bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Weak and strong convergence theorems for nonexpansive semigroups in Banach spaces
Authors: Atsushiba Sachiko , Takahashi Wataru 
Published: October 2005

AbstractWe introduce an implicit iterative process for a nonexpansive semigroup and then we prove a weak convergence theorem for the nonexpansive semigroup in a uniformly convex Banach space which satisfies Opial's condition. Further, we discuss the strong convergence of the implicit iterative process.
Common fixed point theorems for compatible self-maps of Hausdorff topological spaces
Authors: Jungck Gerald F 
Published: October 2005

AbstractThe concept of proper orbits of a map "Equation missing" is introduced and results of the following type are obtained. If a continuous self-map "Equation missing" of a Hausdorff topological space "Equation missing" has relatively compact proper orbits, then "Equation missing" has a fixed point. In fact, "Equation missing" has a common fixed point with every continuous self-map "Equation missing" of "Equation missing" which is nontrivially compatible with "Equation missing". A collection of metric and semimetric space fixed point theorems follows as a consequence. Specifically, a theorem by Kirk regarding diminishing orbital diameters is generalized, and a fixed point theorem for maps with no recurrent points is proved.
Quasicontraction nonself-mappings on convex metric spaces and common fixed point theorems
Authors: Gajić Ljiljana , Rakočević Vladimir 
Published: October 2005

AbstractWe consider quasicontraction nonself-mappings on Takahashi convex metric spaces and common fixed point theorems for a pair of maps. Results generalizing and unifying fixed point theorems of Ivanov, Jungck, Das and Naik, and Ćirić are established.
Transfer positive hemicontinuity and zeros, coincidences, and fixed points of maps in topological vector spaces
Authors: Włodarczyk K , Klim D 
Published: October 2005

AbstractLet "Equation missing" be a real Hausdorff topological vector space. In the present paper, the concepts of the transfer positive hemicontinuity and strictly transfer positive hemicontinuity of set-valued maps in "Equation missing" are introduced (condition of strictly transfer positive hemicontinuity is stronger than that of transfer positive hemicontinuity) and for maps "Equation missing" and "Equation missing" defined on a nonempty compact convex subset "Equation missing" of "Equation missing", we describe how some ideas of K. Fan have been used to prove several new, and rather general, conditions (in which transfer positive hemicontinuity plays an important role) that a single-valued map "Equation missing" has a zero, and, at the same time, we give various characterizations of the class of those pairs "Equation missing" and maps "Equation missing" that possess coincidences and fixed points, respectively. Transfer positive hemicontinuity and strictly transfer positive hemicontinuity generalize the famous Fan upper demicontinuity which generalizes upper semicontinuity. Furthermore, a new type of continuity defined here essentially generalizes upper hemicontinuity (the condition of upper demicontinuity is stronger than the upper hemicontinuity). Comparison of transfer positive hemicontinuity and strictly transfer positive hemicontinuity with upper demicontinuity and upper hemicontinuity and relevant connections of the results presented in this paper with those given in earlier works are also considered. Examples and remarks show a fundamental difference between our results and the well-known ones.
Towards an integrative theory of religion and politics
Authors: Leustean Lucian 
Published: October 2005

AbstractIn the social sciences, debate on the relationship between religion and politics is mainly the subject of analysis in the sociology of religion and the theory of international relations. While each of these fields promotes different approaches to study their interdependency. The individual's perception of religion and politics is neglected by current research. The faithful, who participates in religious ceremonies, listening and behaving according to specific religious teachings, actively engaging in the liturgical life of the institutional form of his religion, has a specific way of understanding the relationship between religion and politics. I argue that this aspect is under-researched and misrepresented in the literature of sociology and international relations. However, a more complex analysis is offered by the study of nationalism, and especially by its ethnosymbolic approach, which includes at the micro and macro societal level the presence of myths and symbols as part of the individual's and the nation's life. An integrative theory analysing the connection between religion and politics takes into account the role of myths and symbols from the perspectives of both individuals and ethnic communities.
Reappropriating 'religion'? Constructively reconceptualising (human) science and the study of religion
Authors: Orye Lieve 
Published: October 2005

AbstractIn the study of religion there is much discussion, to put it simply, between those arguing for a humanistic or for other forms of a non-reductionist study of religion and those opposing "the humanistic manoeuvre" and what they see as attempts to retheologise the discipline. Donald Wiebe, whose work occupies centre stage in this article, participates extensively in these debates and is a fervent spokesperson for the latter group. In this article I want to inject in these debates Latour's constructivist perspective on science. Such a perspective involves a call to "go beyond the centrality of beliefs" and hence involves a quite different view on human beings and science from those underlying the debates. Similarities with Cantwell Smith's work are shown and a suggestion is made to jointly discover/construct a symmetrical anthropology that will be useful to the study of religion. The main argument, however, is that from this new perspective, which should stimulate renewed debate about "the role of belief" and other issues, the warnings by Don Wiebe against the introduction of extra-scientific motives and against a blurring of the line between religion and the study of religion remain valid.
Improving Regional Model Simulations with Precipitation Assimilation
Authors: Nunes Ana M. B. , Roads John O. 
Published: October 2005

Abstract
Although large-scale atmospheric reanalyses are now providing physical, realistic fields for many variables, precipitation remains problematic. As shown in recent studies, using a regional model to downscale the global reanalysis only marginally alleviates the precipitation simulation problems. For this reason, later-generation analyses, including the recent National Centers for Environmental Prediction regional reanalysis, are using precipitation assimilation as a methodology to provide superior precipitation fields. This methodology can also be applied to regional model simulations to substantially improve the precipitation fields downscaled from global reanalysis. As an illustration of the regional model precipitation assimilation impact, the authors describe here an extended-range simulation comparison over South America. The numerical experiments cover the beginning of the Large-Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere wet season campaign of January 1999. Evaluations using radiosonde datasets obtained during this campaign are provided as well. As will be shown, rain-rate assimilation not only increases the regional model precipitation simulation skill but also provides improvements in other fields influenced by the precipitation. Because of the potential impact on land surface features, the authors believe they will ultimately be able to show improvements in monthly to seasonal forecasts when precipitation assimilation is used to generate more accurate land surface initial conditions.
Does the Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion polymorphism modify the response to ACE inhibitor therapy? – A systematic review
Authors: Scharplatz Madlaina , Puhan Milo A , Steurer Johann , Perna Annalisa , Bachmann Lucas M 
Published: October 2005

Abstract

Background
Pharmacogenetic testing to individualize ACE inhibitor therapy remains controversial. We conducted a systematic review to assess the effect modification of the insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of the ACE gene on any outcome in patients treated with ACE inhibitors for cardiovascular and/or renal disease.

Methods
Our systematic review involved searching six electronic databases, then contacting the investigators (and pharmaceutical industry representatives) responsible for the creation of these databases. Two reviewers independently selected relevant randomized, placebo-controlled trials and abstracted from each study details on characteristics and quality.

Results
Eleven studies met our inclusion criteria. Despite repeated efforts to contact authors, only four of the eleven studies provided sufficient data to quantify the effect modification by genotypes. We observed a trend towards better response to ACE inhibitors in Caucasian DD carriers compared to II carriers, in terms of blood pressure, proteinuria, glomerular filtration rate, ACE activity and progression to end-stage renal failure. Pooling of the results was inappropriate, due to heterogeneity in ethnicity, clinical domains and outcomes.

Conclusion
Lack of sufficient genetic data from the reviewed studies precluded drawing any convincing conclusions. Better reporting of genetic data are needed to confirm our preliminary observations concerning better response to ACE inhibitors among Caucasian DD carriers as compared to II carriers.
A method of precise mRNA/DNA homology-based gene structure prediction
Authors: Churbanov Alexander , Pauley Mark , Quest Daniel , Ali Hesham 
Published: October 2005

Abstract
Background
Accurate and automatic gene finding and structural prediction is a common problem in bioinformatics, and applications need to be capable of handling non-canonical splice sites, micro-exons and partial gene structure predictions that span across several genomic clones.

Results
We present a mRNA/DNA homology based gene structure prediction tool, GIGOgene. We use a new affine gap penalty splice-enhanced global alignment algorithm running in linear memory for a high quality annotation of splice sites. Our tool includes a novel algorithm to assemble partial gene structure predictions using interval graphs. GIGOgene exhibited a sensitivity of 99.08% and a specificity of 99.98% on the Genie learning set, and demonstrated a higher quality of gene structural prediction when compared to Sim4, est2genome, Spidey, Galahad and BLAT, including when genes contained micro-exons and non-canonical splice sites. GIGOgene showed an acceptable loss of prediction quality when confronted with a noisy Genie learning set simulating ESTs.

Conclusion
GIGOgene shows a higher quality of gene structure prediction for mRNA/DNA spliced alignment when compared to other available tools.
Satisfaction is not all – patients' perceptions of outcome of general practice consultations, a qualitative study
Authors: Andén Annika , Andersson Sven-Olof , Rudebeck Carl-Edvard 
Published: October 2005

Abstract

Background
Evaluation of outcome in general practice can be seen from different viewpoints. In this study we focus on the concepts patients use to describe the outcome of a consultation with a GP.

Method
Patients were interviewed within a week after a consultation with a GP. The interviews were made with 20 patients in 5 focus groups and 8 individually. They were analysed with a phenomenographic research approach.

Results
From the patient's perspective, the outcome of a consultation is about cure or symptom relief, understanding, confirmation, reassurance, change in self-perception and satisfaction.

Conclusion
General practice consultations are often more important for patients than generally supposed. Understanding is the most basic concept.
Short- and long-term cause-specific survival of patients with inflammatory breast cancer
Authors: Tai Patricia , Yu Edward , Shiels Ross , Pacella Juan , Jones Kurian , Sadikov Evgeny , Mahmood Shazia 
Published: October 2005

AbstractBackgroundInflammatory breast cancer (IBC) had been perceived to have a poor prognosis. Oncologists were not enthusiastic in the past to give aggressive treatment. Single institution studies tend to have small patient numbers and limited years of follow-up. Most studies do not report 10-, 15- or 20-year results.MethodsData was obtained from the population-based database of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program of the National Cancer Institute from 1975–1995 using SEER*Stat5.0 software. This period of 21 years was divided into 7 periods of 3 years each. The years were chosen so that there was adequate follow-up information to 2000. ICD-O-2 histology 8530/3 was used to define IBC. The lognormal model was used for statistical analysis.ResultsA total of 1684 patients were analyzed, of which 84% were white, 11% were African Americans, and 5% belonged to other races. Age distribution was < 30 years in 1%, 30–40 in 11%, 40–50 in 22%, 50–60 in 24%, 60–70 in 21%, and > 70 in 21%. The lognormal model was validated for 1975–77 and for 1978–80, since the 10-, 15- and 20-year cause-specific survival (CSS) rates, could be calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method with data available in 2000. The data were then used to estimate the 10-, 15- and 20-year CSS rates for the more recent years, and to study the trend of improvement in survival. There were increasing incidences of IBC: 134 patients in the 1975–77 period to 416 patients in the 1993–95 period. The corresponding 20-year CSS increased from 9% to 20% respectively with standard errors of less than 4%.ConclusionThe improvement of survival during the study period may be due to introduction of more aggressive treatments. However, there seem to be no further increase of long-term CSS, which should encourage oncologists to find even more effective treatments. Because of small numbers of patients, randomized studies will be difficult to conduct. The SEER population-based database will yield the best possible estimate of the trend in improvement of survival for patients with IBC.
Expression of POU-domain transcription factor, Oct-6, in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression
Authors: Ubhi Kirenjeet , Price Jack 
Published: October 2005

Abstract

Background
The POU-domain transcription factor Oct-6 has been reported to be differentially expressed between schizophrenic and control post-mortem brains. In this study, we attempted to replicate this finding and to discover whether Oct-6 was also dysregulated in bipolar disorder and major depression.

Methods

Oct-6 mRNA and protein expression were determined by in-situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry respectively in sections of post-mortem brain.

Results
We did not observe any differences in Oct-6 expression between any of the groups under study. Oct-6 mRNA and protein was identically expressed in the hippocampal and cortical regions of most specimens in all groups, including controls.

Conclusion

Oct-6 is, therefore, unlikely to be a specific marker for any psychological disorder; rather its expression in controls suggests that it is normally expressed in most adult brains.
Geographical variation of cerebrovascular disease in New York State: the correlation with income
Authors: Han Daikwon , Carrow Shannon S , Rogerson Peter A , Munschauer Frederick E 
Published: October 2005

Abstract

Background
Income is known to be associated with cerebrovascular disease; however, little is known about the more detailed relationship between cerebrovascular disease and income. We examined the hypothesis that the geographical distribution of cerebrovascular disease in New York State may be predicted by a nonlinear model using income as a surrogate socioeconomic risk factor.

Results
We used spatial clustering methods to identify areas with high and low prevalence of cerebrovascular disease at the ZIP code level after smoothing rates and correcting for edge effects; geographic locations of high and low clusters of cerebrovascular disease in New York State were identified with and without income adjustment. To examine effects of income, we calculated the excess number of cases using a non-linear regression with cerebrovascular disease rates taken as the dependent variable and income and income squared taken as independent variables. The resulting regression equation was: excess rate = 32.075 - 1.22*10-4(income) + 8.068*10-10(income
2), and both income and income squared variables were significant at the 0.01 level. When income was included as a covariate in the non-linear regression, the number and size of clusters of high cerebrovascular disease prevalence decreased. Some 87 ZIP codes exceeded the critical value of the local statistic yielding a relative risk of 1.2. The majority of low cerebrovascular disease prevalence geographic clusters disappeared when the non-linear income effect was included. For linear regression, the excess rate of cerebrovascular disease falls with income; each $10,000 increase in median income of each ZIP code resulted in an average reduction of 3.83 observed cases. The significant nonlinear effect indicates a lessening of this income effect with increasing income.

Conclusion
Income is a non-linear predictor of excess cerebrovascular disease rates, with both low and high observed cerebrovascular disease rate areas associated with higher income. Income alone explains a significant amount of the geographical variance in cerebrovascular disease across New York State since both high and low clusters of cerebrovascular disease dissipate or disappear with income adjustment. Geographical modeling, including non-linear effects of income, may allow for better identification of other non-traditional risk factors.
Heat shock protein and heat shock factor 1 expression and localization in vaccinia virus infected human monocyte derived macrophages
Authors: Kowalczyk Aleksandra , Guzik Krzysztof , Slezak Kinga , Dziedzic Jakub , Rokita Hanna 
Published: October 2005

AbstractBackgroundViruses remain one of the inducers of the stress response in the infected cells. Heat shock response induced by vaccinia virus (VV) infection was studied in vitro in human blood monocyte derived macrophages (MDMs) as blood cells usually constitute the primary site of the infection.MethodsHuman blood monocytes were cultured for 12 – 14 days. The transcripts of heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) and two viral genes (E3L and F17R) were assayed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and the corresponding proteins measured by Western blot. Heat shock factor 1 DNA binding activities were estimated by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and its subcellular localization analyzed by immunocytofluorescence.ResultsIt appeared that infection with vaccinia virus leads to activation of the heat shock factor 1. Activation of HSF1 causes increased synthesis of an inducible form of the HSP70 both at the mRNA and the protein level. Although HSP90 mRNA was enhanced in vaccinia virus infected cells, the HSP90 protein content remained unchanged. At the time of maximum vaccinia virus gene expression, an inhibitory effect of the infection on the heat shock protein and the heat shock factor 1 was most pronounced. Moreover, at the early phase of the infection translocation of HSP70 and HSP90 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus of the infected cells was observed.ConclusionPreferential nuclear accumulation of HSP70, the major stress-inducible chaperone protein, suggests that VV employs this particular mechanism of cytoprotection to protect the infected cell rather than to help viral replication. The results taken together with our previuos data on monocytes or MDMs infected with VV orS. aureusstrongly argue that VV employs multiple cellular antiapoptotic/cytoprotective mechanisms to prolong viability and proinflammatory activity of the cells of monocytic-macrophage lineage.
Wnt5 signaling in vertebrate pancreas development
Authors: Kim Hyon J , Schleiffarth Jack R , Jessurun Jose , Sumanas Saulius , Petryk Anna , Lin Shuo , Ekker Stephen C 
Published: October 2005

AbstractBackgroundSignaling by the Wnt family of secreted glycoproteins through their receptors, the frizzled (Fz) family of seven-pass transmembrane proteins, is critical for numerous cell fate and tissue polarity decisions during development.ResultsWe report a novel role of Wnt signaling in organogenesis using the formation of the islet during pancreatic development as a model tissue. We used the advantages of the zebrafish to visualize and document this process in living embryos and demonstrated thatinsulin-positive cells actively migrate to form an islet. We used morpholinos (MOs), sequence-specific translational inhibitors, and time-lapse imaging analysis to show that the Wnt-5 ligand and the Fz-2 receptor are required for properinsulin-cell migration in zebrafish. Histological analyses of islets inWnt5a-/-mouse embryos showed that Wnt5a signaling is also critical for murine pancreaticinsulin-cell migration.ConclusionOur results implicate a conserved role of a Wnt5/Fz2 signaling pathway in islet formation during pancreatic development. This study opens the door for further investigation into a role of Wnt signaling in vertebrate organ development and disease.
Silencing of human T-cell leukemia virus type I gene transcription by epigenetic mechanisms
Authors: Taniguchi Yuko , Nosaka Kisato , Yasunaga Jun-ichirou , Maeda Michiyuki , Mueller Nancy , Okayama Akihiko , Matsuoka Masao 
Published: October 2005

Abstract

Background
Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) causes adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) after a long latent period. Among accessory genes encoded by HTLV-I, the tax gene is thought to play a central role in oncogenesis. However, Tax expression is disrupted by several mechanims including genetic changes of the tax gene, deletion/hypermethylation of 5'-LTR. To clarify the role of epigenetic changes, we analyzed DNA methylation and histone modification in the whole HTLV-I provirus genome.

Results
The gag, pol and env genes of HTLV-I provirus were more methylated than pX region, whereas methylation of 5'-LTR was variable and 3'-LTR was not methylated at all. In ATL cell lines, complete DNA methylation of 5'-LTR was associated with transcriptional silencing of viral genes. HTLV-I provirus was more methylated in primary ATL cells than in carrier state, indicating the association with disease progression. In seroconvertors, DNA methylation was already observed in internal sequences of provirus just after seroconversion. Taken together, it is speculated that DNA methylation first occurs in the gag, pol and env regions and then extends in the 5' and 3' directions in vivo, and when 5'-LTR becomes methylated, viral transcription is silenced. Analysis of histone modification in the HTLV-I provirus showed that the methylated provirus was associated with hypoacetylation. However, the tax gene transcript could not be detected in fresh ATL cells regardless of hyperacetylated histone H3 in 5'-LTR. The transcription rapidly recovered after in vitro culture in such ATL cells.

Conclusion
These results showed that epigenetic changes of provirus facilitated ATL cells to evade host immune system by suppressing viral gene transcription. In addition, this study shows the presence of another reversible mechanism that suppresses the tax gene transcription without DNA methylation and hypoacetylated histone.