bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Vitamin C is dispensable for oxygen sensing in vivo
Authors: Nytko Katarzyna J. , Maeda Nobuyo , Schläfli Philipp , Spielmann Patrick , Wenger Roland H. , Stiehl Daniel P. 
Published: February 2011

AbstractProlyl-4-hydroxylation is necessary for proper structural assembly of collagens and oxygen-dependent protein stability of hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIFs). In vitro function of HIF prolyl-4-hydroxylase domain (PHD) enzymes requires oxygen and 2-oxoglutarate as cosubstrates with iron(II) and vitamin C serving as cofactors. Although vitamin C deficiency is known to cause the collagen-disassembly disease scurvy, it is unclear whether cellular oxygen sensing is similarly affected. Here, we report that vitamin C–deprived Gulo−/− knockout mice show normal HIF-dependent gene expression. The systemic response of Gulo−/− animals to inspiratory hypoxia, as measured by plasma erythropoietin levels, was similar to that of animals supplemented with vitamin C. Hypoxic HIF induction was also essentially normal under serum- and vitamin C–free cell-culture conditions, suggesting that vitamin C is not required for oxygen sensing in vivo. Glutathione was found to fully substitute for vitamin C requirement of all 3 PHD isoforms in vitro. Consistently, glutathione also reduced HIF-1α protein levels, transactivation activity, and endogenous target gene expression in cells exposed to CoCl2. A Cys201Ser mutation in PHD2 increased basal hydroxylation rates and conferred resistance to oxidative damage in vitro, suggesting that this surface-accessible PHD2 cysteine residue is a target of antioxidative protection by vitamin C and glutathione.
A Synoptic Reporting System for Peripheral Blood Smear Interpretation
Authors: Jaso Jesse , Nguyen Alex , Nguyen Andy N. D. 
Published: February 2011

AbstractWeb-based synoptic reporting systems have been shown to improve efficiency, reduce turnaround time, and decrease reporting errors in reports of surgical pathology specimens and hematologic neoplasms and bone marrow. No such system has been previously described for the reporting of peripheral blood smears. We developed a Web-based synoptic reporting system composed of a knowledge base encompassing 150 peripheral blood smear report templates covering a wide range of findings. This system was used at our institution, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, by pathology residents under the supervision of an attending pathologist to generate peripheral blood smear reports. This system was found to produce a significant reduction in typographic errors with decreased turnaround time and improved accuracy. This synoptic reporting system can help practicing pathologists and pathology trainees to draft a complete and concise report.
A new concept to derive permissible limits for analytical imprecision and bias considering diagnostic requirements and technical state-of-the-art
Authors: Haeckel Rainer , Wosniok Werner 
Published: February 2011

Abstract

Background: Permissible limits of analytical imprecision and bias are usually derived either from biological variability or from the state of the art. Both concepts require information from external sources which often lack transparency and are difficult to integrate in medical decision-making. Additionally, physicians may be interested in knowing the probability of decision errors due to analytical uncertainty. Therefore, an approach was developed which combines all three concepts.

Methods: The empirical (observed) biological variation was derived from reference ranges used by the laboratory (CVE). CVE was corrected to get the biological variation in the theoretical absence of analytical imprecision (CVC). Relatively simple equations were derived from the relationship between biological variation and the analytical imprecision (CVA) to calculate permissible imprecision and bias. Five quality classes are proposed for the various analytes reflecting the false-positive error rates (FPR). These classes characterize analytical procedures according to their theoretical specificity (FPR). Thus, the new approach combines the theoretical base of biological variation with the technical state-of-the-art.

Results and conclusions: As practical examples, the permissible imprecision and bias limits were estimated for a selection of quantities. The limits found were more realistic than present proposals based on Cotlove’s rule (fixed fraction of biological variation), but slightly more stringent than national consensus values based on the state-of-the-art. Imprecision and bias do not affect FPR equally, and, therefore, should be assessed separately. It is proposed to insert monthly imprecision and bias results calculated after each control cycle in a table with five quality classes. This table provides a simple overview of the analytical quality performance of the entire laboratory with one glance and can be handled on the Excel platform.
Steroid binding properties of the 2nd WHO International Standard for sex hormone-binding globulin
Authors: Thaler Markus , Müller Carolin , Schlichtiger Alice , Gründler Katharina , Moore Melanie , Luppa Peter B. 
Published: February 2011

Abstract

Background: Stocks of 95/560, the 1st International Standard for sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), are runn-ing out, and 08/266 has been prepared as a replacement. We compared the steroid binding capacities of 95/560 and 08/266.

Methods: 95/560 and 08/266 stored at –20°C, and accelerated thermal degradation samples of 08/266 were subjected to gelfiltration. Binding of the SHBG-containing fractions to a dihydrotestosterone derivative was then investigated using a surface plasmon resonance biosensor. The SHBG content of the gelfiltration fractions was determined with an immunoassay. Steroid binding capacity of each standard was then calculated as the mean of the ratio of biosensor binding/SHBG concentration. Affinity constants for the SHBG steroid interaction were calculated.

Results: Maximum achievable biomolecular interactions were lower for 95/560 than for the 08/266 preparations. 95/560 exhibited steroid binding capacity only half as high as any of the novel standards, as well as a lower affinity constant for the SHBG steroid interaction. No significant differences could be observed between the samples of 08/266 stored at different temperatures.

Conclusions: The steroid binding capacity of 08/266 is two times higher than that of 95/560. Steroid binding of lyophilized 08/266 is preserved at storage temperatures of up to 45°C for at least 6 months.
An inverse source problem for quasi-static Maxwell's equations
Authors: El Badia Abdellatif , Nara Takaaki 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
In this paper, we show the uniqueness and local stability of an inverse source problem for the quasi-static Maxwell equation in a layered domain, where the source consists of multiple point dipoles. Also, an algebraic algorithm is proposed to identify the number, locations, and moments of the dipoles from boundary measurements of tangential components of the electric and magnetic fields. The proposed algorithm is numerically verified.
Seismic impedance inversion using l
1-norm regularization and gradient descent methods
Authors: Wang Yanfei 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
We consider numerical solution methods for seismic impedance inversion problems in this paper. The inversion process is ill-posed. To tackle the ill-posedness of the problem and take the sparsity of the reflectivity function into consideration, an l
1 norm regularization model is established. In computation, a nonmonotone gradient descent method based on Rayleigh quotient for solving the minimization model is developed. Theoretical simulations and field data applications are performed to verify the feasibility of our methods.
Discourse and Judicial Thinking --- A Corpus-based Study of Court Judgments in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China
Authors: Cheng Le 
Published: February 2011

Awarding Institution: City University of Hong Kong Date of Award: February 2010 Th is corpus-based study focuses on Chinese court judgments as a specifi c form of judicial discourse. Specifi cally, it examines the discursive representation of judicial thinking.
A criança e seu meio: contribuição de Vigotski ao desenvolvimento da criança e à sua educação
Authors: Pino Angel 
Published: February 2011

O escopo deste texto é analisar o conceito de "meio" de Vigotski no seu texto A questão do meio em Pedologia, onde ele sustenta que a pedologia não estuda o meio em si, dado que isso é objeto de outras ciências. O que interessa à pedologia é saber qual é seu papel e sua influência no desenvolvimento da criança. Existe nestas palavras uma aparente ambiguidade que deve ser explicada. A questão é: como pode a pedologia entender o papel que o meio desempenha no desenvolvimento da criança se não sabe o que é o meio? Explicar este aparente paradoxo é o escopo deste texto.
The Oligocene orogenic pulse in the southern Penninic arc (western Alps): structural, sedimentary and thermochronological constraints
Authors: Bernet Matthias , Tricart Pierre 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
The Oligocene evolution of the southern branch of the western Alpine arc, more precisely the stack of metamorphic Briançonnais and Piedmont nappes composing the southern Penninic arc (SPA), are the focus of this study. We review published structural, sedimentological and thermochronological data in order to discuss exhumation of the SPA. At first, we compare bedrock zircon and apatite fission-track (FT) data from the SPA with detrital thermochronologic data (zircon FT, white mica 40Ar/39Ar) from Oligocene molasse deposits. Using improved stratigraphic ages for the Barrême basin, samples from the uppermost Rupelian “Conglomérat de Clumanc” and the Chattian “Molasse Rouge” provided zircon FT lag times of ~3.5 and 8 m.y., indicating source exhumation rates on the order of ~1.5 and ~0.75 km/m.y. respectively. These short lag times are consistent with lag times of 40Ar-39Ar ages of detrital white mica from the same formations in the same basin, and also from Oligocene molasse sediments in the Tertiary Piedmont basin. The sediment source for these grains as for the associated clasts of blueschist, is identified as the HP-LT metamorphic units of the SPA. The source cannot be the Ubaye-Embrunais nappes as classically considered, because these nappes do not bear the required metamorphic imprint. This interpretation is consistent with fast Oligocene cooling of the SPA, as attested by in situ zircon and apatite FT analyses. Such fast and relatively old cooling is a peculiarity of the southern branch of the western Alpine arc, when considering the entire arc. A second range of data concerns the structural building of the SPA. The initial stacking of metamorphic nappes in a poorly elevated accretionnary wedge was completed before the end of the Eocene. During the Early Oligocene collision, this wedge was severely refolded, acquiring its fan structure, as visible in cross section, and its curvature in map view. In such a context, we propose that fast exhumation and cooling of the SPA during the Oligocene resulted from active erosion of rapidly raised high topography. This is consistent with the sudden arrival of metamorphic Penninic clasts in the molasse basins along both flanks of the belt. Moreover, detrital and in situ thermochronological ages, suggest a strong slowing down of cooling and exhumation from the Miocene onwards, coinciding with brittle extension that dominates in the SPA during this long period. The brief Early Oligocene rise of a SPA cordillera, contrasts with the preceding and subsequent period of poor relief of the SPA. The mountainous character of the SPA today is not directly inherited from the Oligocene orogenic climax, as modern high relief and elevation are most likely related to rejuvenation under climatic control during the Quaternary.
Prevention of “Humanized” Diabetogenic CD8 T-Cell Responses in HLA-Transgenic NOD Mice by a Multipeptide Coupled-Cell Approach
Authors: Niens Marijke , Grier Alexandra E. , Marron Michele , Kay Thomas W.H. , Greiner Dale L. , Serreze David V. 
Published: February 2011

OBJECTIVEType 1 diabetes can be inhibited in standard NOD mice by autoantigen-specific immunotherapy targeting pathogenic CD8+ T-cells. NOD.β2mnull.HHD mice expressing human HLA-A2.1 but lacking murine major histocompatibility complex class I molecules develop diabetes characterized by CD8 T-cells recognizing certain autoantigenic peptides also targeted in human patients. These include peptides derived from the pancreatic β-cell proteins insulin (INS1/2 A2–10 and INS1 B5–14) and islet-specific glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit–related protein (IGRP265–273 and IGRP228–236). Hence, NOD.β2mnull.HHD mice represent a model system for developing potentially clinically translatable interventions for suppressing diabetogenic HLA-A2.1–restricted T-cell responses.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSStarting at 4–6 weeks of age, NOD.β2mnull.HHD female mice were injected intravenously with syngeneic splenocytes to which various admixtures of the four above-mentioned peptides were bound by the cross-linking agent ethylene carbodiimide (ECDI).RESULTSTreatment with such cells bearing the complete cocktail of INS and IGRP epitopes (designated INS/IGRP-SPs) significantly inhibited diabetes development in NOD.β2mnull.HHD recipients compared with controls receiving splenocytes coupled with an irrelevant HLA-A2.1–restricted Flu16 peptide. Subsequent analyses found syngeneic splenocytes bearing the combination of the two ECDI-coupled IGRPs but not INS peptides (IGRP-SPs or INS-SPs) effectively inhibited diabetes development in NOD.β2mnull.HHD mice. This result was supported by enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) analyses indicating combined INS/IGRP-SPs diminished HLA-A2.1–restricted IGRP but not INS autoreactive CD8+ T-cell responses in NOD.β2mnull.HHD mice.CONCLUSIONSThese data support the potential of a cell therapy approach targeting HLA-A2.1–restricted IGRP autoreactive CD8 T-cells as a diabetes intervention approach in appropriate human patients.
Are the Same Clinical Risk Factors Relevant for Incident Diabetes Defined by Treatment, Fasting Plasma Glucose, and HbA1c?
Authors: Balkau Beverley , Soulimane Soraya , Lange Céline , Gautier Alain , Tichet Jean , Vol Sylviane ,   the DESIR Study Group
Published: February 2011

OBJECTIVE
To compare incidences and risk factors for diabetes using seven definitions, with combinations of pharmacological treatment, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥7.0 mmol/L, and HbA1c ≥6.5%.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
Participants aged 30–65 years from the Data from an Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome (DESIR) cohort were followed for 9 years.

RESULTS
More men had incident diabetes as defined by FPG ≥7.0 mmol/L and/or treatment than by HbA1c ≥6.5% and/or treatment: 7.5% (140/1,867) and 5.3% (99/1,874), respectively (P &lt; 0.009); for women incidences were similar: 3.2% (63/1,958) and 3.4% (66/1,954). Known risk factors predicted diabetes for almost all definitions. Among those with incident diabetes by FPG alone versus HbA1c alone, there were more men (78 vs. 35%), case patients were 8 years younger, and fewer were alcohol abstainers (12 vs. 35%) (all P &lt; 0.005). A diabetes risk score discriminated well between those with and without incident diabetes for all definitions.

CONCLUSIONS
In men, FPG definitions yielded more incident cases of diabetes than HbA1c definitions, in contrast with women. An FPG-derived risk score remained relevant for HbA1c-defined diabetes.
Blood Pressure and the Risk of Developing Diabetes in African Americans and Whites
Authors: Wei Gina S. , Coady Sean A. , Goff David C. , Brancati Frederick L. , Levy Daniel , Selvin Elizabeth , Vasan Ramachandran S. , Fox Caroline S. 
Published: February 2011

OBJECTIVE
We examined the association between high blood pressure and incident type 2 diabetes in African Americans and whites aged 35–54 years at baseline.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
We combined data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, and the Framingham Heart Study offspring cohort. Overall, 10,893 participants (57% women; 23% African American) were categorized by baseline blood pressure (normal, prehypertension, hypertension) and examined for incident diabetes (median follow-up 8.9 years).

RESULTS
Overall, 14.6% of African Americans and 7.9% of whites developed diabetes. Age-adjusted incidence was increasingly higher across increasing blood pressure groups (P values for trend: &lt;0.05 for African American men; &lt;0.001 for other race-sex groups). After adjustment for age, sex, BMI, fasting glucose, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, prehypertension or hypertension (compared with normal blood pressure) was associated with greater risks of diabetes in whites (hazard ratio [HR] for prehypertension: 1.32 [95% CI 1.09–1.61]; for hypertension: 1.25 [1.03–1.53]), but not African Americans (HR for prehypertension: 0.86 [0.63–1.17]; for hypertension: 0.92 [0.70–1.21]). HRs for developing diabetes among normotensive, prehypertensive, and hypertensive African Americans versus normotensive whites were: 2.75, 2.28, and 2.36, respectively (P values &lt;0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
In African Americans, higher diabetes incidence among hypertensive individuals may be explained by BMI, fasting glucose, triglyceride, and HDL cholesterol. In whites, prehypertension and hypertension are associated with greater risk of diabetes, beyond that explained by other risk factors. African Americans, regardless of blood pressure, have greater risks of developing diabetes than whites.
Effect of Intensive Glycemic Lowering on Health-Related Quality of Life in Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Anderson Roger T. , Narayan K.M. Venkat , Feeney Patricia , Goff David , Ali Mohammed K. , Simmons Debra L. , Sperl-Hillen Jo-Ann , Bigger Thomas , Cuddihy Robert , O'Conner Patrick J. , Sood Ajay , Zhang Ping , Sullivan Mark D. ,   for the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) Investigators
Published: February 2011

OBJECTIVE
To compare the effect of intensive versus standard glycemic control strategies on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in a substudy of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
A randomly selected subsample of 2,053 ACCORD participants enrolled in the HRQL substudy was assessed at baseline and 12-, 36-, and 48-month visits. HRQL assessment included general health status (the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey [SF-36]), diabetes symptoms (the Diabetes Symptom Distress Checklist), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ]-9), and treatment satisfaction (Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire [DTSQ]). Repeated-measures ANOVA models were used to estimate change in HRQL outcomes by treatment group over 48 months adjusting for model covariates. The effects of early discontinuation of the ACCORD intensive glycemic control arm on study results were explored.

RESULTS
A total of 1,956 (95%) completed the self-report HRQL instrument(s) at baseline. The intensive arm had a larger decrease in SF-36 physical health component score than the standard arm (−1.6 vs. −1.1, P = 0.0345). Treatment satisfaction (DTSQ) showed larger improvement with intensive than standard (P = 0.0004). There were no differences in mean scores of the Diabetes Symptom Checklist and PHQ-9. Effects of participant transition following discontinuation of the intensive arm on HRQL were not significant.

CONCLUSIONS
The ACCORD trial strategy of intensive glycemic control did not lead to benefits in HRQL and was associated with modest improvement in diabetes treatment satisfaction. Thus patient acceptability was apparently not compromised with intensive and complex interventions such as those used in ACCORD.
Le métayage d'élevage au Mexique. Colonisations foncières et dynamiques d'une institution agraire dans l'histoire contemporaine
Authors: Cochet Hubert , Léonard Éric , Tallet Bernard 
Published: February 2011

Très répandu avant la révolution, puis largement passé sous silence ou nié pendant le processus de réforme agraire, le métayage s’est à nouveau développé au Mexique à partir des années cinquante, sous une forme renouvelée : le bail à cheptel. Ce nouveau rapport social est devenu caractéristique des fronts pionniers de l’élevage bovin-viande dans une grande partie des régions tropicales, notamment sur la façade atlantique du pays, mieux arrosée et plus propice à la croissance de l’herbe. Contrairement au métayage classique, caractérisé par le monopole exercé sur le foncier par le grand propriétaire, cette forme de métayage d’élevage s’est appuyée sur une inversion du rapport de propriété ( reverse tenancy ). Trop faiblement dotés de moyens de production, la majorité des bénéficiaires des programmes de colonisation a en effet été contrainte de faire appel à de grands éleveurs pour se procurer le bétail nécessaire à la mise en valeur des terres qui lui avaient été allouées, contre paiement de la moitié du produit au propriétaire du bétail. La généralisation des baux à cheptel révèle ainsi une certaine continuité dans les rapports de force entre les composantes du monde rural, au-delà de la réforme agraire : la propriété foncière est devenue une composante secondaire de ces rapports, tandis que la maîtrise du capital assied l’hégémonie du propriétaire du cheptel vif.
Vers la fin des Pays ?
Authors: Taulelle François 
Published: February 2011

Résumé Initiés par la loi aménagement de 1995 puis renforcés en 1999, les Pays ont été conçus comme des territoires de projets évolutifs pour porter un projet de développement à une échelle infra-régionale. Pourtant, la réforme des collectivités territoriales préfère minorer l’apport de ces territoires et valoriser plutôt les intercommunalités. Le procès des Pays a donc été ouvert. Or le bilan est nuancé : si les Pays n’ont jamais réellement trouvé leur place dans le paysage institutionnel, leurs apports en matière de réflexion, d’ingénierie et de participation des citoyens ne sont pas à négliger. Au moment où l’interterritorialité est une notion fort répandue, les Pays ne constituent-ils pas le lieu de la modernité territoriale ?
Le melting pot belge
Authors: Stroobants Jean-Pierre 
Published: February 2011

Résumé Longtemps terre de « bâtardise exemplaire », la Belgique est aujourd’hui rattrapée par un nationalisme ethno-culturel qui pousse la Flandre politique à prôner, au mieux, « l’évaporation » du pays. La leçon est rude pour une Europe communautaire qui voit l’un des pays qui l’ont fondée remettre en cause certains principes de son propre projet. Dans la crise belge, les notions de consensus, de tolérance réciproque et de cohabitation des cultures sont en jeu.