bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Structural genomics reveals EVE as a new ASCH/PUA‐related domain
Authors: Bertonati Claudia , Punta Marco , Fischer Markus , Yachdav Guy , Forouhar Farhad , Zhou Weihong , Kuzin Alexander P. , Seetharaman Jayaraman , Abashidze Mariam , Ramelot Theresa A. , Kennedy Michael A. , Cort John R. , Belachew Adam , Hunt John F. , Tong Liang , Montelione Gaetano T. , Rost Burkhard 
Published: September 2008

AbstractWe report on several proteins recently solved by structural genomics consortia, in particular by the Northeast Structural Genomics consortium (NESG). The proteins considered in this study differ substantially in their sequences but they share a similar structural core, characterized by a pseudobarrel five‐stranded beta sheet. This core corresponds to the PUA domain‐like architecture in the SCOP database. By connecting sequence information with structural knowledge, we characterize a new subgroup of these proteins that we propose to be distinctly different from previously described PUA domain‐like domains such as PUA proper or ASCH. We refer to these newly defined domains as EVE. Although EVE may have retained the ability of PUA domains to bind RNA, the available experimental and computational data suggests that both the details of its molecular function and its cellular function differ from those of other PUA domain‐like domains. This study of EVE and its relatives illustrates how the combination of structure and genomics creates new insights by connecting a cornucopia of structures that map to the same evolutionary potential. Primary sequence information alone would have not been sufficient to reveal these evolutionary links. Proteins 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Entomopathogens (Beauveria bassianaandSteinernema carpocapsae) for biological control of bark‐feeding mothIndarbela deaon field‐infested litchi trees
Authors: Schulte Marie Joy , Martin Konrad , Büchse Andreas , Sauerborn Joachim 
Published: September 2008

AbstractBACKGROUND:The bark‐feeding mothIndarbela dea(Swinhoe) is one of the major pests of litchi (Litchi chinensisSonn.) in Asia. Effects on larval mortality and web production were tested by repeated, single and combined tree trunk applications of the entomopathogenic fungusBeauveria bassiana(Bals.) Vuill. and the entomopathogenic nematodeSteinernema carpocapsae(Weiser). Two separate application trials were conducted in different seasons on young and older larvae respectively.RESULTS:In both trials, complete or nearly complete mortality (100% and 95%) of the larvae was achieved 3 weeks after application ofS. carpocapsaealone and 2 weeks after the combined application ofB. bassianaandS. carpocapsae(100% in both trials). However, in the combined application, all larvae were killed by one treatment, while the application ofS. carpocapsaealone needed to be repeated to reach the same result. The effectiveness of the combined entomopathogen application and of the application ofS. carpocapsaealone was not influenced by the age of the larvae. However, the single applications ofB. bassianawere only effective on young larvae. In both trials, web production of surviving larvae was very significantly reduced by the application ofS. carpocapsaein single and combined treatments.CONCLUSIONS:As the results show, only one application is necessary in the combined application of the two entomopathogens to controlI. dea, which implies that such treatment is probably the economically most relevant solution. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
Dynamics of photo‐excited carriers on GaAs(100) surface studied by ultrafast time‐resolved photoemission
Authors: Azuma Junpei , Tokudomi Shinji , Takahashi Kazutoshi , Kamada Masao 
Published: September 2008

AbstractDynamics of the photo‐excited carriers on the GaAs(100) surface have been studied by measuring the surface photo‐voltage effect (SPV) with the ultrafast time‐resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The fast SPV decay with a few picosecond lifetime has been observed on the n ‐type GaAs(100) surface. The lifetime of the fast decay component was almost independent with dopant levels, pump powers, and sample temperatures which mainly change the surface potential barrier in the band bending region. This result supports the SPV relaxation model of the hot electron because the time scale of the electron thermalization is considered to be less affected by the change of the surface potential barrier. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Simple model relating recombination rates and non‐proportional light yield in scintillators
Authors: Bizarri G. , Moses W. W. , Singh J. , Vasil'ev A. N. , Williams R. T. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractWe present a phenomenological approach to derive an approximate expression for the local light yield along a track as a function of the rate constants of different kinetic orders of radiative and quenching processes for excitons and electron‐hole pairs excited by an incident γ‐ray in a scintillating crystal. For excitons, the radiative and quenching processes considered are linear and binary, and for electron‐hole pairs a ternary (Auger type) quenching process is also taken into account. The local light yield (YL) in photons per MeV is plotted as a function of the deposited energy, ‐dE /dx (keV/cm) at any point x along the track length. This model formulation achieves a certain simplicity by using two coupled rate equations. We discuss the approximations that are involved. There are a sufficient number of parameters in this model to fit local light yield profiles needed for qualitative comparison with experiment. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Nonparametric statistical inference method for partial areas under receiver operating characteristic curves, with application to genomic studies
Authors: He Yaohua , Escobar Michael 
Published: September 2008

AbstractRecently ROC50 index—the area under the lower portion of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve up to the first 50 false positives—has been increasingly widely used in genomic research. Unfortunately, statistical inferences on the ROC50 index are not commonly drawn due to a lack of handy statistical inference methods and/or software tools. In this paper, we reviewed developments in statistical methods for the partial areas under ROC curves and using nonparametric methods we derived a simple and direct variance calculation formula for the partial areas, different from existing methods in the literature. We have also verified our method through simulation studies and compared our method with existing bi‐normal approaches. We have shown that the partial area has an asymptotic normal distribution using trimmed U‐statistics theory. On the basis of this asymptotic normality, we have given formulas for the confidence interval and the test statistic and we reported on their application to a genomic study of sample size approximately 10 000. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optimized message delivery framework using fuzzy logic for intermittently connected mobile ad hoc networks.
Authors: Ma Yaozhou , Jamalipour Abbas 
Published: September 2008

AbstractDue to limited radio transmission range, sporadic node densities and power limitations, mobilead hocnetworks (MANETs) can usually become intermittently connected, thereby data routing process is disrupted in the absence of an end‐to‐end routing path. To this effect, various ‘store‐carry‐forward (SCF)’ routing algorithms have been proposed in the literature that exploit the mobility and storage space of the nodes to deliver messages even if a route never exists. To have a high probability of eventual delivery, flooding‐based or multi‐copy‐based forwarding strategy is adopted by majority of these schemes. Furthermore, in the human‐related environments containing correlated movements, performance is quantified in terms of the probability of the message delivery between any pair of nodes. However, in the multi‐copy case, the conventional individual delivery probability alone fails to address delivery opportunity from other nodes that also carry the same message copies. With this in mind, this paper presents several routing‐related key parameters and accordingly introduces a fuzzy logic‐based delivery framework (FLDF) to select and store messages that have higher delivery preference in the future. In the proposed mechanism, FL, which has the fundamental ability to deal with imprecise or uncertain information caused by intermittent connectivity as well as mobility randomness, is employed to handle the message evaluation and selection. Simulation results demonstrate the enhanced delivery performance offered by the proposed FLDF compared with the existing schemes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A simple assessment of physical activity is associated with obesity and motor fitness in pre-school children
Authors: Bayer Otmar , Bolte Gabriele , Morlock Gabriele , Rückinger Simon , von Kries Rüdiger ,   for the GME-Study Group
Published: September 2008

AbstractObjectivePhysical activity is an important determinant of energy balance. However, its impact on overweight/obesity has proved difficult to measure in pre-school children and few studies have found significant associations. A set of simple questions was used to distinguish pre-school children with high and low physical activity, and the association of this classification with childhood overweight/obesity and performance in an established motor test was investigated.DesignSurvey, cross-sectional.Setting and subjectsWeight and height were measured in 12 556 children taking part in the obligatory school entrance health examination 2004–5 and 2005–6 in three urban and three rural Bavarian regions. Their parents were asked to answer a questionnaire with a set of questions on physical activity.ResultsThe mean age of the children evaluated was 5·78 (sd0·43) years, 6535 (52·1 %) were boys. Physically active children were less likely to be overweight (OR = 0·786, 95 % CI 0·687, 0·898) or obese (OR = 0·655, 95 % CI 0·506, 0·849) and achieved 6·7 (95 % CI 5·8, 7·7) % more jumps per 30 s than less active children in a motor test, adjusted for a number of potentially confounding variables.ConclusionsClassification of pre-school children as physically active or not, based on a small set of questions, revealed significant associations with overweight/obesity and a motor test. Once further validated, this classification might provide a valuable tool to assess the impact of physical activity on the risk of childhood overweight and obesity.
Community Planning for Pandemic Influenza: Lessons From the VA Health Care System
Authors: Lurie Nicole , Dausey David J. , Knighton Troy , Moore Melinda , Zakowski Sarah , Deyton Lawrence 
Published: September 2008

ABSTRACTBackground: Coordination and communication among community partners—including health departments, emergency management agencies, and hospitals—are essential for effective pandemic influenza planning and response. As the nation’s largest integrated health care system, the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) could be a key component of community planning.Purpose: To identify issues relevant to VA–community pandemic influenza preparedness.Methods: As part of a VA–community planning process, we developed and pilot-tested a series of tabletop exercises for use throughout the VA system. These included exercises for facilities, regions (Veterans Integrated Service Networks), and the VA Central Office. In each, VA and community participants, including representatives from local health care facilities and public health agencies, were presented with a 3-step scenario about an unfolding pandemic and were required to discuss issues and make decisions about how the situation would be handled. We report the lessons learned from these pilot tests.Results: Existing communication and coordination for pandemic influenza between VA health care system representatives and local and regional emergency planners are limited. Areas identified that would benefit from better collaborative planning include response coordination, resource sharing, uneven resource distribution, surge capacity, standards of care, workforce policies, and communication with the public.Conclusions: The VA health system and communities throughout the United States have limited understanding of one another’s plans and needs in the event of a pandemic. Proactive joint VA–community planning and coordination—including exercises, followed by deliberate actions to address the issues that arise—will likely improve pandemic influenza preparedness and will be mutually beneficial. Most of the issues identified are not unique to VA, but are applicable to all integrated care systems. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2008;2:251–257)
The interaction of CK2α and CK2β, the subunits of protein kinase CK2, requires CK2β in a preformed conformation and is enthalpically driven
Authors: Raaf Jennifer , Brunstein Elena , Issinger Olaf‐Georg , Niefind Karsten 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThe protein kinase CK2 (former name: “casein kinase 2”) predominantly occurs as a heterotetrameric holoenzyme composed of two catalytic chains (CK2α) and two noncatalytic subunits (CK2β). The CK2β subunits form a stable dimer to which the CK2α monomers are attached independently. In contrast to the cyclins in the case of the cyclin‐dependent kinases CK2β is no on‐switch of CK2α; rather the formation of the CK2 holoenzyme is accompanied with an overall change of the enzyme's profile including a modulation of the substrate specificity, an increase of the thermostability, and an allocation of docking sites for membranes and other proteins. In this study we used C‐terminal deletion variants of human CK2α and CK2β that were enzymologically fully competent and in particular able to form a heterotetrameric holoenzyme. With differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) we confirmed the strong thermostabilization effect of CK2α on CK2β with an upshift of the CK2α melting temperature of more than 9°. Using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) we measured a dissociation constant of 12.6 nM. This high affinity between CK2α and CK2β is mainly caused by enthalpic rather than entropic contributions. Finally, we determined a crystal structure of the CK2β construct to 2.8 Å resolution and revealed by structural comparisons with the CK2 holoenzyme structure that the CK2β conformation is largely conserved upon association with CK2α, whereas the latter undergoes significant structural adaptations of its backbone.
Successful implementation of a nurse‐led teaching programme to independently administer subcutaneous methotrexate in the community setting to children with Crohn’s disease
Authors: GARRICK V. , ATWAL P. , BARCLAY A. R. , MCGROGAN P. , RUSSELL R. K. 
Published: September 2008

SummaryBackground  Methotrexate is increasingly used as a third line immunosuppression agent in children with Crohn’s disease (CD). Methotrexate is traditionally administered in the hospital setting.Aim  To set up a nurse‐led education programme to teach children/their parents to administer subcutaneous methotrexate in the community.Methods  All patients were given methotrexate over a 16‐month period. Patient demographics including previous treatments were collected. A competency based teaching package was implemented by the inflammatory bowel disease nurse. Distances and travel times together with costings were calculated.Results  Thirty two patients (19 male; 13 female) with a median treatment age of 11.96 years (IQR 10.67–13.92) were studied. Thirty of 32 (17 children, 13 parents) were independently administering methotrexate. The median return journey distance to hospital was 23 miles (IQR 14.4–42.4) taking a median time of 52 min (IQR 41.0–73.5) for each injection. The total patient travel saving was £10 537 (average £730 per patient) and nursing time saving was £12 808 with home administration (total saving £23 345).Conclusions  This paediatric study demonstrates that methotrexate injections can be given successfully in the majority (94%) of patients with CD independently in the community, resulting in significant time and money savings for patients and health professionals alike.
Land‐use legacy and the persistence of invasiveAvena barbataon abandoned farmland
Authors: Standish Rachel J. , Cramer Viki A. , Hobbs Richard J. 
Published: September 2008

SummaryExotic species invasion onto abandoned farmlands has been linked to an increase in the availability of soil nutrients after cultivation.Avena barbataPott. (hereafterAvena) is an exotic annual grass that invades old‐fields in south‐western Australia and persists for decades after abandonment. We hypothesized that the competitive ability ofAvenaagainst native woody seedlings is increased on old‐fields affected by P‐fertilizer residues.We tested this hypothesis in a pot study by growing single native seedlings in competition with increasing densities ofAvena, at old‐field and pre‐agricultural levels of soil P. Then, we planted the same four species,Acacia acuminataBenth.,Allocasuarina campestris(Diels) L.A.S.Johnson,Eucalyptus loxophlebaBenth. subsp.loxophlebaandHakea recurvaMeisn., into plots within an old‐field affected by P‐fertilizer residues, and removedAvenafrom half of the plots. Also, as water availability limits seedling establishment, particularly in the presence ofAvena, we compared the establishment of seedlings planted into microcatchments to improve water availability with that of seedlings planted into level sites.We found that P enrichment did not substantially enhance the ability ofAvenato compete with any of the native species that we tested in pots.Avenawas the superior competitor against all four native species at both P levels.In the field, the chances of native seedling establishment were markedly improved by the removal ofAvena.Microcatchments improved the survival ofE. loxophlebasubsp.loxophlebain competition withAvena, but not that of the three other native species. In the absence ofAvena, microcatchments made inconsistent or little difference to the survival and biomass of the planted native seedlings.Synthesis and applications. Reducing soil P will not be sufficient to promote species coexistence on old‐fields becauseAvenaremains competitive at low soil P. The combination of the land‐use legacies, reduced native seed supply and the introduction of an invasive species that is a superior competitor regardless of P availability, all contribute to the persistence of this invasive species on old‐fields in south‐western Australia. The restoration of the historic ecosystem will require intense effort and there is a risk that planted communities will be prone to re‐invasion.
Neuropsychological impairment and gender differences in HIV‐1 infection
Authors: Faílde‐Garrido José M. , Alvarez Marina Rodríguez , Simón‐López Miguel A. 
Published: September 2008

Aims: Research into neuropsychological consequences of HIV has focused mainly on male subjects, and therefore very little is known about the disease in female subjects and, of course, about gender differences. The aim of the present research was therefore to investigate neuropsychological impairment rates and pattern in HIV male and female patients, with regard to the study of gender differences in tasks assessing attention, memory for texts, digits and words, psychomotor speed, verbal intelligence and abstract reasoning.Methods: A clinical sample was recruited consisting of 122 subjects, divided into four groups: (i) 57 HIV+ men; (ii) 31 HIV+ women; (iii) 18 HIV− men and (iv) 16 HIV− women. All the subjects had more than 18 years, being the average of age of 34.08 for men and 33.35 for women. The evaluation of each subject consisted of a semistructured interview investigating sociodemographic, clinical and toxicological aspects and a neuropsychological assessment, with a battery of tests specifically selected for this study and chosen for their validity and because they have been shown to be sensitive to neuropsychological impairment in HIV‐infected patients in other studies.Results: None of HIV− male and female groups fulfilled impairment criteria. Regarding the HIV+ group, a rate of neuropsychological impairment of 51.9% was obtained for the men and 54.8% for the women, but there were no significant differences between groups. Nevertheless, were detected significant differences in neuropsychological impairment rates between HIV+ and HIV− women, and also between HIV+ and HIV− men. Although HIV+ women presented multiple factors that could increase their neuropsychological vulnerability to the effects of HIV, HIV+ men had the same probability of having neuropsychological impairment as HIV+ women.Conclusions: A different neuropsychological impairment pattern was detected between genders: while HIV+ men had greater impairment in visual memory, attention, psychomotor speed and abstract reasoning, HIV+ women had greater impairment on attention, psychomotor speed and verbal memory for texts.
Factors impacting on psychological distress and recovery after the 2004 Niigata–Chuetsu earthquake, Japan: Community‐based study
Authors: Kuwabara Hideki , Shioiri Toshiki , Toyabe Shin‐Ichi , Kawamura Tsuyoshi , Koizumi Masataka , Ito‐Sawamura Miki , Akazawa Kouhei , Someya Toshiyuki 
Published: September 2008

Aim:  This study was undertaken 5 months after the 2004 Niigata–Chuetsu earthquake in Japan to assess factors that impacted on psychological distress and its recovery.Methods:  Three thousand and twenty‐six adult victims who lived in temporary shelter and in seriously damaged areas were evaluated by questionnaire. The questionnaire queried subject profile, degree of house damage, health status, and psychological distress using a 5‐point scale before, immediately and 5 months after the earthquake.Results:  Immediately after the earthquake, 59.3% of the subjects had psychological distress. At 5 months after the earthquake, however, this percentage decreased to 21.8%. The psychological distress immediately after the earthquake was significantly serious in victims who: (i) were female; (ii) felt stronger fear of the earthquake and the aftershocks; (iii) lived at home or office after the earthquake; and (iv) were injured due to the earthquake or suffered from sickness after the earthquake. In contrast, the factors impairing psychological recovery 5 months after the earthquake were as follows: (i) being with unfamiliar member(s) during the night after the earthquake; (ii) serious house damage; (iii) living in temporary shelter or at a relative's home after the earthquake; and (iv) physical illness after the earthquake.Conclusion:  Despite differences between disasters, these results were consistent with those in some previous studies and may be useful for long‐term mental care support.