bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS C AMONG EGYPTIAN CHILDREN WITH SICKLE CELL DISEASE AND THE ROLE OF IL28B GENE POLYMORPHISMS IN SPONTANEOUS VIRAL CLEARANCE
Authors: Mousa Somaia Mohammed , El-Ghamrawy Mona Kamal , El-Ghamrawy Mona Kamal , Gouda Heba , Gouda Heba , Khorshied Mervat , Khorshied Mervat , Ahmed Dina , Ahmed Dina , Shiba Hala , Shiba Hala 
Published: December 2015

Background and objectives: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major health problem in Egypt with its prevalence estimated to be 14.7% among general population in 2008. Patients receiving frequent blood transfusions like sickle cell disease (SCD) are more exposed to the risk of acquiring HCV. IL28B gene polymorphisms have been associated with spontaneous HCV clearance. This study aims to determine the prevalence of HCV infection among children with SCD and to study the relation between IL28B gene polymorphisms and spontaneous HCV clearance.Methods: Seventy SCD patients were screened for HCV antibody. HCV positive patients were tested for the level of HCV RNA using quantitative real time PCR. IL28B polymorphisms (rs 12979860 SNP and rs 12980275 SNP) were detected using Taqman QRT-PCR and sequence specific primers PCR respectively. Results: Sixteen patients (23%) were HCV antibody positive, 9 of them (56.3%) had undetectable HCV RNA in serum and 7 (43.7%) had persistent viremia. Genotypes CC/CT/TT of rs12979860 were found in 30 (42.9%), 29 (41.4%) and 11 (15.7%) and rs12980275 AA/AG/GG were found in 8 (11.4%), 59 (84.3%) and 3 (4.3%). There was no significant difference in the frequency of IL28B (rs 12979860 and rs12980275) genotypes among HCV patients who cleared the virus and those with persistent viremia (p=0.308 and 0.724 respectively). Conclusion: Egyptian SCD patients have high prevalence of HCV. Muti-transfused patients still exposed to a risk of transmission of HCV. IL28B gene polymorphisms are not associated with spontaneous clearance of HCV in this cohort of Egyptian children with SCD.
Existence and Asymptotic Behavior of Positive Solutions for Variable Exponent Elliptic Systems
Authors: Yin Honghui , Yang Zuodong 
Published: December 2015

AbstractIn this paper, our main purpose is to establish the existence of positive solution of the following systemwhereare constants.F(x,u,υ) = λp(x)[g(x)a(u)+f(υ)],H(x,u,υ)=θq(x)[g1(x)b(υ)+h(u)], λ,θ>0 are parameters,p(x),q(x) are radial symmetric functions,is calledp(x)-Laplacian. We give the existence results and consider the asymptotic behavior of the solutions. In particular, we do not assume any symmetric condition, and we do not assume any sign condition onF(x,0,0) andH(x,0,0) either.
Hard water and old food. The freshwater reservoir effect in radiocarbon dating of food residues on pottery
Authors: Philippsen Bente 
Published: December 2015

This paper discusses the problem of the freshwater reservoir effect in the radiocarbon dating of different sample materials, in particular food crusts on pottery. Charred food residue can be used to directly date of the use of the pottery. However, this material is highly complex, which can lead to various dating errors.
The beginnings of salt exploitation in the Carpathian basin (6th-5th millennium BC)
Authors: Bánffy Eszter 
Published: December 2015

While there are ample data for salt exploitation in later prehistory, in the Neolithic, i.e. 6th–5th millennium BC, archaeological data from Southern Central Europe remain scanty. The paper attempts to give an overview of Neolithic salt research in the Carpathian basin. Both the archaeological traces and the research of Neolithic salt extraction activity are rather uneven there. While the eastern half had close contacts with Transylvanian salt regions, the western part, i.e. Transdanubia, lacks salt sources of any kind. The obvious need for salt gave rise to the search for salt-rich areas within reach of the early LBK migration in Central Europe, and indeed, these groups had rapidly settled in three key salt regions in Western and Central Germany, as well as in Little Poland. One of the reasons for the rapid migration and long-term contacts with these zones might thus have been access to salt. In general terms, it is in many cases highly probable that some sites specialised in salt exploitation, and that certain regions served as settings for exchange networks.
Neolithic ceramic spoons – indicators of dietary distinctiveness in the eastern Adriatic Neolithic?
Authors: Horvat Kristina 
Published: December 2015

Among the rich and diverse archaeological finds collected at more than fifty known Neolithic sites in the entire area of the eastern Adriatic and its hinterland, ceramic spoons comprise a group of very rare and almost marginalised items. Only eight examples, discovered in the northern and central Dalmatia region (hinterland of Zadar and πibenik), at open-air Neolithic sites known to date to the Middle and Late Neolithic. Based on current research and in accordance with the available archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological data from Neolithic sites in the eastern Adriatic region, this paper poses a question about the connection of ceramic spoons with the dietary habits of Neolithic communities in the eastern Adriatic.
The Impact of Organizational Climate and Psychological Capital on Organizational Citizenship Behavior
Authors: Suifan Taghrid S. 
Published: December 2015

<span lang="EN-US">The impact that organizational climate has on organizational citizenship behavior through psychological capital was examined in this study. The descriptive method was adopted with a questionnaire-based survey. The constructs of the study were measured by three scales adopted from previous works: the </span><span lang="EN-US">Organizational Climate Questionnaire developed by Koys and DeCotiis (1991), the Psychological Capital Questionnaire developed by Luthans et al. (2007), and the Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale developed by Lee and Allen (2002)<span>. A random sample of employees at Jordanian banks was selected, and 227 out of the 250 distributed questionnaires were found to be valid for analysis. All the hypotheses were accepted; that is, </span><span>organizational climate has a statistically significant relationship with organizational citizenship behavior, and psychological capital mediates the relationship between organizational climate and </span><span>organizational citizenship behavior</span><span>. For organizations to improve </span><span>organizational citizenship behavior</span>, the <span>psychological capital should be taken into account. </span></span>
Cardiac Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Exhibit High Differentiation Potential to Cardiovascular Cells in C57BL/6 Mice
Authors: Nagata Hiroki , Ii Masaaki , Kohbayashi Eiko , Hoshiga Masaaki , Hanafusa Toshiaki , Asahi Michio 
Published: December 2015

Abstract

Adipose-derived stem cells (AdSCs) have recently been shown to differentiate into cardiovascular lineage cells. However, little is known about the fat tissue origin-dependent differences in AdSC function and differentiation potential. AdSC-rich cells were isolated from subcutaneous, visceral, cardiac (CA), and subscapular adipose tissue from mice and their characteristics analyzed. After four different AdSC types were cultured with specific differentiation medium, immunocytochemical analysis was performed for the assessment of differentiation into cardiovascular cells. We then examined the in vitro differentiation capacity and therapeutic potential of AdSCs in ischemic myocardium using a mouse myocardial infarction model. The cell density and proliferation activity of CA-derived AdSCs were significantly increased compared with the other adipose tissue-derived AdSCs. Immunocytochemistry showed that CA-derived AdSCs had the highest appearance rates of markers for endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, and cardiomyocytes among the AdSCs. Systemic transfusion of CA-derived AdSCs exhibited the highest cardiac functional recovery after myocardial infarction and the high frequency of the recruitment to ischemic myocardium. Moreover, long-term follow-up of the recruited CA-derived AdSCs frequently expressed cardiovascular cell markers compared with the other adipose tissue-derived AdSCs. Cardiac adipose tissue could be an ideal source for isolation of therapeutically effective AdSCs for cardiac regeneration in ischemic heart diseases.

Significance
The present study found that cardiac adipose-derived stem cells have a high potential to differentiate into cardiovascular lineage cells (i.e., cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle cells) compared with stem cells derived from other adipose tissue such as subcutaneous, visceral, and subscapular adipose tissue. Notably, only a small number of supracardiac adipose-derived stem cells that were systemically transplanted sufficiently improved cardiac functional recovery after myocardial infarction, differentiating into cardiovascular cells in the ischemic myocardium. These findings suggest a new autologous stem cell therapy for patients with myocardial ischemia, especially those with secondary myocardial ischemia after cardiovascular open chest surgery.
Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiac Progenitor Cells in Phenotypic Screening: A Transforming Growth Factor-β Type 1 Receptor Kinase Inhibitor Induces Efficient Cardiac Differentiation
Authors: Drowley Lauren , Koonce Chad , Peel Samantha , Jonebring Anna , Plowright Alleyn T. , Kattman Steven J. , Andersson Henrik , Anson Blake , Swanson Bradley J. , Wang Qing-Dong , Brolen Gabriella 
Published: December 2015

Abstract

Several progenitor cell populations have been reported to exist in hearts that play a role in cardiac turnover and/or repair. Despite the presence of cardiac stem and progenitor cells within the myocardium, functional repair of the heart after injury is inadequate. Identification of the signaling pathways involved in the expansion and differentiation of cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) will broaden insight into the fundamental mechanisms playing a role in cardiac homeostasis and disease and might provide strategies for in vivo regenerative therapies. To understand and exploit cardiac ontogeny for drug discovery efforts, we developed an in vitro human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived CPC model system using a highly enriched population of KDRpos/CKITneg/NKX2.5pos CPCs. Using this model system, these CPCs were capable of generating highly enriched cultures of cardiomyocytes under directed differentiation conditions. In order to facilitate the identification of pathways and targets involved in proliferation and differentiation of resident CPCs, we developed phenotypic screening assays. Screening paradigms for therapeutic applications require a robust, scalable, and consistent methodology. In the present study, we have demonstrated the suitability of these cells for medium to high-throughput screens to assess both proliferation and multilineage differentiation. Using this CPC model system and a small directed compound set, we identified activin-like kinase 5 (transforming growth factor-β type 1 receptor kinase) inhibitors as novel and potent inducers of human CPC differentiation to cardiomyocytes.

Significance
Cardiac disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, with no treatment available that can result in functional repair. This study demonstrates how differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells can be used to identify and isolate cell populations of interest that can translate to the adult human heart. Two separate examples of phenotypic screens are discussed, demonstrating the value of this biologically relevant and reproducible technology. In addition, this assay system was able to identify novel and potent inducers of differentiation and proliferation of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac progenitor cells.
Concise Review: Patient-Specific Stem Cells to Interrogate Inherited Eye Disease
Authors: Giacalone Joseph C. , Wiley Luke A. , Burnight Erin R. , Songstad Allison E. , Mullins Robert F. , Stone Edwin M. , Tucker Budd A. 
Published: December 2015

Abstract

Whether we are driving to work or spending time with loved ones, we depend on our sense of vision to interact with the world around us. Therefore, it is understandable why blindness for many is feared above death itself. Heritable diseases of the retina, such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and retinitis pigmentosa, are major causes of blindness worldwide. The recent success of gene augmentation trials for the treatment of RPE65-associated Leber congenital amaurosis has underscored the need for model systems that accurately recapitulate disease. With the advent of patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), researchers are now able to obtain disease-specific cell types that would otherwise be unavailable for molecular analysis. In the present review, we discuss how the iPSC technology is being used to confirm the pathogenesis of novel genetic variants, interrogate the pathophysiology of disease, and accelerate the development of patient-centered treatments.

Significance
Stem cell technology has created the opportunity to advance treatments for multiple forms of blindness. Researchers are now able to use a person's cells to generate tissues found in the eye. This technology can be used to elucidate the genetic causes of disease and develop treatment strategies. In the present review, how stem cell technology is being used to interrogate the pathophysiology of eye disease and accelerate the development of patient-centered treatments is discussed.
Rethinking Participation and Re-enacting Its Dilemmas? — Aarhus 2017 and “The Playful Society”
Authors: Eriksson Birgit , Stephensen Jan Løhmann 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
In 2012 the Danish city of Aarhus was appointed European Capital of Culture for 2017. The appointment was based on an ambitious programme that – under the headline Rethink – tried to set an agenda of societal transformation, mainly by seeking to increase the impact of art and culture, and to enhance civic participation at all levels of society. In this article we examine one of the first attempts of Aarhus 2017 to realize these grand ambitions: ‘The Playful Society’, a series of micro grants aimed at enabling young people to make their own art/culture projects and participate in the overall Rethink project. Informed by theoretical distinctions between different forms of participation, and the diverse interests invested in participatory processes, we investigate how the young cultural entrepreneurs and the artistic administrators of Aarhus 2017 separately, in conjunction, and sometimes even in opposition to each other, translated these overall ambitions into practice. We argue that they illuminate some of the dilemmas of contemporary cultural participation, including the importance of questioning who participates in what, how they do it, and in what context.
Participatory Academic Communities
Authors: Aaen Janus Holst , Nørgård Rikke Toft 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
This article explores community-driven participation in education beyond the institution. By reflecting on two MA courses at Aarhus University and including educatees’ reflections in the article, the concept of Participatory Academic Community is developed. The article discusses how an evolved understanding of participation in education can move educatees’ learning beyond institutions through focusing on educatees as researchers, participating in society, building a research community and obtaining academic citizenship. Further, the article discusses how a value-based, vision-driven approach to education and the use of ICT might nurture participation and construction of community within education. The article is genuinely transdisciplinary in its approach, applying different theoretical lenses to obtain a more holistic view on participation in education. The article creates a prismatic lens, illuminating participation in education from different viewpoints and positions. In conclusion, the article also reflects on some of the shadowy traits of participation in education when creating participatory academic communities.v
The Double Conditioning of Political Participation
Authors: Schou Jannick , Farkas Johan , Hjelholt Morten 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
The emergence of social network sites as a part of everyday life has given rise to a number of debates on the democratic potential afforded by these technologies. This paper addresses political participation facilitated through Facebook from a practice-oriented perspective and presents a case study of the political grassroots organisation, Fight For The Future. Initially, the paper provides a basic theoretical framework that seeks to map the relation between civic practices, materiality, and discursive features. Using this framework, the article analyses Fight For The Future’s use of Facebook to facilitate political participation. The study finds that user participation on the Facebook page is ‘double conditioned’ by the material structure of the social network site on the one hand and by the discourses articulated by the organisation and users on the other. Finally, the paper discusses the findings and raises a number of problems and obstacles facing participatory grassroots organisations, such as Fight For The Future, when using Facebook.
O desafio da interdisciplinaridade na Faculdade de Medicina do ABC
Authors: Leite Fernanda Castilho , Correia Ricardo Lopes , Ruas Teresa Cristina Brito 
Published: December 2015

Introdução: Vivemos a emergência de ações movidas interprofissionalmente, e caminhamos para superação da lógica multiprofissional fragmentada, para tanto, agenciamos maneiras para vivenciar as fronteiras criadas entre os distintos e necessários conhecimentos que demarcam a diversidade identitária de cada profissional. Diante dessa realidade, o presente estudo teve por objetivo discutir o posicionamento interdisciplinar da Faculdade de Medicina do ABC (FMABC) em suas ações de ensinagem, em atenção especial para o campo da extensão universitária. Relato de experiência: As práticas diárias de ensinagem na FMABC, guiadas pelo tripé ensino, pesquisa e extensão, têm nos mostrado como resultado que, de fato as experiências de extensão, sustentadas pela Saúde Coletiva, nos parecem ser um núcleo que permite uma dialogicidade de saberes e práticas num campo amplo como a saúde e a suas interfaces, uma vez que é sua essência ser um núcleo multiprofissional e interdisciplinar, pois se constitui como um paradigma da realidade e de interpretações e intervenções na saúde. Conclusão: Portanto, é justamente pela ação interdisciplinar que o ensino superior em saúde consegue preconizar o pensamento complexo e formar profissionais capazes de compreender que o saber e a prática de intervenção se fazem em uma produção de compreensões e acordos para a ação das mudanças das barreiras e dos determinantes que impedem a qualidade de vida da população e os efeitos dessa implicação na formação universitária.
A novel method to determine perineal artery occlusion among male bicyclists
Authors: Parthiban Sujeeth , Hotaling James M. , Kathrins Martin , Baftiri Amit P. , Freels Sally , Niederberger Craig S. 
Published: December 2015

Background.Perineal pressure due to bicycle riding has been associated with erectile dysfunction. We developed a novel method to measure the occlusive force exerted over the perineal arteries and determined perineal artery occlusion by a variety of seat designs.Methods.Doppler ultrasonography facilitated perineal artery localization and determination of the force required for perineal artery occlusion in 20 healthy men. Flexiforce®sensors were affixed over the proximal and distal aspects of the perineal arteries bilaterally. Individuals completed bicycle rides in the road- and stationary-settings with six distinct seat designs, including those with and without an anterior “nose.”Results.The occlusion time proportion of the total ride time was calculated for each trial. The overall occlusion time proportion was 0.59 (95% CI [0.45–0.73]) across all seats and settings. The “no-nose” bicycle seat and the stationary-setting demonstrated significantly lower occlusion proportion times than the traditional nose bicycle seat and road-setting, respectively. However, all bicycle seats yielded an occlusion time proportion of 0.41 or greater.Discussion.Our method of real-time, non-invasive force measurement localized to the perineal arteries may be used to validate future bicycle seat design. It also underscores the significant risk of perineal artery insufficiency in men who are avid bicyclists. This risk may be minimized by using newer “no-nose” bicycle seats.
Biogeochemical sulfur cycling during Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events: A comparison of OAE1a and OAE2
Authors: Gomes Maya L. , Hurtgen Matthew T. , Sageman Bradley B. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractBiogeochemical sulfur cycling has varied widely over geologic time, mainly in response to changes in primary productivity and organic carbon burial, volcanism, weathering, and evaporite deposition. Several of these processes are explicitly linked to discreet (<1.2 Ma) intervals of widespread organic carbon burial, termed oceanic anoxic events (OAEs). During the Cretaceous, there is a highly distinctive ~4‰ negative excursion in the sulfur isotope composition of seawater sulfate (δ34SSO4) that is bracketed by the two most prominent OAEs (OAE1a and OAE2). This excursion lasted for ~25 Ma and has been variously attributed to enhanced volcanism, changes in weathering, evaporite burial, and/or changes in modes of organic carbon remineralization. We present new high‐resolution carbon and sulfur isotope records from carbonate‐associated sulfate and pyrite for OAE1a and OAE2. OAE1a is characterized by a monotonic decrease in δ34SSO4values. Both negative and positive δ34SSO4excursions are associated with OAE2. To refine hypotheses for the observed changes in biogeochemical sulfur cycling associated with these events, we use a simple sulfur isotope box model. Both empirical and modeling results indicate that δ34SSO4variability was dominated by input fluxes during OAE1a, whereas enhanced volcanism, weathering, and pyrite burial controlled δ34SSO4records during OAE2. Our analysis supports the conclusion that Cretaceous marine sulfate concentrations were much lower than modern concentrations and indicates that increases in marine sulfate occurred at the onset of both events. We conclude that increases in marine sulfate from low background concentrations, in conjunction with other environmental characteristics, contributed to the development of OAEs.
Tractor beam for fully immersed multiple objects: Long distance pulling, trapping, and rotation with a single optical set‐up
Authors: Rahman Md. Masudur , Sayem Ayed Al , Mahdy M. R. C. , Haque Md. Ehsanul , Islam Rakibul , Chowdhury S. Tanvir‐ur‐Rahman , Matin Md. Abdul 
Published: December 2015

In this article, we have theoretically demonstrated the mechanism of an active tractor beam for multiple fully immersed objects with additional abilities to yielding stable long distance levitation, a controlled rotation and a desired 3D trapping. This is demonstrated with a single optical set‐up by using two coaxial, or even non‐coaxial, superimposed higher order monochromatic Bessel beams of reverse helical nature and different frequencies. The superimposed beams can possess periodic intensity variations both along and around the beam‐axis due to a difference in longitudinal wave‐numbers and beam orders, respectively. The difference in frequencies of the two laser beams makes the intensity pattern to move along and around the beam‐axis in a continuous way without manual ramping of phase, which allows for bidirectional movement of completely immersed multiple particles. The condition for increasing or decreasing the dimension of binding regions is also proposed here to manipulate multiple immersed objects of different sizes under dipole approximation.
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