bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The correlations of sexual activity, sleep problems, emotional distress, attachment styles with quality of life: comparison between gynaecological cancer survivors and noncancer women
Authors: Hsieh Chia‐Chen , Chen Chi‐An , Hsiao Fei‐Hsiu , Shun Shiow‐Ching
Published: May 2013

Aims and objectives

To compare quality of life and its related factors, which include sexual activity, sleep problems, depression, anxiety and attachment styles in close relationships, between gynaecological cancer survivors and noncancer women.

Background

The majority of studies focus on examining the relationships between the late‐treatment side effects and quality of life in gynaecological cancer survivors. As a result, there is insufficient information about what are the correlations between psychosocial factors and quality of life in gynaecological cancer survivors.

Design

Cross‐sectional study.

Methods

The quality of life of the 85 gynaecological cancer patients who had completed active treatments for at least six months was compared with the 85 age‐matched women without cancer history. Measures included SF‐12 Health Surveys, Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale, Beck Depression Inventory‐II, State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory, Sexual Activity Questionnaire and Experiences in Close Relationships‐Revised.

Results

There were no significant differences in the quality of life between gynaecological cancer survivors and noncancer women. However, higher attachment‐related anxiety in close relationship was the main factor associated with the lower physical quality of life in the gynaecological cancer survivor group. In contrast, older ages were correlated with lower physical quality of life in noncancer women. Anxiety level was the main factor associated with lower mental quality of life for both groups.

Conclusions

Different from noncancer women, the psychosocial factor of insecure attachment in close relationships was the main factor associated with physical quality of life for gynaecological cancer survivors. Anxiety status was the common factor correlated with mental quality of life for cancer and noncancer women.

Relevance to clinical practice

Developing psychosocial interventions focusing on secure attachment in close relationships and anxiety management could improve physical and mental components of quality of life among gynaecological cancer survivors.
Self‐reports of faulty parental attachments in childhood and criminal psychopathy in an adult‐incarcerated population: an integrative literature review
Authors: Bailey C. , Shelton D.
Published: May 2013

Accessible summary

This study examined self‐reports of psychopathic offenders' childhood interactions with their parents to better understand what variables influence adult criminal psychopathy.

The findings showed that childhood separations, physical abuse and indifferent parenting styles were more prominent in self‐reports of incarcerated male psychopaths than with incarcerated males who were not psychopathic.

To better understand the worldview of the criminal psychopath, and the trajectory of psychopathy, there is a need for more studies that examine childhood interactions with parental figures as reported by the adult criminal psychopath.

Despite the high percentage of incarcerated psychopaths, few studies attempt to assess the past parent–child bonds of these individuals by asking them to report childhood attachments with their parents. Currently, there is limited data regarding common variables that contribute to a break in parent–child attachment and later adult criminal psychopathy. The data that presently exist concentrate on juvenile or community samples and do not explore the attachment variables that continue into adult criminal psychopathy. This paper presents the current literature regarding self‐reports of childhood attachment to parents as indicated by male‐incarcerated adult psychopaths compared with self‐reports of childhood attachment to parents as indicated by male‐incarcerated adult non‐psychopaths. Variables that influence a break in attachment between the offenders and their parents and suggestions for future clinical research are provided.
From General to Commissioner to General—On the Popular State of Policing in South Africa
Authors: Hornberger Julia
Published: May 2013

Less than two decades after the end of apartheid, South Africa is witnessing a range of policy interventions that almost iconoclastically challenge the premises of democratic governance. Police military ranks have been reintroduced and an exemplary postapartheid law governing the use of lethal force has also been amended in favor of police discretion. Simultaneously, however, community policing, a benchmark for democratic policing, is being rolled out on unprecedented scale. This article argues that the seemingly contradictory mobilization of militarized policing and popular civilian institutional forms has a definite logic and captures the postcolonial condition of policing in South Africa: a populist-oriented ANC administration has allowed practices of popular policing underwritten by a desire for a forceful state to capture the law that had previously restrained this kind of policing. The result is a violent but intimate relationship between police and people, a situation in which the law is estranged from itself and normalized into the informal realm of private policing.
Mass flowering of the tropical tree Shorea beccariana was preceded by expression changes in flowering and drought‐responsive genes
Authors: Kobayashi Masaki J. , Takeuchi Yayoi , Kenta Tanaka , Kume Tomonori , Diway Bibian , Shimizu Kentaro K.
Published: May 2013

Community‐level mass flowering, known as general flowering, which occurs in South‐East Asia at supra‐annual irregular intervals, is considered a particularly spectacular phenomenon in tropical ecology. Recent studies have proposed several proximate factors inducing general flowering, such as drought and falls in minimum temperature. However, limited empirical data on the developmental and physiological processes have been available to test the significance of such factors. To overcome this limitation and test the hypotheses that general flowering is triggered by the proposed factors, we conducted an ‘ecological transcriptome’ study of a mass flowering species, Shorea beccariana, comparing meteorological data with genome‐wide expression patterns obtained using next‐generation sequencing. Among the 98 flowering‐related genes identified, the homologs of a floral pathway integrator, SbFT, and a floral repressor, SbSVP, showed dramatic transcriptional changes before flowering, and their flowering functions were confirmed using transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana. Expression in drought‐responsive and sucrose‐induced genes also changed before flowering. All these expression changes occurred when the flowering‐inducing level of drought was reached, as estimated using data from the preceding 10 years. These genome‐wide expression data support the hypothesis that drought is a trigger for general flowering.
Haloferax volcanii archaeosortase is required for motility, mating, and C‐terminal processing of the S‐layer glycoprotein
Authors: Abdul Halim Mohd Farid , Pfeiffer Friedhelm , Zou James , Frisch Andrew , Haft Daniel , Wu Si , Tolić Nikola , Brewer Heather , Payne Samuel H. , Paša‐Tolić Ljiljana , Pohlschroder Mechthild
Published: May 2013

Cell surfaces are decorated by a variety of proteins that facilitate interactions with their environments and support cell stability. These secreted proteins are anchored to the cell by mechanisms that are diverse, and, in archaea, poorly understood. Recently published in silico data suggest that in some species a subset of secreted euryarchaeal proteins, which includes the S‐layer glycoprotein, is processed and covalently linked to the cell membrane by enzymes referred to as archaeosortases. In silico work led to the proposal that an independent, sortase‐like system for proteolysis‐coupled, carboxy‐terminal lipid modification exists in bacteria (exosortase) and archaea (archaeosortase). Here, we provide the first in vivo characterization of an archaeosortase in the haloarchaeal model organism Haloferax volcanii. Deletion of the artA gene (HVO_0915) resulted in multiple biological phenotypes: (a) poor growth, especially under low‐salt conditions, (b) alterations in cell shape and the S‐layer, (c) impaired motility, suppressors of which still exhibit poor growth, and (d) impaired conjugation. We studied one of the ArtA substrates, the S‐layer glycoprotein, using detailed proteomic analysis. While the carboxy‐terminal region of S‐layer glycoproteins, consisting of a putative threonine‐rich O‐glycosylated region followed by a hydrophobic transmembrane helix, has been notoriously resistant to any proteomic peptide identification, we were able to identify two overlapping peptides from the transmembrane domain present in the ΔartA strain but not in the wild‐type strain. This clearly shows that ArtA is involved in carboxy‐terminal post‐translational processing of the S‐layer glycoprotein. As it is known from previous studies that a lipid is covalently attached to the carboxy‐terminal region of the S‐layer glycoprotein, our data strongly support the conclusion that archaeosortase functions analogously to sortase, mediating proteolysis‐coupled, covalent cell surface attachment.
Ustilago maydis natural antisense transcript expression alters mRNA stability and pathogenesis
Authors: Donaldson Michael E. , Saville Barry J.
Published: May 2013

Ustilago maydis infection of Zea mays leads to the production of thick‐walled diploid teliospores that are the dispersal agent for this pathogen. Transcriptome analyses of this model biotrophic basidiomycete fungus identified natural antisense transcripts (NATs) complementary to 247 open reading frames. The U. maydis NAT cDNAs were fully sequenced and annotated. Strand‐specific RT‐PCR screens confirmed expression and identified NATs preferentially expressed in the teliospore. Targeted screens revealed four U. maydis NATs that are conserved in a related fungus. Expression of NATs in haploid cells, where they are not naturally occurring, resulted in increased steady‐state levels of some complementary mRNAs. The expression of one NAT, as‐um02151, in haploid cells resulted in a twofold increase in complementary mRNA levels, the formation of sense–antisense double‐stranded RNAs, and unchanged Um02151 protein levels. This led to a model for NAT function in the maintenance and expression of stored teliospore mRNAs. In testing this model by deletion of the regulatory region, it was determined that alteration in NAT expression resulted in decreased pathogenesis in both cob and seedling infections. This annotation and functional analysis supports multiple roles for U. maydis NATs in controlling gene expression and influencing pathogenesis.
Whose Time Is It? Understanding Clock-time Pacing and Event-time Pacing in Complex Innovations
Authors: Dougherty Deborah , Bertels Heidi , Chung Ken , Dunne Danielle D. , Kraemer Justin
Published: May 2013

Time pacing, which refers to the regulation of intensity and direction of people's attention and effort, is central to innovation management. However, in a study of complex product innovation in pharmaceuticals, we find that time pacing is a major source of conflict between managers and scientists over innovation management. Our analysis of this tension reveals that two very different forms of time pacing operate in this complex innovation. Clock-time pacing, which gauges progress by the predictable passage of clock time, is used by strategic managers to reduce unnecessary exploration, focus on necessary questions, and speed up the execution of steps. Event-time pacing, which gauges progress by the unpredictable achievement of learning events, is used by the scientists to develop a deep understanding of how a drug might behave in the body against a disease, to focus on learning by asking many questions, and to integrate emergent results into plausible patterns. We identify four dimensions that differentiate clock-time pacing from event-time pacing, which drive the tension between the two. We summarize negative effects that this tension can have on innovation if left unaddressed, and then suggest ways to integrate clock-time pacing with event-time pacing. We also discuss implications for Chinese management.
Fermenting Impasse: Women's Critical Communities and Ecclesial Transformation
Authors: McManus Kathleen
Published: May 2013

Introduction (And Abstract)

My reflections are rooted in the spiritual suffering of impasse experienced by women in today's Church. Against the background of Constance Fitzgerald's seminal article, “Impasse and Dark Night,” I will engage Edward Schillebeeckx's category of negative contrast experience in conjunction with what Beverly Lanzetta has named the via feminina to begin to envision what may be fermenting in this dark night. Then, moving from individual to communal contemplation, I will discuss the role of Critical Christian communities in Schillebeeckx's theology, with attention to his analysis of the cross-grained nature of Church history in which genuine tradition includes “breaks.” Finally, drawing on the experiences of “Circles of Women Seeking Wisdom” with which I am involved, I will examine how critical communities of women in the Church constitute a mysticism of resistance with potential for ecclesial transformation.
Training program for overweight prevention in the child's first year: Compilation and results
Authors: Dera‐de Bie Eveliene , Gerver Willem Jan , Jansen Maria
Published: May 2013

The current local overweight‐prevention protocols are not applied as intended by Dutch child healthcare physicians and nurses. The development of a training program for these practitioners, based on the Intervention Mapping framework, with the aim of improving overweight‐prevention in a child's first year, is described in this study. The needs assessment showed three program objectives to be relevant, namely improving: (i) awareness of the importance of early overweight‐prevention; (ii) the competence to discuss (the risk of) overweight with parents; and (iii) working systematically according to the overweight‐prevention protocol. A matrix was then created specifying the program objectives in terms of personal learning objectives and environmental change objectives, and appropriate strategies were identified. The results suggested that a more active tailored and structured change strategy improves knowledge and skills, in particular, which results in a better overall implementation of the overweight‐prevention protocol. This training program should help providers understand how the implementation of a protocol, such as the overweight‐prevention protocol, can be improved. Using the Intervention Mapping framework for systematic protocol implementation seems a valuable option.
Dualist Mental Causation and the Exclusion Problem
Authors: Kroedel Thomas
Published: May 2013

The paper argues that dualism can explain mental causation and solve the exclusion problem. If dualism is combined with the assumption that the psychophysical laws have a special status, it follows that some physical events counterfactually depend on, and are therefore caused by, mental events. Proponents of this account of mental causation can solve the exclusion problem in either of two ways: they can deny that it follows that the physical effect of a mental event is overdetermined by its mental and physical causes, or they can accept that the physical effect is overdetermined but claim that this is unproblematic because the case is sufficiently dissimilar to prototypical cases of overdetermination.
Photorespiratory compensation: a driver for biological diversity
Authors: Sage R. F.
Published: May 2013

This paper reviews how terrestrial plants reduce photorespiration and thus compensate for its inhibitory effects. As shown in the equation ϕ = (1/Sc/o)O/C, where ϕ is the ratio of oxygenation to carboxylation, Sc/o is the relative specificity of Rubisco, O is stromal O2 level and C is the stromal CO2 concentration, plants can reduce photorespiration by increasing Sc/o or C, or by reducing O. By far the most effective means of reducing ϕ is by concentrating CO2, as occurs in C4 and CAM plants, and to a lesser extent in plants using a glycine shuttle to concentrate CO2 into the bundle sheath. Trapping and refixation of photorespired CO2 by a sheath of chloroplasts around the mesophyll cell periphery in C3 plants also enhances C, particularly at low atmospheric CO2. O2 removal is not practical because high energy and protein investment is needed to have more than a negligible effect. Sc/o enhancement provides for modest reductions in ϕ, but at the potential cost of limiting the kcat of Rubisco. An effective means of decreasing ϕ and enhancing carbon gain is to lower leaf temperature by reducing absorbance of solar radiation, or where water is abundant, opening stomata. By using a combination of mechanisms, C3 plants can achieve substantial (>30%) reductions in ϕ. This may have allowed many C3 species to withstand severe competition from C4 plants in low CO2 atmospheres of recent geological time, thereby preserving some of the Earth's floristic diversity that accumulated over millions of years.
System Dynamics Understanding in Projects: Information Sharing, Psychological Safety, and Performance Effects
Authors: Bendoly Elliot
Published: May 2013

Systems thinking has proven useful in project management planning activities and has been suggested as a critical driver of a range of beneficial organizational behaviors. Yet, empirical evidence on the myriad of ways in which systems thinking can impact internal project dynamics and performance remains limited. This study focuses on one aspect of systems thinking in particular: the ability to recognize and understand the dynamics of systems and their features (e.g., feedback and delay). It makes use of a unique, large‐scale interview data set along with objective and structured survey data drawn from multiple sources associated with supply chain system implementation projects. Analysis suggests that an individual's understanding of system dynamics as well as the similarity of such understanding to that typical of their team is, in fact, a strong predictor of both perceptions of psychological safety and information sharing quality in project work. These outcomes appear to mediate the relationship between system dynamics understanding and performance.
Further Thoughts on the Utility of Risk Matrices
Authors: Ball David J. , Watt John
Published: May 2013

Risk matrices are commonly encountered devices for rating hazards in numerous areas of risk management. Part of their popularity is predicated on their apparent simplicity and transparency. Recent research, however, has identified serious mathematical defects and inconsistencies. This article further examines the reliability and utility of risk matrices for ranking hazards, specifically in the context of public leisure activities including travel. We find that (1) different risk assessors may assign vastly different ratings to the same hazard, (2) even following lengthy reflection and learning scatter remains high, and (3) the underlying drivers of disparate ratings relate to fundamentally different worldviews, beliefs, and a panoply of psychosocial factors that are seldom explicitly acknowledged. It appears that risk matrices when used in this context may be creating no more than an artificial and even untrustworthy picture of the relative importance of hazards, which may be of little or no benefit to those trying to manage risk effectively and rationally.
On How to Deal with Deep Uncertainties in a Risk Assessment and Management Context
Authors: Aven Terje
Published: May 2013

Recently, several authors have presented interesting contributions on how to meet deep or severe uncertainties in a risk analysis setting. In this article, we provide some reflections on some of the foundational pillars that this work is based on, including the meaning of concepts such as deep uncertainty, known probabilities, and correct models, the aim being to contribute to a strengthening of the scientific platform of the work, as well as providing new insights on how to best implement management policies meeting these uncertainties. We also provide perspectives on the boundaries and limitations of analytical approaches for supporting decision making in cases of deep uncertainties. A main conclusion of the article is that deep uncertainties call for managerial review and judgment that sees beyond the analytical frameworks studied in risk assessment and risk management contexts, including those now often suggested to be used, such as robust optimization techniques. This managerial review and judgment should be seen as a basic element of the risk management.
The evolutionary history ofTrichoptera (Insecta): A case of successful adaptation to life in freshwater
Authors: MALM TOBIAS , JOHANSON KJELL ARNE , WAHLBERG NIKLAS
Published: May 2013

The insect orderTrichoptera (caddisflies) forms the second most species‐rich monophyletic group of animals in freshwater. So far, several attempts have been made to elucidate its evolutionary history with both morphological and molecular data. However, none have attempted to analyse the time frame for its diversification. The order is divided into three suborders –Annulipalpia,Integripalpia and ‘Spicipalpia’. Historically, the most problematic taxon to place within the order is ‘Spicipalpia’, whose larvae do not build traditional cases or filtering nets like the majority of the caddisflies. They have previously been proposed to be the sister group of all otherTrichoptera or more advanced within the order, with equivocal monophyly and with different interordinal placements among various studies. In order to resolve the evolutionary history of the caddisflies as well as timing their diversification, we utilized fragments of three nuclear (carbamoylphosphate synthethase, isocitrate dehydrogenase andRNApolymeraseII) and one mitochondrial (cytochrome oxidaseI) protein coding genes, with 16 fossil trichopteran taxa used for time calibration. The ‘spicipalpian’ families are recovered as ancestral to all other caddisflies, though paraphyletic. We recover stable relationships among most families and superfamilies, resolving many previously unrecognized phylogenetic affinities amongst extant families. The origin ofTrichoptera is estimated to be around 234 Ma, i.e.Middle –LateTriassic.
Human resource assessment for scaling up VL active case detection in Bangladesh, India and Nepal
Authors: Naznin E. , Kroeger A. , Siddiqui N. A. , Sundar S. , Malaviya P. , Mondal D. , Huda M. M. , Das P. , Karki P. , Banjara M. R. , Dreesch N. , Gedik G.
Published: May 2013

Objectives

To determine whether medical staff at PHC level would have the time to take up additional activities such as 1‐day fever camps for active VL case detection.

Methods

This article assessed the workload of health staff of different professional categories working at health facilities in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Data were collected from different sites in high endemic VL areas. The study population was the health staff of government health facilities at all levels. Workload indicators of staffing need (WISN) software were adopted to carry out the analysis of staff workload and their availability in the selected health facility. The WISN difference and WISN ratio for a particular health facility were calculated from actual staffing available and calculated staffing requirement.

Results

The results showed a mixed picture of the availability of health workers. In most settings of Bangladesh and India, physicians with or without laboratory technicians would have time for active case detection. In Nepal, this would be performed by trained nurses and paramedical personnel.

Conclusion

If all vacant posts were filled, active case detection could be performed more easily. The elimination programme can be scaled up with the current staffing levels in the endemic areas with some short training if and when necessary.
Cytologic appearance of retinal cells included in a fine‐needle aspirate of a meningioma around the optic nerve of a dog
Authors: Tvedten Harold , Hillström Anna
Published: May 2013

A 6‐year‐old Wirehair Dachshund had a meningioma around the optic nerve that caused exophthalmos. A benign mesenchymal tumor was suspected based on the cytologic pattern of a fine‐needle aspirate, and a meningioma was diagnosed by histopathologic examination. In addition to the meningioma cells, the cytologic smears included groups of cells from apparently 4 layers of normal retina. In particular, uniform rod‐shaped structures in the cytologic sample could suggest rod‐shaped bacteria, but these structures were identified as cylindrical outer segments of photoreceptor rod cells. Other retinal structures recognized included pigmented epithelial layer cells with their uniquely formed pigment granules, the characteristic bi‐lobed, cleaved nuclei from the outer nuclear layer, and nerve tissue likely from the outer plexiform layer of the retina.
Assessment of blood types of Ragdoll cats for transfusion purposes
Authors: Proverbio Daniela , Spada Eva , Perego Roberta , Della Pepa Alessandra , Bagnagatti De Giorgi Giada , Baggiani Luciana
Published: May 2013

Background

Transfusion of compatible blood types ensures the vitality of transfused erythrocytes and avoids transfusion reactions. Cats with types A, B, andABblood should receive transfusions of the same blood type. In a feline blood donor program, it is therefore essential to have blood donors of all blood types available.

Objectives

The objectives of this study were the identification of the 3 feline blood types in Ragdoll cats, the comparison of their frequencies with those of Domestic Shorthair (DSH) cats, and the determination of whether Ragdolls are suitable donors in a feline blood donor program.

Methods

The blood type was determined by gel column agglutination from Ragdoll cats. The relationships between phenotypic traits, the origin of the cats, and the different blood types were examined. The frequencies for potential transfusion reactions and the risk for neonatal isoerythrolysis (NI) were estimated.

Results

Of 61 typed Ragdolls, 77.1% had type A, 4.9% type B, and 18% typeABblood. The frequency of blood type A in Ragdolls was lower than in DSH cats (P = .02), while the frequency of blood typeABin Ragdolls was higher than inDSHcats (P = .0002). No relationship was found between blood type and origin of the cat or phenotypic traits. The estimated frequencies of major and minor transfusion reactions following an unmatched transfusion between Ragdolls (donors and recipients), Ragdoll donors andDSHrecipients, andDSHdonors and Ragdoll recipients were 4.7%, 6.7%, 4.6%, and 18.5%, 20.8%, 7.6%, respectively. The frequency of kittens at risk forNIwas 5%.

Conclusion

The presence of all 3 feline blood types and a relatively high incidence ofABtype cats make Ragdolls an ideal donor breed to include in feline blood transfusion programs.
Firing of antagonist small‐diameter muscle afferents reduces voluntary activation and torque of elbow flexors
Authors: Kennedy David S. , McNeil Chris J. , Gandevia Simon C. , Taylor Janet L.
Published: May 2013

Key points

Maintained firing of fatigue‐sensitive small‐diameter muscle afferents is reported to reduce voluntary activation of the homonymous (fatigued) muscle.

Our study determined if firing of fatigue‐sensitive afferents from elbow extensor muscles reduces voluntary activation and torque of the non‐fatigued elbow flexors.

We examined voluntary activation of the elbow flexors by measuring changes in superimposed twitches evoked by magnetic cortical stimulation during maximal voluntary contractions.

Following a fatiguing contraction of elbow extensors, the voluntary drive to unfatigued flexor muscles was reduced with continued activation of small‐diameter muscle afferents produced by a blood pressure cuff inflated to maintain muscle ischaemia.

Continued discharge of small‐diameter muscle afferents from one muscle can decrease voluntary drive to another muscle in the same limb and can reduce its maximal voluntary torque.

Abstract  During muscle fatigue, firing of small‐diameter muscle afferents can decrease voluntary activation of the fatigued muscle. However, these afferents may have a more widespread effect on other muscles in the exercising limb. We examined if the firing of fatigue‐sensitive afferents from elbow extensor muscles in the same arm reduces torque production and voluntary activation of elbow flexors. In nine subjects we examined voluntary activation of elbow flexors by measuring changes in superimposed twitches evoked by transcranial magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex during brief (2–3 s) maximal voluntary contractions (MVC). Inflation of a blood pressure cuff following a 2‐min sustained MVC blocked blood flow to the fatigued muscle and maintained firing of small‐diameter afferents. After a fatiguing elbow flexion contraction, maximal flexion torque was lower (26.0 ± 4.4%versus 67.9 ± 5.2% of initial maximal torque; means ±s.d.; P < 0.001) and superimposed twitches were larger (4.1 ± 1.1%versus 1.8 ± 0.2% ongoing MVC, P= 0.01) with than without ischaemia. After a fatiguing elbow extensor contraction, maximal flexion torque was also reduced (82.2 ± 4.9%versus 91.4 ± 2.3% of initial maximal torque; P= 0.007), superimposed twitches were larger (2.7 ± 0.7%versus 1.3 ± 0.2% ongoing MVC; P= 0.02) and voluntary activation lower (81.6 ± 8.2%versus 95.5 ± 6.9%; P= 0.04) with than without ischaemia. After a fatiguing contraction, voluntary drive to the fatigued muscles is reduced with continued input from small‐diameter muscle afferents. Furthermore, fatigue of the elbow extensor muscles decreases voluntary drive to unfatigued elbow flexors of the same arm. Therefore, firing of small‐diameter muscle afferents from one muscle can affect voluntary activation and hence torque generation of another muscle in the same limb.
Glucocorticoid exerts its non‐genomic effect on IPSC by activation of a phospholipase C‐dependent pathway in prefrontal cortex of rats
Authors: Teng Zenghui , Zhang Mingyue , Zhao Minggao , Zhang Weiqi
Published: May 2013

Key points

Activation of the membrane‐binding glucocorticoid receptors enhances spontaneous GABAergic activity and elicits intermittent burst activity in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of rats.

The burst activities are abolished in the presence of tetrodotoxin.

The time courses of the effects are different between hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, the onset in the latter being much slower.

The nitric oxide (NO) pathway is present and endogenously activated in prefrontal cortex.

The effects of membrane‐binding glucocorticoid receptor on GABAergic synaptic transmission are mediated by both NO and phospholipase C–diacylglycerol pathways in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of rats.

Abstract  In response to stressor, the brain activates a comprehensive stress system. Among others, this stress system causes release of glucocorticoids that also feed back to the brain. Glucocorticoids affect brain function by activation of both delayed, genomic and rapid, non‐genomic mechanisms in rodents. Here we report that application of the potent glucocorticoid receptor agonist dexamethasone (DEX) caused a rapid increase of spontaneous and miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) and elicited intermittent burst activities through a non‐genomic pathway, involving membrane‐located receptors. The onset of the rapid effect in prefrontal cortex (PFC, <15 min) was much slower than in hippocampus (<5 min). The intermittent burst activities were abolished in the presence of TTX. Furthermore, the nitric oxide (NO) pathway was present and endogenously activated in PFC. Part of the rapid DEX effect in PFC remained after blocking NO‐sensitive guanylyl cyclase that was due to activation of a phospholipase C–diacylglycerol‐dependent signalling pathway. Thus, our data demonstrated that glucocorticoids could rapidly enhance IPSCs and evoke burst activities by activation of at least two different signalling pathways in hippocampus and PFC of rats.
Characterization of the three-well active region of a quantum cascade laser using contactless electroreflectance
Authors: De Jesus Joel , Garcia Thor A. , Dhomkar Siddharth , Ravikumar Arvind , Gmachl Claire , Chen Guopeng , Shen Aidong , Ferizovic Dino , Muñoz Martin , Tamargo Maria C.
Published: May 2013

Quantum cascade (QC) lasers with emission at wavelengths below 4 μm are difficult to achieve from conventional III-V materials systems lattice matched to GaAs and InP due to the limited conduction band offset (CBO) of those materials that results from the presence of intervalley scattering. The II-VI materials ZnCdSe/ZnCdMgSe, with a CBO as high as 1.12 eV and no intervalley scattering, are promising candidates to achieve this goal. Using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), the authors grew a QC laser structure with a three-well active region design made of ZnCdSe and ZnCdMgSe multilayers closely lattice matched to InP. A test structure, which contains only the active region of the QC laser separated by quaternary barrier layers, was also grown. The test structure was characterized by contactless electroreflectance (CER). Photoluminescence measurements and a model based on the transfer matrix method were used to identify the CER transitions. The energy levels obtained for the test structure were then used to predict the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) absorption spectrum of the QC laser structure. Excellent agreement between the predicted values based on the test structure and the experimental FTIR absorption peaks of the full QC laser structure was observed.
Semiconducting p-type MgNiO:Li epitaxial films fabricated by cosputtering method
Authors: Hun Kwon Yong , Hyun Chun Sung , Koun Cho Hyung
Published: May 2013

Li-doped ternary MgxNi1−xO thin films were deposited on (0001) Al2O3 substrates by a radio frequency (RF) magnetron cosputtering method with MgO and NiO:Li targets. The Mg mole fraction and Li content were relatively controlled by changing RF power for the MgO target over a range of 0–300 W, while the NiO:Li target was kept at 150 W. As a result, all films were epitaxially grown on (0001) Al2O3 substrates with the relationship of [1¯1¯0]NiO||[111¯0]Al2O3, [1¯12¯]NiO||[21¯1¯0]Al2O3 (in-plane), and [1¯11]NiO||[0001¯]Al2O3 (out-of-plane), and showed p-type semiconducting properties. Furthermore, from x-ray diffraction patterns, the authors found that MgO was effectively mixed with NiO:Li without structural deformation due to low lattice mismatch (0.8%) between NiO and MgO. However, the excess Li contents degraded the crystallinity of the MgNiO films. The band-gap of films was continuously shifted from 3.66 eV (339 nm) to 4.15 eV (299 nm) by the RF power of the MgO target. A visible transmittance of more than 80% was exhibited at RF powers higher than 200 W. Ultimately, the electrical resistivity of p-type MgNiO films was improved from 7.5 to 673.5 Ωcm, indicating that the Li-doped MgNiO films are good candidates for transparent p-type semiconductors.
Measurement of breast tissue composition with dual energy cone‐beam computed tomography: A postmortem study
Authors: Ding Huanjun , Ducote Justin L. , Molloi Sabee
Published: May 2013

Purpose:

To investigate the feasibility of a three‐material compositional measurement of water, lipid, and protein content of breast tissue with dual kVp cone‐beam computed tomography (CT) for diagnostic purposes.

Methods:

Simulations were performed on a flat panel‐based computed tomography system with a dual kVp technique in order to guide the selection of experimental acquisition parameters. The expected errors induced by using the proposed calibration materials were also estimated by simulation. Twenty pairs of postmortem breast samples were imaged with a flat‐panel based dual kVp cone‐beam CT system, followed by image‐based material decomposition using calibration data obtained from a three‐material phantom consisting of water, vegetable oil, and polyoxymethylene plastic. The tissue samples were then chemically decomposed into their respective water, lipid, and protein contents after imaging to allow direct comparison with data from dual energy decomposition.

Results:

Guided by results from simulation, the beam energies for the dual kVp cone‐beam CT system were selected to be 50 and 120 kVp with the mean glandular dose divided equally between each exposure. The simulation also suggested that the use of polyoxymethylene as the calibration material for the measurement of pure protein may introduce an error of −11.0%. However, the tissue decomposition experiments, which employed a calibration phantom made out of water, oil, and polyoxymethylene, exhibited strong correlation with data from the chemical analysis. The average root‐mean‐square percentage error for water, lipid, and protein contents was 3.58% as compared with chemical analysis.

Conclusions:

The results of this study suggest that the water, lipid, and protein contents can be accurately measured using dual kVp cone‐beam CT. The tissue compositional information may improve the sensitivity and specificity for breast cancer diagnosis.
Accelerated MR whole brain imaging with sheared voxel imaging using aliasing separation gradients
Authors: Kim Min‐Oh , Lee Joonsung , Zho Sang‐Young , Kim Dong‐Hyun
Published: May 2013

Purpose:

To accelerate data acquisition by undersampling phase encoding (PE) lines in MR imaging, an aliasing separation method by applying additional encoding gradients which result in voxel shape modification is proposed.

Methods:

An imaging technique which achieves two directional accelerations by undersampling both PE lines in 3D imaging with aliasing separation gradients is proposed. A simple and fast reconstruction process using shift correction or gridding is followed. Phantom andin vivo experiments are performed to show the characteristics and acceleration capability of the proposed method. Further acceleration is achieved by combining with parallel acquisition techniques.

Results:

The proposed technique shows anisotropic resolution pattern due to voxel shearing which increases proportionally with the acceleration factor. This characteristic is analyzed in both image domain and k‐space and is illustrated by grid phantom imaging results. Inin vivo experiment, 3D imaging results are presented with 6× acceleration using the proposed technique and ∼12× acceleration combining with parallel imaging technique.

Conclusions:

By applying separation gradients along both PE directions in 3D MR imaging, aliasing artifacts have been successfully separated and a high acceleration is achieved for whole brain 3D MR imaging with slight blurring due to voxel shearing.
Cancer Therapeutics: Best Informed by Genes or Genomes?
Authors: Margolin Adam A.
Published: May 2013

General genomic features such as mutation frequency and copy number variation define prognosis-related classes of endometrial carcinoma better than mutations in cancer genes.
Factors Required for Activation of Urease as a Virulence Determinant in Cryptococcus neoformans
Authors: Singh Arpita , Panting Robert J. , Varma Ashok , Saijo Tomomi , Waldron Kevin J. , Jong Ambrose , Ngamskulrungroj Popchai , Chang Yun C. , Rutherford Julian C. , Kwon-Chung Kyung J.
Published: May 2013

Urease in
Cryptococcus neoformans
plays an important role in fungal dissemination to the brain and causing meningoencephalitis. Although urea is not required for synthesis of apourease encoded by
URE1
, the available nitrogen source affected the expression of
URE1
as well as the level of the enzyme activity. Activation of the apoenzyme requires three accessory proteins, Ure4, Ure6, and Ure7, which are homologs of the bacterial urease accessory proteins UreD, UreF, and UreG, respectively. A yeast two-hybrid assay showed positive interaction of Ure1 with the three accessory proteins encoded by
URE4
,
URE6
, and
URE7
. Metalloproteomic analysis of cryptococcal lysates using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and a biochemical assay of urease activity showed that, as in many other organisms, urease is a metallocentric enzyme that requires nickel transported by Nic1 for its catalytic activity. The Ure7 accessory protein (bacterial UreG homolog) binds nickel likely via its conserved histidine-rich domain and appears to be responsible for the incorporation of Ni
2+
into the apourease. Although the cryptococcal genome lacks the bacterial UreE homolog, Ure7 appears to combine the functions of bacterial UreE and UreG, thus making this pathogen more similar to that seen with the plant system. Brain invasion by the
ure1
,
ure7
, and
nic1
mutant strains that lack urease activity was significantly less effective in a mouse model. This indicated that an activated urease and not the Ure1 protein was responsible for enhancement of brain invasion and that the factors required for urease activation in
C. neoformans
resemble those of plants more than those of bacteria.

IMPORTANCE
Cryptococcus neoformans
is the major fungal agent of meningoencephalitis in humans. Although urease is an important factor for cryptococcal brain invasion, the enzyme activation system has not been studied. We show that urease is a nickel-requiring enzyme whose activity level is influenced by the type of available nitrogen source.
C. neoformans
contains all the bacterial urease accessory protein homologs and nickel transporters except UreE, a nickel chaperone. Cryptococcal Ure7 (a homolog of UreG) apparently functions as both the bacterial UreG and UreE in activating the Ure1 apoenzyme. The cryptococcal urease accessory proteins Ure4, Ure6, and Ure7 interacted with Ure1 in a yeast two-hybrid assay, and deletion of any one of these not only inactivated the enzyme but also reduced the efficacy of brain invasion. This is the first study showing a holistic picture of urease in fungi, clarifying that urease activity, and not Ure1 protein, contributes to pathogenesis in
C. neoformans
Effect of nutritional support on mitochondrial complex I activity in malnourished patients with anorexia nervosa
Authors: De-Mateo-Silleras Beatriz , Alonso-Torre Sara R. , Redondo-del-Río Paz , Jeejeebhoy Khursheed , Miján-de-la-Torre Alberto
Published: May 2013

Previous studies have shown a reduction in lymphocyte mitochondrial complex I activity (CIA) in malnourished patients, which is restored after refeeding. Our aim was to evaluate the usefulness of CIA as an indicator of nutritional status in anorexia nervosa patients. Twelve malnourished anorexia nervosa females (mean age, 24.5 years) were admitted to the Eating Disorders Unit. Basal and weekly anthropometrics, bioelectric impedance (BIA), body composition, and CIA were performed until discharge. Patients were matched to 25 healthy females and refeeding was adjusted according to the Unit’s protocol. Statistics were used as appropriated and significance was reached at p < 0.05. Patients showed a significant reduction in body mass index, fat mass and fat free mass (FFM), triceps skinfold, and waist circumference on admission as compared with the control group. Parameters improved during hospitalization, but they failed to reach normal values at discharge. Compared with controls, CIA was significantly lower in patients on admission (2.16 vs. 5.68 nmol·min−1·mg protein−1). Refeeding and weight gain did not restore CIA. A positive association (r2= 0.69) was found between FFM and CIA in patients at discharge. Malnourished females with anorexia nervosa have lower CIA than controls that is not recovered after refeeding. This could be because of a low FFM exacerbated by physical inactivity while in hospital.
An unusual mid-Cambrian faunule from St. John's Island, Fortune Bay, Newfoundland
Authors: Fletcher Terence P. , Greene Bryan A.
Published: May 2013

Three trilobites, Hypagnostus aff. clipeus, Cotalagnostus sp. nov., and Pagetides johannis sp. nov., not previously recorded in Newfoundland, are associated with Onymagnostus cf. hybridus, H. mammillatus, Peronopsis cf. fallax minor, Paradoxides (P.) davidis davidis, P. (P.) cf. abenacus, Brunswickia (B.) cf. jaculator, B. (Jincella) sp., Agraulos sp., and some hyolithids, stenothecid molluscs and orthid, acrotretid and lingulate brachiopods in a thin limestone within dark grey, slaty mudstones of the Young's Cove Formation on St. John's Island, Fortune Bay. A stratigraphical position within the Cambrian punctuosus Zone in the upper part of the Drumian Stage is indicated. The presence of the oculate eodiscid Pagetides in late mid-Cambrian rocks, within the Avalon Tectonostratigraphical Zone, is highlighted, because the genus was previously only known associated with the much earlier Cambrian olenellid zones of Laurentia. Paradoxides (P.) cf. abenacus and the species of Brunswickia (B.) close to peregrina, respectively, provide a link with the New Brunswick mid-Cambrian and paradoxissimus successions in England and Scandinavia, whereas the specimens of Hypagnostus aff. clipeus indicate a more global significance in common with forms in the punctuosus sequences of Siberia and Australia. The St. John's Island sequence includes lithofacies and fossils typical of the Manuels River Formation preserved elsewhere in southeastern Newfoundland. This is the first recognition of such a sequence in the Young's Cove Formation of Fortune Bay on the western margin of the Avalon Tectonostratigraphical Zone.
ASSESSMENT OF FEATURE SELECTION AND CLASSIFICATION APPROACHES TO ENHANCE INFORMATION FROM OVERNIGHT OXIMETRY IN THE CONTEXT OF APNEA DIAGNOSIS
Authors: ÁLVAREZ DANIEL , HORNERO ROBERTO , MARCOS J. VÍCTOR , WESSEL NIELS , PENZEL THOMAS , GLOS MARTIN , DEL CAMPO FÉLIX
Published: May 2013

This study is aimed at assessing the usefulness of different feature selection and classification methodologies in the context of sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) detection. Feature extraction, selection and classification stages were applied to analyze blood oxygen saturation (SaO2) recordings in order to simplify polysomnography (PSG), the gold standard diagnostic methodology for SAHS. Statistical, spectral and nonlinear measures were computed to compose the initial feature set. Principal component analysis (PCA), forward stepwise feature selection (FSFS) and genetic algorithms (GAs) were applied to select feature subsets. Fisher's linear discriminant (FLD), logistic regression (LR) and support vector machines (SVMs) were applied in the classification stage. Optimum classification algorithms from each combination of these feature selection and classification approaches were prospectively validated on datasets from two independent sleep units. FSFS + LR achieved the highest diagnostic performance using a small feature subset (4 features), reaching 83.2% accuracy in the validation set and 88.7% accuracy in the test set. Similarly, GAs + SVM also achieved high generalization capability using a small number of input features (7 features), with 84.2% accuracy on the validation set and 84.5% accuracy in the test set. Our results suggest that reduced subsets of complementary features (25% to 50% of total features) and classifiers with high generalization ability could provide high-performance screening tools in the context of SAHS.
GAUGE MODELS IN D DIMENSIONS
Authors: MOORE DOUGLAS , GREENWALD JARED , CLEAVER GERALD
Published: May 2013

Utilizing the gauge framework, software under development at Baylor University, we explicitly construct all layer 1 weakly coupled free fermionic heterotic string (WCFFHS) gauge models up to order 32 in four to ten large spacetime dimensions. These gauge models are well suited to large scale systematic surveys and, while they offer little phenomenologically, are useful for understanding the structure of the WCFFHS region of the string landscape. Herein, we present the gauge groups statistics for this swath of the landscape for both supersymmetric and non-supersymmetric models.