bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Regulation of mRNA expression encoding chaperone and co-chaperone proteins of the glucocorticoid receptor in peripheral blood: association with depressive symptoms during pregnancy
Authors: Katz E. R. , Stowe Z. N. , Newport D. J. , Kelley M. E. , Pace T. W. , Cubells J. F. , Binder E. B. 
Published: October 2011

BackgroundMajor depressive disorder during pregnancy associates with potentially detrimental consequences for mother and child. The current study examined peripheral blood gene expression as a potential biomarker for prenatal depressive symptoms.MethodMaternal RNA from whole blood, plasma and the Beck Depression Inventory were collected longitudinally from preconception through the third trimester of pregnancy in 106 women with a lifetime history of mood or anxiety disorders. The expression of 16 genes in whole blood involved in glucorticoid receptor (GR) signaling was assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction. In parallel, plasma concentrations of progesterone, estradiol and cortisol were measured. Finally, we assessedex vivoGR sensitivity in peripheral blood cells from a subset of 29 women.ResultsmRNA expression of a number of GR-complex regulating genes was up-regulated over pregnancy. Women with depressive symptoms showed significantly smaller increases in mRNA expression of four of these genes –FKBP5, BAG1, NCOA1andPPID.Ex vivostimulation assays showed that GR sensitivity diminished with progression of pregnancy and increasing maternal depressive symptoms. Plasma concentrations of gonadal steroids and cortisol did not differ over pregnancy between women with and without clinically relevant depressive symptoms.ConclusionsThe presence of prenatal depressive symptoms appears to be associated with altered regulation of GR sensitivity. Peripheral expression of GR co-chaperone genes may serve as a biomarker for risk of developing depressive symptoms during pregnancy. The presence of such biomarkers, if confirmed, could be utilized in treatment planning for women with a psychiatric history.
The historical and philosophical origins of normativism
Authors: Novaes Catarina Dutilh 
Published: October 2011

AbstractElqayam & Evans' (E&E's) critique of normativism is related to an inherently philosophical question: Is thinking a normative affair? Should thinking be held accountable towards certain norms? I present the historical and philosophical origins of the view that thinking belongs to the realm of normativity and has a tight connection with logic, stressing the pivotal role of Kant in these developments.
Overselling the case against normativism
Authors: Fuller Tim , Samuels Richard 
Published: October 2011

AbstractThough we are in broad agreement with much of Elqayam & Evans' (E&E's) position, we criticize two aspects of their argument. First, rejecting normativism is unlikely to yield the benefits that E&E seek. Second, their conception of rational norms is overly restrictive and, as a consequence, their arguments at most challenge a relatively restrictive version of normativism.
Rethinking sovereignty in international fiscal policy
Authors: DIETSCH PETER 
Published: October 2011

AbstractThe power to raise taxes is asine qua nonfor the functioning of the modern state. Governments frequently defend the independence of their fiscal policy as a matter of sovereignty. This article challenges this defence by demonstrating that it relies on an antiquated conception of sovereignty. Instead of the Westphalian sovereignty centred on non-intervention that has long dominated relations between states, today's fiscal interdependence calls for a conception of sovereignty that assigns duties as well as rights to states. While such a circumscribed conception of sovereignty has emerged in other areas of international law in recent years, it has yet to be extended to fiscal questions. Here, these duties arguably include obligations of transparency, of respect for the fiscal choices of other countries, and of distributive justice. The resulting conception of sovereignty is one that emphasises its instrumental as well as its conditional character. Neither state sovereignty nor self-determination is an end in itself, but a means to promoting individual well-being. It is conditional in the sense that if states do not live up to their fiscal obligations towards other states, their claims to autonomy are void.
The Ambivalent Minority: Mexican Americans and the Voting Rights Act
Authors: Skerry Peter 
Published: October 2011

In the countless conversations about U.S. immigration policy that I have had with Mexican Americans of varied backgrounds and political orientations, seldom have my interlocutors failed to remind me that “We were here first,” or that “This was our land and you stole it from us.” Even a moderate Mexican American politician like former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros sounds the same theme in a national news magazine:It is no accident that these regions have the names they do—Los Angeles, San Francisco, Colorado, Montana.…It is a rich history that Americans have been led to believe is an immigrant story when, in fact, the people who built this area in the first place were Hispanics.
Farsi version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory: validity and reliability study among Iranian elderly with dementia
Authors: Malakouti Seyed Kazem , Panaghi Lili , Foroughan Mahshid , Salehi Masoumeh , Zandi Taher 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTBackground: This study aimed to validate the Farsi version of Neuropsychiatric Inventory (F-NPI), with the aim of promoting clinical assessment and local research on evaluation of neuropsychiatric symptom profiles of individuals with dementia in Iran.Methods: In this cross-sectional, psychometric study, 100 patients with dementia in the age range of 60–90 years participated. Two trained psychiatrists interviewed the study subjects. Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were used to determine the concurrent validity. Test-retest, inter-rater reliability and internal consistency were calculated. Discrimination validity was determined, using a matched control group consisting of 49 participants without dementia. Cronbach's α and Pearson's correlation coefficients were used to analyze the data.Results: The internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.9) was excellent. The inter-rater reliability varied between 0.6 and 0.98 for frequency, severity and total scale of the F-NPI, and test-retest reliability was between 0.4 and 0.96. Concurrent validity varied between 0.3 and 0.9 (P < 0.05). The most prevalent symptom was “apathy” and the least prevalent was “euphoria”.Conclusion: The Farsi version of NPI has satisfactory psychometric indexes and is applicable for clinical and study works in Iranian community.
Causes of defined benefit pension scheme funding ratio volatility and average contribution rates
Authors: Butt Adam 
Published: October 2011

AbstractSimulations of a model pension scheme are run with stochastic economic and demographic factors, with an aim to investigate the impact of these factors on movements in funding ratio and average contribution rates. These impacts are analysed by running regressions of movements in funding ratio and average contribution rates against the economic and demographic factors. It is found that, for a typical scheme closed to new entrants and a balanced asset allocation including equity investment, the mismatch between discount rate movements and investment returns is by far the biggest predictor of funding ratio movements, with average contribution rates affected more by events in a few individual years rather than averaged over an entire simulation. Where the scheme invests to cash-flow match liabilities, mortality improvement becomes the most significant predictor of funding ratio movements, although mortality improvement still has little impact on average contribution rates.
Placental DEPTOR as a stress sensor during pregnancy
Authors: Mparmpakas Dionisis , Zachariades Elena , Goumenou Anastasia , Gidron Yori , Karteris Emmanouil 
Published: October 2011

DEPTOR [DEP-domain-containing and mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin)-interacting protein] is a modulator of mTOR signalling that binds to mTORC (mTOR complex) 1 and mTORC2. However, to date, the precise functions of DEPTOR are not fully elucidated, particularly in reproductive tissues where mTOR acts as a placental nutrient sensor. Pregnancy is associated with major physiological and psychosocial changes and adaptation to these changes is crucial for normal fetal development. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that maternal stress can affect mTOR signalling at term, and, as a result, influence placental growth. We first investigated the expression of DEPTOR, mTOR, rictor (rapamycin-insensitive companion of mTOR) and raptor (regulatory associated protein of mTOR) from human placentas (n=23) using Q-PCR (quantitative PCR), and correlated these data to days of pregnancy and maternal stress, as well as placental and fetal weight. Maternal and fetal cortisol levels were also measured. JEG-3 and BeWo cells, used as placental in vitro models, were treated with cortisol and DEPTOR expression was assessed using Q-PCR. DEPTOR appears to be the predominant transcript in the human placenta compared with mTOR, rictor and raptor in both term (n=13) and preterm (n=10) placentas as assessed by Q-PCR. There was a significantly lower level only of log-DEPTOR gene expression in the high stress group (−1.34) than in the low stress group (0.07; t20=2.41, P=0.026). Interestingly, mothers with high stress had significantly elevated levels of cortisol (8555 pg/ml) compared with those with low stress (4900 pg/ml). We then tested the hypothesis that cortisol can directly affect DEPTOR expression. When BeWo cells were treated with cortisol 10, 100 and 1000 nM, the expression of DEPTOR was significantly down-regulated by 50, 41 and 39% (all P&lt;0.05) respectively when compared with basal levels. Treatment of JEG-3 cells with cortisol, led to a significant decrease of DEPTOR expression at 100 nM (39%, P&lt;0.05) and at 1000 nM (73%, P&lt;0.01). These novel findings are indicative of a higher order of complexity of DEPTOR signalling in the human placenta that is affected by maternal stress, which could affect pregnancy outcome.
The Influence of Hatchery Rearing Practices on Salmon Migratory Behavior: Is the Tendency of Chinook Salmon to Remain within Puget Sound Affected by Size and Date of Release?
Authors: Chamberlin Joshua W. , Essington Timothy E. , Ferguson John W. , Quinn Thomas P. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractThe marine migrations of Pacific salmonOncorhynchusspp., and especially Chinook salmonO. tshawytscha, vary greatly in duration and spatial extent. In Puget Sound, Washington, most Chinook salmon migrate from freshwater to the coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean before returning to spawn in their natal streams. However, some leave freshwater but remain in the semi‐estuarine waters of Puget Sound until they mature and then return to freshwater to spawn. The objective of our study was to determine the effect of rearing conditions and hatchery location on the prevalence of this alternative pattern of marine distribution by hatchery‐produced Chinook salmon in Puget Sound. We used coded wire tag recovery data to analyze the effect of release region, age, size, and date of release on the proportion of fish showing resident‐type behavior, defined as recovery in Puget Sound fisheries outside the period when maturing salmon return from the coast. Based on 226 different release groups from 26 hatcheries throughout Puget Sound from 1972 to 1993, 24% of the fish recovered were classified as residents, though this is not an actual estimate of the percentage of fish displaying this distribution pattern. The best single predictor of residency was release region, suggesting that where fish enter the marine environment had the largest influence on whether they adopted resident behavior or migrated directly to the ocean. The overall best model included an interactive effect between release region and size at release, revealing that the propensity of large fish to remain resident varied significantly among regions. The actual mechanisms that create the diversity of distribution patterns are still unknown, but the effects of rearing conditions and release location provide useful information for the management of these salmon populations.
Multiscale Environmental Influences on Fish Assemblage Structure in Central Texas Streams
Authors: Pease Allison A. , Taylor Jason M. , Winemiller Kirk O. , King Ryan S. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractWe investigated the influences of local and landscape‐scale environmental variables on fish assemblage structure among 64 stream reaches in two large river basins in central Texas. The broad spatial extent of this study region provided an opportunity to examine fish assemblage–environment relationships at multiple scales across a range of stream types in landscapes exposed to varying degrees of anthropogenic alteration. We used nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) combined with permutational analysis of variance, k‐means cluster analysis, and indicator species analysis to evaluate broad‐scale influences of ecoregional and large river basin boundaries on fish assemblage structure. We also estimated relationships between fish assemblage structure and environmental factors with NMS and rotational vector fitting across all ecoregions and within ecoregions. Ordinations of sites based on species composition grouped stream reaches together according to ecoregion, and k‐means clustering identified three groups that corresponded with ecoregional membership. Several species had high affinities with specific ecoregions, a pattern that tracked broad‐scale physiographic differences in climate, topography, terrestrial vegetation, and instream habitat. Within ecoregions, we observed that local‐scale stream habitat variables as well as larger‐scale landscape features were significantly related to fish assemblage composition. Substrate composition was a key local‐scale habitat factor, and a gradient of rocky substrate to predominance of mud and silt correlated strongly with assemblage structure within all three ecoregions. The abundance of instream woody debris was also an important local‐scale correlate for fish assemblage structure. At the landscape scale, patterns of agricultural and urban land development in the surrounding watersheds were consistently associated with fish assemblage structure in each ecoregion. This study adds important information toward a better understanding of how environmental factors structure fish assemblages across scales, which should facilitate refinement of existing habitat and biological indices for conservation of stream habitats and their biota.
Genome wide copy number analysis of paediatric Burkitt lymphoma using formalin‐fixed tissues reveals a subset with gain of chromosome 13q and corresponding miRNA over expression
Authors: Schiffman Joshua D. , Lorimer Patrick D. , Rodic Vladimir , Jahromi Mona S. , Downie Jonathan M. , Bayerl Michael G. , Sanmann Jennifer N. , Althof Pamela A. , Sanger Warren G. , Barnette Phillip , Perkins Sherrie L. , Miles Rodney R. 
Published: October 2011

SummaryThe majority of paediatric Burkitt lymphoma (pBL) patients that relapse will die of disease, but markers for this high‐risk subset are unknown. MYC translocations characterize pBL, but additional genetic changes may relate to prognosis and serve as potential biomarkers. We utilized a molecular inversion probe single nucleotide polymorphism assay to perform high resolution, genome‐wide copy number analysis on archival formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded pBL and germline tissues. We identified copy number abnormalities (CNAs) in 18/28 patients (64%) with a total of 62 CNAs that included 32 gains and 30 copy number losses. We identified seven recurrent CNAs including 1q gain (7/28, 25%), 13q gain (3/28, 11%), and 17p loss (4/28, 14%). The minimum common amplified region on 13q was at 13q31 and included the MIR17HG (MIR17‐92) locus. Samples with this gain had higher levels of MIR17 RNA and showed a tendency for early relapse. Tumour‐specific uniparental disomy was identified in 32% of cases and usually was recurrent. These results demonstrate that high‐resolution copy number analysis can be performed on archival lymphoma tissue specimens, which has significance for the study of rare diseases.
Islands within islands: a molecular phylogenetic study of the Leucocroton alliance (Euphorbiaceae) across the Caribbean Islands and within the serpentinite archipelago of Cuba
Authors: Jestrow Brett , Gutiérrez Amaro Jorge , Francisco‐Ortega Javier 
Published: October 2011

AbstractAim  Our aim was to investigate the historical biogeography of the three genera of the Leucocroton alliance (i.e. Garciadelia Jestrow & Jiménez Rodr., Lasiocroton Griseb., and Leucocroton Griseb., Euphorbiaceae).Location The alliance is restricted to the Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola and Jamaica.Methods  Members of the Leucocroton alliance, along with representatives from tribe Adelieae (Adelia L. and Philyra Klotzsch.), were included in a molecular phylogenetic analysis based upon nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region of the nuclear ribosomal DNA and the non‐coding chloroplast regions psbM–trnD and ycf6–pcbM. The program s‐diva was used to calculate ancestral areas based on the phylogenetic trees and present species distributions.Results  Phylogenetic analyses support the monophyly of the three genera. The ancestral area of the Leucocroton alliance is eastern Cuba and Hispaniola. Ancestral forms of Leucocroton arose on eastern Cuba and underwent two migrations across the island. The ancestor of Lasiocroton also originated on eastern Cuba followed by later dispersal to and speciation events on the other islands. Our study also suggests that ancestral forms of the Leucocroton alliance probably occurred on limestone soils.Main conclusions  Our study concurs with previous hypotheses suggesting that the flora of serpentinite regions of the Caribbean derives from other types of soils. The serpentine endemics of the Leucocroton alliance have a single origin and represent one of the most extraordinary examples of speciation in this unique environment of the New World. The high colonization success achieved by the members of Leucocroton on serpentine soils was not attained by the other genera of the alliance, which occur on limestone areas.
Changes in stomatal function and water use efficiency in potato plants with altered sucrolytic activity
Authors: ANTUNES WERNER C. , PROVART NICHOLAS J. , WILLIAMS THOMAS C. R. , LOUREIRO MARCELO E. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTAs water availability for agriculture decreases, breeding or engineering of crops with improved water use efficiency (WUE) will be necessary. As stomata are responsible for controlling gas exchange across the plant epidermis, metabolic processes influencing solute accumulation in guard cells are potential targets for engineering. In addition to its role as an osmoticum, sucrose breakdown may be required for synthesis of other osmotica or generation of the ATP needed for solute uptake. Thus, alterations in partitioning of sucrose between storage and breakdown may affect stomatal function. In agreement with this hypothesis, potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants expressing an antisense construct targeted against sucrose synthase 3 (SuSy3) exhibited decreased stomatal conductance, a slight reduction in CO2 fixation and increased WUE. Conversely, plants with increased guard cell acid invertase activity caused by the introduction of the SUC2 gene from yeast had increased stomatal conductance, increased CO2 fixation and decreased WUE. 14CO2 feeding experiments indicated that these effects cannot be attributed to alterations in photosynthetic capacity, and most likely reflect alterations in stomatal function. These results highlight the important role that sucrose breakdown may play in guard cell function and indicate the feasibility of manipulating plant WUE through engineering of guard cell sucrose metabolism.
Low‐dose transdermal buprenorphine – long‐term use and co‐medication with other potentially addictive drugs
Authors: NORDBØ A. , SKURTVEIT S. , BORCHGREVINK P. C. , KAASA S. , FREDHEIM O. M. 
Published: October 2011

IntroductionRecently, low‐dose transdermal buprenorphine (LD‐TD‐BUP) was introduced for treatment of patients with chronic non‐malignant pain. The primary aim of this study was to determine the proportion of patients who were prescribed LD‐TD‐BUP for non‐malignant pain who became long‐term users. The secondary aim was to determine the proportion of patients who co‐medicated with other opioids or benzodiazepines during treatment with LD‐TD‐BUP.MethodsData were drawn from the Norwegian Prescription Database that covers all prescriptions dispensed at pharmacies to the entire Norwegian population (4.7 million inhabitants). The study population consisted of all patients who were dispensed at least one prescription of LD‐TD‐BUP from its introduction in November 2005 to 31 December 2008. Patients who were dispensed more than 24 patches (≥ 6 months) were defined as long‐term users. Reimbursement codes were used to stratify patients as having cancer pain or non‐malignant pain.ResultsAmong new users of LD‐TD‐BUP for non‐malignant pain (n = 13,451), only 22% became long‐term users, while 44% were only dispensed one prescription. Among long‐term users who were opioid naive when LD‐TD‐BUP was initiated, 43% co‐medicated with other opioids or benzodiazepines, compared with 82% of those who previously had used opioids.ConclusionThree years after introduction, 0.4% of the Norwegian population had been dispensed LD‐TD‐BUP. Only one‐fifth had become long‐term users. Those who used opioids before the first dispension of LD‐TD‐BUP co‐medicated with other potentially addictive drugs to a much higher degree compared with those who were opioid naive.
Forces applied to the maxillary incisors by video laryngoscopes and the Macintosh laryngoscope
Authors: LEE R. A. , VAN ZUNDERT A. A. J. , MAASSEN R. L. J. G. , WIERINGA P. A. 
Published: October 2011

BackgroundModern video laryngoscopes (VLSs) provide a superior view of the glottis, facilitating easier intubations. This study evaluates the forces applied to the maxillary incisors when using various VLSs and a Macintosh blade.MethodsFifty consecutive surgery patients were randomly assigned to receive laryngoscopy from a pair of four blades investigated in the study – the VLS GlideScope® (Verathon Inc., Bothell, WA, USA), V‐Mac™ Storz® (Karl Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany), and McGrath™ (Aircraft Medical, Edinburgh, United Kingdom); and the classic Macintosh blade also from Storz® (Karl Storz). An endotracheal tube (ETT) was brought into position anterior to the vocal cords, with actual intubation carried out only with the second of the laryngoscopes. Sensors measured the forces directly applied to the patient's maxillary incisors while inserting the ETT. Other common metrics of intubation difficulty (e.g. Mallampati grade, Cormack–Lehane grade, and time) were also recorded.ResultsOnly one patient was not intubated within the standard study parameters and was converted to the hospital protocols for difficult intubations. The forces applied to the maxillary incisors were significantly greater with the Macintosh blade compared with all VLSs. There were no differences between the VLSs with regard to the forces. Patient characteristics, including Mallampati grade, were not predictive of the forces applied.ConclusionsAll VLSs considered were safer for the patient than was the Macintosh blade in terms of the forces applied to the maxillary teeth, time, number of insertion attempts, and view achieved of the glottic arch. There is a small, but significant, difference in the time and number of insertion attempts required during laryngoscopy with the different VLSs. There was no difference in the forces applied. The geometry of the respective blades may be an important component in the ease of laryngoscopy.