bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor is Expressed by Equine Conceptuses and Endometrium
Authors: Klein C , Troedsson MHT 
Published: July 2012

ContentsMacrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a pleiotropic cytokine expressed by a wide range of tissues, which has been implicated to be involved in reproduction. Relative abundance of MIF mRNA in conceptus and endometrial tissue was assessed using real‐time RT‐PCR. Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry were used to detect MIF protein expression. MIF transcript abundance was lowest in conceptuses obtained 16 days after ovulation, while the remaining stages of conceptus development that were analysed showed relatively constant expression levels. Migration inhibitory factor expression localized to trophectoderm cells, while capsular material was void of MIF immunoreactivity. Throughout the oestrous cycle, no clear statistically significant cycle‐dependent expression pattern could be observed. During early pregnancy, the highest mRNA transcript levels were detected 16 days after ovulation. Pregnancy status did not affect MIF mRNA expression. Using immunohistochemistry, MIF protein expression was primarily localized in luminal and glandular epithelial cells, while stromal cells displayed weaker immunoreactivity. Taken together, we suggest that MIF is part of the molecular repertoire that contributes to normal endometrial function. The detailed functional significance of MIF expression in equine endometrium and pre‐implantation stages of conceptus development remains to be determined.
Myocardial insulin resistance, metabolic stress and autophagy in diabetes
Authors: Mellor Kimberley M , Bell James R , Ritchie Rebecca H , Delbridge Lea MD 
Published: July 2012

Summary

Clinical studies in humans strongly support a link between insulin resistance and non‐ischaemic heart failure. The occurrence of a specific insulin‐resistant cardiomyopathy, independent of vascular abnormalities, is now recognized. The progression of cardiac pathology linked with insulin resistance is poorly understood.

Cardiac insulin resistance is characterized by reduced availability of sarcolemmal Glut‐4 transporters and consequent lower glucose uptake. A shift away from glycolysis towards fatty acid oxidation for ATP supply is apparent and is associated with myocardial oxidative stress. Reliance of cardiomyocyte excitation–contraction coupling on glycolytically derived ATP supply potentially renders cardiac function vulnerable to the metabolic remodelling adaptations observed in diabetes development.

Findings from Glut‐4‐knockout mice demonstrate that cardiomyocytes with extreme glucose uptake deficiency exhibit cardiac hypertrophy and marked excitation–contraction coupling abnormalities characterized by reduced sarcolemmal Ca2+ influx and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ uptake. The ‘milder’ phenotype fructose‐fed mouse model of type 2 diabetes does not show evidence of cardiac hypertrophy, but cardiomyocyte loss linked with autophagic activation is evident. Fructose feeding induces a marked reduction in intracellular Ca2+ availability with myofilament adaptation to preserve contractile function in this setting.

The cardiac metabolic adaptations of two load‐independent models of diabetes, namely the Glut‐4‐deficient mouse and the fructose‐fed mouse are contrasted. The role of autophagy in diabetic cardiopathology is evaluated and anomalies of type 1 versus type 2 diabetic autophagic responses are highlighted.
High‐cycle fatigue and fracture behaviours of Cu‐Be alloy with a wide strength range
Authors: PANG J. C. , LI S. X. , ZHANG Z. F. 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACTThe high‐cycle fatigue and fracture behaviours of Cu‐Be alloy with tensile strength ranging from 500 to 1300 MPa acquired by different treatments were studied. Fatigue crack initiation, fracture surface morphologies, S‐N curves and fatigue strength show obvious differences due to the change of microstructure. At relatively low‐strength level, some fatigue cracks originated from defects; while at high‐strength level, all the fatigue cracks initiated from cleavage facets. It was found that the fatigue ratio increases linearly and fatigue strength changes quadratically with increasing tensile strength, only considering one strengthening mechanism. Finally, the fatigue strengths of various Cu‐Be alloys were summarized.
Habitat functionality for the ecosystem service of pest control: reproduction and feeding sites of pests and natural enemies
Authors: Bianchi Felix J. J. A. , Schellhorn Nancy A. , Cunningham Saul A. 
Published: July 2012

Landscape management for enhanced natural pest control requires knowledge of the ecological function of the habitats present in the landscape mosaic. However, little is known about which habitat types in agricultural landscapes function as reproduction habitats for arthropod pests and predators during different times of the year.
We studied the arthropod assemblage on six crops and on the seven most abundant native plant species in two landscapes over 1 year in Australia. Densities of immature and adult stages of pests and their predators were assessed using beat sheet sampling.
The native plants supported a significantly different arthropod assemblage than crops. Native plants had higher predator densities than crops over the course of the year, whereas crops supported higher pest densities than the native plants in two out of four seasonal sampling periods. Crops had higher densities of immature stages of pests than native plants in three of four seasonal sampling periods, implying that crops are more strongly associated with pest reproduction than native plants. Densities of immature predators, excluding spiders, were not different between native plants and crops. Spiders were, however, generally abundant and densities were higher on native plants than on crops but, because some species disperse when immature, there is less certainty in identifying their reproduction habitat.
Because the predator to pest ratio on native plant species showed little variation, and spatial variation in arthropod assemblages was limited, the predator support function of native vegetation may be a general phenomenon. Incentives that maintain and restore native remnant vegetation can increase the predator to pest ratio at the landscape scale, which could enhance pest suppression in crops.
The Web as A Tool For Proving
Authors: Stefaneas Petros , Vandoulakis Ioannis M. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe Web may critically transform the way we understand the activity of proving. The Web as a collaborative medium allows the active participation of people with different backgrounds, interests, viewpoints, and styles. Mathematical formal proofs are inadequate for capturing Web‐based proofs. This article claims that Web provings can be studied as a particular type of Goguen's proof‐events. Web‐based proof‐events have a social component, communication medium, prover‐interpreter interaction, interpretation process, understanding and validation, historical component, and styles. To demonstrate its claim, the article discusses the Kumo and Polymath projects, both of which employ Web‐based communication as part of proving. Web proving is a novel type of proving activity that may have a serious impact on the change in mathematical practices, despite the fact that it is not currently a universally acceptable methodology.
What is a Digital Object?
Authors: Hui Yuk 
Published: July 2012

AbstractWe find ourselves in a media‐intensive milieu comprising networks, images, sounds, and text, which we generalize as data and metadata. How can we understand this digital milieu and make sense of these data, not only focusing on their functionalities but also reflecting on our everyday life and existence? How do these material constructions demand a new philosophical understanding? Instead of following the reductionist approaches, which understand the digital milieu as abstract entities such as information and data, this article proposes to approach it from an embodied perspective: objects. The article contrasts digital objects with natural objects (e.g., apples on the table) and technical objects (e.g., hammers) in phenomenological investigations, and proposes to approach digital objects from the concept of “relations,” on the one hand the material relations that are concretized in the development of mark‐up languages, such as SGML, HTML, and XML, and on the other hand, Web ontologies, the temporal relations that are produced and conditioned by the artificial memories of data.
Toward a Philosophy of The Web
Authors: Monnin Alexandre , Halpin Harry 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe advent of the Web is one of the defining technological events of the twentieth century, yet its impact on the fundamental questions of philosophy has not yet been explored, much less systematized. The Web, as today implemented on the foundations of the Internet, is broadly construed as the space of all items of interest identified by URIs. Originally a space of linked hypertext documents, today the Web is rapidly evolving as a universal platform for data and computation. Even swifter is the Web‐driven transformation of many previously unquestioned philosophical concepts of privacy, belief, intelligence, cognition, and even embodiment in surprising ways. The ensuing essays in this collection hope to explore the philosophical foundation of the World Wide Web and open the debate on whether or not the changes caused by the Web to technology and society warrant the creation of a philosophy of the Web.
EU Merger Remedies and Competition Concerns: An Empirical Assessment
Authors: Wang Wei , Rudanko Matti 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe purpose of merger remedies is to relieve the potential competitive detriments as to preserve the efficiencies. The European Community (EC) Merger Remedies Notice requires remedies able to remove the identified competition concerns entirely and proportionately. The scope of each merger remedy package is confined by the competition concern in question. This study analyses, from an empirical point of view, the relationship between competition concerns and merger remedies. It reviews all remedies accepted in Phase II EU merger investigation and categorises them into seven sets according to their nature. Results of the empirical assessment present the frequencies of each remedy type accepted for resolving various competitions concerns and reveal that merger remedy design does vary for different competition concerns. Horizontal effects require divestiture remedies more. Other structural remedies, especially access commitment and supply commitment, have a good chance to be accepted in resolving vertical and conglomerate effects.
EU Constitutionalism in Flux: Is the Eurozone Crisis Precipitating Centralisation or Diffusion?
Authors: Scicluna Nicole 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe Lisbon Treaty was supposed to mark the end of an almost‐decade‐long period of treaty reform. After the tumult of the failed Constitutional Treaty, the settlement it imposed struck a sustainable balance between the competing forces of centralisation and the diffusion that characterise European integration. Yet this constitutional settlement is now threatened by the Eurozone debt crisis and official responses to it, most notably the proposed fiscal compact. A prevalent view regards the crisis as an opportunity to complete the process of political and economic union that the Maastricht Treaty began. However, this article cautions against such a view, which would jettison the post‐Lisbon Treaty constitutional settlement in favour a peculiar kind of German‐led, intergovernmental centralisation. Whether the crisis response measures achieve their stated aims remains to be seen, but the integration project will be reconfigured in the process. Thus, EU constitutionalism is bound to remain in a state of flux.
Physicians’ attitudes about interprofessional treatment of chronic pain: family physicians are considered the most important collaborators
Authors: Klinar Ivana , Ferhatovic Lejla , Banozic Adriana , Raguz Marija , Kostic Sandra , Sapunar Damir , Puljak Livia 
Published: July 2012

Scand J Caring Sci; 2013; 27; 303–310

Physicians’ attitudes about interprofessional treatment of chronic pain: family physicians are considered the most important collaborators
Aims and objectives:  Interprofessional collaboration is the process in which different professional groups work together to positively impact health care. We aimed to explore physicians’ attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration in the context of chronic pain management with the implication that if attitudes are not positive, appropriate interventions could be developed.Design:  A quantitative attitudes study.Ethical issues:  The ethical committee approved the study.Methods:  A web‐based survey about interprofessional treatment of chronic pain was administered to physicians. Outcome measures were as follows: physicians’ demographic and workplace information, previous experience of working within an interprofessional team, and attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration in chronic pain management.Results:  There were 90 physicians who responded to the survey. Physicians had positive attitudes towards team work in the context of chronic pain, but they were undecided about sharing their role within an interprofessional team. The family physician was singled out as the most important as well as the most common collaborator in chronic pain treatment. Interprofessional educational seminars and workshops were suggested as methods for improving interprofessional collaboration.Conclusions:  Interprofessional collaboration may be enhanced with continuing medical education that will bring together different healthcare professionals, enable them to exchange experiences and learn about their potential roles within a team.
Satisfaction with rehabilitation in relation to self‐perceived quality of life and function among patients with stroke – a 12 month follow‐up
Authors: Hansson Eva Ekvall , Beckman Anders , Wihlborg Anna , Persson Sylvia , Troein Margareta 
Published: July 2012

Scand J Caring Sci; 2013; 27; 373–379

Satisfaction with rehabilitation in relation to self‐perceived quality of life and function among patients with stroke – a 12 month follow‐up
Background and Purpose:  Stroke causes complex disability and function, and perceived quality of life has been shown to correlate with satisfaction with care as well as with life in general among stroke patients. The aim of this study was to study the relation of satisfaction with how rehabilitation was provided with self‐perceived quality of life, self‐perceived function and rehabilitation received, 12 months after the incidence.Method:  The subjects were assessed 12 months after the onset of stroke. The Barthel index was used to measure function, and the EuroQol‐5D to measure quality of life. To measure satisfaction with how rehabilitation was provided, a questionnaire from the Swedish Stroke Register was used.Results:  Two hundred and eighty‐three patients participated in the follow‐up, 137 women and 146 men, aged between 42 and 95 years (mean age 75.2, SD 11.8). For the majority of patients rehabilitation was initiated at in‐hospital care (directly after onset). One hundred and sixty‐eight patients considered that rehabilitation was well provided for. Sixty‐six regarded that the rehabilitation was only partly provided for and 35 that it was not provided for at all. High value on Barthel Index was associated with satisfaction with how rehabilitation was provided for (OR 2.81). Also, rehabilitation on three or more levels was negatively associated with satisfaction with rehabilitation provision (OR 0.24) and so was being male (OR 0.49).Conclusion:  In this study, patients with higher values on Barthel Index were more satisfied with how rehabilitation was provided for. However, male patients and patients who received rehabilitation on three or more levels of care were less satisfied. Given the assumption that patients with more severe dysfunction after stroke are being rehabilitated on more levels, this might imply that it is not the amount of rehabilitation that gives satisfaction but the patients self‐perceived function after rehabilitation.
Spherical particles of halophilic archaea correlate with exposure to low water activity – implications for microbial survival in fluid inclusions of ancient halite
Authors: Fendrihan S. , Dornmayr‐Pfaffenhuemer M. , Gerbl F. W. , Holzinger A. , Grösbacher M. , Briza P. , Erler A. , Gruber C. , Plätzer K. , Stan‐Lotter H. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractViable extremely halophilic archaea (haloarchaea) have been isolated from million‐year‐old salt deposits around the world; however, an explanation of their supposed longevity remains a fundamental challenge. Recently small roundish particles in fluid inclusions of 22 000‐ to 34 000‐year‐old halite were identified as haloarchaea capable of proliferation (Schubert BA, Lowenstein TK, Timofeeff MN, Parker MA, 2010, Environmental Microbiology, 12, 440–454). Searching for a method to produce such particles in the laboratory, we exposed rod‐shaped cells of Halobacterium species to reduced external water activity (aw). Gradual formation of spheres of about 0.4 μm diameter occurred in 4 m NaCl buffer of aw ≤ 0.75, but exposure to buffered 4 m LiCl (aw ≤ 0.73) split cells into spheres within seconds, with concomitant release of several proteins. From one rod, three or four spheres emerged, which re‐grew to normal rods in nutrient media. Biochemical properties of rods and spheres were similar, except for a markedly reduced ATP content (about 50‐fold) and an increased lag phase of spheres, as is known from dormant bacteria. The presence of viable particles of similar sizes in ancient fluid inclusions suggested that spheres might represent dormant states of haloarchaea. The easy production of spheres by lowering aw should facilitate their investigation and could help to understand the mechanisms for microbial survival over geological times.
Clinical Evaluation of New Generation Oxygenators With Integrated Arterial Line Filters for Cardiopulmonary Bypass
Authors: Onorati Francesco , Santini Francesco , Raffin Federica , Menon Tiziano , Graziani Maria S. , Chiominto Bartolomeo , Milano Aldo , Faggian Giuseppe , Mazzucco Alessandro 
Published: July 2012

AbstractNew generation oxygenators with integrated arterial line filters have been marketed to improve the efficacy of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Differences in designs, materials, coating surfaces, pore size of arterial filter, and static prime exist between the oxygenators. Despite abundant preclinical data, literature lacks clinical studies. From September 2010 to March 2011, 80 consecutive patients were randomized to CPB using Terumo Capiox FX25 (40 patients, Group‐T) or Sorin Synthesis (40 patients, Group‐S) oxygenators. Pressure drop and gas exchange efficacy were registered during CPB. High‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP), white blood cells (WBCs), fluid balance, activated clotting time, international normalized ratio (INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), fibrinogen, platelets (PLTs), serum albumin, and total proteins were measured perioperatively at different timepoints. Clinical outcome was recorded. Repeated measure analysis of variance and nonparametric statistics assessed between‐groups and during time differences. The two groups showed similar baseline and intraoperative variables. No differences were recorded in pressure drop and gas exchange (group‐P and group*time‐P = N.S. for all) during CPB. Despite similar fluid balance (P = N.S. for static/dynamic priming and ΔVolume administered intraoperatively), Group‐T showed higher hs‐CRP (group‐P = 0.034), aPTT (group‐P = 0.0001), and INR (group‐P = 0.05), with lower serum albumin (group‐P = 0.014), total proteins (group‐P =  0.0001), fibrinogen (group‐P = 0.041), and PLTs (group‐P = 0.021). Group‐T also showed higher postoperative bleeding (group‐P = 0.009) and need for transfusions (P = 0.008 for packed red cells and P = 0.0001 for fresh frozen plasma and total transfused volumes). However, clinical outcome was comparable (P = N.S. for all clinical endpoints). Both oxygenators proved effective and resulted in comparable clinical outcomes. However, Sorin Synthesis seems to reduce inflammation and better preserve the coagulative cascade and serum proteins, resulting in lower transfusions and post‐CPB inflammatory response.
Centrifugal Pump and Roller Pump in Adult Cardiac Surgery: A Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Saczkowski Richard , Maklin Michelle , Mesana Thierry , Boodhwani Munir , Ruel Marc 
Published: July 2012

AbstractCentrifugal pump (CP) and roller pump (RP) designs are the dominant main arterial pumps used in cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Trials reporting clinical outcome measures comparing CP and RP are controversial. Therefore, a meta‐analysis was undertaken to evaluate clinical variables from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Keyword searches were performed on Medline (1966–2011), EmBase (1980–2011), and CINAHL (1981–2011) for studies comparing RP and CP as the main arterial pump in adult CPB. Pooled fixed‐effects estimates for dichotomous and continuous data were calculated as an odds ratio and weighted‐mean difference, respectively. The P value was utilized to assess statistical significance (P < 0.05) between CP and RP groups. Eighteen RCTs met inclusion criteria, which represented 1868 patients (CP = 961, RP = 907). The prevailing operation was isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CP = 88%, RP = 87%). Fixed‐effects pooled estimates were performed for end‐of‐CPB (ECP) and postoperative day one (PDO) for platelet count (ECP: P = 0.51, PDO: P = 0.16), plasma free hemoglobin (ECP: P = 0.36, PDO: P = 0.24), white blood cell count (ECP: P = 0.21, PDO: P = 0.66), and hematocrit (ECP: P = 0.06, PDO: P = 0.51). No difference was demonstrated for postoperative blood loss (P = 0.65) or red blood cell transfusion (P = 0.71). Intensive care unit length of stay (P = 0.30), hospital length of stay (P = 0.33), and mortality (P = 0.91) were similar between the CP and RP groups. Neurologic outcomes were not amenable to pooled analysis; nevertheless, the results were inconclusive. There was no reported pump‐related malfunction or mishap. The meta‐analysis of RCTs comparing CP and RP in adult cardiac surgery suggests no significant difference for hematological variables, postoperative blood loss, transfusions, neurological outcomes, or mortality.
Oxygen: the poison is in the dose
Authors: Winslow Robert M. 
Published: July 2012

Cell‐free hemoglobin (Hb) has been blamed for a spectrum of problems, including vasoconstriction pancreatitis, myocardial infarction, and pulmonary hypertension in hemolytic anemia, malaria, and sickle cell anemia, and from Hb‐based oxygen carriers (HBOCs). Toxicities have been attributed to scavenging of nitric oxide (NO). However, while NO scavenging may explain many in vitro effects, and some effects in animal models and clinical trials with HBOCs, key inconsistencies in the theory require alternative explanations.This review considers the hypothesis that cell‐free Hb oversupplies oxygen to tissues, leading to oxygen‐related toxicity, possibly through formation of reactive oxygen species and local destruction of NO. Evidence for this hypothesis comes from various sources, establishing that tissue oxygen levels are maintained over very narrow (and low) levels, even at high oxygen consumption. Tissue is normally protected from excessive oxygen by its extremely low solubility in plasma, but introduction of cell‐free Hb, even at low concentration, greatly augments oxygen supply, engaging protective mechanisms that include vasoconstriction and ischemia.The requirement to limit oxygen supply by cell‐free Hb suggests novel ways to modify it to overcome vasoconstriction, independent of the intrinsic reaction of Hb with NO. This control is essential to the design of a safe and effective cell‐free HBOC.