bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cloning, recombinant expression and inhibitor profiles of dihydrofolate reductase from the Australian sheep blow fly, Lucilia cuprina
Authors: KOTZE A. C. , BAGNALL N. H. , RUFFELL A. P. , PEARSON R.
Published: January 2014

While dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) is an important drug target in mammals, bacteria and protozoa, no inhibitors of this enzyme have been developed as commercial insecticides. We therefore examined the potential of this enzyme as a drug target in an important ectoparasite of livestock, the Australian sheep blow fly, Lucilia cuprina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) (Wiedemann). The non‐specific DHFR inhibitors aminopterin and methotrexate significantly inhibited the growth of L. cuprina larvae, with IC50 values at µg levels. Trimethoprim and pyrimethamine were 5–30‐fold less active. Relative IC50 values for the inhibition of recombinant L. cuprina DHFR by various inhibitors were in accordance with their relative effects on larval growth. The active‐site amino acid residues of L. cuprina DHFR differed by between 34% and 50% when compared with two mammalian species, as well as two bacteria and two protozoa. There were significant charge and size differences in specific residues between the blow fly and human DHFR enzymes, notably the L. cuprina Asn21, Lys31 and Lys63 residues. This study provides bioassay evidence to highlight the potential of blow fly DHFR as an insecticide target, and describes differences in active site residues between blow flies and other organisms which could be exploited in the design of blow fly control chemicals.
Differential gene expression in multiple neurological, inflammatory and connective tissue pathways in a spontaneous model of human small vessel stroke
Authors: Bailey Emma L. , McBride Martin W. , Beattie Wendy , McClure John D. , Graham Delyth , Dominiczak Anna F. , Sudlow Cathie L.M. , Smith Colin , Wardlaw Joanna M.
Published: January 2014

Aims

Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) causes a fifth of all strokes plus diffuse brain damage leading to cognitive decline, physical disabilities and dementia. The aetiology and pathogenesis of SVD are unknown, but largely attributed to hypertension or microatheroma.

Methods

We used the spontaneously hypertensive stroke‐prone rat (SHRSP), the closest spontaneous experimental model of human SVD, and age‐matched control rats kept under identical, non‐salt‐loaded conditions, to perform a blinded analysis of mRNA microarray, qRT‐PCR and pathway analysis in two brain regions (frontal and mid‐coronal) commonly affected by SVD in the SHRSP at age five, 16 and 21 weeks.

Results

We found gene expression abnormalities, with fold changes ranging from 2.5 to 59 for the 10 most differentially expressed genes, related to endothelial tight junctions (reduced), nitric oxide bioavailability (reduced), myelination (impaired), glial and microglial activity (increased), matrix proteins (impaired), vascular reactivity (impaired) and albumin (reduced), consistent with protein expression defects in the same rats. All were present at age 5 weeks thus predating blood pressure elevation. ‘Neurological’ and ‘inflammatory’ pathways were more affected than ‘vascular’ functional pathways.

Conclusions

This set of defects, although individually modest, when acting in combination could explain the SHRSP's susceptibility to microvascular and brain injury, compared with control rats. Similar combined, individually modest, but multiple neurovascular unit defects, could explain susceptibility to spontaneous human SVD.
Rebalancing binocular vision in amblyopia
Authors: Ding Jian , Levi Dennis M
Published: January 2014

Purpose

Humans with amblyopia have an asymmetry in binocular vision: neural signals from the amblyopic eye are suppressed in the cortex by the fellow eye. The purpose of this study was to develop new models and methods for rebalancing this asymmetric binocular vision by manipulating the contrast and luminance in the two eyes.

Methods

We measured the perceived phase of a cyclopean sinewave by asking normal and amblyopic observers to indicate the apparent location (phase) of the dark trough in the horizontal cyclopean sine wave relative to a black horizontal reference line, and used the same stimuli to measure perceived contrast by matching the binocular combined contrast to a standard contrast presented to one eye. We varied both the relative contrast and luminance of the two eyes' inputs, in order to rebalance the asymmetric binocular vision.

Results

Amblyopic binocular vision becomes more and more asymmetric the higher the stimulus contrast or spatial frequency. Reanalysing our previous data, we found that, at a given spatial frequency, the binocular asymmetry could be described by a log‐linear formula with two parameters, one for the maximum asymmetry and one for the rate at which the binocular system becomes asymmetric as the contrast increases. Our new data demonstrates that reducing the dominant eye's mean luminance reduces its suppression of the non‐dominant eye, and therefore rebalances the asymmetric binocular vision.

Conclusions

While the binocular asymmetry in amblyopic vision can be rebalanced by manipulating the relative contrast or luminance of the two eyes at a given spatial frequency and contrast, it is very difficult or even impossible to rebalance the asymmetry for all visual conditions. Nonetheless, wearing a neutral density filter before the dominant eye (or increasing the mean luminance in the non‐dominant eye) may be more beneficial than the traditional method of patching the dominant eye for treating amblyopia.
Safety and efficacy of olanzapine in the long‐term treatment of Japanese patients with bipolar I disorder, depression: An integrated analysis
Authors: Katagiri Hideaki , Tohen Mauricio , McDonnell David P. , Fujikoshi Shinji , Case Michael , Kanba Shigenobu , Takahashi Michihiro , Gomez Juan‐Carlos
Published: January 2014

Aim

Safety and efficacy of long‐term olanzapine treatment in Japanese patients with bipolar depression were assessed.

Methods

An integrated analysis of data from two studies was performed in olanzapine‐treated patients (n = 165) with bipolar depression. Study 1 was a 6‐week, double‐blind, global study. Patients were randomly assigned to olanzapine or placebo followed by 18 weeks of open‐label treatment. Study 2 was an open‐label extension of Study 1 involving only Japanese patients. Patients assigned to Pre‐olanzapine and Pre‐placebo in Study 1 were treated for 24 weeks (total olanzapine exposure 42 or 48 weeks) and newly recruited patients (New‐olanzapine) were treated for 48 weeks. Safety outcomes included treatment‐emergent adverse events and changes in metabolic parameters. Efficacy outcome was assessed with Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale score.

Results

Forty‐three percent of patients completed the 42‐ or 48‐week olanzapine treatment period. The most common treatment‐emergent adverse event was weight increased (47.9%). Significant increases were seen in weight (3.5 kg), and in fasting glucose (3.5 mg/dL), fasting total cholesterol (8.1 mg/dL), and fasting triglycerides (35.1 mg/dL). Remission rates (Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale total score ≤12 at any time) were 79.8% for the Pre‐olanzapine group, 90.2% for the Pre‐placebo group, and 85.0% for the New‐olanzapine group. No patents developed mania during treatment.

Conclusions

Long‐term use of olanzapine in a Japanese population with bipolar depression is associated with increases in weight and fasting metabolic measures, and also with improved depressive symptoms with avoidance of mania. Clinicians must carefully consider the benefits and risks of long‐term therapy with olanzapine.
Epidemiological study of self‐reported sleep problems in Turkish high school adolescents
Authors: Kilincaslan Ayse , Yilmaz Kutluhan , Batmaz Oflaz Serap , Aydin Neriman
Published: January 2014

Background

The aim of the present study was to investigate the frequency and correlates of a variety of sleep problems in adolescents.

Methods

A representative school‐based sample of 3485 8th–12th graders was selected according to the cluster sampling technique. A sleep questionnaire and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were completed by the students along with their parents. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent variables of insomnia, parasomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS).

Results

Initiation insomnia, maintenance insomnia, non‐restorative sleep (NRS) and EDS were described by 12.4%, 10.7%, 9% and 9.7%, respectively. At least one parasomnia with a frequency above the median was reported by 23.4% (nightmare, 12.8%; sleep terror, 3.6%; sleepwalking, 2.5%; bruxism, 2.5%; and sleep talking, 10.9%). Insomnias and parasomnias were highly associated with each other. Female gender was related to maintenance insomnia, NRS and night terror. Emotional problems correlated with initiation insomnia, maintenance insomnia, NRS, EDS, nightmares and bruxism; hyperactivity/inattention with initiation insomnia, NRS and sleep talking. Conduct problems were associated with NRS, whereas poor school performance was associated with initiation insomnia.

Conclusion

Self‐reported sleep problems were prevalent and highly associated with each other and behavioral and emotional difficulties in Turkish adolescents.
The “Make‐up” of a Regression Coefficient: Gender Gaps in the European Labor Market
Authors: Pittau M. Grazia , Yitzhaki Shlomo , Zelli Roberto
Published: January 2014

We provide a comprehensive picture of the relationship between labor market outcomes and age by gender in the 28 European countries covered by the European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions. The analysis is based on a somewhat unconventional approach that refers to concentration curves in the Gini regression framework. It allows identification of ranges in the explanatory variables where local slopes change sign and/or size, i.e. the components that “make up” a regression coefficient. Gender is a crucial factor differentiating participation among workers, although employment–age profiles do not substantially differ. Relevant differences in age profiles concern working‐hours patterns: some countries are characterized by an almost specular behavior in men and women; other countries instead show similar patterns. Generally, earnings increase with age for both men and women. However, local regression coefficients are not monotonic over the entire age range and can even be locally negative in some countries.
New Robust Variable Selection Methods for Linear Regression Models
Authors: Chen Ziqi , Tang Man‐Lai , Gao Wei , Shi Ning‐Zhong
Published: January 2014

Motivated by an entropy inequality, we propose for the first time a penalized profile likelihood method for simultaneously selecting significant variables and estimating unknown coefficients in multiple linear regression models in this article. The new method is robust to outliers or errors with heavy tails and works well even for error with infinite variance. Our proposed approach outperforms the adaptive lasso in both theory and practice. It is observed from the simulation studies that (i) the new approach possesses higher probability of correctly selecting the exact model than the least absolute deviation lasso and the adaptively penalized composite quantile regression approach and (ii) exact model selection via our proposed approach is robust regardless of the error distribution. An application to a real dataset is also provided.
Construction of a Spatial Housing Price Index by Estimating an Almost Ideal Demand System
Authors: Iturra Víctor , Paredes Dusan
Published: January 2014

The aim of this paper is to build, for the first time, a spatial housing price index for the Chilean communities. The first step is to recover hedonic prices of three housing attributes by estimating a mixed index model using a generalised method of moments (GMM) procedure. Second, a censored almost ideal demand system is estimated to build expenditures for every community and to compare them among different spatial units, while maintaining a constant utility level. Using micro data from the 2009CASENsurvey, we show that there are important differences in the expenditure of a consumer in Santiago to access the same level of welfare in another community in the country and there are important differences in housing prices among Chilean communities
Retinoids and pregnancy: an update
Authors: Browne Hannah , Mason Gerald , Tang Thomas
Published: January 2014

Key content

The use and pharmacokinetics of retinoids.

The main known teratogenic effects of retinoids are face, skull, cardiovascular, nervous system and thymic abnormalities.

The pregnancy prevention programme must be adhered to when initiating retinoid treatment.

Effective contraception should be continued for at least one month after cessation of retinoid treatment.

Management options of pregnant women with recent retinoid use or exposure in early pregnancy; including involvement of the specialist multidisciplinary team.

Learning objectives

To understand the risk and in particular teratogenesis associated with exposure to retinoids peri‐conception.

To raise awareness of the pregnancy prevention programme.

To highlight the management options for women who become pregnant with recent retinoid use or exposure in early pregnancy.

Ethical issues

Termination of pregnancy with peri‐conceptual exposure to retinoids.

Should isotretinoin be used so widely in the childbearing population when we are aware of its teratogenicity?
Predicting blood loss and transfusion requirement in patients undergoing surgery for musculoskeletal tumors
Authors: Thompson Philip A. , May Deborah , Choong Peter F. , Tacey Mark , Liew Danny , Cole‐Sinclair Merrole F.
Published: January 2014

Background

Few studies have systematically identified factors associated with blood loss in musculoskeletal tumor surgery. We aimed to identify risk factors for requiring large‐volume transfusion in musculoskeletal tumor surgery and created an interactive model to predict red blood cell transfusion requirements based on patient characteristics. These data will facilitate planning in hospital blood banks and aid identification of specific groups for future interventions targeted at reducing blood utilization. Only one similar study has been published and there are minimal data surrounding interventions designed to minimize blood loss in musculoskeletal tumor surgery.

Study Design and Methods

We retrospectively analyzed a database containing 1322 consecutive surgeries, performed at a quaternary referral center in Melbourne, Australia. Using logistic regression analysis and a negative truncated binomial logistic regression model, we developed prediction models for transfusion requirement.

Results

The following factors were associated with large‐volume transfusion: malignant tumors, bone tumors, sacral and pelvic tumors, high American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, and tumor size of more than 5 cm. High ASA score was also strongly associated with 30‐day mortality.

Conclusions

Preoperative planning in high‐risk patients is critical to ensure adequate blood product supply, minimize wastage, and optimize the patient's general health before surgery. These patients would be ideal targets for future randomized studies aimed at reducing blood utilization.
Acute acalculous cholecystitis associated with severe EBV hepatitis in an immunocompetent child
Authors: Poddighe Dimitri , Cagnoli Giacomo , Mastricci Nunzia , Bruni Paola
Published: January 2014

Acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) is an inflammation of the gallbladder in the absence of demonstrated stones, which is rarely seen in paediatric population. The diagnosis is accomplished mainly through abdominal ultrasonography in the appropriate but usually non-specific clinical picture. Complicated cases need surgical intervention; the medical management is mainly constituted by supportive and antibiotic therapy, as most AAC are observed in the setting of systemic bacterial or parasitic infections. However, AAC has been rarely reported in association with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection, where the gastrointestinal involvement is often mild and thus unrecognised. We report a case of EBV-related AAC associated with unusually severe hepatitis in an immunocompetent and otherwise healthy patient. We describe its benign clinical course, despite the serious liver impairment, by a medical management characterised by the prompt discontinuation of broad-spectrum antibiotics, as soon as EBV aetiology is ascertained, and by the appropriate analgesia and fluid resuscitation.
Evolution of shell apertural barriers in viviparous land snails (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Clausiliidae)
Authors: Sulikowska-Drozd A. , Walczak M. , Binkowski M.
Published: January 2014

Apertural barriers in the snail shell were frequently associated with adaptation against predators or with reducing water loss. Yet formation of teeth occluding the aperture is costly and potentially precludes life-bearing reproduction. In viviparous species, a trade-off between the shell aperture size and the embryo shell size at birth is expected. This hypothesis was tested in clausiliids, land snails with strong apertural barriers, that displayed a range of reproductive strategies (oviparity, egg retention, viviparity). We assessed their three-dimensional internal shell morphology by means of X-ray microcomputed tomography (XMT). The data were later analysed with a specially designed algorithm that mimics the movement of the spherical embryonic shell in the lumen of the parental shell. It appeared that viviparous reproduction required the widening of the passage through the ultimate whorl, but that did not necessarily lead to a reduction of apertural barriers. This provides an example of evolutionary compromise between enhanced fitness of the offspring owing to a long gestation period and survival of the parent. Clausiliids might be selected for viviparity only if other selective forces were released, e.g., in areas where desiccation was not a major threat. This hypothesis is in congruence with the distribution of viviparous clausiliids in Europe.
ENTROPY CORRECTED HOLOGRAPHIC DARK ENERGY f(T) GRAVITY MODEL
Authors: SHARIF M. , RANI SHAMAILA
Published: January 2014

This paper is devoted to study the power-law entropy corrected holographic dark energy (ECHDE) model in the framework of f(T) gravity. We assume infrared (IR) cutoff in terms of Granda–Oliveros (GO) length and discuss the constructed f(T) model in interacting as well as in non-interacting scenarios. We explore some cosmological parameters like equation of state (EoS), deceleration, statefinder parameters as well as ωT–ωT′ analysis. The EoS and deceleration parameters indicate phantom behavior of the accelerated expansion of the universe. It is mentioned here that statefinder trajectories represent consistent results with ΛCDM limit, while evolution trajectory of ωT–ωT′ phase plane does not approach to ΛCDM limit for both interacting and non-interacting cases.
ARTIFICIAL ENDOCRINE SYSTEM: A NEW PARADIGM OF KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERY
Authors: PANDEY SUBHASH CHANDRA , NANDI GORA CHAND
Published: January 2014

We propose an artificial endocrine system (AES) for extracting the knowledge from database so that effective and reliable decision rules can be constructed. The proposed AES mimics the functionality of biological endocrine system (BES) to some extent. A mathematical model is proposed for expressive representation of endocrine system as well as for homeostasis. Further, different aspects of our proposed "Artificial endocrine system for knowledge discovery" (AESKD) have been compared with state of art classifiers e.g., support vector machine, neural network, radial basis function (RBF) network and K-NN for some bench mark datasets.
LANE-BASED DIRECTION MARKING RECOGNITION USING HU MOMENTS
Authors: XU YUANYUAN , KONG BIN , WEI HU , TIAN QIANG
Published: January 2014

In intelligent vehicle system, it is significant to detect and identify road markings for vehicles to follow traffic regulation. This paper proposes a method to recognize direction markings on road surface, which is on the basis of detected lanes and uses Hu moments. First of all, the detection of lanes is based on horizontal luminance difference, which converts the RGB color image to the luminance image, calculates the horizontal luminance difference, obtains the candidate points of lanes' edge and uses least square method to fit the lanes. Secondly, with the detected lines as guide for the search of candidate marking, the paper extracts Hu moments of candidate marking, calculates its Mahalanobis distance to every marking type and classifies it to the type which has the minimal distance with the candidate marking. From the simulation results, the method to detect lanes is more effective and time-efficient than canny or sobel edge detection methods; the method to recognize direction marking is effective and has a high accuracy.
A NUMERICAL STUDY ON SOIL–GROUP-PILE–BRIDGE-PIER INTERACTION UNDER THE EFFECT OF EARTHQUAKE LOADING
Authors: LU CHIH-WEI , GUI MEEN-WAH , LAI SHING-CHENG
Published: January 2014

There have been many costly damages of group-pile foundation of bridge-pier in soft or saturated-medium dense sandy ground after strong earthquakes. This study investigated the dynamic behavior of a 2 × 2 bridge-pier–group-pile foundation installed in a two-layer ground commonly found in Japan. A series of three-dimensional (3D) effective stress analysis, which adopted advanced cyclic elasto-plastic soil model and nonlinear axial force dependence reinforced-concrete model, has been implemented to demonstrate the interaction between the soil–group-pile–bridge-pier during an earthquake of the magnitude of the 1995 Kobe earthquake. The damages of the 2 × 2 group-pile foundation have been quantitatively found to be either caused by the inertial loading of the superstructure or the kinematic interaction of the soils.
HEAVY QUARK SYMMETRIES: MOLECULAR PARTNERS OF THE X(3872) AND $Z_{b}(10610)/Z_{b}'(10650)$
Authors: GUO FENG-KUN , HIDALGO-DUQUE CARLOS , NIEVES JUAN , PAVÓN VALDERRAMA MANUEL
Published: January 2014

In this work, we have used an Effective Field Theory (EFT) framework based on Heavy Quark Spin (HQSS), Heavy Flavour (HFS) and Heavy Antiquark-Diquark symmetries (HADS). Using a standard lagrangian for the heavy meson-heavy antimeson system, we fit the counter-terms of the model to predict some promising experimental data that can be interpreted as heavy meson-heavy antimeson molecules, that is, the X(3872) and the [Formula: see text]. Next, and, taking advantage of HADS, we use the same lagrangian to explore the consequences for heavy meson-doubly heavy baryon molecules, which can also be interpreted as triply heavy pentaquarks.
PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF T AND F ASYMMETRIES FOR η PHOTOPRODUCTION FROM THE PROTON
Authors:   (for the CLAS Collaboration), TUCKER ROSS , RITCHIE B.G. , DUGGER M.
Published: January 2014

We present preliminary data for the T and F asymmetries in η photoproduction from the proton, along with comparisons to theoretical predictions. The data used in the present analysis were taken using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) at Jefferson Lab, a cryogenic target which utilized transversely polarized protons in a butanol target, and incident tagged photons with energy between 0.62 and 2.93 GeV.
STUDIES OF N* STRUCTURE FROM THE CLAS MESON ELECTROPRODUCTION DATA
Authors: MOKEEV V. I. , Aznauryan I. G.
Published: January 2014

The transition γvpN* amplitudes (electrocouplings) for prominent excited nucleon states obtained in a wide area of photon virtualities offer valuable information for the exploration of the N* structure at different distances and allow us to access the complex dynamics of non-perturbative strong interaction. The current status in the studies of γvpN* electrocouplings from the data on exclusive meson electroproduction off protons measured with the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab is presented. The impact of these results on exploration of the N* structure is discussed.
EXTRACTION OF RESONANCE PARAMETERS AND ROLE OF THE FINAL STATE INTERACTIONS
Authors: STRAKOVSKY IGOR I. , BRISCOE WILLIAM J. , KUDRYAVTSEV ALEXANDER E. , TARASOV VLADIMIR E.
Published: January 2014

We present an overview of the SAID group effort to analyze new γn → π-p cross sections vs. the world database to get new multipoles and determine neutron electromagnetic couplings. The differential cross section for the processes γn → π-p was extracted from new measurements at CLAS and MAMI-B accounting for Fermi motion effects in the impulse approximation (IA) as well as NN- and πN-FSI effects beyond the IA. We evaluated results of several pion photoproduction analyses and compared πN PWA results as a constraint for analyses of pion photoproduction data (Watson's theorem).
EXTRACTION OF THE Λ(1405) POLES FROM π0Σ0 PHOTOPRODUCTION DATA
Authors: ROCA L. , OSET E.
Published: January 2014

In this contribution we review a work where we showed how to extract the position of the two Λ(1405) poles from experimental photoproduction data which have been measured recently in the γp → K+π0Σ0 reaction at Jefferson Lab. Using a potential motivated by chiral dynamics but with free parameters, we solve the Bethe Salpeter equation in the coupled channels [Formula: see text] and πΣ in isospin I=0 and parameterize the amplitude for the photonuclear reaction in terms of a linear combination of the πΣ → πΣ and [Formula: see text] scattering amplitudes in I=0, with a different linear combination for each energy. Good fits to the data are obtained which lead to two poles at 1385 - 68i MeV and 1419 - 22i MeV, similar to those found in the chiral unitary approach.
QUASIFREE PHOTOPRODUCTION OF PION-PAIRS OF PROTONS AND NEUTRONS
Authors:   (for the A2, Crystal Ball- and TAPS-collaborations), OBERLE M. , KRUSCHE B.
Published: January 2014

Beam-helicity asymmetries and mass-differential cross sections have been measured at the MAMI accelerator in Mainz for the photoproduction of neutral and mixed-charge pion pairs in the reactions γp → nπ0π+ and γp → pπ0π0 off free protons and γd → (p)pπ0π-, γd → (n)pπ0π0 and γd → (n)nπ0π+, γd → (p)nπ0π0 off quasi-free nucleons bound in the deuteron for incident photon energies up to 1.4 GeV. Circularly polarized photons were produced in bremsstrahlung processes of longitudinally polarized electrons and tagged with the Glasgow-Mainz magnetic spectrometer. The decay products (photons, protons neutrons and charged pions) were detected in the 4π electromagnetic calorimeter composed of the Crystal Ball and TAPS detectors. Using a full kinematic reconstruction of the final state, excellent agreement was found between the results for free and quasi-free protons, indicate that the quasi-free neutron results are also a close approximation of the free-neutron results. Comparison of the results to predictions of model calculations portend that especially the reaction mechanisms in the production of the mixed-charge final states are still not well understood, in particular at low incident photon energies in the second nucleon resonance region.
MEASUREMENT OF THE DOUBLE POLARIZATION OBSERVABLE E IN π0 AND η PHOTOPRODUCTION OFF PROTONS WITH THE CBELSA/TAPS EXPERIMENT
Authors:   (for the CBELSA/TAPS collaboration), GOTTSCHALL M. , MÜLLER J.
Published: January 2014

Double polarization experiments using a longitudinally or transversely polarized frozen-spin-butanol target and a linearly or circularly polarized photon beam were performed with the CBELSA/TAPS experiment at the electron accelerator ELSA. With its nearly 4π angular coverage, this setup is very well suited to study neutral meson photoproduction off the nucleon up to beam energies of 3.2 GeV. Results obtained for the double polarization observable E in neutral pion and eta photoproduction show the large sensitivity of the data on the contributing resonances. If the data are compared to the predictions of state of the art partial wave analyses, large discrepancies are observed.
WHO Collaborating Centre for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome for the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait
Authors: Altawalah Haya , Al-Nakib Widad
Published: January 2014

In the early 1980s, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the Virology Unit of the Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, Kuwait University, Kuwait, a collaborating centre for AIDS for the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO), recognizing it to be in compliance with WHO guidelines. In this centre, research integral to the efforts of WHO to combat AIDS is conducted. In addition to annual workshops and symposia, the centre is constantly updating and renewing its facilities and capabilities in keeping with current and latest advances in virology. As an example of the activities of the centre, the HIV-1 RNA viral load in plasma samples of HIV-1 patients is determined by real-time PCR using the AmpliPrep TaqMan HIV-1 test v2.0. HIV-1 drug resistance is determined by sequencing the reverse transcriptase and protease regions on the HIV-1 pol gene, using the TRUGENE HIV-1 Genotyping Assay on the OpenGene® DNA Sequencing System. HIV-1 subtypes are determined by sequencing the reverse transcriptase and protease regions on the HIV-1 pol gene using the genotyping assays described above. A fundamental program of Kuwait's WHO AIDS collaboration centre is the national project on the surveillance of drug resistance in human deficiency virus in Kuwait, which illustrates how the centre and its activities in Kuwait can serve the EMRO region of WHO.
Transient versus Persistent Acute Kidney Injury and the Diagnostic Performance of Fractional Excretion of Urea in Critically Ill Patients
Authors: Wlodzimirow K.A. , Abu-Hanna A. , Royakkers A.A.N.M. , Spronk P.E. , Hofstra L.S. , Kuiper M.A. , Schultz M.J. , Bouman C.S.C.
Published: January 2014

Aims: To evaluate the performance of fractional excretion of urea (FeU) for differentiating transient (T) from persistent (P) acute kidney injury (AKI) and to assess performance of FeU in predicting AKI in patients admitted to the ICU. Methods: We performed secondary analysis of a multicenter prospective observational cohort study on the predictive performance of biological markers for AKI in critically ill patients. AKI was diagnosed according to RIFLE staging. Results: Of 150 patients, 51 and 41 patients were classified as having T-AKI and P-AKI, respectively. The diagnostic performance for FeU to discriminate T-AKI from P-AKI on the day of AKI was poor (AUC-ROC = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.49-0.73). The diagnostic performance of FeU to predict AKI 1 and 2 days prior to AKI was poor as well (AUC-ROC = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.47-0.74, and 0.58; 95% CI: 0.43-0.73, respectively). Conclusions: FeU does not seem to be helpful in differentiating T- from P-AKI in critically ill patients and it is a poor predictor of AKI.
Effect of the Kinematic Lower Boundary Condition on the Spectral and Autocorrelation Structure of Annular Variability in the Troposphere
Authors: Kunz Torben , Greatbatch Richard J.
Published: January 2014

The dynamical origin of the spectral and autocorrelation structure of annular variability in the troposphere is investigated by a deductive approach. Specifically, the structure of the power spectrum and autocorrelation function of the zonal-mean geopotential is analyzed for the case of a quasigeostrophic spherical atmosphere subject to a white noise mechanical forcing applied in a single Hough mode and concentrated at a particular level in the vertical, with vertically uniform Newtonian cooling and Rayleigh drag concentrated at a rigid lower boundary. Analytic expressions for the power spectrum are presented together with expressions for an approximate red noise (i.e., a Lorentzian-shaped) power spectrum. It is found that for an infinitely deep atmosphere the power spectrum can be well approximated by a red noise process for the first few Hough modes (associated with large Rossby heights), provided the distance from the forcing is not larger than about one Rossby height. When a frictional rigid lower boundary is included, however, the approximation is generally bad. The high-frequency part of the power spectrum exhibits near-exponential behavior and the autocorrelation function shows a transition from a rapid decay at short lags to a much slower decay at longer lags, if the thermal and mechanical damping time scales are sufficiently well separated. Since observed annular variability exhibits the same characteristics, the above results lead to the hypothesis that these characteristics may, to some extent, be intrinsic to the linear zonal-mean response problem—although the need for an additional contribution from eddy feedbacks is also implied by the results.
Diurnal Spatial Variability of Great Plains Summer Precipitation Related to the Dynamics of the Low-Level Jet
Authors: Pu Bing , Dickinson Robert E.
Published: January 2014

Diurnal variations of the Great Plains low-level jet (GPLLJ) and vertical motions have been related to the development of summer precipitation individually, but their underlying connection and consequences for the nocturnal and afternoon precipitation peaks are less discussed. This paper examines how together they help explain the spatial pattern of the frequency of summer convective precipitation over the Great Plains. A one-layer linearized boundary layer model is used to reproduce the diurnal cycle of the GPLLJ. Its periodic rising and sinking motions compare favorably with those of the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) climatology.

Its development of rising motion is also consistent with the enhanced occurrence of nocturnal convective precipitation over the central and eastern Great Plains (90°–100°W) and afternoon maximum over the western Great Plains (100°–105°W). The diurnal phasing of the vertical motions can be captured by the model only if the diurnal oscillation of the jet is forced by both near surface geopotential gradients and friction with observed diurnal variability.

The diurnal variation of the vertical velocity (or boundary layer convergence and divergence) is explained by local vorticity balance; that is, following the diurnal oscillation of the jet, the zonal gradient of the meridional wind oscillates and, thus, relative vorticity and its tendency. The slowing down of the jet after midnight decreases the anticyclonic (cyclonic) vorticity and consequently gives a positive (negative) vorticity tendency to the east (west) of the jet core; anomalous rising (sinking) motions occur to balance these positive (negative) vorticity tendencies. The pattern reverses when the jet is relatively weak.
Understanding Thermal Drift in Liquid Nitrogen Loads Used for Radiometric Calibration in the Field
Authors: Paine Scott N. , Turner David D. , Küchler Nils
Published: January 2014

An absorbing load in a liquid nitrogen bath is commonly used as a radiance standard for calibrating radiometers operating at microwave to infrared wavelengths. It is generally assumed that the physical temperature of the load is stable and equal to the boiling point temperature of pure N2 at the ambient atmospheric pressure. However, this assumption will fail to hold when air movement, as encountered in outdoor environments, allows O2 gas to condense into the bath. Under typical conditions, initial boiling point drift rates of order 25 mK min−1 can occur, and the boiling point of a bath maintained by repeated refilling with pure N2 can eventually shift by approximately 2 K. Laboratory bench tests of a liquid nitrogen bath under simulated wind conditions are presented together with an example of an outdoor radiometer calibration that demonstrates the effect, and the physical processes involved are explained in detail. A key finding is that in windy conditions, changes in O2 volume fraction are related accurately to fractional changes in bath volume due to boiloff, independent of wind speed. This relation can be exploited to ensure that calibration errors due to O2 contamination remain within predictable bounds.
Unisex Names for Babies Born in Pennsylvania 1990–2010
Authors: Barry III Herbert , Harper Aylene S.
Published: January 2014

AbstractMost first names are exclusively popular for females or males. A minority of first names are unisex, defined as being given with substantial frequency to both genders in the same population in the same year. First-name frequencies for births in Pennsylvania in 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010 provided information on babies given unisex names. Children of a White mother were compared with children of a Black mother. The unisex names were divided into two types of gender preference or consistency, from 1990 to 2010. Change usually was from a small majority of males to a large majority of females. Consistency generally was a preference for males. Females more often than males therefore were given a name that was consistently more popular for the opposite gender. Great diversity of names given in Pennsylvania contributed to the occurrence of unisex names.
YC-1 enhances the anti-tumor activity of sorafenib through inhibition of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Kong Jian , Kong Fandong , Gao Jun , Zhang Qiangbo , Dong Shuying , Gu Fang , Ke Shan , Pan Bing , Shen Qiang , Sun Huichuan , Zheng Lemin , Sun Wenbing
Published: January 2014

Background

Traditional systemic chemotherapy does not provide survival benefits in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Molecular targeted therapy shows promise for HCC treatment, however, the duration of effectiveness for targeted therapies is finite and combination therapies offer the potential for improved effectiveness.

Methods

Sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor, and YC-1, a soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) activator, were tested in HCC by proliferation assay, cell cycle analysis and western blot in vitro and orthotopic and ectopic HCC models in vivo.

Results

In vitro, combination of sorafenib and YC-1 synergistically inhibited proliferation and colony formation of HepG2, BEL-7402 and HCCLM3 cells. The combination also induced S cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, as observed by activated PARP and caspase 8. Sorafenib and YC-1 respectively suppressed the expression of phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3) (Y705) in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Combination of sorafenib and YC-1 significantly inhibited the expression of p-STAT3 (Y705) (S727), p-ERK1/2, cyclin D1 and survivin and SHP-1 activity compared with sorafenib or YC-1 used alone in all tested HCC cell lines. In vivo, sorafenib-YC-1 combination significantly suppressed the growth of HepG2 tumor xenografts with decreased cell proliferation and increased apoptosis observed by PCNA and PARP. Similar results were also confirmed in a HCCLM3 orthotopic model. There was a reduction in CD31-positive blood vessels and reduced VEGF expression, which suggested a combinational effect of sorafenib and YC-1 on angiogenesis. The reduced expression of p-STAT3, cyclin D1 and survivin was also observed with the combination of sorafenib and YC-1.

Conclusions

Our data show that sorafenib-YC-1 combination is a novel potent therapeutic agent that can target the STAT3 signaling pathway to inhibit HCC tumor growth.
Risk factors associated with negative in-vivodiagnostic results in bovine tuberculosis-infected cattle in Spain
Authors: Álvarez Julio , Perez Andrés , Marqués Sergio , Bezos Javier , Grau Anna , de la Cruz Maria Luisa , Romero Beatriz , Saez Jose Luis , del Rosario Esquivel Maria , del Carmen Martínez Maria , Mínguez Olga , de Juan Lucía , Domínguez Lucas
Published: January 2014

Background

Despite great effort and investment incurred over decades to control bovine tuberculosis (bTB), it is still one of the most important zoonotic diseases in many areas of the world. Test-and-slaughter strategies, the basis of most bTB eradication programs carried out worldwide, have demonstrated its usefulness in the control of the disease. However, in certain countries, eradication has not been achieved due in part to limitations of currently available diagnostic tests. In this study, results of in-vivo and post-mortem diagnostic tests performed on 3,614 animals from 152 bTB-infected cattle herds (beef, dairy, and bullfighting) detected in 2007–2010 in the region of Castilla y León, Spain, were analyzed to identify factors associated with positive bacteriological results in cattle that were non-reactors to the single intradermal tuberculin test, to the interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) assay, or to both tests applied in parallel (Test negative/Culture + animals, T-/C+). The association of individual factors (age, productive type, and number of herd-tests performed since the disclosure of the outbreak) with the bacteriology outcome (positive/negative) was analyzed using a mixed multivariate logistic regression model.

Results

The proportion of non-reactors with a positive post-mortem result ranged from 24.3% in the case of the SIT test to 12.9% (IFN-γ with 0.05 threshold) and 11.9% (95% CI 9.9-11.4%) using both tests in parallel. Older (>4.5 years) and bullfighting cattle were associated with increased odds of confirmed bTB infection by bacteriology, whereas dairy cattle showed a significantly lower risk. Ancillary use of IFN-γ assay reduced the proportion of T-/C + animals in high risk groups.

Conclusions

These results demonstrate the likelihood of positive bacteriological results in non-reactor cattle is influenced by individual epidemiological factors of tested animals. Increased surveillance on non-reactors with an increased probability of being false negative could be helpful to avoid bTB persistence, particularly in chronically infected herds. These findings may aid in the development of effective strategies for eradication of bTB in Spain.
Long-term functional donor site morbidity of the free radial forearm flap in head and neck cancer survivors
Authors: Orlik Jason R , Horwich Peter , Bartlett Clark , Trites Jonathan , Hart Robert , Taylor S Mark
Published: January 2014

Background

To assess the functional donor site morbidity of the forearm free flap in patients surviving at least 2 years after ablative head and neck cancer surgery in a tertiary care centre.

Methods

This study involved nine long-term survivors (2 year post-operative) who had forearm free flaps to reconstruct head and neck defects. All flaps were raised from the non-dominant arm. The non-donor side acted as a control for all patients. Objective measurements were as follows: grip, tip pinch and key pinch strength measured with dynamometers; flexion, extension, radial and ulnar deviation and pronation and supination range of motion at the wrist measured with goniometry; A timed manual dexterity task was performed with a grooved pegboard test, and sensation of the radial nerve was tested with Semmes Weinstein monofilaments. Subjective measurements included a validated patient questionnaire of hand function and opinions of scar appearance as well as a validated scar assessment from two different observers.

Results

Pronation at the wrist, manual dexterity and sensation were found to be significantly reduced in the donor side compared to the non-donor side. Inter-rater agreement between the two observers was found to be poor, except for an acceptable correlation between overall scar opinions. No correlations were found between any subjective or objective items or between the patient's and the observers’ subjective evaluations.

Conclusions

Donor site morbidity can be demonstrated with objective testing however this is accepted and well tolerated by head and neck cancer patients.
Genome sequencing accuracy by RCA-seq versus long PCR template cloning and sequencing in identification of human papillomavirus type 58
Authors: Wang Xiaohong , Li Yang , Ni Ting , Xie Xing , Zhu Jun , Zheng Zhi-Ming
Published: January 2014

Background

Genome variations in human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are common and have been widely investigated in the past two decades. HPV genotyping depends on the finding of the viral genome variations in the L1 ORF. Other parts of the viral genome variations have also been implicated as a possible genetic factor in viral pathogenesis and/or oncogenicity.

Results

In this study, the HPV58 genome in cervical lesions was completely sequenced both by rolling-circle amplification of total cell DNA and deep sequencing (RCA-seq) and by long PCR template cloning and sequencing. By comparison of three HPV58 genome sequences decoded from three clinical samples to reference HPV-58, we demonstrated that RCA-seq is much more accurate than long-PCR template cloning and sequencing in decoding HPV58 genome. Three HPV58 genomes decoded by RCA-seq displayed a total of 52 nucleotide substitutions from reference HPV58, which could be verified by long PCR template cloning and sequencing. However, the long PCR template cloning and sequencing led to additional nucleotide substitutions, insertions, and deletions from an authentic HPV58 genome in a clinical sample, which vary from one cloned sequence to another. Because the inherited error-prone nature of Tgo DNA polymerase used in preparation of the long PCR templates of HPV58 genome from the clinical samples, the measurable error rate in incorporation of nucleotide into an elongating DNA template was about 0.149% ±0.038% in our studies.

Conclusions

Since PCR template cloning and sequencing is widely used in identification of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), our data indicate that a serious caution should be taken in finding of true SNPs in various genetic studies.
Differential protein occupancy profiling of the mRNA transcriptome
Authors: Schueler Markus , Munschauer Mathias , Gregersen Lea Haarup , Finzel Ana , Loewer Alexander , Chen Wei , Landthaler Markus , Dieterich Christoph
Published: January 2014

Background

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) mediate mRNA biogenesis, translation and decay. We recently developed an approach to profile transcriptome-wide RBP contacts on polyadenylated transcripts by next-generation sequencing. A comparison of such profiles from different biological conditions has the power to unravel dynamic changes in protein-contacted cis-regulatory mRNA regions without a priori knowledge of the regulatory protein component.

Results

We compared protein occupancy profiles of polyadenylated transcripts in MCF7 and HEK293 cells. Briefly, we developed a bioinformatics workflow to identify differential crosslinking sites in cDNA reads of 4-thiouridine crosslinked polyadenylated RNA samples. We identified 30,000 differential crosslinking sites between MCF7 and HEK293 cells at an estimated false discovery rate of 10%. 73% of all reported differential protein-RNA contact sites cannot be explained by local changes in exon usage as indicated by complementary RNA-seq data. The majority of differentially crosslinked positions are located in 3′ UTRs, show distinct secondary-structure characteristics and overlap with binding sites of known RBPs, such as ELAVL1. Importantly, mRNA transcripts with the most significant occupancy changes show elongated mRNA half-lives in MCF7 cells.

Conclusions

We present a global comparison of protein occupancy profiles from different cell types, and provide evidence for altered mRNA metabolism as a result of differential protein-RNA contacts. Additionally, we introduce POPPI, a bioinformatics workflow for the analysis of protein occupancy profiling experiments. Our work demonstrates the value of protein occupancy profiling for assessing cis-regulatory RNA sequence space and its dynamics in growth, development and disease.
Η διδασκαλία των οικονομικών στη μέση εκπαίδευση
Authors: Σαμαράς Μαργαρίτης
Published: January 2014

Οι έρευνες για τη διδασκαλία των οικονομικών επιχειρούν να ισχυροποιήσουν την άποψη ότι η μείωση της χρησιμοποίησης των παραδοσιακών τεχνικών διδασκαλίας, όπως είναι ο μονόλογος, είναι απαραίτητη εάν επιθυμούμε να κατανοήσουν βαθύτερα οι μαθητές τα διδακτικά αντικείμενα αλλά και να αποκτήσουν διαρκές ενδιαφέρον για την επιστήμη της οικονομίας. Πολλοί μελετητές αποδεικνύουν ότι η χρήση της λογοτεχνίας βελτιώνει τις πιθανότητες για την αφομοίωση της διδακτέας ύλης. Εμείς υποστηρίζουμε ότι δεν αρκεί η ανάγνωση ενός κειμένου για να διδάξουμε τα αντικείμενα της οικονομίας, αλλά απαιτείται η εφαρμογή θεωριών της λογοτεχνίας για την ολοκληρωμένη παρουσίαση όλων των πλευρών των λογοτεχνικών έργων και της ενεργοποίησης των γνώσεων και των εμπειριών των παιδιών.