bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Components of nutrient residence time and the leaf economics spectrum in species from Mediterranean old‐fields differing in successional status
Authors: KAZAKOU E. , GARNIER E. , NAVAS M‐L. , ROUMET C. , COLLIN C. , LAURENT G. 
Published: January 2007

Summary

Leaf life span (LLS) is one of the traits involved in the leaf economics spectrum (ranging from fast acquisition to efficient conservation of resources). How it relates to nutrient resorption efficiency (REFF), another key component of resource conservation, is still under debate. Here we test how leaf traits related to leaf economy, mass loss during senescence and REFF covary among species differing in resource use, and how they respond to nitrogen limitation.
Leaf traits were assessed for 18 species differing in successional status and in resource use, grown in a common‐garden experiment under limiting and non‐limiting N supply.
As expected, leaf traits and nutrient REFF vary with species successional status: early successional species have high rates of resource acquisition with high specific leaf area and live‐leaf phosphorus concentrations, whereas late successional species have an efficient nutrient conservation with long LLS and high nutrient REFF. Leaf life span decreased under non‐limiting N conditions, while nitrogen REFF was unchanged.
Leaf mass loss can alter assessment of nutrient REFF. Nutrient REFF was controlled by nutrient concentration in dead leaves and hence represents a process, distinct from leaf longevity, that leads to resource conservation.
Evaluation of an osteoporosis prevention education programme for young adults
Authors: Chan Moon Fai , Kwong Wing Suet , Zang Yu‐li , Wan Po Yuk 
Published: January 2007

Abstract Title. Evaluation of an osteoporosis prevention education programme for young adults Aim.  This paper reports a study exploring the effectiveness of an osteoporosis prevention education programme for young adults.Methods.  A quasi‐experimental study was carried out with two groups, using pre‐, post‐ and follow‐up measures and was conducted in one integrated services centre during the period July 2005 to November 2005.Results.  The results showed statistically significant increases in the reported follow‐up for each outcome: osteoporosis knowledge test scores, osteoporosis health brief scores, and osteoporosis self‐efficacy scores, for those in the intervention group compared with those in the control group. On the satisfaction score, most participants in the intervention group rated the nurse's performance in the educational programme positively.Conclusion.  Strategies used in this programme may provide guidance for the design of future programmes.
Hypercholesterolaemia impairs monocyte function in CAD patients
Authors: Czepluch F. S. , Bergler A. , Waltenberger J. 
Published: January 2007

Abstract.Objectives.  Hypercholesterolaemia (HC) impairs arteriogenesis, i.e. collateral artery growth. Monocytes are crucial mediators of arteriogenesis. We investigated the impact of the cardiovascular risk factor HC on ligand‐induced monocyte chemotaxis.Subjects.  The migratory response of monocytes towards the arteriogenic ligands vascular endothelial growth factor‐A (VEGF‐A) and monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1) in hypercholesterolaemic coronary artery disease (CAD) patients (n = 14), hypercholesterolaemic controls (n = 8) and age‐matched healthy controls (n = 19) was analysed. Furthermore, the serum VEGF‐A level was determined in all individuals.Results.  VEGF‐A‐induced monocyte chemotaxis was severely impaired in hypercholesterolaemic CAD patients when compared with age‐matched healthy controls (P < 0.001). The same was true for the migratory response towards MCP‐1 (P < 0.001). VEGF‐A‐ and MCP‐1‐induced monocyte chemotaxis of hypercholesterolaemic controls was also decreased in comparison with the healthy control group, but not as severe as observed in the hypercholesterolaemic CAD patients. VEGF‐A serum levels did not differ between the three study groups.Conclusions.  Hypercholesterolaemia severely impairs monocyte function in hypercholesterolaemic CAD patients. Monocyte dysfunction is probably connected to impaired collateral artery growth. The duration of the cardiovascular risk factor HC seems to influence the extent of monocyte dysfunction, as there exists a continuum of diminished monocyte chemotaxis in the three study groups. Further trials are warranted in order to determine whether statins can reverse the negative influence of HC on cell function.
Effect of a chronic nail‐biting habit on the oral carriage of Enterobacteriaceae
Authors: Baydaş B. , Uslu H. , Yavuz İ. , Ceylan İ. , Dağsuyu İ.M. 
Published: January 2007

Background/aims:  Nail biting is a common oral habit in children and young adults. However, its effect on the oral carriage of Enterobacteriaceae is unclear. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the differences in prevalence of Enterobacteriaceae in saliva samples from subjects with and without a nail‐biting habit.Methods:  Saliva samples were taken from 25 subjects who were nail‐biters and 34 subjects with no oral habit. The mean chronological age for all subjects was 13.5 ± 1.9 years. The saliva samples were studied microbiologically. A Pearson chi‐squared test was performed to compare the prevalence of Enterobacteriaceae in the saliva samples of the subjects with and without nail‐biting habits.Results:  Statistically significant differences were found in the prevalence of Escherichia coli and total Enterobacteriaceae between both groups (P < 0.001). E. coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterobacter cloacae and Enterobacter gergoviae were found in the saliva samples of 19 of the 25 nail‐biting subjects (76%), whereas E. coli, E. aerogenes and E. cloacae were detected in the saliva samples of only nine of the 34 subjects who were not nail‐biters (26.5%).Conclusion:  According to the results of the present study, the Enterobacteriaceae were more prevalent in the oral cavities of children with nail‐biting habits than in children with no oral habit.
The relationship between dental caries status and dental plaque urease activity
Authors: Shu M. , Morou‐Bermudez E. , Suárez‐Pérez E. , Rivera‐Miranda C. , Browngardt C. M. , Chen Y‐Y. M. , Magnusson I. , Burne R. A. 
Published: January 2007

Introduction:  Ammonia production from the metabolism of urea by urease enzymes of oral bacteria moderates plaque acidification and may inhibit dental caries, as suggested by in vitro studies and indirect clinical observations. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship of urease activity with dental caries at the clinical level.Methods:  Urease activity was measured in dental plaque and saliva samples from 25 caries‐free subjects (CF) and in eight subjects with six or more open caries lesions (CA). Plaque and saliva collection was repeated for each subject 1 week later using identical procedures.Results:  Urease‐specific activity in the dental plaque of CF subjects was significantly higher compared to that in the subjects with caries. The association of low plaque urease levels with increased caries was further supported by odds ratio analysis using different plaque urease cut‐off points. Using a receiver operating characteristic curve it was estimated that there was an approximately 85% probability of correctly classifying the subjects as CA or CF based on the relative ordering of their plaque urease activity levels. No statistically significant differences were observed in salivary urease activity.Conclusion:  This study suggests that loss of alkali‐generating potential of tooth biofilms via the urease pathway has a positive relationship to dental caries.
DecreasedN‐acetyl‐aspartate levels in anterior cingulate and hippocampus in subjects with post‐traumatic stress disorder: a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study
Authors: Ham Byung‐Joo , Chey Jeanyung , Yoon Sujung J. , Sung Younghoon , Jeong Do‐Un , Ju Kim Seog , Sim Minyoung E. , Choi Namhee , Choi Ihn‐Geun , Renshaw Perry F. , Lyoo In Kyoon 
Published: January 2007

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate the concentration ofN‐acetyl‐aspartate (NAA) in the brain and its relationship with clinical characteristics in patients with post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy was performed in order to measure NAA concentrations in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and bilateral hippocampus in 26 subjects with fire‐related PTSD, who were survivors of a subway fire in South Korea, and 25 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy comparison subjects. There were decreased NAA levels in the ACC (t = −3.88, d.f. = 49,P < 0.001) and bilateral hippocampus (right,t = −3.88, d.f. = 49,P < 0.001; left,t = −3.62, d.f. = 49,P < 0.001) in the PTSD group relative to the healthy comparison group. Also, NAA levels of the ACC (r = –0.43,n = 26,P = 0.027) and bilateral hippocampus (right,r = –0.48,n = 26,P = 0.013; left,r = −0.40,n = 26,P = 0.04) were negatively correlated with re‐experience symptom scores in subjects with PTSD. In conclusion, our findings suggest that subjects with PTSD had decreased neuronal viabilities in the ACC and bilateral hippocampus, and that these deficits may play an important role in the pathophysiology of PTSD, especially regarding the re‐experiencing of traumatic events.
Effects of serotonin on perifornical‐lateral hypothalamic area neurons in rat
Authors: Kumar Sunil , Szymusiak Ronald , Bashir Tariq , Rai Seema , McGinty Dennis , Alam Md. Noor 
Published: January 2007

AbstractThe hypocretin (HCRT) system of the perifornical‐lateral hypothalamic area (PF‐LHA) has been implicated in the facilitation of behavioral arousal. HCRT neurons receive serotonergic afferents from the dorsal raphe nucleus. Although in‐vitro pharmacological studies suggest that serotonin (5‐HT) inhibits HCRT neurons, the in‐vivo effects of 5‐HT on HCRT neurons in the PF‐LHA and associated behavioral changes have not been described. We examined the effects of 5‐HT delivered locally into the PF‐LHA using reverse microdialysis on its neuronal activity and the consequent sleep–wake changes in rats. First, we quantified Fos expression (Fos‐IR) in HCRT and other PF‐LHA neurons following unilateral 5‐HT perfusion in awake rats. Second, we determined the transient effects of 5‐HT perfusion on the extracellular activity of the PF‐LHA neurons recorded via microwires placed adjacent to the microdialysis probe. Third, we examined the effects of 5‐HT perfusion into the PF‐LHA on the sleep–wake profiles of the rats during the lights‐off period. Unilateral perfusion of 5‐HT into the PF‐LHA in awake rats dose‐dependently decreased the number of HCRT neurons exhibiting Fos‐IR. 5‐HT also inhibited the discharge activity of four of five responsive wake‐related, putative HCRT neurons. However, unilateral perfusion of 5‐HT into the PF‐LHA did not produce significant behavioral changes during the 2‐h recording period. These results confirm the in‐vitro findings that 5‐HT exerts inhibitory influences on HCRT neurons but further suggest that the inactivation of a limited number of HCRT neurons by unilateral 5‐HT microdialysis may not be sufficient to induce behavioral changes.
Brief daily binocular vision prevents monocular deprivation effects in visual cortex
Authors: Schwarzkopf D. Samuel , Vorobyov Vasily , Mitchell Donald E. , Sengpiel Frank 
Published: January 2007

AbstractEven short periods of early monocular deprivation result in reduced cortical representation and visual acuity of the deprived eye. However, we have shown recently that the dramatic deprivation effects on vision can be prevented entirely if the animal receives a brief period of concordant binocular vision each day. We examine here the extent to which the cortical deprivation effects can be counteracted by daily periods of normal experience. Cats received variable daily regimens of monocular deprivation (by wearing a mask) and binocular vision. We subsequently assessed visual cortex function with optical imaging of intrinsic signals and visually evoked potential recordings. Regardless of the overall length of visual experience, daily binocular vision for as little as 30 min, but no less, allowed normal ocular dominance and visual responses to be maintained despite several times longer periods of deprivation. Thus, the absolute amount of daily binocular vision rather than its relative share of the daily exposure determined the outcome. When 30 min of binocular exposure was broken up into two 15‐min blocks flanking the deprivation period, ocular dominance resembled that of animals with only 15 min of binocular vision, suggesting that binocular experience must be continuous to be most effective. Our results demonstrate that normal experience is clearly more efficacious in maintaining normal functional architecture of the visual cortex than abnormal experience is in altering it. The beneficial effects of very short periods of binocular vision may prevent any long‐term effects (amblyopia) from brief periods of compromised vision through injury or infection during development.
Detection, diversity and expression of aerobic bacterial arsenite oxidase genes
Authors: Inskeep William P. , Macur Richard E. , Hamamura Natsuko , Warelow Thomas P. , Ward Seamus A. , Santini Joanne M. 
Published: January 2007

SummaryThe arsenic (As) drinking water crisis in south and south‐east Asia has stimulated intense study of the microbial processes controlling the redox cycling of As in soil‐water systems. Microbial oxidation of arsenite is a critical link in the global As cycle, and phylogenetically diverse arsenite‐oxidizing microorganisms have been isolated from various aquatic and soil environments. However, despite progress characterizing the metabolism of As in various pure cultures, no functional gene approaches have been developed to determine the importance and distribution of arsenite‐oxidizing genes in soil‐water‐sediment systems. Here we report for the first time the successful amplification of arsenite oxidase‐like genes (aroA/asoA/aoxB) from a variety of soil‐sediment and geothermal environments where arsenite is known to be oxidized. Prior to the current work, only 16 aroA/asoA/aoxB‐like gene sequences were available in GenBank, most of these being putative assignments from homology searches of whole genomes. Although aroA/asoA/aoxB gene sequences are not highly conserved across disparate phyla, degenerate primers were used successfully to characterize over 160 diverse aroA‐like sequences from 10 geographically isolated, arsenic‐contaminated sites and from 13 arsenite‐oxidizing organisms. The primer sets were also useful for confirming the expression of aroA‐like genes in an arsenite‐oxidizing organism and in geothermal environments where arsenite is oxidized to arsenate. The phylogenetic and ecological diversity of aroA‐like sequences obtained from this study suggests that genes for aerobic arsenite oxidation are widely distributed in the bacterial domain, are widespread in soil‐water systems containing As, and play a critical role in the biogeochemical cycling of As.
Towards clarification of the biological role of microcystins, a family of cyanobacterial toxins
Authors: Schatz Daniella , Keren Yael , Vardi Assaf , Sukenik Assaf , Carmeli Shmuel , Börner Thomas , Dittmann Elke , Kaplan Aaron 
Published: January 2007

SummaryMicrocystins constitute a serious threat to the quality of drinking water worldwide. These protein phosphatase inhibitors are formed by various cyanobacterial species, including Microcystis sp. Microcystins are produced by a complex microcystin synthetase, composed of peptide synthetases and polyketide synthases, encoded by the mcyA‐J gene cluster. Recent phylogenetic analysis suggested that the microcystin synthetase predated the metazoan lineage, thus dismissing the possibility that microcystins emerged as a means of defence against grazing, and their original biological role is not clear. We show that lysis of Microcystis cells, either mechanically or because of various stress conditions, induced massive accumulation of McyB and enhanced the production of microcystins in the remaining Microcystis cells. A rise in McyB content was also observed following exposure to microcystin or the protease inhibitors micropeptin and microginin, also produced by Microcystis. The extent of the stimulation by cell extract was strongly affected by the age of the treated Microcystis culture. Older cultures, or those recently diluted from stock cultures, hardly responded to the components in the cell extract. We propose that lysis of a fraction of the Microcystis population is sensed by the rest of the cells because of the release of non‐ribosomal peptides. The remaining cells respond by raising their ability to produce microcystins thereby enhancing their fitness in their ecological niche, because of their toxicity.
‘Sifting the Wheat from the Chaff’: A Two‐dimensional Discriminant Analysis of Welfare State Regime Theory
Authors: Bambra Clare 
Published: January 2007

Abstract Welfare state modelling has long been an important strand within comparative social policy. However, since the publication of Esping‐Andersen's ‘Worlds of Welfare’ typology, welfare state classification has become particularly prominent and a multitude of competing typologies and taxonomies have emerged. Each of these is based on different classification criteria, and each is trying to capture what a welfare state actually does. The result is that the literature is in a state of confusion and inertia as it is unclear which of these rival systems is currently the most accurate and should be taken forward, and which are not and should perhaps be left behind. This article extends Bonoli's two‐dimensional analysis of welfare state regimes by using multivariate analysis of variance and discriminant analysis to compare and contrast the various classifications on universal criteria. It also examines the usefulness of the two‐dimensional approach itself and suggests how it can be enhanced to benefit future attempts at holistic welfare state modelling. The article concludes that there are some welfare state classifications that are more useful than others, especially in terms of reflecting a two‐dimensional analysis: it thereby ‘sifts the wheat from the chaff’ in terms of welfare state regime theory.
Updating the Debate on Intergenerational Fairness in Pension Reform
Authors: Howse Kenneth 
Published: January 2007

AbstractThis article examines the arguments involved in claims about the fairness or unfairness of government policies that would require current working generations to bear the full impact of their lower fertility on the costs of retirement pensions. The analysis is set in the context of a wider review of debate on the role of the idea of generational fairness in assessing options for reform under conditions of population ageing. The article considers three questions: whether generational fairness poses a serious problem for pay‐as‐you‐go pension schemes; whether it is reasonable to assess the generational fairness of pension policy in isolation from other kinds of generational transfer; and whether there is a good case for redistribution from future generations in favour of the baby boom generation.
Geometric Parameters as Key Factors for the 3D‐modeling of Fluvial Deposits
Authors: Becker‐Haumann Raimo 
Published: January 2007

AbstractGIS is an established and appropriate tool for the management and evaluation of geodata which is being increasingly used for the three‐dimensional modeling of strata. An advanced technique for the GIS‐based 3D‐modeling is developed here in order to integrate genetic aspects of deposition into the modeling process. The ArcView® software (ESRI, Inc., Redlands, California) and the extensions 3D‐Analyst and Spatial Analyst have been used for the data management and layer rendering. The tools VirGIL and GSI‐3D (Insight Corp., Germany) have been applied for the purpose of visualization of the layers in 3D. The main topic of the work is the generation of geometrically consistent models of fluvial terrace bodies, which represent monogenetic fills of Pleistocene palaeovalleys. One peculiarity of the investigated Illerglacier foreland, southern Germany, is the occurrence of highly eroded terrace remnants. The preserved deposits are tied to several accumulation levels, but the usual way of morphostratigraphic interpretation is limited and results in lots of different stratigraphies and palaeogeographic ideas presented in literature. The sediment fill of meltwater valleys, which can be identified in the Illerglacier area is reconstructed based upon intense field mapping. The terrace accumulations are defined by the base and surface layers, which are thought to be isochronous. Some 1,400 data points were used to model these layers in 3D. The geometry of the sediment deposits is defined using basic parameters, e.g. the gradient and the thickness of the terrace, which are used as bench levels for the modeling process. The quality of the calculated maps and cross‐sections far surpasses that of those derived in the classic way without a genetic concept and without using the 3D‐modeling technique. The results derived from the terrace models are relevant for the stratigraphy and palaeogeography of the investigated region of the Alpine foreland. The advanced modeling technique can be used for the detail analyses of terrace sequences of other regions.
On Least Squares Fitting for Stationary Spatial Point Processes
Authors: Guan Yongtao , Sherman Michael 
Published: January 2007

SummaryThe K-function is a popular tool for fitting spatial point process models owing to its simplicity and wide applicability. In this work we study the properties of least squares estimators of model parameters and propose a new method of model fitting via the K-function by using subsampling. We demonstrate consistency and asymptotic normality of our estimators of model parameters and compare the efficiency of our procedure with existing procedures. This is done through asymptotic theory, simulation experiments and an application to a data set on long leaf pine-trees.
A leg ulcer as manifestation of metastatic squamous cell vaginal carcinoma
Authors: Van Ruth S. , Van Dorst EBL , Canninga‐van Dijk MR , De Bruin‐Weller MS 
Published: January 2007

AbstractCutaneous metastasis of vaginal carcinoma is extremely rare. So far, the total number of reported skin metastasis of vaginal carcinoma is only one. We present another case with an unusual manifestation of vagina carcinoma metastasis: skin metastasis presenting as a leg ulcer on the lower leg.
Ontogeny of the nasolacrimal duct in primates: functional and phylogenetic implications
Authors: Rossie James B. , Smith Timothy D. 
Published: January 2007

AbstractThe ontogeny of the nasolacrimal ducts (NLD) and canals (NLC) are investigated in strepsirrhine and haplorhine primates. Developmental series of serially sectioned fetal, perinatal and adult specimens, in combination with juvenile and adult skulls subjected to high‐resolution computed tomography, reveal that the vertical NLC and NLD of adult tarsiers and anthropoids are produced by the degeneration of a more horizontal anterior arm of the NLD that is present only transiently in haplorhines, but is maintained throughout life in strepsirrhines. This degeneration manifests as an ‘unzipping’ of the anterior arm by means of progressive enlargement (in a rostral direction) of a caudally placed opening of the NLD (at the base of the vertical NLC), followed by breakdown of the resulting epithelial groove. The similar mode by which the anterior arm of the membranous NLD degenerates in tarsiers and anthropoids strongly suggests that the conditions in these two taxa are homologous, and provides additional evidence for a monophyletic Haplorhini. The functional relationship between the nasolacrimal duct and the vomeronasal organ is reviewed in light of this evidence, and it is suggested that these changes in the haplorhine NLD were functionally linked to the development of anatomical haplorhinism of the oronasal complex.