bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hypertension enhances Aβ-induced neurovascular dysfunction, promotes β-secretase activity, and leads to amyloidogenic processing of APP
Authors: Faraco Giuseppe , Park Laibaik , Zhou Ping , Luo Wenjie , Paul Steven M , Anrather Josef , Iadecola Costantino
Published: April 2015

Hypertension (HTN) doubles the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but the mechanisms remain unclear. Amyloid- β (A β), a key pathogenic factor in AD, induces cerebrovascular dysfunction. We hypothesized that HTN acts in concert with A β to amplify its deleterious cerebrovascular effects and to increase A β production. Infusion of angiotensin II (ANGII; intravenously) elevated blood pressure and attenuated the cerebral blood flow (CBF) response to whisker stimulation or the endothelium-dependent vasodilator acetylcholine (ACh) ( P < 0.05). Neocortical application of A β in mice receiving ANGII worsened the responses to ACh ( P < 0.05). The cerebrovascular dysfunction observed in Tg2576 mice, in which A β is elevated both in blood and in brain due to expression of mutated amyloid precursor protein (APP), was not aggravated by neocortical application of ANGII or by a 2-week administration of ‘slow pressor’ of ANGII (600 ng/kg per minute; subcutaneously). In contrast, ANGII aggravated the dysfunction in TgSwDI mice, in which A β is increased only in brain. Slow-pressor ANGII induced microvascular amyloid deposition in Tg2576 mice and enhanced β-secretase APP cleavage. In Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells producing A β, ANGII increased β-secretase activity, A β1–42, and the A β42/40 ratio. We conclude that HTN enhances amyloidogenic APP processing, effects that may contribute to the pathogenic interaction between HTN and AD.
Early Identification of Individuals at High Risk for Cerebral Infarction after Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: The BEHAVIOR Score
Authors: Jabbarli Ramazan , Reinhard Matthias , Roelz Roland , Shah Mukesch , Niesen Wolf-Dirk , Kaier Klaus , Taschner Christian , Weyerbrock Astrid , Velthoven Vera Van
Published: April 2015

Cerebral infarction (CI) is a crucial complication of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) associated with poor clinical outcome. We aimed at developing an early risk score for CI based on clinical characteristics available at the onset of SAH. Out of a database containing 632 consecutive patients with SAH admitted to our institution from January 2005 to December 2012, computed tomography (CT) scans up to day 42 after ictus were evaluated for CIs. Different parameters from admission up to aneurysm treatment were collected with subsequent construction of a risk score. Seven clinical characteristics were independently associated with CI and included in the Risk score (BEHAVIOR Score, 0 to 11 points): Blood on CT scan according to Fisher grade ≥ 3 (1 point), Elderly patients (age ≥ 55 years, 1 point), Hunt&Hess grade ≥ 4 (1 point), Acute hydrocephalus requiring external liquor drainage (1 point), Vasospasm on initial angiogram (3 points), Intracranial pressure elevation > 20 mm Hg (3 points), and treatment of multiple aneurysms (‘Overtreatment’, 1 point). The BEHAVIOR score showed high diagnostic accuracy with respect to the absolute risk for CI (area under curve = 0.806, P < 0.0001) and prediction of poor clinical outcome at discharge ( P < 0.0001) and after 6 months ( P = 0.0002). Further validation in other SAH cohorts is recommended.
The NOXA–MCL1–BIM axis defines lifespan on extended mitotic arrest
Authors: Haschka Manuel D. , Soratroi Claudia , Kirschnek Susanne , Häcker Georg , Hilbe Richard , Geley Stephan , Villunger Andreas , Fava Luca L.
Published: April 2015

Cell death on extended mitotic arrest is considered arguably most critical for the efficacy of microtubule-targeting agents (MTAs) in anticancer therapy. While the molecular machinery controlling mitotic arrest on MTA treatment, the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), appears well defined, the molecular components executing cell death, as well as factors connecting both networks remain poorly understood. Here we conduct a mini screen exploring systematically the contribution of individual BCL2 family proteins at single cell resolution to death on extended mitotic arrest, and demonstrate that the mitotic phosphorylation of BCL2 and BCLX represent a priming event for apoptosis that is ultimately triggered by NOXA-dependent MCL1 degradation, enabling BIM-dependent cell death. Our findings provide a comprehensive model for the initiation of apoptosis in cells stalled in mitosis and provide a molecular basis for the increased efficacy of combinatorial treatment of cancer cells using MTAs and BH3 mimetics.
Emerging techniques for the in situ analysis of reaction intermediates on photo-electrochemical interfaces
Authors: Simpson B. H. , Rodríguez-López J.
Published: April 2015

We offer a perspective on how new in situ methods enable the chemically-sensitive, time-resolved and spatially-resolved exploration of semiconductor surface photo(electro)chemistry.
Development of a reliable method to determine water content by headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with the standard addition technique
Authors: Inagaki Shinsuke , Morii Nahoko , Numata Masahiko
Published: April 2015

A new and effective method for accurate water content determination using headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) with the standard addition technique was developed.
Photo-cross-linking using trifluorothymidine and 3-cyanovinylcarbazole induced a large shifted 19F MR signal
Authors: Nakamura Shigetaka , Fujimoto Kenzo
Published: April 2015

Photo-cross-linking of trifluorothymidine (TFT) using 3-cyanovinylcarbazole (CNVK) clearly shifted its 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal 8 ppm.
High-resolution X-ray absorption spectroscopy of iron carbonyl complexes
Authors: Atkins Andrew J. , Bauer Matthias , Jacob Christoph R.
Published: April 2015

We apply high-energy-resolution fluorescence-detected (HERFD) X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy to study iron carbonyl complexes.
Spin-state transition in unstrained & strained ultra-thin BiCoO3 films
Authors: Das Tilak , Saha-Dasgupta Tanusri
Published: April 2015

BiCoO3 in bulk and in film geometry. Marked are the Co spin states.
Regulation of a cerium(iv)-driven O2 evolution reaction using composites of liposome and lipophilic ruthenium complexes
Authors: Koshiyama Tomomi , Kanda Nao , Iwata Koki , Honjo Masayuki , Asada Sana , Hatae Tatsuru , Tsuji Yasuhiro , Yoshida Masaki , Okamura Masaya , Kuga Reiko , Masaoka Shigeyuki , Ohba Masaaki
Published: April 2015

An O2 evolution catalyst system based on liposomes and lipophilic Ru(ii) complexes was fabricated with regulating the surrounding environment of reaction centre.
Export of radioactive cesium from agricultural fields under simulated rainfall in Fukushima
Authors: Thai Phong K. , Suka Yuma , Sakai Masaru , Nanko Kazuki , Yen Jui-Hung , Watanabe Hirozumi
Published: April 2015

The first detailed investigation of the radioactive cesium export process from upland fields under simulated rainfall in Fukushima.
“Pruning of biomolecules and natural products (PBNP)”: an innovative paradigm in drug discovery
Authors: Bathula Surendar Reddy , Akondi Srirama Murthy , Mainkar Prathama S. , Chandrasekhar Srivari
Published: April 2015

Smart Schneider: ‘Nature’ is the most intelligent tailor with an ability to utilize the resources. Researchers are still at an infant stage learning this art. The present review highlights some of the man made pruning of bio-molecules and NPs (PBNP) in finding chemicals with a better therapeutic index.
Copper-free arylation of 3,3-disubstituted allylic halides with triazene-softened aryl Grignard reagents
Authors: Xu Lijun , Liu Zhubo , Dong Weipeng , Song Jinyu , Miao Maozhong , Xu Jianfeng , Ren Hongjun
Published: April 2015

A copper-free allylic arylation reaction between 3,3-disubstituted allylic halides and triazene-softened aryl Grignard reagents has been developed.
Efficient catalytic enantioselective Nazarov cyclizations of divinyl ketoesters
Authors: Xu Zhou , Ren Hai , Wang Lijia , Tang Yong
Published: April 2015

An efficient catalytic enantioselective Nazarov cyclization of divinyl ketoesters is developed using a BOX/Cu(ii) catalyst, affording various optically active cyclopent-2-enone esters.
Brønsted base-catalyzed α-oxygenation of carbonyl compounds utilizing the [1,2]-phospha-Brook rearrangement
Authors: Kondoh Azusa , Terada Masahiro
Published: April 2015

A novel α-oxygenation reaction of carbonyl compounds was developed by utilizing the [1,2]-phospha-Brook rearrangement under Brønsted base catalysis.
Silver zeolite-loaded silicone elastomers: a multidisciplinary approach to synthesis and antimicrobial assessment
Authors: Belkhair Sama , Kinninmonth Malcolm , Fisher Leanne , Gasharova Biliana , Liauw Christopher M. , Verran Joanna , Mihailova Boriana , Tosheva Lubomira
Published: April 2015

The fabrication of silicone elastomers containing organo-silane modified Ag-zeolites with potential for applications as antibacterial medical devices is demonstrated.
Molecular dynamics simulation of heterogeneous nucleation on nanotubes
Authors: Suh Donguk , Yasuoka Kenji , Zeng Xiao Cheng
Published: April 2015

Condensation rate inside and outside the tube depends on the pore diameter and length.
Biobased copolyesters from renewable resources: synthesis and crystallization behavior of poly(decamethylene sebacate-co-isosorbide sebacate)
Authors: Wei Zhiyong , Zhou Cheng , Yu Yang , Li Yang
Published: April 2015

A series of biobased copolyesters poly(decamethylene sebacate-co-isosorbide sebacate) are synthesized and their crystallization behavior is explored.
Interaction of copper and 2,4,5-trichlorophenol on bioremediation potential and biochemical properties in co-contaminated soil incubated with Clitocybe maxima
Authors: Zhou Zhiren , Chen Yijiao , Liu Xu , Zhang Ke , Xu Heng
Published: April 2015

The bioremediation of soil co-contaminated with heavy metal and organic pollutants has attracted considerable attention in recent years.
Radical copolymerisation of chlorotrifluoroethylene with isobutyl vinyl ether initiated by the persistent perfluoro-3-ethyl-2,4-dimethyl-3-pentyl radical
Authors: Puts Gerard , Lopez Gérald , Ono Taizo , Crouse Philip , Ameduri Bruno
Published: April 2015

The radical copolymerisation of chlorotrifluoroethylene with isobutyl vinyl ether initiated by trifluoromethyl radicals generated by β-scission of a persistent radical is reported.
One-step fabrication of RGO/HNBR composites via selective hydrogenation of NBR with graphene-based catalyst
Authors: Cao Peng , Huang Changyue , Zhang Liqun , Yue Dongmei
Published: April 2015

Enhanced mechanical and electrical RGO/HNBR composite was prepared by hydrogenation of NBR with grapheme-based catalyst.
Vibrational spectra of solid cis- and trans-2-thioxohexahydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one and theoretical calculations towards the interpretation of its thermal reactivity
Authors: Iriarte A. G. , Peláez W. J. , Fülöp F. , Argüello G. A.
Published: April 2015

FT-Raman and FT-IR spectra ofcisandtrans2-thioxohexahydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one are reported. Both compounds are dimers in the solid phase, withC2symmetry. This work contributes to the knowledge of data which are rather scarce for quinazolinones.
Spectral properties and luminescence mechanism of red emitting BCNO phosphors
Authors: Zhang Xinghua , Jia Xiaobo , Liu Hui , Lu Zunming , Ma Xiaokai , Meng Fanbin , Zhao Jianling , Tang Chengchun
Published: April 2015

Red emitting (λem = 620 nm) BCNO phosphors were synthesized at 650 °C with solid state reaction method using boric acid and hexamethy lenetetramine as raw materials.
High-performance Si-based 3D Cu nanostructured electrode assembly for rechargeable lithium batteries
Authors: Wang Ning , Hang Tao , Ling Huiqin , Hu Anmin , Li Ming
Published: April 2015

In this work, we report the synthesis of a Si/Cu nanocone-array (NCA) electrode via a facile ambient electrodeposition method with subsequent magnetron sputtering deposition.
Light reharvesting and enhanced efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells based 3D-CNT/graphene counter electrodes
Authors: Ma Jie , Shen Wei , Li Cheng , Yu Fei
Published: April 2015

3D CNT/graphene CEs with different transmittances are prepared using a spraying method based on CNT/graphene (MCG) aerogels. Reharvesting the light increases the efficiency of the DSSCs, and the CE-based cell with a transmittance of 30% achieves the highest efficiency (7.70%).
Respiratory Muscle Strength Training for the Management of Airway Protective Deficits
Authors: Troche Michelle S.
Published: April 2015

Respiratory muscle strength training (RMST) has received considerable research and clinical interest. There are several studies to support its use in various populations with known airway protective disorders, including Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The goal of this paper is to briefly describe RMST: when it should be used, how it can be used, populations which may benefit from its use, and highlight the gaps which still remain. This goal is achieved through a review of the available literature and practical tips for incorporating RMST into the clinical care of patients with airway protective disorders.
Optimal power allocation for multiple input single output cognitive radios with antenna selection strategies
Authors: Zhou Fuhui , Li Zan , Si Jiangbo , Liu Boyang , Huang Haiyan
Published: April 2015

The opportunistic spectrum access technology is one of the most promising methods for alleviating the spectrum scarcity problem, which enables a secondary user (SU) to utilise a primary user spectrum band that is detected idle. However, the throughput achieved by cognitive radios is limited by the interference constraint imposing on the SU. Multiple input single output antenna techniques and antenna selection (AS) techniques are exploited to combat the interference constraint and improve the achievable average throughput of the SU. The optimal power allocation strategy is proposed to maximise the achievable average throughput. Performance analyses for the achievable average throughputs are performed under the maximum channel gain AS strategy, the minimum interference channel gain AS strategy and the ratio AS strategy. It is proved that the optimal transmitted AS strategy is the ratio AS strategy when the optimal power allocation strategy is used. The optimal sensing parameters are designed to further improve the maximum average throughput. Extensive simulation results are conducted to verify this analysis.
Caching gain in interference‐limited wireless networks
Authors: Shariatpanahi Seyed Pooya , Shah‐Mansouri Hamed , Hossein Khalaj Babak
Published: April 2015

The authors consider the effect of caching in interference‐limited wireless networks where fading is the dominant channel effect. First, the authors propose a one‐hop transmission strategy for cache‐enabled wireless networks, which is based on exploiting multi‐user diversity gain. Then, they derive a closed‐form result for throughput scaling of the proposed scheme in large networks, which reveals the inherent trade‐off between cache memory size and network throughput. Their results show that substantial throughput improvements are achievable in networks with sources equipped with large cache size, compared with previous works where each transmitter could just store one file. Also, the authors provide extensive simulations through which they analyse network throughput and verify their analytical results. Their simulations suggest that the scaling results also hold true even by introducing correlation between channels, making the results more general.
Posterior-Only Circumferential Decompression and Reconstruction in the Surgical Management of Lumbar Vertebral Osteomyelitis
Authors: Skovrlj Branko , Guzman Javier Z. , Caridi John , Cho Samuel K.
Published: April 2015

Study Design

Case report.

Objective

The purpose of this report is to discuss the surgical management of lumbar vertebral osteomyelitis with a spinal epidural abscess (SEA) and present a single-stage, posterior-only circumferential decompression and reconstruction with instrumentation using an expandable titanium cage and without segmental nerve root sacrifice as an option in the treatment of this disease process.

Methods

We report a 42-year-old man who presented with 3 days of low back pain and chills who rapidly decompensated with severe sepsis following admission. Magnetic resonance imaging of his lumbosacral spine revealed intramuscular abscesses of the left paraspinal musculature and iliopsoas with SEA and L4 vertebral body involvement. The patient failed maximal medical treatment, which necessitated surgical treatment as a last resort for infectious source control. He underwent a previously undescribed procedure in the setting of SEA: a single-stage, posterior-only approach for circumferential decompression and reconstruction of the L4 vertebral body with posterior segmental instrumented fixation.

Results

After the surgery, the patient's condition gradually improved; however, he suffered a wound dehiscence necessitating a surgical exploration and deep wound debridement. Six months after the surgery, the patient underwent a revision surgery for adjacent-level pseudarthrosis. At 1-year follow-up, the patient was pain-free and off narcotic pain medication and had returned to full activity.

Conclusion

This patient is the first reported case of lumbar osteomyelitis with SEA treated surgically with a single-stage, posterior-only circumferential decompression and reconstruction with posterior instrumentation. Although this approach is more technically challenging, it presents another viable option for the treatment of lumbar vertebral osteomyelitis that may reduce the morbidity associated with an anterior approach.
Lifetime-limited, subnanosecond terahertz germanium photoconductive detectors
Authors: Deßmann N. , Pavlov S. G. , Pohl A. , Abrosimov N. V. , Winnerl S. , Mittendorff M. , Zhukavin R. Kh. , Tsyplenkov V. V. , Shengurov D. V. , Shastin V. N. , Hübers H.-W.
Published: April 2015

The recombination times of photo-excited free charge carriers in heavily doped and highly compensated germanium are studied by a time-resolved pump-probe experiment at a frequency of ∼3 THz. The dominant dopant in the germanium samples is either antimony (n-Ge:Ga:Sb) or gallium (p-Ge:Sb:Ga) with compensating doping levels close to 100%. The recombination time of the free charge carriers measured by our pump-probe technique varies between 30 and 300 ps. It decreases with increasing pump pulse energy and increasing compensation due to high concentrations of Coulomb recombination centers. The recombination times at low pump powers are up to ten times shorter than those previously obtained for low-compensated n-Ge:Sb and p-Ge:Ga. The photoconductive detector made from this material shows the response time is in the order of its recombination time.
On some p-Laplacian equation with electromagnetic fields and critical nonlinearity in ℝN
Authors: Liang Sihua , Zhang Jihui
Published: April 2015

In this paper, we consider the existence and multiplicity of solutions for p-Laplacian equation with electromagnetic fields and critical nonlinearity in ℝN: −εpΔp,Au+V(x)up−2u=up*−2u+h(x,up)up−2u for x ∈ ℝN, where Δp,Au(x)≔div(∇u+iA(x)up−2(∇u+iA(x)u). By using Lions’ second concentration compactness principle and concentration compactness principle at infinity to prove that the (PS)c condition holds locally and by variational method, we show that this equation has at least one solution provided that ε<E, for any m ∈ ℕ, it has m pairs of solutions if ε<Em, where E and Em are sufficiently small positive numbers.
Strong mode-mode interactions in internal solitary-like waves
Authors: Stastna Marek , Olsthoorn Jason , Baglaenko Anton , Coutino Aaron
Published: April 2015

Classical linear theory presents vertically trapped internal waves of different modes as completely uncoupled. This description carries over to the simplest weakly nonlinear theory for internal solitary waves, the Korteweg-de Vries theory. The balance between weakly nonlinear and dispersive effects in this theory allows for soliton solutions, meaning that waves emerge from collisions without changing form. However, exact mode-1 internal solitary waves have been shown to exhibit departures from soliton behaviour during overtaking collisions. We present a numerical investigation of the strong modal coupling between mode-1 and mode-2 internal solitary-like waves during head-on and overtaking collisions. We begin by presenting a “clean” theoretical setup using an exact theory (the Dubreil Jacotin Long equation) for the mode-1 wave and weakly nonlinear theory for the mode-2 wave to initialize the numerical model. During the collision, the mode-2 wave is significantly deformed by the mode-1 wave-induced currents, and indeed, by the end of the collision, the mode-2 wave has lost coherence almost entirely. We discuss how the collisions change as the amplitude of the mode-1 wave decreases, as the mode-1 wave becomes broad crested, and when multiple pycnoclines preclude mode-2 wave breaking and the formation of quasi-trapped cores in the mode-2 waves. We demonstrate where viscous dissipation occurs during the collisions, finding it slightly enhanced in the near pycnocline region, but not to the point where it can explain the loss of coherence. Subsequently, we use linear theory to demonstrate that it is a combination of the pycnocline deformation and the shear across the pycnocline centre due to the mode-1 waves, which alters the structure of the mode-2 waves and leads to the loss of coherence. In fact, the shear is vital, and with only a deformed pycnocline, mode-2 wave structure is only slightly altered. We present the results of a direct numerical simulation on experimental scales in which both mode-1 and mode-2 waves are generated by stratified adjustment. This simulation confirms that the numerical results should be readily observable in the laboratory. We conclude by revisiting existing weakly nonlinear theory for collisions, finding a surprising twist on the well established notions of “weak” and “strong” collisions.
Plasma-gun-assisted field-reversed configuration formation in a conical θ-pinch
Authors: Weber T. E. , Intrator T. P. , Smith R. J.
Published: April 2015

Injection of plasma via an annular array of coaxial plasma guns during the pre-ionization phase of field-reversed configuration (FRC) formation is shown to catalyze the bulk ionization of a neutral gas prefill in the presence of a strong axial magnetic field and change the character of outward flux flow during field-reversal from a convective process to a much slower resistive diffusion process. This approach has been found to significantly improve FRC formation in a conical θ-pinch, resulting in a ∼350% increase in trapped flux at typical operating conditions, an expansion of accessible formation parameter space to lower densities and higher temperatures, and a reduction or elimination of several deleterious effects associated with the pre-ionization phase.
Exchange repulsive potential adaptable for electronic structure changes during chemical reactions
Authors: Yokogawa D.
Published: April 2015

Hybrid methods combining quantum mechanical (QM) and classical calculations are becoming important tools in chemistry. The popular approach to calculate the interaction between QM and classical calculations employs interatomic potentials. In most cases, the interatomic potential is constructed of an electrostatic (ES) potential and a non-ES potential. Because QM treatment is employed in the calculation of the ES potential, the electronic change can be considered in this ES potential. However, QM treatment of the non-ES potential is difficult because of high computational cost. To overcome this difficulty of evaluating the non-ES potential, we proposed an exchange repulsive potential as the main part of the non-ES potential on the basis of a QM approach. This potential is independent of empirical parameters and adaptable for electronic structure. We combined this potential with the reference interaction site model self-consistent field explicitly including spatial electron density distribution and successfully applied it to the chemical reactions in aqueous phase.
A survey of the meat goat industry in Queensland and New South Wales. 2. Herd management, reproductive performance and animal health
Authors: Nogueira D. M. , Gummow B. , Gardiner C. P. , Cavalieri J. , Fitzpatrick L. A. , Parker A. J.
Published: April 2015

An interview-based questionnaire survey was conducted on 31 goat properties in New South Wales and Queensland in 2013. This study has gathered information on goat herd management, reproductive performance and animal health, and has identified constraints that may limit goat productivity. Producers from high-rainfall regions reported having full blood Boer goats for stud breeding. In contrast, producers from pastoral regions had rangeland goats and Boer-cross goats. Overall, 87% of the producers identified a natural breeding season in goats and 61% separated kids from their mothers at weaning. The weaning age varied between 3.0 and 6.0 months. A total of 52% of producers castrated male kids. Only 10% of producers used ultrasound to conduct pregnancy diagnosis on their goats. The reported pregnancy rate was 60% for the pastoral regions and 94% for the high-rainfall regions. The average prolificacy was 1.4 kids/doe and the kidding interval was 12 months. Overall, 68% of producers fed their goat herd with supplements, with the exception that most producers from western New South Wales and south-western Queensland did not use supplements. Producers considered gastrointestinal parasites (61%) and body lice (48%) as the main diseases associated with their goat herds, although only 52% mentioned drenching the animals with anthelmintics. In general, properties in the pastoral regions showed low pregnancy and kidding rates, early age at first mating, high mortality rates, poor performance of Boer bucks and lower weights and weight gain compared with properties in the high-rainfall regions. The survey has highlighted areas that require further study to validate the observations of producers, for instance, factors that may be limiting the fertility of Boer goats in rangeland environments, the incidence of diseases, the use of Kidplan and management activities to improve goat productivity.
Salidroside protects retinal endothelial cells against hydrogen peroxide-induced injury via modulating oxidative status and apoptosis
Authors: Shi Kai , Wang Xulei , Zhu Jie , Cao Guiqun , Zhang Kang , Su Zhiguang
Published: April 2015

Oxidative stress can cause injury in retinal endothelial cells. Salidroside is a strong antioxidative and cytoprotective supplement in Chinese traditional medicine. In this study, we investigated the effects of salidroside on H2O2-induced primary retinal endothelial cells injury. Salidroside decreased H2O2-induced cell death, and efficiently suppressed cellular ROS production, malondialdehyde generation, and cell apoptosis induced by H2O2 treatment. Salidroside induced the intracellular mRNA expression, protein expression, and enzymatic activities of catalase and Mn-SOD and increased the ratio of Bcl2/Bax. Our results demonstrated that salidroside protected retinal endothelial cells against oxidative injury through increasing the Bcl2/Bax signaling pathway and activation of endogenous antioxidant enzymes. This finding presents salidroside as an attractive agent with potential to attenuate retinopathic diseases.
Do Attitudes to Immigrants Change in Hard Times? Ireland in a European Context
Authors: Turner Thomas , Cross Christine
Published: April 2015

ABSTRACT: The enlargement of the European Union (EU) and the subsequent global economic recession has drawn attention to individual-level attitudes towards immigrants across Europe. In this context, using the European Social Survey (ESS), we compared Irish attitudes towards immigrants with those in 12 other European countries at 3 critical moments in time – prior to large immigration flows in 2002; at the height of the economic boom in 2006; and after the global financial crash in 2008. Our descriptive analysis examines whether significant changes in attitudes towards immigrants has occurred in the EU as a whole and within individual countries over time. We predicted that fluctuations in economic condition such as the rise in unemployment would affect attitudes towards immigrants. This relationship receives some support from our findings. In Ireland, positive attitudes to immigrants between 2006 and 2010 decreased and negative attitudes increased, on all attitudinal measures, more sharply than in any of the other European countries. Taking the 12 countries as a whole, attitudes have tended to polarise particularly with regard to allowing access to immigrants and their impact on the economy. This research reveals worrying trends in attitudes to immigrants in European countries, particularly in light of the importance of immigrants to the European labour market, both currently and in the future.
Selective Pulmonary Vasodilation Improves Ventriculovascular Coupling and Gas Exchange in a Patient with Unrepaired Single‐Ventricle Physiology
Authors: Rischard F. , Vanderpool R. , Jenkins I. , Dalabih M. , Colombo J. , Lax D. , Seckeler M.
Published: April 2015

We describe a 63‐year‐old patient with unrepaired tricuspid valve atresia and a hypoplastic right ventricle (single‐ventricle physiology) who presented with progressive symptomatic hypoxia. Her anatomy resulted in parallel pulmonary and systemic circulations, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and uncoupling of the ventricle/pulmonary artery. Hemodynamic and coupling data were obtained before and after pulmonary vasoactive treatment, first inhaled nitric oxide and later inhaled treprostinil. The coupling ratio (ratio of ventricular to vascular elastance) shunt fractions and dead space ventilation were calculated before and after treatment. Treatment resulted in improvement of the coupling ratio between the ventricle and the vasculature with optimization of stroke work, equalization of pulmonary and systolic flows, a decrease in dead space ventilation from 75% to 55%, and a significant increase in 6‐minute walk distance and improved hypoxia. Inhaled treprostinil significantly increased 6‐minute walk distance and improved hypoxia. This is the first report to show that pulmonary vasoactive treatment can be used in a patient with unrepaired single‐ventricle anatomy and describes the hemodynamic effects of inhaled therapy on ventriculovascular coupling and gas exchange in the pulmonary circulation in this unique physiology.
Min-max theory and the energy of links
Authors: Agol Ian , Marques Fernando , Neves André
Published: April 2015

Freedman, He, and Wang conjectured in 1994 that the Möbius energy should be minimized, among the class of all nontrivial links in Euclidean space, by the stereographic projection of the standard Hopf link. We prove this conjecture using the min-max theory of minimal surfaces.
Low-level HIV-1 viraemia in patients on HAART: risk factors and management in clinical practice
Authors: Wirden Marc , Todesco Eve , Valantin Marc-Antoine , Lambert-Niclot Sidonie , Simon Anne , Calin Ruxandra , Tubiana Roland , Peytavin Gilles , Katlama Christine , Calvez Vincent , Marcelin Anne-Genevieve
Published: April 2015

Objectives

Characterization of the conditions favouring HIV-1 low-level viraemia (LLV) during treatment is required to guide strategies for prevention and cure.

Methods

The characteristics and treatments of 171 patients experiencing a confirmed LLV of 50–1000 copies/mL (PLLVs) were compared with those of 146 patients with persistently controlled viraemia. We analysed the risk factors for LLV, the parameters affecting the level of viraemia and the presence of resistance-associated mutations (RAMs). We compared outcomes for PLLVs on fully effective HAART as a function of treatment modifications.

Results

LLV was <500 copies/mL in at least 90% of cases. A higher zenith viral load (VL) (5.27 versus 4.91 log10 copies/mL, OR 2.23; P = 0.0003), a shorter time on continuous HAART (4.3 versus 6.8 years, OR 0.88; P = 0.0003) and previously detected RAMs (43% versus 23%, OR 2.42; P = 0.0033) were independent predictors of LLV. NNRTIs were less frequently used in PLLVs and were associated with more stable treatment. The presence of any RAM during LLV was associated with a lower zenith VL and a higher LLV. In the absence of resistance, virological success was achieved in similar proportions of patients with and without treatment modification.

Conclusions

Viraemia >500 copies/mL should no longer be considered to be LLV. In patients with a high zenith VL, several years on continuous HAART may be required to decrease the HIV reservoir and prevent LLV. Resistance testing is useful to detect RAMs, leading if necessary to treatment modifications. In the absence of resistance, treatment changes seemed dispensable.
Enhanced efficacy of putative efflux pump inhibitor/antibiotic combination treatments versus MDR strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a Galleria mellonella in vivo infection model
Authors: Adamson Dougal H. , Krikstopaityte Vasare , Coote Peter J.
Published: April 2015

Objectives

The objectives of this study were to compare the antibiotic susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains with increased efflux pump expression in vitro and in vivo and to use these same strains to evaluate the efficacy of combinations of antibiotics with putative efflux pump inhibitors in vivo.

Methods

A collection of P. aeruginosa strains that overexpress three efflux pumps (MexAB-OprM, MexCD-OprJ and MexEF-OprN), in addition to a strain with all three Mex pumps deleted, were used. The virulence of these strains and their antibiotic susceptibility was measured in vivo using a Galleria mellonella larval infection model. The inhibitory effect of combinations of putative efflux pump inhibitors (trimethoprim and sertraline) with antibiotics on the strain overexpressing MexAB-OprM was also measured in vitro and compared with their efficacy in vivo in terms of larval survival and bacterial burden.

Results

Increased expression of the individual efflux pumps, or deletion of all three, had no significant effect on the virulence of P. aeruginosa in vivo. Expression levels of the efflux pumps clearly influenced antibiotic efficacy in vivo. The efficacy of levofloxacin, piperacillin and meropenem against larvae infected with the efflux pump mutants reflected susceptibility to the same drugs in vitro. Treatment of G. mellonella larvae infected with a strain that overexpressed MexAB-OprM with a combination of putative efflux pump inhibitors and levofloxacin resulted in enhanced therapeutic benefit compared with the constituent monotherapies.

Conclusions

This study has demonstrated the utility of using G. mellonella to screen for novel therapeutic options for MDR P. aeruginosa and has shown that antibiotic/efflux pump inhibitor combinations should be further investigated for clinical application.
The effects of sex-biased gene expression and X-linkage on rates of adaptive protein sequence evolution inDrosophila
Authors: Ávila Victoria , Campos José L. , Charlesworth Brian
Published: April 2015

A faster rate of adaptive evolution of X-linked genes compared with autosomal genes may be caused by the fixation of new recessive or partially recessive advantageous mutations (the Faster-X effect). This effect is expected to be largest for mutations that affect only male fitness and absent for mutations that affect only female fitness. We tested these predictions inDrosophila melanogasterby using genes with different levels of sex-biased expression and by estimating the extent of adaptive evolution of non-synonymous mutations from polymorphism and divergence data. We detected both a Faster-X effect and an effect of male-biased gene expression. There was no evidence for a strong association between the two effects—modest levels of male-biased gene expression increased the rate of adaptive evolution on both the autosomes and the X chromosome, but a Faster-X effect occurred for both unbiased genes and female-biased genes. The rate of genetic recombination did not influence the magnitude of the Faster-X effect, ruling out the possibility that it reflects less Hill–Robertson interference for X-linked genes.
Functional role of phenylacetic acid from metapleural gland secretions in controlling fungal pathogens in evolutionarily derived leaf-cutting ants
Authors: Fernández-Marín Hermógenes , Nash David R. , Higginbotham Sarah , Estrada Catalina , van Zweden Jelle S. , d'Ettorre Patrizia , Wcislo William T. , Boomsma Jacobus J.
Published: April 2015

Fungus-farming ant colonies vary four to five orders of magnitude in size. They employ compounds from actinomycete bacteria and exocrine glands as antimicrobial agents.
Atta
colonies have millions of ants and are particularly relevant for understanding hygienic strategies as they have abandoned their ancestors' prime dependence on antibiotic-based biological control in favour of using metapleural gland (MG) chemical secretions.
Atta
MGs are unique in synthesizing large quantities of phenylacetic acid (PAA), a known but little investigated antimicrobial agent. We show that particularly the smallest workers greatly reduce germination rates of
Escovopsis
and
Metarhizium
spores after actively applying PAA to experimental infection targets in garden fragments and transferring the spores to the ants' infrabuccal cavities.
In vitro
assays further indicated that
Escovopsis
strains isolated from evolutionarily derived leaf-cutting ants are less sensitive to PAA than strains from phylogenetically more basal fungus-farming ants, consistent with the dynamics of an evolutionary arms race between virulence and control for
Escovopsis
, but not
Metarhizium. Atta
ants form larger colonies with more extreme caste differentiation relative to other attines, in societies characterized by an almost complete absence of reproductive conflicts. We hypothesize that these changes are associated with unique evolutionary innovations in chemical pest management that appear robust against selection pressure for resistance by specialized mycopathogens.
Is diversification in male reproductive traits driven by evolutionary trade-offs between weapons and nuptial gifts?
Authors: Liu Xingyue , Hayashi Fumio , Lavine Laura C. , Yang Ding
Published: April 2015

Many male animals have evolved exaggerated traits that they use in combat with rival males to gain access to females and secure their reproductive success. But some male animals invest in nuptial gifts that gains them access to females. Both these reproductive strategies are costly in that resources are needed to produce the weapon or nuptial gift. In closely related species where both weapons and nuptial gifts are present, little is known about the potential evolutionary trade-off faced by males that have these traits. In this study, we use dobsonflies (order Megaloptera, family Corydalidae, subfamily Corydalinae) to examine the presence and absence of enlarged male weapons versus nuptial gifts within and among species. Many dobsonfly species are sexually dimorphic, and males possess extremely enlarged mandibles that they use in battles, whereas in other species, males produce large nuptial gifts that increase female fecundity. In our study, we show that male accessory gland size strongly correlates with nuptial gift size and that when male weapons are large, nuptial gifts are small and vice versa. We mapped weapons and nuptial gifts onto a phylogeny we constructed of 57 species of dobsonflies. Our among-species comparison shows that large nuptial gift production evolved in many species of dobsonfly but is absent from those with exaggerated weapons. This pattern supports the potential explanation that the trade-off in resource allocation between weapons and nuptial gifts is important in driving the diversity of male mating strategies seen in the dobsonflies, whereas reduced male–male competition in the species producing large spermatophores could be an alternative explanation on their loss of male weapons. Our results shed new light on the evolutionary interplay of multiple sexually selected traits in animals.
A hybrid behavioural rule of adaptation and drift explains the emergent architecture of antagonistic networks
Authors: Nuwagaba S. , Zhang F. , Hui C.
Published: April 2015

Ecological processes that can realistically account for network architectures are central to our understanding of how species assemble and function in ecosystems. Consumer species are constantly selecting and adjusting which resource species are to be exploited in an antagonistic network. Here we incorporate a hybrid behavioural rule of adaptive interaction switching and random drift into a bipartite network model. Predictions are insensitive to the model parameters and the initial network structures, and agree extremely well with the observed levels of modularity, nestedness and node-degree distributions for 61 real networks. Evolutionary and community assemblage histories only indirectly affect network structure by defining the size and complexity of ecological networks, whereas adaptive interaction switching and random drift carve out the details of network architecture at the faster ecological time scale. The hybrid behavioural rule of both adaptation and drift could well be the key processes for structure emergence in real ecological networks.
Videography in marketing research: mixing art and science
Authors: Petr Christine , Belk Russell , Decrop Alain
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present videography as a rising method available for academics. Visuals are increasingly omnipresent in the modern society. As they become easy to create and use, videos are no longer only for ethnographers and specialist researchers.

Design/methodology/approach

– In the society of “user-content generation,” visual data are incredibly important, original, and powerful sources providing researchers with opportunities to inventively make their results more resonant and more broadly accessible.

Findings

– Moreover, videography offers the opportunity for researchers to become a kind of artist since they become visual producers.

Practical implications

– This paper offers concrete advices for researchers who want to to become visual producers.

Social implications

– Researchers have to make their results more resonant and more broadly accessable.

Originality/value

– Videography is a new way (an artistic one) to present results of research.
Benchmarking the efficiencies of Indonesia’s municipal water utilities using Stackelberg data envelopment analysis
Authors: Wibowo Andreas , Alfen Hans Wilhelm
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present a yardstick efficiency comparison of 269 Indonesian municipal water utilities (MWUs) and measures the impact of exogenous environmental variables on efficiency scores.

Design/methodology/approach

– Two-stage Stackelberg leader-follower data envelopment analysis (DEA) and artificial neural networks (ANN) were employed.

Findings

– Given that serviceability was treated as the leader and profitability as the follower, the first and second stage DEA scores were 55 and 32 percent (0 percent = totally inefficient, 100 percent = perfectly efficient), respectively. This indicates sizeable opportunities for improvement, with 39 percent of the total sample facing serious problems in both first- and second-stage efficiencies. When profitability instead leads serviceability, this results in more decreased efficiency. The size of the population served was the most important exogenous environmental variable affecting DEA efficiency scores in both the first and second stages.

Research limitations/implications

– The present study was limited by the overly restrictive assumption that all MWUs operate at a constant-return-to-scale.

Practical implications

– These research findings will enable better management of the MWUs in question, allowing their current level of performance to be objectively compared with that of their peers, both in terms of scale and area of operation. These findings will also help the government prioritize assistance measures for MWUs that are suffering from acute performance gaps, and to devise a strategic national plan to revitalize Indonesia’s water sector.

Originality/value

– This paper enriches the body of knowledge by filling in knowledge gaps relating to benchmarking in Indonesia’s water industry, as well as in the application of ensemble two-stage DEA and ANN, which are still rare in the literature.
What does the way crime was organised yesterday tell us about the way crime is organised today and will be tomorrow?
Authors: Tupman Bill
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to assess what an overview of theoretical literature and case study material can tell us about the different ways crime has been organised in the past in different cultures and whether this has any impact on the ways in which crime may be organised in the present and the future.

Design/methodology/approach

– The analysis is based on an examination of Mcintyre’s work on how crime is organised and later political, economic and civil society views of criminality. Brief discussion of case studies involving the UK, The Netherlands, the Arab world, Ethiopia and Russia is used to see how crime was organised there in the past.

Findings

– There is a greater variety of variables in the way crime was organised historically than McIntyre suggests, and an examination of civil society might pay greater dividends than even looking at politics or economic aspects of organised crime.

Research limitations/implications

– The study is preliminary. More historical case study material needs to be accessed.

Originality/value

– There are many research case studies, particularly at PhD level and in subjects other than criminology, such as history, language studies and cultural studies generally, which have not been brought together to present an overall picture. This paper is a first step in that direction.
Reverse money laundering in Russia: clean cash for dirty ends
Authors: Zabyelina Yuliya G.
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of and comment on various aspects of reverse money laundering, whereby, instead of “washing” criminal proceeds to make them legal, legitimate funds are withdrawn from formal circulation and pumped into the informal sector to evade taxes, hand in bribes, pay “under-the-table” salaries and sidestep paperwork.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is divided into two parts. The theoretical part reviews the relevant academic literature and discusses the role of cash as a dominant medium of exchange in the underground economy. The empirical part is grounded on a qualitative analysis of several case studies of fraudulent encashment schemes all of which illustrate how reverse money laundering works.

Findings

– The findings suggest that fraudulent encashment, a type of reverse money laundering, is performed via bank and non-bank institutions. Importantly, methods and techniques used in conventional forms of money laundering are also used in reverse money laundering schemes.

Originality/value

– Despite a large volume of literature on money laundering, reverse money laundering remains an understudied area. This paper discusses the peculiarities of illegal transfers of non-cash assets into cash, which have been the pronounced problem in Russia and other post-Soviet countries since the 1990s.