bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dynamic contour tonometry: principle and use
Authors: Punjabi Omar S , Kniestedt Christoph , Stamper Robert L , Lin Shan C 
Published: December 2006

AbstractInterindividual variability of central corneal thickness has been found to be a source of error for conventional Goldmann applanation tonometry. The dynamic contour tonometer represents a potentially new technology for non‐invasive and direct intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement, and has been proposed to accurately measure the true IOP irrespective of the corneal thickness. It is based on the principle that when the tip of the device exactly matches the contour of the cornea, the pressure measured by a transducer placed on its tip is an accurate indicator of the true IOP. This device is also capable of measuring the ocular pulse amplitude, a variable that has controversial significance in the diagnosis and management of glaucoma. Even though this technique seems to be very promising, further studies are required to conclusively determine the effectiveness of the dynamic contour tonometer in patients having an abnormal or irregular corneal contour.
Gillies Lecture: ocular motility in a time of paradigm shift
Authors: Demer Joseph L 
Published: December 2006

AbstractRecent progress in understanding of the structure and function of extraocular muscles, and our ability to image them clinically, allows prediction of revolutionary progress in diagnosis and treatment of strabismus in the coming decades. This perspective memorializes a lecture given in honour of Dr William Gillies, who has for decades been the paternal leader of strabismology in southern Australia.
Rapid evolution and ecological host–parasite dynamics
Authors: Duffy Meghan A. , Sivars‐Becker Lena 
Published: December 2006

AbstractTraditionally, the termination of parasite epidemics has been attributed to ecological causes: namely, the depletion of susceptible hosts as a result of mortality or acquired immunity. Here, we suggest that epidemics can also end because of rapid host evolution. Focusing on a particular host–parasite system, Daphnia dentifera and its parasite Metschnikowia bicuspidata, we show that Daphnia from lakes with recent epidemics were more resistant to infection and had less variance in susceptibility than Daphnia from lakes without recent epidemics. However, our studies revealed little evidence for genetic variation in infectivity or virulence in Metschnikowia. Incorporating the observed genetic variation in host susceptibility into an epidemiological model parameterized for this system reveals that rapid evolution can explain the termination of epidemics on time scales matching what occurs in lake populations. Thus, not only does our study provide rare evidence for parasite‐mediated selection in natural populations, it also suggests that rapid evolution has important effects on short‐term host–parasite dynamics.
A niche for neutrality
Authors: Adler Peter B. , HilleRisLambers Janneke , Levine Jonathan M. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractEcologists now recognize that controversy over the relative importance of niches and neutrality cannot be resolved by analyzing species abundance patterns. Here, we use classical coexistence theory to reframe the debate in terms of stabilizing mechanisms (niches) and fitness equivalence (neutrality). The neutral model is a special case where stabilizing mechanisms are absent and species have equivalent fitness. Instead of asking whether niches or neutral processes structure communities, we advocate determining the degree to which observed diversity reflects strong stabilizing mechanisms overcoming large fitness differences or weak stabilization operating on species of similar fitness. To answer this question, we propose combining data on per capita growth rates with models to: (i) quantify the strength of stabilizing processes; (ii) quantify fitness inequality and compare it with stabilization; and (iii) manipulate frequency dependence in growth to test the consequences of stabilization and fitness equivalence for coexistence.
Ecosystem engineering in space and time
Authors: Hastings Alan , Byers James E. , Crooks Jeffrey A. , Cuddington Kim , Jones Clive G. , Lambrinos John G. , Talley Theresa S. , Wilson William G. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThe ecosystem engineering concept focuses on how organisms physically change the abiotic environment and how this feeds back to the biota. While the concept was formally introduced a little more than 10 years ago, the underpinning of the concept can be traced back to more than a century to the early work of Darwin. The formal application of the idea is yielding new insights into the role of species in ecosystems and many other areas of basic and applied ecology. Here we focus on how temporal, spatial and organizational scales usefully inform the roles played by ecosystem engineers and their incorporation into broader ecological contexts. Two particular, distinguishing features of ecosystem engineers are that they affect the physical space in which other species live and their direct effects can last longer than the lifetime of the organism – engineering can in essence outlive the engineer. Together, these factors identify critical considerations that need to be included in models, experimental and observational work. The ecosystem engineering concept holds particular promise in the area of ecological applications, where influence over abiotic variables and their consequent effects on biotic communities may facilitate ecological restoration and counterbalance anthropogenic influences.
Patterns of thermal adaptation of Bacillus simplex to the microclimatically contrasting slopes of ‘Evolution Canyons’ I and II, Israel
Authors: Sikorski Johannes , Nevo Eviatar 
Published: December 2006

SummaryIdentification of selective forces that drive evolution and speciation of bacteria in natural habitats is a central issue in bacterial ecology and evolution. Exploring the adaptive evolution of Bacillus simplex at ‘Evolution Canyons’ I and II, Israel, we report here on the impact of high heat stress on the speciation progress of individual evolutionary lineages. These canyons represent similar ecological replicates, separated by 40 km, in which the orientation of the sun yields a strong sun‐exposed and hot ‘African’ south‐facing slope (SFS) versus a rather cooler and mesic‐lush ‘European’ north‐facing slope (NFS) within a distance of only 50–100 m at the bottom and 400 m at the top. Among 131 strains studied, in Luria–Bertani broth, ‘African’ strains grow better than ‘European’ strains at a stressful high temperature (43.25°C). The results suggest that adaptation to the hotter and more stressful SFS is continuously ongoing. The patterns of heat adaptation override the phylogenetic history of individual lineages. A positive correlation of growth rates at 43.25°C and 20°C, more markedly among ‘African’ strains, reflects probably the broader temperature range on the SFS. Summarizing, the hot temperature stress on the ‘African’ slope is a major environmental force driving the twin evolutionary processes of adaptation and speciation of B. simplex at ‘Evolution Canyon’. Finally, we discuss the data in light of current controversies on species concepts.
Molecular diversity of nitrite reductase genes (nirK) in nitrifying bacteria
Authors: Cantera J. Jason L. , Stein Lisa Y. 
Published: December 2006

SummarySequences of copper‐containing nitrite reductase (nirK) genes obtained from completed nitrifier genome sequences were used to design polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers to amplify partial nirK sequences from one Nitrosomonas and four Nitrosospira isolates. Deduced NirK protein sequences were highly similar to other copper‐containing nitrite reductases including conserved motifs. Phylogenetic comparisons of NirK protein sequences placed orthologues from Nitrosomonas, Nitrosospira and Nitrobacter species into multiple distinct clades. Products related to nirK genes were not amplified from seven additional Nitrosomonas and Nitrosospira isolates by PCR with nirK‐specific primers; however, DNA extracted from four of these isolates produced detectable signals in low‐stringency Southern hybridizations probed with nirK gene fragments from ammonia‐oxidizers with known nirK gene sequences. Analysis of promoter regions of nitrifier nirK genes revealed conserved binding motifs for the NsrR transcription factor in only one clade; other available nitrifier nirK gene promoters lacked characterized transcription factor binding motifs. Taken together, these results indicate that the sequences and regulation of nirK genes are diverse among nitrifiers. This study provides insight to the use of nirK genes for molecular diversity studies, establishes a framework to resolve the origins and diversification of nitrite reduction among the nitrifiers, and expands the database of nirK orthologues.
Nitrogen fixation by reductively dechlorinating bacteria
Authors: Ju Xiongfei , Zhao Liping , Sun Baolin 
Published: December 2006

SummarySignificant advances in the ecology, physiology and genetics of reductively dechlorinating bacteria have revealed their important environmental roles in bioremediation and in the global chlorine cycle. N2 fixation has been widely observed in symbiotic, associative and free‐living bacteria. Here we show physiological and molecular evidence that reductively dechlorinating bacteria are capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen. Furthermore, N2 fixation in some of these dechlorinating bacteria stimulated reductive dechlorination, which should help predict and regulate the environmental function of dechlorinating bacteria in in situ bioremediation of chlorinated pollutants. These results imply that N2 fixation in dechlorinating bacteria interacts with other biogeochemical cycles to control the nitrogen status of the anaerobic ecosystem.
Monetary Policy and the Taylor Principle in Open Economies
Authors: Linnemann Ludger , Schabert Andreas 
Published: December 2006

AbstractNowadays, central banks mostly conduct monetary policy by setting nominal interest rates. A widely held view is that central banks can stabilize inflation if they follow the Taylor principle, which requires raising the nominal interest rate more than one‐for‐one in response to higher inflation. Is this also correct in an economy open to international trade? Exchange rate changes triggered by interest rate policy might interfere with inflation stabilization if they alter import prices. The paper shows that this destabilizing effect can prevail if (a) the central bank uses consumer (rather than producer) prices as its inflation indicator or directly reacts to currency depreciation, and (b) if it bases interest rate decisions on expected future inflation. Thus, if the central bank looks at current inflation rates and ignores exchange rate changes, Taylor‐style interest rate setting policies are advisable in open economies as well.
Acceptance of chronic illness in psoriasis vulgaris patients
Authors: Zalewska A , Miniszewska J , Chodkiewicz J , Narbutt J 
Published: December 2006

AbstractBackground  Acceptance of an illness is regarded as a considerable problem in patients with chronic diseases. Lack of acceptance can lead to lower adherence to medical treatment and delayed clinical improvement. Psoriasis, being a chronic skin disease, is known to cause considerable distress to patients.Objectives  To examine whether selected demographic factors and personal resources have an impact on acceptance of illness in psoriasis vulgaris patients.Methods  Self‐reported data on acceptance of illness, self‐efficacy, health locus of control, optimism and coping strategies were collected from 100 psoriasis vulgaris inpatients and PASI was calculated by a dermatologist. The following measures were employed: acceptance of illness scale, generalized self‐efficacy scale, multidimensional health locus of control scale, life orientation test and mental adjustment to disease scale.Results  Physical factors such as sex, age, disease duration and severity, and family history of psoriasis had no effect on acceptance of illness. However, based on multiple regression analysis, higher levels of optimism, lower conviction of others’ influence on one's health and the less frequently employed coping strategy concentration on emotions, together with more severe disease expressed by PASI, were correlated with higher acceptance of disease in psoriasis patients.Conclusions  The results obtained seem to confirm that personal resources play an important role in acceptance of chronic illness. Enhancement of optimism, and minimizing one's conviction that one's health depends on others could lead to higher acceptance of illness.
Relationship between sebostatic activity, tolerability and efficacy of three topical drugs to treat mild to moderate acne
Authors: Stinco G , Bragadin G , Trotter D , Pillon B , Patrone P 
Published: December 2006

AbstractBackground  Acne is a multifactorial disorder in which the sebum plays an important pathogenetic role.Purpose of the study  To evaluate the sebostatic effect of three anti‐acneic ingredients (azelaic acid, adapalene and benzoyl peroxide) conveyed in cream and to determine whether there is a correlation with the therapeutic results.Materials and methods  Sixty‐five patients with mild or moderate acne localized on the face were divided into three therapy groups at random: 25 applied azelaic acid once a day, 20, benzoyl peroxide and 20, adapalene. All the patients were observed at the time of enrolling and a further four times at fortnightly intervals. At each visit the sebum casual level on the forehead, chin and one cheek was measured using a sebumeter. Furthermore, side‐effects and clinical‐therapeutic effectiveness were noted.Results  Four patients did not complete the study. Azelaic acid showed an average reduction of 13.9% in sebum production on the forehead, 14.2% on the chin and 15.2% on the cheek. Benzoyl peroxide caused an increase of 10.5% in sebum production on the forehead, 10.3% on the chin and 25.4% on the cheek. Adapalene reduced sebaceous secretion by 0.2% on the forehead and 6.7% on the cheek whereas sebum production increased by 6.2% on the chin. All three drugs showed a clinical improvement in the acneic lesions with moderate adverse effects.Conclusion  The three topical drugs bring about good therapeutic results with scarce side‐effects that do not, however, seem to be correlated with the sebostatic activity.
Long‐term follow‐up of endoscopic therapy of anal canal condylomata acuminata with podophyllotoxin
Authors: Tzathas C , Stavrianeas NG , Triantafyllou K , Triantafyllou G , Ladas SD 
Published: December 2006

AbstractBackground  Condylomata acuminata of the anal canal, a common sexually transmitted disease, are difficult‐to‐treat lesions with a high recurrence rate after initial successful treatment.Objective  Our aim was to evaluate by anoscopy the efficacy of podophyllotoxin 0.5% solution topically applied for the treatment of anal warts.Methods  We prospectively studied consecutive patients with condylomata acuminata of the anal canal that spared the rectum. They were treated with 0.5% podophyllotoxin solution topically applied on the warts, by anoscopy. Podophyllotoxin solution was administered on days 1, 2 and 3 every week (a treatment cycle) for a maximum of 4 weeks.Patients whose warts were not completely eradicated were classified as failures. Follow‐up anoscopy was performed monthly for the first 6 months and every 6 months thereafter. Those who relapsed during the follow‐up period were retreated.Results  Twenty‐two immunocompetent patients entered the study. The primary clearance rate was 22.7, 54.5, 68.1 and 86.3% after 1, 2, 3 and 4 treatment cycles, respectively. During the follow‐up period (46, 12–60 months), seven patients (36.8%) relapsed. Four of them were successfully retreated. Thus, a complete cure was achieved in 16 out of 22 patients (72.7%). Adverse side‐effects were mild. They included proctalgia in six (27.2%), bleeding in four (17.2%), and both proctalgia and bleeding in two (9%) patients.Conclusions  Endoscopic topical application of 0.5% podophyllotoxin solution is an effective and well‐tolerated method for the treatment of condylomata acuminata of the anal canal.
Somatic Complaints and Their Relationship to Depressive Symptoms in Swedish Adolescents
Authors: Larsson Bo S. 
Published: December 2006

Abstract– This study investigated the prevalence of somatic complaints among Swedish adolescents aged 13–18 years. Assessment was made by means of questionnaires given to normal boy and girl students in a school sample, but in headache, headache‐free, and psychiatric inpatient groups were restricted to girls only. Furthermore, the relationship between somatic and depressive symptoms was examined.In agreement with previous research, the results indicated that normal girls consistently have more frequent and severe somatic complaints. In this sample, the frequency of self‐reported symptoms was highest among 13 year olds. For the majority of somatic items, adolescents in the psychiatric group reported more frequent and severe symptoms than those in the contrast conditions. Although significant correlations between total somatic and depressive symptoms were obtained, the power of the most potent somatic items to discriminate between a depressive and nondepressive state among adolescents was weak.
Psychological Adjustment of Yoruba Adolescents as Influenced by Family Type: a Research Note
Authors: Oyefeso Adenekan O. , Adegoke Ademola R. 
Published: December 2006

Abstract This research examines the influence of family type on the psychological adjustment of Yoruba adolescents. Using a sample of 116 adolescents, 69 males and 47 females, with mean age of 17.8 years of age (S.D. = 1.72). the results reveal that dilate adolescents from monogamous families experience better psychological adjustment than Their polygynous counterparts, whereas no such difference exists in the levels; of psychological adjustment of female adolescents from both family types.These findings suggest (hat (i) sex‐role prescription influences psychological adjustment of adolescents in Yoruba societies, and (ii) female children enjoy more protective upbringing in polygynous families than their male counterparts.
The Assessment of Individual Differences Between Young Children With a Pervasive Developmental Disorder by Means of Behaviour Scales Which are Derived from Direct Observation
Authors: Althaus Monika , Minderaa Ruud B. , Dienske Herman 
Published: December 2006

Abstract Data obtained by direct observation of 112 3–6‐year‐old normal children and 31 children with a pervasive developmental disorder aged 3–6 were used to construct behaviour scales by means of simultaneous component analysis. This is a technique for finding behaviour clusters (components) common to different groups by weighting the variables such that the resulting components maximize variance accounted for when summed over the groups (Milsap & Meredith, 1988, Psychometrika, 53, 123–134; Berge & Kiers, 1990, Nederlands Tijdschrift voor de Psychologie, 45, 221–226).An evaluation of the component structure that was found is given for both groups. Results show uncorrelated components for the normal group, while some of the same components are intercorrelated in the clinical group. Scales were constructed which are shown to have discriminative value with respect to subgroups within the group of patients.
The Emanuel Miller Memorial Lecture 1993 Genetic Research and Identification of Environmental Influences
Authors: Plomin Robert 
Published: December 2006

AbstractAs the importance of genetic influence in developmental psychopathology becomes widely accepted, we should not lose sight of the importance of genetic research for the investigation and identification of environmental influences. First, genetic research provides the best available evidence for the importance of nongenetic factors in behavioural development. Rarely does genetic influence account for more than half of the variance. Second, genetic research indicates that environmental effects on behavioural development largely involve nonshared environmental processes that make children in the same family different from one another. New research on this topic is presented and implications for research are discussed.
Primary Prevention of Child Physical Abuse and Neglect: A Critical Review. Part I
Authors: MacMillan Harriet L. , MacMillan James H. , Offord David R. , Griffith Lauren , MacMillan Angus 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThis paper (Part I) and its companion paper (Part II) provide an overview of the primary prevention of child maltreatment. Part I reviews the effectiveness of interventions aimed at the primary prevention of child physical abuse and neglect. Prospective controlled trials published between January 1979 and May 1993 were systematically identified. The quality of each study was determined using criteria which assessed methodological rigor. Interventions aimed at the prevention of physical abuse and neglect were classified into six main categories within the broad group of perinatal and early childhood programs. While many of these programs did not show a reduction in physical abuse or neglect, there is evidence that extended home visitation can prevent physical abuse and neglect among disadvantaged families.
A Case‐Control Family History Study of Autism
Authors: Bolton P. , Macdonald H. , Pickles A. , Rios P. , Goode S. , Crowson M. , Bailey A. , Rutter M. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractFamily history data on 99 autistic and 36 Down's syndrome probands are reported. They confirmed a raised familial loading for both autism and more broadly defined pervasive developmental disorders in siblings (2.9% and 2.9%, respectively, vs 0% in the Down's group) and also evidence for the familial aggregation of a lsser'variant of autism, comprising more subtle communication/social impairments or stereotypic behaviours, but not mental retardation alone. Between 12.4 and 20.4% of the autism siblings and 1.6% and 3.2% of the Down's siblings exhibited this lesser variant, depending on the stringency of its definition. Amongst autistic probands with speech, various features of their disorder (increased number of autistic symptoms; reduced verbal and performance ability) as well as a history of obstetric complications, indexed an elevation in familial loading. No such association was seen in the probands without speech, even though familial loading for the lesser variant in this subgroup, was significantly higher than in the Down's controls. The findings suggest that the autism phenotype extends beyond autism as traditionally diagnosed; that aetiology involves several genes; that autism is genetically heterogeneous; and that obstetric abnormalities in autistic subjects may derive from abnormality in the foetus.
Visuospatial Difficulties and Clumsiness: On the Interpretation of Conjoined Deficits
Authors: Henderson Sheila E. , Barnett Anna , Henderson Leslie 
Published: December 2006

AbstractSixteen children with motor difficulties and 16 controls, matched on age, gender and verbal I.Q., were assessed on the Test Of Motor Impairment, various graphic tasks and a measure of visuospatial discrimination. Poor perceptual and motor performance tended to co‐occur but contrary to the visuospatial deficit account of clumsiness these abilities were uncorrelated even when attention was restricted to the less proficient children. There was no tendency for the control group's superiority in graphic reproduction to diminish when visual feedback was withheld. Some suggestions are offered concerning more appropriate methods for framing and testing causal deficit hypotheses.