bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Semicircular canals and agility: the influence of size and shape measures
Authors: Cox Philip G. , Jeffery Nathan 
Published: November 2009

AbstractThe semicircular canals of the inner ear sense angular accelerations and decelerations of the head and enable co‐ordination of posture and body movement, as well as visual stability. Differences of agility and spatial sensitivity among species have been linked to interspecific differences in the relative size of the canals, particularly the radius of curvature (R) and the ratio of the canal plane area to streamline length (P/L). Here we investigate the scaling relationships of these two size variables and also out‐of‐plane torsion in the three semicircular canals (anterior, posterior and lateral), in order to assess which is more closely correlated with body size and locomotor agility. Measurements were computed from 3D landmarks taken from magnetic resonance images of a diverse sample of placental mammals encompassing 16 eutherian orders. Body masses were collected from the literature and an agility score was assigned to each species. The R and P/L of all three semicircular canals were found to have highly significant positive correlations with each other and no statistical difference was found between the slope of 2P/L against R and 1. This indicated that, contrary to initial hypotheses, there is little difference between 2P/L and R as measures of semicircular canal size. A measure of the in‐plane circularity of the canal was obtained by dividing 2P/L by R and out‐of‐plane torsion was measured as angular deviation from a plane of best fit. It was predicted that deviations from in‐plane and out‐of‐plane circularity would increase at small body size due to the constraints of fitting a proportionately larger canal into a smaller petrous bone. However, neither measurement was found to have a significant correlation with body mass, indicating that deviations from circularity (both in‐plane and out‐of‐plane) are not sufficient to alter P/L to an extent that would impact the sensitivity of the canals. 2P/L and R were both shown to be significantly correlated with locomotor agility. The posterior canal was the least correlated with agility, suggesting that it may be generally less closely aligned to the direction of movement than the anterior canal. Of the three canals, the lateral canal was the most highly correlated with agility. In particular, it could be used to distinguish between species that move in a largely 2D environment and those that locomote in 3D space (aerial, arboreal and aquatic species). This complements previous work suggesting that the lateral canal primarily commands navigation, whereas the vertical canals control reflex adjustments. It was also found that 2P/L is substantially better correlated with agility than is R in the lateral canal. This result is intriguing given the above finding that there is no statistical difference between 2P/L and R, and requires further investigation.
Visuospatial attention disturbance in Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Authors: DE MOURA MARIA CLARA DRUMMOND SOARES , VALLE LUIZ EDUARDO RIBEIRO DO , RESENDE MARIA BERNADETE DUTRA , REED UMBERTINA CONTI , PINTO KATIA OSTERNACK 
Published: November 2009

Aim  The cognitive deficits present in the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are not yet well characterized. Attention, considered to be the brain mechanism responsible for the selection of sensory stimuli, could be disturbed in DMD, contributing, at least partially, to the observed global cognitive deficit. The aim of this study was to investigate attentional function in individuals with DMD.Method  Twenty‐five males (mean age 12y; SD 2y 2mo) with DMD and 25 healthy males (mean age 12y; SD 2y) were tested in a visuospatial task (Posner computerized test). They were instructed to respond as quickly as possible to a lateralized visual target stimulus with the ipsilateral hand. Their attention was automatically orientated by a peripheral prime stimulus or, alternatively, voluntarily orientated by a central spatially informative cue.Results  The main result obtained was that the attentional effect (sum of the benefit and the cost of attention) did not differ between the two groups in the case of automatic attention (p=0.846) but was much larger for individuals with DMD than for comparison individuals in the case of voluntary attention (p<0.001).Interpretation  The large voluntary attentional effect exhibited by the participants with DMD seems similar to that of younger children, suggesting that the disease is associated with delayed maturation of voluntary attention mechanisms.
AAV‐mediated chronic over‐expression of SNAP‐25 in adult rat dorsal hippocampus impairs memory‐associated synaptic plasticity
Authors: McKee Alex G. , Loscher Jennifer S. , O’Sullivan Niamh C. , Chadderton Naomi , Palfi Arpad , Batti Laura , Sheridan Graham K. , O’Shea Sean , Moran Mary , McCabe Olive , Fernández Alfonso Blanco , Pangalos Menelas N. , O’Connor John J. , Regan Ciaran M. , O’Connor William T. , Humphries Peter , Farrar G. Jane , Murphy Keith J. 
Published: November 2009

J. Neurochem. (2009) 112, 991–1004.AbstractLong‐term memory is formed by alterations in glutamate‐dependent excitatory synaptic transmission, which is in turn regulated by synaptosomal protein of 25 kDa (SNAP‐25), a key component of the soluble N‐ethylmaleimide‐sensitive factor attachment protein receptor complex essential for exocytosis of neurotransmitter‐filled synaptic vesicles. Both reduced and excessive SNAP‐25 activity has been implicated in various disease states that involve cognitive dysfunctions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease. Here, we over‐express SNAP‐25 in the adult rat dorsal hippocampus by infusion of a recombinant adenoassociated virus vector, to evaluate the consequence of late adolescent‐adult dysfunction of the soluble N‐ethylmaleimide‐sensitive factor attachment protein receptor protein in the absence of developmental disruption. We report a specific and significant increase in the levels of extracellular glutamate detectable by microdialysis and a reduction in paired‐pulse facilitation in the hippocampus. In addition, SNAP‐25 over‐expression produced cognitive deficits, delaying acquisition of a spatial map in the water maze and impairing contextual fear conditioning, both tasks known to be dorsal hippocampal dependent. The high background transmission state and pre‐synaptic dysfunction likely result in interference with requisite synapse selection during spatial and fear memory consolidation. Together these studies provide the first evidence that excess SNAP‐25 activity, restricted to the adult period, is sufficient to mediate significant deficits in the memory formation process.
Macroecological patterns of species and genetic diversity in vascular plants of the Mediterranean basin
Authors: Fady Bruno , Conord Cyrille 
Published: November 2009

AbstractAim  We address the question of whether broad scale biogeographical structure of species diversity (SD) matches that of genetic diversity (GD) of vascular plants.Location  The Mediterranean basin.Methods  We normalized vascular plant species richness (SD) estimates per country using the Med‐Checklist taxonomic database. We used a linear regression analysis to correlate normalized country estimates with country longitudinal position. We also compiled published and geo‐referenced within‐population GD data for tree species, which had populations in the Mediterranean. We normalized GD estimates for each population across species. Again, we used a linear regression analysis to correlate GD with population longitudinal position. We then compared the populations’ geographical and bioclimatic trends for GD with Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) palaeo‐climate data and the species current ecological requirements.Results  The eastern Mediterranean and the coast of former Yugoslavia had higher SD than other regions. There was no overall spatial structure of SD in the Mediterranean, whereas there was an east–west trend of decreasing GD. This trend for GD tended to covary with an east–west warm/wet–cold/dry trend detected during the LGM. Low elevation xerothermic pine species displayed significantly less GD than higher elevation mesothermic or mountain pine species.Main conclusions  We suggest that LGM climate may have significantly shaped the current longitudinal and altitudinal patterns of GD we observed in woody taxa across the Mediterranean, although it did not affect comparable SD patterns. In particular, colder LGM summer temperatures in the western Mediterranean may have reduced population sizes significantly more than in the eastern Mediterranean. As plant species richness and GD did not covary, SD and GD may not be used as surrogates of one another in the Mediterranean basin. As they contain comparatively less GD, conservation priorities in the Mediterranean should focus on hot spots of endemism and Western Mediterranean populations and species.
Role of outer‐membrane cytochromes MtrC and OmcA in the biomineralization of ferrihydrite by Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1
Authors: REARDON C. L. , DOHNALKOVA A. C. , NACHIMUTHU P. , KENNEDY D. W. , SAFFARINI D. A. , AREY B. W. , SHI L. , WANG Z. , MOORE D. , MCLEAN J. S. , MOYLES D. , MARSHALL M. J. , ZACHARA J. M. , FREDRICKSON J. K. , BELIAEV A. S. 
Published: November 2009

AbstractIn an effort to improve the understanding of electron transfer mechanisms at the microbe–mineral interface, Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1 mutants with in‐frame deletions of outer‐membrane cytochromes (OMCs), MtrC and OmcA, were characterized for the ability to reduce ferrihydrite (FH) using a suite of microscopic, spectroscopic, and biochemical techniques. Analysis of purified recombinant proteins demonstrated that both cytochromes undergo rapid electron exchange with FH in vitro with MtrC displaying faster transfer rates than OmcA. Immunomicroscopy with cytochrome‐specific antibodies revealed that MtrC co‐localizes with iron solids on the cell surface while OmcA exhibits a more diffuse distribution over the cell surface. After 3‐day incubation of MR‐1 with FH, pronounced reductive transformation mineral products were visible by electron microscopy. Upon further incubation, the predominant phases identified were ferrous phosphates including vivianite [Fe3(PO4)2·8H2O] and a switzerite‐like phase [Mn3,Fe3(PO4)2·7H2O] that were heavily colonized by MR‐1 cells with surface‐exposed outer‐membrane cytochromes. In the absence of both MtrC and OmcA, the cells ability to reduce FH was significantly hindered and no mineral transformation products were detected. Collectively, these results highlight the importance of the outer‐membrane cytochromes in the reductive transformation of FH and support a role for direct electron transfer from the OMCs at the cell surface to the mineral.
Functioning of Older, Long‐Term Cancer Survivors: The Role of Cancer and Comorbidities
Authors: Deimling Gary T. , Arendt Jacquelyn A. , Kypriotakis George , Bowman Karen F. 
Published: December 2009

OBJECTIVES: To examine the relative effect of comorbidities, noncancer symptoms, and cancer‐related factors on the functioning of older adult long‐term survivors of breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers.DESIGN: Data from in‐person interviews with survivors of a tumor registry–based stratified random sample were used to test a multivariate model using ordinary least‐squares regression.SETTING: Survivors were identified in the tumor registry of a National Cancer Institute–designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio.PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred twenty‐one older (≥60), long‐term (≥5 years) cancer survivors.MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome measure, functional difficulty, was measured using Nagi's Performance Limitations Index. Predictors included a number of indicators of survivors' personal characteristics, age‐related health characteristics, and cancer‐related characteristics.RESULTS: The model explained 44% of the variance in functional difficulties between the cancer survivors in this sample. The strongest predictors were symptoms not attributed to cancer (β=0.28) and comorbidities (β=0.22), although cancer‐related factors explained an additional 8% of the variance over that explained by demographic and noncancer health factors, with current cancer‐related symptoms being a significant predictor (β=0.14).CONCLUSION: These findings indicate the importance of monitoring cancer‐related characteristics along with comorbidities and noncancer symptoms in long‐term survivors because they jointly affect overall physical functioning. Special attention needs to be given to women and minority cancer survivors as well.
The treatment of bleeding is to stop the bleeding! Treatment of trauma‐related hemorrhage
Authors: Boffard Kenneth D. , Choong Philip Iau Tsau , Kluger Yoram , Riou Bruno , Rizoli Sandro B. , Rossaint Rolf , Warren Brian 
Published: December 2009

BACKGROUND: The secret with any alternative to transfusion is to minimize the need for transfusion in the first place. This can be done by reducing the volume of blood loss. The volume of blood being lost can be reduced by direct methods where possible (i.e., hemostasis at the point of bleeding), or by improving the coagulation profile of the patient, thereby improving the extrinsic coagulation. Recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) offers theoretical possibilities of improving the coagulation profile.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The efficacy and safety of rFVIIa for the treatment of bleeding in patients with severe blunt and penetrating trauma has been investigated in two double‐blind, placebo‐controlled studies within a single trial—one on patients with blunt injury and the other in similar patients with penetrating injury.RESULTS: In patients with blunt trauma alive at 48 hours, treatment with rFVIIa effected a significant reduction in the primary endpoint of 48‐hour red blood cell (RBC) transfusion requirement (p = 0.02), and the safety of the dosing regimen was established. Similar trends were observed in patients with penetrating injuries. Across both studies and treatment arms, the 48‐hour mortality rate ranged from 16 to 19 percent. In the blunt trauma study, this equated to 13 patients from each arm who died before the benefits of treatment could be adequately assessed. Analysis of data for the 117 blunt trauma patients who survived at least 48 hours after receiving study treatment shows that, in addition to reducing RBC requirement, rFVIIa significantly reduced the need for massive transfusion over 48 hours (>20 RBC units) (relative risk reduction of 56% [95% confidence interval: 9%‐79%]; p = 0.03), and the fresh‐frozen plasma (p = 0.036), platelet (p = 0.023), and cryoprecipitate (p = 0.053) requirements within 48 hours, and was associated with a significant reduction in the 30‐day risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (p = 0.05) and multiple organ failure and/or ARDS (p = 0.05).CONCLUSION: Treatment with adjunctive rFVIIa significantly reduces transfusion requirements in the 48 hours after severe injury and these procoagulant effects may improve clinical outcome at 30 days.
The Decision of the Supply Chain Executive to Support or Impede Supply Chain Integration: A Multidisciplinary Behavioral Agency Perspective*
Authors: Villena Verónica H. , Gomez‐Mejia Luis R. , Revilla Elena 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACTApplying the behavioral agency model developed by Wiseman and Gomez‐Mejia (1998), this article analyzes human resource factors that induce supply chain executives (SCEs) to make decisions that foster or hinder supply chain integration. We examine two internal sources (compensation and employment risk) and one external source (environmental volatility) of risk bearing that can make SCEs more reluctant to make the decision to promote supply chain integration. We argue and empirically confirm the notion that an employment and compensation system that increases SCE risk bearing reduces the SCE's willingness to make risky decisions and thus discourages supply chain integration. We also reveal that this negative relationship becomes stronger under conditions of high environmental volatility. In addressing the “so what?” question, we found empirical support for the hypothesis that supply chain integration positively influences operational performance. Even though this decision has a positive value for the firm, we showed that SCEs discourage supply chain integration when they face higher risk bearing. Hypotheses are tested using a combination of primary survey data and archival measures in a sample of 133 Spanish firms.
Supply Chain Strategy, Product Characteristics, and Performance Impact: Evidence from Chinese Manufacturers*
Authors: Qi Yinan , Boyer Kenneth K. , Zhao Xiande 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACTSupply chain management has become one of the most popular approaches to enhance the global competitiveness of business corporations today. Firms must have clear strategic thinking in order to effectively organize such complicated activities, resources, communications, and processes. An emerging body of literature offers a framework that identifies three kinds of supply chain strategies: lean strategy, agile strategy, and lean/agile strategy based on in‐depth case studies. Extant research also suggests that supply chain strategies must be matched with product characteristics in order for firms to achieve better performance. This article investigates supply chain strategies and empirically tests the supply chain strategy model that posits lean, agile, and lean/agile approaches using data collected from 604 manufacturing firms in China. Cluster analyses of the data indicate that Chinese firms are adopting a variation of lean, agile, and lean/agile supply chain strategies identified in the western literature. However, the data reveal that some firms have a traditional strategy that does not emphasize either lean or agile principles. These firms perform worse than firms that have a strategy focused on lean, agile, or lean/agile supply chain. The strategies are examined with respect to product characteristics and financial and operational performance. The article makes significant contributions to the supply chain management literature by examining the supply chain strategies used by Chinese firms. In addition, this work empirically tests the applicability of supply chain strategy models that have not been rigorously tested empirically or in the fast‐growing Chinese economy.
The Influence of Cost and Quality Priorities on the Propensity to Outsource Production*
Authors: Gray John V. , Roth Aleda V. , Tomlin Brian 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACTOutsourcing of production has escalated over the past decade due to unprecedented competition and worldwide access to low‐cost labor markets. This article examines how cost and quality priorities—two key attributes of manufacturing strategy—influence a manufacturer's propensity to outsource. By doing so, we bridge the existing gap between research on manufacturing strategy and firm boundaries. We develop a theory‐based model that links a manufacturer's cost and quality priorities to its plans to outsource production. Our empirical analyses, based on survey data obtained from 867 manufacturing business units, control for firm‐specific factors previously shown to impact outsourcing, including asset specificity, uncertainty, and current capabilities in cost and quality. We found that the competitive priority placed on cost played an integral role in sourcing decisions, while, surprisingly, conformance quality priorities did not. The cost result is consistent with our expectations and observations in practice. The significant effect of cost priority on outsourcing shows that any theory of firm boundaries that fails to consider competitive priorities is incomplete. The finding regarding quality, which was counter to our expectations, may partially explain why there is an emergence of so many nonconforming products associated with outsourcing. Taken together, our results provide theoretical insights for future research into how manufacturing managers can improve their decision making on outsourcing production.
A Competitive Model of Customization with Lead‐Time Effects
Authors: Xia Nan , Rajagopalan Sampath 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACTIn this article, we study the competitive interactions between a firm producing standard products and a firm producing custom products. Consumers with heterogeneous preferences choose between n standard products, which may not meet their preferences exactly but are available immediately, and a custom product, available only after a certain lead time l. Standard products incur a variety cost that increases with n and custom products incur a lead time cost that is decreasing in the lead time l. We consider a two‐stage game wherein at stage 1, the standard product firm chooses the variety and the custom firm chooses the lead time and then both firms set prices simultaneously. We characterize the subgame‐perfect Nash equilibrium of the game. We find that both firms can coexist in equilibrium, either sharing the market as local monopolists or in a price‐competitive mode. The standard product firm may offer significant or minimal variety depending on the equilibrium outcome. We provide several interesting insights on the variety, lead time, and prices of the products offered and on the impact of problem parameters on the equilibrium outcomes. For instance, we show that the profit margin and price of the custom product are likely to be higher than that of standard products in equilibrium under certain conditions. Also, custom firms are more likely to survive and succeed in product markets with larger potential market sizes. Another interesting insight is that increased consumer sensitivity to product fit may result in lower lead time for the custom product.
The Influence of Forward‐Looking Antecedents, Uncertainty, and Anticipatory Emotions on Project Escalation*
Authors: Harvey Paul , Victoravich Lisa M. 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACTThis study extends research on the escalation of commitment phenomenon by investigating decision makers' tendency to look forward to project completion and develop anticipatory perceptions and emotions concerning goal attainment. We examine the influence of two project‐specific predictors of escalation (level of progress and presence of an alternative project) on perceived uncertainty and the extent to which anticipatory emotions (i.e., current affective reactions to possible future events) mediate the influence of uncertainty on levels of commitment to a failing project. Results indicated that level of progress and the presence of an alternative project affected uncertainty, which influenced anticipatory emotions. Lower levels of uncertainty and higher levels of positive anticipatory emotions increased the tendency to escalate commitment.
Supply Networks as a Complex Adaptive System: Toward Simulation‐Based Theory Building on Evolutionary Decision Making
Authors: Nair Anand , Narasimhan Ram , Choi Thomas Y. 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACTIn this article, we examine how the firms embedded in supply networks engage in decision making over time. The supply networks as a complex adaptive system are simulated using cellular automata (CA) through a dynamic evolution of cooperation (i.e., “voice” decision) and defection (i.e., “exit” decision) among supply network agents (i.e., firms). Simple local rules of interaction among firms generate complex patterns of cooperation and defection decisions in the supply network. The incentive schemes underlying decision making are derived through different configurations of the payoff‐matrix based on the game theory argument. The prisoner's dilemma game allows capturing the localized decision‐making process by rational agents, and the CA model allows the self‐organizing outcome to emerge. By observing the evolution of decision making by cooperating and defecting agents, we offer testable propositions regarding relationship development and distributed nature of governance mechanisms for managing supply networks.