bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Changes in Subjective vs Objective Burn Scar Assessment Over Time: Does the Patient Agree With What We Think?
Authors: Martin Daniel , Umraw Nisha , Gomez Manuel , Cartotto Robert 
Published: September 2004

Abstract
It is not known whether objective measurements of burn scar quality reflect, or even bear any relationship to, the patient's opinion of their scar. The purpose of this study was to determine whether any correlation exists between the rehabilitation therapist's rating of the scar using the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) and the patient's subjective opinion of their scar. A total of 37 scars in 20 adult patients (mean age, 34 ± 13 years; 30% female; mean %TBSA burn, 16 ± 11%) were evaluated at 3.1 ± 1.9 months after injury (early assessment). Patients were asked to rate their own scar (question 1) and to rate how they perceive other people view the scar (question 2). A visual analog scale (VAS) was used to score the answers to both questions. A burn occupational therapist who was blinded to the VAS scores performed a VSS rating of the scar. These evaluations were repeated 1.5 years after injury (late assessment). At the early assessment, there was no correlation between the VSS score and VAS scores for question 1 (r = .291) or question 2 (r = .371). At the late assessment, there was significant improvement in the VSS score and the VAS score for question 2. Also, a significant correlation developed between the VSS score and the VAS score for question 1 (r = .646, P = .003) but not between the VSS score and VAS score for question 2 (r = .099). The VSS measurement of the scar bears no relationship to the patient's opinion of their scar early after a burn injury. As the scar improves over time, the patient's opinion of their scar appears to improve and shows better correlation with the VSS rating. Conversely, the patient's impression of what others think of the scar continues to bear no relationship to the VSS rating, suggesting that scar acceptance by the patient is incomplete despite objective improvement in the quality of the scar. Although the VSS was never intended to measure a patient's opinion of their scar, these preliminary findings emphasize the necessity of including a patient-centered subjective component to routine scar monitoring and assessment.
Interaction-Dependent Gene Expression inMla-Specified Response to Barley Powdery Mildew[W]
Authors: Caldo Rico A. , Nettleton Dan , Wise Roger P. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractPlant recognition of pathogen-derived molecules influences attack and counterattack strategies that affect the outcome of host–microbe interactions. To ascertain the global framework of host gene expression during biotrophic pathogen invasion, we analyzed in parallel the mRNA abundance of 22,792 host genes throughout 36 (genotype × pathogen × time) interactions between barley (Hordeum vulgare) and Blumeria graminis f. sp hordei (Bgh), the causal agent of powdery mildew disease. A split-split-plot design was used to investigate near-isogenic barley lines with introgressed Mla6, Mla13, and Mla1 coiled-coil, nucleotide binding site, Leu-rich repeat resistance alleles challenged with Bgh isolates 5874 (AvrMla6 and AvrMla1) and K1 (AvrMla13 and AvrMla1). A linear mixed model analysis was employed to identify genes with significant differential expression (P value &lt; 0.0001) in incompatible and compatible barley-Bgh interactions across six time points after pathogen challenge. Twenty-two host genes, of which five were of unknown function, exhibited highly similar patterns of upregulation among all incompatible and compatible interactions up to 16 h after inoculation (hai), coinciding with germination of Bgh conidiospores and formation of appressoria. By contrast, significant divergent expression was observed from 16 to 32 hai, during membrane-to-membrane contact between fungal haustoria and host epidermal cells, with notable suppression of most transcripts identified as differentially expressed in compatible interactions. These findings provide a link between the recognition of general and specific pathogen-associated molecules in gene-for-gene specified resistance and support the hypothesis that host-specific resistance evolved from the recognition and prevention of the pathogen's suppression of plant basal defense.
Exposure of sheep to mosquito bites: possible consequences for the transmission risk of Rift Valley Fever in Senegal
Authors: Chevalier V. , Mondet B. , Diaite A. , Lancelot R. , Fall A. G. , PonÇon N. 
Published: September 2004

Abstract. Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is a growing health problem in West Africa. In northern Senegal, the candidate vectors of this arbovirosis areAedes(Aedimorphus)vexansMeigen andCulex(Culex)poicilipesTheobald (Diptera: Culicidae). Domestic ruminants are the reservoirs of the virus.A study was undertaken during the 2002 rainy season to assess spatial and temporal variations in exposure to mosquito bites in sheep herds, and to evaluate the possible consequences on the risk of RVF transmission to sheep.Mosquitoes were collected with sheep‐baited traps. The number ofAe. vexansfemales (the predominant species during the 2002 rainy season) trapped per trap‐night was the dependent variable in statistical analyses. The trapping periods were divided into six series of two to five consecutive days, from July to November 2002. Three temporary ponds were selected according to their ecological features: depth, bank slope, size and vegetation cover. Traps were laid on the pond bank and in the nearest available compound, close to the sheep night pen. Data were analysed using mixed‐effects Poisson models. The explanatory variables were the trapping period, the pond, and the capture site.The exposure to mosquito bites varied according to the pond type, suggesting that the risk of transmission was spatially heterogeneous. However, there was no obvious trend in transmission risk due to the effect of the distance from the compound to the pond. The period with the highest exposure was in October, i.e. when transhumant herds left the Ferlo to relocate to their dry‐season settlement. It is thus hypothesized that transhumance, the seasonal movements of herds, plays a significant role in the dissemination of RVF virus in the region.
Molecular diversity of methanotrophs in Transbaikal soda lake sediments and identification of potentially active populations by stable isotope probing
Authors: Lin Ju‐Ling , Radajewski Stefan , Eshinimaev Bulat T. , Trotsenko Yuri A. , McDonald Ian R. , Murrell J Colin 
Published: September 2004

SummarySoda lakes are an environment with an unusually high pH and often high salinity. To identify the active methanotrophs in the Soda lake sediments, sediment slurries were incubated with a 10% (v/v) 13CH4 headspace and the 13C‐labelled DNA was subsequently extracted from these sediments following CsCl density gradient centrifugation. This DNA was then used as a template for PCR amplification of 16S rRNA genes and genes encoding PmoA and MmoX of methane monooxygenase, key enzymes in the methane oxidation pathway. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA genes, PmoA and MmoX identified that strains of Methylomicrobium, Methylobacter, Methylomonas and ‘Methylothermus’ had assimilated the 13CH4. Phylogenetic analysis of PmoA sequences amplified from DNA extracted from Soda lake sediments before Stable Isotope Probing (SIP) treatment showed that a much wider diversity of both type I and type II methanotroph sequences are present in this alkaline environment. The majority of methanotroph sequences detected in the 13C‐DNA studies were from type I methanotrophs, with 50% of 16S rRNA clones and 100% of pmoA clones from both Lake Suduntuiskii Torom and Lake Gorbunka suggesting that the type I methanotrophs are probably responsible for the majority of methane oxidation in this environment.
Effectiveness of Potent Antiretroviral Therapy on Progression of Human Immunodeficiency Virus: Bayesian Modelling and Model Checking via Counterfactual Replicates
Authors: Berzuini Carlo , Allemani Claudia 
Published: September 2004

SummaryWe analyse data from a seroincident cohort of 457 homosexual men who were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, followed within the multicentre Italian Seroconversion Study. These data include onset times to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), longitudinal measurements of CD4+ T-cell counts taken on each subject during the AIDS-free period of observation and the period of administration of a highly active antiretro- viral therapy (HAART), for the subset of individuals who received it. The aim of the study is to assess the effect of HAART on the course of the disease. We analyse the data by a Bayesian model in which the sequence of longitudinal CD4+ cell count observations and the associated time to AIDS are jointly modelled at an individual subject’s level as depending on the treatment. We discuss the inferences obtained about the efficacy of HAART, as well as modelling and computation difficulties that were encountered in the analysis. These latter motivate a model criticism stage of the analysis, in which the model specification of CD4+ cell count progression and of the effect of treatment are checked. Our approach to model criticism is based on the notion of a counterfactual replicate data set Zc. This is a data set with the same shape and size as the observed data, which we might have observed by rerunning the study in exactly the same conditions as the actual study if the treated patients had not been treated at all. We draw samples of Zc from a null model M0, which assumes absence of treatment effect, conditioning on data collected in each subject before initiation of treatment. Model checking is performed by comparing the observed data with a set of samples of Zc drawn from M0.
An Experimental Study on Particular Physical Properties of Several Interocclusal Recording Media. Part II: Linear Dimensional Change and Accompanying Weight Change
Authors: Michalakis Konstantinos X. , Pissiotis Argiris , Anastasiadou Vassiliki , Kapari Danai 
Published: September 2004

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the linear dimensional change and accompanying weight change of several elastomeric interocclusal recording media.
Materials and Methods: Ten 50 mm long, 8 mm wide, 3 mm deep Teflon molds and a stainless steel die were constructed for the purposes of this study. The die was made in order to produce standardized reference lines, which were used for the measurement of the linear change. After homogeneous mixing, each material was carried from the mixing pad or directly from the mixing tip to the Teflon mold. The mold was inverted onto the stainless steel die. The materials were allowed to set for the manufacturers' suggested setting time plus an additional 3 minutes to ensure polymerization of the material. An electronic scale (Galaxy 110, Ohaus, Pine Brook, NJ) was used for the measurement of the weight change of the specimens and a traveling micrometer microscope (Griffin Ltd., London, England) was used to measure the linear changes at 5 time intervals: 0, 1 hour, 24, 48, and 72 hours.
Results: Analysis of variance for a significance level of 5% revealed that there was a statistically significant effect of the “material” factor on the weight changes (F= 2229.98, p < 0.0005). There was also a statistically significant effect of the “time” factor on the weight changes (F= 2,332.04, p < 0.0005). Descriptive statistics and Tukey's Honest Significant Difference Test revealed that the elastomeric material with the greatest weight changes is polyether (Ramitec).Analysis of variance for a significance level of 5% revealed that there is a statistically significant effect of the “material” factor on the linear changes (F= 215.54, p < 0.0005). There is also a statistically significant effect of the “time” factor on the linear changes (F= 1,996.01, p < 0.0005). Descriptive statistics and Tukey's Honest Significant Difference test revealed that the elastomeric material with the smallest linear changes is polyether (Ramitec).
Conclusions: Of all materials tested, Ramitec (polyether) presented the smallest linear change at all time intervals. Addition reaction silicones presented statistically significant differences in recordings of linear changes among them only at the 1st and the 24th hour. Linear changes did not seem to be associated with weight changes.
Forecast Dispersion and the Cross Section of Expected Returns
Authors: JOHNSON TIMOTHY C. 
Published: September 2004

ABSTRACTRecent work by Diether, Malloy, and Scherbina (2002) has established a negative relationship between stock returns and the dispersion of analysts' earnings forecasts. I offer a simple explanation for this phenomenon based on the interpretation of dispersion as a proxy for unpriced information risk arising when asset values are unobservable. The relationship then follows from a general options‐pricing result: For a levered firm, expected returns should always decrease with the level of idiosyncratic asset risk. This story is formalized with a straightforward model. Reasonable parameter values produce large effects, and the theory's main empirical prediction is supported in cross‐sectional tests.
The 52‐Week High and Momentum Investing
Authors: GEORGE THOMAS J. , HWANG CHUAN‐YANG 
Published: September 2004

ABSTRACTWhen coupled with a stock's current price, a readily available piece of information—the 52‐week high price–explains a large portion of the profits from momentum investing. Nearness to the 52‐week high dominates and improves upon the forecasting power of past returns (both individual and industry returns) for future returns. Future returns forecast using the 52‐week high do not reverse in the long run. These results indicate that short‐term momentum and long‐term reversals are largely separate phenomena, which presents a challenge to current theory that models these aspects of security returns as integrated components of the market's response to news.
Bond Insurance: What Is Special About Munis?
Authors: NANDA VIKRAM , SINGH RAJDEEP 
Published: September 2004

ABSTRACTClose to 50% of municipal bonds are prepackaged with insurance at the time of issue. We offer a tax‐based rationale for the emergence of third‐party insurance of tax‐exempt bonds. We argue that insurance adds value as it allows a third party to become, in a probabilistic sense, an issuer of tax‐exempt securities. Insurance however reduces value by eliminating the possibility of a capital tax loss. While the net benefit from insurance increases with bond maturity, the benefit may not increase monotonically with default risk. We also provide empirical evidence supportive of the model's predictions.
Evidence‐Based Practice and Research Utilization Activities Among Rural Nurses
Authors: Olade Rosaline A. 
Published: September 2004

Purpose

: To identify the extent to which rural nurses utilize evidence‐based practice guidelines from scientific research in their practice; to describe both previous and current research utilization activities in which they have participated, and to identify the specific barriers they face in their practice settings.
Design and Methods

: Data for this descriptive study were collected through questionnaires with open‐ended questions focused on (a) current utilization of nursing research findings, (b) previous involvement in nursing research activities, and (c) participation in medical research activities. The participants were 106 nurses from various practice areas in six rural counties of a southwestern state in the United States.
Findings

: Results revealed that only 20.8% of the participants stated they were currently involved in research utilization, and they were mostly nurses with bachelor's degrees. The two most common areas of current research utilization were pain management and pressure ulcer prevention and management. Barriers to research utilization, such as rural isolation and lack of nursing research consultants, were identified.
Conclusions

: The types of research utilization activities identified by these nurses indicate how much the facilities in which these nurses work in the rural areas are striving with the utilization of available scientific evidence. Rural nurses face unique barriers related to situational and geographic factors, with implications for nursing administrators, researchers, and educators.
Assessment of Production Conditions for Efficient Use ofEscherichia coliin High-Yield Heterologous Recombinant Selenoprotein Synthesis
Authors: Rengby Olle , Johansson Linda , Carlson Lars A. , Serini Elena , Vlamis-Gardikas Alexios , Kårsnäs Per , Arnér Elias S. J. 
Published: September 2004

ABSTRACTThe production of heterologous selenoproteins inEscherichia colinecessitates the design of a secondary structure in the mRNA forming a selenocysteine insertion sequence (SECIS) element compatible with SelB, the elongation factor for selenocysteine insertion at a predefined UGA codon. SelB competes with release factor 2 (RF2) catalyzing translational termination at UGA. Stoichiometry between mRNA, the SelB elongation factor, and RF2 is thereby important, whereas other expression conditions affecting the yield of recombinant selenoproteins have been poorly assessed. Here we expressed the rat selenoprotein thioredoxin reductase, with titrated levels of the selenoprotein mRNA under diverse growth conditions, with or without cotransformation of the accessory bacterialselA,selB, andselCgenes. Titration of the selenoprotein mRNA with a pBAD promoter was performed in both TOP10 and BW27783 cells, which unexpectedly could not improve yield or specific activity compared to that achieved in our prior studies. Guided by principal component analysis, we instead discovered that the most efficient bacterial selenoprotein production conditions were obtained with the high-transcription T7lac-driven pET vector system in presence of theselA,selB, andselCgenes, with induction of production at late exponential phase. About 40 mg of rat thioredoxin reductase with 50% selenocysteine content could thereby be produced per liter bacterial culture. These findings clearly illustrate the ability ofE. colito upregulate the selenocysteine incorporation machinery on demand and that this is furthermore strongly augmented in late exponential phase. This study also demonstrates thatE. colican indeed be utilized as cell factories for highly efficient production of heterologous selenoproteins such as rat thioredoxin reductase.
Integration of Microbial Ecology and Statistics: a Test To Compare Gene Libraries
Authors: Schloss Patrick D. , Larget Bret R. , Handelsman Jo 
Published: September 2004

ABSTRACTLibraries of 16S rRNA genes provide insight into the membership of microbial communities. Statistical methods help to determine whether differences in library composition are artifacts of sampling or are due to underlying differences in the communities from which they are derived. To contribute to a growing statistical framework for comparing 16S rRNA libraries, we present a computer program, ∫-LIBSHUFF, which calculates the integral form of the Cramér-von Mises statistic. This implementation builds upon the LIBSHUFF program, which uses an approximation of the statistic and makes a number of modifications that improve precision and accuracy. Once ∫-LIBSHUFF calculates thePvalues, when pairwise comparisons are tested at the 0.05 level, the probability of falsely identifying a significantPvalue is 0.098 for a study with two libraries, 0.265 for three libraries, and 0.460 for four libraries. The potential negative effects of making the multiple pairwise comparisons necessitate correcting for the increased likelihood that differences between treatments are due to chance and do not reflect biological differences. Using ∫-LIBSHUFF, we found that previously published 16S rRNA gene libraries constructed from Scottish and Wisconsin soils contained different bacterial lineages. We also analyzed the published libraries constructed for the zebrafish gut microflora and found statistically significant changes in the community during development of the host. These analyses illustrate the power of ∫-LIBSHUFF to detect differences between communities, providing the basis for ecological inference about the association of soil productivity or host gene expression and microbial community composition.
Large-Scale Population Structure of Human Commensal
Escherichia coli
Isolates
Authors: Escobar-Páramo Patricia , Grenet Karine , Le Menac'h Arnaud , Rode Luc , Salgado Emmanuelle , Amorin Christine , Gouriou Stéphanie , Picard Bertrand , Rahimy Mohamed Chérif , Andremont Antoine , Denamur Erick , Ruimy Raymond 
Published: September 2004

ABSTRACT

The study of several
Escherichia coli
intestinal commensal isolates per individual in 265 healthy human subjects belonging to seven populations distributed worldwide showed that the
E. coli
population is highly structured, with major differences between the tropical and temperate populations.
Transmission electron microscopy of hexadecyltrimethylammonium-exchanged smectite
Authors: Lee Seung Yeop , Kim Soo Jin 
Published: August 2004

AbstractThe morphological and structural changes in smectite caused by hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) treatment were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The HDTMA-exchanged smectite shows not only morphological features such as irregular, wavy surface with curled edges, but also structural features such as larged-spacings (20 – 26 Å ) and lattice distortions. The surface morphological heterogeneity is assumed to be related to the inhomogeneous intercalation of HDTMA cations into the interlayer of smectite.
The effect of maturation upon the mineralogical and physicochemical properties of illitic-smectitic clays for pelotherapy
Authors: Sánchez C. J . , Parras J . , Carretero M. I . 
Published: August 2004

AbstractIllitic-smectitic clays were matured with a ferruginous, bicarbonate-rich and sulphate-rich water for different periods of time (7, 15, 30, 60 and 90 days), and subjected to discontinuous stirring, to test their use in pelotherapy. A progressive degradation of the clay minerals was observed during the maturation process, with a reduction in the illite and smectite crystallinity, in the percentage of smectites and in the phyllosilicate content. The percentage of <2 μm particles also decreased. These modifications caused changes in the clays’ physicochemical properties, which are evident in an increase in their plasticity index and in slower cooling of the peloid, both of which improved the clays’ effect in pelotherapy.