bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of exercise‐induced improvements in the contractile apparatus of the mammalian myocardium
Authors: Kemi O. J. , Wisløff U. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractOne of the main outcomes of aerobic endurance exercise training is the improved maximal oxygen uptake, and this is pivotal to the improved work capacity that follows the exercise training. Improved maximal oxygen uptake in turn is at least partly achieved because exercise training increases the ability of the myocardium to produce a greater cardiac output. In healthy subjects, this has been demonstrated repeatedly over many decades. It has recently emerged that this scenario may also be true under conditions of an initial myocardial dysfunction. For instance, myocardial improvements may still be observed after exercise training in post‐myocardial infarction heart failure. In both health and disease, it is the changes that occur in the individual cardiomyocytes with respect to their ability to contract that by and large drive the exercise training‐induced adaptation to the heart. Here, we review the evidence and the mechanisms by which exercise training induces beneficial changes in the mammalian myocardium, as obtained by means of experimental and clinical studies, and argue that these changes ultimately alter the function of the whole heart and contribute to the changes in whole‐body function.
Extracellular Matrix in Multiple Sclerosis Lesions: Fibrillar Collagens, Biglycan and Decorin are Upregulated and Associated with Infiltrating Immune Cells
Authors: Mohan Hema , Krumbholz Markus , Sharma Rakhi , Eisele Sylvia , Junker Andreas , Sixt Michael , Newcombe Jia , Wekerle Hartmut , Hohlfeld Reinhard , Lassmann Hans , Meinl Edgar 
Published: March 2010

AbstractExtracellular matrix (ECM) proteins can modify immune reactions, e.g. by sequestering or displaying growth factors and by interacting with immune and glial cells. Here we quantified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) expression of 50 ECM components and 34 ECM degrading enzymes in multiple sclerosis (MS) active and inactive white matter lesions. COL1A1, COL3A1, COL5A1 and COL5A2 chains were induced strongly in active lesions and even more in inactive lesions. These chains interact to form collagen types I, III and V, which are fibrillar collagens. Biglycan and decorin, which can decorate fibrillar collagens, were also induced strongly. The fibrillar collagens, biglycan and decorin were largely found between the endothelium and astrocytic glia limitans in the perivascular space where they formed a meshwork which was closely associated with infiltrating immune cells. In active lesions collagen V was also seen in the heavily infiltrated parenchyma. Fibrillar collagens I and III inhibited in vitro human monocyte production of CCL2 (MCP‐1), an inflammatory chemokine involved in recruitment of immune cells. Together, ECM changes in lesions with different activities were quantified and proteins forming a perivascular fibrosis were identified. Induced fibrillar collagens may contribute to limiting enlargement of MS lesions by inhibiting the production of CCL2 by monocytes.
Pathogenesis of Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus‐induced disease
Authors: Roos Raymond P. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractTheiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) is a member of the Cardiovirus genus of the Picornaviridae family. Interest in TMEV is at least partly related to the fact that the Daniels (DA) strain and other members of Theiler’s original (TO) subgroup induce an inflammatory demyelinating disease in which the virus persists for the life of the mouse. This disease resembles multiple sclerosis because of the similar pathology and because the immune system seems to play an important role in both. The present review describes features of TMEV and the importance of both virus persistence as well as the immune system in the pathogenesis of DA virus‐induced demyelinating disease. (Clin. Exp. Neuroimmunol. doi: 10.1111/j.1759‐1961.2010.00008.x, 2010)
REVIEW: Presocratic Philosophy
Authors: DuBose Shannon 
Published: March 2010

A discussion of W. K. C. Guthrie, A History of Greek Philosophy, Vol. I, The Earlier Presocratics and the Pythagoreans (xv/538 pp.); Vol. 11, The Presocratic Tradition from Parmenides to Democritus (xvii/553 pp.) Cambridge University PresF. M. Cleve, The Giants of PreSophistic Greek Philosophy, An Attempt to Reconstruct Their Thoughts, Martinus NijhoffD. E. Gershenson and D. A. Greenberg, Anaxagoras and the Birth of Physics, Blaisdell Publishing CompanyG. E. R. Lloyd, Polarity and Analogy, Cambridge University Press, 1966 (v/503 pp.)
FOUNDATIONS OF A KANTIAN THEORY OF PUNISHMENT
Authors: Corlett J. Angelo 
Published: March 2010

AbstractIt has recently been argued that there is probably no theory of punishment to be found in Immanuel Kant's writings, but that “if one selects carefully among the many remarks and insights that Kant has left us about crime and punishment, one might even be able to build such an edifice from the bricks provided.”1 In this paper, I seek to provide part of a foundation of a Kantian theory of punishment, one which is consistent with many, if not all, of Kant's own insights on justice. Finally, I assess the plausibility of Kant's view.
KinD Is a Checkpoint Protein Linking Spore Formation to Extracellular-Matrix Production in Bacillus subtilis Biofilms
Authors: Aguilar Claudio , Vlamakis Hera , Guzman Alejandra , Losick Richard , Kolter Roberto 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT

Bacillus subtilis
cells form multicellular biofilm communities in which spatiotemporal regulation of gene expression occurs, leading to differentiation of multiple coexisting cell types. These cell types include matrix-producing and sporulating cells. Extracellular matrix production and sporulation are linked in that a mutant unable to produce matrix is delayed for sporulation. Here, we show that the delay in sporulation is not due to a growth advantage of the matrix-deficient mutant under these conditions. Instead, we show that the link between matrix production and sporulation is through the Spo0A signaling pathway. Both processes are regulated by the phosphorylated form of the master transcriptional regulator Spo0A. When cells have low levels of phosphorylated Spo0A (Spo0A~P), matrix genes are expressed; however, at higher levels of Spo0A~P, sporulation commences. We have found that Spo0A~P levels are maintained at low levels in the matrix-deficient mutant, thereby delaying expression of sporulation-specific genes. This is due to the activity of one of the components of the Spo0A phosphotransfer network, KinD. A deletion of
kinD
suppresses the sporulation defect of matrix mutants, while its overproduction delays sporulation. Our data indicate that KinD displays a dual role as a phosphatase or a kinase and that its activity is linked to the presence of extracellular matrix in the biofilms. We propose a novel role for KinD in biofilms as a checkpoint protein that regulates the onset of sporulation by inhibiting the activity of Spo0A until matrix, or a component therein, is sensed.

IMPORTANCE
A question in the field of biofilm development has remained virtually unaddressed: how do the biofilm cells sense the completion of the synthesis of extracellular matrix? The presence of an extracellular matrix that holds the cells together is a defining feature of biofilms. How cells sense that matrix has been assembled and how this signal is transduced have not been investigated.
Bacillus subtilis
provides an excellent system in which to address this question, as the molecular pathways involved in regulation of differentiation are well characterized. We provide the first evidence for a protein that senses the presence of matrix. We identify a membrane sensor histidine kinase, KinD, that alters its activity, depending on the presence or absence of the extracellular matrix. This activity feeds back to the master regulator Spo0A to regulate expression of genes involved in producing matrix and genes necessary for the progression into sporulation.
Effects of experimental freezing on soil nitrogen dynamics in soils from a net nitrification gradient in a nitrogen-saturated hardwood forest ecosystem
Authors: Gilliam Frank S. , Cook Adam , Lyter Salina 
Published: March 2010

This study examined effects of soil freezing on N dynamics in soil along an N processing gradient within a mixed hardwood dominated watershed at Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia. Sites were designated as LN (low rates of N processing), ML (moderately low), MH (moderately high), and HN (high). Soils underwent three 7-day freezing treatments (0, –20, or –80 °C) in the laboratory. Responses varied between temperature treatments and along the gradient. Initial effects differed among freezing treatments for net N mineralization, but not nitrification, in soils across the gradient, generally maintained at LN < ML ≤ MH < HN for all treatments. Net N mineralization potential was higher following freezing at –20 and –80 °C than control; all were higher than at 0 °C. Net nitrification potential exhibited similar patterns. LN was an exception, with net nitrification low regardless of treatment. Freezing response of N mineralization differed greatly from that of nitrification, suggesting that soil freezing may decouple two processes of the soil N cycle that are otherwise tightly linked at our site. Results also suggest that soil freezing at temperatures commonly experienced at this site can further increase net nitrification in soils already exhibiting high nitrification from N saturation.
Patterns in whitebark pine regeneration and their relationships to biophysical site characteristics in southwest Montana, central Idaho, and Oregon, USA
Authors: Larson Evan R. , Kipfmueller Kurt F. 
Published: March 2010

Declines of whitebark pine ( Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) have occurred across much of the species’ range over the last 40 years due to mountain pine beetle outbreaks and white pine blister rust infection. Management efforts to stem these declines are increasing, yet the long-term success of whitebark pine depends on the species itself adapting to the modern environment. Natural regeneration will be a critical part of this process. We examined patterns in natural whitebark pine regeneration as related to the biophysical environment in sixty 0.1 ha plots in Montana, Idaho, and Oregon. Whitebark pine regeneration was present in 97% of our plots and varied widely in density from 0 to 17 000 seedlings/ha and 0 to 2680 saplings/ha. Using nonparametric correlation analysis and ordination techniques, we found whitebark pine regeneration abundance was unrelated to stand age but significantly related to several biophysical site characteristics, including positive relationships with elevation and canopy tree mortality caused by mountain pine beetle and negative relationships with moisture availability, temperature, and subalpine fir importance. Our findings indicate that whitebark pine is regenerating in many areas and that the widespread mortality from recent mountain pine beetle outbreaks may provide suitable settings for whitebark pine regeneration given sufficient seed sources.
Natural regeneration of white spruce in aspen-dominated boreal mixedwoods following harvesting
Authors: Martin-DeMoor Jonathan , Lieffers Victor J. , Macdonald S. Ellen 
Published: March 2010

In some boreal forests sites, there are considerable amounts of natural regeneration of white spruce ( Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) after logging, even without silvicultural treatments to encourage establishment. We assessed the factors controlling the amount of this regeneration 8–15 years postharvest on previously aspen-dominated ( Populus tremuloides Michx.) boreal mixedwood sites. We surveyed 162 transects across 81 cutovers, exploring the effects of mast years, season of harvest, distribution of seed trees, weather conditions around the time of harvest, and abundance of grass or woody vegetation on white spruce regeneration. Substantial amounts of naturally regenerated white spruce were found; however, sites with no seed trees had virtually no spruce regeneration. Average stocking was 7% (percentage of 9 m2plots along a transect across a cutover that had at least one seedling), ranging from 0% to 62%. Stocking levels were higher in cutblocks that had been harvested in the summer, prior to seedfall of a mast year, and where there was a seed source within 60 m. Stocking was lower when conditions were cool and wet the year before and 2 years after harvest and when the site contained extensive cover of grass or woody vegetation.
COUPLED CHEMOTAXIS FLUID MODEL
Authors: LORZ ALEXANDER 
Published: March 2010

We consider a model system for the collective behavior of oxygen-driven swimming bacteria in an aquatic fluid. In certain parameter regimes, such suspensions of bacteria feature large-scale convection patterns as a result of the hydrodynamic interaction between bacteria. The presented model consist of a parabolic–parabolic chemotaxis system for the oxygen concentration and the bacteria density coupled to an incompressible Stokes equation for the fluid driven by a gravitational force of the heavier bacteria. We show local existence of weak solutions in a bounded domain in ℝd, d = 2, 3 with no-flux boundary condition and in ℝ2 in the case of inhomogeneous Dirichlet conditions for the oxygen.
Evaluating a web-based MMR decision aid to support informed decision-making by UK parents: A before-and-after feasibility study
Authors: Jackson Cath , Cheater Francine M , Peacock Rose , Leask Julie , Trevena Lyndal 
Published: March 2010

Objective: The objective of this feasibility study was to evaluate the acceptability and potential effectiveness of a web-based MMR decision aid in supporting informed decision-making for the MMR vaccine. Design: This was a prospective before-and-after evaluation. Setting: Thirty parents of children eligible for MMR vaccination were recruited from two childcare organizations in a moderately deprived community in a city in the north of England. Method: Parents completed postal questionnaires at recruitment, one week and three months after using the decision aid. Data on the acceptability of the decision aid, informed decision-making outcome measures and vaccine uptake were collected. Telephone interviews were conducted with five parents. Acceptability data were analysed using simple descriptive statistics. Repeated measures ANOVAs were undertaken for analysing the informed decision-making data. Content analysis of the qualitative data was undertaken. Results: Twenty six parents (87 per cent) completed all three study questionnaires. The decision aid was found to be acceptable to parents and was considered useful in supporting their informed decision-making. There was a statistically significant increase in parents’ knowledge over time and statistically significant decrease in decisional conflict for the MMR decision. Most parents (88 per cent) reported vaccinating their child. Conclusions: We cannot extrapolate from our data to infer that the decision aid has changed decision-making outcomes or influenced vaccination uptake. However, findings suggest that it may increase knowledge about MMR and reduce decisional conflict to a level where parents can make an informed decision. A randomized controlled trial is now underway to expand on these findings.
Identifying barriers to promoting healthy nutrition in New Zealand primary schools
Authors: Walton Mat , Waiti Jordan , Signal Louise , Thomson George 
Published: March 2010

Background. Schools are often identified as a site for intervention to improve the diets of students, and help prevent excess weight gain and obesity. Rates of overweight and obesity amongst school children have risen in much of the world, including New Zealand, with unequal distribution by ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Objective. To identify barriers to improving school food environments and promoting healthy nutrition experienced by primary schools in New Zealand. Methods. Five primary schools (ages 5—10 or 5—12 years) were recruited within Wellington, New Zealand. Data included: interviews with school management; school food policy documents; school lunch/food sales; and location of food outlets and outdoor food advertisements surrounding the schools. A case-comparison approach identified barriers to promoting healthy nutrition within primary schools in New Zealand. Results. Common barriers in all schools included the high proportion of food brought to school from home, the crowded curriculum and limited resources to implement changes. Barriers that varied across socioeconomic contexts included the ability of home and community settings to support healthy diets, the degree to which schools relied on fundraising, and engagement of parents and families with the school food environment. Conclusion. New Zealand primary schools face a number of barriers to promoting healthy nutrition related to time and resource constraints, with limited influence on children’s diets in relation to home and community settings. Incremental actions to improve school food environments seem most effective, supported by external agency expertise. The nature of external support should to be tailored to the needs of the individual school.
The WellingTONNE Challenge Toolkit: Using the RE-AIM framework to evaluate a community resource promoting healthy lifestyle behaviours
Authors: Caperchione Cristina , Coulson Fiona 
Published: March 2010

Objective: The RE-AIM framework has been recognized as a tool to evaluate the adoption, delivery, and sustainability of an intervention, and estimate its potential public health impact. In this study four dimensions of the RE-AIM framework (adoption, implementation, effectiveness, and maintenance) were used to evaluate the WellingTONNE Challenge Toolkit, a step-by-step resource explaining how to develop, implement and disseminate a healthy lifestyle community intervention. Design: Process evaluation. Methods: In association with the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing (DHA), a self-report questionnaire was distributed to individuals from health care organizations, local councils and community organizations throughout Australia who had received and/or requested the WellingTONNE Challenge Toolkit from the DHA. Results: The RE-AIM dimensions revealed a high adoption rate and confirmed that the toolkit was being implemented for what it was intended to be implemented for and was an effective resource for initiating, maintaining and encouraging a healthy lifestyle. Lastly, the evaluation highlighted that most participants would maintain use of the toolkit in future projects. Conclusion: The RE-AIM framework provided valuable information concerning the uptake, implementation and usability of the WellingTONNE Challenge Toolkit, however, future research should address the behavioural outcomes associated with using the toolkit in order to provide a clearer understanding of how research can be translated into public health practice.
Evidence-based health policy: A preliminary systematic review
Authors: Morgan Gareth 
Published: March 2010

Objective: The development of evidence-based health policy is challenging. This study has attempted to identify some of the underpinning factors that promote the development of evidence based health policy. Methods: A preliminary systematic literature review of published reviews with ‘evidence based health policy’ in their title was conducted using PubMed as a search engine. The identified papers were critically analysed using a ‘realist review’ method, driven by the question ‘What works for whom in what circumstances and in what respects?’. Results: Eight published reviews met the search criteria. Following the ‘realist review’, six factors that underpin the development of evidence-based health policy were identified. They are: (i) the importance and value of having multi-disciplinary teams; (ii) the need to have a broad evidence base to draw upon; (iii) the circular relationship between research and policy; (iv) the need for policy implementation to be locally sensitive; (v) the benefit of stakeholder involvement; (vi) support by the national Government. Conclusion: The six factors identified provide a framework for consideration for those whose work involves evidence-based health policy development. As a corollary, the failure to satisfy these factors in evidence-based health policy development may lead to resistance to policy change and further work is warranted.
Comprehension of a colon cancer pamphlet among American adults at least 50 years of age
Authors: Liu Chiung-ju 
Published: March 2010

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify determinants of comprehension of an educational pamphlet on colon cancer, by adults at least 50 years of age living in the United States. Design: Data were analysed from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy survey.The survey was designed to assess functional English literacy, which included reading a colon cancer pamphlet, among American adults. Setting: The survey was carried out at interviewees’ homes. Method: Data from 1231 adults who were 50 years of age or older were selected for the current study (mean age = 63.22 years). Results: Multiple regression analysis revealed that comprehension difficulties increased with age ( β = —0.13, p < 0.001). Non-Black minority adults had poorer comprehension than Whites ( β = —0.10, p < 0.001). Adults with a high school or further education had better comprehension than those with lower-level education ( β = 0.22, p < 0.001). Comprehension was higher among adults who often received health information by talking to their health providers ( β = —0.12, p < 0.001), and for adults who had high levels of verbal-reading fluency ( β = 0.24, p < 0.001). In addition, increased English reading habits alone only marginally contributed to comprehension of the pamphlet ( β = —0.06, p = 0.06). Conclusion: Understanding the pamphlet was related to age, ethnic background, education, reading fluency and experiences in communication with health providers. Increasing communication between health providers and patients or tailoring the written materials to improve adults’ knowledge of colon cancer is recommended.