bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Congenital vallecular cyst in an infant: case report and review of 52 recent cases
Authors: Suzuki J , Hashimoto S , Watanabe K , Takahashi K 
Published: June 2011

AbstractObjectives:Vallecular cyst is uncommon in infants. We treated a female infant with vallecular cyst, and curious magnetic resonance imaging findings. We also review 51 other cases of vallecular cyst in infants reported over the past 23 years.Case report:A three-month-old female infant presented with congenital inspiratory stridor and failure to thrive. Flexible laryngoscopy and ultrasonography revealed a cystic mass in the vallecula. Magnetic resonance imaging findings were initially curious because of artefacts from breathing and swallowing. Marsupialisation of the cyst was performed. Post-operatively, the patient was immediately free of symptoms.Conclusion:Magnetic resonance imaging presents various difficulties in infants, but has the best diagnostic effectiveness. We recommend the use of magnetic resonance imaging, flexible fibroscopy and ultrasonography to enable extensive examination of suspected vallecular cysts in infants. Marsupialisation has a recurrence rate of only one in 39 cases, and its safety and effectiveness are well balanced. Thus, prompt marsupialisation of vallecular cyst is the recommended surgical procedure.
Genetic and environmental risk factors for sexual distress and its association with female sexual dysfunction
Authors: Burri A. , Rahman Q. , Spector T. 
Published: June 2011

BackgroundThe DSM-V Working Group is currently re-evaluating distress as a primary diagnostic criterion for female sexual dysfunction (FSD). Here, for the first time, we explored the epidemiology of sexual distress and its putative aetiological relationship to FSD by estimating the influence of genetic and environmental risk factors.MethodQuestionnaire data on a representative sample of 930 British female twins using validated scales of FSD and sexual distress were subject to variance components analyses to quantify latent genetic and environmental factors influencing phenotypic variation and covariation. Multiple regression analyses were used to identify other potential risk factors of sexual distress.ResultsOf 319 women with any sexual problems, only 36.5% reported distress. Of women classified as functional, 16.5% felt sexual distress. Sexual distress had a heritability of 44% [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.33–0.54]. Bivariate analysis suggested that the majority (91% CI 86–99%) of the covariance between sexual distress and FSD was due to unique environmental effects common to both traits. Associations were found between sexual distress and other risk variables, including relationship dissatisfaction [odds ratio (OR) 1.6, p<0.001], anxiety sensitivity and obsessive–compulsive symptomatology (OR 1.2, p<0.01, for both).ConclusionsThere seems to be a weak phenotypic and genetic basis for including sexual distress as a diagnostic indicator of FSD. Instead, the data indicate that unrelated psychological factors play an important role in sexual distress and tentatively suggest that sexual distress is less a consequence of FSD and more related to general anxiety among women.
Psychological well-being (PWB): a natural life outlook? An Italian twin study on heritability of PWB in young adults
Authors: Gigantesco A. , Stazi M. A. , Alessandri G. , Medda E. , Tarolla E. , Fagnani C. 
Published: June 2011

BackgroundTo date, the genetic and environmental architecture of the dimensions of psychological well-being (PWB) remains unexplored.MethodPWB of 742 twins aged 23–24 years and enrolled in the Italian Twin Registry was assessed with the three-item version of Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being (SPWB). These scales include items for evaluating the PWB dimensions of self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth. A twin design was used to obtain correlations in the PWB dimensions for monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins and to estimate the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to variation and covariation in the dimensions.ResultsGenetic factors explained moderate to substantial proportions of variance in the six SPWB dimensions, with heritability estimates between 37% and 64%. The estimates of genetic correlations were very high (range 0.77–0.99), indicating that genetic factors that influence the expression of the different dimensions of PWB may be shared to a large extent. Non-shared environmental correlations ranged from substantial to high, with the exception of the correlation between autonomy and the dimensions of purpose in life, self-acceptance and personal growth.ConclusionsThis study presents a twin analysis of PWB measured by the SPWB dimensions; it was found that both genes and non-shared environment play a role in individual differences. The genetic and non-shared environmental correlations between SPWB dimensions suggest that common underlying genetic and non-shared environmental factors influence the expression of the different facets of PWB.
Dynamical approximation and kernels of non-escaping hyperbolic components
Authors: MIHALJEVIĆ-BRANDT HELENA 
Published: June 2011

AbstractLet ℱnbe families of entire functions, holomorphically parameterized by a complex manifoldM. We consider those parameters inMthat correspond tonon-escaping hyperbolicfunctions, i.e. those mapsf∈ℱnfor which the postsingular setP(f) is a compact subset of the Fatou set ℱ(f) off. We prove that if ℱn→ℱ∞in the sense of a certain dynamically sensible metric, then every non-escaping hyperbolic component in the parameter space of ℱ∞is akernelof a sequence of non-escaping hyperbolic components in the parameter spaces of ℱn. Parameters belonging to such a kernel do not always correspond to hyperbolic functions in ℱ∞. Nevertheless, we show that these functions must beJ-stable. Using quasiconformal equivalences, we are able to construct many examples of families to which our results can be applied.
Tail pressure and the tail entropy function
Authors: LI YUAN , CHEN ERCAI , CHENG WEN-CHIAO 
Published: June 2011

AbstractBurguet [A direct proof of the tail variational principle and its extension to maps. Ergod. Th. & Dynam. Sys.29 (2009), 357–369] presented a direct proof of the variational principle of tail entropy and extended Downarowicz’s results to a non-invertible case. This paper defines and discusses tail pressure, which is an extension of tail entropy for continuous transformations. This study reveals analogs of many known results of topological pressure. Specifically, a variational principle is provided and some applications of tail pressure, such as the investigation of invariant measures and equilibrium states, are also obtained.
A short proof of the Ornstein theorem
Authors: DOWNAROWICZ T. , SERAFIN J. 
Published: June 2011

AbstractWe give a short (and fairly elementary) proof of the ‘residual Sinai theorem’ of which the Ornstein theorem is an immediate consequence. In principle, we follow the lines of [BKS] but our proof avoids any substantial quotations, in particular, invoking any characterizations of systems isomorphic to Bernoulli shifts. The core of the proof is five pages long and it relies only on standard facts in ergodic theory.
A responsibility to reality: a reply to Louise Arbour
Authors: CARVIN STEPHANIE 
Published: June 2011

AbstractLouise Arbour presents a pleasant picture of international society in her article on ‘Responsibility to protect’ (R2P) as a ‘duty of care’ – one where states not only have a moral responsibility but also a legal responsibility to intervene in some of the worst situations on the planet. However, this argument is misleading and based on faulty legal assumptions which pose significant problems for Arbour's case. This response will argue that upon examination, Arbour's legal case is not very strong or persuasive. Even more importantly, even if we accepted Arbour's legal arguments, it would not make much of a difference to how states respond to international crises. Arbour seems to misunderstand that the problems facing R2P have always been those of ‘will’ and not law – and this must be understood as a political rather than legal problem.
Responsibility and obligation in the ‘Responsibility to Protect’
Authors: BAIN WILLIAM 
Published: June 2011

AbstractThis article takes up Louise Arbour's claim that the doctrine of the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ is grounded in existing obligations of international law, specifically those pertaining to the prevention and punishment of genocide. In doing so, it argues that the aspirations of the R2P project cannot be sustained by the idea of ‘responsibility’ alone. The article proceeds in arguing that the coherence of R2P depends on an unacknowledged and unarticulated theory of obligation that connects notions of culpability, blame, and accountability with the kind of preventive, punitive, and restorative action that Arbour and others advocate. Two theories of obligation are then offered, one natural the other conventional, which make this connection explicit. But the ensuing clarity comes at a cost: the naturalist account escapes the ‘real’ world to redeem the intrinsic dignity of all men and women, while the conventionalist account remains firmly tethered to the ‘real’ world in redeeming whatever dignity can be had by way of an agreement. The article concludes by arguing that the advocate of the responsibility to protect can have one or the other, but not both.
A two-tier map representation for compact-stereo-vision-based SLAM
Authors: Herath D. C. , Kodagoda S. , Dissanayake G. 
Published: June 2011

SUMMARYVision sensors are increasingly being used in the implementation of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). Even though the mathematical framework of SLAM is well understood, considerable issues remain to be resolved when a particular sensing modality is considered. For instance, the observation model of a small baseline stereo camera is known to be highly nonlinear. As a consequence, state estimations obtained from standard recursive estimators, such as the Extended Kalman Filter, tend to be inconsistent. Further, vision-based approaches are plagued with high feature densities, and the consequent requisite of maintaining large feature databases for loop closure and data association. This paper proposes a two-tier solution for resolving these issues, inspired by the mechanics of human navigation. The proposed two-tier solution addresses the consistency issue by formulating the SLAM problem as a nonlinear batch optimization and presents a novel method for feature management through a two-tier map representation. Simulations and experiments are carried out in an office-like environment to validate the performance of the algorithm.
Self-adaptive Monte Carlo localization for mobile robots using range finders
Authors: Zhang Lei , Zapata René , Lépinay Pascal 
Published: June 2011

SUMMARYIn order to achieve the autonomy of mobile robots, effective localization is a necessary prerequisite. In this paper, we propose an improved Monte Carlo localization algorithm using self-adaptive samples (abbreviated as SAMCL). By employing a pre-caching technique to reduce the online computational burden, SAMCL is more efficient than the regular MCL. Further, we define the concept of similar energy region (SER), which is a set of poses (grid cells) having similar energy with the robot in the robot space. By distributing global samples in SER instead of distributing randomly in the map, SAMCL obtains a better performance in localization. Position tracking, global localization and the kidnapped robot problem are the three sub-problems of the localization problem. Most localization approaches focus on solving one of these sub-problems. However, SAMCL solves all the three sub-problems together, thanks to self-adaptive samples that can automatically separate themselves into a global sample set and a local sample set according to needs. The validity and the efficiency of the SAMCL algorithm are demonstrated by both simulations and experiments carried out with different intentions. Extensive experimental results and comparisons are also given in this paper.
Sustainability science: a review, an analysis and some empirical lessons
Authors: SPANGENBERG JOACHIM H. 
Published: June 2011

SUMMARYSustainability science has developed from a new research field into a vibrant discipline in its own right, with scientific conferences, journals and scientific societies dedicated to its pursuit. Characterized more by its research purpose than by a common set of methods or objects, sustainability science can be subdivided into the more traditional disciplinary-based science for sustainability and the transdisciplinary science of sustainability. Whereas the former consists of more descriptive, analytical and basic science, the latter is characterized by reflexivity and applicability; on a meta level, the emergence of the latter can be understood as a new step in the evolution of science. This review provides an overview of the state of sustainability science, identifying action orientation, integrated assessments and interdisciplinarity as overall characteristics. The review also focuses on methodological issues, highlighting differences in project organization and management, and the ways in which stakeholder participation can be organized in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research projects. Sustainability science is recognized as essential for progress towards sustainability, and as an opportunity to bring science closer to the people, requiring significant changes in the way science is organized and conducted.
Multilocus sequence types of invasive Corynebacterium diphtheriae isolated in the Rio de Janeiro urban area, Brazil
Authors: VIGUETTI S. Z. , PACHECO L. G. C. , SANTOS L. S. , SOARES S. C. , BOLT F. , BALDWIN A. , DOWSON C. G. , ROSSO M. L. , GUISO N. , MIYOSHI A. , HIRATA R. , MATTOS-GUARALDI A. L. , AZEVEDO V. 
Published: June 2011

SUMMARYInvasive infections caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae in vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals have been reported increasingly. In this study we used multilocus sequence typing (MLST) to study genetic relationships between six invasive strains of this bacterium isolated solely in the urban area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during a 10-year period. Of note, all the strains rendered negative results in PCR reactions for the tox gene, and four strains presented an atypical sucrose-fermenting ability. Five strains represented new sequence types. MLST results did not support the hypothesis that invasive (sucrose-positive) strains of C. diphtheriae are part of a single clonal complex. Instead, one of the main findings of the study was that such strains can be normally found in clonal complexes with strains related to non-invasive disease. Comparative analyses with C. diphtheriae isolated in different countries provided further information on the geographical circulation of some sequence types.
The current surgical perspective to repair of atrioventricular septal defect with common atrioventricular junction
Authors: Karl Tom R. , Provenzano Sylvio C. J. , Nunn Graham R. , Anderson Robert H. 
Published: June 2011

AbstractAtrioventricular septal defect with common atrioventricular junction is a relatively common congenital cardiac malformation. It sometimes presents challenging surgical problems, especially when seen in combination with tetralogy of Fallot. We describe herein our current concepts regarding surgical repair of atrioventricular septal defect with and without tetralogy, discussing indications for surgery, timing, technical aspects, and outcomes.
Quest for the descent of the Escherichia coli outbreak strain TY2482 – out of Germany?
Authors: Avasthi Tiruvayipati , Kumar Narender , Baddam Ramani , Devi Singamaneni , Wieler Lothar , Ahmed Niyaz 
Published: June 2011

AbstractThe recent outbreak of the Escherichia coli infection in north Germany reportedly has killed 35 people and sickened about 4000. Infections were reported in 2001 and 2002 in Germany and Central Africa respectively. In order to dissect all possible connections among the three infection/outbreak strains and to extract the most virulent genes responsible for the augmented pathogenicity of the present German strain (2011), whole genome sequence data of the two isolates (E. coli TY_2482 & LB226692) were analyzed. We report that the German outbreak strain isolated in 2011 is a seasoned clone of the 2002 isolate sequenced from Central Africa (55989) and perhaps a direct descendent of the German EAEC strain reported in 2001 infection cases.
TTBK2 kinase substrate specificity and the impact of spinocerebellar-ataxia-causing mutations on expression, activity, localization and development
Authors: Bouskila Michale , Esoof Noor , Gay Laurie , Fang Emily H. , Deak Maria , Begley Michael J. , Cantley Lewis C. , Prescott Alan , Storey Kate G. , Alessi Dario R. 
Published: June 2011

Mutations that truncate the C-terminal non-catalytic moiety of TTBK2 (tau tubulin kinase 2) cause the inherited, autosomal dominant, SCA11 (spinocerebellar ataxia type 11) movement disorder. In the present study we first assess the substrate specificity of TTBK2 and demonstrate that it has an unusual preference for a phosphotyrosine residue at the +2 position relative to the phosphorylation site. We elaborate a peptide substrate (TTBKtide, RRKDLHDDEEDEAMSIYpA) that can be employed to quantify TTBK2 kinase activity. Through modelling and mutagenesis we identify a putative phosphate-priming groove within the TTBK2 kinase domain. We demonstrate that SCA11 truncating mutations promote TTBK2 protein expression, suppress kinase activity and lead to enhanced nuclear localization. We generate an SCA11-mutation-carrying knockin mouse and show that this leads to inhibition of endogenous TTBK2 protein kinase activity. Finally, we find that, in homozygosity, the SCA11 mutation causes embryonic lethality at embryonic day 10. These findings provide the first insights into some of the intrinsic properties of TTBK2 and reveal how SCA11-causing mutations affect protein expression, catalytic activity, localization and development. We hope that these findings will be helpful for future investigation of the regulation and function of TTBK2 and its role in SCA11.
Archaeal flagellar ATPase motor shows ATP-dependent hexameric assembly and activity stimulation by specific lipid binding
Authors: Ghosh Abhrajyoti , Hartung Sophia , van der Does Chris , Tainer John A. , Albers Sonja-Verena 
Published: June 2011

Microbial motility frequently depends on flagella or type IV pili. Using recently developed archaeal genetic tools, archaeal flagella and its assembly machinery have been identified. Archaeal flagella are functionally similar to bacterial flagella and their assembly systems are homologous with type IV pili assembly systems of Gram-negative bacteria. Therefore elucidating their biochemistry may result in insights in both archaea and bacteria. FlaI, a critical cytoplasmic component of the archaeal flagella assembly system in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, is a member of the type II/IV secretion system ATPase superfamily, and is proposed to be bi-functional in driving flagella assembly and movement. In the present study we show that purified FlaI is a Mn2+-dependent ATPase that binds MANT-ATP [2′-/3′-O-(N′- methylanthraniloyl)adenosine-5′-O-triphosphate] with a high affinity and hydrolyses ATP in a co-operative manner. FlaI has an optimum pH and temperature of 6.5 and 75 °C for ATP hydrolysis. Remarkably, archaeal, but not bacterial, lipids stimulated the ATPase activity of FlaI 3–4-fold. Analytical gel filtration indicated that FlaI undergoes nucleotide-dependent oligomerization. Furthermore, SAXS (small-angle X-ray scattering) analysis revealed an ATP-dependent hexamerization of FlaI in solution. The results of the present study report the first detailed biochemical analyses of the motor protein of an archaeal flagellum.
Calculated vibrational properties of pigments in protein binding sites
Authors: Lamichhane Hari Prasad , Hastings Gary 
Published: June 2011

FTIR difference spectroscopy is widely used to probe molecular bonding interactions of protein-bound electron transfer cofactors. The technique is particularly attractive because it provides information on both neutral and radical cofactor states. Such dual information is not easily obtainable using other techniques. Although FTIR difference spectroscopy has been used to study cofactors in biological protein complexes, in nearly all cases interpretation of the spectra has been purely qualitative. Virtually no computational work has been undertaken in an attempt to model the spectra. To address this problem we have developed the use of ONIOM (our own N-layered integrated molecular Orbital + Molecular mechanics package) (quantum mechanical:molecular mechanics) methods to calculate FTIR difference spectra associated with protein-bound cofactors. As a specific example showing the utility of the approach we have calculated isotope edited FTIR difference spectra associated with unlabeled and labeled ubiquinones in the QAbinding site inRhodobacter sphaeroidesphotosynthetic reaction centers. The calculated spectra are in remarkable agreement with experiment. Such agreement cannot be obtained by considering ubiquinone molecules in the gas phase or in solution. A calculation including the protein environment is required. The ONIOM calculated spectra agree well with experiment but indicate a very different interpretation of the experimental data compared to that proposed previously. In particular the calculations do not predict that one of the carbonyl groups of QAis very strongly hydrogen bonded. We show that a computational-based interpretation of FTIR difference spectra associated with protein-bound cofactors is now possible. This approach will be applicable to FTIR studies of many cofactor-containing proteins.
Impaired protein conformational landscapes as revealed in anomalous Arrhenius prefactors
Authors: Nagel Zachary D. , Dong Ming , Bahnson Brian J. , Klinman Judith P. 
Published: June 2011

A growing body of data supports a role for protein motion in enzyme catalysis. In particular, the ability of enzymes to sample catalytically relevant conformational substates has been invoked to model kinetic and spectroscopic data. However, direct experimental links between rapidly interconverting conformations and the chemical steps of catalysis remain rare. We report here on the kinetic analysis and characterization of the hydride transfer step catalyzed by a series of mutant thermophilic alcohol dehydrogenases (ht-ADH), presenting evidence for Arrhenius prefactor values that become enormously elevated above an expected value of approximately 10
13
s
-1
when the enzyme operates below its optimal temperature range. Restoration of normal Arrhenius behavior in the ht-ADH reaction occurs at elevated temperatures. A simple model, in which reduced temperature alters the ability of the ht-ADH variants to sample the catalytically relevant region of conformational space, can reproduce the available data. These findings indicate an impaired landscape that has been generated by the combined condition of reduced temperature and mutation at a single, active-site hydrophobic side chain. The broader implication is that optimal enzyme function requires the maintenance of a relatively smooth landscape that minimizes low energy traps.