bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular evidence for Gondwanan origins of multiple lineages within a diverse Australasian gecko radiation
Authors: Oliver Paul M. , Sanders Kate L.
Published: June 2009

Aim  Gondwanan lineages are a prominent component of the Australian terrestrial biota. However, most squamate (lizard and snake) lineages in Australia appear to be derived from relatively recent dispersal from Asia (< 30 Ma) and in situ diversification, subsequent to the isolation of Australia from other Gondwanan landmasses. We test the hypothesis that the Australian radiation of diplodactyloid geckos (families Carphodactylidae, Diplodactylidae and Pygopodidae), in contrast to other endemic squamate groups, has a Gondwanan origin and comprises multiple lineages that originated before the separation of Australia from Antarctica.

Location  Australasia.

Methods  Bayesian (beast) and penalized likelihood rate smoothing (PLRS) (r8s) molecular dating methods and two long nuclear DNA sequences (RAG‐1 and c‐mos) were used to estimate a timeframe for divergence events among 18 genera and 30 species of Australian diplodactyloids.

Results  At least five lineages of Australian diplodactyloid geckos are estimated to have originated > 34 Ma (pre‐Oligocene) and basal splits among the Australian diplodactyloids occurred c. 70 Ma. However, most extant generic and intergeneric diversity within diplodactyloid lineages appears to post‐date the late Oligocene (< 30 Ma).

Main conclusions  Basal divergences within the diplodactyloids significantly pre‐date the final break‐up of East Gondwana, indicating that the group is one of the most ancient extant endemic vertebrate radiations east of Wallace’s Line. At least five Australian lineages of diplodactyloid gecko are each as old or older than other well‐dated Australian squamate radiations (e.g. elapid snakes and agamids). The limbless Pygopodidae (morphologically the most aberrant living geckos) appears to have radiated before Australia was occupied by potential ecological analogues. However, in spite of the great age of the diplodactyloid radiation, most extant diversity appears to be of relatively recent origin, a pattern that is shared with other Australian squamate lineages.
Asynchronous online discussion thread development: examining growth patterns and peer‐facilitation techniques
Authors: Chan J.C.C. , Hew K.F. , Cheung W.S.
Published: June 2009

This study extends the research on asynchronous online discussion (AOD) by providing a perspective on: (1) the growth patterns of discussion threads and (2) the influence of peer‐ or student‐facilitation techniques on thread development. Using the Pointing, Questioning, Resolving and Summarizing (PQRS) facilitation techniques framework, the threaded discussions of seven AOD forums were carefully mapped out and each message in the postings was examined to determine the type of facilitation techniques applied. Results suggest that an online discussion thread grows either one of three patterns: a ‘short thread pattern’, an ‘extended thread pattern’ with an elongated structure or a ‘split thread pattern’ with a broad structure. Results also suggest that the use of Resolving and Summarizing facilitation techniques tends to foster early thread termination. Understanding how each PQRS student‐facilitation technique impacts thread development reinforces the need to combine the use of ‘questioning’ techniques with other facilitation techniques to enhance thread continuity. We end by discussing some possible implications and issues for future research.
Correlation of visual function with health‐related quality of life in glaucoma patients
Authors: Lin Jen‐Chieh , Yang Ming‐Chin
Published: June 2009

Objectives  The purpose of this study was to assess visual impairment and quality of life (QOL), the relationship between visual function and health‐related and vision‐related QOL, and to identify factors significantly impacting QOL for glaucoma patients.

Methods  One‐on‐one interviews of 280 glaucoma patients at a regional hospital in Taiwan from 1 April 2005 to 30 September 2005. Data collected included demographics, clinical examinations and treatment status. QOL data collected utilized the Chinese (Taiwanese) version of the Medical Outcomes Study Short‐Form 36 Health Survey (SF‐36) and the National Eye Institute Visual Function‐25 (NEIVFQ‐25).

Results  The majority of study participants had open‐angle glaucoma (54.3%) and were classified as moderate stage (33.6%). The higher the health‐related QOL scores for both questionnaires, the fewer difficulties experienced by the patients. Moderate correlation was found between the SF‐36 and NEIVFQ‐25 subscales and visual function. Significant predicting factors for the SF‐36 were gender, age, employment status, presence of systemic disease, better‐eye visual acuity and better‐eye mean defect. For the NEIVFQ‐25, these were general vision, near and distance activities, colour vision and peripheral vision scores.

Conclusions  A combination of demographic data, clinical examination and QOL questionnaires may help clinicians better ascertain the impact of disease severity on glaucoma patients' QOL. This information may help in patient education, treatment compliance and selection of treatment options.
Increased mucosal nitric oxide production in ulcerative colitis is mediated in part by the enteroglial‐derived S100B protein
Authors: Cirillo C. , Sarnelli G. , Esposito G. , Grosso M. , Petruzzelli R. , Izzo P. , Calì G. , D’armiento F. P. , Rocco A. , Nardone G. , Iuvone T. , Steardo L. , Cuomo R.
Published: June 2009

Abstract  In the central nervous system glial‐derived S100B protein has been associated with inflammation via nitric oxide (NO) production. As the role of enteroglial cells in inflammatory bowel disease has been poorly investigated in humans, we evaluated the association of S100B and NO production in ulcerative colitis (UC). S100B mRNA and protein expression, inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression, and NO production were evaluated in rectal biopsies from 30 controls and 35 UC patients. To verify the correlation between S100B and NO production, biopsies were exposed to S100B, in the presence or absence of specific receptor for advanced glycation end‐products (RAGE) blocking antibody, to measure iNOS expression and nitrite production. S100B and iNOS expression were evaluated after incubation of biopsies with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) + interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ) in the presence of anti‐RAGE or anti‐S100B antibodies or budesonide. S100B mRNA and protein expression, iNOS expression and NO production were significantly higher in the rectal mucosa of patients compared to that of controls. Exogenous S100B induced a significant increase in both iNOS expression and NO production in controls and UC patients; this increase was inhibited by specific anti‐RAGE blocking antibody. Incubation with LPS + IFN‐γ induced a significant increase in S100B mRNA and protein expression, together with increased iNOS expression and NO production. LPS + IFN‐γ‐induced S100B up‐regulation was not affected by budesonide, while iNOS expression and NO production were significantly inhibited by both specific anti‐RAGE and anti‐S100B blocking antibodies. Enteroglial‐derived S100B up‐regulation in UC participates in NO production, involving RAGE in a steroid insensitive pathway.
Electroacupuncture attenuates visceral hyperalgesia and inhibits the enhanced excitability of colon specific sensory neurons in a rat model of irritable bowel syndrome
Authors: Xu G.‐y. , Winston J. H. , Chen J. D. Z.
Published: June 2009

Abstract  The causes of irritable bowel syndrome remain elusive and there are few effective treatments for pain in this syndrome. Electroacupunture (EA) is used extensively for treatment of various painful conditions including chronic visceral hyperalgesia (CVH). However, mechanism of its analgesic effect remains unknown. This study was designed to investigate effect of EA on colon specific dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in rats with CVH. CVH was induced by intracolonic injection of acetic acid (AA) in 10‐day‐old rats. Electromyography and patch clamp recordings were performed at age of 8–10 weeks. Colon DRG neurons were labelled by injection of DiI into the colon wall. EA was given at ST36 in both hindlimbs. As adults, neonatal AA‐injected rats displayed an increased sensitivity to colorectal distension (CRD) and an enhanced excitability of colon DRG neurons. EA treatment for 40 min significantly attenuated the nociceptive responses to CRD in these rats; this attenuation was reversed by pretreatment with naloxone. EA treatment for 40 min per day for 5 days produced a prolonged analgesic effect and normalized the enhanced excitability of colon DRG neurons. Furthermore, in vitro application of [D‐Ala2, N‐MePhe4, Gly5‐Ol] enkephalin (DAMGO) suppressed the enhanced excitability of colon neurons from rats with CVH. These findings suggest that EA produced‐visceral analgesia, which might be mediated in a large part by endogenous opioids pathways, is associated with reversal of the enhanced excitability of colon DRG neurons in rats with CVH.
Some fine structural and functional features of lymphocytes in “acquired” agammaglobulinernia A genetically determined disease
Authors: Douglas Steven D. , Kamin Roberta M. , Fudenberg H. Hugh
Published: June 2009

Present evidence for the genetic basis of “acquired” agarnmaglobulinernia has been reviewed. The previously demonstrated serologic abnormalities and the quantitative abnormalities of in vitro lymphocyte response to phytornitogens in parents of these patients are reported. In addition, a qualitative difference in the resultant cell types following in vitro stimulation of lymphocytes with pokeweed mitogen (PWM) between agammaglobulinemic patients, their parents, and normal individuals has been shown. These studies suggest that “acquired” agammaglobulinernia is an autosomal recessive disease, perhaps related to either a defective lymphocyte subpopulation or failure of cytodifferentiation.
Serum lipoproteins in plasma lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase deficiency, studied by electron microscopy
Authors: Torsvik H. , Solaas Marit Hornberg , Gjone E.
Published: June 2009

Serum lipoproteins from a patient with LCAT deficiency have been studied by electron microscopy and compared with lipoproteins from a normal individual and a patient with hyperlipo‐proteinemia of type IV. Particles of density < 1.006 g/ml from the LCAT deficiency patient were within a range of 230–3000 Å in diameter, whereas the diameters of the corresponding particles from the other two subjects fell within a range from 230 to 900 Å. A mean diameter of approximately 200 Å was found for the low density lipoproteins (l.019–1.063 g/ml) from the three subjects investigated.

In LCAT deficiency the high density lipoprotein (1.063–1.195 g/ml) particles demonstrated a tendency to rouleau‐formation, giving the molecules a coinlike appearance with a mean diameter of 162 Å, and a mean thickness of 46 Å. In electron micrographs of HDL particles from the other two subjects studied, rouleau‐formation was not observed, and the mean diameters were of 82 and 85 Å, respectively.

By gel filtration on Sephadex G‐200 of the HDL fraction from the patient with LCAT deficiency two populations of particles were found, one with a mean particle diameter of 163 Å and one with particle diameters of 35–56 Å.
Precipitating factors against chicken proteins in patients with Down's syndrome
Authors: Adinolfi M. , Gilligan B.
Published: June 2009

Precipitating factors against chicken serum proteins detected by double diffusion in agar gel were observed in 40 % of D.S. patients studied. The precipitating factors were found to be associated with γG globulins. Similar factors were absent in groups of normal children, mentally retarded subjects, and parents and siblings of the D.S. patients. No association was found between the precipitating factors and the presence of Pe antibodies or Au‐SH antigens.
Interaction between antilymphocyte globulin and phytohemagglutinin in human lymphocyte cultures
Authors: Skoog T. Valdemar , Lindahl‐Kiessling Kerstin
Published: June 2009

The interaction between antilymphocyte globulin (ALG) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) in human lymphocyte culture has been studied. Treatment of the cells with rabbit anti‐human lymphocyte globulin (RAHLG) was found to inhibit their response to PHA. This combined ALG‐PHA effect in the initial stages of lymphocyte stimulation may be explained by a model of drug‐receptor interaction which shows that PHA is inhibited competitively by RAHLG.
Quantitative variation in serum ceruloplasmin among ethnic groups
Authors: Shokeir M. H. K.
Published: June 2009

Serum ceruloplasmin levels were determined enzymatically and immunochemically in Caucasians, Negroes, Orientals, and Amerindians. Orientals were found to have lower levels than either Negroes or Caucasians whereas the levels in Amerindians were higher. The differences were statistically significant at the 0.01 and 0.05 levels respectively.
Prevention of rhesus isoimmunization
Authors: Clarke C. A.
Published: June 2009

The prevention of Rh isoimmunization by the giving of anti‐D gammaglobulin to non‐immunized Rh‐negative women after the birth of an Rh‐positive child is discussed under the following headings: Introduction and the ideas leading to the therapy; Clinical trials; Failures and “failures”. Obstetrical factors relevant to immunization; Risks of the prophylaxis, (a) to the mothers, (b) to volunteer blood donors; Dosage of anti‐D gammaglobulin; The Kleihauer test; Priorities in the use of anti‐D, (a) in abortions, (b) in ABO incompatibility between mother and foetus, (c) in hypertensive patients; Provision of anti‐D gammaglobulin; Mechanisms of protection; Leukocyte antibodies and Rh; The role of intensive plasmapheresis to lower anti‐D levels.
X‐linked cerebellar ataxia
Authors: Shokeir M. H. K.
Published: June 2009

Three independent families showing X‐linked recessive inheritance of a rare form of cerebellar ataxia are presented. The disease is clinically distinct from both Friedreich and Marie ataxias. The age of onset is between 16–21 years and the course is progressive until the age of 30 when further deterioration is arrested. The manifestations are predominantly cerebellar with minimal pyramidal and no posterior column affection. Intellectual functions remain unimpaired. A case of female Turner's who is also a victim of this disorder is presented.
Phacomatoses, the inheritance of cancer, and somatic mutation
Authors: Nicholls E. M.
Published: June 2009

There are many hereditary conditions in which benign or malignant tumour formation occurs as a principal feature. Two of these conditions are recessively inherited and in each case the lesions observed may be explained in terms of current knowledge of the action of the genes. The other conditions are all dominantly inherited, affect specific cell types, and have many general similarities. They include at least three of the phacomatoses as originally defined, and this term by extended to cover all such conditions. The theory that neoplastic lesions in these conditions are an effect of heterozygosity is discussed. The heterozygosity is believed to lead to the establishment of clones of cells which will undergo sequential somatic mutations. Selection for increased mitotic rate or cell survival within these clones will lead to benign or malignant tumour formation.
Hereditary dystonia musculorum deformans
Authors: Hoefnagel D. , Allen F. H. , Falk Catherine
Published: June 2009

Two kindreds are reported with autosomal dominant dystonia musculorum deformam. In each kindred there was one instance of non‐pcnetrance (tero expressivity) of the trait. The results of linkage studies with blood groups have been summarized.
Do the 48, XXYY males have a characteristic phenotype? A Review
Authors: Borgaonkar Digamber S. , Mules Emilie , Char Florence.
Published: June 2009

Data on fifty‐three patients with 48, XXYY chromosome complement were collected from the literature and personal correspondence and reviewed with the objective of delineating a ‘uniform phenotype.’ Although no single stigma was found to be characteristic of the 48, XXYY males, tall stature, low upper segment/lower segment ratio, mental retardation, and behavior problems in a phenotypic male (including prepubertal age group) should raise the question of a 48, XXYY chromosome basic defect. In the majority of cases testicular biopsies revealed varying degrees of atrophy, levels of FSH were elevated, and 17 KS were low to normal, both characteristics being comparable to those found in 47, XXY males.

Dermatoglyphic changes were found to be reduced total finger ridge count, increased frequency of arches on fingers, presence of a hypothenar pattern, distally placed triradius, and occasional qimian crease.
Red cell acid phosphatase, phenolphthaleindiphosphate, and β‐naphtyl phosphate: variation in substrate specificity
Authors: Sørensen S. A.
Published: June 2009

Contrary to carlicr results it is found that β‐naphtyl phosphate may be used as a substrate for red cell acid phosphatase and that thereby isozymes are revealed that do not appear with phenolphtha‐lein diphosphate as substrate. Qualitative differences between the zymograms with the two substrates are interpreted as being due to variation in substrate specificity between isozymes. Quantitatively, the enzymatic activity is of the same order as regards these two substrates. Previous unsuccessful attempts to obtain a zymogram with naphtyl phosphate are shown to be due to inhibition of the enzyme by diazonium salts.
Further studies on serum α1‐lipoprotein in familial lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase deficiency
Authors: Torsvik Harald
Published: June 2009

Serum high density lipoprotein (HDL) from two patients with LCAT deficiency has been compared with HDL from normal subjects and HDL from a presumed heterozygous carrier. By two different immunological methods the concentration of ‐lipoprotein in serum of the patients was found to he about 25–30 % of the normal concentration.

Patient HDL is cornpoked of two fractions, as shown previously. The first fraction contains particles of high molecular weight with an electrophoretic mobility slightly slower than that of normal HDL. The lipid content is 70%, and the concentrations of unesterified cholesterol and phospholipids are about 10–15 and 3–4 times that of normal HDL, respectively. The second fraction consists of particles of relatively low molecular weight with electrophoretic mobility faster than albumin. This fraction exhibits closc to normal concentrations of unesterified cholesterol and phospholipids. Esterified cholesterol or lysolccithin could he demonstrated in none of the fractions.

HDL from the prewmed hetcrozygous carrier was normal as judged from immunoelectro‐phoresis, gel filtration, electron microscopy. and lipid analyses.
G E N EX ‐ An algebraic approach to pedigree probability calculus
Authors: Hilden J.
Published: June 2009

An algebraic language, called genex, for pedigree prohahility calculus is introduccd. and the basic techniques arc presented in an informal way (cf. Section 1.1). Probability distributions arc represented by so‐called generating expressions (Section 2.1), and the biological phenomena reSpOnSibk for random transmission of gcnes, etc. are I‐epresented by operators manipulating such generating expressions (Section 4). For the purpose of unarnbiguouy notation and correct handling of pedigree knowledge, the assumption concept is introduced (Section 5.2, 6.1), which allows the user to refer to smaller or larger pieces of information by a symbolic name.
Amino acid composition of the serum low density lipoprotein in patients with familial lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase deficiency
Authors: Boman Helge , Torsvik Harald
Published: June 2009

The amino acid composition of the serum low density lipoprotein (LDL) from three sisters with deficiency of the enzyme lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase has been investigated. A slight increase in arginine, glutamic acid, and alanine was found in the LDL of the patients compared with the amounts of these amino acids in the LDL of five normal subjects.
Outcome of treatment of Epstein–Barr virus‐related post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disorder in hematopoietic stem cell recipients: a comprehensive review of reported cases
Authors: Styczynski J. , Einsele H. , Gil L. , Ljungman P.
Published: June 2009

Abstract:Post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) caused by Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is an important complication in high‐risk allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. Before the current methods of anti‐EBV therapy were introduced, the mortality from PTLD after HSCT was >80%. With current approaches the mortality from EBV‐PTLD can be significantly reduced. The published literature and meeting abstracts were reviewed to assess the impact of different management strategies against EBV‐PTLD. This analysis of reported outcomes indicates that preemptive use of rituximab and EBV‐cytotoxic  T lymphocytes (CTL) significantly reduced the risk of death due to EBV‐PTLD in HSCT recipients with survival rates of 89.7% and 94.1%, respectively. Therapy of established PTLD also reduced the risk of fatal outcome. However, the overall success rates were lower than after preemptive therapy, reaching 63% and 88.2% of total EBV‐DNA clearance with rituximab and CTL therapy, respectively. A reduction of immunosuppression and/or donor lymphocyte infusion might also reduce the risk of death due to EBV‐PTLD. Although it is difficult to estimate these effects more precisely because of the frequent use of combination therapies, the responses to these modalities can be estimated to be 56.6% and 41.0%, respectively. Finally, chemotherapy seems not to contribute to improved survival of patients with PTLD after HSCT  and antiviral agents are not active against PTLD.
Case of fulminant leptospirosis in a renal transplant patient
Authors: Gerasymchuk L. , Swami A. , Carpenter C.F. , Samarapungavan D. , Batke M. , Kanhere R. , Robinson‐Dunn B. , Wilson J.D. , Szela J.
Published: June 2009

Abstract: We present a case of fulminant leptospirosis that was acquired in the suburban area by a 48‐year‐old male renal transplant recipient. He developed acute renal and hepatic failure with profound jaundice. Spirochetes were identified on liver biopsy. Weil's disease was suspected, and the diagnosis was further supported by a positive serum Leptospira interrogans icterohaemorrhagiae antibody titer. Unfortunately, he suffered from recurrent lower gastrointestinal bleeding, had a prolonged hospital course, and eventually succumbed to overwhelming sepsis. This case is the third report to our knowledge of leptospirosis in a renal transplant recipient in the English literature.
Selective Absorption of K over Na in Sugar Beet Cultivars and its Relationship with Yield and Quality in Two Contrasting Environments of Central Greece
Authors: Tsialtas J. T. , Maslaris N.
Published: June 2009

Selective absorption (SA) of K over Na (i.e. the preferential absorption of K over Na) has been proposed as a Na tolerance mechanism but genotypic variation for this trait has not been assessed with sugar beet in the field. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the variation of SA in 14 sugar beet cultivars and to relate SA with yield and root quality in two sites of central Greece (Amfithea and Pyrgetos). Genotypic variation for SA was significant and the SA values were higher in Pyrgetos, the site with the lower soil K and Na concentrations. In Pyrgetos, a favourable environment for sugar beet growth, cultivars yielded more and root quality was better. In that site, a negative relationship between SA and yield (fresh root weight, sugar yield) was found indicating that strong Na exclusion from root is a disadvantage for high yielding. Negative SA–yield relationships were evident in Amfithea when five cultivars with very low SA values (<1.00) were excluded from the analysis. Combined all the cultivars, curvilinear functions were the best‐fitted curves for the SA–yield relationships. In Amfithea, where sugar beets had lower water content in root (WCR), a significant, positive correlation between SA and % sucrose content in fresh root weight was found. This finding was ascribed to the dilution of sucrose in roots due to the increased WCR as a result of the increased root Na concentration. In both sites, SA was positively related with root K concentration and negatively with Na concentration. The positive correlations between SA and root α‐amino N concentration indicated that sugar beet N nutrition could be affected by the genotypic ability to exclude Na from the root.
Effects of Water Shortage and Air Temperature on Seed Yield and Seed Performance of Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) in a Mediterranean Environment
Authors: Karamanos A. J. , Papastylianou P. T. , Stavrou J. , Avgoulas C.
Published: June 2009

Seed production and performance of lucerne is characterized by fluctuating yields with often poor seed quality, and is dependent on environmental conditions, genetic characteristics and agronomic techniques applied during seed set, development, maturation and storage. A field experiment was carried out in two successive growing seasons at Kopais (southern Greece) to evaluate the effects of drought stress imposed by three irrigation treatments, and temperature during flowering and seed filling on lucerne seed yield and quality. Plant water status, expressed in terms of the water potential index (WPI), growth in leaf area and dry weight, seed yield and yield components, flowering and seed quality parameters were measured throughout the growing seasons. The adopted irrigation schemes produced a clear differentiation among treatments concerning their plant water status. Seed yield and leaf growth showed close positive correlations with WPI. An irrigation effect was also detected for the number of pods/plant, but not for the average weight of seeds/pod. Less negative values of WPI, and, especially, higher temperatures during flowering were also positively associated with a longer duration of flowering, as well as with higher total numbers of inflorescences. A very good description of the time course of seed germination was performed by fitting the Richards’ function to the real data. By examining the germination parameters derived from this function it was found that final germination and germination rate were improved, while germination duration was shortened with more negative values of WPI. The effects of growing season and seeding period were occasionally equally or more important than irrigation effects. These results are also discussed in terms of their practical implications for seed producing lucerne crops.
Influence of inclusion size on S‐N curve characteristics of high‐strength steels in the giga‐cycle fatigue regime
Authors: LU L. T. , ZHANG J. W. , SHIOZAWA K.
Published: June 2009

Fatigue fracture of high‐strength steels often occurs from small defect on the surface of a material or from non‐metallic inclusion in the subsurface zone of a material. Under rotating bending loading, the S‐N curve of high‐strength steels consists of two curves corresponding to surface defect‐induced fracture and internal inclusion‐induced fracture. The surface defect‐induced fracture occurs at high stress amplitude levels and low cycles. However, the subsurface inclusion‐induced fracture occurs at low stress amplitude levels and high‐cycle region of more than 106 cycles (giga‐cycle fatigue life). There is a definite stress range in the S‐N curve obtained from the rotating bending, where the crack initiation site changes from surface to subsurface, giving a stepwise S‐N curve or a duplex S‐N curve. On the other hand, under cyclic axial loading, the S‐N curve of high‐strength steels displays a continuous decline and surface defect‐induced or internal inclusion‐induced fracture occur in the whole range of amplitudes. In this paper, influence factors on S‐N curve characteristics of high‐strength steels, including size of inclusions and the stress gradient of bending fatigue, were investigated for rotating bending and cyclic axial loading in the giga‐cycle fatigue regime. Then, based on the estimated subsurface crack growth rate from the S‐N data, effect of inclusion size on the dispersion of fatigue life was explained, and it was clarified that the shape of S‐N curve for subsurface inclusion‐induced fracture depends on the inclusion size.
Metagenomic approach studying the taxonomic and functional diversity of the bacterial community in a mesotrophic lake (Lac du Bourget – France)
Authors: Debroas Didier , Humbert Jean‐François , Enault François , Bronner Gisèle , Faubladier Michael , Cornillot Emmanuel
Published: June 2009

The main goals of this work were to identify the metabolic pathways of the bacterial community in a lacustrine ecosystem and to establish links between taxonomic composition and the relative abundances of these metabolic pathways. For this purpose, we analysed a 16S rRNA gene library obtained by gene amplification together with a sequence library of both insert ends on c. 7700 fosmids. Whatever the library used, Actinobacteria was the most abundant bacterial group, followed by Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Specific aquatic clades such as acI and acIV (Actinobacteria) or LD12 and GOBB‐C201 (Alphaproteobacteria) were found in both libraries. From comparative analysis of metagenomic libraries, the metagenome of this lake was characterized by overrepresentation of genes involved in the degradation of xenobiotics mainly associated with Alphaproteobacteria. Actinobacteria were mainly related to metabolic pathways involved in nucleotide metabolism, cofactors, vitamins, energy, replication and repair. Betaproteobacteria appeared to be characterized by the presence of numerous genes implicated in environmental information processing (membrane transport and signal transduction) whereas glycan and carbohydrate metabolism pathways were overrepresented in Bacteroidetes. These results prompted us to propose hypotheses on the ecological role of these bacterial classes in lacustrine ecosystems.
Evidence for structuring of bacterial community composition by organic carbon source in temperate lakes
Authors: Jones Stuart E. , Newton Ryan J. , McMahon Katherine D.
Published: June 2009

Water entering lakes from the surrounding watershed often delivers large amounts of terrestrial‐derived dissolved organic carbon (DOC) that can contribute to aquatic bacterial production. However, research suggests that phytoplankton‐derived DOC is more labile than its terrestrial counterpart, owing to microbial processing of terrestrial‐derived DOC along its flow path to surface waters. The ratio of water colour (absorbance at 440 nm) to chlorophyll a has been suggested as a simple measure of the relative contribution of terrestrial and aquatic primary production to aquatic secondary production. To explore the correlation between primary DOC source and the occurrence of bacterial taxonomic groups, we conducted a survey of bacterial 16S rRNA gene composition in 15 lakes positioned along a water colour : chlorophyll a gradient. Our goal was to identify bacterial taxa occurrence patterns along the colour : chlorophyll a gradient that may indicate a competitive advantage for bacterial taxa using terrestrial or aquatic carbon. We observed a large number of bacterial taxa occurrence patterns suggestive of carbon substrate niche partitioning, especially when relatively highly resolved taxonomic groups were considered. Our survey supports the hypothesis that bacterial taxa partition along a carbon substrate source gradient and highlights carbon source–bacterial interactions that should be explored further.
Short‐term microbial and physico‐chemical variability in low‐temperature hydrothermal fluids near 5°S on the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge
Authors: Perner Mirjam , Bach Wolfgang , Hentscher Michael , Koschinsky Andrea , Garbe‐Schönberg Dieter , Streit Wolfgang R. , Strauss Harald
Published: June 2009

This study examines the representativeness of low‐temperature hydrothermal fluid samples with respect to their chemical and microbiological characteristics. Within this scope, we investigated short‐term temporal chemical and microbial variability of the hydrothermal fluids. For this purpose we collected three fluid samples consecutively from the same spot at the Clueless field near 5°S on the southern Mid‐Atlantic Ridge over a period of 50 min. During sampling, the temperature was monitored online. We measured fluid chemical parameters, characterized microbial community compositions and used statistical analyses to determine significant differences between the samples. Overall, the three fluid samples are more closely related to each other than to any other tested habitat. Therefore, on a broad scale, the three collected fluid samples can be regarded as habitat representatives. However, small differences are apparent between all samples. One of the Clueless samples even displayed significant differences (P‐value < 0.01) to the other two Clueless samples. Our data suggest that the observed variations in fluid chemical and microbial compositions are not reflecting sampling artefacts but are related to short‐term fluid variability due to dynamic subseafloor fluid mixing. Recorded temporal changes in fact reflect spatial heterogeneity found in the subsurface as the fluid flows through distinctive pathways. While conservative elements (Cl, Si, Na and K) indicate variable degrees of fluid‐seawater mixing, reactive components, including Fe(II), O2and H2S, show that chemical and microbial reactions within the mixing zone further modify the emanating fluids on short‐time scales. Fluids entrain microorganisms, which modify the chemical microenvironment within the subsurface biotopes. This is the first study focusing on short‐term microbial variability linked to chemical changes in hydrothermal fluids.
Viral control of bacterial biodiversity – evidence from a nutrient‐enriched marine mesocosm experiment
Authors: Sandaa Ruth‐Anne , Gómez‐Consarnau Laura , Pinhassi Jarone , Riemann Lasse , Malits Andrea , Weinbauer Markus G. , Gasol Josep M. , Thingstad T. Frede
Published: June 2009

We demonstrate here results showing that bottom‐up and top‐down control mechanisms can operate simultaneously and in concert in marine microbial food webs, controlling prokaryote diversity by a combination of viral lysis and substrate limitation. Models in microbial ecology predict that a shift in the type of bacterial growth rate limitation is expected to have a major effect on species composition within the community of bacterial hosts, with a subsequent shift in the composition of the viral community. Only moderate effects would, however, be expected in the absolute number of coexisting virus–host pairs. We investigated these relationships in nutrient‐manipulated systems, under simulated in situ conditions. There was a strong correlation in the clustering of the viral and bacterial community data supporting the existence of an important link between the bacterial and viral communities. As predicted, the total number of viral populations was the same in all treatments, while the composition of the viral community varied. Our results support the theoretical prediction that there is one control mechanism for the number of niches for coexisting virus–host pairs (top‐down control), and another mechanism that controls which virus–host pairs occupy these niches (bottom‐up control).
Quantitative PCR reveals transient and persistent algal viruses in Lake Ontario, Canada
Authors: Short Steven M. , Short Cindy M.
Published: June 2009

To determine if different algal viruses (Phycodnaviridae) share common patterns of seasonal abundance, quantitative PCR methods were developed and applied to monitor the abundances of three different viruses in Lake Ontario, Canada over 13 months. Throughout the year, the abundances of two different phycodnavirus polB gene fragments (LO1b‐49 and LO1a‐68) varied by more than two orders of magnitude, peaked during the autumn months, and were lowest during the summer. The seasonal abundance patterns of these two virus genes were similar and both were detected in almost every sample, but LO1b‐49 was consistently an order of magnitude more abundant than LO1a‐68. LO1b‐49 reached a maximum abundance of 5413 ± 312 genes ml−1, whereas LO1a‐68′s abundance peaked at only 881 ± 113 genes ml−1. Another phycodnavirus polB fragment that was monitored (LO1b‐16) was detected in only a few samples, but reached a higher maximum concentration (6771 ± 879 genes ml−1) than either LO1b‐49 or LO1a‐68. The results of this year‐long investigation of virus gene abundances suggests that Lake Ontario's phycodnavirus community is composed of persistent viruses detectable throughout the year and transient viruses present in only a few sporadic samples. The results also suggest that some persistent algal viruses are able to survive at relatively low abundances through several seasons.
Velocity as a Predictor of Performance Satisfaction, Mental Focus, and Goal Revision
Authors: Elicker Joelle D. , Lord Robert G. , Ash Steven R. , Kohari Nicole E. , Hruska Bryce J. , McConnell Nicole L. , Medvedeff Megan E.
Published: June 2009

In a longitudinal study, the authors examined the role of students' rate of progress, or velocity, in goal‐striving over one semester of a college‐level Introductory Psychology course. At both mid‐course and near end‐of‐course time periods, results demonstrated that velocity uniquely contributed to the prediction of students' performance satisfaction, mental focus, and goal revision, above and beyond the influence of performance‐goal discrepancies and ability. Specifically, velocity demonstrated main effects on performance satisfaction and mental focus. Velocity significantly interacted with goal importance in the prediction of goal revision. The authors call for increased attention to the role of velocity in self‐regulation.

Dans une étude longitudinale, les auteurs examinent le rôle du taux de progrès des étudiants ou leur rapiditéà atteindre des buts sur un semestre pour un cours d'introduction à la psychologie en faculté. Deux mesures ont été faites: l'une à la moitié du semestre et l'autre à la fin de ce même semestre. Les résultats montrent que uniquement la rapidité contribue à prédire la satisfaction de la performance des étudiants, la concentration, et la révision de l'objectif quels que soient les écarts entre le but de la performance et les capacités. Plus spécifiquement, la rapidité a des effets importants sur la satisfaction de la performance et la concentration. La rapidité interagit significativement avec l'importance des buts dans le cas où l'on envisage leur révision. Les auteurs soulignent le rôle de la rapidité sur l'auto‐régulation.
Endoluminal isoproterenol reduces renal pelvic pressure during semirigid ureterorenoscopy: a porcine model
Authors: Jakobsen Jørn S. , Jung Helene U. , Gramsbergen Jan B. , Osther Palle J. , Walter Steen
Published: June 2009

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects on the pressure‐flow relation of renal pelvic pressure during semirigid ureterorenoscopy and endoluminal perfusion of isoproterenol (ISO) 0.1 µg/mL, with emphasis on local effects and cardiovascular side‐effects, as topically administered ISO effectively and dose‐dependently causes relaxation of the upper urinary tract in pigs with no concomitant cardiovascular side‐effects.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In anaesthetized female pigs (60 kg), 16 macroscopically normal upper urinary tract systems were subjected to ureterorenoscopy. Via a subcostal incision a 6‐F catheter was placed in the renal pelvis for pressure measurements, and a semirigid ureteroscope (7.8 F) was inserted retrogradely in the renal pelvis, through which the pelvis was perfused. The blood pressure and heart rate were recorded. The increase in renal pelvic pressure was examined with increasing flow rates (0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 25 and 33 mL/min) with saline alone or saline + ISO 0.1 µg/mL. Perfusion was initiated on the left side, with randomization for adding ISO or not. Thereafter perfusion was done on the right side as a control in each pig. The surgeons were unaware of whether ISO was added or not.

RESULTS

The mean (sd) baseline pelvic pressures in the saline and ISO group were 28 (7.1) and 25 (9.8) mmHg, respectively, with no significant difference (P = 0.079). Endoluminal perfusion with ISO significantly inhibited the pelvic pressure increase to perfusion at all perfusion rates. The pressure‐flow relation was linear; the maximum relaxation (27%) was obtained at 4 mL/min, from 52 to 38 mmHg during saline alone and ISO 0.1 µg/mL perfusion, respectively. The mean blood pressure did not change significantly (P = 0.330). The mean (sd) heart rate in the saline and ISO group were 109 (4.5) and 97 (2.1) beats/min, respectively (P < 0.001), i.e. a markedly greater rate in the saline than in the ISO group.

CONCLUSION

The pressure‐flow relation during semirigid ureterorenoscopy was linear. ISO 0.1 µg/mL in saline significantly reduced the pressure‐flow relation during semirigid ureterorenoscopy in this porcine model. ISO might be a potential additive to the irrigation fluid during upper urinary tract endoscopic procedures, minimizing pressure increases due to irrigation and manipulation.
Risk factors for positive findings in patients with high‐grade T1 bladder cancer treated with transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TUR) and bacille Calmette‐Guérin therapy and the decision for a repeat TUR
Authors: Orsola Anna , Cecchini Lluís , Raventós Carles X. , Trilla Enric , Planas Jacques , Landolfi Stefania , De Torres Inés , Morote Juan
Published: June 2009

Study Type – Therapy (case series)

Level of Evidence 4

OBJECTIVE

To determine factors predictive of positive findings at the 3‐month follow‐up evaluation (after transurethral resection of bladder tumour [TUR] and bacille Calmette‐Guérin [BCG] therapy) in patients with initial high‐grade (HG)T1 bladder cancer, and to assess the depth of lamina propria (LP) invasion and effectiveness of BCG therapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In all, 138 patients with initial HGT1‐transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) were prospectively assigned, after TUR + BCG and according to depth of LP invasion, to a postBCG‐TUR (T1b) or cystoscopy/cytology (T1a) at 3 months. Any finding at 3 months was considered positive. The predictive value of 11 clinical and pathological variables was assessed by chi‐squared, Mann–Whitney U and multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

Of the 138 patients (14 women, mean age 69 years), 42% had T1a and 58% T1b TCC. Tumour size and carcinoma in situ (CIS) were significantly associated with positive findings and present in 26% (36/138) of the patients. The postBCG‐TUR (T1b cases), was positive in 31% (25/80), including seven infiltrating tumours. On multivariate analysis, again a tumour size of >3 cm (odds ratio, OR, 7.02) and associated CIS (OR 5.4) were significantly related to a positive postBCG‐TUR. A secondary finding was that at 20.3 months; patients with T1a TCC, who did not undergo a repeat TUR, did not have increased progression; only 3% (two of 58) had progressed compared with 21% (17/80) of those with T1b/c TCC (P < 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

In initial HGT1‐TCC, tumour size and CIS were predictive factors of positive findings at 3 months after the initial TUR + BCG therapy. Patients with HGT1‐TCC invading the LP (T1b TCC) had a seven times higher risk of a positive repeat TUR if the initial tumour was >3 cm and a five‐fold increased risk if associated with CIS. The repeat TUR after BCG therapy allowed confirmation of complete resection and pathological evaluation of the BCG response. Although data are still preliminary, the strategy of performing a repeat TUR only in cases with LP involvement, i.e. T1b TCC, did not increase the risk of progression in cases with T1a TCC.
Cardinal Pole's Special Agent: Michael Throckmorton, c.1503–1558
Authors: OVERELL ANNE
Published: June 2009

Michael Throckmorton is best known for his peripatetic career as Cardinal Pole's agent. This article underlines the anxieties and dangers of that role, undertaken amidst fears that English agents would assassinate the cardinal. It also investigates Throckmorton's private life as a student in Italy in the 1530s and as a family man, one of a large clan divided by religion. Using the new evidence of his book inventory, it suggests that Throckmorton was a humanist, in whose library editions of the classics were outnumbered by medical texts. His ownership of banned or suspect religious works is set in the context of his friendship with the spirituali in Pole's household at Viterbo, especially the reformer‐poet Marcantonio Flaminio. In 1553 Throckmorton carried to Queen Mary the papal bull making Pole the legate responsible for England's reconciliation. After delicate negotiations in England, Throckmorton returned to Mantua and died there in 1558, partly protected from the religious and political turmoil which afflicted Pole's last years. The article concludes by relating Throckmorton's life to wider contemporary experience: European perceptions of English religious change, the ‘medical renaissance’, Marian persecution, and the complexities faced by erstwhile spirituali.
Taming Madness: Moral Discourse and Allegory in Counter‐Reformation Spain
Authors: TAUSIET MARÍA
Published: June 2009

In the early modern period, madness assumed an important role in European thought and to a certain extent replaced the obsession with death which had characterized the preceding centuries. Like death before it, madness was seen as a means of accessing truth, but this was now an incomplete truth full of ambivalence and ambiguity since folly was being reclaimed as a relative form of reason. This article examines how this new vision of madness influenced Spanish thought in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Overall, it can be said that the positive and liberating view of madness, as conveyed by Erasmus, predominated in Spain until the end of the sixteenth century. Thereafter, the spirit of the Counter‐Reformation tried gradually to constrain the omnipresent madness, associating it with the most reprehensible of vices, while understanding sanity to be the cultivation of Christian virtues. Despite attempts by a reductionist moral discourse to tame madness, however, it proved to be an unmanageable beast which continued to multiply and display a thousand and one difference faces.
‘By These Means the Sacred Discourses Sink More Deeply into the Minds of Men’: Music and Education in Elizabethan England
Authors: WILLIS JONATHAN
Published: June 2009

This article seeks to cast fresh light on the connections between music, education and the Reformation in Elizabethan England. Plato and Aristotle attributed to music a sovereign role and efficacy in education, and these notions were seized upon by religious reformers during the sixteenth century. The power of music to aid in the processes of learning and the absorption of holy doctrine made it an invaluable tool of religious pedagogy even in the eyes of Puritan critics of music in public worship. During the Renaissance, music was squeezed out of the majority of formal school curricula, but the practice of metrical psalmody in schools was more common than this might suggest. The laity more generally were the target of a panoply of religious instructional musical forms, including hymns, graces, and other scriptural, liturgical and catechetical versifications. Almost half of all Elizabethan godly ballads were written with a didactic function in mind and, while they rarely communicated a complex doctrinal or theological message, they sat comfortably within a staunchly Protestant conception of belief as practice. Elizabethan society was a musical place, and the education and eventual Protestantization of the Elizabethan people was, at least in part, a musical phenomenon.