bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does birth history account for educational differences in breast cancer mortality? A comparison of premenopausal and postmenopausal women in Belgium
Authors: Gadeyne Sylvie , Deboosere Patrick , Vandenheede Hadewijch , Neels Karel 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThis study investigates the impact of reproductive factors on the association between education and breast cancer mortality in Belgium. The role of reproductive factors has been investigated in several studies, with mixed results. Reproductive factors are either completely or partially responsible for the association between education and breast cancer mortality. The data consist of the 1991 census linked to registration data on cause‐specific mortality during the period 1991–1995, including all breast cancer deaths in Belgium during the observation period. The study population includes all women aged 35–79 at time of the census. Age‐standardized mortality rates and mortality rate ratios (Poisson regression) are computed for educational groups with and without control for reproductive factors. The population is stratified according to age (women aged 35–49 and 50–79) and according to nulliparity. The relationship between education and breast cancer is significant among postmenopausal women. Breast cancer mortality is higher among the higher educated women. These results are consistent with international findings, the gradient not being negative as in most other causes of death, but positive. Statistical control for parity and age at first birth reduces the association largely. In addition, among nonparous women, differences in breast cancer mortality by education are not consistent and generally not significant. Reproductive factors are largely responsible for the positive association between education and breast cancer mortality among postmenopausal women in Belgium. Among premenopausal women, the relation is not significant, a pattern consistent with international studies.
Mangiferin aglycone attenuates radiation‐induced damage on human intestinal epithelial cells
Authors: Lei Jixiao , Zhou Chuanfeng , Hu Honggang , Hu Lina , Zhao Meijia , Yang Yanyong , Chuai Yunhai , Ni Jin , Cai Jianming 
Published: March 2012

AbstractRecent studies suggest that mangiferin aglycone (norathyriol) has great potential as a novel radioprotector without any known toxic side effects. In this study, we assessed the protective effects of mangiferin aglycone against radiation‐induced injuries on normal human intestinal epithelial cells (HIECs), while using mangiferin as a reference compound. The in vitro experiments showed that pretreatment of either mangiferin aglycone or mangiferin could inhibit cytotoxic effects of ionizing irradiation (IR) on HIECs. Cellular changes were estimated by measuring cell viability, clonogenic surviving rate, and apoptotic rate. Compared to mangiferin, we found mangiferin aglycone had greater radioprotective effects of mangiferin aglycone on HIECs. It has been demonstrated that the cytotoxicity of ionizing radiation relates to its capacity to induce DNA damage. In view of this, we monitored DNA double‐strand breaks (DSBs) using γH2AX foci formation to test whether mangiferin aglycone and mangiferin could modulate genotoxic effects of radiation. It shows that mangiferin aglycone could eliminate 46.8% of the total DSBs of the cells exposed to 2 Gy IR, which is significantly better than mangiferin. Complementing earlier results from our group, it appears possible to conclude that mangiferin aglycone presents potential useful effects on IR‐induced damage and may be a better radioprotective agent than mangiferin therapeutically. J. Cell. Biochem. 113: 2633–2642, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cellulose‐Builder: A toolkit for building crystalline structures of cellulose
Authors: Gomes Thiago C. F. , Skaf Munir S. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractCellulose‐builder is a user‐friendly program that builds crystalline structures of cellulose of different sizes and geometries. The program generates Cartesian coordinates for all atoms of the specified structure in the Protein Data Bank format, suitable for using as starting configurations in molecular dynamics simulations and other calculations. Crystalline structures of cellulose polymorphs Iα, Iβ, II, and IIII of practically any size are readily constructed which includes parallelepipeds, plant cell wall cellulose elementary fibrils of any length, and monolayers. Periodic boundary conditions along the crystallographic directions are easily imposed. The program also generates atom connectivity file in PSF format, required by well‐known simulation packages such as NAMD, CHARMM, and others. Cellulose‐builder is based on the Bash programming language and should run on practically any Unix‐like platform, demands very modest hardware, and is freely available for download from ftp://ftp.iqm.unicamp.br/pub/cellulose‐builder. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Morphology of a new deep‐sea acorn worm (class Enteropneusta, phylum Hemichordata): A part‐time demersal drifter with externalized ovaries
Authors: Holland Nicholas D. , Kuhnz Linda A. , Osborn Karen J. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractTen individuals of an enteropneust in the family Torquaratoridae were videotaped between 2,900 and 3,500 m in the Eastern Pacific—one drifting a few centimeters above the bottom, two exposed on the substrate, and seven partly burrowed, reflecting a bentho‐pelagic life style. Here, we describe a captured specimen (26 cm living length) as the holotype of Allapasus aurantiacus n. gen., n. sp. The small proboscis is dome‐shaped, and the collar is only slightly wider than deep; both of these body regions are more muscular than in other torquaratorids, which presumably facilitates burrowing. The proboscis complex, in contrast to that of shallow‐living enteropneusts, lacks a pericardial sac and is located relatively posteriorly in the proboscis stalk. The stomochord is separated from the main course of the gut by the intervention of a small, plate‐like proboscis skeleton lacking posterior horns. The most anterior region of the trunk houses the pharynx, in which the pharyngeal skeletal bars are not connected by synapticles. The postpharyngeal trunk comprises three intestinal regions: prehepatic, hepatic (with conspicuous sacculations), and posthepatic. On either side of the worm, a flap of body wall (lateral wing) runs the entire length of the trunk. The two lateral wings can wrap the body so their edges meet in the dorsal midline, although they often gape open along the pharyngeal region. The holotype is a female (presumably the species is gonochoric) with numerous ovaries located in the lateral wings along the pharyngeal region. Each larger ovary contains a single primary oocyte (up to 1,500 μm in diameter) and bulges outwards in an epidermal pouch attached to the rest of the body by a slender stalk. Such externalized ovaries are unprecedented in any animal, and nothing is yet known of their role in the reproductive biology of A. aurantiacus. J. Morphol. 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Structural diversity of nuptial pads in Phyllomedusinae (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae)
Authors: Luna Maria Celeste , Taboada Carlos , Baêta Délio , Faivovich Julián 
Published: March 2012

AbstractWe studied the morphological variation of the nuptial pads using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in 26 species of phyllomedusines (Anura: Hylidae), representing the five currently recognized genera. All phyllomedusines have single nuptial pads with dark colored epidermal projections (EPs). Spine‐shaped EPs occur in Cruziohyla calcarifer, Phrynomedusa appendiculata and in one species of Phasmahyla. The other species have roundish EPs. The density of the EPs on the pad is variable. Species in the Phyllomedusa hypochondrialis Group have EPs with a density that varies between 764 ± 58/mm2 and 923 ± 160/mm2. In all other studied species (including the Phyllomedusa burmeisteri and Phyllomedusa perinesos groups, Phyllomedusa camba, Phyllomedusa boliviana, Phyllomedusa sauvagii, Phyllomedusa bicolor, and Phyllomedusa tomopterna) the density of EPs varies between 108 ± 20/mm2 and 552 ± 97/mm2. Pores were observed with SEM in C. calcarifer, Agalychnis lemur, Agalychnis moreletii, but its presence is confirmed through histological sections on several other species. Its visibility using SEM seems to be related with the level of separation between adjacent EPs. The pores in the four studied species of Agalychnis are shown with SEM and histological sections to have a characteristic epidermal rim, that is absent in the otherphyllomedusines. Unlike most previous reports on breeding glands, those of phyllomedusines are alcian blue positive, indicating the presence of acidic mucosubstances on its secretions. J. Morphol. 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effect of mid‐latitude blocking anticyclones on the weather of the Arabian Peninsula
Authors: Athar H. , Almazroui Mansour , Islam M. Nazrul , Abid M. Adnan , Ehsan M. Azhar 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThe statistical relationships among the various 10°–70°E mid‐latitude blocking anticyclone parameters and the weather of the Arabian Peninsula (AP) (35°–60°E, 12°–32°N) over a 40‐year period (1968‐2007), on seasonal, interannual, decadal and long‐term scales, are studied. The studied parameters include the number of blocking anticyclone events, the duration, the intensity, and the longitude at the blocking anticyclone onset. It is found that 31% of the Northern Hemisphere mid‐latitude blocking anticyclone events occurred over the 10°–70°E longitudes, and out of these, the maximum number of mid‐latitude blocking anticyclone event onsets are at 30°E (24%). On the seasonal basis, the annual and decadal relationships of the 10°–70° blocking anticyclones with the El‐Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Arctic Oscillation (AO) indices are presented. The results show that the number of days the blocking anticyclones persists is sensitive to the ENSO phase. The mid‐latitude blocking anticyclone occurrence over the 10°–70°E longitudes is indicative of the reduced surface temperature variance, both upstream and downstream, during the blocking anticyclone period, over the AP. A shift in the mean surface temperature distribution occurs, in all seasons, during the blocking anticyclone period. The blocking anticyclones initiate a surface temperature change (both positive and negative) that persists even after the blocking anticyclone's decay. The AP surface weather during the months of October, November, and December is affected more by the occurrence of mid‐latitude blocking anticyclones over the 10°–70°E longitudes in the presence the of El‐Niño phase. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
The diurnal cycle of rainfall in South Africa in the austral summer
Authors: Rouault Mathieu , Roy Shouraseni Sen , Balling Robert C. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThe diurnal cycle of precipitation over South Africa during summer is analysed for the first time using hourly precipitation data from 103 stations for the period 1998–2007. Using harmonic analysis, we found the presence of a distinct diurnal cycle over most of South Africa regarding both the frequency and amount of precipitation events. The standardized amplitudes, indicative of the strength of the diurnal cycle across a region, are strongest over the interior and along the east coast of South Africa with up to 70% explained variance associated with the diurnal cycle. The time of maximum precipitation is late afternoon to early evening in the interior, and midnight to early morning along the Agulhas Current as well as inland in the northeast of the county. The proximity of the warm Agulhas Current plays a role in the diurnal cycle of rainfall at coastal stations. There is an early morning maximum in precipitation in the South West of the country with small amplitude in the diurnal cycle there. On average, the peak in precipitation amount leads the peak in frequencies of precipitation by 30 min to 1 h. Together with a high resolution climatological summer rain rate presented here and a detailed table for all stations, this study is a benchmark upon which model output or satellite estimate of the diurnal cycle can be compared within the region. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
Separation of the time periods with dominant climatologic parameters by multivariate statistical analysis
Authors: Paskota Mira , Todorović Nedeljko , Vujović Dragana 
Published: March 2012

AbstractClimatology is one of the areas that rely on collecting huge quantities of data. The longer a time period is observed, the better; the more parameters are included, the better. But the human mind cannot easily extract useful information from the abundance of data; thus, many valuable facts may be overlooked. Having that in mind, the authors of this paper have focused on the data condensation with the goal of gathering more information about the underlying trends of the main climatologic parameters change to show climatic variability. The data from the Belgrade Meteorological Observatory are analysed using a number of different methods of multivariate statistical analysis. Separation of the years and time periods with similar weather pattern characteristics was successful and indicates that there is a trend of temperature increase, as well as a trend of the temperature range decrease. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
Assessment of the effects of acid‐coated ice nuclei on the Arctic cloud microstructure, atmospheric dehydration, radiation and temperature during winter
Authors: Girard Eric , Dueymes Guillaume , Du Ping , Bertram Allan K. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractOwing to the large‐scale transport of pollution‐derived aerosols from the mid‐latitudes to the Arctic, most of the aerosols are coated with acidic sulfate during winter in the Arctic. Recent laboratory experiments have shown that acid coating on dust particles substantially reduces the ability of these particles to nucleate ice crystals. Simulations performed using the Limited Area version of the Global Multiscale Environmental Model (GEM‐LAM) are used to assess the potential effect of acid‐coated ice nuclei on the Arctic cloud and radiation processes during January and February 2007. Ice nucleation is treated using a new parameterization based on laboratory experiments of ice nucleation on sulphuric acid‐coated and uncoated kaolinite particles. Results show that acid coating on dust particles has an important effect on cloud microstructure, atmospheric dehydration, radiation and temperature over the Central Arctic, which is the coldest part of the Arctic. Mid and upper ice clouds are optically thinner while low‐level mixed‐phase clouds are more frequent and persistent. These changes in the cloud microstructures affect the radiation at the top of the atmosphere with longwave negative cloud forcing values ranging between 0 and − 6 W m−2 over the region covered by the Arctic air mass. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
On the temporal clustering of US floods and its relationship to climate teleconnection patterns
Authors: Villarini Gabriele , Smith James A. , Vitolo Renato , Stephenson David B. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThis article examines whether the temporal clustering of flood events can be explained in terms of climate variability or time‐varying land‐surface state variables. The point process modelling framework for flood occurrence is based on Cox processes, which can be represented as Poisson processes with randomly varying rate of occurrence. In the special case that the rate of occurrence is deterministic, the Cox process simplifies to a Poisson process. Poisson processes represent flood occurrences which are not clustered. The Cox regression model is used to examine the dependence of the rate of occurrence on covariate processes. We focus on 41 stream gauge stations in Iowa, with discharge records covering the period 1950–2009. The climate covariates used in this study are the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Pacific/North American Teleconnection (PNA). To examine the influence of land‐surface forcing on flood occurrence, the antecedent 30 d rainfall accumulation is considered. In 27 out of 41 stations, either PNA or NAO, or both are selected as significant predictors, suggesting that flood occurrence in Iowa is influenced by large‐scale climate indices. Antecedent rainfall, used as a proxy for soil moisture, plays an important role in driving the occurrence of flooding in Iowa. These results point to clustering as an important element of the flood occurrence process. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
Performance properties of oil‐soluble synthetic polyalkylene glycols
Authors: Greaves Martin , Zaugg‐Hoozemans Evelyn , Khelidj Nadjet , van Voorst Ronald , Meertens Rinus 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTConventional polyalkylene glycols (PAGs) that are derived from the polymerization of ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide provide many performance benefits such as excellent friction control, good low temperature properties, high viscosity indices and excellent deposit control. One limitation is their poor miscibility in hydrocarbon oils. A new range of oil‐soluble PAG base oils has been developed using butylene oxide as one of the precursors, and these provide superior miscibility in hydrocarbon base stocks. The new base oils offer many of the traditional advantages of PAGs such as high viscosity indices, good low temperature properties and good traction behaviour. In addition, they can be used as a co‐base oil or additive in hydrocarbon base stocks to improve deposit control and provide good film‐forming behaviour. Examples of their structure property relationships will be discussed and also aspects of how this technology may enable application expansion of PAGs in the future. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cancer proteomics
Authors: Tan Hwee Tong , Lee Yie Hou , Chung Maxey C.M. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractCancer presents high mortality and morbidity globally, largely due to its complex and heterogenous nature, and lack of biomarkers for early diagnosis. A proteomics study of cancer aims to identify and characterize functional proteins that drive the transformation of malignancy, and to discover biomarkers to detect early‐stage cancer, predict prognosis, determine therapy efficacy, identify novel drug targets, and ultimately develop personalized medicine. The various sources of human samples such as cell lines, tissues, and plasma/serum are probed by a plethora of proteomics tools to discover novel biomarkers and elucidate mechanisms of tumorigenesis. Innovative proteomics technologies and strategies have been designed for protein identification, quantitation, fractionation, and enrichment to delve deeper into the oncoproteome. In addition, there is the need for high‐throughput methods for biomarker validation, and integration of the various platforms of oncoproteome data to fully comprehend cancer biology. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Mass Spec Rev 31:583–605, 2012
Overlay mapping trend analysis technique and its application in Euphrates Basin, Turkey
Authors: Yenigun Kasim , Ecer Ruken 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTNew investigation techniques for detecting hydro‐meteorological data trends are required due to significant changes in precipitation and streamflow affecting the planning and operation of water resources. In this study, the trends analysis is carried out for the observation of climatic and hydrologic parameters such as temperature, humidity, precipitation and streamflow in the Euphrates Basin located in the Southeastern Anatolia Project (referred to as GAP from the Turkish acronym for Güneydoǧu Anadolu Projesi) region, which is the most important integrated water resources project in Turkey. The relationships between different meteorological and hydrological parameters in the basin are evaluated using the overlay mapping technique, popular in various engineering disciplines. The significant trends are indicated on the thematic maps and the visible changes are observed in different parts of the basin. Decreasing trends are detected in minimum streamflow, while the increasing trends in the annual mean and maximum temperature and in the annual mean and maximum humidity parameters are observed for many stations. The study concludes that the overlay mapping technique can be used effectively to observe the climatic changes and trends in hydrometeorological variables. The results are expected to help water resources managers and policy makers in decision‐making for better planning in water resources planning and management.
Numerical assessment of high‐modulus columns on liquefaction triggering potential
Authors: Unutmaz Berna 
Published: March 2012

SUMMARYAlthough high‐modulus columns are widely used in both soil improvement and liquefaction mitigation, there is not much research, which validates their effects numerically. The aim of this paper is to investigate the role of high‐modulus columns on liquefaction mitigation and propose an empirical and simplified formula to assess this effect. For this purpose, an intensive numerical analyses scheme has been performed. These analyses include three‐dimensional, finite difference‐based total stress analyses on generic soil, high‐modulus column and earthquake combinations. The effect of the number, length, diameter of high‐modulus columns, the replacement ratio, peak acceleration of the shaking event and soil strength has been discussed in detail. A factor, called as improvement ratio, defining the ratio of liquefaction resistance of free field to resistance of treated cases was then developed using probabilistic methods. The descriptive (input) parameters are selected based on regression analyses, and they are soil stiffness, replacement ratio, stiffness of high‐modulus column and the depth of consideration. The model coefficients were estimated through maximum likelihood methodology. A satisfactory fit was achieved among improvement ratio estimations and numerical model results. A validation of the improvement ratio with a centrifuge test also is presented at the end of the paper. As the concluding remark, it is proven that the high‐modulus column can be used safely to prevent liquefaction. The effects of these columns increase with increasing replacement ratio, stiffness of the column and increasing soil stiffness and not depend on the magnitude or the peak ground acceleration of the earthquake. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hallux Valgus among an 18th Century Population of the Canary Islands
Authors: Trujillo‐Mederos A. , Arnay‐de‐la‐Rosa M. , González‐Reimers E. , Ordóñez A. C. 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTHallux valgus is defined as the lateral deviation of the great toe. It is considered a disease mainly related to the use of boots or shoes that constrict the foot. This process usually ensues along many years and is accompanied by changes at the metatarsophalangeal joint, which serve to make the diagnosis on bare bones. Diagnostic criteria include lateral deviation of the metatarsophalangeal joint (1), lateral subluxation of the first phalanx, degenerative changes of the sesamoid articular facets, and exostosis or remodelling of the medial tuberosity. Following other authors, we have defined hallux valgus as the presence of (1) and any of the other three criteria. In a series of the 18th century burials from the church La Concepción, in Tenerife, Canary Islands, we found 35 cases of hallux valgus out of the 117 cases for which necessary data for the diagnosis could be recorded (29.91%). A significant association was found between changes in the left toe and burial site near the altar, where priests and other people of the high social status were interred. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.