bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The duration properties of Swift Gamma-Ray Bursts
Authors: Zhang Z.-B. , Choi C.-S. 
Published: October 2008

AbstractWe report the systematic analysis of the durations for Swift gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and compare the results with those of pre-Swift data. We show that the durations of Swift bursts also have two log-normal distributions that are clearly divided at T90 = 2 s. Their intrinsic durations also show a bimodal distribution but shift systematically toward the smaller value compared with the observed one. This study confirms the spectra of short GRBs are in general harder than the long GRBs and shows that this trend becomes weak in the source frame.
The energy transfer in W UMa binary stars
Authors: Jiang Dengkai , Wang Jiangcheng , Han Zhanwen , Jiang Tianyu , Li Lifang 
Published: October 2008

AbstractThe properties of W UMa binary stars are studied based on the well-determined physical parameters of 132 W UMa systems. It is found that the energy transfer rate has a maximum value at q ~ 0.58. The relation between the energy transfer rate and the temperature deviation is also investigated, and the temperature of the secondary component is related to the energy transfer rate.
Unveiling de Soto's mystery: property rights, capital formation, and development
Authors: KEREKES CARRIE B. , WILLIAMSON CLAUDIA R. 
Published: October 2008

AbstractHernando de Soto attributes the poor economic performance of developing countries to insecure property rights. When property rights are not well-defined individuals do not have the incentives to invest in capital, and assets cannot be used as collateral, hindering capital formation and economic growth. This paper tests de Soto's hypothesis empirically by examining how the security of property rights impacts wealth, collateral, and capital formation across nations. Using several different measures and model specifications, we find support for de Soto's conjecture. Our results suggest that better defined property rights would result in substantial improvements in capital formation and economic growth in developing countries.
Not by rules or choice alone: a pragmatist critique of institution theories in economics and sociology
Authors: GRONOW ANTTI 
Published: October 2008

AbstractThe article discusses institutional theories in economics and sociology. The discussion adopts W. Richard Scott's classification into regulative, normative, and discursive theories. A fourth alternative, habitual institutionalism, is also presented because of the problems encountered with the other theories. Pragmatically inclined habitual institutionalism presents a consistent theory of action wherein conscious action is derived from habitual action, which is also the basis of institutionalization. In addition, habitual institutionalism portrays human rationality more extensively than economists and sociologists have traditionally done. For these reasons, the difficulties associated with other institutional theories can be avoided.
Deterioration in cardiac systolic and diastolic function late in normal human pregnancy
Authors: Zentner Dominica , du Plessis Moira , Brennecke Shaun , Wong James , Grigg Leeanne , Harrap Stephen B. 
Published: October 2008

The aim of the present study was to undertake a longitudinal study of systolic and diastolic cardiac function during normal pregnancy. At a median of 16 weeks of gestation, 100 primiparous women underwent echocardiography, including tissue Doppler imaging, determining left ventricular mass, cardiac output, systolic and diastolic velocities, and wall stress. A total of 32 were assessed again at a median of 37 weeks of gestation. Non-pregnant control estimates (n=9) were obtained by averaging four separate measures over two menstrual cycles. Initially, the pregnant women had significantly higher pulse rates than controls, associated with greater ventricular wall stress (two-tailed P value=0.015), and systolic (two-tailed P value=0.005) and diastolic (two-tailed P value=0.018) lateral wall myocardial velocities, but no differences in systolic blood pressure, left ventricular mass or cardiac output. By 37 weeks of gestation, increased blood pressure (two-tailed P value &lt;0.001) and left ventricular mass (two-tailed P value=0.002) were associated with a significant increase in ventricular wall stress (two-tailed P value &lt;0.001), and reductions in septal systolic (two-tailed P value=0.004) and septal and lateral early diastolic (two-tailed P value &lt;0.001) myocardial velocities. The diastolic velocities at 37 weeks correlated inversely with maternal weight and age. In conclusion, by term pregnancy, an increase in ventricular wall stress is accompanied by a deterioration in cardiac function.
A comprehensive assessment of endothelial function in overweight women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome
Authors: Moran Lisa J. , Hutchison Samantha K. , Meyer Caroline , Zoungas Sophia , Teede Helena J. 
Published: October 2008

PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) is associated with reproductive abnormalities, IR (insulin resistance) and elevated risk factors for CVD (cardiovascular disease) and Type 2 diabetes, including endothelial dysfunction. The present study aimed to assess a range of circulating markers of endothelial function in overweight women with and without PCOS. Overweight and obese age- and BMI (body mass index)-matched women with (n=80) and without (n=27) PCOS were assessed in a cross-sectional study. End-point measures were HOMA (homoeostasis model assessment)-IR, androgens, lipids, inflammatory markers [hsCRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein)] and endothelial function [FMD (flow-mediated dilation), ADMA (asymmetric dimethylarginine), PAI-1 (plasminogen activator inhibitor-1) and vWF (von Willebrand factor)]. Women with PCOS had elevated HOMA-IR (4.1±3.4 compared with 1.9±1.4), free androgen index (9.3±5.6 compared with 4.6±3.8), total cholesterol (5.2±1.0 compared with 4.7±0.9 mmol/l) and triacylglycerols (triglycerides; 1.4±0.7 compared with 0.9±0.3 mmol/l) (P&lt;0.05 for all), but similar hsCRP compared with women without PCOS. With regard to endothelial function, women with PCOS had elevated ADMA (1.0±0.4 compared 0.3±0.1 μmol/l, P&lt;0.001) and PAI-1 (5.6±1.8 compared with 4.6±1.1 units/ml, P=0.006), a trend towards worsened FMD (11.8±5.0 compared with 13.5±4.0%, P=0.075) and no difference in vWF compared with controls. For all subjects, ADMA (P=0.002) and PAI-1 (P&lt;0.001) were increased with higher tertiles of HOMA-IR. Women with PCOS are hyperandrogenic, dyslipidaemic and have IR, and have risk factors for CVD and diabetes including increased circulating markers of endothelial function (ADMA and PAI-1) and a trend towards worse FMD as a global marker of endothelial function. In PCOS, deterioration in endothelial function is related to IR, hyperandrogenism and other factors.
Attentional bias training and cue reactivity in cigarette smokers
Authors: Attwood Angela S. , O'Sullivan Hayley , Leonards Ute , Mackintosh Bundy , Munafò Marcus R. 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTAims  Attentional bias for drug‐related cues has been associated with drug maintenance and relapse. We investigated whether attentional bias for smoking‐related stimuli could be altered using a modified visual probe task in cigarette smokers. We also sought to determine whether changes in attentional bias were associated with changes in subsequent craving and cue reactivity.Participants  Male and female (n = 54) current smokers (≥5 cigarettes per day), aged between 18 and 40 years, were recruited from staff and students of the University of Bristol, and from the general population.Design  Participants attended a single test session and completed an attentional training procedure in which they were either trained to attend to smoking‐related pictorial stimuli (attend group) or to neutral pictorial stimuli (avoid group). Group allocation was randomized.Measurements  Following attentional training, participants underwent a smoking cue exposure procedure in which they were exposed to smoking‐related stimuli. Subjective measures of mood and craving were taken at baseline and before and after cue exposure. Participants then smoked a cigarette and smoking topography was measured.Findings  Attentional training increased attentional bias among participants in the attend group, and decreased attentional bias among those in the avoid group. There were also differences between the attend and avoid groups in post‐training changes in craving during exposure to in vivo smoking cues, reflecting greater increases in craving in the attend group, although these effects were observed in males only.Conclusions  These data are the first to show alterations in attentional bias for smoking‐related stimuli following a modified visual probe training procedure. Furthermore, post‐training group differences in subjective craving suggest potential clinical utility of training procedures, although these effects may operate only in males. Future research should investigate whether multiple training sessions enhance post‐training reductions in craving and cue reactivity, and the longer‐term persistence of training effects.
Counsellor behaviours and patient language during brief motivational interventions: a sequential analysis of speech
Authors: Gaume Jacques , Gmel Gerhard , Faouzi Mohamed , Daeppen Jean‐Bernard 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTAims  To investigate empirically the hypothesized relationship between counsellor motivational interviewing (MI) skills and patient change talk (CT) by analysing the articulation between counsellor behaviours and patient language during brief motivational interventions (BMI) addressing at‐risk alcohol consumption.Design  Sequential analysis of psycholinguistic codes obtained by two independent raters using the Motivational Interviewing Skill Code (MISC), version 2.0.Setting  Secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of BMI in an emergency department.Participants  A total of 97 patients tape‐recorded when receiving BMI.Measurements  MISC variables were categorized into three counsellor behaviours (MI‐consistent, MI‐inconsistent and ‘other’) and three kinds of patient language (CT, counter‐CT (CCT) and utterances not linked with the alcohol topic). Observed transition frequencies, conditional probabilities and significance levels based on odds ratios were computed using sequential analysis software.Findings  MI‐consistent behaviours were the only counsellor behaviours that were significantly more likely to be followed by patient CT. Those behaviours were significantly more likely to be followed by patient change exploration (CT and CCT) while MI‐inconsistent behaviours and ‘other’ counsellor behaviours were significantly more likely to be followed by utterances not linked with the alcohol topic and significantly less likely to be followed by CT. MI‐consistent behaviours were more likely after change exploration, whereas ‘other’ counsellor behaviours were more likely only after utterances not linked with the alcohol topic.Conclusions  Findings lend support to the hypothesized relationship between MI‐consistent behaviours and CT, highlight the importance of patient influence on counsellor behaviour and emphasize the usefulness of MI techniques and spirit during brief interventions targeting change enhancement.
Early cannabis use and DSM‐IV nicotine dependence: a twin study
Authors: Agrawal Arpana , Lynskey Michael T. , Pergadia Michele L. , Bucholz Kathleen K. , Heath Andrew C. , Martin Nicholas G. , Madden Pamela A. F. 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTBackground  Evidence suggests that cannabis users are at increased risk for cigarette smoking—if so, this may potentially be the single most alarming public health challenge posed by cannabis use. We examine whether cannabis use prior to age 17 years is associated with an increased likelihood of DSM‐IV nicotine dependence and the extent to which genetic and environmental factors contribute to this association.Methods  A population‐based cohort of 24–36‐year‐old Australian male and female twins (n = 6257, 286 and 229 discordant pairs) was used. The co‐twin–control method, with twin pairs discordant for early cannabis use, was used to examine whether, after controlling for genetic and familial environmental background, there was evidence for an additional influence of early cannabis use on DSM‐IV nicotine dependence. Bivariate genetic models were fitted to the full data set to quantify the genetic correlation between early cannabis use and nicotine dependence.Results  The early cannabis‐using twin was about twice as likely to report nicotine dependence, when compared to their co‐twin who had experimented with cigarettes but had never used cannabis. Even when analyses were restricted to cannabis users, earlier age cannabis use onset conferred greater risk (1.7) for nicotine dependence than did later onset. This association was governed largely by common genetic liability to early cannabis use and nicotine dependence, as demonstrated by genetic correlations of 0.41–0.52.Conclusions  Early‐onset cannabis users are at increased risk for nicotine dependence, but this risk is attributable largely to common genetic vulnerability. There is no evidence for a causal relationship between cannabis use and nicotine dependence.
Association of serum interleukin‐33 level and the interleukin‐33 genetic variant with Japanese cedar pollinosis
Authors: Sakashita M. , Yoshimoto T. , Hirota T. , Harada M. , Okubo K. , Osawa Y. , Fujieda S. , Nakamura Y. , Yasuda K. , Nakanishi K. , Tamari M. 
Published: October 2008

SummaryBackground
IL‐33, an IL‐1‐like cytokine, is a ligand for IL1RL1, which is an important effector molecule of type 2 T helper responses. Although IL‐33/IL1RL1 interaction has been suggested to be important in induction of allergic airway inflammation, serum levels of IL‐33 and the genetic influences of the polymorphisms of IL‐33 in human allergic diseases are unclear.Objective
The aim of this study was to examine whether the serum IL‐33 level and polymorphisms in IL‐33 are associated with Japanese cedar (JC) pollinosis, the most common form of allergic rhinitis, and a major public health problem, in Japan.Methods
We performed linkage disequilibrium (LD) mapping of the gene using the HapMap database, and two selected tag single nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped. We conducted an association study of IL‐33 (JC pollinosis, n=170; normal controls, n=100) and measured the IL‐33 levels in sera of the 270 subjects by ELISA.Results
Serum levels of IL‐33 were significantly higher in patients with JC pollinosis (P=0.0018) than in controls. In genetic association analysis, we found a positive association between the polymorphism and JC pollinosis (P=0.048).Conclusion
Our results support a role for IL‐33 in the pathogenesis of JC pollinosis.
Effect of muramyl peptides on mitochondrial respiration
Authors: El-Jamal N , Bahr G M , Echtay K S 
Published: October 2008

Summary
Muramyl peptides have been shown to exert several biological activities including potentiation of humoral and cell-mediated immunity and stimulation of natural resistance. The mode of action of muramyl peptides has not been elucidated fully and the immunological activities of some derivatives have been associated with toxic effects, including pyrogenicity and inflammatory reactions. Nevertheless, the impact of muramyl peptides on mitochondrial respiration has never been addressed. In this study, the in vitro effects of muramyl peptides on rat liver mitochondria were examined. Toxic muramyl peptides induced a significant decrease in respiratory control ratio versus non-toxic analogues. These results were confirmed by in vivo studies in mice and were extended to mitochondria isolated from spleens. Our data address, for the first time, the effect of muramyl peptides on mitochondrial bioenergetics. Further studies are required to reveal the mechanism of mitochondrial toxicity in relation to the damaging effects of toxic muramyl peptides.
Rapid range expansion and community reorganization in response to warming
Authors: Le ROUX PETER C. , McGEOCH MELODIE A. 
Published: October 2008

AbstractSpecies ranges are expected to expand along their cooler boundaries in response to rising temperatures associated with current global climate change. However, this ‘fingerprint’ of climate change is yet to be assessed for an entire flora. Here, we examine patterns of altitudinal range change in the complete native vascular flora of sub‐Antarctic Marion Island. We demonstrate a rapid mean upslope expansion in the flora since 1966, in response to 1.2 °C warming on the island. The 3.4±0.8 m yr−1(mean±SE) upslope expansion rate documented is amongst the highest estimates from partial floras. However, less than half of the species in the flora were responsible for the expansion trend, demonstrating that the global fingerprint of warming may be driven by a highly responsive subset of the species pool. Individual range expansion rates varied greatly, with species‐specific niche requirements explaining some of this variation. As a result of the idiosyncratic expansion rates, altitudinal patterns of species richness and community composition changed considerably, with the formation of no‐analog communities at high and intermediate altitudes. Therefore, both species‐ and community‐level changes have occurred in the flora of Marion Island over a relatively short period of rapid warming, demonstrating the sensitivity of high latitude communities to climate change. Patterns of change within this flora illustrate the range of variation in species responses to climate change and the consequences thereof for species distributions and community reorganization.
Short‐term temperature change may impact freshwater carbon flux: a microbial perspective
Authors: MONTAGNES DAVID J. S. , MORGAN GARETH , BISSINGER JAN E. , ATKINSON DAVID , WEISSE THOMAS 
Published: October 2008

AbstractSmall freshwater bodies are abundant and economically and ecologically important on a global scale. Within these, protozoa play an important role in structuring planktonic food webs and sequestering CO2. We hypothesized that short‐term (∼20 days) fluctuations, of 2–10 °C, will significantly alter carbon flux associated with predator–prey interactions within the microbial planktonic food web. We examined the model ciliate, Urotricha farcta, which is abundant and common; it was fed the autotrophic flagellate Cryptomonas sp., which is also common. Laboratory experiments were conducted over relevant ranges: 8–24 °C; 0–2 × 105 prey mL−1. Mechanistic‐phenomenological multiple regressions were developed and fit to the data to obtain relationships for (1) growth rate and volume changes of the flagellate vs. temperature and (2) growth rates, grazing, and cell volume change of the ciliate vs. temperature and prey concentration. Responses revealed interaction between temperature and prey levels on all ciliate parameters, indicating it is inappropriate to apply simple temperature corrections (e.g. Q10) to such functions. The potential impact of such temperature changes on carbon flux was illustrated using a simple ciliate–flagellate predator–prey model, with and without the top grazer, Daphnia, added. The model indicated that predator–prey pulses occurred over 20 days, with the ciliate controlling the prey population. For ciliates and prey, carbon production peaked at 20 °C and rapidly decreased above and below this maximum; differences between minimum and maximum were approximately fourfold, for both prey and ciliate, with low levels at 25–30 °C and 10–15 °C. Including literature data to parameterize, the influence of the grazer Daphnia did not alter the prediction that the ciliate may control short‐term flagellate pulses and temperature will influence these in a nonintuitive fashion.
Evaluation of the INNO‐LiPA mycobacteria v2 assay for identification of aquatic mycobacteria
Authors: Pourahmad F , Thompson K D , Taggart J B , Adams A , Richards R H 
Published: October 2008

AbstractFifty‐seven isolates of mycobacteria comprising 10 reference strains, 47 field isolates and one non‐Mycobacterium isolate were screened using commercial INNO‐LiPA v2 assay kits. All mycobacteria isolates tested hybridized with the Mycobacterium genus probe on the LiPA strip. All M. marinum, M. fortuitum and M. chelonae reference and field strains and three out of the four M. gordonae isolates hybridized to their corresponding species‐ or complex‐specific probes. Two cultures (a type strain and a field isolate) yielded mixed growth of two mycobacterial species, i.e. M. chelonae and M. fortuitum. A Mycobacterium isolate from one of these cultures was subsequently purified and correctly identified with the kit. However, sequence analysis of the 16S–23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of various mycobacteria isolates revealed a misidentification of M. shottsii and M. pseudoshottsii with the kit because these isolates reacted with the M. marinum/M. ulcerans probe. Moreover, nine of the 13 field isolates presumed to be M. fortuitum from the results of the kit had closer ITS sequence homology with M. conceptionense, a species which, to our knowledge, has never been reported in fish. These findings highlight the need to redesign the M. fortuitum–M. peregrinum probe included in the INNO‐LiPA assay and to introduce additional complex‐specific probes into the kit. Nevertheless, the kit proved to be a rapid and reliable method for identifying mycobacteria in the aquatic environment and would be particularly useful in laboratories without sequencing facilities.
Development of a widely applicable positive control strategy to support detection of infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) using Taqman real‐time PCR
Authors: Snow M , McKay P , Matejusova I 
Published: October 2008

AbstractReal‐time PCR assays are being increasingly applied to the detection of fish pathogens due to their sensitivity, specificity and potential for high throughput sample processing. Such assays allow for the ready and efficient inclusion of appropriate quality controls which are fundamental to scientific integrity and to satisfying the demands of diagnostic test accreditation. In this article, we report development of a universal positive control strategy for real‐time PCR assays, which has been used to support and improve a previously published method for detection of infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV). The strategy employed uses an RNA mimic template, which is based on the ISAV segment 8 target sequence but includes an artificial universal positive control sequence. Inclusion of this sequence, which is targeted by a second specific probe carrying a different fluorophore to the primary assay, allows for convenient screening of all real‐time PCR reactions for the presence of contaminating positive control material. The development of readily distinguishable artificial positive control material offers distinct advantages to real‐time PCR assays over using control material derived from clinical material.