bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Non insulin producing cell line, MIA PaCa‐2 is rendered insulin producing in vitro via mesenchymal epithelial transition
Authors: Bose Bipasha , Shenoy P Sudheer 
Published: February 2013

AbstractWe used non‐insulin producing pancreatic carcinoma cell line, MIA PaCa‐2 and have modulated its culture conditions by using 1% matrigel as extracellular matrix, N2, B27 growth supplements and serum free conditions. Expression of markers was analyzed using qRT‐PCR, immunofluorescence and in vitro functional assay for insulin and C‐peptide release was assessed using insulin and C‐peptide ELISA, respectively. The cells grown under this altered culture conditions have exhibited a transition in the morphology from mesenchymal to epithelial with extensive piling up of cells. A reduction in doubling time from 40 to 18 h, upregulation of beta islet specific markers like pancreatic duodenal homeobox‐1 (Pdx‐1), C‐peptide, insulin, and disappearance of markers like vimentin were observed. On the functional level, the altered morphology bearing cells released high levels of insulin in response to 10 µM tolbutamide (an activator of insulin pathway) and reduced insulin secretion in response to 50 µM nifedipine (inhibitor of the pathway). On the contrary, the original cells (mesenchymal morphology) had failed to release any insulin in response to varying concentrations of glucose and also the activators and inhibitors of the insulin pathway. This investigation thus provides a basis for using this basic developmental biology phenomenon mesenchymal to epithelial transition as a strategy to generate a large number of functional islets from stem cells of mesenchymal origin. J. Cell. Biochem. 9999: XX–XX, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Cell. Biochem. 114: 1642–1652, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Molecular dynamics study of DNA binding by INT‐DBD under a polarized force field
Authors: Yao Xue X. , Ji Chang G. , Xie Dai Q. , Zhang John Z.H. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThe DNA binding domain of transposon Tn916 integrase (INT‐DBD) binds to DNA target site by positioning the face of a three‐stranded antiparallel β‐sheet within the major groove. As the negatively charged DNA directly interacts with the positively charged residues (such as Arg and Lys) of INT‐DBD, the electrostatic interaction is expected to play an important role in the dynamical stability of the protein–DNA binding complex. In the current work, the combined use of quantum‐based polarized protein‐specific charge (PPC) for protein and polarized nucleic acid‐specific charge (PNC) for DNA were employed in molecular dynamics simulation to study the interaction dynamics between INT‐DBD and DNA. Our study shows that the protein–DNA structure is stabilized by polarization and the calculated protein–DNA binding free energy is in good agreement with the experimental data. Furthermore, our study revealed a positive correlation between the measured binding energy difference in alanine mutation and the occupancy of the corresponding residue's hydrogen bond. This correlation relation directly relates the contribution of a specific residue to protein–DNA binding energy to the strength of the hydrogen bond formed between the specific residue and DNA. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Skeletal indicators of ecological specialization in pika (Mammalia, Ochotonidae)
Authors: Reese Aspen T. , Lanier Hayley C. , Sargis Eric J. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractPika species generally fall into two ecotypes, meadow‐dwelling (burrowing) or talus‐dwelling, a classification that distinguishes a suite of different ecological, behavioral, and life history traits. Despite these differences, little morphological variation has previously been documented to distinguish among ecotypes. The aim of this study was to test whether postcranial features related to burrowing are present in meadow‐dwelling species and whether talus‐dwelling species exhibit postcranial modifications related to frequent leaping between rocks. To test this, the scapula, humerus, ulna, radius, innominate, femur, tibia, and calcaneus of 15 species were studied and measured. Twenty‐three measurements were taken on 199 skeletons, and 19 indices were constructed from these measurements. Indices were compared between the two ecotypes using Student's t‐test. Comparisons among ecotypes, species, and subgenera were made using one‐way ANOVA with the Tukey honest significant difference post hoc test. Multivariate results were generated using principal components analyses. Thirteen forelimb and hind limb indices proved significant in distinguishing the meadow‐dwelling, talus‐dwelling, and intermediate forms. A number of these indices are associated with burrowing or leaping in other mammals, providing some support for the hypothesis that postcranial modifications in pika are related to locomotor differences. This evidence of morphological responses to ecological specialization will be useful for reconstructing the paleobiology of extinct taxa, assessing the behavioral variability of extant species, and improving our understanding of the evolutionary history of pikas. J. Morphol., 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Semi‐interpenetrating Networks in Blends of Epoxidized Natural Rubbers
Authors: Imbernon Lucie , Pire Myriam , Oikonomou Evdokia K. , Norvez Sophie 
Published: February 2013

AbstractBlends of immiscible ENRs are crosslinked by dicarboxylic acids at 180 °C in the presence of 1,2‐dimethylimidazole. Due to the different epoxidation levels, the cure of ENR50 is complete well before that of ENR10. Depending on the ratio ENR10/ENR50, the blend morphology of the resulting materials, switches from diacid‐enriched nodules of ENR50 dispersed in a soft matrix of ENR10 to a continuous texture, giving rise to elastomeric properties. Even in minority, ENR50 is able to create a network by semi‐interpenetrating the non‐crosslinked ENR10. This behavior is associated with the migration of the dicarboxylic acid into the more reactive ENR50. Since ENR10 remains still available for further crosslinking, the system opens the door to elastomeric materials based on interpenetrated networks.magnified image
Development and Validation of a Pharmacy‐Based Comorbidity Measure in a Population‐Based Automated Health Care Database
Authors: Dong Yaa‐Hui , Chang Chia‐Hsuin , Shau Wen‐Yi , Kuo Raymond N. , Lai Mei‐Shu , Chan K. Arnold 
Published: February 2013

Study ObjectiveTo develop the Pharmacy‐Based Disease Indicator (PBDI), and to evaluate its performance versus the diagnosis‐based Deyo version of the Charlson Index in predicting subsequent‐year hospitalization in adults.DesignRetrospective cohort analysis.Data SourceLongitudinal health insurance database derived from the national health insurance system in Taiwan.PatientsTwo adult populations were identified: 697,823 individuals who were at least 18 years of age on January 1, 2005 (dataset 2005), and 714,072 who were at least 18 years of age on January 1, 2006 (dataset 2006).Measurements and Main ResultsBased on the Chronic Disease Score framework and the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification system, we developed the PBDI, a comorbidity measure that is a function of 37 drug categories that correspond to major diseases in Taiwan. The relationship between individuals’ PBDI score and subsequent‐year hospitalization was evaluated by use of logistic regression models. Covariates in the models included age group, sex, PBDI score, and Deyo score. Using the two overlapping adult populations, we calculated both the PBDI score and the Deyo score for each individual in each year. Using subsequent‐year hospitalization as the outcome and each comorbidity measure as the predictor, we demonstrated that the c statistic of the PBDI versus the Deyo version of the Charlson Index was 0.72 versus 0.69 for both the 2005 and 2006 populations. The Akaike information criterion, Bayesian information criterion, model calibration, and reclassification measures also confirmed the utility of the PBDI.ConclusionThe PBDI demonstrated acceptable predictive performance for subsequent‐year hospitalization. It can be used as a general comorbidity measure to describe the health status of populations based on data derived from population‐based automated health care databases.
Searching for protein signatures using a multilevel alphabet
Authors: Hod Ronit , Kohen Refael , Mandel‐Gutfreund Yael 
Published: February 2013

AbstractShort motifs are known to play diverse roles in proteins, such as in mediating the interactions with other molecules, binding to membranes, or conducting a specific biological function. Standard approaches currently employed to detect short motifs in proteins search for enrichment of amino acid motifs considering mostly the sequence information. Here, we presented a new approach to search for common motifs (protein signatures) which share both physicochemical and structural properties, looking simultaneously at different features. Our method takes as an input an amino acid sequence and translates it to a new alphabet that reflects its intrinsic structural and chemical properties. Using the MEME search algorithm, we identified the proteins signatures within subsets of protein which encompass common sequence and structural information. We demonstrated that we can detect enriched structural motifs, such as the amphipathic helix, from large datasets of linear sequences, as well as predicting common structural properties (such as disorder, surface accessibility, or secondary structures) of known functional‐motifs. Finally, we applied the method to the yeast protein interactome and identified novel putative interacting motifs. We propose that our approach can be applied for de novo protein function prediction given either sequence or structural information. Proteins 2013; © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The South Tibetan detachment system facilitates ultra rapid cooling of granulite‐facies rocks in Sikkim Himalaya
Authors: Kellett Dawn A. , Grujic Djordje , Coutand Isabelle , Cottle John , Mukul Malay 
Published: February 2013

ABSTRACTThe eastern Himalaya is characterized by a region of granulites and local granulitized eclogites that have been exhumed via isothermal decompression from lower crustal depths during the India‐Asia collision. Spatially, most of these regions are proximal to the South Tibetan detachment system, an orogen‐parallel normal‐sense detachment system that operated during the Miocene, suggesting that it played a role in their exhumation. Here we use geo‐ and thermochronological methods to study the deformation and cooling history of footwall rocks of the South Tibetan detachment system in northern Sikkim, India. These data demonstrate that the South Tibetan detachment system was active in Sikkim between 23.6 and ~13 Ma, and that footwall rocks cooled rapidly from ~700 to ~120 °C between ~15‐13 Ma. While active, the South Tibetan detachment system exhumed rocks from mid‐crustal depths, but an additional heat source such as strain heating, advected melt and/or crustal thinning is required to explain the observed isothermal decompression. Cessation of movement on the South Tibetan detachment system produced rapid cooling of the footwall as isotherms relaxed. A regional comparison of temperature‐time data for the eastern South Tibetan detachment system indicates a lack of synchronicity between the Sa'er‐Sikkim‐Yadong section and the NW Bhutan section. To accommodate this requires either strike‐slip tear faulting or local out‐of‐sequence thrusting in the younger segment of the orogen.
Evaluating bovine tuberculosis risk communication materials in Michigan and Minnesota for severity, susceptibility, and efficacy messages
Authors: Muter Bret A. , Gore Meredith L. , Riley Shawn J. , Lapinski Maria K. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractCommunication programs are a tool available to wildlife managers for managing risks associated with wildlife diseases such as bovine tuberculosis (TB). Evaluating these communication efforts is vital for successful disease management planning; yet, systematic evaluations of wildlife disease‐related communication programs are lacking. To this end, we analyzed the content of 41 print and electronic TB risk communication materials (e.g., brochures, handouts, websites) available to stakeholders in Michigan and Minnesota, USA, during April 2010 to 1) describe and compare the materials; 2) make data‐based recommendations to improve existing messages; and 3) highlight the ability of the extended parallel process model (EPPM), a well‐known health communication theory, to serve as a framework for evaluation of wildlife disease issues. All message components central to the EPPM were identified in our sample of TB risk communication materials. More than 80% of materials promoted ≥1 behaviors believed to reduce the risks of TB transmission among and between wildlife and livestock in Michigan and Minnesota. Messages conveying severity and susceptibility of TB‐related risks were present in 73% and 56% of the materials, respectively; whereas, efficacy messages promoting the ease and effectiveness of recommended behaviors were far less prevalent. Results provide insights for future TB and wildlife disease‐related risk communication efforts (e.g., design messages that enhance stakeholder perceptions of efficacy) and demonstrate the utility of the EPPM as a framework to evaluate risk communication materials and messages for wildlife disease‐related stakeholders. © 2013 The Wildlife Society
Land parcelization and deer population densities in a rural county of Virginia
Authors: Lovely Karen R. , Mcshea William J. , Lafon Nelson W. , Carr David E. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThe parcelization of exurban landscapes creates a matrix of intermediately sized and privately managed land parcels, presenting a unique challenge to wildlife managers. During 2010–2011, we studied the correlates between land parcelization, deer density, and hunting patterns in exurban northwestern Virginia, USA. We estimated October deer densities (no. deer/km2) and conducted landowner surveys of deer harvest in 13 study blocks of mean size 34.8 km2. The extent of parcelization varied between study blocks; mean parcel size ranged from 2.00 ha to 26.12 ha. We used distance‐sampling techniques to survey pre‐harvest deer densities in each section, with estimated densities ranging from 9.4 deer/km2 to 30.1 deer/km2. We quantified deer harvest through calculations of harvest density and the percentage of land hunted. As parcel size increased, the percentage of land hunted increased. Harvest densities reported by landowners, however, remained constant with the exception of 2.0–4.0‐ha parcels, which had higher harvest densities than 60.8–161.8‐ha parcels. We used linear regression analysis to model the response of deer density (natural log) to landscape metrics, and the best‐fit model predicted deer density from mean parcel size with equivalent models including habitat with mean parcel size. Our results suggest that development processes that subdivide rural lands can significantly increase deer populations. The mechanism for this increase may be restricted hunter access to smaller property parcels and‐or increased probability of deer refuges nearby. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.
Proposal of a New Classification for Stage III Colorectal Cancer Based on the Number and Ratio of Metastatic Lymph Nodes
Authors: Wang Li‐Ping , Wang Hong‐Yan , Cao Rui , Zhu Cong , Wu Xiong‐Zhi 
Published: February 2013

AbstractBackgroundThe objective of this retrospective study was to determine whether the current staging system for stage III colorectal cancer (CRC) is appropriate and to assess the value of the metastatic lymph node ratio (LNR) in predicting the prognosis of patients with stage III CRC.MethodsFrom 2000 to 2006 inclusively, 245 patients with stage III CRC underwent curative resection. The follow‐up was closed in March 2012. Kaplan–Meier survival curves and log‐rank tests were used for the survival analysis.ResultsSurvival time of patients with T3N1M0 was significantly better than that for patients in other subgroups of stage IIIB and similar to that of patients with stage IIIA disease. The greatest survival difference was found with 0.30 as the LNR cutoff point for patients with current stage III CRC. Survival time of patients with LNR ≤ 0.30 was significantly better than that of those with LNR > 0.30. rN1 included stage III patients with LNR ≤ 0.30, and rN2 included patients with LNR > 0.30. Survival time of patients with T4aN1(rN2)M0 staging was significantly worse than that for patients with T4aN1(rN1)M0 staging and similar to that of patients with stage IIIC CRC.ConclusionsWe propose an algorithm to incorporate LNR into the current American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system. In it the patients with T3N1M0 are excluded from the current stage IIIB and included in the stage IIIA group. Also, patients with T4aN1(rN2)M0 are excluded from the current stage IIIB group and included in the stage IIIC group.
Lysophosphatidic Acid Produced by Hen Egg White Lysophospholipase D Induces Vascular Development on Extraembryonic Membranes
Authors: Morishige Junichi , Uto Yoshihiro , Hori Hitoshi , Satouchi Kiyoshi , Yoshiomoto Tanihiro , Tokumura Akira 
Published: February 2013

AbstractLysophosphatidic acid (lysoPtdOH), a lysophospholipid mediator, exerts diverse physiological effects, including angiogenesis, through its specific G‐protein‐coupled receptors. Previously, we showed that unfertilized hen egg white contains polyunsaturated fatty acid‐rich lysoPtdOH and lysophospholipase D (lysoPLD). Here, we examined whether lysoPtdOH was produced by lysoPLD in the presence and absence of a hen fertilized ovum and what the physiological role of lysoPtdOH in hen egg white is. Mass spectrometry showed that fertilized hen egg white contained about 8 μM lysoPtdOH before incubation with an ovum, mainly comprised of 18:1‐ (12.6 %), 18:2‐ (37.8 %) and 20:4‐molecular species (41.5 %). In an early gestation period, the lysoPtdOH was increased up to 9.6 μM, concomitant with a decrease in the level of polyunsaturated lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPtdCho). Moreover, lysoPtdOH‐degrading activities were found in egg white and the vitelline membrane, showing that these enzymes control lysoPtdOH levels in egg white. In an egg yolk angiogenesis assay, two lysoPtdOH receptor antagonists, Ki16425 and N‐palmitoyl serine phosphoric acid (NASP), inhibited blood vessel formation induced by exogenously added 18:1‐lysoPtdOH and its precursor lysoPtdCho on the hen yolk sac. Ki16425 and NASP also inhibited blood vessel formation in the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). Furthermore, the relatively higher levels of LPA1, LPA2, LPA4 and LPA6 mRNA were present in the yolk sac and CAM. These results suggest that lysoPtdOH produced from lysoPtdCho by the action of lysoPLD in hen egg white is involved in the formation of blood vessel networks through several lysoPtdOH receptors on various extraembryonic membranes, including the yolk sac membrane and CAM.
Changes in Olive and Olive Oil Characteristics During Maturation
Authors: Yorulmaz Aslı , Erinc Hakan , Tekin Aziz 
Published: February 2013

AbstractChanges in olive properties and oil quality, oxidative stability, phenolic and chemical composition of two common Turkish varieties (Memecik and Edremit) during maturation were investigated. Olive samples were collected in their own growing region for five different harvest dates and processed to oil with a laboratory scale mill. Metabolic behaviors of these two varieties along with the maturation were different in terms of some compositional parameters. Oleic acid, triolein, β‐sitosterol, oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, and tyrosol contents of olive or olive oils fluctuated with maturation. However, changes in average weight, flesh/pit ratio, water and oil contents of the olives were observed. Phenolics such as trans cinnamic acid contents of both olive fruits decreased whereas cyanidin 3‐O‐glucoside and cyanidin 3‐O‐rutinoside anthocyanins increased. Free fatty acids of virgin olive oils were found independent of maturity although some slight changes were determined in peroxide value, dien and trien conjugations. Some compositional parameters such as pigment concentration, tocopherols, stearic acid, linolenic acid, palmitodiolein and monounsaturated/polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio decreased while linoleic acid, dioleolinolein, palmitooleolinolein and Δ‐5‐avenasterol percentages increased with the maturation. A clear discrimination was observed with principal component analysis. The data obtained can also be considered useful for providing information to determine the ideal maturity stage.
Reconstructing the stages of orogeny around the Junggar basin from the lithostratigraphy of Late Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic sediments
Authors: Novikov I.S. 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
The Junggar basin contains an almost continuous section of Late Carboniferous–Quaternary terrigenous sedimentary rocks. The maximum thicknesses of the stratigraphic units constituting the basin cover make up a total of ~23 km, and the basement under the deepest part of the basin is localized at a depth of ~18 km. Both the folded framing and the basin edges have undergone uplifting and erosion during recent activity. These processes have exposed all the structural stages of the basin cover. Considering the completeness and detailed stratigraphic division of the section, we can determine the exact geologic age of intense mountain growth and erosion periods as well as estimate the age of orogenic periods by interpolating the stratigraphic ages. During the Permian orogeny, which included two stages (255–265 and 275–290 Ma), the Junggar, Zaisan, and Turpan–Hami basins made up a whole. During the Triassic orogeny (210–230 Ma), the Junggar and Turpan–Hami basins became completely isolated from each other. During the Jurassic orogeny (135–145 and 160–200 Ma), the sedimentation took place within similar boundaries but over a smaller area. During the Cretaceous orogeny (65–85 and 125–135 Ma), the mountain structures formed mainly at the southern boundaries of the basin and along the Karamaili–Saur line. The Junggar and Zaisan basins were separated at that time. The Early and Middle Paleogene were characterized by relative tectonic quiescence. The fifth orogenic stage began in the Oligocene. The recent activity consists of two main stages: Oligocene (23–33 Ma) and Neogene–Quaternary (1.2–7.6 Ma to the present).
High-magnesium picrite–basalt associations of the Tunka terrane (Baikal–Hövsgöl region) as an indicator of the back-arc basin spreading
Authors: Shkol’nik S.I. , Belichenko V.G. , Reznitskii L.Z. 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
High-Mg metabasalts and metapicrites discovered within the Urtagol Formation in the central zone of the Tunka bald mountains (East Sayan) are studied. In geochemistry the high-Mg metavolcanics are similar to subductional rocks. We have established that the Nb-rich recycled material of oceanic crust (RSC) was a source of elements for high-Ti metabasalts, and subductional fluid rich in LREE and Th relative to Nb was the source of these elements for high-Ti metapicrites. The enrichment of low-Ti metavolcanics, formed, probably, at the early stages of the basin opening, was due to the contamination of melt with continental-crust material. A comparison of the metavolcanics with nonmetamorphosed analogs is made, and some genesis aspects are considered. The results obtained led to the conclusion that the metavolcanics mark the paleospreading of the back-arc basin.