bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nanoliposomes containing Eucalyptus citriodora as antibiotic with specific antimicrobial activity
Authors: Lin Lin , Cui Haiying , Zhou Hui , Zhang Xuejing , Bortolini Christian , Chen Menglin , Liu Lei , Dong Mingdong
Published: December 2014

A selective antimicrobial strategy based on triggering of pore-forming toxin, which is secreted by infective bacteria, was designed to fight Staphylococcus aureus.
Crystal disordering and organic solid-state reactions
Authors: Varga Katarina , Volarić Jana , Vančik Hrvoj
Published: December 2014

This investigation is a case study about the nature of the adiabatic organic solid-state reactions by kinetic measurements of the processes that occur during the dimerization of aromatic nitroso compounds under three different topochemical environments in crystals.
An individual based computational model of intestinal crypt fission and its application to predicting unrestrictive growth of the intestinal epithelium
Authors: Pin Carmen , Parker Aimee , Gunning A. Patrick , Ohta Yuki , Johnson Ian T. , Carding Simon R. , Sato Toshiro
Published: December 2014

Intestinal crypt fission is a homeostatic phenomenon, observable in healthy adult mucosa, but which also plays a pathological role as the main mode of growth of some intestinal polyps.
Mixed alkyl aryl phosphonate esters as quenched fluorescent activity-based probes for serine proteases
Authors: Serim Sevnur , Baer Philipp , Verhelst Steven H. L.
Published: December 2014

The synthesis of quenched fluorescent activity-based probes for serine proteases based on a phosphonate reactive group is reported.
Thermoresponsive self-assembled NiPAm-zwitterion copolymers
Authors: Zhao Ya , Bai Tao , Shao Qing , Jiang Shaoyi , Shen Amy Q.
Published: December 2014

We incorporated temperature sensitive NiPAm with zwitterionic monomers (CBMA and SBMA), synthesized the statistical copolymers poly(NiPAm-co-CBMA) and poly(NiPAm-co-SBMA), and investigated their self-assembly and thermoresponsive properties.
Preparation of Co–N–C supported on silica spheres with high catalytic performance for ethylbenzene oxidation
Authors: Liu Zhigang , Ji Lintao , Dong Xulong , Li Zhen , Fu Lingling , Wang Qiuan
Published: December 2014

In this study, Co–N–C supported on silica spheres is prepared through heat-treatment of supported metalloporphyrin in an N2 atmosphere.
Magnetic MOF microreactors for recyclable size-selective biocatalysis
Authors: Huo Jia , Aguilera-Sigalat Jordi , El-Hankari Samir , Bradshaw Darren
Published: December 2014

Highly porous magnetic MOF microreactors can be prepared around a Pickering-stabilized hydrogel core, providing a facile means for the encapsulation of enzymes for size-selective biocatalysis.
Brand new P-doped g-C3N4: enhanced photocatalytic activity for H2 evolution and Rhodamine B degradation under visible light
Authors: Zhou Yajun , Zhang Lingxia , Liu Jianjun , Fan Xiangqian , Wang Beizhou , Wang Min , Ren Wenchao , Wang Jin , Li Mengli , Shi Jianlin
Published: December 2014

P-doped g-C3N4 has been successfully synthesized using hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene, a low cost and environmentally benign compound, as phosphorus source, and guanidiniumhydrochloride as g-C3N4 precursor, via a thermally induced copolymerization route.
Two-dimensional SnS2@PANI nanoplates with high capacity and excellent stability for lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Wang Gang , Peng Jun , Zhang Lili , Zhang Jun , Dai Bin , Zhu Mingyuan , Xia Lili , Yu Feng
Published: December 2014

Nanostructured electrode materials have been extensively studied with the aim of enhancing lithium ion and electron transport and lowering the stress caused by their volume changes during the charge–discharge processes of electrodes in lithium-ion batteries.
Food Security and Food Sovereignty in the Middle East
Authors: Babar Zahra , Kamrava Mehran
Published: December 2014

While food prices have dropped since the 2008 highs, they remain significantly higher than before the food crisis. Expert opinion suggests that this will continue to be the case as the factors that led to elevated costs in the first place have not been adequately dealt with. Bio-fuel production programs continue to be encouraged in major grain-producing countries; global grain reserves have not been sufficiently enhanced in the intervening years; and food supplies have not kept pace with the increasing demands arising out of higher per capita incomes and changing consumption patterns in certain parts of the developing world. In specific relation to the Middle East, several structural factors particular to the region are likely to continue to aggravate issues of food insecurity and food sovereignty.
Analytical reduction of combinatorial complexity arising from multiple protein modification sites
Authors: Birtwistle Marc R.
Published: December 2014

Combinatorial complexity is a major obstacle to ordinary differential equation (ODE) modelling of biochemical networks. For example, a protein with 10 sites that can each be unphosphorylated, phosphorylated or bound to adaptor protein requires 3
10
ODEs. This problem is often dealt with by making
ad hoc
assumptions which have unclear validity and disallow modelling of site-specific dynamics. Such site-specific dynamics, however, are important in many biological systems. We show here that for a common biological situation where adaptors bind modified sites, binding is slow relative to modification/demodification, and binding to one modified site hinders binding to other sites, for a protein with
n
modification sites and
m
adaptor proteins the number of ODEs needed to simulate the site-specific dynamics of biologically relevant, lumped bound adaptor states is independent of the number of modification sites and equal to
m
+ 1, giving a significant reduction in system size. These considerations can be relaxed considerably while retaining reasonably accurate descriptions of the true system dynamics. We apply the theory to model, using only 11 ODEs, the dynamics of ligand-induced phosphorylation of nine tyrosines on epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and primary recruitment of six signalling proteins (Grb2, PI3K, PLCγ1, SHP2, RasA1 and Shc1). The model quantitatively accounts for experimentally determined site-specific phosphorylation and dephosphorylation rates, differential affinities of binding proteins for the phosphorylated sites and binding protein expression levels. Analysis suggests that local concentration of site-specific phosphatases such as SHP2 in membrane subdomains by a factor of approximately 10
7
is critical for effective site-specific regulation. We further show how our framework can be extended with minimal effort to consider binding cooperativity between Grb2 and c-Cbl, which is important for receptor trafficking. Our theory has potentially broad application to reduce combinatorial complexity and allow practical simulation of a variety ODE models relevant to systems biology and pharmacology applications to allow exploration of key aspects of complexity that control signal flux.
Differential activation of serotonergic neurons during short- and long-term gregarization of desert locusts
Authors: Rogers Stephen M. , Ott Swidbert R.
Published: December 2014

Serotonin is a neurochemical with evolutionarily conserved roles in orchestrating nervous system function and behavioural plasticity. A dramatic example is the rapid transformation of desert locusts from cryptic asocial animals into gregarious crop pests that occurs when drought forces them to accumulate on dwindling resources, triggering a profound alteration of behaviour within just a few hours. The onset of crowding induces a surge in serotonin within their thoracic ganglia that is sufficient and necessary to induce the switch from solitarious to gregarious behaviour. To identify the neurons responsible, we have analysed how acute exposure to three gregarizing stimuli—crowding, touching the hind legs or seeing and smelling other locusts—and prolonged group living affect the expression of serotonin in individual neurons in the thoracic ganglia. Quantitative analysis of cell body immunofluorescence revealed three classes of neurons with distinct expressional responses. All ganglia contained neurons that responded to multiple gregarizing stimuli with increased expression. A second class showed increased expression only in response to intense visual and olfactory stimuli from conspecifics. Prolonged group living affected a third and entirely different set of neurons, revealing a two-tiered role of the serotonergic system as both initiator and substrate of socially induced plasticity. This demonstrates the critical importance of ontogenetic time for understanding the function of serotonin in the reorganization of behaviour.
Principles governing A-to-I RNA editing in the breast cancer transcriptome
Authors: Fumagalli Debora , Gacquer David , Rothé Françoise , Lefort Anne , Libert Frederick , Brown David , Kheddoumi Naima , Shlien Adam , Konopka Tomasz , Salgado Roberto , Larsimont Denis , Polyak Kornelia , Willard-Gallo Karen , Desmedt Christine , Piccart Martine , Abramowicz Marc , Campbell Peter J , Sotiriou Christos , Detours Vincent
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACT

A-to-I editing substitutes inosines for adenosines at specific positions in mRNAs and can substantially alter a cell’s transcriptome. Currently, little is known about how RNA editing operates in cancer. Transcriptome analysis of 68 normal and cancerous breast tissues revealed that the editing enzyme ADAR acts uniformly, on the same loci, across tissues. Controlled ADAR expression experiments demonstrated that the editing frequency at all loci is proportional to both ADAR expression levels and the individual locus’ editability—a propensity to be edited determined by the surrounding nucleotide sequence. Comparison of tumor transcriptomes to those of normal breast and breast organoids, i.e. pure normal breast epithelial cells, demonstrated that the editing frequency is increased in tumor cells. This was consistent with ADAR immunohistochemistry. We also demonstrated that type I interferon response and ADAR DNA copy number explain together 53% of ADAR expression in breast cancers, an observation also valid in nearly all of 20 other cancer types in The Cancer Genome Atlas. Interferon exposure increased ADAR mRNA, protein expression and editing in four breast cell lines. Finally, ADAR silencing using shRNA lentivirus transduction in breast cancer cell lines led to more cell proliferation and less apoptosis. Our results reveal that A-to-I editing is a pervasive, yet reproducible, source of variation that is controlled by two factors, 1q amplification and inflammation, both highly prevalent among human cancers. This suggests the potential for a new class of therapeutic targets and an unexpected role for inflammation in cancers.
Special directions in momentum space. III. Practical applications
Authors: Kontrym-Sznajd Grazyna
Published: December 2014

This paper complements two previous papers devoted toSpecial directions in momentum space. I. CubicandII. Hexagonal, tetragonal and trigonal symmetries[Kontrym-Sznajd & Samsel-Czekala (2011).J. Appl. Cryst.44, 1246–1254; Kontrym-Sznajd & Samsel-Czekala (2012).J. Appl. Cryst.45, 1254–1260], in which sets of special directions (SDs) were proposed. Such directions, employing the full symmetry of the Brillouin zone, allow for constructing in the whole space anisotropic quantities from their known values along a few directions. SDs also define which spectra, measured in, for example, Compton scattering experiments, are the most efficient for reconstructing three-dimensional densities from their one-dimensional projections. This paper, in which new sets of special directions (SDs) for cubic structures are proposed, is devoted mainly to practical applications of SDs. Taking into account experimental uncertainty, an optimal strategy for experimental investigations is discussed.
Elastic macro strain and stress determination by powder diffraction: spherical harmonics analysis starting from the Voigt model. Corrigenda
Authors: Popa N. C. , Balzar D. , Vogel S. C.
Published: December 2014

Corrections to the paper by Popa, Balzar & Vogel [J. Appl. Cryst.(2014),47, 154–159] are provided.
Determination of crystallographic intensities from sparse data
Authors: Ayyer Kartik , Philipp Hugh T. , Tate Mark W. , Wierman Jennifer L. , Elser Veit , Gruner Sol M.
Published: December 2014

X-ray serial microcrystallography involves the collection and merging of frames of diffraction data from randomly oriented protein microcrystals. The number of diffracted X-rays in each frame is limited by radiation damage, and this number decreases with crystal size. The data in the frame are said to be sparse if too few X-rays are collected to determine the orientation of the microcrystal. It is commonly assumed that sparse crystal diffraction frames cannot be merged, thereby setting a lower limit to the size of microcrystals that may be merged with a given source fluence. TheEMCalgorithm [Loh & Elser (2009),Phys. Rev. E,80, 026705] has previously been applied to reconstruct structures from sparse noncrystalline data of objects with unknown orientations [Philippet al.(2012),Opt. Express,20, 13129–13137; Ayyeret al.(2014),Opt. Express,22, 2403–2413]. Here, it is shown that sparse data which cannot be oriented on a per-frame basis can be used effectively as crystallographic data. As a proof-of-principle, reconstruction of the three-dimensional diffraction intensity using sparse data frames from a 1.35 kDa molecule crystal is demonstrated. The results suggest that serial microcrystallography is, in principle, not limited by the fluence of the X-ray source, and collection of complete data sets should be feasible at, for instance, storage-ring X-ray sources.
Superspace crystallography: a key to the chemistry and properties
Authors: Pinheiro Carlos Basílio , Abakumov Artem M.
Published: December 2014

An overview is given of the recent advances in the field of modulated molecular and inorganic crystals with an emphasis on the links between incommensurability, intermolecular and interatomic interactions and, wherever possible, the properties of the materials. The importance of detailed knowledge on the modulated structure for understanding the crystal chemistry and the functional properties of modulated phases is shown using selected examples of incommensurate modulations in organic molecular compounds and inorganic complex oxides.
Multiple light-induced NO linkage isomers in the dinitrosyl complex [RuCl(NO)2(PPh3)2]BF4unravelled by photocrystallographic and IR analysis
Authors: Casaretto Nicolas , Pillet Sebastien , Bendeif El Eulmi , Schaniel Dominik , Gallien Anna K. E. , Klüfers Peter , Woike Theo
Published: December 2014

Multiple light-induced reversible metastable NO linkage isomers (PLIs) have been detected in the dinitrosyl compound [RuCl(NO)2(PPh3)2]BF4by a combination of photocrystallographic and IR analysis. The IR signature of three PLI states has been clearly identified, with estimated populations of 59% (PLI-1), 8% (PLI-2) and 5% (PLI-3) for a total population of the metastable state of 72%. The structural configuration of the major component (PLI-1) has been derived by X-ray photocrystallography. In the ground state, the structure is characterized by a bent and a linear nitrosyl, the bent one being oriented towards the linear equatorial nitrosyl with an Ru—N—O angle of 133.88 (9)°. X-ray Fourier difference maps indicate a selectivity of the photo-isomerization process in PLI-1: only the bent NO ligand changes its position, while the linear NO is unaffected. After irradiation at 405 nm, the orientation is changed by rotation towards the Cl ligand opposite the linear NO, with an Ru—N—O angle in this new position of 109 (1)°. The photocrystallographic analysis provides evidence that, in the photo-induced metastable state, the bent NO group is attached to the Ru atom through the N atom (Ru—N—O), rather than in an isonitrosyl Ru—O—N binding mode. In the IR spectra, the asymmetric NO vibrational band shifts by −33 cm−1to a lower value, whereas the symmetric band splits and shifts by 5 cm−1to a higher value and by −8 cm−1to a lower value. The down shift is a clear indication of the structural change, and the small upward shift in response to the new electronic configuration of the metastable structure. Variable-temperature IR kinetic measurements in the range 80–114 K show that the decay of the PLI-1 state follows an Arrhenius behaviour with an activation energy of 0.22 eV.
Effects of video exposure to cluttering on undergraduate students’ perceptions of a person who clutters
Authors: Farrell Lindsey M. , Blanchet Paul G. , Tillery Kim L.
Published: December 2014

Background

Previous research suggests a negative stereotype toward people with fluency disorders (i.e. stuttering and/or cluttering), although recent findings suggest that exposure to an actual person who stutters (e.g. a live or video presentation) leads to more positive perceptions of some personality traits. However, there is a paucity of research examining perceptions of a person who clutters and whether these perceptions can be modified via video exposure to cluttering.

Aims

To examine the effects of video exposure to cluttering on university students’ perceptions of a person who clutters. It was hypothesized that participants in the video condition would rate personality traits more positively than those who did not view the video clip.

Methods & Procedures

A total of 105 undergraduate students served as participants; 54 were provided with written definition of cluttering, whereas 51 were provided with both a definition and short segment of an instructional DVD on cluttering. Students then rated a person who clutters on a variety of speech skills and personality scales.

Outcomes & Results

Independent samples t‐tests yielded no significant group differences in ratings of any speech skills or personality traits. However, a significantly greater number of students who viewed the video clip reported a reluctance to hire a person who clutters specifically because of the individual's fluency disorder. Additionally, participants who did not view the video clip reported having more previous instructors who cluttered than those who did view the video clip; this increased familiarity with persons who clutter may have impacted perceptions of a person who clutters.

Conclusions & Implications

The present results indicate that viewing the brief video clip did not significantly influence ratings towards more positive perceptions, but also did not influence ratings to be significantly more negative on any traits. Further research is needed to compare the differences in the perceptions of listeners who have had long‐term exposure to cluttered speech with those of listeners who have had brief exposure. Implications discussed include the impact of prior exposure to fluency disorders, as well as potential confusion between cluttering and ‘fast speech’. These two factors may have influenced the identification rate of individuals with who clutter in the present study, which may have affected perceptions of a person who clutters.
Technologies of the Body: Polite Consumption and the Correction of Deformity in Eighteenth‐Century England
Authors: Turner David M. , Withey Alun
Published: December 2014

Advertisements for a variety of products aimed at correcting or concealing physical ‘deformities’ – including rupture trusses, artificial limbs, and more elaborate machines to correct posture by straightening the spine – were prominent features of later eighteenth‐century newspapers. This article examines ways in which these products offered ways of fashioning the body that not only restored functional capability, but also offered aesthetic improvement, producing a shape that both appeared ‘natural’ and was pleasing to others. Indeed, although many technologies of the body may have been intended first and foremost to restore the injured to economic productivity, manufacturers used a language of polite commerce to address users not as medicalized ‘patients’ but as sophisticated consumers. The development of these products took place against a cultural shift in which using artificial means to effect physical ‘improvement’ lost its previous association with pride and became prescribed as a duty for those wishing to succeed in polite society. This article shows how concepts of politeness and technologies of the body were interwoven in complex and surprising ways, and uses its material to question the status of these products as ‘medical’. In the process, it examines the ways in which suppliers addressed the aspirations and experiences of ‘deformed’ consumers in the eighteenth‐century world of goods.
A stated preference investigation of household demand for illegally hunted bushmeat in the Serengeti, Tanzania
Authors: Moro M. , Fischer A. , Milner‐Gulland E. J. , Lowassa A. , Naiman L. C. , Hanley N.
Published: December 2014

Illegal hunting for bushmeat is regarded as an important cause of biodiversity decline in Africa. We use a ‘stated preferences’ method to obtain information on determinants of demand for bushmeat and two other protein sources, fish and chicken, in villages around the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Our study focuses particularly on the impact of price changes, as anticipating and understanding the impact of price changes (whether caused by conservation interventions or market changes) on demand for bushmeat enables effective responses to be planned. We estimate the effects of changes in the price of bushmeat and in the prices of two substitute protein sources – fish and chicken – on household demand for bushmeat. Results suggest that increasing the availability of lower priced protein substitutes would reduce demand for bushmeat, and therefore, potentially pressure on wildlife populations. However, raising the price of bushmeat (e.g. as a result of reducing illegal hunting) would reduce household demand to a greater degree than equivalent decreases in the price of alternative protein sources. In both cases, elasticity of demand parameters are reported, which summarize the relative response to households to these alternative interventions. A 10% rise in bushmeat prices would reduce demand by around 6–7%, while a 10% fall in chicken or fish prices would reduce bushmeat demand by around 3–4%. The response to price changes varied between ethnic groups, and also according to household size (with the direction of the effect depending on whether the substitute was chicken or fish), but was not significantly affected by wealth or income.
Predicting the probability of large carnivore occurrence: a strategy to promote crocodile and human coexistence
Authors: Campbell H. A. , Dwyer R. G. , Wilson H. , Irwin T. R. , Franklin C. E.
Published: December 2014

Preserving large carnivores that perceive humans as prey brings conservation values into direct conflict with human security. Informing when and where humans and large carnivores occupy the same space may reduce attack frequency and promote coexistence. Here, we demonstrate a methodology to better understand the spatiotemporal relationship between a population of large carnivores and humans. The carnivore of study was the estuarine crocodile Crocodylus porosus, a large semi‐aquatic predator responsible for 705 recorded human attacks over the last 20 years. Crocodiles were captured every August over 3 years and individuals greater than 2.5 m in length were implanted with an acoustic transmitter (n = 84). The transmitter emitted a coded pulse detected when in proximity to underwater hydrophones deployed throughout the river. The telemetry data informed which previously captured crocodiles were present during subsequent trapping episodes and adult population size was estimated using a closed‐population model. Over 3 years, 24 of the tagged crocodiles were detected 269 times moving through a shallow‐water area where humans frequently entered the water. The tagged crocodile presence was extrapolated to the population level to provide a probability of adult crocodile presence across a range of temporal scales. The results showed that between September and December, the probability of crocodile presence within the human entry zone was 0.97 ± 0.01 during darkness but decreased to 0.07 ± 0.01 during daylight, except around periods of high tide when it increased to 0.71 ± 0.02. Human visitors confined their activity to shallow water during daylight hours, but no consideration was given to the significant rise in crocodile presence with season and tide. The observed patterns in crocodile and human behaviour, around this shallow‐water river crossing, exhibited parallels with historical incidences of crocodile attack.
Floristic composition in relation to environmental gradients across KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa
Authors: Jewitt Debbie , Goodman Peter S. , O'Connor Timothy G. , Witkowski Ed T. F.
Published: December 2014

Conservation planning in the face of global change is still in its infancy. A suggested approach is to incorporate environmental gradients into conservation planning as they reflect the ecological and evolutionary processes generating and maintaining diversity. Our study provides a framework to identify the dominant environmental gradients determining floristic composition and pattern. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling was used on 2155 sampling plots in savanna and grassland habitat located across the province of KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa (94 697 km2), a floristically rich region having steep environmental gradients, to determine the dominant gradients. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to group similar plots which were then used in a Classification and Regression Tree analysis to determine the environmental delimiters of the identified vegetation clusters. Temperature‐related variables were the strongest delimiters of floristic composition across the province, in particular mean annual temperature. Frost duration was the primary variable in the Classification and Regression Tree analysis with important implications for savanna/grassland dynamics. Soil properties (base, pH status) and moisture variables accounted for most of the variation for the second and third axes of floristic variation. Given that climatic and edaphic variables were well correlated with floristic composition, it is anticipated that a changing climate will have a marked influence on floristic composition. We predict warmer temperatures may facilitate the spread of frost sensitive savanna species into previously cooler, grassland areas. Species associated with specific soil types will not easily be able to move up the altitudinal gradient to cooler climes because geology is aligned in an approximately north‐south direction compared with increasing altitude from east‐west. Future conservation planning should take cognisance of these gradients which are surrogates for ecological and evolutionary processes promoting persistence.
Changes in modified Glasgow prognostic score after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a prognostic factor in clinical stage II/III esophageal cancer
Authors: Otowa Yasunori , Nakamura Tetsu , Takiguchi Gosuke , Tomono Ayako , Yamamoto Masashi , Kanaji Shingo , Imanishi Tatsuya , Suzuki Satoshi , Tanaka Kenichi , Itoh Tomoo , Kakeji Yoshihiro
Published: December 2014

The inflammation-based modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) has been shown to be a prognostic factor for esophageal cancer, but its changes in relation to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) have never been discussed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential prognostic role of mGPS with regard to NAC. mGPS was evaluated on the basis of admission blood samples taken before chemotherapy and before surgery. Patients with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) serum levels (>10 mg/L) and hypoalbuminemia (<35 g/L) were allocated a score of 2, patients with elevated CRP serum levels without hypoalbuminemia were allocated a score of 1, and patients with normal CRP serum levels with or without hypoalbuminemia were allocated a score of 0. A total of 100 patients with clinical stage II/III squamous cell esophageal cancer, who underwent NAC and esophagectomy between January 2007 and August 2012, were investigated. From the multivariate analysis, the grade of response to chemotherapy and post-NAC mGPS level was found to be independent prognostic factors. The overall survival rate was significantly higher in the conserved mGPS group than in the worse mGPS group (P = 0.030). Changes in mGPS during chemotherapy affected the prognosis of patients, and post-NAC mGPS is an independent prognostic factor in patients with clinical stage II/III thoracic esophageal squamous cell cancer.
Spectrum of skin diseases presented at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, southwest Nigeria
Authors: Akinboro Adeolu O. , Mejiuni Ayodele D. , Akinlade Mathias O. , Audu Bosede M. , Ayodele Olugbenga E.
Published: December 2014

Background

Patterns of skin disease in developing nations are changing as frequencies of non‐communicable diseases continue to increase. Appraisal of the current status of the disease profile is of utmost importance for health planning and resource allocation.

Methods

A prospective analysis of 895 cases of outpatient consultation during the years 2005–2010 was conducted.

Results

The mean ± standard deviation age of patients was 31.1 ± 19.1 years. Non‐infectious skin diseases accounted for 80.9% of all cases. Eczemas/dermatitis (27.0%), urticarias/erythemas (11.0%), fungal infections (9.5%), skin appendage disorders (8.9%), papulosquamous diseases (8.2%), pigmentary diseases (8.2%), viral infections (6.8%), and tumors and malignant skin lesions (5.4%) represented the most common presentations. Atopic dermatitis was the most common type of eczema (29.8%) among children (odds ratio [OR] 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09–2.13; P = 0.013), in whom cornification disorders (OR 3.90, 95% CI 1.73–8.92; P < 0.001) and viral infections (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.09–3.25; P = 0.021) were also frequent. Adults were more likely to be diagnosed with drug eruptions (OR 3.58, 95% CI 1.09–11.80; P = 0.003), tumors/malignancy (OR 4.97, 95% CI 1.53–16.10; P = 0.030), or autoimmune connective tissue disorders (OR 8.13, 95% CI 1.09–60.20; P = 0.015). Female subjects were significantly affected by urticarias (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.00–2.33; P = 0.030) and papulosquamous diseases (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.09–3.03; P = 0.019).

Conclusions

The present pattern shows that non‐infectious skin diseases are predominant. Occurrences of eczemas and urticarias are increasing at similar rates, whereas infectious skin diseases are decreasing in frequency. Resources and research should be directed towards the prevention of non‐infectious skin diseases at this time as the campaign for a cleaner environment continues.
A MAT1–2 wild‐type strain from Penicillium chrysogenum: functional mating‐type locus characterization, genome sequencing and mating with an industrial penicillin‐producing strain
Authors: Böhm Julia , Dahlmann Tim A. , Gümüşer Hendrik , Kück Ulrich
Published: December 2014

In heterothallic ascomycetes, mating is controlled by two nonallelic idiomorphs that determine the ‘sex’ of the corresponding strains. We recently discovered mating‐type loci and a sexual life cycle in the penicillin‐producing fungus, Penicillium chrysogenum. All industrial penicillin production strains worldwide are derived from a MAT1‐1 isolate. No MAT1‐2 strain has been investigated in detail until now. Here, we provide the first functional analysis of a MAT1‐2 locus from a wild‐type strain. Similar to MAT1‐1, the MAT1‐2 locus has functions beyond sexual development. Unlike MAT1‐1, the MAT1‐2 locus affects germination and surface properties of conidiospores and controls light‐dependent asexual sporulation. Mating of the MAT1‐2 wild type with a MAT1‐1 high penicillin producer generated sexual spores. We determined the genomic sequences of parental and progeny strains using next‐generation sequencing and found evidence for genome‐wide recombination. SNP calling showed that derived industrial strains had an uneven distribution of point mutations compared with the wild type. We found evidence for meiotic recombination in all chromosomes. Our results point to a strategy combining the use of mating‐type genes, genetics, and next‐generation sequencing to optimize conventional strain improvement methods.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE NUCLEOLI IN THE CELLS OF HYDRA FUSCA
Authors: Walker C. E. , Embleton Alice L.
Published: December 2014

The phenomenon here recorded seems to be something quite apart from anything connected with cell division, whether mitotic or amitotic; indeed, it is only to be observed in cells that are in the vegetative condition. The probability that it is intimately connected with, and dependent upon, metabolism taking place in the nucleus, is very strong. While it is readily observed in almost all the cells of the endoderm, it can be followed only to a very limited extent in the cells of the ectoderm. The processes connected with digestion are carried out by the cells of the endoderm. It would therefore appear probable that the kind of metabolism in the nucleus that is connected with digestion produces this phenomenon in a more striking manner, and more frequently, than is the case with the nuclear metabolism taking place in the cells of the ectoderm.

The rapid and very marked change in the staining reaction of the nucleolus as it passes into the cytoplasm, suggests that some important chemical or physical change takes place in the contents at this time. Similar changes have been observed in the nucleoli of nerve‐ganglion cells.

It seems probable that the bodies here described as extruded nucleoli have been frequently described as food particles. But we would point out that the structures here dealt with are apparently in process of disintegration at the periphery of the cell, become more defined in the neighbourhood of the nucleus, and are found in their most definite form and in process of active multiplication within the nucleus itself.
THE MEASUREMENT OF THE DIAMETER OF ERYTHROCYTES. V.—The Relation of the Diameter to the Thickness
Authors: Ponder Eric
Published: December 2014

1. A photographic method is described for measuring the thickness of erythrocytes suspended in serum or plasma.

2. Results of measurements of diameter, greatest thickness, least thickness, etc., are given for the red cells of man, rabbit, and sheep. The figures obtained indicate that the ratio of length to greatest thickness, and of length to least thickness are quite different in the three species of animals examined, and also that, in any one animal, there is quite a low correlation (about 0.4) between the length of the cell and its greatest or least thickness.

3. The thickness of a cell in a rouleau is considerably less than that of the cell floating freely in plasma (1.7 µ It instead of 2.4 µ), while the diameter is slightly greater (about 8.8 µ instead of 8.6 µ).
A CHEMICAL CONTROL OF THE HEART‐RATE
Authors: M'Dowall R. J. S.
Published: December 2014

It is shown that cerebral asphyxia, however produced, causes cardiac acceleration in cats under a certain degree of chloralose anæsthesia. It is shown that both oxygen want and excess of carbon dioxide are concerned in the acceleration.

Evidence is put forward to show that the acceleration is due to a central stimulation of the sympathetic.
A QUANTITATIVE METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF EXPERIMENTAL TRAUMATIC SHOCK WITHOUT HÆMORRHAGE IN UNANÆSTHETIZED ANIMALS
Authors: Noble R. L. , Collip J. B.
Published: December 2014

A method has been described in detail by which rats and guinea‐pigs were subjected to graded degrees of trauma. Following such a procedure mortality curves were obtained indicating that strictly quantitative results could be produced. Animals subjected to this type of trauma develop hæmoconcentration and the pathological changes ascribed to the condition of shock. The complications of hæmorrhage, infection and anæsthesia are not associated with the shock so produced.

Some theories for the ætiology of shock are discussed, and from the experimental results obtained a modification of the toxic substance theory is suggested.
Comparison of adenosine triphosphate‐ and nicotine‐activated inward currents in rat phaeochromocytoma cells.
Authors: Nakazawa K , Fujimori K , Takanaka A , Inoue K
Published: December 2014

1. The adenosine triphosphate (ATP)‐activated inward current was compared to the nicotine‐activated inward current in nerve growth factor (NGF)‐treated rat phaeochromocytoma PC12 cells. 2. Both ATP and nicotine activated an inward current at negative holding potentials. The concentration of ATP necessary to activate the inward current was about 10‐fold higher than that of nicotine; the EC50 was 20.5 microM for ATP and 2.4 microM for nicotine. The maximal responses induced by ATP and nicotine were almost identical in the same cells. The current‐voltage relationship for the ATP‐activated current was very similar to that for the nicotine‐activated current, and both currents reversed around 0 mV in a physiological saline. 3. The ATP‐activated current and the nicotine‐activated current were not additive; the current activated by a combined administration of ATP (100 microM) and nicotine (10 microM) was only about 20% larger than the current activated by either ATP or nicotine alone. Nicotine (100 microM) did not increase the current activated by 1 microM‐ATP. 4. ATP could activate an inward current in the cells even after desensitization to nicotine had developed. 5. Hexamethonium (100 microM) selectively blocked the nicotine‐activated current whereas suramin (100 microM), a purinoceptor antagonist, selectively blocked the ATP‐activated current. 6. Ionic selectivity was studied by changing compositions of extracellular solutions. When external Na+ was replaced with Cs+, both ATP and nicotine activated inward currents. However, with an extracellular solution containing Tris or glucosamine as a major cation, only ATP, not nicotine, activated an inward current. 7. ATP‐ and nicotine‐activated currents were also recorded from cells bathed in a solution containing 1.8 mM‐Ca2+ as the only external cation, suggesting that both pathways are Ca2+ permeable. 8. The results suggest that the ATP‐sensitive ionic pathway is not independent of the nicotine‐sensitive pathway in these cells. Our working hypothesis is that ATP and nicotine activate the same channels but the binding sites and the open‐states of the channels are different between these two agonists.
Analysis of adenosine actions on Ca2+ currents and synaptic transmission in cultured rat hippocampal pyramidal neurones.
Authors: Scholz K P , Miller R J
Published: December 2014

1. The role of adenosine receptors in reducing calcium currents (ICa) and in triggering presynaptic inhibition was studied using whole‐cell patch‐clamp techniques to record ICa and synaptic currents from the cell bodies of cultured rat hippocampal pyramidal neurones. Recordings of intracellular Ca2+ using the indicator dye Fura‐2 were used to obtain further insights into the actions of adenosine agonists. 2. The adenosine analogue 2‐chloroadenosine (2‐CA) reduced ICa in these neurones. This action was also evident when Ba2+ was used as the charge carrier through Ca2+ channels. Adenosine also reduced the influx of Ca2+ into the cell body during a depolarizing voltage‐clamp pulse as measured with Fura‐2. The potency of various adenosine receptor agonists was as follows: cyclopentyladenosine greater than cyclohexyl‐adenosine greater than or equal to R‐phenylisopropyladenosine greater than 2‐CA greater than S‐phenylisopropyladenosine, consistent with the pharmacological profile of an A1 adenosine receptor. 3. The specific A1 receptor antagonist cyclopentyltheophylline (CPT) blocked the actions of 2‐CA on ICa in a competitive fashion. 4. The actions of 2‐CA on ICa were abolished by pre‐incubation of cultured cells with pertussis toxin (PTX; 250 ng/ml). Intracellular dialysis with the GTP analogue GTP‐gamma‐S (guanosine‐5'‐O‐(3‐thiotriphosphate] enhanced the actions of 2‐CA and rendered the response irreversible. 5. Excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were recorded from pyramidal neurones under whole‐cell voltage clamp by stimulating nearby neurones with an extracellular electrode. 2‐CA potently and reversibly reduced the amplitude of EPSCs. This action was shown to be due to presynaptic inhibition of neurotransmitter release. 6. The order of potency of different adenosine agonists in reducing EPSCs was as follows: cyclopentyladenosine greater than cyclohexyladenosine greater than or equal to R‐phenylisopropyladenosine greater than 2‐CA greater than S‐phenylisopropyladenosine. CPT inhibited the action of 2‐CA in a competitive fashion. 7. The effects of 2‐CA on synaptic transmission were abolished by pre‐treatment with 250 ng/ml PTX, indicating that a PTX‐sensitive G‐protein is involved in this action. 8. These results indicate that activation of adenosine receptors does induce a reduction in ICa in hippocampal pyramidal neurones. Furthermore, this effect and the reduction of excitatory synaptic transmission by adenosine analogues are both mediated by PTX‐sensitive G‐proteins and have identical pharmacological properties.
Apical and basal membrane ion transport mechanisms in bovine retinal pigment epithelium.
Authors: Joseph D P , Miller S S
Published: December 2014

1. Intracellular voltage recordings using conventional and double‐barrelled chloride‐selective microelectrodes have been used to identify several transport mechanisms at the apical and basolateral membranes of the isolated bovine retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)‐choroid preparation. Intracellular recordings were obtained from two cell populations, melanotic (pigmented) and amelanotic (non‐pigmented). The electrical properties of these two populations are practically identical. For melanotic cells the average apical resting membrane potential (VA) is ‐61 +/‐ 2 mV (mean +/‐ S.E.M., n = 49 cells, thirty‐three eyes). For these cells the ratio of apical to basolateral membrane resistance (a) was 0.22 +/‐ 0.02. The mean transepithelial voltage and resistance were 6 +/‐ 1 mV and 138 +/‐ 7 omega cm2, respectively. 2. The apical membrane, which faces the distal retina, contains a Ba(2+)‐inhibitable K+ conductance and a ouabain‐inhibitable, electrogenic Na(+)‐K+ pump. In addition it contains a bumetanide‐sensitive mechanism, the putative Na(+)‐K(+)‐Cl‐ cotransporter. The basolateral membrane contains a DIDS (4,4'‐diisothiocyanostilbene‐2,2'‐disulphonic acid)‐inhibitable chloride channel. The relative conductances of the apical and basolateral membranes to K+ and Cl‐ are TK approximately 0.9 and TCl approximately 0.7, respectively. 3. The ouabain‐induced fast phase of apical membrane depolarization (0‐30 s) was used to calculate the equivalent resistances of the apical (RA) and basolateral (RB) cell membranes, as well as the paracellular or shunt resistance (RS). They are: 3190 +/‐ 400, 17920 +/‐ 2730 and 2550 +/‐ 200 omega (mean +/‐ S.E.M., n = 9 tissues), respectively. From these data the equivalent electromotive forces (EMF) at the apical (EA) and basolateral (EB) membranes were also calculated. They are: ‐69 +/‐ 5.0 and ‐24 +/‐ 5.0 mV, respectively. 4. Intracellular Cl‐ activity (aiCl) was measured using double‐barreled ion‐selective microelectrodes. In the steady state aiCl = 61 +/‐ 4.0 mM and the Nernst potential ECl = ‐13.5 +/‐ 1.5 mV (mean +/‐ S.E.M., n = 4). 5. In the intact eye or in retina, RPE‐choroid preparations it has been shown that the transition between light and dark alters the K+ concentration in the extracellular (or subretinal) space between the photoreceptors and the apical membrane of the RPE. These light‐induced changes in subretinal [K+]o were qualitatively simulated in vitro by altering apical K+ between 5 and 2 mM. This produced a sequence of voltage changes at the apical and basolateral membranes that had three operationally distinct phases. Phase 1 is generated by the combination of an apical membrane K+ diffusion potential and inhibition of the electrogenic Na(+)‐K+ pump.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Role of small diameter afferents in reflex inhibition during human muscle fatigue.
Authors: Garland S J
Published: December 2014

1. Previous work has shown that the H reflex excitability of the human soleus motoneurones is reduced during fatigue and is accompanied by a corresponding decrease in electromyographic (EMG) activity during maximal voluntary contractions. These findings were consistent with the existence of a reflex whereby alpha‐motoneurones are inhibited by sensory input from the fatigued muscle. 2. To elucidate the contribution of different‐sized afferents in such reflex inhibition, compression of the sciatic nerve was used in an attempt to block large myelinated afferents prior to fatigue. 3. Fatigue of the soleus muscle was induced under ischaemic conditions by intermittent electrical stimulation at 15 Hz in ten healthy subjects. These subjects also participated in a control test in which the compression block was followed by ischaemia without fatigue. 4. Following nerve compression alone, both the mean maximal plantarflexion torque and the associated EMG for all ten subjects declined by 18.8 +/‐ 16.2% (S.D.) and 13.4 +/‐ 17.2%, respectively. 5. Following fatigue, there were five subjects in whom the large afferents remained blocked and the experimental findings were consistent with the existence of reflex inhibition during fatigue. The mean maximal plantarflexion torque decreased further by 36.2 +/‐ 7.6% from the value following the compression block compared to a decrease of 5.0 +/‐ 9.9% in the ischaemia control. The mean EMG associated with these contractions also decreased from post‐block values by 56.8 +/‐ 19.6% following fatigue and by only 6.4 +/‐ 8.0% following ischaemia alone. 6. The peripheral excitability of the neuromuscular junction and muscle fibre membrane was adequate following fatigue as evidenced by only modest changes in the M wave (muscle compound action potential). The descending motor drive was deemed sufficient because of the absence of any large interpolated twitches superimposed upon the maximal voluntary contraction in all but two subjects. 7. The declines in maximal plantarflexion torque and the associated EMG activity were very similar to those found in a previous study in which the sensory input was unaltered. The findings demonstrated that any reflex inhibition of the alpha‐motoneurone pool during fatigue was probably not mediated by large diameter afferents. Rather, it is suggested that the reflex is mediated by smaller diameter afferents originating from the fatigued muscle.