bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular dynamics simulations of LysRS: An asymmetric state
Authors: Hughes Samantha J. , Tanner Julian A. , Miller Andrew D. , Gould Ian R.
Published: November 2005

We report molecular dynamics simulations of the Escherichia coli Lysyl‐tRNA synthetase LysU isoform carried out as a benchmark for mutant simulations in in silico protein engineering efforts. Unlike previous studies of aminoacyl‐tRNA synthetases, LysU is modelled in its full dimeric form with explicit solvent. While developing a suitable simulation protocol, we observed an asymmetry that persists despite improvements to the model. This prediction has directly led to experiments that establish a functional asymmetry in nucleotide binding by LysU. The development of a simulation protocol and validation of the model are presented here. The observed asymmetry is described and the role of protein flexibility in developing the asymmetry is discussed. Proteins 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ab initio quantum chemical studies of reaction mechanism for CN with CH2CO
Authors: Zhang Weichao , Du Benni
Published: November 2005

Six product channels have been found in the association reaction of CN + CH2CO, and a variety of possible complexes and saddle points along the minimum energy reaction paths have been characterized at the UMP2(full)/6‐31G(d) level. The dominant reaction channels are the production of CH2CN + CO and CH2NC + CO. The isomerization and dissociation reactions of the major products of CH2CN and CH2NC have been investigated using the G2MP2 level. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006
Transcatheter Arterial Embolization in the Treatment of Extensive Maxillofacial Hemangioma in Children
Authors: Jianhong Li , Xianliang Hu , Xuewu Jiang
Published: November 2005

Infantile hemangioma frequently occurs in the maxillofacial region as an extensive mass involving many vital structures. As such, many children are found to have an unresectable hemangioma at the initial diagnosis. In the present study transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) alone or in combination with surgery and local injection of bleomycin A has been attempted to improve the treatment of these lesions. The results of evaluating the effectiveness and therapeutic role of TAE in these extensive maxillofacial hemangiomas in children are presented. We retrospectively analyzed the records of 17 children with maxillofacial hemangioma treated between 1997 and 2004. Altogether, 17 patients (11 boys, 6 girls) were diagnosed as having an extensive maxillofacial hemangioma based on its clinical manifestation, color Doppler ultrasonography, and sometimes computed tomography. They underwent selective TAE alone or TAE followed by surgical excision. For the children with Kasabach‐Merritt syndrome, systemic corticosteroid therapy was administered first. All the children had an excellent response after TAE treatment without obvious complications, and the size of the hemangioma body markedly decreased. Local injection of bleomycin A was then undertaken in four children and surgical removal in five. All the children achieved successful disappearance of the hemangioma, with no recurrence during the follow‐up period of 5 to 86 months. TAE is thus a reliable and effective therapeutic choice for extensive maxillofacial hemangioma in children, alone or as a preoperative adjunctive measure. It improves the feasibility of complete resection and effects the disappearance of these potentially dangerous bulky tumors with little bleeding and few complications.
Low Maruyama Index Surgery for Gastric Cancer: Blinded Reanalysis of the Dutch D1‐D2 Trial
Authors: Peeters K.C.M.J. , Hundahl S.A. , Kranenbarg E. Klein , Hartgrink H. , van de Velde C.J.H.
Published: November 2005

A quantitative estimate of residual nodal disease after gastric cancer surgery, the Maruyama index of unresected disease (MI), proved to be a strong independent predictor of survival in a large U.S. adjuvant chemoradiation study in which surgical undertreatment was frequent. Data from the Dutch D1‐D2 Lymphadenectomy Trial permit an opportunity to assess the prognostic value of this variable in a cohort with lower‐stage disease treated with minimum D‐1 lymphadenectomy and no adjuvant chemoradiation. Blinded to survival, and excluding those cases with missing information, the MI was calculated for 648 of the original 711 patients treated with curative intent. Survival was assessed by log‐rank and multivariate Cox regression analysis. All patients have been followed for a minimum of 11 years. Overall Dutch trial findings were not affected by the absence of 63 cases with incomplete data. As expected, the median MI was 26, much lower than in the previous U.S. study. In contrast to the D level, MI < 5 proved to be a strong predictor of survival by both univariate and multivariate analysis. The MI was an independent predictor of both overall survival [P = 0.016; hazard ratio (HR) = 1.45; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07–1.95] and relapse risk (P = 0.010; HR = 1.72; 95% CI 1.14–2.60). A strong dose‐response reaction with respect to the MI and survival was also observed. We conclude that in this trial low‐MI surgery is associated with enhanced survival, whereas outside of certain subgroups routine D2 lymphadenectomy is not. This observation suggests that surgeons might have more of an impact on patient survival by achieving a low‐MI operation than a particular D level. A compelling dose‐response effect reveals that the MI is a quantitative yardstick for assessing the adequacy of lymphadenectomy in gastric cancer.
VE/VCO2 slope is associated with abnormal resting haemodynamics and is a predictor of long‐term survival in chronic heart failure
Authors: Nanas Serafim N. , Nanas John N. , Sakellariou Dimitrios Ch. , Dimopoulos Stavros K. , Drakos Stavros G. , Kapsimalakou Smaragdo G. , Mpatziou Christina A. , Papazachou Ourania G. , Dalianis Anargyros S. , Anastasiou‐Nana Maria I. , Roussos Charis
Published: November 2005

Background:

Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) present with exercise‐induced hyperpnea, but its pathophysiological mechanism has not been thoroughly investigated. We aimed to determine the relationship between exercise‐induced hyperpnea, resting haemodynamic measurements and the validity of ventilatory response (VE/VCO2 slope) as a mortality predictor in CHF patients.

Methods:

Ninety‐eight CHF patients (90M/8F) underwent a symptom‐limited treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). Right heart catheterization and radionuclide ventriculography were performed within 72 h of CPET.

Results:

Twenty‐seven patients died from cardiac causes during 20±6 months follow‐up. Non‐survivors had a lower peak oxygen consumption (VO2p), (16.5±4.9 vs. 20.2±6.1, ml/kg/min, p=0.003), a steeper VE/VCO2 slope (34.8±8.3 vs. 28.9±4.8, p<0.001) and a higher pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) (19.5±8.6 vs. 11.7±6.5 mm Hg, p=0.008) than survivors. By multivariate survival analysis, the VE/VCO2 slope as a continuous variable was an independent prognostic factor (χ2: 8.5, relative risk: 1.1, 95% CI: 1.03–1.18, p=0.004). Overall mortality was 52% in patients with VE/VCO2 slope ≥34 and 18% in those with VE/VCO2 slope <34 (log rank: 18.5, p<0.001). In a subgroup of patients (VO2p: 10–18 ml/kg/min), VE/VCO2 slope was a significant predictor of mortality (relative risk: 6.2, 95% CI: 1.7–22.2, p=0.002). Patients with high VE/VCO2 slope had higher resting PCWP (19.9±9.1 vs. 11.3±5.7 mmHg, p<0.001) and VE/VCO2 slope correlated significantly with PCWP (r: 0.57, p<0.001).

Conclusions:

The VE/VCO2 slope, as an index of ventilatory response to exercise, improves the risk stratification of CHF patients. Interstitial pulmonary oedema may be a pathophysiological mechanism of inefficient ventilation during exercise in these patients.
Hypotaurocyamine kinase evolved from a gene for arginine kinase
Authors: Uda Kouji , Iwai Aki , Suzuki Tomohiko
Published: November 2005

Hypotaurocyamine kinase (HTK) is a member of the highly conserved family of phosphagen kinases that includes creatine kinase (CK) and arginine kinase (AK). HTK is found only in sipunculid worms, and it shows activities for both the substrates hypotaurocyamine and taurocyamine. Determining how HTK evolved in sipunculids is particularly insightful because all sipunculid‐allied animals have AK and only some sipunculids have HTK. We determined the cDNA sequence of HTK from the sipunculid worm Siphonosoma cumanense for the first time, cloned it in pMAL plasmid and expressed it in E. coli as a fusion protein with maltose‐binding protein. The cDNAderived amino acid sequence of Siphonosoma HTK showed high amino acid identity with molluscan AKs. Nevertheless, the recombinant enzyme of Siphonosoma HTK showed no activity for the substrate arginine, but showed activity for taurocyamine. Comparison of the amino acid sequences of HTK and AK indicated that the amino acid residues necessary for the binding of the substrate arginine in AK have been completely lost in Siphonosoma HTK sequence. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that the HTK amino acid sequence was placed just outside the molluscan AK cluster, which formed a sister group with the arthropod and nematode AKs. These results suggest that Siphonosoma HTK evolved from a gene for molluscan AK. Moreover, to confirm this assertion, we determined by PCR that the gene for Siphonosoma HTK has a 5‐exon/4‐intron structure, which is homologous with that of the molluscan AK genes. Further, the positions of splice junctions were conserved exactly between the two genes. Thus, we conclude that Siphonosoma HTK has evolved from a primordial gene for molluscan AK.
Specific interference between two unrelated internal ribosome entry site elements impairs translation efficiency
Authors: Reigadas Sandrine , Pacheco Almudena , Ramajo Jorge , de Quinto Sonia López , Martinez-Salas Encarnacion
Published: November 2005

Internal ribosome entry site (IRES) elements allow simultaneous synthesis of multiple proteins in eukaryotic cells. Here, two unrelated IRESs that perform efficiently in bicistronic constructs, the picornavirus foot‐and‐mouth disease virus (FMDV) and the cellular immunoglobulin heavy chain binding protein (BiP) IRES, were used to generate a tricistronic vector. Functional analysis of the tricistronic RNA evidenced that the efficiency of protein synthesis under the control of BiP IRES was lower than that of the FMDV IRES, relative to the efficiency measured in bicistronic vectors. A specific competition between these elements was verified using two separate mono‐ or bicistronic constructs in vivo and in vitro. In contrast, no interference was detected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) IRES. The interference effect of FMDV IRES was observed in cis and trans, in support of competition for common transacting factors different than those used in cap‐ and HCV‐dependent initiation.
Adiponectin inhibits Toll‐like receptor family‐induced signaling
Authors: Yamaguchi Noboru , Argueta Jose Guillermo Martinez , Masuhiro Yoshikazu , Kagishita Maki , Nonaka Kazuaki , Saito Toshiyuki , Hanazawa Shigemasa , Yamashita Yoshihisa
Published: November 2005

Recent studies have shown that adiponectin, an adipocyte‐derived cytokine, acts as a potent inhibitor of inflammatory responses. It has been also demonstrated that bacterial and viral signalings in host cells are triggered via Toll‐like receptor (TLR) molecules. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated whether globular adiponectin (gAd) would be able to inhibit TLR‐mediated nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) signaling in mouse macrophages (RAW264). gAd predominantly bound to the AdipoR1 receptor and suppressed TLR‐mediated NF‐κB signaling. gAd‐mediated inhibition of TLR‐mediated IκB phosphorylation and NF‐κB activation was eliminated by the pretreatment of cycloheximide. Also their inhibitions of gAd were blocked by preincubation of the cells with an antibody against AdipoR1, but not with an antibody against AdipoR2. Taken together, these findings indicate that adiponectin negatively regulates macrophage‐like cell response to TLR ligands via an unknown endogenous product(s).
The small GTPase ADP‐ribosylation factor 6 negatively regulates dendritic spine formation
Authors: Miyazaki Hideyuki , Yamazaki Masakazu , Watanabe Hiroshi , Maehama Tomohiko , Yokozeki Takeaki , Kanaho Yasunori
Published: November 2005

Actin cytoskeletal reorganization and membrane trafficking are important for spine morphogenesis. Here we investigated whether the small GTPase, ADP‐ribosylation factor 6 (ARF6), which regulates actin dynamics and peripheral vesicular trafficking, is involved in the regulation of spine formation. The developmental expression pattern of ARF6 in mouse hippocampus was similar to that of the post‐synaptic density protein‐95, and these molecules colocalized in mouse hippocampal neurons. Overexpression of a constitutively active ARF6 mutant in cultured hippocampal neurons decreased the spine density, whereas a dominant‐negative ARF6 mutant increased the density. These results demonstrate a novel function for ARF6 as a key regulator of spine formation.
The isolated catalytic hairpin of the Ras‐specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor Cdc25Mm retains nucleotide dissociation activity but has impaired nucleotide exchange activity
Authors: Sacco Elena , Fantinato Sonia , Manzoni Romilde , Metalli David , De Gioia Luca , Fantucci Piercarlo , Alberghina Lilia , Vanoni Marco
Published: November 2005

Cdc25Mm is a mammalian Ras‐specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF). By homology modeling we show that it shares with Sos‐GEF the structure of the putative catalytic HI hairpin where the dominant negative T1184E mutation is located. Similarly to Cdc25MmT1184E, the isolated wild‐type and mutant hairpins retain the ability to displace Ras‐bound nucleotide, originate a stable Ras/GEF complex and downregulate the Ras pathway in vivo. These results indicate that nucleotide re‐entry and Ras/GEF dissociation – final steps in the GEF catalytic cycle – require GEF regions different from the HI hairpin. GEF down‐sizing could lead to development of novel Ras inhibitors.
The Anatomy of the Dorsal Cutaneous Branch of the Ulnar Nerve – a Safe Zone for Positioning of the 6r Portal in Wrist Arthroscopy
Authors: TINDALL A. , PATEL M. , FROST A. , PARKIN I. , SHETTY A. , COMPSON J.
Published: November 2005

The dorsal branch of the ulnar nerve passes close to the 6 Radial portal used in wrist arthroscopy. We examined 20 cadaveric limbs to establish the course of this nerve. We found it consistently crossed a line between the ulnar styloid and the fourth web space at an average of 2.4 cm from the ulnar styloid (range 1.8–2.8 cm). This represented 23% (+/−2.5 STD range 19–27%) of the distance from the styloid process to the fourth web space. Recommendations are made to help avoid iatrogenic injury to the nerve during arthroscopy. The literature on the anatomy of this nerve and its variations and the clinical relevance of this knowledge are discussed.
“A DECENT RESPECT TO THE OPINIONS OF [HUMAN]KIND”: THE VALUE OF A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE IN CONSTITUTIONAL ADJUDICATION
Authors: Ginsburg Ruth Bader
Published: November 2005

IN any season, it would be an honour to speak as a Sir David Williams Lecturer. But no season could be better for me than this one. For my daughter, Jane Ginsburg, is here at Cambridge, thriving in her year in the Arthur Goodhart Visiting Chair, thoroughly enjoying her affiliation with the law faculty and Emmanuel College, Sir David’s College (and, from 1627 to 1631, John Harvard’s too).
Molecular and morphological characterization ofEchinococcusin cervids from North America
Authors: THOMPSON R. C. A. , BOXELL A. C. , RALSTON B. J. , CONSTANTINE C. C. , HOBBS R. P. , SHURY T. , OLSON M. E.
Published: November 2005

Many issues concerning the taxonomy ofEchinococcushave been resolved in recent years with the application of molecular tools. However, the status ofEchinococcusmaintained in transmission cycles involving cervid intermediate hosts remains to be determined. The recent characterization of the parasite from cervids in Finland has highlighted the paucity of data available, particularly that from North America. In this study, we have characterized a large number ofEchinococcusisolates from cervids from Western Canada on the basis of morphology and molecular genetic techniques. Our results support earlier studies suggesting thatEchinococcusof cervid origin is phenotypically and genetically distinct toEchinococcusmaintained in domestic host assemblages, and also confirms thatEchinococcusof cervid origin does not constitute a genetically homogeneous group. However, our data do not support the existence of 2 distinct genotypes (strains/subspecies) with separate geographical distributions. Our data appear to support the existence of only 1 species in cervids, but additional isolates from cervids and wolves in other endemic regions should be characterized before a final decision is made on the taxonomic status ofEchinococcusin cervids.
Everyday Life in the First Hungarian Socialist City
Authors: Horváth Sándor
Published: November 2005

This paper examines the official discourses that shaped the parameters of everyday life and the reactions of socialist citizens to them in Hungary's first socialist city, Sztálinváros, during the 1950s. Concentrating especially on the regulation of working-class leisure, it argues that the authorities sought to frame social conflict in terms of a struggle between the civilized and the backward, the rural and the urban. In so doing it provides an insight into the nature of early state socialism as a project of cultural transformation.
Shifting Identities in the Life Histories of Working-Class Women in Socialist Hungary
Authors: Zsófia Tóth Eszter
Published: November 2005

This article explores how working-class women who belonged to the prize-winning Liberation Brigade of the Budapest Hosiery Factory in the 1970s represented their identities at different stages of their lives in oral-history interviews conducted with the author between 1998 and 2003. It argues that these identities had a deeply ambiguous relationship to those that the official discourse of the socialist era ascribed to them. Issues of consent, accommodation, and opposition are raised, which not only shaped identities under socialism, but continue to shape working-class memory of the period.
Color Problems: Work, Pathology, and Perception in Modern Britain
Authors: Bailkin Jordanna
Published: November 2005

This article explores the historical relationship between scientific research and labor management by investigating the state supervision of color perception in British workers (1870s-1920s). Whereas eighteenth-century scientific writers had described color blindness as an individual idiosyncrasy, color blindness was interpreted in the late nineteenth century as a social contaminant. As multiple sites of labor and industry were saturated with color—for example, through the deployment of flashing red and green lights on ships and railways—the color vision of workers became an increasingly significant medical and legal concern. Starting in the 1890s, the Board of Trade developed new efforts to legislate the admittedly subjective realm of color perception. But British workers also publicly opposed the Board's efforts to regulate their perception and objected to the “modernist” palette that was commonly used in color vision tests. I trace the emergence of color blindness as a class-specific pathology and consider both the denigration and the valorization of workers' perceptions in modern British industrial society.
Pietro Basso,Modern Times, Ancient Hours: Working Livesin the Twenty-first Century. London: Verso, 2003. pp. 275. $27.00 cloth.
Authors: Horn Gerd-Rainer
Published: November 2005

For some time now, sociologists, economists and assorted futurologists have flooded the pages of learned journals and the shelves of libraries with analyses of the continuing decline of industrial and other forms of labor. In proportion to the decline of working time, those social scientists proclaim, the forward march of leisure has become an irresistible trend of the most recent past, the present and, most definitely, the future. Those of us living on planet earth have on occasion wondered about the veracity of such claims which, quite often, appear to stand in flat contradiction to our experiences in everyday life. The work of the Italian sociologist Pietro Basso is thus long overdue and proves to be a welcome refutation of this genre of, to paraphrase Basso, obfuscating hallucinations.
Joshua H. Howard,Workers At War: Labor in China'sArsenals, 1937–1953. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 2004. viii + 452 pp. $70.00 cloth.
Authors: Li Danke
Published: November 2005

Joshua H. Howard's fascinating book examines the experiences of Chinese arsenal workers in Chongqing, China's wartime capital in three wars: the Anti-Japanese War, the Civil War, and class war from 1937 to 1953. Several clear and compelling arguments presented in Professor Howard's study have brought new approaches to the field of Chinese labor and new ways of seeing twentieth century China.
Alexander C. Pathy,Waterfront Blues: Labour Strife at the Port of Montreal, 1960–1978. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2004. ix + 328 pp. $53.00 cloth.
Authors: Davis Colin J.
Published: November 2005

In this autobiographical account of labor relations on the Montreal waterfront, Alexander C. Pathy gives an insider account of the volatile relationship between shippers and longshoremen. Pathy worked as a lawyer and then official of the influential Maritime Employers Association (MEA). The MEA was in the forefront in changing employment relations to better fit the introduction of technological changes brought on by containerization. As in most ports around the world, the introduction of containerization was riven with challenge and controversy. The Port of Montreal, and the lesser ports of Quebec City and Trois-Rivieres, shared this common experience. According to Pathy up to 1960 the respective ports had seen little strife. Indeed, it would seem that the relations between the two sides had been relatively amicable. This would change once ship owners and stevedores embarked on a rationalization scheme to make the loading and unloading of cargo that much more efficient and speedier. Beginning in 1960, negotiations became increasingly heated and hostile. Not least was the problem of language. In what could be best described as mutual ignorance the employers negotiated in English, while the union representatives, reflecting the membership, spoke in French. It was no wonder that misunderstandings could occur because of poor translation. But according to Pathy more than language, the principal point of conflict was perception. Each side brought to the table mutual suspicion and hostility. The problem Pathy contends was, “Each party did not see its glass half full but half empty.”(40) Therefore, negotiations over gang size, technological improvements, hiring methods, and union jurisdiction all became major issues of contention. Adding to the complexity of the situation was the role of Canadian government. Canadian industrial relations law gave the government a vital stake in the negotiations. Just as important, as both official and wildcat strikes broke out, the government scrambled to stabilize the situation as ships were diverted to US ports. The loss of trade and thereby revenue was seen as a critical impairment to the maritime economy.
Cathy D. Knepper,Greenbelt, Maryland: A Living Legacy of the New Deal. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002. 304 pp. $45.00 cloth.
Authors: Ahrentzen Sherry
Published: November 2005

A few years ago I began researching the evolution of the physical design and planning of the three greenbelt towns that were initiated in Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Administration. While I was quite familiar with the context and social milieu of one of those towns because it was close to my home, I had never before visited Greenbelt. On my first trip there, I arranged to meet a University of Maryland professor at a local café. Since she and her students had been conducting material culture studies of Greenbelt, I thought meeting her first would be a good way to introduce me to the town. While we talked over dinner, I learned she was also a Greenbelt resident. After dinner, she told me she was on a Greenbelt committee that was making a presentation to the City Council that evening, and she had arranged for the committee to join us in the café so they could plan their presentation. Shortly, three people arrived and joined us at the table, brainstorming ideas for the upcoming council presentation. After being in town less than two hours, I was in a Greenbelt committee meeting.
Epidemiological findings and medical, legal, and public health challenges of an investigation of severe soft tissue infections and deaths among injecting drug users – Ireland, 2000
Authors: MURRAY-LILLIBRIDGE K. , BARRY J. , REAGAN S. , O'FLANAGAN D. , SAYERS G. , BERGIN C. , KEENAN E. , O'BRIAIN S. , PLUNKETT P. , McMAHON G. , KEANE C. , O'SULLIVAN P. , IGOE D. , MULLEN L. , WARD M. , SMITH A. , FISCHER M.
Published: November 2005

In May 2000, public health authorities in Dublin, Ireland, identified a cluster of unexplained severe illness among injecting drug users (IDUs). Similar clusters were also reported in Scotland and England. Concurrent investigations were undertaken to identify the aetiology and source of the illnesses. In Dublin, 22 IDUs were identified with injection-site inflammation resulting in hospitalization or death; eight (36%) died. Common clinical findings among patients with severe systemic symptoms included leukaemoid reaction and cardiogenic shock. Seventeen (77%) patients reported injecting heroin intramuscularly in the 2 weeks before illness. Of 11 patients with adequate specimens available for testing, two (18%) were positive by 16S rDNA PCR for Clostridium novyi. Clinical and laboratory findings suggested that histotoxic Clostridia caused a subset of infections in these related clusters. Empiric treatment for infections among IDUs was optimized for anaerobic organisms, and outreach led to increased enrolment in methadone treatment in Dublin. Many unique legal, medical, and public health challenges were encountered during the investigation of this outbreak.
Most Campylobacter subtypes from sporadic infections can be found in retail poultry products and food animals
Authors: NIELSEN E. M. , FUSSING V. , ENGBERG J. , NIELSEN N. L. , NEIMANN J.
Published: November 2005

The subtypes of Campylobacter isolates from human infections in two Danish counties were compared to isolates from retail food samples and faecal samples from chickens, pigs and cattle. During a 1-year period, 1285 Campylobacter isolates from these sources were typed by two methods: ‘Penner’ heat-stable serotyping and automated ribotyping (RiboPrinting). C. jejuni was the dominating species, but C. coli was more prevalent among food and chicken isolates (16%) compared to human isolates (4%). In total, 356 different combined sero-ribotypes (subtypes) were found. A large subtype overlap was seen between human isolates and isolates from food (66%), chickens (59%) and cattle (83%). This was verified by PFGE typing of 212 isolates representing selected subtypes. All frequent (n>3) subtypes found in food were also present in humans. Sixty-one per cent of the isolates from domestically acquired infections had subtypes that were also found in food as opposed to 31% of travel-associated infections. The results showed differences in the various Campylobacter populations, e.g. the Danish population as reflected in the domestically acquired infections and the Danish-produced food was more uniform than the isolates originating from outside the country. The study shows that most C. jejuni subtypes found in poultry food samples, broiler chickens, and cattle were represented in the domestically acquired cases, indicating that C. jejuni from these reservoirs are likely sources of human infections in Denmark.
Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia: comparison of clinical, epidemiological characteristics and laboratory profiles
Authors: PULJIZ I. , KUZMAN I. , DAKOVIC-RODE O. , SCHÖNWALD N. , MISE B.
Published: November 2005

The purpose of our retrospective 3-year study was to analyse and compare clinical and epidemiological characteristics in hospitalized patients older than 6 years with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae (87 patients) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (147 patients). C. pneumoniae and M. pneumoniae infection was confirmed by serology. C. pneumoniae patients were older (42·12 vs. 24·64 years), and were less likely to have a cough, rhinitis, and hoarseness (P<0·001). C. pneumoniae patients had higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) than M. pneumoniae patients (P<0·001). Pleural effusion was recorded more frequently in patients with M. pneumoniae (8·84 vs. 3·37%). There were no characteristic epidemiological and clinical findings that would distinguish CAP caused by M. pneumoniae from C. pneumoniae. However, some factors are indicative for C. pneumoniae such as older age, lack of cough, rhinitis, hoarseness, and higher value of CRP, and AST.
Seroepidemiology of diphtheria and pertussis in Luxembourg in 2000
Authors: MOSSONG J. , PUTZ L. , SHKEDY Z. , SCHNEIDER F.
Published: November 2005

A large serosurvey was carried out in Luxembourg in 2000–2001, to determine the population immunity against a number of vaccine-preventable infections including diphtheria and pertussis. Immunity to diphtheria and pertussis was assessed using an in-house neutralization assay and a commercial ELISA test respectively. Mean pertussis antibody activity decreased from 4 to 8 years of age, reflecting the effects of waning of vaccine-induced immunity. Mean pertussis antibody activity increased during adolescence due to infection in previously vaccinated individuals and levelled out after approximately 20 years of age. For adults >25 years age, a statistically significant 30% difference in mean antibody activity between men and women was observed. The proportion of seronegatives for diphtheria among children and adolescents aged <20 years was 2·5% reflecting the high vaccination coverage. The proportion seronegative for diphtheria tended to increase with age such that 42% of individuals aged >40 years were seronegative. Our study supports the recently introduced acellular pertussis vaccine booster at 6 years to reduce pertussis transmission in school-aged children and adolescents.
Detailed analysis of the genetic evolution of influenza virus during the course of an epidemic
Authors: LAVENU A. , LERUEZ-VILLE M. , CHAIX M.-L. , BOELLE P.-Y. , ROGEZ S. , FREYMUTH F. , HAY A. , ROUZIOUX C. , CARRAT F.
Published: November 2005

The genetic variability of influenza virus is usually studied with sequences selected over numerous years and countries, and rarely within a single season. Here we examined the viral evolution and the correlation between genetic and clinical features during an epidemic. From a French prospective household-based study in 1999–2000, 99 infected patients were randomly selected. The HA1 genomic domain was sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis showed the existence of two groups of A/H3N2 viruses. We found no distinct pattern of genomic evolution within either group according to time. A spatial correlation with the nucleotide distances was shown. The average nucleotide diversity was 3·4×10−3 nucleotides per site, and did not differ between the groups. A lower number of segregating sites was observed in patients who experienced influenza-like symptoms during the previous epidemic. These results suggest that the influenza virus undergoes regular HA1 nucleotide changes, but without clonal expansion of mutant strains within a single epidemic.
Ontogeny of muscle mechanical advantage in capuchin monkeys (Cebus albifrons and Cebus apella)
Authors: Young J. W.
Published: November 2005

Terrestrial locomotion requires that animals maintain postural stability against the flexing force of gravity. To counteract volume/area relationships that limit muscle force and may compromise stability, larger animals increase the effective mechanical advantage of their extensor musculature by walking on more extended limbs and showing allometric increases in extensor muscle lever arm lengths. Assuming these size‐related principles are uniform, similar adaptations should characterize ontogenetic increases in size. Previous research on non‐primate mammals has shown, however, that extensor muscle mechanical advantage is greater early in ontogeny and decreases with negative allometry during growth. This study extended this work by investigating patterns of relative elbow lever arm growth in two capuchin monkeys, Cebus albifrons and Cebus apella. Unlike previously studied mammals, growing capuchin monkeys face unique anatomical constraints, including relatively long limb bones and positively allometric limb growth. These constraints could augment the flexing torque of gravity at the limb joints and require compensatory increases in extensor muscle mechanical advantage as size increases through growth. Forearm length and the length of elbow extensor and flexor muscle lever arms were measured in longitudinal radiographic series of growing capuchin monkeys. In contrast to other mammals, all lengths scaled to body mass with positive allometry. Anatomical mechanical advantage (lever arm length/forelimb length) scaled with negative allometry, however, matching the non‐primate mammalian trend. Greater muscle mechanical advantage during early locomotion may help young mammals overcome relatively weak extensor muscles and other growth‐related limits on locomotor performance. Additional data on ontogenetic changes in gait dynamics and musculoskeletal growth are required to validate this hypothesis.
Sex and darts in slugs and snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Stylommatophora)
Authors: Davison Angus , Wade Christopher M. , Mordan Peter B. , Chiba Satoshi
Published: November 2005

In the final stages of an elaborate courtship, many slugs and snails shoot calcareous ‘love’ darts into each other. While darts improve the reproductive success of the shooter, by promoting sperm survival in the recipient, it is unclear why some species have darts and others do not. In fact, dart use has barely been studied, except in the garden snailCantareus aspersus(Helix aspersa). An evolutionary approach was therefore taken to attempt to understand the origin and use of darts, by investigating mating behaviour in a wide range of species. The prediction was that, because darts could have arisen out of an escalating cycle of sperm digestion and investment in sperm, then darts should be found in taxa that enforce simultaneous reciprocity during mating. Likewise, they should not be found in taxa that mate unilaterally, because the co‐evolutionary cycle is absent or reduced. Mating behaviour in 60 genera (28 families) of land snails and slugs was recorded, and compared against dart use across the whole of a stylommatophoran phylogeny. ‘Face‐to‐face’ simultaneous reciprocal‐mating behaviour is restricted to three monophyletic groups of snails and slugs, and dart‐bearing species are a subset within the same clades, which suggests a link, though not necessarily a causal one. As yet, we are unable to quantify the extent to which darts or mating behaviour, as well as several other correlated characters, are determined by common ancestry or regimes of natural or sexual selection, because the current phylogeny lacks resolution. However, the results emphasize that to understand the use of darts, then data are required from a wide range of species. The realization that several characters are correlated may stimulate further research, and could eventually lead to some testable models for dart and mating behaviour evolution.
Electronic, aesthetic and social factors in Net music
Authors: FÖLLMER GOLO
Published: November 2005

This article presents results of a study on ‘Net music’ that was initiated in 1996 and presented in 2002 as a doctoral dissertation at Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg in Germany (Föllmer 2005). Since no scholarship encompassing the whole field as defined by the term ‘Net music’ has been published until recently, the study involved the collection and analysis of a broad spectrum of musical projects that employ the Internet in very different ways. Around seventy examples considered to be classifiable as Net music were chosen to represent the scope of different approaches to how electronic networks can be used for making music. The first part of this article describes three outstanding examples of Net music and their interplay with particularly important characteristics of electronic networks. The second part discusses a possible typology of Net music.
Open Sound Control: an enabling technology for musical networking
Authors: WRIGHT MATTHEW
Published: November 2005

Since telecommunication can never equal the richness of face-to-face interaction on its own terms, the most interesting examples of networked music go beyond the paradigm of musicians playing together in a virtual room. The Open Sound Control protocol has facilitated dozens of such innovative networked music projects. First the protocol itself is described, followed by some theoretical limits on communication latency and what they mean for music making. Then a representative list of some of the projects that take advantage of the protocol is presented, describing each project in terms of the paradigm of musical interaction that it provides.
Auracle: a voice-controlled, networked sound instrument
Authors: FREEMAN JASON , VARNIK KRISTJAN , RAMAKRISHNAN C. , NEUHAUS MAX , BURK PHIL , BIRCHFIELD DAVID
Published: November 2005

Auracle is a voice-controlled, networked sound instrument that enables users to control a software synthesizer with their voice and to interact with each other in real time over the Internet. This paper discusses the historical background of the project, beginning with Neuhaus' ‘virtual aural spaces’ in the 1960s and relating them to Barbosa's conception of ‘shared sonic environments’. The architecture of the system is described in detail, including the multi-level analysis of vocal input, the communication of that analysis data across the network, and the mapping of that data onto a software synthesizer.

Not only is Auracle itself a collaborative, networked instrument, but it was developed through a collaborative, networked process. The project's development mechanisms are examined, including the use of existing tools for distributed development, the creation of custom development applications, the adoption of extreme programming practices, and the use of Auracle itself as a means for communication and collaboration among developers.
Public Sound Objects: a shared environment for networked music practice on the Web
Authors: BARBOSA ALVARO
Published: November 2005

The Public Sound Objects (PSOs) project consists of the development of a networked musical system, which is an experimental framework to implement and test new concepts for online music communication. The PSOs project approaches the idea of collaborative musical performances over the Internet by aiming to go beyond the concept of using computer networks as a channel to connect performing spaces. This is achieved by exploring the internet's shared nature in order to provide a public musical space where anonymous users can meet and be found performing in collective sonic art pieces.

The system itself is an interface-decoupled musical instrument, in which a remote user interface and a sound processing engine reside with different hosts in an extreme scenario where a user can access the synthesizer from any place in the world using the World Wide Web. Specific software features were implemented in order to reduce the disruptive effects of network latency, such as dynamic adaptation of the musical tempo to communication latency measured in real time and consistent sound panning with the object's behaviour at the graphical user interface.
CODES: a Web-based environment for cooperative music prototyping
Authors: MILETTO EVANDRO MANARA , PIMENTA MARCELO SOARES , VICARI ROSA MARIA , FLORES LUCIANO VARGAS
Published: November 2005

This paper presents CODES – COoperative Music Prototype DESign, a Web-based environment for cooperative music prototyping. Its main goal is to allow any user – especially those with no expertise in music – to draft musical pieces collectively, in a prototyping manner. So, such musical sketches – we call them music prototypes – can be repeatedly tested, listened to, and modified, not only by their original creators but also by the online partners that will cooperate in their refinement, until their final form is reached. CODES enables sharing of knowledge by means of rich interaction and argumentation mechanisms associated to each prototype modification, which are also secure ways of providing awareness to this asynchronous collaborative environment. In this paper, we present the concept of music prototyping and introduce the main aspects related to cooperative prototyping of musical pieces, focusing on issues concerning a musical piece as a collective creation of a virtual community. We will also show some usage examples as a means to describe the overall architecture, behaviour and potentials of the CODES environment.
Sinnfindung, Krankheitsverarbeitung und Lebensqualität von Tumorpatienten im perioperativen Verlauf
Authors: Taubert Steffen , Förster Charis
Published: November 2005

Zusammenfassung. Untersucht wird die Bedeutung individueller Sinnfindungsprozesse bei der Verarbeitung einer Tumorerkrankung im peri- und postoperativen Verlauf. Unter Sinnfindung wird die Verarbeitung der Bedrohung durch eine positive Deutung von Teilaspekten der Krankheitserfahrung verstanden. Ausgewertet wurden Daten von 32 Frauen und 52 Männern im Alter von 34 bis 86 Jahren (M = 63 Jahre, SD = 11 Jahre), die wegen eines Tumors im Gastrointestinaltrakt oder in der Lunge operiert wurden. Die Messzeitpunkte lagen drei Tage vor (t1), eine Woche (t2), einen Monat (t3) und ein halbes Jahr (t4) nach der Tumoroperation. Die Ausprägung von Sinnfindung war zu allen Messzeitpunkten hoch, und sie war bedeutsam höher als die von problembezogener und emotionsregulierender Krankheitsverarbeitung. Dennoch war ein signifikanter Anstieg von Sinnfindung während des Erhebungszeitraums zu beobachten. Sinnfindung korrelierte nicht bedeutsam mit emotionalem Wohlbefinden und gesundheitsbezogener Lebensqualität. Stattdessen stand der intra-individuelle Anstieg von Sinnfindung im Zeitraum von t1 zu t3 auch dann noch im Zusammenhang mit Depressivität und globaler gesundheitsbezogener Lebensqualität zu t4, wenn für die Ausgangswerte (t1) kontrolliert wurde. Entscheidender als die Ausprägung von Sinnfindung ist somit der intra-individuelle Zuwachs im perioperativen Krankheitsverarbeitungsprozess.
A Multitrait-Multimethod Model for the Measurement of Sensitivity to Reward and Sensitivity to Punishment
Authors: Beauducel André , Kersting Martin , Liepmann Detlev
Published: November 2005

Abstract. It was investigated whether sensitivity to reward and sensitivity to punishment as conceived in Gray's (1991) Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory could be measured by means of a multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) model containing method factors representing situational variance. On the basis of the similarities between sensitivity to reward and punishment with promotion- and prevention-orientation, as discussed in the organizational context, the situational contexts were mainly chosen from school and organization. A total of 347 German participants completed a 58-item questionnaire measuring sensitivity to reward and punishment in the context of the team, of supervisors/instructors, and consumption. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a factor for sensitivity to reward, for sensitivity to punishment, and three situational context factors (team, supervisor/instructor, and consumption). Thus, the situational variance could be controlled by means of the MTMM design. Moreover, some relations of sensitivity to reward and punishment with educational performance were found.
Investigating the Circumplex Structure of the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ)
Authors: Hinz Andreas , Brähler Elmar , Schmidt Peter , Albani Cornelia
Published: November 2005

Abstract. The Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ) comprises 10 basic values that guide behavior. The Schwartz model postulates that these 10 values build a circumplex structure. We examined the PVQ with respect to its dimensional structure using a representative sample (N = 1896) of the German population. The results of three widely used analyses were compared: multidimensional scaling, factorial analysis (with varimax rotation) of raw scores, and factorial analysis with ipsative values. Furthermore, rank correlations between the theoretically assumed circular distances and the empirical data were calculated. The analyses confirmed that the 10 dimensions of the PVQ can be depicted in a two-dimensional plane. However, the statistical techniques chosen yielded different arrangements of the 10 values in the plane. All statistical methods failed to confirm the circumplex structure postulated by Schwartz. Nevertheless, dimensions of higher order that condense the 10 dimensions can be derived for applications of the PVQ.
Cognitive Ability and Self-Reported Efficacy of Self-Presentation Predict Faking on Personality Measures
Authors: Pauls Cornelia A. , Crost Nicolas W.
Published: November 2005

Abstract. The main aim of the present study was to investigate whether faking on personality measures is predicted by cognitive ability and self-reported efficacy of positive self-presentation (ESP) assessed under honest conditions. 123 participants completed the NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) and the self-deceptive enhancement (SDE) and impression management (IM) scales of the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding Version 7 (BIDR) under four instructional sets: honest, fake bad, fake good, and two specifically formulated applicant instructions. In line with the assumption that personality measures lose their original meaning under the instruction to fake, it could be shown that the relationship between honest and faked NEO-FFI scales decreased with increasing situational pressure. In line with the hypothesis that faking reflects an ability, it could be demonstrated that general intelligence was related to the amount of faking, to the ability to perceive the situational requirements, and to the ability to fake in line with the situational requirements. In addition, self-reported ESP, but not SDE and IM, was positively related to positive self-presentation. Our findings imply that faking on personality measures should not only be seen as a threat to validity, but rather as a positive, adaptive, and probably predictive variable, which should be investigated in its own right.