bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Distinct and redundant expression and transcriptional diversity of MEIS gene paralogs during chicken development
Authors: Sánchez‐Guardado Luis Óscar , Irimia Manuel , Sánchez‐Arrones Luisa , Burguera Demián , Rodríguez‐Gallardo Lucía , Garcia‐Fernández Jordi , Puelles Luis , Ferran José Luis , Hidalgo‐Sánchez Matías 
Published: April 2011

AbstractMembers of the Meis family of TALE homeobox transcription factors are involved in many processes of vertebrate development and morphogenesis, showing extremely complex transcriptional and spatiotemporal expression patterns. In this work, we performed a comprehensive study of chicken Meis genes using multiple approaches. First, we assessed whether the chicken genome contains a Meis3 ortholog or harbors only two Meis genes; we gathered several lines of evidence pointing to a specific loss of the Meis3 ortholog in an early ancestor of birds. Next, we studied the transcriptional diversity generated from chicken Meis genes through alternative splicing during development. Finally, we performed a detailed analysis of chick Meis1/2 expression patterns during early embryogenesis and organogenesis. We show that the expression of both Meis genes begins at the gastrulation stage in the three embryonic layers, presenting highly dynamic patterns with overlapping as well as distinct expression domains throughout development. Developmental Dynamics 240:1475–1492, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ectopic expression of Cux1 is associated with reduced p27 expression and increased apoptosis during late stage cyst progression upon inactivation of Pkd1 in collecting ducts
Authors: Paul Binu M. , Vassmer Dianne , Taylor Aaron , Magenheimer Lynn , Carlton Carol G. , Piontek Klaus B. , Germino Gregory G. , Vanden Heuvel Gregory B. 
Published: April 2011

AbstractPolycystic kidney diseases (PKD) are inherited disorders characterized by fluid‐filled cysts primarily in the kidneys. We previously reported differences between the expression of Cux1, p21, and p27 in the cpk and Pkd1 null mouse models of PKD. Embryonic lethality of Pkd1 null mice limits its study to early stages of kidney development. Therefore, we examined mice with a collecting duct specific deletion in the Pkd1 gene. Cux1 was ectopically expressed in the cyst lining epithelial cells of newborn, P7 and P15 Pkd1CD mice. Cux1 expression correlated with cell proliferation in early stages of cystogenesis, however, as the disease progressed, fewer cyst lining cells showed increased cell proliferation. Rather, Cux1 expression in late stage cystogenesis was associated with increased apoptosis. Taken together, our results suggest that increased Cux1 expression associated with apoptosis is a common feature of late stage cyst progression in both the cpk and Pkd1CD mouse models of PKD. Developmental Dynamics 240:1493–1501, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Salamander limb development: Integrating genes, morphology, and fossils
Authors: Fröbisch Nadia B. , Shubin Neil H. 
Published: April 2011

AbstractThe development of the tetrapod limb during skeletogenesis follows a highly conservative pattern characterized by a general proximo‐distal progression in the establishment of skeletal elements and a postaxial polarity in digit development. Salamanders represent the only exception to this pattern and display an early establishment of distal autopodial structures, specifically thebasale commune, an amalgamation of distal carpal and tarsal 1 and 2, and a distinct preaxial polarity in digit development. This deviance from the conserved tetrapod pattern has resulted in a number of hypotheses to explain its developmental basis and evolutionary history. Here we summarize the current knowledge of salamander limb development under consideration of the fossil record to provide a deep time perspective of this evolutionary pathway and highlight what data will be needed in the future to gain a better understanding of salamander limb development specifically and tetrapod limb development and evolution more broadly. Developmental Dynamics 240:1087–1099, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Gdnf is mitogenic, neurotrophic, and chemoattractive to enteric neural crest cells in the embryonic colon
Authors: Mwizerwa Olive , Das Pragnya , Nagy Nandor , Akbareian Sophia E. , Mably John D. , Goldstein Allan M. 
Published: April 2011

AbstractGlial‐derived neurotrophic factor (Gdnf) is required for morphogenesis of the enteric nervous system (ENS) and it has been shown to regulate proliferation, differentiation, and survival of cultured enteric neural crest–derived cells (ENCCs). The goal of this study was to investigate its in vivo role in the colon, the site most commonly affected by intestinal neuropathies such as Hirschsprung's disease. Gdnf activity was modulated in ovo in the distal gut of avian embryos using targeted retrovirus‐mediated gene overexpression and retroviral vector‐based gene silencing. We find that Gdnf has a pleiotropic effect on colonic ENCCs, promoting proliferation, inducing neuronal differentiation, and acting as a chemoattractant. Down‐regulating Gdnf similarly induces premature neuronal differentiation, but also inhibits ENCC proliferation, leading to distal colorectal aganglionosis with severe proximal hypoganglionosis. These results indicate an important role for Gdnf signaling in colonic ENS formation and emphasize the critical balance between proliferation and differentiation in the developing ENS. Developmental Dynamics 240:1402–1411, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ephrin/ephrin receptor expression during early stages of mouse inner ear development
Authors: Saeger Bernhard M. , Suhm Martina , Neubüser Annette 
Published: April 2011

AbstractEphrins and their tyrosine kinase receptors (Ephs) are a highly conserved family of signaling proteins with various functions during embryonic development. Among others, Eph/ephrin signaling is involved in regulating axon guidance, cell migration, and tissue border formation through inducing modifications of the actin cytoskeleton and cell adhesion. During development ephrins and Ephs are expressed in spatially and temporarily regulated patterns in a wide range of tissues. Here, we analyzed the expression of seven members of the Eph and four member of the ephrin family during early stages of mouse inner ear development by whole‐mount in situ hybridization. We detected expressions of EphA2, EphA4, EphA7, EphB1, ephrinA4, and ephrinA5 in and around the forming otic placode between embryonic day (E) 8.5 and E10, and report their detailed expression patterns. Our results reveal dynamic expression of several members of the ephrin/Eph family consistent with functions in otic placode development, invagination and neuroblast delamination. Developmental Dynamics 240:1578–1585, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Equivalence‐point electromigration acid–base titration via moving neutralization boundary electrophoresis
Authors: Yang Qing , Fan Liu‐Yin , Huang Shan‐Sheng , Zhang Wei , Cao Cheng‐Xi 
Published: April 2011

AbstractIn this paper, we developed a novel method of acid–base titration, viz. the electromigration acid–base titration (EABT), via a moving neutralization boundary (MNR). With HCl and NaOH as the model strong acid and base, respectively, we conducted the experiments on the EABT via the method of moving neutralization boundary for the first time. The experiments revealed that (i) the concentration of agarose gel, the voltage used and the content of background electrolyte (KCl) had evident influence on the boundary movement; (ii) the movement length was a function of the running time under the constant acid and base concentrations; and (iii) there was a good linearity between the length and natural logarithmic concentration of HCl under the optimized conditions, and the linearity could be used to detect the concentration of acid. The experiments further manifested that (i) the RSD values of intra‐day and inter‐day runs were less than 1.59 and 3.76%, respectively, indicating similar precision and stability in capillary electrophoresis or HPLC; (ii) the indicators with different pKa values had no obvious effect on EABT, distinguishing strong influence on the judgment of equivalence‐point titration in the classic one; and (iii) the constant equivalence‐point titration always existed in the EABT, rather than the classic volumetric analysis. Additionally, the EABT could be put to good use for the determination of actual acid concentrations. The experimental results achieved herein showed a new general guidance for the development of classic volumetric analysis and element (e.g. nitrogen) content analysis in protein chemistry.
Evaluation of the free radical scavenging capability of wheat extracts by capillary electrophoresis and multivariate curve resolution
Authors: Helmja Kati , Vaher Merike , Kaljurand Mihkel 
Published: April 2011

AbstractIn the current work, phenolic acids were analysed and their radical scavenging activity evaluated by CE, including the quantification of overlapping peaks by applying the multivariate curve resolution (MCR) method. To investigate radical scavenging activity, the solution of phenolic acids was treated with a stable free 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical of different concentrations and the radical scavenging activity of the reaction mixture was monitored. The radical scavenging reaction was also applied to wheat bran extracts. The overlapping peaks on the electropherograms of both mixtures of standard compounds and extracts of different wheat bran varieties were resolved by using the MCR method, assuming that the overlapping compounds have different UV spectra. MCR enabled the insufficient resolution between syringic and ferulic acids to be effectively resolved.
Simple and rapid CE‐UV method for the assessment of trail pheromone compounds of leaf‐cutting ants' venom glands
Authors: Leitão Amanda Araujo , de Lacerda Miranda Paulo Cesar Muniz , Simionato Ana Valéria Colnaghi 
Published: April 2011

AbstractLeaf‐cutting ants cause large losses in several crops around the world. In the ant species Atta sexdens, each colony comprises up to 5 million individuals. In order to keep a close connection among such a large number of individuals, an efficient chemical communication system is necessary. Among other different substances, these animals use alkylpyrazines to mark their trails and to guide ant workers from the nest to their sources of food. In this study, CE‐UV was used to apply a method for qualitative analysis of venom gland components of leaf‐cutting ants. Mobility of these compounds proved to be a function of the ionization capability of these bases as well as their volumes. Migration order was thoroughly explained in terms of such parameters. The best analysis conditions were achieved with a BGE composed by 0.8% formic acid plus 20% methanol in water, hydrodynamic injection, and application of external pressure. Such analysis conditions may be easily applied in CE‐MS analyses as well. CE‐UV analyses proved to be as adequate as GC to analyze such compounds due to system detectability (LD ≅ 0.005 mmol/L), separation efficiency (from 5.07×104 to 1.23×105 theoretical plates), and resolution (minimum of 2.35). In addition, analysis time was ca. 15 min, which shows another advantage of CE analysis when compared with GC. Although the analytes are found in concentrations as low as 50 ng/venom glands, four putative pyrazine ring moiety substances could be detected in real samples, due to sample stacking and use of a capillary with extended detection cell.
Mixed ligand monolithic columns for reversed‐phase capillary electrochromatography via hydrophobic and π interactions
Authors: Karenga Samuel , Rassi Ziad El 
Published: April 2011

AbstractNovel mixed ligand monoliths (MLM) for capillary electrochromatography (CEC) of a wide range of solutes differing in both polarity and size were introduced. The MLM capillary columns were based on the different compositions of octadecyl acrylate (ODA) and 2‐naphthyl methacrylate (NAPM) monomers in the presence of trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TRIM) crosslinker and a ternary porogenic solvent made up of cyclohexanol, ethylene glycol, and water. As expected, the magnitude of the electroosmotic flow (EOF) changed with the composition of the MLM. As the percent of the monomer ODA in the polymerization mixture was increased, the EOF increased to a maximum at 50‐mol% ODA and then leveled off at 75‐mol% and 100‐mol% ODA, an indication that the ODA ligand in general exhibited a higher binding for the mobile‐phase ions than the NAPM ligand. This is due to the fact that the ODA is an acrylate‐based monomer, whereas the NAPM is a methacrylate‐based monomer. While ODA provided solely nonpolar interactions, NAPM exhibited both nonpolar and π interactions with certain solutes. It was found out that columns with a given composition of both ligands yielded a unique selectivity for a given set of solutes that was not matched by columns made by either ODA or NAPM alone. Several test mixtures were used in the evaluation of the MLM columns including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, alkyl phenyl ketones, nitroalkanes, alkylbenzenes, toluene derivatives, peptides, and proteins. Peptide mapping of the tryptic digest of the standard lysozyme protein was also studied.
IL‐28A (IFN‐λ2) modulates lung DC function to promote Th1 immune skewing and suppress allergic airway disease
Authors: Koltsida Ourania , Hausding Michael , Stavropoulos Athanasios , Koch Sonja , Tzelepis George , Übel Caroline , Kotenko Sergei V. , Sideras Paschalis , Lehr Hans A. , Tepe Marcus , Klucher Kevin M. , Doyle Sean E. , Neurath Markus F. , Finotto Susetta , Andreakos Evangelos 
Published: April 2011

AbstractIL‐28 (IFN‐λ) cytokines exhibit potent antiviral and antitumor function but their full spectrum of activities remains largely unknown. Recently, IL‐28 cytokine family members were found to be profoundly down‐regulated in allergic asthma. We now reveal a novel role of IL‐28 cytokines in inducing type 1 immunity and protection from allergic airway disease. Treatment of wild‐type mice with recombinant or adenovirally expressed IL‐28A ameliorated allergic airway disease, suppressed Th2 and Th17 responses and induced IFN‐γ. Moreover, abrogation of endogenous IL‐28 cytokine function in IL‐28Rα−/− mice exacerbated allergic airway inflammation by augmenting Th2 and Th17 responses, and IgE levels. Central to IL‐28A immunoregulatory activity was its capacity to modulate lung CD11c+ dendritic cell (DC) function to down‐regulate OX40L, up‐regulate IL‐12p70 and promote Th1 differentiation. Consistently, IL‐28A‐mediated protection was absent in IFN‐γ−/− mice or after IL‐12 neutralization and could be adoptively transferred by IL‐28A‐treated CD11c+ cells. These data demonstrate a critical role of IL‐28 cytokines in controlling T cell responses in vivo through the modulation of lung CD11c+ DC function in experimental allergic asthma.→See accompanying Closeup by Michael R Edwards and Sebastian L Johnston http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/emmm.201100143
A simulation‐based framework for risk assessment and probabilistic sensitivity analysis of base‐isolated structures
Authors: Taflanidis Alexandros A. , Jia Gaofeng 
Published: April 2011

AbstractA versatile, simulation‐based framework for risk assessment and probabilistic sensitivity analysis of base‐isolated structures is discussed in this work. A probabilistic foundation is used to address the various sources of uncertainties, either excitation or structural, and to characterize seismic risk. This risk is given, in this stochastic setting, by some statistics of the system response over the adopted probability models and stochastic simulation is implemented for its evaluation. An efficient, sampling‐based approach is also introduced for establishing a probabilistic sensitivity analysis to identify the importance of each of the uncertain model parameters in affecting the overall risk. This framework facilitates use of complex models for the structural system and the excitation. The adopted structural model explicitly addresses nonlinear characteristics of the isolators and of any supplemental dampers, and the effect of seismic pounding of the base to the surrounding retaining walls. An efficient stochastic ground motion model is also discussed for characterizing future near‐fault ground motions and relating them to the seismic hazard for the structural site. An illustrative example is presented that emphasizes the results from the novel probabilistic sensitivity analysis and their dependence on seismic pounding occurrences and on addition of supplemental dampers. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Environmental fractionation of PCBs and PBDEs during particle transport as recorded by sediments in coastal waters
Authors: Grant Paul B.C , Johannessen Sophia C , Macdonald Robie W , Yunker Mark B , Sanborn Michael , Dangerfield Neil , Wright Cynthia , Ross Peter S 
Published: April 2011

Abstract
The Strait of Georgia (British Columbia, Canada) is a hydrologically complex inland sea with a rich abundance and diversity of species of aquatic life. Marine sediments, as both a sink for hydrophobic contaminants and a potential source for aquatic food webs, were collected from 41 sites throughout the 6,900-km2 Strait of Georgia. The congener-specific concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), including BDE-209, were measured. Urban harbors represented hotspots for both PCBs and PBDEs, whereas PBDEs were also found at high concentrations near municipal outfalls. Patterns of PCB distribution were consistent with historical point source emissions in urban areas and environmental distillation toward lighter profiles in remote sites over time. The single congener BDE-209 dominated the PBDEs, accounting for 52% of the average total concentration. However, nonurban deep-water sediment PBDE profiles were both heavier and had higher concentration-weighted average log KOW (octanol–water partition coefficient) values compared to shallow samples (percent BDE-209 of total PBDE, 66 versus 32%; log KOW, 9.5 versus 8.2, respectively). Collectively, our results suggest that although source signals largely explain PCB and PBDE hotspots in the Strait of Georgia, the combination of physicochemical properties and environmental processes drive divergent compositional fates for the PCBs and the heavier PBDEs in the sediments of the Strait of Georgia. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2011; 30:1522–1532. © 2011 SETAC
Unsteady hydromagnetic flow of a reactive variable viscosity third‐grade fluid in a channel with convective cooling
Authors: Chinyoka T. , Makinde O. D. 
Published: April 2011

SUMMARYThis paper examines the combined effects of a transverse magnetic field and variable viscosity on unsteady flow of a reactive third‐grade electrically conducting fluid and heat transfer in a channel with convective cooling at the surface. It is assumed that the fluid has small electrical conductivity and the electromagnetic force produced is very small. The coupled nonlinear partial differential equations governing the problem are derived and solved numerically using a semi‐implicit finite‐difference scheme. Both numerical and graphical results are presented and physical aspects of the problem are discussed with respect to various parameters embedded in the system. It is in general noted that those parameters that increase/decrase one flow quantity (velocity or temperature) also lead to the increase/decrease respectively of the other quantity. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Anode Current Collecting Efficiency of Tubular Anode‐supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
Authors: Bai Y. , Wang C. , Jin C. , Liu J. 
Published: April 2011

AbstractAnode current collection points (ACCPs) were fabricated on the outside surface of a tubular anode‐supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The ACCPs were distributed axially along the SOFC tube with the distance between every adjacent two ACCPs the same. The effect of collecting current with different number of ACCPs on the performance of the SOFC was studied. It was found that with the same effective area, using more ACCPs to collect the current leads to better performance, while with a SOFC with a determined total surface area, there is an optimum number of ACCPs to be made and used considering the area occupied by the ACCPs themselves.
Quality of life lost due to non‐fatal road traffic injuries
Authors: Cubí‐Mollá Patricia , Herrero Carmen 
Published: April 2011

SUMMARYThe objective of this paper is to evaluate the effect of a non‐fatal road crash on the health‐related quality of life of injured people. A new approach based on the cardinalization of categorical Self‐Assessed Health valuations is suggested. Health losses have been estimated by using different Time Trade‐off and Visual Analogue Scale tariffs, in order to assess the robustness of the results. The methodology is based on the existing literature about treatment effects. Our main contribution focuses on evaluating the loss of health up to 1 year after the non‐fatal accident, for those who are non‐institutionalized, which aids the appropriate estimation of the aggregated health losses in quality‐of‐life terms. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Co‐delivery of anti‐vascular endothelial growth factor siRNA and doxorubicin by multifunctional polymeric micelle for tumor growth suppression
Authors: Huang Hong‐Yi , Kuo Wei‐Ti , Chou Ming‐Ju , Huang Yi‐You 
Published: April 2011

AbstractNonviral gene carriers composed of biodegradable polymers or lipids have been considered as a safer alternative for gene carriers over viral vectors. We have developed multifunctional nanomicelles for both drug and gene delivery application. Polyethylenimine (PEI) was modified by grafting stearic acid (SA) and further formulated to polymeric micelles (PEI‐SA) with positive surface charge for gene delivery evaluation. Our results showed that PEI‐SA micelles provided high siRNA binding efficiency and exhibited low cytotoxicity compared with unmodified PEI. siRNA delivered by PEI‐SA carriers also demonstrated significantly higher cellular uptake efficiency and stability even in the presence of serum proteins when compared with free siRNA. The post‐transcriptional gene silencing efficiency was greatly improved by the polyplex formulated by 10k PEI‐SA/siRNA. In the animal intratumoral model study, the combination of co‐delivering doxorubicin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) siRNA delivered by PEI‐SA micelles showed a promising effect on anti‐tumor growth. The amphiphilic structure of PEI‐SA micelles provides advantages for multifunctional tasks; such that hydrophilic shell modified with cationic charges can electrostatically interact with DNA or siRNA, and hydrophobic core can serve as a payload for hydrophobic drugs, making it truly a promising multifunctional vehicle for both genetic and chemotherapy application. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A:, 2011.