bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The importance of growth and mortality costs in the evolution of the optimal life history
Authors: Roff D. A. , Heibo E. , Vøllestad L. A. 
Published: May 2006

Abstract
A central assumption of life history theory is that the evolution of the component traits is determined in part by trade-offs between these traits. Whereas the existence of such trade-offs has been well demonstrated, the relative importance of these remains unclear. In this paper we use optimality theory to test the hypothesis that the trade-off between present and future fecundity induced by the costs of continued growth is a sufficient explanation for the optimal age at first reproduction, α, and the optimal allocation to reproduction, G, in 38 populations of perch and Arctic char. This hypothesis is rejected for both traits and we conclude that this trade-off, by itself, is an insufficient explanation for the observed values of α and G. Similarly, a fitness function that assumes a mortality cost to reproduction but no growth cost cannot account for the observed values of α. In contrast, under the assumption that fitness is maximized, the observed life histories can be accounted for by the joint action of trade-offs between growth and reproductive allocation and between mortality and reproductive allocation (Individual Juvenile Mortality model). Although the ability of the growth/mortality model to fit the data does not prove that this is the mechanism driving the evolution of the optimal age at first reproduction and allocation to reproduction, the fit does demonstrate that the hypothesis is consistent with the data and hence cannot at this time be rejected. We also examine two simpler versions of this model, one in which adult mortality is a constant proportion of juvenile mortality [Proportional Juvenile Mortality (PJM) model] and one in which the proportionality is constant within but not necessarily between species [Specific Juvenile Mortality (SSJM) model]. We find that the PJM model is unacceptable but that the SSJM model produces fits suggesting that, within the two species studied, juvenile mortality is proportional to adult mortality but the value differs between the two species.
Lower occurrence of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in Maori and Pacific Islanders
Authors: YOUNG Lisa M. , HOPKINS Raewyn , WILSHER Margaret L. 
Published: May 2006

Objective:  Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic fibro‐proliferative interstitial pneumonia, has not been reported to occur more frequently in any particular race. We have observed that our patients with IPF comprise a proportionately lower number of Maori and Pacific Islanders and set out to evaluate this further.Methods:  Retrospective analysis of an IPF database from a single tertiary respiratory institution was undertaken. Demographic and survival data were collected. Ethnicity was compared with 2001 New Zealand census data from the same catchment area.Results:  Eighty‐seven cases of IPF were identified. Overall median survival was 46 months. Ethnicity data were available for 84 of the 87 cases. 76/84 (90%) were European, 6/84 (7%) were Asian or Indian, 2/84 (2%) were Maori, and 0/84 (0%) were Pacific Islanders. For Maori and Pacific Islanders, this represented a significant trend in difference when compared with ethnicity data from the hospital catchment population (P < 0.001).Conclusions:  Our department is the tertiary referral centre for pulmonary disease in the upper North Island of New Zealand, and therefore referral centre bias is likely to be low. The preliminary observation that the occurrence of IPF is lower in those of Maori or Polynesian ethnicity warrants further study. This may, in part, help in our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms in IPF.
Control Strategies Correcting Inaccurately Programmed Fingertip Forces: Model Predictions Derived From Human Behavior
Authors: Fagergren Anders , Ekeberg Örjan , Forssberg Hans 
Published: May 2006

When picking up a familiar object between the index finger and the thumb, the motor commands are predetermined by the CNS to correspond to the frictional demand of the finger-object contact area. If the friction is less than expected, the object will start to slip out of the hand, giving rise to unexpected sensory information. Here we study the correction strategies of the motor system in response to an unexpected frictional demand. The motor commands to the mononeuron pool are estimated by a novel technique combining behavioral recordings and neuromuscular modelling. We first propose a mathematical model incorporating muscles, hand mechanics, and the action of lifting an object. A simple control system sends motor commands to and receives sensory signals from the model. We identify three factors influencing the efficiency of the correction: the time development of the motor command, the delay between the onset of the grip and load forces (GF-LF-delay), and how fast the lift is performed. A sensitivity analysis describes how these factors affect the ability to prevent or stop slipping and suggests an efficient control strategy that prepares and corrects for an altered frictional condition. We then analyzed fingertip grip and load forces (GF and LF) and position data from 200 lifts made by five healthy subjects. The friction was occasionally reduced, forcing an increase of the GF to prevent the object being dropped. The data were then analyzed by feeding it through the inverted model. This provided an estimate of the motor commands to the motoneuron pool. As suggested by the sensitivity analysis the GF-LF-delay was indeed used by the subjects to prevent slip. In agreement with recordings from neurons in the primary motor cortex of the monkey, a sharp burst in the estimated GF motor command (NGF) efficiently arrested any slip. The estimated motor commands indicate a control system that uses a small set of corrective commands, which together with the GF-LF-delay form efficient correction strategies. The selection of a strategy depends on the amount of tactile information reporting unexpected friction and how long it takes to arrive. We believe that this technique of estimating the motor commands behind the fingertip forces during a precision grip lift can provide a powerful tool for the investigation of the central control of the motor system.
The distribution and evolutionary history of the PRP8 intein
Authors: Butler Margaret I , Gray Jeremy , Goodwin Timothy JD , Poulter Russell TM 
Published: May 2006

Abstract

Background
We recently described a mini-intein in the PRP8 gene of a strain of the basidiomycete Cryptococcus neoformans, an important fungal pathogen of humans. This was the second described intein in the nuclear genome of any eukaryote; the first nuclear encoded intein was found in the VMA gene of several saccharomycete yeasts. The evolution of eukaryote inteins is not well understood. In this report we describe additional PRP8 inteins (bringing the total of these to over 20). We compare and contrast the phylogenetic distribution and evolutionary history of the PRP8 intein and the saccharomycete VMA intein, in order to derive a broader understanding of eukaryote intein evolution. It has been suggested that eukaryote inteins undergo horizontal transfer and the present analysis explores this proposal.

Results
In total, 22 PRP8 inteins have been detected in species from three different orders of euascomycetes, including Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus (Eurotiales), Paracoccidiodes brasiliensis, Uncinocarpus reesii and Histoplasma capsulatum (Onygales) and Botrytis cinerea (Helotiales). These inteins are all at the same site in the PRP8 sequence as the original Cryptococcus neoformans intein. Some of the PRP8 inteins contain apparently intact homing endonuclease domains and are thus potentially mobile, while some lack the region corresponding to the homing endonuclease and are thus mini-inteins. In contrast, no mini-inteins have been reported in the VMA gene of yeast. There are several examples of pairs of closely related species where one species carries the PRP8 intein while the intein is absent from the other species. Bio-informatic and phylogenetic analyses suggest that many of the ascomycete PRP8 homing endonucleases are active. This contrasts with the VMA homing endonucleases, most of which are inactive.

Conclusion
PRP8 inteins are widespread in the euascomycetes (Pezizomycota) and apparently their homing endonucleases are active. There is no evidence for horizontal transfer within the euascomycetes. This suggests that the intein is of ancient origin and has been vertically transmitted amongst the euascomycetes. It is possible that horizontal transfer has occurred between the euascomycetes and members of the basidiomycete genus Cryptococcus.
Accounting for the increase in NSAID expenditure: substitution or leakage?
Authors: Barton Garry R , Avery Anthony J , Whynes David K 
Published: May 2006

Abstract

Background
National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance stated that a new form of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) (selective COX-2 inhibitors) should only be an option for arthritis patients at high risk of a gastro-intestinal (GI) event. Total expenditure on NSAIDs has risen by 57% over five years, to £247 million in 2004. We assess whether this expenditure increase can be accounted for by substitution – an increased prescribing of two (more expensive) selective COX-2 inhibitors (celecoxib and rofecoxib) and a simultaneous equivalent reduction in the prescribing volume of three (cheaper) older NSAIDs (diclofenac, ibuprofen and naproxen).

Methods
Quarterly prescription data was collated from January 1999 to September 2004. Over this period, the level of correlation between the total prescribing volumes for i) celecoxib and rofecoxib, and ii) diclofenac, ibuprofen, and naproxen were compared, the change in total expenditure on the five NSAIDs was also estimated. The latter was apportioned into that which was estimated to have arisen due to i) substitution, and ii) increased NSAID prescription volume.

Results
Total prescription volumes for the two NSAID groups were negatively correlated (r = -0.97, p < 0.001). In the last quarter there were 1.23 million prescriptions for celecoxib and rofecoxib, and 0.46 million fewer prescriptions for naproxen, diclofenac, and ibuprofen (than in the first quarter, when celecoxib and rofecoxib were not prescribed). Total expenditure for the five NSAIDs was £32.7 million higher in the last quarter, than the first, £12.2 million of which was estimated to be due to substitution, and £20.4 million due to increased volume.

Conclusion
The introduction of celecoxib and rofecoxib was associated with a reduction in the prescription volume for naproxen, diclofenac, and ibuprofen. However, overall quarterly prescription volume for these five NSAIDs increased by 0.76 million, and we estimate that quarterly expenditure increased by £20.4 million more than would have been expected if overall NSAID volume had remained constant. This suggests that the prescription of both celecoxib and rofecoxib may have 'leaked' to population groups who would not previously have received an older NSAID.
Similarity searches in genome-wide numerical data sets
Authors: Glazko Galina , Coleman Michael , Mushegian Arcady 
Published: May 2006

Abstract
We present psi-square, a program for searching the space of gene vectors. The program starts with a gene vector, i.e., the set of measurements associated with a gene, and finds similar vectors, derives a probabilistic model of these vectors, then repeats search using this model as a query, and continues to update the model and search again, until convergence. When applied to three different pathway-discovery problems, psi-square was generally more sensitive and sometimes more specific than the ad hoc methods developed for solving each of these problems before.

Reviewers

This article was reviewed by King Jordan, Mikhail Gelfand, Nicolas Galtier and Sarah Teichmann.
Clinical Benefits of Subgingival Chlorhexidine Varnish Application as an Adjunct to Same‐Day Full‐Mouth Root Planing: A Pilot Study
Authors: Cosyn Jan , Wyn Iris , De Rouck Tim , Moradi Sabzevar Mehran 
Published: May 2006

Background: Although scaling and root planing are considered the therapeutic standard for periodontitis, weakly responding sites often occur. To improve treatment outcome, several chemomechanical treatment concepts have been developed. Recently, the clinical surplus value of a highly concentrated chlorhexidine varnish has been shown when used as an adjunct to sequential scaling and root planing. The aim of this study was to explore the clinical effects of a treatment strategy for chronic periodontitis based on a combination of same‐day full‐mouth root planing and subgingival chlorhexidine varnish administration.Methods: A randomized, controlled, single‐blind, parallel trial was conducted on 12 chronic periodontitis patients. The control group received oral hygiene instructions and same‐day full‐mouth root planing. The test group received the same instructions and treatment; however, all pockets were additionally disinfected using a chlorhexidine varnish. Clinical response parameters were recorded at baseline and subsequently after 1 and 3 months.Results: Both treatment strategies showed significant reductions in probing depth at both follow‐up visits in comparison with baseline levels (P ≤0.029). Yet, at 3 months, initially diseased sites of the test group showed significant additional pocket reductions between 0.70 and 1.37 mm (P ≤0.021). Furthermore, a significant additive clinical attachment gain of 1.17 mm (P = 0.049) for initially deep pockets (≥7 mm) was found favoring the test group.Conclusion: These preliminary findings suggest that the outcome of same‐day full‐mouth root planing may benefit from the subgingival administration of a highly concentrated chlorhexidine varnish.
Dimension of Interproximal Soft Tissue Between Adjacent Implants in Two Distinctive Implant Systems
Authors: Lee Dong‐Won , Park Kwang‐Ho , Moon Ik‐Sang 
Published: May 2006

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the dimension of interproximal soft tissue between adjacent implants in distinctive implant systems.Methods: This study involved 85 interproximal papillae between two adjacent implants in 50 patients who had implants placed adjacent to each other and who had prosthesis in place for longer than 1 year. The shortest distance between the radiopaque material on the tip of interimplant papilla and the most coronal portion of the interimplant crestal bone was measured (radiographic length of papilla [RL]). The horizontal distance (HD) between the two adjacent implants was measured at the fixture‐abutment interface level. Considering the possible effect of interimplant crestal bone resorption on closely implanted sites, HDs were divided into two categories: HD <3 and ≥3 mm. The Mann‐Whitney test was performed to find the difference in the dimension of interimplant papilla.Results: In cases of HD <3 mm, RL did not differ statistically in both systems. Also, in cases of HD >3 mm, RL did not show a statistically significant difference in both systems.Conclusion: Both systems had similar dimensions of interproximal soft tissue between adjacent implants, irrespective of the horizontal distance of the fixture.
Minority Group Status and Healthful Aging: Social Structure Still Matters
Authors: Angel Jacqueline L. , Angel Ronald J. 
Published: May 2006

During the last 4 decades, a rapid increase has occurred in the number of survey-based and epidemiological studies of the health profiles of adults in general and of the causes of disparities between majority and minority Americans in particular. According to these studies, healthful aging consists of the absence of disease, or at least of the most serious preventable diseases and their consequences, and findings consistently reveal serious African American and Hispanic disadvantages in terms of healthful aging. We (1) briefly review conceptual and operational definitions of race and Hispanic ethnicity, (2) summarize how ethnicity-based differentials in health are related to social structures, and (3) emphasize the importance of attention to the economic, political, and institutional factors that perpetuate poverty and undermine healthful aging among certain groups.
Conversion of elective laparoscopic to open cholecystectomy between 1993 and 2004
Authors: Ishizaki Y , Miwa K , Yoshimoto J , Sugo H , Kawasaki S 
Published: May 2006

Abstract

Background
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the standard treatment for symptomatic gallbladder disease. The identification of factors that reliably predict the likely need to convert LC to an open procedure would provide short-term benefits in terms of patient education and postoperative expectations.

Methods
Between 1993 and 2004, 1179 elective LCs were attempted from a total of 1339 elective cholecystectomies. The change in conversion rate between 1993–1999 and 2000–2004 was analysed. Factors predictive of higher risk for conversion were also identified.

Results
Eighty-nine LCs (7·5 per cent) required conversion. Gallbladder wall thickness and a history of common bile duct (CBD) stones, treated by preoperative endoscopic sphincterotomy, were predictors of conversion. The proportion of patients who underwent LC was the same in 1993–1999 (87·5 per cent) and 2000–2004 (88·8 per cent), but the conversion rate increased significantly from 5·3 to 10·6 per cent in these two time intervals. In addition, the proportion of patients with a history of CBD stones rose significantly, from 6·4 per cent in 1993–1999 to 11·0 per cent in 2000–2004.

Conclusion
The conversion rate increased over the 12-year interval of the study. A history of preoperative endoscopic sphincterotomy and a thickened gallbladder wall contributed to the likelihood of conversion.
Das allgemeine bauaufsichtliche Prüfzeugnis als Verwendbarkeits‐ und Anwendbarkeitsnachweis hinsichtlich der Anforderungen an den Schallschutz
Authors: Iffländer Frank 
Published: May 2006

AbstractWenn für Bauteile Anforderungen an den Schallschutz nach DIN 4109 bestehen, ist der Nachweis der Eignung gemäß Abschnitt 6.3 der Norm mit bauakustischen Messungen (Eignungsprüfungen) zu führen, wenn die Bauteile nicht den Ausführungsbeispielen nach Beiblatt 1 zu DIN 4109 entsprechen.In der Liste der Technischen Baubestimmungen ist festgelegt, dass diese in DIN 4109 geforderten Eignungsprüfungen im Rahmen der Erteilung eines allgemeinen bauaufsichtlichen Prüfzeugnisses durchzuführen sind.Für eine Vielzahl von Bauprodukten und Bauarten, die Anforderungen an den Schallschutz zu erfüllen haben, kommt daher dem allgemeinen bauaufsichtlichen Prüfzeugnis eine besondere Bedeutung zu.
Swelling and mechanical properties of glycol chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) IPN‐type superporous hydrogels
Authors: Park Hyojin , Kim Dukjoon 
Published: May 2006

AbstractGlycol chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) interpenetrating polymer network type superporous hydrogels were prepared using a gas foaming/freeze‐drying method. The effect of the molecular weight of the strengthener, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), on the swelling and mechanical behavior of the superporous hydrogels was investigated. The introduction of a small amount of high molecular weight PVA significantly enhanced the mechanical strength but slightly reduced the swelling capacity. The freezing/thawing (F/T) drying process had a significant effect on the physical properties of the glycol chitosan/PVA superporous hydrogels, because hydrogen bonds were formed between the PVA molecules as a result of the number of F/T cycles. The swelling ratio decreased but the mechanical strength increased with increasing freezing time. However, this effect was not as strong as the number of F/T cycles. The differential scanning calorimetry was used to examine how the thermal behavior associated with the hydrogen bond—induced crystalline structure was affected by the F/T process. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2006
Measuring sense of community: A methodological interpretation of the factor structure debate
Authors: Peterson N. Andrew , Speer Paul W. , Hughey Joseph 
Published: May 2006

AbstractInstability in the factor structure of the Sense of Community Index (SCI) was tested as a methodological artifact. Confirmatory factor analyses, tested with two data sets, supported neither the proposed one‐factor nor the four‐factor (needs fulfillment, group membership, influence, and emotional connection) SCI. Results demonstrated that the SCI was best described by four factors in combination with two method factors (i.e., one factor including only positively worded items and another including only negatively worded items). Analyses comparing SCI and method factors showed that positively and negatively worded items correlated differently with measures of citizen participation, psychological empowerment, and health‐related quality of life. Results indicate that the SCI should be revised to exclude negatively worded items and new positively worded items should be developed and tested. The effects of method variance and alternative solutions to the psychometric issues in the SCI are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
MUSTANG: A multiple structural alignment algorithm
Authors: Konagurthu Arun S. , Whisstock James C. , Stuckey Peter J. , Lesk Arthur M. 
Published: May 2006

AbstractMultiple structural alignment is a fundamental problem in structural genomics. In this article, we define a reliable and robust algorithm, MUSTANG (MUltiple STructural AligNment AlGorithm), for the alignment of multiple protein structures. Given a set of protein structures, the program constructs a multiple alignment using the spatial information of the Cα atoms in the set. Broadly based on the progressive pairwise heuristic, this algorithm gains accuracy through novel and effective refinement phases. MUSTANG reports the multiple sequence alignment and the corresponding superposition of structures. Alignments generated by MUSTANG are compared with several handcurated alignments in the literature as well as with the benchmark alignments of 1033 alignment families from the HOMSTRAD database. The performance of MUSTANG was compared with DALI at a pairwise level, and with other multiple structural alignment tools such as POSA, CE‐MC, MALECON, and MultiProt. MUSTANG performs comparably to popular pairwise and multiple structural alignment tools for closely related proteins, and performs more reliably than other multiple structural alignment methods on hard data sets containing distantly related proteins or proteins that show conformational changes. Proteins 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dopamine D2 and D3 receptors in human putamen, caudate nucleus, and globus pallidus
Authors: Seeman Philip , Wilson Alan , Gmeiner Peter , Kapur Shitij 
Published: May 2006

AbstractBecause radioactive raclopride and radioactive (+)‐4‐propyl‐9‐hydroxynaphthoxazine ((+)‐PHNO) are used to image dopamine (DA) D2 and D3 receptors in the striatum and globus pallidus in humans, the present study examined the proportions of D2 and D3 receptors in postmortem tissues from these regions. Conflicting results were obtained when using a single concentration of remoxipride to occlude D2 receptors or using a single concentration of U99194A or FAUC 365 to occlude D3 receptors. However, using a range of concentrations of FAUC 365, a D3‐selective antagonist, to inhibit the binding [3H]raclopride or [3H]‐(+)‐PHNO to D3 receptors at low concentrations (1–10 nM) and to inhibit ligand binding to D2 receptors at higher concentrations (100–2000 nM), it was possible to measure the proportion of D2 and D3 receptors in the tissues. This method revealed that these two radioligands detected only D2 receptors in the dorsal putamen and the dorsal caudate nucleus, but detected a mixed population of two‐thirds D2 and one‐third D3 DA receptors in the ventral putamen, the ventral caudate, and the globus pallidus. The present findings are in good agreement with the known gene expression data for D2 and D3 receptors in these human brain regions. Synapse 60:205–211, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.