bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of age on syncope following prolonged exercise: differential responses but similar orthostatic intolerance
Authors: Murrell Carissa , Cotter James D. , George Keith , Shave Robert , Wilson Luke , Thomas Kate , Williams Michael J. A. , Lowe Tim , Ainslie Philip N.
Published: November 2009

Orthostatic tolerance is reduced with increasing age and following prolonged exercise. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of age on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular responses to orthostatic stress following prolonged exercise. Measurements were obtained before, and within 45 min after, 4 h of continuous running at 70–80% of maximal heart rate in nine young (Y; 27 ± 4 years; 59 ± 10 ml kg−1 min−1) and twelve older (O; 65 ± 5 years; 46 ± 8 ml kg−1 min−1) athletes. Middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity (MCAv; transcranial Doppler ultrasound), blood pressure (BP; Finometer) and stroke volume (SV) were measured continuously whilst supine and during 60 deg head‐up tilt for 15 min or to pre‐syncope. Orthostatic tolerance was reduced post‐exercise (tilt completed (min:s, mean ±s.d.): Pre, 14:39 ± 0:55; Post, 5:59 ± 4:53; P < 0.05), but did not differ with age (P > 0.05). Despite a 25% higher supine MCAv in the young, MCAv at syncope was the same in both groups (Y: 34 ± 10 cm s−1; O: 32 ± 13; P > 0.05). Although the hypotensive response to syncope did not differ with age, the components of BP did; SV was lowered more in the young (Y: –57 ± 16%; O: –34 ± 13%; P < 0.05); and total peripheral resistance was lowered in the older athletes but was unchanged in the young (Y: +8 ± 10%; O: –21 ± 12%; (at 10 s pre‐syncope) P < 0.05). Despite a lower MCAv in the older athletes, time to syncope was similar between groups; however, the integrative mechanisms responsible for syncope did differ with age. The similar MCAv at pre‐syncope indicates there is an age‐independent critical cerebral blood flow threshold at which syncope occurs.
Both synaptic and intrinsic mechanisms underlie the different properties of population bursts in the hippocampal CA3 area of immatureversusadult rats
Authors: Shao Li‐Rong , Dudek F. Edward
Published: November 2009

Pharmacological blockade of GABAAreceptors on CA3 pyramidal cells in hippocampal slices from immature rats (i.e. second to third postnatal weeks), compared to CA3 slices from adult rats, is known to cause prolonged burst discharges (i.e. several secondsvs.tens of milliseconds). Synaptic and intrinsic mechanisms responsible for this developmental difference in burst duration were analysed in isolated minislices of the CA3 area. The frequency and amplitude of spontaneous EPSCs in CA3 pyramidal cells were greater in slices from immature than mature rats. In the presence of GABAA‐ and GABAB‐receptor antagonists, the burst discharges of immature CA3 pyramidal cells were still prolonged in thinner slices (350 μm,vs.450 μm in adults, to compensate for developmental differences in neuronal density) and in NMDA‐ and mGlu1‐receptor antagonists. The AMPA receptor antagonist DNQX blocked the remaining burst discharges, suggesting that differences in recurrent excitatory circuits contributed to the prolonged bursts of immature CA3 pyramidal cells. In slices from immatureversusadult rats, the CA3 recurrent synaptic responses showed potentiation to repetitive stimulation, suggestive of a lower transmitter release probability. The intrinsic firing ability was greater in CA3 pyramidal neurons from immature than adult rats, and the medium‐duration afterhyperpolarization was smaller. These data suggest that, compared to adults, the CA3 area of immature rats contains a more robust recurrent excitatory synaptic network, greater intrinsic membrane excitability, and an increased capacity for sustained transmitter release, which together may account for the more prolonged network bursts in immatureversusadult CA3.
Myosin heavy chain isoform composition and Ca2+ transients in fibres from enzymatically dissociated murine soleus and extensor digitorum longus muscles
Authors: Calderón Juan C. , Bolaños Pura , Caputo Carlo
Published: November 2009

Electrically elicited Ca2+ transients reported with the fast Ca2+ dye MagFluo‐4 AM and myosin heavy chain (MHC) electrophoretic patterns were obtained in intact, enzymatically dissociated fibres from adult mice extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus muscles. Thirty nine fibres (23 from soleus and 16 from EDL) were analysed by both fluorescence microscopy and electrophoresis. These fibres were grouped as follows: group 1 included 13 type I and 4 type IC fibres; group 2 included 2 type IIC, 3 IIA and 1 I/IIA/IIX fibres; group 3 included 4 type IIX and 1 type IIX/IIB fibres; group 4 included 2 type IIB/IIX and 9 type IIB fibres. Ca2+ transients obtained in groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 had the following kinetic parameters (mean ±s.e.m.): amplitude (ΔF/F): 0.61 ± 0.05, 0.53 ± 0.08, 0.61 ± 0.06 and 0.61 ± 0.03; rise time (ms): 1.64 ± 0.05, 1.35 ± 0.05, 1.18 ± 0.06 and 1.14 ± 0.04; half‐amplitude width (ms): 19.12 ± 1.85, 11.86 ± 3.03, 4.62 ± 0.31 and 4.23 ± 0.37; and time constants of decay (τ1 and τ2, ms): 3.33 ± 0.13 and 52.48 ± 3.93, 2.69 ± 0.22 and 41.06 ± 9.13, 1.74 ± 0.06 and 12.88 ± 1.93, and 1.56 ± 0.11 and 9.45 ± 1.03, respectively. The statistical differences between the four groups and the analysis of the distribution of the parameters of Ca2+ release and clearance show that there is a continuum from slow to fast, that parallels the MHC continuum from pure type I to pure IIB. However, type IIA fibres behave more like IIX and IIB fibres regarding Ca2+ release but closer to type I fibres regarding Ca2+ clearance. In conclusion, we show for the first time the diversity of Ca2+ transients for the whole continuum of fibre types and correlate this functional diversity with the structural and biochemical diversity of the skeletal muscle fibres.
In Vivo Activity of Ceftobiprole in Murine Skin Infections Due toStaphylococcus aureusandPseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Fernandez Jeffrey , Hilliard Jamese J. , Abbanat Darren , Zhang Wenyan , Melton John L. , Santoro Colleen M. , Flamm Robert K. , Bush Karen
Published: November 2009

Ceftobiprole, a broad-spectrum cephalosporin with activity against methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) (P. Hebeisen et al., Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 45:825-836, 2001), was evaluated in a subcutaneous skin infection model withStaphylococcus aureusSmith OC 4172 (methicillin-susceptibleS. aureus[MSSA]),S. aureusOC 8525 (MRSA),Pseudomonas aeruginosaOC 4351 (having an inducible AmpC β-lactamase), andP. aeruginosaOC 4354 (overproducing AmpC β-lactamase). In the MSSA and MRSA infection models, ceftobiprole, administered as the prodrug ceftobiprole medocaril, was more effective in reducing CFU/g skin (P< 0.001) than were cefazolin, vancomycin, or linezolid based on the dose-response profiles. Skin lesion volumes in MSSA-infected animals treated with ceftobiprole were 19 to 29% lower than those for cefazolin-, vancomycin-, or linezolid-treated animals (P< 0.001). In MRSA infections, lesion size in ceftobiprole-treated mice was 34% less than that with cefazolin or linezolid treatment (P< 0.001). AgainstP. aeruginosa, ceftobiprole at similar doses was as effective as meropenem-cilastatin in reductions of CFU/g skin, despite 8- and 32-fold-lower MICs for meropenem; both treatments were more effective than was cefepime (P< 0.001) against the inducible and overproducing AmpC β-lactamase strains ofP. aeruginosa. Ceftobiprole was similar to meropenem-cilastatin and 47 to 54% more effective than cefepime (P< 0.01) in reducing the size of the lesion caused by either strain ofP. aeruginosain this study. These studies indicate that ceftobiprole is effective in reducing both bacterial load and lesion volume associated with infections due to MSSA, MRSA, andP. aeruginosain this murine model of skin and soft tissue infection.
Molecular Epidemiology of Metallo-β-Lactamase-Producing
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Isolates from Norway and Sweden Shows Import of International Clones and Local Clonal Expansion
Authors: Samuelsen Ørjan , Toleman Mark A. , Sundsfjord Arnfinn , Rydberg Johan , Leegaard Truls M. , Walder Mats , Lia Astrid , Ranheim Trond E. , Rajendra Yashas , Hermansen Nils O. , Walsh Timothy R. , Giske Christian G.
Published: November 2009

Scandinavia is considered a region with a low prevalence of antimicrobial resistance. However, the number of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria is increasing, including metallo-β-lactamase (MBL)-producing
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
. In this study MBL-producing
P. aeruginosa
isolates identified in Norway (
n
= 4) and Sweden (
n
= 9) from 1999 to 2007 were characterized. Two international clonal complexes (CC), CC111 (
n
= 8) and CC235 (
n
= 2), previously associated with MBL-producing isolates, were dominant. CC111 isolates (ST111/229; serotype O12;
bla
VIM-2
) included clonally related isolates identified in Skåne County, Sweden (
n
= 6), and two isolates associated with importation from Greece and Denmark. In all CC111 isolates,
bla
VIM-2
was located in integron In
59.2
or In
59
variants. The two CC235 isolates (ST235/ST230; serotype O11;
bla
VIM-4
) were imported from Greece and Cyprus, were possibly clonally related, and carried
bla
VIM-4
in two different integron structures. Three isolates imported from Ghana (ST233; serotype O6;
bla
VIM-2
), Tunisia (ST654; serotype O11;
bla
VIM-2
), and Thailand (ST260; serotype O6;
bla
IMP-14
) were clonally unrelated. ST233 was part of a new CC (CC233) that included other MBL-producing isolates, while ST654 could also be part of a new CC associated with MBL producers. In the isolates imported from Ghana and Tunisia,
bla
VIM-2
was part of unusual integron structures lacking the 3′ conserved segment and associated with transposons. The
bla
VIM
gene was found to be located on the chromosome in all isolates. Known risk factors for acquisition of MBL were reported for all patients except one. The findings suggest that both import of successful international clones and local clonal expansion contribute to the emergence of MBL-producing
P. aeruginosa
in Scandinavia.
Unusual Class 1 Integron Configuration Found in
S
almonella
Genomic Island 2 from
Salmonella enterica
Serovar Emek
Authors: Wilson Neil L. , Hall Ruth M.
Published: November 2009

Salmonella
genomic island 2 (SGI2) is an independently derived genomic island related to SGI1 with the integron in a different position. The integron in SGI2 was found to include an additional 2.1 kb derived from the
tni
module of Tn
5058
, Tn
502
, or Tn
512
that was not detected previously. Independent evolution of the backbone was confirmed with 21 single base differences found in over 11.5 kb, representing 40% of the 27.4-kb SGI2 backbone.
First Report of Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing
Salmonella enterica
Serovar Kentucky Isolated from Poultry in Ireland
Authors: Boyle F. , Morris D. , O'Connor J. , DeLappe N. , Ward J. , Cormican M.
Published: November 2009

Therapy of invasive human salmonellosis is complicated by increasing antimicrobial resistance. Food animals are the principal source of infection with nontyphoid
Salmonella
. We report the emergence of broad-spectrum-cephalosporin resistance in
S
almonella enterica
serovar Kentucky in poultry in Ireland.
Effect of Antifungal Therapy Timing on Mortality in Cancer Patients with Candidemia
Authors: Taur Ying , Cohen Nina , Dubnow Sarah , Paskovaty Alla , Seo Susan K.
Published: November 2009

Prior studies have shown that delays in treatment are associated with increased mortality in patients with candidemia. The purpose of this study was to measure three separate time periods comprising the diagnosis and treatment of candidemia and to determine which one(s) is associated with hospital mortality. Patients with blood cultures positive for
Candida
spp. were identified. Subjects were excluded if no antifungal therapy was given or if there was preexisting antifungal therapy. Collected data included the time from blood culture collection to positivity (incubation period), the time from blood culture positivity to provider notification (provider notification period), and the time from provider notification to the first dose of antifungal given (antifungal initiation period). These times were assessed as predictors of inpatient mortality. A repeat analysis was done with adjustments for age, sex, race, underlying cancer, catheter removal, APACHE III score, acute renal failure, neutropenia, and non-
Candida albicans
species. A total of 106 episodes of candidemia were analyzed. The median incubation time was 32.1 h and was associated with mortality (univariate hazard ratio per hour, 1.025;
P
= 0.001). The median provider notification and antifungal initiation periods were 0.3 and 7.5 h, respectively, and were not associated with mortality. Adjusted analysis yielded similar results. For cancer patients with candidemia, the incubation period accounts for a significant amount of time, compared with the provider notification and antifungal initiation times, and is associated with in-hospital mortality. Strategies to shorten the incubation time, such as utilizing rapid molecularly based diagnostic methods, may help reduce in-hospital mortality.
Hydrolysis and Inhibition Profiles of β-Lactamases from Molecular Classes A to D with Doripenem, Imipenem, and Meropenem
Authors: Queenan Anne Marie , Shang Wenchi , Flamm Robert , Bush Karen
Published: November 2009

The stability of doripenem to hydrolysis by β-lactamases from molecular classes A to D was compared to the stability for imipenem and meropenem. Doripenem was stable to hydrolysis by extended-spectrum β-lactamases and AmpC type β-lactamases and demonstrated high affinity for the AmpC enzymes. For the serine carbapenemases SME-3 and KPC-2 and metallo-β-lactamases IMP-1 and VIM-2, doripenem hydrolysis was generally 2- to 150-fold slower than imipenem hydrolysis. SPM-1 hydrolyzed meropenem and doripenem fourfold faster than imipenem.
Human Platelets Recognize a Novel Surface Protein, PadA, on
Streptococcus gordonii
through a Unique Interaction Involving Fibrinogen Receptor GPIIbIIIa
Authors: Petersen Helen J. , Keane Ciara , Jenkinson Howard F. , Vickerman M. Margaret , Jesionowski Amy , Waterhouse Janet C. , Cox Dermot , Kerrigan Steven W.
Published: November 2009

The concept of an infectious agent playing a role in cardiovascular disease is slowly gaining attention. Among several pathogens identified, the oral bacterium
Streptococcus gordonii
has been implicated as a plausible agent. Platelet adhesion and subsequent aggregation are critical events in the pathogenesis and dissemination of the infective process. Here we describe the identification and characterization of a novel cell wall-anchored surface protein, PadA (397 kDa), of
S. gordonii
DL1 that binds to the platelet fibrinogen receptor GPIIbIIIa. Wild-type
S. gordonii
cells induced platelet aggregation and supported platelet adhesion in a GPIIbIIIa-dependent manner. Deletion of the
padA
gene had no effect on platelet aggregation by
S. gordonii
but significantly reduced (>75%) platelet adhesion to
S. gordonii
. Purified N-terminal PadA recombinant polypeptide adhered to platelets. The
padA
mutant was unaffected in production of other platelet-interactive surface proteins (Hsa, SspA, and SspB), and levels of adherence of the mutant to fetuin or platelet receptor GPIb were unaffected. Wild-type
S. gordonii
, but not the
padA
mutant, bound to Chinese hamster ovary cells stably transfected with GPIIbIIIa, and this interaction was ablated by addition of GPIIbIIIa inhibitor Abciximab. These results highlight the growing complexity of interactions between
S. gordonii
and platelets and demonstrate a new mechanism by which the bacterium could contribute to unwanted thrombosis.
Neither Mosquito Saliva nor Immunity to Saliva Has a Detectable Effect on the Infectivity ofPlasmodiumSporozoites Injected into Mice
Authors: Kebaier Chahnaz , Voza Tatiana , Vanderberg Jerome
Published: November 2009

Malaria infection is initiated when a femaleAnophelesmosquito probing for blood injects saliva, together with sporozoites, into the skin of its mammalian host. Prior studies had suggested that saliva may enhance sporozoite infectivity. Using rodent malaria models (Plasmodium bergheiandP. yoelii), we were unable to show that saliva had any detectable effect on sporozoite infectivity. This is encouraging for plans to immunize humans with washed, attenuatedP. falciparumsporozoites because many individuals develop cutaneous, hypersensitivity reactions to mosquito saliva after repeated exposure. If washed sporozoites have no appreciable loss of infectivity, they likely do not have decreased immunogenicity; thus, vaccinees are unlikely to develop cutaneous reactions against mosquito saliva during attempted immunization with such sporozoites. Earlier studies also suggested that repeated prior exposure to mosquito saliva reduces infectivity of sporozoites injected by mosquitoes into sensitized hosts. However, our own studies show that prior exposure of mice to saliva had no detectable effect on numbers of sporozoites delivered by infected mosquitoes, the rate of disappearance of these sporozoites from the skin or infectivity of the sporozoites. Under natural conditions, sporozoites are delivered both to individuals who may exhibit cutaneous hypersensitivity to mosquito bite and to others who may have not yet developed such reactivity. It was tempting to hypothesize that differences in responsiveness to mosquito bite by different individuals might modulate the infectivity of sporozoites delivered into a milieu of changes induced by cutaneous hypersensitivity. Our results with rodent malaria models, however, were unable to support such a hypothesis.
A New Generation of Stable, Nonantibiotic, Low-Copy-Number Plasmids Improves Immune Responses to Foreign Antigens in
Salmonella enterica
Serovar Typhi Live Vectors
Authors: Galen James E. , Wang Jin Yuan , Chinchilla Magaly , Vindurampulle Christopher , Vogel Jeffrey E. , Levy Haim , Blackwelder William C. , Pasetti Marcela F. , Levine Myron M.
Published: November 2009

We hypothesized that adequately engineered attenuated
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhi strains can serve as multivalent mucosal live vector vaccines to immunize against unrelated human pathogens. Toward this ultimate goal, we have developed a novel genetic stabilization system for antigen-expressing plasmids, engineered to encode the single-stranded binding protein (SSB), an essential protein involved in DNA metabolism which was deleted from the live vector chromosome. We utilized full-length protective antigen (PA83) of anthrax toxin from
Bacillus anthracis
as a foreign antigen and expressed PA83 as a fusion with the ClyA export protein, which allows export of ClyA-PA83 to the surface of
S
. Typhi live vectors. A series of SSB-encoding multicopy expression plasmids were introduced into reengineered
S
. Typhi strains previously tested in clinical trials, i.e., CVD 908-
htrA
and its less attenuated parent CVD 908. Immunogenicity was examined using a mouse model of intranasal immunization with live vector, followed by parenteral boosting with purified PA83. PA-specific antibody responses markedly improved as the copy number of the SSB-encoding plasmids decreased, and this effect was dramatically enhanced when the foreign antigen was delivered by the less attenuated live vector CVD 908
ssb
. These results suggest that antibody responses to antigens delivered by
S
. Typhi live vectors are inversely related to the metabolic burden imposed by expression of the foreign antigen and that these responses can be improved when antigens are expressed from low-copy-number plasmids and exported out of the cytoplasm of less attenuated live vectors.
DiscordantBrucella melitensisAntigens Yield Cognate CD8+T Cells In Vivo
Authors: Durward Marina A. , Harms Jerome , Magnani Diogo M. , Eskra Linda , Splitter Gary A.
Published: November 2009

Brucellaspp. are intracellular bacteria that cause the most frequent zoonosis in the world. Although recent work has advanced the field ofBrucellavaccine development, there remains no safe human vaccine. In order to produce a safe and effective human vaccine, the immune response toBrucellaspp. requires greater understanding. Induction ofBrucella-specific CD8+T cells is considered an important aspect of the host response; however, the CD8+T-cell response is not clearly defined. Discovering the epitope containing antigens recognized byBrucella-specific CD8+T cells and correlating them with microarray data will aid in determining proteins critical for vaccine development that cover a kinetic continuum during infection. Developing tools to take advantage of the BALB/c mouse model ofBrucella melitensisinfection will help to clarify the correlates of immunity and improve the efficacy of this model. Two H-2dCD8+T-cell epitopes have been characterized, and a group of immunogenic proteins have provoked gamma interferon production by CD8+T cells. RYCINSASL and NGSSSMATV induced cognate CD8+T cells after peptide immunization that showed specific killing in vivo. Importantly, we found by microarray analysis that the genes encoding these epitopes are differentially expressed following macrophage infection, further emphasizing that these discordant genes may play an important role in the pathogenesis ofB. melitensisinfection.
Toward the Rational Design of a Malaria Vaccine Construct Using the MSP3 Family as an Example: Contribution of Antigenicity Studies in Humans
Authors: Demanga Corine G. , Daher Lena-Juliette , Prieur Eric , Blanc Catherine , Pérignon Jean-Louis , Bouharoun-Tayoun Hasnaa , Druilhe Pierre
Published: November 2009

Plasmodium falciparummerozoite surface protein (MSP3) is a main target of protective immunity against malaria that is currently undergoing vaccine development. It was shown recently to belong, together with MSP6, to a new multigene family whose C-terminal regions have a similar organization, contain both homologous and divergent regions, and are highly conserved across isolates. In an attempt to rationally design novel vaccine constructs, we extended the analysis of antigenicity and function of region-specific antibodies, previously performed with MSP3 and MSP6, to the remaining four proteins of the MSP3 family using four recombinant proteins and 24 synthetic peptides. Antibodies to each MSP3 family antigen were found to be highly prevalent among malaria-exposed individuals from the village of Dielmo (Senegal). Each of the 24 peptides was antigenic, defining at least one epitope mimicking that of the native proteins, with a distinct IgG isotype pattern for each, although with an overall predominance of the IgG3 subclass. Human antibodies affinity purified upon each of the 24 peptides exerted an antiparasite antibody-dependent cellular inhibition effect, which in most cases was as strong as that of IgG from protected African adults. The two regions with high homology were found to generate a broad network of cross-reactive antibodies with various avidities. A first multigenic construct was designed using these findings and those from related immunogenicity studies in mice and demonstrated valuable immunological properties. These results indicate that numerous regions from the MSP3 family play a role in protection and provide a rationale for the tailoring of new MSP3-derived malaria vaccines.
Air pollution, obesity, genes and cellular adhesion molecules
Authors: Madrigano Jaime , Baccarelli Andrea , Wright Robert O , Suh Helen , Sparrow David , Vokonas Pantel S , Schwartz Joel
Published: November 2009

Objectives

Particulate matter has been associated with acute cardiovascular outcomes, but our understanding of the mechanism is incomplete. We examined the association between particulate matter and cell adhesion molecules. We also investigated the modifying effect of genotype and phenotype variation to gain insight into the relevant biological pathways for this association.

Methods

We used mixed regression models to examine the association of PM2.5(particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter) and black carbon with serum concentrations of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM-1) and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule (sVCAM-1), markers of endothelial function and inflammation, in a longitudinal study of 809 participants in the Normative Ageing Study (1819 total observations). We also examined whether this association was modified by genotype, obesity or diabetes status. Genes selected for analyses were either related to oxidative stress, endothelial function, lipid metabolism or metal processing.

Results

Black carbon during the 2 days prior to blood draw was significantly associated with increased sVCAM-1 (4.5% increase per 1 μg/m3, 95% CI 1.1 to 8.0). Neither pollutant was associated with sICAM-1. Larger effects of black carbon on sVCAM were seen in subjects with obesity (p=0.007) and who wereGSTM1null (p=0.02).

Conclusions

Black carbon is associated with markers of endothelial function and inflammation. Genes related to oxidative defence may modify this association.
Air temperature and inflammatory and coagulation responses in men with coronary or pulmonary disease during the winter season
Authors: Hampel Regina , Breitner Susanne , Rückerl Regina , Frampton Mark W , Koenig Wolfgang , Phipps Richard P , Wichmann H Erich , Peters Annette , Schneider Alexandra
Published: November 2009

Background and Objective

Air temperature changes are associated with increased cardiovascular and respiratory risk, but the roles of inflammatory and coagulation markers are not well understood. We investigated the associations between temperature and several blood markers in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and pulmonary disease (PD).

Methods

Two studies were conducted in Erfurt, Germany, over two successive winters. 578 and 381 repeated blood measurements were collected from 57 CHD and 38 PD patients, respectively. Data on patient characteristics and disease history were gathered at baseline. Meteorological data were collected from existing networks. Associations were analysed using additive mixed models with random patient effects. Effect modification by diabetes status was investigated only in CHD patients, as only two PD patients had diabetes.

Results

Mean daily air temperature varied between −13°C and 16°C in both study periods. A 10°C decrease in the 5-day temperature average before blood withdrawal led to an increase in platelet counts (% change from the mean: 3.0%, 95% CI 0.6% to 5.5%) and fibrinogen (5.5%, 1.3% to 9.7%), no change in C-reactive protein in PD patients, and a decrease in C-reactive protein in CHD patients. A 2-day delayed increase in factor VII associated with temperature decrease was seen in CHD patients (4.9%; 0.7% to 9.2%), while PD patients showed no effect. ‘Effects in CHD patients without diabetes’ into ‘Effects on factor VII in CHD patients without diabetes’.

Conclusions

This study suggests that temperature decrease is associated with change in several blood parameters. The complex interplay of blood markers at low temperature may contribute to the observed association between cold and cardiovascular mortality and morbidity.
COMBINING THE TUNNELING AND ANOMALY PHENOMENA IN DERIVING THE GRAVITATIONAL ANOMALY
Authors: GHOSH SUBIR
Published: November 2009

In the present work we have derived the gravitational anomaly from a fundamentally different perspective: it emerges due to the tunneling of particles (in the present case fermions) across the black hole horizon. The latter effect is in fact the Hawking radiation. We have used the analogy of an early idea17,18 of visualizing chiral gauge anomaly as an effect of spectral flow of the energy levels, from the negative energy Dirac sea, across zero energy level in the presence of gauge interactions. This was extended to conformal anomaly in Ref. 23. In the present work, we exploit the latter formalism in black hole physics where we interpret crossing the horizon of black hole (the zero energy level) as a spectral flow since it is also accompanied by a change of sign in the energy of the particle. Furthermore, Hawking radiation induces a shrinking of the radius of the horizon15,16 which reminds us of a similar rearrangement in the Fermi level generated by the spectral flow.17,18,21 Hence in our formulation the negative energy states below horizon play a similar role as the Dirac sea. We successfully recover the gravitational anomaly.
ON THE NORMALIZED TWO-MODE PHOTON-SUBTRACTED SQUEEZED VACUUM STATE
Authors: XU XUE-XIANG , HU LI-YUN , FAN HONG-YI
Published: November 2009

We show that the two-mode photon-subtracted squeezed state (TPSSS) is a squeezed two-variable Hermite polynomial excitation state, and we can therefore determine its normalization as a Jacobi polynomial of the squeezing parameter. Some new relations about the Jacobi polynomials are obtained by this analysis. We also show that the TPSSS can be treated as a two-variable Hermite-polynomial excitation on squeezed vacuum state. The technique of integration within an ordered product of operators brings convenience in our derivation.
CANONICAL SEESAW MECHANISM IN ELECTROWEAKSU(4)L⊗U(1)YMODELS
Authors: PALCU ADRIAN
Published: November 2009

In this paper we show that the canonical seesaw mechanism can naturally be implemented in a particular class of electroweak SU (4)L⊗ U (1)Ygauge models. The resulting neutrino mass spectrum is determined by just tuning a unique free parameter a within the algebraical method of treating gauge models with high symmetries proposed several years ago by Cotăescu. All the Standard Model phenomenology is preserved, being unaffected by the new physics occurring at a high breaking scale m ~ 1011GeV .
DISCRETENESS WITHOUT SYMMETRY BREAKING: A THEOREM
Authors: BOMBELLI LUCA , HENSON JOE , SORKIN RAFAEL D.
Published: November 2009

This paper concerns random sprinklings of points into Minkowski spacetime (Poisson processes). It proves that there exists no equivariant measurable map from sprinklings to spacetime directions (even locally). Therefore, if a discrete structure is associated to a sprinkling in an intrinsic manner, then the structure will not pick out a preferred frame, locally or globally. This implies that the discreteness of a sprinkled causal set will not give rise to "Lorentz breaking" effects like modified dispersion relations. Another consequence is that there is no way to associate a finite-valency graph to a sprinkling consistently with Lorentz invariance.
PREPARATION, STRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION AND MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF La-SUBSTITUTED Co FERRITES VIA A MODIFIED CITRATE PRECURSOR ROUTE
Authors: AI LUNHONG , JIANG JING
Published: November 2009

CoLa x Fe 2-x O 4 (x = 0.00, 0.05 and 0.1) nanoparticles were prepared simply by a modified citrate precursor route. Effects of La -substituting level on the their magnetic properties were investigated on the basis of the structural analysis. The thermal evolution of the precursor, as well as the microstructure of as-prepared products were studied by means of a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. The magnetic properties of the as-prepared samples were measured using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). It was found that the magnetic properties were dependent on many factors such as La -substituting level, particle size and microstructure. The observed saturation magnetization decreased with increasing La content, whereas coercivity exhibited reverse behavior.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ARC EROSION FOR Cu-C COMPOSITE MATERIALS IN AIR
Authors: LIU YIWEN , ZHANG CHENGYU , QIAO SHENGRU , WEN HAN , YANG ZHIMAO , WANG YAPING
Published: November 2009

Arc erosion of Cu - C composites was investigated in air. The eroded zones on the cathode surface were observed by a scanning electron microscope, and the cathode erosion rates were measured. It can be found that the main mass loss results from ejection of copper and oxidization of carbon during discharges. The degree of erosion increases with the copper content. Meanwhile, the arc erosion rate is larger for the Cu - C materials with higher copper content. A large number of bubble-like particles appear on the electrode surface. The formation of those particles is closely related to the melting and ejection of copper and material transfer between the electrodes.
JUDD–OFELT THEORY ANALYSIS AND SPECTROSCOPIC PROPERTIES OF Ho:LiNbO3
Authors: DAI LI , SU YAN-QING , WU SHI-PING , XU CHAO , GUO JING-JIE , XU YU-HENG
Published: November 2009

A series of Ho : LiNbO 3 crystals with various concentration of Ho 2 O 3 were grown by Czochralski technique. Transmittance spectrum, absorption spectrum and modified Judd–Ofelt approach have been used to investigate its spectroscopic properties. Ho concentrations in crystals were analyzed by an inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OE/MS). The results of the spectroscopic analysis of transition strengths for Ho ion in a series of Ho : LiNbO 3 crystals with various Ho content are reported. It is concluded that all the Ωλ values of the Ho ion decrease with increasing Ho content. For Ho (4 mol%): LiNbO 3, the obtained intensity parameters and radiative lifetime of the 5 I 5 level are: Ω2=5.75×10-20 cm2, Ω4=22.69×10-20 cm2, Ω6=14.10×10-20 cm2, and τ=4.08 ms respectively. The results showed that the Ho 2 O 3-codoped LiNbO 3 crystal increases the Ho ion radiative lifetimes, but has less influence on the fluorescence branching ratio.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE TIME BASE DISTORTION OF A DIGITAL OSCILLOSCOPE
Authors: MATTONE MASSIMILIANO , MIRALDI ELIO , SCARFONE ANTONIO M.
Published: November 2009

The stability of the time base of an oscilloscope has been analyzed by digitizing sinusoidal signals from precision sinusoidal voltage generators. Frequency domain analysis of the recorded data has been performed using the Fourier transform routine built into the recording device, after suitable windowing. Due to the stability of the frequency of the used signals, the expected frequency spectra would be Gaussian functions due to any uncorrelated noise born in all devices connecting the voltage signal generator to the memories of the oscilloscope. The experimental power spectra present instead a non-Gaussian shape, mainly in the points far from their mean values, showing raised "skirt", which a pure Gaussian function is clearly unable to fit. Among the many "deformed" Gaussian distribution functions, those named q-Gaussian and κ-Gaussian respectively, from the symbols used for the characterizing parameters, are instead in good agreement with all experimental power spectra. These results can be attributed mainly to correlated drifts in the time base of the oscilloscope.
COMMENTS ON "STATE EQUATION FOR THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL SYSTEM OF 'COLLAPSING' HARD SPHERES"
Authors: SANTOS ANDRÉS
Published: November 2009

A recent paper [I. Klebanov et al., Mod. Phys. Lett. B22 (2008) 3153] claims that the exact solution of the Percus–Yevick (PY) integral equation for a system of hard spheres plus a step potential is obtained. The aim of this paper is to show that Klebanov et al.'s result is incompatible with the PY equation since it violates two known cases: the low density limit and the hard sphere limit.
BIFURCATIONS OF A HOLLING-TYPE II PREDATOR–PREY SYSTEM WITH CONSTANT RATE HARVESTING
Authors: PENG GUOJUN , JIANG YAOLIN , LI CHANGPIN
Published: November 2009

The objective of this paper is to study the dynamical properties of a Holling-type II predator–prey system with constant rate harvesting. It is shown that the model has at most three equilibria in the first quadrant and can exhibit numerous kinds of bifurcation phenomena, including the saddle-node bifurcation, the degenerate Bogdanov–Takens bifurcation of codimension 3, the supercritical and subcritical Hopf bifurcation, the generalized Hopf bifurcation. These results reveal far richer dynamics than that of the model with no harvesting.
MODIFIED GENERALIZED LORENZ SYSTEM AND FOLDED CHAOTIC ATTRACTORS
Authors: BAO BOCHENG , LIU ZHONG , YU JUEBANG
Published: November 2009

A modified generalized Lorenz system in a canonical form extended from the generalized Lorenz system is proposed in this paper. This novel system has a folded factor and can display complex 2-scroll folded attractors and 1-scroll folded attractors at different parameter values. Three typical normal forms, called Lorenz-like, Chen-like and Lü-like chaotic system respectively, of three-dimensional quadratic autonomous chaotic systems are derived, and their dynamical behaviors are further investigated by employing Lyapunov exponent spectrum, bifurcation diagram, Poincaré mapping and phase portrait, etc. Of particular interest is the fact that the folded factor makes Chen-like and Lü-like chaotic systems exhibit complicated nonlinear dynamical phenomena.
FREQUENCY TRANSITION OF COHERENT STRUCTURES IN FARADAY SURFACE WAVES
Authors: KAHAN SANDRA , CABEZA CECILIA , PELÁEZ MARCELA , BOVE ITALO , MONTAGNE RAÚL
Published: November 2009

Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) was used as a suitable tool to characterize the evolution of fingers regime in Faraday instability. The transition from harmonic to subharmonic resonant finger behavior was thus studied. A cluster algorithm and Voronoi neighbor statistics were used to characterize the surface peak distribution for the principal spatial pattern. The structural transition was analyzed for varying acceleration amplitude used as system control parameter.
DISSIPATIVE SOLITONS: PRESENT UNDERSTANDING, APPLICATIONS AND NEW DEVELOPMENTS
Authors: AKHMEDIEV NAIL , ANKIEWICZ ADRIAN , SOTO-CRESPO JOSÉ-MARÍA , GRELU PHILIPPE
Published: November 2009

Dissipative solitons form a new paradigm for the investigation of phenomena involving stable structures in nonlinear systems far from equilibrium. Basic principles can be applied to a wide range of phenomena in science. Recent results involving solitons and soliton complexes of the complex cubic-quintic Ginzburg–Landau equation are presented.
IDENTIFICATION OF COMMUNITY STRUCTURE IN NETWORKS USING HIGHER ORDER NEIGHBORHOOD CONCEPTS
Authors: ANDRADE ROBERTO F. S. , PINHO SUANI T. R. , LOBÃO THIERRY PETIT
Published: November 2009

The identification of community structures in networks is investigated within a framework based on the concepts of higher order neighborhoods and neighborhood matrix [Formula: see text]. This procedure is of relevance especially for networks representing evolutionary situations, since several evidences show that they are assembled from pre-existing smaller structures, rather than by the mere adhesion of individual nodes. We proceed within the successive elimination of the links with largest betweenness degree. The effect of erasing a link at step k is quantified by the distance between [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], which describe the network neighborhoods prior and after the kth link elimination. For modular networks, this measure is characterized by a very long sequence of sharp peaks, following a much more complete cascade of cluster splitting. The evidences indicate that this method identifies a more precise description of smaller communities splitting than the one based on modularity function.
ORDER VIA NONLINEARITY IN RANDOMLY CONFINED BOSE GASES
Authors: GRAHAM ROBERT , PELSTER AXEL
Published: November 2009

A Hartree–Fock mean-field theory of a weakly interacting Bose-gas in a quenched white noise disorder potential is presented. A direct continuous transition from the normal gas to a localized Bose-glass phase is found which has localized short-lived excitations with a gapless density of states and vanishing superfluid density. The critical temperature of this transition is as for an ideal gas undergoing Bose–Einstein condensation. Increasing the particle-number density a first-order transition from the localized state to a superfluid phase perturbed by disorder is found. At intermediate number densities both phases can coexist.
ULTRASOUND AS A PROBE OF PLASTICITY? THE INTERACTION OF ELASTIC WAVES WITH DISLOCATIONS
Authors: MAUREL AGNES , PAGNEUX VINCENT , BARRA FELIPE , LUND FERNANDO
Published: November 2009

An overview of recent work on the interaction of elastic waves with dislocations is given. The perspective is provided by the wish to develop nonintrusive tools to probe plastic behavior in materials. For simplicity, ideas and methods are first worked out in two dimensions, and the results in three dimensions are then described. These results explain a number of recent, hitherto unexplained, experimental findings. The latter include the frequency dependence of ultrasound attenuation in copper, the visualization of the scattering of surface elastic waves by isolated dislocations in LiNbO3, and the ratio of longitudinal to transverse wave attenuation in a number of materials.

Specific results reviewed include the scattering amplitude for the scattering of an elastic wave by a screw, as well as an edge, dislocation in two dimensions, the scattering amplitudes for an elastic wave by a pinned dislocation segment in an infinite elastic medium, and the wave scattering by a sub-surface dislocation in a semi-infinite medium. Also, using a multiple scattering formalism, expressions are given for the attenuation coefficient and the effective speed for coherent wave propagation in the cases of anti-plane waves propagating in a medium filled with many, randomly placed screw dislocations; in-plane waves in a medium similarly filled with randomly placed edge dislocations with randomly oriented Burgers vectors; elastic waves in a three-dimensional medium filled with randomly placed and oriented dislocation line segments, also with randomly oriented Burgers vectors; and elastic waves in a model three-dimensional polycrystal, with only low angle grain boundaries modeled as arrays of dislocation line segments.
ANALYTICAL AND NUMERICAL ELEMENTS OF A SUPERSOLID MODEL
Authors: RICA SERGIO
Published: November 2009

In this article, the main properties of a model of supersolid in the frame of a Gross–Pitaevskii equation is reviewed. It was developed mainly by the author with Pomeau, Josserand and Sepúlveda. Emphasis is placed on the numerical details and tools that are absent in our previous publications and maybe useful for authors who are eventually interested in the model. The model exhibits superfluid properties like nonclassical moment of inertia at T = 0K, quantized vortices and persistent currents without the presence of defects, moreover, only a transient flow is allowed by defects, akin to plastic flow in ordinary solids.
Oral Anti-CD3 Antibody Treatment Induces Regulatory T Cells and Inhibits the Development of Atherosclerosis in Mice
Authors: Sasaki Naoto , Yamashita Tomoya , Takeda Masafumi , Shinohara Masakazu , Nakajima Kenji , Tawa Hideto , Usui Takashi , Hirata Ken-ichi
Published: November 2009

Background—

Accumulating evidence suggests that several subsets of regulatory T cells that actively mediate immunologic tolerance play crucial roles in atherogenesis. Recently, orally administered anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody has been shown as an inducer of novel regulatory T cells expressing latency-associated peptide (LAP) on their surface, which potently prevents systemic autoimmunity. In the present study, we hypothesized that oral anti-CD3 antibody treatment may inhibit atherosclerosis in mice.

Methods and Results—

Six-week-old apolipoprotein E–deficient mice on a standard diet were orally given anti-CD3 antibody or control immunoglobulin G on 5 consecutive days, and atherosclerosis was assessed at age 16 weeks. Oral administration of anti-CD3 antibody significantly reduced atherosclerotic lesion formation and accumulations of macrophages and CD4
+
T cells in the plaques compared with controls. We observed a significant increase in LAP
+
cells and CD25
+
Foxp3
+
cells in the CD4
+
T-cell population in anti-CD3–treated mice, in association with increased production of the antiinflammatory cytokine transforming growth factor-β and suppressed T-helper type 1 and type 2 immune responses. Neutralization of transforming growth factor-β in vivo abrogated the preventive effect of oral anti-CD3 antibody.

Conclusions—

Our findings indicate the atheroprotective role of oral anti-CD3 antibody treatment in mice via induction of a regulatory T-cell response. These findings suggest that oral immune modulation may represent an attractive therapeutic approach to atherosclerosis.
Major Bleeding, Mortality, and Efficacy of Fondaparinux in Venous Thromboembolism Prevention Trials
Authors: Eikelboom John W. , Quinlan Daniel J. , O'Donnell Martin
Published: November 2009

Background—

Bleeding is a strong predictor of death in patients hospitalized for arterial thrombosis who are treated with antithrombotic therapy, but the prognostic importance of bleeding in patients receiving antithrombotic prophylaxis for venous thromboembolism is uncertain.

Methods and Results—

Using Cox proportional hazards modeling, we examined the association between major bleeding and death at 30 days using pooled individual patient data from 8 large randomized controlled trials (n=13 085) comparing fondaparinux with control (low-molecular-weight heparin or placebo) for the prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism in hospitalized surgical or medical patients. Patients who developed major bleeding were older, were more likely to be male, had a lower body weight and lower creatinine clearance, and were more likely to be receiving fondaparinux. At 30 days, the risk of death was 7-fold higher among patients with a major bleeding event (8.6% versus 1.7%; adjusted hazard ratio, 6.96; 95% confidence interval, 4.60 to 10.51). There was a consistent pattern of reduced mortality in patients treated with fondaparinux irrespective of whether patients experienced major bleeding (6.8% versus 11.4%; hazard ratio, 0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.27 to 1.23) or no major bleeding (1.5% versus 1.9%; hazard ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.59 to 1.02;
P
for heterogeneity=0.47).

Conclusions—

Major bleeding in hospitalized surgical and medical patients participating in venous thromboembolism prevention trials is a strong predictor of mortality.