bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A moving magnetic dipole in a conductive medium
Authors: Sampaio Edson E.S. 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTA thorough investigation of the role that the source velocity has in the spatial and temporal variation of the secondary electromagnetic energy scattered by the Earth is necessary because marine controlled‐source electromagnetic geophysical surveys employ moving sources. A first step towards this goal is the analysis, for this type of survey, of the difference of the measured value of the secondary electromagnetic energy between two systems: one with a moving source and the other with a fixed source. The model that suffices to stress this kinematic aspect is a vertical magnetic dipole moving at a constant speed along a horizontal line in a homogeneous medium separated from two homogeneous half‐spaces by horizontal boundaries both above and below the dipole. The results show that both the velocity and the relative displacement between the source and the medium may cause a measurable variation relative to the static condition. Therefore, it may be necessary to take them into account in geophysical interpretation and to adapt the concepts of time and frequency domain for electromagnetic systems with moving sources.
Maturation trends in red deer females over 39 years in harvested populations
Authors: Mysterud Atle , Yoccoz Nigel G. , Langvatn Rolf 
Published: January 2009

Summary

There is increasing awareness that heavy harvesting can lead to rapid evolution towards earlier sexual maturation. With increased harvest pressure, individuals that begin reproduction at light weights have a greater chance of reproducing at least once compared with individuals that begin reproduction at heavier weights and hence later in life. Although well documented in fish, this has not been empirically tested for harvested populations of mammals in terrestrial ecosystems differing in many environmental aspects.
Using data from 3856 female red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) from three harvested populations, we tested whether red deer maturity changed from 1967 to 2006. In these populations, density has increased markedly over the time period reducing body mass of deer, which has decreased the proportion of females maturing as yearlings. We therefore assessed trends in maturation as yearlings after controlling for body mass. Long‐lived iteroparous ungulate females are expected to have a prudent life history not risking their future survival and reproduction under harsh conditions (e.g. at high density). An alternative to the harvest‐induced evolution hypothesis is that maturation is driven mainly by phenotypic responses to increased density, and we predicted later maturation even after controlling for the reduction in body mass.
There was a marked trend towards later age at maturation in one out of three populations (after controlling for the effect of reduced body mass due to increased density), while there was no marked trend in the two other populations. The harvesting‐induced evolution hypothesis was therefore not supported. However, although the decline was predicted from the prudent life‐history tactic hypothesis, the estimate for the density effect was positive rather than negative after accounting for the year trend. Although we did not find support for the harvest‐induced earlier maturation hypothesis, evidence was not clearly in favour of the alternative hypothesis.
Our study contrasts results from trophy‐hunting traditions targeting large males, and points to a potential role of the cultural tradition. Harvesting in Scandinavia mainly aims for meat targeting calves and yearlings (and males), which is less likely to yield an evolutionary response in maturation of females. Our results, although being on a plastic trait and not directly on genetic make‐up, are indicative that harvesting‐induced evolution is weak on age at maturation in these populations under the current management regime.
Infertility, infertility treatment and psychomotor development: the Danish National Birth Cohort
Authors: Zhu Jin Liang , Basso Olga , Obel Carsten , Hvidtjørn Dorte , Olsen Jørn 
Published: January 2009

SummaryBabies born of infertile couples, regardless of treatment, have a higher risk of preterm birth and low birthweight, conditions associated with delayed development. We examined developmental milestones in singletons as a function of parental infertility [time to pregnancy (TTP) > 12 months] and infertility treatment. From the Danish National Birth Cohort (1997–2003), we identified 37 897 singletons born of fertile couples (TTP ≤ 12 months), 4351 born of infertile couples conceiving naturally (TTP > 12 months), and 3309 born after infertility treatment. When the children were about 18 months old, mothers reported 12 developmental milestones by responding to structured questions. We defined a failure to achieve the assessed milestone or the minimal numbers of milestones in a summary (motor, or cognitive/language skills) as delay.Naturally conceived children born of infertile couples had a pattern of psychomotor development similar to that of children born of fertile couples, but increasing TTP correlated with a modest delay. When the analysis was restricted to infertile couples (treated and untreated), children born after treatment showed a slight delay in cognitive/language development (odds ratio 1.24, [95% confidence interval 1.01, 1.53]) for not meeting at least three out of six cognitive/language milestones); children born after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) had the highest estimated relative risk of delay for most milestones, especially motor milestones. These results suggest that a long TTP may be associated with a modest developmental delay. Infertility treatment, especially ICSI, may be associated with a slight delay for some of these early milestones.
Genetic variation in ORM1‐like 3 (ORMDL3) and gasdermin‐like (GSDML) and childhood asthma
Authors: Wu H. , Romieu I. , Sienra‐Monge J.‐J. , Li H. , Del Rio‐Navarro B. E. , London S. J. 
Published: January 2009

Background:  A genome‐wide association study identified ORM1‐like 3 (orosomucoid 1‐like 3, ORMDL3) as an asthma candidate gene. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the region including ORMDL3 on chromosome 17q21 were related to childhood asthma risk and ORMDL3 expression levels in Europeans.Objective:  We examined whether polymorphisms in ORMDL3 and the adjacent gasdermin‐like (GSDML) gene associated with asthma in the genome‐wide association study are related to childhood asthma and atopy in a Mexico City population.Methods:  We genotyped rs4378650 in ORMDL3 and rs7216389 in GSDML in 615 nuclear families consisting of asthmatic children aged 4–17 years and their parents. Atopy was determined by skin prick tests to 25 aeroallergens.Results:  Individuals carrying the C allele of rs4378650 or the T allele of rs7216389 had increased risk of asthma [relative risk (RR) = 1.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19–2.53, P = 0.003 for one or two copies of rs4378650 C, and RR = 1.64, 95% CI 1.12–2.38, P = 0.009 for one or two copies of rs7216389 T). Linkage disequilibrium between the two SNPs was high (r2 = 0.92). Neither of the SNPs was associated with the degree of atopy. A meta‐analysis of five published studies on rs7216389 in nine populations gave an odds ratio for asthma of 1.44 (95% CI, 1.35–1.54, P < 0.00001).Conclusions:  Our results and the meta‐analysis provide evidence to confirm the finding from a recent genome‐wide association study that polymorphisms in ORMDL3 and the adjacent GSDML may contribute to childhood asthma.
Investigations into the role of ST2 in acute asthma in children
Authors: Ali M. , Zhang G. , Thomas W. R. , McLean C. J. , Bizzintino J. A. , Laing I. A. , Martin A. C. , Goldblatt J. , Le Souëf P. N. , Hayden C. M. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThe ST2 gene is a member of the interleukin‐1 receptor family and is located on chromosome 2q12, an area of the genome that has been associated with asthma. The soluble product of the ST2 gene, serum ST2 (sST2), has previously been shown to be elevated in adult asthmatic patients. This study investigated the potential role of ST2 in children with acute asthma. Children aged 2–16 years (n = 186) were recruited on presentation with acute asthma in the emergency department. Blood was obtained on presentation and during convalescence. Variables assessed included sST2 levels, a comprehensive assembly of clinical parameters and two polymorphisms in the ST2 gene, −26999G/A, located in the distal promoter region, and ala78glu polymorphism, on exon 3. The A allele of the −26999G/A polymorphism occurred more frequently in asthmatics compared with an unselected control group (P = 0.031). Serum ST2 levels were substantially higher during acute asthma compared with levels after the attack: 0.29 ng/ml (95% confidence interval: 0.23–0.36) and 0.14 ng/ml (0.12–0.17), respectively (P = 0.001) and were inversely related to eosinophil counts during an acute asthma attack (P = 0.002). The −26999AA genotype, as well as the AC haplotype, was associated with asthma severity scores (P = 0.05 and 0.02) compared with the −26999GA and GG genotypes. Serum ST2 levels were not associated with any of the studied genotypes or haplotypes. The observed associations of ST2 genotypes and haplotypes with acute asthma and asthma severity scores as well as the phenotypic differences associated with ST2 polymorphisms suggest that ST2 may play a role in the pathophysiology of asthma.
Stability over 36 months of a new liquid 10% polyclonal immunoglobulin product (IgPro10, Privigen©) stabilized with L‐proline
Authors: Cramer M. , Frei R. , Sebald A. , Mazzoletti P. , Maeder W. 
Published: January 2009

Background and Objectives  IgPro10 (Privigen©) is a new liquid intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) product that is formulated with 250 mM L‐proline at pH 4·8. A 3‐year study was performed to assess its stability.Materials and Methods  Physicochemical, biological and immunological parameters of Privigen were assessed during storage under controlled conditions over up to 36 months at 25°C.Results  Privigen was shown to be stable after storage for 3 years at room temperature (25°C). Of all parameters tested, only a few showed changes during storage. The appearance of the solution complied with the specifications given by the European Pharmacopeia over the full study period, with a single exception. The IgG fraction in Privigen displayed high purity (≥ 98%), which did not change during storage over 36 months. No relevant amounts of aggregated IgG molecules were formed in Privigen samples and the ratio between monomers and dimers shifted slightly towards the equilibrium over time. Testing of reference antibody contents and the Fc function demonstrated that the biological activity and effector functions of Privigen were preserved over the full study period of 36 months.Conclusion  Thirty‐six months room temperature stability of Privigen was achieved at pH 4·8 with an innovative formulation containing the physiological stabilizer L‐proline.
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IN LIGHT OF SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH RESEARCH
Authors: VENKATAPURAM SRIDHAR , MARMOT MICHAEL 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTThe present article identifies how social determinants of health raise two categories of philosophical problems that also fall within the smaller domain of ethics; one set pertains to the philosophy of epidemiology, and the second set pertains to the philosophy of health and social justice. After reviewing these two categories of ethical concerns, the limited conclusion made is that identifying and responding to social determinants of health requires inter‐disciplinary reasoning across epidemiology and philosophy. For the reasoning used in epidemiology to be sound, for its scope and (moral) purpose as a science to be clarified as well as for social justice theory to be relevant and coherent, epidemiology and philosophy need to forge a meaningful exchange of ideas that happens in both directions.
TACKLING SOCIALLY DETERMINED DENTAL INEQUALITIES: ETHICAL ASPECTS OF CHILDSMILE, THE NATIONAL CHILD ORAL HEALTH DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMME IN SCOTLAND
Authors: SHAW DAVID , MACPHERSON LORNA , CONWAY DAVID 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTMany ethical issues are posed by public health interventions. Although abstract theorizing about these issues can be useful, it is the application of ethical theory to real cases which will ultimately be of benefit in decision‐making. To this end, this paper will analyse the ethical issues involved in Childsmile, a national oral health demonstration programme in Scotland that aims to improve the oral health of the nation's children and reduce dental inequalities through a combination of targeted and universal interventions. With Scotland's level of dental caries among the worst in Europe, Childsmile represents one of the largest programmes of work aimed at combating oral health inequalities in the UK. The areas of ethical interest include several contrasting themes: reducing health inequalities and improving health; universal and targeted interventions; political values and evidence base; prevention and treatment; and underlying all of these, justice and utility.
GLOBALIZATION, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
Authors: CHAPMAN AUDREY R. 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTGlobalization, a process characterized by the growing interdependence of the world's people, impacts health systems and the social determinants of health in ways that are detrimental to health equity. In a world in which there are few countervailing normative and policy approaches to the dominant neoliberal regime underpinning globalization, the human rights paradigm constitutes a widely shared foundation for challenging globalization's effects. The substantive rights enumerated in human rights instruments include the right to the highest attainable level of physical and mental health and others that are relevant to the determinants of health. The rights stipulated in these documents impose extensive legal obligations on states that have ratified these documents and confer health entitlements on their residents. Human rights norms have also inspired civil society efforts to improve access to essential medicines and medical services, particularly for HIV/AIDS. Nevertheless, many factors reduce the potential counterweight human rights might exert, including and specifically the nature of the human rights approach, weak political commitments to promoting and protecting health rights on the part of some states and their lack of institutional and economic resources to do so. Global economic markets and the relative power of global economic institutions are also shrinking national policy space. This article reviews the potential contributions and limitations of human rights to achieving greater equity in shaping the social determinants of health.
Fighting the Elephant in the Room: Ethical Reflections on White Privilege and Other Systems of Advantage in the Teaching of Religion
Authors: Hill Jack A. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThis article contends that teaching more effectively for diversity requires a radical re‐envisioning of pedagogical practice. Drawing on qualitative interviews with religion and theology professors of color throughout the United States, it explores how faculty can re‐imagine their teaching by engaging students where they are, acknowledging the reality of oppression, and dealing with resistance. Stressing mindfulness of social location, it provides examples of liberating teaching activities and competences and shows how literary and visual “texts” from the margins and personal metaphors of embodiment can challenge captivities to hegemonic paradigms in the classroom. The article concludes with responses from colleagues who have worked closely with the author. Ethicist Melanie Harris brings Hill's method into dialogue with Womanist pedagogy, and historian of religion Hjamil Martínez‐Vázquez reflects on the role of suffering in building a revolutionary/critical pedagogy.
Changing Institutional Location: A Reflective Conversation on the Move from Undergraduate to Seminary/Divinity School Teaching
Authors: Marshall Ellen , Mathews Matt , Oden Amy , Thatamanil John , Killen Patricia O'Connell 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThe editor of Teaching Theology and Religion facilitated this reflective conversation with four teachers who recently moved from undergraduate institutions to seminaries and divinity schools. Three major themes emerge in the conversation: (1) developing their pedagogical craft in undergraduate settings made them better teachers in their new contexts; (2) they moved, in part, to achieve a “better balance” between teaching and scholarship, and while this was generally achieved it was manifest in unexpected ways; (3) the communities or publics among whom and on behalf of whom they engage in broader service shifted in ways that have effected both their scholarship and their teaching; and (4) the move to a new teaching context enhanced their professional lives because they were able to consider their own visions of career in relation to the mission of their new institutions.
The AAR Teaching Series
Authors: Gallagher Eugene V. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThe first seven volumes of the American Academy of Religion's “Teaching Religious Studies” series provide informative glimpses of how teachers in very different contexts understand the intellectual decisions, strategies, and actions that constitute their craft. Although individual volumes have different formats, the dominant image of good teaching that emerges is that it is founded on deep and sophisticated knowledge of the particular subject matter. Beyond that, many essays provide instructive anatomies of particular syllabi, moments in the classroom, or other aspects of teaching. Much of the material in the essays comes from reflective practitioners and there is relatively little sustained engagement with the contemporary literature on teaching and learning. Nonetheless, virtually any teacher can find in these volumes stimulating reflections on the intersections of substantive research and pedagogy in a variety of classroom contexts.
Short‐term antiretroviral therapy to prevent mother‐to‐child transmission is safe and results in a sustained increase in CD4 T‐cell counts in HIV‐1‐infected mothers*
Authors: Palacios R , Senise JF , Vaz MJR , Diaz RS , Castelo A 
Published: January 2009

BackgroundShort‐term antiretroviral therapy (START) to prevent mother‐to‐child transmission (MTCT) is currently recommended for all HIV‐1‐infected pregnant women. The objective of this study was to assess the effect on CD4 cell counts and viral load dynamics the withdrawal of START after birth could generate.MethodsThis was a 5‐year cohort study involving HIV‐1‐infected pregnant women who presented with CD4 counts >300 cells/μL and had received START to prevent MTCT.ResultsSeventy‐five pregnancies were assessed. In 24 cases, there was a history of antiretroviral therapy prior to prophylaxis. The median baseline CD4 count was 573 cells/μL. In 75% of cases, prophylaxis was started after 26.6 weeks of gestation. The median CD4 cell count increase over baseline during prophylaxis was 24.5%. In only five cases did HIV‐1 viral load remain detectable during prophylaxis. After START, CD4 cell counts did not drop significantly, and the HIV‐1 viral load plateau was near the baseline level. The estimated mean time for CD4 count to fall below 300 cells/μL was 3.5 years and was directly associated with high baseline CD4 cell count, as well as with CD4 increase after prophylaxis, whereas it was negatively correlated with previous use of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and persistence of detectable HIV‐1 viral load during prophylaxis.ConclusionsA potent, well‐tolerated prophylactic ARV regimen can improve CD4 cell counts during and after START. In women receiving such prophylaxis, there is a remarkable time interval for CD4 cell counts to drop to levels that indicate treatment.
Age and circadian influences on picolinic acid concentrations in human cerebrospinal fluid
Authors: Coggan Sarah E. , Smythe George A. , Bilgin Ayse , Grant Ross S. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractIt has been suggested that picolinic acid (PIC), an endogenous metabolite of l‐tryptophan, possesses neuro‐protective and anti‐proliferative effects within the CNS. However, the literature surrounding PIC is limited, and its exact endogenous function is not known. Picolinic acid is produced via the kynurenine pathway which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of a range of neuro‐inflammatory diseases. Although not extensively studied, there have been reports of altered PIC production alongside other kynurenine metabolites in inflammatory disorders. In order to investigate whether PIC concentrations are altered with disease in the CNS, we analysed PIC levels in the CSF of 241 patients who underwent lumbar puncture as part of their standard clinical evaluation. In patients with no apparent CNS disease, CSF PIC levels were 10‐fold higher in samples taken between 20:00 and 16:00 h compared with those collected between 04:00 and 12:00 h. This result suggests a diurnal variation in PIC synthesis within the CNS. In addition, we observed a direct correlation between a patient’s age and their PIC concentration. No significant correlations were observed between CSF PIC levels and any specific disease state.
IFN‐γ and IL‐4 differentially shape metabolic responses and neuroprotective phenotype of astrocytes
Authors: Garg Sanjay K. , Kipnis Jonathan , Banerjee Ruma 
Published: January 2009

AbstractAstrocytes can either exacerbate or ameliorate secondary degeneration at sites of injury in the CNS but the contextual basis for eliciting these opposing phenotypes is poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that the two major cytokines produced by Th1 and Th2 cells, interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ), and interleukin‐4 (IL‐4), respectively, contribute differentially to shaping a neuroprotective response in astrocytes. While IFN‐γ protects the ability of oxidatively stressed murine astrocytes to clear extracellular glutamate in culture, IL‐4 has no effect at any concentration that was tested (10–100 ng/mL). The enhanced release of neuroprotective thiols and lactate by astrocytes in response to T cell stimulation is mimicked by both IL‐4 and IFN‐γ. When co‐administered, IL‐4 abrogated the protective effect of low IFN‐γ on the glutamate clearance function of oxidatively stressed astrocytes in a dose‐dependent manner. Astrocyte‐conditioned media obtained from cells cultured in the presence of IL‐4 (10 or 100 ng/mL) or IFN‐γ (10 ng/mL) decreased by ∼2‐fold, neuronal apoptosis induced by oxidative stress in vitro. However, unlike IL‐4, IFN‐γ at high concentrations (100 ng/mL) was not neuroprotective. Our studies with IFN‐γ and IL‐4 suggest that a balanced Th1 and Th2 cytokine response might be needed for protecting two key astrocytic functions, glutamate clearance and thiol secretion and might be pertinent to neuroprotective approaches that are aimed at inhibition of an initial pro‐inflammatory response to injury or its sustained boosting.