bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Differential expression of Aspergillus fumigatus protein in response to treatment with a novel antifungal compound, diethyl 4‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)‐2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐dihydropyridin‐3,5‐dicarboxylate
Authors: Chhillar A. K. , Yadav V , Kumar A , Kumar M , Parmar V. S. , Prasad A , Sharma G. L. 
Published: September 2008

SummaryA dihydropyridine derivative, diethyl 4‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)‐2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐dihydropyridin‐3,5‐dicarboxylate (2e), having potent antifungal activity against pathogenic species of Aspergillus was investigated for its possible molecular mechanism of action. The SDS‐PAGE coupled with nano‐high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was used directly to assess both absolute abundance and differential expression of proteins in the secretory phases of Aspergillus fumigatus under the influence of 2e. It was observed that the compound inhibited the expression of two proteins of 60.99 and 79.77 kDa. Both of these secretory proteins that were inhibited by 2e, were analysed further by matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. The 60.99‐ and 79.77‐kDa proteins were identified as probable retroelement pol polyprotein and elongation factor G respectively. These targeted proteins could be the products of potentially virulence‐related genes of A. fumigatus which may unravel the mode of action of 2e and pathobiology of A. fumigatus.
Diversity of deep‐water cetaceans in relation to temperature: implications for ocean warming
Authors: Whitehead Hal , McGill Brian , Worm Boris 
Published: September 2008

AbstractUnderstanding the effects of natural environmental variation on biodiversity can help predict response to future anthropogenic change. Here we analyse a large, long‐term data set of sightings of deep‐water cetaceans from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Seasonal and geographic changes in the diversity of these genera are well predicted by a convex function of sea‐surface temperature peaking at c. 21 °C. Thus, diversity is highest at intermediate latitudes – an emerging general pattern for the pelagic ocean. When applied to a range of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change global change scenarios, the predicted response is a decline of cetacean diversity across the tropics and increases at higher latitudes. This suggests that deep‐water oceanic communities that dominate > 60% of the planet’s surface may reorganize in response to ocean warming, with low‐latitude losses of diversity and resilience.
Phylogenetic diversity of cyanobacterial narB genes from various marine habitats
Authors: Paerl Ryan W. , Foster Rachel A. , Jenkins Bethany D. , Montoya Joseph P. , Zehr Jonathan P. 
Published: September 2008

SummaryNitrate, the most abundant combined, dissolved form of inorganic nitrogen in global oceans, is a common source of nitrogen (N) for phytoplankton including cyanobacteria. Using a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, the diversity of the cyanobacterial nitrate reductase gene, narB, was examined in plankton samples from a variety of marine habitats. A total of 480 narB gene fragment sequences were obtained from a coastal coral reef (Heron Island, Australia), open‐ocean tropical and subtropical oceanic waters (Atlantic and Pacific Oceans) and a temperate N. Pacific Ocean site (34°N, 129°W). Phylogenetic analyses distinguished eight picocyanobacterial narB clades comprised of DNA sequences derived from the nutrient‐replete coastal, nutrient‐deplete pelagic and tidally influenced coral reef habitats. The phylogeny of recovered narB gene sequences was consistent with 16S rRNA and ITS sequence phylogenies, suggesting minimal horizontal gene transfer of the narB gene. Depending on sampled habitat, environmental narB sequence types segregated into three divisions: non‐picocyanobacterial, coastal picocyanobacterial and open‐ocean picocyanobacterial sequences. Using a reverse transcription PCR method, narB mRNA sequences were amplified from Heron Island samples, indicating that narB expression can be detected in environmental samples.
Ammonia‐oxidizing Crenarchaeota and nitrification inside the tissue of a colonial ascidian
Authors: Martínez‐García Manuel , Stief Peter , Díaz‐Valdés Marta , Wanner Gerhard , Ramos‐Esplá Alfonso , Dubilier Nicole , Antón Josefa 
Published: September 2008

SummaryMarine Crenarchaeota represent an abundant component of the oceanic microbiota that play an important role in the global nitrogen cycle. Here we report the association of the colonial ascidian Cystodytes dellechiajei with putative ammonia‐oxidizing Crenarchaeota that could actively be involved in nitrification inside the animal tissue. As shown by 16S rRNA gene analysis, the ascidian‐associated Crenarchaeota were phylogenetically related to Nitrosopumilus maritimus, the first marine archaeon isolated in pure culture that grows chemolithoautotrophically oxidizing ammonia to nitrite aerobically. Catalysed reporter deposition (CARD)‐FISH revealed that the Crenarchaeota were specifically located inside the tunic tissue of the colony, where moreover the expression of amoA gene was detected. The amoA gene encodes the alpha‐subunit of ammonia monooxygenase, which is involved in the first step of nitrification, the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite. Sequencing of amoA gene showed that they were phylogenetically related to amoA genes of N. maritimus and other putative ammonia‐oxidizing marine Crenarchaeota. In order to track the suspected nitrification activity inside the ascidian colony under in vivo conditions, microsensor profiles were measured through the tunic tissue. Net NOx production was detected in the tunic layer 1200–1800 μm with rates of 58–90 nmol cm−3 h−1. Oxygen and pH microsensor profiles showed that the layer of net NOx production coincided with O2 concentrations of 103–116 μM and pH value of 5.2. Together, molecular and microsensor data indicate that Crenarchaeota could oxidize ammonia to nitrite aerobically, and thus be involved in nitrification inside the ascidian tissue.
Reduced GFR and microalbuminuria are independently associated with prevalent cardiovascular disease in Type 2 diabetes: JDDM study 16
Authors: Yokoyama H. , Oishi M. , Kawai K. , Sone H. ,   on behalf of the Japan Diabetes Clinical Data Management Study Group
Published: September 2008

AbstractAims  We investigated whether a reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevalence, independent of the effect of microalbuminuria in patients with diabetes.Methods  In a multicentre, large‐scale cohort including 3002 Japanese patients with Type 2 diabetes without macroalbuminuria, the relationship of a reduced eGFR and microalbuminuria with CVD was investigated.Results  Of those patients, 4.8% had a reduced eGFR and microalbuminuria, 12.7% had a reduced eGFR without microalbuminuria and 18.7% had microalbuminuria but normal eGFR. A reduced eGFR and microalbuminuria were each associated with a doubling of the prevalence of CVD. Compared with patients with no microalbuminuria/normal eGFR [odds ratio (OR) 1.0], the OR for CVD was significantly higher in those with a reduced eGFR without microalbuminuria (OR 1.97) and similarly higher in those with microalbuminuria without a reduced eGFR (OR 1.85). The OR was highest in those with both a reduced eGFR and microalbuminuria (OR 3.97, 95% confidence interval 2.55–6.20). The OR for CVD remained significant after adjustments for age, sex, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, smoking, body mass index, glycated haemoglobin and the duration of diabetes, and remained significant if the cut‐off point for microalbuminuria was set at the median albumin : creatinine ratio (13.7 mg/g creatinine). In patients without microalbuminuria, a reduced eGFR was associated with CVD only in the older and male groups.Conclusion  A reduced eGFR and the presence of microalbuminuria were each associated with a near doubling of the prevalence of CVD, independently of traditional CVD risk factors and glycaemic control in patients with Type 2 diabetes.
Does Competition Improve Health Care Quality?
Authors: Scanlon Dennis P. , Swaminathan Shailender , Lee Woolton , Chernew Michael 
Published: September 2008

Objective. To identify the effect of competition on health maintenance organizations' (HMOs) quality measures.Study Design. Longitudinal analysis of a 5‐year panel of the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) and Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Survey® (CAHPS) data (calendar years 1998–2002). All plans submitting data to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) were included regardless of their decision to allow NCQA to disclose their results publicly.Data Sources. NCQA, Interstudy, the Area Resource File, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.Methods. Fixed‐effects models were estimated that relate HMO competition to HMO quality controlling for an unmeasured, time‐invariant plan, and market traits. Results are compared with estimates from models reliant on cross‐sectional variation.Principal Findings. Estimates suggest that plan quality does not improve with increased levels of HMO competition (as measured by either the Herfindahl index or the number of HMOs). Similarly, increased HMO penetration is generally not associated with improved quality. Cross‐sectional models tend to suggest an inverse relationship between competition and quality.Conclusions. The strategies that promote competition among HMOs in the current market setting may not lead to improved HMO quality. It is possible that price competition dominates, with purchasers and consumers preferring lower premiums at the expense of improved quality, as measured by HEDIS and CAHPS. It is also possible that the fragmentation associated with competition hinders quality improvement.
The Effect of Community‐Level Unemployment on Preventive Oral Health Care Utilization
Authors: Quinn Brian C. , Catalano Ralph A. , Felber Eugene 
Published: September 2008

Objective. To test the hypothesis that high community‐level unemployment is associated with reduced use of preventive dental care services by a dentally insured population.Data. The study uses monthly data on population dental visits and unemployment in the Seattle and Spokane areas from 1995 to 2004. Utilization data come from Washington Dental Services. Unemployment data were obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Washington's Employment Security Department.Study Design. The study uses a Box–Jenkins Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) method to measure the association between the variables over time. The approach controls for the effects of autocorrelation, seasonality, and confounding variables.Findings. In the Seattle area, an unexpected 10,000 unit increase in the number of unemployed individuals is associated with a 1.24 percent decrease in preventive visits during the month ( p=.0043). In the Spokane area, a similar increase in unemployment is associated with a 5.95 percent decrease in preventive visits ( p=.0326). The findings persist when the independent variable is the number of initial unemployment insurance claims.Conclusions. The analysis suggests that utilization of preventive dental care declines during periods of high community‐level unemployment. Community‐level unemployment may impede or distract populations from utilizing preventive dental services. The study's findings have implications for insurers, dentists, policy makers, and researchers.
Surgical closure of the patent ductus arteriosus and its effect on the cerebral tissue oxygenation
Authors: Vanderhaegen J , De Smet D , Meyns B , Van De Velde M , Van Huffel S , Naulaers G 
Published: September 2008

AbstractAim: Surgical patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligation is considered after failure or contraindication of medical treatment. Till now ligation of the PDA has been associated with low morbidity and mortality although recently concerns have been raised about the possible association of ductal clipping and neurodevelopmental abnormalities later in life. By means of near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), we analysed the changes in the cerebral tissue oxygenation index (TOI) and fractional tissue oxygen extraction (FTOE) at the time of clipping as well as after clipping.Method: Ten preterm infants with a symptomatic PDA who underwent surgical ligation were continuously monitored for heart rate (HR), mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), peripheral oxygen saturation (SaO2) and TOI from 1 h before up to 1 h after clipping. FTOE and haemoglobin difference (HbD) were calculated. Changes in parameters at 5 min after ligation represent the effect of the clipping itself whereas changes up to 1 h‐post‐clipping represent the post‐clipping effect.Results: At the exact time of clipping, over the entire group, we found a significant increase in TOI of 2.9% (p = 0.037), in HbD of 12.5 μmol/l (p = 0.047) and in HR of 6.5 bpm (p = 0.012). FTOE significantly decreased by 0.02% (p = 0.013). One hour post‐clipping, the cerebral and peripheral parameters were not significantly different from the control values before clipping.Conclusion: The ductal clipping in se has no negative effect on the cerebral oxygenation.
Development and growth in very preterm infants in relation to NIDCAP in a Dutch NICU: two years of follow‐up
Authors: Wielenga JM , Smit BJ , Merkus MP , Wolf MJ , Van Sonderen L , Kok JH 
Published: September 2008

AbstractAim: To study development and growth in relation to newborn individualized developmental and assessment program (NIDCAP®) for infants born with a gestational age of less than 30 weeks.Methods: Developmental outcome of surviving infants, 25 in the NIDCAP group and 24 in the conventional care group, in a prospective phase‐lag cohort study performed in a Dutch level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) was compared. Main outcome measure was the Bayley scales of infant development‐II (BSID‐II) at 24 months corrected age. Secondary outcomes were neurobehavioral and developmental outcome and growth at term, 6, 12 and 24 months.Results: Accounting for group differences and known outcome predictors no significant differences were seen between both care groups in BSID‐II at 24 months. At term age NIDCAP infants scored statistically significant lower on neurobehavioral competence; motor system (median [IQR] 4.8 [2.9–5.0] vs. 5.2 [4.3–5.7], p = 0.021) and autonomic stability (median [IQR] 5.7 [4.8–6.7] vs. 7.0 [6.0–7.7], p = 0.001). No differences were seen in other developmental outcomes. After adjustment for background differences, growth parameters were comparable between groups during the first 24 months of life.Conclusion: At present, the strength of conclusions to be drawn about the effect of NIDCAP on developmental outcome or growth at 24 months of age is restricted. Further studies employing standardized assessment approaches including choice of measurement instruments and time points are needed.
Multigene analysis for differentiation of aster yellows phytoplasmas infecting carrots in Serbia
Authors: Duduk B. , Calari A. , Paltrinieri S. , Duduk N. , Bertaccini A. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractDuring a survey of large carrot fields in Serbia, plants showing leaf reddening and/or yellowing, adventitious shoot production and reduction in taproot size and quality were observed in a low percentage of plants. To verify phytoplasma association with the described symptoms and to carry out pathogen differentiation, PCR assays followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses and/or sequencing of phytoplasma 16Sr DNA and ribosomal protein genes l22 and s3, tuf, putative aa kinase plus ribosomal recycling factor genes and DNA helicase gene were carried out. Phytoplasmas belonging to 16SrI‐A and 16SrI‐B ribosomal subgroups and to rpI‐A and rpI‐B ribosomal protein subgroups, respectively, were identified by RFLP analyses in 13 of 15 symptomatic plants tested. No amplification was obtained with non‐symptomatic carrot samples. The identification was confirmed by sequence analyses of the phytoplasma genes studied. In two carrot samples, presence of interoperon sequence heterogeneity was detected and phytoplasma strains were identified as belonging to 16SrI group but were not assigned to any 16S rRNA or ribosomal protein subgroup. This research allowed the first molecular identification of phytoplasmas infecting carrot in Serbia using several molecular markers, and it indicates that under field conditions in non‐epidemic outbreaks a certain amount of genetic mutation may occur in conserved genes of these prokaryotes.
Rice root colonisation by mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi in aerobic soil
Authors: Vallino M. , Greppi D. , Novero M. , Bonfante P. , Lupotto E. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractArbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are ubiquitous root symbionts that form intimate associations with the majority of plants growing in aerobic soil; fungal endophytes live internally, either intercellularly or intracellularly, and asymptomatically within plant tissues. Their presence is correlated with an increased response to biotic and abiotic stress. The populations of AM and of endophytic fungi were studied in the roots of different rice varieties grown in aerobic condition, in experimental fields in Vercelli, North Italy. All the rice varieties resulted colonised by AM fungi with a percentage of arbuscularisation ranging between 4% and 28%. Preliminary molecular analyses on some rice varieties showed that the AM population was composed of fungi identified as Glomus intraradices, on the basis of 18S ribosomal gene. All the varieties analysed but one resulted in colonisation by endophytic fungi. About 300 fungal isolates were obtained, belonging mainly to the genera Neotyphodium, Stagonospora and Penicillium.
Sound waves in the intracluster medium of the Centaurus cluster
Authors: Sanders J. S. , Fabian A. C. 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
We report the discovery of ripple-like X-ray surface brightness oscillations in the core of the Centaurus cluster of galaxies, found with 200 ks of Chandra observations. The features are between 3 and 5 per cent variations in surface brightness with a wavelength of around 9 kpc. If, as has been conjectured for the Perseus cluster, these are sound waves generated by the repetitive inflation of central radio bubbles, they represent around 5 × 1042 erg s−1 of spherical sound wave power at a radius of 30 kpc. The period of the waves would be 107 yr. If their power is dissipated in the core of the cluster, it would balance much of the radiative cooling by X-ray emission, which is around 1.3 × 1043 erg s−1 within the inner 30 kpc. The power of the sound waves would be a factor of 4 smaller that the heating power of the central radio bubbles, which means that energy is converted into sound waves efficiently.
Truncated Plurigaussian Simulations to Characterize Aquifer Heterogeneity
Authors: Mariethoz Grégoire , Renard Philippe , Cornaton Fabien , Jaquet Olivier 
Published: September 2008

AbstractIntegrating geological concepts, such as relative positions and proportions of the different lithofacies, is of highest importance in order to render realistic geological patterns. The truncated plurigaussian simulation method provides a way of using both local and conceptual geological information to infer the distributions of the facies and then those of hydraulic parameters. The method (Le Loc’h and Galli 1994) is based on the idea of truncating at least two underlying multi‐Gaussian simulations in order to create maps of categorical variable. In this article, we show how this technique can be used to assess contaminant migration in highly heterogeneous media. We illustrate its application on the biggest contaminated site of Switzerland. It consists of a contaminant plume located in the lower fresh water Molasse on the western Swiss Plateau. The highly heterogeneous character of this formation calls for efficient stochastic methods in order to characterize transport processes.
Using Semivariogram Parameter Uncertainty in Hydrogeological Applications
Authors: Pardo‐Igúzquiza Eulogio , Chica‐Olmo Mario , Garcia‐Soldado Maria Jose , Luque‐Espinar Juan A. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractGeostatistical estimation (kriging) and geostatistical simulation are routinely used in ground water hydrology for optimal spatial interpolation and Monte Carlo risk assessment, respectively. Both techniques are based on a model of spatial variability (semivariogram or covariance) that generally is not known but must be inferred from the experimental data. Where the number of experimental data is small (say, several tens), as is not unusual in ground water hydrology, the model fitted to the empirical semivariogram entails considerable uncertainty. If all the practical results are based on this unique fitted model, the final results will be biased. We propose that, instead of using a unique semivariogram model, the full range of models that are inside a given confidence region should be used, and the weight that each semivariogram model has on the final result should depend on its plausibility. The first task, then, is to evaluate the uncertainty of the model, which can be efficiently done by using maximum likelihood inference. The second task is to use the range of plausible models in applications and to show the effect observed on the final results. This procedure is put forth here with kriging and simulation applications, where the uncertainty in semivariogram parameters is propagated into the final results (e.g., the prediction of ground water head). A case study using log‐transmissivity data from the Vega de Granada aquifer, in southern Spain, is given to illustrate the methodology.
Human Security and Food Security in Geographical Study: Pragmatic Concepts or Elusive Theory?
Authors: Huish Robert 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThis article explores how the concepts of ‘food security’ and ‘human security’ build common language between action‐based researchers and policy‐makers for effective knowledge translation. Both concepts are important examples of how research can inform policy aimed at social justice. While human security is still building a sense of itself, the concept of food security demonstrates how broader issues can be excluded from the common language and how this limits dialogue. In the process of building common language between researchers and policy‐makers, the agreed definition of food security excluded many important issues. As a result, the excluded, more radical issues have been pursued by off‐shoot movements that do less to directly engage the policy‐making process. Human security is a similar concept that is at risk of abandoning its radical origins in order to be considered workable by policy‐makers and academics alike. I argue that social justice theorization must maintain the audacity to envision radical improvements to the human condition, albeit pursuing working definitions for policy‐makers. Social justice and action‐based research should not shy away from theory that seeks to overcome inequity and injustice; it should work to meet the needs of people rather than meet the needs of existing policy‐making technocracy.