bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Roles of M2 and M3 muscarinic receptors in the generation of rhythmic motor activity in mouse small intestine
Authors: Tanahashi Y. , Waki N. , Unno T. , Matsuyama H. , Iino S. , Kitazawa T. , Yamada M. , Komori S. 
Published: July 2013

AbstractBackgroundThe roles of M2 and M3 muscarinic receptor subtypes in the regulation of gut motor activity were investigated.MethodsWe simultaneously recorded changes in the intraluminal pressure (IP) and longitudinal tension (LT) in small intestinal segments from M2 or M3 receptor knockout (KO) and wild‐type (WT) mice.Key ResultsIn the WT preparations, luminal distension induced a continuous rhythmic contractile activity that was characterized by synchronous rises in IP and LT, occurring periodically at a constant interval. Tetrodotoxin completely abolished the response, whereas atropine either abolished or attenuated it. In the majority of the M2KO preparations, however, no rhythmic activity was observed in response to the luminal distention, even though networks of enteric neurons and interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) seemed to be intact. Where rhythmic activity did occur in M2KO preparations, it was atropine resistant. In the M3KO preparations, the IP and LT were synchronously changed by the luminal distention, but the changes occurred at irregular intervals. The W/Wv mutant preparations, which lack ICC in the myenteric plexus (ICC‐MY), showed results similar to those of the M3KO preparations. In some of the M2/M3 double‐KO preparations, rhythmic activity was not observed, but in the others, an atropine‐resistant rhythmicity appeared.Conclusions & InferencesThese results suggest that M2 and M3 muscarinic receptors differentially regulate the intestinal motor activity: M2 receptors play an essential role in the generation of rhythmic motor activity, and M3 receptors have a modulatory role in controlling the periodicity of the rhythmic activity together with the ICC‐MY.
Preservation of the native spleen in multivisceral transplantation
Authors: Hernandez F. , Andres A. M. , Encinas J. L. , Domínguez E. , Gamez M. , Murcia F. J. , Leal N. , Martinez L. , Molina M. , Ramos E. , Sarria J. , Martinez‐Ojinaga E. , Prieto G. , Frauca E. , Lopez‐Santamaria M. 
Published: July 2013

AbstractThe native spleen is usually removed in patients undergoing MTV. The consequential asplenic state is associated with a high risk of sepsis, especially in immunosuppressed children. In contrast, the inclusion of an allogeneic spleen in multivisceral grafts has been associated with a high incidence of GVHD. We propose an alternative technique for patients undergoing MTV, consisting of the preservation of the native spleen. This approach avoids the additional risk of infection that characterizes the asplenic state without the detrimental side effects of the allogeneic spleen.
Understanding the role of antibodies in murine infections with Heligmosomoides (polygyrus) bakeri: 35 years ago, now and 35 years ahead
Authors: Harris N. L. , Pleass R. , Behnke J. M. 
Published: July 2013

SummaryThe rodent intestinal nematode H.p.bakeri has played an important role in the exploration of the host–parasite relationship of chronic nematode infections for over six decades, since the parasite was first isolated in the 1950s by Ehrenford. It soon became a popular laboratory model providing a tractable experimental system that is easy to maintain in the laboratory and far more cost‐effective than other laboratory nematode–rodent model systems. Immunity to this parasite is complex, dependent on antibodies, but confounded by the parasite's potent immunosuppressive secretions that facilitate chronic survival in murine hosts. In this review, we remind readers of the state of knowledge in the 1970s, when the first volume of Parasite Immunology was published, focusing on the role of antibodies in protective immunity. We show how our understanding of the host–parasite relationship then developed over the following 35 years to date, we propose testable hypotheses for future researchers to tackle, and we speculate on how the new technologies will be applied to enable an increasingly refined understanding of the role of antibodies in host‐protective immunity, and its evasion, to be achieved in the longer term.
Phylogeography and genetic effects of habitat fragmentation on endangered Taxus yunnanensis in southwest China as revealed by microsatellite data
Authors: Miao Y. C. , Lang X. D. , Zhang Z. Z. , Su J. R. 
Published: July 2013

AbstractIt is not known how the profoundly complex topography and habitat heterogeneity generated by the uplift of the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau (QTP) during the late Tertiary affected population genetic structure of endangered Taxus yunnanensis. In addition, the effects of habitat fragmentation due to anthropogenic disturbance on genetic diversity and population differentiation of this species have not been studied. T. yunnanensis is an ancient tree/shrub mainly distributed in southwest China. Recently, the species has suffered a sharp decline due to excessive logging for its famous anticancer metabolite taxol, resulting in smaller and more isolated populations. To understand the phylogeography and genetic consequences of habitat fragmentation of this endangered species, using 11 polymorphic microsatellites, we genotyped 288 individuals from 14 populations from a range‐wide sampling in China. Our results suggest that two different population groups that were once isolated have persisted in situ during glacial periods in both areas, and have not merged since. Habitat fragmentation has led to significant genetic bottlenecks, high inbreeding and population divergence in this species. The two different population groups of T. yunnanensis could be attributed to restricted gene flow caused through isolation by geographical barriers and by habitat heterogeneity during uplift of the QTP, or the existence of two separate glacial refugia during the Pleistocene. In situ and ex situ conservation of the two Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs), artificial gene flow between populations and a comprehensive understanding of the pollination system in this endangered species are suggested from this study.
Theories of Time and the Asymmetry in Human Attitudes
Authors: Yehezkel Gal 
Published: July 2013

AbstractAn important aspect of the debate between the A‐theory and the B‐theory of time relates to the supposed implications of each for some of the most basic human attitudes and stances. The asymmetry in our attitudes towards past and future events in our life (pleasant and unpleasant), and towards the temporal limits of our existence, that is, toward birth and death, is supposedly considered differently by the two theories. I argue that our attitudes are neither justified nor discredited by anything which is in debate between the A‐Theory and the B‐theory, and therefore that neither theory of time is supported by the asymmetry in our attitudes.
The Collaboration as Empowerment Claim: The Case of Visual Social Research
Authors: Williams Richard 
Published: July 2013

AbstractThis article uses the case of visually based collaborative social science research to explore the problem of inequality between researchers and research subjects in social science research. This dilemma is ever present for social scientists researching topics where the research subject represents a group experiencing social exclusion. The paper uses the claim of those social scientists that argue that collaboration between researchers and research subjects can diminish the inequality problem by empowering research subjects. Through this interrogation of the “collaboration as empowerment claim,” as an ideal type construction the paper argues that (i) it pays insufficient attention to the knowledge frameworks and incentive structures around which research projects are carried out and disseminated, (ii) it does not interrogate the fact that the claim of empowerment as outcome is made by those in the researcher role, and (iii) it does not explicitly document the research subject's own assessment of a collaboration/empowerment link. The paper moves beyond the insights drawn from the visual case to point to their implications for other areas in which collaboration research is claimed as a means to empower research subjects and by implication to diminish researcher/research subject inequalities.
Race, Hyper‐Incarceration, and US Poverty Policy in Historic Perspective
Authors: Miller Reuben Jonathan 
Published: July 2013

AbstractIn this article, I bring scholarship on welfare reform into discussion with work on crime control and racial and ethnic relations. I locate the genesis of hyper‐incarceration and the moral suasion imposed on the recipients of contemporary social welfare services through the poverty policies of the Victorian era and later the postbellum south, implicating the checkered history of racial domination in the United States in the development of social welfare and criminal justice policy. I conclude by discussing the ways in which the United States has been reconfigured to facilitate these trends and of new terrain in the study of marginality in the neoliberal age. Doing so demonstrates the long‐standing collusion between welfare state and criminal justice actors, identifies the racialized target of punishment and poverty management, highlights the significance of race in the development of social policy, and exhibits the importance of social welfare policy in contemporary race and ethnic relations.
Locating Zombies in the Sociology of Popular Culture
Authors: Platts Todd K. 
Published: July 2013

AbstractIn this essay, focusing primarily on the cinema of the walking corpse, I provide an overview of zombie studies and suggest potential avenues for sociological inquiry into zombie phenomena. I argue that zombie films, comic books, novels, video games, and the like can be seen as significant cultural objects that reflect and reveal the cultural and material circumstances of their creation. Despite emanating from complex culture‐producing institutions and (arguably) capturing extant social anxieties, sociology has remained quiet on zombie phenomena. Issues of significance, history, and definition are discussed. I then locate three avenues of inquiry ideally suited to the sociological toolkit: symptomatic analysis of content, production, and audience response and interaction. I conclude by calling for a multipronged sociological analysis into “zombie culture.”
Visualization of plant cell wall lignification using fluorescence‐tagged monolignols
Authors: Tobimatsu Yuki , Wagner Armin , Donaldson Lloyd , Mitra Prajakta , Niculaes Claudiu , Dima Oana , Kim Jeong Im , Anderson Nickolas , Loque Dominique , Boerjan Wout , Chapple Clint , Ralph John 
Published: July 2013

SummaryLignin is an abundant phenylpropanoid polymer produced by the oxidative polymerization of p‐hydroxycinnamyl alcohols (monolignols). Lignification, i.e., deposition of lignin, is a defining feature of secondary cell wall formation in vascular plants, and provides an important mechanism for their disease resistance; however, many aspects of the cell wall lignification process remain unclear partly because of a lack of suitable imaging methods to monitor the process in vivo. In this study, a set of monolignol analogs γ‐linked to fluorogenic aminocoumarin and nitrobenzofuran dyes were synthesized and tested as imaging probes to visualize the cell wall lignification process in Arabidopsis thaliana and Pinus radiata under various feeding regimens. In particular, we demonstrate that the fluorescence‐tagged monolignol analogs can penetrate into live plant tissues and cells, and appear to be metabolically incorporated into lignifying cell walls in a highly specific manner. The localization of the fluorogenic lignins synthesized during the feeding period can be readily visualized by fluorescence microscopy and is distinguishable from the other wall components such as polysaccharides as well as the pre‐existing lignin that was deposited earlier in development.
Optimization of microbial screening for cord blood
Authors: Clark Pamela , Trickett Annette , Chimenti Mel , Stark Damien 
Published: July 2013

BackgroundCollection and processing of cord blood (CB) is associated with significant risk of contamination; hence standards mandate microbial screening of the final product. The sensitivity of current methods to evaluate the microbial content of CB is unknown, given the small volume tested and reduced sensitivity of pediatric bottles. Hence, this study was undertaken to evaluate an optimal microbial screening method.Study Design and MethodsCB was collected using a closed system then spiked with organisms at 1 or 10 colony‐forming units (CFUs)/mL. Samples were screened using culture bottles (BacT/ALERT, bioMérieux; and BACTEC, Becton Dickinson). Several methods were evaluated with different combinations of inoculated bottles (adult vs. pediatric), sample types (plasma discard, red blood cell [RBC] discard, or final product), and sample volumes.ResultsOf 94 cord blood units (CBUs) spiked with organisms before screening, 81% tested positive for contamination overall. Screening of CB in pediatric bottles resulted in equivalent detection rates on the BacT/ALERT and BACTEC systems (33% at 1 CFU/mL and 73% at 10 CFUs/mL, respectively). However, the pediatric bottle screen only detected 15% of obligate anaerobes. A combined fraction method showed superior detection (71%) compared to the plasma fraction (27%) and resulted in optimal anaerobic detection.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that the optimal microbial screening method for CB includes testing a combination of discard fractions (plasma and RBCs) in addition to final product using an automated culture system. Inoculating a small sample of final product in a pediatric bottle is suboptimal for microbial detection and may lead to distribution of contaminated CB for transplantation.
Determining staffing requirements for blood donor clinics: the Canadian Blood Services experience
Authors: Blake John T. , Shimla Susan 
Published: July 2013

BackgroundCanadian Blood Services runs approximately 16,000 donor clinics annually. While there were more than 220 different clinic configurations used in 2011 and 2012, 67% of all clinic configurations followed one of 51 standard models. As part of operational planning for current and future configurations it was necessary for Canadian Blood Services to calculate staffing requirements for standard clinic models.Study Design and MethodsIn this article we present a method that incorporates both cost control and impact on donor experience. We calculate staffing requirements to minimize costs, but adjust using queuing theory to ensure donor wait time metrics are met. The method can be applied in a wide variety of situations.ResultsAlthough developed for a particular study, the methods described in this article can be applied in a wide variety of situations. A case study in which the model is used to review existing staffing arrangements at Canadian Blood Services is presented.ConclusionThe staffing model can be used to balance the requirements of minimizing staffing costs with that of ensuring that donors do not suffer unnecessary delays. Moreover, in an example application, savings of 3.4% were identified through the modeling process.
Quality assessment of buffy‐coat‐derived leucodepleted platelet concentrates in PAS‐plasma, prepared by the OrbiSac or TACSI automated system
Authors: Plaza E. M. , Céspedes P. , Fernández H. , Sánchez‐Guiu M. I. , Egea J. M. , Vicente V. , Lozano M. L. , Rivera J. 
Published: July 2013

Background and ObjectivesBuffy‐coat (BC)‐derived platelet concentrates (PCs) are the predominant product for platelet transfusion in many countries. Two automated systems, OrbiSac and TACSI, have been introduced in blood centres to prepare these PCs, as an alternative to the manual method. We compared the in vitro quality of PCs prepared by both methods during standard storage.Study Design and MethodsTwenty primary BC pools were split into two parts, which were processed with OrbiSac and TACSI system to obtain OrbiSac PCs (O‐PCs) and TACSI PCs (T‐PCs), respectively. On days 1, 5 and 7 of standard storage, samples were taken and the following analysed: cell count, metabolic variables, platelet function and content of activation and proinflammatory substances.ResultsBoth the OrbiSac and TACSI systems produced PCs that meet the standards for platelet products in terms of platelet and leucocyte content. In vitro evaluation pointed to the similar preservation of platelet metabolism (pH, glucose, bicarbonate and lactate) in O‐PCs and T‐PCs. Moreover, there were no significant differences between O‐PCs and T‐PCs as regards the hypotonic shock response or in the platelet aggregation profile. The OrbiSac system caused greater platelet activation, which resulted in higher concentrations of sCD62P, RANTES and sCD40L on the day the PCs were prepared.ConclusionThe systems OrbiSac and TACSI can be used to produce buffy‐coat‐derived PCs whose cell content, platelet function and metabolism are similar during standard storage. However, the preparation with the OrbiSac system induces a transient increase in platelet activation and release of proinflammatory substances.
Trends in Planetary Boundary Layer Height over Europe
Authors: Zhang Yehui , Seidel Dian J. , Zhang Shaodong 
Published: July 2013

Abstract
Estimates of trends in planetary boundary layer height over Europe are presented, based on daily radiosonde observations at 25 stations during 1973–2010 and using a bulk Richardson number approach to determine heights. Most stations show statistically significant increases in daytime heights in all four seasons, but fewer show statistically significant trends in nighttime heights. Daytime height variations show an expected strong negative correlation with surface relative humidity and strong positive correlation with surface temperature at most stations studied, on both year-to-year and day-to-day time scales. Similar relations hold for long-term trends: increasing daytime boundary layer height is associated with decreasing surface relative humidity and increasing surface temperature at most stations. The extent to which these changes are regionally representative or local reflections of environmental changes near the observing stations is difficult to ascertain.
Ocean Heat Uptake in Eddying and Non-Eddying Ocean Circulation Models in a Warming Climate
Authors: Zhang Yu , Vallis Geoffrey K. 
Published: July 2013

Abstract
Ocean heat uptake is explored with non-eddying (2°), eddy-permitting (0.25°), and eddy-resolving (0.125°) ocean circulation models in a domain representing the Atlantic basin connected to a southern circumpolar channel with a flat bottom. The model is forced with a wind stress and a restoring condition for surface buoyancy that is linearly dependent on temperature, both being constant in time in the control climate. When the restore temperature is instantly enhanced regionally, two distinct processes are found relevant for the ensuing heat uptake: heat uptake into the ventilated thermocline forced by Ekman pumping and heat absorption in the deep ocean through meridional overturning circulation (MOC). Temperature increases in the thermocline occur on the decadal time scale whereas, over most of the abyss, it is the millennial time scale that is relevant, and the strength of MOC in the channel matters for the intensity of heat uptake. Under global, uniform warming, the rate of increase of total heat content increases with both diapycnal diffusivity and strengthening Southern Ocean westerlies. In models with different resolutions, ocean responses to uniform warming share similar patterns with important differences. The transfer by mesoscale eddies is insufficiently resolved in the eddy-permitting model, resulting in steep isopycnals in the channel and weak lower MOC, and this in turn leads to weaker heat uptake in the abyssal ocean. Also, the reduction of the Northern Hemisphere meridional heat flux that occurs in a warmer world because of a weakening MOC increases with resolution. Consequently, the cooling tendency near the polar edge of the subtropical gyre is most significant in the eddy-resolving model.
Wave-Coherent Airflow and Critical Layers over Ocean Waves
Authors: Grare Laurent , Lenain Luc , Melville W. Kendall 
Published: July 2013

Abstract
An analysis of coherent measurements of winds and waves from data collected during the Office of Naval Research (ONR) High-Resolution air–sea interaction (HiRes) program, from the Floating Instrument Platform (R/P FLIP), off the coast of northern California in June 2010 is presented. A suite of wind and wave measuring systems was deployed to resolve the modulation of the marine atmospheric boundary layer by waves. Spectral analysis of the data provided the wave-induced components of the wind velocity for various wind–wave conditions. The power spectral density, the amplitude, and the phase (relative to the waves) of these wave-induced components are computed and bin averaged over spectral wave age c/U(z) or c/u*, where c is the linear phase speed of the waves, U(z) is the mean wind speed measured at the height z of the anemometer, and u* is the friction velocity in the air. Results are qualitatively consistent with the critical layer theory of Miles. Across the critical height zc, defined such that U(zc) = c, the wave-induced vertical and horizontal velocities change significantly in both amplitude and phase. The measured wave-induced momentum flux shows that, for growing waves, less than 10% of the momentum flux at z ≈ 10 m is supported by waves longer than approximately 15 m. For older sea states, these waves are able to generate upward wave-induced momentum flux opposed to the overall downward momentum flux. The measured amplitude of this upward wave-induced momentum flux was up to 20% of the value of the total wind stress when Cp/u* &gt; 60, where Cp is the phase speed at the peak of the wave spectrum.
Quantification of the Effects of Shattering on Airborne Ice Particle Measurements
Authors: Korolev A. V. , Emery E. F. , Strapp J. W. , Cober S. G. , Isaac G. A. 
Published: July 2013

Abstract
Ice particle shattering poses a serious problem to the airborne characterization of ice cloud microstructure. Shattered ice fragments may contaminate particle measurements, resulting in artificially high concentrations of small ice. The ubiquitous observation of small ice particles has been debated over the last three decades. The present work is focused on the study of the effect of shattering based on the results of the Airborne Icing Instrumentation Evaluation (AIIE) experiment flight campaign. Quantitative characterization of the shattering effect was studied by comparing measurements from pairs of identical probes, one modified to mitigate shattering using tips designed for this study (K-tips) and the other in the standard manufacturer’s configuration. The study focused on three probes: the forward scattering spectrometer probe (FSSP), the optical array probe (OAP-2DC), and the cloud imaging probe (CIP). It has been shown that the overestimation errors of the number concentration in size distributions measured by 2D probes increase with decreasing size, mainly affecting particles smaller than approximately 500 μm. It was found that shattering artifacts may increase measured particle number concentration by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude. However, the associated increase of the extinction coefficient and ice water content derived from 2D data is estimated at only 20%–30%. Existing antishattering algorithms alone are incapable of filtering out all shattering artifacts from OAP-2DC and CIP measurements. FSSP measurements can be completely dominated by shattering artifacts, and it is not recommended to use this instrument for measurements in ice clouds, except in special circumstances. Because of the large impact of shattering on ice measurements, the historical data collected by FSSP and OAP-2DC should be reexamined by the cloud physics community.