bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Die postpartale Harnretention – klinisch bedeutungslos?
Authors: Humburg Jörg
Published: October 2008

Die postpartale Harnretention ist eine geburtshilfliche Komplikation, die nach Spontangeburt, vaginaloperativer Entbindung, aber auch Kaiserschnitt auftreten kann. Die Inzidenz variiert bei fehlender einheitlicher Definition stark. Der Spontanverlauf ist im Allgemeinen günstig. Da jedoch schon eine einmalige Überdehnung der Blase zu einer Blasenschädigung mit persistierender Miktionsstörung führen kann, ist die frühzeitige Erkennung und Einleitung entsprechender Maßnahmen notwendig. Die Prognose ist im Allgemeinen gut, Fälle mit prolongiertem Verlauf sind jedoch hinsichtlich Therapie und Betreuung anspruchsvoll, da allgemeingültige, evidenzbasierte Guidelines fehlen. Die Ätiologie ist unklar, scheint jedoch zumindest teilweise durch den Druck des vorangehenden Teils subpartu bedingt zu sein, der zur Harnretention infolge Ödembildung am Blasenhals oder zu einer Neurapraxie führt. Neben konservativen, die miktionsfördernden Maßnahmen, ist die Entlastung der Blase durch Katheterisierung zentraler Pfeiler der Therapie.
Interozeptive Sensitivität, Gefühle und Verhaltensregulation
Authors: Herbert Beate M. , Pollatos Olga
Published: October 2008

Die zentralnervöse Verarbeitung afferenter Signale aus dem Körperinneren ist nicht nur bei der basalen Kontrolle homöostatischer Prozesse im Körper zur Regulation fundamentaler Adaptationsprozesse des Organismus relevant, sondern spielt zusammen mit der bewussten Perzeptionsgenauigkeit dieser körperlichen Signale („interozeptive Sensitivität“) auch bei der Regulation komplexer kognitiver, emotionaler und behavioraler Prozesse eine nicht zu unterschätzende Rolle. Diese Übersichtsarbeit stellt theoretische Grundlagen zur interozeptiven Sensitivität dar und gibt einen Überblick über aktuelle empirische Forschungsergebnisse.
A model of tidally dominated ocean processes near ice shelf grounding lines
Authors: Holland Paul R.
Published: October 2008

Glaciological processes at grounding lines, which divide floating ice shelves from grounded ice sheets, may strongly influence the dynamics and evolution of inland ice. Therefore, understanding the oceanic forcing on ice shelves in this region is of importance to predictions of cryospheric change and sea level rise. As the ocean cavity shallows toward the grounding line, tidal mixing becomes proportionately more important until a tidal front forms, beyond which the water properties are vertically homogenized. The extent of this mixed zone is relevant to several questions because a fully mixed region behaves differently to the stratified ocean offshore. In this study a highly simplified one‐dimensional model is used to examine the size, properties, and sensitivities of the mixed zone. The model suggests that most grounding line mixed zones are small, implying that the usual models representing a stratified ocean are generally valid if tidal mixing is also taken into account. Modeled mixed zones can be significant in near‐freezing regions with vigorous tides and a shallowly sloping cavity, but even these areas are smaller than previously proposed. It therefore seems that upwelling of warm water, rather than mixing in tidal zones, generally maintains ice shelf basal melting near grounding lines. Where mixed zones are present, the model suggests that they insulate the grounding line from offshore ocean waters. The model illustrates the origin of Ice Shelf Water plumes and confirms that unlike elsewhere in the cavity, melting in the mixed zone increases linearly in response to ocean warming.
Earthquake recurrence on the south Hayward fault is most consistent with a time dependent, renewal process
Authors: Parsons Tom
Published: October 2008

Elastic rebound and stress renewal are important components of earthquake forecasting because if large earthquakes can be shown to be periodic, then rupture probability is time dependent. While renewal models are used in formal forecasts, it has not been possible to exclude the alternate view that repeated large earthquakes can happen in rapid succession without requiring time for stress regeneration. Here a consistency test between time dependent and time independent recurrence distributions is made using a Monte Carlo method to replicate the paleoseismic series on the south Hayward fault. Time dependent distributions with recurrence interval of 210 years and coefficient of variation of 0.6 reproduce the event series on the south Hayward 5 times more often than any exponential distribution: a highly significant difference as determined using a two‐tailed Z‐test for relative proportions. Therefore large Hayward fault earthquakes are quasi‐periodic, and are most consistent with a stress renewal process.
Plasma drift observations associated with intense magnetic storms by the IPEI on board ROCSAT‐1
Authors: Huang C. M. , Chen M. Q. , Su S. Y.
Published: October 2008

We use the plasma drift observations from the Ionospheric Plasma and Electrodynamics Instrument (IPEI) on board the ROCSAT‐1 satellite to study the midlatitude and low‐latitude ionospheric response to intense magnetic storms during the period between year 2000 and 2003. The observations show that the perturbed vertical/meridional drifts result from the prompt direct penetration and/or disturbance dynamo electric fields can be simultaneously seen at different latitudes. The results also show that the temporal evolution of the perturbed zonal drifts is strongly correlated with that of the Dst index and clearly appears only in the nighttime, which is in excellent agreement with the model prediction from the National Center for Atmospheric Research Thermosphere Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (NCAR/TIEGCM). The model results indicate that during the intense magnetic storm time the meridional electric fields resulting from the disturbance dynamo can reach a value of about 5.6 mV/m in the nighttime; the maximum zonal electric fields are about 2 mV/m at around 0500 LT. This result indicates the nighttime zonal plasma drifts are controlled by the disturbance dynamo mechanism. In addition, one of the cases shows the appearance of long‐lasting perturbation electric fields with time duration of about 7 h. The interesting point for this case is that it appears only in the nighttime and almost disappears in the daytime.
Observational evidence for remote forcing of the West India Coastal Current
Authors: Shetye S. R. , Suresh I. , Shankar D. , Sundar D. , Jayakumar S. , Mehra P. , Prabhudesai R. G. , Pednekar P. S.
Published: October 2008

Circulation in the north Indian Ocean is influenced by both local and remote wind forcing. So far, however, determining the contribution of these two forcing mechanisms at a location has been possible only in numerical experiments. Here we separate remote and local forcing in observations. Using field measurements (current, sea level, and wind) for a month during March–April 2003 off Goa in the near‐coast regime of the West India Coastal Current (WICC), we show that the current was driven by local winds only at periods less than ∼10 days, with remote forcing contributing at longer periods. The high‐passed (HP; period less than 10 days) component of the along‐shore current was strongly correlated with the HP component of the along‐shore wind, the current lagging the wind by half a day. The low‐passed (LP) components of the wind and current were not correlated: the former was unidirectional, but the latter reversed during the period of observation. The relationship between the HP wind and current was used to estimate the locally forced LP current, permitting an estimate of the remote current, the LP residual. This separation of locally forced and remotely forced currents showed that remote forcing contributed as much as local forcing to the WICC. The local current behaved like a classical eastern boundary current forced by local winds. The reversal in the remote current was due to winds 700 km farther south along the coast; frictional damping had an impact only at periods less than 10 days, there being no remotely forced HP current.
Interannual variability of the coastal fog at Fray Jorge relict forests in semiarid Chile
Authors: Garreaud René , Barichivich Jonathan , Christie Duncan A. , Maldonado Antonio
Published: October 2008

The coastal mountains of semiarid Chile are punctuated by patches of fog‐dependent evergreen forests. Fog episodes often occur when the prominent coastal topography intercepts a well developed deck of stratocumulus (Sc) off north central Chile. A 22‐year record of ground‐based fog observations at Fray Jorge Biosphere Reserve (FJBR, 30°S), atmospheric reanalysis and satellite derived low cloud amount are used to document the annual cycle and interannual variability of fog frequency there. The number of foggy days minimizes during austral winter and then increases rapidly to reach a maximum in spring (the growing season of FJBR trees). The mean annual cycle of the fog‐frequency follows closely the annual cycle of the nearby marine Sc amount and lower tropospheric stability (LTS). The springtime fog frequency, nearby marine cloud amount and LTS are also well correlated at interannual timescales. Colder than normal sea surface temperatures and warmer than normal air temperatures aloft near 30°S strengthen the temperature inversion and lead to a more persistent cloud deck and higher than normal fog frequency at FJBR. La Niña years produce temperature anomalies very similar to the pattern described before and consequently they are associated with higher than normal springtime fog frequency at FJBR. Conversely, El Niño years are associated with less foggy conditions at FJBR. Interestingly, El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) related rainfall anomalies in north central Chile are opposite to ENSO‐related anomalies in fog‐frequency. We discuss the overall impact of ENSO in FJBR ecosystems as well as the prospects of FJBR in future climate scenarios driven by increased greenhouse gases.
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Weight‐related Teasing in Adolescents
Authors: van den Berg Patricia , Neumark‐Sztainer Dianne , Eisenberg Marla E. , Haines Jess
Published: October 2008

Objective: The current study examined general, peer, and family weight teasing across race/ethnicity and weight status (average weight, overweight, obese) in adolescents. For those participants who reported peer or family weight teasing, the extent to which this teasing bothered them was also reported.

Methods and Procedures: Data were from the first wave of Project EAT (Eating Among Teens), a longitudinal study of eating and weight‐related variables in 4,746 adolescent boys and girls. Participants completed a survey and their height and weight were measured.

Results: Prevalences of general weight teasing were similar across race/ethnicity. Asian‐American boys, black boys, and Asian‐American girls reported lower prevalences of peer teasing than whites. Hispanic, Asian‐American, and mixed/other girls reported higher prevalences of family weight teasing than did white girls. In nearly all racial/ethnic groups for all three teasing variables, obese adolescents were significantly more likely to report having been teased, compared to average‐weight adolescents. In some racial/ethnic groups overweight adolescents were also significantly more likely than average‐weight adolescents to report having been teased. Among girls who were teased, fewer black and mixed/other girls were bothered by peer teasing, compared to white girls. Similarly, fewer girls from most racial/ethnic groups were bothered by family weight teasing, compared to white girls.

Discussion: The results of the current study suggest that weight‐based teasing is a problem for all youth, and especially so for overweight and obese youth, regardless of racial/ethnic group. Asian‐American adolescents may experience somewhat less weight teasing from peers, and possibly more weight teasing from family members. One‐quarter to one‐half of those teased by family or peers were bothered by it, and more white girls were bothered than other groups. Efforts to eradicate weight stigmatization could provide benefits to a sizable number of adolescents across a variety of racial and ethnic groups.
Longitudinal and Secular Trends in Weight‐related Teasing during Adolescence
Authors: Haines Jess , Neumark‐Sztainer Dianne , Hannan Peter J. , van den Berg Patricia , Eisenberg Marla E.
Published: October 2008

Objective: To examine 5‐year longitudinal and secular trends in weight‐related teasing among adolescents.

Methods and Procedures: Project EAT‐II (Eating Among Teens–II) followed 2,516 adolescents (females = 1,386, 55.1%) prospectively from 1999 to 2004. EAT‐II included two cohorts allowing the observation of longitudinal changes in reported weight‐related teasing as participants transitioned from early to mid‐adolescence (middle school to high school) and from mid‐ to late‐adolescence (high school to post–high school). EAT‐II also allowed the examination of secular trends in reported teasing among middle adolescents in 1999 and 2004.

Results: In 1999, approximately one‐quarter of adolescents in the total sample (including both overweight and nonoverweight youth) reported being teased about their weight in early adolescence and mid‐adolescence. Prevalence rates of teasing were higher among overweight youth (early adolescence: females 42.4%, males 44.6%; mid‐adolescence: females 31.2%, males 40.8%). Longitudinal trends suggest that weight‐related teasing decreased among overweight males and females in the younger cohort as they transitioned from early adolescence to mid‐adolescence. In the older cohort of youth, teasing decreased in the total sample of females as they transitioned from mid‐adolescence to older adolescence. Analyses of age‐matched secular trends among middle adolescents showed that the prevalence of weight‐related teasing remained stable among most adolescent subgroups and declined among overweight males between 1999 and 2004.

Discussion: Weight‐related teasing is prevalent through the various stages of adolescence. Our findings point to a need for ongoing interventions, throughout adolescence, which focus on reducing weight‐related teasing and improving social supports for affected youth.
Understanding Self‐directed Stigma: Development of the Weight Bias Internalization Scale
Authors: Durso Laura E. , Latner Janet D.
Published: October 2008

Objective: The present study developed the Weight Bias Internalization Scale (WBIS), an 11‐item measure assessing internalized weight bias among the overweight and obese.

Methods and Procedures: An Internet sample was recruited through online community discussion groups and snowball sampling via e‐mail. Women (n = 164) and men (n = 34) with a BMI >25 kg/m2 completed the WBIS and the Antifat Attitudes Questionnaire (AAQ), as well as measures of self‐esteem, body image, mood disturbance, drive for thinness, and binge eating.

Results: Results indicate that the WBIS had high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.90) and correlated significantly with antifat attitudes but was not a completely overlapping construct (r = 0.31). The scale showed strong partial correlations with self‐esteem (r = −0.67), drive for thinness (r = 0.47), and body image concern (r = 0.75), controlling for BMI. Internalized weight bias was also significantly correlated with measures of mood and eating disturbance. Multiple regression analyses were conducted using WBIS scores, antifat attitudes, and BMI as predictor variables of body image, mood, self‐esteem, and binge eating. WBIS scores were found to significantly predict scores on each of these measures.

Discussion: The WBIS showed excellent psychometric properties and construct validity. The study highlights the importance of distinguishing antifat attitudes toward others from internalized weight bias, a construct that may be closely linked with psychopathology.
Overweight Girls Who Internalize Fat Stereotypes Report Low Psychosocial Well‐being
Authors: Davison Kirsten K. , Schmalz Dorothy L. , Young Laurie M. , Birch Leann L.
Published: October 2008

Objective: This study examines developmental change and intraindividual stability in girls' fat stereotypes and associations between girls' internalization of stereotypes and their psychosocial well‐being.

Methods and Procedures: Participants included 163 non‐Hispanic white girls. Girls' fat stereotypes were assessed at ages 9 and 11 years and their height and weight and all measures of psychosocial well‐being, including global self‐worth, perceived physical appearance, and maladaptive eating attitudes, were assessed at ages 9, 11, and 13 years. Change in girls' fat stereotypes between ages 9 and 11 was assessed using Repeated Measures ANOVA. Intraindividual stability in stereotypes was assessed using Spearman rank correlation analysis. Planned comparisons were used to test the hypothesis that overweight girls who internalize fat stereotypes are at heightened risk of poor psychosocial well‐being.

Results: Girls' fat stereotypes decreased significantly between ages 9 and 11. Moderate intraindividual stability was observed in overweight girls', but not nonoverweight girls', reported stereotypes. As predicted, overweight girls who reported high fat stereotypes reported significantly lower psychosocial well‐being than all other girls in the sample, independent of their weight status.

Discussion: Findings suggest that overweight girls may be particularly sensitive to weight‐based stereotypes and may experience poor psychosocial well‐being when they internalize stereotypes. Health practitioners working with overweight girls need to be aware of girls' sensitivity to weight‐based stereotypes and should actively work against condoning and reinforcing such stereotypes.
Determinants for chromogranin A sorting into the regulated secretory pathway are also sufficient to generate granule-like structures in non-endocrine cells
Authors: Stettler Hansruedi , Beuret Nicole , Prescianotto-Baschong Cristina , Fayard Bérengère , Taupenot Laurent , Spiess Martin
Published: October 2008

In endocrine cells, prohormones and granins are segregated in the TGN (trans-Golgi network) from constitutively secreted proteins, stored in concentrated form in dense-core secretory granules, and released in a regulated manner on specific stimulation. The mechanism of granule formation is only partially understood. Expression of regulated secretory proteins, both peptide hormone precursors and granins, had been found to be sufficient to generate structures that resemble secretory granules in the background of constitutively secreting, non-endocrine cells. To identify which segment of CgA (chromogranin A) is important to induce the formation of such granule-like structures, a series of deletion constructs fused to either GFP (green fluorescent protein) or a short epitope tag was expressed in COS-1 fibroblast cells and analysed by fluorescence and electron microscopy and pulse-chase labelling. Full-length CgA as well as deletion constructs containing the N-terminal 77 residues generated granule-like structures in the cell periphery that co-localized with co-expressed SgII (secretogranin II). These are essentially the same segments of the protein that were previously shown to be required for granule sorting in wild-type PC12 (pheochromocytoma cells) cells and for rescuing a regulated secretory pathway in A35C cells, a variant PC12 line deficient in granule formation. The results support the notion that self-aggregation is at the core of granule formation and sorting into the regulated pathway.
Peptide mimics of a conserved H5N1 avian influenza virus neutralization site
Authors: Luo Wenxin , Chen Yingwei , Wang Mingqiao , Chen Yixin , Zheng Zhenhua , Song Huijuan , Chen Honglin , Guan Yi , Ng Mun Hon , Zhang Jun , Xia Ningshao
Published: October 2008

A panel of 52 murine monoclonal antibodies was found to recognize antigenic determinants that had been conserved among all major genetic subgroups of the H5N1 avian influenza virus prevalent since 1997. We screened a phage display library for peptides recognized by one such antibody (8H5). We analysed the specificity of 8H5 for reactive peptides presented as fusion proteins of HBc (hepatitis B core protein) and HEV (hepatitis E virus) structural protein, p239. This was then related to the specificity of the native HA (haemagglutinin) molecule by virtue of the capacity of fusion proteins to compete for 8H5 binding with different strains of H5N1 virus and the reactivity of antisera generated against fusion proteins to bind native HA molecules, and to inhibit haemagglutination and arrest infection by the virus. Nine reactive peptides of different amino acid sequences were identified, six of which were also reactive with the antibody in association with HBc and four were in association with p239. Binding occurred with the dimeric form of the four p239-fusion proteins and one of the HBc-fusion proteins, but not with the monomeric form. The HBc-fusion proteins blocked 8H5 binding with four strains of H5N1 influenza virus. Mouse antisera generated against fusion proteins bound to HA molecules, but did not inhibit haemagglutination or arrest H5N1 infection. Our findings indicate that 8H5 recognizes discontinuous sites presented by secondary and possibly higher structural orders of the peptides in spatially favourable positions for binding with the antibody, and that the peptides partially mimic the native 8H5 epitopes on the H5N1 virus.
The selenocysteine tRNA STAF-binding region is essential for adequate selenocysteine tRNA status, selenoprotein expression and early age survival of mice
Authors: Carlson Bradley A. , Schweizer Ulrich , Perella Christine , Shrimali Rajeev K. , Feigenbaum Lionel , Shen Liya , Speransky Svetlana , Floss Thomas , Jeong Soon-Jeong , Watts Jennifer , Hoffmann Victoria , Combs Gerald F. , Gladyshev Vadim N. , Hatfield Dolph L.
Published: October 2008

STAF [Sec (selenocysteine) tRNA gene transcription activating factor] is a transcription activating factor for a number of RNA Pol III- and RNA Pol II-dependent genes including the Trsp [Sec tRNA gene], which in turn controls the expression of all selenoproteins. Here, the role of STAF in regulating expression of Sec tRNA and selenoproteins was examined. We generated transgenic mice expressing the Trsp transgene lacking the STAF-binding site and made these mice dependent on the transgene for survival by removing the wild-type Trsp. The level of Sec tRNA was unaffected or slightly elevated in heart and testis, but reduced ∼60% in liver and kidney, ∼70% in lung and spleen and ∼80% in brain and muscle compared with the corresponding organs in control mice. Moreover, the ratio of the two isoforms of Sec tRNA that differ by methylation at position 34 (Um34) was altered significantly, and the Um34-containing form was substantially reduced in all tissues examined. Selenoprotein expression in these animals was most affected in tissues in which the Sec tRNA levels were most severely reduced. Importantly, mice had a neurological phenotype strikingly similar to that of mice in which the selenoprotein P gene had been removed and their life span was substantially reduced. The results indicate that STAF influences selenoprotein expression by enhancing Trsp synthesis in an organ-specific manner and by controlling Sec tRNA modification in each tissue examined.
The dual-specificity phosphatase hYVH1 interacts with Hsp70 and prevents heat-shock-induced cell death
Authors: Sharda Priya R. , Bonham Christopher A. , Mucaki Eliseos J. , Butt Zareen , Vacratsis Panayiotis O.
Published: October 2008

hYVH1 [human orthologue of YVH1 (yeast VH1-related phosphatase)] is an atypical dual-specificity phosphatase that is widely conserved throughout evolution. Deletion studies in yeast have suggested a role for this phosphatase in regulating cell growth. However, the role of the human orthologue is unknown. The present study used MS to identify Hsp70 (heat-shock protein 70) as a novel hYVH1-binding partner. The interaction was confirmed using endogenous co-immunoprecipitation experiments and direct binding of purified proteins. Endogenous Hsp70 and hYVH1 proteins were also found to co-localize specifically to the perinuclear region in response to heat stress. Domain deletion studies revealed that the ATPase effector domain of Hsp70 and the zinc-binding domain of hYVH1 are required for the interaction, indicating that this association is not simply a chaperone–substrate complex. Thermal phosphatase assays revealed hYVH1 activity to be unaffected by heat and only marginally affected by non-reducing conditions, in contrast with the archetypical dual-specificity phosphatase VHR (VH1-related protein). In addition, Hsp70 is capable of increasing the phosphatase activity of hYVH1 towards an exogenous substrate under non-reducing conditions. Furthermore, the expression of hYVH1 repressed cell death induced by heat shock, H2O2 and Fas receptor activation but not cisplatin. Co-expression of hYVH1 with Hsp70 further enhanced cell survival. Meanwhile, expression of a catalytically inactive hYVH1 or a hYVH1 variant that is unable to interact with Hsp70 failed to protect cells from the various stress conditions. The results suggest that hYVH1 is a novel cell survival phosphatase that co-operates with Hsp70 to positively affect cell viability in response to cellular insults.
Connections between climate, food limitation, and carbon cycling in abyssal sediment communities
Authors: Ruhl Henry A. , Ellena Jacob A. , Smith Kenneth L.
Published: October 2008

Diverse faunal groups inhabit deep-sea sediments over much of Earth's surface, but our understanding of how interannual-scale climate variation alters sediment community components and biogeochemical processes remains limited. The vast majority of deep-sea communities depend on a particulate organic carbon food supply that sinks from photosynthetically active surface waters. Variations in food supply depend, in part, on surface climate conditions. Proposed ocean iron fertilization efforts are also intended to alter surface production and carbon export from surface waters. Understanding the ecology of the abyssal sediment community and constituent metazoan macrofauna is important because they influence carbon and nutrient cycle processes at the seafloor through remineralization, bioturbation, and burial of the sunken material. Results from a 10-year study in the abyssal NE Pacific found that climate-driven variations in food availability were linked to total metazoan macrofauna abundance, phyla composition, rank-abundance distributions, and remineralization over seasonal and interannual scales. The long-term analysis suggests that broad biogeographic patterns in deep-sea macrofauna community structure can change over contemporary timescales with changes in surface ocean conditions and provides significant evidence that sediment community parameters can be estimated from atmospheric and upper-ocean conditions. These apparent links between climate, the upper ocean, and deep-sea biogeochemistry need to be considered in determining the long-term carbon storage capacity of the ocean.
COPI coat assembly occurs on liquid-disordered domains and the associated membrane deformations are limited by membrane tension
Authors: Manneville Jean-Baptiste , Casella Jean-François , Ambroggio Ernesto , Gounon Pierre , Bertherat Julien , Bassereau Patricia , Cartaud Jean , Antonny Bruno , Goud Bruno
Published: October 2008

Cytoplasmic coat proteins are required for cargo selection and budding of tubulovesicular transport intermediates that shuttle between intracellular compartments. To better understand the physical parameters governing coat assembly and coat-induced membrane deformation, we have reconstituted the Arf1-dependent assembly of the COPI coat on giant unilamellar vesicles by using fluorescently labeled Arf1 and coatomer. Membrane recruitment of Arf1-GTP occurs exclusively on disordered lipid domains and does not induce optically visible membrane deformation. In the presence of Arf1-GTP, coatomer self-assembles into weakly curved coats on membranes under high tension, while it induces extensive membrane deformation at low membrane tension. These deformations appear to have a composition different from the parental membrane because they are protected from phase transition. These findings suggest that the COPI coat is adapted to liquid disordered membrane domains where it could promote lipid sorting and that its mechanical effects can be tuned by membrane tension.
The effects of 3 environmental risks on mortality disparities across Mexican communities
Authors: Stevens Gretchen A. , Dias Rodrigo H. , Ezzati Majid
Published: October 2008

The disparities in the burden of ill health caused by environmental risks should be an important consideration beyond their aggregate population effects. We used comparative risk assessment methods to calculate the mortality effects of unsafe water and sanitation, indoor air pollution from household solid fuel use, and ambient urban particulate matter pollution in Mexico. We also estimated the disparities in mortality caused by each risk factor, across
municipios
(counties) of residence and by
municipio
socioeconomic status (SES). Data sources for the analysis were the national census, population-representative health surveys, and air quality monitoring for risk factor exposure; systematic reviews and meta-analyses of epidemiological studies for risk factor effects; and vital statistics for disease-specific mortality. During 2001–2005, unsafe water and sanitation, household solid fuel use, and urban particulate matter pollution were responsible for 3,000, 3,600, and 7,600 annual deaths, respectively. Annual child mortality rates would decrease by 0.2, 0.1, and 0.1 per 1,000 children, and life expectancy would increase by 1.0, 1.2, and 2.4 months, respectively, in the absence of these environmental exposures. Together, these risk factors caused 10.6% of child deaths in the lowest-SES communities (0.9 deaths per 1,000 children), but only 4.0% in communities in the highest-SES ones (0.1 per 1,000). In the 50 most-affected
municipios
, these 3 exposures were responsible for 3.2 deaths per 1,000 children and a 10-month loss of life expectancy. The large disparities in the mortality effects of these 3 environmental risks should form the basis of interventions and environmental monitoring programs.
Structural selection of graphene supramolecular assembly oriented by molecular conformation and alkyl chain
Authors: Chen Qing , Chen Ting , Pan Ge-Bo , Yan Hui-Juan , Song Wei-Guo , Wan Li-Jun , Li Zhong-Tao , Wang Zhao-Hui , Shang Bo , Yuan Lan-Feng , Yang Jin-Long
Published: October 2008

Graphene molecules, hexafluorotribenzo[a,g,m]coronene with
n
-carbon alkyl chains (FTBC-Cn,
n
= 4, 6, 8, 12) and Janus-type “double-concave” conformation, are used to fabricate self-assembly on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite surface. The structural dependence of the self-assemblies with molecular conformation and alkyl chain is investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory calculation. An interesting reverse face “up–down” way is observed in FTBC-C4 assembly due to the existence of hydrogen bonds. With the increase of the alkyl chain length and consequently stronger van der Waals interaction, the molecules no longer take alternating “up–down” orientation in their self-assembly and organize into various adlayers with lamellar, hexagonal honeycomb, and pseudohoneycomb structures based on the balance between intermolecular and molecule-substrate interactions. The results demonstrate that the featured “double-concave” molecules are available block for designing graphene nanopattern. From the results of scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurement, it is found that the electronic property of the featured graphene molecules is preserved when they are adsorbed on solid surface.
Perceptions of difference in the Greek sphereThe case of Cyprus
Authors: Terkourafi Marina
Published: October 2008

Cypriot Greek has been cited as “the last surviving Modern Greek dialect” (Contossopoulos 1969:92, 2000:21), and differences between it and Standard Modern Greek are often seen as seriously disruptive of communication by Mainland and Cypriot Greeks alike. This paper attempts an anatomy of the linguistic ‘difference’ of the Cypriot variety of Greek. By placing this in the wider context of the history of Cypriot Greek, the study and current state of other Modern Greek dialects, and state and national ideology in the two countries, Greece and Cyprus, it is possible to identify both diachronic and synchronic, as well as structural and ideological factors as constitutive of this difference.
Investigating the correspondence between transcriptomic and proteomic expression profiles using coupled cluster models
Authors: Rogers Simon , Girolami Mark , Kolch Walter , Waters Katrina M. , Liu Tao , Thrall Brian , Wiley H. Steven
Published: October 2008

Motivation: Modern transcriptomics and proteomics enable us to survey the expression of RNAs and proteins at large scales. While these data are usually generated and analyzed separately, there is an increasing interest in comparing and co-analyzing transcriptome and proteome expression data. A major open question is whether transcriptome and proteome expression is linked and how it is coordinated.

Results: Here we have developed a probabilistic clustering model that permits analysis of the links between transcriptomic and proteomic profiles in a sensible and flexible manner. Our coupled mixture model defines a prior probability distribution over the component to which a protein profile should be assigned conditioned on which component the associated mRNA profile belongs to. We apply this approach to a large dataset of quantitative transcriptomic and proteomic expression data obtained from a human breast epithelial cell line (HMEC). The results reveal a complex relationship between transcriptome and proteome with most mRNA clusters linked to at least two protein clusters, and vice versa. A more detailed analysis incorporating information on gene function from the Gene Ontology database shows that a high correlation of mRNA and protein expression is limited to the components of some molecular machines, such as the ribosome, cell adhesion complexes and the TCP-1 chaperonin involved in protein folding.

Availability: Matlab code is available from the authors on request.

Contact:  srogers@dcs.gla.ac.uk

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
SNAP: a web-based tool for identification and annotation of proxy SNPs using HapMap
Authors: Johnson Andrew D. , Handsaker Robert E. , Pulit Sara L. , Nizzari Marcia M. , O'Donnell Christopher J. , de Bakker Paul I. W.
Published: October 2008

Summary: The interpretation of genome-wide association results is confounded by linkage disequilibrium between nearby alleles. We have developed a flexible bioinformatics query tool for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to identify and to annotate nearby SNPs in linkage disequilibrium (proxies) based on HapMap. By offering functionality to generate graphical plots for these data, the SNAP server will facilitate interpretation and comparison of genome-wide association study results, and the design of fine-mapping experiments (by delineating genomic regions harboring associated variants and their proxies).

Availability: SNAP server is available at http://www.broad.mit.edu/mpg/snap/.

Contact:  debakker@broad.mit.edu
Slider—maximum use of probability information for alignment of short sequence reads and SNP detection
Authors: Malhis Nawar , Butterfield Yaron S. N. , Ester Martin , Jones Steven J. M.
Published: October 2008

Motivation: A plethora of alignment tools have been created that are designed to best fit different types of alignment conditions. While some of these are made for aligning Illumina Sequence Analyzer reads, none of these are fully utilizing its probability (prb) output. In this article, we will introduce a new alignment approach (Slider) that reduces the alignment problem space by utilizing each read base's probabilities given in the prb files.

Results: Compared with other aligners, Slider has higher alignment accuracy and efficiency. In addition, given that Slider matches bases with probabilities other than the most probable, it significantly reduces the percentage of base mismatches. The result is that its SNP predictions are more accurate than other SNP prediction approaches used today that start from the most probable sequence, including those using base quality.

Contact:  nmalhis@bcgsc.ca

Supplementary information and availability:  http://www.bcgsc.ca/platform/bioinfo/software/slider
Addressing climate change with a comprehensive US cap-and-trade system
Authors: Stavins Robert N.
Published: October 2008

There is growing impetus for a domestic US climate policy that can provide meaningful reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases. I describe and analyse an up-stream, economy-wide CO2 cap-and-trade system which implements a gradual trajectory of emissions reductions (with inclusion over time of non-CO2 greenhouse gases), and includes mechanisms to reduce cost uncertainty. Initially, half of the allowances are allocated through auction and half through free distribution, with the share being auctioned gradually increasing to 100 per cent over 25 years. The system provides for linkage with emission-reduction credit projects in other countries, harmonization over time with effective cap-and-trade systems in other countries and regions, and appropriate linkage with actions taken in other countries, in order to establish a level playing field among domestically produced and imported products.
On the regulation of geoengineering
Authors: Victor David G.
Published: October 2008

New evidence that the climate system may be especially sensitive to the build-up of greenhouse gases and that humans are doing a poor job of controlling their effluent has animated discussions around the possibility of offsetting the human impact on climate through ‘geoengineering’. Nearly all assessments of geoengineering have concluded that the option, while ridden with flaws and unknown side effects, is intriguing because of its low cost and the ability for one or a few nations to geoengineer the planet without cooperation from others. I argue that norms to govern deployment of geoengineering systems will be needed soon. The standard instruments for establishing such norms, such as treaties, are unlikely to be effective in constraining geoengineers because the interests of key players diverge and it is relatively easy for countries to avoid inconvenient international commitments and act unilaterally. Instead, efforts to craft new norms ‘bottom up’ will be more effective. Such an approach, which would change the underlying interests of key countries and thus make them more willing to adopt binding norms in the future, will require active, open research programmes and assessments of geoengineering. Meaningful research may also require actual trial deployment of geoengineering systems so that norms are informed by relevant experience and command respect through use. Standard methods for international assessment organized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are unlikely to yield useful evaluations of geoengineering options because the most important areas for assessment lie in the improbable, harmful, and unexpected side effects of geoengineering, not the ‘consensus science’ that IPCC does well. I also suggest that real-world geoengineering will be a lot more complex and expensive than currently thought because simple interventions—such as putting reflective particles in the stratosphere—will be combined with many other costlier interventions to offset nasty side effects.
A new global deal on climate change
Authors: Hepburn Cameron , Stern Nicholas
Published: October 2008

A global target of stabilizing greenhouse-gas concentrations at between 450 and 550 parts per million carbon-dioxide equivalent (ppm CO2e) has proven robust to recent developments in the science and economics of climate change. Retrospective analysis of the Stern Review (2007) suggests that the risks were underestimated, indicating a stabilization target closer to 450 ppm CO2e. Climate policy at the international level is now moving rapidly towards agreeing an emissions pathway, and distributing responsibilities between countries. A feasible framework can be constructed in which each country takes on its own responsibilities and targets, based on a shared understanding of the risks and the need for action and collaboration on climate change. The global deal should contain six key features: (i) a pathway to achieve the world target of 50 per cent reductions by 2050, where rich countries contribute at least 75 per cent of the reductions; (ii) global emissions trading to reduce costs; (iii) reform of the clean development mechanism to scale up emission reductions on a sectoral or benchmark level; (iv) scaling up of R&D funding for low-carbon energy; (v) an agreement on deforestation; and (vi) adaptation finance.
Emissions in the Platinum Age: the implications of rapid development for climate-change mitigation
Authors: Garnaut Ross , Howes Stephen , Jotzo Frank , Sheehan Peter
Published: October 2008

Rapid global economic growth, centred in Asia but now spread across the world, is driving rapid greenhouse-gas emissions growth, making earlier projections unrealistic. This paper develops new, illustrative business-as-usual projections for carbon dioxide (CO2) from fossil fuels and other sources and for non-CO2 greenhouse gases. Making adjustments to 2007 World Energy Outlook projections to reflect more fully recent trends, we project annual emissions by 2030 to be almost double current volumes, 11 per cent higher than in the most pessimistic scenario developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and at a level reached only in 2050 in the business-as-usual scenario used by the Stern Review. This has major implications for the global approach to climate-change mitigation. The required effort is much larger than implicit in the IPCC data informing the current international climate negotiations. Large cuts in developed country emissions will be required, and significant deviations from baselines will be required in developing countries by 2020. It is hard to see how the required cuts could be achieved without all major developing as well as developed countries adopting economy-wide policies.
Day‐length encoding through tonic photic effects in the retinorecipient SCN region
Authors: Yan Lily , Silver Rae
Published: October 2008

The circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) plays a critical role in seasonal processes by sensing ambient photoperiod. To explore how it measures day‐length, we assessed the state of SCN oscillators using markers for neuronal activity (c‐FOS) and the clock protein (PER1) in Syrian hamsters housed in long (LD, 16 : 8 h light : dark) vs. short days (SD, 8 : 16 h light : dark). During SD, there was no detectable phase dispersion across the rostrocaudal extent of the nucleus. In contrast, during LD, rhythms in the caudal SCN phase led those in the mid‐ and rostral SCN by 4–8 h and 8–12 h, respectively. Importantly, some neurons in the retinorecipient core SCN were unique in that they were FOS‐positive during the dark phase in LD, but not SD. Transfer of LD animals to constant darkness or skeleton photoperiod revealed that dark‐phase FOS expression depends on tonic light exposure rather than on intrinsic clock properties. By transferring animals from SD to LD, we next discovered that there are two separate populations of SCN cells, one responding to acute and the other to tonic light exposure. The results suggest that the seasonal encoding of day‐length by the SCN entails reorganization of its constituent oscillators by a subgroup of neurons in the SCN core that respond to tonic photic cues.
Comparison of life‐history characteristics of island and mainland populations of the swamp antechinus
Authors: Sale M. G. , Wilson B. A. , Arnould J. P. Y.
Published: October 2008

The reproductive ecology of the swamp antechinus Antechinus minimus, a small dasyurid (Dasyuridae) marsupial with obligate male semelparity, was investigated in populations inhabiting the mainland coast and on a nearby offshore island in south‐eastern Australia. The size and sex ratios of litters, individual body mass and size, timing of births and female longevity were determined from live‐trapped animals. The island population had significantly smaller litter sizes and greater adult body mass in comparison with the mainland population. This is consistent with features of the ‘island syndrome’, which predicts directional selection for these traits in high‐density populations with reduced extrinsic mortality. However, inter‐annual variability in litter sizes in the island population suggests that litter size is more responsive to fluctuating local conditions, such as population density, which is likely to affect food availability, rather than directional genetic changes. In contrast with other antechinus species, biased sex ratios were not evident. In addition, large variations of the timing of births were estimated at both sites and these appear to be related to seasonal conditions such as autumn rainfall and female body mass before mating.
Exploring habitat use by cheetahs using ecological niche factor analysis
Authors: Pettorelli N. , Hilborn A. , Broekhuis F. , Durant S. M.
Published: October 2008

Understanding the basis of habitat choice having important implications for explaining the distribution of organisms, as well as helping to differentiate between habitats of different quality for effective management. In this study, the effects of sex, age and reproductive status on habitat use patterns of cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus in the Serengeti plains were explored using Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA). Our results showed that gender and territoriality did not affect patterns of habitat use. However, females tended to be more specialized when they were young than when they were older, displaying a more restricted ecological niche. Likewise, older females without cubs were more specialized than the same adult females with young cubs. This result did not hold for younger females. Altogether, the ENFA approach allowed us to (1) use the large amount of incidental sighting data collected over 12 years on cheetah spatial distribution; (2) identify the importance of reproductive status and age on the relationship between animals and their habitat; (3) further demonstrate that ENFA is applicable in a wide range of situations, including for exploring individual variation in niche definition.
A two‐warehouse inventory model for items with three‐parameter Weibull distribution deterioration, shortages and linear trend in demand
Authors: Banerjee Snigdha , Agrawal Swati
Published: October 2008

Depending on the type of goods and storage facilities available, perishable goods decay in different manners in terms of the initial point and rate of deterioration. The three‐parameter Weibull distribution is an excellent generalization of exponential decay, with the flexibility of modeling various types of deteriorations. Since inventory management of perishable goods involves expensive storage facilities, the retailer with small storage may have to rent a warehouse. In this paper, we discuss a two‐warehouse inventory model where deteriorations in the two warehouses follow independent three‐parameter Weibull distributions. Transfer of units is from the rented warehouse to the own warehouse, and incurs a positive cost per unit. Demand is a non‐decreasing linear function of time, shortages are backlogged and replenishment is instantaneous. A solution procedure for obtaining optimal values of initial inventory level and cycle time is presented. Sensitivity analysis is carried out. The effect of using other related deterioration distributions is illustrated.