bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characteristics of land surface heat and water exchange under different soil freeze/thaw conditions over the central Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Guo Donglin , Yang Meixue , Wang Huijun 
Published: January 2011

AbstractFreezing and thawing processes at the soil surface play an important role in determining the nature of Tibetan land and atmosphere interactions. In this study, land surface water and heat exchanges under different freezing and thawing conditions over the central Tibetan Plateau were investigated using observations from the Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period/Asia‐Australia Monsoon Project on the Tibetan Plateau, and the Simultaneous Heat and Water Model. During the freezing and thawing stages, significant diurnal variation of soil temperature resulted in a diurnal cycle of unfrozen water content at the surface. Radiation and energy components and evapotranspiration averaged over four freeze/thaw stages also changed diurnally. On average, the surface albedo (0·68) during the completely frozen stage was sharply higher than those during the freezing, thawing, and completely thawed stages due to the snow cover. The Bowen ratios were 3·1 and 2·5 in the freezing and thawing stages, respectively, but the ratio was only 0·5 in the completely thawed stage. Latent heat flux displayed distinctly better correlation with unfrozen soil water content during the freezing and thawing stages than during the completely frozen and thawed stages. This implies that the diurnal cycle of unfrozen soil water, resulting from diurnal freeze/thaw cycles at the surface, has a significant impact on latent heat flux. A surface energy imbalance problem was encountered, and the possible sources of error were analysed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rural homes and urban dwellings? Gender, migration and the importance of tenure in Gaborone, Botswana
Authors: Datta Kavita 
Published: January 2011

AbstractMigration studies in the Third World have largely regarded the movements of women as being identical to those of men. Recent work has shown that not only are women migrating in increasing numbers but that their movement also varies from that of men in terms of motives and length of stay in the destination area.Moreover, there is a great deal of geographical variability in female migration patterns so that women are encouraged to migrate in some countries while the movements of others are restricted. The issue of return migration has been widely debated in African migration literature in view of strong rural‐urban ties and urban growth based largely on in‐migration. On the basis of fieldwork in Botswana, it is argued that there are important gender differences in terms of the commitment to rural and urban areas. It has been postulated in past studies that the decision to remain in towns depends in part upon urban tenure and it is argued that home owners are more likely than tenants to be permanent urban dwellers. Again, there are important gender differences and women appear to be more committed to the urban dwelling than men.
A novel collagen/hydroxyapatite/poly(lactide‐co‐ε‐caprolactone) biodegradable and bioactive 3D porous scaffold for bone regeneration
Authors: Akkouch Adil , Zhang Ze , Rouabhia Mahmoud 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThe goal of this study was to design a nontoxic scaffold with both composition and microstructure suitable for bone engineering using collagen (Coll), hydroxyapatite (HA), and poly(lactide‐co‐ε‐caprolactone) (PLCL). Mineralized type I Coll was produced by direct nucleation of HA particles inside self‐assembled Coll fibers to obtain a Coll/HA complex, which was then added to dissolved PLCL (70:30) in 1,4‐dioxane. A 3D porous Coll/HA/PLCL scaffold was subsequently produced through freeze‐drying/lyophilization and salt‐leaching procedures. The resulting Coll/HA/PLCL scaffold displayed a high uniform porosity and highly interconnected pores. X‐ray photoelectron spectrometer and Fourier transform infrared analyses revealed the presence of both collagen and HA particles on the surface of the Coll/HA/PLCL scaffold. Proliferation assay, microscopic observations, and gene analysis with quantitative RT–PCR showed that osteoblast cells were able to attach, proliferate, and maintain an osteoblastlike phenotype when cultured on the Coll/HA/PLCL scaffold. In summary, we produced a nontoxic scaffold that contains natural polymers (Coll and HA) and synthetic polymer (PLCL). Through its chemical composition and porous morphology, this scaffold may be useful for osteoblast growth, differentiation, and bone tissue formation. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 2011.
Preliminary in vivo study of apatite and laminin‐apatite composite layers on polymeric percutaneous implants
Authors: Oyane Ayako , Hyodo Koji , Uchida Masaki , Sogo Yu , Ito Atsuo 
Published: February 2011

AbstractA polymeric material coated with a hydroxyapatite (HA) layer would be useful as a flexible percutaneous device with good biocompatibility and resistance to bacterial infection. We have recently developed a simple, safe, and mild coating process to form an HA layer on the surfaces of polymeric materials. In this study, our coating process was applied to an ethylene‐vinyl alcohol copolymer film. The resulting HA‐coated film was percutaneously implanted in the scalp of a rat to examine the stability and biocompatibility of the HA layer. From the results of histological analysis, the HA layer remained undissolved on the film surface under the skin tissue even 3 days after implantation. Owing to the good biocompatibility of HA, the HA‐coated film suppressed a host's foreign‐body response and integrated with the surrounding skin tissue for as long as 14 days, in a similar fashion to a conventional percutaneous device composed of ceramic HA. Immobilization of a cell adhesion protein, laminin, into the HA layer was found to improve the adhesion strength between the film and the surrounding skin tissue without compromising good biocompatibility of HA. Our coating process to form HA and laminin‐HA composite layers would be useful in fabricating polymeric percutaneous devices with a reduced risk of bacterial infection, although further in vivo studies are required. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2011.
Correlating hypoxia with insulin secretion using a fluorescent hypoxia detection system
Authors: Skiles Matthew L. , Fancy Romone , Topiwala Pritesh , Sahai Suchit , Blanchette James O. 
Published: February 2011

AbstractA common obstacle to the survival of encapsulated tissue is oxygen insufficiency. This appears particularly true of encapsulated pancreatic β‐cells. Our work investigates a fluorescent hypoxia detection system for early recognition of hypoxic stress in encapsulated pancreatic tissue. Murine insulinoma (MIN6) cells were engineered to produce a red fluorescent protein under the control of hypoxia‐inducible‐factor‐1. Aggregates of these cells were encapsulated in poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels at densities of 200,000, 600,000, and 1 million cells per capsule then incubated in either a 1% or 20% oxygen environment. Cell function was evaluated by daily measurement of glucose‐stimulated insulin secretion. Encapsulated cells were also fluorescently imaged periodically over 72 h for expression of the marker signal. Results indicate that oxygen insufficiency severely impacts insulin release from MIN6 cells, and that large aggregates are especially vulnerable to oxygen limitations. Our marker was found to be successfully indicative of hypoxia and could be used as a predictor of subsequent insulin release. Further work will be required to fully characterize signal dynamics and to evaluate in vivo efficacy. The method presented here represents a unique and valuable approach to detecting hypoxic stress in living tissues which may prove useful to a variety of fields of biological research. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2011.
Bone mineral accrual in 4- to 10-year-old precompetitive, recreational gymnasts: A 4-year longitudinal study
Authors: Erlandson Marta C , Kontulainen Saija A , Chilibeck Phil D , Arnold Catherine M , Baxter-Jones Adam DG 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
Competitive female gymnasts have greater bone mineral measures than nongymnasts. However, less is known about the effect of recreational and/or precompetitive gymnastics participation on bone development. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the differences previously reported in the skeleton of competitive female gymnasts are also demonstrated in young children with a current or past participation history in recreational or precompetitive gymnastics. One hundred and sixty-three children (30 gymnasts, 61 ex-gymnasts, and 72 nongymnasts) between 4 and 6 years of age were recruited and measured annually for 4 years (not all participants were measured at every occasion). Total-body (TB), lumbar spine (LS), and femoral neck (FN) bone mineral content (BMC) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Multilevel random-effects models were constructed and used to predict differences in TB, LS, and FN BMC between groups while controlling for differences in body size, physical activity, and diet. Gymnasts had 3% more TB and 7% more FN BMC than children participating in other recreational sports at year 4 (p &lt; .05). No differences were found at the LS between groups, and there were no differences between ex-gymnasts' and nongymnasts' bone parameters (p &gt; .05). These findings suggest that recreational and precompetitive gymnastics participation is associated with greater BMC. This is important because beginner gymnastics skills are attainable by most children and do not require a high level of training. Low-level gymnastics skills can be implemented easily into school physical education programs, potentially affecting skeletal health. © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Content and method trends in the Journal of Community Psychology between 2003 and 2007
Authors: Graham Tanya M. , Ismail Tasneem 
Published: February 2011

AbstractOngoing inquiry into the characteristics of published work and its synergy with community psychology's core principles is an important reflexive endeavour in the field's continuing development. This study examined topic and method trends within the Journal of Community Psychology during a 5‐year period (January 2003–December 2007). Content analyses were conducted on published abstracts during this period (N=242). Most articles were empirical studies (61.2%) and most used a positivist methodology (53.7%). Samples mainly comprised adults and were mixed in terms of gender and ethnic/religious affiliation. The most frequent topics were mental health and mental illness (33.5%), sense of community and social support (24.4%), and dynamics of social exclusion (22.7%). A large proportion of special issues was also noted. These results illustrate contemporary trends in community psychology and suggest that critical and participatory methods as well as socially transformative epistemologies continue to be under‐represented within the field. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Helping the helpers: an international training program for professionals providing social services for hiv‐positive children and their families in Southern Kazakhstan
Authors: Tartakovsky Eugene 
Published: February 2011

AbstractOver one hundred children and some of their parents were infected with HIV in state hospitals in the Chimkent region in Southern Kazakhstan. After this tragedy, the Regional Department of Public Health organized social services for these families and asked the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) to provide them with training and supervision. Twelve seminars were conducted for the social workers in Chimkent over an 18‐month period. The JDC team also met with the local medical staff as well as with governmental and nongovernmental organizations to assess their needs and provide organizational support for the social services. This article presents an analysis of the psychosocial challenges associated with the mass HIV infection episode in Kazakhstan. The analysis is based on Hofstede's (2001) theory of cultural values, theories on cross‐cultural interaction (Cushner & Brislin, 1995), and principles of multicultural social work (Potocky‐Tripodi, 2002). The training program is described, and its results are discussed. General principles and practical recommendations for planning and implementing cross‐cultural international humanitarian programs in the field of HIV are suggested. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Development of a scale to measure residents' psychological empowerment in Chinese Urban Community
Authors: Wang Qi , Chen Xiaojuan , Chen Yongsheng 
Published: February 2011

AbstractThe present study combined the literature analysis with the empirical study and proposed a Chinese local conception of psychological empowerment, which was defined as a process of personality‐oriented, self‐motivated, and proactive control with the aim of community members' citizen participation. Its basic dimension comprised an inclination to criticize based on change, the self‐evaluation for participatory competence, and the proactive control of participatory motivation. A Chinese Urban Citizens' Psychological Empowerment (CUCPE) Scale was developed and two pretest studies were conducted to refine the scale. The final investigation showed that the CUCPE Scale had good reliabilities and validities. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Enzymatic activity of sperm proprotein convertase is important for mammalian fertilization
Authors: Iamsaard Sitthichai , Vanichviriyakit Rapeepun , Hommalai Greanggrai , Saewu Arpornrad , Srakaew Nopparat , Withyachumnarnkul Boonsirm , Basak Ajoy , Tanphaichitr Nongnuj 
Published: January 2011

AbstractProprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 4 (PCSK4) is implicated for sperm fertilizing ability, based on studies using Pcsk4‐null mice. Herein we demonstrated proprotein convertase (PC) activity in intact sperm and acrosomal vesicles. To determine whether this activity was important for sperm fertilizing ability, a peptide inhibitor was designed based on PCSK4 prodomain sequence (proPC475–90), which contains its primary autocatalytic cleavage site. ProPC475–90 inhibited recombinant PCSK4's activity with a Ki value of 5.4 µM, and at 500 µM, it inhibited sperm PC activity almost completely. Treatment of sperm with proPC475–90 inhibited their egg fertilizing ability in a dose dependent manner. Correlation between sperm PC activity and fertilizing ability showed a high co‐efficient value (>0.9), indicating the importance of sperm PC activity in fertilization. In particular, sperm PC activity was important for capacitation and zona pellucida (ZP)‐induced acrosome reaction, since proPC475–90‐treated sperm showed markedly decreased rates in these two events. These results were opposite to those observed in Pcsk4‐null sperm, which contained higher PC activity than wild type sperm, possibly due to overcompensation by PCSK7, the other PCSK enzyme found in sperm. ADAM2 (45 kDa), a sperm plasma membrane protein, involved in sperm–egg plasma membrane interaction, was also processed into a smaller form (27 kDa) during capacitation at a much reduced level in proPC475–90‐treated sperm. This result suggested that ADAM2 may be a natural substrate of sperm PCSK4 and its cleavage by the enzyme during acrosome reaction may be relevant to the fertilization process. J. Cell. Physiol. 226: 2817–2826, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hyperosmotic stress strongly potentiates serum response factor (SRF)‐dependent transcriptional activity in ehrlich lettré ascites cells through a mechanism involving p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase
Authors: Gorbatenko Andrej , Wiwel Maria , Klingberg Henrik , Nielsen Anni Bech , Kapus András , Pedersen Stine Falsig 
Published: January 2011

AbstractLong‐term osmotic stress results in altered gene transcription, however, with the exception of the TonE/TonEBP system, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. We previously showed that upon osmotic shrinkage of Ehrlich Lettré Ascites (ELA) fibroblasts, the MEK1‐ERK1/2 pathway is transiently inhibited while p38 MAPK is activated, in turn impacting on cell survival (Pedersen et al., 2007, Cell Physiol Biochem 20: 735–750). Here, we show that downstream of these kinases, two transcription factors with major roles in control of cell proliferation and death, serum response factor (SRF) and cAMP response element‐binding protein (CREB) are differentially regulated in ELA cells. SRF Ser103 phosphorylation and SRF‐dependent transcriptional activity were strongly augmented 5–30 min and 24 h, respectively, after hyperosmotic stress (50% increase in extracellular ionic strength), in a p38 MAPK‐dependent manner. In contrast, CREB Ser133 was transiently dephosphorylated upon osmotic shrinkage. The ERK1/2 effector ribosomal S kinase (RSK) and the ERK1/2‐ and p38 MAPK effector mitogen‐ stress‐activated protein kinase 1 (MSK1) both phosphorylate CREB at Ser133. RSK and MSK1 were dephosphorylated within 5 min of shrinkage. MSK1 phosphorylation recovered within 30 min in a p38‐MAPK‐dependent manner. CREB was transiently dephosphorylated after shrinkage in a manner exacerbated by p38 MAPK inhibition or MSK1 knockdown, but unaffected by inhibition of RSK. In conclusion, in ELA cells, hyperosmotic stress activates SRF in a p38 MAPK‐dependent manner and transiently inactivates CREB, likely due to MSK1 inactivation. We suggest that these events contribute to shrinkage‐induced changes in gene transcription and death/survival balance. J. Cell. Physiol. 226: 2857–2868, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The morphology of neoptile feathers: Ancestral state reconstruction and its phylogenetic implications
Authors: Foth Christian 
Published: February 2011

AbstractAvian neoptile feathers are defined as the first feather generation, which covers the chick after hatching, and usually described as simple structures consisting of numerous downy barbs which are radially symmetrically arranged and come together in a short calamus. In contrast, in some birds (e.g., Anas platyrhynchos, Dromaius novaehollandiae) the neoptile feathers have a prominent rhachis, and therefore display clear bilateral symmetry. Because the symmetrical variety found in neoptile feathers is poorly understood, their morphology was studied in a more comprehensive and phylogenetic approach. Neoptile body feathers from over 22 bird species were investigated using light microscopy, SEM, and MicroCT. Characters such as an anterior–posterior axis, a central rhachis, medullary cells, and structure of the calamus wall were defined and mapped onto recent phylogenetic hypotheses for extant birds. It can be shown that bilaterally symmetric neoptile feathers (with a solid calamus wall) were already present in the stem lineage of crown‐group birds (Neornithes). In contrast, simple radially symmetric neoptile feathers (with a fragile calamus wall) are an apomorphic character complex for the clade Neoaves. The simple morphology of this feather type may be the result of a reduced period of development during embryogenesis. To date, embryogenesis of neoptile feathers from only a few bird species was used as a model to reconstruct feather evolution. Because this study shows that the morphology of neoptile feathers is more diverse and even shows a clear phylogenetic signal, it is necessary to expand the spectrum of “model organisms” to species with bilaterally symmetric neoptile feathers and compare differences in the frequency of feather development from a phylogenetic point of view. J. Morphol., 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Different spatial and temporal protein expressions of repulsive guidance molecule a and neogenin in the rat optic nerve after optic nerve crush with and without lens injury
Authors: Schnichels Sven , Heiduschka Peter , Julien Sylvie 
Published: February 2011

AbstractThe failure of lesioned mammalian CNS neurons to regenerate their axons remains a challenge. Evidence is emerging that repulsive proteins contribute to this failure. The repulsive guidance molecule A (RGMA) induces growth cone collapse in vitro, accumulates in the scar after spinal cord injury, and is up‐regulated in glaucoma. In this study, we evaluated the spatial and temporal localization pattern of RGMA and its receptor neogenin in the optic nerve after optic nerve crush (ONC) without or with lens injury (LI) at up to nine time points (6 hr to 20 days) postsurgery by performing immunohistochemistry and Western blots. We found RGMA at the crush site (CS) and in the developing scar of ONC rats at every time point investigated, whereas it was absent in the CS of ONC + LI rats. Independent of the model, many cells were RGMA+ in the ON: nerve fibers, blood vessels, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, some microglia, some macrophages, and the sheath of the ON. Western blots showed a significantly lowered amount of RGMA in ONC + LI animals at 2, 4, and 6 days after crush compared with ONC animals. Furthermore, LI in sham‐operated animals showed an increase of RGMA in six of eight time points compared with the sham‐operated animals. Moreover, the effects of LI on the morphology of the ON were characterized at a level of detail never reported before. Our results show that RGMA is present and might contribute to the inhibitory environment in the ON, especially in and around the CS after ONC. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Going lean drives business success at E‐Z‐GO
Authors: Stern Renée 
Published: February 2011

AbstractWhat happens when an aging command‐and‐control vehicle manufacturer company facing diminishing business embarks on a course guided by lean manufacturing and business processes? For E‐Z‐GO of Augusta, Georgia, the result was a 200‐percent jump in profits in five years and systemwide improvement across all business functions that led the company to earn the first enterprise‐level Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence. This article details the continuous improvement roadmap that helped steer the organization on its journey of transformation, the bumps encountered along the way, and the widespread employee engagement designed to power E‐Z‐GO's efforts toward excellence in the future. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Evaluating boards of directors of public‐sector companies in India: An empirical study of India's Navratna companies
Authors: Gupta S. L. , Hothi B. S. , Gupta Abhishek 
Published: February 2011

AbstractThe Navratna companies are a group of Indian public‐sector enterprises to which the Indian government has given a measure of financial and operational autonomy that allows them to make investments without the need to seek government approval. Evaluations of the operation of the board of directors of the Navratna companies are, at times, complex and confidential. This can make studying, analyzing, and evaluating them a difficult task. This research is based on a survey of the board of directors in nine Navratna companies: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL), and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). The results of our survey provide the basis for the evaluation of the operation of the board of directors of Navratna companies. They also indicate that the board of directors should not involve itself in the day‐to‐day functioning of the organization and that governance of such companies involves more than simply ensuring returns in the short term. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.