bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A randomized controlled trial of self‐management programme improves health‐related outcomes of older people with heart failure
Authors: Shao Jung‐Hua , Chang Anne M. , Edwards Helen , Shyu Yea‐Ing Lotus , Chen Su‐Hui
Published: March 2013

Aims

This paper is a report on the effectiveness of a self‐management programme based on the self‐efficacy construct, in older people with heart failure.

Background

Heart failure is a major health problem worldwide, with high mortality and morbidity, making it a leading cause of hospitalization. Heart failure is associated with a complex set of symptoms that arise from problems in fluid and sodium retention. Hence, managing salt and fluid intake is important and can be enhanced by improving patients' self‐efficacy in changing their behaviour.

Design

Randomized controlled trial.

Methods

Heart failure patients attending cardiac clinics in northern Taiwan from October 2006–May 2007 were randomly assigned to two groups: control (n = 46) and intervention (n = 47). The intervention group received a 12‐week self‐management programme that emphasized self‐monitoring of salt/fluid intake and heart failure‐related symptoms. Data were collected at baseline as well as 4 and 12 weeks later. Data analysis to test the hypotheses used repeated‐measures anova models.

Results

Participants who received the intervention programme had significantly better self‐efficacy for salt and fluid control, self‐management behaviour and their heart failure‐related symptoms were significantly lower than participants in the control group. However, the two groups did not differ significantly in health service use.

Conclusion

The self‐management programme improved self‐efficacy for salt and fluid control, self‐management behaviours, and decreased heart failure‐related symptoms in older Taiwanese outpatients with heart failure. Nursing interventions to improve health‐related outcomes for patients with heart failure should emphasize self‐efficacy in the self‐management of their disease.
Personal and Family Health in Rural Areas of Kentucky With and Without Mountaintop Coal Mining
Authors: Hendryx Michael
Published: March 2013

Purpose

This study investigates health disparities for adults residing in a mountaintop coal mining area of Appalachian Kentucky. Mountaintop mining areas are characterized by severe economic disadvantage and by mining‐related environmental hazards.

Methods

A community‐based participatory research study was implemented to collect information from residents on health conditions and symptoms for themselves and other household members in a rural mountaintop mining area compared to a rural nonmining area of eastern Kentucky. A door‐to‐door health interview collected data from 952 adults. Data were analyzed using prevalence rate ratio models.

Findings

Adjusting for covariates, significantly poorer health conditions were observed in the mountaintop mining community on: self‐rated health status, illness symptoms across multiple organ systems, lifetime and current asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and hypertension. Respondents in mountaintop mining communities were also significantly more likely to report that household members had experienced serious illness, or had died from cancer in the past 5 years. Significant differences were not observed for self‐reported cancer, angina, or stroke, although differences in cardiovascular symptoms and household cancer were reported.

Conclusions

Efforts to reduce longstanding health problems in Appalachia must focus on mountaintop mining portions of the region, and should seek to eliminate socioeconomic and environmental disparities.
Impact of Salt Crystal Size on in‐Mouth Delivery of Sodium and Saltiness Perception from Snack Foods
Authors: Rama Ruben , Chiu Natalie , Carvalho Da Silva Margarida , Hewson Louise , Hort Joanne , Fisk Ian D.
Published: March 2013

Fried, sliced potato crisps were flavored with sodium chloride of varying size fractions to investigate the impact of salt crystal size on the delivery rate of sodium to the tongue and resultant saltiness, measured over 65 s with a defined chew protocol (three chews, then holding the bolus in the mouth without swallowing). Salt crystal size impacted upon the delivery rate and perceived saltiness. The smallest crystal size fraction dissolved and diffused throughout the mouth to the tongue saliva faster than the medium and the largest ones; the smallest crystal size fraction also had the highest maximum concentration and greatest total sodium. These results correlated well with the sensory perceived saltiness, where the smallest crystal size fraction resulted in the fastest Tmax, highest maximum saltiness intensity and maximum total saltiness. The different delivery rates can be explained by differential dissolution kinetics and enhanced mass transfer of sodium across the saliva.

Practical Applications

Sodium reduction is a major challenge for the global food industry. The results of this work illustrate how modification of salt crystal size fraction might impact sensory perceived saltiness, and that a smaller crystal size fraction can achieve a greater maximum saltiness per unit of sodium consumed. There are a number of technical hurdles to be overcome before implementation of this approach, both practical (limitations in processability) and sensorial (changes in the time–intensity profile), but the results do demonstrate that enhanced dissolution and diffusion kinetics can be achieved through modification of salt crystal size, which should be seriously considered by snack food manufacturers when approaching product reformulation.
An Instrumented Vehicle for Efficient and Accurate 3D Mapping of Roads
Authors: Moreno Francisco‐Angel , Gonzalez‐Jimenez Javier , Blanco Jose‐Luis , Esteban Antonio
Published: March 2013

This article describes an electric vehicle equipped with a laser scanner and a highly accurate absolute positioning system aimed at surveying the geometry of roads. The main advantages of the proposed system with respect to conventional topographic procedures are the possibility of achieving a much higher density of surveyed points and its efficiency while keeping almost the same accuracy—a standard deviation of 12 mm of absolute error. The data acquisition process is managed by an on‐board computer which, in a synchronized way, deals with laser scanning and readings from three real‐time‐kinematics‐enabled millimeter GPS receivers. The three‐dimensional position and orientation of the vehicle (6 degrees of freedom) all along its trajectory is calculated off‐line by a custom software and, with that information, the system also obtains the absolute coordinates of the road scanned points. This article also presents a rigorous description regarding the theory behind 3D reconstruction and the calibration process.
Loss‐of‐function analyses defines vital and redundant functions of the Plasmodium rhomboid protease family
Authors: Lin Jing‐wen , Meireles Patrícia , Prudêncio Miguel , Engelmann Sabine , Annoura Takeshi , Sajid Mohammed , Chevalley‐Maurel Séverine , Ramesar Jai , Nahar Carolin , Avramut Cristina M. C. , Koster Abraham J. , Matuschewski Kai , Waters Andrew P. , Janse Chris J. , Mair Gunnar R. , Khan Shahid M.
Published: March 2013

Rhomboid‐like proteases cleave membrane‐anchored proteins within their transmembrane domains. In apicomplexan parasites substrates include molecules that function in parasite motility and host cell invasion. While two Plasmodium rhomboids, ROM1 and ROM4, have been examined, the roles of the remaining six rhomboids during the malaria parasite's life cycle are unknown. We present systematic gene deletion analyses of all eight Plasmodium rhomboid‐like proteins as a means to discover stage‐specific phenotypes and potential functions in the rodent malaria model, P. berghei. Four rhomboids (ROM4, 6, 7 and 8) are refractory to gene deletion, suggesting an essential role during asexual blood stage development. In contrast ROM1, 3, 9 and 10 were dispensable for blood stage development and exhibited no, subtle or severe defects in mosquito or liver development. Parasites lacking ROM9 and ROM10 showed no major phenotypic defects. Parasites lacking ROM1 presented a delay in blood stage patency following liver infection, but in contrast to a previous study blood stage parasites had similar growth and virulence characteristics as wild type parasites. Parasites lacking ROM3 in mosquitoes readily established oocysts but failed to produce sporozoites. ROM3 is the first apicomplexan rhomboid identified to play a vital role in sporogony.
Hydrogen sulphide may be a novel downstream signal molecule in nitric oxide‐induced heat tolerance of maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings
Authors: LI ZHONG‐GUANG , YANG SHI‐ZHONG , LONG WEI‐BIAO , YANG GUO‐XIAN , SHEN ZHEN‐ZHEN
Published: March 2013

Nitric oxide (NO) is a second messenger with multifunction that is involved in plant growth, development and the acquisition of stress tolerance. In recent years, hydrogen sulphide (H2S) has been found to have similar functions, but crosstalk between NO and H2S in the acquisition of heat tolerance is not clear. In this study, pretreatment with the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) improved the survival percentage of maize seedlings and alleviated an increase in electrolyte leakage and a decrease in tissue vitality as well as accumulation of malondialdehyde, indicating that pretreatment with SNP improved the heat tolerance of maize seedlings. In addition, pretreatment with SNP enhanced the activity of L‐cystine desulfhydrase, which, in turn, induced accumulation of endogenous H2S, while application of H2S donors, NaHS and GYY4137, increased endogenous H2S content, followed by mitigating increase in electrolyte leakage and enhanced survival percentage of seedlings under heat stress. Interestingly, SNP‐induced heat tolerance was enhanced by application of NaHS and GYY4137, but was eliminated by inhibitors of H2S synthesis DL‐propargylglycine, aminooxyacetic acid, potassium pyruvate and hydroxylamine, and the H2S scavenger hypotaurine. All of the above‐mentioned results suggest that SNP pretreatment could improve heat tolerance, and H2S may be a downstream signal molecule in NO‐induced heat tolerance of maize seedlings.
Association mapping for chilling tolerance in elite flint and dent maize inbred lines evaluated in growth chamber and field experiments
Authors: STRIGENS ALEXANDER , FREITAG NICLAS M. , GILBERT XAVIER , GRIEDER CHRISTOPH , RIEDELSHEIMER CHRISTIAN , SCHRAG TOBIAS A. , MESSMER RAINER , MELCHINGER ALBRECHT E.
Published: March 2013

Chilling sensitivity of maize is a strong limitation for its cultivation in the cooler areas of the northern and southern hemisphere because reduced growth in early stages impairs on later biomass accumulation. Efficient breeding for chilling tolerance is hampered by both the complex physiological response of maize to chilling temperatures and the difficulty to accurately measure chilling tolerance in the field under fluctuating climatic conditions. For this research, we used genome‐wide association (GWA) mapping to identify genes underlying chilling tolerance under both controlled and field conditions in a broad germplasm collection of 375 maize inbred lines genotyped with 56 110 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). We identified 19 highly significant association signals explaining between 5.7 and 52.5% of the phenotypic variance observed for early growth and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters. The allelic effect of severalSNPsidentified for early growth was associated with temperature and incident radiation. Candidate genes involved in ethylene signalling, brassinolide, and lignin biosynthesis were found in their vicinity. The frequent involvement of candidate genes into signalling or gene expression regulation underlines the complex response of photosynthetic performance and early growth to climatic conditions, and supports pleiotropism as a major cause of co‐locations of quantitative trait loci for these highly polygenic traits.
Promoting Community Practitioners' Use of Evidence‐Based Approaches to Increase Breast Cancer Screening
Authors: Leeman Jennifer , Moore Alexis , Teal Randall , Barrett Nadine , Leighton Ashely , Steckler Allan
Published: March 2013

Many women do not get mammography screenings at the intervals recommended for early detection and treatment of breast cancer. The Guide to Community Preventive Services (Community Guide) recommends a range of evidence‐based strategies to improve mammography rates. However, nurses and others working in community‐based settings make only limited use of these strategies. We report on a dissemination intervention that partnered the University of North Carolina with the Susan G. Komen Triangle Affiliate to disseminate Community Guide breast cancer screening strategies to community organizations. The intervention was guided by social marketing and diffusion of innovation theory and was designed to provide evidence and support via Komen's existing relationships with grantee organizations. The present study reports the findings from a formative evaluation of the intervention, which included a content analysis of 46 grant applications pre‐ and post intervention and focus groups with 20 grant recipients.
Religion and Sectarianism in Ulster: Interpreting the Northern Ireland Troubles
Authors: Elliott Laurence
Published: March 2013

The following article considers the various arguments and counter‐arguments around the role of religion in causing and sustaining the conflict in Northern Ireland. It identifies the essential elements of the problem and assesses a number of the explanations given, emphasising the difficulty of providing a single answer to such a complex question. The correlation between religion and the divisions in Northern Ireland seems at first sight obvious, but, as a number of commentators have rightly observed, pinning down the relationship between someone’s religion and their attitudes is much more problematic. This essay therefore avoids the reductionism and ‘either/or’ formulations of so many scholars on both sides of the debate, instead emphasising that religion is ultimately one of a number of dimensions to Northern Irish identity, the politics of which sustains the social divisions and was the source of the political violence that ravaged the region.
Popular Palestinian Practices around Holy Places and Those Who Oppose Them: An Historical Introduction
Authors: Bowman Glenn
Published: March 2013

A long history of intercommunal relations around local holy places in historic Palestine (a history which sadly seems to be coming to a close in the current day) draws attention to what precisely is the character of the attachment felt by local residents to sacred sites. Muslim‐Christian ‘sharing’ of holy places (maqam, plural maqamat) can be seen to express a dependency on powers perceived of as resident in a site, and the nominal affiliation of these powers to one religion or another is often not a matter of great concern to those frequenting the shrines. It is, however, a focal concern of the officiants of the respective religions who lay claim to the sites and who seek to expunge heterodox practices and traces of ambiguous affiliation (cf. Hayden 2002; Hayden et al. 2011). I here investigate records of local usages of religious sites, largely rural, in Palestine up through the Mandate Period in order to argue that shared shrines, as opposed to those which appear to be communally homogeneous, foreground issues of agency obscured in those sites under the control of religious authorities.
A pilot randomized study comparing two methods of non‐invasive ventilation withdrawal after acute respiratory failure in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Lun Chung‐Tat , Chan Veronica L. , Leung Wah‐Shing , Cheung Alice P.S. , Cheng Suet‐Lai , Tsui Miranda S.N. , Chu Chung‐Ming
Published: March 2013

Background and objective

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presenting with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure (AHcRF) benefit from non‐invasive ventilation (NIV). The best way to withdraw NIV is not known, and we conducted a pilot study comparing stepwise versus immediate withdrawal of NIV in these patients.

Methods

This was a prospective, single‐centre, open‐labelled randomized study comparing stepwise versus immediate withdrawal of NIV in patients with COPD exacerbation recovering from AHcRF. The primary end‐point was the success rate of NIV withdrawal, defined as no restarting of NIV from randomization to 48 h after complete withdrawal of NIV.

Results

Sixty patients were randomized, 35 patients to stepwise withdrawal and 25 patients to immediate withdrawal. The two study arms were clinically comparable. There was no statistically significant difference in the success rate, with NIV successfully stopped in 74.3% and 56% in the stepwise and immediate withdrawal groups, respectively (P = 0.139).

Conclusions

We could not show any benefits for either strategy to withdraw NIV. The study may have been underpowered to detect differences, and larger prospective studies are required.
Stress and Disease: A Structural and Functional Analysis
Authors: Smyth Joshua , Zawadzki Matthew , Gerin William
Published: March 2013

Chronic stress, a validated health risk factor, remains an ambiguous construct in spite of years of research. We propose that chronic stress is best understood as a series of acute stress responses, and that these responses become maladaptive when they occur frequently or are of long duration. We focus on the factors that contribute to chronic stress: whether the presence of a stressor, real or imagined, is long‐lived and/or frequent (repeated activation), the degree to which the stressor is perceived as a threat even when no longer present (low or slow adaptation), and the extent to which the duration of responding is prolonged (delayed or failure to return to homeostasis). Importantly, we examine how perseverative cognitions (such as rumination and worry) contribute to chronic stress by creating and sustaining acute stress responses, largely via influencing activation, adaptation, and return to homeostasis. Finally, we discuss the implications of our stress model: that interventions can be ideographically tailored to address how an individual is experiencing chronic stress; that researchers may be better able to identify specific characteristics of chronic stress that relate most strongly to poor health; and that moderators of chronic stress may function through these contributing factors rather than via general effects on the system.
Dyadic Models for the Study of Health
Authors: Reed Rebecca G. , Butler Emily A. , Kenny David A.
Published: March 2013

Dyadic designs have been used in health research to investigate intra‐ and inter‐personal mechanisms of health and well‐being in various types of dyads, including parent–child dyads, siblings, friends, and romantic partners. Although a growing number of researchers are designing studies that capture the interdependent complexities of relationships, many still need more information on how to analyze the data in a way that maximizes its value. Therefore, the purpose of this review paper is twofold: (1) to address some of the ways in which dyadic data analysis is being used in current health research, with an emphasis on research that has employed the Actor‐Partner Interdependence Model, and (2) to propose and explain various methodological and substantive considerations that researchers should consider when using dyadic data analysis in their own research.
Heat stress induction of miR398 triggers a regulatory loop that is critical for thermotolerance in Arabidopsis
Authors: Guan Qingmei , Lu Xiaoyan , Zeng Haitao , Zhang Yanyan , Zhu Jianhua
Published: March 2013

microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in plant growth and development. Previous studies have shown that down‐regulation of miR398 in response to oxidative stress permits up‐regulation of one of its target genes, CSD2 (copper/zinc superoxide dismutase), and thereby helps plants to cope with oxidative stress. We report here that heat stress rapidly induces miR398 and reduces transcripts of its target genes CSD1, CSD2 and CCS (a gene encoding a copper chaperone for both CSD1 and CSD2). Transgenic plants expressing miR398‐resistant forms of CSD1, CSD2 and CCS under the control of their native promoters are more sensitive to heat stress (as indicated by increased damage at the whole‐plant level and to flowers) than transgenic plants expressing normal coding sequences of CSD1, CSD2 or CCS under the control of their native promoters. In contrast, csd1, csd2 and ccs mutant plants are more heat‐tolerant (as indicated by less damage to flowers) than the wild‐type. Expression of genes encoding heat stress transcription factors (HSF genes) and heat shock proteins (HSP genes) is reduced in heat‐sensitive transgenic plants expressing miR398‐resistant forms of CSD1, CSD2 or CCS but is enhanced in the heat‐tolerant csd1, csd2 and ccs plants. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that HSFA1b and HSFA7b are the two HSFs responsible for heat induction of miR398. Together, our results suggest that plants use a previously unrecognized strategy to achieve thermotolerance, especially for the protection of reproductive tissues. This strategy involves the down‐regulation of CSD genes and their copper chaperone CCS through heat‐inducible miR398.
A draft genome sequence of the pulse crop chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)
Authors: Jain Mukesh , Misra Gopal , Patel Ravi K. , Priya Pushp , Jhanwar Shalu , Khan Aamir W. , Shah Niraj , Singh Vikas K. , Garg Rohini , Jeena Ganga , Yadav Manju , Kant Chandra , Sharma Priyanka , Yadav Gitanjali , Bhatia Sabhyata , Tyagi Akhilesh K. , Chattopadhyay Debasis
Published: March 2013

Cicer arietinum L. (chickpea) is the third most important food legume crop. We have generated the draft sequence of a desi‐type chickpea genome using next‐generation sequencing platforms, bacterial artificial chromosome end sequences and a genetic map. The 520‐Mb assembly covers 70% of the predicted 740‐Mb genome length, and more than 80% of the gene space. Genome analysis predicts the presence of 27 571 genes and 210 Mb as repeat elements. The gene expression analysis performed using 274 million RNA‐Seq reads identified several tissue‐specific and stress‐responsive genes. Although segmental duplicated blocks are observed, the chickpea genome does not exhibit any indication of recent whole‐genome duplication. Nucleotide diversity analysis provides an assessment of a narrow genetic base within the chickpea cultivars. We have developed a resource for genetic markers by comparing the genome sequences of one wild and three cultivated chickpea genotypes. The draft genome sequence is expected to facilitate genetic enhancement and breeding to develop improved chickpea varieties.
Paraneoplastic hypertrophic osteopathy in 30 dogs
Authors: Withers S. S. , Johnson E. G. , Culp W. T. N. , Rodriguez C. O. , Skorupski K. A. , Rebhun R. B.
Published: March 2013

Paraneoplastic hypertrophic osteopathy (pHO) is known to occur in both canine and human cancer patients. While the pathology ofpHOis well‐described in the dog, very little information exists regarding the true clinical presentation of dogs affected withpHO. The primary objective of this study was to provide a more comprehensive clinical picture ofpHO. To this end, we retrospectively identified 30 dogs and recorded data regarding presenting complaints and physical examination (PE) findings on the date ofpHOdiagnosis. As a secondary objective, any blood test results were also collected from the computerized records. The most common clinical signs included leg swelling, ocular discharge and/or episcleral injection, lameness, and lethargy. The most common haematological and serum biochemical abnormalities included anaemia, neutrophilia and elevated alkaline phosphatase. In addition to presenting a more detailed clinical description ofpHOin the dog, these data support the previously described haematological, serum biochemical and PE abnormalities published in individual case reports.
COMPARISON BETWEEN 2‐18F‐FLUORO‐2‐DEOXY‐D‐GLUCOSE POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY AND CONTRAST‐ENHANCED COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY FOR MEASURING GROSS TUMOR VOLUME IN CATS WITH ORAL SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA
Authors: Yoshikawa Hiroto , Randall Elissa K. , Kraft Susan L. , LaRue Susan M.
Published: March 2013

Feline oral squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most refractory feline malignancies. Most patients succumb due to failure in local tumor control. 2‐18F‐fluoro‐2‐deoxy‐D‐glucose positron emission tomography (18F‐FDG PET) is increasingly being used for veterinary oncology staging as it highlights areas with higher glucose metabolism. The goal of the current prospective study was to compare gross tumor volume measurements using 18F‐FDG PET vs. those using computed tomography (CT) for stereotactic radiation therapy planning in cats with oral squamous cell carcinoma. Twelve cats with confirmed oral squamous cell carcinoma underwent pretreatment 18F‐FDG PET/CT. Gross tumor volumes based on contrast‐enhanced CT and 18F‐FDG PET were measured and compared among cats. Mean PET gross tumor volume was significantly smaller than mean CT gross tumor volume in the mandibular/maxillary squamous cell carcinoma group (n = 8, P = 0.002) and for the total number of patients (n = 12, P = 0.006), but not in the lingual/laryngeal group (n = 4, P = 0.57). Mismatch fraction analysis revealed that most of the lingual/laryngeal patients had a large region of high‐18F‐FDG activity outside of the CT gross tumor volume. This mismatch fraction was significantly greater in the lingual/laryngeal group than the mandibular/maxillary group (P = 0.028). The effect of poor spatial resolution of PET imaging was greater when the absolute tumor volume was small. Findings from this study indicated that 18F‐FDG PET warrants further investigation as a supplemental imaging modality in cats with oral squamous cell carcinoma because it detected regions of possible primary tumor that were not detected on CT images.
Suppression of NF‐kappaB p65 expression attenuates delayed xenograft rejection
Authors: Shen Zhenya , Ye Wenxue , Ten Xiaomei
Published: March 2013

Background

Delayed xenograft rejection (DXR) involves type II vascular endothelial cell (VEC) activation including upregulation of pro‐inflammatory genes, which contributes to infiltration into the graft and a complex process of cytokine production. Approaches to prevent DXR have shown limited success. In this study, we modified heart donors using siRNA in an attempt to attenuate DXR and to improve xenograft survival in the mouse‐to‐rat heterotopic heart transplant model.

Methods

siRNA technology was used to inhibit NF‐kappaB p65 gene expression in vivo in mice. After the donor was transfected with siRNA, the effects of NF‐kappaB siRNA on DXR and expression of NF‐kappaB and pro‐inflammatory genes were evaluated in a concordant mouse‐to‐rat cardiac xenograft model.

Results

Treatment of NF‐kappaB siRNA prolonged median heart graft survival time in the recipient rats from 1.7 days in a PBS control group to 5.4 days in the NF‐kappaB siRNA‐treated group (P < 0.05). Compared with normal mouse hearts, the NF‐kappaB p65 mRNA relative levels following siRNA injection in the donors decreased significantly (approximately 70% reduction) in grafts harvested 12 h after transplantation. The mRNA levels of VCAM‐1, ICAM‐1, and interleukin‐1 displayed a similar reduction. Histological evaluation using light and electron microscopy showed that damage of endothelial cells after NF‐kappaB siRNA treament occured at a later time.

Conclusion

Transfection of NF‐kappaB p65 siRNA in donor animals can delay the emergence of DXR. This treatment may be used as part of strategies to minimize the complex and multi‐faceted rejection responses in vascularized xenografts.
Measurement of changes in linear accelerator photon energy through flatness variation using an ion chamber array
Authors: Gao Song , Balter Peter A. , Rose Mark , Simon William E.
Published: March 2013

Purpose:

To compare the use of flatness versus percent depth dose (PDD) for determining changes in photon beam energy for a megavoltage linear accelerator.

Methods:

Energy changes were accomplished by adjusting the bending magnet current by up to ±15% in 5% increments away from the value used clinically. Two metrics for flatness, relative flatness in the central 80% of the field (Flat) and average maximum dose along the diagonals normalized by central axis dose (FDN), were measured using a commercially available planner ionization chamber array. PDD was measured in water at depths of 5 and 10 cm in 3 × 3 cm2 and 10 × 10 cm2 fields using a cylindrical chamber.

Results:

PDD was more sensitive to changes in energy when the beam energy was increased than when it was decreased. For the 18‐MV beam in particular, PDD was not sensitive to energy reductions below the nominal energy. The value of Flat was found to be more sensitive to decreases in energy than to increases, with little sensitivity to energy increases above the nominal energy for 18‐MV beams.FDN was the only metric that was found to be sensitive to both increases and reductions of energy for both the 6‐ and 18‐MV beams.

Conclusions:

Flatness based metrics were found to be more sensitive to energy changes than PDD, In particular,FDN was found to be the most sensitive metric to energy changes for photon beams of 6 and 18 MV. The ionization chamber array allows this metric to be conveniently measured as part of routine accelerator quality assurance.
Spectral probability density as a tool for ambient noise analysis
Authors: Merchant Nathan D. , Barton Tim R. , Thompson Paul M. , Pirotta Enrico , Dakin D. Tom , Dorocicz John
Published: March 2013

This paper presents the empirical probability density of the power spectral density as a tool to assess the field performance of passive acoustic monitoring systems and the statistical distribution of underwater noise levels across the frequency spectrum. Using example datasets, it is shown that this method can reveal limitations such as persistent tonal components and insufficient dynamic range, which may be undetected by conventional techniques. The method is then combined with spectral averages and percentiles, which illustrates how the underlying noise level distributions influence these metrics. This combined approach is proposed as a standard, integrative presentation of ambient noise spectra.
End the Deadlock on Governance of Geoengineering Research
Authors: Parson Edward A. , Keith David W.
Published: March 2013

Can scientific self-regulation control small-scale research, or is governmental regulation needed?
Gravity-Wave Observatory Debates Fake-Data Tests
Authors: Bhattacharjee Yudhijit
Published: March 2013

Bogus signals leave researchers better prepared to analyze real data—but do they go too far?
Subset of CD4 Cells May Hold Key to Reaching HIV Cure
Authors: Cohen Jon
Published: March 2013

New findings on how HIV-invaded "central memory cells" may control the course of the disease promise to have a profound impact on the field.
Australian Researchers Rattled by Export Control Law
Authors: Dayton Leigh
Published: March 2013

A special government panel is reviewing how export regulations for "dual use" technologies will impact Australian scientists.
Approaches to Antifungal Therapies and Their Effectiveness among Patients with Cryptococcosis
Authors: Bratton Emily W. , El Husseini Nada , Chastain Cody A. , Lee Michael S. , Poole Charles , Stürmer Til , Weber David J. , Juliano Jonathan J. , Perfect John R.
Published: March 2013

The goal of this study was to determine the degree to which the persistence of cryptococcosis, overall 1-year mortality, and 1-year mortality due to cryptococcosis were influenced by initial antifungal treatment regimen in a cohort of adults with cryptococcosis treated at a tertiary care medical center. Risk factors, underlying conditions, treatment, and mortality information were obtained for 204 adults with cryptococcosis from Duke University Medical Center (DUMC) from 1996 to 2009. Adjusted risk ratios (RR) for persistence and hazard ratios (HR) for mortality were estimated for each exposure. The all-cause mortality rate among patients with nonsevere disease (20%) was similar to that in the group with disease (26%). However, the rate of cryptococcosis-attributable mortality with nonsevere disease (5%) was much lower than with severe disease (20%). Flucytosine exposure was associated with a lower overall mortality rate (HR, 0.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.2 to 0.9) and attributable mortality rate (HR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.2 to 1.2). Receiving a nonrecommended antifungal regimen was associated with a higher relative risk of persistent infection at 4 weeks (RR, 1.9; 95% CI, 0.9 to 4.3), and the rate of attributable mortality among those not receiving the recommended dose of initial therapy was higher than that of those receiving recommended dosing (HR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.0 to 5.0). Thus, the 2010 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines are supported by this retrospective review as a best-practice protocol for cryptococcal management. Future investigations should consider highlighting the distinction between all-cause mortality and attributable mortality so as not to overestimate the true effect of cryptococcosis on patient death.
Comparative Analysis of the Antibacterial Activity of a Novel Peptide Deformylase Inhibitor, GSK1322322
Authors: O'Dwyer Karen , Hackel Meredith , Hightower Sarah , Hoban Daryl , Bouchillon Samuel , Qin Donghui , Aubart Kelly , Zalacain Magdalena , Butler Deborah
Published: March 2013

GSK1322322 is a novel peptide deformylase (PDF) inhibitor being developed for the intravenous and oral treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections and hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia. The activity of GSK1322322 was tested against a global collection of clinical isolates ofHaemophilus influenzae(n= 2,370),Moraxella catarrhalis(n= 115),Streptococcus pneumoniae(n= 947),Streptococcus pyogenes(n= 617), andStaphylococcus aureus(n= 940), including strains resistant to one or more marketed antibiotics. GSK1322322 had an MIC90of 1 μg/ml againstM. catarrhalisand 4 μg/ml againstH. influenzae, with 88.8% of β-lactamase-positive strains showing growth inhibition at that concentration. AllS. pneumoniaestrains were inhibited by ≤4 μg/ml of GSK1322322, with an MIC90of 2 μg/ml. Pre-existing resistance mechanisms did not affect its potency, as evidenced by the MIC90of 1 μg/ml for penicillin, levofloxacin, and macrolide-resistantS. pneumoniae. GSK1322322 was very potent againstS. pyogenesstrains, with an MIC90of 0.5 μg/ml, irrespective of their macrolide resistance phenotype. This PDF inhibitor was also active againstS. aureusstrains regardless of their susceptibility to methicillin, macrolides, or levofloxacin, with an MIC90of 4 μg/ml in all cases. Time-kill studies showed that GSK1322322 had bactericidal activity againstS. pneumoniae,H. influenzae,S. pyogenes, andS. aureus, demonstrating a ≥3-log10decrease in the number of CFU/ml at 4× MIC within 24 h in 29 of the 33 strains tested. Given the antibacterial potency demonstrated against this panel of organisms, GSK1322322 represents a valuable alternative therapy for the treatment of infectious diseases caused by drug-resistant pathogens.
Circulating Biomarkers of Pulmonary and Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis in Children
Authors: Pavan Kumar Nathella , Anuradha R. , Andrade Bruno B. , Suresh N. , Ganesh R. , Shankar Janani , Kumaraswami V. , Nutman Thomas B. , Babu Subash
Published: March 2013

Tuberculosis (TB) in children is not only more likely to cause more severe disease than that seen in adults, it is also more likely to be extrapulmonary. Moreover, pediatric TB is very difficult to diagnose and suffers from a lack of understanding of host biomarkers for monitoring the progression of disease. Hence, we sought to identify the expression patterns of a variety of biomarkers in the plasma of children with pulmonary TB (PTB) and extrapulmonary TB (ETB), as well as in healthy control (HC) children. Thus, we examined a variety of circulating markers reflecting tissue inflammation, oxidative stress, innate immune activation, fibrosis, and the cytokine response. Children with active TB, compared to HC children, showed markedly elevated plasma levels of matrix metalloproteinases and their endogenous inhibitors. In addition, children with active TB had significantly elevated levels of C-reactive protein, α-2 macroglobulin, and haptoglobin, as well as hemoxygenase 1. Markers of innate immune activation (lipopolysaccharide [LPS] and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein [LBP]) were significantly lower in ETB than in PTB children. Although there were no significant differences between the two groups in their levels of cytokines (type 1 [gamma interferon (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 2 (IL-2), and IL-12], type 2 [IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and IL-33], and most type 17 [IL-17A, IL-22, IL-1β, and IL-6] and type 1 interferons [IFN-α and IFN-β]) or most of the cytokines associated with immune modulation (IL-10 and IL-20), pediatric TB was associated with elevated plasma transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), IL-21, and IL-23 levels. Thus, pediatric TB is characterized by elevated levels of a variety of biomarkers at homeostasis, suggesting that these responses may play a crucial role in disease pathogenesis.
Vaccination of Piglets up to 1 Week of Age with a Single-Dose Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae Vaccine Induces Protective Immunity within 2 Weeks against Virulent Challenge in the Presence of Maternally Derived Antibodies
Authors: Wilson Stephen , Van Brussel Leen , Saunders Gillian , Runnels Paul , Taylor Lucas , Fredrickson Dan , Salt Jeremy
Published: March 2013

Enzootic pneumonia, resulting from infection withMycoplasma hyopneumoniae, is of considerable economic importance to the pig industry and normally is controlled through active vaccination of piglets. We have demonstrated that administration of an inactivatedMycoplasma hyopneumoniaevaccine to piglets less than 1 week old is efficacious under field conditions and reduces the level of lung lesions observed in comparison to that in control pigs. Here, the results of two separate studies, one in piglets with and the second one in piglets without maternal antibodies, conducted to satisfy the requirements of the European Pharmacopoeia (monograph no. 07/2009:2448), are reported. Piglets received either minimal titer Suvaxyn MH-One or saline at less than 1 week of age and were challenged withMycoplasma hyopneumoniae2 weeks later. The number of lung lesions was recorded 4 weeks after challenge, and bronchial swab and lung tissue specimens were analyzed for quantification ofMycoplasma hyopneumoniaeDNA. In the presence and absence of maternal antibodies, vaccination of piglets at less than 1 week of age was efficacious, with vaccinated piglets having significantly lower percentages of lung with lesions and lowerMycoplasma hyopneumoniaecounts detected in bronchial swab and lung tissue specimens at necropsy. In conclusion, the vaccination of piglets at 1 week of age with Suvaxyn MH-One is efficacious in the presence of high levels of maternal antibodies.
Characterization of Plasmablasts in the Blood of HIV-Infected Viremic Individuals: Evidence for Nonspecific Immune Activation
Authors: Buckner Clarisa M. , Moir Susan , Ho Jason , Wang Wei , Posada Jacqueline G. , Kardava Lela , Funk Emily K. , Nelson Amy K. , Li Yuxing , Chun Tae-Wook , Fauci Anthony S.
Published: March 2013

Terminal differentiation of B cells and hypergammaglobulinemia are hallmarks of B-cell hyperactivity in HIV disease. Plasmablasts are terminally differentiating B cells that circulate transiently in the blood following infection or vaccination; however, in HIV infection, they arise early and are maintained at abnormally high levels in viremic individuals. Here we show that only a small fraction of plasmablasts in the blood of viremic individuals is HIV specific. Assessment of plasmablast immunoglobulin isotype distribution revealed increased IgG
+
plasmablasts in early and most prominently during chronic HIV viremia, contrasting with a predominantly IgA
+
plasmablast profile in HIV-negative individuals or in aviremic HIV-infected individuals on treatment. Of note, IgG is the predominant immunoglobulin isotype of plasmablasts that arise transiently in the blood following parenteral immunization. Serum immunoglobulin levels were also elevated in HIV-infected viremic individuals, especially IgG, and correlated with levels of IgG
+
plasmablasts. Several soluble factors associated with immune activation were also increased in the sera of HIV-infected individuals, especially in viremic individuals, and correlated with serum immunoglobulin levels, particularly IgG. Thus, our data suggest that while plasmablasts in the blood may contribute to the HIV-specific immune response, the majority of these cells are not HIV specific and arise early, likely from indirect immune-activating effects of HIV replication, and reflect over time the effects of chronic antigenic stimulation. Such B-cell dysregulation may help explain why the antibody response is inadequate in HIV-infected individuals, even during early infection.
Brazilian Begomovirus Populations Are Highly Recombinant, Rapidly Evolving, and Segregated Based on Geographical Location
Authors: Rocha Carolina S. , Castillo-Urquiza Gloria P. , Lima Alison T. M. , Silva Fábio N. , Xavier Cesar A. D. , Hora-Júnior Braz T. , Beserra-Júnior José E. A. , Malta Antonio W. O. , Martin Darren P. , Varsani Arvind , Alfenas-Zerbini Poliane , Mizubuti Eduardo S. G. , Zerbini F. Murilo
Published: March 2013

The incidence of begomovirus infections in crop plants sharply increased in Brazil during the 1990s following the introduction of the invasive B biotype of the whitefly vector,
Bemisia tabaci
. It is believed that this biotype transmitted begomoviruses from noncultivated plants to crop species with greater efficiency than indigenous
B. tabaci
biotypes. Either through rapid host adaptation or selection pressure in genetically diverse populations of noncultivated hosts, over the past 20 years various previously unknown begomovirus species have became progressively more prevalent in cultivated species such as tomato. Here we assess the genetic structure of begomovirus populations infecting tomatoes and noncultivated hosts in southeastern Brazil. Between 2005 and 2010, we sampled and sequenced 126 DNA-A and 58 DNA-B full-length begomovirus components. We detected nine begomovirus species in tomatoes and eight in the noncultivated host samples, with four species common to both tomatoes and noncultivated hosts. Like many begomoviruses, most species are obvious interspecies recombinants. Furthermore, species identified in tomato have probable parental viruses from noncultivated hosts. While the population structures of five well-sampled viral species all displayed geographical subdivision, a noncultivated host-infecting virus was more genetically variable than the four predominantly tomato-infecting viruses.
Hemoglobin Subunit Beta Interacts with the Capsid Protein and Antagonizes the Growth of Classical Swine Fever Virus
Authors: Li Dan , Dong Hong , Li Su , Munir Muhammad , Chen Jianing , Luo Yuzi , Sun Yuan , Liu Lihong , Qiu Hua-Ji
Published: March 2013

The capsid (C) protein of the
Flaviviridae
family members is involved in nucleocapsid formation and virion assembly. However, the influence of C protein-interacting partners on the outcome of pestivirus infections is poorly defined. In this study, hemoglobin subunit beta (HB) was identified as a C protein-binding protein by glutathione
S
-transferase pulldown and subsequent mass spectrometry analysis of PK-15 cells, which are permissive cells for classical swine fever virus (CSFV). Coimmunoprecipitation and confocal microscopy confirmed that HB interacts and colocalizes with the C protein in the cytoplasm. Silencing of HB with small interfering RNAs promoted CSFV growth and replication, whereas overexpression of HB suppressed CSFV replication and growth. Interestingly, HB was found to interact with retinoic acid-inducible gene I and increase its expression, resulting in increased production of type I interferon (IFN). However, HB was unable to suppress CSFV growth when the RIG-I pathway was blocked. Overall, our results suggest that cellular HB antagonizes CSFV growth and replication by triggering IFN signaling, and might represent a novel antiviral restriction factor. This study reports for the first time the novel role of HB in innate immunity.
Structures of the Compact Helical Core Domains of Feline Calicivirus and Murine Norovirus VPg Proteins
Authors: Leen Eoin N. , Kwok K. Y. Rex , Birtley James R. , Simpson Peter J. , Subba-Reddy Chennareddy V. , Chaudhry Yasmin , Sosnovtsev Stanislav V. , Green Kim Y. , Prater Sean N. , Tong Michael , Young Joanna C. , Chung Liliane M. W. , Marchant Jan , Roberts Lisa O. , Kao C. Cheng , Matthews Stephen , Goodfellow Ian G. , Curry Stephen
Published: March 2013

We report the solution structures of the VPg proteins from feline calicivirus (FCV) and murine norovirus (MNV), which have been determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In both cases, the core of the protein adopts a compact helical structure flanked by flexible N and C termini. Remarkably, while the core of FCV VPg contains a well-defined three-helix bundle, the MNV VPg core has just the first two of these secondary structure elements. In both cases, the VPg cores are stabilized by networks of hydrophobic and salt bridge interactions. The Tyr residue in VPg that is nucleotidylated by the viral NS7 polymerase (Y24 in FCV, Y26 in MNV) occurs in a conserved position within the first helix of the core. Intriguingly, given its structure, VPg would appear to be unable to bind to the viral polymerase so as to place this Tyr in the active site without a major conformation change to VPg or the polymerase. However, mutations that destabilized the VPg core either had no effect on or reduced both the ability of the protein to be nucleotidylated and virus infectivity and did not reveal a clear structure-activity relationship. The precise role of the calicivirus VPg core in virus replication remains to be determined, but knowledge of its structure will facilitate future investigations.