bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE BSE SCARE
Authors: Dnes Antony W. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThe economic aspects of the outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in British cattle herds are investigated. On balance, a non‐interventionist approach is most likely to be the least‐cost method of dealing with the BSE problem, where costs include the risks of humans contracting Creutzfeldt‐Jakob Disease (CJD). There is no case for compensating farmers for the historic cost of building up infected herds.
BLOCS, ZONES AND BANDS: INTERNATIONAL MONETARY HISTORY IN LIGHT OF RECENT THEORETICAL DEVELOPMENTS
Authors: Eichengreen Barry , Flandreau Marc 
Published: October 2007

AbstractTrends in international finance in recent decades have inspired considerable research on bloc‐ and band‐based international monetary arrangements. From this literature have emerged models providing the basis for much recent work in international monetary economics. To date, however, their application to historical experience has been rare. We therefore highlight parallels between modern‐day target zones on the one hand and the classical and inter‐war gold standards and Bretton Woods System on the other. We suggest that bloc‐based international monetary arrangements are in fact an historical commonplace; they have been the rule rather than the exception.
GIBSON'S PARADOX AND POLICY REGIMES: A COMPARISON OF THE EXPERIENCE IN THE US, UK AND ITALY
Authors: Muscatelli Vito Antonio , Spinelli Franco 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThis paper compares the behaviour of long‐term interest rates and prices in Italy, the UK and the USA, and seeks to shed light into what has become known as the ‘Gibson Paradox’. We compare the various theoretical explanations for the observed positive correlation of interest rates and prices in the USA and the UK. Using both regression and frequency domain techniques, we demonstrate that there is little evidence for the occurrence of the paradox in the case of Italy. The key conclusion of the paper is that the comparative evidence from these three countries supports a gold standard interpretation of the Paradox.
FUND SUBSTITUTION AND THE INCENTIVE EFFECT OF PUBLIC INVESTMENT SUBSIDIES
Authors: Wren Colin 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThis paper analyses the observed phenomenon of public for private fund substitution in industrial assistance, by examining the public and private sector funding of investment under different assumptions about the nature of the private capital market. This bears on the effectiveness of industrial subsidies, and has implications for welfare and the design of optimal assistance contracts. It is shown that fund substitution depends crucially on the elasticity of investment with respect to the user cost of capital in the without‐subsidy position, and on the nature of any amount and rate constraints on the assistance contract.
Approximating a trivariate Normal probability that is of special relevance to the multifactorial model of disease transmission
Authors: HUTCHINSON T. P. 
Published: October 2007

SummaryA study has been made of methods of approximating the probability of severe disease occurrence in the child of parents who both suffer from a mild (or subclinical) form of the disease in question. A wide range of parameter values has been considered. It has been found that(i) The Mendell‐Elston formula is very accurate.(ii) The simple pseudo‐Pareto formula is not quite as accurate as the Mendell‐Elston, but is still well within the range of acceptability.(iii) A more elaborate pseudo‐Pareto formula is very accurate.
Scheduling preventive maintenance for oil pumps using generalized proportional intensities models
Authors: Percy David F. , Alkali Babakalli M. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractPercy and Alkali presented generalizations of the proportional intensities model introduced by Cox. They identified several features of these models that are particularly relevant for modelling complex repairable systems subject to preventive maintenance (PM). These include the baseline intensity, scaling factors and explanatory variables. We investigate these aspects in detail and apply the models to five sets of reliability data collected from the main pumps at oil refineries. We use likelihood methods to estimate the model parameters and compare how well the models fit the data. Our analyses suggest that a log‐linear baseline intensity function performs well and that an exponential deterministic scaling function is useful for corrective maintenance. The inclusion of explanatory variables to represent the quality of last maintenance and time since last maintenance also proves to be beneficial. We develop algorithms for simulating the reliability behaviour of a complex repairable system into the future, in order to schedule appropriate maintenance activities, identifying special cases that simplify the algebra. Applying these methods to the oil pump data, we derive recommendations for PM plans and demonstrate that adopting this strategy can lead to substantial savings.
A multi‐agent system for the decentralized resource‐constrained multi‐project scheduling problem
Authors: Homberger Jörg 
Published: October 2007

AbstractA restart evolution strategy (RES) for the resource‐constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP), as well as its integration in a multi‐agent system (MAS) for solving the decentralized resource‐constrained multi‐project scheduling problem (DRCMPSP) will be presented. To evaluate the developed approach, problem instances of the RCPSP taken from the literature with up to 300 activities are used, as well as 80 generated instances of the DRCMPSP, with up to 20 projects and with up to 120 activities each. For 73 instances of the RCPSP, the RES found better solutions than the best ones found so far. In addition, the MAS is suitable for solving large multi‐project instances decentrally. The results for the DRCMPSP instances show that the presented decentralized MAS is competitive with a central solution approach.
Genetic and Phenotypic Identification of Fusidic Acid-Resistant Mutants with the Small-Colony-Variant Phenotype in
Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Norström Tobias , Lannergård Jonas , Hughes Diarmaid 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACT

Small-colony variants (SCVs) of
Staphylococcus aureus
are a slow-growing subpopulation whose phenotypes can include resistance to aminoglycosides, defects in electron transport, and enhanced persistence in mammalian cells. Here we show that a subset of mutants selected as SCVs by reduced susceptibility to aminoglycosides are resistant to the antibiotic fusidic acid (FA) and conversely that a subset of mutants selected for resistance to FA are SCVs. Mutation analysis reveals different genetic classes of FA-resistant SCVs. One class, FusA-SCVs, have amino acid substitution mutations in the ribosomal translocase EF-G different from those found in classic FusA mutants. Most of these mutations are located in structural domain V of EF-G, but some are in domain I or III. FusA-SCVs are auxotrophic for hemin. A second class of FA-resistant SCVs carry mutations in
rplF
, coding for ribosomal protein L6, and are designated as FusE mutants. FusE mutants fall into two phenotypic groups: one auxotrophic for hemin and the other auxotrophic for menadione. Accordingly, we have identified new genetic and phenotypic classes of FA-resistant mutants and clarified the genetic basis of a subset of
S. aureus
SCV mutants. A clinical implication of these data is that FA resistance could be selected by antimicrobial agents other than FA.
Estimating Amoxicillin Influx/Efflux in Chinchilla Middle Ear Fluid and Simultaneous Measurement of Antibacterial Effect
Authors: Huang Yue , Yang Zheng , Cartier Linda , Cheung Belinda , Sawchuk Ronald J. 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACT

Understanding the transport process and the factors that control the influx/efflux of antibiotics between plasma and middle ear fluid is essential in optimizing the antimicrobial efficacy in the treatment of acute otitis media. In this study, an experimental chinchilla model with the application of a microdialysis technique was utilized to evaluate amoxicillin middle ear distribution kinetics. Amoxicillin solutions at various doses were instilled into the middle ear with a simultaneous intravenous bolus dose. Unbound amoxicillin levels were monitored by microdialysis in both ears. Serial phlebotomy provided samples for the measurement of unbound amoxicillin concentration in plasma ultrafiltrates. In infected chinchillas, discrete middle ear fluid samples were plated and cultured to characterize
Streptococcus pneumoniae
growth-kill kinetics. Noncompartmental analysis was used to estimate distributional and elimination clearances assuming linear pharmacokinetics. A nonlinear Michaelis-Menten equation was also used to determine the efflux clearance (from middle ear fluid to plasma) in a mammillary compartment model. No difference was observed in amoxicillin pharmacokinetics between control and infected chinchillas. Influx clearance was (4.6 ± 2.4) × 10
−3
ml/min-kg and significantly lower than the efflux clearance estimated as (19.2 ± 9.7) × 10
−3
ml/min-kg (
P
< 0.002). Nonlinear kinetics was observed in the locally dosed ear. The microdialysis procedure did not interfere with the bacterial growth-kill profile, thereby enabling pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic evaluation concurrently. In conclusion, the results suggested that the distribution equilibrium of amoxicillin in the middle ear favors efflux to plasma over influx. An active transport mechanism across middle ear mucosal epithelium may be involved in amoxicillin distribution.
Drugs Designed To Inhibit Human p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Activation TreatToxoplasma gondiiandEncephalitozoon cuniculiInfection
Authors: Wei Shuang , Daniel Benjamin J. , Brumlik Michael J. , Burow Matthew E. , Zou Weiping , Khan Imtiaz A. , Wadsworth Scott , Siekierka John , Curiel Tyler J. 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACTWe recently showed that the pyridinylimidazoles SB203580 and SB202190, drugs designed to block human p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation, also inhibited replication of the medically important intracellular parasiteToxoplasma gondiiin cultured human fibroblasts through a direct effect on the parasite. We now show that additional pyridinylimidazole and imidazopyrimidine p38 MAPK inhibitors inhibit intracellularT. gondiireplication in vitro and protect mice against fatalT. gondiiinfection. Mice surviving infection following treatment with p38 MAPK inhibitors were resistant to subsequentT. gondiichallenge, demonstrating induction of protective immunity. Thus, drugs originally developed to block human p38 MAPK activation are useful for treatingT. gondiiinfection without inducing significant immunosuppression. MAPK inhibitors combined with either of the approved anti-Toxoplasmadrugs sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine resulted in improved survival among mice challenged with a fatalT. gondiiinoculum. A MAPK inhibitor also treated mice infected with theMicrosporidiumparasiteEncephalitozoon cuniculi, suggesting that MAPK inhibitors represent a novel class of agents that may have a broad spectrum of antiparasitic activity. Preliminary studies implicate aT. gondiiMAPK homologue as the target of drug action, suggesting possibilities for more-selective agents.
Intrapulmonary Distribution of Intravenous Telavancin in Healthy Subjects and Effect of Pulmonary Surfactant on In Vitro Activities of Telavancin and Other Antibiotics
Authors: Gotfried Mark H. , Shaw Jeng-Pyng , Benton Bret M. , Krause Kevin M. , Goldberg Michael R. , Kitt Michael M. , Barriere Steven L. 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACTSteady-state concentrations of telavancin, a novel, bactericidal lipoglycopeptide, were determined in the plasma, pulmonary epithelial lining fluid (ELF), and alveolar macrophages (AMs) of 20 healthy subjects. Telavancin at 10 mg of drug/kg of body weight/day was administered as a 1-h intravenous infusion on three successive days, with bronchoalveolar lavage performed on five subjects, each at 4, 8, 12, and 24 h after the last dose. Plasma samples were collected before the first and third infusions and at 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h after the third infusion. The plasma telavancin concentration-time profile was as reported previously. Telavancin (mean ± standard deviation) penetrated well into ELF (3.73 ± 1.28 μg/ml at 8 h and 0.89 ± 1.03 μg/ml at 24 h) and extensively into AMs (19.0 ± 16.8 μg/ml at 8 h, 45.0 ± 22.4 μg/ml at 12 h, and 42.0 ± 31.4 μg/ml at 24 h). Mean concentrations in AMs and plasma at 12 h were 45.0 μg/ml and 22.9 μg/ml (mean AM/plasma ratio, 1.93), respectively, and at 24 h were 42.0 μg/ml and 7.28 μg/ml (mean AM/plasma ratio, 6.67), respectively. Over the entire dosing interval, telavancin was present in ELF and AMs at concentrations up to 8-fold and 85-fold, respectively, above its MIC90for methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(0.5 μg/ml). Pulmonary surfactant did not affect telavancin's in vitro antibacterial activity. Telavancin was well tolerated. These results support the proposal for further clinical evaluation of telavancin for treating gram-positive respiratory infections.
Effects of Endogenous
d
-Alanine Synthesis and Autoinhibition of
Bacillus anthracis
Germination on In Vitro and In Vivo Infections
Authors: McKevitt Matthew T. , Bryant Katie M. , Shakir Salika M. , Larabee Jason L. , Blanke Steven R. , Lovchik Julie , Lyons C. Rick , Ballard Jimmy D. 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACT

Bacillus anthracis
transitions from a dormant spore to a vegetative bacillus through a series of structural and biochemical changes collectively referred to as germination. The timing of germination is important during early steps in infection and may determine if
B. anthracis
survives or succumbs to responsive macrophages. In the current study experiments determined the contribution of endogenous
d
-alanine production to the efficiency and timing of
B. anthracis
spore germination under in vitro and in vivo conditions. Racemase-mediated production of endogenous
d
-alanine by
B. anthracis
altered the kinetics for initiation of germination over a range of spore densities and exhibited a threshold effect wherein small changes in spore number resulted in major changes in germination efficiency. This threshold effect correlated with
d
-alanine production, was prevented by an alanine racemase inhibitor, and required
l
-alanine. Interestingly, endogenous production of inhibitory levels of
d
-alanine was detected under experimental conditions that did not support germination and in a germination-deficient mutant of
B. anthracis
. Racemase-dependent production of
d
-alanine enhanced survival of
B. anthracis
during interaction with murine macrophages, suggesting a role for inhibition of germination during interaction with these cells. Finally, in vivo experiments revealed an approximately twofold decrease in the 50% lethal dose of
B. anthracis
spores administered in the presence of
d
-alanine, indicating that rates of germination may be directly influenced by the levels of this amino acid during early stages of disease.
The dynamics of entanglement in the adiabatic search and Deutsch algorithms
Authors: Choy K , Passante G , Ahrensmeier D , Carrington M E , Fugleberg T , Kobes R , Kunstatter G 
Published: October 2007

The goal of this paper is to study the effect of entanglement on the running time of a quantum computation. Adiabatic quantum computation is suited to this kind of study, since it allows us to explicitly calculate the time evolution of the entanglement throughout the calculation. On the other hand, however, the adiabatic formalism makes it impossible to study the roles of entanglement and fidelity separately, which means that results have to be interpreted carefully. We study two algorithms: the search algorithm and the Deutsch–Jozsa algorithm. We find some evidence that entanglement can be considered a resource in quantum computation. PACS Nos.: 03.67.Mn, 03.67.Lx
Intrinsic decoherence effects on quantum dynamics of the nondegenerate two-photon f-deformed Jaynes–Cummings model governed by the Milburn equation
Authors: Naderi M H 
Published: October 2007

In this paper, we study the influence of the intrinsic decoherence on quantum statistical properties of a generalized nonlinear interacting atom–field system, i.e., the nondegenerate two-photon f-deformed Jaynes–Cummings model governed by the Milburn equation. The model contains the nonlinearities of both the cavity–field and the atom–field coupling. Until now, very few exact solutions of nonlinear systems that include a form of decoherence have been presented. The main achievement of the present work is to find exact analytical solutions for the quantum dynamics of the nonlinear model under consideration in the presence of intrinsic decoherence. With the help of a supersymmetric transformation, we first put the model Hamiltonian into an appropriate form for treating the intrinsic decoherence. Then, by applying the superoperator technique, we find an exact solution of the Milburn equation for a nondegenerate two-photon f-deformed Jaynes–Cummings model. We use this solution to investigate the effects of the intrinsic decoherence on temporal evolution of various nonclassical properties of the system, i.e., atomic population inversion, atomic dipole squeezing, atom–field entanglement, sub-Poissonian photon statistics, cross correlation between the two modes and quadrature squeezing of the cavity field. Particularly, we compare the numerical results for three different cases of two-mode deformed, one-mode deformed, and nondeformed Jaynes–Cummings models. PACS Nos.: 42.50.Ct, 42.50.Dv, 03.65.Yz
Response to overburden pressure of an HDPE pipe pulled in place by pipe bursting
Authors: Lapos B.M. , Brachman R.W.I. , Moore I.D. 
Published: October 2007

Measurements of vertical and horizontal pipe deflections are reported for a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe experiencing an increase in vertical pressure after being pulled in place using pipe bursting techniques. Three tests were conducted to measure the diameter change of a 165 mm outside diameter HDPE pipe after replacing an intact clay pipe with an external diameter of 184 mm backfilled with a poorly graded dense sand. A fourth test measured the response of the HDPE pipe after replacing an intact clay pipe with an external diameter of 128 mm. Variable pipe deflections were measured in each test, which depended on the interactions among the broken clay pipe fragments surrounding the HDPE pipe. The orientation of the clay fragments controls whether the increase in vertical pressure is transferred immediately to the HDPE pipe. In some cases, the fractured clay pipe produced a structural ring encasing the HDPE pipe, thus providing additional hoop strength. Two of the replacement tests did not record diameter changes until 100 kPa because of the interaction amongst the clay fragments. The upsize test and one replacement test recorded diameter changes from a vertical pressure of 20 kPa, because there were no interactions observed among the clay fragments.
Toxicogenomic analysis incorporating operon-transcriptional coupling and toxicant concentration-expression response: analysis of MX-treated Salmonella
Authors: Ward William O , Swartz Carol D , Porwollik Steffen , Warren Sarah H , Hanley Nancy M , Knapp Geremy W , McClelland Michael , DeMarini David M 
Published: October 2007

Abstract

Background
Deficiencies in microarray technology cause unwanted variation in the hybridization signal, obscuring the true measurements of intracellular transcript levels. Here we describe a general method that can improve microarray analysis of toxicant-exposed cells that uses the intrinsic power of transcriptional coupling and toxicant concentration-expression response data. To illustrate this approach, we characterized changes in global gene expression induced in Salmonella typhimurium TA100 by 3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone (MX), the primary mutagen in chlorinated drinking water. We used the co-expression of genes within an operon and the monotonic increases or decreases in gene expression relative to increasing toxicant concentration to augment our identification of differentially expressed genes beyond Bayesian-t analysis.

Results
Operon analysis increased the number of altered genes by 95% from the list identified by a Bayesian t-test of control to the highest concentration of MX. Monotonic analysis added 46% more genes. A functional analysis of the resulting 448 differentially expressed genes yielded functional changes beyond what would be expected from only the mutagenic properties of MX. In addition to gene-expression changes in DNA-damage response, MX induced changes in expression of genes involved in membrane transport and porphyrin metabolism, among other biological processes. The disruption of porphyrin metabolism might be attributable to the structural similarity of MX, which is a chlorinated furanone, to ligands indigenous to the porphyrin metabolism pathway. Interestingly, our results indicate that the lexA regulon in Salmonella, which partially mediates the response to DNA damage, may contain only 60% of the genes present in this regulon in E. coli. In addition, nanH was found to be highly induced by MX and contains a putative lexA regulatory motif in its regulatory region, suggesting that it may be regulated by lexA.

Conclusion
Operon and monotonic analyses improved the determination of differentially expressed genes beyond that of Bayesian-t analysis, showing that MX alters cellular metabolism involving pathways other than DNA damage. Because co-expression of similarly functioning genes also occurs in eukaryotes, this method has general applicability for improving analysis of toxicogenomic data.
Developmental expression and differentiation-related neuron-specific splicing of metastasis suppressor 1(Mtss1) in normal and transformed cerebellar cells
Authors: Glassmann Alexander , Molly Sabine , Surchev Lachezar , Nazwar Tommy A , Holst Martin , Hartmann Wolfgang , Baader Stephan L , Oberdick John , Pietsch Torsten , Schilling Karl 
Published: October 2007

Abstract

Background
Mtss1 encodes an actin-binding protein, dysregulated in a variety of tumors, that interacts with sonic hedgehog/Gli signaling in epidermal cells. Given the prime importance of this pathway for cerebellar development and tumorigenesis, we assessed expression of Mtss1 in the developing murine cerebellum and human medulloblastoma specimens.

Results
During development, Mtss1 is transiently expressed in granule cells, from the time point they cease to proliferate to their synaptic integration. It is also expressed by granule cell precursor-derived medulloblastomas. In the adult CNS, Mtss1 is found exclusively in cerebellar Purkinje cells. Neuronal differentiation is accompanied by a switch in Mtss1 splicing. Whereas immature granule cells express a Mtss1 variant observed also in peripheral tissues and comprising exon 12, this exon is replaced by a CNS-specific exon, 12a, in more mature granule cells and in adult Purkinje cells. Bioinformatic analysis of Mtss1 suggests that differential exon usage may affect interaction with Fyn and Src, two tyrosine kinases previously recognized as critical for cerebellar cell migration and histogenesis. Further, this approach led to the identification of two evolutionary conserved nuclear localization sequences. These overlap with the actin filament binding site of Mtss1, and one also harbors a potential PKA and PKC phosphorylation site.

Conclusion
Both the pattern of expression and splicing of Mtss1 is developmentally regulated in the murine cerebellum. These findings are discussed with a view on the potential role of Mtss1 for cytoskeletal dynamics in developing and mature cerebellar neurons.