bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ground glass hepatocytes contain pre‐S mutants and represent preneoplastic lesions in chronic hepatitis B virus infection
Authors: Su Ih‐Jen , Wang Hui‐Ching , Wu Han‐Chieh , Huang Wen‐Ya
Published: May 2008

The discovery of “ground glass” hepatocytes (GGH) that contain hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigens by Hadziyannis and Popper in 1973 represents a historical landmark in the pathology of chronic HBV infection. Different types of GGH have been correlated to the expression patterns of surface/core antigens and the stages of virus replication. The original two types (designated types I & II) of GGH were found to contain specific pre‐S mutants with deletions over either pre‐S1 or pre‐S2 regions, respectively. Type II GGH consistently harbor pre‐S2 deletion mutants, which can escape from immune attack and grow preferentially to form clusters. Both types of pre‐S mutants can induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and oxidative DNA damage. The pre‐S2 mutants, albeit inducing a weaker level of ER stress signals, could additionally initiate ER stress‐independent retinoblastoma/adenovirus E2 promoter binding factor/cyclin A signaling through their interaction with c‐Jun activation domain binding protein 1 to degrade p27, illustrating the growth advantage of type II GGH. The combined effects of genomic instability and the proliferation of hepatocytes harboring pre‐S mutants could potentially lead to hepatocarcinogenesis over the decades of chronic HBV infection. The presence of pre‐S mutants in sera was reported to carry a high risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Furthermore, transgenic mice harboring pre‐S2 mutant plasmids have been shown to develop a dysplastic change of hepatocytes and HCC. Therefore, in addition to being a histological marker of chronic HBV infection, GGH, particularly type II GGH, may represent the preneoplastic lesions of HBV‐related HCC.
Expression of proinflammatory cytokines and its relationship with virus infection in the brain of macaques inoculated with macrophage‐tropic simian immunodeficiency virus
Authors: Xing Hui Qin , Moritoyo Takashi , Mori Kazuyasu , Sugimoto Chie , Ono Fumiko , Izumo Shuji
Published: May 2008

The pathogenesis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome dementia complex (ADC) is still poorly understood. Many studies suggest that proinflammatory cytokines such as IL‐1β and TNF‐α released by microglia/macrophages or astrocytes play a role in CNS injury. A microscopic finding of a microglial nodule with multinucleated giant cells (MNGCs) is a histopathologic hallmark of ADC and named HIV encephalitis. However, in vivo expression of these cytokines in this microenvironment of HIV encephalitis is not yet clarified. One of the main reasons is complexities of brain pathology in patients who have died from terminal AIDS. In this study, we infected two macaques with macrophage‐tropic Simian immunodeficiency virus SIV239env/MERT and examined expression of TNF‐α and IL‐1β in inflammatory lesions with MNGCs and its relation to virus‐infected cells using immunohistochemistry. One macaque showed typical inflammatory lesions with MNGCs in the frontal white matter. Small microglial nodules were also detected in the basal ganglia and the spinal cord. SIVenv positive cells were detected mainly in inflammatory lesions, and seemed to be microglia/macrophages and MNGCs based on their morphology. Expression of IL‐1β and TNF‐α were detected in the inflammatory lesions with MNGCs, and these positive cells were found to be negative for SIVenv by double‐labeling immunohistochemistry or immunohistochemistry of serial sections. There were a few TNF‐α positive cells and almost no IL‐1β positive cells in the area other than inflammatory lesions. Another macaque showed scattered CD3+ cells and CD68+ cells in the perivascular regions of the white matter. SIVenv and TNF‐α was demonstrated in a few perivascular macrophages. These findings indicate that virus‐infected microglia/macrophages do not always express IL‐1β and TNF‐α, which suggests an indirect role of HIV‐1‐infected cells in cytokine‐mediated pathogenesis of ADC. Our macaque model for human ADC may be useful for better understanding of its pathogenesis.
A microdiversity study of anammox bacteria reveals a novel Candidatus Scalindua phylotype in marine oxygen minimum zones
Authors: Woebken Dagmar , Lam Phyllis , Kuypers Marcel M. M. , Naqvi S. Wajih A. , Kartal Boran , Strous Marc , Jetten Mike S. M. , Fuchs Bernhard M. , Amann Rudolf
Published: May 2008

The anaerobic oxidation of ammonium (anammox) contributes significantly to the global loss of fixed nitrogen and is carried out by a deep branching monophyletic group of bacteria within the phylum Planctomycetes. Various studies have implicated anammox to be the most important process responsible for the nitrogen loss in the marine oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) with a low diversity of marine anammox bacteria. This comprehensive study investigated the anammox bacteria in the suboxic zone of the Black Sea and in three major OMZs (off Namibia, Peru and in the Arabian Sea). The diversity and population composition of anammox bacteria were investigated by both, the 16S rRNA gene sequences and the 16S‐23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS). Our results showed that the anammox bacterial sequences of the investigated samples were all closely related to the Candidatus Scalindua genus. However, a greater microdiversity of marine anammox bacteria than previously assumed was observed. Both phylogenetic markers supported the classification of all sequences in two distinct anammox bacterial phylotypes: Candidatus Scalindua clades 1 and 2. Scalindua 1 could be further divided into four distinct clusters, all comprised of sequences from either the Namibian or the Peruvian OMZ. Scalindua 2 consisted of sequences from the Arabian Sea and the Peruvian OMZ and included one previously published 16S rRNA gene sequence from Lake Tanganyika and one from South China Sea sediment (97.9–99.4% sequence identity). This cluster showed only ≤ 97% sequence identity to other known Candidatus Scalindua species. Based on 16S rRNA gene and ITS sequences we propose that the anammox bacteria of Scalindua clade 2 represent a novel anammox bacterial species, for which the name Candidatus Scalindua arabica is proposed. As sequences of this new cluster were found in the Arabian Sea, the Peruvian OMZ, in Lake Tanganyika and in South China sediment, we assume a global distribution of Candidatus Scalindua arabica as it is observed for Candidatus Scalindua sorokinii/brodae (or Scalindua clade 1).
The Canadian Uro‐Oncology Group multicentre phase II study of docetaxel administered every 3 weeks with prednisone in men with metastatic hormone‐refractory prostate cancer progressing after mitoxantrone/prednisone
Authors: Saad Fred , Ruether Dean , Ernst Scott , North Scott , Cheng Tina , Perrotte Paul , Karakiewicz Pierre , Winquist Eric
Published: May 2008

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the use of docetaxel 75 mg/m2 intravenously every 3 weeks plus prednisone 5 mg orally twice daily in men with metastatic hormone‐refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) progressing after first‐line mitoxantrone/prednisone (MP), the primary outcome being progression‐free survival with prostatic‐specific antigen (PSA) and pain response, toxicity and quality of life (QoL) also assessed.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Thirty patients from four centres were enrolled in the study; all had had previous MP for symptomatic, metastatic HRPC and all had castrate levels of testosterone maintained during therapy.

RESULTS

At enrolment, the median age was 69 years, the mean PSA level was 324 ng/dL, and 86% of patients reported pain. There was a PSA response in 57% of the men and a reduction in pain in >60%; the overall QoL was maintained. There were four cases of febrile neutropenia and two treatment‐related deaths. The median progression‐free and overall survival were 5 and 15 months, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Docetaxel was associated with high rates of PSA and pain response in this study. Non‐haematological toxicity was similar to that during first‐line treatment, but rates of febrile neutropenia and toxic death appeared to be slightly higher. In selected patients with progressive metastatic HRPC previously treated with mitoxantrone, docetaxel appears to be a beneficial therapeutic option.
Extracorporeal shock‐wave therapy for treating chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a feasibility study and the first clinical results
Authors: Zimmermann Reinhold , Cumpanas Alin , Hoeltl Lorenz , Janetschek Gunther , Stenzl Arnulf , Miclea Florin
Published: May 2008

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the feasibility and clinical outcome of extracorporeal shock‐wave therapy (ESWT) for patients suffering from chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study included 34 patients who had had CPPS for ≥3 months, who were investigated in two subsequent studies. ESWT was administered using a perineal approach with two different standard ESWT devices with and without an ultrasonographic positioning system. The follow‐up was at 1, 4 and 12 weeks after ESWT, to evaluate the effects on pain, quality of life and voiding. Imaging studies and changes in prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) were used to investigate the safety and side‐effects of ESWT.

RESULTS

All patients completed the treatments and follow‐up; there were statistically significant improvements in pain and quality of life after ESWT. Voiding conditions were temporarily improved but with no statistical significance. Perineal ESWT was easy and safe to administer with no anaesthesia on an outpatient basis. Side‐effects could be excluded clinically, by imaging studies and by changes in PSA level.

CONCLUSION

Perineal ESWT must be considered as a promising new therapy for CPPS, in particular as it is easy to apply and causes no side‐effects.
Spontaneous resolution of diabetic macular oedema after discontinuation of thiazolidenediones
Authors: Liazos E. , Broadbent D. M. , Beare N. , Kumar N.
Published: May 2008

Aim  To report a case of spontaneous resolution of diabetic maculopathy with cystoid macular oedema in a diabetic patient after discontinuation of rosiglitazone, documented with serial ocular computed tomography (OCT) images.

Methods  A 59‐year‐old male with a 6‐year history of well‐controlled diabetes mellitus presented with reduced visual acuity (VA) attributed to clinically significant macular oedema (CSMO). The patient had been started on rosiglitazone 8 months previously. Glitazone treatment was stopped and the patient prospectively followed up.

Results  The patient demonstrated CSMO on OCT at presentation. Three months after cessation of rosiglitazone, CSMO had completely resolved and VA improved. Resolution of CSMO was confirmed on OCT examination. The patient required no interventional treatment, i.e. no laser or intravitreal therapy, for his CSMO.

Conclusions  To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case to document spontaneous resolution of CSMO and improvement in VA on discontinuation of a glitazone. Glitazones have a definitive role in the management of diabetic patients and ophthalmologists and physicians should both be aware that there may be an association with weight gain, peripheral oedema and CSMO. We recommend that ophthalmologists consider discontinuing glitazones in consultation with the diabetologist before embarking on interventional management such as laser or intravitreal injections.
Addressing insulin resistance in Type 1 diabetes
Authors: Pang T. T. L. , Narendran P.
Published: May 2008

Type 1 diabetes is recognised to include an element of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is an independent risk factor for the development of macro‐ and microvascular complications of Type 1 diabetes and may also contribute to the development of the disease. This understanding comes at a time when the incidence of Type 1 diabetes appears to be rising and the public health burden from its vascular complications is high. A variety of safe and efficacious manoeuvres are available to redress insulin resistance in Type 2 diabetes. So far however, clinical trials addressing insulin resistance in Type 1 diabetes have been small with only short periods of follow‐up. Regardless, these trials have yielded promising results. This review examines the evidence for insulin resistance in the pathophysiology of Type 1 diabetes and its complications, the problems associated with its measurement, and summarizes the trials aimed at reducing insulin resistance in Type 1 diabetes. This includes a meta‐analysis of controlled trials of adjuvant metformin in Type 1 diabetes.
Lower levels of circulating IGF‐I in Type 1 diabetic women with frequent severe hypoglycaemia during pregnancy
Authors: Ringholm Nielsen L. , Juul A. , Pedersen‐Bjergaard U. , Thorsteinsson B. , Damm P. , Mathiesen E. R.
Published: May 2008

Aims  Severe hypoglycaemia is a significant problem in pregnant women with Type 1 diabetes. We explored whether frequent severe hypoglycaemia during pregnancy in women with Type 1 diabetes is related to placental growth hormone (GH) and insulin‐like growth factor I (IGF‐I) levels.

Methods  A prospective, observational study of 107 consecutive pregnant women with Type 1 diabetes. Blood samples were drawn for IGF‐I and placental GH analyses at 8, 14, 21, 27 and 33 weeks. Severe hypoglycaemic events were reported within 24 h.

Results  Eleven women (10%) experienced frequent severe hypoglycaemia (≥ 5 events), accounting for 60% of all events. Throughout pregnancy, IGF‐I levels were 25% lower in these women (P < 0.005) compared with the remaining women, despite similar placental GH levels. Eighty per cent of the severe hypoglycaemic events occurred before 20 weeks when IGF‐I levels were at their lowest. This finding was not explained by differences in insulin dose, median plasma glucose levels or glycated haemoglobin. History of severe hypoglycaemia the year preceding pregnancy and impaired hypoglycaemia awareness—being the only predictors of frequent severe hypoglycaemia in a logistic regression analysis—were not associated with IGF‐I or placental GH levels at 8 weeks.

Conclusions  In women with Type 1 diabetes experiencing frequent severe hypoglycaemia during pregnancy, IGF‐I levels are significantly lower compared with the remaining women despite similar placental GH levels. IGF‐I levels are lowest in early pregnancy where the incidence of severe hypoglycaemia is highest. IGF‐I may be a novel factor of interest in the investigation of severe hypoglycaemia in patients with Type 1 diabetes.
IS POST‐MORTEM HARM POSSIBLE? UNDERSTANDING DEATH HARM AND GRIEF
Authors: TOMASINI FLORIS
Published: May 2008

The purpose of this article is not to affirm or deny particular philosophical positions, but to explore the limits of intelligibility about what post‐mortem harm means, especially in the light of improper post‐mortem procedures at Bristol and Alder Hey hospitals in the late 1990s. The parental claims of post‐mortem harm to dead children at Alder Hey Hospital are reviewed from five different philosophical perspectives, eventually settling on a crucial difference of perspective about how we understand harm to the dead. On the one hand there is the broadly ‘analytical’ tradition1 of thinking that predicates the notion of harm on the basis of an existing subject. Since the dead are non‐existent persons, it makes little sense to view the dead as being harmed. On the other hand, there is a phenomenological perspective, where the dead, in respect to the experience of grief, are existentially absent. This forms the basis that it is possible to harm grieving parent's experiences of how their dead are treated. The article ends with a short examination of what harming the dead implies for traditional bioethical concerns, namely, obtaining informed consent from significant others when planning medical research on the newly dead.
How do Board–CEO Relationships Influence the Performance of New Product Introduction? Moving from Single to Interdependent Explanations
Authors: Wu Hsueh‐Liang
Published: May 2008

Manuscript Type:Empirical

Research Question/IssueThe relationship between board members and top executives is held central to corporate governance, yet studies of it are relatively few and our knowledge of its consequences is limited. This study aims to address how board–CEO relationships, in terms of power balance and social ties, contribute to the performance of new product introduction. It proposes a contingency view to highlight the context‐dependent nature of such governance arrangements.

Research Findings/ResultsUsing survey and archival data in a sample of 198 industrial firms in Taiwan, this research finds that the two distinct types of board–CEO relationships relate curvilinearly to the performance of new product introduction. Furthermore, such universal relationships are moderated by market instability and board interlocks, respectively.

Theoretical Implications:This study departs from the traditional agency view to an argument that fine‐tuned board–CEO relationships, in light of sociopolitical and sociopsychological forces, and will serve as an essential enabling context for managerial risk taking. It demonstrates that research in this field should accommodate different theories to elaborate on the underlying tensions in the corporate governance and emphasize the merits of complementarity.

Practical Implications:Acknowledging that good governance design softens managerial risk aversion, this study helps identify the governance conditions in which risk differentials between the board and CEO may align, and thus when exploratory efforts, in the form of new product introduction, are more likely to succeed.
THE FINAL OUTCOMES OF THE REVIEW OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN NORTHERN IRELAND. TENSIONS AND COMPATIBILITY WITH DEVOLUTION, PARITY AND MODERNIZATION
Authors: BIRRELL DEREK
Published: May 2008

In terms of the configuration of structures and the distribution of functions for the delivery of public services, the final decisions on theReview of Public Administration in Northern Irelandencompass significant changes compared to those proposed in 2005. This article places that review in the context of a devolved system of public administration. It identifies four different phases of the review process which have had a differential impact on the predominant themes, principles and structures. A range of tensions are identified, particularly between the proposals for structural change in the final outcomes and earlier recommendations, and also between the final decisions on structural changes and the guiding principles set out as underpinning these changes. The review proposals can be located within the public service reforms of the UK government and a number of perspectives are suggested for evaluating the extent to which the outcomes of the review are compatible with key components of the modernizing and devolution agendas of the UK government.
A Semiparametric Bayesian Model for Repeatedly Repeated Binary Outcomes
Authors: Quintana Fernando A. , Müller Peter , Rosner Gary L. , Relling Mary V.
Published: May 2008

We discuss the analysis of data from single-nucleotide polymorphism arrays comparing tumour and normal tissues. The data consist of sequences of indicators for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and involve three nested levels of repetition: chromosomes for a given patient, regions within chromosomes and single-nucleotide polymorphisms nested within regions. We propose to analyse these data by using a semiparametric model for multilevel repeated binary data. At the top level of the hierarchy we assume a sampling model for the observed binary LOH sequences that arises from a partial exchangeability argument. This implies a mixture of Markov chains model. The mixture is defined with respect to the Markov transition probabilities. We assume a non-parametric prior for the random-mixing measure. The resulting model takes the form of a semiparametric random-effects model with the matrix of transition probabilities being the random effects. The model includes appropriate dependence assumptions for the two remaining levels of the hierarchy, i.e. for regions within chromosomes and for chromosomes within patient. We use the model to identify regions of increased LOH in a data set coming from a study of treatment-related leukaemia in children with an initial cancer diagnostic. The model successfully identifies the desired regions and performs well compared with other available alternatives.
A Bayesian Hierarchical Model for Photometric Red Shifts
Authors: Hurn Merrilee , Green Peter J. , Al-Awadhi Fahimah
Published: May 2008

The Sloan digital sky survey is an extremely large astronomical survey that is conducted with the intention of mapping more than a quarter of the sky. Among the data that it is generating are spectroscopic and photometric measurements, both containing information about the red shift of galaxies. The former are precise and easy to interpret but expensive to gather; the latter are far cheaper but correspondingly more difficult to interpret. Recently, Csabai and co-workers have described various calibration techniques aiming to predict red shift from photometric measurements. We investigate what a structured Bayesian approach to the problem can add. In particular, we are interested in providing uncertainty bounds that are associated with the underlying red shifts and the classifications of the galaxies. We find that quite a generic statistical modelling approach, using for the most part standard model ingredients, can compete with much more specific custom-made and highly tuned techniques that are already available in the astronomical literature.
A Simple Monotone Process with Application to Radiocarbon-Dated Depth Chronologies
Authors: Haslett John , Parnell Andrew
Published: May 2008

We propose a new and simple continuous Markov monotone stochastic process and use it to make inference on a partially observed monotone stochastic process. The process is piecewise linear, based on additive independent gamma increments arriving in a Poisson fashion. An independent increments variation allows very simple conditional simulation of sample paths given known values of the process. We take advantage of a reparameterization involving the Tweedie distribution to provide efficient computation. The motivating problem is the establishment of a chronology for samples taken from lake sediment cores, i.e. the attribution of a set of dates to samples of the core given their depths, knowing that the age–depth relationship is monotone. The chronological information arises from radiocarbon (14C) dating at a subset of depths. We use the process to model the stochastically varying rate of sedimentation.
Local Polynomial Estimation of Poisson Intensities in the Presence of Reporting Delays
Authors: Chen Feng , Huggins Richard M. , Yip Paul S. F. , Lam K. F.
Published: May 2008

The system for monitoring suicides in Hong Kong has considerable delays in reporting as the cause of death needs to be determined by a coroner's investigation. However, timely estimates of suicide rates are desirable to assist in the formulation of public health policies. This motivated us to develop a non-parametric procedure to estimate the intensity function of a Poisson process in the presence of reporting delays. We give closed form estimators of the Poisson intensity and the delay distribution, conduct simulation studies to evaluate the method proposed and derive their asymptotic properties. The method proposed is applied to estimate the intensity of suicide in Hong Kong.
ECCLESIAL EXISTENCE: PERSON AND COMMUNITY IN THE TRINITARIAN ANTHROPOLOGY OF ADRIENNE VON SPEYR
Authors: SCHUMACHER MICHELE M.
Published: May 2008

Best known for her extraordinary influence upon Hans Urs von Balthasar, Adrienne von Speyr is perhaps overshadowed by the same. Here is an effort to expose her profound mystical insights concerning the specifically Trinitarian dimension of anthropology. Of key significance is the concept of surrender, whereby the human person participates in the fundamental disposition of Christ, whose self‐gift is revealed as obedient receptivity vis‐à‐vis the Father and loving generosity vis‐à‐vis the world. This in turn is revelatory of the eternal surrender of each divine Person to the Others in a continuous exchange of love. The human person thus participates in divine life by the means that characterize it: love of God and neighbor.
REPARATIVE REASONING
Authors: ADAMS NICHOLAS
Published: May 2008

Peter Ochs' notion of ‘pragmatic reading’ and his wider project of articulating a ‘logic of scripture’ are described in the first part of this article. A distinction is made between Ochs' proposals for how to read scripture and his more technical claims about how scripture itself models a ‘logic of repair’. The term ‘thirdness’ is explained in the contexts of the relations and axioms, hypotheses and communities. His readings of Hans Frei and George Lindbeck are rehearsed briefly in the second section. Their attempts to show that there is nothing ‘behind’ scripture or doctrine, to which the latter supposedly refer, are presented by Ochs as ‘pragmatic’ attempts to repair the rules which generate false oppositions in discussions of scripture and doctrine.
ASSESSING PETER OCHS THROUGH PEIRCE, PRAGMATISM AND THE LOGIC OF SCRIPTURE
Authors: LAMBERTH DAVID C.
Published: May 2008

This article provides an interpretive, critical overview of Peter Ochs' Peirce, Pragmatism and the Logic of Scripture, and raises four thematic criticisms. The first considers Ochs turn to language, and its implications for pragmatism and understanding Peirce. The second interrogates the tension between Ochs' particularism and Peirce's universalism. The third concerns the relation between science and religion implied by Ochs, and its adequacy in relation to Peirce, pragmatism and modernity. The final question regards the scope of the community of inquirers Ochs seems to have in view, in light of pragmatism's seemingly more general concern with an inclusive democracy.
The ripple that drowns? Twentieth‐century famines in China and India as economic history1
Authors: Ó GRÁDA CORMAC
Published: May 2008

The twentieth century saw the virtual elimination of famine across most of the globe, but also witnessed some of the worst famines ever recorded. The causes usually given for these twentieth‐century famines differ from those given for earlier famines, which tend to be more often blamed on harvest failures per se than on human agency. This paper reassesses two of the last century's most notorious famines, the Chinese Great Leap Famine of 1959–61 and the Great Bengal Famine of 1943–4, in the light of these rival perspectives.
Metabolic syndrome and three of its components as risk factors for recurrent ischaemic stroke presenting as large‐vessel infarction
Authors: Liou C.‐W. , Tan T.‐Y. , Lin T.‐K. , Wang P.‐W. , Yip H.‐K.
Published: May 2008

Background and purpose:  Although a clear protocol for reduction of recurrent ischaemic stroke (RIS) has been established, few studies have compared the stroke subtype distribution and risk factors between RIS and first‐ever stroke (FES).

Methods:  This one‐year hospital‐based study enrolled 587 FES and 475 RIS patients. Patients were categorized into four stroke subtypes according to a modified TOAST stroke subtype classification system. Risk factor profiles were compared between the two major stroke groups and between the corresponding four subtypes to discriminate the significant risk factors for RIS.

Results:  A multivariate regression analysis identified hypertension (OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.34–2.62), diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.22–2.02), low high‐density lipoprotein (LHDL) (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.08–1.88) and older age as significant RIS risk factors. The significance of the former three RIS factors was further recognized in its large‐vessel subtype. Moreover, metabolic syndrome was significantly more common in the recurrent stroke group (P = 0.01), including its large‐vessel subtype (P = 0.04). Progressively increasing odds ratios from 1.49 to 2.02, in accordance with increased number of diagnostic components of metabolic syndrome for recurrent large‐vessel ischaemic stroke, were noted.

Conclusions:  Metabolic syndrome likely plays a crucial role in the development of RIS, including large‐vessel infarction in modern‐day Taiwan.
A Structural Investigation of Third‐Currency Shocks to Bilateral Exchange Rates*
Authors: Melecky Martin
Published: May 2008

An exchange rate between two currencies can be materially affected by shocks emerging from a third country. A US demand shock, for example, can affect the exchange rate between the euro and the yen. Because positive US demand shocks have a greater positive impact on Japanese interest rates than on euro area rates, the yen appreciates against the euro in response. Using quarterly data on the United States, the euro area and Japan from 1981 to 2006, this paper shows that the third‐currency effects are significant even when exchange rates evolve according to uncovered interest parity. This is because interest rates are typically set in response to output and inflation, which are in turn influenced by other exchange rates. More importantly, third‐currency effects are also transmitted to the actual exchange rate through the expected future exchange rate, which is, in a multi‐country set‐up, influenced by third‐countries' fundamentals and shocks. Third‐currency effects have a stronger impact on the currency of a relatively more open economy. The analysis implies that small open economies should avoid strict forms of bilateral exchange rate targeting, since higher trade and financial openness work as a force intrinsically amplifying currency fluctuations.
Copying letters to service users with learning disabilities: opinions of service users, carers and professionals working within learning disability services
Authors: Hovey Toni , Cheswick Claire
Published: May 2008

Accessible summary

The government has said that when a health professional writes a letter to other people about their treatment the person being treated (a patient or service user) should have a copy of this letter. We wanted to find out from service users, carers and staff in learning disability services what they thought about it.

This has now been done and the results showed that we need to look at:

Making sure service users know they have a right to receive copies of letters written about them.

Working with service users and carers to make sure there are ways to help every service user choose what information they want, and how they want it.

Helping service users keep their information safe and secure so that it remains private.

Supporting service users who want to share information about their health with the people who support them and care for them.

More resources are needed to increase the ways we can communicate with people for example using tapes, symbols. We need the skills and time to be able to do this.

The NHS Plan, Department of Health (2000) made a commitment that patients should be able to receive copies of clinicians’ letters about them as a right in order to improve communication and enable patients to participate in their care. In South Gloucestershire, the opinions of local service users with learning disabilities, their carers, and professionals working within learning disability services about this issue were sought using questionnaires and focus groups in order to identify and then develop good practice. A number of practice issues were identified: protocols for developing individualised accessible information are needed, involvement of service users in the management of their information and maintenance of its confidentiality, and involvement of carers in the sharing of information, if this is appropriate. A communication strategy needs to be developed by services working with people with learning disabilities, in conjunction with service users and carers. The resource and training implications of this area of service development need to be considered.
An Essay on Research Methodology: An Alternative Approach to Incident Command Research Through Participatory Action Research
Authors: Njå Ove , Rake Eivind L.
Published: May 2008

Current incident command research faces several challenges. The incident commander's behaviour and related assessments in the crisis response are context bound, and our understanding of these factors requires close awareness of the context. Reconstruction of the on‐scene behaviour encompassing situation awareness and cognitive reasoning is difficult. There is a need to develop better understanding of decision‐making in crisis settings and methods for rigorous observation and knowledge elicitation. In order to understand the importance and actual influence of incident commanding, the researchers need to assess the response in real time, not only based on studying logs etc. afterwards. Participatory action research provides ideas in which the researcher, besides being an observer, would be involved in the rescue work. This raises ethical questions, but there is a need for naturalistic decision‐making research to evolve beyond descriptive models.
Exact Trait‐Model‐Free Tests for Linkage Detection in Pedigrees
Authors: Basu S. , Di Y. , Thompson E. A.
Published: May 2008

A number of trait‐model‐free tests have been proposed for linkage detection between a genomic region and a trait. These tests involve testing the dependence in segregation between a trait and marker alleles by assigning a score to every possible identity‐by‐descent configuration of the pedigree members without modeling the trait, and then averaging the scores over all such configurations compatible with the observed marker genotypes and genealogical relationship of the pedigree members. In this paper we propose a permutation test as an alternative to the existing exact trait‐model‐free tests for linkage detection. The proposed test is computationally efficient and is applicable on complex multigeneration pedigree structures. In this paper, we have compared the performance of the permutation test with two other exact trait‐model‐free tests for linkage detection on simulated datasets. We have demonstrated that the proposed permutation test is fully robust against mispecification of marker allele frequencies and has very good power for linkage detection. The permutation test is implemented in the program lm_ibdtests within the framework of MORGAN 2.8 (http://www.stat.washington.edu/thompson/Genepi/MORGAN/Morgan.shtml).
Spatial packing, cranial base angulation, and craniofacial shape variation in the mammalian skull: testing a new model using mice
Authors: Lieberman Daniel E. , Hallgrímsson Benedikt , Liu Wei , Parsons Trish E. , Jamniczky Heather A.
Published: May 2008

The hypothesis that variation in craniofacial shape within and among species is influenced by spatial packing has a long history in comparative anatomy, particularly in terms of primates. This study develops and tests three alternative models of spatial packing to address how and to what extent the cranial base angle is influenced by variation in brain and facial size. The models are tested using mouse strains with different mutations affecting craniofacial growth. Although mice have distinctive crania with small brains, long faces, and retroflexed cranial bases, the results of the study indicate that the mouse cranial base flexes to accommodate larger brain size relative to cranial base length. In addition, the mouse cranial base also extends, but to a lesser degree, to accommodate larger face size relative to cranial base length. In addition, interactions between brain size, face size, and the widths and lengths of the components of the cranial base account for a large percentage of variation in cranial base angle. The results illustrate the degree to which the cranial base is centrally embedded within the covariation structure of the craniofacial complex as a whole.
The effects of high‐fat diet on the renal structure and morphometric parametric of kidneys in rats
Authors: Altunkaynak Muhammed Eyüp , Özbek Elvan , Altunkaynak Berrin Zuhal , Can İsmail , Unal Deniz , Unal Bunyami
Published: May 2008

To characterize the kidney in a high‐fat‐induced obesity model, we examined the renal structure of adult Sprague–Dawley rats fed a control diet or a high‐fat diet for 3 months. Ten adult female Sprague–Dawley rats were fed a diet consisting highly of fat (30%) for a period of 3 months. Ten control rats were maintained with standard rat chow. All animals were weighed every 10 days for 3 months. At the end of the experiment, the naso‐anal length of the anaesthetized rats was measured to calculate body mass index, and subsequently whole kidneys of intracardially formalin‐perfused animals were removed. Quantitative features of the kidney were analysed with the Cavalieri and physical dissector methods applied to serial paraffin sections. Kidney samples were also examined histologically. The body mass indices of the control and treatment groups were 4.528 ± 0.242 and 5.876 ± 0.318 kg m−2, respectively. The difference between the body mass indices of the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.01, Mann–Whitney U‐test), suggesting that the animals fed with a high‐fat diet may be overweight. Stereological examination of the kidneys revealed differences in kidney weight, total kidney volume, volume of cortex, medulla, glomeruli, proximal and distal tubules, and numerical density of glomeruli and glomerular height in the treatment group compared with the control group. Light microscopic investigation showed a dilatation in blood vessels and Bowman's space, mononuclear cell infiltration, degeneration in nephrons, including glomerulosclerosis and tubular defects, and an increase in the connective tissue in the kidneys in the treatment group. We concluded that a fatty diet is responsible for the rats’ obesity and may lead to renal deformities as a result of histopathological changes such as dilatation, tubular defects, inflammation and connective tissue enlargement of the kidney.
Osteology and taxonomic revision of Hyphalosaurus (Diapsida: Choristodera) from the Lower Cretaceous of Liaoning, China
Authors: Gao Ke‐Qin , Ksepka Daniel T.
Published: May 2008

Although the long‐necked choristodere Hyphalosaurus is the most abundant tetrapod fossil in the renowned Yixian Formation fossil beds of Liaoning Province, China, the genus has only been briefly described from largely unprepared specimens. This paper provides a thorough osteological description of the type species Hyphalosaurus lingyuanensis and the con‐generic species Hyphalosaurus baitaigouensis based on the study of fossils from several research institutions in China. The diagnoses for these two species are revised based on comparison of a large sample of specimens from the type area and horizon of each of the two species. The skull, better known in H. baitaigouensis, exhibits key choristodere synapomorphies including an elongate contact between the prefrontals and posteriorly expanded supratemporal fenestrae that strongly support the placement of the highly derived hyphalosaurids within Choristodera. Both species of Hyphalosaurus share a proportionally small head, an elongate neck, a relatively unspecialized appendicular skeleton and a long, dorsoventrally heightened tail. Soft tissue preservation in several specimens provides rare insight into the integument of an extinct group. The integument of Hyphalosaurus is made up of small polygonal scales with several parasagittal rows of large, keeled, ovoid scutes. These possibly ornamental scutes bear a strong resemblance to the rows of large scutes in the monjurosuchid choristodere Monjurosuchus splendens. Observations from a variety of growth stages reveal that significant ontogenetic change in the proportions of the body and limb bones occurred in both species of Hyphalosaurus.
Morphofunctional responses to anaemia in rat skeletal muscle
Authors: Esteva Santiago , Panisello Pere , Casas Mireia , Torrella Joan Ramon , Pagés Teresa , Viscor Ginés
Published: May 2008

Adult male Sprague‐Dawley rats were randomly assigned to two groups: control and anaemic. Anaemia was induced by periodical blood withdrawal. Extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles were excised under pentobarbital sodium total anaesthesia and processed for transmission electron microscopy, histochemical and biochemical analyses. Mitochondrial volume was determined by transmission electron microscopy in three different regions of each muscle fibre: pericapillary, sarcolemmal and sarcoplasmatic. Muscle samples sections were also stained with histochemical methods (SDH and m‐ATPase) to reveal the oxidative capacity and shortening velocity of each muscle fibre. Determinations of fibre and capillary densities and fibre type composition were made from micrographs of different fixed fields selected in the equatorial region of each rat muscle. Determination of metabolites (ATP, inorganic phosphate, creatine, creatine phosphate and lactate) was done using established enzymatic methods and spectrophotometric detection. Significant differences in mitochondrial volumes were found between pericapillary, sarcolemmal and sarcoplasmic regions when data from animal groups were tested independently. Moreover, it was verified that anaemic rats had significantly lower values than control animals in all the sampled regions of both muscles. These changes were associated with a significantly higher proportion of fast fibres in anaemic rat soleus muscles (slow oxidative group = 63.8%; fast glycolytic group = 8.2%; fast oxidative glycolytic group = 27.4%) than in the controls (slow oxidative group = 79.0%; fast glycolytic group = 3.9%; fast oxidative glycolytic group = 17.1%). No significant changes were detected in the extensor digitorum longus muscle. A significant increase was found in metabolite concentration in both the extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles of the anaemic animals as compared to the control group. In conclusion, hypoxaemic hypoxia causes a reduction in mitochondrial volumes of pericapillary, sarcolemmal, and sarcoplasmic regions. However, a common proportional pattern of the zonal distribution of mitochondria was maintained within the fibres. A significant increment was found in the concentration of some metabolites and in the proportion of fast fibres in the more oxidative soleus muscle in contrast to the predominantly anaerobic extensor digitorum longus.
Understanding population structure and dynamics in threatened crayfish
Authors: Scalici M. , Belluscio A. , Gibertini G.
Published: May 2008

This study aimed to improve our knowledge of the population status and dynamics of Austropotamobius pallipes, by applying length‐based fish stock assessment approaches based on the analysis of polymodal size–frequency distributions and mark–recapture datasets. Analysis of nearly 8000 crayfish collected from May to October of the years 2001–2004 showed a well‐structured population and a low growth rate, the latter showing evident seasonality in both sexes (with high value of amplitude and winter point). Moreover, sexual differences were found, because females have higher growth rates than males. This analysis also showed that A. pallipes is a long‐lived species, with an expected lifetime of 10 years, and a mortality rate affected by illegal harvesting. The results obtained in this study by length–frequency analysis are the same as those obtained by approaches based on recapture. Statistical evidences showed that the growth rate is affected by latitude, the former increasing with a decrease of the latter, probably as a result of the associated different environmental and climatic conditions. Dynamics studies are useful for planning monitoring, and could have a role in introduction programmes and control of reintroduced individuals during any restocking project. Considerations of population dynamics can be used to derive generalizations on the stress and exploitation grade of a stock, based on the concept that dynamics are strictly related to biological processes and to the adaptation of a species to its habitat. Through a survey of a body size, it is possible to avoid the use of invasive techniques for ageing crayfish and recapture methods that can cause a certain degree of stress. We discuss and underline the importance of using polymodal frequency analysis in order to determine important parameters in population structure and dynamics and further population properties of great usefulness for the monitoring and preservation of threatened crayfish.
Natterer's bats prefer foraging in broad‐leaved woodlands and river corridors
Authors: Smith P. G. , Racey P. A.
Published: May 2008

We studied habitat selection by radio tracking Natterer's bats Myotis nattereri foraging in a grassland–woodland landscape. We tested the hypothesis that selection of foraging habitat is random at two levels: firstly, the selection of individual foraging ranges and secondly, the choice of foraging habitats made by individuals within these foraging ranges. Habitat selection was random at neither level. When selecting foraging ranges, bats maximized the area of semi‐natural broad‐leaved woodland and improved grassland and minimized that of dense coniferous plantations. During foraging, semi‐natural broad‐leaved woodland and river corridors were preferred, while dense coniferous plantations were avoided. Within individual foraging ranges, the intensity of foraging activity over river corridor habitat and semi‐natural broad‐leaved woodland was 8.2 and 3.8 times higher, respectively, than that over improved grassland. For successful management of Natterer's bat populations, semi‐natural broad‐leaved woodland should be retained. Clear felling of large blocks of native broad‐leaved woodland should be avoided and conifers should not be used for reforestation. Tree cover along river banks should be encouraged and protected.
A plastid protein crucial for Ca2+‐regulated stomatal responses
Authors: Weinl Stefan , Held Katrin , Schlücking Kathrin , Steinhorst Leonie , Kuhlgert Sebastian , Hippler Michael , Kudla Jörg
Published: May 2008

DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02550.xCommentary p 568
Assessment of exercise capacity in women with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Segerström Åsa B. , Glans Forouzan , Eriksson Karl‐Fredrik , Groop Leif , Thorsson Ola , Wollmer Per
Published: May 2008

The primary aim of this study was to compare the maximal oxygen uptake as evaluated from a submaximal exercise test (EVO2peak) to direct measurements of VO2peak during a maximal exercise test as means of monitoring the aerobic endurance capacity in women with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Twenty‐seven women with T2D participated in the study. The program consisted of combined group training 1 h twice a week during 12 weeks and walks 1 h per week. EVO2 max was estimated using a submaximal exercise test on a bicycle ergometer ad modumÅstrand. VO2peak and maximal work rate were measured using an incremental maximal exercise test on an electrically braked bicycle ergometer at baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks. EVO2peakwas higher than VO2peakat baseline and significantly higher at 12 weeks (EVO2peak1·92 ± 0·54 l min−1, VO2peak 1·41 ± 0·36, P < 0·005). Maximal work rate increased significantly after 12 weeks (12 ± 15, P < 0·005) compared to baseline. The main finding of this study was that EVO2peak assessed using a submaximal exercise test, systematically overestimated VO2peak. The combined group training increased maximal work rate but not VO2peak. This is likely to reflect peripheral adaptation to exercise and/or improved mechanical efficiency.