bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in the development of portal hypertension in the carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis model
Authors: Theodorakis Nicholas G. , Wang Yining N. , Wu Jian-Ming , Maluccio Mary A. , Sitzmann James V. , Skill Nicholas J.
Published: July 2009

Portal hypertension (PHT) is a complication of liver cirrhosis and directly increases mortality and morbidity by increasing the propensity of venous hemorrhage. There are two main underlying causations for PHT, increased hepatic resistance and systemic hyperdynamic circulation. Both are related to localized aberrations in endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) function and NO biosynthesis. This study investigates the importance of eNOS and systemic hyperdynamic-associated hyperemia to better understand the pathophysiology of PHT. Wild-type and eNOS−/− mice were given the hepatotoxin CCl4 for 4–12 wk. Hepatic fibrosis was determined histologically following collagen staining. Portal venous pressure, hepatic resistance, and hyperemia were determined by measuring splenic pulp pressure (SPP), hepatic portal-venous perfusion pressure (HPVPP), abdominal aortic flow (Qao), and portal venous flow (Qpv). Hepatic fibrosis developed equally in wild-type and eNOS−/− CCl4-exposed mice. SPP, Qao, and Qpv increased rapidly in wild-type CCl4-exposed mice, but HPVPP did not. In eNOS−/− CCl4 mice, Qao was not increased, SPP was partially increased, and HPVPP and Qpv were increased nonsignificantly. We concluded that the systemic hyperemia component of hyperdynamic circulation is eNOS dependent and precedes increased changes in hepatic resistance. Alternative mechanisms, possibly involving cyclooxygenase, may contribute. eNOS maintains normal hepatic resistance following CCl4-induced fibrosis. Consequently, increased portal pressure following chronic CCl4 exposure is linked to hyperdynamic circulation in wild-type mice and increased hepatic resistance in eNOS−/− mice.
Nitric oxide dilates rat retinal blood vessels by cyclooxygenase-dependent mechanisms
Authors: Ogawa Naoto , Mori Asami , Hasebe Masami , Hoshino Maya , Saito Maki , Sakamoto Kenji , Nakahara Tsutomu , Ishii Kunio
Published: July 2009

It has been suggested that nitric oxide (NO) stimulates the cyclooxygenase (COX)-dependent mechanisms in the ocular vasculature; however, the importance of the pathway in regulating retinal circulation in vivo remains to be elucidated. Therefore, we investigated the role of COX-dependent mechanisms in NO-induced vasodilation of retinal blood vessels in thiobutabarbital-anesthetized rats with and without neuronal blockade (tetrodotoxin treatment). Fundus images were captured with a digital camera that was equipped with a special objective lens. The retinal vascular response was assessed by measuring changes in diameter of the retinal blood vessel. The localization of COX and soluble guanylyl cyclase in rat retina was examined using immunohistochemistry. The NO donors (sodium nitroprusside and NOR3) increased the diameter of the retinal blood vessels but decreased systemic blood pressure in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment of rats with indomethacin, a nonselective COX inhibitor, or SC-560, a selective COX-1 inhibitor, markedly attenuated the vasodilation of retinal arterioles, but not the depressor response, to the NO donors. However, both the vascular responses to NO donors were unaffected by the selective COX-2 inhibitors NS-398 and nimesulide. Indomethacin did not change the retinal vascular and depressor responses to hydralazine, 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-guanosine-3′, 5′-cyclic monophosphate (a membrane-permeable cGMP analog) and 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-adenosine-3′, 5′-cyclic monophosphate (a membrane-permeable cAMP analog). Treatment with SQ 22536, an adenylyl cyclase inhibitor, but not ODQ, a soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, significantly attenuated the NOR3-induced vasodilation of retinal arterioles. The COX-1 immunoreactivity was found in retinal blood vessels. The retinal blood vessel was faintly stained for soluble guanylyl cyclase, although the apparent immunoreactivities on mesenteric and choroidal blood vessels were observed. These results suggest that NO exerts a substantial part of its dilatory effect via a mechanism that involves COX-1-dependent pathway in rat retinal vasculature.
FAT/CD36-null mice reveal that mitochondrial FAT/CD36 is required to upregulate mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation in contracting muscle
Authors: Holloway Graham P. , Jain Swati S. , Bezaire Veronic , Han Xiao Xia , Glatz Jan F. C. , Luiken Joost J. F. P. , Harper Mary-Ellen , Bonen Arend
Published: July 2009

The plasma membrane fatty acid transport protein FAT/CD36 is also present at the mitochondria, where it may contribute to the regulation of fatty acid oxidation, although this has been challenged. Therefore, we have compared enzyme activities and rates of mitochondrial palmitate oxidation in muscles of wild-type (WT) and FAT/CD36 knockout (KO) mice, at rest and after muscle contraction. In WT and KO mice, carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I, citrate synthase, and β-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase activities did not differ in subsarcolemmal (SS) and intermyofibrillar (IMF) mitochondria of WT and FAT/CD36 KO mice. Basal palmitate oxidation rates were lower ( P < 0.05) in KO mice (SS −18%; IMF −13%). Muscle contraction increased fatty acid oxidation (+18%) and mitochondrial FAT/CD36 protein (+16%) in WT IMF but not in WT SS, or in either mitochondrial subpopulation in KO mice. This revealed that the difference in IMF mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation between WT and KO mice can be increased ∼2.5-fold from 13% under basal conditions to 35% during muscle contraction. The FAT/CD36 inhibitor sulfo- N-succinimidyl oleate (SSO), inhibited palmitate transport across the plasma membrane in WT, but not in KO mice. In contrast, SSO bound to mitochondrial membranes and reduced palmitate oxidation rates to a similar extent in both WT and KO mitochondria (∼80%; P < 0.05). In addition, SSO reduced state III respiration with succinate as a substrate, without altering mitochondrial coupling (P/O ratios). Thus, while SSO inhibits FAT/CD36-mediated palmitate transport at the plasma membrane, SSO has undefined effects on mitochondria. Nevertheless, the KO animals reveal that FAT/CD36 contributes to the regulation of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation, which is especially important for meeting the increased metabolic demands during muscle contraction.
Causes of fatigue in slow-twitch rat skeletal muscle during dynamic activity
Authors: Munkvik Morten , Lunde Per Kristian , Sejersted Ole M.
Published: July 2009

Skeletal muscle fatigue is most often studied in vitro at room temperature and is classically defined as a decline in maximum force production or power output, exclusively linked to repeated isometric contractions. However, most muscles shorten during normal use, and we propose that both the functional correlate of fatigue, as well as the fatigue mechanism, will be different during dynamic contractions compared with static contractions. Under isoflurane anesthesia, fatigue was induced in rat soleus muscles in situ by isotonic shortening contractions at 37°C. Muscles were stimulated repeatedly for 1 s at 30 Hz every 2 s for a total of 15 min. The muscles were allowed to shorten isotonically against a load corresponding to one-third of maximal isometric force. Maximal unloaded shortening velocity (V0), maximum force production (Fmax), and isometric relaxation rate (−dF/d t) was reduced after 100 s but returned to almost initial values at the end of the stimulation protocol. Likewise, ATP and creatine phosphate (CrP) were reduced after 100 s, but the level of CrP was partially restored to initial values after 15 min. The rate of isometric force development, the velocity of shortening, and isotonic shortening were also reduced at 100 s, but in striking contrast, did not recover during the remainder of the stimulation protocol. The regulatory myosin light chain (MLC2s) was dephosphorylated after 100 s and did not recover. Although metabolic changes may account for the changes of Fmax, −dF/d t, and V0, dephosphorylation of MLC2s may be involved in the fatigue seen as sustained slower contraction velocities and decreased muscle shortening.
How nuclear receptors tell time
Authors: Teboul Michèle , Gréchez-Cassiau Aline , Guillaumond Fabienne , Delaunay Franck
Published: July 2009

Most organisms adapt their behavior and physiology to the daily changes in their environment through internal (∼24 h) circadian clocks. In mammals, this time-keeping system is organized hierarchically, with a master clock located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus that is reset by light, and that, in turn, coordinates the oscillation of local clocks found in all cells. Central and peripheral clocks control, in a highly tissue-specific manner, hundreds of target genes, resulting in the circadian regulation of most physiological processes. A great deal of knowledge has accumulated during the last decade regarding the molecular basis of mammalian circadian clocks. These studies have collectively demonstrated how a set of clock genes and their protein products interact together in complex feedback transcriptional/translational loops to generate 24-h oscillations at the molecular, cellular, and organism levels. In recent years, a number of nuclear receptors (NRs) have been implicated as important regulators of the mammalian clock mechanism. REV-ERB and retinoid-related orphan receptor NRs regulate directly the core feedback loop and increase its robustness. The glucocorticoid receptor mediates the synchronizing effect of glucocorticoid hormones on peripheral clocks. Other NR family members, including the orphan NR EAR2, peroxisome proliferator activated receptors-α/γ, estrogen receptor-α, and retinoic acid receptors, are also linked to the clockwork mechanism. These findings together establish nuclear hormone receptor signaling as an integral part of the circadian timing system.
Encoding and Decoding of Learned Smooth-Pursuit Eye Movements in the Floccular Complex of the Monkey Cerebellum
Authors: Medina Javier F. , Lisberger Stephen G.
Published: July 2009

We recorded the simple-spike (SS) firing of Purkinje cells (PCs) in the floccular complex both during normal pursuit caused by step-ramp target motions and after learning induced by a consistently timed change in the direction of target motion. The encoding of eye movement by the SS firing rate of individual PCs was described by a linear regression model, in which the firing rate is a sum of weighted components related to eye acceleration, velocity, and position. Although the model fit the data well for individual conditions, the regression coefficients for the learned component of firing often differed substantially from those for normal pursuit of step-ramp target motion. We suggest that the different encoding of learned versus normal pursuit responses in individual PCs reflects different amounts of learning in their inputs. The decoded output from the floccular complex, estimated by averaging responses across the population of PCs, also was fitted by the regression model. Regression coefficients were equal for the two conditions for on-direction pursuit, but differed for off-direction target motion. We conclude that the average output from the population of floccular PCs provides some, but not all, of the neural signals that drive the learned component of pursuit and that plasticity outside of the flocculus makes an important contribution.
Statistical Analysis of Parieto-Frontal Cognitive-Motor Networks
Authors: Averbeck Bruno B. , Battaglia-Mayer Alexandra , Guglielmo Carla , Caminiti Roberto
Published: July 2009

Considerable information has been gathered on the anatomical connectivity within the parieto-frontal network of the primate brain. To examine the statistical regularities in this connectivity, we carried out hierarchical cluster analysis and found statistically significant clusters of areas: four in the parietal and six in the frontal lobe. Clusters were based on patterns of inputs from all cortical areas. Both parietal and frontal clusters were composed of sets of spatially contiguous architectonic areas. The four parietal clusters were composed of sets of anterior (somatosensory), dorsal, inferior, and medio-lateral parietal cortical areas. The six frontal clusters were composed of sets of dorsal premotor, ventral premotor, primary motor, cingulate motor, and dorsal and ventral prefrontal cortical areas. Furthermore, connectivity between frontal and parietal clusters was topographic and reciprocal. Thus we found substantial statistical structure and organization in the parieto-frontal network that gives a simplified but accurate description of this system.
Stable Encoding of Task Structure Coexists With Flexible Coding of Task Events in Sensorimotor Striatum
Authors: Kubota Yasuo , Liu Jun , Hu Dan , DeCoteau William E. , Eden Uri T. , Smith Anne C. , Graybiel Ann M.
Published: July 2009

The sensorimotor striatum, as part of the brain's habit circuitry, has been suggested to store fixed action values as a result of stimulus-response learning and has been contrasted with a more flexible system that conditionally assigns values to behaviors. The stability of neural activity in the sensorimotor striatum is thought to underlie not only normal habits but also addiction and clinical syndromes characterized by behavioral fixity. By recording in the sensorimotor striatum of mice, we asked whether neuronal activity acquired during procedural learning would be stable even if the sensory stimuli triggering the habitual behavior were altered. Contrary to expectation, both fixed and flexible activity patterns appeared. One, representing the global structure of the acquired behavior, was stable across changes in task cuing. The second, a fine-grain representation of task events, adjusted rapidly. Such dual forms of representation may be critical to allow motor and cognitive flexibility despite habitual performance.
Alternative Splicing in the Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel DmNavRegulates Activation, Inactivation, and Persistent Current
Authors: Lin Wei-Hsiang , Wright Duncan E. , Muraro Nara I. , Baines Richard A.
Published: July 2009

Diversity in neuronal signaling is a product not only of differential gene expression, but also of alternative splicing. However, although recognized, the precise contribution of alternative splicing in ion channel transcripts to channel kinetics remains poorly understood. Invertebrates, with their smaller genomes, offer attractive models to examine the contribution of splicing to neuronal function. In this study we report the sequencing and biophysical characterization of alternative splice variants of the sole voltage-gated Na+gene ( DmNav, paralytic), in late-stage embryos of Drosophila melanogaster. We identify 27 unique splice variants, based on the presence of 15 alternative exons. Heterologous expression, in Xenopus oocytes, shows that alternative exons j, e, and f primarily influence activation kinetics: when present, exon f confers a hyperpolarizing shift in half-activation voltage ( V1/2), whereas j and e result in a depolarizing shift. The presence of exon h is sufficient to produce a depolarizing shift in the V1/2of steady-state inactivation. The magnitude of the persistent Na+current, but not the fast-inactivating current, in both oocytes and Drosophila motoneurons in vivo is directly influenced by the presence of either one of a pair of mutually exclusive, membrane-spanning exons, termed k and L. Transcripts containing k have significantly smaller persistent currents compared with those containing L. Finally, we show that transcripts lacking all cytoplasmic alternatively spliced exons still produce functional channels, indicating that splicing may influence channel kinetics not only through change to protein structure, but also by allowing differential modification (i.e., phosphorylation, binding of cofactors, etc.). Our results provide a functional basis for understanding how alternative splicing of a voltage-gated Na+channel results in diversity in neuronal signaling.
Intracellular Acidification Causes Adenosine Release During States of Hyperexcitability in the Hippocampus
Authors: Dulla Chris G. , Frenguelli Bruno G. , Staley Kevin J. , Masino Susan A.
Published: July 2009

Decreased pH increases extracellular adenosine in CNS regions as diverse as hippocampus and ventral medulla. However, thus far there is no clear consensus whether the critical pH change is a decrease in intracellular and/or extracellular pH. Previously we showed that a decrease in extracellular pH is necessary and a decrease in intracellular pH alone is not sufficient, to increase extracellular adenosine in an acute hippocampal slice preparation. Here we explored further the role of intracellular pH under different synaptic conditions in the hippocampal slice. When synaptic excitability was increased, either during γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor blockade in CA1 or after the induction of persistent bursting in CA3, a decrease in intracellular pH alone was now sufficient to: 1) elevate extracellular adenosine concentration, 2) activate adenosine A1receptors, 3) decrease excitatory synaptic transmission (CA1), and 4) attenuate burst frequency in an in vitro seizure model (CA3). Hippocampal slices obtained from adenosine A1receptor knockout mice did not exhibit these pH-mediated effects on synaptic transmission, further confirming the role of adenosine acting at the adenosine A1receptor. Taken together, these data strengthen and add significantly to the evidence outlining a change in pH as an important stimulus influencing extracellular adenosine. In addition, we identify conditions under which intracellular pH plays a dominant role in regulating extracellular adenosine concentrations.
Reification of the Chinese Intellectual
Authors: U Eddy
Published: July 2009

Research has largely overlooked the reification of the intellectual ( zhishifenzi) after the 1949 Communist revolution. Studying this major feature of Chinese socialism can illuminate the workings of the Chinese Communist Party, state-society relations, and the experience of so-called intellectuals. This article explores the social and ideological contexts that first nurtured the party’s concept of intellectuals. It focuses on the debate about the intellectual class ( zhishi jieji) in political and literary circles from the late 1910s to the mid-1920s. During the May Fourth era, socialists, anarchists, and other activists regarded the intellectual class as a distinct social category with internal cleavages based on age and political consciousness. Under the influence of the Comintern, the Chinese Communists recast the intellectual class as the primary ideological enemy. The debate about the intellectual class profoundly affected the party’s understanding of the intellectual. The article concludes by suggesting new directions for research on the reification of the intellectual.
Evaluating Older Persons’ Perceptions on Their Quality of Life in an Old People’s Institution
Authors: Hungwe Chipo
Published: July 2009

This study evaluates perceptions on the quality of life of older adults and the extent to which they practiced self-determination in an institution. Participant observation, in-depth interviews, and life histories are used to study 16 older adults and 4 officials who are purposively selected and studied over 2.5 months between July and September 2002. Data are analyzed using the Miles and Huberman approach. Findings reveal that the ability to affect decisions pertaining to one’s care positively affects that individual’s perception of institutional life. The typical life course of an older male is also discussed. Older adults perceive their quality of life as negative and decreasing because they have little choice on their care and quality of life. The institution is affected by many adverse conditions in a socioeconomic environment, such as inflation at the rate of 4000% per annum, dwindling donor support, little government support, and negative attitudes of officials at Rubatsiro.
Narrating Trauma and Reconstruction in Post-conflict Karachi: Feminist Liberation Psychology and the Contours of Agency in the Margins
Authors: Chaudhry Lubna Nazir , Bertram Corrine
Published: July 2009

The article examines poor women's responses to direct and structural violence in Karachi, Pakistan, by combining goals and themes from liberation psychology with transnational feminism. We draw on interviews with Mohajir women survivors to analyse constructions of psychosocial trauma and attempts to rebuild post-conflict life-worlds, in a bid to understand the scope and contours of their agency within their `limit situations'. Although agency, resistance, and critical consciousness remain constrained by multi-layered power relations, women's narratives reflect crucial insights about social structures impacting their lives, and point to the need for interventions that integrate trauma alleviation and opportunities for local, national, and transnational grassroots activism, advocacy and policy initiatives.
Anatomy of a Workshop: Women's Struggles for Transformative Participation in Latin America
Authors: Crosby Alison
Published: July 2009

The systemic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war was a profound social silence during the armed conflicts in Guatemala and Perú, and in Colombia, where war rages on, women's bodies continue to be the invisibilized site of territorial struggle and violence. However, in each of these contexts, women survivors are breaking this silence, speaking their truths, seeking healing, and demanding justice. These struggles for personal and collective liberation are inherently dialogical and relational processes, requiring the building of connections — with other survivors, and with those who can provide accompaniment. This article focuses on this latter group of `accompaniers', on their understandings and experiences of engagement in work on the issue of sexual violence, and their relationship to survivors, using as primary data an international workshop held in Guatemala in May 2007 that brought together psychologists, lawyers, researchers and activists who accompany women survivors in Perú, Guatemala, and Colombia.
Quality Assurance and the Changing Meaning of Autonomy and Accountability Between Home and Overseas Campuses of the Universities in New York State
Authors: Yokoyama Keiko
Published: July 2009

The purpose of this study is to identify how the meaning of autonomy and accountability changes between domestic and overseas campuses of the universities in New York State. The article confines to and examines the shift of the quality assurance mechanism between two contexts. The article argues that home campuses of the University of the State of New York (USNY) emphasize substantial autonomy and managerial, professional, and market accountability, which are mainly shaped by the state’s regulatory mode, the market and the accreditation scheme of a regional accrediting body, Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). The meanings of autonomy and accountability of the USNY’s overseas campuses are far more complex and hybrid than those within the U.S. territory mainly because of shift in the state’s regulatory mechanism, different implication of the MSCHE’s practice for the meaning of accountability, and the involvement of new regulatory bodies—authorities in host countries.
Remapping the Somatosensory Cortex after Stroke: Insight from Imaging the Synapse to Network
Authors: Winship Ian R. , Murphy Timothy H.
Published: July 2009

Together, thousands of neurons with similar function make up topographically oriented sensory cortex maps that represent contralateral body parts. Although this is an accepted model for the adult cortex, whether these same rules hold after stroke-induced damage is unclear. After stroke, sensory representations damaged by stroke remap onto nearby surviving neurons. Here, we review the process of sensory remapping after stroke at multiple levels ranging from the initial damage to synapses, to their rewiring and function in intact sensory circuits. We introduce a new approach using in vivo 2-photon calcium imaging to determine how the response properties of individual somatosensory cortex neurons are altered during remapping. One month after forelimb-area stroke, normally highly limb-selective neurons in surviving peri-infarct areas exhibit remarkable flexibility and begin to process sensory stimuli from multiple limbs as remapping proceeds. Two months after stroke, neurons within remapped regions develop a stronger response preference. Thus, remapping is initiated by surviving neurons adopting new roles in addition to their usual function. Later in recovery, these remapped forelimb-responsive neurons become more selective, but their new topographical representation may encroach on map territories of neurons that process sensory stimuli from other body parts. Neurons responding to multiple limbs may reflect a transitory phase in the progression from their involvement in one sensorimotor function to a new function that replaces processing lost due to stroke.
Brain abnormalities in Sjogren syndrome with recurrent CNS manifestations: association with neuromyelitis optica
Authors: Min JH , Kim HJ , Kim BJ , Lee KW , Sunwoo IN , Kim SM , Kim BJ , Kim SH , Park MS , Waters P , Vincent A , Sung JJ , Lee KH
Published: July 2009

Background and objectives

Optic neuritis or longitudinally extensive myelitis in Sjogren syndrome (SS) suggests a neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). However, brain abnormalities of SS remain to be elucidated for the association with neuromyelitis optica (NMO).

Methods

Twelve primary SS patients (all women, 42 ± 13.2 years) who had recurrent central nervous system (CNS) manifestations with brain involvement were retrospectively identified. Brain MRI, and neurologic and serologic findings were analyzed with the measurement of anti-aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-Ab).

Results

All patients showed brain lesions characteristic of NMO as follows: 1) the involved sites adjacent to the third and fourth ventricles and in the posterior limb of the internal capsule, 2) unique configurations, such as the longitudinal course from the internal capsule to the midbrain, large cerebral or cerebellar lesions over 3 cm, and cavity-like formations. AQP4-Ab was positive in six of eight patients tested, and all the seropositive patients showed lesions with increased diffusion, suggestive of vasogenic edema. Four patients met the revised criteria of NMO, and nine had features of NMOSDs. Of the remaining three patients showing only brain involvement, one had AQP4-Ab.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that SS patients with recurrent CNS involvement have brain abnormalities characteristic of NMO and AQP4-Ab in Korea. The presence of AQP4-Ab in one SS patient with only brain involvement may suggest that the coexistence of NMO should be explored in SS patients with recurrent CNS manifestations, even without optic neuritis or myelitis.
Integrative Literature Review: Motivation to Transfer Training: An Integrative Literature Review
Authors: Gegenfurtner Andreas , Veermans Koen , Festner Dagmar , Gruber Hans
Published: July 2009

Motivation to transfer is essential for the transfer of training. Without motivation, newly acquired knowledge and skills will not be applied at work. The purpose of this integrative literature review is to summarize, critique, and synthesize past transfer motivation research and to offer directions for future investigations. First, seven contributions of past research are presented in an attempt to understand antecedents, correlates, and consequences of motivation to transfer. Second, an alternative view that complements and extends current approaches is discussed, and its implications for future studies investigating employees’ motivation for training application on the job are outlined.
A survey of learning disability inpatient services in Scotland in 2007
Authors: Perera Chandima , Simpson Neill , Douds Fergus , Campbell Martin
Published: July 2009

A national review of learning disability services in Scotland, The Same As You? recommended that Health Boards should close all long stay beds by 2005 and reduce assessment and treatment places to specified levels. A psychiatry-led service planning study was carried out in 2007 to find out whether these recommendations had been met. The extent of delayed discharges was also investigated. All 15 Health Boards in Scotland responded and supplied the requested information. There were 388 adults with learning disabilities within inpatient services, 91 of whom were within forensic learning disability services. The age, gender, reasons for admission and length of stay are reported for this inpatient population. Recommendations are made for future recording of delayed discharges and the adequacy of the number of assessment and treatment inpatient places in Scotland is discussed.
Fostering independence in health-promoting exercise
Authors: Lynnes Michelle D. , Nichols Doug , Temple Viviene A.
Published: July 2009

The Integrated Model of Physical Activity and Disability was used to design a strength and aerobic exercise program for adults with intellectual disability participating in Special Olympics. This study examined the extent to which four participants could acquire exercise skills in a face-to-face context and apply these skills at home with indirect support. Adherence to the program, as well as program satisfaction, was examined. Participants were able to acquire the strength skills and most were able to use these skills at home with minimal support. The participants liked the approach, in particular the individualized planning and follow-up via telephone calls. These participants were able to use an exercise DVD independently at home and three of the four participants showed a threefold increase in exercise frequency. The utility of the approach lies in the capacity to extend the reach of face-to-face programs beyond tangible constraints such as facilities and staff availability.
The use of antibiotics to improve phage detection and enumeration by the double-layer agar technique
Authors: Santos Sílvio B , Carvalho Carla M , Sillankorva Sanna , Nicolau Ana , Ferreira Eugénio C , Azeredo Joana
Published: July 2009

Background

The Double-Layer Agar (DLA) technique is extensively used in phage research to enumerate and identify phages and to isolate mutants and new phages. Many phages form large and well-defined plaques that are easily observed so that they can be enumerated when plated by the DLA technique. However, some give rise to small and turbid plaques that are very difficult to detect and count. To overcome these problems, some authors have suggested the use of dyes to improve the contrast between the plaques and the turbid host lawns. It has been reported that some antibiotics stimulate bacteria to produce phages, resulting in an increase in final titer. Thus, antibiotics might contribute to increasing plaque size in solid media.

Results

Antibiotics with different mechanisms of action were tested for their ability to enhance plaque morphology without suppressing phage development. Some antibiotics increased the phage plaque surface by up to 50-fold.

Conclusion

This work presents a modification of the DLA technique that can be used routinely in the laboratory, leading to a more accurate enumeration of phages that would be difficult or even impossible otherwise.
An analysis of Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and Glutathione S-transferase omega-1 genes as modifiers of the cerebral response to ischemia
Authors: Peddareddygari Leema Reddy , Dutra Ana Virginia , Levenstien Mark A , Sen Souvik , Grewal Raji P
Published: July 2009

Background

Cerebral ischemia involves a series of reactions which ultimately influence the final volume of a brain infarction. We hypothesize that polymorphisms in genes encoding proteins involved in these reactions could act as modifiers of the cerebral response to ischemia and impact the resultant stroke volume. The final volume of a cerebral infarct is important as it correlates with the morbidity and mortality associated with non-lacunar ischemic strokes.

Methods

The proteins encoded by the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and glutathione S-transferase omega-1 (GSTO-1) genes are, through oxidative mechanisms, key participants in the cerebral response to ischemia. On the basis of these biological activities, they were selected as candidate genes for further investigation. We analyzed the C677T polymorphism in the MTHFR gene and the C419A polymorphism in the GSTO-1 gene in 128 patients with non-lacunar ischemic strokes.

Results

We found no significant association of either the MTHFR (p = 0.72) or GSTO-1 (p = 0.58) polymorphisms with cerebral infarct volume.

Conclusion

Our study shows no major gene effect of either the MTHFR or GSTO-1 genes as a modifier of ischemic stroke volume. However, given the relatively small sample size, a minor gene effect is not excluded by this investigation.
Inhibitory effect of ginsenoside Rg3 combined with gemcitabine on angiogenesis and growth of lung cancer in mice
Authors: Liu Tai-Guo , Huang Ying , Cui Dan-Dan , Huang Xiao-Bing , Mao Shu-Hua , Ji Ling-Ling , Song Hai-Bo , Yi Cheng
Published: July 2009

Background

Ginsenoside Rg3, a saponin extracted from ginseng, inhibits angiogenesis. The combination of low-dose chemotherapy and anti-angiogenic inhibitors suppresses growth of experimental tumors more effectively than conventional therapy or anti-angiogenic agent alone. The present study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of low-dose gemcitabine combined with ginsenoside Rg3 on angiogenesis and growth of established Lewis lung carcinoma in mice.

Methods

C57L/6 mice implanted with Lewis lung carcinoma were randomized into the control, ginsenoside Rg3, gemcitabine and combination group. The quality of life and survival of mice were recorded. Tumor volume, inhibitive rate and necrosis rate were estimated. Necrosis of tumor and signals of blood flow as well as dynamic parameters of arterial blood flow in tumors such as peak systolic velocity (PSV) and resistive index (RI) were detected by color Doppler ultrasound. In addition, expression of vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) and CD31 were observed by immunohistochemstry, and microvessel density (MVD) of the tumor tissues was assessed by CD31 immunohistochemical analysis.

Results

Quality of life of mice in the ginsenoside Rg3 and combination group were better than in the control and gemcitabine group. Combined therapy with ginsenoside Rg3 and gemcitabine not only enhanced efficacy on suppression of tumor growth and prolongation of the survival, but also increased necrosis rate of tumor significantly. In addition, the combination treatment could obviously decrease VEGF expression and MVD as well as signals of blood flow and PSV in tumors.

Conclusion

Ginsenoside Rg3 combined with gemcitabine may significantly inhibit angiogenesis and growth of lung cancer and improve survival and quality of life of tumor-bearing mice. The combination of chemotherapy and anti-angiogenic drugs may be an innovative and promising therapeutic strategy in the experimental treatment of human lung cancer.
Systematic inclusion of mandatory interprofessional education in health professions curricula at Gunma University: a report of student self-assessment in a nine-year implementation
Authors: Ogawara Hatsue , Hayashi Tomoko , Asakawa Yasuyoshi , Iwasaki Kiyotaka , Matsuda Tamiko , Abe Yumiko , Tozato Fusae , Makino Takatoshi , Koizumi Misako , Yasukawa Takako , Watanabe Hideomi
Published: July 2009

Background

The mandatory interprofessional education programme at Gunma University was initiated in 1999. This paper is a statistical evaluation of the programme from 1999 to 2007.

Methods

A questionnaire of 10 items to assess the achievement levels of the programme, which was developed independently of other assessment systems published previously, was distributed, as well as two or three open-ended questions to be answered at the end of each annual module. A multivariate analysis of variance model was used, and the factor analysis of the responses was performed with varimax rotation.

Results

Over all, 1418 respondents of a possible 1629 students completed the survey, for a total response rate of 87.1%. Cronbach's alpha of 10 items was 0.793, revealing high internal consistency. Our original questionnaire was categorized into four subscales as follows: "Role and responsibilities", "Teamwork and collaboration", "Structure and function of training facilities", and "Professional identity". Students in the Department of Occupational Therapy reached a relatively lower level of achievement. In the replies to the open-ended questions, requests for the participation of the medical students were repeated throughout the evaluation period.

Conclusion

The present four subscales measure "understanding", and may take into account the development of interprofessional education programmes with clinical training in various facilities. The content and quality of clinical training subjects may be remarkably dependent on training facilities, suggesting the importance of full consultation mechanisms in the local network with the relevant educational institutes for medicine, health care and welfare.
Ectopic localization of FOXO3a protein in Lewy bodies in Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's disease
Authors: Su Bo , Liu Haihua , Wang Xinglong , Chen Shu G , Siedlak Sandra L , Kondo Eisaku , Choi Raymond , Takeda Atsushi , Castellani Rudy J , Perry George , Smith Mark A , Zhu Xiongwei , Lee Hyoung-gon
Published: July 2009

Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites constitute the cardinal neuropathological features of both Parkinson's disease (PD) and Lewy body dementia (LBD). Whereas α-synuclein has been found to be the major component of the Lewy body, the mechanisms by which neurons degenerate, as well as basic mechanisms involved in the formation of α-synuclein-related inclusions, remain obscure. We have suggested previously that potential mechanisms are likely to leave a "molecular signature" or protein adduct within the Lewy body, and have found examples of such signatures in previous studies. In this study, we demonstrate increased FOXO3 in association with Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites in LBD and PD brain tissue. Since FOXO proteins are involved in several pathways responsible for the regulation of cell death, cell proliferation, and cell metabolism, the ectopic localization of FOXO3 to Lewy bodies provides evidence that aberrations in basic cellular biochemistry may contribute to inclusion formation, which is likely more complex than a simple "gain of function" toxicity as is commonly opined. In light of the known interaction of FOXO3 and 14-3-3, basic protein-protein interaction between these proteins and α-synuclein may be key.
Electromagnetic—rotordynamic integrated vibration analysis for electrical machines
Authors: Chen Y S , Cheng Y D , Liao J J , Chiu C C
Published: July 2009

A systematic approach for analysing vibration-related problems of electrical machines, integrating both complex electromagnetic and rotordynamic analyses, is completely presented with an in-house finite-element solution module, formulated from related theories in rotor-dynamics. The electromagnetic analysis processes with the MagNet software are described herein to obtain the performance curves of electrical machines. They are integrated into the equation of motion to investigate the corresponding vibration characteristics. Based on the previously published work, the squirrel-cage-type induction motor is employed as an extended case study to demonstrate the integrated procedure. Three types of silicon steel core materials are considered in order to explore their effects in the dynamic properties of the system. Also, what happens on the vibration amplitude of rotor critical positions at the instant right before and after passing the critical speed are investigated thoroughly. The corresponding results exhibit that the complete procedures in using the proposed methodology can solve the reliability issues of electrical machines effectively.
On the slabbing of stones through diamond wire cutting operations
Authors: Fratini L , Liguori V , Oriti B
Published: July 2009

Diamond wires are usually used in the cutting operations aimed to obtain slabs of stones. This tool consists of a steel cable on which are mounted annular metal—diamond pearls. The use of this technology expanded all over the world because of its advantages on other slabbing techniques as both technical and economical aspects are considered. It should be observed that with this technology wear phenomena must be properly monitored in order to obtain the best process conditions. In this article, the diamond wire cutting operation is investigated, highlighting the process mechanics and the wear phenomena occurring in the used tools. Furthermore, a modified version of the tool itself is proposed with the aim to increase its life maintaining the quality of the produced stones.
The effects of clearance sizes on labyrinth brush seal leakage performance using a Reynolds-averaged Navier—Stokes solver and non-Darcian porous medium model
Authors: Li J , Obi S , Feng Z
Published: July 2009

Effects of clearance sizes on the pressure and leakage characteristics in a shaft labyrinth brush seal were numerically investigated using Reynolds-averaged Navier—Stokes (RANS) and non-Darcian porous medium model solutions. The leakage flow characteristics in the referenced design shaft labyrinth seal of turbomachinery was initially studied using the RANS solution. The initial shaft labyrinth seal was redesigned into the multi-stage labyrinth brush seal. The reliability and accuracy of the RANS and the non-Darcian porous medium model for leakage flow in brush seals were demonstrated through comparison of the experimental data. Then, the leakage flowrate of the redesigned shaft labyrinth brush seal was calculated at four sizes of bristle pack tip clearances (0, 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 mm) and compared with the referenced shaft labyrinth seal. The numerical results show that the leakage flowrate increases rapidly with increasing clearance between the bristle pack tip and the rotor surface for the shaft labyrinth brush seal. The leakage flow pattern in the referenced labyrinth seal and the redesigned shaft labyrinth brush seal was also illustrated.
Computation of rotating blade noise scattered by a centrifugal volute
Authors: Mao Y , Qi D
Published: July 2009

Noise radiating from rotating blades surrounded by a centrifugal volute is calculated combining a hybrid computational aeroacoustic method with the thin-body boundary element method (BEM), which considers the scattering effect of the volute to noise propagation. First, unsteady viscous flow in the centrifugal fan is simulated to obtain the noise sources information on the blades, and then the radiated noise in free field is computed using the Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings equation in the frequency domain. Lastly, the thin-body BEM is adopted to predict scattering effect of the volute. Good agreement between the numerical result and the exact solution of the plane wave scattered by a rigid flat plate validates the developed computational code. And the numerical result for blades noise shows that the scattering of the volute not only changes the directivity pattern of blades noise but also enhances the sound pressure level at the outlet of the volute.
Advertising localist modernism: William Carlos Williams, Aladdin Einstein and the transatlantic avant-garde in Contact
Authors: White Eric
Published: July 2009

Critics of early twentieth-century American modernism traditionally divide its key literary figures into two camps: the cosmopolitan exiles who expatriated themselves from the United States, and those who stayed at home. However, recent studies have challenged such dichotomies in the
modernist canon, and drawing on the emerging field of transatlantic literary studies, this article investigates Contact, a specialized little magazine edited by William Carlos Williams and Robert McAlmon which has been frequently characterized as an exclusively national(ist) project.
My argument is that Contact actually represents a sophisticated expression of localist modernism, a specific element of the transatlantic avant-garde that emerged (rather than diverged) from an international network of artist-run journals in the early twentieth century. Using a combination
of literary-historical analysis, textual studies practices and extensive archival research, this article focuses on the Advertising Number, a special issue of Contact that has until now been overlooked by critics. Albert Einstein's arrival in America initiated a heady collision of avant-garde
poetics, mainstream print culture and global economics in the pages of New York's little magazines. In the Advertising Number, Williams enlisted his literary milieu, including a surprising contribution from the exile Ezra Pound, to explore a pivotal cultural moment in the evolution of the
transatlantic avant-garde.
Lolita's Time Leaks and transatlantic decadence
Authors: Norman Will
Published: July 2009

In this article, I investigate the matrix of transatlantic literary exchange in Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita (1955) in order to suggest how the novel's rehabilitation of an international decadent aesthetics constitutes a radical challenge to the American literary establishment in
the post-war. I begin by identifying the figures of Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Baudelaire and Algernon Swinburne as the key constellation for Nabokov in his plotting of Lolita's ambivalent engagement with the ethics of temporality and artistic autonomy. I then go on to situate Lolita's
composition within debates current in the American academy from the late 1930s to the early 1950s over the value of decadent aesthetics within the modernist project and anxieties over Poe's place within American national literary culture. Read alongside the critical writings of T.S. Eliot,
Allen Tate and the New Criticism, Lolita emerges as the risky reinstatement of a transatlantic decadent tradition, in which the failure of temporal and ethical containment disrupts a dominant narrative of modernism's history in American letters.
A Synthetic Evaluation and Fuzzy Scheduling Model for Autonomous Test Priority
Authors: Zheng Wei , Chen Weimin , Zhu Yong , Zhang Peng
Published: July 2009

An autonomous test is one of the key technologies in an autonomous system. Based on the multitask mechanism of an embedded real-time operation system, the software environment for an autonomous test is proposed. The influence factors of task importance are also considered in order to form a comprehensive criterion. A synthetic evaluation and fuzzy scheduling model is established, and the evaluating method for clustering effect is provided afterwards. The experiment shows the validity of the model.
Performance Evaluation of Resistance Spot Welded Interstitial Free Steel Under Cryogenic Conditions
Authors: Banerjee Gopa , Pal T. K. , Das Goutam
Published: July 2009

Shear tensile (strain rate 102/s) performance of spot welded joints at cryogenic temperatures has been studied considering it as a simple method to indicate the crash resistance performance. The strength of different resistance spot welded joints of interstitial free steel under various heat input conditions has also been evaluated at room temperature for comparison. Micromechanism of fracture of the spot welded joints is investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Although an increase in shear tensile strength with decreasing test temperature is observed in all the spot welds, considerable variations in fracture mode exist in contrast to the room temperature test. The high heat input spot welds remain ductile at all test temperatures, however, low heat input welds become considerably brittle at cryogenic temperatures. Furthermore, medium heat input welds can maintain ductility until 0°C and there is loss of ductility with further lowering of test temperature.