bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
How Fundamental are Fundamental Values? Valuation Methods and their Impact on the Performance of German Venture Capitalists
Authors: Dittmann Ingolf , Maug Ernst , Kemper Johannes 
Published: November 2004

Abstract This paper studies how the use of alternative valuation methodologies affects investment performance for a sample of 53 German venture capitalists. We measure investment performance by the amount of investments they need to write off and by the number of companies they take public. We find that a significant number of investment managers use discounted cash flow (DCF) techniques, but only a minority appears to use a discount rate related to the cost of capital. The majority applies DCF using subjective discount rates. We present evidence that the use of DCF is correlated with superior investment performance only if applied in conjunction with an objectifiable discount rate. Also, funds that invest with a longer horizon perform better. The use of multiples is not significantly correlated with investment performance. We conclude that a focus on fundamental values confers an advantage.
Political Uncertainty, Financial Crisis and Market Volatility
Authors: Mei Jianping , Guo Limin 
Published: November 2004

Abstract This paper examines the impact of political uncertainty on financial crises using a panel of 22 emerging markets. By examining political election cycles, we find that eight out of nine of the financial crises happened during the periods of political election and transition. Using a combination of probit and switching regression analysis, we find that there is a significant relationship between political election and financial crisis after controlling for differences in economic and financial conditions. We observe increased market volatility during political election and transition periods. Our results suggest that political uncertainty could be a major contributing factor to financial crisis. Thus, politics does matter in emerging markets. Since the odds of financial crisis tend to be much larger during the political election periods, institutional investors should take that into account when making emerging market investment during those time periods.
Identification of genes in cassava that are differentially expressed during infection with Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis
Authors: SANTAELLA MARCELLA , SUÁREZ EDNA , LÓPEZ CAMILO , GONZÁLEZ CAROLINA , MOSQUERA GLORIA , RESTREPO SILVIA , TOHME JOE , BADILLO ALFREDO , VERDIER VALÉRIE 
Published: November 2004

SUMMARYThe cDNA‐amplified fragment length polymorphism approach was used to identify differentially expressed transcripts from cassava infected by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis (Xam). Approximately 3600 transcript‐derived fragments (TDFs) were screened of which 340 were isolated. The nucleotide sequences of 250 TDFs were analysed and assembled into contigs and singletons. The amino acid sequences of their predicted products were compared with entries in databases and 63 of these clones showed homology to known plant genes. Of these, 32 showed similarity to plant defence proteins. Fifty‐one TDFs corresponded to proteins of unknown function and 106 did not match any sequence in the public databases. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR was carried out with a selected set of gene transcripts that demonstrated an increase of expression during the infection. These results point out candidate genes that are associated with cassava resistance to Xam and reinforce the idea of a complex process occurring during this plant–pathogen interaction.
Using laser capture microdissection to study gene expression in early stages of giant cells induced by root‐knot nematodes
Authors: RAMSAY KERRY , WANG ZHAOHUI , JONES MICHAEL G. K. 
Published: November 2004

SUMMARYRoot‐knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are economically important plant parasites that induce specific feeding cells called giant cells in host roots. Study of molecular events involved in induction and differentiation of giant cells has been limited because it is difficult to obtain pure cytoplasm specifically from the highly specialized cells. In this work, laser capture microdissection (LCM) was used to collect cytoplasmic contents from paraffin‐embedded sections of 4 day post‐inoculation giant cells in tomato roots. Total RNA was isolated from the sections, and used in RT‐PCR to investigate expression of cell cycle genes in giant cells. Two D‐type cyclin genes, LeCycD3;2 and LeCycD3;3, were expressed at higher levels in giant cells compared with other cell‐cycle‐related cyclin genes, suggesting that the induction of the G1 phase of the cell cycle may be triggered in response to stimulation by the infecting nematode. LCM provides a powerful new tool to study the molecular basis of host–pathogen interactions at the cellular or subcellular level.
The scurs locus in cattle maps to bovine chromosome 19
Authors: Asai M. , Berryere T. G. , Schmutz S. M. 
Published: November 2004

SummaryPolled, or the absence of horns, is a desirable trait for many cattle breeders. However, the presence of scurs, which are small horn‐like structures that are not attached to the skull, can lower the value of an animal. The scurs trait has been reported as sex influenced. Using a genome scan with 162 autosomal microsatellite markers genotyped across three full‐sib families, the scurs locus was mapped near BMS2142 on cattle chromosome 19 (LOD = 4.21). To more precisely map scurs, the families from the initial analysis and three additional families were genotyped for 16 microsatellite markers and SNPs in three genes on chromosome 19. In this subsequent analysis, the scurs locus was mapped 4 cM distal of BMS2142 (LOD = 4.46) and 6 cM proximal to IDVGA46 (LOD = 2.56). ALOX12 and MFAP4 were the closest genes proximal and distal, respectively, to the scurs locus. Three microsatellite markers on the X chromosome were genotyped across these six families but were not linked to scurs, further demonstrating that this trait was not sex linked. Because the polled locus has been mapped to the centromeric end of chromosome 1 and scurs has now been mapped to chromosome 19, these two traits are not linked in Bos taurus.
FISH mapping and sequence analysis of 87 porcine BAC clones
Authors: Anistoroaei R. , Cirera S. , Jørgensen C. B. , Fredholm M. , Christensen K. 
Published: November 2004

SummaryNinety‐one bacterial artificial chromosomes (BAC) clones, selected effectively at random from our library, were used as probes for fluorescence in situ hybridization. Of these, 87 clones gave a specific signal in one, two or three different pair(s) of swine metaphase chromosomes. The ends of 35 BAC clones were sequenced in order to obtain information for comparative mapping. Fifteen of them gave useful comparative mapping information.
An association study using AFLP markers and application to a beef cattle breeding population
Authors: Tsuji S. , Itoh K. , Sasazaki S. , Mannen H. , Oyama K. , Shojo M. , Mukai F. 
Published: November 2004

SummaryUsing amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting, selective genotyping was performed to determine if this method was effective for selecting superior breeding stock. Forty‐eight cows with extreme genetic merit for beef marbling score (BMS) were selected from a population of Japanese Black cattle (n = 4462), including 25 with the highest for predicted breeding value (PBV) and 23 with the lowest. Sixteen AFLP fragments were selected for further analysis based on fragment frequency differences between the high and low groups. A linear discriminant analysis using these AFLP fragments was applied in order to derive a discriminant function that classified the cows into high and low groups. Seven of the 16 fragments were included in the resulting function and the discriminant scores (general genetic values, GGV) of the 48 cows were calculated using the function. These cows were clearly separated into high and low groups by GGV with a correlation ratio of 0.91 (discriminative error of 2.1%). The same function was then applied to 121 additional cows that were randomly selected from the original population. A significant regression coefficient of GGV on BMS‐PBV (R2 = 0.45) was obtained, which indicates that the GGV can be used as a selection criterion for BMS in this population. These results suggest that AFLP fingerprinting can be used for animal breeding without identifying the underlying genes affecting the trait of interest.
Maternal depressive symptoms and adherence to therapy in inner‐city children with Asthma
Authors: Reading Richard 
Published: November 2004

.

Bartlet, S.J.,
Krishnan, J.A.,
Riekert, K.A.,
Butz, A.M.,
Malveaux, F.J. &
Rand, C.S.
(
2004
)

113
,
229
–
237
.
Context  Little is known about how depressive symptoms in mothers affects illness management in inner‐city children with asthma.Objective  The goal was to determine how maternal depressive symptoms influence child medication adherence, impact of the child's asthma on the mother, and maternal attitudes and beliefs.Methods  Baseline and 6‐month surveys were administered to 177 mothers of young minority children with asthma in inner‐city Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC. Medication adherence, disruptiveness of asthma, and select attitudes toward illness and asthma therapy were measured. Six‐month data (n = 158) were used to prospectively evaluate long‐term symptom control and emergency department use. Independent variables included asthma morbidity, age, depressive symptoms and other psychosocial data.Results  No difference in child asthma morbidity was observed between mothers high and low in depressive symptoms. However, mothers with high depressive symptoms reported significantly more problems with their child using inhalers properly [odds ratio (OR) 5.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3–18.9] and forgetting doses (OR 4.2, 95% CI 1.4–12.4). Depressive symptoms were also associated with greater emotional distress and interference with daily activities caused by the child's asthma, along with less confidence in asthma medications, ability to control asthma symptoms and self‐efficacy to cope with acute asthma episodes. In addition, depressed mothers reported less understanding about their child's medications and use (OR 7.7, 95% CI 1.7–35.9). Baseline asthma morbidity, maternal depression scores and family income were independently associated with asthma symptoms 6 months later, whereas medication adherence was not predictive of subsequent asthma morbidity or emergency department use.Conclusions  Maternal depressive symptoms were not associated with child asthma morbidity but were associated with a constellation of beliefs and attitudes that may significantly influence adherence to asthma medications and illness management. Identifying and addressing poor psychological adjustment in mothers is important when developing a child's asthma treatment and may facilitate parent–provider communication, medication adherence and asthma management among inner‐city children.
Maternal depression, changing public assistance, food security, and child health status
Authors: Reading Richard 
Published: November 2004

.

Casey, P.,
Goolsby, S.,
Berkowitz, S.,
Frank, D.,
Cook, J.,
Cutts, D.,
Black, M.M.,
Zaldivar, N.,
Levenson, S.,
Heeren, T. &
Meyers, A.
(
2004
)

113
,
298
–
304
.
Objective  To examine the association of positive report on a maternal depression screen (PDS) with loss or reduction of welfare support and foods stamps, household food insecurity, and child health measures among children aged 36 months at six urban hospitals and clinics.Methods  A convenience sample of 5306 mothers, whose children < 36 months old were being seen in hospital general clinics or emergency departments (EDs) at medical centres in five states and Washington, DC, were interviewed from 1 January 2000 until 31 December 2001. Questions included items on sociodemographic characteristics, federal programme participation and changes in federal benefits, child health status rating, child's history of hospitalizations since birth, household food security status and a three‐question PDS. For a subsample interviewed in the ED, whether the child was admitted to the hospital that day was recorded.Results  Positive maternal depression screen status was associated with loss or reduction of welfare support and food stamps, household food insecurity, fair/poor child health rating and history of child hospitalization since birth but not low child growth status measures or admission to the hospital at the time of ED visit. After controlling for study site, maternal race, education and insurance type as well as child low birthweight status, mothers with PDS were more likely to report fair/poor child health [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.33–1.88] and hospitalizations during the child's lifetime (AOR 1.20, 95% CI 1.03–1.39), compared with mothers without PDS. Controlling for the same variables, mothers with PDS were more likely to report decreased welfare support (AOR 1.52, 95% CI 1.03–2.25), to have lost food stamps (AOR 1.56, 95% CI 1.06–2.30), and reported more household food inseurity (AOR 2.69, 95% CI 2.33–3.11) than mothers without PDS.Conclusion  Positive maternal depression screen status noted in paediatric clinical samples of infants and toddlers is associated with poorer reported child health status, household food insecurity, and loss of federal financial support and food stamps. Although the direction of effects cannot be determined in this cross‐sectional survey, child health providers and policy makers should be aware of the potential impact of maternal depression on child health in the context of welfare reform.
Dose‐dependent effects of endotoxins on allergen sensitization and challenge in the mouse
Authors: Delayre‐Orthez C. , De Blay F. , Frossard N. , Pons F. 
Published: November 2004

SummaryBackground
Levels of endotoxins greatly differ according to environmental settings.Objective
To study the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at increasing doses (0.1–1000 ng) on allergen sensitization and challenge in the mouse.Methods
Mice were sensitized systemically and challenged locally with ovalbumin (OVA) in the presence or absence of LPS. Inflammation was assessed by determining total and differential cell counts and T‐helper type 2 (Th)2 cytokine (IL‐4 and IL‐5) levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Total and OVA‐specific IgE levels were quantified in serum. Airway hyper‐responsiveness (AHR) was assessed by whole‐body barometric plethysmography.Results
Administered prior to sensitization, LPS at 100 or 1000 ng dose‐dependently decreased allergen‐ induced total and OVA‐specific IgE, airway eosinophilia and Th2 cytokines in BALF, without changing AHR. Administered during OVA challenge, LPS at 1 ng (an infra‐clinical dose) or 100 ng (a dose triggering neutrophilia) enhanced airway eosinophilia, without affecting IgE levels or AHR.Conclusion
Our data clearly demonstrate that exposure to LPS influences allergen‐induced IgE production and airway eosinophilia in a time and dose‐dependent manner, preventing IgE production and development of eosinophilia when administered during allergen sensitization at high doses, and inducing exacerbation of eosinophilia when administered upon allergen challenge at low doses, including infra‐clinical doses.
Expression of the apoptosis inhibitor Bcl‐2 in sputum eosinophils from children with acute asthma
Authors: El‐Gamal Y. , Heshmat N. , Mahran M. , El‐Gabbas Z. 
Published: November 2004

SummaryBackground
Apoptosis of eosinophils is of increasingly important value in modulating allergic airway inflammation in asthma. Our purpose was to investigate the degree of expression of the antiapoptotic B‐cell lymphoma/leukaemia‐2 (Bcl‐2) protein in sputum eosinophils during acute asthma exacerbation and its relationship with exacerbation severity.Methods
Sputum was obtained from 33 asthmatic children and 15 healthy children as a control group. Patients were studied during an acute asthma exacerbation. They were classified according to the severity of exacerbation into mild, moderate and severe (n=11 for each). Patients with severe exacerbation were followed up until remission and another sputum sample was obtained. Number of sputum eosinophils was expressed as percentage of leucocytes. Bcl‐2 expression in sputum eosinophils was assessed by immunohistochemical staining techniques; the results were expressed as percentage of positively stained cells over total eosinophils.Results
Sputum eosinophils and Bcl‐2+ eosinophils' percentages were significantly higher in patients with acute exacerbation than controls (P<0.01). Patients with severe exacerbation had significantly higher sputum Bcl‐2+ eosinophils' percentage than those with mild‐to‐moderate exacerbation (mean±SD=42.4±31.96% vs. 5.7±14.5%, P<0.01). A significant negative correlation was found between Bcl‐2+ eosinophils' percentage and peak expiratory flow rate % predicted (P<0.05). After remission, patients with severe exacerbation showed a significant decrease of Bcl‐2+ eosinophils' percentage (P<0.05).Conclusion
Our findings suggest that Bcl‐2 prolongs survival and decreases apoptosis of airway eosinophils in asthma especially during exacerbation. Eosinophil apoptosis and Bcl‐2 represent a target for new and effective therapeutic strategies of asthma.
Induction of mast cell interactions with blood vessel wall components by direct contact with intact T cells or T cell membranes in vitro
Authors: Brill A. , Baram D. , Sela U. , Salamon P. , Mekori Y. A. , Hershkoviz R. 
Published: November 2004

SummaryBackground
Mast cells exert profound pleiotropic effects on immune cell reactions at inflammatory sites, where they are most likely influenced not only by the extracellular matrix (ECM) and inflammatory mediators but also by the proximity of activated T lymphocytes. We recently reported that activated T cells induce mast cell degranulation with the release of TNF‐α, and that this activation pathway is mediated by lymphocyte function‐associated antigen‐1 (LFA‐1)/intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1) binding.Objective
To determine how this contact between the two cell types can modulate mast cell behaviour in an inflammatory milieu by examining the adhesion of mast cells to endothelial cells and ECM ligands in an integrin‐dependent manner.Methods
Human mast cells (HMC‐1) were co‐cultured with resting or activated T cells followed by testing their adhesion to endothelial cell and ECM ligands, stromal derived factor‐1α (SDF‐1α)‐induced migration, and western blotting.Results
Co‐culturing HMC‐1 with activated, but not with resting T cells resulted in marked stimulation of mast cell adhesion to vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1 and ICAM‐1 in a very late antigen‐4‐ and LFA‐1‐dependent fashion. In addition, activated T cells or T cell membranes promoted HMC‐1 adhesion to fibronectin (FN) and laminin. This effect was accompanied by the phosphorylation of extracellular regulated kinase and p38, but not of c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase. Importantly, the adhesive property of mast cells depended exclusively on the direct contact between the two cell types, since neither supernatants from activated T cells nor separation of the two cell populations with a porous membrane affected mast cell adhesion to FN. Furthermore, similar results were obtained when mast cells were incubated with purified membranes from activated T cells. These results suggest that, in addition to stimulating mast cell degranulation, the proximity of activated T lymphocytes to mast cells can mediate the adhesion of mast cell precursors to the endothelial ligands and ECM. Activated T cells also stimulated SDF‐1α‐induced mast cell migration.Conclusion
This symbiotic relationship between the two types of immune cells may serve to direct mast cells to specific sites of inflammation where their effector functions are required.
The diagnostic interpretation of basophil activation test in immediate allergic reactions to betalactams
Authors: Torres M. J. , Padial A. , Mayorga C. , Fernández T. , Sanchez‐Sabate E. , Cornejo‐García J. A. , Antúnez C. , Blanca M. 
Published: November 2004

SummaryBackground
Basophil activation by allergens, including drugs, has been used to determine sensitivity and to study IgE recognition and cross‐reactivity.Objective
We sought to determine the sensitivity and specificity of a basophil activation test (Basotest) in patients with immediate allergic reactions to betalactams, with a later comparison between patients who were selective (those recognizing the culprit drug excluding benzylpenicillin (BP)) and cross‐reactors (those recognizing several penicillin determinants including BP).Methods
Basotest to different haptens was performed in 70 patients with immediate allergic reactions to betalactams, classified into three groups: (A) skin test positive independently of CAP/RAST immunoassay value, (B) skin test negative and CAP/RAST positive, and (C) skin test and CAP/RAST negative but drug provocation test positive. Basotest was carried out by flow cytometry following the manufacturer's instructions using different betalactam determinants and results expressed as a stimulation index.Results
Of the 70 patients, 34 (48.6%) were positive to Basotest (sensitivity: 48.6%), 31 (44.3%) to CAP/RAST and 46 (65.7%) to either one or the other. Considering the different groups, Basotest was positive in 50.9% of patients in Group A, 60% in Group B and 14.3% in Group C. The specificity was 91.3%. Positivity to the haptens was 28.6% to amoxicillin (AX), 21.7% to BP, 20% to benzylpenicilloyl‐poly‐l‐lysine, 12.5% to ampicillin and 2.2% to minor determinant mixture. In patients with cephalosporin reactions, Basotest to the culprit cephalosporin was positive in 77.7%. There were differences between the two reactor groups in the sensitivity of Basotest (selective to AX=50%, cross‐reactors=28.6%; χ2=10.809, P=0.004) and in the CAP/RAST (selective to AX=28.6%, cross‐reactors=61.9%; χ2=8.944, P=0.011).Conclusions
The sensitivity of Basotest is similar to immunoassays (CAP/RAST). Sensitivity is improved when used in combination. Although further studies are required, Basotest results for cephalosporin allergy seem very promising. This technique does not help differentiate between selective reactors and cross‐reactors.