bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The magnetic flux and self-inductivity of a thick toroidal current
Authors: ŽIC TOMISLAV , VRŠNAK BOJAN , SKENDER MARINA 
Published: December 2006

AbstractWe investigate numerically the magnetic flux and self-inductivity of a toroidal current I of arbitrary aspect ratio (R0/r0 = 1/η, where R0 and r0 are the major and the minor torus radii, respectively). The total flux Ψ is represented by the sum of the flux outside the torus envelope (Ψo) and the internal flux within the torus body (Ψi). Analogously, the total inductivity is expressed as L = Lo + Li. The outside self-inductivity is determined directly from the magnetic flux Ψo, utilizing Ψo = LoI. On the other hand, the internal inductivity is evaluated as the magnetic energy contained in the poloidal field. The calculations are performed for three different radial profiles of the current density, j(r).It is found that Ψo(η) and Lo (η) depend only very weakly on the form of j(r). On the other hand, Ψi and Li do not depend on η, but depend on the form of j(r). In the range 0.02 ≲ η ≲ 0.5, the numerical values of Lo can be very well fitted by the function of the form Lofit1(η) = −A log(η) − B. Such a relation is analogous to that for a slender torus, although the coefficients are different. For η ≲ 0.01 the slender-torus approximation (Lo*) matches the numerical results better than our function Lofit1, whereas for thicker tori, Lofit1 becomes more appropriate. It is shown that, beyond η ≳ 0.1, the departure of the slender-torus analytical expression from the numerical values becomes greater than 10%, and the difference becomes larger than 100% at η 0.55. In the range η 0.5, the numerical values of Lo can be very well expressed by the function Lofit2(η)=c1 (1 − η)c2. Furthermore, since the internal flux and inductivity become larger than that outside the envelope, Ψi and Li become larger than Ψo and Lo. The total inductivity Ltotfit = Lofit + Li, calculated by appropriately employing our functions Lofit1 and Lofit2, never deviates by more than 1% from the numerically determined values of Ltot.
Amount of cholesterol in host membrane affects erythrocyte invasion and replication byBabesia bovis
Authors: OKUBO K. , YOKOYAMA N. , TAKABATAKE N. , OKAMURA M. , IGARASHI I. 
Published: December 2006

SUMMARYCholesterol is a major component of the erythrocyte membrane. In the present study, we investigated the effects of cholesterol reduction in host bovine erythrocytes (RBC) on the growth ofBabesia bovis, a major bovine haemoprotozoon. Anin vitrogrowth assay with bovine RBC that had been prepared by pre-treatment with a cholesterol depletion agent (methyl-β-cyclodextrin, MCD) showed that the culture with 5 mmMCD-treated RBC inhibited the growth ofB. bovissignificantly as compared with that with the control RBC. In further experiments, the treatment with 5 mmMCD was proved to suppress both activities of the parasite, erythrocyte invasion and replication within the infected RBC. In contrast, a slight reduction in the membrane cholesterol by 1 mmMCD treatment promoted both their growth and erythrocyte invasion activity. These results indicate that erythrocyte invasion and replication byB. bovisare affected by the amount of cholesterol in the host erythrocyte membrane.
Palliative care in old age
Authors: Lo Raymond SK , Woo Jean 
Published: December 2006

With an aging population globally, and increasing numbers of older patients facing chronic illnesses, better palliative care in old age should be promoted.In this review we will
Highlight the pressing need for better palliative care for older peopleAdvocate the concept of palliative care as applied to geriatrics and gerontologyReview current end-of-life care for older people with chronic disease, both non-cancer and cancerDiscuss the palliative-care approaches to common physical symptoms and psychospiritual distressHighlight advanced care planning and quality-of-life issues
ATP content and maturational/developmental ability of bovine oocytes with various cytoplasmic morphologies
Authors: Nagano Masashi , Katagiri Seiji , Takahashi Yoshiyuki 
Published: December 2006

SummaryWe examined the relationship among morphological appearance (six groups) of bovine oocytes, ATP content and maturational/developmental ability. Oocytes with a brown ooplasm (with or without a dark region) had intermediate levels of ATP at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage and showed higher rates of first polar body (PB) extrusion than the other groups. Oocytes with a low level of ATP (oocytes with a pale ooplasm without dark clusters) and oocytes with a high level of ATP (oocytes with a black ooplasm) showed lower rates of PB extrusion. During in vitro maturation, ATP levels in oocytes decreased at around GV breakdown and increased toward metaphase II (MII). MII oocytes having a brown ooplasm with a dark region, which had good developmental capacity, had a relatively high level of ATP. MII oocytes with a brown or pale ooplasm without dark clusters, which had poor developmental capacity, had low ATP levels. MII oocytes with a black ooplasm, which had poor developmental capacity, had an unusually high level of ATP. These results suggest that the morphological appearance of bovine oocytes is closely related to their ATP levels and that cytoplasmic morphology will give an advantage for the selection of oocytes with a high maturational and developmental ability.
Inhibition of boar sperm hyaluronidase activity by tannic acid reduces polyspermy duringin vitrofertilization of porcine oocytes
Authors: Tatemoto Hideki , Tokeshi Isao , Nakamura Satoshi , Muto Norio , Nakada Tadashi 
Published: December 2006

SummaryThe present study was conducted to examine the effects of three polyphenols (tannic acid, apigenin and quercetin) on hyaluronidase activity andin vitrofertilization (IVF) parameters. Among them, tannic acid showed by far the strongest potency for blocking hyaluronidase activity extracted from preincubated boar sperm, causing a dose-dependent inhibition over the range of 2–10 μg/ml. When cumulus-intact and cumulus-free oocytes were inseminated in IVF medium containing tannic acid, the penetration and the polyspermy rates were significantly decreased in the presence of 10 μg/ml tannic acid compared with those in the absence of tannic acid, and the addition of 5 μg/ml tannic acid significantly reduced the polyspermy rate (p< 0.05) compared with that of the control while maintaining the high penetration rate. However, apigenin and quercetin had no effect on the rate of polyspermy. Interestingly, the incidence of polyspermy was significantly reduced in oocytes inseminated with sperm pretreated with 5 μg/ml tannic acid (p< 0.05), although the pretreatment of oocytes had no effect against the polyspermy after insemination with untreated sperm. Treatment with tannic acid caused neither a protective proteolytic modification of the zona pellucida matrix before fertilization, nor a reduction of the proteolytic activity of acrosomal contents or the number of zona-bound spermatozoa. These data suggest that an appropriate concentration of tannic acid prevents polyspermy through the inhibition of sperm hyaluronidase activity during IVF of porcine oocytes.
The Kit ligand/c-Kit receptor system in goat ovaries: gene expression and protein localization
Authors: Silva J.R.V. , van den Hurk R. , van Tol H.T.A. , Roelen B.A.J. , Figueiredo J.R. 
Published: December 2006

SummaryRelatively little information is available on the local factors that regulate folliculogenesis in goats. To examine the possibility that the Kit ligand (KL) system is expressed throughout the folliculogenesis, we studied the presence and distribution of KL and its receptor, c-Kit, in goat ovaries. Ovaries of goats were collected and either fixed in paraformaldehyde for immunohistochemical localization of KL and c-Kit proteins, or used for the isolation of follicles, luteal cells, surface epithelium and medullary samples to study mRNA expression for KL and c-Kit, using the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). KL protein and mRNA were found in follicles at all stages of development, i.e. primordial, primary, secondary, small and large antral follicles, as well as in corpora lutea, surface epithelium and medullary tissue. Antral follicles expressed both KL-1 and KL-2 mRNAs, while earlier staged follicles expressed KL-1 transcript only. KL protein was demonstrated in granulosa cells from the primordial follicle onward. Its mRNA could be detected in granulosa cells isolated from antral follicles and occasionally in their theca cells. c-Kit mRNA was expressed in all antral follicular compartments and at all stages of follicular development. c-Kit protein was predominantly found in oocytes from the primordial follicle stage onwards, in theca cells of antral follicles, as well as in corpora lutea, surface epithelium and medullary tissue, particularly in the wall of blood vessels, which may indicate these cells as the main sites of action of KL. It is concluded that the KL/c-Kit system, in goat ovaries, is widespread and that it may be involved in the regulation of various local processes, including folliculogenesis and luteal activity.
Development of rat tetraploid and chimeric embryos aggregated with diploid cells
Authors: Shinozawa T. , Sugawara A. , Matsumoto A. , Han Y-J. , Tomioka I. , Inai K. , Sasada H. , Kobayashi E. , Matsumoto H. , Sato E. 
Published: December 2006

SummaryIn the present study, we examined the preimplantation and postimplantation development of rat tetraploid embryos produced by electrofusion of 2-cell-stage embryos. Developmental rate of tetraploid embryos to morula or blastocyst stage was 93% (56/60) and similar to that found in diploid embryos (95%, 55/58). After embryo transfer, rat tetraploid embryos showed implantation and survived until day 8 of pregnancy, however the conceptuses were aberrant on day 9. In mouse, tetraploid embryos have the ability to support the development of blastomeres that cannot develop independently. As shown in the present study, a pair of diploid blastomeres from the rat 8-cell-stage embryo degenerated immediately after implantation. Therefore, we examined whether rat tetraploid embryos have the ability to support the development of 2/8 blastomeres. We produced chimeric rat embryos in which a pair of diploid blastomeres from an 8-cell-stage green fluorescent protein negative (GFP−) embryo was aggregated with three tetraploid blastomeres from 4-cell GFP-positive (GFP+) embryos. The developmental rate of rat 2n(GFP−) ↔ 4n(GFP+) embryos to the morula or blastocyst stages was 93% (109/117) and was similar to that found for 2n(GFP−) ↔ 2n(GFP+) embryos (100%, 51/51). After embryo transfer, 2n(GFP−) ↔ 4n(GFP+) conceptuses were examined on day 14 of pregnancy, the developmental rate to fetus was quite low (4%, 4/109) and they were all aberrant and smaller than 2n(GFP−) ↔ 2n(GFP+) conceptuses, whereas immunohistochemical analysis showed no staining for GFP in fetuses. Our results suggest that rat tetraploid embryos are able to prolong the development of diploid blastomeres that cannot develop independently, although postimplantation development was incomplete.
PKA activation in concert with ARIS and asterosap induces the acrosome reaction in starfish
Authors: Islam M. Sadiqul , Kawase O. , Hase S. , Hoshi M. , Matsumoto M. 
Published: December 2006

SummaryThe acrosome reaction (AR) is a fundamental event for fertilization, which is induced in concert with acrosome reaction-inducing substance (ARIS) and asterosap, both of which are components of starfish egg jelly (EJ). During the AR, a spermatozoon undergoes a series of physiological changes, such as in intracellular cGMP concentration ([cGMP]i), pHiand intracellular Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+]i). Affinity purification of cGMP-binding protein resulted in the isolation of a regulatory subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA), suggesting the involvement of a cAMP-dependent pathway in the AR. By using a cAMP enzyme immunoassay, [cAMP]iwas found to increase in starfish spermatozoa when stimulated with ARIS and asterosap. ARIS could also increase the [cAMP]iin the presence of high pH seawater. Pretreatment of spermatozoa with two specific and cell-permeable PKA inhibitors, H89 and KT5720, prevented the induction of the AR in a concentration-dependent manner. These results suggest that PKA activity participates in the induction of the AR with ARIS and asterosap. To investigate this, we have cloned a gene that encodes a regulatory subunit of PKA that had been identified in starfish spermatozoa.
Connexin 43 expression in the testis of the frogRana esculenta
Authors: Izzo G. , d'Istria M. , Ferrara D. , Serino I. , Aniello F. , Minucci S. 
Published: December 2006

SummaryTesticular cell-to-cell interactions play a key role in the regulation of spermatogenesis. In the testis, cell contacts are mediated through several mechanisms, including paracrine and direct contacts depending on gap junctional pathways. Gap junctions require connexin (Cx) channels and connexin-43 (Cx43) represent the most abundant Cx found in mammalian testis. Little is known about Cx expression in non-mammalian testis. Here we report the partial cloning of a Cx43 transcript of 381 bp fromRana esculentatestis. We also demonstrate that, in the frog testis, Cx43 transcript and protein show a parallel temporal and spatial pattern of expression throughout the reproductive annual cycle, with higher levels from September to January (when spermatogenesis is at a maximum level).In situhybridization, carried out on testis collected in October, indicated that Leydig cells (LC) and Sertoli cells express Cx43 transcript, while the hybridization signal was less intense in germ cells. To obtain more information on Cx43 expression in the frog testis, we have used ethane-dimethane sulphonate (EDS), a toxin that specifically destroys LC. RT-PCR analysis shows a progressive decrease in Cx43 expression in EDS-treated testis from day 1 to day 4 after the injection, associated with LC destruction. Moreover, Cx43 expression returns to normal on day 28, when a new population of LC reappear in the interstitium, indicating that Cx43 is mainly expressed by LC. Taken together our data provide evidence that Cx43 is present in the frog testis with an important role in spermatogenesis.
Fractional Factorial Design for Optimization of the SELDI Protocol for Human Adipose Tissue Culture Media
Authors: Szalowska Ewa , Van Hijum Sacha A.F.T. , Roelofsen Han , Hoek Annemiek , Vonk Roel J. , te Meerman Gerard J. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThe early factors inducing insulin resistance are not known. Therefore, we are interested in studying the secretome of the human visceral adipose tissue as a potential source of unknown peptides and proteins inducing insulin resistance. Surface‐enhanced laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight (SELDI‐TOF) mass spectrometry is a high‐throughput proteomics technology to generate peptide and protein profiles (MS spectra). To obtain good quality and reproducible data from SELDI‐TOF, many factors in the sample pretreatment and SELDI protocol should be optimized. To identify the optimal combination of factors resulting in the best and the most reproducible spectra, we designed an experiment where factors were varied systematically according to a fractional factorial design. In this study, seven protein chip preparation protocol factors were tested in 32 experiments. The main effects of these factors and their interactions contributing to the best quality spectra were identified by ANOVA. To assess the reproducibility, in a subsequent experiment the eight protocols generating the highest quality spectra were applied to samples in quadruplicates on different chips. This approach resulted in the development of an improved chip protocol, yielding higher quality peaks and more reproducible spectra.
Person, behaviour, and contingencies (an aesthetic view of behaviourism)
Authors: Pérez‐Álvarez Marino , García‐Montes José Manuel 
Published: December 2006

The concept of person is a fundamental one in any psychology worthy of the name, yet it is not among the technical terms of behaviourism. Indeed, behaviourism was reticent, not surprisingly, about the concept of person, given its traditional substantiality and intrapsychic sense. But behaviourism, particularly the Skinnerian variety, has the ideas to develop a perfectly acceptable conception of the person. Notable among these would be the idea of operant subject (author and actor). With regard precisely to the person as subject‐actor of the behaviour, it is worth underlining the affinity of behaviourism with person in its radical (etymological) sense, derived from the theatre (persona = mask = role = behavioural repertoires). In fact, in its original dramaturgical sense, the person gives a face to others and according to socially organized contingencies (scripts, norms, rules). Thus, person is a term correlative to the stage, or, in other words, to contingencies. The present work sets out to develop this affinity between the original sense of person and radical behaviourism. In this line we include the aesthetic view of behaviourism. In order to understand its meaning, we begin by considering art as behaviour, and thus, the person as a work of art (Pérez‐Álvarez & García‐Montes, 2004). We advocate a poetic statute of the person, which is none other than the operant constructivist sense that characterizes behaviourism (seen from a new perspective). The most decisive aspect of this reappraisal is that it includes the experience of the self at its deepest level: the skin. Not the world under the skin, as Skinner would say, but on the skin.
In silicoidentification of putative metal binding motifs
Authors: Thilakaraj Richard , Raghunathan Krishnan , Anishetty Sharmila , Pennathur Gautam 
Published: December 2006

AbstractMetal ion binding domains are found in proteins that mediate transport, buffering or detoxification of metal ions. In this study, we have performed an in silico analysis of metal binding proteins and have identified putative metal binding motifs for the ions of cadmium, cobalt, zinc, arsenic, mercury, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum and nickel. A pattern search against the UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot and UniProtKB/TrEMBL databases yielded true positives in each case showing the high-specificity of the motifs. Motifs were also validated against PDB structures and site directed mutagenesis studies.Contact: pgautam@annauniv.edu; s_anishetty@yahoo.co.uk
Nonrandom co‐occurrence patterns of rainforest chameleons
Authors: Luiselli Luca 
Published: December 2006

AbstractNull‐model analysis of co‐occurrence patterns is a powerful tool to identify ‘structure’ in community ecology data sets. We evaluated the community structure of chameleons in rainforest regions of Nigeria and Cameroon using available data in the literature, including peer‐reviewed articles and unpublished environmental reports to industries. We performed Monte Carlo simulations (5000 iterations, using the sequential swap algorithm) under several model assumptions to derive co‐occurrence patterns among species. Food and spatial (habitat) segregation patterns in both lowland rainforest and montane forest were investigated. We subjected four indices of co‐occurrence patterns (C‐ratio, number of checkerboard species pairs, number of species combinations, and V‐score) to randomization procedures. Overall, the chameleon communities do not show random organization, but instead exhibit precise deterministic patterns. In lowland rainforest, chameleon communities are assembled deterministically along the food niche resource axis, but not along the habitat niche resource axis. The opposite holds for chameleon communities in montane rainforest. We predict that these patterns can be generalized to other regions of tropical Africa, thus helping to determine the general structure of chameleon communities in tropical African forests.
Incidence and duration of residual paralysis at the end of surgery after multiple administrations of cisatracurium and rocuronium
Authors: Maybauer D. M. , Geldner G. , Blobner M. , Pühringer F. , Hofmockel R. , Rex C. , Wulf H. F. , Eberhart L. , Arndt C. , Eikermann M. 
Published: December 2006

SummaryIn a randomised, controlled, double‐blind, multicentre trial in 338 patients, we assessed the incidence of residual paralysis following administration of cisatracurium or rocuronium. The incidence at the end of surgery was significantly lower in patients treated with rocuronium (62 of 142 patients, 44%) than in those given cisatracurium (99 of 175 patients, 57%) (p < 0.05). In contrast, with rocuronium the mean (SD) time between skin closure and extubation was 28 (28) min vs 18 (19) min for cisatracurium, and the duration 0.9 (time from administration of last top‐up dose to recovery of the train‐of‐four ratio to 0.9) was significantly longer and more variable for rocuronium than for cisatracurium. Thus, after repeated administration, the duration and variability of duration of action are greater with rocuronium compared with cisatracurium. These pharmacodynamic differences do not necessarily translate into a higher incidence of residual paralysis, because clinicians compensate for the longer duration of action and variability of rocuronium by terminating administration of the neuromuscular blocking earlier.
Extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal using the Novalung® in a patient with intracranial bleeding
Authors: Mallick A. , Elliot S. , McKinlay J. , Bodenham A. 
Published: December 2006

SummaryA neurosurgical patient who required repeated surgery for intracranial haematoma developed acute respiratory distress syndrome. Raised intracranial pressure proved difficult to manage whilst attempting to maintain optimal gas exchange. The resultant arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide remained unacceptably high, and treatment by extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal was started. A pumpless arteriovenous interventional lung assist device (Novalung™) was connected from the right femoral artery to left femoral vein and reduced the arterial carbon dioxide, corrected the respiratory acidosis and enabled control of the intracranial pressure. Subsequently the requirements for both respiratory and cardiovascular support were reduced. The patient made a complete neurological recovery.
Assessing the efficacy of HME filters at preventing contamination of breathing systems*
Authors: Rees L. M. , Sheraton T. E. , Modestini C. , Wilkes A. R. , Hall J. E. 
Published: December 2006

SummaryBreathing system filters are intended to prevent cross‐infection during anaesthesia. However, there is a lack of information on whether filters prevent contamination of the breathing system by the patient. We measured the contamination of 235 used filters of four different types obtained from operating theatres: two pleated hydrophobic (BB25M and BB22/15M, Pall Medical, Portsmouth, UK) used for adult patients and two electrostatic (355/5430 Hygroboy and 355/5427 Hygrobaby, Tyco Healthcare, Gosport, UK) used for paediatric patients. The filters were swabbed over their internal surfaces on both the patient and the machine sides and these were assessed with the use of adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence. Contamination was present on the machine side of 20 (9%) filters. Current standards for testing of filters has no set ‘pass’ level and is performed in the laboratory setting. Bioluminescence may be used in the clinical setting to elucidate factors that might increase the chance of cross‐contamination between patients.