bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Elevation of two molecular forms of adrenomedullin in plasma and urine in patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with early coronary angioplasty
Authors: ASAKAWA Hiroshi , NISHIKIMI Toshio , SUZUKI Takeshi , HARA Suomi , TSUBOKOU Yusuke , YAGI Hiroshi , YABE Akihisa , TSUCHIYA Noriaki , HORINAKA Shigeo , KANGAWA Kenji , MATSUOKA Hiroaki 
Published: August 2015

Adrenomedullin (AM) has vasodilatory, diuretic and natriuretic actions. Two molecular forms of AM circulate in human plasma: an active, mature form of AM (AM-m) and an intermediate, inactive, glycine-extended form of AM (AM-Gly). In the present study we investigated the pathophysiological significance of the two molecular forms of AM in plasma and urine in patients with acute myocardial infarction. We serially measured venous and arterial plasma levels and urinary excretion of AM-m, AM-Gly and total AM (Am-T; = AM-m+AM-Gly) over 2 weeks using our recently developed immunoradiometric assay in 26 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction and in age-matched normal controls, and studied the relationships between AM levels and clinical parameters. Plasma AM-m, AM-Gly and AM-T levels were increased on admission in patients with acute myocardial infarction compared with age-matched normal controls. Levels of AM-m, AM-Gly and AM-T in plasma reached a peak 24 h after the onset of symptoms. Plasma AM-m, AM-Gly and AM-T levels were significantly correlated with plasma levels of brain natriuretic peptide and pulmonary arterial pressure. Plasma AM-Gly levels in the vein were similar to those in the artery, whereas plasma AM-m levels were significantly lower in the artery than in the vein. Urinary excretion of AM-m, AM-Gly and AM-T was also increased on admission, and reached a peak at 12 h after the onset of symptoms. Urinary excretion of AM-m and AM-Gly was significantly correlated with urinary sodium excretion. The AM-m/AM-T ratio was significantly higher in the urine than in the vein or artery. AM-m levels were significantly correlated with AM-Gly levels in both the urine and plasma; however, there were no significant correlations between plasma and urinary AM levels. The results suggest that levels of both molecular forms of AM are increased in the urine as well as in the plasma in the acute phase of myocardial infarction. Since AM exerts potent cardiovascular and renal effects, increased concentrations of AM in plasma and urine in the acute phase of myocardial infarction may be involved in the defence mechanism against further elevations of peripheral and pulmonary vascular resistance and oliguria in acute myocardial infarction.
CX3CR1-expressing inflammatory dendritic cells contribute to the progression of steatohepatitis
Authors: Sutti Salvatore , Locatelli Irene , Bruzzì Stefania , Jindal Aastha , Vacchiano Marco , Bozzola Cristina , Albano Emanuele 
Published: August 2015

Liver monocytes play a major role in the development of NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis). In inflamed tissues, monocytes can differentiate in both macrophages and dendritic cells. In the present study, we investigated the role of moDCs (monocyte-derived inflammatory dendritic cells) in experimental steatohepatitis induced in C57BL/6 mice by feeding on a MCD (methionine/choline-deficient) diet. The evolution of steatohepatitis was characterized by an increase in hepatic CD45+/CD11b+ myeloid cells displaying the monocyte/macrophage marker F4-80+. In the early phases (4 weeks of treatment), Ly6Chigh/CD11b+/F4-80+ inflammatory macrophages predominated. However, their frequency did not grow further with the disease progression (8 weeks of treatment), when a 4-fold expansion of CD11b+/F4-80+ cells featuring the fractalkine receptor (CX3CR1) was evident. These CX3CR1+ cells were also characterized by the combined expression of inflammatory monocyte (Ly6C, CD11b) and dendritic cell (CD11c, MHCII) markers as well as by a sustained TNFα (tumour necrosis factor α) production, suggesting monocyte differentiation into inflammatory moDCs. The expansion of TNFα-producing CX3CR1+ moDCs was associated with an elevation in hepatic and circulating TNFα level and with the worsening of parenchymal injury. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been shown to interfere with CX3CR1 up-regulation in monocyte-derived cells exposed to pro-inflammatory stimuli. Treating 4-week-MCD-fed mice with the H2S donor NaHS while continuing on the same diet prevented the accumulation of TNFα-producing CX3CR1+ moDCs without interfering with hepatic macrophage functions. Furthermore, NaHS reduced hepatic and circulating TNFα levels and ameliorated transaminase release and parenchymal injury. Altogether, these results show that inflammatory CX3CR1+ moDCs contributed in sustaining inflammation and liver injury during steatohepatitis progression.
Preparation and characterisation of MCM‐41 materials with intra‐wall cross‐mesopores
Authors: Ming Weixing , Ma Jinghong , Wang Yan , Li R. 
Published: August 2015

A series of novel mesoporous MCM‐41 (Mobil Composition of Matter No. 41) materials has been synthesised using pre‐organo‐functionalised fumed silica as the silica source. Subsequent X‐ray diffraction, nitrogen/argon adsorption and transmission electron microscopy analyses indicated that the additional mesopores formed in silica walls seem to cross the inherent hexagonally arranged channels, affording interconnected structural mesopores. Compared with the conventional MCM‐41 material featuring single cylindrical pores, the newly prepared materials have a larger surface area (1450 m2/g), and their adsorption capacity for n‐heptane has been enhanced in the low‐pressure region, which presumably would be highly beneficial to the abatement of low‐concentration volatile organic compounds.
Magnification and resolution of microlenses with different shapes
Authors: Hou Jinglei , Yao Ling , Ren Jie , Guo Minglei , Ye Yong‐Hong 
Published: August 2015

In this reported work, three types of microlenses, the whole microsphere solid lens (W‐SL), the melted microsphere solid lens (M‐SL) and the microsphere solid lens semi‐immersed in SU‐8 resist (S‐SL), have been fabricated from mircospheres with a diameter of 2.87 µm. Their imaging properties on the nanosphere arrays with diameters of 280–600 nm were experimentally studied. It was found that the shape of the microlens plays an important role in the imaging properties. The imaging resolution of the S‐SL is the best as more high Fourier components of the object can be coupled into the lens, while the magnification (∼2.0×) of the M‐SL is the largest.
Synthesis and characterisation of SAPO‐34 with high surface area
Authors: Bai Yadong , Zheng Jiajun , Fan Binbin 
Published: August 2015

SAPO‐34 molecular sieve with a high surface area has been successfully synthesised using Y5669 (N‐[3‐(trimethoxysilyl)propy]aniline) functionalised fumed, silica as the silica source and tetraethylammonium hydroxide as a structure directing agent via a 60‐day crystallisation time. X‐ray diffraction result indicates that the sample is highly crystalline SAPO‐34 and the scanning electron (electron) microscopy images show that the sample is nanosized with a size of ca. 200 nm. N2 adsorption and ammonia temperature‐programmed adsorption results indicate that the synthesised SAPO‐34 sample exhibits a much higher microporous area and stronger acidity than the conventional SAPO‐34. Moreover, the microporous surface area of the as‐obtained SAPO‐34 can reach 835 m2 g−1, which is difficult to realise using other synthesis methods.
Genetic Identification of Chinook Salmon: Stock-Specific Distributions of Juveniles along the Washington and Oregon Coasts
Authors: Teel David J. , Burke Brian J. , Kuligowski David R. , Morgan Cheryl A. , Van Doornik Donald M. 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
We used microsatellite DNA data and genetic stock identification methods to delineate the temporal and spatial distributions of juvenile Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha occupying coastal habitats extending from central Oregon to northern Washington. Juveniles were collected in trawl surveys conducted during spring, summer, and autumn over 15 years. Distributions (mean latitude and distance from shore) differed between yearling and subyearling life history types and between stocks; many of these differences were consistent across years. Yearlings were nearly all (98%) from Columbia River sources, and only 6% were naturally produced. In late May, yearlings from the lower Columbia and Willamette rivers were farther north than other yearlings, likely due to the early spring timing of their releases from hatcheries and subsequent out-migration from the Columbia River. However, yearling distributions in late June reflected known migration behaviors. Yearlings from interior Columbia and Snake River sources were farthest north by June, whereas yearlings from other stocks were more spread out in latitude. Subyearlings sampled in early summer were also largely from the Columbia River (98%), but greater percentages of subyearlings from coastal rivers were present during the fall (24%). In contrast to yearlings, natural production accounted for nearly one-third of subyearlings. Subyearlings of most stocks tended to remain relatively near their point of sea entry throughout the summer. Subyearlings from the Snake River fall-run stock and upper Columbia River summer–fall-run stock exhibited diverse distributions that included both southward and northward dispersal. Overall, distributions of Chinook Salmon stocks and life history types reflected differences in migration behavior but also reflected the influence of environmental factors and hatchery practices.
Received November 13, 2014; accepted April 15, 2015
LoopIng: a template-based tool for predicting the structure of protein loops
Authors: Messih Mario Abdel , Lepore Rosalba , Tramontano Anna 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
Motivation: Predicting the structure of protein loops is very challenging, mainly because they are not necessarily subject to strong evolutionary pressure. This implies that, unlike the rest of the protein, standard homology modeling techniques are not very effective in modeling their structure. However, loops are often involved in protein function, hence inferring their structure is important for predicting protein structure as well as function.
Results: We describe a method, LoopIng, based on the Random Forest automated learning technique, which, given a target loop, selects a structural template for it from a database of loop candidates. Compared to the most recently available methods, LoopIng is able to achieve similar accuracy for short loops (4–10 residues) and significant enhancements for long loops (11–20 residues). The quality of the predictions is robust to errors that unavoidably affect the stem regions when these are modeled. The method returns a confidence score for the predicted template loops and has the advantage of being very fast (on average: 1 min/loop).
Availability and implementation: www.biocomputing.it/looping
Contact: anna.tramontano@uniroma1.it
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Strategies to improve the performance of rare variant association studies by optimizing the selection of controls
Authors: Zhu Na , Heinrich Verena , Dickhaus Thorsten , Hecht Jochen , Robinson Peter N. , Mundlos Stefan , Kamphans Tom , Krawitz Peter M. 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
Motivation: When analyzing a case group of patients with ultra-rare disorders the ethnicities are often diverse and the data quality might vary. The population substructure in the case group as well as the heterogeneous data quality can cause substantial inflation of test statistics and result in spurious associations in case-control studies if not properly adjusted for. Existing techniques to correct for confounding effects were especially developed for common variants and are not applicable to rare variants.
Results: We analyzed strategies to select suitable controls for cases that are based on similarity metrics that vary in their weighting schemes. We simulated different disease entities on real exome data and show that a similarity-based selection scheme can help to reduce false positive associations and to optimize the performance of the statistical tests. Especially when data quality as well as ethnicities vary a lot in the case group, a matching approach that puts more weight on rare variants shows the best performance. We reanalyzed collections of unrelated patients with Kabuki make-up syndrome, Hyperphosphatasia with Mental Retardation syndrome and Catel–Manzke syndrome for which the disease genes were recently described. We show that rare variant association tests are more sensitive and specific in identifying the disease gene than intersection filters and should thus be considered as a favorable approach in analyzing even small patient cohorts.
Availability and implementation: Datasets used in our analysis are available at ftp://ftp.1000genomes.ebi.ac.uk./vol1/ftp/
Contact: peter.krawitz@charite.de
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The empirical and moral foundations of the ISLLC Standards
Authors: Murphy Joseph 
Published: August 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to unpack the foundations for the national standards for school leaders in the USA. The author examines some of the background of the Standards from 1996 to 2015. The author explores the two foundations on which the ISLLC Standards rest, academic press and supportive community.Design/methodology/approach– This paper takes the approach of a review of research.Findings– The paper lays out the foundations for ISLLC.Originality/value– The ISLLC Standards have the potential to significantly alter the landscape of leadership.
Strategies for marketing diamonds in China from the perspective of international diamond SMEs compared to the west
Authors: Berger Ron , Herstein Ram 
Published: August 2015

Purpose
– The Chinese diamond industry is dominated by SMEs. The purpose of this paper examines which of the three business strategies prevalent in the global diamond industry is utilized by Chinese diamond SMEs compared to those used in other western countries. In so doing, it maps the major actors in the Chinese diamond industry and identifies the challenges faced by SMEs when entering the highly competitive but very lucrative Chinese diamond industry.

Design/methodology/approach
– A two stage approach was undertaken. Step 1 involved exploratory field work with leading institutions. In the second stage a qualitative questionnaire was administered to members of 54 small to medium-sized international diamond SMEs operating in China. The difficulty of acquiring information on this secretive industry was further hindered by the equally secretive nature of Chinese culture.

Findings
– Guanxi was found not to be prevalent in the Chinese diamond industry. This is an interesting finding as China is a socially embedded and highly networked society. Chinese diamond SMEs conduct business by implementing a transactional-based approach to business strategy that centers on short-term cash-based transactions.

Research limitations/implications
– Future studies should use a quantitative questionnaire with a larger set of Chinese SME diamond firms. Studies could also examine whether the transformation from a system based on social networks to a system based on market forces as found in the Chinese diamond industry has been transposed to other Chinese industries dominated by SMEs. This may show the rationalization of the Chinese economy and its progression toward western models of exchange.

Originality/value
– This paper is a pioneering work on the structure and business strategy implemented by SMEs in the Chinese diamond industry.
Markets as “ultimate judges” of economic policies: Angela Merkel’s discourse profile during the economic crisis and the European crisis policies
Authors: Pühringer Stephan 
Published: August 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to offer an explanation of the predominance of austerity policies in Europe based on distinct crisis narratives and their underlying market metaphors in public speeches and addresses of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to a broader audience of economic decision-makers.Design/methodology/approach– The author uses discourse and metaphor analysis of speeches and addresses of Angela Merkel in the aftermath of the crisis applying cognitive metaphor theory in combination with a corpus linguistic approach.Findings– Dominant conceptual metaphors in Merkel’s crisis narrative subordinate policy-making to superior “market mechanisms”, which are attributed with human and natural characteristics. Moral focus of crisis narrative of “living-beyond-ones-means” forces austerity policies.Research limitations/implications– The analysis is restricted to public speeches of Merkel, whereas the impact on public discourses was not analyzed.Social implications– The paper offers an explanation for the prevalence of neoliberal policies in the Eurozone and the uneven balances of political power in public economic discourses.Originality/value– Study of the role of “market metaphors” in crisis narratives of influential political leaders as well as an analysis of the impact of discursive manifestations and conceptual market metaphors for economic crisis policies.
Epidemiology of law enforcement vehicle collisions in the US and California
Authors: Rice Thomas M. , Troszak Lara , Gustafson Bryon G. 
Published: August 2015

Purpose
– Concerns about the risk of traffic collision injury to both police officers and bystanders are increasing as the use of in-vehicle technologies becoming widespread among agencies. This study used national and California data to characterize traffic collisions in which a police vehicle was involved. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach
– The authors used a California traffic collision database to retrospectively identify collisions that involved police vehicles for years 2007-2010. The authors summarized collision characteristics with descriptive methods and used log-binomial regression to estimate associations between personal and collision characteristics with officer culpability.

Findings
– The authors identified 5,233 traffic collisions in California. In total, 10 percent of law enforcement vehicles were motorcycles. In all, 9 percent of cruisers struck a pedestrian or bicyclist, compared with only 2 percent of motorcycles. Compared with officers aged 50 or older, officers in younger age categories were progressively much more likely to have been culpable. Motorcycle officers were 33 percent less likely to be culpable for their collision involvements. Approximately 100 fatal collisions involving a law enforcement vehicle occur each year in the USA.

Originality/value
– The findings from this study indicate that approximately 1,300 injury-producing traffic collisions occur each year in California that involve a law enforcement vehicle. The authors found that younger age, female sex, cruiser operation, traveling unbelted, and single-vehicle collision involvement were positively associated with officer culpability. Officer race and community population were not significantly associated with culpability. The occurrence of fatal collisions in the USA was stable over a 12-year period.
Then
&
now: trends in fatal law enforcement traffic collisions
Authors: Gustafson Bryon G. 
Published: August 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to analyze trends in fatal law enforcement officer (LEO) traffic collisions and describes prior research approaches and industry responses. It reviews the issue from historical and contemporary perspectives and details its problems for public policy.

Design/methodology/approach
– Descriptive statistics are applied to data primarily covering the period 1995 to 2010 contained in the Federal Bureau of Investigation Crime in the USA and LEO Killed and Assaulted reports and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System database. Trends are established and comparisons are offered between groups.

Findings
– Traffic collisions are the leading cause of death for LEOs. Traffic fatalities in the general public have steadily decreased in past decades. This has not been the trend among LEOs. This issue has been studied from several disciplinary perspectives in the social, cognitive, biological, engineering, and natural sciences. While the law enforcement industry has documented the trend, concerted efforts to mitigate the issue have been limited until recently.

Practical implications
– Law enforcement practitioners and policymakers should take note of research findings and pursue training, policy, and practice changes to limit LEO traffic fatalities and effect an improvement trend consistent with the national reduction in highway deaths.

Originality/value
– This paper brings together previously uncoupled data sources and prior research to identify problematic trends and contextualize LEO traffic fatalities as a subset of all traffic fatalities. It provides law enforcement policymakers a stark and revealing assessment of the most dangerous aspect of their field.
State-level differences in fatal law enforcement officer collisions
Authors: Gustafson Bryon G. 
Published: August 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate variability in law enforcement officer (LEO) traffic fatality rates among states in order to identify policy-relevant areas of opportunity to reduce deaths.Design/methodology/approach– Differences in state highway spending, regulatory policy, law enforcement training, LEO and general public traffic fatalities, and other state-level variables are explored through cross-sectional regression analysis and qualitative content analysis. Data were used from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Crime in the USA and LEOs Killed and Assaulted reports, and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, among other sources.Findings– There are a number of significant state-level variables and trends that contribute to differences in LEO traffic fatality rates. Maximum highway speed limits and general population traffic fatalities are found to be statistically significant predictors. Thematic factors relating to LEO exceptionalism, agency sovereignty, training, and external control loci, emerged through qualitative analysis.Research limitations/implications– Limitations included differences in definition, consistency, and reporting among data sources. Qualitative analysis of some variables were limited and future research should pursue more robust and repeated/longitudinal measures.Practical implications– Policymakers have an opportunity to review significant factors contributing to higher/lower collision involvement rates and make changes to police practices to reduce collision involvement and improve safety for LEOs.Originality/value– No prior study has offered a national, cross-case analysis of LEO traffic fatalities by state. This paper offers law enforcement policymakers empirical examples of successful LEO traffic safety policies.