bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association of urinary monomethylated arsenic concentration and risk of hypertension: a cross-sectional study from arsenic contaminated areas in northwestern China
Authors: Li Xin , Li Bing , Xi Shuhua , Zheng Quanmei , Wang Da , Sun Guifan
Published: April 2013

Background

Although some studies mainly from Taiwan, Bangladesh and the United States, have suggested a consistent dose–response increase in the prevalence of hypertension with increasing arsenic exposure, the association between chronic environmental arsenic exposure and the risk of hypertension is still inconclusive. Most of the studies discussed the association from the point of view of arsenic concentration in drinking water or cumulative arsenic exposure (CAE), few involved arsenic speciation into the discussion. In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated the potential association between environmental arsenic exposure through drinking water and the prevalence of hypertension by analyzing not only CAE but also urinary arsenic speciation, and provided data on arsenic exposure and hypertension from mainland of China.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in one of the arsenic contaminated areas in the northwest of China. Among a total of 1005 residents who voluntarily participated in the study, 604 of eligible subjects were confirmed and interviewed door to door. Standing height, body weight, and blood pressure were measured. First void urine was collected and measured for the concentration of urinary arsenic speciation. CAE was calculated in a subpopulation of 360 subjects with detailed water consumption history. The association between urinary arsenic speciation, CAE and the risk of hypertension were analyzed by multiple logistic regressions.

Results

We found that the levels of urinary arsenic species of inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylated arsenic (MMA), dimethylated arsenic (DMA) and total arsenic (tAs) were significantly correlated with systolic or pulse blood pressure. A positive relationship was found between the highest tertile of CAE and hypertension in a dose-dependent manner. Subjects with higher concentration of urinary MMA or lower percentage of DMA tended to be liable to suffer from hypertension. A significant increasing trend of the risk of hypertension with increasing tertiles of MMA concentration was also observed in the logistic regression models both before and after adjustment for confounders.

Conclusions

Our findings suggested that arsenic exposure, especially high level of CAE, was positively associated with the prevalence of hypertension, and that higher concentration of urinary MMA might be related to the increased susceptibility to hypertension.
Galerkin method applied to telegraph integro-differential equation with a weighted integral condition
Authors: Guezane-Lakoud A , Bendjazia N , Khaldi R
Published: April 2013

In this work, we study a telegraph integro-differential equation with a weighted integral condition. By means of the Galerkin method, we establish the existence and uniqueness of a generalized solution.

MSC:35L05, 35L20, 35L99.
Physical comorbidities in men with mood and anxiety disorders: a population-based study
Authors: Sanna Livia , Stuart Amanda L , Pasco Julie A , Kotowicz Mark A , Berk Michael , Girardi Paolo , Brennan Sharon L , Williams Lana J
Published: April 2013

Background

The mind-body nexus has been a topic of growing interest. Further data are however required to understand the specific relationship between mood and anxiety disorders and individual physical health conditions, and to verify whether these psychiatric disorders are linked to overall medical burden.

Methods

This study examined data collected from 942 men, 20 to 97 years old, participating in the Geelong Osteoporosis Study. A lifetime history of mood and anxiety disorders was identified using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Research Version, Non-patient edition (SCID-I/NP). The presence of medical conditions (lifetime) was self-reported and confirmed by medical records, medication use or clinical data. Anthropometric measurements and socioeconomic status (SES) were determined and information on medication use and lifestyle was obtained via questionnaire. Logistic regression models were used to test the associations.

Results

After adjustment for age, socioeconomic status, and health risk factors (body mass index, physical activity and smoking), mood disorders were associated with gastro oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), recurrent headaches, blackouts and/or epilepsy, liver disorders and pulmonary disease in older people, whilst anxiety disorders were significantly associated with thyroid, GORD and other gastrointestinal disorders, and psoriasis. Increased odds of high medical burden were associated with both mood and anxiety disorders.

Conclusions

Our study provides further population-based evidence supporting the link between mental and physical illness in men. Understanding these associations is not only necessary for individual management, but also to inform the delivery of health promotion messages and health care.
A novel platform for virus-like particle-display of flaviviral envelope domain III: induction of Dengue and West Nile virus neutralizing antibodies
Authors: Chua Anthony JS , Vituret Cyrielle , Tan Melvin LC , Gonzalez Gaëlle , Boulanger Pierre , Ng Mah-Lee , Hong Saw-See
Published: April 2013

CD16-RIgE is a chimeric human membrane glycoprotein consisting of the CD16 ectodomain fused to the transmembrane domain and cytoplasmic tail of the gamma chain of the high affinity receptor of IgE (RIgE). Coexpression of CD16-RIgE and HIV-1 Pr55Gag polyprotein precursor (Pr55GagHIV) in insect cells resulted in the incorporation of CD16-RIgE glycoprotein into the envelope of extracellular virus-like particles (VLPs), a phenomenon known as pseudotyping. Taking advantage of this property, we replaced the CD16 ectodomain of CD16-RIgE by the envelope glycoprotein domain III (DIII) of dengue virus serotype 1 (DENV1) or West Nile virus Kunjin (WNVKun). The two resulting chimeric proteins, DIII-DENV1-RIgE and DIII-WNVKun-RIgE, were addressed to the plasma membrane, exposed at the surface of human and insect cells, and incorporated into extracellular VLPs when coexpressed with Pr55GagHIVin insect cells. The DIII domains were accessible at the surface of retroviral VLPs, as shown by their reactivity with specific antibodies, and notably antibodies from patient sera. The DIII-RIgE proteins were found to be incorporated in VLPs made of SIV, MLV, or chimeric MLV-HIV Gag precursors, indicating that DIII-RIgE could pseudotype a wide variety of retroviral VLPs. VLP-displayed DIII were capable of inducing specific neutralizing antibodies against DENV and WNV in mice. Although the neutralization response was modest, our data confirmed the capability of DIII to induce a flavivirus neutralization response, and suggested that our VLP-displayed CD16-RIgE-based platform could be developed as a vaccine vector against different flaviviruses and other viral pathogens.
Expression and clinical significance of the proliferation marker minichromosome maintenance protein 2 (Mcm2) in diffuse astrocytomas WHO grade II
Authors: Lind-Landström Tove , Varughese Rosilin K , Sundstrøm Stein , Torp Sverre H
Published: April 2013

Background

The WHO classification system for astrocytomas is not considered optimal, mainly because of the subjective assessment of the histopathological features. Few prognostic variables have been found that stratify the risk of clinical progression in patients with grade II astrocytoma. For that reason there is a continuous search for biomarkers that can improve the histopathological diagnosis and prognostication of these tumours.

Aim

This study was designed to investigate the prognostic significance of the proliferative marker Mcm2 (minichromosome maintenance protein 2) in diffuse astrocytomas WHO grade II and correlate the findings with histopathology, mitoses, and Ki67/MIB-1 immunostaining.

Method

61 patients with histologically verified grade II astrocytoma (WHO 2007) were investigated. Paraffin sections were immunostained with anti-Mcm2, and the Mcm2 proliferative index (PI) was determined as the percentage of immunoreactive tumour cell nuclei.

Results

Mcm2 PI was not associated with any histopathological features but correlated significantly with mitotic count and Ki67/MIB-1 PI (p<0.05). In the survival analyses Mcm2 showed trends to poorer survival, however, statistical significance was not achieved in the univariate analyses (p>0.05).

Conclusions

In our hands Mcm2 immunostaining has no advantage over Ki67/MIB-1 in the evaluation of grade II astrocytomas. Larger studies are needed to fully clarify the prognostic role of this biomarker.

Virtual slides

The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here:http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1715002791944037
Evaluation of normal appearing spinal cord by diffusion tensor imaging, fiber tracking, fractional anisotropy, and apparent diffusion coefficient measurement in 13 dogs
Authors: Hobert Marc K , Stein Veronika M , Dziallas Peter , Ludwig Davina C , Tipold Andrea
Published: April 2013

Background

Functional magnetic resonance (fMR) imaging offers plenty of new opportunities in the diagnosis of central nervous system diseases. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a technique sensitive to the random motion of water providing information about tissue architecture. We applied DTI to normal appearing spinal cords of 13 dogs of different breeds and body weights in a 3.0 T magnetic resonance (MR) scanner. The aim was to study fiber tracking (FT) patterns by tractography and the variations of the fractional anisotropy (FA) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) observed in the spinal cords of dogs with different sizes and at different locations (cervical and thoracolumbar). For that reason we added a DTI sequence to the standard clinical MR protocol. The values of FA and ADC were calculated by means of three regions of interest defined on the cervical or the thoracolumbar spinal cord (ROI 1, 2, and 3).

Results

The shape of the spinal cord fiber tracts was well illustrated following tractography and the exiting nerve roots could be differentiated from the spinal cord fiber tracts. Routine MR scanning times were extended for 8 to 12 min, depending on the size of the field of view (FOV), the slice thickness, and the size of the interslice gaps. In small breed dogs (< 15 kg body weight) the fibers could be tracked over a length of approximately 10 vertebral bodies with scanning times of about 8 min, whereas in large breed dogs (> 25 kg body weight) the traceable fiber length was about 5 vertebral bodies which took 10 to 12 min scanning time. FA and ADC values showed mean values of 0.447 (FA), and 0.560 × 10-3 mm2/s (ADC), respectively without any differences detected with regard to different dog sizes and spinal cord 45 segments examined.

Conclusion

FT is suitable for the graphical depiction of the canine spinal cord and the exiting nerve roots. The FA and ADC values offer an objective measure for evaluation of the spinal cord fiber integrity in dogs.
What are the impacts of urban agriculture programs on food security in low and middle-income countries?
Authors: Stewart Ruth , Korth Marcel , Langer Laurenz , Rafferty Shannon , Da Silva Natalie Rebelo , van Rooyen Carina
Published: April 2013

Background

Issues of food security and nutrition have wide reaching implications for people and their environments, particularly in low and middle-income countries. One proposed solution is urban agriculture, which has been widely upheld as a solution to the food-crisis facing increasingly metropolitan populations. It is believed to provide the urban poor with food and a source of potential income, whilst improving the urban environment and reducing pressure on finite farmland. Although it faded from many development agendas in the 1990’s, urban agriculture has seen a resurgence since a peak in global food prices in the late 2000’s. There are, however, potential disadvantages to this increasing drive for urban agriculture including associated urban health risks and implications for the environment. The usage of waste-water, for example, may contaminate produced food and intensive irrigation might lead to the spread of malaria and water borne diseases, as well as threatening already limited water supplies. Soil erosion and the intensive use of fertilizers and pesticides might also present health risks to urban populations and damage the environment. Despite the potential benefits and harms of urban agriculture, the evidence-base is not well understood. Given the current policy drive to promote urban agriculture, there is an urgent need to understand its effects on urban populations and their environments.

Methods/design

This review will seek out, select, appraise and synthesise evidence on the impacts of urban agriculture on food security and nutrition. We will employ systematic review methodology to ensure that our review of the evidence is comprehensive, transparent and replicable. In addition to searching electronic databases, we will examine websites and contact academics, practitioners and policy-makers for relevant research. All potentially relevant literature will be screened against pre-specified criteria and assessed for risk of bias using established critical appraisal tools. This is to ensure that we only include the evidence in which we have confidence. Depending on the nature of the available data, we will then synthesise the available evidence using statistical meta-analysis and/or narrative synthesis. Our findings will be disseminated in a variety of ways to ensure that the evidence is available for policy-makers and practitioners.
Sub-acute administration of (S)-dimethyl 2-(3-(phenyltellanyl) propanamido) succinate induces toxicity and oxidative stress in mice: unexpected effects of N-acetylcysteine
Authors: Meinerz Daiane F , Comparsi Bruna , Allebrandt Josiane , Mariano Douglas Oscar Ceolin , dos Santos Danúbia B , Zemolin Ana Paula Pegoraro , Farina Marcelo , Dafre Luiz Alcir , Rocha João B T , Posser Thaís , Franco Jeferson L
Published: April 2013

The organic tellurium compound (S)-dimethyl 2-(3-(phenyltellanyl) propanamide) succinate (TeAsp) exhibits thiol-peroxidase activity that could potentially offer protection against oxidative stress. However, data from the literature show that tellurium is a toxic agent to rodents. In order to mitigate such toxicity, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) was administered in parallel with TeAsp during 10 days. Mice were separated into four groups receiving daily injections of (A) vehicle (PBS 2.5 ml/kg, i.p. and DMSO 1 ml/kg, s.c.), (B) NAC (100 mg/kg, i.p. and DMSO s.c.), (C) PBS i.p. and TeAsp (92.5 μmol/kg, s.c), or (D) NAC plus TeAsp. TeAsp treatment started on the fourth day. Vehicle or NAC-treated animals showed an increase in body weight whereas TeAsp caused a significant reduction. Contrary to expected, NAC co-administration potentiated the toxic effect of TeAsp, causing a decrease in body weight. Vehicle, NAC or TeAsp did not affect the exploratory and motor activity in the open-field test at the end of the treatment, while the combination of NAC and TeAsp produced a significant decrease in these parameters. No DNA damage or alterations in cell viability were observed in leukocytes of treated animals. Treatments produced no or minor effects on the activities of antioxidant enzymes catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase, whereas the activity of the thioredoxin reductase was decreased in the brain and increased the liver of the animals in the groups receiving TeAsp or TeAsp plus NAC. In conclusion, the toxicity of TeAsp was potentiated by NAC and oxidative stress appears to play a central role in this process.
GENESIS-CBA: an agent-based model of peer evaluation and selection in the internet interdomain network
Authors: Lodhi Aemen , Dhamdhere Amogh , Dovrolis Constantine
Published: April 2013

Purpose

We propose an agent-based model for peer selection in the Internet at the Autonomous System (AS) level. The proposed model, GENESIS-CBA, is based on realistic constraints and provider selection mechanism, with ASes acting in a myopic and decentralized manner to optimize a cost-related fitness function. We introduce a new peering scheme, Cost-Benefit-Analysis, which, unlike existing peering strategies, gives ASes the ability to analyze the impact of each peering link on their economic fitness. Using this analysis, ASes engage in only those peering relations that can have a positive impact on their fitness.

Methods

Our proposed model captures the key factors that affect network formation dynamics: highly skewed traffic matrix, policy-based routing, geographic co-location constraints, and the costs of transit/peering agreements. As opposed to analytical game-theoretic models, which focus on proving the existence of equilibria, GENESIS-CBA is a computational model that simulates the network formation process and allows us to actually compute distinct equilibria (i.e., networks) and to also examine the behavior of sample paths that do not converge.

Results

We find that such oscillatory sample paths occur in about 7% of the runs, and they always involve tier-1 ASes. GENESIS-CBA results in many distinct equilibria that are highly sensitive to initial conditions and the order in which ASes (agents) act.

Conclusions

Our results imply that we cannot predict the properties of an individual AS in the Internet. However, certain properties of the global network or of certain classes of ASes are predictable.
Profiling of transcriptional and epigenetic changes during directed endothelial differentiation of human embryonic stem cells identifies FOXA2 as a marker of early mesoderm commitment
Authors: Howard Lynsey , Mackenzie Ruth M , Pchelintsev Nikolay A , McBryan Tony , McClure John D , McBride Martin W , Kane Nicole M , Adams Peter D , Milligan Graeme , Baker Andrew H
Published: April 2013

Introduction

Differentiation of vascular endothelial cells (ECs) in clinically relevant numbers for injection into ischaemic areas could offer therapeutic potential in the treatment of cardiovascular conditions, including myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disease and stroke. While we and others have demonstrated successful generation of functional endothelial-like cells from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), little is understood regarding the complex transcriptional and epigenetic changes that occur during differentiation, in particular during early commitment to a mesodermal lineage.

Methods

We performed the first gene expression microarray study of hESCs undergoing directed differentiation to ECs using a monolayer-based, feeder-free and serum-free protocol. Microarray results were confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry, and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-PCR analysis was utilised to determine the bivalent status of differentially expressed genes.

Results

We identified 22 transcription factors specific to early mesoderm commitment. Among these factors, FOXA2 was observed to be the most significantly differentially expressed at the hESC–EC day 2 timepoint. ChIP-PCR analysis revealed that the FOXA2 transcription start site is bivalently marked with histone modifications for both gene activation (H3K4me3) and repression (H3K27me3) in hESCs, suggesting the transcription factor may be a key regulator of hESC differentiation.

Conclusion

This enhanced knowledge of the lineage commitment process will help improve the design of directed differentiation protocols, increasing the yield of endothelial-like cells for regenerative medicine therapies in cardiovascular disease.
Parlor Talk: Complexity from a Historical Perspective
Authors: Burkette Allison
Published: April 2013

The present discussion takes a historical perspective in addressing the relationship between language change and language variation, specifically, through an examination of language variation and its connection to the historical development of physical objects. This article will examine responses elicited by the linguistic Atlas of the Middle and South Atlantic States survey for the target item ‘parlor’, contextualizing these responses within the history of the American parlor. Various home floorplans, including plans from the Historic American Building Survey, will be used to demonstrate how architectural and cultural changes have influenced the pool of American terms for ‘parlor’. What we find is that lexical variation is very much an expression of cultural and social movements, and, by looking closely at this variation, we see how language, culture, and history are tied together.
Talk About the Weather: Comparative Constructions in the Middle Rockies
Authors: Antieau Lamont D.
Published: April 2013

This study examines comparative constructions that appear in the Linguistic Atlas of the Middle Rockies, a linguistic survey conducted with native informants in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming from 1988 to 2004. In particular, it analyzes responses to three prompts targeting expressions used to describe extremes in temperature and aridity in the region. As part of this investigation, linguistic patterns in the range of responses to each prompt are identified, and several social characteristics of the informants, including sex and religion of informant, are tested for correlations with individual linguistic items as well as groups of categories extracted via the linguistic analysis. While the word hell is pervasive in these responses (e.g., the weather is hotter than hell), and thus has not become obsolete like some earlier scholars predicted, variation in its distribution among social groups and metadata suggest that the word is still considered taboo by some speakers.
Caught in the act: revealing the metastatic process by live imaging
Authors: Fein Miriam R. , Egeblad Mikala
Published: April 2013

The prognosis of metastatic cancer in patients is poor. Interfering with metastatic spread is therefore important for achieving better survival from cancer. Metastatic disease is established through a series of steps, including breaching of the basement membrane, intravasation and survival in lymphatic or blood vessels, extravasation, and growth at distant sites. Yet, although we know the steps involved in metastasis, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of dissemination and colonization of distant organs are incompletely understood. Here, we review the important insights into the metastatic process that have been gained specifically through the use of imaging technologies in murine, chicken embryo and zebrafish model systems, including high-resolution two-photon microscopy and bioluminescence. We further discuss how imaging technologies are beginning to allow researchers to address the role of regional activation of specific molecular pathways in the metastatic process. These technologies are shedding light, literally, on almost every step of the metastatic process, particularly with regards to the dynamics and plasticity of the disseminating cancer cells and the active participation of the microenvironment in the processes.
Bridging the gap between basic and applied biology: towards preclinical translation
Authors: Cagan Ross L. , Justice Monica J. , Tidmarsh George F.
Published: April 2013

To better translate basic research findings into the clinic, we are moving away from the traditional one-gene–one-phenotype model towards the discovery of complex mechanisms. In this Editorial, the new Editor-in-Chief and Senior Editors of Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM) discuss the role that the journal will play in this transition. DMM will continue to provide a platform for studies that bridge basic and applied science, and, by demanding the rigorous assessment of animal models of disease, will help drive the establishment of robust standards of preclinical testing for drug development.
Gβ phosphorylation is critical for efficient chemotropism in yeast
Authors: DeFlorio Reagan , Brett Marie-Elena , Waszczak Nicholas , Apollinari Elisabetta , Metodiev Metodi V. , Dubrovskyi Oleksii , Eddington David , Arkowitz Robert A. , Stone David E.
Published: April 2013

Mating yeast cells interpret complex pheromone gradients and polarize their growth in the direction of the closest partner. Chemotropic growth depends on both the pheromone receptor and its associated G-protein. Upon activation by the receptor, Gα dissociates from Gβγ and Gβ is subsequently phosphorylated. Free Gβγ signals to the nucleus via a MAPK cascade and recruits Far1-Cdc24 to the incipient growth site. It is not clear how the cell establishes and stabilizes the axis of polarity, but this process is thought to require local signal amplification via the Gβγ-Far1-Cdc24 chemotropic complex, as well as communication between this complex and the activated receptor. Here we show that a mutant form of Gβ that cannot be phosphorylated confers defects in directional sensing and chemotropic growth. Our data suggest that phosphorylation of Gβ plays a role in localized signal amplification and in the dynamic communication between the receptor and the chemotropic complex, which underlie growth site selection and maintenance.
Protein kinase a regulation of T-type Ca2+ channels in rat cerebral arterial smooth muscle
Authors: Harraz Osama F. , Welsh Donald G.
Published: April 2013

Recent investigations have reported that T-type Ca2+ channels (CaV3.x) are expressed in rat cerebral arterial smooth muscle. In this study, we isolate the T-type conductance, differentiate the current into the CaV3.1/CaV3.2 subtypes and determine whether they are subject to protein kinase regulation. Using patch clamp electrophysiology, whole-cell Ba2+ current was monitored and initially subdivided into nifedipine-sensitive and -insensitive components. The latter conductance was abolished by T-type Ca2+ channel blockers and displayed faster and leftward shifted activation/inactivation properties, reminiscent of T-type channel. Approximately 60% of this T-type conductance was blocked by 50 µM Ni2+, a concentration that selectively interferes with CaV3.2 channels. Subsequent work revealed that the whole-cell T-type conductance was subject to protein kinase A (PKA) modulation. Specifically, positive PKA modulators (db-cAMP, forskolin, isoproterenol) suppressed T-type currents and evoked a hyperpolarized shift in steady-state inactivation. Blocking PKA (KT5720) masked this suppression without altering the basal T-type conductance. A similar effect was observed with stHt31, a peptide inhibitor of A-kinase anchoring proteins. A final set of experiments revealed that PKA-induced suppression targeted the CaV3.2 subtype. In closing, this study revealed that a T-type Ca2+ channel conductance can be isolated in arterial smooth muscle, and differentiated into a CaV3.1 and CaV3.2 component. It also showed that vasodilatory signaling cascades inhibit this conductance by targeting CaV3.2. Such targeting will impact Ca2+ dynamics and consequent tone regulation in the cerebral circulation.
Karyoskeletal proteins and the organization of the amphibian oocyte nucleus
Authors: Benavente Ricardo , Krohne Georg , Schmidt-Zachmann Marion S. , Hügle Barbara , Franke Werner W.
Published: April 2013

We have investigated the existence of structural components in the nucleus of the oocyte of Xenopus laevis and other amphibia that are insoluble in non-denaturing detergents and buffers of low and high ionic strength. These cells are particularly suitable for such studies as they have a high frequency of extrachromosomal amplified nucleoli and pore complexes of the nuclear envelope. Using biochemical and immunological techniques, we have shown these structures to contain only two major proteins. These are a polypeptide of M, 145 000, which is located in a meshwork of filaments specific to the nucleolar cortex, and certain nucleoplasmic bodies probably derived therefrom, and a polypeptide of Mr 68 000, which is the predominant constituent of the lamina-pore complex structure. We show that the latter protein is related to, but not identical to, lamina proteins (‘lamins’) of somatic cells, indicating cell type-specificity of the expression of polypeptides of the lamin family. In addition, we describe a protein of Mr 180 000, which is the major constituent of the dense fibrillar component of the nucleolus. This can be partially solubilized in buffers of moderately high ionic strength. We interpret proteins of this category as karyoskeletal components involved in the architectural organization of specific functional topology within the nucleus. In contrast to previous reports for other cell types we have found no other prominent high-salt-insoluble structures in the nuclear interior, indicating the absence of an extended internal nuclear matrix in this kind of nucleus.
Spatial organization of the drosophila nucleus: a three-dimensional cytogenetic study
Authors: Gruenbaum Y. , Hochstrasser M. , Mathog D. , Saumweber H. , Agard D. A. , Sedat J. W.
Published: April 2013

The combination of optical fluorescence microscopy with digital image processing and analysis has been used to examine the three-dimensional organization of chromosomes within intact polytene nuclei. Although the arrangement indicates a high degree of flexibility, there are many conserved features between nuclei at the same developmental state. For example, chromosome arms are loosely coiled with centromeres clustered at the opposite end of the nucleus from the telomeres. Individual chromosome arms are not interwoven but occupy different spatial domains. Chromosomal sites that contact the envelope correlate with intercalary heterochromatin. Connections are observed between actively transcribing regions.
Replication and transcription depend on attachment of DNA to the nuclear cage
Authors: Jackson D. A. , McCREADY S. J. , Cook P. R.
Published: April 2013

When living cells are lysed in a non-ionic detergent and 2M-NaCl, structures are released that resemble nuclei. They contain naked nuclear DNA packaged within a flexible cage of RNA and protein. Since the DNA is supercoiled, it must be intact and looped by attachment to the cage. It is argued that this cage is the active site of the key nuclear functions, transcription and replication: outlying sequences are activated by attachment to polymerases at the cage. This thesis is supported by the close and specific association of nascent RNA with cages, the attachment of active viral sequences (in transformed and productively infected cells) and the attachment of nascent DNA during both normal and repair synthesis.
Some ultrastructural aspects of genetic activity in eukaryotes
Authors: Miller Oscar L.
Published: April 2013

A brief overview is given of the types of information that have been obtained by chromatin spreading methods regarding the ultrastructure and regulation of genetic units. The examples used are : ribosomal RNA genes of the spotted newt ; the silk fibroin gene of Bombyx mori ; chorion gene amplification in Drosophila melanogaster-, RNA synthesis patterns during early embryogenesis of D. melanogaster-, regulation of transcription on homologous non-ribosomal transcription units of D. melanogaster-, specific nascent transcript cleavage in insects; and nascent polypeptides on insect polyribosomes. The conclusion is drawn that further innovations will be required before significant advances in the use of chromatin spreading techniques to study ultrastructural aspects of genetic activity can occur.
A structural analysis of the role of the nuclear matrix and DNA loops in the organization of the nucleus and chromosome
Authors: Pienta Kenneth J. , Coffey Donald S.
Published: April 2013

The interphase nucleus is characterized by a nuclear matrix structure that forms a residual scaffolding composed of approximately 10% of the total nuclear proteins. The nuclear matrix contains residual elements of the pore-complex and lamina, the nucleolus, and an intranuclear fibrous network that provides the basic shape and structure of the nucleus. In the interphase nucleus this nuclear matrix has been reported to be a central element in the organization of DNA loop domains and to contain fixed sites for DNA replication and transcription. In this study, we have analysed the role of the nuclear matrix and the DNA loop domains in the organization and structure of the number 4 human chromosome. A model is proposed that closely approximates the observed structural dimensions of this chromosome. The model is composed of 30 nm diameter filaments formed from a solenoid of six nucleosomes per turn. This 30 nm solenoid filament is organized as loops of DNA each containing approximately 60 000 base-pairs; each loop is anchored at its base to the nuclear matrix. A radial loop model containing 18 of these loops per turn forms a new unit of chromosome structure termed the miniband. Approximately 106 of these minibands are arranged along a central axis to form the final chromatid. The role of the nuclear matrix in this organization is presented. The accuracy of the proposed model is tested by comparing its features with the known properties of the number 4 human chromosome.
Stimuli-responsive Synthetic Metallopeptides
Authors: Tashiro Shohei , Shionoya Mitsuhiko
Published: April 2013

Inspired by vital roles of metal ions as structure-stabilizing and regulating factors in biological systems, a great number of synthetic metallopeptides have been developed. This review focuses on metal-mediated stabilization and stimuli-responsive regulation of their secondary and higher-order structures by taking advantage of the characteristics of metal ions such as Lewis acidity, ligand-exchange ability, and redox properties.
GPAT2, a mitochondrial outer membrane protein, in piRNA biogenesis in germline stem cells
Authors: Shiromoto Yusuke , Kuramochi-Miyagawa Satomi , Daiba Akito , Chuma Shinichiro , Katanaya Ami , Katsumata Akiko , Nishimura Ken , Ohtaka Manami , Nakanishi Mahito , Nakamura Toshinobu , Yoshinaga Koichi , Asada Noriko , Nakamura Shota , Yasunaga Teruo , Kojima-Kita Kanako , Itou Daisuke , Kimura Tohru , Nakano Toru
Published: April 2013

piRNA (PIWI-interacting RNA) is a germ cell–specific small RNA in which biogenesis PIWI (P-element wimpy testis) family proteins play crucial roles. MILI (mouse Piwi-like), one of the three mouse PIWI family members, is indispensable for piRNA production, DNA methylation of retrotransposons presumably through the piRNA, and spermatogenesis. The biogenesis of piRNA has been divided into primary and secondary processing pathways; in both of these MILI is involved in mice. To analyze the molecular function of MILI in piRNA biogenesis, we utilized germline stem (GS) cells, which are derived from testicular stem cells and possess a spermatogonial phenotype. We established MILI-null GS cell lines and their revertant, MILI-rescued GS cells, by introducing the Mili gene with Sendai virus vector. Comparison of wild-type, MILI-null, and MILI-rescued GS cells revealed that GS cells were quite useful for analyzing the molecular mechanisms of piRNA production, especially the primary processing pathway. We found that glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase 2 (GPAT2), a mitochondrial outer membrane protein for lysophosphatidic acid, bound to MILI using the cells and that gene knockdown of GPAT2 brought about impaired piRNA production in GS cells. GPAT2 is not only one of the MILI bound proteins but also a protein essential for primary piRNA biogenesis.
Application of the ALARP principle for regulation of individual risk
Authors: Резников  , Reznikov D. , Махутов  , Makhutov Nikolay , Петров  , Petrov V.
Published: April 2013

The paper addresses problems of application of the ALARP principle for decision making and implementation of protection measures aimed at reduction of individual risk related to operation of complex technical systems.
Medical and Biological Effects of Pulse Noises and Distinctions of Their Hygienic Rationing (Review)
Authors: Кукушкин  , Kukushkin Yu. , Ворона  , Vorona A. , Симухин  , Simukhin V. , Богомолов  , Bogomolov A. , Рыженков  , Ryzhenkov S.
Published: April 2013

Distinctions of pulse noises as dangerous technogenetics factors are described, modern ideas of medical and

biological effects of pulse noises action are generalized and modern approaches to their hygienic rationing are

stated.
Floods on Kuban: Analysis of Reasons and Consequences
Authors: Щурский  , Shchurskiy O.
Published: April 2013

Main reasons for July (2012) flood on Kuban are considered. Leading causes which have led to significant damage and death of people in Krymsk have been formulated.
Information technology security
Authors: Лихачева  , Likhacheva G.
Published: April 2013

Security issues of individual and society from new types of threats created by Internet information systems and technologies are considered in this article. Globalization has created conditions for emergence of information weapon that has generated not only information wars, but also evolutionary confrontations — creation of planetary system of mankind monitoring and management that will lead the mankind to the involution. Fight has moved to intellectual space. Security is provided with knowledge of main sleights and technologies of information weapon, means of its recognition, and protection methods against it. Knowledge of universe laws provides the evolutionary development of mankind.
Calculation Method of Electrostatic Field Intensity in Insulation of Multicore Cables
Authors: Рудаков  , Rudakov S. , Богомолов  , Bogomolov A.
Published: April 2013

Calculation method of electrostatic field intensity penetrating into insulation of cables’ strands, allowing consider partial penetration of this field into insulation of cable’s separate elements, and, therefore, to lower the field intensity measurement error, arising at such influence of fields is stated. It allows predict fire safety of multicore cables.
Information and educational resources on safety problems of hazardous production facilities
Authors: Егоров  , Egorov Aleksandr , Виноградов  , Vinogradov A. , Запасная  , Zapasnaya L. , Савицкая  , Savitskaya T.
Published: April 2013

Some aspects of training of specialists in higher education system on problems of industrial safety of hazardous production objects of chemical and allied industries are considered. Information and educational resources for training on safety problems of hazardous production objects are presented: the electronic educational guidance with knowledge self-checking system and video lessons for performance of laboratory works.
Running for the Exit: Community Cohesion and Bank Panics
Authors: Greve Henrich R. , Kim Ji-Yub (Jay)
Published: April 2013

Bank panics attract scholarly interest because they reflect distrust of each bank that experiences a run as a result of diffusion of information; rumors about such bank runs trigger additional runs elsewhere. However, the contagion of bank runs is highly selective for reasons that are unrelated to the financial strength of the individual banks. This presents a puzzle that extant theories on institutions and reputations cannot fully explain. To solve this puzzle, we turn to the characteristics of the community in which the banks operate. We develop theory on how communities with diverse affiliation structures and economic inequality have weaker community cohesion and communication, making such communities less likely to experience widespread distrust and hence bank runs. We test hypotheses on the effects of community ethnic diversity, national origin diversity, religious diversity, and wealth inequality using data from the great bank panic of 1893, and we find strong community effects on bank runs. These findings suggest that the contagion of distrust in organizations following adverse events is channeled by community differences as well as organizational differences.
A Comparison of Heart Rate Changes Associated with Levalbuterol and Racemic Albuterol in Pediatric Cardiology Patients
Authors: Kelly Anne , Kennedy Audrey , John Barnabas M , Duane Blythe , Lemanowicz Jack , Little Jeff
Published: April 2013

BACKGROUND

To our knowledge, no data exist regarding the effect of levalbuterol and racemic albuterol on heart rate in pediatric cardiology patients.

OBJECTIVE

To compare heart rate change in pediatric cardiology patients receiving levalbuterol and/or racemic albuterol. The secondary objective was to identify characteristics associated with heart rate changes observed with these drugs.

METHODS

A review of electronic medical records at a pediatric academic hospital was conducted to determine the equivalence of heart rate change in patients receiving levalbuterol or racemic albuterol. Patients receiving at least 3 doses of levalbuterol and/or racemic albuterol during the study period were included if they were younger than 18 years and had a diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD), cardiomyopathy, or supraventricular tachycardia. Patients were excluded if they received a β-blocker or continuous racemic albuterol or did not have documented pre- and postdose heart rates.

RESULTS

One hundred ninety-two patients were included. One hundred forty-two received racemic albuterol, 40 received levalbuterol, and 10 received both racemic albuterol and levalbuterol. The mean increase in heart rate for patients receiving racemic albuterol and levalbuterol was 6.8 beats/min and 6.2 beats/min, respectively (p = 0.01). In patients with CHD, the racemic albuterol group experienced a mean heart rate increase of 6.6 beats/min compared to 6.3 beats/min in the levalbuterol group (p = 0.01). Equivalence was also determined in patients without surgical intervention and patients receiving concomitant cardiac and respiratory medications. Equivalence was not established in other analyzed subgroups secondary to insufficient sample sizes.

CONCLUSIONS

Racemic albuterol and levalbuterol were associated with increased heart rate in pediatric cardiology patients. This increase was found to be equivalent.
Reading Ruins: Arthurian Caerleon and the Untimely Architecture of History
Authors: Rouse Robert
Published: April 2013

This article considers the literary deployment of the ruins of Caerleon within the Itinerarium Cambriae of Gerald of Wales. In describing the city, Gerald significantly notes both its Galfridian status as an Arthurian rival to Rome and the Roman origins of the city itself. Read in the context of Gerald’s own re-reading of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia , the episode reveals Gerald’s deployment of an Arthurian past and place as commentary upon the present colonial space of Wales. (RR)
‘The Wilderness of Wirral’ in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Authors: Rudd Gillian
Published: April 2013

This brief discussion of Sir Gawain’s journey across the Wirral seeks to open up questions of how literature ‘thinks’ landscape and how that might feed into eco-critical debates. It deals with lost geographies and invented ones, and touches on notions of the otherworld as underpinning our responses to this one. (GR)
Saving Mothers' and Children's Lives?: The Performance of German Lying-in Hospitals in the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries
Authors: Schlumbohm Jürgen
Published: April 2013

Medical men, turning to midwifery in the eighteenth century, claimed that they were able to save the lives of mothers and children, jeopardized by "ignorant" midwives. Consequentially, modern scholars have tried to assess the progress of obstetrics and the merits of lying-in hospitals on the basis of maternal and, more rarely, perinatal mortality rates. The data and methodological problems involved, however, have been largely ignored. Here they are discussed in the light of a micro-study based on detailed archival evidence from Göttingen University's lying-in hospital, founded in 1751. Its mortality data are analyzed in comparison to those from other German and some foreign maternity hospitals. In a further step, perinatal and maternal mortality in hospitals is compared to that in normal home deliveries, attended by female midwives. By linking the findings to the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century debates about the pros and cons of lying-in hospitals, further questions are raised.
Shameful, Impure Art: Robert Crumb’s Autobiographical Comics and the Confessional Poets
Authors: Shannon Edward
Published: April 2013

Cartoonist Robert Crumb’s work echoes confessional poetry. Crumb, John Berryman, and Sylvia Plath metaphorically adopt the personae of oppressed minority figures. Along with this identification with the oppressed other, Crumb and Plath exhibit a curious and disquieting relationship with power and oppression
“No Possessions but Rages”: Vindication, Salvation, and Early Kentucky Prison Letters
Authors: Lockard Joe
Published: April 2013

Testimonies of salvation, popular in contemporary faith-based prison programming, have a lengthy history in US prison literature. Yet accounts of private spirituality can as easily frame an epistemic insufficiency of topical avoidance, concealment, and falsification. To illustrate the pitfalls of such narratives the paper historicizes and analyzes the unpublished 1793–94 prison letters of John Shaw, held in a Kentucky jail for seven years on unknown grounds. By claiming a divine mantle in his letters, Shaw avoids confronting himself. While he writes that he has laid his “soul naked” before readers, in fact he does the opposite and obscures himself. This double motion—both to participate in the world and to hide from it—relies on fabulation and a vindication narrative based on Christian faith.
“Certain Old and Lovely Things, Whose Signified Is Abstract, Out of Date”: James Stirling and Nostalgia
Authors: Crinson Mark
Published: April 2013

This article concentrates on the relation between building materials, specifically stone, and nostalgia. Several modern architects have played with the way that stone can evoke nostalgia—Edwin Lutyens and Adolf Loos, most notably—despite the strictures of many modernist critics and theorists against nostalgia. James Stirling is, I suggest, one of the very few modern architects who thought about nostalgia in an open-minded and inquisitive manner, setting his work to explore its architectural possibilities. He invoked nostalgia several times in his writings, partly as a provocation and partly as a poetic resource. Where this came from and what its effect was in his architecture is explored here. Stirling’s attitude toward nostalgia and the design of walls is to thematize nostalgia by abstracting and alienating materials from their expected functions, and by these means to indicate what walls used to be like but also why they can no longer be so. Nostalgia is invoked but not indulged. Architecture is employed in a disabused, realist way, to acknowledge change and loss.
Nostalgia, Architecture, Ruins, and Their Preservation
Authors: Galli Giovanni
Published: April 2013

The concept of nostalgia is analyzed in its various metamorphoses, from its birth to the present day, with particular reference to architecture and heritage. While nostalgia does not seem to be a central concern for modern architects, except for a brief period which is described in its central issues, ruins as the perfect place for nostalgia are used to make some suggestions on the ontological nature of architecture. At the conclusion, the concept of nostalgia in its current meaning supports specific policies devised to preserve the spirit of ruins.
The Spirit of Campus Past
Authors: Rybczynski Witold
Published: April 2013

The McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, built in 2005, is a modern example of a revival style, in this case, Federal. Revival styles were common on American campuses, including Penn, until the 1950s, and the McNeil Center is an example of a return to this tradition. Designed by Robert A. M. Stern, the building refers to the early home of the university’s Medical Department designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe in 1806. The design also includes motifs drawn from the work of Louis I. Kahn. The connections to the nineteenth-century home of the university, to the red-brick traditions of Philadelphia, and to two of the cities’ great architects—Latrobe and Kahn—combine to make this little brick building a rich exercise in historic memory—and historical reinvention.