bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Probe-level measurement error improves accuracy in detecting differential gene expression
Authors: Liu Xuejun , Milo Marta , Lawrence Neil D , Rattray Magnus
Published: July 2006

Motivation: Finding differentially expressed genes is a fundamental objective of a microarray experiment. Numerous methods have been proposed to perform this task. Existing methods are based on point estimates of gene expression level obtained from each microarray experiment. This approach discards potentially useful information about measurement error that can be obtained from an appropriate probe-level analysis. Probabilistic probe-level models can be used to measure gene expression and also provide a level of uncertainty in this measurement. This probe-level measurement error provides useful information which can help in the identification of differentially expressed genes.

Results: We propose a Bayesian method to include probe-level measurement error into the detection of differentially expressed genes from replicated experiments. A variational approximation is used for efficient parameter estimation. We compare this approximation with MAP and MCMC parameter estimation in terms of computational efficiency and accuracy. The method is used to calculate the probability of positive log-ratio (PPLR) of expression levels between conditions. Using the measurements from a recently developed Affymetrix probe-level model, multi-mgMOS, we test PPLR on a spike-in dataset and a mouse time-course dataset. Results show that the inclusion of probe-level measurement error improves accuracy in detecting differential gene expression.

Availability: The MAP approximation and variational inference described in this paper have been implemented in an R package pplr. The MCMC method is implemented in Matlab. Both software are available from

Contact:  magnus.rattray@manchester.ac.uk

Supplementary Information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics Online.
Topical Intranasal Fluorescein: The Missing Partner in Algorithms of Cerebrospinal Fluid Fistula Detection
Authors: Saafan Magdy E. , Ragab Sameh M. , Albirmawy Osama A.
Published: July 2006

Objective: The aim of this work was to focus on the development and validation of the use of topical fluorescein in the intraoperative localization of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistulas, and to screen its use in preoperative diagnosis of CSF rhinorrhea as well as postoperative detection of a recurrence.

Materials and Methods: Twenty‐five patients with CSF rhinorrhea were treated with an endoscopic endonasal technique. Topical intranasal 5% fluorescein was used for preoperative diagnosis and intraoperative localization of the site of the leak. A change in the color of the fluorescein from yellow to green fluorescence and sometimes streaming the fluorescein over the nasal mucosa and blood denoted the presence of CSF, and the site of the leak could be traced.

Results: The cause of the leak was accidental trauma in 11 patients, spontaneous in 9 patients, and iatrogenic in 5 patients. The ethmoidal roof was the most common site of leak (52%) followed by the cribriform plate (40%) and then the sphenoid sinus (8%). We have achieved 100% success rate in sealing the CSF fistulas in our 25 patients with no recurrence detected during the follow‐up period (mean, 19 ± 10 months). The preoperative use of fluorescein‐soaked cotton pledgets was 100% accurate in diagnosing CSF rhinorrhea when compared with B2 transferrin testing. The intraoperative use of topical intranasal fluorescein was also 100% accurate in locating the site of the CSF fistula when compared with the surgical findings. No major complications have been reported.

Conclusion: In the presence of a clinically diagnosed CSF leakage, topical fluorescein is a very easy, sensitive, safe, and highly accurate tool in the intraoperative localization of the site and extent of CSF fistulas, and should be considered a viable noninvasive alternative to intrathecal fluorescein. We also recommend its use as a simple and quick outpatient clinic test for preoperative diagnosis of CSF rhinorrhea. It can be used postoperatively as well when there is a doubt of recurrence of the CSF leak.
Endoscopic Assessment of the Dacryocystorhinostomy Ostium After Endoscopic Surgery
Authors: Mann Balwinder Singh , Wormald Peter John
Published: July 2006

Objectives: Dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) is currently regarded as the treatment of choice for treatment of epiphora resulting from blockage at the level of the nasolacrimal duct. There has been debate on the effect of healing on the size of the DCR ostium after surgery. The aim of this study is to determine how the size of the surgically created lacrimal ostium changes over time.

Study Design: The authors conducted a prospective cohort study of unselected patients who underwent DCR from March 1999 to November 2004.

Methods: Thirty‐eight patients who underwent intranasal DCR were analyzed. There were 14 males and 24 females with 11 patients undergoing bilateral DCR, resulting in 49 endoscopic intranasal DCRs being analyzed. The endoscopic findings of the size of the ostia were recorded at the time of surgery and at 4 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after surgery. There were 33 DCRs reviewed at 12 months and 16 reviewed at 6 months who did not reattend for their 12‐month appointment. Analysis of variance was used to compare the difference in the ostium sizes at the end of surgery and at 4 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after surgery.

Results: The male to female ratio was 1:1.7 and the average age was 64.5 (standard deviation [SD] = 17.8 years). The ostium measured 11.8 (STD = 2.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 11.1–12.5) × 7.2 (SD = 1.7; 95% CI = 6.7–7.7) at the time of surgery and 10.1 (SD = 2.3; 95% CI = 9.3–10.9) × 6.4 (SD = 1.3; 95% CI = 6.0–6.9) at 4 weeks, 9.8 (SD = 2.5; 95% CI = 9.0–10.6) × 6.5 (SD = 1.5; 95% CI = 6.0–6.9) at 6 months, and 10.1 (SD = 2.5; 95% CI = 9.2–11.0) × 6.6 (SD = 1.6; 95% CI = 6.0–7.1) at 12 months. Statistical analysis (analysis of variance) showed a significant shrinkage from surgery to 4 weeks but no statistical difference from 4 weeks to 6 or 12 months.

Conclusion: The DCR ostium shrinks a small but significant amount in the first 4 weeks after surgery. Thereafter, the ostium size appears to be stable. We propose that the surgical technique used in which the nasal and lacrimal mucosa is approximated results in a first intention healing with minimal ostial granulation tissue and stenosis and minimal shrinkage of the postoperative DCR ostium.
Bacterial Biofilms on the Sinus Mucosa of Human Subjects With Chronic Rhinosinusitis
Authors: Sanderson Alicia R. , Leid Jeff G. , Hunsaker Darrell
Published: July 2006

Introduction: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common disease poorly controlled by antibiotics. Postulated etiologies of CRS include allergy, fungi, functional factors, and biofilm.

Objectives: We presented a preliminary study demonstrating bacterial biofilms' presence on the sinus mucosa of patients with CRS using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). The advantage of FISH in biofilm identification is that it is the only method that identifies the specific bacteria creating the biofilm matrix. We now present the results of a larger series of patients.

Methods: Patients with CRS scheduled for sinus surgery were enrolled in the study. Biopsies of the sinus mucosa and cultures were taken at the time of surgery. Control samples were taken from patients undergoing septoplasty. Specimens underwent FISH testing for Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenza, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Results: Bacterial biofilms were present on 14 of 18 specimens. The predominant species were H. influenzae, S. pneumoniae, and S. aureus. P. aeruginosa biofilm was not identified on any specimens. The intraoperative cultures of the planktonic bacteria present in the sinuses did not correlate with the biofilms identified. Two of the five control samples were positive for biofilm.

Conclusion: The presence of biofilms on the mucosa of patients with CRS offers a possible cause of antimicrobial therapy failure and could change the approach to treatment. However, the presence of biofilms on healthy control samples implies that biofilms may simply be colonizers. The precise role that biofilms play in CRS still remains to be determined. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed.
Cochlear Implants in Waardenburg Syndrome
Authors: Cullen Robert D. , Zdanski Carlton , Roush Patricia , Brown Carolyn , Teagle Holly , Pillsbury Harold C. , Buchman Craig
Published: July 2006

Objective: Waardenburg syndrome is an autosomal‐dominant syndrome characterized by dystopia canthorum, hyperplasia of the eyebrows, heterochromia irides, a white forelock, and sensorineural hearing loss in 20% to 55% of patients. This patient population accounts for approximately 2% of congenitally deaf children. The purpose of this retrospective case review was to describe the outcomes for those children with Waardenburg syndrome who have undergone cochlear implantation.

Methods: Pediatric cochlear implant recipients with documented evidence of Waardenburg syndrome underwent retrospective case review. All patients received their cochlear implants at the study institution followed by outpatient auditory habilitation. Charts were reviewed for etiology and duration of deafness, age at time of cochlear implantation, perioperative complications, duration of use, and performance outcomes. Results of standard tests batteries for speech perception and production administered as a part of the patients' auditory habilitation were reviewed.

Results: Seven patients with Waardenburg syndrome and cochlear implants were identified. The average age at implantation was 37 months (range, 18–64 months) and the average duration of use was 69 months (range, 12–143 months). All of these patients are active users of their devices and perform very well after implantation. There were no major complications in this small group of patients.

Conclusions: Children with congenital sensorineural hearing loss without other comorbidities (e.g., developmental delay, inner ear malformations) perform well when they receive cochlear implantation and auditory habilitation. Patients with Waardenburg syndrome can be expected to have above‐average performance after cochlear implantation.
Endoscopic Anterior Ethmoidal Artery Ligation: A Cadaver Study
Authors: Floreani Stephen R. , Nair Salil B. , Switajewski Michael C. , Wormald Peter‐John
Published: July 2006

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the radiologic and endoscopic anatomy of the anterior ethmoidal canal (AEC) and feasibility of endoscopic ligation of the anterior ethmoidal artery (AEA).

Study Design: The authors conducted a prospective analysis of computed tomography (CT) of the paranasal sinuses and endoscopic cadaver dissection.

Methods: Twenty‐two cadaver heads had CT scans of the paranasal sinuses. The height of the lateral lamella of the cribriform plate was calculated and staged according to the Keros staging system. The presence of a bony mesentery, distance from AEC to the skull base, and dehiscence of the AEC were documented. Forty‐four dissections were performed, the AECs identified, and AEA ligation attempted.

Results: The mean height of the lateral lamella was 5.4 mm on the right and 4.7 mm on the left. In all cadaver heads with asymmetry, the right lateral lamella was longer (P < .005). A Keros type 1 pattern was seen in 23%, type 2 in 50%, and type 3 in 27%. Thirty‐six percent of AECs were in a bony mesentery. AEC distance from the skull base was greater on the right (P < .009). A longer lateral lamella was correlated with the artery being in a mesentery. Sixteen percent of the AECs were dehiscent. Sixty‐six percent of AEAs were unable to be clipped. Twenty percent were clipped effectively, all in a mesentery. In 14%, the AEA was not effectively clipped.

Conclusions: Endoscopic AEA ligation may be possible in some patients. The AEA should be in a mesentery for an effective clip to be placed and be associated with a dehiscence of the AEC. If the lateral lamella is classified as Keros grade 2 or 3, it is likely the AEC will be found in a mesentery.
Molecular systematics of the subaerial green algal order Trentepohliales: an assessment based on morphological and molecular data
Authors: López-Bautista Juan M. , Rindi Fabio , Guiry Michael D.
Published: July 2006

The order Trentepohliales is a widespread group of terrestrial green algae. As currently circumscribed, it includes six genera (Cephaleuros,Phycopeltis,Physolinum,Printzina,StomatochroonandTrentepohlia), the phylogenetic affinities of which are poorly understood. Sequences for the small subunit rRNA gene (18S rDNA) were obtained for several representatives of the order and phylogenetic analyses based on these sequences were compared with the traditional system of classification based on morphological characters. The results indicate that the morphological criteria used for the circumscription of genera and species of the Trentepohliales do not match phylogenetic patterns. Whereas isolates ofCephaleurosform a well-supported monophyletic clade,Trentepohliais polyphyletic and strains ofTrentepohlia,Phycopeltis,PrintzinaandPhysolinumare mixed together in several different lineages. A reassessment of the generic boundaries and a narrower circumscription of some genera (in particularTrentepohlia) will be necessary. Subcuticular habit, heteromorphic life history and occurrence of zoosporangia in clusters are shown to be phylogenetically significant features, whereas other characters commonly used for separation of species and genera (shape and size of the cells, prostrate/erect habit, substratum colonized) have no phylogenetic relevance.
Ornithinimicrobium kibberense sp. nov., isolated from the Indian Himalayas
Authors: Mayilraj S. , Saha P. , Suresh K. , Saini H. S.
Published: July 2006

A buff-yellow-pigmented bacterium, strain K22-20T, which was isolated from a cold desert of the Indian Himalayas, was subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Phenotypic and chemical properties of strain K22-20Twere consistent with its classification in the genusOrnithinimicrobium. The major fatty acids of the strain were iso-C17 : 1ω9c(cis-15-methyl 7-hexadecenoic acid), iso-C15 : 0(13-methyl tetradecanoic acid), iso-C16 : 0(14-methyl pentadecanoic acid) and iso-C17 : 0(15-methyl hexadecanoic acid). The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 71 mol%. According to 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain K22-20Twas closely related toOrnithinimicrobium humiphilumHKI 0124T(97.7 %). However, genomic relatedness between strain K22-20TandO. humiphilumMTCC 6406T, as revealed by DNA–DNA hybridization, was 64.5 %. Based on the polyphasic data, strain K22-20T(=MTCC 6545T=DSM 17687T=JCM 12763T) represents a novel species of the genusOrnithinimicrobium, for which the nameOrnithinimicrobium kibberensesp. nov. is proposed.
Effluviibacter roseus gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from muddy water, belonging to the family ‘Flexibacteraceae’
Authors: Suresh K. , Mayilraj S. , Chakrabarti T.
Published: July 2006

A Gram-negative bacterial isolate (designated SRC-1T) was isolated from an occasional drainage system and characterized by a polyphasic approach to determine its taxonomic position. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences affiliated strain SRC-1Twith the family ‘Flexibacteraceae’ of the phylumBacteroidetes. It showed greatest sequence similarity toPontibacter actiniarumKMM 6156T(95.5 %) followed byAdhaeribacter aquaticusMBRG1.5T(89.0 %) andHymenobacter roseosalivariusDSM 11622T(88.9 %), but it differed from these micro-organisms in many phenotypic characteristics. Strain SRC-1Twas an obligate aerobe and its cells were non-motile, irregular rods. The major fatty acids included mainly unsaturated and hydroxy fatty acids, including 17 : 1 iso I/anteiso B (36.7 %), 15 : 0 iso (15.8 %) and 17 : 0 iso 3-OH (10.3 %), and the DNA G+C content was 59.5 mol%. From the phenotypic and genotypic analyses it was clear that strain SRC-1Twas quite different from members other genera in the family ‘Flexibacteraceae’. Therefore we conclude that strain SRC-1Trepresents a novel genus, for which the nameEffluviibactergen. nov., containing a single speciesEffluviibacter roseussp. nov., is proposed. The type species of the genus isEffluviibacter roseus, the type strain of which is strain SRC-1T(=MTCC 7260T=DSM 17521T).
Dietzia kunjamensis sp. nov., isolated from the Indian Himalayas
Authors: Mayilraj S. , Suresh K. , Kroppenstedt R. M. , Saini H. S.
Published: July 2006

A coral-red-pigmented actinobacterium, strain K30-10T, was isolated from a soil sample from a cold desert of the Indian Himalayas. Chemical and phenotypic properties of strain K30-10Twere consistent with its classification in the genusDietzia. It showed 97.9 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity toDietzia marisMTCC 7011T; similarities to the type strains of three other species of the genus,Dietzia natronolimnaea,Dietzia psychralcaliphilaandDietzia cinnamea, were 94.4–96.0 %. The DNA–DNA relatedness between K30-10Tand the closely related strainD. marisMTCC 7011Twas 59.2 %. The DNA G+C content of strain K30-10Twas 67.0 mol%. Based on physiological and biochemical tests and genotypic differences between strain K30-10Tand its closest phylogenetic relatives, it is proposed that this strain represents a novel species,Dietzia kunjamensissp. nov.; the type strain is K30-10T(=MTCC 7007T=DSM 44907T=JCM 13325T).
Methanococcus aeolicus sp. nov., a mesophilic, methanogenic archaeon from shallow and deep marine sediments
Authors: Kendall Melissa M. , Liu Yitai , Sieprawska-Lupa Magdalena , Stetter Karl O. , Whitman William B. , Boone David R.
Published: July 2006

Three strains of CO2-reducing methanogens were isolated from marine sediments. Strain PL-15/HPwas isolated from marine sediments of the Lipari Islands, near Sicily and the other two strains, Nankai-2 and Nankai-3T, were isolated from deep marine sediments of the Nankai Trough, about 50 km from the coast of Japan. Analysis of the cellular proteins and 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that these three strains represented a single novel species that formed a deep branch of the mesophilic methanococci. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the three strains were most closely related toMethanothermococcus okinawensis(95 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). However, strains PL-15/HP, Nankai-2 and Nankai-3Tgrew at temperatures that were more similar to those of recognized species within the genusMethanococcus. Strain Nankai-3Tgrew fastest at 46 °C. Results of physiological and biochemical tests allowed the genotypic and phenotypic differentiation of strains PL-15/HP, Nankai-2 and Nankai-3Tfrom closely related species. The nameMethanococcus aeolicussp. nov. is proposed, with strain Nankai-3T(=OCM 812T=DSM 17508T) as the type strain.
Micro In Utero Electroporation for Efficient Gene Targeting in Mouse Embryos
Authors: Shimogori Tomomi
Published: July 2006

INTRODUCTION

A mixture of DNA and tracking dye is microinjected into a precisely targeted area of the developing mouse embryo. A pulse generator is used to pass current into the tissue using needle electrodes placed on either side of the injection. Fiberoptic light is used to visualize the procedure. This method can be readily adapted for use on most parts of the embryo. It can be used with many different types of genes, as well as for simultaneously delivering multiple genes.
PEI Nanoparticles for Targeted Gene Delivery
Authors: Alexis Frank , Zeng Jieming , Shu Wang
Published: July 2006

INTRODUCTION

This protocol describes the preparation of polyethylenimine (PEI)/DNA nanoparticles for targeted gene delivery. This delivery strategy improves the efficiency of gene transfer by enhancing the entry of gene vectors into the desired cells and reducing uptake by nontarget cells. We describe here methods for the conjugation of targeting peptides to PEIs, formation of DNA complexes using the conjugated PEIs or nonconjugated PEIs together with targeting peptides, and cell transfection using these complexes. The conjugation step involves the use of the succinimidyl-4-(N-maleimidomethyl)cyclohexane-1-carboxylate (SMCC), a heterobifunctional cross-linker, to form a stable bond between PEI and peptides containing thiol groups.
Identification of Genes with Potential Roles in Apple Fruit Development and Biochemistry through Large-Scale Statistical Analysis of Expressed Sequence Tags
Authors: Park Sunchung , Sugimoto Nobuko , Larson Matthew D. , Beaudry Randy , van Nocker Steven
Published: July 2006

Advanced studies of apple (Malus domestica Borkh) development, physiology, and biochemistry have been hampered by the lack of appropriate genomics tools. One exception is the recent acquisition of extensive expressed sequence tag (EST) data. The entire available EST dataset for apple resulted from the efforts of at least 20 contributors and was derived from more than 70 cDNA libraries representing diverse transcriptional profiles from a variety of organs, fruit parts, developmental stages, biotic and abiotic stresses, and from at least nine cultivars. We analyzed apple EST sequences available in public databanks using statistical algorithms to identify those apple genes that are likely to be highly expressed in fruit, expressed uniquely or preferentially in fruit, and/or temporally or spatially regulated during fruit growth and development. We applied these results to the analysis of biochemical pathways involved in biosynthesis of precursors for volatile esters and identified a subset of apple genes that may participate in generating flavor and aroma components found in mature fruit.
The hairless guinea‐pig as a model for treatment of acute irritation in humans
Authors: Andersen F. , Hedegaard K. , Fullerton A. , Petersen T. K. , Bindslev‐Jensen C. , Andersen K. E.
Published: July 2006

Background: The effect of six skin care formulations on experimentally induced acute irritation was studied in hairless guinea‐pigs (HLGP) and in human volunteers (HV). The formulations were a basic cream, a carbomer cream and four modifications of the carbomer cream, containing either 10% isopropyl palmitate (IPP cream), 10% glycerol (glycerol cream), 19.5% canola oil (canola oil cream) or 0.5% (−)‐α‐bisabolol (bisabolol cream).

Methods: Acute irritation was induced by occlusive tests with 1% sodium lauryl sulfate aq. in both HLGP and HV, and in HV also by using nonanoic acid in n‐propanol (NON) 20%. The irritant reactions were treated twice daily with the formulations from the time of removal of the patches. Evaluation of skin irritation and efficacy of treatments was performed daily for 4 days using clinical scoring, evaporimetry (transepidermal water loss), hydration measurement and colorimetry.

Results: The glycerol cream was the only product showing effects potentially better than no treatment in HV.

Conclusion: The HLGP was too sensitive an animal model as a predictor for effect in humans. There was no difference in efficacy of the formulations against the two different irritants in HV.
Adults who grew up in care: constructing the self and accessing care files
Authors: Horrocks Christine , Goddard Jim
Published: July 2006

Past research on care leavers has, understandably, tended to focus on those who are in their mid‐ to late‐teens or early 20s. This reflects the profound impact of central and local government policy on those young people. It also reflects their prominence in contemporary analyses of most of the indicators of social exclusion among young people in the UK – unemployment, homelessness and lack of educational qualifications among them. However, some issues affecting adults who grew up in care apply across the life course. One such issue is the access that former care adults have to their child care files. Indeed, as we shall see, this issue has particular importance for many older adults (in their 30s and upwards). Policy and practice in this field has changed significantly during the past 20 years and there is a growing awareness of the needs of former care adults in this area. Access to such files can be a significant element in the process of seeking to address identity concerns centring around family and childhood experiences. This paper explores some of these identity concerns and analyses how access to care files both reflects such concerns and attempts to address them.
Initial cultivation of a temperate‐region soil immediately accelerates aggregate turnover and CO2and N2O fluxes
Authors: STUART GRANDY A. , PHILIP ROBERTSON G.
Published: July 2006

The immediate effects of tillage on protected soil C and N pools and on trace gas emissions from soils at precultivation levels of native C remain largely unknown. We measured the response to cultivation of CO2and N2O emissions and associated environmental factors in a previously uncultivated U.S. Midwest Alfisol with C concentrations that were indistinguishable from those in adjacent late successional forests on the same soil type (3.2%). Within 2 days of initial cultivation in 2002, tillage significantly (P=0.001,n=4) increased CO2fluxes from 91 to 196 mg CO2‐C m−2 h−1and within the first 30 days higher fluxes because of cultivation were responsible for losses of 85 g CO2‐C m−2. Additional daily C losses were sustained during a second and third year of cultivation of the same plots at rates of 1.9 and 1.0 g C m−2 day−1, respectively. Associated with the CO2responses were increased soil temperature, substantially reduced soil aggregate size (mean weight diameter decreased 35% within 60 days), and a reduction in the proportion of intraaggregate, physically protected light fraction organic matter. Nitrous oxide fluxes in cultivated plots increased 7.7‐fold in 2002, 3.1‐fold in 2003, and 6.7‐fold in 2004 and were associated with increased soil NO3−concentrations, which approached 15 μg N g−1. Decreased plant N uptake immediately after tillage, plus increased mineralization rates and fivefold greater nitrifier enzyme activity, likely contributed to increased NO3−concentrations. Our results demonstrate that initial cultivation of a soil at precultivation levels of native soil C immediately destabilizes physical and microbial processes related to C and N retention in soils and accelerates trace gas fluxes. Policies designed to promote long‐term C sequestration may thus need to protect soils from even occasional cultivation in order to preserve sequestered C.
The Narrowing Male‐Female Unemployment Differential
Authors: SEEBORG MICHAEL , DeBOER LARRY
Published: July 2006

Historically, the female unemployment rate in the U.S. has been higher than the male rate, but recently this unemployment rate differential has narrowed. This study looks at the reasons behind this phenomenon, and finds that relative declines in male‐dominated industries such as durable manufacturing and construction increase the male unemployment rate relative to the female rate. If male‐dominated industries continue to decline, the female unemployment rate is likely to fall below the male rate in the near future and remain lower in both recessions and expansions. The results reported here also indicate that increases in the female labor force participation rate are associated with relatively lower female unemployment rates after the mid‐l970s, contrasting with the positive relationship in the 1950s and 1960s.
Labor Environment and the Location of Electrical Machinery Employment in the US. South
Authors: JOHNSON MERRILL L.
Published: July 2006

This study focuses on the location of electrical machinery manufacturing in South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama (with special attention given to the first three states), and the degree to which this industry is associated with labor environments attractive to firms in the late stage of the product cycle. Labor‐environment variables were selected from published sources and then collapsed into principal components. County‐level component scores were then correlated with selected electrical machinery employment variables. The analysis suggests that, with the possible exception of electronic components manufacturing, there has been no widespread locational response by electrical machinery manufacturing in these states to labor environments attractive to firms in the late stage of the product cycle.
Regional Development Within National Industrial Policies: An Analysis of the British Coal Industry
Authors: COUTO RICHARD A.
Published: July 2006

Three variations in regional policy distinguish the conduct of the nationalized British coal industry—social industry, state industry, and state commerce. Each variation takes a distinct approach to natural and human resource development in chronically depressed regions such as the peripheral coal fields in Britain or the Appalachian coal fields in the United States. Central to the variation are recognition of the factor of decline that E. F. Schumacher analyzed in the 1950s and the mitigation of social welfare consequences of shifts in production and investment. Schumacher's analysis raised policy issues of social welfare, resource development, and energy. These emerged again in the British coalminers'strike of 1984–85. Broad issues like these are likely to surface in regions where employment is concentrated in a declining industry facing new and severe competition.
Dynamics of Adjustment and the Social Division of Labor in the Tsubame Cutlery Industry
Authors: PATCHELL JERRY , HAYTER ROGER
Published: July 2006

This paper examines the Tsubame cutlery industry as an example of one of Japan's community‐based industries (CBI's). CBI's are localized, closely inter‐linked concentrations of small businesses which manufacture and export a distinctive product on the basis of a social division of labor. To demonstrate the dynamic nature of the social division of labor in CBI's we outline the origins and evolution of the cutlery industry in Tsubame and then we analyze in more detail how the industry has adjusted to deteriorating cost conditions since 1970, especially during the late 1980s. The discussion is based on published studies and on field work which investigated the strategies and operations of entrepreneurs as summarized in terms of employment, subcontracting and product trends. We find that the Tsubame cutlery industry has successfully adapted its social division of labor to changing circumstances and that it appears to be in another transition stage at the present time.
Geographical and Gender Differences in Labor Force Participation: Is there an Appalachian Effect?
Authors: ISSERMAN ANDREW M. , REPHANN TERANCE J.
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT. A recent article in this journal concluded that West Virginia's low labor force participation rates cannot be attributed to economic, demographic, or institutional factors and that they probably result from an Appalachian culture which has a strong preference for non‐market activities. This article reviews the diverse social science literature on determinants of labor force participation and then takes a closer look at Appalachian participation. It presents and uses a more comprehensive model, focuses on the county level instead of the state, and examines variations within Appalachia and over time. The main findings are that the Appalachian labor force gap is either nonexistent or very small and that there is no statistical evidence of a unique or pervasive Appalachian cultural effect. Appalachian labor force behavior appears to be quite average given the conditions faced by Appalachians.
An Alternative to Aggregated Base Tables in Input‐Output Table Regionalization
Authors: JACKSON RANDALL W. , COMER JONATHAN C.
Published: July 2006

Analysts faced with the challenge of constructing a regional input‐output table from partial or nonsurvey‐based data typically adapt a national input‐output table to reflect the regional economic structure. Detailed benchmark input‐output tables with more than 500 industry sectors are compiled for years at five‐year intervals, but are many years out of date by the time they are released. Annual updates are compiled for intervening years, but detail only 85 industry sectors. Analysts therefore must choose between the currency of the data and its detail in the national table that serves as the reference. This paper presents a table disaggregation and adjustment (TDA) method for combining the information from the detailed benchmark tables with the more current but aggregated data. Empirical tests demonstrate that the TDA method generates base data that analytically outperform the aggregated annual update data.
Competitiveness Policy Options: The Technology‐Regions Connection
Authors: STORPER MICHAEL
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACTCompetitiveness can be defined as the ability of an economy to maintain stable or increasing market shares in an economic activity while sustaining stable or increasing living shares for those who participate in it. Government policy in all countries has strong effects on competitiveness. With the turn away from a Cold War economy the Clinton Administration has pursued a technology policy explicitly linked to the quest for heightened national competitiveness. It is based on a rejection of Reagan‐Bush era analyses of the competitiveness problem, which centered on cost reduction in industry. There are many different forms of technology policy for competitiveness, however. Some center on labor quality, while others center on technological spillovers between industries. An effective policy should promote technological spillovers in the economy. All such policies, moreover, are only effective if they are organized and governed properly. The Clinton‐Gore policy has many different programs and methods of governance. This paper argues that it should reinforce the regional level of organization of technology policy formulation and implementation.
Interindustry Employment Requirements in Nonmetropolitan Communities
Authors: MULLIGAN GORDON F. , VIAS ALEXANDER C.
Published: July 2006

Interindustry employment requirements are examined in nonmetropolitan communities ranging in population size between 1,000 and 15,000. A ten‐sector economic base model is first used to estimate the demand for nonbasic employment in five different functional types of communities. A new and improved method for community impact assessment is then outlined. Here a distance‐weighting procedure is applied to the various type‐specific estimates of nonbasic employment so that a composite employment requirements matrix can be calculated for any study community. Finally, postimpact interindustry requirements are decomposed into two effects: preimpact employment requirements plus nonbasic employment shifts reflecting structural change. All estimates and findings are based on the Arizona Community Data Set.
Secessionist Automobility: Racism, Anti‐Urbanism, and the Politics of Automobility in Atlanta, Georgia
Authors: HENDERSON JASON
Published: July 2006

Automobility — the centering of society and everyday life around automobiles and their spaces — is one of the most contentious aspects of contemporary urban growth debates at the local, national, and global scale. The politics of automobility is a spatial struggle over how the city should be organized and for whom. Yet there is little research on how this struggle is unfolding, and how that politics is shaping urban space. Part of this stems from the essentialization of automobility in policy and academic discourses on cities. Moving beyond essentialization, this article will explore how contentious political struggles reveal nuanced and diverse discourses and ideologies surrounding automobility and space. Focusing on what I call ‘secessionist automobility’— using an automobile as an instrument of spatial secession — I examine Atlanta, Georgia’s contentious automobility debate. Secessionist automobility is bound with the blunt politics of race‐based secession from urban space, but also more subtle forms of spatial secession rooted in anti‐urban ideologies. Implications for local, national, and global contestation of automobility will be provided.
Business at the margins? Business interests in edge urban politics
Authors: PHELPS N.A. , PARSONS N. , BALLAS D. , DOWLING A.
Published: July 2006

The issue of the organization, role and influence of business interests in urban politics at the edge of major cities is one that is overdue for investigation. This article provides an initial and empirically oriented investigation of the organization, role and influence of business interests in edge urban politics in Europe. We present findings from five members of a European network of self‐styled ‘edge cities’. Following the now extensive debate in academic literature regarding the applicability of US concepts such as growth machines and urban regimes to the European setting, we draw attention to a diversity of business involvement in urban politics at the edge of Europe’s capital cities. This diversity does include instances that, despite the very different ‘macro‐necessities’ structuring edge urban politics in Europe, approximate to these concepts. Moreover, the diversity apparent in edge urban business politics raises several important questions for future research on urban governance. Namely, the complex connection between the local dependence of business and the organization of its interests; the ‘jumping of scales’ by locally dependent edge urban actors, and the sometimes neglected articulation of business interests with party political organization.
Multiplex genotyping of novel microsatellites from silver pomfret (Pampus argenteus) and cross‐amplification in other pomfret species
Authors: YANG WEN TONG , LI JIAN , YUE* GEN HUA
Published: July 2006

Eleven polymorphic microsatellites were isolated from an important foodfish species, silver pomfret (Pampus argenteus). The loci showed different variation patterns in 24 unrelated P. argenteus individuals, with a mean number of alleles of 11.5 and a mean expected heterozygosity of 0.85. Eight of the 11 loci conformed to Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. All and six of the 11 markers amplified specific and polymorphic products in Chinese pomfret (Pampus sinesis) and dark pomfret (Pamus cinereus), respectively. These markers should be useful for population genetic analysis and biodiversity studies of P. argenteus and other pomfret species.
Characterization of new microsatellite markers in mung bean, Vigna radiata (L.)
Authors: GWAG JAE‐GYUN , CHUNG JONG‐WOOK , CHUNG HUN‐KI , LEE JEONG‐HEUI , MA KYUNG‐HO , DIXIT ANUPAM , PARK YONG‐JIN , CHO EUN‐GI , KIM TAE‐SAN , LEE SUK‐HA
Published: July 2006

The present work reports the isolation and characterization of new polymorphic microsatellites in mung bean (Vigna radiata L.). Of 93 designed primer pairs, seven were found to amplify polymorphic microsatellite loci, which were then characterized using 34 mung bean accessions. The number of alleles ranged from two to five alleles per locus with an average of three alleles. Observed and expected heterozygosity values ranged from 0 to 0.088 and from 0.275 to 0.683, respectively. All seven loci showed significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, whereas only one pairwise combination (GBssr‐MB77 and GBssr‐MB91) exhibited significant departure from linkage disequilibrium. These newly developed markers are currently being utilized for diversity assessment within the mung bean germplasm collection of the Korean Gene Bank.
Significance of Abnormal Q Waves in the Electrocardiograms of Adults Less than 40 Years Old
Authors: MacAlpin Rex N.
Published: July 2006

Background: Abnormal Q waves (AQW) in the electrocardiogram are commonly ascribed to underlying myocardial infarction (MI). As an imperfectly specific sign of MI, the usefulness of AQW in identifying MI depends on its incidence in the population studied.

Methods: Eighty‐two subjects under 40 years of age with AQW were compared with 82 subjects from the same institution aged ≥40 years with similar AQW to determine the presence or absence of cardiac disease or MI.

Results: Cardiac disease was present in 90.2% and 92.7% of the younger and older subjects, respectively, whereas MI was present in only 15.9% of younger subjects and in 68.3% of older subjects. Etiologies of cardiac disease differed between younger and older subjects. Some types of AQW were more useful than others in ruling MI in or out.

Conclusions: AQW were a strong indicator of organic heart disease in both adult age groups, but their utility to indicate MI was age‐dependent. In the population studied, MI was present in only a small minority of subjects under 40 years of age with AQW, but was usually present in older subjects with similar AQW.
Xenobiotic‐induced alterations in thymocyte development
Authors: DRELA NADZIEJA
Published: July 2006

The thymus is a very sensitive target for environmental pollutants, which can affect this organ as well as thymocyte differentiation. A failure in thymocyte development can be due to the exacerbation of apoptosis, arrest of thymocyte maturation, generation of autoreactive T cells, and inhibition or stimulation of the output of recent thymic emigrants to the periphery. Recent data demonstrate that the immune system has the potential to maintain homeostasis under conditions of elevated risk, and the thymus plays a crucial role in this process. Environmental xenobiotics can exert their effects through receptor‐mediated interactions or independently on receptor involvement. Under natural conditions organisms are exposed to a variety of xenobiotics. The final effect of such exposure is not related to the action of a single chemical, but to the action of a mixture of chemicals. The toxic effect of environmental xenobiotics on the generation and functions of immune cells may result in suppression or stimulation of the immune response. The most intensive studies have been done on halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals and various chemicals acting as endocrine disrupters. Recently, special interest has focused on the action of air particulate matter.
T‐cell/histiocyte‐rich large B‐cell lymphoma associated with a near‐tetraploid karyotype and complex genetic abnormalities
Authors: DE LEVAL LAURENCE , HARRIS NANCY LEE , LAMPERTZ SERGE , HERENS CHRISTIAN
Published: July 2006

Cytogenetic data for T‐cell/histiocyte‐rich large B‐cell lymphoma (THRLBCL) are scarcely available. We report here a case of THRLBCL with a near‐tetraploid karyotype and complex chromosomal aberrations, without rearrangement of BCL2 or BCL6, and characterized pathologically by a variegated morphologic appearance with areas resembling nodular lymphocyte‐predominant Hodgkin's lymphoma (NLPHL).
A fluorescent plaque disclosing agnent
Authors: Lang Niklaus P. , ØStergaard Erling , Löe Harald
Published: July 2006

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Plak‐Lite® disclosing system. Four dental students with clean teeth and healthy gingiva abolished oral hygiene for 10 days. Plaque development was assessed using the Plaque Index system and by calculating the area of Plak‐Lite® fluorescence on standardized photgraphs of anterior teeth. The experiment was repeated without utilization of disclosisng solutions. The study has demonstrated that the Plak‐Lite® system reveals bacterial plaque on the teeth, tongue and gingiva. Plaque free teeth do not fluoresce. Plak‐Lite® was well accepted by the patients. The agent is not bactericidal and may be used in longitudinal studies of plaque growth.
The Chemistry of Saline Watersa
Authors: Krieger R. A.
Published: July 2006

Saline waters range in amount of dissolved solids from 1,000 parts per million (ppm) to several times that of sea water. Although a large number of elements are found in saline water, usually the salinity is due to high concentrations of sodium, calcium, or magnesium in combination with chloride, sulfate, or bicarbonate. At the higher salinities, the chances increase that the water will be of the sodium chloride type. Occasionally, water will be found with a very different composition. Warm waters and highly saline waters may change in composition and salinity on exposure to air, cooling, or reduction in pressure.

Saline ground waters are frequently mixtures of very saline water with fresh water. If the composition of the original saline and fresh waters are known, the proportion of each in the mixture can be calculated.
The Drill‐Stem Test: The Petroleum Industry's Deep‐Well Pumping Testa
Authors: Bredehoeft J. D.
Published: July 2006

Drill‐stem tests provide the petroleum industry information on three critical properties of subsurface formations —pressure head, permeability, and water chemistry –that the ground‐water hydrologist also seeks in making pumping tests of water wells. As it is increasingly necessary to study the hydraulic and geochemical properties of deep‐lying rocks in order to understand the behavior of ground water, data on drill‐stem tests made by the petroleum industry become an important source of information which otherwise is unobtainable because of the high cost. Data from these tests made by methods currently in use are highly useful in water studies. An obvious conclusion is that both petroleum engineering and ground‐water hydrology stand to profit substantially from an increase in the interchange of ideas and techniques.
Estimating Distances to Hydrologic Boundaries from Discharging Well Dataa
Authors: Strausberg S. I.
Published: July 2006

Estimates can be made of the distances to hydrologic boundaries by using water‐level measurements from pumping wells and by assuming in each case the possible range of the coefficient of storage. Interpretation of pumping test data from Well 6 (J‐13) at the Nevada Test Site implies that a fault 1200 feet from the well acts as the closest of the impermeable boundaries. In a case where no boundary has been felt the areal extent or volume of rocks affecting the drawdown pattern of a well can be estimated by assuming that a hypothetical boundary is just about to be felt at the time pumping stopped.
Conceptual Models for Carbonate Aquifers
Authors: White William B.
Published: July 2006

The very diverse types of ground‐water behavior in carbonate terrains can be classified by relating the flow type to a particular hydrogeologie environment each exhibiting a characteristic cave morphology. The ground water may move by diffuse flow, by retarded flow, or by free flow. Diffuse flow occurs in less soluble rocks such as extremely shaley limestones or crystalline dolomites. Integrated conduits are rare. Caves tend to be small, irregular, and often little more chan solutionally widened joints. Retarded flows occur in artesian environments and in situations where unfavorable stratigraphy forces ground water to be confined to relatively thin beds. Network cave patterns are characteristic since hydrodynamic forces are damped by the external controls. Solution occurs along many available joints. Free flowing aquifers are those in which solution has developed a subsurface drainage system logically regarded as an underground extension of surface streams. These streams may have fully developed surface tributaries as well as recharge from sinkholes and general infiltration. Characteristic cave patterns are those of integrated conduit systems which are often truncated into linear, angulate, and branchwork caves. Free Flow aquifers may be further sub‐divided into Open aquifers lying beneath karst plains and Capped aquifers in which significant parts of the drainage net lie beneath an insoluble cap rock. Other geologic factors such as structure, detailed lithology, relief, and locations of major streams, control the details of cave morphology and orientation of the drainage network.