bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Time period trends in ethnic inequalities in limiting long term illness in England and Wales
Authors: Smith Neil R. , Grundy Emily 
Published: July 2012

PurposeThis paper's aim is to analyse ethnic group differences in self reported limiting long term illness (LLTI) among middle‐aged men and women in England and Wales and compare patterns of variation in 1991 and 2001.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology is a cross‐sectional analysis of two nationally representative cohorts aged 40‐59 in 1991 and 2001, respectively. Seven ethnic minority groups were selected from the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study of England and Wales (White Irish, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Black Caribbean, Black African and Chinese). Logistic regression estimated the odds ratio for having a LLTI in each ethnic minority group compared to White British. The odds of having a LLTI in 2001 compared to 1991, by sex, were adjusted stepwise for differences in age, social class, car ownership, household overcrowding and tenure and length of residence.FindingsAll ethnic groups reported a higher prevalence of LLTI in 2001 than in 1991. The rise in LLTI was largest in White Irish, Bangladeshi and Pakistani and smallest in Black African and Chinese groups. Controlling for socioeconomic factors had a weak influence on the risk of limiting long term illness in men and women. Controlling for length of residence attenuated the risk of LLTI in 2001 in White Irish and Pakistani men, and Indian men and women.Practical implicationsEmerging ethnic differences highlight a growing need for differential health services to manage the increase in LLTI and demands for illness management.Originality/valueThe paper illustrates that ethnic differences in LLTI changed during the 1990s with some groups becoming more disadvantaged relative to the White British population and others less so.
The evolution of entrepreneurial learning
Authors: Breslin Dermot , Jones Colin 
Published: July 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present an evolutionary perspective on entrepreneurial learning, whilst also accounting for fundamental ecological processes, by focusing on the development of key recurring, knowledge components within nascent and growing small businesses.Design/methodology/approachThe paper relates key developments within the organizational evolution literature to research on entrepreneurial learning, with arguments presented in favor of adopting a multi‐level co‐evolutionary perspective that captures and explains hidden ecological process, such as niche‐construction.FindingsIt is argued in the paper that such a multi‐level focus on key recurring knowledge components can shed new light on the process of entrepreneurial learning and lead to the cross‐fertilization of ideas across different domains of study, by offering researchers the opportunity to use the framework of variation‐selection‐retention to develop a multi‐level representation of organizational and entrepreneurial learning.Originality/valueEntrepreneurial learning viewed in this way, as a multi‐level struggle for survival amongst competing knowledge components, can provide entrepreneurs with a set of evolutionary heuristics as they re‐interpret their understanding of the evolution of their business.
Characterizing the evolution of commercial organizational spaces
Authors: Dobson Stephen 
Published: July 2012

PurposeThe analogy of the city as an evolving system is an enduring one that is both universally acknowledged and greatly researched in equal measure. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the potential for urban characterization studies, emerging from the fields of cultural heritage and landscape, to provide a rich source of data for exploring the characteristics of spatial adaptation and innovation over time.Design/methodology/approachAn analysis of commercial organizational space in the city of Sheffield, UK is provided here as the subject of study which employs English Heritage's Historic Landscape Characterization dataset to explore temporal characteristics of commercial space within a broader context of change, at the city‐wide scale.FindingsIt is proposed here that to achieve culturally sustainable development against a context of urban “deterritorialization” and homogenization the very character and distinctiveness of innovation and change needs to be explicitly acknowledged. An evolutionary approach to organizational space is suggested here as a means to locate such adaptation and spatial change in “place”.Originality/valueIt is hoped that the approach presented may provide an important stage in thinking about the spatial relationships between business and society over time and particularly their interdependence within a city ecology. The scope is therefore to explore multi‐level evolutionary characteristics of socio‐cultural space, appreciating multi‐scale temporal change through a broad lens of Darwinism.
Association between eIF3α polymorphism and severe toxicity caused by platinum‐based chemotherapy in non‐small cell lung cancer patients
Authors: Xu Xiaojing , Han Lifang , Duan Li , Zhao Yingchun , Yang Huaping , Zhou Boting , Ma Rui , Yuan Ruixia , Zhou Honghao , Liu Zhaoqian 
Published: July 2012

AimPlatinum‐induced toxicity severely impedes successful chemotherapy in lung cancer patients. The nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway is considered as one of the major factors contributing to platinum effects. Furthermore, genetic variances of the NER pathway influence platinum toxicity. eIF3α, over expressed in many malignancies, is an up‐stream gene of NER and could regulate its activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether eIF3α polymorphism is associated with severe platinum toxicity in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).MethodsTwo hundred and eighty‐two incident NSCLC patients, from three different institutions, were enrolled and followed up. These patients were diagnosed and histologically confirmed with non‐small cell lung cancer. All patients accepted platinum based chemotherapy for at least two cycles. Twenty‐two SNPs of eIF3α were detected in these patients.ResultseIF3α Arg803Lys C > T polymorphism was associated with cisplatin‐induced toxicity in NSCLC patients (P = 0.02, OR = 0.54, 95% CI 0.32, 93). T‐carrier subjects presented better tolerance to platinum nephrotoxicity, but poorer tolerance to ototoxicity.ConclusioneIF3α Arg803Lys was associated with platinum toxicity in NSCLC patients and could be considered as a predictor for pretreatment evaluation in lung cancer patients.
Nonsurgical management of mild primary hyperparathyroidism – a reasonable option
Authors: Grey Andrew 
Published: July 2012

SummaryPrimary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a relatively common disorder which is often diagnosed incidentally and characterized in the majority of those affected by mild stable biochemical abnormalities and lack of symptoms. Nephrolithiasis and bone loss leading to an increased risk of fracture are generally accepted complications of PHPT. Some epidemiological studies report associations between PHPT and a wide range of common diseases, but these relationships may be confounded by the increased body weight observed in PHPT. Because there is a dearth of controlled clinical trial evidence in PHPT, optimal management is controversial. For individuals with mild stable PHPT, low fracture risk and no renal stones, observation without intervention is reasonable. Surgical treatment is clearly indicated for patients at risk of severe hypercalcaemia or with nephrolithiasis. For individuals with increased risk of fracture, antiresorptive therapies improve bone mineral density to a similar degree to surgical treatment. Calcimimetic agents may have a role in managing patients with symptomatic PHPT who cannot undergo, or fail, surgical treatment. There is a need for additional randomized clinical trials to inform management of PHPT.
Massive serpentinite carbonation at Linnajavri, N–Norway
Authors: Beinlich Andreas , Plümper Oliver , Hövelmann Jörn , Austrheim Håkon , Jamtveit Bjørn 
Published: July 2012

Terra Nova, 24, 446–455, 2012AbstractCarbonation of ultramafic rocks is being considered as an in situ disposal strategy for anthropogenic CO2. We present observations from massively carbonated serpentinites at Linnajavri, N–Norway, where serpentinized fragments of the dismembered ophiolite are hydrothermally altered to soapstone and listvenite on a km‐scale. Several sharp reaction fronts between the soapstone and the serpentinite can be followed for hundreds of metres. Listvenite is present between the underlying carbonate–mica schist and the soapstone. The O‐isotopic compositions of vein minerals in the listvenite and adjacent soapstone indicate an isothermal formation at ∼275 °C. In agreement with C‐isotope signatures, field observations suggest that fluids were derived from overthrusted sediments. Porosimetry data, mass–balance calculations and the perpetuation of serpentinite structures imply an isovolumetric alteration. We conclude that the reactions stopped due to the cessation of the external CO2 supply. Soapstone formation is associated with sequestration of more than 13 Mt of CO2.
A framework for estimating the fixation time of an advantageous allele in stepping‐stone models
Authors: Hartfield M. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractDetermining how population subdivision increases the fixation time of an advantageous allele is an important problem in evolutionary genetics as this influences many processes. Here, I lay out a framework for calculating the fixation time of a positively selected allele in a subdivided population, as a function of the number of demes present, the migration rate between them and the manner in which they are connected. Using this framework, it becomes clear that a beneficial allele's fixation time is significantly reduced through migration continuously introducing copies of the allele into a newly colonized subpopulation, increasing its frequency within these demes. The effect that migration has on allele frequency needs to be explicitly taken into account to produce a realistic estimate of fixation time. This behaviour is most prominent when demes are arranged on a two‐dimensional torus, in comparison with populations where demes are arranged in a circle. This is because each subpopulation is connected to several neighbours over a torus, so that there are multiple paths that an allele can take in order to fix. As a consequence, some demes experience a greater influx and efflux of migrants than others. Analytical results are found to be very accurate when compared to stochastic simulations, and are generally robust if there are a large number of demes, or if the allele is weakly selected for.
Grain of environment explains variation in the strength of genotype × environment interaction
Authors: Rodríguez R. L. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractTheory predicts that genetic variation in phenotypic plasticity (genotype × environment interaction or G × E) should be eroded by selection acting across environments. However, it appears that G × E is often maintained under selection, although not universally. This variation in the presence and strength of G × E requires explanation. Here I ask whether the explanation may lie in the grain of the environment at which G × E is expressed. The grain (or grain size) of the environment refers to the scale of environmental heterogeneity relative to generation time – that is, relative to the window of operation of selection – with higher rates of heterogeneity occurring in finer‐grained environments. The hypothesis that the grain of the environment explains variation in the expression of G × E encapsulates variation in the power of selection to shape reaction norms: selection should be able to erode G × E in fine‐grained environments but lose its power as the grain becomes coarser. I survey studies of G × E in sexual traits and demonstrate that the strength of G × E varies with the grain of the environment across which it is expressed, with G × E being stronger in coarser‐grained environments. This result elucidates when G × E is most likely to be sustained in the reaction norms of fitness‐related traits and when its evolutionary consequences will be most pronounced.
Expression of Concern: High glucose facilitates cell cycle arrest of rat bone marrow multipotent adult progenitor cells through transforming growth factor‐β1 and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1/2 signalling without changing Oct4 expression
Authors: Luo Min , Liu Zehao , Hao Hong , Lu Tiewei , Chen Minjie , Lei Minxiang , Verfaillie Catherine M , Liu Zhenguo 
Published: July 2012

Summary
The transcription factor Oct4 is critical to the pluripotency, self‐renewal and differentiation of stem cells. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of high glucose (HG) on the cell cycle progression of bone marrow multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPC) and Oct4 expression, as well as the underlying mechanisms.
Rat MAPC were cultured in normal (5.5 mmol/L d‐glucose) and HG (25.5 mmol/L d‐glucose) media for up to 14 days. l‐Glucose served as a high osmolarity control. Culture in HG media substantially increased the number of cells in the G0/G1 phase and decreased the number in the S phase without changing the cell population in the G2 phase. Expression of the cell cycle regulatory protein p21CIP/WAF‐1 (p21), but not that of p27KIP‐1 (p27), was significantly upregulated in cells cultured in HG media. Significant increases were seen in transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β1 levels in cells and MAPC‐conditioned medium in the presence of HG, and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 phosphorylation was enhanced in cells cultured in the presence of HG medium without any changes in Akt phosphorylation.
Neutralizing TGF‐β1 antibody effectively prevented HG‐induced increases in ERK1/2 phosphorylation, p21 expression and suppression of cell cycle progression of MAPC. Inhibiting ERK1/2 phosphorylation with PD98059 completely blocked HG‐induced p21 expression and markedly reversed HG‐induced inhibition of cell cycle progression in MAPC. The HG‐induced suppression of cell cycle progression was not accompanied by inhibition of cell proliferation or Oct4 expression in these cells.
The data indicate that HG facilitates cell cycle arrest of rat MAPC through TGF‐β1‐induced activation of ERK1/2 signalling and p21 expression, and that Oct4 expression in MAPC is independent of the cell cycle and/or TGF‐β1 or ERK1/2 signalling in HG medium.
Numerical modelling and experimental investigation on welding residual stresses in large‐scale tubular K‐joints
Authors: ACEVEDO C. , DREZET J. M. , NUSSBAUMER A. 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACTThis paper is devoted to the experimental and numerical assessment of residual stresses created by welding in the region surrounding the weld toe of tubular K‐shaped joints (i.e. region most sensitive to fatigue cracking). Neutron‐diffraction measurements were carried out on K‐joints cut from large‐scale truss beams previously subjected to high cycle fatigue. Tri‐axial residual stresses in the transverse, longitudinal and radial direction were obtained from the weld toe as a function of the depth in the thickness of the tube wall. In addition, thermomechanical analyses were performed in three‐dimensional using ABAQUS and MORFEO finite element codes. Experimental and numerical results show that, at and near the weld‐toe surface, the highest residual stresses are critically oriented perpendicularly to the weld direction, and combined with the highest externally applied stresses. Based on a systematic study on geometric parameters, analytical residual stress distribution equations with depth are proposed.
Culturing captures members of the soil rare biosphere
Authors: Shade Ashley , Hogan Clifford S. , Klimowicz Amy K. , Linske Matthew , McManus Patricia S. , Handelsman Jo 
Published: July 2012

SummaryThe ecological significance of rare microorganisms within microbial communities remains an important, unanswered question. Microorganisms of extremely low abundance (the ‘rare biosphere’) are believed to be largely inaccessible and unknown. To understand the structure of complex environmental microbial communities, including the representation of rare and prevalent community members, we coupled traditional cultivation with pyrosequencing. We compared cultured and uncultured bacterial members of the same agricultural soil, including eight locations within one apple orchard and four time points. Our analysis revealed that soil bacteria captured by culturing were in very low abundance or absent in the culture‐independent community, demonstrating unexpected accessibility of the rare biosphere by culturing.
An extensive investigation into the prevalence and the genetic and serological diversity of toxigenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Italian marine coastal waters
Authors: Ottaviani D. , Leoni F. , Rocchegiani E. , Mioni R. , Costa A. , Virgilio S. , Serracca L. , Bove D. , Canonico C. , Di Cesare A. , Masini L. , Potenziani S. , Caburlotto G. , Ghidini V. , Lleo M. M. 
Published: July 2012

SummaryThe relationship between Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains isolated from the aquatic environment and those isolated from cases of infection in humans is poorly understood due to the low prevalence of tdh‐ and/or trh‐positive strains in the environment. To address this concern, it would be useful to analyse the genetic relationships among environmental and food strains and with reference to clinical isolates, also applying molecular typing methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of toxigenic V. parahaemolyticus in Italian coastal waters and seafood, to examine intra‐species variability and to identify, using serotyping and pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), relationships among strains from different sources, geographical origin and period of isolation. Of the 192 V. parahaemolyticus strains isolated in different Italian areas and examined in this study, 25 (13.0%) proved to carry the trh gene while none of the strains proved positive to the search by PCR for tdh and Group‐Specific‐toxRS genes. The prevalence of toxigenic strains in the Tyrrhenian Sea was significantly lower than that calculated for the Ligurian coasts. Regarding the sources of isolation, the higher prevalence of trh‐positive V. parahaemolyticus was revealed in fish, followed by clams, plankton, oysters, mussels and lastly seawater. Within the toxigenic strains, 16 serotypes and 20 distinct PFGE patterns were identified. Two clusters, which included a total of 8 V. parahaemolyticus strains, were specifically associated with the North Adriatic Sea area and were stable over time. Our results demonstrate that trh‐positive V. parahaemolyticus strains circulated in Italy in the period 2002–2009 with a prevalence higher than that reported from other European and extra‐European countries, confirming that toxigenic V. parahaemolyticus is an emerging public health concern in Italy, regardless of its pandemic potential.
Accurate preoperative prediction of non‐organ‐confined bladder urothelial carcinoma at cystectomy
Authors: Green David A. , Rink Michael , Hansen Jens , Cha Eugene K. , Robinson Brian , Tian Zhe , Chun Felix K. , Tagawa Scott , Karakiewicz Pierre I. , Fisch Margit , Scherr Douglas S. , Shariat Shahrokh F. 
Published: July 2012

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?
Upstaging to non‐organ‐confined (NOC) disease is frequent at the time of radical cystectomy for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB). Pre‐surgical models that can accurately predict which patients are likely to have more extensive disease are sparse.
The present study developed an accurate nomogram for the prediction of NOC‐UCB based on a cohort of patients with clinically organ‐confined disease. Adoption of such a tool into daily clinical decision‐making may lead to more appropriate integration of perioperative chemotherapy, thereby potentially improving survival in patients with UCB.
Objective
To create an accurate pre‐cystectomy decision‐making tool that allows for the accurate identification of patients with clinically organ‐confined urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) who have non‐organ‐confined UCB (NOC‐UCB) at cystectomy, as identification of patients with UCB most likely to benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACTx) is hampered by inaccurate clinical staging.
Patients and Methods
A prospectively maintained single‐institution database containing 201 patients who underwent cystectomy and pelvic lymph node (LN) dissection without NACTx for UCB was analysed.
Predictive variables for NOC‐UCB included, among others, age, gender, transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) findings (stage, grade, histology, size, presence of carcinoma in situ, lymphovascular invasion [LVI], multifocality), history of intravesical therapy, time from TURBT to cystectomy, and cross‐sectional imaging findings.
Results
Clinical stage distribution was 19 patients with Ta, 15 with Tis, 67 with T1, and 100 with T2.
At the time of cystectomy, NOC‐UCB and LN‐positive disease were found in 71 (35%) and 38 (19%) of patients, respectively; 81 (40%) of patients had NOC‐UCB (≥pT3/Nany or pTany/N+).
Tumour stage (P [trend] <0.001), presence of LVI (odds ratio [OR] 5.2; P = 0.02), and radiographic evidence of NOC‐UCB or hydronephrosis (OR 3.2; P = 0.01) were independently associated with ≥pT3 Nany UCB.
Tumour stage (P [trend] < 0.001) and presence of LVI (OR 6.64; P = 0.01) were independently associated with (≥pT3/Nany or pTany/N+) UCB.
A nomogram to predict (≥pT3/Nany or pTany/N+) based on all three variables was highly accurate (area under the curve 0.828) and well calibrated, deviating <8% from ideal prediction. Decision curve analysis showed net benefit across all threshold probabilities.
Conclusions
NOC‐UCB can be predicted with high accuracy by integrating standard clinicopathological factors with imaging information.
This model may help to identify patients with NOC‐UCB who may benefit from NACTx.
The emergence of squirrelpox in Ireland
Authors: McInnes C. J. , Coulter L. , Dagleish M. P. , Deane D. , Gilray J. , Percival A. , Willoughby K. , Scantlebury M. , Marks N. , Graham D. , Everest D. J. , McGoldrick M. , Rochford J. , McKay F. , Sainsbury A. W. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe native red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris population in Britain has been on the decline for many years. A poxvirus associated with the introduced American grey squirrel S. carolinensis has been recognized as having a major role in the reduction of red squirrel numbers by causing a deleterious disease, known as squirrelpox, from which they seldom recover. In Ireland, red squirrel numbers have also been reducing while the grey squirrel population, first introduced in 1911, has been expanding. Until now, no poxvirus‐associated disease had been found in Irish red squirrels and therefore, the role of squirrelpox in the displacement of red squirrels by grey squirrels in Ireland has been questioned. Here we report, for the first time, confirmed squirrelpox disease in two populations of red squirrels in Northern Ireland. In addition, we present serological evidence of the extent of poxvirus infection in the grey squirrels from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, including an apparent increase in the seroprevalence of antibodies against the virus in grey squirrels over the period of the study, and discuss the implications of our findings for the conservation tactics employed to protect red squirrels.