bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Efficient one‐pot synthesis of water‐compatible and photoresponsive molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles by facile RAFT precipitation polymerization
Authors: Ma Yue , Li Haiyang , He Shangjin , Zhang Hongtao , Zhang Huiqi 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTA facile, general, and highly efficient one‐pot approach to obtain azobenzene (azo)‐containing molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) nanoparticles with photoresponsive template binding and release properties in aqueous media is described, which involves the combined use of hydrophilic macromolecular chain transfer agent‐mediated reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer precipitation polymerization and easily available water‐insoluble azo functional monomers. The resulting azo‐containing MIPs were characterized with dynamic laser scattering (DLS), SEM, FTIR, static contact angle and water dispersion studies, and equilibrium binding experiments. They have proven to be nanoparticles (their diameters being around 104–397 nm, as determined by DLS in methanol) with surface‐grafted hydrophilic polymer brushes and exhibit excellent pure water‐compatible template binding properties. Moreover, obvious photoregulated template binding behaviors were observed for such azo‐containing MIP nanoparticles, which led to their largely accelerated template release in the aqueous media under the UV light irradiation. Furthermore, the general applicability of the strategy was also demonstrated. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014, 52, 1941–1952
Experimental and Numerical Investigations on the Dynamic Fracture of a Cylindrical Shell with Grooves Subjected to Internal Explosive Loading
Authors: Li Xiang Yu , Liang Min Zhu , Wang Ma Fa , Lu Guo Xing , Lu Fang Yun 
Published: April 2014

AbstractA detailed experimental investigation on the dynamic fracture of a cylindrical shell with internal and external grooves subjected to internal explosive loading was carried out. Distributions of fragment velocities and fragment masses were measured and analyzed for specimens with different depths of the external grooves and different explosive materials, with the internal grooves of a fixed rectangular shape. Based on the experimental results, corresponding numerical simulations using the commercial software LS‐DYNA were undertaken. By inspecting the fragments recovered from the experiments and the numerical results, the dynamic fracture of the casing led to fragments of approximately three shapes: a large cuboid fragment, a small cuboid fragment, and two irregular fragments formed by three classical fracture trajectories. The formation mechanism of fragment shapes was analyzed using the fracture trajectories. A good agreement has been obtained between the numerical and experimental results. Finally, a parametric study for the casing thickness, grid patterns of the grooves and explosive materials was carried out in order to investigate the effects of fracture. The results showed that grid patterns of grooves and explosive materials had significant effects on the fracture mechanism of the casing. The numerical technique was used to predict the dynamic fracture of casing with internal and external grooves under internal explosive loading and for structural design in order to achieve desirable fragments with controlled shapes.
A new proportion measure of the treatment effect captured by candidate surrogate endpoints
Authors: Kobayashi Fumiaki , Kuroki Manabu 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe use of surrogate endpoints is expected to play an important role in the development of new drugs, as they can be used to reduce the sample size and/or duration of randomized clinical trials. Biostatistical researchers and practitioners have proposed various surrogacy measures; however, (i) most of these surrogacy measures often fall outside the range [0,1] without any assumptions, (ii) these surrogacy measures do not provide a cut‐off value for judging a surrogacy level of candidate surrogate endpoints, and (iii) most surrogacy measures are highly variable; thus, the confidence intervals are often unacceptably wide. In order to solve problems (i) and (ii), we propose a new surrogacy measure, a proportion of the treatment effect captured by candidate surrogate endpoints (PCS), on the basis of the decomposition of the treatment effect into parts captured and non‐captured by the candidate surrogate endpoints. In order to solve problem (iii), we propose an estimation method based on the half‐range mode method with the bootstrap distribution of the estimated surrogacy measures. Finally, through numerical experiments and two empirical examples, we show that the PCS with the proposed estimation method overcomes these difficulties. The results of this paper contribute to the reliable evaluation of how much of the treatment effect is captured by candidate surrogate endpoints. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DDX6 and its orthologs as modulators of cellular and viral RNA expression
Authors: Ostareck Dirk H. , Naarmann‐de Vries Isabel S. , Ostareck‐Lederer Antje 
Published: April 2014

DDX6 (Rck/p54), a member of the DEAD‐box family of helicases, is highly conserved from unicellular eukaryotes to vertebrates. Functions of DDX6 and its orthologs in dynamic ribonucleoproteins contribute to global and transcript‐specific messenger RNA (mRNA) storage, translational repression, and decay during development and differentiation in the germline and somatic cells. Its role in pathways that promote mRNA‐specific alternative translation initiation has been shown to be linked to cellular homeostasis, deregulated tissue development, and the control of gene expression in RNA viruses. Recently, DDX6 was found to participate in mRNA regulation mediated by miRNA‐mediated silencing. DDX6 and its orthologs have versatile functions in mRNA metabolism, which characterize them as important post‐transcriptional regulators of gene expression. WIREs RNA 2014, 5:659–678. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1237This article is categorized under:

RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > RNA–Protein Complexes
RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein–RNA Interactions: Functional Implications
RNA Turnover and Surveillance > Regulation of RNA Stability
Defects of thiamine transport and metabolism
Authors: Brown Garry 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThiamine, in the form of thiamine pyrophosphate, is a cofactor for a number of enzymes which play important roles in energy metabolism. Although dietary thiamine deficiency states have long been recognised, it is only relatively recently that inherited defects in thiamine uptake, activation and the attachment of the active cofactor to target enzymes have been described, and the underlying genetic defects identified. Thiamine is transported into cells by two carriers, THTR1 and THTR2, and deficiency of these results in thiamine‐responsive megaloblastic anaemia and biotin‐responsive basal ganglia disease respectively. Defective synthesis of thiamine pyrophosphate has been found in a small number of patients with episodic ataxia, delayed development and dystonia, while impaired transport of thiamine pyrophosphate into the mitochondrion is associated with Amish lethal microcephaly in most cases. In addition to defects in thiamine uptake and metabolism, patients with pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency and maple syrup urine disease have been described who have a significant clinical and/or biochemical response to thiamine supplementation. In these patients, an intrinsic structural defect in the target enzymes reduces binding of the cofactor and this can be overcome at high concentrations. In most cases, the clinical and biochemical abnormalities in these conditions are relatively non‐specific, and the range of recognised presentations is increasing rapidly at present as new patients are identified, often by genome sequencing. These conditions highlight the value of a trial of thiamine supplementation in patients whose clinical presentation falls within the spectrum of documented cases.
Use of sapropterin dihydrochloride in maternal phenylketonuria. A European experience of eight cases
Authors: Feillet François , Muntau Ania C. , Debray François‐Guillaume , Lotz‐Havla Amelie S. , Puchwein‐Schwepcke Alexandra , Fofou‐Caillierez Ma'atem Béatrice , van Spronsen Francjan , Trefz Fritz Friedrich 
Published: April 2014

AbstractSapropterin dihydrochloride (SD) is the first drug treatment for phenylketonuria (PKU), but due to the lack of data, its use in maternal PKU must be undertaken with caution as noted in the FDA and EMEA labels. We collected data from eight pregnancies in PKU women treated with SD and we analysed the phenotypes of these patients, their tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) responsiveness, the indications for SD treatment, the efficacy (metabolic control, phenylalanine (Phe) tolerance and offspring outcome) and the safety data. Results showed that in the seven patients known to be responsive to BH4, the use of SD during pregnancy was efficient in terms of metabolic control and Phe tolerance. The indications for giving SD included the failure of the low‐Phe diet (n = 3), the fact that some of these women had never experienced the low Phe diet (n = 2), one unexpected pregnancy in a woman currently on SD and one pregnancy where the foetus was known to have PKU. The offspring of these seven pregnancies were all normal babies with normal birth measurements and outcomes. No side effect related to SD was observed in these seven cases. In the eighth case, SD was prescribed as a rescue treatment without previous knowledge of the BH4 responsiveness to a woman who was already 8 weeks pregnant without diet. The birth occurred at 33 weeks of gestational age with Potter syndrome (probably related to the absence of metabolic control during the first trimester) and the baby died in the first hours of life. In conclusion, the data presented here provides the first evidence that treatment with pharmacological doses of SD appears to be efficient and safe in women with PKU during pregnancy. Its use should, however, be restricted to those women previously identified to be clear responders to BH4.
Provision of Cardiovascular Genetic Counseling Services: Current Practice and Future Directions
Authors: Somers Allyson E. , Ware Stephanie M. , Collins Kathleen , Jefferies John L. , He Hua , Miller Erin M. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractCardiovascular genetic counseling has emerged as a specialty critical to the care of patients with heritable cardiovascular disease. Current strategies to meet the growing demand are not clear. We sought to characterize practice patterns of cardiac genetic counseling by developing a novel survey distributed to the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) Listserv to assess clinical practice, cardiovascular training, and education. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize clinical practice; Fisher's exact test and the Cochran‐Armitage trend test were used to compare the practice of cardiovascular genetic counselors (CVGCs) to those who did not identify cardiology as a specialty (non‐CVGCs). A total of 153 individuals completed the survey. Of the 105 participants who reported seeing a cardiac genetics patient, 42 (40 %) identified themselves as a CVGC. The most common conditions for which genetic counseling was provided were hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) (71 % of participants), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) (61 %), long QT syndrome (LQTS) (56 %), and genetic syndromes with cardiovascular disease (55 %). CVGCs were significantly more confident than non‐CVGCs in providing genetic counseling for seven cardiovascular diseases (2.3 × 10−6 ≤ p ≤ 0.021). Eighty‐six percent of genetic counselors sought additional education related to cardiovascular genetics and listed online courses as the most desirable method of learning. These data suggest a growing interest in cardiovascular genetic counseling and need for additional training resources among the NSGC membership.
Interdisciplinary Education for Genetic Counselors: Developing the Concept and Assessing the Need in Australasia
Authors: Mann Kirsty J. , Taylor Jessica A. , James Paul A. , Gaff Clara 
Published: April 2014

AbstractInterdisciplinary teams are increasingly common in healthcare as a means of improving patient care and there is consensus in the literature that a formalized framework of interdisciplinary education for health professionals is an advantageous means of professional development. To our knowledge no such application to genetic counseling has been reported. Prompted by limited direct exposure to the oncology processes discussed during genetic counseling sessions, two genetic counselors completed an interdisciplinary education exercise by observing various oncology settings. As intended we gained a deeper understanding of the: (1) Roles of other health professionals within the oncology interdisciplinary team, (2) Patient experience of cancer screening and treatment, and (3) Clinical processes relevant to cancer genetic counselors’ discussions. In addition, further benefits resulted from (4) Insight into how patients and referring providers utilize the FCC within wider oncology care and (5) Strengthening of relationships between the FCC and other oncology‐related teams. The observation experience and resulting learnings are described in this paper. To investigate wider application of this novel initiative, a survey of Australasian genetic counselors was conducted, finding that genetic counselors mostly source knowledge about oncology procedures through indirect means and that, overall, anecdotal descriptions from patients were the most common information source (74 %). Over 95 % of respondents expected that interdisciplinary observations would be a beneficial part of their professional development and almost 90 % expected the program to be potentially feasible in their workplace. These findings indicate there is a role for interdisciplinary education to be considered as a formal continual learning tool for genetic counselors.
Gender Differences in the Expression and Cellular Localization of Lipin 1 in the Hearts of Fructose‐Fed Rats
Authors: Romić Snježana , Tepavčević Snežana , Žakula Zorica , Milosavljević Tijana , Kostić Milan , Petković Marijana , Korićanac Goran 
Published: April 2014

AbstractTo give new insight to alterations of cardiac lipid metabolism accompanied by a fructose‐rich diet (FRD), rats of both sexes were exposed to 10 % fructose in drinking water during 9 weeks. The protein level and subcellular localization of the main regulators of cardiac lipid metabolism, such as lipin 1, peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor α (PPARα), peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ coactivator‐1 α (PGC‐1α), carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPTI), and CD36 were studied. Caloric intake in fructose‐fed rats (FFR) of both sexes was increased. Circulating triacylglyceroles (TAG) and non‐esterified fatty acids were increased in male FFR, while females increased visceral adiposity and blood TAG. Total expression of lipin 1 in cardiac cell lysate and its cytosolic and microsomal level were increased in the hearts of male FFR. PPARα and PGC‐1α content were decreased in the nuclear extract. In addition, cardiac deposition of TAG in male FFR was elevated, as well as inhibitory phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS‐1). In contrast, in female FFR, lipin 1 level was increased in nuclear extract only, while overall CPTI expression and phosphorylation of IRS‐1 at serine 307 were decreased. The results of our study suggest that fructose diet causes gender‐dependent alterations in cardiac lipid metabolism. Potentially detrimental effects of FRD seem to be limited to male rats. Most of the observed changes might be a consequence of elevated expression and altered localization of lipin 1. Increased inhibitory phosphorylation of IRS‐1 is possible link between cardiac lipid metabolism and insulin resistance in FFR.
Endothelial nitric oxide synthase‐enhancing G‐protein coupled receptor antagonist inhibits pulmonary artery hypertension by endothelin‐1‐dependent and endothelin‐1‐independent pathways in a monocrotaline model
Authors: Liu Chung‐Pin , Dai Zen‐Kong , Huang Chein‐Heng , Yeh Jwu‐Lai , Wu Bin‐Nan , Wu Jiunn‐Ren , Chen Ing‐Jun 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThis study investigates whether endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) mediates monocrotaline (MCT)‐induced pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) and right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH), and if so, whether the G‐protein coupled receptor antagonist KMUP‐1 (7‐{2‐[4‐(2‐chlorobenzene)piperazinyl]ethyl}‐1,3‐dimethylxanthine) inhibits ET‐1‐mediated PA constriction and the aforementioned pathological changes. In a chronic rat model, intraperitoneal MCT (60 mg/kg) induced PAH and increased PA medial wall thickening and RV/left ventricle + septum weight ratio on Day 21 after MCT injection. Treatment with sublingual KMUP‐1 (2.5 mg/kg/day) for 21 days prevented these changes and restored vascular endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) immunohistochemical staining of lung tissues. Western blotting analysis demonstrated that KMUP‐1 enhanced eNOS, soluble guanylate cyclase, and protein kinase G levels, and reduced ET‐1 expression and inactivated Rho kinase II (ROCKII) in MCT‐treated lung tissue over long‐term administration. In MCT‐treated rats, KMUP‐1 decreased plasma ET‐1 on Day 21. KMUP‐1 (3.6 mg/kg) maximally appeared at 0.25 hours in the plasma and declined to basal levels within 24 hours after sublingual administration. In isolated PA of MCT‐treated rats, compared with control and pretreatment with l‐NG‐nitroarginine methyl ester (100 μM), KMUP‐1 (0.1–100 μM) inhibited ET‐1 (0.01 μM)‐induced vasoconstriction. Endothelium‐denuded PA sustained higher contractility in the presence of KMUP‐1. In a 24‐hour culture of smooth muscle cells (i.e., PA smooth muscle cells or PASMCs), KMUP‐1 (0.1–10 μM) inhibited RhoA‐ and ET‐1‐induced RhoA activation. KMUP‐1 prevented MCT‐induced PAH, PA wall thickening, and RVH by enhancing eNOS and suppressing ET‐1/ROCKII expression. In vitro, KMUP‐1 inhibited ET‐1‐induced PA constriction and ET‐1‐dependent/independent RhoA activation of PASMCs. In summary, KMUP‐1 attenuates ET‐1‐induced/ET‐1‐mediated PA constriction, and could thus aid in the treatment of PAH caused by MCT.
Wavelet-based adaptive simulations of three-dimensional flow past a square cylinder
Authors: De Stefano Giuliano , Vasilyev Oleg V. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe wavelet-based eddy capturing approach is extended to three-dimensional bluff body flows, where the flow geometry is enforced through Brinkman volume penalization. The wavelet-collocation/volume-penalization combined method is applied to the simulation of vortex shedding flow behind an isolated stationary prism with square cross-section. Wavelet-based direct numerical simulation is conducted at low supercritical Reynolds number, where the wake develops fundamental three-dimensional flow structures, while wavelet-based adaptive large-eddy simulation supplied with the one-equation localized dynamic kinetic-energy-based model is performed at moderately high Reynolds number. The present results are in general agreement with experimental findings and numerical solutions provided by classical non-adaptive methods. This study demonstrates that the proposed hybrid methodology for modelling bluff body flows is feasible, accurate and efficient.
Observations of turbulent secondary flows in a rough-wall boundary layer
Authors: Barros Julio M. , Christensen Kenneth T. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe characteristics of a turbulent boundary layer overlying a complex roughness topography were explored with stereo particle-image velocimetry measurements in the wall-normal–spanwise $(y\mbox{--}z)$ plane. The roughness under consideration was replicated from a turbine blade damaged by deposition of foreign materials containing a broad range of topographical scales arranged in a highly irregular manner. The single-point turbulence statistics displayed strong spanwise heterogeneity, in particular spanwise-alternating low- and high-momentum flow pathways in the mean flow marked by enhanced Reynolds stresses and turbulent kinetic energy. The spanwise regions between high- and low-momentum flow pathways were occupied by swirling motions, suggesting the generation and sustainment of turbulent secondary flows due to the spanwise heterogeneity of the complex roughness under consideration. Similar observations were recently reported for more ordered spanwise roughness transitions by Nugroho, Hutchins & Monty (Intl J. Heat Fluid Flow vol. 41, 2013, pp. 90–102) and Willingham et al. (Phys. Fluids vol. 26, 2014, 025111).
Party, Ideology, and Deficits: Provincial Fiscal Policy and the Cameron Thesis, 1966–2009
Authors: Simon Christopher A. , Tatalovich Raymond 
Published: April 2014

AbstractIn a 1985 publication David Cameron reported that historically leftist governments had governed with smaller deficits than rightist governments. The party ideology variable was incorporated into a large body of subsequent research, mainly by economists, to study the growth of public spending and indebtedness. Most agreed with Cameron; some did not. Virtually all studies focused on western European nations (but not subnational governments). This study analyzes provincial deficits or surpluses over the period 1966 to 2009 and determines that rightist parties, despite controls for economic and other political variables, have lower budgetary deficits, a finding which contradicts Cameron but is consistent with five previous studies of provincial spending in Canada.
Sinonasal symptoms in adults with ear disease
Authors: Yin B-S , Miah M S , Hussain S S M 
Published: April 2014

AbstractBackground:The association between eustachian tube dysfunction and middle-ear effusion is well established. Studies have also demonstrated pathological changes affecting the middle-ear mucosa associated with chronic sinonasal inflammation. No previous studies have evaluated symptoms related to sinonasal inflammatory disease in different ear diseases.Objective:To assess the presence of sinonasal symptoms in ear diseases using the Dundee Rhinogram.Methods:Data were collected prospectively in the period February–October 2011. Sinonasal symptoms were graded using the Dundee Rhinogram. Student'st-test analyses were performed to identify any statistically significant associations.Results:In total, 164 patients were assessed. There was a statistically significant association between sinonasal symptoms and mucosal middle-ear diseases (p < 0.005). The mean sinonasal symptoms score for mucosal middle-ear disease patients was 5.94 (range, 0–32).Conclusion:Assessment of sinonasal symptoms is paramount in patients presenting with an ear symptom; inflammatory sinonasal disease treatment may become necessary in the management of middle-ear mucosal disease for better patient outcome.
The politics of civil service reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Moshonas Stylianos 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTCivil service reform is an important element of governance reforms, but has received limited attention in the literature pertaining to the Democratic Republic of Congo. This article examines Congo's aborted CSR process from 2003 to 2008. Through a detailed exploration of some of the project's components (the design phase, the census, and the workings of the structures charged with implementation), analysed through a framework attentive to the tensions between democratisation and liberalisation, the political logics that have pervaded and affected implementation outcomes are reconstituted. These logics, it is argued, are deeply embedded in the context of democratic transition/post-2006 elections, which donors have played no small part in shaping. The ambiguity of donors towards CSR, bemoaning the absence of governmental commitment but all too prone to tolerate administrative neglect, suggests that it may have been irrelevant for the disbursement of aid, and ultimately accommodating for the Congolese authorities.