bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Existing Season
Authors: Lennan Richard
Published: March 2005

The movement from ‘modernity’ to ‘postmodernity’ has raised new challenges for faith, particularly because it has cast doubt on the affirmation of ‘truth’ as a possibility for human beings. Those challenges are the concern of this chapter. After a review of the key features of postmodernity, the chapter details two postmodern religious responses: fundamentalism and ‘New Age’ spirituality. The concern of the chapter is to articulate how authentic ecclesial faith offers more hope for a positive engagement with postmodernity than do fundamentalism and ‘New Age’ spirituality. As examples of such engagement, the chapter examines both the responses that the church can make to the challenges arising from the environmental movement, science, and economic globalization. There is a particular emphasis on the church's capacity to enter into dialogue with contemporary worldviews that differ from its own.
Introduction
Authors: Hindmoor Andrew
Published: March 2005

This introductory chapter explores the conception of the political centre. New Labour secured election victories in 1997 and 2001 by presenting itself as the party at the centre. It is argued that the party did not move to the centre but rather, constructed it. It identifies four specific but differences that follow from seeing the political centre as constructed.
Leadership and the Construction of the Centre
Authors: Hindmoor Andrew
Published: March 2005

This chapter analyses leadership as an essential part of the party competition. It argues that the incentive created by the prospect of having to fight future elections is weaker in parties that have a strong leader. In such cases, voters are more likely to rely on screening. In response, parties select as their leaders politicians whom voters are likely to regard as trustworthy.
How Much Choice is Too Much? Contributions to 401(k) Retirement Plans
Authors: Sethi-Iyengar Sheena , Huberman Gur , Jiang Gur
Published: March 2005

The wide range of 401(k) plans offered to employees has raised the question of whether there is such as thing as too much choice. The 401(k) participation rates among clients of the Vanguard Group were studied to verify the assumption that more choice is more desirable and intrinsically motivating. It was found that 401(k) plans that offered more funds had lower probability of employee participation.
Employee Investment Decisions about Company Stock
Authors: Choi James J. , Laibson David , Madrian Brigitte , Metrick Andrew
Published: March 2005

The decisions of nearly 100,000 individual 401(k) participants were studied to obtain a better understanding of the determinants of employee discretionary investment in company stock. High returns on company stock for the year prior to enrolment encouraged participations to make higher initial investments in company stock. The opposite is true for trading decisions. High past returns induced participants to shift their portfolios away from company stock towards other equities.
Retirement Security in a DC World: Using Behavioral Finance to Bridge the Expertise Gap
Authors: Stein Gregory , Scott Jason
Published: March 2005

The advent of defined contribution plans has created the need to educate employees about these plans for them to make informed investment decisions. The likelihood that employees will utilize an employer-provided online advisory service is examined. Employees who received an email on the availability of the advisory service are more likely to use it than those receiving a hard copy version of the mail. Lack of time is the main reason why participants did not avail of the service.
How do Retirees Go from Stock to Flow?
Authors: Ameriks John
Published: March 2005

This chapter examines mechanisms used by retired and retiring individuals in a defined contribution pension plan to finance retirement income flows. The study draws on the mechanisms used by Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-College of Retirement Equities Fund participants. The introduction of non-annuity income options led to a decline in the use of immediate life-contingent annuity payments. The types of income options chosen by participants varied over time and demographic characteristics.
Sex Equality
Authors: Stone Sweet Alec
Published: March 2005

The evolution is charted, through adjudication, of the rules governing sex equality in European Community (EC) law. The first section, ‘The Normative Structure’, provides an overview of the Treaty of Rome rules and secondary legislation that constitute the domain of sex equality, while the second examines how Art. 141 (which provides that male and female workers shall receive equal pay for equal work) evolved once it had been constitutionalized by the European Court of Justice. Section III, ‘Judicialization: The Court and the Legislator’, focuses on the relationship between the Court, its case law on sex equality, and the production of directives by the EC legislator; the impact is also briefly discussed of the Court's rulemaking on national judicial and legislative processes; topics included are indirect discrimination, occupational pensions, pregnancy and maternity rights. In the fourth section, ‘Adjudicating Sex Equality Law’, an analysis is made of the aggregate data on litigation and adjudication in the field, focusing on how precedent‐based lawmaking has organized the development of this area. The conclusion addresses a range of theoretical issues.
Conservation of Arabidopsis Flowering Genes in Model Legumes
Authors: Hecht Valérie , Foucher Fabrice , Ferrándiz Cristina , Macknight Richard , Navarro Cristina , Morin Julie , Vardy Megan E. , Ellis Noel , Beltrán José Pío , Rameau Catherine , Weller James L.
Published: March 2005

The model plants Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and rice (Oryza sativa) have provided a wealth of information about genes and genetic pathways controlling the flowering process, but little is known about the corresponding pathways in legumes. The garden pea (Pisum sativum) has been used for several decades as a model system for physiological genetics of flowering, but the lack of molecular information about pea flowering genes has prevented direct comparison with other systems. To address this problem, we have searched expressed sequence tag and genome sequence databases to identify flowering-gene-related sequences from Medicago truncatula, soybean (Glycine max), and Lotus japonicus, and isolated corresponding sequences from pea by degenerate-primer polymerase chain reaction and library screening. We found that the majority of Arabidopsis flowering genes are represented in pea and in legume sequence databases, although several gene families, including the MADS-box, CONSTANS, and FLOWERING LOCUS T/TERMINAL FLOWER1 families, appear to have undergone differential expansion, and several important Arabidopsis genes, including FRIGIDA and members of the FLOWERING LOCUS C clade, are conspicuously absent. In several cases, pea and Medicago orthologs are shown to map to conserved map positions, emphasizing the closely syntenic relationship between these two species. These results demonstrate the potential benefit of parallel model systems for an understanding of flowering phenology in crop and model legume species.
Estimation of True Salmonella Prevalence Jointly in Cattle Herd and Animal Populations Using Bayesian Hierarchical Modeling
Authors: Ranta Jukka , Tuominen Pirkko , Maijala Riitta
Published: March 2005

The Finnish salmonella control program (FSCP) for beef production is based on both randomized and selective testing of herds and animals. Sampling of individual animals in abattoirs is randomized. Herds are selectively tested for salmonella on the basis of clinical symptoms and/or other factors. Risk assessment of FSCP is inherently difficult due to the complexity of the complete data set, especially if the detailed labeling of the testing types is lost. However, for a risk assessment of the whole production chain, methods for exploiting all available data should be considered. For this purpose, a hierarchical Bayesian model of true salmonella prevalence was constructed to combine information at different levels of aggregation: herds in geographical regions and individual animals arriving for slaughter. The conditional (municipality specific) probability of selection of a herd for testing was modeled given the underlying true infection status of the herd and information about the general sampling activity in the specific region. The model also accounted for the overall sensitivity of the sampling methods, both at the herd and at the animal level. In 1999, the 95% posterior probability intervals of true salmonella prevalence in the herd population, in individual cattle, and in slaughter animal populations were [0.54%, 1.4%] (mode 0.8%), [0.15%, 0.39%] (mode 0.2%), and [0.12%, 0.36%] (mode 0.2%), respectively. The results will be further exploited in other risk assessments focusing on the subsequent parts of the beef production chain, and in evaluation of the FSCP.
A Poultry‐Processing Model for Quantitative Microbiological Risk Assessment
Authors: Nauta Maarten , Van Der Fels‐Klerx Ine , Havelaar Arie
Published: March 2005

A poultry‐processing model for a quantitative microbiological risk assessment (QMRA) of campylobacter is presented, which can also be applied to other QMRAs involving poultry processing. The same basic model is applied in each consecutive stage of industrial processing. It describes the effects of inactivation and removal of the bacteria, and the dynamics of cross‐contamination in terms of the transfer of campylobacter from the intestines to the carcass surface and the environment, from the carcasses to the environment, and from the environment to the carcasses. From the model it can be derived that, in general, the effect of inactivation and removal is dominant for those carcasses with high initial bacterial loads, and cross‐contamination is dominant for those with low initial levels. In other QMRA poultry‐processing models, the input‐output relationship between the numbers of bacteria on the carcasses is usually assumed to be linear on a logarithmic scale. By including some basic mechanistics, it is shown that this may not be realistic. As nonlinear behavior may affect the predicted effects of risk mitigations; this finding is relevant for risk management. Good knowledge of the variability of bacterial loads on poultry entering the process is important. The common practice in microbiology to only present geometric mean of bacterial counts is insufficient: arithmetic mean are more suitable, in particular, to describe the effect of cross‐contamination. The effects of logistic slaughter (scheduled processing) as a risk mitigation strategy are predicted to be small. Some additional complications in applying microbiological data obtained in processing plants are discussed.
Research Strategies for Magnetic Fields and Cancer
Authors: Peck Stephen C. , Kavet Robert
Published: March 2005

Widespread concerns about whether electric and magnetic fields (EMF) could adversely affect human health have been raised in epidemiologic studies reported since the 1980s. Possible EMF health effects have been widely publicized in the popular press since that time. We consider here three possible mechanisms of action of EMF on childhood leukemia. We identify the first as “magnetic fields”: this hypothesis relates the average level of magnetic field to the incidence of childhood leukemia. We identify a second, recently proposed, mechanism as “contact current”: this hypothesis relates the low voltage and consequent current that occurs on the domestic water pipe, due to U.S. grounding practices, as a source for exposure of children. The third hypothesis is that the relationship observed is spurious. Using a modified example taken from the work of Von Winterfeldt and Keeney, we use Decision Analysis to estimate the value of information for distinguishing between the three hypotheses. We believe that this improves on the usual process for deciding on research budgets. Depending on which hypothesis we favor a priori, the value of being informed ranges from $101 to $233 per “problem household.” Since there could be as many as 2 million such households, the value of information for resolving this issue could approach half a billion dollars! We find that there is no value of information for finding the odds ratio given the contact current hypothesis. In writing this article, we have consciously kept the computations as simple as possible so as to engage the reader's attention and interest. In a penultimate section, we suggest numerous possible extensions for a group interested in discussing and deciding on the value of research on the relationship between magnetic fields and cancer.
Human mast cell mediator cocktail excites neurons in human and guinea‐pig enteric nervous system
Authors: Schemann M. , Michel K. , Ceregrzyn M. , Zeller F. , Seidl S. , Bischoff S. C.
Published: March 2005

Abstract  Neuroimmune interactions are an integral part of gut physiology and involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and functional bowel disorders. Mast cells and their mediators are important conveyors in the communication from the innate enteric immune system to the enteric nervous system (ENS). However, it is not known whether a mediator cocktail released from activated human mast cells affects neural activity in the ENS. We used the Multi‐Site Optical Recording Technique to image single cell activity in guinea‐pig and human ENS after application of a mast cell mediator cocktail (MCMC) that was released from isolated human intestinal mucosa mast cells stimulated by IgE‐receptor cross‐linking. Local application of MCMC onto individual ganglia evoked an excitatory response consisting of action potential discharge. This excitatory response occurred in 31%, 38% or 11% neurons of guinea‐pig submucous plexus, human submucous plexus, or guinea‐pig myenteric plexus, respectively. Compound action potentials from nerve fibres or fast excitatory synaptic inputs were not affected by MCMC. This study demonstrates immunoneural signalling in the human gut and revealed for the first time that an MCMC released from stimulated human intestinal mast cells induces excitatory actions in the human and guinea‐pig ENS.
Effect of acute acoustic stress on anorectal function and sensation in healthy humans1
Authors: Gonlachanvit S. , Rhee J. , Sun W. M. , Chey W. D.
Published: March 2005

Abstract  Little is known about the effects of acute acoustic stress on anorectal function. To determine the effects of acute acoustic stress on anorectal function and sensation in healthy volunteers. Ten healthy volunteers (7 M, 3 F, mean age 34 ± 3 years) underwent anorectal manometry, testing of rectal compliance and sensation using a barostat with and without acute noise stress on separate days. Rectal perception was assessed using an ascending method of limits protocol and a 5‐point Likert scale. Arousal and anxiety status were evaluated using a visual analogue scale. Acoustic stress significantly increased anxiety scores (P < 0.05). Rectal compliance was significantly decreased with acoustic stress compared with control (P < 0.000001). In addition, less intraballoon volume was needed to induce the sensation of severe urgency with acoustic stress (P < 0.05). Acoustic stress had no effect on hemodynamic parameters, anal sphincter pressure, threshold for first sensation, sensation of stool, or pain. Acute acoustic stimulation increased anxiety scores, decreased rectal compliance, and enhanced perception of severe urgency to balloon distention but did not affect anal sphincter pressure in healthy volunteers. These results may offer insight into the pathogenesis of stress‐induced diarrhoea and faecal urgency.
Role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of septic ileus in mice
Authors: De Winter B. Y. , Van Nassauw L. , De Man J. G. , De Jonge F. , Bredenoord A. J. , Seerden T. C. , Herman A. G. , Timmermans J.‐p. , Pelckmans P. A.
Published: March 2005

Abstract  We investigated the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of septic ileus. Sepsis was induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of lipopolysaccharides (LPS, 20 mg kg−1) in mice. The effect of two i.p. injections of superoxide dismutase [polyethylene glycol (PEG)‐SOD, 4000 U kg−1] and catalase (PEG‐CAT, 15 000 U kg−1) was investigated on gastric emptying, intestinal transit and total nitrite plasma concentrations. We also performed immunohistochemical experiments on gastric and ileal tissue. LPS significantly delayed gastric emptying and intestinal transit while plasma nitrite levels increased. Polyethylene glycol (PEG)‐SOD reversed the endotoxin‐induced delay in gastric emptying and improved the delay in intestinal transit without effect on plasma nitrite levels. PEG‐CAT slightly improved the delay in gastric emptying without effect on intestinal transit. Immunohistochemistry showed the presence of nitrotyrosine (NT) and 4‐hydroxy‐2‐nonenal (HNE) in the gastric and ileal mucosa of LPS‐treated mice. Treatment with PEG‐SOD or PEG‐CAT of LPS mice diminished the presence of NT or HNE in both tissues. In addition, LPS induced a significant increase in inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)‐positive residential macrophages in the external musculature of stomach and ileum, which significantly decreased after PEG‐SOD or PEG‐CAT treatment. The present results support a role for oxidative and nitrosative stress in the pathogenesis of septic ileus in mice.
Capitals, assets, and resources: some critical issues1
Authors: Savage Mike , Warde Alan , Devine Fiona
Published: March 2005

This paper explores the potential of Bourdieu's approach to capital as a way of understanding class dynamics in contemporary capitalism. Recent rethinking of class analysis has sought to move beyond what RosemaryCrompton (1998) calls the ‘employment aggregate approach’, one which involves categorizing people into class groups according to whether they have certain attributes (e.g. occupations). Instead, recent contributions by Pierre Bourdieu, Erik Wright, Aage Sorensen, and Charles Tilly have concentrated on understanding the mechanisms that produce class inequalities. Concepts such as assets, capitals and resources (CARs) are often used to explain how class inequalities are produced, but there remain ambiguities and differences in how such terms are understood. This paper identifies problems faced both by game theoretical Marxism and by the rational choice approach of Goldthorpe in developing an adequate approach to CARs. It then turns to critically consider how elements of Bourdieu's approach, where his concept of capital is related to those of habitus and field, might overcome these weaknesses. Our rendering of his arguments leads us to conclude that our understanding of CARs might be enriched by considering how capital is distinctive not in terms of distinct relations of exploitation, but through its potential to accumulate and to be converted to other resources. This focus, we suggest, sidesteps otherwise intractable problems in CAR based approaches.
Cancer risks in a historical UK cohort of benzene exposed workers
Authors: Sorahan T , Kinlen L J , Doll R
Published: March 2005

Aims:To examine mortality from different causes and cancer incidence among a cohort of benzene workers in England and Wales.

Methods:A cohort of 5514 workers who had been occupationally exposed to benzene in 1966/67 or earlier was assembled by the former Factory Inspectorate and the Medical Research Council from details provided by 233 employers in England and Wales. The cohort was followed up for mortality (1968–2002) and cancer registrations (1971–2001). National mortality rates and cancer registration (incidence) rates were used to calculate standardised mortality ratios and standardised registration ratios.

Results:Mortality was close to expectation for all causes and significantly increased for cancer of the lip, cancer of the lung and bronchus, secondary and unspecified cancers, acute non-lymphocytic leukaemia (ANLL), and all neoplasms. Significant deficits were shown for three non-malignant categories (mental disorders, diseases of the digestive system, accidents). SMRs for other leukaemia, lymphomas, and multiple myeloma were close to or below expectation. There was some evidence of under-ascertainment of cancer registrations, although significantly increased SRRs were shown for lung cancer and cancer of the pleura (mesothelioma).

Conclusions:Many study subjects would have been exposed to carcinogens other than benzene (for example, asbestos, rubber industry fumes, foundry fumes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), and the excesses of lung cancer and mesothelioma are likely to reflect exposures to these other carcinogens. The carcinogenic effects of benzene exposure on the lymphohaematopoietic system were limited to ANLL.
Relationship between chemical structure and the occupational asthma hazard of low molecular weight organic compounds
Authors: Jarvis J , Seed M J , Elton R , Sawyer L , Agius R
Published: March 2005

Aims:To investigate quantitatively, relationships between chemical structure and reported occupational asthma hazard for low molecular weight (LMW) organic compounds; to develop and validate a model linking asthma hazard with chemical substructure; and to generate mechanistic hypotheses that might explain the relationships.

Methods:A learning dataset used 78 LMW chemical asthmagens reported in the literature before 1995, and 301 control compounds with recognised occupational exposures and hazards other than respiratory sensitisation. The chemical structures of the asthmagens and control compounds were characterised by the presence of chemical substructure fragments. Odds ratios were calculated for these fragments to determine which were associated with a likelihood of being reported as an occupational asthmagen. Logistic regression modelling was used to identify the independent contribution of these substructures. A post-1995 set of 21 asthmagens and 77 controls were selected to externally validate the model.

Results:Nitrogen or oxygen containing functional groups such as isocyanate, amine, acid anhydride, and carbonyl were associated with an occupational asthma hazard, particularly when the functional group was present twice or more in the same molecule. A logistic regression model using only statistically significant independent variables for occupational asthma hazard correctly assigned 90% of the model development set. The external validation showed a sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 99%.

Conclusions:Although a wide variety of chemical structures are associated with occupational asthma, bifunctional reactivity is strongly associated with occupational asthma hazard across a range of chemical substructures. This suggests that chemical cross-linking is an important molecular mechanism leading to the development of occupational asthma. The logistic regression model is freely available on the internet and may offer a useful but inexpensive adjunct to the prediction of occupational asthma hazard.
Ultraviolet disinfection of sequencing batch reactor effluent: A study of physicochemical properties of microbial floc and disinfection performance
Authors: Scott Heather E , Liss Steven N , Farnood Ramin R , Allen D Grant
Published: March 2005

The influence of physicochemical parameters of microbial floc on the ultraviolet disinfection of effluent from sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) was studied. Sludge retention time (SRT) and synthetic feed were adjusted in the SBRs to vary the physiochemical properties of microbial floc. Escherichia coli was added daily as an indicator organism for assaying UV disinfection. The composition and concentration of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) did not change with SRT, but changed with the carbon source that the SBRs were fed. The estimated UV absorbance at a wavelength of 253.7 nm due to EPS was approximately 250 for a solid layer of floc compressed into 1 cm, which is insignificant compared to the total UV absorbance of microbial floc; in comparison to the cellular constituents of microbial floc, EPS does not appear to be a limiting factor in the UV disinfection performance of microbial floc. The total number of enumerable E. coli in the effluent from an SBR showed a negative correlation with SRT and hydrophobicity of microbial floc. Effluent with a high SRT may have increased the ability of E. coli to floc and resulted in less freely suspended E. coli. Key words: UV disinfection, microbial floc, sludge retention time, EPS, hydrophobicity, Escherichia coli.
MAP kinases in lung endothelial permeability induced by microtubule disassembly
Authors: Birukova Anna A. , Birukov Konstantin G. , Gorshkov Boris , Liu Feng , Garcia Joe G. N. , Verin Alexander D.
Published: March 2005

Lung endothelial barrier function is regulated by multiple signaling pathways, including mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) 1/2 and p38. We have recently shown involvement of microtubule (MT) disassembly in endothelial cell (EC) barrier failure. In this study, we examined potential involvement of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK in lung EC barrier dysfunction associated with MT disassembly. MT inhibitors nocodazole (0.2 μM) and vinblastine (0.1 μM) induced sustained activation of Ras-Raf-MEK1/2-ERK1/2 and MKK3/6-p38-MAPKAPK2 MAPK cascades in human and bovine pulmonary EC, as detected by phosphospecific antibodies and in MAPK activation assays. These effects were linked to increased permeability assessed by measurements of transendothelial electrical resistance and cytoskeletal remodeling analyzed by morphometric analysis of EC monolayers. MT stabilization by taxol (5 μM, 1 h) attenuated nocodazole-induced ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK activation and phosphorylation of p38 MAPK substrate 27-kDa heat shock protein and regulatory myosin light chains, the proteins involved in actin polymerization and actomyosin contraction. Importantly, only pharmacological inhibition of p38 MAPK by SB-203580 (20 μM, 1 h) attenuated nocodazole-induced MT depolymerization, actin remodeling, and EC barrier dysfunction, whereas the MEK/ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126 (5 μM, 1 h) exhibited no effect. These data suggest a direct link between p38 MAPK activation, remodeling of MT network, and EC barrier regulation.
Decreased expression of both the α1- and α2-subunits of the Na-K-ATPase reduces maximal alveolar epithelial fluid clearance
Authors: Looney Mark R. , Sartori Claudio , Chakraborty Santanu , James Paul F. , Lingrel Jerry B. , Matthay Michael A.
Published: March 2005

Impaired epithelial sodium channel function predisposes to delayed resorption of pulmonary edema and more severe experimental lung injury, whereas even a small fraction of the normal Na-K-ATPase activity is thought to be sufficient to maintain normal ion transport. However, direct proof is lacking. Therefore, we studied baseline and cAMP stimulated alveolar fluid clearance (AFC) in mice with a 50% decrease in lung protein expression of the α1- and/or α2-subunit of the Na-K-ATPase. There was no difference in basal and stimulated AFC in α1+/−or α2+/−mice compared with wild-type littermates. Also, the compound heterozygous mice (α1+/−/α2+/−) had normal basal AFC. However, the combined α1+/−/α2+/−mice showed a significant decrease in cAMP-stimulated AFC compared with wild-type littermates (11.1 ± 1.0 vs. 14.9 ± 1.8%/30 min, P < 0.001). When exposed to 96 h of >95% hyperoxia, the decrease in stimulated AFC in the α1+/−/α2+/−mice was not associated with more lung edema compared with wild-type littermates (lung wet-to-dry weight ratio 6.6 ± 0.9 vs. 5.9 ± 1.1, respectively; P = not significant). Thus a 50% decrease in protein expression of the α1- or α2-subunits of the Na-K-ATPase does not impair basal or stimulated AFC. However, a 50% protein reduction in both the α1- and α2-subunits of the Na-K-ATPase produces a submaximal stimulated AFC, suggesting a synergistic role for α1- and α2-subunits in cAMP-dependent alveolar epithelial fluid clearance.
Analysis of Ground-Measured and Passive-Microwave-Derived Snow Depth Variations in Midwinter across the Northern Great Plains
Authors: Chang A. T. C. , Foster J. L. , Kelly R. E. J. , Josberger E. G. , Armstrong R. L. , Mognard N. M.
Published: March 2005

Accurate estimation of snow mass is important for the characterization of the hydrological cycle at different space and time scales. For effective water resources management, accurate estimation of snow storage is needed. Conventionally, snow depth is measured at a point, and in order to monitor snow depth in a temporally and spatially comprehensive manner, optimum interpolation of the points is undertaken. Yet the spatial representation of point measurements at a basin or on a larger distance scale is uncertain. Spaceborne scanning sensors, which cover a wide swath and can provide rapid repeat global coverage, are ideally suited to augment the global snow information. Satellite-borne passive microwave sensors have been used to derive snow depth (SD) with some success. The uncertainties in point SD and areal SD of natural snowpacks need to be understood if comparisons are to be made between a point SD measurement and satellite SD. In this paper three issues are addressed relating satellite derivation of SD and ground measurements of SD in the northern Great Plains of the United States from 1988 to 1997. First, it is shown that in comparing samples of ground-measured point SD data with satellite-derived 25 × 25 km2 pixels of SD from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Special Sensor Microwave Imager, there are significant differences in yearly SD values even though the accumulated datasets showed similarities. Second, from variogram analysis, the spatial variability of SD from each dataset was comparable. Third, for a sampling grid cell domain of 1° × 1° in the study terrain, 10 distributed snow depth measurements per cell are required to produce a sampling error of 5 cm or better. This study has important implications for validating SD derivations from satellite microwave observations.
Sequential Analysis of Tacrolimus Dosing in Adult Lung Transplant Patients With ABCB1 Haplotypes
Authors: Zheng HongXia , Schuetz Erin , Zeevi Adriana , Zhang Jiong , McCurry Kenneth , Webber Steven , Iacono Aldo , Lamba Jatinder , Burckart Gilbert J.
Published: March 2005

The genetic polymorphisms in the ABCB1 gene, which encodes for the membrane pump, P‐glycoprotein, have been previously demonstrated to have an association with tacrolimus dosing in organ transplant patients. This study associated the haplotype and genotype for ABCB1 G2677T and C3435T variants with a sequential analysis of tacrolimus blood level (ng/mL) per mg/day dosage ([L/D]) administered to 91 adult lung transplant patients at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after transplantation. Haplotype 22 carriers had a significantly higher tacrolimus [L/D] value in comparison with nonhaplotype 22 carriers (P = .04) only at 1 month after transplant. Sequential analysis demonstrated that ABCB1 genotypes 00 and 01 had low tacrolimus [L/D] values at 1 and 3 months, but these values increased substantially at 6, 9, and 12 months after transplantation. This was not true of the other genotypes with the exception of genotypes 10 and 21, which had small numbers of patients but had consistently low tacrolimus [L/D]. Haplotype analysis also suggested that the homozygous for ABCB1 2677 variant allele had more of an impact on tacrolimus [L/D] in haplotype analysis than that of ABCB1 3435. In conclusion, sequential analysis of tacrolimus [L/D] with haplotypes can explain previous clinical observations of changes in tacrolimus dosage over time but suggests that this effect is limited to individual patient haplotypes. Sequential analysis of drug dosing and haplotypes relationships can provide important information about the induction or inhibition of drug‐drug and disease‐drug interactions among specific haplotypes.
An interlaboratory comparison of ITS2-PCR for the identification of yeasts, using the ABI Prism 310 and CEQ8000 capillary electrophoresis systems
Authors: De Baere Thierry , Van Keerberghen Anne , Van Hauwe Peter , De Beenhouwer Hans , Boel An , Verschraegen Gerda , Claeys Geert , Vaneechoutte Mario
Published: March 2005

Background

Currently, most laboratories identify yeasts routinely on the basis of morphology and biochemical reactivity. This approach has quite often limited discriminatory power and may require long incubation periods. Due to the increase of fungal infections and due to specific antifungal resistence patterns for different species, accurate and rapid identification has become more important. Several molecular techniques have been described for fast and reliable identification of yeast isolates, but interlaboratory exchangeability of identification schemes of molecular techniques has hardly been studied. Here, we compared amplified ITS2 fragment length determination by an ABI Prism 310 (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Ca.) capillary electrophoresis system with that obtained by a CEQ8000 (Beckman Coulter, Fullerton, Ca.) capillary electrophoresis system.

Results

Although ITS2 size estimations on both systems differed and separate libraries had to be constructed for each system, both approaches had the same discriminatory power with regard to the 44 reference strains, identical identifications were obtained for 39/ 40 clinical isolates in both laboratories and strains from 51 samples were correctly identified using CEQ8000, when compared to phenotypic identification.

Conclusion

Identification of yeasts with ITS2-PCR followed by fragment analysis can be carried out on different capillary electrophoresis systems with comparable discriminatory power.
Data mining of the transcriptome of Plasmodium falciparum: the pentose phosphate pathway and ancillary processes
Authors: Bozdech Zbynek , Ginsburg Hagai
Published: March 2005

The general paradigm that emerges from the analysis of the transcriptome of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is that the expression clusters of genes that code for enzymes engaged in the same cellular function is coordinated. Here the consistency of this perception is examined by analysing specific pathways that metabolically-linked. The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is a fundamental element of cell biochemistry since it is the major pathway for the recycling of NADP+ to NADPH and for the production of ribose-5-phosphate that is needed for the synthesis of nucleotides. The function of PPP depends on the synthesis of NADP+ and thiamine pyrophosphate, a co-enzyme of the PPP enzyme transketolase. In this essay, the transcription of gene coding for enzymes involved in the PPP, thiamine and NAD(P)+ syntheses are analysed. The genes coding for two essential enzymes in these pathways, transaldolase and NAD+ kinase could not be found in the genome of P. falciparum. It is found that the transcription of the genes of each pathway is not always coordinated and there is usually a gene whose transcription sets the latest time for the full deployment of the pathway's activity. The activity of PPP seems to involve only the oxidative arm of PPP that is geared for maximal NADP+ reduction and ribose-5-phosphate production during the early stages of parasite development. The synthesis of thiamine diphosphate is predicted to occur much later than the expression of transketolase. Later in the parasite cycle, the non-oxidative arm of PPP that can use fructose-6-phosphate and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate supplied by glycolysis, becomes fully deployed allowing to maximize the production of ribose-5-phosphate. These discrepancies require direct biochemical investigations to test the activities of the various enzymes in the developing parasite. Notably, several transcripts of PPP enzyme-coding genes display biphasic pattern of transcription unlike most transcripts that peak only once during the parasite cycle. The physiological meaning of this pattern requires further investigation.
Anti-Sa antibodies and antibodies against cyclic citrullinated peptide are not equivalent as predictors of severe outcomes in patients with recent-onset polyarthritis
Authors: Boire Gilles , Cossette Pierre , de Brum-Fernandes Artur J , Liang Patrick , Niyonsenga Théophile , Zhou Zhijie J , Carrier Nathalie , Daniel Claude , Ménard Henri-A
Published: March 2005

The prognostic value of two antibodies targeting citrullinated antigens, anti-Sa and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP), present at inclusion, was evaluated prospectively in a cohort of 165 consecutive patients with recent-onset or early polyarthritis (EPA) followed for up to 30 months. Patients were treated according to current Good Clinical Practice standards. Predefined outcomes were severe arthritis and persistent arthritis. At inclusion, a median of 3 months after disease onset, 133 (81%) patients fulfilled at least four American College of Rheumatology criteria for rheumatoid arthritis and 30 (18%) had erosive changes on radiographs of hands and feet. Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs were used in close to 80% of the patients at 30 months. Joint damage increased linearly over time, whereas disease activity declined markedly and remained low at each follow-up. Autoantibodies were identified in 76 (46%) patients: rheumatoid factor (RF) in 68 (41%), anti-CCP in 53 (33%), and anti-Sa in 46 (28%). All three antibodies were correlated, but anti-Sa antibodies best predicted severity at 18 and 30 months. RF and anti-CCP performed less well. For both outcomes, anti-Sa alone performed better than any combination of antibodies. The presence of any autoantibody identified about 50 to 60% of the patients with poor outcomes. In multivariate analysis, anti-Sa (odds ratio (OR) 8.83), the presence of erosions at inclusion (OR 3.47) and increasing age (OR 1.06/year) were significantly associated with severity, whereas RF and anti-CCP were not significant predictors. Persistent arthritis was present in up to 84% of patients; autoantibodies were specific but poorly sensitive predictors of this outcome. We conclude that assays for antibodies against citrullinated antigens differ in their ability to predict poorer outcomes in patients with EPA. In our EPA cohort treated in accordance with current standards, detection of anti-Sa but not of RF or anti-CCP antibodies, in combination with clinical and radiological variables present at the first encounter, allowed the identification of a subgroup of EPA patients suffering more rapid and more severe joint damage over 30 months.
Derivation of an ambient water quality criterion for mercury: Taking account of site-specific conditions
Authors: Moore Dwayne R. J. , Teed R. Scott , Richardson G. Mark
Published: March 2005

Mercury is considered to bea seriousr risk to wildlife. As a result, the Great Lakes Water Quality Initiative and others have developed ambient water quality criteria (AWQC) for the protection of wildlife. These AWQC have been controversial, however, because the AWQC were single values that did not account for site-specific conditions, derivation of the AWQC relied on a single no-observed-adverse-effect level, and the AWQC had an unknown level of conservatism because of reliance on both average and conservative assumptions and uncertainty factors. Rather than develop a single-value AWQC for total mercury, we derived an AWQC model that explicitly incorporates factors controlling bioavailability, methylation rates, and bioaccumulation in the aquatic environment (e.g., pH, dissolved organic carbon). To derive our AWQC model, field data were collected from 31 lakes in Ontario and an additional 10 lakes in Nova Scotia (North America). In the field study, levels of total and methylmercury in water and fish as well as levels of key water quality variables were determined. We conducted multiple-regression analysis to derive a model that estimates mercury levels in prey of mink. Mink are very sensitive to mercury exposure. An independent dataset consisting of 51 water bodies in the United States was then used to confirm the validity and robustness of the AWQC model. Next, we combined the results of chronic-feeding studies with similar protocols and endpoints in a meta-analysis to derive a dose–response curve for mink exposed to mercury in the diet. In the final step, we used a probabilistic risk model to estimate the concentrations of methylmercury in water that would lead to levels in fish sufficient for a 10% probability of exceeding the lethal dose affecting 5% of the mink population. The result is an AWQC equation for mercury for the protection of wildlife that can be used with a variety of site-specific conditions.
Influence of salinity on the bioaccumulation and photoinduced toxicity of fluoranthene to an estuarine shrimp and oligochaete
Authors: Weinstein John E.
Published: March 2005

The effect of salinity on the photoinduced toxicity of waterborne fluoranthene to larvae of the grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugto) and tubificid oligochaete worms (Monopylephorus rubrontveus) was studied in a laboratory system under simulated sunlight. In the grass shrimp toxicity tests, five concentrations of fluoranthene (0, 3.6, 7.3, 13.8, and 29.0 μg/L) and four salinities (6.9, 14.5, 21.2, and 28.6‰) were achieved. In the oligochaete toxicity tests, five concentrations of fluoranthene (0, 0.8, 1.4, 3.3, and 7.7 μg/L) and four salinities (7.1, 13.3, 20.5, and 27.6‰) were achieved. Salinity had no effect on either the photoinduced toxicity or the bioaccumulation of fluoranthene in the grass shrimp. However, the highest level of salinity decreased the median lethal time for the oligochaete. Bioaccumulation of fluoranthene was inversely related to salinity for the oligochaete. Additional experiments demonstrated an inverse relationship between salinity and short-term osmotic weight change in the oligochaete. Weight of the grass shrimp larvae was not affected by salinity. These findings show that salinity can influence the toxicity and bioaccumulation of fluoranthene in some estuarine organisms. The influence of salinity on these populations may be related to physiological responses associated with internal osmotic volume changes. Thus, salinity needs to be taken into account when assessing the risk of photoactivated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) to at least some estuarine species.
A strategy to reduce the numbers of fish used in acute ecotoxicity testing of pharmaceuticals
Authors: Hutchinson Thomas H. , Barrett Sarah , Buzby Mary , Constable David , Hartmann Andreas , Hayes Eileen , Huggett Duane , Laenge Reinhard , Lillicrap Adam D. , Straub Jürg Oliver , Thompson Roy S.
Published: March 2005

The pharmaceutical industry gives high priority to animal welfare in the process of drug discovery and safety assessment. In the context of environmental assessments of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), existing U.S. Food and Drug Administration and draft European regulations may require testing of APIs for acute ecotoxicity to algae, daphnids, and fish (base-set ecotoxicity data used to derive the predicted no-effect concentration [PNECwater] from the most sensitive of three species). Subject to regulatory approval, it is proposed that testing can be moved from fish median lethal concentration (LC50) testing (typically using ⩾42 fish/API) to acute threshold tests using fewer fish (typically 10 fish/API). To support this strategy, we have collated base-set ecotoxicity data from regulatory studies of 91 APIs (names coded for commercial reasons). For 73 of the 91 APIs, the algal median effect concentration (EC50) and daphnid EC50 values were lower than or equal to the fish LC50 data. Thus, for approximately 80% of these APIs, algal and daphnid acute EC50 data could have been used in the absence offish LC50 data to derive PNECwater values. For the other 18 APIs, use of an acute threshold test with a step-down factor of 3.2 is predicted to give comparable PNECwater outcomes. Based on this preliminary scenario of 91 APIs, this approach is predicted to reduce the total number offish used from 3,822 to 1,025 (∼73%). The present study, although preliminary, suggests that the current regulatory requirement for fish LC50 data regarding APIs should be succeeded by fish acute threshold (step-down) test data, thereby achieving significant animal welfare benefits with no loss of data for PNECwater estimates.
Immunocompetence of juvenile chinook salmon against Listonella anguillarum following dietary exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Authors: Palm Roger C. , Powell David B. , Skillman Ann , Godtfredsen Kathy
Published: March 2005

Juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha) were fed a mixture of 14 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds that reflected the PAH composition of salmon stomach contents in an urban estuary of Puget Sound, Washington (USA). Following a 28-d dietary exposure, a standardized Listonella anguillarum challenge model was used to determine whether PAH exposure (16, 64, and 252 mg/kg wet wt feed) causes reduced disease resistance under the conditions examined in this study. To assess innate immunity, five replicate groups of fish per dose were acclimated for one week, exposed to a lethal concentration 60 of bacteria, and monitored for 14 d. In a parallel experiment, the effects of PAH exposure on the acquired immune response were examined by immersion vaccinating fish against L. anguillarum and allowing specific immunity to develop for three weeks prior to challenge. All mortalities were aseptically sampled to confirm L. anguillarum infections. No significant differences in fish length, weight, or coefficient of condition were observed. These controlled laboratory experiments suggest that dietary exposures to an environmentally relevant mixture of PAH compounds do not alter the immunocompetence or growth of juvenile chinook salmon.
Photoinduced lethal and sublethal toxicity of retene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon derived from resin acid, to coregonid larvae
Authors: Vehniäinen Eeva-Riikka , Häkkinen Jani , Oikari Aimo
Published: March 2005

A comparative investigation on the acute phototoxicity of retene to vendace (Coregonus albula) and whitefish (C. lavaretus), both having pelagial larvae in spring, was conducted. To test the concept of early warning of sublethal biomarkers in relation to lethality to posthatch stages, we examined the effects of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) and retene on the levels of cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) by exposing the animals to elevated levels of these factors for 48 and 72 h, respectively. Whereas UV-B and retene on their own were not lethal, simultaneous retene and UV-B exposure caused very high mortality to both species. The median lethal concentration (LC50; i.e., the concentration at which half of the larvae died) of retene as a precursor was 41 μg/L for vendace and 15 to 16 μg/L, depending on the UV-B dose, for whitefish. Retene evoked substantial induction of CYP1A in larvae of both species, and UV-B induced CYP1A in whitefish. In vendace, no effect on HSP70 levels by any factor was observed. In whitefish, however, UV-B radiation and water retene alone upregulated HSP70, but no additive response was detected. The CYP1A is a biomarker of exposure to retene in both species. The HSP70 is an early warning signal of UV-B exposure in whitefish. As a species, vendace appears to be more resistant than whitefish to the phototoxicity of retene, as indicated by the higher tolerance.