bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Attitudes and attitudinal ambivalence change towards nanotechnology applied to food production
Authors: Fischer Arnout R.H. , van Dijk Heleen , de Jonge Janneke , Rowe Gene , Frewer Lynn J.
Published: April 2012

The strategic development of novel nanotechnologies will be determined by their public acceptance, which in turn may be influenced by public perceptions of the risks and benefits associated with the specific applications. At the present time, public opinions towards nanotechnologies remain largely inchoate, although this is likely to change with increasing public exposure to relevant information. In two experiments, a total of 618 participants, from the UK population, were provided with different risk–benefit information on nanotechnology application in food. The results show that the provision of both risk and benefit information does not influence average attitude, but results in some individuals becoming more positive and less ambivalent and others more negative and less ambivalent towards nanotechnologies. A third group maintained a neutral attitude and became more ambivalent. It is concluded that to understand public opinion formation about nanotechnology keeping track of polarization and ambivalence is important.
Importance and Timing of End-of-Life Care Discussions Among Gynecologic Oncology Patients
Authors: Díaz-Montes Teresa P. , Johnson Megan K. , Giuntoli Robert L. , Brown Alaina J.
Published: April 2012

Objectives:

To assess the importance and desired timing of end-of-life care (EOLC) discussions among women with gynecologic cancer.

Methods:

A questionnaire related to EOLC issues was distributed to patients with gynecologic cancer. Answers were analyzed via SPSS using descriptive statistics. Contingency analysis was done to evaluate for differences among disease status and age regarding preferences for timing of discussions.

Results:

Patients expressed that addressing EOLC is an important part of their treatment. Most patients were familiar with advanced directives (73.0%), do not resuscitate/do not intubate (88.5%), and hospice (97.5%). Designating someone to make decisions was significantly related to disease status ( P = .03) and age ( P = 0.02).

Conclusions:

Patients are familiar with basic EOLC with optimal timing for discussions at disease progression or when treatment is no longer available.
The Afterlife of “Teachers’ Beliefs”
Authors: Nespor Jan
Published: April 2012

How do articles get written in ways that lead them to keep getting cited decades later—even when they are bad or mediocre articles that do not merit re-reading? The question may seem trivial, but answering it requires us to rethink research practice and methods: Instead of particular projects and studies, or the work of individual researchers (how one conducts interviews, writes, etc.), methodology becomes a problem of assembling textlines, hooking up with viable ones, connecting some, cutting others, enfolding or highlighting particular threads, redirecting others across disciplines, and eventually putting texts in the stream, sending them downline into an afterlife in other researchers’ textwork. The present article, based on archival research, uses a detailed case study of the production and subsequent transformation and citation of an article on “teachers’ beliefs” to develop these ideas and consider the methodological implications of attending to textlines and textual afterlives.
Combining lattice Boltzmann and discrete element methods on a graphics processor
Authors: Monitzer Andreas
Published: April 2012

The current generation of graphics cards allows great flexibility in programming. With the introduction of general purpose programming languages for graphics cards, many fields of scientific application will benefit greatly from adapting to this new programming model. Due to the differences in the memory and execution models, not all algorithms can be applied. However, the lattice Boltzmann method can be used to great effect. It allows the simulation of fluids using basic arithmetic operations with a linear complexity, as will be demonstrated. Additionally, the discrete element method can also be adapted to the new model. After outlining the methods themselves and the integration of these two methods into a single simulation, this article will show a way to implement it on graphics cards using the CUDA platform.
Police Officer Job Satisfaction
Authors: Johnson Richard R.
Published: April 2012

The literature on police officers’ job satisfaction to date has focused primarily on individual officers’ demographic characteristics, while a few recent studies have demonstrated that officers’ job task characteristics are a principal source of job satisfaction. The present study expanded on this prior research by simultaneously analyzing three dimensions of correlates of job satisfaction: officers’ demographic characteristics, officers’ job task characteristics, and officers’ organizational environment characteristics. This was the first such study to include the dimension of organizational characteristics in the study of police officer job satisfaction. The analysis of survey data from a sample of patrol officers from 11 law enforcement agencies in the southwestern United States suggested that the officers’ job task characteristics were a principal source of job satisfaction. Organizational environment characteristics also played an important, but weaker, role in the shaping of officer job satisfaction.
Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol, Apolipoprotein B, and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease
Authors: Imes Christopher C. , Austin Melissa A.
Published: April 2012

Coronary heart disease (CHD) affects 17 million people in the United States and accounts for over a million hospital stays each year. Technological advances, especially in genetics and genomics, have changed our understanding of the risk factors for developing CHD. The purpose of this article is to review low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein B (apo B), and risk of CHD. The article focuses on five topics: (1) a description of lipoprotein classes, normal lipoprotein metabolism, and the biological mechanism of atherosclerosis; (2) a review of selected epidemiologic and clinical trial studies examining the associations between elevated LDL-C and apo B with CHD; (3) a brief review of the familial forms of hyperlipidemia; (4) a description of variants in genes that have been associated with higher LDL-C levels in candidate gene studies and genome-wide association studies (GWAS); and (5) nursing implications, including a discussion on how genetic tests are evaluated and the current clinical utility and validity of genetic tests for CHD.
Assessing walking disability in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Kieseier Bernd C. , Pozzilli Carlo
Published: April 2012

Most patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) eventually experience walking disability. The objective of this review was to evaluate the clinical utility of measures specific for walking in MS. Walking assessments had high reliability and were correlated with related measures, including the 12-item multiple sclerosis walking scale (MSWS-12). Shorter timed walking tests (Timed 25-foot Walk (T25FW), 10-metre Timed Walk, 30-metre Timed Walk) measure overall walking disability and are best suited for clinical settings, whereas longer timed or distance tests (100-metre Timed Walk, 6-minute Walk Test, 2-minute Walk Test) are better for the assessment of walking fatigability, distance limitations and functional capacity. The MSWS-12 measures different, but related, aspects of walking than the objective tests. The T25FW is the best characterised objective measure of walking disability and can be used across a wide range of walking disabilities. Additional work is needed to fully characterise the other objective walking assessments in MS.
Preserving digital narratives in an age of present-mindedness
Authors: Pietrzyk Kamilla
Published: April 2012

This article argues that one of the gravest challenges facing efforts to preserve digital narratives proceeds not from technological limitations, but rather from capitalism's systemic imperative toward social, economic and technological acceleration, and the associated cultural lack of interest in the problems of duration. Using the theoretical contributions of medium theory, specifically the concept of media ‘bias’ as developed by Harold Innis, the article situates the extraordinary ephemerality of today's digital texts against the widespread cultural preoccupation with the present and with short-term concerns. In this manner, the celebratory rhetoric surrounding the internet's capacity to transmit information instantaneously and potentially to serve as a repertoire of our shared cultural heritage is problematized.
Thin line between country, city, and region branding
Authors: Herstein Ram
Published: April 2012

For decades the literature of place branding reflects a picture of separation between country branding, city branding and region branding. Many researchers tend to perceive these three concepts as three different concepts that have no conception and should be addressed in different forms of strategies. Practically, it appeared that country branding, city branding and region branding processes are integral parts which in some instances can not be separated. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to describe a new approach of re-branding countries strategy in accordance to two dimensions: the geography of the country vs. the range of ethnic groups in the country. These two dimensions create four types of positioning strategies that reflect the tight linkage between country branding, city branding and region branding. Each of these positioning strategies is discussed and examples to this linkage are provided.
The impact of marketing on internal stakeholders in destination branding: The case of a musical city
Authors: Kemp Elyria , Williams Kim H , Bordelon Bridget M
Published: April 2012

The city and destination branding literatures stress the importance of brand image, with an emphasis on achieving differential and competitive positioning. However, an important part of building a successful branding strategy for a city or region is examining the needs of internal stakeholders. This research examines the impact that the marketing of a city or region’s brand has on internal stakeholders, specifically its residents. It seeks to address how selected elements of the marketing mix impact destination branding and how such marketing activity leads to residents eventually becoming committed to the destination’s branding efforts. Once committed and loyal to the brand, it proposes that residents may feel such a strong connection to the branding efforts of the destination, that the brand becomes aligned with their self-concept, and that they begin to serve as “evangelists” for the brand, actively promoting the destination via word of mouth. As a result, a civic consciousness is created that helps to strengthen the destination’s brand management system, especially as it is introduced to external constituents, such as potential tourists.
Remembering Video
Authors: O’Regan Tom
Published: April 2012

Informal cultural markets are not new. Nor are “pirate” video and software markets as different from formal markets as supposed. They are also markets governed by pricing, providing opportunities for leverage by market participants at the expense of each other. Pirate markets are a variant of a cultural market in which returns for sellers and costs to buyers factor in limited to no formal returns to content owners. Furthermore, in large parts of the world, such informal arrangements facilitate cultural, social, and market participation. This article remembers the disruptions that accompanied the VCR’s introduction to identify longstanding pathways of market formation to which the VCR and our current “digital” ensemble of DVD and downloads conform; and those features common to these and other media technologies which lend themselves to diverse production, distribution, and consumption arrangements globally.
Emergent Innovation through the Coevolution of Informal and Formal Media Economies
Authors: Cunningham Stuart
Published: April 2012

Well-established distinctions between amateur and professional are blurring as the impact of social media, changes in cultural consumption, and crises in copyright industries’ business models are felt across society and economy. I call this the increasingly rapid co-evolution of the formal market and informal household sectors and analyze it through the concept of “social network markets”—individual choices are made on the basis of others’ choices and such networked preferencing is enhanced by the growing ubiquity of social media platforms. This may allow us to better understand sources of disruption and innovation in audiovisual production and distribution in wealthy Western markets that are as significant as those posed by informal practices outside the West. I examine what is happening around the monetization and professionalization of online video (YouTube, for example) and the socialization of professional production strategies (transmedia, for example) as innovation from the margins.
Self-Efficacy and Latina Leaders in Higher Education
Authors: Montas-Hunter Sonja S.
Published: April 2012

In 2008, minorities represented only 16% of all senior administrators at institutions of higher learning and very few Hispanic women have made it to the “executive suites” of academia (Bridges et al., 2008). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the self-efficacy of Hispanic women in leadership positions at higher education institutions in the United States. The study was guided by Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, which is “concerned with judgment of personal capabilities.”
Recovery and Resiliency After a Disaster in Educational Settings
Authors: Galemore Cynthia A.
Published: April 2012

Many natural disasters, several of which severely impacted school communities around the globe, have occurred in the first few years of the 21st century. School nurses embraced many roles in assisting with disaster recovery. In keeping with this issue’s theme of “All Hands on Deck—Recovery and Resiliency After a Disaster,” we invited schools to share stories and, in so doing, promote activities that will strengthen disaster response in all school settings. We acknowledge that their recovery is ongoing.
Racial Disparity in Iowa Prisons: Possible Theoretical Explanations for Racial Differences Between Inmates on the Level of Service Inventory–Revised
Authors: Barnum Christopher C. , Quinn Sandra A. , Manrique Nick J.
Published: April 2012

This article presents a test of several theoretically informed hypotheses that characterize differences between Whites and African Americans incarcerated in the Iowa prison system. The authors judge differences by comparing inmates’ responses on the Level of Service Inventory–Revised or LSI-R, which is a standardized risk/need assessment instrument used to classify Iowa inmates. The hypotheses are based on ideas found in theories of structural distributive justice, general strain theory (GST), and macro-structural explanations of crime. Iowa is an interesting case study because it ranks near the top in the United States in the proportion of Black to White prisoner disparity. This disparity serves as a lens that sharpens distinctions between the populations. The findings suggest that in comparison to White prisoners, African American inmates have higher total LSI-R scores than White inmates and that prior to incarceration African American prisoners had more difficulty finding work, were more likely to have an official record of violent crime, and were more likely to associate with people who were involved in crime than were White inmates. Additionally, the results suggest that in comparison to White inmates, African American prisoners were more likely to feel that their prison sentences were unfair and to act in ways that were indicative of this. These findings are consistent with explanations found in macro-structural theories of crime as well as concepts found in GST and structural distributive justice theory. The authors briefly discuss the implications of these findings.
“I know it’s bad for me and yet I do it”: exploring the factors that perpetuate smoking in Aboriginal Health Workers - a qualitative study
Authors: Dawson Anna P , Cargo Margaret , Stewart Harold , Chong Alwin , Daniel Mark
Published: April 2012

Background

Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs) have a mandate to deliver smoking cessation support to Aboriginal people. However, a high proportion of AHWs are smokers and this undermines their delivery of smoking cessation programs. Smoking tobacco is the leading contributor to the burden of disease in Aboriginal Australians and must be prevented. Little is known about how to enable AHWs to quit smoking. An understanding of the factors that perpetuate smoking in AHWs is needed to inform the development of culturally relevant programs that enable AHWs to quit smoking. A reduction of smoking in AHWs is important to promote their health and also optimise the delivery of smoking cessation support to Aboriginal clients.

Methods

We conducted a fundamental qualitative description study that was nested within a larger mixed method participatory research project. The individual and contextual factors that directly or indirectly promote (i.e. perpetuate) smoking behaviours in AHWs were explored in 34 interviews and 3 focus groups. AHWs, other health service staff and tobacco control personnel shared their perspectives. Data analysis was performed using a qualitative content analysis approach with collective member checking by AHW representatives.

Results

AHWs were highly stressed, burdened by their responsibilities, felt powerless and undervalued, and used smoking to cope with and support a sense of social connectedness in their lives. Factors directly and indirectly associated with smoking were reported at six levels of behavioural influence: personal factors (e.g. stress, nicotine addiction), family (e.g. breakdown of family dynamics, grief and loss), interpersonal processes (e.g. socialisation and connection, domestic disputes), the health service (e.g. job insecurity and financial insecurity, demanding work), the community (e.g. racism, social disadvantage) and policy (e.g. short term and insecure funding).

Conclusions

An extensive array of factors perpetuated smoking in AHWs. The multitude of personal, social and environmental stressors faced by AHWs and the accepted use of communal smoking to facilitate socialisation and connection were primary drivers of smoking in AHWs in addition to nicotine dependence. Culturally sensitive multidimensional smoking cessation programs that address these factors and can be tailored to local needs are indicated.
MicroRNA-143 Targets MACC1 to Inhibit Cell Invasion and Migration in Colorectal cancer
Authors: Zhang Yu , Wang Zhongqiu , Chen Min , Peng Liang , Wang Xinying , Ma Qunying , Ma Fengli , Jiang Bo
Published: April 2012

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been suggested to play a vital role in tumor initiation and progression by negatively regulating oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Quite recently, studies have identified some miRNAs operating to promote or suppress tumor invasion or metastasis via regulating metastasis-related genes, providing potential therapeutic targets on anti-metastasis strategy. Metastasis-associated in colon cancer-1 (MACC1) has been newly identified to express highly in colorectal cancer (CRC) and promote tumor metastasis through transactivating metastasis-inducing HGF/MET signaling pathway. In this study, we investigated whether miRNA 143 is involved in the regulation of MACC1 and thus plays a functional role in CRC.

Results

Using both in silico prediction and western blot assay, we found the previously reported tumor suppressive miR-143 targeted MACC1 in CRC. The direct interaction between them was confirmed by 3' UTR luciferase reporter gene. In concordance with the inhibitory effects induced by siRNA mediated knockdown of MACC1, restoration of miR-143 by mimics in SW620 cells significantly attenuated cell growth, migration and invasion. It is notable that combined treatment of miR-143 mimics and MACC1 siRNA induced synergistic inhibitory effects compared to either miR-143 mimics or MACC1 siRNA treatment alone. Conversely, reduction of miR-143 by inhibitors in SW480 cells apparently stimulated these phenotypes. Furthermore, we observed that miR-143 level was inversely correlated with MACC1 mRNA expression in CRC tissues.

Conclusions

Our findings newly described miR-143/MACC1 link and provided a potential mechanism for MACC1 dysregulation and contribution to CRC cell invasion. It may help to estimate the therapeutic utility of miR-143 in CRC.
Adipose tissue biglycan as a potential anti-inflammatory target of sodium salicylate in mice fed a high fat diet
Authors: Adapala Venkata J , Ward Meliza , Ajuwon Kolapo M
Published: April 2012

Background

Inflammation in adipose tissue (AT) during obesity causes impaired AT function. Although multiple extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins are expressed in AT their potential role in adipose tissue inflammation is unclear. Biglycan, a pro-inflammatory ECM gene, is highly enriched in adipose tissue. However, whether it is correlated with adipose tissue inflammation is unknown. We provide evidence in support of a strong association between biglycan expression and inflammatory status of adipose tissue.

Methods

C57BL6 mice were fed either a control (10% fat calories) or a high fat diet (HFD) (60% fat calories) for 8 weeks. Adipose tissue was analyzed for the expression of biglycan, IL-6 and TNFα. Biglycan knockout or wild type were also fed a high fat diet for 8 weeks and the expression of inflammatory genes in the mesenteric adipose tissue was examined. To test anti-inflammatory treatment on biglycan expression, a group of mice were fed either the low fat or high fat diet for eight weeks supplemented with either saline or sodium salicylate @ 25mg/100ml in their drinking water.

Results

Mice on HFD had an increase in ECM genes (BGN and COL1A1), inflammatory genes (IL-6 and TNFα) in both the subcutaneous and epididymal depots. However, correlation analysis only shows a positive correlation between biglycan, IL-6 and TNFα expression. In addition, lower expression of IL-6 and CD68 was found in the mesenteric adipose tissue of biglycan knockout mice compared to the wild type. Sodium salicylate treatment reduced subcutaneous adipose tissue expression of BGN, COL1A1, and COL6A1 and a concurrent downregulation of TNFα and IL-6 and TLR4 expression. Salicylate also lowered the serum TGFβ1 levels.

Conclusion

Biglycan expression correlates with adipose tissue inflammation, especially in the subcutaneous depot compared to the epididymal depot. This is supported by the greater effect of sodium salicylate in attenuating both inflammatory and ECM gene expression the subcutaneous adipose depot compared to the epididymal depot. These results show that inflammatory state may explain the induction of biglycan, and perhaps, other ECM genes in adipose tissue.
Vpx is Critical for SIVmne infection of pigtail macaques
Authors: Belshan Michael , Kimata Jason T , Brown Charles , Cheng Xiaogang , McCulley Anna , Larsen Alison , Thippeshappa Rajesh , Hodara Vida , Giavedoni Luis , Hirsch Vanessa , Ratner Lee
Published: April 2012

Background

Viral protein X (Vpx) of SIV has been reported to be important for establishing infection in vivo. Vpx has several different activities in vitro, promoting preintegration complex import into the nucleus in quiescent lymphocytes and overcoming a block in reverse transcription in macrophages. Vpx interacts with the DDB1-CUL4-DCAF1 E3 ligase complex, which may or may not be required for the ascribed functions. The goal of the current study was to determine whether these activities of Vpx are important in vivo.

Results

An infectious, pathogenic clone of SIVmne was used to examine correlations between Vpx functions in vitro and in vivo. Three previously described HIV-2 Vpx mutants that were shown to be important for nuclear import of the preintegration complex in quiescent lymphocytes were constructed in SIVmne: A vpx-deleted virus, a truncation of Vpx at amino acid 102 that deletes the C-terminal proline-rich domain (X(102)), and a mutant with tyrosines 66, 69, and 71 changed to alanine (X(y-a)). All mutant viruses replicated similarly to wild type SIVmne027 in primary pigtail macaque PBMCs, and were only slightly retarded in CEMx174 cells. However, all the vpx mutant viruses were defective for replication in both human and pigtail monocyte-derived macrophages. PCR assays demonstrated that the efficiency of reverse transcription and the levels of viral integration in macrophages were substantially reduced for the vpx mutant viruses. In vitro, the X(y-a) mutant, but not the X(102) mutant lost interaction with DCAF1. The wild type SIVmne027 and the three vpx mutant SIVs were inoculated by the intra-rectal route into pigtail macaques. Peak levels of plasma viremia of the vpx mutant SIVs were variable, but consistently lower than that observed in macaques infected with wild type SIVmne. In situ hybridization for SIV demonstrated that compared to wild type SIVmne infected macaques five of the six animals inoculated with the vpx mutant SIVs had only low levels of SIV-expressing cells in the rectum, most intestinal epithelial tissues, spleen, and mesenteric and peripheral nodes.

Conclusions

This work demonstrates that the activities of Vpx to overcome restrictions in culture in vitro are also likely to be important for establishment of infection in vivo and suggest that both the nuclear localization and DCAF1-interaction functions of Vpx are critical in vivo.
The direct anterior approach: initial experience of a minimally invasive technique for total hip arthroplasty
Authors: Hallert Ola , Li Yan , Brismar Harald , Lindgren Urban
Published: April 2012

Background

Less invasive approaches for hip arthroplasty have been developed in order to decrease traumatisation of soft tissue and shorten hospital stay. However, the benefits with a new technique can be at the expense of a new panorama of problems. This manuscript describes, with emphasis on postoperative complications, our experience from the first 200 cases of unilateral hip replacement using the direct anterior minimally invasive (MIS) approach.

Methods

A straight incision in front of the greater trochanter was used and the tensor muscle was approached subfascially and retracted laterally. The joint was opened and the femoral head was removed. Usually excellent acetabular exposure was obtained. In order to get access to the proximal femur, the hip capsule was released posterolaterally so that the femur could be lifted using a special retractor behind the tip of the trochanter. After insertion of the prostheses, the wound was closed using running sutures in the fascia overlying the tensor, sub- and intracutaneously.

Results

There was a small influence of BMI on the duration of surgery, and obese patients tended to have the cup positioned at a higher degree of deviation. There were in total 17 complications of which 5 necessitated revision surgery; 3 peroperative femoral fractures and 2 dislocations. Another 4 dislocations were treated with closed reduction and did not recur. 3 cases of nerve injury were noted, all resolved within 12 months. Three cases of DVT were diagnosed as well as 2 cases of postoperative infection; none of these led to chronic disability.

Conclusions

The technique is perhaps more technically demanding than the lateral approaches used today due to the somewhat limited surgical exposure. Morbidly obese or very muscular patients as well as patients with a short femoral neck or acetabular protrusion can represent particular problems. Our results indicate that there are certain risks when adopting this procedure but the complications noted are avoidable.
A small scale study on the effects of oral administration of the β-glucan produced by Aureobasidium pullulans on milk quality and cytokine expressions of Holstein cows, and on bacterial flora in the intestines of Japanese black calves
Authors: Uchiyama Hirofumi , Iwai Atsushi , Asada Yukoh , Muramatsu Daisuke , Aoki Shiho , Kawata Koji , Kusano Kisato , Nagashima Koji , Yasokawa Daisuke , Okabe Mitsuyasu , Miyazaki Tadaaki
Published: April 2012

Background

The β–(1 → 3),(1 → 6)-D-glucan extracellularly produced byAureobasidium pullulansexhibits immunomodulatory activity, and is used for health supplements. To examine the effects of oral administration of the β–(1 → 3),(1 → 6)-D-glucan to domestic animals, a small scale study was conducted using Holstein cows and newborn Japanese Black calves.

Findings

Holstein cows of which somatic cell count was less than 3 x 105/ml were orally administered with or without the β-(1 → 3),(1 → 6)-D-glucan-enrichedA. pullulanscultured fluid (AP-CF) for 3 months, and the properties of milk and serum cytokine expression were monitored. Somatic cell counts were not significantly changed by oral administration of AP-CF, whereas the concentration of solid non fat in the milk tended to increase in the AP-CF administered cows. The results of cytokine expression analysis in the serum using ELISA indicate that the expressions of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-6 in all cows which were orally administered with AP-CF became slightly lower than that of control cows after the two-month treatment. On the other hand, IL-8 expression tended to indicate a moderately higher level in all treated cows after the three-month administration of AP-CF in comparison with that of the control cows. Peripartum Japanese Black beef cows and their newborn calves were orally administered with AP-CF, and bacterial flora in the intestines of the calves were analyzed by T-RFLP (terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism). The results suggest that bacterial flora are tendentiously changed by oral administration of AP-CF.

Conclusions

Our data indicated the possibility that oral administration of the β–(1 → 3),(1 → 6)-D- glucan produced byA. pullulansaffects cytokine expressions in the serum of Holstein cows, and influences bacterial flora in the intestines of Japanese Black calves. The findings may be helpful for further study on the efficacies of oral administration of β-(1 → 3),(1 → 6)-D-glucans on domestic animals.
Intra coronary freshly isolated bone marrow cells transplantation improve cardiac function in patients with ischemic heart disease
Authors: Bozdag-Turan Ilkay , Goekmen Turan R , Ludovicy Sophie , Akin Ibrahim , Kische Stephan , Schneider Henrik , Rehders Tim C , Turan C Hakan , Arsoy Nicole S , Hermann Tina , Paranskaya Liliya , Ortak Jasmin , Kohlschein Peter , Bastian Manuela , Sahin Kurtulus , Nienaber Christoph A , Ince Hueseyin
Published: April 2012

Background

Autologous bone marrow cell transplantation (BMCs-Tx) is a promising novel option for treatment of cardiovascular disease. In this study we analyzed whether intracoronary autologous freshly isolated BMCs-Tx have beneficial effects on cardiac function in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD).

Results

In this prospective nonrandomized study we treated 12 patients with IHD by freshly isolated BMCs-Tx by use of point of care system and compared them with a representative 12 control group without cell therapy. Global ejection fraction (EF) and infarct size area were determined by left ventriculography.

Intracoronary transplantation of autologous freshly isolated BMCs led to a significant reduction of infarct size (p < 0.001) and an increase of global EF (p = 0.003) as well as infarct wall movement velocity (p < 0.001) after 6 months follow-up compared to control group. In control group there were no significant differences of global EF, infarct size and infarct wall movement velocity between baseline and 6 months after coronary angiography. Furthermore, we found significant decrease in New York Heart Association (NYHA) as well as significant decrease of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) level 6 months after intracoronary cell therapy (p < 0.001), whereas there were no significant differences in control group 6 months after coronary angiography.

Conclusions

These results demonstrate that intracoronary transplantation of autologous freshly isolated BMCs by use of point of care system is safe and may lead to improvement of cardiac function in patients with IHD.

Trial registration

Registration number: ISRCTN54510226
Temperature dependence of the magnetic properties of reservoir rocks and minerals and implications for in situ borehole predictions of petrophysical parameters
Authors: Ali Arfan , Potter David K.
Published: April 2012

Recent work has shown strong correlations between magnetic susceptibility and key petrophysical parameters such as clay content and fluid permeability. The magnetic measurements in previous work were mainly undertaken at ambient (room temperature) conditions on core samples. The present study involved theoretical modeling and experimentation on the temperature dependence of the magnetic properties (mass magnetization and magnetic susceptibility) of reservoir rocks and minerals over a range of low and high applied fields. It paves the way for correctly interpreting borehole magnetic susceptibility measurements, and accurately predicting petrophysical properties in situ, from a potentially new suite of low and high field borehole magnetic tools. The temperature dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements provide an improved means of quantifying the diamagnetic versus paramagnetic mineral content in reservoir rocks compared to a single ambient measurement. Paramagnetic clays, such as illite, are important in controlling the fluid permeability in many of these samples, and we again saw correlations between the magnetic measurements, paramagnetic clay content, and permeability. We also show how to derive ferrimagnetic mineral hysteresis curves by subtracting the high field magnetic data from the total signal. The resulting magnetic hysteresis curves give important information concerning the content (often only a few ppm, which X-ray diffraction cannot detect), mineralogy, and domain state of the ferrimagnetic particles.
Deblending by direct inversion
Authors: Wapenaar Kees , van der Neut Joost , Thorbecke Jan
Published: April 2012

Deblending of simultaneous-source data is usually considered to be an underdetermined inverse problem, which can be solved by an iterative procedure, assuming additional constraints like sparsity and coherency. By exploiting the fact that seismic data are spatially band-limited, deblending of densely sampled sources can be carried out as a direct inversion process without imposing these constraints. We applied the method with numerically modeled data and it suppressed the crosstalk well, when the blended data consisted of responses to adjacent, densely sampled sources.
Mouse models of ciliopathies: the state of the art
Authors: Norris Dominic P. , Grimes Daniel T.
Published: April 2012

The ciliopathies are an apparently disparate group of human diseases that all result from defects in the formation and/or function of cilia. They include disorders such as Meckel-Grüber syndrome (MKS), Joubert syndrome (JBTS), Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) and Alström syndrome (ALS). Reflecting the manifold requirements for cilia in signalling, sensation and motility, different ciliopathies exhibit common elements. The mouse has been used widely as a model organism for the study of ciliopathies. Although many mutant alleles have proved lethal, continued investigations have led to the development of better models. Here, we review current mouse models of a core set of ciliopathies, their utility and future prospects.
From white to brown fat through the PGC-1α-dependent myokine irisin: implications for diabetes and obesity
Authors: Castillo-Quan Jorge Iván
Published: April 2012

Summary and comment on a recent Nature paper entitled ‘A PGC1-α-dependent myokine that drives brown-fat-like development of white fat and thermogenesis’ (Boström et al., 2012).
Neuromuscular control of free-flight yaw turns in the hawkmothManduca sexta
Authors: Springthorpe Dwight , Fernández María José , Hedrick Tyson L.
Published: April 2012

The biomechanical properties of an animal’s locomotor structures profoundly influence the relationship between neuromuscular inputs and body movements. In particular, passive stability properties are of interest as they may offer a non-neural mechanism for simplifying control of locomotion. Here, we hypothesized that a passive stability property of animal flight, flapping counter-torque (FCT), allows hawkmoths to control planar yaw turns in a damping-dominated framework that makes rotational velocity directly proportional to neuromuscular activity. This contrasts with a more familiar inertia-dominated framework where acceleration is proportional to force and neuromuscular activity. To test our hypothesis, we collected flight muscle activation timing, yaw velocity and acceleration data from freely flying hawkmoths engaged in planar yaw turns. Statistical models built from these data then allowed us to infer the degree to which the moths inhabit either damping- or inertia-dominated control domains. Contrary to our hypothesis, a combined model corresponding to inertia-dominated control of yaw but including substantial damping effects best linked the neuromuscular and kinematic data. This result shows the importance of including passive stability properties in neuromechanical models of flight control and reveals possible trade-offs between manoeuvrability and stability derived from damping.
Contracting in Vague Environments
Authors: Vierø Marie-Louisew
Published: April 2012

This paper shows that a new trade-off arises in the optimal contract when contracting takes place with vague information (objective ambiguity), reflecting that real-world contracting often takes place under imprecise information. The choice-theoretic framework captures a decision-maker's attitude towards vagueness by his optimism. The new trade-off is between incentive provision and exploitation of heterogeneity that arises endogenously because of the vague environment. Consequently, the optimal contract may distort effort in order to relax incentive compatibility and fully exploit the endogenously created heterogeneity, even when the agent is risk neutral and there is no insurance need in the relationship. (JEL D81, D82, D83, D86, L14)
Identifying the “Players” in Sports Analytics Research
Authors: Coleman B. Jay
Published: April 2012

Despite a sports analytics research history that goes back more than 50 years and a recent dramatic rise in the level of scholarly interest in sports analytics, no prior research has attempted to identify its scope, scale, and growth in terms of the body of published refereed articles in the literature. Prior research has also not identified the “players” in the field: the journals and institutions that most commonly publish sports analytics research and are most commonly cited. To answer these questions, I examined 140 journals in operations research, statistics, applied mathematics, and applied economics, and identified 1,146 articles that address the application of analytics in sports. The results provide a picture of the size and nature of sports analytics research and its purveyors, and offer some perspective on the parameters of the field.
People Skills: Leading Virtual Teams—A Change Management Perspective
Authors: Levasseur Robert E.
Published: April 2012

This is another in a series of articles about some of the most effective models, methods, and processes of organization development (OD), also known as change management, a discipline that offers much to professionals intent on solving real-world problems. Because it is based on a systemic view of organizations, OD includes the whole universe of fuzzy people issues that increasingly determine the success or failure of efforts to implement otherwise flawless technical solutions. This article examines the growing phenomenon of geographically distributed teams that interact primarily by using technology. The primary focus is on how modern leadership and change management principles and practices can enhance a leader's ability to overcome the challenges that such virtual teams present.
Dysregulation of D2-Mediated Dopamine Transmission in Monkeys after Chronic Escalating Methamphetamine Exposure
Authors: Groman Stephanie M. , Lee Buyean , Seu Emanuele , James Alex S. , Feiler Karen , Mandelkern Mark A. , London Edythe D. , Jentsch J. David
Published: April 2012

Compulsive drug-seeking and drug-taking are important substance-abuse behaviors that have been linked to alterations in dopaminergic neurotransmission and to impaired inhibitory control. Evidence supports the notions that abnormal D2receptor-mediated dopamine transmission and inhibitory control may be heritable risk factors for addictions, and that they also reflect drug-induced neuroadaptations. To provide a mechanistic explanation for the drug-induced emergence of inhibitory-control deficits, this study examined how a chronic, escalating-dose regimen of methamphetamine administration affected dopaminergic neurochemistry and cognition in monkeys. Dopamine D2-like receptor and dopamine transporter (DAT) availability and reversal-learning performance were measured before and after exposure to methamphetamine (or saline), and brain dopamine levels were assayed at the conclusion of the study. Exposure to methamphetamine reduced dopamine D2-like receptor and DAT availability and produced transient, selective impairments in the reversal of a stimulus–outcome association. Furthermore, individual differences in the change in D2-like receptor availability in the striatum were related to the change in response to positive feedback. These data provide evidence that chronic, escalating-dose methamphetamine administration alters the dopamine system in a manner similar to that observed in methamphetamine-dependent humans. They also implicate alterations in positive-feedback sensitivity associated with D2-like receptor dysfunction as the mechanism by which inhibitory control deficits emerge in stimulant-dependent individuals. Finally, a significant degree of neurochemical and behavioral variation in response to methamphetamine was detected, indicating that individual differences affect the degree to which drugs of abuse alter these processes. Identification of these factors ultimately may assist in the development of individualized treatments for substance dependence.
Evidence for Neuronal Desynchrony in the Aged Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Clock
Authors: Farajnia Sahar , Michel Stephan , Deboer Tom , vanderLeest Henk Tjebbe , Houben Thijs , Rohling Jos H. T. , Ramkisoensing Ashna , Yasenkov Roman , Meijer Johanna H.
Published: April 2012

Aging is associated with a deterioration of daily (circadian) rhythms in physiology and behavior. Deficits in the function of the central circadian pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) have been implicated, but the responsible mechanisms have not been clearly delineated. In this report, we characterize the progression of rhythm deterioration in mice to 900 d of age. Longitudinal behavioral and sleep–wake recordings in up to 30-month-old mice showed strong fragmentation of rhythms, starting at the age of 700 d. Patch-clamp recordings in this age group revealed deficits in membrane properties and GABAergic postsynaptic current amplitude. A selective loss of circadian modulation of fast delayed-rectifier and A-type K+currents was observed. At the tissue level, phase synchrony of SCN neurons was grossly disturbed, with some subpopulations peaking in anti-phase and a reduction in amplitude of the overall multiunit activity rhythm. We propose that aberrant SCN rhythmicity in old animals—with electrophysiological arrhythmia at the single-cell level and phase desynchronization at the network level—can account for defective circadian function with aging.
Axonal Patterns and Targets of dA1 Interneurons in the Chick Hindbrain
Authors: Kohl Ayelet , Hadas Yoav , Klar Avihu , Sela-Donenfeld Dalit
Published: April 2012

Hindbrain dorsal interneurons that comprise the rhombic lip relay sensory information and coordinate motor outputs. The progenitor dA1 subgroup of interneurons, which is formed along the dorsal-most region of the caudal rhombic lip, gives rise to the cochlear and precerebellar nuclei. These centers project sensory inputs toward upper-brain regions. The fundamental role of dA1 interneurons in the assembly and function of these brainstem nuclei is well characterized. However, the precise en route axonal patterns and synaptic targets of dA1 interneurons are not clear as of yet. Novel genetic tools were used to label dA1 neurons and trace their axonal trajectories and synaptic connections at various stages of chick embryos. Using dA1-specific enhancers, two contralateral ascending axonal projection patterns were identified; one derived from rhombomeres 6–7 that elongated in the dorsal funiculus, while the other originated from rhombomeres 2–5 and extended in the lateral funiculus. Targets of dA1 axons were followed at later stages using PiggyBac-mediated DNA transposition. dA1 axons were found to project and form synapses in the auditory nuclei and cerebellum. Investigation of mechanisms that regulate the patterns of dA1 axons revealed a fundamental role of Lim-homeodomain (HD) proteins. Switch in the expression of the specific dA1 Lim-HD proteins Lhx2/9 into Lhx1, which is typically expressed in dB1 interneurons, modified dA1 axonal patterns to project along the routes of dB1 subgroup. Together, the results of this research provided new tools and knowledge to the assembly of trajectories and connectivity of hindbrain dA1 interneurons and of molecular mechanisms that control these patterns.
The IntronicGABRG2Mutation, IVS6+2T→G, Associated with Childhood Absence Epilepsy Altered Subunit mRNA Intron Splicing, Activated Nonsense-Mediated Decay, and Produced a Stable Truncated γ2 Subunit
Authors: Tian Mengnan , Macdonald Robert L.
Published: April 2012

The intronicGABRG2mutation, IVS6+2T→G, was identified in an Australian family with childhood absence epilepsy and febrile seizures (Kananura et al., 2002). TheGABRG2intron 6 splice donor site was found to be mutated from GT to GG. We generated wild-type and mutant γ2 subunit bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) driven by a CMV promoter and expressed them in HEK293T cells and expressed wild-type and mutant γ2 subunit BACs containing the endogenoushGABRG2promoter in transgenic mice. Wild-type and mutantGABRG2mRNA splicing patterns were determined in both BAC-transfected HEK293T cells and transgenic mouse brain, and in both, the mutation abolished intron 6 splicing at the donor site, activated a cryptic splice site, generated partial intron 6 retention, and produced a frameshift in exon 7 that created a premature translation termination codon (PTC). The resultant mutant mRNA was either degraded partially by nonsense-mediated mRNA decay or translated to a stable, truncated subunit (the γ2-PTC subunit) containing the first sixGABRG2exons and a novel frameshifted 29 aa C-terminal tail. The γ2-PTC subunit was homologous to the mollusk AChBP (acetylcholine binding protein) but was not secreted from cells. It was retained in the ER and not expressed on the surface membrane, but it did oligomerize with α1 and β2 subunits. These results suggested that theGABRG2mutation, IVS6+2T→G, reduced surface αβγ2 receptor levels, thus reducing GABAergic inhibition, by reducingGABRG2transcript level and producing a stable, nonfunctional truncated subunit that had a dominant-negative effect on αβγ2 receptor assembly.