bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Renin‐Angiotensin‐Aldosterone System and Hypothalamic‐Pituitary‐Adrenal Axis in Hospitalized Newborn Foals
Authors: Dembek K.A. , Onasch K. , Hurcombe S.D.A. , MacGillivray K.C. , Slovis N.M. , Barr B.S. , Reed S.M. , Toribio R.E. 
Published: February 2013

BackgroundThe renin‐angiotensin‐aldosterone system (RAAS) and hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis (HPAA) and their interactions during illness and hypoperfusion are important to maintain organ function. HPAA dysfunction and relative adrenal insufficiency (RAI) are common in septic foals. Information is lacking on the RAAS and mineralocorticoid response in the context of RAI in newborn sick foals.Objectives/HypothesisTo investigate the RAAS, as well as HPAA factors that interact with the RAAS, in hospitalized foals, and to determine their association with clinical findings. We hypothesized that critical illness in newborn foals results in RAAS activation, and that inappropriately low aldosterone concentrations are part of the RAI syndrome of critically ill foals.AnimalsA total of 167 foals ≤3 days of age: 133 hospitalized (74 septic, 59 sick nonseptic) and 34 healthy foals.MethodsProspective, multicenter, cross‐sectional study. Blood samples were collected on admission. Plasma renin activity (PRA) and angiotensin‐II (ANG‐II), aldosterone, ACTH, and cortisol concentrations were measured in all foals.ResultsANG‐II, aldosterone, ACTH, and cortisol concentrations as well as ACTH/aldosterone and ACTH/cortisol ratios were higher in septic foals compared with healthy foals (P < .05). No difference in PRA between groups was found. High serum potassium and low serum chloride concentrations were associated with hyperaldosteronemia in septic foals.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceRAAS activation in critically ill foals is characterized by increased ANG‐II and aldosterone concentrations. Inappropriately low cortisol and aldosterone concentrations defined as high ACTH/cortisol and ACTH/aldosterone ratios in septic foals suggest that RAI is not restricted to the zona fasciculata in critically ill newborn foals.
Assessment of Serum Myokines and Markers of Inflammation Associated with Exercise in Endurance Racing Sled Dogs
Authors: Yazwinski M. , Milizio J.G. , Wakshlag J.J. 
Published: February 2013

BackgroundThe endurance sled dog is the ultimate endurance athlete in which to examine the exercise‐associated acute phase and myokine responses that might be related to changes in muscle metabolism and damage. An inciting cause for increased C‐reactive protein has yet to be elucidated, which might involve interleukin‐6 and other myokines.ObjectivesTo examine concentrations of interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), interleukin‐15 (IL‐15), interleukin‐8 (IL‐8), and tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), and markers of the inflammatory response of exercise; monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1(MCP‐1) and C‐reactive protein (CRP) before, during, and after an endurance racing event.Animals26 sled dogs completing a 1650‐km race.MethodsIn a prospective study, cephalic venipuncture was performed before racing, at the midpoint, and after racing. Body weight and serum CRP, MCP‐1, IL‐15, IL‐8, IL‐6, and TNF‐α concentrations were evaluated using enzyme‐linked immunoabsorbance‐based assays or a luminex multiplex assay.ResultsThere were no significant differences in concentrations of IL‐6, IL‐15, IL‐8, or TNF‐α at the 3 time points, whereas there were significant increases in MCP‐1 (median and range—start: 86 pg/mL [30–1845]; midpoint: 179 pg/mL [53–730]; finish: 180 pg/mL [21–1294]; P < .01) and CRP (median and range—start: 18 μg/mL [11–58]; midpoint: 76 μg/mL [12–198]; finish: 60 μg/mL [12–170]; P < .01) at the midpoint and race finish. There was a significant linear relationship between MCP‐1 and IL‐6 (R = 0.68; P < .01).Conclusions and Clinical SignificanceThe inflammatory response to exercise increases as measured by MCP‐1 during and after endurance exercise in sled dogs. IL‐6 appears to be associated with MCP‐1; however, the reasons for increases in the acute phase response (CRP) cannot be attributed to IL‐6 or other myokines. IL‐6 and MCP‐1 concentrations might be useful in future investigations of exertional rhabdomyolysis.
Identification of flunixin glucuronide and depletion of flunixin and its marker residue in bovine milk
Authors: Jedziniak P. , Olejnik M. , Szprengier‐Juszkiewicz T. , Smulski S. , Kaczmarowski M. , Żmudzki J. 
Published: February 2013

Residues of flunixin [and its marker residue 5‐hydroxyflunixin (5OHFLU)] were determined in milk from cows that intravenously received therapeutic doses of the drug. The samples were collected during each milking (every 12 h) for six consecutive days, and concentrations of flunixin and its metabolites were determined by the method with and without enzymatic hydrolysis (beta‐glucuronidase). The highest flunixin concentration in milk was observed 12 h after dosing (2.4 ± 1.42 μg/kg, mean ± SD). Flunixin concentrations in the samples determined with enzymatic hydrolysis were significantly higher (P < 0.05), which suggests the transfer of flunixin glucuronide to the milk. Additionally, unambiguous identification of flunixin glucuronide in the bovine milk was performed with linear ion‐trap mass spectrometry. The 5OHFLU concentrations analyzed without enzymatic hydrolysis (22.3 ± 16.04 μg/kg) were similar to this obtained with enzymatic hydrolysis. Flunixin and 5OHFLU concentrations dropped below the limits of detection at 48 h after last dosing.
Quantifying past and present connectivity illuminates a rapidly changing landscape for the African elephant
Authors: Epps Clinton W. , Wasser Samuel K. , Keim Jonah L. , Mutayoba Benezeth M. , Brashares Justin S. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThere is widespread concern about impacts of land‐use change on connectivity among animal and plant populations, but those impacts are difficult to quantify. Moreover, lack of knowledge regarding ecosystems before fragmentation may obscure appropriate conservation targets. We use occurrence and population genetic data to contrast connectivity for a long‐lived mega‐herbivore over historical and contemporary time frames. We test whether (i) historical gene flow is predicted by persistent landscape features rather than human settlement, (ii) contemporary connectivity is most affected by human settlement and (iii) recent gene flow estimates show the effects of both factors. We used 16 microsatellite loci to estimate historical and recent gene flow among African elephant (Loxodonta africana) populations in seven protected areas in Tanzania, East Africa. We used historical gene flow (FST and G'ST) to test and optimize models of historical landscape resistance to movement. We inferred contemporary landscape resistance from elephant resource selection, assessed via walking surveys across ~15 400 km2 of protected and unprotected lands. We used assignment‐based recent gene flow estimates to optimize and test the contemporary resistance model, and to test a combined historical and contemporary model. We detected striking changes in connectivity. Historical connectivity among elephant populations was strongly influenced by slope but not human settlement, whereas contemporary connectivity was influenced most by human settlement. Recent gene flow was strongly influenced by slope but was also correlated with contemporary resistance. Inferences across multiple timescales can better inform conservation efforts on large and complex landscapes, while mitigating the fundamental problem of shifting baselines in conservation.
The role of continental shelf width in determining freshwater phylogeographic patterns in south‐eastern Australian pygmy perches (Teleostei: Percichthyidae)
Authors: Unmack Peter J. , Hammer Michael P. , Adams Mark , Johnson Jerald B. , Dowling Thomas E. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractBiogeographic patterns displayed by obligate freshwater organisms are intimately related to the nature and extent of connectivity between suitable habitats. Two of the more significant barriers to freshwater connections are seawater and major drainage divides. South‐eastern Australia provides a contrast between these barriers as it has discrete areas that are likely influenced to a greater or lesser extent by each barrier type. We use continental shelf width as a proxy for the potential degree of river coalescence during low sea levels. Our specific hypothesis is that the degree of phylogeographic divergence between coastal river basins should correspond to the continental shelf width of each region. This predicts that genetic divergences between river basins should be lowest in regions with a wider continental shelf and that regions with similar continental shelf width should have similar genetic divergences. Pygmy perches (Nannoperca australis and Nannoperca ‘flindersi’) in south‐eastern Australia provide an ideal opportunity to test these biogeographic hypotheses. Phylogeographic patterns were examined based on range‐wide sampling of 82 populations for cytochrome b and 23 polymorphic allozyme loci. Our results recovered only limited support for our continental shelf width hypothesis, although patterns within Bass clade were largely congruent with reconstructed low sea‐level drainage patterns. In addition, we identified several instances of drainage divide crossings, typically associated with low elevational differences. Our results demonstrate high levels of genetic heterogeneity with important conservation implications, especially for declining populations in the Murray–Darling Basin and a highly restricted disjunct population in Ansons River, Tasmania.
Application of Observability Techniques to Structural System Identification
Authors: Lozano‐Galant Jose Antonio , Nogal María , Castillo Enrique , Turmo Jose 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThis article deals with the problem of applying observability techniques to structural system identification, understanding as such the problem of identifying which is the subset of characteristics of the structure, such as Young's modulus, area, inertia, and/or product of them (flexural or axial stiffnesses) that can be uniquely defined when an adequate subset of deflections, forces, and/or moments in the nodes is provided. Compared with other standard observability problems, two issues arise here. First, nonlinear unknown variables (products or quotients of elemental variables) appear and second, the mechanical and geometrical properties of the structure are “coupled” with the deflections and/or rotations at the nodes. To solve these problems, an algebraic method that adapts the standard observability problem to deal with structural system identification is proposed in this article. The results obtained show, for the very first time, how observability techniques can be efficiently used for the identification of structural systems. Some examples are given to illustrate the proposed methodology and to demonstrate its power.
Modernity: The Jewish Perspective
Authors: Bielik-Robson Agata 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThis paper aims at delivering a definition of modernity as offered by modern Jewish theology: a theological capturing of the modern era as an epoch possessing its own unique and positive religious characteristics. This positive theological evaluation of modernity seems to derive uniquely from the Jewish perspective which sees in modernitas a hopeful repetition of the narrative of Exodus: the story of liberation and autonomous self-constitution of man helped by God who wished his subjects to stop being just subjects, but also wanted to offer them freedom. This emphatically affirmative definition of religious modernity has only one equivalent in Christian theology: the millenarist notion of a “new age” – die Neuzeit, or modernitas – as the third age of the spirit, which greatly influenced the most ambitious strain of modern philosophy: German Idealism and Hegel in particular. In referring to the writings of Jacob Taubes (most of all his Occidental Eschatology) I will attempt to show that the twentieth-century Jewish messianism tends to perceive modernity, also in its Christian version, as an epoch of the reawakening of the original spirit of the Hebrew revelation, conceived most of all as the emancipatory event of Exodus.
New Movements and New Media
Authors: Finigan Timothy 
Published: February 2013

AbstractWhile the emergence of “new Movements” characterise the pontificate of John Paul II, Benedict XVI's time is marked by the Catholic Church's use of new media. It began with Catholic websites and has moved on to blogging and tweeting. This is how the Church must communicate with younger people, until these are replaced by newer digital systems. Most blogs are dominated by a conservative version of Catholicism, but this may be what appeals to those young people who are still drawn to the Church. The disposability and built –in obsolescence of devices like tablets can be a problem compared with the comparative longevity of what they are replacing, namely books.
Three Ways of Engaging Theologically with Modernity
Authors: Healy Nicholas 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThe paper discusses three theological ways of responding to modernity, all of which rely in some way upon the analogy of the church as a culture. First, Friedrich Schleiermacher represents the turn to the subject and the turn to the church. Second, Stanley Hauerwas's rejection of the turn to the subject is shown to require a sharper turn to the church. Third, David Kelsey's recent work is used to present a modification of that turn substantial enough to constitute a third way. Kelsey's analysis of various theological logics and how they are often conflated in modern theology, together with his account of church practices, is used to integrate a more traditional theocentric theological approach with a more contemporary focus on the church's practices. Some conclusions are then drawn for critical congregational study of enactments of church practices.
The Credibility of the Catholic Church as Public Actor
Authors: O'Loughlin Thomas 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThis article assumes that there is a profound crisis of credibility in the Catholic Church today. This is distinct from the issue of the credibility of Christian faith or the credibility of theism, for many who believe, indeed many Catholics, are affected by this sense that the Church, as a public actor, lacks credibility. Moreover, while it would be a mistake to seek the roots of this lack of credibility within general appeals to “modern unbelief,” so it would also be a mistake to imagine that it is purely a matter of “image” or as a direct result of the revelations about clerical child-abuse and its cover-up. It argues that modern society has evolved, through painful experience, a healthy scepticism about large organisations and with this has developed a set of social values (e.g. mutual responsibility and transparency) that are at odds with many of the values (e.g. hierarchy) that the Church has inherited from its past. Far from seeing these developments as part of a pathology of modernity, they can be seen as the work of the Spirit and a challenge to the Church to embrace new ways of being a witness to the truth and new ways of embodying the Christ in its living.
Does the Order and Timing of Active Labour Market Programmes Matter?
Authors: Lechner Michael , Wiehler Stephan 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThis study extends the traditional focus of active labour market policy evaluation from a static comparison of participation in a programme versus non‐participation (or participation in another programme) to the evaluation of the effects of programme sequences, that is, multiple participation or timing of such programmes. Explicitly allowing for dynamic selection into different stages of such programme sequences we analyse multiple programmes, the timing of programmes, and the order of programmes. The analysis is based on comprehensive administrative data on the Austrian labour force. Our findings suggest that (i) active job search programmes are more effective after a qualification programme compared to the reverse order, (ii) multiple participation in qualification measures dominates single participation and (iii) the effectiveness of several labour market programmes deteriorates the later they start during an unemployment spell.
The relationships between self‐transcendence and spiritual well‐being in cognitively intact nursing home patients
Authors: Haugan Gørill , Rannestad Toril , Hammervold Randi , Garåsen Helge , Espnes Geir A. 
Published: February 2013

BackgroundSelf‐transcendence is considered a developmental process of personal maturity and a vital resource of well‐being in later adulthood. Measurement of the associations between self‐transcendence and spiritual well‐being in cognitively intact nursing home patients has not been previously published.AimsThe aim of this study was to identify the relationships between self‐transcendence and spiritual well‐being in cognitively intact nursing home patients.MethodsA cross‐sectional design using the self‐transcendence scale and the FACIT‐Sp spiritual well‐being questionnaire was adopted. A sample of 202 cognitively intact nursing home patients in mid‐Norway was selected to respond to the questionnaires in 2008 and 2009. Statistical analyses were conducted using lisrel 8.8 (Scientific Software International, Chicago, IL, USA) and structural equation modelling.ResultsA hypothesised structural equation model comprising a two‐factor construct of self‐transcendence and a three‐factor construct of spiritual well‐being demonstrated significant direct relationships between self‐transcendence and spiritual well‐being and total effects of self‐transcendence on spiritual well‐being.Implications for practiceFacilitating patients' self‐transcendence, both interpersonally and intrapersonally, might increase spiritual well‐being among cognitively intact nursing home patients, which is seen to be of great importance to nursing home patients' overall satisfaction and satisfaction with staff. The two‐factor construct of self‐transcendence and the three‐factor construct of FACIT‐Sp allow a more complex examination of the associations between the constructs and prove more specific guidelines for nursing interventions promoting well‐being in nursing home patients.
ELPylated haemagglutinins produced in tobacco plants induce potentially neutralizing antibodies against H5N1 viruses in mice
Authors: Phan Hoang T. , Pohl Julia , Floss Doreen M. , Rabenstein Frank , Veits Jutta , Le Binh T. , Chu Ha H. , Hause Gerd , Mettenleiter Thomas , Conrad Udo 
Published: February 2013

SummaryReducing the cost of vaccine production is a key priority for veterinary research, and the possibility of heterologously expressing antigen in plants provides a particularly attractive means of achieving this. Here, we report the expression of the avian influenza virus haemagglutinin (AIV HA) in tobacco, both as a monomer and as a trimer in its native and its ELPylated form. We firstly presented evidence to produce stabilized trimers of soluble HA in plants. ELPylation of these trimers does not influence the trimerization. Strong expression enhancement in planta caused by ELPylation was demonstrated for trimerized H5‐ELP. ELPylated trimers could be purified by a membrane‐based inverse transition cycling procedure with the potential of successful scale‐up. The trimeric form of AIV HA was found to enhance the HA‐specific immune response compared with the monomeric form. Plant‐derived AIV HA trimers elicited potentially neutralizing antibodies interacting with both homologous virus‐like particles from plants and heterologous inactivated AIV. ELPylation did not influence the functionality and the antigenicity of the stabilized H5 trimers. These data allow further developments including scale‐up of production, purification and virus challenge experiments with the final goal to achieve suitable technologies for efficient avian flu vaccine production.
Cellular Remodelling by Apoptosis During Porcine Placentation
Authors: Cristofolini A , Sanchis G , Moliva M , Alonso L , Chanique A , Koncurat M , Merkis C 
Published: February 2013

ContentsThe mechanisms that regulate the apoptosis are essential to the normal development and maintenance of homoeostasis and play an important role in placental development in mammals. During porcine pregnancy, there must be a proper cellular remodelling to achieve a normal gestational development. Knowledge of pig physiology during pregnancy will explore options to increase the productivity of this species of high economical value. The purpose of this work was to study the cell morphology and apoptosis of porcine placentas from early, mid and late pregnancy. For that purpose, high‐resolution light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were performed to the study of cell morphology. TUNEL, the apoptosis index (IAp) and the expression of c‐FLIP through immunohistochemistry technique were used to the study of apoptosis. High‐resolution light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of placental cells with ultrastructural apoptotic features. Apoptotic nuclei were detected by TUNEL in different placental structures and phagocytes containing apoptotic bodies. The IAp in villi was 9.34% at early, 0.82% at mid and 23.85% at late pregnancy. Statistically significant differences were found between periods (p < 0.05). In previous studies, we determined a differential induction of the apoptotic routes in the placental villi in agreement with the gestational period. A co‐expression of receptors and mitochondrial proteins in placental connective tissue was detected, but the immunolocalization of c‐FLIP would indicate an endogenous inhibition of the extrinsic pathway. In conclusion, in swine there exists differential activation of inducing apoptotic pathways in different placental structures according to the gestational period.
The Presence of SOD 1 and GSH‐Px in Bovine Retained and Properly Released Foetal Membranes
Authors: Kankofer M , Wawrzykowski J , Hoedemaker M 
Published: February 2013

ContentsThe maintenance of antioxidative/oxidative balance is crucial for cellular and extracellular environment. That is why antioxidative enzymes express their activity in different isoforms in different cell compartments and extracellular space. The aim of study was to verify the results of previous experiment on activities of antioxidative enzymes by the determination of their enzymatic proteins in bovine placental tissues by Western blotting technique. Moreover, the presence of particular isoenzymes was detected and differentiated. Homogenates of maternal and foetal part of both properly released and retained bovine placenta were subjected to PAGE electrophoresis in non‐reducing and reducing conditions and Western blotting with appropriate antibodies against superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px). Electrophoresis allowed for the detection of protein bands of molecular weight related to CuZn‐SOD as well as cGSH‐Px isoenzymes. The reaction with appropriate antibodies confirmed this. Densitometric analysis, although semi‐quantitative, allowed for the observation of trends in differences in antioxidative enzyme proteins, which may partly confirm previously described results in cases of retained and released placenta. Local antioxidative enzymatic mechanisms in bovine placental tissues are represented by CuZn‐SOD and cGSH‐Px, which show the changes in their expression during improper placental release.