bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crystal structures of glycoside hydrolase family 3 β-glucosidase 1 from Aspergillus aculeatus
Authors: Suzuki Kentaro , Sumitani Jun-Ichi , Nam Young-Woo , Nishimaki Toru , Tani Shuji , Wakagi Takayoshi , Kawaguchi Takashi , Fushinobu Shinya
Published: April 2013

GH3 (glycoside hydrolase family 3) BGLs (β-glucosidases) from filamentous fungi have been widely and commercially used for the supplementation of cellulases. AaBGL1 (Aspergillus aculeatus BGL1) belongs to the GH3 and shows high activity towards cellooligosaccharides up to high degree of polymerization. In the present study we determined the crystal structure of AaBGL1. In addition to the substrate-free structure, the structures of complexes with glucose and various inhibitors were determined. The structure of AaBGL1 is highly glycosylated with 88 monosaccharides (18 N-glycan chains) in the dimer. The largest N-glycan chain comprises ten monosaccharides and is one of the largest glycans ever observed in protein crystal structures. A prominent insertion region exists in a fibronectin type III domain, and this region extends to cover a wide surface area of the enzyme. The subsite +1 of AaBGL1 is highly hydrophobic. Three aromatic residues are present at subsite +1 and are located in short loop regions that are uniquely present in this enzyme. There is a long cleft extending from subsite +1, which appears to be suitable for binding long cellooligosaccharides. The crystal structures of AaBGL1 from the present study provide an important structural basis for the technical improvement of enzymatic cellulosic biomass conversion.
Effect of nutrition, body condition and liveweight change on efficacy of biological wool harvesting with epidermal growth factor (Bioclip)
Authors: Ward Clare , Watts Tim , Miller David , Jacobson Caroline
Published: April 2013

This study investigated the effect of nutrition on wool harvesting efficiency of a biological wool harvesting system (Bioclip) utilising epidermal growth factor (EGF) to induce shedding of the fleece. The experiment had nine groups, each representing a different growth path based on a 3 by 3 design with three levels of nutrition (low, medium and high) fed during two periods, specifically the pre-injection period (4-weeks leading up to EGF injection) and post-injection period (4 weeks between EGF injection and wool harvesting). Sheep weight and body condition score were measured at the start and end of each period. Wool harvesting efficiency, fleece weight and body wrinkle were assessed at wool harvesting. Continuous data were analysed using general linear models and linear regression. Bivariate categorical data were analysed using Chi-squared tests and odds ratios. Wool harvesting efficiency was reduced in sheep with greater skin wrinkle (P < 0.001), poorer body condition (P < 0.001) and poorer nutrition in both pre- and post-injection periods (P < 0.001). Sheep that gained 1 kg bodyweight or 0.5 body condition score either pre- or post-injection had improved wool harvestability (P < 0.05). Sheep that lost weight post-injection were 10.2 (95% confidence interval 4.0, 25.5) times and 4 times (2.4, 6.7) more likely to have very poor harvestability compared with sheep that gained or maintained weight respectively (P < 0.001). Sheep with greater body wrinkle were 6.6 (4.1, 10.7) times more likely to have very poor harvestability than plain-bodied sheep (P < 0.001). Nutrition that ensures modest weight gain during the pre- and post-injection periods can partially overcome poorer harvestability in wrinkly sheep.
Autoantigen can promote progression to a more aggressive TCL1 leukemia by selecting variants with enhanced B-cell receptor signaling
Authors: Chen Shih-Shih , Batliwalla Franak , Holodick Nichol E. , Yan Xiao-Jie , Yancopoulos Sophia , Croce Carlo M. , Rothstein Thomas L. , Chiorazzi Nicholas
Published: April 2013

Significance

These studies indicate that autoantigen-reactivity plays a role in the progression of a murine leukemia that models human chronic lymphocytic leukemia. This indication is consistent with the notion that chronic lymphocytic leukemia evolves by selection of normal B cells that bind autoantigen via the B-cell antigen receptor.
Social Exclusion of Individuals through Interpersonal Discrimination
Authors: Madera Juan M. , Hebl Michelle R.
Published: April 2013

In this chapter, we discuss the social exclusion that many individuals from stigmatized groups experience. Social exclusion may happen through the expression of formal (overt, illegal) behaviors and/or through the expression of interpersonal (more subtle, legal) behaviors. In this chapter, we begin by describing these different types of discrimination and describe why we focus our discussion and research on interpersonal discrimination. Then, we review the interpersonal discrimination that members of a wide variety of stigmatized groups (e.g., obese, ethnic minorities, physically disabled) experience. We consider the consequences of such interpersonal discrimination, and argue that such behavior is paramount to excluding individuals from many domains of life, although the majority of research thus far has been conducted in workplace settings. Finally, we end by considering strategies that individuals might use to reduce such interpersonal discrimination, and ultimately social exclusion.
Theory and Research on Social Exclusion in Work Groups
Authors: Scott Kristin L. , Thau Stefan
Published: April 2013

We offer a theoretical model outlining the antecedents and consequences of work group exclusion. We theorize that individuals who threaten the work group’s stability or existence are most likely to become the target of exclusion. We assume that, once excluded, employees will respond in a socially functional manner, such as by increasing helping or conforming behaviors, but only if they perceive there is an opportunity to reconnect with their group. If exclusion is more final, we believe this arouses an innate tendency to aggress against those who threaten the work group’s stability or existence and excluded members will become socially dysfunctional, such as undermining or refusing to help others. We also suggest that once the group has mobilized efforts to exclude, reconnection efforts by members will be discounted and acceptance less attainable, because most group members are risk averse in their inclusion decisions.
Peer Rejection among Children and Adolescents: Antecedents, Reactions, and Maladaptive Pathways
Authors: Juvonen Jaana
Published: April 2013

It is proposed that exclusion from peer interactions compromises development primarily through two defensive pathways involving aggression and social-withdrawal. Hostile attributional biases and anger expectations enable aggressive children to maintain positive self-views in the face of rejection, but place them at risk for continued problem behaviors. Although withdrawal from peer interactions helps nonaggressive children reduce rejection distress, lack of peer contact increases the risk of continued social problems. That is, social-cognitive biases together with peer feedback help account for the diverging developmental pathways and outcomes of aggressive vs. withdrawn rejected children. The implications of a developmental approach are discussed in terms of current debates about the effects and functions of rejection.
Social Rejection Reduces Intelligent Thought and Self-Regulation
Authors: Stillman Tyler F. , Baumeister Roy F.
Published: April 2013

This chapter reviews evidence that social rejection reduces intelligent thought and self-regulation. Correlational research has demonstrated that social rejection and low intellectual performance are related, as loneliness is associated with poor cognitive functioning. Experimental research has shed light on the correlational findings, as participants assigned to be rejected performed slowly and inaccurately on reasoning problems relative to participants assigned to control conditions. Hence, social rejection reduces intelligent thought. Evidence also indicates that rejection reduces self-control, as people who are rejected perform poorly on a wealth of self-control tasks.
Cortisol Responses to Social Exclusion
Authors: Dickerson Sally S. , Zoccola Peggy M.
Published: April 2013

Experiences of social exclusion, or contexts that create the potential for social exclusion, not only have potent psychological effects, but they can have physiological consequences as well. This chapter reviews research that has examined the effects of social exclusion, rejection, and social evaluation on cortisol, an important health-relevant hormone. Studies have demonstrated that acute experiences of social evaluation or interpersonal rejection can elicit cortisol reactivity, particularly when the evaluation is unambiguous and salient. Social evaluation or exclusion can also precipitate rumination, which could serve to maintain elevated cortisol levels in response to these threats. Chronic forms of social exclusion (e.g., loneliness, peer victimization) have been associated with dysregulated cortisol patterns. Prolonged experiences of social exclusion, evaluation, or rejection may lead to negative health consequences via extended exposure to cortisol or dysregulation in the system.
Depression and Suicide: Transactional Relations with Rejection
Authors: Van Orden Kimberly A. , Joiner Thomas E.
Published: April 2013

This chapter provides an overview of empirical data supporting the notion of a transactional relationship between depression and rejection, suggesting that rejection is both a cause and consequence of depression. Peer and family rejection in childhood and marital discord in adulthood are all associated with increased risk of developing a depressive disorder. Interpersonal processes involved in depression, such as self-verification striving, excessive reassurance-seeking, blame maintenance, and stress generation cause rejection and are key factors in the maintenance and recurrence of depressive symptoms. Rejection is also associated with increased risk of suicide. In particular, social isolation and family discord are associated with elevated risk of suicide. Many evidence-based psychotherapies for depression and suicidal behaviors target interpersonal functioning. These therapies help clients change their interactions with others to prevent rejection and skillfully manage emotional pain that results when rejection occurs. Thus, although rejection is associated with both depression and suicide, psychotherapy can halt the downward cycle.
Individual Differences in Responses to Social Exclusion: Self-Esteem, Narcissism, and Self-Compassion
Authors: Allen Ashley Batts , vanDellen Michelle R. , Campbell W. Keith
Published: April 2013

Experiences of social exclusion disrupt people’s feelings of belongingness. Because self-esteem is connected to how socially connected people feel to important others, such experiences lower state self-esteem. The authors suggests that these situations evoke self-regulatory processes aimed at bringing state self-esteem back in line with standards for trait self-esteem. This chapter focuses on three individual differences, each related to self-views, that may be related to reactions to social exclusion: trait self-esteem, narcissism, and self-compassion. Trait self-esteem is generally associated with heightened reactions to social exclusion that are aimed at restoring immediate self-feelings; narcissism is associated with aggressive responses to social exclusion; and self-compassion is associated with stable responses that are unmarked by extreme negative affect or externalizing. The authors concludes with suggestions for interventions aimed at reducing aggression in response to social exclusion.
Attachment Orientations and Reactions to Ostracism in Close Relationships and Groups
Authors: Shaver Phillip R. , Mikulincer Mario
Published: April 2013

Attachment theory is one of the most useful contemporary conceptual frameworks for understanding emotion regulation and mental health. In his exposition of attachment theory, John Bowlby explained how the sense of attachment security (confidence that one is lovable and that caregivers are available and supportive when needed) in relationships helps a person deal with threats, losses, and negative emotions and how attachment-related insecurities interfere with the regulation of negative emotions and recovery from rejections, losses, and setbacks throughout life. In the present chapter, we wish to explore the possibility that attachment security or insecurity in adulthood can help to explain individual differences in cognitive, emotional, and behavioral reactions to social rejection in both close relationships and groups. We review literature relevant to this proposal and also present data from a preliminary study of the buffering of one effect of ostracism—loss of meaning in life—by attachment security.
The Birth and Death of Belonging
Authors: Schimel Jeff , Greenberg Jeff
Published: April 2013

Terror management theory (TMT) (Greenberg, Pyszczynski, & Solomon, 1986 ) offers an evolutionary–existential–psychoanalytic perspective on the human motive to belong. According to this view, the evolution of sophisticated intellect allowed for consideration of the past and future in decision making, thereby freeing human beings from fixed response patterns. However, it also made humans uniquely aware of the inevitability of their own death. To manage potentially debilitating anxiety resulting from this awareness, humans have had to give up some of this freedom so as to feel securely embedded in a cultural meaning system (a cultural worldview) that provides meaning, self-worth, and a sense of immortality. Because other people are an important source of self-esteem and validation for cultural worldview beliefs, social connections with similar others are maintained to mitigate existential fear. A large empirical literature supporting this theoretical account is reviewed. Ensuing discussion considers how a TMT perspective can lend understanding to the multifarious reactions people have to social exclusion.
The stubborn roots of metabolic cycles
Authors: Reznik Ed , Watson Alex , Chaudhary Osman
Published: April 2013

Efforts to catalogue the structure of metabolic networks have generated highly detailed, genome-scale atlases of biochemical reactions in the cell. Unfortunately, these atlases fall short of capturing the kinetic details of metabolic reactions, instead offering only
topological
information from which to make predictions. As a result, studies frequently consider the extent to which the topological structure of a metabolic network determines its dynamic behaviour, irrespective of kinetic details. Here, we study a class of metabolic networks known as non-autocatalytic metabolic cycles, and analytically prove an open conjecture regarding the stability of their steady states. Importantly, our results are invariant to the choice of kinetic parameters, rate laws, equilibrium fluxes and metabolite concentrations. Unexpectedly, our proof exposes an elementary but apparently open problem of locating the roots of a sum of two polynomials
S
=
P
+
Q
, when the roots of the summand polynomials
P
and
Q
are known. We derive two new results named the Stubborn Roots Theorems, which provide sufficient conditions under which the roots of
S
remain qualitatively identical to the roots of
P
. Our study illustrates how complementary feedback, from classical fields such as dynamical systems to biology and vice versa, can expose fundamental and potentially overlooked questions.
Contact compliance effects in the frictional response of bioinspired fibrillar adhesives
Authors: Piccardo Marco , Chateauminois Antoine , Fretigny Christian , Pugno Nicola M. , Sitti Metin
Published: April 2013

The shear failure and friction mechanisms of bioinspired adhesives consisting of elastomer arrays of microfibres terminated by mushroom-shaped tips are investigated in contact with a rigid lens. In order to reveal the interplay between the vertical and lateral loading directions, experiments are carried out using a custom friction set-up in which normal stiffness can be made either high or low when compared with the stiffness of the contact between the fibrillar adhesive and the lens. Using
in situ
contact imaging, the shear failure of the adhesive is found to involve two successive mechanisms: (i) cavitation and peeling at the contact interface between the mushroom-shaped fibre tip endings and the lens; and (ii) side re-adhesion of the fibre's stem to the lens. The extent of these mechanisms and their implications regarding static friction forces is found to depend on the crosstalk between the normal and lateral loading directions that can result in contact instabilities associated with fibre buckling. In addition, the effects of the viscoelastic behaviour of the polyurethane material on the rate dependence of the shear response of the adhesive are accounted for.
Drawings of fossils by Robert Hooke and Richard Waller
Authors: Kusukawa Sachiko
Published: April 2013

The drawings of fossils by Robert Hooke and Richard Waller that were the basis of the engravings in Hooke's
Posthumous works
(1705) are published here for the first time. The drawings show that both Hooke and Waller were proficient draftsmen with a keen eye for the details of petrified objects. These drawings provided Hooke with a polemic edge in making the case for the organic origins of ‘figured stones’.
Versatility of a hard X-ray Kirkpatrick–Baez focus characterized by ptychography
Authors: Giewekemeyer Klaus , Wilke Robin N. , Osterhoff Markus , Bartels Matthias , Kalbfleisch Sebastian , Salditt Tim
Published: April 2013

In the past decade Kirkpatrick–Baez (KB) mirrors have been established as powerful focusing systems in hard X-ray microscopy applications. Here a ptychographic characterization of the KB focus in the dedicated nano-imaging setup GINIX (Göttingen Instrument for Nano-Imaging with X-rays) at the P10 coherence beamline of the PETRA III synchrotron at HASLYLAB/DESY, Germany, is reported. More specifically, it is shown how aberrations in the KB beam, caused by imperfections in the height profile of the focusing mirrors, can be eliminated using a pinhole as a spatial filter near the focal plane. A combination of different pinhole sizes and illumination conditions of the KB setup makes the prepared optical setup well suited not only for high-resolution ptychographic coherent X-ray diffractive imaging but also for moderate-resolution/large-field-of-view propagation imaging in the divergent KB beam.
Assessment of Total Hip Arthroplasty by Means of Computed Tomography 3D Models and Fracture Risk Evaluation
Authors: Gargiulo Paolo , Pétursson Throstur , Magnússon Benedikt , Bifulco Paolo , Cesarelli Mario , Izzo Gianluca Mario , Magnúsdóttir Gígja , Halldórsson Grétar , Ludvigsdóttir Gudbjörg K. , Tribel Jan , Jónsson Halldor
Published: April 2013

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) can be achieved by using a cemented or noncemented prosthesis. Besides patient's age, weight, and other clinical signs, the evaluation of the quality of the bones is a crucial parameter on which orthopedic surgeons base the choice between cemented and noncemented THA. Although bone density generally decreases with age and a cemented THA is preferred for older subjects, the bone quality of a particular patient should be quantitatively evaluated. This study proposes a new method to quantitatively measure bone density and fracture risk by using 3D models extracted by a preoperative computed tomography (CT) scan of the patient. Also, the anatomical structure and compactness of the quadriceps muscle is computed to provide a more complete view. A spatial reconstruction of the tissues is obtained by means of CT image processing, then a detailed 3D model of bone mineral density of the femur is provided by including quantitative CT density information (CT must be precalibrated). A finite element analysis will provide a map of the strains around the proximal femur socket when solicited by typical stresses caused by an implant. The risk for structural failure due to press‐fitting and compressive stress during noncemented THA surgery was estimated by calculating a bone fracture risk index (ratio between actual compressive stress and estimated failure stress of the bone). A clinical trial was carried out including 36 volunteer patients (ages 22–77) who underwent unilateral THA surgery for the first time: 18 received a cemented implant and 18 received a noncemented implant. CT scans were acquired before surgery, immediately after, and after 12 months. Bone and quadriceps density results were higher in the healthy leg in about 80% of the cases. Bone and quadriceps density generally decrease with age but mineral density may vary significantly between patients. Preliminary results indicate the highest fracture risk at the calcar and the lowest at the intertrocanteric line, with some difference between patients. An analysis of the results suggest that this methodology can be a valid noninvasive decision support tool for THA planning; however, further analyses are needed to tune the technique and to allow clinical applications. Combination with gait analysis data is planned.
Mood lability among offspring of parents with bipolar disorder and community controls
Authors: Birmaher Boris , Goldstein Benjamin I , Axelson David A , Monk Kelly , Hickey Mary Beth , Fan Jieyu , Iyengar Satish , Ha Wonho , Diler Rasim S , Goldstein Tina , Brent David , Ladouceur Cecile D , Sakolsky Dara , Kupfer David J
Published: April 2013

Objectives

Early identification of bipolar disorder (BP) symptomatology is crucial for improving the prognosis of this illness. Increased mood lability has been reported in BP. However, mood lability is ubiquitous across psychiatric disorders and may be a marker of severe psychopathology and not specific to BP. To clarify this issue, this study examined the prevalence of mood lability and its components in offspring of BP parents and offspring of community control parents recruited through the Pittsburgh Bipolar Offspring Study.

Methods

Forty‐one school‐age BP offspring of 38 BP parents, 257 healthy or non‐BP offspring of 174 BP parents, and 192 offspring of 117 control parents completed a scale that was developed to evaluate mood lability in youth, i.e., the Children's Affective Lability Scale (CALS).

Results

A factor analysis of the parental CALS, and in part the child CALS, revealed Irritability, Mania, and Anxiety/Depression factors, with most of the variance explained by the Irritability factor. After adjusting for confounding factors (e.g., parental and offspring non‐BP psychopathology), BP offspring of BP parents showed the highest parental and child total and factor scores, followed by the non‐BP offspring of BP parents, and then the offspring of the controls.

Conclusions

Mood lability overall and mania‐like, anxious/depressed, and particularly irritability symptoms may be a prodromal phenotype of BP among offspring of parents with BP. Prospective studies are warranted to clarify whether these symptoms will predict the development of BP and/or other psychopathology. If confirmed, these symptoms may become a target of treatment and biological studies before BP develops.
Contrasting patterns of viral load response in transplant recipients with BK polyomavirus DNAemia on leflunomide therapy
Authors: Cuellar‐Rodriguez Jennifer , Stephany Brian , Poggio Emilio , Mossad Sherif B. , Goldfarb David , Lard Michelle , Askar Medhat , Fatica Richard , Srinivas Titte , Braun William , Shoskes Daniel , Flechner Stuart , Schmitt Steven K. , Shrestha Rabin , Avery Robin K.
Published: April 2013

Background

Reduction in immunosuppression is considered the therapy of proven benefit for BKV infection in renal transplantation, but the use of leflunomide has also been reported. It was observed at this center that the patterns of viral load response while on leflunomide appear to fall into two distinct types.

Methods

Medical records of 22 kidney and kidney‐pancreas recipients at a single center who received leflunomide therapy for BKV DNAemia were reviewed. Information was collected on demographics, BKV viral loads, other antiviral therapy, immunosuppressive drug levels and doses, adverse effects, and graft and patient outcomes.

Results

Eighteen of 22 cleared BKV viremia, and 12 of 22 had preserved allograft function; only two graft losses occurred in the screening era among leflunomide‐treated patients. Two patterns of viral load reduction were observed, termed the “smooth” and the “zigzag” pattern, which differed in mean time to clear of BKV DNA (2.9 vs. 19.5 months, p = 0.0073). Graft preservation was correlated with lower serum creatinine (SCr) at the start of leflunomide therapy.

Conclusions

Long courses and “zigzag” fluctuations in viral load can occur in patients who eventually clear BKV on leflunomide with preserved allograft function. Intermittent increases in viral load do not necessarily portend therapeutic failure. Although the utility of leflunomide is still debated in the transplant community, this information may be useful to clinicians who choose to use it in selected patients.
Applicability of Automated Functional Imaging for Assessing Right Ventricular Function
Authors: López‐Candales Angel
Published: April 2013

Background: Understanding of right ventricular (RV) function has significantly improved in recent years; however, objective assessment remains problematic. This study sought to demonstrate that a novel speckle tracking method can be used to assess RV global systolic function when compared with traditional echocardiographic measures. Methods: A total of 125 patients (mean age 50 ± 16 years) with a wide range not only of systolic function for both ventricles but also pulmonary pressures and acoustic windows based on patient's body surface areas were studied. Standard parameters of left and RV systolic function were collected and echocardiographic images from four‐chamber apical planes were analyzed by conventional manual tracing using a novel General Electric (GE) automated functional imaging (AFI) to measure myocardial strain. Results: Global longitudinal RV strain measurements obtained with manual tracing showed good correlation with traditional parameters of main RV chamber as well as right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) systolic performance. In a stepwise multiple regression analysis, tricuspid annular systolic motion was the best independent variable that correlated with global AFI RV peak systolic strain followed by RV outflow tract systolic excursion. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed a global RV AFI peak systolic strain value <−17% to be abnormal (sensitivity 73%, specificity 91%). Discussion: This new automated AFI method provides simultaneous quantitation of global and regional RV function that is angle independent and correlates with standard measures of RV performance without the need for additional derivative measurements, complex calculations, or tedious offline analysis.
Incremental Value of Transthoracic Real Time Three‐Dimensional Echocardiography in Assessment of a Right Ventricular Mass
Authors: Almomani Ahmed , Morsy Mohamed , Dimaano Meneleo , Ahmad Masood
Published: April 2013

Mini‐Abstract

A 52‐year‐old male with a right ventricular mass that filled the entire right ventricle and assumed its shape was evaluated by two‐dimensional and real time three‐dimensional (3D) echocardiography. Contrast enhanced 3D imaging and quantitative assessments of the size of the mass were performed. The clinical correlation, the imaging characteristics of the mass, and the pattern of vascularity were consistent with metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. The case illustrates the incremental role of 3D echo in defining the size, shape, spatial relationship, attachments, consistency, and vascularity of the right ventricular mass.
Bodies at Home and at School: Toward a Theory of Embodied Social Class Status
Authors: Henry Sue Ellen
Published: April 2013

Sociology has long recognized the centrality of the body in the reciprocal construction of individuals and society, and recent research has explored the influence of a variety of social institutions on the body. Significant research has established the influence of social class, child‐rearing practices, and variable language forms in families and children. Less well understood is the influence of children's social class status on their gestures, comportment, and other bodily techniques. In this essay Sue Ellen Henry brings these two areas of study together to explore how working‐class children's bodies are shaped by the child‐rearing practices associated with their social class status, and the potential effects these bodily techniques have on their experience in schools.
Comparison of the Diagnostic Accuracy of Five Different Stool Antigen Tests for the Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori Infection
Authors: Korkmaz Huseyin , Kesli Recep , Karabagli Pinar , Terzi Yuksel
Published: April 2013

Background

Several noninvasive diagnostic tests based on the detection of Helicobacter pylori stool antigen (HpSA) have been developed. The aim of the study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of 5 HpSA tests—2 monoclonal enzyme immunoassay tests (EIAs: the Premier Platinum HpSA Plus test and Helicobacter pylori Antigen (Hp Ag) test) and 3 rapid immunochromatographic assay (ICA) tests (the ImmunoCard STAT! HpSA test, one step HpSA test, and H. pylori fecal antigen test)—for diagnosing H. pylori infection in adult patients with dyspeptic symptoms before eradication therapy.

Materials and Methods

A total of 198 patients with dyspeptic symptoms were included in the study. A gastric biopsy was collected for histopathology and rapid urease testing. Stool specimens for HpSA testing were also collected. Patients were considered H. pylori positive if two invasive tests (histological and rapid urease tests) were positive.

Results

The sensitivity and specificity were 92.2% and 94.4%, respectively, for the Premier Platinum HpSA Plus test; 48.9% and 88.9%, respectively, for the HP Ag test; 86.7% and 88.9, respectively, for the One Step HpSA test; 68.9% and 92.6%, respectively, for the ImmunoCard STAT! HpSA test; and 78.9% and 87%, respectively, for the H. Pylori fecal antigen test.

Conclusions

The Premier Platinum HpSA Plus EIA test was determined to be the most accurate stool test for diagnosing H. pylori infections in adult dyspeptic patients. The currently available ICA‐based tests are fast and easy to use but provide less reliable results.
Crystallization Behavior, Mechanical Properties, and Chemical Resistance of Leucite–Fluoroapatite Glass‐Ceramic Glazes
Authors: Fatahi Bafghi M. , Mehrabi H. A. , Eftekhari Yekta B.
Published: April 2013

The roles of Li2O and B2O3 and heat‐treatment condition on crystallization behavior and flowability of leucite–fluoroapatite‐based glass‐ceramic glazes were investigated. The thermal expansion coefficient, mechanical, and chemical properties of the optimum specimen were determined. Glaze firing was performed in the 650–1100°C interval, in one and two step processes. Based on the results, B2O3 was more effective than Li2O in point of flowability view. Also, the microstructures varied with the adopted firing process, so that the two‐step heat‐treated sample showed superior mechanical properties than the one‐step heat‐treated specimens.
Effects of Dietary Salt Intake on Renal Function: A 2‐Year Study in Healthy Aged Cats
Authors: Reynolds B.S. , Chetboul V. , Nguyen P. , Testault I. , Concordet D.V. , Carlos Sampedrano C. , Elliott J. , Trehiou‐Sechi E. , Abadie J. , Biourge V. , Lefebvre H.P.
Published: April 2013

Background

Increasing salt intake to promote diuresis has been suggested in the management of feline lower urinary tract disease. However, high dietary salt intake might adversely affect blood pressure and renal function.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to assess the long‐term effects of increased salt intake on renal function in healthy aged cats.

Methods

This study was controlled, randomized, and blinded. Twenty healthy neutered cats (10.1 ± 2.4 years) were randomly allocated into 2 matched groups. One group was fed a high salt diet (3.1 g/Mcal sodium, 5.5 g/Mcal chloride) and the other a control diet of same composition except for salt content (1.0 g/Mcal sodium, 2.2 g/Mcal chloride). Clinical examination, glomerular filtration rate, blood pressure measurement, cardiac and kidney ultrasonography, and urinary and blood tests were performed before and over 24 months after diet implementation. Statistics were performed using a general linear model.

Results

Sixteen cats completed the 2 year study. The only variables affected by dietary salt intake were plasma aldosterone and urinary sodium/creatinine ratio, respectively, higher and lower in the control group all over the study period and urinary specific gravity, lower in the high salt diet group at 3 months.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR), blood pressure, and other routine clinical pathological variables in healthy aged cats were not affected by dietary salt content. The results of this 2 year study do not support the suggestion that chronic increases in dietary salt intake are harmful to renal function in older cats.
The downward occupational mobility of internationally educated nurses to domestic workers
Authors: Salami Bukola , Nelson Sioban
Published: April 2013

Despite the fact that there is unmet demand for nurses in health services around the world, some nurses migrate to destination countries to work as domestic workers. According to the literature, these nurses experience contradictions in class mobility and are at increased risk of exploitation and abuse. This article presents a critical discussion of the migration of nurses as domestic workers using the concept of ‘global care chain’. Although several scholars have used the concept of global care chains to illustrate south to north migration of domestic workers and nurses, there is a paucity of literature on the migration of nurses to destination countries as domestic workers. The migration of nurses to destination countries as domestic workers involves the extraction of reproductive and skilled care labor without adequate compensatory mechanisms to such skilled nurses. Using the case of the Canadian Live‐in Caregiver Program, the study illustrates how the global movement of internationally educated nurses as migrant domestic workers reinforces inequities that are structured along the power gradient of gender, class, race, nationality, and ethnicity, especially within an era of global nursing shortage.
Transgenic rice seed synthesizing diverse flavonoids at high levels: a new platform for flavonoid production with associated health benefits
Authors: Ogo Yuko , Ozawa Kenjiro , Ishimaru Tsutomu , Murayama Tsugiya , Takaiwa Fumio
Published: April 2013

Flavonoids possess diverse health‐promoting benefits but are nearly absent from rice, because most of the genes encoding enzymes for flavonoid biosynthesis are not expressed in rice seeds. In the present study, a transgenic rice plant producing several classes of flavonoids in seeds was developed by introducing multiple genes encoding enzymes involved in flavonoid synthesis, from phenylalanine to the target flavonoids, into rice. Rice accumulating naringenin was developed by introducing phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and chalcone synthase (CHS) genes. Rice producing other classes of flavonoids, kaempferol, genistein, and apigenin, was developed by introducing, together with PAL and CHS, genes encoding flavonol synthase/flavanone‐3‐hydroxylase, isoflavone synthase, and flavone synthases, respectively. The endosperm‐specific GluB‐1 promoter or embryo‐ and aleurone‐specific 18‐kDa oleosin promoters were used to express these biosynthetic genes in seed. The target flavonoids of naringenin, kaempferol, genistein, and apigenin were highly accumulated in each transgenic rice, respectively. Furthermore, tricin was accumulated by introducing hydroxylase and methyltransferase, demonstrating that modification to flavonoid backbones can be also well manipulated in rice seeds. The flavonoids accumulated as both aglycones and several types of glycosides, and flavonoids in the endosperm were deposited into PB‐II‐type protein bodies. Therefore, these rice seeds provide an ideal platform for the production of particular flavonoids due to efficient glycosylation, the presence of appropriate organelles for flavonoid accumulation, and the small effect of endogenous enzymes on the production of flavonoids by exogenous enzymes.
Novel MBTPS2 Missense Mutation in the N‐Terminus Transmembrane Domain in a Patient with Ichthyosis Follicularis, Alopecia, and Photophobia Syndrome
Authors: Izumi Kosuke , Wilkens Alisha , Treat James R. , Pride Howard B. , Krantz Ian D.
Published: April 2013

Ichthyosis follicularis, alopecia, and photophobia (IFAP) syndrome is an X‐linked dominant condition characterized by the triad of ichthyosis follicularis, alopecia, and photophobia caused by mutations in the MBTPS2 gene. Herein we describe a proband with IFAP syndrome with mild cutaneous manifestations and a novel MBTPS2 mutation in the N‐terminal transmembrane domain.
Perniosis in an Infant Treated with Topical Nitroglycerine
Authors: Verma Prashant , Singal Archana , Yadav Pravesh
Published: April 2013

Treatment of perniosis with topical nitroglycerin ointment is reported in a 6‐month‐old boy.
Reduced dose cyclophosphamide, fludarabine and antithymocyte globulin for sibling and unrelated transplant of children with severe and very severe aplastic anemia
Authors: Chung Nack‐Gyun , Lee Jae Wook , Jang Pil‐Sang , Jeong Dae‐Chul , Cho Bin , Kim Hack‐Ki
Published: April 2013

We evaluated the results of a novel conditioning regimen of reduced dose cyclophosphamide (Cy, 25 mg/kg for four days), fludarabine (Flu, 30 mg/m2 for four days), and rabbit ATG (2.5 mg/kg for three days) for allogeneic transplant of children with SAA, implemented since January 2009. Overall, 23 patients were treated with this regimen (16 male, seven female), including 10 diagnosed with VSAA. Donors included eight‐MSD and 15 UD (five‐matched UD, and 10 mismatched UD). All patients showed neutrophil and platelet engraftment. Cumulative incidence of acute (grade 2 or above) and chronic GVHD was 26.1% and 8.7%, respectively. Estimated two‐yr FFS and OS for the entire cohort was 90.3 ± 6.5%. Rates of TRM and graft failure were 5.3% and 4.3%, respectively. No difference in OS was found according to disease severity (SAA vs. VSAA, p = 0.184), or according to donor type (MSD vs. UD, p = 0.699). Excellent outcomes of patients with VSAA underscore the efficacy of allogeneic transplant as a means of expediting hematopoietic recovery. Improved survival of UD transplant reaffirms its role as a valid therapeutic alternative in the absence of MSD.
Lean Control for Make‐to‐Order Companies: Integrating Customer Enquiry Management and Order Release
Authors: Thürer Matthias , Stevenson Mark , Silva Cristovao , Land Martin J. , Fredendall Lawrence D. , Melnyk Steven A.
Published: April 2013

A lead time that is short, predictable, and reliable is an increasingly important criterion in supplier selection. Although many companies may achieve this through lean implementation, high‐variety manufacturers, for example, small and medium‐sized make‐to‐order companies, have found that lean's planning and control techniques do not apply. This article outlines a planning and control concept known as workload control (WLC) that integrates customer enquiry management, including a due‐date setting rule, with order release control. Simulation is then used to assess its impact on shop performance. Results demonstrate that an integrated WLC concept can reduce the percentage of tardy jobs—so short lead times can be realistically quoted—while also reducing and stabilizing workloads. WLC can level demand and production over time when work is not standardized and it is not possible to synchronize flows on the shop floor. Results are shown to be robust to changes in routing characteristics, the mix of orders with due dates specified by the customer and proposed internally, and the strike rate (or order‐winning probability). Hence, an integrated approach to WLC represents an important step toward achieving lean in make‐to‐order companies.
Opt‐Out Options in New Product Co‐development Partnerships
Authors: Savva Nicos , Scholtes Stefan
Published: April 2013

We study three contractual arrangements—co‐development, licensing, and co‐development with opt‐out options—for the joint development of new products between a small and financially constrained innovator firm and a large technology company, as in the case of a biotech innovator and a major pharma company. We formulate our arguments in the context of a two‐stage model, characterized by technical risk and stochastically changing cost and revenue projections. The model captures the main disadvantages of traditional co‐development and licensing arrangements: in co‐development the small firm runs a risk of running out of capital as future costs rise, while licensing for milestone and royalty (M&R) payments, which eliminates the latter risk, introduces inefficiency, as profitable projects might be abandoned. Counter to intuition we show that the biotech's payoff in a licensing contract is not monotonically increasing in the M&R terms. We also show that an option clause in a co‐development contract that gives the small firm the right but not the obligation to opt out of co‐development and into a pre‐agreed licensing arrangement avoids the problems associated with fully committed co‐development or licensing: the probability that the small firm will run out of capital is greatly reduced or completely eliminated and profitable projects are never abandoned.
Coordinating Production and Marketing with Dynamic Transfer Prices
Authors: Dockner Engelbert J. , Fruchter Gila E.
Published: April 2013

Decentralized decision making is a fact in the modern business world accompanied by extensive research that looks into its consequences for overall firm profits. We study the interactions of decentralized marketing and operations divisions in a corporation and explore their impact on overall firm profits in the case with and without coordination of the two decentralized units. We assume that the marketing department is responsible for the price that influences the demand (sales), and the operations department is responsible for the production rate. We allow for backlogging over time. We model the interdependence involving marketing and operations decisions as a non‐cooperative differential game, with the two divisions as strategically interacting players. We find that, without coordination, strategic interactions of marketing and production result in inefficiencies that can quantitatively be substantial. Next, we introduce a dynamic transfer pricing scheme as a coordination device and evaluate if it establishes efficient (first best and fully coordinated) outcomes. We show that if production and marketing play a game with pre‐commitment strategies, there exists a dynamic transfer price that efficiently (fully) coordinates decentralized decision making and hence results in Pareto‐efficient company profits. If the two decentralized divisions play a game without pre‐commitment, dynamic transfer prices can partially coordinate decentralized decision making but fail to fully eliminate overall inefficiencies arising from strategic interactions among decentralized divisions.
Complexity as a Contract Design Factor: A Human‐to‐Human Experimental Study
Authors: Kalkancı Basak , Chen Kay‐Yut , Erhun Feryal
Published: April 2013

Despite being theoretically suboptimal, simpler contracts (such as price‐only contracts and quantity discount contracts with limited number of price blocks) are commonly preferred in practice. Thus, exploring the tension between theory and practice regarding complexity and performance in contract design is especially relevant. Using human subject experiments, Kalkancı et al. (2011) showed that such simpler contracts perform effectively for a supplier interacting with a computerized buyer under asymmetric demand information. We use a similar set of experiments with the modification that a human supplier interacts with a human buyer. We show that human interactions strengthen the supplier's preference for simpler contracts. We find that suppliers have fairness concerns even when they interact with computerized buyers. These fairness concerns tend to be even stronger when suppliers interact with human buyers, particularly when the complexity of the contract is low. We also find that suppliers are more prone to random decision errors (i.e., bounded rationality) when interacting with human buyers. In the absence of social preferences, Kalkancı et al. identified reinforcement and bounded rationality as key biases that impact suppliers' decisions. In human‐to‐human experiments, we find evidence for social preference effects. However, these effects may be secondary to bounded rationality.
Management of Energy Technology for Sustainability: How to Fund Energy Technology Research and Development
Authors: Baker Erin , Solak Senay
Published: April 2013

Operations management methods have been applied profitably to a wide range of technology portfolio management problems, but have been slow to be adopted by governments and policy makers. We develop a framework that allows us to apply such techniques to a large and important public policy problem: energy technology R&D portfolio management under climate change. We apply a multi‐model approach, implementing probabilistic data derived from expert elicitations into a novel stochastic programming version of a dynamic integrated assessment model. We note that while the unifying framework we present can be applied to a range of models and data sets, the specific results depend on the data and assumptions used and therefore may not be generalizable. Nevertheless, the results are suggestive, and we find that the optimal technology portfolio for the set of projects considered is fairly robust to different specifications of climate uncertainty, to different policy environments, and to assumptions about the opportunity cost of investing. We also conclude that policy makers would do better to over‐invest in R&D rather than under‐invest. Finally, we show that R&D can play different roles in different types of policy environments, sometimes leading primarily to cost reduction, other times leading to better environmental outcomes.
Product Life‐Cycle Management of Packaged Software
Authors: Mehra Amit , Seidmann Abraham , Mojumder Probal
Published: April 2013

A software product becomes less valuable for its consumers over time due to technological and economic obsolescence. As a result, firms have an opportunity to introduce and sell upgrades that provide higher utility to consumers compared to an older and out‐of‐date software product. In a market that is growing and consists of homogeneous customers, we prove that the optimal upgrade intervals are monotonically increasing throughout the product's life cycle solely because of demand and cost considerations. This finding is in conformity with empirical evidence, thus validating our theoretical model. We then present comparative statics results to show that increase in the rate of obsolescence or network externalities may sometimes increase upgrade intervals for early upgrades and decrease these for later upgrades in the product's life cycle, but increase in market growth rate always decreases these intervals. Further, when successive software upgrades are forward compatible, upgrade intervals are longer than when they are not. Finally, we present three separate extensions of our model to showcase the robustness of our results. Since upgrade development costs depend on upgrade intervals, these insights help managers understand how costing for upgrades changes over the product's life cycle.