bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Demonstration of extracellular peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD) activity in synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis using a novel assay for citrullination of fibrinogen
Authors: Damgaard Dres , Senolt Ladislav , Nielsen Michael Friberg , Pruijn Ger J , Nielsen Claus H 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
Introduction
Members of the peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD) family catalyse the posttranslational conversion of peptidylarginine to peptidylcitrulline. Citrullination of proteins is well described in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and hypercitrullination of proteins may be related to inflammation in general. PAD activity has been demonstrated in various cell lysates, but so far not in synovial fluid. We aimed to develop an assay for detection of PAD activity, if any, in synovial fluid from RA patients.

Methods
An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using human fibrinogen as the immobilized substrate for citrullination and anti-citrullinated fibrinogen antibody as the detecting agent were used for measurement of PAD activity in synovial fluid samples from five RA patients. The concentrations of PAD2 and calcium were also determined.

Results
Approximately 150 times lower levels of recombinant human PAD2 (rhPAD2) than of rhPAD4 were required for citrullination of fibrinogen. PAD activity was detected in four of five synovial fluid samples from RA patients and correlated with PAD2 concentrations in the samples (r = 0.98, P = 0.003). The calcium requirement for half-maximal activities of PAD2 and PAD4 were found in a range from 0.35 to 1.85 mM, and synovial fluid was found to contain sufficient calcium levels for the citrullination process to occur.

Conclusions
We present an assay with high specificity for PAD2 activity and show that citrullination of fibrinogen can occur in cell-free synovial fluid from RA patients.
Microvesicles: ubiquitous contributors to infection and immunity
Authors: Lai Frances W , Lichty Brian D , Bowdish Dawn M E 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
MVs, which can be subgrouped into exosomes, SVs, and OMVs, are secreted by eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Many previously inexplicable phenomena can be explained by the existence of these vesicles, as they appear to be important in a wide range of biologic processes, such as intercellular communication and transfer of functional genetic information. In this review, we discuss the immunologic roles of MVs during sterile insult and infectious disease. MVs contribute to clotting initiation, cell recruitment, and neovascularization during wound healing. In the context of pathogen infection, both the host and the pathogen use MVs for communication and defense. MVs are exploited by various viruses to evade the host immune response and contribute to viral spread. Bacteria produce MVs that contain virulence factors that contribute to disease pathology and antibiotic resistance. This review summarizes the role of MVs in the pathology and resolution of disease.
At the Bench: Understanding group 2 innate lymphoid cells in disease
Authors: Doherty Taylor A 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
The conventional paradigm of type 2 inflammatory responses is characterized by activation of CD4+ Th2 cells that produce IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13, resulting in tissue eosinophil infiltration, mucus metaplasia, AHR, and IgE production. However, the recent discovery of ILC2s in mice and humans has brought forth a novel pathway in type 2 immunity that may work independent of, or in concert with, adaptive Th2 responses. ILC2s were described initially as lineage-negative lymphocytes that produce high levels of Th2 cytokines IL-5 and IL-13 in response to IL-25 and IL-33 and promote protection against helminth infections. More recent investigations have identified novel upstream regulators, as well as novel ILC2 products. ILC2s are found in mucosal surfaces, including respiratory tract and skin, and studies from experimental asthma and atopic dermatitis models support a role for ILC2s in promoting type 2 inflammatory responses. There are many unanswered questions about the role of ILC2s in chronic allergic diseases, including how ILC2s or upstream pathways can be targeted for therapy. As ILC2s are not antigen specific and may be activated after exposures to a variety of infectious agents and irritants thought to contribute to respiratory and skin diseases, future strategies to target ILC2 function in human disease may be promising. Our intent is to identify priority areas for ILC2 translational research based on basic research insights.
Metformin represses drug – induced expression of CYP2B6 by the constitutive androstane receptor phosphorylation
Authors: Andreeva Sveta Igorevna 
Published: December 2014

Currently, metformin is a major hypoglycemic agents for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The main antihyperglycemic effect of metformin - suppression of hepatic gluconeogenesis and glycolysis. However, type 2 diabetes are usually associated with other diseases and associated comorbid conditions that require polifarmakologic treatment.
Desegregation, Accountability, and Equality: North Carolina and the Nation, 1971-2002
Authors: Baker Scott , Myers Anthony , Vasquez Brittany 
Published: December 2014

Using North Carolina as a lens to illuminate broader national developments, this paper examines how and why educational policy in the United States turned away from a civil rights agenda of opportunity and embraced test-based accountability as a way of promoting racial equality. We show that comprehensive desegregation, enforcement of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Great Society Programs expanded educational opportunities for African Americans, fueled significant increases in black educational achievement and attainment, and brought African Americans closer to equality with whites by the 1980s. We situate the turn to accountability in a political context shaped by an increasingly conservative political environment, and examine three overlapping waves of test- based accountability that began in North Carolina in the late 1970s and spread throughout the region and the nation in the decades that followed: the minimum competency movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the standards based reforms of the 1980s, and the more comprehensive and coercive forms of high stakes testing in the 1990s. We argue that the southern political leaders who shaped U.S. educational policy turned to test-based accountability as a politically expedient alternative to the task of equalizing educational opportunities for African Americans. Civil rights organizations endorsed test-based accountability, but we find little evidence that test-based approaches improved African American educational outcomes. Opportunity policies, we conclude, did more to promote racial equality in educational achievement and attainment than test-based accountability.
Role of leptin in female reproduction
Authors: Pérez-Pérez Antonio , Sánchez-Jiménez Flora , Maymó Julieta , Dueñas José L. , Varone Cecilia , Sánchez-Margalet Víctor 
Published: December 2014

AbstractReproductive function is dependent on energy resources. The role of weight, body composition, fat distribution and the effect of diet have been largely investigated in experimental female animals as well as in women. Any alteration in diet and/or weight may induce abnormalities in timing of sexual maturation and fertility. However, the cellular mechanisms involved in the fine coordination of energy balance and reproduction are largely unknown. The brain and hypothalamic structures receive endocrine and/or metabolic signals providing information on the nutritional status and the degree of fat stores. Adipose tissue acts both as a store of energy and as an active endocrine organ, secreting a large number of biologically important molecules termed adipokines. Adipokines have been shown to be involved in regulation of the reproductive functions. The first adipokine described was leptin. Extensive research over the last 10 years has shown that leptin is not only an adipose tissue-derived messenger of the amount of energy stores to the brain, but also a crucial hormone/cytokine for a number of diverse physiological processes, such as inflammation, angiogenesis, hematopoiesis, immune function, and most importantly, reproduction. Leptin plays an integral role in the normal physiology of the reproductive system with complex interactions at all levels of the hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal (HPG) axis. In addition, leptin is also produced by placenta, where it plays an important autocrine function. Observational studies have demonstrated that states of leptin excess, deficiency, or resistance can be associated with abnormal reproductive function. This review focuses on the leptin action in female reproduction.
Serum fucosylated haptoglobin in chronic liver diseases as a potential biomarker of hepatocellular carcinoma development
Authors: Asazawa Hitomi , Kamada Yoshihiro , Takeda Yuri , Takamatsu Shinji , Shinzaki Shinichiro , Kim Youkoku , Nezu Riichiro , Kuzushita Noriyoshi , Mita Eiji , Kato Michio , Miyoshi Eiji 
Published: December 2014

AbstractFucosylation is one of the most important glycosylation events involved in cancer and inflammation. We previously developed a lectin antibody ELISA kit to measure fucosylated haptoglobin (Fuc-Hpt), which we identified as a novel cancer biomarker. In this study, we investigated Fuc-Hpt as a biomarker in chronic liver diseases, especially in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).We measured serum Fuc-Hpt levels using our ELISA kit in 318 patients with chronic liver diseases, including 145 chronic hepatitis (CH) patients, 81 liver cirrhosis (LC) patients, and 92 HCC patients. During a long-term follow-up period of 7 years (1996–2003), Fuc-Hpt levels were measured at three different time points in 19 HCC patients. Serum Fuc-Hpt levels were also examined with a short-term follow-up period of 3 years (2009–2012) in 13 HCC patients.Fuc-Hpt levels increased with liver disease progression. Patients with LC and HCC showed significantly increased Fuc-Hpt levels in comparison to CH patients or healthy volunteers. Fuc-Hpt levels tended to be higher in HCC patients than in LC patients. Fuc-Hpt was better than α-fetoprotein (AFP) and AFP-L3 for predicting HCC [diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) or ultrasound] in LC patients with long-term follow-up. More than 80% of LC patients with long-term follow-up showed increased Fuc-Hpt during hepatocarcinogenesis, and 38% of early-stage HCC patients with short-term follow-up showed a gradual increase in Fuc-Hpt before imaging diagnosis.These results suggest that Fuc-Hpt is a novel and potentially useful biomarker for predicting liver disease progression and HCC development.
Numerical Analysis of Residence Time Distribution in Packed Bed Reactors with Irregular Particle Arrangements
Authors: Atmakidis Theodoros , Kenig Eugeny Y. 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
The computational fluid dynamics approach is applied to packed bed reactors with moderate tube-to-particle diameter ratios. In order to generate irregular particle arrangements within the reactors, a modified ballistic deposition method is used. While our previous studies were focused on pressure drop and mass transfer characteristics, the present paper uses the same framework to investigate the dispersion phenomena occurring in such reactors. Two different methods, namely the tracer and the post-processing method, are applied. The first method imitates the experimental procedure in which a non-diffusive tracer is injected into the packed bed. The residence time can be evaluated from the evolution of the tracer concentration. The second method is purely numerical and allows fast residence time estimation. Simulation results are successfully validated against experimental data from literature. The suggested numerical analysis is a valuable tool toward a deeper understanding of the fundamental transport phenomena in such reactors and, consequently, for the improvement of the packed bed performance.
Finite groups with permutable complete Wielandt sets of subgroups
Authors: Guo Wenbin , Skiba Alexander N. 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
Let 𝒲 be a set of nilpotent Hall subgroups of a finite
group G. We say that 𝒲 is a Wielandt set if for
each prime p dividing |G| there is exactly one subgroup W ∈ 𝒲 such that p divides |W|. In this paper, we study the
influence of Wielandt sets on the structure of G. In particular,
we give conditions under which a normal subgroup of a finite
group is hypercyclically embedded.
On a mixed problem for the parabolic Lamé type operator
Authors: Puzyrev Roman , Shlapunov Alexander 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
We consider a boundary value problem for a Lamé type operator, which corresponds to
a linearisation of the Navier–Stokes' equations for compressible flow of Newtonian fluids in
the case where pressure is known. It consists of recovering a vector function, satisfying the
parabolic Lamé type system in a cylindrical domain, via its values and the values of the
boundary stress tensor on a given part of the lateral surface of the cylinder. We prove that
the problem is ill-posed in the natural spaces of smooth functions and in the
corresponding Hölder spaces; besides, additional initial data do not turn the problem to a
well-posed one. Using the integral representation's method we obtain a uniqueness
theorem and solvability conditions for the problem. We also describe conditions, providing
dense solvability of the problem.
El modelo de escuela rural multigrado ¿es un modelo del que podamos aprender? ¿Es transferible a otro tipo de escuela?
Authors: Abós Olivares Pilar 
Published: December 2014

La escuela rural presenta unas características educativas específicas centradas en la heterogeneidad y la diversidad que precisan de un planteamiento psicopedagógico y unas estrategias didácticas adaptadas. Partiendo de esta premisa presentamos un proyecto de investigación interuniversitario e internacional realizado a lo largo de más de tres años en el que, a través de una metodología cuantitativa y cualitativa, se describen las prácticas pedagógicas de los maestros de escuelas multigrado de cinco países de América Latina y Europa, con el objetivo de analizar aquellos componentes didácticos que puedan ser transferidos a otra tipología de escuela y avanzar en el conocimiento, no solo de la escuela multigrado, sino también en el de la necesaria atención a la diversidad como clave para el logro de una educación de calidad para todos.http://dx.doi.org/10.15304/ie.24.1946
Wafer bonding of Si for hybrid photonic devices
Authors: Le Bourhis Eric , Pantzas Konstantin , Patriarche Gilles , Talneau Anne , Sagnes Isabelle , Troadec David 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACTInP membranes have been bonded both oxide free and oxide mediated onto a Si substrate. The mechanical responses of the obtained thin (0.4 µm) membranes could be tested by nanoindentation and compared. Delamination of the membrane was observed to occur when the indenting load reached 55 mN for an oxide mediated bonded structure and 80 mN for an oxide free bonded one. Weibull analysis of these events yielded a modulus m of magnitude 6 to 10, indicating that delamination fracture is relatively predictable with a stronger interface obtained in oxide free approach. Delamination of the membrane is the result of constraint of plastic flow by the InP/Si interface. Membrane rotation is induced and increases with the indentation load, until it is sufficient to induce and propagate an interfacial crack.
Modelling of Precipitation Kinetics with Simultanous Stress Relaxation
Authors: Fischer Franz Dieter , Svoboda Jiri , Gamsjäger Ernst , Kozeschnik Ernst , Sonderegger Bernhard 
Published: December 2014

AbstractMisfit strain connected with the formation of large internal stresses may drastically influence the precipitation kinetics. A new model for the simultaneous precipitate growth and misfit stress relaxation in binary systems has been developed based on the idea that the internal stresses are relaxed by generation or annihilation of vacancies at the matrix/precipitate interface. The model is applied to the Fe-C system by considering the growth of the cementite precipitate in the ferritic matrix. The influence of the stress relaxation on the precipitate growth kinetics is demonstrated.
Recovery of arctic tundra from thermal erosion disturbance is constrained by nutrient accumulation: a modeling analysis
Authors: Pearce A. R. , Rastetter E. B. , Kwiatkowski B. L. , Bowden W. B. , Mack M. C. , Jiang Y. 
Published: December 2014

We calibrated the Multiple Element Limitation (MEL) model to Alaskan arctic tundra to simulate recovery of thermal erosion features (TEFs) caused by permafrost thaw and mass wasting. TEFs could significantly alter regional carbon (C) and nutrient budgets because permafrost soils contain large stocks of soil organic matter (SOM) and TEFs are expected to become more frequent as the climate warms. We simulated recovery following TEF stabilization and did not address initial, short‐term losses of C and nutrients during TEF formation. To capture the variability among and within TEFs, we modeled a range of post‐stabilization conditions by varying the initial size of SOM stocks and nutrient supply rates.Simulations indicate that nitrogen (N) losses after the TEF stabilizes are small, but phosphorus (P) losses continue. Vegetation biomass recovered 90% of its undisturbed C, N, and P stocks in 100 years using nutrients mineralized from SOM. Because of low litter inputs but continued decomposition, younger SOM continued to be lost for 10 years after the TEF began to recover, but recovered to about 84% of its undisturbed amount in 100 years. The older recalcitrant SOM in mineral soil continued to be lost throughout the 100‐year simulation.Simulations suggest that biomass recovery depended on the amount of SOM remaining after disturbance. Recovery was initially limited by the photosynthetic capacity of vegetation, but became co‐limited by N and P once a plant canopy developed. Biomass and SOM recovery was enhanced by increasing nutrient supplies, but the magnitude, source, and controls on these supplies are poorly understood. Faster mineralization of nutrients from SOM (e.g., by warming) enhanced vegetation recovery but delayed recovery of SOM. Taken together, these results suggest that although vegetation and surface SOM on TEFs recovered quickly (25 and 100 years, respectively), the recovery of deep, mineral soil SOM took centuries and represented a major ecosystem C loss.
The Effects of Protest Format and Agent Use on Residential Appeals Adjustments
Authors: Plummer Elizabeth 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACT
This study examines how protest format and use of an agent affect the magnitude of the adjustments obtained in property tax appeals. The sample includes all single-family residential properties in Harris County, Texas for which a property tax protest was filed in 2010 or 2011 (n = 290,022). A protest can be settled in one of three formats: electronically (only when an agent is not used), an informal hearing, or a formal hearing. Because an owner's decision to use an agent is voluntary, I use a two-stage estimation process to help control for potential selection bias. The first-stage probit model is used to generate the predicted probability that an owner will use an agent, while the second-stage Tobit regression models the appeals adjustment as a function of protest format, agent use, control variables, and the selection-bias variable. Empirical results show that when an owner does not use an agent, appeals adjustments for electronic settlements are smaller than for informal settlements, and appeals adjustments for informal settlements are smaller than for formal settlements. When an agent is used, results show the opposite: appeals adjustments for informal settlements are greater than for formal settlements. Results also show that appeals adjustments are smaller when an agent is used compared with owners representing themselves, regardless of whether the hearing is formal or informal. Results are generally consistent with agency problems whereby property tax agents accept suboptimal appeals adjustments. Results from the first-stage probit model provide evidence on factors that affect the likelihood that an owner will use an agent.
Linking conservation actions to demography: grass height explains variation in greater sage‐grouse nest survival
Authors: Doherty Kevin E. , Naugle David E. , Tack Jason D. , Walker Brett L. , Graham Jon M. , Beck Jeffrey L. 
Published: December 2014

Conservation success often hinges on our ability to link demography with implementable management actions to influence population growth (λ). Nest success is demonstrated to be important to λ in greater sage‐grouse Centrocercus urophasianus, an imperiled species in the North American sagebrush‐steppe. Enhancing this vital rate through management represents an opportunity to increase bird numbers inside population strongholds. We identified management for grass height as an action that can improve nest success in an analysis of sage‐grouse nests (n = 529) from a long‐term study (2003–2007) in the Powder River Basin, southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming, USA. Average grass height by study area and year varied (11.4–29.2 cm) but its positive effects on nest survival were consistent among study years and study areas that differed in absolute rates of nest success. We tested the predictive ability of models by grouping output from log‐link analyses (2004–2006) into two bins with nest success probabilities < 0.45 and > 0.55, and validated the relationship with additional data from 2003 and 2007. Nests with probabilities > 0.55 were 1.64 (2004–2006) to 3.11 (2007) times more likely to hatch than those < 0.45, except in 2003 when an early wet spring resulted in universally high grass height at nest sites (29.2 cm) and high predicted nest success (64%). The high predictive power of grass height illustrates its utility as a management tool to increase nest success within priority landscapes. Relationships suggest that managing grass height during drought may benefit sage‐grouse populations.
“I just want to count them! Considerations when choosing a deer population monitoring method”
Authors: Amos Matt , Baxter Greg , Finch Neal , Lisle Allan , Murray Peter 
Published: December 2014

Effective management of any population involves decisions based on the levels of abundance at particular points in time. Hence the choice of an appropriate method to estimate abundance is critical. Deer are not native to Australia and are a declared pest in some states where their numbers must be controlled in environmentally sensitive areas. The aim of this research was to help Australian land managers choose between widely used methods to count deer. We compared population estimates or indices from: distance sampling, aerial surveys, spotlight counts, and faecal pellet counts. For each we estimated the labour input, cost, and precision. The coefficient of variation varied with method and time of year from 8.7 to 36.6%. Total labour input per sampling event varied from 11 to 136 h. Total costs of vehicles and equipment per sampling event varied from AU$913 to $2966. Overall, the spotlight method performed the best at our study site when comparing labour input, total cost and precision. However, choice of the most precise, cost effective method will be site specific and rely on information collected from a pilot study, We provide recommendations to help land managers choose between possible methods in various circumstances.