bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Carnitine supplementation to obese Zucker rats prevents obesity-induced type I to type II muscle fiber transition and favors an oxidative phenotype of skeletal muscle
Authors: Couturier Aline , Ringseis Robert , Mooren Frank-Christoph , Krüger Karsten , Most Erika , Eder Klaus
Published: July 2013

Background

In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that carnitine supplementation counteracts obesity-induced muscle fiber transition from type I to type II.

Methods

24 obese Zucker rats were randomly divided into two groups of 12 rats each (obese control, obese carnitine) and 12 lean Zucker rats were selected for lean control group. A control diet was given to both control groups and a carnitine supplemented diet (3 g/kg diet) was given to obese carnitine group for 4 wk. Components of the muscle fiber transformation in skeletal muscle were examined.

Results

The plasma level of carnitine were lower in the obese control group compared to the lean control group and higher in the obese carnitine group than in the other groups (P < 0.05). Plasma concentrations of triglycerides and non-esterified fatty acids were increased in obese animals compared to lean animals and the obese carnitine group had lower level compared to the obese control group (P < 0.05). The obese carnitine group had an increased number of type I muscle fibers and higher mRNA levels of type I fiber-specific myosin heavy chain, regulators of muscle fiber transition and of genes involved in carnitine uptake, fatty acid transport, β-oxidation, angiogenesis, tricarboxylic acid cycle and thermo genesis in M. rectus femoris compared to the other groups (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The results demonstrate that carnitine supplementation to obese Zucker a rat counteracts the obesity-induced muscle fiber transition and restores the muscle oxidative metabolic phenotype. Carnitine supplementation is supposed to be beneficial for the treatment of elevated levels of plasma lipids during obesity or diabetes.
Transient oscillatory dynamics of interferon beta signaling in macrophages
Authors: Pertsovskaya Inna , Abad Elena , Domedel-Puig Núria , Garcia-Ojalvo Jordi , Villoslada Pablo
Published: July 2013

Background

Interferon-beta (IFN-beta) activates the immune response through the type I IFN signaling pathway. IFN-beta is important in the response to pathogen infections and is used as a therapy for Multiple Sclerosis. The mechanisms of self-regulation and control of this pathway allow precise and environment-dependent response of the cells in different conditions. Here we analyzed type I IFN signaling in response to IFN-beta in the macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 by RT-PCR, ELISA and xMAP assays. The experimental results were interpreted by means of a theoretical model of the pathway.

Results

Phosphorylation of the STAT1 protein (pSTAT1) and mRNA levels of the pSTAT1 inhibitor SOCS1 displayed an attenuated oscillatory behavior after IFN-beta activation. In turn, mRNA levels of the interferon regulatory factor IRF1 grew rapidly in the first 50–90 minutes after stimulation until a maximum value, and started to decrease slowly around 200–250 min. The analysis of our kinetic model identified a significant role of the negative feedback from SOCS1 in driving the observed damped oscillatory dynamics, and of the positive feedback from IRF1 in increasing STAT1 basal levels. Our study shows that the system works as a biological damped relaxation oscillator based on a phosphorylation-dephosphorylation network centered on STAT1. Moreover, a bifurcation analysis identified translocation of pSTAT1 dimers to the nucleus as a critical step for regulating the dynamics of type I IFN pathway in the first steps, which may be important in defining the response to IFN-beta therapy.

Conclusions

The immunomodulatory effect of IFN-beta signaling in macrophages takes the form of transient oscillatory dynamics of the JAK-STAT pathway, whose specific relaxation properties determine the lifetime of the cellular response to the cytokine.
Signal transduction inhibitors in treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes
Authors: Bachegowda Lohith , Gligich Oleg , Mantzaris Ionnis , Schinke Carolina , Wyville Dale , Carrillo Tatiana , Braunschweig Ira , Steidl Ulrich , Verma Amit
Published: July 2013

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of hematologic disorders characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis that results in reduced blood counts. Although MDS can transform into leukemia, most of the morbidity experienced by these patients is due to chronically low blood counts. Conventional cytotoxic agents used to treat MDS have yielded some encouraging results but are characterized by many adverse effects in the predominantly elderly patient population. Targeted interventions aimed at reversing the bone marrow failure and increasing the peripheral blood counts would be advantageous in this cohort of patients. Studies have demonstrated over-activated signaling of myelo-suppressive cytokines such as TGF-β, TNF-α and Interferons in MDS hematopoietic stem cells. Targeting these signaling cascades could be potentially therapeutic in MDS. The p38 MAP kinase pathway, which is constitutively activated in MDS, is an example of cytokine stimulated kinase that promotes aberrant apoptosis of stem and progenitor cells in MDS. ARRY-614 and SCIO-469 are p38 MAPK inhibitors that have been used in clinical trials and have shown activity in a subset of MDS patients. TGF-β signaling has been therapeutically targeted by small molecule inhibitor of the TGF-β receptor kinase, LY-2157299, with encouraging preclinical results. Apart from TGF-β receptor kinase inhibition, members of TGF-β super family and BMP ligands have also been targeted by ligand trap compounds like Sotatercept (ACE-011) and ACE-536. The multikinase inhibitor, ON-01910.Na (Rigosertib) has demonstrated early signs of efficacy in reducing the percentage of leukemic blasts and is in advanced stages of clinical testing. Temsirolimus, Deforolimus and other mTOR inhibitors are being tested in clinical trials and have shown preclinical efficacy in CMML. EGF receptor inhibitors, Erlotinib and Gefitinib have shown efficacy in small trials that may be related to off target effects. Cell cycle regulator inhibitors such as Farnesyl transferase inhibitors (Tipifarnib, Lonafarnib) and MEK inhibitor (GSK1120212) have shown acceptable toxicity profiles in small studies and efforts are underway to select mutational subgroups of MDS and AML that may benefit from these inhibitors. Altogether, these studies show that targeting various signal transduction pathways that regulate hematopoiesis offers promising therapeutic potential in this disease. Future studies in combination with high resolution correlative studies will clarify the subgroup specific efficacies of these agents.
An experimental protocol for in vivo imaging of neuronal structural plasticity with 2-photon microscopy in mice
Authors: Stetter Christian , Hirschberg Markus , Nieswandt Bernhard , Ernestus Ralf-Ingo , Heckmann Manfred , Sirén Anna-Leena
Published: July 2013

Introduction

Structural plasticity with synapse formation and elimination is a key component of memory capacity and may be critical for functional recovery after brain injury. Here we describe in detail two surgical techniques to create a cranial window in mice and show crucial points in the procedure for long-term repeated in vivo imaging of synaptic structural plasticity in the mouse neocortex.

Methods

Transgenic Thy1-YFP(H) mice expressing yellow-fluorescent protein (YFP) in layer-5 pyramidal neurons were prepared under anesthesia for in vivo imaging of dendritic spines in the parietal cortex either with an open-skull glass or thinned skull window. After a recovery period of 14 days, imaging sessions of 45–60 min in duration were started under fluothane anesthesia. To reduce respiration-induced movement artifacts, the skull was glued to a stainless steel plate fixed to metal base. The animals were set under a two-photon microscope with multifocal scanhead splitter (TriMScope, LaVision BioTec) and the Ti-sapphire laser was tuned to the optimal excitation wavelength for YFP (890 nm). Images were acquired by using a 20×, 0.95 NA, water-immersion objective (Olympus) in imaging depth of 100–200 μm from the pial surface. Two-dimensional projections of three-dimensional image stacks containing dendritic segments of interest were saved for further analysis. At the end of the last imaging session, the mice were decapitated and the brains removed for histological analysis.

Results

Repeated in vivo imaging of dendritic spines of the layer-5 pyramidal neurons was successful using both open-skull glass and thinned skull windows. Both window techniques were associated with low phototoxicity after repeated sessions of imaging.

Conclusions

Repeated imaging of dendritic spines in vivo allows monitoring of long-term structural dynamics of synapses. When carefully controlled for influence of repeated anesthesia and phototoxicity, the method will be suitable to study changes in synaptic structural plasticity after brain injury.
Classification of FTLD-TDP cases into pathological subtypes using antibodies against phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated TDP43
Authors: Tan Rachel H , Shepherd Claire E , Kril Jillian J , McCann Heather , McGeachie Andrew , McGinley Ciara , Affleck Andrew , Halliday Glenda M
Published: July 2013

Background

Two commercially available TDP43 antibodies (phosphorylated or pTDP43, non-phosphorylated or iTDP43) are currently in use for the neuropathological classification of FTLD-TDP cases into pathological subtypes. To date, no studies have performed direct comparisons between these TDP43 antibodies to determine if they identify the same FTLD-TDP subtypes. The reliability of subtype classification with the use of either of these antibodies has also not been investigated. The present study compares the severity of pathological lesions identified with pTDP43 and iTDP43 in a cohort of 14 FTLD-TDP cases, and assesses the accuracy and inter-observer reliability found with either of these antibodies.

Results

pTDP43 identified a greater severity of pathological inclusions across FTLD-TDP cases in comparison to iTDP43 and a higher inter-observer of subtype classification was found with this antibody.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates a higher consistency across independent observers in the pathological subtyping of FTLD-TDP cases with the use of a pTDP43 antibody in comparison to the iTDP43 antibody, and corroborates the use of pTDP43 for pathological classification of FTLD-TDP cases.
National medicines policies – a review of the evolution and development processes
Authors: Hoebert Joëlle M , van Dijk Liset , Mantel-Teeuwisse Aukje K , Leufkens Hubert GM , Laing Richard O
Published: July 2013

Objectives

Continuous provision of appropriate medicines of assured quality, in adequate quantities, and at reasonable prices is a concern for all national governments. A national medicines policy (NMP) developed in a collaborative fashion identifies strategies needed to meet these objectives and provides a comprehensive framework to develop all components of a national pharmaceutical sector. To meet the health needs of the population, there is a general need for medicine policies based on universal principles, but nevertheless adapted to the national situation. This review aims to provide a quantitative and qualitative (describing the historical development) study of the development process and evolution of NMPs.

Methods

The number of NMPs and their current status has been obtained from the results of the assessment of WHO Level I indicators. The policy formulation process is examined in more detail with case studies from four countries: Sri Lanka, Australia, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and South Africa.

Results

The number of NMPs worldwide has increased in the last 25 years with the highest proportional increase in the last 5–10 years in high-income countries. Higher income countries seem to have more NMP implementation plans available and have updated their NMP more recently. The four case studies show that the development of a NMP is a complex process that is country specific. In addition, it demonstrates that an appropriate political window is needed for the policy to be passed (for South Africa and the FYR Macedonia, a major political event acted as a trigger for initiating the policy development). Policy-making does not stop with the official adoption of a policy but should create mechanisms for implementation and monitoring. The NMPs of the FYR Macedonia and Australia provide indicators for monitoring.

Conclusions

To date, not all countries have a NMP since political pressure by national experts or non-governmental organizations is generally needed to establish a NMP. Case studies in four countries showed that the policy process is just as important as the policy document since the process must create a mechanism by which all stakeholders are brought together and a sense of collective ownership of the final policy may be achieved.
Factors affecting tumor 18 F-FDG uptake in longitudinal mouse PET studies
Authors: Sha Wei , Ye Hu , Iwamoto Keisuke S , Wong Koon-Pong , Wilks Moses Quinn , Stout David , McBride William , Huang Sung-Cheng
Published: July 2013

Background

Many biological factors of 2-[18 F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (18 F-FDG) in blood can affect 18 F-FDG uptake in tumors. In this study, longitudinal 18 F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) studies were performed on tumor-bearing mice to investigate the effect of blood glucose level and tumor size on 18 F-FDG uptake in tumors.

Methods

Six- to eight-week-old severe combined immunodeficiency mice were implanted with glioblastoma U87 (n = 8) or adenocarcinoma MDA-MB-231 (MDA) (n = 11) in the shoulder. When the tumor diameter was approximately 2.5 mm, a 60-min dynamic 18 F-FDG PET scan was performed weekly until the tumor diameter reached 10 mm. Regions of interests were defined in major organs and tumor. A plasma curve was derived based on a modeling method that utilizes the early heart time-activity curve and a late-time blood sample. The 18 F-FDG uptake constant K

i
was calculated using Patlak analysis on the tumors without an apparent necrotic center shown in the PET images. For each tumor type, the measured K

i
was corrected for partial volume (PV), and multivariate regression analysis was performed to examine the effects of blood glucose level ([Glc]) and tumor growth. Corrected Akaike's information criterion was used to determine the best model.

Results

The regression model that best fit the PV-corrected K

i
for U87 data was K

i
/RC = (1/[Glc]) × (0.27 ± 0.027) mL/min/mL (where [Glc] is in mmol/L), and for MDA, it was K

i
/RC = (0.04 ± 0.005) mL/min/mL, where K

i
/RC denotes the PV-corrected K

i
using an individual recovery coefficient (RC). The results indicated that 18 F-FDG K

i
/RC for U87 was inversely related to [Glc], while [Glc] had no effect on 18 F-FDG K

i
/RC of MDA. After the effects of PV and [Glc] were accounted for, the data did not support any increase of 18 F-FDG K

i
as the tumor (of either type) grew larger in size.

Conclusions

The effect of [Glc] on the tumor 18 F-FDG K

i
was tumor-dependent. PV- and [Glc]-corrected 18 F-FDG K

i
did not show significant increase as the tumor of either type grew in size.
Compared effects of inhibition and exogenous administration of hydrogen sulphide in ischaemia-reperfusion injury
Authors: Issa Khodor , Kimmoun Antoine , Collin Solène , Ganster Frederique , Fremont-Orlowski Sophie , Asfar Pierre , Mertes Paul-Michel , Levy Bruno
Published: July 2013

Introduction

Haemorrhagic shock is associated with an inflammatory response consecutive to ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) that leads to cardiovascular failure and organ injury. The role of and the timing of administration of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) remain uncertain. Vascular effects of H2S are mainly mediated through K+ATP-channel activation. Herein, we compared the effects of D,L-propargylglycine (PAG), an inhibitor of H2S production, as well as sodium hydrosulphide (NaHS), an H2S donor, on haemodynamics, vascular reactivity and cellular pathways in a rat model of I/R. We also compared the haemodynamic effects of NaHS administered before and 10 minutes after reperfusion.

Methods

Mechanically ventilated and instrumented rats were bled during 60 minutes in order to maintain mean arterial pressure at 40 ± 2 mmHg. Ten minutes prior to retransfusion, rats randomly received either an intravenous bolus of NaHS (0.2 mg/kg) or vehicle (0.9% NaCl) or PAG (50 mg/kg). PNU, a pore-forming receptor inhibitor of K+ATP channels, was used to assess the role of K+ATP channels.

Results

Shock and I/R induced a decrease in mean arterial pressure, lactic acidosis and ex vivo vascular hyporeactivity, which were attenuated by NaHS administered before reperfusion and PNU but not by PAG and NaHS administered 10 minutes after reperfusion. NaHS also prevented aortic inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and nitric oxide production while increasing Akt and endothelial nitric oxide synthase phosphorylation. NaHS reduced JNK activity and p-P38/P38 activation, suggesting a decrease in endothelial cell activation without variation in ERK phosphorylation. PNU + NaHS increased mean arterial pressure when compared with NaHS or PNU alone, suggesting a dual effect of NaHS on vascular reactivity.

Conclusion

NaHS when given before reperfusion protects against the effects of haemorrhage-induced I/R by acting primarily through a decrease in both proinflammatory cytokines and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and an upregulation of the Akt/endothelial nitric oxide synthase pathway.

Keywords: hydrogen sulphide, inflammation mediators, therapeutic use, shock, hemorrhagic/drug therapy, haemodynamics/drug effects
Being in the Plot: Action, Intuition, and Trolleys
Authors: Rosenthal Jesse
Published: July 2013

Action is traditionally the point at which formal and ethical readings of fiction intersect. To act is to be “heroic,” at once in the formal sense of being a main character and in the ethical sense of being a hero. This essay argues, though, that this formal-ethical emphasis on action actually comes into conflict with another ethical tradition that runs throughout traditional fiction: the idea of anonymous tacit agreement, or sensus communis. In order to sketch out how this ethical tradition operates in storytelling, the essay turns to an analysis of a usually overlooked genre of narrative: the ethical example, and particularly the so-called trolleyology of Philippa Foot, Judith Jarvis Thomson, and Bernard Williams. Reading the examples from these thinkers against the tradition of English intuitionism, I ultimately argue that a certain sort of individual inaction—a letting things happen—is itself not only an ethical position but also a formal principle in realist fiction.
The Sea Is Not a Place; Or, Putting the World Back into World Literature
Authors: Thorne Christian
Published: July 2013

This essay poses the question, Is it possible to write a novel about the entire world? Is it possible to tell stories whose narrators travel from continent to continent? If yes, why are there so few of them? The essay proceeds in three acts: First, it assesses the accounts of world literature given by Pascale Casanova and Franco Moretti, explaining their achievement while also identifying where each finally subtracts the world from world literature. Second, it begins to consider the formal limitations of the novel as genre, and in particular how the late eighteenth-century epistolary novel begins to malfunction when it expands its scope beyond the nation—when, that is, characters start exchanging letters across very long distances. Third, the essay concludes not with an answer but with a recommendation: that we should go back and read widely in the early history of the novel in order to ask which features of the realist novel we could imagine repurposing to planetary ends. Is it really all that hard to conceive, say, of a multiplot Mansfield Park—an Austen novel reunited with its twelve mislaid Caribbean chapters? What are the various ways in which regional and national novels cauterize their edges? How does any given novel constitute its geographical borders? How does it set territorial limits to what it is willing to narrate, or how does it mark out a beyond into which it will not follow even major characters? Do maritime novels have distinctive narrative strategies for expanding the realist novel’s scope? Do immigrant novels? And could the realist novel still learn from the genres against which it typically defines itself? Can it learn from science fiction novels, which, after all, have an easier time than most talking about planets?
Network Analysis and the Sociology of Modernism
Authors: So Richard Jean , Long Hoyt
Published: July 2013

Literary historians have long been interested in sociological approaches to literature. The field of modernism, a major aesthetic movement that flourished between 1915-40 primarily in the United States, England, and Europe, but the rest of the world as well, has been seen as a particularly compelling site to explore the sociological underpinnings of art. It is in this movement that many of our ideas of the “autonomy of art” and the “genius” of the artist emerged, and scholars such as Lawrence Rainey have produced excellent, archive-driven accounts of the institutions, patronage systems, and personal networks that conditioned and produced this field of production.

In this essay, we exploit new methods of aggregating vast amounts of bibliographic data and new network visualization tools to “scale up” this sociological approach to modernism. While scholars such as Rainey have been limited by the contours of specific institutional or writer archives, and the self-reported accounts of the field by the writers themselves, our approach transforms large empirical bibliographic data, regarding which poets published where and when, into network visualizations that provide a panoptic view of the modernist field as a whole. We then use these visualizations to develop a body of new conceptual categories, such as “brokerage” and “closure,” to analyze the structural relations between poets and how their interactions help to constitute the field of modernist poetry as a whole.
Toward a Literary Communism: The 1926 Baku Turcological Congress
Authors: Ertürk Nergis
Published: July 2013

This essay traces the legacy of the 1926 Baku Turcological Congress for postcolonial studies and comparative literary criticism. An assembly of 131 delegates, including such prominent figures as the Crimean Tatar Turcologist Bekir Sıdkı Çobanzade, the Kazak revolutionary, linguist, and reformer Ahmed Baytursun, the German Turcologist Theodor Menzel, and Vasilii Bartol’d, a member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, the congress was convened in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the discussion of writing systems and orthographic and lexical questions, as well as the classificatory question of the kinship of Turkic languages. It is perhaps best remembered for the resolution to adopt the Latin alphabet, defended ardently by the congress’s Azerbaijani organizer and president, Samedağa Ağamalıoğlu, who followed Lenin in his belief that Latinization promised “revolution in the East.” A reading of the addresses delivered by Ağamalıoğlu suggests that the Turcological Congress has left us a unique archive of the contradictions inherent in Leninist communist philology and the anticolonial language politics of the early twentieth century.
Oceanic navigation in Cory's shearwaters: evidence for a crucial role of olfactory cues for homing after displacement
Authors: Gagliardo Anna , Bried Joël , Lambardi Paolo , Luschi Paolo , Wikelski Martin , Bonadonna Francesco
Published: July 2013

Pelagic birds, which wander in the open sea most of the year and often nest on small remote oceanic islands, are able to pinpoint their breeding colony even within an apparently featureless environment, such as the open ocean. The mechanisms underlying their surprising navigational performance are still unknown. In order to investigate the nature of the cues exploited for oceanic navigation, Cory's shearwaters, Calonectris borealis, nesting in the Azores were displaced and released in open ocean at about 800 km from their colony, after being subjected to sensory manipulation. While magnetically disturbed shearwaters showed unaltered navigational performance and behaved similarly to unmanipulated control birds, the shearwaters deprived of their sense of smell were dramatically impaired in orientation and homing. Our data show that seabirds use olfactory cues not only to find their food but also to navigate over vast distances in the ocean.
Boy's changing voice: Implications and consequences for singing and choral music at schools
Authors: Freer Patrick K. , Llor Alfonso Jesús Elorriaga
Published: July 2013

The aim of this paper is twofold. On the one hand, it aims to present an overview about the research, theory and philosophy in relation to the boy's changing voice, with focus on physiological, psychological and instructional aspects. On the other hand, we intend to examine how all this scholarship has enriched the practice of choral singing in the United States and, in parallel, the potential application of this knowledge in Spain. This paper considers the past practice and research in the field of Secondary Education in Spain. The article concludes with discussion of the implications for choral practice and future research.
Students’ motivation to study music: The Mexican context
Authors: González-Moreno Patricia A.
Published: July 2013

This article reports the Mexican component of an international mapping exercise that examined students’ motivation to study music as compared to other school subjects, taking into consideration the particular context of each country. Based on an expectancy-value theoretical framework, questionnaires were used to examine students’ competence beliefs, values, and perceptions of task difficulty. A sample of 3613 students (grades 4-12) was drawn from three different school systems: state, federal and private. Mixed-design ANOVAs were used to examine students’ cumulative mean ratings of the motivational constructs, in order to determine differences across school levels and systems. Results of the study suggest students held low perceptions of the value of school music and low expectations for success in learning music across the three surveyed school systems and levels of schooling. However, students who were learning music showed more positive motivation not only in music but in all the other school subjects.
One-to-One Encounters: Facilitators, Participants, and Friendship
Authors: Higgins Lee
Published: July 2013

In this article, I explore the claim that one-to-one encounters between community music facilitators and music participants can be described as friendships. By exploring the relational structure through the call and the welcome, I make some general comments on friendship before finally tackling the question lying at the heart of this article: How might we understand the notion of being a friend within an educative relationship?
Solubility phenomena in science and education: Experiments, thermodynamic analyses, and theoretical aspects
Authors: Gamsjäger Heinz
Published: July 2013

Solubility equilibria between solid salts, salt hydrates, and water play an important role in fundamental and applied branches of chemistry. The continuous interest in this field has been reflected by the 15th International Symposium on Solubility Phenomena as well as by the ongoing IUPAC-NIST Solubility Data Series (SDS), which by now comprises close to 100 volumes. Three typical examples concerning solubility phenomena of ionic solids in aqueous solutions are discussed: (1) sparingly soluble, simple molybdates; (2) sparingly soluble ionic solids with basic anions; and (3) hydrolysis of inert hexa-aqua-M(III) ions, where M is Ir, Rh, or Cr. In the first two cases, essential experimental details are discussed, an outline of thermodynamic analyses is given, and theoretical aspects are emphasized. In the third case, an educational suggestion is made.
Dokumentation im Online-Katalog – der Beitrag der Erschließung zur
Restaurierung, Digitalisierung und Identifizierung
Authors: Mangei Johannes
Published: July 2013

Metadaten zu Sammlungsgegenständen sind im Bibliotheksbetrieb ebenso
notwendig wie selbstverständlich. Dass die Erschließung im Verbundkatalog
aber auch wichtige Beiträge zu Projekten der Restaurierung, der
Digitalisierung und Identifizierung von historischen Drucken leisten kann,
wird gelegentlich übersehen. Dabei eignen sich Katalogdaten – außer für
Recherche und Verbuchung – auch dazu, spezifischere Angaben zu den vom Brand
betroffenen Beständen zu dokumentieren. Dafür stehen längst etablierte
Strukturen zur Verfügung. Der Beitrag spricht sich für die
regelwerksbasierte, standardisierte Verzeichnung solcher Sachverhalte
innerhalb bestehender Datenbanken aus.
Assessment of plasma aminothiol levels and the association with recurrent atherothrombotic events in patients hospitalized for an acute coronary syndrome: a prospective study
Authors: Focks Jeroen Jaspers , van Schaik Annie , Clappers Nick , van Dijk Eveline G.J.A. , van Oijen Martijn G.H. , Verheugt Freek W.A. , Peters Wilbert H.M.
Published: July 2013

Background: The aminothiols homocysteine and, to a lesser extent, cysteine have been associated with adverse cardiovascular outcome, whereas glutathione, as an antioxidant, may protect against atherosclerosis and thrombosis. Potentially, the combined assessment of these aminothiols may provide a more accurate association with future cardiovascular outcome. We evaluated the association between recurrent atherothrombotic events and the concentration of total plasma cysteine, homocysteine, and glutathione and their combination.

Methods: Respective aminothiols were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography in blood plasma of consecutive first-day survivors admitted for an acute coronary syndrome between April 2002 and January 2004. The combined score was calculated using the combination of the individual aminothiols. The end point was the composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and/or stroke.

Results: A cohort of 375 consecutive patients (median age 66 years, 66% male) were followed for a median duration of 2.7 years. The end point occurred in 82 patients (22%). In univariate analyses, all aminothiols were significantly associated with the composite end point. After correction for possible confounders, only cysteine and glutathione remained significantly associated. The strongest association with the end point was observed for the combined score (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.40 per standard deviation increase; p=0.005).

Conclusions: Although homocysteine is generally considered the aminothiol of interest with respect to cardiovascular disease, in our prospective study, only cysteine and glutathione appeared independently associated with recurrent atherothrombotic events. Moreover, we showed that an imbalance in the combination of aminothiols could be of more importance than investigating the individual metabolites.
Counting, mixing and equidistribution of horospheres in geometrically finite rank one locally symmetric manifolds
Authors: Kim Inkang
Published: July 2013

In this paper we study the equidistribution of expanding
horospheres in infinite volume geometrically finite rank one locally
symmetric manifolds and apply it to the orbital counting problem in an
Apollonian sphere packing.
Child sexual abuse and the pathophysiology of suicide in adolescents and adults
Authors: O’Brien Betsy S. , Sher Leo
Published: July 2013

Background: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is widespread and is associated with various psychopathologies, including Axis I and II disorders, maladaptive and impulsive behaviors, and suicidal behavior in adolescence and adults. The pathophysiology of this association is not well understood; however, it is clear that suicidal behavior in individuals with a history of CSA is a significant social and medical problem that warrants further investigation.

Methods: An electronic search of the major behavioral science databases (limited to the most recent studies in the last 20 years) was conducted to retrieve studies detailing the social, epidemiological, and clinical characteristics of child sexual trauma and their relation to suicidal behavior in adolescents and adults.

Results: Studies indicate that CSA is related to an increase in Axis I and II diagnoses, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, conduct disorders, eating disorders, alcohol and drug abuse, panic disorders, and borderline personality disorder. CSA not just related to an increase in impulsivity and risky behaviors, it has also been linked to an increase in suicidality as well.

Conclusion: CSA makes both direct and indirect contributions to suicidal behavior. It is a complex process involving multiple variables, which include psychopathology, maladaptive personality features and the direct contribution of CSA itself. Psychopathologies, such as impulsivity and mood and personality disorders, may modulate the relationship between CSA and suicidal behavior. Some preventive measures for decreasing the prevalence of CSA and suicidality may include education as well as increased access to mental health services.
A comparison between a Tai Chi program and a usual medical care program in chronic cardiovascular disease participants in quality of life, psychological health, resilience, blood pressure and body mass index
Authors: Sun Jing , Buys Nicholas
Published: July 2013

Background: There is increasing evidence that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is linked to a number of psychosocial risk factors and biophysiological risk factors such as metabolic syndrome. The development of effective therapeutic interventions for CVD patients, such as Tai Chi practice, to modify high-risk lifestyles and behaviours and reduce psychosocial and biophysiological risk factors, is a promising primary healthcare approach. This study compared Tai Chi programme CVD participants with CVD patients who did not participate in the Tai Chi programme as the control group in health-related quality of life (HRQoL), including physical health, role-physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, and mental health. In addition, psychological distress and resilience, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure were measured.

Methods: In 2012, a case-control study was conducted to compare a group of CVD patients participating in a community based meditation intervention programme with CVD patients who did not participate in the programme. Measures included the Short-Form 12 Health Survey (SF-12), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ30), Resilience Scale, BMI, and blood pressure. Univariate analysis of variance was used to compare the difference between participants with cardiac chronic diseases who had taken part in 2 years regular Tai Chi and cardiac patients who did not participate in the Tai Chi programme.

Results: Outcomes differed in significance and magnitude across four HRQoL measures, psychological distress, and resilience. The Tai Chi group also showed fewer incidences of being overweight or suffering from obesity and psychological distress.

Conclusions: Regular and more than 2 years meditation exercises had a beneficial effect on HRQoL, reducing psychological distress, promoting resilience, managing and taking an active role in managing health condition, and reducing BMI and blood pressure level in CVD patients.
Crowdsourced Science: Die Mobilisierung der Massen als neue Perspektive für die Wissenschaft / Crowdsourced Science: The mobilization of the crowd as new perspective for science / “Crowdsourced” Science: La mobilisation des masses dans une perspective nouvelle pour la science
Authors: Franz Gregor
Published: July 2013

Wissenschaftler führen mit Hilfe der Menschenmenge im Internet („Crowd“) Projekte durch, die ihnen Jahre harter Arbeit ersparen oder sonst sogar überhaupt nicht vorstellbar wären. In der neuen Crowdsourced Science beteiligen sich hunderttausende normaler Bürger in aller Welt an wichtigen Forschungsvorhaben. Der Artikel geht kurz auf die beiden verwandten Konzepte Crowdsourcing sowie Citizen Science ein und gibt anschließend einen Überblick zur Crowdsourced Science. Sein Zentrum bildet die Entwicklung einer Definition und Klassifikation. Passende Beispiele sowie ausgewählte Ergebnisse einer Projektanalyse illustrieren die praktische Anwendung der Crowdsourced Science.
Individual and combined effects of modified starch, bentonite and their composite powder with HPMC on the performance of cement mortars
Authors: Yuan Ke , Liao Libing , Wang Yunhua , Zhang Zepeng , Chen Daimei , Wang Chunwei
Published: July 2013

A series of acetate starch was synthesized and mixed with bentonite to prepare acetate starch/bentonite composite as a novel additive in order to improve the thixotropic property of cement mortar. The thixotropic index and water retention value of the fresh cement mortar containing acetate starch, bentonite, and acetate starch/bentonite composite, respectively, were measured with and without hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose ether (HPMC). Acetate starch with the degree of substitution (DS) of about 0.5 provided the largest increase in the thixotropic index of the cement mortar. Application of HPMC gave high water retention ability and viscosity to the mortar, but the thixotropic property was not improved. Adding acetate starch or starch/bentonite composite to the mortar can increase its thixotropic index, whereas no significant improvements on the water retention ability and viscosity of mortars were observed. By the combined use of acetate starch/bentonite composite with HPMC, the water retention value (WRV) of the mortar was as high as 98%, and its thixotropic index increased from 4.06 to 5.30, with a high value of viscosity.
A MATLAB Toolbox for Large-Scale Networked Systems
Authors: Deroo Frederik , Hirche Sandra
Published: July 2013

In this article we present a MATLAB® toolbox to analyze networked systems from both a dynamical and a graph theoretical point of view in a user-friendly GUI tool. It is designed to allow easy creation, editing and simulation of models of networked dynamical systems, a large system class of practical interest. The main features of the software are described and several application examples are given.
Plug-and-Play Control — Definition and Realisation in MATLAB
Authors: Bodenburg Sven , Lunze Jan
Published: July 2013

Technological plants are live systems which are subject to persistent changes. For instance, instrumentations fail or are added, operation modes are changed or communication network topologies are modified. This paper presents a concept to adjust control algorithms to new configurations of the closed loop. The introduced Plug-and-Play Control utilises a communication network to exchange control algorithms between physically separated components. This paper elucidates the concept and describes a realisation of the algorithm exchange by remote procedure calls and model construction functions provided by MATLAB. Experiments on a fluid process illustrate the performance of Plug-and-Play Control and point out the necessary application requirements.
Ionizing radiation enhances dl922–947-mediated cell death of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cells
Authors: Passaro Carmela , Abagnale Antonella , Libertini Silvana , Volpe Massimiliano , Botta Ginevra , Cella Laura , Pacelli Roberto , Halldèn Gunnel , Gillespie David , Portella Giuseppe
Published: July 2013

dl922–947 is an oncolytic adenovirus potentially suitable for the treatment of aggressive localized tumors, such as anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC). In this study, we have analyzed the effects of dl922–947 in combination with ionizing radiations, testing different schedules of administration and observing synergistic effects only when ATC cells were irradiated 24 h prior to viral infection. Cells undergoing combined treatment exhibited a marked increase in cell death and viral replication, suggesting that irradiation blocks cells in a more permissive state for viral life cycle. We also show that dl922–947 triggers a DNA damage response, characterized by mobilization of the MRN complex (composed by Mre11-Rad50-Nbs1), accumulation of γH2AX, and activation of the checkpoint kinases ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and Chk1. Based on these observations, we speculate that the DNA damage response acts as a cellular protective mechanism to hinder viral infection and replication. To confirm this hypothesis, we demonstrate that the ATM inhibitor KU55933 increased the oncolytic activity of dl922–947 and its replication. Finally, we validate the potential therapeutic use of this approach by showing in vivo that the combined treatment slows tumor xenograft growth more potently than either irradiation or infection alone.
Breakage and ultimate states for a carbonate sand
Authors: MIAO G. , AIREY D.
Published: July 2013

This paper presents data from ring-shear and one-dimensional compression tests, which have been used to cause breakage under large shear strains and large compressive stresses respectively. A comparison of the behaviour of carbonate sand in monotonic shear and compression is reported, focusing on void collapse, grading properties and particle shape evolution. Trends in breakage behaviour under compression and under shear were similar; however, ultimate steady-state properties differed significantly. The higher effect of shear breakage was evident, in that the steady-state gradings for sheared material had higher fractal dimensions, indicating that the gradings were finer, and morphological changes in particle shape were more significant. Steady-state gradings tended to be multi-fractal in nature rather than mono-fractal, and showed that a unique monotonic steady-state grading does not exist. Two types of ring-shear device were compared, and the differences between the results highlighted a dependence of steady-state properties on test apparatus configuration.
Enhancing species distribution modeling by characterizing predator–prey interactions
Authors: Trainor Anne M. , Schmitz Oswald J. , Ivan Jacob S. , Shenk Tanya M.
Published: July 2013

Niche theory is a well‐established concept integrating a diverse array of environmental variables and multispecies interactions used to describe species geographic distribution. It is now customary to employ species distribution models (SDMs) that use environmental variables in conjunction with species location information to characterize species' niches and map their geographic ranges. The challenge remains, however, to account for the biotic interactions of species with other community members on which they depend. We show here how to connect species spatial distribution and their dependence with other species by modeling spatially explicit predator–prey interactions, which we call a trophic interaction distribution model (TIDM). To develop the principles, we capitalized on data from Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) reintroduced into Colorado. Spatial location information for lynx obtained from telemetry was used in conjunction with environmental data to construct an SDM. The spatial locations of lynx–snowshoe hare encounters obtained from snow‐tracking in conjunction with environmental data were used to construct a TIDM. The environmental conditions associated with lynx locations and lynx–hare encounters identified through both SDM and TIDM revealed an initial transient phase in habitat use that settled into a steady state. Nevertheless, despite the potential for the SDM to broadly encompass all lynx hunting and nonhunting spatial locations, the spatial extents of the SDM and TIDM differed; about 40% of important lynx–snowshoe hare locations identified in the TIDM were not identified in the lynx‐only SDM. Our results encourage greater effort to quantify spatial locations of trophic interactions among species in a community and the associated environmental conditions when attempting to construct models aimed at projecting current and future species geographic distributions.
Differing Daphnia magna assimilation efficiencies for terrestrial, bacterial, and algal carbon and fatty acids
Authors: Taipale Sami J. , Brett Michael T. , Hahn Martin W. , Martin-Creuzburg Dominik , Yeung Sean , Hiltunen Minna , Strandberg Ursula , Kankaala Paula
Published: July 2013

There is considerable interest in the pathways by which carbon and growth‐limiting elemental and biochemical nutrients are supplied to upper trophic levels. Fatty acids and sterols are among the most important molecules transferred across the plant–animal interface of food webs. In lake ecosystems, in addition to phytoplankton, bacteria and terrestrial organic matter are potential trophic resources for zooplankton, especially in those receiving high terrestrial organic matter inputs. We therefore tested carbon, nitrogen, and fatty acid assimilation by the crustacean Daphnia magna when consuming these resources. We fed Daphnia with monospecific diets of high‐quality (Cryptomonas marssonii) and intermediate‐quality (Chlamydomonas sp. and Scenedesmus gracilis) phytoplankton species, two heterotrophic bacterial strains, and particles from the globally dispersed riparian grass, Phragmites australis, representing terrestrial particulate organic carbon (t‐POC). We also fed Daphnia with various mixed diets, and compared Daphnia fatty acid, carbon, and nitrogen assimilation across treatments. Our results suggest that bacteria were nutritionally inadequate diets because they lacked sterols and polyunsaturated omega‐3 and omega‐6 (ω‐3 and ω‐6) fatty acids (PUFAs). However, Daphnia were able to effectively use carbon and nitrogen from Actinobacteria, if their basal needs for essential fatty acids and sterols were met by phytoplankton. In contrast to bacteria, t‐POC contained sterols and ω‐6 and ω‐3 fatty acids, but only at 22%, 1.4%, and 0.2% of phytoplankton levels, respectively, which indicated that t‐POC food quality was especially restricted with regard to ω‐3 PUFAs. Our results also showed higher assimilation of carbon than fatty acids from t‐POC and bacteria into Daphnia, based on stable‐isotope and fatty acids analysis, respectively. A relatively high (>20%) assimilation of carbon and fatty acids from t‐POC was observed only when the proportion of t‐POC was >60%, but due to low PUFA to carbon ratio, these conditions yielded poor Daphnia growth. Because of lower assimilation for carbon, nitrogen, and fatty acids from t‐POC relative to diets of bacteria mixed with phytoplankton, we conclude that the microbial food web, supported by phytoplankton, and not direct t‐POC consumption, may support zooplankton production. Our results suggest that terrestrial particulate organic carbon poorly supports upper trophic levels of the lakes.
Evaluating Dual Performance Measures on Information Dashboards: Effects of Anchoring and Presentation Format
Authors: van der Heijden Hans
Published: July 2013

This study examines aspects of dual performance measures in the context of organizations disclosing operational performance to the general public through information dashboards. Dual performance measures are measures where performance is a function of two values, one value denoting the percentage of a group to which the measure refers and one value denoting the performance level achieved by that particular percentage. Dual measures must be anchored to either target percentage or target performance level before a decision on over- or under-performance can be made. A 2 × 2 experiment (n = 222), involving performance assessment of a fictional emergency room, varies anchor and presentation format, and measures the effects on subjective performance of the emergency room, as well as perceived informativeness and attractiveness of the dashboard. The results indicate, first, that choice of anchor matters, in the sense that anchor choice can mask or accentuate relevant information, thereby influencing subjective performance. Second, a pictorial unit chart combined with a performance-level anchor is perceived to be the most informative and most attractive dashboard display. The study contributes to research on the design of information dashboards by developing theory on the effectiveness of reporting dual performance measures.