bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Generational Differences in Mexican Men’s Ideas of Age-Appropriate Sex and Viagra Use
Authors: Wentzell Emily
Published: June 2011

Mexican men of different generations, exposed to different cultural ideas about sex, manliness and marriage, often hold divergent ideas about how men’s sexuality should change over the life course. Based on 250 interviews with male urology patients at an urban Mexican hospital, this article reveals differences in self-identified older and younger men’s ideas of age-appropriate sexuality and pursuit of sexual health interventions. Older men frequently expected youthful promiscuity to give way to a family-focused older age and saw decreasing erectile function as a ‘‘natural’’ embodiment of this shift. Conversely, younger men who strove to be different than their once-womanizing fathers often saw decreased erectile function as a relationship-threatening medical problem appropriate for erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment. Despite the fact that ED drugs may facilitate sexual penetration that could be associated with ‘‘macho’’ sexuality, they were viewed most positively by younger study participants seeking to avoid machismo by pursuing affective marital sex.
Anti-Epstein–Barr virus antibodies as serological markers of multiple sclerosis: a prospective study among United States military personnel
Authors: Munger KL , Levin LI , O’Reilly EJ , Falk KI , Ascherio A
Published: June 2011

Background: Elevated Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) antibody titers are risk factors for multiple sclerosis (MS), but the strength and consistency of this association are not well characterized.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine whether this association is confounded by vitamin D or modified by gender or race, and the usefulness of EBV nuclear antigen (EBNA) antibodies as a marker for MS.

Methods: We conducted a prospective study among US military personnel. Antibody titers against EBV antigens were measured in serum samples from 222 individuals who developed MS and 444 age, sex, and race/ethnicity matched controls. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate relative risks.

Results: MS risk increased with increasing titers of anti-EBNA complex ( p < 10−9) and anti-EBNA-1 ( p = 5.8 × 10−9) titers. MS risk was 36-fold higher among individuals with anti-EBNA complex IgG titers ≥320 than among those with titers <20 (95% confidence interval [CI] 9.6–136), and 8-fold higher among those with anti-EBNA-1 ≥320 than among those with anti-EBNA-1 <20 (95% CI 2.6–23). These associations were consistent across gender and race/ethnicity groups and independent from 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were 0.67 for EBNA complex and 0.65 for EBNA-1.

Conclusions: Serum titers of pre-onset anti-EBNA antibodies are strong, robust markers of MS risk and could be useful in an MS risk score.
An Investigation and Analysis of Indoor Environment in Air-Conditioned Chinese Ship Vessel Cabins
Authors: Hongmin Liu  , Jiujian Ni  , Na Xing  , Houde Han
Published: June 2011

This paper focuses on the field measurement and evaluation of the indoor thermal environment in air-conditioned vessel cabins. Questionnaires were collected in this study to appraise thermal sensation vote (TSV) of crews and passengers in specific ship cabins environment during a hot season. Predicted mean vote (PMV) was calculated based on the field environmental data. The neutral temperature was 22.6°C for passengers, 22.9°C for the working crews and 20.9°C for resting crews based on calculation using TSV regression. From PMV regression, the neutral temperature was 24.0°C for passengers, 25.1°C for working crew and 24.7°C for resting crew. Predicted neutral temperature from PMV is higher than the neutral temperature from TSV. Human factors of crew, metabolism rate and clothing insulation were reasonably modified in order to minimise the differences between TSV and PMV and predict PMV accurately. Investigation of the thermal preference and productivity of the crews were also carried out during the field experiment. The results showed that female subjects or elderly subjects (above 40) preferred working in warmer environment and that neutral temperature can not ensure high productivity. Therefore, variance exists between thermal sensation and thermal preference. From the field data analysis, productivity of the crew in slightly cool or slightly warm environment was higher than that in the environment with neutral temperature. Productivity is 101.7% when TSV is 0 and reaches the peak of 105.1% in slightly cool environment. A TSV-Productivity polynomial regression equation was established based on field investigation data.
Religious intolerance and Euroscepticism
Authors: Hobolt Sara B. , Van der Brug Wouter , De Vreese Claes H. , Boomgaarden Hajo G. , Hinrichsen Malte C.
Published: June 2011

Research on Euroscepticism focuses increasingly on the role of group identities: national identities and attitudes towards multiculturalism. Yet hardly any attention has been paid to the way in which religious intolerance shapes Euroscepticism. We argue that religious intolerance influences not only diffuse Euroscepticism, but also more specifically opposition to enlargement of the European Union with Turkey. To examine the relationship between religious intolerance and Euroscepticism, this article analyses unique data from two representative surveys conducted in Ireland and the Netherlands. Our findings show that religious intolerance is indeed a powerful determinant of attitudes towards the European Union and that it particularly shapes people’s attitudes towards future Turkish enlargement. This study therefore contributes to the literature by demonstrating that social identities are strong determinants of Euroscepticism.
Wartime citizenship: An argument for shared fate
Authors: Ben-Porath Sigal
Published: June 2011

This paper examines the connections among compatriots, their conceptualization and the effects that war has on the moral realities of nationality. Recent conceptions of citizenship, and particularly the view that citizenship is an aspect of personal identity, are considered in light of the demands that wartime creates within a nation. I focus on the notion of citizenship as shared fate as a productive lens to use in the analysis of national affiliation, and to employ in the process of education for citizenship.
CBPR With Service Providers
Authors: Spector Anya Y.
Published: June 2011

This review synthesizes the literature on CBPR with service providers to identify the benefits to, unique contributions of, and challenges experienced by professional service providers engaged in collaborative research. Service providers benefited by obtaining research-based knowledge to help the communities they serve, gaining research skills, professional relationships, professional development, and new programs. They contributed by informing research aims, designing interventions, conducting recruitment, informing overall study design, and dissemination. Challenges include time, resources, organizational factors, and disconnects between researchers and service providers. Policy and practice implications are explored.
Becoming Visible
Authors: Lindley Lisa L. , Friedman Daniela B. , Struble Corrie
Published: June 2011

Research suggests that lesbians turn to the Internet for information regarding their sexual health. However, limited research has examined the availability of online sexual health resources for this population. This study evaluated the volume, scope, and readability of sexual health information available to lesbians on the Internet. The top three Nielsen-rated search engines were used to identify websites generated using the search term “lesbian sexual health.” A content analysis was conducted of 25 unique, functioning websites (46 webpages total) and Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch–Kincaid grade levels were calculated. Nearly one third of the websites were located outside the United States; two were U.S. government sites. Although most sites provided information about sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS (52% to 72%), fewer provided information about safer sex practices (12% to 56%), reproductive cancers (24% to 36%), intimate partner violence (16%), family planning issues (0% to 12%), or other preventive health practices, such as mammograms and gynecological exams (4% to 44%) for lesbians. Readability of websites was much higher than recommended for health materials. Lesbians are in need of comprehensive and reliable sexual health information on the Internet. In particular, sexual health messages written in plain language are needed to encourage safer sex and other preventive practices among lesbians.
The Role of Reflective Practices in Building Social Capital in Organizations From an HRD Perspective
Authors: Tomozumi Nakamura Yoshie , Yorks Lyle
Published: June 2011

Social capital has been receiving increasing attention in the field of human resource development (HRD). However, little is known as to how social capital has been formed or has grown over time with HRD interventions. There is limited research and discussion on how reflective practices play a role in the development of social capital as individuals reflect together in interactive social contexts such as networking activities. This article looks at how reflective practices can inform organizational social capital building. This article reviews relevant social capital and reflective practices literatures. An integrative model of institutional social capital and reflective practices is introduced to help explain how the two areas can be interrelated. The article suggests future efforts to integrate research and practice to better develop social capital in organizations.
Retaining Latino Students
Authors: Pappamihiel N. Eleni , Moreno Marcio
Published: June 2011

In this article the authors define and describe culturally responsive teaching (CRT) in college and university courses. Whereas, the Latino population in our K-12 schools has grown rapidly, we have not seen such growth in the population of Latino students in our postsecondary schools. It is the authors’ position that CRT can be a tool in helping Latinos students be more successful in traditionally White dominated colleges and universities.
Coupling decomposition and truncation for the analysis of complex fault trees
Authors: Contini S , Matuzas V
Published: June 2011

The analysis of large and complex fault trees is a very difficult task. The main limiting factor is an insufficient working memory. Several methods are available in literature to reduce the working memory requirement including modularization, the so-called ‘re-writing rules’, and truncation, i.e. the use of logic and/or probabilistic cut-offs to determine only the most important system failure modes. The truncation method is very effective, as it allows significant reductions in the computational effort; however, it implies the estimation of the truncation error, a problem not yet solved satisfactorily.

Recently, a new method based on the decomposition of a complex fault tree into a set of mutually exclusive simpler fault trees was proposed. The decomposition is repeatedly applied until the generated trees are sufficiently simple to be exactly analysed with the available working memory. Theoretically, this approach would allow the exact analysis of fault trees of any complexity, but the related computation times are generally too high.

The scope of this paper is to show how the combined application of decomposition and truncation constitutes a valuable method to analyse complex fault trees. The upper and lower bounds of the top-event probability, obtained by applying this method, are very close to the exact value and their difference depends on the dimension of the available working memory. Furthermore, the probabilistic quantification, including the importance measures of basic events, can easily be performed by properly combining the results from the independent analysis of all simpler fault trees.

The developed methodology has been implemented in a software tool and successfully applied to the analysis of several complex fault trees, some of which are considered in this paper.
Research study of factors affecting difference between hole diameters in hybrid metal-composite drilling
Authors: Carvajal R , González-R P L , Lozano S
Published: June 2011

The assembly of airframe sections often requires the joining of parts made of composite materials to the metallic inner structure using bolts, rivets, and tight-diameter-tolerance drilled holes. Whilst the problems that arise in the drilling of composite-and-metal hybrid stacks are well known in industry little academic work has been done to solve these issues. This paper focuses on the problem of minimizing the difference in the diameters of the hole in each material in a hybrid stack. A statistical analysis is performed on an extensive historical data set collected in an industrial setting and a 23 factorial experimental design is also performed Among the studied factors affecting the extent of this difference (nominal diameter, type of drilling machine, nature of materials, feed rate, and spindle speed), only the nominal diameter does not show a significant influence on the value of the difference in the diameters. The type of drilling machine, the nature of the materials that make up the stack, and the feed rate all have a strong influence on the difference in diameter but cutting speed displays a smaller influence than these factors.
Productivity improvement through chatter-free milling in workshops
Authors: Quintana G , Campa F J , Ciurana J , de Lacalle L N Lopez
Published: June 2011

High-speed machining has improved performance in manufacturing sectors such as the aeronautical, automotive, and mould and die industries. However, one problem of reaching such high speeds is the self-excitation of the spindle-tool system during the machining process. This so-called chatter vibration produces several negative effects: a reduction in surface quality and accuracy, and in tool and spindle life. Nowadays, it is still the most common limitation to increased productivity and quality of metal-removal operations. Although theoretically calculated stability-lobe diagrams can be used to calculate stable cutting conditions, some uncertainties affect the accuracy of this solution.

This paper presents a method based on experimental tests where an inclined plane in the workpiece is machined at several spindle speeds. The gradual increase of the axial depth of cut allows the milling to be interrupted when chatter is detected. The final result is that the stability lobes are machined in the workpiece. This method can be used for process optimization and avoiding trial and error tests to determine optimal depths of cut and spindle speeds. The creation of a database with the optimal cutting conditions for a given spindle-tool holder-tool system can help the computer aided manufacturing (CAM) programmer select the cutting conditions that maximize the material removal rate and avoid vibration problems. The method presented is especially suitable for small- and medium-sized workshops where operators are unfamiliar with analytical methods or modelling techniques. It is an interesting way of saving money that does not require complex knowledge, and can easily be applied without additional costs owing to its simplicity.
Ship motion stabilizing control using a combination of model predictive control and an adaptive input disturbance predictor
Authors: Liu J , Allen R , Yi H
Published: June 2011

When ships travel on the high seas, changes in the sea states and the sailing conditions induce significant uncertainties in the hydrodynamics, leading to deterioration in the performance of traditional stabilization systems. To overcome this problem, a combination of model predictive control (MPC) and an adaptive input disturbance predictor is proposed. This combination predicts the wave disturbance force by using an auto-regressive model of the input disturbance and then compensating for the predicted disturbance in the MPC framework. MPC is more appropriate than classical control when dealing with constraints. The adaptive disturbance model enhances not only the ship adaptability when travelling in varying sea conditions but also the robustness of the control system with model uncertainties. This combines the advantages of MPC and the adaptive model, and avoids performance degradations caused by estimation errors of the state observer which is commonly used within the MPC framework to estimate output disturbances. A numerical simulation shows that this combination works very well.
Statistical Reanalysis of Jewish Priests’ and Non-Priests’ Haplotypes Using Exact Methods
Authors: Sawilowsky Shlomo S.
Published: June 2011

Researchers in an article appearing in Nature used asymptotic (i.e., large sample) chi-square tests in analyzing haplotypes of Y chromosomes using the polymerase chain reaction applied to genomic DNA from male Israeli, North American, and British Jews. The use of classical methods for analyzing extremely sparse contingency tables is frequently done, but with the advent of statistical software capable of conducting exact tests, researchers should certainly cease relying on outdated methods for small sample analyses. A reanalysis was conducted using modern statistical methods. Results and implications for using exact tests are discussed.
Suppression of HTLV-1 replication by Tax-mediated rerouting of the p13 viral protein to nuclear speckles
Authors: Andresen Vibeke , Pise-Masison Cynthia A. , Sinha-Datta Uma , Bellon Marcia , Valeri Valerio , Washington Parks Robyn , Cecchinato Valentina , Fukumoto Risaku , Nicot Christophe , Franchini Genoveffa
Published: June 2011

Disease development in human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1)–infected individuals is positively correlated with the level of integrated viral DNA in T cells. HTLV-1 replication is positively regulated by Tax and Rex and negatively regulated by the p30 and HBZ proteins. In the present study, we demonstrate that HTLV-1 encodes another negative regulator of virus expression, the p13 protein. Expressed separately, p13 localizes to the mitochondria, whereas in the presence of Tax, part of it is ubiquitinated, stabilized, and rerouted to the nuclear speckles. The p13 protein directly binds Tax, decreases Tax binding to the CBP/p300 transcriptional coactivator, and, by reducing Tax transcriptional activity, suppresses viral expression. Because Tax stabilizes its own repressor, these findings suggest that HTLV-1 has evolved a complex mechanism to control its own replication. Further, these results highlight the importance of studying the function of the HTLV-1 viral proteins, not only in isolation, but also in the context of full viral replication.
G-CSF supplementation with chemotherapy can promote revascularization and subsequent tumor regrowth: prevention by a CXCR4 antagonist
Authors: Voloshin Tali , Gingis-Velitski Svetlana , Bril Rotem , Benayoun Liat , Munster Michal , Milsom Chloe , Man Shan , Kerbel Robert S. , Shaked Yuval
Published: June 2011

Recombinant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is used to accelerate recovery from chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression. G-CSF has been recently shown to stimulate angiogenesis mediated by several types of bone marrow-derived cell populations. To investigate whether G-CSF may alter tumor response to therapy, we studied Lewis lung and EMT/6 breast carcinomas in mice treated with paclitaxel (PTX) chemotherapy in combination with G-CSF. We compared the results obtained to mice treated with PTX and AMD3100, a small-molecule drug antagonist of CXCR4 which, like G-CSF, can be used to mobilize hematopoietic cells. We show that PTX combined with G-CSF treatment facilitates revascularization, leading to an improvement in blood perfusion in LLC tumors, and a decrease in hypoxia in EMT/6 tumors, thus enhancing tumor growth in comparison to PTX or PTX and AMD3100 therapies. We found that hemangiocytes but not Gr-1+ CD11b+ cells colonize EMT/6 tumors after treatment with PTX and G-CSF, but not PTX and AMD3100, and therefore may contribute to angiogenesis. However, increases in hemangiocyte colonization were not observed in LLC PTX and G-CSF–treated tumors, suggesting distinct mechanisms of tumor revascularization after G-CSF. Overall, our observations suggest that despite its known considerable clinical benefits, G-CSF might contribute to tumor revascularization by various mechanisms, and diminish the antitumor activity of chemotherapy, an effect that can be prevented by AMD3100.
Identifying subtypes of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration by genotypic and cardiovascular risk characteristics
Authors: Feehan Michael , Hartman John , Durante Richard , Morrison Margaux A , Miller Joan W , Kim Ivana K , DeAngelis Margaret M
Published: June 2011

Background

One of the challenges in the interpretation of studies showing associations between environmental and genotypic data with disease outcomes such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is understanding the phenotypic heterogeneity within a patient population with regard to any risk factor associated with the condition. This is critical when considering the potential therapeutic response of patients to any drug developed to treat the condition. In the present study, we identify patient subtypes or clusters which could represent several different targets for treatment development, based on genetic pathways in AMD and cardiovascular pathology.

Methods

We identified a sample of patients with neovascular AMD, that in previous studies had been shown to be at elevated risk for the disease through environmental factors such as cigarette smoking and genetic variants including the complement factor H gene (CFH) on chromosome 1q25 and variants in the ARMS2/HtrA serine peptidase 1 (HTRA1) gene(s) on chromosome 10q26. We conducted a multivariate segmentation analysis of 253 of these patients utilizing available epidemiologic and genetic data.

Results

In a multivariate model, cigarette smoking failed to differentiate subtypes of patients. However, four meaningfully distinct clusters of patients were identified that were most strongly differentiated by their cardiovascular health status (histories of hypercholesterolemia and hypertension), and the alleles of ARMS2/HTRA1 rs1049331.

Conclusions

These results have significant personalized medicine implications for drug developers attempting to determine the effective size of the treatable neovascular AMD population. Patient subtypes or clusters may represent different targets for therapeutic development based on genetic pathways in AMD and cardiovascular pathology, and treatments developed that may elevate CV risk, may be ill advised for certain of the clusters identified.
Gβγ subunits inhibit Epac-induced melanoma cell migration
Authors: Baljinnyam Erdene , Umemura Masanari , De Lorenzo Mariana S , Xie Lai-Hua , Nowycky Martha , Iwatsubo Mizuka , Chen Suzie , Goydos James S , Iwatsubo Kousaku
Published: June 2011

Background

Recently we reported that activation of Epac1, an exchange protein activated by cAMP, increases melanoma cell migration via Ca 2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). G-protein βγ subunits (Gβγ) are known to act as an independent signaling molecule upon activation of G-protein coupled receptor. However, the role of Gβγ in cell migration and Ca 2+ signaling in melanoma has not been well studied. Here we report that there is crosstalk of Ca 2+ signaling between Gβγ and Epac in melanoma, which plays a role in regulation of cell migration.

Methods

SK-Mel-2 cells, a human metastatic melanoma cell line, were mainly used in this study. Intracellular Ca 2+ was measured with Fluo-4AM fluorescent dyes. Cell migration was examined using the Boyden chambers.

Results

The effect of Gβγ on Epac-induced cell migration was first examined. Epac-induced cell migration was inhibited by mSIRK, a Gβγ -activating peptide, but not its inactive analog, L9A, in SK-Mel-2 cells. Guanosine 5', α-β-methylene triphosphate (Gp(CH2)pp), a constitutively active GTP analogue that activates Gβγ, also inhibited Epac-induced cell migration. In addition, co-overexpression of β1 and γ2, which is the major combination of Gβγ, inhibited Epac1-induced cell migration. By contrast, when the C-terminus of β adrenergic receptor kinase (βARK-CT), an endogenous inhibitor for Gβγ, was overexpressed, mSIRK's inhibitory effect on Epac-induced cell migration was negated, suggesting the specificity of mSIRK for Gβγ. We next examined the effect of mSIRK on Epac-induced Ca 2+ response. When cells were pretreated with mSIRK, but not with L9A, 8-(4-Methoxyphenylthio)-2'-O-methyladenosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-pMeOPT), an Epac-specific agonist, failed to increase Ca 2+ signal. Co-overexpression of β1 and γ2 subunits inhibited 8-pMeOPT-induced Ca 2+ elevation. Inhibition of Gβγ with βARK-CT or guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) (GDPβS), a GDP analogue that inactivates Gβγ, restored 8-pMeOPT-induced Ca 2+ elevation even in the presence of mSIRK. These data suggested that Gβγ inhibits Epac-induced Ca 2+ elevation. Subsequently, the mechanism by which Gβγ inhibits Epac-induced Ca 2+ elevation was explored. mSIRK activates Ca 2+ influx from the extracellular space. In addition, W-5, an inhibitor of calmodulin, abolished mSIRK's inhibitory effects on Epac-induced Ca 2+ elevation, and cell migration. These data suggest that, the mSIRK-induced Ca 2+ from the extracellular space inhibits the Epac-induced Ca 2+ release from the ER, resulting suppression of cell migration.

Conclusion

We found the cross talk of Ca 2+ signaling between Gβγ and Epac, which plays a major role in melanoma cell migration.
Efficacy of hypnosis/guided imagery in fibromyalgia syndrome - a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials
Authors: Bernardy Kathrin , Füber Nicole , Klose Petra , Häuser Winfried
Published: June 2011

Background

Recent systematic reviews on psychological therapies of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) did not consider hypnosis/guided imagery (H/GI). Therefore we performed a systematic review with meta-analysis of the efficacy of H/GI in FMS.

Methods

We screened http://ClinicalTrials.gov, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and SCOPUS (through December 2010). (Quasi-) randomized controlled trials (CTs) comparing H/GI with controls were analyzed. Outcomes were pain, sleep, fatigue, depressed mood and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Effects were summarized using standardized mean differences (SMD).

Results

Six CTs with 239 subjects with a median of 9 (range 7-12) H/GI-sessions were analysed. The median number of patients in the H/GI groups was 20 (range 8-26). Three studies performed follow-ups. H/GI reduced pain compared to controls at final treatment (SMD -1.17 [95% CI -2.21, -0.13]; p = 0.03). H/GI did not reduce limitations of HRQOL at final treatment (SMD -0.90 [95% CI -2.55, 0.76]; p = 0.29) compared to controls. Effect sizes on fatigue, sleep and depressed mood at final treatment and follow-up and on pain and HRQOL at follow-up were not calculated because of limited data available. The significant effect on pain at final treatment was associated with low methodological and low treatment quality.

Conclusion

Further studies with better treatment quality and adequate methodological quality assessing all key domains of FMS are necessary to clarify the efficacy of H/GI in FMS.
Human and great ape red blood cells differ in plasmalogen levels and composition
Authors: Moser Ann B , Steinberg Steven J , Watkins Paul A , Moser Hugo W , Ramaswamy Krishna , Siegmund Kimberly D , Lee D Rick , Ely John J , Ryder Oliver A , Hacia Joseph G
Published: June 2011

Background

Plasmalogens are ether phospholipids required for normal mammalian developmental, physiological, and cognitive functions. They have been proposed to act as membrane antioxidants and reservoirs of polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as influence intracellular signaling and membrane dynamics. Plasmalogens are particularly enriched in cells and tissues of the human nervous, immune, and cardiovascular systems. Humans with severely reduced plasmalogen levels have reduced life spans, abnormal neurological development, skeletal dysplasia, impaired respiration, and cataracts. Plasmalogen deficiency is also found in the brain tissue of individuals with Alzheimer disease.

Results

In a human and great ape cohort, we measured the red blood cell (RBC) levels of the most abundant types of plasmalogens. Total RBC plasmalogen levels were lower in humans than bonobos, chimpanzees, and gorillas, but higher than orangutans. There were especially pronounced cross-species differences in the levels of plasmalogens with a C16:0 moiety at thesn-1 position. Humans on Western or vegan diets had comparable total RBC plasmalogen levels, but the latter group showed moderately higher levels of plasmalogens with a C18:1 moiety at thesn-1 position. We did not find robust sex-specific differences in human or chimpanzee RBC plasmalogen levels or composition. Furthermore, human and great ape skin fibroblasts showed only modest differences in peroxisomal plasmalogen biosynthetic activity. Human and chimpanzee microarray data indicated that genes involved in plasmalogen biosynthesis show cross-species differential expression in multiple tissues.

Conclusion

We propose that the observed differences in human and great ape RBC plasmalogens are primarily caused by their rates of biosynthesis and/or turnover. Gene expression data raise the possibility that other human and great ape cells and tissues differ in plasmalogen levels. Based on the phenotypes of humans and rodents with plasmalogen disorders, we propose that cross-species differences in tissue plasmalogen levels could influence organ functions and processes ranging from cognition to reproduction to aging.
Materialization of single multicomposite nanowire: entrapment of ZnO nanoparticles in polyaniline nanowire
Authors: Lee Innam , Park Seong Yong , Kim Moon J , Yun Minhee
Published: June 2011

We present materialization of single multicomposite nanowire (SMNW)-entrapped ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) via an electrochemical growth method, which is a newly developed fabrication method to grow a single nanowire between a pair of pre-patterned electrodes. Entrapment of ZnO NPs was controlled via different conditions of SMNW fabrication such as an applied potential and mixture ratio of NPs and aniline solution. The controlled concentration of ZnO NP results in changes in the physical properties of the SMNWs, as shown in transmission electron microscopy images. Furthermore, the electrical conductivity and elasticity of SMNWs show improvement over those of pure polyaniline nanowire. The new nano-multicomposite material showed synergistic effects on mechanical and electrical properties, with logarithmical change and saturation increasing ZnO NP concentration.
Best practice for motor imagery: a systematic literature review on motor imagery training elements in five different disciplines
Authors: Schuster Corina , Hilfiker Roger , Amft Oliver , Scheidhauer Anne , Andrews Brian , Butler Jenny , Kischka Udo , Ettlin Thierry
Published: June 2011

Background

The literature suggests a beneficial effect of motor imagery (MI) if combined with physical practice, but detailed descriptions of MI training session (MITS) elements and temporal parameters are lacking. The aim of this review was to identify the characteristics of a successful MITS and compare these for different disciplines, MI session types, task focus, age, gender and MI modification during intervention.

Methods

An extended systematic literature search using 24 databases was performed for five disciplines: Education, Medicine, Music, Psychology and Sports. References that described an MI intervention that focused on motor skills, performance or strength improvement were included. Information describing 17 MITS elements was extracted based on the PETTLEP (physical, environment, timing, task, learning, emotion, perspective) approach. Seven elements describing the MITS temporal parameters were calculated: study duration, intervention duration, MITS duration, total MITS count, MITS per week, MI trials per MITS and total MI training time.

Results

Both independent reviewers found 96% congruity, which was tested on a random sample of 20% of all references. After selection, 133 studies reporting 141 MI interventions were included. The locations of the MITS and position of the participants during MI were task-specific. Participants received acoustic detailed MI instructions, which were mostly standardised and live. During MI practice, participants kept their eyes closed. MI training was performed from an internal perspective with a kinaesthetic mode. Changes in MI content, duration and dosage were reported in 31 MI interventions. Familiarisation sessions before the start of the MI intervention were mentioned in 17 reports. MI interventions focused with decreasing relevance on motor-, cognitive- and strength-focused tasks. Average study intervention lasted 34 days, with participants practicing MI on average three times per week for 17 minutes, with 34 MI trials. Average total MI time was 178 minutes including 13 MITS. Reporting rate varied between 25.5% and 95.5%.

Conclusions

MITS elements of successful interventions were individual, supervised and non-directed sessions, added after physical practice. Successful design characteristics were dominant in the Psychology literature, in interventions focusing on motor and strength-related tasks, in interventions with participants aged 20 to 29 years old, and in MI interventions including participants of both genders. Systematic searching of the MI literature was constrained by the lack of a defined MeSH term.
Blocking premature reverse transcription fails to rescue the HIV-1 nucleocapsid-mutant replication defect
Authors: Thomas James A , Shatzer Teresa L , Gorelick Robert J
Published: June 2011

Background

The nucleocapsid (NC) protein of HIV-1 is critical for viral replication. Mutational analyses have demonstrated its involvement in viral assembly, genome packaging, budding, maturation, reverse transcription, and integration. We previously reported that two conservative NC mutations, His23Cys and His44Cys, cause premature reverse transcription such that mutant virions contain approximately 1,000-fold more DNA than wild-type virus, and are replication defective. In addition, both mutants show a specific defect in integration after infection.

Results

In the present study we investigated whether blocking premature reverse transcription would relieve the infectivity defects, which we successfully performed by transfecting proviral plasmids into cells cultured in the presence of high levels of reverse transcriptase inhibitors. After subsequent removal of the inhibitors, the resulting viruses showed no significant difference in single-round infective titer compared to viruses where premature reverse transcription did occur; there was no rescue of the infectivity defects in the NC mutants upon reverse transcriptase inhibitor treatment. Surprisingly, time-course endogenous reverse transcription assays demonstrated that the kinetics for both the NC mutants were essentially identical to wild-type when premature reverse transcription was blocked. In contrast, after infection of CD4+ HeLa cells, it was observed that while the prevention of premature reverse transcription in the NC mutants resulted in lower quantities of initial reverse transcripts, the kinetics of reverse transcription were not restored to that of untreated wild-type HIV-1.

Conclusions

Premature reverse transcription is not the cause of the replication defect but is an independent side-effect of the NC mutations.
Lack of Processing of the Expressed ORF1 Gene Product of Hepatitis E Virus
Authors: Suppiah Suganthi , Zhou Yumei , Frey Teryl K
Published: June 2011

Background

Proteolytic processing is a common mechanism among plus strand RNA viruses and the replicases of all plus strand RNA viruses of animals thus far characterized undergo such processing. The replicase proteins of hepatitis E virus (HEV) are encoded by ORF1. A previous report published by our group [1] provided data that processing potentially occurred when ORF1 (Burma strain; genotype 1) was expressed using a vaccinia virus-based expression system.

Findings

To further test for processing and to rule out artifacts associated with the expression system, ORF1 was re-expressed using a plasmid-based expression vector with the result that the previous processing profile could not be confirmed. When ORF1 from an HEV infectious cDNA clone (US swine strain; genotype 3) was expressed using the plasmid-based system, the only species detected was the 185 kDa precursor of ORF1. A putative papain-like cysteine protease [2] had been predicted within ORF1 using the original HEV genomic sequence. However, analysis of subsequent ORF1 sequences from a large number of HEV isolates reveals that this protease motif is not conserved.

Conclusions

The expressed HEV ORF1 gene product does not undergo proteolytic processing, indicating that the replicase precursor of HEV is potentially unique in this regard.
An alternative pathway for alphavirus entry
Authors: Kononchik Joseph P , Hernandez Raquel , Brown Dennis T
Published: June 2011

The study of alphavirus entry has been complicated by an inability to clearly identify a receptor and by experiments which only tangentially and indirectly examine the process, producing results that are difficult to interpret. The mechanism of entry has been widely accepted to be by endocytosis followed by acidification of the endosome resulting in virus membrane-endosome membrane fusion. This mechanism has come under scrutiny as better purification protocols and improved methods of analysis have been brought to the study. Results have been obtained that suggest alphaviruses infect cells directly at the plasma membrane without the involvement of endocytosis, exposure to acid pH, or membrane fusion. In this review we compare the data which support the two models and make the case for an alternative pathway of entry by alphaviruses.
A high-resolution method for the localization of proanthocyanidins in plant tissues
Authors: Abeynayake Shamila W , Panter Stephen , Mouradov Aidyn , Spangenberg German
Published: June 2011

Background

Histochemical staining of plant tissues with 4-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (DMACA) or vanillin-HCl is widely used to characterize spatial patterns of proanthocyanidin accumulation in plant tissues. These methods are limited in their ability to allow high-resolution imaging of proanthocyanidin deposits.

Results

Tissue embedding techniques were used in combination with DMACA staining to analyze the accumulation of proanthocyanidins in Lotus corniculatus (L.) and Trifolium repens (L.) tissues. Embedding of plant tissues in LR White or paraffin matrices, with or without DMACA staining, preserved the physical integrity of the plant tissues, allowing high-resolution imaging that facilitated cell-specific localization of proanthocyanidins. A brown coloration was seen in proanthocyanidin-producing cells when plant tissues were embedded without DMACA staining and this was likely to have been due to non-enzymatic oxidation of proanthocyanidins and the formation of colored semiquinones and quinones.

Conclusions

This paper presents a simple, high-resolution method for analysis of proanthocyanidin accumulation in organs, tissues and cells of two plant species with different patterns of proanthocyanidin accumulation, namely Lotus corniculatus (birdsfoot trefoil) and Trifolium repens (white clover). This technique was used to characterize cell type-specific patterns of proanthocyanidin accumulation in white clover flowers at different stages of development.
Antiproliferation and cell apoptosis inducing bioactivities of constituents from Dysosma versipellis in PC3 and Bcap-37 cell lines
Authors: Xu Xiaoqiang , Gao Xiuhong , Jin Linhong , Bhadury Pinaki S , Yuan Kai , Hu Deyu , Song Baoan , Yang Song
Published: June 2011

Background

Recently, interest in phytochemicals from traditional Chinese medicinal herbs with the capability to inhibit cancer cells growth and proliferation has been growing rapidly due to their nontoxic nature.Dysosma versipellisas Bereridaceae plants is an endemic species in China, which has been proved to be an important Chinese herbal medicine because of its biological activity. However, systematic and comprehensive studies on the phytochemicals fromDysosma versipellisand their bioactivity are limited.

Results

Fifteen compounds were isolated and characterized from the roots ofDysosma versipellis, among which six compounds were isolated from this plant for the first time. The inhibitory activities of these compounds were investigated on tumor cells PC3, Bcap-37 and BGC-823in vitroby MTT method, and the results showed that podophyllotoxone (PTO) and 4'-demethyldeoxypodophyllotoxin (DDPT) had potent inhibitory activities against the growth of human carcinoma cell lines. Subsequent fluorescence staining and flow cytometry analysis indicated that these two compounds could induce apoptosis in PC3 and Bcap-37 cells, and the apoptosis ratios reached the peak (12.0% and 14.1%) after 72 h of treatment at 20μM, respectively.

Conclusions

This study suggests that most of the compounds from the roots ofD. versipelliscould inhibit the growth of human carcinoma cells. In addition, PTO and DDPT could induce apoptosis of tumor cells.
Kinetic modeling and exploratory numerical simulation of chloroplastic starch degradation
Authors: Nag Ambarish , Lunacek Monte , Graf Peter A , Chang Christopher H
Published: June 2011

Background

Higher plants and algae are able to fix atmospheric carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and store this fixed carbon in large quantities as starch, which can be hydrolyzed into sugars serving as feedstock for fermentation to biofuels and precursors. Rational engineering of carbon flow in plant cells requires a greater understanding of how starch breakdown fluxes respond to variations in enzyme concentrations, kinetic parameters, and metabolite concentrations. We have therefore developed and simulated a detailed kinetic ordinary differential equation model of the degradation pathways for starch synthesized in plants and green algae, which to our knowledge is the most complete such model reported to date.

Results

Simulation with 9 internal metabolites and 8 external metabolites, the concentrations of the latter fixed at reasonable biochemical values, leads to a single reference solution showing β-amylase activity to be the rate-limiting step in carbon flow from starch degradation. Additionally, the response coefficients for stromal glucose to the glucose transporter kcat and KM are substantial, whereas those for cytosolic glucose are not, consistent with a kinetic bottleneck due to transport. Response coefficient norms show stromal maltopentaose and cytosolic glucosylated arabinogalactan to be the most and least globally sensitive metabolites, respectively, and β-amylase kcat and KM for starch to be the kinetic parameters with the largest aggregate effect on metabolite concentrations as a whole. The latter kinetic parameters, together with those for glucose transport, have the greatest effect on stromal glucose, which is a precursor for biofuel synthetic pathways. Exploration of the steady-state solution space with respect to concentrations of 6 external metabolites and 8 dynamic metabolite concentrations show that stromal metabolism is strongly coupled to starch levels, and that transport between compartments serves to lower coupling between metabolic subsystems in different compartments.

Conclusions

We find that in the reference steady state, starch cleavage is the most significant determinant of carbon flux, with turnover of oligosaccharides playing a secondary role. Independence of stationary point with respect to initial dynamic variable values confirms a unique stationary point in the phase space of dynamically varying concentrations of the model network. Stromal maltooligosaccharide metabolism was highly coupled to the available starch concentration. From the most highly converged trajectories, distances between unique fixed points of phase spaces show that cytosolic maltose levels depend on the total concentrations of arabinogalactan and glucose present in the cytosol. In addition, cellular compartmentalization serves to dampen much, but not all, of the effects of one subnetwork on another, such that kinetic modeling of single compartments would likely capture most dynamics that are fast on the timescale of the transport reactions.
Visual recovery in a patient with total hyphema, neovascular glaucoma, long-standing retinal detachment and no light perception vision: a case report
Authors: Olawoye Olusola , Teng Christopher C , Shabto Uri , Liebmann Jeffrey M , L'Esperance Francis A , Ritch Robert
Published: June 2011

Introduction

We report the case of a patient with total hyphema, neovascular glaucoma, long-standing retinal detachment and no light perception vision, who regained counting fingers vision with complete regression of neovascularization following anterior chamber washout, intravitreal bevacizumab, pars plana vitrectomy, and silicone oil placement. This represents a rare case in which a patient with no light perception vision was able to regain functional vision.

Case presentation

A 63-year-old Caucasian man with a 55-year history of long-standing retinal detachment after trauma presented to our facility with pain and redness, a total hyphema, no light perception vision and an intraocular pressure of 60 mmHg (right eye). He had a history of diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease. Following anterior chamber washout, he was found to have neovascular glaucoma, for which intravitreal bevacizumab was administered. After washout and intraocular pressure control, his visual acuity improved to light perception. He subsequently underwent vitrectomy, membrane peeling, endolaser and silicone oil placement to reattach his retina, and then a second retinal reattachment procedure. Following these procedures, he had visual recovery to counting fingers vision in his right eye at five metres, complete regression of neovascularization, and intraocular pressure of 10 to 12 mmHg on one antiglaucoma medication.

Conclusion

Functional vision can be regained despite long-standing retinal detachment.