bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risk of human immunodeficiency virus infection and genital
ulcer disease among persons attending a sexually transmitted
disease clinic in Italy
Authors: CORONA R. , CAPRILLI F. , TOSTI M. E. , GENTILI G. , GIGLIO A. , PRIGNANO G. , PASQUINI P. , MELE A.
Published: July 2002

To assess the relative importance of ulcerative and non-ulcerative
sexually transmitted disease
in the transmission of HIV, a seroprevalence study was conducted on 2210
patients at the
sexually transmitted diseases (STD) clinic of the S. Maria e S. Gallicano
Hospital in Rome,
between 1989 and 1994. Among male patients, by univariate analysis, strong
predictors of HIV
infection were homosexuality, sexual exposure to a HIV-positive partner,
hepatitis B virus
infection, and positive syphilis serology. An increased risk was estimated
for patients with past
genital herpes (odds ratio (OR) 3·86, 95% confidence intervals (CI)
0·40–18·2), and primary
syphilis (OR 5·79, 95% CI 0·59–28·6). By multivariate
analysis, a positive association was
found with homosexuality (OR 6·9, 95% CI 2·9–16·5),
and positive syphilis serology (OR 3·5,
95% CI 1·3–9·2). An adjusted OR of 2·41 was
calculated for current and/or past genital
herpes. These results, although not conclusive, suggest a role of ulcerative
diseases as risk
factors for prevalent HIV infection, and indicate that positive syphilis
serology is an unbiased
criterion for identifying individuals at increased risk of HIV infection.
The sero-epidemiology of diphtheria in Western Europe
Authors: EDMUNDS W. J. , PEBODY R. G. , AGGERBACK H. , BARON S. , BERBERS G. , CONYN-VAN SPAENDONCK M. A. E. , HALLANDER H. O. , OLANDER R. , MAPLE P. A. C. , DE MELKER H. E. , OLIN P. , FIEVRET-GROYNE F. , ROTA C. , SALMASO S. , TISCHER A. , VON-HUNOLSTEIN C. , MILLER E.
Published: July 2002

Seven countries in Western Europe collected large, representative serum banks across the entire
age range and tested them for diphtheria anti-toxin (sample size ranged from 2991 to 7715).
Although a variety of assays were used, the results were all standardized to those of a reference
laboratory and expressed in international units. The standardization process, and the
availability of similar, large data sets allowed comparative analyses to be performed in which a
high degree of confidence could be ascribed to observed epidemiological differences. The results
showed that there were large differences in the proportion of adults with insufficient levels of
protection amongst different countries. For instance, roughly 35% of 50- to 60-year-olds were
found to be seronegative (titre [les ] 0·01 IU/ml) in Finland compared with 70–75% in the United
Kingdom. Furthermore, the proportion of seronegative adults would be expected to increase in
some countries, notably Italy and the western part of Germany. In those countries with
vaccination of military recruits there was a marked sex-related difference in the proportion of
seropositive individuals. All countries have high levels of infant vaccine coverage (> 90%) but
the accelerated schedule in the United Kingdom appears to result in lower anti-toxin titres
than elsewhere. In Sweden, booster doses are not offered until 10 years of age which results in
large numbers of children with inadequate levels of protection. Although the United Kingdom
and Sweden both have higher proportions of seronegative children than elsewhere the
likelihood of a resurgence of diphtheria in these countries seems remote.
Trajectories of linguistic variation: Emergence of a dialect
Authors: Lane Lisa Ann
Published: July 2002

Investigations into dialect emergence are most often
based on data from manuscripts and on comparative and internal
reconstructions. Seldom does the opportunity arise to monitor
the selection of competing norms during the emergence stage
because the data to postulate the linguistic marketplace
(and hence to know what forms were likely to have been
in competition) are unavailable. The case of dialect emergence
in Thyborøn, Denmark, over the past century offers
just this rare opportunity. A historical demographic profile
from the town's census data, dating back to its inception
in the 1890s, enables a comparative analysis of the input
dialects and variable linguistic forms that were in competition.
It is possible to trace the linguistic and social variables
at play during the emergence stage of this new dialect,
following the tradition of research by Omdal (1977), Dorian
(1981), Trudgill (1986), and Kerswill (1994b), among others.
The findings contribute to an explanatory model of dialect
emergence and transformation.
Plane Stokes flows with time-dependent free
boundaries in which the fluid occupies a doubly-connected region
Authors: RICHARDSON S.
Published: July 2002

Consider the two-dimensional quasi-steady Stokes flow of an incompressible Newtonian fluid
occupying a time-dependent region bounded by free surfaces, the motion being driven solely
by a constant surface tension acting at the free boundaries. When the fluid region is simply-connected, it is known that this Stokes flow problem is closely related to a Hele-Shaw free
boundary problem when the zero-surface-tension model is employed. Specifically, if the initial
configuration for the Stokes flow problem can be produced by injection at N points into an
empty Hele-Shaw cell, then so can all later configurations. Moreover, there are N invariants;
while the N points at which injection must take place move, the amount to be injected at
each of these points remains the same. In this paper, we consider the situation when the
fluid region is doubly-connected and show that, provided the geometry has an appropriate
rotational symmetry, the same results continue to hold and can be exploited to determine the
solution of the Stokes flow problem.
The quantum zero space charge model for semiconductors
Authors: UNTERREITER A.
Published: July 2002

The thermal equilibrium state of a bipolar, isothermal quantum fluid
confined to a bounded domain Ω⊂ℝd,
d = 1, 2 or d = 3 is the minimizer of the total energy
[Escr ]ελ; [Escr ]ελ involves
the squares of the scaled Planck's constant ε and
the scaled minimal Debye length λ. In
applications one frequently has λ2[Lt ]1.
In these cases the zero-space-charge approximation is rigorously justified. As
λ → 0, the particle densities converge to the minimizer of a limiting
quantum zero-space-charge functional exactly in those cases where the doping profile satisfies
some compatibility conditions. Under natural additional assumptions on the internal energies
one gets an differential-algebraic system for the limiting
(λ = 0) particle densities, namely
the quantum zero-space-charge model. The analysis of the subsequent limit
ε → 0 exhibits the importance of quantum gaps. The semiclassical
zero-space-charge model is, for small ε,
a reasonable approximation of the quantum model if and only if the quantum gap vanishes.
The simultaneous limit ε = λ → 0 is analyzed.
The classification and measurement of disablement, with emphasis on depression, and its applications for clinical gerontology
Authors: Prince M
Published: July 2002

This review describes the concept of disablement, with particular reference to the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps (ICIDH), and its forthcoming revision. Applications for a disablement classification are discussed, and the various approaches which have been applied to the measurement of disablement are reviewed. The relevance of disablement to psychiatric research and clinical practice is also addressed. In the second section of the review, data are presented from the last two phases of the Gospel Oak Survey, illustrating the value of simple measures of disablement in a community epidemiological study of the aetiology of late-life depression.
A NEW SPECIES AND A NEW COMBINATION IN CAMPYLANTHUS (SCROPHULARIACEAE)
Authors: HJERTSON M. , MILLER A. G.
Published: July 2002

Campylanthus parviflorus Hjertson & Miller from Somalia is described. The status of Campylanthus incanus A.G. Miller and Campylanthus incanus var. anisotrichus A.G. Miller, also from Somalia, in relation to the new species is discussed, and it is concluded that a change in rank of the latter is necessary. The new combination Campylanthus anisotrichus (A.G. Miller) Hjertson & A.G. Miller is made, and an amplified description of this species is given.
New light
on Jacobus, Author of Speculum musicae
Authors: Desmond Karen
Published: July 2002

Since the realization, at the beginning of this century, that
the treatise Speculum musicae had been incorrectly attributed to Jehan des Murs by its first
editor, Edmond de Coussemaker, the actual author of this voluminous work of music theory from the
early fourteenth century has remained a shadowy figure. The most certain detail of the author's
identity is his name, contained within an acrostic spelled out over the initials that begin each of
the seven books of the treatise, rendering the given name IACOBUS. The provenances of the three
surviving manuscript sources, all dating from approximately a century after the proposed date of
Speculum musicae, suggest an Italian bias to the transmission of the work, but, as physical
documents, the manuscripts have yet to yield any clues to the author's origins. The treatise
itself is a bit more helpful. Besides offering the author's name, clues within the text have
allowed for the formulation of the following hypothesis concerning the career of Jacobus: that he was
probably born in the diocese of Liège, that he was a student in Paris in the late thirteenth
century, and that he returned to Liège to complete the final books of his treatise, Books 6 and
7 of Speculum musicae. In what follows, I will first briefly evaluate the evidence previously
marshalled to support this hypothesis, and I will then discuss new information pertinent to the
biography of the author.
Conflicts of Interest and Management in Managed Care
Authors: AGICH GEORGE J. , FORSTER HEIDI
Published: July 2002

The bioethics literature on managed care has devoted
significant attention to a broad range of conflicts that
managed care is perceived to have introduced into the practice
of medicine. In the first part of this paper we discuss
three kinds of conflict of interest: conflicts of economic
incentives, conflicts with patient and physician autonomy,
and conflicts with the fiduciary character of the physician–patient
relationship. We argue that the conflicts are either not
as serious as they are often alleged to be or not unique
to managed care. In part two we argue that managed care
represents a new paradigm for medical care that features
a new concept of management. We discuss three types or
levels of management that managed care highlights, namely,
administrative, clinical, and resource, which together
offer a more sophisticated vantage point from which to
assess patient care. We do not endorse managed care, but
attempt to highlight some of the positive changes brought
by managed care that were difficult to attain under traditional
reimbursement systems.
A Note on Vertex-Disjoint Cycles
Authors: VERSTRAËTE JACQUES
Published: July 2002

Häggkvist and Scott asked whether one can find a quadratic function q(k) such that, if
G is a graph of minimum degree at least q(k), then G contains vertex-disjoint cycles of k
consecutive even lengths. In this paper, it is shown that if G is a graph of average degree at
least k2+19k+10 with sufficiently many vertices, then G contains vertex-disjoint cycles of
k consecutive even lengths, answering the above question in the affirmative. The coefficient
of k2 cannot be decreased and, in this sense, this result is best possible.
Significance of peristaltic squeezing of sperm bundles in the silkworm, Bombyx mori: elimination of irregular eupyrene sperm nuclei of the triploid
Authors: Kawamura Naoko , Yamashiki Naoko , Saitoh Hiroshi , Sahara Ken
Published: July 2002

Silkworm (Lepidoptera) males produce dimorphic sperm: nucleate eupyrene

sperm and anucleate apyrene sperm. The eupyrene sperm are ordinary sperm to

fertilise the eggs, while the function of apyrene sperm remains

uncertain. After meiosis, 256 sperm cells are enclosed by a layer of cyst

cells, forming a sperm bundle. We have previously documented that the

nucleus of eupyrene sperm anchors to the head cyst cell, which locates at

the anterior apex of the bundle, by an acrosome tubule-basal body

assembly. Neither the basal body attachment to the nucleus nor the acrosome

is seen in apyrene sperm, and the nuclei remain in the middle region of the

bundle. Peristaltic squeezing starts from the anterior of the bundles in

both types of sperm, and cytoplasmic debris of the eupyrene sperm, and both

the nuclei and debris of apyrene sperm, are eliminated at the final stage of

spermatogenesis. Since the irregularity of meiotic division in apyrene

sperm is known, we used triploid silkworm males that show irregular

meiotic division even in eupyrene spermatocytes and are highly sterile. The irregular nuclei of the triploid are discarded by the peristaltic squeezing just as those of the apyrene sperm. Transmission electron microscopic observations disclose the abnormality in the acrosome tubule and in the connection to the basal body. The peristaltic squeezing of sperm bundles in the silkworm appears to be the final control mechanism to eliminate irregular nuclei before they enter female reproductive organs.
Soluble extracts from ascidian spermatozoa trigger intracellular calcium release independently of the activation of the ADP ribose channel
Authors: Wilding Martin , Dale Brian
Published: July 2002

We have injected soluble extracts of sperm from the ascidian Ciona intestinalis into oocytes of the same species to test whether these extracts can mimic the events of fertilisation. Injection of ascidian sperm extracts leads, after a delay of approximately 60 s, to a large calcium transient and repetitive pattern of calcium oscillations, mimicking the normal fertilisation response. The response was concentration-independent, suggesting a stimulatory mechanism in triggering the fertilisation response. We tested the pathway of calcium release in ascidian oocytes after injection of sperm extracts by preinjection of calcium release inhibitors. The data demonstrate that dual pathways to calcium release act at fertilisation in ascidians, as in other species. C. intestinalis oocytes are characterised by a nion channel in the plasma membrane that is gated uniquely by ADP ribose. We show that this channel is not gated by the injection of ascidian sperm extracts. Our data suggest that one metabolic pathway triggered by sperm, the release of nitric oxide, is not stimulated by sperm extracts and that several metabolic pathways are stimulated at fertilisation by more than one factor within sperm.
Italian multinational banking in interwar east central Europe
Authors: STANCIU LAURA
Published: July 2002

Laura Stanciu, Italian multinational banking in interwar
east central Europe

This article examines the interwar development
of multinational investment undertaken by the most prominent Italian universal
bank — Banca Commerciale Italiana — in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland
and Romania, referred to here as east central Europe. It analyses the extent
to which considerations concerning universal banking's development are valid
in the case of Italian multinational investment in this region. The article
is neither a study of the 1930s financial crisis nor an analysis of the Italian
universal banking per se. Instead, it questions the implicit relationship
between the fate of the activities of Banca Commerciale Italiana in east central
Europe and the general problems of the universal banking system during the
early 1930s. Evidence seems to suggest that the bank's withdrawal from the
region, beginning in the late 1920s, was more a result of managerial shortcomings
and unsound investment decisions than the crisis.
Context-sensitive spoken dialogue processing with the DOP model
Authors: BOD RENS
Published: July 2002

We show how the DOP model can be used for fast and robust context-sensitive processing of
spoken input in a practical spoken dialogue system called OVIS. OVIS (Openbaar Vervoer
Informatie Systeem) – ‘Public Transport Information System’, is a Dutch spoken language
information system which operates over ordinary telephone lines. The prototype system is
the immediate goal of the NWO Priority Programme ‘Language and Speech Technology’. In
this paper, we extend the original Data-Oriented Parsing (DOP) model to context-sensitive
interpretation of spoken input. The system we describe uses the OVIS corpus (which consists
of 10,000 trees enriched with compositional semantics) to compute from an input word-graph the best utterance together with its meaning. Dialogue context is taken into account
by dividing up the OVIS corpus into context-dependent subcorpora. Each system question
triggers a subcorpus by which the user answer is analysed and interpreted. Our experiments
indicate that the context-sensitive DOP model obtains better accuracy than the original
model, allowing for fast and robust processing of spoken input.
Compound noun segmentation based on lexical data extracted from corpus
Authors: YOON JUNTAE
Published: July 2002

Compound noun segmentation is one of the crucial problems in Korean language processing
because a series of nouns in Korean may appear without space in real text, which makes it
difficult to identify its morphological constituents. This paper presents an effective method
of Korean compound noun segmentation based on lexical data extracted from a corpus.
The segmentation consists of two tasks: First, it uses a Hand-Build Segmentation Dictionary
(HBSD) to segment compound nouns which frequently occur or need an exceptional process.
Second, a segmentation algorithm using data from a corpus is proposed, where simple nouns
and their frequencies are stored in a Simple Noun Dictionary (SND) for segmentation.
The analysis is executed based on modified tabular parsing using min-max operation. Our
experiments have shown a very effective accuracy rate of about 97.29%, which turns out to
be very effective.
SELF-FOCUSED ATTENTION: COMMONALITIES ACROSS PSYCHOPATHOLOGIES AND PREDICTORS
Authors: Woodruff-Borden Janet , Brothers Andrew J. , Lister Sally C.
Published: July 2002

Self-focused attention, also thought of a self-absorption, has been linked to a variety of affective states and
clinical syndromes, including depression, panic disorder, social anxiety, schizophrenia, and alcoholism. Ingram (1990b)
has suggested that self-focus may be a “nonspecific process” that is common across psychopathologies. Studies with
nonclinical samples have supported this contention, and the current study assessed whether self-focus was common
across various clinically diagnosed groups. A second issue, given this commonality, was to examine the factors across
diagnostic conditions to which self-focus was related. One hundred and thirty-eight outpatients were included, and
were divided into three groups based on primary diagnosis: “depression”, “panic”, and “other anxiety”. They were
assessed with the ADIS-R/IV and completed measures assessing self-focus, affective states, global psychopathology,
and problem-solving. Self-focus was common across groups, with minor valence variations. Severity of primary
diagnosis predicted total self-focus, with level of depression and trait anxiety predicting negative self-focus. Correlational
analyses suggested that self-focused attention is related to general measures of psychopathology and severity, and
negatively related to problem-solving. The pattern with negative self-focus was even more pronounced, with significant
relationships to all measures of psychopathology, clinician-rated severity, and a negative relationship with problem-solving. Results are discussed in terms of differences between “normal” and problematic self-focus, the causal
direction in the relationship between self-focus and negative affect, and the link between self-focus and problem-solving.
THE INTERPRETATION OF INTRUSIONS IN PSYCHOSIS: AN INTEGRATIVE COGNITIVE APPROACH TO HALLUCINATIONS AND DELUSIONS
Authors: Morrison Anthony P.
Published: July 2002

A cognitive approach to the understanding of psychotic symptoms that focuses on the interpretation of intrusions into awareness is outlined. It is argued that many positive psychotic symptoms (such as hallucinations and delusions) can be conceptualized as intrusions into awareness or culturally unacceptable interpretations of such intrusions, and that it is the interpretation of these intrusions that causes the associated distress and disability. It is also argued that the nature of these interpretations is affected by faulty self and social knowledge and that both the intrusions and their interpretations are maintained by mood, physiology, and cognitive and behavioural responses (including selective attention, safety behaviours and counterproductive control strategies). The literature is reviewed and found to be compatible with such a model and the clinical implications are discussed.
AN EDUCATIONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR STAFF TRAINING
Authors: Milne Derek L. , Roberts Heather
Published: July 2002

Studies of in-service training demonstrate repeatedly the difficulty of transferring training to the routine work of the staff. One of the likely explanations for this difficulty is the recurring absence of an educational and organizational needs assessment to guide the training. Such assessments can play a critical role in defining management support, goal setting, the selection of the trainee group and in analysing the readiness of staff in an organization for a training intervention. The present study summarizes and extends prior research in the field of mental health by conducting a comprehensive educational and organizational needs analysis. Six assessment methods were administered to N = 72 staff and 20 clients in a psychiatric hospital, including questionnaires, interviews, direct observations and an audit. The study design was based on a series of naturalistic, cross sectional comparisons between four wards. Significant differences were obtained between the four participating wards, which served to define training needs and to validate the needs assessment procedure. Implications are drawn for needs assessment within a more systematic approach to staff training.
Speaking for Language-Impaired Children
Authors: Tallal Paula
Published: July 2002

Larry Leonard's new book, Children With Specific
Language Impairment, has the potential to become the
definitive text and scholarly resource for students, clinicians,
and scientists concerned with these children. This six-part book
(comprising 14 chapters) provides a complete, detailed, and
even-handed review of the multidisciplinary research in this field.
Factors influencing outcome following mild traumatic brain
injury in adults
Authors: PONSFORD JENNIE , WILLMOTT CATHERINE , ROTHWELL ANDREW , CAMERON PETER , KELLY ANN-MAREE , NELMS ROBYN , CURRAN CAROLYN , NG KIM
Published: July 2002

This study aimed to investigate outcome in adults
with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) at 1 week and 3
months postinjury and to identify factors associated with
persisting problems. A total of 84 adults with mild TBI
were compared with 53 adults with other minor injuries
as controls in terms of postconcussional symptomatology,
behavior, and cognitive performance at 1 week and 3 months
postinjury. At 1 week postinjury, adults with mild TBI
were reporting symptoms, particularly headaches, dizziness,
fatigue, visual disturbance, and memory difficulties. They
exhibited slowing of information processing on neuropsychological
measures, namely the WAIS–R Digit Symbol subtest
and the Speed of Comprehension Test. By 3 months postinjury,
the symptoms reported at 1 week had largely resolved, and
no impairments were evident on neuropsychological measures.
However, there was a subgroup of 24% of participants who
were still suffering many symptoms, who were highly distressed,
and whose lives were still significantly disrupted. These
individuals did not have longer posttraumatic amnesia (PTA)
duration. They were more likely to have a history of previous
head injury, neurological or psychiatric problems, to be
students, females, and to have been injured in a motor
vehicle accident. The majority were showing significant
levels of psychopathology. A range of factors, other than
those directly reflecting the severity of injury, appear
to be associated with outcome following mild TBI. (JINS,
2000, 6, 568–579.)
Valuation of community forestry in Ethiopia: a contingent valuation study of rural households
Authors: MEKONNEN ALEMU
Published: July 2002

Community forestry projects in Ethiopia have been implemented using the top–down approach, which may have contributed to the failure of most of these projects. The so-called community plantations practically belonged to the government and the labour contribution of the local communities in the establishment of the plantations was mainly in exchange for wages. In this paper, we use the contingent valuation method to examine the determinants of the value of community forestry in rural Ethiopia and its feasibility, when the plantations are established, managed, and used by the communities themselves. The value elicitation format used is discrete question with open-ended follow-up which is closer to the market scenario our respondents are familiar with compared, for example, with the single discrete choice format. Unlike most other studies, we use a tobit model with sample selection in the empirical analysis of the bid function to correct for the effect of excluding invalid responses (protest zeros, outliers and missing bids) from the analysis. The analysis of the bid function shows that household size, household income, distance of homestead to proposed place of plantation, number of trees owned and sex of household head are significant variables that explain willingness to pay. We also find that there are significant differences in willingness-to-pay across sites. It is hoped that this study contributes to the limited empirical literature on community forestry in developing countries by indicating some of the conditions under which community plantations will be acceptable and feasible.
Evaluation of a Child and Family Centre
Authors: Moukaddem Sami , Fitzgerald Michael , Barry Margaret
Published: July 2002

This study set out to evaluate the treatment of 52 consecutive
referrals to
a Child and Family Centre. Mothers of referred children were interviewed

before treatment and again 3 to 4 months later. The interview investigated

the children's behaviour problems, their mothers' mental health
and life
quality, their attitudes and expectations of treatment, and their satisfaction

with the treatment. Significant improvements were observed in children's

behaviour problems, mothers' mental health, and some areas of the

mothers' life quality. A significant correlation between the children's

behaviour problems and their mothers' mental health was observed.
Recognising Hyperactivity:
A Guide for the Cautious
Clinician
Authors: Hill Peter , Cameron Mary
Published: July 2002

Hyperactivity is a potentially confusing concept with different terminology
and history in Europe and the U.S.A. There is a certain amount of suspicion
among U.K. practitioners as to whether it is appropriate to recognise it as
a primary condition. Perhaps because of this, assessment procedures vary
between practitioners and centres. Using our experience of running a
specialist overactivity and attention disorders clinic (now defunct) at
St George's Hospital, London we draw together recommendations for
the assessment of this serious clinical problem.
Deserted island or a child's first language forgetting
Authors: Isurin Ludmila
Published: July 2002

The longitudinal study reported in the present paper examines L1 vocabulary decline by a child whose native language input effectively ceased after her immersion into the L2 environment. The subject of the study was a Russian girl adopted by an American family, brought to the USA, and completely isolated from any contact with the Russian-speaking environment. The analysis of the data was based on the results of picture naming tasks and reaction time measurements. Three groups of words showed high vulnerability to forgetting: high frequency words, cognates, and semantically convergent pairs (pairs of words lexically distinguished in L2 and non-distinguished in L1). Fast forgetting of these lexical items in L1 was related to the acquisition of their equivalents in L2. The comparison of noun versus verb retention/acquisition suggested that there might be a delay in L1 verb forgetting / L2 verb acquisition at the early stage of an extensive exposure to the second language.
Birds on edge: avian assemblages along forest‐agricultural boundaries of central Victoria, Australia
Authors: Campi Monica J. , MacNally Ralph
Published: July 2002

Habitat clearance generally produces fragmented landscapes. A major consequence is the creation of large amounts of new ‘edge habitat’, often of a kind not previously existing, such as abrupt forest‐ agricultural land interfaces. Much work from around the world suggests that proliferation of edge habitat seriously affects birds reliant on large forest blocks to persist, and the intrusion of edge specialists into areas they did not previously occupy. These processes often generate avifaunal gradients in which assemblages change from the interior to the edge. This effect is explored in the largest remnant block of box‐ironbark forest of central Victoria, Australia (about 30,000 ha). Eight radially oriented survey lines were established around the periphery of the block. Along each survey line, five transects with long axes oriented parallel to the edge were positioned with midlines at 40 m, 160 m, 280 m and 400 m into the forest, and one transect 80 m into the agricultural land, yielding a total of 40 transects. Six identical transects were located deep within the forest (> 2 km). There was little evidence of a change in the avifauna from interior to edge, although mean richness was depressed in the edge habitats compared with forest interior transects. These results were essentially the same for ‘all species’ or ‘forest dependent’ species. Thus, there is little evidence for marked edge effects on the avifauna of these large forest blocks, although work in intermediate sized remnants (100‐1000 ha) is needed to identify thresholds at which edge effects begin to be manifested.
Complex effects of predators: determining vulnerability of the endangered June sucker to an introduced predator
Authors: Belk Mark C. , Whitney Michael J. , Schaalje G. Bruce
Published: July 2002

Efforts to ameliorate the negative effects of introduced predators on native species depend on a clear understanding of the complex interactions between predator and prey. We illustrate the necessity of considering size variation of predators and prey and antipredator responses of prey, using a case study of an endangered fish, June sucker (Chasmistes liorus) and an introduced predator, white bass (Morone chrysops). Using a mathematical model, we assessed vulnerability of young June suckers to predation by a growing cohort of white bass. Additionally, we experimentally evaluated whether young white bass selectively occupy vegetated habitats (in contrast to adults) similar to those occupied by young June suckers. June suckers are most vulnerable to young white bass immediately after they hatch and vulnerability declines thereafter. They are vulnerable for some period of time under all combinations of predator and prey growth rates. Young white bass selected vegetated habitats, and this response was increased in the presence of adult white bass. These data suggest that young white bass may be a significant source of mortality for small June suckers, contrary to previous assumptions. Results of this study inform conservation actions designed to decrease the effect of predation on small June suckers, such as potential effects of adding vegetated refuge habitats, possible effects of manipulation of spawning time, and the design of predator‐free grow‐out areas.
Microbial fossil record of rocks from the Ross Desert, Antarctica: implications in the search for past life on Mars
Authors: Wierzchos Jacek , Ascaso Carmen
Published: July 2002

Cryptoendolithic microbial communities living within Antarctic rocks are an example of survival in an extremely cold and dry environment. The extinction of these micro-organisms formerly colonizing sandstone in the Mount Fleming area (Ross Desert), was probably provoked by the hostile environment. This is considered to be a good terrestrial analogue of the first stage of the disappearance of possible life on early Mars. To date, only macroscopically observed indirect biomarkers of the past activity of cryptoendoliths in Antarctic rocks have been described. The present paper confirms, for the first time, the existence of cryptoendolith microbial fossils within these sandstone rocks. The novel in situ application of scanning electron microscopy with backscattered electron imaging and simultaneous use of X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy allowed the clear detection of microfossils left behind by Antarctic endoliths. Careful interpretation of the morphological features of cells, such as preserved cell walls in algae, fungi and bacteria, cytoplasm elements such as chloroplast membranes in algae and organic matter traces, mineral associations, and the spatial context of these structures all point to their identification as cryptoendolith microfossils. This type of investigation will prompt the development of research strategies aimed at locating and identifying the signs that Martian microbiota, probably only bacteria if they existed, may have been left for us to see.
Degradation of Drosophila PIM regulates sister chromatid separation during mitosis
Authors: Leismann Oliver , Herzig Alf , Heidmann Stefan , Lehner Christian F.
Published: July 2002

Drosophila Pimples (PIM) and Three rows (THR) are required for sister chromatid separation in mitosis. PIM accumulates during interphase and is degraded rapidly during mitosis. This degradation is dependent on a destruction box similar to that of B-type cyclins. Nondegradable PIM with a mutant destruction box can rescue sister chromatid separation in pim mutants but only when expressed at low levels. Higher levels of nondegradable PIM, as well as overexpression of wild-type PIM, inhibit sister chromatid separation. Moreover, cells arrested in mitosis before sister chromatid separation (by colcemid or by mutations in fizzy/CDC20) fail to degrade PIM. Thus, although not related by primary sequence, PIM has intriguing functional similarities to the securin proteins of budding yeast, fission yeast, and vertebrates. Whereas these securins are known to form a complex with separins, we show that PIM associates in vivo with THR, which does not contain the conserved separin domain.
Negative regulation of Gcn4 and Msn2 transcription factors by Srb10 cyclin-dependent kinase
Authors: Chi Yong , Huddleston Michael J. , Zhang Xiaolong , Young Richard A. , Annan Roland S. , Carr Steven A. , Deshaies Raymond J.
Published: July 2002

The budding yeast transcriptional activator Gcn4 is rapidly degraded in an SCFCdc4-dependent manner in vivo. Upon fractionation of yeast extracts to identify factors that mediate Gcn4 ubiquitination, we found that Srb10 phosphorylates Gcn4 and thereby marks it for recognition by SCFCdc4 ubiquitin ligase. Srb10 is a physiological regulator of Gcn4 stability because both phosphorylation and turnover of Gcn4 are diminished in srb10 mutants. Gcn4 is almost completely stabilized in srb10Δ pho85Δ cells, or upon mutation of all Srb10 phosphorylation sites within Gcn4, suggesting that the Pho85 and Srb10 cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) conspire to limit the accumulation of Gcn4. The multistress response transcriptional regulator Msn2 is also a substrate for Srb10 and is hyperphosphorylated in an Srb10-dependent manner upon heat-stress-induced translocation into the nucleus. Whereas Msn2 is cytoplasmic in resting wild-type cells, its nuclear exclusion is partially compromised in srb10 mutant cells. Srb10 has been shown to repress a subset of genes in vivo, and has been proposed to inhibit transcription via phosphorylation of the C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II. We propose that Srb10 also inhibits gene expression by promoting the rapid degradation or nuclear export of specific transcription factors. Simultaneous down-regulation of both transcriptional regulatory proteins and RNA polymerase may enhance the potency and specificity of transcriptional inhibition by Srb10.
Recruitment of the transcriptional machinery through GAL11P: structure and interactions of the GAL4 dimerization domain
Authors: Hidalgo Patricia , Ansari Aseem Z. , Schmidt Peter , Hare Brian , Simkovich Natasha , Farrell Susan , Shin Eun Ji , Ptashne Mark , Wagner Gerhard
Published: July 2002

The GAL4 dimerization domain (GAL4-dd) is a powerful transcriptional activator when tethered to DNA in a cell bearing a mutant of the GAL11 protein, named GAL11P. GAL11P (like GAL11) is a component of the RNA–polymerase II holoenzyme. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of GAL4-dd revealed an elongated dimer structure with C2symmetry containing three helices that mediate dimerization via coiled-coil contacts. The two loops between the three coiled coils form mobile bulges causing a variation of twist angles between the helix pairs. Chemical shift perturbation analysis mapped the GAL11P-binding site to the C-terminal helix α3 and the loop between α1 and α2. One GAL11P monomer binds to one GAL4-dd dimer rendering the dimer asymmetric and implying an extreme negative cooperativity mechanism. Alanine-scanning mutagenesis of GAL4-dd showed that the NMR-derived GAL11P-binding face is crucial for the novel transcriptional activating function of the GAL4-dd on GAL11P interaction. The binding of GAL4 to GAL11P, although an artificial interaction, represents a unique structural motif for an activating region capable of binding to a single target to effect gene expression.
Phosphorylation of the mitotic regulator Pds1/securin by Cdc28 is required for efficient nuclear localization of Esp1/separase
Authors: Agarwal Ritu , Cohen-Fix Orna
Published: July 2002

Sister chromatid separation at the metaphase-to-anaphase transition is induced by the proteolytic cleavage of one of the cohesin complex subunits. This process is mediated by a conserved protease called separase. Separase is associated with its inhibitor, securin, until the time of anaphase initiation, when securin is degraded in an anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C)-dependent manner. In budding yeast securin/Pds1 not only inhibits separase/Esp1, but also promotes its nuclear localization. The molecular mechanism and regulation of this nuclear targeting are presently unknown. Here we show that Pds1 is a substrate of the cyclin-dependent kinase Cdc28. Phosphorylation of Pds1 by Cdc28 is important for efficient binding of Pds1 to Esp1 and for promoting the nuclear localization of Esp1. Our results uncover a previously unknown mechanism for regulating the Pds1–Esp1 interaction and shed light on a novel role for Cdc28 in promoting the metaphase-to-anaphase transition in budding yeast.
Gene Survey of the Pathogenic Protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi
Authors: Porcel Betina M. , Tran Anh-Nhi , Tammi Martti , Nyarady Zoltan , Rydåker Maria , Urmenyi Turan P. , Rondinelli Edson , Pettersson Ulf , Andersson Bj̈orn , Åslund Lena
Published: July 2002

We have performed a survey of the active genes in the important human pathogen Trypanosoma cruzi by analyzing 5013 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) generated from a normalized epimastigote cDNA library. Clustering of all sequences resulted in 771 clusters, comprising 54% of the ESTs. In total, the ESTs corresponded to 3054 transcripts that might represent one-fourth of the total gene repertoire in T. cruzi. About 33% of the T. cruzitranscripts showed similarity to sequences in the public databases, and a large number of hitherto undiscovered genes predicted to be involved in transcription, cell cycle control, cell division, signal transduction, secretion, and metabolism were identified. More than 140 full-length gene sequences were derived from the ESTs. Comparisons with all open reading frames in yeast and in Caenorhabditis elegansshowed that only 12% of the T. cruzi transcripts were shared among diverse eukaryotic organisms. Comparison with other kinetoplastid sequences identified 237 orthologous genes that are shared between these evolutionarily divergent organisms. The generated data are a useful resource for further studies of the biology of the parasite and for development of new means to combat Chagas' disease.

[The sequence data described in this paper have been submitted to the dbEST database under nos. TENU0001–TENU5214 and the following:AA736292-AA736301, AA738502-AA738535,AA756982-AA756992, AA835598-AA835613, AA866501-AA866550,AA87464-AA874780, AA875669-AA875730, AA875809-AA875824,AA879318-AA897341, AA879376-AA879401, AA882494-AA882518,AA883036-AA883051, AI005678-AI005729, AI007342-AI007441,AI021797-AI021884, AI026370-AI026615, AI037797-AI037846,AI043247-AI043343, AI043427-AI043502, AI046026-AI046290,AI050095-AI050219, AI053146-AI053397, AI057644-AI057957,AI065169-AI065425, AI066117-AI066391, AI069556-AI069908,AI073286-AI073332, AI075466-AI075620, AI077051-AI077281,AI078888-AI079000, AI080790-AI080916, AI083097-AI083245,AI110290-AI110405, AI110412-AI110512, AW324789-AW325325,AW329885-AW330435, and AW621062-AW621094. The sequences are also available at www.genpat.uu.se/tryp/tryp.html.]
Predicting Protein Function by Genomic Context: Quantitative Evaluation and Qualitative Inferences
Authors: Huynen Martijn , Snel Berend , Lathe Warren , Bork Peer
Published: July 2002

Various new methods have been proposed to predict functional interactions between proteins based on the genomic context of their genes. The types of genomic context that they use are Type I: the fusion of genes; Type II: the conservation of gene-order or co-occurrence of genes in potential operons; and Type III: the co-occurrence of genes across genomes (phylogenetic profiles). Here we compare these types for their coverage, their correlations with various types of functional interaction, and their overlap with homology-based function assignment. We apply the methods to Mycoplasma genitalium, the standard benchmarking genome in computational and experimental genomics. Quantitatively, conservation of gene order is the technique with the highest coverage, applying to 37% of the genes. By combining gene order conservation with gene fusion (6%), the co-occurrence of genes in operons in absence of gene order conservation (8%), and the co-occurrence of genes across genomes (11%), significant context information can be obtained for 50% of the genes (the categories overlap). Qualitatively, we observe that the functional interactions between genes are stronger as the requirements for physical neighborhood on the genome are more stringent, while the fraction of potential false positives decreases. Moreover, only in cases in which gene order is conserved in a substantial fraction of the genomes, in this case six out of twenty-five, does a single type of functional interaction (physical interaction) clearly dominate (>80%). In other cases, complementary function information from homology searches, which is available for most of the genes with significant genomic context, is essential to predict the type of interaction. Using a combination of genomic context and homology searches, new functional features can be predicted for 10% of M. genitalium genes.
The Syntenic Relationship of the Zebrafish and Human Genomes
Authors: Barbazuk W. Bradley , Korf Ian , Kadavi Candy , Heyen Joshua , Tate Stephanie , Wun Edmund , Bedell Joseph A. , McPherson John D. , Johnson Stephen L.
Published: July 2002

The zebrafish is an important vertebrate model for the mutational analysis of genes effecting developmental processes. Understanding the relationship between zebrafish genes and mutations with those of humans will require understanding the syntenic correspondence between the zebrafish and human genomes. High throughput gene and EST mapping projects in zebrafish are now facilitating this goal. Map positions for 523 zebrafish genes and ESTs with predicted human orthologs reveal extensive contiguous blocks of synteny between the zebrafish and human genomes. Eighty percent of genes and ESTs analyzed belong to conserved synteny groups (two or more genes linked in both zebrafish and human) and 56% of all genes analyzed fall in 118 homology segments (uninterrupted segments containing two or more contiguous genes or ESTs with conserved map order between the zebrafish and human genomes). This work now provides a syntenic relationship to the human genome for the majority of the zebrafish genome.
Phenotype MicroArrays for High-Throughput Phenotypic Testing and Assay of Gene Function
Authors: Bochner Barry R. , Gadzinski Peter , Panomitros Eugenia
Published: July 2002

The bacterium Escherichia coli is used as a model cellular system to test and validate a new technology called Phenotype MicroArrays (PMs). PM technology is a high-throughput technology for simultaneous testing of a large number of cellular phenotypes. It consists of preconfigured well arrays in which each well tests a different cellular phenotype and an automated instrument that continuously monitors and records the response of the cells in all wells of the arrays. For example, nearly 700 phenotypes of E. coli can be assayed by merely pipetting a cell suspension into seven microplate arrays. PMs can be used to directly assay the effects of genetic changes on cells, especially gene knock-outs. Here, we provide data on phenotypic analysis of six strains and show that we can detect expected phenotypes as well as, in some cases, unexpected phenotypes.
Differential Fear Conditioning Induces Reciprocal Changes in the Sensory Responses of Lateral Amygdala Neurons to the CS+ and CS−
Authors: Collins Dawn R. , Paré Denis
Published: July 2002

In classical fear conditioning, a neutral sensory stimulus (CS) acquires the ability to elicit fear responses after pairing to a noxious unconditioned stimulus (US). As amygdala lesions prevent the acquisition of fear responses and the lateral amygdaloid (LA) nucleus is the main input station of the amygdala for auditory afferents, the effect of auditory fear conditioning on the sensory responsiveness of LA neurons has been examined. Although conditioning was shown to increase CS-evoked LA responses, the specificity of the changes in responsiveness was not tested. Because conditioning might induce nonspecific increases in LA responses to auditory afferents, we re-examined this issue in conscious, head-restrained cats using a differential conditioning paradigm where only one of two tones (CS+but not CS−) was paired to the US. Differential conditioning increased unit and field responses to the CS+, whereas responses to the CS− decreased. Such changes have never been observed in the amygdala except in cases where the CS− had been paired to the US before and fear responses not extinguished. This suggests that fear conditioning is not only accompanied by potentiation of amygdalopetal pathways conveying the CS+ but also by the depression of sensory inputs unpaired to noxious stimuli.