bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rescue of cardiomyopathy through U7snRNA‐mediated exon skipping in Mybpc3‐targeted knock‐in mice
Authors: Gedicke‐Hornung Christina , Behrens‐Gawlik Verena , Reischmann Silke , Geertz Birgit , Stimpel Doreen , Weinberger Florian , Schlossarek Saskia , Précigout Guillaume , Braren Ingke , Eschenhagen Thomas , Mearini Giulia , Lorain Stéphanie , Voit Thomas , Dreyfus Patrick A. , Garcia Luis , Carrier Lucie 
Published: May 2013

AbstractExon skipping mediated by antisense oligoribonucleotides (AON) is a promising therapeutic approach for genetic disorders, but has not yet been evaluated for cardiac diseases. We investigated the feasibility and efficacy of viral‐mediated AON transfer in a Mybpc3‐targeted knock‐in (KI) mouse model of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). KI mice carry a homozygous G>A transition in exon 6, which results in three different aberrant mRNAs. We identified an alternative variant (Var‐4) deleted of exons 5–6 in wild‐type and KI mice. To enhance its expression and suppress aberrant mRNAs we designed AON‐5 and AON‐6 that mask splicing enhancer motifs in exons 5 and 6. AONs were inserted into modified U7 small nuclear RNA and packaged in adeno‐associated virus (AAV‐U7‐AON‐5+6). Transduction of cardiac myocytes or systemic administration of AAV‐U7‐AON‐5+6 increased Var‐4 mRNA/protein levels and reduced aberrant mRNAs. Injection of newborn KI mice abolished cardiac dysfunction and prevented left ventricular hypertrophy. Although the therapeutic effect was transient and therefore requires optimization to be maintained over an extended period, this proof‐of‐concept study paves the way towards a causal therapy of HCM.
Dynamics of inelastic base‐isolated structures subjected to analytical pulse ground motions
Authors: Vassiliou Michalis F. , Tsiavos Anastasios , Stojadinović Božidar 
Published: May 2013

SUMMARYStructural design code provisions worldwide prescribe relatively small seismic force reduction factors for seismically base‐isolated structures, making their response to design‐level earthquake excitation essentially elastic. This paper uses the method of dimensional analysis to prove that; in most cases, this is not a conservative design approach but a necessity that emerges from the dynamics of base‐isolated structures. It is shown that allowing typical base‐isolated structures to yield results in large displacement ductility demands for the structure. This phenomenon is caused by the change in the nature of the ground motion excitation as it is transmitted to the structure through the seismic base isolation system as well as by the change in the distribution of displacements between the structure and the isolation bearings caused by yielding of the isolated structure. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Using caesium‐134 and cobalt‐60 as tracers to assess the remobilization of recently‐deposited overbank‐derived sediment on river floodplains during subsequent inundation events
Authors: Greenwood P. , Walling D. E. , Quine T. A. 
Published: May 2013

ABSTRACTRiver floodplains act as sinks for fine‐sediment and sediment‐associated contaminants. Increasing recognition of their environmental importance has necessitated a need for an improved understanding of the fate and residence times of overbank sediment deposits over a broad range of timescales. Most existing investigations have focused on medium‐term accretion rates, which represents net deposition from multiple flood events over several decades. In contrast, the fate of recently‐deposited sediment during subsequent overbank events has received only limited attention. This paper presents a novel tracing‐technique for documenting the remobilization of recent overbank sediment on river floodplains during subsequent inundation events, using the artificial radionuclides, caesium‐134 (134Cs) and cobalt‐60 (60Co). The investigation was conducted within floodplains of the Rivers Taw and Culm in Devon, UK. Small quantities of fine‐sediment (< 63 µm dia.), pre‐labelled with known activities of either 134Cs or 60Co, were deposited at 15 locations across each floodplain. Surface inventories, measured before and after three consecutive flood events, were used to estimate sediment loss (in g m–2). Significant reductions provided evidence of the remobilization of the labelled sediment by inundating floodwaters. Spatial variations in remobilization were related to localized topography. Sediment remobilized during the first two events for the River Taw floodplain were equivalent to 63 · 8% and 11 · 9%, respectively, of the original mass. Equivalent values for the River Culm floodplain were 49 · 6% and 12 · 5%, respectively, of the original mass. Sediment loss during the third event proved too small to be attributed to remobilization by overbank floodwaters. After the third event, a mean of 22 · 5% and 35 · 2% of the original mass remained on the Taw and Culm floodplains, respectively. These results provide evidence of the storage of the remaining sediment. The findings highlight the importance of remobilization of recently‐deposited sediment on river floodplains during subsequent overbank events and demonstrate the potential of the tracing‐technique. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluation of critical body residue data for acute narcosis in aquatic organisms
Authors: McCarty L.S. , Arnot J.A. , Mackay D. 
Published: May 2013

Abstract

The Environmental Residue Effects Database was evaluated to identify critical body residues of organic chemicals causing acute baseline neutral narcosis in aquatic organisms. Over 15 000 records for &gt;400 chemicals were evaluated. Mean molar critical body residues in the final data set of 161 records for 29 chemicals were within published ranges but varied within and among chemicals and species (∼3 orders of magnitude), and lipid normalization did not consistently decrease variability. All 29 chemicals can act as baseline neutral narcotics, but chemicals and/or their metabolites may also act by nonnarcotic modes of action. Specifically, nonnarcotic toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and/or their biotransformation derivatives may be a significant source of variability. Complete testing of the narcosis-critical body residue hypothesis was confounded by data gaps for key toxicity modifying factors such as metabolite formation/toxicity, lipid content/composition, other modes of toxic action, and lack of steady-state status. Such problems impede determination of the precise, accurate toxicity estimates necessary for sound toxicological comparisons. Thus, neither the data nor the chemicals in the final data set should be considered definitive. Changes to testing designs and methods are necessary to improve data collection and critical body residue interpretation for hazard and risk assessment. Each of the toxicity metrics discussed—wet weight and lipid weight critical body residues, volume fraction in organism lipid, and chemical activity—has advantages, but all are subject to the same toxicity modifying factors. Environ Toxicol Chem 2013;32:2301–2314. © 2013 SETAC
Two‐way communication with adaptive data acquisition
Authors: Ahmadi Behzad , Simeone Osvaldo 
Published: May 2013

AbstractMotivated by computer networks and machine‐to‐machine communication applications, a bidirectional link is studied in which two nodes, Node 1 and Node 2, communicate to fulfill generally conflicting informational requirements. Node 2 is able to acquire information from the environment, for example, via access to a remote database or via sensing. Information acquisition is expensive in terms of system resources, for example, time, bandwidth and energy, and thus should be carried out efficiently by adapting the acquisition process to the needs of the application. As a result of the forward communication from Node 1 to Node 2, the latter wishes to compute some function, such as a suitable average, of the data available at Node 1 and of the data obtained from the environment. The forward link is also used by Node 1 to query Node 2 with the aim of retrieving suitable information from the environment on the backward link. The problem is formulated in the context of multi‐terminal rate distortion theory and the optimal trade‐off between communication rates, distortions of the information produced at the two nodes and costs for information acquisition at Node 2 is derived. The issue of robustness to possible malfunctioning of the data acquisition process at Node 2 is also investigated. The results are illustrated via an example that demonstrates the different roles played by the forward communication, namely data exchange, query and control.Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Methane and nitrous oxide emissions from Indian rice paddies, agricultural soils and crop residue burning
Authors: Bhatia Arti , Jain Niveta , Pathak Himanshu 
Published: May 2013

AbstractAgricultural soils contribute toward the emission of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), the two important greenhouse gases (GHGs) causing global warming. A state‐wise inventory of CH4 and N2O emissions from agricultural soils of India was prepared for the base year 2007 using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) national inventory preparation guidelines. For CH4 inventory, state‐specific emission coefficients were used for rice grown under upland, rain‐fed, irrigated, and deepwater, the four major rice ecosystems of the country. In case of N2O, both direct and indirect emissions from agricultural soils in different states were calculated using indigenous country specific emission factors. The change in annual emission of CH4 and N2O during the period 1980 to 2007 was estimated using the same emission coefficients. Indian rice fields covering an area of 43.86 million ha under the different rice ecosystems emitted 3.37 million tons of CH4 (84.25 Tg CO2 equivalents) in 2007. The annual direct and indirect N2O‐N emissions from Indian agricultural soils was estimated to be 118.67 Gg (55.5 Tg CO2 equivalent) and 19.48 Gg (9.1 Tg CO2 equivalent), respectively. The global warming potential of the agricultural soils was estimated to be 148 Tg for the year 2007. Emissions from field burning of agricultural residues resulted in an annual emission of 250 Gg of CH4 (6.2 Tg CO2 equivalent) and 6.5 Gg of N2O (1.9 Tg CO2 equivalent). Emission of CH4 from Indian rice fields has remained almost constant during this period whereas there has been an increase of 176% in N2O emissions from agricultural soils due to increased inorganic fertilizer application, however the greenhouse gas emission intensity has declined over the years due to increase in food production.
Case of malignant transformation of vagus nerve schwannoma to angiosarcoma
Authors: Ogawa Tetsuya , Kato Takashige , Ikeda Atsuhiko , Nishimura Kunihiro , Tsuchiya Yoshimasa , Okamoto Hiroki , Takahashi Emiko , Yokoi Toyoharu , Ueda Hiromi 
Published: May 2013

AbstractBackgroundIt is known that benign tumors have the potential for malignant transformation. Malignant transformation of vagus nerve schwannoma to angiosarcoma is very rare.MethodsWe report a case of malignant transformation in which the initial diagnosis was subsequently altered to angiosarcoma originating from the vagus nerve. We compared the findings of MRI and fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) at initial diagnosis with those after malignant transformation.ResultsMRI revealed that the mass property had been changed from the initial tumor; also the FNA findings were significantly different from those in the previous ones. The patient had significant clinical progression with multiple cranial neuropathies and died.ConclusionSchwannomas sometimes undergo malignant transformation; therefore, surgery should be recommended. If follow‐up observation is chosen, MRI and FNA should be regular and patients should sign a statement acknowledging awareness of the potential for malignant transformation. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 36: E17–E20, 2014
Helix 69: A Multitasking RNA Motif as a Novel Drug Target
Authors: Jiang Jun , Sakakibara Yogo , Chow Christine S. 
Published: May 2013

AbstractHigh‐resolution structures have shown that helix 69 (H69) of the large ribosomal subunit can assume variable conformational states during translation. Solution studies on small model RNAs, isolated subunits, and complete ribosomes also revealed a variety of H69 conformations. Specific nucleotides of H69 that undergo changes in their relative orientations within the ribosome structure play important roles in both translation and ribosome rescue. Furthermore, the presence of multiple pseudouridines influences the global conformational states of H69, and these highly conserved modifications play a role in regulating the positioning of key functional residues. Helix 69 has recently been identified as a novel antibiotic target site. Small molecules such as aminoglycosides bind to specific conformational states of H69 in bacterial ribosomes and affect the translation process. A variety of techniques have been employed to study H69, ranging from chemical synthesis to X‐ray crystallography, highlighting the importance of a detailed evaluation of the underlying principles of RNA conformational dynamics and drug targeting.
IMPACT OF PITCHER MATERIAL AND SALINITY OF WATER USED ON FLOW RATE, WETTING FRONT ADVANCE, SOIL MOISTURE AND SALT DISTRIBUTION IN SOIL IN PITCHER IRRIGATION: A LABORATORY STUDY
Authors: Naik B.S. , Panda R.K. , Nayak S.C. , Sharma S.D. , Sahu A.P. 
Published: May 2013

ABSTRACTThree types of pitchers made of different materials were used with saline waters of varied concentrations (5, 10, 15 and 20 dS m‐1) separately to study the effect on flow rate, wetting front advance, moisture and salt distribution in the wetted zone of soil around pitchers. It was found that the pitcher made of clay and sand yielded the lowest flow rate, ranging from 0.42 to 0.62%, followed by the pitcher made of clay, sand and resin, 0.51–0.69% and the pitcher made of clay, sand and sawdust, 0.91–1.02% .The wetting front advance was highest for the pitcher made of clay, sand and sawdust, followed by the pitcher made of clay, sand and resin, and the pitcher made of clay and sand. The mean soil moisture content around the pitcher made of clay and sand was found to be the minimum and varied from 8.53 to 13.3%, followed by the pitcher made of clay, sand and resin, and the pitcher made of clay, sand and sawdust with 9.56–13.7% and 14.5–20.8%, respectively. In the case of the pitcher made of clay and sand, and the pitcher made of clay, sand and resin, the maximum salt concentration in the soil profile ranged between 1.09 and 3.88 dS m‐1 and in the pitcher made of clay, sand and sawdust, it ranged from 2.30 to 6.07 dS m‐1. The initial salinity of water was found to be substantially reduced around the pitcher made of clay and sand, and the pitcher made of clay, sand and resin in comparison to the pitcher made of clay, sand and sawdust. In all cases, salinity levels around the pitchers were well within the safe limit of growing crops. The study reveals that pitcher irrigation may be a promising option for growing plants using highly saline waters, sustaining hardly any salinity hazard or moisture stress. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DISENTANGLING DEMAND AND SUPPLY SHOCKS IN THE CRUDE OIL MARKET: HOW TO CHECK SIGN RESTRICTIONS IN STRUCTURAL VARS
Authors: Lütkepohl Helmut , NetŠunajev Aleksei 
Published: May 2013

SUMMARYSign restrictions have become increasingly popular for identifying shocks in structural vector autoregressive (SVAR) models. So far there are no techniques for validating the shocks identified via such restrictions. Although in an ideal setting the sign restrictions specify shocks of interest, sign restrictions may be invalidated by measurement errors, data adjustments or omitted variables. We model changes in the volatility of the shocks via a Markov switching (MS) mechanism and use this device to give the data a chance to object to sign restrictions. The approach is illustrated by considering a small model for the market of crude oil. Earlier findings that oil supply shocks explain only a very small fraction of movements in the price of oil are confirmed and it is found that the importance of aggregate demand shocks for oil price movements has declined since the mid 1980s. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
STRATEGIC ASSET ALLOCATION FOR LONG‐TERM INVESTORS: PARAMETER UNCERTAINTY AND PRIOR INFORMATION
Authors: Hoevenaars Roy P. P. M. , Molenaar Roderick D. J. , Schotman Peter C. , Steenkamp Tom B. M. 
Published: May 2013

SUMMARYWe study the effect of parameter uncertainty on the long‐run risk for three asset classes: stocks, bills and bonds. Using a Bayesian vector autoregression with an uninformative prior we find that parameter uncertainty raises the annualized long‐run volatilities of all three asset classes proportionally with the same factor relative to volatilities that are conditional on maximum likelihood parameter estimates. As a result, the horizon effect in optimal asset allocations is much weaker compared to models in which only equity returns are subject to parameter uncertainty. Results are sensitive to alternative informative priors, but generally the term structure of risk for stocks and bonds is relatively flat for investment horizons up to 15 years. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Carboxymethyl cellulose—hydroxyapatite hybrid hydrogel as a composite material for bone tissue engineering applications
Authors: Pasqui Daniela , Torricelli Paola , De Cagna Milena , Fini Milena , Barbucci Rolando 
Published: May 2013

AbstractNatural bone is a complex inorganic–organic nanocomposite material, in which hydroxyapatite (HA) nanocrystals and collagen fibrils are well organized into hierarchical architecture over several length scales. In this work, we reported a new hybrid material (CMC‐HA) containing HA drown in a carboxymethylcellulose (CMC)‐based hydrogel. The strategy for inserting HA nanocrystals within the hydrogel matrix consists of making the freeze‐dried hydrogel to swell in a solution containing HA microcrystals. The composite CMC‐HA hydrogel has been characterized from a physicochemical and morphological point of view by means of FTIR spectroscopy, rheological measurements, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). No release of HA was measured in water or NaCl solution. The distribution of HA crystal on the surface and inside the hydrogel was determined by time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) and FESEM. The biological performance of CMC‐HA hydrogel were tested by using osteoblast MG63 line and compared with a CMC‐based hydrogel without HA. The evaluation of osteoblast markers and gene expression showed that the addition of HA to CMC hydrogel enhanced cell proliferation and metabolic activity and promoted the production of mineralized extracellular matrix. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 102A: 1568–1579, 2014.
A comparison of 40 years of SBUV measurements of column ozone with data from the Dobson/Brewer network
Authors: Labow Gordon J. , McPeters Richard D. , Bhartia Pawan K. , Kramarova Natalya 
Published: May 2013

AbstractTotal column ozone data from the Nimbus‐4 Backscatter UltraViolet (BUV) instrument, Nimbus‐7 Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) instrument, as well as from seven NOAA SBUV/2 instruments have been newly reprocessed with the Version 8.6 ozone retrieval algorithm. This yields a coherent data set that, unlike the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer ozone record, has no data gaps or significant time periods with large uncertainties due to calibration issues from 1979 to the present. The column ozone data from the first 3 years of the BUV record (1970–1972) is of high quality and can be used to extend the satellite ozone record back over 40 years. With the new algorithm, an improved total column ozone value is calculated by summing up the profile information as opposed to a single direct column measurement, and the algorithm is optimized for the detection of long‐term trends. The results from this processing of these data have been systematically compared to total ozone data from Brewer and Dobson spectrophotometers for many individual ground stations as a function of time, satellite solar zenith angle, and latitude. The time series comparisons show an agreement within ± 1% over the past 40 years with the bias approaching zero over the last decade. The aerosols associated with the eruption of Mt Pinatubo in 1991 produced an underestimation of ozone for our retrievals at high slant columns while the near‐nadir values were relatively unaffected. There is very little systematic offset between the satellite and ground‐based measurements as a function of latitude with the Nimbus‐4 BUV data (1970–1976) showing the largest offsets. The comparisons as a function of satellite solar zenith angle show consistent behavior for all instruments. Comparisons with ozonesonde data show good agreement in the integrated column up to 25 hPa with differences of no more than 5%.
Improving outcomes of screening breast MRI with practice evolution: Initial clinical experience with 3T compared to 1.5T
Authors: Lourenco Ana P. , Donegan Linda , Khalil Hanan , Mainiero Martha B. 
Published: May 2013

PurposeTo determine if changing from 1.5T to 3T breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is associated with a change in BI‐RADS categories, positive predictive value of biopsy recommendation, or cancer detection rates in high‐risk screening breast MRI.Materials and MethodsInstitutional Review Board (IRB) approval was obtained for this Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)‐compatible retrospective review. Prior to October 2010, breast MRI was performed at 1.5T and after October 2010 breast MRI was performed at 3T. Reports of 495 consecutive screening 3T breast MRI exams from October 2010 through October 2011 were reviewed. Comparison was made to previously collected data on 650 screening breast MRI exams at 1.5T. Data were analyzed for statistical significance using the two‐sample test of proportions.ResultsThere were 495 screening breast MRI exams. There were 419 (84.6%) BI‐RADS 1/2 results, 35 (7.1%) BI‐RADS 3 results, and 41 (8.3%) BI‐RADS 4/5 results. BI‐RADS 4/5 results increased at 3T (P = 0.04). The positive predictive value for BI‐RADS 4/5 was 29.3% (12/41) at 3T, compared with 17.6% at 1.5T (P < 0.001). Cancer detection rate was 2.6% at 3T, compared with 0.9% at 1.5T (P = 0.02).ConclusionTransition to 3T breast MRI in a screening population resulted in increased BI‐RADS 4/5 interpretations, positive predictive value of biopsy recommendations, and cancer detection rate. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2014;39:535–539. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.