bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Strong radiative heating due to wintertime black carbon aerosols in the Brahmaputra River Valley
Authors: Chakrabarty Rajan K. , Garro Mark A. , Wilcox Eric M. , Moosmüller Hans 
Published: March 2012

The Brahmaputra River Valley (BRV) of Southeast Asia recently has been experiencing extreme regional climate change. A week‐long study using a micro‐Aethalometer was conducted during January–February 2011 to measure black carbon (BC) aerosol mass concentrations in Guwahati (India), the largest city in the BRV region. Daily median values of BC mass concentration were 9–41μgm−3, with maxima over 50 μgm−3during evenings and early mornings. Median BC concentrations were higher than in mega cities of India and China, and significantly higher than in urban locations of Europe and USA. The corresponding mean cloud‐free aerosol radiative forcing is −63.4 Wm−2 at the surface and +11.1 Wm−2at the top of the atmosphere with the difference giving the net atmospheric BC solar absorption, which translates to a lower atmospheric heating rate of ∼2 K/d. Potential regional climatic impacts associated with large surface cooling and high lower‐atmospheric heating are discussed.
Biodegradable Luminescent Silicon Quantum Dots for Two Photon Imaging Applications
Authors: Tien Chen-An , Erogbogbo Folarin , Chang Ching-Wen , Adjei-Baffour Priscilla , Law Wing-Chueng , Swihart Mark 
Published: March 2012

AbstractCadmium- and lead-based quantum dots are normally coated for biological applications, because their degradation may result in the release of toxic heavy metal ions. Here, we synthesize silicon quantum dots that are expected to biodegrade to non-toxic products. A chitosan coating is used to render the silicon quantum dots stable in storage conditions and biodegradable at physiological conditions. The applications of these particles are demonstrated in cellular imaging with single and two-photon excitation. These results open the door for a new generation of silicon quantum dots that may have a wide variety of applications derived from the flexibility of chitosan.
Ovine PrP transgenic Drosophila show reduced locomotor activity and decreased survival
Authors: Thackray Alana M. , Muhammad Farooq , Zhang Chang , Di Ying , Jahn Thomas R. , Landgraf Matthias , Crowther Damian C. , Evers Jan Felix , Bujdoso Raymond 
Published: March 2012

Drosophila have emerged as a model system to study mammalian neurodegenerative diseases. In the present study we have generated Drosophila transgenic for ovine PrP (prion protein) to begin to establish an invertebrate model of ovine prion disease. We generated Drosophila transgenic for polymorphic variants of ovine PrP by PhiC31 site-specific germ-line transformation under expression control by the bi-partite GAL4/UAS (upstream activating sequence) system. Site-specific transgene insertion in the fly genome allowed us to test the hypothesis that single amino acid codon changes in ovine PrP modulate prion protein levels and the phenotype of the fly when expressed in the Drosophila nervous system. The Arg154 ovine PrP variants showed higher levels of PrP expression in neuronal cell bodies and insoluble PrP conformer than did His154 variants. High levels of ovine PrP expression in Drosophila were associated with phenotypic effects, including reduced locomotor activity and decreased survival. Significantly, the present study highlights a critical role for helix-1 in the formation of distinct conformers of ovine PrP, since expression of His154 variants were associated with decreased survival in the absence of high levels of PrP accumulation. Collectively, the present study shows that variants of the ovine PrP are associated with different spontaneous detrimental effects in ovine PrP transgenic Drosophila.
Recent changes in pampean agriculture: possible new avenues in coping with global change challenges.
Authors: Satorre E. H. 
Published: March 2012

Abstract

This chapter tries to address three general objectives: (i) to present the main ecological and extensive agriculture characteristics of the pampean region; (ii) to analyse recent technological and productive transformations; and (iii) to discuss the influence of future possible transformation factors. The extensive agriculture of the pampas has experienced huge transformations since the 1990s. The support of scientific and technological knowledge has been relevant in this process; moreover, the concept of sustainability has been central as a condition for change and growth. Overall, in the pampas there exists a possibly well-founded feeling that the ecological impact of agriculture to date has been low. Modern technologies have contributed to simultaneously increased productivity and sustainability in the cropping systems of some ecological regions. However, the adoption of better management practices is still needed in some areas to fully sustain the functioning and structure of the pampas agroecosystems.
Adhesive behaviour of gecko-inspired nanofibrillar arrays: combination of experiments and finite element modelling
Authors: Wang Zheng-zhi , Xu Yun , Gu Ping 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
A polypropylene nanofibrillar array was successfully fabricated by template-assisted nanofabrication strategy. Adhesion properties of this gecko-inspired structure were studied through two parallel and independent approaches: experiments and finite element simulations. Experimental results show relatively good normal adhesion, but accompanied by high preloads. The interfacial adhesion was modelled by effective spring elements with piecewise-linear constitution. The effective elasticity of the fibre-array system was originally calculated from our measured elasticity of single nanowire. Comparisons of the experimental and simulative results reveal quantitative agreement except for some explainable deviations, which suggests the potential applicability of the present models and applied theories.
Fast flexible electronics using transferrable silicon nanomembranes
Authors: Zhang Kan , Seo Jung-Hun , Zhou Weidong , Ma Zhenqiang 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
A systematic review, covering the aspects of material preparation, device fabrication and process integration, is provided for flexible electronics operating in high-frequency domain based on transferrable monocrystalline silicon (Si) nanomembranes (NM). Previously demonstrated methods of releasing Si NM from silicon-on-insulator source substrates and transferring it to flexible substrates are briefly described. Due to the processing temperature limitation of most flexible substrates, a pre-release NM selective doping scheme is used for Si NMs. With proper selections of ion implantation energy and dose, fully doped Si NMs across their entire thickness with very low sheet resistivity can be obtained, allowing flip transfer of the NMs for backside and even double side processing. A general conclusion of preferred low implantation energy for shallower depth ion implantation is identified. The evolvement of radio frequency (RF) flexible Si thin-film transistor (TFT) structures is described in detail. The continuous performance enhancement of TFTs owing to process and TFT structure innovations is analysed. Demonstrations of flexible Si RF switches and RF inductors and capacitors are also briefly reviewed as valuable components of the general flexible device family, some of which also benefit from the pre-release NM doping technique. With the proved feasibility of these basic RF elements and related processing techniques, more complicated flexible RF circuits can be expected. Future research directions are also discussed, including further enhancement of device performance, building more types of semiconductor devices on flexible substrates, and process integration for flexible circuits and systems.
FTEC: a coalescent simulator for modeling faster than exponential growth
Authors: Reppell Mark , Boehnke Michael , Zöllner Sebastian 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
Summary: Recent genetic studies as well as recorded history point to massive growth in human population sizes during the recent past. To model and understand this growth accurately we introduce FTEC, an easy-to-use coalescent simulation program capable of simulating haplotype samples drawn from a population that has undergone faster than exponential growth. Samples drawn from a population that has undergone faster than exponential growth show an excess of very rare variation and more rapid LD decay when compared with samples drawn from a population that has maintained a constant size over time.
Availability: Source code for FTEC is freely available for download from the University of Michigan Center for Statistical Genetics Wiki at http://genome.sph.umich.edu/wiki/FTEC
Contact: mreppell@umich.edu; szoellne@umich.edu
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online
High reproducible ADCC analysis revealed a competitive relation between ADCC and CDC and differences between FcγRllla polymorphism
Authors: Mishima Yuji , Terui Yasuhito , Mishima Yuko , Kuniyoshi Ryoko , Matsusaka Satoshi , Mikuniya Mariko , Kojima Kiyotsugu , Hatake Kiyohiko 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
The anti-CD20 chimeric monoclonal antibody rituximab mediates cytotoxicity in malignant B cells via multiple mechanisms, including complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and direct induction of apoptosis. To optimize treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a fuller understanding of these mechanisms and their relative contributions to clinical efficacy is required. Here, we report the characteristics of the mutual impact between ADCC and CDC, the two major effector functions through the Fc receptors. To compare ADCC induced under various conditions, we developed a highly reproducible method of estimating ADCC activity using immortalized effector cells. The set of the effector cells that we established was able to calculate net ADCC with high reproducibility by comparing the cytotoxicity of effector cells expressing exogeneous FcγRIIIa to those of mock effector cells. In addition, the different property of effector cells of two FcγRIIIa single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) could be also evaluated in exactly identical background. ADCC assessment in the presence of human serum directly provided the evidence of the competitive interaction of ADCC and CDC. The inhibition of ADCC of effector cells having low affinity SNP of FcγRIIIa by active complement was more potent than those having high-affinity SNP at the rituximab-concentration comparable to the serum level obtained in patients. These findings could have a profound impact on optimization of the regimen of therapeutic antibodies and on the development of antibodies that will enhance effector function.
Generation of transgenic plantain (Musa spp.) with resistance to plant pathogenic nematodes
Authors: RODERICK HUGH , TRIPATHI LEENA , BABIRYE ANNET , WANG DONG , TRIPATHI JAINDRA , URWIN PETER E. , ATKINSON HOWARD J. 
Published: March 2012

SUMMARYPlant parasitic nematodes impose a severe constraint on plantain and banana productivity; however, the sterile nature of many cultivars precludes conventional breeding for resistance. Transgenic plantain cv. Gonja manjaya (Musa AAB) plants, expressing a maize cystatin that inhibits nematode digestive cysteine proteinases and a synthetic peptide that disrupts nematode chemoreception, were assessed for their ability to resist nematode infection. Lines were generated that expressed each gene singly or both together in a stacked defence. Nematode challenge with a single species or a mixed population identified 10 lines with significant resistance. The best level of resistance achieved against the major pest species Radopholus similis was 84% ± 8% for the cystatin, 66% ± 14% for the peptide and 70% ± 6% for the dual defence. In the mixed population, trial resistance was also demonstrated to Helicotylenchus multicinctus. A fluorescently labelled form of the chemodisruptive peptide underwent retrograde transport along certain sensory dendrites of R. similis as required to disrupt chemoreception. The peptide was degraded after 30 min in simulated intestinal fluid or boiling water and after 1 h in nonsterile soil. In silico sequence analysis suggests that the peptide is not a mammalian antigen. This work establishes the mode of action of a novel nematode defence, develops the evidence for its safe and effective deployment against multiple nematode species and identifies transgenic plantain lines with a high level of resistance for a proposed field trial.
Interrelation of Serum Vitamin B12, Total Body Vitamin B12, Peripheral Blood Morphology and the Nature of Erythropoiesis
Authors: Adams J. F. , Boddy K. , Douglas A. S. 
Published: March 2012

Summary. The interrelation of serum vitamin B12 concentration, body vitamin B12, peripheral blood morphology and the nature of erythropoiesis was studied in patients with pernicious anaemia. On presentation the patients were treated with radioactive vitamin B12 and the retained radioactivity, measured by whole body monitoring, was taken as a measure of the body vitamin B12.Post‐treatment results suggest that erythropoiesis became megaloblastic when the serum vitamin B12 was between 70 and 154 pg/ml and usually when the body vitamin B12 was between 100 and 660 μg and that the serum vitamin B12 was of more immediate importance in the nature of erythropoiesis than the body vitamin B12.A normal peripheral blood film was no indication of the nature of erythropoiesis but an abnormal film carried a high probability of megaloblastic erythropoiesis. Abnormalities in blood films probably developed after abnormalities in marrow.The correlation found between serum vitamin B12 and body vitamin B12 differed from that found in controls and the mean quotient of body vitamin B12 and serum vitamin B12 concentration was less than in controls showing that, in the patients studied, there was a disproportionately greater amount of vitamin B12 in serum compared to controls.The balance of serum vitamin B12 and body vitamin B12 may involve at least two mechanisms and folate may have a role in both. One mechanism relates to the release of vitamin B12 from stores to plasma and the other to the clearance of vitamin B12 from plasma.
Cell cycle analysis in lymphoid neoplasia of childhood: differences among immunologic subtypes and similarities in the proliferation of normal and leukaemic precursor B cells
Authors: Hirt Andreas , Werren Eva‐Maria , Luethy Annette Ridolfi , Gerdes Johannes , Wagner Hans P. 
Published: March 2012

Summary. Cell proliferation in untreated lymphoid malignancies of children was investigated by an in vitro assessment of the 3H‐thymidine labelling index (LI), the growth fraction (GF) with the monoclonal antibody Ki‐67, and the duration of the DNA‐synthesis phase (ts) with a double labelling technique. Mean cell cycle time (tg) was similar in lymphoid malignancies of precursor B cell and T cell origin (115 h and 102 h, respectively), while B cell neoplasias had a mean tg of only 25 h. A positive correlation between the II and the GF (r = 0·892) and a negative correlation between the LI and tg (r = −0·908) could be detected in childhood lymphoid malignancies.The proliferation of neoplastic precursor B cells was compared with the proliferation of presumably normal terminal transferase (TdT) positive bone marrow cells that, according to the immunophenotype, correspond mainly to normal precursor B cells. Although mean ts was identical in both cell populations (18–19 h), the neoplastic cell population showed a significantly longer mean tg than the normal counterpart (115 h and 65 h, respectively). However, if malignant and normal precursor B cell populations with a similar LI were compared, the difference in tg disappeared. Therefore, a down‐regulation of leukaemic cell proliferation by an increasing cell mass is postulated for most cases of untreated precursor B cell ALL.
VAD or VMBCP in severe multiple myeloma
Authors: Monconduit M. , Menard J. F. , Michaux J. L. , Loet X. Le , Bernard J. F. , Grosbois B. , Pollet J. P. , Azais I. , Laporte J. Ph. , Doyen C. , Gramont A. De , Wetterwald M. , Duclos B. , Euller‐Ziegler L. , Peny A. M. 
Published: March 2012

Summary. A randomized trial has been performed in which 91 patients with stage III myeloma and additional severe criteria were randomly allocated to either VAD or VMBCP.No significant difference was noted between these two groups using the following criteria: response rate (VMBCP: 54%; VAD: 39%), impact on symptoms, median survival (VMBCP: 14 months, VAD: 17 months). However, toxic effects and refusal to pursue treatment were more frequent with VAD than with VMBCP (12 v 6). Therefore, in this trial, VMBCP appears to be more useful than VAD.
Seismic data analysis using local time‐frequency decomposition
Authors: Liu Yang , Fomel Sergey 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTMany natural phenomena, including geologic events and geophysical data, are fundamentally nonstationary ‐ exhibiting statistical variation that changes in space and time. Time‐frequency characterization is useful for analysing such data, seismic traces in particular.We present a novel time‐frequency decomposition, which aims at depicting the nonstationary character of seismic data. The proposed decomposition uses a Fourier basis to match the target signal using regularized least‐squares inversion. The decomposition is invertible, which makes it suitable for analysing nonstationary data. The proposed method can provide more flexible time‐frequency representation than the classical S transform. Results of applying the method to both synthetic and field data examples demonstrate that the local time‐frequency decomposition can characterize nonstationary variation of seismic data and be used in practical applications, such as seismic ground‐roll noise attenuation and multicomponent data registration.
Differential expression of moesin in breast cancers and its implication in epithelial–mesenchymal transition
Authors: Wang Chung‐Chieh , Liau Jau‐Yu , Lu Yen‐Shen , Chen Jun‐Wei , Yao Yu‐Tung , Lien Huang‐Chun 
Published: March 2012

Wang C‐C, Liau J‐Y, Lu Y‐S, Chen J‐W, Yao Y‐T & Lien H‐C  (2012) Histopathology 61, 78–87Differential expression of moesin in breast cancers and its implication in epithelial–mesenchymal transitionAims:  Moesin belongs to the ERM (ezrin, radixin and moesin) family. Recent in‐vitro studies have shown the possible involvement of moesin in epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), but correlating in‐vivo evidence is lacking.Methods and results:  To study the biological significance of moesin, we used immunohistochemistry to investigate the in‐situ expression profiles of moesin in 322 breast carcinomas of different subtypes, including 23 cases of metaplastic carcinoma (MCB) which is pathogenetically considered to involve EMT. Moesin was highly expressed in 95.7% of cases of MCB, and in 16% of cases of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), but was negative in all other subtypes of breast carcinomas. In IDCs, moesin expression correlated positively with a high histological grade (P < 0.001), basal‐like phenotype (P < 0.001) and poor overall survival (P = 0.0263). Transfection of MCF7 cells with Snail, one of the key regulators of EMT, showed up‐regulation of moesin at the transcriptional level. Finally, mRNA level of moesin correlated positively with Snail and EMT‐related genes in a microarray data set using primary breast cancer samples.Conclusion:  These results offer biological evidence of moesin as an EMT marker, support the association between moesin, Snail and EMT and suggest a role for moesin in breast cancer prognostication.
An in vivo evaluation of the Auto Apical Reverse function of the Root ZX II
Authors: Fadel G. , Piasecki L. , Westphalen V. P. D. , Silva Neto U. X. , Fariniuk L. F. , Carneiro E. 
Published: March 2012

Fadel G, Piasecki L, Westphalen VPD, Silva Neto UX, Fariniuk LF, Carneiro E. An in vivo evaluation of the Auto Apical Reverse function of the Root ZX II. International Endodontic Journal, 45, 950–954, 2012.AbstractAim  To evaluate in vivo the accuracy of the Root ZX II (J. Morita) apex locator in controlling the apical extent of rotary instrumentation when using the Auto Apical Reverse (AAR) set at the levels 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5.Methodology  Thirty single‐rooted premolar teeth scheduled for extraction were divided into three groups (n = 10), according to the AAR setting 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5. The root canals were prepared using ProTaper (Dentsply Maillefer). After rotary instrumentation, the last file used (F3) was manually introduced into the extent of the root canal preparation and fixed before tooth extraction. The apical third of the root was dissected until exposure of the file. The distance from the file tip to the major apical foramen was obtained.Results  Measurements within the range −1.0 to 0.0 mm were obtained in 30% of the teeth with AAR 0.5, 50% with AAR 1.0 and in 0% with AAR 1.5. The proportions test revealed a significant difference between the AAR settings 1.0 and 1.5 (P = 0.0188). Overinstrumentation occurred in 70% of the teeth with AAR 0.5 and in 40% with AAR 1.0. The measurements short of the acceptable range occurred in 10% of the teeth with setting AAR 1.0 and in 100% of the cases with AAR 1.5. A significant difference was found when comparing the percentage of teeth in which the file tip was short and beyond the established range between groups, except when comparing AAR 0.5 and AAR 1.0.Conclusion  The AAR function of the Root ZX II was not an accurate method for controlling the apical extent of rotary instrumentation in vivo. The setting 0.5 presented overinstrumentation in most of the canals, the setting 1.5 was short in all cases, and the setting 1.0 provided an adequate working length in only 50% of the teeth.
Why choose a career in nursing?
Authors: Jirwe Maria , Rudman Ann 
Published: March 2012

jirwe m. & rudman a. (2012) Why choose a career in nursing? Journal of Advanced Nursing68(7), 1615–1623.AbstractAim.  This paper examines the prevalence of various career‐choice motives given by nursing students in two national cohorts at the beginning and end of their education respectively and how these motives are interrelated and associated with perceived career‐choice stress.Background.  Several international studies have identified various motives for choosing nursing. The degree to which motives are autonomous or controlled affects an individual’s professional development and health. Earlier research on career choice has used small non‐representative samples.Design.  Cross‐sectional survey.Methods.  This was a study of all Swedish undergraduate nursing students in their first (n = 1697) or last (n = 1150) year. The data for this study were collected in 2002, forming the baseline of a prospective longitudinal study where data were collected annually between 2002–2010. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis.Results.  A model incorporating three factors explained 50–60% of the variance in motives for becoming a nurse. ‘Genuine interest’ was ranked highest, followed by ‘practical reasons’. Only a small group of students gave nursing as ‘default choice’. Fewer autonomous motives for choosing nursing were associated with perceived career‐choice stress.Conclusion.  We suggest that it is imperative for nurse educators to identify students who lack autonomy. Supporting students’ autonomy is likely to improve educational outcome, enable professional socialization and decrease professional turnover. Future research on students’ motivation in relation to educational outcome and professional turnover as well as quality of patient care is needed.