bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Counseling in isolated mild fetal ventriculomegaly
Authors: Melchiorre K. , Bhide A. , Gika A. D. , Pilu G. , Papageorghiou A. T. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractIn this Review we aim to provide up‐to‐date and evidence‐based answers to the common questions regarding the diagnosis of isolated mild fetal ventriculomegaly (VM). A literature search was performed to identify all reports of antenatal VM in the English language literature. In addition, reference lists of articles identified using the search were scrutinized to further identify relevant articles. Fetal mild VM is commonly defined as a ventricular atrial width of 10.0–15.0 mm, and it is considered isolated if there are no associated ultrasound abnormalities. There is no good evidence to suggest that the width of the ventricular atria contributes to the risk of neurodevelopmental outcome in fetuses with mild VM. The most important prognostic factors are the association with other abnormalities that escape early detection and the progression of ventricular dilatation, which are reported to occur in about 13% and 16% of cases, respectively. Most infants with a prenatal diagnosis of isolated mild VM have normal neurological development at least in infancy. The rate of abnormal or delayed neurodevelopment in infancy is about 11%, and it is unclear whether this is higher than in the general population. Furthermore, the number of infants that develop a real handicap is unknown. There are limitations of existing studies of mild VM. Although they address many of the relevant questions regarding the prognosis and management of fetal isolated mild VM, there is a lack of good‐quality postnatal follow‐up studies. The resulting uncertainties make antenatal counseling for this abnormality difficult. Copyright © 2009 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Study on bandwidth control for multiple transmission rates in IEEE 802.11e EDCAF
Authors: Lee Bih‐Hwang , Lai Hui‐Cheng 
Published: July 2009

AbstractIEEE 802.11e supports the guaranteed quality of service (QoS) by providing different transmission priorities. IEEE 802.11e improves the media access control layer of IEEE 802.11 to satisfy the different QoS requirements by introducing two channel access functions: the enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) and the hybrid coordination function (HCF) controlled channel access (HCCA). Signal quality may affect the available bandwidth and transmission rate, because the characteristic of communication channel in wireless environment is in random time‐variation manner. Generally a station using a lower transmission rate will occupy communication channel for a longer time and degrade system performance, which causes unfairness and cannot provide the guaranteed QoS for the stations with higher transmission rates. We propose a bandwidth control scheme (BCS) by combining the IEEE 802.11e enhanced distributed channel access function (EDCAF) protocol to overcome the guaranteed bandwidth issue in multirate environments. A multirate discrete Markov chain model is analyzed for the multirate transmission system in this paper. According to the obtained results, BCS improves performance especially in throughput and makes the different QoS requirements be processed efficiently and flexibly. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Throughput improvement and its tradeoff with the queuing delay in the diamond relay networks
Authors: Wang Qing , Fan Pingyi , Letaief K. B. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractDiamond relay network model, as a basic transmission model, has recently been attracting considerable attention in wireless ad hoc networks. Node cooperation and opportunistic scheduling scheme are two important techniques to improve the performance in wireless scenarios. In the paper we consider such a problem how to efficiently combine opportunistic scheduling and cooperative modes for the Rayleigh fading scenario in the diamond relay network. To do so, we first compare the throughput of SRP (Spatial Reused Pattern) and AFP (Amplify Forwarding Pattern) in the half‐duplex case with the assumption that channel side information is known to all and then come up with a new scheduling scheme. It will be verified that only switching between SRP and AFP simply does little help to obtain an expected improvement because SRP is always superior to AFP on average due to its efficient spatial reuse. To improve the throughput further, we put forward a new processing strategy in which buffers are employed at both relays in SRP mode. By efficiently utilizing the links with relatively higher gains, the throughput can be greatly improved at a cost of queuing delay. Furthermore, we shall quantitatively evaluate the queuing delay and the tradeoff between the throughput and the additional queuing delay. Finally, to realize our developed strategy and make sure it always run at stable status, we present two criteria and an algorithm on the selection and adjustment of the switching thresholds. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis and Characterization of Titanium Silicalite Modified by Noble Metal
Authors: Shi Chunfeng , Zhu Bin , Lin Min , Long Jun 
Published: July 2009

AbstractWith good potentials for ulterior savings in capital and production costs, onsite hydrogen peroxide production followed by its conversion to organic oxides without refining, is being regarded as an attractive route and promising technology to the production of organic oxides. The key point of the direct oxidation technology is the design and preparation of the bifunctional catalysts used therein. Herein, we present such bifunctional solid materials, which is one new modified titanium silicalite with incorporated noble metal (denoted as NMTS) with a hollow structure, which means for example that it hasintra‐particle voids. The samples were characterized by various instruments. Its catalytic properties in the direct epoxidation of propylene were also investigated, the results showed that NMTS is an excellent catalyst for the direct preparation of organic oxides from one‐pot process.
Solid, Solution, and Theoretical Approach of [Cu(CN‐acac)(dmeen)]+
Authors: Lalia‐Kantouri Maria , Hatzidimitriou Antonios G. , Williams David 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThe reaction of bis(3‐cyano‐2,4‐pentanedionato)copper(II), [Cu(NC‐acac)2] with the nitrogenous base N,N‐dimethyl, N′‐ethyl‐1,2‐ethylenediamine (dmeen) in the presence of Cu(ClO4)2·6H2O, afforded a new cationic mixed‐ligand chelate [Cu(CN‐acac)(dmeen)]+. Its structure was characterized spectroscopically (IR, UV/Vis, EPR) and verified by X‐ray diffraction studies as [Cu(CN‐acac)(dmeen)(H2O)]ClO4. The coordination of CN‐acac– as bridging ligand leads to a polymeric helical chain, which extends in the crystallographic c axis. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that in the solid state the anion CN‐acac– binding is envisaged through the nitrogen atom of the cyanido group, establishing an octahedral arrangement around copper, whereas in solution, the square‐planar arrangement is prevailed, in accordance with the EPR findings.
Gaps in the essential spectrum of periodic elastic waveguides
Authors: Cardone C. , Minutolo V. , Nazarov S.A. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractExamples of periodic elastic waveguides are constructed, the essential spectrum of which has a gap, i.e. an open interval in the positive real semiaxis intersecting with the discrete spectrum only. The gap is detected with the help of an inequality of Korn's type and the max‐min principle for eigenvalues of self‐adjoint positive operators. Under a certain symmetry assumption, it is demonstrated that the first band of the essential spectrum can include eigenvalues in the point spectrum.
Fibroma of tendon sheath located within the ankle joint capsule
Authors: Ciatti Riccardo , Mariani Pier Paolo 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
We report a very rare case of fibroma of the tendon sheath arising from the anteromedial ankle joint capsule, with no apparent connection to any tendon in the area, found in a 58-year-old patient complaining of progressive local swelling. This uncommon tumor has its usual localization in tendon sheaths, is extremely rare in joint capsules, and has never been described in this location previously. MRI showed nonuniform low signal intensity in T1- and T2-weighted images and high intensity in STIR images. The mass was completely excised by open surgery. Histopathological analysis later confirmed the diagnosis of a fibroma of the tendon sheath.
Prediction of outcome in isolated methylmalonic acidurias: combined use of clinical and biochemical parameters
Authors: Hörster F. , Garbade S. F. , Zwickler T. , Aydin H. I. , Bodamer O. A. , Burlina A. B. , Das A. M. , De Klerk J. B. C. , Dionisi‐Vici C. , Geb S. , Gökcay G. , Guffon N. , Maier E. M. , Morava E. , Walter J. H. , Schwahn B. , Wijburg F. A. , Lindner M. , Grünewald S. , Baumgartner M. R. , Kölker S. 
Published: July 2009

SummaryObjectives Isolated methylmalonic acidurias (MMAurias) are caused by deficiency of methylmalonyl‐CoA mutase or by defects in the synthesis of its cofactor 5′‐deoxyadenosylcobalamin. The aim of this study was to evaluate which parameters best predicted the long‐term outcome. Methods Standardized questionnaires were sent to 20 European metabolic centres asking for age at diagnosis, birth decade, diagnostic work‐up, cobalamin responsiveness, enzymatic subgroup (mut0, mut−, cblA, cblB) and different aspects of long‐term outcome. Results 273 patients were included. Neonatal onset of the disease was associated with increased mortality rate, high frequency of developmental delay, and severe handicap. Cobalamin non‐responsive patients with neonatal onset born in the 1970s and 1980s had a particularly poor outcome. A more favourable outcome was found in patients with late onset of symptoms, especially when cobalamin responsive or classified as mut−. Prevention of neonatal crises in pre‐symptomatically diagnosed newborns was identified as a protective factor concerning handicap. Chronic renal failure manifested earlier in mut0 patients than in other enzymatic subgroups. Conclusion Outcome in MMAurias is best predicted by the enzymatic subgroup, cobalamin responsiveness, age at onset and birth decade. The prognosis is still unfavourable in patients with neonatal metabolic crises and non‐responsiveness to cobalamin, in particular mut0 patients.
Synthesis and Properties of Novel Double‐Tail Trisiloxane Surfactants
Authors: Peng Zhongli , Lu Caifeng , Lai Jianxiong 
Published: July 2009

AbstractTo improve the hydrolysis resistant ability of trisiloxane surfactants, ethoxylated single‐tail and double‐tail trisiloxane surfactants of the general formulas Me3SiOSiMeR1OSiMe3 (R1 = (CH2)3NHCH2CH(OH)CH2(OCH2CH2)xOCH3; x = 8.4, 12.9, 17.5, 22) and Me3SiOSiMeR2OSiMe3 (R2 = (CH2)3NR3CH2CH(OH)CH2(OCH2CH2)xOCH3; R3 = CH2(CH2)yCH3; x = 8.4, 12.9, 17.5, 22; y = 2, 6) were synthesized. Their structures were characterized by 1H NMR and 13C NMR. The surface activity and hydrolysis resistant properties of the trisiloxane surfactants prepared were also studied. The values of the critical micelle concentration of all trisiloxane surfactants prepared were at levels of 10−5 and 10−4 mol/L. They can reduce the surface tension of water to less than 24 mN/m. The hydrolysis resistant properties of double‐tail trisiloxane surfactants are superior to those of single‐tail trisiloxane surfactants. The double‐tail trisiloxane surfactants 1B (x = 8.4; y = 2) and 2C (x = 12.9; y = 6) can be stable for 8 days in an acidic solution (pH 4.0) and 11 days in an alkaline environment (pH 10.0).
Resistance of a recombinant Escherichia coli to dehydration
Authors: Khroustalyova Galina , Boudrant Joseph , Rapoport Alexander 
Published: July 2009

AbstractDehydration of microorganisms, rendering them anhydrobiotic, is often an efficient method for the short and long term conservation of different strain‐producers. However, some biotechnologically important recombinant bacterial strains are extremely sensitive to conventional treatment. We describe appropriate conditions during dehydration of the recombinant Escherichia coli strain HB 101 (GAPDH) that can result dry cells having a ∼88% viability on rehydration. The methods entails air‐drying after addition of 100 mM trehalose to the cultivation medium or distilled water (for short term incubation).
Retinal astrocyte differentiation mediated by leukemia inhibitory factor in cooperation with bone morphogenetic protein 2
Authors: Fukushima Mikiko , Setoguchi Takao , Komiya Setsuro , Tanihara Hidenobu , Taga Tetsuya 
Published: July 2009

AbstractRetinal astrocytes and their precursor cells migrate from the optic nerve. Interleukin 6 family cytokines, whose signal transduction requires gp130, promote astrocyte differentiation in the optic nerve, though the mechanism of astrocyte differentiation in the retina has not been clarified. We found that GFAP‐positive astrocytes were significantly decreased in number but that a considerable number of astrocytes were still present in gp130‐deficient mouse retina. These findings suggest that gp130‐dependent signaling pathways play essential roles in retinal astrocyte differentiation and that retinal astrocyte differentiation can also be promoted by other signaling pathways. We found that leukemia inhibitory factor, bone morphogenetic proteins, and their receptors are expressed in P0 retina. In addition, leukemia inhibitory factor and bone morphogenetic protein 2 synergistically promote astrocyte differentiation of retinal precursor cells isolated from P0 mouse retina. These observations demonstrated that not only gp130‐dependent signaling but also bone morphogenetic proteins play essential roles in retinal astrocyte differentiation.
Enhanced fixation and preservation of a newly arisen duplicate gene by masking deleterious loss-of-function mutations
Authors: TANAKA KENTARO M. , TAKAHASI K. RYO , TAKANO-SHIMIZU TOSHIYUKI 
Published: July 2009

SummarySegmental duplications are enriched within many eukaryote genomes, and their potential consequence is gene duplication. While previous theoretical studies of gene duplication have mainly focused on the gene silencing process after fixation, the process leading to fixation is even more important for segmental duplications, because the majority of duplications would be lost before reaching a significant frequency in a population. Here, by a series of computer simulations, we show that purifying selection against loss-of-function mutations increases the fixation probability of a new duplicate gene, especially when the gene is haplo-insufficient. Theoretically, the probability of simultaneous preservation of both duplicate genes becomes twice the loss-of-function mutation rate (uc) when the population size (N), the degree of dominance of mutations (h) and the recombination rate between the duplicate genes (c) are all sufficiently large (Nuc>1,h>0·1 andc>uc). The preservation probability declines rapidly withhand becomes 0 whenh=0 (haplo-sufficiency). We infer that masking deleterious loss-of-function mutations give duplicate genes an immediate selective advantage and, together with effects of increased gene dosage, would predominantly determine the fates of the duplicate genes in the early phase of their evolution.
Increased litter size and super-ovulation rate in congenic C57BL mice carrying a polymorphic fragment of NFR/N origin at theFecq4locus of chromosome 9
Authors: LILJANDER MARIA , ANDERSSON ÅSA , HOLMDAHL RIKARD , MATTSSON RAGNAR 
Published: July 2009

SummaryBy analysing N2 mice from a cross between the inbred C57BL strain B10.Q and the NMRI-related NFR/N strain, we recently identified a quantitative trait locus (QTL) influencing litter size. This locus is now denotedFecq4, and it is present on the murine chromosome 9. In the present paper, we describe how theFecq4fragment originating form the NFR/N mouse strain will affect B10.Q mice by means of breeding capacity, super-ovulation rate and embryonic developmentin vitro. Our results show that both the breeding capacity (number of pups produced/breeding cage during a 5 months period) and the mean litter size are significantly increased inB10.Q.NFR/N-Fecq4congenic mice. Furthermore.B10.Q.NFR/N-Fecq4congenic mice (both homozygous and heterozygous) did respond much better to super-ovulation than wild-type mice, resulting in a dramatically increased yield of fertilized 1-cell embryos. In addition, embryos containing theFecq4fragment were easy to cultivatein vitro, resulting in a higher yield of embryos reaching the blastocyst stage. We propose thatB10.Q.NFR/N-Fecq4congenic mice may be used to improve breeding or super-ovulation rate in different types of genetically modified mice (on C57BL background) that exhibit severe breeding problems. TheFecq4fragment has been described in detail, and the possible role of polymorphic candidate genes near the linkage peak (58 Mb) has been discussed. Genes of the cytochrome P450 family (1, 11 and 19), such asCyp19a1, are assumed to be particularly interesting, since they are known to exhibit female-associated reproductive phenotypes, affecting the ovulation rate, if mutated.
Measuring the degree of starshape in genealogies – summary statistics and demographic inference
Authors: LOHSE KONRAD , KELLEHER JEROME 
Published: July 2009

SummaryThe degree of starshape of a genealogy is readily detectable using summary statistics and can be taken as a surrogate for the effect of past demography and other non-neutral forces. Summary statistics such as Tajima'sDand related measures are commonly used for this. However, it is well known that because of their neglect of the genealogy underlying a sample such neutrality tests are far from ideal. Here, we investigate the properties of two types of summary statistics that are derived by considering the genealogy: (i) genealogical ratios based on the number of mutations on the rootward branches, which can be inferred from sequence data using a simple algorithm and (ii) summary statistics that use properties of a perfectly star-shaped genealogy. The power of these measures to detect a history of exponential growth is compared with that of standard summary statistics and a likelihood method for the single and multi-locus case. Statistics that depend on pairwise measures such as Tajima'sDhave comparatively low power, being sensitive to the random topology of the underlying genealogy. When analysing multi-locus data, we find that the genealogical measures are most powerful. Provided reliable outgroup information is available they may constitute a useful alternative to full likelihood estimation and standard tests of neutrality.
Reconsideration for conservation units of wildPrimula sieboldiiin Japan based on adaptive diversity and molecular genetic diversity
Authors: YOSHIDA YASUKO , HONJO MASANORI , KITAMOTO NAOKO , OHSAWA RYO 
Published: July 2009

SummaryPrimula sieboldiiE. Morren is a perennial clonal herb that is widely distributed in Japan, but in danger of extinction in the wild. In a previous study, we revealed the genetic diversity of the species using chloroplast and nuclear DNA and used this information to define conservation units. However, we lacked information on adaptive genetic diversity, which is important for long-term survival and, thus, for the definition of conservation units. In order to identify adaptive traits that showed adaptive differentiation among populations, we studied the genetic variation in six quantitative traits within and among populations for 3 years in a common garden using 110 genets from five natural populations from three regions of Japan. The number of days to bud initiation was adaptive quantitative trait for which the degree of genetic differentiation among populations (QST) was considerably larger than that in eight microsatellite markers (FST). The relationship between this trait and environmental factors revealed that the number of days to bud initiation was negatively correlated, with the mean temperature during the growing period at each habitat. This suggests that adaptive differentiation in the delay before bud initiation was caused by selective pressure resulting from temperature differences among habitats. Our results suggest that based on adaptive diversity and neutral genetic diversity, the Saitama population represents a new conservation unit.
Relative mutation rates of each nucleotide for another estimated from allele frequency spectra at human gene loci
Authors: PARK LEEYOUNG 
Published: July 2009

SummaryThis study aims to comprehensively examine the mutation rates of one base for another in human gene loci. In contrast to most previous efforts based on divergence data from untranscribed regions, the present study employs the basic theory of the reversible recurrent mutation model using large-scale, high-quality re-sequencing data from public databases of gene loci. Population mutation parameters (4Nν and 4Nμ) are obtained for each pair of base substitutions. The estimated parameters show good strand reversal symmetry, supporting the existence of mutation-drift equilibrium. Analysis of specific gene regions including mRNA, coding sequence (CDS), 5′-untranslated region (5′-UTRs), 3′-UTR and intron shows that there are clear differences in the mutation rates of each base for another depending on the location of the base in question. Results from analyses that take the adjacent bases into account exhibit excellent strand reversal symmetry, confirming that the identity of an adjacent base influences mutation rates. The CpG to TpG (or CpG to CpA) substitution is found at a rate approximately seven-fold higher than the reverse transition in intron regions due to cytosine deamination, but the effect is strongly reduced in mRNA regions and almost entirely lost in 5′-UTRs. However, from the overall increased transitions in sites other than CpGs and the proportion of CpGs in the total sequence, CpG methylation is not the main factor responsible for the increased rate of transitions as compared with transversions. In this report, after adjusting average mutation rates to the sequence compositions, no substitution bias is found between A+T and C+G, indicating base composition equilibrium in human gene loci. Population differences are also identified between groups of people of African and European descent, presumably due to past population histories. By applying the basic theory of population genetics to re-sequenced data, this study contributes new, detailed information regarding mutations in human gene regions.
Learning English in corporate China
Authors: bo Li Tian , Moreira Gillian 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTA study of English in China's business context.China's rise and its potential markets are attractive enough for companies worldwide to want to do business in and with this country. Recognizing the important role played by language and culture in international business, this paper will explore the functions of English as a language of international communication in the business context in China. In particular it examines the rise in English learning fever and how English is perceived, mainly in companies. Our analysis will be based on a survey of 59 foreign and Chinese companies in mainland China in 2007. The results show that in these companies English is perceived as a tool for international communication, better pay, better jobs and a window to the world.