bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Party Politics, National Interests and Government—Opposition Dynamics
Authors: Treib Oliver
Published: February 2010

This article analyses the cleavages that structured the debates within the Convention on the Future of Europe. Taking the positions on the institutional rules governing EU social policy as an empirical example, it addresses the question of whether these positions were determined by party politics or by national interests. The article also examines how the delegates’ different institutional backgrounds affected their positions. A statistical analysis of a new data set on the positions of conventionists towards EU social policy expansion shows that, overall, delegates’ positions were determined by a mixture of party politics and national interests. At the same time, there are institutional effects separating representatives of government parties, who tended to stress national interests, from actors representing opposition parties, who acted more according to a party political logic.
Emotional Intelligence and Performance: Need for Additional Empirical Evidence
Authors: Nafukho Fredrick M.
Published: February 2010

This issue overview introduces the problem, purpose, significance, and need for studying emotional intelligence (EI) and performance in the workplace. The concept of EI is first defined and followed by a collage of scholarly pieces providing various perspectives on EI and performance in the workplace. Because improved performance through learning is one of the main intended outcomes of HRD, the contribution of EI and performance research to HRD theory and practice is highlighted and discussed. A preview of the nature of each piece in this collage of scholarship and how it contributes to our understanding of the link between EI and workplace performance is then offered.
Approaches to and Instruments for Measuring Emotional Intelligence: A Review of Selected Literature
Authors: Muyia Helen M.
Published: February 2010

Much has been said about the importance of EI at the workplace. However, the need for review of selected literature on EI as it pertains to its approaches and measurement still remains important. This review examines common approaches to and instruments for measuring EI, and specifically focuses on selected studies that looked at EI and workplace performance. The discussion closes with ensuing implications for HRD theory building, research, and practice.
An Empirical Study of a Leadership Development Training Program and Its Impact on Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EQ) Scores
Authors: Muyia Helen M. , Kacirek Kit
Published: February 2010

This study examined the effects of a leadership training program on participants’ emotional intelligence quotient (EQ) scores. It sought to determine if the program made a significant difference in the EQ scores of participants by comparing their scores prior to and after the training. Findings are presented that should help practitioners wishing to incorporate emotional intelligence training programs in their organizations explore how to design programs that are most effective in improving performance. Limitations of the study and implications of the findings for HRD theory building, research, and practice are also discussed.
On Health Sustenance and Surgical Innovation: An Inquiry Into Linear and Circular Causality
Authors: Ming Cheung  , Cheung Ken K. Y.
Published: February 2010

Innovative surgery teeters on the horns of a dilemma. Although a surgical innovation may offer substantial improvement over conventional treatment strategies on one hand, it may on the other be perceived as involving significant risk by both the surgeon and the patient. Based on primary data collected from field research in the operating rooms of a local hospital and from in-depth interviews with a consultant surgeon of orthopedics and traumatology, this article looks into 2 real-life spine surgery cases: an exploration of the possibilities for cervical spine fusion surgery and the creative use of a computerized surgical navigation tool. The discussion centers on how a surgeon thinks and acts when presented with such scenarios. It is argued that surgical innovation as well as the responses to it develop through a process of “nested” circular causalities that arise from a linearly directed intention—that is, the intention to cure illness. In relation to how a surgeon thinks, it is argued that if the causes for intervention were different—that is, the surgeon’s desire to cure an illness and, at the same time, allow the patient to live a better and happier life—then the effect would be the decision to carry out an alternate procedure, thus, presenting a new choice. In relation to how a surgeon acts, it is argued that rigid, unquestioning adherence to prevailing assumptions and practices can serve to stifle originality. Surprise and novelty emerge only when the surgeon challenges existing assumptions as well as the validity of their constituent elements.
Triluminal Hybrid NOS as a Novel Approach for Colonic Resection With Colorectal Anastomosis
Authors: Lamadé Wolfram , Hochberger Juergen , Ulmer Christoph , Matthes Kai , Thon Klaus Peter
Published: February 2010

Background: Minimal invasive surgery has led to a significant decrease in surgical trauma, pain, recovery time and improved cosmesis compared with open surgery. However, scar development and the risk of hot spots for infections and hernias are still present. Natural orifice surgery (NOS) promises to offer even further reduction in invasiveness and thus may lead to even faster recovery. The goal of this study was to establish a NOS colonic resection by using commercially available standard surgical instruments avoiding major abdominal incisions. Methods and Results: This article reports a new triluminal hybrid NOS approach for sigmoid and colonic resection (Tri-Port-NOS-SIG), established using rigid laparoscopic instruments through the umbilicus, the vagina, and the rectum, without any major abdominal incision. The specimen was retrieved through the anus avoiding dilatation of the vagina. In an early series of 5 patients the first patient was a 37-year-old woman with a 10-year history of recurrent diverticulitis. She recovered quickly and was discharged on postoperative day 2. She returned to sports activity on day 12 postoperatively and to her heavy-duty job on day 16. The following 4 patients also recovered well and were discharged on postoperative days 7 (2 patients), 8, and 11, respectively. One patient experienced a temporary, mild paresthesia of the left lower dorsal leg, most likely because of intraoperative positioning. No major complications occurred. Conclusion: Tri-Port-NOS-SIG offers a feasible scarless approach for abdominal resections using commercially available surgical instruments in experienced hands.
Effects of Topical Alkane Vapocoolant Spray on Pain Intensity Prior to Digital Nerve Block for Ingrown Nail Surgery
Authors: Kose Ozkan , Saylan Sedat , Ediz Naim , Yigit Seyhmus
Published: February 2010

Needle penetration and local anesthetic infiltration are 2 painful steps that cause considerable stress and anxiety during digital nerve block, which is the most frequently used regional anesthesia for ingrown nail surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of topical alkane vapocoolant spray in decreasing pain during digital nerve block for ingrown nail surgery. The authors conducted a prospective, randomized clinical trial with 62 patients who underwent big toenail surgery. Prior to the digital block, alkane vapocoolant spray was applied to patients who were selected by flipping a coin. A visual analog scale (VAS) was used for assessment of pain during the skin needle penetration and during the infiltration of the anesthetic product. VAS scores during needle penetration were significantly lower in the intervention group. However, VAS scores during infiltration were similar statistically. Alkane vapocoolant spray has no noticeable clinical benefit in decreasing pain intensity during digital nerve block in patients undergoing toenail surgery.
Comparison of 3 Tfr2-deficient murine models suggests distinct functions for Tfr2-α and Tfr2-β isoforms in different tissues
Authors: Roetto Antonella , Di Cunto Ferdinando , Pellegrino Rosa Maria , Hirsch Emilio , Azzolino Ornella , Bondi Alessandro , Defilippi Ilaria , Carturan Sonia , Miniscalco Barbara , Riondato Fulvio , Cilloni Daniela , Silengo Lorenzo , Altruda Fiorella , Camaschella Clara , Saglio Giuseppe
Published: February 2010

Transferrin receptor 2 (TFR2) is a transmembrane protein that is mutated in hemochromatosis type 3. The TFR2 gene is transcribed in 2 main isoforms: the full-length (α) and a shorter form (β). α-Tfr2 is the sensor of diferric transferrin, implicated in the modulation of hepcidin, the main regulator of iron homeostasis. The function of the putative β-Tfr2 protein is unknown. We have developed a new mouse model (KI) lacking β-Tfr2 compared with Tfr2 knockout mice (KO). Adult Tfr2 KO mice show liver iron overload and inadequate hepcidin levels relative to body iron stores, even though they increase Bmp6 production. KI mice have normal transferrin saturation, liver iron concentration, hepcidin and Bmp6 levels but show a transient anemia at young age and severe spleen iron accumulation in adult animals. Fpn1 is strikingly decreased in the spleen of these animals. These findings and the expression of β-Tfr2 in wild-type mice spleen suggest a role for β-Tfr2 in Fpn1 transcriptional control. Selective inactivation of liver α-Tfr2 in KI mice (LCKO-KI) returned the phenotype to liver iron overload. Our results strengthen the function of hepatic α-Tfr2 in hepcidin activation, suggest a role for extrahepatic Tfr2 and indicate that β-Tfr2 may specifically control spleen iron efflux.
A copy number variation in human NCF1 and its pseudogenes
Authors: Brunson Tiffany , Wang Qingwei , Chambers Isfahan , Song Qing
Published: February 2010

Background

Neutrophil cytosolic factor-1 (NCF1) is a component of NADPH oxidase. The NCF1 gene colocalizes with two pseudogenes (NCF1B and NCF1C). These two pseudogenes have a GT deletion in exon 2, resulting in a frameshift and an early stop codon. Here, we report a copy number variation (CNV) of the NCF1 pseudogenes and their alternative spliced expressions.

Results

We examined three normal populations (86 individuals). We observed the 2:2:2 pattern (NCF1B:NCF1:NCF1C) in only 26 individuals. On average, each African- American has 1.4 ± 0.8 (Mean ± SD) copies of NCF1B and 2.3 ± 0.6 copies of NCF1C; each Caucasian has 1.8 ± 0.7 copies of NCF1B and 1.9 ± 0.4 copies of NCF1C; and each Mexican has 1.6 ± 0.6 copies of NCF1B and 1.0 ± 0.4 copies of NCF1C. Mexicans have significantly less NCF1C copies than African-Americans (p = 6e-15) and Caucasians (p = 3e-11). Mendelian transmission of this CNV was observed in two CEPH pedigrees. Moreover, we cloned two alternative spliced transcripts generated from these two pseudogenes that adopt alternative exon-2 instead of their defective exon 2. The NCF1 pseudogene expression responded robustly to PMA induction during macrophage differentiation. NCF1B decreased from 32.9% to 8.3% in the cDNA pool transcribed from 3 gene copies. NCF1Ψs also displayed distinct expression patterns in different human tissues.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that these two pseudogenes may adopt an alternative exon-2 in different tissues and in response to external stimuli. The GT deletion is insufficient to define them as functionless pseudogenes; this CNV may have biological relevance.
A consensus linkage map of the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) based on microsatellites and SNPs
Authors: Xia Jun Hong , Liu Feng , Zhu Ze Yuan , Fu Jianjun , Feng Jianbin , Li Jiale , Yue Gen Hua
Published: February 2010

Background

Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) belongs to the family Cyprinidae which includes more than 2000 fish species. It is one of the most important freshwater food fish species in world aquaculture. A linkage map is an essential framework for mapping traits of interest and is often the first step towards understanding genome evolution. The aim of this study is to construct a first generation genetic map of grass carp using microsatellites and SNPs to generate a new resource for mapping QTL for economically important traits and to conduct a comparative mapping analysis to shed new insights into the evolution of fish genomes.

Results

We constructed a first generation linkage map of grass carp with a mapping panel containing two F1 families including 192 progenies. Sixteen SNPs in genes and 263 microsatellite markers were mapped to twenty-four linkage groups (LGs). The number of LGs was corresponding to the haploid chromosome number of grass carp. The sex-specific map was 1149.4 and 888.8 cM long in females and males respectively whereas the sex-averaged map spanned 1176.1 cM. The average resolution of the map was 4.2 cM/locus. BLAST searches of sequences of mapped markers of grass carp against the whole genome sequence of zebrafish revealed substantial macrosynteny relationship and extensive colinearity of markers between grass carp and zebrafish.

Conclusions

The linkage map of grass carp presented here is the first linkage map of a food fish species based on co-dominant markers in the family Cyprinidae. This map provides a valuable resource for mapping phenotypic variations and serves as a reference to approach comparative genomics and understand the evolution of fish genomes and could be complementary to grass carp genome sequencing project.
Intestinal dysbiosis and reduced immunoglobulin-coated bacteria associated with coeliac disease in children
Authors: De Palma Giada , Nadal Inmaculada , Medina Marcela , Donat Ester , Ribes-Koninckx Carmen , Calabuig Miguel , Sanz Yolanda
Published: February 2010

Background

Coeliac disease is a chronic intestinal inflammatory disorder due to an aberrant immune response to dietary gluten proteins in genetically predisposed individuals. Mucosal immune response through IgA secretion constitutes a first line of defence responsible for neutralizing noxious antigens and pathogens. The aim of this study was the characterization of the relationships between immunoglobulin-coated bacteria and bacterial composition of faeces of coeliac disease (CD) patients, untreated and treated with a gluten-free diet (GFD) and healthy controls.

Results

IgA-coated faecal bacterial levels were significantly lower in both untreated and treated CD patients than in healthy controls. IgG and IgM-coated bacterial levels were also significantly lower in treated CD patients than in untreated CD patients and controls. Gram-positive to Gram-negative bacteria ratio was significantly reduced in both CD patients compared to controls. Bifidobacterium, Clostridium histolyticum, C. lituseburense and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii group proportions were less abundant (P < 0.050) in untreated CD patients than in healthy controls. Bacteroides-Prevotella group proportions were more abundant (P < 0.050) in untreated CD patients than in controls. Levels of IgA coating the Bacteroides-Prevotella group were significantly reduced (P < 0.050) in both CD patients in comparison with healthy controls.

Conclusions

In CD patients, reduced IgA-coated bacteria is associated with intestinal dysbiosis, which altogether provide new insights into the possible relationships between the gut microbiota and the host defences in this disorder.
Cellular localization of ROS and NO in olive reproductive tissues during flower development
Authors: Zafra Adoración , Rodríguez-García María Isabel , Alché Juan de Dios
Published: February 2010

Background

Recent studies have shown that reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) are involved in the signalling processes taking place during the interactions pollen-pistil in several plants. The olive tree (Olea europaeaL.) is an important crop in Mediterranean countries. It is a dicotyledonous species, with a certain level of self-incompatibility, fertilisation preferentially allogamous, and with an incompatibility system of the gametophytic type not well determined yet. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether relevant ROS and NO are present in the stigmatic surface and other reproductive tissues in the olive over different key developmental stages of the reproductive process. This is a first approach to find out the putative function of these signalling molecules in the regulation of the interaction pollen-stigma.

Results

The presence of ROS and NO was analyzed in the olive floral organs throughout five developmental stages by using histochemical analysis at light microscopy, as well as different fluorochromes, ROS and NO scavengers and a NO donor by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The "green bud" stage and the period including the end of the "recently opened flower" and the "dehiscent anther" stages displayed higher concentrations of the mentioned chemical species. The stigmatic surface (particularly the papillae and the stigma exudate), the anther tissues and the pollen grains and pollen tubes were the tissues accumulating most ROS and NO. The mature pollen grains emitted NO through the apertural regions and the pollen tubes. In contrast, none of these species were detected in the style or the ovary.

Conclusion

The results obtained clearly demonstrate that both ROS and NO are produced in the olive reproductive organs in a stage- and tissue- specific manner. The biological significance of the presence of these products may differ between early flowering stages (defence functions) and stages where there is an intense interaction between pollen and pistil which may determine the presence of a receptive phase in the stigma. The study confirms the enhanced production of NO by pollen grains and tubes during the receptive phase, and the decrease in the presence of ROS when NO is actively produced.
The prevalence of hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia in individuals of over 30 years of age belonging to minorities from the pasture area of Xinjiang
Authors: Yao Xiao-Guang , Frommlet Florian , Zhou Ling , Zu Feiya , Wang Hong-Mei , Yan Zhi-Tao , Luo Wen-Li , Hong Jing , Wang Xin-Ling , Li Nan-Fang
Published: February 2010

Background

The prevalence of population-wide hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia has not been well studied in the pasture area of Xinjiang. The present epidemiological study was performed to determine the prevalence of hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia in minority populations from the pasture area of Xinjiang and to discuss the potential risk factors for hypertension.

Methods

A population-based, cross-sectional study in the Xinjiang pasture area was performed which included 2251 participants aged over 30 years (90.33% participation rate) of whom 71.26% were Kazaks. Several risk factors were considered: hypertension (defined as systolic or diastolic blood pressure or both of at least 140/90 mmHg measured on one occasion or treatment for hypertension) overweight/obesity (body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2) alcohol intake, smoking/tobacco use and dyslipidemia. Outcomes were prevalence of hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia and the associated risk factors of hypertension detected by multivariate logistic regression analysis taking into account various metabolic and lifestyle characteristics.

Results

The prevalence of hypertension, overweight/obesity and dyslipidemia in all participants from the pasture area of Xinjiang was 51.9%, 47.9% and 49.2% respectively. Independently, the prevalence and awareness of hypertension was 52.6% and 15.3% among Kazaks (n = 1604), 54.6% and 14.1% among Uygurs (n = 418), 39.5% and 16.1% among Mongolians (n = 81) and 43.9% and 18.2% among non-Xinjiang-born Han immigrants (n = 148). The prevalence of overweight/obesity in Kazaks, Uygurs, Mongolians and Han immigrants was 46.7%, 48.9%, 62.5% and 50.3%, respectively. The prevalence of dyslipidemia in the four ethnic groups mentioned was 53.5%, 34.8%, 49.3% and 47.3%, respectively. The mean blood pressure in all participants was 136/86 mmHg (pre-hypertensive), the mean BMI was 24.7 kg/m2. Based on multiple logistic regression analysis, the significant risk factors for hypertension were age [1.07(1.06-1.09), P < 0.0001], overweight/obesity [overweight: 1.61(1.22-2.13), p = 0.0007; obesity: 1.95 (1.33-2.87), p = 0.0007], hypercholesterolemia [1.30(1.15-1.47), p < 0.0001] and an alcohol intake of over 30 g/day [2.22(1.43-3.45), p = 0.0004].

Conclusions

The considerably high prevalence of hypertension, overweight/obesity and dyslipidemia among the minority population aged over 30 from the pasture area of Xinjiang calls for effective preventive measures. Age, increased body mass index, hypercholesterolemia and ≥30 g/d alcohol intake can be counted as risk factors for hypertension, but further genetic or environmental clarification would be desirable to explain the unusually high prevalence of the conditions mentioned above.
Increased shedding of HU177 correlates with worse prognosis in primary melanoma
Authors: Hamilton Heather K , Rose Amy E , Christos Paul J , Shapiro Richard L , Berman Russell S , Mazumdar Madhu , Ma Michelle W , Krich Daniel , Liebes Leonard , Brooks Peter C , Osman Iman
Published: February 2010

Background

Increased levels of cryptic collagen epitope HU177 in the sera of melanoma patients have been shown to be associated with thicker primary melanomas and with the nodular histologic subtype. In this study, we investigate the association between HU177 shedding in the sera and clinical outcome in terms of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).

Methods

Serum samples from 209 patients with primary melanoma prospectively enrolled in the Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group at the New York University Langone Medical Center (mean age = 58, mean thickness = 2.09 mm, stage I = 136, stage II = 41, stage III = 32, median follow-up = 54.9 months) were analyzed for HU177 concentration using a validated ELISA assay. HU177 serum levels at the time of diagnosis were used to divide the study cohort into two groups: low and high HU177. DFS and OS were estimated by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and the log-rank test was used to compare DFS and OS between the two HU177 groups. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were employed to examine the independent effect of HU177 category on DFS and OS.

Results

HU177 sera concentrations ranged from 0-139.8 ng/ml (mean and median of 6.2 ng/ml and 3.7 ng/ml, respectively). Thirty-eight of the 209 (18%) patients developed recurrences, and 34 of the 209 (16%) patients died during follow-up. Higher HU177 serum level was associated with an increased rate of melanoma recurrence (p = 0.04) and with increasing mortality (p = 0.01). The association with overall survival remained statistically significant after controlling for thickness and histologic subtype in a multivariate model (p = 0.035).

Conclusions

Increased shedding of HU177 in the serum of primary melanoma patients is associated with poor prognosis. Further studies are warranted to determine the clinical utility of HU177 in risk stratification compared to the current standard of care.
Preoperative statin is associated with decreased operative mortality in high risk coronary artery bypass patients
Authors: Magovern James A , Moraca Robert J , Bailey Stephen H , Dean David A , Simpson Kathleen A , Maher Thomas D , Benckart Daniel H , Magovern George J
Published: February 2010

Background

Statins are widely prescribed to patients with atherosclerosis. A retrospective database analysis was used to examine the role of preoperative statin use in hospital mortality, for patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG.)

Methods

The study population comprised 2377 patients who had isolated CABG at Allegheny General Hospital between 2000 and 2004. Mean age of the patients was 65 ± 11 years (range 27 to 92 years). 1594 (67%) were male, 5% had previous open heart procedures, and 4% had emergency surgery. 1004 patients (42%) were being treated with a statin at the time of admission. Univariate, bivariate (Chi2, Fisher's Exact and Student's t-tests) and multivariate (stepwise linear regression) analyses were used to evaluate the association of statin use with mortality following CABG.

Results

Annual prevalence of preoperative statin use was similar over the study period and averaged 40%. Preoperative clinical risk assessment demonstrated a 2% risk of mortality in both the statin and non-statin groups. Operative mortality was 2.4% for all patients, 1.7% for statin users and 2.8% for non-statin users (p < 0.07). Using multivariate analysis, lack of statin use was found to be an independent predictor of mortality in high-risk patients (n = 245, 12.9% vs. 5.6%, p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Between 2000 and 2004 less than 50% of patients at this institution were receiving statins before admission for isolated CABG. A retrospective analysis of this cohort provides evidence that preoperative statin use is associated with lower operative mortality in high-risk patients.
Correlation effect of EGFR and CXCR4 and CCR7 chemokine receptors in predicting breast cancer metastasis and prognosis
Authors: Liu Yixin , Ji Ru , Li Jingyong , Gu Qiang , Zhao Xiulan , Sun Tao , Wang Jinjing , Li Jiangbo , Du Qiuyue , Sun Baocun
Published: February 2010

Background

The chemokine receptors CXCR4 and CCR7 play an important role in cancer invasion and metastasis. This study investigated the expression of CXCR4, CCR7, CXCL12, CCL21, and EGFR to illustrate the role of these biomarkers in breast cancer metastasis and prognosis.

Methods

The CXCR4, CCR7, CXCL12, CCL21, and EGFR biomarkers were analyzed along with ER, PR, and HER-2/neu in breast cancer tissue microarray (TMA) specimens, including 200 primary breast cancer specimens by immunohistochemistry. Corresponding lymph nodes from the same patients were also examined using the same method.

Results

Together with their CXCL12 and CCL21 ligands, CXCR4 and CCR7 were significantly highly expressed in tumor cells with lymph node (LN) metastasis. Similarly, EGFR was expressed highly in tumors with LN metastasis. The ligands were especially expressed in metastatic tumors than in primary tumors from the same patients. Moreover, the expression of both CXCR4 accompanied by CCR7 and CXCL12 accompanied by CCL21 were up-regulated. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that patients exhibiting high CXCR4, CCR7, and EGFR expression experienced a shorter survival period compared with those with low expression.

Conclusions

The expression of CXCR4, CCR7, and EGFR may be associated with LN metastasis. Moreover, the expression of these receptors can serve as an indicator of undesirable prognosis in patients with breast cancer.
Arthroscopic removal of a plastic soft drink bottle cap in the knee: a case report
Authors: Boyle Simon , Talbot Joseph C , Bismil Quamar , Schilders Ernest
Published: February 2010

We report a rare case of late knee locking after an open knee injury in a polytrauma patient with a pelvic fracture and a contralateral femoral artery injury. Once the life and limb threatening injuries were addressed, debridement and washout of the knee wound was performed. X-rays and subsequent CT revealed only an undisplaced patella fracture. The patient presented 6 months later to a knee surgeon with recurrent locking. An arthroscopy was performed and a 10 mm plastic soft drink bottle cap was retrieved leading to the immediate resolution of symptoms without complications.

Open knee injuries require thorough debridement washout and joint assessment. Late locking should raise the suspicion of an intra-articular loose or foreign body. Arthroscopy is an excellent first line tool in the diagnosis and late management of this unusual problem.
Brain Glucosamine Boosts Protective Glucoprivic Feeding
Authors: Osundiji Mayowa A. , Zhou Ligang , Shaw Jill , Moore Stephen P. , Yueh Chen-Yu , Sherwin Robert , Heisler Lora K. , Evans Mark L.
Published: February 2010

The risk of iatrogenic hypoglycemia is increased in diabetic patients who lose defensive glucoregulatory responses, including the important warning symptom of hunger. Protective hunger symptoms during hypoglycemia may be triggered by hypothalamic glucose-sensing neurons by monitoring changes downstream of glucose phosphorylation by the specialized glucose-sensing hexokinase, glucokinase (GK), during metabolism. Here we investigated the effects of intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of glucosamine (GSN), a GK inhibitor, on food intake at normoglycemia and protective feeding responses during glucoprivation and hypoglycemia in chronically catheterized rats. ICV infusion of either GSN or mannoheptulose, a structurally different GK inhibitor, dose-dependently stimulated feeding at normoglycemia. Consistent with an effect of GSN to inhibit competitively glucose metabolism, ICV coinfusion of d-glucose but not l-glucose abrogated the orexigenic effect of ICV GSN at normoglycemia. Importantly, ICV infusion of a low GSN dose (15 nmol/min) that was nonorexigenic at normoglycemia boosted feeding responses to glucoprivation in rats with impaired glucose counterregulation. ICV infusion of 15 nmol/min GSN also boosted feeding responses to threatened hypoglycemia in rats with defective glucose counterregulation. Altogether our findings suggest that GSN may be a potential therapeutic candidate for enhancing defensive hunger symptoms during hypoglycemia.
Past Presentisms: Suffering Soldiers, Benjaminian Ruins, and the Discursive Foundations of Early U.S. Historical Novels
Authors: Letter Joseph J.
Published: February 2010

Letter investigates the impact of the present in early historical fictions and how that present is manifested in the elaborate allegorical structures of the first popular novels to emerge after the War of 1812. Specifically, the figure of the suffering Revolutionary soldier, central to both James Fenimore Cooper's The Spy and John Neal's Seventy-Six, serves as a contemporary allegorical expression of historical change, a figure best explained by Walter Benjamin's definition of the allegorical ruin. The suffering soldier complicates national origins and resists narrative closure. As a literary figuration, this soldier represents a disruptive discourse in the early nation, one that contradicts master narratives of progress and national destiny. Thus, the suffering soldier complicates criticisms of early popular novels by suggesting a highly complex cultural function for the genre. Presentism as an early national orientation suggests an alternative to historical progressivism and antiquarianism, both of which depend on linear approaches to the study of early U.S. culture and literary history. Cooper, when read alongside his contemporary Neal, reveals a deeply conflicted temporal sensibility, one as much concerned with past losses as it is hopeful of future gain. Historical allegories, because they articulate between past and present, offer an important discursive frame for studying the emerging significance of novels in early national culture.
Richard Wright's Oneiropolitics
Authors: Tuhkanen Mikko
Published: February 2010

Tuhkanen argues that Richard Wright, with his references to dreaming in Native Son, Black Power, and elsewhere, develops a theory of postcolonial becoming, where the world's extant realities are challenged by the different “speeds” of the oneiric realm. In the controversial travel narrative Black Power, Wright figures the movement of decolonization in terms of dreaming and waking. Here, his engagement with oneirocriticism continues the work of the postcolonial and African diasporic writers who have been drawn to Shakespeare's Caliban in their efforts to conceptualize (post)coloniality. It also links his thinking to Western philosophy, including Edmund Husserl's phenomenology, in which the task of thought is frequently understood in terms of an awakening. Tuhkanen suggests that in Wright and Husserl the slippery distinction between dreaming and wakefulness is best represented by the topological figure of the Möbius strip. While Wright often understands the oneiric world as an escapist realm of whimsical or guilt-ridden daydreaming, it also seems to offer possibilities—often figured as speeds—that are unavailable within the extant phenomenological horizon. Moving from oneirocriticism to oneiropolitics, Wright thus turns to “dreaming” to illustrate a movement of decolonization whose speed and trajectory may radically depart from those of Western modernity.
Decreased expression of Drp1 and Fis1 mediates mitochondrial elongation in senescent cells and enhances resistance to oxidative stress through PINK1
Authors: Mai Sören , Klinkenberg Michael , Auburger Georg , Bereiter-Hahn Jürgen , Jendrach Marina
Published: February 2010

Mitochondria display different morphologies, depending on cell type and physiological situation. In many senescent cell types, an extensive elongation of mitochondria occurs, implying that the increase of mitochondrial length in senescence could have a functional role. To test this hypothesis, human endothelial cells (HUVECs) were aged in vitro. Young HUVECs had tubular mitochondria, whereas senescent cells were characterized by long interconnected mitochondria. The change in mitochondrial morphology was caused by downregulation of the expression of Fis1 and Drp1, two proteins regulating mitochondrial fission. Targeted photodamage of mitochondria induced the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which triggered mitochondrial fragmentation and loss of membrane potential in young cells, whereas senescent cells proved to be resistant. Alterations of the Fis1 and Drp1 expression levels also influenced the expression of the putative serine-threonine kinase PINK1, which is associated with the PARK6 variant of Parkinson's disease. Downregulation of PINK1 or overexpression of a PINK1 mutant (G309D) increased the sensitivity against ROS in young cells. These results indicate that there is a Drp1- and Fis1-induced, and PINK1-mediated protection mechanism in senescent cells, which, when compromised, could contribute to the age-related progression of Parkinson's disease and arteriosclerosis.
A growth stimulus is needed for IGF-1 to induce skeletal muscle hypertrophy in vivo
Authors: Shavlakadze Thea , Chai Jinfen , Maley Kirsten , Cozens Greg , Grounds Griffin , Winn Nadine , Rosenthal Nadia , Grounds Miranda D.
Published: February 2010

Here, we characterise new strains of normal and dystrophic (mdx) mice that overexpress Class 2 IGF-1 Ea in skeletal myofibres. We show that transgenic mice have increased muscle levels of IGF-1 (~13-26 fold) and show striking muscle hypertrophy (~24-56% increase in mass). Adult normal muscles were resistant to elevated IGF-1; they reached adult steady state and maintained the same mass from 3 to 12 months. By contrast, dystrophic muscles from mdx/IGF-1(C2:Ea) mice continued to increase in mass during adulthood. IGF-1 signalling was evident only in muscles that were growing as a result of normal postnatal development (23-day-old mice) or regenerating in response to endogenous necrosis (adult mdx mice). Increased phosphorylation of Akt at Ser473 was not evident in fasted normal adult transgenic muscles, but was 1.9-fold higher in fasted normal young transgenic muscles compared with age-matched wild-type controls and fourfold higher in fasted adult mdx/IGF-1(C2:Ea) compared with mdx muscles. Muscles of adult mdx/IGF-1(C2:Ea) mice showed higher p70S6K(Thr421/Ser424) phosphorylation and both young transgenic and adult mdx/IGF-1(C2:Ea) mice had higher phosphorylation of rpS6(Ser235/236). The level of mRNA encoding myogenin was increased in normal young (but not adult) transgenic muscles, indicating enhanced myogenic differentiation. These data demonstrate that elevated IGF-1 has a hypertrophic effect on skeletal muscle only in growth situations.
Functional expression of the extracellular-Ca2+-sensing receptor in mouse taste cells
Authors: Bystrova Marina F. , Romanov Roman A. , Rogachevskaja Olga A. , Churbanov Gleb D. , Kolesnikov Stanislav S.
Published: February 2010

Three types of morphologically and functionally distinct taste cells operate in the mammalian taste bud. We demonstrate here the expression of two G-protein-coupled receptors from the family C, CASR and GPRC6A, in the taste tissue and identify transcripts for both receptors in type I cells, no transcripts in type II cells and only CASR transcripts in type III cells, by using the SMART-PCR RNA amplification method at the level of individual taste cells. Type I taste cells responded to calcimimetic NPS R-568, a stereoselective CASR probe, with Ca2+ transients, whereas type I and type II cells were not specifically responsive. Consistent with these findings, certain amino acids stimulated PLC-dependent Ca2+ signaling in type III cells, but not in type I and type II cells, showing the following order of efficacies: Phe~Glu>Arg. Thus, CASR is coupled to Ca2+ mobilization solely in type III cells. CASR was cloned from the circumvallate papilla into a pIRES2-EGFP plasmid and heterologously expressed in HEK-293 cells. The transfection with CASR enabled HEK-293 cells to generate Ca2+ transients in response to the amino acids, of which, Phe was most potent. This observation and some other facts favor CASR as the predominant receptor subtype endowing type III cells with the ability to detect amino acids. Altogether, our results indicate that type III cells can serve a novel chemosensory function by expressing the polymodal receptor CASR. A role for CASR and GPRC6A in physiology of taste cells of the type I remains to be unveiled.
Analysis of integrin turnover in fly myotendinous junctions
Authors: Yuan Lin , Fairchild Michael J. , Perkins Alexander D. , Tanentzapf Guy
Published: February 2010

Transient (short-term) cell adhesion underlies dynamic processes such as cell migration, whereas stable (long-term) cell adhesion maintains tissue architecture. Ongoing adhesion complex turnover is essential for transient cell adhesion, but it is not known whether turnover is also required for maintenance of long-term adhesion. We used fluorescence recovery after photobleaching to analyze the dynamics of an integrin adhesion complex (IAC) in a model of long-term cell-ECM adhesion, myotendinous junctions (MTJs), in fly embryos and larvae. We found that the IAC undergoes turnover in MTJs and that this process is mediated by clathrin-dependent endocytosis. Moreover, the small GTPase Rab5 can regulate the proportion of IAC components that undergo turnover. Also, altering Rab5 activity weakened MTJs, resulting in muscle defects. In addition, growth of MTJs was concomitant with a decrease in the proportion of IAC components undergoing turnover. We propose that IAC turnover is tightly regulated in long-term cell-ECM adhesions to allow normal tissue growth and maintenance.
Quantitative investigation of powder flow during die filling using positron emission particle tracking
Authors: Wu C-Y , Fan X F , Motazedian F , Seville J P K , Parker D J , Cocks A C F
Published: February 2010

The flow behaviour of powders during die filling was investigated using the positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) technique, from which quantitative information on the flow of individual particles was obtained. Two grades of spherical microcrystalline cellulose powders with different particle sizes were used as the model powder systems. It is shown that the trajectories of tracked particles at different initial positions are consistent with the overall flow patterns observed using a high-speed video system and linear kinematics (i.e. displacement and velocity) of the tracked particles in the moving direction of the feed shoe correspond very well with the specified shoe motion. Furthermore, a close examination of the vertical velocity component (i.e. in the gravitational direction) of the tracked particles that were deposited into the die reveals that for the system with large particles, the particles flow into the die at a higher falling velocity, compared to the system with small particles. This is primarily due to the effect of the presence of air in the die, which can significantly inhibit the flow of small particles, while its effect on the flow of large particles is small.
Advanced modelling of frictional contact in three-dimensional motion when analysing the forced response of a shrouded blade
Authors: Gu W , Xu Z , Wang S
Published: February 2010

In order to investigate the non-linear vibration behaviour of a real steam turbine blade coupled by shrouded dampers, a new three-dimensional friction contact model is proposed to solve the non-linear friction force imposed on the contact interfaces. The proposed model is an extension of the work of Sanliturk and Ewins, in which the motion along the normal direction of the contact interfaces is considered. To consider microslip effect, an array of spring-slider contact pairs is distributed on the contact interfaces. Additionally, by altering the number of contact pairs, the effect of the area of contact interfaces on the forced response of the shrouded blade can be studied. Furthermore, the difference between static friction coefficient and dynamic friction coefficient is considered in this model. The adaptability of this model to any complicated relative motion is very well; hence it can be used to optimize real blade dampers in turbine machine applications. By using the multi-harmonic balance method, the governing non-linear differential equations of the shrouded blade are transformed into a set of non-linear algebraic equations that can be solved iteratively to yield the forced response of the shrouded blade.
Thermal—economic modelling and optimization of gas engine-driven heat pump systems
Authors: Sanaye S , Chahartaghi M
Published: February 2010

Gas engine-driven heat pump (GEHP) modelling and optimization are presented in this article. Heat pump cycle modelling included a compressor, condenser, evaporator, expansion valve, and gas engine to drive the compressor. To validate the modelling output results, they were compared with experimental results, and acceptable difference per cent points were obtained and reported.

For the optimal design of GEHPs, the total annual cost (sum of operating and investment costs) was defined as the objective function in terms of technical and economic parameters of the system. The genetic algorithm optimization technique was used to obtain the design parameters at the minimum total cost of the system. Eight design parameters of the system (condenser and evaporator pressures in cooling and heating modes, inlet air mass flowrate to indoor and outdoor heat exchangers, and gas engine rotational speed in cooling and heating modes) were selected. The values of the design parameters for a case study were obtained and reported when the total annual cost of the system was minimum. Furthermore, at that system optimal design point, the investment and operating costs were found to be 64.23 per cent and 35.67 per cent of the total cost, the fuel consumptions of the gas engine were 0.956 and 0.658 kg/h, respectively, and the coefficients of performance (COPs) of the GEHP were 1.61 and 1.64 in the cooling and heating modes, respectively. The variation of optimum design parameters in various cooling and heating loads was studied. Finally, sensitivity analysis and the change in design parameters with the change in fuel price and investment cost were studied.
Identifying Counterfeit Medicines Using near Infrared Spectroscopy
Authors: Moffat Anthony C. , Assi Sulaf , Watt Robert A.
Published: February 2010

Counterfeit medicines are a growing threat to public health across the world and screening methods are needed to allow their rapid identification. A counterfeiter must duplicate both the physical characteristics and the chemical content of a proprietary product to avoid it being detected as a counterfeit product and this is almost impossible to get right. Counterfeit proprietary medicines are, therefore, relatively easy to identify by near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy which can detect physical as well as chemical differences between products by simple spectral comparison. Identifying generic products is more difficult as they use different excipients in the tablet or capsule matrix. Nevertheless, using appropriate models and a large library, NIR spectroscopy can detect counterfeit generic versions. Detecting sub-standard proprietary medicines can be carried out with NIR spectroscopy models and the most widely used is partial least squares regression (PLSR). General rules for generating accurate quantitative models are easy to describe. Quantifying the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in generic products can also be carried out using PLSR models with calibration samples generated by manufacturing laboratory samples or by collecting many generic versions of a medicine so as to obtain a good range of the API content in tablets and capsules. Using hand-held instruments or mobile laboratories allows NIR spectrometers to be taken to places where analyses may be made quickly, rather than taking the samples to a laboratory. This has the enormous advantage that the screening of large numbers of samples may be made in pharmacies and wholesalers. Imaging can bring a whole new dimension to NIR spectroscopy to allow the identification of the API and individual excipients as well as measuring the particle sizes of components and giving a measure of the homogeneity of the matrix. The effect of water on potential misidentifications may be obviated by only using blister-packed samples, having large spectral libraries subjected to different humidities or omitting the spectral region where water absorbs.
Indirect Detection of Fusarium Verticillioides in Maize (Zea mays L.) Kernels by near Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging
Authors: Williams Paul , Manley Marena , Fox Glen , Geladi Paul
Published: February 2010

Near infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging and hyperspectral image analysis were evaluated for their potential to distinguish between Fusarium verticillioides infected and sound whole maize ( Zea mays L.) kernels. Hyperspectral images of infected and sound kernels were acquired using a Spectral Dimensions MatrixNIR camera with a spectral range of 960–1662nm and a sisuChema hyperspectral pushbroom imaging system with a spectral range of 1000–2498 nm. Background, bad pixels and shading were removed using exploratory principal component analysis (PCA) on absorbance images. PCA could be used effectively on the cleaned images to identify classes including infected and non-infected regions on individual kernels. A distinct difference between infected and sound kernels along principal component (PC) one with two distinguishable clusters was found. The loading line plot of the first PC of the sisuChema hypercube showed important absorbance peaks for the two classes, i.e. 1960nm and 2100nm for the infected class and U50 nm, 2300nm and 2350nm for the non-infected class. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was applied. The coefficient of determination was 0.73 for the MatrixNIR image and 0.86 for the sisuChema image, both after three PLS components. These PLS-DA models could be used to calculate predictions on a test set image. The predictions could be shown as prediction images and an acceptable root mean square error of prediction was obtained (0.23). NIR hyperspectral imaging has the potential to be used as a rapid, objective means of indentifying fungal infected maize kernels and infected regions.