bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Weighting in instrumental variables and G‐estimation
Authors: Joffe Marshall M. , Brensinger Colleen 
Published: April 2003

AbstractWe propose here a simple scheme to use information on compliance and prerandomization covariates to improve analysis of randomized trials with non‐compliance. We use the data to determine the effect of randomization on treatment received among various strata defined by pretreatment covariates. When the effect of treatment received on the outcome of interest is the same across strata and pretreatment covariates predict non‐compliance, weighting the estimating functions by the effect of randomization on treatment received can improve the precision of explanatory estimates of treatment effect and can increase the power of intent‐to‐treat tests of the null hypothesis. Efficiency gains under the weighting scheme are a simple increasing function of the variability of these weights. Such weighting schemes will often lead to improvements even when these conditions are not met. We use a randomized trial of cholestyramine to illustrate these points. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lactation‐associated infertility in Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata) during the breeding season
Authors: Kondo Masahiro , Kishi Hisashi , Kojima Chihiro , Jin Wanzhu , Suzuki Juri , Shimizu Keiko , Itoh Mariko , Ohkura Satoshi , Tsukamura Hiroko , Maeda Kei‐Ichiro , Watanabe Gen , Taya Kazuyoshi 
Published: April 2003

AbstractTo investigate the endocrine factors in Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata) responsible for the suppression of the estrous cycle during the first reproductive season after delivery (150–360 days postpartum), peripheral blood was taken to measure plasma concentrations of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), progesterone, estradiol‐17β, immunoreactive (ir)‐inhibin, and cortisol. The results demonstrated that during the breeding season of lactating Japanese monkeys, circulating concentrations of FSH (1.7–2.7 ng/ml), LH (308.5–461.0 pg/ml), estradiol‐17β (<62.6 pg/ml), and progesterone (145.0–453.0 pg/ml) remained low and were similar to the nadir levels observed during both the normal menstrual cycles and the nonbreeding season. Concentrations of ir‐inhibin, which is secreted from both follicles and corpus luteum in female Japanese monkeys, were also low (300.5–585.0 pg/ml). This strongly suggests that no follicular development occurs during lactation. Serum concentrations of cortisol (261.0–519 ng/ml) were higher during lactation than during the nonbreeding season. Since babies were often seen suckling their mothers during the study, the results indicate that the increased cortisol levels were associated with suckling‐induced secretion of corticotrophin‐releasing hormone (CRH) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). The results of this study indicate that a long period of postpartum infertility in lactating Japanese monkeys, with apparent inhibition of follicle growth and anovulation, is due to weak gonadotropin stimulation, which may occur as the result of a suckling stimulus. Zoo Biol 22:65–76, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Protein requirements of three species of parrots with distinct dietary specializations
Authors: Pryor Gregory S. 
Published: April 2003

AbstractDietary protein deficiency is considered a major obstacle in the evolution of highly specialized nectarivorous and frugivorous birds. Proposed physiological mechanisms that enable such specialists to subsist on low‐protein diets include minimized endogenous protein losses, which contribute to reduced protein requirements. I compared these traits among nectarivorous red lories (Eos bornea), frugivorous Pesquet's parrots (Psittrichas fulgidus), and granivorous budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus). My results suggest that, relative to budgerigars, red lories and Pesquet's parrots have low endogenous protein losses and reduced crude protein (CP) requirements. Based on nitrogen balance analyses, diets containing 1.0%, 3.2%, and 8.2% CP (on a dry matter (DM) basis) would meet the minimal protein requirements for maintenance for red lories, Pesquet's parrots, and budgerigars, respectively. Low endogenous protein losses and reduced protein requirements are effective physiological adaptations that allow birds such as red lories and Pesquet's parrots to specialize on low‐protein foods. Zoo Biol 22:163–177, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assessing reproductive potential and gestation in nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum) using ultrasonography and endoscopy: An example of bridging the gap between field research and captive studies
Authors: Carrier Jeffrey C. , Murru Frank L. , Walsh Michael T. , Pratt Harold L. 
Published: April 2003

AbstractOver a period of 3 years, five reproductively active female nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum) from a wild, actively mating population of nurse sharks were captured, confined, and periodically examined through the course of gestation to determine the gestation period and characterize paternity. In the final year of the study, candidate animals were first evaluated in the field by ultrasonography, and the selected animals were then transported from the study site to holding facilities at SeaWorld Adventure Parks in Orlando, Florida. Periodic monitoring of the animals was conducted by ultrasonography, endoscopy, and routine blood analysis. Gestation was determined to be a minimum of 131 days, multiple paternity was shown for two individual litters, and ultrasonography and endoscopy were shown to be useful adjuncts for assessing pregnancy and monitoring gestation in this species. Poor survival of offspring, and small litter size may be a consequence of handling and transporting the animals, and the use of invasive procedures such as endoscopy. Zoo Biol 22:179–187, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cholesterol concentrations in violent and non-violent women suicide attempters
Authors: Vevera J. , Žukov I. , Morcinek T. , Papežová H. 
Published: April 2003

AbstractThe aim of this study was to evaluate whether women with a history of violent suicide attempts have lower serum cholesterol concentrations than those who attempted suicide by non-violent methods. Our retrospective study used a case-control design to compare serum total cholesterol concentration, hematocrit, red blood cell count and body mass index (BMI) in women with a history of violent (n = 19) or non-violent (n = 51) suicide attempts and of non-suicidal controls (n = 70) matched by diagnosis and age. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with age as the covariate was used to analyze differences in cholesterol levels in groups according to violence. Violence was found to be a significant factor (P = 0.016). Using the Scheffé test, a significant difference (P = 0.011) was revealed between the group of violent and non-violent suicide attempters and between the violent suicide attempters and the control group. Patients with a violent suicidal attempt have significantly lower cholesterol levels than patients with non-violent attempts and the control subjects. Our findings suggest that suicide attempts should not be considered a homogenous group. They are consistent with the theory that low levels of cholesterol are associated with increased tendency for impulsive behavior and aggression and contribute to a more violent pattern of suicidal behavior.
The communicative use of pointing in autism: developmental profile and factors related to change
Authors: Camaioni L. , Perucchini P. , Muratori F. , Parrini B. , Cesari A. 
Published: April 2003

AbstractPurpose. –To describe different longitudinal profiles in communicative abilities and symptoms severity in early autism.Methods. –Five children with autism, aged from 3;3 to 4;10 years at baseline, were tested for production and comprehension of imperative and declarative pointing at about 4-month intervals. Concurrently with these sessions, children were evaluated in terms of cognitive and communicative abilities, and symptoms severity.Results. –Four subjects showed a mild to severe retardation in communicative and linguistic abilities. For production, all children exhibited the imperative pointing and only one the declarative pointing. For comprehension, two subjects showed the same profile as in production (‘only imperative’ and ‘first imperative–later declarative’, respectively). One child did not show any clear comprehension of the pointing gestures produced by the experimenter, and one child was able to understand both pointing in the same session. Childhood autism rating scale (CARS) global scores tended to decrease across sessions for all subjects and different individual profiles were identified.Discussion. –Declarative or experience-sharing pointing emerged later in one child only; it remained absent in four children as production, and in two children as comprehension. A preliminary conclusion based on CARS rating, is that autism involves a symptomatology that may decrease across time even if children differ in the decreasing profile relative to specific scores.
A microprobe study of element distribution in vaginal epithelial cells of the rat
Authors: Catchpole Hubert R , Engel Milton B , Jordan Steven L 
Published: April 2003

AbstractMicroprobe analysis of vaginal epithelial cells shed during the estrous cycle of the rat was done to determine cellular elements present in successive stages: pro‐estrus, estrus, and post‐estrus. Smears of vaginal contents were placed on carbon planchettes, fixed by freeze‐drying, and examined in a scanning microscope with an energy dispersive spectrometer. Concentrations of Na, Mg, P, S, Cl, K, and Ca were calculated (mmol/kg dry weight) and analyzed statistically. For phosphorus a significant fall at estrus correlates with a loss of nuclear and cytoplasmic nucleic acids and nucleoproteins. An increase in sulfur at estrus is consistent with an accumulation of keratins over pro‐estrus and a greater increase over the post‐estrus epithelial cells. The epithelial cells of pro‐estrus are highest in Mg and Ca. By post‐estrus, the cells have recovered their Mg, not Ca. Potassium concentrations exhibited no significant change between the successive stages.
Integrating Psychological Research on Girls with Feminist Activism: A Model for Building a Liberation Psychology in the United States
Authors: Grant Kathryn E. , Finkelstein Jo-Ann S. , Lyons Aoife L. 
Published: April 2003

AbstractA liberation psychology is needed to bridge the gap between psychology's focus on individual distress and broad social forces that foster such distress. We offer a model for bridging this gap by focusing on a specific area of psychology (psychological research on girls) and a specific social movement (feminist activism). Psychological research on girls and feminist activism share the common goal of improving the lives of girls and women. However, both have fallen short of this goal. This is due, in part, to the weaknesses associated with each endeavor and to the fact that the complementary strengths of each have remained isolated from the other. In this paper, we propose a common language and shared framework to integrate psychological research with feminist activism. First, we review the basic strengths and weaknesses associated with psychological research and feminist activism, with a particular focus on how they are distinct from one another. Second, we provide a taxonomic framework for integrating these two areas on the basis of the stress paradigm, with specific examples provided from our recent reviews of the literature and our own empirical work with adolescent girls. Finally, we conclude with recommendations for future work needed to integrate psychological research on girls with feminist activism toward the goal of building a liberation psychology in the United States.
Micronutrient cofactor research with extensions to applications
Authors: McCormick Donald B 
Published: April 2003

AbstractFollowing identification of essential micronutrients, there has been a continuum of research aimed at revealing their absorption, transport, utilization as cofactors, and excretion and secretion. Among those cases that have received our attention are vitamin B6, riboflavin, biotin, lipoate, ascorbate, and certain metal ions. Circulatory transport and cellular uptake of the water-soluble vitamins exhibit relative specificity and facilitated mechanisms at physiological concentrations. Isolation of enzymes and metabolites from micro–organisms and mammals has provided information on pathways involved in cofactor formation and metabolism. Kinases catalysing phosphorylation of B6and riboflavin have a preference for Zn2+in stereospecific chelates with adenosine triphosphate. The synthetase for flavin adenine dinucleotide prefers Mg2+. The flavin mononucleotide-dependent oxidase that converts the 5′–phosphates of pyridoxine and of pyridoxamine to pyridoxal phosphate is a connection between B6and riboflavin and is a primary control point for conversion of B6to its coenzyme. Sequencing and cloning of a side–chain oxidase for riboflavin was achieved. Details on binding and function have been delineated for some cofactor systems, especially in several flavoproteins. There is both photochemical oxidation and oxidative catabolism of B6and riboflavin. Both biotin and lipoate undergo oxidation of their acid side chains with redox cleavage of the rings. Applications from our findings include the development of affinity absorbents, enhanced drug delivery, delineation of residues in biopolymer modification, pathogen photoinactivation in blood components, and input into human dietary recommendations. Ongoing and future research in the cofactor arena can be expected to add to this panoply. At the molecular level, the way in which the same cofactor can participate in diverse catalytic reactions resides in interactions with surrounding enzyme structures that must be determined case by case. At the level of human intake, more knowledge is desirable for making micronutrient recommendations based on biochemical indicators, especially for the span between infancy and adulthood.
Comparison of Methods for Detection of
Chlamydia trachomatis
and
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Using Commercially Available Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests and a Liquid Pap Smear Medium
Authors: Koumans Emilia H. , Black Carolyn M. , Markowitz Lauri E. , Unger ElizabethR. , Pierce Antonya , Sawyer Mary K. , Papp John R. 
Published: April 2003

ABSTRACT

Annual screening for
Chlamydia trachomatis
infection is currently recommended for sexually active women 15 to 25 years old and for women older than 25 if they have a new or multiple sex partners and have not used condoms during the previous 3 months. Annual screening for cervical abnormalities using the Pap smear has achieved a substantial reduction in morbidity and mortality from cervical cancer. Screening for
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
infection has likely contributed significantly to the reduction in the rates of gonococcal infection. The introduction of liquid Pap smear methods using exfoliated cervical cells presents an opportunity to screen for these three conditions using one specimen. We evaluated the preservation of
C. trachomatis
and
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
DNAs from ThinPrep liquid media (PreservCyt; Cytyc Corp., Boxborough, Mass.); tested the feasibility of using a clinical specimen of this medium for the detection of cytologic abnormalities,
C. trachomatis
, and
N. gonorrhoeae
; evaluated the agreement between ligase chain reaction (LCR) performed on PreservCyt and LCR performed on a cervical specimen; and compared the performance of LCR performed on PreservCyt to those of LCR performed on a cervical specimen, culture, PCR performed on a cervical specimen, on urine, and on a vaginal specimen (a multiple-site infection status standard), and transcription-mediated amplification (for
C. trachomatis
only) from 255 sexually active adolescent women. The agreement between LCR performed on PreservCyt and LCR from a cervical swab in LCx transport medium was high (for
C. trachomatis
, agreement = 0.97 and kappa = 0.92; for
N. gonorrhoeae
, agreement = 0.99 and kappa = 0.96). Test performances were similar for LCR-urine, LCR-cervix, and LCR-ThinPrep, with sensitivities from 93 to 99% for
C. trachomatis
and 81 to 83% for
N. gonorrhoeae
and specificities from 95.5 to 99% for
C. trachomatis
and 99.1 to 99.6% for
N. gonorrhoeae
using a PCR-based multiple-site infection status standard. This is the first study to examine the agreement between liquid cytologic media and multiple nucleic acid amplification tests for the detection of
C. trachomatis
and
N. gonorrhoeae
from patient samples. Cytologic fluid shows promise for simultaneous screening for cytologic abnormalities and sexually transmitted infections.
Listeria monocytogenes
Isolates from Invasive Infections: Variation of Sero- and Genotypes during an 11-Year Period in Finland
Authors: Lukinmaa Susanna , Miettinen Maria , Nakari Ulla-Maija , Korkeala Hannu , Siitonen Anja 
Published: April 2003

ABSTRACT

Listeria monocytogenes
strains that were isolated from 314 human listeriosis cases in Finland during an 11-year period were analyzed by O:H serotyping and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Serotyping divided the isolates into five serotypes, the most common being 1/2a (53%) and 4b (27%). During the study period, the number of cases caused by serotype 1/2a increased from 22% in 1990 to 67% in 2001, and those caused by serotype 4b decreased from 61 to 27%, respectively. PFGE with restriction enzyme
Asc
I divided the strains into 81 PFGE genotypes; among strains of serotypes 1/2a and 4b, 49 and 18 PFGE types were seen, respectively. PFGE type 1 (serotype 1/2a) was the most prevalent single type (37 strains). Together with six other, closely related PFGE types, PFGE type 1 formed a group of 71 strains, representing 23% of all 314 strains. Strains of PFGE type 1 have also been isolated from cold smoked fish, suggesting a source of human infections caused by this type. Moreover, PFGE type 24 (serotype 1/2c) was significantly associated with gender: 5% of 180 male subjects but none of 132 female subjects (
P
= 0.012). An electronic database library was created from the PFGE profiles to make possible the prompt detection of new emerging profiles and the tracing of potential infection clusters in the future.
Isolation from Blood Culture of a
Leclercia adecarboxylata
Strain Producing an SHV-12 Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase
Authors: Mazzariol Annarita , Zuliani Jessica , Fontana Roberta , Cornaglia Giuseppe 
Published: April 2003

ABSTRACT

We report on the first isolation of an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing
Leclercia adecarboxylata
strain from the bloodstream in a 58-year-old man with acute myeloid leukemia. The strain, resistant to ceftazidime, cefotaxime, and aztreonam, produces the SHV-12 β-lactamase, one of the most common variants found in Italian nosocomial isolates of
Enterobacteriaceae
.
Use of Single-Enzyme Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism for Typing
Pasteurella multocida
subsp.
multocida
Isolates from Pigs
Authors: Moreno A. M. , Baccaro M. R. , Ferreira A. J. P. , Pestana de Castro A. F. 
Published: April 2003

ABSTRACT

Single-enzyme amplified fragment length polymorphism (SE-AFLP) analyses were used to differentiate 97 isolates of porcine
Pasteurella multocida
subsp.
multocida
. The strains, isolated from animals with pneumonia, rhinitis, and septicemia, were classified as capsular types A, D, and F. SE-AFLP showed a discriminatory index of 0.87 and identified 18 different profiles.
Occurrence of False Positives during Testing for Antibodies to Hepatitis C Virus among Volunteer Blood Donors in India
Authors: Raghuraman Sukanya , Subramaniam Thenmozhi , Daniel Dolly , Sridharan Gopalan , Abraham Priya 
Published: April 2003

ABSTRACT
The hepatitis C virus antibody statuses of only 11 (21.5%) of 51 initially reactive samples from volunteer blood donors could be confirmed by using additional screening and confirmatory assays; 23 (45%) were negative by all subsequent assays. Seventeen samples (33.3%) gave variable results in the different assays. The core and NS5 antigens were most immunogenic. An algorithm for serological screening of volunteer blood donors in blood banks of developing countries is suggested.
The random triangle model
Authors: Jonasson Johan 
Published: April 2003

The random triangle model is a Markov random graph model which, for parametersp∊ (0,1) andq≥ 1 and a graphG= (V,E), assigns to a subset, η, ofE, a probability which is proportional top|η|(1-p)|E|-|η|qt(η), wheret(η) is the number of triangles in η. It is shown that this model has maximum entropy in the class of distributions with given edge and triangle probabilities.Using an analogue of the correspondence between the Fortuin-Kesteleyn random cluster model and the Potts model, the asymptotic behavior of the random triangle model on the complete graph is examined forpof ordern−α, α > 0, and different values ofq, whereqis written in the formq= 1 +h(n) /n. It is shown that the model exhibits an explosive behavior in the sense that ifh(n) ≤clognforc< 3α, then the edge probability and the triangle probability are asymptotically the same as for the ordinaryG(n,p) model, whereas ifh(n) ≥c' lognforc' > 3α, then these quantities both tend to 1. For critical values,h(n) = 3α logn+o(logn), the probability mass divides between these two extremes.Moreover, ifh(n) is of higher order than logn, then the probability that η =Etends to 1, whereas ifh(n) =o(logn) and α > 2/3, then, with a probability tending to 1, the resulting graph can be coupled with a graph resulting from theG(n,p) model. In particular these facts mean that for values ofpin the range critical for the appearance of the giant component and the connectivity of the graph, the way in which triangles are rewarded can only have a degenerate influence.
Rearing in different photic and spectral environments changes the optomotor response to chromatic stimuli in the cichlid fish Aequidens pulcher
Authors: Kröger Ronald H. H. , Knoblauch Bettina , Wagner Hans-Joachim 
Published: April 2003

SUMMARY
Developmental plasticity of spectral processing in vertebrates was investigated in fish by using an innate behavior, the optomotor response. Rearing blue acara (Aequidens pulcher; Cichlidae) under white lights of different intensities as well as deprivation of long wavelengths induced significant changes in the animals' responses to chromatic stimuli. Deprivation of short wavelengths had no effect. With this and previous studies on animals reared under similar conditions, we have demonstrated that developmental plasticity in spectral processing is present at a wide range of neural levels, spanning from photoreceptors to behavior. We hypothesize that earlier studies did not reveal such effects because of the rearing and testing conditions used.