bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tropical Outgoing Longwave Radiation and Longwave Cloud Forcing Diurnal Cycles from CERES
Authors: Taylor Patrick C.
Published: July 2012

The diurnal cycle is a fundamental earth system variability driven by daily variations in solar insolation. Understanding diurnal variability is important for characterizing top-of-atmosphere and surface energy budgets. Climatological and seasonal first diurnal cycle harmonics of outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and longwave cloud forcing (LWCF) are investigated using the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) synoptic 3-hourly data. A comparison with previous studies indicates generally similar results. However, the results indicate that the CERES OLR diurnal cycle amplitudes are 10%–20% larger in desert regions than previous analyses. This difference results from the temporal interpolation technique overestimating the daily maximum OLR. OLR diurnal cycle amplitudes in other tropical regions agree with previous work. Results show that the diurnal maximum and minimum OLR variability contributes equally to the total OLR variance over ocean; however, over land the diurnal maximum OLR variance contributes at least 50% more to the total OLR variability than the minimum OLR. The differences in maximum and minimum daily OLR variability are largely due to differences in surface temperature standard deviations at these times, about 5–6 and 3–4 K, respectively. The OLR variance at diurnal maximum and minimum is also influenced by negative and positive correlations, respectively, between LWCF and clear-sky OLR. The anticorrelation between LWCF and clear-sky OLR at diurnal OLR maximum indicates smaller cloud fractions at warmer surface temperatures. The relationship between LWCF and clear-sky OLR at diurnal minimum OLR appears to result from a preference for deep convection, more high clouds, and larger LWCF values to occur with warmer surface temperatures driving a narrower diurnal minimum OLR distribution.
Pycnocline Variations in the Eastern Tropical and North Pacific, 1958–2008
Authors: Fiedler Paul C. , Mendelssohn Roy , Palacios Daniel M. , Bograd Steven J.
Published: July 2012

Climatic variability of the pycnocline in the eastern tropical and North Pacific has oceanographic and ecological implications. Gridded monthly profiles of temperature and salinity from the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) reanalysis, 1958–2008, were used to derive estimates of four variables related to the density structure of the upper-ocean water column: surface temperature, pycnocline depth, mixed layer depth, and stratification (potential energy anomaly). The pycnocline is primarily a thermal gradient in this region, except in subarctic waters at the northern extreme of the study area, where salinity becomes more important than temperature in determining stratification. Spatial patterns of mean and standard deviation of the four pycnocline variables are presented. Partitioning of variance between seasonal and interannual scales shows the predominance of interannual variability in the tropics and seasonal variability at higher latitudes. Low-frequency variations (trends) in the pycnocline variables were derived by state-space analysis of time series averaged in 5° squares. Regionally coherent trends were either monotonic over 50 years or had decadal-scale changes in sign (±5–10-m depth, ±5%–10% of stratification). For example, in the eastern equatorial Pacific, the pycnocline shoaled by 10 m and weakened by 5% over the 50 years, while in the California Current the pycnocline deepened by ~5 m but showed little net change in stratification, which weakened by 5% to the mid-1970s, strengthened by 8% to the mid-1990s, and then weakened by 4% to 2008. These observed changes in the pycnocline, and future changes resulting from global climate change, may have important biological and ecosystem effects.
Accounting for the Solar Radiation Influence on Downward Longwave Irradiance Measurements by Pyrgeometers
Authors: Meloni Daniela , Di Biagio Claudia , di Sarra Alcide , Monteleone Francesco , Pace Giandomenico , Sferlazzo Damiano Massimiliano
Published: July 2012

Measurements of broadband downward longwave (LW) irradiance are carried out at Lampedusa, Italy, in the Mediterranean, jointly with solar irradiance, since 2004 using shaded and unshaded Eppley Precision Infrared Radiometers (PIRs) and Kipp & Zonen CGR4 pyrgeometers. The calibrations of the different pyrgeometers are traceable to the Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos World Radiation Center (PMOD/WRC). Nighttime measurements from intercalibrated pyrgeometers agree within ±2 W m−2. The performance of the pyrgeometers when operated unshaded has been analyzed by comparison with shaded instruments. For the PIR, the nonhomogeneous dome temperature in cloud-free conditions produces differences in LW irradiance within ±4 W m−2, depending on the time of the day and the season. The effect of the LW fraction of solar radiation reaching the sensor and a possible shortwave leakage of the dome interference filter produces differences between shaded and unshaded pyrgeometers during daytime. In cloud-free conditions, the unshaded PIR overestimates the LW irradiance measured by a shaded PIR by up to 10 W m−2, and by up to 12 W m−2 compared to a shaded CGR4. Conversely, the unshaded CGR4 LW irradiances agree with those of a shaded PIR within the measurements’ uncertainties. An empirical formula to correct the solar effect of the PIR has been derived. Applying this correction, the average LW irradiance overestimate for cloud-free conditions decreases from 3.8 ± 1.8 to 0.0 ± 1.3 W m−2 in spring, and from 3.2 ± 1.7 to 0.0 ± 1.3 W m−2 in summer. Thus, LW irradiance from an unshaded PIR can be derived within about ±2 W m−2 of a shaded PIR.
A Methodology for the Characterization of Periodicities in Nonsteady Time Series: Application to Tropospheric Ozone Recharging Cycles in the Western Mediterranean Basin
Authors: Palau Jose Luis , Rovira Francisco
Published: July 2012

Environmental measurements often show unsteady variability and background red noise (stochastic component) superimposed on persistent trivial daily, seasonal, and annual variability. In addition to this, environmental time series often present gaps due to a myriad of possible factors, such as malfunction of the sensors, connection loss, etc. As a result, interpreting and identifying periodicities in this type of time series by means of spectral analysis tools, like the Fourier transform, are difficult and lack precision. To overcome these difficulties, a methodology is proposed in the first part of this paper that integrates statistical tools (iterative Student’s t test), parametric reconstruction, and spectral analysis (Lomb periodogram and wavelets). In the second part of the paper, this methodology is tested (i) in the high-frequency part of the spectrum of two (well known) synthetic time series and (ii) to identify nontrivial (e.g., daily cycles) high-frequency periodicities (linked to some mesometeorological processes) in three tropospheric ozone time series recorded by the Valencia regional air quality monitoring network (on the Mediterranean side of Spain) during a 14-yr period. This methodology can determine statistically significant, seasonally dependent recurrences in the high-frequency variability (<15 days) observed in ozone time series measured in a Mediterranean region of Spain under high noise-to-signal ratios.
What is Geyi, After All?
Authors: Mair Victor H.
Published: July 2012

The term geyi is often rendered as ‘matching concepts’ and held to be a key means for the transmission of Buddhism from India to China. It is said to be a translation technique whereby Buddhists borrowed Taoist terms to express Indian ideas in Chinese. This study thoroughly debunks that notion, demonstrating that geyi was actually a very short-lived attempt to deal with numbered lists that came to China from India in great profusion during the early medieval period, and that the current misunderstanding of the true nature of geyi is purely a matter of modern scholarship.
‘Show Me the Land Where the Buddha Dwelled…’ Xuanzang’s 玄奘 ‘Record of the Western Regions’ (Xiyu ji 西域記 ): A Misunderstood Text?
Authors: Deeg Max
Published: July 2012

This article first traces the reception history of Xuanzang’s ‘Record of the Western Regions’ (Xiyu ji). It shows how the text was translated and used by Western scholars in the nineteenth century and used as a source for the positivist discovery of India’s Buddhist past, how it became romanticised and ‘spiritualised’, as it were, through popularisation. This seems to have parallels in East Asian history and in the modern reception in Asia. The problem with all these attempts of interpretation lies in a decontextualisation of the text, and the last part of the article attempts to show on the basis of three case studies how the Xiyu ji should be read in a broader and—I would claim—deeper contextualising way.
Yixing 一行 (673–727) and Jiugong 九宫 (‘Nine Palaces’): A Case of Chinese Redefinition of Indian Ideas
Authors: Jinhua Chen
Published: July 2012

By discussing Yixing’s effort to recast a maṇḍala of an Indian origin (originally described in the Mahāvairocana sūtra [Sūtra of Great Sun]) by virtue of a Chinese cosmological framework known as jiugong[Formula: see text] (‘Nine Palaces’), this article provides a case study of how some Buddhist ideas and practices were Sinicised when they were brought to China, particularly through Buddhist translations.
The Colonial Connections: Indian and Chinese Nationalists in Japan and China
Authors: Deepak B.R.
Published: July 2012

Relying on primary sources in India and China, especially British intelligence reports, this essay attempts to reconstruct colonial era linkages between the two countries from 1905 to 1930. In the first section, the essay examines the connections that Indian nationalists and revolutionaries had with leading Chinese nationalists such as Sun Yat-sen and Zhang Taiyan in Japan and mainland China, and their attempts to devise strategies to dislodge the British from India through armed struggle. This part also discusses the support and sympathy of the Chinese nationalists for the Indian people and the Indian cause. The second section deals with the nature of Ghadar activities in various centers across China such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Hankou, Nanjing and Beijing and posits that during the initial phase (1913–18), Ghadar activists acted independently and tried to enlist the support of the Chinese nationalists and Germans to procure arms and ammunition for overthrowing the British in India. During the second phase, however, owing to the Bolshevik revolution and the First United Front between the Communists and Nationalists in China, Ghadar activists began vying for the support of both Chinese parties. They were successful in this regard and in turn supported the campaign against the warlords, and even offered their services for the national cause of China. This essay argues that Ghadar nationalists played a pioneering role in uniting the peoples of China to support the fight for Indian independence. Even if much of our information about these national heroes is obtained through British intelligence reports, which are far from comprehensive, let alone objective, it still tells us a great deal about an era in which the revolutionaries of India and China extended helping hands towards each other.
Kang Youwei’s Journey to India: Chinese Discourse on India During the Late Qing and Republican Periods
Authors: Xi Liu
Published: July 2012

This paper examines Kang Youwei’s perception of India as well as his impact on the Chinese discourse on India during the late Qing and Republican periods. The analysis is pursued on the basis of a letter entitled ‘A letter to Liang Qichao and other students on [the fact that] the Fall of India [as an independent country] was due to the Independence of Its Provinces’. Kang wrote this letter to Liang, his closest student and associate who was also a famous intellectual, when Kang was in Darjeeling in May 1902. Kang was keen to diagnose India’s collapse to British colonialism for the purpose of helping China avoid a similar fate. This essay argues that his journey to and writings about India were of great significance in shaping the modern Chinese perceptions of India. He, for the first time, explicitly made a comprehensive comparison between China and India and positioned India as a negative example for the Chinese. From then on, India’s image among many Chinese intellectuals was that of a failed nation unable to confront imperialism.
Prophylactic Sesame Oil Attenuates Sinusoidal Obstruction Syndrome by Inhibiting Matrix Metalloproteinase–9 and Oxidative Stress
Authors: Periasamy Srinivasan , Yang Shan‐Shan , Chen Shin‐Yi , Chang Chih‐Ching , Liu Ming‐Yie
Published: July 2012

Background: Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) occurs in patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation and chemotherapy. The chemotherapeutic drugs oxaliplatin and cyclophosphamide cause SOS. Sesame oil is a nutrient‐rich antioxidant popular in alternative medicine. It contains sesamin, sesamol, and sesamolin, all of which contribute to its antioxidant property. The authors investigated the protective effect of prophylactic sesame oil against monocrotaline‐induced SOS in rats. Methods: Male Sprague‐Dawley rats were gavaged with a single dose of sesame oil (0.5, 1, 2, or 4 mL/kg). One hour later, those rats were gavaged with monocrotaline (90 mg/kg) to induce SOS. Control rats were treated with saline only. Aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, laminin, collagen, myeloperoxidase, nitrate content, lipid peroxidation, glutathione levels, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)–9, and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMP)–1 were assessed 48 hours after the monocrotaline gavage. Results: All tested parameters except TIMP‐1, laminin, collagen, and glutathione were higher in monocrotaline‐treated rats than in saline‐only‐treated control rats. In sesame oil–treated rats, all tested parameters except TIMP‐1, laminin, collagen, and glutathione were significantly attenuated compared with monocrotaline‐only‐treated rats. Sesame oil downregulated MMP‐9 expression but upregulated TIMP‐1 expression in monocrotaline‐only‐treated rats. In addition, a histological analysis of liver tissue samples showed that sesame oil showed significant protection. Conclusion: A single prophylactic dose of sesame oil protects against SOS by downregulating MMP‐9 expression, upregulating TIMP‐1 expression, and inhibiting oxidative stress.
Coded Statutory Data Sets for Evaluation of Public Health Law
Authors: Costich Julia Field
Published: July 2012

Background and objectives:

The evaluation of public health law requires reliable accounts of underlying statutes and regulations. States often enact public health-related statutes with nonuniform provisions, and variation in the structure of state legal codes can foster inaccuracy in evaluating the impact of specific categories of law. The optimal format for empirical analysis is a machine-readable 50-state coded data set. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of these resources and related materials with a focus on statutory data sets.

Research design:

An exhaustive literature search was followed by a “pearling” or “snowball” approach to assure the most complete inventory of this very diverse and diffuse information. We also interviewed three leading investigators to identify barriers to wider use and availability of coded legal data sets.

Results:

We identified relatively few accessible coded statutory data sets, and others that are not available for use outside the group or individual that compiled them. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded Public Health Law Research Program has made funding available for the development and dissemination of additional data sets, as well as extensive guidance regarding their use in the evaluation of public health law. Investigators reported serious obstacles to these activities in the past.

Conclusions:

Compilation of coded statutory data sets requires a focused investment of resources that has only recently become available. Funders should require grantees to make their work accessible to other investigators so as to assure development of public health law research and evaluation.
Multiple Perpetrator Sexual Assault
Authors: Morgan Louise , Brittain Bernadette , Welch Jan
Published: July 2012

Research that attempts to identify characteristic features of multiple perpetrator sexual assault (MPSA) is limited. This study compared demographic and assault related characteristics of 135 cases of MPSA with 139 cases of single perpetrator sexual assault (SPSA) reported to the Haven sexual assault referral centre, Camberwell, London, over a 4-year period, and aimed to identify any unique features of MPSA victims, perpetrators and assault type. Victims of MPSA were younger, less likely to be White, more likely to report previous self-harm and more likely to sustain injuries than victims of SPSA. Multiple perpetrators were younger, less likely to be White and more likely to be strangers to the victim than single perpetrators. The nature of the assault was different in single and multiple perpetrator cases; in MPSA, there were more completed rapes and more multiple rapes, and perpetrators were more likely to meet the victim in an outside location before carrying out the assault in a place of residence that was not the victim’s. These findings add to a scant but growing evidence base.
Sex Differences in Criminal Behavior
Authors: Boisvert Danielle , Vaske Jamie , Wright John Paul , Knopik Valerie
Published: July 2012

Criminologists have long debated whether the risk factors for criminal behavior differ for males and females. Previous studies have predominantly focused on whether environmental risk factors for criminal behavior vary by gender, with little to no investigation of the impact of genetic sex differences. That is, whether the same genetic risk factors are relevant to offending for males and females and whether genetic risk factors have a stronger effect on criminal behavior for one gender (versus the other). Using data from the Add Health (140 MZ males, 135 MZ females, 124 DZ males, 118 DZ females, and 186 DZ opposite-sex twin pairs), the results from the qualitative and quantitative sex difference analyses revealed that the same genetic factors are influencing criminal behaviors in males and females and that the magnitude of the genetic effects on criminal behavior does not differ across the sexes. The implications of these findings are discussed from a biosocial approach to the study of criminal behavior.
Drugs, Crime, and the Epigenetics of Hedonic Allostasis
Authors: Walsh Anthony , Johnson Hailey , Bolen Jonathan D.
Published: July 2012

Given the relationship between drug abuse and criminal behavior, it is important for criminologists to understand what drug addiction is and how it occurs. This article examines the process of becoming addicted to drugs (specifically, cocaine) via epigenetic processes. Frequent drug usage leads to an allostatic (the changing of a physiological system by the calibration its set points) brain changes in its pleasure centers. We first examine the reward dominance theory of approach-avoidance behavior, and then explore epigenetic processes in the context of the opponent process and the incentive-sensitization models of drug addiction, and in terms of environmental stress.
Accessible In-Flight Entertainment Systems for Blind and Deaf Passengers
Authors: Eghtesadi Caesar , Goldberg Larry , Botkin Bradley , O’Connell Trisha
Published: July 2012

This article describes the development of a prototype accessible in-flight entertainment (IFE) system for people with sensory disabilities. For passengers who are deaf or hard of hearing, the system provides access to content through user-selectable caption display of audio information. Those who are blind or have low vision can find content via talking menus and audio description of key visual content. Findings support the feasibility of project solutions and informed development of recommendations for accessible designs within industry IFE standards. Results are under review by the U.S. Department of Transportation in support of a proposed supplemental rulemaking on requirements for accessible IFE systems.
Forensics Cases Highlight Human Variability in Product Use
Authors: Peacock Brian
Published: July 2012

In this article, I present six forensics human factors/ergonomics cases that are typical of many situations in which the defendant had no intent to harm the plaintiff and the plaintiff made a (perhaps foreseeable) mistake. Human factors/ergonomics arguments on both sides delved into the latent hazards associated with the product or system design and operation. In some of the cases, the design decision was made for a reasonable purpose, but the safety trade-off was either not considered or simply ignored. In other cases, the “victim” did not behave as intended but did behave in a foreseeable way.
HIF-1 expression is associated with CCL2 chemokine expression in airway inflammatory cells: implications in allergic airway inflammation
Authors: Baay-Guzman Guillermina J , Bebenek Ilona G , Zeidler Michelle , Hernandez-Pando Rogelio , Vega Mario I , Garcia-Zepeda Eduardo A , Antonio-Andres Gabriela , Bonavida Benjamin , Riedl Marc , Kleerup Eric , Tashkin Donald P , Hankinson Oliver , Huerta-Yepez Sara
Published: July 2012

Background

The pathogenesis of allergic airway inflammation in asthmatic patients is complex and characterized by cellular infiltrates and activity of many cytokines and chemokines. Both the transcription factor hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) and chemokine CCL2 have been shown to play pivotal roles in allergic airway inflammation. The interrelationship between these two factors is not known. We hypothesized that the expression of HIF-1 and CCL2 may be correlated and that the expression of CCL2 may be under the regulation of HIF-1. Several lines of evidence are presented to support this hypothesis.

Methods

The effects of treating wild-type OVA (ovalbumin)-sensitized/challenged mice with ethyl-3,4-dihydroxybenzoate (EDHB), which upregulate HIF, on CCL2 expression, were determined. Mice conditionally knocked out for HIF-1β was examined for their ability to mount an allergic inflammatory response and CCL2 expression in the lung after intratracheal exposure to ovalbumin. The association of HIF-1α and CCL2 levels was also measured in endobronchial biopsies and bronchial fluid of asthma patients after challenge.

Results

We show that both HIF-1α and CCL2 were upregulated during an OVA (ovalbumin)-induced allergic response in mice. The levels of HIF-1α and CCL2 were significantly increased following treatment with a pharmacological agent which upregulates HIF-1α, ethyl-3,4-dihydroxybenzoate (EDHB). In contrast, the expression levels of HIF-1α and CCL2 were decreased in the lungs of mice that have been conditionally knocked out for ARNT (HIF-1β) following sensitization with OVA when compared to levels in wild type mice. In asthma patients, the levels of HIF-1α and CCL2 increased after challenge with the allergen.

Conclusions

These data suggest that CCL2 expression is regulated, in part, by HIF-1 in the lung. These findings also demonstrate that both CCL2 and HIF-1 are implicated in the pathogenesis of allergic airway inflammation.
Defining and searching for structural motifs using DeepView/Swiss-PdbViewer
Authors: Johansson Maria U , Zoete Vincent , Michielin Olivier , Guex Nicolas
Published: July 2012

Background

Today, recognition and classification of sequence motifs and protein folds is a mature field, thanks to the availability of numerous comprehensive and easy to use software packages and web-based services. Recognition of structural motifs, by comparison, is less well developed and much less frequently used, possibly due to a lack of easily accessible and easy to use software.

Results

In this paper, we describe an extension of DeepView/Swiss-PdbViewer through which structural motifs may be defined and searched for in large protein structure databases, and we show that common structural motifs involved in stabilizing protein folds are present in evolutionarily and structurally unrelated proteins, also in deeply buried locations which are not obviously related to protein function.

Conclusions

The possibility to define custom motifs and search for their occurrence in other proteins permits the identification of recurrent arrangements of residues that could have structural implications. The possibility to do so without having to maintain a complex software/hardware installation on site brings this technology to experts and non-experts alike.
Characterization of the small RNA component of leaves and fruits from four different cucurbit species
Authors: Jagadeeswaran Guru , Nimmakayala Padma , Zheng Yun , Gowdu Kanchana , Reddy Umesh K , Sunkar Ramanjulu
Published: July 2012

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding small RNAs involved in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression critical for plant growth and development, stress responses and other diverse biological processes in plants. The Cucurbitaceae or cucurbit family represents some of economically important species, particularly those with edible and medicinal fruits. Genomic tools for the molecular analysis of members of this family are just emerging. Partial draft genome sequence became available recently for cucumber and watermelon facilitating investigation of the small RNA component of the transcriptomes in cucurbits.

Results

We generated four small RNA libraries from bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria), Cucurbita moschata, Cucurbita pepo, and, watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus) in order to identify conserved and novel lineage specific miRNAs in these cucurbits. Deep sequencing of small RNA libraries from these species resulted in 1,597,263, 532,948, 601,388, and 493,384 unique sRNA reads from bottle gourd, moschata, pepo and watermelon, respectively. Sequence analysis of these four libraries resulted in identification of 21 miRNA families that are highly conserved and 8 miRNA families that are moderately conserved in diverse dicots. We also identified 4 putative novel miRNAs in these plant species. Furthermore, the tasiRNAs were identified and their biogenesis was determined in these cucurbits. Small RNA blot analysis or q-PCR analyses of leaf and fruit tissues of these cucurbits showed differential expression of several conserved miRNAs. Interestingly, the abundance of several miRNAs in leaves and fruits of closely related C. moschata and C. pepo was also distinctly different. Target genes for the most conserved miRNAs are also predicted.

Conclusion

High-throughput sequencing of small RNA libraries from four cucurbit species has provided a glimpse of small RNA component in their transcriptomes. The analysis also showed considerable variation within four cucurbit species with regards to expression of individual miRNAs.
Clostridium thermocellum ATCC27405 transcriptomic, metabolomic and proteomic profiles after ethanol stress
Authors: Yang Shihui , Giannone Richard J , Dice Lezlee , Yang Zamin K , Engle Nancy L , Tschaplinski Timothy J , Hettich Robert L , Brown Steven D
Published: July 2012

Background

Clostridium thermocellum is a candidate consolidated bioprocessing biocatalyst, which is a microorganism that expresses enzymes for both cellulose hydrolysis and its fermentation to produce fuels such as lignocellulosic ethanol. However, C. thermocellum is relatively sensitive to ethanol compared to ethanologenic microorganisms such as yeast and Zymomonas mobilis that are used in industrial fermentations but do not possess native enzymes for industrial cellulose hydrolysis.

Results

In this study, C. thermocellum was grown to mid-exponential phase and then treated with ethanol to a final concentration of 3.9 g/L to investigate its physiological and regulatory responses to ethanol stress. Samples were taken pre-shock and 2, 12, 30, 60, 120, and 240 min post-shock, and from untreated control fermentations for systems biology analyses. Cell growth was arrested by ethanol supplementation with intracellular accumulation of carbon sources such as cellobiose, and sugar phosphates, including fructose-6-phosphate and glucose-6-phosphate. The largest response of C. thermocellum to ethanol shock treatment was in genes and proteins related to nitrogen uptake and metabolism, which is likely important for redirecting the cells physiology to overcome inhibition and allow growth to resume.

Conclusion

This study suggests possible avenues for metabolic engineering and provides comprehensive, integrated systems biology datasets that will be useful for future metabolic modeling and strain development endeavors.
Characterization of a putative grapevine Zn transporter, VvZIP3, suggests its involvement in early reproductive development in Vitis vinifera L
Authors: Gainza-Cortés Felipe , Pérez-Dïaz Ricardo , Pérez-Castro Ramón , Tapia Jaime , Casaretto José A , González Sebastián , Peña-Cortés Hugo , Ruiz-Lara Simón , González Enrique
Published: July 2012

Background

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is one of the most widespread mineral nutritional problems that affect normal development in plants. Because Zn cannot passively diffuse across cell membranes, it must be transported into intracellular compartments for all biological processes where Zn is required. Several members of the Zinc-regulated transporters, Iron-regulated transporter-like Protein (ZIP) gene family have been characterized in plants, and have shown to be involved in metal uptake and transport. This study describes the first putative Zn transporter in grapevine. Unravelling its function may explain an important symptom of Zn deficiency in grapevines, which is the production of clusters with fewer and usually smaller berries than normal.

Results

We identified and characterized a putative Zn transporter from berries ofVitis vinifera L., named VvZIP3. Compared to other members of the ZIP family identified in theVitis vinifera L.genome,VvZIP3is mainly expressed in reproductive tissue - specifically in developing flowers - which correlates with the high Zn accumulation in these organs. Contrary to this, the low expression ofVvZIP3in parthenocarpic berries shows a relationship with the lower Zn accumulation in this tissue than in normal seeded berries where its expression is induced by Zn. The predicted protein sequence indicates strong similarity with several members of the ZIP family from Arabidopsis thaliana and other species. Moreover, VvZIP3 complemented the growth defect of a yeast Zn-uptake mutant, ZHY3, and is localized in the plasma membrane of plant cells, suggesting that VvZIP3 has the function of a Zn uptake transporter.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that VvZIP3 encodes a putative plasma membrane Zn transporter protein member of the ZIP gene family that might play a role in Zn uptake and distribution during the early reproductive development inVitis vinifera L., indicating that the availability of this micronutrient may be relevant for reproductive development.
Transcript profiling of cytokinin action in Arabidopsis roots and shoots discovers largely similar but also organ-specific responses
Authors: Brenner Wolfram G , Schmülling Thomas
Published: July 2012

Background

The plant hormone cytokinin regulates growth and development of roots and shoots in opposite ways. In shoots it is a positive growth regulator whereas it inhibits growth in roots. It may be assumed that organ-specific regulation of gene expression is involved in these differential activities, but little is known about it. To get more insight into the transcriptional events triggered by cytokinin in roots and shoots, we studied genome-wide gene expression in cytokinin-treated and cytokinin-deficient roots and shoots.

Results

It was found by principal component analysis of the transcriptomic data that the immediate-early response to a cytokinin stimulus differs from the later response, and that the transcriptome of cytokinin-deficient plants is different from both the early and the late cytokinin induction response. A higher cytokinin status in the roots activated the expression of numerous genes normally expressed predominantly in the shoot, while a lower cytokinin status in the shoot reduced the expression of genes normally more active in the shoot to a more root-like level. This shift predominantly affected nuclear genes encoding plastid proteins. An organ-specific regulation was assigned to a number of genes previously known to react to a cytokinin signal, including root-specificity for the cytokinin hydroxylase geneCYP735A2and shoot specificity for the cell cycle regulator geneCDKA;1. Numerous cytokinin-regulated genes were newly discovered or confirmed, including the meristem regulator genesSHEPHERDandCLAVATA1, auxin-related genes (IAA7,IAA13,AXR1, PIN2, PID), several genes involved in brassinosteroid (CYP710A1,CYP710A2,DIM/DWF) and flavonol (MYB12,CHS,FLS1) synthesis, various transporter genes (e.g.HKT1), numerous members of the AP2/ERF transcription factor gene family, genes involved in light signalling (PhyA,COP1,SPA1), and more than 80 ribosomal genes. However, contrasting with the fundamental difference of the growth response of roots and shoots to the hormone, the vast majority of the cytokinin-regulated transcriptome showed similar response patterns in roots and shoots.

Conclusions

The shift of the root and shoot transcriptomes towards the respective other organ depending on the cytokinin status indicated that the hormone determines part of the organ-specific transcriptome pattern independent of morphological organ identity. Numerous novel cytokinin-regulated genes were discovered which had escaped earlier discovery, most probably due to unspecific sampling. These offer novel insights into the diverse activities of cytokinin, including crosstalk with other hormones and different environmental cues, identify the AP2/ERF class of transcriptions factors as particularly cytokinin sensitive, and also suggest translational control of cytokinin-induced changes.
Correlation of anterior segment optical coherence tomography measurements with graft trephine diameter following descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty
Authors: Tan Gavin S , He Mingguang , Tan Donald T , Mehta Jodhbir S
Published: July 2012

Background

To assess repeatability of the Zhongshan Assessment Program (ZAP) software measurement of Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography (ASOCT) images and correlate with graft trephine diameter following Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK)

Methods

Retrospectively evaluated interventional case series. 121 consecutive eyes undergoing DSAEK over a 26 month period underwent ASOCT imaging 1month after their surgery. ASOCT images were processed using ZAP software which measured the graft and cornea parameters including anterior and posterior graft arc length and cord length, posterior cornea arc length (PCAL) and anterior chamber width.

Results

The graft measurements showed good repeatability on ASOCT using ZAP with high intra class coefficient and small variation in the coefficient of variation. On ASOCT, the mean recipient PCAL was 12.99+/−0.69mm and the anterior chamber width was 11.16+/−0.57mm. The mean Graft anterior arc length was 9.69+/−0.66mm and the mean Graft anterior cord length was 8.92+/−2.94mm. The mean graft posterior arc length was 9.24+/−0.75mm and the mean graft posterior cord length was 8.15+/−0.57mm. Graft posterior arc length (rho=0.788, p< 0.001) correlated best with intra-operative graft trephine diameter. The mean ratio of posterior graft arc length to PCAL was 0.712 +/− 0.056.

Conclusions

We have validated the repeatability of the ZAP software for DSAEK graft measurements from ASOCT images and shown that the graft arc length parameters calculated from the ASOCT images correlate well with the intra-operative graft trephine diameter. This software may help surgeons determine the optimal DSAEK graft size based on pre-operative ASOCT measurements of the recipient eye.
A population-based study of Kurdish breast cancer in northern Iraq: Hormone receptor and HER2 status. A comparison with Arabic women and United States SEER data
Authors: Majid Runnak A , Mohammed Hazha A , Hassan Hemin A , Abdulmahdi Wasan A , Rashid Rekawt M , Hughson Michael D
Published: July 2012

Background

Hormone receptor (HR) and HER2 expression predict the therapeutic response and prognosis of breast cancer. In the Middle-East, breast cancer is diagnosed at a young age, and Arabic women are reported to have a low frequency of HR positive tumors. This study investigates HR and HER2 expression among Kurdish and Arabic women.

Methods

During 2008–2010, the Sulaimaniyah Directorate of Health records identified 514 Sulaimaniyah Kurdish women, 227 Kurdish women of other Governates, and 83 Arabic women with a first diagnosis of breast cancer. The breast cancers of 432 women had immunohistochemistry (IHC) performed for estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER and PR) and HER2. Age specific and age standardized incidence rates were calculated for Sulaimaniyah Kurds. Results were compared with Egypt and with United States (US) SEER data.

Results

The median patient age was 46 years and 60.4% were < 50 years old. Tumors of 65.2% of women were ER+/HER2- with the rate increasing to 78.3% in patients ≥ 60 years old in proportions similar to US whites. The total annual age standardized incidence for breast cancer among Sulaimaniyah Kurds was 40.5/100,000 women, a rate similar to Egypt but much lower than the US. By HR/HER2 subtype, the highest age specific incidence rates were 16.4 and 45.4/100,000 for ER+/PR+/HER2- tumors in women < 50 or ≥ 50 years old, respectively (US whites: 37.7 and 226.1/100,000). Tumors of 20.4% of Sulaimaniyah women were HER2+ with annual incidence rates for ER-/PR-/HER2+ tumors of women <50 or ≥ 50 years old being 4.0 and 6.3/100,000 (US whites: 3.2 and 14.4/100,000). No significant differences in ER or HER2 status were found between Kurdish and Arabic patients.

Conclusions

Compared to the US, low age standardized and age specific breast cancer incidence rates were found in Kurdish women; nevertheless, the proportional expression of HR and HER2 for both Kurds and Arabs was comparable to that of US white women. The great majority of the breast cancer was ER+/HER2- and should respond to anti-estrogen therapy.
Medical students’ personal choice for mode of delivery in Santa Catarina, Brazil: a cross-sectional, quantitative study
Authors: Watanabe Tatiane , Knobel Roxana , Suchard Guilherme , Franco Mario Julio , d’Orsi Eleonora , Consonni Elenice Bertanha , Consonni Marcos
Published: July 2012

Background

The increase in overall rates of cesarean sections (CS) in Brazil causes concern and it appears that multiple factors are involved in this fact. In 2009, undergraduate students in the first and final years of medical school at the University of Santa Catarina answered questionnaires regarding their choice of mode of delivery. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the education process affects decision-making regarding the waay of childbirth preferred by medical students.

Methods

A cross-sectional, quantitative study was conducted based on data obtained from questionnaires applied to medical students. The questions addressed four different scenarios in childbirth, as follows: under an uneventful pregnancy; the mode of delivery for a pregnant woman under their care; the best choice as a healthcare manager and lastly, choosing the birth of their own child. For each circumstance, there was an open question to explain their choice.

Results

A total of 189 students answered the questionnaires. For any uneventful pregnancy and for a pregnant woman under their care, 8.46% of the students would opt for CS. As a healthcare manager, only 2.64% of the students would recommend CS. For these three scenarios, the answers of the students in the first year did not differ from those given by students in the sixth year. In the case of the student’s own or a partner’s pregnancy, 41.4% of those in the sixth year and 16.8% of those in the first year would choose a CS. A positive association was found between being a sixth year student and a personal preference for CS according to logistic regression (OR = 2.91; 95%CI: 1.03–8.30). Pain associated with vaginal delivery was usually the reason for choosing a CS.

Conclusions

A higher number of sixth year students preferred a CS for their own pregnancy (or their partner’s) compared to first year students. Pain associated with vaginal delivery was the most common reason given for haven chosen a CS. The students’ preference for childbirth changed over time during their graduation in favor of cesarean sections. This finding deserves considerable attention when structuring medical education in Obstetrics.
Previous gestational diabetes is independently associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness, similarly to metabolic syndrome – a case control study
Authors: Freire Claudia Maria Vilas , Barbosa Felipe Batista Lima , de Almeida Maria Cristina C , Miranda Paulo Augusto Carvalho , Barbosa Márcia Melo , Nogueira Anelise Impeliziere , Guimarães Milena Moreira , Nunes Maria do Carmo Pereira , Ribeiro-Oliveira Antônio
Published: July 2012

Background

Women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus (pGDM) face a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and, consequently, a higher cardiovascular risk. This study aimed to compare the carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) from young women with pGDM to those with metabolic syndrome (MS) and to healthy controls (CG) to verify whether a past history of pGDM could be independently associated with increased cIMT.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study performed in two academic referral centers. Seventy-nine women with pGDM, 30 women with MS, and 60 CG aged between 18 and 47 years were enrolled. They all underwent physical examination and had blood glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc), and triglycerides determined. The cIMT was measured by ultrasound in several carotid segments. The primary endpoint was cIMT and clinically relevant parameters included as predictors were: age, systolic blood pressure, waist, BMI, total cholesterol, LDLc, triglycerides, fasting glucose, previous history of GDM as a whole group, previous history of GDM without MS, presence of DM, presence of MS, and parity.

Results

cIMT was significantly higher in pGDM when compared to CG in all sites of measurements (P < 0.05) except for the right common carotid. The pGDM women showed similar cIMT measurements to MS in all sites of measurements, except for the left carotid bifurcation, where it was significantly higher than MS (P < 0.001). In a multivariate analysis which included classical cardiovascular risk factors and was adjusted for confounders, pGDM was shown to be independently associated with increased composite cIMT (P < 0.01). The pGDM without risk factors further showed similar cIMT to MS (P > 0.05) and an increased cIMT when compared to controls (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Previous GDM was independently associated with increased composite cIMT in this young population, similarly to those with MS and regardless the presence of established cardiovascular risk factors.
Relationships between glucose, energy intake and dietary composition in obese adults with type 2 diabetes receiving the cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptor antagonist, rimonabant
Authors: Heppenstall Charlotte , Bunce Susan , Smith Jamie C
Published: July 2012

Background

Weight loss is often difficult to achieve in individuals with type 2 diabetes and anti-obesity drugs are often advocated to support dietary intervention. Despite the extensive use of centrally acting anti-obesity drugs, there is little evidence of how they affect dietary composition. We investigated changes in energy intake and dietary composition of macro- and micronutrients following therapy with the endocannabinoid receptor blocker, rimonabant.

Methods

20 obese patients with type 2 diabetes were studied before and after 6 months dietary intervention with rimonabant. Dietary intervention was supervised by a diabetes dietician. Five-day food diaries were completed at baseline and at 6 months and dietary analysis was performed using computer software (Dietplan 6).

Results

After 6 months, (compared with baseline) there were reductions in weight (107 ± 21Kg versus 112 ± 21, p < 0.001, 4% body weight reduction), and improvements in HbA1c (7.4 ± 1.7 versus 8.0 ± 1.6%, p < 0.05) and HDL cholesterol. Intake of energy (1589 ± 384 versus 2225 ± 1109 kcal, p < 0.01), carbohydrate (199 ± 74 versus 273 ± 194 g, p < 0.05), protein (78 ± 23 versus 98 ± 36 g, p < 0.05), fats (55 ± 18 versus 84 ± 39 g, p < 0.01) and several micronutrients were reduced. However, relative macronutrient composition of the diet was unchanged. Improvement in blood glucose was strongly correlated with a reduction in carbohydrate intake (r = 0.76, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

In obese patients with type 2 diabetes, rimonabant in combination with dietary intervention led to reduced intake of energy and most macronutrients. Despite this, macronutrient composition of the diet was unaltered. These dietary changes (especially carbohydrate restriction) were associated with weight loss and favourable metabolic effects.
L-Carnitine-supplementation in advanced pancreatic cancer (CARPAN) - a randomized multicentre trial
Authors: Kraft Matthias , Kraft Kathleen , Gärtner Simone , Mayerle Julia , Simon Peter , Weber Eckhard , Schütte Kerstin , Stieler Jens , Koula-Jenik Heide , Holzhauer Peter , Gröber Uwe , Engel Georg , Müller Cornelia , Feng You-Shan , Aghdassi Ali , Nitsche Claudia , Malfertheiner Peter , Patrzyk Maciej , Kohlmann Thomas , Lerch Markus M
Published: July 2012

Background

Cachexia, a >10% loss of body-weight, is one factor determining the poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer. Deficiency of L-Carnitine has been proposed to cause cancer cachexia.

Findings

We screened 152 and enrolled 72 patients suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer in a prospective, multi-centre, placebo-controlled, randomized and double-blinded trial to receive oral L-Carnitine (4 g) or placebo for 12 weeks. At entry patients reported a mean weight loss of 12 ± 2,5 (SEM) kg. During treatment body-mass-index increased by 3,4 ± 1,4% under L-Carnitine and decreased (−1,5 ± 1,4%) in controls (p < 0,05). Moreover, nutritional status (body cell mass, body fat) and quality-of-life parameters improved under L-Carnitine. There was a trend towards an increased overall survival in the L-Carnitine group (median 519 ± 50 d versus 399 ± 43 d, not significant) and towards a reduced hospital-stay (36 ± 4d versus 41 ± 9d,n.s.).

Conclusion

While these data are preliminary and need confirmation they indicate that patients with pancreatic cancer may have a clinically relevant benefit from the inexpensive and well tolerated oral supplementation of L-Carnitine.
Castleman disease mimicked pancreatic carcinoma: report of two cases
Authors: Guo Hua , Shen Yan , Wang Wei-Lin , Zhang Min , Li Hong , Wu Ying-Sheng , Yan Sheng , Xu Xiao , Wu Jian , Zheng Shu-Sen
Published: July 2012

Castleman disease (CD) is an uncommon benign lymphoproliferative disorder, which usually presents as solitary or multiple masses in the mediastinum. Peripancreatic CD was rarely reported. Herein, we report two cases of unicentric peripancreatic CD from our center. A 43-year-old man and a 58-year-old woman were detected to have a pancreatic mass in the routine medical examinations. Both of them were asymptomatic. The computed tomography and ultrasonographic examination revealed a mild enhancing solitary mass at the pancreatic head/neck. No definite preoperative diagnosis was established and Whipple operations were originally planned. The intraoperative frozen section diagnosis of both patients revealed lymphoproliferation. Then the local excisions of mass were performed. Histological examination revealed features of CD of hyaline-vascular type. No recurrence was found during the follow-up period. CD should be included in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic tumors. Local excision is a suitable surgical choice.