bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
217 000‐year‐old DNA sequences of green sulfur bacteria in Mediterranean sapropels and their implications for the reconstruction of the paleoenvironment
Authors: Coolen Marco J. L. , Overmann Jörg 
Published: September 2006

SummaryDeep‐sea sediments of the eastern Mediterranean harbour a series of dark, organic carbon‐rich layers, so‐called sapropels. Within these layers, the carotenoid isorenieratene was detected. Since it is specific for the obligately anaerobic phototrophic green sulfur bacteria, the presence of isorenieratene may suggest that extended water column anoxia occurred in the ancient Mediterranean Sea during periods of sapropel formation. Only three carotenoids (isorenieratene, β‐isorenieratene and chlorobactene) are typical for green sulfur bacteria and thus do not permit to differentiate between the ∼80 known phylotypes. In order to reconstruct the paleoecological conditions in more detail, we searched for fossil 16S rRNA gene sequences of green sulfur bacteria employing ancient DNA methodology. 540 bp‐long fossil sequences could indeed be amplified from up to 217 000‐year‐old sapropels. In addition, such sequences were also recovered from carbon‐lean intermediate sediment layers deposited during times of an entirely oxic water column. Unexpectedly, however, all the recovered 16S rRNA gene sequences grouped with freshwater or brackish, rather than truly marine, types of green sulfur bacteria. It is therefore feasible that the molecular remains of green sulfur bacteria originated from populations which thrived in adjacent freshwater or estuarine coastal environments rather than from an indigenous pelagic population.
The rising prevalence of androgen deprivation among older American men since the advent of prostate‐specific antigen testing: a population‐based cohort study
Authors: Barry Michael J. , Delorenzo Michael A. , Walker‐Corkery Elizabeth S. , Lucas F. Lee , Wennberg David C. 
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of efforts in the early detection of prostate cancer using prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) testing in the USA, by estimating the regional prevalence of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) among older men in 1993–2000, and correlating the prevalence with early detection and aggressive treatment rates in 1987–91, as some authors predicted that ADT, a treatment traditionally reserved for advanced prostate cancer, would become less common over time as a result of such efforts.PATIENTS AND METHODSA sample of 5% of men who were Medicare beneficiaries was used in this prospective population‐based cohort study. The main outcome measures were the overall prevalence of ADT (medical and surgical) in the cohort from 1993 to 2000, and correlations between rates of prostate procedures in the 306 USA hospital referral regions in 1987–91 and prevalence of ADT in those regions from 1993 to 2000.RESULTSThe prevalence of ADT among these men in the USA increased steadily from 1.8% in 1993 to 2.9% in 2000 (P < 0.001). Regions with higher rates of prostate biopsy in 1987–91 had a higher prevalence of ADT in 1993, 1995 and 1997 (P < 0.05). Regions with higher rates of transurethral prostatectomy in 1987–91 had a higher prevalence of ADT in 1993–2000 (P < 0.01). Regions with higher rates of radical prostatectomy in 1987–91 had higher rates of ADT in 1993–99 (P < 0.05).CONCLUSIONSWidespread early detection and aggressive treatment for prostate cancer in the USA has been associated with more, not less, ADT among older men over time.
A simple way to estimate mean plasma glucose and to identify Type 2 diabetic subjects with poor glycaemic control when a standardized HbA1c assay is not available
Authors: Ozmen S. , Cil T , Atay A. E. , Tuzcu A. K. , Bahceci M. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractAims  To evaluate the relationship between HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) levels, and to estimate the mean plasma glucose (mPG) derived from FPG and PPG that would predict Type 2 diabetic subjects with poor glycaemic control.Methods  FPG, PPG and HbA1c values from 565 Type 2 diabetic patients (247 men and 318 women) were recorded. Linear regression analysis and Pearson's correlation was used to determine the relationship between HbA1c, FPG and PPG. FPG and PPG were included as explanatory variables of HbA1c in linear regression analysis.Results  The American Diabetes Association's objective of achieving an HbA1c level < 7.0% was obtained in 26.2% of the patients. The coefficients of FPG and PPG which determined HbA1c were similar. Therefore, mPG was calculated using the equation (FPG + PPG)/2. Pearson's correlation coefficient for HbA1c and FPG, PPG and mPG were 0.723 (P < 0.0001), 0.734 and 0.761 (P < 0.0001), respectively. A mPG cut‐off value of 10 mmol/l predicted an HbA1c > 7% in the whole population, with a sensitivity of 84.2% and specificity of 80.4%. The area was high (0.90) in receiver‐operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis performed to examine the performance of mPG to predict HbA1c > 7%.Conclusions  The mPG derived from FPG and PPG correlates strongly with HbA1c. We therefore suggest that using a cut‐off of 10 mmol/l for mPG may be appropriate in diabetes management in the primary‐care setting, where most management of Type 2 diabetes occurs.
The Risk‐Relevance of Accounting Data: Evidence from the Spanish Stock Market
Authors: Giner Begoña , Reverte Carmelo 
Published: September 2006

AbstractThis paper analyses the relevance of accounting fundamentals to inform about equity risk as measured by the cost of equity capital. Assuming the latter is a summary measure of how investors make decisions regarding the allocation of resources, the strength of the association between the cost of capital and the accounting‐based measures of risk indicates how important these measures are for market participants when making economic decisions. To infer the cost of equity capital, we use the O'Hanlon and Steele's method, which is based on the residual income valuation model. Moreover, we use the insights from this model to provide a theoretical underpinning for the choice of the accounting variables related to risk. The sample refers to the non‐financial firms listed in the Madrid Stock Exchange along the period 1987–2002. Our results support our initial expectations regarding the association between the cost of equity capital and the accounting‐based risk variables, thereby supporting the usefulness of fundamental analysis to determine the risk inherent in share's future payoffs. In particular, we highlight the role of investing risk, which has been ignored in previous research. Our results are also robust to measures of risk other than the cost of capital such as the variability in total returns and the firm's systematic risk (β).
Returns and volatility in the NYMEX Henry Hub natural gas futures market
Authors: Serletis Apostolos , Shahmoradi Asghar 
Published: September 2006

AbstractIn this paper we use autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity‐type models to investigate the determinants of returns and volatility in the New York Mercantile Exchange Henry Hub natural gas futures contract market. Using daily data for the period that natural gas has been traded on the exchange, we find significant evidence of seasonal and open interest effects in both, returns and volatility.
Do Labour Market Programmes Speed up the Return to Work?*
Authors: Røed Knut , Raaum Oddbjørn 
Published: September 2006

AbstractWe evaluate the impact of labour market programmes on unemployment durations in Norway, by means of a distribution‐free mixed proportional competing risks hazard rate model. We find that programme participation, once completed, improves employment prospects, but that there is often an opportunity cost in the form of a lock‐in effect during participation. The average net effect of programme participation on the length of the job search period is found to be around zero. For participants with poor employment prospects, the favourable post‐programme effects outweigh the negative lock‐in effects.
The Hazard Rate of Foreign Direct Investment: A Structural Estimation of a Real‐option Model*
Authors: Pennings Enrico , Altomonte Carlo 
Published: September 2006

AbstractThe hazard rate of investment is derived within a real‐option model, and its properties are analysed so as to directly study the relation between uncertainty and investment. Maximum likelihood estimates of the hazard are calculated using a sample of multinational enterprises (MNEs) that invested in Central and Eastern Europe over the period 1990–98. Employing a standard, non‐parametric specification of the hazard, our measure of uncertainty has a negative effect on investment, but the reduced‐form model is unable to control for nonlinearities in the relationship. The structural estimation of the option‐based hazard is instead able to account for the nonlinearities and exhibits a significant value of waiting, although the latter is independent of our measure of uncertainty. This finding supports the existence of alternative channels through which uncertainty can affect investment.
Testing the Null of Cointegration with Structural Breaks*
Authors: Carrion‐i‐Silvestre Josep Lluís , Sansó Andreu 
Published: September 2006

AbstractWe propose a Lagrange Multiplier‐type statistic to test the null hypothesis of cointegration allowing for the possibility of a structural break, in both the deterministic and the cointegration vectors. Our proposal focuses on the presence of endogenous regressors. The test complements the usual non‐cointegration tests so as to obtain stronger evidence of cointegration. We consider the cases of known and unknown dates of the break. In the latter case, we show that minimizing the Sum of Squared Residuals results in a super‐consistent estimator of the break fraction. Finally, the behaviour of the tests is studied through Monte Carlo experiments.
1. SPOTS OF TIME
Authors: RUNIA EELCO 
Published: September 2006

An unapparent connection holds more firmly than an apparent one—Heraclitus2
ABSTRACTHow can the subliminal, mysterious, but uncommonly powerful living‐on, the presence, of the past be envisaged? In this essay I argue that presence is not brought about by stories— by, that is, the “storiness” of stories. presence rather shows itself in how the past can force us—and enable us—to rewrite our stories about ourselves. The question then is how we acquire the experiences that can eventually force us to do so. How, and with what kind of things, does the mémoire involontaire—from which presence wells up—get filled? In order to answer this question one might turn it around to the question how we can fill the mémoire involontaire of others. A consideration of the “art of slandering” shows that the mémoire involontaire tends to get filled with things (1) that we believe are “common knowledge,” that (2) are “obliquely” communicated, and that (3) are cast in metonymies. Metonymy offers a much better road to the mémoire involontaire than metaphor because metonymy is better at suggesting that what it conveys is“common knowledge.” Therefore, I propose that presence resides in the metonymical region of language. Instead of being contained in the meaningful content (the “storiness”) of stories, presence resides in what a story inadvertently has to be—in, that is, the things a story has to present in order to present a story. My conclusion is that as presence the past is the exact opposite of what historians think it is. It is indestructible, uncannily close, and—despite its closeness and its durability—utterly impossible to conserve in “representations” that can be taken along in the hand luggage with which we traverse time.
5. PAST AND “PRESENCE”: REVISITING HISTORICAL ONTOLOGY
Authors: BENTLEY MICHAEL 
Published: September 2006

ABSTRACTThe last thirty years have brought about a fundamental revision of historical epistemology. So intense a concentration on the nature of history as a form of inquiry has diminished attention given to the thing that history inquires into: the nature of the past itself. Too readily, that entire domain has turned into a place for dreams, as Hayden White put it: a lost world only available now through the imagination of the author and subject to aesthetic whim. The next thirty years will, I propose, be the period in which ontology returns to the center of historical theory. And nothing short of the reconceptualization of the past—indeed of time itself—must be its objective. It must achieve that objective, moreover, in establishing arguments that are congruent with what revisions of epistemology have taught us about the limits of historical knowledge and the inevitability of textual representation.This paper enters this field by discussing some of the issues involved in rethinking the place of time in historical constructions since Bergson. It demonstrates the confusions inherent in spatial reductions of temporality, which historians have done so much to entrench rather than eradicate, and argues that historians have yet to accommodate the fundamental conceptual shifts inaugurated by heidegger. It then moves to propose a methodological doctrine to which I have given the name “chronism” and seeks to sketch the utility of such a doctrine for bringing one form of presence—that of authenticity—back into the domain of historical study. Doing so invites a number of conceptual and practical difficulties that the paper will address in its conclusions; these may disturb those who have closed their minds to anything beyond the present. Taking ontology seriously interferes both with structuralist assumptions about the nothingness of time and with some of the styles of historical representation that have become fashionable in the postmodern climate. There may be painful lessons to be learned if we are to rescue the past from its current status as a nonentity.
NAZISM AS A SECULAR RELIGION1
Authors: BABÍK MILAN 
Published: September 2006

ABSTRACTThis article examines the implications of Richard Steigmann‐Gall's recent revisionist representation of Nazism as a Christian (Protestant) movement for the increasingly fashionable accounts of Nazism as a secular or political religion. Contrary to Steigmann‐Gall's contention that Protestant Nazism undermines these accounts, I suggest that his portrayal of Nazism as a variant of Protestant millennialism is not necessarily inconsistent with the secular religion approach. A closer look at the so‐called löwith‐Blumenberg debate on secularization indeed reveals that modern utopianisms containing elements of Protestant millennialism are the best candidates for the label of secularized eschatology. That Steigmann‐gall has reached exactly the opposite conclusion is primarily because his conceptual understanding of secular religion is uninformed by the secularization debate. Insofar as Steigmann‐Gall extracts his model of secular religion from contemporary political religion historiography on Nazism, this article points to a larger problem: a disjunction between historians utilizing the concept, on the one hand, and philosophers and social theorists who have shaped it, on the other.
Adrenergic Receptor Polymorphisms Associated with Resting Heart Rate: The HyperGEN Study
Authors: Wilk J. B. , Myers R. H. , Pankow J. S. , Hunt S. C. , Leppert M. F. , Freedman B. I. , Province M. A. , Ellison R. C. 
Published: September 2006

SummaryThe association between polymorphisms in the β1, β2 and α2B adrenergic receptor (ADR) genes (ADRB1, ADRB2 and ADRA2B) and resting heart rate was examined in white and African‐American participants of the HyperGEN Study. All analyses were adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, alcohol use, smoking status and daily exercise within strata of race, hypertension status and beta‐blocker use. The Ser49Gly polymorphism of the β1 ADR was associated with resting heart rate in hypertensive African‐Americans and hypertensive whites taking beta‐blockers, with carriers of the Gly allele having a higher mean resting heart rate by 2.7 and 4.4 beats per minute (bpm), respectively. The Arg389Gly polymorphism of the β1 ADR was associated with lower heart rate in the normotensive African‐American sample. A β1 haplotype (Ser49Gly‐Arg389Gly) was modestly associated with resting heart rate in the hypertensive African‐Americans. The α2B C/A polymorphism was associated with heart rate in hypertensive whites, and both whites and African‐Americans taking beta‐blockers, with carriers of the A allele having a higher mean resting heart rate. In summary, each of the ADR gene polymorphisms was associated with heart rate in at least one stratum studied, but there was no consistent association from which one would infer a large genetic contribution to heart rate.
Geographical Variations in TP53 Mutational Spectrum in Ovarian Carcinomas
Authors: Dansonka‐Mieszkowska A. , Ludwig A. H. , Kraszewska E. , Kupryjańczyk J. 
Published: September 2006

SummaryThe TP53 gene mutational spectrum in human tumours shows variations related to tissue of origin, carcinogen exposure or molecular background. We have compared TP53 mutations in ovarian carcinomas from different geographical regions; this study was based on data extracted and verified from the IARC database (R10, 2005), and on our results from 127 carcinomas. In total 873 mutations were evaluated. Tumours from Japan and Korea had a higher frequency of exon 7 mutations (38%vs 25%, p = 0.011) and lower frequency of exon 8 mutations (11%vs 29%, p = 0.0003) than those from Western countries; they were particularly different from Norwegian tumours which showed the lowest proportion of exon 7 (19%, p = 0.001) and highest proportion of exon 8 (37%, p < 0.0001) mutations. There were also differences in the profile of TP53 hotspots. The third hotspot in tumours from Poland was amino acid (AA) 176 (8.2% of substitutions vs 1.7% in other countries, p < 0.001), while in tumours from the UK it was AA 220 (8.9%vs 2.3%, p < 0.001). Codon 273 was the only apparent hotspot in the Norwegian tumours, while it was rarely mutated in Polish and Asian tumours. In contrast to other data tumours from Norway presented with 273HIS codon (82% of mutations at AA 273, p = 0.002), while tumours from the UK shared the 273CYS codon (80%, p < 0.001). Further analysis of TP53 gene mutations in ovarian cancer by geography could provide greater insights.
Dissociation between mane development and sexual maturity in lions (Panthera leo): solution to the Tsavo riddle?
Authors: Gnoske T. P. , Celesia G. G. , Kerbis Peterhans J. C. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractThe mane characteristics of lions Panthera leo in the greater Tsavo ecosystem (GTE) were compared with those of lions from the equatorial middle‐elevation plains (EMEP). Contrary to popular belief, most full‐grown GTE lions are not maneless; 87% had manes, with 49% possessing good manes. The manes of GTE lions, however, were poorer on average, relative to age, than the manes of EMEP lions. For both groups, there was a significant relationship between age and mane type. In EMEP lions, mane development started early and grew to a full mane by age 4–5. In GTE lions, mane development began later and developed more slowly. Delayed onset and a slower rate of development are correlated with the consistently hot Tsavo climate. Poorly maned but fully mature lions mated actively, showing dissociation between mane development and sexual maturity. The correlation between climate and mane development suggests that climatic adaptation results in the inhibition and/or delay in the development of a secondary sexual character without compromising reproductive viability.
Uterine blood flow during supine rest and exercise after 28 weeks of gestation
Authors: Jeffreys RM , Stepanchak W , Lopez B , Hardis J , Clapp JF 
Published: September 2006

Objective  To test the null hypothesis that, after 28 weeks of gestation, uterine blood flow during supine rest and supine exercise is no different than uterine blood flow at left‐lateral rest.Design  In vivo experimental study in pregnant women.Setting  Department of Obstetrics, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.Population  Fourteen, physically active, late‐pregnant women who continued supine exercise throughout gestation.Methods  Studies were carried out between 29 and 38 weeks of gestation. Maternal blood pressure, maternal heart rate, and ultrasound estimates of volume blood flow in the right ascending branch of the uterine artery were obtained serially at rest in the left‐lateral position, at rest in the supine position, during and immediately after 10 minutes of supine exercise, and again at rest in the left‐lateral position. Exercise sessions included alternating 60‐ to 90‐second periods of abdominal crunches and leg exercise at moderate/high intensity (Borg’s rating of perceived exertion 14 ± 1).Main outcome measures  Blood pressure, heart rate, and uterine artery volume flow.Results  Data are presented as the mean ± SD. Maternal heart rate and blood pressure were unchanged at supine rest but increased during supine exercise (heart rate increased from 76 ± 9 to 98 ± 12 beats per minute, mean arterial pressure increased from 81 ± 6 to 102 ± 12 mmHg). Volume flow fell from 410 ± 93 to 267 ± 73 cc/minute after 5 minutes of supine rest and then, during supine exercise, increased to 355 ± 125 cc/minute. Uterine artery luminal diameter and blood flow correlated directly with tissue weights at birth (r2 values between 0.32 and 0.59).Conclusions  In physically active women, uterine blood flow decreases during both supine rest and supine exercise but the decrease in the former is twice that seen in the latter.
The transcription factor Yin Yang 1 is an activator of BACE1 expression
Authors: Nowak Katrin , Lange‐Dohna Christine , Zeitschel Ulrike , Günther Albrecht , Lüscher Bernhard , Robitzki Andrea , Perez‐Polo Regino , Roßner Steffen 
Published: September 2006

AbstractThe β‐site amyloid precursor protein‐cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is a prerequisite for the generation of β‐amyloid peptides, the principle constituents of senile plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). BACE1 expression and enzymatic activity are increased in the AD brain, but the regulatory mechanisms of BACE1 expression are largely unknown. Here we show that Yin Yang 1 (YY1), a highly conserved and multifunctional transcription factor, binds to its putative recognition sequence within the BACE1 promoter and stimulates BACE1 promoter activity in rat pheochromocytoma 12 (PC12) cells, rat primary neurones and astrocytes. In rat brain YY1 and BACE1 are widely expressed by neurons, but there was only a minor proportion of neurones that co‐expressed YY1 and BACE1, suggesting that YY1 is not required for constitutive neuronal BACE1 expression. Resting astrocytes in the untreated rat brain did not display either YY1 or BACE1 immunoreactivity. When chronically activated, however, astrocytes expressed both YY1 and BACE1 proteins, indicating that YY1 is important for the stimulated BACE1 expression by reactive astrocytes. This is further emphasized by the expression of YY1 and BACE1 by reactive astrocytes in proximity to β‐amyloid plaques in the AD brain. Our observations suggest that interfering with expression, translocation or binding of YY1 to its BACE1 promoter‐specific sequence may have therapeutic potential for treating patients with AD.