bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Avoidable 30-Day Readmissions Among Patients With Stroke and Other Cerebrovascular Disease
Authors: Nahab Fadi , Takesaka Jennifer , Mailyan Eugene , Judd Lilith , Culler Steven , Webb Adam , Frankel Michael , Choi Dennis , Helmers Sandra
Published: November 2011

Background: There are limited data on factors associated with 30-day readmissions and the frequency of avoidable readmissions among patients with stroke and other cerebrovascular disease. Methods: University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) database records were used to identify patients discharged with a diagnosis of stroke or other cerebrovascular disease at a university hospital from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2009 and readmitted within 30 days to the index hospital. Logistic regression models were used to identify patient and clinical characteristics associated with 30-day readmission. Two neurologists performed chart reviews on readmissions to identify avoidable cases. Results: Of 2706 patients discharged during the study period, 174 patients had 178 readmissions (6.4%) within 30 days. The only factor associated with 30-day readmission was the index length of stay >10 days (vs <5 days; odds ratio [OR] 2.3, 95% CI [1.4, 3.7]). Of 174 patients readmitted within 30 days (median time to readmission 10 days), 92 (53%) were considered avoidable readmissions including 38 (41%) readmitted for elective procedures within 30 days of discharge, 27 (29%) readmitted after inadequate outpatient care coordination, 15 (16%) readmitted after incomplete initial evaluations, 8 (9%) readmitted due to delayed palliative care consultation, and 4 (4%) readmitted after being discharged with inadequate discharge instructions. Only 5% of the readmitted patients had outpatient follow-up recommended within 1 week. Conclusions: More than half of the 30-day readmissions were considered avoidable. Coordinated timing of elective procedures and earlier outpatient follow-up may prevent the majority of avoidable readmissions among patients with stroke and other cerebrovascular disease.
Maternal topoisomerase II alpha, not topoisomerase II beta, enables embryonic development of zebrafish top2a
-/-
mutants
Authors: Sapetto-Rebow Beata , McLoughlin Sarah C , O'Shea Lynne C , O'Leary Olivia , Willer Jason R , Alvarez Yolanda , Collery Ross , O'Sullivan Jacintha , Van Eeden Freek , Hensey Carmel , Kennedy Breandán N
Published: November 2011

Background

Genetic alterations in human topoisomerase II alpha (TOP2A) are linked to cancer susceptibility. TOP2A decatenates chromosomes and thus is necessary for multiple aspects of cell division including DNA replication, chromosome condensation and segregation. Topoisomerase II alpha is also required for embryonic development in mammals, as mouse Top2a knockouts result in embryonic lethality as early as the 4-8 cell stage. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the extended developmental capability of zebrafish top2a mutants arises from maternal expression of top2a or compensation from its top2b paralogue.

Results

Here, we describe bloody minded (blm), a novel mutant of zebrafish top2a. In contrast to mouse Top2a nulls, zebrafish top2a mutants survive to larval stages (4-5 day post fertilization). Developmental analyses demonstrate abundant expression of maternal top2a but not top2b. Inhibition or poisoning of maternal topoisomerase II delays embryonic development by extending the cell cycle M-phase. Zygotic top2a and top2b are co-expressed in the zebrafish CNS, but endogenous or ectopic top2b RNA appear unable to prevent the blm phenotype.

Conclusions

We conclude that maternal top2a enables zebrafish development before the mid-zygotic transition (MZT) and that zebrafish top2a and top2b are not functionally redundant during development after activation of the zygotic genome.
Transcriptome analysis of ectopic chloroplast development in green curd cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis)
Authors: Zhou Xiangjun , Fei Zhangjun , Thannhauser Theodore W , Li Li
Published: November 2011

Background

Chloroplasts are the green plastids where photosynthesis takes place. The biogenesis of chloroplasts requires the coordinate expression of both nuclear and chloroplast genes and is regulated by developmental and environmental signals. Despite extensive studies of this process, the genetic basis and the regulatory control of chloroplast biogenesis and development remain to be elucidated.

Results

Green cauliflower mutant causes ectopic development of chloroplasts in the curd tissue of the plant, turning the otherwise white curd green. To investigate the transcriptional control of chloroplast development, we compared gene expression between green and white curds using the RNA-seq approach. Deep sequencing produced over 15 million reads with lengths of 86 base pairs from each cDNA library. A total of 7,155 genes were found to exhibit at least 3-fold changes in expression between green and white curds. These included light-regulated genes, genes encoding chloroplast constituents, and genes involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis. Moreover, we discovered that the cauliflower ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL5 (BoHY5) was expressed higher in green curds than white curds and that 2616 HY5-targeted genes, including 1600 up-regulated genes and 1016 down-regulated genes, were differently expressed in green in comparison to white curd tissue. All these 1600 up-regulated genes were HY5-targeted genes in the light.

Conclusions

The genome-wide profiling of gene expression by RNA-seq in green curds led to the identification of large numbers of genes associated with chloroplast development, and suggested the role of regulatory genes in the high hierarchy of light signaling pathways in mediating the ectopic chloroplast development in the green curd cauliflower mutant.
Seroprevalence and risk factors of herpes simplex virus type-2 infection among pregnant women in Northeast India
Authors: Biswas Dipankar , Borkakoty Biswajyoti , Mahanta Jagadish , Walia Kamini , Saikia Lahari , Akoijam Brogen S , Jampa Lobsang , Kharkongar Alia , Zomawia Eric
Published: November 2011

Background

Herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections that facilitate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition by over two fold or more. The development of HSV-2 control methods as a measure to control HIV epidemic in high HSV-2/HIV areas has become a priority. Two out of the six high HIV prevalent states of India are located in the Northeastern region of India. Due to lack of documented HSV-2 studies from this part of the country; there was a need for estimating the seroprevalence and risk factors of HSV-2 infection in this defined population.

Methods

Pregnant women (n = 1640) aged18 years and above attending antenatal clinics of tertiary referral hospitals in five Northeastern states of India were screened for type specific HSV-2 IgG antibodies. Blood samples were collected from all the participants after conducting interviews. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the risk factors associated with HSV-2 seropositivity.

Results

Overall seroprevalence of HSV-2 infection was 8.7% (142/1640; 95% CI 7.3-10.0) with a highest prevalence of 15.0% (46/307; 95% CI 11.0-19.0) in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Higher seroprevalence was observed with increasing age (Adj. Odds Ratio [AOR] 1.9 for 22-25 years old, AOR 2.29 for > 29 years old). The risk factors associated with HSV-2 seropositives were multiple sex partners (AOR 2.5, p = 0.04), condom non-user's (AOR 4.7, p < 0.001), early coitarchal age (age of first intercourse) 'less than 18 years' (AOR 9.6, p = 0.04), middle income group (AOR 2.1, p = 0.001) compared to low income group and low level of education (AOR 3.7, p = 0.02) compared to higher education. HSV-2 seropositivity was higher among Christians (12.6%) compared to Muslims (3.8%). The most frequent clinical symptoms among HSV-2 seropositives were excess vaginal discharge in last one year (53.5%, 76/142) and pelvic pain (26.1%, 37/142). While among subjects with genital ulcers, HSV-2 seroprevalence was 36.8% (7/19).

Conclusions

Overall seroprevalence of HSV-2 infection among pregnant women of Northeast India is relatively low. The generation of awareness among high risk groups may have played key role to limit the infection. The role of vaccination against HSV-2 in near future and elimination of HSV-2 viral shedding along with genital tract inflammation in high HIV/HSV-2 areas may be an option for initiating successful intervention strategies to reduce the transmission and acquisition of HIV infection in Northeast India.
Measuring health-related quality of life in children with cancer living in mainland China: feasibility, reliability and validity of the Chinese mandarin version of PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales and 3.0 Cancer Module
Authors: Ji Yi , Chen Siyuan , Li Kai , Xiao Nong , Yang Xue , Zheng Shan , Xiao Xianmin
Published: November 2011

Background

The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) is widely used instrument to measure pediatric health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for children aged 2 to 18 years. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the feasibility, reliability and validity of the Chinese mandarin version of the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales and 3.0 Cancer Module in a group of Chinese children with cancer.

Methods

The PedsQL 4.0 Genetic Core Scales and the PedsQL 3.0 Cancer Module were administered to children with cancer (aged 5-18 years) and parents of such children (aged 2-18 years). For comparison, a survey on a demographically group-matched sample of the general population with children (aged 5-18) and parents of children (aged 2-18 years) was conducted with the PedsQL 4.0 Genetic Core Scales.

Result

The minimal mean percentage of missing item responses (except the School Functioning scale) supported the feasibility of the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales and 3.0 Cancer Module for Chinese children with cancer. Most of the scales showed satisfactory reliability with Cronbach's α of exceeding 0.70, and all scales demonstrated sufficient test-retest reliability. Assessing the clinical validity of the questionnaires, statistically significant difference was found between healthy children and children with cancer, and between children on-treatment versus off-treatment ≥12 months. Positive significant correlations were observed between the scores of the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scale and the PedsQL 3.0 Cancer Module. Exploratory factor analysis demonstrated sufficient factorial validity. Moderate to good agreement was found between child self- and parent proxy-reports.

Conclusion

The findings support the feasibility, reliability and validity of the Chinese Mandarin version of PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales and 3.0 Cancer Module in children with cancer living in mainland China.
Health related quality of life of Iranian children with type 1 diabetes: reliability and validity of the Persian version of the PedsQL™ Generic Core Scales and Diabetes Module
Authors: Jafari Peyman , Forouzandeh Elham , Bagheri Zahra , Karamizadeh Zohreh , Shalileh Keivan
Published: November 2011

Background

The aim of this study was to measure health related quality of life (HRQOL) in Iranian children with type 1 diabetes and to test the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales and the PedsQL™ 3.0 Diabetes Module.

Methods

Participants were 94 children and adolescents diagnosed with type 1 diabetes for at least 3 months in Shiraz, southern Iran. Convergent, discriminant, and construct validity of the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales and the PedsQL™ 3.0 Diabetes Module were assessed. Moreover, internal consistency was checked by Cronbach's alpha coefficient.

Results

Cronbach's α for the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales and the PedsQL™ 3.0 Diabetes Module was greater than 0.80 both in the child self-report and parent proxy-report. Both generic and disease-specific versions of the PedsQL showed excellent convergent and acceptable discriminant validity except for 'diabetes symptoms' subscale in the child self-report of the disease-specific module. Moreover, Iranian children with diabetes, as compared with other countries, had lower HRQOL scores.

Conclusions

While this study showed that the Persian version of the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales has good psychometric properties in children with type 1 diabetes, the PedsQL™ 3.0 Diabetes Module needs some modifications to be used as a disease-specific quality of life (QOL) measure. Also, more support should be provided for the care of Iranian children with diabetes.
Bipolar resistance switching characteristics with opposite polarity of Au/SrTiO3/Ti memory cells
Authors: Sun Xianwen , Li Guoqiang , Chen Li , Shi Zihong , Zhang Weifeng
Published: November 2011

Two types of bipolar resistance switching with eightwise and counter eightwise polarities are observed to coexist in Au/SrTiO3/Ti memory cells. These two types of switching can be induced by different defect distributions which are activated by controlling the electric process. The analyses of I-V and C-V data reveal that the resistance switching with eightwise polarity originates from the change of Schottky barrier at the Au/SrTiO3 interface caused by trapping/detrapping effects at interface defect states, while the switching with counter eightwise polarity is caused by oxygen-vacancy migration.
A fixed point theorem for Meir-Keeler contractions in ordered metric spaces
Authors: Harjani Jackie , López Belén , Sadarangani Kishin
Published: November 2011

The purpose of this paper is to present some fixed point theorems for Meir-Keeler contractions in a complete metric space endowed with a partial order.

MSC: 47H10.
A comparison of specialist rehabilitation and care assistant support with specialist rehabilitation alone and usual care for people with Parkinson's living in the community: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Gage Heather , Ting Sharlene , Williams Peter , Bryan Karen , Kaye Julie , Castleton Beverly , Trend Patrick , Wade Derick
Published: November 2011

Background

Parkinson's Disease is a degenerative neurological condition that causes movement problems and other distressing symptoms. People with Parkinson's disease gradually lose their independence and strain is placed on family members. A multidisciplinary approach to rehabilitation for people with Parkinson's is recommended but has not been widely researched. Studies are needed that investigate cost-effective community-based service delivery models to reduce disability and dependency and admission to long term care, and improve quality of life.

Methods

A pragmatic three parallel group randomised controlled trial involving people with Parkinson's Disease and live-in carers (family friends or paid carers), and comparing: management by a specialist multidisciplinary team for six weeks, according to a care plan agreed between the professionals and the patient and carer (Group A); multidisciplinary team management and additional support for four months from a trained care assistant (Group B); usual care, no coordinated team care planning or ongoing support (Group C). Follow up will be for six months to determine the impact and relative cost-effectiveness of the two interventions, compared to usual care. The primary outcomes are disability (patients) and strain (carers). Secondary outcomes include patient mobility, falls, speech, pain, self efficacy, health and social care use; carer general health; patient and carer social functioning, psychological wellbeing, health related quality of life. Semi structured interviews will be undertaken with providers (team members, care assistants), service commissioners, and patients and carers in groups A and B, to gain feedback about the acceptability of the interventions. A cost - effectiveness evaluation is embedded in the trial.

Discussion

The trial investigates components of recent national policy recommendations for people with long term conditions, and Parkinson's Disease in particular, and will provide guidance to inform local service planning and commissioning.

Trial registration

ISRCTN:ISRCTN44577970
Forefoot pathology in rheumatoid arthritis identified with ultrasound may not localise to areas of highest pressure: cohort observations at baseline and twelve months
Authors: Bowen Catherine J , Culliford David , Allen Ruth , Beacroft James , Gay Anita , Hooper Lindsey , Burridge Jane , Edwards Christopher J , Arden Nigel K
Published: November 2011

Background

Plantar pressures are commonly used as clinical measures, especially to determine optimum foot orthotic design. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA) high plantar foot pressures have been linked to metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint radiological erosion scores. However, the sensitivity of foot pressure measurement to soft tissue pathology within the foot is unknown. The aim of this study was to observe plantar foot pressures and forefoot soft tissue pathology in patients who have RA.

Methods

A total of 114 patients with established RA (1987 ACR criteria) and 50 healthy volunteers were assessed at baseline. All RA participants returned for reassessment at twelve months. Interface foot‐shoe plantar pressures were recorded using an F‐Scan® system. The presence of forefoot soft tissue pathology was assessed using a DIASUS musculoskeletal ultrasound (US) system. Chi‐square analyses and independent t‐tests were used to determine statistical differences between baseline and twelve months. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to determine interrelationships between soft tissue pathology and foot pressures.

Results

At baseline, RA patients had a significantly higher peak foot pressures compared to healthy participants and peak pressures were located in the medial aspect of the forefoot in both groups. In contrast, RA participants had US detectable soft tissue pathology in the lateral aspect of the forefoot. Analysis of person specific data suggests that there are considerable variations over time with more than half the RA cohort having unstable presence of US detectable forefoot soft tissue pathology. Findings also indicated that, over time, changes in US detectable soft tissue pathology are out of phase with changes in foot‐shoe interface pressures both temporally and spatially.

Conclusions

We found that US detectable forefoot soft tissue pathology may be unrelated to peak forefoot pressures and suggest that patients with RA may biomechanically adapt to soft tissue forefoot pathology. In addition, we have observed that, in patients with RA, interface foot‐shoe pressures and the presence of US detectable forefoot pathology may vary substantially over time. This has implications for clinical strategies that aim to offload peak plantar pressures.
Nuclear survivin expression is a positive prognostic factor in taxane-platinum-treated ovarian cancer patients
Authors: Felisiak-Golabek Anna , Rembiszewska Alina , Rzepecka Iwona K , Szafron Lukasz , Madry Radoslaw , Murawska Magdalena , Napiorkowski Tomasz , Sobiczewski Piotr , Osuch Beata , Kupryjanczyk Jolanta ,   the Polish Ovarian Cancer Study Group (POCSG)
Published: November 2011

Background

Survivin is an inhibitor of apoptosis and a regulator of mitotic progression. TP53 protein is a negative transcriptional regulator of survivin. The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical significance of survivin expression in advanced stages ovarian cancer with respect to the TP53 status.

Methods

Survivin and TP53 expression was evaluated immunohistochemically in 435 archival samples of ovarian carcinomas (244 patients were treated with platinum/cyclophosphamide-PC/PAC; 191-with taxane-platinum (TP) agents). Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were performed in patients groups divided according to the administered chemotherapeutic regimen, and in subgroups with and without TP53 accumulation (TP53+ and TP53-, respectively).

Results

Nuclear and cytoplasmic survivin expression was observed in 92% and 74% of the carcinomas, respectively. In patients treated with TP, high nuclear survivin expression decreased the risk of disease recurrence and death, and increased the probability of high platinum sensitivity (p < 0.01), but only in the TP53(+) group, and not in the TP53(-) group.

Conclusions

It appears that TP53 status determines the clinical importance of nuclear survivin expression in taxane-platinum treated ovarian cancer patients.
A different immunologic profile characterizes patients with HER-2-overexpressing and HER-2-negative locally advanced breast cancer: implications for immune-based therapies
Authors: Muraro Elena , Martorelli Debora , Turchet Elisa , Miolo Gianmaria , Scalone Simona , Comaro Elisa , Talamini Renato , Mastorci Katy , Lombardi Davide , Perin Tiziana , Carbone Antonino , Veronesi Andrea , Crivellari Diana , Dolcetti Riccardo
Published: November 2011

Introduction

The clinical efficacy of trastuzumab and taxanes is at least partly related to their ability to mediate or promote antitumor immune responses. On these grounds, a careful analysis of basal immune profile may be capital to dissect the heterogeneity of clinical responses to these drugs in patients with locally advanced breast cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods

Blood samples were collected from 61 locally advanced breast cancers (36 HER2- and 25 HER2+) at diagnosis and from 23 healthy women. Immunophenotypic profiling of circulating and intratumor immune cells, including regulatory T (Treg) cells, was assessed by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Serum levels of 10 different cytokines were assessed by multiplex immunoassays. CD8+ T cell responses to multiple tumor-associated antigens (TAA) were evaluated by IFN-γ-enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISPOT). The Student's t test for two tailed distributions and the Wilcoxon two-sample test were used for the statistical analysis of the data.

Results

The proportion of circulating immune effectors was similar in HER2+ patients and healthy donors, whereas higher percentages of natural killer and Treg cells and a lower CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio (with a prevalence of naïve and central memory CD8+ T cells) were observed in HER2- cases. Higher numbers of circulating CD8+ T cells specific for several HLA-A*0201-restricted TAA-derived peptides were observed in HER2+ cases, together with a higher prevalence of intratumor CD8+ T cells. Serum cytokine profile of HER2+ patients was similar to that of controls, whereas HER2- cases showed significantly lower cytokine amounts compared to healthy women (IL-2, IL-8, IL-6) and HER2+ cases (IL-2, IL-1β, IL-8, IL-6, IL-10).

Conclusions

Compared to HER2- cases, patients with HER2-overexpressing locally advanced breast cancer show a more limited tumor-related immune suppression. This may account for the clinical benefit achieved in this subset of patients with the use of drugs acting through, but also promoting, immune-mediated effects.
Elastic and flow properties of shales
Authors: Sarker Rituparna
Published: November 2011

Geophysics publishes abstracts of dissertations and titles of master’s theses both in print and online. Recent graduates are invited to submit their abstracts or titles by completing and submitting the appropriate form found at http://seg.org/dissertationabstracts. Abstracts and titles will be reviewed and accepted or rejected based on their relevance to the readers of Geophysics. Abstracts must be written in English and defended in 2009 or later.
Imaging groundwater beneath a rugged proglacial moraine
Authors: Lehmann-Horn J. A. , Walbrecker J. O. , Hertrich M. , Langston G. , McClymont A. F. , Green A. G.
Published: November 2011

With the changing precipitation patterns and melting of mountain glaciers and permafrost that result from global warming, information on the distribution of groundwater in mountainous terrains is becoming increasingly important for developing prudent resource and hazard management strategies. Obtaining this information across topographically craggy and variably frozen ground in a cost-effective and nonintrusive manner is challenging. We introduce a modified 2D surface nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tomographic technique that allows us to account for substantial variations in surface topography in locating and quantifying groundwater occurrences in rugged mountains. Because contact with the ground is not necessary, it is a rare geophysical technique not affected by sensor-to-ground coupling problems common in high mountain environments. To demonstrate the efficacy of the tomographic imaging scheme, we invert a large multioffset surface NMR data set collected across a partially ice-cored proglacial terminal moraine in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Our preferred model contains a 2- to 5-m-thick water layer, the top of which has practically the same elevation as the surface of a nearby lake and the bottom of which coincides with bedrock resolved in companion seismic and ground-penetrating radar studies.
Commentary: The Year in Orphan Nuclear Receptors and Their Coregulators
Authors: Moore David D.
Published: November 2011

We are beginning to integrate the functions of individual orphan receptors into larger networks. It is particularly exciting that these basic studies are beginning to shed light on important diseases. We are now able to address not just physiological but also pathological functions of these proteins and their potential as targets for treating a surprisingly wide range of diseases.
Pregnancy is a drag: hydrodynamics, kinematics and performance in pre- and post-parturition bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)
Authors: Noren Shawn R. , Redfern Jessica V. , Edwards Elizabeth F.
Published: November 2011

Constraints on locomotion could be an important component of the cost of reproduction as carrying an increased load associated with eggs or developing fetuses may contribute to decreased locomotor performance for females across taxa and environments. Diminished performance could increase susceptibility to predation, yet the mechanism(s) by which gravidity and pregnancy affect locomotion remains largely unexplored. Here we demonstrate that morphology, hydrodynamics and kinematics were altered during pregnancy, providing a mechanism for diminished locomotor performance in two near-term pregnant (10 days pre-parturition) bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Near-term pregnancy resulted in a 51±14% increase in frontal surface area, coinciding with dramatic increases in drag forces while gliding. For example, pregnant females encountered 80 N of drag at 1.7 m s–1 whereas that magnitude of drag was not encountered until speed doubled for females 18 months post-parturition. Indeed, drag coefficients based on frontal surface area were significantly greater during pregnancy (Cd,F=0.22±0.04) than at 18 months post-parturition (Cd,F=0.09±0.01). Pregnancy also induced a gait change as stroke amplitude and distance per stroke were reduced by 13 and 14%, respectively, compared with non-pregnant periods (1–24 months post-parturition). This was concomitant with a 62 and 44% reduction in mean and maximum swim speeds, respectively, during the pregnancy period. Interestingly, attack speeds of known predators of dolphins surpass maximum speeds for the pregnant dolphins in this study. Thus, pregnant dolphins may be more susceptible to predation. This study demonstrates unequivocally that changes in morphology, hydrodynamics and kinematics are associated with diminished performance during pregnancy in dolphins.
Energetic constraints on electric signalling in wave-type weakly electric fishes
Authors: Reardon Erin E. , Parisi Alana , Krahe Rüdiger , Chapman Lauren J.
Published: November 2011

Gymnotiform weakly electric fishes generate electric organ discharges (EODs) and sense perturbations of the resulting electric field for purposes of orientation, prey detection and communication. Some species produce oscillatory (‘wave-type’) EODs at very high frequencies (up to 2 kHz) that have been proposed to be energetically expensive. If high-frequency EODs are expensive, then fish may modulate their EOD frequency and/or amplitude in response to low-oxygen (hypoxic) stress and/or compensate for costs of signalling through other adaptations that maximize oxygen uptake efficiency. To test for evidence of an energetic cost of signalling, we recorded EOD in conjunction with metabolic rates, critical oxygen tension and aquatic surface respiration (ASR90) thresholds in Apteronotus leptorhynchus, a species found in high-oxygen habitats, and Eigenmannia virescens, a species more typically found in low-oxygen waters. Eigenmannia virescens had a lower mean ASR90 threshold and critical oxygen tension compared with A. leptorhynchus, consistent with field distributions. Within each species, there was no evidence for a relationship between metabolic rate and either EOD frequency or amplitude under normoxia, suggesting that there is no significant direct metabolic cost associated with producing a higher frequency EOD. However, when exposed to progressive hypoxia, fish generally responded by reducing EOD amplitude, which may reduce energetic costs. The threshold at which fish reduced EOD amplitude tended to be lower in E. virescens, a pattern consistent with higher tolerance to hypoxic stress. The results of this study suggest that wave-type fish reduce their EOD amplitude to reduce direct energetic costs without reducing metabolic rate under hypoxia.
Experience influences elemental and configural perception of certain binary odour mixtures in newborn rabbits
Authors: Sinding Charlotte , Thomas-Danguin Thierry , Crepeaux Guillemette , Schaal Benoist , Coureaud Gérard
Published: November 2011

Elemental and configural olfactory perception allows interaction with the environment from very early in life. To evaluate how newborn rabbits can extract and respond to information from the highly complex chemical surroundings, and how experience acts on this sensory, cognitive and behavioural capability, we ran a study in four steps including a total of eight experiments. We mainly used a binary AB mixture comprising ethyl isobutyrate (component A) and ethyl maltol (component B), previously shown as a bearer of blending properties; in rabbit pups (as in human adults), the mixture elicits a weak configural perception, i.e. the perception of a configural odour different from the odours of the components. First, a repeated exposure to one component of AB led to a more elemental perception of this mixture; conversely, a repeated exposure to AB facilitated its configural processing. Second, similar impact of experience did not appear with a non-blending AC mixture (ethyl isobutyrate-guaïacol). Third, repeated exposure to AB impacted not only the perception of AB, but also and in the same way the perception of the AC mixture sharing one component, and reciprocally. However, facilitation to perceive one mixture in one mode (configural/elemental) was not generalized to a mixture sharing no components with the experienced mixture [AB versus DE (damascenone and vanillin)]. Thus, experience contributes to the neonatal perception of odour mixtures and adds plasticity to the perceptual system. However, this impact remains dependent on the chemical composition of the mixtures.
A case of postpartum Group B streptococcal meningitis
Authors: Gayford Kylie , McCarthy Ana , Hague William M
Published: November 2011

A case of postpartum Group B streptococcal meningitis, a rare complication of an invasive infection by a common maternal commensal bacterium, which demonstrates the need to develop rapid and accurate antepartum and intrapartum screening methods for this organism.
An unusual cause of chest pain in a young woman
Authors: Fryearson John , Adamson Dawn
Published: November 2011

A 25-year-old-woman presented to health-care services recurrently due to pleuritic chest pain. This increased during the first trimester of her first pregnancy. She was subsequently referred to a tertiary cardiology centre where she was seen by a cardiologist with a special interest in obstetric cardiology. After further investigations, an unusual cause of her pain was identified. Her investigations, management and her clinical course are presented here.
The Speed-Accuracy Tradeoff in the Elderly Brain: A Structural Model-Based Approach
Authors: Forstmann Birte U. , Tittgemeyer Marc , Wagenmakers Eric-Jan , Derrfuss Jan , Imperati Davide , Brown Scott
Published: November 2011

Even in the simplest laboratory tasks older adults generally take more time to respond than young adults. One of the reasons for this age-related slowing is that older adults are reluctant to commit errors, a cautious attitude that prompts them to accumulate more information before making a decision (Rabbitt, 1979). This suggests that age-related slowing may be partly due to unwillingness on behalf of elderly participants to adopt a fast-but-careless setting when asked. We investigate the neuroanatomical and neurocognitive basis of age-related slowing in a perceptual decision-making task where cues instructed young and old participants to respond either quickly or accurately. Mathematical modeling of the behavioral data confirmed that cueing for speed encouraged participants to set low response thresholds, but this was more evident in younger than older participants. Diffusion weighted structural images suggest that the more cautious threshold settings of older participants may be due to a reduction of white matter integrity in corticostriatal tracts that connect the pre-SMA to the striatum. These results are consistent with the striatal account of the speed-accuracy tradeoff according to which an increased emphasis on response speed increases the cortical input to the striatum, resulting in global disinhibition of the cortex. Our findings suggest that the unwillingness of older adults to adopt fast speed-accuracy tradeoff settings may not just reflect a strategic choice that is entirely under voluntary control, but that it may also reflect structural limitations: age-related decrements in brain connectivity.
A Novel Form of Low-Frequency Hippocampal Mossy Fiber Plasticity Induced by Bimodal mGlu1 Receptor Signaling
Authors: Frausto Shanti F. , Ito Koichi , Marszalec William , Swanson Geoffrey T.
Published: November 2011

Mossy fiber synapses act as the critical mediators of highly dynamic communication between hippocampal granule cells in the dentate gyrus and CA3 pyramidal neurons. Excitatory synaptic strength at mossy fiber to CA3 pyramidal cell synapses is potentiated rapidly and reversibly by brief trains of low-frequency stimulation of mossy fiber axons. We show that slight modifications to the pattern of stimulation convert this short-term potentiation into prolonged synaptic strengthening lasting tens of minutes in rodent hippocampal slices. This low-frequency potentiation of mossy fiber EPSCs requires postsynaptic mGlu1 receptors for induction but is expressed presynaptically as an increased release probability and therefore impacts both AMPA and NMDA components of the mossy fiber EPSC. A nonconventional signaling pathway initiated by mGlu1 receptors contributes to induction of plasticity, because EPSC potentiation was prevented by a tyrosine kinase inhibitor and only partially reduced by guanosine 5′-O-(2-thiodiphosphate). A slowly reversible state of enhanced synaptic efficacy could serve as a mechanism for altering the integrative properties of this synapse within a relatively broad temporal window.
Neural Correlates of Object-in-Place Learning in Hippocampus and Prefrontal Cortex
Authors: Kim Jangjin , Delcasso Sébastien , Lee Inah
Published: November 2011

Hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) process spatiotemporally discrete events while maintaining goal-directed task demands. Although some studies have reported that neural activities in the two regions are coordinated, such observations have rarely been reported in an object-place paired-associate (OPPA) task in which animals must learn an object-in-place rule. In this study, we recorded single units and local field potentials simultaneously from the CA1 subfield of the hippocampus and PFC as rats learned that Object A, but not Object B, was rewarded in Place 1, but not in Place 2 (vice versa for Object B). Both hippocampus and PFC are required for normal performance in this task. PFC neurons fired in association with the regularity of the occurrence of a certain type of event independent of space, whereas neuronal firing in CA1 was spatially localized for representing a discrete place. Importantly, the differential firing patterns were observed in tandem with common learning-related changes in both regions. Specifically, once OPPA learning occurred and rats used an object-in-place strategy, (1) both CA1 and PFC neurons exhibited spatially more similar and temporally more synchronized firing patterns, (2) spiking activities in both regions were more phase locked to theta rhythms, and (3) CA1–medial PFC coherence in theta oscillation was maximal before entering a critical place for decision making. The results demonstrate differential as well as common neural dynamics between hippocampus and PFC in acquiring the OPPA task and strongly suggest that both regions form a unified functional network for processing an episodic event.
Prefrontal-Occipitoparietal Coupling Underlies Late Latency Human Neuronal Responses to Emotion
Authors: Moratti Stephan , Saugar Cristina , Strange Bryan A.
Published: November 2011

Enhanced late positive potentials (LPPs) evoked by highly arousing unpleasant and pleasant stimuli have been consistently observed in event-related potential experiments in humans. Although the psychological factors modulating the LPP have been studied in detail, the neurobiological underpinnings of this response remain poorly understood. Current models suggest that the LPP is a product of both an automatic facilitation of perceptual activity, as well as postperceptual processing under cognitive control. Here we applied magnetoencephalography (MEG) and beamformer analysis combined with Granger causality measures to provide a mechanistic account for LPP generation that reconciles these two models. We demonstrate that the magnetic homolog of the LPP, mLPP, is localized within bilateral occipitoparietal and right prefrontal cortex. Critically, directed functional connectivity analysis between these brain regions, indexed by Granger causality, demonstrates stronger bidirectional influences between frontal and occipitoparietal cortex for high arousing emotional relative to low arousing neutral pictures. Thus, both bottom-up and top-down accounts of the late latency response to emotion derived from psychological studies can be explained by a reciprocal codependency between activity in prefrontal and occipitoparietal cortex.
Adult Neuron Addition to the Zebra Finch Song Motor Pathway Correlates with the Rate and Extent of Recovery from Botox-Induced Paralysis of the Vocal Muscles
Authors: Pytte Carolyn , Yu Yi-Lo , Wildstein Sara , George Shanu , Kirn John R.
Published: November 2011

In adult songbirds, neurons are continually incorporated into the telencephalic nucleus HVC (used as a proper name), a premotor region necessary for the production of learned vocalizations. Previous studies have demonstrated that neuron addition to HVC is highest when song is most variable: in juveniles during song learning, in seasonally singing adults during peaks in plasticity that precede the production of new song components, or during seasonal reestablishment of a previously learned song. These findings suggest that neuron addition provides motor flexibility for the transition from a variable song to a target song. Here we test the association between the quality of song structure and HVC neuron addition by experimentally manipulating syringeal muscle control with Botox, which produces a transient partial paralysis. We show that the quality of song structure covaries with new neuron addition to HVC. Both the magnitude of song distortion and the rate of song recovery after syringeal Botox injections were correlated with the number of new neurons incorporated into HVC. We suggest that the quality of song structure is either a cause or consequence of the number of new neurons added to HVC. Birds with naturally high rates of neuron addition may have had the greatest success in recovering song. Alternatively, or in addition, new neuron survival in the song motor pathway may be regulated by the quality of song-generated feedback as song regains its original stereotyped structure. Present results are the first to show a relationship between peripheral muscle control and adult neuron addition to cortical premotor circuits.
Distinct Functional Roles of Subunits within the Heteromeric Kainate Receptor
Authors: Fisher Janet L. , Mott David D.
Published: November 2011

Kainate receptors (KARs) have been implicated in a number of neurological disorders, including epilepsy. KARs are tetrameric, composed of a combination of GluK1–GluK5 subunits. We examined the contribution of GluK2 and GluK5 subunits to activation and desensitization of the heteromeric receptor. Heteromeric GluK2/K5 receptors expressed in HEK-293T cells showed markedly higher glutamate sensitivity than GluK2 homomers and did not desensitize at low glutamate concentrations. Mutation of residue E738 in GluK2 substantially lowered its glutamate sensitivity. However, heteromeric KARs containing this mutant GluK2 [GluK2(E738D)] assembled with wild-type GluK5 showed no change in glutamate EC50compared with wild-type heteromeric KARs. Instead, higher concentrations of glutamate were required to produce desensitization. This suggested that, within the heteromeric receptor, glutamate binding to the high-affinity GluK5 subunit alone was sufficient for channel activation but not desensitization, whereas agonist binding to the low-affinity GluK2 subunit was not necessary to open the channel but instead caused the channel to enter a closed, desensitized state. To test this hypothesis in wild-type receptors, we used the competitive antagonist kynurenate, which has higher affinity for the GluK2 than the GluK5 subunit. Coapplication of kynurenate with glutamate to heteromeric receptors reduced the onset of desensitization without affecting the peak current response, consistent with our hypothesis. Our results suggest that GluK2 and GluK5 subunits can be individually activated within the heteromeric receptor and that these subunits serve dramatically different functional roles.
The Other Side of the Valley
Authors: Estabrook Barry
Published: November 2011

California's Central Valley is ground zero for large-scale, industrialized agriculture in the United States, and it is paying a high environmental price for that distinction. Its water is contaminated, and its air is more polluted than that in large, urban areas such as Los Angeles. But there is another side to food production in the Central Valley. Small, artisanal, often organic farmers are showing that it is possible to raise crops and animals profitably and sustainability. If it can be done in the Central Valley, it can be done anywhere.
Back to the Future: Gorham's “Circa ′70” Service
Authors: Dehan Amy Miller
Published: November 2011

Donald Colflesh's sterling silver and ebony “Circa 70” line, designed in 1958 for the Gorham Manufacturing Company, was conceived and produced during the height of the space race. It was one of the first luxury, Space Age–styled lines for the home to hit the market. Many Space Age products mirrored the styling of satellites, spacecraft, orbit patterns, or astronaut helmets, but none as gracefully as these. This article places the “Circa 70” line, principally its anchor tea and coffee service, in historical context and discusses the psychology of futurism and Space Age utopia that developed after war time and the “look” that grew out of the fervor for the future—a “look” that extended from candy and toys to housewares, luxury goods, and architecture.
Remembering Dione Lucas
Authors: Schinto Jeanne
Published: November 2011

A remembrance and reconsideration of Dione Lucas (1909–1971), one of America's first television-cooking-show hosts. Credited with being the first to introduce the techniques and traditions of French cuisine to the American home kitchen in the late 1940s, Lucas was superseded by Julia Child and today has been largely forgotten. Worse, food-world insiders who do remember her don't often have kind things to say. Working with her papers, donated to the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, and in extensive interviews with her elder son, Mark Lucas, the author sets straight many questions about one of our first culinary celebrities, a woman who saw cooking as an art and believed herself to be an artist—a stance distinctly at odds with the idea of television's mass appeal and with the approach of many of her colleagues. Yet, the author argues Lucas deserves her modest place in culinary history and was, in Mark's words, “an extraordinarily complex person, but essentially unsophisticated in the best sense of the term.”
“A Triumph in Culinary Art”: Epicurean Displays at the Copley Plaza
Authors: Finamore Michelle Tolini
Published: November 2011

From the early twentieth century through the 1960s, three generations of the Tolini family participated in culinary expositions organized by the Epicurean Society of Boston and Les Amis d'Escoffier. The French gastronomic traditions of Auguste Escoffier and Antonin Carême informed the creation of the elaborate and highly decorative tallow sculptures that were the centerpieces of these displays. Drawing upon an extensive family archive of photographs, menus, and ephemera, the author delves into the history of these extraordinaires, or pièces montées. The article explores the fabrication techniques and aesthetics of the centerpieces through oral history and seminal nineteenth- and twentieth-century culinary books such as The Escoffier Cook Book: A Guide to the Fine Art of Cookery and more obscure works such as Escoffier's Les Fleurs en Cire. The investigation uncovers the original sources of inspiration for the annual competitions, as well as a unique tradition of craftsmanship that was handed down from father to son to grandson.
GnRH increases glucose transporter-1 expression and stimulates glucose uptake in the gonadotroph
Authors: Harris Valerie M , Bendre Sachin V , Gonzalez De Los Santos Francina , Fite Alemu , El-Yaman El-Dandachli Ahmad , Kurenbekova Lyazat , Abou-Samra Abdul B , Buggs-Saxton Colleen
Published: November 2011

GnRH is the main regulator of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (H–P–G) axis. GnRH stimulates the pituitary gonadotroph to synthesize and secrete gonadotrophins (LH and FSH), and this effect of GnRH is dependent on the availability of glucose and other nutrients. Little is known about whether GnRH regulates glucose metabolism in the gonadotroph. This study examined the regulation of glucose transporters (Gluts) by GnRH in the LβT2 gonadotroph cell line. Using real-time PCR analysis, the expression ofGlut1, -2, -4, and -8 was detected, butGlut1mRNA expression level was more abundant than the mRNA expression levels ofGlut2, -4, and -8. After the treatment of LβT2 cells with GnRH,Glut1mRNA expression was markedly induced, but there was no GnRH-induction ofGlut2, -4, or -8 mRNA expression in LβT2 cells. The effect of GnRH onGlut1mRNA expression is partly mediated by ERK activation. GnRH increased GLUT1 protein and stimulated GLUT1 translocation to the cell surface of LβT2 cells. Glucose uptake assays were performed in LβT2 cells and showed that GnRH stimulates glucose uptake in the gonadotroph. Finally, exogenous treatment of mice with GnRH increased the expression ofGlut1but not the expression ofGlut2, -4, or -8 in the pituitary. Therefore, regulation of glucose metabolism by GnRH via changes inGlutsexpression and subcellular location in the pituitary gonadotroph reveals a novel response of the gonadotroph to GnRH.