bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Two distinct auto-regulatory loops operate at the PU.1 locus in B cells and myeloid cells
Authors: Leddin Mathias , Perrod Chiara , Hoogenkamp Maarten , Ghani Saeed , Assi Salam , Heinz Sven , Wilson Nicola K. , Follows George , Schönheit Jörg , Vockentanz Lena , Mosammam Ali M. , Chen Wei , Tenen Daniel G. , Westhead David R. , Göttgens Berthold , Bonifer Constanze , Rosenbauer Frank 
Published: January 2011

Abstract
The transcription factor PU.1 occupies a central role in controlling myeloid and early B-cell development, and its correct lineage-specific expression is critical for the differentiation choice of hematopoietic progenitors. However, little is known of how this tissue-specific pattern is established. We previously identified an upstream regulatory cis element whose targeted deletion in mice decreases PU.1 expression and causes leukemia. We show here that the upstream regulatory cis element alone is insufficient to confer physiologic PU.1 expression in mice but requires the cooperation with other, previously unidentified elements. Using a combination of transgenic studies, global chromatin assays, and detailed molecular analyses we present evidence that PU.1 is regulated by a novel mechanism involving cross talk between different cis elements together with lineage-restricted autoregulation. In this model, PU.1 regulates its expression in B cells and macrophages by differentially associating with cell type–specific transcription factors at one of its cis-regulatory elements to establish differential activity patterns at other elements.
Normal bone marrow signal-transduction profiles: a requisite for enhanced detection of signaling dysregulations in AML
Authors: Marvin James , Swaminathan Suchitra , Kraker Geoffrey , Chadburn Amy , Jacobberger James , Goolsby Charles 
Published: January 2011

AbstractMolecular and cytogenetic alterations are involved in virtually every facet of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), including dysregulation of major signal-transduction pathways. The present study examines 5 phosphoproteins (pErk, pAkt, pS6, pStat3, and pStat5) in response to 5 cytokine/growth factors (stem cell factor [SCF], Flt-3/Flk-2 ligand [FL], granulocyte/macrophage-colony stimulating factor [GM-CSF], interleukin-3 [IL-3], and granulocyte-CSF [G-CSF]) within 7 immunophenotypically defined populations, spanning progenitor to mature myeloid/myelomonocytic cells in normal bone marrows with further comparison to AML samples. The normal cohort showed pathway-specific responses related to lineage, maturation, and stimulus. Heterogeneous-signaling responses were seen in homogeneous immunophenotypic subsets emphasizing the additive information of signaling. These profiles provided a critical baseline for detection of dysregulated signaling in AML falling into 4 broad categories, viz lack of response, increased activation, altered constitutive expression, and dysregulated response kinetics, easily identified in 10 of 12 AMLs. These studies clearly show robust and reproducible flow cytometry phosphoprotein analyses capable of detecting abnormal signal-transduction responses in AML potentially contributing to definitive reliable identification of abnormal cells. As functional correlates of underlying genetic abnormalities, signal-transduction abnormalities may provide more stable indicators of abnormal cells than immunophenotyping which frequently changes after therapy and disease recurrence.
Probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics: impact on the gut immune system and allergic reactions
Authors: Gourbeyre Pascal , Denery Sandra , Bodinier Marie 
Published: January 2011

ABSTRACTProbiotics and prebiotics, alone or together (synbiotics), can influence the intestinal microbiota and modulate the immune response. They may therefore be tools that can prevent or alleviate certain pathologies involving the gut immune system, such as allergies for which no treatment is yet available. This review focuses first on the definitions of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics and key cells in the gut immune system. It then discusses their effects on mucosal immune stimulation. Experimental findings suggest that different probiotic species have similar effects on innate immunity by improving the mechanisms of pathogen destruction. On the contrary, their impacts seem to be variable on the adaptive immune system. Prebiotics can also exert an influence on the gut immune system via the stimulation of the autochthonous bacteria metabolism. Finally, this review focuses on the effects of food supplements on allergy. Different studies performed in humans or rodents have supported a potential role for selected probiotics and prebiotics in reducing some allergic parameters. Probiotic effects on allergy treatment are unclear, especially in human studies. However, they are potentially effective at short-term for prevention when they are administered in perinatal conditions. A clinical study performed with an infant cohort revealed a beneficial effect of prebiotics in preventing allergic manifestations at long-term. Further studies are nonetheless essential to confirm these findings. Food supplements offer potential tools for the prevention or treatment of allergy, but insufficient evidence is available at present to recommend their use in clinical practice.
Erythrocyte membrane protein analysis by sodium dodecyl sulphate-capillary gel electrophoresis in the diagnosis of hereditary spherocytosis
Authors: Debaugnies France , Cotton Frédéric , Boutique Charles , Gulbis Béatrice 
Published: January 2011

Abstract

Background: Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) is currently the reference method for detecting protein deficiencies related to hereditary spherocytosis. The aim of the study was to evaluate an automated capillary gel electrophoresis system, the Experion instrument from BioRad, for its ability to separate and quantify the erythrocyte membrane proteins.

Methods: The major erythrocyte membrane proteins (actin, protein 4.2, protein 4.1, band 3, ankyrin, α- and β-spectrin) were extracted and purified from membrane ghosts by centrifugation, immunoprecipitation and electroelution. Analyses were performed using SDS-PAGE and sodium dodecyl sulphate capillary gel electrophoresis (SDS-CGE) to establish a separation profile of the total ghosts. Then, the samples from patients received for investigations of erythrocyte membrane defects were analysed.

Results: Five of the seven expected erythrocyte membrane proteins were finally separated and identified. In the 20 studied cases, taking into account the screening test results and the clinical and family histories, the SDS-CGE method allowed us to achieve the same conclusion as with SDS-PAGE, except for the patient with elliptocytosis.

Conclusions: The new SDS-CGE method presents interesting features that could make this instrument a powerful diagnostic tool for detection of erythrocyte membrane protein abnormalities, and can be proposed as an automated alternative method to the labour intensive SDS-PAGE analysis.
Miss Grimshaw and the White Elephant: Categorism in a risque humor competition
Authors: Lloyd Michael 
Published: January 2011

AbstractA humorous competition called “The Adventures of Naked Man” ran in a New Zealand newspaper from 1999 to 2000. The competition's protagonist is the sole naked person in a drawn setting where, because of some convenient object or body position, his penis is always obscured from sight. Entrants to the competition submitted a caption to go with the drawn setting, the task being to make humor; the common solution to this task being some form of penis joke based upon double entendre. The editors of the competition employed a “taste test” to reject entries that were too vulgar thus protecting the competition from attack by “moral guardians,” although the details of the test were never fully explained. This article analyzes the full corpus of Naked Man episodes in regard to the finely detailed work of categorization. Drawing on some basic principles of Membership Categorization Analysis, it is shown that the degree of sexual allusiveness in the humor is closely connected to categorizations of people and activities, and in this process the fine detail of quite simple drawings are very significant.
Incarceration, Sex With an STI- or HIV-Infected Partner, and Infection With an STI or HIV in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY: A Social Network Perspective
Authors: Khan Maria R. , Epperson Matthew W. , Mateu-Gelabert Pedro , Bolyard Melissa , Sandoval Milagros , Friedman Samuel R. 
Published: January 2011

Objectives. We examined the link between incarceration and sexually transmitted infection (STI), including HIV, from a social network perspective.Methods. We used data collected during a social network study conducted in Brooklyn, NY (n = 343), to measure associations between incarceration and infection with herpes simplex virus-2, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis or HIV and sex with an infected partner, adjusting for characteristics of respondents and their sex partners.Results. Infection with an STI or HIV was associated with incarceration of less than 1 year (adjusted prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01, 1.76) and 1 year or longer (adjusted PR = 1.37; 95% CI = 1.08, 1.74). Sex in the past 3 months with an infected partner was associated with sex in the past 3 months with 1 partner (adjusted PR = 1.42; 95% CI = 1.12, 1.79) and with 2 or more partners (adjusted PR = 1.85; 95% CI = 1.43, 2.38) who had ever been incarcerated.Conclusions. The results highlight the need for STI and HIV treatment and prevention for current and former prisoners and provide preliminary evidence to suggest that incarceration may influence STI and HIV, possibly because incarceration increases the risk of sex with infected partners.
Impact of Dialysis Modality on Survival after Kidney Transplant Failure
Authors: Perl Jeffrey , Hasan Omar , Bargman Joanne M. , Jiang Depeng , Na Yingbo , Gill John S. , Jassal S. Vanita 
Published: January 2011

Summary

Background and objectives
An increasing number of patients are returning to dialysis after allograft loss (DAGL). These patients are at a higher mortality risk compared with incident ESRD patients. Among transplant-naïve patients, those treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD) enjoy an early survival advantage compared with those treated with hemodialysis (HD), but this advantage is not sustained over time. Whether a similar time-dependent survival advantage exists for PD-treated patients after allograft loss is unclear and may impact dialysis modality selection in these patients.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements
We identified 2110 adult patients who initiated dialysis after renal transplant failure between January 1991 and December 2005 from The Canadian Organ Replacement Register. Multivariable regression analysis was used to evaluate the impact of initial dialysis modality on early (2 years), late (after 2 years), and overall mortality using an intention-to-treat approach.

Results
After adjustment, there was no difference in overall survival between HD- and PD-treated patients (hazard ratio(HD:PD), 1.05; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 1.31), with similar results seen for both early and late survival. Superior survival was seen in more contemporary cohorts of patients returning to DAGL.

Conclusions
The use of PD compared with HD is associated with similar early and overall survival among patients initiating DAGL. Differences in both patient characteristics and predialysis management between patients returning to DAGL and transplant-naive incident dialysis patients may be responsible for the absence of an early survival advantage with the use of PD in DAGL patients.
Kidney Function and Long-Term Medication Adherence after Myocardial Infarction in the Elderly
Authors: Chang Tara I. , Desai Manisha , Solomon Daniel H. , Winkelmayer Wolfgang C. 
Published: January 2011

Summary

Background and objectives
The association of kidney function with long-term outpatient medication adherence in the elderly remains understudied.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements
A cohort of 2103 patients over the age of 65 years enrolled in a pharmacy benefits program after hospital discharge for myocardial infarction was studied. Using linear mixed effects models, the association of baseline kidney function with long-term adherence to recommended medications after myocardial infarction was examined, including angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), β-blockers, and statins. The primary outcome measure was the percentage of days covered as calculated by pharmacy refill data for 12 serial 3-month intervals (totaling 36 months of follow-up).

Results
Overall long-term adherence to ACEIs/ARBs, β-blockers, and statins was poor. The mean percentage of days covered by 36 months was only 50% to 60% for all three medication classes. Patients with baseline kidney dysfunction had significantly lower long-term ACEI/ARB and β-blocker adherence compared with patients with higher baseline kidney function. Long-term statin adherence did not vary by baseline level of kidney function.

Conclusions
Long-term medication adherence after myocardial infarction in the elderly is low, especially in patients with kidney dysfunction. Future strategies to improve medication adherence should pay special attention to the elderly with kidney dysfunction because they may be especially vulnerable to its adverse clinical consequences.
Carnauba wax microparticles produced by melt dispersion technique
Authors: Milanovic Jelena , Levic Steva , Manojlovic Verica , Nedovic Viktor , Bugarski Branko 
Published: January 2011

AbstractMelt dispersion technique was investigated for carnauba wax microparticles production. Microbeads with spherical shape and narrow size distribution were produced. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of significant process variables (initial wax concentration, stirring speed, stirring time, and surfactants) on sphericity, size distribution, and morphological properties of wax microparticles. Optimal conditions were evaluated on the basis of particle size distribution and visual analysis. Surface morphology of microparticles was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Effects of process conditions on the size distribution of particles were evaluated by sieve analysis. Main purpose of these investigations was to apply optimized parameters to aroma encapsulation for their use in food and feed industry.
Shunt surgery in patients with hydrocephalus and white matter changes
Authors: Tisell Magnus , Tullberg Mats , Hellström Per , Edsbagge Mikael , Högfeldt Mats , Wikkelsö Carsten 
Published: January 2011

Object
Patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) often present with impaired gait and cognition together with ventricular enlargement and normal intracranial pressure. Many have vascular risk factors as well as periventricular and deep white matter changes on MR imaging. Abnormal CSF dynamics, that is, high resistance to outflow or improvement after CSF drainage, indicate good effects of shunt surgery.
The authors examined whether the worst-case iNPH patients with extensive vascular white matter disease and normal CSF dynamics would benefit from shunt surgery. These patients also fulfilled the criteria for Binswanger disease. Therefore, a randomized controlled double-blind study was performed.

Methods
Fourteen consecutive patients fulfilling the above criteria were randomized to receive either open or closed shunts. At 3 months after surgery, the patients with initially ligated shunts had their shunts opened. Clinical evaluation consisting of 7 quantitative psychometric and 6 continuous gait tests was performed preoperatively and 3 and 6 months after surgery.

Results
Patients randomized to receive open shunts had improved motor (30% increase) and psychometric (23% increase) scores 3 months after shunt placement. There were no significant changes between the 3- and 6-month follow-up in these same patients. Conversely, those with initially ligated shunts were unchanged during the first 3-month period, although they improved in both motor (28%) and cognitive (18%) functions following removal of the ligature.

Conclusions
Patients with enlarged ventricles, hydrocephalic symptoms, and extensive vascular white matter changes benefit from shunt surgery.
Posterior approach for thoracolumbar corpectomies with expandable cage placement and circumferential arthrodesis: a multicenter case series of 67 patients
Authors: Hofstetter Christoph P. , Chou Dean , Newman C. Benjamin , Aryan Henry E. , Girardi Federico P. , Härtl Roger 
Published: January 2011

Object
The purpose of this multicenter trial was to investigate the outcome and durability of a single-stage thoracolumbar corpectomy using expandable cages via a posterior approach.

Methods
The authors conducted a retrospective chart review of 67 consecutive patients who underwent single-stage thoracolumbar corpectomies with circumferential reconstruction for pathological, traumatic, and osteomyelitic pathologies. Circumferential reconstruction was accomplished using expandable cages along with posterior instrumentation and fusion. Correction of the sagittal deformity, the American Spinal Injury Association score, and complications were recorded.

Results
Single-stage thoracolumbar corpectomies resulted in an average sagittal deformity correction of 6.2° at a mean follow-period of 20.5 months. At the last follow-up, a fusion rate of 68% was observed for traumatic and osteomyelitic fractures. Approximately one-half of the patients remained neurologically stable. Improvement in neurological function occurred in 23 patients (38%), whereas 7 patients (11%) suffered from a decrease in lower-extremity motor function. The deterioration in neurological function was due to progression of metastatic disease in 5 patients. Five constructs (7%) failed—3 of which had been placed for traumatic fractures, 1 for a pathological fracture, and 1 for an osteomyelitic fracture. Other complications included epidural hematomas in 3 patients and pleural effusions in 2.

Conclusions
Single-stage posterior corpectomy and circumferential reconstruction were performed at multiple centers with a consistent outcome over a wide range of pathologies. Correction of the sagittal deformity was sustained, and the neurological outcome was good in the majority of patients; however, 18% of acute traumatic fractures required revision of the construct.
Acetone
Authors: Howard William L. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractAcetone is the simplest and most important of the ketones. It is a colorless, mobile, flammable liquid with a mildly pungent, somewhat aromatic odor, and is miscible in all proportions with water and most organic solvents. Most of the world's manufactured acetone is obtained as a coproduct in the process for phenol from cumene. The remainder comes from dehydrogenation of isopropyl alcohol, although this process is declining. Acetone is an excellent solvent for a wide range of gums, waxes, resins, fats, grease, oils, dyestuff, and cellulosics. It is used as a carrier for acetylene, in the manufacture of a variety of coatings and plastics, and as a raw material for the chemical synthesis of a wide range of products such as ketene, methyl methacrylate., bisphenol A, diacetone alcohol, methyl isobutyl ketone, hexylene glycol, and isophorone. Numerous natural sources of acetone make it a normal consitutent of the environment. It is readily biodegradable.
Air Traffic Management
Authors: Hoffman Robert , Mukherjee Avijit , Vossen Thomas W. M. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThe objective of air traffic management is to mitigate imbalances between the demand for air traffic services and the capacity of the air transportation system, so as to ensure that aircraft can flow through the airspace safely and efficiently. This article outlines the principal optimization models that have been proposed to provide decision support within air traffic management, and describes the trade‐offs and challenges that arise in this environment.
Asymptotic Behavior of Discrete‐Time
M
arkov Chains
Authors: Tekin Eylem 
Published: January 2011

Abstract

This article summarizes the theoretical foundations for analyzing the asymptotic behavior of discrete‐time Markov chains (DTMC). Consider a system that evolves randomly over time. Let
X

n

denote the state of the system at time
n
= 0, 1, … . If, for all
n
≥ 0, the future probability distribution of the system depends only on the current state and is independent of the past, the stochastic process {
X

n

,
n
≥ 0} is called a
DTMC
. In this article, we study the distribution of
X

n

as
n
→ ∞. We first introduce several concepts for classifying the states of a DTMC. These concepts include irreducibility, periodicity, recurrence, and transience. Using these concepts, we next describe the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence and uniqueness of a limiting distribution, and explain how to compute a limiting distribution, if it exists.
Axiomatic Measures of Risk and Risk‐Value Models
Authors: Jia Jianmin , Dyer James S. , Butler John C. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThis article provides a review of risk and risk‐value models that lead to decision making by explicitly trading off between risk and value. We begin with a discussion of a preference‐dependent measure of risk that is compatible with traditional expected utility theory, and therefore lends itself to an examination of how individuals perceive risky gambles as well as how they choose among them. Further, this risk measure can be the basis for generalizing models of decision making based on the intuitively appealing notion of trading off between risk and value. Based on the two‐attribute expected utility axioms, this risk‐value framework has much more flexibility in modeling preferences than the traditional single‐attribute expected utility theory. Specifically, we describe three useful classes of decision models: moments risk‐value models, exponential risk‐value models, and generalized disappointment models. These decision models unify two streams of research: one in developing preference models and the other in modeling risk judgments. They can also provide prescriptive guidance for those people who are willing to deviate from the traditional expected utility preference models and make their decisions based on risk‐value trade‐offs, as in financial decision making.
Network Theory: Concepts and Applications
Authors: Garcia‐Diaz Alberto , Phillips Don T. , Hicks Illya 
Published: January 2011

Abstract

This article summarizes fundamental concepts, definitions, notations and formulations of network‐flow models, and illustrates their applicability. We focus on deterministic network‐flow models of frequent use to solve significant problems in business and industry. Each topic is introduced, mathematically defined, and illustrated by means of an example. The applications presented can be classified into two broad categories. The first category includes applications where the solution is achieved by selecting a chain or cycle that optimizes a suitable objective function. Each arc is interpreted as a directed link that allows the movement of one unit of flow from the start node to the end node of the arc. The arc parameter or
length
is a generic cost of using the arc. Usually, these models are referred to as
distance networks.
In the second category, a more general interpretation of an arc is used, namely, that of a channel used for shipping multiple units of flow. The arc parameter represents the maximum amount of flow per unit time that can be shipped along the arc at any time. This parameter is called the
capacity
of the arc, and the network models are referred to as
capacitated flow network
s.