bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
AN EMPIRICALLY BASED MODEL OF VARIATION IN ROTATIONAL ELEMENTS IN CENTRIC DIATOMS WITH COMMENTS ON RATIOS IN PHYCOLOGY1
Authors: Theriot Edward 
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACTRatios are commonly used to relate taxonomic, physiological and ecological properties of algal cells to variation in cell shape and size. However, ratios can be more difficult to interpret than the original variables. A detailed example of a ratio commonly used in diatom taxonomy is presented. The abundance of a reported rotational element on a centric diatom valve is often expressed as density (e.g. number of marginal spines per μm of circumference), rather than simply as total number. It is empirically demonstrated that density if often curvilinearly related to diameter, whereas total number is linearly related (when related at all) to diameter. This linear relationship is the basis for an empirical model which accounts for variation in density in real examples. Under this model, densitywill be a poorer taxonomic character than total number except under rare occasions (e.g. when the slope of the total element versus diameter regression in zero and variance in the numerator is not dependent on the denominator). Other ratios are similarly difficult to interpret. Length/width (or width/length) is often curvilinearly related to width (or width/lenght) is often curvilinearly related to width (Length) because variation is compounded from several sources. Surface/volume has been employed to investigate the relative contributions of size and shape to phytoplankton sinking. However, the properties of this ratio have not been fully investigated, and the relationship between size, shape and sinking rate has not been fully elucidated for the data set in question.
MORPHOLOGICAL AND NUCLEAR ANALYSIS OF THE BLOOM‐FORMING DINOFLAGELLATES GYRODINIUM CF. AUREOLUM AND GYMNODINIUM NAGASAKIENSE1
Authors: Partensky Frédéric , Vaulot Daniel , Couté Alain , Sournia Alain 
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACTTwo red‐tide forming naked dinoflagellates, the Japanese species Gymnodinium nagasakiense Takayama et Adachi and the north European species Gyrodinium cf. aureolum Hulburt, were compared with regard to their external morphology, chromosome number and DNA content. Morphological studies were performed using both light and scanning electron microscopy; analytical flow cytometry was used to compare DNA contents. Our strains of G. cf. aureolum and G. nagasakiense were morphologically indistinguishable, and both closely fit the original description of the latter species. In contrast, several details, including the shape and position of the nucleus, differed between our strains and the original description of Gyrodinium aureolum. However, despite an equal number of chromosomes, the Japanese taxon possessed about 40% more DNA than the European one. Moreover, the latter taxon was able to form two subpopulations of vegetative cells, which we called “small” and “large,” whereas the former one only formed “large” cells. These discrepancies cast doubt upon the conspecificity of G. cf. aureolum and G. nagasakiense. The appellation Gymnodinium cf. nagasakiense is therefore proposed for the species encountered in the northern European seas, waiting for a future reconsideration of both the genera and the species.
OBSERVATIONS ON NAVICULA THALLODES (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE), A BLADE‐FORMING DIATOM FROM THE BERING SEA1
Authors: Kociolek John P. , Wynne Michael J. 
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACTA thallus‐forming diatom, Navicula thallodes Proschkina‐Lavrenko, previously known only from the original collection at Bering Island (U.S.S.R.), has been found at Amchitka Island in the Aleutians, Alaska. The most remarkable observation of the present report is that N. thallodes may form blades up to 50 cm long, which to our knowledge is the greatest length reported for a colonial diatom. SEM observations of this diatom are presented for the first time.
A NEW METHOD FOR IDENTIFICATION OF INTER‐AND INTRA‐SPECIES OF THE RED TIDE ALGAE CHATTONELLA ANTIQUA AND CHATTONELLA MARINA (RAPHIDOPHYCEAE) BY MEANS OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES1
Authors: Hiroishi Shingo , Uchida Aritsune , Nagasaki Keizo , Ishida Yuzaburo 
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACTFour monoclonal antibodies AT‐83, AT‐86, MR‐18 and MR‐21 were obtained from culture supernatants of hybridomas which had been established by cell fusion between myeloma and spleen cells of mice immunized with the raphidophycean algae Chattonella antiqua (H) O NIES‐83 and 86 and Chattonella marina (S) H et C NIES‐118 and 121, respectively. Antibody AT‐86 was reactive with all ten strains of Chattonella antiqua tested but not with those of Chattonella marina. On the other hand, MR‐18 was reactive with those of Chattonella marina but not with those of Chattonella antiqua. Species can thus be identified using these two antibodies. Antibody MR‐21 was reactive with some of the strains of Chattonella antiqua and all six strains of Chattonella antiqua and all six strains of Chattonella marina. AT‐83 was reactive with some strains of Chattonella antiqua By the selective reactivities of these four monoclonal antibodies, strains of the two species could be separated into two groups. AT‐83 could distinguish between Chattonella marina isolated from Kagoshima prefecture (reactive) and the Seto Inland Sea region (non‐reactive). Reactivities of MR‐21 suggested that at least two groups of Chattonella antiqua caused red tides in Harima‐Nada during 1977 and 1978. Monoclonal antibodies appear to be useful for the identification of inter‐species and grouping of intra‐species of these organisms.
Apolipoprotein E ɛ4, Alzheimer's Disease, and Cognitive Performance in Elderly Mexican Mestizos
Authors: Villalpando‐Berumen Juan Manuel , Mejia‐Arango Silvia , Aguilar‐Salinas Carlos Alberto , Ordonez‐Sanchez Maria Luisa , Gutierrez‐Robledo Luis Miguel 
Published: March 2008

OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationship between apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4 and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the Mexican Mestizo population, as well as its effects on the cognitive profile of AD and elderly Mestizos without dementia.DESIGN: Cross‐sectional analysis of a cohort study.SETTING: Evaluations were conducted at the geriatrics clinic of an academic medical hospital in Mexico City.PARTICIPANTS: Forty‐nine elderly subjects with AD and 141 controls selected from a representative sample of Mexican Mestizos aged 65 to 96 who participated in the Prevalence Survey of Dementia in the Mexico City Elderly Population cohort.MEASUREMENTS: All subjects underwent APOE genotypification and a comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological evaluation.RESULTS: There were no significant differences in ɛ3 and ɛ4 frequencies between the subjects with and without AD and a tendency toward higher ɛ4 and lower ɛ3 allele frequencies in subjects aged 75 and older. No association was found between APOE ɛ4 and the presence of AD. The age‐, sex‐, and education‐adjusted risk for AD associated with at least one ɛ4 allele was 1.01 (95% confidence interval=0.45–2.23). Performance on a long‐term visual memory test was significantly worse in APOE ɛ4 carriers than in APOE ɛ3 carriers only in the group with AD.CONCLUSION: APOE ɛ4 did not increase the risk for AD in this Mexican Mestizo elderly urban population sample, although the presence of this allele seems to modify its clinical expression.
Exercising Body and Mind: An Integrated Approach to Functional Independence in Hospitalized Older People
Authors: Mudge Alison M. , Giebel Andrea J. , Cutler Alison J. 
Published: March 2008

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of a structured, multi‐component, early rehabilitation program on functional status, delirium, and discharge outcomes of older acute medical inpatients.DESIGN: Prospective controlled trial with blinded outcome evaluation.SETTING: Internal medicine service of a metropolitan tertiary teaching hospital in Brisbane, Australia.PARTICIPANTS: One hundred twenty‐four consecutive inpatients aged 65 and older admitted from the emergency department to control or intervention medical ward. Exclusions included patients completely dependent before admission or admitted from a nursing home, patients too ill to participate or terminally ill, and patients with length of stay less than 72 hours.INTERVENTION: Early physiotherapy review with provision of an individualized graduated exercise program and activity diary, progressive encouragement of functional independence by nursing staff and other members of the multidisciplinary team, and cognitive stimulation sessions.MEASUREMENTS: Modified Barthel Index (MBI) at admission and discharge, timed up‐and‐go at admission and discharge, incidence of delirium and falls, measured activity, length of hospital stay, discharge destination, 30‐day readmission rate.RESULTS: Intervention and control participants were well matched in terms of age, sex, diagnosis, and functional status. The intervention group had greater improvement in functional status than the control group, with a median MBI improvement of 8.5 versus 3.5 points (P=.03). In the intervention group, there was a reduction in delirium (19.4% vs 35.5%, P=.04) and a trend to reduced falls (4.8% vs 11.3%, P=.19). Length of stay, timed up‐and‐go, discharge destination, and readmissions did not differ between the groups.CONCLUSION: This intervention was effective in improving function in a vulnerable patient group.
High‐Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Objective Measures of Lower Extremity Performance in Older Nondisabled Persons: The InChianti Study
Authors: Volpato Stefano , Ble Alessandro , Metter E. Jeffrey , Lauretani Fulvio , Bandinelli Stefania , Zuliani Giovanni , Fellin Renato , Ferrucci Luigi , Guralnik Jack M. 
Published: March 2008

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the independent association between high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) levels and objective measures of lower extremity performance.DESIGN: Cross‐sectional cohort study.SETTING: Community‐based.PARTICIPANTS: Eight hundred thirty‐six nondisabled women and men aged 65 and older enrolled in the Invecchiare in Chianti study.MESASUREMENTS: Lower extremity performance was assessed using 4‐m walking speed at fast pace, 400‐m walking speed, and knee extension torque. Fasting HDL‐C levels were determined using commercial enzymatic tests.RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 73.7 (65–92), and 55.6% were women. After adjusting for potential confounders (sociodemographic factors, smoking, physical activity, body composition, and clinical conditions including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, inflammatory markers, and serum testosterone) HDL‐C levels were significantly associated with knee extension torque in men and women and with 4‐m and 400‐m walking speed in men. Men in the highest tertile of the HDL‐C distribution (>55 mg/dL) had, on average, a three times greater probability of belonging to the best tertile of all indexes of lower extremity performance, including 4‐m fast walking speed (odds ratio (OR)=2.57, 95%=confidence interval (CI)=1.07–6.17), 400‐m walking speed (OR=3.74, 95% CI=1.20–11.7), and knee extension torque (OR=3.63, 95%=CI 1.41–9.33). Path analysis suggested a direct relationship between HDL‐C and knee extension torque.CONCLUSION: In older nondisabled persons, HDL‐C levels are highly correlated with knee extension torque and walking speed. Further research should focus on the biological mechanism of this association.
Tactical Industry Allocation and Model Uncertainty
Authors: Ammann Manuel , Verhofen Michael 
Published: March 2008

AbstractWe use Bayesian model averaging to analyze industry return predictability in the presence of model uncertainty. The posterior analysis shows the importance of inflation and earnings yield in predicting industry returns. The out‐of‐sample performance of the Bayesian approach is, in general, superior to that of other statistical model selection criteria. However, the out‐of‐sample forecasting power of a naive i.i.d. forecast is similar to the Bayesian forecast. A variance decomposition into model risk, estimation risk, and forecast error shows that model risk is less important than estimation risk.
Changes of human skin in subepidermal wound healing process
Authors: Sugata Keiichi , Kitahara Takashi , Takema Yoshinori 
Published: March 2008

Background/purpose: The wound healing process involves unexplained mechanisms. An aberration in this process is known to cause dermal disorders such as keloid or hypertrophic scars, but the mechanism by which these scars are formed remains to be elucidated. Here we examined the usefulness of a non‐invasive optical imaging device to clarify mechanisms of wound healing and of scar formation.Methods: An 8 mm experimental wound was made in the forearms of six subjects by a suction blister method. To observe chronological changes associated with wound healing, horizontal cross‐sectional images were non‐invasively obtained of the wounded area from the skin surface down to 129 μm below at 21.5 μm intervals using in vivo laser confocal scanning microscopy (LCSM).Results: The wounds were covered with a new epidermis by week 2, at which time the dermal papilla count decreased while the thickness from the skin surface to the apex of the dermal papilla increased. The count and the thickness returned to the initial levels when the wound was healed. In two out of six subjects, fibrous tissues were observed in the upper dermis, whereas in one other subject, melanocyte‐like dendritic cells were observed in the epidermis–dermis border in later phases of wound healing.Conclusion: This non‐invasive method using in vivo LCSM revealed chronological changes in the dermis and epidermis during wound healing. In addition, although a scar was not formed in any of study subjects, this microscopy revealed aspects similar to the fibrous tissue overgrowth or to melanocyte migration, both of which may relate to wound healing. These results indicate the usefulness of this non‐invasive method in studies of wound healing and of scar formation.
Diffusion measurements in epidermal tissues with fluorescent recovery after photobleaching
Authors: Cornelissen Lisette H. , Bronneberg Debbie , Oomens Cees W. J. , Baaijens Frank P. T. 
Published: March 2008

Background/purpose: Pressure ulcers are areas of soft tissue breakdown, resulting from sustained mechanical loading of the skin and underlying tissues. Measuring biochemical markers that are released upon mechanical loading by the epidermis seems a promising method for objective risk assessment of the development of pressure ulcers. This risk assessment method will better determine the risk of a patient to develop pressure ulcers than the risk score lists currently used. So far, experimental studies have been performed that measure the tissue response in the culture supernatant. To elucidate the transport of the biochemical markers within the epidermis, the diffusion coefficient needs to be established.Methods: In the current study, fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is used to determine the diffusion coefficient of fluorescent‐labeled dextran molecules in human epidermis, porcine epidermis and engineered epidermal equivalents. These dextran molecules have a similar weight to the biochemical markers.Results: Similar diffusion coefficients were found for human and porcine epidermal samples (6.2 × 10−5±1.2 × 10−5 and 5.9 × 10−5±6.1 × 10−6 mm2/s, respectively), whereas the diffusion coefficient of the engineered epidermal equivalent was significantly lower (2.3 × 10−5±1.0 × 10−5 mm2/s).Conclusion: The diffusion could be measured in epidermal tissues using FRAP. In the future, the diffusion coefficients obtained in the current study will be used to study the difference between the transport in EpiDerm cultures and in human epidermis.
Association between serum calcium and periodontal disease progression in non‐institutionalized elderly
Authors: Amarasena Najith , Yoshihara Akihiro , Hirotomi Toshinobu , Takano Naoko , Miyazaki Hideo 
Published: March 2008

Objective:  To assess the effect of baseline serum calcium on the progression of periodontal disease in non‐institutionalized elderly.Background:  Although a few studies have found some evidence of the role played by dietary calcium in periodontal disease process, there is a paucity of information pertinent to longitudinal assessment of serum calcium‐periodontal relationships.Material and methods:  Clinical attachment levels of 266 Japanese subjects aged 70 years were recorded at baseline and annually for six consecutive years. Progression of periodontal disease (PPD) was defined as the number of teeth that showed additional attachment loss of ≥3 mm during the 6 years. The number of PPD was calculated for each subject and categorised into four levels, namely, PPD0, PPD1, PPD2 and PPD3 where the number of teeth with additional attachment loss ranged from 0, 1–10, 11–20 and >20 respectively. The levels of serum calcium, albumin, random blood sugar, immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA and IgM), gender, smoking habits, education, gingival bleeding and the number of teeth present were obtained at baseline.Results:  Serum calcium, IgA, smoking, gingival bleeding and teeth present were associated with PPD at p ≤ 0.10 and were included in a multinomial logistic regression analysis. Serum calcium was the only variable that was significantly associated with PPD with relative risks of 100 at PPD1 and PPD2, respectively, and 1000 at PPD3.Conclusion:  Serum calcium may be considered a risk factor for periodontal disease progression in non‐institutionalized elderly.
Brand India—Where Next? A Panel Discussion
Authors: Nilekani Nandan , Heyward Andrew 
Published: March 2008

Three large‐company top executives, a prominent journalist, and a representative of India's Ministry of Tourism discuss the country's recent transformation into “the world's fastest‐growing, free‐market democracy.” Much of the discussion concerns the recent accomplishments of Indian companies and executives, both those working inside the country and the many who have risen to prominence outside it. But the recent rise of India is more than a matter of economic success. Brand India is also, in the words of one panelist, “a soft brand as well as a hard brand… It is not only about efficiency, but about democracy and reverence for learning and the past, about art and architecture, and Bollywood and yoga, all of which have a cultural and even a spiritual dimension.”As for India's material progress, journalist Vir Sanghvi traces the origins of India's recent economic growth back to 1991, the year the country launched its ambitious program of economic liberalization. In this view, the Indian success story is one that begins with the opening up of markets, a gradual (though uneven) privatization of industry, and increased foreign investment. These are the main contributors to India's recent burst of economic growth, which in turn has generated the tax revenues necessary to fund large‐scale spending on education and healthcare. But whether the rate of economic growth and social progress accomplished by this combination of private‐sector growth and public spending can be maintained will depend heavily on a political process that has often been hostile to the ideas of free markets, privatization, and foreign investment.
U.S. Corporate Governance: Accomplishments and Failings A Discussion with Michael Jensen and Robert Monks
Authors: Walkling Ralph 
Published: March 2008

Two of America's most prominent shareholder activists discuss three major issues surrounding the U.S. corporate governance system: (1) the case for increasing shareholder “democracy” by expanding investor access to the corporate proxy; (2) lessons for public companies in the success of private equity; and (3) the current level and design of CEO pay.On the first of the three subjects, Robert Monks suggests that the U.S. should adopt the British convention of the “extraordinary general meeting,” or “EGM,” which gives a majority of shareholders who attend the meeting the right to remove any or all of a company's directors “with or without cause.” Such shareholder meetings are permitted in virtually all developed economies outside the U.S. because, as Monks goes on to say, they represent “a far more efficient and effective solution than the idea of having shareholders nominate people for the simple reason that even very involved, financially sophisticated fiduciaries are not the best people to nominate directors.”Moreover, according to both Jensen and Monks, corporate boards in the U.K. do a better job than their U.S. counterparts of monitoring top management on behalf of shareholders. In contrast to the U.S., where the majority of companies continue to be run by CEO/Chairmen, over 90% of English companies are now chaired by outside directors, contributing to “a culture of independent‐minded chairmen capable of providing a high level of oversight.” In the U.S., by contrast, most corporate directors continue to view themselves as “employees of the CEO.” And, as a result, U.S. boards generally fail to exercise effective oversight and control until outside forces—often in the form of activist investors such as hedge funds and private equity—bring about a “crisis.”In companies owned and run by private equity firms, by contrast, top management is vigorously monitored and controlled by a board made up of the firm's largest investors. And the fact that the rewards to the operating heads of successful private equity‐controlled firms are typically multiples of those received by comparably effective public company CEOs suggests that the problem with U.S. CEO pay is not its level, but its lack of correlation with performance.
Who Charges More: Hedge Funds or Mutual Funds?*
Authors: Kritzman Mark 
Published: March 2008

Explicit mutual fund fees are typically less than 1% of the assets under management. By comparison, the typical hedge fund charges a base fee of 2% plus a performance fee equal to 20% of net profits. Thus, hedge funds appear to charge far more for even comparable performance—unless one takes account of the following:

For most mutual funds, a very high percentage of performance is driven by its passive exposure to the market, even though the fee is applied to the total fund.
Many hedge funds are designed to provide returns that are completely independent of market performance.

Using these two assumptions, the author provides a simple example that shows that a representative mutual fund's performance can be replicated by combining an index fund, which represents the mutual fund's passive component, with a hedge fund, representing the mutual fund's active component. When analyzed in this way, the fee of the combined fund turns out to be remarkably close to the actual fee of the mutual fund. This in turn suggests that the implicit fee for the mutual fund's small active component is comparable to the fees of the hedge fund.