bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Angiofibrolipoma of the Ear Canal
Authors: Jacob Abraham , Kneile Jeffrey , Welling D Bradley 
Published: August 2005

AbstractObjectives/Hypothesis: Described is the first reported case of an angiofibrolipoma of the ear canal in a patient who presented with right‐sided conductive hearing loss and a medial canal stenosis.Study Design: Case report.Results/Conclusion: This variant of lipoma contains mature adipocytes, blood vessels, and dense collagenous tissue. The physical examination can be misleading, and the diagnosis requires histopathological examination. The patient was treated with complete surgical excision, tympanoplasty, canalplasty, and skin grafting to the external auditory canal.His pure‐tone average improved from 37 to 11 dB, and his air‐bone gap was closed completely.The lipoma has not recurred in the 6‐month period following surgery.
Cochlear Implantation in Deaf Infants
Authors: Miyamoto Richard T. , Houston Derek M. , Bergeson Tonya 
Published: August 2005

AbstractObjectives: With the application of universal newborn hearing screening programs, a large pool of newly identified deaf infants has been identified. The benefits of early intervention with cochlear implants (CI) is being explored. Mounting evidence suggests that age at implantation is a strong predictor of language outcomes. However, new behavioral procedures are needed to measure speech and language skills during infancy. Also, procedures are needed to analyze the speech input to young CI recipients.Study Design: Cohort‐sequential.Methods: Thirteen infants with profound hearing loss who were implanted between the ages of 6 to 12 months of age participated in this study. Eight participated in two new behavioral methodologies: 1) the visual habituation procedure to assess their discrimination of speech sounds; 2) the preferential looking paradigm to assess their ability to learn associations between speech sounds and objects. Older implanted infants and normal‐hearing infants were also tested for comparison. The pitch of mothers' speech to infants was analyzed.Results: Patterns of looking times for the very early implanted infants were similar to those of normal hearing infants. Mothers' speech to infants with CIs was similar in pitch to normal‐hearing infants who had the same duration of experience with sounds.Conclusions: No surgical or anesthetic complications occurred in this group of infants, and the pattern of listening skill development mirrors that seen in normal‐hearing infants. Mothers adjust their speech to suit the listening experience of their infants.
Molecular Prognosticators and Genomic Instability in Papillary Thyroid Cancer
Authors: Rigual Nestor R. , Anderson Garth R. , Loree Thom R. , Wiseman Sam , Alrawi Sadir , Stoler Daniel L. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractObjectives/Hypothesis: Tumor progression has been attributed to the accumulation of DNA damage concurrent with selection of advantageous mutations; this DNA damage may result from failure to maintain genomic integrity or from susceptibility to carcinogens. Glutathione S‐transferases (GSTs), enzymes that metabolize many carcinogens, may play a role in preserving genome integrity. The objectives of this study are to assess the relationship of GST genotypes with prognosis, clinicopathologic parameters, and genomic instability in papillary thyroid cancer.Study Design: Prospective analysis.Methods: GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotypes of 35 matched normal and papillary thyroid cancer specimens were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers specific for the coding sequences of each gene. Genomic instability was measured by intersimple sequence repeat PCR for each tumor/normal pair and compared with the GAMES prognostic scoring system and clinicopathologic parameters including age, extrathyroidal extension, tumor grade, size, stage metastasis, sex, and smoking history.Results: GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes were found in the normal tissues of 46% and 45%, respectively. No gene losses were detected in the tumor specimens. A significant association between the GSTM1 null genotype and increased risk of recurrence and death was observed. Elevated GII correlated with smoking and tumor stage but not with GST genotype.Conclusion: The association of GSTM1 null genotype with intermediate and high risk GAMES categories suggests that GSTM1 provides some protection against disease progression. However, this protection does not confer resistance to disease onset. GST genotyping may be a useful adjunct prognosticator with GAMES.
Long‐Term Clinical, Audiologic, and Radiologic Outcomes in Palate Cleft Children Treated with Early Tympanostomy for Otitis Media with Effusion: A Controlled Prospective Study
Authors: Valtonen Hannu , Dietz Aarno , Qvarnberg Yrjö 
Published: August 2005

AbstractObjectives: The role of tympanostomy in the treatment of otitis media with effusion (OME) in children with palate cleft with regard to the otologic and audiologic outcome is controversial. Little is known about the development of the mastoid air cell system (MACS) in these children.Study Design: Controlled, prospective.Methods: All children born in the hospital district area of the Central Hospital of Central Finland during the years 1983 to 1993 with palate cleft were reviewed at the age of 6 months. A total of 39 patients were followed up for 6 years after primary tympanostomy. Otologic and audiologic data were collected, and the MACS size was planimetrically measured. The control group consisted of age‐matched children without palate cleft suffering from OME and were identically reviewed.Results: The otologic outcome was similar in the study group, 64.1%, and among the controls, 60.6% were healed. There were no serious otologic complications in the study group. The audiologic outcome was also similar, with a mean pure‐tone average (0.5–2 kHz) of 10.5 dB and 10.9 dB for the corresponding groups. The initial size and growth of the MACS did not significantly differ between the groups.Conclusions: The prognosis of children with palate cleft treated with early tympanostomy is favorable and does not differ from children without palate cleft. Active treatment ensures normal hearing during the critical years of language, speech, and cognitive development and maintains the development of an aerated mastoid. We believe that early tympanostomy is the treatment of choice of OME in palate cleft children.
Prenatal androgen exposure modulates cellular and humoral immune function of black-headed gull chicks
Authors: Müller Wendt , Groothuis Ton G.G , Kasprzik Alice , Dijkstra Cor , Alatalo Rauno V , Siitari Heli 
Published: August 2005

Avian eggs contain considerable amounts of maternal yolk androgens, which have been shown to beneficially influence the physiology and behaviour of the chick. As androgens may suppress immune functions, they may also entail costs for the chick. This is particularly relevant for colonial species, such as the black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus), in which the aggregation of large numbers of birds during the breeding season enhances the risk of infectious diseases for the hatching chick.To test the effect of maternal yolk androgens on the chick's immune function, we experimentally manipulated, in a field study, yolk androgen levels within the physiological range by in ovo injection of either androgens (testosterone and androstenedione) or sesame oil (control) into freshly laid eggs. We determined cell-mediated immunity (CMI) and humoral immunity of the chicks at the beginning of the nestling period to evaluate early modulatory effects of yolk androgens on immune function.Embryonic exposure to elevated levels of androgens negatively affected both CMI and humoral immunity in nestling gull chicks. Consequently, maternal yolk androgens not only entail benefits of enhanced competitiveness and growth as previously shown, but also costs in terms of immunosuppression. The outcome of embryonic yolk androgen exposure thus likely depends on the post-hatching circumstances for the developing offspring such as parasite exposure and degree of sibling competition.
Changes of structure and tilth mellowing in a Vertisol due to wet/dry cycles in the liquid and vapour phases
Authors: HUSSEIN J. , ADEY M.A. 
Published: August 2005

SummaryDevelopment of a fine tilth in Vertisols increases infiltration, plant‐available water and ease of cultivation and produces a fine seed bed. The tilth‐mellowing properties of a strongly self‐mulching Vertisol from Zimbabwe were investigated by applying different types of wetting to a worked soil and examining macromorphological features, size, density, strength and friability of the resulting clods/aggregates, developed through successive wet/dry cycles. Wetting regimes were chosen to simulate likely field conditions and included rapid flood‐, slow and fast capillary‐, simulated rainfall‐ and vapour‐wetting. Tilth development was compared to that of field soils.All wetting treatments in the liquid phase resulted in decreases in aggregate density. Fast capillary wetting rapidly reduced size and strength of aggregates to below that of field soils whereas slow capillary wetting similarly rapidly decreased size but reduced strength more slowly. Flood wetting caused little change in size but aggregates showed a small decrease in strength. Rainfall wetting resulted in changes intermediate between these extremes. There was a significant linear relationship between strength and porosity of aggregates! For rainfall‐ and flood‐wetting, friabilities were at a maximum after one wet/dry cycle but subsequently decreased.Vapour wet/dry cycles reduced strength but not density of worked soils, implying changes in internal microstructure without measurable porosity change.Hypotheses to explain these changes are put forward.
Comparison of ceramic suction cups and KC1 extraction for the determination of nitrate in soil
Authors: DJURHUUS J. , JACOBSEN O.K. 
Published: August 2005

SummaryComparisons of nitrate concentrations in soil core extracts and ceramic suction cup isolates were made on a coarse sand and a sandy loam to evaluate the methods for estimating nitrate concentrations percolating through the root zone. On the coarse sand the comparisons were made at 80 cm on three dates during the winter of 1988/89. For each date, 103 soil samples and 101 or 102 suction cup isolates were taken. On the sandy loam the comparisons were made at 25 and 80 cm on two dates in March 1990. For each date and depth, 57 soil samples and 55–57 suction cup isolates were taken. On the coarse sand the mean nitrate concentrations were the same for the two methods. On the sandy loam the results obtained using the two methods differed significantly in only one of the four comparisons. However, the results indicated that the suction cup isolates differed slightly from the volume‐averaged concentrations obtained from the soil samples. The type of frequency distribution, normal or lognormal, seemed to be influenced both by the mean nitrate concentration and by the soil structure, and thus by the pattern of percolation. The size of sample required to estimate the mean nitrate concentration with a probability of 95% and a precision of 10% varied from 7 to 106.
Characterization of clay–organic‐matter complexes resistant to oxidation by peroxide
Authors: RIGHI D. , DINEL H. , SCHULTEN H.‐R. , SCHNITZER M. 
Published: August 2005

SummaryIn an acid soil, amounts or organic carbon resistant to peroxidation with hydrogen peroxide were strongly related to the proportions of expandable phyllosilicate (vermiculite, smectite) in the clay fraction, as measured by its K2O content and cation exchange capacity. This was taken to indicate that a substantial part of the organic matter resistant to oxidation was interlayered. The organic compounds in the clay‐organic matter complexes were identified by Pyrolysis Field Ionization Mass Spectrometry (Py‐FIMS).Alkyl‐aromatics as well as carbohydrates, phenols, lignins, lipids and N‐compounds were found in the C‐horizon sample, whereas mainly alkyl‐aromatics and N‐compounds, more resistant to chemical oxidation, were associated with the A1 and Bw fine‐clay fraction. This was interpreted as being due either to the evolution of the clay‐associated compounds paralleling the mineralogical transformations, or to the selective adsorption of the more stable components.
Immobilization of 15N in forest litter studied by 15N CPMAS NMR spectroscopy
Authors: CLINTON P.W. , NEWMAN R.H. , ALLEN R.B. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractSolutions labelled with 15N were applied as (15NH4)2SO4 or K15NO3 to isolated microplots in the floor of mountain beech forest (Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides) and incubated for 135 days under field conditions of moisture and temperature. Solid state 15N CPMAS NMR spectra of the forest litter layer showed that more than 80% of the total signal intensity was attributable to the secondary amide‐peptide peak. The degree of 15N enrichment or form of N did not alter the relative intensity of signals attributable to 15N in peptides, nucleic acids and aliphatic amine groups (amino sugars and free NH2 on amino acids). Combinations of 13C and 15N‐NMR spectra, edited by a process that exploited differences in proton spin properties between distinct categories of organic matter, indicated incorporation of 15N in humified organic matter rather than partly degraded plant material. This application demonstrated that solid state 15N CPMAS NMR has potential for use in studies of N immobilization under field conditions and with materials containing little N and small 15N enrichment.
Estimating temporal change in soil monitoring: I. Statistical theory
Authors: PAPRTTZ A. , WEBSTER R. 
Published: August 2005

SummaryDetecting small temporal change of spatially varying soil properties demands precise estimation. Design– and model–based methods are compared for estimating temporal change of soil properties over finite areas. Analytical expressions for the estimators and their variances arc derived for the two approaches, and formulae for the expectations of the variances under the random–process model are developed. Among the randomized designs simple, stratified, and systematic random sampling using the arithmetic mean as estimator have been studied. Pairing the sampling positions on the different occasions increases the precision of design–based estimation if the observations are positively cross–correlated. The relative precisions of the means of stratified and systematic samples depends on the spatial correlation. Neither is more precise than the other in all circumstances. The stratified design provides an unbiased estimator for the sampling error, which is not available from systematic samples. Theoretically, the geostatistical global estimator is more precise than the estimates derived from any of the classical designs when many realizations arc repeatedly sampled at random. In practice, with only a single realization of the process, this is no longer relevant. Moreover, errors in estimating the variograms add to the total error of the method. It seems that only by sampling from large auto–correlated random fields can the precisions of the methods be compared in practice.
13C NMR studies of organic matter in whole soils: I. Quantitation possibilities
Authors: KINCHESH P. , POWLSON D. S. , RANDALL E. W. 
Published: August 2005

SummaryA detailed discussion of the quantitative nature of 13C CPMAS NMR spectra as applied to solid samples, such as soil, is given. In particular, the influence of the cross‐polarization (CP) time constant (TCH), the relaxation time constant of protons in the rotating frame (T1pH) and the contact time (tc) in the CPMAS experiment are considered. Three distinct quantitation regimes are numerically identified according to sample parameters tCH and T1PH > and the experimental choice of tc: (i) quantitation obtainable from a single CPMAS spectrum; (ii) quantitation obtainable from a series of CPMAS spectra; and (iii) quantitation not possible using CPMAS. Strategies for the measurement of sample parameters TCH and TipH are reviewed. When quantitation is not possible using CPMAS it is necessary to regress to the direct polarization (DP) of 13C nuclei. The sensitivity problems of DPMAS are discussed, as too are general factors that affect the quantitation of 13C data such as spinning sidebands. More specifically in relation to soil samples, the effects on quantitation arising from the presence of paramagnetics and the actual methods for the measurement of signal intensities are covered.
Measuring the millimetre‐scale oxygen diffusivity in soil using microelectrodes
Authors: RAPPOLDT C. 
Published: August 2005

SummaryThe diffusivity of oxygen in soil was measured by periodically changing the gas above a soil core from nitrogen to air and vice versa. The concentration wave was measured as a function of depth with an oxygen electrode. For different Fourier components in the signal, phase shifts were calculated. The diffusivity follows from the increase of the phase shift with depth. Phase shifts are more suitable than signal amplitudes for the derivation of diffusivity. They are also easier to measure and do not require electrode calibration.For a clay soil with an air–filled porosity of about 0.05 m3 m−3 a local diffusivity of 0.9 × 10−9 m2 s−1 was measured. This is several orders of magnitude smaller than macroscopic values for entire core samples of the same soil type. This low value can be explained by the presence of locally water–saturated clay.
Processes of structural crust formation on coarse‐textured soils
Authors: BIELDERS C.L. , BAVEYE P. 
Published: August 2005

SummaryIn order to understand better the mechanisms of structural crust formation on coarse‐textured soils, mixtures of 92.5% sand and 7.5% Ca2+‐kaolinite are exposed to simulated rainfall in experiments‐ involving a range of sand particle sizes, drop diameters and drop kinetic energies. For each combination of these variables, clay illuviation is measured and the changes in surface structure are observed on thin sections. The intensity of clay illuviation is inversely proportional to sand particle size and is shown to be determined by both rainfall and drop kinetic energy. A washed‐out layer forms at the surface of all samples exposed to drop impact. The lower boundary of this layer is generally marked by a relative concentration of clay micro‐aggregates in the form of a band. These micro‐aggregates are probably fragments derived from grain coatings initially present in the washed‐out layer. They accumulate at a depth that increases, on average, with drop kinetic energy and with the particle size of the sand fraction. Based on similarities with natural crusts, it is proposed that clay‐band formation in structural crusts formed on coarse‐textured soils may be initiated by the displacement of micro‐aggregates or other small particles from the washed‐out layer, followed by their accumulation due to mechanical straining. The experiments also point to the potential importance of the particle size of the sand fraction on the morphology of structural crusts.
Study of immobilization and remobilization of nitrogen fertilizer in cultivated soils by hydrolytic fractionation
Authors: SULÇE S. , PALMA‐LOPEZ D. , JACQUIN F. , VONG P.C. , GUIRAUD G. 
Published: August 2005

SummaryNitrogen immobilization and remobilization from a fertilizer were determined by hydrolytic fractionation of organic nitrogen with 6 M HC1 into acid–soluble distillable nitrogen (NSAD), acidsoluble nondistillable nitrogen (NSAnD) and nonhydrolysable nitrogen (NnH) on the Ap horizons of eight different soils from Myzeqe (Albania), eastern France, and tropical Mexico. The soils were fertilized with K15NO3 and then incubated at 28°C and 80% of the water holding capacity for 1 month. Mineral N was removed by extraction with a solution of CaCl2 after which rye grass was sown. The nitrogen taken up by rye grass was thus derived from soil organic matter. The three NSAD, NSAnD and NnH fractions participate in both immobilization and remobilization. The NSAnD fraction was shown to be the most active fraction. Remobilization of the biomass was greater in the sandy brown soils than in the clayey soils, in which intraaggregate immobilization would predominate. Evidently, the physical and chemical properties of the soils have a real bearing on immobilization and remineralization of nitrogen fertilizer in cultivated soils.
Extracellular enzyme activity in soil: effect of pH and ionic strength on the interaction with montmorillonite of two acid phosphatases secreted by the ectomycorrhizal fungus Hebeloma cylindrosporum
Authors: LEPRINCE F. , QUIQUAMPOIX H. 
Published: August 2005

SummaryThe interaction of extracellular enzymes with the solid phase of the soil affects their mobility and their catalytic properties. In particular, adsorption on clay minerals is known to shift the optimum pH of the catalytic activity towards alkaline values. Two conflicting interpretations of this phenomenon have been proposed: a surface pH effect and a pH–dependent modification of the conformation of the adsorbed enzyme. To assess the two mechanisms, we studied the adsorption on montmorillonite of two extracellular acid phosphatases of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Hebeloma cylindrosporum, and its consequences on catalytic activities. The results obtained are better interpreted by a pH–dependent modification of enzyme conformation due mainly to electrostatic interactions with the clay surface. At low pH, the two positively charged enzymes unfold on the negatively charged montmorillonite surface. At high pH, both the enzymes and the clay are negatively charged, and adsorption decreases. Adsorption and modification of conformation are largely irreversible, which should be taken into account when considering the fate of enzymes in soil. Finally, the comparison with the effect of clays on the catalytic activities of intracellular enzymes raises the hypothesis of a selection pressure of the soil solid phase leading to more stable extracellular enzymes.
Study of the distribution of copper in an acid sandy vineyard soil by three different methods
Authors: FLORES‐VÉLEZ L.M. , DUCAROIR J. , JAUNET A.M. , ROBERT M. 
Published: August 2005

SummaryCopper sulphate (Bordeaux mixture) has been used as a fungicide against mildew in vineyards for more than a hundred years. This treatment has resulted in significant Cu accumulation in soils (from 100 to 1500 mg kg−1). It is desirable to determine the distribution of Cu in these soils to predict if this element is potentially toxic. Several speciation methods have been compared: sequential and single–step extractions, analytical transmission electron microscopy (ATEM, ASEM) and physical fractionation to study a profile of a vineyard acid soil in Beaujolais (France). Physical fractionation showed that copper is concentrated in the coarse organic fractions associated with plant residues and in the fine clay fraction. Analytical electron microscopy showed a great diversity of fixation sites (bacteria, amorphous organic and mineral compounds). Chemical sequential extractions showed that after the sequential extraction treatments, 60% of Cu was not extracted. Extraction data showed that in the case of an acid sandy soil, sequential chemical extraction did not seem to be sufficiently selective to speciate copper. In the single–step extractions study, the hydroxylamine treatment was the most selective. In the nonselective cases several phenomena may be responsible for the failure, the analytical electron microscopy study showed copper redistribution after certain single–step extractions were carried out.After comparing three different distribution methods we conclude that the distribution of this element in acid soils should be investigated by several analytical methods to establish the true speciation.