bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Low all-cause mortality in the volunteer-based Rotterdam section of the European randomised study of screening for prostate cancer: self-selection bias?
Authors: Otto S J , Schröder F H , de Koning H J
Published: May 2005

Objectives: The likelihood of self-selection bias in a cohort of men that entered the volunteer-based randomised prostate cancer screening trial was assessed. In addition, the accuracy of the randomisation was evaluated by comparison amongst the trial arms.

Setting: The Rotterdam section of the European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC). Participants were recruited from population registries and randomised after receipt of written informed consent (49% participation rate).

Methods: Data from 37,614 men who entered the Rotterdam trial between June 1994 and July 1999 were linked to the Causes of Death Registry of Statistics Netherlands. For the assessment of self-selection bias, mortality in the trial cohort and the area of Rotterdam was compared by calculating standardised mortality ratios (SMRs, 95% confidence interval [CI]). Comparisons between the screening and the control arm were made by means of relative risk (RR).

Results: There were a total of 1661 deaths (4.4%) in the trial cohort, during an average follow-up time of 2.8 years. The observed number of deaths in the two arms combined was lower than expected (SMR 86.7%, 95% CI 81.6-92.1), which was reflected in the major cause of death categories, especially in all malignant neoplasms. No difference was observed in the all-cause mortality rate among the screening and control arm, aged 55-69 years at entry (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.89-1.12), nor when all causes, excluding prostate cancer mortality, were considered.

Conclusions: The preliminary results show that the screening and the control arm were comparable, but men recruited for the trial seemed healthier than men in the target population.
Measurement of haemoglobin as a screening test in general practice
Authors: Lewis S M , Osei-Bimpong A , Bradshaw A
Published: May 2005

Objective: To assess the validity of using the measurement of haemoglobin as a primary screen test at point-of-care in general practice.

Methods: 1100 consecutive full blood counts carried out at Hammersmith Hospital haematology laboratory on blood samples sent by the general practitioners in the area were reviewed. Where haemoglobin was in the normal range all the parameters of a full blood count were checked and a blood film was screened in order to identify any abnormal features occurring in the absence of anaemia.

Results: Haemoglobin was normal in 81% of the samples, and in 81% of this set none of the blood count components showed any abnormal features (i.e. outside two standard deviations of normal reference range).The remaining 19% of cases included 32 with iron deficiency, 26 with high MCV, 84 with leucocyte abnormalities (neutrophilia, neutropenia, lymphocytosis, eosinophilia, monocytosis) and 19 with platelet counts either too high or too low. The predictive value of a normal full blood count from a normal haemoglobin was 0.81. However, when the limits of normal reference values were set at three standard deviations only 7% of the cases showed abnormal features and the predictive value of normality from a normal haemoglobin increased to 0.92.

Conclusion: There are now simple and suitable devices available for measuring haemoglobin at point-of-care, away from a laboratory. This provides a useful screening test in general practice as a full blood count would, as a rule, be required only in the small proportion of cases where anaemia is detected or the patient's history and/or clinical signs specifically indicate the need for this further investigation. This approach should contribute to more efficient, convenient and economical practice without compromising clinical management.
‘The land that time forgot’: reforming access to social housing in England
Authors: Mullins David , Pawson Hal
Published: May 2005

English

Despite a long period of public management reform in social housing, including shifts from state to non-profit providers and exit opportunities for tenants, access to new tenancies has until very recently continued to be mediated by bureaucratic rationing approaches. This article explores the reasons for the long dominance of rationing, and the factors that are now leading to its replacement with more consumerist approaches known as ‘choice-based lettings’. Chaos and complexity theory are used to explore the role of market factors and changes in understanding in destabilising an entrenched initial attractor pattern, and the role of local experiment, policy transfer and new political agendas in establishing a new attractor pattern.
The representation of women in local politics
Authors: Rao Nirmala
Published: May 2005

English

The under-representation of women in local politics has been debated for many years. While there is evidence to suggest that more women are now being elected to local authorities, they continue to face barriers to their entry and to their subsequent progression. Based on 1,014 responses to a national survey of women councillors, this article presents evidence on women's representation and explores the tensions they face in reconciling their public and private worlds. The article further examines women councillors’ own perceptions and attitudes to achieving higher office and considers their prospects under the new council constitutions.
The Home Secretary and Improved Accountability of the Police?
Authors: Reid Kiron
Published: May 2005

A week is a long time in politics and Charles Clarke has been in post for some time as Home Secretary after the unplanned departure of David Blunkett. Blunkett had seen through radical police reforms but his departure was not because of serious issues like policy. Clarke has continued to pursue the police reform agenda and this article covers the direction of Labour government policy in its second term and specifically key legal developments in David Blunkett's final year as Home Secretary. These include the outcome of his dispute with Humberside Police Authority over its refusal to comply with the suspension of its Chief Constable. The Independent Police Complaints Commission has started work in this time and its early impact is reviewed. There have also been significant reports into: policing in London (the Morris Inquiry); policing and police complaints by the Commission for Racial Equality; and Police Disciplinary Arrangements for the Home Office. The article considers the general problem of litigiousness regarding police complaints and also highlights issues of accountability relating to national police work and European cooperation in light of the creation of the Serious Organised Crime Agency.
Video Games: Some Pitfalls of Video Evidence
Authors: James Annabelle , Taylor Chris
Published: May 2005

CCTV evidence is regularly employed in criminal cases, yet there has been relatively little consideration of the manner in which such evidence is collected and subsequently handled. The use of CCTV evidence raises issues of disclosure, data protection and human rights, all of which have a far-reaching impact not only on the accused but also on others who find themselves recorded by surveillance systems. In addition, much of the video evidence collected during criminal investigations comes from third parties, such as shops and commercial premises, which are outside the direct control of the police. This only serves to compound the difficulty of managing such material within the investigative and trial processes.
Serum γ-Glutamyltransferase Was Differently Associated with Microalbuminuria by Status of Hypertension or Diabetes: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study
Authors: Lee Duk-Hee , Jacobs David R , Gross Myron , Steffes Michael
Published: May 2005

Background: We hypothesized that serum γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT) would positively predict the risk of microalbuminuria, a frequent consequence of both diabetes and hypertension, because serum GGT predicted diabetes and hypertension in dose–response relationships.

Methods: In this prospective study, 2478 black and white men and women without microalbuminuria at year 10 provided urine samples 5 years later. Year 10 GGT cutpoints were 12, 18, and 29 U/L.

Results: The incidence of microalbuminuria across year 10 GGT categories was U-shaped. Adjusted odds ratios across quartiles of serum GGT were 1.0, 0.39, 0.54, and 0.94 (P <0.01 for quadratic term), but the shape of association depended on the status of hypertension or diabetes (P <0.01 for interaction). Among individuals who ever had hypertension or diabetes, year 10 serum GGT showed a clear positive dose–response association with incident microalbuminuria (P <0.01 for trend), whereas among individuals with neither hypertension nor diabetes during the study, year 10 GGT showed a U-shaped association with it (P = 0.01 for quadratic term). When the long-term risk was evaluated in 3895 participants based on serum GGT at year 0 and prevalence of microalbuminuria at year 10 or year 15, the trends were similar but weaker than those of short-term incidence risk.

Conclusions: Serum GGT within the physiologic range predicted microalbuminuria among patients with hypertension or diabetes and may act as a predictor of microvascular and/or renal complications in these vulnerable groups. GGT showed a U-shaped association with microalbuminuria among persons who did not develop either hypertension or diabetes.
The CAG Repeat Polymorphism in the Androgen Receptor Gene Is Associated with HDL-Cholesterol but Not with Coronary Atherosclerosis or Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Hersberger Martin , Muntwyler Jörg , Funke Harald , Marti-Jaun Jacqueline , Schulte Helmut , Assmann Gerd , Lüscher Thomas F , von Eckardstein Arnold
Published: May 2005

Background: Age-adjusted morbidity and mortality rates from coronary heart disease (CHD) are higher in men than in women. Androgens are suspected to be responsible for the male disadvantage. The genomic effect of androgens is mediated by the androgen receptor (AR), which has a polymorphic CAG repeat in exon 1. The number of repeats is inversely related to the transcriptional activity of the AR on target genes.

Methods: We investigated the association of this CAG repeat polymorphism with CHD and myocardial infarction (MI) in 2 independent case–control studies involving 544 Caucasian men.

Results: The number of CAG repeats in the AR gene correlated significantly with HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) in controls (r = 0.21; P = 0.015). This effect was independent of triglycerides, body mass index, alcohol intake, smoking, and age in a multiple regression model (R2 = 50%). Despite decreased HDL-C, lower CAG repeat numbers were not associated with increased risk for CHD (odds ratio = 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.50–1.36; P = 0.44) or MI in carriers of AR genes with lower CAG repeat numbers (odds ratio = 0.72; 95% confidence interval, 0.37–1.39; P = 0.33).

Conclusions: Shorter, more androgenic AR alleles with fewer CAG repeats are associated with lower HDL-C, but not with an increased risk for CHD or MI, which argues against a detrimental androgen effect on cardiovascular risk under physiologic conditions.
Development of a High-Throughput Automated Analyzer Using Biochip Array Technology
Authors: FitzGerald Stephen P , Lamont John V , McConnell Robert I , Benchikh El O
Published: May 2005

Background: Use of protein array technology over conventional assay methods has advantages that include simultaneous detection of multiple analytes, reduction in sample and reagent volumes, and high output of test results. The susceptibility of ligands to denaturation, however, has impeded production of a stable, reproducible biochip platform, limiting most array assays to manual or, at most, semiautomated processing techniques. Such limitations may be overcome by novel biochip fabrication procedures.

Methods: After selection of a suitable biochip substrate, biochip surfaces were chemically modified and assessed to enable optimization of biochip fabrication procedures for different test panels. The assay procedure was then automated on a dedicated instrument, and assay performance was determined for a panel of cytokine markers. Assay results were then compared with a commercial method for measurement of cytokine markers.

Results: Secondary ion mass spectrometry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrated appropriate and reproducible modification of the biochip surface. Contact-angle studies also confirmed generation of hydrophobic surfaces that enabled containment of droplets for fabrication of discrete test regions. Automation of the biochip assays on a dedicated instrument produced excellent cytokine marker performance with intra- and interassay imprecision <10% for most analytes. Comparison studies showed good agreement with other methods (r = 0.95–0.99) for cytokines.

Conclusion: Performance data from this automated biochip array analyzer provide evidence that it is now possible to produce stable and reproducible biochips for output of more than 2000 test results per hour.
China's First Systematic Account of Rhetoric: An introduction to Chen Kui's Wen Ze
Authors: Kirkpatrick Andy
Published: May 2005

Abstract Chen Kui published theWen Ze, The Rules of Writing) in 1170. Chinese scholars commonly describe this as the first systematic account of Chinese rhetoric. This paper will place the Wen Ze in its historical and rhetorical context and provide a translation and discussion of key extracts from the book. In providing a summary of the key points of The Rules of Writing, this paper presents the main principles of Chinese composition and rhetoric as laid out by Chen Kui. It will also provide evidence that rhetorical styles are a product of their times. Like fashions, they flourish and fade and then flourish again.
The Impact of Western Elocutionary Rhetoric on the East: The Case of Japan
Authors: Okabe Roichi
Published: May 2005

Abstract Western rhetoric began to influence Japan during the Meiji era (1868–1912). The influence can be seen in three representative elocution books that depended on such Western elocutionary theorists as James Rush, Gilbert Austin, and William Russell and dealt extensively with gesture, posture, and voice control for emotional effect. Despite these books, Western elocutionary rhetoric did not make any lasting changes in the Japanese rhetorical tradition because of its excessive artificiality.
Emblemática y memoria, política e historia en la Rhetorica christiana de Diego de Valadés
Authors: Chaparro-Gómez César
Published: May 2005

Abstract The Rhetorica christiana of the Franciscan Diego Valadés is connected with the world of emblematology and artificial memory. The treatise is examined from the standpoint of history and politics. Finally, guidelines are laid down for an exhaustive study of his work with regard to encyclopedism and hieroglyphic writing.
Immigration from Mexico, School Composition, and Adolescent Functioning
Authors: Crosnoe Robert , Lopez-GonzaleZ Lorena
Published: May 2005

The rapid growth of the Mexican American population and its young age structure have focused increased attention on the long-term prospects of Mexican American youth. This study explores generational differences among these youth, both within and across schools, to determine whether assimilation has positive or negative consequences in the long term for the Mexican American population as a whole. A series of logistic regression models with the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health revealed that rates of academic failure and risk of obesity were higher in the second generation of Mexican American youth, although these generational patterns varied by the interpersonal, behavioral, and demographic characteristics of the student bodies of the schools they attended. Assimilation, therefore, appeared to have different outcomes depending on the time point and local context in question.
Gender Differences in Information Technology Usage: A U.S.-Japan Comparison
Authors: Ono Hiroshi , ZavodnY Madeline
Published: May 2005

This study examines whether there are differences in men's and women's use of computers and the Internet in the United States and Japan and, if so, how this gender gap has changed over time. We focus on these two countries because information technology is widely used in both, but there are substantial differences in institutions and social organizations. We use microdata from several surveys during 1997–2001 to examine differences and trends in computer and Internet usage in the two countries. Controlling for socioeconomic characteristics, our results indicate that there were significant gender differences in computer and Internet usage in both countries during the mid-1990s. By 2001 these gender differences had disappeared or were even reversed in the United States but persisted in Japan. People not currently working have lower levels of information technology (IT) use and skills in both countries regardless of gender, but working women in Japan have lower levels of IT use and skills than working men, a difference that generally does not occur in the United States. This suggests that employment status per se does not play a large role in the gender gap in Japan, but type of employment does. The prevalence of nonstandard employment among female workers in Japan can explain much of the gender gap in information technology use and skills in that country.
Talcott Parsons and the Sociology of Emotion
Authors: Fish Jonathan S.
Published: May 2005

This article offers a critical assessment of the importance accorded to religion and human emotion in Parsons's various readings of Durkheim. While Parsons's reading of The Elementary Forms of Religious Life provides a detailed examination of these two themes as foundations for social order, the same cannot be said of his reading of The Division of Labor in Society, or Durkheim's posthumously published lectures titled Moral Education. Parsons's failure to provide any sustained analysis of the important place of religion and emotion in these last two texts prevents him from acknowledging an important area of theoretical continuity in Durkheim's cumulative writings that goes beyond and yet at the same time embraces Parsons's own identification of a positivist-voluntaristidealist divide in this classical French thinker's work. This area of theoretical continuity is important because it provides a useful backdrop for examining critically the often neglected contribution that Parsons makes to research in the sociology of emotion.
“Tuck in that Shirt!” Race, Class, Gender, and Discipline in an Urban School
Authors: Morris Edward W.
Published: May 2005

This article explores how schools reproduce race, class, and gender inequality through the regulation of students' bodies. Using ethnographic data from an urban school, I examine how assumptions guiding bodily discipline differed for different groups of students. First, adults at the school tended to view the behaviors of African American girls as not “ladylike” and attempted to discipline them into dress and manners considered more gender appropriate. Second, school officials tended to view the behaviors of Latino boys as especially threatening, and members of this group often received strict, punitive discipline. Third, school officials tended to view the behaviors of white and Asian American students as nonthreatening and gender appropriate and disciplined these students less strictly. To conclude, I discuss the importance of viewing race, class, and gender in schools simultaneously and the problems associated with disciplinary reform in education.
The Normative Mulattoes: The Press, Latinos, and the Racial Climate on the Moving Immigration Frontier
Authors: Padín José Antonio
Published: May 2005

Recent work on race and ethnicity has turned attention to the effects of growing populations that are neither black nor white on racial status hierarchies in the United States. A separate literature on new immigrants to the United States has succeeded in establishing the notion of a context of reception as a way of understanding the variable contextual cluster of factors that shapes the course of new immigrant assimilation. This article studies a problem that lies at the intersection of these two literatures. It proposes to expand the scope of conceptual models of immigrant contexts of reception to include the effects of regional media and the news on what I call the climate of new immigrant reception. The notion of a media climate of reception is used as an entrée to the study of modes of symbolic incorporation of new immigrants, Latinos specifically, into the race-coded grid of normative distinctions that define contemporary racism. The analytic focus is on the way this symbolic incorporation occurs in newspaper reporting. An analysis of fourteen years of newspaper reporting in Oregon finds strong support for a conditional whitening hypothesis. This article proposes that a similar framework be used for the comparative study of the racial climate of incorporation of Latinos across regions.
Effect of Block Net Use and Time of Sampling on Backpack Electrofishing Catches in Three Kansas Reservoirs
Authors: Schoenebeck Casey W. , Strakosh Timothy R. , Guy Christopher S.
Published: May 2005

Using backpack electrofishing in three Kansas reservoirs, we investigated the need for block nets when estimating density (fish/ha) and species diversity and determined whether time of sampling affected catch rates (fish/h) of age-0 largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides and age-0 Lepomis spp. and species diversity. Block nets were used to enclose or buoys were used to mark the boundaries of 149 m2 of reservoir surface area. Species richness, diversity, and density of age-0 largemouth bass and Lepomis spp. did not differ significantly between areas enclosed with block nets and areas marked with buoys, but species richness, diversity, and catch rates differed significantly between day and night sampling. Age-0 largemouth bass and Lepomis spp. catch rates, species richness, and species diversity were all significantly higher during night sampling. Our results indicate that use of block nets may not be necessary to estimate age-0 largemouth bass and Lepomis spp. densities, species richness, or diversity in reservoir littoral areas. We recommend night sampling because of significantly higher catch rates and better representation of the littoral fish assemblage.
Quantifying Production of Salmon Fry in an Unscreened Irrigation System: A Case Study on the Rangitata River, New Zealand
Authors: Unwin Martin J. , Webb Mark , Barker Richard J. , Link William A.
Published: May 2005

Diversion of out-migrant juvenile salmon into unscreened irrigation and hydroelectric canals is thought to have contributed significantly to declining populations of anadromous salmonids in the Pacific Northwest but is seldom studied in detail. Here we describe a program to study the fate of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha fry diverted into the unscreened Rangitata Diversion Race (RDR) on the Rangitata River, New Zealand, by trapping fish in a random sample of on-farm canals in irrigation schemes (systems) served by the RDR. The catch rate at a site 9 km below the intake was strongly related to Rangitata River flow, but catches further downstream were unrelated to flow. Most fish entering the RDR were fry or early postfry (<70 mm fork length (FL)), but up to 92% of the fish trapped in on-farm canals were fingerlings (>70 mm FL), suggesting that many such fish became resident in the RDR for up to 3 months. Consequently, our estimate of the total number of fish leaving the RDR via on-farm canals (204,200 fish; 95% confidence limits = 127,100 and 326,700) is a conservative measure of the number lost from the Rangitata River because it does not allow for mortality within the RDR. We did not quantify the proportion of Rangitata River out-migrants that entered the RDR, but our results suggest that this figure was at least 5% and that it may have been as high as 25%, depending on mortality rates within the Rangitata River main stem and the RDR itself.
Refining Boat Electrofishing Equipment to Improve Consistency and Reduce Harm to Fish
Authors: Miranda L. E.
Published: May 2005

A major concern with electrofishing is the standardization of sampling equipment and methods, particularly when collections are used to monitor spatial and temporal changes in fish communities. Standardization can not only ensure that stock assessment is consistent—that is, the data collected over time and space have equal meaning and are not influenced by differences in gear or gear application—but also reduce injury by constraining power to ranges that are likely to immobilize fish but unlikely to harm them. Standardization of electrofishing equipment requires adjusting power output to keep constant the amount of power transferred to fish in diverse water conditions. In this study, the power level thresholds required to immobilize and injure fish under controlled laboratory conditions were identified for various size–species combinations and applied to establish power minima and maxima suitable for successful and safe boat electrofishing. The target settings identified allowed survival of 99.4% of the fish collected and held for 2–3 h during field trials; all the mortalities were small fish (≤53 mm long). The standardization procedure described herein may be adapted to single boats or fleets and can promote consistency in electrofishing, although it does not completely avoid harm to fish. Because electrofishing is an active capture method applied to changing microenvironments, complete standardization and total avoidance of harm to individual fish are not feasible with present technology, but standardization of controllable variables is advisable.
Evaluation of a Selective Flatfish Trawl and Diel Variation in Rockfish Catchability as Bycatch Reduction Tools in the Deepwater Complex Fishery off the U.S. West Coast
Authors: Hannah Robert W. , Parker Steven J. , Buell Troy V.
Published: May 2005

We tested the potential of a selective flatfish trawl to reduce bycatch of slope rockfish in the upper continental slope bottom-trawl fishery (250–500 m) on the U.S. West Coast. The trawl we tested differed from typical slope trawls in that it was a low-rise, two-seam trawl with a severely cut back headrope. We used an alternate haul, randomized block design to compare catches of the experimental trawl with those of a typical four-seam, high-rise trawl and to examine diel changes in catch rates for both trawls. The experimental trawl produced catches similar to the control trawl for all commercially valuable flatfish, except arrowtooth flounder Atheresthes stomias, which was reduced 24%. Catches of most rockfish and roundfish were significantly reduced in the experimental trawl (50–94% depending on species). However, the catches of darkblotched rockfish Sebastes crameri and redbanded rockfish S. babcocki were not reduced significantly in the experimental trawl. Nighttime catches were reduced 30–99% for most rockfish species, the greatest reductions occurring in the experimental trawl. The large nighttime catch reduction for several rockfish species for both trawls along with no catch reduction in Dover sole Microstomus pacificus, suggests that fishing only at night may be a viable bycatch-reduction strategy for some rockfish species. The diel and depth-related variation in catch rates we noted for the selective flatfish trawl indicates that catches by this trawl may be especially sensitive to physical and environmental factors such as time of day, depth, or turbidity.
A Multimetric Assessment of Stream Condition in the Northern Lakes and Forests Ecoregion Using Spatially Explicit Statistical Modeling and Regional Normalization
Authors: Baker Edward A. , Wehrly Kevin E. , Seelbach Paul W. , Wang Li , Wiley Michael J. , Simon Thomas
Published: May 2005

We sampled fish communities, water temperature, water chemistry, physical habitat, and catchment characteristics for 94 stream sites selected randomly throughout the Northern Lakes and Forests ecoregion and used those data to explicitly model reference conditions and assess ecological stream condition at each site via a regional normalization framework. The streams we sampled were first order through fourth order, and the catchments ranged from 0.9 to 458 km2. We developed multiple linear regression (MLR) models that predicted fish community metrics, water chemistry characteristics, and local physical habitat from catchment characteristics; we used these models to compare existing conditions with the conditions that would be expected based on the regression models. Our results indicated that the fish communities were relatively unimpaired because the catchment variables associated with human‐induced land use change were important in only 1 of the 10 fish metric models. Agricultural land use was a significant variable in the MLR equation for species of Lepomis (sunfish). Agricultural land use and urban land use were both significant variables in all of the MLR models predicting water chemistry variables; urban land use was a significant variable in the MLR model predicting the percent coverage of all instream cover types. Regional normalization indicated that none of the sites were impaired based on fish community attributes. However, our analysis based on water chemistry metrics indicated that 22– 35% of the sites were impaired and that, based on physical habitat, 6–14% of the sites were impaired. A comparison with other published studies of the ecoregion suggested that the regional normalization process correctly characterized stream condition.
Influence of Larval Sea Lamprey Density on Transformer Life History Characteristics in Lewis Creek, Vermont
Authors: Zerrenner Adam , Marsden J. Ellen
Published: May 2005

Density‐dependent larval life history characteristics of sea lampreys Petromyzon marinus may have important management implications for sea lamprey control if life history attributes directly respond to conditions created by control strategies. Our objective was to examine the effects of larval sea lamprey density on sex ratio, size at metamorphosis, and age at metamorphosis in Lewis Creek, Vermont (one reach with naturally high larval density and one low‐density reach), and to determine the effects of lampricide treatments on these characteristics. Lewis Creek has a natural falls that divides the stream into two distinct larval sea lamprey populations; this barrier created areas of high and low densities in the stream before treatment. Lewis Creek was treated with lampricide in 1990 and 1994, and all visible dead sea lampreys were collected, identified, and counted. Sea lamprey transformers (metamorphosing larvae) were measured for length and weight and sex was determined. Larval habitat was quantified above and below the falls in 1999 and 2000, and larval density was quantified by electroshocking below the falls. During the first treatment, larval density above the falls was 64 times greater than density below the falls. Transformers above the falls were similar in weight, were 11% longer, and had a significantly higher proportion of females (75% versus 53%) than those collected below the falls. Density of sea lampreys below the falls increased after treatment. Transformers decreased in average length and weight between 1990 and 1994 and increased in length and weight between 1999 and 2000. The percentage of females fluctuated from 65% after the first treatment (1994) to 44% after the second treatment (1999) to 52% a year later (2000). Overall, higher larval density (below versus above the falls, after versus before treatment) was associated with smaller transformers and lower proportions of females.
A Classification of Habitat Types in a Large River and Their Use by Juvenile Salmonids
Authors: Beechie T. J. , Liermann M. , Beamer E. M. , Henderson R.
Published: May 2005

We describe six habitat types for large rivers (>100 m bank‐full width), including pools, riffles, and glides in midchannel and bank edges, bar edges, and backwaters along channel margins. Midchannel units were deeper and faster than edge units on average. Among edge habitat types, backwater units had the lowest velocities and contained complex cover consisting mainly of wood accumulations and aquatic plants. Banks and bars had similar velocity distributions, but banks had more complex cover such as rootwads and debris jams. Because sampling of juvenile salmonids was ineffective in the midchannel units (electrofishing capture efficiency was low, and the units were too deep and fast to snorkel), we focused our sampling efforts on juvenile salmonid use of edge habitats during winter, spring, and late summer. Densities of juvenile Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and coho salmon O. kisutch were highest in bank and backwater units in winter, whereas age‐0 and age‐1 or older steelhead densities were highest in bank units in winter. In summer, only coho salmon densities were significantly different among edge unit types, densities being highest in banks and backwaters. Microhabitat selection (velocity, depth, and cover type) by juvenile salmonids mirrored that in small streams, most fish occupying areas with a velocity less than 15 cm/s and wood cover. Among ocean‐type salmon, Chinook and chum salmon fry were captured in large numbers in all edge units and exhibited only slightly higher densities in low‐velocity areas (<15 cm/s).
Nonlethal Assessment of Juvenile Pink and Chum Salmon for Parasitic Sea Lice Infections and Fish Health
Authors: Krkošek Martin , Morton Alexandra , Volpe John P.
Published: May 2005

Industrial salmon farming has been correlated with infestations of parasitic sea lice Lepeophtheirus salmonis in adjacent wild juvenile salmonids and declines of sympatric wild salmonid populations. Prohibitively large financial, human, and logistical resource requirements prevent the implementation of long‐term, large‐scale monitoring programs to assess the effect of farms on wild salmonids. We report a novel nonlethal sampling procedure for quantifying louse abundances and measures of fish health on wild juvenile pink salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha and chum salmon O. keta during their early marine life history phase. The method significantly reduces the resource requirements of sampling programs and provides a desirable nonlethal alternative for studying depressed or threatened populations. The simplicity of the protocol facilitates public participation, further decreasing costs while increasing the potential spatiotemporal coverage and resolution of future research–monitoring programs.
Hydrothermal Processing
Authors: Byrappa K.
Published: May 2005

Hydrothermal processing of materials covers a wide range of technologies related to the preparation of materials in a closed system under the action of temperature and pressure. The hydrothermal materials processing deals with the hydrothermal synthesis, crystal growth of both fine‐to‐ultrafine crystals and bulk crystals, leaching, treatment, alteration, sintering, decomposition, waste recycling, supercritical water oxidation, stabilization, mineral recovery, etc. A state of art development in the field of hydrothermal technology has been described with respect to the preparation of both inorganic and organic materials with appropriate examples, eg, growth of quartz single crystals, preparation of zeolites, ceramics, issues related to the environmental science, and a recent approach, such as green processing.
Detecting regime transitions in slurry bubble columns using pressure time series
Authors: Ruthiya Keshav C. , Chilekar Vinit P. , Warnier Maurice J. F. , van der Schaaf John , Kuster Ben F. M. , Schouten Jaap C. , van Ommen J. Ruud
Published: May 2005

Changes in the coherent standard deviation and in the average frequency of measured pressure time series with gas velocity, are proposed, as unique and unambiguous criteria to mark flow regime transitions in slurry bubble columns. In a 2‐dimensional (2‐D) slurry bubble column, pressure time series are measured at different gas velocities simultaneously with high‐speed video recording of the gas‐liquid flow. The frequency of occurrence and the average diameter of the large bubbles are determined from video image analysis. The gas velocity where the first large bubbles are detected, with an average diameter of 1.5 cm, and with a frequency of occurrence of one bubble per s, is designated as the first regime transition point (transition from the homogeneous regime to the transition regime). At this point, the coherent standard deviation of the measured pressure fluctuations clearly increases from zero. The gas velocity where the average diameter and the frequency of occurrence of the large bubbles become constant, is designated as the second regime transition point (transition from the transition regime to the heterogeneous regime). From this point onward, the slope of the coherent standard deviation of the measured pressure fluctuations clearly decreases with gas velocity, while the average frequency becomes constant. These clear changes with gas velocity in the coherent standard deviation, and in the average frequency are also demonstrated in a 3‐D slurry bubble column. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2005
Modeling of morphogenesis of growing polyolefin particles
Authors: Grof Zdeněk , Kosek Juraj , Marek Miloš
Published: May 2005

A novel concept is introduced of modeling of the morphogenesis of polyolefin particles. The polymer particle is assumed to consist of a large number of microelements with binary and ternary viscoelastic interactions acting among individual microelements. These viscoelastic interactions are described by the Maxwell model and govern the morphogenesis process of the growing polymer particle. The rate of the growth of each particular microelement depends on the local catalyst activity and concentration of the monomer. Various types of morphologies of polymer particles are obtained when different viscoelastic properties and/or different reaction conditions are considered. Development of morphological features such as the formation of fine particles, cracks in polymer particles, hollow particles, good or poor replication of the shape of the original catalyst particle, and the evolution of the porous structure of polymer particle are used as illustrative examples. The presented approach thus represents a novel first‐principles–based modeling of reaction‐transport processes in dynamically evolving multiphase media. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2005
Xq chromosome duplication in males: Clinical, cytogenetic and array CGH characterization of a new case and review
Authors: Cheng Sabrina F. , Rauen Katherine A. , Pinkel Daniel , Albertson Donna G. , Cotter Philip D.
Published: May 2005

Males with duplications within the long arm of the X chromosome are rare and most cases are inherited from a maternal heterozygote. We report a male with a de novo Xq duplication and review of the literature. The proband was ascertained prenatally after an abnormal expanded alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) screen and abnormal ultrasound findings. Chromosome analysis on amniocyte and subsequent peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures showed a male karyotype containing additional material on the long arm of the X chromosome. Fluorescence in situ hybridization with an X chromosome whole chromosome paint probe showed that the additional material was derived from the X chromosome, interpreted as a dup(X)(q13.3q24). Further characterization of the duplication by array CGH showed a duplication size between 30–44 Mb as determined by the map position of the flanking clones on the array, and refined the breakpoints of the duplicated region to Xq21.32 → Xq25. At birth, the proband had multiple craniofacial abnormalities, musculoskeletal anomalies, bilateral cryptorchidism with scrotal hypoplasia, conductive hearing loss, and profound generalized hypotonia despite normal birthweight, length, and head circumference. Although data regarding Xq duplications in males are limited, a clear pattern of characteristic features can be discerned as illustrated in the present case and confirmed in our literature review. Mental, psychomotor and growth retardation, as well as, craniofacial anomalies, muscle hypotonia, hypoplastic genitalia, cryptorchidism, feeding difficulties, and endocrine dysfunction are all significant issues in these individuals. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Complex chromosome rearrangement and recombinant balanced translocation in a mother and a daughter with the same phenotypic abnormalities
Authors: Tihy Frédérique , Lemieux N. , Lemyre E.
Published: May 2005

We report on the diagnosis of a complex chromosome rearrangement in a mother and the transmission of a simplified translocation in her fetus. The mother had mental retardation, short stature, facial dysmorphism, and hydronephrosis, but was never investigated before she was pregnant. A blood sample was taken for karyotyping at the time of amniocentesis for advanced maternal age. The mother's karyotype revealed two translocations involving chromosome 5, chromosome 16 twice, and chromosome 20 as follow: 46,XX,t(5;16;20)(5pter→5q11.2::16q12.1→16q23::20p11.2→20pter;16pter→16q12.1::5q11.2→5qter;16qter→16q23::20p11.2→20qter). The amniocentesis revealed a female karyotype with an apparently balanced translocation: 46,XX,t(16;20)(q23;p11.2). The translocation of the fetus probably resulted from a meiotic recombination between the derived 5 and the normal 16 in the mother. The baby was born and presented the same facial dysmorphism and hydronephrosis. The simplification of a complex rearrangement through recombination into a balanced product has only been rarely described and it is to our knowledge the first time that both the carrier of the complex rearrangement and her descendant with a simplified rearrangement share phenotypic abnormalities. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Polymorphisms in DNA repair genes as risk factors for spina bifida and orofacial clefts
Authors: Olshan Andrew F. , Shaw G.M. , Millikan R.C. , Laurent C. , Finnell R.H.
Published: May 2005

Repairing DNA damage is critical during embryogenesis because development involves sensitive periods of cell proliferation, and abnormal cell growth or death can result in malformations. Knockout mouse experiments have demonstrated that disruption of DNA repair genes results in embryolethality and structural defects. Studies using mid‐organogenesis rat embryos showed that DNA repair genes were variably expressed. It is hypothesized that polymorphisms that alter the functionality of DNA repair enzymes may modify the risk of malformations. We conducted a case‐control analysis to investigate the relationship between DNA repair gene polymorphisms and the risk of spina bifida and oral clefts. Newborn screening blood spot DNA was obtained for 250 cases (125 spina bifida, 125 oral clefts) identified by the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program, and 350 non‐malformation controls identified from birth records. Six single nucleotide polymorphisms of five DNA repair genes representing three distinct repair pathways were interrogated including: XRCC1 (Arg399Gln), APE1 (Asp148Glu), XRCC3 (Thr241Met), hOGG1(Ser326Cys), XPD (Asp312Asn, Lys751Gln). Elevated or decreased odds ratios (OR, adjusted for race/ethnicity) for spina bifida were found for genotypes containing at least one copy of the variant allele for XPD [751Gln, OR = 1.62; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.05–2.50] and APE 148 (OR = 0.58; CI = 0.37–0.90). A decreased risk of oral clefts was found for XRCC3 (OR = 0.62; CI = 0.39–0.99) and hOGG1 (326 Cys/Cys, OR = 0.22; CI = 0.06–0.78). This study suggested that polymorphisms of DNA repair genes, representing different major repair pathways, may affect risk of two major birth defects. Future, larger studies, examining additional repair genes, birth defects, and interaction with exposures are recommended. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Prenatal mucolipidosis type II (I‐cell disease) can present as Pacman dysplasia
Authors: Saul Robert A. , Proud Virginia , Taylor Harold A. , Leroy Jules G. , Spranger Jurgen
Published: May 2005

Pacman dysplasia has been previously reported to be a lethal skeletal dysplasia with epiphyseal stippling and osteoclastic overactivity. We report on a sibling of a fetus previously reported as Pacman dysplasia. This infant has a clinical course consistent with mucolipidosis type II (I‐cell disease) along with confirmatory biochemical, cytologic, and radiographic evidence. This case expands the phenotypic spectrum of mucolipidosis type II. Having redefined the diagnosis in one of the original cases of Pacman dysplasia, we suggest that what is called Pacman dysplasia could very well be Mucolipidosis type II (ML‐II) in other published reports. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mayer–Rokitansky–Küster–Hauser anomaly and its associated malformations
Authors: Pittock Siobhán T. , Babovic‐Vuksanovic Dusica , Lteif Aida
Published: May 2005

Mayer–Rokitansky–Küster Hauser (MRKHA) is a malformation complex comprising absent vagina and absent or rudimentary uterus. The aim of our study was to describe the type and frequency of anomalies associated with the MRKHA. Between 1975 and 2002, 25 patients with a diagnosis of MRKHA were identified at the Mayo Clinic. These charts were reviewed retrospectively. Two of the 25 patients were found to have absence of one ovary and two patients had unilateral oophorectomies performed for benign cysts. Four patients had minor anomalies and two had digital anomalies. The frequency of scoliosis (20%), unilateral renal agenesis (28%), non‐vertebral skeletal anomalies (16%) and of the MURCS association (Müllerian agenesis, renal agenesis/ectopia and cervical somite dysgenesis), 16%, was similar compared to that of other published studies. Vertebral abnormalities were found more frequently in our patients (44%). Four patients had cardiac defects, an anomaly not previously described, including truncus arteriosus, patent ductus arteriosus and patent foramen ovale, mitral valve prolapse, and mild mitral regurgitation. We document cardiac anomalies in 16% of our patients with MRKHA suggesting that a search for associated anomalies including cardiac defects is indicated in all such patients. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The external ear: More attention to detail may aid syndrome diagnosis and contribute answers to embryological questions
Authors: Hunter Alasdair G.W. , Yotsuyanagi Takatoshi
Published: May 2005

The human pinna has a complex shape and yet the basic components of normal structure are remarkably constant between individuals. It is precocious in its appearance during embryogenesis and it has been subject to many developmental and surgical studies, yet questions remain as to its primary embryogenesis and the causes of its malformations. Unfortunately, the vast majority of clinical reports of syndromes and of individuals with dysmorphic signs provide limited and inadequate description of the external ear. Given the intricate pattern of the pinna, and hence its potential for morphological variation, we think that more attention to the specific description of ear anomalies may lead to a better appreciation of the etiology and embryology of the malformations. Furthermore, in some cases correlation with specific syndromes may provide an aid to diagnosis. Towards those ends this paper reviews some of the controversy concerning the embryology of the pinna, and discusses a number of the better‐defined anomalies of the external ear. Although it has been suggested that anomalies of the insertion and orientation of intrinsic muscles of the pinna may be responsible for variations in external ear morphology, we think it likely that in many cases the anomalous insertions may be secondary. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.