bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A decrease in the prevalence and improved control of allergic conditions in 13‐ to 15‐yr‐old Maltese children (ISAAC)
Authors: Montefort Stephen , Ellul Pierre , Montefort Maxine , Caruana Simone , Agius Muscat Hugo 
Published: October 2010

To cite this article: Montefort S, Ellul P, Montefort M, Caruana S, Agius Muscat H. A decrease in the prevalence and improved control of allergic conditions in 13‐ to 15‐yr‐old Maltese children (ISAAC). Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2011; 22: e107–e111.AbstractThe International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) has produced a reliable global map of childhood allergies through the use of a validated standardized questionnaire. Phase 1 of the study was carried out in the Maltese Islands in 1995 and repeated in 2002 in phase 3. To investigate the trends in prevalence and severity of childhood allergies in Maltese schoolchildren, in this article, we compare the data obtained from 4184 children, 13‐ to 15‐yr‐olds (88.7% response rate) in phase 1, to that of phase 3 when 4139 (90% response rate) children participated. The cumulative (27.9% vs. 27.4%: p = 0.6) and current (16% vs. 14.6% p = 0.08) prevalence rates of wheezing remained quite static but wheezers were more likely to be diagnosed with asthma in 2002 (11.1% vs. 14.1% p < 0.0001). Along the 7 yrs, these asthmatics were better controlled with less wheezing attacks (p < 0.01), less disturbed nights (p < 0.05) and less acute severe episodes (p < 0.05). Nasal problems were present in 52.7% of participants in 1995 and in 50.4% in 2002 (p < 0.05), and 47.4% vs. 42.8% (p < 0.0001) persisted with these symptoms and associated itchy eyes (29% vs. 21.8%: p < 000001). Though prevalence decreased, the children were labelled as hayfever sufferers more often (32.3 vs. 40.7%: p < 0.00001). Rhinitis symptoms seemed to interfere less with daily activities (p < 0.01). In 2002, an itchy rash suggestive of eczema was also less present ‘ever’ (12.8% vs. 11.2%: p < 0.05) or currently (10.1% vs. 8.5%: p < 0.05) but again more likely to be diagnosed as eczema (p < 0.001). This rash caused less sleepless nights in phase 3 of the study (p < 0.05). These results indicate that asthma prevalence has reached a plateau between 1995 and 2002 while rhinitis and eczema are less common. All these allergic conditions are better controlled and more likely to be diagnosed in these schoolchildren by Maltese doctors in 2002 than in 1995.
Heredity of food allergies in an unselected child population: An epidemiological survey from Finland
Authors: Pyrhönen Kaisa , Hiltunen Liisa , Kaila Minna , Näyhä Simo , Läärä Esa 
Published: October 2010

To cite this article:Pyrhönen K, Hiltunen L, Kaila M, Näyhä S, Läärä E. Heredity of food allergies in an unselected child population: An epidemiological survey from Finland.Pediatr Allergy Immunol2011;22: e124–e132.AbstractThe heredity of food allergies (FA) has not previously been addressed in a large unselected child population. Our target population comprised all children born from April 2001 to March 2006 resident in one province of South‐East Finland (nc. 6000), as identified from the national population register. In a questionnaire survey conducted in 2005–2006, data were obtained on allergic manifestations (FA symptoms, atopic rash, allergic asthma, hay fever/pollen allergy, or animal allergy) in the biologic parents of 3800 children (64% of the total). Concurrently with the survey but independently of it, results of specific immunoglobulin E antibodies (sIgE), skin prick tests (SPT), and open food challenges (OFC) in the offspring were collected from patient records throughout the province. Up to the age of 4 yr, the incidences of any positive FA test, a positive SPT or sIgE for food items, and a positive OFC in these children were threefold higher if both parents reported having an allergic manifestation and twofold higher if either mother or father had such a manifestation when compared with children whose parents did not report any of these conditions. The estimated risk of any positive FA test increased by a factor of 1.3 (95% CI 1.2–1.4) for each additional allergic manifestation in the parents. Positive FA tests in the offspring were relatively strongly associated with the reports of allergic phenotypes and the number of these phenotypes in their biologic parents.
Genetic mapping in Lilium: mapping of major genes and quantitative trait loci for several ornamental traits and disease resistances
Authors: Shahin Arwa , Arens Paul , Van Heusden Adriaan W. , Van Der Linden Gerard , Van Kaauwen Martijn , Khan Nadeem , Schouten Henk J. , Van De Weg W. Eric , Visser Richard G. F. , Van Tuyl Jaap M. 
Published: October 2010

With 1 figure and 3 tables AbstractConstruction of genetic linkage maps for lily was achieved using two populations, LA and AA that share one parent ‘Connecticut King’. Three different molecular marker systems (AFLP™, DArT and NBS profiling) were used in generating linkage maps for ‘Connecticut King’. The LA and the AA populations consist of 20 and 21 linkage groups (LGs), respectively. Average density between markers was 3.9 cM for the LA and 5 cM for the AA population. Several horticultural traits were mapped for the first time in Lilium and showed to be single gene based. We propose to name these genes as LFCc for flower colour, lfs for flower spots, LSC for stem colour, lal for antherless phenotype and lfd for flower direction whereby upper and lower case names refer to dominant and recessive genes, respectively. Additionally, resistance to Lily mottle virus (LMoV) was mapped as a locus on LG AA10. For Fusarium resistance, the Kruskal–Wallis test identified six putative quantitative trait loci (QTL) in the AA population of which one QTL (explaining 25% of the variation in resistance) could be confirmed by interval mapping.
Sexually transmitted bacteria affect female cloacal assemblages in a wild bird
Authors: White Joël , Mirleau Pascal , Danchin Etienne , Mulard Hervé , Hatch Scott A. , Heeb Philipp , Wagner Richard H. 
Published: October 2010

Ecology Letters (2010) 13: 1515–1524AbstractSexual transmission is an important mode of disease propagation, yet its mechanisms remain largely unknown in wild populations. Birds comprise an important model for studying sexually transmitted microbes because their cloaca provides a potential for both gastrointestinal pathogens and endosymbionts to become incorporated into ejaculates. We experimentally demonstrate in a wild population of kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) that bacteria are transmitted during copulation and affect the composition and diversity of female bacterial communities. We used an anti‐insemination device attached to males in combination with a molecular technique (automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis) that describes bacterial communities. After inseminations were experimentally blocked, the cloacal communities of mates became increasingly dissimilar. Moreover, female cloacal diversity decreased and the extinction of mate‐shared bacteria increased, indicating that female cloacal assemblages revert to their pre‐copulatory state and that the cloaca comprises a resilient microbial ecosystem.
Comparative morphology and cytology of the eye, with particular reference to the retina, in lizardfishes (Synodontidae, Teleostei)
Authors: Fishelson Lev , Delarea Yakob , Goren Menachem 
Published: October 2010

AbstractFishelson, L., Delarea, Y. and Goren, M. 2012. Comparative morphology and cytology of the eye, with particular reference to the retina, in lizardfishes (Synodontidae, Teleostei). —Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 93: 68–79.The retinas of nine species of lizardfishes (Synodontidae) are composed of double cones, single cones, and rods. The cones are 16–28 μm long, and their number in the fundus of adult Synodus variegatus reaches ca. 32,900 mm2 (varying from ca. 300,000 to ca. 390,000 in a 10 mm2 of the retina), while in Saurida spp., they number ca. 12,000–14,000/mm2. The cone ellipsoids are with up to 600 mitochondria, 0.5–1.6 μm in diameter. The rods are 30–50 μm long; their outer segments 0.6–1.2 μm thick and 15–18 μm long; their inner segments elongated. Their number varies from 15 to 128 million/retina. In fish of similar dimensions but of different species, the number of visual cells in the retina differs. In all species, the eyes increase from 2.0 mm in diameter in the smallest fish studied to 12 mm in the largest one. With eye growth, the retina in the various species increases from ca. 3.8 mm2 in the smallest fish to ca.160.0 mm2 in the large Saurida macrolepis. The possible ecological aspects of the observed phenomena are discussed.
Ontology‐based Qualitative Feature Analysis: Bays as a Case Study
Authors: Feng Chen‐Chieh , Bittner Thomas 
Published: October 2010

AbstractA methodology for analyzing geographic data using the techniques of: (1) qualitative geometric abstraction; and (2) ontological analysis of geographic features is described. The first technique is a bottom‐up approach to extract qualitative spatial relations from geographic representations (raster or vector) while the second technique is a top‐down approach to determine which qualitative relations can possibly hold between the parts of the geographic features. The process of analyzing geographic data includes the extraction of both the features and the qualitative relations among features. These qualitative relations are then used to classify the geographic features within the “space” of ontological possibilities. In this article bays in Wisconsin and their cartographic representation are used as a running example and the subject of a case study.
Quality Assessment of the French OpenStreetMap Dataset
Authors: Girres Jean‐François , Touya Guillaume 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThe concept of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) has recently emerged from the new Web 2.0 technologies. The OpenStreetMap project is currently the most significant example of a system based on VGI. It aims at producing free vector geographic databases using contributions from Internet users. Spatial data quality becomes a key consideration in this context of freely downloadable geographic databases. This article studies the quality of French OpenStreetMap data. It extends the work of Haklay to France, provides a larger set of spatial data quality element assessments (i.e. geometric, attribute, semantic and temporal accuracy, logical consistency, completeness, lineage, and usage), and uses different methods of quality control. The outcome of the study raises questions such as the heterogeneity of processes, scales of production, and the compliance to standardized and accepted specifications. In order to improve data quality, a balance has to be struck between the contributors' freedom and their respect of specifications. The development of appropriate solutions to provide this balance is an important research issue in the domain of user‐generated content.
Digital Urban Morphometrics: Automatic Extraction and Assessment of Morphological Properties of Buildings
Authors: Carneiro Cláudio , Morello Eugenio , Voegtle Thomas , Golay François 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThe aim of this article is to present a method to calculate the morphological properties of the built environment using LiDAR (light detection and ranging) data, geographic information systems (GIS) data and three‐dimensional (3D) models of cities as a source of information. A hybrid approach that takes into account different types of inputs and consequently evaluates the accuracy of each type of used data is presented. This work is intended to give a first response to the lack of a comprehensive and accurate procedure that uses LiDAR data in order to automatically derive precise morphological properties, such as volumes and surfaces (façades and roofs) of buildings. The method was tested on two case‐study areas in the Geneva region with different characteristics, one in the old town along the Rhone River and the other on the CERN campus. A statistical analysis that compares the results of the computation with the 3D model of the built environment was used to validate the results, complemented by significance statistical tests. Outcomes showed that the proposed method to derive morphological properties can reach high levels of accuracy, thus enhancing the potential uses of LiDAR data for numerous applications, typically for the assessment of the urban environmental quality (UEQ) at the city and district scale, such as the estimation of the potential deployment of renewable energies in the built environment and the determination and monitoring of several urban indicators.
Factors associated with treatment lag in infantile spasms
Authors: NAPURI SILVIA , LE GALL EDOUARD , DULAC OLIVIER , CHAPERON JACQUES , RIOU FRANCOISE 
Published: October 2010

Aim  The aim of this study was to evaluate the conditions in which infantile spasms are diagnosed and their possible impact on the course of the disease.Method  We carried out a retrospective study of the reasons for delayed treatment of infantile spasms (treatment lag) in western France over the period 1990–2003. A total of 156 infants, 87 male (55%) and 69 female (45%), with infantile spasms were identified, in 45 (29%) of whom the spasms were symptomatic. They were aged 1 week to 24 months (median 20wks, mean 22.4, SD 13.3) at first symptoms. To be included in the study, participants had to exhibit a combination of clusters of spasms, altered psychomotor development, and paroxysmal electroencephalographic (EEG) activity, as defined by the International League Against Epilepsy. We did not restrict onset to the first year of life as infantile spasms may begin after the age of 1 year.Results  The mean time from appearance of first symptom to first visit to a medical practitioner was 4 weeks. In 14% of cases, the reason for the visit was non‐neurological, the parents having noticed no neurological symptoms before the visit. The diagnosis was missed at first visit in 38% of the cases examined, with the incorrect diagnosis mostly commonly being gastro‐oesophageal reflux or no abnormality. This increased to 74% after a second visit, in all cases based on an abnormal EEG. However, in 5% the time between first presentation and diagnosis was over 2 months and up to 10 visits were required. The time lag between first presentation and diagnosis was significantly longer for individuals presenting to general practitioners than to paediatricians (p=0.03). Response to treatment was poorer in those in whom diagnosis was delayed.Interpretation  Various steps could be taken to reduce treatment lag such as training general practitioners, informing the parents of individuals at risk about the possibility of infantile spasms, and recommending that EEG is performed before brain imaging in children with unexplained psychomotor delay.
Selection for commercial forestry determines global patterns of alien conifer invasions
Authors: Essl Franz , Moser Dietmar , Dullinger Stefan , Mang Thomas , Hulme Philip E. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractQuestion  Are the patterns of alien conifer (Pinaceae, Cupressaceae) invasions different between continents, and how is invasion success influenced by commercial forestry practices?Location  Temperate and subtropical countries and regions (n = 60) from five continents spanning both hemispheres.Methods  We used generalized linear mixed models to test how continent identity, region area and use in commercial forestry affect probabilities of Pinaceae and Cupressaceae species to escape following introduction and cumulative logit regression models to assess how these predictors affect the likelihood that a species becomes naturalized or invasive.Results  Sixty Pinaceae of a global total of 232 and 26 Cupressaceae of a total of 142 species have escaped from cultivation across the study regions examined. Average numbers of both alien Pinaceae and Cupressaceae species per region were highest in Oceania, followed by Africa. Moreover, the probability of alien Cupressaceae and Pinaceae becoming naturalized or invasive was particularly high in these two continents. For both families, species used in commercial forestry have a significantly higher probability of escape than those which are only introduced for ornamental or other purposes. In the case of Pinaceae, forestry species also become naturalized or invasive more frequently than non‐forestry species, while no such effect was detectable for Cupressaceae.Conclusions  We found that non‐native conifers are more likely to escape from cultivation, naturalize and turn into invasive weeds on the continents of the Southern Hemisphere. In addition to this biogeographic signal, introduction effort strongly determines the behaviour of introduced Pinaceae, and less so, Cupressaceae. A clear conflict exists between the economic benefits of conifer forestry and the risks to the environment from invasions. Future expansion of commercial forestry should address spatial planning to ecosystems vulnerable to invasion and adopt comprehensive risk assessment procedures.
Additive diversity partitioning as a guide to regional montane reserve design in Asia: an example from Yunnan Province, China
Authors: Wu Fei , Yang Xiao Jun , Yang Jun Xing 
Published: October 2010

AbstractAim Data on spatial and temporal turnover in species composition within a region is essential to design regional protected areas. Montane systems are often recognized as biodiversity hotspots. The primary objective of this study is to identify patterns of montane bird diversity across multiple spatial and temporal scales using an additive diversity partitioning framework.Location The Ailao Mountains, central Yunnan Province, China.Methods We used point counts to sample bird communities in four elevational zones, on eastern and western slopes, during both the breeding and the non‐breeding seasons. Diversity (richness and Shannon) was partitioned across space (points, elevational zones and slopes) and time (seasons). We used permutation tests to compare observed values to values expected by random chance. A complementary cluster analysis was also used to evaluate beta diversity.Results Overall, the gamma diversity was attributed to significantly higher beta diversity (relative to that of randomization tests) among elevational zones and, to a lesser extent, between slopes. For Shannon–Wiener Index, beta diversity between seasons was significantly higher than expected and had a similar contribution to the gamma diversity as with beta diversity between slopes. Hierarchical cluster analysis supported the findings for Shannon–Wiener Index. The contribution of beta diversity among points to gamma diversity within each elevational zone generally lessened with increasing elevation.Main conclusions Our results show significantly high levels of beta diversity among elevational zones and between slopes, as well as between seasons for Shannon diversity, in a small area of the Ailao Mountain range. Thus, a regional montane reserve system should cover the entire elevational gradient and multiple slopes, rather than only the montane crest. Furthermore, higher pattern diversity in lower elevational zones suggests that larger areas should be preserved at lower elevational zones. Finally, the design of regional reserve systems require more studies conducted at multiple seasons at a regional scale.
Does Social Capital Reduce Moral Hazard? A Network Model for Non‐Life Insurance Demand*
Authors: Millo Giovanni , Pasini Giacomo 
Published: October 2010

AbstractWe study the effect of social capital in an environment in which formal, marketed insurance contracts coexist with informal agreements. We show that in the absence of peer monitoring and social pressure, non‐marketed contracts crowd out formal ones due to moral hazard. We prove, by means of an equilibrium concept typical of the network literature, that social capital can reduce moral hazard in informal agreements. We then show that under certain conditions, social capital increases the demand for marketed insurance contracts. The theoretical model we outline provides us clear guidance to measure social capital in a provincial‐level data set. The empirical model, which is estimated controlling for panel and spatial structure, supports our claim that social capital increases the demand for non‐life insurance.
What Drives Fiscal Decentralisation? Further Assessing the Role of Income*
Authors: Bodman Philip , Hodge Andrew 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThis paper investigates the determinants of fiscal decentralisation, focusing in particular on the impact of the level of income on the level of fiscal decentralisation. Various measures of fiscal decentralisation, several of them novel in this context, are employed in a cross‐country econometric model to test established and more recent hypotheses. Paying careful attention to variable measurement, model specification and sample coverage, the results suggest that there are significant relationships between fiscal decentralisation and income, as well as a range of other factors. However, these relationships may be more complicated than previously reported. For the entire large sample of countries, and for the OECD subsample, a positive relationship between income and decentralisation is found. This corroborates the results found in earlier studies. However, for the middle‐ and lower‐income nations, higher income is found to be associated with less decentralisation.
Trend Analysis of Anticipated Lifetime Income Inequality among Post‐war Japanese Youth
Authors: ISHIDA ATSUSHI 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThis study aims to measure the inequality of anticipated lifetime income and the inequality of annual income among the younger generation (24–29‐year‐old men), and to examine any trends that can be found in terms of inequality between 1955 and 2005 in Japan. Anticipated lifetime income is defined in this study as the present value of the total anticipated annual income that one is likely to earn each year between the ages of 24 and 59 years, assuming that there is no intragenerational class mobility. The anticipated lifetime income for each young male is estimated using the Social Stratification and Social Mobility Survey dataset, which is a Japanese national cross‐sectional survey of social stratification and social mobility. An inequality in the anticipated lifetime income can be regarded as an “inequality of outlook” among the younger generation. As a result of this analysis, it was found that the Gini coefficient, the most general measurement of income inequality, had significantly increased for anticipated lifetime income between 1995 and 2005. At the same time, the gap between the Gini coefficient of anticipated lifetime income and that of annual income had narrowed. It is suggested that “inequality of outlook,” which cannot be easily identified using a superficial index, has increased significantly.