bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The quantitative analysis of sphingolipids by determination of long chain base as the trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid derivative
Authors: Siakotos A. N. , Kulkarni S. , Passo S. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractA spectrophotometric procedure has been developed for the determination of microquantities of sphingolipids. The assay system involved includes the methanolysis of the fatty acid moiety of the sphingolipid with boron trifluoride in methanol to yield a long chain base containing a free amino group. The long chain amine, sphingosine, is then extracted into an organic phase and reacted with aqueous trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid to yield a product with an absorption maximum at 340 mμ. Lipid peroxidation products and silicic acid do not seriously interfere in the 340 region. A wide variety of pure sphingolipids yielded equivalent optical densities per mole of sphingolipid. Sphingolipids assayed included cerebroside, cerebroside sulfate, ganglioside and sphingomyelin.
Early recognition of bipolar disorder
Authors: Hauser Marta , Pfennig Andrea , Özgürdal Seza , Heinz Andreas , Bauer Michael , Juckel Georg 
Published: December 2006

AbstractBipolar disorders are frequently not diagnosed until long after their onset, leaving patients with no or correspondingly inadequate treatment. The course of the disorder is all the more severe and the negative repercussions for those affected all the greater. Concerted research effort is therefore going into learning how to recognize bipolar disorders at an early stage. Drawing on current research results, this paper presents considerations for an integrative Early Symptom Scale with which persons at risk can be identified and timely intervention initiated. This will require prospective studies to determine the predictive power of the risk factors integrated into the scale.
Validity of the EQ-5D in assessing and valuing health status in patients with schizophrenic, schizotypal or delusional disorders
Authors: König Hans-Helmut , Roick Christiane , Angermeyer Matthias C. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractPurposeThe EQ-5D is a generic questionnaire generating a health profile and a single index score for health-related quality of life. This study aimed to analyse the discriminative ability and validity of the EQ-5D in patients with schizophrenic, schizotypal or delusional disorders.Subjects and methodsOne hundred sixty-six patients with schizophrenic, schizotypal or delusional disorders (ICD-10 F2) completed the EQ-5D. Measures of quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF), utility (TTO), subjective (SCL-90R) and objective (PANSS, CGI-S) psychopathology, and functioning (GAF, GARF, SOFAS, HoNOS) provided comparison. Discriminative ability was analysed by assessing frequency distributions of EQ-5D scores. Validity of the EQ-5D self-classifier was analysed by assessing differences in related other scores grouped by response levels of EQ-5D items. Validity of the visual analogue scale (EQ VAS) and the EQ-5D index (UK social tariff) was analysed by assessing their correlation with all other scores.ResultsSeventy-nine percent of respondents reported problems in at least one of the EQ-5D dimensions (anxiety/depression 57%, usual activities 45%, pain/discomfort 44%, self-care 29%, mobility 22%). The mean EQ VAS score/EQ-5D index was 65.7/0.71. The four most frequently reported EQ-5D health states covered 45% of all respondents. For almost all EQ-5D dimensions, different response levels were associated with significantly different scores of measures used for comparison. Correlation of EQ VAS score and EQ-5D index were largest with scores of subjective measures (SCL-90R: −0.50 and −0.73; WHOQOL mental subscore 0.62 and 0.58; alwaysP< 0.001).Discussion and conclusionThe EQ-5D showed a moderate ceiling effect and seems to be reasonably valid in this patient group.
Increased risk of mental disorders among lifetime victims of stalking – Findings from a community study
Authors: Kuehner Christine , Gass Peter , Dressing Harald 
Published: December 2006

AbstractPurposePopulation-based studies on the relationship between stalking and mental health outcomes in victims are scarce. The aim of the present study was to assess associations between stalking victimization and specific DSM-IV mental disorders in a community sample.MethodA postal survey was conducted in a middle-sized German city (sample size = 675). Lifetime stalking victims and non-victims were compared regarding rates of any mental disorder, comorbid mental disorders, and specific disorders assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ).ResultsVictims had a higher incidence of mental disorders and comorbid mental disorders. Sex- and age-adjusted rates of specific disorders were increased, with the most robust associations identified for major depression (OR 4.8, 95% CI 1.8–12.8) and panic disorder (OR 4.1, 95% CI 1.1–14.9). Victims also reported higher current use of psychotropic medication (20.8% versus 5.6%).ConclusionsOur study indicates substantial associations between stalking victimization and impaired mental health that can be quantified at diagnostic levels in the general population. To confirm these findings, larger community studies are needed, which also include an assessment of lifetime psychopathology and of factors potentially mediating the associations between stalking victimization and mental health.
A novel wheat gene encoding a putative chitin‐binding lectin is associated with resistance against Hessian fly
Authors: GIOVANINI MARCELO P. , SALTZMANN KURT D. , PUTHOFF DAVID P. , GONZALO MARTIN , OHM HERBERT W. , WILLIAMS CHRISTIE E. 
Published: December 2006

SUMMARYThe gene‐for‐gene interaction triggering resistance of wheat against first‐instar Hessian fly larvae utilizes specialized defence response genes not previously identified in other interactions with pests or pathogens. We characterized the expression of Hfr‐3, a novel gene encoding a lectin‐like protein with 68–70% identity to the wheat germ agglutinins. Within each of the four predicted chitin‐binding hevein domains, the HFR‐3 translated protein sequence contained five conserved saccharide‐binding amino acids. Quantification of Hfr‐3 mRNA levels confirmed a rapid response and gradual increase, up to 3000‐fold above the uninfested control in the incompatible interaction 3 days after egg hatch. Hfr‐3 mRNA abundance was influenced by the number of larvae per plant, suggesting that resistance is localized rather than systemic. In addition, Hfr‐3 was responsive to another sucking insect, the bird cherry‐oat aphid, but not to fall armyworm attack, wounding or exogenous application of methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid or abscisic acid. Western blot analysis demonstrated that HFR‐3 protein increased in parallel to mRNA levels in crown tissues during incompatible interactions. HFR‐3 protein was detected in both virulent and avirulent larvae, indicating ingestion. Anti‐nutritional proteins, such as lectins, may be responsible for the apparent starvation of avirulent first‐instar Hessian fly larvae during the initial few days of incompatible interactions with resistant wheat plants.
The provision of communication aids to children in England: an analysis of applications to the Communication Aids Project
Authors: Clarke M. T. , Donlan C. , Lister C. , Wright J. , Newton C. , Cherguit J. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractBackground  Children who experience difficulties in face‐to‐face interaction, understanding language and developing literacy can benefit from the provision of communication aids such as speech synthesizers and specialist software applications that support their social participation and learning. The Communication Aids Project (CAP) was a national initiative by the Department for Education and Skills in England, aimed at supporting and developing the provision of communication aids to children. This paper presents an analysis of the number and type of applications to CAP. In so doing, the paper begins to explore how the need for communication aids might be understood in England.Methods  The analysis was carried out on a database of 3060 anonymized records, representing applications to CAP between January 2002 and January 2004.Results  Applications to CAP were made on behalf of children with a broader range of disabilities than might be assumed, including a relatively high proportion of children with autistic spectrum disorder. Rates of application to CAP varied in line with Local Education Authority population size [e.g. total pupils, total pupils with special educational needs (SEN)], rather than indicators of regional variation in SEN provision (e.g. proportion of population identified as having SEN).Conclusions  Within a context of changing services to children in England and increasing emphasis on the plurality and contestability of services, the relevance of these findings for service providers and service commissioners is discussed.
Internet addiction among Chinese adolescents: prevalence and psychological features
Authors: Cao F. , Su L. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractBackground  To investigate the prevalence of Internet addiction among Chinese adolescents and to explore the psychological features associated with Internet addiction.Methods  A total of 2620 high school students from four high schools in Changsha City were surveyed using Diagnostic Questionnaire for Internet Addiction (YDQ), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (the edition for children, EPQ), Time Management Disposition Scale (TMDS) and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The mean age of whole sample was 15.19 years (ranging from 12 years to 18 years). According to the modified YDQ criteria by Beard, 64 students who were diagnosed as Internet addiction (the mean age: 14.59 years) and 64 who were diagnosed as being normal in Internet usage (the mean age: 14.81 years) were included in a case–control study.Results  The rate of Internet use among the surveyed adolescents was 88%, among which the incidence rate of Internet addiction was 2.4%. The Internet addiction group had significantly higher scores on the EPQ subscales of neuroticism, psychoticism, and lie than the control group (P < 0.05). The Internet addiction group scored lower than the control group on the TMDS subscales of sense of control over time, sense of value of time, and sense of time efficacy (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the Internet addiction group had also significantly higher scores on the SDQ subscales of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, total difficulties and lower scores on the subscale of prosocial behaviours (P < 0.05).Conclusions  The present study suggests that Internet addiction is not rare among Chinese adolescents. In addition, adolescents with Internet addiction possess different psychological features when compared with those who use the Internet less frequently.
The self‐concept of children and adolescents with neurofibromatosis type 1
Authors: Barton B. , North K. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractBackground  Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disorder associated with cognitive deficits, learning problems, medical complications and cosmetic disfigurement. Despite the wide‐ranging impact of NF1, very few studies have examined the psychosocial adjustment of individuals with NF1, and in particular, self‐concept. The aims of this study were threefold: (i) to examine the self‐concept of children and adolescents with NF1; (ii) to compare the self‐concept of children with NF1 (NF1 only), children with NF1 and learning difficulties [NF1 + LA (low achievement)], and children with NF1 and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (NF1 + ADHD); and (iii) to examine the academic self‐concept of these three groups relative to objective criteria – academic achievement and teacher ratings of academic competence.Methods  Measures of self‐concept, academic achievement and intelligence were administered to 49 children and 26 adolescents with NF1. Parents and teachers completed behavioural rating scales.Results  The majority of children and adolescents with NF1 reported positive global self‐concept, with some exceptions on specific domains. Children and adolescents with NF1 reported significantly poorer self‐concept for physical abilities. Adolescents also reported significantly poorer self‐concept for mathematics and general self when compared with normative mean values. Clinical severity of NF1 was not a significant predictor of self‐concept for physical appearance or physical abilities. Despite a significant difference between NF1 only, NF1 + LA and NF1 + ADHD groups on measures of academic achievement and teacher ratings of academic competence, there was no significant difference between the groups for academic domains of self‐concept, or any other domain of self‐concept. All three groups reported inflated academic self‐perceptions relative to objective criteria.Conclusion  Children and adolescents with NF1 are most likely to develop negative self‐concepts about their physical and sporting abilities. Inflated academic self‐perceptions are discussed in light of the positive illusory bias, which may serve as an adaptive or protective function.
A nanoengine for gliding motility
Authors: Jensen Grant 
Published: December 2006

SummaryThe terminal organelle present in some mycoplasma species is a very large, complex, flexible structure involved in cell adherence, motility and cell division. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Hasselbring and Krause report on a mutant in which the terminal organelle is only weakly connected to the rest of the cell. ‘Run‐away’ terminal organelles first stretch the cells, then break away and continue moving independently for more than half an hour. This remarkable observation proves that the ‘nanoengine’ driving motility is indeed associated with the terminal organelle, and opens up new opportunities for dissecting and understanding its mechanism.
The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Crs5 Metallothionein metal‐binding abilities and its role in the response to zinc overload
Authors: Pagani Ayelen , Villarreal Laura , Capdevila Mercè , Atrian Sílvia 
Published: December 2006

SummaryCrs5 is a Saccharomyces cerevisiae Metallothionein (MT), non‐homologous to the paradigmatic Cu‐thionein Cup1. Although considered a secondary copper‐resistance agent, we show here that it determines survival under zinc overload in a CUP1‐null background. Its overexpression prevents the deleterious effects exhibited by CUP1‐CRS5‐null cells when exposed to combined Zn/Cu, as it does the mouse MT1 Zn‐thionein, but not Cup1. The detailed characterization of Crs5 in vivo and in vitro Zn(II)‐, Cd(II)‐ and Cu(I)‐binding abilities fully supports its resemblance to mammalian MTs. Hence, Crs5 exhibits a good divalent metal‐binding ability, yielding homometallic, highly chiral and stable Zn and Cd complexes when expressed in media enriched with these metal ions. In Cu‐supplemented cultures, heterometallic Zn,Cu complexes are recovered, unless aeration is kept to a minimum. These features define a Crs5 dual metal‐binding behaviour that is significantly closer to Zn‐thioneins than to Cu‐thioneins. Protein sequence similarities fully support these findings. Overall, a Crs5 function in global metal cell homeostasis, based on its Zn‐binding features, is glimpsed. The comparative evaluation of Crs5 in the framework of MT functional differentiation and evolution allows its consideration as a representative of the primeval eukaryotic forms that progressively evolved to give rise to the Zn‐thionein lineage.
Characterization of the Thermotoga maritima chemotaxis methylation system that lacks pentapeptide‐dependent methyltransferase CheR:MCP tethering
Authors: Perez Eduardo , Stock Ann M. 
Published: December 2006

SummarySensory adaptation in bacterial chemotaxis is mediated by covalent modifications of specific glutamate and glutamine residues within the cytoplasmic domains of methyl‐accepting chemotaxis proteins (MCPs). In Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica, efficient methylation of MCPs depends on the localization of methyltransferase CheR to MCP clusters through an interaction between the CheR β‐subdomain and a pentapeptide sequence (NWETF or NWESF) at the C‐terminus of the MCP. In vitro methylation analyses utilizing S. enterica and Thermotoga maritima CheR proteins and MCPs indicate that MCP methylation in T. maritima occurs independently of a pentapeptide‐binding motif. Kinetic and binding measurements demonstrate that despite efficient methylation, the interaction between T. maritima CheR and T. maritima MCPs is of relatively low affinity. Comparative protein sequence analyses of CheR β‐subdomains from organisms having MCPs that contain and/or lack pentapeptide‐binding motifs identified key similarities and differences in residue conservation, suggesting the existence of two distinct classes of CheR proteins: pentapeptide‐dependent and pentapeptide‐independent methyltransferases. Analysis of MCP C‐terminal ends showed that only ∼10% of MCPs contain a putative C‐terminal binding motif, the majority of which are restricted to the different proteobacteria classes (α, β, γ, δ). These findings suggest that tethering of CheR to MCPs is a relatively recent event in evolution and that the pentapeptide‐independent methylation system is more common than the well‐characterized pentapeptide‐dependent methylation system.
Burkholderia mallei expresses a unique lipopolysaccharide mixture that is a potent activator of human Toll‐like receptor 4 complexes
Authors: Brett Paul J. , Burtnick Mary N. , Snyder D. Scott , Shannon Jeffrey G. , Azadi Parastoo , Gherardini Frank C. 
Published: December 2006

SummaryBurkholderia mallei, the aetiologic agent of glanders, causes a variety of illnesses in animals and humans ranging from occult infections to acute fulminating septicaemias. To better understand the role of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the pathogenesis of these diseases, studies were initiated to characterize the structural and biological properties of lipid A moieties expressed by this organism. Using a combination of chemical analyses and MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry, B. mallei was shown to express a heterogeneous mixture of tetra‐ and penta‐acylated lipid A species that were non‐stoichiometrically substituted with 4‐amino‐4‐deoxy‐arabinose residues. The major penta‐acylated species consisted of bisphosphorylated d‐glucosamine disaccharide backbones possessing two amide linked 3‐hydroxyhexadecanoic acids, two ester linked 3‐hydroxytetradecanoic acids [C14:0(3‐OH)] and an acyloxyacyl linked tetradecanoic acid, whereas, the major tetra‐acylated species possessed all but the 3′‐linked C14:0(3‐OH) residues. In addition, although devoid of hexa‐acylated species, B. mallei LPS was shown to be a potent activator of human Toll‐like receptor 4 complexes and stimulated human macrophage‐like cells (THP‐1 and U‐937), monocyte‐derived macrophages and dendritic cells to produce high levels of TNF‐α, IL‐6 and RANTES. Based upon these results, it appears that B. mallei LPS is likely to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of human disease.
Fairness in Context
Authors: Adler Michael 
Published: December 2006

This article is a contribution to the occasional series dealing with a major book that influenced the author. Previous contributors include Stewart Macaulay, John Griffith, William Twining, Carol Harlow, Geoffrey Bindman, Harry Arthurs, and André‐Jean Arnaud.It describes the author's original encounter and subsequent dialogue with Bureaucratic Justice, by Jerry L. Mashaw which transformed his thinking about administrative justice and shaped the research he conducted over the next 25 years. The article assesses the strengths and weaknesses of Mashaw's approach to administrative justice, describes the author's attempts to modify and extend Mashaw's approach, outlines four case studies conducted by the author, and describes how the United Kingdom government has recently adopted an approach to administrative justice that is very similar to Mashaw's. The article concludes by considering the implications of Mashaw's approach for researchers and policy makers who wish to promote the idea that governments should attempt to treat people fairly.
Protecting Education for the Poor in Times of Crisis: An Evaluation of a Scholarship Programme in Indonesia*
Authors: Sparrow Robert 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThis paper analyses the impact of an Indonesian scholarship programme, which was implemented in 1998 to preserve access to education for the poor during the economic crisis. Scholarships were targeted pro‐poor and the allocation process followed a decentralized design, involving both geographic and individual targeting. The identification strategy exploits this decentralized structure, relying on instrumental variables constructed from regional mistargeting at the initial phase of allocation. The programme has increased enrolment, especially for primary school‐aged children from poor rural households. Moreover, the scholarships seem to have assisted households in smoothing consumption during the crisis, relieving pressure on households’ investments in education and utilization of child labour.
Scalar Narratives in Bilbao: A Cultural Politics of Scales Approach to the Study of Urban Policy
Authors: GONZÁLEZ SARA 
Published: December 2006

AbstractIn this article I explore how theoretical metaphors about the contemporary rescaling of the capitalist economy are used by local policy actors to justify an entrepreneurial urban policy. I develop a new theoretical concept (scalar narrative), suggest an analytical approach (cultural politics of scales) and give evidence of a particular case (Bilbao). The article is structured in the following way. First, I briefly review the literature on politics of scales and contribute to the debate with an approach that incorporates elements from cultural political economy and interpretative policy analysis. Within this approach I mobilize the concept of ‘scalar narrative’ that has already been suggested in the literature but not fully explored. I then put this approach into practice with a particular case study, Bilbao, a city in the north of Spain, which has recently gone through extensive urban regeneration, where I describe the appropriation of three scalar narratives by the policymakers. To show this I draw from empirical work done in Bilbao that looks at statutory and strategic planning documents as well as urban marketing literature and interviews with key informants.
Mumbai’s Mysterious Middle Class
Authors: NIJMAN JAN 
Published: December 2006

AbstractMumbai forms the décor to an interesting set of relationships among economic liberalization, globalization, class restructuring and an unprecedented housing construction boom. The much talked about new Indian middle class is primarily an urban phenomenon and seems nowhere more salient than in India’s commercial capital and largest city. This article seeks to undo some of the mysteries that surround the new middle class: how it can be empirically defined, whether and how it is growing, how class restructuring in Mumbai conforms (or not) to Western arguments about social polarization, and how any such class restructuring can best be explained. The empirical analysis employs existing data from various sources on income and consumption in Mumbai (and India at large) and reports on selected findings from a recent survey by the author on housing, class and upward mobility among households in newly constructed homes in Greater Mumbai. Data on the distribution of household incomes show that the upper‐middle income classes have grown relative to the total, that the lower‐middle income classes have shrunk, and that the ranks of the poor have expanded slightly. Survey data among new home buyers in Mumbai suggest little upward mobility. Discourse about the ‘new middle class’ tends to focus on consumption rather than income and additional findings indicate that much of the growth in consumption is credit‐based.