bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of Biomarkers Associated With Alzheimer’s Disease by Bioinformatics Analysis
Authors: Zhao Yanxin , Tan Wei , Sheng Wenhua , Li Xiaohong
Published: June 2015

Background:

This study aimed to explore the biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Methods:

The microarray data of GSE16759 were from the expression profile samples of 4 parietal lobe tissues from patients with AD and 4 ones from age-matched control participants. The differentially expressed micro RNAs (miRNAs) and genes (DEGs) underwent hierarchical clustering and function analysis followed by target genes prediction. Finally, DEGs were mapped to the target genes to construct miRNA-regulated networks.

Results:

A total of 427 DEGs were obtained and clustered into 5 functions. After DEGs were mapped to the predicted target genes, 313 regulatory pairs were established. The target genes SEC22 vesicle trafficking protein homolog B ( SEC22B) and SEC63 homolog ( SEC63) regulated by miRNA-206, RAB10, member RAS oncogene family ( RAB10) regulated by miRNA-655, and fms-related tyrosine kinase 1 ( FLT1) regulated by miRNA-30e-3p and miRNA-369-3p were involved in the biological processes of protein transport and regulation of cell motion.

Conclusion:

The target genes SEC22B, RAB10, and FLT1 may be potential biomarkers of AD.
Morphologic predictors of aortic expansion in chronic type B aortic dissection
Authors: Kotelis D , Grebe G , Kraus P , Müller-Eschner M , Bischoff M , von Tengg-Kobligk H , Böckler D
Published: June 2015

Aim

To identify morphologic factors affecting aortic expansion in patients with uncomplicated type B aortic dissections.

Methods

Computed tomography data of 24 patients (18 male; median age: 61 years), diagnosed with acute uncomplicated type B aortic dissections between 2002 and 2013, were retrospectively reviewed. All patients had at least two computed tomography angiography scans and six months of uneventful follow-up. Computed tomography scans were assessed by two independent readers with regard to presence and number of entry tears. Thoracic and abdominal aortic diameters were derived using image processing software.

Results

Twenty-two of 24 patients showed aortic expansion over a median computed tomography angiographic follow-up of 33.2 months. Annual rates showed an increase of 1.7 mm for total aortic diameter, 2.1 mm for the false and a decrease of −0.4 mm for the true lumen. In three patients (12.5%), aortic diameter exceeded 60 mm during follow-up, and all three patients underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair. Patients with a maximum aortic diameter <4 cm at baseline showed a significantly higher expansion rate compared to cases with an initial maximum aortic diameter of ≥4 cm ( p=0.0471). A median of two entries (range: 1–5) was recognized per patient. Presence of more than two entry tears ( n = 13) was associated with faster overall diameter expansion (mean annual rates: 2.18 mm vs. 1.16 mm; p = 0.4556), and decrease of the cross-sectional surface of the true lumen over time (annual rate for > 2 entries vs. ≤2 entries: −7.8 mm2 vs. +37.5 mm2; p = 0.0369). Median size of entry tears was 12 mm (range: 2–53 mm).

Conclusions

The results presented herein suggest that uncomplicated type B aortic dissection patients with more than two entry tears and/or an initial maximum aortic diameter of<4 cm are at risk for aortic dilatation and, therefore, may require stricter follow-up including the possible need for early intervention.
Basilar Occlusion Syndromes
Authors: Demel Stacie L. , Broderick Joseph P.
Published: June 2015

Basilar artery occlusions (BAOs) are a subset of posterior circulation strokes. Particular issues relevant to BAOs include variable and stuttering symptoms at onset resulting in delays in diagnosis, high morbidity and mortality, and uncertain best management. Despite better imaging techniques, diagnosis, and therefore treatment, is often delayed. We will present the most common signs and symptoms of posterior circulation strokes. Data on optimal treatment strategies are gathered from multiple case series, registries, and one randomized trial, which was stopped early. Possible etiologies of BAOs, acute, and subacute treatment strategies and special topics in neuroimaging of the posterior fossa are discussed. This review may be helpful to neurohospitalists who are managing patients with acute stroke as well as emergency room physicians and neurologists.
Climate Change and Disasters
Authors: Chapman Daniel A. , Lickel Brian
Published: June 2015

This research examined whether framing a natural disaster as the product of climate change impacts attitudes toward disaster victims and humanitarian relief. Participants ( n = 211) read an article about a famine caused by severe droughts, with one condition attributing the droughts to climate change and the other condition made no mention of climate change. All participants then responded to measures of justifications for or against providing aid, attitudes toward the possibility of donating, and climate change beliefs. As predicted, those high in climate change skepticism reported greater justifications for not helping the victims when the disaster was attributed to climate change. Additional moderated mediation analyses showed there was an indirect effect of climate change framing on attitudes toward donating through donation justifications.
Efficacy of Topical Application of Emu Oil on Areola Skin Barrier in Breastfeeding Women
Authors: Zanardo Vincenzo , Giarrizzo David , Maiolo Luigi , Straface Gianluca
Published: June 2015

Appropriate hydration and skin surface pH are of fundamental importance in preventing areola skin barrier damage and breastfeeding success. We studied the dermal effects of emu oil on areola skin soon after birth in 70 at-term breastfeeding mothers by noninvasive bioengineering method. Emu oil–based cream was found to be effective in improving stratum corneum hydration of breast areolae (mean ± standard deviation, from 56.9 ± 18.2 to 65.0 ± 17.2 conventional units, P < .003) and did not affect skin pH, temperature, or elasticity. The significant improvement in hydration values was more pronounced in the puerperae presenting with basal hydration in the lower quartiles (mean ± standard deviation, from 41.6 ± 17.2 to 59.6 ± 21.2 conventional units, P < .001). Further studies are warranted to confirm the long-term beneficial effects of this preparation in a very sensitive patient population.
Complications Following Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Tear Repair
Authors: Audigé Laurent , Blum Raphael , Müller Andreas M. , Flury Matthias , Durchholz Holger
Published: June 2015

Background

Valid comparison of outcomes after surgical procedures requires consensus on which instruments and parameters should be used, including the recording and evaluation of surgical complications. An international standard outlining the terminology and definitions of surgical complications in orthopaedics is lacking.

Purpose

This study systematically reviewed the literature for terms and definitions related to the occurrence of negative events or complications after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) with specific focus on shoulder stiffness.

Study Design

Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases were searched for reviews, clinical studies, and case reports of complications associated with ARCR. Reference lists of selected articles were also screened. The terminology of complications and their definitions were extracted from all relevant original articles by a single reviewer and verified by a second reviewer. Definitions of shoulder stiffness or equivalent terms were tabulated.

Results

Of 654 references published after 2007 and obtained from the search, 233 full-text papers (44 reviews, 155 studies, 31 case reports, and 3 surgical technique presentations) were reviewed. Twenty-two additional references cited for a definition were checked. One report defined the term surgical complication. There were 242 different terms used to describe local events and 64 to describe nonlocal events. Furthermore, 16 definitions of terms such as frozen shoulder, shoulder stiffness, or stiff painful shoulder were identified. Diagnosis criteria for shoulder stiffness differed widely; 12 various definitions for restriction in range of motion were noted. One definition included a gradation of stiffness severity, whereas another considered the patient’s subjective assessment of motion.

Conclusion

The literature does not consistently report on complications after ARCR, making valid comparison of the incidence of these events among published reports impossible. Specifically, the variation in criteria used to diagnose shoulder stiffness is problematic for valid and accurate reporting of this event. A standard for reporting this event and other complications after ARCR is needed.

Clinical Relevance

This review serves as the basis for the development of a uniform documentation process for shoulder stiffness and the standardization of complication definitions in ARCR following international consensus.
Current Attitudes to Ageing as Reflected in the Names of Australian Aged Care Facilities
Authors: Benczes Réka , Burridge Kate
Published: June 2015

AbstractOne of the most evolving areas of euphemisms in present-day society is ageing; our main hypothesis is that this process can be accurately studied through an analysis of the naming practices of aged care facilities. Accordingly, we examined the names of aged care facilities in the Melbourne region (Australia) from 2013 and compared this to the names used in 1987. We found that the 2013 sample showed a much greater degree of euphemistic usage as compared to the 1987 data. More specifically, the names in the 2013 data had a tendency to use the euphemistic strategy of full omission, and most often relied on conceptualizing the facility as either an upper-class family home or a holiday resort. Such strategies and conceptualizations were much less frequent in the 1987 data.
Early dynamic left intraventricular obstruction is associated with hypovolemia and high mortality in septic shock patients
Authors: Chauvet Jean-Louis , El-Dash Shari , Delastre Olivier , Bouffandeau Bernard , Jusserand Dominique , Michot Jean-Baptiste , Bauer Fabrice , Maizel Julien , Slama Michel
Published: June 2015

Introduction

Based on previously published case reports demonstrating dynamic left intraventricular obstruction (IVO) triggered by hypovolemia or catecholamines, this study aimed to establish: (1) IVO occurrence in septic shock patients; (2) correlation between the intraventricular gradient and volume status and fluid responsiveness; and (3) mortality rate.

Method

We prospectively analyzed patients with septic shock admitted to a general ICU over a 28-month period who presented Doppler signs of IVO. Clinical characteristics and hemodynamic parameters as well as echocardiographic data regarding left ventricular function, size, and calculated mass, and left ventricular outflow Doppler pattern and velocity before and after fluid infusions were recorded.

Results

During the study period, 218 patients with septic shock were admitted to our ICU. IVO was observed in 47 (22 %) patients. Mortality rate at 28 days was found to be higher in patients with than in patients without IVO (55 % versus 33 %,p< 0.01). Small, hypercontractile left ventricles (end-diastolic left ventricular surface 4.7 ± 2.1 cm2/m2and ejection fraction 82 ± 12 %), and frequent pseudohypertrophy were found in these patients. A rise ≥12 % in stroke index was found in 87 % of patients with IVO, with a drop of 47 % in IVO after fluid infusion.

Conclusion

Left IVO is a frequent event in septic shock patients with an important correlation with fluid responsiveness. The mortality rate was found to be higher in these patients in comparison with patients without obstruction.
Integration of microRNA signatures of distinct mammary epithelial cell types with their gene expression and epigenetic portraits
Authors: Pal Bhupinder , Chen Yunshun , Bert Andrew , Hu Yifang , Sheridan Julie M. , Beck Tamara , Shi Wei , Satterley Keith , Jamieson Paul , Goodall Gregory J. , Lindeman Geoffrey J. , Smyth Gordon K. , Visvader Jane E.
Published: June 2015

Introduction

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in governing lineage specification and differentiation in multiple organs; however, little is known about their specific roles in mammopoiesis. We have determined the global miRNA expression profiles of functionally distinct epithelial subpopulations in mouse and human mammary tissue, and compared these to their cognate transcriptomes and epigenomes. Finally, the human miRNA signatures were used to interrogate the different subtypes of breast cancer, with a view to determining miRNA networks deregulated during oncogenesis.

Methods

RNA from sorted mouse and human mammary cell subpopulations was subjected to miRNA expression analysis using the TaqMan MicroRNA Array. Differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were correlated with gene expression and histone methylation profiles. Analysis of miRNA signatures of the intrinsic subtypes of breast cancer in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database versus those of normal human epithelial subpopulations was performed.

Results

Unique miRNA signatures characterized each subset (mammary stem cell (MaSC)/basal, luminal progenitor, mature luminal, stromal), with a high degree of conservation across species. Comparison of miRNA and transcriptome profiles for the epithelial subtypes revealed an inverse relationship and pinpointed key developmental genes. Interestingly, expression of the primate-specific miRNA cluster (19q13.4) was found to be restricted to the MaSC/basal subset. Comparative analysis of miRNA signatures with H3 lysine modification maps of the different epithelial subsets revealed a tight correlation between active or repressive marks for the top DE miRNAs, including derepression of miRNAs in Ezh2-deficient cellular subsets. Interrogation of TCGA-identified miRNA profiles with the miRNA signatures of different human subsets revealed specific relationships.

Conclusions

The derivation of global miRNA expression profiles for the different mammary subpopulations provides a comprehensive resource for understanding the interplay between miRNA networks and target gene expression. These data have highlighted lineage-specific miRNAs and potential miRNA–mRNA networks, some of which are disrupted in neoplasia. Furthermore, our findings suggest that key developmental miRNAs are regulated by global changes in histone modification, thus linking the mammary epigenome with genome-wide changes in the expression of genes and miRNAs. Comparative miRNA signature analyses between normal breast epithelial cells and breast tumors confirmed an important linkage between luminal progenitor cells and basal-like tumors.
Organisation of the motor cortex differs between people with and without knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Shanahan Camille J. , Hodges Paul W. , Wrigley Tim V. , Bennell Kim L. , Farrell Michael J.
Published: June 2015

Introduction

The aim of this study was to investigate possible differences in the organisation of the motor cortex in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and whether there is an association between cortical organisation and accuracy of a motor task.

Methods

fMRI data were collected while 11 participants with moderate/severe right knee OA (6 male, 69 ± 6 (mean ± SD) years) and seven asymptomatic controls (5 male, 64 ± 6 years) performed three visually guided, variable force, force matching motor tasks involving isolated isometric muscle contractions of: 1) quadriceps (knee), 2) tibialis anterior (ankle) and, 3) finger/thumb flexor (hand) muscles. fMRI data were used to map the loci of peak activation in the motor cortex during the three tasks and to assess whether there were differences in the organisation of the motor cortex between the groups for the three motor tasks. Root mean square of the difference between target and generated forces during muscle contraction quantified task accuracy.

Results

A 4.1 mm anterior shift in the representation of the knee (p = 0.03) and swap of the relative position of the knee and ankle representations in the motor cortex (p = 0.003) were found in people with knee OA. Poorer performance of the knee task was associated with more anterior placement of motor cortex loci in people with (p = 0.05) and without (p = 0.02) knee OA.

Conclusions

Differences in the organisation of the motor cortex in knee OA was demonstrated in relation to performance of knee and ankle motor tasks and was related to quality of performance of the knee motor task. These results highlight the possible mechanistic link between cortical changes and modified motor behavior in people with knee OA.
Diffusion imaging changes in grey matter in Alzheimer’s disease: a potential marker of early neurodegeneration
Authors: Weston Philip S.J. , Simpson Ivor J.A. , Ryan Natalie S. , Ourselin Sebastien , Fox Nick C.
Published: June 2015

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is recognized to have a long presymptomatic period, during which there is progressive accumulation of molecular pathology, followed by inexorable neuronal damage. The ability to identify presymptomatic individuals with evidence of neurodegenerative change, to stage their disease, and to track progressive changes will be important for early diagnosis and for prevention trials. Despite recent advances, particularly in magnetic resonance imaging, our ability to identify early neurodegenerative changes reliably is limited. The development of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, which is sensitive to microstructural changes not visible with conventional volumetric techniques, has led to a number of diffusion imaging studies in AD; these have largely focused on white matter changes. However, in AD cerebral grey matter is affected very early, with pathological studies suggesting that grey matter changes predate those in white matter. In this article we review the growing number of studies that assess grey matter diffusivity changes in AD. Although use of the technique is still at a relatively early stage, results so far have been promising. Initial studies identified changes in diffusion measures in the hippocampi of patients with mild cognitive impairment, which predated macroscopic volume loss, with positive predictive value for progression to AD dementia. More recent studies have identified abnormalities in multiple neocortical areas (particularly the posterior cingulate) at various stages of disease progression. Studies of patients who carry genetic mutations predisposing to autosomal dominant familial AD have shown cortical and subcortical grey matter diffusivity changes several years before the expected onset of the first clinical symptoms. The technique is not without potential methodological difficulties, especially relating to partial volume effects, although recent advances appear to be reducing such issues. Going forward, further utilization of grey matter diffusion measurements in AD may improve our understanding with regards to the timing and nature of the earliest presymptomatic neurodegenerative changes. This imaging technique may also be useful in comparing and contrasting subtle variations in different disease subgroups, and as a sensitive outcome measure for presymptomatic clinical trials in AD and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Toward a 3D coupled atomistic and discrete dislocation dynamics simulation: dislocation core structures and Peierls stresses with several character angles in FCC aluminum
Authors: Cho Jaehyun , Junge Till , Molinari Jean-François , Anciaux Guillaume
Published: June 2015

Background

We present a robust method to obtain the displacement field of a dislocation core, which is one of the building blocks for the development of a direct multiscale method coupling an atomistic domain to a discrete dislocation dynamics engine in 3D (e.g. CADD3D).

Methods

The core structure is achieved by modeling of a straight dislocation with an arbitrary mixed angle using atomistic simulation. In order to validate the obtained atomistic core structures, a variational Peierls-Nabarro method is extended to include arbitrary characters.

Results

Both methods show comparable dislocation core structures for all studied angles. We provide also the Peierls stress for a wide range of character angles.

Conclusions

The obtained displacement fields for the dislocation cores were fully validated. These can consequently be employed to construct the described CADD3D coupling scheme.
Long-term in vitro and in vivo effects of γ-irradiated BCG on innate and adaptive immunity
Authors: Arts Rob J W , Blok Bastiaan A , Aaby Peter , Joosten Leo A B , de Jong Dirk , van der Meer Jos W M , Benn Christine Stabell , van Crevel Reinout , Netea Mihai G
Published: June 2015

BCG vaccination is associated with a reduced mortality from nonmycobacterial infections. This is likely to be mediated by a combination of innate-immune memory (“trained immunity”) and heterologous effects on adaptive immunity. As such, BCG could be used to boost host immunity but not in immunocompromised hosts, as it is a live, attenuated vaccine. Therefore, we assessed whether killed γBCG has similar potentiating effects. In an in vitro model of trained immunity, human monocytes were incubated with γBCG for 24 h and restimulated after 6 d. Cytokine production and the role of pattern recognition receptors and histone methylation markers were assessed. The in vivo effects of γBCG vaccination were studied in a proof-of-principle trial in 15 healthy volunteers. γBCG induced trained immunity in vitro via the NOD2 receptor pathway and up-regulation of H3K4me3 histone methylation. However, these effects were less strong than those induced by live BCG. γBCG vaccination in volunteers had only minimal effects on innate immunity, whereas a significant increase in heterologous Th1/Th17 immunity was observed. Our results indicate that γBCG induces long-term training of innate immunity in vitro. In vivo, γBCG induces mainly heterologous effects on the adaptive-immune system, whereas effects on innate cytokine production are limited.
Vertical seismic profile Kirchhoff migration with structure dip constraint
Authors: Zhao Xiaomin , Jin Shengwen
Published: June 2015

Prestack Kirchhoff depth migration is commonly used in borehole seismic imaging, where there is uneven illumination due to the limitations of the source-receiver geometry. A new vertical seismic profile (VSP) migration/imaging workflow has been established that incorporates the structure-dip information derived from a newly developed structure tensor analysis into the existing VSP Kirchhoff migration/imaging technique. This allows us to better image the structures in the vicinity of a borehole and the far-field dipping events away from the borehole. We tested the workflow with the HESS salt model. The results were compared with those from reverse time migration, which found that Kirchhoff migration combined with structure-dip information not only reduced ambiguities of the imaging result but also allowed for imaging dip structures (e.g., fault) in the far region from the borehole. This allows for imaging dip structures and provides a useful extension of existing VSP imaging capabilities using Kirchhoff migration.
What's the Tea
Authors: Holmes Kwame
Published: June 2015

This essay problematizes the positivist logic of minority social history by engaging black queer gossip as an archive that actively resists visibility, recognition, and institutionalization, key strategies of modern identity politics. Contextualizing a history of black gay social history against black queer studies' exploration of black sexual minorities' vexed relationship to a politics of visibility, this essay traces a genealogy of black homosexuality's conditional, and at times violent, entry into the archives of modern urban history. Holmes argues that rather than a formal resistive movement, black gay gossip produces a political framework that actively disidentifies with the liberatory potential of historical and political incorporation.
Queering the LDS Archive
Authors: Mohrman K.
Published: June 2015

This article brings attention to the lack of scholarship on Mormonism in the history of sexuality. The author proposes rereading Latter-day Saint (LDS) history through a queer theoretical lens arguing that it is essential for historians to access religious archives. In doing so, the author posits, researchers will benefit from challenging the familiar scripts on religion and sexuality that are dominant in both academic and popular discourse. Accessing these types of archival spaces must be paralleled by a shift in archival practice that moves away from recuperation and instead seeks to (re)theorize the process of “queering the archive.” The Mormon example is used to demonstrate how scholars might think through the contingency and complicity of queerness with various dominant formations. The author suggests that in the case of the LDS archive, queerness emerges not as a subjectivity, community, or form of nonnormativity per se but rather as a contextually specific assemblage.
Transcriptomic responses to environmental temperature in eurythermal and stenothermal fishes
Authors: Logan Cheryl A. , Buckley Bradley A.
Published: June 2015

Ectothermic species like fishes differ greatly in the thermal ranges they tolerate; some eurythermal species may encounter temperature ranges in excess of 25°C, whereas stenothermal species in polar and tropical waters live at essentially constant temperatures. Thermal specialization comes with fitness trade-offs and as temperature increases due to global warming, the physiological basis of specialization and thermal plasticity has become of great interest. Over the past 50 years, comparative physiologists have studied the physiological and molecular differences between stenothermal and eurythermal fishes. It is now well known that many stenothermal fishes have lost an inducible heat shock response (HSR). Recent advances in transcriptomics have now made it possible to examine genome-wide changes in gene expression (GE) in non-model ecologically important fish, broadening our view beyond the HSR to regulation of genes involved in hundreds of other cellular processes. Here, we review the major findings from transcriptomic studies of extreme eurythermal and stenothermal fishes in response to acute and long-term exposure to temperature, both time scales being critically important for predicting climate change responses. We consider possible molecular adaptations that underlie eurythermy and stenothermy in teleosts. Furthermore, we highlight the challenges that still face the field of comparative environmental genomics and suggest fruitful paths of future investigation.
Biochemical adaptation to ocean acidification
Authors: Stillman Jonathon H. , Paganini Adam W.
Published: June 2015

The change in oceanic carbonate chemistry due to increased atmospheric PCO2 has caused pH to decline in marine surface waters, a phenomenon known as ocean acidification (OA). The effects of OA on organisms have been shown to be widespread among diverse taxa from a wide range of habitats. The majority of studies of organismal response to OA are in short-term exposures to future levels of PCO2. From such studies, much information has been gathered on plastic responses organisms may make in the future that are beneficial or harmful to fitness. Relatively few studies have examined whether organisms can adapt to negative-fitness consequences of plastic responses to OA. We outline major approaches that have been used to study the adaptive potential for organisms to OA, which include comparative studies and experimental evolution. Organisms that inhabit a range of pH environments (e.g. pH gradients at volcanic CO2 seeps or in upwelling zones) have great potential for studies that identify adaptive shifts that have occurred through evolution. Comparative studies have advanced our understanding of adaptation to OA by linking whole-organism responses with cellular mechanisms. Such optimization of function provides a link between genetic variation and adaptive evolution in tuning optimal function of rate-limiting cellular processes in different pH conditions. For example, in experimental evolution studies of organisms with short generation times (e.g. phytoplankton), hundreds of generations of growth under future conditions has resulted in fixed differences in gene expression related to acid–base regulation. However, biochemical mechanisms for adaptive responses to OA have yet to be fully characterized, and are likely to be more complex than simply changes in gene expression or protein modification. Finally, we present a hypothesis regarding an unexplored area for biochemical adaptation to ocean acidification. In this hypothesis, proteins and membranes exposed to the external environment, such as epithelial tissues, may be susceptible to changes in external pH. Such biochemical systems could be adapted to a reduced pH environment by adjustment of weak bonds in an analogous fashion to biochemical adaptation to temperature. Whether such biochemical adaptation to OA exists remains to be discovered.
Animal ice-binding (antifreeze) proteins and glycolipids: an overview with emphasis on physiological function
Authors: Duman John G.
Published: June 2015

Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) assist in subzero tolerance of multiple cold-tolerant organisms: animals, plants, fungi, bacteria etc. IBPs include: (1) antifreeze proteins (AFPs) with high thermal hysteresis antifreeze activity; (2) low thermal hysteresis IBPs; and (3) ice-nucleating proteins (INPs). Several structurally different IBPs have evolved, even within related taxa. Proteins that produce thermal hysteresis inhibit freezing by a non-colligative mechanism, whereby they adsorb onto ice crystals or ice-nucleating surfaces and prevent further growth. This lowers the so-called hysteretic freezing point below the normal equilibrium freezing/melting point, producing a difference between the two, termed thermal hysteresis. True AFPs with high thermal hysteresis are found in freeze-avoiding animals (those that must prevent freezing, as they die if frozen) especially marine fish, insects and other terrestrial arthropods where they function to prevent freezing at temperatures below those commonly experienced by the organism. Low thermal hysteresis IBPs are found in freeze-tolerant organisms (those able to survive extracellular freezing), and function to inhibit recrystallization – a potentially damaging process whereby larger ice crystals grow at the expense of smaller ones – and in some cases, prevent lethal propagation of extracellular ice into the cytoplasm. Ice-nucleator proteins inhibit supercooling and induce freezing in the extracellular fluid at high subzero temperatures in many freeze-tolerant species, thereby allowing them to control the location and temperature of ice nucleation, and the rate of ice growth. Numerous nuances to these functions have evolved. Antifreeze glycolipids with significant thermal hysteresis activity were recently identified in insects, frogs and plants.
Physiological mechanisms used by fish to cope with salinity stress
Authors: Kültz Dietmar
Published: June 2015

Salinity represents a critical environmental factor for all aquatic organisms, including fishes. Environments of stable salinity are inhabited by stenohaline fishes having narrow salinity tolerance ranges. Environments of variable salinity are inhabited by euryhaline fishes having wide salinity tolerance ranges. Euryhaline fishes harbor mechanisms that control dynamic changes in osmoregulatory strategy from active salt absorption to salt secretion and from water excretion to water retention. These mechanisms of dynamic control of osmoregulatory strategy include the ability to perceive changes in environmental salinity that perturb body water and salt homeostasis (osmosensing), signaling networks that encode information about the direction and magnitude of salinity change, and epithelial transport and permeability effectors. These mechanisms of euryhalinity likely arose by mosaic evolution involving ancestral and derived protein functions. Most proteins necessary for euryhalinity are also critical for other biological functions and are preserved even in stenohaline fish. Only a few proteins have evolved functions specific to euryhaline fish and they may vary in different fish taxa because of multiple independent phylogenetic origins of euryhalinity in fish. Moreover, proteins involved in combinatorial osmosensing are likely interchangeable. Most euryhaline fishes have an upper salinity tolerance limit of approximately 2× seawater (60 g kg−1). However, some species tolerate up to 130 g kg−1 salinity and they may be able to do so by switching their adaptive strategy when the salinity exceeds 60 g kg−1. The superior salinity stress tolerance of euryhaline fishes represents an evolutionary advantage favoring their expansion and adaptive radiation in a climate of rapidly changing and pulsatory fluctuating salinity. Because such a climate scenario has been predicted, it is intriguing to mechanistically understand euryhalinity and how this complex physiological phenotype evolves under high selection pressure.
The emerging role of RNA editing in plasticity
Authors: Rosenthal Joshua J. C.
Published: June 2015

All true metazoans modify their RNAs by converting specific adenosine residues to inosine. Because inosine binds to cytosine, it is a biological mimic for guanosine. This subtle change, termed RNA editing, can have diverse effects on various RNA-mediated cellular pathways, including RNA interference, innate immunity, retrotransposon defense and messenger RNA recoding. Because RNA editing can be regulated, it is an ideal tool for increasing genetic diversity, adaptation and environmental acclimation. This review will cover the following themes related to RNA editing: (1) how it is used to modify different cellular RNAs, (2) how frequently it is used by different organisms to recode mRNA, (3) how specific recoding events regulate protein function, (4) how it is used in adaptation and (5) emerging evidence that it can be used for acclimation. Organismal biologists with an interest in adaptation and acclimation, but with little knowledge of RNA editing, are the intended audience.
Complete decongestive therapy (CDT) in lymphoedema/phlebolymphoedema
Authors: Gültig O.
Published: June 2015

Im Unterschied zum wissenschaftlich anerkannten Stellenwert der KPE (Phase I + II) in der Behandlung primärer und sekundärer Lymphödeme als Therapie der Wahl, ist die initiale Entstauung des Phlebolymphödems (Stadium II + III a/b der CVI nach Widmer / CEAP IV-VI) unter ambulanten Bedingungen häuft unbekannt. Als Prävention für das weitere Voranschreiten der veno-lymphostatischen Erkrankung und der Entwicklung des Ulcus cruris venosum wurde die Entstauungsphase (Phase I der KPE) bereits vor einem Jahrzehnt durch den Bundesausschuss Ärzte-Krankenkassen in die geltenden Heilmittelrichtlinien unter LY 1 und LY 2 aufgenommen. Erst nach einer durchschnittlichen 10- bis max. 15-malig durchgeführten tägli-chen KPE-Phase I ist die Versorgung mit dem unverzichtbaren med. Kompressionsstrumpf sinnvoll. Die konstante Weiterbehandlung als KPE-Phase II (Erhaltungsphase) ist nur in einigen Ausnahmefällen, nach entsprechendem ärztlichem Befund, notwendig.
Treatment of lipoedema using liposuction
Authors: Baum S. , Kaak I. , Kottmann T. , Podda M. , Rapprich S.
Published: June 2015

Hintergrund: Beim Lipödem handelt es sich um eine schmerzhafte, anlagebedingt übermäßige Fettgewebsvermehrung der Extremitäten bei Frauen. Die Ursache ist unbekannt. Ebenso unbekannt ist die Zahl der betroffenen Frauen in Deutschland. Eine eigene Untersuchung zur Epidemiologie wird vorgestellt. Als Therapiemöglichkeit stehen die Komplexe Physikalische Entstauungstherapie und die Liposuktion zur Verfügung. Nur durch die Liposuktion ist eine dauerhafte Entfernung des Fettgewebes möglich. Ihre Wirksamkeit wird in einer weiteren Untersuchung aufgezeigt und die Bedeutung als Teil eines umfassenden Behandlungskonzeptes dargelegt.

Patienten und Methodik: Für die epidemiologische Untersuchung wurden in einer ländli-chen Hausarztpraxis sämtliche Patientinnen bezüglich Beinleiden untersucht. Die Studie zur Liposuktion umfasste die prä- und postoperative Untersuchung von 85 Patientinnen mittels Beschwerdefragebogen.

Ergebnisse: Bei 5 % aller Patientinnen einer Hausarztpraxis wurde ein Lipödem festgestellt. Mittels Liposuktion konnten bei 85 Patientinnen Schmerzen, Druckschmerz, Hämatomneigung und Schwellungsneigung signifi-kant vermindert und die Lebensqualität verbessert werden.

Schlussfolgerung: Das Lipödem ist eine relativ häufige Erkrankung der weiblichen Bevölkerung. Die Liposuktion stellt zusammen mit der prä- und postoperativen komplexen physikalischen Entstauungstherapie, einem Sportprogramm und der Behandlung einer begleitenden Adipositas sowie bedarfsweise einer psychologischen Unterstützung ein wirksames Behandlungskonzept dar.

Sie kann nur im Zusammenwirken mit diesen anderen Therapien erfolgreich sein und daher ist ein umfassender Therapieplan anzustreben.
De lo nacional-popular a la resistencia popular: la representación y performatividad en la fiesta de los andes bolivianos
Authors: Plaza Cleverth Cárdenas
Published: June 2015

A partir de la comprensión de la fiesta popular se discuten dos temas importantes sobre Bolivia: la conexión democratización social y forma estatal y la dispar articulación de disponibilidad social. En tal sentido, argumenta que, aunque la fiesta popular se desarrolla en un contexto de aparente “trasformación” política en Bolivia, el Estado no se relaciona con ella.Es la festividad del Gran Poder, en La Paz, la que expande su lógica a otros espacios. Así,la fiesta hecha por migrantes aymaras, es una actividad que se gestiona desde “abajo” y evita ser cooptada por el poder político y la presencia de mediadores. En la fiesta popular se evidencia el funcionamiento de otra lógica cultural y otros valores respecto al Estado y, sin embargo, todo ello apunta a la reafirmación de su identidad nacional. Es interesante ver cómo articulan estratégicamente su lógica para concluir, afirmándose como sujetos nacionales,folcloristas y migrantes.
Escuchar música al sur del Río Bravo: desarrollo y formación del oído musical desde una perspectiva latinoamericana
Authors: Holguín Pilar Jovanna , Shifres Favio Demian
Published: June 2015

En este trabajo nos proponemos estudiar un caso que ejemplifica las formas de colonialidad del saber y del ser: el concepto de oído musical como atributo del músico, que muestra cómo se ha construido un sujeto músico que se define conforme a los principios europeos, y entra en colisión con formas primigenias del pensamiento en la música y acerca de ella, en América Latina. Para ello comenzamos reuniendo algunos conceptos básicos para abordar la cuestión de la enajenación cultural sufrida. Luego, mostramos de qué modo las ontologías hegemónicas de la música y los supuestos pedagógicos que se derivan de ella, en las formas de circulación del conocimiento musical, le han impuesto al sujeto músico un modo de pensar que mantiene actual su contribución a dicha enajenación. Finalmente, proponemos una mirada alternativa a la pedagogía musical dominante que procura contribuir a la construcción de una identidad musical sobre la base de formas de pensamiento musical decolonizadoras.
Los movimientos sociales: democratización sí, pero desde abajo. Una reflexión sobre los movimientos de género en América Latina
Authors: Buitrago Carlos Julio
Published: June 2015

Algunos científicos sociales consideran que, dadas las nuevas formas de subordinación del capitalismo actual, los ‘nuevos’ movimientos sociales en contraposición con los movimientos obreros del siglo XIX carecen de formas estables y organizadas. Sin embargo, pese a lo anterior,frente a la crisis en la relación entre el Estado y la sociedad civil, es factible que estos nuevos movimientos jueguen un rol político importante dentro de las sociedades, e incluso encuentren elementos de permanencia, sin que esto signifique necesariamente su institucionalización como partidos políticos. Por tanto, los movimientos sociales pueden contribuir de manera importante y significativa en el proceso de transición y profundización de la democracia-representativa a la democracia-participativa; ejemplo de ello son los llamados movimientos de género.
Escenas y tras escenas de las políticas públicas en Bogotá: su incidencia en la consolidación y autonomía del campo teatral durante 2006-2012
Authors: Ariza Angie Paola
Published: June 2015

Esta investigación analiza de qué manera las políticas públicas han incidido en la consolidación y autonomía del campo teatral bogotano, durante el periodo 2006-2012. Para esto,identificamos los principios políticos y epistemológicos y los programas concretos de las políticas públicas que rigieron al teatro distrital en dicho periodo, para confrontarlos con algunos cambios cualitativos y cuantitativos de las dinámicas del campo teatral y con las percepciones de algunos de sus agentes activos. Exponemos cómo la importancia asignada al teatro por el Estado como detonador de procesos sociales, contrasta con el limitado financiamiento a proyectos a corto plazo que refuerzan la inestabilidad de la creación, que no garantizan procesos, ni las condiciones para la inserción en las promovidas economías creativas.
An Analytic Formulation of PMD-Induced Pulse Distortion
Authors: Bardyszewski Witold , Reimer Michael , Yevick David
Published: June 2015

We systematically analyze the pulse distortion resulting from polarization mode dispersion (PMD) by deriving an analytic expression for the characteristic function of the system bit error probability (BEP) density in terms of the lowest-order moments of the Fourier transformed input pulse shape. We determine the range of validity of our technique, which implements a second-order expansion of the Jones matrix, by comparing our results for chirped and unchirped input pulses with direct numerical simulations. Our method may be easily applied to analyze the role of the first- and second-order PMD in the interference between adjacent pulses.
Soliton Solutions of Nonlinear and Nonlocal Sine-Gordon Equation Involving Riesz Space Fractional Derivative
Authors: Ray Santanu Saha
Published: June 2015

In this article, a novel approach comprising modified homotopy analysis method with Fourier transform has been implemented for the approximate solution of fractional sine-Gordon equation (SGE) ${u_{tt}}\; - \;{}^RD_x^\alpha u\; + \;{\rm{sin}}u\; = \;0,$ where $^RD_x^\alpha $ is the Riesz space fractional derivative, 1 ≤ α ≤ 2. For α=2, it becomes classical SGE utt−uxx + sinu=0, and corresponding to α=1, it becomes nonlocal SGE utt−Hu + sinu=0, which arises in the Josephson junction theory, where H is the Hilbert transform. The fractional SGE is considered as an interpolation between the classical SGE (corresponding to α=2) and nonlocal SGE (corresponding to α=1). Here, the approximate solution of fractional SGE is derived by using modified homotopy analysis method with the Fourier transform. Then, we analyse the results by numerical simulations, which demonstrate the simplicity and effectiveness of the present method.
Conservation Laws and Soliton Solutions of the (1+1)-Dimensional Modified Improved Boussinesq Equation
Authors: Guner Ozkan , San Sait , Bekir Ahmet , Yaşar Emrullah
Published: June 2015

In this work, we consider the (1+1)-dimensional modified improved Boussinesq (IMBq) equation. As the considered equation is of evolution type, no recourse to a Lagrangian formulation is made. However, we showed that by utilising the partial Lagrangian method and multiplier method, one can construct a number of local and nonlocal conservation laws for the IMBq equation. In addition, by using a solitary wave ansatz method, we obtained exact bright soliton solutions for this equation. The parameters of the soliton envelope (amplitude, widths, velocity) were obtained as function of the dependent model coefficients. Note that, it is always useful and desirable to construct exact solutions especially soliton-type envelope for the understanding of most nonlinear physical phenomena.
1-(2′-Benzimidazolylmethyl)-pyridinium ylide in the one-pot synthesis of indolizine and benzimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine derivatives
Authors: Belguedj Roumaissa , Bouacida Sofiane , Merazig Hocine , Belfaitah Ali , Bouraiou Abdelmalek
Published: June 2015

Four indolizine derivatives were obtained via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of 1-(2′-benzimidazolylmethyl)pyridinium ylide with various electron-deficient alkynes. The reaction of this pyridinium N-ylide with dimethyl maleate gave an unexpected methyl 1-oxo-benzimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-carboxylate. The structures of all reported compounds have been examined by X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy.
A Biophysical Approach to Predicting Protein–DNA Binding Energetics
Authors: Locke George , Morozov Alexandre V
Published: June 2015

Sequence-specific interactions between proteins and DNA play a central role in DNA replication, repair, recombination, and control of gene expression. These interactions can be studied in vitro using microfluidics, protein-binding microarrays (PBMs), and other high-throughput techniques. Here we develop a biophysical approach to predicting protein–DNA binding specificities from high-throughput in vitro data. Our algorithm, called BindSter, can model alternative DNA-binding modes and multiple protein species competing for access to DNA, while rigorously taking into account all sterically allowed configurations of DNA-bound factors. BindSter can be used with a hierarchy of protein–DNA interaction models of increasing complexity, including contributions of mononucleotides, dinucleotides, and longer words to the total protein–DNA binding energy. We observe that the quality of BindSter predictions does not change significantly as some of the energy parameters vary over a sizable range. To take this degeneracy into account, we have developed a graphical representation of parameter uncertainties called IntervalLogo. We find that our simplest model, in which each nucleotide in the binding site is treated independently, performs better than previous biophysical approaches. The extensions of this model, in which contributions of longer words are also considered, result in further improvements, underscoring the importance of higher-order effects in protein–DNA energetics. In contrast, we find little evidence of multiple binding modes for the transcription factors (TFs) and experimental conditions in our data set. Furthermore, there is limited consistency in predictions for the same TF based on microfluidics and PBM data.
Caracterización de la transferencia de inmunidad pasiva en terneras de lechería.
Authors: Elizondo-Salazar Jorge Alberto
Published: June 2015

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue determinar la transferencia de inmunidad pasiva en terneras de lechería en Costa Rica. Los datos presentados corresponden a medidas de proteína sérica total (PST) obtenidas en el periodo comprendido entre los años 2010 y 2013, durante los meses de agosto a noviembre en 50 fincas lecheras. Se evaluaron 2500 terneras nacidas de vacas Holstein, Jersey, cruce Holstein×Jersey y otras. Para fines del presente estudio, se consideró una falla en la transferencia de inmunidad pasiva (FTIP) cuando la concentración de PST fue menor a 5,5 g/dl. La concentración de PST varió entre 2,0 y 10,0 g/dl, con un promedio de 5,9 g/dl. De todos los animales muestreados un 38,8% presentaron FTIP. Los animales provenientes de la raza Jersey y del cruce Holstein×Jersey obtuvieron una concentración de PST significativamente mayor (P<0,05) a los de las razas Holstein y otras. Al considerar el número de parto de la madre, no se encontraron diferencias significativas en la concentración de PST de las crías. Las crías de vacas de primer parto presentaron la menor proporción de animales con FTIP. La concentración de PST varió significativamente (P<0,05) entre las terneras que permanecieron con la madre y las que fueron alimentadas con biberón, y la proporción de animales con FTIP fue mayor cuando estos permanecieron con la madre (44 vs. 33%).