bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characteristic dysfunction of stunned myocardium induced by 2,3‐butanedione monoxime without ischaemia
Authors: Wang X , Guan XM , Li GP , Ren Y , Drzewiecki G , Li JK‐J , Kedem J 
Published: December 2005

SUMMARY1. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that, even in the absence of prior ischaemia, 2,3‐butanedione monoxime (BDM), an inhibitor of contraction at the actin–myosin level, could produce the postischaemic dysfunction characteristic of stunned myocardium. 2,3‐Butanedione monoxime was injected directly into the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) before and again after myocardial stunning produced by 15 min occlusion of the LAD followed by 30 min reperfusion.2. Regional myocardial force, segment shortening and regional work were measured in both the LAD‐perfused area and the area perfused by the circumflex coronary artery, which served as a control area. Regional dysfunction produced by BDM injection or ischaemia–reperfusion was assessed quantitatively by five parameters: end‐diastolic length (EDL), shortening onset delay (delay), systolic bulge (bulge), end‐shortening time delay (EST) and tail work ratio (TWR).3. It was found that injection of BDM into the LAD caused dyskinesis similar to that caused by occlusion–reperfusion. Both displayed elevated EDL and marked increases in delay, bulge, EST and TWR; these parameters were significantly higher in the dyskinesis caused by BDM injection. Despite dysfunctional fibre shortening, intracoronary BDM injection did not reduce regional force.4. Thus, BDM can elicit changes similar to those characteristic of postischaemic dysfunction. Because contractility was not impaired, dysfunction was apparently caused by disrupting the association between contractile force and muscle motion.
Exogenous nitric oxide centrally enhances pulmonary reactivity in the normal and hypertensive rat
Authors: Schwenke Daryl O , Pearson James T , Tsuchimochi Hirotsugu , Mori Hidezo , Shirai Mikiyasu 
Published: December 2005

SUMMARY1. Chronic hypoxia causes sustained pulmonary hypertension and, although impairment of the pulmonary endothelial nitric oxide (NO) pathway has been implicated, no study has described the central role of NO in modulating pulmonary vascular tone and reactivity. Centrally, NO inhibits sympathetic outflow, so we hypothesised that central NO would modulate pulmonary vascular tone and its reactivity to acute hypoxia, especially in the hypertensive state.2. Male adult Sprague‐Dawley rats were exposed to normoxia (N) or chronic hypoxia (CH; 12% O2) for 14 days. Mean pulmonary arterial pressure (MPAP), systemic mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), cardiac output and heart rate were then measured in pentobarbitone‐anaesthetized, artificially ventilated rats. The N and CH rats were exposed to acute hypoxia (10% O2 for 4 min) after the intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of artificial cerebrospinal fluid (control) and then again after either i.c.v. NG‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (l‐NAME; 150 μg in 10 μL) or 3‐morpholino‐sydnonimine hydrochloride (SIN‐1; 100 μg in 10 μL).3. Chronic hypoxia caused pulmonary hypertension (MPAP 20 ± 1 vs 30 ± 1 mmHg in N and CH rats, respectively) and attenuated acute hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV). Central inhibition of NO synthesis (by l‐NAME) did not alter baseline MPAP or the acute HPV in either N or CH rats, but it did elevate MABP. The NO donor SIN‐1 did not alter baseline MPAP, but it did enhance (N rats) or restore (CH rats) the HPV and decreased MABP.4. The results of the present study indicate that central NO has a limited role in the tonic modulation of MPAP during normoxia and after chronic hypoxia. However, the acute HPV seems to be enhanced by exogenous NO.
Transcription of a ‘photosynthetic’ T4‐type phage during infection of a marine cyanobacterium
Authors: Clokie Martha R. J. , Shan Jinyu , Bailey Shaun , Jia Ying , Krisch Henry M. , West Stephen , Mann Nicholas H. 
Published: December 2005

SummaryThe transcription of S‐PM2 phage following infection of Synechococcus sp. WH7803, a marine cyanobacterium, was analysed by quantitative real‐time PCR. Unlike the distantly related coliphage T4, there were only two (early and late) instead of three (early, middle and late) classes of transcripts during the developmental cycle of the phage. This difference is consistent with the absence from the S‐PM2 genome of T4‐like middle mode promoter sequences and the transcription factors associated with their recognition. Phage S‐PM2 carries the ‘photosynthetic’ genes psbA and psbD that encode homologues of the host photosystem II proteins D1 and D2. Transcripts of the phage psbA gene appeared soon after infection and remained at high levels until lysis. Throughout the course of infection, the photosynthetic capacity of the cells remained constant. A considerable transient increase in the abundance of the host psbA transcripts occurred shortly after infection, suggesting that the host responds to the trauma of phage infection in a similar way as it does to a variety of other environmental stresses. The very substantial transcription of the phage psbA gene during the latter phase of phage infection suggests that S‐PM2 has acquired this cellular gene to ensure that D1 levels and thus photosynthesis are fully maintained until the infected cell finally lyses. Unexpectedly, transcripts of a phage‐encoded S‐layer protein gene were among the earliest and most abundant detected, suggesting that this partial homologue of a host protein plays an important role in the S‐PM2 infection process.
Detection of phosphonoacetate degradation and phnA genes in soil bacteria from distinct geographical origins suggest its possible biogenic origin
Authors: Panas Panayiotis , Ternan Nigel G. , Dooley James S. G. , McMullan Geoff 
Published: December 2005

SummaryPhosphonoacetate is regarded as an antiviral xenobiotic whose mineralization can be catalysed by an enzyme, phosphonoacetate hydrolase, encoded by the phnA gene. To date the enzyme's activity has been detected in only a limited number of bacteria. Its expression has been shown to occur in a manner independent of the phosphate status of the cell, in direct contrast to the general rule of organophosphonate metabolism being under the control of the pho regulon. In this study the environmental occurrence of the phnA gene was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction amplification of DNA extracts obtained directly from various soil environments. Sensitivity of this method was improved such that a positive result was routinely obtained with soil spiked with as few as 6 colony‐forming units (cfu) per gram of soil of Pseudomonas fluorescens 23F (phnA+). When total DNA from a variety of Northern Irish, Greek and Bolivian soils was tested, all were positive for phnA. Bacteria capable of utilizing phosphonoacetate as sole carbon, energy and phosphorus source, with the release of essentially equimolar concentrations of phosphate to the culture supernatant, were isolated from all soil samples tested. Analysis of three such isolates revealed all to be species of Pseudomonas sensu stricto, possessing phosphonoacetate hydrolase activity in cell‐free extracts. Sequence determination of the phnA gene revealed a similarity of the putative protein sequences at levels of 98.3–99.3% between the Pseudomonas strains. This is the first study to use molecular methods to investigate the distribution of a gene encoding organophosphonate metabolism, and indicates that the phnA gene is ubiquitous within soils from geographically distinct regions. Such an observation supports the proposition that phosphonoacetate is a compound that may also have a biogenic origin.
A shift from diffuse to focal cortical activity with development
Authors: Durston Sarah , Davidson Matthew C. , Tottenham Nim , Galvan Adriana , Spicer Julie , Fossella John A. , Casey B.J. 
Published: December 2005

Abstract Recent imaging studies have suggested that developmental changes may parallel aspects of adult learning in cortical activation becoming less diffuse and more focal over time. However, while adult learning studies examine changes within subjects, developmental findings have been based on cross‐sectional samples and even comparisons across studies. Here, we used functional MRI in children to test directly for shifts in cortical activity during performance of a cognitive control task, in a combined longitudinal and cross‐sectional study. Our longitudinal findings, relative to our cross‐sectional ones, show attenuated activation in dorsolateral prefrontal cortical areas, paralleled by increased focal activation in ventral prefrontal regions related to task performance.
Preference for consonance over dissonance by hearing newborns of deaf parents and of hearing parents
Authors: Masataka Nobuo 
Published: December 2005

Abstract Behavioral preferences for consonance over dissonance were tested in hearing infants of deaf parents and in hearing infants of hearing parents when they were 2 days old. Using a modified visual‐fixation‐based, auditory‐preference procedure, I found that both 2‐day‐old infants of deaf parents and those of hearing parents looked longer at a visual stimulus when looking produced the original version of a Mozart minuet as opposed to a version altered to contain many dissonant intervals. The relative magnitude of such preference did not significantly differ whether their parents were deaf or hearing. Infants prefer consonance over dissonance, and the preference is present from birth and is not dependent on any specific prenatal or early postnatal experience.
The development of landmark and beacon use in young children: evidence from a touchscreen search task
Authors: Sutton Jennifer E. 
Published: December 2005

AbstractChildren ages 2, 3 and 4 years participated in a novel hide‐and‐seek search task presented on a touchscreen monitor. On beacon trials, the target hiding place could be located using a beacon cue, but on landmark trials, searching required the use of a nearby landmark cue. In Experiment 1, 2‐year‐olds performed less accurately than older children on landmark trials but performed equivalently on beacon trials. In Experiment 2, the number of items on the screen was reduced and 2‐year‐olds’ performance improved. Use of the landmark transformation technique in Experiment 3 revealed that older children formed a more precise landmark–target spatial relationship than 2‐year‐olds. Experiment 4 showed that the transformation itself was not responsible for the youngest participants’ decreased accuracy in Experiment 3. Overall, beacons were utilized effectively by all participants, but the use of landmark cues is refined between the ages of 2 and 4.
‘About’ Puzzles, Muddles and First Person Inferences
Authors: Cave Peter 
Published: December 2005

AbstractOften we have coarsely grained knowledge: for example, we know about how many people are present. In possessing such knowledge, we also have finer grained knowledge of what is not: there certainly is nothing like that number of people here. The combination of such knowledge types, through sorites, generates contradiction and bafflement. This paper seeks to resolve the bafflement: it rejects a Timothy Williamson proposal, introduces muddle numbers and inference gaps, and shows how the different grains of knowledge do not always meet. In so doing, the paper identifies a distinctive first‐person inferring.
Capital–Skill Complementarity and Inequality in Sweden
Authors: Lindquist Matthew J. 
Published: December 2005

AbstractIncome inequality increased in Sweden during the 1980s and 1990s, as did the returns to higher education. The main conclusion of this study is that increased income inequality between high‐ and low‐skilled workers is demand driven and is due to the presence of capital–skill complementarity in production. Increased investments in new, more efficient capital equipment, along with a slowdown in the growth rate of skilled labor, have raised the ratio of effective capital inputs per skilled worker, which, in turn, has increased the relative demand (and market return) for skilled labor through the capital–skill complementarity mechanism.
Welfare Implications of Non‐scale R&D‐based Growth Models
Authors: Steger Thomas M. 
Published: December 2005

AbstractNon‐scale R&D‐based growth models imply that the decentral and the socially optimal long‐run growth rate coincide. Nonetheless, the distortions inherent in a market economy bias both the R&D investment share and the saving rate. As a result, the level of the balanced growth path may differ substantially between the two types of solution, implying a dramatic loss in welfare. The present paper explores the sources and magnitude of this gap. In addition, the consequences of public policies are examined, distinguishing between isolated policy measures from an overall policy programme.
Skill Upgrading and Production Transfer within Swedish Multinationals
Authors: Hansson Pär 
Published: December 2005

AbstractThis paper studies the link between production transfer within Swedish‐headquartered multinational enterprises (MNEs) in the manufacturing industry and skill upgrading in their parent companies in the 1990s. The analysis distinguishes between horizontal and vertical foreign direct investment (FDI). The increased employment share in the affiliates in non‐OECD countries (vertical FDI) has a non‐trivial, significantly positive effect on the share of skilled labor in the Swedish parents. On the other hand, the parents’ skill upgrading is unrelated to employment changes in their affiliates in other OECD countries (horizontal FDI). This is consistent with implications of the newly developed horizontal MNE models.
On the Measurement and Analysis of Asymmetry with Applications to Facial Modelling
Authors: Bock Mitchum T. , Bowman Adrian W. 
Published: December 2005

Summary
Asymmetry is a feature of shape which is of particular interest in a variety of applications. With landmark data, the essential information on asymmetry is contained in the degree to which there is a mismatch between a landmark configuration and its relabelled and matched reflection. This idea is explored in the context of a study of facial shape in infants, where particular interest lies in identifying changes over time and in assessing residual deformity in children who have had corrective surgery for a cleft lip or cleft lip and palate. Interest lies not in whether the mean shape is asymmetric but in comparing the degrees of asymmetry in different populations. A decomposition of the asymmetry score into components that are attributable to particular features of the face is proposed. A further decomposition allows different sources of asymmetry due to position, orientation or intrinsic asymmetry to be identified for each feature. The methods are also extended to data representing anatomical curves across the face.
Extreme Shape Analysis
Authors: Dryden Ian L. , Zempléni András 
Published: December 2005

SummaryWe consider the analysis of extreme shapes rather than the more usual mean- and variance-based shape analysis. In particular, we consider extreme shape analysis in two applications: human muscle fibre images, where we compare healthy and diseased muscles, and temporal sequences of DNA shapes from molecular dynamics simulations. One feature of the shape space is that it is bounded, so we consider estimators which use prior knowledge of the upper bound when present. Peaks-over-threshold methods and maximum-likelihood-based inference are used. We introduce fixed end point and constrained maximum likelihood estimators, and we discuss their asymptotic properties for large samples. It is shown that in some cases the constrained estimators have half the mean-square error of the unconstrained maximum likelihood estimators. The new estimators are applied to the muscle and DNA data, and practical conclusions are given.
Pollination and seed predation by moths on Silene and allied Caryophyllaceae: evaluating a model system to study the evolution of mutualisms
Authors: Kephart Susan , Reynolds Richard J. , Rutter Matthew T. , Fenster Charles B. , Dudash Michele R. 
Published: December 2005

SummaryNursery pollinators, and the plants they use as hosts for offspring development, function as exemplary models of coevolutionary mutualism. The two pre‐eminent examples – fig wasps and yucca moths – show little variation in the interaction: the primary pollinator is an obligate mutualist. By contrast, nursery pollination of certain Caryophyllaceae, including Silene spp., by two nocturnal moth genera, Hadena and Perizoma, ranges from antagonistic to potentially mutualistic, offering an opportunity to test hypotheses about the factors that promote or discourage the evolution of mutualism. Here, we review nursery pollination and host–plant interactions in over 30 caryophyllaceous plants, based on published studies and a survey of researchers investigating pollination, seed predation, and moth morphology and behavior. We detected little direct evidence of mutualism in these moth–plant interactions, but found traits and patterns in both that are nonetheless consistent with the evolution of mutualism and merit further attention.
Effects of variation in posture and respiration on RSA and pre‐ejection period
Authors: Houtveen Jan H. , Groot Paul F.C. , De Geus Eco J.C. 
Published: December 2005

AbstractThe extent to which variation in posture and respiration can confound pre‐ejection period and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as indices of cardiac sympatho‐vagal activity was examined. Within‐subjects changes in these measures were assessed in 36 subjects during different postures and (paced) respiratory frequencies. Changes from supine to sitting to standing led to reduced RSA values and longer pre‐ejection periods, reflecting the known decrease in vagal but not the increase of sympathetic activity. Multilevel path analysis showed that within‐subjects changes in sympatho‐vagal balance were faithfully reflected by changes in interbeat interval, but imperfectly by changes in RSA and pre‐ejection period. It was concluded that pre‐ejection period should be stratified for posture and RSA for respiratory frequency to reliably index changes in sympatho‐vagal balance when these factors are prone to change (e.g., during 24‐h ambulatory recording)
Modulation of spinal reflexes by sexual films of increasing intensity
Authors: Both Stephanie , Van Boxtel Geert , Stekelenburg Jeroen , Everaerd Walter , Laan Ellen 
Published: December 2005

AbstractSexual arousal can be viewed as an emotional state generating sex‐specific autonomic and general somatic motor system responses that prepare for sexual action. In the present study modulation of spinal tendious (T) reflexes by sexual films of varying intensity was investigated. T reflexes were expected to increase as a function of increased film intensity. Through use of a between‐subjects design, participants were exposed to three erotic films of low, moderate, and high intensity or to three films of moderate intensity. Self‐report and genital data confirmed the induction of increasing versus stable levels of sexual arousal. Exposure to the films of increasing intensity resulted in increasing T reflexes. The results indicate that T reflex modulation is sensitive to varying levels of sexual arousal and may be of use in research on behavioral mechanisms underlying appetitive motivation.
Gender and suppression of mid‐latency ERP components during stress
Authors: White Patricia M. , Kanazawa Asako , Yee Cindy M. 
Published: December 2005

AbstractSubstantial research evidence suggests that women may be more reactive to stress than men. This study examined the influence of gender and stress on suppression of the P50 and N100 components of the auditory event‐related potential. During a stressor task, women (n=13) showed disrupted P50 and N100 suppression whereas men (n=15) exhibited only alterations in N100 suppression. Additionally, reduced skin conductance level during stress correlated with impaired P50 suppression and elevated Click 2 amplitude of the P50 response in women. These data suggest that gender differences in response to perceived stress may be an important factor to consider in studies relying upon the P50 suppression paradigm.
The latent state‐trait structure of resting EEG asymmetry: Replication and extension
Authors: Hagemann Dirk , Hewig Johannes , Seifert Jan , Naumann Ewald , Bartussek Dieter 
Published: December 2005

AbstractRecent research on brain asymmetry suggested that resting electroencephalographic (EEG) asymmetry represents a superimposition of a trait‐like asymmetry with state‐dependent fluctuations. The present study tested this hypothesis and additionally examined individual differences in state changes. A 61‐channel EEG was collected from 59 participants in a resting state on three occasions of measurement. An analysis of latent state‐trait models suggested that between 40% and 50% of the variance of anterior asymmetry measures was due to individual differences on a latent trait and approximately the same portion of the variance was due to occasion‐specific fluctuations. A further analysis of true intraindividual change models indicated that there were large individual differences in intraindividual change over time. These data replicate previous findings and substantiate that resting asymmetry has trait and state properties.
fMRI in an oddball task: Effects of target‐to‐target interval
Authors: Stevens Michael C. , Calhoun Vince D. , Kiehl Kent A. 
Published: December 2005

AbstractThe amplitude of the P3 event‐related potential (ERP) elicited by task‐relevant target (“oddball”) stimuli has been shown to vary in proportion to the length of time between targets. Here we use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to identify neural systems modulated by target interval in a large sample of healthy adults (n=100) during performance of an auditory oddball task that included both target and novel stimuli. A positive relationship was found between target interval and hemodynamic activity in the anterior cingulate and in bilateral lateral prefrontal cortex, temporal‐parietal junction, postcentral gryi, thalamus, and cerebellum. This modulation likely represents updating of the working memory template for the target stimuli. There was no such effect of novel interval, suggesting that neuronal modulation may only occur for task‐relevant stimuli, possibly in the service of strategic resource allocation processes.