bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Morphometric analysis of neuronal and glial cell pathology in
the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in late-life depression
Authors: Khundakar Ahmad , Morris Christopher , Oakley Arthur , McMeekin William , Thomas Alan J. 
Published: July 2009

BackgroundLate-life depression has been associated with cerebrovascular disease and
especially with ischaemic white matter hyperintensities on magnetic
resonance imaging. Neuroimaging and morphometric studies have identified
abnormalities in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.AimsTo examine glial and neuronal density and neuronal volume in the
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in late-life major depression.MethodWe used the disector and nucleator methods to estimate neuronal density
and volume and glial density of cells in the dorsolateral prefrontal
cortex in a post-mortem study of 17 individuals with late-life major
depression and 10 age-matched controls.ResultsWe found a reduction in the volume of pyramidal neurones in the whole
cortex, which was also present in layer 3 and more markedly in layer 5.
There were no comparable changes in non-pyramidal neurones and no glial
differences.ConclusionsOverall, we found a decrease in pyramidal neuronal size in the
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in late-life depression.
Childhood neuropsychological deficits associated with adult
obsessive–compulsive disorder
Authors: Grisham Jessica R. , Anderson Tracy M. , Poulton Richie , Moffitt Terrie E. , Andrews Gavin 
Published: July 2009

BackgroundExisting neuropsychological studies of obsessive–compulsive disorder
(OCD) are cross-sectional and do not provide evidence of whether deficits
are trait-related (antecedent and independent of symptomatology) or
state-related (a consequence, dependent on symptomatology).AimsTo investigate whether there are premorbid neuropsychological deficits
associated with adult OCD.MethodLongitudinal data were collected from participants of the Dunedin
Multidisciplinary Health and Developmental study. Neuropsychological data
collected at age 13 were linked with age 32 diagnosis of OCD.ResultsThe group who had OCD at age 32 differed significantly from the control
group with no OCD on their performance at age 13 on neuropsychological
tests of visuospatial, visuoconstructive and visuomotor skills,
controlling for gender and socioeconomic status, but did not differ on
tests of general IQ or verbal ability. Performance of the group with OCD
on tests of executive functioning was mixed.ConclusionsIndividuals with OCD have premorbid impairment in visuospatial abilities
and some forms of executive functioning, consistent with biological
models of OCD.
Managing outcome performance in mental health using HoNOS: experience at St Andrew's Healthcare
Authors: Sugarman Philip , Walker Lorraine , Dickens Geoff 
Published: July 2009

Aims and MethodModern mental healthcare providers must demonstrate service-level clinical effectiveness to key stakeholders. We introduced two performance indicators of clinical effectiveness based on outcome data from routinely collected Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) and HoNOS–secure assessments across St Andrew's Healthcare, a charity providing in-patient services in Northampton and Essex. We present outcome data from the period 2004–2007.ResultsThe indicators showed consistent 90-day improvement rates and increasing stability over time. the validity of results is supported by levels of change along predicted lines among different patient cohorts.Clinical ImplicationsIt is possible and beneficial to use routine outcome measures to demonstrate clinical effectiveness at service level. the future of managing mental health outcomes will be in electronic health records systems.
Explaining Social Mobilization in Pakistan: A Comparative Case Study of Baluchistan and Azad Kashmir
Authors: Surendra Shanna Dietz 
Published: July 2009

The striking ethnic and linguistic diversity within Pakistan's highly centralized state makes it a prime target for social mobilization, especially in the form of secessionist movements. However, Pakistan's various states and territories have experienced extreme variation in social mobilization since the nation's creation. This article addresses this variation by looking at two opposing cases: Baluchistan and Azad Kashmir. Baluchistan, a tribal land of distinct culture and tradition, has experienced five ethnonationalist movements since 1947, including the ensuing insurgency. Azad Kashmir, by comparison, has experienced no major anti-Islamabad movements despite its independent culture and ample grievances.
Employing a comparative case study methodology, I argue that social mobilization in the Pakistani state is the result not simply of grievances, as other scholars have argued, but of a combination of unique opportunities that encourage rebellion, including economic viability and organizational advantage.
Biofluiddynamic scaling of flapping, spinning and translating fins and wings
Authors: Lentink David , Dickinson Michael H. 
Published: July 2009

SUMMARYOrganisms that swim or fly with fins or wings physically interact with the surrounding water and air. The interactions are governed by the morphology and kinematics of the locomotory system that form boundary conditions to the Navier–Stokes (NS) equations. These equations represent Newton's law of motion for the fluid surrounding the organism. Several dimensionless numbers,such as the Reynolds number and Strouhal number, measure the influence of morphology and kinematics on the fluid dynamics of swimming and flight. There exists, however, no coherent theoretical framework that shows how such dimensionless numbers of organisms are linked to the NS equation. Here we present an integrated approach to scale the biological fluid dynamics of a wing that flaps, spins or translates. Both the morphology and kinematics of the locomotory system are coupled to the NS equation through which we find dimensionless numbers that represent rotational accelerations in the flow due to wing kinematics and morphology. The three corresponding dimensionless numbers are (1) the angular acceleration number, (2) the centripetal acceleration number, and (3) the Rossby number, which measures Coriolis acceleration. These dimensionless numbers consist of length scale ratios,which facilitate their geometric interpretation. This approach gives fundamental insight into the physical mechanisms that explain the differences in performance among flapping, spinning and translating wings. Although we derived this new framework for the special case of a model fly wing, the method is general enough to make it applicable to other organisms that fly or swim using wings or fins.
Locomotor trade-offs in mice selectively bred for high voluntary wheel running
Authors: Dlugosz Elizabeth M. , Chappell Mark A. , McGillivray David G. , Syme Douglas A. , Garland Theodore 
Published: July 2009

SUMMARYWe investigated sprint performance and running economy of a unique`mini-muscle' phenotype that evolved in response to selection for high voluntary wheel running in laboratory mice (Mus domesticus). Mice from four replicate selected (S) lines run nearly three times as far per day as four control lines. The mini-muscle phenotype, resulting from an initially rare autosomal recessive allele, has been favoured by the selection protocol,becoming fixed in one of the two S lines in which it occurred. In homozygotes,hindlimb muscle mass is halved, mass-specific muscle oxidative capacity is doubled, and the medial gastrocnemius exhibits about half the mass-specific isotonic power, less than half the mass-specific cyclic work and power, but doubled fatigue resistance. We hypothesized that mini-muscle mice would have a lower whole-animal energy cost of transport (COT), resulting from lower costs of cycling their lighter limbs, and reduced sprint speed, from reduced maximal force production. We measured sprint speed on a racetrack and slopes(incremental COT, or iCOT) and intercepts of the metabolic rate versus speed relationship during voluntary wheel running in 10 mini-muscle and 20 normal S-line females. Mini-muscle mice ran faster and farther on wheels, but for less time per day. Mini-muscle mice had significantly lower sprint speeds, indicating a functional trade-off. However,contrary to predictions, mini-muscle mice had higher COT, mainly because of higher zero-speed intercepts and postural costs (intercept–resting metabolic rate). Thus, mice with altered limb morphology after intense selection for running long distances do not necessarily run more economically.
Effect of fur removal on the thermal conductance and energy budget in lactating Swiss mice
Authors: Zhao Zhi-Jun , Cao Jing 
Published: July 2009

SUMMARYThe limits to sustained energy intake (SusEI) are important because they determine the ceiling restricting all the competing physiological processes. A recent hypothesis is that SusEI is constrained by the capacity to dissipate heat. However some previous data for Swiss mice are inconsistent with this hypothesis. To examine the role of limits to heat dissipation on SusEI, the body temperature, thermal conductance and lactation performance were measured in dorsally shaved Swiss mice. Shaving reduces external insulation and the heat dissipation limitation hypothesis predicts such animals should be capable of eating more food and raising heavier litters. Shaved mice had a significantly higher thermal conductance and a faster reduction in body temperature following noradrenaline injection. At peak lactation, shaved mice spent more time in feeding behaviour, and increased food intake above that observed in non-shaved controls, indicating that limits on SusEI might be imposed by the capacity to dissipate heat. However, shaved females did not spend more time suckling their pups, and did not raise heavier litters, which is inconsistent with the expectations of the heat dissipation limitation hypothesis. The strong correlations between resting, feeding and suckling behaviour at peak lactation suggested that there might be a trade-off in the time distribution between the behavioural patterns. These data suggest that limits on performance may be set at different levels in different strains or species. In MF1 mice studied previously the limit on milk production imposed by maximal mammary secretion capability may lie above that for heat dissipation, hence when the latter was increased the mice produced more milk and raised heavier litters. In Swiss mice the opposite might be the case. Hence when the heat dissipation capacity was increased this did not translate into heavier litters, i.e. supporting the peripheral limitation hypothesis. Further work in a range of additional species or strains will be necessary to establish whether the more normal condition is for SusEI in animals during late lactation to be set by combined peripheral demands or by the heat dissipation capacity.
Calcium provision to oviparous and viviparous embryos of the reproductively bimodal lizard Lacerta (Zootoca) vivipara
Authors: Stewart James R. , Ecay Tom W. , Heulin Benoit 
Published: July 2009

SUMMARY
Embryos of oviparous squamate reptiles typically obtain calcium from both yolk and eggshell but differ from other oviparous amniotes (turtles, birds and crocodilians) because they are heavily dependent on calcium-rich yolk. Eggs of viviparous squamates lack calcareous eggshells, and embryos receive calcium solely from yolk or from both yolk and placenta. The pattern of calcium mobilization by amniote embryos has been predicted to influence the evolution of viviparity if embryos are dependent on calcium from the eggshell and calcium placentotrophy evolves subsequent to viviparity. We studied the pattern of maternal provision and embryonic utilization of calcium of an oviparous and a viviparous population of the reproductively bimodal lizard Lacerta vivipara to test the hypotheses: (1) oviparous embryos are not dependent on eggshell calcium and (2) calcium content of viviparous hatchlings does not differ from oviparous hatchlings. Our findings do not support either of these hypotheses because oviparous females oviposited eggs with heavily calcified shells and calcium-poor yolk, and embryonic mobilization of shell calcium was greater than for other oviparous squamates. The calcium content of yolk from viviparous females did not differ from oviparous yolk, but viviparous eggs lacked calcareous eggshells. Uterine secretion by viviparous females compensated for the low calcium content of yolk, and placental calcium transfer was among the highest recorded for squamates. The pattern of calcium provision in these two populations suggests that dependence on uterine calcium, either stored temporarily in an eggshell or transferred directly across a placenta, did not constrain the evolution of reproductive mode in this lineage.
Physiological response to low temperature in the freshwater apple snail, Pomacea canaliculata (Gastropoda: Ampullariidae)
Authors: Matsukura Keiichiro , Tsumuki Hisaaki , Izumi Yohei , Wada Takashi 
Published: July 2009

SUMMARY
Cold hardiness of the freshwater apple snail, Pomacea canaliculata, varies seasonally. We investigated lethal factors and physiological changes arising from exposure of P. canaliculata to low temperatures. Snails did not survive freezing. The supercooling point of cold-acclimated (cold tolerant) snails (–6.6±0.8°C) did not differ significantly from that of non-acclimated ones(–7.1±1.5°C) under laboratory conditions. Furthermore, snails died even under more moderately low temperatures approaching 0°C. These results indicate that indirect chilling injury is a factor in the death of P. canaliculata at low temperatures. Regardless of whether the snails were acclimated to low temperatures, all of the dead, and even some of the snails still alive at 0°C, had injured mantles, indicating that the mantle may be the organ most susceptible to the effects of low temperatures. The concentration of glucose in the posterior chamber of the kidney and concentration of glycerol in the digestive gland were significantly higher in cold-acclimated snails than in non-acclimated ones, suggesting carbohydrate metabolic pathways are altered in snails during cold acclimation.
Reduction in fragile X related 1 protein causes cardiomyopathy and muscular dystrophy in zebrafish
Authors: van't Padje Sandra , Chaudhry Bill , Severijnen Lies-Anne , van der Linde Herma C. , Mientjes Edwin J. , Oostra Ben A. , Willemsen Rob 
Published: July 2009

SUMMARYLack of the FMR1 gene product causes fragile X syndrome, the commonest inherited cause of mental impairment. We know little of the roles that fragile X related (FXR) gene family members(FMR1, FXR2 and FXR1) play during embryonic development. Although all are expressed in the brain and testis, FXR1is the principal member found in striated and cardiac muscle. The Fxr1 knockout mice display a striated muscle phenotype but it is not known why they die shortly after birth; however, a cardiac cause is possible. The zebrafish is an ideal model to investigate the role of fxr1during development of the heart. We have carried out morpholino knockdown of fxr1 and have demonstrated abnormalities of striated muscle development and abnormal development of the zebrafish heart, including failure of looping and snapping of the atrium from its venous pole. In addition, we have measured cardiac function using high-speed video microscopy and demonstrated a significant reduction in cardiac function. This cardiac phenotype has not been previously described and suggests that fxr1 is essential for normal cardiac form and function.
A Generalized Wedelin Heuristic for Integer Programming
Authors: Bastert Oliver , Hummel Benjamin , de Vries Sven 
Published: July 2009

A very important ingredient for solving hard general integer programs are heuristics that try to quickly find good feasible solutions. One of these heuristics is Wedelin's algorithm, which works for the limited class of 0-1 integer programs. A big advantage of Wedelin's approach is that it does not depend on a solution of the linear programming (LP) relaxation as many other heuristics do. This makes it extremely fast in practice and makes it easy to use the parallelism of the upcoming multicore CPUs, as in an integer programming (IP) solver it could be applied in parallel to the traditional branch-and-bound algorithm. In this paper, we present several extensions and generalizations to Wedelin's algorithm (most can be handled in an implicit manner without much performance cost) and investigate different ways of improving it. We give all necessary details and parameters. We strive for an algorithm that is faster than other heuristics but achieves comparable solution quality. We evaluate the performance of the algorithm on a large set of more than 100 instances from different sources. The results indicate that our heuristic often finds solutions comparable to or even better than those found using current state-of-the-art heuristics while typically needing only a fraction of their running time. Additionally, we report positive findings on the application of the heuristic on feasibility instances from discrete tomography. Our algorithm always finds the IP optimum in less time than the simplex/barrier algorithms and often in less time than it takes the volume algorithm to find just the LP optimum.
uPA+/+-SCID Mouse with Humanized Liver as a Model for In Vivo Metabolism of Exogenous Steroids: Methandienone as a Case Study
Authors: Lootens Leen , Meuleman Philip , Pozo Oscar J , Van Eenoo Peter , Leroux-Roels Geert , Delbeke Frans T 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
Background: Adequate detection of designer steroids in the urine of athletes is still a challenge in doping control analysis and requires knowledge of steroid metabolism. In this study we investigated whether uPA+/+-SCID mice carrying functional primary human hepatocytes in their liver would provide a suitable alternative small animal model for the investigation of human steroid metabolism in vivo.
Methods: A quantitative method based on liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed and validated for the urinary detection of 7 known methandienone metabolites. Application of this method to urine samples from humanized mice after methandienone administration allowed for comparison with data from in vivo human samples and with reported methandienone data from in vitro hepatocyte cultures.
Results: The LC-MS/MS method validation in mouse and human urine indicated good linearity, precision, and recovery. Using this method we quantified 6 of 7 known human methandienone metabolites in the urine of chimeric mice, whereas in control nonchimeric mice we detected only 2 metabolites. These results correlated very well with methandienone metabolism in humans. In addition, we detected 4 isomers of methandienone metabolites in both human and chimeric mouse urine. One of these isomers has never been reported before.
Conclusions: The results of this proof-of-concept study indicate that the human liver–uPA+/+-SCID mouse appears to be a suitable small animal model for the investigation of human-type metabolism of anabolic steroids and possibly also for other types of drugs and medications. .
Design and Optimization of Reverse-Transcription Quantitative PCR Experiments
Authors: Tichopad Ales , Kitchen Rob , Riedmaier Irmgard , Becker Christiane , Ståhlberg Anders , Kubista Mikael 
Published: July 2009

AbstractBackground: Quantitative PCR (qPCR) is a valuable technique for accurately and reliably profiling and quantifying gene expression. Typically, samples obtained from the organism of study have to be processed via several preparative steps before qPCR.Method: We estimated the errors of sample withdrawal and extraction, reverse transcription (RT), and qPCR that are introduced into measurements of mRNA concentrations. We performed hierarchically arranged experiments with 3 animals, 3 samples, 3 RT reactions, and 3 qPCRs and quantified the expression of several genes in solid tissue, blood, cell culture, and single cells.Results: A nested ANOVA design was used to model the experiments, and relative and absolute errors were calculated with this model for each processing level in the hierarchical design. We found that intersubject differences became easily confounded by sample heterogeneity for single cells and solid tissue. In cell cultures and blood, the noise from the RT and qPCR steps contributed substantially to the overall error because the sampling noise was less pronounced.Conclusions: We recommend the use of sample replicates preferentially to any other replicates when working with solid tissue, cell cultures, and single cells, and we recommend the use of RT replicates when working with blood. We show how an optimal sampling plan can be calculated for a limited budget. .
Ancestral vascular tube formation and its adoption by tumors
Authors: Kučera Tomáš , Lammert Eckhard 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
Similar to growing and metabolically active tissues, tumors require a dense vasculature to gain access to oxygen and nutrients. However, blood vessels in tumors differ from vessels in normal tissues in many respects. In particular, the tumor vasculature is in an active state of angiogenesis or vasculogenesis, and it is immature and leaky. Blood vessels are multicellular tubes formed by polarized endothelial cells, which face the patent vascular lumen with their apical cell surface, whereas their basal cell surface faces extracellular matrix on the outside of the vessels. The same cell polarity can be found in other tubular structures, such as in the bronchial tubes of the lung or the kidney tubules. In contrast, blood vessels in invertebrates often have a vascular lumen lined by basal cell surfaces. These vessels are often formed by a process named ‘ancestral vascular tube formation’. Here, we discuss the hypothesis that the supply of tumors with blood can be achieved by both endothelial cell-lined tubes as well as tubes formed by the tumor cells themselves using the ancestral vascular tube formation mechanism. We discuss this hypothesis with a particular focus on gastrointestinal tumors.
Exploring enzymatic treatments for the production of dissolving grade pulp from different wood and non-wood paper grade pulps 10th EWLP, Stockholm, Sweden, August 25–28, 2008
Authors: Ibarra David , Köpcke Viviana , Ek Monica 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
The feasibility of producing dissolving grade pulps for viscose production from different fiber raw materials, such as paper grade pulps from wood and non-woody plants, was investigated. Commercial dried bleached hardwood kraft pulps from eucalypt, and bleached non-wood soda/AQ pulps from flax, hemp, sisal, abaca, and jute, were subjected to enzymatic and chemical pre-treatments in order to improve the accessibility and reactivity of cellulose and to reduce their hemicellulose content. A commercial monocomponent endoglucanase and a commercial xylanase were employed for biochemical treatment. The chemical treatment consisted of cold alkaline extraction. The effects of these pre-treatments on pulps were studied by reactivity, according to Fock's method, and viscosity measurements, determination of hemicellulose content, and recording of molecular weight distributions. The results were compared to those of commercial bleached eucalypt dissolving pulp. Eucalypt and sisal pulps showed high improvement in reactivity, reaching levels near or even higher than that of the eucalypt dissolving pulp (65%–70%), and a low hemicellulose content (2%–4%), when both were submitted to a sequence of treatments consisting of an initial xylanase treatment followed by cold alkaline extraction, and a final endoglucanase treatment. However, the viscosity decreased considerably. A uniform and narrow molecular weight distribution was observed in both eucalypt and sisal pulps after this sequential pre-treatment.