bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An overview of patients’ preference for, and satisfaction with, care provided by general practitioners and nurse practitioners
Authors: Laurant Miranda GH , Hermens Rosella PMG , Braspenning Jozé CC , Akkermans Reinier P , Sibbald Bonnie , Grol Richard PTM
Published: July 2008

Aim and objectives. To assess patients’ views on the care provided by nurse practitioners compared with that provided by general practitioners and to determine factors influencing these views.

Background. Many countries have sought to shift aspects of primary care provision from doctors to nurses. It is unclear how patients view these skill mix changes.

Design. Cross‐sectional survey.

Method. Patients (n = 235) who received care from both nurse and doctor were sent a self‐administered questionnaire. The main outcome measures were patient preferences, satisfaction with the nurses and doctors and factors influencing patients’ preference and satisfaction.

Results. Patients preferred the doctor for medical aspects of care, whereas for educational and routine aspects of care half of the patients preferred the nurse or had no preference for either the nurse or doctor. Patients were generally very satisfied with both nurse and doctor. Patients were significantly more satisfied with the nurse for those aspects of care related to the support provided to patients and families and to the time made available to patients. However, variations in preference and satisfaction were mostly attributable to variation in individual patient characteristics, not doctor, nurse or practice characteristics.

Conclusion. Patient preference for nurse or doctor and patient satisfaction both vary with the type of care required and reflect usual work demarcations between nurses and doctors. In general, patients are very satisfied with the care they receive.

Relevance to clinical practice. In many countries, different aspects of primary care provision have shifted from doctors to nurses. Our study suggests that these skill mix changes meet the needs of patients and that patients are very satisfied with the care they receive. However, to implement skill mix change in general practice it is important to consider usual work demarcations between nurses and doctors.
The use of behavioural change techniques in the treatment of paediatric obesity: qualitative evaluation of parental perspectives on treatment
Authors: Stewart L. , Chapple J. , Hughes A. R. , Poustie V. , Reilly J. J.
Published: July 2008

Background  Treatment for childhood obesity is characterized by nonattendance and widespread failure to achieve weight maintenance. The use of behavioural change methods is suggested for engaging families in changing lifestyles. Qualitative methods may improve understanding of patient perceptions, thus improving treatment. The present study aimed to explore the thoughts and feelings of parents whose children had undertaken dietetic consultations either employing behavioural change techniques or delivered by dietitians with no formal training in these techniques.

Methods  The study used purposive sampling, interviewing 17 parents of children attending 6‐month outpatient treatments for obesity (body mass index > 98th percentile). Parent’s perceptions of the dietetic treatment were explored by in‐depth interviews and analysed using Framework methods.

Results  Parents who had taken part in the behavioural change techniques applauded the process, finding it child‐friendly and talked of ‘forming a partnership’. Conversely, standard care treatment was less well received. Developing a rapport with the dietitian was significant for the parents in their perception of a positive experience.

Conclusions  The present study may help inform future treatments for childhood obesity by providing insights into the aspects of treatment and approaches applauded by parents. It highlights the possible value of use of behavioural change skills by dietitians to engage with families of obese children.
Evaluation of cognitively accessible software to increase independent access to cellphone technology for people with intellectual disability
Authors: Stock S. E. , Davies D. K. , Wehmeyer M. L. , Palmer S. B.
Published: July 2008

Background  There are over two billion telephones in use worldwide. Yet, for millions of Americans with intellectual disabilities (ID), access to the benefits of cellphone technology is limited because of deficits in literacy, numerical comprehension, the proliferation of features and shrinking size of cellphone hardware and user interfaces. Developments in smart phone technology and PDA‐based cellphones provide an opportunity to make the social and safety benefits of cellphones more independently accessible to this population.

Method  This project involved employment of universal design and other specialised software development methods to create a multimedia cellphone interface prototype which was compared with a typical mainstream cellphone in a usability evaluation for individuals with ID. Participants completed a structured set of incoming/outgoing phone tasks using both the experimental and control conditions. Usability measurements included the amount of assistance needed and errors made in completing the cellphone use sequence.

Results  A total of 22 individuals with ID participated in the research by engaging in a series of incoming and outgoing cellphone calls using both the multimedia cellphone prototype system and a mainstream Nokia 6360 cellphone. Test subjects required significantly less help (P = 0.001) and made significantly fewer errors (P < 0.001) when completing eight calls using the specialised multimedia phone system as compared with the mainstream phone.

Conclusions  The statistical evidence of both usability results provide promising evidence of the feasibility of implementing universal design and other specialised software development methodologies for increasing independent access to the benefits of cellphone technologies for students and adults with ID. Issues related to designing cognitively accessible interfaces, study limitations and future directions are discussed.
Checklists for general practitioner diagnosis of depression in adults with intellectual disability
Authors: Torr J. , Iacono T. , Graham M. J. , Galea J.
Published: July 2008

Background  In Australia, diagnosis and management of depression in adults with intellectual disability (ID) often occurs within the primary care setting. Few tools are available to assist general practitioners (GPs) in the diagnostic process. The study aim was to assess properties of carer and GP checklists developed to address this problem.

Method  Participants were 49 adults with ID and their paid carers (support workers), and GPs for 27 adults. Data from carer and GP checklists were gathered, in addition to carer completed Developmental Behaviour Checklist – Adults (DBC‐A). Adults with ID also received a comprehensive psychiatric assessment.

Results  Both checklists demonstrated good internal consistency (KRS‐20 = 0.90). A factor analysis of the carer checklist indicated a single factor on which three section totals had loadings of greater than 0.722 (depressed mood, loss of interest, and social interaction and communication). This factor was interpreted to be depression. The GP checklist data were insufficient for factor analysis, but section totals were moderately correlated with most corresponding carer checklist section totals. Carer section totals related to depression also correlated highly with the DBC‐A Depression sub‐scale, demonstrating good concurrent validity. Contrasting results were obtained for the GP checklist. Most (n = 42) of the participants were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, precluding the testing of checklist specificity and sensitivity.

Conclusion  The carer checklist shows promise as a means of gathering information needed by a GP in the diagnosis of depression in adults with ID. Further research into its underlying properties and clinical uses of a combined depression checklist is warranted.
A novel upstream regulator of WRKY53 transcription during leaf senescence in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Miao Y. , Smykowski A. , Zentgraf U.
Published: July 2008

Arabidopsis WRKY proteins comprise a family of zinc finger‐type transcription factors involved in the regulation of gene expression during pathogen defence, wounding, trichome development and senescence. To better understand the regulatory role of the senescence‐related WRKY53 factor, we identified upstream regulatory factors using the yeast one‐hybrid system. Among others, we identified a DNA‐binding protein with a so far unknown function that contains a transcriptional activation domain and a kinase domain with similarities to HPT kinases. In vitro studies revealed that this activation domain protein (AD protein) can phosphorylate itself and that phosphorylation increases its DNA‐binding activity to the WRKY53 promoter region. Using the yeast two‐hybrid system, an interaction with proteins that were previously shown to bind to the WRKY53 promoter was tested. The AD protein interacted with MEKK1. The interaction with MEKK1 was confirmed in vivo by bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC); however, the AD protein was not phosphorylated by MEKK1 in vitro and vice versa. This indicates that there may be competition between WRKY53 and AD protein for binding of MEKK1 at the WRKY53 promoter. Overexpression and knockout of the respective gene resulted in changes in transcription levels of WRKY53, indicating that AD protein is a positive regulator of WRKY53 expression. Expression of the AD protein gene can be induced by hydrogen peroxide treatment and reduced by jasmonic acid treatment, as previously shown for WRKY53.
Senescence‐associated degradation of chloroplast proteins inside and outside the organelle
Authors: Martínez D. E. , Costa M. L. , Guiamet J. J.
Published: July 2008

Leaf proteins, and in particular the photosynthetic proteins of plastids, are extensively degraded during senescence. Although this involves massive amounts of protein, the mechanisms responsible for chloroplast protein degradation are largely unknown. Degradation within the plastid itself is supported by the observation that chloroplasts contain active proteases, and that chloroplasts isolated from senescing leaves can cleave Rubisco to release partially digested fragments. It is less clear whether chloroplasts can complete Rubisco degradation. Chloroplastic proteases are likely involved in the breakdown of the D1 and LHCII proteins of photosystem II. Small senescence‐associated vacuoles (SAVs) with high‐proteolytic activity develop in senescing leaf cells, and there is evidence that SAVs contain chloroplast proteins. Thus, an extra‐plastidic pathway involving SAVs might participate in the degradation of some chloroplast proteins. Plastidic and extra‐plastidic pathways might cooperate in the degradation of chloroplast proteins, or they might represent alternative, redundant pathways for photosynthetic protein degradation.
Identification and characterization of novel senescence‐associated genes from barley (Hordeum vulgare) primary leaves
Authors: Ay N. , Clauß K. , Barth O. , Humbeck K.
Published: July 2008

Leaf senescence is the final developmental stage of a leaf. The progression of barley primary leaf senescence was followed by measuring the senescence‐specific decrease in chlorophyll content and photosystem II efficiency. In order to isolate novel factors involved in leaf senescence, a differential display approach with mRNA populations from young and senescing primary barley leaves was applied. In this approach, 90 senescence up‐regulated cDNAs were identified. Nine of these clones were, after sequence analyses, further characterized. The senescence‐associated expression was confirmed by Northern analyses or quantitative RealTime‐PCR. In addition, involvement of the phytohormones ethylene and abscisic acid in regulation of these nine novel senescence‐induced cDNA fragments was investigated. Two cDNA clones showed homologies to genes with a putative regulatory function. Two clones possessed high homologies to barley retroelements, and five clones may be involved in degradation or transport processes. One of these genes was further analysed. It encodes an ADP ribosylation factor 1‐like protein (HvARF1) and includes sequence motifs representing a myristoylation site and four typical and well conserved ARF‐like protein domains. The localization of the protein was investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy of onion epidermal cells after particle bombardment with chimeric HvARF1‐GFP constructs. Possible physiological roles of these nine novel SAGs during barley leaf senescence are discussed.
Bovine SLC11A1 3′ UTR SSCP genotype evaluated by a macrophage in vitro killing assay employing a Brucella abortus strain
Authors: Martinez R. , Toro R. , Montoya F. , Burbano M. , Tobón J. , Gallego J. , Dunner S. , Cañón J.
Published: July 2008

The 3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR) of the bovine natural resistance‐associated macrophage gene (NRAMP1 or SLC11A1) was genotyped in Colombian Creole Blanco Orejinegro (BON) (Bos taurus) (n = 140) and Zebu Brahman (Bos indicus) (Z) (n = 20) cattle and their crosses (BON × Zebu Brahman [B × Z] [n = 10]; Zebu Brahman × BON [Z × B] [n = 10]), and in animals from a Holstein × BON (H × B) (n = 10) cross. Direct sequencing and single‐strand conformation polymorphism analysis (SSCP) helped in detecting the polymorphic behaviour. The association between resistance to brucellosis infection and SSCP genotype was evaluated using a macrophage in vitro killing assay employing a virulent Brucella abortus strain. The 3′ UTR (GT) repeated polymorphism was gentoyped and its association with resistance to brucellosis was evaluated. When all breeds were grouped, a high frequency in the homozygote GT12 (AA genotype) (0.823) and a very low frequency in the homozygote GT10 (BB genotype) (0.047) were detected. The BON (0.963), Z × B (0.60) and H × B (1.00) cattle showed high GT12 allele frequencies, unlike that seen for the B × Z and Zebu cattle (0.3002 and 0.218, respectively). The GT10 allele was only found in the Zebu cattle (0.391). A significant association (p < 0.001) was found between the B. abortus macrophage in vitro killing assay phenotypes and the bovine SLC11A1 3′ UTR genotypes, which suggests that the A allele may be associated with resistance. Because only nine animals had the BB genotype, the results require some confirmation in more extensive populations.
Variation at the insulin‐like growth factor 1 gene and its association with body weight traits in the chicken
Authors: Bian L.H. , Wang S.Z. , Wang Q.G. , Zhang S. , Wang Y.X. , Li H.
Published: July 2008

The insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is essential for normal embryonic and postnatal growth in mammals. In this study, a total of 342 F2 individuals, derived from Broiler crossing to Baier layer (Northeast Agricultural University Resource Population, NEAURP), were used to investigate the associations of haplotypes in the chicken IGF1 (cIGF1) gene with body weight traits. Primers for the 5′‐flanking, exon 3 and 3′‐flanking regions of cIGF1 were designed according to chicken genome database. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between parental lines were detected by sequencing, and PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP) and PCR single‐stranded‐conformation polymorphism (PCR‐SSCP) methods were used to genotype the SNPs in the population. Haplotypes were constructed with the three SNPs detected. The association analysis showed that haplotypes based on three cIGF1 polymorphisms (c.‐366A>C, c.528G>A and c.*1024C>T) were associated with body weight traits, suggesting that cIGF1 or a tightly linked gene had effects on body weight in the chicken.
Causes and projections of abrupt climate‐driven ecosystem shifts in the North Atlantic
Authors: Beaugrand Grégory , Edwards Martin , Brander Keith , Luczak Christophe , Ibanez Frederic
Published: July 2008

Warming of the global climate is now unequivocal and its impact on Earth’ functional units has become more apparent. Here, we show that marine ecosystems are not equally sensitive to climate change and reveal a critical thermal boundary where a small increase in temperature triggers abrupt ecosystem shifts seen across multiple trophic levels. This large‐scale boundary is located in regions where abrupt ecosystem shifts have been reported in the North Atlantic sector and thereby allows us to link these shifts by a global common phenomenon. We show that these changes alter the biodiversity and carrying capacity of ecosystems and may, combined with fishing, precipitate the reduction of some stocks of Atlantic cod already severely impacted by exploitation. These findings offer a way to anticipate major ecosystem changes and to propose adaptive strategies for marine exploited resources such as cod in order to minimize social and economic consequences.
Rapid evolution buffers ecosystem impacts of viruses in a microbial food web§
Authors: Lennon Jay T. , Martiny Jennifer B. H.
Published: July 2008

Predation and parasitism often regulate population dynamics, community interactions, and ecosystem functioning. The strength of these top‐down pressures is variable, however, and may be influenced by both ecological and evolutionary processes. We conducted a chemostat experiment to assess the direct and indirect effects of viruses on a marine microbial food web comprised of an autotrophic host (Synechococcus) and non‐target heterotrophic bacteria. Viruses dramatically altered the host population dynamics, which in turn influenced phosphorus resource availability and the stoichiometric allocation of nutrients into microbial biomass. These virus effects diminished with time, but could not be attributed to changes in the abundance or composition of heterotrophic bacteria. Instead, attenuation of the virus effects coincided with the detection of resistant host phenotypes, suggesting that rapid evolution buffered the effect of viruses on nutrient cycling. Our results demonstrate that evolutionary processes are important for community dynamics and ecosystem processes on ecologically relevant time scales.
Novel DNA ligase with broad nucleotide cofactor specificity from the hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Sulfophobococcus zilligii: influence of ancestral DNA ligase on cofactor utilization
Authors: Sun Younguk , Seo Moo Seok , Kim Jae Hyun , Kim Yun Jae , Kim Gun A , Lee Jong Il , Lee Jung‐Hyun , Kwon Suk‐Tae
Published: July 2008

DNA ligases are divided into two groups according to their cofactor requirement to form ligase‐adenylate, ATP‐dependent DNA ligases and NAD+‐dependent DNA ligases. The conventional view that archaeal DNA ligases only utilize ATP has recently been disputed with discoveries of dual‐specificity DNA ligases (ATP/ADP or ATP/NAD+) from the orders Desulfurococcales and Thermococcales. Here, we studied DNA ligase encoded by the hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Sulfophobococcus zilligii. The ligase exhibited multiple cofactor specificity utilizing ADP and GTP in addition to ATP. The unusual cofactor specificity was confirmed via a DNA ligase nick‐closing activity assay using a fluorescein/biotin‐labelled oligonucleotide and a radiolabelled oligonucleotide. The exploitation of GTP as a catalytic energy source has not to date been reported in any known DNA ligase. This phenomenon may provide evolutionary evidence of the nucleotide cofactor utilization by DNA ligases. To bolster this hypothesis, we summarize and evaluate previous assertions. We contend that DNA ligase evolution likely started from crenarchaeotal DNA ligases and diverged to eukaryal DNA ligases and euryarchaeotal DNA ligases. Subsequently, the NAD+‐utilizing property of some euryarchaeotal DNA ligases may have successfully differentiated to bacterial NAD+‐dependent DNA ligases.
Microvascular disease: what does the UKPDS tell us about diabetic nephropathy?
Authors: Bilous R.
Published: July 2008

The UK Prospective Diabetes Study is the largest study in Type 2 diabetes with pre‐specified renal outcomes. The study showed that the natural history of nephropathy in newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetic patients was similar to that described previously in those with Type 1 diabetes. Around 2% per annum progress from normo‐ to micro‐albuminuria [urinary albumin concentration (UAC) > 50 mg/l] and a further 2% from microalbuminuria to clinical grade proteinuria (UAC > 300 mg/l). Mortality rates for those with nephropathy are high, increasing from 1.4% per annum (normoalbuminuria) to 4.6% per annum (clinical grade proteinuria), and to 19.2% per annum for those with renal impairment.

More intensive blood glucose control resulted in both a 33% reduction in relative risk of development of microalbuminuria or clinical grade proteinuria at 12 years, and a significant reduction in the proportion doubling their plasma creatinine (0.91 vs. 3.52%, P = 0.0028).

Tighter blood pressure control also reduced microalbuminuria and clinical grade proteinuria; but at 6 years there was no effect on plasma creatinine levels.

These data underline the importance of glycaemic and blood pressure control in Type 2 diabetes in order to prevent diabetic nephropathy. Those patients unlucky enough to develop nephropathy need intensive surveillance and correction of cardiovascular risk factors.
Ethnic diversity in Type 2 diabetes
Authors: Davis T. M. E.
Published: July 2008

Background and Methods  The present review assesses published data relating to the main ethnic groups in the UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS), namely White Caucasians (WC; 82% of the cohort), Indian‐Asians (IA; 10%) and Afro‐Caribbeans (AC; 8%).

Results  At entry, the IA patients were younger than WC and AC patients, had a greater waist–hip ratio and more sedentary lifestyle, but had the lowest prevalence of hypertension and current smoking. The AC patients had the poorest glycaemic control but the most favourable lipid profile. The differences in modifiable vascular risk factors did not change over 9 years of follow‐up. Consistent with UKPDS exclusion criteria, few patients had complications at baseline and there were no between‐group differences. An interim analysis of incident fatal/non‐fatal myocardial infarction (median follow‐up 8.7 years) showed that the AC patients had a 70% lower risk than WC after adjustment for explanatory variables and that IA patients had a similar risk to WC. An analysis of complete albuminuria and renal failure data (median follow‐up 15 years) showed that IA ethnicity was independently associated with an increased risk.

Conclusions  There are sustained ethnic differences in the nature of diabetes, including vascular risk factors. AC patients had a substantially reduced risk of myocardial infarction that was not explained by their more favourable lipid profile, while IA patients were more likely to develop nephropathy than WC and IA patients. Longer follow‐up is needed to determine whether the increased macrovascular risk observed in IA patients in other studies is replicated in the UKPDS cohort.
REGIONAL INCOME EVOLUTION IN SOUTH AFRICA AFTER APARTHEID*
Authors: Bosker Maarten , Krugell Waldo
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACT South Africa is one of the wealthiest countries on the African continent. The high national level (and growth) of GDP per capita, however, masks significant differences in economic performance across South Africa's regions. This paper uses (spatial) Markov chain techniques to describe the evolution of the entire cross‐section regional income distribution in terms of its intra‐distributional characteristics during the post‐Apartheid period. The results indicate a heavily diverging regional income distribution. Relatively poor regions are likely to remain poor or become even poorer and the richest regions will maintain their lead in terms of income levels. Explicitly taking account of space furthermore shows that these high‐income regions are acting as local growth poles, absorbing economic activity from their immediate surroundings. Location, trade, education, and the variable fortune of the gold mining industry seem to be important determinants of the observed evolution.
LOCAL AMENITIES AND RENTS: TIEBOUT TAKES A VACATION*[link]
Authors: Anderson Nathan B.
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACT This paper considers a two‐community model with free mobility, public expenditures set by majority voting, amenities that differ across communities, and two types of taxpayers sorting across communities according to different preferences. Residents pay local taxes, consume public services, and have the right to vote. Vacationers cannot vote, yet pay local taxes, and consume amenities. Amenities attract vacationers whose tax payments produce rents reducing the costs of public spending for permanent residents. These extractable rents produce stability in otherwise unstable equilibria. Relatively wealthy communities are generally less able than poor communities to extract rents.
Feminism and Imperialism, 1890–1920: Our Anti‐Imperialist Sisters—Missing in Action from American Feminist Sociology*
Authors: Mann Susan A.
Published: July 2008

This article retrieves part of our historical past to address two omissions in American feminist sociology on the subject of global imperialism. The first section addresses the inadequate attention feminist sociologists have paid to how major leaders of the women's movement responded to U.S. overseas expansion in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It documents how these early feminists had both progressive and reactionary responses to the anti‐imperialist struggles of their era. Particular emphasis is given to how issues of race, class, and gender were interwoven in their discourses on imperialism.

The second section focuses on how the writings of the most famous woman theorist and critic of imperialism during this era—Rosa Luxemburg—are virtually ignored in U.S. portrayals of feminist sociology and women founders of sociology. To address this omission, Luxemburg's theory of imperialism is examined, as well as how it has influenced contemporary global feminist works. A critical analysis of these Luxemburg‐inspired works considers their implications for understanding global imperialism today. In this way, the past is used to clarify the present.
Chronic Daily Headache in Hereditary Hemochromatosis Treated by Venesection
Authors: Gaul Charly , Krummernerl Patrick , Tamke Beate , Kornhuber Malte
Published: July 2008

Coincidence or causality between iron overload and headaches (e.g., daily headache, migraine, and cluster headache) is still under discussion. Herein we report a patient suffering from hereditary hemochromatosis (homozygous C282Y mutation; OMIM: 235220, Locus 6p21.3) and daily headache fulfilling the IHSD‐2 criteria of chronic migraine. Three treatments by venesection improved the headache substantially in frequency, intensity, and duration of attacks. We suggest treatment by venesection for iron depletion in patients suffering from hemochromatois and headache.
Quasi‐maximum likelihood estimation of a censored equation system with a copula approach: meat consumption by U.S. individuals
Authors: Yen Steven T. , Lin Biing‐Hwan
Published: July 2008

A copula approach to censored system estimation is proposed. The quasi‐maximum likelihood estimator departs from the multivariate normal error distribution predominantly used in existing estimators and resolves the computational difficulty with multiple probability integrals in high‐dimensional censored systems. An application to individual meat consumption demonstrates that the procedure produces very different empirical estimates from existing Gaussian full‐information and quasi‐maximum likelihood estimates.
Cytokine properties of prokineticins
Authors: Monnier Justin , Samson Michel
Published: July 2008

Prokineticins are a novel family of secreted peptides with diverse regulatory roles, one of which is their capacity to modulate immunity in humans and in other species. Prokineticins are small peptides of 8 kDa that mediate their biological activities by signaling through two homologous G‐protein‐coupled receptors (prokineticin receptor 1 and prokineticin receptor 2). This family of peptides is characterized by a completely conserved N‐terminal hexapeptide crucial for their bioactivities and a unique structural motif comprising five disulfide bonds. Prokineticins and their receptors are highly expressed in bone marrow, in peripheral circulating leukocytes, in inflamed tissues and in resident organ immune cells. Their structure, size, signaling and biological activities are reminiscent of the chemokine superfamily. In this review, emphasis is placed on the properties of prokineticins as cytokines and their role in the immune system.
Oestrogen Promotes Coronary Angiogenesis even under Normoxic Conditions
Authors: Nematbakhsh Mehdi , Ghadesi Mehrzad , Hosseinbalam Marzieh , Khazaei Majid , Gharagozlo Marjan , Dashti Gholamreza , Rajabi Parvin , Rafieian Shahram
Published: July 2008

Abstract:  Angiogenic therapy is one of the new treatments of ischaemic heart disease. Oestrogen has angiogenic properties under hypoxic condition, and if oestrogen also induces angiogenesis under normoxic condition, it could be used in combination with other angiogenic therapies in the treatment of ischaemic heart disease. In this study, we evaluated the angiogenic effect of high‐dose oestrogen treatment in normoxic rat heart tissue. Fifty‐two ovariectomized rats were randomized in oestrogen‐treated and control groups. 17β‐Oestradiol (1 mg/week) and normal saline (1 mg/week) were administered intramuscularly in the treatment and control groups for 2 months. After that, coronary capillary density and coronary vessel permeability were measured. The serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level was also measured before and after the treatment. The results indicate that coronary capillary density (number of capillary per square millimetre) and coronary vessel permeability (fluorescence intensity) were significantly higher in the oestrogen‐treated group than in the control group (628 ± 26 per mm2 versus 540 ± 26 per mm2; P < 0.05 and 207 ± 10 versus 147 ± 19 per gram tissue; P < 0.05). Oestrogen treatment increased serum VEGF level in the oestrogen‐treated group compared to the control group (52 ± 3 versus 33 ± 6 pg/ml; P < 0.05), but interestingly VEGF was also increased in the control group after placebo treatment. It seems that high‐dose oestrogen administration has angiogenic properties even in normoxic conditions. These angiogenic properties may result from oestrogen's direct effect on VEGF or other mechanisms, such as endothelial progenitor cell mobilization. Because of the broad effect of oestrogen on angiogenic growth factors and endothelial cells, more studies are required to clarify angiogenic properties of high‐dose oestrogen.
Attenuation of Bleomycin‐Induced Lung Fibrosis by Oxymatrine Is Associated with Regulation of Fibroblast Proliferation and Collagen Production in Primary Culture
Authors: Chen Xiaohong , Sun Renshan , Hu Jianming , Mo Ziyao , Yang Zifeng , Liao Dongjiang , Zhong Nanshan
Published: July 2008

Abstract:  There is no satisfactory treatment for pulmonary fibrosis, which is characterized by altered control of proliferation of mesenchymal fibroblasts and extracellular matrix production. Oxymatrine is an alkaloid extracted from the Chinese herb Sophora japonica (Sophora flavescens Ait.) with capacities of anti‐inflammation, inhibition of immune reaction, antivirus, protection against acute lung injury and antihepatic fibrosis. In this study, the effect of oxymatrine on pulmonary fibrosis was investigated using a bleomycin‐induced pulmonary fibrosis mouse model. The results showed that bleomycin challenge provoked severe pulmonary fibrosis with marked increase in hydroxyproline content of lung tissue and lung fibrosis fraction, which was prevented by oxymatrine in a dose‐dependent manner. In addition, bleomycin injection resulted in a marked increase of myeloperoxidase activity and malondialdehyde level that was attenuated by oxymatrine. Administration of oxymatrine inhibited the proliferation of murine lung fibroblasts, arrested the cells at G0/G1 phase and reduced the expression of cell cycle regulatory protein, cyclin D1 in vitro. Furthermore, the steady‐state production of collagen and the expression of α1(I) pro‐collagen and α2(I) pro‐collagen mRNA in fibroblasts were inhibited by oxymatrine in a dose‐dependent manner. These results suggested that oxymatrine may attenuate pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin in mice, partly through inhibition of inflammatory response and lipid peroxidation in lung induced by bleomycin and reduction of fibroblast proliferation and collagen synthesis.
Comparative analysis of Bayer wide‐range C‐reactive protein (wr‐CRP) and the Dade‐Behring high sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: MAHARSHAK Nitsan , ARBEL Yaron , GAL‐OZ Amir , ROGOWSKI Ori , SHAPIRA Itzhak , BERLINER Shlomo , VERED Yaffa , CANAANI Jonathan , DOTAN Iris
Published: July 2008

OBJECTIVE:  The recently introduced Bayer wide‐range C‐reactive protein (wr‐CRP) assay might be relevant for the real‐time low‐cost and online determination of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) activity. Our aim was to examine whether wr‐CRP can substitute for the Dade Behring high sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP) assay in IBD patients.

METHODS:  A total of 71 patients with IBD, of whom 48 had Crohn's disease CD and 23 had ulcerative colitis (UC) with various intensities of disease activity participated in the study. The CRP of patients who were under treatment at the Department of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases were measured using both wr‐CRP and the hs‐CRP.

RESULTS:  A significant (r = 0.995; P < 0.001) correlation was noted between the hs‐CRP and wr‐CRP measurements for the whole sample as well as for the two diseases, CD (r = 0.994; P < 0.001) and UC (r = 0.997; P < 0.001), which were analyzed separately.

CONCLUSION:  The Bayer wr‐CRP assay might be a useful low‐cost and real‐time inflammation‐sensitive biomarker in patients with IBD.
Clinical review of 23 patients with tuberculous peritonitis: Presenting features and diagnosis
Authors: POYRAZOGLU Orhan K , TIMURKAAN Mustafa , YALNIZ Mehmet , ATASEVEN Huseyin , DOGUKAN Muruvvet , BAHCECIOǦLU Ibrahim H
Published: July 2008

OBJECTIVE:  To better identify which clinical, laboratory, radiological and invasive procedures were most useful in diagnosing tuberculous peritonitis and to assess the methods in order to reach the diagnosis in future cases.

METHODS:  Tuberculous peritonitis cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2006 were reviewed retrospectively. Their clinical presentation, physical examination, laboratory and diagnostic methods were evaluated.

RESULTS:  Twenty‐three cases of tuberculous peritonitis were diagnosed. The mean age of the patients were 30 ± 11 years and 16 were women. The mean duration of symptoms prior to diagnosis was 3.6 months. All patients presented with abdominal pain. Abdominal swelling (91.3%), loss of appetite (87%) and weight loss (82.6%) were the other commonest symptoms. The major physical findings were ascites (78.3%) and fever (60.9%). The serum ascites albumin gradient was <1.1 g/dL in all. An ascites fast bacilli smear was positive in 12 (52.2%) patients. Skin tests with purified protein derivative, adenosine deaminase and polymerase chain reaction were performed in seven, four and five patients, respectively. The tuberculous culture was positive in only two. The most common radiological findings were ascites (100%) and omental involvement (65.2%). A laparoscopy was performed in nine of 23 patients. A total of 22 patients completed anti‐tuberculous therapy successfully and were cured, except one with cirrhosis.

CONCLUSION:  Tuberculous peritonitis may be fatal but is medically cured if diagnosed in a timely fashion. Although both non‐invasive and invasive tests have additional benefits, clinician suspicion is still the first step for the diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis.
Isolation of 10 tetranucleotide microsatellite loci in the blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
Authors: SEGELBACHER GERNOT , ROLSHAUSEN GREGOR , WEIS‐DOOTZ TANJA , SERRANO DAVID , SCHAEFER H. MARTIN
Published: July 2008

We isolated 10 polymorphic microsatellite DNA loci from the blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) and optimized them for future studies of population differentiation in populations with different migration strategies in southwestern Germany. The loci were screened for polymorphism using 178 individuals from two populations in Germany and Spain. The primers amplified highly variable loci characterized by two to 19 alleles per locus and their observed and expected heterozygosities range from 0.47 to 0.81 and from 0.50 to 0.91, respectively.
Characterising cortical density in the mid-tibia: intra-individual variation in adolescent girls and boys
Authors: Cooper D M L , Ahamed Y , Macdonald H M , McKay H A
Published: July 2008

Background:

Inter-individual differences in cortical bone volumetric density (CoD), such as those related to sex, are a product of differences in remodelling rates. While cortical bone is often treated as a uniform tissue, remodelling rates also varywithinindividual bones. This level of adaptation has largely been overlooked in analyses of peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) images. Further, such variation in CoD has never been assessed in growing bones. We hypothesised that CoD varied significantly within the same cross-section of the mid-tibia of adolescents. We further hypothesised that due to the profound impact of oestrogen on remodelling, this variation would be different between sexes.

Methods:

Subjects were 183 adolescents (99 girls and 84 boys) in grade 6 and 7 with a mean age of 12.1 years. We used age at peak height velocity to adjust for maturational differences between sexes. Image data from a mid-tibia pQCT scan of each subject were assessed regionally within eight sectors distributed about the cortex and aligned by the anterior tibial crest. We used a repeated measures general linear model to assess intra-individual variation in CoD while controlling for differences in ethnicity, maturity, height, weight, physical activity level and total cross-sectional bone area (ToA).

Results:

Sector based variation in CoD was significant (p<0.001), with the anterior cortex having lower density than the posterior cortex. The largest percentage difference (anteriorvsposteromedial sectors) was 12.2%. A significant sector*sex interaction (p = 0.018) was detected; however, its impact was relatively small with girls having 1.1–3.6% denser bones than boys depending on the sector (2.7% average difference).

Conclusions:

The magnitude of the variation in CoD across sectorswithinindividuals of both sex was far greater than the mean differencesbetweenthe sexes. This finding indicates that the microstructural variation within the mid-tibia is detectable by pQCT and its magnitude suggests an important level of adaptation to loading.
SINGLE MACHINE SCHEDULING WITH FORBIDDEN INTERVALS AND JOB DELIVERY TIMES
Authors: YUAN JINJIANG , SHI LEI , OU JINWEN
Published: July 2008

We consider a non-preemptive single machine scheduling problem with forbidden intervals. Associated with each job is a given processing time and a delivery time to its customer, when the processing of the job is complete. The objective is to minimize the time taken for all the jobs to be delivered to the customers. The problem is strongly NP-hard in general. In this study, we show that the case with a fixed number of forbidden intervals can be solved by a pseudo-polynomial time algorithm, while no polynomial time approximation algorithm with a fixed performance ratio exists for the case with two forbidden intervals. We also develop a polynomial time approximation scheme (PTAS) for the case with a single forbidden interval.
ULTRA-LOW-ENERGY GERMANIUM DETECTOR FOR NEUTRINO-NUCLEUS COHERENT SCATTERING AND DARK MATTER SEARCHES
Authors: WONG HENRY T.
Published: July 2008

The status and plans of a research program on the development of ultra-low-energy germanium detectors with sub-keV sensitivities are reported. We survey the scientific goals which include the observation of neutrino-nucleus coherent scattering, the studies of neutrino magnetic moments, as well as the searches of WIMP dark matter. In particular, a threshold of 100-200 eV and a sub-keV background comparable to underground experiments were achieved with prototype detectors. New limits were set for WIMPs with mass between 3–6 GeV. The prospects of the realization of full-scale experiments are discussed.
A MOMENT METHOD FOR MEASURING THE HIGHER-ORDER WEAK GRAVITATIONAL LENSING EFFECTS
Authors: UMETSU KEIICHI , OKURA YUKI , FUTAMASE TOSHIFUMI
Published: July 2008

We present a method for measuring higher-order weak lensing distortions of faint background galaxies, namely the weak gravitational flexion, by fully extending the Kaiser, Squires & Broadhurst method to include higher-order lensing image characteristics (HOLICs) introduced by Okura, Umetsu, & Futamase. Our HOLICs formalism allows accurate measurements of flexion from practical observational data in the presence of non-circular, anisotropic point spread function. We have applied our method to ground-based Subaru observations of the massive galaxy cluster A1689 at a redshift of z = 0.183. From the high-precision measurements of spin-1 first flexion, we obtain a high-resolution mass map in the central region of A1689. The reconstructed mass map shows a bimodal feature in the central 4′ × 4′ region of the cluster. The major, pronounced mass peak is associated with the brightest cluster galaxy and central cluster members, while the secondary peak is associated with a local concentration of bright galaxies. In Fourier space we separate the reconstructed mass distribution into cluster and subhalo components, from which we obtain projected subhalo masses associated with the primary and the secondary peaks to be M1 = (2.2 ± 0.4) × 1013M⊙/h, and M2 = (1.1 ± 0.3) × 1013M⊙/h, respectively.
HAGEDORN STRINGS IN AdS3
Authors: LIN FENG-LI , MATSUO TOSHIHIRO , TOMINO DAN
Published: July 2008

Motivated by the possibility of formulating a strings/black hole correspondence in AdS space, we extract the Hagedorn behavior of thermal AdS 3 bosonic string from 1-loop partition function of SL(2,R) WZW model. We find that the Hagedorn temperature is monotonically increasing as the AdS radius shrinks, reaches a maximum of order of string scale set by the unitarity bound of the CFT for internal space. The resulting density of states near the Hagedorn temperature resembles the form as for strings in flat space and is dominated by the space-like long string configurations. We also examine strings on BTZ background obtained through SL(2, Z) transformation. We find a tachyonic divergence for a BTZ black hole of string scale size.
LEPTOGENESIS AND QUINTESSENTIAL KINATION
Authors: SCOPEL STEFANO
Published: July 2008

We show how thermal leptogenesis induced by the CP-violating decay of a right-handed neutrino (RHN) can be compatible to the assumption of quintessential kination, i.e., to a cosmological background model where the energy density of the early Universe is assumed to be dominated by the kinetic term of a quintessence field during some epoch of its evolution. The phenomenology depends on the temperature Tr above which kination dominates over radiation. We show that for some choice of Tr not far from the RHN mass M, M/100 < Tr < M, the efficiency for leptogenesis can be even larger than in the standard scenario of radiation domination. On the other hand, when Tr ≪ M a super-weak wash-out regime is attained, with a strong suppression of the efficiency. In this case successful leptogenesis depends sensitively on ΔL = 1 scattering processes and requires a resonant CP violation effect of order unity. Moreover, the condition Tr > 5 MeV (M/TeV) (0.05 eV/m) must be verified, with m the effective neutrino mass scale.
A WAVELET-BASED IMAGE QUALITY ASSESSMENT METHOD
Authors: LU WEN , GAO XINBO , TAO DACHENG , LI XUELONG
Published: July 2008

Image quality is a key characteristic in image processing,10,11 image retrieval,12,13 and biometrics.14 In this paper, a novel reduced-reference image quality assessment method is proposed based on wavelet transform. By simulating the human visual system, we take the variance of the visual sensitive coefficients into account to measure a distorted image. The computational complexity of the proposed method is much lower compared with some existing methods. Experimental results demonstrate its advantages in terms of correlation coefficient, outlier ratio, transmitted information, and CPU cost. Moreover, it is also illustrated that the proposed method has a good accordance with human subjective perception.
CHARACTERIZATIONS OF A CLASS OF ORTHOGONAL MULTIPLE VECTOR-VALUED WAVELET PACKETS
Authors: HAN JIN-CANG , CHEN QING-JIANG
Published: July 2008

The notion of multiple vector-valued wavelet packets is introduced. A procedure for constructing the multiple vector-valued wavelet packets is presented. Their characteristics are investigated by means of integral transformation and operator theory, and three orthogonality formulas concerning the multiple vector-valued wavelet packets. Finally, new orthogonal bases of L2(R, Cs × s) are constructed from these multiple vector-valued wavelet packets.
CONTRIBUTIONS OF SIGN LANGUAGE RESEARCH TO GESTURE UNDERSTANDING: WHAT CAN MULTIMODAL COMPUTATIONAL SYSTEMS LEARN FROM SIGN LANGUAGE RESEARCH
Authors: WILBUR RONNIE B. , MALAIA EVGUENIA
Published: July 2008

This paper considers neurological, formational and functional similarities between gestures and signed verb predicates. From analysis of verb sign movement, we offer suggestions for analyzing gestural movement (motion capture, kinematic analysis, trajectory internal structure). From analysis of verb sign distinctions, we offer suggestions for analyzing co-speech gesture functions.
PIN/LC8 is associated with cytosolic but not membrane-bound nNOS in the nitrergic varicosities of mice gut: implications for nitrergic neurotransmission
Authors: Chaudhury Arun , Rao Y. Manjula , Goyal Raj K.
Published: July 2008

This investigation demonstrates the presence and binding of the protein LC8 (described as “protein inhibitor of nNOS” or PIN in some reports) to different components of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in nitrergic varicosities of mice gut. Whole varicosity extracts showed three (320-, 250-, and 155-kDa) nNOS bands with anti-nNOS1422–1433 antibody and a 10-kDa band with anti-LC8 antibody. The LC8 immunoprecipitate (IP) showed three nNOS bands, suggesting that LC8 was bound with all three forms of nNOS but dissociated from them during SDS-PAGE. Studies using LC8 IP and supernatant and probed with anti-CaM showed that LC8 was not associated with CaM-bound 320-kDa nNOS but was present in the CaM-lacking fraction. Probing these fractions with anti-serine847-P-nNOS showed that 320-kDa serine847-phosphorylated-nNOS consisted of LC8-bound and LC8-lacking components. Subsequent studies with varicosity membrane and cytosolic fractions separately showed that membrane contained CaM-bound and CaM-lacking, serine847-phosphorylated 320-kDa nNOS; both these fractions lacked LC8. On the other hand, the cytosolic fraction contained CaM-lacking, serine847-phosphorylated 320-kDa, 250-kDa, and 155-kDa nNOS bands that were all associated with LC8. These studies, along with in vitro nitric oxide assays, show that in gut nitrergic nerve varicosities 1) all cytosolic serine847-phosphorylated nNOS was catalytically inactive and bound with LC8, and 2) membrane-associated nNOS consisted of catalytically active, CaM-bound and catalytically inactive, CaM-lacking, serine847-phosphorylated nNOSα dimers, both of which lacked LC8. These results suggest that LC8 may dissociate from the 320-kDa nNOSα dimer upon binding to membrane, thus supporting the view that LC8 may transport nNOSα dimer to the varicosity membrane for participation in nitrergic neurotransmission.