bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessing the relevance of neighbourhood characteristics to the household food security of low-income Toronto families
Authors: Kirkpatrick Sharon I , Tarasuk Valerie 
Published: March 2010

AbstractObjectiveAlthough the sociodemographic characteristics of food-insecure households have been well documented, there has been little examination of neighbourhood characteristics in relation to this problem. In the present study we examined the association between household food security and neighbourhood features including geographic food access and perceived neighbourhood social capital.DesignCross-sectional survey and mapping of discount supermarkets and community food programmes.SettingTwelve high-poverty neighbourhoods in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.SubjectsRespondents from 484 low-income families who had children and who lived in rental accommodations.ResultsFood insecurity was pervasive, affecting two-thirds of families with about a quarter categorized as severely food insecure, indicative of food deprivation. Food insecurity was associated with household factors including income and income source. However, food security did not appear to be mitigated by proximity to food retail or community food programmes, and high rates of food insecurity were observed in neighbourhoods with good geographic food access. While low perceived neighbourhood social capital was associated with higher odds of food insecurity, this effect did not persist once we accounted for household sociodemographic factors.ConclusionsOur findings raise questions about the extent to which neighbourhood-level interventions to improve factors such as food access or social cohesion can mitigate problems of food insecurity that are rooted in resource constraints. In contrast, the results reinforce the importance of household-level characteristics and highlight the need for interventions to address the financial constraints that underlie problems of food insecurity.
An inquiry into the emotional impact of sight loss and the counselling experiences and needs of blind and partially sighted people
Authors: Thurston Mhairi 
Published: March 2010

AbstractBackground: The link between sight loss and depression is well documented. The UK Vision Strategy seeks to bring the emotional impact of sight loss into public awareness and improve access to emotional support for visually impaired people. However, dedicated counselling services for visually impaired people remain scarce, and research into the effectiveness of psychological interventions is predominantly anecdotal rather than evidence based. Aim: To explore the emotional impact of sight loss in four core areas (mood, self concept, social connectedness and loss), and to explore the counselling experiences and needs of blind and partially sighted adults. Method: Data were collected using the mental health and social functioning sub‐scales of the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire‐25 and semi‐structured interviews transcribed and analysed using grounded theory. Results: Participants with a serious eye condition shared a common transition from sight to blindness, starting with diagnosis, coping with deterioration of sight, experiencing loss in different areas of life, experiencing changed perceptions of self in relation to society, experiencing others in a changed way and experiencing rehabilitation. A theoretical model describing the transition from sight to blindness is proposed. Participants reported negative perceptions of counselling and a lack of counselling opportunities in relation to their sight loss. Implications: The implications for policy and practice are discussed, particularly the need for counselling after diagnosis of visual impairment and the specific challenges facing those who deliver counselling to blind and partially sighted clients.
Market Power and the Cattle Cycle
Authors: Crespi John M. , Xia Tian , Jones Rodney 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe relationship between the dynamic cattle cycle and the potential for market power in cattle purchases has rarely been studied. This paper provides a conceptual framework showing how the cattle cycle and buyer market power are related. Not only does a larger cattle stock lead to a lower fed cattle price, but the cattle stock's negative effect on price is magnified by the degree of buyer market power in cattle procurement. Empirical findings support the posited theoretical relationships and help explain why previous researchers reached different conclusions regarding the extent of market power in the industry.
Estimating Threshold Effects of U.S. Generic Fluid Milk Advertising
Authors: Adachi Kenji , Liu Donald J. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractAdopting a spline threshold estimation procedure, this article investigates the threshold effects on demand of generic fluid milk advertising. A quarterly fluid milk demand equation with unknown thresholds is estimated. The results support the existence of a minimum threshold below which advertising has no impact on sales, and an upper threshold beyond which the law of diminishing returns dictates. Advertising is also found to have the effect of rendering fluid milk demand less elastic with respect to own price, and more elastic with respect to income. The simulations highlight the importance of accounting for threshold effects when evaluating promotion programs.
Inferring dynamic gene networks under varying conditions for transcriptomic network comparison
Authors: Shimamura Teppei , Imoto Seiya , Yamaguchi Rui , Nagasaki Masao , Miyano Satoru 
Published: March 2010

AbstractMotivation: Elucidating the differences between cellular responses to various biological conditions or external stimuli is an important challenge in systems biology. Many approaches have been developed to reverse engineer a cellular system, called gene network, from time series microarray data in order to understand a transcriptomic response under a condition of interest. Comparative topological analysis has also been applied based on the gene networks inferred independently from each of the multiple time series datasets under varying conditions to find critical differences between these networks. However, these comparisons often lead to misleading results, because each network contains considerable noise due to the limited length of the time series.Results: We propose an integrated approach for inferring multiple gene networks from time series expression data under varying conditions. To the best of our knowledge, our approach is the first reverse-engineering method that is intended for transcriptomic network comparison between varying conditions. Furthermore, we propose a state-of-the-art parameter estimation method, relevance-weighted recursive elastic net, for providing higher precision and recall than existing reverse-engineering methods. We analyze experimental data of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells stimulated by epidermal growth factor or heregulin with several doses and provide novel biological hypotheses through network comparison.Availability: The software NETCOMP is available at http://bonsai.ims.u-tokyo.ac.jp/∼shima/NETCOMP/.Contact: shima@ims.u-tokyo.ac.jpSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Internal Architecture of Mitochondrial Complex I from Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Klodmann Jennifer , Sunderhaus Stephanie , Nimtz Manfred , JÄnsch Lothar , Braun Hans-Peter 
Published: March 2010

Abstract
The NADH dehydrogenase complex (complex I) of the respiratory chain has unique features in plants. It is the main entrance site for electrons into the respiratory electron transfer chain, has a role in maintaining the redox balance of the entire plant cell and additionally comprises enzymatic side activities essential for other metabolic pathways. Here, we present a proteomic investigation to elucidate its internal structure. Arabidopsis thaliana complex I was purified by a gentle biochemical procedure that includes a cytochrome c–mediated depletion of other respiratory protein complexes. To examine its internal subunit arrangement, isolated complex I was dissected into subcomplexes. Controlled disassembly of the holo complex (1000 kD) by low-concentration SDS treatment produced 10 subcomplexes of 550, 450, 370, 270, 240, 210, 160, 140, 140, and 85 kD. Systematic analyses of subunit composition by mass spectrometry gave insights into subunit arrangement within complex I. Overall, Arabidopsis complex I includes at least 49 subunits, 17 of which are unique to plants. Subunits form subcomplexes analogous to the known functional modules of complex I from heterotrophic eukaryotes (the so-called N-, Q-, and P-modules), but also additional modules, most notably an 85-kD domain including γ-type carbonic anhydrases. Based on topological information for many of its subunits, we present a model of the internal architecture of plant complex I.
Pain inhibition and postexertional malaise in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: An experimental study
Authors: Van Oosterwijck J. , Nijs J. , Meeus M. , Lefever I. , Huybrechts L. , Lambrecht L. , Paul L. 
Published: March 2010

Abstract.  Van Oosterwijck J, Nijs J, Meeus M, Lefever I, Huybrechts L, Lambrecht L, Paul L (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels; Artesis University College Antwerp, Antwerp; University Hospital Brussels, Brussels; Private Practice For Internal Medicine, Ghent/Aalst; CVS Contactgroep, Bruges; Belgium; and University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK). Pain inhibition and postexertional malaise in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. J Intern Med 2010; 268: 265–278.Objectives.  To examine the efficacy of the pain inhibitory systems in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) during two different types of exercise and to examine whether the (mal)functioning of pain inhibitory systems is associated with symptom increases following exercise.Design.  A controlled experimental study.Setting and subjects.  Twenty‐two women with ME/CFS and 22 healthy sedentary controls were studied at the Department of Human Physiology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel.Interventions.  All subjects performed a submaximal exercise test and a self‐paced, physiologically limited exercise test on a cycle ergometer. The exercise tests were undertaken with continuous cardiorespiratory monitoring. Before and after the exercise bouts, subjects filled out questionnaires to assess health status, and underwent pressure pain threshold measurements. Throughout the study, subjects’ activity levels were assessed using accelerometry.Results.  In patients with ME/CFS, pain thresholds decreased following both types of exercise, whereas they increased in healthy subjects. This was accompanied by a worsening of the ME/CFS symptom complex post‐exercise. Decreased pressure thresholds during submaximal exercise were associated with postexertional fatigue in the ME/CFS group (r = 0.454; P = 0.034).Conclusions.  These observations indicate the presence of abnormal central pain processing during exercise in patients with ME/CFS and demonstrate that both submaximal exercise and self‐paced, physiologically limited exercise trigger postexertional malaise in these patients. Further study is required to identify specific modes and intensity of exercise that can be performed in people with ME/CFS without exacerbating symptoms.
Boldness and Information Use in Three‐Spined Sticklebacks
Authors: Harcourt Jennifer L. , Biau Samuel , Johnstone Rufus , Manica Andrea 
Published: March 2010

AbstractIn foraging groups, individuals may utilise information from their social environment to aid decision making when choosing where to search for food. Little work has looked at the costs or benefits of behavioural differences, such as consistent individual variation in boldness, with respect to learning ability. Here, we investigate the response of three‐spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) to ‘social cues’, ‘local enhancement’ and ‘public information’ during foraging tasks. Our results confirm previous work suggesting that this species responds to social cues and local enhancement but not public information. Variation in boldness did not affect the use of different types of information. However, time taken to make a choice and reach a patch varied between fish with different levels of boldness. Contrary to expectation, shy fish were the more variable individuals, having a greater range of reaction times when responding to the tasks. This suggests that individual behavioural differences still play a role when utilising information obtained from the environment and may influence the relative benefits that could result in different contexts.
Wiki use in mental health practice: Recognizing potential use of collaborative technology
Authors: Bastida Richard , McGrath Ian , Maude Phil 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTWeb 2.0, the second‐generation of the World Wide Web, differs to earlier versions of Web development and design in that it facilitates more user‐friendly, interactive information sharing and mechanisms for greater collaboration between users. Examples of Web 2.0 include Web‐based communities, hosted services, social networking sites, video sharing sites, blogs, mashups, and wikis. Users are able to interact with others across the world or to add to or change website content. This paper examines examples of wiki use in the Australian mental health sector. A wiki can be described as an online collaborative and interactive database that can be easily edited by users. They are accessed via a standard Web browser which has an interface similar to traditional Web pages, thus do not require special application or software for the user. Although there is a paucity of literature describing wiki use in mental health, other industries have developed uses, including a repository of knowledge, a platform for collaborative writing, a project management tool, and an alternative to traditional Web pages or Intranets. This paper discusses the application of wikis in other industries and offers suggestions by way of examples of how this technology could be used in the mental health sector.
Spatial and temporal frequency tuning in striate cortex: functional uniformity and specializations related to receptive field eccentricity
Authors: Yu Hsin‐Hao , Verma Richa , Yang Yin , Tibballs Heath A. , Lui Leo L. , Reser David H. , Rosa Marcello G. P. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractIn light of anatomical evidence suggesting differential connection patterns in central vs. peripheral representations of cortical areas, we investigated the extent to which the response properties of cells in the primary visual area (V1) of the marmoset change as a function of eccentricity. Responses to combinations of the spatial and temporal frequencies of visual stimuli were quantified for neurons with receptive fields ranging from 3° to 70° eccentricity. Optimal spatial frequencies and stimulus speeds reflected the expectation that the responses of cells throughout V1 are essentially uniform, once scaled according to the cortical magnification factor. In addition, temporal frequency tuning was similar throughout V1. However, spatial frequency tuning curves depended both on the cell’s optimal spatial frequency and on the receptive field eccentricity: cells with peripheral receptive fields showed narrower bandwidths than cells with central receptive fields that were sensitive to the same optimal spatial frequency. Although most V1 cells had separable spatial and temporal frequency tuning, the proportion of neurons displaying significant spatiotemporal interactions increased in the representation of far peripheral vision (> 50°). In addition, of the fewer than 5% of V1 cells that showed robust (spatial frequency independent) selectivity to stimulus speed, most were concentrated in the representation of the far periphery. Spatiotemporal interactions in the responses of many cells in the peripheral representation of V1 reduced the ambiguity of responses to high‐speed (> 30°/s) signals. These results support the notion of a relative specialization for motion processing in the far peripheral representations of cortical areas, including V1.
Behavioural and anatomical analysis of selective tibial nerve branch transfer to the deep peroneal nerve in the rat
Authors: Kemp Stephen W. P. , Alant Jacob , Walsh Sarah K. , Webb Aubrey A. , Midha Rajiv 
Published: March 2010

AbstractNerve transfer procedures involving the repair of a distal denervated nerve element with that of a foreign proximal nerve have become increasingly popular for clinical nerve repair as a surgical alternative to autologous nerve grafting. However, the functional outcomes and the central plasticity for these procedures remain poorly defined, particularly for a clinically relevant rodent model of hindlimb nerve transfer. We therefore evaluated the effect of selective tibial branch nerve transfer on behavioural recovery in animals following acute transection of the deep peroneal nerve. The results indicate that not only can hindlimb nerve transfers be successfully accomplished in a rat model but that these animals display a return of skilled locomotor function on a par with animals that underwent direct deep peroneal nerve repair (the current gold standard). At 2 months, ground reaction force analysis demonstrated that partial restoration of braking forces occurred in the nerve transfer group, whereas the direct repair group had fully restored these forces to similar to baseline levels. Ankle kinematic analysis revealed that only animals in the direct repair group significantly recovered flexion during the step cycle, indicating a recovery of surgically induced foot drop. Terminal electrophysiological and myological assessments demonstrated similar levels of reinnervation, whereas retrograde labelling studies confirmed that the peroneal nerve‐innervated muscles were innervated by neurons from the tibial nerve pool in the nerve transfer group. Our results demonstrate a task‐dependent recovery process, where skilled locomotor recovery is similar between nerve transfer and direct repair animals, whereas flat surface locomotion is significantly better in direct repair animals.
Keap1‐Nrf2 activation in the presence and absence of DJ‐1
Authors: Gan Li , Johnson Delinda A. , Johnson Jeffrey A. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe molecular mechanisms leading to neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease remain elusive. Deletion and mutations of DJ‐1 (PARK7) have been reported to cause autosomal recessive familial Parkinson’s disease. Wildtype DJ‐1 scavenges H2O2 by cysteine oxidation in response to oxidative stress, and thus confers neuroprotection. Activation of the transcription factor NF‐E2‐related factor‐2 (Nrf2) has also been shown to be important for protection against oxidative stress in many models of neurodegenerative diseases. Previous data indicate that DJ‐1 affects the transcriptional functions and stability of Nrf2. However, this observation has not been confirmed. In the current study, the role of DJ‐1 in the regulation of Nrf2 is examined in primary cultured neurons, astrocytes and in vivo. The prototypical Nrf2 activator tBHQ protected primary cortical neurons derived from DJ‐1‐knockout (KO) as well as DJ‐1 wildtype mice by activation of Nrf2‐ARE pathway. Nrf2 nuclear translocation, robust increases in canonical Nrf2‐driven genes and proteins, and dramatic activation of the ARE reporter gene, hPAP, were observed after tBHQ treatment. These results were further confirmed by siRNA‐mediated DJ‐1 knockdown in primary cortical astrocytes from ARE‐hPAP mice and tBHQ administration into the striatum of mouse brain. In addition, overexpression of Nrf2 with adenovirus preferentially in astrocytes from DJ‐1‐KO mice enhanced survival of neurons under oxidative insults. These findings indicate that activation of the Nrf2–ARE pathway is independent of DJ‐1, and Nrf2 activation is a potential therapeutic target to prevent neurodegeneration in sporadic and DJ‐1 familial Parkinson’s disease.
On the intrinsic regulation of neuropeptide Y release in the mammalian suprachiasmatic nucleus circadian clock
Authors: Glass J. David , Guinn Jessie , Kaur Gagandeep , Francl Jessie M. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractTiming of the circadian clock of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is regulated by photic and non‐photic inputs. Of these, neuropeptide Y (NPY) signaling from the intergeniculate leaflet (IGL) to the SCN plays a prominent role. Although NPY is critical to clock regulation, neither the mechanisms modulating IGL NPY neuronal activity nor the nature of regulatory NPY signaling in the SCN clock are understood, as NPY release in the SCN has never been measured. Here, microdialysis procedures for in vivo measurement of NPY were used in complementary experiments to address these questions. First, neuronal release of NPY in the hamster SCN was rhythmic under a 14L : 10D photocycle, with the acrophase soon after lights‐on and the nadir at midday. No rhythmic fluctuation in NPY occurred under constant darkness. Second, a behavioral phase‐resetting stimulus (wheel‐running at midday that induces IGL serotonin release) acutely stimulated SCN NPY release. Third, bilateral IGL microinjection of the serotonin agonist, (±)‐2‐dipropyl‐amino‐8‐hydroxyl‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydronapthalene (8‐OH‐DPAT) (another non‐photic phase‐resetting stimulant), at midday enhanced SCN NPY release. Conversely, similar application of the serotonin antagonist, metergoline, abolished wheel‐running‐induced SCN NPY release. IGL microinjection of the GABA agonist, muscimol, suppressed SCN NPY release. These results support an intra‐IGL mechanism whereby behavior‐induced serotonergic activity suppresses inhibitory GABAergic transmission, promoting NPY activity and subsequent phase resetting. Collectively, these results confirm IGL‐mediated NPY release in the SCN and verify that its daily rhythm of release is dependent upon the 14L : 10D photocycle, and that it is modulated by appropriately‐timed phase‐resetting behavior, probably mediated by serotonergic activation of NPY units in the IGL.
Caudate atrophy on MRI is a characteristic feature of FTLD‐FUS
Authors: Josephs K. A. , Whitwell J. L. , Parisi J. E. , Petersen R. C. , Boeve B. F. , Jack Jr C. R. , Dickson D. W. 
Published: March 2010

Background and purpose:  Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) can be subdivided into those in which the abnormal protein is tau (FTLD‐TAU), the TAR DNA binding protein 43 (FTLD‐TDP) and the fused in sarcoma protein (FTLD‐FUS). We have observed severe caudate atrophy at autopsy in FTLD‐FUS, and hence, we aimed to determine whether caudate atrophy on MRI is a feature that can distinguish FTLD‐FUS from FTLD‐TDP and FTLD‐TAU.Methods:  From a cohort of 207 cases of FTLD, we identified all cases of FTLD‐FUS that had a volumetric antemortem head MRI (n = 3). Caudate and frontal lobe volumes were measured in all three cases using atlas‐based parcellation and SPM5 and were compared to 10 randomly selected cases of FTLD‐TDP and 10 randomly selected cases of FTLD‐TAU. Total grey matter volumes were also calculated for all cases.Results:  The FTLD‐FUS cases had significantly smaller caudate volumes (P = 0.02) yet similar frontal lobe grey matter volumes (P = 0.12) compared to FTLD‐TDP and FTLD‐TAU. Caudate volumes when corrected for total grey matter volume (P = 0.01) or frontal lobe grey matter volume (P = 0.01) were significantly smaller in FTLD‐FUS than in FTLD‐TDP and FTLD‐TAU and showed no overlap with the other two groups.Conclusions:  Caudate atrophy on MRI appears to be significantly greater in FTLD‐FUS compared with FTLD‐TDP and FTLD‐TAU, suggesting that severe caudate atrophy may be a useful clinical feature to predict FTLD‐FUS pathology.