bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measuring self‐care independence in children with cystic fibrosis: The self‐care independence scale (SCIS)
Authors: Patton Susana R. , Graham Julie L. , Varlotta Laurie , Holsclaw Douglas
Published: June 2003

We describe the development and psychometric properties of a survey tool designed to evaluate children's level of independence in their cystic fibrosis (CF) treatment. Children's self‐care autonomy is important to measure and may have a direct effect on children's active involvement in their treatment and their adherence. Existing instruments that evaluate children's independence in their CF treatment fail to yield practical information that can help research and patient management. The Self‐Care Independence Scale (SCIS) is a 44‐item questionnaire that is completed by parents. The SCIS was completed by the parents of 76 patients with CF (ages 4–17 years). Youths completed two structured interviews, which screened patients for average or higher cognitive functioning (an inclusion criterion) and measured their CF treatment knowledge. Parents completed two other self‐report questionnaires. Results indicated that the SCIS has acceptable internal consistency and good test‐retest reliability. The construct validity of the SCIS was supported by positive correlations between patient age, number of years since diagnosis, and SCIS total scores. The concurrent validity of the SCIS was supported by correlations between a measure of nonillness‐specific dependence and a measure of patient self‐care knowledge. Children's SCIS total scores per age group are presented. This study supports the SCIS as a psychometrically sound measure of self‐care independence in CF. This measure has several uses. For example, the SCIS may be a screening tool for adolescents who are preparing to transition to adult CF centers and who will need to assume more independence in their self‐care. The SCIS may also be used to evaluate educational programs that promote self‐care knowledge and skill in children with CF. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2003; 36:123–130. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Characterization of successful and failed autoresuscitation in human infants, including those dying of SIDS
Authors: Sridhar Raghunathan , Thach Bradley T. , Kelly Dorothy H. , Henslee Judith A.
Published: June 2003

Our purpose was to identify and further characterize physiologic mechanisms relevant to autoresuscitation from hypoxic apnea in infants dying suddenly and unexpectedly. We studied cardiorespiratory recordings of 24 infants (age range, 0.8–21 months) who died suddenly while being monitored at home. These recordings were analyzed for features indicated by studies in animal models to be characteristic of hypoxic gasping, and of recovery from bradycardia and apnea associated with gasping (e.g., autoresuscitation). Findings in 5 infants diagnosed as having sudden infant death syndrome were compared with 6 non‐SIDS infants whose deaths resulted from other conditions. Additionally, we studied 15 healthy infants during sleep, using home monitor and other respiratory recording techniques, in order to obtain comparison data. We found in recordings from 23 of 24 subjects that hypoxic gasps with characteristic features occurred immediately preceding death. A unique pattern of complex, closely spaced gasps (“double” or “triple” gasps) was present in many subjects. Evidence of partially successful autoresuscitation closely following one or more gasps occurred in 11 subjects, while another 4 had evidence of complete autoresuscitation with return of normal heart rate and resolution of apnea on one or more occasions. Significant differences between SIDS infants and those dying from other causes included increased occurrence of complex gasps and decreased occurrence of partial or complete autoresuscitation in the SIDS infants. The non‐SIDS cases were different from the SIDS cases in that only one had “double” gasps (n = 7), while none had “triple” gasps, as compared with 4 out of 5 SIDS cases with these patterns (P < 0.05, chi‐square). Also, in contrast with the SIDS cases, more of the cases with specific postmortem diagnoses had evidence of partial (5 out of 6 cases) or complete (1 out of 6 cases) autoresuscitation (P < 0.05, chi‐square). We conclude that partial or complete autoresuscitation by gasping is not uncommon in moribund infants during the first year of life. Failure of autoresuscitation mechanisms other than failure to initiate gasping may be characteristic of infants dying of SIDS. Some SIDS infants appear to be different from infants dying with other diagnoses with respect to efficacy and characteristics of hypoxic gasping. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2003; 36:113–122. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mirth‐triggered asthma: Is laughter really the best medicine?
Authors: Liangas Georgios , Morton John R. , Henry Richard L.
Published: June 2003

Mirthful emotions such as laughter and excitement are unrecognized but perhaps important triggers of asthma. Our study aimed to explore the prevalence, mechanisms, and associations of mirth‐triggered asthma (MTA) in children. Our MTA prevalence questionnaire was given to 285 children who presented to the Emergency Department of Sydney Children's Hospital (SCH) with an acute episode of asthma. Our MTA profile questionnaire study was a cross‐sectional study of 541 children with asthma. The parents completed a questionnaire regarding their child's asthma. In our laughter diary study, diary cards were given to the parents of 21 children with asthma. The diary required details regarding the mirthful stimulus, symptoms of asthma, and recording of peak expiratory flow (PEF) measurements. Of the selected cohort, 31.9% had mirth‐triggered asthma. In the cross‐sectional study, mirth‐triggered asthma was more common: with increasing age (P = 0.02); in those who in the last 3 months had taken more doses of salbutamol (P = 0.005), and who had more wheeze, nocturnal symptoms, and early morning symptoms (P < 0.0005); and in those who reported exercise‐induced asthma (P < 0.0005). Laughter was more commonly reported as a trigger than excitement; cough was the most prominent symptom; and symptoms mostly occurred within 2 min of the mirthful stimulus. In the laughter diary study, 59 of 130 recorded events described symptoms of asthma. Mirth while watching a film led to PEF of 73% of baseline, compared with 81% for mirth with exertional play, and 95% for mirth with nonexertional play (P = 0.01). Mirth‐triggered asthma is common, and is an indicator of suboptimal asthma control. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2003; 36:107–112. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Scaling laws in hadronic processes and string theory
Authors: Andreev O.
Published: June 2003

We briefly review a possible scheme for getting the known QCD scaling laws within string theory. In particular, we consider amplitudes for exclusive scattering of hadrons at large momentum transfer and hadronic form factors.
Rotating D‐branes and O‐planes
Authors: Angelantonj C.
Published: June 2003

We review orientifold constructions in the presence of magnetic backgrounds both in the open and closed sectors. Generically, the resulting orientifold models have a nice geometric description in terms of rotated D‐branes and/or O‐planes. In the case of multiple magnetic backgrounds, some amount of supersymmetry is recovered if the magnetic fields are suitably chosen and part of the original D‐branes and/or O‐planes are transmuted into new ones.
Unitary quantum field theory on the noncommutative Minkowski space
Authors: Bahns D.
Published: June 2003

This is an exposition of joint work with S. Doplicher, K. Fredenhagen, and Gh. Piacitelli [1]. The violation of unitarity found in quantum field theory on noncommutative spacetimes in the context of the so‐called modified Feynman rules is linked to the notion of time ordering implicitly used in the assumption that perturbation theory may be done solely in terms of Feynman propagators. Two alternative approaches which do not entail a violation of unitarity are sketched. An outlook upon our more recent work is given.
Strings on plane waves: an introduction
Authors: Berenstein D.
Published: June 2003

This article is a brief introduction to different aspects of string theory on maximally supersymmetric plane waves in ten dimensions. The article touches on the following aspects: quantization of free strings on the plane wave background, the plane wave as a Penrose limit and it's relation to AdS / CFT; and finally the causal structure of the plane wave and holography.
On a gauge invariant description of soliton dynamics
Authors: de Wit B. , Käppeli J.
Published: June 2003

We present important elements of a gauge and diffeomorphism invariant formulation of the moduli space approximation to soliton dynamics. We argue that explicit velocity‐dependent modifications are determined entirely from gauge and diffeomorphism invariance. We illustrate the formalism for the case of a Yang‐Mills theory on a curved spacetime background.
D‐branes in a marginally deformed WZW model
Authors: Förste S.
Published: June 2003

In this talk we discuss symmetry preserving D‐branes on a line of a marginally deformed SU(2) WZW model. A semiclassical and a quantum theoretical approach are presented.
D‐branes in a plane‐wave background
Authors: Gaberdiel M.R. , Green M.B.
Published: June 2003

The D‐branes of the maximally supersymmetric plane‐wave background are described.
Non‐commutative field theories beyond perturbation theory
Authors: Bietenholz W. , Hofheinz F. , Nishimura J.
Published: June 2003

We investigate two models in non‐commutative (NC) field theory by means of Monte Carlo simulations. Even if we start from the Euclidean lattice formulation, such simulations are only feasible after mapping the systems onto dimensionally reduced matrix models. Using this technique, we measure Wilson loops in 2d NC gauge theory of rank 1. It turns out that they are non‐perturbatively renormalizable, and the phase follows an Aharonov‐Bohm effect if we identify θ = 1/B. Next we study the 3d λ ϕ4 model with two NC coordinates, where we present new results for the correlators and the dispersion relation. We further reveal the explicit phase diagram. The ordered regime splits into a uniform and a striped phase, as it was qualitatively conjectured before. We also confirm the recent observation by Ambjø rn and Catterall that such stripes occur even in d = 2, although they imply the spontaneous breaking of translation symmetry. However, in d = 3 and d = 2 we observe only patterns of two stripes to be stable in the range of parameters investigated.
Boundary states in SUSY sine‐Gordon model with supersymmetric integrable boundary condition
Authors: Bajnok Z. , Palla L. , Takács G.
Published: June 2003

After reviewing briefly the basic concepts and problems of boundary integrable theories we outline a boostrap solution leading to the spectrum of boundary states in SUSY sine‐Gordon model.
Strings in singular time‐dependent backgrounds
Authors: Giveon A. , Rabinovici E. , Sever A.
Published: June 2003

We review the construction of time‐dependent backgrounds with space‐like singularities. We mainly consider exact CFT backgrounds. The algebraic and geometric aspects of these backgrounds are discussed. Physical issues, results and difficulties associated with such systems are reviewed. Finally, we present some new results: a two dimensional cosmology in the presence of an Abelian gauge field described within a family of ${{SL(2)\times U(1)} \over {U(1)\times Z}}$ quotient CFTs.
Production of black holes in TeV‐scale gravity
Authors: Ringwald A.
Published: June 2003

Copious production of microscopic black holes is one of the least model‐dependent predictions of TeV‐scale gravity scenarios. We review the arguments behind this assertion and discuss opportunities to track the striking associated signatures in the near future. These include searches at neutrino telescopes, such as AMANDA and RICE, at cosmic ray air shower facilities, such as the Pierre Auger Observatory, and at colliders, such as the Large Hadron Collider.
Form‐field gauge symmetry in M‐theory
Authors: Kalkkinen J. , Stelle K.S.
Published: June 2003

We show how to cast an interacting system of M‐branes into manifestly gauge‐invariant form using an arrangement of higher‐dimensional Dirac surfaces. Classical M‐theory has a cohomologically nontrivial and noncommutative set of gauge symmetries when written using a “doubled” formalism containing 3‐form and 6‐form gauge fields. We show how the arrangement of Dirac surfaces allows an integral subgroup of these symmetries to be preserved at the quantum level. The proper context for discussing these large gauge transformations is relative cohomology, in which the 3‐form transformation parameters become exact when restricted to the five‐brane worldvolume. This structure yields the correct lattice of M‐theory brane charges.
Quantum Liouville theory versus quantized Teichmüller spaces
Authors: Teschner J.
Published: June 2003

This note announces the proof of a conjecture of H. Verlinde, according to which the spaces of Liouville conformal blocks and the Hilbert spaces from the quantization of the Teichmüller spaces of Riemann surfaces carry equivalent representations of the mapping class group. This provides a basis for the geometrical interpretation of quantum Liouville theory in its relation to quantized spaces of Riemann surfaces.
pp‐wave string models with interacting light‐cone actions
Authors: Tseytlin A.A.
Published: June 2003

We consider pp‐wave backgrounds for which superstring action written in light‐cone gauge have the form of an interacting 2‐d theory. All pp‐wave solutions supported by non‐constant H3 or Fp fields are exact type II superstring solutions to all orders in α′. The corresponding light‐cone gauge Green‐Schwarz actions are non‐linear in bosons but always quadratic in fermions, and describe UV finite (but, in general, non‐supersymmetric) 2‐d theories. We consider a specific example where the pp‐wave F3 background is parametrized by an arbitrary holomorphic function of one complex bosonic coordinate.
EFFECTS OF DROUGHT STRESS ON MYCORRHIZAL AND NON-MYCORRHIZAL CABERNET SAUVIGNON GRAPEVINE, GRAFTED ONTO VARIOUS ROOTSTOCKS
Authors: NIKOLAOU N. , ANGELOPOULOS K. , KARAGIANNIDIS N.
Published: June 2003

The effects of root inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus mosseae) on the water relations and carbon dioxide assimilation rates of grapevine (Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet Sauvignon) plants are reported. Cuttings of Cabernet Sauvignon were grafted onto eight different grapevine rootstocks and the composite plants were grown in pots. The potting media of half the pots of each rootstock were inoculated with Glomus mosseae. Half of each of the inoculated and the non-inoculated pots were subjected to five-day and eight-day drought periods. The control (non-stressed plants) was watered throughout the experiment three times per week to maintain pot media close to field capacity. Foliar growth, leaf phosphorus concentrations and drought tolerance were greater in the inoculated than in the non-inoculated plants. After five days of drought stress, predawn leaf water potentials ranged between −0.5 and −1.07 MPa in non-mycorrhizal vines and between −0.32 MPa and −0.61 MPa in mycorrhizal vines. Similarly, net carbon dioxide assimilation rates in five-day stressed plants ranged from 1.5 to 4.6 μmol m−2 s−1, and from 2.9 to 6.1 μmol m−2 s−1 respectively. Some drought-sensitive rootstocks (775P, 101–14Mgt and 5BB) infected with mycorrhizal fungi and subjected to drought for eight days showed much-improved drought resistance compared with non-infected rootstocks of the same varieties. In drought-stressed plants, differences between the various rootstocks were significant. For example, rootstocks 110R, 140Rug, 1103P and 44–53 M had the highest predawn leaf water potentials and photosynthetic rates after five days of drought, independent of the mycorrhizal infection. These findings show that colonization of the root system by mycorrhizal fungi, may improve the water status of non-irrigated vines.
OIL PALM BUD ROT IN LATIN AMERICA
Authors: DE FRANQUEVILLE H.
Published: June 2003

In South and Central America, tens of thousands of hectares of oil palms (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) are affected by bud-rot types of disease. Having destroyed entire estates in Panama, Colombia, Suriname, Brazil and Ecuador, they are holding back the development of oil palm cultivation in Latin America. The cause is unknown. Indeed, 30 years after these diseases first wreaked havoc on a large scale, it is still not known whether we are dealing with one or more diseases of infectious origin, or with a physiological disorder. Despite lengthy research launched in the early 1980s, no pathogens or insect vectors have been clearly identified. At present, genetics look likely to offer a solution in the medium- to long term, using traits of resistance transmitted by the native species on the American continent, Elaeis oleifera, to the interspecific hybrid E. oleifera×E. guineensis.
On bunched typing
Authors: O'HEARN PETER
Published: June 2003

We study a typing scheme derived from a semantic situation where a single category possesses several closed structures, corresponding to different varieties of function type. In this scheme typing contexts are trees built from two (or more) binary combining operations, or in short, bunches. Bunched typing and its logical counterpart, bunched implications, have arisen in joint work of the author and David Pym. The present paper gives a basic account of the type system, and then focusses on concrete models that illustrate how it may be understood in terms of resource access and sharing. The most basic system has two context-combining operations, and the structural rules of Weakening and Contraction are allowed for one but not the other. This system includes a multiplicative, or substructural, function type −∗ alongside the usual (additive) function type $\rightarrow$; it is dubbed the $\alpha\lambda$-calculus after its binders, $\alpha$ for the $\alpha$dditive binder and $\lambda$ for the multiplicative, or $\lambda$inear, binder. We show that the features of this system are, in a sense, complementary to calculi based on linear logic; it is incompatible with an interpretation where a multiplicative function uses its argument once, but perfectly compatible with a reading based on sharing of resources. This sharing interpretation is derived from syntactic control of interference, a type-theoretic method of controlling sharing of storage, and we show how bunch-based management of Contraction can be used to provide a more flexible type system for interference control.
Exocyst complex subunit sec8 binds to postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95): a novel interaction regulated by cypin (cytosolic PSD-95 interactor)
Authors: RIEFLER Gary M. , BALASINGAM Gaithri , LUCAS Kenyatta G. , WANG Sheng , HSU Shu-Chan , FIRESTEIN Bonnie L.
Published: June 2003

The PDZ domains of postsynaptic density (PSD) protein-95 play a role in the localization of PSD-95 and binding partners to neuronal synapses. The identification of binding partners to these PDZ domains can help us in understanding how signalling complexes are assembled. We observed that one of the subunits in the sec6/8 or exocyst complex, sec8, contains a C-terminal consensus sequence for PDZ binding. Sec8 binds to PDZ1–2 of PSD-95, and this binding can be competed with a peptide that binds to PDZ1 and PDZ2 in the peptide-binding site. In addition, binding of sec8 is dependent on its C-terminal-binding sequence namely Thr-Thr-Val (TTV). Immunoblotting of rat tissue extracts shows that sec8 and PSD-95 are enriched in the same brain regions, and sec8 and PSD-95 have the same subcellular distribution in pheochromocytoma cells, suggesting that these proteins may interact in vivo. Immunoprecipitation studies of sec8 and PSD-95 in brain provide further evidence of a sec8 and PSD-95 interaction. Furthermore, the cytosolic PSD-95 interactor competes with sec8 for interaction with PSD-95. Taken together, our results suggest that the cytosolic PSD-95 interactor may function to regulate the ability of sec8 to bind to PSD-95.
Focal adhesion kinase N-terminus in breast carcinoma cells induces rounding, detachment and apoptosis
Authors: BEVIGLIA Lucia , GOLUBOVSKAYA Vita , XU LiHui , YANG XiHui , CRAVEN Rolf J. , CANCE William G.
Published: June 2003

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) has a central role in adhesion-mediated cell signalling. The N-terminus of FAK is thought to function as a docking site for a number of proteins, including the Src-family tyrosine kinases. In the present study, we disrupted FAK signalling by expressing the N-terminal domain of FAK (FAK-NT) in human breast carcinoma cells, BT474 and MCF-7 lines, and non-malignant epithelial cells, MCF-10A line. Expression of FAK-NT led to rounding, detachment and apoptosis in human breast cancer cells. Apoptosis was accompanied by dephosphorylation of FAK Tyr397, degradation of the endogenous FAK protein and activation of caspase-3. Over-expression of FAK rescued FAK-NT-mediated cellular rounding. Expression of FAK-NT in non-malignant breast epithelial cells did not lead to rounding, loss of FAK phosphorylation or apoptosis. Thus FAK-NT contributes to cellular adhesion and survival pathways in breast cancer cells which are not required for survival in non-malignant breast epithelial cells.
Cloning and characterization of dipeptidyl peptidase 10, a new member of an emerging subgroup of serine proteases
Authors: QI Shu Y. , RIVIERE Pierre J. , TROJNAR Jerzy , JUNIEN Jean-Louis , AKINSANYA Karen O.
Published: June 2003

Two dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV, DPP4)-related proteins, DPP8 and DPP9, have been identified recently [Abbott, Yu, Woollatt, Sutherland, McCaughan, and Gorrell (2000) Eur. J. Biochem. 267, 6140–6150; Olsen and Wagtmann (2002) Gene 299, 185–193; Qi, Akinsanya, Riviere, and Junien (2002) Patent application WO0231134]. In the present study, we describe the cloning of DPP10, a novel 796-amino-acid protein, with significant sequence identity to DPP4 (32%) and DPP6 (51%) respectively. We propose that DPP10 is a new member of the S9B serine proteases subfamily. The DPP10 gene is located on the long arm of chromosome 2 (2q12.3-2q14.2), close to the DPP4 (2q24.3) and FAP (2q23) genes. The active-site serine residue is replaced by a glycine residue in DPP10, resulting in the loss of DPP activity. The serine residue is also replaced in DPP6, which lacks peptidase activity. DPP8 and DPP9 share an identical active site with DPP4 (Gly-Trp-Ser-Tyr-Gly). In contrast with the previous results suggesting that DPP9 is inactive, we show that DPP9 is a DPP, hydrolysing Ala-Pro-(7-amino-4-methyl-coumarin) with similar pH-specificity and protease-inhibitor-sensitivity to those of DPP4 and DPP8. Northern-blot analysis shows that whereas DPP8 and DPP9 are widely expressed, DPP10 is expressed mainly in the brain and pancreas. DPP6, which has the highest amino acid identity with DPP10, has been shown previously [Nadal, Ozaita, Amarillo, de Miera, Ma, Mo, Goldberg, Misumi, Ikehara, Neubert et al. (2003) Neuron 37, 449–461] to associate with A-type K+ channel subunits, modulating their transport and function in somatodendritic compartments of neurons. It is possible that DPP10 is involved in similar functions in the brain. Elucidation of the physiological or pathophysiological role of DPP8, DPP9 and DPP10 and characterization of their structure–function relationships will add impetus to the development of inhibitor molecules for pharmacological or therapeutic use.
Paralogous murine Nudt10 and Nudt11 genes have differential expression patterns but encode identical proteins that are physiologically competent diphosphoinositol polyphosphate phosphohydrolases
Authors: HUA Len V. , HIDAKA Kiyoshi , PESESSE Xavier , BARNES Larry D. , SHEARS Stephen B.
Published: June 2003

We previously described paralogous human genes {NUDT10 and NUDT11 [where NUDT is (nucleoside diphosphate attached moiety ‘X’)-type motif, also known as the ‘nudix’-type motif]} encoding type 3 diphosphoinositol polyphosphate phosphohydrolases (DIPP3) [Hidaka, Caffrey, Hua, Zhang, Falck, Nickel, Carrel, Barnes and Shears (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 32730–32738]. Normally, gene duplication is redundant, and lacks biological significance. Is this true for the DIPP3 genes? We address this question by characterizing highly-conserved murine Nudt10 and Nudt11 homologues of the human genes. Thus these genes must have been duplicated prior to the divergence of primates and sciurognath rodents, approx. 115 million years ago, greatly exceeding the 4 million year half-life for inactivation of redundant paralogues; our data therefore indicate that the DIPP3 duplication is unusual in being physiologically significant. One possible functional consequence is gene neofunctionalization, but we exclude that, since Nudt10 and Nudt11 encode identical proteins. Another possibility is gene subfunctionalization, which we studied by conducting the first quantitative expression analysis of these genes. We demonstrated high Nudt10 expression in liver, kidney and testis; Nudt11 expression is primarily restricted to the brain. This differential, but complementary, expression pattern indicates that subfunctionalization is the evolutionary consequence of DIPP3 gene duplication. Our kinetic data argue that diphosphoinositol polyphosphates are more physiologically relevant substrates for DIPP3 than are either diadenosine hexaphosphate or 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate. Thus the significance of the Nudt10/Nudt11 duplication is specific hydrolysis of diphosphoinositol polyphosphates in a tissue-dependent manner.
A proteomic study reveals novel insights into the diversity of aquaporin forms expressed in the plasma membrane of plant roots
Authors: SANTONI Véronique , VINH Joëlle , PFLIEGER Delphine , SOMMERER Nicolas , MAUREL Christophe
Published: June 2003

Aquaporins are channel proteins that facilitate the diffusion of water across cell membranes. The genome of Arabidopsis thaliana encodes 35 full-length aquaporin homologues. Thirteen of them belong to the plasma membrane intrinsic protein (PIP) subfamily and predominantly sit at the plasma membrane (PM). In the present work we combine separations of membrane proteins (by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis) with identification by MS (matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization–time-of-flight and electrospray-ionization tandem MS) to take an inventory of aquaporin isoforms expressed in the PM of Arabidopsis thaliana roots. Our analysis provides direct evidence for the expression of five PIPs (PIP1;1, PIP1;5, PIP2;1, PIP2;2 and PIP2;7) in the root PM and suggests the presence of at least three other PIP isoforms. In addition, we show that the same PIP isoform can be present under several forms with distinct isoelectric points. More specifically, we identify phosphorylated aquaporins in the PIP1 and PIP2 subgroups and suggest the existence of other post-translational modifications. Their identification should provide clues to reveal novel molecular mechanisms for aquaporin regulation.
Human recombinant endopeptidase PHEX has a strict S1' specificity for acidic residues and cleaves peptides derived from fibroblast growth factor-23 and matrix extracellular phosphoglycoprotein
Authors: CAMPOS Marcelo , COUTURE Constance , HIRATA Izaura Y. , JULIANO Maria A. , LOISEL Thomas P. , CRINE Philippe , JULIANO Luiz , BOILEAU Guy , CARMONA Adriana K.
Published: June 2003

The PHEX gene (phosphate-regulating gene with homologies to endopeptidases on the X chromosome) encodes a protein (PHEX) with structural homologies to members of the M13 family of zinc metallo-endopeptidases. Mutations in the PHEX gene are responsible for X-linked hypophosphataemia in humans. However, the mechanism by which loss of PHEX function results in the disease phenotype, and the endogenous PHEX substrate(s) remain unknown. In order to study PHEX substrate specificity, combinatorial fluorescent-quenched peptide libraries containing o-aminobenzoic acid (Abz) and 2,4-dinitrophenyl (Dnp) as the donor–acceptor pair were synthesized and tested as PHEX substrates. PHEX showed a strict requirement for acidic amino acid residues (aspartate or glutamate) in S1´ subsite, with a strong preference for aspartate. Subsites S2´, S1 and S2 exhibited less defined specificity requirements, but the presence of leucine, proline or glycine in P2´, or valine, isoleucine or histidine in P1 precluded hydrolysis of the substrate by the enzyme. The peptide Abz-GFSDYK(Dnp)-OH, which contains the most favourable residues in the P2 to P2´ positions, was hydrolysed by PHEX at the N-terminus of aspartate with a kcat/Km of 167 mM−1·s−1. In addition, using quenched fluorescence peptides derived from fibroblast growth factor-23 and matrix extracellular phosphoglycoprotein sequences flanked by Abz and N-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)ethylenediamine, we showed that these physiologically relevant proteins are potential PHEX substrates. Finally, our results clearly indicate that PHEX does not have neprilysin-like substrate specificity.
Incorporation of carotenoids from paprika oleoresin into human chylomicrons
Authors: Pérez-Gálvez Antonio , Martin Hans D. , Sies Helmut , Stahl Wilhelm
Published: June 2003

The intake of a carotenoid-rich diet is epidemiologically related to a lower risk for different chronic disorders like cardiovascular disease, some types of cancer or age-related macular degeneration. Red pepper (Capsicum annuumL.) and its dietary products contain a variety of carotenoids, which may contribute to the carotenoid pattern of human blood and tissues. The objective of the present study was to assess the availability of carotenoids from paprika oleoresin, including zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, β-carotene and the paprika-specific oxocarotenoids capsanthin and capsorubin. After overnight fasting, the volunteers (n9) ingested a single dose of the paprika oleoresin containing 6·4 mg zeaxanthin, 4·2 mg β-cryptoxanthin, 6·2 mg β-carotene, 35·0 mg capsanthin and 2·0 mg capsorubin. At different time points the carotenoid pattern in the chylomicron fraction was analysed to evaluate carotenoid absorption. From the major carotenoids present in the paprika oleoresin only zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin and β-carotene were detectable in considerable amounts. Although the xanthophylls in paprika oleoresin were mainly present as mono- or di-esters, only free zeaxanthin and β-cryptoxanthin were found in human samples. The bioavailability of the pepper-specific carotenoids capsanthin and capsorubin from paprika oleoresin is very low. However, oleoresin is a suitable source for the provitamin A carotenoids β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin and the macular pigment zeaxanthin.
High intakes oftransmonounsaturated fatty acids taken for 2 weeks do not influence procoagulant and fibrinolytic risk markers for CHD in young healthy men
Authors: Sanders Thomas A. B. , Oakley Francesca R. , Crook David , Cooper Jackie A. , Miller George J.
Published: June 2003

Dietarytransfatty acids are associated with increased risk of CHD. We hypothesized that the changes in plasma lipids associated with a high intake oftransfatty acids would cause adverse effects on procoagulant and fibrinolytic activities. A randomized crossover controlled feeding study was conducted in twenty-nine men. Atrans-rich diet supplying 10 % energy astrans-18:1 was compared with diets in which thetransfatty acids were replaced either with carbohydrate or oleate; each diet was taken for 2 weeks in random order. Fasting fibrinogen and D-dimer concentrations and factor VII coagulant, plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 and tissue plasminogen activator did not differ between diets. Postprandially, tissue plasminogen activator activity increased and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 activity decreased on all diets. Factor VIIc increased postprandially by 15 and 17 % on thetransand oleate diets respectively, compared with an 11 % increase on the carbohydrate diet; the mean difference between oleate and carbohydrate diets was 6 (95 % CI 0·2, 11·9) %. The LDL-cholesterol:HDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein B: apolipoprotein A-I ratios increased by 13 (95 % CI 5·7, 21·8) and 10 (95 % CI 3·1, 17·2) % respectively on thetransdiet compared with the oleate diet and by 6 (95 % CI 0·1,12·7) and 7 (95 % CI 0, 13·5) % respectively compared with the carbohydrate diet. Plasma HDL2-cholesterol concentration was 18 (95 % CI 0·7, 35·9) % lower on thetransdiet compared with the oleate diet. The results confirm adverse effects oftransfatty acids on HDL-cholesterol concentrations, but suggest thattransfatty acids do not have any specific effects on known haemostatic risk markers for cardiovascular disease in healthy young men in the short-term.
ON COST-OPTIMAL MERGE OF TWO INTRANSITIVE SORTED SEQUENCES
Authors: WU JIE , OLARIU STEPHEN
Published: June 2003

The problem of merging two intransitive sorted sequences (that is, to generate a sorted total order without the transitive property) is considered. A cost-optimal parallel merging algorithm is proposed under the EREW PRAM model. This algorithm has a run time of O( log 2 n) using O(n/ log 2 n) processors. The cost-optimal merge in the strong sense is still an open problem.
COMPUTER SIMULATION OF MAGNETIZATION FOR 3D ELLIPSOIDAL TORUS-SHAPED InAs/GaAs QUANTUM RINGS
Authors: LI YIMING
Published: June 2003

In this paper we computationally investigate the magnetization for three-dimensional (3D) InAs/GaAs nanorings with different radii in an external magnetic field. Our simulation model includes: (i) the effective mass Hamiltonian in nonparabolic approximation, (ii) the position- and energy-dependent quasi-particle effective mass approximation, (iii) the finite hard wall confinement potential, and (iv) the Ben Daniel–Duke boundary conditions. The nonlinear iterative method is applied to solve the 3D problem. With the developed computer simulator, we find the magnetization for the 3D InAs/GaAs ring is a negative function and oscillates nonperiodically. The oscillation saturates when the applied magnetic filed is increased. This result provides an alternative for the nanoring energy shell structure study and is useful for spintronics applications.
ATOMIC DISPLACEMENTS DUE TO POINT DEFECTS IN Ni DILUTE ALLOYS
Authors: SHARMA HITESH , PRAKASH S.
Published: June 2003

The Embedded atom method has been used to investigate the strain field due to substitutional transition metal impurities in Ni. The calculations are carried out in the discrete lattice model of the metal using Kanzaki lattice static method. The results for atomic displacements due to 3d, 4d and 5d impurities (Cu, Pd, Pt and Au) in Ni are given up to 20 NN's of impurity and are compared with the earlier calculations and with the available experimental data. The maximum displacements of 3.6% of 1NN distance are found for NiAu, while the minimum displacements of 0.78% of 1NN distance are found for NiCu alloy respectively. The relaxation energy for Cu are found less than those for Pd, Au and Pt impurities in the Ni host.
MESOSCOPIC PHASE FLUCTUATIONS: GENERAL PHENOMENON IN CONDENSED MATTER
Authors: YUKALOV V. I.
Published: June 2003

General conditions for the occurrence of mesoscopic phase fluctuations in condensed matter are considered. The description of different thermodynamic phases, which coexist as a mixture of mesoscopically separated regions, is based on the theory of heterophase fluctuations. The spaces of states, typical of the related phases, are characterized by weighted Hilbert spaces. Several models illustrate the main features of heterophase condensed matter.
BULK VISCOUS BRANS–DICKE COSMOLOGICAL MODELS AND LATE-TIME ACCELERATION OF THE UNIVERSE
Authors: MAK M. K. , HARKO T.
Published: June 2003

We consider the dynamics of a causal bulk viscous cosmological fluid filled flat homogeneous Universe in the framework of the Brans–Dicke theory. Three classes of exact solutions of the field equations are obtained and the behavior of the physical parameters is considered in detail. In this model the energy density associated to the Brans–Dicke scalar field is of the same order of magnitude as the matter energy density. The inclusion of the bulk viscous pressure term in the matter energy-momentum tensor leads to a non-decelerating evolution of the Universe.
INHERITING SPACELIKE CONFORMAL KILLING VECTORS IN STRING COSMOLOGY
Authors: BAYSAL HÜSNÜ
Published: June 2003

We study the consequences of the existence of spacelike conformal Killing vectors (SpCKV) parallel to xa for cosmic strings and string fluid in the context of general relativity. The inheritance symmetries of the cosmic strings and string fluid are discussed in the case of SpCKV. Furthermore we examine proper homothetic spacelike Killing vectors for the cosmic strings and string fluid.
DO YOUNG NEUTRON STARS WHICH SHOW THEMSELVES AS AXPs AND SGRs ACCRETE?
Authors: TAGIEVA S. O. , YAZGAN E. , ANKAY A.
Published: June 2003

We examined the fall-back disk models, and in general accretion, proposed to explain the properties of AXPs and SGRs. We checked the possibility of some gas remaining around the neutron star after a supernova explosion. We also compared AXPs and SGRs with the X-ray pulsars in X-ray binaries. We conclude that the existing models of accretion from a fall-back disk are insufficient to explain the nature of AXPs and SGRs.
AVALANCHES IN A NUMERICALLY SIMULATED SAND DUNE DYNAMICS
Authors: DAYA SAGAR B. S. , MURTHY M. B. R. , RADHAKRISHNAN P.
Published: June 2003

Avalanches of various sizes occur due to instability during sand dune dynamics. A physically viable equation to model sand dune dynamics is a first order nonlinear difference equation. To visualize the size distribution of avalanches, sand dune dynamics has been numerically simulated by changing the strength of nonlinearity parameter (λ) that shows different impacts on dune dynamics. An equation to compute avalanche diameters, by considering the inter-slipface angles of a simulated sand dune under dynamics, is proposed. Using this equation, avalanche diameters have been computed from a dynamically changing simulated sand dune.
THE FRACTAL DIMENSION OF AN OIL SPRAY
Authors: CASTREJÓN GARCÍA R. , SARMIENTO GALÁN A. , CASTREJÓN PITA J. R. , CASTREJÓN PITA A. A.
Published: June 2003

We study the fractal dimension of the contour of the liquid-gas interface in a spray. Our images include both the linking region and the break-up region, and are obtained with a high-resolution shadowgraph technique. This means that the images can then be subjected to an intensity filtering, equivalent to a threshold analysis, that enables the establishment of the fractal range.
COMMUNICATION, REGULATION AND CONTROL DURING COMPLEX PATTERNING OF BACTERIAL COLONIES
Authors: BEN-JACOB ESHEL , SHOCHET OFER , TENENBAUM ADAM , COHEN INON , CZIRÓK ANDRAS , VICSEK TAMÁS
Published: June 2003

We present a study of interfacial pattern formation during growth of bacterial colonies. Growth of bacterial colony bears similarities to but presents an inherent additional level of complexity compared to non-living systems. In the former case, the building blocks themselves are living systems each with its own autonomous self-interest and internal degrees of freedom. At the same time, efficient adaptation of the colony to adverse growth conditions requires self-organization on all levels — which can be achieved only via cooperative behavior of the bacteria. To do so, the bacteria have developed sophisticated communication channels on all levels. Here we present a non-local communicating walkers model to study the effect of local bacterium-bacterium interaction and communication via chemotaxis signaling. We demonstrate how communication enables the colony to develop complex patterns in response to adverse growth conditions. Efficient response of the colony requires self-organization on all levels, which can be achieved only via cooperative behavior of the bacteria. It can be viewed as the action of an interplay between the micro-level (the individual bacterium) and the macro-level (the colony) in the determination of the emerging pattern. Some qualitative features of the complex morphologies can be accounted for by invoking ideas from pattern formation in non-living systems together with a simplified model of chemotactic "feedback."
SELF SIMILARITY IN SWELLING SYSTEMS: FRACTAL PROPERTIES OF PEAT
Authors: NEIMARK A. V. , ROBENS E. , UNGER K. K. , VOLFKOYICH Yu. M.
Published: June 2003

Sphagnum peat gives an example of a swelling system with a self-similar structure in sufficiently wide range of scales. The surface fractal dimension, dfs, has been calculated by means of thermodynamic method on the basis of water adsorption and capillary equilibrium measurements. This method makes possible the exploration of the self-similarity in the scale range over at least 4 decimal orders of magnitude from 1 nm to 10 μm. In a sample explored, two ranges of fractality have been observed: dfs ≈ 2.55 in the range 1.5–80 nm and dfs ≈ 2.42 in the range 0.25–9 µm.
MOLECULAR REPLICATOR DYNAMICS
Authors: STADLER BÄRBEL M. R. , STADLER PETER F.
Published: June 2003

Template-dependent replication at the molecular level is the basis of reproduction in nature. A detailed understanding of the peculiarities of the chemical reaction kinetics associated with replication processes is therefore an indispensible prerequisite for any understanding of evolution at the molecular level. Networks of interacting self-replicating species can give rise to a wealth of different dynamical phenomena, from competitive exclusion to permanent coexistence, from global stability to multi-stability and chaotic dynamics. Nevertheless, there are some general principles that govern their overall behavior. We focus on the question to what extent the dynamics of replication can explain the accumulation of genetic information that eventually leads to the emergence of the first cell and hence the origin of life as we know it. A large class of ligation-based replication systems, which includes the experimentally available model systems for template directed self-replication, is of particular interest because its dynamics bridges the gap between the survival of a single fittest species to the global coexistence of everthing. In this intermediate regime the selection is weak enough to allow the coexistence of genetically unrelated replicators and strong enough to limit the accumulation of disfunctional mutants.
“Talking Through Letters”
Authors: Markelis Daiva
Published: June 2003

The emphasis on the individual in Western culture has blinded us to how social relationships affect literacy acquisition and, conversely, how literacy transforms these relationships. This article deals with the literacy practices, specifically, letter writing, of Lithuanian immigrants who arrived in the United States during the end of the 19th century. For these immigrants, reading and writing were collaborative activities, not the individual, solitary acts that we often assume them naturally to be. Individuals often turned to more literate neighbors for assistance in tasks involving reading and writing, an extension of the concept of talka, the Lithuanian tradition of collective assistance. Parents also frequently engaged the help of sons and, especially, daughters in writing letters to relatives in Lithuania. Letter writing thus not only fostered solidarity between immigrant and their relatives in Lithuania but also between Lithuanian immigrant parents and their increasingly literate, Americanized children.
Polyamides with Pendant Cinnamoyloxyethyl Units
Authors: Rusu Elena , Nechifor Marioara
Published: June 2003

A new series of polyamides was prepared from a diamine containing cinnamoyloxyethyl group and aromatic dicarboxylic acids by the phosphorylation method. The diamine containing cinnamoyloxyethyl group was prepared by esterification of 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid followed by reduction of the dinitro compound to the diamine. The polyamides were synthesized in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone containing pyridine, triphenyl phosphite and lithium chloride at 100 °C. The polyamides exhibited inherent viscosities in the range of 0.59-0.73 dL g-1 and glass transition temperatures ranging from 202 to 219 °C. The chemistry and physical properties of these polyamides are discussed herein.
Translation of Domestic Violence Instruments for Use in Research
Authors: Pearce Carole W. , Hawkins Joellen W. , Kearney Margaret , Peyton Christine E. , Dwyer Joyce , Haggerty Lois A. , Higgins Loretta P. , Munro Barbara Hazard , Kelly Ursula , Toscano Sharyl Eve , Aber Cynthia S. , Mahony Deborah , Bell Margaret C.
Published: June 2003

The Abuse Assessment Screen, Severity of Violence Against Women Scales, and Appraisal of Violent Situations scales were translated into versions for women originating from Brazil, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. The procedure of back translation was chosen as the most reliable method for translation of these three instruments. The translated instruments were used to screen women for abuse during pregnancy and to determine the prevalence and severity of that abuse. This article discusses the translation process and illustrate with versions of the instruments for use with pregnant women from Puerto Rico.
Applying Parmetis to Structured Remeshing for Industrial CFD Applications
Authors: Guibault François , Roy Robert , Laflamme Sébastien , Dompierre Julien
Published: June 2003

This paper presents the current strategy used in IP-OO RT, an ongoing project to extend the application domain of a C++ toolkit library for iterative mesh adaptation. OO RT is a class library for sequential structured, unstructured and hybrid mesh adaptation used mainly in the context of CFD computations, that performs iterative mesh refinement, coarsening and smoothing in 3D. Extensions to parallelize mesh adaptation using ParMeTiS for domain decomposition and MPI high-level communication schemes are investigated here. Numerical simulations on realistic cases show that the parallel strategy scales with problem size and the number of processors, but singular behaviors are sometimes encountered at subdomain interfaces when conflicting instructions collide.
Programming, Tuning and Automatic Parallelization of Irregular Divide-and-Conquer Applications in DAMPVM/DAC
Authors: Czarnul Pawel
Published: June 2003

This paper presents a new object oriented framework DAMPVM/DAC which is implemented on top of DAMPVM and provides automatic partitioning of irregular divide-and-conquer (DAC) applications at runtime. The processes are then mapped dynamically to processors taking into account their speeds and even loads by other user processes. The paper presents the programming interface (API) of the framework, available tuning mechanisms, internal solutions with respect to automatic partitioning and mapping to processors. Finally, specific parameters, optimization techniques and simulation results are shown for a variety of irregular divide-and-conquer applications. The applications include αβ search, recursive Fibonacci, ([UNKNOWN]), finding twin prime numbers in parallel and previously implemented and now carefully analyzed and tuned adaptive quadrature integration and image recognition.Various DAC parameters were tuned for specific applications including costs of computing vectors/subtrees, maximum partitioning levels etc. Moreover, the overhead of DAMPVM/DAC compared to sequential implementations is shown for all the implemented applications.
Glove: A Distributed Environment for Scalable Video-on-Demand Systems
Authors: de Pinho Leonardo Bidese , Ishikawa Edison , de Amorim Claudio Luis
Published: June 2003

In this paper, we introduce a scalable Video-on-Demand (VoD) system called GloVE (Global Video Environment) in which active clients cooperate to create a shareable video cache that is used as the primary source of video content for subsequent client requests. In this way, GloVE server's bandwidth does not limit the number of simultaneous clients that can playback a certain video since that as long as its content is stored in the cooperative video cache (CVC), new requests for the video can be serviced from CVC thus alleviating the demand on the VoD server. In addition, the GloVE's peer-to-peer model allows the use of low-cost PCs as video servers besides requiring no multicast capability and transmitting videos stored in any well-defined format. Our experimental results show that GloVE-based servers are capable of delivering popular videos at prime time in a scalable way to large audiences.