bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Critical period for estrogen‐dependent motoneuron dendrite growth is coincident with ERα expression in target musculature
Authors: Rudolph Lauren M. , Sengelaub Dale R. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThe spinal cord of rats contains the sexually dimorphic, steroid‐sensitive motoneurons of the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB). In males, SNB dendrite growth is dependent on gonadal steroids: dendrite growth is inhibited after castration, but supported in androgen‐ or estrogen‐treated castrated males. Furthermore, estrogenic support of SNB dendrite growth is mediated by estrogen action at the target musculature, inhibited by estrogen receptor (ER) blockade at the muscle and supported by local estradiol treatment. However, this estrogenic support is restricted to the early postnatal period, after which the morphology of SNB dendrites is insensitive to estrogens. To test if the developmentally restricted effects of estrogens on SNB dendrite growth coincide with the transient expression of ER in the target musculature, ERα expression was assessed during development and in adulthood. ERα expression in extra‐Muscle fiber cells was greatest from postnatal day 7 (P7) to P14 and declined after P21. Because this pattern of ERα expression coincided with the period of estrogen‐dependent dendrite growth, we tested if limiting hormone exposure to the period of maximal ERα expression in extra‐muscle fiber cells could fully support estrogen‐dependent SNB dendrite growth. We restricted estradiol treatment in castrated males from P7 to P21 and assessed SNB dendritic morphology at P28. Treating castrates with estradiol implants at the muscle from P7 to P21 supported dendrite growth to normal levels through P28. These data suggest that the transient ERα expression in target muscle could potentially define the critical period for estrogen‐dependent dendrite growth in SNB motoneurons. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2013
Consequences of changing rainfall for fungal pathogen‐induced mortality in tropical tree seedlings
Authors: Swinfield Tom , Lewis Owen T. , Bagchi Robert , Freckleton Robert P. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractMost general circulation models predict that most tropical forests will experience lower and less frequent rainfall in future as a result of climate change, which may reduce the capacity of fungal pathogens to drive density‐dependent tree mortality. This is potentially significant because fungal pathogens are thought to play a key role in promoting and structuring plant diversity in tropical forests through the Janzen–Connell mechanism. Therefore, we hypothesize that the drying of tropical forests will negatively impact species coexistence. To test one prediction of this hypothesis, we imposed experimental watering regimes on the seedlings of a tropical tree, Pleradenophora longicuspis, and measured mortality induced by fungal pathogens under shade house conditions. The frequency of watering had a strong impact on survival. Seedlings watered daily experienced significantly higher mortality than those watered every three or every six days, while increasing the volume of water applied also led to increased mortality, although this relationship was less pronounced. These results suggest that the capacity of fungal pathogens to drive density‐dependent mortality may be reduced in drier climates and when rainfall is less frequent, with potential implications for the diversity enhancing Janzen–Connell mechanism.
Infectious disease in animal metapopulations: the importance of environmental transmission
Authors: Park Andrew W. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractMotivated by an array of infectious diseases that threaten wildlife populations, a simple metapopulation model (subpopulations connected by animal movement) is developed, which allows for both movement‐based and environmental transmission. The model demonstrates that for a range of plausible parameterizations of environmental transmission, increased movement rate of animals between discrete habitats can lead to a decrease in the overall proportion of sites that are occupied. This can limit the ability of the rescue effect to ensure locally extinct populations become recolonized and can drive metapopulations down in size so that extinction by mechanisms other than disease may become more likely. It further highlights that, in the context of environmental transmission, the environmental persistence time of pathogens and the probability of acquiring infection by environmental transmission can affect host metapopulations both qualitatively and quantitatively. Additional spillover sources of infection from alternate reservoir hosts are also included in the model and a synthesis of all three types of transmission, acting alone or in combination, is performed revealing that movement‐based transmission is the only necessary condition for a decline in the proportion of occupied sites with increasing movement rate, but that the presence of other types of transmission can reverse this qualitative result. By including the previously neglected role of environmental transmission, this work contributes to the general discussion of when dispersal by wild animals is beneficial or detrimental to populations experiencing infectious disease.
Analysis of dietary phytochemicals needs to be applauded: Glycosylated plant sterols
Authors: Jiménez‐Escrig Antonio 
Published: June 2012

AbstractIn this issue of European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology, Lampi and co‐workers [p. 656–669] report the content of glycosylated plant sterols (steryl glycosides and acylated steryl glycosides) as minor glycolipids found in common edible plants.See accompanying article http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ejlt.201200033
Genetic partitioning of interleukin‐6 signalling in mice dissociates Stat3 from Smad3‐mediated lung fibrosis
Authors: O'Donoghue Robert J. J. , Knight Darryl A. , Richards Carl D. , Prêle Cecilia M. , Lau Hui Ling , Jarnicki Andrew G. , Jones Jessica , Bozinovski Steven , Vlahos Ross , Thiem Stefan , McKenzie Brent S. , Wang Bo , Stumbles Philip , Laurent Geoffrey J. , McAnulty Robin J. , Rose‐John Stefan , Zhu Hong Jian , Anderson Gary P. , Ernst Matthias R. , Mutsaers Steven E. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal disease that is unresponsive to current therapies and characterized by excessive collagen deposition and subsequent fibrosis. While inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)‐6, are elevated in IPF, the molecular mechanisms that underlie this disease are incompletely understood, although the development of fibrosis is believed to depend on canonical transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β signalling. We examined bleomycin‐induced inflammation and fibrosis in mice carrying a mutation in the shared IL‐6 family receptor gp130. Using genetic complementation, we directly correlate the extent of IL‐6‐mediated, excessive Stat3 activity with inflammatory infiltrates in the lung and the severity of fibrosis in corresponding gp130757F mice. The extent of fibrosis was attenuated in B lymphocyte‐deficient gp130757F;µMT−/− compound mutant mice, but fibrosis still occurred in their Smad3−/− counterparts consistent with the capacity of excessive Stat3 activity to induce collagen 1α1 gene transcription independently of canonical TGF‐β/Smad3 signalling. These findings are of therapeutic relevance, since we confirmed abundant STAT3 activation in fibrotic lungs from IPF patients and showed that genetic reduction of Stat3 protected mice from bleomycin‐induced lung fibrosis.
Emergent evaluation and educational reforms in Latin America
Authors: Martinic Sergio 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThe aim of this chapter is to characterize educational reforms in Latin America over the last 25 years, and the way they reflect the role, method, and use of evaluation processes. The main theoretical and methodological tensions that are created by the development of evaluations will be reviewed, concluding with the identification of some of the challenges that are to be resolved in the future. Evaluation has followed educational reform through a number of cycles. ©Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association.
Moving toward a gender equality and human rights perspective in evaluation
Authors: Meléndez Alejandra Faúndez 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThis chapter concerns the emergence of a new perspective on evaluation based on gender equality and human rights in Latin America and the Caribbean. As in other regions of the world, there are many development challenges associated with marginalized and excluded communities. In many Latin American countries, rights failures for indigenous cultures remain unresolved, and the way evaluation serves these peoples may not be immediately obvious, given cultural biases in methodology. Some contributions of this focus on evaluation in general are highlighted in this chapter, as well as both conceptual and methodological challenges faced, and future applications for this region. Finally, this article shares some reflections that contribute to knowledge and debate on empowerment, identity development, and equity in Latin America and the Caribbean. ©Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association.
Evaluation as a learning tool
Authors: Néstor Feinstein Osvaldo 
Published: June 2012

AbstractEvaluation of programs or projects is often perceived as a threat. This is to a great extent related to the anticipated use of evaluation for accountability, which is often prioritized at the expense of using evaluation as a learning tool. Frequently it is argued that there is a trade‐off between these two evaluation functions. An alternative approach is that accountability complements the role of evaluation as a learning tool, as accountability provides an incentive for learning. This complementarity between learning and accountability is facilitated by the development of an evaluation culture where mistakes are seen as opportunities for learning and learning as an important source for growth and development. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association.
Exergoeconomic Analysis of a Combined Ammonia Based Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System
Authors: Baniasadi E. , Dincer I. , Naterer G. F. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractAn exergoeconomic study of an ammonia‐fed solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) based combined system for transportation applications is presented in this paper. The relations between capital costs and thermodynamic losses for the system components are investigated. The exergoeconomic analysis includes the SOFC stack and system components, including the compressor, microturbine, pressure regulator, and heat exchangers. A parametric study is also conducted to investigate the system performance and costs of the components, depending on the operating temperature, exhaust temperature, and fuel utilization ratio. A parametric study is performed to show how the ratio of the thermodynamic loss rate to capital cost changes with operating parameters. For the devices and the overall system, some practical correlations are introduced to relate the capital cost and total exergy loss. The ratio of exergy consumption to capital cost is found to be strongly dependent on the current density and stack temperature, but less affected by the fuel utilization ratio.
A Preliminary Study on Pace Rating Using Video Technology
Authors: Suwittayaruk Peeradaech , Goubergen Dirk Van , Lockhart Thurmon E. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractPace rating has always been recognized and treated as difficult, subjective, and even controversial. Recently, a new idea of pace rating using video technology by showing work motions on a reference video and an actual (real‐life) video simultaneously on a screen has been proposed. By adjusting the speed (and thus the pace) of the reference video, industrial engineers or workers without extensive background in time study can synchronize the motion patterns in both videos, thus quantifying the actual pace of the method under study using their visual sense. However, the impact of motion pattern compatibility between the two stimuli (work motions on the reference video and the actual video) has not been investigated in detail. In this study, we elaborate that motion pattern compatibility between the reference video and the actual video has a significant effect on correct determination of the response (the rated pace) in terms of both the accuracy and the precision. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Planning to meet the care need challenge in Alberta, Canada
Authors: Duckett Stephen , Bloom Judy , Robertson Andrea 
Published: June 2012

SUMMARYThe Canadian province of Alberta faces challenges in ensuring an adequate supply of nurses to meet care needs. This paper describes the approach adopted by Alberta Health Services (the public health care provider in Alberta) to address this challenge. Planning was undertaken on the basis of care needs rather than starting from a particular professional perspective and highlighted that the needs could be met by Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses or Healthcare Aides. Six scenarios, representing different potential mixes of Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses and Healthcare Aides were identified and used as the basis of stakeholder consultations. The paper identifies the workforce outcomes and needs for the different scenarios and the outcomes of the workforce planning process. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Oleanolic acid arrests cell cycle and induces apoptosis via ROS‐mediated mitochondrial depolarization and lysosomal membrane permeabilization in human pancreatic cancer cells
Authors: Wei Jianteng , Liu Ming , Liu Haizhou , Wang Hui , Wang Fengxia , Zhang Yuyan , Han Lijun , Lin Xiukun 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTOleanolic acid (OA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid, exhibits potential anti‐tumor activity against many tumor cell lines. This study aims to examine the anti‐tumor activity of OA on pancreatic cancer cells and its potential molecular mechanism. The results showed that the proliferation of Panc‐28 cells was inhibited by OA in a concentration‐dependent manner, with an IC50 (The half maximal inhibitory concentration) value of 46.35 µg ml−1, as determined by MTT (3‐(4,5‐Dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The cell cycle was arrested in S phase and G2/M phase by OA. The study also showed that OA could induce remarkable apoptosis, evidenced by an increased percentage of early/late apoptotic cells, DNA ladder and nuclear morphology change. Further study revealed that OA could induce Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation, mitochondrial depolarization, release of cytochrome C, lysosomal membrane permeabilization and leakage of cathepin B. The expression of apoptosis‐correlated proteins was also affected in cells treated with OA, including activation of caspases‐3/9 and cleavage of PARP. Further study confirmed that ROS scavenger vitamin C could reverse the apoptosis induced by OA in Panc‐28 cells. Our results provide evidence that OA arrests the cell cycle and induces apoptosis, possibly via ROS‐mediated mitochondrial and a lysosomal pathway in Panc‐28 cells. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hypothesis Holiday sudden cardiac death: food and alcohol inhibition of SULT1A enzymes as a precipitant
Authors: Eagle Ken 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTSudden cardiac death is a significant health issue, causing millions of deaths worldwide annually. Studies have found that the likelihood of such death is higher in winter. Further studies identified that the highest likelihood occurs on Christmas Day and New Years Day, but not the interim period. Thanksgiving, Independence Day and the Islamic holiday Eid Al‐Fitr also show significant increases in the rate of cardiac events or death. A number of mechanisms have been proposed, but none have satisfactorily explained the evidence. This article reviews the data supporting the existence of a holiday cardiac death phenomenon, the involvement of catecholamines and the normal modes of human catecholamine deactivation. Further evidence is reviewed that supports a hypothesized mechanism whereby critical SULT1A catecholamine deactivation enzymes can in some patients be inhibited by naturally‐occurring phenols and polyphenols in foods and alcohols. If deactivation is inhibited by holiday consumption excesses, holiday stress or excitement could lead to a buildup of catecholamines that can cause fatal arrhythmias. Awareness of this mechanism could reduce deaths, both through doctor/patient education leading to a moderation in consumption and through the potential identification of patients with a predisposition to SULT1A inhibition. This hypothesis also raises parallels between sudden cardiac death in adults and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The possible involvement of SULT1A inhibition in SIDS is discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Non‐invasive identification of proteoglycans and chondrocyte differentiation state by Raman microspectroscopy
Authors: Pudlas Marieke , Brauchle Eva , Klein Travis J. , Hutmacher Dietmar W. , Schenke‐Layland Katja 
Published: June 2012

AbstractProteoglycans (PGs) are crucial extracellular matrix (ECM) components that are present in all tissues and organs. Pathological remodeling of these macromolecules can lead to severe diseases such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. To date, PG‐associated ECM alterations are routinely diagnosed by invasive analytical methods. Here, we employed Raman microspectroscopy, a laser‐based, marker‐free and non‐destructive technique that allows the generation of spectra with peaks originating from molecular vibrations within a sample, to identify specific Raman bands that can be assigned to PGs within human and porcine cartilage samples and chondrocytes. Based on the non‐invasively acquired Raman spectra, we further revealed that a prolonged in vitro culture leads to phenotypic alterations of chondrocytes, resulting in a decreased PG synthesis rate and loss of lipid contents. Our results are the first to demonstrate the applicability of Raman microspectroscopy as an analytical and potential diagnostic tool for non‐invasive cell and tissue state monitoring of cartilage in biomedical research. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Modeling human osteosarcoma in mice through 3AB‐OS cancer stem cell xenografts
Authors: Di Fiore Riccardo , Guercio Annalisa , Puleio Roberto , Di Marco Patrizia , Drago‐Ferrante Rosa , D'Anneo Antonella , De Blasio Anna , Carlisi Daniela , Di Bella Santina , Pentimalli Francesca , Forte Iris M. , Giordano Antonio , Tesoriere Giovanni , Vento Renza 
Published: June 2012

AbstractOsteosarcoma is the second leading cause of cancer‐related death for children and young adults. In this study, we have subcutaneously injected—with and without matrigel—athymic mice (Fox1nu/nu) with human osteosarcoma 3AB‐OS pluripotent cancer stem cells (CSCs), which we previously isolated from human osteosarcoma MG63 cells. Engrafted 3AB‐OS cells were highly tumorigenic and matrigel greatly accelerated both tumor engraftment and growth rate. 3AB‐OS CSC xenografts lacked crucial regulators of beta‐catenin levels (E‐cadherin, APC, and GSK‐3beta), and crucial factors to restrain proliferation, resulting therefore in a strong proliferation potential. During the first weeks of engraftment 3AB‐OS‐derived tumors expressed high levels of pAKT, beta1‐integrin and pFAK, nuclear beta‐catenin, c‐Myc, cyclin D2, along with high levels of hyperphosphorylated‐inactive pRb and anti‐apoptotic proteins such as Bcl‐2 and XIAP, and matrigel increased the expression of proliferative markers. Thereafter 3AB‐OS tumor xenografts obtained with matrigel co‐injection showed decreased proliferative potential and AKT levels, and undetectable hyperphosphorylated pRb, whereas beta1‐integrin and pFAK levels still increased. Engrafted tumor cells also showed multilineage commitment with matrigel particularly favoring the mesenchymal lineage. Concomitantly, many blood vessels and muscle fibers appeared in the tumor mass. Our findings suggest that matrigel might regulate 3AB‐OS cell behavior providing adequate cues for transducing proliferation and differentiation signals triggered by pAKT, beta1‐integrin, and pFAK and addressed by pRb protein. Our results provide for the first time a mouse model that recapitulates in vivo crucial features of human osteosarcoma CSCs that could be used to test and predict the efficacy in vivo of novel therapeutic treatments. J. Cell. Biochem. 113: 3380–3392, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
nMoldyn 3: Using task farming for a parallel spectroscopy‐oriented analysis of molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Hinsen Konrad , Pellegrini Eric , Stachura Sławomir , Kneller Gerald R. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractWe present a new version of the program packagenMoldyn, which has been originally developed for a neutron‐scattering oriented analysis of molecular dynamics simulations of macromolecular systems (Kneller et al., Comput. Phys. Commun. 1995, 91, 191) and was later rewritten to include in‐depth time series analyses and a graphical user interface (Rog et al., J. Comput. Chem. 2003, 24, 657). The main improvement in this new version and the focus of this article are the parallelization of all the analysis algorithms for use on multicore desktop computers as well as distributed‐memory computing clusters. The parallelization is based on a task farming approach which maintains a simple program structure permitting easy modification and extension of the code to integrate new analysis methods. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Study on Determination of Trace Nickel in Water Samples after Separation/enrichment using Microcrystalline Phenolphthalein Loaded with Chelate
Authors: Wen Xin‐Rong , Tu Chang‐Qing 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThe paper presents a novel method for the separation/enrichment of trace Ni2+ using microcrystalline phenolphthalein loaded with chelate prior to the determination by spectrophotometry. The effects of different parameters, such as the dosages of phenolphthalein and sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC), various salts and acidity on the enrichment yield of Ni2+ have been investigated to select the experimental conditions. The possible enrichment mechanism of Ni2+ was discussed. The results showed that under the optimum conditions, Ni2+ could be quantificationally adsorbed on the surface of microcrystalline phenolphthalein in the form of the chelate precipitate of Ni(DDTC)2, while K+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Zn2+, Fe2+, Al2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+ could not be adsorbed at all. Therefore, Ni2+ was completely separated from the above metal ions in the solution. A new method for the separation/enrichment and determination of trace nickel using microcrystalline phenolphthalein loaded with chelate was established. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the determination of Ni2+ in various water samples, and the results agreed well with those obtained by FAAS method.
Structural Studies for Specific Binding Capacity of β‐Cyclodextrin with Ibuprofen
Authors: Liu Wei , Zhang Yong , Zhao Bing 
Published: June 2012

AbstractIbuprofen (Ibu) and β‐cyclodextrin (βCD) and its derivative (hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin, HPβCD) complexes spatial geometry information were studyed. Firstly, phase solubility experiment was carried out for S‐(+)‐ibuprofen (SIbu) and cyclodextrins complex. The apparent stability constant (Kc) for 1:1 complexes are 1065 M‐1 (βCD) and 1476 M‐1 (HPβCD) respectively. Secondly, 1H NMR and two‐dimensional rotating‐frame overhauser effect spectroscopy (2D ROESY) were used for binding study, and confirmed that benzene ring of Ibu is deeply included into the cavity and racemic Ibu (RSIbu) can be discriminated by βCD or HPβCD. Finally, docking model was given by theoretical investigation. The model with ‐4.77 kcal/mol binding energy matches experimental structure.