bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Associations Between Verbal Reasoning, Normative Beliefs About Aggression, and Different Forms of Aggression
Authors: Kikas Eve , Peets Kätlin , Tropp Kristiina , Hinn Maris
Published: February 2009

The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of sex, verbal reasoning, and normative beliefs on direct and indirect forms of aggression. Three scales from the Peer Estimated Conflict Behavior Questionnaire, Verbal Reasoning tests, and an extended version of Normative Beliefs About Aggression Scale were administered to 663 Estonian students (289 boys and 374 girls; 150 fifth, 264 seventh, and 249 ninth graders; ages 11–16). Self‐ and same‐sex peer ratings were used to assess the frequency of aggression. Associations between study variables were examined using structural equation modeling. Results showed that boys had higher levels of physical and verbal aggression in all the grades and higher levels of indirect aggression in Grade 7. Verbal reasoning predicted negatively all the forms of aggression, except for indirect aggression in Grade 7. Normative beliefs had a positive effect on all three forms of aggression in Grade 7 and Grade 9.
Academic Achievement and Adolescents' Daily Time Use in the Social and Academic Domains
Authors: Witkow Melissa R.
Published: February 2009

The present study used the daily diary method to investigate the role of achievement in adolescents' patterns of time use in the academic and social domains. A diverse sample of over 700 ninth grade students completed three‐page checklists every night for 14 consecutive nights, providing information on their time use for the day. As hypothesized, averaged over the 14‐day study period, high achieving adolescents spent more time studying without spending less time with their friends than lower achieving students. However, differences between high and low achieving students were not just in their average time use, but also varied on a daily basis. These daily differences helped explain how high achieving students were able to spend more time overall than lower achieving students across these two domains. The role of achievement in adolescents' time use patterns was similar for boys and girls and across ethnic groups.
Neighborhood Attachment in the Multiethnic Metropolis
Authors: Greif Meredith J.
Published: February 2009

In acknowledging that patterns of neighborhood attachment—a key component in the maintenance of neighborhood vitality—may shift as a result of growing racial and ethnic diversity, this study develops a multiethnic and multilevel framework to examine the link between racial diversity and attachment among Los Angeles residents. the expansion of the Asian and Hispanic populations may affect attachment patterns if group members exhibit different levels of attachment compared with blacks and whites, due to factors such as illegal citizenship and poorer neighborhood resources. Additionally, their presence in neighborhoods may influence other residents’ attachment by triggering racial prejudice or concerns about local resources. Using the 2001 Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (LAFANS), this analysis demonstrates that Asians and Hispanics modestly diverge from blacks and whites in the strength of their attachment, due in part to individual and neighborhood characteristics. Although the neighborhood presence of blacks and Hispanics moderately diminishes some aspects of residents’ attachment, regardless of individual race, in many instances neighborhood racial composition fails to exert a significant impact on neighborhood attachment.
Yet Another View on Why a Home Is One's Castle
Authors: Hasanov Fuad , Dacy Douglas C.
Published: February 2009

We compute equity‐based real after‐tax rates of return for homeowners and landlords in the United States for 1952–2005. The study confirms that a combined aggregate for residential housing provides a high average net return and low volatility, has low correlation with financial assets and can provide hedge against inflation. The efficient frontier analysis shows that the optimal portfolio for a household with a coefficient of relative risk aversion of four to five is one which contains a bit larger amount of housing than stocks, close to what one observes in the real world.
Rate of progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia – meta‐analysis of 41 robust inception cohort studies
Authors: Mitchell A. J. , Shiri‐Feshki M.
Published: February 2009

Objective: To quantify the risk of developing dementia in those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Method: Meta‐analysis of inception cohort studies.

Results: Forty‐one robust cohort studies were identified. To avoid heterogeneity clinical studies, population studies and clinical trials were analysed separately. Using Mayo defined MCI at baseline and adjusting for sample size, the cumulative proportion who progressed to dementia, to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and to vascular dementia (VaD) was 39.2%, 33.6% and 6.2%, respectively in specialist settings and 21.9%, 28.9% and 5.2%, respectively in population studies. The adjusted annual conversion rate (ACR) from Mayo defined MCI to dementia, AD and VaD was 9.6%, 8.1% and 1.9%, respectively in specialist clinical settings and 4.9%, 6.8% and 1.6% in community studies. Figures from non‐Mayo defined MCI and clinical trials are also reported.

Conclusion: The ACR is approximately 5–10% and most people with MCI will not progress to dementia even after 10 years of follow‐up.
Cytogenetic abnormalities in essential thrombocythemia: prevalence and prognostic significance
Authors: Gangat Naseema , Tefferi Ayalew , Thanarajasingam Gita , Patnaik Mrinal , Schwager Susan , Ketterling Rhett , Wolanskyj Alexandra P.
Published: February 2009

Objectives:  In the current study we describe cytogenetic findings as well as clinical correlates and long‐term prognostic relevance of abnormal cytogenetics at the time of diagnosis of essential thrombocythemia (ET).

Patients and methods:  The study cohort consisted of a consecutive group of patients with ET who fulfilled the World Health Organization diagnostic criteria, and in whom cytogenetic analysis was performed at diagnosis.

Results:  A total of 402 patients were studied (median age, 56 yrs; median follow‐up 70 months). The prevalence of abnormal cytogenetics at diagnosis was 7% (28 of 402). The most common cytogenetic anomalies were trisomy 9 (four patients), abnormal chromosome 1 (three patients) and trisomy 8 (two patients). Parameters at diagnosis that were significantly associated with abnormal cytogenetics included palpable splenomegaly (P = 0.03), current tobacco use (P = 0.04); venous thrombosis (P = 0.02), and anemia with a hemoglobin of <10 g/dL (P = 0.02); but did not include JAK2V617F mutation status, or advanced age. During follow up, patients with abnormal cytogenetics did not have shorter survival, or increased transformation to acute leukemia or myelofibrosis.

Conclusion:  Cytogenetic anomalies at diagnosis are relatively uncommon in ET, and do not predict evolution into more aggressive myeloid disorders, or inferior survival.
Activators of PPARs and LXR decrease the adverse effects of exogenous glucocorticoids on the epidermis
Authors: Demerjian Marianne , Choi Eung‐Ho , Man Mao‐Qiang , Chang Sandra , Elias Peter M. , Feingold Kenneth R.
Published: February 2009

Abstract:  While glucocorticoids (GC) exert beneficial effects (anti‐inflammatory), they also have adverse effects on the epidermis including decreased epidermal differentiation, decreased keratinocyte proliferation, and decreased cutaneous permeability barrier homeostasis. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop strategies to prevent these GC toxicities using simultaneous topical treatments in clobetasol‐treated mice. While a triple‐lipid mixture of stratum corneum lipids (ceramide, free fatty acid and cholesterol) was previously shown to reverse the GC‐induced abnormality in cutaneous barrier function [J Invest Dermatol, 120 (2003) 456], this lipid mixture did not prevent the GC‐induced abnormalities in either keratinocyte proliferation or differentiation. As activators of PPARα, β/δ, γ and LXR, regulate keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation and improve permeability barrier homeostasis, we next assessed the effects of these activators during concurrent GC treatment. Co‐application of either ciglitazone (PPARγ activator), clofibrate (PPARα activator) or 22R (OH) cholesterol (LXR activator) with clobetasol prevented the decrease in involucrin, filaggrin and loricrin expression. By contrast, a PPARβ/δ activator (GW501516) normalized only the expression of involucrin and filaggrin but not loricrin. Moreover, topical application of PPARα, β/δ or LXR activators partially prevented the decrease in keratinocyte proliferation in GC‐treated murine skin, as measured using PCNA, while no effect was seen after co‐treatment with PPARγ activators. Finally, PPARγ and PPARβ/δ activators but not PPARα and LXR activators improved permeability barrier homeostasis in GC‐treated mice. Together, these studies demonstrate that PPAR and LXR activators can prevent several of the adverse effects of topical GC on the epidermis.
Correlation of 4Pi and Electron Microscopy to Study Transport Through Single Golgi Stacks in Living Cells with Super Resolution
Authors: Perinetti Giuseppe , Müller Tobias , Spaar Alexander , Polishchuk Roman , Luini Alberto , Egner Alexander
Published: February 2009

Two problems have hampered the use of light microscopy for structural studies of cellular organelles for a long time: the limited resolution and the difficulty of obtaining true structural boundaries from complex intensity curves. The advent of modern high‐resolution light microscopy techniques and their combination with objective image segmentation now provide us with the means to bridge the gap between light and electron microscopy in cell biology applications. In this study, we provide the first comparative correlative analysis of three‐dimensional structures obtained by 4Pi microscopy and segmented by a zero‐crossing procedure with those of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The distribution within the cisternae of isolated Golgi stacks of the cargo protein procollagen 3 was mapped by both 4Pi microscopy and TEM for a detailed comparative analysis of their imaging capabilities. A high correlation was seen for the structures, indicating the particular accuracy of the 4Pi microscopy. Furthermore, for the first time, transport of a cargo molecule (vesicular stomatitis virus G protein‐pEGFP) through individual Golgi stacks (labeled by galactosyl transferase‐venusYFP) was visualized by 4Pi microscopy. Following the procedures validated by the correlative analysis, our transport experiments show that (i) VSVG‐pEGFP rapidly enter/exit individual Golgi stacks, (ii) VSVG‐pEGFP never fills the GalT‐venusYFP compartments completely and (iii) the GalT‐venusYFP compartment volume increases upon VSVG‐pEGFP arrival. This morphological evidence supports some previous TEM‐based observations of intra‐Golgi transport of VSVG‐pEGFP and provides new insights toward a better understanding of protein progression across Golgi stacks. Our study thus demonstrates the general applicability of super‐resolution fluorescence microscopy, coupled with the zero‐crossing segmentation procedure, for structural studies of suborganelle protein distributions under living cell conditions.
Adiponectin levels are high in children with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21‐hydroxylase deficiency
Authors: Völkl Thomas MK , Simm Diemud , Körner Antje , Kiess Wieland , Kratzsch Jürgen , Dörr Helmuth G
Published: February 2009

Objective: It has been shown that adiponectin serves as an insulin‐sensitizing adipokine. Serum concentrations of adiponectin are low in children with obesity, and increase with fat mass loss, indicating that adiponectin can serve as a biomarker. Since the prevalence of overweight and obesity is increased in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), our study aimed to evaluate serum levels of adiponectin in a cohort of CAH children and adolescents, and their associations with clinical parameters such as chronological age (CA), body mass index (BMI), Tanner stage (TS), medication and metabolic control.

Patients and methods: We studied 51 patients, aged between 5.6 and 19.6 years (median 11.8; 30 females, 21 males), cross‐sectionally. All patients had genetically confirmed CAH and received standard steroid substitution therapy. Adiponectin was measured by an enzyme linked immunoassay. Since BMI SDS of the CAH cohort were significantly higher compared to the reference population, we built matched pairs with healthy Caucasian subjects from a normal representative cohort for sex, Tanner stage, chronologic age and BMI.

Results: Adiponectin concentrations were significantly higher in CAH patients (median 11 μg/L) compared to the matched controls (6.7 μg/L, p < 0.0001). Correlation analyses in CAH patients revealed a significant inverse relationship between adiponectin and CA, TS, BMI, serum DHEAS and serum testosterone, but no correlation with hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone dosage.

Conclusion: Currently, the importance of the elevated adiponectin concentrations in CAH children for risk assessment is not clear. However, our data imply that besides adequate metabolic control of glucocorticoid substitution, a long‐term follow‐up of other metabolic markers of insulin resistance should be conducted in CAH patients.
Decreased T‐cell receptor excision DNA circles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells among benzene‐exposed workers
Authors: Li B. , Li Y. Q. , Yang L. J. , Chen S. H. , Yu W. , Chen J. Y. , Liu W. W.
Published: February 2009

Benzene is a volatile aromatic hydrocarbon solvent which is widely used in many industries. The chronic exposure of humans to benzene in the workplace has been associated with blood disorders, as well as toxicity in lymphopoiesis, including aplastic anaemia and leukaemia. However, the mechanisms of benzene‐induced haematotoxicity and leukaemogenesis remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the level of T‐cell receptor excision DNA circles (TRECs) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in benzene‐exposed workers. This would therefore be considered as a potential marker for estimates of thymic output and an evaluation of the content of naïve T‐cells. It is hoped that the data will bring a comprehensive understanding on the influence of benzene exposure in the host T‐cell immune function. Quantitative detection of TRECs in DNA of PBMCs from benzene‐exposed workers was preformed by real‐time polymerase chain reaction using the TaqMan technique. The benzene‐exposed workers were divided into four groups, and 27 normal individuals were served as controls. The result indicated that the TRECs levels of all benzene‐exposed groups were significantly decreased as compared with those of controls. In conclusion, the recent thymic output function and the T‐cell immune function were apparently impaired in workers after benzene exposure.
Developing a food exchange list for Middle Eastern appetisers and desserts commonly consumed in Jordan
Authors: BAWADI Hiba A. , AL‐SHWAIYAT Naseem M. , TAYYEM Reema F. , MEKARY Rania , TUURI Georgianna
Published: February 2009

Aim:  The present study was conducted to develop a meal‐planning exchange list for Middle Eastern foods commonly included in the Jordanian cuisine.

Methods:  Forty types of appetisers and another 40 types of desserts were selected, with five different recipes for each item. Recipes were collected from different housewives and Arabic cookbooks. Ingredients’ weight and dish net weight were recorded based on an average recipe, and dishes were prepared accordingly. Dishes were proximately analysed following the Association of Official Analytical Chemists procedures. Proximate analysis was compared with the World Health Organisation Food Composition Tables for the Use in the Middle East, and with food analysis software (ESHA).

Results:  Significant correlations (P < 0.001) were found between macronutrient content obtained from proximate analysis and those obtained from ESHA. The correlation coefficients (r) were 0.92 for carbohydrate, 0.86 for protein and 0.86 for fat. Strong correlations were also detected between proximate analysis World Health Organisation food composition tables for carbohydrate (r = 0.91, P < 0.001) and protein (r = 0.81; P < 0.001) contents. However, this significant correlation was not found as strong, yet significant for fat (r = 0. 62, P < 0.001).

Conclusion:  A valid exchange system for traditional desserts and appetisers is now available and ready to be used by dietitians and health‐care providers in Jordan and Arab World.
Pilot study of an innovative model for clinical education in dietetics
Authors: ROBERTS Noel J. , BROCKINGTON Sonia , DOYLE Elizabeth , PEARCE Leonie M. , BOWIE Alison J. , SIMMANCE Natalie , EVANS Sherryn , CROWE Timothy C.
Published: February 2009

Aim:  To pilot and evaluate a new model of clinical dietetics education to address the sustainability of dietetic placements in the clinical setting.

Methods:  Final‐year dietetics students (n = 14) completed all nine weeks of clinical placement in the pilot program at two large tertiary referral and teaching health services in metropolitan Melbourne. Staff and students completed surveys about their experience within a week of completing placement. Data collected included paid and unpaid staff working hours, hours in clinical and teaching activity, hours of student attendance and student clinical work hours. Data for the last month of the placement programs in the preceding three years were used for comparison with the pilot program.

Results:  Combined data for the two providers showed that the model reduced the amount of supervision hours per student hour on placement by 16% while maintaining quality indicators during the pilot compared with previous years. Students in the pilot program were more positive about their experience compared with students in the existing program. The overall trend of responses in the staff surveys was positive for the pilot program, but the trend was not as marked as that of student responses.

Conclusion:  The new model of clinical dietetics education was successfully piloted and demonstrated the potential to increase student training capacity without a negative impact on student achievement or major resource demands. Refinements to the model and opportunities to enhance integration into the dietetics degree program were identified during the project. The learning needs of non‐English‐speaking background students require further scrutiny.
Validation of performance criteria for Australian dietitians' competence in education of individual clients
Authors: CANT Robyn , ARONI Rosalie A.
Published: February 2009

Aim:  The present study examined dietitians' and clients' perceptions of competence required for the process of nutrition education of individuals and used results to validate performance criteria.

Methods:  A sequential qualitative–quantitative design was used. A quota sample of dietitians in one Australian state (n = 46; 12%), working in hospital, community or private practice, attended a focus group or interview. A quota of their clients (n = 34) from eight centres was interviewed. Participants were asked about dietitians' skills and attributes. Audio‐taped data were transcribed verbatim and open‐coded to identify themes; results were used to develop an 88‐item questionnaire asking about educational strategies, counselling skills and professional attributes. Australian dietitians in the targeted population (n = 258; 16%) responded to a Web‐based survey in 2006. Descriptive statistics were used for ranked data and between‐group relationships were examined using χ2. Criterion for item acceptance was ≥70% agreement.

Results:  Results from two phases of research and from dietitians and clients revealed agreement about dietitians' desirable nutrition education skills. In the questionnaire results, no significant differences were found in educational strategies used by employment category, by year of qualification or experience. Forty‐two performance criteria were confirmed and clustered into an eight‐step process model. Underpinning skills of ‘nutrition knowledge’, ‘professional and ethical values’ and ‘communication skill’ were identified as necessary attributes and are described.

Conclusions:  Performance criteria for nutrition education of individuals were confirmed as valid. A process model is presented, which describes a proficient practice level. This should be evaluated further as a nutrition education and counselling practice assessment tool.
Predictors of undergraduates' intention to incorporate glycaemic index into dietary behaviour
Authors: GOODWIN Robyn E. , MULLAN Barbara A.
Published: February 2009

Aim:  The present study used an extension of the theory of planned behaviour to analyse undergraduates' intention to perform behaviour related to the glycaemic index of food. The extended model incorporated measures of past behaviour and pre‐existing knowledge about glycaemic index.

Methods:  Seventy‐two participants read an academic journal article about glycaemic index and completed questionnaires measuring predictor components of the theory of planned behaviour model.

Results:  Subjective norm and attitude were generally observed to be the best predictors of intention. Pre‐existing knowledge about glycaemic index and attitude towards restrained eating were generally found to be poor predictors of intention. Past behaviour exhibited a positive relationship with intention.

Conclusions:  Interventions that focus on dietary behaviour related to the glycaemic index of food should involve individuals who have relationships of influence with the target demographic, such as friends and family, and will need to address modifying ingrained patterns of behaviour.
A systematic review that evaluates one‐stop neck lump clinics
Authors: Cozens N.J.A.
Published: February 2009

Background:  The National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidance on cancer services produced the Improving Outcomes in Head and Neck Cancers in 2004. One of the seven ‘key recommendations’ is the stipulation that ‘diagnostic clinics should be established for patients with neck lumps’.

Objective of review:  The objective of this review was to examine the basis on which the Improving Outcomes Guidance (IOG) makes its specific recommendation for the establishment of neck lump clinics.

Type of review:  This review analyses the original explicit questions asked by the NICE review team, cross references the guidance and evidence documents to examine the strength of the supporting evidence.

Search strategy:  ‘One stop clinic’ and ‘neck lump’ were used as search terms, from 1996 to 2008 to include relevant papers, whether cited by IOG or not.

Evaluation method:  Original articles of all potentially relevant papers were obtained and analysed with respect to the IOG key recommendation above.

Results:  Evaluation of both IOG cited and additional evidence does not corroborate the specific key recommendation that one‐stop neck lump clinics staffed by a surgeon and pathologist must be established in all Cancer networks.

Conclusions:  Overall, the specific NICE IOG guidance does not have the weight of objective evidence to justify such a categorical and specific recommendation. Alternative models of provision of diagnostic clinics may offer equally or more effective patient care than their stipulated ‘one‐stop’ surgeon and pathologist model.
Speech and voice outcomes in oropharyngeal cancer and evaluation of the University of Washington Quality of Life speech domain
Authors: Thomas L. , Jones T.M. , Tandon S. , Carding P. , Lowe D. , Rogers S.
Published: February 2009

Background:  Radical treatment of oropharyngeal cancer can have significant impact on speech & voice outcomes.

Aims:  (i) To assess the extent of speech & voice handicap in disease‐free survivors of oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer. (ii) To assess the validity of the speech domain of UWQOL as a screening tool. (iii) To identify clinical characteristics associated with worse speech/voice outcome.

Design:  Cross‐sectional survey.

Setting:  University Hospital Aintree, a university teaching hospital and tertiary referral centre.

Patients:  All who were treated for oropharyngeal cancer between 1 January 1999 and 31 May 2005, were alive, disease free and willing to participate.

Interventions:  Three patient‐based questionnaires: University of Washington Quality of Life (UWQOL), voice handicap index (VHI) and voice related quality of life (VRQOL). Three expert‐based assessments: GRBAS rating, speech intelligibility and dysarthria rating.

Results:  Sixty‐six per cent of patients participated. Median VHI score (29) & VRQOL score (15) imply mild to moderate voice impairment. 20% of patients had severe handicap (VHI score >60). Forty‐eight per cent had normal voice ratings. Speech was normal in 26%, mildly impaired in 62% and significantly impaired in 12% patients (UWQOL). Correlation between UW‐QOL speech domain with speech intelligibility rating was 0.52 (P < 0.001). There were clear demarcations between UW‐QOL scores of 30, 70 and 100 on the voice questionnaires. Adverse speech and voice function were associated with tumour stage, radiotherapy (RT) & free‐flap surgery.

Conclusions:  Voice & speech impairment is prevalent in >70% of oropharyngeal cancer patients. There is moderate correlation between UWQOL speech domain and speech intelligibility assessment & voice tools making it a quick and easy screening instrument. The main clinical correlates associated with adverse patient and observer rated speech and voice outcomes were tumour stage, RT and free‐flap reconstruction.
Noise levels generated within the external auditory canal during microsuction aural toilet and the effect on hearing: a prospective controlled series
Authors: Snelling J.D. , Smithard A. , Waddell A.
Published: February 2009

Objectives:  To measure the noise generated during suction aural toilet and to determine whether there is any clinically measureable effect on audiometric thresholds.

Study design:  Prospective, controlled study with 14 patients.

Setting:  The study was conducted in an aural toilet clinic in a district general ENT department.

Participants:  Fourteen patients who attend regularly for suction aural toilet to clear cerumen.

Main outcome measures:  Live direct measurement of noise levels during treatment. Pre‐treatment and post‐treatment pure tone audiometry.

Results:  Microsuction generated a broadband sound with a peak at 2 kHz. Sound levels peaked at over 120 dB(A) in two patients. We found no evidence of any shift in audiometric thresholds following microsuction aural toilet.

Conclusions:  Microsuction is a noisy procedure that is uncomfortable for some patients. However, it does not appear to be sufficiently noisy to produce a clinically detectable threshold shift. We would suggest that it is safe but that the use of non‐suction methods or a fine end may on occasion be preferable to improve patient comfort.
Prescribed fires and retention trees help to conserve beetle diversity in managed boreal forests despite their transient negative effects on some beetle groups
Authors: HYVÄRINEN ESKO , KOUKI JARI , MARTIKAINEN PETRI
Published: February 2009

Abstract.

Controlled burning and green‐tree retention have been suggested to alleviate the negative effects of forestry on species diversity in boreal forests, but the ecological impacts of these measures are poorly known.

We studied experimentally the response of four ecological groups of beetles – saproxylics, herbivores, species on ephemeral resources, and litter‐dwelling species – to different harvesting intensities and controlled burning in Scots pine‐dominated forests. The study included four levels of green‐tree retention (0, 10, 50 m3 ha−1, and no harvesting) with burning on 12 of the 24 study sites, covering ~4 ha each. A beetle data of 153 334 individuals representing 1142 species were collected during one pre‐treatment (2000) and two post‐treatment years (2001–2002), using window traps.

Species richness increased in all four groups after harvesting, with and without burning, and there were major community‐level changes. The species richness of saproxylics and herbivores continued to increase in the second post‐treatment year on burned sites, whereas it decreased on many unburned sites. The assemblages were strongly affected by the treatments, but higher volumes of green‐tree retention maintained them closer to the pre‐treatment structure.

Although some ecological groups, such as species on ephemeral resources, experienced substantial turnover as a result of burning, populations of species that initially declined recovered. Since the increase in the saproxylics was evident, and the population reductions of other species were transient, we recommend the controlled burning with reasonable volumes of green‐tree retention to reduce negative effects of forestry on insect diversity.
Highly polymorphic in silico‐derived microsatellite loci in the potato‐infecting fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani anastomosis group 3 from the Colombian Andes
Authors: FERRUCHO R. L. , ZALA M. , ZHANG Z. , CUBETA M. A. , GARCIA‐DOMINGUEZ C. , CERESINI P. C.
Published: February 2009

Fourteen polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers derived from the draft genome sequence of Rhizoctonia solani anastomosis group 3 (AG‐3), strain Rhs 1AP, were designed and characterized from the potato‐infecting soil fungus R. solani AG‐3. All loci were polymorphic in two field populations collected from Solanum tuberosum and S. phureja in the Colombian Andes. The total number of alleles per locus ranged from two to seven, while gene diversity (expected heterozygosity) varied from 0.11 to 0.81. Considering the variable levels of genetic diversity observed, these markers should be useful for population genetic analyses of this important dikaryotic fungal pathogen on a global scale.
Isolation and characterization of 17 microsatellite loci for the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
Authors: OH KEVIN P. , BADYAEV ALEXANDER V.
Published: February 2009

The house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) has emerged recently as a model species in studies of sexual selection, reproductive physiology, population genetics, and epizootic disease ecology. Here we describe 17 highly polymorphic microsatellite loci for this species. In a sample of 36 individuals, we observed an average of 16 alleles per locus and heterozygosity ranged from 0.61 to 0.97. One locus showed significant deviation from Hardy–Weinberg proportions, but no significant gametic disequilibrium was observed among any of the loci. Amplification by polymerase chain reaction was optimized under similar parameters across loci, thereby facilitating multiplexing and rapid multilocus genotyping.
Isolation and characterization of 11 microsatellite loci from Oropsylla hirsuta, a vector of sylvatic plague
Authors: JONES PHILIP H. , WALLACE LISA , BITTEN HUGH B.
Published: February 2009

The flea (Oropsylla hirsuta) is an important vector of the plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, in black‐tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies. We developed 11 anonymous microsatellite primers for O. hirsuta using a subtractive hybridization procedure. All primers were polymorphic exhibiting 4–12 alleles.
A Baby Pterodactyloid Pterosaur from the Yixian Formation of Ningcheng, Inner Mongolia, China
Authors: LÜ Junchang
Published: February 2009

A new baby pterodactyloid pterosaur with soft tissue preserved,Ningchengopterus liuaegen. et sp. nov., is erected based on a nearly complete skeleton with a skull. It was characterized by the skull, slightly longer than the combined length of the dorsal and sacral vertebrae; 50 teeth (including upper and lower jaws); short mid‐cervical vertebrae; the humerus and the scapula, equal to that of the wing metacarpal in length; the ulna and the femur, equal to that of the first and third wing phalanx in length, respectively. The similar ratio of the wing phalanx 2 to wing phalanx 1 ofNingchengopterusandEosipterusimplies thatNingchengopterusmay be close to the ctenochasmatid pterosaur. However, it may also imply that the isometrically growing of the first two wing phalanges exists among some pterosaurs.
Yarlongite: A New Metallic Carbide Mineral
Authors: SHI Nicheng , BAI Wenji , LI Guowu , XIONG Ming , FANG Qingsong , YANG Jingsui , MA Zhesheng , RONG He
Published: February 2009

Yarlongite occurs in ophiolitic chromitite at the Luobusha mine (29°5′N 92°5′E, about 200 km ESE of Lhasa), Qusum County, Shannan Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. Associated minerals are: diamond, moissanite, wüstite, iridium (“osmiridium”), osmium (“iridosmine”), periclase, chromite, native iron, native nickel, native chromium, forsterite, Cr‐rich diopside, intermetallic compounds Ni‐Fe‐Cr, Ni‐Cr, Cr‐C, etc. Yarlongite and its associated minerals were handpicked from a large heavy mineral sample of chromitite. The metallic carbides associated with yarlongite are cohenite, tongbaite, khamrabaevite and qusongite (IMA2007–034). Yarlongite occurs as irregular grains, with a size between 0.02 and 0.06 mm, steel‐grey colour, H Mohs: 5½–6. Tenacity: brittle. Cleavage: {0 0 1} perfect. Fracture: conchoidal. Chemical formula: (Cr4Fe4Ni)Σ9C4, or (Cr,Fe,Ni)Σ9C4, Crystal system: Hexagonal, Space Group: P63/mc, a= 18.839(2) Å, c= 4.4960 (9) Å, V= 745.7(2) Å3, Z= 6, Density (calc.) = 7.19 g/cm3 (with simplified formula). Yarlongite has been approved as a new mineral by the CNMNC (IMA2007–035). Holotype material is deposited at the Geological Museum of China (No. M11650).
Tectonic Evolution of the Middle Frontal Area of the Longmen Mountain Thrust Belt, Western Sichuan Basin, China
Authors: JIN Wenzheng , TANG Liangjie , YANG Keming , WAN Guimei , LÜ Zhizhou , YU Yixin
Published: February 2009

By analyzing the balanced cross sections and subsidence history of the Longmen Mountain thrust belt, China, we concluded that it had experienced five tectonic stages: (1) the formation stage (T3x) of the miniature of Longmen Mountain, early Indosinian movement, and Anxian tectonic movement created the Longmen Mountain; (2) the stable tectonic stage (J1) where weaker tectonic movement resulted in the Longmen Mountain thrust belt being slightly uplifted and slightly subsiding the foreland basin; (3) the intense tectonic stage (J2.3), namely the early Yanshan movement; (4) continuous tectonic movement (K‐E), namely the late Yanshan movement and early Himalayan movement; and (5) the formation of Longmen Mountain (N‐Q), namely the late Himalayan movement. During those tectonic deformation stages, the Anxian movement and Himalayan movement played important roles in the Longmen Mountain's formation. The Himalayan movement affected Longmen Mountain the most; the strata thrust intensively and were eroded severely. There are some klippes in the middle part of the Longmen Mountain thrust belt because a few nappes were pushed southeastward in later tectonic deformation.
Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotopes of Waters in the Ordos Basin, China: Implications for Recharge of Groundwater in the North of Cretaceous Groundwater Basin
Authors: YANG Yuncheng , SHEN Zhaoli , WENG Dongguang , HOU Guangcai , ZHAO Zhenhong , WANG Dong , PANG Zhonghe
Published: February 2009

Hundreds of precipitation samples collected from meteorological stations in the Ordos Basin from January 1988 to December 2005 were used to set up a local meteoric water line and to calculate weighted average isotopic compositions of modern precipitation. Oxygen and hydrogen isotopes, with averages of –7.8‰ and –53.0‰ for δ18O and δD, respectively, are depleted in winter and rich in spring, and gradually decrease in summer and fall, illustrating that the seasonal effect is considerable. They also show that the isotopic difference between south portion and north portion of the Ordos Basin are not obvious, and the isotope in the middle portion is normally depleted. The isotope compositions of 32 samples collected from shallow groundwater (less than a depth of 150 m) in desert plateau range from –10.6‰ to –6.0‰ with an average of –8.4‰ for δ18O and from –85‰ to –46‰ with an average of –63‰ for δD. Most of them are identical with modern precipitation. The isotope compositions of 22 middle and deep groundwaters (greater than a depth of 275 m) fall in ranges from –11.6‰ to –8.8‰ with an average of –10.2‰ for δ18O and from –89‰ to –63‰ with an average of –76‰ for δD. The average values are significantly less than those of modern precipitation, illustrating that the middle and deep groundwaters were recharged at comparatively lower air temperatures. Primary analysis of 14C shows that the recharge of the middle and deep groundwaters started at late Pleistocene. The isotopes of 13 lake water samples collected from eight lakes define a local evaporation trend, with a relatively flat slope of 3.77, and show that the lake waters were mainly fed by modern precipitation and shallow groundwater.
Tectonic Landform of Quaternary Lakes and Its Implications for Deformation in the Northern Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau
Authors: WANG An , WANG Guocan , LI Dewei , XIE Defan , LIU Demin
Published: February 2009

The Hohxil region in the northern Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau is occupied by numerous plateau lakes, which have long been inferred as being tectonic products. However, so far little evidence has been found to support this tentative inference. Field survey and morphotectonic analysis of TM satellite images in the eastern segment of the Hohxil region revealed that Kusai Lake and Yelusu Lake are S‐shaped pull‐apart basins, which were dominated by left strike‐slip master faults trending WNW‐ESE. The pull‐apart distances of the two lakes are analyzed to be <15–20 km and 15 km respectively. Based on studies of the faulting rate, the initiation ages of the pull‐apart basins are suggested to be approximately in the Early Pleistocene. The pull‐apart basin tectonics is further regarded as a common mechanism for the widely distributed large lake basins in the northern Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau. Regional distribution of these pull‐apart basins and their substantial intra‐block slip suggest that a sinistral shear stress, which is independent of the distinguished strike‐slip faults, has been imposed on across the northern Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau. Thus, the intra‐block slip may be an important expression of the eastward extrusion of the Plateau crustal material in accommodating the ongoing continent‐continent convergence between India and Eurasia. The revelation of pull‐apart tectonics within the Plateau hinterland provides field evidence and a possible style of deformation for the newly proposed continuous deformation by the global positioning system (GPS) measurement across the northern Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau. A model, with respect to systematic tectonic landform development, for pull‐apart basins is finally proposed.
A Climatic Sequence Stratigraphic Model in the Terrestrial Lacustrine Basin: A Case Study of Green River Formation, Uinta Basin, USA
Authors: WANG Junling , ZHENG Herong , XIAO Huanqin , ZHONG Guohong , STEEL Ronald , YIN Peigui
Published: February 2009

In recent years, with the development of terrestrial sequence stratigraphy, more attention has been focused on the study of the terrestrial lacustrine sequence stratigraphic model globally. Different viewpoints are preferred by researchers. Under the guidance of the theory of sequence stratigraphy, the findings of this paper indicate that climate is a major factor controlling the formation of the fourth‐order sequence, based upon the study of the sequence stratigraphy in the Green River Formation of the Uinta basin in the USA. It also divides the fourth‐order sequence in the terrestrial lacustrine basin into two system tracts: the wet (rising) half‐cycle and the dry (falling) half‐cycle, establishing a new‐style fourth‐order sequence stratigraphic model for the terrestrial lacustrine basin, that is, the climate‐genetic sequence stratigraphic model. As a result, the theory of sequence stratigraphy is greatly enriched.
Accumulation Mechanisms and Evolution History of the Giant Puguang Gas Field, Sichuan Basin, China
Authors: HAO Fang , GUO Tonglou , DU Chunguo , ZOU Huayao , CAI Xunyu , ZHU Yangming , LI Kngping , WANG Chunwu , ZHANG Yuanchun
Published: February 2009

Solid bitumens were found throughout the carbonate reservoirs in the Puguang gas field, the largest gas field so far found in marine carbonates in China, confirming that the Puguang gas field evolved from a paleo‐oil reservoir. The fluid conduit system at the time of intensive oil accumulation in the field was reconstructed, and petroleum migration pathways were modeled using a 3‐D model and traced by geochemical parameters. The forward modeling and inversion tracing coincided with each other and both indicated that oils accumulated in the Puguang‐Dongyuezhai structure originated from a generative kitchen to the northwest of the Puguang gas field. The deposition of organic‐rich Upper Permian source rocks dominated by sapropelic organic matter in the Northeast Sichuan Basin, the development of fluid conduit system that was vertically near‐source rock and laterally near‐generative kitchen, and the focusing of oils originated from a large area of the generative kitchen, were the three requirements for the formation of the giant paleo‐oil reservoir from which the giant Puguang gas field evolved. The Puguang gas field had experienced a three‐stage evolution. The post‐accumulation processes, especially the organic‐inorganic interaction in the hydrocarbon‐water‐rock system, had not only profoundly altered the composition and characteristics of the petroleum fluids, but also obviously changed the physicochemical conditions in the reservoir and resulted in complicated precipitation and solution of carbonate minerals.
Origin and Accumulation of Natural Gases in the Upper Paleozoic Strata of the Ordos Basin in Central China
Authors: ZHU Yangming , WANG Jibao , LIU Xinse , ZHANG Wenzheng
Published: February 2009

The natural gases in the Upper Paleozoic strata of the Ordos basin are characterized by relatively heavy C isotope of gaseous alkanes with δ13C1 and δ13C2 values ranging mainly from –35‰ to –30‰ and –27‰ to –22‰, respectively, high δ13C excursions (round 10) between ethane and methane and predominant methane in hydrocarbon gases with most C1/(C1‐C5) ratios in excess of 0.95, suggesting an origin of coal‐derived gas. The gases exhibit different carbon isotopic profiles for C1‐C4 alkanes with those of the natural gases found in the Lower Paleozoic of this basin, and believed to be originated from Carboniferous‐Permian coal measures. The occurrence of regionally pervasive gas accumulation is distinct in the gently southward‐dipping Shanbei slope of the central basin. It is noted that molecular and isotopic composition changes of the gases in various gas reservoirs are associated with the thermal maturities of gas source rocks. The abundances and δ13C values of methane generally decline northwards and from the basin center to its margins, and the effects of hydrocarbon migration on compositional modification seem insignificant. However, C isotopes of autogenetic calcites in the vertical and lateral section of reservoirs show a regular variation, and are as a whole depleted upwards and towards basin margins. Combination with gas maturity gradient, the analysis could be considered to be a useful tool for gas migration.
Differential Tectonic Deformation of the Longmen Mountain Thrust Belt, Western Sichuan Basin, China
Authors: TANG Liangjie , YANG Keming , JIN Wenzheng , WAN Guimei , LÜ Zhizhou , YU Yixin
Published: February 2009

Field investigation and seismic section explanation showed that the Longmen Mountain Thrust Belt has obvious differential deformation: zonation, segmentation and stratification. Zonation means that, from NW to NE, the Longmen Mountain Thrust Belt can be divided into the Songpan‐Garzê Tectonic Belt, ductile deformation belt, base involved thrust belt, frontal fold‐thrust belt, and foreland depression. Segmentation means that it can be divided into five segments from north to south: the northern segment, the Anxian Transfer Zone, the center segment, the Guanxian Transfer Zone and the southern segment. Stratification means that the detachment layers partition the structural styles in profile. The detachment layers in the Longmen Mountain Thrust Belt can be classified into three categories: the deep‐level detachment layers, including the crust‐mantle system detachment layer, intracrustal detachment layer, and Presinian system basal detachment layer; the middle‐level detachment layers, including Cambrian‐Ordovician detachment layer, Silurian detachment layer, etc.; and shallow‐level detachment layers, including Upper Triassic Xujiahe Formation detachment layer and the Jurassic detachment layers. The multi‐level detachment layers have a very important effect on the shaping and evolution of Longmen Mountain Thrust Belt.
Tectonic Framework and Deep Structure of South China and Their Constraint to Oil‐Gas Field Distribution
Authors: WANG Qingchen , LIU Jinsong , DU Zhili , CAI Liguo
Published: February 2009

South China could be divided into one stable craton, the Yangtze Craton (YzC), and several orogenic belts in the surrounding region, that is the Triassic Qinling‐Dabie Orogenic Belt (QDOB) in the north, the Songpan‐Garzê Orogenic Belt (SGOB) in the northwest, the Mesozoic‐Cenozoic Three‐river Orogenic Belt (TOB) in the west, the Youjiang Orogenic Belt (YOB) in the southwest, the Middle Paleozoic Huanan Orogenic Belt (HOB) in the southeast, and the Mesozoic‐Cenozoic Maritime Orogenic Belt (MOB) along the coast. Seismic tomographic images reveal that the Moho depth is deeper than 40 km and the lithosphere is about 210 km thick beneath the YzC. The SGOB is characterized by thick crust (>40 km) and thin lithosphere (<150 km). The HOB, YOB and MOB have a thin crust (<40 km) and thin lithosphere (<150 km). Terrestrial heat flow survey revealed a distribution pattern with a low heat flow region in the eastern YzC and western HOB and two high heat flow regions in the TOB and MOB respectively. Such a “high‐low‐high” heat flow distribution pattern could have resulted from Cenozoic asthenosphere upwelling. All oil‐gas fields are concentrated in the central part of the YzC. Remnant oil pools have been discovered along the southern margin of the YzC and its adjacent orogenic belts. From a viewpoint of geological and geophysical structure, regions in South China with thick lithosphere and low heat flow value, as well as weak deformation, might be the ideal region for further petroleum exploration.
Large‐scale Tazhong Ordovician Reef‐flat Oil‐Gas Field in the Tarim Basin of China
Authors: ZHOU Xinyuan , WANG Zhaoming , YANG Haijun , ZHANG Lijuan , HAN Jianfa , WANG Zhenyu
Published: February 2009

The Tazhong reef‐flat oil‐gas field is the first large‐scale Ordovician organic reef type oil‐gas field found in China. Its organic reefs were developed in the early Late Ordovician Lianglitag Formation, and are the first large reefs of the coral‐stromatoporoid hermatypic community found in China. The organic reefs and platform‐margin grain banks constitute a reef‐flat complex, mainly consisting of biolithites and grainstones. The biolithites can be classified into the framestone, bafflestone, bindstone etc. The main body of the complex lies around the wells from Tazhong‐24 to Tazhong‐82, trending northwest, with the thickness from 100 to 300 m, length about 220 km and width 5–10 km. It is a reef‐flat lithologic hydrocarbon reservoir, with a very complex hydrocarbon distribution: being a gas condensate reservoir as a whole with local oil reservoirs. The hydrocarbon distribution is controlled by the reef complex, generally located in the upper 100–200 m part of the complex, and largely in a banded shape along the complex. On the profile, the reservoir shows a stratified feature, with an altitude difference of almost 2200 m from southeast to northwest. The petroleum accumulation is controlled by karst reservoir beds and the northeast strike‐slip fault belt. The total geologic reserves had reached 297.667 Mt by 2007.