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Analogous
Kinds of Analogous Terms modified by Analogous Selected AbstractsAnal cytology: Is there a role for reflex HPV DNA testing?DIAGNOSTIC CYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 3 2005A.E. Walts M.D. Abstract There is an increased incidence of anal squamous carcinoma and its precursor lesions (anal intraepithelial neoplasia [AIN]) among persons who engage in anal-receptive sex. Analogous to cervical cancer screening, anal Papanicplaou (Pap) smears currently are used to screen these high-risk populations. Human papilloma virus (HPV) has been implicated in anal carcinoma pathogenesis and this study was performed to assess the potential role of HPV DNA testing as an adjunct to anal cytology. We correlated cytological diagnoses and HPV DNA (Digene Hybrid Capture [HC II] assay) in anal specimens collected in SurePath liquid medium from 118 patients; 54.8% of cases diagnosed as atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) and 87.8% diagnosed as low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) or above tested positive for high- risk HPV DNA (B+). High-grade SIL (HSIL) was present in 31 of the 51 patients with follow-up. Although a cytological diagnosis of ASC-US or above was a reliable indicator for AIN, cytology frequently did not accurately predict the grade of SIL in subsequent biopsy. Our findings suggest that reflex HPV DNA testing would be helpful in triaging patients diagnosed with ASC-US. However, patients diagnosed with LSIL or above should go directly to ansocopic biopsy. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2005;33:152,156. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] CD303 (BDCA-2) signals in plasmacytoid dendritic cells via a BCR-like signalosome involving Syk, Slp65 and PLC,2EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 12 2007Jürgen Röck Abstract Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDC) are the main type,I interferon (IFN-I) producers and play a central role in innate and adaptive immunity. CD303 (BDCA-2) is a type,II c-type lectin specifically expressed by human PDC. CD303 signaling induces tyrosine phosphorylation and Src kinase dependent calcium influx. Cross-linking CD303 results in the inhibition of IFN-I production in stimulated PDC. Here, we demonstrate that PDC express a signalosome similar to the BCR signalosome, consisting of Lyn, Syk, Btk, Slp65 (Blnk) and PLC,2. CD303 associates with the signaling adapter FcR ,-chain. Triggering CD303 leads to tyrosine phosphorylation of Syk, Slp65, PLC,2 and cytoskeletal proteins. Analogous to BCR signaling, CD303 signaling is likely linked with its internalization by clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Furthermore, CD303 signaling leads to reduced levels of transcripts for IFN-I genes and IFN-I-responsive genes, indicating that the inhibition of IFN-I production by stimulated PDC is at least partially regulated at the transcriptional level. These results support a possible therapeutic value of an anti-CD303 mAb strategy, since the production of IFN-I by PDC is considered to be a major pathophysiological factor in systemic lupus erythematosus patients. See accompanying commentary at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eji200737944 [source] The crystal structure of phenylpyruvate decarboxylase from Azospirillum brasilense at 1.5 Å resolutionFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 9 2007Implications for its catalytic, regulatory mechanism Phenylpyruvate decarboxylase (PPDC) of Azospirillum brasilense, involved in the biosynthesis of the plant hormone indole-3-acetic acid and the antimicrobial compound phenylacetic acid, is a thiamine diphosphate-dependent enzyme that catalyses the nonoxidative decarboxylation of indole- and phenylpyruvate. Analogous to yeast pyruvate decarboxylases, PPDC is subject to allosteric substrate activation, showing sigmoidal v versus [S] plots. The present paper reports the crystal structure of this enzyme determined at 1.5 Å resolution. The subunit architecture of PPDC is characteristic for other members of the pyruvate oxidase family, with each subunit consisting of three domains with an open ,/, topology. An active site loop, bearing the catalytic residues His112 and His113, could not be modelled due to flexibility. The biological tetramer is best described as an asymmetric dimer of dimers. A cysteine residue that has been suggested as the site for regulatory substrate binding in yeast pyruvate decarboxylase is not conserved, requiring a different mechanism for allosteric substrate activation in PPDC. Only minor changes occur in the interactions with the cofactors, thiamine diphosphate and Mg2+, compared to pyruvate decarboxylase. A greater diversity is observed in the substrate binding pocket accounting for the difference in substrate specificity. Moreover, a catalytically important glutamate residue conserved in nearly all decarboxylases is replaced by a leucine in PPDC. The consequences of these differences in terms of the catalytic and regulatory mechanism of PPDC are discussed. [source] Characterization and mode of action of an exopolygalacturonase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritimaFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 21 2005Leon D. Kluskens An intracellular pectinolytic enzyme, PelB (TM0437), from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima was functionally produced in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. PelB belongs to family 28 of the glycoside hydrolases, consisting of pectin-hydrolysing enzymes. As one of the few bacterial exopolygalacturonases, it is able to remove monogalacturonate units from the nonreducing end of polygalacturonate. Detailed characterization of the enzyme showed that PelB is highly thermo-active and thermostable, with a melting temperature of 105 °C and a temperature optimum of 80 °C, the highest described to date for hydrolytic pectinases. PelB showed increasing activity on oligosaccharides with an increasing degree of polymerization. The highest activity was found on the pentamer (1000 U·mg,1). In addition, the affinity increased in conjunction with the length of the oligoGalpA chain. PelB displayed specificity for saturated oligoGalpA and was unable to degrade unsaturated or methyl-esterified oligoGalpA. Analogous to the exopolygalacturonase from Aspergillus tubingensis, it showed low activity with xylogalacturonan. Calculations on the subsite affinity revealed the presence of four subsites and a high affinity for GalpA at subsite +1, which is typical of exo-active enzymes. The physiological role of PelB and the previously characterized exopectate lyase PelA is discussed. [source] High Definition Digital Fabrication of Active Organic Devices by Molecular Jet Printing,ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 15 2007J. Chen Abstract We introduce a high resolution molecular jet (MoJet) printing technique for vacuum deposition of evaporated thin films and apply it to fabrication of 30,,m pixelated (800,ppi) molecular organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) based on aluminum tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) (Alq3) and fabrication of narrow channel (15,,m) organic field effect transistors (OFETs) with pentacene channel and silver contacts. Patterned printing of both organic and metal films is demonstrated, with the operating properties of MoJet-printed OLEDs and OFETs shown to be comparable to the performance of devices fabricated by conventional evaporative deposition through a metal stencil. We show that the MoJet printing technique is reconfigurable for digital fabrication of arbitrary patterns with multiple material sets and high print accuracy (of better than 5,,m), and scalable to fabrication on large area substrates. Analogous to the concept of "drop-on-demand" in Inkjet printing technology, MoJet printing is a "flux-on-demand" process and we show it capable of fabricating multi-layer stacked film structures, as needed for engineered organic devices. [source] The complexity of individuationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOANALYTIC STUDIES, Issue 4 2004Inna Semetsky Honorary Research Associate Abstract This paper addresses the problematics of individuation in Deleuze and Guattari's philosophy. The concept of fold , the inside of the outside , is analyzed in terms of the relations between thought and unthought constituting the process of thinking in affects. It is suggested that thinking of this sort, called by Deleuze the supreme act of philosophy, may be considered tending towards Jungian and post-Jungian depth psychology. The unconscious of thought is described by the archetypal dynamics of forces acting in the space of the Outside, that this paper posits as the field of collective unconscious. Analogous to Deleuzian virtual tendencies, Jungian archetypes subsist in potentia only and, as a multiplicity of relations between forces, can be expressed through cartographic microanalysis. In accord with Deleuze's method of transcendental empiricism, the unconscious, immanent, microperceptions are reterritorialized by means of mapping the archetypal field. Copyright © 2004 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Polymorphism and signature of selection in the MHC class I genes of the three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatusJOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 2006H. Schaschl The role and intensity of positive selection maintaining the polymorphism of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I genes in the three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus was investigated. The highly polymorphic set of MHC class I genes found was organized in a single linkage group. Between 5 and 14 sequence variants per individual were identified by single-stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Segregation analysis studied in 10 three-spined stickleback families followed the expected pattern of Mendelian inheritance. The gamete fusion in three-spined stickleback thus seems to be random with respect to the MHC class I genes. The DNA sequence analyses showed that the expressed MHC class I loci are under strong selection pressure, possibly mediated by parasites. Codons that were revealed to be under positive selection are potentially important in antigen binding. MHC class I sequences did not form significant supported clusters within a phylogenetic tree. Analogous to MHC class II genes, it was not possible to assign the class I sequences to a specific locus, suggesting that the class I genes may have been generated by recent gene duplication. [source] Fluctuation of Vegetative Storage Proteins in the Seedlings of Swietenia macrophylla, Analogous to the Seasonal Changes of Those in the Shoot of the Adult TreeJOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2007Ya-Qin Han Abstract In order to identify appropriate plant materials for studying the gene expression and biological function of vegetative storage proteins (VSPs) in woody plants, the VSPs in the seedlings of Swietenia macrophylla King were investigated by using light microscopy, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western-blotting. The seed of S. macrophylla was rich in storage proteins that accumulated in the vacuoles of cotyledon parenchyma cells in appearance of compact spherical grains. The growth and development of S. macrophylla seedlings were characterized by an obvious growth rhythm. The storage proteins in seeds disappeared during seedling growth while VSPs appeared in the stem 2 weeks after seedling leaves matured. Thereafter, the VSPs in the seedling stem almost exhausted during new shoot growth, and when the leaves of new shoot just matured, both the stem beneath the new shoot of seedlings and the stem of new shoot started to accumulate VSPs. Nitrogen application dramatically increased the level of VSPs, but had little influence on the dynamics of VSP consumption and accumulation in seedling stem. Together with these data, the fluctuation of VSPs in seedlings was very similar to that in the branches of the adult trees. In addition, seedlings are easy to be treated due to their small size. Our results suggested that S. macrophylla seedlings were suitable for investigating the biological roles of VSPs and the mechanism of nitrogen storage in trees. [source] Compound-specific stable-isotope (,13C) analysis in soil scienceJOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION AND SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 5 2005Bruno Glaser Abstract This review provides current state of the art of compound-specific stable-isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (,13C) and gives an overview on innovative applications in soil science. After a short introduction on the background of stable C isotopes and their ecological significance, different techniques for compound-specific stable-isotope analysis are compared. Analogous to the ,13C analysis in bulk samples, by means of elemental analyzer,isotope-ratio mass spectrometry, physical fractions such as particle-size fractions, soil microbial biomass, and water-soluble organic C can be analyzed. The main focus of this review is, however, to discuss the isotope composition of chemical fractions (so-called molecular markers) indicating plant- (pentoses, long-chain n-alkanes, lignin phenols) and microbial-derived residues (phospholipid fatty acids, hexoses, amino sugars, and short-chain n-alkanes) as well as other interesting soil constituents such as "black carbon" and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. For this purpose, innovative techniques such as pyrolysis,gas chromatography,combustion,isotope-ratio mass spectrometry, gas chromatography,combustion,isotope-ratio mass spectrometry, or liquid chromatography,combustion,isotope-ratio mass spectrometry were compared. These techniques can be used in general for two purposes, (1) to quantify sequestration and turnover of specific organic compounds in the environment and (2) to trace the origin of organic substances. Turnover times of physical (sand < silt < clay) and chemical fractions (lignin < phospholipid fatty acids < amino sugars , sugars) are generally shorter compared to bulk soil and increase in the order given in brackets. Tracing the origin of organic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is difficult when more than two sources are involved and isotope difference of different sources is small. Therefore, this application is preferentially used when natural (e.g., C3-to-C4 plant conversion) or artificial (positive or negative) 13C labeling is used. Substanzspezifische Stabilisotopenanalyse (,13C) in der Bodenforschung Dieser Artikel fasst den Stand der Forschung bezüglich der substanzspezifischen Stabilisotopenanalyse (,13C) zusammen. Innovative Anwendungen und ein Ausblick für künftige Forschungsaktivitäten werden anhand von Fallbeispielen gegeben. Zunächst wird die ökologische Bedeutung von stabilen C-Isotopen kurz erläutert. Daran schließt sich ein methodischer Teil an, in welchem die verschiedenen Techniken gegenüber gestellt werden. Analog zu ,13C-Messungen der Feinerde mittels Elementaranalysator-Isotopenverhältnis-Massenspektrometrie können physikalisch isolierte Fraktionen (z.,B. Korngrößenfraktionen, mikrobielle Biomasse, DOC) analysiert werden. Der Schwerpunkt dieses Übersichtsartikels liegt jedoch in der Diskussion der C-Isotopensignatur chemischer Fraktionen (sog. Biomarker), welche Rückschlüsse auf Herkunft und Dynamik pflanzlicher (Pentosen, langkettige n-Alkane, Ligninphenole) und mikrobieller Rückstände (Phospholipidfettsäuren, Hexosen, Aminozucker und kurzkettige n-Alkane) sowie anderer interessanter Substanzen im Boden erlaubt wie z.,B. ,Black Carbon" und polyzyklische aromatische Kohlenwasserstoffe. Zu diesem Zweck kommen innovative Techniken zum Einsatz wie z.,B. Pyrolyse-Gaschromatographie-Isotopenverhältnismassenspektrometrie, Gaschromatographie-Verbrennungs-Isotopenverhältnismassenspektrometrie und Flüssigkeitschromatographie-Oxidations-Isotopenverhältnismassenspektrometrie. Innovative ökologische Anwendungen werden erläutert, welche sich prinzipiell in zwei Kategorien einteilen lassen: (1) Quantifizierung der Sequestrierung und des Umsatzes dieser Verbindungen in der Umwelt; (2) Untersuchung der Herkunft spezifischer organischer Substanzen. Umsatzzeiten physikalischer (Sand < Schluff < Ton) und chemischer Fraktionen (Lignin < Phospholipidfettsäuren < Aminozucker , Zucker) sind generall kleiner als jene der gesamten organischen Substanz in der Feinerde und nehmen in der in Klammern angegebenen Reihenfolge zu. Die Untersuchung der Herkunft organischer Substanzen (z.,B. polyzyklischer aromatischer Kohlenwasserstoffe) ist problematisch, weil die Unterschiede der Isotopensignatur verschiedener Quellen gering sind und meist mehr als zwei Quellen zur Isotopensignatur des untersuchten Biomarkers beitragen. Deswegen sollte die Untersuchung der Herkunft organischer Substanzen auf Tracer-Experimente beschränkt werden, wie z.,B. nach natürlicher (C3-C4-Pflanzenwechsel) bzw. künstlicher (13C-An- oder -Abreicherung) Markierung. [source] Treatment of alopecia areata with the 308-nm xenon chloride excimer laser: Case report of two successful treatments with the excimer laserLASERS IN SURGERY AND MEDICINE, Issue 2 2004Cuneyt Gundogan MD Abstract Background and Objectives Alopecia areata is a common disease of unknown etiology; it causes significant cosmetic and psycho-social distress for most of the people it affects. We report on an innovative form of treatment in two patients with typical alopecia areata on the capillitium. Study Design/Patients and Methods We successfully treated two patients whose alopecia areata had worsened progressively for 3 and 14 weeks. The treatment involved the use of a 308 nm xenon chloride excimer laser (dosage 300,2,300 mJ/cm2 per session). Results After 11 and 12 sessions within a 9-week and 11-week period, the entire affected focus showed homogenous and thick regrowth. No relapse was observed during the follow-up period of 5 and 18 months. Conclusions The use of the excimer laser is an effective, elegant, and safe means of treatment and has good tolerability. Analogous to topical treatment of alopecia areata, the immunosuppressive mechanism of the excimer laser can be interpreted as an induction of T-cell apoptosis. This new means of treatment has yet to be discussed in medical literature. Further studies with greater numbers are needed to assess its potential more precisely and evaluate the excimer laser in treating alopecia areata. Lasers Surg. Med. 34:86,90, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Pneumoperitoneum versus abdominal wall lift: effects on central haemodynamics and intrathoracic pressure during laparoscopic cholecystectomyACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 7 2003L. Andersson Background:, It has been shown repeatedly that laparoscopic cholecystectomy using pneumoperitoneum (CO2 insufflation) may be associated with increased cardiac filling pressures and an increase in blood pressure and systemic vascular resistance. In the present study, the effects on the central circulation during abdominal wall lift (a gasless method of laparoscopic cholecystectomy) were compared with those during pneumoperitoneum. The study was also aimed at elucidating the relationships between the central filling pressures and the intrathoracic pressure. Methods:, Twenty patients (ASA I), scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy, were randomised into two groups, pneumoperitoneum or abdominal wall lift. Measurements were made by arterial and pulmonary arterial catheterization before and during pneumoperitoneum or abdominal wall lift with the patient in the horizontal position. Measurements were repeated after head-up tilting the patients as well as after 30 min head-up tilt. The intrathoracic pressure was monitored in the horizontal position before and during intervention using an intraesophageal balloon. Results:, After pneumoperitoneum or abdominal wall lifting there were significant differences between the two groups regarding MAP, SVR, CVP, CI, and SV. Analogous to previous studies, in the pneumoperitoneum group CVP, PCWP, MPAP, and MAP as well as SVR were increased after CO2 insufflation (P < 0.01), while CI and SV were not affected. In contrast, in the abdominal wall lift group, CI and SV were significantly increased (P < 0.01), as was MAP (P < 0.01), while CVP, PCWP, MPAP, and SVR were not significantly affected. There was a significant difference in intraesophageal pressure between the two groups. In the pneumoperitoneum group, the intraesophageal pressure was increased by insufflation (P < 0.01) while, in the abdominal wall lift group, it was unaffected. In the pneumoperitoneum group the mean increases in cardiac filling pressures were of the same magnitude as the mean increase in the intraesophageal pressure. Conclusions:, In healthy patients, abdominal wall lift increased cardiac index while pneumoperitoneum did not. Cardiac filling pressures and systemic vascular resistance were increased by pneumoperitoneum but unaffected by abdominal wall lift. The recorded elevated cardiac filling pressures during pneumoperitoneum may be only a reflection of the increased intra-abdominal pressure. [source] Intraepidermal nerve fiber density as a marker of early diabetic neuropathyMUSCLE AND NERVE, Issue 5 2007T. Umapathi MB Abstract The purpose of the study was to reliably identify an early stage of diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) by measuring injury to epidermal nerve fibers. We compared intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) at the ankle and thigh of 29 diabetic subjects who had no clinical or electrophysiological evidence of small- or large-fiber neuropathy to that of 84 healthy controls. The mean ankle IENFD of diabetic subjects was 9.1 ± 5.0 mm and that of controls, 13.0 ± 4.8 mm (P < 0.001). The thigh IENFD did not differ significantly. The IENFD ratio (thigh IENFD divided by ankle IENFD) was 2.39 ± 1.30 in diabetic subjects and 1.77 ± 0.58 in controls (P < 0.001), indicating a length-dependent reduction of IENFD in diabetics. Ankle IENFD remained significantly lower and the IENFD ratio higher in diabetic subjects after adjusting for age. Two subjects had parasympathetic dysfunction, two had retinopathy, and two early nephropathy. Age, height, weight, duration of diabetes, and average HbA1c did not influence IENFD among diabetic subjects. We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to describe and compare the utility of various threshold values of ankle IENFD and IENFD ratio for the diagnosis of early DPN. The sensitivity and specificity of diagnosing DPN using ankle IENFD of less than 10 mm were 72.4% and 76.2%, respectively. Thus, asymptomatic diabetics have a measurable, length-dependent reduction of distal epidermal nerves. Analogous to microalbuminuria in diabetic nephropathy, reliable identification and quantitation of nascent diabetic neuropathy may have potential therapeutic implications. Muscle Nerve, 2007 [source] Toxicity profile of delayed high dose sodium thiosulfate in children treated with carboplatin in conjunction with blood-brain-barrier disruption,PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER, Issue 2 2006Edward A. Neuwelt MD Abstract Purpose To assess the safety of delayed high dose intravenous (i.v.) sodium thiosulfate (STS) in a case series of 12 children with malignant brain tumors who were treated with intraarterial (i.a.) carboplatin in conjunction with blood-brain-barrier disruption (BBBD). Methods Twelve children ages 17 months,12 years underwent a total of 132 BBBD chemotherapy treatments and also received delayed high dose STS (i.v.). Dose 1 of STS (10,16 g/m2) was administered 2 or 4 hr after carboplatin, and a second STS dose was administered 4 hr after dose 1 if the child had impaired baseline hearing. Toxicity data were graded in accordance with the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria (Version 2). Audiologic monitoring to evaluate the otoprotective potential of STS was performed on 11 children. Ototoxicity was defined in accordance with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) criteria. Baseline and end of treatment hearing status were graded using Brock's criteria. Results Nausea and vomiting were well controlled with anti-emetics administered approximately 30 min prior to STS infusion. Analogous to results in adult patients, there was mild transient hypernatremia and a trend for improved protection from ototoxicity in children who received STS delayed to 4 hr post-treatment versus 2 hr. Tumor responses were seen in heavily pre-treated patients with relatively chemo-resistant tumors, suggesting that STS did not protect the tumor from platinum cytotoxicity. Conclusion High dose STS is well tolerated in children under 12 years of age. Further studies of STS in children are warranted to assess otoprotection and the impact of STS on platinum mediated efficacy. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Automated system for simultaneous analysis of ,13C, ,18O and CO2 concentrations in small air samplesRAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 5 2002Miquel Ribas-Carbo In this paper we present an automated system for simultaneous measurement of CO2 concentration, ,13C and ,18O from small (<1,mL) air samples in a short period of time (,1 hour). This system combines continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry (CF-IRMS) and gas chromatography (GC) with an inlet system similar to conventional dual-inlet methods permitting several measurement cycles of standard and sample air. Analogous to the dual-inlet method, the precision of this system increases with the number of replicate cycles measured. The standard error of the mean for a measurement with this system is 0.7,ppm for the CO2 concentration and 0.05, for the ,13C and ,18O with four replicate cycles and 0.4,ppm and 0.03, respectively with nine replicate cycles. The mean offset of our measurements from NOAA/CMDL analyzed air samples was 0.08,ppm for the CO2 concentration, 0.01, for ,13C and 0.00, for ,18O. A specific list of the parts and operation of the system is detailed as well as some of the applications for micrometeorological and ecophysiological applications. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] ChemInform Abstract: Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of Isothiazolyl Oxazolidinones and Analogous 3(2H)-Isothiazolones.CHEMINFORM, Issue 19 2010Neda Adibpour Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a "Full Text" option. The original article is trackable via the "References" option. [source] ChemInform Abstract: Td B(BO)4 - : A Tetrahedral Boron Oxide Cluster Analogous to Boron Hydride Td BH4 -CHEMINFORM, Issue 22 2009Wen-Zhi Yao Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a "Full Text" option. The original article is trackable via the "References" option. [source] Applying Network Analysis to the Conservation of Habitat Trees in Urban Environments: a Case Study from Brisbane, AustraliaCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2006MONIKA RHODES conectividad de perchas; fauna que utiliza oquedades; planificación de la conservación; red sin escala; Tadarida australis Abstract:,In Australia more than 300 vertebrates, including 43 insectivorous bat species, depend on hollows in habitat trees for shelter, with many species using a network of multiple trees as roosts. We used roost-switching data on white-striped freetail bats (Tadarida australis; Microchiroptera: Molossidae) to construct a network representation of day roosts in suburban Brisbane, Australia. Bats were caught from a communal roost tree with a roosting group of several hundred individuals and released with transmitters. Each roost used by the bats represented a node in the network, and the movements of bats between roosts formed the links between nodes. Despite differences in gender and reproductive stages, the bats exhibited the same behavior throughout three radiotelemetry periods and over 500 bat days of radio tracking: each roosted in separate roosts, switched roosts very infrequently, and associated with other bats only at the communal roost. This network resembled a scale-free network in which the distribution of the number of links from each roost followed a power law. Despite being spread over a large geographic area (>200 km2), each roost was connected to others by less than three links. One roost (the hub or communal roost) defined the architecture of the network because it had the most links. That the network showed scale-free properties has profound implications for the management of the habitat trees of this roosting group. Scale-free networks provide high tolerance against stochastic events such as random roost removals but are susceptible to the selective removal of hub nodes. Network analysis is a useful tool for understanding the structural organization of habitat tree usage and allows the informed judgment of the relative importance of individual trees and hence the derivation of appropriate management decisions. Conservation planners and managers should emphasize the differential importance of habitat trees and think of them as being analogous to vital service centers in human societies. Resumen:,En Australia, más de 300 vertebrados, incluyendo 43 especies de murciélagos insectívoros, dependen de oquedades en árboles para refugiarse; muchas de ellas perchan en una red de múltiples árboles. Utilizamos datos de cambio de perchas en Tadarida australis (Microchiroptera: Molossidae) para construir una representación reticular de las perchas diurnas en los suburbios de Brisbane, Australia. Los murciélagos fueron capturados en un árbol con un grupo de varios cientos de individuos y liberados con transmisores. Cada percha utilizada por los murciélagos representó un nodo individual en la red, y los movimientos de murciélagos entre perchas constituyeron los eslabones entre los nodos. A pesar de las diferencias de género y etapas reproductivas, los murciélagos mostraron el mismo comportamiento en tres períodos de radiotelemetría y en más de 500 días de seguimiento de murciélagos: cada uno utilizó perchas separadas, cambiaban de percha poco frecuentemente, y se asociaron con otros murciélagos sólo en las perchas comunales. Esta red fue semejante a una red sin escala en la que la distribución del número de eslabones de cada percha cumplió una ley potencial. A pesar de estar dispersas en un área geográfica extensa (>200 km2), cada percha estaba conectada con otras por menos de tres eslabones. Una percha (el centro o percha comunal) definió la arquitectura de la red porque tenía a la mayoría de los eslabones. El hecho de que la red mostrara propiedades libres de escala tiene implicaciones profundas para la gestión de árboles que funcionan como perchas. Las redes libres de escala proporcionan alta tolerancia a eventos estocásticos como la remoción aleatoria de perchas, pero son susceptibles a la remoción selectiva de nodos centrales. El análisis de redes es una herramienta útil para el entendimiento de la organización estructural del uso de de árboles y permite el juicio informado de la importancia relativa de árboles individuales y por lo tanto la derivación de decisiones administrativas apropiadas Los planificadores y gestores de la conservación deberían enfatizar la importancia diferencial de árboles y considerarlos análogos a los centros de servicio vitales en las sociedades humanas. [source] Significance of Specimen Databases from Taxonomic Revisions for Estimating and Mapping the Global Species Diversity of Invertebrates and Repatriating Reliable Specimen DataCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2004RUDOLF MEIER More specifically, we demonstrate for a specimen database assembled during a revision of the robber-fly genus Euscelidia (Asilidae, Diptera) how nonparametric species richness estimators (Chao1, incidence-based coverage estimator, second-order jackknife) can be used to (1) estimate global species diversity, (2) direct future collecting to areas that are undersampled and/or likely to be rich in new species, and (3) assess whether the plant-based global biodiversity hotspots of Myers et al. (2000) contain a significant proportion of invertebrates. During the revision of Euscelidia, the number of known species more than doubled, but estimation of species richness revealed that the true diversity of the genus was likely twice as high. The same techniques applied to subsamples of the data indicated that much of the unknown diversity will be found in the Oriental region. Assessing the validity of biodiversity hotspots for invertebrates is a formidable challenge because it is difficult to decide whether species are hotspot endemics, and lists of observed species dramatically underestimate true diversity. Lastly, conservation biologists need a specimen database analogous to GenBank for collecting specimen records. Such a database has a three-fold advantage over information obtained from digitized museum collections: (1) it is shown for Euscelidia that a large proportion of unrevised museum specimens are misidentified; (2) only the specimen lists in revisionary studies cover a wide variety of private and public collections; and (3) obtaining specimen records from revisions is cost-effective. Resumen:,Sostuvimos que los millones de registros de especimenes publicados en miles de revisiones taxonómicas en décadas anteriores son una fuente de información costo-efectiva de importancia crítica para la incorporación de invertebrados en decisiones de investigación y conservación. Más específicamente, para una base de datos de especimenes de moscas del género Euscelidia (Asilidae, Diptera) demostramos como se pueden utilizar estimadores no paramétricos de riqueza de especies (Chao 1, estimador de cobertura basado en incidencia, navaja de segundo orden) para (1) estimar la diversidad global de especies, (2) dirigir colecciones futuras a áreas que están sub-muestreadas y/o probablemente tengan especies nuevas y (3) evaluar si los sitios globales de importancia para la biodiversidad basados en plantas de Myers et al. (2000) contienen una proporción significativa de invertebrados. Durante la revisión de Euscelidia el número de especies conocidas fue más del doble, pero la estimación de riqueza de especies reveló que la diversidad real del género probablemente también era el doble. Las mismas técnicas aplicadas a las sub-muestras de datos indicaron que gran parte de la diversidad no conocida se encontrará en la Región Oriental. La evaluación de la validez de sitios de importancia para la biodiversidad de invertebrados es un reto formidable porque es difícil decidir si las especies son endémicas de esos sitios y si las listas de especies observadas subestiman dramáticamente la diversidad real. Finalmente, los biólogos de la conservación requieren de una base de datos de especimenes análoga a GenBank, para obtener registros de especimenes. Dicha base de datos tiene una triple ventaja sobre la información obtenida de colecciones de museos digitalizadas. (1) Se muestra para Euscelidia que una gran proporción de especimenes de museo no revisados están mal identificados. (2) Sólo las listas de especimenes en estudios de revisión cubren una amplia variedad de colecciones privadas y públicas. (3) La obtención de registros en revisiones es costo-efectiva. [source] A Note on the Interdependence between Hypothesis Generation and Information Search in Conducting Analytical Procedures,CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTING RESEARCH, Issue 2 2003Stephen K. Asare Abstract This study examines the linkage among the initial hypothesis set, the information search, and decision performance in performing analytical procedures. We manipulated the quality of the initial hypothesis set and the quality of the information search to investigate the extent to which deficiencies (or benefits) in either process can be remedied (or negated) by the other phase. The hypothesis set manipulation entailed inheriting a correct hypothesis set, inheriting an incorrect hypothesis set, or generating a hypothesis set. The information search was manipulated by providing a balanced evidence set to auditors (i.e., evidence on a range of likely causes including the actual cause - analogous to a standard audit program) or asking them to conduct their own search. One hundred and two auditors participated in the study. The results show that auditors who inherit a correct hypothesis set and receive balanced evidence performed better than those who inherit a correct hypothesis set and did their own search, as well as those who inherited an incorrect hypothesis set and were provided a balanced evidence set. The former performance difference arose because auditors who conducted their own search were found to do repeated testing of non-errors and truncated their search. This suggests that having a correct hypothesis set does not ensure that a balanced testing strategy is employed, which, in turn, diminishes part of the presumed benefits of a correct hypothesis set. The latter performance difference was attributable to auditors' failure to generate new hypotheses when they received evidence about a hypothesis that was not in the current hypothesis set. This demonstrates that balanced evidence does not fully compensate for having an initial incorrect hypothesis set. These findings suggest the need for firm training and/or decision aids to facilitate both a balanced information search and an iterative hypothesis generation process. [source] Pseudopotential theory of a partially ionized hydrogen plasmaCONTRIBUTIONS TO PLASMA PHYSICS, Issue 5-6 2003Yu.V. Arkhipov Abstract In the framework of the BBGKY hierarchy the main features of interparticle interactions in a partially ionized hydrogen plasma are extensively studied. The theory developed is quite analogous to the Debye-Hückel approximation of a fully ionized plasma. (© 2003 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Respiratory muscle performance with stretch-shortening cycle manoeuvres: maximal inspiratory pressure,flow curvesACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, Issue 3 2005G. E. Tzelepis Abstract Aim:, To test the hypothesis that the maximal inspiratory muscle (IM) performance, as assessed by the maximal IM pressure,flow relationship, is enhanced with the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC). Methods:, Maximal inspiratory flow,pressure curves were measured in 12 healthy volunteers (35 ± 6 years) during maximal single efforts through a range of graded resistors (4-, 6-, and 8-mm diameter orifices), against an occluded airway, and with a minimal load (wide-open resistor). Maximal inspiratory efforts were initiated at a volume near residual lung volume (RV). The subjects exhaled to RV using slow (S) or fast (F) manoeuvres. With the S manoeuvre, they exhaled slowly to RV and held the breath at RV for about 4 s prior to maximal inspiration. With the F manoeuvre, they exhaled rapidly to RV and immediately inhaled maximally without a post-expiratory hold; a strategy designed to enhance inspiratory pressure via the SSC. Results:, The maximal inspiratory pressure,flow relationship was linear with the S and F manoeuvres (r2 = 0.88 for S and r2 = 0.88 for F manoeuvre, P < 0.0005 in all subjects). With the F manoeuvre, the pressure,flow relationship shifted to the right in a parallel fashion and the calculated maximal power increased by approximately 10% (P < 0.05) over that calculated with the S manoeuvre. Conclusion:, The maximal inspiratory pressure,flow capacity can be enhanced with SSC manoeuvres in a manner analogous to increases in the force,velocity relationship with SSC reported for skeletal muscles. [source] ,Salience syndrome' replaces ,schizophrenia' in DSM-V and ICD-11: psychiatry's evidence-based entry into the 21st century?ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 5 2009J. Van Os Objective:, Japan was the first country to abandon the 19th century term of ,mind-splitting disease' (schizophrenia). Revisions of DSM and ICD are forthcoming. Should the rest of the world follow Japan's example? Method:, A comprehensive literature search was carried out in order to review the scientific evidence for the validity, usefulness and acceptability of current concepts of psychotic disorder. Results:, The discussion about re-classifying and renaming schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders is clouded by conceptual confusion. First, it is often misunderstood as a misguided attempt to change societal stigma instead of an attempt to change iatrogenic stigma occasioned by the use of misleading and mystifying terminology. Second, the debate is misunderstood as purely semantic, whereas in actual fact it is about the core concepts underlying psychiatric nosology. Third, it has been suggested that the debate is political. However, solid scientific evidence pointing to the absence of nosological validity of diagnostic categories lies at the heart of the argument. Fourth, there is confusion about what constitutes a syndrome (a group of symptom dimensions that cluster in different combinations in different people and for which one or more underlying diseases may or may not be found) and a disease (a nosologically valid entity with specific causes, symptoms, treatment and course). Conclusion:, Scientific evidence favours a syndromal system of classification combining categorical and dimensional representations of psychosis. The concept of ,salience' has the potential to make the public recognize psychosis as relating to an aspect of human mentation and experience that is universal. It is proposed to introduce, analogous to the functional-descriptive term ,Metabolic syndrome', the diagnosis of ,Salience syndrome' to replace all current diagnostic categories of psychotic disorders. Within Salience syndrome, three subcategories may be identified, based on scientific evidence of relatively valid and specific contrasts, named Salience syndrome with affective expression, Salience syndrome with developmental expression and Salience syndrome not otherwise specified. [source] Shh/BMP-4 signaling pathway is essential for intestinal epithelial development during Xenopus larval-to-adult remodelingDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 12 2006Atsuko Ishizuya-Oka Abstract During amphibian larval-to-adult intestinal remodeling, progenitor cells of the adult epithelium actively proliferate and differentiate under the control of thyroid hormone (TH) to form the intestinal absorptive epithelium, which is analogous to the mammalian counterpart. We previously found that TH,up-regulated expression of bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP-4) spatiotemporally correlates with adult epithelial development in the Xenopus laevis intestine. Here, we aimed to clarify the role of BMP-4 in intestinal remodeling. Our reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization analyses indicated that mRNA of BMPR-IA, a type I receptor of BMP-4, is expressed in both the developing connective tissue and progenitor cells of the adult epithelium. More importantly, using organ culture and immunohistochemical procedures, we have shown that BMP-4 not only represses cell proliferation of the connective tissue but promotes differentiation of the intestinal absorptive epithelium. In addition, we found that the connective tissue-specific expression of BMP-4 mRNA is up-regulated by sonic hedgehog (Shh), whose epithelium-specific expression is directly induced by TH. These results strongly suggest that the Shh/BMP-4 signaling pathway plays key roles in the amphibian intestinal remodeling through epithelial,connective tissue interactions. Developmental Dynamics 235:3240,3249, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Zebrafish IRX1b in the embryonic cardiac ventricle,DEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 4 2004Elaine M. Joseph Abstract The synchronous contraction of the vertebrate heart requires a conduction system. While coordinated contraction of the cardiac chambers is observed in zebrafish larvae, no histological evidence yet has been found for the existence of a cardiac conduction system in this tractable teleost. The homeodomain transcription factor gene IRX1 has been shown in the mouse embryo to be a marker of cells that give rise to the distinctive cardiac ventricular conduction system. Here, I demonstrate that zebrafish IRX1b is expressed in a restricted subset of ventricular myocytes within the embryonic zebrafish heart. IRX1b expression occurs as the electrical maturation of the heart is taking place, in a location analogous to the initial expression domain of mouse IRX1. The gene expression pattern of IRX1b is altered in silent heart genetic mutant embryos and in embryos treated with the endothelin receptor antagonist bosentan. Furthermore, injection of a morpholino oligonucleotide targeted to block IRX1b translation slows the heart rate. Developmental Dynamics 231:720,726, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Fine-needle aspiration biopsy findings in sclerosing polycystic adenosis of the parotid glandDIAGNOSTIC CYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 7 2007Demet Etit M.D. Abstract Sclerosing polycystic adenosis (SPA) is a recently described, rare lesion of the salivary gland analogous to fibrocystic disease of the breast. Recognition of this benign entity is important since the differential diagnosis includes other more common benign and malignant salivary gland neoplasms, particularly mucoepidermoid carcinoma and tumors with cystic and oncocytic features. While the histomorphology of SPA is well documented, there is only one other cytologic description of SPA in the English-language literature. Here we describe the fine-needle aspiration biopsy findings in a case of SPA of the parotid gland in an 84-year-old woman. The aspirate was characterized by flat cohesive sheets of epithelial cells with moderate amounts of finely granular oncocytic cytoplasm and enlarged round nuclei with indistinct nucleoli. Some epithelial groups formed glandular structures with lumens, and the background contained small amounts of delicate mucoproteinaceous material. Occasional markedly vacuolated cells were present as well as many cells with apocrine change manifested by well-defined apical snouting. Familiarity with the cytomorphologic features of SPA, including its characteristic apocrine changes, is important for distinguishing it from other more clinically significant salivary gland lesions. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2007;35:444,447. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Reach-scale channel geometry of a mountain riverEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 8 2004Ellen Wohl Abstract Mountain rivers can be subject to strong constraints imposed by changes in gradient and grain size supplied by processes such as glaciation and rockfall. Nonetheless, adjustments in the channel geometry and hydraulics of mountain rivers at the reach scale can produce discernible patterns analogous to those in fully alluvial rivers. Mountain rivers can differ in that imposed reach-scale gradient is an especially important control on reach-scale channel characteristics, as indicated by examination of North St Vrain Creek in Colorado. North St Vrain Creek drains 250 km2 of the Rocky Mountains. We used 25 study reaches within the basin to examine controls on reach-scale channel geometry. Variables measured included channel geometry, large woody debris, grain size, and mean velocity. Drainage area at the study reaches ranged from 2·2 to 245 km2, and gradient from 0·013 to 0·147 m m,1. We examined correlations among (1) potential reach-scale response variables describing channel bankfull dimension and shape, hydraulics, bedform wavelength and amplitude, grain size, ,ow resistance, standard deviation of hydraulic radius, and volume of large woody debris, and (2) potential control variables that change progressively downstream (drainage area, discharge) or that are likely to re,ect a reach-speci,c control (bed gradient). We tested the hypothesis that response variables correlate most strongly with local bed gradient because of the segmented nature of mountain channels. Results from simple linear regression analyses indicate that most response variables correlate best with gradient, although channel width and width/depth ratio correlate best with discharge. Multiple regression analyses using Mallow's Cp selection criterion and log-transformation of all variables produced similar results in that most response variables correlate strongly with gradient. These results suggest that the hypothesis is partially supported: channel bed gradient is likely to be a good predictor for many reach-scale response variables along mountain rivers, but discharge is also an important predictor for some response variables. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Geographic body size gradients in tropical regions: water deficit and anuran body size in the Brazilian CerradoECOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2009Miguel Á. Olalla-Tárraga A recent interspecific study found Bergmann's size clines for Holarctic anurans and proposed an explanation based on heat balance to account for the pattern. However, this analysis was limited to cold temperate regions, and exploring the patterns in warmer tropical climates may reveal other factors that also influence anuran body size variation. We address this using a Cerrado anuran database. We examine the relationship between mean body size in a grid of 1° cells and environmental predictors and test the relative support for four hypotheses using an AIC-based model selection approach. Also, we considered three different amphibian phylogenies to partition the phylogenetic and specific components of the interspecific variation in body size using a method analogous to phylogenetic eigen vector regression (PVR). To consider the potential effects of spatial autocorrelation we use eigenvector-based spatial filters. We found the largest species inhabiting high water deficit areas in the northeast and the smallest in the wet southwest. Our results are consistent with the water availability hypothesis which, coupled with previous findings, suggests that the major determinant of interspecific body size variation in anurans switches from energy to water towards the equator. We propose that anuran body size gradients reflect effects of reduced surface to volume ratios in larger species to control both heat and water balance. [source] Forage collection, substrate preparation, and diet composition in fungus-growing antsECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 3 2010HENRIK H. DE FINE LICHT 1. Variation and control of nutritional input is an important selective force in the evolution of mutualistic interactions and may significantly affect coevolutionary modifications in partner species. 2. The attine fungus-growing ants are a tribe of more than 230 described species (12 genera) that use a variety of different substrates to manure the symbiotic fungus they cultivate inside the nest. Common ,wisdom' is that the conspicuous leaf-cutting ants primarily use freshly cut plant material, whereas most of the other attine species use dry and partly degraded plant material such as leaf litter and caterpillar frass, but systematic comparative studies of actual resource acquisition across the attine ants have not been done. 3. Here we review 179 literature records of diet composition across the extant genera of fungus-growing ants. The records confirm the dependence of leaf-cutting ants on fresh vegetation but find that flowers, dry plant debris, seeds (husks), and insect frass are used by all genera, whereas other substrates such as nectar and insect carcasses are only used by some. 4. Diet composition was significantly correlated with ant substrate preparation behaviours before adding forage to the fungus garden, indicating that diet composition and farming practices have co-evolved. Neither diet nor preparation behaviours changed when a clade within the paleoattine genus Apterostigma shifted from rearing leucocoprinous fungi to cultivating pterulaceous fungi, but the evolutionary derived transition to yeast growing in the Cyphomyrmex rimosus group, which relies almost exclusively on nectar and insect frass, was associated with specific changes in diet composition. 5. The co-evolutionary transitions in diet composition across the genera of attine ants indicate that fungus-farming insect societies have the possibility to obtain more optimal fungal crops via artificial selection, analogous to documented practice in human subsistence farming. [source] Demographic analysis of continuous-time life-history modelsECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 1 2008André M. De Roos Abstract I present a computational approach to calculate the population growth rate, its sensitivity to life-history parameters and associated statistics like the stable population distribution and the reproductive value for exponentially growing populations, in which individual life history is described as a continuous development through time. The method is generally applicable to analyse population growth and performance for a wide range of individual life-history models, including cases in which the population consists of different types of individuals or in which the environment is fluctuating periodically. It complements comparable methods developed for discrete-time dynamics modelled with matrix or integral projection models. The basic idea behind the method is to use Lotka's integral equation for the population growth rate and compute the integral occurring in that equation by integrating an ordinary differential equation, analogous to recently derived methods to compute steady-states of physiologically structured population models. I illustrate application of the method using a number of published life-history models. [source] Should we beware of the Precautionary Principle?ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 33 2001Christian Gollier How should society deal with risks when there is scientific uncertainty about the size of these risks? There has been much recent discussion of the Precautionary Principle, which states that lack of full scientific knowledge should not be used as a reason to postpone cost,effective preventive measures. We show in this paper that the Precautionary Principle contradicts one important intuition about the right way to act in the face of risk, namely the principle of ,looking before you leap'. When we expect to learn more about the future, the effectiveness of our preventive measures will be greater if we learn before we act. However, a number of other ways of taking uncertainty into account are consistent with a reasonable interpretation of the Precautionary Principle. First, postponing preventive measures may increase our vulnerability to damage, which induces a precautionary motive for risk,prevention, similar to the precautionary savings motive. Secondly, stronger preventive actions often yield more flexibility for the future, so that acting early has an option value. Thirdly, when better information comes from a process of learning,by,doing, the risk associated with early events is amplified by the information they yield about the future. This plays a role analogous to that of an increase in risk aversion, making us more cautious. Fourthly, because imperfect knowledge of the risk makes it difficult to insure, the social cost of risk should include a risk premium. Finally, uncertainty about the economic environment enjoyed by future generations should be taken into account. This raises the benefit of acting early to prevent long,term risks. If the Precautionary Principle sometimes gives good and sometimes gives bad advice, there is no escape from the need to undertake a careful cost,benefit analysis. We show that standard cost,benefit analysis can be refined to take account of scientific uncertainty, in ways that balance the Precautionary Principle against the benefits of waiting to learn before we act. Furthermore, it is important that they be used to do so, for instinct is an unreliable guide in such circumstances. Abandoning cost,benefit analysis in favour of simple maxims can result in some seriously misleading conclusions. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||