bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
PLC‐dependent intracellular Ca2+ release was associated with C6‐ceramide‐induced inhibition of Na+ current in rat granule cells
Authors: Liu Zheng , Fei Xiao‐Wei , Fang Yan‐Jia , Shi Wen‐Jie , Zhang Yu‐Qiu , Mei Yan‐Ai 
Published: July 2008

AbstractIn this report, the effects of C6‐ceramide on the voltage‐gated inward Na+ currents (INa), two types of main K+ current [outward rectifier delayed K+ current (IK) and outward transient K+ current (IA)], and cell death in cultured rat cerebellar granule cells were investigated. At concentrations of 0.01–100 μM, ceramide produced a dose‐dependent and reversible inhibition of INa without alteration of the steady‐state activation and inactivation properties. Treatment with C2‐ceramide caused a similar inhibitory effect on INa. However, dihydro‐C6‐ceramide failed to modulate INa. The effect of C6‐ceramide on INa was abolished by intracellular infusion of the Ca2+‐chelating agent, 1,2‐bis (2‐aminophenoxy) ethane‐N, N, N9, N9‐tetraacetic acid, but was mimicked by application of caffeine. Blocking the release of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum with ryanodine receptor blocker induced a gradual increase in INa amplitude and eliminated the effect of ceramide on INa. In contrast, the blocker of the inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate‐sensitive Ca2+ receptor did not affect the action of C6‐ceramide. Intracellular application of GTPγS also induced a gradual decrease in INa amplitude, while GDPβS eliminated the effect of C6‐ceramide on INa. Furthermore, the C6‐ceramide effect on INa was abolished after application of the phospholipase C (PLC) blockers and was greatly reduced by the calmodulin inhibitors. Fluorescence staining showed that C6‐ceramide decreased cell viability and blocking INa by tetrodotoxin did not mimic the effect of C6‐ceramide, and inhibiting intracellular Ca2+ release by dantrolene could not decrease the C6‐ceramide‐induced cell death. We therefore suggest that increased PLC‐dependent Ca2+ release through the ryanodine‐sensitive Ca2+ receptor may be responsible for the C6‐ceramide‐induced inhibition of INa, which does not seem to be associated with C6‐ceramide‐induced granule neuron death.
Rate and mode of application of the urease inhibitorN‐(n‐butyl) thiophosphoric triamide on ammonia volatilization from surface‐applied urea
Authors: Watson C. J. , Akhonzada N. A. , Hamilton J. T. G. , Matthews D. I. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractA laboratory study evaluated the effect of rate (0, 100, 250, 500, 750 or 1000 mg/kg) and mode of application of the urease inhibitorN‐(n‐butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (nBTPT) (coating the urea granule, adding to the urea melt or adding to urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) solutions) on NH3volatilization from urea, at three temperatures (5, 15 and 25 °C), with four contrasting soil types. Daily ammonia loss was measured for up to 21 days after surface N application, using ventilated soil enclosures. Ammonia loss from unamended urea varied with soil type and temperature and ranged from 8.2 to 31.9% of the N applied. nBTPT was highly effective in lowering NH3volatilization from urea and in delaying the time of maximum rate of loss. The average % inhibition over all soils, temperatures and formulations was 61.2, 69.9, 74.2, 79.2 and 79.8% for the 100, 250, 500, 750 or 1000 mg/kg nBTPT concentration, respectively. The % inhibition with nBTPT was lower at 15 °C compared with at 5 or 25 °C and was lower in UAN solutions than in granular products. There was little difference between the melted and coated granular products in lowering NH3loss or in soil N transformations. The stability of nBTPT in urea products was dependent on its mode of application and on the storage temperature. Incorporating nBTPT in the urea melt produced a more homogeneous product with superior stability than coating the urea granule.
The contribution of agricultural practices to nitrous oxide emissions in semi‐arid Mali
Authors: Dick J. , Kaya B. , Soutoura M. , Skiba U. , Smith R. , Niang A. , Tabo R. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractThe yield and flux of nitrous oxide (N2O) emitted from continuous cereals (with and without urea), legumes/cereal in rotation and cereal/legume in rotation all with or without organic manure was monitored from January 2004 to February 2005. All treatments except continuous cereals had phosphate added. The cereal grown July–October in 2003 and 2004 was pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and the legume was a bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). The 10 m × 10 m plots were established in a semi‐arid climate in Mali. The addition of organic manure and both inorganic fertilizers increased yield and N2O emissions. Continuous cereals treated with both organic manure and urea emitted significantly less N2O (882 g N/ha per year) than plots receiving no organic manure(1535 g N/ha per year). Growing N‐fixing crops in rotation did not significantly increase N2O emissions. This study supports the new practice of growing cereal and legumes in rotation as an environmentally sustainable system in semi‐arid Mali.
Regional‐scale modelling of the spatial distribution of surface and subsurface textural classes in alluvial soils using Markov chain geostatistics
Authors: Zhang C. , Li W. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractSoil texture is directly associated with other soil physical and chemical properties and can affect crop yield, erodibility and water and pollutant movement. Thus, maps of soil textural class are valuable for agricultural management. Conventional spatial statistical methods do not capture the complex large‐scale spatial patterns of multi‐class variables. Markov chain geostatistics (MCG) was recently proposed as a new approach for the conditional simulation of categorical variables. In this study, we apply an MCG algorithm to simulate the spatial distribution of textural classes of alluvial soils at five different depths in a 15‐km2area on the North China Plain. Soil texture was divided into five classes – sand, sandy loam, light loam, medium loam and clay. Optimal prediction maps, simulated maps and occurrence probability maps for each depth were generated from sample data. Simulated results delineated the distribution of the five soil textural classes at the five depths and quantified related spatial uncertainties caused by limited sample size (total of 139 points). These results are not only useful for understanding the spatial distribution of soil texture in alluvial soils, but also provide valuable quantitative information for precision agriculture, soil management and studies on environmental processes affected by surface and subsurface soil textures.
Immigration sceptics, xenophobes or racists? Radical right‐wing voting in six West European countries
Authors: RYDGREN JENS 
Published: July 2008

AbstractGiven how central the immigration issue has been for the new radical right‐wing parties in Western Europe, many have turned to immigration‐related factors in trying to explain their emergence and electoral mobilisation. This research has convincingly shown that immigration scepticism (i.e., wanting to reduce immigration) is among the principal factors for predicting who will vote for a radical right‐wing party. However, earlier studies have often uncritically equated immigration scepticism with xenophobia or even racism. By using data from the first round of the European Social Survey (2003) involving six West European countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Norway), this article differentiates between immigration scepticism and xenophobic attitudes. The analyses strongly indicate that xenophobic attitudes are a far less significant factor than immigration scepticism for predicting who will vote for the new radical right. Moreover, this article analyses the extent to which anti‐immigration frames employed by radical right‐wing parties resonate with attitudes held by supporting voters, and to what extent they make a difference for people's decision to vote for the radical right. The analyses indicate that frames linking immigration to criminality and social unrest are particularly effective for mobilising voter support for the radical right. Finally, the article criticises earlier research that explained radical right‐wing voting with reference to ethnic competition theory. In contrast to much of the earlier research that used macro‐level measures and comparisons, this study uses (self‐reported) individual‐level data on the degree of ethnic heterogeneity of people's area of residence. Hypotheses derived from ethnic competition theory receive less support than expected, which indicates that earlier research may have overestimated the significance of these factors.
Audit Labor Usage and Fees under Business Risk Auditing
Authors: BELL TIMOTHY B. , DOOGAR RAJIB , SOLOMON IRA 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTThe adoption of business risk audit (BRA) approaches during the 1990s by several leading audit firms has been the subject of considerable scrutiny and commentary. Under BRA, the auditor responds to the increasing complexity of auditee financial reports by acquiring a deep and comprehensive understanding of the auditee's industry, strategy, business models, and processes—tasks best accomplished by higher‐ranked labor—and by employing this understanding to make audit labor allocations. Using proprietary data for 165 audits conducted in 2002, we investigate three propositions about audit labor use under BRA. First, relative to pre‐BRA benchmarks for the same auditor, we expect BRA audits to use a greater proportion of higher‐ranked labor. Second, we expect engagements with high assessed auditor business risk (ABR), a summary risk assessment that reflects the BRA auditor's rich understanding of the auditee, to be allocated more labor and more higher‐ranked labor than pre‐BRA benchmarks. Third, at all ranks of labor, we expect a positive association between assessed ABR and levels of labor use. We find empirical evidence consistent with these propositions. We also find that total labor use in our sample is only modestly lower than pre‐BRA norms. Analysis of fee data from these engagements suggests that audit fees in 2002 are substantially less than would be expected under pre‐BRA benchmarks. After controlling for audit labor use, both total fees and fees per hour increase with assessed ABR for first‐year auditees but not for continuing auditees. Overall, our results provide evidence on the impact of the BRA audit regime and speak to the likely impact of BRA on audit effectiveness and efficiency.
Earnings Volatility, Cash Flow Volatility, and Informed Trading
Authors: JAYARAMAN SUDARSHAN 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTI examine whether earnings that are smoother or more volatile than cash flows provide or garble information. Consistent with theories that predict more informed trading when public information is less informative, I find that bid‐ask spreads and the probability of informed trading are higher both when earnings are smoother than cash flows and also when earnings are more volatile than cash flows. Additional tests suggest that managers' discretionary choices that lead to smoother or more volatile earnings than cash flows garble information, on average. However, I find that informed trading is attenuated in settings in which theory suggests that discretionary smoothing or volatizing of earnings is likely to be informative.
The Effect of Regulation FD on Transient Institutional Investors' Trading Behavior
Authors: KE BIN , PETRONI KATHY R. , YU YONG 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTWe assess the impact of Regulation Fair Disclosure (Reg FD) on the trading behavior of transient institutional investors in the quarter prior to a bad news break in a string of consecutive earnings increases. Bad news breaks are defined as breaks that are by growth firms, preceded by longer strings of consecutive earnings increases, followed by longer strings of consecutive earnings decreases, and associated with larger declines in earnings. Pre–Reg FD transient institutions have abnormal selling of stocks in the quarter immediately preceding a bad news break. This abnormal selling is confined to firms that hold conference calls in the pre–Reg FD period. However, in the post–Reg FD period transient institutions do not exhibit similar abnormal selling of stocks in the quarter before a bad news break. Furthermore, after Reg FD transient institutions allocate less of their stock portfolios to conference call firms relative to non–conference call firms in the quarters prior to a bad news break. These results demonstrate that Reg FD has had an impact on management's selective disclosure behavior and significantly changed the trading behavior of transient institutions.
Does Auditor Reputation Matter? The Case of KPMG Germany and ComROAD AG
Authors: WEBER JOSEPH , WILLENBORG MICHAEL , ZHANG JIEYING 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTWe study the stock and audit market effects associated with a widely publicized accounting scandal involving a public company (ComROAD AG) and a large, reputable audit firm (KPMG) in a country (Germany) that has long provided auditors with substantial protection from shareholder legal liability. We use this event to study whether an auditor's reputation helps to ensure audit quality, a rationale for which recent literature and events provide scant support. Given the absence of a strong insurance rationale for audit quality, Germany permits a relatively clean test of whether auditor reputation matters. We find that KPMG's clients sustain negative abnormal returns of 3% at events pertaining to ComROAD, and that these returns are more negative for companies that are likely to have higher demands for audit quality. We also find an increase in the number of clients that drop KPMG in the year of the ComROAD scandal (mostly smaller, recently public companies that are similar to ComROAD). Overall, our results provide support for the reputation rationale for audit quality.
Videogrammetric monitoring of as‐built membrane roof structures
Authors: Lin Shih‐Yuan , Mills Jon P. , Gosling Peter D. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractA monitoring system that uses applied geomatics techniques, including videogrammetry and terrestrial laser scanning, has been developed in order to investigate the dynamic behaviour of as‐built membrane roof structures. To accommodate the problems involved in measuring such roof structures, examples of which include uniform surface texture and unreachable height, the system adopts a non‐contact targeting methodology to substitute for traditional control techniques. In‐house software was developed for processing the acquired video imagery in order to produce a sequential surface model of the membrane. This paper firstly reports on experiments conducted to demonstrate that the monitoring system was capable of measuring representative test structures with a precision of better than ±1 mm. To prove the feasibility and transferability of the system, videogrammetric monitoring campaigns were subsequently performed at a real‐world test site where two different types of membrane structure were observed. The sequential 3D surface models that were generated allowed the displacement of the membrane surfaces to be investigated over a period, during which the range of the movement reached over 20 mm. The information acquired from the system is proving to be of great value to structural engineers involved in research and development of such membrane structures.
A review of fibroblast‐populated collagen lattices
Authors: Dallon John C. , Ehrlich H. Paul 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTBell's introduction of the fibroblast‐populated collagen lattice (FPCL) has facilitated the study of collagen–cell interactions. As a result of the numerous modifications of the casting of FPCLs, the in vivo applications of these in vitro findings have been confusing. Here experimental FPCL contraction findings are viewed in regard to three proposed mechanisms responsible for lattice contraction. The cellular mechanisms responsible for generating FPCL contraction are cell contraction, cell tractional forces related to cell locomotion, and initial cell elongation and spreading.
Local therapy and treatment costs of chronic, venous leg ulcers with electrical stimulation (Dermapulse®): A prospective, placebo controlled, double blind trial
Authors: Jünger Michael , Arnold Andreas , Zuder Daniel , Stahl Hans‐Werner , Heising Susanna 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTThe purpose of our study was the evaluation of the therapeutic benefit and the economical profit of low‐frequency pulsed current applied to therapy‐resistant venous leg ulcers. We investigated 39 patients in a prospective, placebo‐controlled, double blind study on the effect of low‐frequency pulsed current (Dermapulse®) on healing in chronic venous ulcers during a 4‐month course of treatment. All patients had chronic venous ulcers. The following criteria were recorded: ulcer size, pain, capillary density, and transcutaneous oxygen partial pressure. In verum group 3, ulcers healed and ulcer area was reduced significantly. In placebo group two ulcers healed. Ulcer size was reduced significantly in each group (paired test), the difference of ulcer area reduction between the “verum” and the placebo group (unpaired test) was not significant. Capillary density in the ulcer increased in both groups. In verum group, electrical stimulation led to rapid and lasting reduction of pain (unpaired test, p=0.049). By means of the process calculation method for the subgroup of outpatients this treatment method was economically effective. Electrical stimulation seems to be a viable treatment option for therapy‐resistant venous leg ulcers.
The altered expression of syndecan 4 in the uninvolved skin of venous leg ulcer patients may predispose to venous leg ulcer
Authors: Nagy Nikoletta , Németh István Balázs , Szabad Gábor , Szolnoky Gyõzõ , Belsõ Nóra , Bata‐Csörgõ Zsuzsanna , Dobozy Attila , Kemény Lajos , Széll Márta 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTSyndecan 4 (SDC4), a heparan sulfate proteoglycan, and neuropilin 1 (NRP1), a transmembrane receptor, are both involved in normal wound healing, but little is known about their possible role in venous leg ulcer pathogenesis. We aimed to investigate whether there are any expression abnormalities and/or gene polymorphisms of SDC4 and NRP1 associated with venous leg ulcer. SDC4 showed significantly lower mRNA and protein expression in the uninvolved dermis of venous leg ulcer patients (n=15) compared with controls (n=15; p=0.0136), while NRP1 showed no expression abnormalities. None of the examined SDC4 and NRP1 polymorphisms showed a difference in their allelic distribution between leg ulcer patients (n=92) and controls (n=92). We hypothesize that SDC4 may play an essential role not only in the inflammation and tissue formation phases of normal wound healing, but its expression abnormalities observed in the uninvolved dermis of venous leg ulcer patients may contribute to venous leg ulcer development.
Hyperbaric oxygen attenuates cell growth in skin fibroblasts cultured in a high‐glucose medium
Authors: Lin Hen‐I , Chu Shi‐Jye , Perng Wann‐Cherng , Wu Chin‐Pyng , Lin Zuei‐Yin , Huang Kun‐Lun 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTHyperglycemia and hypoxia synergistically retard diabetic wound healing. We investigated the direct effect of hyperbaric and normobaric hyperoxia on skin fibroblasts cultured in a high‐glucose medium. Detroit 551 human dermal fibroblasts cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing d‐glucose had reduced cell survival compared with cells grown in normal glucose medium; survival was 27.5±3.8% lower in 25 mM glucose and 30.6±3.7% lower in 50 mM glucose. Cell survival decreased because of inhibition of cell proliferation and enhanced cell death. Daily hyperbaric oxygen therapy at 2.5 atmosphere absolute for 90 minutes on 3 consecutive days reduced cell proliferation and increased cell death in normal cultured fibroblasts. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy and high‐glucose medium had a synergistic effect and reduced survival by 37.6±4.4% (25 mM glucose) and 39.6±5.1% (50 mM glucose). The effects of hyperbaric oxygen and high‐glucose medium were associated with overproduction of reactive oxygen species. Our results suggest that direct exposure of skin fibroblasts to hyperbaric oxygen affects cell growth and superimposes the toxic effect of high glucose. This cytotoxicity may be related to the production of reactive oxygen species in the fibroblasts.
Healing of a porcine burn wound dressed with human and bovine amniotic membranes
Authors: Park Mushik , Kim Sungpo , Kim In Seop , Son Daegu 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTThe effects of amniotic membranes (AMs), either fresh human and bovine AMs or acellular bovine AMs, on wound healing were compared among the burn wounds of porcine skin. Six pigs were chosen for the study, and we created deep second‐degree contact burns on them with a digitally controlled aluminum thermal block. Then we applied the dressings to some of the wounds using fresh human and bovine AMs, acellular bovine AMs, polyurethane foam, or no dressing. We evaluated the pigs for (1) the rate of epithelialization, (2) histological grading, and (3) infections. We found that the AM groups showed better wound‐healing effects than did the polyurethane foam and no dressing groups, and these differences were statistically significant. However, the differences between the AM groups were not statistically significant. Wound cultures showed higher infection rates in the control and polyurethane foam groups compared with the other groups. Our study showed that fresh or acellular bovine AMs provided similar efficacy for wound healing as did the fresh human AMs.
Expression of genes encoding antimicrobial proteins and members of the toll‐like receptor/nuclear factor‐κB pathways in engineered human skin
Authors: McFarland Kevin L. , Klingenberg Jennifer M. , Boyce Steven T. , Supp Dorothy M. 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTSkin functions as a first line of defense against microbial invasion. Tissue‐engineered cultured skin substitutes (CSS) are used to aid wound closure in massively burned patients, and have been used to facilitate safe and effective wound closure in adult patients with chronic wounds. Although they contain only two cell types at grafting, they can potentially contribute to innate defense against pathogens and stimulation of adaptive immunity. Gene microarrays were used to identify expression in cultured skin of genes involved in innate and adaptive immune responses, and to evaluate the effects of cytokine stimulation on expression levels. Cultured skin expressed multiple antimicrobial protein genes, including human β defensins 1 and 2 and S100A12. In addition, the antiviral gene APOBEC3G, which was not previously identified in skin, was expressed in CSS and up‐regulated by interleukin‐1α and tumor necrosis factor α. Cathelicidin was not expressed in unstimulated CSS, but was induced by cytokine treatment. Further, genes encoding several proinflammatory cytokines and members of the toll‐like receptor and nuclear factor κ B pathways were expressed in CSS, suggesting that cells in CSS can mediate activation of inflammatory responses. The observed expression patterns indicate that engineered human skin utilizes innate defense mechanisms similar to those reported for native skin. Therefore, regulation of these pathways by cytokine stimulation may offer a mechanism for increasing innate immunity in CSS to combat wound infection after grafting onto patients.