bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The relationship between chitotriosidase activity and tuberculosis
Authors: CHEN M. , DENG J. , LI W. , SU C. , XIA Y. , WANG M. , LI X. , ABUAKU B. K. , TAN H. , WEN S. W. 
Published: April 2015

SUMMARYChitotriosidase, secreted by activated macrophages, is a biomarker of activated macrophages. In this study, we explored whether chitotriosidase could be adopted as a biomarker to evaluate the curative effect on tuberculosis (TB). Five counties were randomly selected out of 122 counties/cities/districts in Hunan Province, China. Our cases were all TB patients who were newly diagnosed or had been receiving treatment at the Centers for Disease Control (CDCs) of these five counties between April and August in 2009. Healthy controls were selected from a community health facility in the Kaifu district of Changsha City after frequency-matching of gender and age with the cases. Chitotriosidase activity was evaluated by a fluorometric assay. Categorical variables were analysed with the χ2 test. Measurement data in multiple groups were tested with analysis of variance and least significant difference (LSD). Correlation between chitotriosidase activity and the degree of radiological extent (DRE) was examined by Spearman's rank correlation test. The average chitotriosidase activity levels of new TB cases, TB cases with different periods of treatment (<3, 3–6, >6 months) and the control group were 54·47, 34·77, 21·54, 12·73 and 10·53 nmol/h.ml, respectively. Chitotriosidase activity in TB patients declined along with the continuity of treatment. The chitotriosidase activity of both smear-positive and the smear-negative pulmonary TB patients decreased after 6 months' treatment to normal levels (P < 0·05). Moreover, chitotriosidase activity was positively correlated with DRE (r = 0·607, P < 0·001). Our results indicate that chitotriosidase might be a marker of TB treatment effects. However, further follow-up study of TB patients is needed in the future.
Age-specific measles mortality during the late 19th–early 20th centuries
Authors: SHANKS G. D. , WALLER M. , BRIEM H. , GOTTFREDSSON M. 
Published: April 2015

SUMMARYMeasles mortality fell prior to the introduction of vaccines or antibiotics. By examining historical mortality reports we sought to determine how much measles mortality was due to epidemiological factors such as isolation from major population centres or increased age at time of infection. Age-specific records were available from Aberdeen; Scotland; New Zealand and the states of Australia at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Despite the relative isolation of Australia, measles mortality was concentrated in very young children similar to Aberdeen. In the more isolated states of Tasmania, Western Australia and Queensland adults made up 14–15% of measles deaths as opposed to 8–9% in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales. Mortality in Iceland and Faroe Islands during the 1846 measles epidemic was used as an example of islands isolated from respiratory pathogens. The transition from crisis mortality across all ages to deaths concentrated in young children occurred prior to the earliest age-specific mortality data collected. Factors in addition to adult age of infection and epidemiological isolation such as nutritional status and viral virulence may have contributed to measles mortality outcomes a century ago.
Epilepsy in older people
Authors: Smith Nicola , Tiwari Divya 
Published: April 2015

SummaryEpilepsy is the third most common neurological disorder of older adults, with huge functional and psychological implications. It is often difficult to diagnose in the presence of cognitive impairment and lack of a witness account. The most common identifiable causes of epilepsy in old age are cerebrovascular disease and dementia. New guidelines recommend starting treatment after first unprovoked seizure. If there is any doubt about the diagnosis, electroencephalography (EEG) should be considered, or ‘wait and watch’. The aim of treatment should be to fully control seizure activity with the most effective monotherapy and fewest possible side-effects. Drug compliance is often difficult to achieve in older adults.
Dictatorship, Democracy and Portuguese Urbanisation, 1966–1989: Towards Lourinhã’sNovo Mercado Municipaland its ‘European’ Landscape
Authors: COSTA RAPHAEL 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThis article explores a Portuguese town's latest market hall and adjoining new town square. Lourinhã, a town in the north of the District of Lisbon, introduced plans in 1966 to renovate its urban landscape, reorienting the town away from the cramped streets of the medieval centre to a new, open and manageable central square. Over the next forty years, and despite the fall of the dictatorship in 1974, Lourinhã’s municipal government, enjoying tacit support from its citizens, used tools such as electrical infrastructure and legislation to manage and develop what came to be called a ‘European’ landscape.
Masters and Servants: Economists and Bureaucrats in the Dispute over Norwegian EEC Membership in 1972
Authors: LIE EINAR 
Published: April 2015

AbstractIn the dispute over Norwegian EEC membership in 1972, a large number of economists in academic life and public administration took part in organised opposition against future membership. Their efforts to prevent economic and financial integration with the Common Market are important for understanding the depth and strength of Norwegian Euroscepticism. This article shows how this scepticism was rooted in the economic profession's reasoning about economic planning and economic policy making. Special attention is given to the opposition from economists within the government apparatus itself, as this both diminished the authority of the government's pro-membership arguments and challenged norms regulating civil servants’ conduct.
The Party and the People: Totalitarian States and Popular Opinion
Authors: CORNER PAUL 
Published: April 2015

In reply to Patrick Bernhard's critical review of my recent book I will make some brief general observations about the study of totalitarian and would-be totalitarian regimes.Some preliminary remarks are necessary. Bernhard locates his review within the context of the debate over Italians' consensus for Fascism – a debate continuing in Italy, with highs and lows, since the mid-1970s. His own approach is clearly very much influenced by the methodologies of cultural history; he looks for emotions, sentiments, practices and experiences in order to form a picture of how Italians lived under the regime. He approves of the history that finds these. There is much to commend this approach, and I would certainly not argue against its value – cultural studies do, indeed, have a great deal to offer. But the methodology of cultural studies is not, and cannot be, the only approach, nor its absence the only criterion for criticism.
Development of an Integrated Thermocouple for the Accurate Sample Temperature Measurement During High Temperature Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (HT-ESEM) Experiments
Authors: Podor Renaud , Pailhon Damien , Ravaux Johann , Brau Henri-Pierre 
Published: April 2015

AbstractWe have developed two integrated thermocouple (TC) crucible systems that allow precise measurement of sample temperature when using a furnace associated with an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM). Sample temperatures measured with these systems are precise (±5°C) and reliable. The TC crucible systems allow working with solids and liquids (silicate melts or ionic liquids), independent of the gas composition and pressure. These sample holder designs will allow end users to perform experiments at high temperature in the ESEM chamber with high precision control of the sample temperature.
Why Trade Agreements are not Setting Information Free: The Lost History and Reinvigorated Debate over Cross-Border Data Flows, Human Rights, and National Security
Authors: AARONSON SUSAN 
Published: April 2015

AbstractHerein, we examine how the United States and the European Union use trade agreements to advance the free flow of information and to promote digital rights online. In the 1980s and 1990s, after US policymakers tried to include language governing the free flow of information in trade agreements, other nations feared a threat to their sovereignty and their ability to restrict cross-border data flows in the interest of privacy or national security.In the twenty-first century, again many states have not responded positively to US and EU efforts to facilitate the free flow of information. They worry that the US dominates both the Internet economy and Internet governance in ways that benefit its interests. After the Snowden allegations, many states adopted strategies that restricted rather than enhanced the free flow of information. Without deliberate intent, efforts to set information free through trade liberalization may be making the Internet less free.Finally, the two trade giants are not fully in agreement on Internet freedom, but neither has linked policies to promote the free flow of information with policies to advance digital rights. Moreover, they do not agree as to when restrictions on information are necessary and when they are protectionist.
The promise of γδ T cells and the γδ T cell receptor for cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Legut Mateusz , Cole David K , Sewell Andrew K 
Published: April 2015

Abstractγδ T cells form an important part of adaptive immune responses against infections and malignant transformation. The molecular targets of human γδ T cell receptors (TCRs) remain largely unknown, but recent studies have confirmed the recognition of phosphorylated prenyl metabolites, lipids in complex with CD1 molecules and markers of cellular stress. All of these molecules are upregulated on various cancer types, highlighting the potential importance of the γδ T cell compartment in cancer immunosurveillance and paving the way for the use of γδ TCRs in cancer therapy. Ligand recognition by the γδ TCR often requires accessory/co-stimulatory stress molecules on both T cells and target cells; this cellular stress context therefore provides a failsafe against harmful self-reactivity. Unlike αβ T cells, γδ T cells recognise their targets irrespective of HLA haplotype and therefore offer exciting possibilities for off-the-shelf, pan-population cancer immunotherapies. Here, we present a review of known ligands of human γδ T cells and discuss the promise of harnessing these cells for cancer treatment.
Decoding the regulatory landscape of melanoma reveals TEADS as regulators of the invasive cell state
Authors: Verfaillie Annelien , Imrichova Hana , Atak Zeynep Kalender , Dewaele Michael , Rambow Florian , Hulselmans Gert , Christiaens Valerie , Svetlichnyy Dmitry , Luciani Flavie , Van den Mooter Laura , Claerhout Sofie , Fiers Mark , Journe Fabrice , Ghanem Ghanem-Elias , Herrmann Carl , Halder Georg , Marine Jean-Christophe , Aerts Stein 
Published: April 2015

AbstractTranscriptional reprogramming of proliferative melanoma cells into a phenotypically distinct invasive cell subpopulation is a critical event at the origin of metastatic spreading. Here we generate transcriptome, open chromatin and histone modification maps of melanoma cultures; and integrate this data with existing transcriptome and DNA methylation profiles from tumour biopsies to gain insight into the mechanisms underlying this key reprogramming event. This shows thousands of genomic regulatory regions underlying the proliferative and invasive states, identifying SOX10/MITF and AP-1/TEAD as regulators, respectively. Knockdown of TEADs shows a previously unrecognized role in the invasive gene network and establishes a causative link between these transcription factors, cell invasion and sensitivity to MAPK inhibitors. Using regulatory landscapes and in silico analysis, we show that transcriptional reprogramming underlies the distinct cellular states present in melanoma. Furthermore, it reveals an essential role for the TEADs, linking it to clinically relevant mechanisms such as invasion and resistance.
CDK1 structures reveal conserved and unique features of the essential cell cycle CDK
Authors: Brown Nicholas R. , Korolchuk Svitlana , Martin Mathew P. , Stanley Will A. , Moukhametzianov Rouslan , Noble Martin E. M. , Endicott Jane A. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractCDK1 is the only essential cell cycle CDK in human cells and is required for successful completion of M-phase. It is the founding member of the CDK family and is conserved across all eukaryotes. Here we report the crystal structures of complexes of CDK1–Cks1 and CDK1–cyclin B–Cks2. These structures confirm the conserved nature of the inactive monomeric CDK fold and its ability to be remodelled by cyclin binding. Relative to CDK2–cyclin A, CDK1–cyclin B is less thermally stable, has a smaller interfacial surface, is more susceptible to activation segment dephosphorylation and shows differences in the substrate sequence features that determine activity. Both CDK1 and CDK2 are potential cancer targets for which selective compounds are required. We also describe the first structure of CDK1 bound to a potent ATP-competitive inhibitor and identify aspects of CDK1 structure and plasticity that might be exploited to develop CDK1-selective inhibitors.
Dynamic imaging of the growth plate cartilage reveals multiple contributors to skeletal morphogenesis
Authors: Li Yuwei , Trivedi Vikas , Truong Thai V. , Koos David S. , Lansford Rusty , Chuong Cheng-Ming , Warburton David , Moats Rex A. , Fraser Scott E. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThe diverse morphology of vertebrate skeletal system is genetically controlled, yet the means by which cells shape the skeleton remains to be fully illuminated. Here we perform quantitative analyses of cell behaviours in the growth plate cartilage, the template for long bone formation, to gain insights into this process. Using a robust avian embryonic organ culture, we employ time-lapse two-photon laser scanning microscopy to observe proliferative cells’ behaviours during cartilage growth, resulting in cellular trajectories with a spreading displacement mainly along the tissue elongation axis. We build a novel software toolkit of quantitative methods to segregate the contributions of various cellular processes to the cellular trajectories. We find that convergent-extension, mitotic cell division, and daughter cell rearrangement do not contribute significantly to the observed growth process; instead, extracellular matrix deposition and cell volume enlargement are the key contributors to embryonic cartilage elongation.
Waveform Selectivity at the Same Frequency
Authors: Wakatsuchi Hiroki , Anzai Daisuke , Rushton Jeremiah J. , Gao Fei , Kim Sanghoon , Sievenpiper Daniel F. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractElectromagnetic properties depend on the composition of materials, i.e. either angstrom scales of molecules or, for metamaterials, subwavelength periodic structures. Each material behaves differently in accordance with the frequency of an incoming electromagnetic wave due to the frequency dispersion or the resonance of the periodic structures. This indicates that if the frequency is fixed, the material always responds in the same manner unless it has nonlinearity. However, such nonlinearity is controlled by the magnitude of the incoming wave or other bias. Therefore, it is difficult to distinguish different incoming waves at the same frequency. Here we present a new concept of circuit-based metasurfaces to selectively absorb or transmit specific types of waveforms even at the same frequency. The metasurfaces, integrated with schottky diodes as well as either capacitors or inductors, selectively absorb short or long pulses, respectively. The two types of circuit elements are then combined to absorb or transmit specific waveforms in between. This waveform selectivity gives us another degree of freedom to control electromagnetic waves in various fields including wireless communications, as our simulation reveals that the metasurfaces are capable of varying bit error rates in response to different waveforms.
MiRNA and TF co-regulatory network analysis for the pathology and recurrence of myocardial infarction
Authors: Lin Ying , Sibanda Vusumuzi Leroy , Zhang Hong-Mei , Hu Hui , Liu Hui , Guo An-Yuan 
Published: April 2015

AbstractMyocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause of death in the world and many genes are involved in it. Transcription factor (TFs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of gene expression. We hypothesized that miRNAs and TFs might play combinatory regulatory roles in MI. After collecting MI candidate genes and miRNAs from various resources, we constructed a comprehensive MI-specific miRNA-TF co-regulatory network by integrating predicted and experimentally validated TF and miRNA targets. We found some hub nodes (e.g. miR-16 and miR-26) in this network are important regulators and the network can be severed as a bridge to interpret the associations of previous results, which is shown by the case of miR-29 in this study. We also constructed a regulatory network for MI recurrence and found several important genes (e.g. DAB2, BMP6, miR-320 and miR-103), the abnormal expressions of which may be potential regulatory mechanisms and markers of MI recurrence. At last we proposed a cellular model to discuss major TF and miRNA regulators with signaling pathways in MI. This study provides more details on gene expression regulation and regulators involved in MI progression and recurrence. It also linked up and interpreted many previous results.
A Novel 96well-formatted Micro-gap Plate Enabling Drug Response Profiling on Primary Tumour Samples
Authors: Ma Wei-Yuan , Hsiung Lo-Chang , Wang Chen-Ho , Chiang Chi-Ling , Lin Ching-Hung , Huang Chiun-Sheng , Wo Andrew M. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractDrug-based treatments are the most widely used interventions for cancer management. Personalized drug response profiling remains inherently challenging with low cell count harvested from tumour sample. We present a 96well-formatted microfluidic plate with built-in micro-gap that preserves up to 99.2% of cells during multiple assay/wash operation and only 9,000 cells needed for a single reagent test (i.e. 1,000 cells per test spot x 3 selected concentration x triplication), enabling drug screening and compatibility with conventional automated workstations. Results with MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines showed that no statistical significance was found in dose-response between the device and conventional 96-well plate control. Primary tumour samples from breast cancer patients tested in the device also showed good IC50 prediction. With drug screening of primary cancer cells must consider a wide range of scenarios, e.g. suspended/attached cell types and rare/abundant cell availability, the device enables high throughput screening even for suspended cells with low cell count since the signature microfluidic cell-trapping feature ensures cell preservation in a multiple solution exchange protocol.
The role of TORC1 in muscle development in Drosophila
Authors: Hatfield Isabelle , Harvey Innocence , Yates Erika R. , Redd JeAnna R. , Reiter Lawrence T. , Bridges Dave 
Published: April 2015

AbstractMyogenesis is an important process during both development and muscle repair. Previous studies suggest that mTORC1 plays a role in the formation of mature muscle from immature muscle precursor cells. Here we show that gene expression for several myogenic transcription factors includingMyf5,MyogandMef2cbut notMyoDand myosin heavy chain isoforms decrease when C2C12 cells are treated with rapamycin, supporting a role for mTORC1 pathway during muscle development. To investigate the possibility that mTORC1 can regulate musclein vivowe ablated the essential dTORC1 subunitRaptorinDrosophila melanogasterand found that muscle-specific knockdown ofRaptorcauses flies to be too weak to emerge from their pupal cases during eclosion. Using a series of GAL4 drivers we also show that muscle-specificRaptorknockdown also causes shortened lifespan, even when eclosure is unaffected. Together these results highlight an important role for TORC1 in muscle development, integrity and function in both Drosophila and mammalian cells.
Fabrication of Ordered Mullite Nanowhisker Array with Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering Effect
Authors: Yang Tao , Wang Enhui , Wang Fuqiang , Chou Kuochih , Hou Xinmei 
Published: April 2015

AbstractMullite nanowhiskers are prepared by a facile technique at low temperature using mica and AlF3 as raw material. Mica acts as reactant as well as substrate. By controlling the reaction temperature and holding time, the mullite nanowhisker array with uniform morphology is obtained. The nanowhisker array possesses Al-rich single crystalline with an average of 80 nm in diameter and 20 μm in length. After decorated with Au nanoparticles, the array exhibits high surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity with an SERS enhancement factor (EF) of 1.35 × 109. It also remains good SERS signal detection with a relative standard deviation of 7.33% under corrosion condition.
Levosimendan displays anti-inflammatory effects and decreases MPO bioavailability in patients with severe heart failure
Authors: Adam Matti , Meyer Sven , Knors Henning , Klinke Anna , Radunski Ulf K. , Rudolph Tanja K. , Rudolph Volker , Spin Joshua M. , Tsao Philip S. , Costard-Jäckle Angelika , Baldus Stephan 
Published: April 2015

AbstractTreatment of decompensated heart failure often includes administration of levosimendan. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is released during polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) degranulation and mediates dysregulation of vascular tone in heart failure. We evaluated the effects of levosimendan-treatment on MPO in patients with acute decompensation of chronic heart failure over a one week course. Plasma MPO levels were significantly decreased after levosimendan treatment (from 252.1 ± 31.1 pmol/l at baseline to 215.02 ± 27.96 pmol/l at 6 h, p < 0.05). Ex vivo incubation of whole blood with levosimendan decreased MPO release after PMN-stimulation (8.2 ± 1.4-fold increase at baseline vs. 6.0 ± 1.1-fold increase with levosimendan). MPO levels also significantly correlated with diastolic blood pressure over the time course. In a multivariate linear model, the main contributor to systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure was level of PMN elastase. MPO contributed only in heparin-treated patients, suggesting a more significant role for endothelial-bound MPO than for circulating MPO or elastase with respect to blood pressure regulation. We here provide the first evidence that levosimendan treatment inhibits MPO release by PMNs in decompensated heart failure patients. This mechanism may regulate endothelial function and vascular tone in heart failure patients.