bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pupal release of the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae), in the sterile insect technique: seasonal variation in eclosion and flight
Authors: Reynolds Olivia L , Dominiak Bernie C , Orchard Beverley A
Published: May 2010

The Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt), is the most significant pest of edible fruit in Australia. For the control of B. tryoni using sterile insect technique (SIT), either pupae or adults may be released. Using pupal release, this study tested the seasonal effect of different pupal loadings on eclosion and the flight of sterile B. tryoni. Pupal eclosion boxes were loaded with either 200, 350, 500, 650 or 800 g of pupae during five periods of the fruit fly season (August, October, December, February and April). Adult flies were allowed to emerge and the remaining pupal debris was sampled to determine the per cent emergence and per cent fliers. The duration of emergence, dye retention on the ptilinum of the flies, and temperature and relative humidity externally and internally of the eclosion boxes were recorded. The percentage of emergence was influenced by both pupal loading and the period of release. Overall, the percentage of emergence was lower for loadings of 200 and 350 g of pupae in August, October and April as compared with the 500 g or higher loadings. This difference was not apparent in December or February. The mean percentage of emergence for each pupal loading in December, February and April was well above 65%, the minimum required emergence parameter for successful sterile B. tryoni release. Across all pupal loadings, the percentage of fliers was greater than 99.3% in December, 87.8% in February and 80.8% in April. A high percentage of fliers (>92.7%) was recorded in October, but the percentage of emergence in August and October was below 65% for all pupal loadings; thus pupal release is a suboptimal SIT method during this period of time. Dye on the ptilinum was detected on every fruit fly sampled across all pupal loadings and release periods. Minimum temperature for optimal pupal emergence should not fall below 10°C, and the maximum should not exceed 35°C. Minimum temperature for successful flight should not fall below approximately 6°C while the maximum temperature should exceed 16°C. The described pupal release system is considered a possible option for use as part of an SIT program against B. tryoni under suitable environmental conditions in Australia.
Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) of importance to the Australian macadamia industry: an integrative taxonomic approach to species diagnostics
Authors: Mitchell Andrew , Maddox Craig
Published: May 2010

Bark beetles are emerging as pests of macadamias, both in the native range of macadamias in Australia and worldwide wherever macadamias are cultivated. Multiple species have been detected on macadamias in Australia; however, little has been known about the identity of the species involved, other than that some belong to the genera Hypothenemus Westwood (1836) and Cryphalus Erichson (1836). Hypothenemus is a large and cosmopolitan genus, which contains two exotic species that are regulated pests for Australia: the tropical nut borer, Hypothenemus obscurus (Fabricius), is a pest of macadamias and Brazil nuts in the Americas and the Pacific, and the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), is a pest of coffee found in coffee‐growing areas worldwide, but not in Australia. It is essential that biosecurity authorities have reliable species diagnostic tools available in order to detect incursions of these species in Australia. However, the taxonomic literature on the relevant species is scattered and sparse, and the lack of molecular diagnostic methods means that identification of eggs and larvae has been impossible to date because the immature life stages are morphologically homogeneous. This study fills some crucial gaps in our ability to identify these species, developing diagnostic methods for the major pest species on macadamia in Australia, and for key exotic species, including both regulated pests. An integrative taxonomic approach was used incorporating both traditional morphological taxonomy and DNA barcode data in an iterative process to both identify beetles and develop robust diagnostics for them. DNA barcodes provide unambiguous discrimination of all species examined in this study, albeit a limited sample, and have the advantage that they can be used to identify all life stages of the species.
The taxonomy of Ogyris halmaturia (Tepper, 1890) stat. nov. (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)
Authors: Grund Roger
Published: May 2010

Ogyris halmaturia (Tepper, 1890) was unwittingly founded on two different taxons, comprising the O. halmaturia and also O. otanes (C. & R. Felder, 1865). For the past 116 years, O. halmaturia has been treated primarily either as a geographical subspecies or as a synonym of Ogyris idmo (Hewitson, 1862). Recently in 2008, it was proposed to synonymise O. halmaturia with O. otanes, and Ogyris waterhouseri (Bethune‐Baker, 1905) was elevated as the replacement name for O. halmaturia. In this paper the taxonomic status of O. halmaturia is reviewed and it is considered to be valid, while O. waterhouseri is considered to be a junior subjective synonym of O. halmaturia. Comparisons of adult and juvenile morphologies for allied species, and of DNA attributes indicate O. halmaturia is specifically distinct. The common name Eastern Large Bronze Azure is proposed for O. halmaturia.
Added vegetable and fish oils to low‐fat pollen diets: effect on honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) consumption
Authors: Manning Rob , Speijers Jane , Harvey Maeve , Black John
Published: May 2010

Little is known about which commercial oils could be used as an ingredient in improving artificial feedstuffs for honey bees. To test whether the oils are palatable or whether honey bees showed a preference, they were added to a low‐fat pollen known to be attractive to bees. Oils were added at 2% above the known oil content of the pollen to a level about half that of a range of melliferous plants. Of 27 different plant and fish‐based oils, only linseed and coconut oil‐enhanced pollen diets were consumed by bees at a significantly greater rate (P < 0.05) than pollen itself. Other oils added to pollen that had higher but not significantly different consumption rates by bees to pollen in palatability tests were (highest to lowest): evening primrose, almond, grape seed, apricot, olive, blended vegetable, orange essential oil (EO), linoleic acid, soyabean, avocado, mustard seed, cod liver, sesame and canola. Other oils found unpalatable and discarded from further testing were: gingelly, castor, peanut, rose EO, oleic acid, fish, sunflower, macadamia, rice bran, clary sage EO and lavender EO. At 2%, two of the four essential oils tested were found to be significantly unpalatable and not preferred by bees. The concentration of lavender and clary sage in a pollen diet was perhaps too high. Using alcohol via the addition of 2% rum to enhance volatiles from the pollen diet effectively increased consumption of pollen diets by honey bees. Using both palatability and preference testing methodologies to determine the attractiveness of diets to bees gave the same result. Either test will give the researcher a way of determining the food value of ingredients in diets or full diets.
Australasian Stictocladius Edwards (Diptera: Chironomidae) diagnosed and described
Authors: Cranston Peter S , Sæther Ole A
Published: May 2010

The first formal generic diagnosis for the immature stages and females, and a more complete diagnosis of the males of Stictocladius, based on extensive material from the southern continents, are provided. Associated immature stages are described in detail for the previously described Australasian species, Stictocladius lacuniferus (Freeman), New Zealand; S. pictus (Freeman), New Zealand; S. multiserialis (Freeman), Australia; S. uniserialis (Freeman), Australia; S. victoriae (Freeman), Australia. Divergent species Stictocladius sofour sp. n. from eastern Australia and Stictocladius occidentalis sp. n. from western Australia are described. The further existence of undescribed additional diversity, notably from tropical Australia and the Neotropics, is noted: the morphology of these specimens is incorporated in the generic diagnoses. Stictocladius is compared with putatively related Diplocladius Kieffer and Heleniella Gowin, and the very likely sister group, Lopescladius Oliviera.
Labour Policy and Determinants of Employment and Wages in a Developing Economy with Labour Shortage
Authors: Abdalla Ibrahim Mohamed , Al‐Waqfi Mohammed A. , Harb Nasri , Hijazi Rafiq H. , Zoubeidi Taoufik
Published: May 2010

Using data from a sample of 1,099 workers, this paper investigates the determinants of employment and wages for workers in the United Arab Emirates. The paper further examines the wage distribution and the decomposition of the wage gap between the public and the private sectors. Results of the study are consistent with the dual labour market theory and indicate that the labour market in the United Arab Emirates is segmented based on sectors (public versus private) and types of workers (nationals versus non‐nationals). The study concludes with a discussion of the implication of these findings for the effectiveness of labour and economic policy.
The Role of Career Choice in Understanding Job Mobility
Authors: Pavan Ronni
Published: May 2010

This paper presents a simple model that explains how the likelihood of job changes and their complexity changes over a worker's career, and the empirical work presented here uses the life cycle patterns of mobility and their complexity to infer the relative importance of firm‐specific versus career‐specific concerns as determinants of mobility decisions. The estimates of the model indicate that the contemporaneous presence of two quality matches, one career‐specific and one firm‐specific, is necessary to understand the patterns of the data. The model also predicts that the welfare losses implied by a disappearance of a career can be on average twice as large as the losses implied by a plant closure.
Personality and Labour Market Income: Evidence from Longitudinal Data
Authors: Viinikainen Jutta , Kokko Katja , Pulkkinen Lea , Pehkonen Jaakko
Published: May 2010

This study contributes to the literature on how personality is rewarded in the labour market by examining the relationship between personality and labour market income. Our results suggest that adulthood extraversion is positively associated with income when education, work experience, and unemployment history, measured prospectively from longitudinal data, are controlled for. In addition, childhood constructiveness indicating active and well‐controlled behaviour has a positive association with income in adulthood.
Temporary/Permanent Workers' Wage Gap: A Brand‐new Form of Wage Inequality?
Authors: Elia Leandro
Published: May 2010

By easing restrictions on the use of short‐term contracts, the 30/2003 act represents contemporaneously the more extensive and the more radical policy aimed at introducing flexibility in the Italian labour market. By virtue of a difference‐in‐differences estimator, the paper provides an estimate of the impact of the 30/2003 reform on the wage gap across fixed‐term and long‐term employees. It will be given evidence that the policy has widened the wage differentials and the effect is particularly stronger to skilled workers compared with unskilled workers. These findings would suggest the existence of a possible brand‐new form of wage inequality.
Dropping the Books and Working Off the Books
Authors: Cappariello Rita , Zizza Roberta
Published: May 2010

The paper empirically tests the relationship between underground labour and schooling achievement for Italy, a country ranking badly in both respects when compared with other high‐income economies, with a marked duality between North and South. In order to identify underground workers, we exploit the information on individuals' social security positions available from the Bank of Italy's Survey on Household Income and Wealth. After controlling for a wide range of sociodemographic and economic variables and addressing potential endogeneity and selection issues, we show that a low level of education sizeably and significantly increases the probability of working underground. Switching from completing compulsory school to graduating at college more than halves this probability for both men and women. The gain is slightly higher for individuals completing the compulsory track with respect to those having no formal education at all. The different probabilities found for self‐employed and dependent workers support the view of a dual informal sector, in which necessity and desirability coexist.
INEQUALITY, INCOMPLETE CONTRACTS, AND THE SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF BUSINESS FIRMS*
Authors: Gall Thomas
Published: May 2010

This article analyzes the effects of intrafirm bargaining on the formation of firms in an economy with imperfect capital markets and contracting constraints. In equilibrium, wealth inequality induces a heterogeneous distribution of firm sizes, allowing for firms both too small and too large in terms of technical efficiency. The findings connect well to empirical facts such as the missing middle of firm‐size distributions in developing countries. The model can encompass a nonmonotonic relationship between aggregate output and inequality. It turns out that an inflow of capital may indeed decrease output in absolute terms.
VORACIOUS TRANSFORMATION OF A COMMON NATURAL RESOURCE INTO PRODUCTIVE CAPITAL*
Authors: Van Der Ploeg Frederick
Published: May 2010

I analyze a power struggle where competing factions have private financial assets and deplete a common stock of natural resources with no private property rights. I obtain a feedback Nash equilibrium to the dynamic common‐pool problem and obtain political variants of the Hotelling depletion rule and the Hartwick saving rule. Resource prices and depletion occur too fast, so substitution away from resources to capital occurs too fast and the saving rate is too high. The power struggle boosts output, but depresses sustainable consumption. Genuine saving is nevertheless zero in a fractionalized society. World Bank estimates may be too optimistic.
DEBT NONNEUTRALITY, POLICY INTERACTIONS, AND MACROECONOMIC STABILITY*
Authors: Linnemann Ludger , Schabert Andreas
Published: May 2010

We study the consequences of nonneutrality of government debt for macroeconomic stabilization policy in a sticky‐price model. Ricardian equivalence fails because debt has a negative impact on its rate of return and on private savings, which is induced by assuming transaction services of bonds. Under aggressive monetary policy regimes, macroeconomic fluctuations tend to be stabilized if nominal budget deficits are low. A smooth debt path limits inflation expectations, such that inflation variances can be reduced. Under a balanced budget policy, the central bank's output gap–inflation volatility trade‐off is improved relative to an environment where debt is neutral.
DOES NEOCLASSICAL THEORY ACCOUNT FOR THE EFFECTS OF BIG FISCAL SHOCKS? EVIDENCE FROM WORLD WAR II*
Authors: McGrattan Ellen R. , Ohanian Lee E.
Published: May 2010

Much debate surrounds the usefulness of the neoclassical growth model for assessing the macroeconomic impact of fiscal shocks. We test the theory using data from World War II, which is by far the largest fiscal shock in the history of the United States. We take observed changes in fiscal policy during the war as inputs into a parameterized, dynamic general equilibrium model and compare the values of all variables in the model to the actual values of these variables in the data. Our main finding is that the theory quantitatively accounts for macroeconomic activity during this big fiscal shock.
WHEN DOES IT PAY TO GET INFORMED?*
Authors: Kaya Ayça
Published: May 2010

A repeated principal–agent problem where both sides start out symmetrically uninformed about a productivity‐related parameter and where the principal has the option to costlessly learn this parameter is analyzed. Typically, the principal delays the acquisition of information to avoid costly signaling. If the learning decision of the principal is observable by the agent, the expected delay is longer than if it is unobservable. The discrepancy is due to the ability of the principal to avoid costly signaling when he is known to be uninformed.
Racial Prototypicality, Affirmative Action, and Hiring Decisions in a Multiracial World
Authors: Colarelli Stephen M. , Poole Debra A. , Unterborn Kate , D'Souza Geeta C.
Published: May 2010

This research examined how the racial prototypicality of minority job applicants' faces influenced hiring decisions under different affirmative action (AA) policies: no AA, soft AA (recruitment of minorities with merit‐based hiring), and hard AA (race as a tie‐break factor in hiring). Participants (N=252) evaluated resume/photograph pairs, each containing a Caucasian and a Black applicant, with minority applicants representing three levels of racial prototypicality. The number of jobs awarded to minorities increased as Black racial prototypicality increased. Each level of AA policy strength increased the number of minority hires, but these increases came with a price: AA directives decreased the percentage of minority hires attributed to higher qualifications and increased perceptions that hires were due to AA more than was actually the case.
Exploring the Capacity of NEO PI‐R Facets to Predict Job Performance in Two French‐Canadian Samples
Authors: Denis Pascale L. , Morin Denis , Guindon Claude
Published: May 2010

The capacity of personality facets to predict contextual performance (i.e., interpersonal facilitation and job dedication), task performance, and global performance was explored by means of two predictive validity field studies. In a preliminary way, Study 1 demonstrated that four personality facets – Self‐Consciousness, Excitement Seeking, Trust, and Competence – were related to at least one job performance dimension in a well‐structured occupation sample. Study 2 revealed that eight personality facets were linked to specific job performance dimensions in a professional occupation sample. Results indicate that a combination of facets is useful for predicting job performance.
Examining the Criterion Related Validity of the General Ability Measure for Adults: A two sample investigation
Authors: Ispas Dan , Iliescu Dragos , Ilie Alexandra , Johnson Russell E.
Published: May 2010

Across two employee samples (N=262 and 265) the authors examined the criterion‐related validity of the General Ability Measure for Adults (GAMA), a brief nonverbal measure of cognitive ability. Results suggested that GAMA predicted job performance in both samples (uncorrected rs ranged from .27 to .50). No evidence was found for differential prediction across gender and age. These results highlight the usefulness of nonverbal cognitive ability tests in selection contexts.
The link between perception and action in early infancy: From the viewpoint of the direct‐matching hypothesis
Authors: KANAKOGI YASUHIRO , ITAKURA SHOJI
Published: May 2010

The ability to understand the actions of others is crucial for all social species. Recent electrophysiological and neuroimaging studies indicate that understanding the actions of others is mediated by the mirror neuron system (MNS), in which an observed action is mapped onto the observer's own motor representation of that action. Although there has been considerable progress in elucidating the mechanisms and functions of the direct‐matching process, we still know little about its developmental aspects. In this article, we first provide a brief overview of the functions of the direct‐matching process in the MNS. Next, we review the neurophysiological and behavioral evidence for the developmental aspects of the direct‐matching process, indicating that it is already functional at least by the age of 6 months, and that perception and action are mutually influenced and directly linked in early infancy. Finally, we discuss the unresolved questions about the onset of the direct‐matching process and suggest directions for future research.
Freshwater fish introductions in mediterranean‐climate regions: are there commonalities in the conservation problem?
Authors: Marr S. M. , Marchetti M. P. , Olden J. D. , García‐Berthou E. , Morgan D. L. , Arismendi I. , Day J. A. , Griffiths C. L. , Skelton P. H.
Published: May 2010

Aim  To compare patterns and drivers of freshwater fish introductions across five climatically similar regions and evaluate similarities and differences in the non‐native species introduced.

Location  Five mediterranean‐climate regions: California (USA), central Chile, south‐western Australia, the Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and the south‐western Cape (South Africa).

Methods  Species presence–absence for native and non‐native fishes were collated across the regions, and patterns of faunal change were examined using univariate and multivariate statistical approaches. Taxonomic patterns in freshwater fish introductions were evaluated by comparing the number of species introduced by order to the numbers expected from binomial probabilities. Factors influencing multiple introductions of freshwater fish species in mediterranean regions were determined using generalized linear modelling.

Results  High levels of endemism (70–90%) were revealed for south‐western Cape, south‐western Australia and Chile. Despite their high rates of endemism, all regions currently have more non‐native species than endemic species. Taxonomic selection was found for five orders, although this was only significant for Salmoniformes across regions. The average increase in regional compositional similarity of fish faunas resulting from non‐native fish introductions was 8.0%. Important factors predicting multiple introductions of a species include previous introduction success and mean latitude of its distribution

Main conclusions  The mediterranean‐climate regions of the world, separated by vast distances, originally had a few fish species in common but are now more similar, owing to species introductions, illustrating the extent and importance of taxonomic homogenization. Introductions are largely driven by taxonomically biased human interests in recreational fisheries, aquaculture and ornamental pet species.
Modelling the likelihood of levator avulsion in a urogynaecological population
Authors: DIETZ H. P. , KIRBY A.
Published: May 2010

Background:  Avulsion of the puborectalis muscle is a consequence of vaginal childbirth and associated with female pelvic organ prolapse. It can be palpated, although diagnosis by imaging seems more reliable.

Aims:  To define the prior probability of avulsion based on history and gynaecological examination, in order to facilitate clinical diagnosis.

Methods:  Over 3 years, 983 women had been assessed by 3D ultrasound at a tertiary urogynaecological unit. We analysed our database for predictors of puborectalis avulsion and designed a simplified predictive model with the help of backwards stepwise logistic regression.

Results:  The following factors were strongly associated with the diagnosis of avulsion: age at first vaginal delivery, no stress incontinence, vaginal operative delivery, prolapse symptoms, cystocele, uterine prolapse, minimum Oxford grading of muscle strength and side differences in Oxford grading (all P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression produced a model that had an adjusted r2 of 37.2%, predicting 81% of cases correctly.

Conclusions:  This study was undertaken to define the ‘typical’ patient suffering from avulsion of the puborectalis muscle, a common childbirth‐related injury. Levator defects are most likely in women who had their first child by vaginal operative delivery over the age of 30 years, presenting with symptoms of prolapse without stress incontinence.
Perceived Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms, Smoking, and Recent Alcohol Use in Pregnancy
Authors: Bennett Ian M. , Culhane Jennifer F. , Webb David A. , Coyne James C. , Hogan Vijaya , Mathew Leny , Elo Irma T.
Published: May 2010

Abstract:  Background:  Perceived discrimination is associated with poor mental health and health‐compromising behaviors in a range of vulnerable populations, but this link has not been assessed among pregnant women. We aimed to determine whether perceived discrimination was associated with these important targets of maternal health care among low‐income pregnant women.

Methods:  Face‐to‐face interviews were conducted in English or Spanish with 4,454 multiethnic, low‐income, inner‐city women at their first prenatal visit at public health centers in Philadelphia, Penn, USA, from 1999 to 2004. Perceived chronic everyday discrimination (moderate and high levels) in addition to experiences of major discrimination, depressive symptomatology (CES‐D ≥ 23), smoking in pregnancy (current), and recent alcohol use (12 months before pregnancy) were assessed by patients’ self‐report.

Results:  Moderate everyday discrimination was reported by 873 (20%) women, high everyday discrimination by 238 (5%) women, and an experience of major discrimination by 789 (18%) women. Everyday discrimination was independently associated with depressive symptomatology (moderate = prevalence ratio [PR] of 1.58, 95% CI: 1.38–1.79; high = PR of 1.82, 95% CI: 1.49–2.21); smoking (moderate = PR of 1.19, 95% CI: 1.05–1.36; high = PR of 1.41, 95% CI: 1.15–1.74); and recent alcohol use (moderate = PR of 1.23, 95% CI: 1.12–1.36). However, major discrimination was not independently associated with these outcomes.

Conclusions:  This study demonstrated that perceived chronic everyday discrimination, but not major discrimination, was associated with depressive symptoms and health‐compromising behaviors independent of potential confounders, including race and ethnicity, among pregnant low‐income women. (BIRTH 37:2 June 2010)
Internet Use in Pregnancy Informs Women’s Decision Making: A Web‐Based Survey
Authors: Lagan Briege M. , Sinclair Marlene , George Kernohan W.
Published: May 2010

Abstract:  Background:  Internet access and usage is almost ubiquitous, providing new opportunities and increasing challenges for health care practitioners and users. With pregnant women reportedly turning to the Internet for information during pregnancy, a better understanding of this behavior is needed. The objective of this study was to ascertain why and how pregnant women use the Internet as a health information source, and the overall effect it had on their decision making. Kuhlthau’s (1993) information‐seeking model was adapted to provide the underpinning theoretical framework for the study.

Methods:  The design was exploratory and descriptive. Data were collected using a valid and reliable web‐based questionnaire. Over a 12‐week period, 613 women from 24 countries who had confirmed that they had used the Internet for pregnancy‐related information during their pregnancy completed and submitted a questionnaire.

Results:  Most women (97%) used search engines such as Google

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to identify online web pages to access a large variety of pregnancy‐related information and to use the Internet for pregnancy‐related social networking, support, and electronic commerce (i.e., e‐commerce). Almost 94 percent of women used the Internet to supplement information already provided by health professionals and 83 percent used it to influence their pregnancy decision making. Nearly half of the respondents reported dissatisfaction with information given by health professionals (48.6%) and lack of time to ask health professionals questions (46.5%) as key factors influencing them to access the Internet. Statistically, women’s confidence levels significantly increased with respect to making decisions about their pregnancy after Internet usage (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:  In this study, the Internet played a significant part in the respondents’ health information seeking and decision making in pregnancy. Health professionals need to be ready to support pregnant women in online data retrieval, interpretation, and application. (BIRTH 37:2 June 2010)
A Mirage of Change: Family‐Centered Maternity Care in Practice
Authors: Jimenez Vania , Klein Michael C. , Hivon Myriam , Mason Catherine
Published: May 2010

Abstract:  Background:  Since the 1970s, the movement to “humanize” birth in North America has evolved into “family‐centered maternity care,” which has focused on providing evidence‐based maternity care that is responsive to the needs of women and their families. The objective of this research was to explore women’s birth experiences within the context of the numerous changes that have occurred in perinatal care and to determine how information and knowledge acquired about pregnancy and birth influenced women’s birth experiences.

Methods:  Semi‐structured interviews were conducted in prenatal health clinics in Montreal and Vancouver with 36 women before and after birth.

Results:  Most study participants were unaware of the range of available providers and birth settings. Of the women who were more aware of their options, those selecting a birth center or home birth and midwives had different notions of risk than those who planned a hospital birth. Study participants felt generally well informed, but thought that information sharing, collaborative decision making, or both were inadequate during labor and birth within the hospital setting.

Conclusions:  Despite positive changes in recent years, family‐centered maternity care in Canada still needs to be improved. Women’s ability to use their acquired prenatal knowledge to feel satisfied by their birth experience continues to be undermined by a system of care that does not prioritize women’s informed choice. Further systemic change is required to align maternity care with the needs of Canadian birthing women and their families. (BIRTH 37:2 June 2010)
The role of automated measurement of red cell subpopulations on the Sysmex XE 5000 analyzer in the differential diagnosis of microcytic anemia
Authors: URRECHAGA E. , BORQUE L. , ESCANERO J. F.
Published: May 2010

Cell counter–based formulae have been used in the differential diagnosis of microcytic anemia. The measurement of new red cell parameters is now available on the Sysmex XE 5000 analyzer. Derived from the percentages of microcytic and hypochromic red cells, the authors describe the new formula %microcytic−%hypochromic, M‐H index. The aim of this study was to assess the discriminant value of this new index in the differential diagnosis of microcytic anemia and thalassemia screening compared to the published indices. Receiver operating characteristic curves, sensitivity, specificity and Youden index were calculated for a set of 170 iron‐deficiency anemia patients and 200 β thalassemia carriers. % microcytic−% hypochromic index showed the best area under the curve (area under curve AUC, 0.994) and Youden index (93.9%), among considered indices; 98% sensitivity, 95.9% specificity, at a cutoff value >11.5; Green and King index ranked second (AUC 0.99, Youden index 90.8%). Because of high sensitivity and specificity, the new index %microcytic−%hypochromic was the most reliable index evaluated. M‐H index could be a useful tool in the differential diagnosis of microcytic anemia, and samples with M‐H > 11.5 can be chosen for further analysis to confirm the diagnosis of thalassemia.
Le lemme fondamental pondéré. I. Constructions géométriques
Authors: Chaudouard Pierre-Henri , Laumon Gérard
Published: May 2010

This work is the geometric part of our proof of the weighted fundamental lemma, which is an extension of Ngô Bao Châu’s proof of the Langlands–Shelstad fundamental lemma. Ngô’s approach is based on a study of the elliptic part of the Hichin fibration. The total space of this fibration is the algebraic stack of Hitchin bundles and its base space is the affine space of ‘characteristic polynomials’. Over the elliptic set, the Hitchin fibration is proper and the number of points of its fibers over a finite field can be expressed in terms of orbital integrals. In this paper, we study the Hitchin fibration over an open set larger than the elliptic set, namely the ‘generically regular semi-simple set’. The fibers are in general neither of finite type nor separated. By analogy with Arthur’s truncation, we introduce the substack of ξ-stable Hitchin bundles. We show that it is a Deligne–Mumford stack, smooth over the base field and proper over the base space of ‘characteristic polynomials’. Moreover, the number of points of the ξ-stable fibers over a finite field can be expressed as a sum of weighted orbital integrals, which appear in the Arthur–Selberg trace formula.
2‐Methoxyoestradiol inhibits glucose transport in rodent skeletal muscle
Authors: Zhang Shi‐Jin , Sandström Marie , Ahlsén Maria , Ivarsson Niklas , Zhu Hua , Ma Jianjie , Ren Jian‐Ming , Westerblad Håkan , Katz Abram
Published: May 2010

2‐Methoxyoestradiol (2‐ME) is an oestrogen derivative that inhibits superoxide dismutase (which converts superoxide anions to H2O2). Since reactive oxygen species have been implicated in glucose transport, we determined the effect of 2‐ME on glucose transport in skeletal muscle. Experiments were performed on isolated mouse extensor digitorum longus (EDL, glycolytic, fast‐twitch) muscle. Glucose uptake was measured using 2‐deoxy‐d‐[1,2‐3H]glucose. 2‐Methoxyoestradiol (50 μm) reduced glucose uptake induced by insulin, contraction and hypoxia by ∼60%. Exogenous H2O2 activated glucose uptake, and this effect was also blocked by 2‐ME, demonstrating that 2‐ME was exerting its inhibitory effect on glucose uptake at a site other than superoxide dismutase. When glucose uptake was stimulated by insulin, followed by addition of 2‐ME, there was also an attenuation of the effect of insulin (∼60%). Moreover, basal glucose uptake was decreased by 2‐ME (∼50%). In contrast, insulin‐mediated translocation of glucose transporter type 4 protein to the plasma membrane was not affected by 2‐ME. Similar results were obtained in soleus (oxidative, slow‐twitch) muscle. In conclusion, 2‐ME appears to decrease glucose transport in skeletal muscle by directly interfering with the function of glucose transport proteins in surface membranes.
Achieving Uniform Clamp Load in Gasketed Bolted Joints Using a Nonlinear Finite Element Model
Authors: Nassar Sayed A. , Wu Zhijun , Yang Xianjie
Published: May 2010

A three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model is developed for achieving a uniform clamp load in gasketed bolted joints. The model is used for both multiple and single pass tightening patterns. Geometric nonlinearity of the gasket is taken into account and plastic model parameters are experimentally determined. The effect of the tightening pattern, gasket loading and unloading history, and the preload level is investigated. The validity of the FEA methodology is experimentally verified. This study helps improve the reliability of gasketed bolted joints by minimizing the bolt-to-bolt clamp load variation caused by elastic interaction among the various bolts in the joint during initial joint-bolt-up.
Comparison of Failure Modes of Piping Systems With Wall Thinning Subjected to In-Plane, Out-of-Plane, and Mixed Mode Bending Under Seismic Load: An Experimental Approach
Authors: Nakamura Izumi , Otani Akihito , Shiratori Masaki
Published: May 2010

Pressurized piping systems used for an extended period may develop degradations such as wall thinning or cracks due to aging. It is important to estimate the effects of degradation on the dynamic behavior and to ascertain the failure modes and remaining strength of the piping systems with degradation through experiments and analyses to ensure the seismic safety of degraded piping systems under destructive seismic events. In order to investigate the influence of degradation on the dynamic behavior and failure modes of piping systems with local wall thinning, shake table tests using 3D piping system models were conducted. About 50% full circumferential wall thinning at elbows was considered in the test. Three types of models were used in the shake table tests. The difference of the models was the applied bending direction to the thinned-wall elbow. The bending direction considered in the tests was either of the in-plane bending, out-of-plane bending, or mixed bending of the in-plane and out-of-plane. These models were excited under the same input acceleration until failure occurred. Through these tests, the vibration characteristic and failure modes of the piping models with wall thinning under seismic load were obtained. The test results showed that the out-of-plane bending is not significant for a sound elbow, but should be considered for a thinned-wall elbow, because the life of the piping models with wall thinning subjected to out-of-plane bending may reduce significantly.
Tryptophan Catabolism by Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase 1 Alters the Balance of T
H
17 to Regulatory T Cells in HIV Disease
Authors: Favre David , Mold Jeff , Hunt Peter W. , Kanwar Bittoo , Loke P’ng , Seu Lillian , Barbour Jason D. , Lowe Margaret M. , Jayawardene Anura , Aweeka Francesca , Huang Yong , Douek Daniel C. , Brenchley Jason M. , Martin Jeffrey N. , Hecht Frederick M. , Deeks Steven G. , McCune Joseph M.
Published: May 2010

Patients with AIDS have fewer immune cells to defend against microbial invasion through the gut, a critical loss that may be caused by a tryptophan metabolite produced by other immune cells.
Insights into Therapy: Tryptophan Oxidation and HIV Infection
Authors: Murray Michael F.
Published: May 2010

Research is under way to discover and develop therapies that target
tryptophan oxidation in a variety of disease contexts.
Androgen Receptor Promotes Hepatitis B Virus–Induced Hepatocarcinogenesis Through Modulation of Hepatitis B Virus RNA Transcription
Authors: Wu Ming-Heng , Ma Wen-Lung , Hsu Cheng-Lung , Chen Yuh-Ling , Ou Jing-Hsiung James , Ryan Charlotte Kathryn , Hung Yao-Ching , Yeh Shuyuan , Chang Chawnshang
Published: May 2010

Targeting androgen receptor may prevent hepatitis B virus–induced liver cancer.
HIF-1α: A New Target for Treating Diabetes?
Authors: Bremer Andrew A.
Published: May 2010

Increasing HIF-1α levels improves β-cell function and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion.
Color Coding
Authors: Hansel Donna E.
Published: May 2010

The depigmentation disease vitiligo is linked to several autoimmune susceptibility loci.
Secretion of an Endogenous Subtilisin by
Pichia pastoris
Strains GS115 and KM71
Authors: Salamin Karine , Sriranganadane Dev , Léchenne Barbara , Jousson Olivier , Monod Michel
Published: May 2010

The methylotrophic yeast
Pichia pastoris
is widely used for the expression of heterologous enzymes. While the purity of the desired expression product is of major importance for many applications, we found that recombinant enzymes produced in methanol medium were contaminated by a 37-kDa endogenous yeast protease. This enzyme was completely inhibited by phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) but not by 1,10-phenanthroline, EDTA, and pepstatin A, suggesting the nature of a serine protease. Its secretion was abolished in
P. pastoris
strains GS115 and KM71 by specific mutagenesis of a subtilisin gene (
SUB2
) but not by inactivation of the gene encoding vacuolar proteinase B (
PRB
). Bioinformatic comparisons of Sub2 protein with subtilisins from other fungal genomes and phylogenetic analyses indicated that this enzyme is not an orthologue of the vacuolar protease cerevisin generally present in yeasts but is more closely related to another putative subtilisin found in a small number of yeast genomes. During growth of
P. pastoris
, Sub2 was produced as a secreted enzyme at a concentration of 10 μg/ml of culture supernatant after overexpression of the full-length
SUB2
gene. During fermentative production of recombinant enzymes in methanol medium, 1 ml of
P. pastoris
culture supernatant was found to contain approximately 3 ng of Sub2, while the enzyme was not detected during growth in a medium containing glycerol as a carbon source. The mutant strain GS115-
sub2
was subsequently used as a host for the production of recombinant proteases without endogenous subtilisin contamination.
Modulation of Responses of
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
O3:K6 to pH and Temperature Stresses by Growth at Different Salt Concentrations
Authors: Whitaker W. Brian , Parent Michelle A. , Naughton Lynn M. , Richards Gary P. , Blumerman Seth L. , Boyd E. Fidelma
Published: May 2010

Vibrio parahaemolyticus
inhabits marine, brackish, and estuarine waters worldwide, where fluctuations in salinity pose a constant challenge to the osmotic stress response of the organism.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
is a moderate halophile, having an absolute requirement for salt for survival, and is capable of growth at 1 to 9% NaCl. It is the leading cause of seafood-related bacterial gastroenteritis in the United States and much of Asia. We determined whether growth in differing NaCl concentrations alters the susceptibility of
V. parahaemolyticus
O3:K6 to other environmental stresses.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
was grown at a 1% or 3% NaCl concentration, and the growth and survival of the organism were examined under acid or temperature stress conditions. Growth of
V. parahaemolyticus
in 3% NaCl versus that in 1% NaCl increased survival under both inorganic (HCl) and organic (acetic acid) acid conditions. In addition, at 42°C and −20°C, 1% NaCl had a detrimental effect on growth. The expression of lysine decarboxylase (encoded by
cadA
), the organism's main acid stress response system, was induced by both NaCl and acid conditions. To begin to address the mechanism of regulation of the stress response, we constructed a knockout mutation in
rpoS
, which encodes the alternative stress sigma factor, and in
toxRS
, a two-component regulator common to many
Vibrio
species. Both mutant strains had significantly reduced survival under acid stress conditions. The effect of
V. parahaemolyticus
growth in 1% or 3% NaCl was examined using a cytotoxicity assay, and we found that
V. parahaemolyticus
grown in 1% NaCl was significantly more toxic than that grown in 3% NaCl.
Characterization of the Replication, Transfer, and Plasmid/Lytic Phage Cycle of the Streptomyces Plasmid-Phage pZL12
Authors: Zhong Li , Cheng Qiuxiang , Tian Xinli , Zhao Liqian , Qin Zhongjun
Published: May 2010

We report here the isolation and recombinational cloning of a large plasmid, pZL12, from endophytic
Streptomyces
sp. 9R-2. pZL12 comprises 90,435 bp, encoding 112 genes, 30 of which are organized in a large operon resembling bacteriophage genes. A replication locus (
repA
) and a conjugal transfer locus (
traA
-
traC
) were identified in pZL12. Surprisingly, the supernatant of a 9R-2 liquid culture containing partially purified phage particles infected 9R-2 cured of pZL12 (9R-2X) to form plaques, and a phage particle (φZL12) was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Major structural proteins (capsid, portal, and tail) of φZL12 virions were encoded by pZL12 genes. Like bacteriophage P1, linear φZL12 DNA contained ends from a largely random pZL12 sequence. There was also a hot end sequence in linear φZL12. φZL12 virions efficiently infected only one host, 9R-2X, but failed to infect and form plaques in 18 other
Streptomyces
strains. Some 9R-2X spores rescued from lysis by infection of φZL12 virions contained a circular pZL12 plasmid, completing a cycle comprising autonomous plasmid pZL12 and lytic phage φZL12. These results confirm pZL12 as the first example of a plasmid-phage in
Streptomyces
.
RpoS, the Stress Response Sigma Factor, Plays a Dual Role in the Regulation of
Escherichia coli
's Error-Prone DNA Polymerase IV
Authors: Storvik Kimberly A. M. , Foster Patricia L.
Published: May 2010

RpoS,
Escherichia coli
's general stress response sigma factor, regulates error-prone DNA polymerase IV (Pol IV) (encoded by the
dinB
gene). Pol IV is induced in stationary-phase cells, and thereafter, levels of the protein remain elevated for several days of continuous incubation. This induction and persistence in stationary-phase cells are dependent on RpoS. Data presented here show that this regulation is direct via the RpoS-directed transcription of the
dinB
gene. However, a loss of RpoS also results in a decrease in Pol IV-dependent mutation when Pol IV is overexpressed from an RpoS-independent promoter in exponentially growing cells. The loss of RpoS also increases cell sensitivity to 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide, indicating that RpoS affects the ability of Pol IV to bypass DNA lesions. Thus, in addition to directly driving the transcription of the
dinB
gene in stationary-phase cells, RpoS regulates the activity of Pol IV in exponentially growing cells via a second, indirect pathway.
Statewide diffusion of 100% tobacco-free college and university policies
Authors: Lee Joseph G L , Goldstein Adam O , Kramer Kathryn D , Steiner Julea , Ezzell Mark M , Shah Vandana
Published: May 2010

Objectives

As smoking among college students reached new highs in the 1990s, most interventions for college student smoking prevention focused on individual student knowledge, attitudes and beliefs. No published studies report on statewide movements to accelerate the adoption of tobacco-free policies on college campuses. The results of the first 4 years of the North Carolina Tobacco-Free Colleges Initiative are presented.

Methods

The North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund developed a multilevel intervention to accelerate the diffusion of tobacco-free policies on college campuses, including funding campus coordinators and coalitions to tailor activities to the campus environment at 64 colleges. Evaluators tracked process and policy outcomes as well as the diffusion of policy adoption from January 2006–December 2009.

Results

Prior to the initiative, only one small, private college campus in North Carolina was tobacco-free. By 4 years into the initiative, 33 colleges and community colleges, representing more than 159 300 students, have adopted comprehensive tobacco-free policies to protect students, faculty, staff and visitors. Participating campuses also adopted 68 policies restricting smoking in certain areas and limiting industry activity.

Conclusions

Tobacco-free policy adoption on college campuses can be accelerated with a multilevel statewide intervention.
Segregation by morphological analyses of trisomy types inLotus tenuis(Fabaceae)
Authors: St.-Marseille Pierre , Grant William F.
Published: May 2010

Two autotetraploids (2n = 4x = 24) were produced by colchicine treatment of dry seeds of Lotus tenuis Waldst. et Kit. Triploids (2n = 3x = 18) were obtained by backcrossing the tetraploids to normal diploid plants. Primary trisomies (2n = 12 + 1) were obtained by selfing the triploids. A morphological comparison was made between a randomly selected diploid, a tetraploid, and five trisomic plants. The trisomics could be distinguished distinctly from the diploid and tetraploid using 12 quantitative phenotypic traits. Two traits, bract index and number of flowers per umbel, were not significantly different between all three cytotypes (2x, 2x + 1, 4x). By means of morphological analyses it was possible to select trisomic plants for presumably different trisomes prior to detailed cytological analyses of individual chromosomes. Key words: aneuploidy, tetraploids, Fabaceae, Lotus tenuis, morphological traits, triploids, primary trisomics.