bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Measures of immune function of wild mice, Mus musculus
Authors: ABOLINS STEPHEN R. , POCOCK MICHAEL J. O. , HAFALLA JULIUS C. R. , RILEY ELEANOR M. , VINEY MARK E. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractThe immune function of wild animals has been rather little studied. Wild animals’ immune function may differ from that of laboratory bred animals because of their different environments. This idea follows from the concept of resource partitioning in which animals distribute scarce resources to all aspects of life, including to costly immune responses. A logical extension of this idea is that there may be substantial interindividual variation in the immune function of wild animals. To begin to investigate this, we compared the immune function of a laboratory bred mouse strain (C57BL/6, a widely used mouse strain that makes potent immune responses) and wild caught Mus musculus. We found that by most measures of immune function, the wild caught mice had greater immune function. Specifically, wild mice had greater concentrations and more avid antigen‐specific IgG responses, as well as higher concentrations of total IgG and IgE, compared with those laboratory bred mice. Moreover, flow cytometric analysis showed a comparatively greater overall level of activation of the cells of the immune system in wild mice. Lastly, we observed that immune function was substantially more variable among wild caught mice than among the laboratory bred mice. The next research challenge is to understand which aspects of an individual animal’s life determine its immune function.
Involvement of extracellular oxidative burst in salicylic acid‐induced stomatal closure in Arabidopsis
Authors: KHOKON MD. ATIQUR RAHMAN , OKUMA EIJI , HOSSAIN MOHAMMAD ANOWAR , MUNEMASA SHINTARO , URAJI MISUGI , NAKAMURA YOSHIMASA , MORI IZUMI C. , MURATA YOSHIYUKI 
Published: November 2010

ABSTRACTSalicylic acid (SA), a ubiquitous phenolic phytohormone, is involved in many plant physiological processes including stomatal movement. We analysed SA‐induced stomatal closure, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO), cytosolic calcium ion ([Ca2+]cyt) oscillations and inward‐rectifying potassium (K+in) channel activity in Arabidopsis. SA‐induced stomatal closure was inhibited by pre‐treatment with catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), suggesting the involvement of extracellular ROS. A peroxidase inhibitor, SHAM (salicylhydroxamic acid) completely abolished SA‐induced stomatal closure whereas neither an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase (DPI) nor atrbohD atrbohF mutation impairs SA‐induced stomatal closures. 3,3′‐Diaminobenzidine (DAB) and nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) stainings demonstrated that SA induced H2O2 and O2– production. Guard cell ROS accumulation was significantly increased by SA, but that ROS was suppressed by exogenous CAT, SOD and SHAM. NO scavenger 2‐(4‐carboxyphenyl)‐4,4,5,5‐tetramethylimidazoline‐1‐oxyl‐3‐oxide (cPTIO) suppressed the SA‐induced stomatal closure but did not suppress guard cell ROS accumulation whereas SHAM suppressed SA‐induced NO production. SA failed to induce [Ca2+]cyt oscillations in guard cells whereas K+in channel activity was suppressed by SA. These results indicate that SA induces stomatal closure accompanied with extracellular ROS production mediated by SHAM‐sensitive peroxidase, intracellular ROS accumulation and K+in channel inactivation.
The Joanna Briggs Institute Best Practice Information Sheet: The psychosocial and spiritual experiences of elderly individuals recovering from a stroke
Authors:   The Joanna Briggs Institute
Published: November 2010

AbstractThis Best Practice Information Sheet aims to synthesize the best available evidence on the psychosocial and spiritual experiences of elderly individuals recovering from a stroke. The information that is contained in this sheet has been derived from studies that were included in a systematic review conducted by The Joanna Briggs Institute. Stroke is a major cause of death and disability and the risk of experiencing a stroke increases with age. A wide range of issues that are related to the experience of a stroke, from the perspective of the patient, have been identified in the research literature. This information sheet focuses on qualitative evidence on the short‐term and long‐term recovery process from the perspective of the elderly person, with the intention of assessing the evidence that would guide nursing practice.
Positron emission tomography in non‐medullary thyroid cancer
Authors: Ho Shon Ivan , Depcynzski Barbara , Lin Michael , Clark Jonathan R. , Wong Vincent , Lin Peter , Campbell Peter 
Published: November 2010

AbstractWhile iodine scanning is the mainstay of functional imaging in differentiated thyroid cancer, there is now a significant body of literature regarding positron emission tomography with 2‐fluoro‐2‐deoxy glucose in thyroid cancer. This clinical review will examine the evidence supporting the use of 2‐fluoro‐2‐deoxy glucose‐positron emission tomography throughout the diagnosis and management of thyroid cancer, and provide suggestions for its clinical use and potential future roles.
FEE VERSUS ROYALTY POLICY IN LICENSING THROUGH BARGAINING: AN APPLICATION OF THE NASH BARGAINING SOLUTION
Authors: Kishimoto Shin , Muto Shigeo 
Published: November 2010

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we consider a Cournot duopoly market in which the patent‐holding firm negotiates with its rival firm about payments for licensing a cost‐reducing innovation. Applying the Nash bargaining solution, we compare two licensing policies, a fixed fee and a royalty. Our results are as follows. Royalty licensing is better than fixed fee licensing for both firms if the innovation is not drastic. So, royalty licensing is always carried out. Moreover, though there exists a case in which consumers prefer fixed fee licensing, royalty licensing is always superior to fixed fee licensing from the social point of view.
The N400 and the P300 are not all that independent
Authors: Arbel Yael , Spencer Kevin M. , Donchin Emanuel 
Published: November 2010

AbstractThis study assessed whether two ERP components that are elicited by unexpected events interact. The conditions that are known to elicit the N400 and the P300 ERP components were applied separately and in combination to terminal‐words in sentences. Each sentence ended with a terminal‐word that was highly expected, semantically unexpected, physically deviant, or both semantically unexpected and physically deviant. In addition, we varied the level of semantic relatedness between the unexpected terminal‐words and the expected exemplars. Physically deviant words elicited a P300, whereas semantically unexpected words elicited an N400, whose amplitude was sensitive to the level of semantic relatedness. Words that were both semantically unexpected and physically deviant elicited both an N400 with enhanced amplitude, and a P300 with reduced amplitude. These results suggest an interaction between the processes manifested by the two components.
Dietary effects on body composition, glucose metabolism, and longevity are modulated by skeletal muscle mitochondrial uncoupling in mice
Authors: Keipert Susanne , Voigt Anja , Klaus Susanne 
Published: November 2010

SummaryLittle is known about how diet and energy metabolism interact in determination of lifespan under ad libitum feeding. From 12 weeks of age until death, male and female wild‐type (WT) and transgenic (TG) mice with increased skeletal muscle mitochondrial uncoupling (HSA‐mUCP1 mice) were fed one of three different semisynthetic diets differing in macronutrient ratio: control (high‐carbohydrate/low‐fat‐HCLF) and two high‐fat diets: high‐carbohydrate/high‐fat (HCHF), and low‐carbohydrate/high‐fat (LCHF). Compared to control and LCHF, HCHF feeding rapidly and significantly increased body fat content in WT. Median lifespan of WT was decreased by 33% (HCHF) and 7% (LCHF) compared to HCLF. HCHF significantly increased insulin resistance (HOMA) of WT from 24 weeks on compared to control. TG mice had lower lean body mass and increased energy expenditure, insulin sensitivity, and maximum lifespan (+10%) compared to WT. They showed a delayed development of obesity on HCHF but reached similar maximum adiposity as WT. TG median lifespan was only slightly reduced by HCHF (−7%) and unaffected by LCHF compared to control. Correlation analyses showed that decreased longevity was more strongly linked to a high rate of fat gain than to adiposity itself. Furthermore, insulin resistance was negatively and weight‐specific energy expenditure was positively correlated with longevity. We conclude that (i) dietary macronutrient ratios strongly affected obesity development, glucose homeostasis, and longevity, (ii) that skeletal muscle mitochondrial uncoupling alleviated the detrimental effects of high‐fat diets, and (iii) that early imbalances in energy homeostasis leading to increased insulin resistance are predictive for a decreased lifespan.
Post‐fallow tillage and crop effects on soil enzymes and other indicators
Authors: De Varennes A. , Torres M. O. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractSoil changes induced by crop rotations and soil management need to be quantified to clarify their impact on yield and soil quality. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of continuous oat (Avena sativaL.) and a lupin (Lupinus albusL.)‐oat rotation with and without tillage on soil enzymes, crop biomass and other soil properties In year 1, oat and lupin were grown in undisturbed plots or in plots subjected to disc tillage. Crop residues were incorporated before oat was sown in year 2 in the disc‐tilled plots or remained on the soil surface of untilled plots. Soil samples were collected regularly and analysed for pH, organic C, Kjeldahl‐N, mineral N, extractable P, and the enzyme activities of β‐glucosidase, cellulases, acid phosphatase, proteases, urease, and culturable bacteria and fungi. The main crop and tillage effects on soil parameters were: β‐glucosidase activity was greater after lupin than after oat, and the opposite was true for the number of culturable fungi. Organic carbon, phosphatase, cellulase and protease were greater in tilled soil than in the absence of tillage. Associations between variables that were stable over the 2 yr were those for mineral N and urease activity, cellulase activity and pH, and that of phosphatase activity and organic C. Our results contrast with most of the previous information on the effect of tillage on soil enzymes, where the activities were reported to be unchanged or decreased following tillage. This difference may be related to the small organic C content of the soil and to the fact that it was under fallow prior to the start of the experiment. In consequence, incorporation of residues would provide new sources of labile organic C for soil microbes, and result in increased enzymatic activity. The results obtained suggest that in coarse‐textured soils poor in organic matter, tillage with residue conservation after a period of fallow rapidly improves several soil characteristics and should be carried out even if it were to be followed by a no‐till system in the following years. This should be taken into consideration by land managers and technical advisers.
Long‐term effects of lime and gypsum additions on no‐till corn and soybean yield and soil chemical properties in southern Brazil
Authors: Caires E. F. , Joris H. A. W. , Churka S. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractA long‐term experiment on a clayey, kaolinitic, thermic Rhodic Hapludox where dolomitic lime was applied to the surface (either at 4.5 t/ha or at 1.5 t/ha per yr for 3 yr), or incorporated into the topsoil (4.5 t/ha), and gypsum applied to the surface (3, 6, and 9 t/ha), was carried out to evaluate their effects on soil profile chemical properties and yields of corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill). Lime applied to the soil surface at either full or split rates, or incorporated and surface‐applied gypsum had long‐lasting effects on soil acidity or calcium and sulphur availability respectively, as measured 8 yr after application. Grain yields of corn and soybean were not influenced by liming. Gypsum at 9 t/ha significantly increased corn grain yields by 7 and 8% respectively 7–10 yr after application, but did not affect soybean grain yields. The differences in response of the corn and soybean crops to gypsum might be related to the Ca2+ uptake by plants because of cation exchange properties of roots, being smaller for corn than for soybean. The use of gypsum in no‐till systems becomes more viable when corn is grown with a greater frequency in crop rotation.
Timing Equity Issuance in Response to Information Asymmetry Arising from IFRS Adoption in Australia and Europe
Authors: WANG SHIHENG , WELKER MICHAEL 
Published: November 2010

ABSTRACTThis study examines the association between changes in reported financial performance resulting from mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and equity issuance during the transition period leading up to IFRS adoption for listed firms in Australia and Europe. We hypothesize that firms affected by the accounting standards change strategically time equity issuance around the time the firm discloses the effects of IFRS adoption on reported financial performance. We document circumstances where market returns are associated with the reconciliation of net income between local GAAP and IFRS. We find that a firm's likelihood of equity issuance and equity issue size during the three years prior to the IFRS reconciliation disclosure are negatively associated with the unexpected change in net income resulting from the conversion to IFRS.
Convict Art and Craft in Colonial New Caledonia
Authors: Ahrens Prue , Lagarde Louis 
Published: November 2010

AbstractNew Caledonia’s history as a penal colony, and its past association with crime and punishment, is well documented. What remains unrecognised in published histories is the operation of the prison workshops, specifically the production of art and craft that was traded beyond the prison walls. A collection of convict art and craft recently acquired by the Noumea Town Museum and displayed in the exhibit ‘Ile d’exil, Terre d’asile’, contributes much to our knowledge of New Caledonian penal history and prison workshop production. The collection consists of engraved shells and wooden boxes produced by convict artists. The objects are very rarely signed, and it would be fruitless to attempt to attribute them to specific convict artists. What they offer, however, are insights into prison workshop production, developments in work with mother‐of‐pearl and the expansion of souvenir markets in New Caledonia during the late 19th century.
Beautiful balloon: The digital divide and the charisma of new media in India
Authors: MAZZARELLA WILLIAM 
Published: November 2010

ABSTRACTAgainst the view that the millennium brought only unrealistic hype around the socially transformative potentials of the Internet, I argue for skepticism vis‐à‐vis the “realistic” stance that is now employed to evaluate the success of development‐oriented applications of the Internet in India. Focusing on the heyday of ICT4D (information and communication technologies for development) projects, I move beyond the stalemate of hype versus debunking to suggest, instead, that although the discourse of development helped to legitimize the Internet as an “appropriate technology,” its emphasis on functional solutions also helped to obscure the Internet's more ambiguous emergent potentials.
Targeting AML through DR4 with a novel variant of rhTRAIL
Authors: Szegezdi Eva , Reis Carlos R. , Sloot Almer M. van der , Natoni Alessandro , O’Reilly Aoife , Reeve Janice , Cool Robbert H. , O’Dwyer Michael , Knapper Steven , Serrano Luis , Quax Wim J. , Samali Afshin 
Published: November 2010

AbstractDespite progress in the treatment of acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) the outcome often remains poor. Tumour necrosis factor related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a promising therapeutic agent in many different types of tumours, but AML cells are relatively insensitive to TRAIL‐induced apoptosis. Here we show that TRAIL‐induced apoptosis in AML cells is predominantly mediated by death receptor 4 (DR4) and not DR5. Therefore, we constructed a variant of TRAIL (rhTRAIL‐C3) that is a strong inducer of DR4‐mediated apoptosis. TRAIL‐C3 demonstrated much stronger pro‐apoptotic activity than wild‐type (WT) TRAIL in a panel of AML cell lines as well as in primary AML blasts. The higher pro‐apoptotic potential was further enhanced when the TRAIL mutant was used in combination with BMS‐345541, a selective inhibitor of inhibitor‐κB kinases. It illustrates that combination of this TRAIL variant with chemotherapeutics or other targeted agents can kill AML with high efficacy. This may represent a major advantage over the currently used therapies that have serious toxic side effects. The high efficacy of rhTRAIL‐C3 containing therapies may enable the use of lower drug doses to reduce the toxic side effects and improve patient outcome. Our findings suggest that the rational design of TRAIL variants that target DR4 potentiate the death‐inducing activity of TRAIL and offer a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of AML.
Down‐regulated miR‐331–5p and miR‐27a are associated with chemotherapy resistance and relapse in leukaemia
Authors: Feng Dan‐Dan , Zhang Hua , Zhang Peng , Zheng Yu‐Sheng , Zhang Xing‐Ju , Han Bo‐Wei , Luo Xue‐Qun , Xu Ling , Zhou Hui , Qu Liang‐Hu , Chen Yue‐Qin 
Published: November 2010

AbstractMultidrug resistance (MDR) and disease relapse are challenging clinical problems in the treatment of leukaemia. Relapsed disease is frequently refractory to chemotherapy and exhibits multiple drug resistance. Therefore, it is important to identify the mechanism by which cancer cells develop resistance. In this study, we used microRNA (miRNA) microarray and qRT‐PCR approaches to investigate the expression of miRNAs in three leukaemia cell lines with different degrees of resistance to doxorubicin (DOX) compared with their parent cell line, K562. The expression of miR‐331–5p and miR‐27a was inversely correlated with the expression of a drug‐resistant factor, P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp), in leukaemia cell lines with gradually increasing resistance. The development of drug resistance is regulated by the expression of the P‐gp. Transfection of the K562 and, a human promyelocytic cell line (HL) HL60 DOX‐resistant cells with miR‐331–5p and miR‐27a, separately or in combination, resulted in the increased sensitivity of cells to DOX, suggesting that correction of altered expression of miRNAs may be used for therapeutic strategies to overcome leukaemia cell resistance. Importantly, miR‐331–5p and miR‐27a were also expressed at lower levels in a panel of relapse patients compared with primary patients at diagnosis, further illustrating that leukaemia relapse might be a consequence of deregulation of miR‐331–5p and miR‐27a.
Boar Taint Detection Using Parasitoid Biosensors
Authors: Wäckers Felix , Olson Dawn , Rains Glen , Lundby Frank , Haugen John‐Erik 
Published: November 2010

Abstract:  The off‐flavor boar taint associated with the substances skatole, androstenone, and possibly indole represents a significant problem in the pig husbandry industry. Boar taint may occur in meat from uncastrated sexually mature male pigs; consumers commonly show a strong aversion to tainted meat. Consequently, there is a need for rapid methods to sort out and remove tainted carcasses at the slaughterline. We tested the ability of wasps, Microplitis croceipes to perceive and learn the 3 boar taint compounds both individually and in combination using classical conditioning paradigms. We also established the effectiveness and reliability of boar taint odor detection when wasps were used as biosensors in a contained system called the “wasp hound” using a cohort of trained wasps. We found that the wasps are able to successfully learn indole, skatole and to also detect them when presented a 1: 1: 1 mixture of all 3 compounds. This was shown for both a single hand‐manipulated wasp bioassay and when using the “wasp hound” detector device. In contrast, the wasps showed a weak conditioned response to androstenone at the concentration tested. The estimated gas phase concentrations that the wasps perceived during training were in the range of 10 ± 0.4 pg/s for skatole and indole, and 2 ± 0.5 pg/s for androstenone. We conclude that use of these wasps as biosensors presents a promising method for boar taint detection and discuss future training paradigms that may improve their responses to compounds such as androstenone.Practical Application:  The development of a perceptive, inexpensive, and reliable means of detecting boar taint before the product is presented to sensitive consumers.
The cell biology of human hair follicle pigmentation
Authors: Tobin Desmond J. 
Published: November 2010

SummaryAlthough we have made significant progress in understanding the regulation of the UVR‐exposed epidermal‐melanin unit, we know relatively little about how human hair follicle pigmentation is regulated. Progress has been hampered by gaps in our knowledge of the hair growth cycle’s controls, to which hair pigmentation appears tightly coupled. However, pigment cell researchers may have overly focused on the follicular melanocytes of the nocturnal and UVR‐shy mouse as a proxy for human epidermal melanocytes. Here, I emphasize the epidermis‐follicular melanocyte pluralism of human skin, as research models for vitiligo, alopecia areata and melanoma, personal care/cosmetics innovation. Further motivation could be in finding answers to why hair follicle and epidermal pigmentary units remain broadly distinct? Why melanomas tend to originate from epidermal rather than follicular melanocytes? Why multiple follicular melanocyte sub‐populations exist? Why follicular melanocytes are more sensitive to aging influences? In this perspective, I attempt to raise the status of the human hair follicle melanocyte and highlight some species‐specific issues involved which the general reader of the pigmentation literature (with its substantial mouse‐based data) may not fully appreciate.
Evaluation of phacoemulsification‐induced oxidative stress and damage of cultured human corneal endothelial cells in different solutions using redox fluorometry microscopy
Authors: Nishi Yutaro , Engler Christoph , Na Dae Ro , Kashiwabuchi Renata T. , Shin Young Joo , Cano Marisol , Jun Albert S. , Chuck Roy S. 
Published: November 2010

Acta Ophthalmol. 2010: 88: e323–e327Abstract.Purpose:  To describe the basic concept of redox fluorometry microscopy and investigate its efficacy in evaluating the state of cultured human corneal endothelial cells in different solutions when ultrasonic energy was applied in vitro.Methods:  Human corneal endothelial cells from human donor tissue not suitable for transplantation were cultured. A phacoemulsification probe with a 30° round, 1.1‐ mm TurboSonics® ABS™ Tip (Alcon, Fort Worth, Texas) was introduced into culture dishes filled with balanced salt solution (BSS) and BSS plus (Alcon, Fort Worth, Texas). Cellular autofluorescence images were obtained using a Zeiss inverted microscope. The redox fluorometric ratio, which can be related to cellular metabolism, mitochondrial distribution patterns, which can shift in reaction to environmental changes, and cell size were analysed with a software program.Results:  Human corneal endothelial cells exposed to increasing phacoemulsification times and ultrasonic energy displayed dose‐dependent decreases in redox ratios. At a lower ultrasonic power and time, BSS plus showed significantly less change in redox ratio than BSS and control (p < 0.05, Mann–Whitney test). As ultrasonic power and time increased, BSS plus had no more significance.Conclusion:  Redox fluorometry, with further technological improvement, might be an interesting and potentially useful tool for evaluation of phacoemulsification‐induced corneal endothelial damage and screening of protective agents in vitro.