bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Chinese version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ (PedsQL™) Family Impact Module: cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation
Authors: Chen Ruoqing , Hao Yuantao , Feng Lifen , Zhang Yingfen , Huang Zhuoyan 
Published: March 2011

Abstract

Background
A pediatric chronic health condition not only influences a child's life, but also has impacts on parent health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and family functioning. To provide care and social support to these families, a psychometrically well-developed instrument for measuring these impacts is of great importance. The present study is aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the PedsQL™ Family Impact Module.

Methods
The cross-cultural adaptation of the PedsQL™ Family Impact Module was performed following the PedsQL™ Measurement Model Translation Methodology. The Chinese version of the PedsQL™ Family Impact Module was administered to 136 parents of children with asthma and 264 parents of children with heart disease from four Triple A hospitals. The psychometric properties such as feasibility, internal consistency reliability, item-subscale correlations and construct validity were evaluated.

Results
The percentage of missing item responses was less than 0.1% for both asthma and heart disease sample groups. The Chinese version of the PedsQL™ Family Impact Module showed ceiling effects but had acceptable reliability (Cronbach's Alpha Coefficients were higher than 0.7 in all the subscales except "Daily Activities" in the asthma sample group). There were higher correlation coefficients between items and their hypothesized subscales than those with other subscales. The asthma sample group reported higher parent HRQOL and family functioning than the heart disease sample group. In the heart disease sample group, parents of outpatients reported higher parent HRQOL and family functioning than parents of inpatients. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the instrument had marginally acceptable construct validity with some Goodness-of-Fit indices not reaching the standard indicating acceptable model fit.

Conclusions
The Chinese version of the PedsQL™ Family Impact Module has adequate psychometric properties and could be used to assess the impacts of pediatric asthma or pediatric heart disease on parent HRQOL and family functioning in China. This instrument should be field tested on parents of children with other chronic medical conditions in other areas. Construct validity tested by confirmatory factor analysis and test-retest reliability should be further assessed.
Electron cotunneling through doubly occupied quantum dots: effect of spin configuration
Authors: Lan Jian , Sheng Weidong 
Published: March 2011

AbstractA microscopic theory is presented for electron cotunneling through doubly occupied quantum dots in the Coulomb blockade regime. Beyond the semiclassic framework of phenomenological models, a fully quantum mechanical solution for cotunneling of electrons through a one-dimensional quantum dot is obtained using a quantum transmitting boundary method without any fitting parameters. It is revealed that the cotunneling conductance exhibits strong dependence on the spin configuration of the electrons confined inside the dot. Especially for the triplet configuration, the conductance shows an obvious deviation from the well-known quadratic dependence on the applied bias voltage. Furthermore, it is found that the cotunneling conductance reveals more sensitive dependence on the barrier width than the height.
Phenotypic and genotypic variations within a single bacteriophage species
Authors: Ceyssens Pieter-Jan , Glonti Thea , Kropinski ndrew M , Lavigne Rob , Chanishvili Nina , Kulakov Leonid , Lashkhi Nino , Tediashvili Marina , Merabishvili Maya 
Published: March 2011

Abstract

Background
Although horizontal gene transfer plays a pivotal role in bacteriophage evolution, many lytic phage genomes are clearly shaped by vertical evolution. We investigated the influence of minor genomic deletions and insertions on various phage-related phenotypic and serological properties.

Findings
We collected ten different isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteriophage ϕKMV. All sequenced genomes (42-43 kb, long direct terminal repeats) are nearly identical, which intuitively implied strongly similar infections cycles. However, their latent periods vary between 21 and 28 minutes and they are able to lyse between 5 and 58% of a collection of 107 clinical P. aeruginosa strains. We also noted that phages with identical tail structures displayed profound differences in host spectra. Moreover, point mutations in tail and spike proteins were sufficient to evade neutralization by two phage-specific antisera, isolated from rabbits.

Conclusion
Although all analyzed phages are 83-97% identical at the genome level, they display a surprisingly large variation in various phenotypic properties. The small overlap in host spectrum and their ability to readily escape immune defences against a nearly identical phage are promising elements for the application of these phages in phage therapy.
The Temporal-Spatial Encoding of Acupuncture Effects in the Brain
Authors: Qin Wei , Bai Lijun , Dai Jianping , Liu Peng , Dong Minghao , Liu Jixin , Sun Jinbo , Yuan Kai , Chen Peng , Zhao Baixiao , Gong Qiyong , Tian Jie , Liu Yijun 
Published: March 2011

Background: Functional acupoint specificity is crucial to the clinical efficacy of acupuncture treatment, such as pain relief. Whether acupuncture needling at a peripheral acupoint produces distinct patterns of brain responses remains controversial. Results: This fMRI study employed the complex network analysis (CNA) to test the hypothesis that acupuncture stimulation at an acupoint correspondingly induced activity changes in one or more intrinsic or resting-state brain networks. Built upon the sustained effect of acupuncture and its time-varying characteristics, we constructed a dynamic encoding system with the hub anchored at the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus (PCC/pC). We found that needling at two visual acupoints (GB37 and BL60) and a non-visual acupoint (KI8) induced a spatially converging brain response, which overlapped at the PCC/pC. We also found distinct neural modulations during and after acupoint stimulation. During this period, the PCC/pC interacted with a visual resting-state network in different patterns. Furthermore, there was a delayed functional correspondence between the intrinsic visual network and manipulation over the visual acupoints (i.e., GB37 or BL60), but not the non-visual acupoint (KI8) via the PCC/pC, implicating a specific temporal-spatial encoding/decoding mechanism underlying the post-effect of acupuncture. Conclusions: This study provided an integrated view exploring the functional specificity of acupuncture in which both the needling sensation and the following neural cascades may contribute to the overall effect of acupuncture through dynamic reconfiguration of complex neural networks.
Efficient algorithms for the discovery of gapped factors
Authors: Apostolico Alberto , Pizzi Cinzia , Ukkonen Esko 
Published: March 2011

AbstractBackgroundThe discovery of surprisingly frequent patterns is of paramount interest in bioinformatics and computational biology. Among the patterns considered, those consisting of pairs of solid words that co-occur within a prescribed maximum distance -orgapped factors- emerge in a variety of contexts of DNA and protein sequence analysis. A few algorithms and tools have been developed in connection with specific formulations of the problem, however, none can handle comprehensively each of the multiple ways in which the distance between the two terms in a pair may be defined.ResultsThis paper presents efficient algorithms and tools for the extraction of all pairs of words up to an arbitrarily large length that co-occur surprisingly often in close proximity within a sequence. Whereas the number of such pairs in a sequence ofncharacters can be Θ(n4), it is shown that an exhaustive discovery process can be carried out inO(n2) orO(n3), depending on the way distance is measured. This is made possible by a prudent combination of properties of pattern maximality and monotonicity of scores, which lead to reduce the number of word pairs to be weighed explicitly, while still producing also the scores attained by any of the pairs not explicitly considered. We applied our approach to the discovery of spaced dyads in DNA sequences.ConclusionsExperiments on biological datasets prove that the method is effective and much faster than exhaustive enumeration of candidate patterns. Software is available freely by academic users via the web interface athttp://bcb.dei.unipd.it:8080/dyweb.
Multiplex genotyping system for efficient inference of matrilineal genetic ancestry with continental resolution
Authors: van Oven Mannis , Vermeulen Mark , Kayser Manfred 
Published: March 2011

Abstract

Background
In recent years, phylogeographic studies have produced detailed knowledge on the worldwide distribution of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variants, linking specific clades of the mtDNA phylogeny with certain geographic areas. However, a multiplex genotyping system for the detection of the mtDNA haplogroups of major continental distribution that would be desirable for efficient DNA-based bio-geographic ancestry testing in various applications is still missing.

Results
Three multiplex genotyping assays, based on single-base primer extension technology, were developed targeting a total of 36 coding-region mtDNA variants that together differentiate 43 matrilineal haplo-/paragroups. These include the major diagnostic haplogroups for Africa, Western Eurasia, Eastern Eurasia and Native America. The assays show high sensitivity with respect to the amount of template DNA: successful amplification could still be obtained when using as little as 4 pg of genomic DNA and the technology is suitable for medium-throughput analyses.

Conclusions
We introduce an efficient and sensitive multiplex genotyping system for bio-geographic ancestry inference from mtDNA that provides resolution on the continental level. The method can be applied in forensics, to aid tracing unknown suspects, as well as in population studies, genealogy and personal ancestry testing. For more complete inferences of overall bio-geographic ancestry from DNA, the mtDNA system provided here can be combined with multiplex systems for suitable autosomal and, in the case of males, Y-chromosomal ancestry-sensitive DNA markers.
Metabolome in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders: a general population-based study
Authors: Orešič Matej , Tang Jing , Seppänen-Laakso Tuulikki , Mattila Ismo , Saarni Suoma E , Saarni Samuli I , Lönnqvist Jouko , Sysi-Aho Marko , Hyötyläinen Tuulia , Perälä Jonna , Suvisaari Jaana 
Published: March 2011

Abstract
Background
Persons with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders have a high prevalence of obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, and lipid abnormalities, particularly hypertriglyceridemia and low high-density lipoprotein. More detailed molecular information on the metabolic abnormalities may reveal clues about the pathophysiology of these changes, as well as about disease specificity.

Methods
We applied comprehensive metabolomics in serum samples from a general population-based study in Finland. The study included all persons with DSM-IV primary psychotic disorder (schizophrenia, n = 45; other non-affective psychosis (ONAP), n = 57; affective psychosis, n = 37) and controls matched by age, sex, and region of residence. Two analytical platforms for metabolomics were applied to all serum samples: a global lipidomics platform based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, which covers molecular lipids such as phospholipids and neutral lipids; and a platform for small polar metabolites based on two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOFMS).

Results
Compared with their matched controls, persons with schizophrenia had significantly higher metabolite levels in six lipid clusters containing mainly saturated triglycerides, and in two small-molecule clusters containing, among other metabolites, (1) branched chain amino acids, phenylalanine and tyrosine, and (2) proline, glutamic, lactic and pyruvic acids. Among these, serum glutamic acid was elevated in all psychoses (P = 0.0020) compared to controls, while proline upregulation (P = 0.000023) was specific to schizophrenia. After adjusting for medication and metabolic comorbidity in linear mixed models, schizophrenia remained independently associated with higher levels in seven of these eight clusters (P < 0.05 in each cluster). The metabolic abnormalities were less pronounced in persons with ONAP or affective psychosis.

Conclusions
Our findings suggest that specific metabolic abnormalities related to glucoregulatory processes and proline metabolism are specifically associated with schizophrenia and reflect two different disease-related pathways. Metabolomics, which is sensitive to both genetic and environmental variation, may become a powerful tool in psychiatric research to investigate disease susceptibility, clinical course, and treatment response.
Herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-1) replicates in mature dendritic cells but can only be transferred in a cell–cell contact-dependent manner
Authors: Goldwich Andreas , Prechtel Alexander T , Mühl-Zürbes Petra , Pangratz Nadine M , Stössel Hella , Romani Nikolaus , Steinkasserer Alexander , Kummer Mirko 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACTHSV-1 is a very successful representative of the α-herpesvirus family, and ∼90% of the population is seropositive for this particular virus. Although the pathogen usually causes the well-known mild lesions on the lips, also, severe infections of the eye or the brain can be observed in rare cases. It is well known, that this virus can efficiently infect the most potent APCs, i.e., the DCs, in their immature and mature state. Although the infection of the iDC has been shown to be productive, infection of mMDDCs is believed to be abortive in the early phase of the viral replication cycle. In line with these findings, no virus particles can be detected in the supernatant of HSV-1-infected mMDDC. In this study, however, we show for the first time that this pathogen completes its replication cycle in mMDDCs. We detected the presence of viral gene transcripts of all three phases of the replication cycle, as well as of late viral proteins, and even the generation of small amounts of progeny virus. Although we could confirm the findings that these particles are not released into the supernatant, surprisingly, the newly generated viral particles can be passed on to Vero cells, as well as to primary keratinocytes in a cell–cell contact-dependent manner. Finally, we provide evidence that the viral gE is involved in the transfer of infectious virus from mMDDCs to other permissive cells.
Do jellyfish have central nervous systems?
Authors: Satterlie Richard A. 
Published: March 2011

SummaryThe traditional view of the cnidarian nervous system is of a diffuse nerve net that functions as both a conducting and an integrating system; this is considered an indicator of a primitive condition. Yet, in medusoid members, varying degrees of nerve net compression and neuronal condensation into ganglion-like structures represent more centralized integrating centers. In some jellyfish, this relegates nerve nets to motor distribution systems. The neuronal condensation follows a precept of neuronal organization of higher animals with a relatively close association with the development and elaboration of sensory structures. Nerve nets still represent an efficient system for diffuse, non-directional activation of broad, two-dimensional effector sheets, as required by the radial, non-cephalized body construction. However, in most jellyfish, an argument can be made for the presence of centralized nervous systems that interact with the more diffuse nerve nets.
Thermal effects on the dynamics and motor control of ballistic prey capture in toads: maintaining high performance at low temperature
Authors: Deban Stephen M. , Lappin A. Kristopher 
Published: March 2011

SUMMARYTemperature has a strong influence on biological rates, including the contractile rate properties of muscle and thereby the velocity, acceleration and power of muscle-powered movements. We hypothesized that the dynamics of movements powered by elastic recoil have a lower thermal dependence than muscle-powered movements. We examined the prey capture behavior of toads (Bufo terrestris) using high speed imaging and electromyography to compare the effects of body temperature (11–35°C) on the kinematics, dynamics and motor control of two types of movement: (1) ballistic mouth opening and tongue projection, which are powered by elastic recoil, and (2) non-ballistic prey transport, including tongue retraction and mouth closing, which are powered directly by muscle contraction. Over 11–25°C, temperature coefficients of ballistic mouth opening and tongue projection dynamics (Q10 of 0.99–1.25) were not significantly different from 1.00 and were consistently lower than those of prey transport movements (Q10 of 1.77–2.26), supporting our main hypothesis. The depressor mandibulae muscle, which is responsible for ballistic mouth opening and tongue projection via the recovery of elastic strain energy stored by the muscle prior to the onset of the movement, was activated earlier and for a longer duration at lower temperatures (Q10 of 2.29–2.41), consistent with a slowing of its contractile rates. Muscle recruitment was unaffected by temperature, as revealed by the lack of thermal dependence in the intensity of activity of both the jaw depressor and jaw levator muscles (Q10 of 0.754–1.12). Over the 20–35°C range, lower thermal dependence was found for the dynamics of non-elastic movements and the motor control of both elastic and non-elastic movements, in accord with a plateau of high performance found in other systems.
Early development and molecular plasticity in the Mediterranean sea urchinParacentrotus lividusexposed to CO2-driven acidification
Authors: Martin Sophie , Richier Sophie , Pedrotti Maria-Luiza , Dupont Sam , Castejon Charlotte , Gerakis Yannis , Kerros Marie-Emmanuelle , Oberhänsli François , Teyssié Jean-Louis , Jeffree Ross , Gattuso Jean-Pierre 
Published: March 2011

SUMMARYOcean acidification is predicted to have significant effects on benthic calcifying invertebrates, in particular on their early developmental stages. Echinoderm larvae could be particularly vulnerable to decreased pH, with major consequences for adult populations. The objective of this study was to understand how ocean acidification would affect the initial life stages of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, a common species that is widely distributed in the Mediterranean Sea and the NE Atlantic. The effects of decreased pH (elevated PCO2) were investigated through physiological and molecular analyses on both embryonic and larval stages. Eggs and larvae were reared in Mediterranean seawater at six pH levels, i.e. pHT 8.1, 7.9, 7.7, 7.5, 7.25 and 7.0. Fertilization success, survival, growth and calcification rates were monitored over a 3 day period. The expression of genes coding for key proteins involved in development and biomineralization was also monitored. Paracentrotus lividus appears to be extremely resistant to low pH, with no effect on fertilization success or larval survival. Larval growth was slowed when exposed to low pH but with no direct impact on relative larval morphology or calcification down to pHT 7.25. Consequently, at a given time, larvae exposed to low pH were present at a normal but delayed larval stage. More surprisingly, candidate genes involved in development and biomineralization were upregulated by factors of up to 26 at low pH. Our results revealed plasticity at the gene expression level that allows a normal, but delayed, development under low pH conditions.
Growth patterns and nuclear distribution in white muscle fibers from black sea bass, Centropristis striata: evidence for the influence of diffusion
Authors: Priester Carolina , Morton Lindsay C. , Kinsey Stephen T. , Watanabe Wade O. , Dillaman Richard M. 
Published: March 2011

SUMMARY
This study investigated the influence of fiber size on the distribution of nuclei and fiber growth patterns in white muscle of black sea bass, Centropristis striata, ranging in body mass from 0.45 to 4840 g. Nuclei were counted in 1 μm optical sections using confocal microscopy of DAPIand Acridine-Orange-stained muscle fibers. Mean fiber diameter increased from 36±0.87 μm in the 0.45 g fish to 280±5.47 μm in the 1885 g fish. Growth beyond 2000 g triggered the recruitment of smaller fibers, thus significantly reducing mean fiber diameter. Nuclei in the smaller fibers were exclusively subsarcolemmal (SS), whereas in larger fibers nuclei were more numerous and included intermyofibrillar (IM) nuclei. There was a significant effect of body mass on nuclear domain size (F=118.71, d.f.=3, P&lt;0.0001), which increased to a maximum in fish of medium size (282–1885 g) and then decreased in large fish (&gt;2000 g). Although an increase in the number of nuclei during fiber growth can help preserve the myonuclear domain, the appearance of IM nuclei during hypertrophic growth seems to be aimed at maintaining short effective diffusion distances for nuclear substrates and products. If only SS nuclei were present throughout growth, the diffusion distance would increase in proportion to the radius of the fibers. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that changes in nuclear distribution and fiber growth patterns are mechanisms for avoiding diffusion limitation during animal growth.
Oxidative stress is transient and tissue specific during cold acclimation of threespine stickleback
Authors: Kammer Aaron R. , Orczewska Julieanna I. , O'Brien Kristin M. 
Published: March 2011

SUMMARYLinkages between cold acclimation and oxidative stress in fishes are unclear and contradictory results have been published. We sought to determine whether oxidative stress occurs during cold acclimation of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), and, if so, when it occurs and whether it varies among tissues. Fish were warm (20°C) or cold (8°C) acclimated for 9 weeks, and harvested during acclimation. Oxidative stress was assessed in oxidative and glycolytic muscles and liver by measuring levels of protein carbonyls and glutathione, and the activity and transcript levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Protein carbonyl levels increased in liver after 1 week at 8°C and then decreased after week 4, and remained unchanged in glycolytic and oxidative muscle. Glutathione levels increased in liver on day 3 of cold acclimation and may minimize oxidative stress later during acclimation. When measured at a common temperature, the activity of SOD increased in oxidative and glycolytic muscles on day 2 of cold acclimation, and on day 3 in liver, and remained elevated in all tissues compared with warm-acclimated animals. When measured at the acclimation temperature, the activity of SOD was significantly higher only at week 9 in oxidative muscle of cold-acclimated stickleback compared with warm-acclimated fish, and remained constant in glycolytic muscle and liver. Increased SOD activity in oxidative muscle may be required to prevent oxidative stress brought about by increased mitochondrial density. In both muscle and liver, SOD activity increased independently of an increase in transcript level, suggesting post-translational modifications regulate SOD activity.