bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mutant Enrichment with 3′‐Modified Oligonucleotides (MEMO)‐Quantitative PCR for Detection of NPM1 Mutations in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Shin Sang‐Yong , Ki Chang‐Seok , Kim Hee‐Jin , Kim Jong‐Won , Kim Sun‐Hee , Lee Seung‐Tae 
Published: November 2014

BackgroundDetection of NPM1 mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is important for risk stratification, treatment decision, and therapeutic monitoring. We have designed a real‐time PCR method implementing the Mutant enrichment with 3′‐modified oligonucleotides (MEMO) technique to detect NPM1 mutations and validated its utility in clinical samples.MethodsSensitivity and linearity were evaluated using serially diluted NPM1‐positive samples. Clinical usefulness was assessed by measuring the levels of mutant alleles in 29 patients at diagnosis and in ten patients after induction chemotherapy.ResultsExcellent linear relationships between the mutant allele proportion and the threshold cycle (Ct) values (r = 0.999) were observed in a range of 1:1–1:103. MEMO‐PCR was able to detect NPM1 mutations regardless of mutant type and also detected novel mutants (964_967delTGGAinsATGATGTC, 957_959delCTGinsATGCATG, 960insTAAG, and 960insTCAG). The concentrations of NPM1 mutant alleles decreased after induction chemotherapy in accordance with the reduction of tumor cells, and in one case, NPM1 mutant alleles were detectable about 7 months before morphological relapse.ConclusionMEMO‐quantitative PCR was shown to detect virtually all types of NPM1 mutants with high sensitivity and specificity. This novel method may be useful in the diagnosis of AML with an NPM1 mutation, the detection of minimal residual disease, and the monitoring of treatment response.
The Immune Regulator VTCN1 Gene Polymorphisms and Its Impact on Susceptibility to Breast Cancer
Authors: Tsai Shih‐Meng , Wu Szu‐Hsien , Hou Ming‐Feng , Yang Hlio‐Han , Tsai Li‐Yu 
Published: November 2014

BackgroundVTCN1, a T‐cell regulator, belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily. It is more highly expressed in tumor tissues than in normal tissues, which suggests that it could serve as a tumor‐related agent. We hypothesize the gene variants for this coinhibitory molecule may be associated with the risk of breast cancer, given such gene polymorphisms could affect its related gene expression.MethodsGenotypes of the VTCN1 gene variants (rs10754339, rs10801935, and rs3738414) were analyzed in 566 patients with breast cancer and 400 age‐frequency‐matched controls.ResultsCompared with the major allele, the minor alleles of rs10754339, rs10801935, and rs3738414 did modulate the risk of breast cancer with ORs (95% CI) of 1.42 (1.07–1.89), 1.39 (1.10–1.77), and 0.81 (0.67–0.99), respectively. Those with the rs10754339 genotype AG and rs10801935 AC genotype had significantly increased risks when compared with their major genotypes. However, in rs3738414, the AA genotype had a marginally significant decreased risk compared with its wild genotype. In the haplotype‐based analysis, the GCG allele was associated with significantly increased risk (OR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.09–2.22) based on the AAG reference. Further analyses of the haplotype pairs showed GCG carriers had a significantly increased risk.ConclusionsIn this study, the VTCN1 genetic variants (rs10754339, rs10801935, and rs3738414) indicate they could be connected with the risk of breast cancer, which in turn provides indirect evidence that T‐cell immunity could be involved in the development of breast cancer.
Increased Igf‐I/Igfbp‐3 Ratios in Postmenopausal Taiwanese with Breast Cancer, Irrespective of Er and Pr Statuses and Her2 Expression in a Case–Control Study
Authors: Lee Su‐Chen , Tsai Shih‐Meng , Hou Ming‐Feng , Tien Li‐Ying , Wu Szu‐Hsien , Hou Lisa Ann , Tsai Joseph M , Tsai Li‐Yu 
Published: November 2014

BackgroundIn most research, there were positive associations between the insulin‐like growth factor I (IGF‐I) status, including IGF‐I, insulin‐like growth factor binding protein‐3 (IGFBP‐3), and ratio of IGF‐I/IGFBP‐3, and risks of breast cancer (BC), which was influenced by many factors, including hormone statuses and ethnicity. Therefore, the alterations of the IGF‐I status in Taiwanese women with BC by menopausal statuses and hormone receptors were investigated.MethodsThe levels of IGF‐I and IGFBP‐3 were determined by the enzyme‐labeled chemiluminescent immunometric assay, and the protein expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) on paraffin‐embedded sections of tissues with BC were analyzed by the immunohistochemical method.ResultsThe ratios of IGF‐I/IGFBP‐3 were significantly higher in the women with BC than those in the controls, but not of the levels of IGF‐I and IGFBP‐3; furthermore, the significantly higher ratios were found only in the postmenopausal status. In addition, there was no significant difference between the IGF‐I status and ER and PR statuses, and HER2 expression, respectively, in the women with BC.ConclusionsThe ratios of IGF‐I/IGFBP‐3 were increased in postmenopausal Taiwanese women with BC, irrespective of their ages, ER and PR statuses, and HER2 expression.
Effect of physiological stress on expression of glucose transporter 2 in liver of the wood frog, Rana sylvatica
Authors: Rosendale Andrew J. , Lee Richard E. , Costanzo Jon P. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractGlucose transporters (GLUTs) have been implicated in the survival of various physiological stresses in mammals; however, little is known about the role of these proteins in stress tolerance in lower vertebrates. The wood frog (Rana sylvatica), which survives multiple winter‐related stresses by copiously mobilizing hepatic glycogen stores, is an interesting subject for the study of glucose transport in amphibians. We examined the effects of several physiological stresses on GLUT2 protein and mRNA levels in the liver of R. sylvatica. Using immunoblotting techniques to measure relative GLUT2 abundance, we found that GLUT2 numbers increased in response to organismal freezing, hypoxia exposure, and glucose loading; whereas, experimental dehydration and urea loading did not affect GLUT2 abundance. GLUT2 mRNA levels, assessed using quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction, changed in accordance with protein abundance for most stresses, indicating that transcriptional regulation of GLUT2 occurs in response to stress. Overall, hepatic GLUT2 seems to be important in stress survival in R. sylvatica and is regulated to meet the physiological need to accumulate glucose. J. Exp. Zool. 321A: 566–576, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
On the Structure of Graphs with Given Odd Girth and Large Minimum Degree
Authors: Messuti Silvia , Schacht Mathias 
Published: November 2014

AbstractWe study minimum degree conditions for which a graph with given odd girth has a simple structure. For example, the classical work of Andrásfai, Erdős, and Sós implies that every n‐vertex graph with odd girth and minimum degree bigger than must be bipartite. We consider graphs with a weaker condition on the minimum degree. Generalizing results of Häggkvist and of Häggkvist and Jin for the cases and 3, we show that every n‐vertex graph with odd girth and minimum degree bigger than is homomorphic to the cycle of length . This is best possible in the sense that there are graphs with minimum degree and odd girth that are not homomorphic to the cycle of length . Similar results were obtained by Brandt and Ribe‐Baumann.
Variability in the annual cycle of the Río Atuel streamflows and its relationship with tropospheric circulation
Authors: Araneo Diego , Villalba Ricardo 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACTClimate‐induced changes in the annual regime of snow‐fed rivers have serious implications for water resource management. In the Central Andes (CA, 28°–36°S) of Argentina–Chile, the snow accumulated in high‐elevation mountains in winter is the dominant component of streamflows during the spring–summer melting season. Although topography introduces complexity in snowpack responses to the annual temperature cycle, streamflow series over a century in length make the CA particularly suitable for identification of long‐term hydrological changes. Principal component (PC) analysis of Río Atuel annual hydrographs from 1906 to 2012 discriminates between precipitation‐ and temperature‐related components associated with variations in snow accumulation (49% of variance) and advances/delays of the streamflow annual peak (21% of variance), respectively. The temporal evolution of PC1 loadings reveals a predominant negative period from 1917 to 1976 and from 1988 to present, suggesting the propensity to undergo long periods with reduced flows. In turn, the PC2 pattern is predominantly positive from 1948 to the present, revealing a tendency to more frequent peak flows in late spring since the mid‐20th century. Above‐average streamflows related to abundant snowfalls in the CA are associated with northward shifts in stormtracks that are remotely induced by above‐average sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. On the other hand, earlier streamflow peaks in November‐December are concurrent with above‐average temperatures across the Atuel basin induced by enhanced meridional circulation from the Tropics due to the strengthening of the South Atlantic anticyclone. These circulation anomalies are linked to the persistent positive phase of the Southern Annular Mode during the last decades. Additionally, years with reduced streamflows in January, and proportionally larger flow contributions in November‐December, are associated with anomalous air cooling at high levels induced by low pressure centres over the region as part of a quasi‐zonal stationary Rossby wave train that extends from Australia to the South American–South Atlantic sector.
Readily Prepared Dynamic Hydrogels by Combining Phenyl Boronic Acid‐ and Maltose‐Modified Anionic Polysaccharides at Neutral pH
Authors: Tarus Dominte , Hachet Emilie , Messager Léa , Catargi Bogdan , Ravaine Valérie , Auzély‐Velty Rachel 
Published: November 2014

Dynamic covalent hydrogels are facilely prepared from biocompatible polysaccharides in physiological conditions by the formation of phenylboronate ester cross‐links. This is based on the simple mixing of carboxylate‐containing polysaccharides (i.e., hyaluronic acid or carboxymethylcellulose) modified with phenylboronic acid and maltose moieties according to mild coupling reactions performed in aqueous solution. The formation of dynamic networks based on reversible boronic‐ester cross‐links is demonstrated by analyzing their rheological behavior. This study shows that these gels can adapt their structure in response to chemical stimuli such as variations in pH or addition of glucose and self‐heal.
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Effect of Incorporating Aromatic and Chiral Groups on the Dielectric Properties of Poly(dimethyltin esters)
Authors: Baldwin Aaron F. , Ma Rui , Huan Tran Doan , Cao Yang , Ramprasad Ramamurthy , Sotzing Gregory A. 
Published: November 2014

High‐dielectric constant materials are critical for numerous applications such as photovoltaics, photonics, transistors, and capacitors. There are numerous polymers used as dielectric layers in these applications but can suffer from having a low dielectric constant, small band gap, or ferroelectricity. Here, the structure–property relationship of various poly(dimethyltin esters) is described that look to enhance the dipolar and atomic polarization component of the dielectric constant. These polymers are also modeled using first principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) to predict such values as the total, electronic, and ionic dielectric constant as well as structure. A strong correlation is achieved between the theoretical and experimental values with the polymers exhibiting dielectric constants >4.5 with dissipation on the order of 10−3–10−2.
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Variable density incoherent spatiotemporal acquisition (VISTA) for highly accelerated cardiac MRI
Authors: Ahmad Rizwan , Xue Hui , Giri Shivraman , Ding Yu , Craft Jason , Simonetti Orlando P. 
Published: November 2014

PurposeFor the application of compressive sensing to parallel MRI, Poisson disk sampling (PDS) has been shown to generate superior results compared with random sampling methods. However, due to its limited flexibility to incorporate additional constraints, PDS is not readily extendible to dynamic applications. Here, we propose and validate a pseudo‐random sampling technique that allows incorporating constraints specific to dynamic imaging.MethodsThe proposed sampling scheme, called variable density incoherent spatiotemporal acquisition (VISTA), is based on constrained minimization of Riesz energy on a spatiotemporal grid. Data from both a digital phantom and real‐time cine were used to compare VISTA with uniform interleaved sampling (UIS) and variable density random sampling (VRS). The image quality was assessed qualitatively and quantitatively.ResultsVISTA improved the trade‐off between noise and sharpness. Also, VISTA produced diagnostic quality images at an acceleration rate of 15, whereas UIS and VRS images degraded below the diagnostic threshold at lower acceleration rates.ConclusionsVISTA generates spatiotemporal sampling patterns with high levels of uniformity and incoherence, while maintaining a constant temporal resolution. Using a small pilot study, VISTA was shown to produce diagnostic quality images at acceleration rates up to 15. Magn Reson Med 74:1266–1278, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
MR elastography and diffusion‐weighted imaging of ex vivo prostate cancer: quantitative comparison to histopathology
Authors: Sahebjavaher Ramin S. , Nir Guy , Gagnon Louis O. , Ischia Joseph , Jones Edward C. , Chang Silvia D. , Yung Andrew , Honarvar Mohammad , Fazli Ladan , Goldenberg S. Larry , Rohling Robert , Sinkus Ralph , Kozlowski Piotr , Salcudean Septimiu E. 
Published: November 2014

The purpose of this work was (1) to develop a magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) system for imaging of the ex vivo human prostate and (2) to assess the diagnostic power of mono‐frequency and multi‐frequency MRE and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) alone and combined as correlated with histopathology in a patient study.An electromagnetic driver was designed specifically for MRE studies in small‐bore MR scanners. Ex vivo prostate specimens (post‐fixation) of 14 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy were imaged with MRE at 7 T (nine cases had DWI). In six patients, the MRE examination was performed at three frequencies (600, 800, 1000 Hz) to extract the power‐law exponent Gamma. The images were registered to wholemount pathology slides marked with the Gleason score. The areas under the receiver‐operator‐characteristic curves (AUC) were calculated.The methods were validated in a phantom study and it was demonstrated that (i) the driver does not interfere with the acquisition process and (ii) the driver can generate amplitudes greater than 100 µm for frequencies less than 1 kHz. In the quantitative study, cancerous tissue with Gleason score at least 3 + 3 was distinguished from normal tissue in the peripheral zone (PZ) with an average AUC of 0.75 (Gd), 0.75 (Gl), 0.70 (Gamma‐Gd), 0.68 (apparent diffusion coefficient, ADC), and 0.82 (Gd + Gl + ADC). The differentiation between PZ and central gland was modest for Gd (p < 0.07), Gl (p < 0.06) but not significant for Gamma (p < 0.2). A correlation of 0.4 kPa/h was found between the fixation time of the prostate specimen and the stiffness of the tissue, which could affect the diagnostic power results.DWI and MRE may provide complementary information; in fact MRE performed better than ADC in distinguishing normal from cancerous tissue in some cases. Multi‐frequency (Gamma) analysis did not appear to improve the results. However, in light of the effect of tissue fixation, the clinical implication of our results may be inconclusive and more experiments are needed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
‘Our Good Work’ or ‘the Devil's Work'? Inequality, Exchange, and Card Playing among the Gende
Authors: Zimmer‐Tamakoshi Laura 
Published: November 2014

AbstractThis paper looks at Gende card playing and its responsiveness to a varied history of economic downturns and upswings, along with its multifaceted and creative uses. Card gambling has a role as a parallel exchange system that continues to help the Gende sustain their community by providing a means for less wealthy players to increase their incomes, and acting as a platform for prospect‐poor bachelors to display their self‐control and mastery in card games involving both skill and luck. Such capabilities have encouraged the flow of wealth and kept the traditional reciprocal exchange system active in the face of both inequality and uncertainty. Today, while social gambling continues, more aggressive and acquisitive forms of card playing are disrupting the public peace in villages that are now the site of large‐scale mining activity and extreme inequality. Mine workers and their families, and returning migrants with aspirations of receiving landowner compensation from the mines, are challenged and challenging others in card games in efforts to keep their salaries for their own ends or to live off gambling income while awaiting land royalties. Both past and present card playing have generated discourse over the morality of different game strategies over the years.
Habitual behaviors or patterns of practice? Explaining and changing repetitive climate‐relevant actions
Authors: Kurz Tim , Gardner Benjamin , Verplanken Bas , Abraham Charles 
Published: November 2014

Understanding human behavior lies at the heart of responses to climate change. Many environmentally relevant behavior patterns are frequent, stable, and persistent. There is an increasing focus on understanding these patterns less in terms of deliberative processes and more in terms of habits and routines embedded in everyday life. Examinations of the ‘habitual’ nature of environmentally consequential activities have been approached from two theoretically distinct perspectives. From a social psychological perspective, ‘habit’ is studied as an intra‐individual psychological construct that sustains ingrained behavior patterns in stable settings and obstructs adoption of more environmentally friendly alternatives. Sociologists from the social practice tradition, in contrast, have sought to highlight the ways in which resource‐intensive ‘habitual practices’ become established and maintained in society through a commingling of material, procedural, and socio‐discursive elements. We reflect critically upon key theoretical differences underpinning these two approaches to repetitive behaviors and review empirical work from both traditions that speaks to the relevance of ‘habitual behavior patterns’ central to addressing climate change. Finally, we examine how changes in habits are theorized and operationalized within both social psychological and social practice approaches, and practical implications for promoting environmentally sustainable societies. WIREs Clim Change 2015, 6:113–128. doi: 10.1002/wcc.327This article is categorized under:

Perceptions, Behavior, and Communication of Climate Change > Behavior Change and Responses
There and back again: development and regeneration of the zebrafish lateral line system
Authors: Thomas Eric D. , Cruz Ivan A. , Hailey Dale W. , Raible David W. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractThe zebrafish lateral line is a sensory system used to detect changes in water flow. It is comprised of clusters of mechanosensory hair cells called neuromasts. The lateral line is initially established by a migratory group of cells, called a primordium, that deposits neuromasts at stereotyped locations along the surface of the fish. Wnt, FGF, and Notch signaling are all important regulators of various aspects of lateral line development, from primordium migration to hair cell specification. As zebrafish age, the organization of the lateral line becomes more complex in order to accommodate the fish's increased size. This expansion is regulated by many of the same factors involved in the initial development. Furthermore, unlike mammalian hair cells, lateral line hair cells have the capacity to regenerate after damage. New hair cells arise from the proliferation and differentiation of surrounding support cells, and the molecular and cellular pathways regulating this are beginning to be elucidated. All in all, the zebrafish lateral line has proven to be an excellent model in which to study a diverse array of processes, including collective cell migration, cell polarity, cell fate, and regeneration. WIREs Dev Biol 2015, 4:1–16. doi: 10.1002/wdev.160This article is categorized under:

Nervous System Development > Vertebrates: Regional Development
Adult Stem Cells, Tissue Renewal, and Regeneration > Regeneration
Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Optical Properties of a New Sodium‐Cadmium Carbonate Na4Cd3(CO3)4(OH)2
Authors: Chen Jie , Luo Min , Ye Ning 
Published: November 2014

AbstractThe carbonate Na4Cd3(CO3)4(OH)2 was synthesized by hydrothermal methods and the crystal structure was established by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. Na4Cd3(CO3)4(OH)2 crystallizes in the monoclinic system with space group P21/c (No.14). The structure of Na4Cd3(CO3)4(OH)2 is built‐up from [Cd3(CO3)4(OH)2]∞ layers which are separated by Na(1) and Na(2) atoms. In addition, the UV/Vis‐IR diffuse reflectance spectra exhibit that it has the relatively wide bandgaps of 5.40 eV. Electronic structure and linear optical properties are studied by First‐principle theoretical calculation.
Thrombin Causes Neuronal Atrophy and Acute but not Chronic Cell Death
Authors: Caliaperumal Jayalakshmi , Brodie Sonia , Ma Yonglie , Colbourne Frederick 
Published: November 2014

AbstractBackground: Brain injury after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) arises from numerous contributors, of which some also play essential roles. Notably, thrombin production, needed to stop bleeding, also causes acute cell death and edema. In some rodent models of ICH, peri-hematoma neurons die over weeks. Hence we evaluated whether thrombin is responsible for this chronic degeneration. Functional impairments after ICH also result from sub-lethal damage to neurons, especially the loss of dendrites. Thus, we evaluated whether thrombin infusion alone, a reductionist model of ICH, causes similar injury. Methods: Adult rats had a modest intra-striatal infusion of thrombin (1 U) or saline followed by a behavioral test, to verify impairment, 7 days later. After this they were euthanized and tissue stained with Golgi-Cox solution to allow the assessment of dendritic morphology in striatal neurons. In a second experiment, rats survived 7 or 60 days after thrombin infusion in order to histologically determine lesion volume. Results: Thrombin caused early cell death and considerable atrophy in surviving peri-lesion neurons, which had less than half of their usual numbers of branches. However, total tissue loss was comparable at 7 (24.1 mm3) and 60 days (25.6 mm3). Conclusion: Thrombin infusion causes early cell death and neuronal atrophy in nearby surviving striatal neurons but thrombin does not cause chronic tissue loss. Thus, the chronic degeneration found after ICH in rats is not simply and solely due to acute thrombin production. Nonetheless, thrombin is an important contributor to behavioral dysfunction because it causes cell death and substantial dendritic injury.