bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of organ-specific donor risk indices#*†‡#
Authors: Akkina Sanjeev K. , Asrani Sumeet K. , Peng Yi , Stock Peter , Kim Ray W. , Israni Ajay K. 
Published: January 2012

Abstract
Because of the shortage of deceased donor organs, transplant centers accept organs from marginal deceased donors, including older donors. Organ-specific donor risk indices have been developed to predict graft survival with various combinations of donor and recipient characteristics. Here we review the kidney donor risk index (KDRI) and the liver donor risk index (LDRI) and compare and contrast their strengths, limitations, and potential uses. The KDRI has a potential role in developing new kidney allocation algorithms. The LDRI allows a greater appreciation of the importance of donor factors, particularly for hepatitis C virus–positive recipients; as the donor risk index increases, the rates of allograft and patient survival among these recipients decrease disproportionately. The use of livers with high donor risk indices is associated with increased hospital costs that are independent of recipient risk factors, and the transplantation of livers with high donor risk indices into patients with Model for End-Stage Liver Disease scores < 15 is associated with lower allograft survival; the use of the LDRI has limited this practice. Significant regional variations in donor quality, as measured by the LDRI, remain in the United States. We also review other potential indices for liver transplantation, including donor-recipient matching and the retransplant donor risk index. Although substantial progress has been made in developing donor risk indices to objectively assess donor variables that affect transplant outcomes, continued efforts are warranted to improve these indices to enhance organ allocation policies and optimize allograft survival. Liver Transpl 18:395–404, 2012. © 2012 AASLD.
Microwave‐assisted synthesis and characterization of biodegradable block copolyesters based on poly(3‐hydroxyalkanoate)s and poly(D,L‐lactide)
Authors: Ramier Julien , Renard Estelle , Grande Daniel 
Published: January 2012

AbstractMicrowave (MW)‐assisted ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) provides a rapid and straightforward method for engineering a wide array of well‐defined poly(3‐hydroxyalkanoate)‐b‐poly(D,L‐lactide) (PHA‐b‐PLA) diblock copolymers. On MW irradiation, the bulk ROP of D,L‐lactide (LA) could be efficiently triggered by a series of monohydroxylated PHA‐based macroinitiators previously produced via acid‐catalyzed methanolysis of corresponding native PHAs, thus affording diblock copolyesters with tunable compositions. The dependence of LA polymerization on temperature, macroinitiator structure, irradiation time, and [LA]0/[PHA]0 molar ratio was carefully investigated. It turned out that initiator efficiency values close to 1 associated with conversions ranging from 50 to 85% were obtained only after 5 min at 115 °C. A kinetic investigation of the MW‐assisted ROP of LA gave evidence of its “living”/controlled character under the experimental conditions selected. Structural analyses and thermal properties of biodegradable diblock copolyesters were also performed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012
Perceived Reciprocity and Well‐Being at Work in Non‐Professional Employees: Fairness or Self‐Interest?
Authors: Moliner Carolina , Martínez‐Tur Vicente , Peiró José M. , Ramos José , Cropanzano Russell 
Published: January 2012

AbstractThis article assesses the links between non‐professional employees' perceptions of reciprocity in their relationships with their supervisors and the positive and negative sides of employees' well‐being at work: burnout and engagement. Two hypotheses were explored. First, the fairness hypothesis assumes a curvilinear relationship where balanced reciprocity (when the person perceives that there is equilibrium between his/her efforts and the benefits he/she receives) presents the highest level of well‐being. Second, the self‐interest hypothesis proposes a linear pattern where over‐benefitted situations for employees (when the person perceives that he/she is receiving more than he/she deserves) increase well‐being. One study with two independent samples was conducted. The participants were 349 employees in 59 hotels (sample 1) and 690 employees in 89 centres providing attention to people with mental disabilities (sample 2). Linear and curvilinear regression models supported the self‐interest hypothesis for the links from reciprocity to burnout and engagement. We conclude with theoretical implications and opportunities for future research. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Characterization of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) biosynthesis by isolatedNovosphingobiumsp. THA_AIK7 using crude glycerol
Authors: Teeka Jantima , Imai Tsuyoshi , Reungsang Alissara , Cheng Xuehang , Yuliani Emma , Thiantanankul Jiruthakorn , Poomipuk Nathaporn , Yamaguchi Junki , Jeenanong Anan , Higuchi Takaya , Yamamoto Koichi , Sekine Masahiko 
Published: January 2012

AbstractBiodiesel-contaminated wastewater was used to screen for PHAs-producing bacteria by using crude glycerol as the sole carbon source. A gram-negative THA_AIK7 isolate was chosen as a potential PHAs producer. The 16S rRNA phylogeny indicated that THA_AIK7 isolate is a member of Novosphingobium genus which is supported by a bootstrap percentage of 100% with Novosphingobium capsulatum. The 1,487 bp of 16S rRNA gene sequence of THA_AIK7 isolate has been deposited in the GenBank database under the accession number HM031593. Polymer content of 45% cell dry weight was achieved in 72 h with maximum product yield coefficient of 0.29 g PHAs g−1 glycerol. Transmission electron micrograph results exhibited the PHAs granules accumulated inside the bacterial cell. PHAs polymer production in mineral salt media supplemented with 2% (w/v) of crude glycerol at initial pH 7 was extracted by the sodium hypochlorite method. Polymer film spectrographs from Nuclear magnetic resonance displayed a pattern of signal virtually identical to spectra of commercial PHB. Thermal analysis by Differential scanning calorimeter showed a melting temperature at 179°C. Molecular weight analysis by Gel permeation chromatography showed two main peaks of 133,000 and 700 g mol−1 with weight-average molecular weight value of 23,800 and number-average molecular weight value of 755. Endotoxin-free of PHAs polymer was preliminarily assessed by a negative result of the gel-clot formation, Pyrotell® Single test vial, at sensitivity of 0.25 EU ml−1. To our knowledge, this is the first reported test of endotoxin-free PHAs naturally produced from gram-negative bacteria which could be used for biomedical application.
Low prevalence of bovine tuberculosis in Somali pastoral livestock, southeast Ethiopia
Authors: Gumi Balako , Schelling Esther , Firdessa Rebuma , Erenso Girume , Biffa Demelash , Aseffa Abraham , Tschopp Rea , Yamuah Lawrence , Young Douglas , Zinsstag Jakob 
Published: January 2012

AbstractA cross-sectional study of bovine tuberculosis (BTB) detected by the comparative intradermal tuberculin test (CIDT) was conducted in livestock of the Somali region in southeast Ethiopia—in four pastoral associations from January to August 2009. In 94 herds, each of 15 cattle, camels, and goats was tested per herd leading to a total of 1,418 CIDT tested animals, with 421 cattle, 479 camels, and 518 goats. A herd was considered positive if it had at least one reactor. Prevalence per animal species was calculated using a xtgee model for each species. The individual animal prevalence was 2.0% [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.5–8.4], 0.4% (95% CI, 0.1–3%), and 0.2% (95% CI, 0.03–1.3) in cattle, camels, and goats, respectively. Prevalence of avian mycobacterium purified protein derivative (PPD) reactors in cattle, camels, and goats was 0.7% (95% CI, 0.2–2.0%), 10.0% (95% CI, 7.0–14.0%), and 1.9 (95% CI, 0.9–4.0%), respectively, whereby camels had an odds ratio of 16.5 (95% CI, 5.0–55.0) when compared to cattle. There was no significant difference between livestock species in BTB positivity. In the present study, the prevalence of bovine tuberculosis was low in Somali pastoral livestock in general and in camels and goats in particular. The high proportion of camel reactors to avian PPD needs further investigation of its impact on camel production.
The Effectiveness of the Exercise Education Programme on Fall Prevention of the Community-dwelling Elderly: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Chang Moonyoung , Huang Yan-hua , Jung Heyyoung 
Published: January 2012

Objective The purpose is to identify the effects of the exercise education programme on fall prevention of community-dwelling elderly. Methods A single blind preliminary randomized control trial was conducted. Participants (N = 10) in the experimental group was assigned to an exercise education programme which consisted of 28 sessions, 30∼40 minutes per day for 4 weeks and a self-management telephone monitoring programme once every two days. Participants (N = 8) in the control group received no intervention. The effectiveness of exercise education programme was measured by fall index, balance confidence scale, and balance scale. Results The fall risks decreased from moderate to minimum in the experimental group (p < .001). Balance confidence scores increased, especially 6 items measured statistically significant increases (p < .05). However, balance scores did not show statistically significant improvement. Conclusion The exercise education programme might be effective for fall prevention of community-dwelling elderly.
The Development of a Scoring System for the Kinetic House-Tree-Person Drawing Test
Authors: Li Chih-Ying , Chen Tsyr-Jang , Helfrich Christine , Pan Ay-Woan 
Published: January 2012

Objective/Background The Kinetic House-Tree-Person Test (KHTPT) is already in widespread use amongst psychiatric occupational therapists in Taiwan, but the psychometric attributes of the test are somewhat limited. The primary aims of this study are to develop a quantitative scoring system for the KHTPT and carry out an assessment of its psychometric attributes. Methods Based on the test manual and the related literature, we identified 35 drawing characteristics relating to anxiety and depression, and we recruited 323 participants from two universities in northern Taiwan to participate in our study. These participants, who had a mean age of 20.1 years (SD = 3.0), were instructed to draw a KHTPT picture, and were then asked to complete related questionnaires. The data were subsequently analysed using WINSTEPS (Beavertown, Oregon: Winsteps.com ) and SPSS (SPSS Inc., Chicago). Results The results revealed that all of the items of the scoring system provided a good fit with the Rasch measurement model, with the Cronbach's alpha for the scale being .94. The Spearman correlation coefficients of the Rasch-transformed KHTPT scores with the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, and the National Taiwan University Hospital Symptom Checklist were all found to be small, albeit with statistical significance (Spearman correlation coefficients, r = .140–-.226). Conclusion This study demonstrates our proposed KHTPT scoring system has eminently acceptable construct validity and internal consistency. We suggest that future studies should include patients with psychiatric disorders at varying degrees of severity or functional level to examine the applicability and predictive validity of our proposed scoring system.
Branding the brain: A critical review and outlook
Authors: Plassmann Hilke , Ramsøy Thomas Zoëga , Milosavljevic Milica 
Published: January 2012

AbstractThe application of neuroscience to marketing, and in particular to the consumer psychology of brands, has gained popularity over the past decade in the academic and the corporate world. In this paper, we provide an overview of the current and previous research in this area and explain why researchers and practitioners alike are excited about applying neuroscience to the consumer psychology of brands. We identify critical issues of past research and discuss how to address these issues in future research. We conclude with our vision of the future potential of research at the intersection of neuroscience and consumer psychology.
Comparison of Gd‐Bz‐TTDA, Gd‐EOB‐DTPA, and Gd‐BOPTA for dynamic MR imaging of the liver in rat models
Authors: Jaw Twei‐Shiun , Chen Shih‐Hsien , Wang Yun‐Ming , Hsu Jui‐Sheng , Kuo Yu‐Ting , Chiu Yen‐Yu , Tsai Kun‐Bow , Hsieh Tsyh‐Jyi , Liu Gin‐Chung 
Published: January 2012

AbstractTo evaluate the competitive potential of a new lipophilic paramagnetic complex, Gd‐Bz‐TTDA [4‐benzyl‐3,6,10‐tri (carboxymethyl)‐3,6,10‐triazado‐decanedioic acid] compared with two other commercially available MR hepatobiliary contrast agents, gadobenate dimeglumine (Gd‐BOPTA) and gadoxetic acid (Gd‐EOB‐DTPA), dynamic MR imaging studies were performed on normal and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) rat models using a 1.5‐Tesla MR scanner. The results indicate that normal rats that were injected with 0.1 mmol/kg Gd‐Bz‐TTDA showed significantly more intense and persistent liver enhancement than those that were injected with the same dose of Gd‐EOB‐DTPA or Gd‐BOPTA. All of these agents showed similar enhancement patterns in the implanted HCC. The liver‐lesion contrast‐to‐noise ratios were higher and more persistent in rats that were injected with Gd‐Bz‐TTDA. These results indicate that Gd‐Bz‐TTDA is comparable with the commercially available hepatobiliary agents, Gd‐EOB‐DTPA and Gd‐BOPTA, and can result in more intense and prolonged liver enhancement while still providing better liver‐lesion discrimination. These results warrant further large‐scale studies.
The toxin component of targeted anti‐tumor toxins determines their efficacy increase by saponins
Authors: Weng Alexander , Thakur Mayank , Beceren-Braun Figen , Bachran Diana , Bachran Christopher , Riese Sebastian B. , Jenett-Siems Kristina , Gilabert-Oriol Roger , Melzig Matthias F. , Fuchs Hendrik 
Published: January 2012

AbstractTumor‐targeting protein toxins are composed of a toxic enzyme coupled to a specific cell binding domain that targets cancer‐associated antigens. The anti‐tumor treatment by targeted toxins is accompanied by dose‐limiting side effects. The future prospects of targeted toxins for therapeutic use in humans will be determined by reduce side effects. Certain plant secondary metabolites (saponins) were shown to increase the efficacy of a particular epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)‐targeted toxin, paralleled by a tremendous decrease of side effects.This study was conducted in order to investigate the effects of substituting different toxin moieties fused to an EGF ligand binding domain on the augmentative ability of saponins for each against therapeutic potential of the saponin‐mediated efficacy increase for different anti‐tumor toxins targeting the EGFR.We designed several EGFR‐targeted toxins varying in the toxic moiety. Each targeted toxin was used in combination with a purified saponin (SA1641), isolated from the ornamental plant Gypsophila paniculata L. SA1641 was characterized and the SA1641‐mediated efficacy increase was investigated on EGFR‐transfected NIH‐3T3 cells.We observed a high dependency of the SA1641‐mediated efficacy increase on the nature of toxin used for the construction of the targeted toxin, indicating high specificity.Structural alignments revealed a high homology between saporin and dianthin‐30, the two toxic moieties that benefit most from the combination with SA1641.We further demonstrate that SA1641 did not influence the plasma membrane permeability, indicating an intracellular interaction of SA1641 and the toxin components of targeted toxins. Surface plasmon resonance measurements point to a transient binding of SA1641 to the toxin components of targeted toxins.
A Hidden Reservoir of Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Vancomycin‐resistant Enterococcus in Patients Newly Admitted to an Acute Rehabilitation Hospital
Authors: Rabinowitz Ronald P. , Kufera Joseph A. , Makley Michael J. 
Published: January 2012

ObjectiveTo find hidden reservoirs of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin‐resistant Enterococcus (VRE) via active surveillance cultures for MRSA and VRE in newly admitted patients.DesignA prospective, cohort, screening study. The period of surveillance was 3 months in the winter of 2006‐2007.SettingA freestanding academic and community rehabilitation hospital.ParticipantsA total of 540 consecutive patients admitted to a freestanding rehabilitation hospital.MethodsAll of the patients were screened for MRSA and VRE upon admission to the hospital.Main Outcome MeasureThe number of new patients identified with either MRSA or VRE colonization.ResultsA total of 540 patients were screened, of whom 42 (7.8%) had pre‐existing MRSA status, 8 (1.5%) had pre‐existing VRE status, and 10 (1.9%) had a history of positive results for both MRSA and VRE. Of the 480 patients without pre‐existing positive cultures, admission swabs were positive for MRSA in 37 patients (7.7%), swabs were positive for VRE in 33 patients (6.9%), and swabs for both MRSA and VRE were newly positive for 7 patients (1.5%). Therefore 16% of the patients without a history of MRSA or VRE had a new finding of MRSA or VRE. Regression analysis revealed that prior bacteremia was a risk factor for MRSA; diabetes mellitus and a history of pneumonia and trimethoprim‐sulfamethoxazole use were risk factors for VRE.ConclusionWe found a 16% incidence of a hidden reservoir of multiple drug‐resistant organisms in patients admitted to rehabilitation hospitals. We believe that all patients admitted to a rehabilitation facility should be screened for MRSA and VRE.
Assumption weighting for incorporating heterogeneity into meta-analysis of genomic data
Authors: Li Yihan , Ghosh Debashis 
Published: January 2012

AbstractMotivation: There is now a large literature on statistical methods for the meta-analysis of genomic data from multiple studies. However, a crucial assumption for performing many of these analyses is that the data exhibit small between-study variation or that this heterogeneity can be sufficiently modelled probabilistically.Results: In this article, we propose ‘assumption weighting’, which exploits a weighted hypothesis testing framework proposed by Genovese et al. to incorporate tests of between-study variation into the meta-analysis context. This methodology is fast and computationally simple to implement. Several weighting schemes are considered and compared using simulation studies. In addition, we illustrate application of the proposed methodology using data from several high-profile stem cell gene expression datasets.Availability: http://works.bepress.com/debashis_ghosh/50/Contact: ghoshd@psu.edu
Literature mining of host–pathogen interactions: comparing feature-based supervised learning and language-based approaches
Authors: Thieu Thanh , Joshi Sneha , Warren Samantha , Korkin Dmitry 
Published: January 2012

Abstract
Motivation: In an infectious disease, the pathogen's strategy to enter the host organism and breach its immune defenses often involves interactions between the host and pathogen proteins. Currently, the experimental data on host–pathogen interactions (HPIs) are scattered across multiple databases, which are often specialized to target a specific disease or host organism. An accurate and efficient method for the automated extraction of HPIs from biomedical literature is crucial for creating a unified repository of HPI data.
Results: Here, we introduce and compare two new approaches to automatically detect whether the title or abstract of a PubMed publication contains HPI data, and extract the information about organisms and proteins involved in the interaction. The first approach is a feature-based supervised learning method using support vector machines (SVMs). The SVM models are trained on the features derived from the individual sentences. These features include names of the host/pathogen organisms and corresponding proteins or genes, keywords describing HPI-specific information, more general protein–protein interaction information, experimental methods and other statistical information. The language-based method employed a link grammar parser combined with semantic patterns derived from the training examples. The approaches have been trained and tested on manually curated HPI data. When compared to a naïve approach based on the existing protein–protein interaction literature mining method, our approaches demonstrated higher accuracy and recall in the classification task. The most accurate, feature-based, approach achieved 66–73% accuracy, depending on the test protocol.
Availability: Both approaches are available through PHILM web-server: http://korkinlab.org/philm.html
Contact: korkin@korkinlab.org
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Functional microRNA targets in protein coding sequences
Authors: Reczko Martin , Maragkakis Manolis , Alexiou Panagiotis , Grosse Ivo , Hatzigeorgiou Artemis G. 
Published: January 2012

Abstract
Motivation: Experimental evidence has accumulated showing that microRNA (miRNA) binding sites within protein coding sequences (CDSs) are functional in controlling gene expression.
Results: Here we report a computational analysis of such miRNA target sites, based on features extracted from existing mammalian high-throughput immunoprecipitation and sequencing data. The analysis is performed independently for the CDS and the 3′-untranslated regions (3′-UTRs) and reveals different sets of features and models for the two regions. The two models are combined into a novel computational model for miRNA target genes, DIANA-microT-CDS, which achieves higher sensitivity compared with other popular programs and the model that uses only the 3′-UTR target sites. Further analysis indicates that genes with shorter 3′-UTRs are preferentially targeted in the CDS, suggesting that evolutionary selection might favor additional sites on the CDS in cases where there is restricted space on the 3′-UTR.
Availability: The results of DIANA-microT-CDS are available at www.microrna.gr/microT-CDS
Contact: hatzigeorgiou@fleming.gr; reczko@fleming.gr
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
TurboKnot: rapid prediction of conserved RNA secondary structures including pseudoknots
Authors: Seetin Matthew G. , Mathews David H. 
Published: January 2012

Abstract
Motivation: Many RNA molecules function without being translated into proteins, and function depends on structure. Pseudoknots are motifs in RNA secondary structures that are difficult to predict but are also often functionally important.
Results: TurboKnot is a new algorithm for predicting the secondary structure, including pseudoknotted pairs, conserved across multiple sequences. TurboKnot finds 81.6% of all known base pairs in the systems tested, and 75.6% of predicted pairs were found in the known structures. Pseudoknots are found with half or better of the false-positive rate of previous methods.
Availability: The program is available for download under an open-source license as part of the RNAstructure package at: http://rna.urmc.rochester.edu.
Contact: david_mathews@urmc.rochester.edu
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.