bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The interactive nutrient and water effects on vegetation biomass at two African savannah sites with different mean annual precipitation
Authors: Wang Lixin , Katjiua Mutjinde , D'Odorico Paolo , Okin Gregory S. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractSavannahs cover more than 40% of Africa and provide a variety of important ecosystem services. Their productivity is constrained by disturbance and limiting resources. In southern Africa, fine‐leaf savannahs typical of arid environments are known for being richer in nutrients than broad‐leaf mesic savannahs. However, despite numerous recent studies on the dynamics of southern African savannahs, the interplay between water and nutrient limitations remains poorly investigated in these systems. To better understand the interactions between water, nutrients (N and P in this manuscript) and grazing on the productivity of grasses and trees in fine‐leaf savannah ecosystems, a fertilization experiment with controlled grazing was conducted at two sites with different mean annual rainfall in Namibia. The experiment demonstrated that the vegetation at the drier site may not be nutrient‐limited (N, P or N + P). At the wetter site, however, vegetation showed significant response to nutrient addition. Grasses exhibited N limitation and trees exhibited P limitation. This experiment also showed that grazing reduces the overall grass biomass, but may not modify the response to nutrient treatments. The results indicated a switch from water to nutrient limitation between dry and wet sites and demonstrated different tree and grass responses to nutrient additions.
Pioglitazone and bladder cancer: a propensity score matched cohort study
Authors: Wei Li , MacDonald Thomas M. , Mackenzie Isla S. 
Published: May 2012

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT• Pioglitazone is mainly used in combination with diet and exercise and other anti‐diabetic medications to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus.• Long term use of pioglitazone (>24 months of therapy) may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer.WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS• In this study population, pioglitazone does not appear to be significantly associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer in patients with type 2 diabetes.AIM To examine whether exposure to pioglitazone use is associated with increased incidence of bladder cancer in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.METHOD A cohort study was done in the General Practice Research Database (GPRD) between 2001 and 2010. Two hundred and seven thousand seven hundred and fourteen patients aged ≥40 years with type 2 diabetes were studied (23 548 exposed to pioglitazone and 184 166 exposed to other antidiabetic medications but not pioglitazone). The association between pioglitazone and risk of bladder cancer was assessed by a Cox regression model. A propensity score matched analysis was done in a group of patients without missing baseline characteristics data.RESULTS Sixty‐six and 803 new cases of bladder cancer occurred in the pioglitazone and other group, respectively (rates of 80.2 (95% CI 60.8, 99.5) and 81.8 (95% CI 76.2, 87.5) per 100 000 person‐years respectively). Pioglitazone did not increase the risk of bladder cancer significantly compared with the other antidiabetic drugs treatment group, (adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 1.16, 95% CI 0.83, 1.62). In a matched propensity score analysis in which both groups had similar baseline characteristics (17 249 patients in each group), the adjusted HR was 1.22 (95% CI 0.80, 1.84).CONCLUSION The results suggest that pioglitazone may not be significantly associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Long‐term follow‐up of myelodysplastic syndrome patients with moderate/severe anaemia receiving human recombinant erythropoietin + 13‐cis‐retinoic acid and dihydroxylated vitamin D3: independent positive impact of erythroid response on survival
Authors: Crisà Elena , Foli Cristina , Passera Roberto , Darbesio Antonella , Garvey Kimberly B. , Boccadoro Mario , Ferrero Dario 
Published: May 2012

SummaryWe previously reported a 60% erythroid response rate with recombinant erythropoietin + 13‐cis retinoic acid + dihydroxylated vitamin D3 in 63 elderly myelodysplastic patients (median age 75 years) with unfavourable features for response to erythropoietin alone [70% transfusion‐dependent, 35% refractory anaemia with ring sideroblasts/refractory anaemia with excess of blasts type 1 (RAEB1), 70% with International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) Intermediate‐1 or ‐2]. This report updates that case study at a 7‐year follow‐up, and compared the impact on overall survival of erythroid response to known prognostic factors. The erythroid response duration (median 17 months; 22 in non‐RAEB patients, with 20% patients in response after 6 years of therapy) was longer than in most studies with erythropoietin alone. Overall survival (median 55 months in non‐RAEB, 15 in RAEB1 patients) was negatively affected by RAEB1 diagnosis, IPSS and WPSS intermediate scores and transfusion‐dependence. In the multivariate analysis, erythroid response maintained an independent positive impact on survival, particularly in non‐RAEB patients in the first 3 years from diagnosis (90% survival compared to 50% of non‐responders). In conclusion, the long‐term follow‐up confirmed the achievement, by our combined treatment, of fairly long‐lasting erythroid response in the majority of MDS patients with unfavourable prognostic features for response to erythropoietin: this translated in a survival benefit that was independent from other prognostic features.
Bendamustine plus mitoxantrone for relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL): results of a multicentre phase II study of the German CLL Study Group (GCLLSG)
Authors: Köppler Hubert , Fuss Harald , Hurtz Hans J. , Knigge Owe , Losem Christoph , Reschke Daniel , Schmitz Stephan , Weide Rudolf , Weiß Johann , Hallek Michael ,   for the GCLLSG
Published: May 2012

SummaryThe efficacy of bendamustine (50 mg/m², days 1–3) plus mitoxantrone (10 mg/m², day 1), every 28 days for up to four courses, was evaluated in a Phase II multicentre trial enrolling 59 patients with relapsed or refractory B‐cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Major toxicities were grade 3/4 leucopenia, thrombocytopenia and infections in 42%, 12% and 12% of patients, respectively. Complete and partial response was achieved in 5/59 and 25/29 patients, respectively (overall response rate, 51%). Median time to progression was 22 months (range 1–49 + ) and median survival 27 months (range 0–49 + ). The combination of bendamustine and mitoxantrone is an active regime in relapsed or refractory CLL.
GSK3 inhibitor‐BIO regulates proliferation of female germline stem cells from the postnatal mouse ovary
Authors: Hu Y. , Bai Y. , Chu Z. , Wang J. , Wang L. , Yu M. , Lian Z. , Hua J. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractObjectiveIt is widely believed that in most female mammalian neonates, all germ cells enter meiosis to form the primary oocyte at the end of foetal development, and as a result, the postnatal mammalian ovary harbours only a limited supply of oocytes that cannot be regenerated. However, this idea has been challenged by the discovery of the existence of female germline stem cells (FGSCs) in postnatal mammalian ovaries.Materials and MethodsWe have isolated ovarian GSCs from neonatal and adult mouse ovaries and expanded them in the same culture conditions as embryonic stem cells (ESCs).ResultsLIF and BIO were beneficial for formation of FGSC colonies. BIO promoted proliferation of FGSCs through activation of β‐catenin and up‐regulation of E‐cadherin. The FGSCs formed compact round colonies with unclear borders, maintained ESC characteristics and alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity, expressing germ‐cell markers‐Vasa, and stem‐cell markers: Oct4, Klf4, C‐myc, Nanog, CD49f, Sox2, CD133, SSEA1 and SSEA4. These cells had the ability to form embryoid bodies (EBs), which expressed specific markers for all three germ layers. Then we induced EBs to differentiate into neurons, cardiomyocytes, pancreatic cells and germ cells, which showed the expression of specific markers, β‐III‐tubulin, cardiac a‐actin, Pdx1 and Zps respectively.Discussion and ConclusionThis study reveals the existence of FGSCs in postnatal mouse ovary with multipotent characteristics. BIO played an important role in regulation of proliferation and maintenance of the FGSCs. This could help provide a better understanding of causes of ovarian infertility, prevention and potential treatment of infertility.
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor deficiency protects pancreatic islets from cytokine-induced apoptosis in vitro
Authors: Stojanovic I , Saksida T , Nikolic I , Nicoletti F , Stosic-Grujicic S 
Published: May 2012

Summary
During pathogenesis of diabetes, pancreatic islets are exposed to high levels of cytokines and other inflammatory mediators that induce deterioration of insulin-producing beta cells. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) plays a key role in the onset and development of several immunoinflammatory diseases and also controls apoptotic cell death. Because the occurrence of apoptosis plays a pathogenetic role in beta cell death during type 1 diabetes development and MIF is expressed in beta cells, we explored the influence of MIF deficiency on cytokine-induced apoptosis in pancreatic islets. The results indicated clearly that elevated MIF secretion preceded C57BL/6 pancreatic islets death induced by interferon (IFN)-γ + tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α + interleukin (IL)-1β. Consequently, MIF-deficient [MIF-knock-out (KO)] pancreatic islets or islet cells showed significant resistance to cytokine-induced death than those isolated from C57BL/6 mice. Furthermore, upon exposure to cytokines pancreatic islets from MIF-KO mice maintained normal insulin expression and produced less cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) than those from wild-type C57BL6 mice. The final outcome of cytokine-induced islet apoptosis in islets from wild-type mice was the activation of mitochondrial membrane pore-forming protein Bcl-2-associated X protein and effector caspase 3. In contrast, these apoptotic mediators remained at normal levels in islets from MIF-KO mice suggesting that MIF absence prevented initiation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Additionally, the protection from apoptosis was also mediated by up-regulation of prosurvival kinase extracellular-regulated kinase 1/2 in MIF-KO islets. These data indicate that MIF is involved in the propagation of pancreatic islets apoptosis probably via nuclear factor-κB and mitochondria-related proteins.
Low‐frequency wave propagation in periodically layered media
Authors: Roganov Yuriy , Stovas Alexey 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we consider wave propagation in a layered medium. Using the Baker‐Campbell‐Hausdorff series, we expand the logarithm of a propagator matrix in series of frequency. The series coefficients allow us to extend the effective Backus medium for low frequencies.The proposed technique is applied to vertical propagation in a periodically layered and binary medium as well as for a gradient medium. The velocity dispersion equations are derived for these media. We also consider the layered medium with monoclinic anisotropy. We illustrate the accuracy of the proposed method on synthetic and well‐log data.
Quantification of excess water loss in plant canopies warmed with infrared heating
Authors: De Boeck Hans J. , Kimball Bruce A. , Miglietta Franco , Nijs Ivan 
Published: May 2012

AbstractHere we investigate the extent to which infrared heating used to warm plant canopies in climate manipulation experiments increases transpiration. Concerns regarding the impact of the infrared heater technique on the water balance have been raised before, but a quantification is lacking. We calculate transpiration rates under infrared heaters and compare these with air warming at constant relative humidity. As infrared heating primarily warms the leaves and not the air, this method increases both the gradient and the conductance for water vapour. Stomatal conductance is determined both independently of vapour pressure differences and as a function thereof, while boundary layer conductance is calculated using several approaches. We argue that none of these approaches is fully accurate, and opt to present results as an interval in which the actual water loss is likely to be found. For typical conditions in a temperate climate, our results suggest a 12–15% increase in transpiration under infrared heaters for a 1 °C warming. This effect decreases when stomatal conductance is allowed to vary with the vapour pressure difference. Importantly, the artefact is less of a concern when simulating heat waves. The higher atmospheric water demand underneath the heaters reflects naturally occurring increases of potential evapotranspiration during heat waves resulting from atmospheric feedback. While air warming encompasses no increases in transpiration, this fully depends on the ability to keep humidity constant, which in the case of greenhouses requires the presence of an air humidification system. As various artefacts have been associated with chamber experiments, we argue that manipulating climate in the field should be prioritized, while striving to limit confounding factors. The excess water loss underneath infrared heaters reported upon here could be compensated by increasing irrigation or applying newly developed techniques for increasing air humidity in the field.
Physicochemical and microbial quality evaluation of foam‐mat‐dried pineapple powder
Authors: Kadam Dattatreya M. , Wilson Robin A. , Kaur Varinder , Chadha Sonia , Kaushik Pratibha , Kaur Sumandeep , Patil Ramabhau T. , Rai Deepak R. 
Published: May 2012

SummaryPresent experiments were carried to study the physicochemical and microbial quality of foam‐mat‐dried pineapple powder. Pineapple pulp was foamed using two foaming agents, tricalcium phosphate (TCP) (0%, 0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75%, and 1.0%) and egg white (EW) (0%, 0.50%, 1.0%, 1.50%, and 2.0%). Carboxy methyl cellulose (0.25%) was used as foam stabiliser, and drying was carried out at 65, 75, and 85 °C in tray drier followed by pulverising the dried foam mats in to fine powder. Powdered samples were analysed for various physicochemical quality parameters viz. total sugars, reducing sugars, ascorbic acid, total acid, pH, iron, phosphorus and calcium content, and bacterial and fungal load. Statistical analysis using LSD revealed that sample dried using 1% TCP at 65 °C was the best with 4.60% total sugars, 2.71% reducing sugars, 4.05 mg per 100 g ascorbic acid, 0.35% total acid, 0.29 mg per 100 g Iron, 2.24 mg per 100 g phosphorous, and 6.58 g per 100 g calcium and zero bacterial and fungal growth.
Reliability and maintainability analysis to improve the operation of the limoncello production line
Authors: Tsarouhas Panagiotis H. , Arvanitoyannis Ioannis S. 
Published: May 2012

SummaryThe reliability, maintainability, failure rate and repair rate models of a limoncello automated production line for a period of 8 months at machine and entire line level were carried out. It was pointed out that (i) the real operating time of the limoncello production line (LPL) is 89.35%, whereas for the rest 10.65%, the LPL is under repair, (ii) the Weibull distribution provided the best fit of the failure data for the LPL to describe the time‐between‐failures (TBFs), whereas the time‐to‐repairs (TTRs) are lognormal distributed, and (iii) the failure rate of the production line increases, implying that the current maintenance strategy is not adequate and must be improved. This particular methodology can also be utilised in the beverage industry sector by the machinery manufacturers and the manufacturers of bottled products to improve the design and operation management of the bottling production line.
Chronic pruritus – more than a symptom: a qualitative investigation into patients’ subjective illness perceptions
Authors: Bathe Anja , Weisshaar Elke , Matterne Uwe 
Published: May 2012

bathe a., weisshaar e. & matterne u. (2012) Chronic pruritus – more than a symptom: a qualitative investigation into patients’ subjective illness perceptions. Journal of Advanced Nursing69(2), 316–326. doi: 10.1111/j.1365‐2648.2012.06009.xAbstractAim.  This article is a report of a study exploring the subjective illness perceptions of patients with chronic pruritus (>6 weeks).Background.  Pruritus is a common symptom of dermatological as well as other conditions. This pervasive symptom has a substantial impact on quality of life. Little is known about how patients with chronic pruritus construct the symptom, what causes they ascribe, consequences they endure, how they control the symptom and experience the healthcare system.Design.  A qualitative design taking a constructivist inquiry perspective.Methods.  Semi‐structured interviews with 16 patients were conducted between September 2008–February 2009 and analysed by qualitative content analysis.Results.  Many patients find it very difficult to adequately describe the symptom to others resulting sometimes in bizarre accounts of the symptom that provoke irritation in lay people and health professionals. This irritation frequently leaves the sufferer feeling misunderstood. Patients often feel their burden is not taken seriously by health professionals. This and various other reasons contribute to difficulties in accepting a given diagnosis. This can leave patients unsatisfied with their current health care and the system. They respond with frequent doctor changes and consideration of complementary and alternative therapeutic methods.Conclusion.  Assisting patients with chronic pruritus in their efforts to adequately describe the symptom along with unconditional regard and empathy are key factors that can help enhance the provider–patient relationship and subsequent acceptance of a given diagnosis. A stronger emphasis on the perspectives of these patients may also improve the quality of healthcare provision.
Theoretical limits to the correlation between pelagic larval duration and population genetic structure
Authors: FAURBY SØREN , BARBER PAUL H. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractIncreasing dispersal duration should result in increasing dispersal distance, facilitating higher gene flow among populations. As such, it has long been predicted that genetic structure (e.g. FST) among populations of marine species should be strongly correlated with pelagic larval duration (PLD). However, previous studies have repeatedly shown a surprisingly poor correspondence. This result has been frequently interpreted as evidence for larval behaviours or physical oceanographic processes that result in larvae failing to reach their dispersal potential, or error inherent in estimating PLD and FST. This study employed a computer modelling approach to explore the impacts of various uncertainties on the correlation between measures of genetic differentiation such as FST and PLD. Results indicate that variation resulting from PLD estimation error had minor impacts on the correlation between genetic structure and PLD. However, variation in effective population size between species, errors in FST estimation and non‐equilibrium FST values all had major impacts, resulting in dramatically weaker correlations between PLD and FST. These results suggest that poor correlations between PLD and FST may result from variation and uncertainty in the terms associated with the calculation of FST values. As such, PLD may be a much stronger determinant of realized larval dispersal than suggested by the weak‐to‐moderate correlations between PLD and FST reported in empirical studies.
Shigella flexneri effectors OspE1 and OspE2 mediate induced adherence to the colonic epithelium following bile salts exposure
Authors: Faherty Christina S. , Redman Julia C. , Rasko David A. , Barry Eileen M. , Nataro James P. 
Published: May 2012

SummaryShigella flexneri is a Gram‐negative pathogen that invades the colonic epithelium. While invasion has been thoroughly investigated, it is unknown how Shigella first attaches to the epithelium. Previous literature suggests that Shigella utilizes adhesins that are induced by environmental signals, including bile salts, encountered in the small intestine prior to invasion. We hypothesized that bile would induce adherence factors to facilitate attachment to colonic epithelial cells. To test our hypothesis, S. flexneri strain 2457T was subcultured in media containing bile salts, and the ability of the bacteria to adhere to the apical surface of polarized T84 epithelial cells was measured. We observed a significant increase in adherence, which was absent in a virulence plasmid‐cured strain and a type‐III secretion system mutant. Microarray expression analysis indicated that the ospE1/ospE2 genes were induced in the presence of bile, and bile‐induced adherence was lost in a ΔospE1/ΔospE2 mutant. Further studies demonstrated that the OspE1/OspE2 proteins were localized to the bacterial outer membrane following exposure to bile salts. The data presented are the first demonstration that the OspE1/OspE2 proteins promote initial adherence to the intestinal epithelium. The adhesins required for Shigella attachment to the colonic epithelium may serve as ideal targets for vaccine development.
A prevalent founder mutation and genotype–phenotype correlations of OTOF in Japanese patients with auditory neuropathy
Authors: Matsunaga T , Mutai H , Kunishima S , Namba K , Morimoto N , Shinjo Y , Arimoto Y , Kataoka Y , Shintani T , Morita N , Sugiuchi T , Masuda S , Nakano A , Taiji H , Kaga K 
Published: May 2012

Matsunaga T, Mutai H, Kunishima S, Namba K, Morimoto N, Shinjo Y, Arimoto Y, Kataoka Y, Shintani T, Morita N, Sugiuchi T, Masuda S, Nakano A, Taiji H, Kaga K. A prevalent founder mutation and genotype–phenotype correlations of OTOF in Japanese patients with auditory neuropathy.Auditory neuropathy is a hearing disorder characterized by normal outer hair cell function and abnormal neural conduction of the auditory pathway. Aetiology and clinical presentation of congenital or early‐onset auditory neuropathy are heterogeneous, and their correlations are not well understood. Genetic backgrounds and associated phenotypes of congenital or early‐onset auditory neuropathy were investigated by systematically screening a cohort of 23 patients from unrelated Japanese families. Of the 23 patients, 13 (56.5%) had biallelic mutations in OTOF, whereas little or no association was detected with GJB2 or PJVK, respectively. Nine different mutations of OTOF were detected, and seven of them were novel. p.R1939Q, which was previously reported in one family in the United States, was found in 13 of the 23 patients (56.5%), and a founder effect was determined for this mutation. p.R1939Q homozygotes and compound heterozygotes of p.R1939Q and truncating mutations or a putative splice site mutation presented with stable, and severe‐to‐profound hearing loss with a flat or gently sloping audiogram, whereas patients who had non‐truncating mutations except for p.R1939Q presented with moderate hearing loss with a steeply sloping, gently sloping or flat audiogram, or temperature‐sensitive auditory neuropathy. These results support the clinical significance of comprehensive mutation screening for auditory neuropathy.