bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rabid Fans, Death Threats, and Dysfunctional Stakeholders: The Influence of Organizational and Industry Contexts on Whistle-Blowing Cases
Authors: Richardson Brian K. , McGlynn Joseph
Published: September 2010

Organizational wrongdoing is frequently exposed by whistle-blowers, individuals who disclose unethical behavior to parties they believe can take corrective action. This study aimed to illuminate whistle-blowers’ experiences with particular attention to how their industry and organizational contexts affected their cases. We analyzed personal accounts of thirteen whistle-blowers in the collegiate sports industry. Results revealed three themes that significantly affected whistle-blowing accounts: the existence and influence of tightly coupled stakeholders, including the athletic governing body and news media; the hypermasculine character of collegiate sports; and the presence of highly identified fans as agents of retaliation. Implications of the study include the recognition and consequences of nonorganizational members as agents of retaliation and the importance of analyzing context when considering whistle-blowing experiences both inside and outside of collegiate sport.
Factors influencing the health related quality of life in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: long-term results (2001—2005) of patients in the German Lupus Erythematosus Self-Help Organization (LULA Study)
Authors: Tamayo T. , Fischer-Betz R. , Beer S. , Winkler-Rohlfing B. , Schneider M.
Published: September 2010

The aim of this longitudinal study was to determine disease-specific and individual factors associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) organized in the German Lupus Erythematosus Self-Help Organization. Three hundred and seventeen patients aged between 11 and 77 years participated annually in five surveys carried out between 2001 and 2005. Regression analyses were carried out for physical and mental HRQOL as dependent variables. Factors influencing HRQOL were the respective HRQOL scores of the previous year, SLE activity as measured by the Systemic Lupus Activity Questionnaire (SLAQ), and impairments in everyday life. Social support indicated by living in marriage or in a marriage-like partnership had a positive influence on both mental and physical HRQOL, whereas individual factors such as education seemed to be of minor importance.
The Social Context of Entrepreneurship
Authors: Sheth N.R.
Published: September 2010

This is a two-part narrative of contemporary social milieu which may have pointers for the development and sustenance of entrepreneurship in spirit and on ground level. The first part recounts a unique enterprise in social reconstruction that had the hue of a movement spearheaded by a ‘religious’ entrepreneur. The second part is an overview of factors that may stimulate or inhibit the growth of entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship and the Environment for Rural SMEs in the Shropshire Hills, UK, 1997–2009
Authors: Tate Graham
Published: September 2010

European agricultural and environmental policy has evolved considerably over the last 11 years. In this article the changes in farm businesses in an Environmentally Sensitive Area in South Shropshire are evaluated based upon two surveys with the same farmers in 1997 and 2008. The rate of participation in the environmental scheme had increased significantly at a time when Government led goals in this area had developed and become more output focussed. A combination of policy, market and animal health status changes had encouraged a number to leave cattle production and though remaining with stock and grass they had decided against any extensive development in the direction of business diversification or pluriactivity with or without Government encouragement. The participation in the environmental scheme did not appear to be an aspect of farmers’ entrepreneurial tendencies. A pilot sample of farmers was then classified using the conceptual framework developed by McElwee and found to be predominantly Type I, characterised by traditional land-based economic activity. This leaves the future of this group in some uncertainty with two significant forms of financial support, the environmental scheme and the Hill Farm Allowance due to close.
Systematic Screenings to Prevent the Development of Learning and Behavior Problems: Considerations for Practitioners, Researchers, and Policy Makers
Authors: Lane Kathleen Lynne , Oakes Wendy , Menzies Holly
Published: September 2010

In this article, we discuss the importance of systematic screenings to monitor K—12 students’ behavioral and academic performance, with an emphasis on the need to identify and support students with emotional and behavioral disorders before they develop significant learning and behavior problems requiring special education services under the category of emotional disturbances. We emphasize the importance of conducting systematic screenings across the K—12 grade span within the context of comprehensive, integrated, three-tiered models of prevention. We provide brief descriptions of some of the current tools available to assess academic and behavioral performance patterns over time and present a balanced discussion of the benefits and challenges associated with the screening. Specifically, we describe how these measures can be used to (a) assess overall levels of performance within and across the school years and (b) identify students who may require secondary and tertiary levels of prevention beyond primary prevention efforts. We conclude with responsibilities that come with conducting screenings, with specific considerations for practitioners, researchers, and policy makers.
Considering Leadership Climate Strength: Affective Commitment Within Supermarkets in Central Europe
Authors: Sanders Karin , Geurts Peter , van Riemsdijk Maarten
Published: September 2010

Using data from 5,695 employees in 345 supermarkets in Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia, the authors examined whether leadership climate strength (LCS), defined as the shared perceptions of employees concerning their supervisors, is related to employees’ affective commitment (AC) to the supermarket and to colleagues. In addition, the authors examined if LCS moderates the relationship between the individual perceptions of the supervisor and AC. Two-level analyses (supermarket and employee) showed that LCS has an added effect for both foci of AC in that LSC strengthens the relationship between individual perceptions and AC to the supermarket.
An Assessment of Surgical Thromboprophylaxis in a Tertiary Care Center
Authors: Robinson-Cohen Cassianne , Pilon Danielle , Dubois Marie-France , Tagalakis Vicky
Published: September 2010

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a frequent surgical complication. The American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) recommends implementation of pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis according to surgery type and VTE risk factors. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of surgical admissions to determine the rate and predictors of use and appropriate use of thromboprophylaxis as defined by the 2004 ACCP guidelines and to determine the risk of postoperative VTE. Methods: Using data from an administrative health care database of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke in the province of Quebec, we assembled a cohort of all consecutive surgical admissions in 2006 that met ACCP criteria for pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis and assessed rates of thromboprophylaxis presence and appropriateness. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine characteristics associated with thromboprophylaxis prescription. The incidence of postoperative VTE was assessed at 3 months. Results: Of 2286 surgical admissions that met criteria for pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis, 81% received thromboprophylaxis and, of these, 31% received appropriate thromboprophylaxis as per ACCP guidelines. Male sex, age below 40 years, and short-duration hospitalization were significantly associated with absent and inappropriate thromboprophylaxis. Cancer diagnosis and heart failure within 3 months preceding surgery were protective against inappropriate thromboprophylaxis (OR 0.43, 95% CI [0.33-0.57] and 0.43 [0.26-0.70], respectively). At 3 months following surgery, 27 patients (1.2%) developed VTE. Patients who developed VTE were more likely to have had a previous VTE than patients who did not develop a VTE ( P < .0001). Conclusions: Targeted recommendations, in particular concerning male patients with short duration hospitalization, may improve thromboprophylaxis compliance and appropriateness rates.
An Evaluation of the Influence of Primary Care Team Functioning on the Health of Medicare Beneficiaries
Authors: Roblin Douglas W. , Howard David H. , Junling Ren  , Becker Edmund R.
Published: September 2010

In service industries other than health care, unit employees who report a favorable service climate—characterized by commitment to a team concept and intrateam interactions that are supportive, collegial, and collaborative—have high levels of consumer satisfaction and work unit productivity. The authors evaluated whether similar primary care team (PCT) functioning influenced the short-term future health (SF-36) of elderly Medicare beneficiaries ( N = 991) in a group model managed care organization (MCO). PCT functioning was assessed by surveys of practitioners and support staff on the MCO’s 14 primary care practices and included measures of perceived task delegation, role collaboration, patient orientation, and team ownership. On average, patient physical and emotional health declined over 2 years. Medicare beneficiaries empanelled to relatively high functioning PCTs had significantly better physical and emotional health at 2 years following baseline assessment than those empanelled to relatively low functioning PCTs.
Lighting in retail environments: Atmosphere perception in the real world
Authors: Custers PJM , de Kort YAW , IJsselsteijn WA , de Kruiff ME
Published: September 2010

Although ambient lighting and atmosphere are intuitively related, there is a paucity of empirical, naturalistic data supporting such a relation. The objective of this study was to investigate the contribution of lighting in evoking an atmosphere in the real world, amongst the extensive set of other cues available there. In a field study involving 57 clothing stores, lighting attributes (e.g. brightness, contrast, glare and sparkle) and context (i.e. the shop’s interior) were assessed and quantified independently. These data were then used to predict four dimensions of perceived atmosphere in hierarchical regression analyses. Lighting attributes and interior qualities were both related to perceived atmosphere. This indicated that, even given the substantial contribution of design elements in retail environments, lighting plays a role in evoking atmosphere.
Effects of dynamic lighting on office workers: First results of a field study with monthly alternating settings
Authors: de Kort YAW , Smolders KCHJ
Published: September 2010

Dynamic lighting is designed to have positive effects on well-being and performance. In a field experiment we tested whether these effects are detectable and stable over time when employed in actual work settings. The study consists of two tranches, one following a monthly alternating experimental design, the other a yearly alternating one. This paper reports on the first tranche. In a dual balanced design, office workers experienced dynamic or static lighting according to an a-b-a /b-a-b scheme over three consecutive periods (N = 142, 90, 83). Questionnaire data suggest no significant differences for need for recovery, vitality, alertness, headache and eyestrain, mental health, sleep quality, or subjective performance, although employees were more satisfied with the dynamic lighting. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.
Has the NFL’s Rooney Rule Efforts ‘‘Leveled the Field’’ for African American Head Coach Candidates?
Authors: Fanning Madden Janice , Ruther Matthew
Published: September 2010

Madden provides evidence that African American head coaches in the National Football League (NFL) significantly outperformed whites between 1990 and 2002. She concludes that this evidence is consistent with African Americans being required to be better to be hired as head coaches. In 2002, the NFL promulgated the Rooney Rule requiring that NFL teams make various affirmative efforts when hiring coaches. This article finds that the performance advantage of African American head coaches has been eliminated since the Rooney Rule but finds no similar time trends in racial differentials in performance for other NFL coaching positions.
Multi-agent Production Monitoring and Management System for Textile Materials and Its Applications
Authors: Jingfeng Shao  , Yonggang Li
Published: September 2010

To improve management level of the textile factory, achieve real-time monitoring of production process of textile materials, and realize on-line management of the comprehensive information as well as to solve the problem of data isolation within the local area network, a new multi-agent production monitoring and management system for textile materials was developed. In the article, first, we analyzed the actual requirements of the textile factory, researched the weaknesses in the used monitoring systems, and proposed a production monitoring and management system model based on multi-agent. Then, we made the system collect the data in a central point, divided data into two parts (noise and use-full information), and analyzed the correlation of material data. Third, we compared the results of several data fitting, and finally decided to use B-spline function to optimize the material data. Finally, using agent technique, expert system and fuzzy control theory, we evaluated data results of the textile material. As verified by application, on being compared with the used monitoring systems, multi-agent monitoring and management system can objectively reflect production process of textile materials, achieve comprehensive management and information integration, and realize data sharing and scientific management for all of the workshops.
Personality Traits and the Consumption of Political Information
Authors: Gerber Alan S. , Huber Gregory A. , Doherty David , Dowling Conor M.
Published: September 2010

In this article, we examine the relationship between dispositional personality traits (the Big Five) and the consumption of political information. We present detailed hypotheses about the characteristics of the political environment that are likely to affect the appeal of politics and political information in general for individuals with different personalities as well as hypotheses about how personality affects the attractiveness of particular sources of political information. We find that the Big Five traits are significant predictors of political interest and knowledge as well as consumption of different types of political media. Openness (the degree to which a person needs intellectual stimulation and variety) and Emotional Stability (characterized by low levels of anxiety) are associated with a broad range of engagement with political information and political knowledge. The other three Big Five traits, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Extraversion, are associated only with consumption of specific types of political information.
Implausibility and Evidentiality in Schizophrenic Delusions: A Case of High Risk of Suicide
Authors: De León Ovidio A. , Nolan Eric
Published: September 2010

This article presents the case of a patient who, tormented by auditory hallucinations, made an almost fatal suicide attempt by shooting himself. He expressed the firm conviction that traumatic events in his life, including his suicide attempt, were going to occur again in the same form. The case was conceptualized in terms of phenomenological, psychodynamic, and linguistic concepts that informed his psychotherapeutic treatment. He was also treated with standard pharmacological intervention. This case uses previously neglected insights from linguistics to illustrate how implausibility of delusions can best be understood in terms of competing rules of evidentiality rather than abnormal reasoning and faulty interpretations of experience. The favorable outcome is explained by the replacement of delusional with nondelusional ways of making sense of the world, the decrease of hyperreflexivity, and the restoration of the patient’s sense of power over his life.
Comparative Analysis of Hospital Costs of Open and Endovascular Thoracic Aortic Repair
Authors: Arnaoutakis George J. , Hundt John A. , Shah Ashish S. , Cameron Duke E. , Black James H.
Published: September 2010

Background: Endovascular technologies represent major advancements in treating descending thoracic aortic aneurysms (DTAA). We compared hospital charges of open thoracic aortic replacement (OTAR) with endovascular repair of thoracic aortic aneurysms (TEVAR). Methods: Retrospective analysis of hospital charges related to repair of DTAA (2000-2009). Charges were inflation adjusted for dollars in 2009. Results: There were 50 OTAR and 50 TEVAR patients. Open thoracic aortic replacement charges were $64 531 (interquartile range [IQR]: 49 000-108 515) versus $61 909 (IQR: 41 307-92 109) for TEVAR(P = .4). A total of 10 patients (10%) died before discharge, with 0 TEVAR deaths (P < .05). For OTAR, supply charges ($9167) accounted for 13% of total charges versus 56% for TEVAR ($40 468), P < .01. Open thoracic aortic replacement length of stay (LOS) was 12 days (6 days intensive care unit [ICU] stay); bed charges comprised 40% of the total charges. Thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair had lower LOS (5days with 2 days ICU stay, P < .001). Conclusions: Descending thoracic aortic aneurysm repair remains a formidable operation with significant resource utilization. Thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair does not significantly reduce overall hospital charges due to device costs but demonstrates improved mortality, ICU, and total LOS.
Spontaneous Recanalization of Chronic Internal Carotid Artery Occlusions: Report of 3 Cases
Authors: Buslovich Steven , Hines George L.
Published: September 2010

Spontaneous recanalization of a chronically occluded internal carotid artery (ICA) is a rare occurrence. The authors report 3 patients who had documented total occlusion of the ICA followed by late spontaneous recanalization with subsequent high-grade stenosis. The patients in this series had occlusions for 11 months, 36 months, and 39 months, respectively. One patient had symptoms ipsilateral to the recanalized vessel, and 2 patients were asymptomatic. Endarterectomy was performed uneventfully in 2 patients and pathologic specimens demonstrated typical atherosclerotic plaque with patent lumens. Our experience demonstrates that although chronic recanalizations of occluded ICAs are rare, this does occur. Pathology demonstrates typical atherosclerotic plaque which appeared to have been recanalized by lysis of thrombus. The natural history of this condition is not well known and indications for intervention are not well established.
Auxiliary Sensory Cues Improve Automatic Postural Responses in Individuals With Diabetic Neuropathy
Authors: Rao Noel , Aruin Alexander S.
Published: September 2010

Background. A loss of sensation in the lower limbs, observed in individuals with diabetes as well as elderly individuals, contributes to postural instability, altered gait patterns, increased risk of falling, and decreased quality of life. Objective. To determine if somatosensory cues delivered to sensate areas of the lower limbs above the ankle joints enhance the control of posture in individuals with peripheral neuropathy. Methods. Twelve subjects with sensory neuropathy due to diabetes participated in static and dynamic balance tests with and without auxiliary sensory cues provided to the lower limbs without stabilizing the ankle joints. During the tests the subjects were required to stand on a fixed or moving computer-controlled platform with their eyes open or closed. Equilibrium scores and response latency were obtained. Results. For all tests, equilibrium scores were significantly larger in experiments with auxiliary sensory cues in comparison with conditions without cues ( P < .05). Smaller latency scores were recorded in conditions with auxiliary sensory information. The results indicate that auxiliary sensory cues improved automatic postural responses. Conclusions. The observed enhancement of automatic postural responses has clinical implications that aid in the understanding of postural control in individuals with peripheral neuropathy. Future controlled trials could examine whether devices that provide auxiliary sensory cues can improve balance, mobility, and the performance of daily activities.
Role of complement and Fcγ receptors in the protective activity of the long pentraxin PTX3 against Aspergillus fumigatus
Authors: Moalli Federica , Doni Andrea , Deban Livija , Zelante Teresa , Zagarella Silvia , Bottazzi Barbara , Romani Luigina , Mantovani Alberto , Garlanda Cecilia
Published: September 2010

Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a soluble pattern recognition molecule playing a nonredundant role in resistance against Aspergillus fumigatus. The present study was designed to investigate the molecular pathways involved in the opsonic activity of PTX3. The PTX3 N-terminal domain was responsible for conidia recognition, but the full-length molecule was necessary for opsonic activity. The PTX3-dependent pathway of enhanced neutrophil phagocytic activity involved complement activation via the alternative pathway; Fcγ receptor (FcγR) IIA/CD32 recognition of PTX3-sensitized conidia and complement receptor 3 (CR3) activation; and CR3 and CD32 localization to the phagocytic cup. Gene targeted mice (ptx3, FcR common γ chain, C3, C1q) validated the in vivo relevance of the pathway. In particular, the protective activity of exogenous PTX3 against A fumigatus was abolished in FcR common γ chain-deficient mice. Thus, the opsonic and antifungal activity of PTX3 is at the crossroad between complement, complement receptor 3-, and FcγR-mediated recognition. Because short pentraxins (eg, C-reactive protein) interact with complement and FcγR, the present results may have general significance for the mode of action of these components of the humoral arm of innate immunity.
Steady-state generation of mucosal IgA+ plasmablasts is not abrogated by B-cell depletion therapy with rituximab
Authors: Mei Henrik E. , Frölich Daniela , Giesecke Claudia , Loddenkemper Christoph , Reiter Karin , Schmidt Stefanie , Feist Eugen , Daridon Capucine , Tony Hans-Peter , Radbruch Andreas , Dörner Thomas
Published: September 2010

The anti-CD20 antibody rituximab depletes human B cells from peripheral blood, but it remains controversial to what extent tissue-resident B cells are affected. In representative patients with rheumatoid arthritis, we here demonstrate that recently activated presumably short-lived plasmablasts expressing HLA-DRhigh and Ki-67 continuously circulate in peripheral blood after B-cell depletion by rituximab at 26%-119% of their initial numbers. They circulate independent of splenectomy, express immunoglobulin A (IgA), β7 integrin, and C-C motif receptor 10 (CCR10) and migrate along CCL28 gradients in vitro, suggesting their mucosal origin. These plasmablasts express somatically hypermutated VH gene rearrangements and spontaneously secrete IgA, exhibiting binding to microbial antigens. Notably, IgA+ plasmablasts and plasma cells were identified in the lamina propria of patients treated with rituximab during peripheral B-cell depletion. Although a relation of these “steady state”–like plasmablasts with rheumatoid arthritis activity could not be found, their persistence during B-cell depletion indicates that their precursors, that is, B cells resident in the mucosa are not deleted by this treatment. These data suggest that a population of mucosal B cells is self-sufficient in adult humans and not replenished by CD20+ B cells immigrating from blood, lymphoid tissue, or bone marrow, that is, B cells depleted by rituximab.
Oncogenic activation of the Notch1 gene by deletion of its promoter in Ikaros-deficient T-ALL
Authors: Jeannet Robin , Mastio Jérôme , Macias-Garcia Alejandra , Oravecz Attila , Ashworth Todd , Geimer Le Lay Anne-Solen , Jost Bernard , Le Gras Stéphanie , Ghysdael Jacques , Gridley Thomas , Honjo Tasuku , Radtke Freddy , Aster Jon C. , Chan Susan , Kastner Philippe
Published: September 2010

The Notch pathway is frequently activated in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias (T-ALLs). Of the Notch receptors, Notch1 is a recurrent target of gain-of-function mutations and Notch3 is expressed in all T-ALLs, but it is currently unclear how these receptors contribute to T-cell transformation in vivo. We investigated the role of Notch1 and Notch3 in T-ALL progression by a genetic approach, in mice bearing a knockdown mutation in the Ikaros gene that spontaneously develop Notch-dependent T-ALL. While deletion of Notch3 has little effect, T cell–specific deletion of floxed Notch1 promoter/exon 1 sequences significantly accelerates leukemogenesis. Notch1-deleted tumors lack surface Notch1 but express γ-secretase–cleaved intracellular Notch1 proteins. In addition, these tumors accumulate high levels of truncated Notch1 transcripts that are caused by aberrant transcription from cryptic initiation sites in the 3′ part of the gene. Deletion of the floxed sequences directly reprograms the Notch1 locus to begin transcription from these 3′ promoters and is accompanied by an epigenetic reorganization of the Notch1 locus that is consistent with transcriptional activation. Further, spontaneous deletion of 5′ Notch1 sequences occurs in approximately 75% of Ikaros-deficient T-ALLs. These results reveal a novel mechanism for the oncogenic activation of the Notch1 gene after deletion of its main promoter.
Multivariate Hawkes process models of the occurrence of regulatory elements
Authors: Carstensen Lisbeth , Sandelin Albin , Winther Ole , Hansen Niels R
Published: September 2010

Background

A central question in molecular biology is how transcriptional regulatory elements (TREs) act in combination. Recent high-throughput data provide us with the location of multiple regulatory regions for multiple regulators, and thus with the possibility of analyzing the multivariate distribution of the occurrences of these TREs along the genome.

Results

We present a model of TRE occurrences known as the Hawkes process. We illustrate the use of this model by analyzing two different publically available data sets. We are able to model, in detail, how the occurrence of one TRE is affected by the occurrences of others, and we can test a range of natural hypotheses about the dependencies among the TRE occurrences. In contrast to earlier efforts, pre-processing steps such as clustering or binning are not needed, and we thus retain information about the dependencies among the TREs that is otherwise lost. For each of the two data sets we provide two results: first, a qualitative description of the dependencies among the occurrences of the TREs, and second, quantitative results on the favored or avoided distances between the different TREs.

Conclusions

The Hawkes process is a novel way of modeling the joint occurrences of multiple TREs along the genome that is capable of providing new insights into dependencies among elements involved in transcriptional regulation. The method is available as an R package from http://www.math.ku.dk/~richard/ppstat/.
Identification of response-modulated genetic interactions by sensitivity-based epistatic analysis
Authors: Batenchuk Cory , Tepliakova Lioudmila , Kærn Mads
Published: September 2010

Background

High-throughput genomics has enabled the global mapping of genetic interactions based on the phenotypic impact of combinatorial genetic perturbations. An important next step is to understand how these networks are dynamically remodelled in response to environmental stimuli. Here, we report on the development and testing of a method to identify such interactions. The method was developed from first principles by treating the impact on cellular growth of environmental perturbations equivalently to that of gene deletions. This allowed us to establish a novel neutrality function marking the absence of epistasis in terms of sensitivity phenotypes rather than fitness. We tested the method by identifying fitness- and sensitivity-based interactions involved in the response to drug-induced DNA-damage of budding yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiaeusing two mutant libraries - one containing transcription factor deletions, and the other containing deletions of DNA repair genes.

Results

Within the library of transcription factor deletion mutants, we observe significant differences in the sets of genetic interactions identified by the fitness- and sensitivity-based approaches. Notably, among the most likely interactions, only ~50% were identified by both methods. While interactions identified solely by the sensitivity-based approach are modulated in response to drug-induced DNA damage, those identified solely by the fitness-based method remained invariant to the treatment. Comparison of the identified interactions to transcriptional profiles and protein-DNA interaction data indicate that the sensitivity-based method improves the identification of interactions involved in the DNA damage response. Additionally, for the library containing DNA repair mutants, we observe that the sensitivity-based method improves the grouping of functionally related genes, as well as the identification of protein complexes, involved in DNA repair.

Conclusion

Our results show that the identification of response-modulated genetic interactions can be improved by incorporating the effect of a changing environment directly into the neutrality function marking the absence of epistasis. We expect that this extension of conventional epistatic analysis will facilitate the development of dynamic models of gene networks from quantitative measurements of genetic interactions. While the method was developed for growth phenotype, it should apply equally well for other phenotypes, including the expression of fluorescent reporters.
Indications and recommended approach for surgical intervention of metastatic disease to the gallbladder
Authors: Khan Zarrish S , Huth James , Kapur Payal , Huerta Sergio
Published: September 2010

Metastatic disease to the gallbladder is unusual. The most common malignancy metastatic to the gallbladder is melanoma, followed by renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and breast cancer. Due to the unusual nature of the disease, there are no trials available for review. Thus, the management for these patients has been based on institutional experience and review of case series. The indications for surgical intervention for melanoma are metastatic disease discrete to the gallbladder and biliary symptoms, which are uncommon for melanoma, but might occur due to cystic duct obstruction culminating in cholecystitis. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy without a lymphadenectomy is emerging as the preferred approach for this metastatic deposit. The vast majority of patients with metastases to the gallbladder from RCC carry a good prognosis and a laparoscopic cholecystectomy should be considered. Patients with metastases to the gallbladder from the breast classically present with biliary symptoms and commonly undergo a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which invariably demonstrates a deposit in the gallbladder from lobular breast cancer. In the present report, we review the indications for surgical intervention from various malignancies metastatic to the gallbladder and the current consensus for the laparoscopic approach from the diverse metastatic deposits to the gallbladder.
The ketogenic diet reverses gene expression patterns and reduces reactive oxygen species levels when used as an adjuvant therapy for glioma
Authors: Stafford Phillip , Abdelwahab Mohammed G , Kim Do Young , Preul Mark C , Rho Jong M , Scheck Adrienne C
Published: September 2010

Background

Malignant brain tumors affect people of all ages and are the second leading cause of cancer deaths in children. While current treatments are effective and improve survival, there remains a substantial need for more efficacious therapeutic modalities. The ketogenic diet (KD) - a high-fat, low-carbohydrate treatment for medically refractory epilepsy - has been suggested as an alternative strategy to inhibit tumor growth by altering intrinsic metabolism, especially by inducing glycopenia.

Methods

Here, we examined the effects of an experimental KD on a mouse model of glioma, and compared patterns of gene expression in tumors vs. normal brain from animals fed either a KD or a standard diet.

Results

Animals received intracranial injections of bioluminescent GL261-luc cells and tumor growth was followed in vivo. KD treatment significantly reduced the rate of tumor growth and prolonged survival. Further, the KD reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in tumor cells. Gene expression profiling demonstrated that the KD induces an overall reversion to expression patterns seen in non-tumor specimens. Notably, genes involved in modulating ROS levels and oxidative stress were altered, including those encoding cyclooxygenase 2, glutathione peroxidases 3 and 7, and periredoxin 4.

Conclusions

Our data demonstrate that the KD improves survivability in our mouse model of glioma, and suggests that the mechanisms accounting for this protective effect likely involve complex alterations in cellular metabolism beyond simply a reduction in glucose.
Paroxysmal autonomic instability with dystonia in a patient with tuberculous meningitis: a case report
Authors: Ramdhani Navin A , Sikma Maaike A , Witkamp Theo D , Slooter Arjen JC , de Lange Dylan W
Published: September 2010

Introduction

This case report describes an extremely rare combination of paroxysmal autonomic instability with dystonia and tuberculous meningitis. Paroxysmal autonomic instability with dystonia is normally associated with severe traumatic brain injury.

Case presentation

A 69-year-old man of Indonesian descent was initially suspected of having a community-acquired pneumonia, which was seen on chest X-ray and computed tomography of the chest. However, a bronchoscopy showed no abnormalities. He was treated with amoxicillin-clavulanic acid in combination with ciprofloxacin. However, nine days after admission he was disorientated and complained of headache. Neurological examination revealed no further abnormalities. A lumbar puncture revealed no evidence of meningitis. He was then transferred to our hospital. At that time, initial cultures of bronchial fluid for Mycobacterium tuberculosis turned positive, as well as polymerase chain reaction for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Later, during his stay in our intensive care unit, he developed periods with hypertension, sinus tachycardia, excessive transpiration, decreased oxygen saturation with tachypnea, pink foamy sputum, and high fever. This constellation of symptoms was accompanied by dystonia in the first days. These episodes lasted approximately 30 minutes and improved after administration of morphine, benzodiazepines or clonidine. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an abnormal signal in the region of the hippocampus, thalamus and the anterior parts of the lentiform nucleus and caudate nucleus.

Conclusions

In patients with (tuberculous) meningitis and episodes of extreme hypertension and fever, paroxysmal autonomic instability with dystonia should be considered.
Time-lapse tomographic inversion using a Gaussian parameterization of the velocity changes
Authors: Evensen Andreas Kjelsrud , Landrø Martin
Published: September 2010

Most seismic studies of changes in traveltimes are of a qualitative nature and a major challenge in four dimensions is to use the information contained in time shifts to quantify the nature of velocity changes in the subsurface layers. We propose a 4D tomographic inversion method that uses time shifts from prestack seismic data to estimate parameters describing the 2D velocity field after changes have occurred. Prestack data allow for the usage of many offsets, thus increasing the information input for the inversion. The velocity changes are parameterized by a chosen number of Gaussian functions in two dimensions and weighted least-squares inversion is used to estimate the parameters describing these functions. We have found that the parameters describing the position and shape of the Gaussian velocity anomalies can be estimated with this method for simple synthetic cases. For more complex cases with overlapping Gaussian functions, resolution of the parameters can be difficult and in these cases our recommendation is to find the best fit for a simple smooth anomaly to a more complex real world. The method is tested on a real data set from a [Formula: see text] injection project above the Sleipner field in the North Sea, where quantification of changes is important for monitoring purposes. We have found that the noise levels in prestack traveltime data are on the high side for large-scale analysis; however, we estimate reasonable [Formula: see text] layer thickness and velocity compared to previous work in a nearby area.
“Tendrils of Association”: World War I Narrative and the U.S. Political Imaginary
Authors: Vincent Jonathan
Published: September 2010

Vincent considers the way U.S. literature of the 1920s and 1930s used the rhetorical occasion of World War I to promote revisions of U.S. liberalism and its prevailing ideologies of citizenship. Urged on by desires for a more cohesive polity, Vincent argues, numerous war novelists made use of the cultures of allegiance and collectivity fostered by war mobilization as rhetorical means by which to bridge gaps in notions of political obligation enabled by the flimsier, more local interests of laissez-faire. Borrowing from supplementary logics of valuation extrinsic to the liberal-democratic tradition—religious, masculine, statist, militarist—many war narratives advanced discourses of sacrifice and preparedness to promote broader metrics of affiliation more likely to achieve national community and the accommodation of a more managerial state. In part, this essay seeks to revise the sometimes monolithic focus on modernist or experimental writing in assessments of the postwar moment as an antiwar watershed. Vincent emphasizes war narrative's continuities with prior Progressive-Era longings for compulsory civic foundations as well as the bourgeoning culture of national security that, in some respects, grew out of the Great War's political crucible.
The New York School of Urban Ecology: The New Yorker, Rachel Carson, and Jane Jacobs
Authors: Rowan Jamin Creed
Published: September 2010

Rowan's essay traces the emergence of a new ecological discourse that began to shape thinking about urban life across disciplines in the mid-twentieth century. In the 1950s, urban institutions such as the New Yorker embraced what historians Michael Barbour, Robert McIntosh, and Gregg Mitman describe as “community” ecology. Later, postwar urbanists such as Jane Jacobs would draw on the authority of community ecology to reckon with the physical and social transformations then being carried out within New York City's urban renewal programs. Offering scientific evidence of cooperation as a fundamental biological principle and defining diversity as a critical element of communal stability, community ecology helped city observers challenge the logic of urban renewal by infusing public relationships that had previously been dismissed as emotionally bankrupt with new affective value. Attending more carefully to how these urban ecologists redeveloped the ways in which their communities should be understood, Rowan argues, allows us to reexamine the legacies left by those who opposed it—a heritage that many now fear turned a blind eye to issues of social justice.
A behavioral perspective on the biophysics of the light-dependent magnetic compass: a link between directional and spatial perception?
Authors: Phillips John B. , Muheim Rachel , Jorge Paulo E.
Published: September 2010

In terrestrial organisms, sensitivity to the Earth's magnetic field is mediated by at least two different magnetoreception mechanisms, one involving biogenic ferromagnetic crystals (magnetite/maghemite) and the second involving a photo-induced biochemical reaction that forms long-lasting, spin-coordinated, radical pair intermediates. In some vertebrate groups (amphibians and birds), both mechanisms are present; a light-dependent mechanism provides a directional sense or ‘compass’, and a non-light-dependent mechanism underlies a geographical-position sense or ‘map’. Evidence that both magnetite- and radical pair-based mechanisms are present in the same organisms raises a number of interesting questions. Why has natural selection produced magnetic sensors utilizing two distinct biophysical mechanisms? And, in particular, why has natural selection produced a compass mechanism based on a light-dependent radical pair mechanism (RPM) when a magnetite-based receptor is well suited to perform this function? Answers to these questions depend, to a large degree, on how the properties of the RPM, viewed from a neuroethological rather than a biophysical perspective, differ from those of a magnetite-based magnetic compass. The RPM is expected to produce a light-dependent, 3-D pattern of response that is axially symmetrical and, in some groups of animals, may be perceived as a pattern of light intensity and/or color superimposed on the visual surroundings. We suggest that the light-dependent magnetic compass may serve not only as a source of directional information but also provide a spherical coordinate system that helps to interface metrics of distance, direction and spatial position.
Hydrodynamic pumping by serial gill arrays in the mayfly nymphCentroptilum triangulifer
Authors: Sensenig Andrew T. , Kiger Ken T. , Shultz Jeffrey W.
Published: September 2010

Aquatic nymphs of the mayfly Centroptilum triangulifer produce ventilatory flow using a serial array of seven abdominal gill pairs that operates across a Reynolds numbers (Re) range from 2 to 22 during ontogeny. Net flow in small animals is directed ventrally and essentially parallel to the stroke plane (i.e. rowing), but net flow in large animals is directed dorsally and essentially transverse to the stroke plane (i.e. flapping). Detailed flow measurements based on Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) ensemble-correlation analysis revealed that the phasing of the gills produces a time-dependent array of vortices associated with a net ventilatory current, a fluid kinematic pattern, here termed a ‘phased vortex pump’. Absolute size of vortices does not change with increasing animal size or Re, and thus the vortex radius (Rv) decreases relative to inter-gill distance (Lis) during mayfly growth. Given that effective flapping in appendage-array animals requires organized flow between adjacent appendages, we hypothesize that rowing should be favored when Lis/Rv<1 and flapping should be favored when Lis/Rv>1. Significantly, the rowing-to-flapping transition in Centroptilum occurs at Re∼5, when the mean dynamic inter-gill distance equals the vortex radius. This result suggests that the Re-based rowing–flapping demarcation observed in appendage-array aquatic organisms may be determined by the relative size of the propulsive mechanism and its self-generated vortices.
Paralytic activity of lysophosphatidylcholine from saliva of the waterbugBelostoma anurum
Authors: Silva-Cardoso Lívia , Caccin Paola , Magnabosco Anna , Patrón Maria , Targino Mariane , Fuly André , Oliveira Giselle A. , Pereira Marcos H. , do Carmo Maria das Graças T. , Souza Amanda S. , Silva-Neto Mário A. C. , Montecucco Cesare , Atella Georgia C.
Published: September 2010

Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) is a major bioactive lipid that is enzymatically generated by phospholipase A2 (PLA2). Previously, we showed that LPC is present in the saliva of the blood-sucking hemipteran Rhodnius prolixus and modulates cell-signaling pathways involved in vascular biology, which aids blood feeding. Here, we show that the saliva of the predator insect Belostoma anurum contains a large number of lipids with LPC accounting for 25% of the total phospholipids. A PLA2 enzyme likely to be involved in LPC generation was characterized. The activity of this enzyme is 5-fold higher in Belostoma saliva than in other studied hemipterans, suggesting a close association with the predator feeding habits of this insect. Belostoma employs extra-oral digestion, which allows for ingestion of larger prey than itself, including small vertebrates such as amphibians and fish. Therefore, prey immobilization during digestion is essential, and we show here that Belostoma saliva and B. anurum saliva purified LPC have paralytic activity in zebrafish. This is the first evidence that lysophospholipids might play an important role in prey immobilization, in addition to contributing to blood feeding, and might have been an evolutionary acquisition that occurred long before the appearance of hematophagy in this animal group.
Behaviour towards an unpreferred colour: can green flowers attract foraging hawkmoths?
Authors: Balkenius Anna , Balkenius Christian
Published: September 2010

Naïve hawkmoths (Manduca sexta) learn from a single trial to approach and attempt to feed from an artificial flower of an innately unpreferred green colour even when a distractor flower with a preferred yellow colour is present. In some of the animals, the choice of the innately unpreferred colour during free-flight testing persists for several days despite not being rewarded and eventually leads to starvation. The results show that moths exhibit a very strong flower constancy that is not limited to the colours of nectar flowers.
Source levels of echolocation signals vary in correlation with wingbeat cycle in landing big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus)
Authors: Koblitz Jens C. , Stilz Peter , Schnitzler Hans-Ulrich
Published: September 2010

Recordings of the echolocation signals of landing big brown bats with a two-dimensional 16-microphone array revealed that the source level reduction of 7 dB per halving of distance is superimposed by a variation of up to 12 dB within single call groups emitted during the approach. This variation correlates with the wingbeat cycle. The timing of call emission correlates with call group size. First pulses of groups containing many calls are emitted earlier than first calls in groups with fewer calls or single calls. This suggests that the emission of pulse groups follows a fixed motor pattern where the information gained from the preceding pulse group determines how many calls will be emitted in the next group. Single calls and call groups are centred at the middle of the upstroke. Expiration is indicated by call emission. The pause between groups is centred at the middle of the downstroke and indicates inspiration. The hypothesis that the source level variation could be caused by changes in the subglottic pressure due to the contraction of the major flight muscles is discussed.