bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Do young bilinguals acquire past tense morphology like monolinguals, only later? Evidence from French–English and Chinese–English bilinguals
Authors: NICOLADIS ELENA , SONG JIANHUI , MARENTETTE PAULA 
Published: August 2011

ABSTRACTPrevious studies have shown that preschool bilingual children lag behind same-aged monolinguals in their production of correct past tense forms. This lag has been attributed to bilinguals' less frequent exposure to either language. If so, bilingual children acquire the past tense like monolinguals, only later. In this study, we compared the English past tense production of Chinese–English bilingual children with a matched sample of French–English bilinguals (5–12 years old). The results showed small but reliable differences in the children's past tense production (e.g., the kinds of errors the children made) that could be attributed to knowledge of the other language. Both groups of children showed equivalent rates of accuracy, suggesting that bilinguals exposed to naturalistic speech acquire the past tense much like monolinguals do, only later and with some effects, most likely morphophonological, from their other language.
Psychosocial factors in older heroin-dependent patients in treatment
Authors: Sidhu Harvinder , Crome Peter , Crome Ilana B 
Published: August 2011

SummaryThe psychosocial characteristics of older heroin-dependent patients (defined as 45 years and over) attending a specialist addiction clinic in Stoke on Trent, UK were studied using retrospective record analysis of the case notes of the 20 oldest heroin-dependent patients. This study draws attention to the multiple psychosocial problems facing ageing heroin addicts. On average, patients were 48 years old, had first been exposed to heroin at age 29, 85% were injectors and the majority were polydrug users. In 20% a major life event had preceded first use of heroin. Nineteen were male, 17 were single, only 10% were employed, while just 10% did not have a criminal history. Depression, self-harm and memory disturbance were frequently reported. Retention in treatment was a feature, with consequent improvements including reduction in criminality and injecting behaviour. However, there is little specific guidance on treatment, training or policy for this group in the UK.
Does Antiretroviral Therapy Improve HIV-Associated Cognitive Impairment? A Quantitative Review of the Literature
Authors: Al-Khindi Timour , Zakzanis Konstantine K. , van Gorp Wilfred G. 
Published: August 2011

AbstractThe development of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has dramatically improved survival for those living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but whether ART improves cognitive functioning remains unclear. The aim of the present review was to examine systematically the extent to which ART improves cognition among individuals with HIV using meta-analytic methods. Twenty-three studies were included in the quantitative review. ART was associated with modest improvements in attention (meand= .17;p< .001; 95% confidence interval [CI], .09/.25), executive function (meand= .18;p< .001; 95% CI, .10/.26), and motor function (meand= .24;p< .001; 95% CI, .16/.32). ART did not improve language, verbal memory, visual memory or visuospatial function. The extent to which cognition improved was correlated with the change in CD4 cell count following ART, suggesting a link between cognitive outcome and immune system integrity. Together, the present findings indicate that the neuropsychological test performance of most HIV patients taking ART is comparable to those not taking ART. Development of pharmaceutical treatments and rehabilitation strategies that target the cognitive effects of HIV infection is needed. (JINS, 2011,17, 956–969)
Microbial gene functions enriched in the Deepwater Horizon deep-sea oil plume
Authors: Lu Zhenmei , Deng Ye , Van Nostrand Joy D , He Zhili , Voordeckers James , Zhou Aifen , Lee Yong-Jin , Mason Olivia U , Dubinsky Eric A , Chavarria Krystle L , Tom Lauren M , Fortney Julian L , Lamendella Regina , Jansson Janet K , D'haeseleer Patrik , Hazen Terry C , Zhou Jizhong 
Published: August 2011

Abstract
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the deepest and largest offshore spill in the United State history and its impacts on marine ecosystems are largely unknown. Here, we showed that the microbial community functional composition and structure were dramatically altered in a deep-sea oil plume resulting from the spill. A variety of metabolic genes involved in both aerobic and anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation were highly enriched in the plume compared with outside the plume, indicating a great potential for intrinsic bioremediation or natural attenuation in the deep sea. Various other microbial functional genes that are relevant to carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and iron cycling, metal resistance and bacteriophage replication were also enriched in the plume. Together, these results suggest that the indigenous marine microbial communities could have a significant role in biodegradation of oil spills in deep-sea environments.
Male Sterile2 Encodes a Plastid-Localized Fatty Acyl Carrier Protein Reductase Required for Pollen Exine Development in Arabidopsis
Authors: Chen Weiwei , Yu Xiao-Hong , Zhang Kaisi , Shi Jianxin , De Oliveira Sheron , Schreiber Lukas , Shanklin John , Zhang Dabing 
Published: August 2011

Abstract
Male Sterile2 (MS2) is predicted to encode a fatty acid reductase required for pollen wall development in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Transient expression of MS2 in tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana) leaves resulted in the accumulation of significant levels of C16 and C18 fatty alcohols. Expression of MS2 fused with green fluorescent protein revealed that an amino-terminal transit peptide targets the MS2 to plastids. The plastidial localization of MS2 is biologically important because genetic complementation of MS2 in ms2 homozygous plants was dependent on the presence of its amino-terminal transit peptide or that of the Rubisco small subunit protein amino-terminal transit peptide. In addition, two domains, NAD(P)H-binding domain and sterile domain, conserved in MS2 and its homologs were also shown to be essential for MS2 function in pollen exine development by genetic complementation testing. Direct biochemical analysis revealed that purified recombinant MS2 enzyme is able to convert palmitoyl-Acyl Carrier Protein to the corresponding C16:0 alcohol with NAD(P)H as the preferred electron donor. Using optimized reaction conditions (i.e. at pH 6.0 and 30°C), MS2 exhibits a K m for 16:0-Acyl Carrier Protein of 23.3 ± 4.0 μm, a V max of 38.3 ± 4.5 nmol mg−1 min−1, and a catalytic efficiency/K m of 1,873 m −1 s−1. Based on the high homology of MS2 to other characterized fatty acid reductases, it was surprising that MS2 showed no activity against palmitoyl- or other acyl-coenzyme A; however, this is consistent with its plastidial localization. In summary, genetic and biochemical evidence demonstrate an MS2-mediated conserved plastidial pathway for the production of fatty alcohols that are essential for pollen wall biosynthesis in Arabidopsis.
Use of NK cell activity in cure by transplant
Authors: Leung Wing 
Published: August 2011

SummaryAnalogous to T cells, Natural Killer (NK) cells may facilitate engraftment, combat infection, and control cancer in bone marrow or haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT); however, NK cells do not cause graft‐versus‐host disease. Killer immunoglobulin‐like receptors (KIRs) regulate NK cell function, and recent data suggest that KIR is as important as its ligand (human leucocyte antigen; HLA) in HSCT for both malignant and non‐malignant conditions. Because there is substantial variability in KIR gene content, allelic polymorphism, and cell‐surface expression among people, careful selection of donors based on HLA and KIR is essential to optimize HSCT outcomes. Furthermore, NK cells may be used for adoptive immunotherapy after HSCT in place of conventional donor lymphocyte infusion, as part of pre‐transplant cytoreductive therapy, or as an independent therapeutic agent in high‐risk leukaemia in place of sibling donor HSCT.
Complexes between nuclear factor-κB p65 and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 are key actors in inducing activation-induced cytidine deaminase expression and immunoglobulin A production in CD40L plus interleukin-10-treated human blood B cells
Authors: Lafarge S , Hamzeh-Cognasse H , Richard Y , Pozzetto B , Cogné M , Cognasse F , Garraud O 
Published: August 2011

SummaryThe signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) transcription factor pathway plays an important role in many biological phenomena. STAT3 transcription is triggered by cytokine-associated signals. Here, we use isolated human B cells to analyse the role of STAT3 in interleukin (IL)-10 induced terminal B cell differentiation and in immunoglobulin (Ig)A production as a characteristic readout of IL-10 signalling. We identified optimal conditions for inducing in-vitro IgA production by purified blood naive B cells using IL-10 and soluble CD40L. We show that soluble CD40L consistently induces the phosphorylation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65 but not of STAT3, while IL-10 induces the phosphorylation of STAT3 but not of NF-κB p65. Interestingly, while soluble CD40L and IL-10 were synergistic in driving the terminal maturation of B cells into IgA-producing plasma cells, they did not co-operate earlier in the pathway with regard to the transcription factors NF-κB p65 or STAT3. Blocking either NF-κB p65 or STAT3 profoundly altered the production of IgA and mRNA for activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), an enzyme strictly necessary for Ig heavy chain recombination. Finally, the STAT3 pathway was directly activated by IL-10, while IL-6, the main cytokine otherwise known for activating the STAT3 pathway, did not appear to be involved in IL-10-induced-STAT3 activation. Our results suggest that STAT3 and NF-κB pathways co-operate in IgA production, with soluble CD40L rapidly activating the NF-κB pathway, probably rendering STAT3 probably more reactive to IL-10 signalling. This novel role for STAT3 in B cell development reveals a potential therapeutic or vaccine target for eliciting IgA humoral responses at mucosal interfaces.
Plasma C‐type natriuretic peptide forms and thyroid status in prepubertal children with acquired thyroid disease
Authors: Reh C. S. , Olney R. C. , Azen C. , Prickett T. C. , Espiner E. A. , Geffner M. E. 
Published: August 2011

SummaryObjective  C‐type natriuretic peptide (CNP) and thyroid hormone (TH) are essential for normal skeletal growth. Plasma CNP peptides correlate with growth velocity, but the relationship between thyroid status and CNP production is unknown. This study examined the impact of restoring normal TH levels on CNP and height velocity (HV) in children with acquired hypo‐ and hyperthyroidism.Design  We performed a prospective, observational study in prepubertal children with acquired hypothyroidism (n = 15) and hyperthyroidism (n = 12).Measurements  Blood levels of CNP, amino‐terminal proCNP (NTproCNP), bone‐specific alkaline phosphatase (BSAP), IGF‐I and TH levels were measured before and during the first 6 months of standard treatment for hypo‐ and hyperthyroidism, and correlations were determined.Results  At baseline, HV, CNP, NTproCNP and BSAP were significantly higher in hyper‐ than in hypothyroid subjects. Changes in TH after treatment were closely coupled to change in CNP and NTproCNP in hyperthyroid, but not in hypothyroid, children. In addition, a positive association of HV with CNP peptides was found during treatment of hyperthyroidism. Normalizing TH did not correlate with changes in BSAP or IGF‐I in either group.Conclusions  Plasma CNP peptides are higher in children with hyperthyroidism than in those with hypothyroidism at diagnosis and, in hyperthyroid children, change concordantly with TH and HV during treatment. Differential responses of CNP in the two groups suggest CNP production is dependent on growth plate activity and not a direct effect of TH on CNP gene expression. Our findings suggest novel mechanisms underlying changes in skeletal response during treatment in children with acquired thyroid disease.
Endocrine and metabolic characteristics of polycystic ovary syndrome in Chinese women with different phenotypes
Authors: Xu Xinghua , Shi Yuhua , Cui Yuqian , Ma Jinlong , Che Li , Chen Zi‐Jiang 
Published: August 2011

SummaryObjective  The aim of this study was to describe the endocrine and metabolic characteristics of Chinese women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) according to different phenotypes, including menstrual cycle pattern and body mass index (BMI).Design  Retrospective study.Patient(s)  A total of 3539 patients with PCOS and 590 controls were recruited from the Centre for Reproductive Medicine. Patients with PCOS were divided into three groups according to the characteristics of the menstrual cycle (amenorrhoea, oligomenorrhea and eumenorrhea) and the BMI (<25 kg/m2; 25 ≤ and ≤ 30 kg/m2; and BMI > 30 kg/m2).Measurements  Waist circumference, hip circumference, weight, height, Ferriman–Gallwey score, and endocrine and metabolic variables were measured.Results  The serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH) and oral glucose tolerance test 2 h‐glucose levels were increased in the amenorrhoea group (P < 0·05). The triglycerides (TG) and low‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol (LDL) levels were the highest in the amenorrhoea group (P < 0·05). The same trend existed in total cholesterol and non‐ high‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol (HDL) levels, although there was no statistical significance (P > 0·05). Subjects with a BMI<25 kg/m2 had higher values of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), LH, LH/FSH and prolactin (P < 0·001) than the other two groups. The levels of TG, LDL and non‐HDL and the indices of glucose and insulin metabolism increased with the change in BMI (P < 0·001).Conclusions  The amenorrhoea group had severe endocrine and metabolic abnormalities, which appeared to be related to latent long‐term complications and higher morbidity. The degree of dysbolism was positively associated with the change in BMI.
Changing subcellular localization of nuclear transport factors during human spermatogenesis
Authors: Whiley P. A. F. , Miyamoto Y. , McLachlan R. I. , Jans D. A. , Loveland K. L. 
Published: August 2011

SummarySpermatogenesis requires progressive changes in gene expression mediated by hormonal and local factors. Regulated macromolecular movement between nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments enables these essential responses to changing extracellular cues, and dynamic production of the nucleocytoplasmic transporters and importin proteins, throughout gametogenesis in rodents implicates them as key mediators of germline differentiation. We examined normal adult human testis expression profiles of six importins plus five additional proteins involved in nucleocytoplasmic transport. Although most were detected in the nucleus during germline differentiation, importin α4 was exclusively observed in Sertoli and germ cell cytoplasm. Many proteins were present in round spermatid nuclei (importins α1, α3, β1, β3; exportin‐1, Nup62, Ran, RanBP1, RCC1), and remarkable intense nuclear and/or nuclear‐associated signals were detected for importin α1, importin α3 and Nup62 in spermatocytes. This study identifies conserved aspects of nucleocytoplasmic transport during spermatogenesis and extends our knowledge of the dynamic presence of these proteins, which indicates that they contribute to germ cell‐specific cargo trafficking and potentially to other functions during human spermatogenesis. We also demonstrate for the first time that importin α3 is nuclear in spermatocytes, when exportin‐1 is cytoplasmic, suggesting that nuclear transport is altered during meiosis.
Dying like rabbits: general determinants of spatio‐temporal variability in survival
Authors: Tablado Zulima , Revilla Eloy , Palomares Francisco 
Published: August 2011

Summary1.Identifying general patterns of how and why survival rates vary across space and time is necessary to truly understand population dynamics of a species. However, this is not an easy task given the complexity and interactions of processes involved, and the interpopulation differences in main survival determinants.2.Here, using European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) as a model and information from local studies, we investigated whether we could make inferences about trends and drivers of survival of a species that are generalizable to large spatio‐temporal scales. To do this, we first focused on overall survival and then examined cause‐specific mortalities, mainly predation and diseases, which may lead to those patterns.3.Our results show that within the large‐scale variability in rabbit survival, there exist general patterns that are explained by the integration of factors previously known to be important at the local level (i.e. age, climate, diseases, predation or density dependence). We found that both inter‐ and intrastudy survival rates increased in magnitude and decreased in variability as rabbits grow old, although this tendency was less pronounced in populations with epidemic diseases. Some causes leading to these higher mortalities in young rabbits could be the stronger effect of rainfall at those ages, as well as, other death sources like malnutrition or infanticide.4.Predation is also greater for newborns and juveniles, especially in population without diseases. Apart from the effect of diseases, predation patterns also depended on factors, such as, density, season, and type and density of predators. Finally, we observed that infectious diseases also showed general relationships with climate, breeding (i.e. new susceptible rabbits) and age, although the association type varied between myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease.5.In conclusion, large‐scale patterns of spatio‐temporal variability in rabbit survival emerge from the combination of different factors that interrelate both directly and through density dependence. This highlights the importance of performing more comprehensive studies to reveal combined effects and complex relationships that help us to better understand the mechanisms underlying population dynamics.
A Population‐based Investigation of the Autoantibody Profile in Mothers of Children with Atrioventricular Block
Authors: Salomonsson S. , Dzikaite V. , Zeffer E. , Eliasson H. , Ambrosi A. , Bergman G. , Fernlund E. , Theander E. , Öhman A. , Rydberg A. , Skogh T. , Wållberg‐Jonsson S. , Elfving Å. , Fored M. , Ekbom A. , Lundström U. , Mellander M. , Winqvist O. , Sonesson S.‐E. , Gadler F. , Jonzon A. , Wahren‐Herlenius M. 
Published: August 2011

AbstractThe objective of the study was to investigate the antigen specificity and occurrence of individual autoantibodies in mothers of children diagnosed with atrioventricular (AV) block in a nation‐wide setting. Patients with AV block detected before 15 years of age were identified using national quality registries as well as a network of pediatric and adult cardiologists and rheumatologists at the six university hospitals in Sweden. Patients with gross heart malformations, surgically or infectiously induced blocks were excluded. Blood samples were obtained from the mothers and maternal autoantibody profile, including the occurrence of antibodies against Ro52, Ro60, La, SmB, SmD, RNP‐70k, RNP‐A, RNP‐C, CENP‐C, Scl‐70, Jo‐1, ribosomal RNP and histones was investigated in 193 mothers of children with AV block by immunoblotting and ELISA. Autoantibody reactivity was detected in 48% (93/193) of the mothers of children with AV block. In autoantibody‐positive mothers, the vast majority, 95% (88/93), had antibodies against Ro52, while 63% (59/93) had autoantibodies to Ro60 and 58% (54/93) had autoantibodies to La. In addition, 13% (12/93) of the autoantibody‐positive mothers had antibodies to other investigated antigens besides Ro52, Ro60 and La, and of these anti‐histone antibodies were most commonly represented, detected in 8% (7/93) of the mothers. In conclusion, this Swedish population‐based study confirms that maternal autoantibodies may associate with heart block in the child. Further, our data demonstrate a dominant role of Ro52 antibodies in association with AV block.
Individual differences in discount rate are associated with demand for self‐administered cocaine, but not sucrose
Authors: Koffarnus Mikhail N. , Woods James H. 
Published: August 2011

ABSTRACTSubstance abusers, including cocaine abusers, discount delayed rewards to a greater extent than do matched controls. In the current experiment, individual differences in discounting of delayed rewards in rats (choice of one immediate over three delayed sucrose pellets) were assessed for associations with demand for either sucrose pellets or an intravenous dose of 0.1 mg/kg/infusion cocaine. Twenty‐four male Sprague Dawley rats were split into three groups based on sensitivity to delay to reinforcement. Then, demand for sucrose pellets and cocaine was determined across a range of fixed‐ratio values. Delay discounting was then reassessed to determine the stability of this measure over the course of the experiment. Individual differences in impulsive choice were positively associated with elasticity of demand for cocaine, a measure of reinforcer value, indicating that rats having higher discount rates also valued cocaine more. Impulsive choice was not associated with the level of cocaine consumption as price approached 0 or with any parameter associated with demand for sucrose. Individual sensitivity to delay was correlated with the initial assessment when reassessed at the end of the experiment, although impulsive choice increased for this cohort of rats as a whole. These findings suggest that impulsive choice in rats is positively associated with valuation of cocaine, but not sucrose.
A Complex View of Barycentric Mappings
Authors: Weber O. , Ben‐Chen M. , Gotsman C. , Hormann K. 
Published: August 2011

AbstractBarycentric coordinates are very popular for interpolating data values on polyhedral domains. It has been recently shown that expressing them as complex functions has various advantages when interpolating two‐dimensional data in the plane, and in particular for holomorphic maps. We extend and generalize these results by investigating the complex representation of real‐valued barycentric coordinates, when applied to planar domains. We show how the construction for generating real‐valued barycentric coordinates from a given weight function can be applied to generating complex‐valued coordinates, thus deriving complex expressions for the classical barycentric coordinates: Wachspress, mean value, and discrete harmonic. Furthermore, we show that a complex barycentric map admits the intuitive interpretation as a complex‐weighted combination of edge‐to‐edge similarity transformations, allowing the design of “home‐made” barycentric maps with desirable properties. Thus, using the tools of complex analysis, we provide a methodology for analyzing existing barycentric mappings, as well as designing new ones.