bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Complete deletion of ornithine transcarbamylase gene confirmed by CGH array of X chromosome
Authors: Arranz J. A. , Madrigal I. , Riudor E. , Armengol Ll. , Milà M. 
Published: June 2007

SummaryOrnithine transcarbamylase deficiency is an X‐linked semidominant trait that is the most frequent inborn error of the urea cycle. Three hundred and fifty different mutations, including mostly point mutations and a small proportion of large rearrangements have been reported. Conventional molecular diagnosis is highly reliable for point mutations but can miss gross rearrangements. We describe a contiguous gene syndrome involving the RPGR, OTC and TM4SF2 genes in a male patient with severe neonatal OTC deficiency identified by the conventional molecular approach. Molecular characterization was ascertained by X chromosome CGH array and confirmed by MLPA. Complete deletion of the OTC gene led to absent OTC enzymatic activity in liver and to a severe clinical phenotype. The maternal phenotype, characterized by less severe hyperammonaemic crises associated with neurological impairment would result from a deficient but not null OTC activity due to random X chromosome inactivation in the liver. Our cases are similar toothers described presenting with OTC deficient phenotype in which OTC and contiguous genes are affected. Clinical expression would be conditioned by complete OTC deficiency in males and by X chromosome inactivation in females, leading to compensation by the normal allele in tissues such as blood or muscle but not sufficiently in liver. The application of high‐resolution genetic techniques allows the characterization of causative mutations such as large deletions in order to guide genetic counselling and prenatal diagnosis.
Molecular genetic approaches to elucidate the ecological and evolutionary issues associated with biological invasions
Authors: Miura Osamu 
Published: June 2007

AbstractBiological invasions may cause serious damage to the native environments and threaten the native biodiversity. Molecular genetic approaches have been found to be powerful tools for investigating the ecological and evolutionary aspects of biological invasions because the genetic structure and level of genetic variation of an invasive species are changed following its invasion. The present article reviews the use of molecular markers in addressing various aspects of invasive species. The application of these techniques has shown that many invasive species are actually “cryptic” species – species whose uniqueness is only recognizable at the genetic level. An estimation of the actual number of invasive species is essential when evaluating its ecological and economic impacts. Molecular genetic approaches have also enabled the source populations of invasive species to be identified. Reconstructions of invasion histories are crucial to preventing future invasions and conserving the native biodiversity, while comparisons of genetic variations between the native and introduced populations provide valuable opportunities to elucidate the mechanisms of rapid adaptation demonstrated by many invasive species.
Ecology of ligninolytic fungi associated with leaf litter decomposition
Authors: Osono Takashi 
Published: June 2007

AbstractAdvances in our understanding of the decomposition processes in forest ecosystems over the past three decades have demonstrated the importance of lignin as a regulating factor in the decomposition of leaf litter. Consequently, increasingly more attention is being focused on the ecology of fungi associated with lignin decomposition. The aim of this review is to provide a critical summary of the ecology of ligninolytic fungi inhabiting leaf litter and forest floor materials. The review focuses on the following aspects of ligninolytic fungi: the taxonomic and functional diversity of ligninolytic fungi, the outcomes of interactions between ligninolytic fungi and other organisms, the activity and abundance of ligninolytic fungi measured by the production of bleached leaves and humus, the activity of ligninolytic enzymes in soil environments, the substratum and seral succession, spatial and temporal patterns in both mycelial abundance and species distribution, and the effect of environmental factors such as nitrogen deposition and global environmental changes on ligninolytic fungi. This review integrates the ecology, diversity, and activity of ligninolytic fungi into the context of an ecosystem in order to provide an understanding of the roles of ligninolytic fungi in decomposition processes.
Narrow ridge waveguide high power single mode 1.3-μm InAs/InGaAs ten-layer quantum dot lasers
Authors: Cao Q , Yoon SF , Liu CY , Ngo CY 
Published: June 2007

Abstract
Ten-layer InAs/In0.15Ga0.85As quantum dot (QD) laser structures have been grown using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on GaAs (001) substrate. Using the pulsed anodic oxidation technique, narrow (2 μm) ridge waveguide (RWG) InAs QD lasers have been fabricated. Under continuous wave operation, the InAs QD laser (2 × 2,000 μm2) delivered total output power of up to 272.6 mW at 10 °C at 1.3 μm. Under pulsed operation, where the device heating is greatly minimized, the InAs QD laser (2 × 2,000 μm2) delivered extremely high output power (both facets) of up to 1.22 W at 20 °C, at high external differential quantum efficiency of 96%. Far field pattern measurement of the 2-μm RWG InAs QD lasers showed single lateral mode operation.
Conjugated Linoleic Acids Can Change Phagocytosis of Human Monocytes/Macrophages by Reduction in Cox‐2 Expression
Authors: Stachowska Ewa , Baśkiewicz‐Masiuk Magdalena , Dziedziejko Violetta , Adler Grażyna , Bober Joanna , Machaliński Bogusław , Chlubek Dariusz 
Published: June 2007

AbstractProstaglandin E2 produced endogenously (by cyclooxygenases) can regulate macrophage phagocytosis. Cyclooxygenase activity reduction (mainly through inhibition of inducible Cox‐2) can induce PGE2 synthesis depression and can activate the phagocytosis process. There are no reports in the literature explaining whether conjugated linoleic acid dienes (trans‐10, cis‐12 CLA and cis‐9, trans‐11 CLA) modify the phagocytic activity of human macrophages. For the purpose of this study, monocytes were isolated from venous blood, incubated for 7 days with 30 μM CLAs, and then (in some experiments) LPS (1 μg/mL) was added to the medium. Subsequently, monocyte/macrophage phagocytosis, NF‐κB transcription factor activity, Cox‐2 and PPARγ mRNA expression (and the amounts of Cox‐2 and PPARγ proteins) and PGE2 synthesis were determined. Both CLA isomers increased macrophage phagocytosis through inhibition of Cox‐2 expression (might by inactivation the NF‐κB pathway). The inhibition of mRNA Cox‐2 expression contributed (particularly with respect to trans‐10, cis‐12 CLA) to a decrease in protein Cox‐2 synthesis and to reduction of prostaglandin E2 content in the cell. The inhibition of PGE2 synthesis (by CLA treatment) enhanced the phagocytosis process in macrophages.
Prediction of the Partition Coefficient for Acetic Acid in a Two‐Phase System Soybean Oil‐Water
Authors: Sinadinović‐Fišer Snežana , Janković Milovan 
Published: June 2007

AbstractAn analytical approach for the prediction of the partition coefficient for acetic acid between soybean oil and water, dependent on temperature and composition, has been proposed. The original and three modified UNIFAC models as well as the UNIQUAC model were used to represent the liquid–liquid equilibrium data in the ternary system. To calculate the density of the water and oil phase the COSTALD method was applied. The proposed approach for the prediction of the partition coefficient for acetic acid fit the experimental data well when the UNIQUAC model was used. The results of the application of the proposed approach to the experimental data for acetic acid partition coefficient taken from the literature were also presented and discussed.
Left atrial enlargement and NT‐proBNP as predictors of sudden cardiac death in patients with heart failure
Authors: Bayes‐Genis Antoni , Vazquez Rafael , Puig Teresa , Fernandez‐Palomeque Carlos , Fabregat Jordi , Bardají Alfredo , Pascual‐Figal Domingo , Ordoñez‐Llanos Jordi , Valdes Mariano , Gabarrús Albert , Pavon Ricardo , Pastor Luis , Juanatey Jose Ramon Gonzalez , Almendral Jesus , Fiol Miquel , Nieto Vicente , Macaya Carlos , Cinca Juan , de Luna Antoni Bayes ,   for the MUSIC Study Group
Published: June 2007

AbstractAimsThe identification of valuable markers of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with established HF remains a challenge. We sought to assess the value of clinical, echocardiographic and biochemical variables to predict SCD in a consecutive cohort of patients with heart failure (HF) due to systolic dysfunction.MethodsA cohort of 494 patients with established HF had baseline echocardiographic and NT‐proBNP measurements and were followed for 942±323 days.ResultsFifty patients suffered SCD. Independent predictors of SCD were indexed LA size >26 mm/m2 (HR 2.8; 95% CI 1.5–5.0; p=0.0007), NT‐proBNP >908 ng/L (HR 3.1; 95% CI 1.5–6.7; p=0.003), history of myocardial infarction (HR 2.3; 95% CI 1.3–4.1; p=0.007), peripheral oedema (HR 2.1; 95% CI 1.1–3.9; p=0.02), and diabetes mellitus (HR 1.9; 95% CI 1.1–3.3; p=0.03). NYHA functional class, left ventricular ejection fraction and glomerular filtration rate were not independent predictors of SCD in this cohort. Notably, the combination of both LA size >26 mm/m2 and NT‐proBNP >908 ng/L increased the risk of SCD (HR 4.3; 95% CI 2.5–7.6; p<0.0001). At 36 months, risk of SCD in patients with indexed LA size ≤26 mm/m2 and NT‐proBNP ≤908 ng/L was 3%, while in patients with indexed LA size >26 mm/m2 and NT‐proBNP >908 ng/L reached 25% (p<0.0001).ConclusionsAmong HF patients, indexed LA size and NT‐proBNP levels are more useful to stratify risk of SCD than other clinical, echocardiographic or biochemical variables. The combination of these two parameters should be considered for predicting SCD in patients with HF.
Biomechanical efficiency is impaired in patients with chronic heart failure
Authors: Witte Klaus K. , Levy Wayne C. , Lindsay Kenneth A. , Clark Andrew L. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractIntroductionPatients with chronic heart failure (CHF) have a lower peak oxygen consumption (pVO2) than normal subjects, and for a given quantity of work, have a lower total oxygen consumption (VO2) than controls. This apparent increase in biomechanical efficiency (BE) might be due to a higher proportion of anaerobic metabolism which, although leading to lower VO2 during steady state exercise, must be compensated for during recovery.Methods13 patients with stable CHF and 12 controls underwent peak cycle exercise testing followed by three separate steady state exercise tests at 15%, 25% and 50% of the peak workload in random order. Oxygen consumption at steady state, deficit (during onset) and debt (during recovery) were calculated. BE was estimated as the total oxygen required to perform a given quantity of work.ResultsPatients had lower pVO2 and peak workload than control subjects. Absolute oxygen deficit and debt as a percentage of total oxygen consumed during the steady state tests was the same in both groups. However, once controlled for workload, VO2 deficit, debt and uptake at steady state were greater in patients than controls for the tests at 15% and 25% of peak. BE was inversely related to peak oxygen consumption in controls and patients.ConclusionsPatients with CHF have impaired BE at low work loads when compared with normal subjects.
Application of joint error maximum mutual compensation for hexapod robots
Authors: Veryha Yauheni , Petersen Henrik Gordon 
Published: June 2007

SUMMARYA good practice to ensure high-positioning accuracy in industrial robots is to use joint error maximum mutual compensation (JEMMC). This paper presents an application of JEMMC for positioning of hexapod robots to improve end-effector positioning accuracy. We developed an algorithm and simulation framework in MatLab to find optimal hexapod configurations with JEMMC. Based on a real hexapod model, simulation results of the proposed approach are presented. Optimal hexapod configurations were found using the local minimum of the infinity norm of hexapod Jacobian inverse. JEMMC usage in hexapod robots can improve hexapod end-effector positioning accuracy by two times and more.
A Study in Red: Jewish Scholarship in the 1920s Soviet Union
Authors: Shneer David 
Published: June 2007

ArgumentIn the 1920s the Soviet Union invested a group of talented, mostly socialist, occasionally Communist, Jewish writers and thinkers to use the power of the state to remake Jewish culture and identity. The Communist state had inherited a multiethnic empire from its tsarist predecessors and supported the creation of secular cultures for each ethnicity. These cultures would be based not on religion, but on language and culture. Soviet Jews had many languages from which to choose to be their official Soviet language, but Yiddish, the vernacular of eastern European Jewry, won the battle and served as the basis of secular Soviet Jewish culture. Soviet Jewish scholars, writers, and other cultural activists remade Jewish culture by creating a usable Jewish past that fit the socialist present, reforming the “wild” vernacular of Yiddish into a modern language worthy of high culture, and transforming Jews into secular Soviet citizens.
“On the Social-Economic Front”: The Polemics of Shtetl Research during the Stalin Revolution
Authors: Yalen Deborah 
Published: June 2007

ArgumentThis article explores the relationship between ideology and statistical knowledge in Soviet Yiddish scholarship during the first Five-Year Plan and Cultural Revolution. Specifically, it examines the political status of Yiddish-language socioeconomic research as a tool of state building in the shtetls (small market towns) of the former Pale of Jewish Settlement. Historically, many Jewish inhabitants of the shtetl worked as economic middlemen between city and countryside, a function that became politically untenable after 1917. The Soviet regime sponsored Yiddish socioeconomic data collection in order to monitor its efforts to transform the occupational structure of shtetl Jewry. Accordingly, this data was expected to demonstrate the steady self-disintegration of the shtetl as an obsolete artifact of the old regime. In fact, these Soviet Yiddish narratives inadvertently highlighted the endurance of the shtetl in Soviet life at both the concrete and discursive levels. A close reading of these sources provides insight into how a segment of the Soviet Jewish intelligentsia attempted to align itself within the new state's scientific establishment by fusing modern Jewish social scientific knowledge with Marxist-Leninist principles. In the polemics of the “shtetl problem” we find an example of how Soviet yidishe visnshaft registered the constantly shifting perceptions of ideological orthodoxy and deviation among Jewish Communists, and provoked international debate among Jewish demographers and economists as to the political use and abuse of statistics.
Effectiveness of control measures during the SARS epidemic in Beijing: a comparison of theRtcurve and the epidemic curve
Authors: COWLING B. J. , HO L. M. , LEUNG G. M. 
Published: June 2007

SUMMARYOne of the areas most affected by SARS was Beijing with 2521 reported cases. We estimate the effective reproductive numberRtfor the Beijing SARS epidemic, which represents the average number of secondary cases per primary case on each day of the epidemic and is therefore a measure of the underlying transmission dynamics. Our results provide a quantitative assessment of the effectiveness of public health control measures. More generally, our results illustrate how changes inRtwill reflect changes in the epidemic curve.
The burden of acute gastrointestinal illness in Ontario, Canada, 2005–2006
Authors: SARGEANT J. M. , MAJOWICZ S. E. , SNELGROVE J. 
Published: June 2007

SUMMARYA retrospective, cross-sectional telephone survey (n=2090) was conducted in Ontario, Canada, between May 2005 and April 2006, to determine the burden of acute gastrointestinal illness in the population. The 4-week prevalence was 8·56% (95% CI 7·36–9·76); in households with more than one resident, 35% of cases reported someone else in their household had similar symptoms at the same time. The annual adjusted incidence rate was 1·17 (95% CI 0·99–1·35) episodes per person-year, with higher rates in females, rural residents, and in the winter and spring. Health care was sought by 22% of cases, of which 33% were asked to provide a stool sample. Interestingly, 2·2% of cases who did not visit a health-care provider reported self-administering antibiotics. Overall, acute gastrointestinal illness appears to pose a significant burden in the Ontario population. Further research into the specific aetiologies and risk factors is now needed to better target intervention strategies.
Epidemiology of vertebral osteomyelitis (VO) in France: analysis of hospital-discharge data 2002–2003
Authors: GRAMMATICO L. , BARON S. , RUSCH E. , LEPAGE B. , SURER N. , DESENCLOS J. C. , BESNIER J. M. 
Published: June 2007

SUMMARYVertebral osteomyelitis (VO) is a rare event. To estimate the incidence of VO in France for 2002–2003, national hospital-discharge data were used. Hospital stays were categorized as definite, probable or possible VO. Unique patient identification numbers allowed the investigators to link patients with multiple hospital stays and to analyse data for individual patients. A sample of medical records was reviewed to assess the specificity of the VO case definition. In 2002–2003, 1977 and 2036 hospital stays corresponding to 1422 and 1425 patients (median age 59 years, male:female ratio 1·5) were classified as definite (64%), probable (24%) and possible (12%) VO. The overall incidence of VO was 2·4/100 000. Incidence increased with age: 0·3/100 000 (<20 years), 3·5/100 000 (50–70 years) and 6·5/100 000 (>70 years). The main infectious agents reported wereStaphylococcusspp. (38%) andMycobacterium tuberculosis(31%). The most frequent comorbidities were septicaemia (27%) and endocarditis (9%). Three percent of patients died. A review of 90 medical records confirmed the diagnosis of VO in 94% of cases. Using a hospital database and a specific case definition, nationwide surveillance of VO is possible.
Epidemiological characteristics of reported sporadic and outbreak cases of E. coli O157 in people from Alberta, Canada (2000–2002): methodological challenges of comparing clustered to unclustered data
Authors: PEARL D. L. , LOUIE M. , CHUI L. , DORÉ K. , GRIMSRUD K. M. , MARTIN S. W. , MICHEL P. , SVENSON L. W. , McEWEN S. A. 
Published: June 2007

SUMMARYUsing multivariable models, we compared whether there were significant differences between reported outbreak and sporadic cases in terms of their sex, age, and mode and site of disease transmission. We also determined the potential role of administrative, temporal, and spatial factors within these models. We compared a variety of approaches to account for clustering of cases in outbreaks including weighted logistic regression, random effects models, general estimating equations, robust variance estimates, and the random selection of one case from each outbreak. Age and mode of transmission were the only epidemiologically and statistically significant covariates in our final models using the above approaches. Weighing observations in a logistic regression model by the inverse of their outbreak size appeared to be a relatively robust and valid means for modelling these data. Some analytical techniques, designed to account for clustering, had difficulty converging or producing realistic measures of association.
Folate status and mood: is there a relationship?
Authors: Williams Emma , Stewart-Knox Barbara , McConville Chris , Bradbury Ian , Armstrong Nicola C , McNulty Helene 
Published: June 2007

AbstractObjectiveTo explore the relationship between subjective mood, folate status and homocysteine in healthy individuals.DesignSubjective mood assessments were completed twice daily over the course of one week using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS). The PANAS is a validated scale which considers mood state on two distinct continua, one reflecting positive mood and the other negative mood, each requiring response to 10 adjectives on a Likert scale. A blood sample was taken on one occasion at the start of the week during which subjective mood was assessed and analysed for red-blood-cell (RBC) folate, serum folate and plasma homocysteine concentrations.SubjectsMale volunteers aged 19–47 years (n= 58) were recruited from local industries.ResultsHigh concentrations of RBC folate were associated with less variability (lower standard deviation) in negative mood (P= 0.023). Subjective mood, however, was not related to serum folate or homocysteine.ConclusionsThis study appears to be the first to uncover an association between long-term folate status and subjective mood (employing the PANAS) in healthy males. More research is needed to further explore the relationship between nutritional status and mood.
Personal and lifestyle characteristics predictive of the consumption of fast foods in Australia
Authors: Mohr Philip , Wilson Carlene , Dunn Kirsten , Brindal Emily , Wittert Gary 
Published: June 2007

AbstractObjectiveTo identify key predictors of fast-food consumption from a range of demographic, attitudinal, personality and lifestyle variables.MethodsWe analysed data from a nationwide survey (n= 20 527) conducted in Australia by Nielsen Media Research. Items assessing frequency of fast-food consumption at (1) eat in and (2) take away were regressed onto 12 demographic, seven media consumption, and 23 psychological and lifestyle variables, the latter derived from factor analysis of responses to 107 attitudinal and behavioural items.ResultsStepwise multiple regression analyses explained 29.6% of the variance for frequency of take-away and 9.6% of the variance for frequency of eat-in consumption of fast foods. Predictors of more frequent consumption of fast food at take away (and, to a lesser extent, eat in) included lower age – especially under 45 years, relative indifference to health consequences of behaviour, greater household income, more exposure to advertising, greater receptiveness to advertising, lesser allocation of time for eating, and greater allocation of time to home entertainment. There were no effects for occupational status or education level.ConclusionsThe effects for age suggest that fast-food take-away consumption is associated with a general cultural shift in eating practices; individual differences in attitudinal and lifestyle characteristics constitute additional, cumulative, predictive factors. The role of advertising and the reasons for the lesser explanatory value of the eat-in models are important targets for further research.
A high affinity T cell receptor?
Authors: ALBERTI S 
Published: June 2007

SummarT cell receptors (TCR) have a low affinity for the MHC and the presented peptides (MHCpep). The low affinity of the TCR is crucial in T cell recognition and activation. Nevertheless, I propose that the TCR is perfectly capable of specifically binding MHCpep with high affinity. This hypothesis is supported by several data. Among them, the frequency of negatively selected immature T cells and of high affinity alloreactive T cells. Structural and functional analysis indicates that the TCR binding regions are quite similar to those of immunoglobulins. This implies similar binding strategies and suggests that there are no structural constraints on TCR affinity. The possible existence of high affinity TCR is relevant for current views on immune recognition, alloreactivity and peptide antagonism. In particular, it supports a model of immune recognition as unselected higher affinity binding to newly encountered peptides. The actual production of specific affinity TCR may also prove crucial for a soluble T cell receptor‐based immunotherapy and for the co‐crystallization of TCR with MHC and peptides.