bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The schedule of attitudes toward hastened death: Validation analysis
in terminally ill cancer patients
Authors: MYSTAKIDOU KYRIAKI , ROSENFELD BARRY , PARPA EFI , TSILIKA ELENI , KATSOUDA EMMANUELA , GALANOS ANTONIS , VLAHOS LAMBROS 
Published: July 2005

Objective: The faithful translation of the English version of
the Schedule of Attitudes toward Hastened Death (SAHD) into Greek and its
validation as an assessment tool in terminally ill cancer patients
receiving palliative treatment.Methods: 120 terminally ill cancer patients attending a
Palliative Care Unit, at the University of Athens, Greece, between June
2003 and November 2003 for palliative treatment.Results: SAHD would be a useful instrument for measuring
desire for hastened death with valid psychometric properties in a Greek
cancer population. The SAHD demonstrated high reliability. Desire for
hastened death was significantly associated with Hospital Anxiety and
Depression Scale (HAD) depression (r = 0.607, p <
0.0005) and substantially correlated with HAD anxiety (r = 0.502,
p < 0.0005). “Pain intensity” had a moderate
correlation with SAHD scores (r = 0.28, p = 0.01) and
SAHD scores correlated significantly with “pain interference in
mood” (r = 0.38, p = 0.01) and in “enjoyment
of life” (r = 0.34, p = 0.03). SAHD correlation
with quality of life was statistically significant (r =
−0.38, p < 0.01) as was health status (r =
−0.36, p < 0.01). Patients with a Poor Performance
Status (from Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scale) correlated
significantly with high scores in SAHD (p = 0.038). Factor
analysis supported the unidimentionality of the measurement.Significance of results: SAHD could be a useful and valid
instrument for measuring desire for hastened death in Greek terminally ill
cancer patients.
Rational versus real cohomology algebras of low-dimensional toric varieties
Authors: Feichtner Eva 
Published: July 2005

We show that the real cohomology algebra of a compact toric variety of complex dimension

2
2

is determined, up to isomorphism, by the combinatorial data of its defining fan. Surprisingly enough, this is no longer the case when taking rational coefficients. Moreover, we show that neither the rational nor the real or complex cohomology algebras of compact quasi-smooth toric varieties are combinatorial invariants in general.
Asymptotic limit for condensate solutions in the Abelian Chern-Simons Higgs model
Authors: Han Jongmin 
Published: July 2005

In this paper we show that the maximal solutions(ϕϵ,Aϵ)(\phi ^\epsilon , A^\epsilon )in the Abelian Chern-Simons Higgs model on a ’t Hooft type periodic domain converges to(ϕ∗,A∗)(\phi _*,A_*)andϕ∗\phi _*is a harmonic map. We also study asymptotic behaviors of the energy density.
Convergence rates of cascade algorithms
Authors: Jia Rong-Qing 
Published: July 2005

We consider solutions of a refinement equation of the form
\[

ϕ
=

∑

γ
∈

Z

s

a
(
γ
)
ϕ
(

M
⋅

−
γ
)
,

\phi = \sum _{\gamma \in \mathbb {Z}^s} a(\gamma ) \phi ({M\cdot }-\gamma ),

\]
where

a
a

is a finitely supported sequence called the refinement mask. Associated with the mask

a
a

is a linear operator

Q
a

Q_a

defined on

L
p

(

R

s

)

L_p(\mathbb {R}^s)

by

Q
a

ψ
:=

∑

γ
∈

Z

s

a
(
γ
)
ψ
(

M
⋅

−
γ
)

Q_a \psi := \sum _{\gamma \in \mathbb {Z}^s} a(\gamma ) \psi ({M\cdot }-\gamma )

. This paper is concerned with the convergence of the cascade algorithm associated with

a
a

, i.e., the convergence of the sequence

(

Q
a
n

ψ

)

n
=
1
,
2
,
…

(Q_a^n\psi )_{n=1,2,\ldots }

in the

L
p

L_p

-norm. Our main result gives estimates for the convergence rate of the cascade algorithm. Let

ϕ
\phi

be the normalized solution of the above refinement equation with the dilation matrix

M
M

being isotropic. Suppose

ϕ
\phi

lies in the Lipschitz space

Lip
⁡
(
μ
,

L
p

(

R

s

)
)

\operatorname {Lip} (\mu ,L_p(\mathbb {R}^s))

, where

μ
>
0

\mu >0

and

1
≤
p
≤
∞

1 \le p \le \infty

. Under appropriate conditions on

ψ
\psi

, the following estimate will be established:
\[

‖

Q
a
n

ψ
−
ϕ

‖

p

≤
C
(

m

−
1

/

s

)

μ
n

∀

n
∈

N

,

\bigl \| Q_a^n\psi - \phi \bigr \|_p \le C (m^{-1/s})^{\mu n}\quad \forall \, n \in \mathbb {N},

\]
where

m
:=

|

det
M

|

m:=|\det M|

and

C
C

is a constant. In particular, we confirm a conjecture of A. Ron on convergence of cascade algorithms.
Canonical varieties with no canonical axiomatisation
Authors: Hodkinson Ian , Venema Yde 
Published: July 2005

We give a simple example of a varietyV\mathbf {V}of modal algebras that is canonical but cannot be axiomatised by canonical equations or first-order sentences. We then show that the varietyRRA\mathbf {RRA}of representable relation algebras, although canonical, has no canonical axiomatisation. Indeed, we show that every axiomatisation of these varieties involves infinitely many non-canonical sentences. Using probabilistic methods of Erdős, we construct an infinite sequenceG0,G1,…G_0,G_1,\ldotsof finite graphs with arbitrarily large chromatic number, such that eachGnG_nis a bounded morphic image ofGn+1G_{n+1}and has no odd cycles of length at mostnn. The inverse limit of the sequence is a graph with no odd cycles, and hence is 2-colourable. It follows that a modal algebra (respectively, a relation algebra) obtained from theGnG_nsatisfies arbitrarily many axioms from a certain axiomatisation ofV (RRA)\mathbf {V}\ (\mathbf {RRA}), while its canonical extension satisfies only a bounded number of them. First-order compactness will now establish thatV (RRA)\mathbf {V}\ (\mathbf {RRA})has no canonical axiomatisation. A variant of this argument shows that all axiomatisations of these classes have infinitely many non-canonical sentences.
Transformation of an edible crop with the pagA gene of Bacillus anthracis
Authors: Aziz Mohd. Azhar , Sikriwal Deepa , Singh Samer , Jarugula Sridhar , Anand Kumar P. , Bhatnagar Rakesh 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACTVaccination against anthrax is the most important strategy to combat the disease. This study describes a generation of edible transgenic crop expressing, functional protective antigen (PA). In vitro studies showed that the plant‐expressed antigen is qualitatively similar to recombinant PA. Immunization studies in mouse animal models indicated the generation of PA‐specific neutralizing antibodies and stressed the need for improving expression levels to generate higher antibody titers. Genetic engineering of a plant organelle offers immense scope for increasing levels of antigen expression. An AT‐rich PA gene (pagA) coding for the 83‐kDa PA molecule was thus cloned and expressed in tobacco chloroplasts. Biolistics was used for the transformation of a chloroplast genome under a set of optimized conditions. The expression of the pagA gene with 69% AT content was highly favored by an AT‐rich chloroplast genome. A multifold expression level of functional PA was obtained as compared with the nuclear transgenic tobacco plants. This report describes for the first time a comprehensive study on generating transgenic plants expressing PA, which may serve as a source of an edible vaccine against anthrax. Two important achievements of expressing PA in an edible crop and use of chloroplast technology to enhance the expression levels are discussed here.
Biodiversity and ecosystem function in soil
Authors: FITTER A. H. , GILLIGAN C. A. , HOLLINGWORTH K. , KLECZKOWSKI A. , TWYMAN R. M. , PITCHFORD J. W. ,   THE MEMBERS OF THE NERC SOIL BIODIVERSITY PROGRAMME
Published: July 2005

Summary

Soils are one of the last great frontiers for biodiversity research and are home to an extraordinary range of microbial and animal groups. Biological activities in soils drive many of the key ecosystem processes that govern the global system, especially in the cycling of elements such as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus.
We cannot currently make firm statements about the scale of biodiversity in soils, or about the roles played by soil organisms in the transformations of organic materials that underlie those cycles. The recent UK Soil Biodiversity Programme (SBP) has brought a unique concentration of researchers to bear on a single soil in Scotland, and has generated a large amount of data concerning biodiversity, carbon flux and resilience in the soil ecosystem.
One of the key discoveries of the SBP was the extreme diversity of small organisms: researchers in the programme identified over 100 species of bacteria, 350 protozoa, 140 nematodes and 24 distinct types of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Statistical analysis of these results suggests a much greater ‘hidden diversity’. In contrast, there was no unusual richness in other organisms, such as higher fungi, mites, collembola and annelids.
Stable‐isotope (13C) technology was used to measure carbon fluxes and map the path of carbon through the food web. A novel finding was the rapidity with which carbon moves through the soil biota, revealing an extraordinarily dynamic soil ecosystem.
The combination of taxonomic diversity and rapid carbon flux makes the soil ecosystem highly resistant to perturbation through either changing soil structure or removing selected groups of organisms.
Effect of native and alien vertebrate frugivores on seed viability and germination patterns of Rubia fruticosa (Rubiaceae) in the eastern Canary Islands
Authors: NOGALES M. , NIEVES C. , ILLERA J. C. , PADILLA D. P. , TRAVESET A. 
Published: July 2005

Summary

This study shows the first results obtained concerning the relative importance and effect on the seeds of a particular plant species, Rubia fruticosa Ait. (Rubiaceae), of passage through the digestive tube of the three main groups of vertebrate seed dispersers: native reptiles and birds, and alien mammals.
Native birds and reptiles dispersed a high proportion of undamaged seeds of R. fruticosa.
In contrast, seeds defecated by the two alien mammals showed significantly greater proportions of damaged seeds. Seed viability was much higher for reptiles and birds than for mammals, which was consistent with germination results.
Ingested seeds had a significantly thinner coat than uningested control seeds. Seeds that had passed through native dispersers had a significantly thicker coat than those passed through one of the alien mammals (the squirrel).
Considering both quantitative and qualitative components of seed dispersal, we conclude that native reptiles and birds are the most important seed dispersers in this multidisperser system.
Mantophasmatodea and phylogeny of the lower neopterous insects
Authors: Terry Matthew D. , Whiting Michael F. 
Published: July 2005

AbstractPolyneoptera is a name sometimes applied to an assemblage of 11 insect orders comprising the lower neopterous or “orthopteroid” insects. These orders include familiar insects such as Orthoptera (grasshoppers), Blattodea (roaches), Isoptera (termites) (Mantodea) praying mantises, Dermaptera (earwigs), Phasmatodea (stick insects), Plecoptera (stoneflies), as well as the more obscure, Embiidina (web‐spinners), Zoraptera (angel insects) and Grylloblattodea (ice‐crawlers). Many of these insect orders exhibit a high degree of morphological specialization, a condition that has led to multiple phylogenetic hypotheses and little consensus among investigators. We present a phylogenetic analysis of the polyneopteran orders representing a broad range of their phylogenetic diversity and including the recently described Mantophasmatodea. These analyses are based on complete 18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, Histone 3 DNA sequences, and a previously published morphology matrix coded at the ordinal level. Extensive analyses utilizing different alignment methodologies and parameter values across a majority of possible ranges were employed to test for sensitivity of the results to ribosomal alignment and to explore patterns across the theoretical alignment landscape. Multiple methodologies support the paraphyly of Polyneoptera, the monophyly of Dictyoptera, Orthopteroidea (sensu Kukalova‐Peck; i.e. Orthoptera + Phasmatodea + Embiidina), and a group composed of Plecoptera + Dermaptera + Zoraptera. Sister taxon relationships between Embiidina + Phasmatodea in a group called “Eukinolabia”, and Dermaptera + Zoraptera (“Haplocercata”) are also supported by multiple analyses. This analysis also supports a sister taxon relationship between the newly described Mantophasmatodea, which are endemic to arid portions of southern Africa, and Grylloblattodea, a small order of cryophilic insects confined to the north‐western Americas and north‐eastern Asia, in a group termed “Xenonomia”. This placement, coupled with the morphological disparity of the two groups, validates the ordinal status of Mantophasmatodea.© The Willi Hennig Society 2005.
Sodium hypochlorite oxidation reduces soil organic matter concentrations without affecting inorganic soil constituents
Authors: Siregar A. , Kleber M. , Mikutta R. , Jahn R. 
Published: July 2005

SummaryOxidative treatment can isolate a stable organic matter pool in soils for process studies of organic matter stabilization. Wet oxidation methods using hydrogen peroxide are widely used for that purpose, but are said to modify poorly crystalline soil constituents. We investigated the effect of a modified NaOCl oxidation (pH 8) on the mineral composition of 12 subsoils (4.9–38.2 g organic C kg−1) containing varying amounts of poorly crystalline mineral phases, i.e. 1.1–20.5 g oxalate‐extractable Fe kg−1, and of different phyllosilicate mineralogy. Post‐oxidative changes in mineral composition were estimated by (i) the determination of elements released into the NaOCl solution, (ii) the difference in dithionite‐ and oxalate‐extractable Si, Al and Fe, and (iii) the specific surface areas (SSAs) of the soils. The NaOCl procedure reduced the organic C concentrations by 12–72%. The amounts of elements released into the NaOCl extracts were small (≤ 0.14 g kg−1 for Si, ≤ 0.13 g kg−1 for Al, and ≤ 0.03 g kg−1 for Fe). The SSA data and the amounts of dithionite‐ and oxalate‐extractable elements suggest that the NaOCl oxidation at pH 8 does not attack pedogenic oxides and hydroxides and only slightly dissolves Al from the poorly crystalline minerals. Therefore, we recommend NaOCl oxidation at pH 8 for the purpose of isolating a stable organic matter pool in soils for process studies of organic matter stabilization.
Clay mineralogy determines the importance of biological versus abiotic processes for macroaggregate formation and stabilization
Authors: Denef K. , Six J. 
Published: July 2005

SummaryPlant residues, living roots and microbial activity play an important role in aggregate formation and the stabilization of soil organic carbon (SOC), but their impact might differ among soils with different clay mineralogy. We investigated the effect of these organic agents on aggregation and SOC during a 76‐day incubation of 2‐mm sieved soil from an illitic Kastanozem and a kaolinitic Ferralsol, subjected to the following treatments: (i) control (no residue input or plant growth), (ii) residue input, (iii) living plants, and (iv) residue input and living plants. After 46 and 76 days, aggregate size distribution, aggregate‐associated SOC and microbial‐C were measured. In both soils, microbial‐C was less in the control than in the residue and/or plant treatments. After 46 days, new large macroaggregates (> 2000 µm) were formed in the control treatment of the kaolinitic soil, but not of the illitic soil. Control macroaggregates in the kaolinitic soil were formed out of silt and clay particles without accumulating C. Residue input and plant growth had a greater positive effect on macroaggregate formation in the illitic than in the kaolinitic soil. A stronger relation was found between microbial‐C and amount of large macroaggregates in the illitic than in the kaolinitic soil. We conclude that kaolinitic soils can rapidly form macroaggregates independent of biological processes due to physical or electrostatic interactions between the 1:1 clay minerals and oxides. However, biological processes led to stronger organic bonds between the illite compared with the kaolinite clay, resulting in more macroaggregates with long‐term stability in the illitic than in the kaolinitic soil.
Mechanisms controlling the mobility of dissolved organic matter, aluminium and iron in podzol B horizons
Authors: Jansen B. , Nierop K. G. J. , Verstraten J. M. 
Published: July 2005

SummaryThe processes governing the (im)mobilization of Al, Fe and dissolved organic matter (DOM) in podzols are still subject to debate. In this study we investigated the mechanisms of (im)mobilization of Al, Fe and organic matter in the upper and lower B horizons of two podzols from the Netherlands that are in different stages of development. We equilibrated batches of soil material from each horizon with DOM solutions obtained from the Oh horizon of the corresponding soil profiles. We determined the amount of (im)mobilized Al, Fe and DOM after addition of Al and Fe at pH 4.0 and 4.5 and initial dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations of 10 mg C litre−1 or 30 mg C litre−1, respectively. At the combination of pH and DOC concentrations most realistic for the field situation, organic matter was retained in all horizons, the most being retained in the lower B horizon of the well‐developed soil and the least in the upper B horizon of the younger profile. Organic matter solubility seemed to be controlled mainly by precipitation as organo‐metal complexes and/or by adsorption on freshly precipitated solid Al‐ and Fe‐phases. In the lower B horizons, at pH 4.5, solubility of Al and Fe appeared to be controlled mainly by the equilibrium with secondary solid Al‐ and Fe‐phases. In the upper B horizons, the solubility of Al was controlled by adsorption processes, while Fe still precipitated as inorganic complexes as well as organic complexes in spite of the prevailing more acidic pH. Combined with a previous study of eluvial horizons from the same profiles, the results confirm the important role of organic matter in the transport of Al and Fe to create illuvial B horizons initially and subsequently deepening and differentiating them into Bh and Bs horizons.
Soil infiltration, runoff and sediment yield from a shallow soil with varied stone cover and intensity of rain
Authors: Mandal Uttam Kumar , Rao K. V. , Mishra P. K. , Vittal K. P. R. , Sharma K. L. , Narsimlu B. , Venkanna K. 
Published: July 2005

SummaryStones on the surface of the soil enhance infiltration and protect the soil against erosion. They are often removed in modern mechanized agriculture, with unfortunate side‐effects. We evaluated experimentally the influence of surface stones on infiltration, runoff and erosion under field conditions using a portable rainfall simulator on bare natural soil in semi‐arid tropical India, because modernization and mechanization often lead to removal of these stones in this region. Four fields with varied cover of stones from 3 to 65% were exposed to three rainfall intensities (48.5, 89.2 and 136.8 mm hour−1). Surface stones retarded surface runoff, increased final infiltration rates, and diminished sediment concentration and soil loss. The final infiltration ranged from 26 to 83% of rainfall when the rainfall intensity was 136.8 mm hour−1. The reduction in runoff and soil erosion and increase in infiltration were more pronounced where stones rested on the soil surface than where they were buried in the surface layer. The sediment yield increased from 2 g l−1 for 64.7% stone cover with rainfall of 48.5 mm hour−1 to 70 g l−1 for 3.5% stone cover with rain falling at 136.8 mm hour−1. The soil loss rate was less than 2 t ha−1 hour−1 for the field with stone cover of 64.7% even when the rainfall intensity was increased to 136.8 mm hour−1. The effects of stones on soil loss under the varied rainfall intensities were expressed mathematically. The particles in the sediment that ran off were mostly of silt size.
Neural network models to predict cation exchange capacity in arid regions of Iran
Authors: Amini M. , Abbaspour K. C. , Khademi H. , Fathianpour N. , Afyuni M. , Schulin R. 
Published: July 2005

SummaryDesign and analysis of land‐use management scenarios requires detailed soil data. When such data are needed on a large scale, pedotransfer functions (PTFs) could be used to estimate different soil properties. Because existing regression‐based PTFs for estimating cation exchange capacity (CEC) do not, in general, apply well to arid areas, this study was conducted (i) to evaluate the existing models and (ii) to develop neural network‐based PTFs for predicting CEC in Aridisols of Isfahan in central Iran. As most researches have found a significant correlation between CEC and soil organic matter content (OM) and clay content, we also used these two variables for modelling of CEC. We tested several published PTFs and developed two neural network algorithms using multilayer perceptron and general regression neural networks based on a set of 170 soil samples. The data set was divided into two subsets for calibration and testing of the models. In general, the neural network‐based models provided more reliable predictions than the regression‐based PTFs.
Stable isotopes, mesocosms and gut content analysis demonstrate trophic differences in two invasive decapod crustacea
Authors: RUDNICK DEBORAH , RESH VINCENT 
Published: July 2005

Summary1. Improving our understanding of dietary differences among omnivorous, benthic crustacea can help to define the scope of their trophic influence in benthic food webs. In this study, we examined the trophic ecology of two non‐native decapod crustaceans, the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) (CMC) and the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) (RSC), in the San Francisco Bay ecosystem to describe their food web impacts and explore whether these species are functionally equivalent in their impacts on aquatic benthic communities.2. We used multiple methods to maximise resolution of the diet of these species, including N and C stable isotope analysis of field data, controlled feeding experiments to estimate isotopic fractionation, mesocosm experiments, and gut content analysis (GCA).3. In experimental enclosures, both CMC and RSC caused significant declines in terrestrially derived plant detritus (P < 0.01) and algae (P < 0.02) relative to controls, and declines in densities of the caddisflyGumaga nigriculaby >50% relative to controls.4. Plant material dominated gut contents of both species, but several sediment‐dwelling invertebrate taxa were also found. GCA and mesocosm results indicate that CMC feed predominantly on surface‐dwelling invertebrates, suggesting that trophic impacts of this species could include a shift in invertebrate community composition towards sediment‐dwelling taxa.5. Stable isotope analysis supported a stronger relationship between CMC and both algae and algal‐associated invertebrates than with allochthonous plant materials, while RSC was more closely aligned with terrestrially derived detritus.6. The trophic ecology and life histories of these two invasive species translate into important differences in potential impacts on aquatic food webs. Our results suggest that the CMC differs from the RSC in exerting new pressures on autochthonous food sources and shallow‐dwelling invertebrates. The crab's wide‐ranging foraging techniques, use of intertidal habitat, and migration out of freshwater at sexual maturity increases the distribution of the impacts of this important invasive species.