in the genres studied negotiate discursive distance and are influenced by the status culturally and historically ascribed to scientific knowledge.
Confabulation: sense-making, self-making and world-making in dementia
Authors: Örulv Linda , Hydén Lars-Christer
Published: October 2006

This study is concerned with the productive aspects of confabulation as it occurs spontaneously in dementia care, in its context, and in interaction with other care recipients. Confabulation is approached as a social and discursive event with distinct narrative features; plots and formerly established genres of plots, storylines, are used by confabulators in order to understand, manage and interact socially in the present situation. Three main functions of confabulation are discerned: 1) making sense of the current situation (sense-making); 2) maintaining a personal identity in interaction with others (self-making); and 3) organizing and legitimizing joint action in the world (world-making). The resources used by confabulating subjects are sparse and not well adjusted to changing conditions, as the number of accessible storylines is limited. This makes it difficult to apply storylines that explain the current situation satisfactorily, provide useful guidelines for how to act, as well as preserve a positive self-identity. Helping with this constitutes a major challenge in dementia care.
Facts, truth and bad journalists in the movies
Authors: Ehrlich Matthew C.
Published: October 2006

Scholars have called for cultural analyses of the press that are more attuned to journalists’ self-image as disciples of facts and truth while also critically examining the contradictions within that self-image. Popular representations of journalism such as motion pictures are one fruitful site of inquiry. This article studies American movies’ depictions of ‘bad journalists’, characters who in many ways contradict the image of upstanding professionalism that the press tries to promote. Although real-life journalists over the years have often objected to such portrayals, ‘bad journalist’ characters still have helped shore up the press’s preferred self-image, either by seeing through lies and pretense to the truth or by paying the price for not telling the truth.
A Square-sheet Structure of Paddlewheel Dirhodium Complexes in Mixed Oxidation States with Perrhenate Linkers
Authors: Fuma Yasuhiro , Ebihara Masahiro
Published: October 2006

A mixed oxidation-state (Rh24+ and Rh25+) complex, [{Rh2(acam)4}2(μ4-ReO4)] (1, Hacam = acetamide), was synthesized and characterized by X-ray structure analysis. A square-sheet structure is constructed from Rh2(acam)4 units and ReO4− ion linkers in which all dirhodium units are crystallographically equivalent. In the mixed oxidation-state compounds, the electrical conductivity of 1 (8.9 × 10−6 S cm−1) is higher than that of [{Rh2(acam)4}3(μ3-Cl)2]·4H2O, but lower than that of [{Rh2(acam)4}2(μ4-I)]·6H2O.
Transmastoid labyrinthectomy indications. Technique and early postoperative results
Authors: Colton Jeffrey J. , Graham Malcolm D.
Published: October 2006

Persistent labyrinthine symptoms may manifest as unsteadiness veering or frank rotational vertigo. When these symptoms are resistant to medical therapy and are associated with hearing in the involved ear which is not of a serviceable level, then a transmastoid labyrinthectomy may be of value in ridding the individual of this disability. We have found that this operation may be performed expeditiously and safely; and if the entire vestibular epithelium is removed, the results of surgery are effective and predictable.
Combination therapy protocol for stage iii or iv carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx and hypopharynx
Authors: Schuller David E. , King Gerald W. , Smith Roy E. , Wilson Henry E. , James Arthur D. , Batley Frank
Published: October 2006

Combined therapy programs have improved recurrent and nodal metastatic rates but have not controlled distant metastases. A pilot study undertaken at Ohio State University evaluated the feasibility of adding chemotherapy to a combined modality regimen. The first phase determined that the toxicity of a four‐drug combination chemotherapy yielded a favorable risk/benefit ratio and justified its inclusion in a protocol for untreated cancers.
The incidence of vasovagal reflex activity during radical neck dissection
Authors: Babin Richard W. , Panje William R.
Published: October 2006

Pressure receptors exist within the walls of the carotid bulb which are responsible for maintaining the balance between blood volume, vascular tone, and cardiac output. When these receptors are manipulated during neck surgery the result may be bradycardia, hypotension or cardiac arrythmia. Such events occur sporatically during head and neck surgery and occasionally may prove fatal. While many surgeons advocate anesthetizing the carotid bulb prophylactically, this practice is not universally accepted.
Partial laryngectomy following irradiation
Authors: Henning SØRensen  , Hansen Hanne Sand , Thomsen Knud A.
Published: October 2006

Partial laryngectomy after full course of irradiation was performed in 65 patients as a salvage for residual tumors and local recurrences. The results are reviewed and compared to results obtained by primary operation.
The underdeveloped palate in ear, nose and throat practice
Authors: Saad Ezzat F.
Published: October 2006

The purpose of this study is to assess the incidence of palatal underdevelopment in children undergoing tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. Signs of underdevelopment were found in 24 out of 1,500 consecutive children admitted for tonsil and adenoid surgery (1.6%). Bifid uvula was found in 15 children (1%). Five palates showed deficiency in length or thickness (0.33%) and submucous cleft palate was found in 4 children (0.27%). The palatopharyngeal sphincter was often compensated and adequate. Middle ear disease attributable to Eustachian tube dysfunction, with or without infection, was found in the majority of the children with underdeveloped palate. Tonsil and adenoid surgery was modified according to the palatopharyngeal condition.
Oval and round window changes in otitis media. Potential pathways between middle and inner ear
Authors: Goycoolea Marcos V. , Paparella Michael M. , Juhn S. K. , Carpenter Anna‐Mary
Published: October 2006

A longitudinal sequential study of oval and round window changes in otitis media in an experimental animal (cat) using Eustachian tube obstruction was done. Thirty‐two animals were used.
Revision endolymphatic sac and duct surgery for recurrent meniere's disease and hydrops: Failure analysis and technical aspects
Authors: Arenberg I. Kaufman , Balkany Thomas J.
Published: October 2006

Endolymphatic system surgery for Meniere's disease has been shown to be effective in selected cases; however, some patients do not achieve substantial long‐term relief from their symptoms in spite of early success and may require revision surgery. Revision endolymphatic system surgery has been reported in the literature in 9.7% to 16.3% of patients.

As part of an ongoing prospective analysis of endolymphatic valve implant surgery, the first 400 procedures performed over 6 years were analyzed to determine the rate and cause for revision surgery. Fifty‐four of 386 (13.9%) of endolymphatic valve implants performed by the authors required revision. Fourteen cases initially operated on elsewhere are also analyzed. The most frequent causes of failure was outflow tract obstruction caused by temporalis fascia, previously used to anchor the valve. Since that technique has been abandoned, the revision rate of primary valve implants is 6.7%.
Overpressure in treatment of meniere's disease
Authors: Densert B. , Densert O.
Published: October 2006

Influence of ambient pressure changes on the hearing levels in Meniere's disease was previously demonstrated, using a pressure chamber. The present report concerns a new method for management of Meniere's disease by local application of overpressure. The experimental background and methodologic considerations in therapy are summarized.

Five illustrative cases of verified Meniere's disease are presented. The patients had advanced, nonfluctuating hearing loss and incapacitating vestibular symptoms. Long periods of remission were obtained in all cases. Improvement of hearing was a major clinical consideration in the treatment.

Use of local overpressure seems to offer possibilities of improving hearing even in advanced stages of Meniere's disease. Despite the disabling pretreatment hearing loss, hearing in these 5 patients was restored to normal or serviceable levels. The follow‐up period was about 2 years from start of treatment.
Myringotomy and ventilation tubes: A report of 1,568 ears
Authors: Luxford William M. , Sheehy James L.
Published: October 2006

We reviewed the records of all patients who had a myringotomy and insertion of a ventilation tube at Otologic Medical Group during a 6‐year period; there were 2,266 intubations on 1,568 ears.

Uncomplicated serous otitis media was the indication in 1,055 ears; 19% developed brief episodes of otorrhea. Persistent otorrhea necessitated tube removal in 9 ears, all but 2 of which became dry. These 2 patients required mastoid surgery.

We conclude that myringotomy and insertion of a ventilation tube in serous otitis media is associated with infrequent complications, and these complications are probably related more to the underlying disease process than to the ventilation tube.
Successful systemic chemotherapy of advanced squamous and basal cell carcinoma of the skin with cis‐diamminedichloroplatinum iii and doxorubicin
Authors: Guthrie Troy H. , Porubsky Edward S.
Published: October 2006

Successful systemic chemotherapy of advanced squamous and basal cell carcinoma of the skin using the combination of cis‐diamminedichloroplatinum III and doxorubicin in five patients is reported. Brief comments on historial background and rationale for future usage are included.
Epidemiologic patterns of frontal and maxillary sinus cancer
Authors: Vianna Nicholas J. , Ulitsky George , Shalat Stuart L.
Published: October 2006

A significant decrease in mortality rates for maxillary and frontal sinus cancer was found for older females, particularly in urban areas of New York State, over a 30‐year period. A similar observation was made for males residing in rural areas. The decline in female rates might be related to the discontinued use of carcinogenic agents such as Thorotrast, whereas that in males might be related to changes in those industries associated with an increased risk for these cancer sites.
Fracture of the clavicle following radical neck dissection and postoperative radiotherapy: A case report and review of the literature
Authors: Strauss Melvin , Bushey Michael J. , Chung Chan , Baum Sheldon
Published: October 2006

The treatment of head and neck cancer with radiotherapy and radical neck dissection has many well recognized complications. Radiotherapy in therapeutic doses can produce devascularization and weakening of bone. Radical neck dissection results in altered mechanics of the shoulder girdle and a disruption of normally balanced forces acting on the clavicle. An unusual case of clavicle fracture which is considered to have resulted from an interaction of the effects of these therapies is discussed. An approach for recognizing and distinguishing this entity by its time course, and radiographic and nuclide bone scan appearance is presented.
The relationship of the facial nerve and first branchial cleft anomalies — embryologic considerations
Authors: Liston Stephen L.
Published: October 2006

A Type II first branchial cleft anomaly may lie superficial to, deep to, or between the branches of the facial nerve. The embryologic basis of this finding depends on the variable relationship between the migrating facial musculature, as it passes forward from the second branchial arch to the face, and the epithelial elements which persist in the region of fusion between the inferior portions of the mandibular and hyoid arches.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma in HIV‐Positive Patients Under Age 45
Authors: Roland J. Thomas , Rothstein Stephen G. , Mittal Khushbakhat R. , Perksy Mark S.
Published: October 2006

Eight patients 45 years of age and under (range, 29 to 45) with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and infection with the human immunodeficiency virus are reported. Primary tumor sites include nasopharynx, oral cavity, oropharynx, and larynx. Probes for the human papillomavirus were positive in two of the patients. Therapy consisted of surgery followed by radiation therapy in five patients, surgery alone in one patient, and radiation therapy in the remaining two patients. Follow‐up ranged up to 2 years and revealed four deaths, three patients alive without disease, and one patient recently posttreatment with residual disease. The significance of the presence of the human papillomavirus in these individuals remains to be determined. The incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck under age 45 is low, and whether there may be a higher incidence in HIV‐positive patients cannot be determined from this small series.
Localization of interleukin‐1 in human squamous carcinomas of the head and neck
Authors: Ahn Jeffrey M. , Huang Cheng‐Chun , Cho Hyung T.
Published: October 2006

Recent investigations revealed that interleukin‐1 can promote bone resorption by activating osteoclasts. The authors' immunocytochemical studies with monoclonal antibody against human interleukin‐1 localized interleukin‐1 at the bone resorption site of the squamous carcinomas as well as within the squamous carcinomas. In addition, Western blotting and dot blotting methods were used to isolate interleukin‐1 from the extracts of the squamous carcinomas in the head and neck.

Finding interleukin‐1, a potent bone resorption–stimulating factor, in squamous carcinomas suggests that interleukin‐1 might play an important role in the extensive local bone destruction seen in the head and neck patients with squamous carcinomas.
Quantitative cytology of nasal secretions under various conditions
Authors: Lee Hwa Sik , Majima Yuichi , Sakakura Yasuo , Shinogi Jun , Kawaguchi Shinya , Kim Byung Woo
Published: October 2006

Quantitative cytology was performed in nasal secretions of normal control (NC), seasonal allergic rhinitis in season (SAR), perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR), chronic sinusitis with mucoid secretion (MS), and chronic sinusitis with mucopurulent secretion (MPS). The majority of inflammatory cells were neutrophils in NC, MS, and MPS; the majority were eosinophils in SAR and PAR. The concomitant appearance of inflammatory cells in nasal secretions was found, i.e., there were significant correlations between neutrophil and eosinophil counts in MPS, and between eosionophil and basophil counts in SAR. The eosinophil/neutrophil ratio was more than 0.1 in SAR and PAR, but the ratio was less than 0.1 in all NC, all MPS, and in 93% of MS; this indicates that 0.1 in eosinophil/neutrophil ratio is the critical value between allergic and nonallergic nasal diseases.
Stylistic and thematic shifting as a narrative resource: Assessing asylum seekers' repertoires
Authors: Maryns Katrijn , Blommaert Jan
Published: October 2006

The aim of this paper is to come closer to an empirically grounded view of the functions served by shifting and mixingwithinan intrinsically mixed speaker's repertoire. We shall do this by means of a detailed narrative analysis of a fragment taken from an autobiographical narrative of a West African asylum seeker. In the data a large variety of ‘shifts’ can be detected at various levels: phonetic, grammatical and paralinguistic. Small linguistic details are iconic of general moves and switches in the narrative, the total shape of which is in turn indexical of speaker identity. This provides arguments in favor of an indexical view of code-switching and related phenomena. At the same time, the data invoke issues of the unequal value of linguistic-narrative resources. In the asylum procedure, different preconditions for narrating are brought into the encounters between asylum seekers and officials, different conditions on sayability and interpretability are present and some of the meanings produced or sought fall in the gap between what is recognized and what can be produced. We shall address these ‘pretextual gaps’ in terms of event perspective, resource control, deterritorialization, transidiomaticity.
Towards a definition of Egyptian complimenting
Authors: Mursy Ahmad Aly , Wilson John
Published: October 2006

Compliments are often viewed within the framework of politeness theory. Work on politeness, such as that of Brown and Levinson (1987), has, however, often been infected with a western ethnocentrism, such that cross cultural variations are assumed to be captured within a single politeness model. Recent research on cultures such as Chinese and Japanese have challenged this ethnocentric perspective, and the present work extends the critique in relation to Egyptian Arabic. In the paper, we argue that compliments are culture specific objects. In the case of Egyptian Arabic, any understanding of compliment behavior must take account of such things as values, tact, courtesy, and general group, as opposed to individual, values. Working with a range of compliment behaviours we introduce a model of a ‘social contract of values’ which allows us to move beyond western ethnocentrism, and to capture more directly the process of Egyptian complimenting behavior.
Pronouns of power and solidarity: The case of Spanish first person pluralnosotros
Authors: Stewart Miranda
Published: October 2006

Studies of personal reference to the speaker in Spanish have typically focused on the presence or absence and position when present of the personal pronoun and have taken place within the fields of theoretical syntax or variationist sociolinguistics. This study places the occurrence of the first person plural form within the framework of interactional pragmatics and investigates the potential effects of extralinguistic factors on the linguistic choices of speakers within a broad framework of Gricean pragmatics and politeness theory. It argues that the indeterminacy or ambivalence inherent in speaker–hearer reference functions as a strategic resource and that an awareness of the status of and relationship between participants (power and solidarity) and of their interactional goals as well as an awareness of the mechanics of ‘politeness’ itself can be crucial to the negotiation and maintenance of interpersonal relationships.
To claim or not to claim? An analysis of the politeness of self-evaluation in a corpus of French corporate brochures
Authors: Mclaren Yvonne
Published: October 2006

Although numerous studies have examined the way in which politeness operates in spoken exchanges, relatively few have focused on politeness in written language. This study adopts an interactional view of written texts and, drawing on Brown and Levinson's (1978, 1987) model, investigates the pragmatics of politeness in a corpus of French-language corporate brochures. One of the most important categories of face-threatening act (FTA) in such brochures is the making by the writer (the company) of self-evaluative claims – claims which praise the company's abilities, qualities, products, etc. To commit such an FTA ‘politely’, the writer may opt either for an off-record strategy or an on-record strategy with appropriate face redress. In the corpus there is evidence that his/her choice may be influenced by the position of the claim within the text, since this, it is suggested, affects the ‘weightiness’ of the claim. This is explained in terms of the evolving writer–reader relationship, particularly the variables of power and distance. The evolution of the text user relationship would appear, therefore, to be one of the key factors influencing the writer's choice of politeness strategy and hence the way in which s/he makes strategically important claims.
DNA Damage Checkpoints Are Involved in Postreplication Repair
Authors: Barbour Leslie , Ball Lindsay G , Zhang Ke , Xiao Wei
Published: October 2006

Saccharomyces cerevisiae MMS2 encodes a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme variant, belongs to the error-free branch of the RAD6 postreplication repair (PRR) pathway, and is parallel to the REV3-mediated mutagenesis branch. A mutation in genes of either the MMS2 or the REV3 branch does not result in extreme sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents; however, deletion of both subpathways of PRR results in a synergistic phenotype. Nevertheless, the double mutant is not as sensitive to DNA-damaging agents as a rad6 or rad18 mutant defective in the entire PRR pathway, suggesting the presence of an additional subpathway within PRR. A synthetic lethal screen was employed in the presence of a sublethal dose of a DNA-damaging agent to identify novel genes involved in PRR, which resulted in the isolation of RAD9 as a candidate PRR gene. Epistatic analysis showed that rad9 is synergistic to both mms2 and rev3 with respect to killing by methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), and the triple mutant is nearly as sensitive as the rad18 single mutant. In addition, rad9 rad18 is no more sensitive to MMS than the rad18 single mutant, suggesting that rad9 plays a role within the PRR pathway. Moreover, deletion of RAD9 reduces damage-induced mutagenesis and the mms2 spontaneous and induced mutagenesis is partially dependent on the RAD9 gene. We further demonstrated that the observed synergistic interactions apply to any two members between different branches of PRR and G1/S and G2/M checkpoint genes. These results suggest that a damage checkpoint is essential for tolerance mediated by both the error-free and error-prone branches of PRR.
Nuclear Sex-Determining Genes Cause Large Sex-Ratio Variation in the Apple Snail Pomacea canaliculata
Authors: Yusa Yoichi
Published: October 2006

Evolutionary maintenance of genetic sex-ratio variation is enigmatic since genes for biased sex ratios are disadvantageous in finite populations (the “Verner effect”). However, such variation could be maintained if a small number of nuclear sex-determining genes were responsible, although this has not been fully demonstrated experimentally. Brood sex ratios of the freshwater snail Pomacea canaliculata are highly variable among parents, but population sex ratios are near unity. In this study, the effect of each parent on the brood sex ratio was investigated by exchanging partners among mating pairs. There were positive correlations between sex ratios of half-sib broods of the common mother (r = 0.42) or of the common father (r = 0.47). Moreover, the correlation between full-sib broods was very high (r = 0.92). Thus, both parents contributed equally to the sex-ratio variation, which indicates that nuclear genes are involved and their effects are additive. Since the half-sib correlations were much stronger than the parent–offspring regressions previously obtained, the variation was caused by zygotic sex-determining genes rather than by parental sex-ratio genes. The number of relevant genes appears to be small.
A New Strategy for Estimating Recombination Fractions Between Dominant Markers From an F2 Population
Authors: Tan Yuan-De , Fu Yun-Xin
Published: October 2006

Although most high-density linkage maps have been constructed from codominant markers such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and microsatellites due to their high linkage information, dominant markers can be expected to be even more significant as proteomic technique becomes widely applicable to generate protein polymorphism data from large samples. However, for dominant markers, two possible linkage phases between a pair of markers complicate the estimation of recombination fractions between markers and consequently the construction of linkage maps. The low linkage information of the repulsion phase and high linkage information of coupling phase have led geneticists to construct two separate but related linkage maps. To circumvent this problem, we proposed a new method for estimating the recombination fraction between markers, which greatly improves the accuracy of estimation through distinction between the coupling phase and the repulsion phase of the linked loci. The results obtained from both real and simulated F2 dominant marker data indicate that the recombination fractions estimated by the new method contain a large amount of linkage information for constructing a complete linkage map. In addition, the new method is also applicable to data with mixed types of markers (dominant and codominant) with unknown linkage phase.
SVF1 Regulates Cell Survival by Affecting Sphingolipid Metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Brace Jennifer L , Lester Robert L , Dickson Robert C , Rudin Charles M
Published: October 2006

Sphingolipid signaling plays an important role in the regulation of central cellular processes, including cell growth, survival, and differentiation. Many of the essential pathways responsible for sphingolipid biogenesis, and key cellular responses to changes in sphingolipid balance, are conserved between mammalian and yeast cells. Here we demonstrate a novel function for the survival factor Svf1p in the yeast sphingolipid pathway and provide evidence that Svf1p regulates the generation of a specific subset of phytosphingosine. Genetic analyses suggest that Svf1p acts in concert with Lcb4p and Lcb3p to generate a localized pool of phytosphingosine distinct from phytosphingosine generated by Sur2p. This subset is implicated in cellular responses to stress, as loss of SVF1 is associated with defects in the diauxic shift and the oxidative stress response. A genetic interaction between SVF1 and SUR2 demonstrates that both factors are required for optimal growth and survival, and phenotypic similarities between svf1Δsur2Δ and ypk1Δ suggest that pathways controlled by Svf1p and Sur2p converge on a signaling cascade regulated by Ypk1p. Loss of YPK1 together with disruption of either SVF1 or SUR2 is lethal. Together, these data suggest that compartmentalized generation of distinct intracellular subsets of sphingoid bases may be critical for activation of signaling pathways that control cell growth and survival.
Multilocus Patterns of Nucleotide Diversity, Linkage Disequilibrium and Demographic History of Norway Spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst]
Authors: Heuertz Myriam , De Paoli Emanuele , Källman Thomas , Larsson Hanna , Jurman Irena , Morgante Michele , Lascoux Martin , Gyllenstrand Niclas
Published: October 2006

DNA polymorphism at 22 loci was studied in an average of 47 Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] haplotypes sampled in seven populations representative of the natural range. The overall nucleotide variation was limited, being lower than that observed in most plant species so far studied. Linkage disequilibrium was also restricted and did not extend beyond a few hundred base pairs. All populations, with the exception of the Romanian population, could be divided into two main domains, a Baltico–Nordic and an Alpine one. Mean Tajima's D and Fay and Wu's H across loci were both negative, indicating the presence of an excess of both rare and high-frequency-derived variants compared to the expected frequency spectrum in a standard neutral model. Multilocus neutrality tests based on D and H led to the rejection of the standard neutral model and exponential growth in the whole population as well as in the two main domains. On the other hand, in all three cases the data are compatible with a severe bottleneck occurring some hundreds of thousands of years ago. Hence, demographic departures from equilibrium expectations and population structure will have to be accounted for when detecting selection at candidate genes and in association mapping studies, respectively.
Homeologous Recombination in Solanum lycopersicoides Introgression Lines of Cultivated Tomato
Authors: Canady Michael A , Ji Yuanfu , Chetelat Roger T
Published: October 2006

A library of “introgression lines” containing Solanum lycopersicoides chromosome segments in the genetic background of cultivated tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) was used to study factors affecting homeologous recombination. Recombination rates were estimated in progeny of 43 heterozygous introgressions and whole-chromosome substitution lines, together representing 11 of the 12 tomato chromosomes. Recombination within homeologous segments was reduced to as little as 0–10% of expected frequencies. Relative recombination rates were positively correlated with the length of introgressed segments on the tomato map. The highest recombination (up to 40–50% of normal) was observed in long introgressions or substitution lines. Double-introgression lines containing two homeologous segments on opposite chromosome arms were synthesized to increase their combined length. Recombination was higher in the double than in the single segment lines, despite a preference for crossovers in the region of homology between segments. A greater increase in homeologous recombination was obtained by crossing the S. lycopersicoides introgression lines to L. pennellii—a phylogenetically intermediate species—or to L. esculentum lines containing single L. pennellii segments on the same chromosome. Recombination rates were highest in regions of overlap between S. lycopersicoides and L. pennellii segments. The potential application of these results to breeding with introgression lines is discussed.
Low Impact of Germline Transposition on the Rate of Mildly Deleterious Mutation in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Bégin Mattieu , Schoen Daniel J
Published: October 2006

Little is known about the role of transposable element (TE) insertion in the production of mutations with mild effects on fitness, the class of mutations thought to be central to the evolution of many basic features of natural populations. We propagated mutation-accumulation (MA) lines of two RNAi-deficient strains of Caenorhabditis elegans that exhibit germline transposition. We show here that the impact of TE activity was to raise the level of mildly deleterious mutation by 2- to 8.5-fold, as estimated from fecundity, longevity, and body length measurements, compared to that observed in a parallel MA experiment with a control strain characterized by a lack of germline transposition. Despite this increase, the rate of mildly deleterious mutation was between one and two orders of magnitude lower than the rate of TE accumulation, which was approximately two new insertions per genome per generation. This study suggests that high rates of TE activity do not necessarily translate into high rates of detectable nonlethal mutation.
Construction and Uses of New Compound B-A-A Maize Chromosome Translocations
Authors: Sheridan William F , Auger Donald L
Published: October 2006

Maize B-A translocations result from reciprocal interchanges between a supernumerary B chromosome and an arm of an essential A chromosome. Because of the frequent nondisjunction of the B centromere at the second pollen mitosis, B-A translocations have been used to locate genes to chromosome arms and to study the dosage effects of specific A segments. Compound B-A translocations (B-A-A translocations) are created by bringing together a simple B-A translocation with an A-A translocation in which breakpoints in the A-A and B-A translocations are in the same arm. Recombination in the region of shared homology of these A chromosome segments creates a B-A-A translocation. Success in creating and testing for a new B-A-A translocation requires that the B-A translocation be proximal to the A-A translocation and that the A-A translocation be proximal to the tester locus. The breakpoints of most of the A-A translocations have been cytologically defined by earlier investigators. Previous investigators have produced 16 B-A-A translocations and one B-A-A-A translocation, which collectively define 35 A chromosome breakpoints. We have enlarged this group by creating 64 new B-A-A translocations. We present a summary of the total of 81 B-A-A translocations showing their distribution among the chromosome arms and the 163 cytologically defined chromosome segments delimited by them. We also illustrate the method of construction of these B-A-A stocks and their uses.
Palliative care in Serbia and Montenegro: Where are we now
Authors: Bosnjak Snezana , Milicevic Natasa , Lakicevic Jadranka
Published: October 2006

Palliative care has not been recognized as a specific discipline by health care professionals and policy makers in Serbia and Montenegro. There is low awareness of palliative care among patients, their families, and the general public. There is no national policy, guidelines, or standards on the organization of palliative/hospice care. There is no legislative framework for palliative care. A disease-oriented instead of a holistic patient approach is still present. The patient's right to the best quality of life is still underrecognized. Provision of care is mainly focused on physical domain, while other aspects of support (social, psychological, emotional, spiritual) are less frequently provided. Much palliative care is delivered by practitioners who are not specialists in palliative care. Availability and accessibility of opioids for medical use is still low and inadequate. Immediate release morphine is not available. The National Task Force for Palliative Care is established under the auspices of the Ministry of Health as well as the first non-governmental organization devoted to palliative care. The first national Palliative Care Guidelines for the management of cancer pain, dyspnea and nausea are prepared and published.