bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Patterns of use of educational and rehabilitation services at school age for children with congenitally malformed hearts
Authors: Majnemer Annette , Mazer Barbara , Lecker Emily , Leduc Carter Alison , Limperopoulos Catherine , Shevell Michael , Rohlicek Charles , Rosenblatt Bernard , Tchervenkov Christo 
Published: March 2008

AbstractBackgroundInfants with congenitally malformed hearts who require early open-heart surgery are at high risk for developmental, psychosocial, and academic difficulties. Our objective was to describe the pattern of use of educational supports and rehabilitation services in these children at early school age.MethodsParents of children who participated in a prospective study of developmental progress following open-surgery were contacted to participate in a telephone survey. The questionnaire included questions regarding current educational and rehabilitation resources their child was receiving, as well as the needs perceived by the parents for services, and obstacles to accessing services.ResultsThe survey was completed by 60 families, the mean age of the children being 8.1 years, with standard deviation of 1.1 years. Of the children, 22% received educational supports, which primarily included supplemental tutoring. Rehabilitation services were received by 23%, speech therapy for 9 children, psychologic support for 6, occupational therapy for 3, and physical therapy for 1. Children receiving these services were significantly more likely to have had low developmental scores in the expected domains, when compared to those not receiving services. The majority of developmentally delayed children were not receiving adequate, if any, resource support. Medical and surgical history was not associated with greater likelihood of receipt of services.ConclusionsChildren with congenitally malformed hearts who are now of school age are at risk for developmental challenges and academic difficulties, yet many do not receive services to optimize performance. Modification of current practice to include systematic, periodic screening, as well as the availability of a resource person for information and referral, may be warranted to meet the ongoing needs of these children and their families, and to optimize their health and well-being.
Five-year incidence of obesity and its determinants: the ATTICA Study
Authors: Yannakoulia Mary , Panagiotakos Demosthenes , Pitsavos Christos , Lentzas Yannis , Chrysohoou Christina , Skoumas Ioannis , Stefanadis Christodoulos 
Published: March 2008

AbstractObjectivesTo evaluate the 5-year incidence of obesity in a sample of CVD-free adults and investigate the potential effect of several sociodemographic and lifestyle habits on weight change and obesity incidence in these individuals.MethodsMen (n 1514) and women (n 1528) (>18 years) without any clinical evidence of CVD, living in the Attica area of Greece, were enrolled in the ATTICA study from May 2001 to December 2002. The sampling was random, multistage and included information about various sociodemographic, lifestyle (diet, exercise and smoking), biochemical and clinical characteristics. In 2006, the 5-year follow-up was performed through telephone calls or personal visits. Data from the 1364 participants are analysed in the present work.ResultsThe 5-year incidence of obesity was 21·8 % in men and 11·9 % in women. The ratio of men to women revealed that more men than women developed obesity, while more women than men became overweight during the follow-up period. It was found that men were 1·6 times more likely to develop obesity compared with women; abnormal waist circumference, smoking habits and the presence of hypercholesterolaemia increased the risk for developing obesity, irrespective of age and baseline lifestyle characteristics of the participants. In the multivariate analysis, no association was detected between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and incidence of obesity in initially normal-weight individuals.ConclusionsObesity remains a serious health problem for the Greek population; the alarming rates of excess body weight continue to increase. Preventive measures should be urgently addressed, targeting particularly those with metabolic risk factors.
Changes in the sensation of hunger and well-being before and after meals in overweight/obese women following two types of hypoenergetic diet
Authors: Rodríguez-Rodríguez Elena , Aparicio Aránzazu , Bermejo Laura M , López-Sobaler Ana M , Ortega Rosa M 
Published: March 2008

AbstractObjectiveTo analyse changes in the sensation of hunger and the sensation of well-being of young overweight/obese women following two hypoenergetic diets.Design, setting and subjectsFifty-seven women (BMI = 24–35 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to one of two hypoenergetic diets: diet V, in which the consumption of vegetables was increased; or diet C, in which the consumption of cereals (especially breakfast cereals) was increased. Dietetic and anthropometric data and an evaluation of the sensation of hunger and well-being were collected at the start and end of the study, 6 weeks later.ResultsThe diets led to a reduction in weight and BMI in both groups. The sensation of hunger at the end of meals was higher at the end of the study than at the start in both groups. At 6 weeks, the sensation of well-being after breakfast, morning snack and lunch, as well as the mean sensation of well-being after all meals, was greater in diet C. Compared with that recorded at the beginning of the study, the capacity to experience satiety at the end of meals also increased with diet C, as did the capacity to experience well-being at 6 weeks (for breakfast, lunch, dinner and for the mean for all meals). This capacity to experience well-being was also greater in diet C than in diet V with respect to the mid-morning snack and lunch.ConclusionThe more positive results obtained with diet C may contribute to the increased weight loss seen in that group and their lower withdrawal rate.
Characterization of Protein Capacity of Nanocation Exchanger Particles as Filling Material for Functional Magnetic Beads for Bioseparation Purposes
Authors: Hickstein Birgit , Peuker Urs A. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractIn this study we describe the synthesis and characterization of nanocation exchanger particles (NCEX) as the functional filling material for magnetic beads. Polystyrene NCEX particles were synthesized from styrene via a miniemulsion polymerization. The coupling of cation exchanger groups was done with chlorosulfuric acid after the polymerization reaction. The NCEX particles have an average diameter of 160–260 nm. Their ion exchange capacity amounts up to 4.58 mval/g. In an adsorption experiment it was possible to adsorb 192 mg lysozyme/g NCEX. Depending on the equilibrium concentration of lysozyme in the bulk solution 70–85% of the attached protein was desorbed. NCEX particles were used to produce magnetic beads with cation exchanger properties. Therefore an innovative production process for the synthesis of magnetic beads from different single components was used. The produced magnetic beads contained 40 wt % NCEX material and showed an ion exchanger capacity of 2 mequiv/g. It was possible to adsorb 75 mg lysozyme/g magnetic beads with a maximum recovery rate of 95%.
Ultra Scale‐Down To Define and Improve the Relationship between Flocculation and Disc‐Stack Centrifugation
Authors: Berrill Alex , Ho Sa V. , Bracewell Daniel G. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractThe recovery of intracellular recombinant proteins produced in microbial systems typically requires physical, chemical or thermal treatment of the cells post‐harvest to release the product into the broth, followed by removal of the cell debris using centrifugation or tangential flow filtration. Often a precipitation or flocculation step is introduced to facilitate the liquid‐solid separation. Due to the complex nature of the cell materials and the unit operations, it is difficult to obtain data at laboratory scale that closely reflect the performance of these operations on larger scales (pilot or manufacturing). This study uses a predictive scale‐down model that enables rapid optimization of the operating conditions for a flocculation followed with a centrifugation step using only small volumes (20 mL) of a high solids (∼20% w/w) E. coli heat extract. Results obtained show that, with proper theoretical and experimental consideration to account for high cell density, conditions could be found that improve the beneficial interaction between flocculation and centrifugation. These experiments suggested that adding a higher level of a cationic polymer could substantially increase the strength of the flocculated particles produced, thereby enhancing overall clarification performance in a large scale centrifuge. This was subsequently validated at pilot scale.
Applying Near‐Infrared Spectroscopy in Downstream Processing: One Calibration for Multiple Clarification Processes of Fermentation Media
Authors: Rodrigues Licínia O. , Cardoso Joaquim P. , Menezes José C. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractThe use of near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is demonstrated in the first downstream processing (DSP) steps of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing process. The first method developed was designed to assess the API content in the filtrate stream (aqueous) of a rotary drum vacuum filter. The PLS method, built after spectral preprocessing and variable selection, had an accuracy of 0.01% (w/w) for an API operational range between 0.20 and 0.45% (w/w). The robustness and extrapolation ability of the calibration was proved when samples from ultrafiltration and nanofiltration processes, ranging from 0 to 2% (w/w), were linearly predicted ( R2=0.99). The development of a robust calibration model is generally a very time‐consuming task, and once established it is imperative that it can be useful for a long period of time. This work demonstrates that NIR procedures, when carefully developed, can be used in different process conditions and even in different process steps of similar unit operations.
Design of Protein‐Releasing Chitosan Channels
Authors: Kim Howard , Tator Charles H. , Shoichet Molly S. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractAfter traumatic injury to the spinal cord, the neural tissue degenerates, resulting in lost function below the site of injury. Promoting axonal regeneration after injury remains a challenge; however, guidance channels have demonstrated some success when combined with cellular and protein therapies. One of the limitations of current guidance channels is the inability to deliver therapeutically relevant molecules in situ, within the guidance channel, to enhance regeneration. In an effort to provide a system for local and sustained drug release, poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres were embedded into chitosan guidance channels by a novel spin‐coating technique. The method was designed to create guidance channels with the appropriate dimensions for implantation into the spinal cord, with special attention paid to the wall thickness. The release and bioactivity of a model protein, alkaline phosphatase, was followed from the channels and compared to those from free‐floating microspheres over a 90‐day period. Since chitosan formulations often require the use of acidic solutions, careful attention was paid to redesign the process to minimize exposure of PLGA microspheres to acid. This was achieved as demonstrated by release and bioactivity data where alkaline phosphatase released from chitosan/microsphere channels followed a profile and bioactivity similar to those of free floating microspheres.
W-AlignACE: an improved Gibbs sampling algorithm based on more accurate position weight matrices learned from sequence and gene expression/ChIP-chip data
Authors: Chen Xin , Guo Lingqiong , Fan Zhaocheng , Jiang Tao 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
Motivation: Position weight matrices (PWMs) are widely used to depict the DNA binding preferences of transcription factors (TFs) in computational molecular biology and regulatory genomics. Thus, learning an accurate PWM to characterize the binding sites of a specific TF is a fundamental problem that plays an important role in modeling regulatory motifs and also in discovering the regulatory targets of TFs.
Results: We study the question of how to learn a more accurate PWM from both binding sequences and gene expression (or ChIP-chip) data, and propose to find a PWM such that the likelihood of simultaneously observing both binding sequences and their associated gene expression (or ChIP-chip) data is maximised. To solve the above maximum likelihood problem, a sequence weighting scheme is thus introduced based on the observation that binding sites inducing drastic fold changes in mRNA expression (or showing strong binding ratios in ChIP experiments) are likely to represent a true motif. We have incorporated this new learning approach into the popular motif finding program AlignACE. The modified program, called W-AlignACE, is compared with three other programs (AlignACE, MDscan and MotifRegressor) on a variety of datasets, including simulated data, mRNA expression and ChIP-chip data. These tests demonstrate that W-AlignACE is an effective tool for discovering TF binding motifs from gene expression (or ChIP-chip) data and, in particular, has the ability to find very weak motifs like DIG1 and GAL4.
Availability: http://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/ChenXin/Gibbs
Contact: chenxin@ntu.edu.sg
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Management options for vessel hull fouling: an overview of risks posed by in-water cleaning
Authors: Hopkins Grant A. , Forrest Barrie M. 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
Hopkins, G. A., and Forrest, B. M. 2008. Management options for vessel hull fouling: an overview of risks posed by in-water cleaning. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 811–815. Hull fouling has been identified as an important pathway for the spread of non-indigenous marine species. However, the management of associated biosecurity risks has proven challenging. Left unmanaged, a fouled vessel can pose a biosecurity risk through the detachment and dispersal of viable material, and through spawning by adult taxa upon arrival in a recipient port or region. These risks can be managed effectively through the removal of the vessel to land for defouling (e.g. dry-docking). However, alternative methods are needed for small (e.g. recreational) vessels, as well as for large vessels fouled outside their dry-docking schedule. Among the various treatment options, in-water cleaning is relatively common, although some countries have placed restrictions on this method because of perceived biosecurity risks. Here, we present a conceptual framework that identifies risks posed by in-water cleaning compared with alternatives, including no management. Decisions on the appropriate management option will be influenced by many factors, including the species present, the level of fouling, and the time a vessel spends in a recipient region. It is important that any regulatory changes regarding in-water defouling be supported by relevant research that quantifies the risks associated with the various management options.
Detection of Cucurbit leaf crumple virus in Florida Cucurbits
Authors: Akad F. , Webb S. , Nyoike T. W. , Liburd O. E. , Turechek W. , Adkins S. , Polston J. E. 
Published: March 2008

In October of 2006, yellow straightneck and zucchini squash plants (Cucurbita pepo L.) with crumpled, curled, thickened leaves were found in St. Johns and Marion counties in central Florida, respectively. Both locations had high populations of the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci. Incidences of symptomatic plants were greater than 95% in three squash fields (33 ha total) in St. Johns County and 35% in an experimental plot in Marion County. Twenty-three samples were collected from symptomatic plants (two from St. Johns County and 21 from Marion County). DNA was extracted for PCR and tested for the presence of begomoviruses using the following pairs of degenerate primers: AC1048/AV494, which amplifies a conserved region of the coat protein gene (2), PAR1c496/PAL1v1978, which amplifies a region of the begomovirus A component, and PBL1v2040/PCRc154, which amplifies a hypervariable region of the begomovirus B component (1). All squash samples yielded amplicons of sizes expected for a bipartite begomovirus: 1,159 nt with PAR1c496/PAL1v1978, 550 nt with AC1048/AV494, and 493 nt with PBL1v2040/PCRc154. The 1,159- and 493-nt amplicons obtained from two squash plants were cloned and sequenced. The 1,159 nt sequences from both plants shared 98% sequence identity with each other and 97% identity with equivalent regions of the A component of Cucurbit leaf crumple virus (CuLCrV) from Arizona and California (GenBank Accession Nos. AF256200 and AF224760, respectively). The 493-nt sequences amplified with PBL1v2040/PCRc154 were identical and shared a 96% identity with CuLCrV sequence (GenBank Accession No. AF327559) from Arizona and 97% identity with CuLCrV B component sequence (GenBank Accession No. AF224761) from California. Leaves were collected from eight symptomatic squash plants from Citra, FL and used for whitefly transmission assays. Approximately 100 adults of Bemisia tabaci biotype B were released onto each caged leaf and given a 24-h acquisition access period, after which a healthy squash seedling was introduced. Symptoms developed within 10 days on all test plants, and the presence of CuLCrV was confirmed by PCR assays, (primer pairs PAR1c496/PAL1v1978 and PBL1v2040/PCRc154) followed by sequencing. In 2007, similar symptoms were seen in several locations around the state. The same assays confirmed the presence of CuLCrV in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus L.) and squash in the following counties: Collier and Hendry in southwest Florida and Hillsborough, Manatee, and Sarasota in west-central Florida. To our knowledge, this is the first report of CuLCrV, and the first report of any begomovirus in cucurbits in Florida. References: (1) M. R. Rojas et al. Plant Dis. 77:340, 1993. (2) S. D. Wyatt and J. K. Brown. Phytopathology 86:1288, 1996.
First Report of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma trifolii’-Related Strain Associated with Safflower Phyllody Disease in Iran
Authors: Salehi M. , Izadpanah K. , Siampour M. 
Published: March 2008

During a survey in 2003, safflower plants (Carthamus tinctorius) with phyllody symptoms were observed in production fields in several districts of Fars and Yazd provinces in Iran. Affected plants showed floral virescence, phyllody, proliferation of axillary buds, and little leaf symptoms. Incidence of the disease was less than 10%. Direct and nested PCR assays were used to verify association of phytoplasma with the disease. Total DNA was extracted from fresh, fine roots of eight phyllody-affected safflower plants and one symptomless plant. With phytoplasma universal primer pair P1/P7 (5′-AAGAGTTTGATCCTGGCTCAGGATT-3′/5′-CGTCCTTCATCGGCTCTT-3′), target DNA fragments of approximately 1.8 kb were amplified by direct PCR from phyllody-affected plants and Iranian cabbage yellows (ICY) phytoplasma used as a positive control. Reamplification of P1/P7 products with 16S rRNA gene primer pair R16F2n/R16R2 (5′-GAAACGACTGCTAAGACTGG-3′/5′-TGACGGGCGGTGTGTACAAACCCCG-3′) yielded fragments of the expected size (1.2 kb) from all eight diseased plants and the ICY-positive control. No products were amplified from the symptomless plant by either assay. R16F2n/R16R2 products were subjected to restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis by separate digestion with AluI, HaeIII, HhaI, HinfI, HpaII, MseI, RsaI, Sau3AI, or TaqI endonuclease. Comparison of resulting RFLP patterns with published patterns of other phytoplasmas (2) tentatively identified safflower phyllody (SP) phytoplasma as a member of clover proliferation group 16SrVI, subgroup C. HhaI digests also differentiated SP from ICY phytoplasma, a previously reported subgroup 16SrVI-A strain (3). After sequencing of the 16S rDNA fragment (GenBank Accession No. DQ88948), a BLAST search determined that SP phytoplasma shared closest homology with 16SrVI group members (‘Candidatus Phytoplasma trifolii’) and related strains (4). Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences revealed SP phytoplasma to be most similar (99.7%) to brinjal little leaf (BLL) phytoplasma (GenBank Accession No. X83431). Analysis of putative restriction sites in 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that SP and BLL shared identical restriction profiles and that both differed from the ‘Ca. Phytoplasma trifolii’ reference strain (GenBank Accession No. AY390261) because of the absence of a single HhaI site and the presence of an additional MseI site. Although safflower phyllody disease has been previously reported in Israel, the associated phytoplasma was classified as a strain of the aster yellows subgroup 16SrI-B (1). To our knowledge, this is the first report of safflower as a host of a ‘Ca. Phytoplasma trifolii’-related strain. References: (1) M. Klein. Plant Dis. Rep. 54:735, 1970. (2) I.-M. Lee et al. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 54:1037, 2004. (3) M. Salehi et al. Plant Dis. 91:625, 2007. (4) K. Wang and C. Hiruki, Phytopathology 91:546, 2001.
First Report of Beet mild curly top virus Infection of Chile Pepper in North-Central Mexico
Authors: Velásquez-Valle R. , Medina-Aguilar M. M. , Creamer R. 
Published: March 2008

During the 2005 growing season, widespread virus-like symptoms were observed in pepper (Capsicum annuum) fields in north-central Mexico. Early in the season, plants were chlorotic and stunted with thickened, elongated leaves. From mid to late season, the affected plants showed severe yellowing, upwardly rolled, small leaves, and a few deformed fruits. Symptoms were similar to those described for curtoviruses in pepper (1). The leafhopper vector of curtoviruses, Circulifer tenellus, was first reported in the area in 1953 (3) (its presence was confirmed again in January 2008). Pepper fields were sampled in the states of Aguascalientes and Zacatecas, and five symptomatic plants from Zacatecas tested positive for the presence of curtoviruses by PCR using primers to the coat protein (CP) coding region (2). PCR amplicons from three samples of Ancho and Mirasol pepper types from Zacatecas, which also tested positive by PCR using the rep coding region (2), were sequenced and compared with reported curtoviruses. The samples showed 91% identity with the CP coding region and 93% identity with the rep coding region of Beet mild curly top virus (formerly the Worland strain). A survey of pepper fields from Aguascalientes and Zacatecas based on symptomatic plants was conducted from July to August of 2005. Forty-three fields of different types of pepper, including those growing under mulch and drip irrigation, were surveyed. Twenty-five plants in each of five contiguous rows were inspected for the symptoms described above. Disease symptoms were noted in Mirasol, Ancho, Pasilla, and Guajillo pepper types, and the average disease incidence was 9.87% (range: 1.6 to 48%), 15.2% (range: 6.4 to 25.6%), 7.85% (range: 2.4 to 15.2%), and 20.8% (range: 8 to 33.6%), respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first report of curtovirus infection of chile pepper in this region of Mexico. The moderate level of curtovirus infection found here suggests the need to initiate management strategies for this disease. References: (1) L. L. Black et al. Page 98 in: Pepper Diseases. A Field Guide. AVRDC, Taiwan, 1991. (2) R. Creamer et al. Plant Dis. 89:480, 2005. (3) D. A. Young and N. W. Frazier. Hilgardia 23:25, 1954.