bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The role of VlsE antigenic variation in the Lyme disease spirochete: persistence through a mechanism that differs from other pathogens
Authors: Bankhead Troy , Chaconas George 
Published: August 2007

SummaryThe linear plasmid, lp28‐1, is required for persistent infection by the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. This plasmid contains the vls antigenic variation locus, which has long been thought to be important for immune evasion. However, the role of the vls locus as a virulence factor during mammalian infection has not been clearly defined. We report the successful removal of the vls locus through telomere resolvase‐mediated targeted deletion, and demonstrate the absolute requirement of this lp28‐1 component for persistence in the mouse host. Moreover, successful infection of C3H/HeN mice with an lp28‐1 plasmid in which the left portion was deleted excludes participation of other lp28‐1 non‐vls genes in spirochete virulence, persistence and the process of recombinational switching at vlsE. Data are also presented that cast doubt on an immune evasion mechanism whereby VlsE directly masks other surface antigens similar to what has been observed for several other pathogens that undergo recombinational antigenic variation.
Spore cortex formation in Bacillus subtilis is regulated by accumulation of peptidoglycan precursors under the control of sigma K
Authors: Vasudevan Pradeep , Weaver Amy , Reichert Erin D. , Linnstaedt Sarah D. , Popham David L. 
Published: August 2007

SummaryThe bacterial endospore cortex peptidoglycan is synthesized between the double membranes of the developing forespore and is required for attainment of spore dehydration and dormancy. The Bacillus subtilis spoVB, spoVD and spoVE gene products are expressed in the mother cell compartment early during sporulation and play roles in cortex synthesis. Here we show that mutations in these genes block synthesis of cortex peptidoglycan and cause accumulation of peptidoglycan precursors, indicating a defect at the earliest steps of peptidoglycan polymerization. Loss of spoIV gene products involved in activation of later, σK‐dependent mother cell gene expression results in decreased synthesis of cortex peptidoglycan, even in the presence of the SpoV proteins that were synthesized earlier, apparently due to decreased precursor production. Data show that activation of σK is required for increased synthesis of the soluble peptidoglycan precursors, and Western blot analyses show that increases in the precursor synthesis enzymes MurAA, MurB, MurC and MurF are dependent on σK activation. Overall, our results indicate that a decrease in peptidoglycan precursor synthesis during early sporulation, followed by renewed precursor synthesis upon σK activation, serves as a regulatory mechanism for the timing of spore cortex synthesis.
Heritability of life‐history tactics and genetic correlation with body size in a natural population of brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis)
Authors: THÉRIAULT V. , GARANT D. , BERNATCHEZ L. , DODSON J. J. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractA common dimorphism in life‐history tactic in salmonids is the presence of an anadromous pathway involving a migration to sea followed by a freshwater reproduction, along with an entirely freshwater resident tactic. Although common, the genetic and environmental influence on the adoption of a particular life‐history tactic has rarely been studied under natural conditions. Here, we used sibship‐reconstruction based on microsatellite data and an ‘animal model’ approach to estimate the additive genetic basis of the life‐history tactic adopted (anadromy vs. residency) in a natural population of brook charr, Salvelinus fontinalis. We also assess its genetic correlation with phenotypic correlated traits, body size and body shape. Significant heritability was observed for life‐history tactic (varying from 0.52 to 0.56 depending on the pedigree scenario adopted) as well as for body size (from 0.44 to 0.50). There was also a significant genetic correlation between these two traits, whereby anadromous fish were genetically associated with bigger size at age 1 (rG = −0.52 and −0.61). Our findings thus indicate that life‐history tactics in this population have the potential to evolve in response to selection acting on the tactic itself or indirectly via selection on body size. This study is one of the very few to have successfully used sibship‐reconstruction to estimate quantitative genetic parameters under wild conditions.
Seasonal dynamics of economic injury levels for Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari, Tetranychidae) on Cucumis sativus L.
Authors: Park Y.‐L. , Lee J.‐H. 
Published: August 2007

Abstract:  Economic injury level (EIL) for Tetranychus urticae Koch on glasshouse cucumbers was established in two ways: EILs based on the number of T. urticae introduced to cucumber early in the growing season and EILs based on mite density and feeding durations (i.e. cumulative mite‐days) in each of four growing seasons. The relationship between yield loss and T. urticae infestation level varied among four growing seasons. One mite introduced to cucumber early in the growing season could reduce the cucumber yield by 5.03, 3.20, 1.12 and 2.86 g per plant in spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively. One mite‐day (i.e. one mite feeding in a day) reduced cucumber yield by 0.0123, 0.0074, 0.0035 and 0.0073 g per plant in spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively. When the seasonal dynamics of market values of cucumber was considered, EILs were the lowest in spring and the highest in autumn. When four seasonal data were combined, EILs can be calculated as EIL = C/(0.00276 × K) for the number of T. urticae introduced early in the growing season and EIL = C/(6.8342 × 10−6 × K) for cumulative mite‐days, where K is efficacy of control measure and C the management cost. This study demonstrated the seasonal dynamics of EILs for T. urticae on glasshouse cucumbers, suggesting that decision making for T. urticae management on cucumber needs to be seasonally different under the glasshouse condition.
Up‐regulation of urinary UPIII mRNA levels in vesicoureteral reflux patients: Potential application as a screening test for vesicoureteral reflux
Authors: Iwaki Hideaki , Johnin Kazuyoshi , Kageyama Susumu , Kim Chul Jang , Isono Takahiro , Yoshiki Tatsuhiro 
Published: August 2007

Objectives:  Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is the most common congenital urinary tract anomaly. This disease can pose a major threat to the kidneys as twenty percent of patients with endstage renal disease are reported to have VUR. Although genetic studies for uroplakin III (UPIII) have been reported recently, no study has focused on UPIII gene expression in VUR patients. We describe here the up‐regulation of UPIII mRNA in exfoliated urinary cells from primary VUR patients.Methods:  A real‐time RT‐PCR for UPIII mRNA was performed on exfoliated urothelial cells from 18 primary VUR and 38 control samples. UPIII mRNA copies were calculated for each sample. The statistical differences were assessed by the Mann‐Whitney U test. Receiver operator characteristic curves were constructed for analysis of the diagnostic values.Results:  UPIII mRNA was found to be up‐regulated to a greater extent in VUR than in control exfoliated urinary cells (mean ± SE: 497.0 ± 178.5 copies vs. 69.0 ± 10.0 copies, respectively, P < 0.001). In evaluating the measurement of urinary UPIII mRNA as a screening test for VUR, the sensitivity was 77.8% and the specificity was 76.3% by the best diagnostic cutoff point.Conclusions:  This is the first report demonstrating up‐regulation of UPIII in mRNA levels in VUR patients. We submit that the quantitative measurement of urinary UPIII mRNA has a potential of developing into the first non‐invasive screening test for VUR.
Up‐regulation of an N‐terminal truncated 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl CoA reductase enhances production of essential oils and sterols in transgenic Lavandula latifolia
Authors: Muñoz‐Bertomeu Jesús , Sales Ester , Ros Roc , Arrillaga Isabel , Segura Juan 
Published: August 2007

SummarySpike lavender (Lavandula latifolia) essential oil is widely used in the perfume, cosmetic, flavouring and pharmaceutical industries. Thus, modifications of yield and composition of this essential oil by genetic engineering should have important scientific and commercial applications. We generated transgenic spike lavender plants expressing the Arabidopsis thaliana HMG1 cDNA, encoding the catalytic domain of 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMGR1S), a key enzyme of the mevalonic acid (MVA) pathway. Transgenic T0 plants accumulated significantly more essential oil constituents as compared to controls (up to 2.1‐ and 1.8‐fold in leaves and flowers, respectively). Enhanced expression of HMGR1S also increased the amount of the end‐product sterols, β‐sitosterol and stigmasterol (average differences of 1.8‐ and 1.9‐fold, respectively), but did not affect the accumulation of carotenoids or chlorophylls. We also analysed T1 plants derived from self‐pollinated seeds of T0 lines that flowered after growing for 2 years in the greenhouse. The increased levels of essential oil and sterols observed in the transgenic T0 plants were maintained in the progeny that inherited the HMG1 transgene. Our results demonstrate that genetic manipulation of the MVA pathway increases essential oil yield in spike lavender, suggesting a contribution for this cytosolic pathway to monoterpene and sesquiterpene biosynthesis in leaves and flowers of the species.
The Beck Depression Inventory II and the Beck Anxiety Inventory in People with Intellectual Disabilities: Factor Analyses and Group Data
Authors: Lindsay William R. , Skene Danielle D. 
Published: August 2007

Background  There have been several developments in research on emotional disorders in people with intellectual disability (ID). Although a large amount of work has been completed in mainstream clinical fields on the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Beck Depression Inventory– 2nd Edition (BDI‐II), to date there has been little work completed on people with ID.Design  This paper presents several analyses that provide information on the psychometric properties of the BAI and the BDI‐II. Data on subsamples of the total cohort are also presented.Method  Both assessments were appropriately revised for use with persons with ID and individually administered. A sample of 108 participants from inpatient and community settings completed the assessments. In supplementary analyses, several subsamples of anxiety referrals, depression referrals, sex offenders, other types of offenders, men and women are also presented.Results  The joint factor analyses of the BAI and BDI‐II revealed a two factor solution corresponding closely to a depression and anxiety factor. Results from further factor analyses independently demonstrated that the BAI had three factors corresponding to cognitive–subjective anxiety, somatic temperature and somatic balance symptoms. The BDI‐II exhibited a three factor structure: cognitive self, cognitive‐affective/loss of functioning and somatic symptoms. In the supplementary analyses anxiety referrals had significantly higher scores on the BAI, depression referrals higher scores on the BDI, sex offenders are significantly lower scores on both the BAI and BDI than other groups.Conclusion  The factor structure of the BAI and BDI conforms specifically to those found in research with the general population. Result suggests that both assessments can be used reliably with individuals who have ID.
A Preliminary Investigation into the Utility of the Adult Behavior Checklist in the Assessment of Psychopathology in People with Low IQ
Authors: Tenneij Nienke H. , Koot Hans M. 
Published: August 2007

Background  Achenbach & Rescorla (2003) recently developed the Adult Behavior Checklist (ABCL) to assess psychopathology in the general population. The ABCL should be completed by a proxy informant. The use of proxy informants, instead of self‐reporting, makes the ABCL potentially suitable for the assessment of psychopathology in adults with intellectual disability. The aim of the present study was to examine reliability and validity of the ABCL in 124 adults with mild intellectual disability or low IQ, and severe challenging behaviour referred for residential treatment.Methods  The ABCL was completed by two independent informants to assess inter‐rater reliability. To examine the validity of the ABCL, its relationship with three measures of functioning was assessed. Furthermore, association between scales of the ABCL and DSM‐IV axis I disorders was examined.Results  The ABCL was reliable in terms of internal consistency of its scales, and inter‐rater reliability. Relationships between clusters of axis I DSM‐IV disorders and scales of the ABCL were found as expected. Moreover, ABCL scales predicted different measures of functioning.Conclusions  The ABCL appears to be a reliable and valid measure to assess psychopathology in persons with mild intellectual disabilities or low IQ, admitted for treatment in facilities for adults with mild intellectual disability and severe challenging behaviour.
The Dose–Effect Relationship in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy with People with Intellectual Disabilities
Authors: Beail Nigel , Kellett Stephen , Newman David W. , Warden Sharon 
Published: August 2007

Background  Although there is an established body of evidence attesting to the dose–effect relationship in psychotherapy with non‐disabled adults, the issue as to whether such a relationship exists for persons with intellectual disabilities has not been previously examined. Dose–effect essentially concerns the amount of psychotherapy required to produce positive results.Method  The current study used a naturalistic design to examine and compare the outcomes of three groups of participants with co‐morbid psychological problems undergoing treatments of differing lengths (i.e. ‘doses’) with psychodynamic psychotherapy. Three measures of psychopathology were completed at assessment and at subsequent eight‐session intervals until the conclusion of treatment. Each patient received a 3‐month follow‐up appointment, at which time the measures were again completed. Three treatment duration groups were subsequently constructed and compared via anova: eight sessions (n = 8), 16 sessions (n = 5) and 24 plus sessions (n = 7).Results  Results were supportive of a dose–effect relationship, in that outcomes were generally equivalent regardless of treatment duration.Conclusion  In short, most change appears to occur in the first eight sessions of treatment, with subsequent outcomes trailing off over time. The clinical implications of the study are discussed in the context of the methodological limitations identified.
The Association Between Area‐Level Indicators of Social Deprivation and the Emotional and Behavioural Needs of Black and South Asian Children with Intellectual Disabilities in a Deprived Urban Environment
Authors: Emerson Eric , Robertson Janet , Wood Justin 
Published: August 2007

Introduction:  There has been a recent increase in interest in research into the emotional and behavioural needs of children and adolescents with intellectual disability. The field has tended to focus on the association between emotional and behavioural needs and child characteristics. Little attention has been paid to the potential importance of social context.Method:  Cross‐sectional survey of teacher‐reported emotional and behavioural needs among 386 South Asian children and 118 Black children in a deprived urban conurbation.Results:  The results suggested that: (i) teachers reported higher rates of emotional and behavioural needs among Black (when compared with South Asian) children; (ii) increased rates of emotional and behavioural needs were generally associated with older child age, lower child ability, the absence of sensory impairments and male gender; and (iii) neighbourhood deprivation was associated with variation in emotional and behavioural need differently for the two ethnic groups. For Black children, increased deprivation was associated with increased need. However, for South Asian children increased deprivation was associated with decreased need.Discussion Results are discussed in relation to ‘group density effects’ which may reflect the potentially moderating effects of social support on the relationship between socioeconomic deprivation and mental health.
Skin‐Picking in Individuals with Prader‐Willi Syndrome: Prevalence, Functional Assessment, and its Comorbidity with Compulsive and Self‐Injurious Behaviours
Authors: Didden Robert , Korzilius Hubert , Curfs Leopold M. G. 
Published: August 2007

Background  Individuals with Prader‐Willi syndrome (PWS) are at increased risk for mental health and behaviour problems, such as skin‐picking and compulsive behaviours. Prevalence and functional assessment of skin‐picking, and its association with compulsive behaviour and self‐injury, were investigated in a large group of individuals with PWS (n = 119).Materials and Methods  Data on demographic characteristics, skin‐picking and compulsive and self‐injurious behaviours were collected by questionnaires. Behavioural function of skin‐picking was assessed by administering the Questions About Behavioral Function scale.Results  Skin‐picking was found in 86% of the sample, and correlated positively with compulsive behaviours. No associations were found between skin‐picking and other variables. Functional assessment suggest that in most cases (i.e. 70%) skin‐picking primarily had non‐social functions.Conclusions  Skin‐picking and compulsive behaviours are common in PWS. In most cases, skin‐picking may be maintained by contingent arousal reduction. Controlled studies on behavioural treatment are lacking. Implications for treatment selection are discussed.
Beck, individualization and the death of class: a critique1
Authors: Atkinson Will 
Published: August 2007

AbstractUlrich Beck has argued that the changing logic of distribution and, more importantly, the ‘individualization’ of social processes in reflexive modernity have killed off the concept of social class and rendered the analysis of its effects a flawed endeavour. The present paper takes issue with this perspective by exposing its key weaknesses, namely its ambivalence and contradiction over what exactly constitutes individualization and the extent to which it has really displaced class, its inconsistent and caricaturized description of what actually constitutes class, its erroneous and unsatisfactory depiction of class analysis, and its self‐defeating reasoning on the motors of individualization. The intention is not to conservatively deny that social change is occurring nor to advocate any particular model of class, but only to illustrate the aporias of Beck's position with the aim of vindicating the enterprise of class analysis.
Beyond the binge in ‘booze Britain’: market‐led liminalization and the spectacle of binge drinking
Authors: Hayward Keith , Hobbs Dick 
Published: August 2007

AbstractThe contemporary night‐time economy has transformed British town centres into liminal spaces where transgression does not subvert normative space, but establishes public drunkenness as integral to a negotiated order. The focus of this paper is the wider dialectic surrounding contemporary ‘binge drinking’, and in particular the relationship between aesthetic processes aimed at encouraging alcohol‐related excitement and excess, and those that seek to exert a measure of rational control over the drink ‘problem’. It is the logic of the market that informs governmental policy on alcohol, and the binge drinker is central to the spectacle of the night‐time economy as a form of self gratification which also embodies forms of repression.
Maternal stress and depression and the lateralisation of infant cradling
Authors: Reissland Nadja , Hopkins Brian , Helms Peter , Williams Bob 
Published: August 2007

Background:  Studies show that 65–85% of mothers cradle their infants to the left side of their body, but that this bias changes with maternal mood and stress. The present study examines the hypothesis that maternal stress and depression status will influence the cradling bias differentially.Method:  As part of a larger study on mother–infant interaction, mothers (N = 79) were asked to pick up and briefly hold their children in their arms (44 boys, 35 girls; mean age 7.2 months, range 3 to 14 months).Results:  Results indicated that 86% of mothers who were neither stressed nor depressed cradled to the left and 14% to the right. Comparing the cradling side of stressed mothers with those who were neither stressed nor depressed, more in the former group showed right‐sided cradling. In contrast, mothers who were just depressed preferred to cradle to the left.Conclusion:  The lack of a left‐sided cradling bias might be due to stress rather than depression experienced by mothers.Furthermore, this study provides evidence that the state of maternal mental health might be indicated by the side on which they cradle their child preferentially.
The Speed and Stability of Price Adjustment in Australian Manufacturing*
Authors: BLOCH HARRY , OLIVE MICHAEL 
Published: August 2007

A model of industry speed of price adjustment is derived from firm pricing behaviour. The model is applied to quarterly two‐digit Australian manufacturing data for the period 1985 (Q3) to 2002 (Q3). The results suggest that the industry speed of price adjustment is positively related to the average size of large firms within the industry and is negatively related to industry concentration. We also find that import share has a role in attenuating the effects of industry concentration and that growth in a moving average of real gross domestic product reduces the speed of price adjustment. Calculated industry speeds of price adjustment are both stable across the period of examination and small, suggesting that manufacturing prices are sticky.
Suspected cerebellar infarcts in 4 dogs
Authors: Irwin John C. , Dewey Curtis W. , Stefanacci Joseph D. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractObjective: Reports of cerebellar infarction in veterinary literature are rare. Documentation and descriptions of cerebellar infarction in human literature have been well described. Brain lesions suspected to be infarcts have been recognized with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Series summary: Four dogs presented to the Long Island Veterinary Specialists (LIVS) with the history of acute onset cerebellovestibular dysfunction. All animals were imaged using a 0.5 T super‐conducting Magna GE MRI unit. Suspected cerebellar infarction was diagnosed in all dogs based on history, physical examination, and MRI findings. Further diagnostics were performed based on the individual case and owner compliance. Functional recovery was favorable in 3 dogs. One dog was euthanized shortly following the onset of neurological dysfunction.New or unique information provided: Cerebellar infarction appears to have characteristic MRI features. Affected tissue within the cerebellum is typically wedge‐shaped with low signal intensity in T1‐weighted images, high signal intensity in T2‐weighted images, subtle rim enhancement without central contrast enhancement in T1 post‐gadolinium, and selectively hyperintense in fluid‐attenuated inversion recovery images. Anatomic regions serviced by rostral cerebellar arteries are affected. Vascular risk factors as compared with reports in human literature are also discussed.