bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Variables in the technicon‐N‐24 method for the determination of serum cholesterol
Authors: Roland Dorothy , Cooper Gerald R. , Witter Robert F.
Published: August 2007

A modification of the Technicon‐N‐24 method for serum cholesterol is described. It is possible to obtain precise results which agree on the average with those obtained with the reference Abell‐Kendall method. The level of cholesterol found by the AutoAnalyzer method depends primarily on the ratio of the rates of flow of the lipid extract to that of the premixed color reagent and the time of heating of the color reaction at 95C. In this modification, the flow rate of isopropyl alcohol extract of sample or standard is kept at 0.9 ml/min and the ratio of flow of extract to that of premixed color reagent is maintained between 1蝘10 and 1蝘12 while the time of heating of the color reaction is maintained between 95 and 120 sec. Other conditions necessary for precise results are discussed. The precision obtained on the average in several experiments ranged from 2.2 to 2.7 mg% as standard deviation between duplicates.
Rapid gas‐liquid chromatographic procedure for the analysis of methyl esters of long chain fatty acids
Authors: Jellum M. D. , Worthington R. E.
Published: August 2007

A gas‐liquid chromatographic procedure permitting rapid analysis of the major fatty acids commonly found in vegetable oils was evaluated with standards of known composition and found to be both accurate and precise. A standard containing 20% by weight of each of the methyl esters of palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acid was analyzed in 2.7 min with errors of 1.6, 0.7, 3.3, 0.8, and 3.1%, respectively. Six procedures, requiring from 2.7 to 25 min for the eluation of the effects of the operational parameters, carrier gas flow rate and column temperature, on the precision and accuracy of gasliquid chromatographic analysis of fatty acid methyl esters. The most rapid procedure, obtained with a column temperature of 235C and a helium flow rate of 110 ml/min was found to be comparable in accuracy and precision to the other procedures and gave quantitative results with National Heart Institute type fatty acid standards KA, KB, and KD, that agreed with stated composition with a relative error of less than 2% for major components (10% or more of total mixture) and less than 6% for minor components (less than 10% of total mixture).
Solvent effects on the nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of methyl hydroxystearates
Authors: Tulloch A. P.
Published: August 2007

High resolution NMR spectra of all the isomeric methyl hydroxystearates have been measured in carbon tetrachloride, pyridine, and quinoline. As a result of association with the solvent, spectra in pyridine, and particularly in quinoline, are considerably different from those in carbon tetrachloride. The two pairs of methylene groups on either side of the CHOH grouping are deshielded by the associated solvent molecule giving a new signal at 1.58 ppm in pyridine, and at 1.75 ppm in quinoline. Deshielding of the terminal CH3 occurs in isomers with hydroxyl near the methyl end, and of the methylene alpha to the ester group in isomers with hydroxyl near the ester end of the chain. When the spectra of isomers substituted near the center of the chain are observed in quinoline, the major methylene signal is split into two peaks due to differential shielding by the solvent. The differences between the spectra of each isomer measured in quinoline are sufficiently large for use as a method of identification.
Gas‐solid chromatography of hydrocarbons on activated alumina. II. Alkane, alkene, alkyne separations and subtractive adsorption
Authors: Hoffmann R. L. , List G. R. , Evans C. D.
Published: August 2007

Various alkanes,‐enes and‐ynes of molecular weights below C10 are rapidly separated by gassolid adsorption chromatography on untreated activated alumina. Solid silver nitrate coated on alumina removes alkenes and alkynes through oxidative degradation. Silver‐nitrate concentration and column temperature markedly affect olefin removal. At about 300C some of the C8 and higher molecular weight saturated hydrocarbons are destroyed. Conditions for this subtractive chromatography are detailed, and the fate of unsaturated hydrocarbons is explained.
Effects of vegetable proteins on iron and zinc absorption and availability in humans
Authors: Miles C. W.
Published: August 2007

Abstracts

This review discusses research on the effects of vegetable protein diets on iron and zinc absorption and availability. Constituents of vegetables can have either a positive or negative effect on iron absorption. Although the use of soy protein to extend beef patties was found to decrease nonheme iron absorption in some studies, the use of soy‐extended beef on a regular basis was not found to deleteriously affect the iron status (serum ferritin levels) of adult men, menstruating females or school age subjects. Factors such as phytic acid level, dietary fiber content or protein source of vegetable protein diets have been implicated in decreasing the utilization of iron and zinc by humans. The effect of the molar ratio of phytate on the zinc of the diet is controversial: some studies find a decrease in zinc absorption with an increase in the phytate to zinc molar ratio; other studies find zinc absorption more dependent on the total amount of zinc in the meal than on the presence of phytic acid. Since many people meet their energy and protein requirements from vegetable sources, attention should be given to the mineral availability of these diets.
Antimicrobial properties of some erucic acid‐glycolic acid derivatives
Authors: Bailey A. V. , De Lucca A. J. , Moreau J. P.
Published: August 2007

Abstracts

Twelve fatty acid derivatives of glycolic acid containing erucic acid, or other selected vegetable oil fatty acids, were synthesized. These were screened for antimicrobial activity against a gram‐positive bacterium,Staphylococcus aureus; a gram‐negative bacterium,Escherichia coli; a mold,Penicillium notatum, and a yeast,Candida utilis. All of the compounds inhibited at least one of these organisms. These compounds were derivatives of glycolic acid prepared by esterification of the carboxyl function of glycolic acid with a long‐chain fatty alcohol and reaction of the hydroxyl function of glycolic acid with a long‐chain fatty acyl group.
An improved method for the analysis of ruminant fats
Authors: Johnson Cecil B.
Published: August 2007

Abstracts

A method is described for the separation of saturated methyl esters from mercuric acetate adducts of unsaturated esters using an ion exchange resin. The esters thus separated were analyzed by gas chromatography on a short wide‐bore capillary column containing a bonded polyethyleneglycol liquid phase. Detailed analyses of sheep and beef depot fats can be produced more rapidly and with greater accuracy using this methodology than with that currently available.
Heptaldehyde and undecylenic acid from castor oil
Authors: Das G. , Trivedi R. K. , Vasishtha A. K.
Published: August 2007

Abstracts

Castor Oil was pyrolyzed in a vertical stainless steel tubular reactor packed with 12.5‐mm diameter mild steel balls in presence of 0.5% benzoyl peroxide. The operating parameters were optimized to obtain high yields of heptaldehyde and undecylenic acid. Heating at 550 C under reduced pressure of 45 mm (Hg) yielded 24.8% heptaldehyde and 36.0% undecylenic acid.
Evaluation of compounds contributing characterizing fishy flavors in fish oils
Authors: Karahadian C. , Lindsay R. C.
Published: August 2007

Abstracts

Vacuum steam‐deodorized fish oils oxidized under flourescent light (950 lux) at 21°C initially developed green flavors which were caused principally by t,c‐2,6‐non‐adienal, but some green‐type flavor notes were contributed byt‐2‐hexenal and 1,c‐5‐octadien‐3‐one. Diminishment of green flavor notes resulted from the depletion of 2,6‐nonadienal and the formation ofc‐4‐heptenal (>1 ppm) which contributed oxidized, burnt flavor notes. Concomitant formation oft,c,c‐ andt,t,c‐2,4,7‐decatrienal (>1 ppm) yielded characterizing burnt/fishy or cod liver oil‐like flavors in fish oils. Two unidentified compounds exhibiting minnow‐bait‐bucket and trout‐like odor qualities, respectively, were encountered in oxidizing fish oils. Hexanal, 2,4‐heptadienals and 2,4‐decadienals contributed general oxidized, painty flavors to fish oils.
Nondestructive study of liquids in single fir seeds using nuclear magnetic resonance and magic angle sample spinning
Authors: Rutar V. , Kovac M. , Lahajnar G.
Published: August 2007

Abstracts

Magic angle sample spinning reduces line broadening which arises from differences in magnetic susceptibility. NMR spectra of liquid‐like components in single fir seeds are recorded with superior resolution and sensitivity, thus facilitating nondestructive determination of oil composition. The results also show thatcis‐5,cis‐9‐octadecadienoic, andcis‐5,cis‐9,cis‐12‐octadecatrienoic fatty acids are selectively esterified to the CH```2``‐O‐ group of the glycerol backbone.
Hydrogen sulfide and acetaldehyde discharge from a rapeseed extraction plant
Authors: Lindh L. A. , Dahlen J. A. H.
Published: August 2007

Abstracts

The gas effluent from a mineral oil recovery system in a rapeseed extraction plant contains high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and acetaldehyde. The two compounds are produced in the desolventizer‐toaster (DT) and are the major cause of the unpleasant smell emanating from the plant.
Investigation of network formation in drying oils by dilute solution viscometry
Authors: Ibemesi J. A.
Published: August 2007

Abstracts

Dilute solution viscometry was used to monitor the drying of the oils of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.), rubber (Hevea bransiliensis [Kunth] Muell. Arg.), soyabean (Glycine max (L) Merr) and melon (Colocynthis vulgaris Schrad) with a view to gain insight into the mode of network formation prior to the gel point. Intrinsic viscosity values obtained show a rise‐and‐fall pattern which was attributed to the occurrence of inter‐ and intramolecular crosslinking. Reduced viscosity values of the solutions of the oils (in both their oxidized and unoxidized forms) show a rise with dilution, indicating the occurrence of major structural changes in the system.
Critical surfactant concentration in the interaction between nonionic surfactants and polymeric acids. effects of temperature, pH and salts
Authors: Shuji Saito
Published: August 2007

Abstracts

Critical surfactant concentrations at which the binding of nonionic surfactants to polyacrylic acid, or complex formation, abruptly occurred in aqueous solution were lower than the CMC and were temperature‐independent. The complex was precipitated by pH lowering or salt addition. At low pH, precipitation limit surfactant concentration (PLC) existed, below which no precipitation of the complex took place, and the PLC coincided with the critical concentration mentioned above. In this case the PLC did not change with temperature either. In the precipitation caused by A1C1```3`` addition, the PLC was a little higher than that at low pH, because Al ions induced not only shrinking and agglomeration of the complex but at the same time blocked the sites on the polymeric acid for hydrogen bonding with the surfactant. By NaCl or CaCl```2`` addition no PLC was found, because in both cases the salting‐out effect dominated.
Solvent extraction of soybeans
Authors: Becker W.
Published: August 2007

The removal of edible oils from oilseeds was practiced by the Egyptians many centuries ago. Some of the developments leading to today's worldwide extraction industry are discussed, and a brief history of the industry in the United States from 1940 to the present is included. The theory of solvent extraction is outlined in practical terms. Several types of solvent extraction and desolventizing systems are explained. Also, typical preparation and extraction processes for presscake, soybeans, and some high oil content seeds are illustrated. Some reasons for taking extra precautions in the preparation process and the desolventizing process when producing human edible soy protein products are explained. Energy conservation suggestions are included.
Refining and degumming systems for edible fats and oils
Authors: Carr Roy A.
Published: August 2007

Crude edible fats and oils contain variable amounts of nonglyceride impurities, such as free fatty acids, non‐fatty materials generally classified as “gums”, and color pigments. Most of these impurities are detrimental to end product fresh and aged quality characteristics, hence must be eliminated by a purification process before the finished fats and oils are suitable for human consumption. The object of this process is to remove these objectionable impurities with the least possible loss of neutral oil and tocopherals. Key theoretical and practical factors for degumming and refining crude edible oils are discussed with particular reference to processes, flow charts, control systems and analytical testing requirements. In addition to typical large volume oils, such as soya and cotton, techniques are also reviewed for smaller volume oils, including palm, lauric and corm.
Use of bleaching, clays, in processing edible oils
Authors: Richardson Louis L.
Published: August 2007

Bleaching of fats and oils is a process where by the clay adsorbent is mixed intimately with the oil under specified conditions to remove unwanted color bodies and other contaminants. This paper describes the process and discusses the parameters and economics involved.
Edible oil deodorization
Authors: Gavin Arnold M.
Published: August 2007

Deodorization of fats and oils is necessary to remove the disagreeable flavor and odors that are naturally present or created durign processing. Steam stripping of the oils is used to remove these volatile flavor and odor components. This paper discusses the process specifications for deodorization and the mechanical design of edible oil deodorizers.
Interesterification of fats
Authors: Sreenivasan B.
Published: August 2007

Interesterification changes the distribution of the fatty acids among the glycerides of fats or mixtures of fats from what was present originally. This affects the physical nature and behavior of fats. A discussion of this process from the standpoints of mechanism, catalysts, methods of monitoring the reaction and applications will be presented.
Surface activity and cutaneous effects of monoalkyl phosphate surfactants
Authors: Imokawa G. , Tsutsumi H. , Kurosaki T.
Published: August 2007

Monoalkyl phosphates of high purity were synthesized and were investigated for their surface‐active properties and cutaneous effects. It has been found that these surfactants possess adequate surface‐active properties similar to those of common anionic surfactants and that they exhibit considerable safety on the skin in comparison with typical anionic surfactants used commercially.
Factors Influencing Surgical Career Choices and Advancement in Ireland and Britain
Authors: Corrigan Mark A. , Shields Conor J. , Redmond Henry P.
Published: August 2007

Background

The aim of this study was to analyze the factors that influence the advancement and the career choices of doctors and medical students.

Methods

Using the combined databases of the iformix and surgent websites, 450 doctors and medical students were invited to complete an internet‐based survey. Surgent (http://www.surgent.ie) and iformix (http://www.iformix.com) are two free internet services administered by the authors. Surgent is a medical educational website, while iformix facilitates the online submission of abstracts to surgical and medical conferences across Britain and Ireland. The combined database of these two websites is approximately 4500 entries. Four hundred and fifty users represented a 10% sample based on an expected 40%‐45% response rate. This was anticipated to yield between 180 and 202 respondents, statistically sufficient to analyze the data. A detailed Likert scale assessed the importance of “academic,” “clinical,” and “lifestyle” factors in determining career choice and progression. Analysis included descriptive statistics and inferential testing.

Results

Fifty percent (N = 222) of surveys were returned; 142 men and 78 women. Thirty‐seven percent of respondents were Irish, 28% British, and 35% non‐European. Fifteen percent were undergraduates, 4% interns, 12% had 2‐4 years of clinical experience, while 69% had completed more than 4 years. Fifty‐six percent had decided upon a career in general surgery. Overall, the most important factors for career choice were intellectual challenge (95%), academic opportunities (61%), and research opportunities(54%). Doctors with more than 4 years of experience deemed duration of training (p = 0.002), lifestyle during training (p = 0.02), and stress (0.005) as less important factors when considering career choice. Correlation analyses demonstrated that prestige (p = 0.002), patient relationships (p = 0.006), and advice from friends or family (p = 0.01) were more important influencing factors for interns. In terms of career advancement, 66% of non‐Europeans considered family contacts important as opposed to 20% of British and 45% of Irish doctors (p < 0.001). In addition, 47% of females felt gender was important for career advancement as opposed to 31% of males (p = 0.01).

Conclusions

Academic and clinical factors play an important role in career choice. However, it is clear that lifestyle factors predominate in determining an individual’s career decisions in surgery.
Selection of Variables in Cluster Analysis: An Empirical Comparison of Eight Procedures
Authors: Steinley Douglas , Brusco Michael J.
Published: August 2007

Eight different variable selection techniques for model-based and non-model-based clustering are evaluated across a wide range of cluster structures. It is shown that several methods have difficulties when non-informative variables (i.e., random noise) are included in the model. Furthermore, the distribution of the random noise greatly impacts the performance of nearly all of the variable selection procedures. Overall, a variable selection technique based on a variance-to-range weighting procedure coupled with the largest decreases in within-cluster sums of squares error performed the best. On the other hand, variable selection methods used in conjunction with finite mixture models performed the worst.
High dimension diffeomorphisms exhibiting infinitely many strange attractors
Authors: Leal Bladismir
Published: August 2007

In this work we show, on a manifold of any dimension, that arbitrarily near any smooth diffeomorphism with a homoclinic tangency associated to a sectionally dissipative fixed or periodic point (i.e. the product of any pair of eigenvalues has norm less than 1), there exists a diffeomorphism exhibiting infinitely many Hénon-like strange attractors. In the two-dimensional case this has been proved in [E. Colli, Infinitely many coexisting strange attractors, Ann. Inst. H. Poincaré Anal. Non Linéaire 15 (1998) 539–579]. We also show that a parametric version of this result is true.

Dans ce travail nous montrons, sur une variété de dimension quelconque, qu'arbitrairement près de chaque difféomorphisme possédant une tangence homocline, associée à un point fixe ou périodique sectionnelement dissipatif (le module du produit de deux valeurs propres quelconques est plus petit que 1) il existe un difféomorphisme qui possède une infinité d'attracteurs étranges du type Hénon. Dans le cas bidimensionnel ceci a été prouvé dans [E. Colli, Infinitely many coexisting strange attractors, Ann. Inst. H. Poincaré Anal. Non Linéaire 15 (1998) 539–579]. Nous démontrons également une version paramétrique de ce résultat.
Response of zonal chondrocytes to extracellular matrix‐hydrogels
Authors: Hwang Nathaniel S. , Varghese Shyni , Lee H. Janice , Theprungsirikul Parnduangjai , Canver Adam , Sharma Blanka , Elisseeff Jennifer
Published: August 2007

We investigated the biological response of chondrocytes isolated from different zones of articular cartilage and their cellular behaviors in poly (ethylene glycol)‐based (PEG) hydrogels containing exogenous type I collagen, hyaluronic acid (HA), or chondroitin sulfate (CS). The cellular morphology was strongly dependent on the extracellular matrix component of hydrogels. Additionally, the exogenous extracellular microenvironment affected matrix production and cartilage specific gene expression of chondrocytes from different zones. CS‐based hydrogels showed the strongest response in terms of gene expression and matrix accumulation for both superficial and deep zone chondrocytes, but HA and type I collagen‐based hydrogels demonstrated zonal‐dependent cellular responses.
Cesium chloride protects cerebellar granule neurons from apoptosis induced by low potassium
Authors: Zhong Jin , Yao Weiguo , Lee Weihua
Published: August 2007

Neuronal apoptosis plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, and neuroprotective agents targeting apoptotic signaling could have therapeutic use. Here we report that cesium chloride, an alternative medicine in treating radiological poison and cancer, has neuroprotective actions. Serum and potassium deprivation induced cerebellar granule neurons to undergo apoptosis, which correlated with the activation of caspase‐3. Cesium prevented both the activation of caspase‐3 and neuronal apoptosis in a dose‐dependent manner. Cesium at 8 mM increased the survival of neurons from 45 ± 3% to 91 ± 5% of control. Cesium's neuroprotection was not mediated by PI3/Akt or MAPK signaling pathways, since it was unable to activate either Akt or MAPK by phosphorylation. In addition, specific inhibitors of PI3 kinase and MAP kinase did not block cesium's neuroprotective effects. On the other hand, cesium inactivated GSK3β by phosphorylation of serine‐9 and GSK3β‐specific inhibitor SB415286 prevented neuronal apoptosis. These data indicate that cesium's neuroprotection is likely via inactivating GSK3β. Furthermore, cesium also prevented H2O2‐induced neuronal death (increased the survival of neurons from 72 ± 4% to 89 ± 3% of control). Given its relative safety and good penetration of the brain blood barrier, our findings support the potential therapeutic use of cesium in neurodegenerative diseases.
Dupuytren’s Disease Following Acute Injury in Japanese Patients: Dupuytren’s Disease or Not?
Authors: ABE Y. , ROKKAKU T. , EBATA T. , TOKUNAGA S. , YAMADA T.
Published: August 2007

This paper reports the development of Dupuytren’s disease following acute injury in 16 hands in 14 Japanese patients. The patients included six women and eight men. Five patients developed disease following trauma, one following infection and eight following elective surgery. In the present series, the patient age and sex are irrelevant. The disease was unilateral, confined to a single digital ray, and without ectopic lesions in most cases. Disease presented predominantly in the ring or middle finger rays. There were only three patients who underwent surgery for definite flexion contracture. Diabetes mellitus was the most frequently associated risk factor. Our results suggest that Dupuytren’s disease following acute injury could be considered a separate entity from typical Dupuytren’s disease. At present, we believe that this condition should be considered a subtype of Dupuytren’s disease.
Audiometric and imaging characteristics of distal renal tubular acidosis and deafness
Authors: Joshua B , Kaplan D M , Raveh E , Lotan D , Anikster Y
Published: August 2007

Objective:

Primary distal renal tubular acidosis with sensorineural hearing loss is a rare autosomal recessive disease, usually caused by mutations in the ATP6V1B1 gene. The aim of this study was to characterise the phenotype of this disease, with emphasis on the auditory findings, in a cohort of Israeli children.

Study design:

Prospective study of five children, from three unrelated families, with distal renal tubular acidosis and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, with mutations in the ATP6V1B1 gene.

Methods:

The following were collected from patients' medical records: biochemical and renal data, age at distal renal tubular acidosis diagnosis, and age at hearing loss. Hearing loss progression as well as current hearing status were assessed, and high resolution computed tomography of the temporal bone was performed. All patients underwent genetic testing.

Results:

Four patients were diagnosed with distal renal tubular acidosis before the age of six months and one at 24 months. All had the classical findings of low blood pH and inappropriately high urine pH. Hearing loss was diagnosed between the ages of three months and two years. The hearing loss was bilateral, asymmetrical and progressive, occasionally with a conductive component. Two children underwent cochlear implantation, at ages 10 and 15 years. High resolution computed tomography, performed in four patients between the ages of 2.5 and 15 years, showed bilaterally enlarged vestibular aqueducts. This was the only radiological abnormality in the inner ear in all cases. A different mutation in the ATP6V1B1 gene was found in each family.

Conclusion:

Several types of mutations in the ATP6V1B1 gene may cause distal renal tubular acidosis and sensorineural hearing loss. Patients display a typical progressive type of hearing loss and have enlarged vestibular aqueducts, with no other abnormalities being observed on imaging.
Five-year results for use of single-flanged tympanostomy tubes in children
Authors: Knutsson J , von Unge M
Published: August 2007

Aims:

To assess the five-year outcome of the use of single-flanged tympanostomy tubes in children, including the time to extrusion, rate of retained tubes and rate of persistent perforation.

Materials and methods:

The medical records relating to 640 single-flanged tympanostomy tubes intended for short-term use in paediatric patients were retrospectively reviewed.

Results and analysis:

We found that 36.4 per cent of the tubes had extruded within 12 months and 71.0 per cent within 24 months. Results showed that 14.1 per cent of the tubes had been removed because of prolonged retention, with a mean time to removal of 38.9 months. The time to extrusion was longer and the rate of retained tubes was higher than those reported for several other short-term tubes. We found that 4.5 per cent of tube insertions had resulted in a persistent perforation, a higher percentage than previously reported for other tubes intended for short-term use. Within five years of tube insertion, 70.5 per cent of the tympanic membranes had normalised.
Limited impact of tuberculosis control in Hong Kong: attributable to high risks of reactivation disease
Authors: VYNNYCKY E. , BORGDORFF M. W. , LEUNG C. C. , TAM C. M. , FINE P. E. M.
Published: August 2007

Over 50% of the global burden of tuberculosis occurs in South East Asia and the Western Pacific. Since 1950, notification rates in high-income countries in these settings have declined slowly and have remained over ten-fold greater than those in Western populations. The reasons for the slow decline are poorly understood. Using an age-structured model describing the incidence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and disease applied to notification data from Hong Kong, we illustrate that in Hong Kong, a high prevalence of M. tuberculosis infection among older individuals and a high risk of disease through reactivation (e.g. up to 17-fold greater than that estimated for infected males in the United Kingdom) may explain this slow decline. If this feature of the epidemiology of tuberculosis is widespread, the WHO directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS) strategy may have a smaller impact in Asia in the short term than has been implied by recent predictions, all of which have been based on disease risk estimates derived from Western Europe. As a result, it may be difficult to meet the targets for tuberculosis control, which have been prescribed by the UN Millennium Development Goals.
Occurrence and characteristics of cytotoxic necrotizing factors, cytolethal distending toxins and other virulence factors inEscherichia colifrom human blood and faecal samples
Authors: KADHUM H. J. , FINLAY D. , ROWE M. T. , WILSON I. G. , BALL H. J.
Published: August 2007

Escherichia coliisolates from human blood (n=266) and faecal (n=237) samples were examined for cytotoxic necrotizing factors 1 and 2 (CNF 1 and 2), cytolethal distending toxin (CDT), and putative virulence factors that have been associated with disease conditions in humans and animals. PCR showed that the chromosomally encoded, Rho-activating,CNF1(68/544, 12·5%) was more common than the transmissible plasmid-borneCNF2(3/544, 0·6%). The relative risk of having either CNF or CDT toxin genes in blood compared to faecal isolates was 3·88 (95% CI 2·36–6·38). This was highly significant (P<0·0001) and demonstrates the importance of these factors in bloodstream infections. Fifty-one of 65 (78%)E. colibearingCNF1and 11 of 21 (52%) ofE. colibearingCDTalso carried the pyelonephritis-associated pilus gene,papG. The S fimbrial adhesin gene,sfa, was found in 57 blood (21%) and eight faecal samples (3%). The F17 fimbrial adhesin gene and afimbrial adhesin geneafadid not occur frequently. Haemolysin (hly) was found in all of the isolates tested. Further studies must be designed to identify the clinical significance of these genes and their role in pathogenesis.
Bioactivity of oats as it relates to cardiovascular disease
Authors: Ryan Danielle , Kendall Megan , Robards Kevin
Published: August 2007

The food consumption of oats has increased in recent years due to a perceived association with a range of health benefits. Oats are unusual in that the bran is not as physically distinct as in other cereals. This provides a possible benefit in providing a high β-glucan content of the grains. However, oats contain many other phytochemicals including a range of antioxidants that may be associated with health benefits, although the evidence for such benefits is largely indirect and often confusing and contradictory. Nevertheless, the consumption of oats as part of a balanced diet does seem a reasonable approach.
Preface
Authors: Flatt Matthew , Pierce Benjamin C.
Published: August 2007

The Tenth ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Functional Programming (ICFP) was held in September, 2005, in Tallinn, Estonia; Benjamin Pierce chaired the program committee. After the conference, extended versions of some of the presented papers were solicited for this special issue of JFP. All submitted papers were reviewed following standard JFP procedures and four were ultimately accepted; they form the body of this special issue.
A comparison of four dietary assessment methods in materially deprived households in England
Authors: Holmes Bridget , Dick Katie , Nelson Michael
Published: August 2007

Objectives

Low-income households in the UK concentrate factors associated with poor record-keeping such as lower literacy, numeracy and English language skills. The present study aimed to (1) compare the validity and acceptability of three dietary survey methods against appropriate reference measures and (2) identify a method which was both valid and acceptable in low-income households.

Design

Cross-sectional design comparing three 4-day dietary survey methods (multiple-pass 24-hour recall, food checklist and semi-weighed method) against a 4-day weighed inventory and other reference measures within subjects.

Setting

London, UK, 2001.

Subjects

Low-income households were selected using a doorstep screening questionnaire in 18 of the 60 most deprived neighbourhoods in London. Results are based on 384 respondents (159 males, 225 females) aged 2–90 years in 240 households. Respondents were mainly White (48%), Black or Black British (31%) or Asian or Asian British (9%).

Results

The dietary survey method preferred by interviewers was the 24-hour recall. Most respondents preferred the food checklist. Compared with the weighed inventory, repeat 24-hour recalls and the food checklist yielded higher estimates of energy and nutrient intakes. The semi-weighed method was least liked and yielded the lowest estimates of intake.

Conclusions

Based partly on evidence presented here and partly on evidence to be presented in later publications, four multiple-pass 24-hour recalls were recommended as the most appropriate method for a national study of diet and nutrition in low-income households in the UK.
Intercomparison of passive microwave sea ice concentration retrievals over the high‐concentration Arctic sea ice
Authors: Andersen Søren , Tonboe Rasmus , Kaleschke Lars , Heygster Georg , Pedersen Leif Toudal
Published: August 2007

Measurements of sea ice concentration from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) using seven different algorithms are compared to ship observations, sea ice divergence estimates from the Radarsat Geophysical Processor System, and ice and water surface type classification of 59 wide‐swath synthetic aperture radar (SAR) scenes. The analysis is confined to the high‐concentration Arctic sea ice, where the ice cover is near 100%. During winter the results indicate that the variability of the SSM/I concentration estimates is larger than the true variability of ice concentration. Results from a trusted subset of the SAR scenes across the central Arctic allow the separation of the ice concentration uncertainty due to emissivity variations and sensor noise from other error sources during the winter of 2003–2004. Depending on the algorithm, error standard deviations from 2.5 to 5.0% are found with sensor noise between 1.3 and 1.8%. This is in accord with variability estimated from analysis of SSM/I time series. Algorithms, which primarily use 85 GHz information, consistently give the best agreement with both SAR ice concentrations and ship observations. Although the 85 GHz information is more sensitive to atmospheric influences, it was found that the atmospheric contribution is secondary to the influence of the surface emissivity variability. Analysis of the entire SSM/I time series shows that there are significant differences in trend between sea ice extent and area, using different algorithms. This indicates that long‐term trends in surface and atmospheric properties, unrelated to sea ice concentration, influence the computed trends.
Assessment of skill and portability in regional marine biogeochemical models: Role of multiple planktonic groups
Authors: Friedrichs Marjorie A. M. , Dusenberry Jeffrey A. , Anderson Laurence A. , Armstrong Robert A. , Chai Fei , Christian James R. , Doney Scott C. , Dunne John , Fujii Masahiko , Hood Raleigh , McGillicuddy Dennis J. , Moore J. Keith , Schartau Markus , Spitz Yvette H. , Wiggert Jerry D.
Published: August 2007

Application of biogeochemical models to the study of marine ecosystems is pervasive, yet objective quantification of these models' performance is rare. Here, 12 lower trophic level models of varying complexity are objectively assessed in two distinct regions (equatorial Pacific and Arabian Sea). Each model was run within an identical one‐dimensional physical framework. A consistent variational adjoint implementation assimilating chlorophyll‐a, nitrate, export, and primary productivity was applied and the same metrics were used to assess model skill. Experiments were performed in which data were assimilated from each site individually and from both sites simultaneously. A cross‐validation experiment was also conducted whereby data were assimilated from one site and the resulting optimal parameters were used to generate a simulation for the second site. When a single pelagic regime is considered, the simplest models fit the data as well as those with multiple phytoplankton functional groups. However, those with multiple phytoplankton functional groups produced lower misfits when the models are required to simulate both regimes using identical parameter values. The cross‐validation experiments revealed that as long as only a few key biogeochemical parameters were optimized, the models with greater phytoplankton complexity were generally more portable. Furthermore, models with multiple zooplankton compartments did not necessarily outperform models with single zooplankton compartments, even when zooplankton biomass data are assimilated. Finally, even when different models produced similar least squares model‐data misfits, they often did so via very different element flow pathways, highlighting the need for more comprehensive data sets that uniquely constrain these pathways.
Stirring of the northeast Atlantic spring bloom: A Lagrangian analysis based on multisatellite data
Authors: Lehahn Y. , d'Ovidio F. , Lévy M. , Heifetz E.
Published: August 2007

The effect of the geostrophic stirring on phytoplankton variability during the northeast Atlantic spring bloom is studied by analyzing satellite derived surface chlorophyll, sea surface temperature, and sea surface height. The calculation of unstable manifolds is used as a diagnostic of the transport properties of the geostrophic velocity field (calculated from the sea surface height). We identify two mechanisms by which the geostrophic velocity field acts on chlorophyll patterns. The first mechanism is a direct effect of the horizontal transport on already formed chlorophyll. By acting as “sticking” transport barriers, the unstable manifolds are shown to (1) modulate the fronts of already formed phytoplankton in lobular structures, (2) create spiralling chlorophyll anomalies within eddies, and (3) produce chlorophyll filaments. The second mechanism is an indirect effect on in situ chlorophyll production mediated by nutrient upwelling. Supported by a recent study on the vertical velocities of the northeast Atlantic (Legal et al., 2006), we argue that the horizontal unstable manifolds also shape the filamentary, vertical velocity cells, and hence the patterns of in situ produced chlorophyll through submesoscale vertical nutrient injection.
Mineralogy of the Nili Fossae region with OMEGA/Mars Express data: 2. Aqueous alteration of the crust
Authors: Mangold N. , Poulet F. , Mustard J. F. , Bibring J.‐P. , Gondet B. , Langevin Y. , Ansan V. , Masson Ph. , Fassett C. , Head J. W. , Hoffmann H. , Neukum G.
Published: August 2007

Nili Fossae is a region with fresh exposures of old material. OMEGA spectral data have revealed a strong diversity of minerals in the Nili Fossae region, including mafic minerals and phyllosilicates. Phyllosilicates are found to be primarily Fe‐rich smectites (a type of clay minerals). These phyllosilicates are observed only on the Noachian crust, in four types of locations: Three are without any signatures other than phyllosilicates, on (1) smooth layered deposits, (2) massive exhumed material, and (3) crater ejecta, and one type of location is associated with olivine (4) over an altered mafic unit. This diversity suggests a widespread liquid water activity and a variety of alteration processes. The formation of phyllosilicates underwent considerable reduction, if not cessation, by the time of formation of Syrtis Major lava flows in the Hesperian period. Phyllosilicates are spatially and chronologically disconnected from the fluvial and depositional landforms observed in the Nili Fossae region. Observations suggest that these landforms formed after the extensive formation of phyllosilicates during short periods of time and/or temperatures close to freezing.
Lake Agassiz Final drainage event in the northwest North Atlantic
Authors: Hillaire‐Marcel C. , de Vernal Anne , Piper David J. W.
Published: August 2007

The 8.2 ka “climate” event recorded in Greenland ice cores is subject of debates with respect to causal linkage with a collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning due to the drainage of the late‐glacial lake Agassiz. Here, we present records from the NW North Atlantic, down‐current the flood discharge route, showing that the 9.5–8 ka interval was marked by a succession of events. The drainage itself corresponds to a twin‐layer of carbonate‐rich turbidites deposited within the calibrated 8.35–8.5 ka interval. Proxies of sea‐surface and deep‐current conditions do not indicate significant concomitant changes in the NW North Atlantic. The dataset, however, supports the concept that the 8.2 ka “climate” event may represent one of the manifestations of climate instability during an interval with major changes of land drainage in NE America, due to the collapse of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, subsequent fast sea level rise and large scale reorganization of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation pattern.
Warming of the subpolar Atlantic triggered by freshwater discharge at the continental boundary
Authors: Saenko Oleg A. , Weaver Andrew J. , Robitaille Daniel Y. , Flato Gregory M.
Published: August 2007

The traditional view is that widespread discharge of freshwater into the North Atlantic leads to a reduction of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a concomitant reduction of poleward heat transport and a cooling of the climate of the North Atlantic. Here we report upon coupled atmosphere‐ocean general circulation model experiments that suggest a more non‐uniform response of the North Atlantic climate to large freshwater perturbations. We show that in a cold climate with extensive sea ice coverage in the Labrador Sea, a massive discharge of freshwater along coastal boundaries leads to an anomalous warming in the western North Atlantic. The warming persist despite a significant weakening of the AMOC and its associated heat transport. It is maintained by major reorganizations of the large‐scale wind field, oceanic circulation and convection in the subpolar Atlantic.
Europa's near‐surface radiation environment
Authors: Paranicas C. , Mauk B. H. , Khurana K. , Jun I. , Garrett H. , Krupp N. , Roussos E.
Published: August 2007

As flux tubes are carried over Europa, hundreds of keV to tens of MeV electrons are absorbed by the moon due to their short bounce times. This results in an asymmetry in energetic charged particles in the near surface environment and in the bombardment of Europa's surface. For example, electrons between about 0.1 and 50 MeV do not have direct access to more than 50% of the sphere at 100 km Europa altitude. Moreover, a hypothetical orbiting spacecraft at this altitude would see a reduction of about 33% of the sky, based on Europa's obstructing its field‐of‐view. We find that the predicted radiation reduction due to the moon's presence is consistent with data from Galileo's Energetic Particles Detector (EPD). In this paper, we present data that illustrate this consistency and use standard models of the radiation environment to evaluate the energetic electron fluence at 100 km.
Combined Electric and Contralateral Acoustic Hearing: Word and Sentence Recognition With Bimodal Hearing
Authors: Gifford René H. , Dorman Michael F. , McKarns Sharon A. , Spahr Anthony J.
Published: August 2007

Purpose

The authors assessed whether (a) a full-insertion cochlear implant would provide a higher level of speech understanding than bilateral low-frequency acoustic hearing, (b) contralateral acoustic hearing would add to the speech understanding provided by the implant, and (c) the level of performance achieved with electric stimulation plus contralateral acoustic hearing would be similar to performance reported in the literature for patients with a partial insertion cochlear implant.

Method

Monosyllabic word recognition as well as sentence recognition in quiet and at +10 and +5 dB was assessed. Before implantation, scores were obtained in monaural and binaural conditions. Following implantation, scores were obtained in electric-only and electric-plus-contralateral acoustic conditions.

Results

Postoperatively, all individuals achieved higher scores in the electric-only test conditions than they did in the best pre-implant test conditions. All individuals benefited from the addition of low-frequency information to the electric hearing.

Conclusion

A full-insertion cochlear implant provides better speech understanding than bilateral, low-frequency residual hearing. The combination of an implant and contralateral acoustic hearing yields comparable performance to that of patients with a partially inserted implant and bilateral, low-frequency acoustic hearing. These data suggest that a full-insertion cochlear implant is a viable treatment option for patients with low-frequency residual hearing.
An Evaluation of the BKB-SIN, HINT, QuickSIN, and WIN Materials on Listeners With Normal Hearing and Listeners With Hearing Loss
Authors: Wilson Richard H. , McArdle Rachel A. , Smith Sherri L.
Published: August 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine in listeners with normal hearing and listeners with sensorineural hearing loss the within- and between-group differences obtained with 4 commonly available speech-in-noise protocols.

Method

Recognition performances by 24 listeners with normal hearing and 72 listeners with sensorineural hearing loss were compared for 4 speech-in-noise protocols that varied with respect to the amount of contextual cues conveyed in the target signal. The protocols studied included the Bamford-Kowal-Bench Speech-in-Noise Test (BKB-SIN; Etymōtic Research, 2005; J. Bench, A. Kowal, & J. Bamford, 1979; P. Niquette et al., 2003), the Quick Speech-in-Noise Test (QuickSIN; M. C. Killion, P. A. Niquette, G. I. Gudmundsen, L. J. Revit, & S. Banerjee, 2004), and the Words-in-Noise test (WIN; R. H. Wilson, 2003; R. H. Wilson & C. A. Burks, 2005), each of which used multitalker babble and a modified method of constants, as well as the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT; M. Nilsson, S. Soli, & J. Sullivan, 1994), which used speech-spectrum noise and an adaptive psychophysical procedure.

Results

The 50% points for the listeners with normal hearing were in the 1- to 4-dB signal-to-babble ratio (S/B) range and for the listeners with hearing loss in the 5- to 14-dB S/B range. Separation between groups was least with the BKB-SIN and HINT (4–6 dB) and most with the QuickSIN and WIN (8–10 dB).

Conclusion

The QuickSIN and WIN materials are more sensitive measures of recognition performance in background noise than are the BKB-SIN and HINT materials.
An Examination of Speech Recognition in a Modulated Background and of Forward Masking in Younger and Older Listeners
Authors: Gifford René H. , Bacon Sid P. , Williams Erica J.
Published: August 2007

Purpose

To compare speech intelligibility in the presence of a 10-Hz square-wave noise masker in younger and older listeners and to relate performance to recovery from forward masking.

Method

The signal-to-noise ratio required to achieve 50% sentence identification in the presence of a 10-Hz square-wave noise masker was obtained for each of the 8 younger/older listener pairs. Listeners were matched according to their quiet thresholds for frequencies from 600 to 4800 Hz in octave steps. Forward masking was also measured in 2 younger/older threshold-matched groups for signal delays of 2–40 ms.

Results

Older listeners typically required a significantly higher signal-to-noise ratio than younger listeners to achieve 50% correct sentence recognition. This effect may be understood in terms of increased forward-masked thresholds throughout the range of signal delays corresponding to the silent intervals in the modulated noise (e.g., <50 ms).

Conclusions

Significant differences were observed between older and younger listeners on measures of both speech intelligibility in a modulated background and forward masking over a range of signal delays (0–40 ms). Age-related susceptibility to forward masking at relatively short delays may reflect a deficit in processing at a fairly central level (e.g., broader temporal windows or less efficient processing).