bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical evaluation and biochemical analyses of thiamine deficiency in Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) maintained at a zoological facility
Authors: Croft Lara , Napoli Eleonora , Hung Connie K. , St. Leger Judy , Gearhart Scott , Heym Kathy , Wong Sarah , Sakaguchi Danielle , Lin Alex , Puschner Birgit , Giulivi Cecilia 
Published: October 2013

Abstract
Objective—To determine thiamine-dependent enzyme activities in various tissue samples of Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and thiaminase activities in dietary fish.
Design—Cross-sectional study.
Animals—11 Pacific harbor seals with thiamine deficiency and 5 control seals.
Procedures—Seals underwent evaluation to rule out various diseases and exposure to toxins. For seals that died, measurement of thiamine-dependent enzymes in liver and brain samples and determination of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in liver, brain, and muscle samples were performed. Thiaminase activity in dietary fish was determined.
Results—8 seals with thiamine deficiency died. Affected seals typically had acute neurologic signs with few nonspecific findings detected by means of clinicopathologic tests and histologic examination of tissue samples. Thiamine-dependent enzyme activities in liver samples of affected seals were significantly lower than those in control liver samples. The primary activation ratios and latencies for enzymes indicated that brain tissue was more affected by thiamine deficiency than liver tissue. Activities of pyruvate dehydrogenase were more affected by thiamine deficiency than those of transketolase and ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. For control seals, the mtDNA copy number in muscle samples was significantly lower than that for affected seals; conversely, the copy number in control liver samples was significantly greater than that of affected seals. Thiaminase activity was substantially higher in smelt than it was in other types of dietary fish.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results of analyses in this study confirmed a diagnosis of thiamine deficiency for affected seals resulting from high thiaminase activity in dietary fish, inadequate vitamin administration, and increased thiamine demand caused by pregnancy and lactation.
Existence and approximation of solutions of fractional order iterative differential equations
Authors: Deng JianHua , Wang JinRong 
Published: October 2013

Abstract
In this paper, we investigate existence and approximation of solutions of fractional order iterative differential equations by virtue of nonexpansive mappings, fractional calculus and fixed point methods. Three existence theorems as well as convergence theorems for a fixed point iterative method designed to approximate these solutions are obtained in two different work spaces via Chebyshev’s norm, Bielecki’s norm and β norm. Finally, an example is given to illustrate the obtained results.
Calculation method for the continuum states of atomic systems
Authors: Nikolopoulos Lampros 
Published: October 2013

AbstractIn the present work, we develop a calculational method of solving the scattering equations for spherically symmetric potentials by expanding the solutions on Coulomb functions. We utilize a multistep integration scheme together with the standard partial wave analysis in a region where the potential term dominates. The method applies to any physical problem expressed as [∇ 2 + V(r) + k 2]ψ(r) = 0, while the extension of the method to more general scattering problems is briefly discussed. At present, we demonstrate a two-step Coulomb-fitted integration scheme by calculating the short-range scattering phase shifts for various potentials V (r).
Numerical simulation for two-dimensional Riesz space fractional diffusion equations with a nonlinear reaction term
Authors: Liu Fawang , Chen Shiping , Turner Ian , Burrage Kevin , Anh Vo 
Published: October 2013

Abstract
Fractional differential equations have attracted considerable interest because of their ability to model anomalous transport phenomena. Space fractional diffusion equations with a nonlinear reaction term have been presented and used to model many problems of practical interest. In this paper, a two-dimensional Riesz space fractional diffusion equation with a nonlinear reaction term (2D-RSFDE-NRT) is considered. A novel alternating direction implicit method for the 2D-RSFDE-NRT with homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions is proposed. The stability and convergence of the alternating direction implicit method are discussed. These numerical techniques are used for simulating a two-dimensional Riesz space fractional Fitzhugh-Nagumo model. Finally, a numerical example of a two-dimensional Riesz space fractional diffusion equation with an exact solution is given. The numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the methods. These methods and techniques can be extended in a straightforward method to three spatial dimensions, which will be the topic of our future research.
Estimating the varying topology of discrete-time dynamical networks with noise
Authors: Tu Chengyi , Cheng Yuhua , Chen Kai 
Published: October 2013

Abstract
We propose an improved method to estimate the varying topology of discrete-time dynamical networks using autosynchronization. The networks considered in this paper can be weighted or unweighted and directed or undirected, and the dynamics of each node can be nonuniform. Furthermore, we suggest using a moving-average filter to suppress the influence of noise on parameter estimation. Finally, several examples are illustrated to verify the theoretical results by numerical simulation.
Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 expression in fibroblasts of Down syndrome subjects
Authors: Salemi Michele , Barone Concetta , Romano Corrado , Romano Carmelo , Scavuzzo Cataldo , Salluzzo Maria , Tirolo Cataldo , Cantarella Rita , Ragalmuto Alda , Paola Sandro , Bosco Paolo 
Published: October 2013

Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is the most common chromosomal disorder. It is featured by intellectual disability and is caused by trisomy 21. People with DS can develop some traits of Alzheimer disease at an earlier age than subjects without trisomy 21. Apoptosis is a programmed cell death process under both normal physiological and pathological conditions. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 is a mediator of programmed-necrotic cell death and appears to be also involved in the apoptosis. The aim of the present work was to detect the intracellular distribution of PARP-1 protein using immunofluorescence techniques and the expression of PARP-1 mRNA in culture of fibroblasts of DS subjects. The analysis of the intracellular distribution of PARP-1 show a signal at the nuclear level in about 75 % of the cells of DS subjects with a slight uniformly fluorescent cytoplasm. In contrast, in about 65% of the analyzed fibroblasts of the normal subjects only a slight fluorescent was found. These observations have been confirmed by PARP-1 gene mRNA expression evaluation. The data obtained from this study strengthen the hypothesis that the over-expression of PARP-1 gene could have a role in the activation of the apoptotic pathways acting in the neurodegenerative processes in DS.
Effect of salicin on induction and carbon catabolite repression of endoxylanase synthesis in Penicillium janthinellum MTCC 10889
Authors: Kundu Aditi , Ray Rina 
Published: October 2013

AbstractAmongst various carbon sources, xylan was found to be the sole inducer of endoxylanase production by Penicillium janthinellum MTCC 10889 in submerged cultivation. Endoxylanase synthesis by a xylan induced culture was initially repressed after a simultaneous addition of xylose, probably by the inducer exclusion mechanism, but it was resumed and achieved its highest level at a much later stage of growth (at 120 h). Xylose added after 30 h of growth cannot exert its full repressive effect. Although glucose was proved to be a more potent repressor than xylose, supplementation of salicin, an alcoholic β-glycoside containing d-glucose, with pure xylan resulted in an about 3.22 fold increase in the enzyme synthesis at 72 h followed by constant high production of the enzyme at least until the 144th h of growth. Inducing capacity of salicin in a xylan induced culture was significantly reduced when it was added after 30 h of growth. Addition of salicin and xylan help to partially overcome the repressive effect of xylose and glucose. Failure of salicin in recovering the endoxylanase synthesis in actinomycin D and cyclohexamide inhibited the xylan induced culture indicating that salicin cannot initiate the de novo synthesis of the enzyme.
Influence of freezing on physicochemical forms of natural and technogenic radionuclides in Chernozem soil
Authors: Kovacheva Petya , Djingova Rumyana 
Published: October 2013

AbstractSharp variations of different climatic parameters influence the transport, transfer, and deposition of contaminants in nature. Investigations of the impact of environmental temperature on the fractionation of radionuclides in soil are necessary for adequate assessment of their distribution and bioavailability in case of a nuclear accident. The impact of a sharp decrease of environmental temperature shortly after radioactive contamination on the physicochemical fractionation of natural and technogenic radionuclides in Chernozem soil and its influence on their potential migration ability and bioavailability in case of subsequent warming were evaluated. The soil was contaminated in a laboratory with 241Am, 60Co, 137Cs, 228Ra, 234Th, and U and two temperature regimes were used for storage. Changes of the radionuclides association with various soil phases in the first weeks after contamination were studied. Physicochemical forms of 241Am, 60Co, 228Ra, 234Th, and U were determined using two sequential extraction procedures. The ion-exchangeable forms of 137Cs were evaluated by single extraction with 1 M NH4NO3. The data showed that the freezing, following the radioisotope contamination of the soil, causes an increase of the amount of potentially mobile forms of radiocobalt, radiocesium, radium, and thorium and has an insignificant impact on the fractionation of americium and uranium.
Catalysis and reaction mechanisms of N-formylation of amines using Fe(III)-exchanged sepiolite
Authors: Eren Bilge , Aydin Reyhan , Eren Erdal 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThis study presents a rapid, economical and “green” N-formylation of anilines with formic acid (FA) using Fe(III)-exchanged sepiolite (IES) as a catalyst. The IES exhibited excellent catalytic properties and the reactions were complete within 20.90 min to afford products with high yields. The adsorption mechanism of FA on the IES sample was studied by infrared (IR) spectroscopy at a temperature range of 120–400°C. The thermal desorption of pyridine was detected by the IR technique to estimate the acidity of IES. Lewis acid-bound pyridine bands at 1618–1631 cm-1 and 1443–1445 cm-1 were observed even after the IES sample was heated above 400°C.
Mercury(II) complexes of new bidentate phosphorus ylides: synthesis, spectra and crystal structures
Authors: Sabounchei Seyyed , Panahimehr Mohammad , Khavasi Hamid , Bagherjeri Fateme , Boscovic Collete 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThe reaction of dppm (1,1-bis(diphenylphosphino)methane) with 2-bromo-4-phenylacetophenone and benzyl bromoacetate in chloroform produces new phosphonium salts, [Ph2PCH2PPh2CH2C(O) C6H4Ph]Br (I) and [Ph2PCH2PPh2CH2COOCH2Ph]Br (II). By allowing the phosphonium salts to react with the appropriate base, the bidentate phosphorus ylides, Ph2PCH2PPh2=C(H)C(O)C6H4Ph (III) and Ph2PCH2PPh2=C(H)C(O)OCH2Ph (IV), were obtained. The reaction of these ligands with mercury(II) halides in dry methanol led to the formation of the mononuclear complexes {HgX2[(Ph2PCH2PPh2C(H)C(O)C6H4Ph)]} (X = Cl (V); X = Br (VI); X = I (VII)) and {HgX2[(Ph2PCH2PPh2C(H)COOCH2Ph)]} (X = Cl (VIII); X = Br (IX); X = I (X)). The FTIR and 1H, 31P and 13C NMR spectra were studied. The structure of compound III was unequivocally determined by the single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique. Single-crystal X-ray analysis of the {HgBr2[(Ph2PCH2PPh2C(H)C(O)C6H4Me)]} complex (XI) revealed the presence of a mononuclear complex containing the Hg atom in a distorted tetrahedral environment. In all complexes, the ylides referred to above were coordinated through the ylidic carbon and the phosphine atom.
Global Position Sensing and Step Activity as Outcome Measures of Community Mobility and Social Interaction for an Individual With a Transfemoral Amputation Due to Dysvascular Disease
Authors: Jayaraman Arun , Deeny Sean , Eisenberg Yochai , Mathur Gayatri , Kuiken Todd 
Published: October 2013

Background and Purpose
Community mobility of individuals following lower limb amputation is highly variable and has a great impact on their quality of life. Currently, clinical assessments of ambulatory ability and motivation influence prosthetic prescription. However, these outcome measures do not effectively quantify community mobility (ie, mobility outside of the clinic) of individuals with an amputation. Advances in global positioning systems (GPSs) and other wearable step-monitoring devices allow for objective, quantifiable measurement of community mobility. This case report will examine the combined use of a GPS unit and a step activity monitor to quantify community mobility and social interaction of an individual with transfemoral amputation due to dysvascular disease.

Case Description
A 76-year-old woman with a unilateral transfemoral amputation due to vascular disease carried a commercial GPS unit and step activity monitor to quantify her community mobility and social interaction every day over a period of 1 month. The step activity monitor was affixed to her prosthesis. The patient used a wheelchair as well as her prosthesis for everyday mobility.

Outcome
Information from the GPS unit and step activity monitor provided quantitative details on the patient's steps taken in and out of the home, wheelchair use, prosthesis use, driving trips, and time spent on social and community trips.

Discussion
This case report describes a potential clinical measurement procedure for quantifying community mobility and social interaction of an individual with lower limb amputation. Future efforts are needed to validate this measurement tool on large sample sizes and in individuals with different mobility levels. Additionally, automatization of data analysis and technological approaches to reduce compromised GPS signals may eventually lead to a practical, clinically useful tool.
Increasing the Clinical Utility of the BESTest, Mini-BESTest, and Brief-BESTest: Normative Values in Canadian Adults Who Are Healthy and Aged 50 Years or Older
Authors: O'Hoski Sachi , Winship Bonnie , Herridge Lauren , Agha Taimoor , Brooks Dina , Beauchamp Marla K. , Sibley Kathryn M. 
Published: October 2013

BackgroundBalance is a composite ability requiring the integration of multiple systems. The Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) and 2 abbreviated versions (the Mini-BESTest and the Brief-BESTest) are balance assessment tools that target these systems. To date, no normative data exist for any version of the BESTest.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine the age-related normative scores on the BESTest, Mini-BESTest, and Brief-BESTest for Canadians who are healthy and 50 to 89 years of age.DesignA cross-sectional study design was used.MethodsSeventy-nine adults who were healthy and aged 50 to 89 years (mean age=68.9 years; 50.6% women) participated. Normative scores were reported by age decade.ResultsMean BESTest scores were 95.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]=94.4–97.1) for adults who were aged 50 to 59 years, 91.4 (95% CI=89.8–93.0) for those who were aged 60 to 69 years, 85.4 (95% CI=82.5–88.2) for those who were aged 70 to 79 years, and 79.4 (95% CI=74.3–84.5) for those who were aged 80 to 89 years. Similar results were obtained for the Mini-BESTest and the Brief-BESTest, and all 3 tests showed statistically significant differences in scores among the age cohorts.LimitationsBecause only adults who were 50 to 89 years of age were tested, there are still no normative data for people outside this age range. Also, the scores presented may not be generalizable to all countries.ConclusionsThese normative data enhance the clinical utility of the BESTest, Mini-BESTest, and Brief-BESTest by providing clinicians with reference points to guide treatment.
Differential pressure in shunt therapy: investigation of position-dependent intraperitoneal pressure in a porcine model
Authors: Freimann Florian Baptist , Ötvös Jens , Chopra Sascha Santosh , Vajkoczy Peter , Wolf Stefan , Sprung Christian 
Published: October 2013

Object
The differential pressure between the intracranial and intraperitoneal cavities is essential for ventriculoperitoneal shunting. A determination of the pressure in both cavities is decisive for selecting the appropriate valve type and opening pressure. The intraperitoneal pressure (IPP)—in contrast to the intracranial pressure—still remains controversial with regard to its normal level and position dependency.

Methods
The authors used 6 female pigs for the experiments. Two transdermal telemetric pressure sensors (cranial and caudal) were implanted intraperitoneally with a craniocaudal distance of 30 cm. Direct IPP measurements were supplemented with noninvasive IPP measurements (intragastral and intravesical). The IPP was measured with the pigs in the supine (0°), 30°, 60°, and vertical (90°) body positions. After the pigs were euthanized, CT was used to determine the intraperitoneal probe position.

Results
With pigs in the supine position, the mean (± SD) IPP was 10.0 ± 3.5 cm H2O in a mean vertical distance of 4.5 ± 2.8 cm to the highest level of the peritoneum. The difference between the mean IPP of the cranially and the caudally implanted probes (Δ IPP) increased according to position, from 5.5 cm H2O in the 0° position to 11.5 cm H2O in the 30° position, 18.3 cm H2O in the 60° position, and 25.6 cm H2O in the vertical body position. The vertical distance between the probe tips (cranially implanted over caudally implanted) increased 3.4, 11.2, 19.3, and 22.3 cm for each of the 4 body positions, respectively. The mean difference between the Δ IPP and the vertical distance between both probe tips over all body positions was 1.7 cm H2O.

Conclusions
The IPP is subject to the position-dependent hydrostatic force. Normal IPP is able to reduce the differential pressure in patients with ventriculoperitoneal shunts.
Elevational patterns of genetic variation in the cosmopolitan mossBryum argenteum(Bryaceae)
Authors: Pisa Sergio , Werner Olaf , Vanderpoorten Alain , Magdy Mahmoud , Ros Rosa M. 
Published: October 2013

•Premise of the study:The Baas Becking tenet posits that ‘everything is everywhere, but the environment selects’ to explain cosmopolitan distributions in highly vagile taxa. Bryophyte species show wider distributions than vascular plants and include examples of truly cosmopolitan ranges, which have been interpreted as a result of high dispersal capacities and ecological plasticity. In the current study, we documented patterns of genetic structure and diversity in the cosmopolitan mossBryum argenteumalong an elevational gradient to determine if genetic diversity and structure is homogenized by intense migrations in the lack of ecological differentiation.•Methods:60 specimens were collected in the Sierra Nevada Mountains (Spain) between 100 and 2870 m and sequenced for ITS andrps4. Comparative analyses, genetic diversity estimators, and Mantel's tests were employed to determine the relationship between genetic variation, elevation, and geographic distance and to look for signs of demographic shifts.•Key results:Genetic diversity peaked above 1900 m and no signs of demographic shifts were detected at any elevation. There was a strong phylogenetic component in elevational variation. Genetic variation was significantly correlated with elevation, but not with geographic distance.•Conclusions:The results point to the long‐term persistence ofBryum argenteumin a range that was glaciated during the Late Pleistocene. Evidence for an environmentally driven pattern of genetic differentiation suggests adaptive divergence. This supports the Baas Becking tenet and indicates that ecological specialization might play a key role in explaining patterns of genetic structure in cosmopolitan mosses.
Exon‐primed intron‐crossing (EPIC) markers for evolutionary studies of Ficus and other taxa in the fig family (Moraceae)
Authors: Yao Xiaohong , Li Chenhong , Dick Christopher W. 
Published: October 2013

• Premise of the study: The genus Ficus (fig trees) comprises ca. 750 species of trees, vines, and stranglers found in tropical forests throughout the world. Fig trees are keystone species in many tropical forests, and their relationship with host‐specific wasp pollinators has received much attention, although many questions remain unresolved regarding the levels of host specificity, cospeciation, and the role of hybridization in fig and wasp speciation. We developed exon‐primed intron‐crossing (EPIC) markers to obtain phylogenetic resolution needed to address these questions.• Methods and Results: Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from F. elastica were compared to Arabidopsis and Populus genomes to locate introns and to design primers in flanking exons. Primer pairs for 80 EPIC markers were tested in samples from divergent clades within Ficus and the outgroup Poulsenia (Moraceae).• Conclusions: Thirty‐one EPIC markers were successfully sequenced across Ficus, and 29 of the markers also amplified in Poulsenia, indicating broad transferability within Moraceae. All of the EPIC markers were polymorphic and showed levels of polymorphism similar to that of the widely used internal transcribed spacer (ITS).
Le « choix » en économie
Authors: Perrin-Heredia Ana 
Published: October 2013

Cet article propose une réflexion sur la notion de « choix » économique tel qu’il est envisagé par les institutions sociales à partir du cas des consommateurs pauvres. Pour cela, l’attention s’est tout d’abord portée sur la manière dont les agents de l’action publique de lutte contre le surendettement cherchent à orienter les conduites économiques des particuliers et définissent le « bon » choix en matière d’économie domestique. En contrepoint, l’ethnographie économique réalisée auprès de certains habitants d’un quartier populaire rend intelligibles les choix économiques des consommateurs les plus pauvres. Elle permet surtout de comprendre la façon dont la contrainte budgétaire tout d’abord, la contrainte sociale ensuite, structurent leurs décisions en matière d’économie domestique, y compris celles qui peuvent, parfois, apparaître contraire aux décisions « rationnelles » promues par les agents des politiques sociales.
Les trajectoires bifurquées de la « Réserve écologique » sud-africaine : d'une logique aménagiste à une logique écologique
Authors: Bourblanc Magalie 
Published: October 2013

Avec sa Réserve écologique, la loi sud-africaine de réforme de l’eau de 1998 est considérée aujourd’hui comme pionnière en matière environnementale. Cet engagement a de quoi surprendre dans un pays semi-aride confronté à un défi social majeur – assurer un accès à l’eau plus équitable que sous l’Apartheid pour l’immense majorité de la population noire. Comment l’expliquer ? En faisant un détour par l’histoire, l’auteure met en avant le rôle des ingénieurs civils du ministère de l’Eau dans la création de la Réserve et le rôle qu’ils ont joué dans la stimulation des recherches des hydro-écologues sur le sujet. En recourant au cadre d’analyse de la Critical political ecology , l’article déconstruit les concepts scientifiques en soulignant le caractère anthropocentrique de la Réserve et sa capacité à se fondre dans l’approche managériale du ministère de l’Eau. Il explore ensuite la manière dont la Réserve a évolué vers une dimension plus écologique et sa « confiscation » par les scientifiques à partir de 1998.