bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Self-Esteem and Identities
Authors: Stets Jan E. , Burke Peter J.
Published: July 2014

While most research examines self-esteem in terms of self-worth, we suggest three dimensions of self-esteem: worth-based, efficacy-based, and authenticity-based esteem. Each of these dimensions is linked to one of the three motives of the self, and each of them primarily emerges through verification of social/group, role, and person identities, respectively. Data are examined to study these three self-esteem dimensions, including measuring the esteem dimensions and assessing their psychometric properties, investigating the effects of identity verification on the different esteem dimensions, and analyzing the causal relationship among the esteem dimensions. Overall, the results support the measurement and validity of these three dimensions as well as the role of identity verification in producing these self-esteem outcomes.
Nutrition Screening and Assessment in Hospitalized Patients
Authors: Patel Vihas , Romano Michelle , Corkins Mark R. , DiMaria‐Ghalili Rose Ann , Earthman Carrie , Malone Ainsley , Miller Sarah , Sabino Kim , Wooley Jennifer , Guenter Peggi ,   the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.)
Published: July 2014

Background: The Joint Commission has mandated universal screening and assessment of hospitalized patients for malnutrition since 1995. Although various validated and nonvalidated tools are available, implementation of this mandate has not been well characterized. We report results of a survey of hospital‐based professionals in the United States describing their perspective on the current range of nutrition screening and assessment practices as well as associated gaps in knowledge. Methods and Materials: Data from a 2012–2013 cross‐sectional, web‐based survey targeting members of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.), the Academy of Medical‐Surgical Nurses, and the Society of Hospital Medicine were collected with non–hospital‐based members excluded. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Results: Survey data from 1777 unique email addresses are included in this report. A majority of respondents were dietitians, nearly half were A.S.P.E.N. members, and 69.4% reported caring for a mix of adult and pediatric patients. Most respondents answered affirmatively about nutrition screening being performed in alignment with The Joint Commission mandate, but only 50% were familiar with the 2012 Consensus Statement from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics/A.S.P.E.N. on adult malnutrition. In most cases, nurses were primarily responsible for nutrition screening, while dietitians had primary responsibility for assessment. No one specific assessment tool or International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code was identified as being used a majority of the time in assessing or coding a patient for malnutrition. Conclusions: The survey findings affirmed compliance with accreditation standards in completing a nutrition screen within 24 hours of admission, and most hospitals appear to have a process to perform a nutrition assessment once a screen is completed. However, there is considerable heterogeneity in both use of tools and mechanisms for coding capture. Opportunities exist to improve education around nutrition screening and assessment and to identify ideal practices for these processes in hospitalized patients.
Site Effects
Authors: Johnson Thomas J. , Kaye Barbara K.
Published: July 2014

The rise of social media, such as blogs, social network sites, Twitter, and YouTube, encourages hope for renewed confidence in the government and news media because these venues connect users directly to candidates and officeholders. This article indicates that blogs most heavily relied on the type of social media for political information. Moreover, reliance on blogs and YouTube leads to reduced confidence in the presidency, Congress, and the news media, but reliance on social network sites and Twitter leads to higher confidence in these institutions after controlling for strength of party ties, political ideology, political interest, reliance on traditional media, and demographic variables.
Peers and Sources as Social Capital in the Production of News
Authors: Vergeer Maurice
Published: July 2014

In a very short time span, Twitter has become a major force in modern societies and also in the production of news by journalists. How journalists use Twitter is studied extensively, particularly on a small scale (i.e., qualitative research, specific events, mostly descriptive). However, studies on how Twitter has impacted journalism as a whole are relatively scarce. This study focuses on the adoption of Twitter and its emerging community network structure in the Netherlands. Using the social network data of 2,152 journalists as retrieved from Twitter, analysis shows that the social network among journalists is well connected. The journalists who are extremely popular are also able to influence the flow of information through the network more than others (cf. gatekeeper role). Still, even though gatekeeping positions in the network are present due to the absence of specific relations, and the network consists of eight tightly knit network communities, the entire network is very well connected. The adoption of Twitter as a microblogging and networking service over time indicated that adoption increased particularly in early 2009. The possible consequences of these tightly knit communities for the production of news are discussed in terms of pack journalism, echo chambers, and information cascades.
State-of-the-art of advanced gas metal arc welding processes: Dissimilar metal welding
Authors: Mvola Belinga , Kah Paul , Martikainen Jukka , Suoranta Raimo
Published: July 2014

The manufacturing industry has for many years shown interest in opportunities offered by the welding of dissimilar metals, for example, in transportation to reduce vehicles weight and in power plants, to fit heterogeneous working conditions. Early gas metal arc welding (GMAW) processes had limited control of heat input, but advanced GMAW processes of the last decades offer new perspectives for welding dissimilar metals. The study review briefly dissimilar metal welding (DMW) and investigates advanced GMAW processes with emphasis on their general operating principles and arc control. Experiments performed on dissimilar metals using GMAW processes are then reviewed, highlighting those made using advanced gas metal arc welding processes. The study collates data from scientific literature on fusion dissimilar metal welding, advanced gas metal arc welding processes and experiments conducted with conventional GMAW. The study shows that the welding procedure specification is an important factor in dissimilar metal welding. Advanced GMAW processes have significant potential in fusion welding of dissimilar metals in the case of ferrous metals, ferrous and non-ferrous metal combinations and non-ferrous metals of different grades. Accurate control of heat input allows more effective prediction of intermetallics and better control of post heat treatments. Increased understanding of advanced processes will permit development of more suitable specifications of gas metal arc welding procedures for dissimilar metal welding. Process flexibility and adaptability to robotic mass production will allow for wider application of this process and the avoidance of costly alternative methods.
Transient flow characteristics during variable operating conditions of the centrifugal charging pump in 1000 MW nuclear power plant
Authors: Zhang Fan , Yuan Shouqi , Fu Qiang , Pei Ji , Chen JingJun
Published: July 2014

In order to study transient flow characteristics of the centrifugal charging pump during the process from the charging operating condition ( Q = 34 m3/h) to the highest efficiency operating condition ( Q = 110 m3/h), commercial software CFX was used to study the three-dimensional, unsteady, incompressible viscous flows. In this paper, the transient flow rate during the variable operating conditions was obtained from experimental data and immersed into CFX as the transient control function. The transient pressure and velocity in impellers, guide vanes, and double channels volute of the charging pump are analyzed through the simulation. The results show that the pressures in impellers increase gradually to the maximum and then decrease to the minimum in a rotational circle and looks like a sinusoidal curve. As the flow rate increasing, the fluctuant amplitude of the transient pressure tends to decrease. All transient velocities fluctuation becomes weaker and weaker and reduces to a minimum value in the 12th-stage impeller as time went on. The flow is untidy in the chamber and it causes large vortex at the small flow rate in the beginning of the variable operating conditions. The hydraulic performance of the pump is influenced both by the fluid acceleration and instantaneous evolutions of the vortex structure during the transient process. In addition, the fluctuation near the interface between impellers and guide vanes is bigger than others and the streamlines of flow get smooth under the rectification of each impeller and guide vane, which leads to the amplitude of pressure fluctuation unchanged basically in the last stage.
Measuring Dimensions of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Authors: Gootzeit Joshua , Markon Kristian , Watson David
Published: July 2014

Researchers have suggested that the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) should be divided into the four dimensions of intrusions, avoidance, numbing or dysphoria, and hyperarousal. However, the clinical utility of a dysphoria/general distress symptom dimension is unclear, and measures of the overall structure of PTSD are limited by the small number of avoidance and prototypical hyperarousal symptoms in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM). The Iowa Traumatic Response Inventory (ITRI) was created as a broader measure of symptoms related to PTSD. The factor analytic method of test construction was used to create the scales from a larger pool of items. The measure was validated in a clinical sample and in a student sample. Analysis of the ITRI symptom dimensions suggests traumatic intrusions and avoidance symptoms are highly associated and are specific to PTSD, whereas dysphoria, hyperarousal, and dissociation are not specific to PTSD. Overall, the ITRI was found to be a reliable and valid measure of PTSD symptoms that better captures the observed structure of the disorder.
The Parental Emotional Response to Children Index
Authors: Lambek Rikke , Sonuga-Barke Edmund , Psychogiou Lamprini , Thompson Margaret , Tannock Rosemary , Daley David , Damm Dorte , Thomsen Per Hove
Published: July 2014

Objective: The current study introduces the Parental Emotional Response to Children Index (PERCI), a new questionnaire specifically designed to measure parents’ emotional response to ADHD and related behaviors (delay discounting and delay aversion). Method: The PERCI was completed by parents of 6- to 14-year-old children with ( n = 126) and without ( n = 160) ADHD. Results: Factor analysis confirmed five separate subscales with acceptable psychometric properties. Parents of children with ADHD reported a stronger emotional response to ADHD behaviors than parents of typically developing children and inattention symptoms evoked the strongest emotional response in parents regardless of child diagnostic status. Conclusion: Parents’ emotional responses appear to be differentiated in terms of specific ADHD-related triggers mapping onto the different domains of ADHD and delay-related responses. Further research is required to understand changes in parental emotional responses over time and their impact on children’s developmental trajectories.
Persistence of Parent-Reported ADHD Symptoms From Childhood Through Adolescence in a Community Sample
Authors: Holbrook Joseph R. , Cuffe Steven P. , Cai Bo , Visser Susanna N. , Forthofer Melinda S. , Bottai Matteo , Ortaglia Andrew , McKeown Robert E.
Published: July 2014

Objective: To examine ADHD symptom persistence and factors associated with elevated symptom counts in a diverse, longitudinal community-based sample. Method: Parents reported demographics and completed a diagnostic interview repeatedly over a 6-year period. At Time 1, 481 interviews were completed about children (5-13 years); all participants were invited to four annual follow-up interviews, and 379 (79%) completed at least one. Inattentive (IA) and hyperactive-impulsive (HI) symptom counts were modeled with logistic quantile regression, while accounting for study design complexities. Results: The prevalence of seven IA symptoms remained stable from early childhood through late adolescence. The prevalence of eight HI symptoms decreased by more than half over time. After demographic adjustment, the upper quartile of HI symptom counts decreased with age ( p < .01). High HI symptom counts persisted more among those with high IA symptom counts ( p = .05). Conclusion: This study further characterizes and provides insights into ADHD symptom trajectory through adolescence.
The delayed emergence of penal modernism in Florida
Authors: Schoenfeld Heather
Published: July 2014

Recently, punishment scholars have challenged the dominant historiography of a relatively uncontested period of penal modernism or penal welfarism across the USA between the Second World War and the 1960s. However, scholarship has not yet explained why penal modernism failed to take hold in particular regions and states. Using the social history of punishment in Florida, I argue that penal modernism failed to take hold in Florida for three reasons: the effect of political arrangements on the ability of political and bureaucratic actors to reform penal institutions; the timing of modern penal initiatives with the capacity of state bureaucracies; and the precedent that linked punishment policy and practices to cultural assumptions about ‘black labor’. The findings suggest that punishment scholars can draw on historical institutionalist scholarship in order to understand continuity and change in penality.
Zeolite-coated steel fibers for friction materials applications
Authors: Chau Joseph Lik Hang , Lee Cheng-Chih , Yang Chih-Chao , Shih Hsi-Hsin
Published: July 2014

Zeolite-coated steel fiber used for non-asbestos organic type friction material was studied. High silica zeolite silicalite-1, due to its easy preparation procedures was chosen to be deposited onto the steel fibers. This work shows that the friction material incorporated with zeolite-coated steel fibers exhibit higher coefficient of friction values than the friction material with bare steel fibers. Zeolite-coated steel fibers added friction materials maintain a sufficiently high friction coefficient from 0.332 to 0.514 with the brake discs at high temperature from 150 ℃ to 300 ℃. This kind of friction material with corrosion-resistant property has great potential to be used for vehicle brake pad applications.
Rank-Based Groupings and Decision Making
Authors: Keefer Quinn A. W.
Published: July 2014

Rank-based groupings are uninformative signals of quality when the exact rank is known; therefore, they should be ignored in decision making. However, evidence is presented that rank-based groupings are used to determine the compensation of rookie players in the National Football League (NFL). The NFL draft, which largely determines rookie compensation, provides two signals of player quality, selection number, and round. However, the rounds are simply groupings based on selection number; thus, the rounds should not affect subsequent decisions. Sharp regression discontinuity design (RDD) estimates of discontinuities in rookie compensation at the round cutoffs are shown to be very large and robust. The first to second round discontinuity is −US$240,000 to −US$250,000, or 36% of the average salary of the first selection in the second round. The second to third round discontinuity is −US$60,000 to −US$70,000, or 17% of the average salary of the first selection in the third round. The results show rookie compensation, which comprises a large share of career earnings, is subject to heuristic thinking.
Review of research on educational leadership and management in Asia
Authors: Hallinger Philip , Chen Junjun
Published: July 2014

Over the past two decades scholars have called for a more concerted effort to develop an empirically grounded literature on educational leadership outside of mainstream “Western” contexts. This paper reports the results of a review of research topics and methods that comprise the literature on educational leadership and management in Asia between 1995 and 2012. The review of research employed a quantitative descriptive form of systematic review of 478 articles published in eight “core” international journals in educational leadership and management over this period. The review examined trends in publication volume and impact, as well as research topics and methods used by scholars studying educational leadership and management in Asia. The study concluded that Asian scholarship in educational leadership and management remains in the early stages of development. Knowledge production is highly uneven across the continent, with only a few pockets of research excellence. Significant growth trends were observed in terms of scholarly interest in studying leadership in K-12 schools, school change, effects and improvement, and organizational behavior in education. Although qualitative research methods were more popular in this literature prior to 2006, the use of quantitative research methods has increased sharply during the past six years.
Approaches to Display of Multiple-Point Glucose Profiles
Authors: Kay Daniel
Published: July 2014

Multiple-point glucose profiles are now acknowledged, in the diabetes literature, as a key way for people with diabetes to analyze and interpret blood glucose control (BGC).1-3 Combined methods to visualize relevant blood glucose information are increasingly recognized as a more effective method of explaining actionable glucose profiles.4,15(p564) This commentary is written from the perspective of a person with type 1 diabetes and might add value to the existing understanding about relevant ways to display BGC data. Through discussion of the limits to current multiple-point glucose displays, for example, AGP “dashboard,” a proposed alternative method of graphical display that brings together HbA1c and self-monitored blood glucose (SMBG) test data is presented.
The answer is sustainable marketing, when the question is: What can we do?
Authors: Martin Diane M. , Schouten John W.
Published: July 2014

Criticizing marketing is easy, and its detractors are doing a good job of it. But going beyond and proposing an approach, tools and a vision for change is another matter altogether. Diane Martin and John Schouten have embraced the task. They explore the path of sustainable marketing with a view to transforming consumption practices and, more broadly, to achieving a new material culture supporting sustainable development principles.
Religious demography and conflict: Lessons from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana
Authors: Nordås Ragnhild
Published: July 2014

Statistical models of civil war onset are often unsupportive of a link between measures of cultural demography and conflict. This study suggests that this is in part because most studies fail to account for what factors make demographic cleavages salient, such as policies of exclusion and repression against growing minorities that are threatening to incumbent regimes. A comparison of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana is used to shed light on this process. Based on a state of the art statistical model of civil war onset, the countries had strikingly similar conflict risk in the early 2000s, but conflict only erupted only in Côte d’Ivoire in 2002. An important factor to explain this is the exclusion and repression in the Ivorian case, spurred by a perceived increase in the northern Muslim population, vs the more accommodative policy in neighboring Ghana. Implementing lessons from this study could improve future statistical models of civil war.
Political demography: Powerful forces between disciplinary stools
Authors: Teitelbaum Michael S.
Published: July 2014

The interconnections between politics and the dramatic demographic changes underway around the world have been under-attended by the two research disciplines that could contribute most to their understanding: demography and political science. Instead this area of “political demography” has largely been ceded to political activists, pundits and journalists, leading to often exaggerated or garbled interpretation. The terrain includes issues that now rank among the most politically sensitive and contested in many parts of the world, engaging high-level attention including that of numerous presidents and premiers: alleged demographically-determined shifts in the international balance of power; low fertility, population aging, and the sustainability of public pension and other age-related systems; international migration; national identity; compositional shifts in politically sensitive social categories (ethnic/religious/racial/linguistic/national origin); and human rights. Moreover it now is apparent that many governments (and nongovernmental actors too) have actively been pursuing varieties of “strategic demography”, in which one or more of the three key demographic drivers (fertility, mortality, migration) have been deployed—consciously if not always explicitly—as instruments of their domestic or international strategies. The prospects for the coming decades seem to be for more of the same, and it would well behoove political scientists and demographers to employ their considerable knowledge and analytic techniques in ways that could improve public understanding and moderate the excessive claims and fears that prevail.
Demographic growth in dangerous places: Concentrating conflict risks
Authors: Goldstone Jack A. , Marshall Monty G. , Root Hilton
Published: July 2014

If one merely counts countries becoming democratic, progress in the international system looks impressive. However, more relevant for future stability is whether countries—whether democratic or not—are fragile, having ineffective and/or illegitimate governments. Moreover, the size of fragile countries, not merely their number, will be important for the future. Recent data shows that fertility has stalled at very high levels in many fragile states, including several of the largest, creating a situation in which almost all the growth in the world’s future labor force in coming decades will occur in fragile states. Indeed, the world seems likely to go from a situation in which two-thirds of workers are employed in stable states to the reverse, in which the majority of the global working-age population is found in fragile states with a weak ability to provide education, investment and jobs to ensure their productivity. Unless this trend can be reversed, both global economic growth and regional political stability will be at risk because projected global population growth is overwhelmingly concentrated in fragile states.
Echinomycin protects mice against relapsed acute myeloid leukemia without adverse effect on hematopoietic stem cells
Authors: Wang Yin , Liu Yan , Tang Fei , Bernot Kelsie M. , Schore Reuven , Marcucci Guido , Caligiuri Michael A. , Zheng Pan , Liu Yang
Published: July 2014

Key Points

Echinomycin can selectively kill the leukemia-initiating cell in relapsed AML without normal stem cell toxicity. In vivo delivery of echinomycin can induce long-term complete remission in a murine model of relapsed AML.
Decreased lung function precedes severe respiratory syncytial virus infection and post-respiratory syncytial virus wheeze in term infants
Authors: Zomer-Kooijker Kim , Uiterwaal Cuno S.P.M. , van der Gugten Anne C. , Wilbrink Berry , Bont Louis J. , van der Ent Cornelis K.
Published: July 2014

It is unknown why respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes mild disease in some children and severe disease, requiring hospitalisation, in others. We aimed to assess whether diminished premorbid lung function in healthy term infants predisposes to hospitalisation during RSV bronchiolitis, and to post-RSV wheeze.

In a prospective birth cohort study of unselected term healthy children, neonatal lung function was measured before the age of 2 months (n=2133). From birth through the first year of life, respiratory symptoms were recorded in a diary, and general practitioner consultations and hospitalisations were documented. In a subgroup (n=417) repeated nose and throat swabs were collected for PCR to detect RSV infections.

Median neonatal respiratory system compliance (Crs) was significantly lower (41.2versus47.4 mL·kPa−1, p=0.03) and resistance (Rrs) was higher (8.2versus6.3 kPa·s·L−1, p=0.10) in hospitalised RSV patients (n=18) compared with nonhospitalised RSV-positive infants (n=84). Every 10 mL·kPa−1increase inCrswas associated with 55% less post-RSV wheeze (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.35–0.90), and each kPa·s·L−1increase inRrswas associated with 42% more post-RSV wheeze, which was only marginally explained by pre-RSV wheeze or severity of the RSV disease.

This unselected birth cohort study shows for the first time that decreased lung function at birth predisposes to severe RSV disease, and to post-RSV wheeze.
Intensiveversusstandard follow-up to improve continuous positive airway pressure compliance
Authors: Bouloukaki Izolde , Giannadaki Katerina , Mermigkis Charalampos , Tzanakis Nikolaos , Mauroudi Eleni , Moniaki Violeta , Michelakis Stylianos , Siafakas Nikolaos M. , Schiza Sophia E.
Published: July 2014

We aimed to compare the effect of intensiveversusstandard interventions on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) adherence 2 years after CPAP initiation, as well as on sleepiness, quality of life, depression, hospitalisation and death rate due to cardiovascular disease (CVD).

3100 patients with newly diagnosed sleep apnoea were randomised into the standard group, with usual follow-up care, or the intensive group, with additional visits, telephone calls and education. Subjective daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale; ESS), quality of life (36-item Short Form Health Survey; SF-36) and the patient’s level of depression (Beck Depression Inventory; BDI) were recorded before and 2 years after CPAP initiation, together with CVD hospitalisations and death rate.

2 years after CPAP initiation, the intensive group used CPAP significantly more than the standard group (6.9versus5.2 h per night; p<0.001). ESS, SF-36 and BDI scores were also significantly better in the intensive group. Furthermore, the standard group had significantly more deaths and hospitalisations due to CVD.

CPAP usage can be improved by both intensive and standard patient support. However, the patients who received intensive CPAP support had significantly better ESS, BDI and SF-36 scores, and lower cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, suggesting that an intensive programme could be worthwhile.
Low sputum MMP-9/TIMP ratio is associated with airway narrowing in smokers with asthma
Authors: Chaudhuri Rekha , McSharry Charles , Brady Jeffrey , Grierson Christal , Messow C. Martina , Spears Mark , Miele Gino , Nocka Karl , MacNee William , Connell Martin , Murchison John T. , Sproule Michael , Hilmi Omar J. , Miller Douglas K. , Thomson Neil C.
Published: July 2014

Asthmatic smokers have poor symptom control and accelerated decline in lung function. A reduced ratio of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9/tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in nonsmokers with asthma has been implicated in airway remodelling. We tested the hypothesis that sputum MMP-9 activity/TIMPs ratios are reduced in smokers compared with never-smokers with asthma and are associated with reduced lung function and altered computed tomography (CT) measures of airway wall dimensions.

Lung function, airway dimensions by CT, and induced sputum concentrations (and activity) of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 and -2 were measured in 81 asthmatics and 43 healthy subjects (smokers and never-smokers). Respiratory epithelialMMP9andTIMPmRNA was quantified in 31 severe asthmatics and 32 healthy controls.

Sputum MMP-9 activity/TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 ratios, and nasal epithelialMMP9/TIMP1andMMP9/TIMP2expression ratios were reduced in smokers with asthma compared with never-smokers with asthma. Low sputum ratios in asthmatic smokers were associated with reduced post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), FEV1/forced vital capacity ratio and segmental airway lumen area.

The association of a low sputum MMP-9 activity/TIMP-1 ratio with persistent airflow obstruction and reduced CT airway lumen area in smokers with asthma may indicate that an imbalance of MMP-9 and TIMPs contributes to structural changes to the airways in this group.
Skeletal muscle adiposity is associated with physical activity, exercise capacity and fibre shift in COPD
Authors: Maddocks Matthew , Shrikrishna Dinesh , Vitoriano Simone , Natanek Samantha A. , Tanner Rebecca J. , Hart Nicholas , Kemp Paul R. , Moxham John , Polkey Michael I. , Hopkinson Nicholas S.
Published: July 2014

Quadriceps muscle phenotype varies widely between patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cannot be determined without muscle biopsy. We hypothesised that measures of skeletal muscle adiposity could provide noninvasive biomarkers of muscle quality in this population.

In 101 patients and 10 age-matched healthy controls, mid-thigh cross-sectional area, percentage intramuscular fat and skeletal muscle attenuation were calculated using computed tomography images and standard tissue attenuation ranges: fat -190– -30 HU; skeletal muscle -29–150 HU.

Mean±sdpercentage intramuscular fat was higher in the patient group (6.7±3.5%versus4.3±1.2%, p = 0.03). Both percentage intramuscular fat and skeletal muscle attenuation were associated with physical activity level, exercise capacity and type I fibre proportion, independent of age, mid-thigh cross-sectional area and quadriceps strength. Combined with transfer factor of the lung for carbon monoxide, these variables could identify >80% of patients with fibre type shift with >65% specificity (area under the curve 0.83, 95% CI 0.72–0.95).

Skeletal muscle adiposity assessed by computed tomography reflects multiple aspects of COPD related muscle dysfunction and may help to identify patients for trials of interventions targeted at specific muscle phenotypes.
Trends in hospital admissions for pulmonary embolism in Spain from 2002 to 2011
Authors: de Miguel-Díez Javier , Jiménez-García Rodrigo , Jiménez David , Monreal Manuel , Guijarro Ricardo , Otero Remedios , Hernández-Barrera Valentín , Trujillo-Santos Javier , López de Andrés Ana , Carrasco-Garrido Pilar
Published: July 2014

The aim of our study was to analyse changes in the incidence, diagnostic procedures, comorbidity, length of hospital stay, costs and in-hospital mortality of patients hospitalised for pulmonary embolism in Spain over a 10-year period.

We included all patients who were hospitalised for pulmonary embolism (ICD-9-CM codes 415.11 and 415.19) as the primary diagnosis between 2002 and 2011. Data were collected from the National Hospital Discharge Database, covering the entire Spanish population.

115 671 patients were admitted. The overall crude incidence increased from 20.44 per 100 000 inhabitants in 2002 to 32.69 in 2011 (p<0.05). In 2002, 13.3% of patients had a Charlson comorbidity index >2, and in 2011 the prevalence increased to 20.8% (p<0.05). Mean length of hospital stay was 12.7 days in 2002 and decreased to 9.99 in 2011 (p<0.05). During the study period, mean cost per patient increased from €3915 to €4372 (p<0.05). In-hospital mortality decreased from 12.9% in 2002 to 8.32% in 2011 (p<0.05). The increase in the use of computed tomographic pulmonary angiography over time was associated with increased incidence and lower mortality.

Our results revealed an increase in the incidence of hospitalised pulmonary embolism patients from 2002 to 2011 with concomitant increase in comorbidities and cost. However, length of hospital stay and in-hospital mortality decreased.
Transcriptome analysis of callus from Picea balfouriana
Authors: Li Qingfen , Zhang Shougong , Wang Junhui
Published: July 2014

Background

Picea likiangensisvar.balfouriana(Rehd. et Wils.) Hillier ex Slavin (also known asPicea balfouriana) is an ecologically and economically important conifer that grows rapidly under optimum conditions and produces high-quality wood. It has a wide geographic distribution and is prevalent in southwest and eastern regions of China. Under suboptimal conditions,P. balfourianagrows slowly, which restricts its cultivation. Somatic embryogenesis has been used in the mass propagation of commercial species. However, low initiation rates are a common problem and the mechanisms involved in the induction of somatic embryogenesis are not fully understood. To understand the molecular mechanisms regulating somatic embryogenesis inP. balfouriana, high-throughput RNA-seq technology was used to investigate the transcriptomes of embryogenic and non-embryogenic tissues from threeP. balfourianagenotypes. We compared the genes expressed in these tissues to identify molecular markers with embryogenic potential.

Results

A total of 55,078,846 nucleotide sequence reads were obtained for the embryogenic and non-embryogenic tissues ofP. balfouriana, and 49.56% of them uniquely matched 22,295 (84.3%) of the 26,437 genes in thePicea abiesgenome database (Nature 497: 579-584, 2013). Differential gene expression analysis identified 1,418 differentially expressed genes (false discovery rate <0.0001; fold change ≥2) in the embryogenic tissues relative to the non-embryogenic tissues, including 431 significantly upregulated and 987 significantly downregulated genes. KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathway analysis revealed that the most significantly altered genes were involved in plant hormone signal transduction, metabolic pathways (starch and sucrose metabolism), and phenylalanine metabolism.

Conclusions

We found that the initiation of embryogenic tissues affected gene expression in many KEGG pathways, but predominantly in plant hormone signal transduction, plant-pathogen interaction, and starch and sucrose metabolism. The changes in multiple pathways related to induction in theP. balfourianaembryogenic tissues described here, will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms involved in the initiation of somatic embryogenesis. Additionally, we found that somatic embryogenesis receptor kinase (SERK), arabinogalactan proteins, and members of the WUS-related homeobox protein family may play important roles and could act as molecular markers in the early stage of somatic embryogenesis, as reported previously.
The clinicopathological significance of neurogenesis in breast cancer
Authors: Zhao Qianqian , Yang Yan , Liang Xizi , Du Guangye , Liu Liwei , Lu Lingjuan , Dong Junbo , Han Hongxiu , Zhang Guohua
Published: July 2014

Background

Recent reports support a novel biological phenomenon about cancer related neurogenesis. However, little is known about the clinicopathological significance of neurogenesis in breast cancer.

Methods

A total of 196 cases, including 20 of normal tissue, 14 of fibroadenoma, 18 of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and 144 of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) of the breast were used. The tissue slides were immunostained for protein gene product (PGP) 9.5 and S 100 to identify nerves. The correlation between the expression of PGP 9.5 and clinicopathological characteristics in IDC of the breast was assessed.

Results

While the PGP 9.5 positive nerve fibers are identified in all cases of normal breast tissue controls and in the tumor stroma of 61% (89/144) cases of invasive ductal carcinomas, PGP 9.5 positive nerve fibers are not seen in the tumor stroma of cases of fibroadenoma and DCIS. The percentage of tumors that exhibited neurogenesis increased from tumor grade I to tumor grade II and III (29.4% vs 71.8%, p < 0.0001). In addition, patients with less than 3 years of disease-free survival tended to have a higher positive expression of PGP 9.5 compared to patients with an equal or more than 3 years of disease-free survival (64.8% vs 46.7%, p = 0.035). Furthermore, moderate/strong expression of PGP 9.5 was found to be significantly related to microvessel density (MVD, p = 0.014). Interestingly, PGP 9.5 expression was significantly associated with higher MVD in the ER-negative (p = 0.045) and node-negative (p = 0.039) subgroups of IDC of the breast.

Conclusions

This data indicates that neurogenesis is associated with some aggressive features of IDC including tumor grade and patient survival as well as angiogenesis, especially in ER-negative and node-negative subtypes of IDC of the breast. Thus, neurogenesis appears to be associated with breast cancer progression and may play a role in therapeutic guidance for patients with ER-negative and node-negative invasive breast cancer.
Local Translation and Retrograde Axonal Transport of CREB Regulates IL-6-Induced Nociceptive Plasticity
Authors: Melemedjian Ohannes K , Tillu Dipti V , Moy Jamie K , Asiedu Marina N , Mandell Edward K , Ghosh Sourav , Dussor Gregory , Price Theodore J
Published: July 2014

Transcriptional regulation of genes by cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) is essential for the maintenance of long-term memory. Moreover, retrograde axonal trafficking of CREB in response to nerve growth factor (NGF) is critical for the survival of developing primary sensory neurons. We have previously demonstrated that hindpaw injection of interleukin-6 (IL-6) induces mechanical hypersensitivity and hyperalgesic priming that is prevented by the local injection of protein synthesis inhibitors. However, proteins that are locally synthesized that might lead to this effect have not been identified. We hypothesized that retrograde axonal trafficking of nascently synthesized CREB might link local, activity-dependent translation to nociceptive plasticity. To test this hypothesis, we determined if IL-6 enhances the expression of CREB and if it subsequently undergoes retrograde axonal transport. IL-6 treatment of sensory neurons in vitro caused an increase in CREB protein and in vivo treatment evoked an increase in CREB in the sciatic nerve consistent with retrograde transport. Importantly, co-injection of IL-6 with the methionine analogue azido-homoalanine (AHA), to assess nascently synthesized proteins, revealed an increase in CREB containing AHA in the sciatic nerve 2 hrs post injection, indicating retrograde transport of nascently synthesized CREB. Behaviorally, blockade of retrograde transport by disruption of microtubules or inhibition of dynein or intrathecal injection of cAMP response element (CRE) consensus sequence DNA oligonucleotides, which act as decoys for CREB DNA binding, prevented the development of IL-6-induced mechanical hypersensitivity and hyperalgesic priming. Consistent with previous studies in inflammatory models, intraplantar IL-6 enhanced the expression of BDNF in dorsal root ganglion (DRG). This effect was blocked by inhibition of retrograde axonal transport and by intrathecal CRE oligonucleotides. Collectively, these findings point to a novel mechanism of axonal translation and retrograde trafficking linking locally-generated signals to long-term nociceptive sensitization.
SOX2 and cancer: current research and its implications in the clinic
Authors: Weina Kasia , Utikal Jochen
Published: July 2014

SOX2 is a gene that encodes for a transcription factor belonging to the SOX gene family and contains a high‐mobility group (HMG) domain, which permits highly specific DNA binding. Consequently, SOX2 functions as an activator or suppressor of gene transcription. SOX2 has been described as an essential embryonic stem cell gene and moreover, a necessary factor for induced cellular reprogramming. SOX2 research has only recently switched focus from embryogenesis and development to SOX2's function in disease. Particularly, the role of SOX2 in cancer pathogenesis has become of interest in the field. To date, studies have shown SOX2 to be amplified in various cancer types and affect cancer cell physiology via involvement in complicated cell signaling and protein‐protein interactions. Recent reviews in this field have highlighted SOX2 in mammalian physiology, development and pathology. In this review, we comprehensively compile what is known to date about SOX2's involvement in cancer biology, focusing on the most recent findings in the fields of cellular signaling and cancer stem cells. Lastly, we underscore the role of SOX2 in the clinic and highlight new findings, which may provide novel clinical applications for SOX2 as a prognostic marker, indicator of metastasis, biomarker or potential therapeutic target in some cancer types.
Rapid forward modeling of multidetector logging-while-drilling Sigma measurements
Authors: Ortega Edwin , Torres-Verdín Carlos , Preeg William E.
Published: July 2014

Multidetector logging-while-drilling (LWD) Sigma was introduced to the oil industry to measure neutron absorption cross section (Sigma) and radial length of invasion in shallow-invaded formations. Sigma quantifies the ability of a material to absorb thermal neutrons and is calculated from the late time portion of the time decay of thermal neutrons or gamma rays generated from thermal-neutron absorption. The assessment of invasion is made possible with the combination of a thermal-neutron detector and two gamma-ray detectors with different source-detector spacings. However, the interpretation of LWD Sigma logs is often affected by several environmental and/or geometric effects that can mask the formation response. A fast numerical simulation method embedded with inversion-based techniques can be used to estimate intrinsic formation Sigma from borehole measurements affected by shoulder-bed, invasion, and/or environmental effects. We developed a fast and accurate method to numerically simulate LWD multidetector thermal-neutron and gamma-ray time decays in realistic borehole environments. The method relies on Monte Carlo precalculated libraries of particle time decays and detector-specific flux sensitivity functions, while accounting for detector-specific borehole and diffusion effects. Simulations are benchmarked against test-pit measurements and Monte Carlo N-particle (MCNP) transport code calculations. Results indicate that multidetector time decays acquired under complex geometrical conditions can be numerically simulated in approximately 1e-5 the time required using MCNP, with average difference within two capture units. The simulation of time decays, rather than Sigma itself enables a direct relationship between actual rock Sigma and multidetector diffusion-affected time decays, thereby removing intermediate correction steps often used to convert apparent into intrinsic formation Sigma.
Induction of ectopic taste buds by SHH reveals the competency and plasticity of adult lingual epithelium
Authors: Castillo David , Seidel Kerstin , Salcedo Ernesto , Ahn Christina , de Sauvage Frederic J. , Klein Ophir D. , Barlow Linda A.
Published: July 2014

Taste buds are assemblies of elongated epithelial cells, which are innervated by gustatory nerves that transmit taste information to the brain stem. Taste cells are continuously renewed throughout life via proliferation of epithelial progenitors, but the molecular regulation of this process remains unknown. During embryogenesis, sonic hedgehog (SHH) negatively regulates taste bud patterning, such that inhibition of SHH causes the formation of more and larger taste bud primordia, including in regions of the tongue normally devoid of taste buds. Here, using a Cre-lox system to drive constitutive expression of SHH, we identify the effects of SHH on the lingual epithelium of adult mice. We show that misexpression of SHH transforms lingual epithelial cell fate, such that daughter cells of lingual epithelial progenitors form cell type-replete, onion-shaped taste buds, rather than non-taste, pseudostratified epithelium. These SHH-induced ectopic taste buds are found in regions of the adult tongue previously thought incapable of generating taste organs. The ectopic buds are composed of all taste cell types, including support cells and detectors of sweet, bitter, umami, salt and sour, and recapitulate the molecular differentiation process of endogenous taste buds. In contrast to the well-established nerve dependence of endogenous taste buds, however, ectopic taste buds form independently of both gustatory and somatosensory innervation. As innervation is required for SHH expression by endogenous taste buds, our data suggest that SHH can replace the need for innervation to drive the entire program of taste bud differentiation.
Simultaneous rather than ordered cleavage of two sites within the BMP4 prodomain leads to loss of ligand in mice
Authors: Tilak Anup , Nelsen Sylvia M. , Kim Hyung-Seok , Donley Nathan , McKnite Autumn , Lee Hyunjung , Christian Jan L.
Published: July 2014

ProBMP4 is generated as a latent precursor that is sequentially cleaved at two sites within the prodomain to generate an active ligand. An initial cleavage occurs adjacent to the ligand domain, which generates a non-covalently associated prodomain/ligand complex that is subsequently dissociated by cleavage at an upstream site. An outstanding question is whether the two sites need to be cleaved sequentially and in the correct order to achieve proper control of BMP4 signaling during development. In the current studies, we demonstrate that mice carrying a knock-in point mutation that causes simultaneous rather than sequential cleavage of both prodomain sites show loss of BMP4 function and die during mid-embryogenesis. Levels of mature BMP4 are severely reduced in mutants, although levels of precursor and cleaved prodomain are unchanged compared with wild type. Our biochemical analysis supports a model in which the transient prodomain/ligand complex that forms during sequential cleavage plays an essential role in prodomain-mediated stabilization of the mature ligand until it can acquire protection from degradation by other means. By contrast, simultaneous cleavage causes premature release of the ligand from the prodomain, leading to destabilization of the ligand and loss of signaling in vivo.