bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Electrophysiological and neurochemical effects of long-term vagus nerve stimulation on the rat monoaminergic systems
Authors: Manta Stella , El Mansari Mostafa , Debonnel Guy , Blier Pierre 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an adjunctive treatment for resistant epilepsy and depression. Electrophysiological recordings in the rat brain have already shown that chronic VNS increases norepinephrine (NE) neuronal firing activity and, subsequently, that of serotonin (5-HT) neurons through an activation of their excitatory α1-adrenoceptors. Long-term VNS was shown to increase the tonic activation of post-synaptic 5-HT1A receptors in the hippocampus. This study was aimed at examining the effect of VNS on extracellular 5-HT, NE and dopamine (DA) levels in different brain areas using in vivo microdialysis, on NE transmission in the hippocampus, and DA neuronal firing activity using electrophysiology. Rats were implanted with a VNS device and stimulated for 14 d with standard parameters used in treatment-resistant depression (0.25 mA, 20 Hz, 500 µs, 30 s on–5 min off). The results of the present study revealed that 2-wk VNS significantly increased extracellular NE levels in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus and enhanced the tonic activation of post-synaptic α2-adrenoceptors on pyramidal neurons. The electrophysiological experiments revealed a significant decrease in ventral tegmental area DA neuronal firing rate after long-term VNS; extracellular DA levels were nevertheless increased in the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. Chronic VNS significantly increased extracellular 5-HT levels in the dorsal raphe but not in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. In conclusion, the effect of VNS in increasing the transmission of monoaminergic systems targeted in the treatment of resistant depression should be involved, at least in part, in its antidepressant properties observed in patients not responding to many antidepressant strategies.
Magnetic and seismic reflection study of Lake Cheko, a possible impact crater for the 1908 Tunguska Event
Authors: Gasperini L. , Cocchi L. , Stanghellini C. , Stanghellini G. , Del Bianco F. , Serrazanetti M. , Carmisciano C. 
Published: April 2012

A major explosion occurred on 30 June 1908 in the Tunguska region of Siberia, causing the destruction of over 2,000 km2 of taiga; pressure and seismic waves detected as far as 1,000 km away; bright luminescence in the night skies of Northern Europe and Central Asia; and other unusual phenomena. This “Tunguska Event” is probably related to the impact with the Earth of a cosmic body that exploded about 5–10 km above ground, releasing in the atmosphere 10–15 Mton of energy. Fragments of the impacting body have never been found, and its nature (comet or asteroid) is still a matter of debate. We report here results from a magnetic and seismic reflection study of a small (∼500 m diameter) lake, Lake Cheko, located about 8 km NW of the inferred explosion epicenter, that was proposed to be an impact crater left by a fragment of the Tunguska Cosmic Body. Seismic reflection and magnetic data revealed a P wave velocity/magnetic anomaly close to the lake center, about 10 m below the lake floor; this anomaly is compatible with the presence of a buried stony object and supports the impact crater origin for Lake Cheko.
Uniform hexagonal graphene flakes and films grown on liquid copper surface
Authors: Geng Dechao , Wu Bin , Guo Yunlong , Huang Liping , Xue Yunzhou , Chen Jianyi , Yu Gui , Jiang Lang , Hu Wenping , Liu Yunqi 
Published: April 2012

Unresolved problems associated with the production of graphene materials include the need for greater control over layer number, crystallinity, size, edge structure and spatial orientation, and a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Here we report a chemical vapor deposition approach that allows the direct synthesis of uniform single-layered, large-size (up to 10,000 μm
2
), spatially self-aligned, and single-crystalline hexagonal graphene flakes (HGFs) and their continuous films on liquid Cu surfaces. Employing a liquid Cu surface completely eliminates the grain boundaries in solid polycrystalline Cu, resulting in a uniform nucleation distribution and low graphene nucleation density, but also enables self-assembly of HGFs into compact and ordered structures. These HGFs show an average two-dimensional resistivity of 609 ± 200 Ω and saturation current density of 0.96 ± 0.15 mA/μm, demonstrating their good conductivity and capability for carrying high current density.
pIRS: Profile-based Illumina pair-end reads simulator
Authors: Hu Xuesong , Yuan Jianying , Shi Yujian , Lu Jianliang , Liu Binghang , Li Zhenyu , Chen Yanxiang , Mu Desheng , Zhang Hao , Li Nan , Yue Zhen , Bai Fan , Li Heng , Fan Wei 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
Motivation: The next-generation high-throughput sequencing technologies, especially from Illumina, have been widely used in re-sequencing and de novo assembly studies. However, there is no existing software that can simulate Illumina reads with real error and quality distributions and coverage bias yet, which is very useful in relevant software development and study designing of sequencing projects.
Results: We provide a software package, pIRS (profile-based Illumina pair-end reads simulator), which simulates Illumina reads with empirical Base-Calling and GC%-depth profiles trained from real re-sequencing data. The error and quality distributions as well as coverage bias patterns of simulated reads using pIRS fit the properties of real sequencing data better than existing simulators. In addition, pIRS also comes with a tool to simulate the heterozygous diploid genomes.
Availability: pIRS is written in C++ and Perl, and is freely available at ftp://ftp.genomics.org.cn/pub/pIRS/.
Contact: fanweisz09@gmail.com
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Steady-state Mantle–Melt Interactions in One Dimension: I. Equilibrium Transport and Melt Focusing
Authors: Asimow P. D. , Stolper E. M. 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
Mantle–melt interaction during melt transport is explored in one dimension and steady state. We reconsider the equivalence between one-dimensional steady equilibrium transport and batch melting. In the absence of diffusion and radioactivity, conservation of mass flux requires that the major and trace element compositions of melt and solid at each point are the same as is generated by batch melting the source composition at the same pressure and temperature. Energy conservation requires that temperature and extent of melting are independent of melt migration except for irreversible source terms related to viscous compaction and gravitational energy release. The equivalence of phase compositions at each pressure between steady-state equilibrium transport and batch melting simplifies melt transport calculations. We examine the effects of increasing the melt flux to simulate melt focusing by channeling or by two-dimensional flow with converging melt streamlines. Melt focusing modifies the mineralogy of both residual matrix and erupted melt. We use MELTS calculations to model the formation of dunite by this mechanism and quantify the melt flux required to exhaust orthopyroxene from the residue as a function of pressure. The model dunites are found to be similar to natural dunites observed in the mantle section of ophiolite sequences.
Information sources at play
Authors: Rivano Eckerdal Johanna 
Published: April 2012

PurposeThe aim of this article is to suggest that the information interaction between midwives and young women during counselling meetings about contraceptives can be approached as loci of knowledge production and discuss the consequences this has for the understanding of information practices. The overarching question is: how is knowledge produced during the interaction between the midwives and the young women and what roles do their bodies play in this interaction?Design/methodology/approachQualitative methods inspired by ethnography were used, including conversation transcripts of ten counselling meetings, 19 interviews and participatory observations at five youth centres in the South of Sweden. The study took place over a period of nine months. The feministic conceptual framework presented by Donna Haraway concerning knowledge production was used to analyse the material.FindingsAs they meet, both midwives and young women are information sources to each other, and the information conveyed is negotiated in both words and actions. Both parties are involved in a careful negotiation to establish what information is needed and appropriate for the situation at hand, but the midwives have the final say. However, the midwives balance between exerting a generalised expertise and entering in a situated dialogue with the young women.Practical implicationsThis study may contribute to awareness among information professionals of counselling meetings as information interactions where both words and actions are important as well as the inequality of power in that interaction.Originality/valueThis study contributes to library and information studies by broadening the understanding of what an information source may be and by exploring the usefulness of feminist researcher Donna Haraway's analytical tools for understanding information interactions as knowledge producing negotiations.
The role of social cognition in downsizing decisions
Authors: Dwyer Dale J. , Arbelo Morgan 
Published: April 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to learn how managers make downsizing decisions.Design/methodology/approachParticipants read a created organizational scenario and 25 hypothetical employee profiles and then chose five employees to lay off.FindingsOlder and minority applicants were chosen most often. No significance was found for performance. Rater group membership in race, gender, and age were significant predictors of layoff decisions.Research limitations/implicationsBecause the participants were in a controlled environment they may have disregarded other information often available to decision makers. The majority of the sample was students who may be unrepresentative of managers who make layoff decisions. The inclusion of managers who have made downsizing decisions was designed to help address this limitation.Practical implicationsAn employer's use of personal characteristics in making downsizing decisions may ultimately affect the aftermath of downsizing.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies to study the decision‐making process of layoffs.
Perceptions of international students on service quality delivery in a Malaysian public university
Authors: Njie Baboucarr , Asimiran Soaib , Baki Roselan 
Published: April 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of international students of service quality delivery (SQD) in a Malaysian public university.Design/methodology/approachThe study was limited to the University's immediate physical environment and its associated human and systems‐based services. The physical environment in this study focused on the University buildings and all their contents, for example, the physical structures and infrastructure and related services. Qualitative methods were used and purposeful sampling was employed to select six international students from three different regions who were attending graduate level programs in a Malaysian public university to give their views on the quality of service delivery directly linked to the physical environment of the university. An understanding of students' thoughts and expectations of the quality of services offered, especially given that they were from varied social and cultural settings, is crucial to the adoption of measures for continuous improvement in today's customer driven higher educational market.FindingsThe results show that the university is appreciated for its environmental friendly vegetation, numerous facilities and several policies and regulations allied to its environment but they also show gaps between the well developed policies and their corresponding implementation; the results also evoke the differences in understanding and implementation of services, requiring empathy in today's education world, between senior staff and their junior counterparts as well as interpretation of experiences of services encountered by international students.Originality/valueThe findings and discussion, especially with regard to the systems and human related service responses, could serve as a base for understanding some of the thoughts of international students and could be replicated on other campuses with a view to understanding how other students feel about their physical environments and the related services as well.
An empirical study of state university students' perceived service quality
Authors: Sumaedi Sik , Mahatma Yuda Bakti Gede , Metasari Nur 
Published: April 2012

PurposeThis paper aims to identify: university students' perceived service quality dimensions; the dimensions contributing most towards overall students' perceived service quality; and whether there is a difference in perceived quality level of each dimension based on students' year of study and gender in the context of undergraduate students of state universities in Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a quantitative approach through a survey method. The respondents of this study are 155 state university students from two state universities in Indonesia. Both multiple regression analysis and t‐test analysis are used to analyze the data.FindingsResearch results show that there are seven perceived service quality dimensions considered important to university students, i.e. curriculum, facilities, contact personnel, social activities, education counselors, assessment, and instruction medium. The perceived service quality dimensions contributing most towards overall perceived service quality of a state university is facilities. Furthermore, the research also shows that university students with a different study period have a different perceived quality level on the social activities dimension, while university students with different gender have a different perceived quality level on two dimensions, i.e. social activities and facilities.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was only conducted at two universities in the same geographic area and at a single point of time. Hence, there is a need for further research in terms of a longitudinal study with different geographic samples in order to generalize the research result.Practical implicationsThe students' perceived quality dimensions resulting from this research can be used by universities to measure their performance according to students' perspectives. As a result, feedback will be gained by the university, so that the university can identify its weaknesses.Originality/valueThe research was conducted in a developing country context, while most previous research has been conducted in developed country contexts. This research also provides a new insight into quality management, since the university objects are state universities, not private universities. The paper also takes students' personal characteristics (gender and year of study) variables into account.
Measuring the productivity impacts of new ways of working
Authors: Laihonen Harri , Jääskeläinen Aki , Lönnqvist Antti , Ruostela Jenna 
Published: April 2012

Purpose“New ways of working” refers to non‐traditional work practices, settings and locations with information and communication technologies (ICT) to supplement or replace traditional ways of working. They are being deployed in knowledge work context in order to increase employees working motivation, job satisfaction and productivity. However, these benefits are not self‐evident. This paper aims to examine the task of measuring the expected benefits.Design/methodology/approachThis paper synthesizes the existing literature on measurement of knowledge work productivity and identifies some key prerequisites and restrictions that should be taken into account when measuring the impacts of organizational change.FindingsThe paper proposes a measurement approach for evaluating the impacts of a new ways of working initiative in a knowledge work context.Originality/valuePrevious literature has focused on studying whether facilities and ICT solutions are appropriate from the viewpoint of an individual knowledge worker. However, there is a lack of studies focused on the actual business impacts of different working arrangements.
Phase I and pharmacokinetic study of the oral histone deacetylase inhibitor vorinostat in Japanese patients with relapsed or refractory cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma
Authors: WADA Hidefumi , TSUBOI Ryoji , KATO Yukihiko , SUGAYA Makoto , TOBINAI Kensei , HAMADA Toshihisa , SHIMAMOTO Takashi , NOGUCHI Kazuo , IWATSUKI Keiji 
Published: April 2012

AbstractA phase I study was conducted to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK) and efficacy of the oral histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor vorinostat in Japanese patients with relapsed or refractory cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma (CTCL). Six patients received vorinostat (400 mg p.o., once daily). Dose‐limiting toxicities (DLT) were evaluated in all six patients during the 28 days of the first cycle. One of the six patients who received vorinostat developed a DLT (grade 4 thrombocytopenia). The most common drug‐related adverse events included nausea (4/6, 67%), thrombocytopenia (4/6, 67%), hyperbilirubinemia (3/6, 50%) and vomiting (3/6, 50%). Most of these events were reversible and were resolved by supportive care and/or the interruption of vorinostat treatment. The safety and PK profiles of vorinostat in Japanese patients with CTCL did not appear to differ from those previously observed in non‐Japanese and Japanese patients with advanced solid tumors. None of the patients achieved an objective response in this study. However, one unconfirmed partial response and two cases of sustained stable disease for 12 weeks or longer were observed among the six patients in the study. One of the three evaluable patients experienced pruritus relief. Vorinostat was well tolerated at a dose of 400 mg p.o. once daily and showed potential efficacy in Japanese patients with CTCL, warranting further investigation.
Renal tubular dysfunction during long‐term adefovir or tenofovir therapy in chronic hepatitis B
Authors: Gara N. , Zhao X. , Collins M. T. , Chong W. H. , Kleiner D. E. , Jake Liang T. , Ghany M. G. , Hoofnagle J. H. 
Published: April 2012

SummaryBackgroundAdefovir and tenofovir are nucleotide analogues used as long‐term therapy of chronic hepatitis B. Side effects are few, but prolonged and high‐dose therapy has been associated with proximal renal tubular dysfunction (RTD).AimTo assess the incidence of RTD during long‐term nucleotide therapy of chronic hepatitis B.MethodsA total of 51 patients being treated at the Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health were studied. Diagnosis of RTD required de novo appearance of at least three of five features: hypophosphataemia, hypouricaemia, serum creatinine elevation, proteinuria or glucosuria.ResultsAmong 51 patients treated for 1–10 (mean 7.4) years with adefovir (n = 42), tenofovir (n = 4) or adefovir followed by tenofovir (n = 5), 7 (14%) developed RTD. Time to onset ranged from 22 to 94 (mean 49) months with an estimated 10‐year cumulative rate of 15%. All seven had low urinary percent maximal tubular reabsorption of phosphate (<82%). Patients with RTD were older (58 vs. 44 years; P = 0.01) and had lower baseline glomerular filtration rates (82 vs. 97 cc/min; P = 0.08) compared to those without; but did not differ in other features. Six patients with RTD were switched to entecavir, all subsequently had improvements in serum phosphate (2.0–3.0 mg/dL), creatinine (1.6–1.1 mg/dL), uric acid (2.7–3.8 mg/dL) and proteinuria.ConclusionsRenal tubular dysfunction develops in 15% of patients treated with adefovir or tenofovir for 2–9 years and is partially reversible with change to other antivirals. Monitoring for serum phosphate, creatinine and urinalysis is prudent during long‐term adefovir and tenofovir therapy.
Detecting population structure and recent demographic history in endangered livestock breeds: the case of the Italian autochthonous donkeys
Authors: Colli L. , Perrotta G. , Negrini R. , Bomba L. , Bigi D. , Zambonelli P. , Verini Supplizi A. , Liotta L. , Ajmone‐Marsan P. 
Published: April 2012

SummarySince its domestication, about 5000 years ago, the donkey (Equus asinus) has been extensively used as a work or draft animal in agricultural activities and for the transportation of people and goods. In the last century, technology improvement and growing mechanization strongly affected agriculture and the management and use of this livestock species in the industrialized countries. Nowadays, the use of donkeys for work or transport has almost disappeared, together with the need for mules or hinny breeding. During the last five decades, Italian autochthonous donkey populations suffered from a severe reduction in population size, which led to the extinction of several breeds. At present, eight breeds remain, all classified by FAO as critically endangered or endangered: Asinara, Pantesco, Grigio Siciliano, Romagnolo, Amiatino, Sardo Grigio, Martina Franca, and Ragusano. To evaluate the extant genetic variability of Italian donkeys, we typed 16 microsatellite loci in 258 individuals from these breeds. The results highlighted moderate levels of inbreeding (
F

IS = 0.127) and a significant partition of genetic variation into breeds, as suggested by fixation index (
F

ST = 0.109) and analysis of molecular variance (10.86% of total variation assigned to the between‐breeds level) analyses. This was confirmed by a Bayesian clustering procedure that also highlighted a further partitioning at lower hierarchical levels corresponding to the farms of origin. This evidence suggests that an effective management strategy for Italian donkey populations should focus on breeds as conservation units. However, this requires a synergic management strategy at the farm level to maintain diversity and avoid inbreeding.
Androgens and doping tests: genetic variation and pit‐falls
Authors: Rane Anders , Ekström Lena 
Published: April 2012

The large variation in disposition known for most drugs is also true for anabolic androgenic steroids. Genetic factors are probably the single most important cause of this variation. Further, there are reasons to believe that there is a corresponding variation in efficacy of doping agents. Doped individuals employ a large variety of doping strategies in respect of choice of substance, dose, dose interval, duration of treatment and use of other drugs for enforcement of effects or correction of side effects.Metabolic steps up‐stream and down‐stream of testosterone are genetically variable and contribute substantially to the variation in disposition of testosterone, the most common doping agent in sports and in society. Large inter‐ and intra‐ethnic variation in testosterone glucuronidation and excretion is described as well as the pit‐falls in evaluation of testosterone doping test results. The hydrolysis and bioactivation of testosterone enanthate is also genetically variable yielding a 2–3 fold variation in excretion rate and serum concentration, thereby implicating a substantial variation in ‘efficacy’ of testosterone.Given this situation it is logical to adopt the new findings in the doping control programme. The population based cut‐off level for the testosterone : epitestosterone ratio should be replaced by a Bayesian interpretation of consecutive tests in the same individual. When combined with the above genetic information the sensitivity of the test is considerably improved. The combination of the three approaches should reduce the rate of falsely negative or positive results and the number of expensive follow‐up tests, stipulated by the World Anti‐Doping Agency.