bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
What does it mean to want to quit?
Authors: BALMFORD JAMES , BORLAND RON 
Published: November 2007

AbstractIntroduction and Aims. To report on the prevalence of attitudes and beliefs about the importance of wanting to quit and need for use of cessation assistance, that may act as barriers to quitting smoking and adopting cessation assistance. Design and Methods. National telephone survey of 802 randomly selected adults (685 smokers, 117 recent quitters). Results. Seventy per cent of smokers believed that ‘wanting to quit’ was both a necessary and sufficient condition for being able to quit. While only one‐third of smokers believed that they were too addicted to be able to quit, only a quarter believed they could quit any time they want to. Belief that use of cessation assistance is a sign of weakness was endorsed by 35% of participants, and related to stage of change. Discussion and Conclusions. Beliefs about the importance of wanting to quit are commonly held. Many smokers appear to believe that a rational, unambivalent desire to quit is needed before it is worthwhile trying. Short‐term impulses to act are not perceived as sufficient. The role of cessation assistance in helping smokers form a rational desire to quit appears to be poorly understood by the majority of smokers. There is a need to engender greater understanding of the potential value of cessation aids to smokers experiencing ambivalence about wanting to quit.
Barriers and missed opportunities to HIV testing among injection drug users in two Mexico–US border cities
Authors: MOYER LAURA B. , BROUWER KIMBERLEY C. , BRODINE STEPHANIE K. , RAMOS REBECA , LOZADA REMEDIOS , CRUZ MICHELLE FIRESTONE , MAGIS‐RODRIGUEZ CARLOS , STRATHDEE STEFFANIE A. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractIntroduction and Aims. Despite increasing HIV prevalence in cities along the Mexico – US border, HIV testing among high‐risk populations remains low. We sought to identify barriers associated with HIV testing among injection drug users (IDUs) in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, the two largest Mexican border cities located across from San Diego, California and El Paso, Texas, respectively. Design and Methods. In 2005, 222 IDUs in Tijuana and 205 IDUs in Ciudad Juarez were recruited by respondent‐driven sampling and administered a questionnaire to collect socio‐demographic, behavioural and HIV testing history data. Blood samples were provided for serological testing of HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and syphilis. Results. Only 38% and 30% of respondents in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, respectively, had ever had an HIV test. The factors independently associated with never having been tested for HIV differed between the two sites, except for lack of knowledge on HIV transmission, which was independently associated in both locales. Importantly, 65% of those who had never been tested for HIV in both cities experienced at least one missed opportunity for voluntary testing, including medical visits, drug treatment and spending time in jail. Discussion and Conclusions. Among this high‐risk IDU population we found HIV testing to be low, with voluntary testing in public and private settings utilised inadequately. These findings underscore the need to expand voluntary HIV education and testing and to integrate it into services and locales frequented by IDUs in these Mexico – US border cities.
Dispensing opioid substitution treatment: practices, attitudes and intentions of community‐based pharmacists
Authors: LAWRINSON PETER , ROCHE ANN , TERAO HIROE , LE PHUONG‐PHI 
Published: November 2007

AbstractIntroduction and Aims. Community‐based pharmacists (CPs) play a pivotal role in the provision of opioid substitution treatment (OST). This study examined practices, experiences, attitudes and intentions of a sample of South Australian pharmacists involved with the provision of OST. Design and Methods. A random sample, stratified by geographic location, of 50 SA CPs were administered a telephone survey. The survey included pharmacist and pharmacy details, current practices, problems experienced, attitudes towards and future intentions in relation to the provision of OST. Results. Pharmacists indicated high levels of support for the OST programme and most (98%) intended to continue providing OST. Sixty‐four per cent of all pharmacists, and significantly more rural pharmacists (90%), indicated that they were willing to take on additional clients. Metropolitan pharmacists dosed greater numbers of OST clients (median = 7) than rural pharmacists (median = 4). There was a strong positive correlation between number of regular clients seen and problems experienced by pharmacists. Seventy per cent of pharmacists reported detecting no diversion of pharmacotherapy medication. Discussion and Conclusions. Despite reports to the contrary, pharmacists appear to be generally positively predisposed to providing OST. Policies aimed at retaining pharmacists, particularly in resource poor rural areas, could consider embracing a shared‐care approach between general practitioners and pharmacists.
Evaluation of a community‐driven preventive youth initiative in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia
Authors: LEE K. S. KYLIE , CONIGRAVE KATHERINE M. , CLOUGH ALAN R. , WALLACE CATE , SILINS EDMUND , RAWLES JACKIE 
Published: November 2007

AbstractIntroduction and Aims. We evaluated a community‐driven initiative established to prevent substance misuse and increase respect for culture and their elders among young people in a group of remote Aboriginal communities in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory (NT), Australia. The Youth Development Unit provided a range of training, recreational and cultural activities within a community development framework to all young people in the community. Design and Methods. Methods of operation, community acceptability, perceived impact and likely ability to meet goals were assessed. Data included community, staff and stakeholder interviews and observation. School attendance, youth apprehension rates and information on levels of substance use were compared 2 years before and after the initiative was implemented. Results. Interviewees reported increased youth training and recreational opportunities, increased communication between local agencies, overall satisfaction with programme delivery and optimism that it could achieve its goals. Suggested improvements included even more training, cultural programmes and other activities and employment of more community‐based Indigenous staff. The importance of key staff, involvement of a respected Indigenous staff member and community engagement were noted as probable contributors to its success. Discussion and Conclusions. Indigenous young people in Australia remain one of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. Community‐driven preventive initiatives offer enhanced youth resilience and connectedness in remote Aboriginal communities and alternatives to substance use.
Chemical synthesis and 1H‐NMR 3D structure determination of AgTx2‐MTX chimera, a new potential blocker for Kv1.2 channel, derived from MTX and AgTx2 scorpion toxins
Authors: Pimentel Cyril , M'Barek Sarrah , Visan Violetta , Grissmer Stephan , Sampieri François , Sabatier Jean‐Marc , Darbon Hervé , Fajloun Ziad 
Published: November 2007

AbstractAgitoxin 2 (AgTx2) is a 38‐residue scorpion toxin, cross‐linked by three disulfide bridges, which acts on voltage‐gated K+ (Kv) channels. Maurotoxin (MTX) is a 34‐residue scorpion toxin with an uncommon four‐disulfide bridge reticulation, acting on both Ca2+‐activated and Kv channels. A 39‐mer chimeric peptide, named AgTx2‐MTX, was designed from the sequence of the two toxins and chemically synthesized. It encompasses residues 1–5 of AgTx2, followed by the complete sequence of MTX. As established by enzyme cleavage, the new AgTx2‐MTX molecule displays half‐cystine pairings of the type C1–C5, C2–C6, C3–C7, and C4–C8, which is different from that of MTX. The 3D structure of AgTx2‐MTX solved by 1H‐NMR, revealed both α‐helical and β‐sheet structures, consistent with a common α/β scaffold of scorpion toxins. Pharmacological assays of AgTx2‐MTX revealed that this new molecule is more potent than both original toxins in blocking rat Kv1.2 channel. Docking simulations, performed with the 3D structure of AgTx2‐MTX, confirmed this result and demonstrated the participation of the N‐terminal domain of AgTx2 in its increased affinity for Kv1.2 through additional molecular contacts. Altogether, the data indicated that replacement of the N‐terminal domain of MTX by the one of AgTx2 in the AgTx2‐MTX chimera results in a reorganization of the disulfide bridge arrangement and an increase of affinity to the Kv1.2 channel.
A field quantification of coastal dune perennial plants as indicators of surface stability, erosion or deposition
Authors: LEVIN NOAM , KIDRON GIORA J. , BEN‐DOR EYAL 
Published: November 2007

AbstractDune plants both modify the wind field around them and are impacted by various stress factors, among them sand erosion and sand deposition. As coastal dunes are being either stabilized or remobilized, in response to the changes in the rates of sand and dune movement, the vegetation cover and composition are expected to vary reflecting the differences in the sedimentary conditions. In this field study 315 quadrats of 100 m2, in which the perennial plant species were sampled, were analysed with respect to annual rates of sand erosion and deposition that were measured using erosion pins. A visual exploratory data analysis was introduced, based on selective filtering of samples according to their vegetation cover. This method, combined with established statistical tools, enabled the authors to uncover the inclination and indicative power of nine perennial dune plants to either a stabilized or a mobile environment, and to establish whether they are more prevalent in places undergoing sand erosion or sand burial. Two species were found to be clear indicators of a stabilized environment, Stipagrostis lanata, and Retama raetam. Of the species indicating a mobile environment, only one may be stated as a clear indicator of sand erosion: Silene succulenta, with Cyperus macrorrhizus coming close to being an indicator of a less mobile erosive environment. The best indicator species for sand burial was found to be, as expected, Ammophila arenaria, with Artemisia monosperma also indicating high rates of sand mobility especially when its relative cover is higher than 80%. Such information can be used to monitor natural processes of dune stabilization or reactivation, or to assess the success of a management plan that aims at stabilizing a dune, or at remobilizing it by removing vegetation.
Habitat selection and foraging behaviour of breeding Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola: a comparison between contrasting landscapes
Authors: HOODLESS ANDREW N. , HIRONS GRAHAM J. M. 
Published: November 2007

Diet, feeding behaviour and habitat selection of breeding Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola were studied by radiotracking birds from March to July in two contrasting situations: a 171‐ha lowland plantation of Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus, Beech Fagus sylvaticus and pine Pinus sylvestris/P. nigra in Derbyshire, central England, and an area of c. 900 ha of fragmented, naturally regenerating birch Betula pendula/B. pubescens woodland and hill margin in an upland glen in Angus, northeast Scotland. Earthworms were the most important diet component of adults and chicks in terms of biomass at both sites (50–80%), the rest comprising mainly spiders, harvestmen and beetles. In spring both sexes flew c. 1 km after dusk to feed on fields at night, with up to 94% of nocturnal radiolocations on fields in March, dropping to 18% in July. This behaviour probably reflected seasonal changes in the relative availability of earthworms in fields and woodland. Diurnal home range sizes were similar at both sites and the mean size of 30‐day ranges was 62 ± 20 ha (± se), although Woodcock changed locations regularly and areas used for feeding on a daily basis were typically smaller than 1 ha. In the lowland plantation, Sycamore with Dog's Mercury Mercurialis perennis ground cover was highly used relative to availability. In the upland margin study area, the same held for dense sapling‐stage birch. These habitats appear to represent a compromise between food availability and protection from avian predators. Recently documented changes in the structure of British woods during the last 30 years, suggestive of reduced management and increased grazing/browsing, are likely to have been detrimental to breeding Woodcock.
Hermann Abich (1806–1886): ‘the Father of Caucasian Geology’ and his travels in the Caucasus and Armenian Highlands
Authors: Milanovsky E. E. 
Published: November 2007

Abstract
Hermann Willhelm Abich (1806–1886) spent more than thirty years travelling and investigating the geology of the Caucasus, Transcaucasian and Armenian highlands. He was appointed Professor of Mineralogy at Dorpat University but soon afterwards began his travels. He investigated the volcanic processes of this region to determine the reasons for its tectonic and seismic instability. He later focused on Georgia with its coal deposits, and then studied the oil and gas fields and mud volcanoes on the Apsheron peninsula near Baku in Azerbaijan. He also studied the effects of the last glaciation on the topography of the region.
Franz Hilgendorf (1839–1904): introducer of evolutionary theory to Japan around 1873
Authors: Yajima M. 
Published: November 2007

Abstract

Franz Martin Hilgendorf (1839–1904) arrived in Japan in March, 1873 and stayed in Tokyo until October 1876 as a ‘foreign employee’ (a Westerner employed in the modernization of Japan). In the beginning of the Meiji Era, the Japanese Government invited many Westerners to introduce facets of Western civilization. Hilgendorf's doctoral dissertation at Tübingen University (1863) dealt with molluscan evolutionary lineages of Miocene age from Steinheim, Germany. Hilgendorf's ideas already included the concept that fossils had evolved. Charles Darwin (1809–1881) himself had mentioned Hilgendorf's findings in the sixth edition of his
Origin of Species
, published in 1872. Hilgendorf lectured on evolution at the Tokyo Medical School (the former University of Tokyo) well before the American, Edward Sylvester Morse (1838–1925), whom it was thought had introduced Darwinian theory to Japan in 1877. The priority of Hilgendorf is proved by contemporary notes taken by the famous Japanese novelist, Mori Ougai (1862–1922), who had attended Hilgendorf's lectures whilst a student.
A Very Simple Spiking Neuron Model That Allows for Modeling of Large, Complex Systems
Authors: Lovelace Jeffrey J. , Cios Krzysztof J. 
Published: November 2007

This letter introduces a biologically inspired very simple spiking neuron model. The model retains only crucial aspects of biological neurons: a network of time-delayed weighted connections to other neurons, a threshold-based generation of action potentials, action potential frequency proportional to stimulus intensity, and interneuron communication that occurs with time-varying potentials that last longer than the associated action potentials. The key difference between this model and existing spiking neuron models is its great simplicity: it is basically a collection of linear and discontinuous functions with no differential equations to solve.The model's ability to operate in a complex network was tested by using it as a basis of a network implementing a hypothetical echolocation system. The system consists of an emitter and two receivers. The outputs of the receivers are connected to a network of spiking neurons (using the proposed model) to form a detection grid that acts as a map of object locations in space. The network uses differences in the arrival times of the signals to determine the azimuthal angle of the source and time of flight to calculate the distance. The activation patterns observed indicate that for a network of spiking neurons, which uses only time delays to determine source locations, the spatial discrimination varies with the number and relative spacing of objects. These results are similar to those observed in animals that use echolocation.
The invariant phenylalanine of precursor proteins discloses the importance of Omp85 for protein translocation into cyanelles
Authors: Wunder Tobias , Martin Roman , Löffelhardt Wolfgang , Schleiff Enrico , Steiner Jürgen M 
Published: November 2007

Abstract

Background
Today it is widely accepted that plastids are of cyanobacterial origin. During their evolutionary integration into the metabolic and regulatory networks of the host cell the engulfed cyanobacteria lost their independency. This process was paralleled by a massive gene transfer from symbiont to the host nucleus challenging the development of a retrograde protein translocation system to ensure plastid functionality. Such a system includes specific targeting signals of the proteins needed for the function of the plastid and membrane-bound machineries performing the transfer of these proteins across the envelope membranes. At present, most information on protein translocation is obtained by the analysis of land plants. However, the analysis of protein import into the primitive plastids of glaucocystophyte algae, revealed distinct features placing this system as a tool to understand the evolutionary development of translocation systems. Here, bacterial outer membrane proteins of the Omp85 family have recently been discussed as evolutionary seeds for the development of translocation systems.

Results
To further explore the initial mode of protein translocation, the observed phenylalanine dependence for protein translocation into glaucophyte plastids was pursued in detail. We document that indeed the phenylalanine has an impact on both, lipid binding and binding to proteoliposomes hosting an Omp85 homologue. Comparison to established import experiments, however, unveiled a major importance of the phenylalanine for recognition by Omp85. This finding is placed into the context of the evolutionary development of the plastid translocon.

Conclusion
The phenylalanine in the N-terminal domain signs as a prerequisite for protein translocation across the outer membrane assisted by a "primitive" translocon. This amino acid appears to be optimized for specifically targeting the Omp85 protein without enforcing aggregation on the membrane surface. The phenylalanine has subsequently been lost in the transit sequence, but can be found at the C-terminal position of the translocating pore. Thereby, the current hypothesis of Omp85 being the prokaryotic contribution to the ancestral Toc translocon can be supported.
Characterization of Smoc-1 uncovers two transcript variants showing differential tissue and age specific expression in Bubalus bubalis
Authors: Srivastava Jyoti , Premi Sanjay , Kumar Sudhir , Parwez Iqbal , Ali Sher 
Published: November 2007

Abstract

Background
Secreted modular calcium binding protein-1 (Smoc-1) belongs to the BM-40 family which has been implicated with tissue remodeling, angiogenesis and bone mineralization. Besides its anticipated role in embryogenesis, Smoc-1 has been characterized only in a few mammalian species. We made use of the consensus sequence (5' CACCTCTCCACCTGCC 3') of 33.15 repeat loci to explore the buffalo transcriptome and uncovered the Smoc-1 transcript tagged with this repeat. The main objective of this study was to gain an insight into its structural and functional organization, and expressional status of Smoc-1 in water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis.

Results
We cloned and characterized the buffalo Smoc-1, including its copy number status, in-vitro protein expression, tissue & age specific transcription/translation, chromosomal mapping and localization to the basement membrane zone. Buffalo Smoc-1 was found to encode a secreted matricellular glycoprotein containing two EF-hand calcium binding motifs homologous to that of BM-40/SPARC family. In buffalo, this single copy gene consisted of 12 exons and was mapped onto the acrocentric chromosome 11. Though this gene was found to be evolutionarily conserved, the buffalo Smoc-1 showed conspicuous nucleotide/amino acid changes altering its secondary structure compared to that in other mammals. In silico analysis of the Smoc-1 proposed its glycoprotein nature with a calcium dependent conformation. Further, we unveiled two transcript variants of this gene, varying in their 3'UTR lengths but both coding for identical protein(s). Smoc-1 evinced highest expression of both the variants in liver and modest to negligible in other tissues. The relative expression of variant-02 was markedly higher compared to that of variant-01 in all the tissues examined. Moreover, expression of Smoc-1, though modest during the early ages, was conspicuously enhanced after 1 year and remained consistently higher during the entire life span of buffalo with gradual increment in expression of variant-02. Immunohistochemically, Smoc-1 was localized in the basement membrane zones and extracellular matrices of various tissues.

Conclusion
These data added to our understandings about the tissue, age and species specific functions of the Smoc-1. It also enabled us to demonstrate varying expression of the two transcript variants of Smoc-1 amongst different somatic tissues/gonads and ages, in spite of their identical coding frames. Pursuance of these variants for their roles in various disease phenotypes such as hepatocellular carcinoma and angiogenesis is envisaged to establish broader biological significance of this gene.
Peroxisome proliferators-activated alpha agonist treatment ameliorates hepatic damage in rats with obstructive jaundice: an experimental study
Authors: Cindoruk Mehmet , Kerem Mustafa , Karakan Tarkan , Salman Bulent , Akin Okan , Alper Murat , Erdem Ozlem , Ünal Selahattin 
Published: November 2007

Abstract

Background
Peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) activation modulates cholesterol metabolism and suppresses bile acid synthesis. This study aims to evaluate the effect of short-term administration of fenofibrate, a PPARα agonist, on proinflammatory cytokines, apoptosis, and hepatocellular damage in cholestasis.

Methods
Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: I = sham operated, II = bile duct ligation (BDL), III = BDL + vehicle (gum Arabic), IV = BDL + fenofibrate (100 mg/kg/day). All rats were sacrificed on 7th day after obtaining blood samples and liver tissue. Total bilirubin, aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transferase, (GGT), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 β), and total bile acid (TBA) in serum, and liver damage scores; portal inflammation, necrosis, bile duct number, in liver tissue were evaluated. Apoptosis in liver was also assessed by immunohistochemical staining.

Results
Fenofibrate administration significantly reduced serum total bilirubin, AST, ALT, ALP, and GGT, TNF-α, IL-1 β levels, and TBA (P < 0.01). Hepatic portal inflammation, hepatic necrosis, number of the bile ducts and apoptosis in rats with BDL were more prominent than the sham-operated animals (P < 0.01). PPARα induction improved all histopathologic parameters (P < 0.01), except for the number of the bile duct, which was markedly increased by fenofibrate therapy (P < 0.01).

Conclusion
Short-term administration of fenofibrate to the BDL rats exerts beneficial effects on hepatocellular damage and apoptosis.