bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Particulate matter components and subclinical atherosclerosis: common approaches to estimating exposure in a Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis cross-sectional study
Authors: Sun Min , Kaufman Joel D , Kim Sun-Young , Larson Timothy V , Gould Timothy R , Polak Joseph F , Budoff Matthew J , Diez Roux Ana V , Vedal Sverre 
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Background
Concentrations of outdoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) have been associated with cardiovascular disease. PM2.5 chemical composition may be responsible for effects of exposure to PM2.5.

Methods
Using data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) collected in 2000–2002 on 6,256 US adults without clinical cardiovascular disease in six U.S. metropolitan areas, we investigated cross-sectional associations of estimated long-term exposure to total PM2.5 mass and PM2.5 components (elemental carbon [EC], organic carbon [OC], silicon and sulfur) with measures of subclinical atherosclerosis (coronary artery calcium [CAC] and right common carotid intima-media thickness [CIMT]). Community monitors deployed for this study from 2007 to 2008 were used to estimate exposures at baseline addresses using three commonly-used approaches: (1) nearest monitor (the primary approach), (2) inverse-distance monitor weighting and (3) city-wide average.

Results
Using the exposure estimate based on nearest monitor, in single-pollutant models, increased OC (effect estimate [95% CI] per IQR: 35.1 μm [26.8, 43.3]), EC (9.6 μm [3.6,15.7]), sulfur (22.7 μm [15.0,30.4]) and total PM2.5 (14.7 μm [9.0,20.5]) but not silicon (5.2 μm [−9.8,20.1]), were associated with increased CIMT; in two-pollutant models, only the association with OC was robust to control for the other pollutants. Findings were generally consistent across the three exposure estimation approaches. None of the PM measures were positively associated with either the presence or extent of CAC. In sensitivity analyses, effect estimates for OC and silicon were particularly sensitive to control for metropolitan area.

Conclusion
Employing commonly-used exposure estimation approaches, all of the PM2.5 components considered, except silicon, were associated with increased CIMT, with the evidence being strongest for OC; no component was associated with increased CAC. PM2.5 chemical components, or other features of the sources that produced them, may be important in determining the effect of PM exposure on atherosclerosis. These cross-sectional findings await confirmation in future work employing longitudinal outcome measures and using more sophisticated approaches to estimating exposure.
Plasmon-mediated resonance energy transfer by metallic nanorods
Authors: Yu Yi-Cong , Liu Jia-Ming , Jin Chong-Jun , Wang Xue-Hua 
Published: May 2013

Abstract
We investigate the enhancement of the resonance energy transfer rate between donor and acceptor associated by the surface plasmons of the Ag nanorods on a SiO2 substrate. Our results for a single nanorod with different cross sections reveal that the cylinder nanorod has the strongest ability to enhance the resonance energy transfer rate. Moreover, for donor and acceptor with nonparallel polarization directions, we propose simple V-shaped nanorod structures which lead to the remarkable resonance energy transfer enhancement that is ten times larger than that by the single nanorod structure. We demonstrate that these structures have good robustness and controllability. Our work provides a way to improve the resonance energy transfer efficiency in integrated photonic devices.

PACS

78.67.Qa, 73.20.Mf, 42.50.Ex
Baclofen into the lateral parabrachial nucleus induces hypertonic sodium chloride intake during cell dehydration
Authors: Kimura Everton H , De Oliveira Lisandra B , Menani José V , Callera João C 
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Background
Activation of GABAB receptors with baclofen into the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) induces ingestion of water and 0.3 M NaCl in fluid replete rats. However, up to now, no study has investigated the effects of baclofen injected alone or combined with GABAB receptor antagonist into the LPBN on water and 0.3 M NaCl intake in rats with increased plasma osmolarity (rats treated with an intragastric load of 2 M NaCl). Male Wistar rats with stainless steel cannulas implanted bilaterally into the LPBN were used.

Results
In fluid replete rats, baclofen (0.5 nmol/0.2 μl), bilaterally injected into the LPBN, induced ingestion of 0.3 M NaCl (14.3 ± 4.1 vs. saline: 0.2 ± 0.2 ml/210 min) and water (7.1 ± 2.9 vs. saline: 0.6 ± 0.5 ml/210 min). In cell-dehydrated rats, bilateral injections of baclofen (0.5 and 1.0 nmol/0.2 μl) into the LPBN induced an increase of 0.3 M NaCl intake (15.6 ± 5.7 and 21.5 ± 3.5 ml/210 min, respectively, vs. saline: 1.7 ± 0.8 ml/210 min) and an early inhibition of water intake (3.5 ± 1.4 and 6.7 ± 2.1 ml/150 min, respectively, vs. saline: 9.2 ± 1.4 ml/150 min). The pretreatment of the LPBN with 2-hydroxysaclofen (GABAB antagonist, 5 nmol/0.2 μl) potentiated the effect of baclofen on 0.3 M NaCl intake in the first 90 min of test and did not modify the inhibition of water intake induced by baclofen in cell-dehydrated rats. Baclofen injected into the LPBN did not affect blood pressure and heart rate.

Conclusions
Thus, injection of baclofen into the LPBN in cell-dehydrated rats induced ingestion of 0.3 M NaCl and inhibition of water intake, suggesting that even in a hyperosmotic situation, the blockade of LPBN inhibitory mechanisms with baclofen is enough to drive rats to drink hypertonic NaCl, an effect independent of changes in blood pressure.
Optimization of transplastomic production of hemicellulases in tobacco: effects of expression cassette configuration and tobacco cultivar used as production platform on recombinant protein yields
Authors: Kolotilin Igor , Kaldis Angelo , Pereira Eridan Orlando , Laberge Serge , Menassa Rima 
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Background
Chloroplast transformation in tobacco has been used extensively to produce recombinant proteins and enzymes. Chloroplast expression cassettes can be designed with different configurations of the cis-acting elements that govern foreign gene expression. With the aim to optimize production of recombinant hemicellulases in transplastomic tobacco, we developed a set of cassettes that incorporate elements known to facilitate protein expression in chloroplasts and examined expression and accumulation of a bacterial xylanase XynA. Biomass production is another important factor in achieving sustainable and high-volume production of cellulolytic enzymes. Therefore, we compared productivity of two tobacco cultivars – a low-alkaloid and a high-biomass - as transplastomic expression platforms.

Results
Four different cassettes expressing XynA produced various mutant phenotypes of the transplastomic plants, affected their growth rate and resulted in different accumulation levels of the XynA enzyme. The most productive cassette was identified and used further to express XynA and two additional fungal xylanases, Xyn10A and Xyn11B, in a high-biomass tobacco cultivar. The high biomass cultivar allowed for a 60% increase in XynA production per plant. Accumulation of the fungal enzymes reached more than 10-fold higher levels than the bacterial enzyme, constituting up to 6% of the total soluble protein in the leaf tissue. Use of a well-characterized translational enhancer with the selected expression cassette revealed inconsistent effects on accumulation of the recombinant xylanases. Additionally, differences in the enzymatic activity of crude plant extracts measured in leaves of different age suggest presence of a specific xylanase inhibitor in the green leaf tissue.

Conclusion
Our results demonstrate the pivotal importance of the expression cassette design and appropriate tobacco cultivar for high-level transplastomic production of recombinant proteins.
From meta-omics to causality: experimental models for human microbiome research
Authors: Fritz Joëlle V , Desai Mahesh S , Shah Pranjul , Schneider Jochen G , Wilmes Paul 
Published: May 2013

Abstract
Large-scale ‘meta-omic’ projects are greatly advancing our knowledge of the human microbiome and its specific role in governing health and disease states. A myriad of ongoing studies aim at identifying links between microbial community disequilibria (dysbiosis) and human diseases. However, due to the inherent complexity and heterogeneity of the human microbiome, cross-sectional, case–control and longitudinal studies may not have enough statistical power to allow causation to be deduced from patterns of association between variables in high-resolution omic datasets. Therefore, to move beyond reliance on the empirical method, experiments are critical. For these, robust experimental models are required that allow the systematic manipulation of variables to test the multitude of hypotheses, which arise from high-throughput molecular studies. Particularly promising in this respect are microfluidics-based in vitro co-culture systems, which allow high-throughput first-pass experiments aimed at proving cause-and-effect relationships prior to testing of hypotheses in animal models. This review focuses on widely used in vivo, in vitro, ex vivo and in silico approaches to study host-microbial community interactions. Such systems, either used in isolation or in a combinatory experimental approach, will allow systematic investigations of the impact of microbes on the health and disease of the human host. All the currently available models present pros and cons, which are described and discussed. Moreover, suggestions are made on how to develop future experimental models that not only allow the study of host-microbiota interactions but are also amenable to high-throughput experimentation.
Attitudinal and perceptual factors in body image distortion: an exploratory study in patients with anorexia nervosa
Authors: Waldman Amanda , Loomes Rachel , Mountford Victoria A , Tchanturia Kate 
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Background
Body image disturbance is a core feature of anorexia nervosa (AN). Attitudinal and cognitive biases as well as fundamental perceptual differences have been hypothesized to play a role in this disturbance.

Method
This study investigated body image dissatisfaction and distortion, haptic perception and perfectionism in 30 patients with AN and 31 age-matched healthy controls. Participants completed perceptual tasks and self-report measures.

Results
As predicted, participants with AN scored significantly higher on body dissatisfaction, perfectionism measures and had greater body distortion (as assessed by a body size estimation task). Cognitive–affective factors and perfectionism were highly correlated with body image distortion in AN. No significant differences were found between groups on the generic perception task.

Conclusions
Findings did not confirm the hypothesis of fundamental perceptual inefficiencies in body image disturbance in individuals with AN. Despite renewed interest in fundamental perceptual factors implicated in body image disturbance, these findings suggest that it continues to be important to focus treatment on cognitive affective biases versus fundamental perceptual inefficiencies.
The role of location in evaluating racial wage disparity
Authors: Black Dan A , Kolesnikova Natalia , Sanders Seth G , Taylor Lowell J 
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Abstract
A standard object of empirical analysis in labor economics is a modified Mincer wage function in which an individual’s log wage is a function of education, experience, and race. We analyze this approach in a context where individuals live and work in different locations (thus facing different housing prices and wages). Our model justifies the traditional approach, but with the important caveat that the regression should include location-specific fixed effects. Empirical analysis of men in U.S. labor markets demonstrates that failure to condition on location causes us to significantly overstate the decline in black-white wage disparity over the past 60 years.

JEL codes
J31, J71, R23
Non-suicidal self-injury v. attempted suicide:
new diagnosis or false dichotomy?
Authors: Kapur Navneet , Cooper Jayne , O'Connor Rory C. , Hawton Keith 
Published: May 2013

SummaryNon-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a term that is becoming popular
especially in North America and it has been proposed as a new diagnosis in
DSM-5. In this paper we consider what self-harm research can tell us about
the concept of NSSI and examine the potential pitfalls of introducing NSSI
into clinical practice.
Concilier sécurité et exploitation ? Distance de réserve, périmètre d’interdiction et opposition des populations aux carrières à plâtre de Montmartre (1830-1840)
Authors: Graber Frédéric 
Published: May 2013

Le sous-sol parisien, exploité pour ses pierres et son plâtre, a donné lieu à des accidents spectaculaires. Cet article propose d’étudier l’une des procédures techniques destinées à éviter les effondrements de carrières, la distance de sécurité, distance à maintenir entre l’extrémité d’une carrière et un édifice, et les débats que cette mesure provoque lorsqu’il devient manifeste qu’elle est insuffisante. Pour cela, on analyse le cas de la commune de Montmartre, dans les années 1830-40, où la question de la distance de sécurité s’avère centrale, entre une municipalité qui s’inquiète de la multiplication des effondrements et une administration qui prétend avoir la situation en main. Leurs divergences concernent d’une part la question de l’antériorité des carrières par rapport aux édifices et celle de la sécurisation des anciennes carrières, et d’autre part, les distances de sécurité et les difficultés tant à les établir, qu’à les faire respecter. L’orientation industrialiste de l’administration l’amène à considérer les accidents comme normaux, alors que les habitants cherchent à mettre en série les accidents pour faire émerger une catastrophe : l’article s’interroge donc sur ce qui constitue une catastrophe pour les acteurs et sur les temporalités impliquées dans cet exercice.
An underground weakened by quarries caused spectacular accidents in the Paris area. This article studies one of the technical procedures developed to avoid the collapse of quarries in an urban environment: safety distance, a minimal distance to be maintained between a quarry and a building, became an object of debate when its insufficiency became apparent. The article studies the case of the city of Montmartre in the 1830s, when the question of the safety distance was at stake between a municipality concerned about the increase of plaster quarry collapses and an administration that claimed to have the situation under control. This debate concerned, on the one hand, the question of the anteriority of quarries with respect to buildings and the security repair of abandoned quarries and, on the other hand, the difficulty of measuring safety distances properly and enforcing them. The administration’s industrialist tendency led it to consider quarry accidents normal, while residents supported a cumulative approach: Montmartre’s many quarry accidents constituted a catastrophe. The article is finally concerned with what constitutes a disaster in the actors’ view and the temporalities involved.
Generalized assessment of the impact of Parkinson’s disease on functional condition
Authors: Myalovitska Olena , Lobanova Iryna 
Published: May 2013

Individuals who develop Parkinson's disease are confronted not only with the physical manifestations of the disorder, but also with the psychosocial issues that impact on quality of life. The aim of the current work was to assess the level of psychosocial and physical functioning impairment in 95 patients with Parkinson’s disease (48 men and 47 women aged 65–79, average age 70.3±0.5, stages of Parkinson’s disease acсording to Hoehn and Yahr scale - 2–2.5). This research was carried out with the help of “Functional Limitation Profile” and “Sickness Impact Profile – 68” tests.According to the “Functional Limitation Profile” test, the patients with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease most commonly showed functional condition impairment in 3 categories: “walk” (92% of cases), “social interaction” (85% of cases) and “clarity of mind” (79% of cases). Less frequent condition impairments were changes in the categories “body care and motion” (72% of cases), “emotions” (65% of cases) and “work” (56% of cases). The least impaired were the categories “communication” (22% of cases), “leisure and entertainment” (24% of cases) and “food” (19% of cases). According to the “Sickness Impact Profile – 68” test, patients with Parkinson’s disease showed functional condition impairment most often in the categories “mobility control”, “social behavior” and “degree of mobility”. Patients showed impairment less frequently in the categories “somatic autonomy”, “psychic autonomy and communication”. The least impaired category was “emotional stability”. The highest percent in relation to the maximum possible point was shown in the category “mobility control”, and the lowest in the category “emotional stability”.Thus, this study demonstrates significant impact of the disease on the functional condition of these patients. Functional limits, connected with the disease appearance, are most often present in the motion and social sphere of patients’ life and less frequently in the emotional sphere.
Crystal structure of potassium trans-diaquabis[oxalato-κ2O,O] chromate(III) urea disolvate, K[Cr(C2O4)2(H2O)2]·2CO(NH2)2, C6H12CrKN4O12
Authors: Bebga Gouet , Ndassa Ibrahim M. , Ndong Pierre R. , Misse Patrick R. N. , Fokwa Boniface P. T. 
Published: May 2013

Abstract C6H12CrKN4O12, triclinic, P1̅ (No. 2), a = 5.101(1) Å, b = 7.029(1) Å, c = 10.554(2) Å, α = 76.73(3)°, β = 77.46(3)°, γ = 81.32(3)°, V = 357.5 Å3, Z = 1, Rgt(F) = 0.0321, wRref(F2) = 0.1327, T = 293 K.
Agricultural Policy and the Feed Industry in Mexico
Authors: Huacuja Flavia Echánove 
Published: May 2013

Mexico is the fourth world producer of animal feed, a highly productive and dynamic sector in the last decades. This has resulted in a growing demand for grains used as inputs for its industrial processing (maize, sorghum and soybeans), which feed producers acquire as much from the US market as in the domestic Mexican market. In this article I analyze the supply mechanisms of feed agribusiness, particularly in the case of their national purchases of sorghum, as well as the role that agricultural policies play in those mechanisms. From 1994 to 2007 the Mexican government subsidized the imports of grains by the feed producer sector, while it recently implemented the program of “contract farming” to encourage the firms to acquire national grains and to support their producers. The objective of this paper is to analyze the characteristics and problems of this subsidy program, based on two changing variables (international prices of the grains and exchange rate), which makes it highly vulnerable. The article also analyzes the geographical setting where these firms and other participating agents operate in the value chain.
México es el cuarto productor de alimentos animales a nivel mundial. Este sector se ha mostrado altamente productivo y dinámico durante las últimas décadas. Como resultado, hay una creciente demanda de granos (maíz, sorgo y frijol de soya) que se utilizan como insumos para su procesamiento industrial y que los productores de alimentos animales adquieren tanto del mercado de Estados Unidos como en el mercado doméstico mexicano. En el presente anticulo analizo los mecanismos de abastecimiento del agronegocio del alimentos animales, en particular el caso de las compras locales de sorgo, así como el papel que juegan las políticas agrícolas sobre dichos mecanismos. Entre 1994 y 2007, el gobierno mexicano subsidió las importaciones granos por parte del sector productor de alimentos animales y, recientemente, implementó el programa Agricultura por Contrato, que tiene el propósito de alentar a las compañías a adquirir granos nacionales y apoyar a sus productores. El objetivo de este artículo es analizar las características y problemas de este programa de subsidios, con base en dos variables móviles (los precios internacionales de los granos y el tipo de cambio), que lo convierten en un programa sumamente vulnerable. En el artículo también analizo el escenario geográfico donde estas compañías y sus agentes operan en la cadena de valor.
Surgery for adrenocortical carcinoma in The Netherlands: analysis of the national cancer registry data
Authors: Kerkhofs T M A , Verhoeven R H A , Bonjer H J , van Dijkum E J Nieveen , Vriens M R , De Vries J , Van Eijck C H , Bonsing B A , Van de Poll-Franse L V , Haak H R , _ _ 
Published: May 2013

ObjectiveAdrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare disease with an estimated incidence of one to two cases per 1 million inhabitants. The Dutch Adrenal Network (DAN) was initiated with the aim to improve patient care and to stimulate scientific research on ACC. Currently, not all patients with ACC are treated in specialized DAN hospitals. The objective of the current investigation was to determine whether there are differences in survival between patients operated on in DAN hospitals and those operated on in non-DAN hospitals.DesignThe study was set up as a retrospective and population-based survival analysis.MethodsData on all adult ACC patients diagnosed between 1999 and 2009 were obtained from The Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR). Overall survival was calculated and a comparison was made between DAN and non-DAN hospitals.ResultsThe NCR contained data of 189 patients. The median survival of patients with European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumors stages I–III disease was significantly longer for patients operated on in a DAN hospital (n=46) than for those operated on in a non-DAN hospital (n=37, 5-year survival 63 vs 42%). Survival remained significantly different after correction for sex, age, year of diagnosis, and stage of disease in the multivariate analysis (hazard ratio 1.96 (95% CI 1.01–3.81), P=0.047).ConclusionThe results associate surgery in a DAN center with a survival benefit for patients with local or locally advanced ACC. We hypothesize that a multidisciplinary approach for these patients explains the observed survival benefit. These findings should be carefully considered in view of the aim for further centralization of ACC treatment.
Cleft Palate in a Mouse Model of SOX2 Haploinsufficiency
Authors: Langer Lee , Sulik Kathleen , Pevny Larysa 
Published: May 2013

Objective While SEX-determining region Y-Box 2 ( SOX2) mutations are typically recognized as yielding ocular and central nervous system abnormalities, they have also been associated with other craniofacial defects. To elucidate the genesis of the latter, Sox2 hypomorphic ( Sox2HYP) mice were examined, with particular attention to secondary palatal development. Results Clefts of the secondary palate were found to be highly penetrant in Sox2HYP mice. The palatal clefting occurred in the absence of mandibular hypoplasia and resulted from delayed or failed shelf elevation. Conclusions Sox2 hypomorphism can result in clefting of the secondary palate, an effect that appears to be independent of mandibular hypoplasia and is thus expected to result from an abnormality that is inherent to the palatal shelves and/or their progenitor tissues. Further clinical attention relative to SOX2 mutations as a basis for secondary palatal clefts appears warranted.