bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The relationship between passive range of motion and range of motion during gait and plantar pressure measurements
Authors: Turner D. E. , Helliwell P. S. , Burton A. K. , Woodburn J. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractAims  To investigate the relationship between limited joint mobility (LJM; measured both passively and during gait) and plantar pressure measurements.Methods  A cross‐sectional study involving 28 diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy but no plantar ulceration (DN), 25 diabetic patients with ulceration (DU), 25 diabetic control patients with no ulceration or peripheral neuropathy (DC), and 25 non‐diabetic reference subjects (NDR). Movements of the ankle joint complex (AJC) and 1st metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint were recorded, together with plantar pressures.Results  The passive range of motion at the AJC was significantly reduced in all the diabetes groups, but the gait range of motion was comparable with non‐diabetic subjects. At the AJC, no correlation was found between the passive and gait range of motion (ROM) and these were not correlated with plantar pressure variables. At the 1st MTP, a correlation was found between the passive and gait dorsiflexion ROM and a significant correlation existed between gait dorsiflexion ROM at the 1st MTP joint and peak forefoot pressures in the DU group.Conclusions  Despite a significant reduction in the passive ROM at the AJC in the diabetic groups, the gait ROM was indistinguishable from reference subjects and was not correlated with plantar pressure variables. At the 1st MTP joint, a correlation was found between the passive and gait ROM and furthermore the gait ROM was correlated with peak forefoot pressures, suggesting ROM measures at the 1st MTP joint may be preferable to ROM measures at the AJC.
Bilateral pleural effusions, ascites, and facial and peripheral oedema in a 19‐year‐old woman 2 weeks following commencement of insulin lispro and detemir—an unusual presentation of insulin oedema
Authors: Lee P. , Kinsella J. , Borkman M. , Carter J. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractInsulin oedema is a rare complication of insulin therapy and usually occurs in patients with Type 1 diabetes. It can present in a variety of ways, from mild peripheral oedema to cardiac failure and massive serosal effusions. We report a 19‐year‐old woman with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes who presented with bilateral pleural effusions, ascites and extensive peripheral oedema 2 weeks after starting insulin therapy. Significant cardiac disease was excluded, and the massive fluid retention resolved spontaneously with conservative management. A review of the literature is presented.
Aerobic fitness and hand grip strength in Type 1 diabetes: relationship to glycaemic control and body composition
Authors: Wallymahmed M. E. , Morgan C. , Gill G. V. , MacFarlane I. A. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractAim  To clarify the relationship of aerobic fitness and handgrip strength with glycaemic control (HbA1c), body composition and lipid profile in Type 1 diabetes.Methods  Aerobic capacity (Chester Step Test), handgrip strength and body composition (bioelectrical impedance) were measured in 141 patients with Type 1 diabetes.Results  Aerobic capacity correlated positively with HbA1c and lean body mass and negatively with body mass index and fat mass. Handgrip strength correlated positively with aerobic capacity and negatively with HbA1c and fat mass. In addition, there was a positive correlation between HbA1c and total cholesterol.Conclusion  Patients with Type 1 diabetes who have good aerobic capacity have poorer glycaemic control. However, this was an observational study and the results must be interpreted with caution. Further investigation into how these patients manage blood glucose during exercise is required.
Urinary excretion of inositol phosphoglycan P‐type in gestational diabetes mellitus
Authors: Scioscia M. , Kunjara S. , Gumaa K. , McLean P. , Rodeck C. H. , Rademacher T. W. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractObjective  The mechanisms underlying insulin resistance during normal pregnancy, and its further exacerbation in pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), are generally unknown. Inositolphosphoglycan P‐type (P‐IPG), a putative second messenger of insulin, correlates with the degree of insulin resistance in diabetic subjects. An increase during normal pregnancy, in maternal and fetal compartments, has recently been reported.Methods  A cross‐sectional study was carried out in 48 women with GDM and 23 healthy pregnant women. Urinary levels of P‐IPG were assessed spectrophotometrically by the activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase in urinary specimens and correlated with clinical parameters.Results  Urinary excretion of P‐IPG was higher in GDM than in control women (312.1 ± 151.0 vs. 210.6 ± 82.7 nmol NADH/min/mg creatinine, P < 0.01) with values increasing throughout pregnancy in control subjects (r2 = 0.34, P < 0.01). P‐IPG correlated with blood glucose levels (r2 = 0.39, P < 0.01 for postprandial glycaemia and r2 = 0.18 P < 0.01 for mean glycaemia) and birthweight in the diabetic group (r2 = 0.14, P < 0.01).Conclusions  Increased P‐IPG urinary excretion occurs in GDM and positively correlates with blood glucose levels. P‐IPG may play a role in maternal glycaemic control and, possibly, fetal growth in GDM.
Heritability and genetic correlations of insulin sensitivity measured by the euglycaemic clamp
Authors: Rasmussen‐Torvik L. J. , Pankow J. S. , Jacobs D. R. , Steffen L. M. , Moran A. M. , Steinberger J. , Sinaiko A. R. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractAims  Studies investigating genetic factors influencing insulin sensitivity/insulin resistance have measured this phenotype using a variety of methods. In this study, genetic correlations and heritability of insulin sensitivity measured using the euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp and related phenotypes were examined.Methods  The study population included 818 non‐diabetic individuals from 297 nuclear families. Genetic correlations and heritability estimates were calculated using variance components methods.Results  Homeostasis model of insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR) and fasting insulin were very highly phenotypically and genetically correlated (r = 0.99 and r = 0.99). HOMA‐IR and insulin sensitivity measured with the euglycaemic clamp were only moderately genetically correlated (r = –0.53), suggesting that the two traits may be influenced, at least in part, by different genes. Heritabilities for fasting insulin (h2 = 0.36) and HOMA‐IR (h2 = 0.38) were consistent with the published literature, but heritability for insulin sensitivity measured by the euglycaemic clamp was slightly lower than other published estimates (h2 = 0.24).Conclusions  Because HOMA‐IR (or fasting insulin) and insulin sensitivity measured with the euglycaemic clamp are not highly genetically correlated, they should not be used interchangeably in genetic studies. Given the very high correlations between fasting insulin and HOMA‐IR, HOMA‐IR does not offer any advantage over fasting insulin in analyses of insulin sensitivity in this population.
Biotic interactions improve prediction of boreal bird distributions at macro‐scales
Authors: Heikkinen Risto K. , Luoto Miska , Virkkala Raimo , Pearson Richard G. , Körber Jan‐Hendrik 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACTAim  The role of biotic interactions in influencing species distributions at macro‐scales remains poorly understood. Here we test whether predictions of distributions for four boreal owl species at two macro‐scales (10 × 10 km and 40 × 40 km grid resolutions) are improved by incorporating interactions with woodpeckers into climate envelope models.Location  Finland, northern Europe.Methods  Distribution data for four owl and six woodpecker species, along with data for six land cover and three climatic variables, were collated from 2861 10 × 10 km grid cells. Generalized additive models were calibrated using a 50% random sample of the species data from western Finland, and by repeating this procedure 20 times for each of the four owl species. Models were fitted using three sets of explanatory variables: (1) climate only; (2) climate and land cover; and (3) climate, land cover and two woodpecker interaction variables. Models were evaluated using three approaches: (1) examination of explained deviance; (2) four‐fold cross‐validation using the model calibration data; and (3) comparison of predicted and observed values for independent grid cells in eastern Finland. The model accuracy for approaches (2) and (3) was measured using the area under the curve of a receiver operating characteristic plot.Results  At 10‐km resolution, inclusion of the distribution of woodpeckers as a predictor variable significantly improved the explanatory power, cross‐validation statistics and the predictive accuracy of the models. Inclusion of land cover led to similar improvements at 10‐km resolution, although these improvements were less apparent at 40‐km resolution for both land cover and biotic interactions.Main conclusions  Predictions of species distributions at macro‐scales may be significantly improved by incorporating biotic interactions and land cover variables into models. Our results are important for models used to predict the impacts of climate change, and emphasize the need for comprehensive evaluation of the reliability of species–climate impact models.
The importance of biotic interactions for modelling species distributions under climate change
Authors: Araújo Miguel B. , Luoto Miska 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACTAim  There is a debate as to whether biotic interactions exert a dominant role in governing species distributions at macroecological scales. The prevailing idea is that climate is the key limiting factor; thus models that use present‐day climate–species range relationships are expected to provide reasonable means to quantify the impacts of climate change on species distributions. However, there is little empirical evidence that biotic interactions would not constrain species distributions at macroecological scales. We examine this idea, for the first time, and provide tests for two null hypotheses: (H0 1) – biotic interactions do not exert a significant role in explaining current distributions of a particular species of butterfly (clouded Apollo, Parnassius mnemosyne) in Europe; and (H0 2) – biotic interactions do not exert a significant role in predictions of altered species’ ranges under climate change.Location  Europe.Methods  Generalized additive modelling (GAM) was used to investigate relationships between species and climate; species and host plants; and species and climate + host plants. Because models are sensitive to the variable selection strategies utilised, four alternative approaches were used: AIC (Akaike's Information Criterion), BIC (Bayesian Information Criterion), BRUTO (Adaptive Backfitting), and CROSS (Cross Selection).Results  In spite of the variation in the variables selected with different methods, both hypotheses (H0 1 and H0 2) were falsified, providing support for the proposition that biotic interactions significantly affect both the explanatory and predictive power of bioclimatic envelope models at macro scales.Main conclusions  Our results contradict the widely held view that the effects of biotic interactions on individual species distributions are not discernible at macroecological scales. Results are contingent on the species, type of interaction and methods considered, but they call for more stringent evidence in support of the idea that purely climate‐based modelling would be sufficient to quantify the impacts of climate change on species distributions.
Both the stroma and thylakoid lumen of tobacco chloroplasts are competent for the formation of disulphide bonds in recombinant proteins
Authors: Bally Julia , Paget Eric , Droux Michel , Job Claudette , Job Dominique , Dubald Manuel 
Published: October 2007

SummaryPlant chloroplasts are promising vehicles for recombinant protein production, but the process of protein folding in these organelles is not well understood in comparison with that in prokaryotic systems, such as Escherichia coli. This is particularly true for disulphide bond formation which is crucial for the biological activity of many therapeutic proteins. We have investigated the capacity of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) chloroplasts to efficiently form disulphide bonds in proteins by expressing in this plant cell organelle a well‐known bacterial enzyme, alkaline phosphatase, whose activity and stability strictly depend on the correct formation of two intramolecular disulphide bonds. Plastid transformants have been generated that express either the mature enzyme, localized in the stroma, or the full‐length coding region, including its signal peptide. The latter has the potential to direct the recombinant alkaline phosphatase into the lumen of thylakoids, giving access to this even less well‐characterized organellar compartment. We show that the chloroplast stroma supports the formation of an active enzyme, unlike a normal bacterial cytosol. Sorting of alkaline phosphatase to the thylakoid lumen occurs in the plastid transformants translating the full‐length coding region, and leads to larger amounts and more active enzyme. These results are compared with those obtained in bacteria. The implications of these findings on protein folding properties and competency of chloroplasts for disulphide bond formation are discussed.
US Exports of Knowledge‐intensive Services and Importing‐country Characteristics
Authors: Co Catherine Yap 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThis paper studies the determinants of US exports of knowledge‐intensive services. Using US export data to as many as 29 countries between 1989 and 2002, I find the following. First, gross product and per capita income have heterogeneous effects on affiliated and non‐affiliated exports of knowledge‐intensive services. Secondly, property rights protection matters. Thirdly, infrastructure quality and political institutions only matter in the transfer of knowledge assets. Finally, financial depth is only correlated with the export of services to non‐affiliates.
Endogenous City Formation with Production Externalities: Existence of Equilibrium
Authors: LAFOUNTAIN COURTNEY 
Published: October 2007

AbstractI show that equilibria exist in closed city‐system models with production externalities if firms' production possibilities vary continuously with the source of the externality, are constant returns to scale in own inputs, include inaction, and satisfy free disposal; if firms have to employ their own inputs to produce output; if there is a finite number of firm types; and if some standard conditions on preferences and endowments are satisfied. This is the first model to include production externalities in the fully general equilibrium framework required for endogenous city formation. Thus, this result provides formal support for the conjecture that production externalities lead to urban agglomeration.
Delegation versus Veto in Organizational Games of Strategic Communication
Authors: MARINO ANTHONY M. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractIn organizations, principals use decision rules to govern a more informed agent's behavior. We compare two such rules: delegation and veto. Recent work suggests that delegation dominates veto unless the divergence in preferences between the principal and the agent is so large that informative communication cannot take place. We show that this result does not hold in a reasonable model of veto versus delegation. In this model, veto dominates delegation for any feasible divergence in preferences, if it induces the agent to shut down low quality proposals that he would otherwise implement and if such projects have sufficient likelihood.
The Manipulability of Fair Solutions in Assignment of an Indivisible Object with Monetary Transfers
Authors: FUJINAKA YUJI , SAKAI TOYOTAKA 
Published: October 2007

AbstractPublic decision making often involves the problem of fairly assigning one indivisible object to agents with monetary transfers. An example is the choice of the location of a garbage incineration facility where the accepting district should receive fair compensations from other districts. In this problem, we show that for broad classes of solutions satisfying a welfare lower bound and an efficiency‐oriented condition, the set of equilibrium allocations in the manipulation game associated with a given solution coincides with the set of all envy‐free allocations. This generalizes Tadenuma and Thomson's equivalence result for a class of envy‐free solutions. Our result covers the Shapley value, which is not covered by Tadenuma and Thomson's result.
Policy for Poverty Alleviation and Income Redistribution with Quasi‐Public Goods
Authors: NAKAMURA YUI 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThis paper proposes a theoretical framework for a poverty‐alleviation program with quasi‐public goods and presents four main effects. First, this policy succeeds in self‐selection, which identifies low‐productive persons under imperfect information and allows them to receive at least the minimum income. Second, we can observe income redistribution by this scheme without any taxes. Third, the program contributes cost‐effectiveness in many cases. Finally, it makes clear that this policy is suitable, especially in areas where low‐income people are concentrated.
Wealth Heterogeneity and Escape from the Poverty–Environment Trap
Authors: IKEFUJI MASAKO , HORII RYO 
Published: October 2007

AbstractA mutual link between poverty and environmental degradation is examined in an overlapping generations model. Environmental quality affects labor productivity and wealth dynamics, whereas wealth distribution determines the degree to which agents rely on technology that has a large environmental load, and therefore the evolution of environmental quality. This interaction creates a “poverty–environment trap,” where a deteriorated environment lowers income, which, in turn, accelerates environmental degradation. We show that greater wealth heterogeneity is the key to escaping from the poverty–environment trap, although it can have negative effects on both the environment and output when not in the trap.
Required Rates of Return for Corporate Investment Appraisal in the Presence of Growth Opportunities
Authors: Hirst Ian R. C. , Danbolt Jo , Jones Eddie 
Published: October 2007

Abstract Traditional methods of estimating required rates of return overstate hurdle rates in the presence of growth opportunities. We attempt to quantify this effect by developing a simple model which: (i) identifies those companies that have valuable growth opportunities; (ii) splits the value of shares into ‘assets‐in‐place’ and ‘growth opportunities’; and (iii) splits the equity β into β for ‘assets‐in‐place’ and ‘growth opportunities’. We find growth opportunities for UK companies over the 1990–2004 period to average 33% of equity value. Incorporating the effect of growth opportunities, the average cost of capital for investment purposes falls by 1.1 percentage points.
Evaluating the Cost- Effectiveness of In-Work Benefits: A Simulation Study for Switzerland
Authors: Gerfin Michael , Leu Robert E. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractIncome support for working low-income families (the ‘working poor’) is on top of the political agenda in Switzerland. The current social assistance system is considered inadequate to support working poor households. Several European countries have introduced in-work benefits in order to make work pay. Based on a structural labour supply model, this paper provides microsimulation results of the effects of introducing different schemes of in-work benefits. It turns out that adding a minimum hours requirement to the current social assistance system is the most cost-effective reform. Onethird of expected costs can be attributed to behavioural changes in labour supply.
The Curse and Blessing of Training the Unemployed in a Changing Economy: The Case of East Germany After Unification
Authors: Lechner Michael , Miquel Ruth , Wunsch Conny 
Published: October 2007

AbstractWe analyse the effects of government-sponsored training for the unemployed conducted during East German transition. For the microeconometric analysis, we use a new, large and informative administrative database that allows us to use matching methods to address potential selection bias, to study different types of programmes and to observe labour market outcomes over eight years. We find strong evidence that, on average, the training programmes under investigation increase long-term employment prospects and earnings. However, as an important exception, the longer training programmes are not helpful for their male participants. At least part of the explanation for this negative result is that caseworkers severely misjudged the structure of the future demand for skills.
The Relationship between Output and Unemployment with Efficiency Wages
Authors: Malley Jim , Molana Hassan 
Published: October 2007

AbstractWe construct a stylised model of the supply side with goods and labour market imperfections to show that an economy can rationally operate at a low-effort state in which the relationship between output and unemployment is positive. We examine data from the G7 countries over 1960-2001 and find that only German data strongly favour a persistent negative relationship between the level of output and rate of unemployment. The consequence of this is that circumstances exist in which market imperfections could pose serious obstacles to the smooth working of expansionary and/or stabilisation policies and a positive demand shock might have adverse effects on employment.
Hyaluronic acid treatment of facial fat atrophy in HIV‐positive patients
Authors: Bugge H , Negaard A , Skeie L , Bergersen B 
Published: October 2007

ObjectivesFacial lipoatrophy can be devastating for HIV‐infected patients, with negative effects on self‐esteem. In this study, we treated facial fat atrophy in the nasogenian area with hyaluronic acid (Restylane SubQ; Q‐Med AB, Uppsala, Sweden).MethodsTwenty patients were included in the study. Treatment effects were evaluated at baseline, and at weeks 6, 24 and 52 using ultrasound, the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale, the Visual Analogue Scale and the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale.ResultsMean (±standard deviation) total cutaneous thickness increased from 6±1 mm at baseline to 15±3 mm at week 6 (P<0.001), and declined to 10±2 mm at week 52 (P<0.001 vs baseline). The response rate (total cutaneous thickness >10 mm) was 100% at week 6, 85% at week 24 and 60% at week 52. At week 6, all of the patients classified their facial appearance as very much improved or moderately improved. They also reported increased satisfaction with their facial appearance and had higher self‐esteem scores. At week 52, 15 of 19 patients still classified their facial appearance as very much improved or moderately improved, although the mean total cutaneous thickness had gradually declined.ConclusionsOur results indicate that Restylane SubQ is a useful and well‐tolerated dermal filler for treating HIV‐positive patients with facial lipoatrophy.