bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic efficacy of myeloperoxidase for the detection of acute coronary syndromes
Authors: Sawicki Marcin , Sypniewska Grazyna , Kozinski Marek , Gruszka Marzenna , Krintus Magdalena , Obonska Karolina , Pilaczynska‐Cemel Marta , Kubica Jacek
Published: January 2011

Eur J Clin Invest 2011; 41 (6): 667–671

Background  Early diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is frequently a challenging task, while immediate risk stratification remains crucial for the prompt implementation of appropriate therapy in this setting. Employing markers that increase rapidly after the symptom onset may enhance triage and therapeutic decision‐making in patients suspected for ACS. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) exerting proinflammatory and pro‐oxidative properties is suggested as a reliable early marker for ACS associated with unfavourable clinical outcome. We assessed the diagnostic efficacy of plasma MPO alone or in combination with cardiac troponin I (cTnI) for detecting ACS in patients presenting with chest pain initiating within 6 h before the hospital admission.

Material and methods  A study group consisted of 253 patients diagnosed with ACS and 47 subjects having other heart disease or unspecified chest pain. Clinically healthy volunteers (n = 124) served as controls. MPO concentration was measured in plasma (Abbott Diagnostics, USA), while serum was assayed for cTnI, creatine‐kinase MB, lipids, glucose, creatinine, brain natriuretic peptide type B and C‐reactive protein.

Results  Both MPO and cTnI values were significantly lower in non‐ACS subjects than in patients with ACS. At 97·5th percentile as cut‐off, the superiority of MPO over cTnI was observed in patients with unstable angina and non‐ACS subjects. Considerably higher MPO concentrations were demonstrated in the troponin‐negative ACS patients on admission who became troponin‐positive after 6 h. Combined evaluation of MPO and cTnI possessed remarkably higher sensitivity than assessment of cTnI alone in all patients with ACS.

Conclusions  Myeloperoxidase substantially facilitates the early diagnosis of ACS.
The SoxRS response of Escherichia coli is directly activated by redox‐cycling drugs rather than by superoxide
Authors: Gu Mianzhi , Imlay James A.
Published: January 2011

When Escherichia coli is exposed to redox‐cycling drugs, its SoxR transcription factor is activated by oxidation of its [2Fe–2S] cluster. In aerobic cells these drugs generate superoxide, and because superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a member of the SoxRS regulon, superoxide was initially thought to be the activator of SoxR. Its many‐gene regulon was therefore believed to comprise a defence against superoxide stress. However, we found that abundant superoxide did not effectively activate SoxR in an SOD‐ mutant, that overproduced SOD could not suppress activation by redox‐cycling drugs, and that redox‐cycling drugs were able to activate SoxR in anaerobic cells as long as alternative respiratory acceptors were provided. Thus superoxide is not the signal that SoxR senses. Indeed, redox‐cycling drugs directly oxidized the cluster of purified SoxR in vitro, while superoxide did not. Redox‐cycling drugs are excreted by both bacteria and plants. Their toxicity does not require superoxide, as they poisoned E. coli under anaerobic conditions, in part by oxidizing dehydratase iron–sulfur clusters. Under these conditions SoxRS induction was protective. Thus it is physiologically appropriate that the SoxR protein directly senses redox‐cycling drugs rather than superoxide.
Immunological/Virological Peripheral Blood Biomarkers and Distinct Patterns of Sleeping Quality in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients
Authors: de Almeida C. M. O. , de Lima T. A. , Castro D. B. , Torres K. L. , da Silva Braga W. , Peruhype‐Magalhães V. , Teixeira‐Carvalho A. , Martins‐Filho O. A. , Malheiro A.
Published: January 2011

The rational of this study we intended to investigate whether the peripheral blood immunological/virological biomarkers were associated with distinct patterns of sleeping quality in patients with chronic hepatitis C‐(HCV). Distinct well‐established indexes/scores were used to categorize the sleeping quality of HCV patients, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale and Fatigue Severity Scores. Our findings demonstrated that HCV patients classified as ‘good sleeper’ displayed an enhanced frequency of circulating CD8+ T cells, lower frequency of activated (CD69+) neutrophils and eosinophils but enhanced frequency of activated lymphocytes besides lower seric levels of IL‐4/IL‐8/IL‐10 but higher levels of IL‐12, besides lower HCV virus load and lower anti‐HCV IgG levels. In contrast, HCV patients classified as ‘poor sleeper’ displayed enhanced levels of activated neutrophils and eosinophils but lower frequency of activated lymphocytes, higher seric levels of IL‐6/TNF‐α/IL‐10 but lower levels of IL‐12 besides higher HCV virus load and increased anti‐HCV IgG levels. Positive correlation was further confirmed by the relationship between the leucocyte activation status, the cytokine levels, the HCV viral load and the anti‐HCV IgG reactivity with the PSQI indexes. Analysis of cytokine signature curves demonstrated that lower frequency of IL‐10 was observed in HCV patients classified as ‘good sleepers’, whereas enhanced frequency of IL‐6 was found HCV patients classified as ‘poor sleepers’. In conclusion, our data suggest that immunological biomarkers (leucocytes activation status and seric cytokines levels) are likely to be associated with sleeping quality patterns in HCV patients, suggesting their putative use for clinical monitoring purposes.
Systematic review: handwashing behaviour in low‐ to middle‐income countries: outcome measures and behaviour maintenance
Authors: Vindigni Stephen M. , Riley Patricia L. , Jhung Michael
Published: January 2011

Objectives  To describe global approaches to handwashing research in low‐ and middle‐income communities, schools and health care settings using behavioural outcome measurement and temporal study design.

Methods  Peer‐reviewed and grey literature was screened for handwashing studies that evaluated behaviour change. Relevant articles were assessed by their research approach, including the investigator’s selected outcome measure and time frame of various study components (e.g., formative research, intervention and evaluation).

Results  The initial search yielded 527 relevant articles. After application of exclusion criteria, we identified 27 unique studies (30 total articles). Of the 27 articles, most were focused in the community setting. Fifteen (56%) documented observed handwashing behaviour, while 18 (67%) used proxy measures (e.g., soap presence, diarrhoea) and 14 (52%) used self‐reported behaviour. Several studies used multiple outcome measures. While all studies had an evaluation of behaviour change, there was a dearth of studies that evaluated long‐term maintenance of behaviour change after the intervention’s conclusion.

Conclusions  While the literature is replete with a variety of handwashing studies in community, school and health care settings, none have been able to definitively document long‐term behaviour change, thereby challenging the sustainability of various interventions. Additionally, there is a need to better understand which research approach is most effective in promoting long‐term behaviour compliance in global low‐ and middle‐income settings.
Inter‐rater reliability of the Pediatric Transplant Rating Instrument (P‐TRI): Challenges to reliably identifying adherence risk factors during pediatric pre‐transplant evaluations
Authors: Fisher M. , Storfer‐Isser A. , Shaw R. J. , Bernard R. S. , Drury S. , Ularntinon S. , Horwitz S. M.
Published: January 2011

Fisher M, Storfer‐Isser A, Shaw RJ, Bernard RS, Drury S, Ularntinon S, Horwitz SM. Inter‐rater reliability of the Pediatric Transplant Rating Instrument (P‐TRI): Challenges to reliably identifying adherence risk factors during pediatric pre‐transplant evaluations. Pediatr Transplantation 2011: 15:142–147. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the inter‐rater reliability of the P‐TRI, a 17‐item instrument developed to identify risk factors associated with poor treatment adherence in pediatric solid organ transplant candidates. Because factors influencing treatment adherence may vary with age, the 89 subject samples were divided into pre‐adolescent (0–11 yr) and adolescent (12–19 yr) groups. Each subject received two independent P‐TRI ratings based on pretransplant psychosocial assessments separately conducted by a PSYC and a SWTC. Inter‐rater reliability was assessed using the delta statistic. Overall, agreement was higher in the pre‐adolescent group, with delta >0.70 for five items and delta <0.30 for two items. For the adolescent group, one item had a delta >0.70 and seven items had a delta <0.30. Overall, PSYC P‐TRI ratings indicated fewer areas of concern on items assessing family dynamics compared with SWTC P‐TRI ratings, whereas the reverse was true for items related to psychiatric history. Results highlight the challenges of conducting a reliable pretransplant assessment of adherence‐related risk factors and suggest the need for revisions to the P‐TRI prior to its use in clinical practice.
Treatment of adenovirus hepatitis with cidofovir in a pediatric liver transplant recipient
Authors: Cimsit Bayindir , Tichy Eric M. , Patel Sonya B. , Rosencrantz Richard , Emre Sukru
Published: January 2011

Cimsit B, Tichy EM, Patel SB, Rosencrantz R, Emre S. Treatment of adenovirus hepatitis with cidofovir in a pediatric liver transplant recipient.

Abstract:  AdV hepatitis is a rarely reported complication after pediatric liver transplantation that is associated with high rates of morbidity, mortality and graft failure. Successful treatment of AdV relies on early diagnosis of disease by quantitative PCR measurement of adenoviral DNA in blood and histological evidence in tissue biopsy. Pharmacologic treatment largely consists of antiviral therapy with CDV, an acyclic nucleoside phosphonate analog and reduction in immunosuppression. This report describes a case of AdV hepatitis in a pediatric liver transplant recipient successfully treated with a modified, renal sparing dosing of CDV.
Adaptation and Natural Selectionrevisited
Authors: SOBER E. , WILSON D. S.
Published: January 2011

InAdaptation and Natural Selection, George C. Williams linked the distinction between group and individual adaptation with the distinction between group and individual selection. Williams’ Principle, as we will call it, says that adaptation at a level requires selection at that level. This is a necessary but not a sufficient condition; for example, group adaptation requires group selection, but the fact that group selection influences a trait’s evolution does not suffice for the resulting trait frequency to be a group adaptation. What more is required? In this paper, we describe an answer to this question that has been developed in multilevel selection theory. We also discuss an alternative framework for defining units of adaptation that violates Williams’ Principle.
Purification and characterisation of a carboxylesterase from a chlorpyrifos‐methyl‐resistant strain of Oryzaephilus surinamensis (Coleoptera: Silvanidae)
Authors: Lee Sung‐Eun
Published: January 2011

Carboxylesterases from a chlorpyrifos‐methyl‐resistant strain (VOSCM) of the saw‐toothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), are presumed to play a role in conferring resistance to chlorpyrifos‐methyl. Colorimetric assays using substrates of p‐nitrophenyl acetate, alpha‐naphthyl acetate and beta‐naphthyl acetate showed 4.8, 7.8 and 7.5 times higher carboxylesterase hydrolytic activities in VOSCM than those in VOS48, an organophosphorus insecticide‐susceptible strain. Carboxylesterase zymograms showed different banding patterns between VOSCM and VOS48. A primary carboxylesterase in the VOSCM strain, not detected in VOS48, was purified and characterised by chromatographic and electrophoretic techniques. On the basis of native and SDS‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the molecular mass of the purified carboxylesterase from VOSCM was 120 kDa and consisted of two 60 kDa subunits. The purified carboxylesterase activity was totally inhibited by 10−1 mM chlorpyrifos‐methyl and by 10−3 mM chlorpyrifps‐methyl oxon. The purified enzyme did not hydrolyse insecticide substrates. Therefore, these results indicate that the purified carboxylesterase may play an important role in chlorpyrifos‐methyl detoxification by sequestration.
Remote microscopy: a success story in Australian and New Zealand plant biosecurity
Authors: Thompson Michael , Lyons Anita , Kumarasinghe Lalith , Peck Darren R , Kong Gary , Shattuck Steve , La Salle John
Published: January 2011

Rapid and accurate identification of organisms is crucial to many research and applied outcomes. Diagnostics is a critical first step in determining the significance of suspected biosecurity threats posed by emergency plant pests and other invasive pests and pathogens. Traditionally, the biological specimens needing identification are physically mailed to a dispersed community of taxonomic experts for determination. While effective, this is an expensive, labour‐intensive and slow process, often taking days to receive a confirmed identification. Remote microscopy creates virtual, real‐time networks of experts using web‐based cameras mounted on microscopes that allow interactive access to real‐time images of scientific specimens from anywhere in the world via the Internet. Trials conducted by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Biosecurity New Zealand to test the efficacy of remote microscopy in plant quarantine settings showed that in Australia a diagnosis to a level at which realistic biosecurity decisions could be made occurred on 77% of occasions, while in New Zealand high impact exotic pest status was determined during 92% of the diagnostic events, and regulatory status was determined during 96% of events. These positive results are leading towards the expansion of remote microscopy throughout Australia, New Zealand and into South‐East Asia, as well as widening its role as part of online diagnostic frameworks.
Kattan postoperative nomogram for renal cell carcinoma: Predictive accuracy in a Japanese population
Authors: Suzuki Kazuya , Nishiyama Tsutomu , Hara Noboru , Akazawa Kohei , Takahashi Kota
Published: January 2011

Objectives:  The aim of the current study was to establish the predictive accuracy of the Kattan postoperative nomogram for non‐metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in a Japanese population.

Methods:  A total of 211 patients with stage T1–3N0M0 clear cell RCC who underwent radical nephrectomy or nephron‐sparing surgery between 1991 and 2004 were included in this analysis. Median follow up was 81 months (range: 4–208). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed, and the influence of age, sex, clinical presentation, T stage, histological tumor size, grade, and microvascular invasion on disease recurrence‐free survival (RFS) was determined. For each patient, the prognostic score for 5‐year RFS was calculated using the Kattan nomogram. The discriminating ability of this model was assessed by the concordance index, and bootstrapping was used to evaluate confidence intervals.

Results:  The 5‐year RFS rate for all patients calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method was 80.6%. In multivariate analysis, the statistically significant prognostic factors for 5‐year RFS were high‐grade tumors (P = 0.019) and symptomatic disease (P = 0.017). The concordance index for RFS predicted by the Kattan nomogram was 0.735 (95% confidence interval: 0.734–0.736). There was a slight discrepancy between the RFS predicted by the Kattan nomogram and the likelihood of being recurrence‐free at 5 years according to the Cox analysis in the current patient population.

Conclusion:  These findings suggest the necessity of constructing a more useful nomogram for predicting the prognosis of Japanese patients with non‐metastatic RCC.
Renal hydatid cyst treatment: Retroperitoneoscopic “closed cyst” pericystectomy
Authors: Ozden Ender , Bostanci Yakup , Mercimek Mehmet Necmettin , Yakupoglu Yarkin Kamil , Yilmaz Ali Faik , Sarıkaya Saban
Published: January 2011

Cystic hydatid disease is an endemic disease caused by the larval form of Echinococcus spp. Isolated renal involvement is extremely rare. The treatment methods for renal hydatid disease require some form of intervention, ranging from traditional open techniques to laparoscopic techniques. Herein, we present a large hydatid cyst in the lower pole of the left kidney in a 43‐year‐old male patient who was treated by the “closed cyst” method via the retroperitoneal laparoscopic approach to prevent soiling of the peritoneal cavity. To our knowledge, this is the first case of a renal hydatid cyst treated by preserving the renal parenchyma by pericystectomy via the retroperitoneoscopic laparoscopic approach in an adult patient. No complications occurred during the perioperative and postoperative periods. After 9 months of follow up, the patient was asymptomatic with no evidence of clinical recurrence. Retroperitoneoscopic laparoscopic closed cyst pericystectomy can be an alternative minimally invasive treatment technique for the treatment of renal hydatid disease.
Development of auditory‐specific brain rhythm in infants
Authors: Fujioka Takako , Mourad Nasser , Trainor Laurel J.
Published: January 2011

Human infants rapidly develop their auditory perceptual abilities and acquire culture‐specific knowledge in speech and music in the second 6 months of life. In the adult brain, neural rhythm around 10 Hz in the temporal lobes is thought to reflect sound analysis and subsequent cognitive processes such as memory and attention. To study when and how such rhythm emerges in infancy, we examined electroencephaolgram (EEG) recordings in infants 4 and 12 months of age during sound stimulation and silence. In the 4‐month‐olds, the amplitudes of narrowly tuned 4‐Hz brain rhythm, recorded from bilateral temporal electrodes, were modulated by sound stimuli. In the 12‐month‐olds, the sound‐induced modulation occurred at faster 6‐Hz rhythm at temporofrontal locations. The brain rhythms in the older infants consisted of more complex components, as even evident in individual data. These findings suggest that auditory‐specific rhythmic neural activity, which is already established before 6 months of age, involves more speed‐efficient long‐range neural networks by the age of 12 months when long‐term memory for native phoneme representation and for musical rhythmic features is formed. We suggest that maturation of distinct rhythmic components occurs in parallel, and that sensory‐specific functions bound to particular thalamo‐cortical networks are transferred to newly developed higher‐order networks step by step until adult hierarchical neural oscillatory mechanisms are achieved across the whole brain.
Gap junction modulation of hippocampal formation theta and local cell discharges in anesthetized rats
Authors: Bocian Renata , Posluszny Anna , Kowalczyk Tomasz , Kazmierska Paulina , Konopacki Jan
Published: January 2011

During the past decade experimental evidence has accumulated demonstrating that the electrical communication between neurons through gap junctions (GJs) is a necessary neural mechanism underlying oscillations and synchrony. Here we extended our earlier observations concerning the involvement of GJs in hippocampal theta production. Using trimethylamine, a GJ opener, we demonstrated a reversible increase in theta amplitude and power and an increase in the duration of theta epochs. This effect was accompanied by a decrease in the percentage of recorded theta‐off cells, an increase in the percentage of recorded theta‐on phasic cells, and an increase in the number of rhythmic cell discharges per theta wave. We suggest that all these findings result from an enhanced level of interneuronal excitation, mediated by an increase in the efficacy of local GJ coupling.
Worldwide prevalence estimates of lower urinary tract symptoms, overactive bladder, urinary incontinence and bladder outlet obstruction
Authors: Irwin Debra E. , Kopp Zoe S. , Agatep Barnabie , Milsom Ian , Abrams Paul
Published: January 2011

Study Type – Symptom prevalence (prospective cohort)

Level of Evidence 1b

What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Few prevalence studies used current ICS LUTS symptom definitions and to our knowledge no studies exist that estimate total worldwide prevalence of reported LUTS symptoms. One of the primary goals of this analysis was to estimate current and future worldwide prevalence of LUTS among adults. Our estimation model suggests that LUTS are highly prevalent worldwide, with an increasing burden predicted over time.

OBJECTIVE

• To estimate and predict worldwide and regional prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), overactive bladder (OAB), urinary incontinence (UI) and LUTS suggestive of bladder outlet obstruction (LUTS/BOO) in 2008, 2013 and 2018 based on current International Continence Society symptom definitions in adults aged ≥20 years.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• Numbers and prevalence of individuals affected by each condition were calculated with an estimation model using gender‐ and age‐stratified prevalence data from the EPIC study along with gender‐ and age‐stratified worldwide and regional population estimates from the US Census Bureau International Data Base.

RESULTS

• An estimated 45.2%, 10.7%, 8.2% and 21.5% of the 2008 worldwide population (4.3 billion) was affected by at least one LUTS, OAB, UI and LUTS/BOO, respectively. By 2018, an estimated 2.3 billion individuals will be affected by at least one LUTS (18.4% increase), 546 million by OAB (20.1%), 423 million by UI (21.6%) and 1.1 billion by LUTS/BOO (18.5%).

• The regional burden of these conditions is estimated to be greatest in Asia, with numbers of affected individuals expected to increase most in the developing regions of Africa (30.1–31.1% increase across conditions, 2008–2018), South America (20.5–24.7%) and Asia (19.7–24.4%).

CONCLUSIONS

• This model suggests that LUTS, OAB, UI and LUTS/BOO are highly prevalent conditions worldwide. Numbers of affected individuals are projected to increase with time, with the greatest increase in burden anticipated in developing regions.

• There are important worldwide public‐health and clinical management implications to be considered over the next decade to effectively prevent and manage these conditions.
Strategic Environmental Policy under Free Trade with Transboundary Pollution
Authors: Lapan Harvey E. , Sikdar Shiva
Published: January 2011

We analyze the effects of trade liberalization on environmental policies in a strategic setting when there is transboundary pollution. Trade liberalization can result in a race to the bottom in environmental taxes, which makesbothcountries worse off. This isnot due to the terms of trade motive, but rather the incentive, in a strategic setting, to reduce the incidence of transboundary pollution. With command and control policies (emission quotas), countries are unable to influence foreign emissions by strategic choice of domestic policy; hence, there isnorace to the bottom. However, with internationally tradable quotas, unless pollution is a pure global public bad, there is a race to the bottom in environmental policy. Under free trade, internationally nontradable quotas result in the lowest pollution level andstrictlywelfare‐dominate taxes. The ordering of internationally tradable quotas and pollution taxes depends, among other things, on the degree of international pollution spillovers.
Tariff and Quota Equivalence in Vertically Related Markets
Authors: Hwang Hong , Kao Kuo‐Feng , Peng Cheng‐Hau
Published: January 2011

This paper re‐examines the issue of tariff and quota equivalence by introducing an upstream market into the Hwang and Mai (1988) model, and then allowing the two downstream firms to cross‐haul within each other's market. We assume the upstream monopolist can select either a two‐part or a one‐part tariff pricing strategy. It is found that if the upstream firm adopts a two‐part (one‐part) tariff pricing strategy, then the market price of the final good under a tariff will be higher (lower) than that under an equivalent quota; that is, the quota is set at the import level under the tariff regime. This result stands in stark contrast to the prior findings of both Hwang and Mai (1988) and Fung (1989). Moreover, if the quota rent is set as being equal to the tariff revenue, the social welfare under a tariff will necessarily be lower than that under an equivalent quota.
Imperfect Asset Substitutability and Current Account Dynamics
Authors: Ghosh Indradeep
Published: January 2011

In this paper, we present a model of the current account. The model has two variants, one in which assets are perfectly substitutable in investors' portfolios, and another in which they are not. We examine the responses of these two variants of the model to standard shocks, and show that under imperfect substitutability, a valuation effect comes into play. We focus on the external accounts, and examine the role and strength of these valuation effects. Additionally, the imperfect substitutability case allows us to examine the model's response to an exogenous change in investors's portfolio preferences. The model in this paper provides a framework for understanding the experience of the dollar's real value and of the US current account over the last decade.
Institutions and the Relation between Corruption and Economic Growth
Authors: de Vaal Albert , Ebben Wouter
Published: January 2011

We study the effects of bureaucratic corruption on economic growth in a framework that takes into account that corruption also affects growth through its impact on institutions. We use a formal growth framework in which corruption affects growth negatively because of individual rent‐seeking and stealing of public goods, but where corruption may serve a positive role by taking over the role of institutions. We find that the overall effect of corruption on economic growth is highly dependent on the institutional setting of a country. Particularly in situations where institutions are not well developed corruption may be conducive to economic growth. We also find that the interaction among institutions themselves matters. This underscores the importance of taking into account the complete institutional setting when studying corruption, both in theory as well as empirically.
Frailty Effects in Networks: Comparison and Identification of Individual HeterogeneityVersusPreferential Attachment in Evolving Networks
Authors: Blasio Birgitte Freiesleben de , Seierstad Taral Guldahl , Aalen Odd O.
Published: January 2011

Preferential attachment is a proportionate growth process in networks, where nodes receive new links in proportion to their current degree. Preferential attachment is a popular generative mechanism to explain the widespread observation of power-law-distributed networks. An alternative explanation for the phenomenon is a randomly grown network with large individual variation in growth rates among the nodes (frailty). We derive analytically the distribution of individual rates, which will reproduce the connectivity distribution that is obtained from a general preferential attachment process (Yule process), and the structural differences between the two types of graphs are examined by simulations. We present a statistical test to distinguish the two generative mechanisms from each other and we apply the test to both simulated data and two real data sets of scientific citation and sexual partner networks. The findings from the latter analyses argue for frailty effects as an important mechanism underlying the dynamics of complex networks.
Approximate Bayesian Computation Using Indirect Inference
Authors: Drovandi Christopher C. , Pettitt Anthony N. , Faddy Malcolm J.
Published: January 2011

We present a novel approach for developing summary statistics for use in approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) algorithms by using indirect inference. ABC methods are useful for posterior inference in the presence of an intractable likelihood function. In the indirect inference approach to ABC the parameters of an auxiliary model fitted to the data become the summary statistics. Although applicable to any ABC technique, we embed this approach within a sequential Monte Carlo algorithm that is completely adaptive and requires very little tuning. This methodological development was motivated by an application involving data on macroparasite population evolution modelled by a trivariate stochastic process for which there is no tractable likelihood function. The auxiliary model here is based on a beta–binomial distribution. The main objective of the analysis is to determine which parameters of the stochastic model are estimable from the observed data on mature parasite worms.
Optimal Designs for Generalized Non-Linear Models with Application to Second-Harmonic Generation Experiments
Authors: Biedermann Stefanie , Woods David C.
Published: January 2011

The design of experiments for generalized non-linear models is investigated and applied to an optical process for characterizing interfaces which is widely used in the physical and natural sciences. Design strategies for overcoming the dependence of a D-optimal design on the values of the model parameters are explored, including the use of Bayesian designs. Designs for the accurate estimation of model parameters are presented and compared, as are designs for the estimation of a set of ratios of parameters which is of particular importance in the motivating example. The effectiveness of various design methods is studied, and the benefits of well-designed experiments are demonstrated.
Shenzhen: City of Suspended Possibility
Authors: BACH JONATHAN
Published: January 2011

This essay on Shenzhen, China, presents three vignettes addressing the question of home in a city of migrants. The first section explores the ubiquitous narratives of success forming the city's foundational myth. The second follows this myth into the world of a Shenzhen filmmaker and his characters, as they navigate the tension between the idea of home and the urge to start anew, resulting in the suspended possibility of the title. The last section looks at young architects who hope to preserve the city's heterotopic sites of migrants and original villagers through architectural innovations. The cases show how an economy of desire supplements the political economy of this export‐driven city. The city appears as an urban desiring machine that produces itself as an object of desire for the migrants of all classes who flock to its factories, ‘urban villages’, white‐collar jobs, luxury villas and underground economy. The essay is an encounter with the mythology of success and failure, the intertwining of home as an end and home as the beginning, and with the manipulation of space that allows residents to control their own subjectivity.

Ce travail sur Shenzhen présente trois évocations sur le thème du ‘lieu d'origine’ (home) dans une ville chinoise de migrants. La première partie revient sur les récits généralisés de réussites qui sont à la base du mythe fondateur de la ville. La deuxième suit ce mythe dans l'univers d'un cinéaste de Shenzhen et de ses personnages soumis aux tensions entre la notion de lieu d'origine et l'envie de recommencement, aboutissant à la ‘possibilité en suspens’ du titre. La dernière partie porte sur de jeunes architectes dont les innovations espèrent préserver, dans la ville, des sites hétérotopiques de migrants et d'anciens villageois. Les cas étudiés montrent comment une économie du désir s'ajoute à l'économie politique de cette ville orientée à l'exportation. La ville apparaît comme une machine urbaine en désir qui s'autoproduit en objet de désir pour les migrants de toute classe qui affluent vers ses usines, ‘villages urbains’, emplois de bureau, villas de luxe et son économie souterraine. Ce texte est une rencontre avec la mythologie du succès et de l'échec, avec le lien inextricable entre le lieu d'origine comme fin et comme début, et avec la manipulation de l'espace qui permet aux habitants de maîtriser leur propre subjectivité.
Interrogating recent range changes in South African birds: confounding signals from land use and climate change present a challenge for attribution
Authors: Hockey Philip A. R. , Sirami Clélia , Ridley Amanda R. , Midgley Guy F. , Babiker Hassan A.
Published: January 2011

Aim Apparent anthropogenic warming has been underway in South Africa for several decades, a period over which significant range shifts have been observed in some indigenous bird species. We asked whether these range shifts by birds are clearly consistent with either climate change or land use change being the primary driver.

Location South Africa.

Methods We categorized recent range changes among 408 South African terrestrial bird species and, using generalized linear mixed models, analysed ecological attributes of those species that have and have not changed their ranges.

Results Fifty‐six of the 408 taxa studied have undergone significant range shifts. Most extended their ranges towards the south (towards cooler latitudes, consistent with climate‐change drivers) or west (towards drier and warmer habitats, inconsistent with climate drivers but consistent with land use drivers); very few moved east or north. Both southward and westward movers were habitat generalists. Furthermore, southward movers were mobile taxa (migrants and nomads), whereas westward movers were associated with human‐modified elements in the landscape, such as croplands, plantations or buildings.

Main conclusions The results suggest that both land use changes and climate change may simultaneously be influencing dynamic range shifts by South African birds, but separating the relative strengths of these two drivers is challenging, not least because both are operating concurrently and may influence some species simultaneously. Those species that respond to land use change by contracting their ranges are likely to be among the species that will be most impacted by climate change if land use practices with negative impacts are occurring in areas anticipated to become climatic refugia for these species. This highlights a pressing need to develop dynamic models of species’ potential range shifts and changing abundances that incorporate population and dispersal processes, as well as ecological processes that influence habitat suitability.
SEX RATIO VARIATION IN THE LESSONIA NIGRESCENS COMPLEX (LAMINARIALES, PHAEOPHYCEAE): EFFECT OF LATITUDE, TEMPERATURE, AND MARGINALITY1
Authors: Valeria Oppliger Luz , Correa Juan A. , Faugeron Sylvain , Beltrán Jessica , Tellier Florence , Valero Myriam , Destombe Christophe
Published: January 2011

Little is known about variation of sex ratio, the proportion of males to females, in natural populations of seaweed, though it is a major determinant of the mating system. The observation of sexual chromosomes in kelps suggested that sex is partly genetically determined. However, it is probably not purely genetic since the sex ratio can be modified by environmental factors such as salinity or temperature. In this paper, sex ratio variation was studied in the kelp Lessonia nigrescens Bory complex, recently identified as two cryptic species occurring along the Chilean coast: one located north and the other south of the biogeographic boundary at latitude 29°–30° S. The life cycle of L. nigrescens is characterized by an alternation of microscopic haploid gametophytic individuals and large macroscopic fronds of diploid sporophytes. The sex ratio was recorded in progenies from 241 sporophytic individuals collected from 13 populations distributed along the Chilean coast in order (i) to examine the effect of an environmental gradient coupled with latitude, and (ii) to compare marginal populations to central populations of the two species. In addition, we tested the hypothesis that the sex ratios of the two cryptic species would be affected differently by temperature. First, our results demonstrate that sex ratio seems to be mainly genetically determined and temperature can significantly modify it. Populations of the northern species showed a lower frequency of males at 14°C than at 10°C, whereas populations of the southern species showed the opposite pattern. Second, both species displayed an increased variation in sex ratio at the range limits. This greater variation at the margins could be due either to differential mortality between sexes or to geographic parthenogenesis (asexual reproduction).
INTERSTRAIN VARIABILITY IN PHYSIOLOGY AND GENETICS OF HETEROSIGMA AKASHIWO (RAPHIDOPHYCEAE) FROM THE WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA1
Authors: Fredrickson Kerri A. , Strom Suzanne L. , Crim Ryan , Coyne Kathryn J.
Published: January 2011

High levels of intraspecific variability are often associated with HAB species, and this variability is likely an important factor in their competitive success. Heterosigma akashiwo (Hada) Hada ex Y. Hara et M. Chihara is an ichthyotoxic raphidophyte capable of forming dense surface‐water blooms in temperate coastal regions throughout the world. We isolated four strains of H. akashiwo from fish‐killing northern Puget Sound blooms in 2006 and 2007. By assessing numerous aspects of biochemistry, physiology, and toxicity, we were able to describe distinct ecotypes that may be related to isolation location, source population, or bloom timing. Contrasting elements among strains were cell size, maximum growth and photosynthesis rates, tolerance of low salinities, amino acid use, and toxicity to the ciliate grazer Strombidinopsis acuminatum (Fauré‐Fremiet). In addition, the rDNA sequences and chloroplast genome of each isolate were examined, and while all rDNA sequences were identical, the chloroplast genome identified differences among the strains that tracked differences in ecotype. H. akashiwo strain 07A, which was isolated from an unusual spring bloom, had a significantly higher maximum potential photosynthesis rate (28.7 pg C · cell−1 · h−1) and consistently exhibited the highest growth rates. Strains 06A and 06B were not genetically distinct from one another and were able to grow on the amino acids glutamine and alanine, while the other two strains could not. Strain 07B, which is genetically distinct from the other three strains, exhibited the only nontoxic effect. Thus, molecular tools may support identification, tracking, and prediction of strains and/or ecotypes using distinctive chloroplast gene signatures.
INVOLVEMENT OF MICROCYSTINS AND COLONY SIZE IN THE BENTHIC RECRUITMENT OF THE CYANOBACTERIUM MICROCYSTIS (CYANOPHYCEAE)1
Authors: Misson Benjamin , Sabart Marion , Amblard Christian , Latour Delphine
Published: January 2011

The benthic recruitment of Microcystis was simulated in vitro in order to characterize the colonies of Microcystis recruited and to study the impact of intracellular and extracellular microcystins (MCs), and the influence of colony size on the recruitment process. We observed recruitment dynamics consisting of a lag phase followed by a peak and then a return to low recruitment rates, mainly controlled by passive resuspension throughout the experiment, and by physiological processes during the recruitment peak. Ninety‐seven percent of the Microcystis colonies recruited were <160 μm in maximum length, and their cells contained much greater amounts of MCs (0.26 ± 0.14 pg eq microcystin leucine‐arginine variant [MC‐LR] · cell−1) than those in benthic colonies (0.021 ± 0.004 pg eq MC‐LR · cell−1). The MC content of recruited Microcystis varied significantly over time and was not related to changes in the proportion of potentially toxic genotypes, determined using real‐time PCR. On the other hand, the changes in MC content in the potentially toxic Microcystis recruited were closely and negatively correlated with recruitment dynamics; the lowest MC contents corresponded to high recruitment rates, and the highest MC contents corresponded to low recruitment rates. Thus, depending on temperature and light conditions, these variations are thought to result from the selection of various subpopulations from among the smallest and the most toxic of the initial benthic population. Adding purified MC‐LR to experimental treatments led to a decreased recruitment of Microcystis and more specifically of mcyB genotypes.
LINKING TIME‐DEPENDENT CARBON‐FIXATION EFFICIENCIES IN DUNALIELLA TERTIOLECTA (CHLOROPHYCEAE) TO UNDERLYING METABOLIC PATHWAYS1
Authors: Halsey Kimberly H. , Milligan Allen J. , Behrenfeld Michael J.
Published: January 2011

The chl‐specific short‐term 14C‐based production (Pb) measurement is a widely used tool to understand phytoplankton responses to environmental stresses. However, among the metabolic consequences of these stresses is variability in lifetimes of newly fixed carbon that cause Pb to range between chl‐specific net primary production (NPP*) and chl‐specific gross photosynthetic electron flow that is available for carbon reduction () depending on growth rate. To investigate the basis for this discrepancy, photosynthate utilization was characterized in Dunaliella tertiolecta Butcher grown at three different growth rates in N‐limited chemostats. Pb was measured throughout a 2 min to 24 h time course and showed clear growth‐rate‐dependent differences in lifetimes of newly fixed carbon. 14C pulse‐chase experiments revealed differences in patterns of carbon utilization between growth rates. At high growth rate, the majority of 14C was initially fixed into polysaccharide and lipid, but the relative contribution of each labeled biochemical pool to the total label changed over 24 h. In fast‐growing cells, labeled polysaccharides decreased 50%, while labeled lipids increased over the first 4 h. At low growth rate, 14C was initially incorporated primarily into protein, but the contribution of labeled protein to the total label increased over the next 24 h. Together, time‐resolved measurements of Pb and cellular NAD and NADP content suggest an enhanced role for alternative dissipation pathways at very low growth rate. Findings of this study contribute to an integrated understanding of growth‐rate‐dependent shifts in metabolic processes from photosynthesis to net growth.
POLYPHYLY OF CHAETOPHORA AND STIGEOCLONIUM WITHIN THE CHAETOPHORALES (CHLOROPHYCEAE), REVEALED BY SEQUENCE COMPARISONS OF NUCLEAR‐ENCODED SSU rRNA GENES1
Authors: Caisová Lenka , Marin Birger , Sausen Nicole , Pröschold Thomas , Melkonian Michael
Published: January 2011

Previously published molecular phylogenetic analyses of the Chaetophorales (Chlorophyceae) suffered from limited taxon sampling (six genera with only a single species per genus). To test the monophyly of species‐rich genera, and to analyze the phylogenetic relationships among families and genera in the Chaetophorales, we determined nuclear‐encoded SSU rDNA sequences from 30 strains of Chaetophorales, performed phylogenetic analyses using various methods, and screened clades for support by unique molecular synapomorphies in the SSU rRNA secondary structure. The Schizomeridaceae and the weakly supported Aphanochaetaceae were recovered as basal lineages. The derived family Chaetophoraceae diverged into two clades: the “Uronema clade” containing unbranched filaments, and a sister clade designated as “branched Chaetophoraceae” comprising Chaetophora, Stigeoclonium, Draparnaldia, Caespitella, and Fritschiella. Although some terminal clades corresponded to genera described (e.g., Caespitella and Draparnaldia), other clades were in conflict with traditional taxonomic designations. Especially, the genera Stigeoclonium and Chaetophora were shown to be polyphyletic. The globose species Chaetophora elegans was unrelated to lobate Chaetophora spp. (e.g., Chaetophora lobata). Since the original description of Chaetophora referred to a lobate thallus organization, the latter clade represented Chaetophora sensu stricto. In consequence, C. lobata was designated as lectotype of Chaetophora. Two Stigeoclonium species, Stigeoclonium farctum Berthold and Stigeoclonium‘Longipilus’, diverged independently from the type species of Stigeoclonium, Stigeoclonium tenue (C. Agardh) Kütz. These results indicated that some commonly used taxonomic characters are either homoplasious or plesiomorphic and call for a reevaluation of the systematics of the Chaetophorales using novel morphological and molecular approaches.
Bayesian Temporal Source Attribution of Foodborne Zoonoses:Campylobacterin Finland and Norway
Authors: Ranta Jukka , Matjushin Dmitri , Virtanen Terhi , Kuusi Markku , Viljugrein Hildegunn , Hofshagen Merete , Hakkinen Marjaana
Published: January 2011

Statistical source attribution approaches of food‐related zoonoses can generally be based on reported diagnosed human cases and surveillance results from different food sources or reservoirs of bacteria. The attribution model, or probabilistic classifier, can thus be based on the (sub)typing information enabling comparison between human infections and samples derived from source surveillance. Having time series of both data allows analyzing temporal patterns over time providing a repeated natural experiment. A Bayesian approach combining both sources of information over a long time series is presented in the case ofCampylobacterin Finland and Norway. The full model is transparently presented and derived from the Bayes theorem. Previous statistical source attribution approaches are here advanced(1)by explicit modeling of the cases not associated with any of the sources under surveillance over time, (2) by modeling uncertain prevalence in a food source by bacteria type over time, and (3) by implementing formal model fit assessment using posterior predictive discrepancy functions. Large proportion of all campylobacteriosis can be attributed to broiler, but considerable uncertainty remains over time. The source attribution is inherently incomplete if only the sources under surveillance are included in the model. All statistical source attribution approaches should include a model fit assessment for judgment of model performance with respect to relevant quantities of interest. It is especially relevant when the model aims at a synthesis of several incomplete information sources under significant uncertainty of explanatory variables.
Context, Cultural Bias, and Health Risk Perception: The “Everyday” Nature of Pesticide Policy Preferences in London, Calgary, and Halifax
Authors: Hirsch Rachel A. , Baxter Jamie
Published: January 2011

Risk perception and the cultural theory of risk have often been contrasted in relation to risk‐related policy making; however, the local context in which risks are experienced, an important component of everyday decision making, remains understudied. What is unclear is the extent to which localized community beliefs and behaviors depend on larger belief systems about risk (i.e., worldviews). This article reports on a study designed to understand the relative importance of health risk perceptions (threat of harm); risk‐related worldviews (cultural biases); and the experiences of local context (situated risk) for predicting risk‐related policy preferences regarding cosmetic pesticides. Responses to a random telephone questionnaire are used to compare residents’ risk perceptions, cultural biases, and pesticide bylaw preferences in Calgary (Alberta), Halifax (Nova Scotia), and London (Ontario), Canada. Logistic regression shows that the most important determinants of pesticide bylaw preference are risk perception, lack of benefit, and pesticide “abstinence.” Though perception of health risk is the best single predictor of differences in bylaw preferences, social factors such as gender and situated risk factors like conflict over chemical pesticides, are also important. Though cultural biases are not important predictors of pesticide bylaw preference, as in other studies, they are significant predictors of health risk perception. Pesticide bylaw preference is therefore more than just a health risk perception or worldview issue; it is also about how health risk becomes situated—contextually—in the experiences of residents’ everyday lives.