bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Bilan des réformes électorales au Canada : Quelle place pour les femmes?
Authors: Tremblay Manon 
Published: March 2010

Résumé.Ce texte examine les différents projets de réforme électorale proposés depuis le tournant du millénaire dans les provinces canadiennes et au Nunavut, et ce, avec le souci de mettre au jour la place qu'ils aménagèrent à l'objectif d'accentuer la féminisation des assemblées législatives. L'idée maîtresse qui l'inspire veut que les propositions réformatrices aient réservé une importance le plus souvent nulle, bien que parfois accessoire, mais jamais centrale, à cette question. Pourtant, le Québec, et surtout le territoire du Nunavut, se démarquent par l'attention qu'ils portèrent au problème de l'effacement des femmes de la scène politique et leurs propositions de réforme ont offert des réponses plus à même de le solutionner.Abstract.This essay examines the different electoral reform projects proposed since the turn of the millennium in Canadian provinces and the territory of Nunavut, in order to reveal what accommodation they have made to the objective of increasing the feminization of legislative assemblies. My guiding idea is that most reform proposals have given no, or sometimes peripheral, emphasis to this question but have never made it a central issue. However, Quebec and, even more, Nunavut stand out for the attention that they have paid to the absence of women from the political scene, and their reform proposals have included responses that might offer a solution.
Non-expansive directions for ℤ2 actions
Authors: HOCHMAN MICHAEL 
Published: March 2010

AbstractWe show that any direction in the plane occurs as the unique non-expansive direction of a ℤ2 action, answering a question of Boyle and Lind. In the case of rational directions, the subaction obtained is non-trivial. We also establish that a cellular automaton acting on a subshift can have zero Lyapunov exponents and at the same time act sensitively; and, more generally, for any positive real θ there is a cellular automaton acting on an appropriate subshift with λ+=−λ−=θ.
Recent benthic foraminiferal distribution and related environmental factors in Ezcurra Inlet, King George Island, Antarctica
Authors: Rodrigues André Rosch , Maluf João Carlos Cattini , Braga Elisabete de Santis , Eichler Beatriz Beck 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThis investigation attempts to determine which environmental parameters of the bottom water and sediment control recent foraminifera fauna at Ezcurra Inlet (King George Island, Antarctica), using data collected during four summers (2002/03, 2003/04, 2004/05 and 2006/07). The study revealed that Ezcurra Inlet contain typical Antarctic foraminifera fauna with three distinct assemblages and few differences in environmental parameters. The species Bolivina pseudopunctata, Fursenkoina fusiformis, Portatrochammina antarctica, and Adercotryma glomerata were abundant in the samples. An elevated abundance, richness and diversity were common at the entrance of the inlet at depths greater than 55 m, where the inlet was characterized by low temperatures and muddy sand. In the inner part of the inlet (depth 30–55 m), richness and diversity were low and the most significant species were Cassidulinoides parkerianus, C. porrectus, and Psammosphaera fusca. Shallow waters showed low values of richness and abundance and high temperatures coupled with coarser sediment. In areas with high suspended matter concentrations and pH values associated with low salinity the most representative species were Hippocrepinella hirudinea and Hemisphaerammina bradyi.
Does heat stress provoke the loss of a continuous layer of cortical granules beneath the plasma membrane during oocyte maturation?
Authors: Andreu-Vázquez C. , López-Gatius F. , García-Ispierto I. , Maya-Soriano M.J. , Hunter R.H.F. , López-Béjar M. 
Published: March 2010

SummaryThe objective of the present study was to evaluate the influence of heat stress on bovine oocyte maturation. Both nuclear stage and distribution of cortical granules (CG) were simultaneously evaluated in each oocyte. Oocyte overmaturation under standard conditions of culture was also evaluated. For this purpose, logistic regression procedures were used to evaluate possible effects of factors such as heat stress, overmaturation, replicate, CG distribution and metaphase II (MII) morphology on oocyte maturation. Based on the odds ratio, oocytes on heat stressed (HSO) and overmaturated (OMO) oocyte group were, respectively, 14.5 and 5.4 times more likely to show anomalous MII morphology than those matured under control conditions (CO). The likelihood for an oocyte of showing the CG distribution pattern IV (aging oocyte) was 6.3 and 9.3 times higher for HSO and OMO groups, respectively, than for the CO group. The risk of undergoing anomalous oocyte maturation, considering both nuclear stage and distribution of CG was 17.1 and 18 times greater in oocytes cultured in HSO and OMO groups, respectively, than those in the CO group. In conclusion, heat stress proved to be valuable in aging oocytes. Heat stress advanced age for nuclear and cytoplasmic processes in a similar form to that of oocyte overmaturation.
Rewriting the orthography of SMS messages
Authors: YVON FRANÇOIS 
Published: March 2010

AbstractElectronic written texts used in computer-mediated interactions (emails, blogs, chats, and the like) contain significant deviations from the norm of the language. This paper presents the detail of a system aiming at normalizing the orthography of French SMS messages: after discussing the linguistic peculiarities of these messages and possible approaches to their automatic normalization, we present, compare, and evaluate various instanciations of a normalization device based on weighted finite-state transducers. These experiments show that using an intermediate phonemic representation and training, our system outperforms an alternative normalization system based on phrase-based statistical machine translation techniques.
Long-termversusshort-term memory deficits for faces in temporal lobe and generalized epilepsy patients
Authors: HÖTTING KIRSTEN , KATZ-BILETZKY TALL , MALINA THOMAS , LINDENAU MATTHIAS , BENGNER THOMAS 
Published: March 2010

AbstractIt is still an open question whether short-term and long-term memory are two anatomically dissociable memory systems working in parallel or whether they are represented by neural circuits within similar cortical areas. Epilepsy may be used as a model to study these memory processes. We hypothesized that a double dissociation of short-term and long-term memory exists in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE). Immediate and 24-hour face recognition was tested in 10 TLE patients, 9 IGE patients, and 10 healthy controls. TLE patients’ immediate recognition was unimpaired, but their memory scores were reduced as compared to healthy controls after 24 hours. In IGE patients, memory was already reduced during immediate recognition. These results are in line with the idea that short-term memory is a transient trace that requires consolidation supported by the medial temporal lobe to change into a more stable status of long-term memory. (JINS, 2010,16, 574–578.)
The role of ATP in the reactions of type II DNA topoisomerases
Authors: Bates Andrew D. , Maxwell Anthony 
Published: March 2010

Type II DNA topoisomerases catalyse changes in DNA topology in reactions coupled to the hydrolysis of ATP. In the case of DNA gyrase, which can introduce supercoils into DNA, the requirement for free energy is clear. However, the non-supercoiling type II enzymes carry out reactions that are apparently energetically favourable, so their requirement for ATP hydrolysis is not so obvious. It has been shown that many of these enzymes (the type IIA family) can simplify the topology of their DNA substrates to a level beyond that expected at equilibrium. Although this seems to explain their usage of ATP, we show that the free energies involved in topology simplification are very small (&lt;0.2% of that available from ATP) and we argue that topology simplification may simply be an evolutionary relic.
Stochastic aspects of transmitter release and bioenergetic dysfunction in isolated nerve terminals
Authors: Nicholls David G. 
Published: March 2010

Synaptosomes (isolated nerve terminals) have been studied for more than 40 years. The preparation allows aspects of transmitter metabolism and release to be studied ex vivo from specific brain regions of animals of any age. Conditions can be devised to enable the terminals to fire spontaneous action potentials, allowing the presynaptic control of glutamate exocytosis to be studied. Recent developments have greatly increased the sensitivity with which the bioenergetics of the intra-synaptosomal mitochondria can be investigated.
Change in tau phosphorylation associated with neurodegeneration in the ME7 model of prion disease
Authors: Asuni Ayodeji A. , Perry V. Hugh , O'Connor Vincent 
Published: March 2010

Hyperphosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein tau is a significant determinant in AD (Alzheimer's disease), where it is associated with disrupted axonal transport and probably causes synaptic dysfunction. Although less well studied, hyperphosphorylation has been observed in prion disease. We have investigated the expression of hyperphosphorylated tau in the hippocampus of mice infected with the ME7 prion agent. In ME7-infected animals, there is a selective loss of CA1 synapse, first discernable at 13 weeks of disease. There is a potential that dysfunctional axonal transport contributes to this synaptopathy. Thus investigating hyperphosphorylated tau that is dysfunctional in AD could illuminate whether and how they are significant in prion disease. We observed no differences in the levels of phosphorylated tau (using MC1, PHF-1 and CP13 antibodies) in detergent-soluble and detergent-insoluble fractions extracted from ME7- and NBH- (normal brain homogenate) treated animals across disease. In contrast, we observed an increase in phospho-tau staining for several epitopes using immunohistochemistry in ME7-infected hippocampal sections. Although the changes were not of the magnitude seen in AD tissue, clear differences for several phospho-tau species were seen in the CA1 and CA3 of ME7-treated animals (pSer199−202&gt;pSer214&gt;PHF-1 antibody). Temporally, these changes were restricted to animals at 20 weeks and none of the disease-related staining was associated with the axons or dendrites that hold CA1 synapses. These findings suggest that phosphorylation of tau at the epitopes examined does not underpin the early synaptic dysfunction. These data suggest that the changes in tau phosphorylation recorded here and observed by others relate to end-stage prion pathology when early dysfunctions have progressed to overt neuronal loss.
Metallothioneins and copper metabolism are candidate therapeutic targets in Huntington's disease
Authors: Hands Sarah L. , Mason Robert , Sajjad M. Umar , Giorgini Flaviano , Wyttenbach Andreas 
Published: March 2010

HD (Huntington's disease) is caused by a polyQ (polyglutamine) expansion in the huntingtin protein, which leads to protein misfolding and aggregation of this protein. Abnormal copper accumulation in the HD brain was first reported more than 15 years ago. Recent findings show that copper-regulatory genes are induced during HD and copper binds to an N-terminal fragment of huntingtin, supporting the involvement of abnormal copper metabolism in HD. We have demonstrated that in vitro copper accelerates the fibrillization of an N-terminal fragment of huntingtin with an expanded polyQ stretch (httExon1). As we found that copper also increases polyQ aggregation and toxicity in mammalian cells expressing httExon1, we investigated further whether overexpression of genes involved in copper metabolism, notably MTs (metallothioneins) known to bind copper, protect against httExon1 toxicity. Using a yeast model of HD, we have shown that overexpression of several genes involved in copper metabolism reduces polyQ-mediated toxicity. Overexpression of MT-3 in mammalian cells significantly reduced polyQ aggregation and toxicity. We propose that copper-binding and/or -chaperoning proteins, especially MTs, are potential therapeutic targets for HD.
Sporophytic control of pollen tube growth and guidance in grasses
Authors: Lausser Andreas , Dresselhaus Thomas 
Published: March 2010

Pollen tube growth and guidance in the female tissues of flowering plants is a long-studied and anatomically well-described process. A large number of gene products and chemical compounds involved have been identified in the last 20 years, and some underlying molecular mechanisms including self-incompatibility in the Brassicaceae, Solanaceae and Papaveraceae are now well understood. However, the largest part of the pollen tube pathway inside the transmitting tract towards the ovule harbouring the female gametophyte still requires intensive investigations. Especially in the economically most import plant family, the Poaceae or grasses, progamic pollen tube development is barely understood. Using maize as a model, we propose to divide pollen tube germination, growth and guidance towards the female gametophyte into five distinct phases. The model is adapted from Arabidopsis thaliana, taking anatomical differences and novel genetic and cellular studies into consideration. With the exception of Phase V, all phases seem to be under sporophytic control in grasses.
A descriptive study of e‐counsellor attitudes, ethics, and practice
Authors: Finn Jerry , Barak Azy 
Published: March 2010

AbstractIntroduction: The purpose of this study was to examine questions related to the process, perceived outcomes, and ethics of therapists who provide counselling and therapy online. Method: An online survey was conducted (N=93) with identified e‐counsellors with at least a Master's Degree. Questions included demographic information and Likert‐type scales related to extent of practice, theoretical orientation, training and supervision, attitudes about appropriate practice, referral, legal and ethical issues, practice difficulties, and therapist satisfaction. Results: Overall, e‐counsellors are satisfied with their practice and believe it is effective. They generally do not have formal training or supervision in online practice. Current e‐counselling appears to be a part‐time, supplemental practice with little overlap to FTF practice. There was little agreement among respondents on attitudes, practice, ethical issues, and knowledge of regulations related to e‐counselling. Discussion: Lack of consensus about ethical obligations and practice suggest the need for formal training in e‐counselling by professional programmes and international cooperation in formulating practice ethics. Areas for further research are discussed.
ProBiS algorithm for detection of structurally similar protein binding sites by local structural alignment
Authors: Konc Janez , Janežič Dušanka 
Published: March 2010

Abstract
Motivation: Exploitation of locally similar 3D patterns of physicochemical properties on the surface of a protein for detection of binding sites that may lack sequence and global structural conservation.
Results: An algorithm, ProBiS is described that detects structurally similar sites on protein surfaces by local surface structure alignment. It compares the query protein to members of a database of protein 3D structures and detects with sub-residue precision, structurally similar sites as patterns of physicochemical properties on the protein surface. Using an efficient maximum clique algorithm, the program identifies proteins that share local structural similarities with the query protein and generates structure-based alignments of these proteins with the query. Structural similarity scores are calculated for the query protein's surface residues, and are expressed as different colors on the query protein surface. The algorithm has been used successfully for the detection of protein–protein, protein–small ligand and protein–DNA binding sites.
Availability: The software is available, as a web tool, free of charge for academic users at http://probis.cmm.ki.si
Contact: dusa@cmm.ki.si
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Identification of genetic network dynamics with unate structure
Authors: Porreca Riccardo , Cinquemani Eugenio , Lygeros John , Ferrari-Trecate Giancarlo 
Published: March 2010

Abstract
Motivation: Modern experimental techniques for time course measurement of gene expression enable the identification of dynamical models of genetic regulatory networks. In general, identification involves fitting appropriate network structures and parameters to the data. For a given set of genes, exploring all possible network structures is clearly prohibitive. Modelling and identification methods for the a priori selection of network structures compatible with biological knowledge and experimental data are necessary to make the identification problem tractable.
Results: We propose a differential equation modelling framework where the regulatory interactions among genes are expressed in terms of unate functions, a class of gene activation rules commonly encountered in Boolean network modelling. We establish analytical properties of the models in the class and exploit them to devise a two-step procedure for gene network reconstruction from product concentration and synthesis rate time series. The first step isolates a family of model structures compatible with the data from a set of most relevant biological hypotheses. The second step explores this family and returns a pool of best fitting models along with estimates of their parameters. The method is tested on a simulated network and compared with state-of-the-art network inference methods on the benchmark synthetic network IRMA.
Contact: eugenio.cinquemani@inria.fr
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
CoP: a database for characterizing co-expressed gene modules with biological information in plants
Authors: Ogata Yoshiyuki , Suzuki Hideyuki , Sakurai Nozomu , Shibata Daisuke 
Published: March 2010

Abstract
Summary: Using a large dataset (10 022 assays) obtained from public plant microarray databases, we developed the CoP database for associating co-expressed gene modules with biological information such as gene ontology terms and, if available, metabolic pathway names. The Confeito algorithm developed previously in our laboratory, which is suitable to calculate the interconnectivity between genes in co-expressed gene network, was applied to extract co-expressed gene modules. The database includes the gene modules for Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress) and seven crops, Glycine max (soybean), Hordeum vulgare (barley), Oryza sativa (rice), Populus trichocarpa (poplar), Triticum aestivum (wheat), Vitis vinifera (grape) and Zea mays (maize).
Availability: The CoP database is available at: http://webs2.kazusa.or.jp/kagiana/cop0911/
Contact: shibata@kazusa.or.jp
LOTUS, a new domain associated with small RNA pathways in the germline
Authors: Callebaut Isabelle , Mornon Jean-Paul 
Published: March 2010

Abstract
We describe here LOTUS, a hitherto uncharacterized small globular domain, which was identified using sensitive sequence profile analysis. The LOTUS domain is found in germline-specific proteins that are present in the nuage/polar granules of germ cells. TDRD5 and TDRD7, two mammalian members of the germline Tudor group, possess three copies of the LOTUS domain in their extreme N-termini. The Tudor domains of these proteins bind symmetric dimethyl arginines present on the germ cell-specific Piwi proteins, which form a particular clade of Argonaute proteins. Piwi proteins interact with a specific class of non-coding RNAs [piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs)] and play a key role in the repression (silencing) of transposons and possibly other germline-specific functions. A LOTUS domain is also present in the Oskar protein, a critical component of the pole plasm in the Drosophila oocyte, which is required for germ cell formation. LOTUS domains are found in various proteins from metazoans and plants, are often associated with RNA-specific modules and are likely to adopt a winged helix fold. This suggests a germline-specific role in the mRNA localization and/or translation or a specific function toward piRNAs.
Contact: isabelle.callebaut@impmc.upmc.fr
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Advanced heart failure and nocturnal hypoxaemia due to central sleep apnoea are associated with increased serum erythropoietin
Authors: Calvin Andrew D. , Somers Virend K. , Steensma David P. , Rio Perez Jose A. , van der Walt Christelle , Fitz‐Gibbon Jennifer M. , Scott Christopher G. , Olson Lyle J. 
Published: March 2010

AimsCentral sleep apnoea (CSA) and increased serum erythropoietin (EPO) concentration have each been associated with adverse prognosis in heart failure (HF) patients. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between nocturnal hypoxaemia due to CSA and the serum EPO concentration in patients with HF.Methods and resultsHeart failure subjects (n = 33) and healthy controls (n = 18) underwent polysomnography (PSG) for diagnosis of CSA and identification and quantification of hypoxaemia. Blood collection for measurement of EPO was performed immediately post‐PSG. For the analysis, HF subjects were dichotomized into subgroups defined by the presence or absence of CSA and by HF severity. Multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the relationships of hypoxaemia and advanced HF to EPO concentration. Mean EPO concentration was 62% higher for HF subjects with CSA than for healthy controls (P = 0.004). The magnitude of nocturnal hypoxaemia was significantly and positively related to EPO concentration (r = 0.45, P = 0.02). Advanced HF was also significantly and positively related to EPO concentration (r = 0.43, P = 0.02). On multivariate analysis, the presence of combined nocturnal hypoxaemia and advanced HF yielded greater correlation to EPO concentration than either factor alone (r = 0.57, P = 0.04 and P = 0.05, respectively). Linear regression demonstrated that the combination of New York Heart Association Class and CSA was strongly associated with EPO concentration (P < 0.0001).ConclusionIn non‐anaemic HF patients, advanced HF and hypoxaemia due to CSA may each be independently associated with increased serum EPO concentration.