bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Increase in the Serum Bile Acid Level Predicts the Effective Hypertrophy of the Nonembolized Hepatic Lobe After Right Portal Vein Embolization
Authors: Hayashi Hiromitsu , Beppu Toru , Sugita Hiroki , Horino Kei , Komori Hiroyuki , Masuda Toshiro , Okabe Hirohisa , Takamori Hiroshi , Baba Hideo
Published: August 2009

Background

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the clinical association between serum bile acid level changes and liver hypertrophy in portal vein embolization (PVE).

Methods

In 31 patients, the serum total bile acid level was prospectively measured before and 1, 3, 5, 7, and 14 days after right PVE. Computed tomographic volumetry was performed before and 25.0 ± 3.6 days after PVE.

Results

Portal vein embolization induced the liver hypertrophy with a median increase in the left lobe volume (ILV) of 165 cm3 and a median percentage ILV (%ILV) of 29%. Compared with the pretreatment level, the serum bile acid levels significantly increased on day 3 and day 14 after PVE (p = 0.017 and p = 0.003, respectively). In patients with greater hypertrophy after PVE (ILV > 165 cm3 and %ILV > 30%), the increases in the bile acid level on day 3 were larger than that in those with lesser hypertrophy (p = 0.008 and p = 0.002, respectively). The increase on day 3 positively correlated with the ILV and %ILV (p = 0.003 and p = 0.004, respectively). The serum bile acid levels on day 3, 5, and 7 after PVE increased in patients with %ILV > 30% but not in those with %ILV ≤ 30%.

Conclusions

Portal vein embolization increases the serum bile acid level in patients with effective liver hypertrophy in the nonembolized lobe. The increase on day 3 is a useful predictor of effective hypertrophy of the nonembolized lobe. Thus, bile acid signaling may be important for liver regeneration post‐PVE.
A new case of ALG8 deficiency (CDG Ih)
Authors: Vesela K. , Honzik T. , Hansikova H. , Haeuptle M. A. , Semberova J. , Stranak Z. , Hennet T. , Zeman J.
Published: August 2009

Congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) represent an expanding group of inherited diseases. One of them, ALG8 deficiency (CDG Ih), leads to protein N‐glycosylation defects caused by malfunction of glucosyltransferase 2 (Dol‐P‐Glc:Glc1‐Man9‐GlcNAc2‐P‐P‐Dol glucosyltransferase) resulting in inefficient addition of the second glucose residue onto lipid‐linked oligosaccharides. So far, only five patients have been described with ALG8 deficiency. We present a new patient with neonatal onset. The girl was born at the 29th week of gestation complicated by oligohydramnios. Although the early postnatal adaptation was uneventful (Apgar score 8 and 9 at 5 and 10 min), generalized oedema, multifocal myoclonic seizures, and bleeding due to combined coagulopathy were present from the first day. Diarrhoea progressing to protein‐losing enteropathy with ascites and pericardial effusion developed in the third week of life. Pharmacoresistant seizures and cortical, cerebellar and optic nerve atrophy indicated neurological involvement. No symptoms of liver disease except coagulopathy were observed; however, steatofibrosis with cholestasis was found at autopsy. The girl died at the age of 2 months owing to the progressive general oedema, bleeding and cardio‐respiratory insufficiency. Molecular analysis revealed two heterozygous mutations in the ALG8 gene: c.139A>C (p.T47P) and the novel mutation c.1090C>T (p.R364X). Conclusion: The prognosis of patients with ALG8 deficiency is unfavourable. The majority of affected children have early onset of the disease with heterogeneous symptoms including multiple organ dysfunction, coagulopathy and protein‐losing enteropathy. Neurological impairment is not a general clinical symptom, but it has to be taken into consideration when thinking about ALG8 deficiency.
Noninvasive Quantitative Assessment of Bone Healing after Distraction Osteogenesis
Authors: Babatunde Oladapo M. , Fragomen Austin T. , Rozbruch S. Robert
Published: August 2009

One of the greatest challenges of limb lengthening and deformity correction is deciding when the bone has healed enough to remove the external fixator. Standard radiography is the most common imaging method used to assess bone healing after distraction osteogenesis because it is widely available, cheap, and relatively safe. However, other imaging technologies and methods are being investigated that will help quantify bone healing after distraction osteogenesis, providing an objective method for deciding when it is appropriate to remove an external fixator. This review will examine the latest techniques used to assess bone healing after distraction osteogenesis including dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans, ultrasound, quantitative computed tomography, and digital radiography (X-ray). Recommendations for clinical practice will be outlined.
Constitutional Power and Competing Risks: Monarchs, Presidents, Prime Ministers, and the Termination of East and West European Cabinets
Authors: SCHLEITER PETRA , MORGAN-JONES EDWARD
Published: August 2009

Some European constitutions give cabinets great discretion to manage their own demise, whereas others limit their choices and insert the head of state into decisions about government termination. In this article, we map the tremendous variation in the constitutional rules that govern cabinet termination and test existing expectations about its effects on a government's survival and mode of termination. In doing so, we use the most extensive government survival data set available to date, the first to include East and West European governments. Our results demonstrate that constitutional constraints on governments and presidential influence on cabinet termination are much more common than has previously been understood and have powerful effects on the hazard profiles of governments. These results alter and improve the discipline's understanding of government termination and durability, and have implications for comparative work in a range of areas, including the survival and performance of democracies, electoral accountability, opportunistic election calling, and political business cycles.
Body composition by 2H dilution in Gambian infants: comparison with UK infants and evaluation of simple prediction methods
Authors: Wells Jonathan C. K. , Hawton Kate , Darch Tegan , Lunn Peter G.
Published: August 2009

Gambian infants show growth faltering, but the underlying body composition is unknown. The present study aimed to compare body composition in Gambian and UK infants using 2H dilution; and to evaluate accuracy of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and creatinine excretion for estimating lean mass (LM), using 2H as the reference. Body composition was measured in thirty Gambian infants, aged 3–18 months, using (1) anthropometry, (2) 2H, (3) BIA (equation of Fjeld et al.Pediatr Res (1990), 27, 98–102) and (4) 5 h urinary creatinine excretion. Compared with UK reference data, Gambian infants were light, short and had reduced BMI and skinfolds. The subscapular skinfold standard deviation score (SDS) was greater than the triceps SDS (P < 0·01), indicating central fat preservation. Both LM and fat mass were reduced in Gambian infants, with or without adjustment for length. However, whereas the Gambia–UK difference in LM increased with age, that in fat mass decreased. Average creatinine excretion was similar to that expected (95·5 (sd 23·2) % recovery), but LM estimates showed unacceptable error in individuals. BIA using Fjeld's equation overestimated total body water and LM (P < 0·001), hence a new equation was developed, with standard error of 0·47 kg LM. In conclusion, Gambian infants characterised by growth faltering had LM deficits that increased with age. However, adiposity increased with age, and showed indications of a more central distribution than in the reference infants. A new BIA equation for LM prediction is presented; however, creatinine excretion is not recommended for LM estimation in this population.
Nonlinear force driven plasma blocks igniting solid density hydrogen boron: Laser fusion energy without radioactivity
Authors: Hora H. , Miley G.H. , Azizi N. , Malekynia B. , Ghoranneviss M. , He X.T.
Published: August 2009

Energy production by laser driven fusion energy is highly matured by spherical compression and ignition of deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel. An alternative scheme is the fast ignition where petawatt (PW)-picosecond (ps) laser pulses are used. A significant anomaly was measured and theoretically analyzed with very clean PW-ps laser pulses for avoiding relativistic self focusing. This permits a come-back of the side-on ignition scheme of uncompressed solid DT, which is in essential contrast to the spherical compression scheme. The conditions of side-on ignition thresholds needed exorbitantly high energy flux densities E*. These conditions are now in reach by using PW-ps laser pulses to verify side-on ignition for DT. Generalizing this to side-on igniting solid state density proton-Boron-11 (HB11) arrives at the surprising result that this is one order of magnitude more difficult than the DT fusion. This is in contrast to the well known impossibility of igniting HB11 by spherical laser compression and may offer fusion energy production with exclusion of neutron generation and nuclear radiation effects with a minimum of heat pollution in power stations and application for long mission space propulsion.
Diabetes and obesity in older adults: a call to action
Authors: Edson Emily J. , Sierra-Johnson Justo , Curtis Bradley
Published: August 2009

The world's older population is projected to rise to some two billion people in the next 50 years. The health of older adults deteriorates with increasing age and creates greater demand for healthcare resources. Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in older adults is causing concern due to its interplay between type 2 diabetes, obesity and associated morbidity and mortality. This call to action discusses comorbidities associated with type 2 diabetes and obesity in the older population and its impact on patients. We cover several topics to consider when designing prevention and treatment strategies for older adults and areas for improvement in our care of this special population are discussed. We know that dietary, exercise and weight-loss interventions are effective. However, these strategies require effort by both patient and physician. If all parties responsible in patient care take action, a change in lifestyle can lead to longer, healthier lives in older adults.
A comparative review of the potential role of adenovirus and Herpes Simplex Virus in the treatment of advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck
Authors: McCaighy Stuart
Published: August 2009

The unsatisfactory outcome of patients who receive intensive multimodality treatment for advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) has motivated investigators to seek novel treatments to improve survival. Advances in molecular biology has led to the development of cancer gene therapy (CGT) and revived interest in viral vectors as a mechanism. SCCHN is an ideal model for CGT as disease remains locoregional and is amenable to injection of viruses. Adenovirus and Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1 (HSV) are the most studied Oncolytic Viruses (OVs). Both viruses have been shown to select and replicate in tumour cells and demonstrate anti-tumour effect in laboratory studies and clinical trials. Toxicity from OVs is minor and manageable. Different adenoviral mutants have been investigated with mixed responses. One vector, H101, has now been licensed after showing significant tumour regression in conjunction with chemotherapy. HSV has a larger capacity to carry genetic material and with the addition of the granulocyte–macrophage colony–stimulating factor, has the potential to stimulate an immune response systemically and at the site of disease. OVs are limited by the distribution of virus beyond injection site and by pre-existing or rapidly established immune response. Phase III studies are required.
External beam radiotherapy in the treatment of extensive vascular malformation of the lower extremity refractory to surgery and interventional embolisation therapy
Authors: Trombetta Mark , Potts Jonathan , Valakh Vladimir , Werts E. Day , Nahum Elmer , Parda David
Published: August 2009

This patient case-study represents the introduction of radiotherapy in the management of extra-cranial vascular malformations, a topic with virtually no supported literature before our case study. In those patients refractory to established therapies and facing the inevitability of mutilating amputation, radiotherapy may be a viable option to preserve the limb.
Functional Foods: From Theory to Practice
Authors: Porrini Marisa
Published: August 2009

Among Functional Foods there are many different “traditional” foods rich in specific compounds shown to produce an effect or modulate a function in our organism. However, in most cases, e. g. in tomato, the evidence has not been sufficient to obtain an official health claim. Nevertheless it is important to investigate further the effects of vegetables in our diet and to communicate correctly their advantages for health. Different works were performed in my laboratory on cruciferous vegetables which contain a lot of active compounds such as vitamins, minerals, carotenoids and glucosinolates. Glucosinolates are metabolised and absorbed as isothiocyanates that can affect the activity of enzymes involved both in the antioxidant defence system and in the detoxification from xenobiotics.. Promising are the preliminary results of human intervention studies demonstrating that the regular intake of broccoli for a relatively short period of time could significantly affect glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity and cell protection against DNA damage. The entity of the protective effect registered seems also related to the genetic characteristic (GSTM1 polimorphysm) of the subjects considered. These results support the use of the nutrigenetic approach also to study functional foods (e. g. for specific groups of population).
Health Potential for Functional Green Teas?
Authors: Boon Niels
Published: August 2009

Obesity is a major health problem in the developed and developing world. Many “functional” foods and ingredients are advocated for their effects on body composition but few have consistent scientific support for their efficacy. However, an increasing amount of mechanistic and clinical evidence is building for green tea. The tea plant is naturally rich in a group of antioxidants known as catechins. Unlike black tea, green tea production involves little processing and fermentation and therefore, green tea brews are rich in catechins. Green tea has been suggested to have a number of potential health benefits in areas such as cardiovascular disease, cancer prevention, glucose homeostasis and dental health. Although there is some promising evidence in all of these areas, more data from human intervention trials are needed. A lot of attention has lately been focused on the beneficial effects of green tea on body composition and particularly visceral fat, which has been shown to have a strong link with different components of the metabolic syndrome such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Most, but not all, of the positive results come from a number Asian studies, in which overweight subjects (men and women) consumed green tea for approximately 12 weeks. Finally, green tea may also have measurable acute effects on energy metabolism and fat oxidation and in particular during physical activity, as evidenced by other studies specifically looking at these endpoints. Small cumulative effects on energy metabolism could also be responsible for the longer-tem effects of green tea on body composition, and these long-term effects may also be most apparent in the context of moderate physical activity. However, more research is needed to further clarify the exact mechanisms of action and to extrapolate these findings to non-Asian populations.
Neuronal Protection by Bioactive Nutrients
Authors: Staehelin Hannes. B.
Published: August 2009

Nutrition is a central factor in today’s observed aging of the population. However, the good prospect of longevity is overshadowed by the high prevalence of mental decline in old age. The most prevalent form of neurodegeneration is Alzheimer‘s disease(AD) reaching a prevalence of over 30 % above age 80.The question is reviewed whether nutrients may protect or slow down the age associated mental decline due to neuronal degeneration. The amyloid hypothesis states that the amyloid fragment (Aβ) originating from the metabolism of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) is neurotoxic and causes the damage to the neurons. The most popular hypothesis states that a deranged APP metabolism increases oxidative stress in addition to age associated increase. Thus, antioxidative nutrients could potentially protect against AD. Numerous observational studies demonstrate a positive correlation between a high intake of antioxidants and better cognitive function in the elderly; however these studies need to be interpreted with caution. Randomized controlled studies over sufficient long periods are not possible. A hypothesis gaining today more weight are the age-related proinflammattory cytokines. Observational studies show a reduced risk of AD in users of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Also omega-3 fatty acids are known to reduce cytokines could then lower the AD risk.
Anti-inflammatory Effects of Plant-based Foods and of their Constituents
Authors: Watzl Bernhard
Published: August 2009

Inflammation is a pathological condition underlying a number of diseases including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and chronic inflammatory diseases. In addition, healthy, obese subjects also express markers of inflammation in their blood. Diet provides a variety of nutrients as well as non-nutritive bioactive constituents which modulate immunomodulatory and inflammatory processes. Epidemiological data suggest that dietary patterns strongly affect inflammatory processes. Primarily the intake of fruit and vegetables as well as of whole wheat is inversely associated with the risk of inflammation. In addition to observational studies there are also data from human intervention studies suggesting an anti-inflammatory potential of these plant foods. At the level of bioactive compounds occurring in plant foods, primarily carotenoids and flavonoids seem to modulate inflammatory as well as immunological processes. In conclusion, there is convincing evidence that plant foods and non-nutritive constituents associated with these foods modulate immunological and inflammatory processes. By means of anti-inflammatory activities a plant-based diet may contribute to the lower risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. A high intake of vegetables, fruit, and whole wheat as recommended by all international nutrition authorities provides a wide spectrum of bioactive compounds at health-promoting concentrations.
THEMIS observations of extreme magnetopause motion caused by a hot flow anomaly
Authors: Jacobsen K. S. , Phan T. D. , Eastwood J. P. , Sibeck D. G. , Moen J. I. , Angelopoulos V. , McFadden J. P. , Engebretson M. J. , Provan G. , Larson D. , Fornaçon K.‐H.
Published: August 2009

On 30 October 2007, the five THEMIS spacecraft observed the cause and consequence of extreme motion of the dawn flank magnetopause, displacing the magnetopause outward by at least 4.8 RE in 59 s, with flow speeds in the direction normal to the model magnetopause reaching 800 km/s. While the THEMIS A, C, D, and E observations allowed the determination of the velocity, size, and shape of a large bulge moving tailward along the magnetopause at a speed of 355 km/s, THEMIS B observed the signatures of a hot flow anomaly (HFA) upstream of the bow shock at the same time, indicating that the pressure perturbation generated by the HFA may be the source of the fast compression and expansion of the magnetosphere. The transient deformation of the magnetopause generated field‐aligned currents and created traveling convection vortices which were detected by ground magnetometers. This event demonstrates that kinetic (non‐MHD) effects at the bow shock can have global consequences on the magnetosphere.
Magnetic decrease formation from <1 AU to ∼5 AU: Corotating interaction region reverse shocks
Authors: Tsurutani Bruce T. , Guarnieri Fernando L. , Echer Ezequiel , Lakhina Gurbax S. , Verkhoglyadova Olga P.
Published: August 2009

Magnetic decreases (MDs) have been identified and studied throughout a Ulysses fast latitude scan that lasted from 29 February 1992 to 14 September 1993. Ulysses' distance was ∼5 AU from the Sun. MDs were unbiasedly selected by application of the Interplanetary Magnetic Decrease Automatic Detection code. MDs were found to occur in high‐occurrence‐frequency “clusters” with the top 10 peak events varying in magnitude from 116 MDs per day to 36 MDs per day. For comparative purposes, quiet, nonpeak intervals had an occurrence rate of 4.3 MDs per day. Each of the 10 MD clusters was analyzed in detail to determine their solar wind dependences. MD clusters were often found to occur within corotating interaction regions (CIRs), mainly localized in the trailing portions of CIRs between the interface (IF) and the reverse shock (RS). The MD clusters were divided into smaller subclusters. Within the limits of this study, MD subclusters were always found to occur in high‐β (1 < β < 102) regions (HBRs). Small MD subclusters were detected in HBRs downstream of forward shocks (FSs) but less frequently than for the trailing portion of the CIR. The FS to IF region is generally a low‐β region (LBR), where β ≤ 1.0. The 3920 MDs were identified in the study. The temporal thickness distribution of MDs is given by N = 2173 e−(t/17.3), where t is in seconds. The magnetic field angular changes were calculated across MDs. The angular dependence is %MDs = 2 + 48e−(ΔΘ°/18.8°). Only 13.5% of MDs were “linear” with angular changes <10° across the structures. Because MDs are found in abundance in the region spanning the CIR RS to close to the IF, it is argued that MDs must be formed continuously from close to the Sun (r < 0.5 AU) to ∼5 AU. The older MDs (those found close to the IF) are “fossils” that have been convected radially outward to ∼5 AU. A scenario is presented to explain the HBRs downstream of both CIR RSs and quasi‐parallel FSs. The location of MD clusters in the trailing parts of CIRs and the paucity of linear MDs indicate that MD generation by mirror mode instability is unlikely. More promising candidates are shock compression of phase‐steepened Alfvén waves, shock–directional discontinuity interactions, and downstream turbulence. We emphasize the phase‐steepened Alfvén wave mechanism.
No Moho uplift below the Baikal Rift Zone: Evidence from a seismic refraction profile across southern Lake Baikal
Authors: Nielsen Christoffer , Thybo H.
Published: August 2009

The late Cenozoic Baikal Rift Zone (BRZ) in southern Siberia is composed of several individual topographic depressions and half grabens with the deep Lake Baikal at its center. We have modeled the seismic velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle along a 360 km long profile of the Baikal Explosion Seismic Transects (BEST) project across the rift zone in the southern part of Lake Baikal. The seismic velocity structure along the profile is determined by tomographic inversion of first arrival times and 2‐D ray tracing of first arrivals and reflections. The velocity model shows a gently deepening Moho from the Siberian Platform (41 km depth) into the Sayan‐Baikal Fold Belt (46 km depth). We can exclude the presence of any Moho uplift around the ∼10 km deep sedimentary graben structure of southern Lake Baikal. The lower crust includes a distinct 50–80 km wide high‐velocity anomaly (7.4–7.6 ± 0.2 km/s), slightly offset to the northeast from the rift axis. We interpret this feature as resulting from mafic intrusions. Their presence may explain the flat Moho by compensation of lower crustal thinning by intrusion of mafic melts. The Pn wave velocities (8.15–8.2 km/s) are normal for the area and do not show any sign of decompression melting in the sub‐Moho mantle, such that possible lithosphere thinning has not reached the base of the crust. On the basis of the results of the BEST project, we suggest that the BRZ is formed by passive rifting in the rheologically weak suture between the Siberian Platform and the Amurian plate.
Ecologists and the development of sustainability curricula for majors vs. non-majors
Authors: Cid Carmen
Published: August 2009

*Background/Question/Methods*

Ecologists usually study interactions among living and non-living things at a particular spatial scale. Ecological curricula often have a biological focus except in ecosystem or applied ecology courses. At the undergraduate level, the impact of human activity on ecology class discussions is often relegated to urban ecology classes. The discussion of sustainability is a side line in introductory or upper level ecology courses, except in applied research courses, and more intensely addressed in non-science general education courses. To develop a global sustainable society will require that different disciplines understand the many factors that affect "sustainability" and work with a common definition of that term. To start the discussion among disciplines that is necessary to solve global environmental problems ecologists need to outline a clear connection between efficient natural resource management practices and global biodiversity goals. Faculty need to network across disciplines in curriculum development, and consider answers from the point of view of coursework in biology, earth science and physical science majors vs. in the general education or liberal arts core curriculum. The sustainability curriculum outcomes of such interdisciplinary discussions are considered for various undergraduate programs throughout the United States focusing on the process of integration of ecological knowledge.

*Results/Conclusions*

Nationally, science major programs develop courses that consider the human impact on the variability and management of natural resources, relative to biodiversity and landscape physical components. Courses are grouped into minors and/or configured as a major’s track. Many of these courses incorporate service-learning and utilize the campus and surrounding university community as a field lab for exploring sustainability, conservation and resource management issues. For non-majors, sustainability may be the theme of first-year seminars taught by faculty from different disciplines, to engage students in critical thinking exercises in solving global environmental problems. Often sociologists, political scientists, historians and geographers are more involved in teaching these general education courses than ecologists. A sustainable studies interdisciplinary major may result after establishing appropriate content courses for minors, the liberal arts curriculum and tracks within majors. The interdisciplinary major can also have several concentrations, as in International Studies major programs, or it can be a self-designed interdisciplinary major, differing in the relative amount of study of each discipline’s impact on sustainability and resource management trends. Ecologists’ participation in general education program development can lead to a better infusion of ecological knowledge into campus sustainability plans, with more opportunities for sustainability service-learning projects and internships.
Little cost of injury to growth and development of damselflies
Authors: Sesterhenn Timothy , Crowley Philip
Published: August 2009

*Background:*

Damaged or missing appendages are a common problem in numerous vertebrate and invertebrate taxa and can negatively affect many aspects of life: mobility, foraging, predator avoidance, growth, and development have all been shown to suffer. Many animals use autotomy to survive a predation attempt but suffer diminished performance until the missing appendage heals or regenerates. Animals that regenerate face an extra problem, as they must re-allocate resources away from growth and development in order to regrow their missing parts. We examined the effect of appendage loss on the growth and development of the damselfly Ischnura posita. Damselfly larvae have three caudal lamellae, external gills that can be autotomized and eventually regenerated and that are frequently missing from animals in natural populations (30-40% missing at least one in our collections). We collected animals from the field and raised them individually in the lab, removing lamellae at different times through ontogeny and predicting that growth rate and development rate would be most affected by earlier injuries. As larvae neared emergence to adulthood, we expected them to devote less resources to regeneration and therefore experience less of a decline in growth and development.

*Results & Conclusions:*

We found that injuries did not strongly affect larval growth rates or sizes, regardless of timing. Developmental rates, measured as time per instar, were not strongly affected by injury. Most larvae attempted to emerge, and injured individuals were non-significantly more likely to emerge successfully. In sum, injured damselflies fared as well or better than their uninjured counterparts in terms of growth and development. We hypothesize that the relative unimportance of injury in this species may be due to their “slow” life history, behavioral or physiological compensation, or lack of stressors in this experiment.
Comparative Litter Quality and Recalcitrance Among Native Grasses and the Invasive, Non-indigenous KR Bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum)
Authors: Benbow Amanda , Lyons Kelly
Published: August 2009

KR Bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum) is a non-indigenous, invasive, C4 grass that was introduced throughout the Midwestern and Southwestern U.S. short- to midgrass prairies with the aim of improving degraded rangelands. The aggressive nature of KR bluestem has led to dramatic alterations of natural and managed ecosystems. Comparative studies of decomposition often show that non-indigenous, invasive plant species have higher rates of nutrient cycling than indigenous species; however, KR bluestem appears to deviate from this trend. Large amounts of litter are observed in KR-dominated grasslands as compared to intact native grasslands, suggesting that the species has a relatively lower decomposition rate and may slow nutrient cycling in these systems. Indeed, as a result of lower decomposition, KR-dominated sites generally have higher fuel loads. We employed a two-way factorial design to assess differences in decomposition between KR Bluestem and three native, perennial grasses in two habitat types, KR-dominated grasslands or intact native grassland. Dried above ground litter for each species was divided into leaves and culms. For each species, replicate fiberglass mesh bags were filled with one gram of leaves plus one gram of culms. The bags measured 10.16 cm x 15.24 cm. Bags were placed in the field in one of three replicate sites of either KR-dominated or intact, native grassland and collected approximately every three months. Litter was analyzed for dry weight biomass, nitrogen, carbon, and lignin. Analysis by ANCOVA demonstrated statistically significant differences in litter quality among the four species, suggesting that KR Bluestem litter is more recalcitrant to decomposition. We found no significant differences in rates of decomposition between the two habitats. Trends in the data suggest that nutrient cycling is slower in KR Bluestem due to higher lignin and C:N and low total nitrogen content.
Can global models reproduce the current increase in Western United States Wildfires and project a reliable future trend?
Authors: Bachelet Dominique , Conklin Dave , Rogers Brendan , McGlinchy Maureen , Lenihan Jim , Neilson Ron , Drapek Ray
Published: August 2009

Background/Question/Methods:

Wildfires in the western U.S. are generally thought to have increased since the 1980s. Many factors have contributed to this increase such as fire suppression, livestock grazing, and urban sprawl. Fires have also been associated with variations in sea surface temperatures and described by indices such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). Recent analyses have also shown that we may have entered a new fire regime starting with a climate shift in 1998 and are currently entering years of combined long-term warm AMO phase with cool ENSO and PDO phases usually associated with increased drought-induced fires in the interior West. Moreover, while the increase in atmospheric CO2 is likely increasing water use efficiency and thus reducing drought stress in western ecosystems, it may also have enhanced fuel build-up as warm temperatures enhance growth and thus contribute to larger fires during extreme drought conditions.

Results/Conclusions:

We have run our dynamic vegetation model MC1 in the conterminous United States at various spatial resolutions (grain) and documented the relative importance of climate and CO2 on historical fires (1895-2006) using continental (2500km2 pixels), regional (100km2 pixels), and local (0.64km2) climate and soil datasets. We will present some of our results at those various scales, compare them to observations, and discuss scaling issues.
BHL, The Biodiversity Heritage Library: An Expanding International Collaboration
Authors: Rinaldo Constance , Norton Catherine
Published: August 2009

*Background/Question/Methods*

The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL; "http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/":http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/), one of the cornerstones of the Encyclopedia of Life (eol.org), now contains nearly 13 million digitized pages of 12,000 titles comprised of 32,000 volumes of the published literature of biodiversity held in the collections of major natural history libraries. The BHL has made this literature available for open access and responsible use as a part of a global “biodiversity commons.” The BHL partnership is working with the global taxonomic community, publishers, organizations such as JSTOR and BIOONE, and the Internet Archive, to ensure that the biodiversity literature is available to all, from students to scientists with diverse interests.This poster will describe the BHL with particular focus on the taxonomic tools available and the development of international partnerships and expanded collaborations with scientists. BHL-Europe has now formed and participation by other countries and projects will augment the available literature and provide redundant repositories and mirror sites. New tools such as the PDF-generator, article repository, updated search interface and social networking tools will be reviewed.

Results/Conclusions

The BHL Portal is a transformative research environment for scientific inquiry. The tools and information in the BHL have accelerated research in life sciences. Users reach the BHL through a free, service-based portal formed by coupling existing databases with digitized, searchable images and OCR text. The array of tools for taxonomically intelligent services has expanded. These tools are designed to overcome the problem of common name versus scientific name and changes of names over time and provide easy access to the available literature on a particular organism. This scientific reference system for investigating literature offers a model that reflects, and also amplifies, scientists' use of the natural history literature. In 2008, name finding statistics showed that 30 million name string occurrences were extracted from the BHL with 4.4 million of these being unique. Of these, 23.7 million have been verified by NameBank. Enhancement of OCR tools or manual text correction is crucial to the further development of data mining. Social networking tools may be utilized to expand OCR text correction to users and for tagging maps and illustrations. Scientists are providing bibliographies for taxonomic groups that can be incorporated into the selection process. Organizations have offered already digitized articles for deposit to the BHL. Hence, an article repository has been developed together with tools to extract pages of text, from BHL content (PDF-generator).
The National Vegetation Classification Standard: Implementation and outreach for the state of Oklahoma
Authors: Fagin Todd , Hoagland Bruce , Lowther David
Published: August 2009

Efficient stewardship of the nation’s biological resources requires a systematic inventory and classification of the systems which support these resources. However, until recently, a single classification system utilized across jurisdictional boundaries and throughout multiple collecting agencies was non-existent. Rather, conservation priorities were focused primarily at the local and regional scales, with inventory and mapping standards varying from one area to the next. Inconsistent standards of inventories and classifications compounded the difficulties inherent in management of biological resources, namely the ability to present multi-scale, synoptic views of vegetation resources. In order to address these problems, the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Vegetation Subcommittee was formed to develop a single vegetation classification and mapping standard for the United States. This effort resulted in the U.S. National Vegetation Classification Standard ((NVCS), accepted by the FGDC in 1997 (version 2 endorsed by the FGDC in 2008). Under Executive Order 12906, federal agencies collecting or producing geospatial data, either directly or indirectly, are mandated to collect data in a manner that adheres to all relevant standards adopted through the FGDC process. However, unless otherwise mandated through contract or agreement, FGDC standards are voluntary for non-federal agencies. In the state of Oklahoma, many individuals involved in vegetation collection and reporting are not mandated to adhere to the NVCS. In order to encourage wider acceptance of the NVCS among these individuals, we developed educational and other training materials and engaged in direct to promote the Standard.
Ontology for Biomedical Investigations
Authors: Peters Bjoern , OBI Consortium The
Published: August 2009

The goal of OBI is to enable a formal representation of biomedical investigations that captures the experimental evidence on which their findings are based. The scope of OBI includes: materials made in and produced for investigations, research objectives, experimental protocols, roles of people in investigations and processing and publication of data gathered in investigations. Use of OBI will allow comparison of experimental data from the wide array of scientific disciplines represented by domain experts in the OBI consortium. OBI follows the principles laid out by the OBO foundry, and integrates tightly with other foundry candidate ontologies, such as GO (www.geneontology.org) and ChEBI (www.ebi.ac.uk/chebi/) whose terms are used to describe biological reality. The use of OBI by the scientific community to represent or annotate their investigations within electronic data resources will facilitate interdisciplinary data synthesis, enable access to their data on the semantic web and improve third-party understanding of information related to life-science and clinical investigations.
Development of an unsteady‐state model for a biological system in miniaturized bioreactors
Authors: Amoabediny Ghassem , Ziaie‐Shirkolaee Yaser , Büchs Jochen
Published: August 2009

In the present study, the special shake flasks, so‐called ventilation flasks, are equipped with oxygen sensors and then an unsteady‐state gas transfer model for shake flasks was developed and experimentally investigated for a wide range of gas transfer resistances (kplug). For the validation of our unsteady‐state model to simulate the gas transfer in a biological system in the ventilation flasks, a strain of Corenobacterium glutamicum DM1730 was used as a model organism. For further easy processing, the resulting total mass‐transfer resistance (kplug) is described as a function of the mass flow through the sterile plug (OTRplug) by an empirical equation. This equation is introduced into a simulation model that calculates the gas partial pressures in the headspace of the flask. Additionally, the gas transfer rates through the sterile closure and gas/liquid interface inside the flask are provided. This unsteady‐state model would be a very useful method for scaling up from a shake flask to a fermentor; comparing the results of the gas concentration in the gas phase, there is good agreement between the introduced unsteady‐state model and experimental results for the biological system.
Functional characterization of the interactions between endosomal adaptor protein APPL1 and the NuRD co-repressor complex
Authors: Banach-Orlowska Magdalena , Pilecka Iwona , Torun Anna , Pyrzynska Beata , Miaczynska Marta
Published: August 2009

Multifunctional adaptor protein APPL1 [adaptor protein containing PH (pleckstrin homology) domain, PTB (phosphotyrosine binding) domain and leucine zipper motif] belongs to a growing group of endocytic proteins which actively participate in various stages of signalling pathways. Owing to its interaction with the small GTPase Rab5, APPL1 localizes predominantly to a subpopulation of early endosomes but is also capable of nucleocytoplasmic shuttling. Among its various binding partners, APPL1 was reported to associate with the nuclear co-repressor complex NuRD (nucleosome remodelling and deacetylase), containing both nucleosome remodelling and HDAC (histone deacetylase) activities, but the biochemical basis or functional relevance of this interaction remained unknown. Here we characterized the binding between APPL1 and NuRD in more detail, identifying HDAC2 as the key NuRD subunit responsible for this association. APPL1 interacts with the NuRD complex containing enzymatically active HDAC2 but not HDAC1 as the only deacetylase. However, the cellular levels of HDAC1 can regulate the extent of APPL1–NuRD interactions, which in turn modulates the nucleocytoplasmic distribution of APPL1. Increased binding of APPL1 to NuRD upon silencing of HDAC1 promotes the nuclear localization of APPL1, whereas HDAC1 overexpression exerts an opposite effect. Moreover, we also uncovered a NuRD-independent interaction of APPL1 with HDAC1. APPL1 overexpression affects the composition of the HDAC1-containing NuRD complex and the expression of HDAC1 target p21WAF1/CIP1. Cumulatively, these data reveal a surprising complexity of APPL1 interactions with HDACs, with functional consequences for the modulation of gene expression. In a broader sense, these results contribute to an emerging theme of endocytic proteins playing alternative roles in the cell nucleus.
Impact of selenite and selenate on differentially expressed genes in rat liver examined by microarray analysis
Authors: Bosse Astrid C. , Pallauf Josef , Hommel Bettina , Sturm Mariana , Fischer Susanne , Wolf Nicole M. , Mueller Andreas S.
Published: August 2009

Sodium selenite and sodium selenate are approved inorganic Se (selenium) compounds in human and animal nutrition serving as precursors for selenoprotein synthesis. In recent years, numerous additional biological effects over and above their functions in selenoproteins have been reported. For greater insight into these effects, our present study examined the influence of selenite and selenate on the differential expression of genes encoding non-selenoproteins in the rat liver using microarray technology. Five groups of nine growing male rats were fed with an Se-deficient diet or diets supplemented with 0.20 or 1.0 mg of Se/kg as sodium selenite or sodium selenate for 8 weeks. Genes that were more than 2.5-fold up- or down-regulated by selenite or selenate compared with Se deficiency were selected. GPx1 (glutathione peroxidase 1) was up-regulated 5.5-fold by both Se compounds, whereas GPx4 was up-regulated by only 1.4-fold. Selenite and selenate down-regulated three phase II enzymes. Despite the regulation of many other genes in an analogous manner, frequently only selenate changed the expression of these genes significantly. In particular, genes involved in the regulation of the cell cycle, apoptosis, intermediary metabolism and those involved in Se-deficiency disorders were more strongly influenced by selenate. The comparison of selenite- and selenate-regulated genes revealed that selenate may have additional functions in the protection of the liver, and that it may be more active in metabolic regulation. In our opinion the more pronounced influence of selenate compared with selenite on differential gene expression results from fundamental differences in the metabolism of these two Se compounds.
Skeletal muscle dysfunction in COPD: clinical and laboratory observations
Authors: Man William D.-C. , Kemp Paul , Moxham John , Polkey Michael I.
Published: August 2009

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), although primarily a disease of the lungs, exhibits secondary systemic manifestations. The skeletal muscles are of particular interest because their function (or dysfunction) not only influences the symptoms that limit exercise, but may contribute directly to poor exercise performance. Furthermore, skeletal muscle weakness is of great clinical importance in COPD as it is recognized to contribute independently to poor health status, increased healthcare utilization and even mortality. The present review describes the current knowledge of the structural and functional abnormalities of skeletal muscles in COPD and the possible aetiological factors. Increasing knowledge of the molecular pathways of muscle wasting will lead to the development of new therapeutic agents and strategies to combat COPD muscle dysfunction.
Highly efficient polycarbazole-based organic photovoltaic devices
Authors: Chu Ta-Ya , Alem Salima , Verly Pierre G. , Wakim Salem , Lu Jianping , Tao Ye , Beaupré Serge , Leclerc Mario , Bélanger Francis , Désilets Denis , Rodman Sheila , Waller David , Gaudiana Russell
Published: August 2009

We combined experimental and computational approaches to tune the thickness of the films in poly(N-9′-heptadecanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4′,7′-di-2-thienyl-2′,1′,3′-benzothiadiazole) (PCDTBT)-based organic solar cells to maximize the solar absorption by the active layer. High power-conversion efficiencies of 5.2% and 5.7% were obtained on PCDTBT-based solar cells when using [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC60BM) and [6,6]-phenyl C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM) as the electron acceptor, respectively. The cells are designed to have an active area of 1.0 cm2, which is among the largest organic solar cells in the literature, while maintaining a low series resistance of 5 Ω cm2.
Chemosensing of 1,4-dinitrobenzene using bisfluorene dendrimer distributed feedback lasers
Authors: Richardson S. , Barcena H. S. , Turnbull G. A. , Burn P. L. , Samuel I. D. W.
Published: August 2009

We report the trace vapor detection of the molecule 1,4-dinitrobenzene, a model analyte for the explosive substance 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, via fluoresence quenching of a first generation conjugated dendrimer containing a 2,2′-bis[9,9-di-n-hexylfluorene] core. We show that much greater sensitivity can be obtained by using the material as a surface emitting distributed feedback laser. We find that the slope efficiency of the laser is a convenient and sensitive indicator of the presence of the analyte. The slope efficiency decreases by a factor 50 in the presence of 1,4-dinitrobenzene.
A simple, compact, and rigid piezoelectric step motor with large step size
Authors: Wang Qi , Lu Qingyou
Published: August 2009

We present a novel piezoelectric stepper motor featuring high compactness, rigidity, simplicity, and any direction operability. Although tested in room temperature, it is believed to work in low temperatures, owing to its loose operation conditions and large step size. The motor is implemented with a piezoelectric scanner tube that is axially cut into almost two halves and clamp holds a hollow shaft inside at both ends via the spring parts of the shaft. Two driving voltages that singly deform the two halves of the piezotube in one direction and recover simultaneously will move the shaft in the opposite direction, and vice versa.