bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Overexpression of juxtaposed with another zinc finger gene 1 reduces proinflammatory cytokine release via inhibition of stress‐activated protein kinases and nuclear factor‐κB
Authors: Yang Mengliu , Dai Jihuan , Jia Yanjun , Suo Langquzhen , Li Shengbing , Guo Yunsong , Liu Hua , Li Ling , Yang Gangyi
Published: May 2014

As an inhibitor of the nuclear receptor subfamily 2, group C, member 2 signaling pathway, juxtaposed with another zinc finger gene 1 (JAZF1) has been shown to be involved in gluconeogenesis, lipid metabolism, and insulin sensitivity. However, its role in hepatic lipogenesis and chronic low‐grade inflammation leading to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease remains unknown. The aim of this study was to examine whether JAZF1 overexpression in vivo or in vitro can protect against palmitic acid (PA)‐induced and high‐fat diet (HFD)‐induced systemic inflammatory responses, and the potential mechanism of this process. JAZF1 overexpression vector was transfected into PA‐treated IAR‐20 hepatocytes. The mRNA expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines were measured by real‐time quantitative PCR, and stress‐activated protein kinase activities were measured by immunoblotting. For in vivo studies, JAZF1 transgenic mice were fed an HFD for 12 weeks. Liver tissue was obtained for histological examination, real‐time RT‐PCR, and western blot analysis. PA significantly increased the expression levels of tumor necrosis factor‐α, monocyte chemotactic protein‐1 and interleukin‐8 mRNA in IAR‐20 hepatocytes in a dose‐dependent and time‐dependent manner. Treatment with JAZF1 or stress‐activated protein kinase inhibitors inhibited PA‐induced tumor necrosis factor‐α, monocyte chemotactic protein‐1 and interleukin‐8 expression in these cells. In JAZF1‐treated cells, the decreased expression of proinflammatory cytokines was accompanied by decreased p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase and c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase phosphorylation and increased nuclear factor‐κB inhibitor‐α protein levels, similarly to the role of signaling inhibitors. In vivo, HFD‐induced expression of proinflammatory cytokines was markedly attenuated in JAZF1‐Tg mice as compared with controls. This attenuation was accompanied by decreased activation of c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase, p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase, and nuclear factor‐κB. These data provide evidence for the important role of JAZF1 in preventing lipogenesis and systemic inflammation‐related disease.
Corporate Governance, Political Connections, and Intra‐Industry Effects: Evidence from Corporate Scandals in China
Authors: Yu Xin , Zhang Peng , Zheng Ying
Published: May 2014

This paper investigates intra‐industry spillover effects of corporate scandals in China. We demonstrate how a contagion effect spreads to peer firms depending upon the quality of corporate governance and their political connections. Good corporate governance in peer firms reduces the contagion effect of scandals. External governance has a stronger influence on reducing the contagion effect of both financial and non‐financial scandals, while ownership concentration and the quality of auditors play a more pronounced role in mitigating the contagion effect of financial scandals. State ownership helps to mitigate the negative influence of non‐financial scandals in individual‐owned firms, but not in state‐owned enterprises.
Identification of two functional PCNA‐binding domains in human DNA polymerase κ
Authors: Yoon Jung‐Hoon , Acharya Narottam , Park Jeseong , Basu Debashree , Prakash Satya , Prakash Louise
Published: May 2014

Previously, we have shown that human DNA polymerase (Pol) η has two functional PCNA‐binding motifs, PIP1 and PIP2, and that a C‐terminal deletion of Polη that lacks the ubiquitin‐binding UBZ domain and the PIP2 domain but retains the PIP1 domain promotes normal levels of translesion synthesis (TLS) opposite a cis‐syn TT dimer in human cells. Here, we identify two PIP domains in Polκ and show that TLS occurs normally in human fibroblast cells in which the pip1 or pip2 mutant Polκ is expressed, but mutational inactivation of both PIP domains renders Polκ nonfunctional in TLS opposite the thymine glycol lesion. Thus, the two PIP domains of Polκ function redundantly in TLS opposite this DNA lesion in human cells. However, and surprisingly, whereas mutational inactivation of the PIP1 domain completely inhibits the stimulation of DNA synthesis by Polκ in the presence of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), replication factor C, and replication protein A, mutations in PIP2 have no adverse effect on PCNA‐dependent DNA synthesis. This raises the possibility that activation of Polκ PIP2 as a PCNA‐binding domain occurs during TLS in human cells and that protein–protein interactions and post‐transcriptional modifications are involved in such activation.
Investigating Groundwater‐Lake Interactions by Hydraulic Heads and a Water Balance
Authors: Rudnick Sebastian , Lewandowski Jörg , Nützmann Gunnar
Published: May 2014

Discharge of groundwater into lakes (lacustrine groundwater discharge, LGD) can play a major role in water balances of lakes. Unfortunately, studies often neglect this input path because of methodological difficulties in its determination. Direct measurements of LGD are labor‐consuming and prone to error. The present study uses both spatially variable hydraulic‐head data and meteorological data to estimate groundwater input by LGD and lake water output through infiltration. The study sites are two shallow, groundwater‐fed lakes without any surface inflows or outflows. Horizontally interpolated groundwater heads were combined with lake water levels to obtain vertical hydraulic gradients between the aquifer and the lake, which are separated by a thick layer of lake bed sediment which has a much lower hydraulic conductivity than the underlying aquifer. By fitting the hydraulic gradient to the results of a simple mass balance and considering the process of clogging, we were able to estimate the hydraulic conductivity of the lake bed sediments. We calculated groundwater inputs by LGD and lake water outputs by infiltration on an annual basis. Although our method requires several assumptions, the results are reasonable and provide useful information about the exchange between the aquifer and the lake, which can, for example, be used for the calculation of nutrient mass balances.
The effects of heat–moisture treatment of rice grains before parboiling on viscosity profile and physicochemical properties
Authors: Arns Bruna , Paraginski Ricardo Tadeu , Bartz Josiane , de Almeida Schiavon Rafael , Elias Moacir Cardoso , da Rosa Zavareze Elessandra , Dias Alvaro Renato Guerra
Published: May 2014

The effects of heat–moisture treatment (HMT) (120 °C for 10, 30 and 60 min) on paddy rice grains before parboiling, on head rice yield (HRY), pasting and thermal properties, and colour and cooking characteristics of parboiled rice were studied. The results indicated that the HMT performed intensifies the changes in grains after parboiling, impacting pasting and thermal properties, which results in rice kernels with yellowish colouration and greater cooking time. HMT increased the temperatures of gelatinisation, with increasing HMT time from 10 to 60 min and reduced the gelatinisation enthalpy. HMT also affected the pasting properties of rice flours, reducing setback and viscosity and increased their stability to heat and mechanical agitation. The HMT performed in rice grains before the parboiling process with 60 min of the treatment decreased the HRY and increased the level of metabolic defects only in the treatment with 60 min.
An evaluation of the reclassification of ophthalmic chloramphenicol for the management of acute bacterial conjunctivitis in community pharmacies in Western Australia
Authors: Alkhatib Luma , Parsons Richard , Czarniak Petra , Sunderland Vivian B
Published: May 2014

Objective

The study aims to evaluate factors influencing pharmacists' management of eye infections following the reclassification of ophthalmic chloramphenicol to pharmacist supply.

Methods

Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire posted to a random sample of community pharmacies in urban and rural areas in Western Australia. Data were entered into Excel and analysed using SPSS v17 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) and SAS v9.2 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the responses and demographics of respondents. Regression analysis was used to identify relationships between variables. Factor analysis was conducted to pool variables and the derived factors were subjected to regression analysis.

Key findings

Of the 240 community pharmacies surveyed, 119 (49.5%) responded (79% urban and 21% rural pharmacies). Urban and rural pharmacies provided ophthalmic chloramphenicol over-the-counter (OTC) 3–4 and 1–2 times weekly, respectively (P = 0.021), with some pharmacies providing 12 or more per week. Over 82% of respondents claimed that sales of other OTC products used for acute bacterial conjunctivitis had ‘decreased/decreased markedly’. A majority of respondents (59%) claimed that there was no change in the number of prescriptions received for ophthalmic chloramphenicol. Most respondents (76.4%) agreed/strongly agreed that pharmacist's current level of training was adequate to provide ophthalmic chloramphenicol. However, approximately one-fifth (21.8%) responded that pharmacists required some additional training.

Conclusions

Down-scheduling of ophthalmic chloramphenicol has improved pharmacists' capability to treat acute bacterial conjunctivitis, largely as a replacement for products previously available OTC, rather than fewer general practitioner consultations. Pharmacists showed overall support for the reclassification as it enabled better use of professional skills and patient access to improved treatment options.
Kick it like Özil? Decomposing the Native-Migrant Education Gap
Authors: Krause Annabelle , Rinne Ulf , Schüller Simone
Published: May 2014

We investigate second-generation migrants and native children at several stages in the German education system to analyze the determinants of the persistent native–migrant gap. In particular, if migrant and native children shared the same socioeconomic family background, would we still observe differences in education outcomes? Applying linear and matching decomposition methods to carefully account for differences in background characteristics, we find no disparities in recommendations for and actual enrollment at secondary school types between migrant children and comparable native peers. Also, the native–migrant education gap at the age of 17 years can be entirely explained by differences in socioeconomic family background. We thus conclude that comparable natives face similar difficulties as migrant children in the German education system. There are more general inequalities in secondary schooling that are not migrant specific, but related to socioeconomic family background.
Overexpression of Dehydroascorbate Reductase Confers Enhanced Tolerance to Salt Stress in Rice Plants (Oryza sativaL.japonica)
Authors: Kim Y. S. , Kim I. S. , Shin S. Y. , Park T. H. , Park H. M. , Kim Y. H. , Lee G. S. , Kang H. G. , Lee S. H. , Yoon H. S.
Published: May 2014

Dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR, EC 1.8.5.1) helps to maintain redox pools of ascorbate (AsA) by recycling dehydroascorbate (DHA) to AsA. To investigate whether DHAR influences the acquired tolerance of rice plants to abiotic stresses,cDNAencodingDHAR(OsDHAR1) was isolated from rice and used to developOsDHAR1‐overexpressing transgenic rice plants regulated by a maize ubiquitin promoter. The incorporation and expression of the transgene was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and semi‐quantitative reverse transcription PCR, real‐time PCR, Western blot and enzyme activity. The overexpression ofOsDHAR1greatly increased the DHAR activity and the AsA/DHA ratio, following increase in AsA content and decrease in DHA content. In addition, the enzyme activity of monodehydroascorbate reductase, glutathione reductase and ascorbate peroxidase, which are related to the ascorbate–glutathione systems, was enhanced in the presence and the absence of salt stress in homozygous transgenic rice plants (OsDHAR1‐OX1,‐OX2) harbouringUbi::OsDHAR1. In addition,OsDHAR1‐expressing transgenic rice plants enhanced the redox state by reducing both hydroperoxide and malondialdehyde levels under salt and methyl viologen (MV) stress conditions, which led to better plant growth, ion leakage and quantum yield (Fv/Fm). Therefore, our results show that the overexpression ofOsDHAR1increases the adaptation of rice plants to salt stress, by maintaining the AsA pool, ion homoeostasis and redox homoeostasis. Finally, the findings of this study indicate thatOsDHAR1plays an important role in attenuating the deleterious effects of various abiotic stresses.
Quantitative Texture Analysis of Spark Plasma Textured n‐Bi2Te3
Authors: Lognoné Quentin , Gascoin Franck , Lebedev Oleg I. , Lutterotti Luca , Gascoin Stéphanie , Chateigner Daniel
Published: May 2014

For the first time, the quantitative texture analysis of edge free sintered Bi2Te2.4Se0.6 samples elaborated by high‐energy ball milling and Spark Plasma Texturing is performed. As expected, due to the structural anisotropy, the forging process results in a significant decrease in electrical resistivity perpendicularly to the uniaxial stress field. Surprisingly, this also leads to a large decrease in the lattice thermal conductivity in this direction. Crystallite boundaries amorphization as evidenced by transmission electron microscopy explains this latter decrease due to the friction induced by the applied pressure and grains sliding on each other during reorientation. X‐ray diffraction also evidences development of strong crystallite size anisotropy and more isotropic microstrain developments under pressure, simultaneously favoring electronic conduction and phonon scattering, respectively. The thermoelectric performance is thus increased, however, the quantitative texture analysis demonstrates that the enhanced texture is only slightly responsible for the improved performance that rather comes from a peculiarly engineered microstructure.
CuInSe2 Formation from CuSe/In2Se3 and Cu2Se/In2Se3 Powders: Reaction Kinetics and Mechanisms
Authors: Hsu Wei‐Hsiang , Hsiang Hsing‐I , Chen Ming‐Hung , Chen Chih‐Cheng
Published: May 2014

CuInSe2 (CIS) powders were synthesized using CuSe, Cu2Se, and In2Se3 as the raw materials. The formation mechanisms and reaction kinetics from CuSe/In2Se3 and Cu2Se/In2Se3 powders in a selenium atmosphere were investigated. It was observed that the formation temperature of α‐CIS powders synthesized using Cu2Se/In2Se3 as the raw materials was higher than that using CuSe/In2Se3. Both reactions for Cu2Se/In2Se3 and CuSe/In2Se3 mixtures follow one‐dimensional diffusion‐controlled reactions with apparent activation energies of 124.3 and 73.2 kJ/mol, respectively. For both mixtures the indium‐rich β‐CIS phase resulting from Cu+ ion diffusion toward the In2Se3 phase was observed. The particle size and morphology of the newly formed CIS was similar to In2Se3, which indicated that the CIS formation kinetics may be dominated by the diffusion of Cu+ ions. The Cu–Se liquid phase resulting from the peritectic decomposition of CuSe2 and CuSe at a relatively low temperature may promote Cu+ diffusion into the In2Se3 surface, assisting CIS formation.
The effects of keyword cues and 3R strategy on children's e‐book reading
Authors: Liang T.‐H.
Published: May 2014

Various studies have found that electronic books (e‐books) promote learning, but few works have examined the use of e‐books along with an adaptive reading strategy for children. The current study implemented a method to extract keyword cues from e‐books to support e‐book reading with the read, recite and review (3R) strategy, and then examined the impact of this on children's reading performance. A pilot work recruited 76 first‐graders, developed the related reading tests and questionnaires. These were later used in assessing the effects of different interventions on the reading performances and perspectives of 74 first‐graders in the main study. Based on the findings of this work, the 3R strategy can be used as an effective approach to guide children's reading with e‐books. In addition, the use of keyword cues incorporated with retrieval practice can provide support with regard to Chinese characters and phonetic information in order to aid children's memorization of the story, thus promoting both phonological awareness and reading comprehension.
A prospective case–control study of non‐healing wounds of the lower limbs – the value of biopsies for ulcerating carcinoma
Authors: Gil T. , Pistunovich Y. , Kulikovsky M. , Elmalah I. , Krausz Y. , Mettanes I. , Lavi I. , Har‐shai Y.
Published: May 2014

Background

In some leg ulcer patients there is cancer that is responsible for lack of healing of such a wound.

Aim

This study was aimed at prospective analysis of histopathology of non‐healing wounds (NHWs) in the patient presenting with high and low suspicion for ulcerating carcinoma.

Material and methods

Forty patients with NHWs were enrolled and had been prospectively divided into two groups: 25 patients with high suspicion for ulcerating carcinoma according to their medical history and physical examination, and the second group of 15 patients without suspicion for malignancy (control group). All NHWs were photographed and underwent biopsies.

Results

In the control group biopsies did not reveal cancers. On the contrary, in 10 patients (40%) from high suspicion group biopsies revealed cancers: seven basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), one – malignant melanoma, one – Bowen's disease and one – squamous cell carcinomas. Histopathology of six of seven BCCs suggested that non‐healing benign wound might have preceded malignancy. We found that leg ulcers which were small (wound area less than 3 cm2), longstanding (duration 24 ≤ weeks), presenting with granulation tissue covering ≥75% of the wound area, with a dull pink appearance of the granulation tissue, or an atypical clinical presentation, can actually be an ulcerating carcinoma. Dull pink granulation tissue or an atypical clinical presentation of ulceration, as a single clinical finding, suggested an underlying malignancy with a statistical significance (71.5% vs. 0%; P = 0.001 and 27.8% vs. 0%; P = 0.0049 respectively).

Conclusions

Prevalence of malignancy, primarily: BCCs in NHWs, may be higher than expected and clinical features suggestive of such a nature of ulcer are an indication for diagnostic biopsy.
Impact of psoriasis severity on family income and quality of life
Authors: Hawro T. , Zalewska A. , Hawro M. , Kaszuba A. , Królikowska M. , Maurer M.
Published: May 2014

Background

Psoriasis is a common disease and the costs of its therapy, medical care and loss of productivity are a major financial burden for patients and society. The financial status of psoriasis patients and its relationship with disease severity and quality of life (QoL) remains ill characterized.

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess the economic status of psoriasis patients and to investigate its correlation with disease severity and its impact on QoL.

Methods

A total of 83 (45 male) psoriasis patients, treated at a Polish specialty clinic, were assessed for their financial and employment status. QoL was measured with a generic (WHOQOL‐BREF) and a skin disease‐related QoL instrument (dermatology life quality index – DLQI). The effects of demographic and clinical variables, including disease severity measured by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), on the family income of patients were analyzed by multiple logistic regression. The mediating effect of family income between PASI and QoL was assessed by using the Baron and Kenny's procedure.

Results

Patients' family income correlate negatively with psoriasis severity (Spearman's rho = −0.356; P < 0.01). Disease severity in patients with a family income below the social minimum was significantly higher (PASI: 20.5 ± 12.2) than in patients with a higher family income (PASI: 11.7 ± 7.7, P < 0.001). We found that education, disease severity and age predict 50% of the variability in family income (P < 0.001). Disease severity showed the second strongest impact on income after education (P < 0.01). Family income was found to link disease severity to global QoL impairment (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Disease severity negatively affects the financial status of psoriasis patients, which in turn, is a mediator of global QoL impairment. Our findings are alarming and call for long‐term solutions that equalize employment opportunities for patients with psoriasis.
Intraspecific divergence and evolution of a life‐history trade‐off along a successional gradient in Hawaii's Metrosideros polymorpha
Authors: Morrison K. R. , Stacy E. A.
Published: May 2014

The importance of environmental gradients in the diversification of long‐lived tree species is poorly understood. Two morphologically distinct varieties of the endemic Hawaiian tree, 'ōhi'a lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha), are the canopy dominants at alternate extremes of a successional gradient formed by the recurring disturbance of lava flows on east Hawai'i Island. The maintenance of these varieties despite hybridization may be due to disruptive selection at either end of the successional gradient. To test this hypothesis, seeds from three, replicate monotypic stands of each variety on east Hawai'i Island were germinated and the resulting seedlings grown under four combinations of light and nitrogen levels in a greenhouse, and at early‐ and late‐successional field sites. Growth and survivorship measures revealed differential fitness of these varieties in high‐ and low‐light environments in the greenhouse with corresponding differential fitness in early‐ and late‐successional field sites. Unique light‐by‐nitrogen interaction effects on growth were observed in each variety, and only the late‐successional variety appeared to be nitrogen limited. These two varieties exhibit the classic plant life‐history trade‐off between fast growth in high light and high survivorship in shade, but notably within a single tree species. These findings strongly implicate a role for Hawaii's striking environmental heterogeneity in the emergence of at least two endemic forms of this woody genus.
Wound healing of osteotomy defects prepared with piezo or conventional surgical instruments: a pilot study in rabbits
Authors: Ma Li , Mattheos Nikos , Sun Yan , Liu Xi Ling , Yip Chui Ying , Lang Niklaus Peter
Published: May 2014

Aim

The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare the wound‐healing process following osteotomies performed with either conventional rotary burs or piezoelectric surgery in a rabbit model.

Methods

Two types of osteotomy window defects of the nasal cavities were prepared on the nasal bone of 16 adult New Zealand white rabbits with either a conventional rotary bur or piezo surgery. The defects were covered with a resorbable membrane. Four animals were killed at 1, 2, 3, and 5 weeks after the surgical procedure, respectively. Histological and morphometric evaluations were performed to assess the volumetric density of various tissue components: the blood clot, vascularized structures, provisional matrix, osteoid, mineralized bone, bone debris, residual tissue, and old bone.

Results

Significantly more bone debris was found at 1 week in the conventionally‐prepared defects compared to the piezo surgically‐prepared defects. At 2 and 3 weeks, a newly‐formed hard tissue bridge, mainly composed of woven bone, was seen; however, no statistically‐significant differences were observed. At 5 weeks, the defects were completely filled with newly‐formed bone.

Conclusion

The defects prepared by piezo surgery showed a significantly decreased proportion of bone debris at 1 week, compared to conventional rotary bur defect.
Analysis of salivary secretor status in patients with oral submucous fibrosis: a case‐control study
Authors: Hallikeri Kaveri , Udupa Ravichandra , Guttal Krutika , Naikmasur Venktesh
Published: May 2014

Aim

Many individuals have various tobacco‐related habits, yet only some develop clinical manifestation of lesions. This raises the question of whether there any inherent or host risk factors involved in the pathogenesis which need to be further investigated. The aim of the present study was to analyze the ABO antigen, secretor status, and blood groups of patients.

Methods

The study consisted of 99 participants, with 33 patients allocated to three groups: (a) patients with a tobacco‐related habit and oral submucous fibrosis (OSF); (b) patients with a tobacco‐related habit, but no lesions; and (c) healthy controls. A total of 1 mL unstimulated saliva was collected in a sterile test tube, and the Wiener agglutination test was performed to analyze the ABO antigen in all three groups.

Results

All of the OSF patients were non‐secretors, whereas 84.8% were non‐secretors in the group of individuals with habits as compared to 15.2% in the healthy group. A statistically‐significant difference was observed between the OSF and healthy groups. The patients in the OSF group were predominantly blood‐group A, followed by groups O, B, and AB.

Conclusion

There is a correlation between salivary secretor status and the development of OSF. Thus, non‐secretors are at greater risk of and more prone to the development of oral lesions. Blood‐groups A and O predominate over the B and AB blood groups.
Orofacial adverse effects of biological agents
Authors: Georgakopoulou Eleni A. , Scully Crispian
Published: May 2014

Biological agents (BA) are increasingly used effectively in the treatment of a range of disorders, but to date, their application in diseases affecting the orofacial region has been fairly limited. Several orofacial adverse effects related to BA have been recently reported. However, the evidence for such adverse reactions is not always strong, and some of the adverse effects of BA have only been reported in case reports or case series. Most reactions to BA reported thus far have been in association with antitumor necrosis factor‐α agents, which is not surprising, as these are the most widely‐used BA. In the present study, the orofacial adverse effects are reported with various BA in order to sensitize clinicians to the possibilities. In addition, we briefly summarize the mode of action and indications of these BA. As the use and range of BA increases, the number and diversity of adverse effects might well increase. Despite the adverse effects of biological agents, these may often be less serious than the adverse effects of the more traditional immunosuppressive agents.
Facial dysplasia in wild chimpanzees
Authors: Krief Sabrina , Krief Jean‐Michel , Seguya Andrew , Couly Gérard , Levi Giovanni
Published: May 2014

At least 10% of the Sebitoli chimpanzee community of the Kibale National Park (Uganda) present a characteristic facial phenotype with flattened nose, reduced nostrils, and concave mid‐face. Affected individuals do not present skin lesions, and also young infants are affected. We suggest, therefore, a congenital origin of this defect.
Mu‐opioid receptor splice variants: sex‐dependent regulation by chronic morphine
Authors: Verzillo Vittorio , Madia Priyanka A. , Liu Nai‐Jiang , Chakrabarti Sumita , Gintzler Alan R.
Published: May 2014

The gene encoding the mu‐opioid receptor (MOR) generates a remarkable diversity of subtypes, the functional significance of which remains largely unknown. The structure of MOR could be a critical determinant of MOR functionality and its adaptations to chronic morphine exposure. As MOR antinociception has sexually dimorphic dimensions, we determined the influence of sex, stage of estrus cycle, and chronic systemic morphine on levels of MOR splice variant mRNA in rat spinal cord. Chronic systemic morphine influenced the spinal expression of mRNA encoding rMOR‐1B2 and rMOR‐1C1 in a profoundly sex‐dependent fashion. In males, chronic morphine resulted in a twofold increase in expression levels of rMOR‐1B2 and rMOR‐1C1 mRNA. This effect of chronic morphine was completely absent in females. Increased density of MOR protein in spinal cord of males accompanied the chronic morphine‐induced increase in MOR variant mRNA, suggesting that it reflected an increase in corresponding receptor protein. These results suggest that tolerance/dependence results, at least in part, from different adaptational strategies in males and females. The signaling consequences of the unique composition of the C‐terminus tip of rMOR‐1C1 and rMOR‐1B2 could point the way to defining the molecular components of sex‐dependent tolerance and withdrawal mechanisms.

image

Chronic systemic morphine increases levels of mRNA encoding two splice variants of mu‐opioid receptor (MOR), MOR‐1B2 and MOR‐1C1, variants differing from rMOR‐1 in their C‐terminal (and phosphorylation sites therein) and thus possibly signaling sequelae. This adaptation is sex‐specific. It occurs in the spinal cord of males, but not females, indicating the importance of sex‐specific mechanisms for and treatments of tolerance and addiction.
What Words Bring to the Table: The Linguistic Anthropological Toolkit as Applied to the Study of Food
Authors: Cavanaugh Jillian R. , Riley Kathleen C. , Jaffe Alexandra , Jourdan Christine , Karrebæk Martha , Paugh Amy
Published: May 2014

This article offers an introduction to the methods being developed by scholars interested in studying food and language as interrelated phenomena. First, we explore a few of the intriguing parallels that have inspired a number of researchers to study food and language simultaneously. Then, we look at how the study of language led each of us to the study of food and consider if and how the methods we have used for this new enterprise differ from linguistic anthropological methods used to study other cultural material. Finally, we expand upon the specific methods we have developed for studying how foodways and language use are intertwined. In passing, we note some of the new research terrains and theoretical questions that may be explored by interweaving food‐and‐language methodologies in these ways. This multiauthored article, which emerged from a roundtable at the 2013 American Anthropological Association Annual meeting on the same topic, has a dialogic structure that reflects the ongoing conversation in which we are engaged while also manifesting the unfinished nature of the project.
Longitudinal Effects of Best‐Friend Communication Against Substance Use for Latino and Non‐Latino White Early Adolescents
Authors: Kam Jennifer A. , Wang Ningxin
Published: May 2014

Prior research examining peer influences on adolescent alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use has primarily focused on the positive associations that peer substance use and offers have with adolescent use. Consequently, such research has often emphasized the negative influences of peers. This study, however, operationalizes peer influence through best‐friend communication against substance use and examines whether it indirectly protects against substance use by promoting anti–substance use norms. Structural equation modeling was utilized with longitudinal survey data from 277 Latino and 350 non‐Latino white 6th–8th‐grade‐students. For Latino and non‐Latino white students, best‐friend communication was indirectly related to alcohol and cigarette use through norms. Best‐friend communication also was indirectly related to marijuana use, but only for non‐Latino white students and for male students.
Improvement of pulmonary absorptions of poorly absorbable drugs using Gelucire 44/14 as an absorption enhancer
Authors: Zhang Hailong , Huang Xiaoyan , Mi Jie , Huo Yayu , Wang Guan , Xing Jianfeng , Gao Yang
Published: May 2014

Objectives

This study aims to evaluate the absorption-enhancing effects of Gelucire 44/14 on the pulmonary absorption of different poorly absorbable drugs and relative mechanism of action.

Methods

Absorption-enhancing effect of Gelucire 44/14 were examined by an in-vivo pulmonary absorption experiment in rats, and the membrane toxicity of Gelucire 44/14 was evaluated by measuring levels of protein and dehydrogenase (LDH) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and morphological observation.

Key findings

Pulmonary absorptions of fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextrans, insulin and calcitonin were enhanced by Gelucire 44/14 (0.1–2.0%, w/v) in a concentration-dependent manner, and the maximal absorption-enhancing effect was obtained when the concentration of Gelucire 44/14 increased to 2.0% (w/v). Furthermore, Gelucire 44/14 neither increase the levels of protein and LDH in BALF nor change morphology of lung compared with control group. In addition, a well correlation between the absorption-enhancing effect and surface tension of insulin solution in the presence of Gelucire 44/14 was observed, suggesting Gelucire 44/14-mediated decrease in the surface tension of the gas-liquid interface in alveolar tissue was possible one of the improving mechanisms of Gelucire 44/14.

Conclusion

Gelucire 44/14 was a potential and safe absorption enhancer for improving the absorption of poorly absorbable drugs including insulin and calcitonin by pulmonary delivery.
Regional Pooling of International Reserves: The Latin American Reserve Fund in Perspective
Authors: Rosero Luis D.
Published: May 2014

Established in 1976 as the Andean Reserve Fund, the Latin American Reserve Fund continues to be a central component of the regional financial architecture in Latin America. As the only institution of its kind in the region, this Fund provides valuable insight into the feasibility of mechanisms of regional cooperation aimed at improving the efficiency of financial crisis prevention and management. This is especially important in light of the fact that countries in the region have unilaterally accumulated unprecedented amounts of international reserves over the past couple of decades. This article empirically assesses the effectiveness of the Fund's interventions while providing an institutional analysis of its current and future viability.
Government Versus Governance as a Framework to Analyze Mexico's Energy Reform Initiative and Key Comparisons in the World
Authors: Ibarra‐Yunez Alejandro
Published: May 2014

In Mexico, President Enrique Peña Nieto's new administration has actively passed proposals to reform at least six key policy aspects of the country's economic life, arguing that it is moving toward efficient government and a new enhanced social orientation dearly needed in that society. Using the theoretical framework of the definition of government versus governance in political economy and organization, the strengths and potential weaknesses of the proposed reforms are put into perspective with emphasis on the energy reform passed in August 2013, and under discussion in Mexico's Congress until the end of the year. The theoretical framework is also useful to make a comparison of the proposal with governance structures in oil companies that the Peña Nieto administration has mentioned as paradigms for Mexico, namely Petrobras, Ecopetrol, and Statoil. With this framework, true economic efficiency incentives and welfare sharing under Mexico's proposal can finally be delineated.
The Denationalization of Pemex: Implications and Scope for Mexico
Authors: Reyes Hernández Miguel , Moreno Humberto Morales , López Miguel A. López , Jiménez Jorge Abascal
Published: May 2014

This article provides evidence of the denationalization of Petróleos Mexicanos in matters of energy sovereignty and analyzes effects on the budget related to fiscal resources perceived from oil. The analysis is based on a high level of efficiency in production that places Petróleos Mexicanos as one of the most efficient corporations in terms of operating profits despite a fiscal regime for extractive industries and the strategy of slow dismantling and denationalization that has been going on since the 1990s and which began with the separation of the business unit as a fundamental aspect. The effects on energy sovereignty and the different scenarios of profit‐sharing contracts, production‐sharing agreements, and concessions, and the fiscal impact with the entrance of large transnational corporations into Mexican territory are analyzed from the 1990s until the current reform that eliminates the government's exclusivity in drilling and looking for oil.
First trimester multivitamin/mineral use is associated with reduced risk of pre‐eclampsia among overweight and obese women
Authors: Vanderlelie Jessica , Scott Rani , Shibl Rania , Lewkowicz Jessica , Perkins Anthony , Scuffham Paul A.
Published: May 2014

The use of pregnancy‐specific multivitamin supplements is widely recommended to support maternal homeostasis during pregnancy. Our objective was to investigate whether multivitamin use during pregnancy is associated with a reduced risk of pre‐eclampsia. The effect of multivitamin use on incidence of pre‐eclampsia in lean and overweight/obese women was analysed using data collected between 2006 and 2011 as part of the Environments for Healthy Living Project, Griffith University, Australia. A total of 2261 pregnancies were included in the analysis with pre‐eclampsia reported in 1.95% of subjects. Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 was associated with a 1.97‐fold [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.93, 4.16] increase in pre‐eclampsia risk. First trimester multivitamin use was reported by 31.8% of women and after adjustment, was associated with a 67% reduction in pre‐eclampsia risk (95%CI: 0.14, 0.75). Stratification by BMI demonstrated a 55% reduction in pre‐eclampsia risk (95%CI: 0.30, 0.86) in overweight (BMI: 25–29.9) and 62% risk reduction (95%CI: 0.16, 0.92) in obese (BMI: ≥30) cohorts that supplemented with multivitamins in the first trimester of pregnancy. This finding may be particular to the Australian population and reflect inherent nutritional deficits. First trimester folate supplementation was found to reduce pre‐eclampsia incidence [adjusted odds ratios (AOR) 0.42 95%CI: 0.13, 0.98] and demonstrated significance upon stratification by overweight status for women with BMI >25 (AOR 0.55 95%CI: 0.31, 0.96). These results support the hypothesis that multivitamin supplementation may be beneficial in reducing the incidence of pre‐eclampsia during pregnancy and be of particular importance for those with a BMI ≥25.
Comparison between Solanum torvum Sw. and S. melongena L. after Ralstonia solanacearum inoculation
Authors: Aribaud M. , Noirot M. , Fock‐Bastide I. , Vaniet S. , Kodja H.
Published: May 2014

Bacterial wilt, caused by Ralstonia solanacearum, is one of the most devastating plant diseases, affecting some economically important Solanaceae crops. In contrast, Solanum torvum, also known as wild eggplant, does not wilt when infested with R. solanacearum. In order to describe the mechanism underlying the response of S. torvum, it was compared with the cultivated eggplant, S. melongena, when both were infected with the same R. solanacearum strain. No wilting occurred in S. torvum, although the bacteria colonised roots and stems in both species within the first 24 h. There were marked differences beyond 24 h, consisting of high bacterial mortality in S. torvum. Using the calli model, our investigations revealed an increase in cell wall monoamine oxidase activity in S. torvum after R. solanacearum inoculation, which did not occur in S. melongena.
Floral development in Scutellaria pinnatifida (Lamiaceae): the ontogenetic basis for sepal reduction
Authors: Naghiloo S. , Gohari G.R. , Nikzat Siahkolaee S. , Dadpour M.R.
Published: May 2014

The Scutellaria is a Labiatae genus (subfamily Scutellarioideae) with a highly specialised floral structure. The genus is characterised by a peculiar two‐lobed calyx with a projecting appendage, named the scutellum. Here, we present a detailed analysis of floral development, using epi‐illumination light microscopy, to clarify open questions about its floral organisation. Floral whorls appeared in an acropetal sequence, with a marked temporal overlap of petal and stamen appearance. Organ appearance in each whorl proceeded unidirectionally from the abaxial to the adaxial side. Significant developmental features included the formation of the scutellum, reduction of sepal lobes and formation of a three‐lobed nectary disc. Our study revealed that both loss of organ initiation and fusion of primordia are responsible for the reduction in sepal members in Scutellaria. The nectary structure was markedly different from most other studied Lamiaceae.
Risky (Agri‐) Business: Risk Assessment, Analysis and Management as Bio‐political Strategies
Authors: Mason Karla
Published: May 2014

This article explores risk assessment, analysis and management as strategic responses to the threat of animal disease outbreaks. Such strategies, and the techniques, technologies and practices they give rise to, are conceptualised here as thoroughly bio‐political strategies which induce particular disciplinary effects. These effects are critically explored along three key analytical dimensions: space, place and mobility. This analysis is carried out through a deconstructive reading of both the discourses and practices associated with risk assessment, analysis and management. Whilst the deployment of these strategies acts to classify, categorise, control, order, render visible, distribute (or fix) in space, a heterogeneous array of agents (human and non‐human) and objects, as the article argues, these strategies do not merely delimit or inhibit. Rather, their deployment effects a proliferation of opportunities for resistance, negotiation, transgression and misappropriation, not to mention technical failure. Such strategies are therefore characterised as much by congenital failure and indeterminacy as by efficacy and completion.
HLA‐B*52:33, a variant of HLA‐B*52, discovered in a Taiwanese unrelated hematopoietic stem cell donor
Authors: Yang K. L. , Lee S. K. , Lin P. Y.
Published: May 2014

One nucleotide substitution at residue 565 of the human leukocyte antigen HLA‐B*52:01:01:01 results in a new allele, HLA‐B*52:33.
Further polymorphism of the RAET1E/ULBP4 gene in humans
Authors: Cox S. T. , Laza‐Briviesca R. , Madrigal J. A. , Saudemont A.
Published: May 2014

Description of a novel RAET1E/ULBP4 allele characterized by sequence‐based typing and cloning: RAET1E*011
The Location Choices of Multinational Firms: The Role of Internationalisation Experience and Group Affiliation
Authors: Gazaniol Alexandre
Published: May 2014

This paper investigates whether location choices of multinational firms depend on their past export, import or Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) experience on foreign markets or the experience of other affiliated firms. Regardless of locations' characteristics, we find that exporting in a given country, and to a smaller extent importing from it, significantly increases the probability of investing in that particular country the following year. This preliminary exporting phase appears more important for firsttime investors. Moreover, location choices not only depend on the investor's own international experience, but also on the international experience of other affiliated firms: firms tend to invest in countries where the group already exports or owns a local affiliate. These last findings suggest the existence of coordinated strategies and/or information sharing between affiliated firms.
Limited and Localized Outbreak of Newly Emergent Type 2 Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus in Sichuan, China
Authors: Yan Dongmei , Zhang Yong , Zhu Shuangli , Chen Na , Li Xiaolei , Wang Dongyan , Ma Xiaozhen , Zhu Hui , Tong Wenbin , Xu Wenbo
Published: May 2014

From August 2011 to February 2012, an outbreak caused by type 2 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) occurred in Aba County, Sichuan, China. During the outbreak, four type 2 VDPVs (≥0.6% nucleotide divergence in theVP1region relative to the Sabin 2 strain) were isolated from 3 patients with acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) and one close contact. In addition, a type 2 pre-VDPV (0.3% to 0.5% divergence from Sabin 2) that was genetically related to these type 2 VDPVs was isolated from another AFP patient. These 4 patients were all unimmunized children 0.7 to 1.1 years old. Nucleotide sequencing revealed that the 4 VDPV isolates differed from Sabin 2 by 0.7% to 1.2% in nucleotides in theVP1region and shared 5 nucleotide substitutions with the pre-VDPV. All 5 isolates were closely related, and all were S2/S3/S2/S3 recombinants sharing common recombination crossover sites. Although the two major determinants of attenuation and temperature sensitivity phenotype of Sabin 2 (A481in the 5′ untranslated region and Ile143in theVP1protein) had reverted in all 5 isolates, one VDPV (strain CHN16017) still retained the temperature sensitivity phenotype. Phylogenetic analysis of the third coding position of the completeP1coding region suggested that the cVDPVs circulated locally for about 7 months following the initiating oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) dose. Our findings reinforce the point that cVDPVs can emerge and spread in isolated communities with immunity gaps and highlight the emergence risks of type 2 cVDPVs accompanying the trivalent OPV used. To solve this issue, it is recommended that type 2 OPV be removed from the trivalent OPV or that inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) be used instead.
Desulfovibrio legallii Prosthetic Shoulder Joint Infection and Review of Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Clinical Characteristics of Desulfovibrio Infections
Authors: Vasoo Shawn , Mason Erin L. , Gustafson Daniel R. , Cunningham Scott A. , Cole Nicolynn C. , Vetter Emily A. , Steinmann Scott P. , Wilson Walter R. , Patel Robin , Berbari Elie F. , Henry Nancy K.
Published: May 2014

We describe a case of shoulder hemiarthroplasty infection with
Desulfovibrio legallii
. Antimicrobial susceptibilities of 36
Desulfovibrio
isolates are presented. Metronidazole and carbapenems exhibited reliable activity, although piperacillin-tazobactam did not. Eleven previous cases of
Desulfovibrio
infection are reviewed; most arose from a gastrointestinal tract-related source.
Genomic Variation between Campylobacter jejuni Isolates Associated with Milk-Borne-Disease Outbreaks
Authors: Revez Joana , Zhang Ji , Schott Thomas , Kivistö Rauni , Rossi Mirko , Hänninen Marja-Liisa
Published: May 2014

Bacterial genome sequencing has led to the development of new approaches for the analysis of food-borne epidemics and the exploration of the relatedness of outbreak-associated isolates and their separation from nonassociated isolates. Using Illumina technology, we sequenced a total of six isolates (two from patients, two from raw bulk milk, and two from dairy cattle) associated with a milk-borne
Campylobacter jejuni
outbreak in a farming family and compared their genomes. These isolates had identical pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) types, and their multilocus sequence typing (MLST) type was ST-50. We used the Ma_1 isolate (milk) as the reference, and its genome was assembled and tentatively ordered using the
C. jejuni
NCTC 11168 genome as the scaffold. Using whole-genome MLST (wgMLST), we identified a total of three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and differences in poly(G or C) or poly(A or T) tracts in 12 loci among the isolates. Several new alleles not present in the database were detected. In contrast, the sequences of the unassociated
C. jejuni
strains P14 and 1–12S (both ST-50) differed by 420 to 454 alleles from the epidemic-associated isolates. We found that the fecal contamination of bulk tank milk occurred by highly related sequence variants of
C. jejuni
, which are reflected as SNPs and differences in the length of the poly(A or T) tracts. Poly(G or C) tracts are reversibly variable and are thus unstable markers for comparison. Further, unrelated strains of ST-50 were clearly separated from the outbreak-associated isolates, indicating that wgMLST is an excellent tool for analysis. In addition, other useful data related to the genes and genetic systems of the isolates were obtained.