bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Adjusting for dependent comorbidity in the calculation of healthy life expectancy
Authors: Mathers Colin D , Iburg Kim M , Begg Stephen 
Published: April 2006

Abstract

Background
Healthy life expectancy – sometimes called health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) – is a form of health expectancy indicator that extends measures of life expectancy to account for the distribution of health states in the population. The World Health Organization has estimated healthy life expectancy for 192 WHO Member States using information from health interview surveys and from the Global Burden of Disease Study. The latter estimates loss of health by cause, age and sex for populations. Summation of prevalent years lived with disability (PYLD) across all causes would result in overestimation of the severity of the population average health state because of comorbidity between conditions. Earlier HALE calculations made adjustments for independent comorbidity in adding PYLD across causes. This paper presents a method for adjusting for dependent comorbidity using available empirical data.

Methods
Data from five large national health surveys were analysed by age and sex to estimate "dependent comorbidity" factors for pairs of conditions. These factors were defined as the ratio of the prevalence of people with both conditions to the product of the two total prevalences for each of the conditions. The resulting dependent comorbidity factors were used for all Member States to adjust for dependent comorbidity in summation of PYLD across all causes and in the calculation of HALE. A sensitivity analysis was also carried out for order effects in the proposed calculation method.

Results
There was surprising consistency in the dependent comorbidity factors across the five surveys. The improved estimation of dependent comorbidity resulted in reductions in total PYLD per capita ranging from a few per cent in younger adult ages to around 8% in the oldest age group (80 years and over) in developed countries and up to 15% in the oldest age group in the least developed countries. The effect of the dependent comorbidity adjustment on estimated healthy life expectancies is small for some regions (high income countries, Eastern Europe, Western Pacific) and ranges from an increase of 0.5 to 1.5 years for countries in Latin America, South East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Conclusion
The available evidence suggests that dependent comorbidity is important, and that adjustment for it makes a significant difference to resulting HALE estimates for some regions of the world. Given the data limitations, we recommend a normative adjustment based on the available evidence, and applied consistently across all countries.
Comparison of the Genome Structure of the Self-Incompatibility (S) Locus in Interspecific Pairs of S Haplotypes
Authors: Fujimoto Ryo , Okazaki Keiichi , Fukai Eigo , Kusaba Makoto , Nishio Takeshi 
Published: April 2006

Abstract
The determinants of recognition specificity of self-incompatibility in Brassica are SRK in the stigma and SP11/SCR in the pollen, both of which are encoded in the S locus. The nucleotide sequence analyses of many SRK and SP11/SCR alleles have identified several interspecific pairs of S haplotypes having highly similar sequences between B. oleracea and B. rapa. These interspecific pairs of S haplotypes are considered to be derived from common ancestors and to have maintained the same recognition specificity after speciation. In this study, the genome structures of three interspecific pairs of S haplotypes were compared by sequencing SRK, SP11/SCR, and their flanking regions. Regions between SRK and SP11/SCR in B. oleracea were demonstrated to be much longer than those of B. rapa and several retrotransposon-like sequences were identified in the S locus in B. oleracea. Among the seven retrotransposon-like sequences, six sequences were found to belong to the ty3 gypsy group. The gag sequences of the retrotransposon-like sequences were phylogenetically different from each other. In Southern blot analysis using retrotransposon-like sequences as probes, the B. oleracea genome showed more signals than the B. rapa genome did. These findings suggest a role for the S locus and genome evolution in self-incompatible plant species.
Fission Yeast Num1p Is a Cortical Factor Anchoring Dynein and Is Essential for the Horse-Tail Nuclear Movement During Meiotic Prophase
Authors: Yamashita Akira , Yamamoto Masayuki 
Published: April 2006

Abstract
During meiotic prophase in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the nucleus oscillates between the two ends of a cell. This oscillatory nuclear movement is important to promote accurate pairing of homologous chromosomes and requires cytoplasmic dynein. Dynein accumulates at the points where microtubule plus ends contact the cell cortex and generate a force to drive nuclear oscillation. However, it remains poorly understood how dynein associates with the cell cortex. Here we show that S. pombe Num1p functions as a cortical-anchoring factor for dynein. Num1p is expressed in a meiosis-specific manner and localized to the cell cortex through its C-terminal PH domain. The num1 deletion mutant shows microtubule dynamics comparable to that in the wild type. However, it lacks cortical accumulation of dynein and is defective in the nuclear oscillation as is the case for the dynein mutant. We also show that Num1p can recruit dynein independently of the CLIP-170 homolog Tip1p.
A Coalescent-Based Estimator of Admixture From DNA Sequences
Authors: Wang Jinliang 
Published: April 2006

Abstract
A variety of estimators have been developed to use genetic marker information in inferring the admixture proportions (parental contributions) of a hybrid population. The majority of these estimators used allele frequency data, ignored molecular information that is available in markers such as microsatellites and DNA sequences, and assumed that mutations are absent since the admixture event. As a result, these estimators may fail to deliver an estimate or give rather poor estimates when admixture is ancient and thus mutations are not negligible. A previous molecular estimator based its inference of admixture proportions on the average coalescent times between pairs of genes taken from within and between populations. In this article I propose an estimator that considers the entire genealogy of all of the sampled genes and infers admixture proportions from the numbers of segregating sites in DNA sequence samples. By considering the genealogy of all sequences rather than pairs of sequences, this new estimator also allows the joint estimation of other interesting parameters in the admixture model, such as admixture time, divergence time, population size, and mutation rate. Comparative analyses of simulated data indicate that the new coalescent estimator generally yields better estimates of admixture proportions than the previous molecular estimator, especially when the parental populations are not highly differentiated. It also gives reasonably accurate estimates of other admixture parameters. A human mtDNA sequence data set was analyzed to demonstrate the method, and the analysis results are discussed and compared with those from previous studies.
Concordant Genetic Estimators of Migration Reveal Anthropogenically Enhanced Source-Sink Population Structure in the River Sculpin,Cottus gobio
Authors: Hänfling B , Weetman D 
Published: April 2006

AbstractRiver systems are vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic habitat fragmentation and will often harbor populations deviating markedly from simplified theoretical models. We investigated fine-scale population structure in the sedentary river fish Cottus gobio using microsatellites and compared migration estimates from three FST estimators, a coalescent maximum-likelihood method and Bayesian recent migration analyses. Source-sink structure was evident via asymmetry in migration and genetic diversity with smaller upstream locations emigration biased and larger downstream subpopulations immigration biased. Patterns of isolation by distance suggested that the system was largely, but not entirely, in migration-drift equilibrium, with headwater populations harboring a signal of past colonizations and in some cases also recent population bottlenecks. Up- vs. downstream asymmetry in population structure was partly attributable to the effects of flow direction, but was enhanced by weirs prohibiting compensatory upstream migration. Estimators of migration showed strong correspondence, at least in relative terms, especially if pairwise FST was used as an indirect index of relative gene flow rather than being translated to Nm. Since true parameter values are unknown in natural systems, comparisons among estimators are important, both to determine confidence in estimates of migration and to validate the performance of different methods.
Titian's Pastoral Scene: A Unique Rendition of Lot and His Daughters
Authors: Mellinkoff Ruth 
Published: April 2006

AbstractTitian's drawing called Pastoral Scene or Landscape with a Sleeping Nude and Animals is no ordinary landscape, its unordinariness underscored by an unusual combination of elements, which I maintain reveals a new and unique version of Lot and His Daughters. I contend that the large, naked woman in the right foreground is one of Lot's daughters; the two small figures resting or sleeping beneath the trees are Lot and his other daughter; the thatched houses in the middle left represent the little town of Segor where Lot first fled; the sheep represent livestock that Lot brought out of Sodom, as do the boar and goat; the boar and goat, however, also serve as symbols of lust and lechery; and the distant city with burning buildings in the city's right quarter is Sodom. Titian's inventiveness created an iconographic variation of an ancient theme.
Systematic optimization of an H2 PEM fuel cell power generation system with heat integration
Authors: Xu Cong , Biegler Lorenz T. , Jhon Myung S. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractAn H2 Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell power generation system composed of three subsystems: fuel reforming, fuel cell stack, and post combustion is examined. The system is simulated and optimized with a fuel cell model integrated within the process flow sheet. A case study optimization of the entire power generation system is presented and the influence of heat integration on the optimization is demonstrated. Our objectives are to maximize the energy and system efficiencies as well as the system profit. Here, optimization formulations with heat integration are used to realize our objectives, which explore the synergy between optimization and heat integration. Our results showed that we can achieve an energy efficiency as high as 58.30% and a system efficiency as high as 28.35%. For comparison, we provide results obtained from sequential process optimization followed by heat integration. The gain from the synergy is mostly exemplified in the profit maximization study, where the profit increases by almost 27.15% in the best case. Finally, we obtain optimization results that include feed vaporization of water to steam as a comparison for the heat integration. These results demonstrate the importance of simultaneous optimal heat integration for fuel cell‐based processes. © 2006 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2006
Direction‐oriented routing scheme for intervehicle multihop wireless networks
Authors: Shingu Masahisa , Masubuchi Tomohiro , Uehara Hideyuki , Yokoyama Mitsuo 
Published: April 2006

AbstractThis paper presents a direction‐oriented routing protocol (DORP) which exploits the features of the intervehicle multihop wireless communications (IVC) environment. Assuming a one‐dimensional highway as the IVC environment, the topology of the IVC network will be straight lines along the road. The relative position of neighboring vehicles will be limited to two directions, and the destination must be in one of two directions. In addition, once the direction of the destination is fixed, each node will just forward a packet in that direction rather than choose a relay node. Therefore, direction information is very attractive as routing information. We consider a group of vehicles driving on a one‐dimensional highway as a traffic model, and evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme by computer simulation. It is found that the proposed scheme can provide a higher packet delivery ratio and a lower number of redundant packets than DSR. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 3, 89(10): 11–22, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience. wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjc.20182
A probability‐density‐based autoregressive model using support vector method and higher‐order spectra estimation
Authors: Nishiguchi Yoshitomo , Toda Naohiro , Usui Shiro 
Published: April 2006

AbstractWhen the characteristics of non‐Gaussian time series such as biological signals are described, not only power spectra but also higher‐order spectra are required. In order to obtain estimated values with few statistical fluctuations, some parametric estimation method has to be established. As the parametric model, regression‐function‐based autoregressive models such as the neural network autoregressive model have been studied so far. On the other hand, probability‐density‐based autoregressive models in which the correlation information of the time series is represented by the conditional probability density function have been proposed. However, in the existing probability‐density‐based autoregressive models, higher‐order spectral estimation is not assumed. So, if we adopt the probability‐density‐based autoregressive model for the estimation of higher‐order spectra, some problems such as the stationarity arise. In this paper, we proposed a new probability‐density‐based autoregressive model using the support vector method. Further, we estimated higher‐order spectra of the time series by the proposed model. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 3, 89(10): 1–10, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience. wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjc.20225
Octahedral RuII Complexes with [PNO] Hydrazonic Ligands: Synthesis, Structure, Reactivity and Catalytic Activity in the Addition of Benzoic Acid to Alkynes
Authors: Pelagatti Paolo , Bacchi Alessia , Balordi Marcella , Bolaño Sandra , Calbiani Francesca , Elviri Lisa , Gonsalvi Luca , Pelizzi Corrado , Peruzzini Maurizio , Rogolino Dominga 
Published: April 2006

AbstractA series of RuII complexes containing [(H)PNO] hydrazonic ligands were synthesised using different ruthenium sources such as [Ru(PPh3)3Cl2], [Ru(dmso)4Cl2] and [Ru(p‐cymene)Cl2]2. The complexes were characterised by 1H NMR, 31P{1H} NMR, IR, FAB‐MS, microanalysis and in some cases by X‐ray diffraction analysis on a single crystal. The ligands show a great variety of different coordinating behaviours such as κ3‐(H)PNO, κ2‐(H)PN, κ1‐(H)P and κ3‐PNO, depending on the ruthenium precursor and on the synthetic experimental conditions. The complexes trans‐[Ru(κ3‐(H)PNO)(PPh3)Cl2] reacted with dmso to give the bis‐chelate complex [Ru(κ3‐PNO)2], [Ru(dmso)4]Cl2, OPPh3, HCl and Me2S, through an oxygen‐transfer reaction from dmso to PPh3. A catalytic version of this reaction was also developed. The complexes obtained from [Ru(PPh3)3Cl2] were tested as homogeneous pre‐catalysts for the coupling between benzoic acid and terminal alkynes to give the corresponding enol esters. High stereo‐ and regio‐selectivity, up to 100 % (determined by 1H NMR), in favour of the (Z)‐anti‐Markovnikov products (Z)‐alk‐1‐en‐1‐yl benzoate was observed. An ESI‐MS monitoring of the catalytic couplings revealed that the enol ester formation occurs through an intermolecular attack of an external carboxylate anion onto a vinylidene–Ru intermediate of the type [Ru(PNO)(PPh3)(C=CH–C4H9)Cl]. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006)
Hydrophilic nanofibrous structure of polylactide; fabrication and cell affinity
Authors: Bhattarai Shanta Raj , Bhattarai Narayan , Viswanathamurthi Periasamy , Yi Ho Keun , Hwang Pyoung Han , Kim Hak Yong 
Published: April 2006

AbstractMicrostructure and architecture of the scaffolds along with the surface chemistry exert profound effect on biological activity (cell distribution, proliferation, and differentiation). For the biological activity, scaffolds in tissue engineering have been widely designed. The objective of this study was to develop hydrophilic nanofibrous structure of polylactides (PLLA) polymer in the form of nonwoven mat by electrospinning technique, and further evaluate the fibroblast NIH3T3 cell proliferation, morphology, and cell–matrix interaction. Hydrophilicity of the PLLA fibers was improved by adding small fraction of low molecular weight polyethylene glycol (PEG) into the electrospinning solution. Four different ratio types (100/0, 80/20, 70/30, and 50/50) of PLLA/PEG electrospun matrices were fabricated, and the pore characteristics, tensile properties, contact angle, and hydrolytic degradation were observed. Furthermore, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and fluorescence actin staining images were used for micro‐observation of cell–matrix interaction and cell morphology. It was found that the electrospun mat of PLLA/PEG (80/20), composed of fibers with diameters in the range 540–850 nm, majority of pore diameter less than 100 μm, tensile strength 8 MPa, elongation 150%, porosity more than 90%, and improved hydrophilicity with slow hydrolytic degradation, is favorable for biological activity of NIH3T3 fibroblast cell. Based on these results, the correct composition of PLLA and PEG in the porous electrospun matrix (i.e., PLLA/PEG (80/20)) will be a better candidate rather than other compositions of PLLA/PEG as well as hydrophobic PLLA for application in tissue engineering. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2006
Correlates of placental infection with cytomegalovirus, parvovirus B19 or human herpes virus 7
Authors: Chow S.S.W. , Craig M.E. , Jacques C.F.H. , Hall B. , Catteau J. , Munro S.C. , Scott G.M. , Camaris C. , McIver C.J. , Rawlinson W.D. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractVertical transmission of viruses is an important cause of morbidity in the fetus and neonate. Placental viral infection indicates risk of vertical transmission, but not always transmission to, or disease of the fetus. Specimens from mothers and babies from three groups—two prospective and one retrospective cohort—were tested for pathogens of teratogenic potential using multiplex PCR. Placental infection was present in 13% of the 105 samples collected. Assessment of the prospective cohorts showed cytomegalovirus (CMV) detected in 4% of placentae from unselected women, parvovirus B19 in 1% and Ureaplasma parvum in 1% of placentae. In a retrospective cohort of women at high risk of transmitting congenital infection due to seroconversion during pregnancy, miscarriage or stillbirth, CMV was detected in 64% and human herpes virus type 7 in 9% of placentae. Of 14 PCR‐positive placentae, two were associated with the birth of a living symptomatic infant, two with stillbirth, one with miscarriage, and two with elective terminations of pregnancy. Directed laboratory assessment of women at high risk of transmitting congenital infection, on the basis of clinical or laboratory markers, is important for accurate diagnosis of adverse outcomes of pregnancy. However, routine screening for viruses in the placentae from women with a low‐risk serological profile for transmitting congenital infection is unlikely to result in significant numbers of additional diagnoses and is confounded by inadequacy of current diagnostic methods. The major pathogen detected in all cases of placental infection associated with fetal death was human CMV. J. Med. Virol. 78:747–756, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
High‐risk human papillomavirus infection of the genital tract of women with a previous history or current high‐grade vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia
Authors: Goffin Frederic , Mayrand Marie‐Hélène , Gauthier Philippe , Alobaid A. , Lussier Christian , Provencher Diane , Drouin Pierre , Franco Eduardo L. , Coutlée François 
Published: April 2006

AbstractHuman papillomavirus (HPV) infection is associated with high‐grade vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN‐3). The prevalence of anogenital HPV infection in women with previously treated VIN‐3 has not been documented yet. This cross‐sectional study compared high‐risk HPV DNA detection rates in women with past (n = 30) and current (n = 22) VIN‐3 to those without current or past VIN (n = 86). HPV DNA was detected in vulvar and cervical samples with Hybrid Capture 2 (HC‐2). Smoking was associated in multivariate analysis with current VIN‐3 (odds ratio (OR) 8.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.0–8.2) and any VIN‐3 history (OR 6.5, 95% CI 2.5–16.5). High‐risk HPV DNA was found on the vulva of 64%, 33%, and 20% of women with current VIN‐3, past VIN‐3, and without previous or current VIN, respectively. After controlling for age and smoking, high‐risk HPV vulvar infection was associated with cervical high‐risk HPV infection (OR 8.6, 95% CI 2.8–26.5; P = 0.001). After controlling for age, HPV infection was more often multifocal in women with current VIN‐3 compared to women with previous but no current VIN‐3 lesion (OR 17.6, 95% CI 1.4–227.2). Multifocal vulvar HPV infection was detected in women with previous or active VIN‐3. Longitudinal studies are required to determine if the multifocality of HPV infection on the vulva could explain the high recurrence rate of VIN‐3. J. Med. Virol. 78:814–819, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Kainate induces rapid redistribution of the actin cytoskeleton in ameboid microglia
Authors: Christensen Randolph N. , Ha Byeong Keun , Sun Fang , Bresnahan Jacqueline C. , Beattie Michael S. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractMicroglia are key mediators of the immune response in the central nervous system (CNS). They are closely related to macrophages and undergo dramatic morphological and functional changes after CNS trauma or excitotoxic lesions. Microglia can be directly stimulated by excitatory neurotransmitters and are known to express many neurotransmitter receptors. The role of these receptors, however, is not clear. This study describes the microglial response to the glutamate receptor agonist kainate (KA) and shows via immunochemistry that the α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazole propionate (AMPA)‐type glutamate receptor subunit GluR1 is present on cultured microglia. In the presence of 100 μM or 1 mM KA, cultured microglia underwent dramatic morphological and cytoskeletal changes as observed by time‐lapse photography and quantitative confocal analysis of phalloidin labeling. KA‐stimulated microglia showed condensation of cytoplasmic actin filaments, rapid de‐ and repolymerization, and cytoplasmic redistribution of condensed actin bundles. Rearrangement of actin filaments—thought to be involved in locomotion and phagocytosis and to indicate an increased level of activation (for reviews see Greenberg [ 1995] Trends Cell Biol. 5:93–99; Imai and Kohsaka [ 2002] Glia 40:164–174)—was significantly increased in treated vs. control cultures. Morphological plasticity and membrane ruffling were also seen. These findings suggest direct microglial excitation via glutamate receptor pathways. Thus, neurotransmitter release after brain or spinal cord injury might directly modulate the inflammatory response. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.