bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modelling number, vertical distribution, and size of live branches on coniferous tree species in British Columbia
Authors: Nemec Amanda F. Linnell , Parish Roberta , Goudie James W. 
Published: June 2012

A compound, nonhomogeneous Poisson process was used to model the number, vertical distribution, and size of branches on four coniferous tree species: 134 western hemlock ( Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) on six sites, 45 amabilis fir ( Abies amabilis Douglas ex J. Forbes) (three sites), 60 lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm. ex S. Watson) (six sites), and 60 white spruce ( Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) trees (five sites) and two varieties: 66 coastal Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) (five sites) and 50 interior Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Mayr) Franco) (four sites). Branches of these species are typically more or less clustered and have a characteristic, nonuniform vertical distribution along annual shoots. Total number and relative positions of clusters varied with shoot age. Clustering patterns in three of four species and two varieties appeared to scale proportionally with shoot length. However, in lodgepole pine, which has fewer clusters per metre and more branches per cluster, the vertical distribution of clusters along shoots ≤5 years old was consistent with a gamma-Poisson model but converged to a nonhomogeneous Poisson process model in shoots >5 years old. Separate mixed-effect regression models were developed for each species relating length and diameter of live branches to tree (crown), shoot, and branch (cluster) predictor variables.
Decomposition and change in N and organic composition of small-diameter Douglas-fir woody debris over 23 years
Authors: Preston C.M. , Trofymow J.A. , Nault J.R. 
Published: June 2012

Managing second-growth forests for multiple benefits requires enhanced information on decomposition of woody debris generated during forestry operations. Experimental thinning and biomass sampling at the Shawnigan Lake Research Forest on southern Vancouver Island facilitated retrospective sampling of Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) stem sections (4.9–21.5 cm diameter) from 0 to 23 years after cutting. A sigmoidal pattern of density loss was observed, while a single-exponential fit gave a decay rate (k) of 0.058 year–1. Initial N concentrations were higher in bark than in sapwood and heartwood, and all increased during decay, while C/N ratios declined to around 175 for wood and 70 for bark. Nitrogen contents initially increased but tended to decline after about 50% C loss. Solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed little change in organic composition, consistent with white-rot fungal decay, with only a few 19-year samples showing large increases in lignin typical of extensive brown-rot decay. Hydrolyzable monosaccharides of wood and bark were dominated by glucose followed by mannose, xylose, galactose, and arabinose. For wood, the mole fraction of mannose decreased with decomposition, whereas those of glucose, arabinose, and galactose increased slightly and that of xylose remained constant for both brown and white rot. Our results support indications that decomposition of smaller diameter woody debris from managed conifer forests will likely be dominated by white-rot fungi, leaving residues high in cellulose rather than in lignin.
The Human TLR Innate Immune Gene Family Is Differentially Influenced by DNA Stress and p53 Status in Cancer Cells
Authors: Shatz Maria , Menendez Daniel , Resnick Michael A. 
Published: June 2012

Abstract
The transcription factor p53 regulates genes associated with a wide range of functions, including the Toll-like receptor (TLR) set of innate immunity genes, suggesting that p53 also modulates the human immune response. The TLR family comprises membrane glycoproteins that recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP) and mediate innate immune responses, and TLR agonists are being used as adjuvants in cancer treatments. Here, we show that doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, and UV and ionizing radiation elicit changes in TLR expression that are cell line- and damage-specific. Specifically, treatment-induced expression changes led to increased downstream cytokine expression in response to ligand stimulation. The effect of DNA stressors on TLR expression was mainly mediated by p53, and several p53 cancer-associated mutants dramatically altered the pattern of TLR gene expression. In all cell lines tested, TLR3 induction was p53-dependent, whereas induction of TLR9, the most stress-responsive family member, was less dependent on status of p53. In addition, each of the 10 members of the innate immune TLR gene family tested was differentially inducible. Our findings therefore show that the matrix of p53 status, chromosome stress, and responsiveness of individual TLRs should be considered in TLR-based cancer therapies. Cancer Res; 72(16); 3948–57. ©2012 AACR.
TP53 Genomic Status Regulates Sensitivity of Gastric Cancer Cells to the Histone Methylation Inhibitor 3-Deazaneplanocin A (DZNep)
Authors: Cheng Lai Ling , Itahana Yoko , Lei Zheng Deng , Chia Na-Yu , Wu Yonghui , Yu Yingnan , Li Zhang Shen , Thike Aye Aye , Pandey Anuradha , Rozen Steve , Voorhoeve Pieter Mathijs , Yu Qiang , Tan Puay Hoon , Bay Boon Huat , Itahana Koji , Tan Patrick 
Published: June 2012

Abstract
Purpose: DZNep (3-deazaneplanocin A) depletes EZH2, a critical component of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), which is frequently deregulated in cancer. Despite exhibiting promising anticancer activity, the specific genetic determinants underlying DZNep responsiveness in cancer cells remain largely unknown. We sought to determine molecular factors influencing DZNep response in gastric cancer.
Experimental Design: Phenotypic effects of DZNep were evaluated in a panel of gastric cancer cell lines. Sensitive lines were molecularly interrogated to identify potential predictors of DZNep responsiveness. The functional importance of candidate predictors was evaluated using short hairpin RNA (shRNA) and siRNA technologies.
Results: DZNep depleted PRC2 pathway components in almost all gastric cancer lines, however, only a subset of lines exhibited growth inhibition upon treatment. TP53 genomic status was significantly associated with DZNep cellular responsiveness, with TP53 wild-type (WT) lines being more sensitive (P &lt; 0.001). In TP53-WT lines, DZNep stabilized p53 by reducing ubiquitin conjugation through USP10 upregulation, resulting in activation of canonical p53 target genes. TP53 knockdown in TP53-WT lines attenuated DZNep sensitivity and p53 target activation, showing the functional importance of an intact p53 pathway in regulating DZNep cellular sensitivity. In primary human gastric cancers, EZH2 expression was negatively correlated with p53 pathway activation, suggesting that higher levels of EZH2 may repress p53 activity.
Conclusion: Our results highlight an important role for TP53 genomic status in influencing DZNep response in gastric cancer. Clinical trials evaluating EZH2-targeting agents such as DZNep should consider stratifying patients with gastric cancer by their TP53 genomic status. Clin Cancer Res; 18(15); 4201–12. ©2012 AACR.
Cotargeting Stress-Activated Hsp27 and Autophagy as a Combinatorial Strategy to Amplify Endoplasmic Reticular Stress in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Kumano Masafumi , Furukawa Junya , Shiota Masaki , Zardan Anousheh , Zhang Fan , Beraldi Eliana , Wiedmann Romina M. , Fazli Ladan , Zoubeidi Amina , Gleave Martin E. 
Published: June 2012

Abstract
Hsp27 is a stress-activated multifunctional chaperone that inhibits treatment-induced apoptosis and causes treatment resistance in prostate and other cancers. We previously showed that targeted suppression of Hsp27 sensitizes cancer cells to hormone and chemotherapy. However, mechanisms by which Hsp27 confers cell treatment resistance are incompletely defined. Here, we report that Hsp27 protects human prostate cancer cells against proteotoxic stress induced by proteasome inhibition, and that Hsp27 silencing using siRNA or antisense (OGX-427) induced both apoptosis and autophagy through mechanisms involving reduced proteasome activity and induction of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. We found that autophagy activation protected against ER stress-induced cell death, whereas inhibition of autophagy activation following Hsp27 silencing using either pharmacologic inhibitors or atg3 silencing enhanced cell death. Importantly, cotargeting Hsp27 and autophagy by combining OGX-427 with the autophagy inhibitor, chloroquine, significantly delayed PC-3 prostate tumor growth in vivo. These findings identify autophagy as a cytoprotective, stress-induced adaptive pathway, activated following disruption of protein homeostasis and ER stress induced by Hsp27 silencing. Combinatorial cotargeting cytoprotective Hsp27 and autophagy illustrates potential benefits of blocking activation of adaptive pathways to improve treatment outcomes in cancer. Mol Cancer Ther; 11(8); 1661–71. ©2012 AACR.
Inhibition of Dendritic Cell Maturation by the Tumor Microenvironment Correlates with the Survival of Colorectal Cancer Patients following Bevacizumab Treatment
Authors: Michielsen Adriana J. , Noonan Sinead , Martin Petra , Tosetto Miriam , Marry Joseph , Biniecka Monika , Maguire Aoife A. , Hyland John M. , Sheahan Kieran D. , O'Donoghue Diarmuid P. , Mulcahy Hugh E. , Fennelly David , Ryan Elizabeth J. , O'Sullivan Jacintha N. 
Published: June 2012

Abstract
Development of bevacizumab has improved survival in colorectal cancer, however, currently there are no biomarkers that predict response to bevacizumab and it is unknown how it influences the immune system in colorectal cancer patients. Dendritic cells are important for the induction of an antitumor immune response; however tumors are capable of disabling dendritic cells and escaping immune surveillance. The aim of this study was to assess the numbers of CD11c+ cells infiltrating tumor tissue and to examine the effects of tumor conditioned media (TCM) and bevacizumab conditioned media (BCM) on dendritic cell maturation and correlate our findings with patient survival. colorectal cancer explant tissues were cultured with or without bevacizumab, to generate BCM and TCM, which were used to treat dendritic cells. CD80, CD86, CD83, CD54, HLA-DR, and CD1d expression was measured by flow cytometry. Interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-12p70 were measured by ELISA. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to associate survival with dendritic cell inhibition. TCM and BCM inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced dendritic cell maturation and IL-12p70 secretion (P &lt; 0.0001), while increasing IL-10 secretion (P = 0.0033 and 0.0220, respectively). Inhibition of LPS-induced CD1d (P = 0.021, HR = 1.096) and CD83 (P = 0.017, HR = 1.083) by TCM and inhibition of CD1d (P = 0.017, HR = 1.067), CD83 (P = 0.032, HR = 1.035), and IL-12p70 (P = 0.037, HR = 1.036) by BCM was associated with poor survival in colorectal cancer patients. CD11c expression was elevated in tumor tissue compared with normal tissue (P &lt; 0.001), but this did not correlate with survival. In conclusion, TCM and BCM inhibit dendritic cells, and this inhibition correlates with survival of colorectal cancer patients receiving bevacizumab. Mol Cancer Ther; 11(8); 1829–37. ©2012 AACR.
Effect of education sessions of a structured school eye screening programme on Indian schoolteachers’ knowledge and responsibility for children’s eye health
Authors: Thummalapalli Rohit , Williams Jachin D , Khoshnood Kaveh , Salchow Daniel J , Forster Susan H 
Published: June 2012

Objective: To evaluate the effect of education sessions on Indian schoolteacher awareness of childhood eye health issues, responsibility for children’s eye health, and successful participation in a teacher-led eye screening health intervention programme in primary schools aimed at addressing avoidable childhood blindness in India. Design: Quantitative study, pre-intervention and post-intervention surveys and questionnaires. Setting: One hundred and four government-employed schoolteachers in primary schools of Hyderabad, India. Method: Prior to the screening intervention programme, questionnaires were administered to evaluate baseline teacher knowledge and observed responsibility for management of children’s eye health. The intervention consisted of three one-hour educational training sessions at central community locations about children’s eye health and proper screening practices, followed by on-site monitoring of teacher screenings after a period of 10 school days. Post-programme questionnaires and surveys were administered to evaluate changes in knowledge and attitudes. Results: Despite low levels of pre-programme knowledge and felt responsibility, teachers demonstrated significant improvements in overall knowledge of eye parts and functions, common childhood diseases, and local myths (39.3% to 63.7%, p < 0.01) and significant increases in felt responsibility for children’s eye health (45.5% to 77.8%, p < 0.01) through the course of the programme. Conclusion: Apart from technical training, educational sessions may play an important role in promoting sustained teacher interest in school-based health intervention programmes and overall impact on community health. Urban schoolteachers have therefore been identified as promising candidates in the continued effort to eliminate avoidable childhood blindness in India and other parts of the developing world.
Prediction of the sound transmission loss of a stiffened window
Authors: Ou DY , Mak CM , Deng SM 
Published: June 2012

The sound transmission loss of a stiffened window was investigated using a coupled finite element and boundary element method. This approach allowed the window to have arbitrary elastic boundary conditions and the stiffeners to be located at arbitrary positions inside the window. The in-plane deformation of the window was also taken into account. The natural frequencies predicted by the present approach showed good agreement with earlier published results. The prediction method was subsequently applied to parametric studies examining the effects of stiffeners on the sound transmission loss of a window. The results showed that the stiffeners (or their locations) notably influenced the window’s sound transmission loss values, thereby demonstrating the possibility of using stiffeners to improve the sound insulation of a practical window. Practical applications: This study provides an approach that can be used to predict the sound insulation of a window with arbitrary elastic boundary conditions and with any-shape stiffeners lying anywhere inside the window. This approach can also be used to guide the design of windows (or other plate-like building structures) with better sound insulation.
Women’s rights in Muslim societies
Authors: Guessous Nouzha 
Published: June 2012

Major changes have taken place in Muslim societies in general during the last decades. Traditional family and social organizational structures have come into conflict with the perceptions and needs of development and modern state-building. Moreover, the international context of globalization, as well as changes in intercommunity relations through immigration, have also deeply affected social and cultural mutations by facilitating contact between different cultures and civilizations. Of the dilemmas arising from these changes, those concerning women’s and men’s roles were the most conflictive issues because of different interpretations and evaluations of historical, religious and/or cultural heritages. In the case of Morocco, for over 30 years, women’s and human rights NGOs have acted and advocated to promote women’s rights. The main disputes have concerned the distinction between what is within the requirements of Islam and what is the consequence of traditional social beliefs and practices. This ended nevertheless with the adoption by the Parliament of a new Family Law proclaimed in February 2004. This law was the result of a process of consultation and national debate, which made possible substantial progress in terms of proclaimed values of equality of rights between men and women, with the support of most national political and social leaders. Several lessons can be learned from the Moroccan experience. The crucial role of civil society, the political support of the state at its highest level, the working methodology of the Royal Advisory Commission and the final process for the adoption of the new code were from the most determinant parameters. In light of recent developments in some majority-Muslim countries, the future of women’s rights is a key issue of the so-called Arab spring. Muslim women’s challenges and struggles are not only ideological and legal battles, but they are also social and political struggles for which one of the major conditions is to prevent and prohibit the use of Islam as a political instrument. Muslim societies need to educate people properly and change their traditional representations and patterns of thought. To promote justice, equity and equality in general, as well as to protect women’s economic rights, they need appropriate economic and social policies. Then women can really promote, protect and benefit from the advances of their legal status.
Multidisciplinary Team Approach in the Management of Tracheostomy Patients
Authors: Pandian Vinciya , Miller Christina R. , Mirski Marek A. , Schiavi Adam J. , Morad Athir H. , Vaswani Ravi S. , Kalmar Christopher L. , Feller‐Kopman David J. , Haut Elliott R. , Yarmus Lonny B. , Bhatti Nasir I. 
Published: June 2012

ObjectiveTo examine whether the implementation of a multidisciplinary percutaneous tracheostomy team decreases complications, improves efficiency in patient care, and reduces length of stay and cost in patients undergoing percutaneous tracheostomy.Study DesignCase series with planned data collection.SettingUrban, academic, tertiary care medical center.Subjects and MethodsPatients who underwent a percutaneous tracheostomy in 2004 and 2008, before and after the formation of a multidisciplinary percutaneous tracheostomy team, were included in the study. Data for the study were retrieved from a tracheostomy database. Measured outcomes include complications, efficiency, length of stay, and cost.ResultsComplications such as airway bleeding and physiological disturbances decreased significantly in 2008 as compared with 2004. The percentage of patients who received a tracheostomy within 2 days increased from 42.3% to 92% (2004 vs 2008), showing improvement in efficiency of care. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of infection rate, length of stay, or mortality. However, in a subanalysis, the length of stay was found to be decreased in patients whose primary diagnosis was a neurological disorder. Finally, despite the necessity of a hospital‐based subsidy, the team approach yielded substantial financial benefit to the medical center.ConclusionsAirway bleeding, physiological disturbances, and efficiency of care improved after the institution of a multidisciplinary percutaneous tracheostomy team approach and may have a favorable impact on health care costs.
Information Governance: Sharing the IBM approach
Authors: Hulme Tony 
Published: June 2012

There is a growing realization that information is an organization’s third capital asset and should be given the same level of focus as cash and human resources. Information Governance is the discipline of treating information as a strategic corporate asset. Information Governance is about maximizing the business value of information and reducing the total cost of ownership of the information management landscape, whilst ensuring compliance, managing risk and protecting security. The organizational world is at a tipping point in terms of the wide-spread adoption of Information Governance – at present there are very few organizations that have a comprehensive, coherent and mature Information Governance programme in place – although most Chief Information Officers (CIOs) are beginning to understand how essential this is. This article covers the business and IT issues that Information Governance addresses. It demonstrates the opportunities that exist if we think about information in new and innovative ways – and how these desired outcomes require a focus on good governance. It shows how IBM has been a pioneer in the area of Information Governance for the past seven years and it examines the five critical competencies that top performers exhibit for good governance. The article shows how realistic entry points to get started on Information Governance can be identified.
Revealing the role of phospholipase Cβ3 in the regulation of VEGF-induced vascular permeability
Authors: Hoeppner Luke H. , Phoenix Kathryn N. , Clark Karl J. , Bhattacharya Resham , Gong Xun , Sciuto Tracey E. , Vohra Pawan , Suresh Sandip , Bhattacharya Santanu , Dvorak Ann M. , Ekker Stephen C. , Dvorak Harold F. , Claffey Kevin P. , Mukhopadhyay Debabrata 
Published: June 2012

AbstractVEGF induces vascular permeability (VP) in ischemic diseases and cancer, leading to many pathophysiological consequences. The molecular mechanisms by which VEGF acts to induce hyperpermeability are poorly understood and in vivo models that easily facilitate real-time, genetic studies of VP do not exist. In the present study, we report a heat-inducible VEGF transgenic zebrafish (Danio rerio) model through which VP can be monitored in real time. Using this approach with morpholino-mediated gene knock-down and knockout mice, we describe a novel role of phospholipase Cβ3 as a negative regulator of VEGF-mediated VP by regulating intracellular Ca2+ release. Our results suggest an important effect of PLCβ3 on VP and provide a new model with which to identify genetic regulators of VP crucial to several disease processes.
Second malignancies in total therapy 2 and 3 for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: influence of thalidomide and lenalidomide during maintenance
Authors: Usmani Saad Z. , Sexton Rachel , Hoering Antje , Heuck Christoph J. , Nair Bijay , Waheed Sarah , Al Sayed Yazan , Chauhan Nabeel , Ahmad Nisar , Atrash Shebli , Petty Nathan , van Rhee Frits , Crowley John , Barlogie Bart 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThalidomide and lenalidomide constitute an important part of effective myeloma therapy. Recent data from the Intergroup Francophone du Myélome, Cancer and Leukemia Group B, and Gruppo Italiano Malattie Ematologiche dell Adulto MM-015 trials suggest that lenalidomide maintenance therapy is associated with a higher incidence of second primary malignancies (SPMs), including both hematologic and solid malignancies. In the present study, we analyzed data from the Total Therapy 2 (TT2) trial, along with the 2 Total Therapy 3 (TT3) trials. TT2 patients were assigned randomly to either a control group (no thalidomide) or to the experimental group (thalidomide during induction, between transplantations, and during consolidation and maintenance). The 2 TT3 trials used thalidomide and bortezomib during induction, before and in consolidation after tandem melphalan-based transplantation; TT3A applied VTD (bortezomib, thalidomide, dexamethasone) in the first year of maintenance and TD for 2 more years, whereas TT3B used VRD (bortezomib, lenalidomide, dexamethasone) maintenance for 3 years. The cumulative incidence of SPMs did not differ significantly among the TT trial components when measured from enrollment (P = .78) or from initiation of maintenance (P = .82). However, a pairwise comparison of the TT2 arms suggested a lower incidence of hematologic SPMs in the thalidomide maintenance arm (hazard ratio = 0.38; P = .09). These trials are registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00573391 (TT2), NCT00081939 (TT3A), and NCT00572169 (TT3B).