bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Testis cancer gene D40 expression and its relationship with clinicopathological features in infertile men
Authors: Sasao Takumi , Takimoto Masato , Itoh Naoki , Maeda Toshihiro , Tanaka Toshiaki , Masumori Naoya , Tsukamoto Taiji 
Published: January 2011

AbstractWe previously identified a novel human cancer/testis gene, D40, which is dominantly expressed in testicular germ cells, various cancer cell lines and primary human tumors. The expression of D40 mRNA and proteins in various testicular tissues was quantified using the conventional reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR), real‐time quantitative RT–PCR and western blot analysis. The relationship between levels of D40 expression, serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level and Johnsen's score was examined. D40 mRNA expression was observed in the testes of infertile men, except those with Sertoli‐cell‐only syndrome or Klinefelter's syndrome. The quantity of D40 mRNA and protein was correlated with Johnsen's score and inversely correlated with serum FSH level. The present results show that the expression levels of D40 mRNA and proteins decrease according to the degree of spermatogenesis impairment in male infertile patients.
Proprioceptive pathways to posterior parietal areas MIP and LIPv from the dorsal column nuclei and the postcentral somatosensory cortex
Authors: Prevosto Vincent , Graf Werner , Ugolini Gabriella 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThe posterior parietal cortex (PPC) serves as an interface between sensory and motor cortices by integrating multisensory signals with motor‐related information. Sensorimotor transformation of somatosensory signals is crucial for the generation and updating of body representations and movement plans. Using retrograde transneuronal transfer of rabies virus in combination with a conventional tracer, we identified direct and polysynaptic somatosensory pathways to two posterior parietal areas, the ventral lateral intraparietal area (LIPv) and the rostral part of the medial intraparietal area (MIP) in macaque monkeys. In addition to direct projections from somatosensory areas 2v and 3a, respectively, we found that LIPv and MIP receive disynaptic inputs from the dorsal column nuclei as directly as these somatosensory areas, via a parallel channel. LIPv is the target of minor neck muscle‐related projections from the cuneate (Cu) and the external cuneate nuclei (ECu), and direct projections from area 2v, that likely carry kinesthetic/vestibular/optokinetic‐related signals. In contrast, MIP receives major arm and shoulder proprioceptive inputs disynaptically from the rostral Cu and ECu, and trisynaptically (via area 3a) from caudal portions of these nuclei. These findings have important implications for the understanding of the influence of proprioceptive information on movement control operations of the PPC and the formation of body representations. They also contribute to explain the specific deficits of proprioceptive guidance of movement associated to optic ataxia.
Prevalence of post‐micturition symptoms in association with lower urinary tract symptoms and health‐related quality of life in men and women
Authors: Maserejian Nancy N. , Kupelian Varant , McVary Kevin T. , Doshi Meena , Link Carol L. , McKinlay John B. 
Published: January 2011

Study Type – Symptom prevalence (prospective cohort)Level of Evidence 1bWhat’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?Post‐micturition symptoms are infrequently reported in isolation of other LUTS. Whether post‐micturition symptoms should be grouped with voiding symptoms in men, as was recently done for women in the IUA/ICS classification for standardized reporting, remains unclear. Data is needed regarding the prevalence and quality‐of‐life impacts of post‐micturition symptoms, considering gender and overlap with other LUTS.For both men and women, post‐micturition symptoms were more consistently present alongside voiding rather than storage symptoms, thereby providing some support for the new classifications. In men, post‐void dribbling accounted for much of post‐micturition symptoms, whereas in women, incomplete emptying was more common. Across all LUTS subtypes, men and women who reported a feeling of incomplete emptying were among those most bothered by their health problems.OBJECTIVE• To estimate the prevalence of post‐micturition symptoms (a feeling of incomplete emptying following urination and post‐micturition dribble) in a population‐based sample of men and women, and to examine overlap with storage and voiding LUTS and associations with health‐related quality of life (HRQL).PATIENTS AND METHODS• Data were obtained by in‐person interview in the Boston Area Community Health survey, a population‐based random sample of 2301 men and 3202 women aged 30–79 years in the USA.• Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) were defined using the International Prostate Symptom Score and standardized terminology.• Multivariate linear regression was used to evaluate associations between urological symptoms and validated HRQL measures (SF‐12 and activities interference) cross‐sectionally.RESULTS• The overall prevalence of post‐micturition symptoms was 11.8% in men and 8.5% in women.• The prevalence increased with age in men but not women.• In men, post‐void dribbling contributed to much of the post‐micturition symptoms, whereas, in women, incomplete emptying was more common.• For both genders, over 50% with voiding symptoms also had post‐micturition symptoms, compared to less than 50% of respondents who reported storage symptoms.• The presence of post‐micturition symptoms, particularly incomplete emptying, was indicative of mildly impaired physical HRQL and activities interference in men and women, and mental HRQL in men (P < 0.01).CONCLUSIONS• Post‐micturition symptoms were more prevalent than any individual voiding symptom and commonly overlapped with other LUTS.• Over half of men and women with a voiding symptom also had a post‐micturition symptom.• The presence of post‐micturition symptoms was indicative of impaired HRQL.
Internationalising university schools of nursing in South Africa through a Community of Practice
Authors: Uys L.R. , Middleton L. 
Published: January 2011

UYS L. R. & MIDDLETON L. (2011) Internationalising university schools of nursing in South Africa through a Community of Practice. International Nursing Review58, 115–122Introduction:  International nursing experiences in higher education have traditionally enabled and continue to enable nurses to appreciate ‘. . . the richness of the nursing mosaic . . . and the realities of nursing in many different cultural contexts’. This article describes a case study of the Collaboration for Higher Education of Nurses and Midwives in Africa in terms of its success in internationalising the nursing schools involved.Background:  Different types of international contact have led to a limited pattern of internationalization in the universities of Southern Africa, which often places African academics in a secondary or dependant position. Opportunities for truly equal international partnerships have been limited.Methods:  A qualitative analysis of the views of participants from the consortium of universities was carried out based on the conceptual framework of communities of practice.Findings:  An effective community of practice had been established, focused on the major knowledge domain of nursing and midwifery in Africa, and sharing the perception that their work was empowering and collaborative. The community had established its own ways of working, and articulated major institutional and individual benefits.
What is Driving the Manufacturing FDI Wave in Asia?
Authors: Takechi Kazutaka 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThis paper analyzes the dynamic pattern of Japanese manufacturing foreign direct investment (FDI) in Asia. Japanese electronics firms shifted manufacturing operations abroad in the 1990s. We focus on the timing of the surge in FDI: why in this period did Japanese electronics firms increase manufacturing FDI in Asia? The empirical findings indicate that, in addition to productivity improvements, learning experiences from FDI were the primary determinants of the FDI wave. Firms' own past FDI experiences, the experiences of other firms (spillovers), and the presence of own distribution services encourage manufacturing FDI.
Trade and Inequality with Limited Labor Mobility: Theory and Evidence from China
Authors: Li Muqun , Coxhead Ian 
Published: January 2011

AbstractDoes globalization increase inequality in developing countries, and if so, how? In a theoretical model of a regionally heterogeneous economy, we show how different regional rates of technical progress due to trade and FDI interact with constraints to unskilled labor mobility. As favored regions benefit more from trade, their growing demand for skills drains skilled workers from disadvantaged areas, and average incomes in the former grow faster than in the latter. Moreover, this unbalanced regional growth may also raise inequality within each region. It could even reduce absolute income per capita in the less favored region. We test these predictions with Chinese data from the Open Door era. Results confirm that different regional growth rates have increased both interregional and intraregional inequality. Moreover, growth of skills‐based export industries in coastal regions is associated, other things equal, with lower incomes for the poor in inland provinces.
Dynamic Pricing in Declining Demand: The Case of Duopoly
Authors: Ota Rui 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to investigate what theory predicts about price dynamics when firms face a decline in demand for their product due to an arrival of a new substitutable product. To this end, this paper constructs a dynamic duopoly model and simulates price paths. The study demonstrates that the price path is nonmonotonic and could be divided into three stages. The basic mechanism of generating the path is a tradeoff between two counteracting motives to set the price: pricing lower to delay the adoption of the new product, and pricing higher to exploit price‐insensitive consumers.
Determinants of International R&D Outsourcing: The Role of Trade
Authors: García‐Vega María , Huergo Elena 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThis paper investigates the determinants of international R&D outsourcing, in particular the role of trade. We sketch a monopolistic competition model with heterogeneous firms where outsourcing increases a firm's fixed transaction costs as well as its productivity. Financial constraints affect the decision to outsource R&D more to nonexporters than to exporters. In contrast, exporters are more sensitive to a lack of information because they have higher losses when there is technology leakage. We test these predictions using a panel database of Spanish companies. The results highlight the relevance of information in competitive markets, and the role of trade to induce companies to engage in other globalization strategies.
Statistical Modelling of Graphite Brick Cracking in Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactors
Authors: Maul Philip R. , Robinson Peter C. , Northrop Paul J. 
Published: January 2011

SummaryGraphite cores in advanced gas-cooled nuclear reactors contain bricks which are subject to cracking and periodic inspections provide information on the state of a sample of the bricks. Statistical models are fitted to the historic data and used to predict the numbers of cracked bricks that are expected to be seen at reactor inspections. As more data have become available the complexity of the best performing models has increased. By repeatedly making blind predictions of core behaviour the predictive performance of the models can be quantified and they can then be used to forecast behaviour of the core over longer periods.
Evaluation of overnight hold of whole blood at room temperature before component processing: effect of red blood cell (RBC) additive solutions on in vitro RBC measures
Authors: van der Meer Pieter F. , Cancelas Jose A. , Cardigan Rebecca , Devine Dana V. , Gulliksson Hans , Sparrow Rosemary L. , Vassallo Ralph R. , de Wildt‐Eggen Janny , Baumann‐Baretti Bärbel , Hess John R. ,   for the BEST Collaborative
Published: January 2011

BACKGROUND: Whole blood (WB) can be held at room temperature (18‐25°C) up to 8 hours after collection; thereafter the unit must be refrigerated, rendering it unsuitable for platelet (PLT) production. Overnight hold at room temperature before processing has logistic advantages, and we evaluated this process in an international multicenter study for both buffy coat (BC)‐ and PLT‐rich plasma (PRP)‐based blood components and compared three red blood cell (RBC) additive solutions (ASs) for their ability to offset effects of overnight hold.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Nine centers participated; seven used the BC method, and two used the PRP method. Four WB units were pooled and split; 1 unit was processed less than 8 hours from collection (Group A), and the other three (Groups B, C, and D) were held at room temperature and processed after 24 to 26 hours. RBCs in Groups A and B were resuspended in saline‐adenine‐glucose‐mannitol, Group C in phosphate‐adenine‐guanosine‐glucose‐saline‐mannitol, and Group D in ErythroSol‐4 RBCs were stored at 2 to 6°C for 49 days.RESULTS: RBCs from overnight‐held WB had lower 2,3‐diphosphoglycerate (2,3‐DPG) and higher adenosine triphosphate (ATP). At the end of storage there were no differences between groups, apart from a slightly higher hemolysis in Group B. ErythroSol‐4 showed a slightly higher initial ATP and 2,3‐DPG content, but at the end of storage no differences were found.CONCLUSION: Overnight hold of WB before processing has no lasting deleterious effects on in vitro quality of subsequently prepared components. The use of different RBC ASs did not appear to offer significant advantages in terms of RBC quality at the end, regardless of the processing method.
Enterprise Risk Management Through Strategic Allocation of Capital
Authors: Ai Jing , Brockett Patrick L. , Cooper William W. , Golden Linda L. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThis article presents a conceptual framework for operationalizing strategic enterprise risk management (ERM) in a general firm. We employ a risk‐constrained optimization approach to study the capital allocation decisions under ERM. Given the decision maker's risk appetite, the problem of holistically managing enterprise‐wide hazard, financial, operational, and real project risks is treated by maximizing the expected total return on capital, while trading off risks simultaneously in Value‐at‐Risk type of constraints. This approach explicitly quantifies the concepts of risk appetite and risk prioritization in light of the firm's default and financial distress avoidance reflected in its target credit rating. Our framework also allows the firm to consider a multiperiod planning horizon so that changing business environments can be accounted for. We illustrate the implementation of the framework through a numerical example. As an initial conceptual advancement, our formulation is capable of facilitating more general ERM modeling within a consistent strategic framework, where idiosyncratic variations of firms and different modeling assumptions can be accommodated. Managerial implications are also discussed.
Identifying Priority Areas for Wetlands Restoration along the Louisiana Coast under the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act of 1990
Authors: Kim Seung Gyu , Cho Seong‐Hoon , Roberts Roland K. 
Published: January 2011

This research uses a sequence of hedonic spatial regressions across successively larger ranges of contiguous census‐block groups (CBGs) to identify priority areas for wetlands restoration along the Louisiana coast under the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA). Marginal implicit prices of wetlands and open water from the regressions were translated into amenity values received by single‐family house owners within five Queen orders of CBGs. Differences between amenity values of wetlands and open water were used to proxy the amenity values of four potential restoration sites. These differences were summed over housing locations within each order of contiguous GBG neighbors and across the orders for each site. Based on the aggregate amenity value per acre from wetlands restoration and under the assumption that most restoration projects are designed to benefit as wide an area as possible, the priority ranking for restoration becomes: (1) Fresh Bayou, (2) Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, (3) Bayou LaBranchee, and (4) Barataria Bay Waterway. Dans le présent article nous avons utilisé une séquence de régressions spatiales hédoniques dans de larges groupes d'îlots de recensement contigus pour déterminer les secteurs prioritaires pour la restauration des milieux humides le long de la côte de la Louisiane en vertu de la Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA). Les prix marginaux implicites des milieux humides et des zones d'eau libre obtenus à partir des régressions ont été traduits en valeurs d'agrément formulées par les propriétaires de maisons unifamiliales dans cinq regroupements d'îlots de recensement contigus. Les différences entre les valeurs d'agrément des milieux humides et des zones d'eau libre ont été utilisées pour donner une approximation des valeurs d'agrément de quatre sites de restauration potentiels. Ces différences ont été totalisées pour chaque résidence dans chacun des regroupements et entre les regroupements pour chaque site. D'après la valeur d'agrément agrégée par acre de restauration des milieux humides et l'hypothèse voulant que la plupart des projets de restauration soient conçus pour profiter à la plus grande zone possible, l'ordre de priorité pour la restauration est la suivante: 1. Fresh Bayou; 2. Sabine National Wildlife Refuge; 3. Bayou LaBranchee; 4. Barataria Bay Waterway.
Allocating Land for an Ecosystem Service: A Simple Model of Nutrient Retention with an Application to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Authors: Simpson R. David 
Published: January 2011

There has been great interest in recent decades in “ecosystem services.” One of the services most often mentioned is the retention of nutrients. I construct a simple model of agricultural land use under a regulatory requirement that nutrient loading cannot exceed a fixed ceiling. Farmers decide the quantity of residual nutrients they will generate, how much land they will allocate to production, and, consequently, how much land that could have been used for production they will instead preserve for the retention of nutrients. I develop three propositions. First, when the regulatory constraint is relatively weak, there will be a corner solution in which no land is set aside to provide the service of nutrient retention. Second, for any given regulatory constraint, there is a maximum amount of land that would be set aside to provide ecosystem services, regardless of the efficiency with which preserved land performs the nutrient retention function. Third, when it would prove very valuable to set some land aside for nutrient retention, less land in total may optimally be preserved for this purpose than when the service is less valuable. I illustrate the implications of this model with an application to the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Depuis les dernières décennies, les services écosystémiques suscitent beaucoup d’intérêt. La rétention des éléments nutritifs figure parmi les services les plus mentionnés. Dans le présent article, j’ai élaboré un modèle simple d’utilisation des terres agricoles qui tient compte d’une exigence réglementaire selon laquelle les charges en éléments nutritifs ne peuvent excéder une quantité maximale établie. Les agriculteurs décident de la quantité d’éléments nutritifs résiduels qu’ils généreront, des superficies qu’ils consacreront à la production et, par conséquent, des superficies qui, au lieu d’être consacrées à la production, seront réservées à la rétention des éléments nutritifs. J’ai formulé trois propositions. Premièrement, lorsque la limite réglementaire n’est pas fermement imposée, une solution spéciale (corner solution) fera en sorte qu’aucune superficie ne sera réservée pour la rétention des éléments nutritifs. Deuxièmement, pour toute limite réglementaire établie, des superficies maximales seront réservées pour offrir des services écosystémiques, peu importe l’efficacité de rétention des éléments nutritifs de ces superficies. Troisièmement, lorsqu’il aura été prouvé que réserver des superficies pour la rétention des éléments nutritifs est d’une grande valeur, il se peut que les superficies réservées à cette fin soient inférieures à celles qui l’avaient été lorsque le service avait une moindre valeur. J’ai illustré les incidences de ce modèle en l’appliquant au bassin versant de la baie de Chesapeake.
Effects of Argon Enriched Low‐Oxygen Atmospheres and of High‐Oxygen Atmospheres on the Kinetics of Polyphenoloxidase (PPO)
Authors: O’Beirne David , Murphy Eileen , Eidhin Deirdre Ni 
Published: January 2011

Abstract:  The reported benefits of enrichment of air atmospheres with argon or oxygen for control of enzymatic browning were investigated by determining the effects of these atmospheres on PPO kinetics. Kinetics of purified apple PPO and a commercially available mushroom PPO were studied in an in vitro model system. Enrichment with argon produced greater inhibitory effects than the current industry practice of enrichment with nitrogen. Kmapp values (mM) for apple PPO in 3%O2/97%Ar, 3%O2/97%N2, and air, were 133, 87, and 48, respectively. The data indicate that inhibition by both gases is competitive, and also support the hypothesis that the greater inhibitory effect of argon was proportional to the size of the Van der Waals radius of argon against nitrogen (1.91Å against 1.54Å). Much smaller inhibitory effects were observed in the presence of 80% O2 (Kmapp 57mM), and the nature of this inhibition was less clear. The results suggest that the benefits of argon enrichment may be relatively small, and may require critical enzyme, substrate, and gas levels to be successful. However, these benefits may be exploitable commercially in some fresh‐cut products, and may allow less anoxic atmospheres to be used.Practical Application:  Control of enzymatic browning without sulfites continues to be a challenge in some fresh‐cut products. While sporadic benefits of these atmospheres in control of enzymatic browning have been reported, results have been inconsistent in commercial practice. The results suggest that the benefits of argon enrichment may be relatively small, and may require critical enzyme, substrate, and gas levels to be successful. However, these benefits may be exploitable commercially in some fresh‐cut products, and allow less anoxic atmospheres to be used.