bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hydroxyurea for the treatment of sickle cell disease: Efficacy, barriers, toxicity, and management in children
Authors: Strouse John J. , Heeney Matthew M. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractHydroxyurea is the only approved medication in the United States for the treatment of sickle cell anemia (HbSS) and is widely used in children despite an indication limited to adults. We review the evidence of efficacy and safety in children with reference to pivotal adult studies. This evidence and expert opinion form the basis for recommended guidelines for the use of hydroxyurea in children including indications, dosing, therapeutic and safety monitoring, and interventions to improve adherence. However, there are substantial gaps in our knowledge to be addressed by on‐going and planned studies in children. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2012;59:365–371. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Assessment of medication knowledge and adherence among patients under oral chronic medication treatment in community pharmacy settings
Authors: Okuyan Betul , Sancar Mesut , Izzettin Fikret Vehbi 
Published: April 2012

ABSTRACTPurposeThis study aimed to determine whether there is a relationship between the lack of medication knowledge and the self‐reported rates of patient medication adherence.MethodsPatients eligible to participate in the study had been taking oral medication at least once daily over the course of a minimum of three consecutive months before recruitment to the study. All participants were older than 18 years. The level of each patient's knowledge of his or her medication was randomly assessed by a trained fifth‐year pharmacy student through an adapted questionnaire. In addition, patient adherence was evaluated via utilization of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale.ResultsOf the 765 study participants (mean ± SD age = 55.45 ± 15.05 years, range = 20–91 years, 56.2% women), 58.0% reported adherence to their medication regimen and 64.5% professed optimal knowledge of their medication. The mean duration of medication utilization was 26.77 ± 40.62 months (range = 3–504 years). A statistically significant correlation exists between the total medication knowledge score on the questionnaire and the level of medication adherence (r = −0.964, p < 0.001).ConclusionImprovement in the patient's knowledge of medications taken would bear a positive effect on medication adherence. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thermal and electrical properties of glass fiber reinforced o‐cresol novolac epoxy composites cured with allylated phenol novolac hardener
Authors: Shin Seunghan , Lim Dong Guk , Kang Taeyoun , Chun Hyunaee , Cho Jin Ku 
Published: April 2012

AbstractAn allyl group was introduced into a phenol novolac hardener to improve the thermal and electrical properties of glass fiber reinforced o‐cresol novolac epoxy composites. Based on 1H NMR analysis, it was found that the degree of allylation was measured as 12.5% and 15.3% of allylated moieties underwent Claisen rearrangement. Thermal and electrical properties of the prepared composites were investigated by thermal mechanical analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis and dielectric measurements. Their thermal expansion coefficient and glass transition temperature measured by thermal mechanical analysis varied from 20.1 to 18.0 ppm K−1 and 132.5 to 170.9 °C, respectively, due to allylation of the phenol novolac hardener. From the storage modulus at the rubbery plateau, it was confirmed that these improvements were mainly caused by an increase in the crosslink density of the matrix resin owing to allyl groups. The electrical properties of the composites, however, showed no noticeable changes by allylation of the phenol novolac hardener. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
Refinement of protein structure homology models via long, all‐atom molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Raval Alpan , Piana Stefano , Eastwood Michael P. , Dror Ron O. , Shaw David E. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractAccurate computational prediction of protein structure represents a longstanding challenge in molecular biology and structure‐based drug design. Although homology modeling techniques are widely used to produce low‐resolution models, refining these models to high resolution has proven difficult. With long enough simulations and sufficiently accurate force fields, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations should in principle allow such refinement, but efforts to refine homology models using MD have for the most part yielded disappointing results. It has thus far been unclear whether MD‐based refinement is limited primarily by accessible simulation timescales, force field accuracy, or both. Here, we examine MD as a technique for homology model refinement using all‐atom simulations, each at least 100 μs long—more than 100 times longer than previous refinement simulations—and a physics‐based force field that was recently shown to successfully fold a structurally diverse set of fast‐folding proteins. In MD simulations of 24 proteins chosen from the refinement category of recent Critical Assessment of Structure Prediction (CASP) experiments, we find that in most cases, simulations initiated from homology models drift away from the native structure. Comparison with simulations initiated from the native structure suggests that force field accuracy is the primary factor limiting MD‐based refinement. This problem can be mitigated to some extent by restricting sampling to the neighborhood of the initial model, leading to structural improvement that, while limited, is roughly comparable to the leading alternative methods. Proteins 2012;. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Forming interdisciplinary expertise: one organization's journey on the road to translational nanomedicine
Authors: Tsai‐hsuan Ku Sharon 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThis paper provides a sociological account of how researchers of different disciplines become experts in translational nanomedicine. Using a case study of the Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory (NCL) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the author argues that the relationship between the different disciplines involved in translational nanomedicine should be understood in the broader sociopolitical context of the boundary politics between the academy, industry, and government. This study suggests that the process of training the nanobio expert is not simply a process of inculcating skills; it is also a process of institution building. In the case of the NCL, sustaining the laboratory's existence at the interface between the university, industry, and government informed how researchers practiced interdisciplinarity and cultivated their interdisciplinary expertise. It required mobilizing institutional resources through administrative/managerial strategies. Viewing the formation of a professional identity as a social process helps clarify the meaning of interdisciplinarity and provides insight in evaluating the performance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the design of nanoscience education. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2012, 4:366–377. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1172This article is categorized under:

Toxicology and Regulatory Issues in Nanomedicine > Regulatory and Policy Issues in Nanomedicine
Reduction of N-terminal methionylation while increasing titer by lowering metabolic and protein production rates in E. coli auto-induced fed-batch fermentation
Authors: Xu Jianlin , Qian Yueming , Skonezny Paul M , You Li , Xing Zizhuo , Meyers David S , Stankavage Robert J , Pan Shih-Hsie , Li Zheng Jian 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
A standard fed-batch fermentation process using 1 mM isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) induction at 37 °C in complex batch and feed media had been developed for manufacturing of a therapeutic protein (TP) expressed in inclusion bodies (IBs) by E. coli BL21 (DE3) driven by T7 promoter. Six unauthentic TP N-terminal variants were identified, of which methionylated TP (Met-TP) ratio was predominant. We hypothesized that lowering metabolic and protein production rates would reduce the Met-TP ratio while improving TP titer. The standard process was surprisingly auto-induced without added IPTG due to galactose in the complex media. Without changing either the clone or the batch medium, a new process was developed using lower feed rates and auto-induction at 29 °C after glucose depletion while increasing induction duration. In comparison to the standard process, the new process reduced the unauthentic Met-TP ratio from 23.6 to 9.6 %, increased the TP titer by 85 %, and the specific production yield from 210 to 330 mg TP per gram of dry cell weight. Furthermore, the TP recovery yield in the purified IBs was improved by ~20 %. Adding together, ~105 % more TP recovered in the purified IBs from per liter of fermentation broth for the new process than the standard process. The basic principles of lowering metabolic and production rates should be applicable to other recombinant protein production in IBs by fed-batch fermentations.
Critical Micelle Concentration of Poly(Oxy‐1,2‐Ethanediyl), α‐Nonyl Phenol‐ω‐Hydroxy Ethers (C9H19C6H4Ei=6,10.5,12,17.5) by Surface Equations of State
Authors: Viades‐Trejo Josefina , Abascal‐González Dulce María , Gracia‐Fadrique Jesús 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThe analysis of surface tension variation versus surfactant concentration is the most usual method to estimate the critical micelle concentration (CMC). This parameter represents a fundamental thermodynamic boundary state where several surface properties, i.e. surface tension, surface pressure, surface concentration and surface coverage, simultaneously reach their limit values marking the conditions of the surface tension decrease. Thus the choice of the method used for CMC evaluation becomes of great importance, as the values depend on the principles from which the chosen method is derived. This paper presents CMC data from three surface equations of state: Gibbs, Langmuir and Volmer, modified to include the CMC among their constitutive parameters. Surface tension data of four nonyl phenol ethoxylates (6, 10.5, 12 and 17.5 ethylene oxide) along with ionic and non‐ionic surfactants from the literature were evaluated by the three surface equations of state; the following CMC × 107 values were obtained: for nonyl phenol 6 ethylene oxide 7.2, 7.2 and 6.8, for the 10.5 ethylene oxide 10, 12.4 and 9, for the 12 ethylene oxide 138.1, 147 and 137.4, and for the 17.5 ethylene oxide 4.9, 4.1 and 4.3 from Gibbs, Langmuir and Volmer equations respectively. These results compared with data from the literature, show the particular features of each equation, namely their predictive capabilities, and the thermodynamic parameters obtained besides the critical micelar concentration. It was found that for the critical micelle concentration determination in most cases Gibbs and Volmer models are equally satisfactory.
Influence of mouth guards on autonomic nervous system activities: A quantitative study of pupillary flash responses
Authors: Ishida Jun‐ichi , Wada Yoshiro , Imai Yuichiro , Hirata Yutaka , Yamashita Masayuki , Kirita Tadaaki 
Published: April 2012

AbstractBackground: Recently, it has been reported that mouth guards (MGs), which reduce the incidence and severity of traumatic oral injuries in contact sports, may actually affect sports performance. We have observed that a majority of subjects showed improved dynamic visual acuity during head rotation when using a MG, but subjects who were unwilling to use a MG showed the opposite effect. Thus, we hypothesized that unpleasant sensations due to MGs may decrease sports performance.Methods: In this study, we measured autonomic nervous system activity to evaluate unpleasant sensations objectively and quantitatively by measuring the pupillary flash response (PFR) and heart rate variability (HRV), before, during, and after wearing 3‐ and 5‐mm‐thick custom‐made MGs in 10 healthy subjects.Results: It was found that the 5‐mm MG had a higher incidence of unpleasant sensations (50% of subjects) than did the 3‐mm MG (10%). PFR (not HRV) analysis showed that both sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system activities increased in subjects with unpleasant sensations.Conclusions: We suggest that the unpleasant sensation induced this unusual autonomic nervous system response, which could not be detected by traditional methods such as HRV analysis. By using PFR analysis, it is possible to make MGs without unpleasant sensations for better sports performance.
Potential and realities of enhancing rapeseed- and grain legume-based protein production in a northern climate
Authors: PELTONEN-SAINIO P. , HANNUKKALA A. , HUUSELA-VEISTOLA E. , VOUTILA L. , NIEMI J. , VALAJA J. , JAUHIAINEN L. , HAKALA K. 
Published: April 2012

SUMMARYCrop-based protein self-sufficiency in Finland is low. Cereals dominate the field cropping systems in areas that are also favourable for legumes and rapeseed. The present paper estimated the realistic potential for expanding protein crop production taking account of climatic conditions and constraints, crop rotation requirements, field sizes, soil types and likelihood for compacted soils in different regions. The potential for current expansion was estimated by considering climate change scenarios for 2025 and 2055. By using actual regional mean yields for the 2000s, without expecting any yield increase during the expansion period (due to higher risks of pests and diseases), potential production volumes were estimated. Since rapeseed, unlike grain legumes, is a not a true minor crop, its expansion potential is currently limited. Thus, most potential is from the introduction of legumes into cropping systems. The current 100000 ha of protein crops could be doubled, and areas under cultivation could reach 350000 and 390000 ha as a result of climate warming by 2025 and 2055, respectively. Such increases result mainly from the longer growing seasons projected for the northern cropping regions of Finland. Self-sufficiency in rapeseed could soon increase from 0·25 to 0·32, and then to 0·50 and 0·60 by 2025 and 2055, respectively. If legume production expands according to its potential, it could replace 0·50–0·60 of currently imported soybean meal, and by 2025 it could replace it completely. Replacement of soybean meal is suitable for ruminants, but it presents some problems for pig production, and is particularly challenging for poultry.
PRE- AND POSTNATAL DRIVERS OF CHILDHOOD INTELLIGENCE: EVIDENCE FROM SINGAPORE
Authors: PACHECO GAIL , HEDGES MARY , SCHILLING CHRIS , MORTON SUSAN 
Published: April 2012

SummaryThis study seeks to investigate what influences intelligence in early childhood. The Singapore Cohort Study of the Risk Factors of Myopia (SCORM) is used to assess determinants of childhood IQ and changes in IQ. This longitudinal data set, collected in 1999, includes a wealth of demographic, socioeconomic and prenatal characteristics. The richness of the data allows various econometric approaches to be employed, including the use of ordered and multinomial logit analysis. Mother's education is found to be a consistent and key determinant of childhood IQ. Father's education and school quality are found to be key drivers for increasing IQ levels above the average sample movement.
Aberrant internal carotid artery in the middle ear with dehiscent high jugular bulb
Authors: Lin Y-Y , Wang C-H , Liu S-C , Chen H-C 
Published: April 2012

AbstractObjective:We report an extremely rare case of an aberrant internal carotid artery in the middle ear, together with a dehiscent high jugular bulb, a combination never previously reported.Methods:Case report with a review of the literature.Results:A 24-year-old man presented with a five-year history of aural fullness, pulsatile tinnitus and mild hearing impairment in his right ear. Otoscopy revealed a retro-tympanic mass. Computed tomography of the temporal bone revealed protrusion of the right internal carotid artery into the middle-ear cavity, with a dehiscent high jugular bulb. Magnetic resonance angiography showed a reduced diameter and lateralisation of the right internal carotid artery. A diagnosis of an aberrant internal carotid artery with a dehiscent high jugular bulb was made, and the patient was managed with conservative treatment.Conclusion:The otologist should be aware of the possibility of an aberrant internal carotid artery when the patient presents with a retro-tympanic mass, hearing loss and pulsatile tinnitus. Radiological investigation is required to make the differential diagnosis. When an aberrant internal carotid artery presents with a dehiscent high jugular bulb, the risk of serious bleeding is elevated. We recommend a conservative approach for cases presenting without bleeding complications.
The European Court of Human Rights’ Al-Jedda judgment: the oversight of international humanitarian law
Authors: Pejic Jelena 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThe European Court of Human Rights' judgment in the Al-Jedda case dealt with the lawfulness of UK detention practice in Iraq under the European Convention on Human Rights. The Court's opinion could, however, be read as having broader implications for the ability of states parties to that treaty to conduct detention operations in situations of armed conflict. This article analyzes what the Court did – and did not say – about the application of international humanitarian law.
Marine microalgae attack and feed on metazoans
Authors: Berge Terje , Poulsen Louise K , Moldrup Morten , Daugbjerg Niels , Juel Hansen Per 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
Free-living microalgae from the dinoflagellate genus Karlodinium are known to form massive blooms in eutrophic coastal waters worldwide and are often associated with fish kills. Natural bloom populations, recently shown to consist of the two mixotrophic and toxic species Karlodinium armiger and Karlodinium veneficum have caused fast paralysis and mortality of finfish and copepods in the laboratory, and have been associated with reduced metazooplankton biomass in-situ. Here we show that a strain of K. armiger (K-0688) immobilises the common marine copepod Acartia tonsa in a density-dependent manner and collectively ingests the grazer to promote its own growth rate. In contrast, four strains of K. veneficum did not attack or affect the motility and survival of the copepods. Copepod immobilisation by the K. armiger strain was fast (within 15 min) and caused by attacks of swarming cells, likely through the transfer and action of a highly potent but uncharacterised neurotoxin. The copepods grazed and reproduced on a diet of K. armiger at densities below 1000, cells ml−1, but above 3500 cells ml−1 the mixotrophic dinoflagellates immobilised, fed on and killed the copepods. Switching the trophic role of the microalgae from prey to predator of copepods couples population growth to reduced grazing pressure, promoting the persistence of blooms at high densities. K. armiger also fed on three other metazoan organisms offered, suggesting that active predation by mixotrophic dinoflagellates may be directly involved in causing mortalities at several trophic levels in the marine food web.
Kinesin backsteps
Authors: Carter Nicholas J. , Cross Robert A. 
Published: April 2012

Kinesin-1 is a walking machine that takes ~8 nm steps along microtubules. Some aspects of the molecular mechanism of walking are now clear, but many are not. In the present paper, we discuss currently controversial points, focusing on the pathways by which kinesin takes occasional backsteps. Backsteps represent failures of the forwards-biasing mechanism. By studying the mechanochemistry of backstepping, one can learn much about the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible for forwards directional bias in the walking action.
NanoStringNorm: an extensible R package for the pre-processing of NanoString mRNA and miRNA data
Authors: Waggott Daryl , Chu Kenneth , Yin Shaoming , Wouters Bradly G. , Liu Fei-Fei , Boutros Paul C. 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
Motivation: The NanoString nCounter Platform is a new and promising technology for measuring nucleic acid abundances. It has several advantages over PCR-based techniques, including avoidance of amplification, direct sequence interrogation and digital detection for absolute quantification. These features minimize aspects of experimental error and hold promise for dealing with challenging experimental conditions such as archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples. However, systematic inter-sample technical artifacts caused by variability in sample preservation, bio-molecular extraction and platform fluctuations must be removed to ensure robust data.
Results: To facilitate this process and to address these issues for NanoString datasets, we have written a pre-processing package called NanoStringNorm in the R statistical language. Key features include an extensible environment for method comparison and new algorithm development, integrated gene and sample diagnostics, and facilitated downstream statistical analysis. The package is open-source, is available through the CRAN package repository, includes unit-tests to ensure numerical accuracy, and provides visual and numeric diagnostics.
Availability: http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/NanoStringNorm
Contact: paul.boutros@oicr.on.ca
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Working with emotions in community organizations
Authors: Hoggart Paul , Miller Chris 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
This article argues that the emotional life of community organizations and their members has been a neglected feature of the community development process and one that has been detrimental to their strength and vitality. After a brief review of the dominant rational-instrumental models of change within community development the articles sets out to illustrate the significance of the emotions in organizational life. It provides illustrations of the entanglements that organizations can experience through a lack of awareness of individual and collective emotions and suggests how greater reflexivity here can be of benefit to organizational and individual development.
Involvement of melanocortin‐1 receptor in the hyperpigmentation of human skin autografts
Authors: XUE Chun‐Yu , DAI Hai‐Ying , LI Li , XING Xin 
Published: April 2012

AbstractHyperpigmentation frequently occurs in human skin autografts resulting in an unsatisfactory appearance. This study aimed to elucidate the role of melanocortin‐1 receptor in the hyperpigmentation process of skin autografts by analyzing the expression of melanocortin‐1 receptor. The data were correlated with the amount of melanin in autografted human skin and normal skin determined in a previous study. Immunohistochemistry, western blotting and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction were carried out to detect the expression and distribution of melanocortin‐1 receptor in skin autografts including full‐thickness skin autografts, split‐thickness skin autografts and normal full‐thickness skin. Fontana–Masson stain was used to detect melanin in all types of skin specimens. The expression level of melanocortin‐1 receptor in autografted skin was much higher than that in control normal skin, and thinner split‐thickness skin autografts had higher levels of expression of melanocortin‐1 receptor than thicker grafts. The amount of melanin in skin autografts was significantly increased compared with normal skin. The expression of melanocortin‐1 receptor correlated well with the amount of melanin in the epidermis of skin autografts. These results indicate that melanogenesis is dramatically enhanced in skin autografts by the melanocortin‐1 receptor, and suggest that overexpression of melanocortin‐1 receptor may play an important role in the hyperpigmented process of skin autografts. This study provides a novel mechanism for hyperpigmentation in skin autografts.