bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cytoplasmic-targeted parvalbumin blocks the proliferation of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells in prophase
Authors: Melo Carolina Soares Barros , Arantes Faria Jerusa Araújo Quintão , Corrêa Natássia Caroline Resende , de Andrade Carolina , Carvalho Juliana Lott , Goes Alfredo M , Rodrigues Michele A , Gomes Dawidson Assis 
Published: August 2013

Abstract
Introduction
Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have gained considerable interest because of their potential use in the treatment of a variety of diseases and injuries. Although remarkable advancements have been made in clinical studies, substantial concerns still regard the safety of MSCs. Some evidence suggests that MSCs can spontaneously generate a population of cells with tumorigenic potential. Thus, studying the molecular mechanisms that control the proliferation of MSCs may be a necessary step toward the development of strategies for safe clinical practice. Ca2+ is a second messenger that mediates a wide range of cellular responses, including the regulation of cell proliferation, but little is known about its function in MSCs. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of targeted Ca2+ buffering on MSCs proliferation in vitro.

Methods
Here, we used an adenoviral (Ad) vector encoding the Ca2+ chelator protein parvalbumin (PV) fused to a nuclear exclusion signal (NES) and the Discosoma red fluorescent protein (DsRed) to investigate the function of cytoplasmic Ca2+ signals on MSC proliferation. Confocal microscopy was used to demonstrate that PV-NES-DsRed was expressed in the cytoplasm. Ca2+ signaling was monitored by using Fluo-4-AM. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis of cells that were stained with propidium iodide was used as a quantitative measure of cell death. The mitotic index was assessed by immunofluorescence, and the expression of cyclins was examined with Western blot.

Results
Our results show that the Ad-PV-NES-DsRed fusion protein decreased serum-induced Ca2+ signaling and blocked the proliferation of rat adipose-derived MSCs (AT-MSCs) in prophase. FACS analysis revealed that Ad-PV-NES-DsRed did not induce cell death in AT-MSCs. Furthermore, Western blot analysis demonstrated that Ad-PV-NES-DsRed reduced extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk1/2) phosphorylation and cyclin B1 expression. Buffering cytosolic Ca2+ did not alter the expression of cyclins A/D1/D2/D3/E and E2.

Conclusions
Our results show that cytoplasmic Ca2+ signals are important for AT-MSCs progression beyond prophase because of their effects on Erk phosphorylation and cyclin B1 expression.
Application of the CSAMT method to groundwater exploration in a metropolitan environment
Authors: Fu Changmin , Di Qingyun , An Zhiguo 
Published: August 2013

Urban and suburban areas of large cities impose great challenges to geophysical surveys because of high-level ambient noise. This is particularly true for controlled source audio-frequency magnetotellurics (CSAMT) because the frequency range of the method overlaps those of many civil and industrial noises. Among the different types of noise sources, perhaps the most noticeable one is the 50-Hz power grid. We have successfully applied the CSAMT method for groundwater exploration in a suburban Beijing area where the ambient noise level is about three times as high as would normally be encountered. Several steps were taken in assuring quality use of the method, including careful survey design, adequate frequency range selection, and large transmitter dipole length and transmitter-receiver spacing. The next step was static effect removal through low-pass filtering and topography correction to remove any nonhorizontal component in the electric field measurement. Finally, a 1D inversion method was applied to construct an (apparent) resistivity cross section. The survey revealed a low-resistivity, water-bearing layer sandwiched between a surface cover layer and the bedrock. The available well data suggested that the depth of the bedrock was accurately mapped, to within about 2 m, at a depth level of 150–165 m.
Impact of a 2-year multimodal intervention for disruptive 6-year-olds on substance use in adolescence: randomised controlled trial
Authors: Castellanos-Ryan Natalie , Séguin Jean R. , Vitaro Frank , Parent Sophie , Tremblay Richard E. 
Published: August 2013

BackgroundAdolescent substance use is associated with both earlier childhood behavioural problems and serious lifetime addiction problems later in life.AimsTo examine whether, and through which mechanisms, targeting risk factors in early childhood prevents substance use across adolescence.MethodDisruptive kindergarten boys (n = 172) living in Montreal were randomly allocated to a preventive intervention and a control condition. The intervention was delivered over 2 years (7–9 years of age) with two main components: (a) social and problem-solving skills training for the boys; and (b) training for parents on effective child-rearing skills.ResultsAdolescent substance use, up to 8 years post-intervention, was reduced in those who received the intervention (d = 0.48−0.70). Of most interest, the intervention effects were explained partly by reductions in impulsivity, antisocial behaviour and affiliation with less deviant peers during pre-adolescence (11–13 years).ConclusionsAdolescent substance use may be indirectly prevented by selectively targeting childhood risk factors that disrupt the developmental cascade of adolescent risk factors for substance use.
Sex-specific divergence for adaptations to dehydration stress in Drosophila kikkawai
Authors: Parkash Ravi , Ranga Poonam 
Published: August 2013

SUMMARY
Several studies on diverse Drosophila species have reported higher desiccation resistance of females, but the physiological basis of such sex-specific differences has received less attention. We tested whether sex-specific differences in cuticular traits (melanic females and non-melanic males) of Drosophila kikkawai correspond with divergence in their water balance mechanisms. Our results are interesting in several respects. First, positive clinal variation in desiccation resistance was correlated with cuticular melanisation in females but with changes in cuticular lipid mass in males, despite a lack of differences between the sexes for the rate of water loss. Second, a comparative analysis of water budget showed that females of the northern population stored more body water as well as hemolymph content and exhibited greater dehydration tolerance than flies from the southern tropics. In contrast, we found no geographical variation in the males for water content and dehydration tolerance. Third, an ~10-fold increase in the rate of water loss after organic solvent treatment of male D. kikkawai suggested a role of cuticular lipids in cuticular transpiration, but had no effect in the females. Fourth, geographical differences in the storage of carbohydrate content (metabolic fuel) were observed in females but not in males. Interestingly, in females, the rate of utilization of carbohydrates did not vary geographically, but males from drier localities showed a 50% reduction compared with wetter localities. Thus, body melanisation, increased body water, hemolymph, carbohydrate content and greater dehydration tolerance confer greater desiccation resistance in females, but a reduced rate of water loss is the only possible mechanism to cope with drought stress in males. Finally, acclimated females showed a significant increase in drought resistance associated with higher trehalose content as well as dehydration tolerance, while males showed no acclimation response. Thus, sex-specific differences in desiccation resistance of D. kikkawai are associated with divergence in some water balance strategies, despite a lack of differences in the rate of water loss between the two sexes.
Thin Films of PEDOT/PSS Bar-coated on Transparent Plastic Substrates
Authors: Yan Hu , Yumoto Tatsunori , Cheng Wen-zhen , Zhang Ping , Mei Yin-ang , Zhang Ke , Okuzaki Hidenori 
Published: August 2013

Abstract
We have investigated highly conductive and transparent thin films of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT/PSS) bar-coated on transparent plastic substrates such as polycarbonate (PC) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) sheets, in terms of sheet resistance (Rs), transparency (T), and surface roughness (Ra). Plasma treatment of the substrate and the addition of a surfactant and diethyl glycol (DEG) in the centrifuge-treated PEDOT/PSS dispersion are optimum coating conditions to obtain high-performance transparent PEDOT/PSS/PET sheets whose sheet resistance (Rs), transmittance at 550 nm (T), and surface roughness (Ra) were 383 Ω/sq, 75%, and 1.8 nm, respectively.
Scenario: Mapping Disinfection
Authors: Olds Laura , Stevens Tracey Dawn , Olds Laura , Stevens Traqcey Dawn 
Published: August 2013

Scenario St Agnes Dental Practice is a busy, four surgery NHS practice in Cornwall. With significant design modifications, the team were able to install a ‘single’ decontamination unit, and have been working to HTM 01-05 Best Practice guidelines since its completion in March 2012.
An Assessment of the Perceived Benefits and Challenges of Participating in a Practice-Based Research Network
Authors: Curro FA , Thompson VP , Grill A , Craig RG , Botello-Harbaum MB , Matthews AG , Collie D 
Published: August 2013

Background A survey was conducted to describe the benefits of and challenges to practitioner participation in the Practitioners Engaged in Applied Research and Learning (PEARL) Network, a dental practice-based research network (PBRN). The results were compared with results from medical PBRNs across different tiers of participation (based on practitioner-investigators previous involvement with PEARL research protocols). Methods A 39-item web-based survey addressed the benefits of PBRN participation on three levels: individual/practitioner, practice (office), and community/professional. Participants were also asked to rate challenges to participation. Results A total of 153 of 216 PEARL practitioner-investigators participated, a response rate of 71%. The majority (70%) was male, with a median of 23 years in private practice. ‘Means to stay informed of new developments in my profession’ was considered a ‘very important’ benefit for nearly three-quarters of the sample (71%). ‘Opportunity to improve clinical procedures’ was considered as ‘very important’ by 73% of respondents. In terms of benefits related to the community and profession, 65% of respondents reported ‘means to directly contribute to the evidence base of dental practice’ as being ‘very important’. ‘Disruption in practice routine/clinical practice’ was considered the most important challenge to participation. Conclusions The benefits of and challenges to participation identified did not differ across tiers of participation and were similar to benefits identified by participants in medical PBRNs. The results of this study will help facilitate the design of future PBRN protocols to encourage greater participation by the profession. Results suggest that practitioners with similar interests could be recruited to collaborative studies between medicine and dentistry.
Steroid hormones and the stroma-vascular cells of the adipose tissue
Authors: Volat Fanny , Bouloumié Anne 
Published: August 2013

Abstract
The stroma-vascular fraction (SVF) of adipose tissue (AT) is a heterogeneous cell fraction composed of progenitor cells, endothelial cells, and immune cells. SVF plays a key role in AT homeostasis and growth as well as in obesity-associated pathologies. The SVF cell composition and phenotype are distinct according to AT location and adiposity. Such discrepancies influence AT function and are involved in obesity-associated disorders such as chronic inflammation. Investigations performed in recent years in rodents and humans provided evidence that the stroma-vascular cells contribute to the conversion of steroid hormones in AT and are also steroid targets. This review describes the link between steroids and SVF depending on gender, adiposity, and AT location and highlights the potential role of sex and corticosteroid hormones in adipogenesis, angiogenesis, and their contributions in AT inflammation.
Kinetic Study of Light Mercaptans in the Presence of Merox Catalyst and Caustic Soda
Authors: Ehsani Mohammad Reza , Mirjani Peyman , Safadoost Alireza 
Published: August 2013

Abstract
Due to the disgusting smell of light mercaptans, researchers are not interested in working with them, so there is not enough information available on their kinetics. This work presents kinetic investigation of oxidation of ethyl, normal-propyl, iso-propyl, and iso-butyl mercaptans in the presence of Merox catalyst. The results demonstrated that the oxidation rates of all mercaptans were first-order reaction with respect to mercaptan concentration, and the increase in NaOH concentration reduced the oxidation rate. While it was observed that there was a similarity between oxidation pattern of iso-propyl and ethyl mercaptans, another similarity was discovered between normal-propyl and iso-butyl mercaptans.
Double exposure to intra-amniotic lipopolysaccharide and maternal betamethasone induces sustained increase of neutrophils in the lungs and disrupts alveolarization in newborn rats
Authors: Lee Hyun Ju , Lee Youn Jin , Jo Heui Seung , Choi Chang Won , Kim Ee-Kyung , Kim Han-Suk , Kim Beyong Il , Choi Jung-Hwan 
Published: August 2013

Abstract

Aim: We investigated the combined effects of intra-amniotic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and maternal betamethasone (BMZ) on alveolarization using a newborn rat model.

Methods: LPS (1.0 μg/sac) or vehicle was injected into the amniotic sacs of pregnant rats and BMZ (170 μg/kg) or vehicle was injected intramuscularly into the pregnant rats twice at 8-h intervals on gestation day 20. The rat pups were delivered spontaneously after 2–2.5 days and raised until the measurements were taken. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed on days 2 and 5, and morphometric analyses of the lungs were performed on days 5 and 14.

Results: Intra-amniotic LPS significantly increased the neutrophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) on day 2, but double exposure to LPS and BMZ significantly alleviated the neutrophil increase in the BALF. On day 5, while the neutrophils in the BALF decreased in the animals exposed to LPS alone, the neutrophil numbers in the BALF were steady in the animals exposed to both LPS and BMZ. Morphometric analyses on days 5 and 14 revealed a significant disruption of alveolarization only in the animals exposed to both LPS and BMZ.

Conclusions: Our results suggested that double exposure to maternal BMZ and intra-amniotic LPS induces sustained increase of neutrophils in the lungs and disrupts alveolarization.
Reflectance confocal microscopy: A new tool in skin oncology
Authors: Meschieri Andrea , Pupelli Gaia , Pellacani Giovanni , Rajadhyaksha Milind , Longo Caterina 
Published: August 2013

AbstractNowadays in the contest of skin diseases the most important goals are the decrease of mortality through an early diagnosis and the reduction of unnecessary excisions of benign entities. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a modern imaging technique that has been introduced in main dermatological-referral centers and applied mostly in skin oncology. Currently, RCM may be considered very useful for accurate and early diagnosis of skin cancers (such as melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma), enabling a specific study of epidermal structures, dermo-epidermal junction and upper dermis. RCM, as second level diagnosis tool, is helpful in several cases, in particular for challenging lesions.
Synthesis of porous carbon nanotubes/activated carbon composite spheres and their application for vitamin B12 adsorption
Authors: Lu Yuemei , Gong Qianming , Lu Fangping , Liang Ji 
Published: August 2013

AbstractIn this paper, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were added to activated carbon to enhance the mesopores. At first, different amounts of CNTs were added to phenolic resin and composite spheres were synthesized by suspension polymerization. Then, by carbonizing these spheres at 600°C followed by steam activation at 850°C for more than 90 min, we prepared highly developed porous CNTs/activated carbon composite spheres. The composite spheres were characterized by a laser particle size analyzer, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectrum, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. Results showed that the composite spheres had good sphericity even with high proportion of CNTs (45 wt.%). Analysis also showed that the pore size distribution of the composite spheres containing CNTs was “multi-peak”, especially with 20–100-nm pores. The improved 20–100-nm porous structures in the composite spheres can be ascribed to aggregated pores of CNT bundles. The amount of vitamin B12 adsorbed on the 45 wt.% CNT composite spheres was as high as 32.38 mg/g. The spheres could be used as adsorbents for middle-molecular-weight toxins or large molecules in hemoperfusion.
Rethinking Our Public Health Genetics Research Paradigm
Authors: El-Sayed Abdulrahman M. , Koenen Karestan C. , Galea Sandro 
Published: August 2013

Since the sequencing of the human genome, tremendous resources have been dedicated to understanding how genetic determinants may drive the production of disease. Despite some successes, the promise of genetics research in these areas remains largely unrealized. The focus on isolating individual (or clusters of) genes that may be associated with narrowly defined phenotypes in large part explains this discrepancy. In particular, efforts to identify genotypes associated with narrow phenotypes force the field to use study designs that capitalize on homogeneous samples to minimize the potential for competing influences or confounders, which imposes important limitations on understanding the role of genes in human health. We argue that a population health genetics that incorporates genetics into large, multiwave, multilevel cohorts has the best potential to clarify how genes, in combination and with the environment, jointly influence population health.
Social, Behavioral, and Genetic Linkages from Adolescence Into Adulthood
Authors: Harris Kathleen Mullan , Halpern Carolyn Tucker , Hussey Jon , Whitsel Eric A. , Killeya-Jones Ley , Tabor Joyce , Elder Glen , Hewitt John , Shanahan Michael , Williams Redford , Siegler Ilene , Smolen Andrew 
Published: August 2013

The influence of genetic factors on health and behavior is conditioned by social, cultural, institutional, and physical environments in which individuals live, work, and play. We encourage studies supporting multilevel integrative approaches to understanding these contributions to health, and describe the Add Health study as an exemplar. Add Health is a large sample of US adolescents in grades 7 to 12 in 1994–1995 followed into adulthood with 4 in-home interviews and biomarker collections, including DNA. In addition to sampling multiple environments and measuring diverse social and health behavior, Add Health features a fully articulated behavioral genetic sample (3000 pairs) and ongoing genotyping of 12 000 archived samples. We illustrate approaches to understanding health through investigation of the interplay among biological, psychosocial, and physical, contextual, or cultural experiences.
Conceptual Shifts Needed to Understand the Dynamic Interactions of Genes, Environment, Epigenetics, Social Processes, and Behavioral Choices
Authors: Jackson Fatimah L. C. , Niculescu Mihai D. , Jackson Robert T. 
Published: August 2013

Social and behavioral research in public health is often intimately tied to profound, but frequently neglected, biological influences from underlying genetic, environmental, and epigenetic events. The dynamic interplay between the life, social, and behavioral sciences often remains underappreciated and underutilized in addressing complex diseases and disorders and in developing effective remediation strategies. Using a case-study format, we present examples as to how the inclusion of genetic, environmental, and epigenetic data can augment social and behavioral health research by expanding the parameters of such studies, adding specificity to phenotypic assessments, and providing additional internal control in comparative studies. We highlight the important roles of gene–environment interactions and epigenetics as sources of phenotypic change and as a bridge between the life and social and behavioral sciences in the development of robust interdisciplinary analyses.
The Challenge of Causal Inference in Gene–Environment Interaction Research: Leveraging Research Designs From the Social Sciences
Authors: Fletcher Jason M. , Conley Dalton 
Published: August 2013

The integration of genetics and the social sciences will lead to a more complex understanding of the articulation between social and biological processes, although the empirical difficulties inherent in this integration are large. One key challenge is the implications of moving “outside the lab” and away from the experimental tools available for research with model organisms. Social science research methods used to examine human behavior in nonexperimental, real-world settings to date have not been fully taken advantage of during this disciplinary integration, especially in the form of gene–environment interaction research. This article outlines and provides examples of several prominent research designs that should be used in gene–environment research and highlights a key benefit to geneticists of working with social scientists.
New Cold-Production Technique for Heavy Oil With Strong Bottomwaterdrive
Authors: Qin Wenting , Wojtanowicz Andrew K. , White Christopher D. 
Published: August 2013

Summary
Few heavy-oil reservoirs with strong bottomwaterdrive have been developed successfully, because severe water coning causes low ultimate recovery, low well productivity, and high water production. In these reservoirs, thermal and gravity-assisted methods that could improve recovery are perceived as economically unfavorable or technologically infeasible. In this paper, we propose a new cold-production technique, called the bilateral water sink (BWS), to meet those challenges.
The BWS method suppresses water cresting by producing oil and water simultaneously from bilateral horizontal wells completed in the oil and water zones separately. Unlike conventional horizontal-well production, where water cresting causes water to bypass oil, making the waterdrive mechanism ineffective, the BWS prevents water cresting by altering the potential distribution in the near-well region. With cresting suppressed, water drives the oil from the edges of the well drainage area to the well, resulting in high ultimate recovery. By exploiting the natural reservoir energy of the bottomwaterdrive, the BWS becomes economically, technically, and environmentally appealing—especially for offshore fields where cold production is the only option and oil/water separation is a problem.
In this paper, new analytical models are derived to design the water and oil rates for the BWS and to quantify the method's effect of avoiding water cresting and improving oil recovery. The analytical models are verified with numerical simulations. The BWS technique is also theoretically demonstrated by use of data from an actual oil field. The results show a considerable increase of oil recovery, from less than 15% for a conventional horizontal well to approximately 40% for a BWS well.