bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Relationship between statistical thermal alteration index and vitrinite reflectance for sedimentary rocks in northern Japan with reference to effects for unconformity, faulting, and contact metamorphism
Authors: Ujiié Yoshihiro 
Published: July 2009

AbstractTwo organic maturity indices, the statistical thermal alteration index (stTAI) and vitrinite reflectance (RO), are used to gain insight into the geological histories of sequences of Tertiary and Upper Cretaceous sediments in northern Japan that contain an unconformity and which are affected by faulting and contact metamorphism. The stTAI is based on the brightness, or gray level, of fossil pollen of Pinus, Podocarpus, Abies, and Picea species. Pollen brightness is measured using a transmitted‐light microscope equipped with a computer‐driven digital image processor. The stTAI represents the mean value of the modes for the complete array of indigenous pollen in rock samples. The stTAI indicates the level of organic maturation for Neogene sedimentary rocks of Japan, from incipient diagenesis to early catagenesis (RO ≤1.0%). With the progressive diagenesis and catagenesis of sedimentary rocks, stTAI values generally show a progressive decrease, whereas RO values increase. The effects of an unconformity and faulting are more clearly recorded in stTAI trends than in RO trends. During early stages of organic maturation (RO ≤0.7%), stTAI shows a rapid decrease, while RO shows a rapid increase during the mature and post‐mature stages (RO ≥0.8%). The occurrence of a range in RO values for a given level of organic maturity makes it difficult to determine the influence of the unconformity on the increasing RO trend. RO values show a progressive increase toward an igneous dyke, but this trend is not apparent in stTAI values. Measurements of Tertiary and Upper Cretaceous rocks in Japan reveal that stTAI is more sensitive to heating duration than RO, although RO is more sensitive to heating temperature.
Correlations among self‐esteem, aggression, adverse childhood experiences and depression in inmates of a female juvenile correctional facility in Japan
Authors: Matsuura Naomi , Hashimoto Toshiaki , Toichi Motomi 
Published: July 2009

Aim:  The purpose of this study was to examine the following hypothesis: (i) Self‐esteem and aggressiveness, adverse childhood experiences (ACE), and a depressive tendency interact with each other. (ii) The subjects show a strong depressive tendency, and each of the other factors exerts a main effect on, and interacts with, the depressive tendency.Method:  The subjects were 91 juveniles (all female) admitted to a female juvenile correctional facility between November 2005 and December 2006. They were aged 15–19 years, with a mean age of 17.0 (SD = 1.18) years. Self‐esteem scale, aggression scale, ACE questionnaire, and depression scale were conducted.Results:  Significant main effects (R2 = 0.50, P < 0.001) on the depression score were observed in self‐esteem (β = −0.41, P < 0.001) and aggression (β = 0.21, P < 0.05). Self‐esteem, aggression, ACE, and depression were found to be interrelated.Conclusion:  Low self‐esteem was also shown to exert marked effects on various factors. About half of the inmates of the facility were depressed, and the main effects of self‐esteem, aggression, and the ACE score were shown to influence the depression score.
Bark beetle‐mediated fungal infections of susceptible trees induce resistance to subsequent infections in a dose dependent manner
Authors: Erbilgin Nadir , Gordon Thomas R. , Wood David L. , Storer Andrew J. 
Published: July 2009

Abstract1 Experiments were conducted to determine whether propagule loads on the twig beetlesPityophthorus setosusandPityophthorus carmeli(Coleoptera: Scolytidae) influence the pathogen infection of the host tree in the Monterey pine‐Fusarium circinatumsystem.2 On an average,F. circinatumwas isolated from 2.6% and 3.3% of trappedP. setosusandP. carmeli, respectively, although the isolation percentages varied over the season, being highest in the spring and lowest in late summer and fall for both species. Mean pathogen load was 13.4 and 22.6 propagules per beetle, onP. setosusandP. carmeli, respectively, and decreased from May to November for both species. The pathogen was also isolated from approximately 55% of both beetle species that emerged from infected branches. Mean propagule load on emergedP. setosusandP. carmeliwas 39 and 66.5, respectively.3 On the basis of these data, beetle species were treated with one of three propagule loads (low, medium, high) and caged onto live branches to determine whether they could transmit the pathogen. At all propagule loads, both species transmitted the pathogen, and transmission percentage and lesion length, a measure of tree susceptibility, were positively correlated with propagule load.4 To investigate further whether the previous transmission by beetles could affect response of the same trees to subsequent infection withF. circinatum, different branches were inoculated on the same trees used in the transmission study, and lesion lengths were measured. Lesion lengths were lower on trees that had been previously exposed to beetles treated with high or medium propagule loads than on trees that had previously been exposed to beetles treated with low propagule loads. This suggests that the initial infection by beetles carrying high or medium propagule loads induced resistance to subsequent infections of the host, whereas infections caused by beetles with low propagule loads did not.
Adaptation of Escherichi coli to elevated temperatures involves a change in stability of heat shock gene transcripts
Authors: Shenhar Yotam , Rasouly Aviram , Biran Dvora , Ron Eliora Z. 
Published: July 2009

SummaryBacteria respond to shift‐up in temperature by activating the heat shock response – induction of a large number of heat shock genes. This response is essential for adaptation to the higher temperature and for acquiring thermotolerance. One unique feature of the heat shock response is its transient nature – shortly after the induction, the rate of synthesis of heat shock proteins decreases, even if the temperature remains high. Here we show that this shutoff is due to a decrease in the transcript stability of heat shock genes. We further show that the modulation of stability of mRNAs of heat shock genes is maintained by the cold shock protein C – CspC – previously shown to affect transcript stability of specific genes. Upon shifts to higher temperatures the level of this protein decreases due to proteolysis and aggregation, leading to a reduced stability of mRNAs of heat shock genes. The temperature‐dependent modulation of transcript stability of heat shock genes constitutes a novel control of the bacterial response to temperature changes.
CASE‐BASED REASONING FOR MANAGING NONCOMPLIANCE WITH CLINICAL GUIDELINES
Authors: Montani Stefania 
Published: July 2009

Despite the recognized advantages that can be obtained in clinical practice when following clinical guidelines (GL), situations of noncompliance with them may emerge. Keeping track of such deviations from the default GL execution, and documenting the physician's motivations, would clearly be an added value. Moreover, repeated alterations of GL actions (or flow) may highlight the need for an adaptation of the GL itself to the local reality, or may even indicate an improper or weak initial GL definition.In this article, we propose an approach for managing noncompliance with GL, based on the case‐based reasoning methodology. In front of a new noncompliance case, our tool allows the physician to retrieve past situations similar to the current one, and to decide whether to reapply the same GL modifications adopted in them. Moreover, the tool is able to learn indications from the ground noncompliance cases that can be deployed for local adaptation, and possibly, for suggesting more formal GL revisions to be carried out by a committee of expert physicians.
The loss of grammatical gender in Cappadocian Greek1
Authors: Karatsareas Petros 
Published: July 2009

AbstractCappadocian Greek is an extreme case of language change and dialectal variation among the Modern Greek dialects in having lost the tripartite grammatical gender distinction into masculine, feminine and neuter nominals, a distinction operative in Greek since its earliest recorded stages. In this paper, I argue that this linguistic innovation should not be viewed exclusively as the result of language contact with Turkish, as is most commonly assumed in the literature, but rather as the result of a series of language‐internal analogical levellings of gender mismatches in polydefinite constructions, a process most probably accelerated by language contact but certainly not triggered by it.
A Desire to Return to the Country of Birth as a Function of Language Preference: An Empirical Study with Iranian Immigrants in the United States
Authors: Hojat Mohammadreza , Foroughi Danesh , Mahmoudi Homa , Holakouee Farhang 
Published: July 2009

AbstractIt was hypothesized that bilingual Iranian immigrants in the United States who prefer to use the Persian language, compared to Iranians who prefer to use English, would be more likely to express a desire to return to Iran to live. Participants were 292 bilingual Iranian immigrants in the United States (128 men, 164 women) who completed a questionnaire with a similar content, prepared in Persian on one side and in English on the other side. Participants were given the option to either complete the Persian or English version of the questionnaire. Results confirmed the research hypothesis suggesting that the immigrants’ preference in using their native language serves as a “pull” factor that increases the probability of a desire to return to the country of birth. It was also found that women and younger respondents were less likely to express a desire to return to Iran. Level of education, marital status, years of living in the United States, and attitudes toward marriage and the family did not predict such a desire. Implications for acculturation research and for counseling culturally diverse clients are discussed. Policy implications to attract immigrants back to their country of birth were also discussed.
Ontogeny of the tessellated skeleton: insight from the skeletal growth of the round stingray Urobatis halleri
Authors: Dean Mason N. , Mull Chris G. , Gorb Stanislav N. , Summers Adam P. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThe majority of the skeleton of elasmobranch fishes (sharks, rays and relatives) is tessellated: uncalcified cartilage is overlain by a superficial rind of abutting, mineralized, hexagonal blocks called tesserae. We employed a diversity of imaging techniques on an ontogenetic series of jaw samples to investigate the development of the tessellated skeleton in a stingray (Urobatis halleri). We compared these data with the cellular changes that characterize cartilage calcification in bony skeletons. Skeletal growth is characterized by the appearance of tesserae as well as changes in chondrocyte shape, arrangement and density. Yolk sac embryos (35–56 mm disc width, DW) have untessellated lower jaw tissue wrapped in perichondrium and densely packed with chondrocytes. Chondrocyte density decreases dramatically after yolk sac absorption (histotroph stage: 57–80 mm DW) until the formation of tesserae, which are first visible using our techniques as thin (~60 µm), sub‐perichondral plaques. During the histotroph stage, flattened chondrocytes align parallel to the perichondrium at the tissue periphery, where we believe they are incorporated into developing tesserae to form the cell‐rich laminae observed within tesserae; in older animals peripheral cells in the uncalcified phase are rounder and less uniformly oriented. By parturition (~75 mm DW), cell density and the number of adjoining chondrocyte pairs (an indicator of cell division) have dropped to less than a third of their initial values; these remain low and tesserae continue to grow in size. The tessellated skeleton is a simple solution to the conundrum of growth in an endoskeleton with external mineralization and no remodeling. Although we see parallels with endochondral ossification (e.g. chondrocytes decreasing in density with age), the lack of chondrocyte hypertrophy and the fact that mineralization is sub‐perichondral (not the case in mammalian cartilage) suggest that the similarities end there.
Mechanical constraints on the functional morphology of the gibbon hind limb
Authors: Channon Anthony J. , Günther Michael M. , Crompton Robin H. , Vereecke Evie E. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractGibbons utilize a number of locomotor modes in the wild, including bipedalism, leaping and, most of all, brachiation. Each locomotor mode puts specific constraints on the morphology of the animal; in some cases these may be complementary, whereas in others they may conflict. Despite several studies of the locomotor biomechanics of gibbons, very little is known about the musculoskeletal architecture of the limbs. In this study, we present quantitative anatomical data of the hind limb for four species of gibbon (Hylobates lar, H. moloch, H. pileatus and Symphalangus syndactylus). Muscle mass and fascicle lengths were obtained from all of the major hind limb muscles and the physiological cross‐sectional area was calculated and scaled to remove the effect of body size. The results clearly indicate that, for all of the species studied, the major hip, knee and ankle extensors are short‐fascicled and pennate. The major hip and knee flexors, however, are long‐fascicled, parallel muscles with relatively small physiological cross‐sectional areas. We hypothesize that the short‐fascicled muscles could be coupled with a power‐amplifying mechanism and are predominantly useful in leaping. The long‐fascicled knee and hip flexors are adapted for a wide range of joint postures and can play a role in flexing the legs during brachiation.
Quantification of mitochondrial DNA mutation load
Authors: Greaves Laura C. , Beadle Nina E. , Taylor Geoffrey A. , Commane Daniel , Mathers John C. , Khrapko Konstantin , Turnbull Doug M. 
Published: July 2009

SummaryMitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are an important cause of genetic disease and have been proposed to play a role in the ageing process. Quantification of total mtDNA mutation load in ageing tissues is difficult as mutational events are rare in a background of wild‐type molecules, and detection of individual mutated molecules is beyond the sensitivity of most sequencing based techniques. The methods currently most commonly used to document the incidence of mtDNA point mutations in ageing include post‐PCR cloning, single‐molecule PCR and the random mutation capture assay. The mtDNA mutation load obtained by these different techniques varies by orders of magnitude, but direct comparison of the three techniques on the same ageing human tissue has not been performed. We assess the procedures and practicalities involved in each of these three assays and discuss the results obtained by investigation of mutation loads in colonic mucosal biopsies from ten human subjects.
Transfusion of stored red blood cells adhere in the rat microvasculature
Authors: Chin‐Yee Ian H. , Gray‐Statchuk Leslie , Milkovich Stephanie , Ellis Christopher G. 
Published: July 2009

BACKGROUND: Ex vivo storage of red blood cells (RBCS) for transfusions is associated with a “storage lesion,” which decreases RBC deformability and increases RBC adhesiveness to vascular endothelium. This may impair microcirculatory flow with deleterious effects on oxygen delivery after transfusion. Previous studies have shown that human RBCs adhere to endothelial monolayers in vitro with prolonged storage and is reduced by prestorage leukoreduction (LR). The objective of this study was to determine whether duration of RBC storage and LR influence RBC adhesion in vivo in capillaries.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Rat RBCs were collected and stored in CPDA‐1 under standard blood bank conditions. Three RBC products were compared: 1) fresh RBCs, less than 24 hours of storage (n = 6); 2) nonleukoreduced (NLR) RBCs stored for 7 days (n = 6); and 3) prestorage LR RBCs stored for 7 days (n = 6). RBCs were labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) 24 hours before transfusion and reinjected in an isovolemic manner into healthy rats. The FITC‐labeled RBCs were visualized in the extensor digitorum longus muscle using intravital video microscopy (20× magnification). The number of RBCs adherent in capillaries was counted 1 hour after transfusion in 10 random fields and the median values were compared with one‐way analysis of variance.RESULTS: Stored RBCs showed increased levels of adherence in capillaries compared to their fresh counterparts (p < 0.05). Prestorage LR decreased RBC adherence to levels equivalent to those of fresh RBCs (p < 0.05 for stored LR vs. stored NLR).CONCLUSION: Rat RBCs stored under conditions that closely mimicked clinical transfusion adhere in capillaries. The decreased RBC adherence with LR suggest a direct effect of white blood cells or their byproducts on RBC deformability and/or adhesiveness to microvascular endothelium. Further study will examine the mechanism of adherence and the impact it has on microcirculatory flow and oxygen delivery in the critically ill host.
Length of storage and in vitro immunomodulation induced by prestorage leukoreduced red blood cells
Authors: Karam Oliver , Tucci Marisa , Toledano Baruch J. , Robitaille Nancy , Cousineau Jocelyne , Thibault Louis , Lacroix Jacques , Le Deist Françoise 
Published: July 2009

BACKGROUND: The relationship between length of storage of red blood cell (RBC) units and biochemical changes has been well studied, but little is known about the progression of cellular immunomodulative properties in blood recipients. This study aims to quantify in vitro T‐cell activation and cytokine release by white blood cells, after incubation with supernatants from leukoreduced RBCs.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Whole blood cultures were incubated with supernatant from five leukoreduced RBC units stored for 1, 6, 10, 15, 24, and 42 days. Supernatant‐induced T‐cell activation was evaluated by quantifying CD25 expression. Supernatant‐induced cytokine production was determined by measuring interleukin (IL)‐6, IL‐10, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α levels.RESULTS: No cytokines were detected in RBC supernatants even after 42 days of storage. However, IL‐6 levels in whole blood culture increased significantly when incubated with supernatant from RBC units stored for 1, 6, and 15 days, by factors of 1.7 ± 0.3, 1.7 ± 0.3, and 1.4 ± 0.3, respectively. TNF‐α levels were significantly decreased on Days 24 and 42 of storage by factors of 0.50 ± 0.42 and 0.33 ± 0.21, respectively. IL‐10 levels were significantly increased on Days 1 and 42 of storage by factors of 2.3 ± 1.3 and 3.2 ± 2.8, respectively. After an initial increase in IL‐6 and TNF‐α production, there was a significant linear decrease in their levels measured from units stored for longer times. No significant changes in CD25 expression were observed over time.CONCLUSION: Although no cytokines were measured in the supernatants from leukoreduced RBCs, these supernatants exhibited variable immunomodulatory effects related to their length of storage.
Modeling and Management of Nonlinear Dependencies–Copulas in Dynamic Financial Analysis
Authors: Eling Martin , Toplek Denis 
Published: July 2009

AbstractWe study the influence of nonlinear dependencies on a non‐life insurer's risk and return profile. To achieve this, we integrate several copula models in a dynamic financial analysis framework and conduct numerical tests. We also test risk management strategies in response to adverse outcomes. Nonlinear dependencies have a crucial influence on the insurer's risk profile that can hardly be affected by the analyzed management strategies. We find large differences in risk assessment for the ruin probability and for the expected policyholder deficit. This has important implications for insurers, regulators, and rating agencies that use these measures as a foundation for internal risk models, capital standards, and ratings.
Presidential Address: Sophisticated Investors and Market Efficiency
Authors: STEIN JEREMY C. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTStock‐market trading is increasingly dominated by sophisticated professionals, as opposed to individual investors. Will this trend ultimately lead to greater market efficiency? I consider two complicating factors. The first is crowding—the fact that, for a wide range of “unanchored” strategies, an arbitrageur cannot know how many of his peers are simultaneously entering the same trade. The second is leverage—when an arbitrageur chooses a privately optimal leverage ratio, he may create a fire‐sale externality that raises the likelihood of a severe crash. In some cases, capital regulation may be helpful in dealing with the latter problem.
Predictive Systems: Living with Imperfect Predictors
Authors: PÁSTOR ĽUBOŠ , STAMBAUGH ROBERT F. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTWe develop a framework for estimating expected returns—a predictive system—that allows predictors to be imperfectly correlated with the conditional expected return. When predictors are imperfect, the estimated expected return depends on past returns in a manner that hinges on the correlation between unexpected returns and innovations in expected returns. We find empirically that prior beliefs about this correlation, which is most likely negative, substantially affect estimates of expected returns as well as various inferences about predictability, including assessments of a predictor's usefulness. Compared to standard predictive regressions, predictive systems deliver different expected returns with higher estimated precision.
Explicit versus Implicit Contracts: Evidence from CEO Employment Agreements
Authors: GILLAN STUART L. , HARTZELL JAY C. , PARRINO ROBERT 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTWe report evidence on the determinants of whether the relationship between a firm and its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is governed by an explicit (written) or an implicit agreement. We find that fewer than half of the CEOs of S&P 500 firms have comprehensive explicit employment agreements. Consistent with contracting theory, explicit agreements are more likely to be observed and are likely to have a longer duration in situations in which the sustainability of the relationship is less certain and where the expected loss to the CEO is greater if the firm fails to honor the agreement.
Control Rights and Capital Structure: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: ROBERTS MICHAEL R. , SUFI AMIR 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTWe show that incentive conflicts between firms and their creditors have a large impact on corporate debt policy. Net debt issuing activity experiences a sharp and persistent decline following debt covenant violations, when creditors use their acceleration and termination rights to increase interest rates and reduce the availability of credit. The effect of creditor actions on debt policy is strongest when the borrower's alternative sources of finance are costly. In addition, despite the less favorable terms offered by existing creditors, borrowers rarely switch lenders following a violation.
Agency Problems at Dual‐Class Companies
Authors: MASULIS RONALD W. , WANG CONG , XIE FEI 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTUsing a sample of U.S. dual‐class companies, we examine how divergence between insider voting and cash flow rights affects managerial extraction of private benefits of control. We find that as this divergence widens, corporate cash holdings are worth less to outside shareholders, CEOs receive higher compensation, managers make shareholder value‐destroying acquisitions more often, and capital expenditures contribute less to shareholder value. These findings support the agency hypothesis that managers with greater excess control rights over cash flow rights are more prone to pursue private benefits at shareholders’ expense, and help explain why firm value is decreasing in insider excess control rights.