bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bovine herpesvirus 4 glycoprotein B is indispensable for lytic replication and irreplaceable by VSVg
Authors: Franceschi Valentina , Capocefalo Antonio , Cavirani Sandro , Donofrio Gaetano
Published: January 2013

Background

Bovine herpesvirus 4 (BoHV-4) is a gammaherpesvirus, belonging to Rhadinovirus genus, with no clear association with disease. However, there is increasing evidence of its secondary pathogenic role in cases of post-partum metritis in cattle. BoHV-4 Open Reading Frame 8 (ORF8) codifies for glycoprotein B (gB) that shows a heterodimeric structure, composed of two subunits and covalently linked by disulfide bonds and responsible for host cell adhesion through binding to heparan sulfates associated with cellular proteoglycans. Here we describe the generation of several tagged soluble forms of gB ectodomain, in order to test their ability to neutralize BoHV-4 infection.

Results

The results show, however, that none of these soluble forms are able to block viral infectivity. To better understand the role of gB during BoHV-4 lytic replication, a recombinant BoHV-4 was generated by homologous recombination from a BoHV-4 cloned as a Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) (pBAC-BoHV-4-A), in which most of the BoHV-4 gB ORF was substituted by the insertion of a DNA stuffer selectable cassette. The resulting recombinant BoHV-4 genome (pBAC-BoHV-4-AΔgB-KanaGalK) was completely unable to reconstitute infectious replicating viral particles (Infectious Replicating Viral Particles, IRVPs) and to replicate when transfected in permissive cell lines in comparison to its revertant clone (pBAC-BoHV-4-ΔgB-Rev) or pBAC-BoHV-4-A parental clone.

Conclusion

This demonstrates that the BoHV-4 replicating cycle is dependent on gB. Moreover, when gB was deleted from a recombinant BoHV-4 genome delivering an heterologous glycoprotein, Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Glycoprotein (VSVg), VSVg was unable to complement gB. This study provides direct evidence that gB is necessary for BoHV-4 lytic replication.
Additional circular intercostal space created by bifurcation of the left 3rd rib and its costal cartilage: a case report
Authors: Kumar Naveen , Guru Anitha , Patil Jyothsna , Ravindra Swamy , Badagabettu Satheesha Nayak
Published: January 2013

Introduction

In the thorax there are normally 11 pairs of intercostal spaces: the spaces between adjacent ribs. The intercostal spaces contain intercostal muscles, intercostal nerves and vessels.

Case presentation

During a routine dissection for undergraduate medical students, we observed a variation involving the left 3rd rib and 3rd costal cartilage in the cadaver of a man of Indian ethnicity aged about 65 years. The left 3rd rib and its costal cartilage were bifurcated at their costochondral junction enclosing a small circular additional intercostal space. Muscle tissue covered by deep fascia was present in this circular intercostal space. The muscle in the circular intercostal space received its nerve supply from a branch of the 2nd intercostal nerve.

Conclusions

Knowledge of such variations is helpful to surgeons operating on the anterior thoracic wall involving ribs and intercostal spaces. Knowing the possibility of the presence of an additional space between normal intercostal spaces can guide a surgeon through to a successful surgery.
Changes in Timing and kinematics of goal directed eye-hand movements in early-stage Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Muilwijk Danya , Verheij Simone , Pel Johan JM , Boon Agnita JW , van der Steen Johannes
Published: January 2013

Objective

Many daily activities involve intrinsic or extrinsic goal-directed eye and hand movements. An extensive visuomotor coordination network including nigro-striatal pathways is required for efficient timing and positioning of eyes and hands. The aim of this study was to investigate how Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects eye-hand coordination in tasks with different cognitive complexity.

Methods

We used a touch screen, an eye-tracking device and a motion capturing system to quantify changes in eye-hand coordination in early-stage PD patients (H&Y < 2.5) and age-matched controls. Timing and kinematics of eye and hand were quantified in four eye-hand coordination tasks (pro-tapping, dual planning, anti-tapping and spatial memory task).

Results

In the pro-tapping task, saccade initiation towards extrinsic goals was not impaired. However, in the dual planning and anti-tapping task initiation of saccades towards intrinsic goals was faster in PD patients. Hand movements were differently affected: initiation of the hand movement was only delayed in the pro-tapping and dual planning task. Overall, hand movements in PD patients were slower executed compared to controls.

Interpretation

Whereas initiation of saccades in an extrinsic goal-directed task (pro-tapping task) is not affected, early stage PD patients have difficulty in suppressing reflexive saccades towards extrinsic goals in tasks where the endpoint is an intrinsic goal (e.g. dual planning and anti-tapping task). This is specific for eye movements, as hand movements have delayed responses in the pro-tapping and dual planning task. This suggests that reported impairment of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in early-stage PD patients affects only inhibition of eye movements. We conclude that timing and kinematics of eye and hand movements in visuomotor tasks are affected in PD patients. This result may have clinical significance by providing a behavioral marker for the early diagnosis of PD.
Selecting age-related functional characteristics in the human gut microbiome
Authors: Lan Yemin , Kriete Andres , Rosen Gail L
Published: January 2013

Background

Human gut microbial functions are often associated with various diseases and host physiologies. Aging, a less explored factor, is also suspected to affect or be affected by microbiome alterations. By combining functional feature selection with supervised classification, we aim to facilitate identification of age-related functional characteristics in metagenomes from several human gut microbiome studies (MetaHIT, MicroAge, MicroObes, Kurokawa et al.’s and Gill et al.’s dataset).

Results

We apply two feature selection methods, term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-iDF) and minimum-redundancy maximum-relevancy (mRMR), to identify functional signatures that differentiate metagenomes by age. After features are reduced, we use a support vector machine (SVM) to predict host age of new metagenomes. Functional features are from protein families (Pfams), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, KEGG ontologies and the Gene Ontology (GO) database. Initial investigations demonstrate that ordination of the functional principal components shows great overlap between different age groups. However, when feature selection is applied, mRMR tightens the ordination cluster for each age group, and TF-iDF offers better linear separation. Both TF-iDF and mRMR were used in conjunction with a SVM classifier and achieved areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) 10 to 15% above chance to classify individuals above/below mid-ages (about 38 to 43 years old) using Pfams. Better performance around mid-ages is also observed when using other functional categories and age-balanced dataset. We also identified some age-related Pfams that improved age discrimination at age 65 with another feature selection method called LEfSe, on an age-balanced dataset. The selected functional characteristics identify a broad range of age-relevant metabolisms, such as reduced vitamin B12 synthesis, reduced activity of reductases, increased DNA damage, occurrences of stress responses and immune system compromise, and upregulated glycosyltransferases in the aging population.

Conclusions

Feature selection can yield biologically meaningful results when used in conjunction with classification, and makes age classification of new human gut metagenomes feasible. While we demonstrate the promise of this approach, the data-dependent prediction performance could be further improved. We hypothesize that while the Qin et al. dataset is the most comprehensive to date, even deeper sampling is needed to better characterize and predict the microbiomes’ functional content.
Giant prolactinoma: case report and review of literature
Authors: Rahmanian Masoud , Meybodi Hamidreza Aghaei , Larijani Bagher , Mohajeri-Tehrani Mohammad-reza
Published: January 2013

“Invasive giant prolactinoma” is a large prolactinoma (>4 cm in dimension) presenting with serum prolactin levels of >1000 ng/dL and mass related clinical symptoms. Here we report a patient with a giant prolactinoma presented with central hypogonadism, suppressed adrenal and thyroid function, supra sellar extension, visual field impairment and high prolactin level.

The patient was treated with cabergoline, levothyroxin and prednisolone. After 18 months, tumor size markedly reduced, associated with adrenal function and visual field improvement, but central hypogonadism and secondary hypothyroidism persisted.

Previous studies showed normalization of thyrotropin secretion after treatment but it remained low in our patient even after 18 months follow up.
The anti-inflammatory effect of the synthetic antimicrobial peptide 19-2.5 in a murine sepsis model: a prospective randomized study
Authors: Schuerholz Tobias , Doemming Sabine , Hornef Mathias , Martin Lukas , Simon Tim-Philipp , Heinbockel Lena , Brandenburg Klaus , Marx Gernot
Published: January 2013

Introduction

Increasing rates of multi-resistant bacteria are a major problem in the treatment of critically ill patients. Furthermore, conventional antibiotics lead to the release of bacterial derived membrane parts initiating pro-inflammatory cascades with potential harm to the patient. Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) may kill bacteria without releasing pro-inflammatory factors. Thus, we compared three newly developed synthetic anti-lipopolysaccharide peptides (SALPs) with a broader range of efficacy to suppress cytokine release in plasma and CD14 mRNA expression in organ tissue in a murine, polymicrobial sepsis model.

Methods

A randomized, experimental trial was conducted in an animal research facility. Male NMRI mice (n = 90; 8- to 12-weeks old) were randomized to the following six groups: (i) sham operation and parenteral vehicle (NaCl 0.9%) administration (sham); (ii) cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) and vehicle infusion (sepsis-control), (iii) CLP and polymyxin B infusion (polyB), or (iv to vi) CLP and infusion of three different synthetic antimicrobial peptides Peptide 19-2.5 (Pep2.5), Peptide 19-4 (Pep4) or Peptide 19-8 (Pep8). All animals underwent arterial and venous catheterization for hemodynamic monitoring 48 hours prior to CLP or sham-operation. Physical appearance and behavior (activity), plasma cytokine levels, and CD14 mRNA expression in heart, lung, liver, spleen and kidney tissue were determined 24 hours after CLP or sham operation.

Results

Only Pep2.5 significantly enhanced the activity after CLP, whereas none of the therapeutic regimens elevated the mean arterial pressure or heart rate. The strongly elevated IL-6, IL-10 and monocyte chemoattractant protein serum levels in septic animals were significantly reduced after Pep2.5 administration (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively). Similarly, Pep2.5 significantly reduced the sepsis-induced CD14 mRNA expression in heart (P = 0.003), lung (P = 0.008), and spleen tissue (P = 0.009) but not in kidney and liver.

Conclusions

Structurally variable SALPs exhibit major differences in their anti-inflammatory effect in vivo. Continuous parenteral administration of Pep2.5 is able to reduce sepsis-induced cytokine release and tissue inflammation.
Tamoxifen Represses miR-200 MicroRNAs and Promotes Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition by Up-Regulating c-Myc in Endometrial Carcinoma Cell Lines
Authors: Bai Jiu-Xu , Yan Bo , Zhao Zhi-Ning , Xiao Xiao , Qin Wei-Wei , Zhang Rui , Jia Lin-Tao , Meng Yan-Ling , Jin Bo-Quan , Fan Dai-Ming , Wang Tao , Yang An-Gang
Published: January 2013

Although tamoxifen (TAM), a selective estrogen receptor modulator, has been widely used in the treatment of hormone-responsive breast cancer, its estrogen-like effect increases the risk of endometrial cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms of TAM-induced endometrial carcinoma still remain unclear. In this report, we explored the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in TAM-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in ECC-1 and Ishikawa endometrial cancer cell lines and found miR-200 is involved in this process via the regulation of c-Myc. When treated with TAM, ECC-1 and Ishikawa cells were characterized by higher invasiveness and motility and underwent EMT. miR-200, a miRNA family with tumor suppressive functions in a wide range of cancers, was found reduced in response to TAM treatment. Consistent with zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 2, which was confirmed as a direct target of miR-200b in endometrial cancer cell lines, some other key factors of EMT such as Snail and N-cadherin increased, whereas E-cadherin decreased in the TAM-treated cells, contributing to TAM-induced EMT in these endometrial cancer cells. In addition, we showed that c-Myc directly binds to and represses the promoter of miR-200 miRNAs, and its up-regulation in TAM-treated endometrial cancer cells leads to the down-regulation of miR-200 and eventually to EMT. Collectively, our data suggest that TAM can repress the miR-200 family and induce EMT via the up-regulation of c-Myc in endometrial cancer cells. These findings describe a possible mechanism of TAM-induced EMT in endometrial cancer and provide a potential new therapeutic strategy for it.
Dopamine Inhibits Reproduction in Female Zebrafish (Danio rerio) via Three Pituitary D2 Receptor Subtypes
Authors: Fontaine Romain , Affaticati Pierre , Yamamoto Kei , Jolly Cécile , Bureau Charlotte , Baloche Sylvie , Gonnet Françoise , Vernier Philippe , Dufour Sylvie , Pasqualini Catherine
Published: January 2013

In many teleosts, the stimulatory control of gonadotrope axis by GnRH is opposed by an inhibitory control by dopamine (DA). The functional importance of this inhibitory pathway differs widely from one teleostean species to another. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a teleost fish that has become increasingly popular as an experimental vertebrate model. However, the role of DA in the neuroendocrine control of its reproduction has never been studied. Here the authors evaluated in sexually regressed female zebrafish the effects of in vivo treatments with a DA D2 receptor (D2-R) antagonist domperidone, or a GnRH agonist, alone and in combination, on the pituitary level of FSHβ and LHβ transcripts, the gonadosomatic index, and the ovarian histology. Only the double treatment with GnRH agonist and domperidone could induce an increase in the expression of LHβ, in the gonadosomatic index, and a stimulation of ovarian vitellogenesis, indicating that removal of dopaminergic inhibition is required for the stimulatory action of GnRH and reactivation of ovarian function to occur. Using double immunofluorescent staining on pituitary, the authors showed in this species the innervation of LH cells by tyrosine-hydroxylase immunoreactive fibers. Finally, using in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence, the authors showed that the three subtypes of zebrafish DA D2-R (D2a, D2b, and D2c) were expressed in LH-producing cells, suggesting that they all may be involved in mediating this inhibition. These results show for the first time that, in zebrafish, DA has a direct and potent inhibitory action capable of opposing the stimulatory effect of GnRH in the neuroendocrine control of reproduction.
Observation and Observing in Economics
Authors: Maas Harro , Morgan Mary S.
Published: January 2013

Two themes are generative for revealing and understanding the history of observation in economics. First, we argue for the importance of noting that observation is an activity as well as a result, and second that observation is no more identical with quantification than observing is with measuring. These two themes enable us to discuss different historical dimensions of the ways in which economists have observed their economies and so enlarge our understanding of their observational practices. These problematics especially help in delineating the intricate, multilayered, and active interactions between the observer and the observed that take place in all social science observation, and from which our pictures of the economic world emerge.
Cunning Observation: US Agricultural Statistics in the Time of Laissez-Faire
Authors: Didier Emmanuel
Published: January 2013

What does it mean for a small bunch of civil service statisticians to observe something as huge as the whole American agriculture? What are the eyes that can see this? We answer this question focusing on the actual practice of statistical observation at the beginning of the twentieth century. We show that aggregating heterogeneous pieces of observation is necessary— even though it might seem paradoxical—and it requires the statistician be a very cunning observer.
Observing Attitudes, Intentions, and Expectations (1945–73)
Authors: Edwards José M.
Published: January 2013

Although involved in projects of influential institutions like the Cowles Commission, the NBER, and the Michigan Survey Research Center, George Katona, the “pioneer student and chief collector of consumer anticipations data” (Tobin 1959, 1), is virtually absent from accounts of the topics he worked on, including the study of aggregate consumption and the development of behavioral economics. This essay argues that such an absence is partly explained by the theoretical underpinnings of Katona’s project, which were incompatible with the economic views of consumer behavior that dominated from the mid-1940s to the mid-1970s. It proceeds by comparing alternative survey programs funded by the Federal Reserve during that period, and analyzing the ensuing controversy on the purposes of the observation of attitudes, intentions, and expectations. It claims that understanding Katona’s approach “required a real restructuring of thought—a genuine paradigm shift” (Simon 1979, 12). That such a shift was required gives interest to this historical episode.
Field, Undercover, and Participant Observers in US Labor Economics: 1900–1930
Authors: Rutherford Malcolm
Published: January 2013

This essay examines the various field observational methods used in labor economics in the United States from the early 1900s to the 1930s. Labor relations, at that time, was an area of critical importance as well as an area in which existing economic theory provided little guidance. Labor economists had, of necessity, to become field observers. Three examples are examined. The first is the work of John Fitch, The Steel Workers (1910), done as a part of the Pittsburgh Survey. Fitch’s book on the steelworkers included his own observations of steel mills, interviews with steelworkers, and photographs and drawings by Lewis Hine and Joseph Stella. The second example is the work conducted under the supervision of Carleton Parker for the California Commission on Immigration and Housing. Parker employed F. C. Mills and Paul Brissenden to work undercover to investigate conditions in labor camps. The last example concerns the work of Stanley Mathewson, published as Restriction of Output among Unorganized Workers (1931). Mathewson’s study was an early example of the use of participant observation methods in industrial sociology and was widely influential. How this varied observational material was used, both in terms of policy advocacy and theoretical developments, is discussed, as are the strengths and weaknesses of the methods employed, and the changing place of field work in economics.
Observation Through Fiction: Frank Norris and E. M. Forster
Authors: Goodwin Craufurd D.
Published: January 2013

Some novelists in the nineteenth century, for example Harriet Martineau and Charles Dickens, used fiction to illustrate the economic behavior postulated by the early political economists and their critics. “Realist” novelists later in this century and into the twentieth examined aspects of the economy as background for their storytelling. This essay looks at the work of two realist novelists who observed economic circumstances in their time with unusual subtlety and perception. Frank Norris in The Octopus, influenced perhaps by Thorstein Veblen, described western expansion in the United States on the new farms and ranches, driven by the railways. Then he examined the Chicago commodities exchange in The Pit as a manifestation of the new global economy. E.M. Forster, a friend of John Maynard Keynes, focused in Howards End on the hazards of unemployment and destruction of the environment in a modern market economy. In Passage to India he demonstrated that the notion of empire and of the white man’s burden was obsolete. Neither of these novelists saw himself as a contributor to economics, but both contributed to the popular understanding of the economy.
Improving Low Frequency Performance of Double-Wall Structure Using Piezoelectric Transducer/Loudspeaker Shunt Damping Technologies
Authors: Zheng Weiguang , Lei Yingfeng , Huang Qibai , Li Shande
Published: January 2013

The potential of piezoelectric transducer (PZT) and loudspeaker shunt damping technologies on improving noise insulation efficiency of double-wall structure at low frequencies is investigated. A semi-active circuit of negative capacitance is introduced to the PZT to achieve noise reduction at all structural resonance frequencies and a passive circuit of purely resistance is introduced to the shunt loudspeaker to add the damping effect of the cavity at cavity dominated frequency. A coupled model, characterizing the interaction among the PZT patched plates, air cavity and shunted loudspeakers, is developed based on modal analysis methods. Numerical results show that PZT shunt damping or the loudspeaker shunt damping is effective to improve the performance at some certain resonant frequencies and the combined PZT/loudspeaker shunt damping model can achieve noise reduction at all coupled and uncoupled structural-acoustic mode frequencies. Finally, experiments are carried out in a laboratory set-up to verify the numerical results roughly.
A Novel Artificial Neural Network Biodynamic Model for Prediction Seated Human Body Head Acceleration in Vertical Direction
Authors: Gohari Mohammad , Rahman Roslan Abd , Raja Raja Ishak , Tahmasebi Mona
Published: January 2013

Nowadays, usage of vehicles increases due to modern lifestyles, and many people are exposed to vibrations in vehicles. Vibrations in low frequency range cause some serious long-term diseases in both aspects physically and psychologically. Vibration model helps researchers to have better interpretation of vibrations transmitting to human organs. Lumped models are very popular in this field, and different types of models with various degrees of freedom have been introduced. The main disadvantage of lumped models is that due to its fixed weight, some modifications need to be made to new subjects. Therefore, a new biodynamic model with artificial neural network method was constructed to simulate transmitted vibration to head for seated human body by conducting indoor vertical vibration experiments. Five healthy males participated in the tests. They were subjected to vertical vibration, and their responses were recorded. A neural network model was trained by input-output accelerations. The developed model was able to predict head acceleration from exciting vibration at the pelvic. In addition, weight and height of human body were considered as input factors. The comparison between the model evaluation results and the experimental and other lumped models affirmed high accuracy of the achieved artificial neural network biodynamic model.
Wind Farms in Eastern Australia — Recent Lessons
Authors: Miskelly Paul
Published: January 2013

Academic discussion continues as to whether a fleet of grid-connected wind farms, widely dispersed across a single grid network, can provide a reliable electricity supply. One opinion is that wide geographical dispersion of wind farms provides sufficient smoothing of the intermittent and highly variable output of individual wind farms enabling the wind farm fleet to provide for base load demand. In an examination of the 5-minute time-averaged wind farm operational data for 21 large wind farms connected to the eastern Australian grid - geographically the largest, most widely dispersed, single interconnected grid in the world (AER, [1]) - this paper challenges that opinion. The findings also suggest that the connection of such a wind farm fleet, even one that is widely dispersed, poses significant security and reliability concerns to the eastern Australian grid. These findings have similar implications for the impact of wind farms on the security of electricity grids worldwide.
Control of Dividends, Capital Subscriptions, and Physical Inventories
Authors: Li Lode , Shubik Martin , Sobel Matthew J.
Published: January 2013

Manufacturers manage interrelated flows of material and cash. Material needs capital, and sales contribute cash. Therefore, it may be beneficial to coordinate operational and financial decisions. We study a dynamic model of coordination in an equity-financed firm in which inventory and financial decisions interact in the presence of demand uncertainty, financial constraints, and a risk of default. The criterion is to maximize the expected present value of dividends net of capital subscriptions. The optimal target inventory level and financial decision variables are nondecreasing functions of the levels of inventory and retained earnings. Some important attributes of an optimal policy remain the same regardless of whether default precipitates Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The optimal policy is myopic, and if pertinent cost functions are piecewise linear, it is characterized with simple formulas. We show that the methods of inventory theory are useful in analyzing models of operational and financial coordination.

This paper was accepted by Yossi Aviv, operations management.
The Fragility of Commitment
Authors: Morgan John , Várdy Felix
Published: January 2013

We show that the value of commitment is fragile in many standard games. When the follower faces a small cost to observe the leader's action, equilibrium payoffs are identical to the case where the leader's actions are unobservable. Applications of our result include standard Stackelberg–Cournot and differentiated product Bertrand games, as well as forms of indirect commitment, highlighted in Bulow et al. [Bulow J, Geanakoplos J, Klemperer P (1985) Multimarket oligopoly: Strategic substitutes and strategic complements. J. Political Econom. 93:488–511]. Weakening full rationality in favor of boundedly rational solution concepts such as quantal-response equilibrium restores the value of commitment.

This paper was accepted by Peter Wakker, decision analysis.
Total Cost Control in Project Management via Satisficing
Authors: Goh Joel , Hall Nicholas G.
Published: January 2013

We consider projects with uncertain activity times and the possibility of expediting, or crashing, them. Activity times come from a partially specified distribution within a family of distributions. This family is described by one or more of the following details about the uncertainties: support, mean, and covariance. We allow correlation between past and future activity time performance across activities. Our objective considers total completion time penalty plus crashing and overhead costs. We develop a robust optimization model that uses a conditional value-at-risk satisficing measure. We develop linear and piecewise-linear decision rules for activity start time and crashing decisions. These rules are designed to perform robustly against all possible scenarios of activity time uncertainty, when implemented in either static or rolling horizon mode. We compare our procedures against the previously available Program Evaluation and Review Technique and Monte Carlo simulation procedures. Our computational studies show that, relative to previous approaches, our crashing policies provide both a higher level of performance, i.e., higher success rates and lower budget overruns, and substantial robustness to activity time distributions. The relative advantages and information requirements of the static and rolling horizon implementations are discussed.

This paper was accepted by Dimitris Bertsimas, optimization.
Stability Study of EBC/TBC Hybrid System on Si-based Ceramics in Gas Turbines
Authors: Xu JiaPeng , Sarin Vinod , Basu Soumendra
Published: January 2013

Currently, ceramics are being used under increasingly demanding environments. These materials have to exhibit phase stability and resist chemical attack during service. This research involves the study of the high-temperature stability of ceramic materials in gas turbines. SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) are being increasingly used in the hot-sections of gas turbines, especially for aerospace applications. These CMCs are prone to recession of their surface if exposed to a flow of high-velocity water vapor, and to hot-corrosion when exposed to molten alkali salts. The objective of this investigation was the development of a hybrid system containing an environmental barrier coating (EBC) for protection of the CMC from chemical attack and a thermal barrier coating (TBC) that allows a steep temperature gradient across it to lower the temperature of the CMC for increased lifetimes. The EBC used was a functionally graded mullite (3Al2O3∙2SiO2) coating deposited by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), while the TBC layer was yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) deposited by air plasma spray (APS). The stability of this system was investigated, via adhesion between the two coating layers and the substrate, the physical and chemical stability of each layer at high temperature, and the performance under severe thermal shock and exposure to hot corrosion.
Análise das subescalas de Braden como indicativos de risco para úlcera por pressão
Authors: Menegon Dóris Baratz , Bercini Rossana Rosa , Santos Cássia Teixeira dos , Lucena Amália de Fátima , Pereira Ana Gabriela Silva , Scain Suzana Fiore
Published: January 2013

Estudo transversal com objetivo de identificar a pontuação das subescalas que avaliam o risco para úlcera por pressão na aplicação da Escala de Braden e associá-las aos motivos de internação hospitalar, às comorbidades e às características demográficas de pacientes adultos hospitalizados. A amostra constou de 187 pacientes em risco para úlcera por pressão com escore total ≤13 na referida escala. Os dados foram coletados retrospectivamente em fichas com a Escala de Braden e em prontuários, analisados pela estatística descritiva e testes de Mann-Whitney e Sperman. Os resultados demonstraram maioria de mulheres, idosos, portadores de doenças cerebrovasculares, pulmonares, cardiovasculares, metabólicas e neoplásicas. Os escores verificados pelas subescalas apontaram pacientes acamados, com mobilidade e atividade limitadas. A nutrição alterada também se mostrou fator importante, seguido pelos problemas de fricção e/ou cisalhamento e alteração da percepção sensorial e umidade. Estes achados permitiram subsidiar a qualificação da prevenção da úlcera por pressão.
Avaliação da dor durante a troca de curativo de úlceras de perna
Authors: Oliveira Paula Francielle Tavares de , Tatagiba Bruna da Silva Ferreira , Martins Marlene Andrade , Tipple Anaclara Ferreira Veiga , Pereira Lílian Varanda
Published: January 2013

O estudo visou avaliar a dor em úlceras de perna, durante a troca de curativo e identificar os procedimentos mais dolorosos na opinião de usuários do SUS. Estudo transversal, conduzido com 76 usuários com úlceras de perna, sendo 69,8% homens, com média de idade de 57,8 anos (dp=13,2), atendidos em Unidades Básicas de Saúde e Ambulatório do Hospital das Clínicas de Goiânia, Goiás. Para avaliação da dor utilizou-se a Escala Numérica (0-10) e o Questionário de Dor de McGill. A ocorrência de dor durante o curativo foi de 76,3%, de intensidade moderada (Med=5, Q1=3, Q3=8, Min=1; Máx=10). Qualitativamente, a dor foi descrita como cansativa (63,2%) e latejante (55,3%). Os procedimentos mais dolorosos na opinião dos usuários incluíram a limpeza da ferida e a retirada do curativo anterior. A dor durante a troca de curativo de úlceras de perna foi frequente e exacerbada no momento da limpeza e retirada do curativo anterior.
Conhecendo a funcionalidade familiar sob a ótica do doente crônico
Authors: Santos Aliny de Lima , Cecílio Hellen Pollyanna Mantelo , Teston Elen Ferraz , Marcon Sonia Silva
Published: January 2013

O objetivo do estudo foi identificar a percepção do doente crônico sobre a funcionalidade de sua família e conhecer como ele se percebe neste contexto. Estudo descritivo de natureza qualitativa, realizado com 12 doentes crônicos. Os dados foram coletados no período de abril a novembro de 2010, utilizando entrevista semiestruturada, baseada no instrumento APGAR de avaliação familiar. Os resultados mostram quatro como famílias funcionais, cinco moderadamente disfuncionais e três severamente disfuncionais. Nos depoimentos dos doentes crônicos foram observados sentimentos de perda de autonomia, redução da participação nas decisões familiares, troca de papeis, perda da liberdade de escolha para realizar novas tarefas, desejo de isolamento e o fato de sentirem-se um peso para a família. Conclui-se que as doenças crônicas que necessitam de cuidados familiares são acompanhadas da necessidade de reestruturação e readequação familiar, fatores estes que podem desencadear conflitos e insatisfação por parte do doente, dificultando as relações familiares.
Disfunção intestinal em pacientes com lesão cerebral decorrente de acidente vascular cerebral e traumatismo craniencefálico: estudo retrospectivo de uma série de casos
Authors: Dourado Cinthia Carlos , Engler Tânia Mara Nascimento de Miranda , Oliveira Sandro Barbosa de
Published: January 2013

A disfunção intestinal é uma queixa comum entre pacientes com lesão cerebral decorrente de Acidente Vascular Cerebral e Traumatismo Craniencefálico. Este estudo objetivou pesquisar a prevalência da disfunção intestinal (incontinência anal e constipação intestinal) em pacientes com lesão cerebral decorrente de Acidente Vascular Cerebral e Traumatismo Craniencefálico, admitidos para reabilitação. Trata-se de um estudo retrospectivo de uma série de casos, a partir da análise dos dados de 138 prontuários de pacientes internados no primeiro semestre de 2009. A prevalência de disfunção intestinal foi 41%, sendo 33 (24%) incontinência anal e 37 (27%) constipação intestinal. Comprometimento motor, auxílio locomoção, alterações de memória e comunicação estiveram associados à presença de incontinência anal. A prevalência de disfunção intestinal é alta nessa população, identificá-la precocemente, bem como os fatores relacionados, e promover a reeducação intestinal, poderá contribuir para melhora na qualidade de vida dessas pessoas.
Família da criança com paralisia cerebral: percepção sobre as orientações da equipe de saúde
Authors: Milbrath Viviane Marten , Siqueira Hedi Crecencia Heckler de , Motta Maria da Graça Corso da , Amestoy Simone Coelho
Published: January 2013

O tornar-se família de uma criança com paralisia cerebral é um processo complexo. Exige da equipe de saúde, preparo profissional, além dos aspectos éticos e estéticos do processo de cuidar dessa família. Sob este prisma, objetivou-se conhecer como a família de crianças com paralisia cerebral percebe a transmissão das orientações da equipe de saúde para o cuidado à criança com a paralisia cerebral. O estudo foi fundamentado com base na perspectiva de Heidegger e Gadamer. Consiste em um estudo qualitativo, exploratório-descritivo, realizado na cidade do Rio Grande-RS, tendo como participantes seis famílias, totalizando nove sujeitos. Utilizou-se entrevistas semiestruturadas para a coleta das informações, as quais foram analisadas segundo Análise Temática. Na interpretação das informações foram encontradas incongruências entre as orientações proferidas pela equipe de saúde e as demandas apresentadas pelas famílias para prestar o cuidado à criança com necessidades especiais. Constatou-se a relevância de uma equipe de saúde instrumentalizada para o cuidado integral, focado nas necessidades dessas crianças e suas famílias.
Contribuições dos registros eletrônicos para a segurança do paciente em terapia intensiva: uma revisão integrativa
Authors: Sousa Paulino Artur Ferreira de , Sasso Grace Teresinha Marcon Dal , Barra Daniela Couto Carvalho
Published: January 2013

Revisão integrativa que analisou nas publicações as contribuições dos registros eletrônicos em saúde para a segurança do paciente em unidades de terapia intensiva. A pesquisa foi realizada nas bases de dados CINAHL, MEDLINE e SciELO, utilizando os descritores: registros eletrônicos de saúde, sistemas de informação, informática em enfermagem, informática médica, unidades de terapia intensiva, segurança do paciente e gerenciamento de segurança. Foram incluídos 64 artigos, sendo analisados em três categorias: "sistemas de informação e informática em saúde: o registro eletrônico para a continuidade do cuidado de Enfermagem", "sistemas de apoio à decisão: contribuições para a segurança do paciente" e "indicadores de qualidade do cuidado e de segurança do paciente partir dos registros eletrônicos". Os estudos apontaram como contribuições a continuidade do cuidado, a tomada de decisão baseada nos sistemas de apoio à decisão e a criação de indicadores de qualidade e segurança do paciente a partir dos registros eletrônicos.
CF102 for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Phase I/II, Open-Label, Dose-Escalation Study
Authors: Stemmer Salomon M. , Benjaminov Ofer , Medalia Gal , Ciuraru Noab B. , Silverman Michael H. , Bar-Yehuda Sara , Fishman Sari , Harpaz Zivit , Farbstein Motti , Cohen Shira , Patoka Renana , Singer Barak , Kerns William D. , Fishman Pnina
Published: January 2013

Background.

The A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) is overexpressed in the tumor and in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The orally active drug candidate CF102, an A3AR agonist, induces apoptosis of HCC cells via deregulation of the Wnt signaling pathway. In this open label phase I/II trial, the safety and clinical effects of CF102 were assessed in patients with advanced unresectable HCC.

Methods.

The primary objectives of this trial were to examine the safety and pharmacokinetic (PK) behavior of CF102 given orally (1, 5, and 25 mg BID) in 28-day cycles. Evaluation of anti-tumor effects and the utilization of A3AR as a biological predictive marker of response to CF102 were the secondary objectives.

Results.

Eighteen patients received CF102—six at each dose level. No serious drug-related adverse events or dose-limiting toxicities were observed. CF102 demonstrated good oral bioavailability and linear PK behavior. Median overall survival in the study population, 67% of whom had received prior sorafenib, was 7.8 months, and for Child Pugh B patients (28%) it was 8.1 months. Stable disease by RECIST was observed in four patients for at least 4 months. CF102 maintained liver function over a 6-month period. A correlation between receptor overexpression levels at baseline and patients' overall survival was found. One of the patients who presented with skin nodules that were biopsy-proven to be HCC metastases prior to the trial showed complete metastasis regression during three months of treatment with CF102.

Conclusions.

CF102 is safe and well-tolerated, showing favorable PK characteristics in Child Pugh A and B HCC patients, justifying further clinical development.
The sampling and estimation of marine paleodiversity patterns: implications of a Pliocene model
Authors: Valentine James W. , Jablonski David , Krug Andrew Z. , Berke Sarah K.
Published: January 2013

Data that accurately capture the spatial structure of biodiversity are required for many paleobiological questions, from assessments of changing provinciality and the role of geographic ranges in extinction and originations, to estimates of global taxonomic or morphological diversity through time. Studies of temporal changes in diversity and global biogeographic patterns have attempted to overcome fossil sampling biases through sampling standardization protocols, but such approaches must ultimately be limited by available literature and museum collections. One approach to evaluating such limits is to compare results from the fossil record with models of past diversity patterns informed by modern relationships between diversity and climatic factors. Here we use present-day patterns for marine bivalves, combined with data on the geologic ages and distributions of extant taxa, to develop a model for Pliocene diversity patterns, which is then compared with diversity patterns retrieved from the literature as compiled by the Paleobiology Database (PaleoDB). The published Pliocene bivalve data (PaleoDB) lack the first-order spatial structure required to generate the modern biogeography within the time available (<3 Myr). Instead, the published data (raw and standardized) show global diversity maxima in the Tropical West Atlantic, followed closely by a peak in the cool-temperate East Atlantic. Either today's tropical West Pacific diversity peak, double that of any other tropical region, is a purely Pleistocene phenomenon—highly unlikely given the geologic ages of extant genera and the topology of molecular phylogenies—or the paleontological literature is such a distorted sample of tropical Pliocene diversity that current sampling standardization methods cannot compensate for existing biases. A rigorous understanding of large-scale spatial and temporal diversity patterns will require new approaches that can compensate for such strong bias, presumably by drawing more fully on our understanding of the factors that underlie the deployment of diversity today.
Body-size scaling of metabolic rate in the trilobiteEldredgeops rana
Authors: Glazier Douglas S. , Powell Matthew G. , Deptola Travis J.
Published: January 2013

We infer the body-size scaling slope of metabolic rate in a trilobite by applying a cell-size model that has been proposed to explain metabolic scaling in living organisms. This application is especially tractable in fossil arthropods with well-preserved compound eyes because the number and size of eye facets appear to be useful proxies for the relative number and size of cells in the body. As a case study, we examined the ontogenetic scaling of facet size and number in a ∼390-Myr-old local assemblage of the trilobiteEldredgeops rana, which has well-preserved compound eyes and a wide body-size range. Growth in total eye lens area resulted from increases in both facet area and number in relatively small (presumably young) specimens, but only from increases in facet area in large (presumably more mature) specimens. These results suggest that early growth inE. ranainvolved both cell multiplication and enlargement, whereas later growth involved only cell enlargement. If the cell-size model is correct, then metabolic rate scaled allometrically inE. rana, and the scaling slope of log metabolic rate versus log body mass decreased from ∼0.85 to 0.63 as these animals grew. This inferred age-specific change in metabolic scaling is consistent with similar changes frequently observed in living animals. Additional preliminary analyses of literature data on other trilobites also suggest that the metabolic scaling slope was <1 in benthic species, but ∼1 in pelagic species, as has also been observed in living invertebrates. The eye-facet size (EFS) method featured here opens up new possibilities for examining the bioenergetic allometry of extinct arthropods.
Random walk as a null model for high-dimensional morphometrics of fossil series: geometrical considerations
Authors: Bookstein Fred L.
Published: January 2013

Over the past quarter-century there has been considerable innovation in methods for assessing the tempo and mode of evolution in paleobiological data sets. The current literature of these methods centers on three competing hypotheses—stasis, random walk, and directional trend—corresponding to an increasing scaling of variance with time interval (unchanging, for stasis; linear, for random walk; quadratic, for trend). For applications to a single trait there are powerful methods for discriminating among these hypotheses; but for multivariate data sets, especially the very high-dimensional multivariate data arising in image-feature-based and morphometric studies, current statistical approaches appear to be of less help. This paper proves that in the limiting case of high-dimensional morphospaces, the principal component or principal coordinate ordination of every sufficiently lengthy isotropic random walk tends to the same geometrical shape, which is not that of an ellipsoid and for which the principal components or coordinates are not independent even though they are uncorrelated. Specifically, the “scatter” of PC1 against PC2 is just a parabolic curve. The quantitative characteristics of this specific shape are not described appropriately by the corresponding “covariance structure” or Gaussian model, and the discrepancy may be pertinent to much of the existing literature of methods for differentiating among those three models of evolutionary multivariate time series. From a close examination of this common geometry of the ideal random walk model as seen in its principal components, I suggest a test for stasis, along with a mixed model illustrated by a reanalysis of some data of Gunz et al., and a related test for directional trend. These comments are intended to apply to all high-dimensional morphospaces, not just those arising in geometric morphometrics. Applications of principal components in this context distort high-dimensional data in ways that have a tendency to mislead; but these distortions can be intercepted so that studies of tempo and mode can nevertheless proceed.
Similarities and differences in the ilia of Late Cretaceous anurans and urodeles
Authors: Roček Zbyněk , Gardner James D. , Eaton Jeffrey G. , Přikryl Tomáš
Published: January 2013

Screen-washing of matrix from 37 Upper Cretaceous microvertebrate localities in southern Utah, USA, yielded a rich sample of anuran disarticulated bones, including nearly 200 ilia. Because the bones are relatively small and delicate and were subject to pre-mortem transport and unavoidable damage when the fossiliferous matrix was collected and processed, none of the recovered ilia retained intact shafts. This means that features such as the form of the anterior end of the shaft and the presence and form of a dorsal crest cannot be used to identify the fossils. Urodele bones also are known from many of the same localities. When anuran and urodele ilia are isolated and missing much of their shafts, they are superficially similar, so it was important to reliably differentiate ilia of the two groups. Here we provide a list and brief descriptions of some of the features that we found useful for distinguishing between anuran and urodele ilia. These features relate to differences between the two groups in muscle attachments, contacts between pelvic bones, and structure of the acetabula. Because all of the features exhibit some variation, we recommend that they be used in combination when trying to distinguish between anuran and urodele ilia.