bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Femtosecond Laser Fabricated Spike Structures for Selective Control of Cellular Behavior
Authors: Schlie Sabrina , Fadeeva Elena , Koch Jürgen , Ngezahayo Anaclet , Chichkov Boris N.
Published: September 2009

In this study we investigate the potential of femtosecond laser generated micrometer sized spike structures as functional surfaces for selective cell controlling. The spike dimensions as well as the average spike to spike distance can be easily tuned by varying the process parameters. Moreover, negative replications in soft materials such as silicone elastomer can be produced. This allows tailoring of wetting properties of the spike structures and their negative replicas representing a reduced surface contact area. Furthermore, we investigated material effects on cellular behavior. By comparing human fibroblasts and SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells we found that the influence of the material was cell specific. The cells not only changed their morphology, but also the cell growth was affected. Whereas, neuroblastoma cells proliferated at the same rate on the spike structures as on the control surfaces, the proliferation of fibroblasts was reduced by the spike structures. These effects can result from the cell specific adhesion patterns as shown in this work. These findings show a possibility to design defined surface microstructures, which could control cellular behavior in a cell specific manner.
The Impact of Traffic Stops on Calling the Police for Help
Authors: Gibson Chris L. , Walker Samuel , Jennings Wesley G. , Mitchell Miller J.
Published: September 2009

Using data from the Police—Public Contact Survey (PPCS), the current study examined how experiencing traffic stops affect the likelihood that Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics will contact the police for services. First, experiencing one or more traffic stops in the past year significantly decreased the likelihood of contacting the police for assistance and to report a neighborhood problem, net of other demographic characteristics. Second, traffic stop experiences had similar effects on Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics, each group less likely to have contacted the police for assistance and to report neighborhood problems if they had experienced one or more traffic stops in the past year. This study also discusses the reasons why experiencing traffic stops are related to contacting the police for help and provides some implications for police— community relationships.
Implementing the Adam Walsh Act’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Provisions: A Survey of the States
Authors: Harris Andrew J. , Lobanov-Rostovsky Christopher
Published: September 2009

With the 2006 passage of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act (AWA), the United States Congress established a range of requirements for sex offender registration and notification (R&N) systems operated by states, tribal jurisdictions, and U.S. territories. In the years since the law’s passage, these congressional mandates have generated concern within some covered jurisdictions and among national organizations over matters such as the perceived undermining of jurisdictional autonomy, the variance between the law and emerging “best practices,” and perceived threats to the viability of state-based sex offender management efforts. To examine these concerns, a national survey was conducted in the fall of 2008 to evaluate the consistency between AWA requirements and existing state policies and practices, and to assess state-based barriers to AWA implementation. The survey results identified several areas of inconsistency between AWA mandates and state practices, particularly those relating to inclusion of juveniles, classification methods, and retroactive application of R&N requirements. The study revealed the barriers to AWA implementation within many states to be multifaceted and complex, suggesting the potential need for a recalibration of federal policy governing registration and notification. Implications for the respective roles of federal and state governments in the shaping of sex offender policy are discussed.
Profiles of Physical and Psychological Violence in Childhood as a Risk Factor for Poorer Adult Health: Evidence From the 1995-2005 National Survey of Midlife in the United States
Authors: Greenfield Emily A. , Marks Nadine F.
Published: September 2009

Objectives: This study examined linkages between physical and psychological violence in childhood from parents and three dimensions of adult health (self-rated health, functional limitations, chronic conditions). Methods: Regression models were estimated using data from the 1995 and 2005 waves of the National Survey of Midlife in the U.S. Responses to an adapted version of the Conflict Tactics Scales in 1995 were used to code respondents into one of nine profiles of violence distinguished by types and frequency of violence. Results: Reports of both frequent physical and frequent psychological violence were associated with poorer health at baseline across the three dimensions of health, as well as with more severe declines in health across all three dimensions over the 10-year study period. Discussion: Results suggest that having experienced frequent physical and psychological violence in childhood is a risk factor for poorer adult health status and declining trajectories of health throughout adulthood.
Enhancing Group Decision Making: An Exercise to Reduce Shared Information Bias
Authors: Baker Diane F.
Published: September 2009

Research on shared information bias has shown that group members involved in a decision-making task tend to undervalue information that a single member shares with the group, especially when that information conflicts with their prior conclusions. The group activity in this article is intended to heighten awareness of this shared information bias on group decision making. Students must choose among three candidates in a hiring simulation that uses a hidden profile methodology. In a sample of 20 student groups, only 4 groups chose the candidate with the most positive qualities, indicating most did not uncover the hidden profile. The exercise concludes with a discussion about the individual and group-level biases that affect group decision making and methods to enhance impartial deliberation of information.
The Illusion of Agency: Two Engineering Approaches to Compromise Autonomy and Reactivity in an Artificial System
Authors: Aucouturier Jean-Julien , Ikegami Takashi
Published: September 2009

This article describes and compares two approaches that can be used to build artificial systems that users tend to recognize as agents, based on a review of two systems previously built by the authors. One system, an interactive musical instrument, is a typical artificial intelligence (AI) implementation, based on the technique of constraint programming. The other, a dancing robot, is a typical artificial life (AL) endeavor, specified as a non-linear dynamical system. Although very different in their design, we found that both systems have the same goal of compromising autonomy and reactivity in their user interaction. They elicit interaction and—we argue here—an elusive feeling of agency , because they are neither too predictable nor too random. Creating and controlling such a compromise in a programmatic way is not a trivial problem: we find that both approaches (AI and AL) raise similar pragmatic problems that are in fact rooted in human perception science. Psychological experimentation is needed to clarify the relation between the internal dynamics of the artificial systems and the ongoing feeling of agency (or absence thereof) imparted in their human user. As a first step toward such experimentation, we derive a minimal mathematical model which subsumes both implementations and abstracts them from their respective contexts of music and dance. This model is similar to a Van der Pol oscillator, forced by an input signal coupled to its output in a non-programmatic way. It isolates two critical variables controlling the illusion of agency: the model’s sampling rate and the polynomial order of its reactive term.
Intact Marriages in Which One Partner Experiences Same-Sex Attraction: A 5-Year Follow-Up Study
Authors: Yarhouse Mark A. , Gow Christine H. , Davis Edward B.
Published: September 2009

This study is a 5-year follow-up study of intact, heterosexually married couples in which one partner reports same-sex attraction and both partners report satisfaction with their marriage. Twenty-four participants provided information on their experiences in marriage. Participants in the original study were identified through purposeful sampling and completed questionnaires using mixed quantitative and qualitative methodologies to provide examination of mixed orientation marriages, a relatively unexplored research topic. The questionnaire at 5-year follow-up included questions about the participants’ experiences in marriage, motivations for remaining heterosexually married, and satisfaction in marriage.
Effects of Chemical Dehulling of Sesame on Color and Microstructure
Authors: Carbonell-Barrachina Á.A. , Lluch M.Á. , Pérez-Munera I. , Hernando I. , Castillo S.
Published: September 2009

Sesame seeds must be dehulled before processing for the food industry because the husk provides undesirable darker color and bitter taste. Currently, sesame seeds are mechanically peeled but this procedure requires high volume of water, which is a scarce resource in most of the countries where sesame is consumed by humans. In this study, several chemicals have been used in order to facilitate the peeling process and reduce the water requirement. The feasibility of using chemicals was evaluated by studying the color (instrumental and sensory) and the microstructure of seeds. Addition of both NaClO and H2O2 before the mechanical dehulling of sesame seeds will be the recommended treatments for combining the dehulling and whitening steps of the sesame processing. This recommendation is supported by the high values of the L* and dehulling percentage and the low values of the color coordinates a* and b*. Besides, the scanning electron microscopy proved that the NaClO treatment was able to remove the hulls without causing damage to the cotyledons.
Memories of a world crisis
Authors: Burström Mats , Diez Acosta Tomás , González Noriega Estrella , Gustafsson Anders , Hernández Ismael , Karlsson Håkan , Pajón Jesús M. , Robaina Jaramillo Jesús Rafael , Westergaard Bengt
Published: September 2009

Santa Cruz de los Pinos is a small town like most others in the Cuban countryside. But half a century ago it was the epicenter of the 1962 Missile Crisis. During that time it served as a Soviet base for middle-range nuclear missiles, and the US air reconnaissance photos of it were spread through media all around the world. The crisis was solved through negotiations without Cuban involvement, and as a result of this neglect the Missile Crisis has been an under-communicated part of history in Cuba. A Swedish—Cuban research project has now investigated what kinds of memories of the crisis remain today at the former missile base — in the ground as well as in people’s minds. Digging in the ground has proved to be an effective way to start a remembering process and to help disarm a politically loaded history and uncover stories other than those dominating ‘big history’.
Social identity, material culture, and the archaeology of religion
Authors: Chenoweth John M.
Published: September 2009

This article considers how social identity groups come to be associated with certain material signs or traits. It is argued that this is a complex and continuing process, but not one which is untraceable or random, and so we can still use these signs to aid our understanding of social identity. Using the archaeological study of religious identity seen through Quakerism as a starting point, this article considers the nature of social identity and how it can be accessed archaeologically. Past Quaker archaeology is briefly outlined, and the apparently contradictory conclusions in this body of work are contextualized. While historians and Quakers themselves felt there to be a strong community, archaeologists have observed disparate material practices. A consideration of the social context of Quakerism and its ‘rules’ will help clarify these contradictions and also suggest a clearer understanding of how the material culture of a social group can allow us access to ephemeral social identities. Even through a changeable window of material traits, we can find coherence and unity in a social group by considering that material culture variability in a matrix of in- and out-group material and social relations, contextualizing what kind of difference each relation marks.
Influences on the Teaching of Arabic and Islamic Studies in UK Higher Education
Authors: Bernasek Lisa , Canning John
Published: September 2009

Middle Eastern Studies, modern foreign languages and Islamic Studies have been recognized by the UK government as strategically important subjects in higher education. Motivated by government concerns about lack of knowledge about the Middle East and the radicalization of British Muslims, this designation has complex implications for the teaching and learning of Arabic language and Islamic Studies. Factors influencing the teaching of these disciplines in the UK are characterized by connections and disconnections which are historical, political, geographical and motivational.
Continuing Professional Development in Higher Education
Authors: Elton Lewis
Published: September 2009

It is argued that Humboldt’s original definition of ‘scholarship’ ( Wissenschaft), as well as Humboldt’s concept of the purpose of a university, continue to be relevant — with appropriate adaptations. They should be extended to include not only a unity between the practice of teaching and learning and research into teaching and learning, but also an overall unity of teaching and research, i.e. disciplinary as well as generic teaching and learning, together with disciplinary research and research into teaching and learning: all in the service of scholarship ( Wissenschaft). This should be accompanied by appropriate academic staff development and training, framed on the basis of evaluated experience and going well beyond Humboldt, leading to a postgraduate qualification.
Supervision Satirized
Authors: Kelly Frances
Published: September 2009

This article seeks to further dialogue between the disciplines of English literature and Higher Education by offering a different approach to examining the practice of graduate supervision — a comparison of three fictional narratives: two recently published novels and one ongoing online comic strip. It considers what these narratives reveal about the ways in which supervision is represented in cultural practices at this time. What kind of self or individual subject characterizes the research student and supervisor in these representations, and what kind of relationship between supervisor and student is portrayed? Examining representations of supervision offers a mirror, however distorted, of a pedagogical practice, enabling both students and supervisors to reflect on their roles in the supervisory relationship.
Identifying Leading Characteristics Associated with Juvenile Drug Court Admission and Success
Authors: Barnes J.C. , Ventura Miller Holly , Miller J. Mitchell
Published: September 2009

Since first appearing in the late 1980s, drug courts have quickly become one of the leading intervention strategies for offenders exhibiting problems with drug abuse. Popular with policy makers for their innovative approach to breaking the drugs-crime nexus, drug courts are now considered one of the hallmarks of both the adult and juvenile justice systems of corrections. Empirical research has indicated that drug courts are one of the most promising contemporary correctional strategies in reducing recidivism among substance abusing offenders. This study examined a juvenile drug court in an effort to answer some recent research questions that have been proffered by empiricists. Results suggested that clients with a history of mental health problems had greater odds of being admitted to the drug court. No client characteristics, however, were predictive of client success in the drug court. Policy implications are also considered.
Infections as a stimulus for coronary occlusion, obstruction, or acute coronary syndromes
Authors: Pesonen Erkki , El-Segaier Milad , Persson Kenneth , Puolakkainen Mirja , Sarna Seppo , Öhlin Hans , Pussinen Pirkko J.
Published: September 2009

Background: Atherosclerosis is considered to be an inflammatory disease. Infections are a significant cause of inflammation. Acute infections might precipitate acute coronary syndromes (ACS) whereas chronic infections might be stimuli for the development of atherosclerosis.

Methods: Coronary angiograms were done on 211 of 335 patients with ACS and the percentage of coronary obstruction was determined. Serum antibody levels to Chlamydia pneumoniae, C. pneumoniae heat shock protein 60 (CpnHSP60), human heat shock protein 60 (hHSP60), enterovirus (EV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and two major periodontal pathogens, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis, were measured in healthy controls (n = 355) and all patients.

Results: Serum antibody levels to periodontal pathogens did not correlate with ACS. However, IgA-class antibody levels to Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ( p = 0.021), CpnHSP60 ( p = 0.048) an hHSP60 ( p = 0.038) were higher in patients with coronary occlusion or obstruction compared to those without any obstruction. Odds ratios for coronary changes in the highest quartile as compared to the lower quartiles were for A. actinomycetemcomitans IgA 7.84 (95% CI 1.02—60.39, p = 0.048), for CpnHSP60 IgA 8.61 (1.12—65.89, p = 0.038), and for human HSP60 IgA 3.51 (0.79—15.69, p = 0.100).

Conclusions: We have previously reported that EV and HSV titres correlated significantly to acute coronary events. They do not correlate to the degree of coronary obstruction as shown here. However, infection by A. actinomycetemcomitans or C. pneumoniae or host response against them associated with coronary obstruction. Clinical coronary events may arise by the effect of acute infections and obstructing lesions by a chronic inflammatory stimulus.
Cysticercosis of the Breast
Authors: Upadhyaya Vaishali , Narain Divya , Sarkar Sabyasachi
Published: September 2009

Cysticercosis, although common in developing nations, is an uncommon cause of a breast lump. This article reports a case from India, where a young woman presented with a firm, nontender breast lump. Breast sonography imaging with a high-frequency transducer revealed a well-defined cystic lesion with an internal echogenic nodule and surrounding hypoechoic area. Subsequently, fine-needle aspiration cytology was performed, which confirmed the diagnosis of cysticercosis.
Grain refinement of AZ91D by spinning spray of carbon dioxide gas and its effect on mechanical property
Authors: Zhang E. , Wang G. J. , Xu J. W. , Hu Z. C.
Published: September 2009

Grain refinement of AZ91D Mg alloy by a spinning spray of Ar+CO2 mixture gas was investigated. The results have shown that the grain size was refined significantly and effectively by this processing after 15–30 min treatment, but further extension of the treatment did not refine the grain markedly. It was shown that this processing has an ‘aging behaviour’, which means that the refining efficiency declines with the extension of holding time at melting temperature. Although the cooling rate affected the final grain size of AZ91D sample refined by the processing, it did not change the aging behaviour. The effective time is 45–60 min. It was analysed that Al4C3 could act as nucleation site of the primary Mg, which contributes to the grain refinement. Mechanical property testing demonstrated that refinement by the Ar+CO2 processing significantly refined the grain size of the as cast AZ91D samples produced by sand and permanent cast and in turn enhanced the strength and improved the elongation.
Alumoåkermanite, (Ca,Na)2(Al,Mg,Fe2+)(Si2O7), a new mineral from the active carbonatite-nephelinite-phonolite volcano Oldoinyo Lengai, northern Tanzania
Authors: Wiedenmann D. , Zaitsev A. N. , Britvin S. N. , Krivovichev S. V. , Keller J.
Published: September 2009

Alumoåkermanite, (Ca,Na)2(Al,Mg,Fe2+)(Si2O7), is a new mineral member of the melilite group from the active carbonatite-nephelinite-phonolite volcano Oldoinyo Lengai, Tanzania. The mineral occurs as tabular phenocrysts and microphenocrysts in melilite-nephelinitic ashes and lapilli-tuffs. Alumoåkermanite is light brown in colour; it is transparent, with a vitreous lustre and the streak is white. Cleavages or partings are not observed. The mineral is brittle with an uneven fracture. The measured density is 2.96(2) g/cm3. The Mohs hardness is ~4.5–6. Alumoåkermanite is uniaxial (–) with ω = 1.635(1) and ε = 1.624–1.626(1). In a 30 mm thin section (+N), the mineral has a yellow to orange interference colour, straight extinction and positive elongation, and is nonpleochroic. The average chemical formula of the mineral derived from electron microprobe analyses is: (Ca1.48Na0.50Sr0.02K0.01)(Si1.99Al0.01O7). Alumoåkermanite is tetragonal, space groupP421mwitha= 7.7661(4) Å,c= 5.0297(4) Å,V= 303.4(1) Å3andZ= 2. The five strongest powder-diffraction lines [din Å, (I/Io),hkl] are: 3.712, (13), (111); 3.075, (25), (201); 2.859, (100), (211); 2.456, (32), (311); 1.757, (19), (312). Single-crystal structure refinement (R1= 0.018) revealed structure topology typical of the melilite-group minerals, i.e. tetrahedral [(Al,Mg)(Si2O7)] sheets interleaved with layers of (CaNa) cations. The name reflects the chemical composition of the mineral.
Compressibility of the high-pressure polymorph of AlOOH to 17 GPa
Authors: Suzuki A.
Published: September 2009

The equation of state of δ-AlOOH was investigated using powder X-ray diffraction up to 17 GPa. Measurement of the volume at 300 K gave a value of the bulk modulus of K0 = 124(2) GPa, whereas its pressure derivative was K’ = 13.5(7). The b axis of the unit cell is more compressible than the a and c axes – in agreement with a neutron diffraction study at high pressure by Sano-Furukawa et al. (2008). Measurements presented here show that δ-AlOOH has a compressibility 200% higher than in the previously reported equation of state by Vanpeteghem et al. (2002).
The morphologies and compositions of depleted uranium particles from an environmental case-study
Authors: Lloyd N. S. , Mosselmans J. F. W. , Parrish R. R. , Chenery S. R. N. , Hainsworth S. V. , Kemp S. J.
Published: September 2009

Uraniferous particles from contaminated environmental samples were analysed by scanning electron
microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDXA) and microfocus extended X-ray
absorption fine structure (mEXAFS) spectroscopy. The particles of interest are uranium oxides, which
were released into the environment by the combustion of scrap depleted uranium (DU) metal at a
factory in Colonie, New York, USA. Most of the identified particles appear to have primary, ‘as
emitted’ morphologies; some have evidence of minor dissolution, including corrosion pitting.
Polycrystalline and often hollow microscopic spheres were identified, which are similar to particles
produced by DU munitions impacting armoured targets. They are attributed to the autothermic
oxidation of melt droplets. The compositions of the analysed spheres are dominated by UO2+x with
variable amounts of U3O8, two of the least soluble and least bioaccessible phases of U. These particles,
collected from dusts and soils, have survived more than 25 y in the terrestrial environment. This study
further supports the case for using Colonie as an analogue for battlefield DU contamination.
Bone marrow as an alternative site for islet transplantation
Authors: Cantarelli Elisa , Melzi Raffaella , Mercalli Alessia , Sordi Valeria , Ferrari Giuliana , Lederer Carsten Werner , Mrak Emanuela , Rubinacci Alessandro , Ponzoni Maurilio , Sitia Giovanni , Guidotti Luca G. , Bonifacio Ezio , Piemonti Lorenzo
Published: September 2009

The liver is the current site for pancreatic islet transplantation, but has many drawbacks due to immunologic and nonimmunologic factors. We asked whether pancreatic islets could be engrafted in the bone marrow (BM), an easily accessible and widely distributed transplant site that may lack the limitations seen in the liver. Syngeneic islets engrafted efficiently in the BM of C57BL/6 mice rendered diabetic by streptozocin treatment. For more than 1 year after transplantation, these animals showed parameters of glucose metabolism that were similar to those of nondiabetic mice. Islets in BM had a higher probability to reach euglycemia than islets in liver (2.4-fold increase, P = .02), showed a compact morphology with a conserved ratio between α and β cells, and affected bone structure only very marginally. Islets in BM did not compromise hematopoietic activity, even when it was strongly induced in response to a BM aplasia-inducing infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. In conclusion, BM is an attractive and safe alternative site for pancreatic islet transplantation. The results of our study open a research line with potentially significant clinical impact, not only for the treatment of diabetes, but also for other diseases amenable to treatment with cellular transplantation.
MLVA distribution characteristics of Yersinia pestisin China and the correlation analysis
Authors: Zhang Xiaoai , Hai Rong , Wei Jianchun , Cui Zhigang , Zhang Enmin , Song Zhizhong , Yu Dongzheng
Published: September 2009

Background

Yersinia pestis, the aetiological agent of plague, has been well defined genotypically on local and worldwide scales. In November 2005, five cases of severe pneumonia of unknown causes, resulting in two deaths, were reported in Yulong, Yunnan province. In this study, we compared Y. pestis isolated from the Yulong focus to strains from other areas.

Results

Two hundred and thirteen Y. pestis strains collected from different plague foci in China and a live attenuated vaccine strain of Y. pestis (EV76) were genotyped using multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) on 14 loci. A total of 214 Y. pestis strains were divided into 85 MLVA types, and Nei's genetic diversity indices of the various loci ranged between 0.02 - 0.76. Minimum spanning tree analysis showed that Y. pestis in China could be divided into six complexes. It was observed that Microtus strains were different from the other three biovar strains. Each plague focus had its own unique MLVA types.

Conclusion

The strains isolated from Yulong, Yunnan province had a unique MLVA type, indicating a new clone group. Our results suggest that Yulong strains may have a close relationship with strains from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau plague focus.
A secretory phospholipase A2-mediated neuroprotection and anti-apoptosis
Authors: Armugam Arunmozhiarasi , Cher Charmian DN , Lim KaiYing , Koh Dawn CI , Howells David W , Jeyaseelan Kandiah
Published: September 2009

Background

Phospholipase A2liberates free fatty acids and lysophospholipids upon hydrolysis of phospholipids and these products are often associated with detrimental effects such as inflammation and cerebral ischemia. The neuroprotective effect of neutral phospholipase from snake venom has been investigated.

Results

A neutral anticoagulant secretory phospholipase A2(nPLA) from the venom ofNaja sputatrix(Malayan spitting cobra) has been found to reduce infarct volume in rats subjected to focal transient cerebral ischemia and to alleviate the neuronal damage in organotypic hippocampal slices subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). Real-time PCR based gene expression analysis showed that anti-apoptotic and pro-survival genes have been up-regulated in bothin vivoandin vitromodels. Staurosporine or OGD mediated apoptotic cell death in astrocytoma cells has also been found to be reduced by nPLA with a corresponding reduction in caspase 3 activity.

Conclusion

We have found that a secretory phospholipase (nPLA) purified from snake venom could reduce infarct volume in rodent stroke model. nPLA, has also been found to reduce neuronal cell death, apoptosis and promote cell survival in vitro ischemic conditions. In all conditions, the protective effects could be seen at sub-lethal concentrations of the protein.
The interaction of HAb18G/CD147 with integrin α6β1 and its implications for the invasion potential of human hepatoma cells
Authors: Dai Jing-yao , Dou Ke-feng , Wang Cong-hua , Zhao Pu , Lau Wayne Bond , Tao Ling , Wu Ya-mei , Tang Juan , Jiang Jian-li , Chen Zhi-nan
Published: September 2009

Background

HAb18G/CD147 plays pivotal roles in invasion by hepatoma cells, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Our previous study demonstrated that overexpression of HAb18G/CD147 promotes invasion by interacting with integrin α3β1. However, it has never been investigated whether α3β1 is solely responsible for this process or if other integrin family members also interact with HAb18G/CD147 in human hepatoma cells.

Methods

Human SMMC-7721 and FHCC98 cells were cultured and transfected with siRNA fragments against HAb18G/CD147. The expression levels of HAb18G/CD147 and integrin α6β1 were determined by immunofluorescent double-staining and confocal imaging analysis. Co-immunoprecipitation and Western blot analyses were performed to examine the native conformations of HAb18G/CD147 and integrin α6β1. Invasion potential was evaluated with an invasion assay and gelatin zymography.

Results

We found that integrin α6β1 co-localizes and interacts with HAb18G/CD147 in human hepatoma cells. The enhancing effects of HAb18G/CD147 on invasion capacity and secretion of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) were partially blocked by integrin α6β1 antibodies (P< 0.01). Wortmannin, a specific phosphatidylinositol kinase (PI3K) inhibitor that reverses the effect of HAb18G/CD147 on the regulation of intracellular Ca2+mobilization, significantly reduced cell invasion potential and secretion of MMPs in human hepatoma cells (P< 0.05). Importantly, no additive effect between Wortmannin and α6β1 antibodies was observed, indicating that α6β1 and PI3K transmit the signal in an upstream-downstream relationship.

Conclusion

These results suggest that α6β1 interacts with HAb18G/CD147 to mediate tumor invasion and metastatic processes through the PI3K pathway.
Distribution of periodontopathic bacterial species in Japanese children with developmental disabilities
Authors: Naka Shuhei , Yamana Aki , Nakano Kazuhiko , Okawa Rena , Fujita Kazuyo , Kojima Ayuchi , Nemoto Hirotoshi , Nomura Ryota , Matsumoto Michiyo , Ooshima Takashi
Published: September 2009

Background

Recent developments in molecular biological techniques have enabled rapid detection of periodontopathic bacterial species in clinical specimens. Accumulated evidence suggests that detection of specific bacterial species enables identification of subjects at high risk for the onset of periodontitis. We investigated the distribution of 10 selected periodontopathic bacterial species in dental plaque specimens obtained from children with disabilities who were attending daycare centers.

Methods

A total of 187 children (136 boys, 51 girls) aged 1-6 years old and diagnosed with such disabilities as mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and autism, participated in the study. Subgingival dental plaque specimens were collected from the buccal side of the maxillary left second primary molar after a clinical examination. Bacterial DNA was extracted from the specimens and PCR analyses were carried out to detect 10 selected periodontopathic species using specific primers for each. In addition, statistical analyses were performed to analyze the correlations among clinical parameters and the detected species.

Results

The most frequently detected species wasCapnocytophaga sputigena(28.3%), followed byAggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans(20.9%) andCampylobacter rectus(18.2%).Eikenella corrodens,Capnocytophaga ochracea, andPrevotella nigrescencewere detected in approximately 10% of the specimens, whereasTreponema denticola,Tannerella forsythia, andPrevotella intermediawere rarely found, andPorphyromonas gingivaliswas not detected in any of the subjects. The total numbers of detected species were positively correlated with the age of the subjects. There were 10 subjects with positive reactions forT. denticolaand/orT. forsythia, in whom the total number of bacterial species was significantly higher as compared to the other subjects. Furthermore, subjects possessingC. rectusshowed significantly greater values for periodontal pocket depth, gingival index, and total number of species.

Conclusion

We found that approximately one-fourth of the present subjects with disabilities who possessed at least one ofT. denticola,T. forsythia, andC. rectuswere at possible risk for periodontitis. Follow-up examinations as well as preventive approaches should be utilized for such individuals.
Anti-Inflammatory properties of Salograviolide A purified from Lebanese plant Centaurea ainetensis
Authors: Al-Saghir Jamal , Al-Ashi Randa , Salloum Ralph , Saliba Najat A , Talhouk Rabih S , Homaidan Fadia R
Published: September 2009

Background

Anti-inflammatory activities of medicinal plants have largely been attributed to their content of sesquiterpene lactones (SLs). SLs are predominantly found in the sunflower family Asteraceae and have been isolated from many plants of this family, particularly Centaurea. The anti-inflammatory activities of extract of Centaurea ainetensis, a Lebanese endemic plant, and the isolated active molecule were assessed for their potential ant-inflammatory activities.

Methods

Plant extract from Centaurea ainetensis, and the isolated active ingredient Salograviolide A (SA), a sesquiterpene lactones guaianolide, were used for the study. Western blotting and electrophoretic mobility shift assays were used to test the effects of the plant extract and SA on interleukin-1 (IL-1) induced increase in cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) levels and in nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) translocation in an intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) of inflammation. Their effects on inflammation score and cytokine levels were also studied in an iodoacetoamide-induced rat model of inflammation.

Results

Plant extract and SA were shown to reverse the effects observed by IL-1 on COX-2 levels and NF-κB translocation in IEC. SA decreased the level of inflammatory cytokines and the level of inflammation in the animal model.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that SA may be useful in the development of natural therapies for inflammatory diseases.
Do Genetic Predictors of Pain Sensitivity Associate with Persistent Widespread Pain?
Authors: Holliday Kate L , Nicholl Barbara I , Macfarlane Gary J , Thomson Wendy , Davies Kelly A , McBeth John
Published: September 2009

Genetic risk factors for pain sensitivity may also play a role in susceptibility to chronic pain disorders, in which subjects have low pain thresholds. The aim of this study was to determine if proposed functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the GTP cyclohydrolase (GCH1) and μ opioid receptor (OPRM1) genes previously associated with pain sensitivity affect susceptibility to chronic widespread pain (CWP). Pain data was collected using body manikins via questionnaire at three time-points over a four year period from subjects aged 25–25 in the North-West of England as part of a population based cohort study, EPIFUND. CWP was defined at each time point using standard criteria. Three SNPs forming a proposed “pain-protective” haplotype in GCH1 (rs10483639, rs3783641 and rs8007267) and two SNPs in OPRM1 (rs1777971 (A118G) and rs563649) were genotyped in cases with persistent CWP (CWP present at 2 time-points) and controls who were pain-free at all time-points. The expectation-maximisation algorithm was used to estimate haplotype frequencies. The frequency of the “pain-protective” (CAT - C allele of rs10483639, A allele of rs3783641 and T allele of rs8007267) haplotype was compared to the frequency of the other haplotypes between cases and controls using the χ2 test. Allele frequencies and carriage of the minor allele was compared between cases and controls using χ2 tests for the OPRM1 SNPs. The frequency of the proposed GCH1 “pain-protective” haplotype (CAT) did not significantly differ between cases and controls and no significant associations were observed between the OPRM1 SNPs and CWP. In conclusion, there was no evidence of association between proposed functional SNPs, previously reported to influence pain sensitivity, in GCH1 and OPRM1 with CWP. Further evidence of null association in large independent cohorts is required to truly exclude these SNPs as genetic risk factors for CWP.
Noninvasive Quantification of Pancreatic Fat in Humans
Authors: Lingvay Ildiko , Esser Victoria , Legendre Jaime L. , Price Angela L. , Wertz Kristen M. , Adams-Huet Beverley , Zhang Song , Unger Roger H. , Szczepaniak Lidia S.
Published: September 2009

Objective: To validate magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) as a tool for non-invasive quantification of pancreatic triglyceride (TG) content and to measure the pancreatic TG content in a diverse human population with a wide range of body mass index (BMI) and glucose control.

Methods: To validate the MRS method, we measured TG content in the pancreatic tissue of 12 lean and 12 fatty ZDF rats (ages 5–14 weeks) both by MRS and the gold standard biochemical assay. We used MRS to measure pancreatic TG content in vivo in 79 human volunteers. Additionally, to assess the reproducibility of the method, in 33 volunteers we obtained duplicate MRS measurements 1–2 weeks apart.

Results: MRS quantifies pancreatic TG content with high reproducibility and concordance to the biochemical measurement (Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient = 0.91). In humans, median pancreatic TG content was as follows: (1) normal weight and normoglycemic group 0.46 f/w%, (2) overweight or obese but normoglycemic group 3.16 f/w%, (3) impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance group (BMI matched with group 2) 5.64 f/w%, and (4) untreated type 2 diabetes group (BMI matched with group 2) 5.54 f/w% (Jonckheere-Terpstra trend test across groups p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Human pancreatic steatosis, as measured by MRS, increases with BMI and with impaired glycemia. MRS is a quantitative and reproducible non-invasive clinical research tool which will enable systematic studies of the relationship between ectopic fat accumulation in the pancreas and development of type 2 diabetes.

Pancreatic triglyceride content as measured by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in humans is elevated prior to development of type 2 diabetes, early in the natural history of the disease.
Caenorhabditis elegans p97 controls germline-specific sex determination by controlling the TRA-1 level in a CUL-2-dependent manner
Authors: Sasagawa Yohei , Otani Mieko , Higashitani Nahoko , Higashitani Atsushi , Sato Ken , Ogura Teru , Yamanaka Kunitoshi
Published: September 2009

p97 (CDC-48 in Caenorhabditis elegans) is a ubiquitin-selective AAA (ATPases associated with diverse cellular activities) chaperone and its key function is to disassemble protein complexes. p97 functions in diverse cellular processes including endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation, membrane fusion, and meiotic and mitotic progression. However, its cellular functions in development have not yet been clarified. Here, we present data that p97 is involved in the switch from spermatogenesis to oogenesis in the germline of the C. elegans hermaphrodite. We found that the cdc-48.1 deletion mutant produced less sperm than the wild type and thus showed a decreased brood size. The cdc-48.1 mutation suppressed the sperm-overproducing phenotypes of fbf-1 and fem-3(gf) mutants. In addition, the p97/CDC-48–UFD-1–NPL-4 complex interacted with the E3 ubiquitin ligase CUL-2 complex via NPL-4 binding to Elongin C. Furthermore, TRA-1A, which is the terminal effector of the sex determination pathway and is regulated by CUL-2-mediated proteolysis, accumulated in the cdc-48.1 mutant. Proteasome activity was also required for the brood size determination and sperm-oocyte switch. Our results demonstrate that the C. elegans p97/CDC-48–UFD-1–NPL-4 complex controls the sperm-oocyte switch by regulating CUL-2-mediated TRA-1A proteasome degradation.
Retail Competition and the Dynamics of Demand for Tied Goods
Authors: Hartmann Wesley R. , Nair Harikesh S.
Published: September 2009

We present a demand system for tied goods incorporating dynamics arising from the tied nature of the products and the stockpiling induced by storability and durability. We accommodate competition across tied good systems and competing downstream retail formats by endogenizing the retail format at which consumers choose to stockpile inventory. This facilitates measurement of long-run retail substitution effects and yields estimates of complementarities within, and substitution across, competing systems of tied goods. We present an empirical application to an archetypal tied goods category: razors and blades. We discuss the implications of measured effects for manufacturer pricing when selling the tied products through an oligopolistic downstream retail channel and assess the extent to which retail substitution reduces channel conflict.
Is Persuasive Advertising Always Combative in a Distribution Channel?
Authors: Wu Chi-Cheng , Chen Ying-Ju , Wang Chih-Jen
Published: September 2009

The existing marketing literature suggests that persuasive advertising elicits counteractions from competing manufacturers and consequently leads to wasteful cancellation of the advertising effects. Thus, persuasive advertising is widely perceived to be combative in nature. A series of previously published papers demonstrates that appropriate targeting may partially mitigate the combative nature of persuasive advertising in that either the rival manufacturer or the retailer may benefit. In this paper, we complement their results by demonstrating the possibility that every channel member may benefit from persuasive advertising, i.e., a Pareto improvement along the distribution channel, thereby leading to the conclusion that persuasive advertising need not result in channel conflict.
The effect of prior bisphosphonate therapy on the subsequent BMD and bone turnover response to strontium ranelate
Authors: Middleton Edward T , Steel Susan A , Aye Mo , Doherty Sheelagh M
Published: September 2009

Strontium ranelate is an effective treatment for osteoporosis in treatment-naive women. In the United Kingdom, bisphosphonates are often used first line. Prior bisphosphonate use may blunt the bone mineral density (BMD) response to strontium ranelate by reducing strontium uptake into the bone. Sixty bisphosphonate-naive women and 60 women discontinuing bisphosphonates were recruited. All women commenced strontium ranelate and calcium/vitamin D. BMD and bone turnover markers were recorded for 12 months. After 12 months, the bisphosphonate-naive group's BMD increased by 5.6% (p < .001) at the spine, 3.4% (p < .001) at the total hip, and 4.0% (p < .001) at the heel. By comparison, the prior bisphosphonate group had a 2.1% (p = .002) increase at the spine but no change at the hip or heel. At all time points, BMD was significantly greater in the bisphosphonate-naive group. In the prior bisphosphonate group, there was no significant change in BMD during the first 6 months at the spine, but between months 6 and 12 there was a parallel gain in BMD (0.027 versus 0.020 g/cm2, p = .40). The baseline difference in bone markers was no longer significant by 3 months for bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BSAP) and 6 months for procollagen type 1 amino-terminal propeptide (P1NP) and carboxy-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX). More women in the prior bisphosphonate group suffered a vertebral fracture (2 versus 8 women, p = .047). After bisphosphonates, bone turnover remains suppressed for up to 6 months, with blunting of the BMD response to strontium ranelate during this time. After 6 months, BMD increases in the spine but not at the hip or heel. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography can assess microstructural and mechanical properties of human distal tibial bone
Authors: Liu X Sherry , Zhang X Henry , Sekhon Kiranjit K , Adams Mark F , McMahon Donald J , Bilezikian John P , Shane Elizabeth , Guo X Edward
Published: September 2009

High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) is a newly developed in vivo clinical imaging modality. It can assess the 3D microstructure of cortical and trabecular bone at the distal radius and tibia and is suitable as an input for microstructural finite element (µFE) analysis to evaluate bone's mechanical competence. In order for microstructural and image-based µFE analyses to become standard clinical tools, validation with a current gold standard, namely, high-resolution micro-computed tomography (µCT), is required. Microstructural measurements of 19 human cadaveric distal tibiae were performed for the registered HR-pQCT and µCT images, respectively. Next, whole bone stiffness, trabecular bone stiffness, and elastic moduli of cubic subvolumes of trabecular bone in both HR-pQCT and µCT images were determined by µFE analysis. The standard HR-pQCT patient protocol measurements, derived bone volume fraction (BV/TVd), trabecular number (Tb.N*), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), trabecular spacing (Tb.Sp), and cortical thickness (Ct.Th), as well as the voxel-based direct measurements, BV/TV, Tb.N*, Tb.Th*, Tb.Sp*, Ct.Th, bone surface-to-volume ratio (BS/BV), structure model index (SMI), and connectivity density (Conn.D), correlated well with their respective gold standards, and both contributed to µFE-predicted mechanical properties in either single or multiple linear regressions. The mechanical measurements, although overestimated by HR-pQCT, correlated highly with their gold standards. Moreover, elastic moduli of cubic subvolumes of trabecular bone predicted whole bone or trabecular bone stiffness in distal tibia. We conclude that microstructural measurements and mechanical parameters of distal tibia can be efficiently derived from HR-pQCT images and provide additional information regarding bone fragility. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research