bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Environmental exposures, nitric oxide synthase genes, and exhaled nitric oxide in asthmatic children
Authors: Spanier Adam J. , Kahn Robert S. , Hornung Richard W. , Wang Ning , Sun Guangyun , Lierl Michelle B. , Lanphear Bruce P. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractExhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), a measure of airway inflammation, is being explored as a tool to guide asthma management in children. Investigators have identified associations of genetic polymorphisms in nitric oxide synthase genes (NOS1 and NOS3) with FeNO levels; however, none have explored whether these polymorphisms modify the relationship of environmental exposures with FeNO. The objective of this project was to evaluate the association of NOS polymorphisms and environmental exposures with FeNO levels among children with asthma. We conducted a 12‐month prospective cohort study of 225 tobacco‐smoke exposed children (6–12 years) with doctor‐diagnosed asthma. We assessed environmental exposures (tobacco, indoor allergens, & airborne particulates), polymorphisms in NOS1 (an intronic AAT tandem repeat) and NOS3 (G894T), and FeNO levels. There was no association of NOS1 or NOS3 polymorphisms with FeNO levels. There were no significant interactions of environmental exposures and the NOS1 polymorphism with FeNO levels. In contrast, there was an interaction of the NOS3 polymorphism and airborne nicotine concentration with FeNO levels (P = 0.01). Among GG genotype individuals, nicotine exposure did not affect FeNO levels; however, among individuals with at least one T allele, higher nicotine exposure was associated with lower FeNO levels (approximately 5 ppb decrease from the lowest to the highest quartile). We conclude that genetic differences may explain some of the conflicting results in studies of the effects of tobacco smoke exposure on FeNO levels and may make FeNO interpretation difficult for a subset of children with asthma. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2009; 44:812–819. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dynamics of Al/Fe2O3 MIC Combustion from Short Single‐Pulse Photothermal Initiation and Time‐Resolved Spectroscopy
Authors: Stiegman Albert E. , Park Chi‐Dong , Mileham Melissa , van de Burgt Lambertus J. , Kramer Michael P. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractTime‐resolved spectroscopy was used to study the dynamics of the photothermal ignition of Al/Fe2O3 metastable intermolecular composites after single short‐pulse laser initiation. The dynamics were recorded in several time domains from nanosecond to microsecond to quantify the dynamics from initial laser excitation to combustion. Time‐averaged spectral data were also collected for the overall emission occurring during combustion.
Efficient identification of near‐native conformations in ab initio protein structure prediction using structural profiles
Authors: Wolff Katrin , Vendruscolo Michele , Porto Markus 
Published: July 2009

AbstractOne of the major bottlenecks in many ab initio protein structure prediction methods is currently the selection of a small number of candidate structures for high‐resolution refinement from large sets of low‐resolution decoys. This step often includes a scoring by low‐resolution energy functions and a clustering of conformations by their pairwise root mean square deviations (RMSDs). As an efficient selection is crucial to reduce the overall computational cost of the predictions, any improvement in this direction can increase the overall performance of the predictions and the range of protein structures that can be predicted. We show here that the use of structural profiles, which can be predicted with good accuracy from the amino acid sequences of proteins, provides an efficient means to identify good candidate structures. Proteins 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Quantitative modeling of peptide binding to TAP using support vector machine
Authors: Diez‐Rivero Carmen M. , Chenlo Bernardo , Zuluaga Pilar , Reche Pedro A. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThe transport of peptides to the endoplasmic reticulum by the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) is a necessary step towards determining CD8 T cell epitopes. In this work, we have studied the predictive performance of support vector machine models trained on single residue positions and residue combinations drawn from a large dataset consisting of 613 nonamer peptides of known affinity to TAP. Predictive performance of these TAP affinity models was evaluated under 10‐fold cross‐validation experiments and measured using Pearson's correlation coefficients (Rp). Our results show that every peptide position (P1–P9) contributes to TAP binding (minimumRpof 0.26 ± 0.11 was achieved by a model trained on the P6 residue), although the largest contributions to binding correspond to the C‐terminal end (Rp= 0.68 ± 0.06) and the P1 (Rp= 0.51 ± 0.09) and P2 (0.57 ± 0.08) residues of the peptide. Training the models on additional peptide residues generally improved their predictive performance and a maximum correlation (Rp= 0.89 ± 0.03) was achieved by a model trained on the full‐length sequences or a residue selection consisting of the first 5 N‐ and last 3 C‐terminal residues of the peptides included in the training set. A system for predicting the binding affinity of peptides to TAP using the methods described here is readily available for free public use athttp://imed.med.ucm.es/Tools/tapreg/. Proteins 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Migration trajectories of ‘highly skilled’ middling transnationals: Singaporean transmigrants in London
Authors: Ho Elaine Lynn‐Ee 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThe role played by the state in regulating population movements has been the subject of study in migration scholarship. Immigration regimes manage migration through visa restrictions stipulating the type of work migrants perform and their entitlement to rights. However, studying migration only in terms of visas or occupational categories limit a full understanding of the breadth and changing episodes making up migrant experiences. Based on a case study of ‘highly skilled’ Singaporean transmigrants in London, this paper investigates, first, the way such migrants utilise changing visa strategies to incrementally extend their stay in London. Second, the paper contextualises their migrant subjectivities and identities within the immigration and emigration regimes in which they are embedded. In so doing, the paper argues for a trajectory perspective of migration that recognises the changing strategies as well as practical and emotional challenges experienced by ‘highly skilled’ middling transnationals. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reliability, sufficiency, and the decomposition of proper scores
Authors: Bröcker Jochen 
Published: July 2009

AbstractScoring rules are an important tool for evaluating the performance of probabilistic forecasting schemes. A scoring rule is called strictly proper if its expectation is optimal if and only if the forecast probability represents the true distribution of the target. In the binary case, strictly proper scoring rules allow for a decomposition into terms related to the resolution and the reliability of a forecast. This fact is particularly well known for the Brier Score. In this article, this result is extended to forecasts for finite‐valued targets. Both resolution and reliability are shown to have a positive effect on the score. It is demonstrated that resolution and reliability are directly related to forecast attributes that are desirable on grounds independent of the notion of scores. This finding can be considered an epistemological justification of measuring forecast quality by proper scoring rules. A link is provided to the original work of DeGroot and Fienberg, extending their concepts of sufficiency and refinement. The relation to the conjectured sharpness principle of Gneiting,et al.,is elucidated. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society
A continuous flow mass spectrometry technique of argon isotope measurement for K/Ar geochronology
Authors: Ignatiev Alexander V. , Velivetskaya Tatiana A. , Budnitskiy Sergey Y. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractA new method for the measurement of argon isotope composition in a continuous flow of helium for potassium/argon geochronology is described. Extraction of argon from geological samples in multiple‐sample holders was carried out in a chamber by heating with a continuous Nd‐YAG laser. The extracted and pre‐concentrated argon is passed through a chromatographic capillary column in a flow of helium. Argon is separated from possible contaminants in the column and is injected through an open split into the ion source of an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Measurement of the36Ar,38Ar and40Ar isotopes was carried out in dynamic mode, using a triple‐collector ion detector. These experiments have shown that continuous flow mass spectrometry can be used for the analysis of radiogenic argon in picogram quantities with an accuracy that is satisfactory for the solution of many geochronological problems. The method of argon isotope measurement in a continuous flow of helium is an alternative to the measurement of argon isotopes in the static mode. The sensitivity and accuracy of argon measurement by this method are comparable with those provided by the classical static method. The measurement of argon isotopes in a continuous flow of helium is simpler and more reliable than measurement in the static mode. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Use of a temperature‐programmable injector coupled to gas chromatography–combustion–isotope ratio mass spectrometry for compound‐specific carbon isotopic analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Authors: Mikolajczuk Agnieszka , Geypens Benny , Berglund Michael , Taylor Philip 
Published: July 2009

AbstractCompound‐specific isotopic analysis (CSIA) can provide information about the origin of analysed compounds; for instance, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aerosols. This could be a valuable tool in source apportionment of particulate matter (PM) air pollution. Because gas chromatography–combustion–isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC‐C‐IRMS) analysis requires an amount of at least 10 ng of an individual PAH, a high concentration of PAHs in the injected extract is needed. When the concentration is low a large volume injector creates the possibility of introducing a satisfactory amount of individual PAHs. In this study a temperature‐programmable injector was coupled to GC‐C‐IRMS and injection parameters (solvent level, transfer column flow, transfers time) were optimised using six solid aromatic compounds (anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene) dissolved in n‐pentane and EPA 610 reference mixture. CSIA results for solid PAHs were compared with results obtained for the single components analysed by elemental analysis–isotope ratio mass spectrometry. The injection method was validated for two sample injection volumes, 50 and 100 µL. This method was also compared with commonly used splitless injection. To be included in the study, measurements had to have an uncertainty lower than 0.5‰ for $\delta _{{\rm VPDB}} {}^{13}{\rm C}$ and a minimum peak height of 200 mV. The lower concentration limits at which these criteria were fulfilled for PAHs were 30 mg/L for 1 µL in splitless injection and 0.3 and 0.2 mg/L for 50 and 100 µL, respectively, in large volume injection. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of a controlled dietary change on carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of human hair
Authors: Huelsemann Frank , Flenker Ulrich , Koehler Karsten , Schaenzer Wilhelm 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThe carbon (13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/14N) stable isotope ratios of human hair can be used for the interpretation of dietary habits and nutritional status in contemporary or past populations. Although the results of bulk or segmental isotope ratio analysis of human hair have been used for the reconstruction of an individual's diet for years, only limited data of controlled dietary changes on the carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of human hair are available. Hair of four individuals, two males and two females, who participated in a dietary change experiment for 28 days was segmentally analysed for δ13C and δ15N. The dietary change included a change from C3 to C4 plant enriched diets and a simultaneous replacement of terrestrial animal products by marine products. This resulted in an increase in δ13Cdiet of +8.5 to +9.9‰ and in δ15Ndiet of +1.5 to +2.2‰. All subjects showed significant increases in δ13Chair and δ15Nhair during the dietary change period, although no subject reached a new steady state for either carbon or nitrogen. The change in δ15Nhair was faster than the change in δ13Chair for all individuals. The magnitude of change of the isotopic composition during the dietary change period could be attributed to the degree of physical activity of the individuals, with a higher physical activity resulting in a faster change. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Blood volume and red cell mass in children with moderate and severe malaria measured by chromium‐53 dilution and gas chromatography/mass spectrometric analysis
Authors: Macallan Derek C. , Abaye Daniel A. , Dottin Simone , Onanga Myriam , Kombila Maryvonne , Dzeing‐Ella Arnaud , Kremsner Peter G. , Krishna Sanjeev , Planche Timothy 
Published: July 2009

AbstractUnderstanding blood volume changes in children with malaria is important for managing fluid status. Traditionally, blood/red cell volume measurements have used radioactive chromium isotopes. We applied an alternative approach, using non‐radioactive chromium‐53 labelling and mass spectrometry to investigate red cell volume (RCV) in Gabonese children with malaria. Nineteen children with malaria participated (10 severe, 9 moderately severe; ages 15 months to 7 years). Blood labelled with 53Cr‐chromate ex vivo was re‐injected, then sampled 30 min later. Pre‐ and post‐injection 53Cr content were measured by gas chromatography/electron ionisation mass spectrometry of the chromium‐trifluoroacetylacetone (TFA) chelate, calibrated against 50Cr standards. Blood and red cell volumes were calculated from isotopic dilution in 15 of 19 children (in four, insufficient signal mitigated analysis). In this small pilot study, there were no significant differences between moderate and severe cases. Including all subjects, the mean RCV was reduced compared with predicted values (184 vs. 269 mL; p = 0.016) but blood volume, 71 ± 33 mL/kg (normalised for weight), was close to predicted, ∼77 mL/kg, commensurate with reduced haematocrit. Blood lactate concentration correlated negatively with RCV/weight (r = −0.56, p = 0.028), consistent with anaemia. In one case, sequential samples over 42 days gave an estimated rate of 53Cr disappearance of 1.4%/day (equivalent half‐life: 70 days). 53Cr‐labelling of red cells may be used to estimate blood and red cell volumes and can be used as an investigative tool in situations such as childhood diseases and resource‐constrained settings. Although the red cell mass is depleted in malaria, the blood volume appears relatively well preserved. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Preparation of starch and soluble sugars of plant material for the analysis of carbon isotope composition: a comparison of methods
Authors: Richter Andreas , Wanek Wolfgang , Werner Roland A. , Ghashghaie Jaleh , Jäggi Maya , Gessler Arthur , Brugnoli Enrico , Hettmann Elena , Göttlicher Sabine G. , Salmon Yann , Bathellier Camille , Kodama Naomi , Nogués Salvador , Søe Astrid , Volders Fillip , Sörgel Karin , Blöchl Andreas , Siegwolf Rolf T. W. , Buchmann Nina , Gleixner Gerd 
Published: July 2009

AbstractStarch and soluble sugars are the major photosynthetic products, and their carbon isotope signatures reflect external versus internal limitations of CO2 fixation. There has been recent renewed interest in the isotope composition of carbohydrates, mainly for use in CO2 flux partitioning studies at the ecosystem level. The major obstacle to the use of carbohydrates in such studies has been the lack of an acknowledged method to isolate starch and soluble sugars for isotopic measurements. We here report on the comparison and evaluation of existing methods (acid and enzymatic hydrolysis for starch; ion‐exchange purification and compound‐specific analysis for sugars). The selectivity and reproducibility of the methods were tested using three approaches: (i) an artificial leaf composed of a mixture of isotopically defined compounds, (ii) a C4 leaf spiked with C3 starch, and (iii) two natural plant samples (root, leaf). Starch preparation methods based on enzymatic or acid hydrolysis did not yield similar results and exhibited contaminations by non‐starch compounds. The specificity of the acidic hydrolysis method was especially low, and we therefore suggest terming these preparations as HCl‐hydrolysable carbon, rather than starch. Despite being more specific, enzyme‐based methods to isolate starch also need to be further optimized to increase specificity. The analysis of sugars by ion‐exchange methods (bulk preparations) was fast but produced more variable isotope compositions than compound‐specific methods. Compound‐specific approaches did not in all cases correctly reproduce the target values, mainly due to unsatisfactory separation of sugars and background contamination. Our study demonstrates that, despite their wide application, methods for the preparation of starch and soluble sugars for the analysis of carbon isotope composition are not (yet) reliable enough to be routinely applied and further research is urgently needed to resolve the identified problems. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Carbon stable isotope ratio of phloem sugars in mature pine trees throughout the growing season: comparison of two extraction methods
Authors: Devaux Marion , Ghashghaie Jaleh , Bert Didier , Lambrot Catherine , Gessler Arthur , Bathellier Camille , Ogee Jérôme , Loustau Denis 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThe study presents a comparison of two phloem sugar extraction methods. The amount of phloem sugar extracted and the carbon isotope composition (δ13C) of the total extracts and of the main phloem compounds separated by high‐performance liquid chromatography (sucrose, glucose, fructose and pinitol) are compared. These two phloem sap extraction methods are exudation in distilled water and a new method using centrifugation, which avoids the addition of any solvent. We applied both extraction methods on phloem discs sampled from 38‐year‐old Pinus pinaster trees in south‐western France throughout the period from June 2007 to December 2008 on different time‐scales: hourly, daily and monthly. We found that the centrifugation method systematically extracted ca. 50% less compounds from the phloem discs than the exudation method. In addition, the two extraction methods provided similar δ13C values of the total extracts, but the values obtained by the exudation method were 0.6‰ more negative than those calculated from the mass balance using the individual constituents. Over the growing season, both extraction methods exhibited lower total sugar content and more 13C‐enriched phloem sap in summer compared with winter values. These findings suggest that both extraction methods can be applied to study the carbon isotope composition of phloem sap, and the centrifugation method has the advantage that no solvent has to be added. The exudation method, however, is more appropriate for the quantification of the amounts of phloem sugars. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Study of isotopic variations in black powder: reflections on the use of stable isotopes in forensic science for source inference
Authors: Gentile Natacha , Siegwolf Rolf T. W. , Delémont Olivier 
Published: July 2009

AbstractIsotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) has recently made its appearance in the forensic community. This high‐precision technology has already been applied to a broad range of forensic fields such as illicit drugs, explosives and flammable liquids, where current, routinely used techniques have limited powers of discrimination. The conclusions drawn from the majority of these IRMS studies appear to be very promising. Used in a comparative process, as in food or drug authentication, the measurement of stable isotope ratios is a new and remarkable analytical tool for the discrimination or the identification of a substance with a definite source or origin. However, the research consists mostly of preliminary studies. The significance of this ‘new’ piece of information needs to be evaluated in light of a forensic framework to assess the actual potential and validity of IRMS, considering the characteristics of each field. Through the isotopic study of black powder, this paper aims at illustrating the potential of the method and the limitations of current knowledge in stable isotopes when facing forensic problems. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Redefining success: designing systemic sustainable strategies
Authors: Laszlo Alexander , Laszlo Kathia Castro , Dunsky Halim 
Published: July 2009

AbstractIn an increasingly complex and interconnected global society, the need to redefine ‘success’ has become an imperative for the survival, sustainability and continued evolution of social systems and their interdependent environments. A wide range of contemporary human institutions—from corporations to governments, schools and universities—narrowly focus their structures, functions, and processes (and the strategies that create them) on the attainment of individualistic, and often myopic, conceptions of success. More often than not, success is defined in egocentric and competitive win‐lose terms and is primarily measured according to standards of monetary accumulation. Such a definition is at the heart of the currently unsustainable path of human social evolution at the dawn of the 21st century, and its inadequacy represents a serious challenge for contemporary conceptions of capitalism. This paper explores and presents a more comprehensive definition of success: one that embraces financial, social and environmental sustainability as the cornerstones of a holistic approach to value creation and gives rise to conditions for life‐affirming dynamics of value exchange to unfold in perpetuity. It is suggested, that this would both re‐humanize and re‐vitalize capitalism with a much needed (though not unprecedented) claim to an evolutionary and life‐sustaining ethic. Evolutionary systems design (ESD) is described as an approach to the creation of systemic sustainable strategies. ESD is best understood as a heuristic approach that supports and guides the participatory co‐creation of sustainable and evolutionary futures. It is grounded in idealized systems design and evolutionary systems theory and embraces theoretical and methodological complementarism from a critical systems perspective. As such, it represents a future‐creating form of participatory inquiry that provides a mean by which organizations and communities may achieve success—not in a narrow self‐serving sense, but in one that is systemic and evolutionary. Through presentation of ways in which to engage in strategic design conversations, this paper illustrates the potential of ESD as a praxis by which to foster the evolutionary corporation and, in so doing, to guide the evolutionary transformation of business. It is intended as part of the active research of the authors and should be understood as an expression of an ongoing exposition on ESD, treating the issue of strategic design here and leaving that of strategic planning for subsequent presentation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.