bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF SHORT PULSES OF BLUE LIGHT ON THE ALKALINIZATION ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPTAKE OF NO3−AND CL−BY THE GREEN ALGAMONORAPHIDIUM BRAUNIIAND RELATED ACTION SPECTRA
Authors: Witt Federico G. , Aparicio Pedro J. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractInMonoraphidium braunii, uptake of NO3−, NO2−and Cl−is associated with proton transport and triggered by blue light (BL). Only 10 s after cells able to reduce NO3−to NH4+were irradiated with continuous, low‐fluence BL in the presence of NO3−, an alkalinization of the medium began and only became interrupted by switching off the BL with a 60–90 s time lag. With 30 s BL pulses, the NO3−‐dependent alkalinization lasted 3–5 min until it stopped. When the cells were exposed to continuous BL in the presence of Cl−, the alkalinization also started within 10 s but lasted only 3 min. After that, the pH remained constant and decreased when the BL was switched off. With 30 s BL pulses, the Cl−‐dependent alkalinization lasted 3 min and then decreased to its initial value. The NO3−‐dependent alkalinization shown by cells unable to reduce NO3−to NH4+was similar to that observed in the presence of Cl−. These alkalinization rates fit the Bunsen‐Roscoe reciprocity law. With 2 s pulses of high‐fluence BL, the delay time of the NO3‐ or Cl−‐dependent alkalinizations was only 2 s, one of the fastest BL responses reported so far. The action spectra for Cl−and NO3−uptakes proved to be very similar and matched the absorption spectra of flavins, including the 267 nm peak.
DUAL ROLE OF MELANINS AND MELANIN PRECURSORS AS PHOTOPROTECTIVE AND PHOTOTOXIC AGENTS: INHIBITION OF ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION‐INDUCED LIPID PEROXIDATION
Authors: Schmitz Stefan , Thomas Panakkezhum D. , Allen Theresa M. , Poznansky Mark J. , Jimbow Kowichi 
Published: March 2011

AbstractUltraviolet radiation (UVR) is one of the risk factors for skin cancer and the main inducer of melanin pigmentation, the major protective mechanism of mammalian skin against radiation damage. The melanin pigments, eumelanin and pheomelanin, are likely to be important in protection against UVR, but their precursors are generally considered as phototoxic. The available data suggest DNA damage as the mechanism of phototoxicity. However, the effect of melanin precursors on membrane damage through lipid peroxidation, another important and probably more relevant (from the point‐of‐view of the melanosomal confinement of these molecules) mechanism of phototoxicity, is not known. As a model system for UVR–melanin–membrane interactions, we irradiated liposomes in the presence of eumelanin, pheomelanin and two of their major precursors, 5,6‐dihydroxyindole (DHI) and 5‐S‐cysteinyldopa (SCD). The presence of the two melanin precursors substantially reduced the formation of lipid peroxidation products resulting from UVR exposure. The antioxidant activity of the melanin precursors was diminished under strong prooxidant conditions (presence of Fe3+). These results suggest that melanin precursors may have an important role in the protection of skin against the harmful effects of UVR including photocarcinogenesis.
Extended long‐term outcomes of cataract surgery
Authors: Mönestam Eva I. , Lundqvist Britta 
Published: March 2011

Abstract.Purpose:  To longitudinally report the changes in visual acuity (VA) and subjective visual function, 10 years after cataract surgery.Methods:  This population‐based prospective study reviewed 335 patients (85% of survivors) who underwent cataract surgery during a 1‐year period in 1997–98, 289 of whom were also re‐examined. The patients underwent a routine eye examination and answered the same visual function questionnaire (VF‐14), preoperatively, 4 months postoperatively, 5 years and 10 years after surgery.Results:  Ten years after surgery, the best corrected VA (BCVA) of the operated eye had deteriorated to a median of 0.06 (logMAR) (Snellen acuity: 20/23) from 0.046 (logMAR) (20/22) postoperatively (p = 0.001). More than two‐thirds of the patients had <0.1 logMAR units worsening of BCVA compared with postoperatively. Approximately half of the patients had no deterioration in subjective visual function, and 77% had 10 points decline or less. Twelve per cent of the patients (42/335) had a worsening of more than 30 points. Effect size was calculated for the VF‐14 total score at all three occasions of follow‐up after surgery and was largest approximately 4 months postoperatively. Long‐time follow‐up of 10 years shows still moderate effect size.Conclusion:  These results confirm the effectiveness of cataract extraction, offering good long‐term visual rehabilitation for the majority of the patients. The most common cause for large functional loss after 10 years is age‐related macular degeneration.
Thermal Hot Spot and Corrosion Damage in Conical Pressure Components
Authors: Adibi-Asl R. , Seshadri R. 
Published: March 2011

Abstract
Structural integrity of an in-service component containing damage such as corrosion and thermal hot spot has to be evaluated regularly so as to certify the acceptance and safety of continued service of the component. In this paper, limit load solutions of a damaged conical shell, particularly local wall thinning and thermal hot spot, is investigated. The derived solutions are based on identifying the regions in the damaged component that directly participate in the plastic action (kinematically active). The concepts of reference volume and decay length are employed to identify the kinematically active regions in the damaged conical shell. The different solutions proposed in this paper are compared with the elastic-plastic finite element analysis. The results indicate that proposed solutions can be used with acceptable accuracy to make integrity assessment decisions.
Independent quality assurance of a helical tomotherapy machine using the dose magnifying glass
Authors: Wong J. H. D. , Hardcastle N. , Tomé W. A. , Bayliss A. , Tolakanahalli R. , Lerch M. L. F. , Petasecca M. , Carolan M. , Metcalfe P. , Rosenfeld A. B. 
Published: March 2011

Purpose:Helical tomotherapy is a complex delivery technique, integrating CT image guidance and intensity modulated radiotherapy in a single system. The integration of the CT detector ring on the gantry not only allows patient position verification but is also often used to perform various QA procedures. This convenience lacks the rigor of a machine‐independent QA process.Methods:In this article, a Si strip detector, known as the Dose Magnifying Glass (DMG), was used to perform machine‐independent QA measurements of the multileaf collimator alignment, leaf open time threshold, and leaf fluence output factor (LFOF).Results:The DMG measurements showed good agreements with EDR2 film for the MLC alignment test while the CT detector agrees well with DMG measurements for leaf open time threshold and LFOF measurements. The leaf open time threshold was found to be approximately 20 ms. The LFOF measured with the DMG agreed within error with the CT detector measured LFOF.Conclusions:The DMG with its 0.2 mm spatial resolution coupled to TERA ASIC allowed real‐time high temporal resolution measurements of the tomotherapy leaf movement. In conclusion, DMG was shown to be a suitable tool for machine‐independent QA of a tomotherapy unit.
On the use of the MLC dosimetric leaf gap as a quality control tool for accurate dynamic IMRT delivery
Authors: Mei Xiangyang , Nygren Ian , Villarreal‐Barajas J. Eduardo 
Published: March 2011

Purpose:MLC leaf gap consistency is critical for the accurate delivery of dynamic IMRT plans. It is estimated that a systematic MLC leaf gap change of 0.6 mm will result in a 2% change to the equivalent uniform dose to a clinical target volume for a typical head and neck sliding window (SW) IMRT plan. The aim of this work is to use the measured dosimetric leaf gap (DLG) to verify the dosimetric reproducibility of dynamically delivered SW IMRT plans. This study focuses on Varian linacs equipped with the 120 Millennium MLC and the Eclipse™ treatment planning system (TPS), but can be extended to other linac/MLC/TPS combination.Methods:An ionization chamber, a diode array, and an electronic portal imaging device (EPID) were used to assess the DLG in zero (central axis), one, and two dimensions, respectively. The DLG for zero and two dimensions was derived from measurements of SW fields of decreasing width (2, 1.5, 1, and 0.5 cm). The DLG in one dimension was measured directly from a single SW sweeping across a linear diode array. This one‐dimensional DLG measurement was based on the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the dose rate versus time spectrum.Results:The DLG derived from ion chamber measurements at central axis agrees to within 0.1 mm, with the DLG measured directly from the FWHM of dose rate versus time spectrum. The measured DLG depends on the control points used for the MLC SW fields. When two control points were used, the DLG measured at central axis showed an increase of 0.6 mm with respect to the same measurements performed using three or more control points. The two‐dimensional distribution of DLG obtained using the EPID identified leaf gap errors as small as ±0.2 mm in isolated areas away from central axis.Conclusions:Comprehensive measurements of the DLG in 0D, 1D, and 2D provide an accurate assessment of DLG value required during TPS commissioning. These DLG measurements can also be used as a quality control tool to quantify changes of the MLC calibration and leaf gap consistency, which is critical for the accurate delivery of dynamically delivered SW IMRT plans.
Elongin B-Mediated Epigenetic Alteration of Viral Chromatin Correlates with Efficient Human Cytomegalovirus Gene Expression and Replication
Authors: Hwang Jiwon , Saffert Ryan T. , Kalejta Robert F. 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACT
Elongins B and C are members of complexes that increase the efficiency of transcriptional elongation by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) and enhance the monoubiquitination of histone H2B, an epigenetic mark of actively transcribed genes. Here we show that, in addition to its role in facilitating transcription of the cellular genome, elongin B also enhances gene expression from the double-stranded DNA genome of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a pathogenic herpesvirus. Reducing the level of elongin B by small interfering RNA- or short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown decreased viral mRNA expression, viral protein accumulation, viral DNA replication, and infectious virion production. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis indicated viral genome occupancy of the elongating form of RNAPII, and monoubiquitinated histone H2B was reduced in elongin B-deficient cells. These data suggest that, in addition to the previously documented epigenetic regulation of transcriptional initiation, HCMV also subverts cellular elongin B-mediated epigenetic mechanisms for enhancing transcriptional elongation to enhance viral gene expression and virus replication.

IMPORTANCE
The genetic and epigenetic control of transcription initiation at both cellular and viral promoters is well documented. Recently, the epigenetic modification of histone H2B monoubiquitination throughout the bodies of cellular genes has been shown to enhance the elongation of RNA polymerase II-initiated transcripts. Mechanisms that might control the elongation of viral transcripts are less well studied. Here we show that, as with cellular genes, elongin B-mediated monoubiquitination of histone H2B also facilitates the transcriptional elongation of human cytomegalovirus genes. This and perhaps other epigenetic markings of actively transcribed regions may help in identifying viral genes expressed during
in vitro
latency or during natural infections of humans. Furthermore, this work identifies a novel, tractable model system to further study the regulation of transcriptional elongation in living cells.
Impact of a smoking ban in public places: a rapid assessment in the Seychelles: Table 1
Authors: Viswanathan Bharathi , Plumettaz Chloé , Gedeon Jude , Bovet Pascal 
Published: March 2011

BackgroundWe assessed the impact of a smoking ban in hospitality venues in the Seychelles 9 months after legislation was implemented.MethodsSurvey officers observed compliance with the smoking ban in 38 most popular hospitality venues and administered a structured questionnaire to two customers, two workers and one manager in each venue.ResultsVirtually no customers or workers were seen smoking in the indoor premises. Patrons, workers and managers largely supported the ban. The personnel of the hospitality venues reported that most smokers had no difficulty refraining from smoking. However, a third of workers did not systematically request customers to stop smoking and half of them did not report adequate training. Workers reported improved health. No substantial change in the number of customers was noted.ConclusionA ban on public smoking was generally well implemented in hospitality venues but some less than optimal findings suggest the need for adequate training of workers and strengthened enforcement measures. The simple and inexpensive methodology used in this rapid survey may be a useful approach to evaluate the implementation and impact of clean air policy in low and middle-income countries.
Report on the Bicarbonate Transport Satellite Meeting at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology
Authors: Reithmeier Reinhart A.F. , Casey Joseph R. 
Published: March 2011

The Bicarbonate Transport Meeting was held as a satellite meeting of the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology (CSBMCB): Membrane Proteins in Health and Disease. The meeting covered the modern history of bicarbonate transporter proteins and brought together the major workers in the field. Ron Kopito recounted the story of the first determination of the amino acid sequence for a bicarbonate transporter, AE1/Band 3, 25 years earlier while working with Harvey Lodish at Harvard, while Tomohiro Yamaguchi and Teruhisa Hirai presented up-to-date data on AE1 structure obtained using electron crystallography. The meeting further spanned the spectrum of bicarbonate transporters, with sessions devoted to Cl–/HCO3– exchangers, Na+/HCO3– co-transporters, the link to carbonic anhydrase, and the SLC26 family of bicarbonate transporters expressed broadly in humans, yeast, and bacteria.
GENERATION OF THE NON-CLASSICAL STATES OF THE QUANTIZED CAVITY FIELD IN THE INTERACTION WITH TRAPPED EQUIDISTANT THREE-LEVEL ION
Authors: KOROLI V. 
Published: March 2011

The interaction between the laser cooled and trapped equidistant three-level atom (ion) and the quantized cavity field is investigated. The dipole moment matrix transition elements between the adjacent atomic energy levels d12 and d23 are assumed to be different. This model generalizes the problem of the pair of indistinguishable two-level atoms interacting with the squeezed vacuum which is equivalent to the equidistant three-level atom with equal dipole moment matrix transition elements. The exact analytical solution for the atom-field state-vector is found in the case in which at the initial moment t = 0, the single-mode cavity field is supposed to be in the squeezed vacuum state. With the help of this solution, the quantum-statistical and squeezing properties of the radiation field are studied. The obtained results are compared with those for the single two-level atom model. It should be noted that in the proposed model, the exact periodicity of the squeezing revivals is violated by the analogy with the single two-level atom one. The two limiting cases are analyzed. In the first limiting case in which d12 → d23 the quantum-statistical properties of the single-mode cavity field resemble those for the pair of indistinguishable two-level atoms. In the second one d12 → 0 the quantum-statistical and squeezing features of the proposed model are similar with those for the single two-level atom model.
Megafans and outsize fans from catastrophic slope failures in Alpine glacial troughs: the Malser Haide and the Val Venosta cluster, Italy
Authors: Jarman David , Agliardi Federico , Crosta Giovanni B. 
Published: March 2011

Abstract

A cluster of exceptionally large sediment fans occurs in Val Venosta, a glacial trough in the east-central Alps, Italy. Its 59 tributary valleys generate 49 fans with volume:catchment area ratios varying across four orders of magnitude. Geomorphological and statistical analysis distinguish ‘allometric’ and ‘anomalous’ fans. Catastrophic massive slope failure origins are suggested for the anomalous cases. They comprise ‘outsize fans’ and ‘megafans’, the latter attaining 400 m cone height and 2700 m radius, and dominating the trough. Above most fans, evidence is found for source cavities of comparable volume. Reconstruction of the missing sides and heads of two tributary valleys reveals lost mountains 700 m deep. They are credible sources for the Malser Haide, a globally significant 11 km-long megafan with an estimated volume of 1650 Mm
3
, and the St Valentin outsize fans. Generally, anomalous fans occur where landslides are funnelled, comminuted and controlled through ‘debouchures’ high enough above the trough floor for conoidal deposition. Although sedimentological data are sparse, these fans may represent a new category of catastrophic slope failure outcome, mimicking conventional sediment fans of incremental origin. The Val Venosta cluster is the largest in the Alps, with concentrated glacial erosion in conducive geology among the possible factors explaining anomalous fan incidence.
Rock slope instabilities in Sogn and Fjordane County, Norway: a detailed structural and geomorphological analysis
Authors: Böhme Martina , Saintot Aline , Henderson Iain H. C. , Henriksen Helge , Hermanns Reginald L. 
Published: March 2011

Abstract
More than 250 rock slope failures have occurred in Sogn and Fjordane County in historical times. So far, 28 sites are known where open cracks indicate that rock slope failures may occur in the future. Detailed structural and geomorphological analyses of these sites have been conducted, and form the basis for an evaluation and comparison of the unstable rock slopes. Four of these sites are described in detail herein. The main characteristics for rock slope instabilities in Sogn and Fjordane are: (1) a preferred location within relatively weak rock units, such as phyllites and weathered mafic gneisses; and (2) the development of most instabilities at convex slope breaks, which are evident as knick-points in the slope profile.
Sogn and Fjordane is compared with other Norwegian regions, particularly Møre and Romsdal County, with respect to the spatial distribution of past and current rock slope instabilities. Sogn and Fjordane shows the greatest number of historical slope failures, whereas in Møre and Romsdal a larger amount of potential instabilities is observed. We propose that the larger amount of unstable rock slopes in Møre and Romsdal may be controlled by a locally high gradient of ongoing post-glacial uplift and a higher rate of neotectonic activity.
Complex landslide behaviour and structural control: a three-dimensional conceptual model of Åknes rockslide, Norway
Authors: Jaboyedoff Michel , Oppikofer Thierry , Derron Marc-Henri , Blikra Lars Harald , Böhme Martina , Saintot Aline 
Published: March 2011

Abstract

Åknes is an active complex large rockslide of approximately 30–40 Mm
3
located within the Proterozoic gneisses of western Norway. The observed surface displacements indicate that this rockslide is divided into several blocks moving in different directions at velocities of between 3 and 10 cm year
−1
. Because of regional safety issues and economic interests this rockslide has been extensively monitored since 2004.

The understanding of the deformation mechanism is crucial for the implementation of a viable monitoring system. Detailed field investigations and the analysis of a digital elevation model (DEM) indicate that the movements and the block geometry are controlled by the main schistosity (S
1
) in gneisses, folds, joints and regional faults. Such complex slope deformations use pre-existing structures, but also result in new failure surfaces and deformation zones, like preferential rupture in fold-hinge zones.

Our interpretation provides a consistent conceptual three-dimensional (3D) model for the movements measured by various methods that is crucial for numerical stability modelling. In addition, this reinterpretation of the morphology confirms that in the past several rockslides occurred from the Åknes slope. They may be related to scars propagating along the vertical foliation in folds hinges. Finally, a model of the evolution of the Åknes slope is presented.
Repression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression by the Runt-Related Transcription Factor 1 in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: ter Elst Arja , Ma Bin , Scherpen Frank J.G. , de Jonge Hendrik J.M. , Douwes Jenny , Wierenga Albertus T.J. , Schuringa Jan Jacob , Kamps Willem A. , de Bont Eveline S.J.M. 
Published: March 2011

Abstract
VEGFA is considered one of the most important regulators of tumor-associated angiogenesis in cancer. In acute myeloid leukemia (AML) VEGFA is an independent prognostic factor for reduced overall and relapse-free survival. Transcriptional activation of the VEGFA promoter, a core mechanism for VEGFA regulation, has not been fully elucidated. We found a significant (P &lt; 0.0001) inverse correlation between expression of VEGFA and AML1/RUNX1 in a large set of gene expression array data. Strikingly, highest VEGFA levels were demonstrated in AML blasts containing a t(8;21) translocation, which involves the AML1/RUNX1 protein (AML1/ETO). Overexpression of AML1/RUNX1 led to downregulation of VEGFA expression, whereas blocking of AML1/RUNX1 with siRNAs resulted in increased VEGFA expression. Cotransfection of AML1/RUNX1 and VEGFA promoter luciferase promoter constructs resulted in a decrease in VEGFA promoter activity. ChIP analysis shows a direct binding of AML1/RUNX1 to the promoter of VEGFA on three AML1/RUNX1 binding sites. Silencing of AML1/ETO caused a decrease in VEGFA mRNA expression and a decrease in secreted VEGFA protein levels in AML1/ETO-positive Kasumi-1 cells. Taken together, these data pinpoint to a model whereby in normal cells AML1/RUNX1 acts as a repressor for VEGFA, while in AML cells VEGFA expression is upregulated due to AML1/RUNX1 aberrations, for example, AML1/ETO. In conclusion, these observations give insight in the regulation of VEGFA at the mRNA level in AML. Cancer Res; 71(7); 2761–71. ©2011 AACR.