bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influenza Vaccination and Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality
Authors: Loomba Rohit S. , Aggarwal Saurabh , Shah Parinda H. , Arora Rohit R.
Published: December 2011

Studies have documented an association between influenza vaccination and risk reduction in myocardial infarction, all-cause mortality, and major adverse cardiac events. This meta-analysis pooled data from 5 trials with a total of 292 383 patients. Influenza vaccination was found to be associated with significant reductions in myocardial infarction, all-cause mortality, and major adverse cardiac events. The risk reduction afforded by vaccination and the lack of major adverse events related to the influenza vaccination makes it particularly important to vaccinate those with a known cardiovascular disease or those at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Statin-Induced Low Cholesterol is Not Associated With Poor Outcome in Chronic Heart Failure
Authors: Silva Sérgio , Lourenço Patrícia , Paulo Cristiana , Ferreira Ester , Lebreiro Ana , Sousa Alexandra , Mascaranhas Joana , Patacho Marta , Araujo Jose Paulo , Bettencourt Paulo
Published: December 2011

Background:

Low cholesterol levels are associated with a worse outcome in patients with heart failure (HF). Use of statins in HF remains controversial. We aimed to assess whether the prognosis of patients with intrinsically low cholesterol levels differed from that of those with pharmacologically induced low cholesterol.

Materials and Methods:

We conducted a retrospective cohort study on 464 ambulatory patients attending a specialized HF clinic. Patients were cross-classified according to statin therapy and admission total cholesterol level (low cholesterol <150 mg/dL and cholesterol ≥150 mg/dL): (1) low total cholesterol level on statin therapy; (2) low total cholesterol level not taking statins; (3) cholesterol ≥150 mg/dL on statin therapy; and (4) cholesterol ≥150 mg/dL not on statin therapy. Patients were followed up to 5 years and the outcome was all-cause death. A Cox regression analysis was used in prognosis assessment.

Results:

Almost two thirds of the patients were men and the median population age was 69 years; 22.8% of the patients had preserved ejection fraction and 43.5% severe systolic dysfunction. The patients with an intrinsically low cholesterol had a hazard ratio of all-cause death up to 5 years of 2.38 (1.08-7.14) compared to those with low cholesterol induced by statin use. This association was independent of other variables associated with outcome.

Conclusions:

Patients with HF with instrisically low cholesterol levels have a double risk of death up to 5 years compared to patients with pharmacologically induced low cholesterol. Clinicians should not limit the use of statins by fear of lowering the cholesterol levels.
Time dependent buckling and critical speed in a twisted micro drilling process
Authors: Yu Pu-Ping , Huang Bo-Wun
Published: December 2011

The buckling and the critical speed of a micro drill in a drilling process were investigated in this study. The trend towards higher density printed circuit boards (PCB), requires smaller holes, down to 0.3 mm in diameter, to be drilled through the board. Due to the micro scale, the drilling fracture is frequently found in a micro drilling process. In all drilling fracture cases, fractures caused by buckling are most frequently found, because of the super high spinning speed and the micro scale. To improve the quality, produce a higher production rate and avoid the drill breakage, the buckling load and critical speed in the micro drilling process must be studied. A stepped pre-twisted beam is used to simulate the micro drill. A moving Winkler-Type elastic foundation is used to approximate the drilling process. A time dependent vibration model for drilling is presented. In an actual engineering application, the drill fracture is frequently found in a micro drilling process. In many cases, it would be caused by the time dependent buckling. The investigation on the buckling and critical speed properties in the micro drilling process to depress the time dependent buckling is presented in this work. The effects of rotating speed, pre-twisted angle and thrust force on the buckling and critical speed of the micro drill are considered. The numerical analysis indicates that the buckling load is reduced suddenly as the micro drill moves into a work piece.
Effectiveness of an eccentric rolling isolation system with friction damping
Authors: Yang Cho-Yen , Hsieh Cheng-Hsin , Chung Lap-Loi , Chen Hung-Ming , Wu Lai-Yun
Published: December 2011

Recently, the benefit of nonlinear isolation systems under resonance or near-fault earthquake has been investigated. In this paper, an eccentric rolling isolation system (ERIS) with additional friction damping is proposed. The isolation object is eccentrically pinned on a set of circular isolators so that the restoring force is nonlinear. To investigate the advantage of the ERIS, a corresponding isolation system with linear restoring force is also considered for comparison. The friction parameters of the two systems with linear and nonlinear restoring force are designed under the far-field El Centro earthquake. The performances of the two isolation systems are inspected under excitations other than the design one. In free vibration, the response of the ERIS decays faster than the corresponding linear system. In resonance sinusoidal excitation, the responses are divergent for the linear system but convergent for the ERIS. The linear system is ineffective but the ERIS is effective due to the nonlinearity under the near-fault Chi-Chi earthquake with various peak ground accelerations.
Psychoneuroimmunological Relationships in Women With Fibromyalgia
Authors: Menzies Victoria , Lyon Debra E. , Elswick R. K. , Montpetit Alison J. , McCain Nancy L.
Published: December 2011

Introduction:

The purpose of this pilot study was to characterize the relationships among perceived stress, pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, biomarkers, and functional status in women with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) using a psychoneuroimmunological (PNI) framework.

Materials and Method:

Using a cross-sectional, correlational design, the authors asked 50 women diagnosed with FMS to complete the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), Center for Epidemiological Studies—Depression scale, State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Functional Impact Questionnaire. The authors analyzed plasma levels of 17 cytokines using a BioPlex® assay and levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) using a high-sensitivity enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results:

Compared to published guidelines (>3 mg/L reflects high inflammation), CRP levels were elevated in participating women. Perceived stress demonstrated positive correlations with pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and functional status and negative correlations with monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1( r = −.30) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β; r = −.29). Pain severity correlated with macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1β ( r = .29), and pain interference negatively correlated with IL-1β ( r = −.30). Fatigue negatively correlated with IL-1β ( r = −.32), interleukin-10 (IL-10; r = −.31), and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF; r = −.31). Depressive symptoms correlated with CRP ( r = .31).

Discussion:

Relationships among perceived stress and symptoms supported the PNI framework. Study findings are similar to previous studies showing that cytokines in persons with FMS do not show a consistent pattern. The elevated CRP levels suggest higher levels of generalized inflammation in the sample and provide evidence for continued development of biobehavioral interventions to address both symptoms and their biological markers over time.
Political parties and interest groups
Authors: Allern Elin H , Bale Tim
Published: December 2011

According to a widespread assumption, party–interest group links are significantly weaker than they used to be. Both sets of organizations, it is said, now prefer autonomy over the constraints implied by close relationships, especially in supposedly ‘cartelized’ established party systems but also in new democracies. In this article, we briefly review existing literature on party–group links and argue that the common wisdom – and this particular aspect of Katz and Mair’s cartel thesis – may need to be qualified. First, we have to define more precisely what we mean when we talk about the relationships in question, not least because they may assume myriad forms. Second, the little empirical research that has been done hints at a good deal of variety, both over time and between polities and parties. Third, we must further explore possible explanations for such differences in party–group relations, including the motives of the actors involved. The substantive articles in this special issue throw new light on all three issues.
Parties, interest groups and cartels
Authors: Katz Richard S. , Mair Peter
Published: December 2011

A recurring problem in comparative politics is determining the extent to which models derived in one setting can be transferred directly to other settings. The original cartel party thesis was meant to account for developments that were beginning to be observed in the established democracies of western Europe in the 1990s. Many of the contemporary conditions that appeared to be driving those developments are to be found in other places, but of course preceded by quite different historical trajectories. The articles on parties and interest groups that are published in this special issue of Party Politics provide an important window on the question of how much historical processes can be compressed, or indeed of whether institutions and practices like the cartel party can be adopted (or to what extent they can be adapted) to new settings, irrespective of historical differences.
Two sides of the ostracism coin: How sources and targets of social exclusion perceive themselves and one another
Authors: Poulsen Joan R. , Kashy Deborah A.
Published: December 2011

Ostracism involves two parties: The group doing the exclusion (i.e., sources) and the target of the exclusion. Research on social exclusion has often focused on the targets. The current study, however, considers the experiences of both sources and targets. Members of four-person groups were randomly assigned to the roles of targets or sources of exclusion, and then interacted in a face-to-face setting. Participants’ perceptions of themselves and other group members were then evaluated and also compared with control group members. Although targets were negatively affected by exclusion, the sources of exclusion also suffered negative consequences. In addition, these interactions (which were videotaped) were coded by independent judges. The observational data revealed that people use a variety of behaviors to exclude a target, and more stringent forms of exclusion corresponded to more negative outcomes.
Futures within: Reversible time and house-building in Maputo, Mozambique
Authors: Nielsen Morten
Published: December 2011

In this article, I introduce an anthropological approach to time and temporality which suggests that anticipatory actions are not always guided by futures separated from the present through a linear chronology. Whereas time is conventionally understood as a chronological series of succeeding moments, I argue that different temporalities might converge to create durations which cannot be gauged using a linear scale. I consequently explore anticipatory action as it pertains to durational time. As I will show, when temporal succession is discontinuous, linearity may be turned around so that (assumed) effects are revealed to be causes. Rather than functioning as the dominant temporal trope, linear sequentiality thus emerges as an effect of reversible time. I build my argument from an ethnographical examination of house-building practices in peri-urban areas of Maputo, Mozambique. According to house-builders, they build houses which will never be completed. Still, by pre-figuring the end-point as a likely failure, anticipatory action is turned inwards through a series of internal reversals. House-building is guided by seemingly incompatible social principles and through a series of temporal reversals, these tensions are momentarily resolved.
Use magnetic resonance imaging to assess articular cartilage
Authors: Wang Yuanyuan , Wluka Anita E. , Jones Graeme , Ding Changhai , Cicuttini Flavia M.
Published: December 2011

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enables a noninvasive, three-dimensional assessment of the entire joint, simultaneously allowing the direct visualization of articular cartilage. Thus, MRI has become the imaging modality of choice in both clinical and research settings of musculoskeletal diseases, particular for osteoarthritis (OA). Although radiography, the current gold standard for the assessment of OA, has had recent significant technical advances, radiographic methods have significant limitations when used to measure disease progression. MRI allows accurate and reliable assessment of articular cartilage which is sensitive to change, providing the opportunity to better examine and understand preclinical and very subtle early abnormalities in articular cartilage, prior to the onset of radiographic disease. MRI enables quantitative (cartilage volume and thickness) and semiquantitative assessment of articular cartilage morphology, and quantitative assessment of cartilage matrix composition. Cartilage volume and defects have demonstrated adequate validity, accuracy, reliability and sensitivity to change. They are correlated to radiographic changes and clinical outcomes such as pain and joint replacement. Measures of cartilage matrix composition show promise as they seem to relate to cartilage morphology and symptoms. MRI-derived cartilage measurements provide a useful tool for exploring the effect of modifiable factors on articular cartilage prior to clinical disease and identifying the potential preventive strategies. MRI represents a useful approach to monitoring the natural history of OA and evaluating the effect of therapeutic agents. MRI assessment of articular cartilage has tremendous potential for large-scale epidemiological studies of OA progression, and for clinical trials of treatment response to disease-modifying OA drugs.
Interactions between NKT cells and Tregs are required for tolerance to combined bone marrow and organ transplants
Authors: Hongo David , Tang Xiaobin , Dutt Suparna , Nador Roland G. , Strober Samuel
Published: December 2011

We used a model of combined bone marrow and heart transplantation, in which tolerance and stable chimerism is induced after conditioning with fractionated irradiation of the lymphoid tissues and anti–T-cell antibodies. Graft acceptance and chimerism required host CD4+CD25+ Treg production of IL-10 that was in-turn enhanced by host invariant natural killer (NK) T-cell production of IL-4. Up-regulation of PD-1 on host Tregs, CD4+CD25− conventional T (Tcon) cells, and CD8+ T cells was also enhanced by NKT cell production of IL-4. Up-regulated PD-1 expression on Tregs was linked to IL-10 secretion, on CD8+ T cells was linked to Tim-3 expression, and on CD4+ Tcon cells was associated with reduced IFNγ secretion. Changes in the expression of PD-1 were induced by the conditioning regimen, and declined after bone marrow transplantation. In conclusion, NKT cells in this model promoted changes in expression of negative costimulatory receptors and anti-inflammatory cytokines by Tregs and other T-cell subsets in an IL-4–dependent manner that resulted in tolerance to the bone marrow and organ grafts.
Functional dissection of the chromosome 13q14 tumor-suppressor locus using transgenic mouse lines
Authors: Lia Marie , Carette Amanda , Tang Hongyan , Shen Qiong , Mo Tongwei , Bhagat Govind , Dalla-Favera Riccardo , Klein Ulf
Published: December 2011

Deletion of chromosomal region 13q14 represents the most common genetic aberration in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). 13q14 deletions are commonly large and heterogeneous in size and affect multiple genes. We recently found that targeted deletion in mice of the 0.11 megabase (mb)–long minimal deleted region (MDR) encompassing the DLEU2/miR-15a/16-1 cluster recapitulates the spectrum of CLL-associated lymphoproliferations in humans, including CLL, CD5+ monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis, and CD5− non-Hodgkin lymphomas. In the present study, we demonstrate that additional deletion of the 0.69-mb large genomic region telomeric to the MDR called the common deleted region (CDR) changed the spectrum of lymphoproliferations developing in CDR- versus MDR-deleted mice in that the number of CLL among B-cell lymphoproliferations was significantly elevated in the former. In addition, CDR-deleted mice seemed to succumb to their disease faster than MDR-deleted mice. Comparing HCDR3 regions of CD5+ lymphoproliferations derived from this and published CLL mouse models, 44% (29 of 66) of junctions could be assigned to 8 sets of highly similar HCDR3 regions, demonstrating that CLL developing in mice frequently expresses almost identical, stereotypic Ag receptors. These results suggest that the size of 13q14 deletions influences the phenotype of the developing lymphoproliferations and potentially the severity of disease, suggesting a tumor-suppressor function for genetic elements in addition to DLEU2/miR-15a/16-1.
Rapid in vivo analysis of synthetic promoters for plant pathogen phytosensing
Authors: Liu Wusheng , Mazarei Mitra , Rudis Mary R , Fethe Michael H , Stewart C Neal
Published: December 2011

Background

We aimed to engineer transgenic plants for the purpose of early detection of plant pathogen infection, which was accomplished by employing synthetic pathogen inducible promoters fused to reporter genes for altered phenotypes in response to the pathogen infection. Toward this end, a number of synthetic promoters consisting of inducible regulatory elements fused to a red fluorescent protein (RFP) reporter were constructed for use in phytosensing.

Results

For rapid analysis, an Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression assay was evaluated, then utilized to assess the inducibility of each synthetic promoter construct in vivo. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Xanthi) leaves were infiltrated with Agrobacterium harboring the individual synthetic promoter-reporter constructs. The infiltrated tobacco leaves were re-infiltrated with biotic (bacterial pathogens) or abiotic (plant defense signal molecules salicylic acid, ethylene and methyl jasmonate) agents 24 and 48 hours after initial agroinfiltration, followed by RFP measurements at relevant time points after treatment. These analyses indicated that the synthetic promoter constructs were capable of conferring the inducibility of the RFP reporter in response to appropriate phytohormones and bacterial pathogens, accordingly.

Conclusions

These observations demonstrate that the Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression is an efficient method for in vivo assays of promoter constructs in less than one week. Our results provide the opportunity to gain further insights into the versatility of the expression system as a potential tool for high-throughput in planta expression screening prior to generating stably transgenic plants for pathogen phytosensing. This system could also be utilized for temporary phytosensing; e.g., not requiring stably transgenic plants.
Adsorption characteristics of an enteric virus-binding protein to norovirus, rotavirus and poliovirus
Authors: Imai Takahiro , Sano Daisuke , Miura Takayuki , Okabe Satoshi , Wada Keishi , Masago Yoshifumi , Omura Tatsuo
Published: December 2011

Background

Water contamination with human enteric viruses has posed human health risks all over the world. Reasonable and facile methodologies for recovering and quantifying infectious enteric viruses in environmental samples are needed to address the issues of waterborne viral infectious diseases. In this study, a bacterial protein that has a binding capability with several enteric viruses is discovered, and its binding characteristics were investigated for utilizing it as a viral adsorbent in virus recovery and detection technologies.

Results

A gene of an enteric virus-binding protein (EVBP), derived from a monomer of a bacterial chaperon protein GroEL, was successfully acquired from a genomic DNA library of activated sludge microorganisms with nested PCR. Equilibrium dissociation constants between EVBP and norovirus-like particles (NoVLPs) of genotypes GI.7 and GII.4, estimated with quartz crystal microbalance method, were 240 and 210 nM, respectively. These values of equilibrium dissociation constant imply that the binding affinity between EVBP and NoVLPs is 1 to 3-log weaker than that in general antigen-antibody interactions, but about 2-log stronger than that in weak specific interactions of proteins with cations and organic polymers. The adsorptions of EVBP to norovirus, group A rotavirus and poliovirus type 1 were found to be significant in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Meanwhile, the binding of native GroEL tetradecamer to viral particles was weaker than that of EVBP, presumably because of a steric hindrance. The small molecule of EVBP could have an advantage in the access to the surface of viral particles with rugged structure.

Conclusions

EVBP that has a broad binding spectrum to enteric viruses was newly discovered. The broad binding characteristic of EVBP would allow us to utilize it as a novel adsorbent for detecting diverse enteric viruses in clinical and environmental samples.
Global transcriptome analysis of Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 in response to silver nitrate stress
Authors: Ganesh Babu Malli Mohan , Sridhar Jayavel , Gunasekaran Paramasamy
Published: December 2011

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized using Bacillus cereus strains. Earlier, we had synthesized monodispersive crystalline silver nanoparticles using B. cereus PGN1 and ATCC14579 strains. These strains have showed high level of resistance to silver nitrate (1 mM) but their global transcriptomic response has not been studied earlier. In this study, we investigated the cellular and metabolic response of B. cereus ATCC14579 treated with 1 mM silver nitrate for 30 & 60 min. Global expression profiling using genomic DNA microarray indicated that 10% (n = 524) of the total genes (n = 5234) represented on the microarray were up-regulated in the cells treated with silver nitrate. The majority of genes encoding for chaperones (GroEL), nutrient transporters, DNA replication, membrane proteins, etc. were up-regulated. A substantial number of the genes encoding chemotaxis and flagellar proteins were observed to be down-regulated. Motility assay of the silver nitrate treated cells revealed reduction in their chemotactic activity compared to the control cells. In addition, 14 distinct transcripts overexpressed from the 'empty' intergenic regions were also identified and proposed as stress-responsive non-coding small RNAs.
Decreased influenza-specific B cell responses in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor
Authors: Kobie James J , Zheng Bo , Bryk Peter , Barnes Michael , Ritchlin Christopher T , Tabechian Darren A , Anandarajah Allen P , Looney R John , Thiele Ralf G , Anolik Jennifer H , Coca Andreea , Wei Chungwen , Rosenberg Alexander F , Feng Changyong , Treanor John J , Lee F Eun-Hyung , Sanz Ignacio
Published: December 2011

Introduction

As a group, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients exhibit increased risk of infection, and those treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy are at further risk. This increased susceptibility may result from a compromised humoral immune response. Therefore, we asked if short-term effector (d5-d10) and memory (1 month or later) B cell responses to antigen were compromised in RA patients treated with anti-TNF therapy.

Methods

Peripheral blood samples were obtained from RA patients, including a subset treated with anti-TNF, and from healthy controls to examine influenza-specific responses following seasonal influenza vaccination. Serum antibody was measured by hemagglutination inhibition assay. The frequency of influenza vaccine-specific antibody secreting cells and memory B cells was measured by EliSpot. Plasmablast (CD19+IgD-CD27hiCD38hi) induction was measured by flow cytometry.

Results

Compared with healthy controls, RA patients treated with anti-TNF exhibited significantly decreased influenza-specific serum antibody and memory B cell responses throughout multiple years of the study. The short-term influenza-specific effector B cell response was also significantly decreased in RA patients treated with anti-TNF as compared with healthy controls, and correlated with decreased influenza-specific memory B cells and serum antibody present at one month following vaccination.

Conclusions

RA patients treated with anti-TNF exhibit a compromised immune response to influenza vaccine, consisting of impaired effector and consequently memory B cell and antibody responses. The results suggest that the increased incidence and severity of infection observed in this patient population could be a consequence of diminished antigen-responsiveness. Therefore, this patient population would likely benefit from repeat vaccination and from vaccines with enhanced immunogenicity.
Comparisons and asymptotics for empty space hazard functions of germ-grain models
Authors: Last Günter , Szekli Ryszard
Published: December 2011

We study stochastic properties of the empty space for stationary germ-grain models inRd; in particular, we deal with the inner radius of the empty space with respect to a general structuring element which is allowed to be lower dimensional. We consider Poisson cluster and mixed Poisson germ-grain models, and show in several situations that more variability results in stochastically greater empty space in terms of the empty space hazard function. Furthermore, we study the asymptotic behaviour of the empty space hazard functions at 0 and at ∞.
On Λ-Coalescents with Dust Component
Authors: Gnedin Alexander , Iksanov Alexander , Marynych Alexander
Published: December 2011

We consider the Λ-coalescent processes with a positive frequency of singleton clusters. The class in focus covers, for instance, the beta(a, b)-coalescents with a > 1. We show that some large-sample properties of these processes can be derived by coupling the coalescent with an increasing Lévy process (subordinator), and by exploiting parallels with the theory of regenerative composition structures. In particular, we discuss the limit distributions of the absorption time and the number of collisions.
Percolation of Words on Zd with Long-Range Connections
Authors: de Lima B. N. B. , Sanchis R. , Silva R. W. C.
Published: December 2011

Consider an independent site percolation model on Zd, with parameter p ∈ (0, 1), where all long-range connections in the axis directions are allowed. In this work we show that, given any parameter p, there exists an integer K(p) such that all binary sequences (words) ξ ∈ {0, 1}N can be seen simultaneously, almost surely, even if all connections with length larger than K(p) are suppressed. We also show some results concerning how K(p) should scale with p as p goes to 0. Related results are also obtained for the question of whether or not almost all words are seen.
Is it time to drop the ‘knowledge translation’ metaphor? A critical literature review
Authors: Greenhalgh Trisha , Wieringa Sietse
Published: December 2011

The literature on ‘knowledge translation’ presents challenges for the reviewer because different terms have been used to describe the generation, sharing and application of knowledge and different research approaches embrace different philosophical positions on what knowledge is. We present a narrative review of this literature which deliberately sought to highlight rather than resolve tensions between these different framings. Our findings suggest that while ‘translation’ is a widely used metaphor in medicine, it constrains how we conceptualise and study the link between knowledge and practice. The ‘translation’ metaphor has, arguably, led to particular difficulties in the fields of ‘evidence-based management’ and ‘evidence-based policymaking’ – where it seems that knowledge obstinately refuses to be driven unproblematically into practice. Many non-medical disciplines such as philosophy, sociology and organization science conceptualise knowledge very differently, as being (for example) ‘created’, ‘constructed’, ‘embodied’, ‘performed’ and ‘collectively negotiated’ – and also as being value-laden and tending to serve the vested interests of dominant élites. We propose that applying this wider range of metaphors and models would allow us to research the link between knowledge and practice in more creative and critical ways. We conclude that research should move beyond a narrow focus on the ‘know–do gap’ to cover a richer agenda, including: (a) the situation-specific practical wisdom (phronesis) that underpins clinical judgement; (b) the tacit knowledge that is built and shared among practitioners (‘mindlines’); (c) the complex links between power and knowledge; and (d) approaches to facilitating macro-level knowledge partnerships between researchers, practitioners, policymakers and commercial interests.
A NiTi alloy-based cuff for external banding valvuloplasty: a six-week follow-up study in pigs
Authors: Hiebl B , MÜLler C , GÖRs J , Jung* F , Lendlein* A , Jünger M , Hamm B , Niehues S M
Published: December 2011

Objective

The study aimed to test a Nitinol®-based vein cuff model for external banding valvuloplasty.

Method

In 12 adult minipigs, the vena jugularis externa was covered for 42 days by a cuff with an inner diameter adapted to the outer vein diameter in supine position. By changing from supine into prone position hypostatically vein dilation was induced to simulate varicose vein dilation. Cuff position and the inner diameter of the vein lumen under the cuff were examined by computer tomography scanning. Also, histological analysis of the vein wall within the cuff was performed.

Results

The preset tubular shape of the cuff and the cuff position did not change in both prone and supine position, but due to fibrosis the luminal vein diameter within the cuff was decreased ( P < 0.01) already after 21 days.

Conclusion

A foreign body response resulted in a fibrous capsule covering the cuff which might limit cuff functionality.
Destruction Complex Function in the Wnt Signaling Pathway ofDrosophilaRequires Multiple Interactions Between Adenomatous Polyposis Coli 2 and Armadillo
Authors: Kunttas-Tatli Ezgi , Zhou Meng-Ning , Zimmerman Sandra , Molinar Olivia , Zhouzheng Fangyuan , Carter Krista , Kapur Megha , Cheatle Alys , Decal Richard , McCartney Brooke M
Published: December 2011

The tumor suppressor Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) negatively regulates Wnt signaling through its activity in the destruction complex. APC binds directly to the main effector of the pathway, β-catenin (βcat, Drosophila Armadillo), and helps to target it for degradation. In vitro studies demonstrated that a nonphosphorylated 20-amino-acid repeat (20R) of APC binds to βcat through the N-terminal extended region of a 20R. When phosphorylated, the phospho-region of an APC 20R also binds βcat and the affinity is significantly increased. These distinct APC–βcat interactions suggest different models for the sequential steps of destruction complex activity. However, the in vivo role of 20R phosphorylation and extended region interactions has not been rigorously tested. Here we investigated the functional role of these molecular interactions by making targeted mutations in Drosophila melanogaster APC2 that disrupt phosphorylation and extended region interactions and deletion mutants missing the Armadillo binding repeats. We tested the ability of these mutants to regulate Wnt signaling in APC2 null and in APC2 APC1 double-null embryos. Overall, our in vivo data support the role of phosphorylation and extended region interactions in APC2’s destruction complex function, but suggest that the extended region plays a more significant functional role. Furthermore, we show that the Drosophila 20Rs with homology to the vertebrate APC repeats that have the highest affinity for βcat are functionally dispensable, contrary to biochemical predictions. Finally, for some mutants, destruction complex function was dependent on APC1, suggesting that APC2 and APC1 may act cooperatively in the destruction complex.
The Coalescent with Selection on Copy Number Variants
Authors: Teshima Kosuke M , Innan Hideki
Published: December 2011

We develop a coalescent-based simulation tool to generate patterns of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a wide region encompassing both the original and duplicated genes. Selection on the new duplicated copy and interlocus gene conversion between the two copies are incorporated. This simulation enables us to explore how selection on duplicated copies affects the pattern of SNPs. The fixation of an advantageous duplicated copy causes a strong reduction in polymorphism not only in the duplicated copy but also in its flanking regions, which is a typical signature of a selective sweep by positive selection. After fixation, polymorphism gradually increases by accumulating neutral mutations and eventually reaches the equilibrium value if there is no gene conversion. When gene conversion is active, the number of SNPs in the duplicated copy quickly increases by transferring SNPs from the original copy; therefore, the time when we can recognize the signature of selection is decreased. Because this effect of gene conversion is restricted only to the duplicated region, more power to detect selection is expected if a flanking region to the duplicated copy is used.
Gene Capture byHelitronTransposons Reshuffles the Transcriptome of Maize
Authors: Barbaglia Allison M , Klusman Katarina M , Higgins John , Shaw Janine R , Hannah L Curtis , Lal Shailesh K
Published: December 2011

Helitrons are a family of mobile elements that were discovered in 2001 and are now known to exist in the entire eukaryotic kingdom. Helitrons, particularly those of maize, exhibit an intriguing property of capturing gene fragments and placing them into the mobile element. Helitron-captured genes are sometimes transcribed, giving birth to chimeric transcripts that intertwine coding regions of different captured genes. Here, we perused the B73 maize genome for high-quality, putative Helitrons that exhibit plus/minus polymorphisms and contain pieces of more than one captured gene. Selected Helitrons were monitored for expression via in silico EST analysis. Intriguingly, expression validation of selected elements by RT–PCR analysis revealed multiple transcripts not seen in the EST databases. The differing transcripts were generated by alternative selection of splice sites during pre-mRNA processing. Selection of splice sites was not random since different patterns of splicing were observed in the root and shoot tissues. In one case, an exon residing in close proximity but outside of the Helitron was found conjoined with Helitron-derived exons in the mature transcript. Hence, Helitrons have the ability to synthesize new genes not only by placing unrelated exons into common transcripts, but also by transcription readthrough and capture of nearby exons. Thus, Helitrons have a phenomenal ability to “display” new coding regions for possible selection in nature. A highly conservative, minimum estimate of the number of new transcripts expressed by Helitrons is ∼11,000 or ∼25% of the total number of genes in the maize genome.
Stringent Analysis of Gene Function and Protein–Protein Interactions Using Fluorescently Tagged Genes
Authors: Neumüller Ralph A , Wirtz-Peitz Frederik , Lee Stella , Kwon Young , Buckner Michael , Hoskins Roger A , Venken Koen J T , Bellen Hugo J , Mohr Stephanie E , Perrimon Norbert
Published: December 2011

In Drosophila collections of green fluorescent protein (GFP) trap lines have been used to probe the endogenous expression patterns of trapped genes or the subcellular localization of their protein products. Here, we describe a method, based on nonoverlapping, highly specific, shRNA transgenes directed against GFP, that extends the utility of these collections to loss-of-function studies. Furthermore, we used a MiMIC transposon to generate GFP traps in Drosophila cell lines with distinct subcellular localization patterns, which will permit high-throughput screens using fluorescently tagged proteins. Finally, we show that fluorescent traps, paired with recombinant nanobodies and mass spectrometry, allow the study of endogenous protein complexes in Drosophila.
Being Known by a Birch Tree
Authors: Stuckey Priscilla
Published: December 2011

Animism, as derived from Ojibwa philosophy and articulated by anthropologists of religion, begins in a relational worldview and implies ways of knowing that challenge a Cartesian framework. Beginning with a story of my relationship with a weeping birch tree at my childhood home in northwest Ohio, I examine elements of an animist epistemology using Indigenous philosophers such as Carol Lee Sanchez, Vine Deloria, Donald Fixico, and Makere Stewart-Harawira. But to trouble the dichotomy between indigenous and Western ways of knowing, I draw also on Nonindigenous scholars such as Donna Haraway and ‘situated knowledges’; Karen Barad and ‘intra-acting,’ and Val Plumwood and ‘spirituality of place.’ My goal is to situate humans as but one extension of Earth’s ability to know and to explore how we might take our places in a community of knowers, only some of whom are human.
Review Essay
Authors: Clingerman Forrest
Published: December 2011

Roger S. Gottlieb, A Greener Faith: Religious Environmentalism and Our Planet’s Future (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2006), 288 pp., $35.00 (hbk), ISBN: 978-0-1951-7648-3.

Roger Gottlieb’s A Greener Faith: Religious Environmentalism and Our Planet’s Future (2006) and The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Ecology (2006) form an interesting pair. A Greener Faith advocates for a spiritual or ‘religious environmentalism’ grounded in Gottlieb’s own pluralistic ecotheological vision. In contrast, The Oxford Handbook is a multiauthored reference collection that, for the most part, surveys the relationship between longstanding religious traditions and the environmental crisis. Taken together, these books introduce the reader to a wide range of religious environmentalism as well as the current academic study of religion and ecology. Both books are meant to inspire religious

environmentalism among audiences, as they oscillate between descriptive and normative genres. Gottlieb is an excellent guide for this task: As one of the most prolific and provocative contributors in the field, he embodies an eclectic, interdisciplinary spirit, writes with passion and charm, and can also be intensely personal—even brash and unapologetic. In places Gottlieb’s writing even reads like a spiritual manual.
I See You
Authors: Sideris Lisa Hatton
Published: December 2011

I explore empathic dimensions of James Cameron’s film Avatar’s central metaphor of seeing others, and the uses of empathy and empathic bonding throughout the film, both between humans and the Na’vi, and between the Na’vi and the animals that inhabit their world. Empathy entails an ability to see and feel the world from another’s perspective—feeling with rather than feeling for. Jake Sully’s identity as shifting, and boundary-crossing, makes him an especially good candidate for empathic cultivation. Sully assumes an avatar identity, stepping into a Na’vi form but also trying on a range of different perspectives, as part of his education in empathy and his spiritual transformation. The film sheds light on the complexity, fragility, and dangers of empathy, as well as its potential as an environmental and humanitarian value. Avatar suggests empathy’s perils, but also illustrates that empathy, properly oriented and cultivated, is an important environmental disposition encouraging appreciation of otherness.
The management of multilingualism in public, private and non-governmental institutions
Authors: Moyer Melissa
Published: December 2011

This paper examines from a critical sociolinguistic perspective the management of multilingualism in private, public and non-governmental institutions in the Barcelona metropolitan area. Data obtained from a multi-sited ethnography at a private call shop or locutorio, a public health clinic and a religious inspired non-governmental organisation show the different ways institutional ideologies about language and communication account for the way multilingualism is put into practice in each case. The distribution and valorisation of professional and lay knowledge, along with migrant agency and participation in the everyday interactions in the settings provide additional support for the concrete ways multilingualism gets managed.
Communicative styles of code-switching in service encounters: The frames manipulation and ideologies of ‘authenticity’ in institutional discourse
Authors: Prego Vázquez Gabriela
Published: December 2011

This paper analyses the role of code-switching in professional discourse in a corpus of 80 recorded interviews between employees of a Galician partly state-owned water utility company and customers from a multi-method approach. Drawing on the Ethnography of Communication, Conversation Analysis, Interactional Sociolinguistics, Critical Discourse Analysis and Critical Sociolinguistics or Critical Ethnography, instances of code-switching are subjected to socio-discursive, sequential and critical analyses to understand the role it plays as a strategic resource to control the interaction in professional discourse. The findings reveal that employees use the conversational function of code-switching, that is, ‘personalisation versus objectivisation’, to mask interactional asymmetries between the participants. Specifically, switches from Spanish to Galician indexing ‘personal’ and ‘didactic footings’ emerge in the course of depersonalised, ‘objective’ professional discourse. The paper discusses the sociodiscursive role of code-switching in reproducing new ways in which power is exercised, namely conversationalisation (Fairclough 1997) and motherese (Wodak 1996) in a professional discourse setting.
Power in theory, in data and in pragmatics research
Authors: Fitch Kristine L.
Published: December 2011

In this review I examine the different approaches to power theorized in this collection, attending particularly to the power dynamics of language choice in multilingual, multicultural encounters. Together the essays demonstrate a considerable range of conceptual positions on the spectrum of critical discourse analytic and sociolinguistic approaches to language use. A particularly significant difference in the approaches taken by these works is the extent to which claims and observations are grounded in concrete details of transcripts, as opposed to inferences about internal states - emotion, intention, cognition, perception - drawn from recorded and transcribed interactions. Those differences, I propose, amount to grounding claims of power difference primarily within data (transcribed details of talk) as opposed to critical theory. The range of positions represented on those deeply contested issues is an especially valuable component of the collection.
Nitrogen dynamics in soil management systems: II - mineralization and nitrification rates
Authors: Cardoso Eduardo Garcia , Sá João Carlos de Moraes , Briedis Clever , Ferreira Ademir de Oliveira , Borszowskei Paulo Rogério , Santos Josiane Burkner , Massinham Aline , Ferreira Carla Fernanda , Siuta Júnior Darci , Baranek Edemar José
Published: December 2011

Nitrogen is the main limiting factor in crop productivity and thereby soil management systems may change the mineralization and nitrification rates. In an experiment on soil management systems implemented in 1988 at the experimental station Fundação ABC, Ponta Grossa, in the central South region of the State of Paraná, inorganic N dynamics were examined to find a soil management strategy with a view to a sustainable environment. The objective of this study was to calculate the net mineralization and nitrification rates of soil N and the correlation with soil pH under management systems. Randomized complete block design was used, in split plots, in three replications. The following soil management systems (SMSs) were adopted in the plots: 1) conventional tillage (CT); 2) minimum tillage (MT); 3) no-tillage with chisel plow every three years (NT CH); and 4) continuous no-tillage (CNT). To evaluate the dynamics of inorganic N, samples were collected from sub-plots at different times (11 sampling times - T1 to T11). In the CNT and NT CH, the net mineralization rates were higher in the MT and CT systems in the 0-2.5 cm soil layer, while the nitrification rate was higher in the 2.5-5 cm layer. Soon after implementing the white oat management, the mineralization and nitrification rates in all soil layers were higher in the MT and CT systems. In the period of soybean development, in the 0-2.5 and 2.5-5 cm soil layers, the mineralization and nitrification rates were higher in the CNT and NT CH than in the MT and CT systems.
Achieving Brazilian Extended Reach Drilling records on Polvo project with Ultra-High Torque Connection
Authors: Biddle Nathan , Osório Luciana , Arevalo Hector , Velho Marcelo , Flores Vincent , Granger Scott , Carrois Fabien
Published: December 2011

The Polvo project is a platform based drilling rig located ~95km off the Brazilian coast in the Campos Basin. The field consists of two distinct reservoirs, a carbonate reservoir to the southwest, and a sandstone reservoir to the east. The Polvo project began drilling in March 2007 and has since drilled a total of 32 wellbores. The wells range in difficulty from "short reach" to "very extended reach" wellbores. The deviation is from 3–7° DLS at angles of 30–92°. Wellbores are 3-dimensionally designed in order to improve total reservoir exposure.

Extended reach, deep and high deviation wells require the use of a drill string that has both higher torsional yield strength drill pipe body and greater torque capacity tool joints than are afforded by standard API connections. VAM Express double shoulder connection has been designed in order to address the drilling challenges linked to the development of such complex wells. This proprietary high torque connection incorporates four major design features allowing pushing further the drilling envelope limits: quick rig make-up, high torque performance, user friendly and durability.

After beginning the project and platform placement, it was discovered that sandstone reservoir targets further to the east had higher productivity than expected. After drilling 12 wells and numerous lessons learned, the furthest extended reach well in the history of Brazil was attempted and successfully completed.

The Pol-O wellbore was drilled to a total measured depth of 6,489 m (2,429 m TVD) and a vertical section step out of 5,615 m. This wellbore was and continues to hold the record for furthest reach wellbore in the history of Brazil.

In addition to obtaining this extended reach record, Polvo also attained the record of fastest 24 hours drilling in and 8 ½" hole with 1,610 m in 24 hours. To obtain this drilling record, it was not only critical to have high on bottom ROP, but also to optimize connection time. The high torque connection helped to achieve this fast connection time and also prevented any drillstring failure.

Having drilled over 100,000 m of total hole in highly deviated wellbores using the same drillstring, there have not been any twist-offs or back-offs on the Polvo project.

By being able drill these further reach wellbores successfully and more economically, the Polvo Platform has proved up further reserves that can be produced without requiring installation of another platform or subsea tiebacks. The rig is not limited by connection strength and plans are in place to improve the top-drive to deliver more torque, while staying with the same double shoulder connection size.