bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Isolation, Purification, and Structural Features of a Polysaccharide from Phellinus linteus and Its Hypoglycemic Effect in Alloxan‐Induced Diabetic Mice
Authors: Zhao Chao , Liao Zunsheng , Wu Xiaoqi , Liu Yanling , Liu Xiaoyan , Lin Zhanxi , Huang Yifan , Liu Bin 
Published: April 2014

AbstractPhellinus linteus is a medicinal mushroom that has been used in Oriental countries for centuries for its antitumor, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and biological activity on hyperglycemia. A water‐soluble crude polysaccharide was extracted using hot water from P. linteus mycelia grown under submerged culture. An orthogonal experiment was used to optimize the extraction conditions of P. linteus mycelia polysaccharides (PLP). The crude polysaccharide was purified using DEAE Sephadex A‐50 and Sephadex G‐200 chromatography. Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy were used to investigate the structure of the purified P. linteus polysaccharide (PLP‐I), revealing that it was mainly a branched‐type glycan with both α‐ and β‐linkages and a pyranoid sugar ring conformation. PLP orally administered at 100 mg/kg body weight/d could significantly reduce the blood glucose level by 35.60% in alloxan‐induced diabetic mice. The results of an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) revealed that PLP had an effect on glucose disposal after 28 d of treatment. The result revealed that PLP from a submerged culture of P. linteus mycelia possessed potent hypoglycemic properties. The polysaccharide may be useful as a functional food additive and a hypoglycemic agent.
Engaged Universals and Community Economies: The (Human) Right to Water in Colombia
Authors: Perera Verónica 
Published: April 2014

AbstractWhile the United Nations' sanctioning of the human right to water was widely celebrated, many debate the adequacy and political potency of the rights discourse to frame water justice. Drawing on multi‐sited, ethnographic‐based fieldwork in Colombia in 2010 and 2011, and prioritizing activists' reflexivity, the paper explores how water activists in the 2007–2011 referendum campaign engaged the universal human right while making user‐run community aqueducts more visible as place‐based, not‐for‐profit, culturally attuned, and valid alternatives to the corporate model of water supply. This case study suggests that the human right to water cannot be separated from water commons, and that communal users and activists engage the universal under their own terms. It also suggests we think of these water models as “economic communities” in Gibson‐Graham's sense: ethical spaces to make explicit our social relations with water, and to cultivate selves and practices that enact alternative socio‐natural relations through water's circulations.
Pharmacological characterization of tachykinin tetrabranched derivatives
Authors: Ruzza Chiara , Rizzi Anna , Malfacini Davide , Cerlesi Maria Camilla , Ferrari Federica , Marzola Erika , Ambrosio Caterina , Gro Cristina , Severo Salvadori , Costa Tommaso , Calo Girolamo , Guerrini Remo 
Published: April 2014

Background and PurposePeptide welding technology (PWT) is a novel chemical strategy that allows the synthesis of multibranched peptides with high yield, purity and reproducibility. Using this technique, we have synthesized and pharmacologically characterized the tetrabranched derivatives of the tachykinins, substance P (SP), neurokinin A (NKA) and B (NKB).Experimental ApproachThe following in vitro assays were used: calcium mobilization in cells expressing human recombinant NK receptors, BRET studies of G‐protein – NK1 receptor interaction, guinea pig ileum and rat urinary bladder bioassays. Nociceptive behavioural response experiments were performed in mice following intrathecal injection of PWT2‐SP.Key ResultsIn calcium mobilization studies, PWT tachykinin derivatives behaved as full agonists at NK receptors with a selectivity profile similar to that of the natural peptides. NK receptor antagonists display similar potency values when tested against PWT2 derivatives and natural peptides. In BRET and bioassay experiments PWT2‐SP mimicked the effects of SP with similar potency, maximal effects and sensitivity to aprepitant. After intrathecal administration in mice, PWT2‐SP mimicked the nociceptive effects of SP, but with higher potency and a longer‐lasting action. Aprepitant counteracted the effects of PWT2‐SP in vivo.Conclusions and ImplicationsThe present study has shown that the PWT technology can be successfully applied to the peptide sequence of tachykinins to generate tetrabranched derivatives characterized with a pharmacological profile similar to the native peptides. In vivo, PWT2‐SP displayed higher potency and a marked prolongation of action, compared with SP.
Carbon monoxide and the CNS: challenges and achievements
Authors: Queiroga Cláudia S F , Vercelli Alessandro , Vieira Helena L A 
Published: April 2014

Haem oxygenase (HO) and its product carbon monoxide (CO) are associated with cytoprotection and maintenance of homeostasis in several different organs and tissues. This review focuses upon the role of exogenous and endogenous CO (via HO activity and expression) in various CNS pathologies, based upon data from experimental models, as well as from some clinical data on human patients. The pathophysiological conditions reviewed are cerebral ischaemia, chronic neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases), multiple sclerosis and pain. Among these pathophysiological conditions, a variety of cellular mechanisms and processes are considered, namely cytoprotection, cell death, inflammation, cell metabolism, cellular redox responses and vasomodulation, as well as the different targeted neural cells. Finally, novel potential methods and strategies for delivering exogenous CO as a drug are discussed, particularly approaches based upon CO‐releasing molecules, their limitations and challenges. The diagnostic and prognostic value of HO expression in clinical use for brain pathologies is also addressed.Linked ArticlesThis article is part of a themed section on Pharmacology of the Gasotransmitters. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2015.172.issue-6
Spatial Patterns of Breeding Success of Grizzly Bears Derived from Hierarchical Multistate Models
Authors: FISHER JASON T. , WHEATLEY MATTHEW , MACKENZIE DARRYL 
Published: April 2014

AbstractConservation programs often manage populations indirectly through the landscapes in which they live. Empirically, linking reproductive success with landscape structure and anthropogenic change is a first step in understanding and managing the spatial mechanisms that affect reproduction, but this link is not sufficiently informed by data. Hierarchical multistate occupancy models can forge these links by estimating spatial patterns of reproductive success across landscapes. To illustrate, we surveyed the occurrence of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the Canadian Rocky Mountains Alberta, Canada. We deployed camera traps for 6 weeks at 54 surveys sites in different types of land cover. We used hierarchical multistate occupancy models to estimate probability of detection, grizzly bear occupancy, and probability of reproductive success at each site. Grizzly bear occupancy varied among cover types and was greater in herbaceous alpine ecotones than in low‐elevation wetlands or mid‐elevation conifer forests. The conditional probability of reproductive success given grizzly bear occupancy was 30% (SE = 0.14). Grizzly bears with cubs had a higher probability of detection than grizzly bears without cubs, but sites were correctly classified as being occupied by breeding females 49% of the time based on raw data and thus would have been underestimated by half. Repeated surveys and multistate modeling reduced the probability of misclassifying sites occupied by breeders as unoccupied to <2%. The probability of breeding grizzly bear occupancy varied across the landscape. Those patches with highest probabilities of breeding occupancy—herbaceous alpine ecotones—were small and highly dispersed and are projected to shrink as treelines advance due to climate warming. Understanding spatial correlates in breeding distribution is a key requirement for species conservation in the face of climate change and can help identify priorities for landscape management and protection.Patrones Espaciales del Éxito Reproductivo de Osos Pardos, Derivados de Modelos Jerárquicos Multi‐Estado
Proselytizing Nationalism: Protestant Missionaries and theArab Awakening Debate
Authors: Borders Samantha Allison 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThis article examines the historiographical debate concerning the origins ofArab nationalism as postulated byGeorgeAntonius in his book,The Arab Awakening: The Story of the Arab National Movementand the theory of historical construction. After establishing the theoretical framework of the study with an overview ofHaydenWhite's views on how history is written, it progresses into a study of the historiography ofArab nationalism. Here, the scholarsSylviaG.Haim,C.ErnestDawn,RashidKhalidi, andFrumaZachs and their writings are chronologically dissected, with each academic analyzed via White's theories of historical construction. Through studying their respective positions, it is shown that these texts are culturally relative according to the era in which they were written.It is argued that no work of scholarship can be fully removed from outside influences. Specifically, politicization of academics and the consequences of such endeavors are shown as inextricable from the created narrative. Because of the need for culturally relative knowledge so that it can be applicable to audiences outside of academia, scholars who write for an express purpose (such as answering a question for the benefit of others) should not be considered inherently biased. This article poses that academics have a moral obligation to disseminate knowledge to their respective societies due to their assumed removed status as academics. By doing so, human error is acknowledged and room is made for improvement within the field of history. Knowledge does not need to be created for its own sake, but rather so that it might be utilized by society at large. It is suggested that to foster a deeper understanding of a scholar's relationship with society, there should be an increase in academics' civic engagement. This additionally requires serious reflection and enquiry into the standards that would consequently need to be implemented to maintain the integrity of the produced scholarship.
Language Policy and State in Morocco: The Status of Berber
Authors: Zouhir Abderrahman 
Published: April 2014

AbstractMoroccan society has had a long tradition of multilingualism. It is socially and linguistically diverse, and its cultural makeup is one of the richest in North African countries. Its strategic location at the crossroads of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East has made Morocco open to a variety of linguistic influences. Morocco has been invaded by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greek, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Spanish, and French. All these civilizations have deeply influenced Moroccan language policy and cultural diversity. The cultural and linguistic context of Morocco is characterized by the significant use of Arabic, as well as the presence of Berber, French, Spanish, and English. Berbers are the indigenous populations of Morocco and have existed in North Africa since time immemorial. Despite its complexity, the language policy of Morocco reveals an overarching monolingualism, with the hegemony of Classical Arabic as the only official language of the country. Recently, however, language education policy in Morocco has attempted to accommodate multilingualism. The linguistic situation of Berber has taken a new twist as it has been incorporated into the realm of Moroccan schools. The new Moroccan constitution also represents a historical turn in that it has acknowledged Berber as an official language, a move that has raised several questions with regard to the real motivation behind it. Berber implementation policy was based on an entirely top‐down bureaucratic model of language policy. Moroccan policymakers and the state seem to be aware of how other dramas are playing out in Morocco and around the world as theories of multiculturalism and effects of globalization are influencing their decisions. However, this language policy encounters many hurdles, from the improvisation to lack of qualified teachers. This article is an attempt to understand the intricate diversity and plurality of Moroccan language situation and the role of the state in Berber language policy. It also examines the invisible politics behind implementing it.
Origin Narratives and the Making of Dynastic History in al‐Dīnawarī's Akhbār
Authors: Tayyara Abed el‐Rahman 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThis article takes the reader on a journey into the historical writing of the ninth century Muslim historian al‐Dīnawarī (d. 895) and examines the motives behind composing his al‐Akhbār al‐ṭiwāl. The themes and narrative arrangements of this work give insight into al‐Dīnawarī's historical agenda that demonstrates his interest in royal histories that exemplify the rise and fall of nations, dynasties, and powerful rulers. Al‐Dīnawarī's emphasis on specific episodes and events demonstrates that only certain ethnic groups whose political legitimacy derives from a respectable and prominent origin can bring about political and social stability. By dealing with these sociopolitical concerns, this article also sheds new light on the intellectual discourses and political crises that dominated Islamic society during the eighth and ninth centuries and the way al‐Dīnawarī reacted to these challenges.
Regional Branching Reconsidered: Emergence of the Fuel Cell Industry in European Regions
Authors: Tanner Anne Nygaard 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe literature on economic geography suffers from a lack of attention to the emergence of new industries. Recent literature on “regional branching” proposes that new industries emerge in regions where preexisting economic activities are technologically related to the emerging industry. This article provides a more grounded basis for the emerging literature on regional branching by confronting the regional branching thesis with the realities of an emerging industry, namely, the fuel cell industry. The analysis is based on patent data and qualitative interviews conducted in a selection of European NUTS2 (nomenclature of territorial units for statistics) regions. The findings can be summarized as follows. First, the analysis reveals that in the case of the emerging fuel cell industry, regional diversification is dominated by firm diversification, which complements previous studies' findings that entrepreneurial spin‐offs dominate regional diversification. Second, the study corroborates the assumption that the process of regional branching relies on knowledge generated by nonindustrial actors such as universities and research institutes. Third, the findings suggest that care should be taken in ascribing the underlying logic of regional branching to the principle of technological relatedness alone. The article shows how some regional diversification processes occur in regions where preexisting economic activities are not technologically related to the emerging industry, for instance, when user industries apply new technologies to their product portfolio. The importance of further investigating and disentangling different dimensions of relatedness and their impact on regional branching is stressed.
A relax‐and‐price heuristic for the inventory‐location‐routing problem
Authors: Guerrero W. J. , Prodhon C. , Velasco N. , Amaya C. A. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThis paper considers the problem of designing a supply chain assuming routing decisions. The objective is to select a subset of depots to open from a set of candidates, the inventory policies for a two‐echelon system, and the set of routes to perform distribution from the upper echelon to the next by a homogeneous fleet of vehicles over a finite planning horizon considering deterministic demand. To solve the problem, a partition is proposed using a Dantzig–Wolfe formulation on the routing variables. A hybridization between column generation, Lagrangian relaxation, and local search is presented within a heuristic procedure. Results demonstrate the capability of the algorithm to compute high quality solutions and empirically estimate the improvement in the cost function of the proposed model at up to 9% compared to the sequential approach. Furthermore, the suggested pricing problem is a new variant of the shortest path problem with applications in urban transportation and telecommunications.
Repeated Radiofrequency Ablation of Atrial Tachycardia in Restrictive Cardiomyopathy Secondary to Myofibrillar Myopathy
Authors: STÖLLBERGER CLAUDIA , GATTERER EDMUND , FINSTERER JOSEF , KUCK KARL‐HEINZ , TILZ ROLAND RICHARD 
Published: April 2014

Radiofrequency Ablation in Restrictive CardiomyopathyMyofibrillar myopathy is characterized by nonhyaline and hyaline lesions due to mutations in nuclear genes encoding for extra‐myofibrillar or myofibrillar proteins. Cardiac involvement in myofibrillar myopathy may be phenotypically expressed as dilated, hypertrophic, or restrictive cardiomyopathy. Radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation and flutter has so far not been reported in myofibrillar myopathy. We report the case of a young female with myofibrillar myopathy and deteriorating heart failure due to restrictive cardiomyopathy and recurrent atrial fibrillation and atrial tachycardias intolerant to pharmacotherapy. Cardiac arrhythmias were successfully treated with repeat radiofrequency ablations and resulted in regression of heart failure, thus postponing the necessity for cardiac transplantation.
Renal Dysfunction and Clinical Outcomes of Patients Undergoing ICD and CRTD Implantation: Data from the Israeli ICD Registry
Authors: EISEN ALON , SULEIMAN MAHMOUD , STRASBERG BORIS , SELA RON , ROSENHECK SHIMON , FREEDBERG NAHUM A. , GEIST MICHAEL , BEN‐ZVI SHLOMIT , GOLDENBERG ILAN , GLIKSON MICHAEL , HAIM MOTI ,   On behalf of the Israeli working group of pacing and electrophysiology of the Israel Heart Society
Published: April 2014

Renal Function and Outcomes After Defibrillator ImplantationBackgroundImplantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) reduce mortality in patients with heart failure (HF) and left ventricular dysfunction. However, their efficacy in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is controversial.ObjectiveWe examined the association between renal dysfunction and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing ICD and CRT defibrillator (CRTD) implantation.MethodsData were collected from the Israeli ICD registry. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at implantation was assessed using the modification of diet in renal disease formula. Primary outcome was all‐cause mortality. Secondary outcomes included the composite endpoints of death or HF and death or ventricular arrhythmias (ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation [VT/VF]); any hospitalizations; first appropriate and inappropriate ICD therapy.ResultsDuring the study period (July 2010–November 2012), 2,811 patients were implanted with ICD or CRTD. One‐year follow‐up data were available for 730 ICD patients and 453 CRTD patients. Patients with eGFR < 30 mL/minute/1.73 m2 (n = 54, 4.6%) were older, had a higher prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, or ischemic heart disease. eGFR <30 mL/minute/1.73 m2 was associated with increased mortality risk in ICD (HR 5.4; 95% CI 1.5–19.2), but not in CRTD patients (HR 0.9; 95% CI 0.1–7.5). Renal dysfunction was associated with the composite endpoints of death or HF and death or VT/VF in ICD, but not in CRTD patients. Mean eGFR during follow‐up decreased by 8.0 ± 4.3 mL/minute/1.73 m2 in ICD patients (P = 0.06) and by 1.8 ± 1.3 mL/minute/1.73 m2 in patients with CRTD (P = 0.2).ConclusionBased on this retrospective analysis, CKD is associated with adverse prognosis after ICD implantation, but not after CRTD implantation. GFR decreased in patients with ICD, but not in CRTD patients.
Regional Difference of Optimal Contact Force to Prevent Acute Pulmonary Vein Reconnection During Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: SOTOMI YOHEI , KIKKAWA TAKAYUKI , INOUE KOICHI , TANAKA KOJI , TOYOSHIMA YUKO , OKA TAKAFUMI , TANAKA NOBUAKI , NOZATO YOICHI , ORIHARA YOSHIYUKI , IWAKURA KATSUOMI , SAKATA YASUSHI , FUJII KENSHI 
Published: April 2014

Optimal Contact Force for AF AblationBackgroundRegional differences in optimal contact force (CF) to prevent acute pulmonary vein reconnection (APVR) during catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) remain unclear.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to evaluate regional difference in optimal CF during AF ablation.MethodsThis single‐center observational study evaluated data from 57 consecutive drug‐refractory AF patients (mean age, 62 ± 11 years; 43 males) who underwent initial pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) using the THERMOCOOL® SMARTTOUCH™ (Biosense Webster, Diamond Bar, CA, USA) catheter from June to August 2013. APVR was defined as the time‐dependent reconnection >20 minutes after initial PVI and/or reconnection evoked by intravenous adenosine administration (20 mg). Point‐by‐point relationships between the reconnected points and their CF values were evaluated.ResultsTotal 72 gaps causing APVR were observed. Of a total of 4,421 ablation points, 285 (6.4%) were associated with APVR. The average CF value of the points with APVR was significantly lower than that of those without (APVR vs. no APVR; 7.5 ± 6.7 g vs. 9.9 ± 8.4 g; P < 0.0001). The areas under the curve and optimal CF values differed between segments (range 0.593–0.761 and 10–22 g, respectively). The optimal CF value was highest in bottom of the right PV and posterosuperior right PV segments (22 g) and lowest in posteroinferior right PV segment (10 g).ConclusionsThere was a regional difference in optimal CF values to prevent APVR, and the optimal CF value to prevent APVR with >95% probability was 10–22 g, depending on the individual peri‐PV segments.
Does type of disability make a difference in affiliate stigma among family caregivers of individuals with autism, intellectual disability or physical disability?
Authors: Werner S. , Shulman C. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractBackgroundStudies have shown that beyond public and self stigma, stigma can also impact family members. Only scant research has examined the internalised aspects of stigma, known as affiliate stigma, among family caregivers of individuals with disabilities. This study examined affiliate stigma among family caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities via a comparison between caregivers of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID), autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and physical disabilities (PD) in Israel.MethodsFamily caregivers (n = 171) of individuals with developmental disabilities, mainly ID (22.4%), ASD (32.9%) and PD (27.1%), completed a self‐report structured questionnaire including the Affiliate Stigma Scale and background variables.ResultsResults supported a one‐factor structure for the Affiliate Stigma Scale. Overall, affiliate stigma was relatively low in this sample, but was found to be higher among caregivers of individuals with ASD when compared with caregivers of individuals with ID or PD.ConclusionFindings from this study point to the importance of supporting caregivers of individuals with ASD to decrease their feelings of stigma. It is also important to further develop scales measuring affiliate stigma in order to capture the multi‐dimensional nature of the concept.