bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Correlation of Distal Tephra Layers in Loess in the Channeled Scabland and Palouse of Washington state
Authors: Busacca Alan J. , Nelstead Kevin T. , McDonald Eric V. , Purser Michael D. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThirty-two distal tephra layers that are interbedded in Quaternary loess at 13 sites in the Channeled Scabland and Palouse were sampled as part of a regional study of the stratigraphy and chronology of dominantly windblown sediments on the Columbia Plateau. An electron microprobe was used to determine the elemental composition of volcanic glass in all of the samples and also to determine the composition of ilmenite in 14 of them. Two of the distal tephra layers correlate with Glacier Peak eruptions (11,200 yr B.P.), five with Mount St. Helens tephra set S (13,000 yr B.P.), and nine with Mount St. Helens tephra set C (ca. 36,000 yr B.P.) based on analysis of glass and ilmenite in reference pumices from Glacier Peak, Mount St. Helens, Mount Mazama, Mount Rainier, and Mount Jefferson, on the calculation of similarity coefficients for comparisons of both glass and ilmenite reference compositions with those of distal tephras, and on considerations of stratigraphic position. The composition of glass and ilmenite and the stratigraphic position of one distal tephra layer in the loess suggests that it is from an eruption of Mount St. Helens at least several thousand years older than the set C eruptions. Glass composition and stratigraphic position of a distal tephra at another site in loess suggested a possible correlation with some layers of the Pumice Castle eruptive sequence at Mount Mazama (ca. 70,000 yr B.P.), but similarity coefficients on ilmenite of only 45 and 48 fail to support the correlation and show why multiple correlation methods should be used. Similarity coefficients higher than 96 for both glass and ilmenite establish a correlation with Mount St. Helens layer Cw for distal layers in two widely separated sites. These layers are in sedimentary successions that are closely associated with giant floods in the Channeled Scabland. The 36,000 yr B.P. radiocarbon age of the Mount St. Helens set C establishes a minimum limiting date for an episode of flooding that predates the widespread late Wisconsin floods. A correlation of distal tephra layers at two other sites in the Scabland and Palouse establishes a chronostratigraphic link to a still-older episode of flooding within the Brunhes Normal Polarity Chron. Six distal tephra layers in pre-late Quaternary loess that are not correlated with known or dated eruptions have compositions and distinctive stratigraphic positions relative to magnetic reversal boundaries that make them key markers for future work.
Cost‐effective approaches to in vitro fertilization: Means to improve access
Authors: Hovatta O. , Cooke I. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractMany childless couples would like to have access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) through public‐sector programs, but such programs are scant because of the high costs that IVF entails today. A solution for health departments worldwide might be to leave IVF methods requiring expensive equipment and ovarian stimulating hormones — such as human recombinant gonadotropins, plus gonadotropin‐releasing hormone analogues to prevent a surge of luteinizing hormone — to the private sector. Rather, health departments could focus on methods using less equipment and no ovarian stimulating agent at all if possible. If not possible, inexpensive clomiphene citrate could be used, combined with human menopausal gonadotropin if needed. Before embryo transfer, oocyte maturation could occur in vitro or in a makeshift incubator: a tube closed, wrapped, and left in the woman's vagina for 24 h. To prevent short‐ and long‐term costs as well as possible lifelong problems, the transfer of multiple embryos should not be performed.
Cervical cancer: A call for political will
Authors: Pollack A.E. , Balkin M.S. , Denny L. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractCervical cancer kills over a quarter of a million women worldwide on an annual basis, with 80% of these deaths occurring in developing countries. Cytology‐based screening programs, widely used in industrialized countries, are difficult to implement in low‐resource settings. Non‐cytological methods for screening and treatment have been developed and studied over the last decade. Given the barriers to widespread, good quality screening and early treatment, the most promising new prevention strategy will be the introduction of a vaccine to prevent human papillomavirus infection, the cause of cervical cancer. Understanding women's health‐seeking behaviors is critical to successful dissemination and uptake of both screening and vaccine prevention strategies.
Special needs of adolescent and young women in accessing reproductive health: Promoting partnerships between young people and health care providers
Authors: Hobcraft G. , Baker T. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThis article considers the unique challenges and opportunities that health care providers (HCPs) face when they address the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young women accessing services. Some of the difficulties that HCPs encounter in their work are highlighted, including poor remuneration, the impact of their personal biases and the effect of an under‐equipped working environment. The financial, logistical and emotional challenges young people face in accessing services are also described, as well as some small changes that could promote fruitful partnerships between HCPs and their young clientele. Also considered is how international documents concerning reproductive health can be utilized as advocacy tools to ensure that, when governments speak of making young people's needs a priority, resources are also made a priority—so that reproductive health can become a reality for all young people.
A survey of undergraduate otolaryngology experience at Newcastle University Medical School
Authors: Doshi J , Carrie S 
Published: July 2006

Introduction: Due to the ‘modernizing medical careers’ changes, doctors with a firm career intention will be able to enter a speciality-specific training programme after their foundation years.Materials and methods: A questionnaire was emailed to all 204 final year medical students at Newcastle Medical School asking about their ENT undergraduate experience and if they felt it was sufficient to consider a career in otolaryngology.Results: One hundred and forty-four completed questionnaires (71 per cent) were returned, with respondents giving the following information: 54 per cent had had a formal ENT attachment (average seven and a half days); 24/144 (17 per cent) and 60/144 (42 per cent) respectively had not attended ENT clinic or theatre; less than 50 per cent had seen common ENT operations; 12/144 (8 per cent) had never heard of a septoplasty; two-thirds (24/36) of aspiring general practitioners had never seen a tonsillectomy or grommet insertion; and only 6/30 (20 per cent) of aspiring surgeons felt their ENT experience had been enough to consider the speciality as a career.Discussion: Alternative methods of delivering an otolaryngology curriculum should be considered. We must promote otolaryngology to medical students at every opportunity.
Complications of keratosis obturans
Authors: Saunders N C , Malhotra R , Biggs N , Fagan P A 
Published: July 2006

Three patients with extensive keratosis obturans were treated during a 12-month period. One presented with an idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss and was found to have keratosis obturans in the contralateral, asymptomatic ear. The disease process had resulted in a horizontal semicircular canal fistula in what was now, effectively, the only hearing ear. The second patient had an extensive dehiscence of the tegmen tympani. The third presented with a facial palsy. An automastoidectomy cavity was present, with circumferential skeletonization of the descending facial nerve over a length of 1.5 cm and dehiscence of the temporomandibular joint and jugular bulb. All three patients were successfully treated by surgical formalization of their automastoidectomy cavities. They appeared to represent cases of keratosis obturans rather than external auditory canal cholesteatoma, on the basis of previously published reports.These complications and patterns of bone erosion have not previously been described in keratosis obturans. The third patient is believed to have the most extensive case of keratosis obturans yet described.
Documenting the heroin shortage in New South Wales
Authors: DAY CAROLYN , DEGENHARDT LOUISA , HALL WAYNE 
Published: July 2006

AbstractAustralian heroin markets have recently undergone dramatic change, sparking debate about the nature of such markets. This study aimed to determine the onset, peak and decline of the heroin shortage in New South Wales (NSW), using the most appropriate available methods to detect market level changes. The parameters of the heroin shortage were determined by reviewing: reports of heroin users about availability and price (derived from the existing literature and the Illicit Drug Reporting System); qualitative interviews with injecting drug users, and health and law enforcement professionals working in the illicit drug field; and examining data on heroin seizures over the past decade. There was a marked reduction in heroin supply in NSW in early 2001. An increase in the price of heroin occurred in 2001, whereas it had decreased steadily since 1996. A reduction in purity also occurred, as reported by drug users and heroin seizures. The peak period of the shortage appears to have been January to April 2001. The market appears to have stabilised since that time, although it has not returned to pre‐2001 levels: heroin prices have decreased in NSW for street grams, but not to former levels, and the price of ‘caps’ (street deals) remain elevated. Heroin purity in NSW has remained low, with perhaps a 10% increase above the lowest recorded levels. These data support the notion that the heroin market in NSW underwent significant changes, which appear to have involved a lasting shift in the nature of the market.
Drinking‐driving fatalities and consumption of beer, wine and spirits
Authors: MANN ROBERT E. , ZALCMAN ROSELY FLAM , ASBRIDGE MARK , SUURVALI HELEN , GIESBRECHT NORMAN 
Published: July 2006

AbstractDrinking‐driving is a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in Canada. The purpose of this paper was to examine factors that influenced drinking driver deaths in Ontario. We examined the impact of per capita consumption of total alcohol, and of beer, wine and spirits separately, on drinking‐driving deaths in Ontario from 1962 to 1996, as well as the impact of the introduction of Canada's per se law and the founding of People to Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere‐Mothers Against Drunk Driving (PRIDE‐MADD) Canada. We utilised time‐series analyses with autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modelling. As total alcohol consumption increased, drinking driving fatalities increased. The introduction of Canada's per se law, and of PRIDE‐MADD Canada, acted to reduce drinking driving death rates. Among the specific beverage types, only consumption of beer had a significant impact on drinking driver deaths. Several factors were identified that acted to increase and decrease drinking driver death rates. Of particular interest was the observation of the impact of beer consumption on these death rates. In North America, beer is taxed at a lower rate than other alcoholic beverages. The role of taxation policies as determinants of drinking‐driving deaths is discussed.
Investigating parental preferences regarding the development and implementation of a parent‐directed drug‐related educational intervention: an exploratory study
Authors: BEATTY SHELLEY E. , CROSS DONNA S. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractStrengthening parents' capacity to reduce children's risk of alcohol, tobacco and other drug‐related harm is recognised as an important public health strategy in Australia, but engaging parents' involvement in these training programs is known to be challenging. This study utilised a self‐complete questionnaire and structured small group discussions with parents in order to identify their needs in terms of communicating with their children about drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. It also investigated their preferences regarding the nature of a parent drug education intervention as well as strategies to recruit and actively engage them in parent‐directed interventions. Parents identified numerous barriers to their participation in such programs and reported any intervention targeting them should be able to be completed in their home, be non‐judgemental, easy to read, time‐efficient, easy to use, fun, colourful and interactive. Parents recommended practical communication skills (such as how to talk with children, how to raise the topic and what topics to talk about) be addressed in the intervention. They also recommended a range and combination of strategies to promote and maintain parent involvement, such as providing small rewards for the children of parents who participate. Despite some limitations, the findings of this study contribute important practical knowledge regarding how to recruit, engage and retain higher percentages of parents in parent training programs.
Tests for a Simple Tree Order Restriction with Application to Dose–Response Studies
Authors: Peddada Shyamal D. , Haseman Joseph K. , Tan Xiaofeng , Travlos Greg 
Published: July 2006

SummaryWe propose ‘Dunnett-type’ test procedures to test for simple tree order restrictions on the means of p independent normal populations. The new tests are based on the estimation procedures that were introduced by Hwang and Peddada and later by Dunbar, Conaway and Peddada. The procedures proposed are also extended to test for ‘two-sided’ simple tree order restrictions. For non-normal data, nonparametric versions based on ranked data are also suggested. Using computer simulations, we compare the proposed test procedures with some existing test procedures in terms of size and power. Our simulation study suggests that the procedures compete well with the existing procedures for both one-sided and two-sided simple tree alternatives. In some instances, especially in the case of two-sided alternatives or for non-normally distributed data, the gains in power due to the procedures proposed can be substantial.
A New
d,l
-Endopeptidase Gene Product, YojL (Renamed CwlS), Plays a Role in Cell Separation with LytE and LytF in
Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Fukushima Tatsuya , Afkham Anahita , Kurosawa Shin-ichirou , Tanabe Taichi , Yamamoto Hiroki , Sekiguchi Junichi 
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT

A new peptidoglycan hydrolase,
Bacillus subtilis
YojL (
c
ell
w
all-
l
ytic enzyme associated with cell
s
eparation, renamed CwlS), exhibits high amino acid sequence similarity to LytE (CwlF) and LytF (CwlE), which are associated with cell separation. The N-terminal region of CwlS has four tandem repeat regions (LysM repeats) predicted to be a peptidoglycan-binding module. The C-terminal region exhibits high similarity to the cell wall hydrolase domains of LytE and LytF at their C-terminal ends. The C-terminal region of CwlS produced in
Escherichia coli
could hydrolyze the linkage of
d
-γ-glutamyl-
meso
-diaminopimelic acid in the cell wall of
B. subtilis
, suggesting that CwlS is a
d,l
-endopeptidase. β-Galactosidase fusion experiments and Northern hybridization analysis suggested that the
cwlS
gene is transcribed during the late vegetative and early stationary phases. A
cwlS
mutant exhibited a cell shape similar to that of the wild type; however, a
lytE lytF cwlS
triple mutant exhibited aggregated microfiber formation. Moreover, immunofluorescence microscopy showed that FLAG-tagged CwlS was localized at cell separation sites and cell poles during the late vegetative phase. The localization sites are similar to those of LytF and LytE, indicating that CwlS is involved in cell separation with LytF and LytE. These specific localizations may be dependent on the LysM repeats in their N-terminal domains. The roles of CwlS, LytF, and LytE in cell separation are discussed.
YeeI, a Novel Protein Involved in Modulation of the Activity of the Glucose-Phosphotransferase System in
Escherichia coli
K-12
Authors: Becker Ann-Katrin , Zeppenfeld Tim , Staab Ariane , Seitz Sabine , Boos Winfried , Morita Teppei , Aiba Hiroji , Mahr Kerstin , Titgemeyer Fritz , Jahreis Knut 
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT

The membrane-bound protein EIICB
Glc
encoded by the
ptsG
gene is the major glucose transporter in
Escherichia coli
. This protein is part of the phosphoenolpyruvate:glucose-phosphotransferase system, a very important transport and signal transduction system in bacteria. The regulation of
ptsG
expression is very complex. Among others, two major regulators, the repressor Mlc and the cyclic AMP-cyclic AMP receptor protein activator complex, have been identified. Here we report identification of a novel protein, YeeI, that is involved in the regulation of
ptsG
by interacting with Mlc. Mutants with reduced activity of the glucose-phosphotransferase system were isolated by transposon mutagenesis. One class of mutations was located in the open reading frame
yeeI
at 44.1 min on the
E. coli
K-12 chromosome. The
yeeI
mutants exhibited increased generation times during growth on glucose, reduced transport of methyl-α-
d
-glucopyranoside, a substrate of EIICB
Glc
, reduced induction of a
ptsG-lacZ
operon fusion, and reduced catabolite repression in lactose/glucose diauxic growth experiments. These observations were the result of decreased
ptsG
expression and a decrease in the amount of EIICB
Glc
. In contrast, overexpression of
yeeI
resulted in higher expression of
ptsG
, of a
ptsG-lacZ
operon fusion, and of the autoregulated
dgsA
gene. The effect of a
yeeI
mutation could be suppressed by introducing a
dgsA
deletion, implying that the two proteins belong to the same signal transduction pathway and that Mlc is epistatic to YeeI. By measuring the surface plasmon resonance, we found that YeeI (proposed gene designation,
mtfA
) directly interacts with Mlc with high affinity.
The Plasmid RK2 Replication Initiator Protein (TrfA) Binds to the Sliding Clamp β Subunit of DNA Polymerase III: Implication for the Toxicity of a Peptide Derived from the Amino-Terminal Portion of 33-Kilodalton TrfA
Authors: Kongsuwan Kritaya , Josh Peter , Picault Marc J. , Wijffels Gene , Dalrymple Brian 
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT

The broad-host-range plasmid RK2 is capable of replication and stable maintenance within a wide range of gram-negative bacterial hosts. It encodes the essential replication initiation protein TrfA, which binds to the host initiation protein, DnaA, at the plasmid origin of replication (
oriV
). There are two versions of the TrfA protein, 44 and 33 kDa, resulting from alternate in-frame translational starts. We have shown that the smaller protein, TrfA-33, and its 64-residue amino-terminal peptide (designated T1) physically interact with the
Escherichia coli
β sliding clamp (β
2
). This interaction appears to be mediated through a QLSLF peptide motif located near the amino-terminal end of TrfA-33 and T1, which is identical to the previously described eubacterial clamp-binding consensus motif. T1 forms a stable complex with β
2
and was found to inhibit plasmid RK2 replication in vitro. This specific interaction between T1 and β
2
and the ability of T1 to block DNA replication have implications for the previously reported cell lethality caused by overproduction of T1 (P. D. Kim, T. M. Rosche, and W. Firshein, Plasmid 43:214-222, 2000). The toxicity of T1 was suppressed when wild-type T1 was replaced with mutant T1, carrying an LF deletion in the β-binding motif. Previously, T1 toxicity has been shown to be suppressed by Hda, an intermediate regulatory protein which helps prevent overinitiation in
E. coli
through its interaction with the initiator protein, DnaA, and β
2
. Our results support a model in which T1 toxicity is caused by T1 binding to β
2
, especially when T1 is overexpressed, preventing β
2
from interacting with host replication proteins such as Hda during the early events of chromosome replication.
Crystal Structure of TDP-Fucosamine Acetyltransferase (WecD) from
Escherichia coli
, an Enzyme Required for Enterobacterial Common Antigen Synthesis
Authors: Hung Ming-Ni , Rangarajan Erumbi , Munger Christine , Nadeau Guy , Sulea Traian , Matte Allan 
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT

Enterobacterial common antigen (ECA) is a polysaccharide found on the outer membrane of virtually all gram-negative enteric bacteria and consists of three sugars,
N
-acetyl-
d
-glucosamine,
N
-acetyl-
d
-mannosaminuronic acid, and 4-acetamido-4,6-dideoxy-
d
-galactose, organized into trisaccharide repeating units having the sequence →3)-α-
d
-Fuc4NAc-(1→4)-β-
d
-ManNAcA-(1→4)-α-
d
-GlcNAc-(1→. While the precise function of ECA is unknown, it has been linked to the resistance of Shiga-toxin-producing
Escherichia coli
(STEC) O157:H7 to organic acids and the resistance of
Salmonella enterica
to bile salts. The final step in the synthesis of 4-acetamido-4,6-dideoxy-
d
-galactose, the acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA)-dependent acetylation of the 4-amino group, is carried out by TDP-fucosamine acetyltransferase (WecD). We have determined the crystal structure of WecD in apo form at a 1.95-Å resolution and bound to acetyl-CoA at a 1.66-Å resolution. WecD is a dimeric enzyme, with each monomer adopting the GNAT
N
-acetyltransferase fold, common to a number of enzymes involved in acetylation of histones, aminoglycoside antibiotics, serotonin, and sugars. The crystal structure of WecD, however, represents the first structure of a GNAT family member that acts on nucleotide sugars. Based on this cocrystal structure, we have used flexible docking to generate a WecD-bound model of the acetyl-CoA-TDP-fucosamine tetrahedral intermediate, representing the structure during acetyl transfer. Our structural data show that WecD does not possess a residue that directly functions as a catalytic base, although Tyr208 is well positioned to function as a general acid by protonating the thiolate anion of coenzyme A.
Characterization of the Global Transcriptional Responses to Different Types of DNA Damage and Disruption of Replication in
Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Goranov Alexi I. , Kuester-Schoeck Elke , Wang Jue D. , Grossman Alan D. 
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT

DNA damage and perturbations in DNA replication can induce global transcriptional responses that can help organisms repair the damage and survive. RecA is known to mediate transcriptional responses to DNA damage in several bacterial species by inactivating the repressor LexA and phage repressors. To gain insight into how
Bacillus subtilis
responds to various types of DNA damage, we measured the effects of DNA damage and perturbations in replication on mRNA levels by using DNA microarrays. We perturbed replication either directly with
p
-hydroxyphenylazo-uracil (HPUra), an inhibitor of DNA polymerase, or indirectly with the DNA-damaging reagents mitomycin C (MMC) and UV irradiation. Our results indicate that the transcriptional responses to HPUra, MMC, and UV are only partially overlapping.
recA
is the major transcriptional regulator under all of the tested conditions, and LexA appears to directly repress the expression of 63 genes in 26 operons, including the 18 operons previously identified as LexA targets. MMC and HPUra treatments caused induction of an integrative and conjugative element (ICE
Bs1
) and resident prophages (PBSX and SPβ), which affected the expression of many host genes. Consistent with previous results, the induction of these mobile elements required
recA
. Induction of the phage appeared to require inactivation of LexA. Unrepaired UV damage and treatment with MMC also affected the expression of some of the genes that are controlled by DnaA. Furthermore, MMC treatment caused an increase in origin-proximal gene dosage. Our results indicate that different types of DNA damage have different effects on replication and on the global transcriptional profile.