bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF XANTHOANGELOL, A CHALCONE COMPOUND FROM ANGELICA KEISKEI, ON LIPID METABOLISM IN STROKE‐PRONE SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS
Authors: Ogawa Hiroshi , Okada Yukiko , Kamisako Toshinori , Baba Kimiye 
Published: January 2007

SUMMARY

Recently, we reported that 4‐hydroxyderricin, one of the major chalcones in Angelica keiskei extract (ethyl acetate extract from the yellow liquid of stems), exerted hypotensive and lipid regulatory actions in stroke‐prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). In the present study, we isolated xanthoangelol, another major chalcone in A. keiskei extract, and examined the effect of dietary xanthoangelol on blood pressure and lipid metabolism in SHRSP.
Six‐week‐old male SHRSP were fed diets containing 0.02% or 0.1% xanthoangelol (0.02 and 0.10 Xan, respectively) for 7 weeks, with free access to the diet and water. There were no significant changes in daily food intake, bodyweight or systolic blood pressure throughout the experimental period. Serum total cholesterol levels tended to decrease in the two experimental groups (albeit not significantly), which was due to a dose‐dependent decrease in the cholesterol content of the low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) fraction. These results suggest that dietary xanthoangelol decreases serum LDL levels.
In the liver, significant dose‐dependent decreases in relative liver liver weight and total triglyceride content were seen in the 0.02 and 0.10 Xan groups. In addition, a significant decrease in total cholesterol content was found in the 0.10 Xan group, which may be due to an elevation of faecal cholesterol excretion in addition to the decrease in liver weight.
Investigation of the hepatic mRNA expression of proteins involved in lipid metabolism indicated that there was a significant increase in peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor (PPAR) α mRNA expression associated with the tendency for increases in acyl‐coenzyme A (CoA) synthetase and acyl‐CoA oxidase mRNA expression in the 0.10 Xan group, which may be responsible, at least in part, for the decrease in hepatic triglyceride content in the xanthoangelol‐treated rats. In additon, a significant increase in LDL receptor mRNA expression in the 0.10 Xan group may be responsible, at least in part, for the decrease in serum LDL levels in the xanthoangelol‐treated rats.
In conclusion, dietary xanthoangelol results in a reduction of serum LDL levels and decreases in total cholesterol and triglyceride contents in the liver of SHRSP. These beneficial effects are more effective following consumption of diet containing 0.10% xanthoangelol.
Fish community comparisons along environmental gradients in lakes of France and north‐east USA
Authors: Irz Pascal , Michonneau François , Oberdorff Thierry , Whittier Thomas R. , Lamouroux Nicolas , Mouillot David , Argillier Christine 
Published: January 2007

ABSTRACTAim  To assess whether eight traits of fish communities (species richness, three reproductive traits and four trophic traits) respond similarly to environmental gradients, and consequently display convergence between the lakes of France and north‐east USA (NEUSA).Location  75 French and 168 north‐east USA lakes.Methods  The data encompass fish surveys, the assignment of species into reproductive and trophic guilds, and environmental variables characterizing the lakes and their catchments. The analytical procedure was adapted from the recommendations of Schluter (1986) [Ecology, 67, 1073–1085].Results  The comparison of the regional pools of lacustrine fishes indicated that NEUSA was about twice as speciose as France, mostly due to higher species turnover across lakes, although NEUSA lakes were consistently about 20% more speciose than French lakes for a given surface area. Warmer environments were consistently inhabited by a higher proportion of phytophilous and guarder species than were colder lakes. Hence there was convergence in community reproductive traits. Conversely, there was no evidence of convergence in the trophic structure of lacustrine fish communities between regions.Main conclusions  The influence of temperature on the availability and quality of spawning substrates appears to be a major constraint on present‐day lacustrine fish communities. In parallel, phylogenetic constraints, past events such as the diversification of the North American fish fauna, and selective extinctions during Pleistocene glaciations and subsequent recolonizations contribute to explaining the dissimilarities between the communities of the two regions and differences in their relationship to the environment.
Cross Country Differences in Trust in Television and the Governance of Public Broadcasters
Authors: Connolly Sara , Hargreaves Heap Shaun P. 
Published: January 2007

SUMMARYThis paper offers an explanation of European cross country differences in the trust enjoyed by television. Our argument turns on the way that, while there is significant public ownership of television in all countries (so that trust in broadcasting as a whole is bound to depend importantly on trust in public broadcasters), the extent of independence of these public broadcasters from government varies across countries and this affects their trustworthiness. Trust in television matters not only because of the special influence that television plays in the political system but also because there is evidence that trust in institutions directly contributes to individuals' subjective well‐being.
Polarized Futures
Authors: Goorha Prateek 
Published: January 2007

SUMMARYIn essence, convergence in the ergodic distribution of political regimes has come to be known as the End of History thesis. This essay argues that, in fact, the end of history is not imminent. The future distribution of political regimes, like that of economic income, shows signs of polarization instead. Jointly, these are significant findings for our field and deserve more attention than they currently garner.
Oil outlook to 2025
Authors:   OPEC Secretariat
Published: January 2007

AbstractOil is expected to maintain its leading position in meeting the world's growing energy needs for at least the next two decades. In the reference scenario, oil demand is set to rise by 30 million barrels per day over the next twenty years. However, although developing countries account for most of the rise, energy poverty will remain an important issue. From the supply perspective, the resource base is sufficient to satisfy expected oil demand growth. Non‐OPEC supply is eventually expected to reach a plateau, and, therefore, over the longer‐term, OPEC will be relied upon to supply most of the incremental barrel. These projections underline the need for substantial investment along the entire hydrocarbon supply chain, although the global scale of upstream investment that this outlook implies is not expected to be greater in magnitude than that witnessed in the past. Nevertheless, oil prices must be sufficient to mobilise the resources to supply the market with the necessary oil.In line with OPEC's longstanding commitment to support oil market stability, OPEC crude capacity expansion plans are already in place to reach almost 38 mb/d by the end of 2010. This demonstrates the seriousness OPEC attaches to the need for security of energy supply. However, energy security has to be seen from both supply and demand perspectives. Uncertainty over future demand translates into large uncertainties over the amount of oil that OPEC Member Countries will eventually need to supply. Even over the medium‐term to 2010, there is an estimated range of uncertainty of $50 billion for required investment, increasing to $140 bn by 2015.The investment challenge extends along the entire supply chain. The downstream sector is a very important part of that chain. Over the coming decade, rising volumes, the continued move towards demand for lighter products, and the movement towards significantly cleaner products, means that the downstream sector will require significant investment. However, investments are coming at a considerably slower pace than warranted by the expected demand growth. Ways need to be explored that could accelerate expansion plans, and create the right investment climate.A further critical issue concerns whether increasing use of fossil fuels is consistent with the protection of the environment. Technological options that allow continued use of fossil fuels in a carbon‐constrained world must be considered. One promising example is carbon capture and storage. Steps need to be taken to move this technology forward with large‐scale demonstration projects.
A randomized, single‐blind comparison of topical clindamycin + benzoyl peroxide (Duac®) and erythromycin + zinc acetate (Zineryt®) in the treatment of mild to moderate facial acne vulgaris
Authors: Langner A , Sheehan‐Dare R , Layton A 
Published: January 2007

AbstractBackground  Antibiotics are often combined with other agents to provide topical acne treatments that are effective against both inflammatory and non‐inflammatory lesions and minimize the development of antibiotic resistance.Objectives  To compare the clinical effectiveness of two combination treatments for facial acne: a ready mixed, once daily gel containing clindamycin phosphate (1%) plus benzoyl peroxide (5%) (CDP + BPO) and a twice daily solution of erythromycin (4%) plus zinc acetate (1.2%) (ERY + Zn).Methods/patients  In this assessor‐blind, randomized study, 73 patients were treated with CDP + BPO once daily and 75 patients with ERY + Zn twice daily. The treatment period was 12 weeks and lesion counts and global improvement were assessed at weeks 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12.Results  CDP + BPO showed an earlier onset of action with a faster significant reduction in total lesion counts than ERY + Zn. The proportion of patients with at least a 30% improvement in non‐inflammatory lesions at week 1 was 31.5% for CDP + BPO and 17.3% for ERY + Zn; the corresponding percentages for inflammatory lesions were 39.7% and 29.3%. A difference was also observed at week 2 (53.4% vs. 36.0% for non‐inflammatory lesions and 72.6% vs. 53.3% for inflammatory lesions). The trend in favour of CDP + BPO, although less marked, continued to the end of the study, with reductions in the total lesion count at endpoint of 69.8% for CDP + BPO group and 64.5% for ERY + Zn group. Both treatments were well tolerated.Conclusions  CDP + BPO and ERY + Zn are effective treatments for acne but CDP + BPO has an earlier onset of action that should improve patient compliance.
Mineral precipitation associated with vertical fault zones: the interaction of solute advection, diffusion and chemical kinetics
Authors: ZHAO CHONGBIN , HOBBS B. E. , ORD A. , HORNBY P. , PENG SHENGLIN , LIU LIANGMING 
Published: January 2007

AbstractThis article is concerned with chemical reactions that occur between two interacting parallel fluid flows using mixing in vertical faults as an example. Mineral precipitation associated with fluid flow in permeable fault zones results in mineralization and chemical reaction (alteration) patterns, which in turn are strongly dependent on interactions between solute advection (controlled by fluid flow rates), solute diffusion/dispersion and chemical kinetics. These interactions can be understood by simultaneously considering two dimensionless numbers, the Damköhler number and the Z‐number. The Damköhler number expresses the interaction between solute advection (flow rate) and chemical kinetics, while the Z‐number expresses the interaction between solute diffusion/dispersion and chemical kinetics. Based on the Damköhler and Z‐numbers, two chemical equilibrium length‐scales are defined, dominated by either solute advection or by solute diffusion/dispersion. For a permeable vertical fault zone and for a given solute diffusion/dispersion coefficient, there exist three possible types of chemical reaction patterns, depending on both the flow rate and the chemical reaction rate. These three types are: (i) those dominated by solute diffusion and dispersion resulting in precipitation at the lower tip of a vertical fault and as a thin sliver within the fault, (ii) those dominated by solute advection resulting in precipitation at or above the upper tip of the fault, and (iii) those in which advection and diffusion/dispersion play similar roles resulting in wide mineralization within the fault. Theoretical analysis indicates that there exists both an optimal flow rate and an optimal chemical reaction rate, such that chemical equilibrium following focusing and mixing of two fluids may be attained within the fault zone (i.e. type 3). However, for rapid and parallel flows, such as those resulting from a lithostatic pressure gradient, it is difficult for a chemical reaction to reach equilibrium within the fault zone, if the two fluids are not well mixed before entering the fault zone. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the three possible types of chemical reaction patterns.
Long‐term effects of various crop rotations for managing salt‐affected soils through a field scale decision support system – a case study
Authors: Kaur R. , Malik R. , Paul M. 
Published: January 2007

AbstractAppropriate crop rotations coupled to water use plans are the basic means of managing salt‐affected soils. Recommendation of suitable crop rotations for salt‐affected land requires prediction of their long‐term impact on soil salinity/sodicity build‐up and consequent crop yield reduction. This is conventionally achieved through long‐term field experiments. However, such evaluations are site specific, expensive and time consuming. Appropriate decision support systems (DSS) can be a cost‐effective means in such cases. This study demonstrates the application of one such DSS for recommending the best crop rotation for a salt‐affected field in Gurgaon district of Haryana (India). Before application, the DSS was extensively validated on 11 farmer's fields and one experimental field in Gurgaon and Karnal districts of Haryana. The DSS gave realistic estimates of root zone soil salinity/sodicity and relative crop yield reductions under the local management practices. These estimates were associated with absolute mean relative errors ranging between 0.02 and 0.24. Ten‐year impact assessments of existing (i.e. paddy–wheat, P‐W) and 10 alternative crop rotation plans with the validated DSS showed that pearl millet‐based sequences were, environmentally and agronomically, the most suitable options for the test field. However, a cost–benefit analysis of DSS‐simulated average annual crop yields, under various crop rotations, showed that the economic return of pearl millet‐based sequences was about 13% less than fallow–wheat (F‐W) rotations and 4% less than P‐W rotations. Hence F‐W was recommended as the most beneficial environmental choice and economically the most robust alternative crop sequence for the salt‐affected field.
Manipulating the N release from N‐rich crop residues by using organic wastes on soils with different textures
Authors: Chaves B. , De Neve S. , Piulats L. M. , Boeckx P. , Van Cleemput O. , Hofman G. 
Published: January 2007

AbstractThe potential to manipulate the N release from vegetable crop residues (cauliflower, leek) by using organic wastes was tested under field conditions on three soil textures during 2 years (silt loam, sandy loam and loamy sand). During the first year, incorporation of green waste compost and sawdust did not significantly increase microbial biomass N and did not lead to a significant N immobilization of crop residue‐N. During the second year, straw did increase microbial biomass N and showed a good N immobilization potential in all textures. The largest increase in microbial biomass N and the greatest N immobilization occurred in the loamy sand soil. The texture effect was probably because of better incorporation of the crop residues and immobilizer wastes in the loamy sand soil compared with the other textures. During spring, there was no consistent remineralization of immobilized N after the addition of malting sludge or vinasses in either year. This could be a result of the limited amount of N immobilized and available for remineralization in the first year or an unsuitable composition of the remineralizer wastes.
Leaching and crop uptake of N, P and K from organic and conventional cropping systems on a clay soil
Authors: Aronsson H. , Torstensson G. , Bergström L. 
Published: January 2007

AbstractIn this study, three types of cropping systems with different nutrient management strategies were studied on a clay soil with the aim of comparing leaching of N, P and K and obtaining knowledge on nutrient budgets. A conventional cropping system with cereals and application of mineral fertilizers (CON) was compared with two organic cropping systems, one without animal manure in which green manure crops were used for N supply (OGM) and one where animal manure (cattle slurry) was applied (OAM). Leaching and crop uptake of N, P and K, and soil mineral N were measured in pipe‐drained plots over a 6‐year period.The mean annual leaching loads of N were moderate and did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) between treatments; 13 kg N ha−1in CON, 11 kg N ha−1in OGM and 7.4 kg N ha−1in OAM. Average annual P leaching showed greater variation than N leaching and was significantly greater in OGM (0.81 kg ha−1 year−1) than in CON (0.36 kg ha−1) and OAM (0.41 kg ha−1). For all cropping systems, removal in harvested crops was the most important export of nutrients from the field and constituted between 80 and 94% of total N outputs (harvested and leached N). Yields of cereals in the organic systems were considerably less (15–50%) than in the CON system, leading to a less efficient use of N than in the conventional system.
The Relationship between Work Hours and Utilization of General Practitioners in Four Canadian Provinces
Authors: Fell Deshayne B. , Kephart George , Curtis Lori J. , Bower Kelly , Muhajarine Nazeem , Reid Robert , Roos Leslie 
Published: January 2007

Objective. To assess whether long work hours act as a barrier to accessing general practitioner (GP) services.Data Sources. Secondary data from the 1996/1997 National Population Health Survey (NPHS) and administrative health services utilization data from four Canadian provinces.Study Design. This study was cross‐sectional, however, employment variables and GP utilization were reflective of the 12‐month period preceding the NPHS interview date. Negative binomial regression was used to model the relationship between the number of GP visits in a 1‐year period and employment‐related variables while adjusting for other determinants of GP utilization including education, income, and health status.Data Extraction Methods. NPHS and administrative data were linked to create an analysis file.Principal Findings. Subjects with long, standard work hours (>45 hours/week, with most hours during the day) had significantly lower GP utilization rates compared with full‐time workers. White‐collar workers with long work hours visited a GP significantly less often than white‐collar workers with regular hours.Conclusions. Long work hours may act as a nonfinancial barrier to accessing GP services independent of health status.
Is Thirty‐Day Hospital Mortality Really Lower for Black Veterans Compared with White Veterans?
Authors: Volpp Kevin G. , Stone Roslyn , Lave Judith R. , Jha Ashish K. , Pauly Mark , Klusaritz Heather , Chen Huanyu , Cen Liyi , Brucker Nancy , Polsky Daniel 
Published: January 2007

Objective. To examine the source of observed lower risk‐adjusted mortality for blacks than whites within the Veterans Affairs (VA) system by accounting for hospital site where treated, potential under‐reporting of black deaths, discretion on hospital admission, quality improvement efforts, and interactions by age group.Data Sources. Data are from the VA Patient Treatment File on 406,550 hospitalizations of veterans admitted with a principal diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, stroke, hip fracture, gastrointestinal bleeding, congestive heart failure, or pneumonia between 1996 and 2002. Information on deaths was obtained from the VA Beneficiary Identification Record Locator System and the National Death Index.Study Design. This was a retrospective observational study of hospitalizations throughout the VA system nationally. The primary outcome studied was all‐location mortality within 30 days of hospital admission. The key study variable was whether a patient was black or white.Principal Findings. For each of the six study conditions, unadjusted 30‐day mortality rates were significantly lower for blacks than for whites (p<.01). These results did not vary after adjusting for hospital site where treated, more complete ascertainment of deaths, and in comparing results for conditions for which hospital admission is discretionary versus nondiscretionary. There were also no significant changes in the degree of difference by race in mortality by race following quality improvement efforts within VA. Risk‐adjusted mortality was consistently lower for blacks than for whites only within the population of veterans over age 65.Conclusions. Black veterans have significantly lower 30‐day mortality than white veterans for six common, high severity conditions, but this is generally limited to veterans over age 65. This differential by age suggests that it is unlikely that lower 30‐day mortality rates among blacks within VA are driven by treatment differences by race.
Improvement in “uremic” cardiomyopathy by persistent ultrafiltration
Authors: TÖZ Hüseyin , ÖZKAHYA Mehmet , ÖZERKAN Filiz , AŞÇI Gülay , OK Ercan 
Published: January 2007

AbstractSome patients with end‐stage renal disease suffer severe cardiac dilatation with functional disturbances, notably low ejection fraction (EF) and valvular regurgitation. They often have normal or low blood pressure, and tolerate ultrafiltration (UF) poorly. The aim of our study was to investigate to what extent this condition can still be improved by persistent slow UF. Twelve patients with cardiothoracic index >0.54 and EF <0.45 but otherwise uncomplicated were treated by slow, prolonged UF during hemodialysis (3 times a week) sessions, if necessary supplemented by isolated UF sessions on a separate day. Repeated chest X‐rays and Doppler echocardiography were applied. During treatment periods varying from 20 to 120 days, all of the patients lost weight (12±10 kg) and became edema free. Cardiothoracic index decreased in all patients from a mean of 0.59±0.04 to 0.47±0.03. Blood pressure decreased when it had been elevated and increased when it was below normal. Ejection fraction increased in all of them from a mean of 0.31±0.9 to 0.50±0.9. Mitral and tricuspid regurgitation were found in every patient and disappeared or improved in all of them. Striking improvement of cardiac dilatation and dysfunction can be achieved by carefully monitored persistent UF in the majority of patients with seemingly intractable dilated cardiomyopathy.