bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Drug‐resistant pneumococci in children with acute lower respiratory infections in Vietnam
Authors: Watanabe Kiwao , Anh Dang Duc , Huong Phan Le Thanh , Nguyet Nguyen Thu , Anh Nguyen Thu Hien , Thi Ngo Thi , Dung Nguyen Tien , Phuong Doan Mai , Rusizoka Olivia S. , Nagatake Tsuyoshi , Watanabe Hiroshi , Oishi Kazunori 
Published: April 2008

AbstractBackground: Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI), primarily pneumonia, are the leading cause of death in children under 5 years of age. Most of these deaths occur in Africa and southeast Asia. Increasing rates of drug resistance in pneumococcal strains emphasize the necessity of prevention of pneumococcal vaccines. The aim of the present study was to determine the frequency of drug resistance and the distribution of serotype of pneumococcal strains isolated from pediatric patients with ALRI in Vietnam.Methods: Two hundred and twenty pediatric patients with ALRI under 5 years of age were enrolled in Hanoi, Vietnam between 2001 and 2002. Bacterial pathogens with a heavy growth (106 c.f.u./mL) were isolated from nasopharyngeal secretions on quantitative culture. Fifty‐three pneumococcal strains isolated from the nasopharynx of pediatric patients were examined for antibiotic susceptibility including drug‐resistant genes and serotyping.Results: A total of 73.6% of pneumococcal strains were genotypic penicillin‐resistant Streptococcus pnemoniae (gPRSP), possessing altered penicillin‐binding protein genes pbp 1a + 2x + 2b; 67.9% of these strains were gPRSP and simultaneously had the ermB gene, which is responsible for high resistance to erythromycin. The majority of gPRSP strains were serotype 19F or 23F.Conclusion: gPRSP strains with serotype 19F or 23F are highly prevalent among pediatric patients with ALRI under 5 years of age in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Body mass index in male and female children with pervasive developmental disorders
Authors: Mouridsen Svend E. , Rich Bente , Isager Torben 
Published: April 2008

AbstractBackground: The aim of the present study was to evaluate body mass index (BMI) of children with a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) attending two university clinics during the 1960–84 period.Methods: BMI derived from medical records of 83 consecutively admitted children with atypical autism and 115 children with Asperger syndrome were compared with the corresponding BMI percentiles in an age‐ and sex‐matched reference population.Results: The BMI distribution of the boys, but not the girls, in both diagnostic categories was significantly lower than those of the age‐matched reference populations. Approximately 15% of the boys had a BMI below the fifth percentile.Conclusions: The present findings are comparable to the results of other studies. Particular attention is given to low BMI as a potential endophenotype in boys with PDD.
Four cases of arthritis associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection
Authors: Azumagawa Kohji , Kambara Yukiko , Murata Takuji , Tamai Hiroshi 
Published: April 2008

AbstractBackground: Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is diagnosed commonly by marked elevation of serum antibodies, but this requires several days and consequently M. pneumoniae infection might be overlooked in some cases. Recently an ImmunoCard Mycoplasma rapid diagnosis test (IC) has been developed and used clinically. One of the advantages of this diagnosis test is that clinicians can recognize the infection by a single administration at the beginning of treatment.Methods: A total of 1033 children aged 1–15 years (average 2.0 years) were examined. The diagnosis of M. pneumoniae infection was made mainly on the basis of a positive reaction to the IC. Also where possible, particle agglutination (PA) was performed as a confirmatory test. Diagnosis was made on the basis of a fourfold or greater rise in the PA antibody titer by paired sera or an initial single PA titer >1:320. Arthritis was diagnosed mainly on clinical symptoms. Additionally, ultrasonography (US) was conducted to confirm arthritis. In using US, arthritis was defined as an enlargement of the low echoic section or fluid retention inside the articular capsule.Results: IC was used in 1033 patients and results were positive in 348 (33.6%). Of these 348, there were 70 cases of pneumonia (20.1%) and four cases of arthritis (1.1%). IC was positive in all of the cases of arthritis, and in two of the four arthritis patients the PA titers were also useful for diagnoses. In three of four cases, US was performed and lesions were observed in two of three cases. Three of the four arthritis patients were infants and only one of these three had pneumonia.Conclusions: Using IC as a screening test, occult M. pneumoniae infections were discovered that would otherwise have been overlooked. These included two patients with US‐proved arthritis. Arthritis in the absence of pneumonia may not be an unusual manifestation in infants infected by this organism.
Acute impact of agriculture on high‐affinity methanotrophic bacterial populations
Authors: Maxfield P. J. , Hornibrook E. R. C. , Evershed R. P. 
Published: April 2008

SummaryExposure of mineral soils to atmospherically relevant concentrations of 13CH4 (2 ppmv) followed by 13C‐phospholipid fatty acid stable isotope probing allows assessment of the high‐affinity methanotrophic bacterial sink in hitherto unattainable detail. Utilizing this approach, inorganic fertilizer‐treated soils from a long‐term agricultural experiment were shown to display dramatic reduction, by > 70%, of the methanotrophic bacterial cell numbers. Reduction in the methane sink capacity of the soils was slightly lower than the directly observed reduction in methanotrophic bacterial counts, indicating that the inhibitory effects on high‐affinity methanotrophic bacteria are not fully expressed through CH4 oxidation rates. The results emphasize the need to rigorously assess commonly applied agricultural practices with respect to their unseen negative impacts on soil microbial diversity in relation to terrestrial sinks for atmospheric trace gases.
Partial Compliance with Economic Sanctions
Authors: Beladi Hamid , Oladi Reza 
Published: April 2008

AbstractBy bridging the gap between the strategic model of sanctions and the public choice framework of sanctions, the authors introduce a new sanctions game. Contrary to an earlier finding, they show that the partial compliance of the target country, along with mild sanctions, are not only an equilibrium outcome, but also Pareto superior to non‐compliance and tough economic sanctions.
Local Voting Studies of Total Electorates: The Danish General Election of 1971
Authors: ELKLIT JØRGEN , RIIS OLE , TONSGAARD OLE 
Published: April 2008

SummaryOn the basis of voting data on total electorates in three polling districts, the main intentions of this article have been: first to describe the voting change patterns in the three districts and second to put forward supported hypotheses for a later, more rigorous testing on a representative sample of voters in the entire political system. Among these hypotheses we may mention: 1) the attitude on an important issue in an election campaign ‐ in this case the question of Denmark's possible entry into the EEC ‐ can be clearly traced in the voting change pattern, and 2) in spite of indications of multidimensionality, the left‐right dimension is by far the most important dimension in the Danish party system.
NUCLEAR VIOLENCE: A PHILOSOPHICAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE PROBLEM
Authors: Mumion William E. 
Published: April 2008

SUMMARYThis has been more a programmatic than a substantive contribution to the moral problem of nuclear violence. Substantive issues of technology and tactics, of conventional and deterrent strategy, of political and social norms, of critical and theoretical foundations must all be addressed before there can be an adequate solution to this problem, not to speak of the revision of ethics it entails. These are, however, other questions. For lack of a comprehensive framework they have not always been properly addressed. The framework I have outlined may supply for that deficiency.
TERRORISM, SELF‐DEFENSE, AND WHISTLEBLOWING
Authors: Westra Laura 
Published: April 2008

In a recent paper given at a Symposium on terrorism, Thomas Hill, Jr., discussed “Making Exceptions Without Abandoning the Principle: Or How a Kantian Might Think about Terrorism.” His argument, however, after acknowledging that “terrorists of course often claim to have morally worthy ends and also means that are morally justified in the context,” and further stating that “some such claims deserve a serious hearing,”1 goes on to deal with the related question of…what one may justifiably do in response to morally indefensible terrorism.2
THE TRUTH IN ETHICAL RELATIVISM
Authors: LaFollette Hugh 
Published: April 2008

Ethical relativism is the thesis that ethical principles or judgments are relative to the individual or culture. When stated so vaguely relativism is embraced by numerous lay persons and a sizeable contingent of philosophers. Other philosophers, however, find the thesis patently false, even wonder how anyone could seriously entertain it.Both factions are on to something, yet both miss something significant as well. Those who whole‐heartedly embrace relativism note salient respects in which ethics is relative, yet erroneously infer that ethical values are noxiously subjective. Those who reject relativism do so because they think ethics is subject to rational scrutiny, that moral views can be correct or incorrect. But in rejecting objectionable features of relativism they overlook significant yet non‐pernicious ways in which ethics is relative.In short, each side harps on the opponent's weaknesses while overlooking its own flaws. That is regrettable. We are not forced to choose between relativism and rationality. We can have both. There are ways in which ethical principles and behavior vary legitimately from culture to culture and individual to individual. That we must recognize. However this in no way suggests we cannot reason about ethics. Rather we should strive for a rational yet relativistic ethic which emphasizes the exercise of cultivated moral judgment rather than the rote application of extant moral rules. Or so I shall argue.
REMOVING VEILS OF IGNORANCE1
Authors: Card Claudia 
Published: April 2008

For more than two millennia the development of philosophy in what is called the West has been the province of men who trace their intellectual heritage to (some) men in ancient Greece. Within “the development of philosophy” I include the training of philosophers as well as publishing and preserving philosophical work in libraries. Thus I regard philosophy as a very material as well as spiritual enterprise. My focus here is on the spiritual impact, actual and potential, of recent changes in the material base of philosophy and the material impact of recent changes in the spiritual focus of philosophers. Before the Twentieth Century, the most significant transitions in the development of Western philosophy were its coming under the domination of Christian religious institutions and then its becoming relatively freed from such domination. Since the advent of the Twentieth Century, the most significant transitions may come from the increasing access to academic institutions of the middle and working classes, of people of color with histories of oppression by white societies, and of women from all classes and ethnic backgrounds—people who do not always or only trace their intellectual heritages to men of ancient Greece. What differences might these changes make to, and call for in, the development of philosophy?What I have thought about most are differences made by women and differences that have drawn in women to academic philosophy in Western democracies, such as the United States. Twentieth Century women in these contexts have published substantial bodies of philosophical inquiry with feminist agendas (both philosophy of feminism and philosophy manifesting feminist perspectives in ethics, epistemology, etc.). I want to comment on two features of such inquiry that often make it attractive to women less readily engaged by the traditions defined by privileged men. These features are holism and what I call “historical particularism.” I begin with “particularism.”
SOME UNQUESTIONED ASSUMPTIONS
Authors: Hospers John 
Published: April 2008

IIn 1848 Frederic Bastiat wrote an article in the Journal des Debats in which he said, Man struggles against pain and suffering. However, he is condemned by nature to suffering and to privation if he does not take upon himself the effort of work. Hence he has only the choice between two evils….Up to now, however, no remedy has been found for it, except for one man to avail himself of the work of others…so that all work is for the one and all enjoyment is for the other. Hence [we have] slavery and robbery.[Today] the oppressor no longer directly compels the oppressed through his own strength. There is still a tyrant and a victim, but now the state, i.e. the law itself, is placed as a mediator between the two. What could be better for the purpose of stifling our doubts and vanquishing all resistance? We turn to the state and say to it: I find that between my enjoyment and my work there exists no relation that satisfies me. In order to bring about the desired balance, I would like to take away a little from others. However, that would be dangerous were I to do it myself. Can you, state, facilitate matters for me? Can you not assign me to a favorable position, or assign a more unfavorable one to my competitor? Can you not grant me a special “protection” and, not without plausible reason, lend me capital which you have taken from its possessors? Or, can you not educate my children at public expense? or guarantee me a carefree life from age 50 onwards?… In this case the law would be acting for me, and I would have all the advantages of exploitation without its risks and its onus.
IS SEXUAL DESIRE RACED?: THE SOCIAL MEANING OF INTERRACIAL PROSTITUTION
Authors: Shrage Laurie 
Published: April 2008

I shall forgive the white South much in its final judgment day: I shall forgive its slavery, for slavery is a world‐old habit; I shall forgive its fighting for a well‐lost cause, and for remembering that struggle with tender tears; I shall forgive its so‐called “pride of race,” the passion of its hot blood, and even its dear, old, laughable strutting and posing; but one thing I shall never forgive, neither in this world nor the world to come: its wanton and continued and persistent insulting of the black womanhood which it sought and seeks to prostitute to its lust. (W.E.B. DuBois)The assumption that one can privilege gender, in advance, as a category, setting the terms of inclusion without fully considering those for whom gender alone fails to capture the multiplicity of experience, is itself an Orientalist move. (Dorinne Kondo)
BRING THE NOISE: HYPERMASCULINITY IN HEAVY METAL AND RAP
Authors: Grant Judith 
Published: April 2008

“The Subliminal K i d moved in and took over bars cafes and jukeboxes of the world cities and installed radio transmitters and microphones in each bar so that the music and talk of any bar could be heard in all his bars and he had tape recorders in each bar that played and recorded at arbitrary intervals and his agents moved back and forth with portable tape recorders and brought back street sound and talk and music and poured it into his recorder array so he set waves and eddies and tornadoes of sound down all your streets and by the river of all language‐Word dust drifted streets of broken music car horn and air hammers—The Word broken pounded twisted exploded in smoke—.Nothing is true—Everything is permitted—1—William Burroughs, Nova Express
Cosmetic features and applications of lipid nanoparticles (SLN®, NLC®)
Authors: Souto E. B. , Müller R. H. 
Published: April 2008

SynopsisA detailed review of the literature is presented in attempts to emphasize several advantages of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) for cosmetic applications. Examples of several actives are given and the main features of the solid core of SLN and NLC for topical delivery of cosmetics are discussed. Lipid nanoparticles have been more and more explored in pharmaceutical technology, showing superior advantages for topical purposes over conventional colloidal carriers.
Development of curcuminoids hydrogel patch using chitosan from various sources as controlled‐release matrix
Authors: Boriwanwattanarak P. , Ingkaninan K. , Khorana N. , Viyoch J. 
Published: April 2008

SynopsisIn this study, we developed the hydogel patch containing curcuminoids for application in cosmetic purpose. The powder of curcuminoids extracted from rhizome of Curcuma longa Linn. was first formulated into o/w microemulsions before incorporating into the polymer solution. The polymer solutions consisted of chitosan derived from various sources or the blended chitosan starch. We found that chitosan from squid pen gave the patch with highest strength and flexibility. After incorporation of curcuminoids microemulsion into the polymer solution of squid chitosan in ratio of 1 : 1 by weight, values of tensile strength and per cent elongation at break of the obtained patch decreased (from 4.55 ± 0.41 N mm−2 to 2.26 ± 0.01 N mm−2 for tensile strength and from 40.27 ± 1.46% to 29.65 ± 2.77% for elongation at break). The DSC thermogram of the squid patch containing curcuminoids implied non‐crystalline structure of polymeric network, corresponding to porous characteristics of the patch surface. The results showed that the curcumin content remained at a concentration of 96% and 40% of the initial content after being kept at 4°C and room temperature, respectively. When the patch was kept at 50°C, the remaining curcumin could not be detected. According to vertical diffusion cell method, we found a rapid rate of curcumin release from the patch. The curcumin release pattern, which fitted well to the Higuchi’s model, exhibited two distinct phases: the rapid phase (0–15 min), where the release rate of the curcumin averaged 0.74 μg min−1 mm−2, and the slow phase (15–120 min), where the release rate averaged 0.13 μg min−1 mm−2. Any sign of skin irritation was not observed in volunteers after single application of the curcuminoids patch in the under‐eye area for 30 min. This finding indicates mildness to skin of the developed patch.
Combined retinol–lactose–glycolic acid effects on photoaged skin: a double‐blind placebo‐controlled study
Authors: Bertin C. , Zunino H. , Lanctin M. , Stamatas G.N. , Camel E. , Robert C. , Issachar N. 
Published: April 2008

SynopsisThe objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of the combination of retinol, lactose and glycolic acid applied topically on photodamaged skin. Forty female volunteers were enrolled in a double‐blind, randomized placebo‐controlled clinical study. A cream containing retinol, lactose and glycolic acid was applied on one side of the face and a placebo cream on the other side, twice daily for 12 weeks. Skin photoageing signs were assessed clinically, whereas skin microrelief and moisturization were measured instrumentally. Both the clinical assessment and the objective instrumental measurements revealed that the active‐treated side was significantly improved at the end of the study compared with baseline and control‐treated side. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that topical application of a combination of retinol, lactose and glycolic acid has significantly improved the appearance of photodamaged skin.
Cortical actin filaments at the division site of mitotic plant cells: a reconsideration of the ‘actin‐depleted zone’
Authors: Panteris Emmanuel 
Published: April 2008

SummaryThe preprophase bands of microtubules and F‐actin are primary markers of the division site for most plant cells. After preprophase band breakdown, the division site has been considered to be ‘negatively’ memorized by the local absence of cortical actin filaments. However, there have been reports of cortical F‐actin at the division site of mitotic plant cells, calling into question its distribution and possible role there. In this article, previous and recent data on this issue are reviewed. It is proposed that the division site of mitotic plant cells is not devoid of F‐actin but is traversed by scarce cortical actin filaments. The description of the division site as an ‘actin exclusion zone’ might therefore be attributed to a failure to preserve and/or image the notoriously sensitive actin filaments. Accordingly, the ‘actin‐depleted zone’ should be considered as a site with fewer actin filaments than the rest of the cortical cytoplasm. Taking into account recent molecular data on division site components, a possible role for the scarcity of cortical actin filaments in establishing a zone of minimum mobility is also proposed.
Global Phosphorus Flows and Environmental Impacts from a Consumption Perspective
Authors: Liu Yi , Villalba Gara , Ayres Robert U. , Schroder Hans 
Published: April 2008

SummaryHuman activities have significantly intensified natural phosphorus cycles, which has resulted in some serious environmental problems that modern societies face today. This article attempts to quantify the global phosphorus flows associated with present day mining, farming, animal feeding, and household consumption. Various physical characteristics of the related phosphorus fluxes as well as their environmental impacts in different economies, including the United States, European countries, and China, are examined. Particular attention is given to the global phosphorus budget in cropland and the movement and transformation of phosphorus in soil, because these phosphorus flows, in association with the farming sector, constitute major fluxes that dominate the anthropogenic phosphorus cycle. The results show that the global input of phosphorus to cropland, in both inorganic and organic forms from various sources, cannot compensate for the removal in harvests and in the losses by erosion and runoff. A net loss of phosphorus from the world's cropland is estimated at about 10.5 million metric tons (MMT) phosphorus each year, nearly one half of the phosphorus extracted yearly.
Eosinophil activation in preterm infants with lung disease
Authors: Broström E Berggren , Katz‐Salamon M , Lundahl J , Halldén G , Winbladh B 
Published: April 2008

AbstractAim: We investigated the role of eosinophils in the pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants.Methods: Fifteen preterm infants with BPD were compared to 13 preterms with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and to 16 healthy preterms. We assessed total eosinophil and neutrophil counts in venous blood samples and the levels of the eosinophilic activity markers eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) and the cellular surface antigen (CD9).Results: The eosinophil count was greater in BPD compared with RDS and healthy infants (1414 vs. 797 and 471 cells per microlitre, respectiveley, p = 0.03). ECP levels were elevated (34 vs. 12.8 and 9.8 μg/L, respectively, p = 0.002) and CD9 levels reduced (75 vs. 94 and 86 mean fluorescence intensity units, respectively, p = 0.01) in BPD compared with RDS and healthy infants, suggesting eosinophilic activation in BPD. These findings were not solely explained by differences between gestational age or birth weight of the different groups. ECP levels were positively correlated with the duration of oxygen supplementation in the BPD group. The eosinophil count fell promptly after steroid treatment was commenced in the BPD group.Conclusion: The findings suggest that BPD is linked to eosinophil activation, which might contribute to the pathogenesis.