bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Journey to Confidence: Women's Experiences of Pain in Labour and Relational Continuity of Care
Authors: Leap Nicky , Sandall Jane , Buckland Sara , Huber Ulli
Published: April 2010

Introduction: An evaluation carried out at King's College Hospital Foundation National Health Service Trust in London identified that women who received continuity of carer from the Albany Midwifery Practice were significantly less likely to use pharmacological pain relief when comparisons were made with eight other midwifery group practices and the local maternity service as a whole. This study was designed to explore women's views of this phenomenon.

Methods: We conducted a thematic analysis of semistructured, audiotaped, in‐depth interviews with 10 women who reflected on their experiences of preparation and support for pain in labour and midwifery continuity of carer with Albany midwives, using a qualitative descriptive methodological approach.

Results: Women reflected positively on how, throughout pregnancy and labour, their midwives promoted a sense of their ability to cope with the challenge of labour pain. This building of confidence was enabled through a relationship of trust that developed with their midwives and the value of hearing other women's stories during antenatal groups. These experiences enhanced women's ability to overcome fears and self‐doubt about coping with pain and led to feelings of pride, elation, and empowerment after birth.

Discussion: Women valued being encouraged and supported to labour without using pharmacological pain relief by midwives with whom they developed a trusting relationship throughout pregnancy. Features of midwifery approaches to pain in labour and relational continuity of care have important implications for promoting normal birth and a positive experience of pregnancy, labour, and birth for women.

J Midwifery Womens Health 2010;55:234–242 c̊ 2010 by the American College of Nurse‐Midwives.
Improving Quality and Safety in Maternity Care: The Contribution of Midwife‐Led Care
Authors: Sandall Jane , Devane Declan , Soltani Hora , Hatem Marie , Gates Simon
Published: April 2010

This article draws on findings from a recent Cochrane systematic review of midwife‐led care and discusses its contribution to the safety and quality of women's care in the domains of safety, effectiveness, woman‐centeredness, and efficiency. According to the Cochrane review, women who received models of midwife‐led care were nearly eight times more likely to be attended at birth by a known midwife, were 21% less likely to experience fetal loss before 24 weeks' gestation, 19% less likely to have regional analgesia, 14% less likely to have instrumental birth, 18% less likely to have an episiotomy, and significantly more likely to have a spontaneous vaginal birth, initiate breastfeeding, and feel in control. In addition to normalizing and humanizing birth, the contribution of midwife‐led care to the quality and safety of health care is substantial. The implications are that policymakers who wish to improve the quality and safety of maternal and infant care, particularly around normalizing and humanizing birth, should consider midwife‐led models of care and how financing of midwife‐led services can support this. Suggestions for future research include exploring why fetal loss is reduced under 24 weeks' gestation in midwife‐led models of care, and ensuring that the effectiveness of midwife‐led models of care on mothers' and infants' health and well‐being are assessed in the longer postpartum period.
Middle Paleozoic and Early Mesozoic anorogenic magmatism of the South Yenisei Ridge: first geochemical and geochronological data
Authors: Vernikovskaya A.E. , Vernikovsky V.A. , Matushkin N.Yu. , Romanova I.V. , Berejnaya N.G. , Larionov A.N. , Travin A.V.
Published: April 2010

In this paper we present complex geological, petrographic and geochronological data of the study of intermediate and acid composition intrusive and volcanogenic rocks from the Porozhnaya massif of the South Yenisei Ridge. For the first time in the Yenisei Ridge Devonian and Triassic U-Pb age values (SHRIMP method) have been obtained for leucogranites—387 ± 5 Ma and alkaline trachytes—240 ± 3 Ma, which allows us to attribute them to two different complexes, despite the fact that these rocks were formed within the same Severnaya riftogenic structure. Geochronological Ar-Ar data (392–387 Ma) for micas from paragneisses and leucogranitic dikes of the Yenisei suture zone on whose extension the Severnaya riftogenic structure is located are also given in this study. These data on Devonian tectonic-magmatic events in the South Yenisei Ridge agree well with coeval events of continental rifting—the formation of intrusive and volcanogenic rocks of the Agul graben in the Prisayan region and the Minusa basin in the Altai–Sayan folded area. The forming of alkaline trachytes and alkaline syenites of the Severnaya riftogenic structure, for which an age of 240 ± 3 Ma has been established, is related to the trap magmatism of the Siberian platform.
Journals and the Production of Knowledge: A Publishing Perspective
Authors: McCartan Patrick
Published: April 2010

Stand-alone paper copies of journals have occupied academic library shelves largely unchanged for hundreds of years. Despite the prevalence of perverse incentives and market imperfections acknowledged in the business model for journals, the industry was characterized by durable relationships and institutions. Digitization and the internet revolution have transformed the landscape, giving rise to new institutional models and possibilities to challenge existing market inefficiencies in competition and distribution. However, digital information goods themselves guarantee neither appropriate incentives nor social efficiency. This article considers the collision of the new digital economy with an established, imperfect market for journals. It looks at some key changes that are now irreversible and their consequences for publishing in political science.
The mucosal response of hamsters to a low-intensity superimposed secondary infection with the hookworm Ancylostoma ceylanicum
Authors: Alkazmi L.M.M. , Behnke J.M.
Published: April 2010

An experiment was conducted to assess the mucosal response to low-dose superimposed challenge with Ancylostoma ceylanicum. Hamsters were assigned to five treatment groups (1–5 respectively): naïve controls; primary immunizing infection controls; challenge controls; immunized, anthelmintic–treated, challenged group; immunized, superimposed challenge group. Group 4 hamsters were resistant to challenge, whereas most of the challenge inoculum larvae established in Group 5. Villus height and crypt depth measurements were initially markedly divergent between these two groups but over time post-challenge (pc) values for both parameters drew nearer and by day 31 pc they were indistinguishable. The greatest change was experienced by Group 4 which showed increasing inflammation and gut pathology during the challenge infection. Mitotic activity in crypts and mast cell counts in the mucosa were highest in Group 5 on day 10 pc, but there was little to distinguish between Groups 4 and 5 by day 31 pc. Goblet cell, eosinophil and Paneth cell counts were very similar throughout in both groups but, in the case of Paneth cells, they were consistent with a possible role in protective immunity to challenge. Some adult worms survived throughout the period of intense inflammation, emphasizing their tremendous resilience and resistance to mucosal host protective responses.
Adipose tissue metabolism and its role in adaptations to undernutrition in ruminants
Authors: Chilliard Yves , Ferlay Anne , Faulconnier Yannick , Bonnet Muriel , Rouel Jacques , Bocquier François
Published: April 2010

Changes in the amount and metabolism of adipose tissue (AT) occur in underfed ruminants, and are amplified during lactation, or in fat animals. The fat depot of the tail of some ovine breeds seems to play a particular role in adaptation to undernutrition; this role could be linked to its smaller adipocytes and high sensitivity to the lipolytic effect of catecholamines. Glucocorticoids and growth hormone probably interact to induce teleophoretic changes in the AT responses to adenosine and catecholamines during lactation. Fat mobilization in dry ewes is related both to body fatness and to energy balance. Thein vivoβ-adrenergic lipolytic potential is primarily related to energy balance, whereas basal postprandial plasma non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) are related to body fatness, and preprandial plasma NEFA is the best predictor of the actual body lipid loss. Several mechanisms seem to be aimed at avoiding excessive fat mobilization and/or insuring a return to the body fatness homeostatic set point. As well as providing the underfed animal with fatty acids as oxidative fuels, AT acts as an endocrine gland. The yield of leptin by ruminant AT is positively related to body fatness, decreased by underfeeding, β-adrenergic stimulation and short day length, and increased by insulin and glucocorticoids. This finding suggests that the leptin chronic (or acute) decrease in lean (or underfed respectively) ruminants is, as in rodents, a signal for endocrine, metabolic and behavioural adaptations aimed at restoring homeostasis.
Stroke medicine for the geriatrician 2010
Authors: Keir SL , Strachan K
Published: April 2010

This review explores the recent advances in investigation and treatment of acute stroke, as well as its secondary prevention, with emphasis on the relevance of the evidence for the older population. Hyperacute reperfusion treatment is becoming increasingly embedded into the day-to-day management of stroke and trials are ongoing that will help determine its safety in the older patient. Managing all stroke patients in a stroke unit is known to improve outcome and recent work has helped to inform care decisions. Application of the robust data available on secondary prevention treatments may have to be weighed alongside the degree of frailty of the patient for whom treatment is being considered.
Research on ageing and longevity in Estonia
Authors: Tamm Riin , Saks Kai , Pääsuke Mati
Published: April 2010

Due to demographic changes, the population ageing process in Estonia accelerated rapidly at the end of the 20th century. In Estonia, research in gerontology and geriatrics has no long-standing tradition. In the beginning, social aspects like the pension system, coping strategies and well-being of aged people, were the research focus. More recently, epidemiological studies of diseases seen in the older population have been extensively conducted. In clinical medicine, the main research topics have been osteoporosis, Parkinson's disease, dementia and stroke.

In this review, changes in neuromuscular function and hormonal regulation during ageing, and the genetic aspects of the Estonian Longevity Study will be described. The aim of the current paper is to introduce the main fields of gerontological research in Estonia to allow better integration with other research groups.
Dualism in Action
Authors: Hornsby Jennifer
Published: April 2010

We know what one dualist account of human action looks like, because Descartes gave us one. I want to explore the extent ot which presnet-day accounts of physical action are vulnerable to the charges that may be made against Descartes's dualist account. I once put forward an account of human action, and I have always maintained that my view about the basic shape of a correct ‘theory of aciton’ can be combined with a thoroughgoing opposition to dualism. But the possibility of the combination has been doubted and it will remain doubtful until we have a better understanding of what makes an account objectionably dualistic. In this paper, I hope to deflect some of the criticims aimed what I shall call my account, and to show that when they are turned onto their proper path their actual target is some physicalist accounts.
Spatial, temporal, and amplitude characteristics of parallel electric fields associated with subsolar magnetic field reconnection
Authors: Mozer F. S. , Pritchett P. L.
Published: April 2010

The electric field experiment on the Polar satellite collected bursts of data at rates of 1600 and 8000 samples/second to measure the parallel and perpendicular components of the vector electric field. Because data at these rates are required for full resolution measurements of the parallel component associated with subsolar magnetic field reconnection, some 150 such bursts from 2000 through 2003 were examined during 5 month intervals when the spacecraft was on the dayside of the Earth and the apogee of 9.5 RE was near the equator. Seventeen events were found at reconnecting magnetopauses with perpendicular electric field components as large as 200 mV/m and parallel electric field components as large as 80 mV/m. The parallel electric fields were associated with significant plasma density depletions, and they all appeared on the magnetospheric side of the current sheet. The large magnitudes of the parallel fields and their anticorrelations with plasma density are not found in simulations. For one example, the speed of the parallel electric field structure was 1.2 times the local Alfven speed. The directions of the parallel fields were such as to accelerate electrons moving along the magnetic field toward the reconnection site. The full widths at half maxima of the parallel field events ranged from less than 0.2 to 15 ms, in general agreement with simulations. Although the events occurred over ±20 degrees of magnetic latitude and for clock angles of 100 to 180 degrees, their statistics suggest that the X line for these events was within a few degrees of the magnetic equator.
Surface temperature spatial and temporal variations in North America from homogenized satellite SMMR‐SSM/I microwave measurements and reanalysis for 1979–2008
Authors: Royer Alain , Poirier Stéphane
Published: April 2010

We have developed procedures for deriving land surface temperature and homogenizing 30 years of daily microwave brightness temperatures from the NOAA/NASA Nimbus 7 scanning multichannel microwave radiometer (SMMR) and Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (DMSP SSM/I) Pathfinder EASE‐Grid database. Processing includes normalization of variable acquisition overpass time, removing the effects of changing satellite orbits, intercalibration of sensors, and filling gaps between missing data. The derived new database over North America (above 45°N), limited to snow‐free periods, provides the first estimate of the trends of consistent mean daily summer land surface temperature over the last three decades. By comparison with near‐surface air temperatures derived from the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts 40 year Reanalysis (ERA‐40), the National Centers for Environmental Prediction North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR), and the exhaustive ground‐based meteorological measurements across Canada, we highlighted significant systematic biases in the satellite‐derived surface temperatures for the 1983–1991 period, spanning from the second half of Nimbus 7 SMMR lifetime (1983–1987; mean bias of −0.87°C compared to ERA‐40) and the entire period of DMSP‐F8 SSM/I lifetime (1987–1991; mean bias of −1.56°C compared to ERA‐40). The biased data were corrected with use of a relative offset derived from ERA‐40 and DMSP‐F11/F13 mean difference over the 1992–2002 period. The comparison of corrected data from the 9 day overlap between SMMR and DMSP‐F8 SSM/I and from ground‐based meteorological measurements over the 1983–1991 biased period shows the usefulness of the correction method. The mean difference between corrected satellite‐derived surface temperature and in situ meteorological air temperature is +0.05°C ± 1.85°C for the entire period (1979–2008). The NARR data appear, in general, to be too warm by about 1°C. The satellite‐derived homogenized database gives new observational evidence for global warming over North American regions (mean summer temperature trend of +0.018°C/a throughout the studied period) with regional variable trends, in agreement with reanalysis and in situ measurement trends. However, over the Canadian Arctic tundra, the increase in observed land surface temperatures appears slightly less than the estimates based on near‐surface air temperature.
GeoChip 3.0 as a high-throughput tool for analyzing microbial community composition, structure and functional activity
Authors: He Zhili , Deng Ye , Van Nostrand Joy D , Tu Qichao , Xu Meiying , Hemme Christopher L , Li Xingyuan , Wu Liyou , Gentry Terry J , Yin Yifeng , Liebich Jost , Hazen Terry C , Zhou Jizhong
Published: April 2010

A new generation of functional gene arrays (FGAs; GeoChip 3.0) has been developed, with ∼28 000 probes covering approximately 57 000 gene variants from 292 functional gene families involved in carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur cycles, energy metabolism, antibiotic resistance, metal resistance and organic contaminant degradation. GeoChip 3.0 also has several other distinct features, such as a common oligo reference standard (CORS) for data normalization and comparison, a software package for data management and future updating and the gyrB gene for phylogenetic analysis. Computational evaluation of probe specificity indicated that all designed probes would have a high specificity to their corresponding targets. Experimental analysis with synthesized oligonucleotides and genomic DNAs showed that only 0.0036–0.025% false-positive rates were observed, suggesting that the designed probes are highly specific under the experimental conditions examined. In addition, GeoChip 3.0 was applied to analyze soil microbial communities in a multifactor grassland ecosystem in Minnesota, USA, which showed that the structure, composition and potential activity of soil microbial communities significantly changed with the plant species diversity. As expected, GeoChip 3.0 is a high-throughput powerful tool for studying microbial community functional structure, and linking microbial communities to ecosystem processes and functioning.
A Structural Change in the Global Pharmaceutical Marketplace
Authors: Tempest Brian
Published: April 2010

Asia is becoming a centre of gravity for global business. As a result of this, there is a growing interest in investment in this area, and pharmaceutical companies are not an exception. The old research and development investment model of the Western Big Pharma companies is starting to fall apart with the well-publicised reduction of new chemical entities productivity. Big Pharma is rethinking its business opportunities. Today, 88 per cent of the world's pharmaceuticals are shared between only 18 per cent of the world's population, which means that 82 per cent of the world's population has access to only 12 per cent of the world's pharmaceuticals. This presents a unique business opportunity for those that can seize the moment. Within this context, we are witnessing the use of different strategies by pharmaceutical companies. Some Big Pharma companies have a generic strategy, some have a developing world strategy, some have an outsource strategy and others have all three. The current mergers and acquisitions of pharmaceutical companies in India portray these structural profound changes.
Lanthanum-stabilized europium-doped cubic barium chloride: An efficient x-ray phosphor
Authors: Edgar A. , Zimmermann J. , von Seggern H. , Varoy C. R.
Published: April 2010

We report the photoluminescence and x-ray luminescence of lanthanum-stabilized cubic barium chloride with europium (Eu2+) doping, of general composition Ba1−x−yEuyLaxCl2+x. X-ray diffraction patterns confirm that the material adopts a cubic fluorite structure for x=0.125 and 0<y<0.1. The photoluminescence shows an intense band comprising two components with maxima at 420 and 394 nm. The 394 nm band is assigned to Eu2+ substituting for Ba2+ giving a site of cubic symmetry, based on the excitation spectra which show a T2g band and Eg band similar to those in cubic SrCl2:Eu. The 420 nm band has a very different lifetime and excitation spectrum and is assigned to Eu2+ ions which have an associated chlorine interstitial ion. The two bands are also found in the x-ray luminescence spectra. For both bands, and an additional minor emission at 520 nm found only at low temperatures and for high Eu concentrations, there is a common excitation in the UV from 150 to 200 nm which we attribute to excitons associated with the high concentration of chlorine interstitials. ESR measurements support a two-site model for the interpretation of the optical spectra. A measurement of the x-ray luminescence intensity compared to a standard commercial Gd2O2S:Tb phosphor sheet shows approximately equal brightness.
Observations of single-pass ion cyclotron heating in a trans-sonic flowing plasma
Authors: Bering E. A. , Díaz F. R. Chang , Squire J. P. , Glover T. W. , Carter M. D. , McCaskill G. E. , Longmier B. W. , Brukardt M. S. , Chancery W. J. , Jacobson V. T.
Published: April 2010

The VAriable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR®) is a high power electric spacecraft propulsion system, capable of Isp/thrust modulation at constant power [F. R. Chang Díaz et al., Proceedings of the 39th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, Reno, NV, 8–11 Jan. 2001]. The VASIMR® uses a helicon discharge to generate plasma. This plasma is energized by an rf booster stage that uses left hand polarized slow mode waves launched from the high field side of the ion cyclotron resonance. In the experiments reported in this paper, the booster uses 2–4 MHz waves with up to 50 kW of power. This process is similar to the ion cyclotron heating (ICH) in tokamaks, but in the VASIMR® the ions only pass through the resonance region once. The rapid absorption of ion cyclotron waves has been predicted in recent theoretical studies. These theoretical predictions have been supported with several independent measurements in this paper. The single-pass ICH produced a substantial increase in ion velocity. Pitch angle distribution studies showed that this increase took place in the resonance region where the ion cyclotron frequency was roughly equal to the frequency on the injected rf waves. Downstream of the resonance region the perpendicular velocity boost should be converted to axial flow velocity through the conservation of the first adiabatic invariant as the magnetic field decreases in the exhaust region of the VASIMR®. This paper will review all of the single-pass ICH ion acceleration data obtained using deuterium in the first VASIMR® physics demonstrator machine, the VX-50. During these experiments, the available power to the helicon ionization stage increased from 3 to 20+ kW. The increased plasma density produced increased plasma loading of the ICH coupler. Starting with an initial demonstration of single-pass ion cyclotron acceleration, the experiments demonstrate significant improvements in coupler efficiency and in ion heating efficiency. In deuterium plasma, ≥80% efficient absorption of 20 kW of ICH input power was achieved. No clear evidence for power limiting instabilities in the exhaust beam has been observed.
Polymer translocation through a nanopore: The effect of solvent conditions
Authors: Kapahnke Felix , Schmidt Ulrich , Heermann Dieter W. , Weiss Matthias
Published: April 2010

We study the translocation of a polymer through a nanopore by means of dissipative particle dynamics (DPD). Unlike Langevin approaches, DPD explicitly takes into account the interactions of solvent and polymer. We find that the translocation time for unforced translocation follows a scaling τ∼Nβ with β≈2.24 in good agreement with the prediction β=1+2ν that has been derived by considering hydrodynamics and memory effects within the chain. For bad-solvent conditions β→2, i.e., a diffusive scaling arises as a consequence of the reduced polymer relaxation time. Biased translocation between a good and a bad-solvent reservoir (tuned via the repulsion between solvent and polymer) yields a preferential translocation toward the good solvent with β≈1.2. This observation is consistent with the recent theoretical prediction β=3ν/(1+ν) for driven translocation. When varying the solvent quality by imposing attractive monomer-monomer interactions (such as in Langevin approaches), an artificial translocation toward the bad-solvent side emerges. Using attractive monomer-monomer interactions to mimic a bad solvent hence does not capture the essential physics of the translocation process.
Expression and regulation of prostaglandin receptors in the human placenta and fetal membranes at term and preterm
Authors: Unlugedik Elif , Alfaidy Nadia , Holloway Alison , Lye Stephen , Bocking Alan , Challis John , Gibb William
Published: April 2010

Prostaglandins (PGs) play an important role in parturition in many species, including humans. The present study examined the distribution of PG receptor subtypes (EP1–4 and FP) in intrauterine tissues at term and preterm birth. Placentas and fetal membranes were collected from patients at term in labour (n = 12) or not in labour (n = 12). Preterm tissue was collected from three different groups of patients: (1) idiopathic preterm labour (PTL) without chorioamnionitis or betamethasone (BM) treatment (n = 9), (2) idiopathic PTL that received BM with no chorioamnionitis (PTL–BM; n = 9) and (3) pregnancies that were complicated with chorioamnionitis and had no BM (PTL–CHA; n = 6). EP1–4 and FP receptors were localised and levels of expression were determined by western blot analysis. All EP receptors and FP were localised to the amnion, placenta and choriodecidua. Moreover, isolated amnion mesenchymal, amnion epithelial, chorion trophoblast and syncytiotrophoblast cells in primary culture also expressed PG receptors. A significant increase was observed in EP1, EP3 and FP expression in placenta, chorion and amnion with labour. Maternal betamethasone treatment increased EP1, EP3 and FP receptor protein expression and chorioamnionitis decreased expression in all the receptor subtypes. These changes in PG receptors in the fetal membranes are consistent with the development of a feed-forwards cascade mediated through PG action that may contribute to the birth process.
Expression of promyelocytic leukaemia zinc-finger in ovine testis and its application in evaluating the enrichment efficiency of differential plating
Authors: Borjigin Uyunbilig , Davey Rhonda , Hutton Keryn , Herrid Muren
Published: April 2010

Identification and enrichment of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are critical steps in testis germ cell transplantation. The present study shows that expression of the protein promyelocytic leukaemia zinc-finger (PLZF) does not occur in all cells, only in gonocytes in neonatal testis (Stage 1) and a subpopulation of Type A spermatogonia in peripubertal (Stage 2), prepubertal (Stage 3) and post-pubertal (Stage 4) ovine testes. Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA) lectin binding does not occur at any stage of testis development. The numbers of putative undifferentiated spermatogonia, germ cells and Sertoli cells were assessed by PLZF, VASA and vimentin staining, respectively. In paraffin sections, the percentage of PLZF-positive cells per tubule in samples derived from Stage 2 testis (12.2 ± 2.8%) was twofold higher than that from Stage 1 testis (6.4 ± 0.4%), but the percentages decreased in Stage 3 and Stage 4 testes (4.6 ± 0.7% and 3.1 ± 0.6%, respectively). Single cell suspensions from Stage 1 and Stage 2 testis were generated by two-step enzymatic digestion. The spermatogonia were enriched by 2 h and 2 + 16 h (overnight) differential plating on 0.2% gelatin-coated coated flasks. For Stage 1 testes, a sixfold increase in PLZF-positive cells was observed in 2 h differential plating and an almost 10-fold increase was produced following 2 + 16 h enrichment. There was less than a twofold increase in PLZF-positive cells between the 2 h and 2 + 16 h differential plating. A similar level of enrichment efficiency was also obtained for Stage 2 testis, but the percentage of PLZF-positive cells in the final enrichment was approximately one-third of that Stage 1. The efficiency of isolation and/or enrichment of PLZF-positive cells appears to depend on the maturity of the testis and the neonatal testis is better suited for isolation of gonocytes and/or putative SSCs.
Boundary extension: Findings and theories
Authors: Hubbard Timothy L. , Hutchison Joanna L. , Courtney Jon R.
Published: April 2010

A view of a scene is often remembered as containing information that might have been present just beyond the actual boundaries of that view, and this is referred to as boundary extension. Characteristics of the view (e.g., scene or nonscene; close-up or wide-angle; whether objects are cropped, static, or in motion, emotionally neutral or emotionally charged), display (e.g., aperture shape and size; target duration; retention interval; whether probes of memory involve magnification/minification or change in physical distance), and observer (e.g., allocation of attention; age; planned fixation, gaze direction, and eye movements; monocular or binocular viewing; prior exposure; neurological correlates) that influence boundary extension are reviewed. Proposed mechanisms of boundary extension (perceptual, memory, or motion schema; extension–normalization; attentional selection; errors in source monitoring) are discussed, and possible relationships of boundary extension to other cognitive processes (e.g., representational momentum; remembered distance and remembered size; amodal completion; transsaccadic memory) are briefly addressed.
Effectiveness of Alcohol-Based Hand Rubs for Removal ofClostridium difficileSpores from Hands
Authors: Jabbar Umair , Leischner Julie , Kasper Douglas , Gerber Robert , Sambol Susan P. , Parada Jorge P. , Johnson Stuart , Gerding Dale N.
Published: April 2010

Background.

Alcohol-based hand rubs (ABHRs) are an effective means of decreasing the transmission of bacterial pathogens. Alcohol is not effective againstClostridium difficilespores. We examined the retention ofC. difficilespores on the hands of volunteers after ABHR use and the subsequent transfer of these spores through physical contact.

Methods.

NontoxigenicC. difficilespores were spread on the bare palms of 10 volunteers. Use of 3 ABHRs and chlorhexidine soap-and-water washing were compared with plain water rubbing alone for removal ofC. difficilespores. Palmar cultures were performed before and after hand decontamination by means of a plate stamping method. Transferability ofC. difficileafter application of ABHR was tested by having each volunteer shake hands with an uninoculated volunteer.

Results.

Plain water rubbing reduced palmar culture counts by a mean (± standard deviation [SD]) of 1.57 ± 0.11 log10colony-forming units (CFU) per cm2, and this value was set as the zero point for the other products. Compared with water washing, chlorhexidine soap washing reduced spore counts by a mean ( ± SD) of 0.89 ± 0.34 log10CFU per cm2; among the ABHRs, Isagel accounted for a reduction of 0.11 ± 0.20 log10CFU per cm2(P= .005), Endure for a reduction of 0.37 ± 0.42 log10CFU per cm2(P= .010), and Purell for a reduction of 0.14 ± 0.33 log10CFU per cm2(P= .005). There were no statistically significant differences between the reductions achieved by the ABHRs; only Endure had a reduction statistically different from that for water control rubbing (P= .040). After ABHR use, handshaking transferred a mean of 30% of the residualC. difficilespores to the hands of recipients.

Conclusions.

Hand washing with soap and water is significantly more effective at removingC. difficilespores from the hands of volunteers than are ABHRs. Residual spores are readily transferred by a handshake after use of ABHR.
Spindly/CCDC99 Is Required for Efficient Chromosome Congression and Mitotic Checkpoint Regulation
Authors: Barisic Marin , Sohm Bénédicte , Mikolcevic Petra , Wandke Cornelia , Rauch Veronika , Ringer Thomas , Hess Michael , Bonn Günther , Geley Stephan
Published: April 2010

Spindly recruits a fraction of cytoplasmic dynein to kinetochores for poleward movement of chromosomes and control of mitotic checkpoint signaling. Here we show that human Spindly is a cell cycle–regulated mitotic phosphoprotein that interacts with the Rod/ZW10/Zwilch (RZZ) complex. The kinetochore levels of Spindly are regulated by microtubule attachment and biorientation induced tension. Deletion mutants lacking the N-terminal half of the protein (NΔ253), or the conserved Spindly box (ΔSB), strongly localized to kinetochores and failed to respond to attachment or tension. In addition, these mutants prevented the removal of the RZZ complex and that of MAD2 from bioriented chromosomes and caused cells to arrest at metaphase, showing that RZZ-Spindly has to be removed from kinetochores to terminate mitotic checkpoint signaling. Depletion of Spindly by RNAi, however, caused cells to arrest in prometaphase because of a delay in microtubule attachment. Surprisingly, this defect was alleviated by codepletion of ZW10. Thus, Spindly is not only required for kinetochore localization of dynein but is a functional component of a mechanism that couples dynein-dependent poleward movement of chromosomes to their efficient attachment to microtubules.
Caveolin-1 Induces Formation of Membrane Tubules That Sense Actomyosin Tension and Are Inhibited by Polymerase I and Transcript Release Factor/Cavin-1
Authors: Verma Prakhar , Ostermeyer-Fay Anne G. , Brown Deborah A.
Published: April 2010

Caveolin-1 and caveolae are often lost in cancer. We found that levels of caveolin-1 and polymerase I and transcript release factor (PTRF)/cavin-1 correlated closely in a panel of cancer and normal cells. Caveolin-1 reexpression in cancer cells lacking both proteins induced formation of long membrane tubules rarely seen in normal cells. PTRF/cavin-1 inhibited tubule formation when coexpressed with caveolin-1 in these cells, whereas suppression of PTRF/cavin-1 expression in cells that normally expressed both genes stimulated tubule formation by endogenous caveolin-1. Caveolin-1 tubules shared several features with previously described Rab8 tubules. Coexpressed Rab8 and caveolin-1 labeled the same tubules (as did EHD proteins), and synergized to promote tubule formation, whereas a dominant-interfering Rab8 mutant inhibited caveolin-1 tubule formation. Both overexpression and inhibition of dynamin-2 reduced the abundance of caveolin-1 tubules. Caveolin-1 reexpression in SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells also induced formation of short membrane tubules close to cortical actin filaments, which required actin filaments but not microtubules. Actomyosin-induced tension destabilized both long and short tubules; they often snapped and resolved to small vesicles. Actin filament depolymerization or myosin II inhibition reduced tension and stabilized tubules. These data demonstrate a new function for PTRF/cavin-1, a new functional interaction between caveolin-1 and Rab8 and that actomyosin interactions can induce tension on caveolin-1-containing membranes.
Positive Charges of Translocating Polypeptide Chain Retrieve an Upstream Marginal Hydrophobic Segment from the Endoplasmic Reticulum Lumen to the Translocon
Authors: Fujita Hidenobu , Kida Yuichiro , Hagiwara Masatoshi , Morimoto Fumiko , Sakaguchi Masao
Published: April 2010

Positively charged amino acid residues are well recognized topology determinants of membrane proteins. They contribute to the stop-translocation of a polypeptide translocating through the translocon and to determine the orientation of signal sequences penetrating the membrane. Here we analyzed the function of these positively charged residues during stop-translocation in vitro. Surprisingly, the positive charges facilitated membrane spanning of a marginally hydrophobic segment, even when separated from the hydrophobic segment by 70 residues. In this case, the hydrophobic segment was exposed to the lumen, and then the downstream positive charges triggered the segment to slide back into the membrane. The marginally hydrophobic segment spanned the membrane, but maintained access to the water environment. The positive charges not only fix the hydrophobic segment in the membrane at its flanking position, but also have a much more dynamic action than previously realized.
Parallelization of the MAFFT multiple sequence alignment program
Authors: Katoh Kazutaka , Toh Hiroyuki
Published: April 2010

Summary: Multiple sequence alignment (MSA) is an important step in comparative sequence analyses. Parallelization is a key technique for reducing the time required for large-scale sequence analyses. The three calculation stages, all-to-all comparison, progressive alignment and iterative refinement, of the MAFFT MSA program were parallelized using the POSIX Threads library. Two natural parallelization strategies (best-first and simple hill-climbing) were implemented for the iterative refinement stage. Based on comparisons of the objective scores and benchmark scores between the two approaches, we selected a simple hill-climbing approach as the default.

Availability: The parallelized version of MAFFT is available at http://mafft.cbrc.jp/alignment/software/. This version currently supports the Linux operating system only.

Contact:  kazutaka.katoh@aist.go.jp

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Semantic integration of data on transcriptional regulation
Authors: Baitaluk Michael , Ponomarenko Julia
Published: April 2010

Motivation: Experimental and predicted data concerning gene transcriptional regulation are distributed among many heterogeneous sources. However, there are no resources to integrate these data automatically or to provide a ‘one-stop shop’ experience for users seeking information essential for deciphering and modeling gene regulatory networks.

Results: IntegromeDB, a semantic graph-based ‘deep-web’ data integration system that automatically captures, integrates and manages publicly available data concerning transcriptional regulation, as well as other relevant biological information, is proposed in this article. The problems associated with data integration are addressed by ontology-driven data mapping, multiple data annotation and heterogeneous data querying, also enabling integration of the user's data. IntegromeDB integrates over 100 experimental and computational data sources relating to genomics, transcriptomics, genetics, and functional and interaction data concerning gene transcriptional regulation in eukaryotes and prokaryotes.

Availability: IntegromeDB is accessible through the integrated research environment BiologicalNetworks at http://www.BiologicalNetworks.org

Contact:  baitaluk@sdsc.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Modeling RNA loops using sequence homology and geometric constraints
Authors: Schudoma Christian , May Patrick , Walther Dirk
Published: April 2010

Summary: RNA loop regions are essential structural elements of RNA molecules influencing both their structural and functional properties. We developed RLooM, a web application for homology-based modeling of RNA loops utilizing template structures extracted from the PDB. RLooM allows the insertion and replacement of loop structures of a desired sequence into an existing RNA structure. Furthermore, a comprehensive database of loops in RNA structures can be accessed through the web interface.

Availability and Implementation: The application was implemented in Python, MySQL and Apache. A web interface to the database and loop modeling application is freely available at http://rloom.mpimp-golm.mpg.de

Contact:  schudoma@mpimp-golm.mpg.de; may@mpimp-golm.mpg.de; walther@mpimp-golm.mpg.de
Bone marrow dysfunction in chronic heart failure patients
Authors: Westenbrink B. Daan , Voors Adriaan A. , de Boer Rudolf A. , Schuringa Jan J. , Klinkenberg Theo , van der Harst Pim , Vellenga Edo , van Veldhuisen Dirk J. , van Gilst Wiek H.
Published: April 2010

Aims

To investigate whether chronic heart failure (CHF) is associated with a general dysfunction of the haematopoietic compartment.

Methods and results

Bone marrow was obtained during coronary artery bypass graft surgery from 20 patients with CHF (age 67 ± 6 years, 75% NYHA class ≥ III, LVEF 32 ± 6%), and 20 age‐ and gender‐matched control patients with normal cardiac function. CD34+ haematopoietic progenitor cells were isolated and cultured with increasing doses of erythropoietin (0.02–10 IU/mL, EPO), myeloid growth factors or a mix of both. After 14 days, burst forming units erythroid (BFU‐E), and granulocyte or monocyte colony forming units (CFU‐G, CFU‐M, respectively) were counted. Apoptosis and erythropoietin‐receptor (EPO‐R) density were quantified by flow cytometry. Throughout the EPO dose range, the CD34+ cells from CHF patients produced a two‐fold lower number of BFU‐E colonies compared with controls (P = 0.02). The resistance to EPO was associated with markedly increased apoptosis during erythroid differentiation in CHF patients compared with controls [5.3% (2.9–8.1%) vs. 1.5% (0.8–3.4%), P = 0.01]. Erythropoietin‐receptor expression was, however, comparable between CHF patients and controls and the anti‐apoptotic cytokine interleukin‐3 did not rescue erythropoiesis. In the myeloid cultures, the number of CFU‐G and CFU‐M colonies was also two‐fold lower in CHF patients compared with controls (both P < 0.01). In the mixed‐culture assay, myelopoiesis and erythropoiesis were reduced to a similar magnitude in CHF patients. The impaired clonogenic potential was independently associated with clinical and biochemical severity of CHF, but not with the presence of anaemia.

Conclusion

Chronic heart failure is associated with profound and general bone marrow dysfunction, simultaneously affecting multiple haematopoietic lineages.
Extensive collection of femtolitre pad secretion droplets in the beetleLeptinotarsa decemlineataallows nanolitre microrheology
Authors: Abou Bérengère , Gay Cyprien , Laurent Bastien , Cardoso Olivier , Voigt Dagmar , Peisker Henrik , Gorb Stanislav
Published: April 2010

Pads of beetles are covered with long, deformable setae, each ending in a micrometric terminal plate coated with secretory fluid. It was recently shown that the layer of the pad secretion covering the terminal plates is responsible for the generation of strong attractive forces. However, less is known about the fluid itself because it is produced in an extremely small quantity. We present here the first experimental investigation of the rheological properties of the pad secretion in the Colorado potato beetleLeptinotarsa decemlineata(Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae). Because the secretion is produced in an extremely small amount at the level of the terminal plate, we first developed a procedure based on capillary effects to collect the secretion for rheological experiments. In order to study the collected fluid (less than 1 nl) through passive microrheology, we managed to incorporate micrometric probes (melamine beads) that were initially in the form of a dry powder. Finally, the bead thermal motions were observed optically and recorded to determine the mechanical properties of the surrounding medium. We achieved this quantitative measurement with the collected volume, which is much smaller than the usual 1 µl sample volume required for this technique. Surprisingly, the beetle secretion was found to behave as a purely viscous liquid, of high viscosity (about 100 times that of water). This suggests that no specific complex fluid behaviour is needed by this adhesive system during beetle locomotion. We describe a scenario for the contact formation between the spatula at the setal tip and a smooth substrate, during the insect walk. We show that the attachment dynamics of the insect pad computed from the high measured viscosity is in good agreement with the observed insect pace. We finally discuss the consequences of the viscosity of the secretion on the insect adhesion.
Age at the onset of senescence in birds and mammals is predicted by early-life performance
Authors: Péron Guillaume , Gimenez Olivier , Charmantier Anne , Gaillard Jean-Michel , Crochet Pierre-André
Published: April 2010

Life-history theory predicts that traits involved in maturity, reproduction and survival correlate along a fast–slow continuum of life histories. Evolutionary theories and empirical results indicate that senescence-related traits vary along this continuum, with slow species senescing later and at a slower pace than fast species. Because senescence patterns are typically difficult to estimate from studies in the wild, here we propose to predict the associated trait values in the frame of life-history theory. From a comparative analysis based on 81 free-ranging populations of 72 species of birds and mammals, we find that a nonlinear combination of fecundity, age at first reproduction and survival over the immature stage can account forcatwo-thirds of the variance in the age at the onset of actuarial senescence. Our life-history model performs better than a model predicting the onset based on generation time, and it only includes life-history traits during early life as explanatory variables, i.e. parameters that are both theoretically expected to shape senescence and are measurable within relatively short studies. We discuss the good-fit of our life-history model to the available data in the light of current evolutionary theories of senescence. We further use it to evaluate whether studies that provided no evidence for senescence lasted long enough to include the onset of senescence.
BCRP/ABCG2 confers anticancer drug resistance without covalent dimerization
Authors: Shigeta Junichi , Katayama Kazuhiro , Mitsuhashi Junko , Noguchi Kohji , Sugimoto Yoshikazu
Published: April 2010

In previous studies, we demonstrated that the breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP, ABCG2) forms an S–S homodimer. The BCRP‐C603S mutant substituting Ser for Cys‐603 in the third extracellular domain formed both a 70–75‐kDa monomer and 140–150‐kDa dimer, suggesting that Cys‐603 is an important residue in the covalent bridge. These results also suggested the involvement of other Cys residues in dimer formation. In the present study, we examined the possible involvement of the other extracellular Cys residues, Cys‐592 and Cys‐608, in the dimerization and transporter functions of BCRP using double and triple Cys‐mutant BCRP transfectants. In SDS–PAGE under non‐reducing conditions, BCRP‐C592S·C603S and BCRP‐C592S·C608S were detected as dimers whereas BCRP‐C603S·C608S and BCRP‐C592S·C603S·C608S were found only as monomers. This finding indicated that no Cys residues other than the three extracellular Cys are responsible for the dimer formation. The formation of BCRP‐C592S·C603S dimer suggested the involvement of Cys‐608 in the covalent linkage of this mutant BCRP. PA/C592S·C603S·C608S‐cl.7 cells showed a significant level of multiple drug resistance and low‐level accumulation of mitoxantrone. These results clearly demonstrate that BCRP functions as a drug resistance protein without covalent dimerization. Among drug‐resistant Cys‐mutant BCRP transfectants, PA/C603S, PA/C592S·C608S, and PA/C592S·C603S·C608S were found to be more resistant to the reversal effects of fumitremorgin C than PA/WT, suggesting some alteration in the substrate recognition in Cys‐mutant BCRPs. In conclusion, Cys‐mediated covalent dimerization is not required for BCRP to function as a transporter. In addition to Cys‐603, Cys‐608 may also be involved in BCRP dimer formation. (Cancer Sci 2010)