bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Soil‐free Plant Growth System to Facilitate Analysis of Plant Pathogen Interactions in Roots
Authors: Gunning Tiffany , Cahill David M. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractAnalysis of the interaction of pathogens with plant roots is often complicated by the growth of plants in a soil substrate. A soil‐free plant growth system (SPS) was developed that removes the need for a substrate while supporting the growth of seedlings in a nutrient rich, oxygenated environment. The model legume Lupinus angustifolius was used to compare the growth of seedlings within soil and the SPS. Seedlings grown under both conditions were similar in morphology, anatomy and health (measured by leaf chlorophyll abundance) and importantly there was little difference in root growth and development although straighter and fuller root systems were achieved in the SPS. The ease of access to the root system proved efficient for the analysis of root and pathogen interactions with no interference from soil or adhering particulate matter. Following inoculation of L. angustifolius roots with Phytophthora cinnamomi the host/pathogen interaction was easily observed and tissues sampled undamaged.
Immunodiagnosis of Parietaria mottle virus in Tomato Crops Using a Polyclonal Antiserum against its Coat Protein Expressed in a Bacterial System
Authors: Aparicio Frederic , Aramburu José , Soler Salvador , Galipienso Luis , Nuez Fernando , Pallás Vicente , López Carmelo 
Published: February 2009

AbstractRecombinant DNA technology was used to raise a polyclonal antiserum against the coat protein (CP) of Parietaria mottle virus (PMoV). The CP gene was expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion to a 6xHis tag and purified by affinity chromatography. Recombinant purified protein was used as antigen to raise a polyclonal antiserum. This polyclonal antiserum consistently detected PMoV specifically infected tomato plants from different commercial tomato crops by indirect enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (I‐ELISA) and direct tissue‐printing immunoassay (DTBIA).
The Supernatant of a Conidial Suspension of Magnaporthe oryzae Contains a Factor that Promotes the Infection of Rice Plants
Authors: Ando Sugihiro , Tanabe Shigeru , Akimoto‐Tomiyama Chiharu , Nishizawa Yoko , Minami Eiichi 
Published: February 2009

AbstractMany factors produced by the pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae enhance its ability to infect rice. We found a novel infection‐promoting activity in the supernatant of a conidia suspension (SCS) of M. oryzae. The addition of SCS promoted the invasion of excised rice leaf sheaths by infectious hyphae. The activity was heat‐stable and was found in SCSs from five virulent and three avirulent isolates of M. oryzae on the rice cv. Nipponbare (Pia). The effect was exclusively detected in compatible interactions. The infection of rice plants by non‐rice blast fungi was not enhanced by SCS. These results suggest that SCS includes a heat‐stable factor(s) that promotes M. oryzae infection during compatible interactions.
Derivatives of prostate‐specific antigen as predictors of incidental prostate cancer
Authors: Froehner Michael , Buck Lena Marie , Koch Rainer , Hakenberg Oliver W. , Wirth Manfred P. 
Published: February 2009

OBJECTIVETo search for an optimal derivative of prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) identifying patients at risk of incidental prostate cancer.PATIENTS AND METHODSIn all, 693 patients who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) with a normal digital rectal examination, no history of prostate cancer and a PSA level of 2.5–10 ng/mL were studied. The total PSA (tPSA), percentage of free/total PSA (%fPSA), complexed PSA (cPSA), PSA density, cPSA density and the ratio of fPSA to cPSA were measured. Specificity, sensitivity, positive and negative predictive values were determined for all possible threshold values indicating the risk of incidental prostate cancer (T1a or T1b). Furthermore, the patients were subdivided according to age and the presence of an indwelling transurethral catheter. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) were compared.RESULTSIn the whole sample, the %fPSA was the best test predicting all incidental prostate cancers (AUC 0.618, reference: tPSA 0.494), whereas cPSA density was the best predictor of T1b disease (AUC 0.720, reference: tPSA 0.548). Stratification by age did not meaningfully alter the results, the presence of a transurethral catheter, however, was associated with a superiority of tests based on fPSA (AUC 0.620–0.670) compared with tests based on tPSA or cPSA (AUC 0.421–0.581).CONCLUSIONReplacing tPSA by PSA derivatives (%fPSA or cPSA density) and stratifying by the presence of an indwelling transurethral catheter may improve the prediction of the risk of incidental prostate cancer and spare unnecessary biopsies before TURP in the tPSA range 2.5–10 ng/mL.
Cluster Designs to Assess the Prevalence of Acute Malnutrition by Lot Quality Assurance Sampling: A Validation Study by Computer Simulation
Authors: Olives Casey , Pagano Marcello , Deitchler Megan , Hedt Bethany L. , Egge Kari , Valadez Joseph J. 
Published: February 2009

SummaryTraditional lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) methods require simple random sampling to guarantee valid results. However, cluster sampling has been proposed to reduce the number of random starting points. This study uses simulations to examine the classification error of two such designs, a 67×3 (67 clusters of three observations) and a 33×6 (33 clusters of six observations) sampling scheme to assess the prevalence of global acute malnutrition (GAM). Further, we explore the use of a 67×3 sequential sampling scheme for LQAS classification of GAM prevalence. Results indicate that, for independent clusters with moderate intracluster correlation for the GAM outcome, the three sampling designs maintain approximate validity for LQAS analysis. Sequential sampling can substantially reduce the average sample size that is required for data collection. The presence of intercluster correlation can impact dramatically the classification error that is associated with LQAS analysis.
Accounting for Uncertainty in Health Economic Decision Models by Using Model Averaging
Authors: Jackson Christopher H. , Thompson Simon G. , Sharples Linda D. 
Published: February 2009

SummaryHealth economic decision models are subject to considerable uncertainty, much of which arises from choices between several plausible model structures, e.g. choices of covariates in a regression model. Such structural uncertainty is rarely accounted for formally in decision models but can be addressed by model averaging. We discuss the most common methods of averaging models and the principles underlying them. We apply them to a comparison of two surgical techniques for repairing abdominal aortic aneurysms. In model averaging, competing models are usually either weighted by using an asymptotically consistent model assessment criterion, such as the Bayesian information criterion, or a measure of predictive ability, such as Akaike’s information criterion. We argue that the predictive approach is more suitable when modelling the complex underlying processes of interest in health economics, such as individual disease progression and response to treatment.
On Square Ordinal Contingency Tables: A Comparison of Social Class and Income Mobility for the Same Individuals
Authors: Cox D. R. , Jackson Michelle , Lu Shiwei 
Published: February 2009

SummarySquare contingency tables with matching ordinal rows and columns arise in particular as empirical transition matrices and the paper considers these in the context of social class and income mobility tables. Such tables relate the socio-economic position of parents to the socio-economic position of their child in adulthood. The level of association between parental and child socio-economic position is taken as a measure of mobility. Several approaches to analysis are described and illustrated by UK data in which interest focuses on comparisons of social class and income mobility tables that are derived from the same individuals. Account is taken of the use of the same individuals in the two tables. Additionally comparisons over time are considered.
The Construction and Analysis of a Consistent Set of Input–Output Tables for the Irish Economy
Authors: Keogh Gerard , Quill Patrick 
Published: February 2009

SummaryWe analyse input–output tables to see what structural changes have occurred in the Irish economy over time. First we produce a consistent set of input–output tables by aligning classifications and deriving a sequence of supply tables. The resulting tables are then smoothed to make the underlying distributions symmetric. We then compare the smoothed tables by using biproportional adjustment. We identify and analyse structural change that has taken place in the Irish economy since 1975.
The Effect of Area of Residence Over the Life Course on Subsequent Mortality
Authors: Leyland Alastair H. , Næss Øyvind 
Published: February 2009

SummaryLife course epidemiology concentrates on the contribution that social or physical exposures have across the life course on adult health. It is known that the area of residence can affect health, but little is known about the effect of the area of residence across the life course. We examine the contribution that area of residence in 1960, 1970, 1980 and 1990 made on subsequent mortality for 49736 male inhabitants of Oslo in 1990. We compare the performance of multiple-membership and cross-classified multilevel models on these data with a correlated cross-classified model that was developed for this.
Using Bayesian Graphical Models to Model Biases in Observational Studies and to Combine Multiple Sources of Data: Application to Low Birth Weight and Water Disinfection by-Products
Authors: Molitor Nuoo-Ting , Best Nicky , Jackson Chris , Richardson Sylvia 
Published: February 2009

SummaryData in the social, behavioural and health sciences frequently come from observational studies instead of controlled experiments. In addition to random errors, observational data typically contain additional sources of uncertainty such as missing values, unmeasured confounders and selection biases. Also, the research question is often different from that which a particular source of data was designed to answer, and so not all relevant variables are measured. As a result, multiple sources of data are often necessary to identify the biases and to inform about different aspects of the research question. Bayesian graphical models provide a coherent way to connect a series of local submodels, based on different data sets, into a global unified analysis. We present a unified modelling framework that will account for multiple biases simultaneously and give more accurate parameter estimates than standard approaches. We illustrate our approach by analysing data from a study of water disinfection by-products and adverse birth outcomes in the UK.
ECONOMIC POLICY IN A GROWTH CONTEXT: A CLASSICAL SYNTHESIS OF KEYNES AND HARROD
Authors: Shaikh Anwar 
Published: February 2009

ABSTRACTThis paper clarifies key differences between Harrodian and Keynesian theories and policies, and develops a classical alternative to both. The stability of the Harrodian warranted path is proved, and the Keynesian paradox of thrift is shown to be transient. Distinct Harrodian fiscal policies are derived, and Post‐Keynesian debates about Harrodian dynamics are addressed. Finally, it is argued that business and household savings are fundamentally different, and it is shown that if the business savings rate responds at all to the investment–savings gap, it becomes possible to have both profit‐driven accumulation as in Keynes and normal capacity growth as in Harrod.
BEING AS THE GROUND OF TRUTH IN AQUINAS
Authors: SCHULTZ‐ALDRICH JANICE L. 
Published: February 2009

Although St. Thomas Aquinas holds that the transcendentals are convertible with being, one may question whether they all follow upon the metaphysical principles of a creature in the same way. Aquinas raises the question when he says that creatures are one by essence but good only by being. This paper examines the ground of truth according to Aquinas, considering his distinction between types of truth as well as his distinguishing kinds of knowers. To advance this investigation the essay compares truth and goodness; it also includes a discussion of unity.Clearly there is a close parallel between goodness and ‘the truth of a thing’, but must the truth of the intellect – truth in the primary sense – be grounded in the extramental being of a creature? This paper argues that, for Aquinas, human knowledge of composite beings is attained through encounters with their real instances and is reflected in necessarily true yet nonanalytic statements about these creatures, statements that can be explained by St.Thomas's theory of predication, to which the theory of an influential contemporary thinker is strikingly similar. God's knowledge of finite essences, and hence truth concerning them, does not assume the actual existence of their instantiations from all eternity, but it does assume their real existence at some time. The requirement of real existence for the human mode of knowing, and, as explained, for divine knowing, underscores the value of finite being and thus harmonizes with Aquinas's claims that composite beings, as what they are, possess being more truly in themselves than as in the mind of God, and they are known properly by God only when grasped as actually existent particulars.
Cerebrospinal fluid neopterin in paediatric neurology: a marker of active central nervous system inflammation
Authors: DALE RUSSELL C , BRILOT FABIENNE , FAGAN ELIZABETH , EARL JOHN 
Published: February 2009

Aim  Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neopterin production is increased by interferon‐gamma stimulation and appears to act as a marker of intrathecal immune activation. We aimed to test the usefulness of elevated CSF neopterin as a biological marker of central nervous system (CNS) inflammation.Method  We retrospectively reviewed CSF neopterin in 158 children (89 males, 69 females, mean age 4y 1mo, SD 3y 11mo, range 1mo–15y).Results  CSF neopterin levels in children with chronic static CNS disorders (n=105) were predominantly low, suggesting that inflammation is rare in these patients. We created an upper value of normal (chronic static group 95th centile 27.4nmol/l). CSF neopterin was elevated in all 10 patients with acute encephalitis and in 10 of 12 patients with other acute inflammatory CNS disorders (demyelination, post‐infectious ataxia, myelitis). CSF neopterin was also significantly elevated in patients with chronic progressive disorders of inflammatory origin. Interestingly, CSF neopterin was elevated in four of six patients with chronic static disorders who were tested during a febrile exacerbation of seizures or dystonia, suggesting that intrathecal immune activation may be important in this setting.Interpretation  Neopterin has a short half‐life and was useful for monitoring inflammation activity in a patient with relapsing–remitting encephalitis. CSF neopterin is a useful marker of inflammation in a broad range of acute and chronic CNS disorders, and is a significantly more sensitive marker of inflammation than CSF pleocytosis.
Maternal genitourinary infection and risk of cerebral palsy
Authors: MANN JOSHUA R , MCDERMOTT SUZANNE , BAO HAIKUN , BERSABE ADRIAN 
Published: February 2009

Aim  To examine the association between genitourinary infection during pregnancy and cerebral palsy (CP) in children.Method  Medicaid and birth certificate data were obtained for 135 835 pregnant women with singleton births paid for by Medicaid from 1996 to 2002. Linked Medicaid billing data were obtained for their children in 2007. The association between maternal genitourinary infection and CP was modeled using generalized estimating equations.Results  Maternal genitourinary infection was significantly associated with CP (odds ratio [OR]=1.27, p=0.007). Additional analyses revealed that the association was strongly significant for preterm or low birthweight infants when maternal infection was diagnosed in the first two trimesters of pregnancy (OR=1.62, p<0.001). This association remained (OR=1.72, p<0.001) when the model was limited to cases of CP diagnosed by at least two different clinicians. Infection was not significantly associated with CP in term or normal‐birthweight infants.Interpretation  Maternal genitourinary infection occurring in the first two trimesters was associated with increased risk of CP in preterm or low‐birthweight children. Additional research is needed to determine whether this association is affected by antimicrobial treatment.
Drooling in cerebral palsy: hypersalivation or dysfunctional oral motor control?
Authors: ERASMUS CORRIE E , VAN HULST KAREN , ROTTEVEEL LISELOTTE J C , JONGERIUS PETER H , VAN DEN HOOGEN FRANK J A , ROELEVELD NEL , ROTTEVEEL JAN J 
Published: February 2009

Aim  To investigate whether drooling in children with cerebral palsy (CP) in general and in CP subtypes is due to hypersalivation.Method  Saliva was collected from 61 healthy children (30 males, mean age 9y 5mo [SD 11mo]; 31 females, mean age 9y 6mo [1y 2mo]) and 100 children with CP who drooled (57 males, mean age 9y 5mo [3y 11mo], range 3–19y; 43 females, mean age 10y 1mo [4y 9mo], range 4–19y), of whom 53 had spastic, 42 had dyskinetic, and five had ataxic CP. Almost all children were affected bilaterally, and 90 of them were at Gross Motor Function Classification System levels III or higher. The saliva was collected by the swab saliva collection method. The intensity of drooling was evaluated using the drooling quotient.Results  No difference was found in the flow rates, age, or sex between healthy children and children with CP who drooled. On additional subgroup analysis, the flow rates of children with dyskinetic CP differed statistically from those of healthy children (submandibular p=0.047, parotid p=0.040).Interpretation  This study supports the finding in previous studies that no hypersalivation exists in children with CP who drool. Dysfunctional oral motor control seems to be responsible for saliva overflow from the mouth, whereas increased unstimulated salivary flow may occur in children with dyskinetic CP as a result of hyperkinetic oral movements.
Activation of pre‐synaptic M‐type K+channels inhibits [3H]d‐aspartate release by reducing Ca2+entry through P/Q‐type voltage‐gated Ca2+channels
Authors: Luisi Rosa , Panza Elisabetta , Barrese Vincenzo , Iannotti Fabio Arturo , Viggiano Davide , Secondo Agnese , Canzoniero Lorella Maria Teresa , Martire Maria , Annunziato Lucio , Taglialatela Maurizio 
Published: February 2009

AbstractIn this study, the functional consequences of the pharmacological modulation of the M‐current (IKM) on cytoplasmic Ca2+intracellular Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+]i) changes and excitatory neurotransmitter release triggered by various stimuli from isolated rat cortical synaptosomes have been investigated. Kv7.2 immunoreactivity was identified in pre‐synaptic elements in cortical slices and isolated glutamatergic cortical synaptosomes. In cerebrocortical synaptosomes exposed to 20 mM [K+]e, theIKMactivator retigabine (RT, 10 μM) inhibited [3H]d‐aspartate ([3H]d‐Asp) release and caused membrane hyperpolarization; both these effects were prevented by theIKMblocker XE‐991 (20 μM). TheIKMactivators RT (0.1–30 μM), flupirtine (10 μM) and BMS‐204352 (10 μM) inhibited 20 mM [K+]e‐induced synaptosomal [Ca2+]iincreases; XE‐991 (20 μM) abolished RT‐induced inhibition of depolarization‐triggered [Ca2+]itransients. The P/Q‐type voltage‐sensitive Ca2+channel (VSCC) blocker ω‐agatoxin IVA prevented RT‐induced inhibition of depolarization‐induced [Ca2+]iincrease and [3H]d‐Asp release, whereas the N‐type blocker ω‐conotoxin GVIA failed to do so. Finally, 10 μM RT did not modify the increase of [Ca2+]iand the resulting enhancement of [3H]d‐Asp release induced by [Ca2+]imobilization from intracellular stores, or by store‐operated Ca2+channel activation. Collectively, the present data reveal that the pharmacological activation ofIKMregulates depolarization‐induced [3H]d‐Asp release from cerebrocortical synaptosomes by selectively controlling the changes of [Ca2+]ioccurring through P/Q‐type VSCCs.
Responses of grassland specialist and generalist beetles to management and landscape complexity
Authors: Batáry Péter , Báldi András , Szél Győző , Podlussány Attila , Rozner István , Erdős Sarolta 
Published: February 2009

ABSTRACTWe tested the influence of grazing intensity and effect of landscape complexity on grassland specialist and generalist beetles of three beetle families, i.e. Carabidae, Chrysomelidae, and Curculionidae, on extensively and intensively grazed cattle pastures in three regions of the Hungarian Great Plain. In every region we investigated seven pairs of grazed grasslands. On each field, samples were taken along two 95‐m‐long transects; one transect at the edge and the other one 50 m away from the edge in the grassland interior (altogether 84 transects). Carabids (Carabidae) were sampled using funnel traps for three 2‐week sampling periods during spring and early summer. Leaf‐beetles (Chrysomelidae) and weevils (Curculionidae) were surveyed by sweep netting in May and June 2003. Analysing the grazing intensity and landscape complexity effects on generalist and specialist beetles with linear mixed models, grazing effect was detected only on specialist leaf‐beetle species richness with more species in the extensively grazed sites. Landscape complexity had contrasting effects on specialist and generalist species. Habitat generalists were more and negatively affected by increasing grassland coverage (reduced heterogeneity) than specialists. At species level analyses on four species out of 21, landscape effects were shown, which suggested that landscape composition might have strong effects on the species composition of the beetle assemblages. Our results suggest that conservation of biodiversity in agricultural systems (such as in managed Central European grasslands) requires a landscape perspective besides investigating management effects.