bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
State TANF Spending: Predictors of State Tax Effort to Support Welfare Reform
Authors: Rodgers Harrell R. , Tedin Kent L. 
Published: May 2006

AbstractState spending on Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) greatly varies. Combined federal and state spending by the states per TANF family or recipient reflects the historic level of state generosity for Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), the failure of the federal government to set any minimum spending standard for the states, and the failure of the federal government to adjust federal grants for huge changes in state TANF caseloads. Our multivariate analysis shows that state spending for TANF is greatly influenced by the percentage of the state population that is black, the percentage of the state population that is on TANF (especially if a significant percentage of the rolls consist of black recipients), and the economic conditions within the state. Some states spend as much as their economies will allow, while other states spend far below capacity. Despite the very different goals of TANF, state spending is still heavily influenced by their historic approach to AFDC.
Getting the Order Right: Child Support Guidelines and the Cost of Raising Children
Authors: Beld Jo Michelle 
Published: May 2006

AbstractThis article argues that the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) estimates of parental expenditures on children are an appropriate economic foundation for state child support guidelines. The USDA’s estimates are consistent with the public policy purposes of state guidelines and may improve the extent to which they accomplish federal intent. The article examines the role of valid and reliable child cost estimates in advancing the policy objectives for child support, summarizes the theoretical and empirical challenges of estimating those costs, suggests the limitations of the most widely used estimation methods in relation to the policy purposes described earlier, and evaluates the USDA’s method in relation to those same purposes. The evidence suggests that guidelines based on the USDA’s estimates are more likely than the most commonly used estimates to yield adequate child support orders and to allocate economic responsibility for children appropriately among the custodial parent, the noncustodial parent, and the state.
Reductions in Poverty Significantly Greater in the 1990s Than Official Estimates Suggest
Authors: Primus Wendell E. 
Published: May 2006

AbstractAny serious student of poverty understands the many weaknesses of the official poverty measure. In response to these concerns, the National Academy of Sciences issued recommendations to improve the official poverty measure. In addition, the Census Bureau has undertaken a vast amount of research to improve our official poverty series. The methodology used in this analysis incorporates as many of those recommendations as possible to examine the change in poverty from 1979 to 2000. Compared to this methodology, the official poverty measure understates dramatically the reduction in poverty over time.
The parasitoid Gonatopus bartletti reduces presence of plant‐pathogenic Spiroplasma kunkelii within the leafhopper vector Dalbulus maidis
Authors: Moya‐Raygoza Gustavo , Palomera‐Avalos Verónica , Chacón‐Torres Nubia M. , Becerra‐Chiron Iskra M. 
Published: May 2006

AbstractHomopteran vectors (e.g., leafhoppers) of plant pathogens are vessels for reproduction of cell wall‐free bacteria. These vectors also serve as hosts for larval parasitoid dipterans, hymenopterans, and strepsipterans. However, no study has explored the relationship among these wall‐free bacteria and parasitoid larvae within the insect host. We studied the corn stunt spiroplasma (CSS), Spiroplasma kunkelii Whitcomb (Mycoplasmatales: Spiroplasmataceae), a bacterium that originated from secondary symbionts that cause corn stunt disease in maize, Zea mays L., and its reproduction in the haemolymph of the corn leafhopper, Dalbulus maidis (Delong and Wolcott) (Homoptera: Cicadellidae). We also studied the dryinid parasitoid Gonatopus bartletti Olmi (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae), the larva of which feeds in the corn leafhopper haemolymph. Our results showed that when CSS and the wasp coexisted in D. maidis, the development of the parasitoid was not affected by S. kunkelii. Parasitoid development was successfully completed when leafhoppers acquired S. kunkelii before or after parasitism and when CSS had median (10 days) and long (20 days) incubation periods in the leafhopper before parasitization. The presence of S. kunkelii did not affect parasitoid development to the adult stage. However, polymerase chain reaction showed that the presence (survival) of S. kunkelii in the leafhopper was negatively affected by the parasitoid larva. Fewer leafhoppers had CSS before and after parasitization compared with leafhoppers that only acquired the CSS. This negative effect helps to explain the high parasitism rate by G. bartletti in D. maidis and the low presence of S. kunkelii in the corn leafhopper when CSS and the wasp parasitoid overlap throughout their geographic distribution. The parasitoid larva may negatively affect S. kunkelii by (1) producing antibacterial peptides that are toxic to CSS; (2) producing teratocytes that take nutrients from the host for larval development, but these nutrients are required by CSS; (3) affecting, indirectly, CSS through other symbiotic microorganisms; and (4) producing proteins with antibacterial activity that are present in the venom of the wasp parasitoid.
Field superparasitism by Phymastichus coffea, a parasitoid of adult coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei
Authors: Jaramillo Juliana , Borgemeister Christian , Setamou Mamoudou 
Published: May 2006

AbstractSuperparasitism by Phymastichus coffea LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), a parasitoid of adults of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), was recorded under field conditions in a coffee plantation in Colombia. Parasitoid adults were released 1, 5, and 9 days after artificial infestations of 90‐, 150‐, and 210‐day‐old coffee berries with H. hampei females. The position of the beetle inside the berry and the number of P. coffea larvae per female host were assessed 10 days after each parasitoid release. Under laboratory conditions, P. coffea usually lays two eggs per host, one female and one male. In our studies, we often recorded more than six P. coffea larvae in an individual host and mean numbers of larvae per host ranged from two to 4.45. Superparasitism by P. coffea under field conditions was influenced by the age of the coffee berries, which is the most important factor determining the speed of penetration by H. hampei, and therefore the time the beetles are exposed to a P. coffea attack. The number of parasitoid larvae in each H. hampei female gradually decreased with the age of the berry, and also linearly decreased with the time of parasitoid release. Age‐dependent effects of coffee berries that alter the ratio of available hosts to searching parasitoids by providing refuges to the herbivore, largely determine the extent of superparasitism of H. hampei by P. coffea under fields conditions in Colombia.
Does nitrogen limitation promote intraguild predation in an aphidophagous ladybird?
Authors: Kagata H. , Katayama N. 
Published: May 2006

AbstractReciprocal intraguild predation occurs between the two aphidophagous ladybird beetles Coccinella septempunctata L. and Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). However, its direction is asymmetrical; H. axyridis generally acts as an intraguild predator, and C. septempunctata as an intraguild prey. According to Denno and Fagan's prediction that nitrogen shortages in predators may promote intraguild predation, it was hypothesized that growth of intraguild predator H. axyridis is more limited by nitrogen than that of intraguild prey C. septempunctata, and that H. axyridis growth is enhanced by feeding on C. septempunctata compared to feeding on aphids.To determine nitrogen‐limited growth in H. axyridis, the following two predictions were examined. First, it was predicted that the nitrogen content of H. axyridis would be higher than that of C. septempunctata when both feed on aphids. However, nitrogen content did not differ between the two ladybirds. Second, it was predicted that nitrogen‐use efficiency of H. axyridis would be lower than that of C. septempunctata. However, there was no significant difference between species. These results did not support the hypothesis that growth of H. axyridis is more limited by nitrogen than that of C. septempunctata. In addition, the present study showed that dry mass and nitrogen growth of H. axyridis were not enhanced, but rather decreased, by eating high‐nitrogen C. septempunctata, compared to eating low‐nitrogen aphids. Overall, the present study did not support the hypothesis that nitrogen shortages in predators may promote intraguild predation.
Dispersion theory and the sterile insect technique: application to two species of fruit fly
Authors: Meats A. , Smallridge C.J. , Dominiak B.C. 
Published: May 2006

AbstractDispersion theory is applied to the distribution of two kinds of sterile insect, Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), and Queensland fruit fly (Qfly), Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae). Dispersion theories are an essential basis of sampling theory and sampling plans, but this paper looks at them from another direction and uses data from arrays of sterile insect technique (SIT) monitoring traps to compare the utility of different measures such as coefficient of variation (CV), the exponent b of Taylor's power law, and exponent k of the negative binomial distribution and also derives predictions pertaining to the density (and hence release rate) of sterile insects that would be required to achieve effective coverage of the target area. This is far more useful than reliance on just the mean values of trap catches because such reliance takes no account of the fact that sterile flies distribute themselves unevenly with many patches inadequately covered despite the impression given by the mean. Data were used from recapture rates following either ‘roving releases’ of Medfly or releases from fixed points of Qfly. The relation of recapture rate to CV indicated that a doubling of release rate in order to double average recapture rate from 150 per trap per week to a value of 300 would have very little effect in terms of reducing CV and that there appears to be no practical prospect of reducing CV to below unity with the current methods of release without incurring a manifold increase in cost. Similarly, models derived from the negative binomial equation indicated that a law of diminishing returns applies in terms of the increase in the amount of adequate coverage (such as the percentage of traps catching >50 flies per week) that can be obtained by increasing release rates.
The effect of ageing on retinal nerve fibre layer thickness: an evaluation by scanning laser polarimetry with variable corneal compensation
Authors: Da Pozzo Stefano , Iacono Pierluigi , Marchesan Roberta , Minutola Daniela , Ravalico Giuseppe 
Published: May 2006

Abstract.Purpose:  To evaluate whether a significant age‐related thinning of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) is measurable by means of scanning laser polarimetry with variable corneal compensation (GDx‐VCC) in a sample of healthy eyes.Methods:  A sample of 324 eyes of 324 healthy subjects (mean age 56 ± 14 years, range 21–85 years) underwent a complete ophthalmic evaluation, standard automated perimetry and RNFL scan with the GDx‐VCC. Temporal‐superior‐nasal‐inferior‐temporal (TSNIT), superior and inferior average (SA and IA) values provided on the printout were collected and their mean value averaged from all eyes and also after separating the eyes by gender and by age decades. The values of the three parameters were plotted against age and linear regression was calculated.Results:  Ageing is associated with a significant RNFL thinning (0.08 µ, 0.16 µ and 0.12 µ per year for TSNIT, SA and IA, respectively; p < 0.001). Analysis showed a similar association with age decade (p < 0.001 on anova). For the TSNIT average, a 9.5% thinning from baseline values was estimated for a 65‐year lifespan. Corresponding values for SA and IA were 16.2% and 11.7%, respectively.Conclusions:  Analysis by GDx‐VCC confirmed previous reports about significant age‐related RNFL thinning. However, a lower rate per year was found, probably because GDx‐VCC measurements are much more reliable than those obtained with the previous generation of polarimeters.
Ocular angiogenesis: the role of growth factors
Authors: Kvanta Anders 
Published: May 2006

Abstract.Ocular angiogenesis, the formation of new vessels from the existing vascular tree, is a major cause of severe vision loss. It can affect different structures in the eye, including the retina, choroid and cornea. During the last decade our knowledge in the mechanisms underlying ocular angiogenesis has increased dramatically. We have witnessed the identification of key molecules. Many are classified as growth factors due to their biological properties, regulating angiogenesis. This knowledge has propelled the development of a new group of therapeutic tools, the antiangiogenic agents. This review gives an update on the role of growth factors in ocular angiogenesis from both a basic and a clinical perspective.
Novel clinical application of sterilized, freeze‐dried amniotic membrane to treat patients with pterygium
Authors: Nakamura Takahiro , Inatomi Tsutomu , Sekiyama Eiichi , Ang Leonard P. K. , Yokoi Norihiko , Kinoshita Shigeru 
Published: May 2006

Abstract.Purpose:  To evaluate the use of sterilized, freeze‐dried amniotic membrane (FD‐AM) transplantation for pterygium surgery.Methods:  This study involved a prospective, non‐comparative, interventional case series. Thirteen eyes of 13 patients with primary (eight eyes) or recurrent (five eyes) pterygium were studied. After excision of the pterygium fibrous tissues and application of intraoperative use of mitomycin‐C, sterilized FD‐AM was sutured over the bare scleral defect. The integrity of the FD‐AM graft, epithelialization over the FD‐AM, pterygium recurrence and postoperative complications were evaluated.Results:  Postoperatively, the FD‐AM was well retained in all patients, and complete epithelialization over the transplanted membrane was achieved within 1–2 weeks. All patients demonstrated early resolution of ocular inflammation and there was no recurrence of pterygium in any of the treated patients during the mean follow‐up of 13.9 ± 6.0 months. No ocular complications were noted following transplantation.Conclusion:  Sterilized FD‐AM showed excellent biocompatibility on the human ocular surface. This novel and promising biomaterial may be a useful alternative to conjunctival grafting in the treatment of pterygium.
The discovery of the human melanocyte
Authors: Westerhof Wiete 
Published: May 2006

SummaryAround 2200 bc the first written description of a human pigmentation disorder, most likely vitiligo, was recorded, and from that moment the history of research into human pigmentation can be traced. For the following 4000 yr, the origins of human skin colour remained an enigma that was to generate a multitude of misconceptions. Even after European physicians began to dissect and compare dark and light coloured skin to reveal its underlying anatomy, the origins of skin and hair pigmentation were a matter of frequently erroneous speculation. The true source of human pigmentation was only finally revealed with the discovery of the melanocyte in the 19th century. Once tyrosinase was identified to be the key enzyme in pigment formation, attention focused on elucidating the chemical structure of melanin, an enterprise that remains incomplete. The developmental origins of the melanocyte were described from 1940 to 1960, and the concept of the epidermal melanin unit was introduced together with a description of the ultrastructure of the melanosome and melanosome transfer. With these advances came the realization that different skin types exhibit distinct differences at the histological level that relate to varying amounts of eumelanin and pheomelanin produced by the melanocytes. The foundation established over the past 4000 yr is the basis for all current research into this fascinating cell type.
Identification of the osteoprotegerin/receptor activator of nuclear factor‐kappa B ligand system in gingival crevicular fluid and tissue of patients with chronic periodontitis
Authors: Lu H.‐K. , Chen Y.‐L. , Chang H.‐C. , Li C.‐L. , Kuo M. Y.‐P. 
Published: May 2006

Background and Objective:  Recent findings have suggested that osteoclastogenesis is directly regulated by receptor activator of nuclear factor‐kappa B ligand (RANKL) and its decoy receptor, osteoprotegerin (OPG). However, no studies have described interactions of OPG/RANKL and the gp130 cytokine family in periodontal disease. This study aimed to identify and quantify OPG/RANKL in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and connective tissue of patients with periodontitis, and to clarify possible correlations with disease severity and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) cytokines.Material and Methods:  Ninety‐five sites in 20 patients with generalized chronic periodontitis were divided into four groups by site based on probing depth (PD) and bleeding on probing (BOP). In periodontitis patients, GCF was obtained using sterile paper strips from clinically healthy sites (PD ≤ 3 mm without BOP, n = 12 in periodontitis subjects), mildly diseased sites (PD ≤ 3 mm with BOP, n = 23), moderately diseased sites (PD ≤ 4–6 mm with BOP, n = 33) and severely diseased sites (PD > 6 mm with BOP, n = 27). Fourteen clinically healthy sites from four periodontally healthy individuals were used as the control group. The levels of OPG, RANKL and two gp130 cytokines – IL‐6 and oncostatin M (OSM) – in the GCF were determined by an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and are expressed as total amounts (pg/site). Immunohistochemical localization of OPG‐ and RANKL‐positive cells was also performed on gingival connective tissues harvested from patients with periodontitis (inflammatory group, n = 8 biopsies) and from non‐diseased individuals (healthy group, n = 8 biopsies).Results:  GCF RANKL, but not OPG, was elevated in diseased sites of patients with periodontitis. However, the expressions of OPG and RANKL showed no correlation with disease severity (r = 0.174 and 0.056, respectively), but the content of RANKL in the GCF was significantly positively correlated with those of IL‐6 (r = 0.207) and OSM (r = 0.231) (p < 0.01). Immunohistochemical staining showed that RANKL‐positive cells were significantly distributed in the inflammatory connective tissue zone of diseased gingiva, compared with those of samples from non‐diseased persons (p < 0.01). However, few OPG‐positive cells were found in connective tissue zones of either the diseased gingiva or healthy biopsies.Conclusion:  These findings imply that in this cross‐sectional study of GCF, RANKL, IL‐6 and OSM were all prominent in periodontitis sites, whereas OPG was inconsistently found in a few samples of diseased sites but was undetectable in any of the control sites. The results also imply that the expression of RANKL was positively correlated with IL‐6 and OSM in the GCF.
Vaginal Nitric Oxide in Pregnant Women with Bacterial Vaginosis
Authors: Genç Mehmet R. , Delaney Mary L. , Onderdonk Andrew B. , Witkin Steven S. ,   the Microbiology and Prematurity (MAP) Study Group
Published: May 2006

ProblemTo evaluate vaginal nitric oxide (NO) production in response to alterations in the vaginal microbial flora.Method of studyCervicovaginal lavage samples from 206 women at 18–22 weeks of gestation were tested for NO, interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β), IL‐1 receptor antagonist (IL‐1ra), tumor necrosis factor‐α and the inducible 70 kDa heat shock protein (hsp70). Bacterial vaginosis (BV) was diagnosed based on gram staining of vaginal smears.Results and conclusionsElevated NO (>2.14 mmol/L) was associated with a diagnosis of BV (38% versus 11%, P < 0.008) as well as an increased median vaginal IL‐1ra concentration (72.5 ng/ml versus 36.6 ng/ml, P = 0.041). Elevated vaginal NO was also associated with vaginal hsp70 and this relationship was independent of BV status or IL‐1ra concentrations (P < 0.026). We conclude that vaginal hsp70 release in response to abnormal vaginal microflora may trigger NO production in an attempt to minimize the pathological consequences of this altered milieu.
Human Oviductal Stromal Fibroblasts, But Not Oviductal Epithelial Cells, Express Toll‐Like Receptor 4: The Site‐Specific Mucosal Immunity of the Human Fallopian Tube against Bacterial Infection
Authors: Itoh Hiroko , Nasu Kaei , Nishida Masakazu , Matsumoto Harunobu , Yuge Akitoshi , Narahara Hisashi 
Published: May 2006

ProblemTo evaluate the site‐specific immunoregulatory mechanisms against bacterial infection in the human fallopian tubes.Method of StudyWe investigated the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the production of CXC chemokines by cultured oviductal epithelial cells (OEC) and oviductal stromal fibroblasts (OSF). The expression of Toll‐like receptor (TLR) 4 and CD14 protein in OEC and OSF were evaluated. The phosphorylation of the inhibitor κB‐α (IκB‐α) protein after LPS stimulation was also examined.ResultsLipopolysaccharide stimulated the secretion of granulocyte chemotactic protein‐2, growth‐regulated oncogene‐α, and epithelial neutrophil activating peptide‐78 by OSF, but not by OEC. The phosphorylation of the IκB‐α protein was not detected in OEC after stimulation by LPS, whereas IκB‐α phosphorylation was observed in OSF after stimulation by LPS. The expression of the TLR4 protein and mRNA was detected only in OSF but not in OEC. The expression of CD14 was not detected in either OEC or OSF.ConclusionThese results suggest that epithelial cells and fibroblasts in the human fallopian tube have evolved a unique, site‐specific mechanism for recognizing Gram‐negative pathogens. The lack of TLR4 in OEC may be important for avoiding a state of unnecessary inflammation that could disrupt the epithelial barrier and cause irreversible tubal scarring.
Granulocyte‐Macrophage Colony‐Stimulating‐Factor Increases Interferon‐τ Protein Secretion in Bovine Trophectoderm Cells
Authors: Michael Donna D. , Wagner Sara K. , Ocón Olga M. , Talbot Neil C. , Rooke John A. , Ealy Alan D. 
Published: May 2006

ProblemUterine‐derived factors are required for optimal conceptus development and secretion of the maternal recognition of pregnancy factor, interferon‐τ (IFN‐τ). Identifying these factors may lead to the development of schemes for increasing pregnancy success in cattle.Method of StudyThe objectives were to examine the effects of granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating‐factor (GM‐CSF) on trophectoderm proliferation rates and IFN‐τ production, and verify the appropriateness of using an in vitro model of bovine trophectoderm (CT‐1 cell).ResultsRate of [3H]‐thymidine incorporation into DNA was increased by supplementation of CT‐1 medium with 10 or 100 ng/mL porcine (po) GM‐CSF. GM‐CSF supplementation to CT‐1 medium also increased IFN‐τ secretion. When results were normalized to account for number of CT‐1 cells, 10 and 100 ng/mL poGM‐CSF increased antiviral activity and IFN‐τ concentrations (using an IFN‐τ‐specific enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay) in CT‐1 conditioned medium compared with controls.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that GM‐CSF increases proliferation and IFN‐τ production in bovine trophectoderm.