bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Enhanced Anti-Serpin Antibody Activity Inhibits Autoimmune Inflammation in Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Czyzyk Jan , Henegariu Octavian , Preston-Hurlburt Paula , Baldzizhar Raman , Fedorchuk Christine , Esplugues Enric , Bottomly Kim , Gorus Frans K. , Herold Kevan , Flavell Richard A. 
Published: May 2012

Abstract
Intracellular (clade B) OVA-serpin protease inhibitors play an important role in tissue homeostasis by protecting cells from death in response to hypo-osmotic stress, heat shock, and other stimuli. It is not known whether these serpins influence immunological tolerance and the risk for autoimmune diseases. We found that a fraction of young autoimmune diabetes-prone NOD mice had elevated levels of autoantibodies against a member of clade B family known as serpinB13. High levels of anti-serpinB13 Abs were accompanied by low levels of anti-insulin autoantibodies, reduced numbers of islet-associated T cells, and delayed onset of diabetes. Exposure to anti-serpinB13 mAb alone also decreased islet inflammation, and coadministration of this reagent and a suboptimal dose of anti-CD3 mAb accelerated recovery from diabetes. In a fashion similar to that discovered in the NOD model, a deficiency in humoral activity against serpinB13 was associated with early onset of human type 1 diabetes. These findings suggest that, in addition to limiting exposure to proteases within the cell, clade B serpins help to maintain homeostasis by inducing protective humoral immunity.
Board competence and the top management team's external ties for performance
Authors: Yoo Jae Wook , Kim Kwangsoo 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThis study explains the inconsistent findings of previous research on board management by examining the direct and interaction effects of board independence and the top management team's external ties on firm performance. The results obtained using a multiyear sample of firms indicate that outsider-rich boards improved firm performance when they worked with top managers imported from outside the focal industry. On the other hand, a high proportion of outsiders on the board and top managers imported from the focal industry were not a desirable combination for firm performance. The findings imply that researchers and practitioners should pay more attention to identifying the conditions under which board competence aligns with top management.
Work-related stress impacts on the commitment of urban transit drivers
Authors: Hung Jia-Yi , Fisher Ron , Gapp Rod , Carter Geoff 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThis study uses structural equation modeling to test a model hypothesizing the impacts of overload and non-participation on job strain, turnover and commitment of urban transit drivers. The study sample comprises 331 responses from transit drivers from bus companies in Australia. The results show that non-participation has a direct and negative impact on organizational commitment while role overload has a direct and positive influence on intent to leave. An unexpected finding is that while overload and non-participation have significant positive impacts on job strain, there is no significant relationship between strain and organizational commitment. The implications are that work-related stressors appear to influence the organizational commitment and intent to leave of transit drivers directly rather than indirectly through job strain. Role overload and non-participation have not often been considered in the context of the commitment and intent to leave in stressful occupations such as urban transit driving.
The relationship between workplace friendship and perceived job significance
Authors: Mao Hsiao-Yen , Hsieh An-Tien , Chen Chien-Yu 
Published: May 2012

AbstractExisting research suggests that leaders/supervisors are the major persons in work organizations to promote employee perception of job significance, which is an intrinsic motivator for employee productivity. However, the literature remains unclear on the relationship between workplace friendship and perceived job significance. Results from a survey of 290 Taiwanese employees indicated that workplace friendship enhanced perceived job significance, and such enhancement did not vary across organizational levels. Our findings suggest intrinsically motivating employees through workplace friendship, which extends extant literature on work role of leaders/supervisors in employee motivation. Further, although lower organizational levels have a disadvantage of objectively less job significance in work organizations, our findings suggest workplace friendship is an effective factor in promoting employee perception of job significance. Thus, organizations can embed the mechanism of workplace friendship into the factors of job design to promote employees' intrinsic motivation and thus job and organizational productivity.
Utility of Toe-brachial Index for Diagnosis of Peripheral Artery Disease
Authors: Park Seong Chul , Choi Chang Yong , Ha Young In , Yang Hyung Eun 
Published: May 2012

Background The ankle brachial pressure index (ABI) is a simple, useful method for diagnosing peripheral artery disease (PAD). Although the ABI is an objective diagnostic method, it has limited reliability in certain scenarios. The aim of the present study was to determine the accuracy and reliability of the toe brachial index (TBI) as a diagnostic tool for detecting stenosis in PAD, associated with normal or low ABI values.
Methods ABI and TBI values were measured in 15 patients with diabetic gangrene who were suspected of having lower extremity arterial insufficiency. The ABI and TBI values were measured using a device that allowed the simultaneous measurement of systolic blood pressure in the upper and lower extremities. In addition, the ABI and TBI values were compared pre- and post-angiography.
Results Patients with an ABI of 0.9-1.3 showed almost no difference between the 2 measurements. The patients with TBI >0.6 had no arterial insufficiency. The patients with TBI <0.6 required vascular intervention with ballooning. After the angiography, the gangrenous wounds decreased in size more rapidly than they did prior to the intervention.
Conclusions Our findings suggest that TBI is the method of choice for evaluating lower limb perfusion disorders. This result requires further studies of TBI in a larger number of patients. Future long-term studies should therefore evaluate the utility of TBI as a means of screening for PAD and the present findings should be regarded as preliminary outcomes.
Lubrication of poly(vinyl alcohol) chain orientation by carbon nano‐chips in composite tapes
Authors: Song Kenan , Zhang Yiying , Meng Jiangsha , Minus Marilyn L. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThe extraordinary structural properties of graphene and carbon nanotube materials motivate the development of practical methods for their use in fabricating continuous, strong, and tough composite fibers. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/carbon nano‐chip fiber (CNCF) composite tapes with 0.5 wt % loading show that Young's modulus, tensile strength, and toughness are increased by 585%, 653%, and 20%, respectively as compared to the control (PVA) tapes. Nano‐chips exfoliated from the CNCF during processing, lubricate polymer chain alignment, and orientation during drawing, where composite tapes could be drawn to higher draw ratios compared with the control tapes. As a result, the Herman's orientation factor (f) increased from 0.5 (control tape) to 0.8 (composite tape). Theoretical analysis shows ∼ 16 vol % of the composite tapes consists of fully oriented PVA chains, which contributes to its exceptional mechanical performance. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Solid‐state recycling of polyimide film waste
Authors: Olifirov L.K. , Kaloshkin S.D. , Ergin K.S. , Tcherdyntsev V.V. , Danilov V.D. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractPossibility of the polyimide (PI) films waste recycling by solid‐state mechanochemistry was investigated in this study. Obtained PI powder was used for development of thermostable blends and multicomponent tribocompositions, which include additions of carbon black, ultradispersive diamond powder, and quasicrystalls. PI films waste treatment was provided in high‐energy planetary ball mill. Powder compositions were mixed by low‐energy planetary ball mill. Bulk samples were obtained by compression molding. Structural and thermal properties of initial polymers and composite materials were determined from scanning electron microscope, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Tribological tests of composite materials were provided in dry sliding regime on “pin‐on‐disk” tribometer. Finally, optimal regimes of polymer composite materials producing were obtained. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Low energy impact indentation of a modified polyethylene terephtalate by instrumented falling weight
Authors: Martínez A. B. , Arencón D. , Navas J. , Velasco J. I. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractInvestigation of the flexed plate impact of polymers requires the study of the local plate reaction during the contact between the hemispherical tip and the specimen. The current work investigates the low energy impact indentation with a hemispherical indenter applied to a polymer sheet with a ductile behavior. The samples were freely supported on a very rigid steel plate and transversely collided by the instrumented dart. The restitution coefficients are calculated, and a lumped mass‐spring model based on the Hertz law, which agrees with the experimental contact forces, restitution coefficients, indenter depth of penetration and permanent deformations is developed. This is an indirect method to estimate the Young's modulus at these relatively high strain rates. The influence of the geometrical parameters of the test such as target thickness, drop mass, indenter diameter, along with impact velocity are analyzed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Fetal Gyrification in Cynomolgus Monkeys: A Concept of Developmental Stages of Gyrification
Authors: Sawada Kazuhiko , Fukunishi Katsuhiro , Kashima Masatoshi , Saito Shigeyoshi , Sakata‐Haga Hiromi , Aoki Ichio , Fukui Yoshihiro 
Published: May 2012

AbstractOur article summarizes a series of studies about fetal gyrification and its relation to cerebral growth in cynomolgus monkeys. Based on the cerebral growth (i.e., brain weight, cerebral volume, and frontooccipital length of the cerebral hemisphere) and the developmental pattern of gyrification in each sulcus of cynomolgus monkeys, we divided the gyrification process into four stages: Stage 1. Demarcation of cerebral lobes and limbic gyri; Stage 2. Demarcation of neocortical gyri; Stage 3. Emergence of secondary and tertiary sulci; and Stage 4. Growth of sulcal length and depth. Each stage of those gyrification processes was influenced by different developmental events, such as the emergence of corticocortical long‐associative fiber tracts, cortical maturations, and subcortical white‐matter development. This is the first report to systematically propose gyrification processes closely related to the order of phyologenetical development of the cerebral cortex in primates. Anat Rec, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Antigen‐specific transforming growth factor β–induced Treg cells, but not natural Treg cells, ameliorate autoimmune arthritis in mice by shifting the Th17/Treg cell balance from Th17 predominance to Treg cell predominance
Authors: Kong Ning , Lan Qin , Chen Maogen , Wang Julie , Shi Wei , Horwitz David A. , Quesniaux Valerie , Ryffel Bernhard , Liu Zhongmin , Brand David , Zou Hejian , Zheng Song Guo 
Published: May 2012

AbstractObjectiveTransferred CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ Treg cells can prevent autoimmune disease, but generally fail to ameliorate established disease. This study was undertaken to compare the effects of antigen‐specific Treg cells induced with interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) and transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) ex vivo (induced Treg [iTreg] cells) to the effects of equivalent expanded thymus‐derived natural Treg (nTreg) cells on established collagen‐induced arthritis (CIA).MethodsCIA was induced in DBA/1 mice by immunization with type II collagen (CII), and before or shortly after immunization, mice were treated with iTreg or nTreg cells that were generated or expanded in vitro. Clinical scores were determined. Inflammatory responses were determined by measuring the levels of anti‐CII antibody in the serum and examining the histologic features of the mouse joints. The Th1/Th17‐mediated autoreactive response was evaluated by determining the cytokine profile of the draining lymph node (LN) cells of the mice by flow cytometry.ResultsFollowing transfer, nTreg cells exhibited decreased FoxP3 and Bcl‐2 expression and decreased suppressive activity, and many converted to Th17 cells. In contrast, transferred iTreg cells were more numerous, retained FoxP3 expression and their suppressive activity in the presence of IL‐6, and were resistant to Th17 conversion. Notably, 10 days after the transfer of donor iTreg cells, predominance was shifted from Th17 cells to Treg cells in the draining LNs of recipient mice.ConclusionThese findings provide evidence that transferred TGFβ‐induced iTreg cells are more stable and functional than nTreg cells in mice with established autoimmunity. Moreover, iTreg cells can have tolerogenic effects even in the presence of ongoing inflammation. The therapeutic potential of human iTreg cells in subjects with chronic, immune‐mediated inflammatory diseases should be investigated.
Natural killer T cell deficiency in active adult‐onset Still's disease: Correlation of deficiency of natural killer T cells with dysfunction of natural killer cells
Authors: Lee Sung‐Ji , Cho Young‐Nan , Kim Tae‐Jong , Park Seong‐Chang , Park Dong‐Jin , Jin Hye‐Mi , Lee Shin‐Seok , Kee Seung‐Jung , Kim Nacksung , Yoo Dae‐Hyun , Park Yong‐Wook 
Published: May 2012

AbstractObjectiveTo examine the levels and functions of natural killer (NK) and natural killer T (NKT) cells, investigate relationships between NK and NKT cells, and determine the clinical relevance of NKT cell levels in patients with adult‐onset Still's disease (AOSD).MethodsPatients with active untreated AOSD (n = 20) and age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls (n = 20) were studied. NK and NKT cell levels were measured by flow cytometry. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured in vitro with α‐galactosylceramide (αGalCer). NK cytotoxicity against K562 cells and proliferation indices of NKT cells were estimated by flow cytometry.ResultsPercentages and absolute numbers of NKT cells were significantly lower in the peripheral blood of AOSD patients than in that of healthy controls. Proliferative responses of NKT cells to αGalCer were also lower in patients, and this was found to be due to proinflammatory cytokines and NKT cell apoptosis. In addition, NK cytotoxicity was found to be significantly lower in patients than in healthy controls, but NK cell levels were comparable in the 2 groups. Notably, this NKT cell deficiency was found to be correlated with NK cell dysfunction and to reflect active disease status. Furthermore, αGalCer‐mediated NK cytotoxicity, showing the interaction between NK and NKT cells, was significantly lower in AOSD patients than in healthy controls.ConclusionThese findings demonstrate that NK and NKT cell functions are defective in AOSD patients and suggest that these abnormalities contribute to innate immune dysfunction in AOSD.
Effects of equine joint injury on boundary lubrication of articular cartilage by synovial fluid: Role of hyaluronan
Authors: Antonacci Jennifer M. , Schmidt Tannin A. , Serventi Lisa A. , Cai Matthew Z. , Shu YuYu L. , Schumacher Barbara L. , McIlwraith C. Wayne , Sah Robert L. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractObjectiveTo compare equine synovial fluid (SF) from injured and control joints for cartilage boundary lubrication function; concentrations of the putative boundary lubricant molecules hyaluronan (HA), proteoglycan 4 (PRG4), and surface‐active phospholipids (SAPLs); relationships between lubrication function and composition; and lubrication restoration by addition of HA.MethodsEquine SF from normal joints, joints with acute injury, and joints with chronic injury were analyzed for boundary lubrication of normal articular cartilage (kinetic friction coefficient [μkinetic]). Equine SF samples were analyzed for HA, PRG4, and SAPL concentrations and HA molecular weight distribution. The effect of the addition of HA, of different concentrations and molecular weight, on the μkineticof equine SF samples from normal joints and joints with acute injury was determined.ResultsThe μkineticof equine SF from joints with acute injury (0.036) was higher (+39%) than that of equine SF from normal joints (0.026). Compared to normal equine SF, SF from joints with acute injury had a lower HA concentration (−30%) of lower molecular weight forms, higher PRG4 concentration (+83%), and higher SAPL concentration (+144%). Equine SF from joints with chronic injury had μkinetic, PRG4, and SAPL characteristics intermediate to those of equine SF from joints with acute injury and normal equine SF. Regression analysis revealed that the μkineticvalue decreased with increasing HA concentration in equine SF. The friction‐reducing properties of HA alone improved with increasing concentration and molecular weight. The addition of high molecular weight HA (4,000 kd) to equine SF from joints with acute injury reduced the μkineticto a value near that of normal equine SF.ConclusionIn the acute postinjury stage, equine SF exhibits poor boundary lubrication properties, as indicated by a high μkinetic. HA of diminished concentration and molecular weight may be the basis for this, and adding HA to deficient equine SF restored lubrication function.
Practical simulation of hierarchical brittle fracture
Authors: Oh Seungtaik , Shin Seunghyup , Jun Hyeryeong 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACTA novel practical method for brittle fracture simulation is presented. Our fracture model is represented by a tree structure, and all elementary fracture pieces are hierarchically connected. Each node in a fracture tree has a glue table to define connections and strengths among its child nodes. With our hierarchical fracture method, one can control the whole process of fracture formulation and simulation in a more direct way. Given an input object, a hierarchical fracture pattern is constructed by a series of recursive decompositions where the variation of fragment sizes can be intuitively controlled through a drawing interface. A noise pattern is applied on the interfaces of fragments for adding a natural look. A new simple and practical fracture criterion is also introduced, and we capture the difference of virtual and inherited velocities of fracture nodes to break the connection. Our fracture criterion is fast and robust because it does not involve any matrix solves or finite element analysis that is essential in the prior fracturing algorithms. We implement the proposed method on a fluid solver by extending a rigid body interaction unit, and as a result, we achieve that the fracture objects can interact with fluid and ordinary rigid bodies in a fully two‐way manner. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Major adverse limb events and wound healing following infrapopliteal artery stent implantation in patients with critical limb ischemia: The XCELL trial
Authors: Rocha‐Singh Krishna J. , Jaff Michael , Joye James , Laird John , Ansel Gary , Schneider Peter ,   The VIVA Physicians
Published: May 2012

AbstractBackgroundPercutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) with stent deployment of infrapopliteal arteries is an accepted but unproven therapy for patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). We evaluated the safety and effectiveness of the Xpert™ self‐expanding nitinol stent (Abbott Vascular, Redwood City, CA) in Rutherford Class 4–6 subjects with infrapopliteal lesions of 4–15 cm in length.Methods and Results120 patients (140 limbs, 212 implanted devices) underwent primary infrapopliteal nitinol stent deployment as part of this multicenter registry. The primary endpoint was 12‐month amputation‐free survival (AFS); secondary endpoints included limb salvage, target lesion revascularization (TLR), 6‐ month angiographic patency, and 6‐ and 12‐month outcomes of wound healing and pain relief. Despite a 6‐month binary stent restenosis rate of 68.5%, the 12‐month AFS rate was 78.3%. Stratified according to baseline Rutherford classes 4, 5 and 6, the 12‐month AFS rates were 100%, 77.3%, and 55.2%, respectively, and freedom from major amputation rates were 100%, 90.9%, and 70.1%, respectively. The 12‐month freedom from major amputation rate and clinically driven TLR were 89.6% and 70.1%, respectively. The 6‐ and 12‐month complete wound‐healing rates were 49.0% and 54.4%, respectively. Rutherford class 4 patients had significant pain relief through 12‐months (P<0.05).ConclusionsPrimary infrapopliteal nitinol stenting to treat CLI is safe and effective in improving 6‐and 12‐month clinical outcomes. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Nonparametric hierarchical Bayes analysis of binomial data via Bernstein polynomial priors
Authors: Zhang Tingting , Liu Jun S. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractFor binomial data analysis, many methods based on empirical Bayes interpretations have been developed, in which a variance‐stabilizing transformation and a normality assumption are usually required. To achieve the greatest model flexibility, we conduct nonparametric Bayesian inference for binomial data and employ a special nonparametric Bayesian prior—the Bernstein–Dirichlet process (BDP)—in the hierarchical Bayes model for the data. The BDP is a special Dirichlet process (DP) mixture based on beta distributions, and the posterior distribution resulting from it has a smooth density defined on [0, 1]. We examine two Markov chain Monte Carlo procedures for simulating from the resulting posterior distribution, and compare their convergence rates and computational efficiency. In contrast to existing results for posterior consistency based on direct observations, the posterior consistency of the BDP, given indirect binomial data, is established. We study shrinkage effects and the robustness of the BDP‐based posterior estimators in comparison with several other empirical and hierarchical Bayes estimators, and we illustrate through examples that the BDP‐based nonparametric Bayesian estimate is more robust to the sample variation and tends to have a smaller estimation error than those based on the DP prior. In certain settings, the new estimator can also beat Stein's estimator, Efron and Morris's limited‐translation estimator, and many other existing empirical Bayes estimators.The Canadian Journal of Statistics40: 328–344; 2012 © 2012 Statistical Society of Canada