bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Bringing ‘indigenous’ ownership back: Chinese presence and the Citizen Economic Empowerment Commission in Zambia
Authors: Kragelund Peter 
Published: September 2012

ABSTRACTAfrican economies are currently experiencing an upsurge in foreign ownership of key parts of their economies. This, however, is not new, and in the wake of independence several African countries pursued indigenisation policies to bring ownership back to their own citizens. Now indigenisation policies thrive again, this time disguised in terms such as ‘empowerment’, but just as politicised as in the 1970s. Zambia is at the heart of this development. In the light of liberalisation, booming commodity prices and the increasing importance of Chinese investors, this article seeks to further our understanding of how processes of exclusion interact with domestic politics in Zambia. It argues that the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission, a new institution to bring ownership back to Zambians, builds on a long tradition of nationalist policies in Zambia, while its actual work is strictly related to the critique of the growing foreign dominance over the economy, and in particular of the upsurge in Chinese investments.
Trypanosoma cruzi heparin-binding proteins present a flagellar membrane localization and serine proteinase activity
Authors: OLIVEIRA-JR F. O. R. , ALVES C. R. , SILVA F. S. , CÔRTES L. M. C. , TOMA L. , BOUÇAS R. I. , AGUILAR T. , NADER H. B. , PEREIRA M. C. S. 
Published: September 2012

SUMMARYHeparin-binding proteins (HBPs) play a key role in Trypanosoma cruzi-host cell interactions. HBPs recognize heparan sulfate (HS) at the host cell surface and are able to induce the cytoadherence and invasion of this parasite. Herein, we analysed the biochemical properties of the HBPs and also evaluated the expression and subcellular localization of HBPs in T. cruzi trypomastigotes. A flow cytometry analysis revealed that HBPs are highly expressed at the surface of trypomastigotes, and their peculiar localization mainly at the flagellar membrane, which is known as an important signalling domain, may enhance their binding to HS and elicit the parasite invasion. The plasmon surface resonance results demonstrated the stability of HBPs and their affinity to HS and heparin. Additionally, gelatinolytic activities of 70 kDa, 65·8 kDa and 59 kDa HBPs over a broad pH range (5·5–8·0) were revealed using a zymography assay. These proteolytic activities were sensitive to serine proteinase inhibitors, such as aprotinin and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, suggesting that HBPs have the properties of trypsin-like proteinases.
Withdrawing interferon-α from psychiatric patients: clinical care or unjustifiable stigma?
Authors: Spennati A. , Pariante C. M. 
Published: September 2012

IFN-α is an effective therapy for chronic viral hepatitis C and today still represents an effective first-line treatment. Unfortunately, its use is associated with a number of side-effects, including psychiatric problems like depression, mania, psychosis, delirium and other cognitive disturbances. Clinicians have been concerned about the risks of worsening of pre-existent psychiatric disorders and of precipitating suicidal attempts in psychiatric patients. The presence of a mental illness is, therefore, often deemed to be a contraindication to the use of antiviral treatment. However, this amounts to stigmatization and discrimination, as it basically implies withholding a life-saving medical treatment because of a psychiatric diagnosis. Is this clinically and socially acceptable? With novel treatments now entering clinical practice as adjuvant to IFN-α, it is particularly important to make a statement now, to ensure that psychiatric patients are not left behind. The aim of this editorial is to critically discuss this notion, by reviewing the few studies (n = 14) that have indeed administered IFN-α to patients with a pre-existing psychiatric disorder. We find evidence that these patients have rates of treatment adherence and sustained virological response similar to those of non-psychiatric patients, and that their IFN-α-induced psychiatric symptoms respond successfully to clinical management. We conclude that there is no support to withdrawing IFN-α therapy from psychiatric patients.
Early motor developmental milestones and level of neuroticism in young adulthood: a 23-year follow-up study of the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort
Authors: Flensborg-Madsen T. , Sørensen H. J. , Revsbech R. , Mortensen E. L. 
Published: September 2012

BackgroundStudies investigating early developmental factors in relation to psychopathology have mainly focused on schizophrenia. The personality dimension of neuroticism seems to be a general risk factor for psychopathology, but evidence on associations between early developmental precursors and personality traits is almost non-existent. This study is therefore the first to investigate associations between early motor developmental milestones and neuroticism in adulthood.MethodMothers of 9125 children of the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort recorded 12 developmental milestones during the child's first year of life. A subsample of the cohort comprising 1182 individuals participated in a follow-up when they were aged 20–34 years and were administered the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). Associations between motor developmental milestones and level of neuroticism, extraversion and psychoticism were analysed by multiple linear regression adjusting for for sex, single-mother status, parity, mother's age, father's age, parental social status and birth weight.ResultsAmong the 1182 participants with information on the EPQ, information on milestones was available for 968 participants. Infants who developed high levels of neuroticism as adults tended to sit without support, crawl, and walk with and without support significantly later than individuals with low levels of neuroticism (pvalues <0.05). These results remained significant after adjustment for the included covariates and for adult intelligence.ConclusionsThe findings are the first of their kind and suggest that delays in early motor development may not only characterize psychopathological disorders such as schizophrenia, but may also be associated with the personality dimension of neuroticism in adulthood.
COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF EXERCISE PROGRAMS IN TYPE 2 DIABETES
Authors: Coyle Doug , Coyle Kathryn , Kenny Glen P. , Boulé Normand G. , Wells George A. , Fortier Michelle , Reid Robert D. , Phillips Penny , Sigal Ronald J. 
Published: September 2012

Background: A randomized controlled trial has shown that supervised, facility-based exercise training is effective in improving glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. However, these programs are associated with additional costs. This analysis assessed the cost-effectiveness of such programs.Methods: Analysis used data from the Diabetes Aerobic and Resistance Exercise (DARE) clinical trial which compared three different exercise programs (resistance, aerobic or a combination of both) of 6 months duration with a control group (no exercise program). Clinical outcomes at 6 months were entered for individual patients into the UKPDS economic model for type 2 diabetes adapted for the Canadian context. From this, expected life-years, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and costs were estimated for all patients within the trial.Results: The combined exercise program was the most expensive ($40,050) followed by the aerobic program ($39,250), the resistance program ($38,300) and no program ($31,075). QALYs were highest for combined (8.94), followed by aerobic (8.77), resistance (8.73) and no program (8.70). The incremental cost per QALY gained for the combined exercise program was $4,792 compared with aerobic alone, $8,570 compared with resistance alone, and $37,872 compared with no program. The combined exercise program remained cost-effective for all scenarios considered within sensitivity analysis.Conclusions: A program providing training in both resistance and aerobic exercise was the most cost-effective of the alternatives compared. Based on previous funding decisions, exercise training for individuals with diabetes can be considered an efficient use of resources.
EARLY AWARENESS AND ALERT SYSTEMS FOR MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES IN ISRAEL
Authors: Tal Orna , Hakak Nina 
Published: September 2012

Background: Throughout the world, decision makers face the need to plan on the basis of uncertainty. Prospective updates on future trends of medical technology usage are tools to improve national health status. In Israel, this challenge is met by several steps taken to promote insight into the realm of emerging technologies. Israel's unique horizon strategy refers to three time spans: the immediate to short-term (for the coming year) updating the National List of Health Services (NLHS) and quarterly scanning; the medium-term (3 years to a decade) revitalizing hospital devices and infrastructure; and long-term planning (over a decade), such as the “Health Israel 2020 Project”.Methods: A description of the Israeli setup of different time spans and tiers.Results: The matrix of players, loci, interests, population groups, and incentives creates a complex situation and the Ministry of Health has to regulate the different suppliers and tiers of insurance (obligatory, supplementary, and private), balancing need, equity, and cost containment in preparing for future health care. However, preparedness is not a sterile laboratory and is pervaded by numerous dilemmas and the search for adequate evidence for new less mature technologies is an on-going challenge.Conclusion: Bridging the forecasting chasm for the future requires analyzing needs, reinforcing evidence and seeing “around the corner” when synergizing between all the “actors” in the national arena. Expert consultation and international cooperation with similar horizon organizations can assist in paving the way for more successful planning efforts for future medical technology implementation.
HEALTH TECHNOLOGY REASSESSMENT OF NON-DRUG TECHNOLOGIES: CURRENT PRACTICES
Authors: Leggett Laura , Noseworthy Tom W. , Zarrabi Mahmood , Lorenzetti Diane , Sutherland Lloyd R. , Clement Fiona M. 
Published: September 2012

Objectives: Obsolescence is a natural phase of the lifecycle of health technologies. Given increasing cost of health expenditures worldwide, health organizations have little choice but to engage in health technology reassessment (HTR); a structured, evidence-based assessment of the medical, social, ethical, and economic effects of a technology, currently used within the healthcare system, to inform optimal use of that technology in comparison to its alternatives. This research was completed to identify and summarize international HTR initiatives for non-drug technologies.Methods: A systematic review was performed using the terms disinvestment, obsolescence, obsolete technology, ineffective, reassessment, reinvestment, reallocation, program budgeting, and marginal analysis to search PubMED, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL until November 2011. Websites of organizations listed as members of INAHTA and HTAi were hand-searched for gray literature. Documents were excluded if they were unavailable in English, if the title/abstract was irrelevant to HTR, and/or if the document made no mention of current practices. All citations were screened in duplicate with disagreements resolved by consensus.Results: Sixty full-text documents were reviewed and forty were included. One model for reassessment was identified; however, it has never been put into practice. Eight countries have some evidence of past or current work related to reassessment; seven have shown evidence of continued work in HTR. There is negligible focus on monitoring and implementation.Conclusions: HTR is in its infancy. Although health technology reassessments are being conducted, there is no standardized approach. Future work should focus on developing and piloting a comprehensive methodology for completing HTR.
Osteopontin alters the functional profile of porcine microgliain vitro
Authors: Tambuyzer Bart R. , Casteleyn Christophe , Vergauwen Hans , Van Cruchten Steven , Van Ginneken Chris 
Published: September 2012

AbstractOPN (osteopontin) is a secreted glycoprotein predominantly expressed in bone matrix and kidney tissue. More recently, a neuroprotective role has been attributed to this cytokine since it can be up‐regulated by microglia in neurodegeneration and inflammation. We demonstrate the expression of OPN within primary cultured microglia. Microglia incubatedin vitrowith different concentrations (0.1 fM–1 nM) of recombinant OPN showed increased proliferation at 10 fM. Moreover, conditioned medium of LLC‐PK1 cells, a pig renal epithelial cell line and a known source of secreted OPN, more than doubled the rate of proliferation of microglia. Addition of an anti‐OPN polyclonal antibody completely reversed this effect. Treatment with OPN dose‐dependently also inhibited microglial superoxide production. In contrast, phagocytosis of fluorescent‐labelled beads was enhanced by OPN. In conclusion, OPN shifts microglia, at leastin vitro, to an alternative functional profile more fit to the immune‐balanced microenvironment of the CNS (central nervous system).
Polymer scaling laws of unfolded and intrinsically disordered proteins quantified with single-molecule spectroscopy
Authors: Hofmann Hagen , Soranno Andrea , Borgia Alessandro , Gast Klaus , Nettels Daniel , Schuler Benjamin 
Published: September 2012

The dimensions of unfolded and intrinsically disordered proteins are highly dependent on their amino acid composition and solution conditions, especially salt and denaturant concentration. However, the quantitative implications of this behavior have remained unclear, largely because the effective theta-state, the central reference point for the underlying polymer collapse transition, has eluded experimental determination. Here, we used single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy and two-focus correlation spectroscopy to determine the theta points for six different proteins. While the scaling exponents of all proteins converge to 0.62 ± 0.03 at high denaturant concentrations, as expected for a polymer in good solvent, the scaling regime in water strongly depends on sequence composition. The resulting average scaling exponent of 0.46 ± 0.05 for the four foldable protein sequences in our study suggests that the aqueous cellular milieu is close to effective theta conditions for unfolded proteins. In contrast, two intrinsically disordered proteins do not reach the Θ-point under any of our solvent conditions, which may reflect the optimization of their expanded state for the interactions with cellular partners. Sequence analyses based on our results imply that foldable sequences with more compact unfolded states are a more recent result of protein evolution.
Dietary Lipid Levels Affect Growth and Fatty Acid Profiles of Malaysian Mahseer Tor tambroides
Authors: Ramezani-Fard Ehsan , Kamarudin Mohd Salleh , Saad Che Roos , Harmin Sharr Azni , Meng Goh Yong 
Published: September 2012

Abstract
After protein, the second major essential macronutrient in fish diet is lipid. This study was conducted to determine the optimum level of dietary lipid for the best growth performance of juvenile Malaysian mahseer Tor tambroides. Four isonitrogenous diets containing 40% crude protein were formulated to contain different levels of lipid (5, 10, 15, or 20% on an as-fed basis). Cod liver oil was incorporated into the feed as the main dietary lipid source used to formulate the diets while residual oil coming from other ingredients contributed about 5% of dietary lipid. The experimental diets were labeled as L5, L10, L15, or L20 to denote the levels of dietary lipid. Fish were fed the experimental diets in triplicate groups for 63 d. Growth performance, survival rate, and daily feed intake by Malaysian mahseer significantly decreased when fed diets in which levels of dietary lipid increased from 5% to 20%. However, the growth performance did not vary significantly between fish fed the L5 and L10 diets. The increase in dietary lipid significantly increased the hepatosomatic index but did not influence the viscerosomatic index. Increasing dietary lipid levels also decreased the lipid content in the whole body composition of fish. The monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) contents of fish liver significantly increased with the increase of dietary lipid. The results of this study suggested that 5% dietary lipid is sufficient for the best survival rate and growth performance of juvenile Malaysian mahseer.
First-principles Study of Geometric and Electronic Structures of Si(111)-√7 × √3-In Surface Reconstruction
Authors: Shang Bo , Yuan Lan-feng , Yang Jin-long 
Published: September 2012

In order to determine the structures of Si(111)-√7 × √3-In surfaces and to understand their electronic properties, we construct six models of both hexagonal and rectangular types and perform first-principles calculations. Their scanning tunneling microscopic images and work functions are simulated and compared with experimental results. In this way, the hex-H3′ and rect-T1 models are identified as the experimental configurations for the hexagonal and rectangular types, respectively. The structural evolution mechanism of the In/Si(111) surface with indium coverage around 1.0 monolayer is discussed. The 4×1 and √7 × √3 phases are suggested to have two different types of evolution mechanisms, consistent with experimental results.
Effects of carvedilol on heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: the Japanese Diastolic Heart Failure Study (J‐DHF)
Authors: Yamamoto Kazuhiro , Origasa Hideki , Hori Masatsugu ,   on behalf of the J‐DHF Investigators
Published: September 2012

AimsThe therapeutic strategy for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) has not been established. The Japanese Diastolic Heart Failure Study (J‐DHF) is a multicentre, prospective, randomized, open, blinded‐endpoint trial, designed to assess the effects of carvedilol in HFPEF patients.Methods and resultsA total of 245 patients with heart failure and ejection fraction >40% were randomly assigned into those treated with (carvedilol group, n = 120) and without carvedilol (control group, n = 125). The primary outcome is a composite of cardiovascular death and unplanned hospitalization for heart failure. During a median follow‐up of 3.2 years, the primary endpoint occurred in 29 patients in the carvedilol group and in 34 patients in the control group [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.902, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.546–1.488, P = 0.6854]. Another major composite endpoint, cardiovascular death and unplanned hospitalization for any cardiovascular causes, occurred in 38 patients of the carvedilol group and 52 patients of the control group (HR 0.768, 95% CI 0.504–1.169; P = 0.2178). The target dose of carvedilol was 20 mg/day, but the median prescribed dose was 7.5 mg/day. In the patients treated with standard doses (carvedilol >7.5 mg/day, n = 58), this composite outcome was significantly less than in the controls (HR 0.539, 95% CI 0.303–0.959; P = 0.0356), whereas it was comparable with the controls in the patients treated with carvedilol ≤7.5 mg/day (n = 62, HR 1.070, 95% CI 0.650–1.763; P = 0.7893).ConclusionsCarvedilol did not improve prognosis of HFPEF patients overall; however, the standard dose, not the low dose, prescription might be effective. This may facilitate further investigation.UMIN number: C000000318.
Acclimation of Leaf Nitrogen to Vertical Light Gradient at Anthesis in Wheat Is a Whole-Plant Process That Scales with the Size of the Canopy
Authors: Moreau Delphine , Allard Vincent , Gaju Oorbessy , Le Gouis Jacques , Foulkes M. John , Martre Pierre 
Published: September 2012

AbstractVertical leaf nitrogen (N) gradient within a canopy is classically considered as a key adaptation to the local light environment that would tend to maximize canopy photosynthesis. We studied the vertical leaf N gradient with respect to the light gradient for wheat (Triticum aestivum) canopies with the aims of quantifying its modulation by crop N status and genetic variability and analyzing its ecophysiological determinants. The vertical distribution of leaf N and light was analyzed at anthesis for 16 cultivars grown in the field in two consecutive seasons under two levels of N. The N extinction coefficient with respect to light (b) varied with N supply and cultivar. Interestingly, a scaling relationship was observed between b and the size of the canopy for all the cultivars in the different environmental conditions. The scaling coefficient of the b-green area index relationship differed among cultivars, suggesting that cultivars could be more or less adapted to low-productivity environments. We conclude that the acclimation of the leaf N gradient to the light gradient is a whole-plant process that depends on canopy size. This study demonstrates that modeling leaf N distribution and canopy expansion based on the assumption that leaf N distribution parallels that of the light is inappropriate. We provide a robust relationship accounting for vertical leaf N gradient with respect to vertical light gradient as a function of canopy size.
Effects of Reduced Chloroplast Gene Copy Number on Chloroplast Gene Expression in Maize
Authors: Udy Dylan B. , Belcher Susan , Williams-Carrier Rosalind , Gualberto José M. , Barkan Alice 
Published: September 2012

Abstract
Chloroplasts and other members of the plastid organelle family contain a small genome of bacterial ancestry. Young chloroplasts contain hundreds of genome copies, but the functional significance of this high genome copy number has been unclear. We describe molecular phenotypes associated with mutations in a nuclear gene in maize (Zea mays), white2 (w2), encoding a predicted organellar DNA polymerase. Weak and strong mutant alleles cause a moderate (approximately 5-fold) and severe (approximately 100-fold) decrease in plastid DNA copy number, respectively, as assayed by quantitative PCR and Southern-blot hybridization of leaf DNA. Both alleles condition a decrease in most chloroplast RNAs, with the magnitude of the RNA deficiencies roughly paralleling that of the DNA deficiency. However, some RNAs are more sensitive to a decrease in genome copy number than others. The rpoB messenger RNA (mRNA) exhibited a unique response, accumulating to dramatically elevated levels in response to a moderate reduction in plastid DNA. Subunits of photosynthetic enzyme complexes were reduced more severely than were plastid mRNAs, possibly because of impaired translation resulting from limiting ribosomal RNA, transfer RNA, and ribosomal protein mRNA. These results indicate that chloroplast genome copy number is a limiting factor for the expression of a subset of chloroplast genes in maize. Whereas in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) a pair of orthologous genes function redundantly to catalyze DNA replication in both mitochondria and chloroplasts, the w2 gene is responsible for virtually all chloroplast DNA replication in maize. Mitochondrial DNA copy number was reduced approximately 2-fold in mutants harboring strong w2 alleles, suggesting that w2 also contributes to mitochondrial DNA replication.