bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Annexin A2 in amniotic fluid: Correlation with histological chorioamnionitis, preterm premature rupture of membranes, and subsequent preterm delivery
Authors: Namba Fumihiko , Ina Shihomi , Kitajima Hiroyuki , Yoshio Hiroyuki , Mimura Kazuya , Saito Shigeru , Yanagihara Itaru 
Published: September 2011

AbstractAim:  The aim of this study was to determine whether amniotic fluid levels of annexin A2, a phospholipid‐binding protein that is abundant in amnion and regulates fibrin homeostasis, are associated with histological chorioamnionitis, preterm premature rupture of the membranes, and subsequent preterm delivery.Materials and Methods:  Amniotic fluid was obtained from 55 pregnant women with preterm labor and/or preterm premature rupture of the membranes before 32 weeks of gestation, and amniotic fluid levels of annexin A2 were measured with a sandwich enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.Results:  Amniotic fluid levels of annexin A2 in patients with histological chorioamnionitis was higher than that in the remainder (P = 0.053), whereas amniotic fluid levels of annexin A2 in patients with preterm premature rupture of the membranes was significantly higher than that in the remainder (P = 0.002). Amniotic levels of annexin A2 was a fair test (area under receiver–operator characteristic curve = 0.679), and amniotic fluid levels of annexin A2 > 878.2 ng/mL had a sensitivity of 68.8%, a specificity of 65.2%, a positive predictive value of 73.3%, and a negative predictive value of 60.0% for predicting delivery within 2 weeks after amniotic fluid sampling. Furthermore, the combined use of amniotic fluid cut‐off levels of 878.2 ng/mL for annexin A2 and 13.3 ng/mL for interleukin‐8 improved the specificity (91.3%) and the positive predictive value (89.5%).Conclusions:  We identified amniotic fluid levels of annexin A2, especially in combination with amniotic fluid levels of interleukin‐8, as a novel predictive marker for preterm delivery.
Effects of orientation, stress and exposure time on short intergranular stress corrosion crack behaviour in sensitised type 304 austenitic stainless steel
Authors: RAHIMI S. , MARROW T. J. 
Published: September 2011

ABSTRACTIntergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) in austenitic stainless steels occurs at susceptible grain boundaries after sensitisation. In this study, the effects of test duration, static stress (applied and residual) and microstructure orientation on the developed populations of short crack nuclei are reported for a sensitised type 304 austenitic stainless steel in an acidified potassium tetrathionate (K2S4O6) solution. The crack populations were analysed using the Gumbel distribution method, showing an increase in the characteristic crack lengths with increasing time and grain size. There is a weak, but measurable effect of stress on crack length. Tensile stress increases crack growth and compressive residual stresses introduced by surface machining are shown to be beneficial. A significant dependence on sample orientation is observed and this cannot be explained in terms of the bulk microstructure properties or characteristics, which showed no significant variations.
Corrosion fatigue crack propagation of an aluminum alloy under periodic overloads
Authors: WANG R , ZHENG X 
Published: September 2011

ABSTRACTPeriodic tensile overloads superposed on constant amplitude cycles were used on compact tension fracture mechanics specimens of an aluminum (Al–Cu–Mg) alloy. The delayed retardation of corrosion fatigue crack propagation in the low part of the Paris regime was investigated in a 3.5% NaCl environment. The aluminum alloy exhibits the intensive retardation effect of crack propagation under overload ratios from 1.3 to 2.0 and overload intervals from 102 to 104 cycles. The crack propagation under the periodic overloads can be treated as the base constant amplitude crack propagation, i.e. . The periodic overloads decrease the crack propagation resistance coefficient of Bcf, but have less effect on the threshold value of obtained by best fitting of this model.
Protist diversity in suboxic and sulfidic waters of the Black Sea
Authors: Wylezich Claudia , Jürgens Klaus 
Published: September 2011

SummaryThe oxic–anoxic transition zone of the Black Sea comprises a large suboxic zone as well as anoxic and sulfidic waters. While the prokaryotes and biogeochemical cycles that characterize this zone have been frequently studied, little is known about the diversity or ecology of its microbial eukaryotes. Here, we present the first broad qualitative report of the protist species composition in the Black Sea redoxcline using molecular tools. Fingerprint analysis from the whole redoxcline revealed a complex community structure of metabolically active protists with distinct shifts along the redox gradient. Additionally, 18S rRNA gene clone libraries were used to compare protist species composition of suboxic and sulfidic water layers. Among the ciliates, sequences related toPleuronemaandStrombidiumwere dominant in both water layers whereas sequences affiliated with anaerobic plagiopylids andCyclidiumwere detected only in the sulfidic zone. Among the flagellates, mainly stramenopiles (mostly bicosoecids and chrysophytes) occurred throughout the redoxcline. In the sulfidic zone we found stramenopile sequences but also euglenozoans, jakobids and choanoflagellates that were related to clonal sequences from other anoxic marine habitats, thus indicating the existence of globally distributed groups of anoxic flagellates. Higher species diversity in the sulfidic zone and about twice as many novel sequence types of ciliates and stramenopiles compared with the suboxic layer emphasizes the importance of anoxic, sulfidic waters as habitat for high protist diversity although the function of these organisms is yet unknown.
A new approach to model the spatiotemporal development of biofilm phase in porous media
Authors: Bozorg Ali , Sen Arindom , Gates Ian D. 
Published: September 2011

SummaryBacteria can exist within biofilms that are attached to the solid matrix of a porous medium. Under certain conditions, the biomass can fully occupy the pore space leading to reduced hydraulic conductivity and mass transport. Here, by treating biofilm as a growing, high‐viscosity phase, a novel macroscopic approach to model biofilm spatial expansion and its corresponding effects on porous medium hydraulic properties is presented. The separate yet coupled flow of the water and biofilm phases is handled by using relative permeability curves that allow for biofilm movement within the porous medium and bioclogging effects. Fluid flow is governed by Darcy's law and component transport is set by the convection–diffusion equation reaction terms for each component. Here, the system of governing equations is solved by using a commercial multiphase flow reservoir simulator, which is used to validate the model against published laboratory experiments. A comparison of the model and experimental observations reveal that the model provides a reasonable means to predict biomass development in the porous medium. The results reveal that coupled flow of water and movement of biofilm, as described by relative permeability curves, is complex and has a large impact on the development of biomass and consequent bioclogging in the porous medium.
Physical activity for obese individuals: a systematic review of effects on chronic disease risk factors
Authors: Katzmarzyk P. T. , Lear S. A. 
Published: September 2011

SummaryThe purpose of this review was to determine the effectiveness of physical activity in improving chronic disease risk factors in obese individuals. A systematic review was conducted to identify randomized physical activity intervention studies reporting changes in risk factors among obese individuals published prior to March 2010. Studies included in the review were randomized trials of at least 10 weeks in duration, with a sample mean body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 at baseline, and reporting a relevant risk factor (blood pressure, blood lipids, glucose/insulin or C‐reactive protein). Forty‐four studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. Overall, physical activity had no more than a modest effect on chronic disease risk factors in obese individuals. There was great heterogeneity in responses of risk factors across studies. In many studies it was difficult to determine the effect of physical activity, independent of changes in body mass consequent to the intervention. Obese individuals should be encouraged to undertake physical activity following general recommendations for weight loss and health. The degree to which physical activity is effective at lowering risk factor levels among high‐risk obese individuals is not known.
Convolution‐Based Simulation of Homogeneous Subsurface Scattering
Authors: Munoz Adolfo , Echevarria Jose I. , Seron Francisco J. , Gutierrez Diego 
Published: September 2011

AbstractThis paper introduces a new method for simulating homogeneous subsurface light transport in translucent objects. Our approach is based on irradiance convolutions over a multi‐layered representation of the volume for light transport, which is general enough to obtain plausible depictions of translucent objects based on the diffusion approximation. We aim at providing an efficient physically based algorithm that can apply arbitrary diffusion profiles to general geometries. We obtain accurate results for a wide range of materials, on par with the hierarchical method by Jensen and Buhler.
Influence of the Tunnel Shape on Shotcrete Lining Stresses
Authors: Barpi Fabrizio , Peila Daniele 
Published: September 2011

Abstract:Tunnel excavation is frequently carried out in rock masses by the drill and blast method and the final shape of the tunnel boundary can be irregular due to overbreaks. In order to investigate the effects of overbreaks a study of the effect of tunnel boundary irregularity has been carried out. This is done developing a computational tool able to take into account fuzzy variables (i.e., thickness of the beams of the bedded spring approach used for the model). The obtained results show that irregularity effects should be considered when a shotcrete lining is used as the final tunnel lining (for the case where the tunneling procedure does not permit a smooth surface to be obtained). This is crucial to obtain a durable lining.
Creditor Rights and R&D Expenditures
Authors: Seifert Bruce , Gonenc Halit 
Published: September 2011

ABSTRACTManuscript Type: EmpiricalResearch Question/Issue: This study examines the impact of creditor rights on R&D intensity (R&D/total assets). We argue that managers in countries with strong creditor rights have more incentives to reduce cash flow risk and therefore limit expenditures on R&D more than managers located in countries with weak creditor rights.Research Findings/Insights: Using a sample of over 21,000 firms from 41 countries, our research is one of the first to document that strong creditor rights are indeed associated with reduced R&D intensity. This negative relationship is observed in market‐based countries, but not in bank‐based countries. Moreover, the results show that the negative effect of creditor rights on R&D intensity is usually stronger (more negative) for firms facing or near financial distress. We observe that the determinants for R&D intensity consist of both country and firm level variables and firm level variables appear to be more important in explaining the variance of R&D intensity.Theoretical/Academic Implications: This study documents an important link between creditor rights and R&D intensity. Our empirical procedure specifically accounts for the fact that R&D intensity and debt are likely to be jointly determined.Practitioner/Policy Implications: This research is important to policy makers interested in understanding the determinants of firms' R&D intensity. In particular, our study suggests a possible harmful effect of strong creditor rights, namely the possibility that R&D intensity will be lowered.
International Growth Spillovers, Geography and Infrastructure
Authors: Roberts Mark , Deichmann Uwe 
Published: September 2011

AbstractThere is significant academic evidence that growth in one country has a positive impact on growth in neighbouring countries. This paper contributes to this literature by analysing the heterogeneous strength of growth spillovers across world regions and by investigating the contribution of transport and communication infrastructure to explain this heterogeneity and promote neighbourhood effects. By defining neighbourhood on the basis of membership of regional trade agreements, we focus on spillovers that work through regional integration and trade. The analysis finds significant evidence for heterogeneity in growth spillovers, which are strong between OECD countries and essentially absent in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). We further find strong interaction between infrastructure and being a landlocked country. This suggests that growth spillovers from regional ‘success stories’ in SSA and other lagging world regions will depend on first strengthening the channels through which such spillovers can spread – most importantly connective infrastructure such as transport and telecommunication links.
UK research expenditure on dementia, heart disease, stroke and cancer: are levels of spending related to disease burden?
Authors: Luengo‐Fernandez R. , Leal J. , Gray A. M. 
Published: September 2011

Background and purpose:  A UK government review recommended that the impact of disease on the population and economy should be assessed to inform health research priorities. This study aims to quantify UK governmental and charity research funding for dementia, cancer, coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke in 2007/08 and assess whether the levels of research expenditure are aligned with disease and economic burden.Methods:  We identified UK governmental agencies and charities providing health research funding and determined their levels of funding for dementia, cancer, CHD and stroke. Research funding levels were compared to the number of cases, disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs) and economic burden. Economic costs were estimated using data on morbidity, mortality, health and social care use, private costs and other related indicators.Results:  Research funding to the four diseases was £833 million, of which £590 million (71%) was devoted to cancer, £169 million (20%) to CHD, £50 million (6%) to dementia and £23 million (4%) to stroke. Cancer received £482 in research funding per 1000 DALYs lost, CHD received £266, dementia received £166, with stroke receiving £71. In terms of economic burden, for every £1 million of health and social care costs attributable to each disease, cancer received £129 269 in research funding, CHD received £73 153, stroke received £8745 and dementia received £4882.Conclusions:  Most health research funding in the UK is currently directed towards cancer. When compared to their burden, our analysis suggests that research spending on dementia and stroke is severely underfunded in comparison with cancer and CHD.
Welfare risks in early adulthood: A longitudinal analysis of social assistance transitions in Norway
Authors: Lorentzen Thomas , Dahl Espen , Harsløf Ivan 
Published: September 2011

Lorentzen T, Dahl E, Harsløf I. Welfare risks in early adulthood: a longitudinal analysis of social assistance transitions in NorwayThis study assessed the significance of critical life events and socio‐economic background in relation to the likelihood of young Norwegians receiving social assistance, asking how each of these factors contributes both independently and interactively. The data set was derived from a nationwide, longitudinal register and includes the entire 18‐year‐old cohort in 1993. A discrete‐time proportional hazard rate analysis controlling for unobserved heterogeneity was applied. The results indicate that both socio‐economic background and indicators of critical life events have strong independent effects on the likelihood of receiving social assistance. Significant interaction effects between socio‐economic background and certain indicators of critical life events were detected. However, contrary to our expectations, under certain circumstances, coming from a group with low socio‐economic status does not seem to ameliorate the effect of being exposed to critical life events.
Aufkommens- und Verteilungsfolgen des Ersatzes des deutschen einkommensteuerlichen Formeltarifs durch einen Stufentarif
Authors: Houben Henriette , Maiterth Ralf , Müller Heiko 
Published: September 2011

AbstractA simplification of the German tax law is the major intend when proposing a graduated tax rate to replace the current German formula based tax scale. A plain tax rate structure requires catchy tax brackets (e.g. in 5.000 € or 10.000 € steps) and tax rates (e.g. tax rate differences of 5% or 10%). Our empirical analysis shows that such a graduated tax rate causes significant distributional effects and, depending on the particular form, affects different groups of tax payers in different ways. This holds in particular for the two graduated tax rate proposals from the German Liberal Party which additionally provoke substantial revenue losses. A graduated tax rate with little revenue and distributional effects compared to the current formula based tax scale lacks a plain structure and hence conflicts with the objective of tax simplification.
The effects of including a callous–unemotional specifier for the diagnosis of conduct disorder
Authors: Kahn Rachel E. , Frick Paul J. , Youngstrom Eric , Findling Robert L. , Youngstrom Jennifer Kogos 
Published: September 2011

Background:  ‘With Significant Callous–Unemotional Traits’ has been proposed as a specifier for conduct disorder (CD) in the upcoming revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM‐V). The impact of this specifier on children diagnosed with CD should be considered.Methods:  A multi‐site cross‐sectional design with volunteers (n = 1136) in the third–seventh grades and 566 consecutive referrals (ages 5–18) to a community mental health center were used to estimate the prevalence rates of CD with and without the proposed specifier. In addition, the degree of emotional and behavioral (especially physical aggression) disturbance and level of impairment in youth with and without CD and with and without the specifier was evaluated.Results:  In the community sample, 10%–32% of those with CD and 2%–7% of those without CD met the callous–unemotional (CU) specifier threshold depending on informant. In the clinic‐referred sample, 21%–50% of those with CD and 14%–32% without CD met the CU specifier threshold depending on informant. Those with CD and the specifier showed higher rates of aggression in both samples and higher rates of cruelty in the clinic‐referred sample.Conclusions:  Results indicate between 10% and 50% of youth with CD would be designated with the proposed CU specifier. Those with CD and the specifier appear to be more severe on a number of indices, including aggression and cruelty.
Genetic diversity in North American captive Asian elephants
Authors: Lei R. , Brenneman R. A. , Schmitt D. L. , Louis E. E. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractTo assess genetic diversity in North American captive Asian elephants Elephas maximus, one mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) segment was sequenced in combination with multilocus genotypes generated from 20 nuclear microsatellite loci for 201 individuals. The analysis of 627 bp of the C‐terminal of cyt b and the hypervariable left domain of the noncoding control region (labeled as MDL fragment) sequences revealed the existence of two mtDNA lineages (α and β clade). Analysis of the MDL confirmed that North American captive Asian elephants belong to either the previously characterized α or β clade. An average nucleotide diversity of 0.017 was observed for the Asian elephant mtDNA MDL fragment sequences. Regardless whether an individual possessed mtDNA α or β clade haplotype, all individuals belonged to one nuclear gene lineage for the two X‐linked (BGN and PHKA2) and one Y‐linked (AMELY) genes sequenced. Analysis of multilocus genotypes indicated an average observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.543 and 0.539 in wild‐sourced and 0.579 and 0.547 in the captive‐born Asian elephants, respectively. No subdivision among the sampled individuals was detected, including data partitioned by mtDNA clades. Aside from parent–offspring dyads, no further relationships were detected among wild‐sourced and captive‐born Asian elephants (average relatedness value <0.000).
Role of presenilin1 in structural plasticity of cortical dendritic spines in vivo
Authors: Jung Christian K. E. , Fuhrmann Martin , Honarnejad Kamran , Van Leuven Fred , Herms Jochen 
Published: September 2011

J. Neurochem. (2011) 119, 1064–1073.AbstractMutations in presenilins are the major cause of familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD), leading to impairments of memory and synaptic plasticity followed by age‐dependent neurodegeneration. Presenilins are the catalytic subunits of γ‐secretase, which itself is critically involved in the processing of amyloid precursor protein to release neurotoxic amyloid β (Aβ). Besides Aβ generation, there is growing evidence that presenilins play an essential role in the formation and maintenance of synapses. To further elucidate the effect of presenilin1 (PS1) on synapses, we performed longitudinal in vivo two‐photon imaging of dendritic spines in the somatosensory cortex of transgenic mice over‐expressing either human wild‐type PS1 or the FAD‐mutated variant A246E (FAD‐PS1). Interestingly, the consequences of transgene expression were different in two subtypes of cortical dendrites. On apical layer 5 dendrites, we found an enhanced spine density in both mice over‐expressing human wild‐type presenilin1 and FAD‐PS1, whereas on basal layer 3 dendrites only over‐expression of FAD‐PS1 increased the spine density. Time‐lapse imaging revealed no differences in kinetically distinct classes of dendritic spines nor was the shape of spines affected. Although γ‐secretase‐dependent processing of synapse‐relevant proteins seemed to be unaltered, higher expression levels of ryanodine receptors suggest a modified Ca2+ homeostasis in PS1 over‐expressing mice. However, the conditional depletion of PS1 in single cortical neurons had no observable impact on dendritic spines. In consequence, our results favor the view that PS1 influences dendritic spine plasticity in a gain‐of‐function but γ‐secretase‐independent manner.
The chemokine BRAK/CXCL14 regulates synaptic transmission in the adult mouse dentate gyrus stem cell niche
Authors: Banisadr Ghazal , Bhattacharyya Bula J. , Belmadani Abdelhak , Izen Sarah C. , Ren Dongjun , Tran Phuong B. , Miller Richard J. 
Published: September 2011

J. Neurochem. (2011) 10.1111/j.1471‐4159.2011.07509.xAbstractThe chemokine BRAK/CXCL14 is an ancient member of the chemokine family whose functions in the brain are completely unknown. We examined the distribution of CXCL14 in the nervous system during development and in the adult. Generally speaking, CXCL14 was not expressed in the nervous system prior to birth, but it was expressed in the developing whisker follicles (E14.5) and subsequently in the hair follicles and skin. Postnatally, CXCL14 was also highly expressed in many regions of the brain, including the cortex, basal ganglia, septum and hippocampus. CXCL14 was also highly expressed in the dorsal root ganglia. We observed that in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) CXCL14 was expressed by GABAergic interneurons. We demonstrated that CXCL14 inhibited GABAergic transmission to nestin‐EGFP‐expressing neural stem/progenitor cells in the adult DG. CXCL14 inhibited both the tonic and phasic effects of synaptically released GABA. In contrast CXCL12 enhanced the effects of GABA at these same synapses. CXCL14 increased [Ca2+]i in neural stem cells cultured from the postnatal brain indicating that they expressed the CXCL14 receptor. These observations are consistent with the view that CXCL12 and CXCL14 may normally act as positive and negative regulators of the effects of GABA in the adult DG stem cell niche.