bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of Transgene Inheritance on the Mitigation of Gene Flow Between Crops and Their Wild Relatives: The Example of Foxtail Millet
Authors: Shi Yunsu , Wang TianYu , Li Yu , Darmency Henri 
Published: September 2008

AbstractDeveloping genetically modified crop plants that are biologically contained could reduce significantly the potential spread of transgenes to conventional and organic crop plants and to wild or weedy relatives. Among several strategies, the hereditary mode of transmission of transgenes, whether dominant, recessive, or maternal, could play a major role in interspecific gene flow. Here we report on the gene flow between foxtail millet (Setaria italica), an autogamous crop, and its weedy relative, S. viridis, growing within or beside fields containing the three kinds of inherited herbicide resistance. Over the 6-year study, in the absence of herbicide selection, the maternal chloroplast-inherited resistance was observed at a 2 × 10−6 frequency in the weed populations. Resistant weed plants were observed 60 times as often, at 1.2 × 10−4 in the case of the nuclear recessive resistance, and 190 times as often, at 3.9 × 10−4 in the case of the dominant resistance. Because the recessive gene was not expressed in the first-generation hybrids, it should be more effective than dominant genes in reducing gene flow under normal agricultural conditions where herbicides are sprayed because interspecific hybrids cannot gain from beneficial genes.
Sequential Elimination of Major-Effect Contributors Identifies Additional Quantitative Trait Loci Conditioning High-Temperature Growth in Yeast
Authors: Sinha Himanshu , David Lior , Pascon Renata C , Clauder-Münster Sandra , Krishnakumar Sujatha , Nguyen Michelle , Shi Getao , Dean Jed , Davis Ronald W , Oefner Peter J , McCusker John H , Steinmetz Lars M 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
Several quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping strategies can successfully identify major-effect loci, but often have poor success detecting loci with minor effects, potentially due to the confounding effects of major loci, epistasis, and limited sample sizes. To overcome such difficulties, we used a targeted backcross mapping strategy that genetically eliminated the effect of a previously identified major QTL underlying high-temperature growth (Htg) in yeast. This strategy facilitated the mapping of three novel QTL contributing to Htg of a clinically derived yeast strain. One QTL, which is linked to the previously identified major-effect QTL, was dissected, and NCS2 was identified as the causative gene. The interaction of the NCS2 QTL with the first major-effect QTL was background dependent, revealing a complex QTL architecture spanning these two linked loci. Such complex architecture suggests that more genes than can be predicted are likely to contribute to quantitative traits. The targeted backcrossing approach overcomes the difficulties posed by sample size, genetic linkage, and epistatic effects and facilitates identification of additional alleles with smaller contributions to complex traits.
The R2R3 MYB Transcription Factor GhMYB109 Is Required for Cotton Fiber Development
Authors: Pu Li , Li Qun , Fan Xiaoping , Yang Weicai , Xue Yongbiao 
Published: September 2008

AbstractCotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) fibers are single highly elongated cells derived from the outer epidermis of ovules. A large number of genes are required for fiber differentiation and development, but so far, little is known about how these genes control and regulate the process of fiber development. Here we examine the role of the cotton-fiber-specific R2R3 MYB gene GhMYB109 in cotton fiber development. Transgenic reporter gene analysis revealed that a 2-kb GhMYB109 promoter was sufficient to confirm its fiber-specific expression. Antisense-mediated suppression of GhMYB109 led to a substantial reduction in fiber length. Consistently, several genes related to cotton fiber growth were found to be significantly reduced in the transgenic cotton. Our results showed that GhMYB109 is required for cotton fiber development and reveal a largely conserved mechanism of the R2R3 MYB transcription factor in cell fate determination in plants.
ADBP-1 Regulates an ADAR RNA-Editing Enzyme to Antagonize RNA-Interference-Mediated Gene Silencing in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Ohta Hiromitsu , Fujiwara Manabi , Ohshima Yasumi , Ishihara Takeshi 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) mediate gene silencing through evolutionarily conserved pathways. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the siRNA/miRNA pathways are also known to affect transgene expression. To identify genes that regulate the efficiencies of the siRNA/miRNA pathways, we used the expression level of a transgene as an indicator of gene silencing and isolated a transgene-silencing mutant, adbp-1 (ADR-2 binding protein). The adbp-1 mutation caused transgene silencing in hypodermal and intestinal cells in a cell-autonomous manner, depending on the RNA interference (RNAi) machinery. The adbp-1 gene encodes a protein with no conserved domains that is localized in the nucleus. Yeast two-hybrid screening and co-immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated that ADBP-1 physically interacts with ADR-2, an RNA-editing enzyme from the ADAR (adenosine deaminase acting on dsRNA) family. In the adbp-1 mutant, as previously shown in adr-2 mutants, A-to-I RNA editing was not detected, suggesting that ADBP-1 is required for the RNA-editing activity of ADR-2. We found that ADBP-1 facilitates the nuclear localization of ADR-2. ADBP-1 may regulate ADR-2 activity and the consequent RNA editing and thereby antagonize RNAi-mediated transgene silencing in C. elegans.
A Computational Approach to the Functional Clustering of Periodic Gene-Expression Profiles
Authors: Kim Bong-Rae , Zhang Li , Berg Arthur , Fan Jianqing , Wu Rongling 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
DNA microarray analysis has emerged as a leading technology to enhance our understanding of gene regulation and function in cellular mechanism controls on a genomic scale. This technology has advanced to unravel the genetic machinery of biological rhythms by collecting massive gene-expression data in a time course. Here, we present a statistical model for clustering periodic patterns of gene expression in terms of different transcriptional profiles. The model incorporates biologically meaningful Fourier series approximations of gene periodic expression into a mixture-model-based likelihood function, thus producing results that are likely to be closer to biological relevance, as compared to those from existing models. Also because the structures of the time-dependent means and covariance matrix are modeled, the new approach displays increased statistical power and precision of parameter estimation. The approach was used to reanalyze a real example with 800 periodically expressed transcriptional genes in yeast, leading to the identification of 13 distinct patterns of gene-expression cycles. The model proposed can be useful for characterizing the complex biological effects of gene expression and generate testable hypotheses about the workings of developmental systems in a more precise quantitative way.
The Efficacy of Female Condom Skills Training in HIV Risk Reduction Among Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Choi Kyung-Hee , Hoff Colleen , Gregorich Steven E. , Grinstead Olga , Gomez Cynthia , Hussey Wendy 
Published: September 2008

Objectives. We evaluated the efficacy of skills training designed to increase female condom use among women. Methods. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of 409 women, recruited from family planning clinics in northern California, who were randomly assigned to the experimental 4-session female condom skills training intervention or the comparison 4-session women's general health promotion intervention. Participants received condom use instructions at baseline and male and female condoms during the study. They completed audio computer-assisted self-interviews at baseline and at 3 and 6 months. Results. At 3 and 6 months, women in the experimental group were more likely than those in the comparison group to have used the female condom at least once in the prior 3 months. The increase in the percentage of sexual acts protected by female condoms from baseline to the 6-month follow-up was greater for the experimental group. The percentage of sexual acts during which any condom was employed was higher in the experimental group at 6 months. There were no group differences in male condom use. Conclusions. Outcomes suggest that skills training can increase female condom use and protected sexual acts without reducing male condom use among women.
Pleasure, Power, and Inequality: Incorporating Sexuality Into Research on Contraceptive Use
Authors: Higgins Jenny A. , Hirsch Jennifer S. 
Published: September 2008

We know surprisingly little about how contraception affects sexual enjoyment and functioning (and vice versa), particularly for women. What do people seek from sex, and how do sexual experiences shape contraceptive use? We draw on qualitative data to make 3 points. First, pleasure varies. Both women and men reported multiple aspects of enjoyment, of which physical pleasure was only one.Second, pleasure matters. Clear links exist between the forms of pleasure respondents seek and their contraceptive practices. Third, pleasure intersects with power and social inequality. Both gender and social class shape sexual preferences and contraceptive use patterns. These findings call for a reframing of behavioral models that explain why people use (or do not use) contraception.
Ethics in American Health 1: Ethical Approaches to Health Policy
Authors: Ruger Jennifer Prah 
Published: September 2008

I trace the evolution of ethical approaches to health policy in the United States and examine a number of critical unresolved issues pertaining to the current set of frameworks. Several themes emerge.First, fair procedures claim more attention than substantive and procedural principles. Second, in the case of public deliberation, more focus has been placed on factors such as procedural mechanisms than on understanding how individuals and groups value different aspects of health and agree on health-related decisions.Third, the nation needs workable frameworks to guide collective choices about valuable social ends and their trade-offs; purely procedural strategies are limited in illuminating overarching health policy and ethics questions. There is a need to integrate consequential and procedural approaches to health ethics and policy.
The Impact of Universal Access to Antiretroviral Therapy on HIV Stigma in Botswana
Authors: Wolfe William R. , Weiser Sheri D. , Leiter Karen , Steward Wayne T. , Percy-de Korte Fiona , Phaladze Nthabiseng , Iacopino Vincent , Heisler Michele 
Published: September 2008

Objectives. We sought to examine the impact of treatment access on HIV stigma in Botswana 3 years after the introduction of a national program of universal access to antiretroviral therapy. Methods. We studied the prevalence and correlates of HIV stigma in a population-based study of 1268 adults in Botswana in 2004. We used multivariate logistic regression to assess correlates of stigmatizing attitudes and a new measure, anticipated HIV stigma. Results. Overall, 38% of participants had at least 1 stigmatizing attitude: 23% would not buy food from a shopkeeper with HIV; 5% would not care for a relative with HIV. Seventy percent reported at least 1 measure of anticipated stigma: 54% anticipated ostracism after testing positive for HIV, and 31% anticipated mistreatment at work. Perceived access to antiretroviral therapy was strongly and independently associated with decreased odds of holding stigmatizing attitudes (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.24, 0.74) and of anticipated stigma (AOR = 0.09; 95% CI = 0.03, 0.30). Conclusions. Our findings suggest that antiretroviral therapy access may be a factor in reducing HIV stigma. Nevertheless, the persistence of stigmatizing attitudes and significant anticipated stigma suggest that HIV stigma must be a target for ongoing intervention.
Determinants of Skilled Birth Attendant Utilization in Afghanistan: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Mayhew Maureen , Hansen Peter M. , Peters David H. , Edward Anbrasi , Singh Lakhwinder P. , Dwivedi Vikas , Mashkoor Ashraf , Burnham Gilbert 
Published: September 2008

Objectives. We sought to identify characteristics associated with use of skilled birth attendants where health services exist in Afghanistan. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study in all 33 provinces in 2004, yielding data from 617 health facilities and 9917 women who lived near the facilities and had given birth in the past 2 years. Results. Only 13% of respondents had used skilled birth attendants. Women from the wealthiest quintile (vs the poorest quintile) had higher odds of use (odds ratio [OR] = 6.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.4, 8.9). Literacy was strongly associated with use (OR = 2.5; 95% CI = 2.0, 3.2), as was living less than 60 minutes from the facility (OR = 1.5; 95% CI = 1.1, 2.0) and residing near a facility with a female midwife or doctor (OR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.1, 1.8). Women living near facilities that charged user fees (OR = 0.8; 95% CI = 0.6, 1.0) and that had male community health workers (OR = 0.6; 95% CI = 0.5, 0.9) had lower odds of use. Conclusions. In Afghanistan, the rate of use of safe delivery care must be improved. The financial barriers of poor and uneducated women should be reduced and culturally acceptable alternatives must be considered.
Multivariate Analysis of State Variation in Breastfeeding Rates in the United States
Authors: Kogan Michael D. , Singh Gopal K. , Dee Deborah L. , Belanoff Candice , Grummer-Strawn Laurence M. 
Published: September 2008

Objectives. We sought to determine the impact of sociodemographic and behavioral factors and state legislation on breastfeeding initiation (child ever fed breastmilk) and duration. Methods. We used data from a nationally representative study of children aged 6 to 71 months (N = 33 121); we calculated unadjusted and adjusted state estimates for breastfeeding initiation and duration. We used logistic regression models to examine factors associated with never breastfeeding or breastfeeding less than 6 months. We conducted a multilevel analysis of state legislation's role. Results. There were wide state variations in breastfeeding initiation and duration. The western and northwestern states had the highest rates. Covariate adjustment accounted for 25% to 30% of the disparity. Multivariate analysis showed that the adjusted odds of not being breastfed were 2.5- to 5.15-times greater in southern states compared with Oregon (reference). Children in states without breastfeeding legislation had higher odds of not being breastfed. Conclusions. Sociodemographic and maternal factors do not account for most breastfeeding rate variation. The association with breastfeeding legislation should be explored and may reflect cultural norms.
“Having Another Child Would Be a Life or Death Situation for Her”: Understanding Pregnancy Termination Among Couples in Rural Bangladesh
Authors: Gipson Jessica D. , Hindin Michelle J. 
Published: September 2008

Objectives. We conducted a mixed-method study in rural southwestern Bangladesh, a country in which an estimated 730 000 elective pregnancy terminations occur each year, to explore women's and couples’ motivations to terminate pregnancies. Methods. Quantitative data derived from a 1998 cross-sectional survey and a longitudinal demographic surveillance system (1998–2003) were combined with qualitative data gathered through 84 in-depth interviews conducted with 19 couples during 2004–2005. Results. Quantitative results indicated that 11% of couples reported a pregnancy termination in the study period; the rate was highest among couples who reported in 1998 that they wanted no more children (29%). Both wives’ and husbands’ fertility preferences independently and significantly predicted pregnancy termination. Qualitative findings showed that more than half of the participants had attempted to terminate a pregnancy at least once in their lifetime. Conclusions. Our results highlight the importance of collecting data from both partners and the influence of husbands’ fertility preferences on reproductive decisionmaking. The prevalence of reported pregnancy terminations in our population, along with the use of informal methods in termination attempts, highlights the need for continued provision of contraceptives and access to safe and affordable pregnancy termination services in this setting.
Medication Abortion in Canada: A Right-to-Health Perspective
Authors: Erdman Joanna N. , Grenon Amy , Harrison-Wilson Leigh 
Published: September 2008

The right to health under the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, to which Canada is a signatory, entitles women to available, accessible, and acceptable abortion care. Abortion care in Canada currently fails this standard. Medication abortion (the use of drugs to terminate a pregnancy) could improve abortion care in Canada, but its potential remains unrealized. This is in part attributable to the unavailability of mifepristone, the safest and most effective pharmaceutical for medication abortion. Given that it could improve abortion care, we investigated why mifepristone remains unapproved in Canada, whether its unavailability is attributable to government inaction, and whether Canada is therefore failing to fulfill its obligations under the right to health.
Multiphase-Flow Modeling Based on Experimental Testing: An Overview of Research Facilities Worldwide and the Need for Future Developments
Authors: Falcone G. , Teodoriu C. , Reinicke K. M. , Bello O. O. 
Published: September 2008

Summary
Multiphase-flow models for the oil and gas industry are required to investigate and understand the cocurrent or countercurrent flow of different fluid phases under a wide range of pressure and temperature conditions and in several different flow configurations in well-bores, pipelines, and risers and through the surface facilities. Experimental measurements are required to develop and validate the multiphase-flow models under controlled conditions and assess their range of applicability. This is why a large number of multiphase-flow loops exist around the world. However, there are numerous varieties of multiphase-flow occurrences because of differences in pressure and temperature; fluid types; flow regimes; pipe geometry, inclination, and diameter; and whether the flow is steady-state or transient.
Building a flow loop that reproduces real hydrocarbon wells, including the reservoir inertia and the complex heat transfer process taking place between the wellbore and the reservoir, is not feasible. Thus, downscaling typical field parameters is necessary to study multiphase flows at laboratory conditions.
This paper presents a critical review of multiphase-flow loops around the world, highlighting the pros and cons of each facility with regard to reproducing and monitoring different multiphase-flow situations.
The authors suggest a way forward for new developments in this area.
The Use of QRA To Inform the Design of a High-Pressure Onshore Pipeline
Authors: Nelson Stacy , Caulfield Margaret , Cosham Andrew 
Published: September 2008

SummaryThe management of onshore-pipeline safety in the United Kingdom is governed by the Pipelines Safety Regulations, 1996. This requires pipeline operators to design, build, and operate pipelines to ensure that they are safe, so far as is reasonably practicable. This is achieved, in part, by applying good practice and designing the pipeline to recognized onshore-pipeline design codes. Where the proposed design falls outside code guidance, a quantitative risk assessment (QRA) provides an effective means of demonstrating a safe design.This paper describes a study that was carried out to define the design requirements for the onshore section of a multiphase pipeline. The proposed pipeline will have a design pressure of 380 barg. However, onshore design codes PD 8010-1 (2004) and IGE/TD/1 (Steel Pipelines 2001) do not provide guidance on the design of pipelines with pressures exceeding 100 barg. Experience from other projects indicates that it is important to consider the implications of such high design pressures early in a project.The QRA considered a number of different design options. The safety risks of the proposed pipeline options were compared with those from a typical 100-barg-gas-transmission pipeline of the same diameter. This means that the risk of the proposed pipeline can be compared in a relative manner, to an acceptable design, and in an absolute manner to limits on individual and societal risk.The results of QRAs of the different design options are summarized and discussed. The effects of mitigation measures, such as reducing the pipeline-design factor (the ratio of the hoop stress to the specified minimum yield strength), increasing the wall thickness, and incorporating a pressure-limiting system at the landfall, are illustrated.It is shown that the proposed design is feasible. The individual and societal risks for the proposed design were lower than that of a typical 100-barg-gas-transmission pipeline. The individual risk was in the broadly accepted region of risk, as defined by the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and the societal risk was below the acceptance criterion given in IGE/TD/1 (Steel Pipelines 2001).
Pipeline Walking—Understanding the Field Layout Challenges and Analytical Solutions Developed for the Safebuck JIP
Authors: Carr M. , Sinclair F. , Bruton D. 
Published: September 2008

Summary
This paper addresses the phenomenon of pipeline walking, which can cause cumulative axial displacement of a whole pipeline, leading to potential failures at tie-ins or risers. This phenomenon can massively complicate the design of deepwater flowlines and has significantly affected field layouts on a number of recent projects.
The Safebuck joint-industry project (JIP) has developed new analytical equations from first principles that predict the rate of walking. These equations have been successfully validated against finite element (FE) models and bring welcome simplicity to conceptual design assessments.
Interaction Model for Steel Compliant Riser on Soft Seabed
Authors: Aubeny C. , Biscontin G. 
Published: September 2008

Summary
The use of catenary steel-compliant-riser (SCR) systems has increased as hydrocarbon production has moved progressively farther offshore and into deeper waters. The issue of fatigue damage caused by cyclic interaction of a riser with the seabed has gained prominence with the widespread use of SCRs and with the lengthening of the spans. The problem involves a number of complex factors, including trench configuration, nonlinear soil stiffness, breakaway of the riser from the seafloor, and degradation of soil resistance during cyclic loading. This paper presents a soil-interaction model capable of modeling these complexities, using input parameters that can be obtained with reasonable expenditure. Model simulations for typical offshore soft-soil conditions indicate that the model is capable of realistic predictions of cyclic bending moments. The degradation of soil resistance has a major effect on cyclic bending moments, particularly when uplift motions at the riser touchdown point (TDP) are large.