bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vertebral basilar system dolichoectasia with marked infiltration of IgG4‐containing plasma cells: A manifestation of IgG4‐related disease?
Authors: Toyoshima Yasuko , Emura Iwao , Umeda Yoshitake , Fujita Nobuya , Kakita Akiyoshi , Takahashi Hitoshi
Published: May 2011

We report the histopathological features of vertebral basilar system dolichoectasia (VBD) in a 68‐year‐old man who died as a result of accompanying infarction of the medulla oblongata on day 6 of admission. During hospitalization, the patient was also found to have an elevated serum IgG level and tumors of the renal pelvis. A possible clinical diagnosis of VBD associated with IgG4‐related disease was considered postmortem. Autopsy examination, limited to the intracranial tissues, revealed marked infiltration of IgG4‐containing plasma cells in the adventitia and media of the vertebral and basilar arteries. Multiple fibrous nodules forming pseudotumors were also evident on the outer surface of the affected arteries. These histological features were very similar to those of arteriopathy, such as inflammatory aortic aneurysm, which has been described in patients with IgG4‐related disease, suggesting that autoimmune mechanisms, known to be involved in the pathogenesis of visceral lesions in the disease, also played a role in the etiology of VBD in the present patient. In conclusion, we consider that the present case may represent VBD as a manifestation of IgG4‐related disease.
Capacity development for Community Health Nurses in Pakistan: the assistant manager role
Authors: Gulzar S.A. , Mistry R. , Upvall M.J.
Published: May 2011

GULZAR S.A., MISTRY R. & UPVALL M.J. (2011) Capacity development for Community Health Nurses in Pakistan: the assistant manager role. International Nursing Review58, 386–391

Background:  Community health nurses (CHNs), as leaders in developing countries, can promote successful outcomes in meeting the targets of the Millennium Development Goals. A community‐based organization in Pakistan is striving to achieve the goals of maternal and child health through the development of the assistant manager role for community health nursing.

Purpose:  The purpose of this study was to assess the perception of the role of the CHN assistant manager, with the goal of strengthening that role.

Methods:  This interpretive, qualitative study included 13 participants already familiar with CHNs in Pakistan. Interviewing was utilized to explore perceptions of the assistant manager role and to uncover challenges currently existing within this new role.

Findings:  Content analysis revealed the following themes: ‘role perceptions’, ‘expectations of the role’ and ‘collaboration with other community healthcare providers’.

Conclusion:  Changes to the role are necessary including increased education of the assistant manager CHNs and preparing administration to work with the assistant mangers for effective leadership.
Body size distributions in North American freshwater fish: large‐scale factors
Authors: Griffiths David
Published: May 2011

Aim  To document continental‐ and regional‐scale variation in the size distributions of freshwater fish and examine some energetic, evolutionary and biogeographic explanations for these patterns.

Location  North America.

Methods  Regional species lists, coupled with habitat and body size information, were used to document the spatial patterns.

Results  At the continental scale, riverine specialist fishes show a unimodal, right‐skewed, body size distribution whereas habitat generalist and lacustrine specialist species exhibit bimodal size distributions, with only a slight preponderance of small‐mode species. Most large‐mode species are migratory. Resident species, unlike migratory ones, show a latitudinal increase in mean size, but the size increase across all species is steeper because the importance of large migratory species increases with latitude. Size distributions change from right‐ to left‐skewed with increasing latitude. Maximum body size does not change with increasing family richness but minimum size declines and skewness increases, consistent with diversification of small species. Skewness does not vary with mean family body size.

Main conclusions  Post‐glacial recolonization by large, habitat generalist, migratory species is the main determinant of latitudinal size distribution trends. There is little support for the energetic hypothesis, but the data are consistent with a negative Cope's rule.
Large‐scale transcriptome analysis in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), an orphan legume crop of the semi‐arid tropics of Asia and Africa
Authors: Hiremath Pavana J. , Farmer Andrew , Cannon Steven B. , Woodward Jimmy , Kudapa Himabindu , Tuteja Reetu , Kumar Ashish , BhanuPrakash Amindala , Mulaosmanovic Benjamin , Gujaria Neha , Krishnamurthy Laxmanan , Gaur Pooran M. , KaviKishor Polavarapu B. , Shah Trushar , Srinivasan Ramamurthy , Lohse Marc , Xiao Yongli , Town Christopher D. , Cook Douglas R. , May Gregory D. , Varshney Rajeev K.
Published: May 2011

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important legume crop in the semi‐arid regions of Asia and Africa. Gains in crop productivity have been low however, particularly because of biotic and abiotic stresses. To help enhance crop productivity using molecular breeding techniques, next generation sequencing technologies such as Roche/454 and Illumina/Solexa were used to determine the sequence of most gene transcripts and to identify drought‐responsive genes and gene‐based molecular markers. A total of 103 215 tentative unique sequences (TUSs) have been produced from 435 018 Roche/454 reads and 21 491 Sanger expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Putative functions were determined for 49 437 (47.8%) of the TUSs, and gene ontology assignments were determined for 20 634 (41.7%) of the TUSs. Comparison of the chickpea TUSs with the Medicago truncatula genome assembly (Mt 3.5.1 build) resulted in 42 141 aligned TUSs with putative gene structures (including 39 281 predicted intron/splice junctions). Alignment of ∼37 million Illumina/Solexa tags generated from drought‐challenged root tissues of two chickpea genotypes against the TUSs identified 44 639 differentially expressed TUSs. The TUSs were also used to identify a diverse set of markers, including 728 simple sequence repeats (SSRs), 495 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 387 conserved orthologous sequence (COS) markers, and 2088 intron‐spanning region (ISR) markers. This resource will be useful for basic and applied research for genome analysis and crop improvement in chickpea.
The Recognition Theory of Rights, Customary International Law and Human Rights
Authors: Boucher David
Published: May 2011

This article addresses the most fundamental question in the philosophy of rights. If there are any moral rights, where do they come from and how do we acquire them? The difficulty of answering the question is compounded when asked in relation to universal rights and obligations where the international community in which they function is far less solidarist than at the domestic level. The suggestion is that while answers that presuppose something about the ontology of the person, such as an emphasis on basic needs, or inherent human dignity, are prevalent, they are a convenient fiction. It is contended that the rights recognition thesis, typically associated with British Idealism, is best exemplified with reference to common law theory, and customary international law, and provides a far more adequate account of what it means to have universal rights and obligations. It is suggested that customary international law functions in a similar way to how natural law used to function. The article concludes by emphasising the importance of customary international law in articulating the universal obligations of states and holding them to account for their actions. It addresses the question of what it means to have a universal right, and not what universal rights it is desirable to have.
Guilds and middle‐class welfare, 1550–1800: provisions for burial, sickness, old age, and widowhood1
Authors: VAN LEEUWEN MARCO H. D.
Published: May 2011

Guilds provided for masters' and journeymen's burial, sickness, old age, and widowhood. Guild welfare was of importance to artisans, to the functioning of guilds, to the myriad of urban social relations, and to the political economy. However, it is an understated and neglected aspect of guild activities. This article looks at welfare provision by guilds, with the aim of addressing four questions. Firstly, for which risks did guild welfare arrangements exist in the Netherlands between 1550 and 1800, and what were the coverage, contributions, benefit levels, and conditions? Secondly, can guild welfare arrangements be regarded as insurance? Thirdly, to what extent and how did guilds overcome classic insurance problems such as adverse selection, moral hazards, and correlated risks? Finally, what was the position of guild provision in the Dutch political economy and vis‐à‐vis poor relief?
Political Connections, Financing Friction, and Corporate Investment: Evidence from Chinese Listed Family Firms
Authors: Xu Nianhang , Xu Xinzhong , Yuan Qingbo
Published: May 2011

Using a sample of Chinese family firms from 2000 to 2007, we investigate the investment behaviour of family firms and the effects of these firms’ political connectedness on their investments in a relationship‐based economy. Consistent with previous evidence that Chinese family firms have difficulty in financing, our results demonstrate that underinvestment due to problems with asymmetric information rather than overinvestment resulting from problems of free cash flow prevails in such firms. We further find that the political connectedness of family firms can help mitigate the underinvestment problem, with the mitigation effect being more pronounced in financially constrained firms.
Collaborative Innovation with Customers: A Review of the Literature and Suggestions for Future Research*
Authors: Greer Charles R. , Lei David
Published: May 2011

Collaborative innovation with customers or users is increasingly important for the development of new products and services. In this paper we provide a review of the literature, placing emphasis on how firms engage in collaborative innovation with individual and business customers. Our review develops a synthesized conceptual framework from three existing models, and other streams of research, to organize this diverse body of literature. We review studies from several disciplines including innovation, strategy, management, marketing and information technology. Although much of the literature assumes net positive benefits from such collaboration, we also discuss contrary perspectives. We highlight areas in which research is needed for greater understanding of the strategic issues and for managing the collaborative process, and provide suggestions for future studies.
The role of the family in institutional long‐term care: cultural management of filial piety in China
Authors: Zhan Heying Jenny , Feng Zhanlian , Chen Zhiyu , Feng Xiaotian
Published: May 2011

Zhan HJ, The role of the family in institutional long‐term care – cultural management of filial piety in China

Int J Soc Welfare 2011: 20: S121–S134 © 2011 The Author(s), International Journal of Social Welfare © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare.

This study used both qualitative and quantitative data collected in Nanjing, China, from 2008 to 2009, to examine the role of the family in long‐term institutional elder care. The qualitative data reported on four separate groups of family members and their elderly parents residing in institutions. The survey included information from 140 elder care institutions (over 95% of all urban elder care institutions) in Nanjing. The quantitative data provided a background from which to understand the qualitative responses of family members obtained during the focus group discussions. The qualitative data added a contextualized understanding of the reasons for institutional placement and aspects of the families' continued involvement in long‐term care. In conclusion, Chinese families, unlike families in the West, are currently struggling to manage the cultural demands of elder care together with the usual financial, caregiving, and emotional concerns. Managing stigma has been one of the adult children's prevalent themes in the transition from familial to institutional care.
Customer retention in sports organization marketing: examining the impact of team identification and satisfaction with team performance
Authors: Gray Gordon T. , Wert‐Gray Stacia
Published: May 2011

Over the past two decades, relationship marketing efforts have assumed a prominent role in sports organization marketing. A sports organization that successfully implements relationship marketing programmes is able to develop long‐term relationships with its fans, thus increasing the likelihood of customer retention. This study examines customer retention in sports organization marketing by considering the impact of team identification and satisfaction with team performance on four fan consumption behaviours: in‐person attendance, media‐based attendance, purchase of team merchandise and word‐of‐mouth communication related to the team. Survey data were collected from 300 fans of more than 40 professional and collegiate teams involved in seven sports. Results suggest that both team identification and satisfaction with team performance impact multiple consumption behaviours, as represented by fans' intentions to engage in future consumption. Team identification was found to have the greater impact on consumption behaviours, suggesting that a sports organization's continuing efforts to bond with its fans may provide greater benefits than efforts to improve the team's competitive performance.
HCN channelopathies: pathophysiology in genetic epilepsy and therapeutic implications
Authors: Reid Christopher A , Phillips A Marie , Petrou Steven
Published: May 2011

Hyperpolarization‐activated cyclic nucleotide‐gated channels (HCN) can act as pacemakers in the brain making them strong candidates for driving aberrant hypersynchronous network activity seen in epilepsy. Transcriptional changes in HCN channels occur in several animal models of epilepsy. However, only recently have genetic studies demonstrated sequence variation in HCN1 and HCN2 genes associated with human epilepsy. These include a triple proline deletion in HCN2 that increases channel function and occurs more often in patients with febrile seizure syndromes. Other HCNx gene variants have been described in idiopathic generalized epilepsy although the functional consequence of these remains unclear. In this review we explore potential cellular and network mechanisms involving HCN channels in the genetic epilepsies. We suggest how new genetic sequencing technology, medium‐throughput functional assays and the ability to develop syndrome‐specific animal models will provide a more comprehensive understanding of how Ih contributes to pathogenic mechanisms underlying human genetic epilepsy. We also discuss what is known about the pharmacological manipulation of HCN channels in the context of epilepsy and how this may help future efforts in developing HCN‐channel‐based therapy.
Stent Treatment of Inferior Vena Cava Compression in an Ovine With a Total Artificial Heart
Authors: Tuzun Egemen , Parnis Steve , Rios Jesse , Winkler Jo Anna , Cohn William E.
Published: May 2011

Although current continuous‐flow total artificial hearts (CFTAHs) are much smaller than previous models, venous kinking may still occur after device implantation, especially in smaller animals. By inserting a self‐expanding stent at the site of venous narrowing in a sheep model implanted with a CFTAH, we were able to restore the normal venous geometry and dramatically increase the CFTAH output. Because this percutaneous approach avoids the challenges associated with reoperation in these cases, it may be useful to other CFTAH investigators.
Identification of lipids that accumulate during the routine storage of prestorage leukoreduced red blood cells and cause acute lung injury
Authors: Silliman Christopher C. , Moore Ernest E. , Kelher Marguerite R. , Khan Samina Y. , Gellar Lauren , Elzi David J.
Published: May 2011

BACKGROUND: Lipids accumulate during the storage of red blood cells (RBCs), prime neutrophils (PMNs), and have been implicated in transfusion‐related acute lung injury (TRALI). These lipids are composed of two classes: nonpolar lipids and lysophosphatidylcholines based on their retention time on separation by high‐pressure liquid chromatography. Prestorage leukoreduction significantly decreases white blood cell and platelet contamination of RBCs; therefore, it is hypothesized that prestorage leukoreduction changes the classes of lipids that accumulate during storage, and these lipids prime PMNs and induce acute lung injury (ALI) as the second event in a two‐event in vivo model.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: RBC units were divided: 50% was leukoreduced (LR‐RBCs), stored, and sampled on Day 1 and at the end of storage, Day 42. Priming activity was evaluated on isolated PMNs, and the purified lipids from Day 1 or Day 42 were used as the second event in the in vivo model.

RESULTS: The plasma and lipids from RBCs and LR‐RBCs primed PMNs, and the LR‐RBC activity decreased with longer storage. Unlike RBCs, nonpolar lipids comprised the PMN‐priming activity from stored LR‐RBCs. Mass spectroscopy identified these lipids as arachidonic acid and 5‐, 12‐, and 15‐hydroxyeicsotetranoic acid. At concentrations from Day 42, but not Day 1, three of four of these lipids individually, and the mixture, primed PMNs. The mixture also caused ALI as the second event in a two‐event model of TRALI.

CONCLUSION: We conclude that the nonpolar lipids that accumulate during LR‐RBC storage may represent the agents responsible for antibody‐negative TRALI.
Platelet pool inventory management: theory meets practice
Authors: de Kort Wim , Janssen Michiel , Kortbeek Nikky , Jansen Naud , van der Wal Jan , van Dijk Nico
Published: May 2011

BACKGROUND: The shelf life of platelet concentrates (PCs) is a matter of days. Simultaneously, the demand is highly variable, shortages are not allowed, and producing too many results in outdating. Concurrently, younger PCs, implying an extended time till outdating (TTO), are preferred. Common PC inventory management relies on experience‐based order‐up‐to rules. This study aimed at minimizing outdating and shortages, while extending the TTO through a theoretical approach. It focuses on PCs processed from whole blood donations.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A combined approach of stochastic dynamic programming and simulation techniques (SDP/S), from the mathematical discipline operations research, has been implemented. This approach included the design of the dedicated software tool thrombocyte inventory management optimizer (TIMO). Based on the 2007 data, an optimal order‐up‐to rule was calculated. Outdating percentages and TTOs have been collected from August 2005 to July 2010. The resulting order‐up‐to rule has been applied and adjusted from summer 2007 onward.

RESULTS: Over the study period, the results of the practical implementation showed significant improvements. The median weekly outdating percentage dropped to less than 1% and a gain in TTO of 0.48 day was reached. The results and the additional computer simulations brought confidence to the personnel to apply and adopt the “theoretical” approach and TIMO.

CONCLUSION: Applying theory may help a blood bank to improve its PC inventory management and may help to identify to what extent practical limits can approach theoretical limits. The application of the theory has led to both a significant improvement and a more structured and less panic‐driven PC inventory management.
Hemolytic anemia after kidney transplantation: a prospective analysis
Authors: Achkar Ruth , Chiba Akemi K. , Zampieri‐Filho José P. , Pestana José O.M. , Bordin José O.
Published: May 2011

BACKGROUND: Hemolysis may occur in 9% to 40% of patients after solid organ transplantation and be caused by the passenger lymphocyte syndrome (PLS).

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We have prospectively examined 217 kidney transplant recipients before (Day −1) and after (up to Days +10, +20, and +30) surgery. ABO‐identical transplant was performed in 180 (82.9%) patients, while 37 (17.1%) individuals received ABO‐compatible nonidentical grafts. Direct antiglobulin tests (DATs) were performed by tube technique (polyspecific anti‐human globulin [IgG + C3d]), positive DAT samples were further tested by gel agglutination (monospecific anti‐IgG, ‐IgM, ‐IgA, or ‐C3), and eluates were prepared from DAT‐positive red blood cells (RBCs) by the dichloromethane elution test.

RESULTS: We observed that 34 of 217 (15.7%) patients developed a positive DAT up to Day +30. The percentage of patients with positive DATs was significantly higher in those having ABO‐compatible nonidentical transplants compared to those that received ABO‐identical grafts (10/37 = 27.0% vs. 24/180 = 13.3%; p = 0.037). Specific RBC antibodies (anti‐A or anti‐B) were found in only 5 of 37 (13.5%) patients having ABO‐compatible nonidentical transplants who presented with clinical hemolysis. We found only three reactive eluates from 24 patients with positive DATs who received ABO‐identical transplants but had no hemolysis.

CONCLUSIONS: Our data collected prospectively demonstrated that: 1) positive DATs occurred in 15.7% of all patients up to Day +30 after a kidney transplant; 2) the DAT positivity occurred up to Day +10 in 9.7% of all transplanted patients; 3) the majority of the transplant recipients with a positive DAT had a nonreactive RBC eluate; and 4) PLS was the cause of a positive DAT in 13.5% of patients submitted to ABO‐compatible nonidentical kidney transplants.
Complement (C1q) fixing solid‐phase screening for HLA antibodies increases the availability of compatible platelet components for refractory patients
Authors: Fontaine Magali J. , Kuo Jenny , Chen Ge , Galel Susan A. , Miller Evelyn , Sequeira Flavia , Viele Maurene , Goodnough Lawrence T. , Tyan Dolly B.
Published: May 2011

BACKGROUND: Immune refractoriness to platelet (PLT) transfusion is primarily due to HLA antibody. Patients at our institution are identified as refractory due to HLA by a Luminex‐based immunoglobulin (Ig)G–single‐antigen‐bead (SAB) assay, but in highly sensitized patients, antigen‐negative compatible donors cannot be found due to the high sensitivity of the IgG‐SAB method. We developed an assay that detects only HLA antibodies binding the first complement component (C1q). We hypothesized that the C1q‐SAB method might be more relevant than the IgG‐SAB method because the antibodies identified may activate the complement cascade causing PLT destruction.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Thirteen highly sensitized refractory patients received 177 PLT units incompatible by the IgG‐SAB method. They were retrospectively retested by the C1q‐SAB method. Calculated percent reactive antibody (CPRA) and HLA antibody specificities were compared between the two methods and corrected count increment (CCI) values were analyzed. Additionally the impact of ABO compatibility on CCI responses was evaluated.

RESULTS: The mean CPRA value was significantly lower by C1q‐SAB (60%) than by IgG‐SAB (94%; p < 0.05). Patients showed significantly better CCI (10.6 × 109 ± 0.8 × 109/L) with C1q‐compatible (n = 134) than with C1q‐incompatible PLTs (n = 43) (2.5 × 109 ± 0.9 × 109/L/m2; p < 0.0001). ABO compatibility did not significantly impact the CCI values (p < 0.0001). Our results show that 75% of PLT units previously considered incompatible were actually compatible.

CONCLUSION: For highly refractory patients to PLT transfusion, the C1q‐based SAB binding assay may be a better method for identifying clinically relevant HLA antibodies and selecting PLT units that will result in acceptable CCI.
Maximizing Health Benefits and Minimizing Inequality: Incorporating Local‐Scale Data in the Design and Evaluation of Air Quality Policies
Authors: Fann Neal , Roman Henry A. , Fulcher Charles M. , Gentile Mikael A. , Hubbell Bryan J. , Wesson Karen , Levy Jonathan I.
Published: May 2011

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency undertook a case study in the Detroit metropolitan area to test the viability of a new multipollutant risk‐based (MP/RB) approach to air quality management, informed by spatially resolved air quality, population, and baseline health data. The case study demonstrated that the MP/RB approach approximately doubled the human health benefits achieved by the traditional approach while increasing cost less than 20%—moving closer to the objective of Executive Order 12866 to maximize net benefits. Less well understood is how the distribution of health benefits from the MP/RB and traditional strategies affect the existing inequalities in air‐pollution‐related risks in Detroit. In this article, we identify Detroit populations that may be both most susceptible to air pollution health impacts (based on local‐scale baseline health data) and most vulnerable to air pollution (based on fine‐scale PM2.5 air quality modeling and socioeconomic characteristics). Using these susceptible/vulnerable subpopulation profiles, we assess the relative impacts of each control strategy on risk inequality, applying the Atkinson Index (AI) to quantify health risk inequality at baseline and with either risk management approach. We find that the MP/RB approach delivers greater air quality improvements among these subpopulations while also generating substantial benefits among lower‐risk populations. Applying the AI, we confirm that the MP/RB strategy yields less PM2.5 mortality and asthma hospitalization risk inequality than the traditional approach. We demonstrate the value of this approach to policymakers as they develop cost‐effective air quality management plans that maximize risk reduction while minimizing health inequality.
Sociocultural Change and Integrative Syntheses in Human Development: Autonomous‐Related Self and Social–Cognitive Competence
Authors: Kagitcibasi Cigdem
Published: May 2011

Abstract— Understanding human development in the context of socioeconomic–cultural change requires a consideration of both the contextual and the global aspects of development that involves an “integrative synthesis” of the 2. Such a synthesis may be considered a conceptual model or goal of human development and may be observed in different spheres of development. This article proposes “autonomous‐related self” and “cognitive–social competence” as 2 integrative syntheses that provide insight into adaptations to changing environmental demands and suggests that although they are not adequately recognized in psychology, these syntheses can be considered as aspects of optimal development. The article presents the 22‐year longitudinal Turkish Early Enrichment Project as a case in point that illustrates the relevance of these integrative syntheses, as well as how they can be promoted.
Atorvastatin Inhibits Homocysteine‐Induced Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress through Activation of AMP‐Activated Protein Kinase
Authors: Jia Fang , Wu Chunfang , Chen Zhenyue , Lu Guoping
Published: May 2011

Aim: Accumulating evidence suggests that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress plays a fundamental role in the initiation and development of atherosclerosis. Atorvastatin is known to exert pleiotropic effects on cardiovascular system. This study was designed to examine the effect of atorvastatin on homocysteine (Hcy)‐induced activation of ER stress and the potential mechanisms regarding AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK). Methods and results: Apolipoprotein E‐deficient (apoE−/–) mice were administrated with methionine or atorvastatin and sacrificed 2 months later for plasma tests and immunohistochemical analysis. To further study the mechanisms, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were incubated with various concentrations of Hcy for 1 h, or 500 μmol/L Hcy for 1–24 h. Furthermore, we challenged HUVECs with Hcy in the presence or absence of atorvastatin, 5‐amino‐4‐imidazolecarboxamide riboside‐l‐beta‐D‐ribofuranoside (AICAR), an AMPK agonist, and AMPK‐DN that expressed a dominant‐negative mutant of AMPK. Expression levels of ER stress markers were measured by real‐time PCR and Western blot analysis. Our data revealed that atorvastatin prevented Hcy‐induced ER stress in the aortic roots of hyperhomocysteinemic mice. In vitro study showed atorvastatin suppressed Hcy‐induced ER stress in HUVECs as well. AICAR is found to have the same effect as that of atorvastatin, which could be antagonized by AMPK‐DN. Conclusions: Atorvastatin inhibits Hcy‐induced ER stress both in vitro and in vivo. The protective effect of atorvastatin against Hcy‐induced vascular injury is mediated by AMPK activation.
Locked Anteromedial Fracture Dislocation of the Radial Head
Authors: Stanislas Mathias J. C.
Published: May 2011

An unusual locked fracture dislocation of the radial head in a 16-year-old girl treated with open reduction and internal fixation is reported.
Reportable Animal Diseases in the United States
Authors: Allen H.
Published: May 2011

Timely reporting of animal diseases is fundamental to the detection of emerging threats, rapid and effective outbreak response, and ultimately the health of both animals and humans. In the United States, each state has the authority to regulate reporting of diseases. While past research has reviewed reportable human diseases, the research on reportable animal diseases has assessed only veterinarian knowledge and understanding of law rather than identifying the actual statutes and regulation that exists. Therefore, this article reviewed the statutes, regulations, and online reportable animal disease lists from the 50 states and District of Columbia to describe the legal landscape of animal disease reporting. The findings suggest wide variation in state animal disease reporting requirements. Three hundred and forty distinct diseases, agents, and categories were identified, with only 15 diseases being listed by 40 or more states. States typically require reporting of animal diseases within 48 h. Substantial consideration needs to be given to the implications of these variations for rapid and effective animal and zoonotic disease detection and reporting in the United States, particularly in light of One Health initiatives and international obligations.
Temporal scaling of episodic point estimates of seed predation to long‐term predation rates
Authors: Davis Adam S. , Daedlow Daniel , Schutte Brian J. , Westerman Paula R.
Published: May 2011

1. Post‐dispersal seed predation influences plant population dynamics in many terrestrial ecosystems, including weeds in arable systems, the focus of this study. Simulation models of management effects on weed demography require estimates of long‐term seed predation as input, yet extremely rapid seed losses to predators force most measurements of weed seed predation rates to be made at a daily time‐scale.

2. We compared several models for estimating , the annual proportion of weed seeds consumed by granivores, from repeated short‐term seed predation measurements. Competing models differed in duration of seed exposure to predators and weighting of short‐term predation rates by concurrent seed rain. Verification data were obtained from field studies at experimental locations in Germany and the USA in which parallel measurements of short‐ and long‐term weed seed predation were made in cereal crops.

3. Robust predictions of were given by a model that exposed seeds to predators for two 48‐h predation intervals, with no weighting of predation rates by seed rain. Model performance was consistent across locations, years, weed species and predator type. Resampling indicated that high temporal sampling intensity was critical to model performance and should be prioritised over high levels of spatial replication.

4. Estimates of made from our experimental data and 10 published time series of short‐term weed seed predation rates followed a normal distribution with μ = 0·52 and σ2 = 0·05. Additional work is necessary to assess applicability of the predictive model to seed predation time series from natural systems.

5.
Synthesis and applications: Our results demonstrate that annual rates of weed seed predation may be reliably predicted from repeated short‐term predation measurements. Predicted values may then be used in applied demographic models. At a more fundamental level, these results indicate that weed seed predation in arable fields is an episodic process, in which newly dispersed seeds are subjected to brief, intense predation, after which they become unavailable to granivores because of burial. Future efforts at managing agroecosystems to promote weed seed predation may benefit by viewing the process as dynamic and ephemeral.
Transition towards a ‘non‐smoker’ identity following smoking cessation: An interpretative phenomenological analysis
Authors: Vangeli Eleni , West Robert
Published: May 2011

Objective. A recent theory of motivation (PRIME theory) has proposed that the formation of a ‘non‐smoker’ identity is necessary for long‐term abstinence. This study aimed to explore how a smoker's sense of identity changes following smoking cessation.

Design. This was a qualitative, semi‐structured interview study with a purposive sample of individuals who had quit smoking. An interpretative phenomenological approach was taken to elicit in‐depth accounts of the participants’ understanding of smoking, stopping, and maintaining abstinence.

Methods. Ten participants who quit smoking with the support of a National Health Service (NHS) stop‐smoking service in England and were still abstinent a year later were interviewed. An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the interview transcripts was conducted. Prospective contextual detail of motivational and other variables pre‐quit were also obtained from the clinic assessment form that participants completed at the first group session.

Results. A process of identity change was observed towards that of a ‘non‐smoker’, assisted initially by a transient identity of ‘team stop‐smoker’ accompanied by a sense of achievement. All participants retained a residual attraction to smoking suggesting that the process was not complete and reflecting an ‘ex‐smoker’ identity. Participants labelled themselves as non‐smokers regardless of how much transition had occurred.

Conclusions. It appears useful to distinguish two levels of ‘non‐smoker’ identity: a surface level comprising the simple label and a deep level made up of often conflicting thoughts and feelings about oneself in relation to smoking. A total coherent ‘non‐smoker’ identity does not appear to be necessary for long‐term abstinence.
Influence of Radial Rotation on Heat Transfer in a Rectangular Channel With Two Opposite Walls Roughened by Hemispherical Protrusions at High Rotation Numbers
Authors: Chang Shyy Woei , Liou Tong-Miin. , Chen Wei-Chun
Published: May 2011

Detailed heat transfer distributions over two opposite leading and trailing walls roughened by hemispherical protrusions were measured from a rotating rectangular channel at rotation number up to 0.6 to examine the effects of Reynolds (Re), rotation (Ro), and buoyancy (Bu) numbers on local and area-averaged Nusselt numbers (Nu and Nu¯) using the infrared thermography. A set of selected heat transfer data illustrates the Coriolis and rotating buoyancy effects on the detailed Nu distributions and the area-averaged heat transfer performances of the rotating channel. The Nu¯ for the developed flow region on the leading and trailing walls are parametrically analyzed to devise the empirical heat transfer correlations that permit the evaluation of the interdependent and individual Re, Ro, and Bu effect on Nu¯.
The Periodic Table of Videos
Authors: Haran Brady , Poliakoff Martyn
Published: May 2011

A YouTube project, started on impulse, has become a chemistry resource in daily use in classrooms and homes worldwide.
Initiation of Proximal-Distal Patterning in the Vertebrate Limb by Signals and Growth
Authors: Cooper Kimberly L. , Hu Jimmy Kuang-Hsien , ten Berge Derk , Fernandez-Teran Marian , Ros Maria A. , Tabin Clifford J.
Published: May 2011

Growth of limb cells in culture conditions with subsequent in vivo transplantation allows the dissection of limb patterning.
Impact of Antarctic Circumpolar Current Development on Late Paleogene Ocean Structure
Authors: Katz Miriam E. , Cramer Benjamin S. , Toggweiler J. R. , Esmay Gar , Liu Chengjie , Miller Kenneth G. , Rosenthal Yair , Wade Bridget S. , Wright James D.
Published: May 2011

The modern four-layered ocean structure developed during the early Oligocene, when Antarctica developed permanent ice cover.
Seismic Imaging of Transition Zone Discontinuities Suggests Hot Mantle West of Hawaii
Authors: Cao Q. , van der Hilst R. D. , de Hoop M. V. , Shim S.-H.
Published: May 2011

Hot material upwelling from deep below Hawaii may pool up far below and to the west of the islands.
Comment on “A Persistent Oxygen Anomaly Reveals the Fate of Spilled Methane in the Deep Gulf of Mexico”
Authors: Joye Samantha B. , Leifer Ira , MacDonald Ian R. , Chanton Jeffery P. , Meile Christof D. , Teske Andreas P. , Kostka Joel E. , Chistoserdova Ludmila , Coffin Richard , Hollander David , Kastner Miriam , Montoya Joseph P. , Rehder Gregor , Solomon Evan , Treude Tina , Villareal Tracy A.
Published: May 2011

Kessler
et al
. (Reports, 21 January 2011, p. 312) reported that methane released from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout, approximately 40% of the total hydrocarbon discharge, was consumed quantitatively by methanotrophic bacteria in Gulf of Mexico deep waters over a 4-month period. We find the evidence explicitly linking observed oxygen anomalies to methane consumption ambiguous and extension of these observations to hydrate-derived methane climate forcing premature.
Assessing the Status of Alaska's Glaciers
Authors: Arendt Anthony A.
Published: May 2011

New methods are providing an increasingly complex picture of a key contributor to global sea level.
A Logical Use for Atoms
Authors: Heinrich Andreas , Loth Sebastian
Published: May 2011

The coupled spins of individual atoms can be used to demonstrate basic logic function.
Limb Cells Don't Tell Time
Authors: Mackem Susan , Lewandoski Mark
Published: May 2011

A balance of signals, not a clock, controls proximal-distal fates and maintains progenitors in the developing chick limb.
KSR Plays CRAF-ty
Authors: Shi Fumin , Lemmon Mark A.
Published: May 2011

A scaffold protein has enzymatic activity that controls a major cell signaling pathway.
“All Bespeckled with Yellow Stains”
Dirt
The Filthy Reality of Everyday Life

Kate Forde, James Peto, and Lucy Shanahan, curators

Wellcome Collection, London. Through 31 August 2011. www.wellcomecollection.org/whats-on/exhibitions/dirt.aspx
Dirt
The Filthy Reality of Everyday Life

by Rosie Cox, Rose George, R. H. Horne, Robin Nagle, Elizabeth Pisani, Brian Ralph, and Virginia Smith

Profile, London, 2011. 224 pp. Paper, £20. ISBN 9781846684791.
Authors: Ash Caroline
Published: May 2011

Encompassing some 200 artefacts, the Wellcome Collection's current exhibition explores attitudes toward filth and cleanliness.
Texas's $3 Billion Fund Lures Scientific Heavyweights
Authors: Kaiser Jocelyn
Published: May 2011

The state of Texas is reeling in big fish with help from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, approved by voters through a ballot initiative in 2007.
India's Earth-Observing System Comes Under Fire
Authors: Bagla Pallava
Published: May 2011

India's space officials are facing probing questions about why satellites of the Indian Space Research Organisation were of no use in locating a recent air crash.
The Prion Heretic
Authors: Couzin-Frankel Jennifer
Published: May 2011

For 30 years, Laura Manuelidis has rejected the dominant theory that misfolded proteins cause infection. Sticking to a minority view has become a career in itself.
DNA Circles Cause Cow Coat Color Changes
Authors: Pennisi Elizabeth
Published: May 2011

At the Biology of Genomes meeting, a geneticist reported what seems to be a new way that a cell shuffles its genes around: by forming a loop of DNA that then breaks apart in a different place before inserting into a different chromosome.
Hepatitis C Virus Genotypes in Clinical Specimens Tested at a National Reference Testing Laboratory in the United States
Authors: Germer Jeffrey J. , Mandrekar Jayawant N. , Bendel Jordan L. , Mitchell P. Shawn , Yao Joseph D. C.
Published: May 2011

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype (GT) distribution and frequency were studied among 22,407 unique specimens tested at a national reference testing laboratory. Subjects with HCV GT 3 were younger (
P
< 0.0001) than those with GT 1, 2, or 4, and the regional frequencies of HCV GT 2 and 3 ranged from 19.9% to 29.2%.
Comparison of Direct Colony Method versus Extraction Method for Identification of Gram-Positive Cocci by Use of Bruker Biotyper Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Alatoom Adnan A. , Cunningham Scott A. , Ihde Sherry M. , Mandrekar Jayawant , Patel Robin
Published: May 2011

We evaluated Bruker Biotyper (version 2.0) matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) for the identification of 305 clinical isolates of staphylococci, streptococci, and related genera by comparing direct colony testing with preparatory extraction. Isolates were previously identified by use of phenotypic testing and/or 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Manufacturer-specified score cutoffs for genus- and species-level identification were used. After excluding 7 isolates not present in the Biotyper library, the Biotyper correctly identified 284 (95%) and 207 (69%) isolates to the genus and species levels, respectively, using extraction. By using direct colony testing, the Biotyper identified 168 (56%) and 60 (20%) isolates to the genus and species levels, respectively. Overall, more isolates were identified to the genus and species levels with preparatory extraction than with direct colony testing (
P
< 0.0001). The analysis was repeated after dividing the isolates into two subgroups, staphylococci, streptococci, and enterococci (
n
= 217) and “related genera” (
n
= 81). For the former subgroup, the extraction method resulted in the identification of 213 (98%) and 171 (79%) isolates to the genus and species levels, respectively, whereas the direct colony method identified 136 (63%) and 56 (26%) isolates to the genus and species levels, respectively. In contrast, for the subgroup of related genera, the extraction method identified 71 (88%) and 36 (44%) isolates to the genus and species levels, respectively, while the direct colony method identified 32 (40%) and 4 (5%) isolates to the genus and species levels, respectively. For both subgroups, preparatory extraction was superior to direct colony testing for the identification of isolates to the genus and species levels (
P
< 0.0001). Preparatory extraction is needed for the identification of a substantial proportion of Gram-positive cocci using the Biotyper method according to manufacturer-specified score cutoffs.
Unnatural Amino Acid Incorporation onto Adenoviral (Ad) Coat Proteins Facilitates Chemoselective Modification and Retargeting of Ad Type 5 Vectors
Authors: Banerjee Partha Sarathi , Ostapchuk Philomena , Hearing Patrick , Carrico Isaac Sheridan
Published: May 2011

Surface modification of adenovirus vectors can improve tissue-selective targeting, attenuate immunogenicity, and enable imaging of particle biodistribution, thus significantly improving therapeutic potential. Currently, surface engineering is constrained by a combination of factors, including impact on viral fitness, limited access to functionality, or incomplete control over the site of modification. Here, we report a two-step labeling process involving an initial metabolic placement of a uniquely reactive unnatural amino acid, azidohomoalanine (Aha), followed by highly specific chemical modification. As genetic modification of adenovirus is unnecessary, vector production is exceedingly straightforward. Aha incorporation demonstrated no discernible impact on either virus production or infectivity of the resultant particles. “Click” chemical modification of surface-exposed azides was highly selective, allowing for the attachment of a wide range of functionality. Decoration of human adenovirus type 5 (hAd5) with folate, a known cancer-targeting moiety, provided an ∼20-fold increase in infection of murine breast cancer cells (4T1) in a folate receptor-dependent manner. This study demonstrates that incorporation of unnatural amino acids can provide a flexible, straightforward route for the selective chemical modification of adenoviral vectors.
Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein 2 Couples HIV-1 Transcription to Cholesterol Homeostasis and T Cell Activation
Authors: Taylor Harry E. , Linde Michael E. , Khatua Atanu K. , Popik Waldemar , Hildreth James E. K.
Published: May 2011

Cholesterol plays an essential role in the life cycle of several enveloped viruses. Many of these viruses manipulate host cholesterol metabolism to facilitate their replication. HIV-1 infection of CD4+T cells activates the sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 (SREBP2) transcriptional program, which includes genes involved in cholesterol homeostasis. However, the role of SREBP2-dependent transcription in HIV-1 biology has not been fully examined. Here, we identify TFII-I, a gene critical for HIV-1 transcription in activated T cells, as a novel SREBP2 target gene. We found TFII-I expression increased after HIV-1 infection or activation of human primary CD4+T cells. We show that inhibition of SREBP2 activity reduced TFII-I induction in response to these stimuli. More importantly, small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated gene silencing of either SREBP2 or TFII-I significantly reduced HIV-1 production in CD4+T cells. We also found that TFII-I potentiates Tat-dependent viral gene expression, consistent with a role at the level of HIV-1 transcription. Collectively, our results demonstrate for the first time that HIV-1 transcription in T cells is linked to cholesterol homeostasis through control of TFII-I expression by SREBP2.
Genus-Specific Substitution Rate Variability among Picornaviruses
Authors: Hicks Allison L. , Duffy Siobain
Published: May 2011

Picornaviruses have some of the highest nucleotide substitution rates among viruses, but there have been no comparisons of evolutionary rates within this broad family. We combined our own Bayesian coalescent analyses of VP1 regions from four picornaviruses with 22 published VP1 rates to produce the first within-family meta-analysis of viral evolutionary rates. Similarly, we compared our rate estimates for the RNA polymerase 3D
pol
gene from five viruses to four published 3D
pol
rates. Both a structural and a nonstructural gene show that enteroviruses are evolving, on average, a half order of magnitude faster than members of other genera within the
Picornaviridae
family.