bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cancer in the older person
Authors: Kelly Emma , Stephens Peter 
Published: August 2015

SummaryThe challenges of treating malignant disease in the elderly population have gained greater prominence over the last 5–10 years. Developed nations all have ageing populations, and cancer in older people is an increasing physical and financial burden on both healthcare systems and populations.When assessing oncology patients, oncologists have traditionally used the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group or Karnofsky performance status. However, it has been shown that sometimes this does not detect potential problems in older patients, and that a comprehensive geriatric assessment may be a better tool. However good surgeons and oncologists are at adapting their services for older patients, there is little value if they are inappropriately referred or filtered out by either primary or secondary care.Surgery forms the basis of most curative treatment options. The elderly have more peri-operative risk factors including multiple co-morbidities, poly-pharmacy, malnutrition, frailty, cognitive dysfunction and an increased anaesthetic risk, which can create obstacles.Treating older patients with systemic cytotoxic therapy often relies on extrapolating evidence from younger patients. In previous decades, the majority of trials had upper age limits of 65 or 70 years. More recent trials normally include patients of all ages, and entry is based on performance status. Radiotherapy may be chosen as a potentially curative option in patients with an operable tumour, who are unfit. However, oncologists should not underestimate the burden that multiple frequent visits to hospital for treatment may have on an elderly patient population.This article looks at the assessment of elderly oncology patients, referral patterns, surgery, systemic therapies, radiotherapy, supportive therapies and long-term side-effects from treatment.
Fast, clean and green: Cold War ideologies and urban reforms in Buenos Aires, 1976–1983
Authors: HOYT JENNIFER T. 
Published: August 2015

ABSTRACT:The last military dictatorship to come to power in Argentina is most well known for its atrocious human rights violations. However, this campaign of terror represents just one act carried out in the regime's efforts to counter leftist activities. The military sought to provide responsive administration as a means to pacify the nation. In the national capital, Buenos Aires, the military pursued a comprehensive set of urban reforms meant to streamline and control the metropolis. Cold War ideologies deeply penetrated the every-day and profoundly changed how citizens lived in Buenos Aires.
A method based on rules and machine learning for logic form identification in Spanish
Authors: MARTÍNEZ-SANTIAGO F. , DÍAZ-GALIANO M. C. , GARCÍA-CUMBRERAS M. Á. , MONTEJO-RÁEZ A. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractLogic Forms (LF) are simple, first-order logic knowledge representations of natural language sentences. Each noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, preposition and conjunction generates a predicate. LF systems usually identify the syntactic function by means of syntactic rules but this approach is difficult to apply to languages with a high syntax flexibility and ambiguity, for example, Spanish. In this study, we present a mixed method for the derivation of the LF of sentences in Spanish that allows the combination of hard-coded rules and a classifier inspired on semantic role labeling. Thus, the main novelty of our proposal is the way the classifier is applied to generate the predicates of the verbs, while rules are used to translate the rest of the predicates, which are more straightforward and unambiguous than the verbal ones. The proposed mixed system uses a supervised classifier to integrate syntactic and semantic information in order to help overcome the inherent ambiguity of Spanish syntax. This task is accomplished in a similar way to the semantic role labeling task. We use properties extracted from the AnCora-ES corpus in order to train a classifier. A rule-based system is used in order to obtain the LF from the rest of the phrase. The rules are obtained by exploring the syntactic tree of the phrase and encoding the syntactic production rules. The LF algorithm has been evaluated by using shallow parsing with some straightforward Spanish phrases. The verb argument labeling task achieves 84% precision and the proposed mixed LFi method surpasses 11% a system based only on rules.
A study of enhanced dynamic wedge dosimetry using a 2D ion chamber array detector
Authors: Syam Kumar S. A. , Aparna P. , Anjana P. T. , Aswathi C. P. , Sitha G. P. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe purpose of this work was to study the dosimetric properties of the enhanced dynamic wedge using a Seven29 ion chamber array. The PTW Seven29 ion chamber array and solid water phantoms were used for the study. Primarily, the solid water phantoms with the two-dimensional (2D) array were scanned using a computed tomography scanner at different depths. Using these scanned images, planning was performed for different wedge angles at 6 and 15 MV. A dose of 100 CGy was delivered in each case. For each delivery, the required monitoring units (MUs) were calculated. Using the same setup with a Varian Clinac iX, the calculated MU was delivered for different wedge angles. Subsequently, the different wedged dose distributions that had been obtained were analysed using Verisoft software. A shoulder-like region was observed in the profile; this region reduced as depth increased. The percentage deviation between the planned and measured doses at the shoulder region fell within the range of 0·9–4·3%. The standard deviation between planned and measured doses at shoulder region in the profile fell within 0·08±0·02 at different depths. The standard deviations between planned and measured wedge factors for different depths (2·5, 5, 10 and 15 cm) were 0·0021, 0·0007, 0·0050 and 0·0001 for 6 MV and 0·0024, 0·0191, 0·0013 and 0·0005 for 15 MV, respectively. On the basis of the studies that we performed, it can be concluded that the 2D ion chamber array is a good tool for enhanced dynamic wedge dosimetry.
An Assessment of macro-scalein situRaman and ultraviolet-induced fluorescence spectroscopy for rapid characterization of frozen peat and ground ice
Authors: Laing Janelle R. , Robichaud Hailey C. , Cloutis Edward A. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe search for life on other planets is an active area of research. Many of the likeliest planetary bodies, such as Europa, Enceladus, and Mars are characterized by cold surface environments and ice-rich terrains. Both Raman and ultraviolet-induced fluorescence (UIF) spectroscopies have been proposed as promising tools for the detection of various kinds of bioindicators in these environments. We examined whether macro-scale Raman and UIF spectroscopy could be applied to the analysis of unprocessed terrestrial frozen peat and clear ground ice samples for detection of bioindicators. It was found that this approach did not provide unambiguous detection of bioindicators, likely for a number of reasons, particularly due to strong broadband induced fluorescence. Other contributing factors may include degradation of organic matter in frozen peat to the point that compound-specific emitted fluorescence or Raman peaks were not resolvable. Our study does not downgrade the utility of either UIF or Raman spectroscopy for astrobiological investigations (which has been demonstrated in previous studies), but does suggest that the choice of instrumentation, operational conditions and sample preparation are important factors in ensuring the success of these techniques.
Diversity and genetic structure of cassava landraces and their wild relatives (Manihotspp.) in Colombia revealed by simple sequence repeats
Authors: Tovar E. , Bocanegra J. L. , Villafañe C. , Fory L. , Velásquez A. , Gallego G. , Moreno R. 
Published: August 2015

Understanding the genetic composition and population structure of plant species at a molecular level is essential for the development of adequate strategies aimed at enhancing the conservation and use of their genetic resources. In addition, such knowledge can help to plan ahead for a scenario under which wild and cultivated species come into contact with their genetically modified (GM) counterpart(s). Using ten simple sequence repeat markers, we genotyped 409 samples pertaining to the species in theManihotgenus known to occur in Colombia, i.e. cassava (Manihot esculenta)and its wild relativesManihot brachyloba,Manihot carthaginensisandManihot tristis. High genetic variation was observed in all the species (HE= 0.212–0.603), with cassava showing highest diversity. Most of the genetic variation was found within species populations. Our results suggest that outcrossing events among populations occur much more frequently inM. tristisandM. esculenta, and particularly so in the latter, where the exchange of varieties among local farmers plays a key role in maintaining and introducing new genetic diversity. The occurrence of gene flow within and among populations ofManihotspecies in Colombia becomes relevant in a biosafety context, where gene flow from GM cassava, if introduced to the country, might have detrimental effects on the structure and dynamics of populations of wild species. The baseline information on the genetic diversity and structure of the four Colombian species that we have presented here provides a first and indispensable step towards the development of targeted interventions necessary to preserve their genetic resources.
REFLEXIVE-INSENSITIVE MODAL LOGICS
Authors: GILBERT DAVID R. , VENTURI GIORGIO 
Published: August 2015

AbstractWe analyze a class of modal logics rendered insensitive to reflexivity by way of a modification to the semantic definition of the modal operator. We explore the extent to which these logics can be characterized, and prove a general completeness theorem on the basis of a translation between normal modal logics and their reflexive-insensitive counterparts. Lastly, we provide a sufficient semantic condition describing when a similarly general soundness result is also available.
Rap1-mediated nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) activity regulates the paracrine capacity of mesenchymal stem cells in heart repair following infarction
Authors: Zhang Y , Chiu S , Liang X , Gao F , Zhang Z , Liao S , Liang Y , Chai Y-H , Low D J H , Tse H-F , Tergaonkar V , Lian Q 
Published: August 2015

AbstractParacrine effect is the major mechanism that underlies mesenchymal stem cells (MSC)-based therapy. This study aimed to examine how Rap1, telomeric repeat-binding factor 2-interacting protein 1 (Terf2IP), which is a novel modulator involved in the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) pathway, regulates the paracrine effects of MSC-mediated heart repair following infarction. NF-κB activity of stromal cells was increased by Rap1 as measured by pNF-κB-luciferase reporter activity, and this was abolished by IkB-dominant-negative protein. Knockdown of Rap1 with shRap1 resulted in diminished translocation of p65-NF-κB from the cytoplasm to nuclei in response to tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) stimulation. Compared with BM-MSCs, Rap1−/−-BM-MSCs displayed a significantly reduced ratio of phosphorylated NF-κB to NF-κB-p65 and of Bax to Bcl-2, and increased resistance to hypoxia-induced apoptosis by the terminal deoxynucleotidal transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. In contrast, re-expression of Rap1 in Rap1−/−-BM-MSCs resulted in loss of resistance to apoptosis in the presence of hypoxia. Moreover, absence of Rap1 in BM-MSCs led to downregulation of NF-κB activity accompanied by reduced pro-inflammatory paracrine cytokines TNF-α, IL (interleukin)-6 and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 in Rap1−/−-BM-MSCs compared with BM-MSCs. The apoptosis of neonatal cardiomyocytes (NCMCs) induced by hypoxia was significantly reduced when cocultured with Rap1−/−-BM-MSC hypoxic-conditioned medium (CdM). The increased cardioprotective effects of Rap1−/−-BM-MSCs were reduced when Rap1−/−-BM-MSCs were reconstituted with Rap1 re-expression. Furthermore, in vivo study showed that transplantation of Rap1−/−-BM-MSCs significantly improved heart function, decreased infarct size, prevented cardiomyocyte apoptosis and inhibited inflammation compared with controls and BM-MSCs (P<0.01). This study reveals that Rap1 has a critical role in the regulation of MSC paracrine actions. Compared with BM-MSCs, Rap1−/−-BM-MSCs decreased NF-κB sensitivity to stress-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production and reduced apoptosis. Selective inhibition of Rap1 in BM-MSCs may be a novel strategy to enhance MSC-based therapeutic efficacy in myocardial infarction.
Accommodating lithium into 3D current collectors with a submicron skeleton towards long-life lithium metal anodes
Authors: Yang Chun-Peng , Yin Ya-Xia , Zhang Shuai-Feng , Li Nian-Wu , Guo Yu-Guo 
Published: August 2015

AbstractLithium metal is one of the most attractive anode materials for electrochemical energy storage. However, the growth of Li dendrites during electrochemical deposition, which leads to a low Coulombic efficiency and safety concerns, has long hindered the application of rechargeable Li-metal batteries. Here we show that a 3D current collector with a submicron skeleton and high electroactive surface area can significantly improve the electrochemical deposition behaviour of Li. Li anode is accommodated in the 3D structure without uncontrollable Li dendrites. With the growth of Li dendrites being effectively suppressed, the Li anode in the 3D current collector can run for 600 h without short circuit and exhibits low voltage hysteresis. The exceptional electrochemical performance of the Li-metal anode in the 3D current collector highlights the importance of rational design of current collectors and reveals a new avenue for developing Li anodes with a long lifespan.
Diacylglycerol kinase-ζ regulates mTORC1 and lipogenic metabolism in cancer cells through SREBP-1
Authors: Torres-Ayuso P , Tello-Lafoz M , Mérida I , Ávila-Flores A 
Published: August 2015

AbstractDiacylglycerol kinases (DGKs) transform diacylglycerol (DAG) into phosphatidic acid (PA), balancing the levels of these key metabolic and signaling lipids. We previously showed that PA derived from the DGKζ isoform promotes mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) activation. This function might be crucial for the growth and survival of cancer cells, especially for those resistant to the allosteric mTOR inhibitor rapamycin. How this positive function of DGKζ coordinates with DAG metabolism and signaling is unknown. In this study, we used a rapamycin-resistant colon cancer cell line as a model to address the role of DGKζ in tumor cells. We found that DGKζ predominated over other PA sources such as DGKα or phospholipase D to activate mTORC1, and that its activity was a component of the rapamycin-induced feedback loops. We show that the DGKζ DAG-consuming function is central to cell homeostasis, as DAG negatively regulates levels of the lipogenic transcription factor SREBP-1. Our findings suggest a model in which simultaneous regulation of DAG and PA levels by DGKζ is integrated with mTOR function to maintain tumor cell homeostasis; we provide new evidence of the crosstalk between mTOR and lipid metabolism that will be advantageous in the design of drug therapies.
Systemic Administration of siRNA via cRGD-containing Peptide
Authors: Huang Yuanyu , Wang Xiaoxia , Huang Weiyan , Cheng Qiang , Zheng Shuquan , Guo Shutao , Cao Huiqing , Liang Xing-Jie , Du Quan , Liang Zicai 
Published: August 2015

AbstractAlthough small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) have been demonstrated to specifically silence their target genes in disease models and clinical trials, in vivo siRNA delivery is still the technical bottleneck that limits their use in therapeutic applications. In this study, a bifunctional peptide named RGD10-10R was designed and tested for its ability to deliver siRNA in vitro and in vivo. Because of their electrostatic interactions with polyarginine (10R), negatively charged siRNAs were readily complexed with RGD10-10R peptides, forming spherical RGD10-10R/siRNA nanoparticles. In addition to enhancing their serum stability by preventing RNase from attacking siRNA through steric hindrance, peptide binding facilitated siRNA transfection into MDA-MB-231 cells, as demonstrated by FACS and confocal microscopy assays and by the repressed expression of target genes. When RGD10 peptide, a receptor competitor of RGD10-10R, was added to the transfection system, the cellular internalization of RGD10-10R/siRNA was significantly compromised, suggesting a mechanism of ligand/receptor interaction. Tissue distribution assays indicated that the peptide/siRNA complex preferentially accumulated in the liver and in several exocrine/endocrine glands. Furthermore, tumor-targeted delivery of siRNA was also demonstrated by in vivo imaging and cryosection assays. In summary, RGD10-10R might constitute a novel siRNA delivery tool that could potentially be applied in tumor treatment.
A Caged Ret Kinase Inhibitor and its Effect on Motoneuron Development in Zebrafish Embryos
Authors: Bliman David , Nilsson Jesper R. , Kettunen Petronella , Andréasson Joakim , Grøtli Morten 
Published: August 2015

AbstractProto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase receptor RET is implicated in the development and maintenance of neurons of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Attaching activity-compromising photocleavable groups (caging) to inhibitors could allow for external spatiotemporally controlled inhibition using light, potentially providing novel information on how these kinase receptors are involved in cellular processes. Here, caged RET inhibitors were obtained from 3-substituted pyrazolopyrimidine-based compounds by attaching photolabile groups to the exocyclic amino function. The most promising compound displayed excellent inhibitory effect in cell-free, as well as live-cell assays upon decaging. Furthermore, inhibition could be efficiently activated with light in vivo in zebrafish embryos and was shown to effect motoneuron development.
Use of double-stranded DNA mini-circles to characterize the covalent topoisomerase-DNA complex
Authors: Millet Armêl , Strauss François , Delagoutte Emmanuelle 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe enzymatic DNA relaxation requires the DNA to be transiently nicked and rejoined, the covalent topoisomerase-DNA complex being a key intermediate of the nicking-joining reaction. Practically, this reaction is most often characterized by oligonucleotides. However, the incision-religation of an oligonucleotide does not fully recapitulate the incision-religation occuring during relaxation and the preferred substrate for such reaction characterization is supercoiled DNA. We therefore developed a method that used radiolabeled supercoiled DNA mini-circles to characterize the covalent enzyme-DNA complex formed during a relaxation reaction. Resolution of the relaxation products under different conditions permitted to quantify the proportion of covalent complex formed during the relaxation catalyzed by two topoisomerase models, the Escherichia coli topoisomerase I and the calf thymus topoisomerase I. As expected, the covalent complex formed with the calf thymus topoisomerase I was significantly enriched by camptothecin, a widely-used inhibitor of this topoisomerase and a salt jump permitted the multiple topoisomerases trapped per mini-circle to complete the reaction cycle. The identified positions of the camptothecin-induced incision sites were shown to be independent of the linking number and the substrate circular nature Overall, our results demonstrate that supercoiled mini-circles constitute a powerful and polyvalent substrate to characterize the mechanism of action of novel topoisomerases and inhibitors, including the incision-religation reaction.
Highlighting Indication of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in endocrine emergencies
Authors: Chao Anne , Wang Chih-Hsien , You Hao-Chun , Chou Nai-Kwoun , Yu Hsi-Yu , Chi Nai-Hsin , Huang Shu-Chien , Wu I-Hui , Tseng Li-Jung , Lin Ming-Hsien , Chen Yih-Sharng 
Published: August 2015

AbstractExtracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been repeatedly used to rescue patients with cardiopulmonary arrest. However, its clinical utility in endocrine emergencies remains unclear. Herein, we describe a case series of 12 patients presenting with refractory shock secondary to endocrine emergencies who were rescued by ECMO support. Patients were identified between 2005 and 2012 from our ECMO registry. The diagnostic distribution was as follows: pheochromocytoma crisis (n = 4), thyroid storm (n = 5) and diabetic ketoacidosis (n = 3). The initial presentation of pheochromocytoma crisis was indistinguishable from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and frequently accompanied by paroxysmal hypertension and limb ischemia. Thyroid storm was characterized by hyperbilirubinemia and severe gastrointestinal bleeding, whereas neurological symptoms were common in diabetic ketoacidosis. The clinical outcomes of patients with endocrine emergencies were compared with those of 80 cases with AMI who received ECMO because of cardiogenic shock. The cardiac function and the general conditions showed a significantly faster recovery in patients with endocrine emergencies than in those with AMI. We conclude that ECMO support can be clinically useful in endocrine emergencies. The screening of endocrine diseases should be considered during the resuscitation of patients with refractory circulatory shock.
Study of spin-ordering and spin-reorientation transitions in hexagonal manganites through Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Chen Xiang-Bai , Hien Nguyen Thi Minh , Han Kiok , Nam Ji-Yeon , Huyen Nguyen Thi , Shin Seong-Il , Wang Xueyun , Cheong S. W. , Lee D. , Noh T. W. , Sung N. H. , Cho B. K. , Yang In-Sang 
Published: August 2015

AbstractSpin-wave (magnon) scattering, when clearly observed by Raman spectroscopy, can be simple and powerful for studying magnetic phase transitions. In this paper, we present how to observe magnon scattering clearly by Raman spectroscopy, then apply the Raman method to study spin-ordering and spin-reorientation transitions of hexagonal manganite single crystal and thin films and compare directly with the results of magnetization measurements. Our results show that by choosing strong resonance condition and appropriate polarization configuration, magnon scattering can be clearly observed and the temperature dependence of magnon scattering can be simple and powerful quantity for investigating spin-ordering as well as spin-reorientation transitions. Especially, the Raman method would be very helpful for investigating the weak spin-reorientation transitions by selectively probing the magnons in the Mn3+ sublattices, while leaving out the strong effects of paramagnetic moments of the rare earth ions.