bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Developmental milestones among African elephant calves on their first day of life
Authors: Bercovitch Fred B. , Andrews Jeff 
Published: April 2008

AbstractA recurrent issue confronted by zoos is the extent to which animals living ex situ have life history profiles representative of those living in situ. The lengthy lifespan of African elephants hinders collecting proper comparative data, but enough information has been published to conduct preliminary analyses comparing the developmental profile of zoo and wild African elephants on their first day of life. We show that calves born in a zoo stand and walk on their own for the first time at the same age as those born in the wild. Calves born in the zoo take a little longer until first successful nursing, but the difference in age between wild and zoo is not statistically significant. Male and female calves born in zoos develop at the same pace, with data insufficient to compare with wild‐born calves. We conclude maternal parity has an effect on the age of first nursing, but not on first standing or walking, because the initiation of suckling requires coordination between two animals. We suggest that available evidence indicates that calves born in the wild and in zoos develop at comparable rates. Zoo Biol 29:120–126, 2010. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Membrane translocation of glutaric acid and its derivatives
Authors: Mühlhausen C. , Burckhardt B. C. , Hagos Y. , Burckhardt G. , Keyser B. , Lukacs Z. , Ullrich K. , Braulke T. 
Published: April 2008

SummaryThe neurodegenerative disorder glutaric aciduria type I (GA I) is characterized by increased levels of cytotoxic metabolites such as glutaric acid (GA) and 3‐hydroxyglutaric (3OHGA). The present report summarizes recent investigations providing insights into mechanisms of intra‐ and intercellular translocation of these metabolites. Initiated by microarray analyses in a mouse model of GA I, the sodium‐dependent dicarboxylate cotransporter 3 (NaC3) was the first molecule identified to mediate the translocation of GA and 3OHGA with high and low affinity, respectively. More recently, organic anion transporters (OAT) 1 and 4 have been reported to be high‐affinity transporters for GA and 3OHGA as well as d‐2‐ and l‐2‐hydroxyglutaric acid (D2OHGA, L2OHGA). The concerted action of NaC3 and OATs may be important for the directed uptake and excretion of GA, 3OHGA, D2OHGA and L2OHGA in kidney proximal tubule cells. In addition, experimental data on cultured neuronal and glial cells isolated from mouse brain demonstrated that GA rather than 3OHGA may competitively inhibit the anaplerotic supply of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates from astrocytes to neurons. The identification of GA and GA derivative transporters may represent targets for new approaches to treat patients with GA I and related disorders.
The division of parent care between spouses
Authors: SZINOVACZ MAXIMILIANE E. , DAVEY ADAM 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACTResearch on the division of family work has focused on household work and child-care to the exclusion of other domains, whereas studies on care-giving for older people typically ignore spouses' support to care-givers. In this paper we apply an approach that is typical of research on spouses' division of family work in caring for parents, in that the theoretical model focuses on the ‘cultural mandates’ that guide spouses' division of care, namely gender ideologies about appropriate roles, kinship obligations, and taboos against cross-gender personal care. Other predictors of the spousal division of care drawn from economic and health-care utilisation models are also examined. The analyses use pooled data on 1,449 care occasions from the first five waves of the US Health and Retirement Study. It was found that most couples to some extent share parent care, and that the involvement of husbands depended on a complex interplay of cultural mandates and contexts. Husbands participated most in personal care for parents if the care was mandated by kinship obligations (they cared more for their own than their wife's parents), and by cross-gender care taboos (they cared more for fathers than mothers). Other cultural contexts (such as race), a spouse's other commitments, health-related ability, resources (including support from the parents' other children), and care-burden also played a role. The findings demonstrate that decisions to care for parents emerge from complex negotiations among spouses and their children and siblings or, in other words, that parental care is a family endeavour.
The ‘Healthy Passport’ intervention with older people in an English urban environment: effects of incentives and peer-group organisers in promoting healthy living
Authors: HOLLAND CAROL A. , EVERITT PAULINE , JOHNSON ANGELA , DEVI REENA 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACTThis paper reports the evaluation of the effectiveness of incentives (viz. points and prizes) and of peer-group organisers (‘older people's champions') in the outcomes of a health-improvement programme for people aged 50+ years in a multi-ethnic district of the West Midlands, England. Health promotion activities were provided, and adherence, outcome variables and barriers to adherence were assessed over six months, using a ‘passport’ format. Those aged in the fifties and of Asian origin were under represented, but people of Afro-Caribbean origin were well represented and proportionately most likely to stay in the project. Those of greater age and with more illness were most likely to drop out. There were significant improvements in exercise, diet and the uptake of influenza vaccines and eyesight tests, but slighter improvements in wellbeing. Positive outcomes related to the incentives and to liking the format. The number of reported barriers was associated with lower involvement and lack of change, as was finding activities too difficult, the level of understanding, and transport and mobility problems, but when these were controlled, age did not predict involvement. Enjoying the scheme was related to positive changes, and this was associated with support from the older people's champions.
Ethnic differences in patterns of social exchange among older adults: the role of resource context
Authors: FIORI KATHERINE L. , CONSEDINE NATHAN S. , MAGAI CAROL 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACTUsing social capital and social exchange theories, this investigation examined ethnic variation in patterns of social exchange in two heterogeneous racial groups, Blacks and Whites in the United States, and the effects of education and income on these patterns. The sample was 1,043 people aged 65–86 years from four ethnic groups (US-born European-Americans, immigrant Russians/Ukrainians, US-born African-Americans, and immigrant English-speaking Caribbeans) who had provided details of their instrumental and advice exchanges with kin and non-kin. Hierarchical multinomial logistic regressions were used to predict patterns of social exchange, variations by ethnicity, income and education, and the interactions. Ethnic differences in patterns of social exchange were found, but almost all were qualified by interactions. Those with income showed within-group heterogeneity: African-Americans and Russians/Ukrainians with higher income were more likely to engage in reciprocal instrumental kin exchange, whereas among English-speaking Caribbeans and European-Americans such exchanges were not associated with income. Unlike among European-Americans and English-speaking Caribbeans, Russians/Ukrainians with higher income and education were more likely to engage in reciprocal non-kin exchange. The findings suggest that ethnic variation in social exchange reflects both aspects of ethnic group membership and the relational context, as well as the enactment of reciprocity values in varying resource contexts.
Challenges of recruitment and retention of older people from culturally diverse communities in research
Authors: FELDMAN SUSAN , RADERMACHER HARRIET , BROWNING COLETTE , BIRD STEVE , THOMAS SHANE 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACTThe substantial and increasing number of older Australian people from culturally diverse backgrounds justifies the investigation and inclusion of their experiences in ageing research. Few empirical studies have addressed culturally diverse issues in the older population, however, in part because of the particular challenges in recruiting and retaining people from different cultural backgrounds. This article reflects on a research team's experience of recruiting participants from seven cultural groups into a study that sought to explore the links between physical activity and the built environment. Three key issues for recruiting and retaining participants from culturally diverse backgrounds were identified: having access to key local informants; the central role of paid and trained bilingual interviewers; and supporting the research partners in recruitment activities. Furthermore, it appeared that a ‘one size fits all’ approach was not appropriate and that a flexible recruitment strategy may be required to ensure successful recruitment from all cultural groups. The differences observed in this study relating to recruitment and retention rates may be more dependent on the skills and characteristics of those responsible for the recruitment and interviewing, rather than the specific cultural group itself. Older people from some cultural backgrounds may be less likely to respond to traditional recruitment methods and researchers need to be more assiduous and strategic to improve participation rates in research.
MedEvi: Retrieving textual evidence of relations between biomedical concepts from Medline
Authors: Kim Jung-jae , Pezik Piotr , Rebholz-Schuhmann Dietrich 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
Summary: Search engines running on MEDLINE abstracts have been widely used by biologists to find publications that are related to their research. The existing search engines such as PubMed, however, have limitations when applied for the task of seeking textual evidence of relations between given concepts. The limitations are mainly due to the problem that the search engines do not effectively deal with multi-term queries which may imply semantic relations between the terms. To address this problem, we present MedEvi, a novel search engine that imposes positional restriction on occurrences matching multi-term queries, based on the observation that terms with semantic relations which are explicitly stated in text are not found too far from each other. MedEvi further identifies additional keywords of biological and statistical significance from local context of matching occurrences in order to help users reformulate their queries for better results.
Availability: http://www.ebi.ac.uk/tc-test/textmining/medevi/
Contact: kim@ebi.ac.uk
EPO-KB: a searchable knowledge base of biomarker to protein links
Authors: Lustgarten Jonathan L. , Kimmel Chad , Ryberg Henrik , Hogan William 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
Summary: The knowledge base EPO-KB (Empirical Proteomic Ontology Knowledge Base) is based on an OWL ontology that represents current knowledge linking mass-to-charge (m/z) ratios to proteins on multiple platforms including Matrix Assisted Laser/Desorption Ionization (MALDI) and Surface Enhanced Laser/Desorption Ionization (SELDI) – Time of Flight (TOF). At present, it contains information on m/z ratio to protein links that were extracted from 120 published research papers. It has a web interface that allows researchers to query and retrieve putative proteins that correspond to a user-specified m/z ratio. EPO-KB also allows automated entry of additional m/z ratio to protein links and is expandable to the addition of gene to protein and protein to disease links.
Availability: http://www.dbmi.pitt.edu/EPO-KB
Contact: JLL47@pitt.edu
Fast network component analysis (FastNCA) for gene regulatory network reconstruction from microarray data
Authors: Chang Chunqi , Ding Zhi , Hung Yeung Sam , Fung Peter Chin Wan 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
Motivation: Recently developed network component analysis (NCA) approach is promising for gene regulatory network reconstruction from microarray data. The existing NCA algorithm is an iterative method which has two potential limitations: computational instability and multiple local solutions. The subsequently developed NCA-r algorithm with Tikhonov regularization can help solve the first issue but cannot completely handle the second one. Here we develop a novel Fast Network Component Analysis (FastNCA) algorithm which has an analytical solution that is much faster and does not have the above limitations.
Results: Firstly FastNCA is compared to NCA and NCA-r using synthetic data. The reconstruction of FastNCA is more accurate than that of NCA-r and comparable to that of properly converged NCA. FastNCA is not sensitive to the correlation among the input signals, while its performance does degrade a little but not as dramatically as that of NCA. Like NCA, FastNCA is not very sensitive to small inaccuracies in a priori information on the network topology. FastNCA is about several tens times faster than NCA and several hundreds times faster than NCA-r. Then, the method is applied to real yeast cell-cycle microarray data. The activities of the estimated cell-cycle regulators by FastNCA and NCA-r are compared to the semi-quantitative results obtained independently by Lee et al. (2002). It is shown here that there is a greater agreement between the results of FastNCA and Lee's, which is represented by the ratio 23/33, than that between the results of NCA-r and Lee's, which is 14/33.
Availability: Software and supplementary materials are available from http://www.eee.hku.hk/~cqchang/FastNCA.htm
Contact: cqchang@eee.hku.hk
The Pentratricopeptide Repeat Protein DELAYED GREENING1 Is Involved in the Regulation of Early Chloroplast Development and Chloroplast Gene Expression in Arabidopsis
Authors: Chi Wei , Ma Jinfang , Zhang Dongyuan , Guo Jinkui , Chen Fan , Lu Congming , Zhang Lixin 
Published: April 2008

AbstractAn Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutant that exhibited a delayed greening phenotype (dg1) was isolated from a population of activation-tagged Arabidopsis lines. Young, inner leaves of dg1 mutants were initially very pale, but gradually greened and mature outer leaves, more than 3 weeks old, appeared similar to those of wild-type plants. Sequence and transcription analyses showed that DG1 encodes a chloroplast protein consisting of eight pentratricopeptide repeat domains and that its expression depends on both light and developmental status. In addition, analysis of the transcript profiles of chloroplast genes revealed that plastid-encoded polymerase-dependent transcript levels were markedly reduced, while nucleus-encoded polymerase-dependent transcript levels were increased, in dg1 mutants. Thus, DG1 is probably involved in the regulation of plastid-encoded polymerase-dependent chloroplast gene expression during early stages of chloroplast development.
Role of Swollenin, an Expansin-Like Protein fromTrichoderma, in Plant Root Colonization
Authors: Brotman Yariv , Briff Eden , Viterbo Ada , Chet Ilan 
Published: April 2008

AbstractSwollenin, a protein first characterized in the saprophytic fungus Trichoderma reesei, contains an N-terminal carbohydrate-binding module family 1 domain (CBD) with cellulose-binding function and a C-terminal expansin-like domain. This protein was identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry among many other cellulolytic proteins secreted in the coculture hydroponics medium of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) seedlings and Trichoderma asperellum, a well-known biocontrol agent and inducer of plant defense responses. The swollenin gene was isolated and its coding region was overexpressed in the same strain under the control of the constitutive pki1 promoter. Trichoderma transformants showed a remarkably increased ability to colonize cucumber roots within 6 h after inoculation. On the other hand, overexpressors of a truncated swollenin sequence bearing a 36-amino acid deletion of the CBD did not differ from the wild type, showing in vivo that this domain is necessary for full protein activity. Root colonization rates were reduced in transformants silenced in swollenin gene expression. A synthetic 36-mer swollenin CBD peptide was shown to be capable of stimulating local defense responses in cucumber roots and leaves and to afford local protection toward Botrytis cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae pv lachrymans infection. This indicates that the CBD domain might be recognized by the plant as a microbe-associated molecular pattern in the Trichoderma-plant interaction.
Effects of density on above and below ground biomass of the native alpine grass Poa fawcettiae and the environmental weed Achillea millefolium
Authors: Johnston Frances M. , Pickering Catherine M. 
Published: April 2008

Competition between Poa fawcettiae Vickery, the dominant native snowgrass, and the invasive herbaceous Achillea millefolium L., was examined in three glasshouse experiments. The first experiment investigated the potential for intra‐specific competition in plants by growing them in pots with low and high density. The second experiment examined the potential for inter‐specific competition at low, medium and high density. In the third experiment plants in pots where either roots or shoots of the species could not compete were compared to those where root and shoot competition was possible. Achillea millefolium plants produced more than four times the biomass of P. fawcettiae plants. As a result the two species responded differently. In the A. millefolium monocultures both root and shoot biomass per plant declined at high density. By contrast, P. fawcettiae biomass was not affected. In mixed species pots, P. fawcettiae had no effect on the biomass of A. millefolium plants, while P. fawcettiae shoot and root biomass per plant decreased when grown with A. millefolium at all densities tested. Root competition from A. millefolium appears to be the main cause of the decrease in biomass of P. fawcettiae. The results imply that A. millefolium may have a competitive advantage over P. fawcettiae in the Australian Alps.
Contribution of the M3 muscarinic receptors to the vasodilator response to acetylcholine in the human forearm vascular bed
Authors: Attinà Teresa M. , Oliver James J. , Malatino Lorenzo S. , Webb David J. 
Published: April 2008

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT • Available evidence suggests that the M3 receptor on endothelial cells is responsible for acetylcholine (Ach)‐dependent vasodilatation.• Data from human studies only provide indirect evidence for this, and results are more difficult to interpret. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS • This study used the new M3 receptor antagonist darifenacin as a pharmacological ‘tool’ to investigate the role of M3 receptor in the human forearm circulation.• It provides evidence for a major role for the M3 receptors in ACh‐dependent vasodilatation in the forearm vascular bed.AIMSAcetylcholine (ACh) is a muscarinic agonist that causes receptor‐mediated, endothelium‐dependent vasodilatation in the forearm vasculature. Previous indirect evidence suggests this effect may be mediated by muscarinic M3 receptors. Darifenacin is a recently developed antimuscarinic drug with greater M3 selectivity, and our main objective was to investigate whether darifenacin affects dose‐dependent vasodilatation to ACh in the forearm circulation.METHODSHealthy subjects were enrolled in two studies designed to assess the effects of atropine and darifenacin on the forearm blood flow (FBF) response to ACh.RESULTSIn both studies ACh caused similar dose‐dependent vasoditation in the forearm vasculature. In study I (5 subjects), the FBF response to ACh was largely attenuated by pretreatment with the nonselective muscarinic antagonist atropine. In study II (10 subjects), oral administration of darifenacin 15 mg for 1 week significantly reduced the FBF dose‐dependent response to ACh 20 µg min−1 {mean difference from placebo 5.8 [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.1, 8.7] ml min−1 per 100 ml of forearm volume, P < 0.001} and to ACh 60 µg min−1[mean difference from placebo 5.9 (95% CI 3.1, 8.7) ml min−1 per 100 ml of forearm volume, P < 0.001]. After darifenacin, the AUC of change in FBF from baseline was reduced by almost 50% compared with placebo.CONCLUSIONSThese results suggest that, in the forearm vasculature, muscarinic M3 receptors play a major role in ACh‐induced endothelium‐mediated vasodilatation.
Undergraduate preparation for prescribing: the views of 2413 UK medical students and recent graduates
Authors: Heaton Amy , Webb David J. , Maxwell Simon R. J. 
Published: April 2008

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT • Adverse drug events are common in National Health Service (NHS) hospitals where junior doctors take responsibility for most of the prescribing.• Safe and effective prescribing of drugs is a core competency expected of all medical graduates.• There is a perception from some of those who supervise the prescribing of drugs in the NHS that undergraduate teaching in this area may be deficient, although this view is contested. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS • Our study suggests that a large proportion of medical students and recent graduates from UK medical schools who responded also believe that their teaching and assessment in this area was inadequate.• This result implies that those responsible for overseeing undergraduate education should urgently review teaching and assessment of competency in relation to prescribing in all UK medical schools.AIMSTo gather opinions from UK medical students and recent graduates about their undergraduate training to prescribe and their confidence about meeting the relevant competencies identified by the General Medical Council (GMC).METHODSWe designed a web‐based survey that was distributed to UK medical students and first year Foundation doctors (graduation years 2006–2008) via medical schools and postgraduate networks.RESULTSAnalysis was restricted to 2413 responses from students graduating in 2006–2008 from the 25 UK medical schools (mean 96.5 per school) with a complete undergraduate curriculum. Distinct courses and assessments in ‘clinical pharmacology & therapeutics (or equivalent)’ were identified by 17% and 13%, respectively, with mode of learning described most commonly as ‘opportunistic learning during clinical attachments’ (41%). Only 38% felt ‘confident’ about prescription writing and only a minority (35%) had filled in a hospital prescription chart more than three times during training. The majority (74%) felt that the amount of teaching in this area was ‘too little’ or ‘far too little’, and most tended to disagree or disagreed that their assessment ‘thoroughly tested knowledge and skills’ (56%). When asked if they were confident that they would be able to achieve the prescribing competencies set out by the GMC, 42% disagreed or tended to disagree, whereas only 29% agreed or tended to agree.CONCLUSIONSMany respondents clearly perceived a lack of learning opportunities and assessment related to the safe and effective use of drugs and had little confidence that they would meet the competencies identified by the GMC. There is an urgent need to review undergraduate training in this area.