bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Local mucosal immunoglobulin E production: does allergy exist in non‐allergic rhinitis?
Authors: Powe D. G. , Jones N. S. 
Published: November 2006

SummaryIn this review, we critically evaluate the evidence for local IgE production in allergic rhinitis mucosa and the concept of local allergy in non‐atopic idiopathic rhinitis. Significantly, fewer studies have focused on the disease pathways associated with non‐allergic rhinitis compared with their allergic counterparts. Recently, there's been a revival of the hypothesis concerning the existence of local tissue‐specific allergic disease confined to the nasal mucosa of some systemically non‐atopic rhinitis subjects. Providing the evidence for local mucosal IgE production in allergic rhinitis is a pre‐requisite to reviewing its existence in non‐allergic rhinitis. In addition, practical and theoretical approaches useful in the detection of allergy in non‐allergic rhinitis will be discussed. Furthermore, successful therapeutic regimens used in the treatment of non‐allergic rhinitis will be examined as these could provide an insight into the underlying pathophysiology of this common but poorly understood disease.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Phylogeography of the giant wood spider (Nephila pilipes, Araneae) from Asian–Australian regions
Authors: Su Yong‐Chao , Chang Yung‐Hau , Lee Sin‐Che , Tso I‐Min 
Published: November 2006

AbstractAim  There are currently few population genetic studies on widely distributed SE Asian terrestrial organisms. We have studied the genetic diversification pattern of the giant wood spider, Nephila pilipes (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) to see whether fluctuations in rain forest extents generated by Quaternary climatic changes left signatures on populations of this agile terrestrial arthropod.Location  The collecting localities were distributed in the following seven regions: (1) N Australia; (2) India (Calcutta, Karziranga and Sukna); (3) SE Asia (N Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Bali); (4) SE China (Fujian, Guandong, Hong Kong and Hainan); (5) SW China (Guangxi and Yunnan); (6) E Asian islands (Ryukyu islands and Taiwan); and (7) the Philippine Islands.Methods  A total of 374 specimens were collected from the East Asian continent and islands, SE Asia, India, and northern Australia. Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene partial sequences were used as the molecular marker to infer the phylogeographic diversification patterns.Results  From the specimens collected, 67 haplotypes were identified, which could be grouped into five major clades. The dominant clade contained populations in regions ranging from Okinawa to Bali (spanning a distance of more than 4000 km), but their genetic variations were not structured and were not significantly associated with geographical distances. Three clades contained specimens collected from peripheral regions of the distribution range of N. pilipes, such as India, N Australia, and NE Asia. Members of the clade distributed in NE Asia were sympatric but those of the clades distributed in Australia and India were allopatric with those of the dominant clade.Main conclusions  The results of this study indicate that, during Quaternary glacial periods, the rain forests in SE Asia might have been more or less continuous and thus generated an unstructured genetic diversification pattern of N. pilipes inhabiting this region. However, during such periods, populations in peripheral regions such as India, N Australia and NE Asia might have been isolated in refugia, thus accounting for the observed genetic divergence from populations in the SE Asian region.
Low stomatal and internal conductance to CO2 versus Rubisco deactivation as determinants of the photosynthetic decline of ageing evergreen leaves
Authors: ETHIER G. J. , LIVINGSTON N. J. , HARRISON D. L. , BLACK T. A. , MORAN J. A. 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACTA novel A‐Ci curve (net CO2 assimilation rate of a leaf –An– as a function of its intercellular CO2 concentration –Ci) analysis method (Plant, Cell & Environment 27, 137–153, 2004) was used to estimate the CO2 transfer conductance (gi) and the maximal carboxylation (Vcmax) and electron transport (Jmax) potentials of ageing, non‐senescing Pseudotsuga menziesii leaves in relation to their nitrogen (N) content and protein and pigment composition. Both gi and the stomatal conductance (gsc) of leaves were closely coupled to Vcmax, Jmax and An with all variables decreasing with increasing leaf age. Consequently, both Ci and Cc (chloroplastic CO2 concentration) remained largely conserved through successive growing seasons. The N content of leaves, as well as the amount of ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) and other sodium dodecyl sulfate‐soluble proteins, increased during the first three growing seasons, then stabilized or decreased only slightly afterwards. Thus, the age‐related photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE) decline of leaves was not a consequence of decreased allocation of N towards Rubisco and other proteins involved in bioenergetics and light harvesting. Rather, loss of photosynthetic capacity was the result of the decreased activation state of Rubisco and proportional down‐regulation of electron transport towards the photosynthetic carbon reduction (PCR) and photorespiratory (PCO) cycles in response to a reduction of CO2 supply to the chloroplasts’ stroma. This study emphasizes the regulatory potential and homeostaticity of Cc– rather than photosynthetic metabolites or Ci– in relation to the commonly observed correlation between photosynthesis and gsc.
Male–male competition and speciation: aggression bias towards differently coloured rivals varies between stages of speciation in a Lake Victoria cichlid species complex
Authors: DIJKSTRA P. D. , SEEHAUSEN O. , PIEROTTI M.E.R. , GROOTHUIS T. G. G. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractSympatric speciation driven by sexual selection by female mate choice on a male trait is a much debated topic. The process is problematic because of the lack of negative frequency‐dependent selection that can facilitate the invasion of a novel colour phenotype and stabilize trait polymorphism. It has recently been proposed that male–male competition for mating territories can generate frequency‐dependent selection on male colouration. Rare male cichlid fish would enjoy a fitness advantage if territorial defenders bias aggression towards male cichlid fish of their own colour. We used blue (ancestral type) and red phenotypes of the Lake Victoria cichlid species complex Pundamilia. We tested the aggression bias of wild‐caught territorial blue male cichlid fish from five separate populations for blue vs. red rival male cichlid fish using simulated intruder choice tests. The different populations vary in the frequency of red male cichlid fish, and in the degree of reproductive isolation between red and blue, reflecting different stages of speciation. Blue male cichlid fish from a population that lack red phenotypes biased aggression towards blue stimulus male cichlid fish. The same was found in two populations where blue and red are reproductively isolated sister species. This aggression bias may facilitate the invasion of a novel colour phenotype and species coexistence. Blue male cichlid fish from two populations where red and blue are hybridizing incipient species biased aggression towards red stimulus male cichlid fish. Thus, after a successful invasion of red, aggression bias alone is not likely to generate frequency dependence required to stabilize the coexistence of phenotypes. The findings show that aggression bias varies between stages of speciation, but is not enough to stabilize the process of speciation.
Residual polymerase activity‐induced bias in terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis
Authors: Hartmann Martin , Enkerli Jürg , Widmer Franco 
Published: November 2006

SummaryResidual activity of polymerase chain reaction DNA polymerases in restriction analyses strongly affected genetic profiling based on terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms. Artificial fragment sizes produced as a result of 5′‐overhang restriction site fill‐in and addition of a terminal A may bias genetic profiling and genotyping of microbial communities. Efficient removal of polymerases retained original fragment sizes and significantly reduced this profiling bias in soil bacterial communities.
Intervention studies for prevention of pressure ulcers in Turkey: a literature review
Authors: Akyol A. D. 
Published: November 2006

Aim:  To examine critically the literature published in the Turkish language (1955–2004) related to risk assessment tool(s), their application to nursing care and prevention of pressure ulcers (PrUs). Specific objectives were to identify the advantages of risk assessment and prevention of PrUs in hospital; to establish the most valid and reliable methods available to evaluate the effectiveness of PrU prevention programmes; to determine methodological problems encountered by researchers and explore how these were overcome; and to present the findings so they could be used to develop a valid and reliable audit tool based upon the empirical evidence.Methods:  All journals and convention booklets published in Turkey related to nursing between the years 1955–2004 were examined. Because many journals in Turkey are not yet available by electronic means, the published Turkish articles were all examined by hand. A total of 3031 articles in 17 nursing journals and 36 congress books (convention booklets) were examined. Five articles were found to meet the study criteria and were taken into the study and evaluated.Conclusion:  There is a need to determine valid and reliable assessment methods, and the results need to be recorded on standard forms. In addition, it is important to increase the motivation of nursing personnel who give direct patient care to use the tools available in order to prevent the development of PrUs. From the review findings it is apparent that in Turkey, there is a dearth of research evidence upon which to base practice in the sphere of PrU prevention, and further research is urgently required.
Integrating physiology and life history to improve fisheries management and conservation
Authors: Young Jeffery L. , Bornik Zosia B. , Marcotte Michelle L. , Charlie Kim N. , Wagner Glenn N. , Hinch Scott G. , Cooke Steven J. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractKnowledge of life‐history traits is increasingly recognized as an important criterion for effective management and conservation. Understanding the link between physiology and life history is an important component of this knowledge and in our view is particularly relevant to understanding marine and freshwater fishes. Such linkages (i.e. the life‐history/physiology nexus) have been recently advocated for avian systems and here we explore this concept for fish. This paper highlights the gap in fisheries literature with regard to understanding the relationship between physiology and life history, and proposes ways in which this integration could improve fisheries management and conservation. We use three case studies on different fishes (i.e. the Pacific salmon, the grouper complex and tuna) to explore these issues. The physiological structure and function of fish plays a central role in determining stock response to exploitation and changes in the environment. Physiological measures can provide simple indicators necessary for cost‐effective monitoring in the evaluation of fisheries sustainability. The declining state of world fisheries and the need to develop and implement restoration strategies, such as hatchery production or protected areas, provides strong incentive to better understand the influence of physiology on population and reproductive dynamics and early life history. Physiology influences key population‐level processes, particularly those dealing with reproduction, which must be incorporated into the design and successful implementation of specific and broadscale initiatives (e.g. aquatic protected areas and bycatch reduction). Suggestions are made for how to encourage wider application of the physiology/life‐history link, in fisheries management and conservation, as well as more broadly in education and research.
Does MPA mean ‘Major Problem for Assessments'? Considering the consequences of place‐based management systems
Authors: Field John C. , Punt André E. , Methot Richard D. , Thomson Cynthia J. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractMarine protected areas (MPAs) have been increasingly proposed, evaluated and implemented as management tools for achieving both fisheries and conservation objectives in aquatic ecosystems. However, there is a challenge associated with the application of MPAs in marine resource management with respect to the consequences to traditional systems of monitoring and managing fisheries resources. The place‐based paradigm of MPAs can complicate the population‐based paradigm of most fisheries stock assessments. In this review, we identify the potential complications that could result from both existing and future MPAs to the science and management systems currently in place for meeting conventional fisheries management objectives. The intent is not to evaluate the effects of implementing MPAs on fisheries yields, or even to consider the extent to which MPAs may achieve conservation oriented objectives, but rather to evaluate the consequences of MPA implementation on the ability to monitor and assess fishery resources consistent with existing methods and legislative mandates. Although examples are drawn primarily from groundfish fisheries on the West Coast of the USA, the lessons are broadly applicable to management systems worldwide, particularly those in which there exists the institutional infrastructure for managing resources based on quantitative assessments of resource status and productivity.
Countervailing Power and Price Transparency*
Authors: Hviid Morten , Møllgaard H. Peter 
Published: November 2006

AbstractWe investigate whether improved transparency about prices may increase the countervailing power exercised by buyers of an intermediate good. In a model with an informed manufacturer that sells to both informed and uninformed firms, we show that full transparency cannot be part of equilibrium due to the strategic effect of the resulting informational spillover. Transparency policies introduce a distortion for informed segments and are unsuccessful in completely removing the distortion from the uninformed segment. Welfare effects are hence ambiguous and depend on the weight assigned to uninformed markets. Our results thus cast further doubt on the value of transparency.
Lone Parents and Informal Childcare: A Tax Credit Childcare Subsidy?
Authors: Skinner Christine , Finch Naomi 
Published: November 2006

Abstract The Labour government aims to increase the lone parent employment rate to 70 per cent by 2010. To achieve this aim, it has introduced a state subsidy for childcare in the form of the childcare element of the Working Tax Credit. So far this has been limited to formal childcare despite evidence that lone parents are more likely to use informal childcare. This article investigates the potential of a state subsidy to be extended to support informal childcare. Utilizing evidence from a study of 78 qualitative in‐depth interviews with lone parents, it explores preferences for informal care and the way that informal care is negotiated. On the one hand, we found that some lone parents held deeply embedded preferences for informal childcare based on trust, commitment, shared understandings and children's happiness. Thus it can be concluded that it is important for the government to support informal as well as formal care. On the other, we found that the way lone parents actually negotiated informal childcare involved complex notions of obligation, duty and reciprocity, suggesting that a subsidy could potentially intrude upon complex private family relationships. However, the evidence suggests that care was negotiated differently depending on whether it was provided by a grandparent or other family and friends, with lone parents tending to favour paying for childcare provided by other family and friends than grandparents. This has implications for a state subsidy, which needs further investigation.
Folic acid knowledge and use in a multi‐ethnic pregnancy cohort: the role of language proficiency
Authors: Van Eijsden M , Van Der Wal MF , Bonsel GJ 
Published: November 2006

Objective  To investigate the role of language proficiency as determinant of folic acid knowledge and use in a multi‐ethnic pregnancy cohort.Design  Prospective cohort study.Setting and population  Pregnant women from Amsterdam attending obstetric care for their first antenatal visit. Number approached: 12 373 women, response rate: 67% (8266 women aged 14–49 years). Ethnicity was based on the country of birth: the Netherlands, Surinam, Antilles, Turkey, Morocco, Ghana, other non‐Western and other Western countries.Main outcome measures  Knowledge about and use of folic acid supplements in pregnancy as elicited in a multilingual questionnaire, as well as determinants of these in ethnic groups separately.Results  Both periconceptional folic acid use and knowledge were significantly lower among Ghanaian, Moroccan, Turkish, and other non‐Western women than among women born in the Netherlands or other Western countries. Language proficiency in Dutch was a major determinant of knowledge in all the ethnic groups with a mother tongue other than Dutch [adjusted odds ratios (OR): Western 3.2, non‐Western (all countries combined) 7.5], while educational attainment was of secondary importance. Knowledge in turn was the strongest determinant of use (adjusted OR: Western 17.4, non‐Western 27.0).Conclusions  Periconceptional folic acid supplement use among women born in non‐Dutch‐speaking non‐Western countries is low, reflecting a lack of knowledge that is determined by the inability to speak and understand the language of the country of residence. Measures to tackle this problem include the provision of linguistically appropriate information via ethnic health advisors, and language courses integrating health education for immigrants.
MOMENTUM: DOES THE DATABASE MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Authors: Chakrabarty Bidisha , Trzcinka Charles 
Published: November 2006

AbstractWe examine discrepancies between the Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP) and Trade and Quote (TAQ) databases by examining the returns of momentum strategies using each database. Momentum portfolios constructed from CRSP prices earn significant profits whereas similar portfolios using TAQ prices show losses. Adjusting TAQ prices with the TAQ dividends file or with the cumulative distribution factor provided by CRSP does not eliminate all differences. There are significant discrepancies in the way CRSP and TAQ record newly listed and delisted stocks. We document the residual (after all filters) price differences between the two databases and provide filters to adjust TAQ data for long sample periods and large sample sizes. Our filtering procedures allow for the possibility of examining intraday patterns in momentum profits.
VALUATION OF EVENT‐CONTINGENT OPTIONS
Authors: Câmara António 
Published: November 2006

AbstractI study a new class of investment options, event‐contingent options. These are options to invest and divest in projects that are dependent on other projects of the same firm or that are conditioned by projects of other firms in its value chain. I construct payoff functions and derive closed‐form solutions for the value of options to invest contingent on investment (OICI), options to invest contingent on divestment (OICD), options to divest contingent on divestment (ODCD), and options to divest contingent on investment (ODCI). I also derive analytical comparative statics for these option valuation equations and examine their implications on the firm's wealth. I offer examples of event‐contingent options in a global context.
ARE TREASURY INFLATION PROTECTED SECURITIES REALLY TAX DISADVANTAGED?
Authors: Hein Scott E. , Mercer Jeffrey M. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractIn 1997, the U.S. Treasury introduced Inflation Protected Securities, commonly known as TIPS. Several in the finance field have since described these securities as “tax disadvantaged” relative to conventional securities, leading to serious questions regarding their appropriateness outside of tax‐deferred accounts. In this article, we develop a framework that demonstrates that at least in a real sense the tax treatment of TIPS is trivially different from that of conventional Treasury securities. Moreover, empirically we find evidence that TIPS generally have after‐tax yields comparable to, if not exceeding, conventional fixed‐rate Treasury securities. We also show that TIPS have generally outperformed matched‐maturity conventional Treasury securities in terms of after‐tax rates of return.
Comparative and Functional Genomic Analyses of Iron Transport and Regulation in
Leptospira
spp
Authors: Louvel H. , Bommezzadri S. , Zidane N. , Boursaux-Eude C. , Creno S. , Magnier A. , Rouy Z. , Médigue C. , Girons I. Saint , Bouchier C. , Picardeau M. 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT

The spirochetes of the
Leptospira
genus contain saprophytic and pathogenic members, the latter being responsible for leptospirosis. Despite the recent sequencing of the genome of the pathogen
L. interrogans
, the slow growth of these bacteria, their virulence in humans, and a lack of genetic tools make it difficult to work with these pathogens. In contrast, the development of numerous genetic tools for the saprophyte
L. biflexa
enables its use as a model bacterium.
Leptospira
spp. require iron for growth. In this work, we show that
Leptospira
spp. can acquire iron from different sources, including siderophores. A comparative genome analysis of iron uptake systems and their regulation in the saprophyte
L. biflexa
and the pathogen
L. interrogans
is presented in this study. Our data indicated that, for instance,
L. biflexa
and
L. interrogans
contain 8 and 12 genes, respectively, whose products share homology with proteins that have been shown to be TonB-dependent receptors. We show that some genes involved in iron uptake were differentially expressed in response to iron. In addition, we were able to disrupt several putative genes involved in iron acquisition systems or iron regulation in
L. biflexa
. Comparative genomics, in combination with gene inactivation, gives us significant functional information on iron homeostasis in
Leptospira
spp.
The Cytotoxic Fimbrial Structural Subunit of
Xenorhabdus nematophila
Is a Pore-Forming Toxin
Authors: Banerjee Jyotirmoy , Singh Jitendra , Joshi Mohan Chandra , Ghosh Shubhendu , Banerjee Nirupama 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT

We have purified a fimbrial shaft protein (MrxA) of
Xenorhabdus nematophila
. The soluble monomeric protein lysed larval hemocytes of
Helicoverpa armigera
. Osmotic protection of the cells with polyethylene glycol suggested that the 17-kDa MrxA subunit makes pores in the target cell membrane. The internal diameter of the pores was estimated to be >2.9 nm. Electron microscopy confirmed the formation of pores by the fimbrial subunit. MrxA protein oligomerized in the presence of liposomes. Electrophysiological studies demonstrated that MrxA formed large, voltage-gated passive-diffusion channels in lipid bilayers.
Transcription Modulation of
Salmonella enterica
Serovar Typhimurium Promoters by Sub-MIC Levels of Rifampin
Authors: Yim Grace , de la Cruz Fernando , Spiegelman George B. , Davies Julian 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT

Promoter-
lux
fusions that showed rifampin-modulated transcription were identified from a
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium 14028 reporter library. The transformation of a subset of fusions into mutants that lacked one of six global regulatory proteins or were rifampin resistant showed that transcription modulation was independent of the global regulators, promoter specific, and dependent on the interaction of rifampin with RNA polymerase.