bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evidence for the role of Mycobacterium tuberculosis RecG helicase in DNA repair and recombination
Authors: Thakur Roshan S. , Basavaraju Shivakumar , Somyajit Kumar , Jain Akshatha , Subramanya Shreelakshmi , Muniyappa Kalappa , Nagaraju Ganesh
Published: February 2013

In order to survive and replicate in a variety of stressful conditions during its life cycle, Mycobacterium tuberculosis must possess mechanisms to safeguard the integrity of the genome. Although DNA repair and recombination related genes are thought to play key roles in the repair of damaged DNA in all organisms, so far only a few of them have been functionally characterized in the tubercle bacillus. In this study, we show that M. tuberculosis RecG (MtRecG) expression was induced in response to different genotoxic agents. Strikingly, expression of MtRecG in Escherichia coli ∆recG mutant strain provided protection against mitomycin C, methyl methane sulfonate and UV induced cell death. Purified MtRecG exhibited higher binding affinity for the Holliday junction (HJ) compared with a number of canonical recombinational DNA repair intermediates. Notably, although MtRecG binds at the core of the mobile and immobile HJs, and with higher binding affinity for the immobile HJ, branch migration was evident only in the case of the mobile HJ. Furthermore, immobile HJs stimulate MtRecG ATPase activity less efficiently than mobile HJs. In addition to HJ substrates, MtRecG exhibited binding affinity for a variety of branched DNA structures including three‐way junctions, replication forks, flap structures, forked duplex and a D‐loop structure, but demonstrated strong unwinding activity on replication fork and flap DNA structures. Together, these results support that MtRecG plays an important role in processes related to DNA metabolism under normal as well as stress conditions.
Experimental doxycycline overdose in rats causes cardiomyopathy
Authors: El‐Neweshy Mahmoud Shaban
Published: February 2013

All reports of doxycycline‐induced cardiomyopathy to date have been limited to accidental oral poisoning in calves. Therefore, the current study investigated the cardiomyotoxic effect of experimental doxycycline overdose in rats as a toxicity model which could be monitored using histopathological and biochemical assays. A total of 38‐week‐old male Wistar rats were divided into three groups consisting of 10 each. The first group was an untreated control group (D0), and the second group (D5) received doxycycline hyclate 25 mg/kg intragastrically twice daily (8 AM and 8 PM), which is 5‐fold higher than the standard dose. The third group (D10) received 50 mg/kg intragastrically twice daily (8 AM and 8 PM), which is 10‐fold higher than the standard dose. The dose continued for 10 consecutive days and revealed that the doxycycline toxicity was dose dependent. Mortality was recorded in the D10 group only (30%). The D5 rats exhibited minimal skeletal muscle injury and slight but significant increases in the skeletal muscle damage indicators creatine kinase (CK) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) compared to controls. The cardiac muscle of the D5 rats was histologically normal, and the D5 rats also exhibited normal levels of troponin I (cTnI), an indicator of cardiac muscle damage. In contrast, the D10 rats displayed cardiomyopathy, as well as significant increases in the muscle enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT), AST and CK and the cardiac damage indicator cTnI compared to control and D5 groups. Pulmonary lesions were observed in the D10 rats, primarily cardiac lesion‐related alveolar heart failure cells. Thus the present study is the first to demonstrate that oral doxycycline poisoning (10 times the therapeutic dose)‐induced cardiomyopathy is not limited to calves and could occur without any predisposing factors.
How Do I Know Who You Think You Are? A Review of Research Methods on Organizational Identity
Authors: Ravasi Davide , Canato Anna
Published: February 2013

The notion of organizational identity was introduced in management studies in 1985. In the following 25 years, a vibrant debate about how to conceptualize organizational identities and related themes (multiple identities, identity change, interrelations between identity, image and culture) does not seem to have corresponded to explicit reflections about specific methodological issues. In this paper, the authors inductively review research methods adopted by studies of organizational identity published in top‐level journals, with the purpose of deriving insights about the current status of research practices, uncovering their often tacit ontological and epistemological assumptions, and stimulating discussion about their possible evolution.
Risk indicators associated with dental erosion among Jordanian school children aged 12–14 years of age
Authors: Hamasha Abed Al‐Hadi , Zawaideh Feda I. , Al‐Hadithy Roua Thamer
Published: February 2013

Aim

To identify potential risk indicators of dental erosion (DE) among 12‐ to 14‐year‐old Jordanian school children.

Design

A random cross‐sectional sample was selected from Amman, Irbid, and Al‐Karak governorates. A weighted multistage random sampling system was used to yield 3812, 12‐ to 14‐year‐old school children from 81 schools. The study utilized a self‐reported questionnaire of factors reported in the literature and thought to be associated with DE. Full mouth recording using the tooth wear index modified by Millward et al. (1994) was performed by a single calibrated examiner.

Results

Logistic regression analysis defined the risk indicators that were simultaneously associated with DE with geographical location, medical condition including frequent mouth dryness, and having frequent bouts of vomiting or using a cortisol inhaler, dietary habits including consumption of carbonated beverages, lemon, sour candies, and sports drinks, keeping soft drinks in the mouth for a long time, brushing teeth following soft beverages or drinking lemon juice at bed time.

Conclusions

Dental erosion is a multifactorial condition in which mouth dryness, vomiting, cortisol inhaler use, keeping soft drinks in the mouth, drinking beverages at bed time, consumption of lemon, sour candies, and having confectionary as snacks are risk indicators, and area of residence are all potential factors.
SCIENTIFIC AND RELIGIOUS APPROACHES TO MORALITY: AN ALTERNATIVE TO MUTUAL ANATHEMAS
Authors: Pope Stephen J.
Published: February 2013

AbstractMany people today believe that scientific and religious approaches to morality are mutually incompatible. Militant secularists claim scientific backing for their claim that the evolution of morality discredits religious conceptions of ethics. Some of their opponents respond with unhelpful apologetics based on fundamentalist views of revelation. This article attempts to provide an alternative option. It argues that public discussion has been excessively influenced by polemics generated by the new atheists. Religious writers have too often resorted to overly simplistic arguments rooted in literalist approaches to the Bible and the religious traditions. More historically conscious methods can avoid implausible claims about both religion and science.
A WORLD OF CONTINGENCIES
Authors: Ulanowicz Robert E.
Published: February 2013

Abstract Physicalism holds that the laws of physics are inviolable and ubiquitous and thereby account for all of reality. Laws leave no “wiggle room” or “gaps” for action by numinous agents. They cannot be invoked, however, without boundary stipulations that perforce are contingent and which “drive” the laws. Driving contingencies are not limited to instances of “blind chance,” but rather span a continuum of amalgamations with regularities, up to and including nearly determinate propensities. Most examples manifest directionality, and their very definition encompasses intentionality. Contingencies, via their interactions with laws, can reinforce and maintain one another, thereby giving rise to enduring, ordered configurations of constraints. All of ordered nature thus results from ongoing transactions between mutualistic contingencies that constrain possibilities and entropic chance events that degrade order but diversify opportunities. Laws do not of themselves determine reality; interactions among contingencies do. For believers, the robust abundance of indeterminacies provides ample latitude for divine intervention, free will, and prayer. The priority of contingency also affords some insight into the meaning of suffering and evil.
Statewide Survey of Hormones and Antibiotics in Surface Waters of Delaware
Authors: Vaicunas Rachael , Inamdar Shreeram , Dutta Sudarshan , Aga Diana S. , Zimmerman Lisa , Tom Sims J.
Published: February 2013

Water‐quality surveys have confirmed the presence of hormones and antibiotics in surface waters of the United States, which may be of concern to aquatic life. We investigated the concentrations of hormones and antibiotics in surface waters of the state of Delaware to determine – how they compared against environmental thresholds, how they varied across the state, and if they were correlated with land use type. Fifty surface water locations were sampled during early spring and late summer. Water samples were initially screened with ELISA followed by analysis with LC/MS/MS. The measured ranges of hormone concentrations were: 0‐3.71 ng/l for estrone, 0‐4.65 ng/l for estrone‐3‐sulfate, and 0‐6.27 ng/l for 17β‐estradiol. The measured ranges of antibiotics were: 0‐3.30 ng/l for sulfamerazine, 0‐10.74 ng/l for sulfamethoxazole, and 0‐2.29 ng/l for tetracycline. The predicted no‐effect concentration (PNEC) for estrone was exceeded for three samples and the PNEC for 17β‐estradiol was exceeded for 11 samples. In general, concentrations and detection frequencies were lower in the summer than the spring. The highest concentrations of hormones and antibiotics were spatially distributed in agricultural and urban areas; however, the correlations between land use type and the concentrations were weak. This study was the first statewide survey of hormones and antibiotics for Delaware and provided important baseline data on these emerging contaminants.
Development and Application of an Agricultural Intensity Index to Invertebrate and Algal Metrics from Streams at Two Scales
Authors: Waite Ian R.
Published: February 2013

Research was conducted at 28‐30 sites within eight study areas across the United States along a gradient of nutrient enrichment/agricultural land use between 2003 and 2007. Objectives were to test the application of an agricultural intensity index (AG‐Index) and compare among various invertebrate and algal metrics to determine indicators of nutrient enrichment nationally and within three regions. The agricultural index was based on total nitrogen and phosphorus input to the watershed, percent watershed agriculture, and percent riparian agriculture. Among data sources, agriculture within riparian zone showed significant differences among values generated from remote sensing or from higher resolution orthophotography; median values dropped significantly when estimated by orthophotography. Percent agriculture in the watershed consistently had lower correlations to invertebrate and algal metrics than the developed AG‐Index across all regions. Percent agriculture showed fewer pairwise comparisons that were significant than the same comparisons using the AG‐Index. Highest correlations to the AG‐Index regionally were −0.75 for Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera richness (EPTR) and −0.70 for algae Observed/Expected (O/E), nationally the highest was −0.43 for EPTR vs. total nitrogen and −0.62 for algae O/E vs. AG‐Index. Results suggest that analysis of metrics at national scale can often detect large differences in disturbance, but more detail and specificity is obtained by analyzing data at regional scales.
Assessment OF SURFACE WATER QUALITY at Large Watershed Scale: Land‐Use, Anthropogenic, and Administrative Impacts
Authors: Sun Ranhao , Z. Wang Zhaoming , Chen Liding , W. Wang Wei
Published: February 2013

Understanding the impacts that influence water quality is critical to the development of best management practices at the large watershed scale. This study describes the spatiotemporal variation in surface water quality and identifies their main impact in the Haihe River basin, China. Multivariate statistical techniques are applied to analyze the similarities among the sampling sites and to identify the main pollution sources in surface water. Results show that: (1) the basin can be clustered into two regions, water quality being better in the mountainous vs. plain regions; (2) water quality improves due to implementation of a strict state policy on environmental pollution control, prodded by the hosting of the Olympic games in the cities of Beijing and Tianjin; and (3) agricultural and residential land uses as well as livestock‐breeding are the main sources affecting water quality in the mountainous regions, whereas rural waste discharge — including domestic waste sewage, human and animal feces, and solid waste — significantly influences water quality in the plain regions. The waste discharge of industrial factories may be a significant source of water pollution in the plain regions. Results indicate that the environmental management from pollution sinks and sources, long‐lasting legal framework, and adequate economic incentives should be improved to optimize the large‐scale watershed management under the background of the rapid development of countries like China.
The association between periodontitis and dyslipidemia based on the fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Authors: Lee Jun‐Beom , Yi Hee‐Yong , Bae Kwang‐Hak
Published: February 2013

Aims

The aim of this study was to examine whether dyslipidemia is associated with periodontitis in a representative sample of Korean adults who were involved in the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES).

Materials and Methods

A total of 18,210 subjects over 19 years of age who participated in KNHANES were examined. Dyslipidemia is defined according to the definition proposed by the Korean Society of Lipidology and Atherosclerosis. The periodontal status of the patients was assessed by the Community Periodontal Index (CPI). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out and adjusted for socio‐demographics, oral health behaviours and status and general health behaviour. All analyses considered a complex sampling design, and multivariate analysis was also performed in the subgroups (age, gender and current smoking status).

Results

Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed significant associations between dyslipidemia except pre‐hypercholesterolemia and periodontitis. In the subgroup analysis, periodontitis was significantly associated with hypo‐HDL‐cholesterolemia and had a potential association with hyper‐ triglycerides (TG) in subjects younger than 40 years. The adjusted ORs were greater in the present smoker group than the non‐smoker group.

Conclusions

Dyslipidemia except pre‐hypercholesterolemia is associated with periodontitis.
Diet and nutrition in psoriasis: analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States
Authors: Johnson J.A. , Ma C. , Kanada K.N. , Armstrong A.W.
Published: February 2013

Background

There is limited research examining the association between psoriasis, dietary intake and nutritional status in the general U.S. population.

Objective

This study aimed to compare levels of vitamins and carotenoids as well as intake of protein, fats, sugar, carbohydrates and total calories between individuals with and without psoriasis.

Methods

We used data from the 2003–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the U.S. Demographic information, physical examination, serum laboratory values and questionnaires on past medical history and dietary intake were used to determine the relationship between psoriasis and nutritional status and diet.

Results

The cohort consisted of 6260 participants who provided responses to their psoriasis status. Prior psoriasis diagnosis was reported in 156 (2.49%) of the respondents. Based on multivariate regression analysis, psoriasis was significantly associated with increased vitamin A level (OR: 1.01; CI: 1.00–1.02; P = 0.03), increased α‐carotene level (OR: 1.02; CI: 1.01–1.04; P = 0.01), lower sugar intake (OR: 0.998; CI: 0.996–1; P = 0.04), increased body mass index (OR: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.02–1.07; P = 0.0003) and arthritis (OR: 2.31; CI: 1.37–3.90; P = 0.002). Non‐Hispanic black (OR: 0.56; CI: 0.34–0.96; P = 0.03) and Hispanic race (OR: 0.37; CI: 0.19–0.75; P = 0.005) were inversely associated with a diagnosis of psoriasis compared with non‐Hispanic white race.

Conclusion

Psoriasis is significantly associated with elevated serum levels of vitamin A and α‐carotene and reduced intake of sugar. Longitudinal monitoring of nutritional status in psoriasis patients is necessary to determine the effect of nutrition on psoriasis progression and the modifying role of treatments.
Quantitative genetics of costly neonatal sexual size dimorphism in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis)
Authors: Blomquist G. E. , Williams L. E.
Published: February 2013

Offspring size is often an intimate link between the fitness of parents and offspring. Among mammals, neonate mass is also related to adult levels of dimorphism and intrasexual competitive mating. We describe the sex‐specific genetic architecture of neonate mass in captive squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis), a small Neotropical primate. Best fitting quantitative genetic models show strong maternal genetic effects with little difference between sexes offering limited opportunity for neonatal dimorphism to respond to observed or hypothetical selection. Heritabilities that are approximately zero also imply it is unlikely that neonatal dimorphism can evolve as a correlated response to selection on adult size. However, male mass is also more dependent on maternal condition (age and parity) making dimorphism plastic. Finally, we hypothesize that large maternal genetic effects reflect income breeding and tightly synchronized seasonal reproduction in squirrel monkeys, both of which require strong maternal control of offspring growth and timing of birth.
Sneak male mating tactics between lampreys (Petromyzontiformes) exhibiting alternative life‐history strategies
Authors: Hume J. B. , Adams C. E. , Mable B. , Bean C. W.
Published: February 2013

Interspecific sneak male mating tactics between paired lamprey species are described for the first time. Although alternative mating tactics among petromyzontids have been described previously, including intraspecific sneak males, the presence of sneak male tactics between parasitic and non‐parasitic forms suggests that high levels of gene flow between putative lamprey species could remain high, despite large body size discrepancies.
Chemosensory cues attract lake trout Salvelinus namaycush and an egg predator to the spawning substratum
Authors: Wasylenko B. A. , Blanchfield P. J. , Pyle G. G.
Published: February 2013

A field experiment was conducted to determine whether chemosensory cues emanating from lake trout Salvelinus namaycush spawning substratum attract breeding S. namaycush. Substrata from either a spawning site or a control site were randomly placed in trap nets around an isolated spawning shoal; those containing spawning substratum caught significantly more S. namaycush, as well as a greater proportion in breeding condition. White sucker Catostomus commersoni were a major predator of S. namaycush eggs and were also captured in greater numbers in nets with spawning substratum.
Feeding performance of juvenile hatchery‐reared spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus
Authors: Jackson L. A. , Rakocinski C. F. , Blaylock R. B.
Published: February 2013

The feeding performance of individual hatchery‐reared (HR) and wild juvenile spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus was compared across a series of six 1·5 h feeding exposures over a 3 day period in a controlled experiment. The predation cycle served as a context for discerning feeding performance elements. The experimental design facilitated assessments of the effects of experience, motivation due to hunger or satiation and prey density and encounter frequency. Although feeding success improved significantly across successive trials for both groups of C. nebulosus, wild C. nebulosus successfully captured and consumed significantly more Palaemonetes spp. prey and completed most performance metrics more efficiently than HR C. nebulosus. Total exposure time decreased with experience for both groups of C. nebulosus; however, HR C. nebulosus took longer to complete feeding exposures. Underpinning this difference was the time spent by HR C. nebulosus in non‐search mode and for completing various foraging behaviours. Nevertheless, juvenile HR C. nebulosus exhibited sufficient foraging plasticity to switch from a pelleted diet to live novel prey.
Astrocytes inhibit microglial surface expression of dendritic cell‐related co‐stimulatory molecules through a contact‐mediated process
Authors: Acevedo Giselles , Padala Nischal K. , Ni Li , Jonakait G. M.
Published: February 2013

Murine microglia cultured in isolation were treated sequentially with granulocyte/monocyte colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) (5 days) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (2 days) to elicit a mature dendritic cell‐like (DC‐like) phenotype. Examined by flow cytometry microglia thus isolated show high surface expression of CD11c together with the co‐stimulatory molecules CD40, CD80, and CD86 that are necessary for T‐cell activation. In contrast, microglia co‐cultured with astrocytes fail to achieve a mature DC‐like phenotype. Contact with the astrocytic environment is necessary for the inhibition. Failure was not because of a more rapid degradation of protein. Bone marrow‐derived cells, like microglia, were prevented by astrocytes from attaining a mature DC phenotype. Although GM‐CSF pre‐treatment substantially increases mRNA of co‐stimulatory molecules and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class II in isolated microglia, co‐cultured microglia await treatment with LPS to up‐regulate them. In contrast, western blot and immunocytochemical analysis revealed that it is not a failure of transcription or translation, nor is it a more rapid degradation of mRNA that is responsible for the low surface expression; rather microglia co‐cultured with astrocytes produce mRNA and protein but do not traffic the protein onto the cell surface.
Expression of Gα12 predicts progression and prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinomas in Taiwan
Authors: Cheng Shih‐Jung , Liu Yi‐Ching , Cheng Shih‐Lung , Lee Jang‐Jaer , Chen Hsin‐Ming , Chang Hao‐Hueng , Kok Sang‐Heng , Kuo Mark Yen‐Ping , Chiang Chun‐Pin
Published: February 2013

Background

Expression of Gα12 is found to be associated with cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and metastasis.

Methods

This study used immunohistochemistry to examine the expression of Gα12 protein in 100 specimens of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), 45 specimens of oral epithelial dysplasia (OED), and 36 specimens of normal oral mucosa (NOM).

Results

The mean Gα12 labeling indices (LIs, defined as the percentage of positive cells in total cells) increased significantly from NOM (7 ± 11%) through OED (21 ± 20%) to OSCC samples (53 ± 33%, P < 0.001). The higher mean Gα12 LI was significantly associated with OSCCs with larger tumor size (P = 0.003), positive lymph node metastasis (P = 0.002), or more advanced clinical stages (P = 0.003). Positive lymph node metastasis (P = 0.039) and Gα12 LI > 50% (P = 0.009) were identified as independent unfavorable prognosis factors by multivariate analyses with Cox regression model. Moreover, Kaplan–Meier curve showed that OSCC patients with a Gα12 LI > 50% had a significantly poorer cumulative survival than those with a Gα12 LI ≤ 50% (log‐rank test, P = 0.009).

Conclusions

Our results showed a stepwise and significant elevation in Gα12 protein expression from NOM through OED to OSCCs, suggesting that overexpression of Gα12 protein may be an early event in oral carcinogenesis and may play a pivotal role in oral cancer development. Moreover, the Gα12 protein can be a biomarker for prediction of the progression of OSCCs and the prognosis of patients with OSCC in Taiwan.
Dating Trajectories From Middle to High School: Association With Academic Performance and Drug Use
Authors: Orpinas Pamela , Horne Arthur M. , Song Xiao , Reeves Patricia M. , Hsieh Hsien‐Lin
Published: February 2013

This study identifies trajectories of dating from sixth to twelfth grade and describes the academic performance (teacher‐rated study skills and high school dropout) and self‐reported drug use associated with these trajectories, in a diverse sample randomly selected in sixth grade. Using a group‐based, semiparametric procedure, we identified four dating trajectories: low (16%), increasing (24%), high middle school (22%), and frequent (38%). Students in these latter two groups had significantly worse study skills, were four times more likely to drop out of school, and reported twice as much alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use than students in the low and increasing dating groups. This study highlights the diversity of dating trajectories and some of the risks associated with early dating.
Diffusion of language change: Accommodation to a moving target
Authors: Maegaard Marie , Jensen Torben Juel , Kristiansen Tore , Jørgensen Jens Normann
Published: February 2013

The paper focuses on motivations for the spread of new features within a speech community, and on the trajectories the changes follow during diffusion. One set of data represents language use, and here focus is on two changes which have been going on in Danish over the past 40 years, one grammatical and one phonetic. The other set of data are results from a nationwide speaker evaluation experiment which tests the subconscious attitudes to different types of speech among the youth in five different places covering Denmark from east to west. Results show that changes spread centrifugally from Copenhagen, even to the extent that reversal of changes spreads from Copenhagen. Furthermore, the attitudes reflected in the speaker evaluation experiment support the theory that language change is motivated by social psychological factors. Finally, it is argued that it is worthwhile considering the possibility of media being involved in processes of linguistic change.
Shared spaces, shared structures: Latino social formation and African American English in the U.S. south
Authors: Carter Phillip M.
Published: February 2013

This study examines the appropriation of grammatical structures of African American English (AAE) by adolescent Latinos attending a multi‐ethnic middle school in North Carolina. The study couples quantitative variationist analysis of four ‘core’ grammatical features of AAE (invariant be, copula deletion, past‐tense copula leveling, and third‐person singular –s absence) with the findings of an ethnographic study of Latino adolescent identity in order to better understand the social processes leading to the incorporation of AAE grammar into English varieties spoken by Latinos. Results show that Latino students from across social formations make use of AAE grammatical features, but differ significantly from African American students in terms of sociolinguistic patterning. Ethnographic data shed light on linguistic data in three domains: (1) differences in use of AAE structures between male and female Latino/a students; (2) the prolific use of AAE by one gang‐affiliated student; and (3) the racial complexities within the ethnic category ‘Latino.’
‘English… it's part of our blood’: Ideologies of language and nation in United States Congressional discourse
Authors: Subtirelu Nicholas Close
Published: February 2013

Utilizing a combination of corpus linguistics and critical discourse analysis, the article describes ideologies of United States (U.S.) national identity based in civic and ethnic nationalisms. These ideologies circulated during debates and hearings in the U.S. Congress concerning the 2006 reauthorization of provisions of the Voting Rights Act requiring that multilingual voting materials be made available for language minorities in certain jurisdictions. The article argues that although those legislators supporting the use of multilingual voting materials construct an ideology of civic nationalism that promotes inclusion of language minorities, they are still greatly influenced by the dominant language ideology. Those opposing multilingual voting materials construct a U.S. national identity that places stringent requirements on newcomers to assimilate and learn English. These legislators simultaneously attempt to avoid the suspicion of ethnic nationalist ideologies by arguing that English is a neutral entity, detaching it from its dominant linguistic community. The findings suggest that despite Congressional support for multilingual voting materials, the language ideologies present in Congress are not necessarily favorable to the rights of language minorities. These findings have language policy implications in that they suggest opposition to a right to language for linguistic minorities in the U.S.
An investigation of social factors related to online mentalizing in a human‐robot competitive game
Authors: Takahashi Hideyuki , Saito Chinatsu , Okada Hiroyuki , Omori Takashi
Published: February 2013

“Mentalizing” is the ability to attribute mental states to other agents. The lack of online mentalizing, which is required in actual social contexts, may cause serious social disorders such as autism. However, the mechanism of online mentalizing is still unclear. In this study, we found that behavioral entropy (which indicates the randomness of decision making) was an efficient behavioral index for online mentalizing in a human‐human competitive game. Further participants played the game with a humanoid robot; the results indicated that the entropy was significantly higher in participants whose gaze followed the robot's head turn than in those who did not, although the explicit human‐likeness of the robot did not correlate with behavioral entropy. These results implied that mentalizing could be divided into two separate processes: an explicit, logical reasoning process and an implicit, intuitive process driven by perception of the other agent's gaze. We hypothesize that the latter is a core process for online mentalizing, and we argue that the social problems of autistic people are caused by dysfunction of this process.
A new method to determine the direction of impact: Asymmetry of concentric impact craters as observed in the field (Lockne), on Mars, in experiments, and simulations
Authors: Ormö Jens , Rossi Angelo P. , Housen Kevin R.
Published: February 2013

Most impacts occur at an angle with respect to the horizontal plane. This is primarily reflected in the ejecta distribution, but at very low angle structural asymmetries such as elongation of the crater and nonradial development of the central peak become apparent. Unfortunately, impact craters with pristine ejecta layers are rare on Earth and also in areas with strong past or ongoing surface erosion on other planetary bodies, and the structural analysis of central peaks requires good exposures or even on‐site access to outcrop. However, target properties are known to greatly influence the shape of the crater, especially the relatively common target configuration of a weaker layer covering a more rigid basement. One such effect is the formation of concentric craters, i.e., a nested, deeper, inner crater surrounded by a shallow, outer crater. Here, we show that with decreasing impact angle there is a downrange shift of the outer crater with respect to the nested crater. We use a combination of (1) field observation and published 3‐D numerical simulation of one of the best examples of a terrestrial, concentric impact crater formed in a layered target with preserved ejecta layer: the Lockne crater, Sweden; (2) remote sensing data for three pristine, concentric impact craters on Mars with preserved ejecta layers further constraining the direction of impact; as well as (3) laboratory impact experiments, to develop the offset in crater concentricity into a complementary method to determine the direction of impact for layered‐target craters with poorly preserved ejecta layers.
The Human Nervous System: A Framework for Teaching and the Teaching Brain
Authors: Rodriguez Vanessa
Published: February 2013

The teaching brain is a new concept that mirrors the complex, dynamic, and context‐dependent nature of the learning brain. In this article, I use the structure of the human nervous system and its sensing, processing, and responding components as a framework for a re‐conceptualized teaching system. This teaching system is capable of responses on an instinctual level (e.g., spinal cord teaching) as well as higher order student‐centered teaching and even more complex teaching brain teaching. At the most complex level the teacher and student engage in a synchronistic teaching flow that achieves the optimal teaching and learning experience.
The Science of Human Interaction and Teaching
Authors: Yano Kazuo
Published: February 2013

There is a missing link between our understanding of teaching as high‐level social phenomenon and teaching as a physiological phenomenon of brain activity. We suggest that the science of human interaction is the missing link. Using over one‐million days of human‐behavior data, we have discovered that collective activeness (CA), which indicates the simple high‐frequency‐motion ratio of a group to total time, plays a fundamental role. Even solo‐work performance, such as telephone‐sales success rate, is more influenced by CA than by one's individual skill level, which has been the conventional target of employee efficiency education. CA is experimentally found to drive people collectively to challenge for greater performance and happiness through a synchronized proactive mind. This is, in fact, deeply related to understanding the question “What is teaching?”
Sensitivity of galactomannan enzyme immunoassay for diagnosing breakthrough invasive aspergillosis under antifungal prophylaxis and empirical therapy
Authors: Hoenigl Martin , Seeber Katharina , Koidl Christoph , Buzina Walter , Wölfler Albert , Duettmann Wiebke , Wagner Jasmin , Strenger Volker , Krause Robert
Published: February 2013

Data on diagnostic performance of Galactomannan (GM) testing in patients under mould‐active regimens are limited. Whether sensitivity of GM testing for diagnosing breakthrough invasive aspergillosis (IA) is decreased under antifungal prophylaxis/therapy remains therefore a point of discussion. We retrospectively analysed GM test results in patients who were admitted with underlying haematological malignancies to two Divisions of the Medical University Hospital of Graz, Austria, between 2009 and 2012. Only cases of probable and proven IA that were diagnosed by other methods than GM testing were included (time of diagnosis = day 0). We compared GM results of patients with/without therapy/prophylaxis for the period of 2 weeks prior (week −2) until 3 weeks postdiagnosis. A total of 76 GM test results in nine patients were identified. Six patients had received antifungal therapy/prophylaxis from week −2, whereas three patients were treated with therapy from the time of diagnosis at week 0. GM testing was positive in 45/76 (59%) of samples. Sensitivity of GM testing for detection of proven or probable IA at week −1 and 0 was 77% and 79% in patients with mould‐active regimens. We conclude that GM testing might be a useful diagnostic method for breakthrough IA in patients receiving mould‐active prophylaxis/therapy.
The hypersensitivity to colonic distension of IBS patients can be transferred to rats through their fecal microbiota
Authors: Crouzet L. , Gaultier E. , Del'Homme C. , Cartier C. , Delmas E. , Dapoigny M. , Fioramonti J. , Bernalier‐Donadille A.
Published: February 2013

Background

Alterations of intestinal microbiota and hypersensitivity to colonic distension are two features of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, the role of intestinal microbiota in visceral hypersensitivity of IBS patients is far to be established. The aim of our study was to determine whether the intestinal microbiota is involved in the visceral hypersensitivity in IBS.

Methods

The painful response to colorectal distension and colonic mucosal parameters were assessed in gnotobiotic rats. Germfree (GF) rats were inoculated with the fecal microbiota from IBS patients characterized by hypersensitivity to colorectal distension (IBS HMA rats) or from non‐hypersensitive healthy volunteers (Healthy HMA rats). Conventional rats were studied as normosensitivity control. Fecal microbial analyses were carried out in human and HMA rats fecal samples using cultural and molecular approaches.

Key Results

The microbial dysbiosis of the IBS gut microbiota (more sulfate‐reducing bacteria and Enterobacteriaceae and less bifidobacteria) could be maintained in gnotobiotic rats. The number of abdominal contractions in response to colorectal distensions was significantly higher in IBS HMA rats than in healthy HMA rats. No difference was observed between healthy HMA and conventional rats. Colorectal compliance, epithelial paracellular permeability, and density of colonic mucosal mast cells were similar in the three groups of rats.

Conclusions & Inferences

We herein showed that sensitivity to colonic distension of IBS patients can be transferred to rats by the fecal microbiota. Mucosal alterations associated with microbiota transfer are not involved in this hypersensitivity. The altered IBS microbiota may have important role in the hypersensitivity characterizing IBS patients through specific bacterial metabolites.
ORFH79 impairs mitochondrial function via interaction with a subunit of electron transport chain complex III in Honglian cytoplasmic male sterile rice
Authors: Wang Kun , Gao Feng , Ji Yanxiao , Liu Ying , Dan Zhiwu , Yang Pingfang , Zhu Yingguo , Li Shaoqing
Published: February 2013

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) has attracted great interest because of its application in crop breeding. Despite increasing knowledge of CMS, not much is understood about its molecular mechanisms. Previously, orfH79 was cloned and identified as the CMS gene in Honglian rice, but how the ORFH79 protein causes pollen abortion is still unknown.

Through bacterial two‐hybrid library screening, P61, a subunit of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) complex III, was selected as a candidate that interacts with ORFH79. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) and coimmunoprecipitation (coIP) assays verified their interaction inside mitochondria. Blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (BN‐PAGE) and western blotting showed ORF79 and P61 colocalized in mitochondrial ETC complex III of CMS lines.

Compared with the maintainer line, Yuetai B (YB), a significant decrease of enzyme activity was detected in mitochondrial complex III of the CMS line, Yuetai A (YA), which resulted in decreased ATP concentrations and an increase in the reactive oxygen species (ROS) content.

We propose that the CMS protein, ORFH79, can bind to complex III and decrease its enzyme activity through interaction with P61. This defect results in energy production dysfunction and oxidative stress in mitochondria, which may work as retrograde signals that lead to abnormal pollen development.
Herbicide mixtures at high doses slow the evolution of resistance in experimentally evolving populations of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Authors: Lagator Mato , Vogwill Tom , Mead Andrew , Colegrave Nick , Neve Paul
Published: February 2013

The widespread evolution of resistance to herbicides is a pressing issue in global agriculture. Evolutionary principles and practices are key to the management of this threat to global food security. The application of mixtures of herbicides has been advocated as an anti‐resistance strategy, without substantial empirical support for its validation.

We evolved experimentally populations of the unicellular green chlorophyte, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, to minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of single‐herbicide modes of action and to pair‐wise and three‐way mixtures between different herbicides at various total combined doses.

Herbicide mixtures were most effective when each component was applied at or close to its MIC. When doses were high, increasing the number of mixture components was also effective in reducing the evolution of resistance. Employing mixtures at low combined doses did not retard resistance evolution, even accelerating the evolution of resistance to some components. At low doses, increasing the number of herbicides in the mixture tended to select for more generalist resistance (cross‐resistance).

Our results reinforce findings from the antibiotic resistance literature and confirm that herbicide mixtures can be very effective for resistance management, but that mixtures should only be employed where the economic and environmental context permits the applications of high combined doses.
NFP, a LysM protein controlling Nod factor perception, also intervenes in Medicago truncatula resistance to pathogens
Authors: Rey Thomas , Nars Amaury , Bonhomme Maxime , Bottin Arnaud , Huguet Stéphanie , Balzergue Sandrine , Jardinaud Marie‐Françoise , Bono Jean‐Jacques , Cullimore Julie , Dumas Bernard , Gough Clare , Jacquet Christophe
Published: February 2013

Plant LysM proteins control the perception of microbial‐derived N‐acetylglucosamine compounds for the establishment of symbiosis or activation of plant immunity. This raises questions about how plants, and notably legumes, can differentiate friends and foes using similar molecular actors and whether any receptors can intervene in both symbiosis and resistance.

To study this question, nfp and lyk3 LysM‐receptor like kinase mutants of Medicago truncatula that are affected in the early steps of nodulation, were analysed following inoculation with Aphanomyces euteiches, a root oomycete. The role of NFP in this interaction was further analysed by overexpression of NFP and by transcriptome analyses.

nfp, but not lyk3, mutants were significantly more susceptible than wildtype plants to A. euteiches, whereas NFP overexpression increased resistance. Transcriptome analyses on A. euteiches inoculation showed that mutation in the NFP gene led to significant changes in the expression of c. 500 genes, notably involved in cell dynamic processes previously associated with resistance to pathogen penetration. nfp mutants also showed an increased susceptibility to the fungus Colletotrichum trifolii.

These results demonstrate that NFP intervenes in M. truncatula immunity, suggesting an unsuspected role for NFP in the perception of pathogenic signals.
Exploration of the meaning of connectedness for older people in long‐term care in context of their quality of life: a review and commentary
Authors: Cooney Adeline , Dowling Maura , Gannon Mary E. , Dempsey Laura , Murphy Kathy
Published: February 2013

Background

A link between ‘quality of life’ and ‘connectedness’ is emerging in the literature. However, there has been little debate on what ‘connectedness’ means and how it can be fostered in long‐term care settings. This review examines the meaning of ‘connectedness’ in long‐term care.

Aim

This paper critically examines the meaning of ‘connectedness’ in the context of its contribution to the quality of life of older people living in long‐term care settings.

Method

Key databases (CINAHL, PsychInfo and Medline) were searched systematically. Fourteen papers and two book chapters met the inclusion criterion of papers exploring ‘connectedness for older people in residential care’.

Conclusions

The experience of connectedness for older people in long‐term care settings is linked with quality of life and successful ageing. Fundamental prerequisites of connectedness for older people are: self‐awareness, meaningful relationships with family and friends, involvement in meaningful activities and connections with wider society. However, barriers to these prerequisites are evident for many residents in long‐term care settings.

Implications for practice

Register and Herman (Advances in Nursing Science, 33, 2010, 53) identify six connections that combine to generate connectedness for older people. These connections are representative of the factors associated with increased quality of life for residents living in long‐term care settings. The six connections are helpful in identifying areas to focus on when planning person‐centred care.
A Prospective Study Comparing the Sensed R Wave in Bipolar and Extended Bipolar Configurations: The PropR Study
Authors: TOLAT ANEESH V. , WOICIECHOWSKI MELISSA , KAHR ROSEMARIE , DELL'ORFANO JOSEPH , BERNS ELLISON , BERNSTEIN BRUCE , LIPPMAN NEAL
Published: February 2013

Background

Progress in implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) technology has allowed for switching the sensing polarity for the detection of ventricular fibrillation (VF). However, whether one sensing polarity confers additional advantage over the other is not known.

Objectives

To determine whether one sensing polarity is superior to the other for the detection of VF.

Methods

Patients were enrolled into a prospective randomized study of sensing of VF and R waves in normal rhythm. Sensing of VF was determined by number of under sensed beats (USB), and time to detection of VF (TDVF). Each patient underwent ICD implantation followed by testing of the ICD. At each induction, patients were randomized to sensing in extended bipolar (EBP) or true bipolar (TBP) configuration. Additionally, R waves were compared at implant and at 1‐month follow‐up.

Results

A total of 50 patients were enrolled into the study. When evaluating the primary endpoint, no difference was found between USB in EBP or TBP configuration; 1.1 ± 1.2 beats versus 1.3 ± 1.3 beats; P = NS. Also, no difference was found between TDVF in EBP or TBP configurations; 5.9 ± 0.6 seconds versus 5.9 ± 0.6 seconds; P = NS. With regard to the secondary endpoints, there was no difference between R waves in EBP or TBP configurations at the time of implant 10.9 ± 4.8 mV versus 10.9 ± 4.8 mV P = NS; or at 1‐month follow‐up 12.4 ± 4.7 mV versus 12.0 ± 5.4 mV P = NS.

Conclusions

There is no difference in the detection of VF between EBP or TBP configurations in patients undergoing ICD implantation.
Cryoablation of AVNRT When Sustained Tachycardia Cannot be Induced
Authors: SUNTHAROS PATCHARAPONG , BLAUFOX ANDREW D.
Published: February 2013

Background

Inducibility of sustained tachycardia is preferred prior to cryoablation for atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT).

Method

The Pediatric Electrophysiology Database of a single institution was retrospectively reviewed for patients with clinical sustained (≥30 seconds of symptoms) AVNRT documented by noninvasive means who underwent cryoablation for AVNRT to determine if intermediate‐term success with cryoablation for AVNRT can be achieved without inducibility of sustained AVNRT during electrophysiology study (EPS).

Results

There were no differences between patients with sustained (≥30 seconds of tachycardia) AVNRT (N = 67) and patients with nonsustained (ns, ≥3 beats and <30 seconds of tachycardia) AVNRT at EPS (N = 16). Acute success was achieved without PR prolongation in all patients. Although duration of follow‐up was shorter for the sustained group than the nonsustained group (2.7 ± 1.6 years vs 3.8 ± 1.4 years, P = 0.008), recurrence rate was similar (6% vs 6.3%, P = 0.6). In patients with only nonsustained AVNRT at EPS, supportive findings for procedural effectiveness seen: (1) Dual atrioventricular node physiology (DAVNP) was eliminated in 14/14, (2) the fast pathway effective refractory period (FPERP) decreased after ablation in 10/11, (3) sustained slow pathway conduction was eliminated in 8/8 including both patients without discrete DAVNP prior to ablation, and (4) FPERP increased during lesion formation in 10/10.

Conclusion

Intermediate‐term success can be achieved with cryoablation of ns AVNRT. Attention should be paid to supportive indicators of damage to slow pathway.