bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Repeat LEEP conization in patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 and positive ectocervical margins
Authors: Ayhan Ali , Boynukalin F. Kubra , Guven Suleyman , Dogan N. Utku , Esinler Ibrahim , Usubutun Alp 
Published: December 2008

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of repeat loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) conization in patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 3 and positive ectocervical margins.MethodA retrospective study of 56 women who underwent repeat LEEP conization for CIN 3 and positive ectocervical margins.ResultsFinal diagnosis after repeat LEEP conization revealed 6 women (10.7%) with microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma (Stage IA1); 1 (1.8%) with CIN 1; 1 (1.8%) with CIN 2; 21 (37.5%) with CIN 3; and 27 (48.2%) with chronic cervicitis. Ectocervical or endocervical margins were negative after repeat LEEP conization in the majority of women, except for 2 patients (3.6%) with CIN 3 and positive ectocervical margins. Recurrence rate for the median follow‐up time of 2 years was 6.1% (3 patients).ConclusionRepeat LEEP conization can reveal undiagnosed microinvasive cervical carcinoma in women with positive ectocervical margins.
Reproductive outcome following resectoscope metroplasty in women having a complete uterine septum with double cervix and vagina
Authors: Lin Kaiqing , Zhu Xiaoming , Xu Hong , Liang Zhaoxia , Zhang Xinmei 
Published: December 2008

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate reproductive outcomes in women with complete uterine septum with double cervix and vagina following resectoscope metroplasty.MethodsThe pregnancy outcomes of 21 women who underwent vaginal and uterine septum resection were compared with those of 15 untreated women with similar clinical characteristics. The Fisher exact test and the Mann‐Whitney test were used for statistical analysis.ResultsCycle fecundity was better (33.4% ± 28.5% vs 12.2% ± 4.7%; P = 0.046), the rate of term delivery significantly increased (P < 0.05), and the rate of spontaneous abortion decreased (P < 0.05) in the treatment group.ConclusionResectoscope metroplasty was found to improve the pregnancy outcomes of women having primary infertility or a history of pregnancy loss associated with a complete uterine septum with double cervix and vagina.
Major- and trace-element characterization, expanded distribution, and a new chronology for the latest Pleistocene Glacier Peak tephras in western North America
Authors: Kuehn Stephen C. , Froese Duane G. , Carrara Paul E. , Foit Franklin F. , Pearce Nicholas J.G. , Rotheisler Peter 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe Glacier Peak tephra beds are among the most widespread and arguably some of the most important late Pleistocene chronostratigraphic markers in western North America. These beds represent a series of closely-spaced Plinian and sub-Plinian eruptions from Glacier Peak, Washington. The two most widespread beds, Glacier Peak ‘G’ and ‘B’, are reliably distinguished by their glass major and trace element abundances. These beds are also more broadly distributed than previously considered, covering at least 550,000 and 260,000 km2, respectively. A third bed, the Irvine bed, known only from southern Alberta, is similar in its major-element composition to the Glacier Peak G bed, but it shows considerable differences in trace element concentrations. The Irvine bed is likely considerably older than the G and B tephras and probably records an additional Plinian eruption, perhaps also from Glacier Peak but from a different magma than G through B. A review of the published radiocarbon ages, new ages in this study, and consideration in a Bayesian framework suggest that the widespread G and B beds are several hundred years older than widely assumed. Our revised age is about 11,600 14C yr BP or a calibrated age (at 2 sigma) of 13,710–13,410 cal yr BP.
Aberrant allele-specific replication, independent of parental origin, in blood cells of cancer patients
Authors: Dotan Zohar A , Dotan Aviva , Ramon Jacob , Avivi Lydia 
Published: December 2008

Abstract

Background
Allelic counterparts of biallelically expressed genes display an epigenetic symmetry normally manifested by synchronous replication, different from genes subjected to monoallelic expression, which normally are characterized by an asynchronous mode of replication (well exemplified by the SNRPN imprinted locus). Malignancy was documented to be associated with gross modifications in the inherent replication-timing coordination between allelic counterparts of imprinted genes as well as of biallelically expressed loci. The cancer-related allelic replication timing aberrations are non-disease specific and appear in peripheral blood cells of cancer patients, including those with solid tumors. As such they offer potential blood markers for non-invasive cancer test. The present study was aimed to gain some insight into the mechanism leading to the replication timing alterations of genes in blood lymphocytes of cancer patients.

Methods
Peripheral blood samples derived from patients with prostate cancer were chosen to represent the cancerous status, and samples taken from patients with no cancer but with benign prostate hyperplasia were used to portray the normal status. Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) replication assay, applied to phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated blood lymphocytes, was used to evaluate the temporal order (either synchronous or asynchronous) of genes in the patients' cells.

Results
We demonstrated that: (i) the aberrant epigenetic profile, as delineated by the cancer status, is a reversible modification, evidenced by our ability to restore the normal patterns of replication in three unrelated loci (CEN15, SNRPN and RB1) by introducing an archetypical demethylating agent, 5-azacytidine; (ii) following the rehabilitating effect of demethylation, an imprinted gene (SNRPN) retains its original parental imprint; and (iii) the choice of an allele between early or late replication in the aberrant asynchronous replication, delineated by the cancer status, is not random but is independent of the parental origin.

Conclusion
The non-disease specific aberrant epigenetic profile displayed in peripheral blood cells of patients with a solid tumour (unlike genetic aberrations) can be reversed, by an epigenetic drug applied in vitro, to the normal. It appears that the cancerous status differentiates between two allelic counterparts in a non-random manner, but independent of the parental origin
Ultrastructure and physical properties of an adhesive surface, the toe pad epithelium of the tree frog, Litoria caerulea White
Authors: Scholz Ingo , Barnes W. Jon P. , Smith Joanna M. , Baumgartner Werner 
Published: December 2008

SUMMARY
Knowledge of both surface structure and physical properties such as stiffness and elasticity are essential to understanding any adhesive system. In this study of an adhesion surface in the tree frog, Litoria caerulea White, a variety of techniques including atomic force microscopy were used to investigate the microstructure and properties of an epithelium that adheres through wet adhesion. Litoria toe pads consist of a hexagonal array of flat-topped epithelial cells, separated by mucus-filled channels. Under an atomic force microscope, this `flat' surface is highly structured at the nanoscale, consisting of a tightly packed array of columnar nanopillars (described as hemidesmosomes by previous authors), 326±84 nm in diameter, each of which possesses a central dimple 8±4 nm in depth. In fixed tissue (transmission electron microscopy), the nanopillars are approximately as tall as they are broad. At the gross anatomical level, larger toe pads may be subdivided into medial and lateral parts by two large grooves. Although the whole toe pad is soft and easily deformable, the epithelium itself has an effective elastic modulus equivalent to silicon rubber (mean Eeff=14.4±20.9 MPa; median Eeff=5.7 MPa), as measured by the atomic force microscope in nanoindentation mode. The functions of these structures are discussed in terms of maximising adhesive and frictional forces by conforming closely to surface irregularities at different length scales and maintaining an extremely thin fluid layer between pad and substrate. The biomimetic implications of these findings are reviewed.
Freeze tolerance in an arctic Alaska stonefly
Authors: Walters Kent R. , Sformo Todd , Barnes Brian M. , Duman John G. 
Published: December 2008

SUMMARY
Most aquatic insects do not survive subzero temperatures and, for those that do, the physiology has not been well characterized. Nemoura arctica is a species of stonefly widely distributed throughout arctic and subarctic Alaska. We collected nymphs from the headwaters of the Chandalar River, where we recorded streambed temperatures as low as –12.7°C in midwinter. When in contact with ice, autumn-collected N. arctica cool to –1.5±0.4°C before freezing, but individuals survived temperatures as low as –15°C, making this the first described species of freeze-tolerant stonefly. N. arctica clearly survive freezing in nature, as winter-collected nymphs encased in ice demonstrated high survivorship when thawed. In the laboratory, 87% of N. arcticanymphs frozen to –15°C for 2.5 weeks survived and, within one month of thawing, 95% of the last-instar nymphs emerged. N. arctica produce both glycerol and ice-binding factors (e.g. antifreeze protein) in response to low temperature. Hemolymph glycerol concentrations increased from 3 mmol l–1 to 930±114 mmol l–1 when temperatures were decreased from 4°C to –8°C, and N. arctica continued to produce glycerol even while frozen. Although the hemolymph of individual cold-acclimated nymphs occasionally exhibited more than a degree of thermal hysteresis, typically the hemolymph exhibited only hexagonal crystal growth, indicating a low concentration of ice-binding factor. Hemolymph of nymphs acclimated to subzero temperatures had recrystallization inhibition. These results demonstrate that, in the face of freezing conditions, N. arctica exhibit overwintering adaptations similar to those of terrestrial insects.
Bioenergetics and inter-individual variation in physiological capacities in a relict mammal – the Monito del Monte (Dromiciops gliroides)
Authors: Cortés Pablo , Quijano Silvia A. , Nespolo Roberto F. 
Published: December 2008

SUMMARYIn evolutionary physiology, studies of inter-individual variation (i.e. repeatability) in functional capacities are valuable as they indicate –within populations – what attributes could respond to natural selection. Although repeatability and quantitative genetics of physiological traits in energy metabolism of eutherian mammals have been well characterized, few or no studies have been performed on marsupials. We studied the repeatability (i.e. intraclass correlation coefficient, τ) of bioenergetics for Monito del Monte (Dromiciops gliroides), the sole living representative of an otherwise extinct marsupial order (Microbiotheria). We measured resting metabolic rate as CO2 production(V̇CO2) and O2 consumption(V̇O2)simultaneously, together with minimum thermal conductance (C), evaporative water loss (EWL) and respiratory quotient (RQ), in a sample of ca. 20 individuals. Our results suggest that D. gliroides exhibits poor control of body temperature (Tb), with a thermal amplitude of ca. 10°C in normothermia. As a consequence, repeatability of Tb and metabolic rate (either as V̇CO2 or V̇O2) were relatively low (τTb=0.25±0.04,τ VCO2=0.14±0.03,τ V̇O2=0.24±0.02,jackknife estimations of standard errors). Thermal conductance exhibited near-zero or negative repeatability and was lower than expected for marsupials. However, we found significant repeatability for RQ and EWL(τ=0.32±0.03 and 0.49±0.09, respectively). In general, these results suggest that Monito del Monte exhibits some `reptilian' physiological characteristics. The relatively low repeatability of physiological variables,which otherwise exhibit large inter-individual and genetic variance in eutherian mammals, suggests that these capacities do not exhibit evolutionary potential in the ancient order Microbiotheria.
Mechanical phase shifters for coherent acoustic radiation in the stridulating wings of crickets: the plectrum mechanism
Authors: Montealegre-Z Fernando , Windmill James F. C. , Morris Glenn K. , Robert Daniel 
Published: December 2008

SUMMARYMale crickets produce stridulatory songs using engaged tegmina (forewings):a plectrum on the left sweeps along a tooth row on the right. During stridulation, the plectrum moves across the teeth and vibrations are amplified by the surrounding cells and veins, resonating at the frequency of tooth impacts. The advance of the plectrum on the file is controlled by an escapement mechanism so that passing each single tooth generates one wave of a highly tonal signal. Both tegmina must oscillate in phase to avoid destructive interference. But as each plectrum-tooth contact begins, the right and left tegmina react in opposite oscillatory directions. A mechanical phase shifter is part of the left tegmen and compensates to achieve wing oscillation synchrony. We use a new technique to simulate plectrum-on-file interactions:in combination with laser vibrometry, this technique assessed plectrum mechanics in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. Using an excised teneral file, shaped like a partial gear and moved by a motor, and a microscan Doppler laser vibrometer, plectrum and left-tegmen mechanics were explored. The results show that plectrum and harp oscillate with a phase difference of ca. 156 deg., a shift rather than a complete phase inversion (180 deg.). This phase shift occurs at the site of a large wing vein (possibly A3). Plectrum and harp vibrate with similar fundamental frequency, therefore, plectrum torsion resonant frequency is important for maintaining vibration coherence. The mechanical aspects involved in this partial phase inversion are discussed with respect to the escapement mechanism. The plectrum mechanics and its implications in katydid stridulation are also considered.
Food deprivation during photosensitive and photorefractory life-history stages affects the reproductive cycle in the migratory Red-headed Bunting(Emberiza bruniceps)
Authors: Budki Puja , Rani Sangeeta , Kumar Vinod 
Published: December 2008

SUMMARYIn a seasonally breeding bird species, food deprivation affects reproduction. A key question is whether food shortage at any time in the year will affect reproduction even though the food supply subsequently becomes adequate. A prediction would be that a food supply that is of shorter duration than that optimally required during a life-history stage will have consequential effects on the succeeding life-history stages. Two experiments investigated this in gonadally regressed migratory Red-headed Buntings(Emberiza bruniceps) at two life-history stages: photosensitive and photorefractory. Experiment 1 employed two groups of photosensitive birds, and experiment 2 employed two groups of photorefractory birds. In both the experiments, birds were exposed for 8 weeks to a neutral day length at dim light intensity (12 h light: 12 h darkness, 12L:12D; L=∼5 lux, D=0 lux)with restricted feeding regimes (6 h food present: 18 h food absent, P:A 6:18 or P:A 12:12) and subsequently maintained for another 13 weeks at a highly stimulatory day length (16L:8D; L=400 lux; D=0 lux) with food ad libitum. We report that the pretreatment with restricted food cycles influenced the subsequent photoperiodic induction of reproductive (testis growth and molt) but not of metabolic (body fattening and mass gain)functions. The testicular response cycle under 16L:8D had a significantly lower amplitude in birds pretreated with P:A 6:18 than with P:A 12:12. Similarly, the recovery of photosensitivity was slower in photorefractory birds pretreated with P:A 6:18 than with P:A 12:12 food cycles. Overall, our findings show for the first time in a seasonally breeding vertebrate species that food deprivation during non-breeding periods of the annual cycle can affect reproductive functions later in the year.
The influence of experience in orientation: GPS tracking of homing pigeons released over the sea after directional training
Authors: Dell'Ariccia Gaia , Dell'Omo Giacomo , Lipp Hans-Peter 
Published: December 2008

SUMMARY
Flight experience is one of the factors that influences initial orientation of displaced homing pigeons (Columba livia). Prior studies showed a systematic dependence of initial orientation on previously flown direction. Using GPS data loggers, this study sought to examine the effect of previous directional training of 40 homing pigeons when they were released over the sea, in the absence of proximal landmarks, in a direction almost perpendicular to that of previous training flights. Our results demonstrated that previous directional training evoked a systematic and predicted deviation from the beeline over the sea that appeared as a compromise between the direction of training and the direction to the loft. Pigeons were able to efficiently correct their flight direction only once over land, where they flew significantly slower and less directly than over the sea.
O2 store management in diving emperor penguins
Authors: Ponganis P. J. , Stockard T. K. , Meir J. U. , Williams C. L. , Ponganis K. V. , Howard R. 
Published: December 2008

SUMMARY
In order to further define O2 store utilization during dives and understand the physiological basis of the aerobic dive limit (ADL, dive duration associated with the onset of post-dive blood lactate accumulation),emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) were equipped with either a blood partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) recorder or a blood sampler while they were diving at an isolated dive hole in the sea ice of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Arterial PO2profiles (57 dives) revealed that (a) pre-dive PO2 was greater than that at rest, (b) PO2 transiently increased during descent and(c) post-dive PO2 reached that at rest in 1.92±1.89 min (N=53). Venous PO2 profiles (130 dives) revealed that (a)pre-dive venous PO2 was greater than that at rest prior to 61% of dives, (b) in 90% of dives venous PO2 transiently increased with a mean maximum PO2 of 53±18 mmHg and a mean increase in PO2 of 11±12 mmHg, (c) in 78% of dives,this peak venous PO2 occurred within the first 3 min, and (d) post-dive venous PO2 reached that at rest within 2.23±2.64 min (N=84). Arterial and venous PO2 values in blood samples collected 1–3 min into dives were greater than or near to the respective values at rest. Blood lactate concentration was less than 2 mmol l–1 as far as 10.5 min into dives, well beyond the known ADL of 5.6 min. Mean arterial and venous PN2 of samples collected at 20–37 m depth were 2.5 times those at the surface, both being 2.1±0.7 atmospheres absolute (ATA; N=3 each), and were not significantly different. These findings are consistent with the maintenance of gas exchange during dives (elevated arterial and venous PO2 and PN2during dives), muscle ischemia during dives (elevated venous PO2, lack of lactate washout into blood during dives), and arterio-venous shunting of blood both during the surface period(venous PO2 greater than that at rest) and during dives (arterialized venous PO2 values during descent, equivalent arterial and venous PN2 values during dives). These three physiological processes contribute to the transfer of the large respiratory O2 store to the blood during the dive, isolation of muscle metabolism from the circulation during the dive, a decreased rate of blood O2 depletion during dives, and optimized loading of O2stores both before and after dives. The lack of blood O2 depletion and blood lactate elevation during dives beyond the ADL suggests that active locomotory muscle is the site of tissue lactate accumulation that results in post-dive blood lactate elevation in dives beyond the ADL.
L'eau gratuite pour tous ? L'exemple de la nouvelle politique de l'eau en Afrique du Sud
Authors: Vircoulon Thierry 
Published: December 2008

Résumé	Enjeu environnemental mais aussi et surtout social et politique, l'eau est encore un bien difficile d'accès pour les foyers pauvres sud-africains. Depuis la fin de l'apartheid, le gouvernement démocratique a fait de la fourniture de l'eau potable un des axes de sa stratégie de développement. Cet article montre que, depuis 1994, le gouvernement sud-africain a oscillé entre deux politiques opposées, l'expansion des infrastructures et la facturation au coût réel, pour finalement inventer en 2000 un moyen terme original et équilibré qui associe gratuité et recouvrement des coûts. Même si théoriquement la politique actuelle fait figure de modèle, il lui reste encore à faire ses preuves dans deux domaines : sa pérennité financière et son efficacité sociale. Ces deux buts sont tous deux incertains mais on ne peut qu'espérer que l'Afrique du Sud réussisse à révolutionner les politiques de l'eau.
Le coton en zone franc et les subventions américaines et européennes : avant et après Cancun
Authors: Goreux Louis 
Published: December 2008

Résumé	Dans leur initiative relative au coton, quatre PMA africains ont demandé aux pays industrialisés de supprimer les subventions à leurs producteurs de cotton. C’était l’occasion de montrer que l’application des principes fondamentaux de l’OMC pouvait conduire à une réduction de la pauvreté. Avec l’échec des négociations de Cancun, ce fut une occasion manquée. Mais le coton constitue un cas d’école que nous ne pouvons pas ignorer si nous voulons que n os déclarations sur la lutte contre la pauvreté restent crédibles.
Le sursaut africain du New Labour : principes, promesses et résultats
Authors: Gaulme François 
Published: December 2008

Résumé	Depuis 1997, le New Labour a profondément la problématique des relations entre la Grande-Bretagne et l’Afrique en faisant de celle-ci le continent de déploiement par excellence d’une aide au développement elle aussi repensée et revigorée, s’appuyant sur une vision " ethique " des relations internationales. L’application de cette politique parfois spectaculairement efficace, comme en Sierra Leone en 2000-2001, se trouve maintenant confrontée à l’épreuve de la durée.
Le processus d'élaboration du document stratégique de réduction de la pauvreté au Bénin
Authors: Assilamehoo Emmanuel 
Published: December 2008

Résumé	Le processus des cadres stratégiques de lutte contre la pauvreté, censé faire l’objet d’une appropriation par les pays en développement, continue à bien des égards de souffrir de l’intervention des Institutions de Bretton Woods. La réflexion sur la pauvreté n’a pas seulement une dimension sociale, elle doit avant tout s’inscrire dans les objectifs de stabilité macroéconomique, prenant en compte la réduction des inégalités.
Les cadres stratégiques de lutte contre la pauvreté en Afrique de l'Ouest
Authors: Dahou Tarik 
Published: December 2008

Résumé	Les cadres stratégiques de lutte contre la pauvreté posent de nouveaux enjeux en termes de développement durable et équitable. Néanmoins, il convient de relativiser leur capacité à résoudre les problèmes de pauvreté. L’analyse critique de ces nouveaux cadres montre qu’il vaudrait mieux partir des modalités d’inclusion et d’exclusion des réseaux de clientèle qui permettrait de mieux appréhender les processus d’allocation des ressources pour une prise en compte plus satisfaisante des phénomènes d’inégalité et de vulnérabilité.
Les leçons de Cancun pour l'Afrique
Authors: Cattaneo Olivier 
Published: December 2008

Résumé	L’échec de Cancun a généré une double frustration pour les pays africains : d’une part, leurs attentes – comme sur le coton – n’ont pas été satisfaites ; d’autre part, les balbutiements du dialogue et de la démocratie ont fragilisé le système commercial multilatéral, au profit des négociations bilatérales et régionales, qui sont moins favorables aux pays les plus pauvres. Afin d’éviter la marginalisation de l’Afrique, une nouvelle stratégie commerciale doit être élaborée, notamment en partenariat avec l’autre grand perdant de Cancun : l’Union européenne.