bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
MAQĀSID AL-SHARĪ A: EPISTEMOLOGY AND HERMENEUTICS OF MUSLIM THEOLOGIES OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Authors: Johnston David 
Published: August 2007

AbstractThis essay explores the purposive strategy of modern Islamic legal theory (i.e., based on maqāsid al-sharīa, with public benefit, or maslaha, as the sharī&#0096a's main purpose) and its use in articulating an Islamic theology of human rights. After a synopsis of contemporary research on Islam and human rights, the essay highlights the main issues involved in the twentiethcentury turn to a purposive approach in usūl al-fiqh (Islamic legal theory). The “maqāsidī ” strategy as it is applied to human rights is then monitored in three distinct currents: traditionalists (Muhammad al-Ghaz¯lī and Muhammad 'Amāra); progressive conservatives (Muhammad Talbi, Muhammad al-Mutawakkal, and Rāshid al-Ghannūshī); progressives working with a postmodern epistemology (Ebrahim Moosa and Khaled Abou El Fadl). In conclusion, this move toward ethical objectivism and an epistemological favoring of ethical values over particular formulations of the text could enable a greater number of conservatives and progressives to converge on some of the burning questions of human rights today.
JEWISH MYSTICISM ON TRIAL IN A MUSLIM COURT: A FATWā ON THE ZOHAR—YEMEN 1914
Authors: Wagner Mark 
Published: August 2007

AbstractIn the early decades of the twentieth century, a heated debate over the legitimacy of Jewish mystical texts, foremost among them the Zohar, divided the Jews of San&#0257, the Yemeni capital, into two camps. In 1914, one Jewish faction took the other to a Muslim court. There, a Muslim jurist heard arguments for and against Jews' study of the Zohar. The resulting fatwā sheds light on this fascinating moment of inter-religious dialogue. At issue here is the extent to which the Jewish litigants framed their arguments in Islamic terms and the ways in which the Muslim jurist and his employer, Imām Yahyā Hamīd al-Dīn, the theocratic ruler of Yemen, understood Judaism in terms borrowed from contemporary debates on Islamic sectarianism. The centrality of this fatwā in later permutations of the schism within Yemeni Judaism will be addressed as well.
Event-Based Climatology and Typology of Fog in the New York City Region
Authors: Tardif Robert , Rasmussen Roy M. 
Published: August 2007

Abstract
The character of fog in a region centered on New York City, New York, is investigated using 20 yr of historical data. Hourly surface observations are used to identify fog events at 17 locations under the influence of various physiographic features, such as land–water contrasts, land surface character (urban, suburban, and rural), and terrain. Fog events at each location are classified by fog types using an objective algorithm derived after extensive examination of fog formation processes. Events are characterized according to frequency, duration, and intensity. A quantitative assessment of the likelihood with which mechanisms leading to fog formation are occurring in various parts of the region is obtained. The spatial, seasonal, and diurnal variability of fog occurrences are examined and results are related to regional and local influences. The results show that the likelihood of fog occurrence is influenced negatively by the presence of the urban heat island of New York City, whereas it is enhanced at locations under the direct influence of the marine environment. Inland suburban and rural locations also experience a considerable amount of fog. As in other areas throughout the world, the overall fog phenomenon is a superposition of various types. Precipitation fog, which occurs predominantly in winter, is the most common type. Fog resulting from cloud-base lowering also occurs frequently across the region, with an enhanced likelihood in winter and spring. A considerable number of advection fog events occur in coastal areas, mostly during spring, whereas radiation fog occurs predominantly at suburban and rural locations during late summer and early autumn but also occurs during the warm season in the coastal plain of New Jersey as advection–radiation events.
Formulation of an Index for Sea Breezes in Opposing Winds
Authors: Porson A. , Steyn D. G. , Schayes G. 
Published: August 2007

Abstract
A scaling analysis is conducted to explore the dependence of sea-breeze speed and inland occurrence in the presence of opposing winds on a set of dynamical parameters. The overall aim of the analysis is to develop an index for sea-breeze occurrence in the face of opposing winds, similar to the Biggs and Graves lake-breeze index. Most studies separate sea-breeze speed and sea-breeze inland occurrence or, at best, link the two in linear analyses. This work analyzes the output of a nonlinear numerical mesoscale model (in idealized simulations) using scaling methods commonly applied in observational studies. It is found that the scaled sea-breeze speed, in response to increasing magnitude of opposing wind, shows two distinct phases: a phase of increasing speed while the sea breeze progresses inland and a phase of sharply decreasing speed when the sea breeze is no longer detected inland. The analysis also allows the development of an index for sea-breeze inland occurrence. This index is an improvement over existing analyses through the use of nonlinear scaling and the use of surface heat flux as opposed to simpler land–sea temperature contrasts.
Health promotion intervention for hygienic disposal of children's faeces in a rural area of Nigeria
Authors: Jinadu M.K. , Adegbenro C.A. , Esmai A.O. , Ojo A.A. , Oyeleye B.A. 
Published: August 2007

Objective Community-based health promotion intervention for improving unhygienic disposal of children's faeces was conducted in a rural area of Nigeria. Setting The study was conducted in Ife South Local Government area of Osun State, Nigeria. Design The study was conducted in 10 randomly selected rural villages: five control and five active. Method The intervention, which lasted for nine months, consisted of hygienic use of chamber-pots for the disposal of children's faeces, discouraging children from defecation around households, construction and use of affordable Ventilated Improved Latrines (VIP) and hand-washing with soap and water by mothers after cleaning up the children's faeces. It was undertaken by primary health care workers, using group and individual discussions, plus demonstrations to mothers and community leaders. Results Significantly more mothers in the intervention communities (68 per cent compared with 6 per cent) were using chamber-pots ( pow) for defecation, a much smaller proportion of children in the active group (25 per cent compared with 72 per cent) defecated on the floor of the households. Significantly more households in the intervention group upgraded their unsanitary latrines to sanitary ones by ventilating them (7 per cent compared with 3 per cent). Also, significantly more mothers washed their hands with soap and water (20 per cent in the intervention group compared with 9 per cent in the control group). Conclusions This study has brought about positive changes in the knowledge, attitude and practice of mothers and their children towards the disposal of children's faeces in rural communities. The study therefore has significant implications for the development of programmes for the control of childhood diarrhoea in developing countries.
Utilization of mammography services among elderly rural and urban African American women
Authors: Agho Augustine O , Mosley Barbara W , Rivers Patrick A , Parker Shandowyn 
Published: August 2007

Purpose This study was a two-year educational intervention and research project aimed at increasing the awareness of breast cancer and the utilization of Clinical Breast Examination (CBE) services and Self-Breast Examination (SBE) among elderly rural and urban African American women who are Medicare beneficiaries. Design The study was implemented in four phases. In Phase 1, we obtained Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) data collected for a one-year period and computed the annual mammography screening and clinical breast examination rates for elderly African American and Caucasian women who are participants in the Medicare programme. Phase 2 was conducted concurrently with Phase 1 to collect and analyze pertinent data. During Phase 3, the one-year educational intervention component of the project was implemented, in conjunction with the American Cancer Society's Sisters Alive programme, and with the Health Advisory Council. In Phase 4, we obtained the claims data from CMS to compute annual mammography rates to evaluate the impact of the intervention. Findings The results suggest the following: (1) one of the primary reasons elderly women do not utilize CBE services is because they do not consider it necessary when they experience no symptoms or pain; (2) elderly African American women have moderate awareness of the incidence and prevalence of breast cancer; and (3) they are generally aware of the benefi ts of CBE. Analysis of the pre- and post-tests data failed to provide evidence of the impact of this project on the utilization of CBE among elderly African American women.
Exploring the use of experiential learning workshops and reflective practice within professional practice development for post-graduate health promotion students
Authors: Cronin Mary , Connolly Claire 
Published: August 2007

Objective To explore and evaluate the use of two methods (1) experiential learning workshops and (2) reflective practice within post-graduate health promotion education, with a view to providing a foundation in professional practice based on health promotion principles and critical thinking. Design This is an empirical study exploring the usefulness and outcomes of two methods within an educational process. The study is informed by a number of theoretical and pedagogical perspectives including reflective practice, adult learning, constructivism, as well as the principles of health promotion and Freire's concept of conscientization. It involves the design, pilot implementation and evaluation of experiential workshops and reflective practice. Setting The study was undertaken within the postgraduate Masters / Higher Diploma in Health Promotion programme at the Department of Health Promotion, National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). Participants included 19 full-time students and six staff members. Method The two educational methods were piloted during the academic year 2003—2004. They were evaluated by students and staff using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods, including questionnaires, focus groups and discursive processes. Findings The experiential workshops were evaluated very positively both in terms of effectiveness as educational methods and content. The introduction of reflective practice was modestly successful as a first attempt and showed potential to make a valuable contribution to professional development. There was some evidence of students adopting the principles of health promotion as a result of participation in these processes. Conclusion The two methods were found to be complimentary and to display significant potential to enhance students' postgraduate health promotion education through the provision of a strong foundation in the principles of health promotion as well as knowledge, requisite skills and `know-how'. This foundation will contribute positively to their future as health promotion practitioners.
Review: Measuring permanent damage in pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Hiraki L.T. , Hamilton J. , Silverman E.D. 
Published: August 2007

The survival rates in pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (pSLE) have improved greatly over recent decades. Increased life expectancy has meant that more children are growing up with the consequences of chronic disease and prolonged therapy. Assessing complications of disease and its therapy becomes an important outcome measure by which to evaluate our therapeutic interventions and appraise quality of life. In this paper we review the development of the Systemic Lupus International Collaborative Clinics (SLICC)/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Damage Index (SDI) and its application to the pSLE population. We examine the profile of damage in pSLE as identified by the SDI. However we also critically appraise its application and identify potential limitations in the SDI as a measure of permanent disease damage in children. In this paper we put forth suggestions for additional domains addressing pediatric specific issues such as decreased final height and delayed puberty. We also suggest modifications to domains of gonadal failure, diabetes mellitus, cognitive impairment and osteonecrosis in the SDI to make it more reflective of the damage phenomenon observed in pediatrics. Lupus (2007) 16: 657—662.
The role of FDG-PET scans in patients with lymphoma
Authors: Seam Pamela , Juweid Malik E. , Cheson Bruce D. 
Published: August 2007

Abstract18-Fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is a noninvasive, 3-dimensional imaging modality that has become widely used in the management of patients with malignant lymphomas. This technology has been demonstrated to be more sensitive and specific than either 67gallium scintigraphy or computerized tomography, providing a more accurate distinction between scar or fibrosis and active tumor. PET scans have been evaluated in pretreatment staging, restaging, monitoring during therapy, posttherapy surveillance, assessment of transformation, and, more recently, as a surrogate marker in new drug development. Data to support these various roles require prospective validation. Moreover, caution must be exercised in the interpretation of PET scans because of technical limitations, variability of FDG avidity among the different lymphoma histologic subtypes, and in the large number of etiologies of false-negative and false-positive results. Recent attempts to standardize PET in clinical trials and incorporation of this technology into uniformly adopted response criteria will hopefully lead to improved outcome for patients with lymphoma.
Prediction of the burial status of transmembrane residues of helical membrane proteins
Authors: Park Yungki , Hayat Sikander , Helms Volkhard 
Published: August 2007

AbstractBackgroundHelical membrane proteins (HMPs) play a crucial role in diverse cellular processes, yet it still remains extremely difficult to determine their structures by experimental techniques. Given this situation, it is highly desirable to develop sequence-based computational methods for predicting structural characteristics of HMPs.ResultsWe have developed TMX (TransMembrane eXposure), a novel method for predicting the burial status (i.e. buried in the protein structure vs. exposed to the membrane) of transmembrane (TM) residues of HMPs. TMX derives positional scores of TM residues based on their profiles and conservation indices. Then, a support vector classifier is used for predicting their burial status. Its prediction accuracy is 78.71% on a benchmark data set, representing considerable improvements over 68.67% and 71.06% of previously proposed methods. Importantly, unlike the previous methods, TMX automatically yields confidence scores for the predictions made. In addition, a feature selection incorporated in TMX reveals interesting insights into the structural organization of HMPs.ConclusionA novel computational method, TMX, has been developed for predicting the burial status of TM residues of HMPs. Its prediction accuracy is much higher than that of previously proposed methods. It will be useful in elucidating structural characteristics of HMPs as an inexpensive, auxiliary tool. A web server for TMX is established at http://service.bioinformatik.uni-saarland.de/tmx and freely available to academic users, along with the data set used.
Extensive horizontal transfer of core genome genes between two Lactobacillus species found in the gastrointestinal tract
Authors: Nicolas Pierre , Bessières Philippe , Ehrlich S Dusko , Maguin Emmanuelle , van de Guchte Maarten 
Published: August 2007

Abstract

Background
While genes that are conserved between related bacterial species are usually thought to have evolved along with the species, phylogenetic trees reconstructed for individual genes may contradict this picture and indicate horizontal gene transfer. Individual trees are often not resolved with high confidence, however, and in that case alternative trees are generally not considered as contradicting the species tree, although not confirming it either. Here we conduct an in-depth analysis of 401 protein phylogenetic trees inferred with varying levels of confidence for three lactobacilli from the acidophilus complex. At present the relationship between these bacteria, isolated from environments as diverse as the gastrointestinal tract (Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus johnsonii) and yogurt (Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus), is ambiguous due to contradictory phenotypical and 16S rRNA based classifications.

Results
Among the 401 phylogenetic trees, those that could be reconstructed with high confidence support the 16S-rRNA tree or one alternative topology in an astonishing 3:2 ratio, while the third possible topology is practically absent. Lowering the confidence threshold for trees to be taken into consideration does not significantly affect this ratio, and therefore suggests that gene transfer may have affected as much as 40% of the core genome genes. Gene function bias suggests that the 16S rRNA phylogeny of the acidophilus complex, which indicates that L. acidophilus and L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus are the closest related of these three species, is correct. A novel approach of comparison of interspecies protein divergence data employed in this study allowed to determine that gene transfer most likely took place between the lineages of the two species found in the gastrointestinal tract.

Conclusion
This case-study reports an unprecedented level of phylogenetic incongruence, presumably resulting from extensive horizontal gene transfer. The data give a first indication of the large extent of gene transfer that may take place in the gastrointestinal tract and its accumulated effect. For future studies, our results should encourage a careful weighing of data on phylogenetic tree topology, confidence and distribution to conclude on the absence or presence and extent of horizontal gene transfer.
A detailed transcript-level probe annotation reveals alternative splicing based microarray platform differences
Authors: Lee Joseph C , Stiles David , Lu Jun , Cam Margaret C 
Published: August 2007

Abstract

Background
Microarrays are a popular tool used in experiments to measure gene expression levels. Improving the reproducibility of microarray results produced by different chips from various manufacturers is important to create comparable and combinable experimental results. Alternative splicing has been cited as a possible cause of differences in expression measurements across platforms, though no study to this point has been conducted to show its influence in cross-platform differences.

Results
Using probe sequence data, a new microarray probe/transcript annotation was created based on the AceView Aug05 release that allowed for the categorization of genes based on their expression measurements' susceptibility to alternative splicing differences across microarray platforms. Examining gene expression data from multiple platforms in light of the new categorization, genes unsusceptible to alternative splicing differences showed higher signal agreement than those genes most susceptible to alternative splicing differences. The analysis gave rise to a different probe-level visualization method that can highlight probe differences according to transcript specificity.

Conclusion
The results highlight the need for detailed probe annotation at the transcriptome level. The presence of alternative splicing within a given sample can affect gene expression measurements and is a contributing factor to overall technical differences across platforms.
Classification of a moderately oxygen-tolerant isolate from baby faeces as Bifidobacterium thermophilum
Authors: von Ah Ueli , Mozzetti Valeria , Lacroix Christophe , Kheadr Ehab E , Fliss Ismaïl , Meile Leo 
Published: August 2007

AbstractBackgroundBifidobacteria are found at varying prevalence in human microbiota and seem to play an important role in the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Bifidobacteria are highly adapted to the human GIT which is reflected in the genome sequence of aBifidobacterim longumisolate. The competitiveness against other bacteria is not fully understood yet but may be related to the production of antimicrobial compounds such as bacteriocins. In a previous study, 34Bifidobacteriumisolates have been isolated from baby faeces among which six showed proteinaceous antilisterial activity againstListeria monocytogenes. In this study, one of these isolates, RBL67, was further identified and characterized.ResultsBifidobacteriumisolate RBL67 was classified and characterized using a polyphasic approach. RBL67 was classified asBifidobacterium thermophilumbased on phenotypic and DNA-DNA hybridization characteristics, although 16S rDNA analyses and partialgroEL sequences showed higher homology withB. thermacidophilumsubsp.porcinumandB. thermacidophilumsubsp.thermacidophilum, respectively. RBL67 was moderately oxygen-tolerant and was able to grow at pH 4 and at a temperature of 47°C.ConclusionIn order to assign RBL67 to a species, a polyphasic approach was used. This resulted in the classification of RBL67 as aBifidobacterium thermophilumstrain. To our knowledge, this is the first report aboutB. thermophilumisolated from baby faeces since theB. thermophilumstrains were related to ruminants and swine faeces before.B. thermophilumwas previously only isolated from animal sources and was therefore suggested to be used as differential species between animal and human contamination. Our findings may disapprove this suggestion and further studies are now conducted to determine whetherB. thermophilumis distributed broader in human faeces. Furthermore, the postulated differentiation between human and animal strains by growth above 45°C is no longer valid sinceB. thermophilumis able to grow at 47°C. In our study, 16S rDNA and partialgroEL sequence analysis were not able to clearly assign RBL67 to a species and were contradictory. Our study suggests that partialgroEL sequences may not be reliable as a single tool for species differentiation.