bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dynamics of river fish populations in response to hydrological conditions: a simulation study
Authors: Halls Ashley S. , Welcomme Robin L. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractIncreasing multi‐sectoral demands on water resources have led to water abstraction and transfer activities, and the construction of dams and embankments that have significantly altered the flood regimes of rivers throughout the world resulting in the loss of fish production and biodiversity. The current emphasis on sustainable development and biodiversity conservation is leading efforts to mitigate these impacts by means of interventions such as the release of artificial floods downstream of dams and the manipulation of water levels within impounded floodplains.Whilst much work has been done to determine the hydrological requirements for the maintenance of salmonid populations, few equivalent studies are available from which to develop criteria for the management of hydrological regimes for fishes and fisheries in large floodplain–river systems such as the Mekong. The population dynamics of fish in such rivers are believed to respond to hydrological conditions in a density‐dependent manner. An age‐structured population dynamics model incorporating sub‐models describing density‐dependent growth, mortality and recruitment was used to explore how hydrological conditions within a theoretical floodplain–river system affect the dynamics of a common floodplain–river fish species.Graphical summaries of the response of exploitable biomass to a range of different drawdown rates, dry and flood season areas and volumes, and flood season durations are presented under five different model assumptions concerning density‐dependent processes. Optimal flooding patterns are also described for the model species and theoretical river system.The patterns of predictions that emerge from the simulations provide guidelines for managing or manipulating hydrological conditions in river systems for both fixed and variable volume hydrological scenarios. As a general rule of thumb, exploitable biomass is maximized by minimizing the rate of drawdown and maximizing the flood duration and flood and dry season areas or volumes. However, experiences from dam and other hydraulic engineering projects suggest that these predictions should be treated with caution until we better understand the influence of hydrology on spawning behaviour, system primary production, and critical habitat availability. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Bayesian MCMC approach to study transmission of influenza: application to household longitudinal data
Authors: Cauchemez S. , Carrat F. , Viboud C. , Valleron A. J. , Boëlle P. Y. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractWe propose a transmission model to estimate the main characteristics of influenza transmission in households. The model details the risks of infection in the household and in the community at the individual scale. Heterogeneity among subjects is investigated considering both individual susceptibility and infectiousness. The model was applied to a data set consisting of the follow‐up of influenza symptoms in 334 households during 15 days after an index case visited a general practitioner with virologically confirmed influenza.Estimating the parameters of the transmission model was challenging because a large part of the infectious process was not observed: only the dates when new cases were detected were observed. For each case, the data were augmented with the unobserved dates of the start and the end of the infectious period. The transmission model was included in a 3‐levels hierarchical structure: (i) the observation level ensured that the augmented data were consistent with the observed data, (ii) the transmission level described the underlying epidemic process, (iii) thepriorlevel specified the distribution of the parameters. From a Bayesian perspective, the jointposteriordistribution of model parameters and augmented data was explored by Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling.The mean duration of influenza infectious period was estimated at 3.8 days (95 per cent credible interval, 95 per cent CI [3.1,4.6]) with a standard deviation of 2.0 days (95 per cent CI [1.1,2.8]). The instantaneous risk of influenza transmission between an infective and a susceptible within a household was found to decrease with the size of the household, and established at 0.32 person day−1(95 per cent CI [0.26,0.39]); the instantaneous risk of infection from the community was 0.0056day−1(95 per cent CI [0.0029,0.0087]). Focusing on the differences in transmission between children (less than 15 years old) and adults, we estimated that the former were more likely to transmit than adults (posteriorprobability larger than 99 per cent), but that the mean duration of the infectious period was similar in children (3.6 days, 95 per cent CI [2.3,5.2]) and adults (3.9 days, 95 per cent CI [3.2,4.9]). Theposteriorprobability that children had a larger community risk was 76 per cent and theposteriorprobability that they were more susceptible than adults was 79 per cent. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Estimating trends and seasonality in coronary heart disease
Authors: Barnett A. G. , Dobson A. J. ,   For the WHO MONICA (monitoring trends and determinants in cardiovascular disease) Project
Published: November 2004

AbstractWe present two methods of estimating the trend, seasonality and noise in time series of coronary heart disease events. In contrast to previous work we use a non‐linear trend, allow multiple seasonal components, and carefully examine the residuals from the fitted model. We show the importance of estimating these three aspects of the observed data to aid insight of the underlying process, although our major focus is on the seasonal components. For one method we allow the seasonal effects to vary over time and show how this helps the understanding of the association between coronary heart disease and varying temperature patterns. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Relation between Viscous Characteristics and Dextrose Equivalent of Maltodextrins
Authors: Dokic Ljubica , Jakovljevic Jovan , Dokic Petar 
Published: November 2004

AbstractRelation between viscous characteristics of different maltodextrins and degree of starch hydrolytic conversion expressed as DE value (dextrose equivalent) was deduced.Reduced viscosity of diluted solutions of maltodextrins linearly increased with maltodextrin concentration in the range 0.2×10−2 to 1×10−2 g/cm3. Values of intrinsic viscosity decreased with increasing degree of hydrolysis, which is expressed by DE values. Values of intrinsic viscosity of maltodextrins are independent of the botanical source of a particular starch but are dependent on molecular properties of samples that influence its friction characteristics in solution. When in diluted solutions, maltodextrins behave like macromolecules and obey the Staudinger‐Mark‐Houwink equation. Two ranges of DE value were established: DE = 0.5–10, in this range maltodextrin molecules in solution are randomly coiled (a = 0.53); and DE = 10–20, where the molecules are stretched (a = 1).Equations for determination of DE value by viscometric measurements were derived for each of the two established DE ranges. DE values calculated from the equations show good agreement with the ones obtained by standard chemical titration methods.
Fluorinated polymers: liquid crystalline properties and applications in lithography
Authors: Krishnan Sitaraman , Kwark Young‐Je , Ober Christopher K. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractFluorinated polymers form an interesting class of materials with a wealth of unique properties including self‐assembly, remarkably low surface energies, low absorbance to 157 nm UV light, and solubility in supercritical carbon dioxide. As a result many fluorinated polymers are of use in advanced technology applications. We review some of our work on the synthesis and characterization of block copolymers with fluorinated side chains, with special emphasis on surfaces formed using these polymers. The use of fluorinated polymers as photoresists for 157 nm lithography, with the possibility for processing in environmentally friendly supercritical carbon dioxide is also discussed. © 2004 The Japan Chemical Journal Forum and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Chem Rec 4: 315–330; 2004: Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI 10.1002/tcr.20022
An external PIXE study: Mughal painting pigments
Authors: Reiche I. , Britzke R. , Bukalis G. , Reinholz U. , Weise H.‐P. , Gadebusch R. D. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractRecently, a new external beam PIXE facility was installed at the 2 MV tandem ion accelerator of the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM). For external beam PIXE, 1–3 MeV protons are extracted through a thin exit window and focused on the target under air pressure. This set‐up is particularly suitable for multielement trace analysis in the field of unique art and archaeological objects. We report the first archaeometric findings of the study of Mughal painting pigments by means of this experimental set‐up. The Indian miniatures chosen for the study date from the Mughal period (1526–1858) and were executed by various artists in particular workshops between the 17th and the 19th centuries. The paintings are typical depictions of Mughal sovereigns and courtiers or show genre scenes. Until now, in contrast to European paintings, only scarce information on the materials used in the workshops of Mughal painters has been available. Therefore, the exact knowledge of the painting materials employed would allow a more detailed attribution of the precious miniatures to a particular period and to distinguish original paintings from later copies. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hyperphosphorylation of extracellular regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) and inhibition of JNK2 phosphorylation are associated with increased S‐phase during transformation of Syrian hamster embryo cells by Malachite Green
Authors: Bose Bipasha , Gour Rekha R. , Motiwale Leena , Gupta Sanjay , Rao K.V.K. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractMalachite Green (MG), consisting of green crystals with a metallic lustre, is highly soluble in water, cytotoxic to various mammalian cells and also acts as a liver tumour promoter. In view of its industrial importance and possible exposure to human beings, MG poses a potential environmental health hazard. We have earlier reported the malignant transformation of Syrian hamster embryo (SHE) cells in primary culture by MG. In this study, we have studied the mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase signal transduction pathway in preneoplastic cells induced by MG. Western blots of MG induced preneoplastic cells showed no phosphorylation of ERK1, an increased phosphoactive ERK2 associated with a decreased expression of phosphoactive JNK2. However, total forms of ERKs, JNKs and p38 Kinases showed similar levels of expression in control and preneoplastic SHE cells. Indirect immunofluorescence studies have shown a distinct nuclear localisation of phosphoactive ERKs in MG induced preneoplastic cells. Flow cytometric analysis showed an increase of S‐phase cells in preneoplastic cells compared to control SHE cells. The present study indicates that hyperphosphorylation of ERK2, decreased JNK2 phosphorylation and an increase in S‐phase cells seems to be the early changes associated with the MG induced malignant transformation of SHE cells in primary culture.
Betablockers in heart failure: Carvedilol Safety Assessment (CASA 2‐trial)
Authors: Rickli Hans , Steiner Simon , Müller Karin , Hess Otto M. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractBackground:Betablockers are a cornerstone in the treatment of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). The purpose of the present study was to assess safety and tolerability of carvedilol in CHF‐patients.Methods:66 general practitioners, who were supervised by a local cardiologist, enrolled 151 CHF‐patients. All patients were on standard therapy with ACE‐inhibitors and diuretics. Carvedilol treatment was started with 3.125 mg twice daily and slowly uptitrated in 2‐week intervals to 2×25 mg per day. Mean follow‐up was 12 weeks.Results:145 of the 151 patients (96%) finished the study according to protocol, six patients were lost to follow‐up (4%). 59 patients (41%) experienced minor and nine (6%) serious adverse events. 68 were under maximal therapy with 50 mg daily, 33 received 25 mg, and 15 12.5 mg. Overall tolerability was good and NYHA‐class fell significantly from 2.2 to 1.8 (P<0.001). Mean heart rate decreased from 78 to 69 bpm (P<0.001), mean systolic blood pressure from 137 to 132 mmHg (P<0.001) and mean diastolic blood pressure from 80 to 76 mmHg (P<0.001). Quality of life significantly improved under carvedilol with a reduction in the Minnesota living with heart failure score from 1.28 to 0.88 (P<0.001).Conclusions:Carvedilol is well tolerated in CHF‐patients treated by general practitioners. Serious adverse events and hospitalisations are rare. Thus, carvedilol is a safe drug in the treatment of CHF‐patients and can be easily initiated and managed by the general practitioner.
Acupuncture for the relief of cancer‐related pain — a systematic review
Authors: Lee Hyangsook , Schmidt Katja , Ernst Edzard 
Published: November 2004

AbstractAims This systematic review summarises the existing evidence on acupuncture for cancer‐related pain.Methods Literature searches were conducted in seven databases. All clinical studies of acupuncture, electroacupuncture and ear acupuncture in cancer patients with the main outcome measure of pain were included. Data were extracted according to pre‐defined criteria by two independent reviewers and methodological quality was assessed using the Jadad scale.Results Of the seven studies included, one high quality randomised clinical trial of ear acupuncture showed statistically significant pain relief in comparison with placebo ear acupuncture. All the other studies were either non‐blinded (n = 2) or uncontrolled clinical trials (n = 4). Most investigations suffered from methodological flaws such as inadequate study design, poor reporting of results, small sample size and overestimation of the results.Conclusions The notion that acupuncture may be an effective analgesic adjunctive method for cancer patients is not supported by the data currently available from the majority of rigorous clinical trials. Because of its widespread acceptance, appropriately powered RCTs are needed.
Heterozygosity in CTLA‐4 gene and severe preeclampsia
Authors: Samsami Dehaghani A. , Doroudchi M. , Kalantari T. , Pezeshki A.M. , Ghaderi A. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractObjectiveOne of the major complications of pregnancy, preeclampsia makes pregnancy termination inevitable in most cases. Similarities exist between the mechanisms that maintain normal pregnancy, allograft transplants, and, it is postulated, peripheral self‐tolerance. In addition, the critical role of the cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte antigen‐4 (CTLA‐4) molecule in maintaining self‐tolerance has been established. Therefore, the frequency of CTLA‐4 A49G polymorphism was investigated in severe preeclampsia.Patients and MethodsGenomic DNA extracted from mononuclear cells of the peripheral blood of 36 pregnant women with severe preeclampsia and 151 healthy women was analyzed. A49G polymorphism in position 49 of exon‐1 of the CTLA‐4 gene was studied by the polymerase chain reaction–single‐strand conformation polymorphism (PCR–SSCP) method.ResultsThe frequency of the GG genotype was 2 (5.6%) in patients and 19 (12.6%) in controls, while the frequency of the AA genotype was 4 (11.1%) and 60 (39.7%). Interestingly, the frequency of the AG genotype was significantly higher in preeclamptic than in healthy women from the general population (83.3% vs. 47.7%; P=0.0005).ConclusionThese data suggest that heterozygosity in the CTLA‐4 A49G allele might be a predisposing factor for severe preeclampsia. Whether the observed association results from linkage imbalance with other loci on chromosome 2 or other polymorphisms of the CTLA‐4 gene or even from a preferential transfer and/or expression of one allele from a heterozygous mother to the fetus will be the subject of future investigations.
Quality management and organizational context in selected service industries of China
Authors: Zhao Xiande , Yeung Andy C.L. , Lee T.S. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractBy developing an empirical taxonomy of quality management systems (QMS) in selected service industries in China, we compare the taxonomy of QMS developed in the service industries to that found in previous studies in manufacturing industries. We further investigate contingency relationships between the development of a QMS and its organizational contexts. Based on cluster analyses of quality management practices measured by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) criteria, we found four patterns of service quality management practices: undeveloped, accommodating, strategic, and soft quality systems. Our research indicates that the type of quality system adopted by an organization is highly associated with organizational contextual factors. Our results indicate that environmental uncertainty shapes the development of a QMS in the early stage, while the perceived importance of quality induces the further development of a QMS to a strategic quality system. The results also show that small service firms that compete locally can achieve very good performance results using a soft quality system, a QMS with no formal process management systems. This research provides empirical evidence on contingent relationships among quality management practices, organizational context, and business performance, thus contributing to contingency theory in quality management.
Polyethylene and titanium particles induce osteolysis by similar, lymphocyte‐independent, mechanisms
Authors: Taki Naoya , Tatro Joscelyn M. , Nalepka Jennifer L. , Togawa Daisuke , Goldberg Victor M. , Rimnac Clare M. , Greenfield Edward M. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractPeriprosthetic osteolysis is a major clinical problem that limits the long‐term survival of total joint arthroplasties. Osteolysis is induced by implant‐derived wear particles, primarily from the polyethylene bearing surfaces. This study examined two hypotheses. First, that similar mechanisms are responsible for osteolysis induced by polyethylene and titanium particles. Second, that lymphocytes do not play a major role in particle‐induced osteolysis. To test these hypotheses, we used the murine calvarial model that we have previously used to examine titanium‐induced osteolysis. Polyethylene particles rapidly induced osteolysis in the murine calvaria 5–7 days after implantation. The polyethylene‐induced osteolysis was associated with large numbers of osteoclasts as well as the formation of a thick periosteal fibrous tissue layer with numerous macrophages containing phagocytosed polyethylene particles. Polyethylene‐induced osteolysis was rapidly repaired and was undetectable by day 21 after implantation. Lymphocytes were noted in the fibrous layer of wild‐type mice. However, the amount of osteolysis and cytokine production induced by polyethylene particles was not substantially affected by the lack of lymphocytes in Pfp/Rag2 double knock out mice. All of these findings are similar to our observations of osteolysis induced by titanium particles. These results provide strong support for both of our hypotheses: that similar mechanisms are responsible for osteolysis induced by polyethylene and titanium particles and that lymphocytes do not play a major role in particle‐induced osteolysis. © 2004 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
An improved algorithm for stoichiometric network analysis: theory and applications
Authors: Urbanczik R. , Wagner C. 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
Motivation: Genome scale analysis of the metabolic network of a microorganism is a major challenge in bioinformatics. The combinatorial explosion, which occurs during the construction of elementary fluxes (non-redundant pathways) requires sophisticated and efficient algorithms to tackle the problem.
Results: Mathematically, the calculation of elementary fluxes amounts to characterizing the space of solutions to a mixed system of linear equalities, given by the stoichiometry matrix, and linear inequalities, arising from the irreversibility of some or all of the reactions in the network. Previous approaches to this problem have iteratively solved for the equalities while satisfying the inequalities throughout the process. In an extension of previous work, here we consider the complementary approach and derive an algorithm which satisfies the inequalities one by one while staying in the space of solution of the equality constraints. Benchmarks on different subnetworks of the central carbon metabolism of Escherichia coli show that this new approach yields a significant reduction in the execution time of the calculation. This reduction arises since the odds that an intermediate elementary flux already fulfills an additional inequality are larger than when having to satisfy an additional equality constraint.
Availability: The code is available upon request.
Supplementary information: Pseudo code and a Mathematica implementation of the algorithm is on the OUP server.
Contact: robert.urbanczik@pki.unibe.ch; clemens.wagner@pki.unibe.ch
Primaclade—a flexible tool to find conserved PCR primers across multiple species
Authors: Gadberry Michael D. , Malcomber Simon T. , Doust Andrew N. , Kellogg Elizabeth A. 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
Summary: Primaclade is a web-based application that accepts a multiple species nucleotide alignment file as input and identifies a set of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers that will bind across the alignment. Primaclade iteratively runs the Primer3 application for each alignment sequence and collates the results. Primaclade creates an HTML results page that recaps the original alignment, provides a consensus sequence and lists primers for each alignment area, with primers color-coded to reflect the level of degeneracy in the primer.
Availability: Primaclade can be accessed freely at http://www.umsl.edu/~biology/Kellogg/primaclade.html
Contact: tkellogg@umsl.edu