bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does funding of pensions stimulate economic growth?
Authors: DAVIS E. PHILIP , HU YU-WEI 
Published: April 2008

AbstractDebate over superiority of pension funding over pay-as-you-go links notably to the question whether funding improves economic performance sufficiently to generate additional resources to meet the needs of an ageing population. To address this issue, we design a modified Cobb–Douglas production function with pension assets as a shift factor, and investigate the direct link between pension assets and economic growth employing a dataset covering up to 38 countries, using a variety of appropriate econometric methods. We find positive results for both OECD countries and Emerging Market Economies (EMEs), with consistent evidence for a larger effect for EMEs than OECD countries.
Emergence of Ideal Membrane Cascades for Downstream Processing
Authors: Lightfoot Edwin N. , Root Thatcher W. , L. O'Dell Jane 
Published: April 2008

AbstractAn algorithm is developed for describing ideal membrane cascades for fractionation of binary and pseudo‐binary mixtures. It is shown that solvent management plays a key role in determining both purification and yield. Development of efficient diafilters is needed if membrane cascades are to achieve their full potential in competing with both chromatography and simulated moving bed operations in downstream processing of proteins. Such a replacement will also be important for fractionation of higher titers and larger substrates, such as plasmids, viruses, and even whole cells.
A New Long Coring System for R/V Knorr
Authors: Curry William , Broda James , Keigwin Lloyd , Mountain Gregory , Pisias Nicklas 
Published: April 2008

A new 46‐meter‐long coring system was tested successfully during cruise 191 of research vessel (R/V) Knorr in September 2007. During sea trials in water depths of 4.6 kilometers on the Bermuda Rise, coring operations from the vessel—operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)—successively recovered piston cores increasing in length from 26 to 38 meters, with sediment recovery at 85–89% of the core barrel length. An additional 25‐meter core was recovered in 670 meters of water on the upper continental slope off New Jersey.The Bermuda Rise location, which is a well‐sedimented drift deposit at the northeastern margin of the rise, has been cored many times previously, including by R/V Knorr's giant piston corer in 1973, by R/V Marion Dufresne's Calypso corer in 1995, and by the Ocean Drilling Program's advanced piston corer (ODP/APC) in 1997. In comparing the sediment recovery of the systems, we determined that the WHOI long core recovered the stratigraphic section without any indication of stretching, effectively duplicating the results of the ODP/APC but without the unavoidable breaks between APC cores every 9.5 meters. In three deployments of the new corer, vertical compression occurred in the lower fourth of the core, while in two other deployments sediment recovery was undeformed for the full 38 meters of recovered sediment.
Making Undergraduate Geoscience Quantitative
Authors: Manduca Cathryn A. , Baer Eric , Hancock Greg , Macdonald R. Hearther , Patterson Sam , Savina Mary , Wenner Jennifer 
Published: April 2008

Modern geoscience uses equations, models, and numbers in conjunction with observations, maps, and words as fundamental tools for investigating Earth. Yet the U.S. public persists in viewing the study of Earth processes as highly qualitative and, in many states, as a remedial science course that is not accepted as appropriate preparation for admission to U.S. colleges and universities. Geoscience teachers and faculty are working to change this perception by increasing the quantitative content of the geoscience curriculum.From the most mathematical of senior theses to the most basic of introductory courses, geoscience instructors can make these courses more reflective of the full range of tools used in the geosciences by including the quantitative content and methods that pervade geoscience. In addition to being provided with a more realistic perception of our science, college students whose major study is the Earth sciences will be better prepared for geoscience careers and all of our students will be more quantitatively literate.
A Pilot Project Using Seawater to Uplift Venice Anthropogenically
Authors: Ferronato Massimiliano , Gambolati Giuseppe , Putti Mario , Teatini Pietro 
Published: April 2008

Recent field measurements based on satellite technology provide evidence that pumping fluid underground may cause land to rise by 20–30 centimeters over a few months to a few years, depending on a number of factors. For example, an anthropogenic uplift of 29 centimeters due to steam injection was recorded at Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada, over approximately 3 months [Stancliffe and van der Kooij, 2001].Such evidence supports the results of new modeling studies that rely on updated information from the northern Adriatic basin, which suggests that injecting seawater into a 600‐ to 800‐meter‐deep brackish aquifer underlying the Venice Lagoon might induce a city upheaval of 25–30 centimeters over 10 years [Comerlati et al., 2003, 2004]. This could provide Venice with an important innovative defense from the “acqua alta,” the flood that periodically plagues Venice, and it could also provide a substantial mitigation of the floods occurrence.
Familial Aggregation of Amount and Distribution of Subcutaneous Fat and Their Responses to Exercise Training in the HERITAGE Family Study
Authors: Pérusse Louis , Rice Treva , Province Michael A. , Gagnon Jacques , Leon Arthur S. , Skinner James S. , Wilmore Jack H. , Rao D. C. , Bouchard Claude 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: Investigate the familial aggregation of amount and distribution of subcutaneous fat and their changes in response to endurance training.Research Methods and Procedures: A total of 483 sedentary subjects from 99 nuclear families were recruited, trained for 20 weeks of exercising on cycle ergometers, and measured before and after training for the following indicators of subcutaneous fat and fat distribution: trunk fat (TRUNK = sum of abdominal, subscapular, suprailiac, and midaxillary skinfolds), extremity fat (EXTREM = sum of biceps, triceps, thigh, and calf skinfolds), subcutaneous fat (SF8 = sum of the eight skinfolds), the trunk to extremity skinfolds ratio adjusted for SF8 (TER) and waist girth adjusted for body mass index (WAIST). The familial aggregation of the age‐ and sex‐adjusted baseline phenotypes and their responses to training (Δ) after adjustment for the baseline values was investigated using a familial correlation model.Results: Significant familial aggregation was observed for all the phenotypes measured at baseline and for ΔTRUNK and ΔWAIST. Transmissibility estimates reached about 30% to 35% for TRUNK, EXTREM, and SF8 and 50% for TER and WAIST. The transmissibilities of the response phenotypes were lower, ranging from 0% for ΔWAIST to 21% for ΔTRUNK and the pattern of familial correlations suggested a greater within‐ than between‐generation resemblance in the response.Discussion: This study suggests that the amount and distribution of subcutaneous fat strongly aggregates in families, whereas the response to exercise training is characterized by a moderate and more complex pattern of familial resemblance. We conclude that familial/genetic factors are more important in determining the amount and distribution of subcutaneous fat than their responses to exercise training.
Tumor Necrosis Factor‐α Stimulates Cell Proliferation in Adipose Tissue‐Derived Stromal‐Vascular Cell Culture: Promotion of Adipose Tissue Expansion by Paracrine Growth Factors
Authors: Kras Krystyna M. , Hausman Dorothy B. , Martin Roy J. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: Elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) protein and mRNA have been reported in adipose tissue from obese humans and rodents. However, TNF‐α has catabolic and antiadipogenic effects on adipocytes. Addressing this paradox, we tested the hypothesis that paracrine levels of TNF‐α, alone or together with insulin‐like growth factor‐I (IGF‐I), support preadipocyte development.Research Methods and Procedures: Cultured stromal‐vascular cells from rat inguinal fat depots were exposed to serum‐free media containing insulin and 0.2 nM TNF‐α, 2.0 nM TNF‐α, or 0.2 nM TNF‐α + 1.0 nM IGF‐I at different times during 7 days of culture.Results: TNF‐α inhibited adipocyte differentiation as indicated by a reduction in both immunocytochemical reactivity for the preadipocyte‐specific antigen (AD3; early differentiation marker) and glycerol‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase activity (late differentiation marker). Early exposure (Days 1 through 3 of culture) to 0.2 nM TNF‐α did not have a long term effect on inhibiting differentiation. Continuous exposure to 0.2 nM TNF‐α from Days 1 through 7 of culture resulted in a 75% increase in cell number from control. There was a synergistic effect of 0.2 nM TNF‐α + 1 nM IGF‐I on increasing cell number by Day 7 of culture to levels greater than those observed with either treatment applied alone.Discussion: These data suggest that paracrine levels (0.2 nM) of TNF‐α alone or in combination with IGF‐I may support adipose tissue development by increasing the total number of stromal‐vascular and/or uncommitted cells within the tissue. These cells may then be recruited to become preadipocytes or may alternatively serve as infrastructure to support adipose tissue growth.
Care Giver Perception of Children's Obesity‐Related Health Risk: A Study of African American Families
Authors: Young‐Hyman Deborah , Herman Leanna J. , Scott Dawnavan L. , Schlundt David G. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: To examine care giver perception of children's weight‐related health risk in African American families.Research Methods and Procedures: One‐hundred and eleven families (representing 48 boys and 63 girls) screened for participation in a diabetes prevention study participated. Care givers completed a health awareness questionnaire that assessed their perception of the child's weight, eating habits, appearance, exercise habits, and health risk. The care givers also reported each subject's family history of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. After a physical examination, height and weight were used to compute an age‐ and sex‐adjusted body mass index for each child.Results: Despite the fact that a substantial number of children were obese (57%) and super‐obese (12%), only 44% of the care givers perceived the child's weight to be a potential health problem. Regression analysis showed that 21% of the variance in parental perception of obesity‐related health risk could be predicted by child age, body mass index, perception of frame size, and perception of exercise habits.Discussion: A number of reasons for the apparent minimization of child health risk are discussed, including cultural differences in the acceptance of a large body habitus, lack of knowledge about the connection between childhood obesity and future health risk, and an optimistic bias in the perception of personal health risk.
The “Good Enough” Body Size as Judged by People of Varying Age and Weight
Authors: Rand Colleen S. W. , Resnick Jaquelyn Liss 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: To examine the concept of the “good enough” body size acceptability across a wide range of ages and weight status.Research Methods and Procedures: Subjects were 303 children, 427 adolescents, 261 young adults, and 326 middle‐age adults who selected acceptable body sizes from an array of drawings representing their own age and gender. They also selected body sizes representing their own actual and ideal size.Results: A large majority (87%) of subjects considered their own body size socially acceptable. This finding applied to both genders in all age groups and to underweight, normal weight, and overweight subjects. Even among obese subjects, 48% considered their own body size socially acceptable. For the large percentage of subjects who reported a discrepancy between their actual and ideal body sizes, most considered their own body size acceptable. This finding also applied to both genders in all age groups and to underweight, normal weight, and overweight subjects.Discussion: Most male and female subjects across a wide range of ages and status considered their own body size to be within the range of socially acceptable body sizes even though, for many, it did not match their ideal. The implications of expanding body size research to include the conceptual framework of body size acceptability is discussed in terms of contributing to a paradigm of positive psychology.
Central Exendin‐4 Infusion Reduces Body Weight without Altering Plasma Leptin in (fa/fa) Zucker Rats
Authors: Al‐Barazanji Kamal A. , Arch Jonathan R. S. , Buckingham Robin E. , Tadayyon Mohammad 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: To investigate whether chronic administration of the long‐acting glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist exendin‐4 can elicit sustained reductions in food intake and body weight and whether its actions require an intact leptin system.Research Methods and Procedures: Male lean and obese Zucker (fa/fa) rats were infused intracerebroventricularly with exendin‐4 using osmotic minipumps for 8 days.Results: Exendin‐4 reduced body weight in both lean and obese Zucker rats, maximum suppression being reached on Day 5 in obese (8%) and Day 7 in lean (16%) rats. However, epididymal white adipose tissue weight was not reduced, and only in lean rats was there a reduction in plasma leptin concentration. Food intake was maximally suppressed (by 81%) on Day 3 in obese rats but was reduced by only 18% on Day 8. Similarly, in lean rats food intake was maximally reduced (by 93%) on Day 4 of treatment and by 45% on Day 8. Brown adipose tissue temperature was reduced from Days 2 to 4. Plasma corticosterone was elevated by 76% in lean but by only 28% in obese rats.Discussion: Chronic exendin‐4 treatment reduced body weight in both obese and lean Zucker rats by reducing food intake: metabolic rate was apparently suppressed. These effects did not require an intact leptin system. Neither does the absence of an intact leptin system sensitize animals to exendin‐4. Partial tolerance to the anorectic effect of exendin‐4 in lean rats may have been due to elevated plasma corticosterone and depressed plasma leptin levels, but other counter‐regulatory mechanisms seem to play a role in obese Zucker rats.
The Obesity Epidemic: Metabolic Imprinting on Genetically Susceptible Neural Circuits
Authors: Levin Barry E. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThe apparent obesity epidemic in the industrialized world is not explained completely by increased food intake or decreased energy expenditure. Once obesity develops in genetically predisposed individuals, their obese body weight is avidly defended against chronic caloric restriction. In animals genetically predisposed toward obesity, there are multiple abnormalities of neural function that prime them to become obese when dietary caloric density and quantity are raised. Once obesity is fully developed, these abnormalities largely disappear. This suggests that obesity might be the normal state for such individuals. Formation of new neural circuits involved in energy homeostasis might underlie the near permanence of the obese body weight. Such neural plasticity can occur during both nervous system development and in adult life. Maternal diabetes, obesity, and undernutrition have all been associated with obesity in the offspring of such mothers, especially in genetically predisposed individuals. Altered brain neural circuitry and function often accompanies such obesity. This enhanced obesity may then be passed on to subsequent generations in a feed‐forward, upward spiral of increasing body weight across generations. Such findings suggest a form of “metabolic imprinting” upon genetically predisposed neural circuits involved in energy homeostasis. Centrally acting drugs used for obesity treatment lower the defended body weight and alter the function of neural pathways involved in energy homeostasis. But they generally have no permanent effect on body weight or neural function. Thus, early identification of obesity‐prone mothers, infants, and adults and treatment of early obesity may be the only way to prevent the formation of permanent neural connections that promote and perpetuate obesity in genetically predisposed individuals.
Comparability of Resting Energy Expenditure in Nigerians and U.S. Blacks
Authors: Luke Amy , Rotimi Charles N. , Adeyemo Adebowale A. , Durazo‐Arvizu Ramon A. , Prewitt T. Elaine , Moragne‐Kayser Lisa , Harders Regina , Cooper Richard S. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: To determine the influence of environmental factors on resting energy expenditure (REE) and its relationship to adiposity in two populations of West African origin, Nigerians and U.S. blacks.Research Methods and Procedures: REE and body composition were measured in a cross‐sectional sample of 89 Nigerian adults (39 women and 50 men), and 181 U.S. black adults (117 women and 65 men). Both groups represent randomly selected population samples. REE was measured by indirect calorimetry after an overnight fast in both sites using the same instrument. Body composition was estimated using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) in 72 Nigerians and 156 U.S. participants. Multivariate regression analysis was used to determine the significant predictors of REE. The analyses were repeated in a set of 17 Nigerians and 28 U.S. blacks in whom body composition was measured using deuterium dilution.Results: U.S. black adults were significantly heavier and had both more fat‐free mass (FFM) and body fat than Nigerians. FFM was the only significant determinant of REE in both population groups, whether body composition was measured using BIA or deuterium dilution. The relationship between REE and body composition did not differ by site. There was no relationship between REE and adiposity.Discussion: Differences in current environmental settings did not impact REE. The differences observed in mean levels of body fat between Nigerians and U.S. blacks were not the result of differences in REE adjusted for body composition.
Resemblance for Body Mass Index in Families of Obese African American and European American Women
Authors: Price R. Arlen , Reed Danielle R. , Guido Nicholas J. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: We determined the levels of resemblance in body mass index (BMI) in large samples of families selected through obese African American and European American women.Research Methods and Procedures: We examined correlations among relatives in 1185 European American and African American families ascertained through age‐matched obese women (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). A subset of 801 families were ascertained through extremely obese women (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2).Results: Parent‐offspring and sibling correlations ranged from 0.19 to 0.15, suggesting a moderate level of heritability in both groups. Mean BMI values for female relatives were lower for European Americans than for African Americans even though probands were matched, perhaps because the European American relatives regress to a lower population mean. We found significantly higher family correlations for height in European Americans, suggesting greater environmental variability among African Americans for factors affecting growth and physical development.Discussion: Our results suggest a similar level of heritability of BMI in families of obese African American and European American women. Other genetic studies will be needed to determine the extent to which the same or different genes and environmental conditions contribute to an overall similar heritability in the two racial groups.
Partial Genome Scale Analysis of Gene Expression in Human Adipose Tissue Using DNA Array
Authors: Gabrielsson Britt L. , Carlsson Björn , Carlsson Lena M. S. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: Large scale analysis of gene expression in adipose tissue provides a basis for the identification of novel candidate genes involved in the pathophysiology of obesity. Our goal was to explore gene expression in human adipose tissue at a partial genome scale using DNA array.Research Methods and Procedures: Labeled cDNA, derived from human adipose tissue poly(A+) RNA, was hybridized to a DNA array containing over 18,000 human expressed sequence‐tagged (EST) clones. The results were analyzed by database searches.Results: Homology searches of the 300 EST clones with highest hybridization signals revealed that 145 contained DNA sequences identical to known genes and 79 could be linked to UniGene clusters. Of the 145 identified genes, 136 were nonredundant and subsequently characterized with respect to function and chromosomal localization by searching MEDLINE, UniGene, GeneMap, OMIM, SWISS‐PROT, the Genome Database, and the Location Data Base. The identified genes were grouped according to their putative functions; cell/organism defense (9.6%), cell division (5.1%), cell signaling/communication (19.8%), cell structure/motility (12.5%), gene/protein expression (16.9%), metabolism (16.2%), and unclassified (19.8%). Less than 50% of these genes have previously been reported to be expressed in adipose tissue. The chromosomal localization of 268 genes strongly expressed in adipose tissue showed that their relative abundance was significantly increased on chromosomes 11, 19, and 22 compared to the expected distribution of the same number of random genes.Discussion: Our study resulted in the identification of numerous genes previously not reported to be expressed in adipose tissue. These results suggest that DNA array is a powerful tool in the search for novel regulatory pathways within adipose tissue on a scale that is not possible using conventional methods.
Precision and Accuracy of Dual‐Energy X‐ray Absorptiometry for Determining in Vivo Body Composition of Mice
Authors: Nagy Tim R. , Clair Anne‐Laure 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: To evaluate the precision and accuracy of dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) for the measurement of total‐bone mineral density (TBMD), total‐body bone mineral (TBBM), fat mass (FM), and bone‐free lean tissue mass (LTM) in mice.Research Methods and Procedures: Twenty‐five male C57BL/6J mice (6 to 11 weeks old; 19 to 29 g) were anesthetized and scanned three times (with repositioning between scans) using a peripheral densitometer (Lunar PIXImus). Gravimetric and chemical extraction techniques (Soxhlet) were used as the criterion method for the determination of body composition; ash content was determined by burning at 600°C for 8 hours.Results: The mean intraindividual coefficients of variation (CV) for the repeated DXA analyses were: TBMD, 0.84%; TBBM, 1.60%; FM, 2.20%; and LTM, 0.86%. Accuracy was determined by comparing the DXA‐derived data from the first scan with the chemical carcass analysis data. DXA accurately measured bone ash content (p = 0.942), underestimated LTM (0.59 ± 0.05g, p < 0.001), and overestimated FM (2.19 ± 0.06g, p < 0.001). Thus, DXA estimated 100% of bone ash content, 97% of carcass LTM, and 209% of carcass FM. DXA‐derived values were then used to predict chemical values of FM and LTM. Chemically extracted FM was best predicted by DXA FM and DXA LTM [FM = −0.50 + 1.09(DXA FM) − 0.11(DXA LTM), model r2 = 0.86, root mean square error (RMSE) = 0.233 g] and chemically determined LTM by DXA LTM [LTM = −0.14 + 1.04(DXA LTM), r2 = 0.99, RMSE = 0.238 g].Discussion: These data show that the precision of DXA for measuring TBMD, TBBM, FM, and LTM in mice ranges from a low of 0.84% to a high of 2.20% (CV). DXA accurately measured bone ash content but overestimated carcass FM and underestimated LTM. However, because of the close relationship between DXA‐derived data and chemical carcass analysis for FM and LTM, prediction equations can be derived to more accurately predict body composition.