bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TLR4, TLR7/8 agonist-induced miR-146a promotes macrophage tolerance to MyD88-dependent TLR agonists
Authors: Nahid M Abu , Benso Lia M , Shin John D , Mehmet Huseyin , Hicks Alexandra , Ramadas Ravisankar A
Published: February 2016

TLRs facilitate the recognition of pathogens by immune cells and the initiation of the immune response, leading to the production of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Production of proinflammatory mediators by innate immune cells, such as macrophages, is tightly regulated to facilitate pathogen clearance while limiting an adverse impact on host tissue. Exposure of innate immune cells to TLR ligands induces a state of temporary refractoriness to a subsequent exposure of a TLR ligand, a phenomenon referred to as “tolerance.” This study sought to evaluate the mechanistic regulation of TLR4 and TLR7/8 ligand-induced tolerance to other TLRs by microRNA-146a. With the use of THP-1 macrophages, as well as human classic and alternative macrophages, we demonstrate that priming with a TLR4 agonist (LPS) or a TLR7/8 agonist (R848) induces homologous and heterologous tolerance to various TLR ligands in macrophages, leading to the impaired production of cytokines and chemokines. We also demonstrate that overexpression of microRNA-146a is sufficient to mimic LPS or R848-induced hyporesponsiveness. Conversely, inhibition of microRNA-146a activity leads to LPS- or R848-induced TLR hyper-responsiveness in TLR signaling tolerance. Furthermore, we demonstrate that microRNA-146a dampens cytokine production following a primary stimulus with MyD88-dependent but not MyD88-independent TLR pathways. Collectively, these data provide comprehensive evidence of the central role of microRNA-146a in TLR signaling tolerance to plasma membrane, as well as endosomal TLR ligands in human macrophages.
Η ψυχιατρική αναγκαστική νοσηλεία στην Ιταλία και στην Ελλάδα: Συγκριτική διερεύνηση
Authors: Τομαράς Βλάσης , Μαδιανός Μιχάλης
Published: February 2016

Τό Μάιο του 1978 τέθηκε σ’ εφαρμογή στήν ’Ιταλία μιά νέα ρι­
ζοσπαστική νομοθεσία πού ρυθμίζει τήν άναγκαστική καί έκούσια
νοσηλεία. ’Επειδή έκτοτε ή έφαρμογή της προκάλεσε πολλές συ­
ζητήσεις, άντιρρήσεις ή αντιδράσεις καί στή χώρα μας, όπου πρό­
σφατα αναγνωρίζεται ή ανάγκη άναθεώρησης τής ίσχύουσας νο­
μοθεσίας, θεωρήθηκε σκόπιμη ή συγκριτική παράθεση των βασι­
κών στοιχείων τής ιταλικής καί έλληνικής νομοθεσίας γιά τήν εύ-κολότερη διαπίστωση των τυχόν διαφορών ή ομοιοτήτων στις νο­
μοθετικές ρυθμίσεις καί τούς χειρισμούς πού απαιτούνται γιά νά
νοσηλευθει ένας ψυχικά ασθενής μέ παράλληλη όμως τή διασφά­
λιση τών ατομικών του δικαιωμάτων καί τής σωστής ψυχιατρικής
αγωγής.
Αξιολόγηση λογισμικού Engino KidCAD για τρισδιάστατη σχεδίαση από παιδιά
Authors: Δημητρίου Δημήτρης , Σίσαμος Κώστας
Published: February 2016

Το παρόν άρθρο παρουσιάζει τα αποτελέσματα της πιλοτικής εφαρμογής σε μαθητές Δημοτικού και Γυμνασίου ενός νέου εκπαιδευτικού λογισμικού τρισδιάστατης σχεδίασης πάνω σε υπολογιστή για τη δημιουργία ψηφιακών μοντέλων. Το λογισμικό, με την ονομασία Engino KidCAD, συμπληρώνει ένα βασικό κενό του μαθήματος Σχεδιασμού και Τεχνολογίας στην Κύπρο που αφορά στον τρόπο σχεδίασης κατασκευαστικών ιδεών από τους μαθητές. Το Αναλυτικό Πρόγραμμα της Κύπρου προτείνει τη χρήση σχεδιαστικών συστημάτων τύπου CAD στην τάξη, εντούτοις τέτοια λογισμικά δεν υπάρχουν διαθέσιμα στην εκπαίδευση. Μέσα από την έρευνα καταγράφηκαν ενδιαφέρουσες απόψεις και αντιδράσεις των εκπαιδευτικών και των μαθητών για το λογισμικό, ενώ αναδείχθηκε η μεγάλη εκπαιδευτική του αξία, τόσο στην ανάπτυξη νέων δεξιοτήτων, όσο και στην ενίσχυση του σχεδιασμού με μοντέρνες μεθόδους.
Υποστηρίζοντας τους εκπαιδευτικούς που εργάζονται στα Εργαστήρια Ειδικής Επαγγελματικής Εκπαίδευσης και Κατάρτισης: Διερεύνηση Επιμορφωτικών Αναγκών
Authors: Πανιτσίδου Ευγενία , Σκουλίδης Ζήσης , Παπασταμάτης Αδαμάντιος , Βαλκάνος Ευθύμιος
Published: February 2016

Ο ρόλος του εκπαιδευτικού Ειδικής Αγωγής και Εκπαίδευσης (ΕΑΕ) που εργάζεται στα Εργαστήρια Ειδικής Επαγγελματικής Εκπαίδευσης και Κατάρτισης (ΕΕΕΕΚ) απαιτεί εξειδικευμένες γνώσεις και δεξιότητες, πολύπλευρες ικανότητες και αυξημένα ακαδημαϊκά προσόντα. Αδιαμφισβήτητα, μία από τις βασικές παραμέτρους αποτελεσματικότητας της επιμόρφωσης αποτελεί η ποιότητα του σχεδιασμού ενός επιμορφωτικού προγράμματος, η οποία καθορίζεται από την αντιστοίχιση των προδιαγραφών με διαπιστωμένες ανάγκες και αιτήματα των εκπαιδευτικών. Στο πλαίσιο αυτό, στην παρούσα μελέτη επιχειρήθηκε η ποσοτική διερεύνηση των επιμορφωτικών αναγκών των εκπαιδευτικών ΕΑΕ στα ΕΕΕΕΚ του Ν. Αττικής, ώστε να διατυπωθεί μία ολοκληρωμένη πρόταση ενός επιμορφωτικού προγράμματος που βασίζεται στις καταγεγραμμένες ανάγκες και προτάσεις των ενδιαφερομένων.
A survey of the Finnish mechanized tree-planting industry in 2013 and its success factors
Authors: Laine Tiina , Kärhä Kalle , Hynönen Antti
Published: February 2016

The aim of the study was to update the information pertaining to mechanized tree-planting activity in Finland in 2013 and its success factors. All businesses providing a mechanized tree-planting service were interviewed and asked to describe their equipment and activities, identify critical success factors (CSFs), and suggest areas for improvement. In 2013, 31 planting machines (18Â Bracke P11.a, 11 M-Planter and 2 Risutec) operated by 22 businesses planted approximately 4.7 million seedlings on 2663 hectares. CSFs included expertise of planting machine operators, high quality planting, adequate amount of work, stoniness, and removal of slash. Based on the survey, some recommendations for improving mechanized planting work can be made. Firstly, improving the cost-efficiency of mechanized planting is necessary to enhance businessesâ profitability. Secondly, worksite selection is crucial as stoniness, stumps and slash debris diminish productivity. Lastly, the popularity of mechanized planting in the future will benefit from more marketing. Many businesses were unwilling to increase the area of service, invest in new equipment, or increase the volume of planting work but they believed that mechanized planting will become more popular in the near future.
Análise espacial da mosca-negra em sistema agroflorestal de citros
Authors: Silva Anderson Gonçalves , Farias Paulo Roberto Silva , Boiça Junior Arlindo Leal , Lima Bruno Gonçaves , Ponte Nara Helena Tavares da , Pinho Raphael Coelho , Barbosa Ronny Sobreira
Published: February 2016

The aim of this study was to characterize the spatial distribution of citrus black fly (Aleurocanthus woglumi) in citrus orchard in agroforestry plantation in Pará State, Brazil. The experimental area is located in Capitão Poço, Northeastern Pará. Twelve samples were taken monthly where the presence or absence of the pest in the experimental area were evaluated. From each sampling point (plant) we obtained the value of the variable and the coordinates (latitude and longitude). By the parameters of semivariogram models the surveys were interpolated by kriging method which provided us spatial distribution maps of the areas of higher and lower infestation of the black fly. The results showed that the spatial distribution of black fly takes place predominantly in clusters with spatial dependence described by the spherical model, forming clusters from 15.5 to 34 m (range of the model).
Época e intensidade de poda no desenvolvimento e produção de amoreira-preta cv. Xavante cultivada em sistema orgânico
Authors: Marchi Thiago , Broetto Doglas , Sato Alessandro Jefferson , Maia Aline José , Botelho Renato Vasconcelos , Verlindo Andricia
Published: February 2016

The practice of winter pruning, held in temperate fruit, has great influence on the development and production of these crops. Changes in pruning system may result in significant changes in the time of harvest, yield and fruit quality.This study aimed to evaluate the effects of time and intensity of pruning in the development and production of blackberry cv. Xavante in organic production system. The experiment was conducted during the crop year 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 in the experimental orchard of the State University of Centro-Oeste (Unicentro)Guarapuava - PR. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with five replications in a 2x2 factorial design, with two pruning times: early and late, and two intensities of pruning side branches: short and long, a total of four treatments. The variables analyzed were: budding percentage (%), percentage of flowering (%), average fruit weight (g), number of fruits, total soluble solids (°brix), yield (kg), estimated yield (kg ha-1) and early yield (kg plant-1 and %). The time and intensity of pruning did not influence the average fruit weight and soluble solids. Early pruning can be a good strategy to obtain higher yields in early harvest. Early and long pruning is recommended in the most productive terms.
Propagação vegetativa de hibisco com diferentes tipos de estacas e concentrações de ácido indolbutírico
Authors: Souza Sra. Rafaela , Beckmann Cavalcante Márkilla Zunete , Damasceno Lima Marluce Pereira , Alixandre Tamnata Ferreira , Nascimento Rejane Teixeira
Published: February 2016

The propagation of the hibiscus is done preferably by cutting. However, the success of this technique depends on the internal and external conditions cuttings, that will influence directly into your rooting capacity. In this sense, the objective was to evaluate the effect of three types of cuttings (apical, middle and basal) and four concentrations of IBA (0, 1000, 3000 and 5000 mg L- 1) in the propagation through cuttings of Hibiscus rosa-sinensisL. cv. Snow Queen. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse under intermittent mist at the Federal University of Piauí (UFPI), Campus Profa. CinobelinaElvas, Bom Jesus-PI for the period from May 23 to July 7, 2012. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial arrangement 3x4 (Type of cuttings x Concentration IBA) with four replications. At 45 days after implantation of the experiment were evaluated: percentage of rooting, survival rate, number of shoots, number of leaves, average root length, dry weight of shoot and root dry weight. There was no significant interaction between the factors studied. There is effective for cutting type. The technique of propagation by cuttings of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. cv. Snow Queen is efficient through the use of basal cuttings.
Crisphead lettuce under influence of soil conditioner, organic fertilizers and liming
Authors: Marchi Edilene Carvalho Santos , Marchi Giuliano , Silva Carlos Alberto , Alvarenga Marco Antônio Rezende
Published: February 2016

Lettuce is considered the main leafy vegetable crop in Brazil. High amounts of mineral and organic fertilizers are applied to soils during lettuce growth. There is a need of data concerning the effect of organic fertilizers and liming, including soil conditioners. Few studies were carried out verifying effects of soil conditioners, organic fertilizers and liming on lettuce production. The aim of this work was to test a soil conditioner composed of humic material, organic fertilizers and liming on “iceberg” lettuce production. The experiment was conducted at Federal University of Lavras, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, from March to July, in greenhouse conditions. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial scheme 5x3x2. Five doses of soil conditioner (0, 20, 40, 100, 200 L ha-1), 3 types of fertilizers (organic compost, chicken manure and mineral), with or without liming were studied.  Fresh and dried biomass, commercial fresh and dried biomass, plants height, circumference of lettuce head, number of leaves, and dried root weight yield were evaluated. Chicken manure rendered the higher lettuce shoot commercial fresh weight and circumference than the other evaluated fertilizers. In general the soil conditioner did not influence lettuce production. The use of liming was very important on lettuce production when mineral fertilizers were used.
Thermal imaging to phenotype traditional maize landraces for drought tolerance
Authors: Costa Joaquim Miguel , Tejero Ivan Francisco Garcia , Zuazo Victor Hugo Duran , Lima Roberta Samara Nunes da , Chaves Maria Manuela , Vaz Patto Maria Carlota
Published: February 2016

Searching and identification of new crops or varieties with higher adaptation or resistance to water stress is one of the strategies to make agriculture profitable and more sustainable. Especially en arid and semi areas with limiting water resources. This study establishes a practical, fast and replicable protocol to select maize genotypes for its capability to respond to water stress. Eight Portuguese maize landraces (LD), traditionally grown in areas with different altitude and subjected to potentially different degrees of water stress (low altitude = potentially lower stress; high altitude = potentially higher stress) was used. Seedlings were subjected to continuous watering (FI) or forced to water withholding (non-irrigated) for a period of 7-8 days followed by re-watering (NI). Leaf temperature was determined every 48 h by thermal imaging and the temperature difference between NI and FI plants (ΔTNI-FI) was calculated. We found that those genotypes that traditionally had been grown at higher altitudes kept more stable leaf temperature values under dry or wet conditions (small ΔTNI-FI) even under severe water stress. These results will help to optimize a screening protocol for maize seedlings and select novel genotypes or LDs better adapted to water stress, especially in regions where irrigation water is scarce.
FLEXIBILITY TEST OF THE TOOLS OF ANGIOPLASTY
Authors: Hajdu István , Károly Dóra , Pelyhe Liza
Published: February 2016

Coronary angioplasty is a procedure used to treat the narrowed coronary arteries. Physicians operate with many different tools during the intervention, the main devices are the following: guidewires, guiding catheters, balloon catheters and stents. One of the most important properties of the tools of angioplasty is flexibility. This article introduces a flexibility measuring device and a testing method. With the help of this the flexibility of the tools of angioplasty can be compared easily.
SURFACE TREATMENT AND EXAMINATION OF GRADE 2 AND GRADE 5 TITANIUM
Authors: Nagy Peter , Weszl Miklos , Toth Krisztian Laszlo , Kientzl Imre , Ring Gyorgy , Szabadits Peter , Bognar Eszter
Published: February 2016

Surface characteristics play an important role in the implant-bone integration that is required for the long-term reliability of dental and orthopedic implants. In this paper, we investigate the effect of acid etching on the mass reduction and roughness of grade 2 and grade 5 Ti under controlled experimental conditions. Three different etching compounds were investigated: 30% HCl, 85% H3PO4 and the compound of 30% (COOH)2 × 2H2O and 30% H2O2 in various treatment intervals under controlled temperature. Stereo microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, roughness and weight measurements were carried out on the samples. We found that neither 85% H3PO4 nor the compound of 30% (COOH)2 × 2H2O and 30% H2O2 were able to remove the machining marks from the surface of Ti discs in our experimental setting. On the other hand, etching in 30% HCl yielded even surfaces both on Ti grade 2 and 5 discs. We also found that etching at higher temperatures in 30% HCl resulted in significant mass loss.
CHARACTERIZATION OF ULTRASONIC ASSISTED ADHESIVE JOINTS
Authors: Pauska Rainer , Cakmak Umut , Lottes Rainer , Major Zoltan
Published: February 2016

Joining experiments using different adhesives were carried out. In addition to the adhesive, the specimens were also treated with ultrasonic waves to improve the load carrying capacity of the joined parts. Lap joint shear tests have been conducted to quantify this improvement.
NUMERICAL METHOD FOR ESTIMATION OF TENSILE LOAD IN TIE-RODS
Authors: Riabova Kseniia , Collini Luca , Garziera Rinaldo
Published: February 2016

The work introduces a two-phase method for determination of axial loads in tie-rods. The method described here consists of an experimental activity and an automated numerical calculation. The influence of considering an elastic Winkler-type bed to model the tie-rod constraint inside the wall has been investigated. The algorithm used for calculation involves a solution of a functional minimization problem, where the tensile load and the stiffness of elastic foundation at the edges are used as optimization parameters and the error function, which describes the deviation between the frequencies measured and those calculated using finite element method, is minimized. Qualitative analysis of the results showed a significant reduction of the error compared to models with different boundary conditions. The method showed to be conservative for the strength evaluation of the rods, because the optimal values of tensile loads appeared to be higher than the load in perfect encastre conditions.
LOAD BEARING CAPACITY OF THE GLASS RAILING ELEMENT
Authors: Šamec Elizabeta , Damjanovic Domagoj , Krolo Joško
Published: February 2016

In this paper some basic physical and mechanical properties of glass as structural material are presented. This research is about specifically manufactured glass railing element that will be a part of a pedestrian bridge construction in Zagreb, Croatia. Load bearing capacity test of the glass railing element is conducted within the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Zagreb and obtained experimental results are discussed and compared to the ones provided by the numerical model. Taking into account the behaviour of laminated glass and results of experimental and numerical testing, glass railing element can be regarded as safe.
DEFORMATION CHARACTERISTICS OF CHOPPED FIBRE COMPOSITES SUBJECTED TO QUASI-STATIC TENSILE LOADING
Authors: Šleichrt Jan , Adorna Marcel , Neühauserová Michaela , Fenclová Nela , Petráňová Veronika
Published: February 2016

This work presents deformation behaviour of cost effective chopped fiber composites. Use of chopped fibre is advantageous for manufacturing however complex shape parts production technology could be challenging. Batches of samples with different fibres composition were subjected to uni-axial tensile loading to obtain overall materials properties and inspection of proper manufacturing based on local deformation inhomogeneities. Both crossbeam displacement and optical strain measurement were used for elastic characteristics evaluation. Deformation response was derived from full-field optical strain measurements based on digital image correlation method. Relatively large variation of mechanical properties testing of samples was found.
THERMO-VISCOELASTIC CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYMER LAMINATE FILMS
Authors: Truszkiewicz Eliza , Tscharnuter Daniel , Pilz Gerald
Published: February 2016

The investigated material - laminate is intended as a substrate for small electronic components, electrodes and printed circuits, which are processed onto the laminate prior to thermoforming. The placement of the electronic components and the connecting circuits must be carefully designed to prevent damage during the thermoforming. The thermo-viscoelastic behavior of a polymer laminate film was characterized by mechanical measurements to obtain data for material modeling. The strain was measured using digital image correlation. The film is anisotropic and is able to deform to strains up to 60%.
Use of Internet and social media as a new communication medium among nurses
Authors: Işık Erer Türkan , Ardıç Çobaner Aslıhan
Published: February 2016

This study was planned with the aim of determining the usage of the Internet and social media among the nurses at the Centre of Health Research and Practice at the University of Mersin, in addition to investigating its contribution to their professional development and evaluating the usage of social media in an ethical perspective. Nurses as an employee group work very closely with society and provide services to healthy and ill individuals. They have been increasingly using both Internet and social media sources while undertaking their roles. This study is a descriptive study. A questionnaire was supplied to 260 nurses who were on duty at the hospital while the data was being collected and who agreed to participate in the research. The data acquired was analyzed using the statistical methods of arithmetic averages, percentages, standard deviations (SD) and chi-square (X2). The results were evaluated using a confidence interval of 95%, with a level of significance of p<0.05. The nurses who stated that they use the Internet comprised 259 of the 260 nurses that participated, while 83.8% of them used social media. According to this study, the usage of the Internet and social media for professional development is also common. The majority of the nurses accept that the usage of social media has various risks and state that there is a need for informative studies directed towards more effective usage of these tools.
Dynamics of the Third Exotic Contact Form on the Sphere Along a Vector Field in its Kernel
Authors: Maalaoui Ali
Published: February 2016

In this paper we study the dynamics of the third exotic contact form of Gonzalo and Varela [5] on

S
3

${S^{3}}$

in the framework of contact form geometry. This dynamics has an impact on the variational problem associated to the contact form such as the violation of the Fredholm condition and the Morse indices of different periodic orbits.
Popularity estimation of interesting locations from visitor’s
trajectories using fuzzy inference system
Authors: Tiwari Shivendra , Kaushik Saroj
Published: February 2016

Identifying the interesting places through GPS
trajectory mining has been well studied based on the visitor’s
frequency. However, the places popularity estimation
based on the trajectory analysis has not been explored yet.
The limitation in the majority of the traditional popularity
estimation and place user-rating based methods is that all
the participants are given the same importance. In reality,
it heavily depends on the visitor’s category, for example,
international visitors make distinct impact on popularity.
The proposed method maintains a registry to keep the information
about the visited users, their stay time and the
travel distance from their home location. Depending on
the travel nature the visitors are labeled as native, regional
and tourist for each place in question. It considers the fact
that the higher stay in a place is an implicit measure of the
greater likings. Theweighted frequency is eventually fuzzified and applied rule based fuzzy inference system (FIS) to
compute popularity of the places in terms of the ratings
∈ [0, 5]. We have evaluated the proposed method using a
large real road GPS trajectory of 182 users for identifying
the ratings for the collected 26807 point of interests (POI)
in Beijing (China).
A Biconvex Form for Copulas
Authors: Fuchs Sebastian
Published: February 2016

We study the integration of a copula with respect to the probability measure generated by another
copula. To this end, we consider the map [. , .] : C × C → R given by

where C denotes the collection of all d–dimensional copulas and QD denotes the probability measures associated
with the copula D. Specifically, this is of interest since several measures of concordance such as
Kendall’s tau, Spearman’s rho and Gini’s gamma can be expressed in terms of the map [. , .]. Quite generally,
the map [. , .] can be applied to construct and investigate measures of concordance.
Fact-Checking Polarized Politics: Does The Fact-Check Industry Provide Consistent Guidance on Disputed Realities?
Authors: Marietta Morgan , Barker David C. , Bowser Todd
Published: February 2016

In the contemporary political environment of polarized claims about disputed realities, the online fact-check industry was born. These enterprises have received awards and praise but also accusations of bias and error, bringing their methods and conclusions into question. This paper examines the comparative epistemology of the three major fact-check sites: do they examine the same questions and reach the same conclusions? A content analysis of the published fact-checks addressing three disputed realties – the existence of climate change, the influence of racism, and the consequences of the national debt – suggests substantial differences in the questions asked and the answers offered, limiting the usefulness of fact-checking for citizens trying to decide which version of disputed realities to believe.
Nuclear Fallout: Investigating the Effect of Senate Procedural Reform on Judicial Nominations
Authors: Boyd Christina L. , Lynch Michael S. , Madonna Anthony J.
Published: February 2016

On November 21, 2013, U.S. Senate Democrats utilized the long threatened “nuclear option,” thereby allowing a simple-majority of the chamber to end debate on lower federal court judicial nominations. Formal theory predicts that this change should permit the president to nominate more ideologically extreme nominees. By comparing President Obama’s nominees before and after the Senate’s change to the confirmation process, we are able to provide the first comprehensive examination of how the nuclear option is likely to impact the ideological makeup of the lower federal courts. We additionally examine the impact of the nuclear option on time to confirmation and nominee success. Our results indicate, while post-nuclear option nominees are not significantly more liberal, they are being confirmed more often and more quickly, allowing Obama and Senate Democrats to more efficiently fill the federal judiciary with Democratic-leaning judges.
Dydrogesterone support following assisted reproductive technique (ART) reduces the risk of pre-eclampsia
Authors: Ali Anizah Bt , Ahmad Mohd Faizal B. , Kwang Ng Beng , Shan Lim Pei , Shafie Nasir Mohamed , Omar Mohd Hashim
Published: February 2016

Background:

Pre-eclampsia (PE) contributes to poor maternal morbidity and mortality. Progesterone is hypothesised to reduce the risk of PE.

Aim:

To determine the effect of progestogen supplementation during assisted reproductive technique (ART) in reducing the incidence of PE.

Method:

A retrospective comparative analysis among 1140 pregnancies between January 2006 and March 2015 conducted in a tertiary centre. A total of 570 pregnancies who conceived following ART with progesterone supplementation (study group) and an age-matched spontaneous pregnancies, without progesterone supplementation (control group, n=570) were included in the analysis. The study group received progesterone support following ART or intrauterine insemination (IUI) until 14–16 weeks’ gestation.

Results:

The rate of PE was significantly lower in the study group compared to control group (8.4% vs. 14.2%, p<0.05). Women supplemented with dydrogesterone only showed a lower PE incidence as compared to women received a combination of dydrogesterone and hydroxyprogesterone caproate, however, it was not statistically significant (6.9% vs. 9.9%; 6.9%; p=0.2).
Long-term BH4 (sapropterin) treatment of children with hyperphenylalaninemia – effect on median Phe/Tyr ratios
Authors: Tansek Mojca Zerjav , Groselj Urh , Kelvisar Matic , Kobe Helena , Lampret Barbka Repic , Battelino Tadej
Published: February 2016

Phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiency causes various degrees of hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA). Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4; sapropterin) reduces phenylalanine (Phe) levels in responders, enabling relaxation of dietary therapy. We aimed to assess long-term effects of BH4 treatment in HPA patients.

Nine pre-pubertal BH4 responsive children were treated with BH4 for at least 2 years. The median dietary tolerance to Phe and levels of blood Phe, tyrosine (Tyr), zinc, selenium and vitamin B12 and anthropometric measurements, in the 2 years periods before and after the introduction of BH4 treatment were analyzed and compared. Adverse effects of BH4 were assessed.

The daily Phe tolerance had tripled, from pretreatment median value of 620 mg (IQR 400–700 mg) to 2000 (IQR 1000–2000 mg) after 2 years of follow up (p<0.001). The median blood Phe levels during the 2 years period before introducing BH4 did not change significantly during the 2 years on therapy (from 200 μmol/L; IQR 191–302 to 190 μmol/L; IQR 135–285 μmol/L), but the median blood Phe/Tyr ratio had lowered significantly from pre-treatment value 4.7 to 2.4 during the 2 years on therapy (p=0.01). Median zinc, selenium, vitamin B12 levels and anthropometric measurements did not change while on BH4 therapy (p=NS). No adverse effects were noticed.

BH4 therapy enabled patients much higher dietary Phe intakes, with no noticeable adverse effects. Median blood Phe and Tyr levels, median zinc, selenium, vitamin B12 levels and anthropometric measurements did not change significantly on BH4 therapy, but median Phe/Tyr ratios had lowered.
New records of bat species using Gatkop Cave in the maternal season
Authors: Kearney Teresa C. , Keith Mark , Seamark Ernest C.J.
Published: February 2016

Eight bat species were recorded at Gatkop Cave, in the northern part of South Africa in December 2011 (
Synthesis, characterization, antimicrobial, and DNA cleavage evaluation of some organotin(IV) complexes derived from ligands containing the 1H-indole-2,3-dione moiety
Authors: Sharma Swati , Meena Ramhari , Singh R.V. , Fahmi Nighat
Published: February 2016

New Schiff bases 5-iodo-indol-2,3-dionehydrazinecarboxamide (L
Lhx2 Is an Essential Factor for Retinal Gliogenesis and Notch Signaling
Authors: de Melo Jimmy , Zibetti Cristina , Clark Brian S. , Hwang Woochang , Miranda-Angulo Ana L. , Qian Jiang , Blackshaw Seth
Published: February 2016

Müller glia (MG) are the only glial cell type produced by the neuroepithelial progenitor cells that generate the vertebrate retina. MG are required to maintain retinal homeostasis and support the survival of retinal neurons. Furthermore, in certain vertebrate classes, MG function as adult stem cells, mediating retinal regeneration in response to injury. However, the mechanisms that regulate MG development are poorly understood because there is considerable overlap in gene expression between retinal progenitor cells and differentiated MG. We show that the LIM homeodomain transcription factorLhx2is required for the development of MG in the mouse retina. Temporally controlled knock-out studies reveal a requirement forLhx2during all stages of MG development, ranging from the proliferation of gliocompetent retinal progenitors, activation of Müller-specific gene expression, and terminal differentiation of MG morphological features. We show that Lhx2 regulates gliogenesis in part by regulating directly the expression of Notch pathway genes includingNotch1,Dll1, andDll3and gliogenic transcription factors such asHes1,Hes5,Sox8, andRax. Conditional knock-out ofLhx2resulted in a rapid downregulation of Notch pathway genes and loss of Notch signaling. We further demonstrate that Müller gliogenesis induced by misexpression of the potently gliogenic Notch pathway transcriptional effectorHes5requiresLhx2expression. These results indicate that Lhx2 not only directly regulates expression of Notch signaling pathway components, but also acts together with the gliogenic Notch pathway to drive MG specification and differentiation.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTMüller glia (MG) are radial glial cells located in the vertebrate retina that are essential for the function and survival of retinal neurons. We found the LIM homeodomain transcription factor Lhx2 to be expressed in both retinal progenitor cells and MG. Using conditional knock-outs, we show thatLhx2is required during all stages of MG development. We also show that Lhx2 regulates directly the expression of components of the Notch signaling pathway, which promotes retinal Müller gliogenesis, as well as multiple gliogenic transcription factors. We further demonstrate thatLhx2is required for Hes5-dependent gliogenesis. This study identifiesLhx2as a central transcriptional regulator of both Notch-dependent and Notch-independent components of retinal gliogenesis.
Acute Modulation of Cortical Glutamate and GABA Content by Physical Activity
Authors: Maddock Richard J. , Casazza Gretchen A. , Fernandez Dione H. , Maddock Michael I.
Published: February 2016

Converging evidence demonstrates that physical activity evokes a brain state characterized by distinctive changes in brain metabolism and cortical function. Human studies have shown that physical activity leads to a generalized increase in electroencephalography power across regions and frequencies, and a global increase in brain nonoxidative metabolism of carbohydrate substrates. This nonoxidative consumption of carbohydrate has been hypothesized to include increasedde novosynthesis of amino acid neurotransmitters, especially glutamate and GABA. Here, we conducted a series of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies in human volunteers before and after vigorous exercise (≥80% of predicted maximal heart rate). Results showed that the resonance signals of both glutamate and GABA increased significantly in the visual cortex following exercise. We further demonstrated a similar increase in glutamate following exercise in an executive region, the anterior cingulate cortex. The increase in glutamate was similar when using echo times of 30 and 144 ms, indicating that exercise-related T2 relaxation effects across this range of relaxation times did not account for the findings. In addition, we found preliminary evidence that more physical activity during the preceding week predicts higher resting glutamate levels. Overall, the results are consistent with an exercise-induced expansion of the cortical pools of glutamate and GABA, and add to a growing understanding of the distinctive brain state associated with physical activity. A more complete understanding of this brain state may reveal important insights into mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of physical exercise in neuropsychiatric disorders, neurorehabilitation, aging, and cognition.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTIncreasing evidence suggests that distinctly different brain states are associated with sedentary behavior compared with physically active behavior. Metabolic studies show that the nonoxidative consumption of carbohydrates by the brain increases greatly during vigorous activity. Prior studies have suggested that one component of this metabolic shift may involve increasing the reserves of neurotransmitters in the brain viade novosynthesis from carbohydrate substrates. The current study reports the results of three experiments that support this hypothesis by showing increased cortical content of glutamate and GABA following physical activity. Understanding how brain metabolism and function differ during sedentary versus active behavioral states may provide important insights into the neurotherapeutic potential of exercise.
A Bright and Fast Red Fluorescent Protein Voltage Indicator That Reports Neuronal Activity in Organotypic Brain Slices
Authors: Abdelfattah Ahmed S. , Farhi Samouil L. , Zhao Yongxin , Brinks Daan , Zou Peng , Ruangkittisakul Araya , Platisa Jelena , Pieribone Vincent A. , Ballanyi Klaus , Cohen Adam E. , Campbell Robert E.
Published: February 2016

Optical imaging of voltage indicators based on green fluorescent proteins (FPs) or archaerhodopsin has emerged as a powerful approach for detecting the activity of many individual neurons with high spatial and temporal resolution. Relative to green FP-based voltage indicators, a bright red-shifted FP-based voltage indicator has the intrinsic advantages of lower phototoxicity, lower autofluorescent background, and compatibility with blue-light-excitable channelrhodopsins. Here, we report a bright red fluorescent voltage indicator (fluorescent indicator for voltage imaging red; FlicR1) with properties that are comparable to the best available green indicators. To develop FlicR1, we used directed protein evolution and rational engineering to screen libraries of thousands of variants. FlicR1 faithfully reports single action potentials (∼3% ΔF/F) and tracks electrically driven voltage oscillations at 100 Hz in dissociated Sprague Dawley rat hippocampal neurons in single trial recordings. Furthermore, FlicR1 can be easily imaged with wide-field fluorescence microscopy. We demonstrate that FlicR1 can be used in conjunction with a blue-shifted channelrhodopsin for all-optical electrophysiology, although blue light photoactivation of the FlicR1 chromophore presents a challenge for applications that require spatially overlapping yellow and blue excitation.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTFluorescent-protein-based voltage indicators enable imaging of the electrical activity of many genetically targeted neurons with high spatial and temporal resolution. Here, we describe the engineering of a bright red fluorescent protein-based voltage indicator designated as FlicR1 (fluorescent indicator for voltage imaging red). FlicR1 has sufficient speed and sensitivity to report single action potentials and voltage fluctuations at frequencies up to 100 Hz in single-trial recordings with wide-field microscopy. Because it is excitable with yellow light, FlicR1 can be used in conjunction with blue-light-activated optogenetic actuators. However, spatially distinct patterns of optogenetic activation and voltage imaging are required to avoid fluorescence artifacts due to photoactivation of the FlicR1 chromophore.
Vitamin D deficiency impairs skeletal muscle function in a smoking mouse model
Authors: Cielen Nele , Heulens Nele , Maes Karen , Carmeliet Geert , Mathieu Chantal , Janssens Wim , Gayan-Ramirez Ghislaine
Published: February 2016

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with skeletal muscle dysfunction. Vitamin D plays an important role in muscle strength and performance in healthy individuals. Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in COPD, but its role in skeletal muscle dysfunction remains unclear. We examined the time-course effect of vitamin D deficiency on limb muscle function in mice with normal or deficient vitamin D serum levels exposed to air or cigarette smoke for 6, 12 or 18 weeks. The synergy of smoking and vitamin D deficiency increased lung inflammation and lung compliance from 6 weeks on with highest emphysema scores observed at 18 weeks. Smoking reduced body and muscle mass of the soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL), but did not affect contractility, despite type II atrophy. Vitamin D deficiency did not alter muscle mass but reduced muscle force over time, downregulated vitamin D receptor expression, and increased muscle lipid peroxidation but did not alter actin and myosin expression, fiber dimensions or twitch relaxation time. The combined effect of smoking and vitamin D deficiency did not further deteriorate muscle function but worsened soleus mass loss and EDL fiber atrophy at 18 weeks. We conclude that the synergy of smoking and vitamin D deficiency in contrast to its effect on lung disease, had different, independent but important noxious effects on skeletal muscles in a mouse model of mild COPD.
RAF1 is increased in labouring myometrium and modulates inflammation-induced pro-labour mediators
Authors: Lappas Martha
Published: February 2016

Inflammation plays a central role in the terminal process of human labour and delivery, including myometrial contractions. RAF1 proto-oncogene serine/threonine-protein kinase (RAF1) can activate ERK (official gene symbolMAPK1) and/or nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) to regulate genes involved in inflammation. There are, however, no studies on the role of RAF1 in the processes of human labour and delivery. Thus, the aims of this study were to determine the effect of i) human labour and pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin 1 beta (IL1B) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) alpha on RAF1 protein expression in myometrium and ii) siRNA knockdown ofRAF1on pro-inflammatory and pro-labour mediators in human myometrial primary cells. Term labour was associated with an increase in RAF1 protein expression. Furthermore, RAF1 protein expression was increased in myometrial cells treated with IL1B and TNF, two likely factors contributing to preterm birth. Knockdown ofRAF1by siRNA in primary myometrial cells significantly decreased IL1B- and TNF-inducedIL1A, IL1B, IL6,(C-X-C motif) ligand 8 (CXCL8)and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) mRNA abundance and IL6, IL8 and CCL2; prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) mRNA levels and prostaglandin PGF2αrelease; and NF-κB activation. Furthermore,RAF1knockdown was associated with decreased activation of ERK in the presence of IL1B but not TNF. Concordantly, the ERK inhibitor U0126 significantly decreased IL1B-inducedIL6,CXCL8,CCL2andPTGS2mRNA abundance; IL6, CXCL8, CCL2 and PGF2αrelease; and NF-κB activation. In conclusion, IL1B induces the expression and secretion of pro-labour mediators through the RAF1–MAPK1–NF-κB signalling pathway. TNF, on the other hand, regulates pro-labour mediators through the RAF1–NF-κB signalling pathway via an MAPK1-independent mechanism.
Sixty years of the National Food Program in Brazil
Authors: NOGUEIRA Rosana Maria , BARONE Bruna , BARROS Thiara Teixeira de , GUIMARÃES Kátia Regina Leoni Silva Lima de Queiroz , RODRIGUES Nilo Sérgio Sabbião , BEHRENS Jorge Herman
Published: February 2016

School meals were introduced in the Brazilian political agenda by a group of scholars known as nutrition scientists' in the 1940s. In 1955, the Campanha de Merenda Escolar, the first official school food program, was stablished, and sixty years after its inception, school food in Brazil stands as a decentralised public policy, providing services to students enrolled in public schools, which involve the Brazilian federal government, twentyseven federative units, and their 5,570 municipalities. Throughout its history, school food has gone through many stages that reflect the social transformations in Brazil: from a campaign to implement school food focused on the problem of malnutrition and the ways to solve it, to the creation of a universal public policy relying on social participation and interface between other modern, democratic, and sustainable policies, establishing a strategy for promoting food and nutrition security, development, and social protection. In this article, the School Food Program is analyzed from the perspective of four basic structures that support it as public policy: the formal structure, consisting of legal milestones that regulated the program; substantive structure, referring to the public and private social actors involved; material structure, regarding the way in which Brazil sponsors the program; and finally, the symbolic structure, consisting of knowledge, values, interests, and rules that legitimatize the policy.
Uranium Remediation by Ion Exchange and Sorption Methods: A Critical Review
Authors: Rosenberg Edward , Pinson Glenn , Tsosie Ranalda , Tutu Hlanganani , Cukrowska Ewa
Published: February 2016

The solid phase materials or sorbents applied to the removal of uranium from industrial waste streams and surface waters are reviewed. The speciation of the element in the environment is discussed. A series of examples on uranium remediation from the recent literature using the different kinds of solid phase sorbents are reviewed in detail and evaluated. The criteria for making the best choice of ion exchanger are discussed with suggestions for further evaluation of the described technologies.
Coding Practices for LibQUAL+® Open-Ended Comments
Authors: Neurohr Karen , Ackermann Eric , O'Mahony Daniel P. , White Lynda S.
Published: February 2016

Objective – This paper presents the results of a study of libraries’ practices for coding open-ended comments collected through LibQUAL+® surveys and suggests practical steps for facilitating this qualitative analysis.

Methods – In the fall of 2009, survey invitations were sent to contacts at 641 institutions that had participated in the LibQUAL+® survey from 2003 to 2009. Of those invited, there were 154 respondents, for an overall response rate of 24.0%.

Results – Nearly 87% of the respondents indicated that their library had performed a qualitative analysis of the comments from their most recent LibQUAL+® survey. Of these, over 65% used computer software to organize, code, sort, or analyze their comments, while 33.6% hand-coded their comments on paper. Of the 76 respondents who provided information on software, 73.7% used Excel, 18.4% used Atlas.ti, and 7.9% used NVivo. Most institutions (55.8%) had only 1 person coding the comments; 26.9% had 2 coders, and very few had 3 or more. Of those who performed some type of analysis on their comments, nearly all (91.9%) indicated that they developed keywords and topics from reading through the comments (emergent keywords). Another common approach was to code the comments according to the LibQUAL+® dimensions; 55.0% of respondents used this strategy. Nearly all of the institutions (92.7%) reported using their LibQUAL+® comments internally to improve library operations. Libraries also typically incorporated the comments into local university reports (75.5%) and used the comments in outreach communications to the university community (60.9%).

Conclusion – Comments obtained from the LibQUAL+® survey can be useful for strategic planning, understanding users, identifying areas for improvement, and prioritizing needs. A key suggestion raised by respondents to this survey was for practitioners to consider sharing the fruits of their labor more widely, including coding taxonomies and strategies, as well as broader discussion of qualitative analysis methods and practices.
Assessing the Fitness of an Academic Library for Doctoral Research
Authors: Edwards Susan , Jones Lynn
Published: February 2016

Objective – At the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), researchers compared how well the library collections supported doctoral research in the three related disciplines of education, psychology, and social welfare. The goal of this project was to gather empirical data to answer questions about materials cited in dissertations, including ownership, age of materials and disciplinary usage.

Methods – Researchers analyzed the bibliographies of doctoral dissertations from three academic departments at UCB: education (2009-2010), psychology (2009-2010), and social welfare (2009-2011). The sampling methodology used a systematic sample with a random start. To achieve a 95% (+/-4%) confidence interval, the sample included a total of 3,372 citations from 107 dissertations. Researchers consulted with a statistician to determine the statistical significance of the results. The test for the age of citation used a signed ranks test, which is typical for ordinal data or skewed interval data. The test for ownership was a chi-square test, which is typical for nominal data or dichotomous data.

Results – Researchers determined that a very high percentage of the cited journals were owned or licensed by the Library. The ownership rate for cited journals was 97% for both education and social welfare, and 99% for psychology. There was a statistically significant difference between the three disciplines, with psychology better supported than either education (p=.02) or social welfare (p=.01). However, since ownership rates for journals in all three disciplines were extremely high, this was not a meaningful difference. For books, the researchers found a significantly smaller percentage of books owned in social welfare compared to either education (p=.00) or psychology (p=.00). We found no significant difference between the percentages of books owned in psychology versus education (p=.27). Psychology students cited the highest percentage of journals while education students cited the highest percentage of books. Psychology students cited almost no free web resources, but education and social welfare students did cite free web resources (primarily government documents, working papers, or non-governmental organization reports). All three disciplines cited older material than anticipated.

Conclusions – The citation analysis, while time-consuming, provided new and important information about the use of the Library’s collections and the level of support the collections afford doctoral students in the three related disciplines of education, psychology and social welfare. This data has informed collections-related decisions including format purchases and fund allocations.