bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The relationships between supplier development, commitment, social capital accumulation and performance improvement
Authors: Krause Daniel R. , Handfield Robert B. , Tyler Beverly B. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThis study investigates the relationships between U.S. buying firms’ supplier development efforts, commitment, social capital accumulation with key suppliers, and buying firm performance. We identify linkages between supply chain management research on supplier development and organization theory research on social capital to consider how buying firm commitment to a long‐term relationship, cognitive capital (goals and values), structural capital (information sharing, supplier evaluation, supplier development), and relational capital (length of relationship, buyer dependency, supplier dependency) are related to buying firm performance improvements (cost improvements, and quality, delivery, flexibility improvements). Analysis of buying firms from the U.S. automotive and electronics industries provides support for the theory that buyer commitment and social capital accumulation with key suppliers can improve buying company performance. Moreover, the findings suggest that the relationships of structural and relational capital vary depending on the type of performance improvement considered.
In vitrocapacitation of bull spermatozoa by oviductal fluid and its components
Authors: Bergqvist Ann-Sofi , Ballester Joan , Johannisson Anders , Hernandez Marta , Lundeheim Nils , Rodríguez-Martínez Heriberto 
Published: July 2006

SummarySperm capacitation is crucial for fertilization. However, debate continues on exactly how, where and when capacitation is elicited in the bovine female genital tract. In this study we used merocyanine-540 and the chlortetracycline (CTC) assay to test how capacitation of bull spermatozoa is affectedin vitroby exposure to oviductal fluid (ODF) collectedin vivo, various glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) or bicarbonate. Following different durations of exposure, spermatozoa were stained with CTC or merocyanine-540, and evaluated with epifluorescent light microscopy or flow cytometry, respectively. Incubation time did not significantly affect capacitation. Exposure (30–120 min) to ODF capacitated (p< 0.05) bull spermatozoa as measured by either merocyanine-540 or CTC. Hyaluronan was the only GAG that induced a significant increase in B-pattern spermatozoa (capacitated;p= 0.012) compared with controls. Dermatan sulphate also induced capacitation (merocyanine-540 high fluorescence;p= 0.035). Exposure to bicarbonate-enriched media also yielded an increase in merocyanine-540 high fluorescence (p< 0.0001). When bicarbonate was added to the other treatments (ODF or GAGs) an equal increase in merocyanine-540 high fluorescence was noted (p< 0.0001), compared with before addition of bicarbonate and independent of the treatment before exposure. There was no significant difference in the number of B-pattern spermatozoa when bicarbonate was added, but an significant increase in spermatozoa with an acrosome-reacted (AR)-pattern (p< 0.0001) was observed. Exposure of spermatozoa to solubilized zonae pellucidae significantly increased the AR-pattern spermatozoa (p= 0.016). In conclusion, ODF was more potent in inducing capacitation of bull spermatozoa than the individual GAGs. Our results also indicate that bicarbonate is an effector of bull sperm capacitation.
Further evidence for intercity co-operation among Neo-Babylonian temples
Authors: MacGinnis J. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractRecent work among the Sippar Collections of the British Musuem has brought to light a number of interesting texts, among which is the fragment BM 63570. This text lists the qīpu's of numerous temples along with other officials, associating them all with bundles of reeds measured in hundreds. This is of unusual interest, however it is not the first time such a text has come to light as a similar fragment, BM 68777, was identified and published by the present author in 1993. Indeed, without a doubt the two pieces belong to the same tablet. BM 68777 is the beginning of the text, while BM 63570 carries on the obverse from this after a very small break and then gives some lines from the top of the reverse. The reverse of BM 68777 was uninscribed.
The Role of the Karguzar in the Foreign Relations of State and Society of Iran from the mid-nineteenth century to 1921 Part III: The Karguzar and Disputes over Foreign Trade
Authors: Nouraei Morteza , Martin Vanessa 
Published: July 2006

AbstractContinuing our theme of looking at foreign relations between Iran and Britain from the point of view of the popular level through the role of the karguzar (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Agent), this article will consider cases concerning foreign trade and disputes over property. It will examine the popular response to the growth of the foreign presence through expansion of foreign trade and the way Iranians handled their situation in a system that was dominated by Europeans. As trade grew in the late nineteenth century, so did the number and workload of karguzars.
Improved peak detection in mass spectrum by incorporating continuous wavelet transform-based pattern matching
Authors: Du Pan , Kibbe Warren A. , Lin Simon M. 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
Motivation: A major problem for current peak detection algorithms is that noise in mass spectrometry (MS) spectra gives rise to a high rate of false positives. The false positive rate is especially problematic in detecting peaks with low amplitudes. Usually, various baseline correction algorithms and smoothing methods are applied before attempting peak detection. This approach is very sensitive to the amount of smoothing and aggressiveness of the baseline correction, which contribute to making peak detection results inconsistent between runs, instrumentation and analysis methods.
Results: Most peak detection algorithms simply identify peaks based on amplitude, ignoring the additional information present in the shape of the peaks in a spectrum. In our experience, ‘true’ peaks have characteristic shapes, and providing a shape-matching function that provides a ‘goodness of fit’ coefficient should provide a more robust peak identification method. Based on these observations, a continuous wavelet transform (CWT)-based peak detection algorithm has been devised that identifies peaks with different scales and amplitudes. By transforming the spectrum into wavelet space, the pattern-matching problem is simplified and in addition provides a powerful technique for identifying and separating the signal from the spike noise and colored noise. This transformation, with the additional information provided by the 2D CWT coefficients can greatly enhance the effective signal-to-noise ratio. Furthermore, with this technique no baseline removal or peak smoothing preprocessing steps are required before peak detection, and this improves the robustness of peak detection under a variety of conditions. The algorithm was evaluated with SELDI-TOF spectra with known polypeptide positions. Comparisons with two other popular algorithms were performed. The results show the CWT-based algorithm can identify both strong and weak peaks while keeping false positive rate low.
Availability: The algorithm is implemented in R and will be included as an open source module in the Bioconductor project.
Contact: s-lin2@northwestern.edu
Supplementary material: . Colour versions of the figures in this article can be found at Bioinformatics Online.
VAMP: Visualization and analysis of array-CGH, transcriptome and other molecular profiles
Authors: Rosa Philippe La , Viara Eric , Hupé Philippe , Pierron Gaëlle , Liva Stéphane , Neuvial Pierre , Brito Isabel , Lair Séverine , Servant Nicolas , Robine Nicolas , Manié Elodie , Brennetot Caroline , Janoueix-Lerosey Isabelle , Raynal Virginie , Gruel Nadège , Rouveirol Céline , Stransky Nicolas , Stern Marc-Henri , Delattre Olivier , Aurias Alain , Radvanyi François , Barillot Emmanuel 
Published: July 2006

AbstractMotivation: Microarray-based CGH (Comparative Genomic Hybridization), transcriptome arrays and other large-scale genomic technologies are now routinely used to generate a vast amount of genomic profiles. Exploratory analysis of this data is crucial in helping to understand the data and to help form biological hypotheses. This step requires visualization of the data in a meaningful way to visualize the results and to perform first level analyses.Results: We have developed a graphical user interface for visualization and first level analysis of molecular profiles. It is currently in use at the Institut Curie for cancer research projects involving CGH arrays, transcriptome arrays, SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) arrays, loss of heterozygosity results (LOH), and Chromatin ImmunoPrecipitation arrays (ChIP chips). The interface offers the possibility of studying these different types of information in a consistent way. Several views are proposed, such as the classical CGH karyotype view or genome-wide multi-tumor comparison. Many functionalities for analyzing CGH data are provided by the interface, including looking for recurrent regions of alterations, confrontation to transcriptome data or clinical information, and clustering. Our tool consists of PHP scripts and of an applet written in Java. It can be run on public datasets atAvailability: The VAMP software (Visualization and Analysis of array-CGH,transcriptome and other Molecular Profiles) is available upon request. It can be tested on public datasets at . The documentation is available atContact: vamp@curie.fr
Clinical significance of β1 integrin expression as a prediction marker for radiotherapy in early glottic carcinoma
Authors: Choi Seung‐Ho , Cho Kyung‐Ja , Nam Soon‐Yuhl , Lee Sang‐wook , Kang Joon , Kim Sang Yoon 
Published: July 2006

AbstractObjective: To determine the significance of β1 integrin expression as a prediction marker for the response to radiotherapy in patients with early glottic carcinoma.Study Design: Retrospective study in a tertiary referral center.Methods: Among the T1/T2 glottic carcinoma patients treated with radiotherapy from 1992 to 2002, 52 had more than 2 years of follow‐up and available pretreatment biopsy specimens. The immunohistochemical staining was performed for the assay of β1 integrin expression, and the staining pattern of each was classified as diffuse, localized, or negative. The associations between the patterns of β1 integrin expression and clinicopathologic parameters, including response to radiotherapy, involvement of the anterior commissure, and grade of histologic differentiation, were evaluated.Results: After radiotherapy, 42 patients remained tumor free, and 10 patients had recurrent or persistent disease. Six (12%) specimens were negative for β1 integrin expression, 39 (75%) had a localized staining pattern, and 7 (13%) had a diffuse staining pattern. Recurrence rate was significantly higher in the diffuse group (53%) than in the localized (13%) or negative (17%) groups (P = .023). The pattern of β1 integrin expression was also closely related to histologic differentiation (P = .008), although the association between response to radiotherapy and histologic differentiation was not significantConclusion: The pattern of expression of β1 integrin, which has been known as a stem cell marker of the epidermis, may be helpful in predicting the response to radiation in patients with early glottic carcinoma.
Patients Undergoing Sinus Surgery: Constructing a Demographic Profile
Authors: Martin Timothy J. , Yauck Jennifer S. , Smith Timothy L. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractObjectives: The objective of this study is to construct an accurate and representative demographic profile of patients undergoing sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). This will enable future studies to enroll representative samples so that results can be more easily compared across studies and generalized to the U.S. population.Methods: The investigators interrogated the databases of the National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery to gather demographic data. Whenever the NSAS provided incomplete characterization, deficiencies were corrected using state‐level data provided by the Health care Cost and Utilization Project. The constructed profile was compared with available profiles of patients with CRS and demographic data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.Results: The demographic profile of patients undergoing sinus surgery is 52.7% female with a mean age of 38.5 years. A total of 93.5% of surgery is performed on an outpatient basis with 78.8% of patients having private insurance sources. No significant difference in occurrence of surgery was found between months of the year or between regions of the country. The constructed race profile is 85.7% white, 5% black, 1.2% Asian/Pacific Islander, 0.2% Native American, and 7.8% other.Conclusions. A novel integration of national and state databases can be used to create a demographic profile of patients undergoing surgery for CRS. The creation of this profile enables further study of representative populations of patients with CRS and enables thoughtful analysis of the existing literature. The difficulty in creating the profile highlights the need for complete and accurate healthcare information collection by national and state agencies.
Persistent Inflammation and Hyperresponsiveness Following Viral Rhinosinusitis
Authors: Klemens James Joseph , Thompson Kenneth , Langerman Alexander , Naclerio Robert M. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractObjectives: To develop a murine model of viral rhinosinusitis.Study Design: Randomized, controlled, animal model.Methods: Mice were intranasally inoculated with Sendai virus (SeV) or ultraviolet (UV)‐inactivated virus. On days 3 and 10 postinfection, nasal lavage fluid was obtained for viral culture. On days 4, 10, and 38 postinfection, sinus mucosa was harvested and analyzed by flow cytometry for CD3‐, CD4‐, CD8‐, CD25‐, CD11b‐, CCR3‐, and GR1‐positive cells. Nasal hyperresponsiveness to histamine challenge was measured on days 8 and 36 postinoculation.Results: On day 3, viral cultures were positive from all SeV‐inoculated mice but from none of the UV‐inactivated mice (P ≤ .0039). There was no growth of virus from either group on day 10. On day 4, flow cytometry on SeV‐infected sinus cells showed a significant increase in macrophages (P ≤ .03) and neutrophils (P ≤ .02) compared with controls. This inflammation resolved by day 10. On day 38, mice inoculated with SeV had significantly more CD8+ (P ≤ .044) and CD4+CD25+ (P ≤ .017) cells than did controls. On day 8, there was a significant increase in both sneezing (P ≤ .002) and nasal rubbing (P ≤ .002) in the SeV‐infected group to histamine challenge compared with controls. This difference continued to day 36.Conclusions: Inoculation with SeV results in an acute infection that resolves spontaneously within 10 days. Infected mice develop a significant increase in T‐suppressor and T‐regulatory cells after resolution of the acute infection, which persists for at least 38 days. The persistence of these T cells is associated with hyperresponsiveness to histamine. This mouse model has some parallels to chronic rhinosinusitis after a viral infection in humans and should allow us to clarify the pathophysiology of this disease.
Pterygopalatine Fossa Infiltration Through the Greater Palatine Foramen: Where to Bend the Needle
Authors: Douglas Richard , Wormald Peter‐John 
Published: July 2006

AbstractObjective: In the literature, there has been controversy regarding the length of the greater palatine canal. If the pterygopalatine fossa is infiltrated in an attempt to reduce bleeding during sinus surgery, this information is important to be able to place local anesthetic with maximal effect and the least likelihood of complications.Study Design: The authors conducted a prospective cadaver‐based study using high‐definition computed tomography (CT) scans.Methods: Twenty‐two cadaver heads were CT scanned and the greater palatine canal length, pterygopalatine fossa height, and thickness of the soft tissue in the roof of the mouth were measured on parasagittal images using the CT scanner workstation.Results: The mean length of the greater palatine canal was 18.5 mm (95% confidence interval [CI] = 17.9–19.1) and the mean height of the pterygopalatine fossa was 21.6 mm (95% CI = 20.7–22.5). The mean thickness of the soft tissue in the roof of the mouth overlying the foramen of the greater palatine canal was 6.9 mm (95% CI = 6.2–7.6).Conclusion: To perform an effective infiltration of the pterygopalatine fossa, the needle should be bent at 25 mm from the tip at an angle of 45°.
Crystal structures of native and xylosaccharide‐bound alkali thermostable xylanase from an alkalophilic Bacillus sp. NG‐27: Structural insights into alkalophilicity and implications for adaptation to polyextreme conditions
Authors: Manikandan Karuppasamy , Bhardwaj Amit , Gupta Naveen , Lokanath Neratur K. , Ghosh Amit , Reddy Vanga Siva , Ramakumar Suryanarayanarao 
Published: July 2006

AbstractCrystal structures are known for several glycosyl hydrolase family 10 (GH10) xylanases. However, none of them is from an alkalophilic organism that can grow in alkaline conditions. We have determined the crystal structures at 2.2 Å of a GH10 extracellular endoxylanase (BSX) from an alkalophilic Bacillus sp. NG‐27, for the native and the complex enzyme with xylosaccharides. The industrially important enzyme is optimally active and stable at 343 K and at a pH of 8.4. Comparison of the structure of BSX with those of other thermostable GH10 xylanases optimally active at acidic or close to neutral pH showed that the solvent‐exposed acidic amino acids, Asp and Glu, are markedly enhanced in BSX, while solvent‐exposed Asn was noticeably depleted. The BSX crystal structure when compared with putative three‐dimensional homology models of other extracellular alkalophilic GH10 xylanases from alkalophilic organisms suggests that a protein surface rich in acidic residues may be an important feature common to these alkali thermostable enzymes. A comparison of the surface features of BSX and of halophilic proteins allowed us to predict the activity of BSX at high salt concentrations, which we verified through experiments. This offered us important lessons in the polyextremophilicity of proteins, where understanding the structural features of a protein stable in one set of extreme conditions provided clues about the activity of the protein in other extreme conditions. The work brings to the fore the role of the nature and composition of solvent‐exposed residues in the adaptation of enzymes to polyextreme conditions, as in BSX.
Highly efficient selenomethionine labeling of recombinant proteins produced in mammalian cells
Authors: Barton William A. , Tzvetkova‐Robev Dorothea , Erdjument‐Bromage Hediye , Tempst Paul , Nikolov Dimitar B. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe advent of the multiwavelength anomalous diffraction phasing method has significantly accelerated crystal structure determination and has become the norm in protein crystallography. This method allows researchers to take advantage of the anomalous signal from diverse atoms, but the dominant method for derivative preparation is selenomethionine substitution. Several generally applicable, high‐efficiency labeling protocols have been developed for use in the bacterial, yeast, and baculovirus/insect cell expression systems but not for mammalian tissue culture. As a large number of proteins of biomedical importance can only be produced in yields sufficient for X‐ray diffraction experiments in mammalian expression systems, it becomes all the more important to develop such protocols. We therefore evaluated several variables that play roles in determining incorporation levels and report here a simple protocol for selenomethionine modification of proteins in mammalian cells routinely yielding >90% labeling efficiency.
Assessment of effects of an additional dietary natural mineral water uptake on skin hydration in healthy subjects by dynamic barrier function measurements and clinic scoring
Authors: Mac‐Mary S. , Creidi P. , Marsaut D. , Courderot‐Masuyer C. , Cochet V. , Gharbi T. , Guidicelli‐Arranz D. , Tondu F. , Humbert P. 
Published: July 2006

Background/aims: The skin protects the body's organs and tissues from damage and physical, chemical and bacteriological injuries. It also prevents the transcutaneous loss of water. The present study was conducted to assess the effects of additional dietary natural mineral water uptake on skin hydration and cutaneous well‐being in subjects with dry skin.Methods: Eighty subjects (44 women and 36 males, mean age 56±5.6 years) were included in the study, randomised per forearm and stratified by gender. Skin surface hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), sorption–desorption test, skin colour, thickness and micro‐relief were evaluated on the forearms. Clinical scoring of dryness, roughness and elasticity was performed by a dermatologist.Results: An improvement of skin hydration was observed after additional water uptake, statistically modifying the hydration level as well as TEWL, the water‐binding capacity of the uppermost layers of the stratum corneum. Improvements of softness, smoothness and skin‐moisturising effect were perceived by healthy subjects, and skin micro‐relief was improved.Conclusion: We suggest that natural mineral water supplementation may be used in order to improve the hydration of skin dryness as a complementary cosmetic approach.
Chemoprevention of spontaneous development of hepatocellular carcinomas in fatty liver Shionogi mice by a cyclooxygenase‐2 inhibitor
Authors: Liu Weidong , Nakamura Hideji , Tsujimura Tohru , Cheng Jidong , Yamamoto Teruhisa , Iwamoto Yuna , Imanishi Hiroyasu , Shimomura Soji , Yamamoto Tetsuo , Hirasawa Tsutomu , Inagaki Shuichiro , Nishiguchi Shuhei , Hada Toshikazu 
Published: July 2006

Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX‐2) and retinoid X receptor α (RXRα) are suggested to have roles in carcinogenesis. COX‐2 inhibitors have been reported to suppress growth of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell linesin vitro. However, little is known about the preventive effect of these drugs on spontaneous hepatocarcinogenesisin vivo. Etodolac exists in a racemic mixture containing S‐ and R‐etodolac. S‐etodolac is responsible for COX‐2 inhibitory activity and R‐etodolac is related to the downregulation of RXRα. Here, the effect of etodolac on spontaneous development of HCC in fatty liver Shionogi mice is evaluated. Etodolac was administered at a low (2 mg/kg) or high (10 mg/kg) dose three times a week for 16 months starting at the age of 3 months. The development of HCC was suppressed slightly in the high‐dose group, and suppressed markedly in the low‐dose group, although the development of fatty liver was not inhibited in either group. Plasma prostaglandin E2levels were also decreased significantly in the low‐dose group, consistent with the suppression of HCC. The expression of RXRα and proliferating cell nuclear antigen in non‐tumorous liver tissues was decreased significantly in both the low‐dose and high‐dose groups. These findings show that etodolac treatment at an optimum dose suppresses hepatocarcinogenesisin vivo, and may be useful for preventing the development of HCC in humans. (Cancer Sci2006; 97: 768–773)