bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A randomized controlled trial of vitamin D3 supplementation for the prevention of symptomatic upper respiratory tract infections
Authors: LI-NG M. , ALOIA J. F. , POLLACK S. , CUNHA B. A. , MIKHAIL M. , YEH J. , BERBARI N. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYVitamin D has been shown to be an important immune system regulator. Vitamin D insufficiency during winter may cause increased susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections (URIs). To determine whether vitamin D supplementation during the winter season prevents or decreases URI symptoms, 162 adults were randomized to receive 50 μg vitamin D3 (2000 IU) daily or matching placebo for 12 weeks. A bi-weekly questionnaire was used to record the incidence and severity of URI symptoms. There was no difference in the incidence of URIs between the vitamin D and placebo groups (48 URIs vs. 50 URIs, respectively, P=0·57). There was no difference in the duration or severity of URI symptoms between the vitamin D and placebo groups [5·4±4·8 days vs. 5·3±3·1 days, respectively, P=0·86 (95% CI for the difference in duration −1·8 to 2·1)]. The mean 25-hydroxyvitamin D level at baseline was similar in both groups (64·3±25·4 nmol/l in the vitamin D group; 63·0±25·8 nmol/l in the placebo group; n.s.). After 12 weeks, 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels increased significantly to 88·5±23·2 nmol/l in the vitamin D group, whereas there was no change in vitamin D levels in the placebo group. There was no benefit of vitamin D3 supplementation in decreasing the incidence or severity of symptomatic URIs during winter. Further studies are needed to determine the role of vitamin D in infection.
The changing panorama of bacterial enteric infections
Authors: STEIN-ZAMIR C. , SHOOB H. , ABRAMSON N. , ZENTNER G. , AGMON V. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYWe studied the age-specific population-based incidence of bacterial enteric infections caused by Shigella, Salmonella and Campylobacter, in Jerusalem. During 1990–2008, 32 408 cases were reported (incidence rate 232·1/100 000 per annum). The patterns of Shigella (47·4% of cases), Salmonella (34·4%) and Campylobacter (18·2%) infections evolved noticeably. Campylobacter rates increased from 15·0 to 110·8/100 000 per annum. Salmonella rates increased from 74·2 to 199·6/100 000 in 1995 then decreased to 39·4/100 000. Shigella showed an endemic/epidemic pattern ranging between 19·7 and 252·8/100 000. Most patients (75%) were aged <15 years; children aged <5 years comprised 56·4% of cases, despite accounting for only 12·9% of the population. Campylobacter was the predominant organism in infants aged <1 year and Shigella in the 1–4 years group. The hospitalization rates were: Shigella, 1·8%; Campylobacter, 2·3%; Salmonella, 6·9%. Infants were 2·2 times more likely to be hospitalized than children aged 1–14 years (P=0·001). Household transmission occurred in 21·2% of Shigella cases compared with 5% in the other bacteria.
The X-ray stellar population of the LMC
Authors: Nazé Yaël 
Published: March 2009

AbstractIn the study of stars, the high energy domain occupies a place of choice, since it is the only one able to directly probe the most violent phenomena: indeed, young pre-main sequence objects, hot massive stars, or X-ray binaries are best revealed in X-rays. However, previously available X-ray observatories often provided only crude information on individual objects in the Magellanic Clouds. The advent of the highly efficient X-ray facilities XMM-Newton and Chandra has now dramatically increased the sensitivity and the spatial resolution available to X-ray astronomers, thus enabling a fairly easy determination of the properties of individual sources in the LMC.
The star clusters of the Magellanic System
Authors: Santiago Basílio X. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractMore than 50 years have elapsed since the first studies of star clusters in the Magellanic Clouds. The wealth of data accumulated since then has not only revealed a large cluster system, but also a diversified one, filling loci in the age, mass and chemical abundance parameter space which are complementary to Galactic clusters. Catalogs and photometric samples currently available cover most of the cluster mass range. The expectations of relatively long cluster disruption timescales in the Clouds have been confirmed, allowing reliable assessments of the cluster initial mass function and of the cluster formation rate in the Clouds. Due to their proximity to the Galaxy, Magellanic clusters are also well resolved into stars. Analysis of colour—magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of clusters with different ages, masses and metallicities are useful tools to test dynamical effects such as mass loss due to stellar evolution, two-body relaxation, stellar evaporation, cluster interactions and tidal effects. The existence of massive and young Magellanic clusters has provided insight into the physics of cluster formation. The magnitudes and colours of different stellar types are confronted with stellar evolutionary tracks, thus constraining processes such as convective overshooting, stellar mass-loss, rotation and pre main-sequence evolution. Finally, the Magellanic cluster system may contribute with nearby and well studied counterparts of recently proposed types of extragalactic clusters, such as Faint Fuzzies and Diffuse Star Clusters.
Kinematical structure of the Magellanic System
Authors: van der Marel Roeland P. , Kallivayalil Nitya , Besla Gurtina 
Published: March 2009

AbstractWe review our understanding of the kinematics of the LMC and the SMC, and their orbit around the Milky Way. The line-of-sight velocity fields of both the LMC and SMC have been mapped with high accuracy using thousands of discrete traces, as well as H i gas. The LMC is a rotating disk for which the viewing angles have been well established using various methods. The disk is elliptical in its disk plane. The disk thickness varies depending on the tracer population, with V/σ ranging from ~2–10 from the oldest to the youngest population. For the SMC, the old stellar population resides in a spheroidal distribution with considerable line-of-sight depth and low V/σ. Young stars and H i gas reside in a more irregular rotating disk. Mass estimates based on the kinematics indicate that each Cloud is embedded in a dark halo. Proper motion measurements with HST show that both galaxies move significantly more rapidly around the Milky Way than previously believed. This indicates that for a canonical 1012 M⊙ Milky Way the Clouds are only passing by us for the first time. Although a higher Milky Way mass yields a bound orbit, this orbit is still very different from what has been previously assumed in models of the Magellanic Stream. Hence, much of our understanding of the history of the Magellanic System and the formation of the Magellanic Stream may need to be revised. The accuracy of the proper motion data is insufficient to say whether or not the LMC and SMC are bound to each other, but bound orbits do exist within the proper motion error ellipse.
New analysis of the proper motions of the Magellanic Clouds using HST/WFPC2
Authors: Kallivayalil Nitya , van der Marel Roeland P. , Anderson Jay , Besla Gurtina , Alcock Charles 
Published: March 2009

AbstractIn HST Cycles 11 and 13 we obtained two epochs of ACS/HRC data for fields in the Magellanic Clouds centered on background quasars. We used these data to determine the proper motions of the LMC and SMC to better than 5% and 15% respectively. The results had a number of unexpected implications for the Milky Way-LMC-SMC system. The implied three-dimensional velocities were larger than previously believed and close to the escape velocity in a standard 1012 M⊙ Milky Way dark halo, implying that the Clouds may be on their first passage. Also, the relative velocity between the LMC and SMC was larger than expected, leaving open the possibility that the Clouds may not be bound to each other. To further verify and refine our results we requested an additional epoch of data in Cycle 16 which is being executed with WFPC2/PC due to the failure of ACS. We present the results of an ongoing analysis of these WFPC2 data which indicate good consistency with the two-epoch results.
AKARI near-infrared spectroscopy: Detection of H2O and CO2 ices toward young stellar objects in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Authors: Shimonishi Takashi , Onaka Takashi , Kato Daisuke , Sakon Itsuki , Ita Yoshifusa , Kawamura Akiko , Kaneda Hidehiro 
Published: March 2009

AbstractWe present the first results of the AKARI Infrared Camera near-infrared spectroscopic survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The circumstellar material of young stellar objects (YSOs) are affected by galactic environments such as a metallicity or radiation field. Ices control the chemical balance of circumstellar environments of embedded YSOs. We detected absorption features of the H2O ice 3.05 μm and the CO2 ice 4.27 μm stretching mode toward seven massive YSOs in the LMC. This is the first detection of the 4.27 μm CO2 ice feature toward extragalactic YSOs. The present samples are for the first time spectroscopically confirmed to be YSOs. We used a curve-of-growth method to evaluate the column densities of the ices and derived the CO2/H2O ratio to be 0.45±0.17. This is clearly higher than that seen in Galactic massive YSOs (0.17±0.03). We suggest that the strong ultraviolet radiation field and/or the high dust temperature in the LMC may be responsible for the observed high CO2 ice abundance.
The star formation history in 12 SMC fields
Authors: Noël Noelia E. D. , Aparicio Antonio , Gallart Carme , Hidalgo Sebastián L. , Costa Edgardo , Méndez René A. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractWe present a quantitative analysis of the star formation history (SFH) of 12 fields in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) based on unprecedented deep [(B–R),R] color—magnitude diagrams (CMDs) from Noël et al. (2007). Our fields reach down to the oldest main sequence (MS) turnoff with high photometric accuracy, which is vital for obtaining accurate SFHs. We use the IAC-pop code (Aparicio & Hidalgo 2009) to obtain the SFH, using a single CMD generated using IAC-star (Aparicio & Gallart 2004). We find that there are three main periods of enhancement of star formation: a young one peaked at ~0.2–0.5 Gyr old, only present in the eastern and in the central-most fields; one at intermediate ages, peaked at ~4–5 Gyr old in all fields; and an old one, peaked at ~10 Gyr in all the fields but the western ones, in which this old enhancement splits into two, peaked at ~8 Gyr old and at ~12 Gyr old. This “two-enhancement” zone seems to be a robust feature since it is unaffected when using different stellar evolutionary libraries, implying that stars in the SMC take a Hubble time or more to mix. This indicates that there was a global enhancement in ψ(t) at ~4–5 Gyr ago in the SMC. We also find that the age of the old population is similar at all radii and at all azimuth and we constrain the age of this oldest population to be older than ~11.5 Gyr old. The intermediate-age population, in turn, presents variations with both, radii and azimuth. Theoretical studies based on results from larger spatial areas are needed to understand the origin of the young gradient. This young component is highly affected by interactions between Milky Way/LMC/SMC. We do not find yet a region dominated by an old, Milky Way-like, halo at 4.5 kpc from the SMC center, indicating either that this old stellar halo does not exist in the SMC or that its contribution to the stellar populations, at the galactocentric distances of our outermost field, is negligible.
Metallicity and kinematics of a large sample of LMC and SMC clusters
Authors: Grocholski A. J. , Parisi M. C. , Geisler D. , Sarajedini A. , Cole A. A. , Clariá J. J. , Smith V. V. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractWe have carried out a large-scale investigation of the metallicity and kinematics for a number of LMC and SMC star clusters using Caiitriplet spectra obtained at theVLT. Our sample includes 28 LMC and 16 SMC clusters, covering a wide range of ages and spatial extent of the host galaxy. We determine mean cluster velocities to about 2 km s−1and metallicities to 0.05 dex (random error), from about 7 members per cluster. Herein we present the main results for this study for the cluster metallicity distributions, metallicity gradients, age-metallicity relations and kinematics.
The chemical signatures of the Large Magellanic Cloud globular clusters
Authors: Mucciarelli Alessio 
Published: March 2009

AbstractWe present the first results of a long-term project based on the analysis of high-resolution optical spectra for a sample of Large Magellanic Cloud globular clusters. The final aim is to build a new, reliable metallicity scale for this cluster system and shed some light on the role played by the different chemical contributors (AGB, SN II and SN Ia), in order to understand the chemical enrichment history of the Large Magellanic Cloud. The analysis of 6 young and intermediate-age clusters and 11 field stars, observed with the UVES@FLAMES spectrograph, provides crucial information about the chemical composition of the dominant stellar population of the LMC. All these stars are metal-rich ([Fe/H]~ −0.4 dex), with solar-scaled [α/Fe] ratios, that point toward an enrichment from SN Ia. Moreover, we observed a general depletion for the [Al/Fe] ratio (indication of a chemical enrichment by metal-poor SN II) and a strong enhancement of the [Ba/Y] ratio (likely due to the enrichment by metal-poor AGB stars).
A survey of the most massive stars in the Magellanic Clouds
Authors: Bonanos Alceste Z. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractDespite the large impact very massive stars (>30 M⊙) have in astrophysics, their fundamental parameters remain uncertain. I present results of a survey aiming to characterize the most massive stars in the Magellanic Clouds. The survey targets the brightest, blue, eclipsing binaries discovered by the OGLE microlensing survey, for which masses and radii are measured to 5%. Such precise data are rare and provide constraints for theories of massive star formation and evolution at low metallicities.
Resolving the dusty torus and the mystery surrounding LMC red supergiant WOH G64
Authors: Ohnaka Keiichi , Driebe Thomas , Hofmann Karl-Heinz , Weigelt Gerd , Wittkowski Markus 
Published: March 2009

AbstractWe present mid-IR long-baseline interferometric observations of the red supergiant WOH G64 in the Large Magellanic Cloud with MIDI at the ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Our MIDI observations of WOH G64 are the first VLTI observations to spatially resolve an individual stellar source in an extragalactic system. Our 2-D radiative transfer modeling reveals the presence of a geometrically and optically thick torus seen nearly pole-on. This model brings WOH G64 in much better agreement with the current evolutionary tracks for a 25 M⊙ star — about a half of the previous estimate of 40 M⊙ — and solves the serious discrepancy between theory and observation which existed for this object.
Experimental system level analysis of a concurrent dual-band power amplifier for WiMAX and WCDMA applications
Authors: Cidronali Alessandro , Magrini Iacopo , Giovannelli Niccolò , Mercanti Massimiliano , Manes Gianfranco 
Published: March 2009

This paper presents a feasibility study for the implementation of a concurrent dual-band power amplifier (PA) design suitable for 1.98 GHz WCDMA and 3.42 GHz WiMAX digital systems. The proposed PA design was compared with a test bed based on a pair of dedicated single-frequency band PAs. The dual-band PA exhibited simultaneous peak output power levels of 24 and 17 dBm in the lower and in the higher bands to maintain ACPR and EVM requirements below 33 dBc and 5%, respectively. The conclusions drawn in the paper justify the design effort of this innovative solution, which is capable of increasing the PAE for concurrent dual-band operation maintaining the performance of more conventional solutions.
Orienting Attention Based on Long-Term Memory Improves Perceptual Discriminations
Authors: Patai E. Zita , Summerfield Jennifer , Rao Anling , Nobre Anna 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe role of attentional orienting in daily life is to selectively deploy both behavioural and neural resources towards events, based on continually changing task goals and expectations, in order to optimize performance. In the following experiment, we show that attentional orienting is influenced by long-term memories in a perceptual discrimination task. In the learning phase, participants were trained on 120 ecologically valid natural scenes, of which 80 contained a target. Their task was to locate the target (a small key) on the screen by clicking on it with the mouse. One or two days later, participants completed a cued perceptual discrimination task. The same scenes that were studied before, but without any targets, were presented as cues (50 ms duration), followed, after a delay (450ms), by the scene again with or without the target (200ms). Participants discriminated covertly whether the key was present or absent from the second scene. There were three conditions: valid (key in learning and discrimination task was in same location), invalid (key in learning and discrimination task were in different location) and neutral (there was no key in learning phase). Behavioural results indicated that memory-guided attention benefits both the sensitivity (d’) and speed of target identification within natural scenes. A replication of the study is being carried out with event-related potentials to chart the neural modulations that accompany the perceptual enhancements observed behaviourally.
ASSEMBLAGES, TRANSLATION, AND INTERMEDIARIES IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE
Authors: Lendvai Noémi , Stubbs Paul 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACT
International and transnational processes pose distinctive challenges to the traditional boundaries and conceptual frameworks of the discipline of social policy. International actors can no longer simply be ‘added on’ to traditional national studies. Rather, a new vocabulary and epistemology is needed to capture the complexity and liminality of the encounters between actors, sites, discourses, scales and contexts. In this text, based on empirical insights from South East Europe, we interrogate the ways in which various kinds of network-based organisations, and new intermediaries have effectively depoliticised social policy, whilst emphasising the possibilities of a new internationalisation of political struggles and mobilisations.
Rice Virescent3 and Stripe1 Encoding the Large and Small Subunits of Ribonucleotide Reductase Are Required for Chloroplast Biogenesis during Early Leaf Development
Authors: Yoo Soo-Cheul , Cho Sung-Hwan , Sugimoto Hiroki , Li Jinjie , Kusumi Kensuke , Koh Hee-Jong , Iba Koh , Paek Nam-Chon 
Published: March 2009

Abstract
The virescent3 (v3) and stripe1 (st1) mutants in rice (Oryza sativa) produce chlorotic leaves in a growth stage-dependent manner under field conditions. They are temperature-conditional mutants that produce bleached leaves at a constant 20°C or 30°C but almost green leaves under diurnal 30°C/20°C conditions. Here, we show V3 and St1, which encode the large and small subunits of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), RNRL1, and RNRS1, respectively. RNR regulates the rate of deoxyribonucleotide production for DNA synthesis and repair. RNRL1 and RNRS1 are highly expressed in the shoot base and in young leaves, and the expression of the genes that function in plastid transcription/translation and in photosynthesis is altered in v3 and st1 mutants, indicating that a threshold activity of RNR is required for chloroplast biogenesis in developing leaves. There are additional RNR homologs in rice, RNRL2 and RNRS2, and eukaryotic RNRs comprise α 2 β 2 heterodimers. In yeast, RNRL1 interacts with RNRS1 (RNRL1:RNRS1) and RNRL2:RNRS2, but no interaction occurs between other combinations of the large and small subunits. The interacting activities are RNRL1:RNRS1 &gt; RNRL1:rnrs1(st1) &gt; rnrl1(v3):RNRS1 &gt; rnrl1(v3):rnrs1(st1), which correlate with the degree of chlorosis for each genotype. This suggests that missense mutations in rnrl1(v3) and rnrs1(st1) attenuate the first αβ dimerization. Moreover, wild-type plants exposed to a low concentration of an RNR inhibitor, hydroxyurea, produce chlorotic leaves without growth retardation, reminiscent of v3 and st1 mutants. We thus propose that upon insufficient activity of RNR, plastid DNA synthesis is preferentially arrested to allow nuclear genome replication in developing leaves, leading to continuous plant growth.
Unusual mid‐shaft fractures during long‐term bisphosphonate therapy
Authors: Odvina Clarita V. , Levy Shiri , Rao Sudhir , Zerwekh Joseph E. , Rao D. S. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryBackground  Bisphosphonates are the most commonly prescribed medications for the treatment of osteoporosis. Although existing evidence supports a good safety profile, there is concern that chronic administration of these agents could result in severe suppression of bone turnover with increased risk of nonvertebral fractures.Objective  The objective of this study was to report the clinical presentation, selected bone histomorphometry and X‐ray images of patients who developed mid‐shaft long bone fractures during bisphosphonate therapy, six of whom had bone biopsy for histomorphometery.Results  Of the 13 patients who sustained atraumatic mid‐shaft fractures, 10 were on alendronate and three were on risedronate therapy before the fractures. In addition to bisphosphonates, three patients were on oestrogen and two on tamoxifen concomitantly. Four patients with glucocorticoid‐induced osteoporosis were on alendronate for 3–11 years along with glucocorticoid therapy. Bone histomorphometry showed severe suppression of bone turnover in five patients and low bone turnover in one patient.Conclusion  Long‐term bisphosphonate therapy may increase the risk of unusual long bone mid‐shaft fractures. This is probably due to prolonged suppression of bone turnover, which could lead to accumulation of microdamage and development of hypermineralized bone. At present, the scope of this complication in the larger context of patients receiving bisphosphonate therapy remains unknown, but appears to be small.
Comparison of three doses of leuprolide acetate in the treatment of central precocious puberty: preliminary results
Authors: Mericq Verónica , Lammoglia Juan Javier , Unanue Nancy , Villaroel Claudio , Hernández María Isabel , Ávila Alejandra , Iñiguez Germán , Klein Karen Oerter 
Published: March 2009

SummaryObjective  Depot luteinizing‐hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist have been widely used for the treatment of central precocious puberty (CPP), but the optimal doses to obtain hormonal suppression are still unknown, especially in patients with higher weights. The goal of our study was to compare the efficacy of three leuprolide acetate (LA) preparations, suppressing gonadotropin secretion in patients with CPP.Design  In an open 12‐month protocol, we evaluated LA 7·5 mg/month, 11·25 and 22·5 every 3 months.Patients  Fourteen girls with CPP and weights over 30 kg.Measurements: Clinical, radiological and laboratory follow‐up: GnRH test plus LH, FSH 40 min post analogue was performed periodically.Results  Pretreatment basal and LHRH stimulated LH levels between groups were not different. Basal and LHRH stimulated LH levels decreased significantly between baseline and from 3 up to 12 months of therapy in all groups (P = 0·001). GnRH stimulated LH peak <2 IU/l, the main efficacy criterion was met in 80, 75 and 100% of the children at 6 months in the 7·5, 11·25, 22·5 mg doses respectively. By 12 months, 100% of patients had LH suppressed to <2 IU/l.Conclusions  These results affirm that 3‐month injections may be a satisfactory alternative for the therapy of children with CPP to avoid monthly injections. In addition, suppression of LH occurs sooner in the 3‐month 22·5 mg LA dose compared to the 3‐month 11·5 mg; therefore, adequate dosing may be important for optimal outcome. Further investigation is needed in more patients over 30 kg, with longer treatment duration, and ultimately final height consideration.