bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Improved imaging of lingual articulation using real‐time multislice MRI
Authors: Kim Yoon‐Chul , Proctor Michael I. , Narayanan Shrikanth S. , Nayak Krishna S. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractPurpose:To develop a real‐time imaging technique that allows for simultaneous visualization of vocal tract shaping in multiple scan planes, and provides dynamic visualization of complex articulatory features.Materials and Methods:Simultaneous imaging of multiple slices was implemented using a custom real‐time imaging platform. Midsagittal, coronal, and axial scan planes of the human upper airway were prescribed and imaged in real‐time using a fast spiral gradient‐echo pulse sequence. Two native speakers of English produced voiceless and voiced fricatives /f/‐/v/, /θ/‐/ð/, /s/‐/z/, /∫/‐ in symmetrical maximally contrastive vocalic contexts /a_a/, /i_i/, and /u_u/. Vocal tract videos were synchronized with noise‐cancelled audio recordings, facilitating the selection of frames associated with production of English fricatives.Results:Coronal slices intersecting the postalveolar region of the vocal tract revealed tongue grooving to be most pronounced during fricative production in back vowel contexts, and more pronounced for sibilants /s/‐/z/ than for /∫/‐. The axial slice best revealed differences in dorsal and pharyngeal articulation; voiced fricatives were observed to be produced with a larger cross‐sectional area in the pharyngeal airway. Partial saturation of spins provided accurate location of imaging planes with respect to each other.Conclusion:Real‐time MRI of multiple intersecting slices can provide valuable spatial and temporal information about vocal tract shaping, including details not observable from a single slice. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2012;35:943–948. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Role for Hydration in Interleukin‐2 Inducible T Cell Kinase (Itk) Selectivity
Authors: Knegtel Ronald M. A. , Robinson Daniel D. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThe selectivity profile of kinase inhibitors is commonly explained in terms of favourable or unfavourable interactions between the inhibitor and active site residues. In practice residue sequence differences have not always been sufficient to explain observed selectivity profiles. A series of interleukin‐2 inducible T cell kinase (Itk, EC 2.7.10.2) inhibitors that achieve selectivity through the introduction of a single nitrogen atom in an aromatic ring has recently been discovered. Structures of these inhibitors bound to Itk showed this nitrogen to be solvent exposed and not involved in any direct interactions with the enzyme. By analysing active site hydration, using the molecular dynamics tool WaterMap, the observed selectivity profile can be explained in terms of the replacement of a thermodynamically unfavourable water molecule by the inhibitor and improved hydration of the bound ligand. The location of this hydration site was successfully used to enrich virtual screening results in their content of selective Itk inhibitors.
A marked animal–vegetal polarity in the localization of Na+,K+‐ATPase activity and its down‐regulation following progesterone‐induced maturation
Authors: Mohanty Basant Kumar , Gupta Brij L. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThe stage‐VI Xenopus oocyte has a very distinct animal–vegetal polarity with structural and functional asymmetry. In this study, we show the expression and distribution pattern of Na+,K+‐ATPase in stage‐VI oocytes, and its changes following progesterone‐induced maturation. Using enzyme‐specific electron microscopy phosphatase histochemistry, [3H]‐ouabain autoradiography, and immunofluorescence cytochemistry at light microscopic level, we find that Na+,K+‐ATPase activity is mainly confined to the animal hemisphere. Electron microscopy histochemical results also suggest that polarized distribution of Na+,K+‐ATPase activity persists following progesterone‐induced maturation, and it becomes gradually more polarized towards the animal pole. The time course following progesterone‐induced maturation suggests that there is an initial up‐regulation and then gradual down‐regulation of Na+,K+‐ATPase activity leading to germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD). By GVBD, the Na+,K+‐ATPase activity is completely down‐regulated due to endocytotic removal of pump molecules from the plasma membrane into the sub‐cortical region of the oocyte. This study provides the first direct evidence for a marked asymmetric localization of Na+,K+‐ATPase activity in any vertebrate oocyte. Here, we propose that such asymmetry in Na+,K+‐ATPase activity in stage‐VI oocytes, and their down‐regulation following progesterone‐induced maturation, is likely to have a role in the active state of the germinal vesicle in stage‐VI oocytes and chromosomal condensation after GVBD. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 79:138–160, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Use of ethylene glycol to evaluate gradient performance in gradient‐intensive diffusion MR sequences
Authors: Spees William M. , Song Sheng‐Kwei , Garbow Joel R. , Neil Jeffrey J. , Ackerman Joseph J. H. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractImaging a phantom of known dimensions is a widely used and simple method for calibrating MRI gradient strength. However, full‐range characterization of gradient response is not achievable using this approach. Measurement of the apparent diffusion coefficient of a liquid with known diffusivity allows for calibration of gradient amplitudes across a wider dynamic range. An important caveat is that the temperature dependence of the liquid's diffusion characteristics must be known, and the temperature of the calibration phantom must be recorded. In this report, we demonstrate that the diffusion coefficient of ethylene glycol is well described by Arrhenius‐type behavior across the typical range of ambient MRI magnet temperatures. Because of ethylene glycol's utility as an NMR chemical‐shift thermometer, the same 1H MR spectroscopy measurements that are used for gradient calibration also simultaneously “report” the sample temperature. The high viscosity of ethylene glycol makes it well‐suited for assessing gradient performance in demanding diffusion‐weighted imaging and spectroscopy sequences. Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Resolution enhanced T1‐insensitive steady‐state imaging
Authors: Derakhshan Jamal J. , Nour Sherif G. , Sunshine Jeffrey L. , Griswold Mark A. , Duerk Jeffrey L. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractResolution enhanced T1‐insensitive steady‐state imaging (RE‐TOSSI) is a new MRI pulse sequence for the generation of rapid T2 contrast with high spatial resolution. TOSSI provides T2 contrast by using nonequally spaced inversion pulses throughout a balanced steady‐state free precession (SSFP) acquisition. In RE‐TOSSI, these energy and time intensive adiabatic inversion pulses and associated magnetization preparation are removed from TOSSI after acquisition of the data around the center of k‐space. Magnetization evolution simulations demonstrate T2 contrast in TOSSI as well as reduction in the widening of the point spread function width (by up to a factor of 4) to a near ideal case for RE‐TOSSI. Phantom experimentation is used to characterize and compare the contrast and spatial resolution properties of TOSSI, RE‐TOSSI, balanced SSFP, Half‐Fourier Acquisition Single‐Shot Turbo Spin Echo (HASTE), and turbo spin echo and to optimize the fraction of k‐space acquired using TOSSI. Comparison images in the abdomen and brain demonstrate similar contrast and improved spatial resolution in RE‐TOSSI compared with TOSSI; comparison balanced SSFP, HASTE, and turbo spin echo images are provided. RE‐TOSSI is capable of providing high spatial resolution T2‐weighted images in 1 s or less per image. Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
White light electroluminescence from graphene‐enhanced single polymer comprising two color emitters of equal molar ratios
Authors: Su Reagen Ying‐Tai , Chiu Li‐Ko , Weng Shan‐Wei , Chou Ying‐Shiun , Tsiang Raymond Chien‐Chao 
Published: December 2011

AbstractWhite polymeric light‐emitting diode (WPLED) based on a single polymer, poly(3‐hexylthiophene‐alt‐9,9‐dioctylfluorene) (PTAF), has been successfully demonstrated. This conjugated alternating copolymer, PTAF, comprises 50 mol % of 3‐hexylthiophene which is an orange‐red color chromophore and 50 mol % 9,9‐dioctylfluorene which is a bluish‐green color chromophore. It was synthesized by Suzuki cross‐coupling reaction and has a molecular weight of 15,021 and polydispersity of 1.36. Nanocomposite consisting PTAF and graphene nanosheets enhances the optoelectronic properties and the device fabricated with a configuration of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/(PTAF + 1% graphene)/Ca/Al shows two‐color white electroluminescence with CIE 1931 coordinates of (0.28, 0.34). The white luminescence from a single polymer affords the WPLED device a simple structure and low fabrication cost. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011
The Inactivation of Resistant Candida Albicans in a Sealed Package by Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas
Authors: Song Ying , Liu Dongping , Ji Longfei , Wang Wenchun , Zhao Pengchao , Quan Chunshan , Niu Jinhai , Zhang Xianhui 
Published: December 2011

AbstractIt remains a challenge to generate cold, atmospheric pressure plasmas in sealed packages for biological disinfection. In this paper, we report a plasma device to form large‐area and atmospheric‐pressure plasmas in a sealed package for the low‐temperature disinfection of fungi. The visually uniform plasmas were easily generated in the portable plastic bag containing Candida albicans with a population of 105 spores placed on the plasma device. The He plasma containing about 1% O2 was found to entirely kill resistant Candida albicans with a treatment time of 5 min. Measurements for optical emission spectra and disinfection efficiencies indicate that the plasma‐created species such as O radicals and charged species play a major role in the inactivation process.magnified image
How does religion matter? Pathways to religion in International Relations
Authors: SHEIKH MONA KANWAL 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThis article contributes to the growing subfield of research on religion and International Relations (IR) by discussing ways to take substantial andsui generisaspects of religion into account. It is argued that IR scholars need more critical methodological and conceptual reflection on how to integrate religion in order to navigate between two typical analytical positions: either focusing on the instrumental relevance of religion only or treating religion as an unchangeable meta-category and delinking it from its practitioners or context. The article first discusses why there is a need to be attentive to distinctive aspects of religion and then moves on to scrutinise three IR-relevant pathways to include these aspects of religion in analysis, namely religion as belief community, religion as power, and religion as speech act. It appears that future research along these lines can contribute significantly to the way IR scholars habitually think about key issues such as parameters of behaviour, standards of legitimacy, and the dynamics of conflicts.
Localization and expression of peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) in mammalian oocytes and preimplantation embryos
Authors: Brahmajosyula Manjula , Miyake Masashi 
Published: December 2011

SummaryPost-translational modifications generally involve the addition or removal of various functional groups to or from the protein residues. However, citrullination, which is catalyzed by the peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs), involves conversion of one kind of amino acid residue into another. One of five isoforms, PAD4 is a nuclear enzyme known to play a role in development, differentiation and apoptosis through gene regulation. To investigate the possible role of PAD4 in mammalian preimplantation embryonic development, we first studied localization and expression of PAD4 and citrullinated proteins in pig and mouse oocytes, and parthenogenetic orin vitrofertilized (IVF) embryos. Immunofluorescence study revealed that PAD4 primarily localizes in the cytoplasm in pig oocytes and parthenogenetic embryos. However, the nuclear translocation of PAD4 was observed in late germinal vesicle (GV) stage oocytes prior to GV breakdown and was localized around the metaphase (M)I and II spindle. Nucleus localized PAD4 was noticed partially again in blastocysts. In mouse IVF embryos, nuclear translocation started from the 2-cell stage and gradually increased up to blastocyst. Western blot studies confirmed that PAD4 was expressed in oocytes, and parthenogenetic embryos of pig. Citrullinated proteins were detected in granular form on the chromatin in GV, MI and MII oocytes and nuclei in all the stages of the embryos studied. It was found that the target of citrullination was histone protein (H3), not B23. Therefore the presence of PAD4 and citrullinated histone H3 in oocytes and embryos suggested a possible role for PAD4 in preimplantation embryonic development.
Gaussian process modelling forbicoidmRNA regulation in spatio-temporal Bicoid profile
Authors: Liu Wei , Niranjan Mahesan 
Published: December 2011

AbstractMotivation: Bicoid protein molecules, translated from maternally provided bicoid mRNA, establish a concentration gradient in Drosophila early embryonic development. There is experimental evidence that the synthesis and subsequent destruction of this protein is regulated at source by precise control of the stability of the maternal mRNA. Can we infer the driving function at the source from noisy observations of the spatio-temporal protein profile? We use non-parametric Gaussian process regression for modelling the propagation of Bicoid in the embryo and infer aspects of source regulation as a posterior function.Results: With synthetic data from a 1D diffusion model with a source simulated to model mRNA stability regulation, our results establish that the Gaussian process method can accurately infer the driving function and capture the spatio-temporal dynamics of embryonic Bicoid propagation. On real data from the FlyEx database, too, the reconstructed source function is indicative of stability regulation, but is temporally smoother than what we expected, partly due to the fact that the dataset is only partially observed. To be in line with recent thinking on the subject, we also analyse this model with a spatial gradient of maternal mRNA, rather than being fixed at only the anterior pole.Contact: m.niranjan@southampton.ac.ukSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Model‐based approach to dose optimization of lopinavir/ritonavir when co‐administered with rifampicin
Authors: Zhang Chao , Denti Paolo , Decloedt Eric , Maartens Gary , Karlsson Mats O. , Simonsson Ulrika S. H. , McIlleron Helen 
Published: December 2011

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT• Doubling the dose of lopinavir/ritonavir overcomes the effect of rifampicin on lopinavir concentrations. However, lopinavir concentrations are highly variable and side effects occur commonly. Hence optimized dosing could limit the number of patients exposed to high lopinavir concentrations while maintaining adequate lopinavir concentrations.WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS• We built an integrated population pharmacokinetic model of lopinavir and ritonavir, describing the drug–drug interactions between lopinavir, ritonavir and rifampicin. Based on this model, we have predicted that lower doses of lopinavir/ritonavir can be used in patients weighing less than 50 kg. Also, diurnal variations on lopinavir and ritonavir were investigated for both bioavailability and clearance.AIMSRifampicin, a key component of antitubercular treatment, profoundly reduces lopinavir concentrations. The aim of this study was to develop an integrated population pharmacokinetic model accounting for the drug–drug interactions between lopinavir, ritonavir and rifampicin, and to evaluate optimal doses of lopinavir/ritonavir when co‐administered with rifampicin.METHODSSteady‐state pharmacokinetics of lopinavir and ritonavir were sequentially evaluated after the introduction of rifampicin and gradually escalating the dose in a cohort of 21 HIV‐infected adults. Intensive pharmacokinetic sampling was performed after each dose adjustment following a morning dose administered after fasting overnight. A population pharmacokinetic analysis was conducted using NONMEM 7.RESULTSA simultaneous integrated model was built. Rifampicin reduced the oral bioavailability of lopinavir and ritonavir by 20% and 45% respectively, and it increased their clearance by 71% and 36% respectively. With increasing concentrations of ritonavir, clearance of lopinavir decreased in an Emax relationship. Bioavailability was 42% and 45% higher for evening doses compared with morning doses for lopinavir and ritonavir, respectively, while oral clearance of both drugs was 33% lower overnight. Simulations predicted that 99.5% of our patients receiving doubled doses of lopinavir/ritonavir achieve morning trough concentrations of lopinavir > 1 mg l−1 during rifampicin co‐administration, and 95% of those weighing less than 50 kg achieve this target already with 600/150 mg doses of lopinavir/ritonavir.CONCLUSIONSThe model describes the drug–drug interactions between lopinavir, ritonavir and rifampicin in adults. The higher trough concentrations observed in the morning were explained by both higher bioavailability with the evening meal and lower clearance overnight.
Uptake of folic acid supplements before and during pregnancy: focus group analysis of women’s views and experiences
Authors: Barbour R. S. , Macleod M. , Mires G. , Anderson A. S. 
Published: December 2011

How to cite this article
Barbour R.S., Macleod M., Mires G. & Anderson A.S. (2012) Uptake of folic acid supplements before and during pregnancy: focus group analysis of women’s views and experiences. J Hum Nutr Diet.25, 140–147AbstractBackground:  To reduce risk of neural tube defects, current guidance recommends that all women who could become pregnant should take a daily 400 μg folic acid supplement before conception and until the 12th week of pregnancy. It is recognised that compliance with this guidance is sub‐optimal, although little is known about the reasons why. The present study aims to explore the rationale behind women’s decision‐making on folic acid supplement use to inform health communications.Methods:  Women attending routine health visitor led baby clinics completed a questionnaire to establish their folic acid use in their most recent pregnancy. Participants were then invited to join focus group discussions to explore motivators and barriers to folic acid supplement use before and during pregnancy.Results:  Of 292 women approached, 211 (70%) provided information on supplement use. Of these, 67 (31%) reported having taken folic acid supplements as recommended; 118 (56%) only during pregnancy [22 (18%) only intermittently]; and 26 (12%) had not taken folic acid at all. Eight focus group discussions were held comprising 24 participants. Discussions indicated the rationale behind current recommendations was known. Participants often linked folic acid use with morning sickness, and invoked busy lives, competing priorities for concern, and poor memory in accounting for intermittent use. Building a ‘lay evidence base’ from their own experiences, many cited healthy pregnancy outcomes without supplement use and expressed scepticism about its preventive action.Conclusions:  The findings of the present study highlight the importance of guidance on the importance of daily folic acid supplement use, the severity of neural tube defects and the provision of evidence on risk reduction.
Influence of baseline renal function and dose reduction of nephrotoxic chemotherapeutic agents on the outcome of metastatic urothelial carcinoma: A retrospective study
Authors: Maru Shintaro , Abe Takashige , Shinohara Nobuo , Sazawa Ataru , Maruyama Satoru , Harabayashi Toru , Suzuki Shin , Nonomura Katsuya 
Published: December 2011

Objectives:  To investigate the influence of baseline renal function and dose reduction of chemotherapeutic agents on the outcome of metastatic urothelial carcinoma patients with renal impairment.Methods:  A total of 57 patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma treated by systemic chemotherapy were included in the present study. The 24 h‐creatinine clearance was measured before each cycle and dose reduction was carried out according to our guidelines. Patients were divided into two groups according to baseline 24 h‐creatinine clearance: fit group (60 mL/min/1.48 m2≤) and unfit group (60 mL/min/1.48 m2>). Clinical characteristics and final outcomes were compared between the two groups.Results:  There was no significant difference in the total number of chemotherapy cycles of each patient between the two groups (fit group: median 5; unfit group: median 4; P = 0.7466), although dose reduction was carried out significantly more often in the unfit group than in the fit group during treatment (fit group: median 0 cycles; unfit group: median 3.5 cycles; P = 0.0016). Overall, the median survival was 16 months. There was a significant survival difference between the two groups (fit group: median 17 months; unfit group: median 10 months; P = 0.0419). On multivariate analyses, impaired renal function at the baseline remained an adverse factor (HR 2.27, P = 0.01).Conclusions:  “Unfit” was a poor prognostic factor for metastatic urothelial carcinoma. The dose reduction strategy contributed to continuous treatment in the unfit group. However, its contribution to the prognosis of unfit patients is uncertain.
Pricing of innate and discretionary accruals in Australian debt
Authors: Aldamen Husam , Duncan Keith 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThis paper addresses the conflicting evidence on the role of accruals in debt pricing. We show that the two subcomponents of accruals quality, innate and discretionary accruals, both impact the debt pricing. Higher innate accruals increases cost of debt, consistent with the prior evidence (Francis et al., 2005; Gray et al., 2009). However, we also find that higher discretionary accruals reduce the cost of debt. This contrasts with the prior evidence of a positive association between discretionary accruals and cost and debt (Francis et al., 2005), and no association (Gray et al., 2009). We show that noisy measurement of cost of debt reconciles these results.
Proof of Cellini’s conjecture on self-avoiding paths in Coxeter groups
Authors: Dyer Matthew 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThis note proves Cellini’s conjecture that, in a Coxeter system (W,S) with reflections T, the T-increasing paths in W are self-avoiding. Here, a T-increasing path is a sequence v,t1v,…,tn⋯t1v in W with ti∈T and t1≺⋯≺tn in a reflection order ⪯ of T.
On ramification filtrations and p-adic differential equations, II: mixed characteristic case
Authors: Xiao Liang 
Published: December 2011

AbstractLet K be a complete discrete valuation field of mixed characteristic (0,p), with possibly imperfect residue field. We prove a Hasse–Arf theorem for the arithmetic ramification filtrations on GK, except possibly in the absolutely unramified and non-logarithmic case, or the p=2 and logarithmic case. As an application, we obtain a Hasse–Arf theorem for filtrations on finite flat group schemes over 𝒪K.