bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Occult hepatitis B virus infection in Southern African blacks with hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Kew Michael C , Welschinger Robert , Viana Raquel 
Published: August 2008

AbstractBackground and Aim:  To ascertain the prevalence of occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in southern African blacks with hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods:  Sera from 118 patients negative for HBV surface antigen but positive for HBV antibodies were studied. HBV‐DNA was detected using a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and confirmed by nucleotide sequencing of the surface and precore/core genes.Results:  Surface gene HBV‐DNA was detected in a single PCR assay in 48.4% of the patients. Positive results increased to 57.7% after two PCR assays (not significant) and 75.7% after four assays (P < 0.001). No false positive results were obtained in these assays or in the 15 control samples for which PCR assays were performed four times. Significant differences in positivity rates were not observed between patients positive for HBV core antibody alone and those positive for core and surface antibodies. The sensitivity of the PCR amplification of the precore/core gene was significantly less than that of the surface open reading frame: the yield of positive results was 23.7% after one assay, 32.2% after two assays (not significant), and 52% after four assays (P < 0.001). Combining the results of the assays of the two genes increased the yield of positive results for the first assay (by 11.9%, P = 0.015), but not the second (6.1%) or fourth assays (4.6%).Conclusion:  Occult HBV infection is present in the serum of the majority of hepatocellular carcinomas in southern African blacks whose serum is negative for hepatitis B surface antigen but positive for anti‐HBV core antigen. The yield of positive results increases if more than one PCR assay is performed.
Brevilinea pocosinensis Siver, Hamilton & Morales gen. et sp. nov., a new diatom (Bacillariophyceae) genus from North Carolina, USA
Authors: Siver Peter A. , Hamilton Paul B. , Morales Eduardo A. 
Published: August 2008

SUMMARYA new diatom genus, Brevilinea gen. nov., is described from an acidic freshwater lake situated on the Atlantic Coastal Plain of North Carolina, USA. The type for the genus, Brevilinea pocosinensis sp. nov., differs from other diatoms by the presence of a unique and reduced raphe that is restricted to the central portion of the valve. The new taxon has large and distinctive areolae that also serve to separate it from existing genera. The taxonomic placement of the new organism relative to other diatoms possessing a reduced raphe is discussed. Although Brevilinea may eventually be placed into a new family, given the current dynamic state of diatom systematics, it is premature to do so at this time.
Chronic ocular lesions associated with bi‐directional microbeam radiation therapy in an experimental rat study for therapy of C6 and F98 gliomas
Authors: Sandmeyer Lynne S. , Sheikh Amber , Shültke Elisabeth , Fourney Daryl , Grahn Bruce H. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractObjectives  To describe the chronic ocular lesions associated with microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) in an experimental rat study.Procedures  MRT was administered bi‐directionally with a skin entry dose of 350 Gy. During laterally directed irradiation, the beam entered the head on the right with the center of the beam array 3 mm posterior to the center of the right eye. During irradiation in anterior‐posterior direction, the right eye was almost completely in the path of the beam array. Twelve months after MRT ophthalmic examinations were completed on 37 treated (MRT+) and 16 control (MRT–) rats. Electroretinography (ERG) was completed in two MRT+ and one MRT– rat. Histopathology was performed on eyes of 16 MRT+ and 9 MRT– rats, and retinal and choroidal thicknesses were measured.Results  Biomicroscopic and indirect ophthalmoscopic examinations revealed fundus pallor and retinal vascular attenuation in 33 of 37 right and 2 of 37 left eyes of MRT+ rats. Cataracts were present in the right eyes of 12 of 37 MRT+ rats. ERG amplitudes were reduced in the eyes of MRT+ rats. Light microscopy revealed retinal lesions ranging in severity with loss of outer to inner retinal cell layers, in 16 of 16 right and of 8 of 16 left eyes MRT+ rats. The mean right retinal thickness of MRT+ rats was reduced.Conclusions  Eyes within the field treated with MRT at a dose of 350 Gy develop retinal degeneration and occasionally, cataract.
Acute blindness in dogs: Sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome versus neurological disease (140 cases, 2000–2006)
Authors: Montgomery Keith W. , Van Der Woerdt Alexandra , Cottrill Nancy B. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractObjective To evaluate dogs with amaurosis and compare signalment, history, ophthalmic examination and neurologic abnormalities between dogs diagnosed with sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) versus neurological disease (ND). Animals Studied‐140 dogs with acute vision loss and ocular abnormalities insufficient to account for visual deficits. An electroretinogram (ERG) was performed on each dog.Procedures Medical records were reviewed and information was collected for all dogs meeting the inclusion criteria. Dogs diagnosed with SARDS were compared to those with ND based on signalment, duration of clinical signs, past medical problems, clinicopathologic findings, and ophthalmic and physical examination abnormalities.Results 120 dogs were diagnosed with SARDS and 20 dogs with ND based on ERG results. Mixed‐breed dogs were most commonly diagnosed with SARDS as well as ND. Pure breed dogs frequently diagnosed with SARDS included the Miniature Schnauzer and Dachshund. Dogs with SARDS did not differ significantly from those with ND based on age or sex distribution. Cushing's‐like symptoms were reported more frequently in SARDS dogs as well as conjunctival hyperemia and retinal vascular attenuation. Papilledema and asymmetric visual deficits were observed more frequently in dogs with ND. Dogs with ND were no more likely than SARDS dogs to have additional neurological deficits.Conclusions Appreciable overlap of clinical signs exists between dogs with SARDS and dogs with ND resulting in acute vision loss. As a significant portion of dogs (14%) in the present study were diagnosed with ND, an ERG to rule out ND is indicated in dogs with amaurosis.
Benchmarking benchmarks: measuring characteristic selectivity using portfolio holdings data
Authors: Fong Kingsley , Gallagher David R. , Lee Adrian D. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractThis study proposes methodological adjustments to the widely adopted performance benchmarking methodology of Daniel et al. (1997) as a means of improving the precision of alpha measurement for active equity fund managers. We achieve this by considering the monthly updating of characteristic benchmarks and to ensure neutrality to the Standard & Poor's/Australian Stock Exchange 300 index. Applying this benchmark to a representative sample of active Australian equity funds and simulated passive portfolios that mimic fund manager‐style characteristics, we find statistically different and lower tracking error compared with using the standard characteristic benchmark methodology. We also find evidence that the modified benchmark statistically infers an alpha closer to zero compared with the standard benchmark methodology. Our findings suggest that improved specifications of characteristic benchmarks represent better methods in quantifying fund manager skill.
Market Entry Regulation and International Competition*
Authors: Stähler Frank , Upmann Thorsten 
Published: August 2008

AbstractWe analyze a non‐cooperative two‐country game where each government decides whether to allow free market entry of firms or to regulate market access. We show that a Pareto‐efficient allocation may result in equilibrium. In particular, if the cost difference between home and foreign production is “significant,” production will be located in the cost‐efficient country exclusively; and if this cost difference is even “substantial,” the induced allocation is also Pareto efficient. Only if the cost difference is “insignificant,” production may take place in both countries and the allocation is inefficient.
Can Rich Countries Become Pollution Havens?*
Authors: Umanskaya Victoria I. , Barbier Edward B. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractThis paper bridges the gap between two‐country Ricardian trade models where differences in environmental policies create pollution havens in a poorer region with weaker pollution regulations, and 2 × 2 Heckscher–Ohlin models that predict under certain conditions that pollution havens may occur in a richer region with tighter regulations. By relaxing the Heckscher–Ohlin assumptions of factor price equalization and no specialization, we show how creation of pollution havens in either region is possible, due to the interplay of policy and factor‐endowment motives. We also analyze the conditions for creating pollution havens in the cases of exogenous and endogenous environmental policy.
Current Account Imbalances and Real Exchange Rates in the Euro Area*
Authors: Arghyrou Michael G. , Chortareas Georgios 
Published: August 2008

AbstractGlobal current account imbalances have been one of the focal points of interest for policymakers during the last few years. Less attention has been paid, however, to the diverging current account balances of the individual euro area countries. In this paper we consider the dynamics of current account adjustment and the role of real exchange rates in current account determination in the EMU countries. After controlling for the effects of income growth, we find the relationship between real exchange rates and current accounts to be substantial in size and subject to nonlinear effects. We find that real exchange rates can offer further insights, beyond the effects of the income catch‐up process, relevant to current account determination in the EMU.
Patent Regimes, Host Country Policies, and the Nature of MNE Activities*
Authors: Nair‐Reichert Usha , Duncan Roderick 
Published: August 2008

AbstractThis paper provides useful insights in the debate regarding the relationship between stronger patent rights, host country policies and multinational activity using panel data from US MNEs. It analyzes the impact of stronger patent protection on the exports, local affiliate sales and licensing activities by explicitly modeling the joint nature of the MNE's decision‐making process in servicing a foreign market. The key findings support the idea that the policy environment in the host country influences the impact of stronger IPRs on US MNE activities during the period 1992 to 2000. A risky environment in the host country appears, on average, to have a negative and significant impact on unaffiliated exports and affiliate sales. Increased patent protection in high‐risk countries, on average, appears to reduce licensing, and increase unaffiliated exports, suggesting a dominant monopoly effect of stronger IPRs in the former case and a dominant market expansion effect in the latter case.
Adapted Finnish Migraine‐Specific Questionnaire for family studies (FMSQFS): a validation study in two languages
Authors: Facheris M. F. , Vogl F. D. , Hollmann S. , Sixt G. , Pattaro C. , Schönhuber R. , Pramstaller P. P. 
Published: August 2008

Background and purpose:  The hypothesis of a genetic component in the etiology of migraine is getting a foothold. However, to explore genetic associations, precision in clinical phenotypization is crucial. For this reason, migraine‐specific questionnaires, well discriminating between primary headaches, are required when large numbers of individuals need to be assessed.Methods:  We adapted and translated in two languages, German and Italian, the Finnish Migraine‐Specific Questionnaire for use in family studies.Results and conclusions:  This adaptation proved to be reliable when differentiating from primary headaches, and to be in very good agreement with the standard for comparison. However, discriminating between migraine with and without aura still relays on a specialist evaluation. This article describes the validation of this questionnaire.
The Second Somatic Revolution1
Authors: FARNELL BRENDA , VARELA CHARLES R. 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACTThis paper proposes a dynamic theory of embodiment that aims to get beyond the absent moving body in embodied social theory. The first somatic revolution, inspired by Merleau Ponty, provided theories based on the feeling and experience of the body. The theory of dynamic embodiment focuses instead on the doing itself as embodied social action, in which the embodied person is fore‐grounded as a complex resource for meaning making. This represents a theoretical enrichment of the earlier turn to the body in social theory, which tended to separate the semiotic, as necessarily representational and/or linguistic, from the somatic as a wide range of corporeal processes and practices assumed to be separated from mind, language and/or conscious thought. We argue that overcoming this persistent Cartesianism requires a New Realist approach to the proper location of human agency as a causal power, one that promotes a bio‐psycho‐social concept of personhood. Part one of the paper presents a general framework for this perspective, while part two applies this paradigm ethnographically to illustrate how bringing semiosis and somatics together requires a robust conception of multi‐sensory modalities.
Sulphur isotopes and the search for life: strategies for identifying sulphur metabolisms in the rock record and beyond
Authors: JOHNSTON D. T. , FARQUHAR J. , HABICHT K. S. , CANFIELD D. E. 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACTThe search for life can only be as successful as our understanding of the tools we use to search for it. Here we present new sulphur isotope data (32S, 33S, 34S, 36S) from a variety of modern marine environments and use these observations, along with previously published work, to contribute to this search. Specifically, we use these new data to gain a sense of life's influences on the sulphur isotope record and to distinguish these biologically influenced signatures from their non‐biological counterparts. This treatment extends sulphur isotope analyses beyond traditional (34S/32S) measures and employs trace isotope relationships (33S/32S, 36S/32S), as the inclusion of these isotopes provides unique information about biology and its role in the sulphur cycle through time. In the current study we compare and contrast isotope effects produced by sulphur‐utilizing microorganisms (experimental), modern and ancient sedimentary records (observational) and non‐biological reactions (theoretical). With our collective search for life now extending to neighbouring planets, we present this study as a first step towards more fully understanding the capability of the sulphur isotope system as a viable tool for life detection, both on Earth and beyond.
Traumatic Experiences and Post‐traumatic Stress Symptoms in Kurdish Children in their Native Country and in Exile
Authors: Ahmad Abdulbaghi , Von Knorring Anne‐Liis , Sundelin‐Wahlsten Viveka 
Published: August 2008

Background:  Traumatic experiences and post‐traumatic stress symptoms were assessed in Kurdish children in their native country and in exile.Method:  312 randomly selected school‐age children at two sites completed assessments of traumatic experiences and post‐traumatic symptoms.Results:  Although traumatic experiences showed more similarities than differences between the two samples, the PTSD frequencies and post‐traumatic stress symptom scores were higher in Kurdistan than in exile. Living in exile showed negative correlation with PTSD frequencies and post‐traumatic stress symptom scores.Conclusions:  Living in exile seems to have trauma healing effect on children of Kurdistan.
Peripheral washout phenomenon in an animal tumour model: comparison of dynamic magnetic resonance imaging using a small molecular contrast medium with histology*
Authors: Drees R. , Hünigen H. , Wagner S. , Schnorr J. , Plendl J. , Taupitz M. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractThe peripheral washout sign was first described in delayed dynamic contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE‐MRI) using a small molecular contrast medium in solid lesions of the human breast and liver. It was found to be 100% specific for malignant lesions and could therefore potentially be used as an additional noninvasive diagnostic tool differentiating malignant from benign lesions. The origin of this phenomenon has not yet been explained. The objective of this study was to translate the peripheral washout sign as seen in solid tumours in delayed DCE‐MRI in human onto an animal model for further assessment of DCE‐MRI characteristics and histological analysis. Small molecular contrast medium DCE‐MRI was performed over 42 min in experimental colon carcinoma grown subcutaneously in rats. Qualitative and quantitative analyses for evaluation of presence and characteristics of the peripheral washout sign were accomplished, defining four centripetally distributed tumour zones (central, intermediate, peripheral and marginal). One hundred per cent of the carcinomas demonstrated a peripheral washout sign in DCE‐MRI starting at 20 min after bolus injection. Histomorphological analysis was performed for tissue classification and evaluation of microvasculature. Quantitative analysis revealed different enhancement profiles of the four tumour zones. Histology indicated centripetally asymmetric vascularization and vascular endothelial growth factor VEGF/VEGF receptor 2 expression within the tumour tissue. Thus, peripheral washout sign can be translated to an animal model. However, comparison of small molecular contrast medium DCE‐MRI with histology revealed that histology alone does not explain the occurrence of the peripheral washout.
Glycoproteomic profiling of serum peptides in canine lymphoma and transitional cell carcinoma
Authors: Wilson C. R. , Regnier F. E. , Knapp D. W. , Raskin R. E. , Andrews D. A. , Hooser S. B. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractDifferential expression of fucosylated glycoproteins has been correlated with malignancy and metastatic potential in various types of neoplasia. Utilizing glycoproteomics techniques, changes in fucosylated serum peptides associated with naturally occurring canine lymphoma and transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) have been evaluated. In both types of neoplasia, the majority of the fucosylated peptides that changed increased with the cancer. In one lymphoma case that was examined over the course of the disease, the same fucosylated peptides that increased during pre‐chemotherapy decreased during post‐chemotherapy, and then subsequently increased upon recurrence of the lymphoma. When comparing all the fucosylated peptides that increased in both types of cancer, there were only two peptides in common allowing discrimination between lymphoma and TCC based on their peptide profiles. These results emphasize the prospect of glycopeptide profiling in proteomics for use in discovering a panel of non‐invasive, diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers of cancer.
Preliminary analysis of genomic abnormalities in canine meningiomas
Authors: Courtay‐Cahen C. , Platt S. R. , De Risio L. , Starkey M. P. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractCytogenetic detection of unbalanced genomic aberrations in tumours is a strategy for the identification of tumour suppressor genes and oncogenes. When considered in concert with clinical data, the approach also represents a means of identifying markers of prognosis. In a preliminary investigation of the molecular basis of canine meningioma tumorigenesis, we profiled three tumours by comparative genomic hybridization. Distinct patterns of sub‐chromosomal deletions were identified suggesting alternative mechanisms of tumour initiation. The deleted chromosomal segments encompass two regions (10q23.1 and 17q22‐q23) that are syntenic to the chromosomes (22 and 1p) most often deleted in human meningiomas. A number of genes associated with DNA repair, cell cycle progression and apoptosis are located on both the deleted canine chromosomal segments and the syntenic regions deleted in human meningiomas. This study represents the first report of chromosomal copy number abnormalities in non‐cultured canine brain tumour tissue.
Elevated frequency of p53 genetic mutations and AgNOR values in squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Bukhari Mulazim H. , Niazi Shahida , Khaleel Muhammad Eyyaz , Sharif M. Anwar , Ghani Rubina , Mehmood Muhammad T. , Tahseen Muhammad , Chaudhry Naseer A. , Hasan Mumtaz 
Published: August 2008

Background:  Epidermal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a common malignancy in Pakistan. We hypothesize that it is characterized by higher frequency of p53 genetic mutations and increased AgNOR values compared with squamous cell papilloma (SCP) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC).Experimental design: To test our hypothesis, 140 skin biopsies (including 20 normal skin, 20 SCP, 20 BCC and 80 SCC samples of various grades) were examined for p53 mutations using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). AgNOR staining was used for histological determination of AgNOR index.Results:  Both markers were undetectable in normal skin and were low in SCP. They were upregulated in BCC and SCC. PCR experiments revealed p53 mutations in 70% and 96.25% of BCC and SCC, respectively. Higher AgNOR values were seen in SCC than in BCC (mean AgNOR count = 5.81 ± 31 and 8.36 ± 19; percentage of AgNOR was 43.5% and 53% in BCC and SCC, respectively). Finally, p53 IHC score was found to be related to the AgNOR index in the histological grading of BCC and SCC (r = +0.983, p < 0.0001).Conclusion:  Our results suggest that a higher frequency of p53 genetic mutations and increased AgNOR values exist in SCC compared with BCC and SCP. ‘Consequently, SCC patients may have poorer prognosis’.
Development of a Chinese–Indian hybrid (Chindian) rhesus macaque colony at the California National Primate Research Center by introgression
Authors: Kanthaswamy S. , Gill L. , Satkoski J. , Goyal V. , Malladi V. , Kou A. , Basuta K. , Sarkisyan L. , George D. , Smith D.G. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractBackground  Fullbred Chinese and Indian rhesus macaques represent genetically distinct populations. The California National Primate Research Center introduced Chinese founders into its Indian‐derived rhesus colony in response to the 1978 Indian embargo on exportation of animals for research and the concern that loss of genetic variation in the closed colony would hamper research efforts. The resulting hybrid rhesus now number well over a thousand animals and represent a growing proportion of the animals in the colony.Methods  We characterized the population genetic structure of the hybrid colony and compared it with that of their pure Indian and Chinese progenitors.Results  The hybrid population contains higher genetic diversity and linkage disequilibrium than their full Indian progenitors and represents a resource with unique research applications.Conclusions  The genetic diversity of the hybrids indicates that the strategy to introduce novel genes into the colony by hybridizing Chinese founders and their hybrid offspring with Indian‐derived animals was successful.