bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Facilitation of KIR genotyping by a PCR‐SSP method that amplifies short DNA fragments
Authors: Vilches C. , Castaño J. , Gómez‐Lozano N. , Estefanía E. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractDetection of killer‐cell immunoglobulin‐like receptors (KIR) genes by polymerase chain reaction with sequence‐specific primers (PCR‐SSP) led in 1997 to the discovery that human genomes diverge largely in the KIR they encode. While only a few KIR genes are conserved in all humans, most individuals lack several those genes, which tend to associate in diverse haplotypic combinations. The PCR‐SSP technique, updated to detect the more recently identified KIR genes and alleles, is still used widely to analyze the diversity of human populations, and to study the influence of KIR‐gene variability on human health. Several published PCR‐SSP methods for KIR genotyping, although simple and robust, have the drawback of relying on the amplification of DNA fragments spanning 0.5–2.0 kbp, which tends to fail in low‐quality DNAs. Valuable collections of DNAs often include such poor quality samples, which lead to loss of data and resources. Even worse, undetected falsely negative or positive reactions may result in erroneous gene frequencies and in odd gene combinations. To address those problems, we have redesigned our previously published KIR genotyping method so that it produces short amplicons (less than 200 bp for most genes). This modification minimizes amplification failures, thus conferring greater consistency and reliability to KIR genotyping. In addition, the new PCR‐SSP method detects recently described alleles of several KIR genes, and allows for discrimination between the major structural variants of KIR2DS4 and KIR3DP1 without increasing the number of reactions.
Lack of association of Toll‐like receptor 9 gene polymorphism with Behçet’s disease in Japanese patients
Authors: Ito A. , Ota M. , Katsuyama Y. , Inoko H. , Ohno S. , Mizuki N. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractToll‐like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in the induction of defense mechanisms of the innate and adaptive immune responses to microbial pathogens. Genetic polymorphisms within the TLR9 gene have been reported to be associated with a variety of inflammatory and infectious diseases. Behçet’s disease (BD) is a chronic inflammatory disease, and the etiology of BD has yet to be fully elucidated. We investigated the potential association of the TLR9 gene with susceptibility to BD by analyzing the frequency of nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a population of 200 Japanese BD patients and 102 randomized controls. Our results showed that SNPs in the TLR9 gene were not significantly associated with susceptibility to BD.
14 bp deletion polymorphism in the HLA‐G gene is a risk factor for idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy in a Chinese Han population
Authors: Lin A. , Yan W. H. , Xu H. H. , Tang L. J. , Chen X. F. , Zhu M. , Zhou M. Y. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractHuman leukocyte antigen (HLA) has been reported to be associated with the pathogenesis of autoimmune‐associated idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC). However, the HLA‐G in this context is limited. In the current study, a total of 117 IDC patients and age and sex matched 401 unrelated healthy controls in a Chinese Han population were HLA‐G genotyped for the 14 bp insertion and deletion polymorphism. IDC patients showed markedly increased frequencies of −14 bp/−14 bp genotype [Pc = 0.00049, odds ratio (OR) = 2.17] and −14 bp alleles (Pc = 4.1 × 10−5, OR = 1.97) when compared with healthy controls. Whereas the frequencies of +14 bp/+14 bp genotype (Pc = 0.0036, OR = 0.35) and +14 bp alleles (Pc = 4.1 × 10−5, OR = 0.51) were significantly lower in IDC. These data, for the first time, indicated that 14 bp insertion/deletion polymorphism in HLA‐G gene could be a genetic risk factor for the susceptibility to IDC.
Association and not semantic relationships elicit the N400 effect: Electrophysiological evidence from an explicit language comprehension task
Authors: Rhodes Sinéad M. , Donaldson David I. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractLanguage comprehension studies have identified the N400, an event‐related potential (ERP) correlate of the processing of meaning, modulation of which is typically assumed to reflect the activation of semantic information. However, N400 studies of conscious language processing have not clearly distinguished between meaning derived from a semantic relationship and meaning extracted through association. We independently manipulated the presence of associative and semantic relationships while examining the N400 effect. Participants were asked to read and remember visually presented word pairs that shared an association (traffic–jam), an association+semantic relationship (lemon–orange), a semantic relationship alone (cereal–bread), or were unrelated (beard–tower). Modulation of the N400 (relative to unrelated word pairs) was observed for association and association+semantic word pairs but not for those that only shared a semantic relationship.
MMN or no MMN: No magnitude of deviance effect on the MMN amplitude
Authors: Horváth János , Czigler István , Jacobsen Thomas , Maess Burkhard , Schröger Erich , Winkler István 
Published: September 2007

AbstractBased on results showing that the “deviant‐minus‐standard” estimate of the mismatch negativity (MMN) amplitude increases with increasing amounts of deviance, it has been suggested that the MMN amplitude reflects the amount of difference between the neural representations of the standard and the deviant sound. However, the deviant‐minus‐standard waveform also includes an N1 difference. We tested the effects of the magnitude of deviance on MMN while minimizing this N1 confound. We found no significant magnitude of deviance effect on the genuine MMN amplitude. Thus we suggest that the average MMN amplitude does not reflect the difference between neural stimulus representations; rather it may index the percentage of detected deviants, each of which elicits an MMN response of uniform amplitude. These results are compatible with an explanation suggesting that MMN is involved in maintaining a neural representation of the auditory environment.
Insecticides with novel modes of action: Mechanism, selectivity and cross‐resistance
Authors: ISHAAYA Isaac , BARAZANI Avner , KONTSEDALOV Svetlana , HOROWITZ A. Rami 
Published: September 2007

AbstractEfforts have been made during the past two decades to develop insecticides with selective properties that act specifically on biochemical sites present in particular insect groups, but whose properties differ from other insecticides. This approach has led to the discovery of compounds that affect the hormonal regulation of molting and developmental processes in insects; for example, ecdysone agonists, juvenile hormone mimics and chitin synthesis inhibitors. In addition, compounds that selectively interact with the insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, such as imidacloprid, acetamiprid and thiamethoxam, have been introduced for the control of aphids, whiteflies and other insect species. Natural products acting selectively on insect pests, such as avermectins, spinosad and azadirachtin, have been introduced for controlling selected groups of insect pests. Compounds acting on the nervous site that controls the sucking pump of aphids and whiteflies, such as pymetrozine, or respiration, such as diafenthiuron, have been introduced for controlling sucking pests. All the above compounds are important components in pest and resistance management programs.
Fine structure of the chelicera in the spider Nephila clavata
Authors: MOON Myung‐Jin , YU Min‐Hee 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThe fine structural characteristics of the biting apparatus in the orb‐web spider Nephila clavata were studied using scanning electron microscopy. The main biting apparatuses of spiders are the chelicerae and cheliceral fangs in the cephalothorax. The chelicera of N. clavata is that of the jack‐knife (folding knife) type, which is composed of two segments, and has a labidognathous form that moves at right angles to the body axis. Each chelicera bears a hinged fang that folds into a cheliceral groove. The tips of the fangs are quite sharp, and the spider's body is well adapted to driving the fangs into prey. Just below the fang, each side of the cheliceral groove is covered with a total of seven cuticular teeth (four promarginal teeth and three retromarginal teeth) in two rows. The cheliceral fang has a single aperture at the tip of the posterior surface, and the lower margin of the fang which meets the promarginal teeth is a saw‐like groove. Fine structural observation reveals that each fang has a single venom pore, and each cuticular depressive area on the cheliceral groove has two different types of surface pit. Approximately 40 to 50 spiky protrusions were counted at the cheliceral groove, to hold prey tightly.
Lethal and repellent effects of transfluthrin and metofluthrin used in portable blowers for personal protection against Ochlerotatus togoi and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)
Authors: LEE Dong‐Kyu 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThe lethal efficacy of three vaporizing insecticides – 0.6% transfluthrin and 0.6% metofluthrin in portable battery‐powered blowers and 2.5% bioallethrin in electric mats – was assessed in unventilated and ventilated screened room conditions against Ochlerotatus togoi (Theobald) females. The mosquitoes were highly susceptible to transfluthrin and metofluthrin. Mean mortality rates of mosquitoes exposed to transfluthrin and metofluthrin in portable blowers ranged from 95 to 100% at a distance of 10 cm from mosquito cages in both room conditions; this was a >2.4‐fold greater mortality rate than for mosquitoes exposed to bioallethrin in electric mats under the same conditions (mean 40%). The three insecticides showed a decrease in mortality rate at a distance of 70 cm: rates were <5.0, 32.5, 85.0 and 90.0% for 10, 30, 60, and 120 min after exposure, respectively, for the same exposure periods in a closed room. In semi‐field repellent tests with human volunteers, 0.6% concentrations of transfluthrin and metofluthrin provided mean biting protection of 76.1 and 59.9% on legs, 68.5 and 52.1% on arms, 63.4 and 63.1% on the chest, and 87.1 and 52.9% on the face, respectively. In field tests, 0.6% transfluthrin effectively repelled Armigeres subalbatus and Aedes albopictus, with mean biting protection of 85.4 and 89.3% on exposed legs and arms, respectively, of the human volunteers. Metofluthrin at 0.6% also effectively repelled Ar. subalbatus, with mean biting protection levels of 71.8 and 73.5% on the legs and arms, respectively. There was no significant difference of repellent activity between the two vaporizing insecticides in the field.
Seasonal prevalence of mosquitoes collected from light traps with notes on malaria in the Republic of Korea, 2004
Authors: KIM Heung Chul , CHONG Sung Tae , COLLIER Brett W. , LEE Hee‐Choon , KLEIN Terry A. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractAdult mosquito surveillance was conducted during 2004 at 29 US military installations and training sites located in six provinces in the Republic of Korea. Adult mosquitoes were collected in New Jersey light traps and Magnet traps from 1 May through 15 October to determine threshold levels to initiate pesticide applications and to identify malaria infection rates at selected army installations and training sites. A total of 89 206 adults (78 454 [87.9%] females and 10 752 [12.1%] males) comprising 20 species (including five members of the Anopheles Hyrcanus Group) and belonging to seven genera were collected. The most common species collected were members of Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles (49.4%) and Anopheles sinensis Wiedemann complex (39.1%), followed by Culex pipiens Coquillett (6.1%) and Aedes vexans nipponii (Theobald) (4.2%). Trap indices varied widely for species over their range, due in part to geographical distribution and degree of association with urban communities.
Taxonomic review of the tribe Bolitophagini in Korea (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Tenebrioninae)
Authors: JUNG Boo Hee , KIM Su Yeon , KIM Jin Ill 
Published: September 2007

AbstractA taxonomic review of the tenebrionid tribe Bolitophagini in Korea is presented. Five species in four genera are recognized: Byrsax spiniceps Lewis, Byrsax kimurai Miyatake, Bolitophagus reticulates (Linnaeus, 1767), Boletoxenus bellicosus (Lewis) and Parabolitophagus felix (Lewis). A key, descriptions, host fungi, habitus photographs of adults, and illustrations of diagnostic characters are provided.
Six species of Tortricinae (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) new to North Korea
Authors: BYUN Bong‐Kyu , KUN Andras , LEE Bong‐Woo , BAE Yang‐Seop 
Published: September 2007

AbstractSix species of Tortricinae based on the materials in the Hungarian Natural History Museum were added to the North Korean fauna: Aethes rectilineana (Caradja), Gynnidomorpha luridana (Gregson), G. permixtana (Denis & Shiffermüller), Alceris uniformis (Filipjev), Eana vetulana (Christoph) and Neocalyptis angustilineata (Walsingham). Photos of adults and the genitalia are provided with brief comments on the distribution.
Taxonomic review of the genus Acasis Duponchel (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) from Korea
Authors: CHOI Sei‐Woong 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThe larentiine genus Acasis Duponchel is reviewed with recognition of three species, among which A. bellaria (Leech), is first reported from Korea. Diagnosis of each species is provided, with brief descriptions of adults including male and female genitalia.
Three littoral Athetini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae) species new to Korea
Authors: PARK Jong‐Seok , JEON Mi‐Jeong , AHN Kee‐Jeong 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThree littoral Athetini species –Adota magnipennis (Bernhauer), Atheta ririkoae Sawada and Atheta tokiokai (Sawada) – are reported for the first time in Korea. Diagnoses, illustrations of the habitus and line drawings of diagnostic characters are provided.
Fluid–Structure
Interaction Effects in the Dynamic Response of Free-Standing Plates to Uniform Shock
Loading
Authors: Kambouchev Nayden , Radovitzky Raul , Noels Ludovic 
Published: September 2007

Abstract
The problem of uniform shocks interacting with free-standing plates is studied analytically and numerically for arbitrary shock intensity and plate mass. The analysis is of interest in the design and interpretation of fluid–structure interaction (FSI) experiments in shock tubes. In contrast to previous work corresponding to the case of incident blast profiles of exponential distribution, all asymptotic limits obtained here are exact. The contributions include the extension of Taylor’s FSI analysis for acoustic waves, the exact analysis of the asymptotic limits of very heavy and very light plates for arbitrary shock intensity, and a general formula for the transmitted impulse in the intermediate plate mass range. One of the implications is that the impulse transmitted to the plate can be expressed univocally in terms of a single nondimensional compressible FSI parameter.
The Girsanov
Linearization Method for Stochastically Driven Nonlinear
Oscillators
Authors: Saha Nilanjan , Roy D. 
Published: September 2007

Abstract
For most practical purposes, the focus is often on obtaining statistical moments of the response of stochastically driven oscillators than on the determination of pathwise response histories. In the absence of analytical solutions of most nonlinear and higher-dimensional systems, Monte Carlo simulations with the aid of direct numerical integration remain the only viable route to estimate the statistical moments. Unfortunately, unlike the case of deterministic oscillators, available numerical integration schemes for stochastically driven oscillators have significantly poorer numerical accuracy. These schemes are generally derived through stochastic Taylor expansions and the limited accuracy results from difficulties in evaluating the multiple stochastic integrals. As a numerically superior and semi-analytic alternative, a weak linearization technique based on Girsanov transformation of probability measures is proposed for nonlinear oscillators driven by additive white-noise processes. The nonlinear part of the drift vector is appropriately decomposed and replaced, resulting in an exactly solvable linear system. The error in replacing the nonlinear terms is then corrected through the Radon-Nikodym derivative following a Girsanov transformation of probability measures. Since the Radon-Nikodym derivative is expressible in terms of a stochastic exponential of the linearized solution and computable with high accuracy, one can potentially achieve a remarkably high numerical accuracy. Although the Girsanov linearization method is applicable to a large class of oscillators, including those with nondifferentiable vector fields, the method is presently illustrated through applications to a few single- and multi-degree-of-freedom oscillators with polynomial nonlinearity.
A Note on the Principle of Maximum Dissipation Rate
Authors: Fischer F. D. , Svoboda J. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThe Principle of Maximum Dissipation Rate (PMD) can be exploited to derive homogeneous kinetic rate laws for the internal variables. A “normality structure” expressing the rates of the internal variables as normal to convex functions (entropy production rate, dissipation function as flow potentials) in the space of the conjugate thermodynamic forces is a direct consequence of the PMD. This paper can be considered as a note to Yang et al., 2005, ASME J. Appl. Mech., 72, pp. 322–329.
Normality Structures With Thermodynamic Equilibrium Points
Authors: Yang Q. , Wang R. K. , Xue L. J. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractEnriched by the nonlinear Onsager reciprocal relations and thermodynamic equilibrium points (Onsager, Phys. Rev., 37, pp. 405–406; 38, pp. 2265–2279), an extended normality structure by Rice (1971, J. Mech. Phys. Solids, 19, pp. 433–455) is established in this paper as a unified nonlinear thermodynamic theory of solids. It is revealed that the normality structure stems from the microscale irrotational thermodynamic fluxes. Within the extended normality structure, this paper focuses on the microscale thermodynamic mechanisms and significance of the convexity of flow potentials and yield surfaces. It is shown that the flow potential is convex if the conjugate force increment cannot not oppose the increment of the rates of local internal variables. For the Rice fluxes, the convexity condition reduces to the local rates being monotonic increasing functions with respect to their conjugate forces. The convexity of the flow potential provides the thermodynamic system a capability against the disturbance of the thermodynamic equilibrium point. It is proposed for time-independent behavior that the set of plastically admissible stresses determined by yield conditions corresponds to the set of thermodynamic equilibrium points. Based on that viewpoint, the intrinsic dissipation inequality is just the thermodynamic counterpart of the principle of maximum plastic dissipation and requires the convexity of the yield surfaces.
Series Solution of Three-Dimensional Unsteady Laminar Viscous Flow Due to a Stretching Surface in a Rotating Fluid
Authors: Tan Yue , Liao Shi-Jun 
Published: September 2007

AbstractAn analytic technique, namely the homotopy analysis method, is applied to solve the Navier–Stokes equations governing unsteady viscous flows due to a suddenly stretching surface in a rotating fluid. Unlike perturbation methods, the current approach does not depend upon any small parameters at all. Besides contrary to all other analytic techniques, it provides us with a simple way to ensure the convergence of solution series. In contrast to perturbation approximations which have about 40% average errors for the considered problem, our series solutions agree well with numerical results in the whole time region 0⩽t&lt;+∞. Explicit analytic expressions of the skin friction coefficients are given, which agree well with numerical results in the whole time region 0⩽t&lt;+∞. This analytic approach can be applied to solve some complicated three-dimensional unsteady viscous flows governed by the Navier–Stokes equations.
Regulation of a Novel
Acidithiobacillus caldus
Gene Cluster Involved in Metabolism of Reduced Inorganic Sulfur Compounds
Authors: Rzhepishevska Olena I. , Valdés Jorge , Marcinkeviciene Liucija , Gallardo Camelia Algora , Meskys Rolandas , Bonnefoy Violaine , Holmes David S. , Dopson Mark 
Published: September 2007

ABSTRACT

Acidithiobacillus caldus
has been proposed to play a role in the oxidation of reduced inorganic sulfur compounds (RISCs) produced in industrial biomining of sulfidic minerals. Here, we describe the regulation of a new cluster containing the gene encoding tetrathionate hydrolase (
tetH
), a key enzyme in the RISC metabolism of this bacterium. The cluster contains five cotranscribed genes, IS
ac1
,
rsrR
,
rsrS
,
tetH
, and
doxD
, coding for a transposase, a two-component response regulator (RsrR and RsrS), tetrathionate hydrolase, and DoxD, respectively. As shown by quantitative PCR,
rsrR
,
tetH
, and
doxD
are upregulated to different degrees in the presence of tetrathionate. Western blot analysis also indicates upregulation of TetH in the presence of tetrathionate, thiosulfate, and pyrite. The
tetH
cluster is predicted to have two promoters, both of which are functional in
Escherichia coli
and one of which was mapped by primer extension. A pyrrolo-quinoline quinone binding domain in TetH was predicted by bioinformatic analysis, and the presence of an
o
-quinone moiety was experimentally verified, suggesting a mechanism for tetrathionate oxidation.
Direct Effect of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Protease Inhibitors on Neutrophil Function and Apoptosis via Calpain Inhibition
Authors: Hadad Nurit , Levy Rachel , Schlaeffer Francisc , Riesenberg Klaris 
Published: September 2007

ABSTRACTImpairment of neutrophil functions and high levels of apoptotic neutrophils have been reported in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the direct in vitro effects of the different HIV protease inhibitors (PIs) on neutrophil functions and apoptosis and to explore their mechanisms of action. The effects of nelfinavir (NFV), saquinavir (SQV), lopinavir (LPV), ritonavir (RTV), and amprenavir (APV) in the range of 5 to 100 μg/ml on neutrophil function, apoptosis, and μ-calpain activity were studied. The neutrophil functions studied included superoxide production stimulated by 5 ng/ml phorbol myristate acetate, 5 × 10−7MN-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, and 1 mg/ml opsonized zymosan; specific chemotaxis; random migration; and phagocytosis. Apoptosis was determined by DNA fragmentation, fluorescein isothiocyanate-annexin V binding, and nuclear morphology. All three neutrophil functions, as well as apoptosis, were similarly affected by the PIs. SQV and NFV caused marked inhibition and LPV and RTV caused moderate inhibition, while APV had a minor effect. μ-Calpain activity was not affected by the PIs in neutrophil lysate but was inhibited after its translocation to the membranes after cell stimulation. SQV, which was the most potent inhibitor of neutrophil functions and apoptosis, caused significant inhibition of calpain activity, while APV had no effect. The similar patterns of inhibition of neutrophil functions and apoptosis by the PIs, which coincided with inhibition of calpain activity, suggest the involvement of calpain activity in the regulation of these processes.