bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The interplay of StyR and IHF regulates substrate-dependent induction and carbon catabolite repression of styrene catabolism genes in Pseudomonas fluorescens ST
Authors: Rampioni Giordano , Leoni Livia , Pietrangeli Biancamaria , Zennaro Elisabetta
Published: June 2008

Background

In Pseudomonas fluorescens ST, the promoter of the styrene catabolic operon, PstyA, is induced by styrene and is subject to catabolite repression. PstyA regulation relies on the StyS/StyR two-component system and on the IHF global regulator. The phosphorylated response regulator StyR (StyR-P) activates PstyA in inducing conditions when it binds to the high-affinity site STY2, located about -40 bp from the transcription start point. A cis-acting element upstream of STY2, named URE, contains a low-affinity StyR-P binding site (STY1), overlapping the IHF binding site. Deletion of the URE led to a decrease of promoter activity in inducing conditions and to a partial release of catabolite repression. This study was undertaken to assess the relative role played by IHF and StyR-P on the URE, and to clarify if PstyA catabolite repression could rely on the interplay of these regulators.

Results

StyR-P and IHF compete for binding to the URE region. PstyA full activity in inducing conditions is achieved when StyR-P and IHF bind to site STY2 and to the URE, respectively. Under catabolite repression conditions, StyR-P binds the STY1 site, replacing IHF at the URE region. StyR-P bound to both STY1 and STY2 sites oligomerizes, likely promoting the formation of a DNA loop that closes the promoter in a repressed conformation. We found that StyR and IHF protein levels did not change in catabolite repression conditions, implying that PstyA repression is achieved through an increase in the StyR-P/StyR ratio.

Conclusion

We propose a model according to which the activity of the PstyA promoter is determined by conformational changes. An open conformation is operative in inducing conditions when StyR-P is bound to STY2 site and IHF to the URE. Under catabolite repression conditions StyR-P cellular levels would increase, displacing IHF from the URE and closing the promoter in a repressed conformation. The balance between the open and the closed promoter conformation would determine a fine modulation of the promoter activity. Since StyR and IHF protein levels do not vary in the different conditions, the key-factor regulating PstyA catabolite repression is likely the kinase activity of the StyR-cognate sensor protein StyS.
The Natural History of Primary Hyperparathyroidism with or without Parathyroid Surgery after 15 Years
Authors: Rubin Mishaela R. , Bilezikian John P. , McMahon Donald J. , Jacobs Thomas , Shane Elizabeth , Siris Ethel , Udesky Julia , Silverberg Shonni J.
Published: June 2008

Context: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) often presents without classical symptoms such as overt skeletal disease or nephrolithiasis. We previously reported that calciotropic indices and bone mineral density (BMD) are stable in untreated patients for up to a decade, whereas after parathyroidectomy, normalization of biochemistries and increases in BMD ensue.

Objective: The objective of the study was to provide additional insights in patients with and without surgery for up to 15 yr.

Design: The study had an observational design.

Setting: The setting was a referral center.

Patients: Patients included 116 patients (25 men, 91 women); 99 (85%) were asymptomatic.

Intervention: Fifty-nine patients (51%) underwent parathyroidectomy and 57 patients were followed up without surgery.

Main Outcome Measure: BMD was measured.

Results: Lumbar spine BMD remained stable for 15 yr. However, BMD started to fall at cortical sites even before 10 yr, ultimately decreasing by 10 ± 3% (mean ± sem; P < 0.05) at the femoral neck, and 35 ± 5%; P < 0.05 at the distal radius, in the few patients observed for 15 yr. Thirty-seven percent of asymptomatic patients showed disease progression (one or more new guidelines for surgery) at any time point over the 15 yr. Meeting surgical criteria at baseline did not predict who would have progressive disease. BMD increases in patients who underwent surgery were sustained for the entire 15 yr.

Conclusions: Parathyroidectomy led to normalization of biochemical indices and sustained increases in BMD. Without surgery, PHPT progressed in one third of individuals over 15 yr; meeting surgical criteria at the outset did not predict this progression. Cortical bone density decreased in the majority of subjects with additional observation time points and long-term follow-up. These results raise questions regarding how long patients with PHPT should be followed up without intervention.
Factor XIIIA mobilizes transglutaminase 2 to induce chondrocyte hypertrophic differentiation
Authors: Johnson Kristen A. , Rose David M. , Terkeltaub Robert A.
Published: June 2008

Two transglutaminases (TGs), factor XIIIA (FXIIIA) and TG2, undergo physiologic upregulation in growth plate hypertrophic chondrocytes, and pathological upregulation in osteoarthritic cartilage. Externalization of guanine-nucleotide-bound TG2 drives chondrocyte maturation to hypertrophy, a state linked to matrix remodeling and calcification. Here, we tested the hypothesis that FXIIIA also promotes hypertrophic differentiation. Using human articular chondrocytes, we determined that extracellular FXIIIA induced chondrocyte hypertrophy associated with rapid movement of TG2 to the cell surface. Site-directed mutagenesis revealed that FXIIIA Pro37 bordering the thrombin endoproteolytic Arg38-Gly39 site, but not intrinsic TG catalytic activity, were necessary for FXIIIA to induce chondrocyte hypertrophy. TGs have been demonstrated to interact with certain integrins and, during osteoarthritis (OA), α1β1 integrin is upregulated and associated with hypertrophic chondrocytes. FXIIIA engaged α1β1 integrin in chondrocytes. Antibody crosslinking of α1β1 integrin mobilized TG2. Conversely, an α1β1-integrin-specific blocking antibody inhibited the capacity of FXIIIA to induce TG2 mobilization to the cell surface, phosphorylation of p38 MAP kinase, and chondrocyte hypertrophy. Our results identify a unique functional network between two cartilage TG isoenzymes that accelerates chondrocyte maturation without requirement for TG-catalyzed transamidation by either TG.
Dynamics and structure of the Bax-Bak complex responsible for releasing mitochondrial proteins during apoptosis
Authors: Zhou Liying , Chang Donald C.
Published: June 2008

Bax and Bak are known to play a central role in facilitating the release of mitochondrial intermembrane proteins during apoptosis. The detailed mechanism, however, is still not clear. Using live cell imaging techniques, we showed here that Bax underwent four distinct stages of dynamic redistribution during UV-induced apoptosis. At stage I, Bax was distributed diffusely in the cytosol. About an hour after UV treatment at stage II, Bax started to translocate to mitochondria and distributed uniformly at the mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM). Within a few minutes, at stage III, Bax and Bak began to form small complexes at the MOM. Later, at stage IV, these Bax and Bak complexes expanded to become large clusters. We found that the formation of Bax-Bak small complexes at stage III was responsible for permeabilizing the MOM to release cytochrome c and Smac. Using a FRET technique, we further showed that Bax binds to Bak within the complex formed at the MOM during stage III. Finally, using a quantitative fluorescence measurement, we determined that the Bax-Bak complex was about 0.25 μm wide and composed of more than 100 protein molecules. These findings suggest that the Bax-Bak structure responsible for releasing mitochondrial proteins during apoptosis is not channel-like.
TRPC1 binds to caveolin-3 and is regulated by Src kinase – role in Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Authors: Gervásio Othon L. , Whitehead Nicholas P. , Yeung Ella W. , Phillips William D. , Allen David G.
Published: June 2008

Transient receptor potential canonical 1 (TRPC1), a widely expressed calcium (Ca2+)-permeable channel, is potentially involved in the pathogenesis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Ca2+ influx through stretch-activated channels, possibly formed by TRPC1, induces muscle-cell damage in the mdx mouse, an animal model of DMD. In this study, we showed that TRPC1, caveolin-3 and Src-kinase protein levels are increased in mdx muscle compared with wild type. TRPC1 and caveolin-3 colocalised and co-immunoprecipitated. Direct binding of TRPC1-CFP to caveolin-3–YFP was confirmed in C2 myoblasts by fluorescence energy resonance transfer (FRET). Caveolin-3–YFP targeted TRPC1-CFP to the plasma membrane. Hydrogen peroxide, a reactive oxygen species (ROS), increased Src activity and enhanced Ca2+ influx, but only in C2 myoblasts co-expressing TRPC1 and caveolin-3. In mdx muscle, Tiron, a ROS scavenger, and PP2, a Src inhibitor, reduced stretch-induced Ca2+ entry and increased force recovery. Because ROS production is increased in mdx/DMD, these results suggest that a ROS-Src-TRPC1/caveolin-3 pathway contributes to the pathogenesis of mdx/DMD.
Trait anxiety determines depressive symptoms and fatigue in women with an abnormality in the breast
Authors: De Vries Jolanda , van der Steeg Alida F. , Roukema Jan A.
Published: June 2008

Objectives. The aim was to examine the role of trait anxiety and diagnosis on depressive symptoms and fatigue in women with early stage breast cancer or benign breast problems.

Design. A prospective follow‐up study was performed in order to find predictors of depressive symptoms and fatigue.

Methods. From the 169 participating women, 81 patients had breast cancer and 88 benign breast problems. Questionnaires for depressive symptoms and fatigue were completed before diagnosis (T1) and 1 (T2), 3 (T3), and 6 (T4) months after diagnosis (benign patients) or surgical treatment (breast cancer patients). A trait anxiety questionnaire was only completed before diagnosis was known.

Results. Trait anxiety, assessed before diagnosis, was the only significant predictor of depressive symptoms at T4, even when depressive symptoms at baseline was included in the analysis. Fatigue at T4 was predicted by fatigue at baseline and trait anxiety. Demographic characteristics, diagnosis (benign or breast cancer) and adjuvant treatment (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy) did not play a role. Patients with breast cancer or benign breast problems scoring high on trait anxiety, scored higher on depressive symptoms and fatigue than the other patients, at all time points.

Conclusions. Trait anxiety plays a role in experiencing depressive symptoms and fatigue over time.
Experimentally consistent atomistic modeling of bulk and local structure in liquids and disordered materials by empirical potential structure refinement
Authors: Bowron Daniel T.
Published: June 2008

This article presents an overview of the use of the empirical potential structure refinement (EPSR) technique for generating three-dimensional atomistic models of liquids and structurally disordered solids that are consistent with experimental neutron and X-ray scattering data. The extension of this technique through the calculation of extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectra is outlined, and the benefits of this are demonstrated for a range of systems and in particular for our ability to address structural questions of importance in solution chemistry. The model systems chosen as examples for structural analysis are (i) liquid gallium, (ii) silica glass, and (iii) a 1 m aqueous solution of YCl3. The advantages of this analytical approach for addressing chemically specific structural questions in disordered systems are discussed within the context of the experimental alternatives based on the techniques of neutron scattering with isotopic substitution and anomalous X-ray scattering.
On the solvent role in alcohol-induced α-helix formation of chymotrypsin inhibitor 2
Authors: Yoshida Koji , Kawaguchi Junko , Lee Sannum , Yamaguchi Toshio
Published: June 2008

The circular dichroism (CD) spectra of chymotrypsin inhibitor 2 (CI2) have been measured as a function of alcohol mole fraction in aqueous mixtures of methanol, ethanol, trifluoroethanol (TFE), and hexafluoro-iso-propanol (HFIP). Small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS and SANS) of CI2 was also measured as a function of ethanol mole fraction in ethanol-water mixtures. The CD spectra have shown that the secondary structure of CI2 changes from β-strand to α-helical structure at alcohol mole fractions characteristic of the individual alcohols in an order of HFIP > TFE > ethanol > methanol in effectiveness, where the structure transition of solvent clusters takes place from the typical tetrahedral-like water to the chain-like alcohol clusters in alcohol-water mixtures previously reported. The radius of gyration of CI2, obtained from the analysis of the SANS data, increased with an increase in ethanol mole fraction up to around 0.2 and then gradually decreased. The SAXS data have shown that the shape of CI2 changes from a sphere to a rod-like one at a 0.1 ethanol mole fraction. A possible role of solvent clusters played in alcohol-induced α-helix formation of CI2 is discussed from a viewpoint of the solvent clusters.
Lymphocyte subpopulations in human exposure to metals (IUPAC Technical Report)
Authors: Schwenk Michael , Klein Reinhild , Templeton Douglas M.
Published: June 2008

Numerous species of metal ions cause immunosensitization in humans. Possible approaches to determine those occupational and environmental exposures to metals that result in immunological changes include lymphocyte transformation assay, cytokine profiling, and measurement of lymphocyte subpopulations. In two previous papers, we considered lymphocyte transformation assay [1] and cytokine profiling [2]. Here we review the effects of exposures to metals on lymphocyte subpopulations. Specific consideration is given to beryllium, chromium, cobalt, nickel, palladium and platinum, cadmium, gold, mercury, and lead. Analysis of the scientific literature shows that immunosensitizing metals may have influences on the lymphocyte subset composition, but only in a few instances does exposure to metals cause reproducible shifts of lymphocyte subpopulations. If lymphocyte subpopulations are analyzed, each diagnostic step, including indication, sample handling, analytic procedure, and data interpretation, should adhere to good quality assurance and quality control.
Parametrices and dispersive estimates for Schrödinger operators with variable coefficients
Authors: Tataru Daniel
Published: June 2008

In this article we consider variable coefficient time dependent
Schr\"odinger evolutions in ${\Bbb R}^n$. Using phase space methods we
construct outgoing parametrices and prove Strichartz type estimates
globally in time. This is done in the context of $C^2$ metrics
which satisfy a weak asymptotic flatness condition at infinity.
Global well-posedness in L 2 for the periodic Benjamin-Ono equation
Authors: Molinet Luc
Published: June 2008

We prove that the Benjamin-Ono equation is globally well-posed in $ H^s({\Bbb T}) $ for $ s\ge 0 $. Moreover we show that the associated flow-map is Lipschitz on every bounded set of $ H^s_0({\Bbb T}) $, $s\ge 0$, and even real-analytic in this space for small times. This result is sharp in the sense that the flow-map (if it can be defined and coincides with the standard flow-map on $ {H}_0^\infty({\Bbb T}) $) cannot be of class $ C^{1+\alpha} $, $\alpha>0 $, from $ H_0^s({\Bbb T}) $ into $ H_0^s({\Bbb T}) $ as soon as $ s< 0 $.
Classification of integer-valued symmetric forms
Authors: Shimura Goro
Published: June 2008

We classify all ${\bf Z}$-valued symmetric forms that
are reduced in the sense that they cannot be represented nontrivially
by another ${\bf Z}$-valued symmetric form. We determine the possible values of
the discriminant and signature of each such form and also the number of
genera of the forms with the given discriminant and signature.
Karoubi's construction for motivic cohomology operations
Authors: Nie Zhaohu
Published: June 2008

We use an analogue of Karoubi's construction in the motivic situation to give some
cohomology operations in motivic cohomology. We prove many properties of these
operations, and we show that they coincide, up to some nonzero constants, with the
reduced power operations in motivic cohomology originally constructed by Voevodsky.
The relation of our construction to Voevodsky's is, roughly speaking, that of a
fixed point set to its associated homotopy fixed point set.
The smallest representations of nonlinear covers of odd orthogonal groups
Authors: Loke Hung Yean , Savin Gordan
Published: June 2008

We construct the smallest genuine representations of a nonlinear
cover of the group ${\rm SO}^0(p,q)$ where $p+q$ is odd. We determine
correspondences of infinitesimal characters arising from restricting
the smallest representations to dual pairs ${{\frak s}{\frak o}}(p,a) \oplus
{{\frak s}{\frak o}}(b)$ where $a+b=q$.
The lower central series and pseudo-Anosov dilatations
Authors: Farb Benson , Leininger Christopher J. , Margalit Dan
Published: June 2008

The theme of this paper is that algebraic complexity implies dynamical complexity for pseudo-Anosov homeomorphisms of a closed surface $S_g$ of genus $g$. Penner proved that the logarithm of the minimal dilatation for a pseudo-Anosov homeomorphism of $S_g$ tends to zero at the rate $1/g$. We consider here the smallest dilatation of any pseudo-Anosov homeomorphism of $S_g$ acting trivially on $\Gamma/\Gamma_k$, the quotient of $\Gamma = \pi_1(S_g)$ by the $k^{\rm th}$ term of its lower central series, $k \geq 1$. In contrast to Penner's asymptotics, we prove that this minimal dilatation is bounded above and below, independently of $g$, with bounds tending to infinity with $k$. For example, in the case of the Torelli group ${\cal I}(S_g)$, we prove that $L({\cal I}(S_g))$, the logarithm of the minimal dilatation in ${\cal I}(S_g)$, satisfies $.197 < L({\cal I}(S_g))< 4.127$. In contrast, we find pseudo-Anosov mapping classes acting trivially on $\Gamma/\Gamma_k$ whose asymptotic translation lengths on the complex of curves tend to $0$ as $g\to\infty$.
Cohomology of colorings of cycles
Authors: Kozlov Dmitry N.
Published: June 2008

We compute the cohomology groups of the spaces of colorings of cycles,
i.e., of the prodsimplicial complexes ${\tt Hom}(C_m,K_n)$. We perform the
computation first with ${\Bbb Z}_2$, and then with integer coefficients. The
main technical tool is to use spectral sequences in conjunction with
a~detailed combinatorial analysis of a~family of cubical complexes,
which we call {\it torus front complexes}.
As an application of our method, we demonstrate how to collapse each
connected component of ${\tt Hom}(C_m,C_n)$ onto a~garland of cubes.
Trends in U.S. adult chronic disease mortality, 1960–1999: age, period, and cohort variations
Authors: Yang Yang
Published: June 2008

In this paper, I examine temporal changes in U.S. adult mortality by chronic disease cause of death and by sex over a 40-year period in the second half of the twentieth century. I apply age-period-cohort (APC) analyses that combine conventional approaches and a new method of model estimation to simultaneously account for age, period, and cohort variations in mortality rates for four leading causes of deaths, including heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and breast cancer. The results show that large reductions in mortality since the late 1960s continued well into the late 1990s and that these reductions were predominately contributed by cohort effects. Cohort effects are found to differ by specific causes of death examined, but they generally show substantial survival improvements. Implications of these results are discussed with regard to demographic theories of mortality reductions, differential cohort accumulation of health capital and lifetime exposures to socioeconomic and behavioral risk factors, and period changes in diagnostic techniques and medical treatment.
Changing educational inequalities in india in the context of affirmative action
Authors: Desai Sonalde , Kulkarni Veena
Published: June 2008

Indian society suffers from substantial inequalities in education, employment, and income based on caste and ethnicity. Compensatory or positive discrimination policies reserve 15% of the seats in institutions of higher education and state and central government jobs for people of the lowest caste, the Scheduled Caste; 7.5% of the seats are reserved for the Scheduled Tribe. These programs have been strengthened by improved enforcement and increased funding in the 1990s. This positive discrimination has also generated popular backlash and on-the-ground sabotage of the programs. This paper examines the changes in educational attainment between various social groups for a period of nearly 20 years to see whether educational inequalities have declined over time. We use data from a large national sample survey of over 100,000 households for each of the four survey years—1983, 1987–1988, 1993–1994, and 1999–2000-andfocus on the educational attainment of children and young adults aged 6–29. Our results show a declining gap between dalits, adivasis, and others in the odds of completing primary school. Such improvement is not seen for Muslims, a minority group that does not benefit from affirmative action. We find little improvement in inequality at the college level. Further, we do not find evidence that upper-income groups, the so-called creamy layer of dalits and adivasis, disproportionately benefit from the affirmative action programs at the expense of their lower-income counterparts.
Marital strategies for regulating exposure to HIV
Authors: Reniers Georges
Published: June 2008

In a setting where the transmission of HIV occurs primarily through heterosexual contact and where no cure or vaccine is available, behavioral change is imperative for containing the epidemic. Abstinence, faithfulness, and condom use most often receive attention in this regard. In contrast, this article treats marriage as a resource for HIV risk management via mechanisms of positive selection (partner choice) and negative selection (divorce of an adulterous spouse). Retrospective marriage histories and panel data provide the evidence for this study, and results indicate that men and women in Malawi increasingly turned to union-based risk-avoidance strategies during the period that the threat of HIV/AIDS materialized. Although both sexes strategize in a similar fashion, men are better equipped than women to deploy these strategies to their advantage. The article concludes with reflections on the long-term and population-level implications of these coping mechanisms.
An assessment of China’s fertility level using the variable-r method
Authors: Cai Yong
Published: June 2008

The fertility level in China is a matter of uncertainty and controversy. This paper applies Preston and Coale’s (1982) variable-r method to assess the fertility level in China. By using data from China’s 1990 and 2000 censuses as well as annual population change surveys, the variable-r method confirms that Chinese fertility has reached a level well below replacement.
The legacies of context: Past and present influences on contraceptive choice in Nang Rong, Thailand
Authors: Edmeades Jeffrey
Published: June 2008

This study explores the ways in which women’s contraceptive behavior in a rural area of Thailand is shaped by both past and present context, based on the life course framework. Although the importance of contextual influences for contraceptive behavior is well established in the literature, relatively little research has been conducted that explores how behavior is influenced by historical and contemporaneous contextual factors and by individual life experiences. In addition, much of this research has neglected the role of the normative environment within which contraceptive use takes place. The focus of this paper centers on the effect of contraceptive environment at both early and late stages of the life course and on how this effect is shaped by individual experience with migration to urban areas. This study takes advantage of a unique, prospective longitudinal data set with detailed information on community context at multiple points in time, an important improvement upon prior research. The results show that contraceptive behavior is particularly responsive to current community context, with past context primarily exerting an indirect effect on behavior through shaping current contextual influences.
Risk preferences and the timing of marriage and childbearing
Authors: Schmidt Lucie
Published: June 2008

The existing literature on marriage and fertility decisions pays little attention to the roles played by risk preferences and uncertainty. However, given uncertainty regarding the availability of suitable marriage partners, the ability to contracept, and the ability to conceive, women’s risk preferences might be expected to play an important role in marriage and fertility timing decisions. By using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), I find that measured risk preferences have a significant effect on the timing of both marriage and fertility. Highly risk-tolerant women are more likely to delay marriage, consistent with either a search model of marriage or a risk-pooling explanation. In addition, risk preferences affect fertility timing in a way that differs by marital status and education, and that varies over the life cycle. Greater tolerance for risk leads to earlier births at young ages, consistent with these women being less likely to contracept effectively. In addition, as the subgroup of college-educated, unmarried women nears the end of their fertile periods, highly risk-tolerant women are likely to delay childbearing relative to their more risk-averse counterparts and are therefore less likely to become mothers. These findings may have broader implications for both individual and societal well-being.
The gradient in sub-saharan Africa: Socioeconomic status and HIV/AIDS
Authors: Fortson Jane G.
Published: June 2008

Using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) for Burkina Faso (2003), Cameroon (2004), Ghana (2003), Kenya (2003), and Tanzania (2003), I investigate the cross- sectional relationship between HIV status and socioeconomic status. I find evidence of a robust positive education gradient in HIV infection, showing that, up to very high levels of education, better-educated respondents are more likely to be HIV-positive. Adults with six years of schooling are as much as three percentage points more likely to be infected with HIV than adults with no schooling. This gradient is not an artifact of age, sector of residence, or region of residence. With controls for sex, age, sector of residence, and region of residence, adults with six years of schooling are as much as 50% more likely to be infected with HIV than those with no schooling. Education is positively related to certain risk factors for HIV, including the likelihood of having premarital sex. Estimates of the wealth gradient in HIV, by contrast, vary substantially across countries and are sensitive to the choice of measure of wealth.
Coparenting and nonresident fathers’ involvement with young children after a nonmarital birth
Authors: Carlson Marcia J. , McLanahan Sara S. , Brooks-Gunn Jeanne
Published: June 2008

We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to investigate the association between coparenting quality and nonresident fathers’ involvement with children over the first five years after a nonmarital birth. We find that about one year after a nonmarital birth, 48% of fathers are living away from their child, rising to 56% and then to 63% at three and five years, respectively. Using structural equation models to estimate cross-lagged effects, we find that positive coparenting is a strong predictor of nonresident fathers’ future involvement, whereas fathers’ involvement is only a weak (but significant) predictor of future coparenting quality. The positive effect of coparenting quality on fathers’ involvement is robust across several techniques designed to address unobserved heterogeneity and across different strategies for handling missing data. We conclude that parents’ ability to work together in rearing their common child across households helps keep nonresident fathers connected to their children and that programs aimed at improving parents’ ability to communicate may have benefits for children irrespective of whether the parents’ romantic relationship remains intact.
Macroeconomic fluctuations and mortality in postwar Japan
Authors: Tapia granados José A.
Published: June 2008

Recent research has shown that after long-term declining trends are excluded, mortality rates in industrial countries tend to rise in economic expansions and fall in economic recessions. In the present work, co-movements between economic fluctuations and mortality changes in postwar Japan are investigated by analyzing time series of mortality rates and eight economic indicators. To eliminate spurious associations attributable to trends, series are detrended either via Hodrick-Prescott filtering or through differencing. As previously found in other industrial economies, general mortality and age-specifi death rates in Japan tend to increase in expansions and drop in recessions, for both males and females. The effect, which is slightly stronger for males, is particularly noticeable in those aged 45–64. Deaths attributed to heart disease, pneumonia, accidents, liver disease, and senility—making up about 41% of total mortality—tend to fluctuate procyclically, increasing in expansions. Suicides, as well as deaths attributable to diabetes and hypertensive disease, make up about 4% of total mortality and fluctuate countercyclically, increasing in recessions. Deaths attributed to other causes, making up about half of total deaths, don’t show a clearly defined relationship with the fluctuations of the economy.
Fertility in New York state in the pre-civil war era
Authors: Haines Michael R. , Guest Avery M.
Published: June 2008

Knowledge is quite limited about the extent and social correlates of marital fertility decline for the United States in the early part of the nineteenth century. Manuscripts from the New York State census of 1865 indicate a very slow decline in marital fertility during the initial decades of the nineteenth century and more rapid decline as the Civil War approached. Little evidence of fertility control within marriage is found for the very oldest women in the sample, but analysis of parity progression ratios indicates that some control had emerged by the midpoint of the nineteenth century. Fertility decline was most evident in the urban, more economically developed areas, but our data also indicate that the limited availability of agricultural land may have affected the transition. While a marital fertility transition occurred in nineteenth-century New York, many couples in various geographic areas and social strata continued to have quite high levels of fertility, indicating difficulties that were probably faced in controlling reproduction.
Population change and farm dependence: Temporal and spatial variation in the U.S. great plains, 1900–2000
Authors: Curtis White Katherine J.
Published: June 2008

I investigate the relationship between county population change and farm dependence in the Great Plains region during the twentieth century, using spatial data analysis techniques. This research is rooted in a long-standing sociological and demographic interest in population responses to economic transitions and informs the theoretical understanding of urbanization processes. Using census and environmental data, the analysis challenges earlier assertions of a simple transition in the relationship between farm dependence and population change that accompanied modern technological advancements, namely tractors (the mechanization thesis). Rather than observing the proposed positive-to-negative shift, study results show a negative association throughout the pre- and post-mechanization periods. Partial support is found if the thesis is revised to consider the relationship between population change and the change in farm dependence rather than the level of farm dependence. Findings show mixed support for an alternative argument that nonfarm industries moderate the in_ uence of farm dependence (the industry complex thesis). In contrast to earlier applications of the thesis, industrial relations in the Great Plains context are characterized by specialization rather than cooperation.
Petroniana
Authors: Richardson Wade
Published: June 2008

Avant de présenter une compilation des nouvelles lectures des Satyrica, nous présentons un bref résumé de l'état du texte et des tentatives faites pour expliquer les types de corruption et pour y remédier. Incidemment les résultats sont représentatifs et se répartissent également entre les tentatives de correction, d'insertion et de suppression. À ceci, il faut ajouter quelques erreurs de transposition et de ponctuations.
Imperial Building Projects and Architectural Ecphrases in Ovid's Metamorphoses and Statius' Thebaid
Authors: Keith Alison M.
Published: June 2008

Stace dans la Thébaïde décrit les ensembles architecturaux, la décoration intérieure et l'emploi de l'espace. Nous établissons d'abord le parallèle entre ces descriptions, le programme architectural contemporain de l'empereur flavien et le cadre architectural retrouvé dans les Métamorphoses d'Ovide (de même que l'accueil que fait ce dernier poème aux projets d'Auguste). Puis nous démontrons le rôle important qu'a joué le poème d'Ovide dans l'accueil littéraire de l'architecture impériale chez Stace. Enfin nous considérons les nombreux points de contact retrouvés dans les registres linguistiques des deux poèmes et leurs importantes répercussions sur l'interprétation thématique et politique des deux textes.
Socioeconomic Stratification of Community College Transfer Access in the 1980s and 1990s: Evidence from HS&B and NELS
Authors: Dowd Alicia C. , Melguizo Tatiana
Published: June 2008

This study analyzes the High School and Beyond (HS&B) and National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS) data to determine whether a "middle-class takeover" of the community college transfer function occurred between the late 1980s and early 1990s. The findings demonstrate that the middle-class share of transfer enrollments and graduates at both selective and less selective four-year institutions did not increase, except for an increase in the share of lower-middle-SES students among transfer graduates of less selective institutions. On the contrary, our point estimates, though not statistically significant, suggest that the share of students from the highest-SES quintile increased among transfers to selective institutions.
Remedial/Developmental Education and the Cost of Community College Transfer: A Los Angeles County Sample
Authors: Melguizo Tatiana , Hagedorn Linda Serra , Cypers Scott
Published: June 2008

This study calculates and explores the total costs of a community college education prior to transfer to a four-year college. Included are all courses both at and below the college level by 411 students who attended one of the nine community colleges in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) and who successfully transferred to a four-year institution. The main finding is that students with deep developmental needs averaged five years at the community college before transferring, and transferred only one year's worth of college-level courses. Of concern is the great number of African American and Latino students in remedial courses.
Faculty Work: Making Our Research Matter—More
Authors: Johnsrud Linda K.
Published: June 2008

This ASHE address describes the demands for increased productivity being placed on public higher education from governors, legislators, the business community, and other stakeholders. The author posits that this attack on higher education is an attack on how members of the academy define and judge quality, and that those who study higher education have a particular obligation to conduct research relevant to the policy arena that is shaping the future of higher education and that may well redefine quality. Recommendations are included for how faculty who study higher education and ASHE as a professional association might address the challenge.
Finitude des couples d'invariants modulaires singuliers sur une courbe algébrique plane non modulaire
Authors: André Yves
Published: June 2008

Let S be an irreducible algebraic curve in the affine complex plane. Assume that S is neither a horizontal Une, nor a vertical line, nor a modular curve Y0(N) (for any integer N ≧ 1). Then there are only finitely many points P of S such that both coordinates of P are singular moduli (i.e. invariants of elliptic curves with complex multiplication).
The outer derivation of a complex Poisson manifold
Authors: Brylinski J. L , Zuckerman G
Published: June 2008

We introduce the canonical outer derivation (or vector field) on a Poisson manifold. This is a Poisson vector field well-defined modulo hamiltonian vector fields.We study this outer derivation by geometric and sheaf-theoretic methods, mostly for holomorphic Poisson manifolds.
The isoperimetric inequality for minimal surfaces in a Riemannian manifold
Authors: Choe Jaigyoung
Published: June 2008

It is proved that every minimal surface with one or two boundary components in a simply connected Riemannian manifold with sectional curvature bounded above by a nonpositive constant K satisfies the sharp isoperimetric inequality 4π A ≦ L2 + K A2. Here equality holds if and only if the minimal surface is a geodesic disk in a surface of constant Gaussian curvature K.
Subvarieties of ℂn with non-extendable automorphisms
Authors: Derksen Harm , Kutzschebauch Frank , Winkelmann Jörg
Published: June 2008

We investigate algebraic and analytic subvarieties of ℂn with automorphisms which cannot be extended to the ambient space.
Is a linear space contained in a submanifold? – On the number of derivatives needed to tell
Authors: Landsberg J. M
Published: June 2008

Let Xn ⊂ or Xn ⊂ ℙn + a be a patch of a C∞ submanifold of an affine or projective space such that through each point x ∈ X there exists a line osculating to order n + 1 at x. We show that X is uniruled by lines, generalizing a classical theorem for surfaces. We describe two circumstances that imply linear spaces of dimension k osculating to order two must be contained in X, shedding light on some of Ein's results on dual varieties. We present some partial results on the general problem of finding the integer m0 = m0(k, n, a) such that there exist examples of patches Xn ⊂ ℙn + a, having a linear space L of dimension k osculating to order m0 — 1 at each point such that L is not locally contained in X, but if there are k-planes osculating to order m0 at each point, they are locally contained in X.

The same conclusions hold in the analytic category and complex analytic category if there is a linear space osculating to order m at one general point x ∈ X.
Caractères à valeurs dans le centre de Bernstein
Authors: Dat J.-F
Published: June 2008

Let G be a reductive p-adic group, we are interested in finitely generated projective smooth G-modules. Let P be such a module, consider it as a З-module, where
З is the Bernstein center of the category of smooth G-modules. Then we can form
P ⊗З.χℂ for every complex-valued character of
З: it is a finite length smooth representation of G. We describe its image in the Grothendieck group of finite length smooth G-modules. To do this, we define under suitable assumptions a З-valued character on the З-admissible (but not admissible!) representation P. The case of indGK(1) where K is a special compact open subgroup of G is an interesting example. Some of his properties are discussed and extended to other representations of K using Bushnell and Kutzko's theory of types, when G = GL(n).
Automorphism groups of 3-dimensional complex tori
Authors: Birkenhake Ch , González V , Lange H
Published: June 2008

We compute all finite automorphism groups of three-dimensional complex tori which are maximal in the isogeny class. The maximal order of such an automorphism group is 1296.
Representations of compact quantum groups and subfactors
Authors: Banica Teodor
Published: June 2008

We associate Popa systems (= standard invariants of subfactors) to the finite dimensional representations of compact quantum groups. We characterise the systems arising in this way: these are the ones which can be “represented” on finite dimensional Hilbert spaces. This is proved by a universal construction. We explicitely compute (in terms of some free products) the operation of going from representations of compact quantum groups to Popa systems and the back via the universal construction. We prove a Kesten type result for the co-amenability of compact quantum groups, which allows us to compare it with the amenability of subfactors.
Handhabung von Teststreifen zur Bestimmung von Drogen und Medikamenten bei klinisch-toxikologischen Fragestellungen / Test strip handling in screening for drugs of abuse in the clinical toxicological setting
Authors: Wilhelm Lars , Jenckel Stefan , Junker Ralf
Published: June 2008

Teststreifen zum Nachweis von Betäubungsmitteln kommen vermehrt zum Einsatz. Die Anwendung reicht von klinischen Fragestellungen bis zu forensisch relevanten Fällen. Die Analysen werden nicht immer von toxikologisch geschultem Personal durchgeführt. Sowohl zur Analysenplanung als auch zur Interpretation der Ergebnisse sind pharmakologische und toxikologische Grundkenntnisse und Informationen über Testcharakteristika (z.B. cut-off Werte, Kreuzreaktionen) jedoch erforderlich. Insbesondere das Auftreten falsch-negativer Befunde ist bei der Befundinterpretation zu berücksichtigen. Eine Probenmanipulation sollte durch geeignete Maßnahmen weitestgehend ausgeschlossen werden. Um die Richtigkeit und Reproduzierbarkeit der Analysenergebnisse sicherzustellen, sind Qualitätskontrollen durchzuführen. Eine Rückvollziehbarkeit der Analysenergebnisse ist nur durch entsprechende Dokumentationen zu erreichen. Zur Differenzierung und Bestätigung positiver Befunde sollte eine weiterführende Diagnostik mit chromatografischen Methoden durchgeführt werden. Nationale und internationale Regelungen für Entscheidungsgrenzen sollten Beachtung finden.
Buchbesprechung
Authors: Riemann Dagmar
Published: June 2008

No Abstract available
Experience with CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy) from the view of gastroenterologists
Authors: Szenes Mária , Nagy Gyöngyi , Gyömbér Edit , Girán Bettina , Fischer Tünde , Völgyi Zoltán , Gasztonyi Beáta
Published: June 2008

A vastagbélbetegségek intraluminalis diagnosztikájában a kolonoszkópia arany standardnak tekinthető, előnye, hogy szövettani mintavételre, terápiás beavatkozásra is van lehetőség. Technikai okokból nem kivitelezhető totális kolonoszkópia (stenosis, súlyos gyulladás, előrehaladott diverticulosis, anatómiai eltérések) vagy a beteg elzárkózása esetén napi rutinban radiológiai módszer (kettős kontrasztos kolonográfia) áll rendelkezésre a vastagbél teljes áttekintésére. Az újdonságnak számító colonkapszula elterjedése egyelőre még várat magára. Bélbetegségek esetén a lokális terjedés, a környező és a távoli szervekre való kiterjedés megítélése is fontos kritérium. A korrekt diagnosztika a terápia tervezésének nélkülözhetetlen alapja. A CT-kolonográfia standardizálható képalkotóként egy ülésben nyújt fontos információt az intraluminalis eltérésekről, a környezetre való terjedésről, a hasi státusról. A gyors, szedációt nem igénylő, minimálinvazív technika, a multidetektoros CT-k elterjedése széles körben teszi alkalmazhatóvá.
Célkitűzés:
A szerzők a CT-kolonográfia helyét keresik a vastagbél nem daganatos megbetegedéseinek diagnosztikájában, a colorectalis carcinoma szűrésében és a tumorstaging során.
Módszer:
A közlemény 92 férfi (átlagéletkor 61,2 ± 12,3 év) és l46 nő (átlagéletkor 61,4 ± 12,5 év) adatait dolgozza fel, akiknél a Zala Megyei Kórházban 2002 szeptemberétől 2007 januárjáig CT-kolonográfia történt. Áttekintettük az indikációk, a vizsgálatok kivitelezési protokollját, valamint a további teendőket meghatározó eredményeket.
Eredmények:
A 238 vizsgált beteg közül 29%-ban a nem vagy részlegesen kivitelezhető hagyományos kolonoszkópia miatt került sor CT-kolonográfiára. 45/238 főnél (19%) colonszűkület, 23/238 főnél (10%) fájdalomérzés, a compliance hiánya, technikai nehézség volt a sikertelenség oka. Az utóbbi 23 személynél 60%-ban fedeztünk fel organikus bélmegbetegedést. 151 esetben (63%) a hagyományos kolonoszkópiától való elzárkózás miatt történt elsőként a radiológiai vizsgálat, minden második betegnél kóros eltérést találtunk. A metodika betanulását célozva, a betegek beleegyezésével 19/238 esetben (8%) totális kolonoszkópiát követően a CT-kolonográfiát is elvégeztük.
Következtetések:
A colorectalis betegségek diagnosztikus algoritmusában a CT-kolonográfia nem vagy részlegesen kivitelezhető hagyományos kolonoszkópia esetén ajánlható diagnosztikus eljárás.
Clinical classification of congenital limb abnormalities
Authors: Tészás Alexandra , Renner Antal , Melegh Béla , Kosztolányi György
Published: June 2008

A végtagfejlődés rendellenességei emberemlékezet óta ismert, feltűnő elváltozások. Okuk a mai napig nagyrészt ismeretlen, a tudományos módszerek fejlődése azonban egyre több lehetőséget nyújt e bonyolult rendszer fejlődési folyamatainak megértéséhez, valamint zavarainak feltárásához. Ebből a megfontolásból indítottuk el tanulmányunkat, amelynek célja – magyarországi végtagfejlődési rendellenességgel születettek adatainak feldolgozását követően – egy olyan besorolási rendszer létrehozása volt, amely alkalmas – a fejlődéstani alapok figyelembevétele mellett – morfológiai, klinikai besorolásra, valamint segítséget nyújt genetikai vizsgálatok tervezéséhez. A nyilvántartásunkban szereplő 195 beteg osztályozására, az irodalom alapján, a világszerte elismert Swanson-féle besorolási rendszert választottuk. Tapasztalatainkat folyamatosan értékelve formáltuk e besorolást, és végeredményként a Swanson-táblázat némi módosításával könnyen átlátható, a betegek osztályozására a mindennapi gyakorlatban hasznos osztályozási rendszert nyertünk. A táblázat alkalmas a morfológiai alapú leíró kórisme befogadására, lehetőséget nyújt fejlődéstani szempontok alapján történő összehasonlításra, és racionális hátteret jelent genetikai kutatómunka tervezéséhez, így alkalmas széles körű klinikai alkalmazásra.