bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does the Ideological Dispersion of Parties Mediate the Electoral Impact of Valence? A Cross-National Study of Party Support in Nine Western European Democracies
Authors: Clark Michael , Leiter Debra
Published: June 2013

Previous empirical research has found evidence suggesting that the character-based valence attributes of parties, such as competence and integrity, can have notable effects of levels of electoral support (Clark, 2009; Mondak, 1995). A related strand of literature analyzes the importance of parties’ policy positions. In this study, we bring together research on valence and party dispersion to examine whether the ideological dispersion of parties in a party system mediates the electoral impact of valence. We perform empirical analyses covering nine Western European countries over the period 1976 to 2003, and test the hypothesis that when parties are more ideologically proximate to the mean voter position, character-based valence attributes will be of greater significance in determining parties’ electoral fortunes. Surprisingly, we find no support for this hypothesis. Instead, our analyses suggest that the more ideologically dispersed parties are, the more likely it is that character-based valence attributes will affect parties’ vote shares.
Identifying Subtypes Among Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder and Mathematical Learning Disabilities, Using Model-Based Clustering
Authors: Pieters Stefanie , Roeyers Herbert , Rosseel Yves , Van Waelvelde Hilde , Desoete Annemie
Published: June 2013

A relationship between motor and mathematical skills has been shown by previous research. However, the question of whether subtypes can be differentiated within developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and/or mathematical learning disability (MLD) remains unresolved. In a sample of children with and without DCD and/or MLD, a data-driven model-based clustering was used to identify subgroups of individuals with relatively homogeneous profiles on measures associated with motor and mathematical skills. One subgroup of children with motor problems was found based on motor variables. Based on mathematical variables, two clinical clusters were found: a subtype with number fact retrieval problems and a subtype with procedural calculation problems. Clustering with motor and mathematical skills revealed two clinical clusters: a cluster with number fact retrieval as well as procedural calculation problems and below average motor and visual-motor integration skills. A second cluster of children had only procedural calculation and visual-motor problems. Our results raise questions about the usefulness of placing children who have below average mathematical skills into a single diagnostic category. Furthermore, we inform ongoing debates about the overlap between DCD and MLD, as below average motor skills were found in both MLD subgroups, although a different motor profile is linked to a different mathematical profile.
Putative Risk Factors in Developmental Dyslexia
Authors: Mascheretti Sara , Marino Cecilia , Simone Daniela , Quadrelli Ermanno , Riva Valentina , Cellino Maria Rosaria , Maziade Michel , Brombin Chiara , Battaglia Marco
Published: June 2013

Although dyslexia runs in families, several putative risk factors that cannot be immediately identified as genetic predict reading disability. Published studies analyzed one or a few risk factors at a time, with relatively inconsistent results. To assess the contribution of several putative risk factors to the development of dyslexia, we conducted a case-control study of 403 Italian children, 155 with dyslexia, by implementing a stepwise logistic regression applied to the entire sample, and then to boys and girls separately. Younger parental age at child’s birth, lower parental education, and risk of miscarriage significantly increased the odds of belonging to the dyslexia group (19.5% of the variation). These associations were confirmed in the analyses conducted separately by sex, except for parental education, which significantly affected only males. These findings support reading disabilities as a multifactorial disorder and may bear some importance for the prevention and/or early detection of children at heightened risk for dyslexia.
A Model of Event–Destination Image Transfer
Authors: Deng Qian , Li Mimi
Published: June 2013

The aim of this study is to provide a theoretical understanding and empirical examination of the psychological responses of tourists attending a mega-event hosted in a tourism destination. A conceptual framework—the event–destination image transfer model—was developed from an extensive literature review and related theoretical discussion. A survey was conducted in Shanghai during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo to test the model. The findings show that the event image directly and positively affected the destination image, providing empirical support for the image transfer theory. Tourists’ psychological responses—their overall attitude and behavioral intentions toward the destination—were positively and significantly affected by the destination image. However, the direct effect of the event image on tourists’ overall attitude toward the destination was statistically non-significant due to the mediation effect of the destination image.
Destination Development
Authors: Ness Håvard , Aarstad Jarle , Haugland Sven A. , Grønseth Bjørn Ove
Published: June 2013

We explore the contribution of interdestination ties to destination development. As destinations search for practices that can be used to improve their co-producing efforts, they make use of actors connecting them to other destinations. Thus, interdestination bridge ties have important roles as information conduits in destination networks. We present a case study showing how public sector actors, multidestination actors, and industry-specific product and service providers play important and complementary roles in this developmental process. The study also indicates that bridge ties can initiate network dynamics. We present a novel set of propositions advancing a network perspective of destinations.
Why Do They Leave? An Ethnographic Investigation of Defection from Turkish-speaking Roma Churches in Bulgaria
Authors: Hibbert Richard Y.
Published: June 2013

A rapid increase in the number of Christians and churches among traditionally Muslim Roma occurred after the fall of Communism in Bulgaria, but this growth was followed by stagnation and decline in the number of people attending churches. This article describes an ethnographic approach to investigating the reasons for the decline, and in particular the reasons why people left churches. The results of in-depth interviews with people who stayed, people who left, and church leaders are reported and discussed. Implications for the Millet churches in Bulgaria and for missionaries and local Christians in other contexts are outlined.
Reason’s Other in quotation marks
Authors: Basterra Gabriela
Published: June 2013

This article explores the ways in which Nietzsche’s conception of subjectivity, as rehearsed in The Birth of Tragedy, draws close to other modern models of split subjectivity as described by Hegel, Freud, or Althusser. Although the subjectivity depicted by Nietzsche is constituted in the tension between reaffirming and dissolving its boundaries, and this tension may seem to put the possibility of identity at risk, in effect individuation and dissolution function as symmetrical contraries. Rather than disrupting the boundaries of reason, the Dionysian contributes to Apollonian equilibrium by temporarily destroying Apollonian rigidity, so that the polis can periodically overcome limitations, assimilate its others and gather new strength. Identity is thus seemingly reinforced through the controlled illusion of its shattering: it is protected from the irruption of real otherness. Unlike Nietzsche’s dialectical dramaturgy, Greek tragedy depicts an incipient rationality wounded by contradictions, institutionalizing conflict. Because of the ambiguity of the Greek tragic world, the fissures of its organizing powers and the ambivalent agency of tragic subjects, a parallel between Attic tragedy and modern subjectivity may illuminate the latter.
Pathology of Lethal and Sublethal Doses of Aerosolized Ricin in Rhesus Macaques
Authors: Bhaskaran Manoj , Didier Peter J. , Sivasubramani Satheesh K. , Doyle Lara A. , Holley Jane , Roy Chad J.
Published: June 2013

Ricin toxin, a type 2 ribosome-inactivating protein and a category B bioterrorism agent, is produced from the seeds of castor oil plant ( Ricinus communis). Chronic pathological changes in survivors of aerosolized ricin exposure have not been reported in primates. Here we compare and contrast the pathological changes manifested between rhesus macaques (RM) that succumbed to lethal dose of ricin (group I) and survivor RM exposed to low dose of ricin (group II). All animals in group I exhibited severe diffuse, necrotizing bronchiolitis and alveolitis with fibrinopurulent bronchointerstitial pneumonia, massive alveolar, perivascular and peribronchial/bronchiolar edema with hemorrhage, and necropurulent and hemorrhagic tracheobronchial lymphadenitis. All animals from group II had multifocal, fibrosing interstitial pneumonia with prominent alveolar histiocytosis and type II pneumocyte hyperplasia. Subacute changes like infiltration by lymphocytes and plasma cells and persistence of edematous fluid were occasionally present in lung and tracheobronchial lymph nodes. The changes appear to be a continuum wherein the inflammatory response shifts from an acute to subacute/chronic reparative process if the animals can survive the initial insult.
Reading the landscape
Authors: Brierley Gary , Fryirs Kirstie , Cullum Carola , Tadaki Marc , Huang He Qing , Blue Brendon
Published: June 2013

Assertions of a ‘naughty world’ (Kennedy, 1979) point to the importance of place-based knowledge in informing landscape interpretations and management applications. Building upon conceptual and theoretical insights into the geomorphic character, behaviour and evolution of rivers, this paper outlines an approach to the practice of fluvial geomorphology: ‘reading the landscape’. This scaffolded framework of field-based interpretations explicitly recognizes the contingent nature of biophysical interactions within any given landscape. A bottom-up, constructivist approach is applied to identify landforms, assess their morphodynamics, and interpret the interaction and evolution of these features at reach and catchment scales. Reading the landscape is framed as an open-ended and generic set of questions that inform process-form interpretations of river landscapes. Rather than relying unduly on conceptual or theoretical representations of landscapes that suggest how the world ‘should’ ideally look and behave, appropriately contextualized, place-based understandings can be used to detect where local differences matter, thereby addressing concerns for the transferability of insights between locations and the representativeness of sample or reference sites. The approach provides a basis for scientifically informed management efforts that respect and work with the inherent diversity and dynamics of any given river system.
Absolute Pitch May Not Be So Absolute
Authors: Hedger Stephen C. , Heald Shannon L. M. , Nusbaum Howard C.
Published: June 2013

Most people cannot name the musical note that corresponds to a particular pitch without being provided a reference note, but those people with absolute pitch (AP) can do this accurately. Early experience during a developmental period is often thought to convey identity and stability of the note categories in people with AP, but the plasticity of these categories has not been investigated. Here we provide the first evidence that the note categories of adults with AP can change with listening experience. Participants with AP showed shifts in perception in direct accord with prior exposure to music detuned by a fraction of a semitone. This suggests that the apparent stability of AP categories is conferred not by early experience but rather by the cultural norms adopted for tuning music.
Heart function in magnetic resonance imaging and the mesenteric artery reactivity in rats receiving lead-contaminated drinking water
Authors: Skoczynska A , Skórka T , Wojakowska A , Nowacki D , Turczyn B , Poręba R , Tyrankiewicz U , Byk K , Szuba A
Published: June 2013

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of lead (Pb)-contaminated drinking water on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-estimated cardiac function, vascular reactivity, and serum lipids in rats. For 3 months, male Wistar rats, aged 4–6 weeks, were given drinking water with the addition of lead acetate at a concentration of 100 ppm Pb (10 rats) or water free from Pb (8 control rats). The cardiac MRI was performed at rest and under β-adrenergic stimulation on a 4.7 T scanner using electrocardiogram-triggered gradient echo (FLASH) cine sequence. After 1–2 weeks of the MRI test, experiments were performed ex vivo. After stabilization of perfusion pressure (PP), norepinephrine at doses from 0.01 to 5.0 μg was dissolved in Krebs solution, injected in a volume of 100 μl, and next infused at a concentration of 0.5 μg/ml into the isolated mesenteric artery. In this manner, preconstricted mesenteric bed was used to determine PP changes induced by acetylcholine, given at doses from 0.05 to 5.0 μg, before and during the infusion of nitric oxide synthase inhibitor (1.0 μg/ml). At the end, dobutamine (5 mg), followed by potassium chloride (10.5 mg), was injected. Lipid levels were determined enzymatically, blood Pb level was measured by the atomic absorption spectrophotometer. This study showed that Pb impairs the left ventricular systolic and diastolic function. Pb-induced changes in response to resistance of vessels to vasoactive agents may be secondary to the reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. The high-density lipoprotein subfraction 2 (HDL2) is involved in the cardiovascular effect of Pb.
Accounting valuation in nineteenth-century French bankruptcies
Authors: Labardin Pierre
Published: June 2013

The purpose of this article is to study accounting valuation practices in French bankruptcies following enactment of the Law of 1838. The research is based on a study of 500 files in the archives of the Paris Court of Commerce. After first presenting the main steps in the bankruptcy proceedings, it is shown how the self-interest of the agents – the bankrupt, the receiver, and the creditors – was built up through accounting valuation practices. The outcome of this analysis provides an insight into accounting valuation practices in nineteenth-century France and a better understanding of the self-interest of the agents in bankruptcy proceedings.
Migrant Community
Authors: Sandell David P.
Published: June 2013

This essay addresses Mexican villagers who sustain community amid social dissolution that accompanies poverty and U.S.-bound migration. Villagers manage signs in behavior and discourse to foreground feeling and thought of pastoral life and create emotional and intellectual detachment from the effects of a modern one. This management shows how people mitigate contradiction to produce a context that supports how they feel and think collectively. Narrative represents participants’ speech, behavior, and setting to highlight poetics and approximate a cultivation of community, a performance-based approach to ethnography.
Toxic Neighborhood
Authors: Gullion Jessica Smartt
Published: June 2013

This work is part of a multisited ethnographic study on health and natural gas drilling in North Texas. In this article, I incorporate field notes, in-depth interview transcripts, and creative nonfiction to create a composite character to demonstrate the impact of natural gas drilling on some of the respondents. My goal is to communicate the perspectives of individuals living near natural gas extraction activities who have constructed a representation of the site as a threat to their health.
Struggling for sense of control: Everyday life with chronic pain for women of the Iraqi diaspora in Sweden
Authors: Zander Viktoria , Müllersdorf Maria , Christensson Kyllike , Eriksson Henrik
Published: June 2013

Background: As dispersed ethnic populations in Swedish society expand, the healthcare system need to adapt rehabilitation services according to their needs. The experiences of trauma and forced resettlement have a continuing impact on health and musculoskeletal pain, as well as the intersecting structures that prerequisite the possibilities in the new country. To understand the specific needs of women from the Iraqi diaspora in Sweden, there is a need to elucidate the effects of pain on their everyday life. Aims: To elucidate everyday life with chronic pain from the perspective of women from the Iraqi diaspora in Sweden. Methods: Qualitative interview study according to Glaser’s grounded theory. Results: The results from 11 interviews suggest that pain was associated with dependency on society as well as on family. It resulted in a struggle for sense of control, framed by faith in God, influenced by the healthcare system, and with support from family. The women’s testimony of lack of continuity of care, resulting in recollection of lived traumas in every visit, is a vital sign of the unconscious power relations within health care and how representatives from health care, instead of being the ones who help the women forward, become the ones who hold them back. Conclusions: The results show the importance of challenging the normative assumptions embedded in health care and treatment for patients with chronic pain and of including the voice of “others”.
Epiphrenic Diverticula Mini-invasive Surgery: a Challenge for Expert Surgeons—Personal Experience and Review of the Literature
Authors: Rossetti G. , Fei L. , del Genio G. , Maffettone V. , Brusciano L. , Tolone S. , Cimmino M. , Moccia F. , Terrone A. , Romano G. , Guerriero L. , del Genio A.
Published: June 2013

Background and Aims:

While in the past, thoracotomy represented the traditional surgical approach for the treatment of epiphrenic diverticula, actually mini-invasive approach seems to be the preferred treatment as many series have been published in the recent years. This article describes the authors’ experience with the laparoscopic approach for performing diverticulectomy, myotomy, and Nissen–Rossetti fundoplication.

Material and Methods:

From 1994 to 2010, 21 patients (10 men and 11 women), mean age 58.5 years (range 45–74 years), with symptomatic epiphrenic diverticulum underwent laparoscopic diverticulectomy, myotomy and Nissen–Rossetti fundoplication.

Results:

The mean operative time was 135 min (range = 105–190 min). Mean hospital stay was 14.2 days (range = 7–25 days). In 5 patients (23.8%), a partial suture staple line leak was observed. Conservative treatment achieved leak resolution in all the cases. One patient (4.8%) died of a myocardial infarction in the postoperative period. After a mean clinical follow-up period of 78 months (range = 6–192 months), excellent or good outcome was referred with no dysphagia in 16 patients (80%) and only mild occasional dysphagia in 4 patients (20%).

Conclusions:

Surgical treatment of epiphrenic diverticula remains a challenging procedure also by mini-invasive approach, with major morbidity and mortality rates. For this reason, indications must be restricted only to selected and symptomatic patients in specialized centers.
The Prophylactic Use of a Ureteral Stent in Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery
Authors: Beraldo S. , Neubeck K. , Von Friderici E. , Steinmüller L.
Published: June 2013

Background and Aims:

The insertion of prophylactic ureteral stents in traditional colorectal surgery has been debated for a long time. The aim of this study is to investigate the results of ureteric stent insertion in elective laparoscopic colorectal surgery in terms of complications and costs.

Material and Methods:

From June 2009 to June 2011 one or two prophylactic ureteral stents were placed in all patients undergoing elective laparoscopic resection of their colon or rectum.

Results:

A total of 89 patients took part in this study, 61% had a benign disease and 39% malignant. The mean time for ureteral stent insertion was 16 min if one-sided and 21 min if bilateral. Incidental findings were found in the bladder in four (4.5%) patients. In all, 13 (26%) male patients had a benign prostatic adenoma, and 3 (6%) male patients had a significant stenosis of the urethral meatus and required bouginage. Complications due to ureteral stent insertion were transient hematuria in 11 (12.3%) cases, postoperative urinary tract infections in 2 (2.2%) cases, and hydronephrosis in 2 (2.2%) cases. One patient suffered an accidental damage of the right ureter despite the presence of a stent; this was recognized intraoperatively. The total cost for a one-sided ureteral stent insertion is calculated at around €360, and for a bilateral ureteral stent insertion, it is around €410.

Conclusions:

The prophylactic use of a ureteral stent in laparoscopic colorectal surgery leads to minor complications and may be cost-effective.
Multivariate skew-normal at linear mixed models for multi-outcome longitudinal data
Authors: Lin Tsung-I , Wang Wan-Lun
Published: June 2013

More than one series of longitudinal data frequently encountered in biomedical, psychological and clinical research are routinely analyzed under a multivariate linear mixed model framework with underlying multivariate normality assumptions for the random effects and within-subject errors. However, such normality assumption might not offer robust inference if the data, even after being transformed, particularly exhibit skewness. In this paper, we propose a multivariate skew-normal linear mixed model constructed by assuming a multivariate skew-normal distribution for the random effects and a multivariate normal distribution for the random errors. A damped exponential correlation structure is adopted to address the within-subject autocorrelation possibly existing among irregularly observed measures. We present an efficient alternating expectation-conditional maximization (AECM) algorithm for maximum likelihood estimation of parameters. The techniques for estimation of random effects and prediction of future outcomes are discussed. Our proposed model is motivated by, and used for, the analysis of AIDS clinical trials in which we investigate the ‘association-of-the-evolutions’ and the ‘evolution-of-the-association’ of HIV-1 RNA copies and CD4+T cell counts during antiviral therapies.
Bayesian semiparametric additive quantile regression
Authors: Waldmann Elisabeth , Kneib Thomas , Yue Yu Ryan , Lang Stefan , Flexeder Claudia
Published: June 2013

Quantile regression provides a convenient framework for analyzing the impact of covariates on the complete conditional distribution of a response variable instead of only the mean. While frequentist treatments of quantile regression are typically completely nonparametric, a Bayesian formulation relies on assuming the asymmetric Laplace distribution as auxiliary error distribution that yields posterior modes equivalent to frequentist estimates. In this paper, we utilize a location-scale mixture of normals representation of the asymmetric Laplace distribution to transfer different flexible modelling concepts from Gaussian mean regression to Bayesian semiparametric quantile regression. In particular, we will consider high-dimensional geoadditive models comprising LASSO regularization priors and mixed models with potentially non-normal random effects distribution modeled via a Dirichlet process mixture. These extensions are illustrated using two large-scale applications on net rents in Munich and longitudinal measurements on obesity among children. The impact of the likelihood misspecification that underlies the Bayesian formulation of quantile regression is studied in terms of simulations.
A Phase I Dose-Finding Study of Silybin Phosphatidylcholine (Milk Thistle) in Patients With Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Siegel Abby B. , Narayan Rupa , Rodriguez Rosa , Goyal Abhishek , Jacobson, DrPH Judith S. , Kelly Kara , Ladas Elena , Lunghofer Paul J. , Hansen Ryan J. , Gustafson Daniel L. , Flaig Thomas W. , Yann Tsai Wei , Wu David P. H. , Lee Valerie , Greenlee Heather
Published: June 2013

Purpose. To determine the maximum tolerated dose per day of silybin phosphatidylcholine (Siliphos) in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatic dysfunction. Experimental Design. Patients with advanced HCC not eligible for other therapies based on poor hepatic function were enrolled in a phase I study of silybin phosphatidylcholine. A standard phase I design was used with 4 planned cohorts, dose escalating from 2, 4, 8, to 12 g per day in divided doses for 12 weeks. Results. Three participants enrolled in this single institution trial. All enrolled subjects consumed 2 g per day of study agent in divided doses. Serum concentrations of silibinin and silibinin glucuronide increased within 1 to 3 weeks. In all 3 patients, liver function abnormalities and tumor marker α-fetoprotein progressed, but after day 56 the third patient showed some improvement in liver function abnormalities and inflammatory biomarkers. All 3 participants died within 23 to 69 days of enrolling into the trial, likely from hepatic failure, but it could not be ruled out that deaths were possibly due to the study drug. Conclusion. Short-term administration of silybin phosphatidylcholine in patients with advanced HCC resulted in detectable increases in silibinin and its metabolite, silibinin glucuronide. The maximum tolerated dose could not be established. Since patients died soon after enrollment, this patient population may have been too ill to benefit from an intervention designed to improve liver function tests.
A Home-Based Program Using Patterned Sensory Enhancement Improves Resistance Exercise Effects for Children With Cerebral Palsy
Authors: Wang Tze-Hsuan , Peng Yi-Chun , Chen Yu-Ling , Lu Tung-Wu , Liao Hua-Fang , Tang Pei-Fang , Shieh Jeng-Yi
Published: June 2013

Background. Neurologic music therapy has demonstrated improved walking performance in persons with neurologic disease; however, little evidence supports the use of music with functional resistance exercise to improve motor capacity and daily functions for children with cerebral palsy. Objective. To investigate the effect of additional patterned sensory enhancement (PSE) music combined with exercise for children with spastic diplegia. Methods. An assessor-blind, randomized controlled trial with 6- and 12-week follow-ups was carried out. Thirty-six children with spastic diplegia, aged 5 to 13 years, were assigned to a PSE group (n = 18) or a no-music group (n = 18). Both groups received 6-week, home-based, loaded sit-to-stand exercise, but only the PSE group exercised with prerecorded PSE music. The primary outcome was Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM). Secondary outcomes included Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) mobility and self-care domains, 1-repetition maximum of sit-to-stand, and walking speeds. Results. Three children did not complete the program. Intention-to-treat analysis showed both groups improved in GMFM D, E, and Goal dimensions; Functional Skills Scales of PEDI mobility domain; and 1-repetition maximum of sit-to-stand at posttest and follow-ups ( P ≤ .005). The PSE group improved significantly greater than the no-music group in the GMFM D and Goal dimensions ( P < .005) after training, and the improvement persisted for at least 6 or 12 weeks ( P ≤ .013). No significant improvements in the rest PEDI scales and walking speeds were found. Conclusions. Adding neurologic music therapy to functional resistance exercise could induce greater improvements in gross motor capacity for children with cerebral palsy.
The non-pathogenic Escherichia coli strain W secretes SslE via the virulence-associated type II secretion system beta
Authors: DeCanio Mark S , Landick Robert , Haft Rembrandt J F
Published: June 2013

Background

Many pathogenic E. coli strains secrete virulence factors using type II secretory systems, homologs of which are widespread in Gram-negative bacteria. Recently, the enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strain E2348/69 was shown to secrete and surface-anchor SslE, a biofilm-promoting virulence factor, via a type II secretion system. Genes encoding SslE and its associated secretion system are conserved in some non-pathogenic E. coli, including the commonly-used W (Waksman) strain.

Results

We report here that E. coli W uses its type II secretion system to export a cognate SslE protein. SslE secretion is temperature- and nutrient-dependent, being robust at 37°C in rich medium but strongly repressed by lower temperatures or nutrient limitation. Fusing either of two glycosyl hydrolases to the C-terminus of SslE prevented it from being secreted or surface-exposed. We screened mutations that inactivated the type II secretion system for stress-related phenotypes and found that inactivation of the secretion system conferred a modest increase in tolerance to high concentrations of urea. Additionally, we note that the genes encoding this secretion system are present at a hypervariable locus and have been independently lost or gained in different lineages of E. coli.

Conclusions

The non-pathogenic E. coli W strain shares the extracellular virulence factor SslE, and its associated secretory system, with pathogenic E. coli strains. The pattern of regulation of SslE secretion we observed suggests that SslE plays a role in colonization of mammalian hosts by non-pathogenic as well as pathogenic E. coli. Our work provides a non-pathogenic model system for the study of SslE secretion, and informs future research into the function of SslE during host colonization.
Pilicides inhibit the FGL chaperone/usher assisted biogenesis of the Dr fimbrial polyadhesin from uropathogenic Escherichia coli
Authors: Piatek Rafał , Zalewska-Piatek Beata , Dzierzbicka Krystyna , Makowiec Sławomir , Pilipczuk Justyna , Szemiako Kasjan , Cyranka-Czaja Anna , Wojciechowski Marek
Published: June 2013

Background

The global spread of bacterial resistance has given rise to a growing interest in new anti-bacterial agents with a new strategy of action. Pilicides are derivatives of ring-fused 2-pyridones which block the formation of the pili/fimbriae crucial to bacterial pathogenesis. They impair by means of a chaperone-usher pathway conserved in the Gram-negative bacteria of adhesive structures biogenesis. Pili/fimbriae of this type belong to two subfamilies, FGS and FGL, which differ in the details of their assembly mechanism. The data published to date have shown that pilicides inhibit biogenesis of type 1 and P pili of the FGS type which are encoded by uropathogenic E. coli strains.

Results

We evaluated the anti-bacterial activity of literature pilicides as blockers of the assembly of a model example of FGL-type adhesive structures, – the Dr fimbriae encoded by a dra gene cluster of uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains. In comparison to the strain grown without pilicide, the Dr+ bacteria cultivated in the presence of the 3.5 mM concentration of pilicides resulted in a reduction of 75 to 87% in the adherence properties to CHO cells expressing Dr fimbrial DAF receptor protein. Using quantitative assays, we determined the amount of Dr fimbriae in the bacteria cultivated in the presence of 3.5 mM of pilicides to be reduced by 75 to 81%. The inhibition effect of pilicides is concentration dependent, which is a crucial property for their use as potential anti-bacterial agents. The data presented in this article indicate that pilicides in mM concentration effectively inhibit the adherence of Dr+ bacteria to the host cells, – the crucial, initial step in bacterial pathogenesis.

Conclusions

Structural analysis of the DraB chaperone clearly showed it to be a model of the FGL subfamily of chaperones. This permits us to conclude that analyzed pilicides in mM concentration are effective inhibitors of the assembly of adhesins belonging to the Dr family, and more speculatively, of other FGL-type adhesive organelles. The presented data and those published so far permit to speculate that based on the conservation of chaperone-usher pathway in Gram-negative bacteria , the pilicides are potential anti-bacterial agents with activity against numerous pathogens, the virulence of which is dependent on the adhesive structures of the chaperone-usher type.
Analysis of the WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX gene family in the conifer picea abiesreveals extensive conservation as well as dynamic patterns
Authors: Hedman Harald , Zhu Tianqing , von Arnold Sara , Sohlberg Joel J
Published: June 2013

Background

Members of the WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX (WOX) gene family have important functions during all stages of plant development and have been implicated in the development of morphological novelties during evolution. Most studies have examined the function of these genes in angiosperms and very little is known from other plant species.

Results

In this study we examine the presence and expression of WOX genes in the conifer Picea abies. We have cloned 11 WOX genes from both mRNA and genomic DNA and examined their phylogenetic relationship to WOX genes from other species as well as their expression during somatic embryogenesis and in adult tissues.

Conclusions

Our study shows that all major radiations within the WOX gene family took place before the angiosperm-gymnosperm split and that there has been a recent expansion within the intermediate clade in the Pinaceae family. Furthermore, we show that the genes from the intermediate clade are preferentially expressed during embryo development in Picea abies. Our data also indicates that there are clear orthologs of both WUS and WOX5 present in the P. abies genome.
Association of back pain with hypovitaminosis D in postmenopausal women with low bone mass
Authors: e Silva Ariane Viana de Souza , Lacativa Paulo Gustavo Sampaio , Russo Luis Augusto Tavares , de Gregório Luiz Henrique , Pinheiro Renata Alexandra Calixto , Marinheiro Lizanka Paola Figueiredo
Published: June 2013

Background

Back pain is a major public health problem due to its high frequency, to the resulting activity constraint, and the need for surgery in many cases. Back pain is more frequent in women than men, mainly in postmenopausal women. High prevalence of hypovitaminosis D has been detected in postmenopausal women, and it is associated with decreased bone mass, sarcopenia, vertebral fractures, and inflammation, which can be related to back pain.

Methods

The relation between back pain and hypovitaminosis D was evaluated in this study, as well the difference regarding the number of bedridden days, number of days away from work, and daily activities limitation between women with and without hypovitaminosis D. This study reviewed baseline data from an interventional phase III multicenter trial in low bone mass postmenopausal women. The study included demographic data, 25OHD determinations, Newitt/Cummings questionnaire on back pain, and vertebral fracture identified thought X-ray evaluation.

Results

The trial included 9354 participants, but only 9305 underwent all the evaluations. The age median was 67 (60 - 85 years old) and age at menopause was 49 (18 - 72 years). Hypovitaminosis D was found in 22.5% of the subjects, 15.3% of them had vertebral fractures, 67.5% with back pain, and 14.8% reduced their daily activities in the previous six months. Subjects with hypovitaminosis D, compared to those without hypovitaminosis D, reported more back pain (69.5 v 66.9%, p: 0.022), more cases of severe back pain (8.5% v 6.8%, p: 0,004), higher limitation in their daily activities (17.2 v 14.0%, p: 0.001), and more fractures (17.4 v 14.6%, p: 0,002); also, they had more trouble to perform daily activities addressed in the Newwit/Cummings questionnaire.

Conclusion

Hypovitaminosis D was related to back pain, to its severity, and to difficulty in perform daily activities.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrial.gov: NCT00088010
Will the untreated ulnar styloid fracture influence the outcome of unstable distal radial fracture treated with external fixation when the distal radioulnar joint is stable
Authors: Chen Yi-xin , Zheng Xin , Shi Hong-fei , Wangyang Yu-fan , Yuan Han , Xie Xiao-xiao , Li Dong-ya , Wang Chang-jun , Qiu Xu-sheng
Published: June 2013

Background

The ulnar styloid is an important supportive structure for the triangular fibrocartilage complex. However, it remains inconclusive whether or not a fractured ulnar styloid should be fixed in an unstable distal radius fracture (DRF) with a stable distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of an untreated ulnar styloid fracture on the outcome of unstable DRF treated with transarticular external fixation when the DRUJ is stable.

Methods

106 patients with an unstable DRF and a stable DRUJ were included in this study following external fixation. The patients were divided into the non-fracture, the tip-fracture and the base-fracture groups according to the location of the ulnar styloid fracture at the time of injury. Postoperative evaluation included the range of wrist motion, the radiological index, the grip strength, the PRWE-HK scores, the wrist pain scores, and the instability of DRUJ at the external fixator removal time, three months postoperatively and the final follow-up visit.

Results

The patients were followed for 12 to 24 months (15 months in average). Sixty-two of 106 patients (58%) had ulnar styloid fracture and 16 patients (26%) showed radiographic evidence of union of ulnar styloid fractures at the final follow-up visit. No significant difference in the radiological findings, the range of wrist motion, the grip strength, the PRWE-HK scores, and the wrist pain scores among three patient groups was detected at the external fixator removal time, three months postoperatively, or the final follow-up visit. Six of the 106 patients (5.7%) complained of persistent ulnar-side wrist pain during daily activities. One patient (0.9%) showed a positive sign in a stress-test, three patients (2.8%) showed a positive sign in a provocative-test, and five patients (4.7%) showed a positive sign in a press-test. There was no significant difference in the percentages of patients who complained of persistent ulnar-side wrist pain or showed a positive sign in the physical examination of the distal radioulnar joint among the three groups at the final follow-up time points.

Conclusion

When the DRUJ is stable, an untreated ulnar styloid fracture does not affect the wrist outcome of the patient with an unstable DRF treated with external fixation.
Plasmodium vivax aldolase-specific monoclonal antibodies and its application in clinical diagnosis of malaria infections in China
Authors: Dzakah Emmanuel E , Kang Keren , Ni Chao , Wang Hong , Wu Peidian , Tang Shixing , Wang Jihua , Wang Jufang , Wang Xiaoning
Published: June 2013

Background

Most rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) currently used for malaria diagnosis cannot distinguish the various Plasmodium infections. The development of a Plasmodium vivax specific RDTs with high sensitivity to sufficiently differentiate the two most common Plasmodium infections would be very crucial for disease treatment and control.

Method

Plasmodium vivax aldolase gene (PvALDO) was amplified from the extracted genomic DNA and constructed into pET30a vector. Plasmodium vivax aldolase protein was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli in soluble form and the overall purity was over 95% after one-step affinity chromatography purification. The purified products were used for the immunization of mice and rabbits. Rabbit polyclonal antibodies generated were deployed to develop a novel antibody-capture ELISA for hybridoma screening.

Results

Three PvALDO specific mAbs (14C7, 15F1 and 5H7) with high affinities were selected and used in immunochromatographic test strips. Clinical blood samples (n=190) collected from Yunnan (China) were used for evaluation and the RDT’s sensitivity for P. vivax was 98.33% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 91.03% to 99.72%) compared with microscopic examination. There was specificity of 99.23% (95% CI: 95.77% to 99.87%) for P. vivax. Only one Plasmodium falciparum sample was detected among the P. falciparum samples (n=20). All Plasmodium malariae samples (n=2) as well as healthy uninfected samples (n=108) were negative. Overall performance of this RDT was excellent with positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 98.33% and 99.23%, respectively, at 95% CI and a very good correlation with microscopic observations (kappa value, K=0.9757). Test strips show high sensitivity even at 6.25 ng/ml of recombinant P. vivax aldolase (rPvALDO).

Conclusion

This study further elucidates the possibility of developing aldolase-specific RDTs which can differentiate the different Plasmodium infections and improve accurate diagnosis of malaria. This RDT could adequately differentiate between P. vivax and P. falciparum infections. The novel mAb screening method developed here could find application in the screening of highly specific antibodies against other antigens.
BCL11A overexpression predicts survival and relapse in non-small cell lung cancer and is modulated by microRNA-30a and gene amplification
Authors: Jiang Ben-yuan , Zhang Xu-chao , Su Jian , Meng Wei , Yang Xue-ning , Yang Jin-ji , Zhou Qing , Chen Zhi-yong , Chen Zhi-hong , Xie Zhi , Chen Shi-liang , Wu Yi-long
Published: June 2013

Background

Aberrant activation of the proto-oncogene B-cell lymphoma/leukemia 11A (BCL11A) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of leukemia and lymphoma. However, the clinical significance of BCL11A in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unknown.

Results

We examined BCL11A expression at the protein and mRNA levels in a cohort (n = 114) of NSCLC patients and assessed the relationship between BCL11A expression and clinicopathological parameters. Data from array-based Comparative Genomic Hybridization (aCGH) and microRNA transfection experiments were integrated to explore the potential mechanisms of abnormal BCL11A activation in NSCLC. Compared to adjacent non-cancerous lung tissues, BCL11A expression levels were specifically upregulated in NSCLC tissues at both the mRNA (t = 9.81, P < 0.001) and protein levels. BCL11A protein levels were higher in patients with squamous histology (χ2 = 15.81, P = 0.001), smokers (χ2 = 8.92, P = 0.004), patients with no lymph node involvement (χ2 = 5.14, P = 0.029), and patients with early stage disease (χ2 = 3.91, P = 0.048). A multivariate analysis demonstrated that in early stage NSCLC (IA–IIB), BCL11A was not only an independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival (hazards ratio [HR] 0.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.12-0.50, P < 0.001), but also for overall survival (HR = 0.23, 95% CI 0.09-0.61, P = 0.003). The average BCL11A expression level was much higher in SCC samples with amplifications than in those without amplifications (t = 3.30, P = 0.023). Assessing functionality via an in vitro luciferase reporter system and western blotting, we found that the BCL11A protein was a target of miR-30a.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrated that proto-oncogene BCL11A activation induced by miR-30a and gene amplification may be a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for effective management of this disease.
Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma as a second malignancy in a pediatric osteosarcoma survivor: case report
Authors: Okui Masayuki , Goto Taichiro , Hayashi Yuichiro , Nakayama Robert , Kohno Mitsutomo
Published: June 2013

Background

Primary lung cancer is extremely rare in children, while secondary malignancies reportedly develop in 2% to 3% of pediatric osteosarcoma survivors.

Case presentation

A 14-year-old girl was found to have two pulmonary lesions on computed tomography. These tumors had developed 1 year after osteosarcoma surgery. Segmentectomy of right segment 1 and wedge resection of right segment 9 were performed. Both lesions were completely resected and postoperative histopathological examination revealed metastasis of osteosarcoma and bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, respectively.

Conclusion

Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma may present as a solitary pulmonary lesion indistinguishable from a metastatic lesion and should be included in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary lesions in survivors of pediatric cancer. Thus, pulmonary lesions identified in these patients should be biopsied or resected to establish a histological diagnosis.
Effect of TiO2 nanoparticle-accumulated bilayer photoelectrode and condenser lens-assisted solar concentrator on light harvesting in dye-sensitized solar cells
Authors: Moon Kook Joo , Lee Sun Woo , Lee Yong Hun , Kim Ji Hoon , Ahn Ji Young , Lee Seung Jun , Lee Deug Woo , Kim Soo Hyung
Published: June 2013

TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) with a size of 240 nm (T240), used as a light-scattering layer, were applied on 25-nm-sized TiO2 NPs (T25) that were used as a dye-absorbing layer in the photoelectrodes of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In addition, the incident light was concentrated via a condenser lens, and the effect of light concentration on the capacity of the light-scattering layer was systematically investigated. At the optimized focal length of the condenser lens, T25/T240 double layer (DL)-based DSSCs with the photoactive area of 0.36 cm2 were found to have the short circuit current (I
sc) of 11.92 mA, the open circuit voltage (V
oc) of 0.74 V, and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of approximately 4.11%, which is significantly improved when they were compared to the T25 single layer (SL)-based DSSCs without using a solar concentrator (the corresponding values were the I
sc of 2.53 mA, the V
oc of 0.69, and the PCE of 3.57%). Thus, the use of the optimized light harvesting structure in the photoelectrodes of DSSCs in conjunction with light concentration was found to significantly enhance the power output of DSSCs.
Shape-anisotropic enhanced damping in CoZr periodic arrays of nanohill structure
Authors: Wang Fenglong , Wang Gaoxue , Jiang Changjun , Xue Desheng
Published: June 2013

The preparation of CoZr nanostructure films to replicate the order of anodized aluminum oxide template with barrier layer was described. Coercivity and in-plane magnetic anisotropy were increased with the increase of oblique sputtering angle. Resonance frequency and damping factor had the same tendency also. Note that larger damping factor in nanostructure films was observed compared with that of continuous films in Si substrate, which was induced by magnetic anisotropy distribution particularly with a significant out-of-plane contribution due to the competition of shape anisotropy.

PACS

75.75.-c, 75.70.-i, 07.57.Pt
Low-temperature synthesis of graphene on Cu using plasma-assisted thermal chemical vapor deposition
Authors: Chan Shih-Hao , Chen Sheng-Hui , Lin Wei-Ting , Li Meng-Chi , Lin Yung-Chang , Kuo Chien-Cheng
Published: June 2013

Plasma-assisted thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) was carried out to synthesize high-quality graphene film at a low temperature of 600°C. Monolayer graphene films were thus synthesized on Cu foil using various ratios of hydrogen and methane in a gaseous mixture. The in situ plasma emission spectrum was measured to elucidate the mechanism of graphene growth in a plasma-assisted thermal CVD system. According to this process, a distance must be maintained between the plasma initial stage and the deposition stage to allow the plasma to diffuse to the substrate. Raman spectra revealed that a higher hydrogen concentration promoted the synthesis of a high-quality graphene film. The results demonstrate that plasma-assisted thermal CVD is a low-cost and effective way to synthesis high-quality graphene films at low temperature for graphene-based applications.