bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Thymoquinone supplementation induces quinone reductase and glutathione transferase in mice liver: possible role in protection against chemical carcinogenesis and toxicity
Authors: Nagi Mahmoud N. , Almakki Hussain A. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThymoquinone (TQ), the main constituents of the volatile oil from Nigella sativa seeds is reported to protect laboratory animals against chemical carcinogenesis and toxicity through mechanism(s) that is not fully understood. Among possible mechanism(s), protection could be mediated via induction of detoxifying enzymes, including quinone reductase and glutathione transferase. This study was undertaken to investigate whether oral administration of TQ increases the activities of quinone reductase and glutathione transferase in mice liver. Overdose of TQ, when administered intraperitoneally, caused a marked depletion of hepatic glutathione in both a time‐ and dose‐ dependent manner, a characteristic of a group of compounds known as Michael reaction acceptors which are known to act as inducers of enzymes that protect against chemical carcinogenesis and toxicity. TQ was given (1, 2 and 4 mg/kg/day p.o.) for five days to test the chemical inducibility of quinone reductase and glutathione transferase in mice liver. TQ administration produced significant increase in the activities of quinone reductase (147, 196 and 197% of control, respectively) and glutathione transferase (125, 152 and 154% of control, respectively). In conclusion, oral administration of TQ is effective in increasing the activities of quinone reductase and glutathione transferase and makes TQ a promising prophylactic agent against chemical carcinogenesis and toxicity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Anti‐ and pro‐mutagenic effects of silymarin in the ames bacterial reverse mutation assay
Authors: Kaleeswaran Sampath , Sriram Padmanabhan , Prabhu Daivasigamani , Chinnathambi  , Vijayakumar  , Mathuram Lalgudi Narayanan 
Published: March 2009

AbstractSilymarin, a polyphenolic flavonoid isolated from milk thistle (Silybum marianum), is being used clinically in Europe and Asia for the treatment of liver diseases. Silymarin has a strong antioxidative action capable of scavenging both free radicals and reactive oxygen species responsible for cancer. Silymarin, a powerful hepatoprotective and antioxidant, was chosen in the present study and was tested for its antimutagenic activity using an in vitro test, the Ames bacterial reverse mutation assay. The results indicated that silymarin showed a significant mutagenicity in frame shift mutant strains (TA97a and TA98) with metabolic activation. This compound also showed stronger antimutagenic effect against 2‐aminofluorene and 4‐nitroquinoline N‐oxide induced mutation. When pre‐, co‐ and post‐treatment of silymarin was carried out, it showed stronger antimutagenic activity in the post‐treatment with 2‐aminofluorene and 4‐nitroquinoline N‐oxide in TA97a and TA98 strains. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Morphology and evolution of cold‐frontal misocyclones
Authors: Smart D. J. , Browning K. A. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractA numerical simulation of an intense, narrow cold‐frontal rain band (NCFR) is presented. This front was associated with localized wind damage as it moved eastwards across the United Kingdom on 24 September 2007. The model used was the operational and research Weather Research and Forecasting‐‐Advanced Research (WRF‐‐ARW) mesoscale model, initialized with Global Forecast System (GFS) operational model output data. The simulation produced a front strongly resembling that seen in radar imagery and conforming to previous studies and conceptual models of the ana‐cold front. In the simulation, a strong surface horizontal wind‐speed maximum is located along the southern flank of a misocyclone; this is shown to be typical of a number that form along the front. Using trajectory analysis, descending cold air parcels, which originate in the rear inflow jet and accelerate within the circulation of the misocyclone, are identified as the origin of the strongest winds. In addition to the localized strong straight‐line winds, circumstantial evidence is presented for the possible occurrence of weak tornadogenesis. The results are discussed in relation to recent studies of NCFRs, squall lines and misocyclones. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society
Comment on “Volumes spanned by random points in the hypercube”
Authors: Finch Steven , Sebah Pascal 
Published: March 2009

AbstractWe symbolically evaluate a definite integral (due to Dyer, Füredi & McDiarmid 2) in connection with threshold phenomena for convex hull volumes strictly within the unit d‐dimensional hypercube as d → ∞. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2009
Regeneration for sustainable communities? Barriers to implementing sustainable housing in urban areas
Authors: Winston Nessa 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThis article outlines the key characteristics of sustainable housing, including environmental, economic and social dimensions. It uses these characteristics to assess housing and regeneration in Dublin since the early 1980s. While regeneration has improved some areas, there are a number of causes for concern. Barriers to achieving sustainable housing include the lack of a shared vision of sustainable housing, inadequate building regulations and non‐compliance with existing regulations, limited knowledge and expertise in green building methods, negative perceptions of higher density housing, poor quality designs, negative attitudes to social mix, an emphasis on demolition, a failure to recognize the need for social regeneration and limited resources. The article concludes that it is essential to target resources at enforcing building regulations, providing sufficient social and affordable housing as well as the social infrastructure required for sustainable communities, adequate management and maintenance, and retrofitting the unsustainable housing constructed in the past. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Maternal serum placental growth factor at 11–13 weeks in chromosomally abnormal pregnancies
Authors: Zaragoza E. , Akolekar R. , Poon L. C. Y. , Pepes S. , Nicolaides K. H. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractObjectivesTo investigate the potential value of maternal serum placental growth factor (PlGF) in first‐trimester screening for trisomy 21 and other major chromosomal abnormalities.MethodsThe maternal serum concentration of PlGF at 11 + 0 to 13 + 6 weeks was measured in 609 euploid and 175 chromosomally abnormal pregnancies, including 90 with trisomy 21, 28 with trisomy 18, 19 with trisomy 13, 28 with Turner syndrome and 10 with triploidy. The levels of PlGF were compared in cases and controls, and were assessed for association with free β‐human chorionic gonadotropin (β‐hCG) and pregnancy‐associated plasma protein‐A (PAPP‐A).ResultsLogistic regression analysis demonstrated in the euploid group that significant independent contributions for log PlGF were provided by fetal crown–rump length, maternal weight, cigarette smoking and ethnic origin; after correction for these variables the median multiple of the median (MoM) PlGF was 0.991. Significantly lower values were observed in pregnancies with trisomy 21 (0.707 MoM), trisomy 18 (0.483 MoM), trisomy 13 (0.404 MoM), triploidy (0.531 MoM) and Turner syndrome (0.534 MoM). Significant contributions in the prediction of trisomy 21 were provided by maternal age, serum PlGF, PAPP‐A and free β‐hCG, and the detection rates of screening with the combination of these variables were 70% and 80% at respective false‐positive rates of 3% and 5%.ConclusionsMaternal serum PlGF concentration at 11–13 weeks of gestation is potentially useful in first‐trimester screening for trisomy 21 and other major chromosomal abnormalities. Copyright © 2009 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multiple OXPHOS deficiency in the liver of a patient with CblA methylmalonic aciduria sensitive to vitamin B12
Authors: Valayannopoulos V. , Hubert L. , Benoist J. F. , Romano S. , Arnoux J. B. , Chrétien D. , Kaplan J. , Fakhouri F. , Rabier D. , Rötig A. , Lebre A. S. , Munnich A. , de Keyzer Y. , de Lonlay P. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryAn adult patient with methylmalonic aciduria due to defective cobalamin synthesis (CblA) responsive to vitamin B12 presented suddenly with severe visual impairment ascribed to optic atrophy followed by a fatal multiorgan failure and lactic acidosis but low methylmalonic acid in plasma and urine. Multiple deficiency of oxidative phosphorylation was found in the patient's liver. We suggest that patients with B12‐sensitive methylmalonic aciduria who have a milder clinical course should be carefully monitored for long‐term complications.
Genetic Counseling Practice Analysis
Authors: Hampel Heather , Grubs Robin E. , Walton Carol S. , Nguyen Emma , Breidenbach Daniel H. , Nettles Steve ,   The American Board of Genetic Counseling 2008 Practice Analysis Advisory Committee including Nancy Callanan, Corliss Meagan , Fox Stephanie , Hiraki Susan , Ku Lisa , Neufeld‐Kaiser Whitney , Riley Bronson , Taylor Jamie , Weik LuAnn 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) performed a genetic counseling practice analysis (PA) to determine the content of the certification examination. The ABGC‐appointed PA Advisory Committee worked with psychometricians to develop a survey which was distributed to 2,038 genetic counselors in the United States and Canada. The survey was also accessible on the ABGC website. Multiple criteria were used to establish the significance of the tasks included in the survey. A total of 677 responses were used in the analysis, representing a 37.1% corrected response rate. Five major content domains with 143 tasks were identified in the PA. New certification test specifications were developed on the basis of PA results and will be used in developing future examination forms. In keeping with credentialing standards, ABGC plans to conduct a PA on a regular basis so that the content of the examination reflects current practice.
Predicting future invasion of an invasive alien tree in a Japanese oceanic island by process‐based statistical models using recent distribution maps
Authors: Fukasawa Keita , Koike Fumito , Tanaka Nobuyuki , Otsu Kayo 
Published: March 2009

AbstractModelling and predicting the potential habitat and future range expansion of invasive species can help managers to mitigate the impact of such species. Because habitat suitability and the colonization process are key determinants of range expansion, inferences drawn from invasion patterns should be based on both attributes. To predict the potential habitat and expansion rate of the invasive tree Bischofia javanica on Hahajima Island, we used simultaneous models of habitat and dispersal to estimate the effect of environment and dispersal from the source population on the current distribution. We compared the fit and the estimated magnitudes of the environment and dispersal effects in the simultaneous models with those in habitat suitability and colonization kernel models. The values of Akaike's information criterion for the simultaneous models were better than those of the habitat suitability and colonization kernel models, indicating that the current distribution of Bischofia was determined by both environment and dispersal. The simultaneous models predicted that the potential habitat of Bischofia would be larger than that predicted by the habitat suitability model. The potential habitat distribution and future invasion predicted by the simultaneous models will contribute to the development of specific landscape‐scale management plans to control this invasive species.
Prevalence of vulvar and vaginal symptoms during pregnancy and the puerperium
Authors: Kennedy Colleen M. , Turcea Anne M. , Bradley Catherine S. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractObjectiveTo identify the prevalence of vulvar and vaginal symptoms during pregnancy and at 3 months post partum.MethodsA prospective, longitudinal, descriptive study of 103 pregnant women was undertaken in which a self‐administered questionnaire was completed at each trimester and 3 months post partum. Retrospective data was collected from 122 women, queried using similar tools, who comprised a nonpregnant control group. Descriptive and comparative statistics were employed.ResultsThe prevalence of vulvar burning, itching, pain, and vaginal discharge generally increased during pregnancy, and improved postpartum. Dyspareunia increased during pregnancy, but remained elevated post partum. Compared with the historical nonpregnant group (adjusted for age, marital status, education, and smoking), dyspareunia was reported less often in the first trimester (P = 0.03) and more often post partum (P < 0.01). Furthermore, reports of vulvar pain and vaginal discharge were significantly greater during the second and third trimesters.ConclusionsVulvar and vaginal symptoms are common during pregnancy, and the prevalence of some, but not all, increase during gestation and decrease post partum.
Vasoactive intestinal peptide in vaginal epithelium of patients with pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence
Authors: Zhu Lan , Lang Jinghe , Jiang Fang , Jiang Xueying , Chen Jie 
Published: March 2009

AbstractObjectiveTo determine the distribution of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in vaginal epithelium among women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI), pelvic organ prolapse (POP), and control groups to clarify its role in the etiology of SUI and POP.MethodsA total of 40 biopsy specimens from anterior and posterior vaginal epithelium were obtained from 3 groups of patients: SUI, POP, and symptomatic controls. Routine hematoxylin and eosin staining and semiquantitative immunohistochemical staining for VIP were performed.ResultsVIP was found in 27.5% of the specimens. In the control group, VIP expression was significantly higher in anterior than in posterior epithelium (P = 0.046). There were no significant differences in the expression of VIP in the anterior and posterior epithelium in a comparison among the 3 groups. In the POP group, the expression of VIP was negatively correlated with age and menopause status.ConclusionsThere is evidence that VIP is a neurotransmitter in the vaginal epithelium. The anterior vaginal wall has a more important role than the posterior vaginal wall. Change of VIP is related to age in POP patients.
Imaging correlation of children with DFNB1 vs non‐DFNB1 hearing loss
Authors: Kochhar Amit , Angeli Simon I. , Dave Sandeep P. , Liu Xue Z. 
Published: March 2009

ObjectivesTo evaluate temporal bone CT findings in GJB2‐related deafness (DFNB1) hearing loss and non‐DFNB1 hearing loss children.Study DesignCase‐control series.Subjects and MethodsChildren with nonsyndromic hearing loss diagnosed as DFNB1 or non‐DFNB1 after screening GJB2 allele variants and the large GJB6 deletion. Temporal bone CT images compared in a cohort of nine DFNB1 children with 10 non‐DFNB1 children. Visual criteria and absolute measurements were compared against established normative values.ResultsVisual inspection failed to identify two patients with abnormalities identified by using absolute measurements. Only one of nine DFNB1 children had an ear anomaly versus seven of 10 non‐DFNB1 (odds ratio 16.33; 95% CI, 1.35, 197.78; P = 0.050). The non‐DFNB1 group had a mean vestibule width that was significantly larger, and a mean lateral semicircular canal island width and vestibular aqueduct that were significantly smaller than the DFNB1 group.ConclusionsVisual inspection of temporal bone CT images alone may not identify all anomalies and should be used with absolute CT measurements. Abnormal temporal bone CT findings are significantly less likely in children with DFNB1 compared with non‐DFNB1 children despite similar age and degree of hearing loss.
Poloidal eigenmode of the geodesic acoustic mode in the limit of high safety factor
Authors: SASAKI M. , ITOH K. , EJIRI A. , TAKASE Y. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe poloidal eigenmode of the geodesic acoustic mode (GAM) is studied in the limit of high safety factor. In this limit, the poloidal gyroradius cannot be treated as a perturbation or as an expansion parameter. Analytical expressions for the poloidal structure of the GAM potential, the radial wavenumber dependence of the frequency, the phase velocity, and the group velocity are obtained. The spatial structure of the poloidal eigenmode including the higher-order gyroradius effect is revealed theoretically.
Interactional differences in Alzheimer's discourse: An examination of AD speech across two audiences
Authors: Ramanathan-Abbott Vai 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTAssessments of the narrative abilities of patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease should consider the interactions that generate the narratives. By analyzing the discourse of an AD patient in interaction with two different interlocutors, namely her husband and the author, this study calls attention to ways in which one interaction facilitates narratives and the other does not. Previous psycholinguistic research, largely focusing on the resultant narrative, has understood the AD patient's deteriorating narrative skills as a result of the progressively debilitating nature of the disease. This is undoubtedly true, but extensive and meaningful talk is nevertheless possible, partially grounded in and constructed through social interaction. (Discourse analysis, Alzheimer's disease, narrative social interaction)
Constructing an apprenticeship with discourse strategies: Professor-graduate student interactions
Authors: Rudolph Dina E. 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTThis longitudinal study examines the construction of the apprenticeship relationshiP between professor (expert) and graduate student (novice) during office-hour interactions. The findings demonstrate that apprenticeship is constituted by the strategic use of affect-indexing linguistic markers in discourse. By indexing stances of cooperativeness, interdependence, and shared Discourse membership, professor and student create a positive affect bond which provides a linguistic means of negotiating miscommunication arising from the student's incomplete socialization to the target Discourse. The socialization process is shown to proceed through a series of interim Discourses where quantifiable shifts in the participants' discourse strategies reveal the student's increasing mastery of the target Discourse. Constraints imposed by the institutional setting are also shown to structure the discourse strategies which characterize the interim Discourses. The results of this study strongly suggest that affect plays a measurable role in the process of language socialization, and is essential for defining “trusf”-based apprenticeship relationships. (Affect, language socialization, discourse analysis, apprenticeship)
Identification and recognition in Swedish telephone conversation openings
Authors: Lindström Anna 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTThis study examines how identification and recognition is achieved in Swedish telephone conversation openings, and compares the patterning of Swedish telephone openings with the analyses of telephone conversation openings in other linguistic communities. The analysis suggests that Swedes overwhelmingly self-identify by name over the telephone, like Dutch interactants: but Swedes also avail themselves of the recognitional resources that have been found within American materials to achieve recognition without explicit name-proffer. This finding bears on orientations toward formality and informality in Swedish culture. (Conversation analysis, telephone conversation openings, communication and culture)
Names as pointers: Zulu personal naming practices
Authors: Suzman Susan M. 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTChildren in many African societies have meaningful names – unlike their Western counterparts, whose names are primarily labels. In Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, and many other cultures, namegivers traditionally chose personal names that pointed to a range of people and circumstances that were relevant at the time of the child's birth. These highly individual or unique names were part of particular social frameworks that have long been evolving with Western acculturation. Like the social frameworks within which they are embedded, naming practices are in the process of change.This article investigates change in Zulu naming practices as a reflection of wider social changes. Taking historical accounts as the source of traditional namegiving, an analysis of rural, farm, and urban names shows quantitative and qualitative differences in naming practices. Contemporary
names differ significantly from traditional ones, and provide evidence that the world view within which names are given is in the process of redefinition. (Anthropological linguistics, naming, South Africa, Zulu)
Metalanguaging and discourse markers in bilingual conversation
Authors: Maschler Yael 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTThis study examines the functions of the bilingual discourse strategy of language alternation in the process of marking boundaries of continuous discourse. The focus is on switched discourse markers – employed, it is argued, to metalanguage the frame of the discourse. The corpus is comprised of audio recordings of over 20 hours of Hebrew-English bilingual conversation. The strategy of language alternation at discourse markers is illustrated, and the switched discourse markers are classified according to Becker's approach to context (1988b) as a source of constraints on text. This classification is then related to the phenomenon of clustering of discourse markers at discourse unit boundaries in both bilingual and monolingual discourse. Finally, cross-linguistic differences in discourse markers are related to a theory of metalanguage. (Discourse analysis, bilingual discourse, discourse markers, languaging, metalanguage, Hebrew/English comparative discourse)
Evidentiality in ritual discourse: The social construction of religious meaning
Authors: Szuchewycz Bohdan 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTThe communal creation of religious meaning is here examined in the context of an Irish Catholic Charismatic prayer meeting. Through a micro-analysis of the “spontaneous” ritual language of one such meeting, various discursive strategies are revealed which function to create for the participants an experience of divine/human communication. These include an explicit effort on the part of speakers to construct a thematically consistent and coherent ritual event out of a sequence of apparently spontaneous individual speech acts, as well as a marked use of evidentials to attribute spiritual authorship and authority to personal speech acts. In contrast to what has been suggested as the self-evident nature of ritual speech, the frequent use of evidentials is related to the relatively recent emergence of the movement, its ideology, and its emphasis on the personal narrative as the central form of religious discourse. (Ritual language, evidentials, Catholic religion, charismatic religion, religious movements, authority in discourse)