bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
MeDIP real‐time qPCR of maternal peripheral blood reliably identifies trisomy 21
Authors: Tsaliki Evdokia , Papageorgiou Elisavet A. , Spyrou Christiana , Koumbaris George , Kypri Elena , Kyriakou Skevi , Sotiriou Chrysovalanto , Touvana Evi , Keravnou Anna , Karagrigoriou Alex , Lamnissou Klea , Velissariou Voula , Patsalis Philippos C. 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo reevaluate the efficiency of the 12 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) used in the methylated DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (real‐time qPCR) based approach, develop an improved version of the diagnostic formula and perform a larger validation study.MethodsTwelve selected DMRs were checked for copy number variants in the Database of Genomic Variants. The DMRs located within copy number variants were excluded from the analysis. One hundred and seventy‐five maternal peripheral blood samples were used to reconstruct and evaluate the new diagnostic formula and for a larger‐scale blinded validation study using MeDIP real‐time qPCR.ResultsSeven DMRs entered the final model of the prediction equation and a larger blinded validation study demonstrated 100% sensitivity and 99.2% specificity. No significant evidence for association was observed between cell free fetal DNA concentration and D value.ConclusionThe MeDIP real‐time qPCR method for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 21 was confirmed and revalidated in 175 samples with satisfactory results demonstrating that it is accurate and reproducible. We are currently working towards simplification of the method to make it more robust and therefore easily, accurately, and rapidly reproduced and adopted by other laboratories. Nevertheless, larger scale validation studies are necessary before the MeDIP real‐time qPCR‐based method could be applied in clinical practice. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Assessing the impact of cancer among Dutch non‐Hodgkin lymphoma survivors compared with their American counterparts: a cross‐national study
Authors: Oerlemans Simone , Smith Sophia K. , Crespi Catherine M. , Zimmerman Sheryl , van de Poll‐Franse Lonneke V. , Ganz Patricia A. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractPurposeTo understand cultural differences in the impact of cancer (IOC) by (i) performing an independent psychometric evaluation of the Dutch version of the Impact of Cancer Scale version 2 (IOCv2) in a non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) sample and (ii) examining differences between Dutch and American NHL survivors in perceived IOC and identifying associations with socio‐demographic and clinical characteristics.MethodsData collected from 491 Dutch and 738 American NHL survivors were used in this study. IOCv2 responses were obtained from all survivors; the Dutch survivors also completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core questionnaire, which measures quality of life.ResultsExploratory factor analysis of the Dutch version yielded a factor solution similar to the American structure but with some subscales merging into single factors. Internal consistency was good; Cronbach's alpha was 0.88 for the Positive and 0.94 for the Negative summary scales. Large differences were observed between survivors, whereby Dutch survivors reported fewer Positive (Δ −0.4, p < 0.001, effect size: 0.27) and more Negative (Δ 0.2, p ≤ 0.001, effect size: 0.13) impacts of cancer independent of socio‐demographic and clinical characteristics.ConclusionSimilar impact domains of the IOCv2 were observed in the Dutch sample, providing evidence that IOCv2 scales measure common and important survivor concerns across two different Western nations. Higher positive impacts for US survivors might be explained by more personal control and availability of supportive services. Future research should focus on determinants of the IOC in both Dutch and American survivors to gain better understanding of the factors that might improve it and suggest how health care may be modified toward that end. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Impact of perceived social support on the mental health and health‐related quality of life in cancer patients: results from a nationwide, multicenter survey in South Korea
Authors: Eom Chun‐Sick , Shin Dong Wook , Kim So Young , Yang Hyung Kook , Jo Heui Sug , Kweon Sun Seog , Kang Yune Sik , Kim Jong‐Heun , Cho Be‐Long , Park Jong‐Hyock 
Published: July 2012

AbstractObjectiveWe investigated whether and how perceived social support is associated with depression and quality of life among patients with various cancer diagnoses.MethodsData were collected from 1930 cancer patients treated at the National Cancer Center and nine regional cancer centers across Korea. The Duke‐UNC functional social support scale was used to measure the perceived social support, and the PHQ‐9 and the EORTC QLQ‐C30 were used to measure the cancer patients' depression levels and quality of life, respectively.ResultsSubjects with low perceived social support reported significantly higher levels of depression, lower scores on all functional scales, higher scores on all three symptom scales, lower global health/quality of life scale scores, and higher scores on most single items than subjects with high perceived social support. There was no interaction between potential stressors and perceived social support, supporting the main effect model as the mechanism that the perceived social support reduce the adverse psychological outcomes.ConclusionPerceived social support was associated with mental health and quality of life in cancer patients, through direct effect rather than stress‐buffering effect. Interventions to enhance perceived social support might be helpful for improving mental health and QOL in cancer patients. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of certified providers of medical abortion: Evidence from Bihar and Maharashtra, India
Authors: Acharya Rajib , Kalyanwala Shveta 
Published: July 2012

AbstractObjectiveTo explore Indian abortion providers’ knowledge of medical abortion (MA), their personal experiences and practices of providing medical abortion, and their attitudes toward providing MA to eligible women who were poor, uneducated, and/or from rural areas.MethodsIn selected districts of India's Bihar and Maharashtra states, interviews were conducted with 270 physicians who were certified as abortion providers, using a structured questionnaire.ResultsThe providers’ knowledge of the gestational limit, the recommended doses of mifepristone and misoprostol, and other aspects of the approved protocol was far from universal. Only about two‐thirds of these physicians authorized to perform MA actually performed it. Although they all counseled women about the procedure before they took mifepristone, the matters discussed were often limited to pain management and possible complications. Contraception was usually not discussed until the follow‐up visit. Most providers thus missed the opportunity to provide sustained counseling to their MA patients, and did not counsel them about the need to protect themselves in the 2 weeks following the administration of mifepristone. Moreover, many providers were reluctant to offer MA to poor, uneducated, and/or rural women.ConclusionsThese findings shed light on the need to raise awareness and dispel misgivings about MA among certified providers of abortion services. By placing emphasis on the method's safety and effectiveness, additional training to these would increase their confidence about offering MA to eligible women.
Differential regulation of nuclear factor‐kappa B subunits on epidermal keratinocytes by ultraviolet B and tacrolimus
Authors: Wu Ching‐Shuang , Lan Cheng‐Che E. , Kuo Hsuan‐Yu , Chai Chee‐Yin , Chen Wan‐Tzu , Chen Gwo‐Shing 
Published: July 2012

AbstractModulation of nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) expression has important clinical implications including anti‐inflammation. Recently, we have shown that direct regulation of NF‐κB/p65 subunit may account for tacrolimus ointment's remarkable clinical efficacy on treating inflammatory dermatoses. However, NF‐κB is a dimeric transcription factor formed by hetero‐ or homodimeration of the five Rel family proteins. The complete operational scheme of different NF‐κB subunits remains obscure. It has been shown that homodimers consist of NF‐κB/p50 may serve an inhibitory role in suppressing inflammation while dimers consisting of NF‐κB/p65 activate inflammatory pathway. Our current study aimed to explore the effects of ultraviolet B (UVB) on epidermal keratinocytes in terms of specific NF‐κB subunits NF‐κB/p50 and NF‐κB/p65. Additionally, the effects of tacrolimus on differential regulation of NF‐κB subunits of UVB irradiated keratinocytes were also investigated. Our result showed that UVB sequentially regulated the activities of different subunits of NF‐κB: the activity of NF‐κB/p50 was downregulated in the early stage (6 hours), followed by upregulation of NF‐κB/p65 in the later stage (12 hours). The results from immunofluorescence, immunocytochemical, and immunohistochemical analyses indicated that the nuclear expression of NF‐κB/p50 could be seen constitutively while the nuclear expression of NF‐κB/p65 could only be seen after UVB irradiation. Furthermore, treatment with tacrolimus didn’t affect the nuclear activation and translocation of NF‐κB/p50, while the UVB induced NF‐κB/p65 nuclear expression was suppressed by tacrolimus. In summary, we have shown that UVB irradiation sequentially regulated different NF‐κB subunits. The clinical efficacy of tacrolimus may be attributed to its specific regulatory effect on NF‐κB/p65 but not NF‐κB/p50 of the NF‐κB pathway.
The r-monotonicity of generalized Bernstein polynomials
Authors: Zhu Laiyi , Huang Zhiyong 
Published: July 2012

AbstractLet f ∊ C[0, 1] and let the Bn(f, q; x) be generalized Bernstein polynomials based on the q-integers that were introduced by Phillips. We prove that if f is r-monotone, then Bn(f, q; x) is r-monotone, generalizing well-known results when q = 1 and the results when r = 1 and r = 2 by Goodman et al. We also prove a sufficient condition for a continuous function to be r-monotone.
VOTE TRAFFICKING IN LEBANON
Authors: Corstange Daniel 
Published: July 2012

AbstractVote buying and vote selling are prominent features of electoral politics in Lebanon. This article investigates how vote trafficking works in Lebanese elections and examines how electoral rules and practices contribute to wide and lively vote markets. Using original survey data from the 2009 parliamentary elections, it studies vote selling with a list experiment, a question technique designed to elicit truthful answers to sensitive questions. The data show that over half of the Lebanese sold their votes in 2009. Moreover, once we come to grips with the sensitivity of the topic, the data show that members of all sectarian communities and political alliances sold their votes at similar rates.
Facial paralysis during air travel: case series and literature review
Authors: Ah-See K L , Shakeel M , Maini S K , Hussain S S M 
Published: July 2012

AbstractObjective:We report three cases of recurrent, unilateral facial palsy associated with air travel.Method:The three cases are presented, along with a brief literature review concerning barotrauma and its association with air travel and facial palsy.Results:All three patients experienced unilateral facial paralysis during air travel, accompanied by additional symptoms which varied between cases. Symptoms resolved spontaneously in all cases. Two patients received ventilation tube insertion to prevent further recurrence. Computed tomography scanning revealed no bony defect in two patients, while the third exhibited dehiscence of the facial canal which may have contributed to the condition.Conclusion:Available evidence suggests that eustachian tube dysfunction can contribute to increased pressure within the middle ear, leading to neuropraxia of the facial nerve. Cases of facial paralysis associated with air travel are under-reported. Since there is no evidence-based management protocol for this condition, further investigation of its pathology is encouraged in order to improve our understanding.
A 2(3-RRPS) parallel manipulator inspired by Gough–Stewart platform
Authors: Gallardo-Alvarado Jaime , García-Murillo Mario A. , Castillo-Castaneda Eduardo 
Published: July 2012

SUMMARYThis study addresses the kinematics of a six-degrees-of-freedom parallel manipulator whose moving platform is a regular triangular prism. The moving and fixed platforms are connected to each other by means of two identical parallel manipulators. Simple forward kinematics and reduced singular regions are the main benefits offered by the proposed parallel manipulator. The Input–Output equations of velocity and acceleration are systematically obtained by resorting to reciprocal-screw theory. A case study, which is verified with the aid of commercially available software, is included with the purpose to exemplify the application of the method of kinematic analysis.
New type F lineage-related Tn1546and avanA/vanBtype vancomycin-resistantEnterococcus faeciumisolated from patients in Dammam, Saudi Arabia during 2006–2007
Authors: KHAN M. A. , SHORMAN M. , AL-TAWFIQ J. , HAYS J. P. 
Published: July 2012

SUMMARYKnowledge regarding vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) from Middle Eastern countries is scarce. We therefore investigated the antimicrobial resistance profiles and genetic relationships of VREEnterococcus faeciumisolates obtained from patients attending the King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, during 2006–2007. The predominant VRE comprised 20vanB, fivevanAand onevanA/vanBtype isolates, which tended to fall into two genetic clusters that were identifiable phenotypically by their susceptibility to tetracycline. Multi-locus sequence typing of a random selection of isolates showed that they were part of clonal cluster 17, showing the importance of this genotype in nosocomial VRE infections in Saudi Arabia. Further analysis showed that four of thevanAgenotype isolates possessed a new type F Tn1546transposon, associated with IS1216Vand IS1251. Finally,E. faecium vanA/Bisolates are rarely reported in the clinical setting including in Saudi Arabia.
Staining Characteristics ofLonchocarpus cyanescensLeaf Extract on the Testis of Sprague-Dawley Rats
Authors: Bassey Rosemary B. , Bakare Airat A. , Edagha Innocent A. , Osinubi Abraham A.A. , Oremosu Ademola A. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe use of nonallergic, nontoxic, and eco-friendly natural dyes has become a matter of significant importance due to increased environmental awareness on the need to avoid hazardous synthetic dyes. This study was to determine the staining properties of the dye extract ofLonchocarpus cyanescenson histomorphology of the testis. Freshly cut leaves ofL. cyanescensobtained from Akpan Ifia Inan village in Ikono local government area of Akwa Ibom state (latitude 5° 10′ 12″ N; longitude 7° 48′ 0″ E) were put into a plastic jar and boiling water was poured to cover the leaves. It was covered and left for an hour. The liquid was strained and potassium hydroxide was added to the dye water mixture to reach a pH of 9. A whisk was used to mix air into the liquid, and the mixuture was then allowed to sit until the blue indigo had settled to the bottom of the container. The dye was diluted with 70% ethanol to a concentration of 0.1 g/mL and was used to stain sections of testes. Its potential for use as a counterstain was also investigated. The testes sections were stained in shades of blue. The dye overshadowed the colors of haematoxylin and eosin. Preliminary phytochemical screening ofL. cyanescensrevealed that it contains alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, and tannins.
Achieving temperature-size changes in a unicellular organism
Authors: Forster Jack , Hirst Andrew G , Esteban Genoveva F 
Published: July 2012

Abstract
The temperature-size rule (TSR) is an intraspecific phenomenon describing the phenotypic plastic response of an organism size to the temperature: individuals reared at cooler temperatures mature to be larger adults than those reared at warmer temperatures. The TSR is ubiquitous, affecting &gt;80% species including uni- and multicellular groups. How the TSR is established has received attention in multicellular organisms, but not in unicells. Further, conceptual models suggest the mechanism of size change to be different in these two groups. Here, we test these theories using the protist Cyclidium glaucoma. We measure cell sizes, along with population growth during temperature acclimation, to determine how and when the temperature-size changes are achieved. We show that mother and daughter sizes become temporarily decoupled from the ratio 2:1 during acclimation, but these return to their coupled state (where daughter cells are half the size of the mother cell) once acclimated. Thermal acclimation is rapid, being completed within approximately a single generation. Further, we examine the impact of increased temperatures on carrying capacity and total biomass, to investigate potential adaptive strategies of size change. We demonstrate no temperature effect on carrying capacity, but maximum supported biomass to decrease with increasing temperature.
Phylogenetic stratigraphy in the Guerrero Negro hypersaline microbial mat
Authors: Kirk Harris J , Gregory Caporaso J , Walker Jeffrey J , Spear John R , Gold Nicholas J , Robertson Charles E , Hugenholtz Philip , Goodrich Julia , McDonald Daniel , Knights Dan , Marshall Paul , Tufo Henry , Knight Rob , Pace Norman R 
Published: July 2012

Abstract
The microbial mats of Guerrero Negro (GN), Baja California Sur, Mexico historically were considered a simple environment, dominated by cyanobacteria and sulfate-reducing bacteria. Culture-independent rRNA community profiling instead revealed these microbial mats as among the most phylogenetically diverse environments known. A preliminary molecular survey of the GN mat based on only ∼1500 small subunit rRNA gene sequences discovered several new phylum-level groups in the bacterial phylogenetic domain and many previously undetected lower-level taxa. We determined an additional ∼119 000 nearly full-length sequences and 28 000 &gt;200 nucleotide 454 reads from a 10-layer depth profile of the GN mat. With this unprecedented coverage of long sequences from one environment, we confirm the mat is phylogenetically stratified, presumably corresponding to light and geochemical gradients throughout the depth of the mat. Previous shotgun metagenomic data from the same depth profile show the same stratified pattern and suggest that metagenome properties may be predictable from rRNA gene sequences. We verify previously identified novel lineages and identify new phylogenetic diversity at lower taxonomic levels, for example, thousands of operational taxonomic units at the family-genus levels differ considerably from known sequences. The new sequences populate parts of the bacterial phylogenetic tree that previously were poorly described, but indicate that any comprehensive survey of GN diversity has only begun. Finally, we show that taxonomic conclusions are generally congruent between Sanger and 454 sequencing technologies, with the taxonomic resolution achieved dependent on the abundance of reference sequences in the relevant region of the rRNA tree of life.
A MEASUREMENT OF SECONDARY COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND ANISOTROPIES WITH TWO YEARS OF SOUTH POLE TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS
Authors: Reichardt C. L. , Shaw L. , Zahn O. , Aird K. A. , Benson B. A. , Bleem L. E. , Carlstrom J. E. , Chang C. L. , Cho H. M. , Crawford T. M. , Crites A. T. , de Haan T. , Dobbs M. A. , Dudley J. , George E. M. , Halverson N. W. , Holder G. P. , Holzapfel W. L. , Hoover S. , Hou Z. , Hrubes J. D. , Joy M. , Keisler R. , Knox L. , Lee A. T. , Leitch E. M. , Lueker M. , Luong-Van D. , McMahon J. J. , Mehl J. , Meyer S. S. , Millea M. , Mohr J. J. , Montroy T. E. , Natoli T. , Padin S. , Plagge T. , Pryke C. , Ruhl J. E. , Schaffer K. K. , Shirokoff E. , Spieler H. G. , Staniszewski Z. , Stark A. A. , Story K. , van Engelen A. , Vanderlinde K. , Vieira J. D. , Williamson R. 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT
We present the first three-frequency South Pole Telescope (SPT) cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectra. The band powers presented here cover angular scales 2000 < ℓ < 9400 in frequency bands centered at 95, 150, and 220 GHz. At these frequencies and angular scales, a combination of the primary CMB anisotropy, thermal and kinetic Sunyaev–Zel'dovich (SZ) effects, radio galaxies, and cosmic infrared background (CIB) contributes to the signal. We combine Planck/HFI and SPT data at 220 GHz to constrain the amplitude and shape of the CIB power spectrum and find strong evidence for nonlinear clustering. We explore the SZ results using a variety of cosmological models for the CMB and CIB anisotropies and find them to be robust with one exception: allowing for spatial correlations between the thermal SZ effect and CIB significantly degrades the SZ constraints. Neglecting this potential correlation, we find the thermal SZ power at 150 GHz and ℓ = 3000 to be 3.65 ± 0.69 μK2, and set an upper limit on the kinetic SZ power to be less than 2.8 μK2 at 95% confidence. When a correlation between the thermal SZ and CIB is allowed, we constrain a linear combination of thermal and kinetic SZ power: D
tSZ
3000 + 0.5D
3000
kSZ = 4.60 ± 0.63 μK2, consistent with earlier measurements. We use the measured thermal SZ power and an analytic, thermal SZ model calibrated with simulations to determine σ8 = 0.807 ± 0.016. Modeling uncertainties involving the astrophysics of the intracluster medium rather than the statistical uncertainty in the measured band powers are the dominant source of uncertainty on σ8. We also place an upper limit on the kinetic SZ power produced by patchy reionization; a companion paper uses these limits to constrain the reionization history of the universe.
RedoxDB—a curated database for experimentally verified protein oxidative modification
Authors: Sun Ming-an , Wang Yejun , Cheng Han , Zhang Qing , Ge Wei , Guo Dianjing 
Published: July 2012

Abstract
Summary: Redox regulation and signaling, which are involved in various cellular processes, have become one of the research focuses in the past decade. Cysteine thiol groups are particularly susceptible to post-translational modification, and their reversible oxidation is of critical role in redox regulation and signaling. With the tremendous improvement of techniques, hundreds of redox proteins along with their redox-sensitive cysteines have been reported, and the number is still fast growing. However, until now there is no database to accommodate the rapid accumulation of information on protein oxidative modification. Here we present RedoxDB—a manually curated database for experimentally validated redox proteins. RedoxDB (version 1.0) consists of two datasets (A and B, for proteins with or without verified modified cysteines, respectively) and includes 2157 redox proteins containing 2203 cysteine residues with oxidative modification. For each modified cysteine, the exact position, modification type and flanking sequence are provided. Additional information, including gene name, organism, sequence, literature references and links to UniProt and PDB, is also supplied. The database supports several functions including data search, blast and browsing. Bulk download of the entire dataset is also available. We expect that RedoxDB will be useful for both experimental studies and computational analyses of protein oxidative modification.
Availability: The database is freely available at: http://biocomputer.bio.cuhk.edu.hk/RedoxDB.
Contact: djguo@cuhk.edu.hk
Supplementary Information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics Online.