bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Subject‐specific aortic wall shear stress estimations using semi‐automatic segmentation
Authors: Renner J. , Nadali Najafabadi H. , Modin D. , Länne T. , Karlsson M. 
Published: June 2012

SummaryAtherosclerosis development is strongly believed to be influenced by hemodynamic forces such as wall shear stress (WSS). To estimate such an entity in‐vivo in humans, image‐based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a useful tool. In this study, we use a combination of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and CFD to estimate WSS. In such method, a number of steps are included. One important step is the interpretation of images into 3D models, named segmentation. The choice of segmentation method can influence the resulting WSS distribution in the human aorta. This is studied by comparing WSS results gained from the use of two different segmentation approaches: manual and semi‐automatic, where the manual approach is considered to be the reference method. The investigation is performed on a group of eight healthy male volunteers. The different segmentation methods give slightly different geometrical depictions of the human aorta (difference in the mean thoracic Aorta lumen diameter were 0·7% P<0·86). However, there is a very good agreement between the resulting WSS distribution for the two segmentation approaches. The small differences in WSS between the methods increase in the late systole and early diastolic cardiac cycle time point indicating that the WSS is more sensitive to local geometric differences in these parts of the cardiac cycle (correlation coefficient is 0·96 at peak systole and 0·68 at early diastole). We can conclude that the results show that the semi‐automatic segmentation method can be used in future to estimate relevant aortic WSS.
Intermediation and (Mis‐)Matching in Insurance Markets—Who Should Pay the Insurance Broker?
Authors: Focht Uwe , Richter Andreas , Schiller Jörg 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThis article addresses the role of independent insurance intermediaries in markets where matching is important. We compare fee‐based and commission‐based compensation systems and show that they are payoff equivalent if the intermediary is completely honest. Allowing for strategic behavior, we discuss the impact of remuneration on the quality of advice. The possibility of mismatching gives the intermediary substantial market power, which will not translate into mismatching if consumers are rational. Furthermore, we offer a rationale for the use of contingent commissions and address whether or not the ban of any commission payments is an appropriate market intervention.
Product Choice and the Importance of Aesthetic Design Given the Emotion‐laden Trade‐off between Sustainability and Functional Performance
Authors: Luchs Michael G. , Brower Jacob , Chitturi Ravindra 
Published: June 2012

This paper investigates the trade‐off decision that consumers face when choosing between a product that is perceived to be more sustainable (i.e., more socially and environmentally responsible) and another product that instead is perceived to offer superior functional performance. Prior research has demonstrated that consumers often believe that there is a trade‐off between sustainability and performance, and in some cases, this trade‐off may be real and not just perceived. The objectives of the current research are to understand the mediators and moderators of this trade‐off choice and to illustrate one specific way in which to use this understanding to promote the consumption of relatively more sustainable products despite a perceived performance trade‐off.Two separate studies were conducted. The first employed a student‐based sample, whereas the second employed a nationally representative online sample. In both studies, participants were presented with a choice between two consumer products. One product was depicted as having superior sustainability characteristics (and average functional performance), and the other product was depicted as having superior functional performance (and average sustainability characteristics). Participants were asked to imagine that they were leaning toward choosing one product over the other, and then rated the degree to which they were feeling a set of possible emotions. Following these ratings, participants chose one of the products. The results suggest that consumers presented with such a trade‐off will tend to choose the product with superior functional performance over the product with superior sustainability characteristics, due to feelings of distress, until a minimum threshold of functional performance is achieved. The current research also shows that choice given this trade‐off depends upon the degree to which consumers value sustainability that, in turn, is mediated by consumers’ feelings of confidence and guilt.Further, based on an understanding of the emotions mediating choice in this context, the authors demonstrate how the effective use of product aesthetic design can improve the relative choice likelihood of sustainable products. Specifically, the authors demonstrate that superior aesthetic design has a disproportionately positive effect on the choice likelihood of sustainability‐advantaged (versus performance‐advantaged) products due to the effect that superior aesthetic design has on overcoming the potential lack of confidence in sustainable products. These findings highlight the specific value of aesthetic product design in the context of marketing sustainable products and suggest that it is especially important for firms interested in marketing sustainable products to also develop market‐leading product aesthetic design capabilities.
Reconsidering the Relationship Between Cultural Theory, Political Ideology, and Political Knowledge
Authors: Ripberger Joseph T. , Song Geoboo , Nowlin Matthew C. , Jones Michael D. , Jenkins‐Smith Hank C. 
Published: June 2012

ObjectiveSocial scientists from a variety of disciplines have employed concepts drawn from cultural theory (CT) to explain preferences across an array of issues. Recent research has challenged key elements of CT in a number of ways, perhaps most importantly by arguing that cultural types are simply another formulation of political ideology, and that only politically knowledgeable respondents reliably utilize either cultural or ideological categories in formulating preferences. This study reconsiders and expands upon this contention.MethodsPrincipal component analyses of responses to a U.S. national survey of 4,387 people.ResultsOur findings are threefold: (1) people with low levels of political knowledge are able to sort egalitarianism and individualism into coherent worldviews; (2) people with high levels of knowledge do not collapse egalitarianism and individualism onto a single scale of political ideology; and (3) regardless of levels of knowledge, survey respondents are able to recognize all four of the value orientations proposed by CT.ConclusionCT, which is related to but different than political ideology, offers a robust system of worldviews that both high‐ and low‐knowledge individuals might draw upon to formulate opinions and make decisions.
Esquamula lacrimiformis n. g., n. sp., a New Member of Thaumatomonads that Lacks Siliceous Scales
Authors: Shiratori Takashi , Yabuki Akinori , Ishida Ken‐Ichiro 
Published: June 2012

AbstractWe report a new naked cercozoan flagellate, Esquamula lacrimiformis n. g., n. sp., collected from a sandy beach in Japan. Its cells were 4.5–11.3 μm in length and 3.9–8.8 μm in width and possess two unequal flagella. Cells move in a smooth gliding motion and have a trailing long posterior flagellum. Phylogenetic analyses with small and large subunit ribosomal RNA genes revealed that E. lacrimiformis forms a novel lineage within the Thaumatomonadida, the members of which are flagellates with siliceous scales. However, our light and electron microscopic observations indicated that E. lacrimiformis cells do not possess any siliceous structures. Furthermore, other morphological characteristics, such as the shape of the extrusomes and the structural arrangement of the microbody, were clearly different from those of previously described thaumatomonads. On the basis of a combination of these morphological observations and our phylogenetic analyses, we conclude that E. lacrimiformis should be treated as a new species of a new genus and placed into a new family, Esquamulidae n. fam., under Thaumatomonadida.
Hypertension favors the inflammatory process in rats with experimentally induced periodontitis
Authors: Bonato C. F. , do‐Amaral C. C. F. , Belini L. , Salzedas L. M. P. , Oliveira S. H. P. 
Published: June 2012

Bonato CF, do‐Amaral CCF, Belini L, Salzedas LMP, Oliveira SHP. Hypertension favors the inflammatory process in rats with experimentally induced periodontitis. J Periodont Res 2012; 47: 783–792. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/SBackground and Objective:  Cardiovascular diseases are significantly correlated with chronic periodontitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate bone‐loss level, neutrophil migration, CXCL2/CINC‐2α, CXCL5/LIX, CCL20/MIP‐3α and tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) production, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and C‐reactive protein (CRP) release in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and normotensive (WTK) rats after experimental induction of periodontal disease.Material and Methods:  Periodontitis was induced by placement of silk yarn ligatures around the first molar counterparts. The levels of CRP, CCL20/MIP‐3α and CXCL5/LIX were evaluated in the peripheral blood, and bone‐loss level, neutrophil recruitment, the production of myeloperoxidase, CXCL2, CXCL5, CCL20 and TNF‐α, and the expression of iNOS were evaluated in the gingival tissue. Histological sections were taken to evaluate and measure bone resorption and neutrophil recruitment in the furcation region.Results:  Rats with periodontitis had alveolar bone resorption. SHRs with periodontitis showed marked bone loss and increased neutrophil infiltration in comparison with WTK rats. SHRs with periodontitis showed increased levels of TNF‐α and CXCL2, and a slight tendency for increased levels of CXCL5, in the gingival tissue but no increase in the level of CCL20. In SHRs, even without periodontitis, the levels of TNF‐α, CXCL2, CXCL5 and CCL20 showed a slight tendency to increase. In the WTK rats, TNF‐α, CXCL2 and CXCL5 levels were increased with periodontitis, but the level of CCL20 was not. iNOS was expressed in the gingival tissue of WTK rats and SHRs with periodontitis; however, SHRs appeared to express a higher level of iNOS than did WKT rats. The CRP level was elevated in both types of rats with periodontitis; however, the CRP level was higher in SHRs with periodontitis than in WTK rats with periodontitis.Conclusion:  In SHRs, the hypertensive condition per se seems to favor the inflammatory processes that become potentiated with periodontitis, when compared with WKT rats.
Melatonin prevents ultraviolet radiation‐induced alterations in plasma membrane potential and intracellular pH in human keratinocytes
Authors: Kleszczyński Konrad , Tukaj Stefan , Kruse Nathalie , Zillikens Detlef , Fischer Tobias W. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractMelatonin exhibits protective effects against ultraviolet radiation (UVR) via modulation of proinflammatory mediators and its free radical scavenging capacity. To date, several reports presented protective mechanisms of this agent against UVR‐induced alterations in mitochondria and nuclei. This investigation evaluates the potent preventing action of melatonin regarding early‐stage UVR‐mediated perturbations in plasma membrane potential (mbΔψ) and intracellular (cytosolic) pH (pH
i) analyzed by flow cytometry. Experiments were carried out in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner using human keratinocytes [HaCaT and normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK)]. First investigations, which used viability/cytotoxicity assays, showed the gradual mortality with increasing UVR doses and cultivation time. Pre‐incubation with melatonin (10−3 m) prior to UVR exposure reduced lactate dehydrogenase release by 30% (HaCaT) and 28% (NHEK) at the dose of 50 mJ/cm2 after 48 hr (P < 0.001). Furthermore, UVR caused hyperpolarization of mbΔψ immediately (0 hr) after irradiation (25 or 50 mJ/cm2). At the dose of 50 mJ/cm2, cells cultivated for 48 hr manifested a marked increase in mbΔψ by 112% (HaCaT) and 123% (NHEK). The presence of melatonin significantly protected the cells by 12% (HaCaT) and 14% (NHEK) (P < 0.001). Simultaneously, 50 mJ/cm2 induced dramatic acidification reaching after 24 hr the level of 6.40 (without melatonin), 6.56 (with melatonin) for HaCaT and 6.11 (without melatonin), 6.43 (with melatonin) for NHEK. The results presented provide information about the protective mechanisms of melatonin itself on one hand and, combined with data reported so far, confirm the potent antiapoptotic action of melatonin.
Correlation between cuspal inclination and tooth cracked syndrome: a three‐dimensional reconstruction measurement and finite element analysis
Authors: Qian Yunzhu , Zhou Xuefeng , Yang Jianxin 
Published: June 2012

AbstractBackground/AimThis paper explored the correlation between cuspal inclination and tooth cracked syndrome by measuring and reconstructing the cuspal inclinations of cracked maxillary first molars through three‐dimensional (3D) finite element analysis (FEA).Material and methodsThe cuspal inclinations of 11 maxillary left first molars with cracked tooth syndrome and 22 intact controls were measured by 3D reconstruction. The mean values of each group were used to construct two 3D finite element models of maxillary first molar for comparing stress distribution under the loads of 200N at 0°, 45°, and 90°, respectively, to the tooth axis.ResultsThere was statistically significant difference in the cuspal inclination between the incompletely fractured group and the intact control group (
P
< 0.001), which was 5.5–6.7 degrees steeper. The model from the mean cuspal inclinations of the incompletely fractured molars showed the maximum tensile stress of 5.83, 10.87, and 25.32 MPa, respectively, in comparison with 5.40, 8.49, and 22.76 MPa for the model of the control group. Besides, the tensile stress was mainly at the center groove and cervical region of the molar model.ConclusionsSteeper cuspal inclinations resulted in an increment in tensile stress that was mainly at the center groove and cervical region of the molar model under equivalent loads. Higher unfavorable tensile stress was generated with the increasing horizontal component load on the cuspal incline. This indicates an effective reduction of cuspal inclination to the compromised teeth for dentists.
EFFECTS OF BLENDING OF WHEAT FLOUR WITH BARLEY FLOUR ON DOUGH AND STEAMED BREAD PROPERTIES
Authors: LIN SU‐YI , CHEN HUA‐HAN , LU SHIN , WANG PIN‐CHIH 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTSteamed bread is a fermented wheat flour product that is cooked by being steamed in a steamer. The properties of dough and the quality of steamed bread incorporated with barley flour at 10, 20 and 30% substitution levels are investigated. Increasing levels of barley flour correspondingly decreases the gluten content and increases the β‐glucan content. Upon incorporation of barley flour, the dough development time, departure time and stability time are decreased, but the mixing tolerance index is increased. The incorporation of barley flour into wheat flour also significantly decreases the extensibility, increases the value of R/E ratio and decreases the value of work input. In addition, increased levels of barley flour cause significant decreases in the specific volume, brightness and whiteness index of steamed bread, as well as increases in hardness and chewiness. This study also shows that six‐row barley pearl flour contains more dietary fiber and has a more favorable influence than barley endosperm flour.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThis research illustrated the effect of barley on the mechanical properties of wheat flour dough, which was important for determining both the properties of the dough during processing and the quality of the end‐product.
A STUDY TO CHARACTERIZE THE MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF SEMISOLID VISCOELASTIC SYSTEMS UNDER COMPRESSION CHEWING – CASE STUDY OF AGAR GEL
Authors: YU JINGHU , SANTOS P.H.S. , CAMPANELLA O.H. 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTThe present article establishes and validates a rheological model that can be used to characterize viscoelastic properties of food gels during compression under small and large deformations. Transient creep and standard compression tests were performed to characterize agar gels of different concentrations under small and large deformations in a texture analyzer. The Burgers model and a modified generalized linear viscoelastic (GLVE) model were used to describe the behavior of the gels in the linear and nonlinear viscoelastic region, respectively. However, the modified GLVE model seems not to capture the stress hardening behavior of agar gels during compression. The Ogden model was then used and successfully described the stress–strain behavior of agar gels at different strain rates.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSUnderstanding the behavior of viscoelastic materials during large stresses and deformation is useful in the design of novel instruments that can mimic the mastication action to assess the texture of gel‐like foods as well as other food materials.
Antigen-Specific Memory T Cell Responses after Vaccination with an Oral Killed Cholera Vaccine in Bangladeshi Children and Comparison to Responses in Patients with Naturally Acquired Cholera
Authors: Arifuzzaman Mohammad , Rashu Rasheduzzaman , Leung Daniel T. , Hosen M. Ismail , Bhuiyan Taufiqur Rahman , Bhuiyan M. Saruar , Rahman Mohammad Arif , Khanam Farhana , Saha Amit , Charles Richelle C. , LaRocque Regina C. , Weil Ana A. , Clements John D. , Holmes Randall K. , Calderwood Stephen B. , Harris Jason B. , Ryan Edward T. , Qadri Firdausi 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTYoung children, older children, and adults develop comparable levels and durations of immunity following cholera. In comparison, young children receiving oral killed cholera vaccines (OCV) develop a lower level and shorter duration of protection than those of older children and adults. The reasons for this are unclear. We investigated OCV-induced memory T cell responses in younger and older children and compared responses to those in children with cholera. We found that patients with cholera developed significant levels of toxin-specific effector memory T cells (TEM) with follicular helper and gut-homing characteristics. Older children (6 to 14 years of age) receiving two doses of OCV containing recombinant cholera toxin B subunit (rCTB) had more modest TEMresponses with follicular helper and gut-homing characteristics, but younger vaccinees (24 to 71 months of age) did not develop TEMresponses. The TEMresponse correlated positively with subsequent IgG memory B cell responses specific to rCTB in older vaccinees. Cytokine analyses indicated that cholera patients developed significant Th1, Th17, and Th2 responses, while older children receiving vaccine developed more modest increases in Th1 and Th17 cells. Younger vaccinees had no increase in Th1 cells, a decrease in Th17 cells, and an increase in regulatory T (Treg) cells. Our findings suggest that T cell memory responses are markedly diminished in children receiving OCV, especially young children, compared to responses following naturally acquired cholera, and that these differences affect subsequent development of memory B cell responses. These findings may explain the lower efficacy and shorter duration of protection afforded by OCV in young children.
Nucleoside Analogue Mutagenesis of a Single-Stranded DNA Virus: Evolution and Resistance
Authors: Domingo-Calap Pilar , Pereira-Gómez Marianoel , Sanjuán Rafael 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACT
It has been well established that chemical mutagenesis has adverse fitness effects in RNA viruses, often leading to population extinction. This is mainly a consequence of the high RNA virus spontaneous mutation rates, which situate them close to the extinction threshold. Single-stranded DNA viruses are the fastest-mutating DNA-based systems, with per-nucleotide mutation rates close to those of some RNA viruses, but chemical mutagenesis has been much less studied in this type of viruses. Here, we serially passaged bacteriophage ϕX174 in the presence of the nucleoside analogue 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). We found that 5-FU was unable to trigger population extinction for the range of concentrations tested, but it negatively affected viral adaptability. The phage evolved partial drug resistance, and parallel nucleotide substitutions appearing in independently evolved lines were identified as candidate resistance mutations. Using site-directed mutagenesis, two single-nucleotide substitutions in the lysis protein E (T572C and A781G) were shown to be selectively advantageous in the presence of 5-FU. In RNA viruses, base analogue resistance is often mediated by changes in the viral polymerase, but this mechanism is not possible for ϕX174 and other single-stranded DNA viruses because they do not encode their own polymerase. In addition to increasing mutation rates, 5-FU produces a wide variety of cytotoxic effects at the levels of replication, transcription, and translation. We found that substitutions T572C and A781G lost their ability to confer 5-FU resistance after cells were supplemented with deoxythymidine, suggesting that their mechanism of action is at the DNA level. We hypothesize that regulation of lysis time may allow the virus to optimize progeny size in cells showing defects in DNA synthesis.
Pathogenic Consequences of Vaginal Infection with CCR5-Tropic Simian-Human Immunodeficiency Virus SHIV
SF162P3N
Authors: Shakirzyanova Madina , Tsai Lily , Ren Wuze , Gettie Agegneu , Blanchard James , Cheng-Mayer Cecilia 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACT

We previously reported efficient transmission of the pathogenic R5 simian-human immunodeficiency virus SHIV
SF162P3N
isolate in Indian rhesus macaques by intravenous and intrarectal inoculations, with a switch to CXCR4 coreceptor usage in ∼50% of infected animals that progressed rapidly to disease. Since women continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV, we developed an animal model based on the intravaginal challenge of female rhesus monkeys with SHIV
SF162P3N
and sought to validate the utility of this model to study relevant aspects of HIV transmission and pathogenesis. The effect of viral dose on infection outcome was evaluated to determine the optimal conditions for the evaluation of HIV-1 preventive and therapeutic strategies. We found that the virus can successfully cross the vaginal mucosal surface to establish infection and induce disease with coreceptor switch, but with lower efficiencies compared to intravenous and rectal transmissions. In contrast to intrarectal infection, peak and cumulative viral load over a 1 year-infection period were significantly greater in macaques exposed intravaginally to lower rather than higher inoculum doses. Moreover, low and transient viremia was observed only in macaques that were challenged intravaginally twice within the same day with a high dose of virus, which can be seen as doubling the dose. Taken together, these results show that SHIV
SF162P3N
can successfully transmit across the genital mucosa, undergo coreceptor switch, and induce disease. However, the administered dose appears to impact SHIV
SF162P3N
vaginal infection outcome in an unexpected manner.