bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rapid evolution of body fluid regulation following independent invasions into freshwater habitats
Authors: LEE CAROL EUNMI , POSAVI MARIJAN , CHARMANTIER GUY 
Published: February 2012

AbstractColonizations from marine to freshwater environments constitute among the most dramatic evolutionary transitions in the history of life. Colonizing dilute environments poses great challenges for acquiring essential ions against steep concentration gradients. This study explored the evolution of body fluid regulation following freshwater invasions by the copepod Eurytemora affinis. The goals of this study were to determine (1) whether invasions from saline to freshwater habitats were accompanied by evolutionary shifts in body fluid regulation (hemolymph osmolality) and (2) whether parallel shifts occurred during independent invasions. We measured hemolymph osmolality for ancestral saline and freshwater invading populations reared across a range of common‐garden salinities (0.2–25 PSU). Our results revealed the evolution of increased hemolymph osmolality (by 16–31%) at lower salinities in freshwater populations of E. affinis relative to their saline ancestors. Moreover, we observed the same evolutionary shifts across two independent freshwater invasions. Such increases in hemolymph osmolality are consistent with evidence of increased ion uptake in freshwater populations at low salinity, found in a previous study, and are likely to entail increased energetic costs upon invading freshwater habitats. Our findings are consistent with the evolution of increased physiological regulation accompanying transitions into stressful environments.
Shoot Proliferation and Leaf Malformation of Celosia argentea and Celosia spicata Caused by a Phytoplasma of the 16SrIII‐J Group
Authors: Eckstein Bárbara , Gonçalves Da Silva Eliane , Paulo Bedendo Ivan 
Published: February 2012

AbstractOrnamental plants of Celosia argentea L. and Celosia spicata L. displaying typical phytoplasma‐induced symptoms were observed in Piracicaba, State of São Paulo, south‐eastern Brazil. Our aim was to identify the possible phytoplasma involved. PCR revealed the association of phytoplasma with diseased plants of both species. Based on actual and virtual RFLP analysis and phylogenetic analysis, the phytoplasma was characterized as a member of the 16SrIII‐J subgroup. Transmission of the pathogen by dodder supported the evidence that the symptoms observed in naturally diseased plants were induced by a phytoplasma. Our results show that C. spicata is a new host for phytoplasma and that this is the first report of a 16SrXIII‐J phytoplasma infecting plants of C. argentea and C. spicata in Brazil.
New look at antiplatelet agent‐related peptic ulcer: An update of prevention and treatment
Authors: Hsu Ping‐I 
Published: January 2012

AbstractPatients taking antiplatelet agents for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases who develop gastrointestinal bleeding represent a serious challenge in clinical practice. The initial step in reducing gastrointestinal risk of antiplatelet therapy is to assess whether the patient has a continued need for antiplatelet therapy. The next step is to eliminate the risk factors that may place the patient at increased gastrointestinal risk. In the management of bleeding ulcer patients with high‐risk stigmata of recent hemorrhage, resuming antiplatelet agents at 3–5 days after the last dosing is a reasonable strategy. However, patients with low‐risk stigmata can keep taking antiplatelet agents immediately following endoscopy. In the management of aspirin‐related uncomplicated peptic ulcers in patients requiring antiplatelet therapies, continuing aspirin plus a powerful proton pump inhibitor is the choice of treatment. Patients who require antiplatelet agents for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases should be tested and treated for Helicobacter pylori infection before starting antiplatelet therapy. Additionally, those with high risks for upper gastrointestinal bleeding should receive co‐therapy with a gastroprotective drug, preferably a proton pump inhibitor at standard dose. H2‐receptor antagonist can significantly reduce upper gastrointestinal bleeding risk in patients taking low‐dose aspirin but it is ineffective in the prevention of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in clopidogrel users. Although several retrospective studies reported that patients prescribed clopidogrel who also took proton pump inhibitors had significant increases in cardiovascular events, the current evidence from a prospective randomized trial does not justify a conclusion that proton pump inhibitors are associated with cardiovascular events among clopidgrel users.
Increased 25‐hydroxycholesterol concentrations in the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: SUGIURA HISATOSHI , KOARAI AKIRA , ICHIKAWA TOMOHIRO , MINAKATA YOSHIAKI , MATSUNAGA KAZUTO , HIRANO TSUNAHIKO , AKAMATSU KEIICHIRO , YANAGISAWA SATORU , FURUSAWA MAKOTO , UNO YUMIKO , YAMASAKI MASASHI , SATOMI YOSHINORI , ICHINOSE MASAKAZU 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACTBackground and objective:  25‐Hydroxycholesterol (25‐HC) is produced from cholesterol by the enzyme cholesterol 25‐hydroxylase and is associated with atherosclerosis of vessels. Recently, 25‐HC was reported to cause inflammation in various types of tissues. The aim of this study was to assess the production of 25‐HC in the airways and to elucidate the role of 25‐HC in neutrophil infiltration in the airways of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods:  Eleven control never‐smokers, six control ex‐smokers without COPD and 13 COPD patients participated in the lung tissue study. The expression of cholesterol 25‐hydroxylase in the lung was investigated. Twelve control subjects and 17 patients with COPD also participated in the sputum study. The concentrations of 25‐HC in sputum were quantified by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry analysis. To elucidate the role of 25‐HC in neutrophilic inflammation of the airways, the correlation between 25‐HC levels and neutrophil counts in sputum was investigated.Results:  The expression of cholesterol 25‐hydroxylase was significantly enhanced in lung tissue from COPD patients compared with that from control subjects. Cholesterol 25‐hydroxylase was localized in alveolar macrophages and pneumocytes of COPD patients. The concentration of 25‐HC in sputum was significantly increased in COPD patients and was inversely correlated with percent of predicted forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 s and diffusing capacity of carbon monoxide. The concentrations of 25‐HC in sputum were significantly correlated with sputum interleukin‐8 levels and neutrophil counts.Conclusions:  25‐HC production was enhanced in the airways of COPD patients and may play a role in neutrophilic inflammation.
Publishing: art or science? Reflections from an editorial perspective
Authors: Clarkson Peter M. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThis essay conveys insights into the ‘journal process’ gained through my experiences serving in an editorial capacity. Here, three basic messages emerge. First, if a study is to be successful, it must address an interesting and important topic and then investigate it in a rigorous, scientific and robust manner. Second, the study must be communicated in a sufficiently transparent and accessible fashion so that the gatekeepers can critically evaluate the work, and ultimately so that it influences the readers of the journal. Finally, authors are strongly advised to subject their work to external scrutiny before submitting it for peer review, by exposing it to colleagues and/or by presenting it in public forum such as conferences or workshop seminars.
Transcriptional programs regulating seed dormancy and its release by after‐ripening in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
Authors: Gao Feng , Jordan Mark C. , Ayele Belay T. 
Published: February 2012

SummarySeed dormancy is an important agronomic trait in wheat (Trticum aestivum). Seeds can be released from a physiologically dormant state by after‐ripening. To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of after‐ripening in conferring developmental switches from dormancy to germination in wheat seeds, we performed comparative transcriptomic analyses between dormant (D) and after‐ripened (AR) seeds in both dry and imbibed states. Transcriptional activation of genes represented by a core of 22 and 435 probesets was evident in the dry and imbibed states of D seeds, respectively. Furthermore, two‐way ANOVA analysis identified 36 probesets as specifically regulated by dormancy. These data suggest that biological functions associated with these genes are involved in the maintenance of seed dormancy. Expression of genes encoding protein synthesis/activity inhibitors was significantly repressed during after‐ripening, leading to dormancy decay. Imbibing AR seeds led to transcriptional activation of distinct biological processes, including those related to DNA replication, nitrogen metabolism, cytoplasmic membrane‐bound vesicle, jasmonate biosynthesis and cell wall modification. These after‐ripening‐mediated transcriptional programs appear to be regulated by epigenetic mechanisms. Clustering of our microarray data produced 16 gene clusters; dormancy‐specific probesets and abscisic acid (ABA)‐responsive elements were significantly overrepresented in two clusters, indicating the linkage of dormancy in wheat with that of seed sensitivity to ABA. The role of ABA signalling in regulating wheat seed dormancy was further supported by the down‐regulation of ABA response‐related probesets in AR seeds and absence of differential expression of ABA metabolic genes between D and AR seeds.
Shrinking Cities: Urban Challenges of Globalization
Authors: MARTINEZ‐FERNANDEZ CRISTINA , AUDIRAC IVONNE , FOL SYLVIE , CUNNINGHAM‐SABOT EMMANUÈLE 
Published: February 2012

AbstractUrban shrinkage is not a new phenomenon. It has been documented in a large literature analyzing the social and economic issues that have led to population flight, resulting, in the worse cases, in the eventual abandonment of blocks of housing and neighbourhoods. Analysis of urban shrinkage should take into account the new realization that this phenomenon is now global and multidimensional — but also little understood in all its manifestations. Thus, as the world's population increasingly becomes urban, orthodox views of urban decline need redefinition. The symposium includes articles from 10 urban analysts working on 30 cities around the globe. These analysts belong to the Shrinking Cities International Research Network (SCIRN), whose collaborative work aims to understand different types of city shrinkage and the role that different approaches, policies and strategies have played in the regeneration of these cities. In this way the symposium will inform both a rich diversity of analytical perspectives and country‐based studies of the challenges faced by shrinking cities. It will also disseminate SCIRN's research results from the last 3 years.RésuméLa décroissance urbaine n'est pas un phénomène nouveau. De nombreux travaux ont analysé les problèmes sociaux et économiques conduisant au départ de populations et résultant dans les pires des cas à l'abandon d'îlots d'habitat et de quartiers entiers. Cependant, l'étude de la décroissance urbaine doit aujourd'hui tenir compte du constat récent selon lequel ce phénomène est désormais global et multidimensionnel, tout en restant peu appréhendé dans toutes ses composantes. Ainsi, alors que la population mondiale est de plus en plus urbaine, les conceptions classiques du déclin urbain méritent d'être réexaminées. Ce symposium inclut des articles de dix chercheurs travaillant sur trente villes à travers le monde. Ils appartiennent au Shrinking Cities International Research Netwok (SCIRN), dont le travail collectif a pour objectif d'analyser différents types de décroissance urbaine et le rôle que les multiples approches, politiques et stratégies ont joué dans la régénération des villes touchées par ce processus. Ce numéro s'appuie sur une diversité d'approches et sur l'étude de contextes urbains variés, ayant pour point commun d'être concernés par les enjeux de la décroissance urbaine. Il permet de diffuser les résultats des recherches menées au sein du SCIRN au cours des trois dernières années.
Declining Suburbs in Europe and Latin America
Authors: AUDIRAC IVONNE , CUNNINGHAM‐SABOT EMMANUÈLE , FOL SYLVIE , MORAES SERGIO TORRES 
Published: February 2012

AbstractSuburban shrinkage, understood as a degenerative urban process stemming from the demise of the Fordist mode of urbanism, is generally manifested in a decline in population, industry and employment. It is also intimately linked to the global restructuring of industrial organization associated with the rise of the post‐Fordist mode of urbanism and, more recently, the thrust of Asian industrialization. Framed in the discourse of industrial urbanism, this article examines the first ring of industrial suburbs that developed around large cities in their most rapid Fordist urbanization phase. These industrial suburbs, although they were formed at different times, are today experiencing specific mutations and undergoing profound restructuring on account of their particular spatial position between the central area and the expanding peripheries of the post‐Fordist metropolis. This article describes and compares suburban decline in two European cities (Glasgow and Paris) and two Latin American Cities (São Paulo, Brazil and Guadalajara, Mexico), as different instances of places asymmetrically and fragmentarily integrated into the geography of globalization.RésuméLa décroissance suburbaine, analysée comme un processus découlant de la disparition du mode fordiste de développement urbain, se manifeste généralement par une baisse de la population, de l’activitééconomique et de l’emploi. Elle est aussi intimement liée à la restructuration globale de l’organisation industrielle associée à la montée du mode post‐fordiste de développement urbain et, plus récemment, à la poussée de l’industrialisation en Asie. Fondé sur les approches de l’urbanisme industriel, cet article examine la première couronne de banlieues industrielles qui s’est développée autour des grandes villes dans la phase la plus rapide de l’urbanisation fordiste. Ces banlieues industrielles, bien que formées à différentes périodes, connaissent aujourd’hui des mutations spécifiques et des restructurations profondes liées à leur position particulière: entre les villes centres et les périphéries en expansion de la métropole post‐fordiste. Cet article décrit et compare la décroissance des banlieues dans deux villes européennes (Glasgow et Paris) et deux villes latino‐américaines (São Paulo au Brésil et Guadalajara au Mexique), comme différents exemples de territoires intégrés de manière asymétrique et fragmentée dans la géographie de la globalisation.
Micro‐Level Determinants of Remittances from Recent Migrants to Canada
Authors: Unheim Per , Rowlands Dane 
Published: February 2012

AbstractDespite considerable interest in remittances to developing countries, the limited availability of large sample data has constrained aspects of our understanding of remitter behaviour. This paper utilizes data from Statistics Canada’s Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) to investigate how the demographic characteristics of recent immigrants influence their remittance levels shortly after their arrival in Canada. We identify several hypotheses and use a Tobit model to estimate the impact of individual characteristics on remittance choices. As expected, remittances rise with incomes, age and falls with the size of the migrating family, housing costs and education. We also estimate how remittances are affected by other characteristics, such as gender, marital status, religion, region of origin, region of settlement and attitudes towards home and host communities.
Gender‐based differences in the shape of the human corpus callosum are associated with allometric variations
Authors: Bruner Emiliano , de la Cuétara José Manuel , Colom Roberto , Martin‐Loeches Manuel 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThe corpus callosum displays considerable morphological variability between individuals. Although some characteristics are thought to differ between male and female brains, there is no agreement regarding the source of this variation. Biomedical imaging and geometric morphometrics have provided tools to investigate shape and size variation in terms of integration and correlation. Here we analyze variations at the midsagittal outline of the corpus callosum in a sample of 102 young adults in order to describe and quantify the pattern of covariation associated with its morphology. Our results suggest that the shape of the corpus callosum is characterized by low levels of morphological integration, which explains the large variability. In larger brains, a minor allometric component involves a relative reduction of the splenium. Small differences between males and?females are associated with this allometric pattern, induced primarily by size variation rather than gender‐specific characteristics.
Age‐dependent skewing of X chromosome inactivation appears delayed in centenarians’ offspring. Is there a role for allelic imbalance in Healthy Aging and Longevity?
Authors: Gentilini Davide , Castaldi Davide , Mari Daniela , Monti Daniela , Franceschi Claudio , Di Blasio Anna Maria , Vitale Giovanni 
Published: February 2012

SummaryRecently, it has been proposed that age‐related X chromosome inactivation (XCI) skewing can clinically result in late‐onset X‐linked disorders. This observation leads to hypothesize that age‐related skewed XCI might also influence lifespan in women. To investigate this issue, we employed a new experimental model of longevity and healthy aging including 55 female centenarians, 40 of their offspring, 33 age‐matched offspring of both non‐long‐lived parents and 41 young women. Peripheral blood DNA from 169 females was screened for heterozygosity at the HUMARA locus. We confirmed that skewing of XCI is an age‐dependent phenomenon. However, skewed XCI was significantly less severe and frequent in centenarians’ offspring [degree of skewing (DS) = 0.16 ± 0.02] compared to age‐matched offspring of both non‐long‐lived parents (DS = 0.24 ± 0.02) (P < 0.05). A second goal was to assess whether changes in XCI pattern could be a consequence of loss of methylation on X chromosome. Using a methylation array evaluating 1085 CpG sites across X chromosome and eleven CpG sites located at HUMARA locus, no differences in methylation levels and profiles emerged between all groups analysed, thus suggesting that age‐associated epigenetic changes could not influence HUMARA results. In conclusion, the results presented herein highlight for the first time an interesting link between skewing of XCI and healthy aging and longevity. We speculate that the allelic imbalance produced by XCI skewing may compromise the cooperative and compensatory organization occurring between the two cell populations that make up the female mosaic.
Values, trust and democracy in Germany: Still in search of ‘inner unity’?
Authors: CAMPBELL ROSS 
Published: February 2012

AbstractTwenty years after German reunification, surveys have persistently uncovered differences in political trust between the eastern and western parts of the country. Studies have offered disintegrated and inconclusive assessments of the cross‐regional variation. This variation is traced to a tenacious, retrospective sympathy for socialism steeped in political socialisation and experiential learning. Empirical analyses confirm the presence of two key effects. First, retrospective evaluations of socialism not only fuel popular distrust of political institutions, but are more strongly correlated with trust in the east. Second, East–West evaluations of socialism are sufficiently different to contribute towards explaining the contrasting levels of trust between the two regions. That socialist values constitute a core axis upon which East German attitudes pivot presents a challenge for nurturing trust in democratic institutions and renews attention to processes through which supportive attitudes to democracy are acquired in transitional countries.
Gut Region‐Specific Diabetic Damage to the Capillary Endothelium Adjacent to the Myenteric Plexus
Authors: BÓDI NIKOLETT , TALAPKA PETRA , POLES MARIETTA ZITA , HERMESZ EDIT , JANCSÓ ZSANETT , KATAROVA ZÓJA , IZBÉKI FERENC , WITTMANN TIBOR , FEKETE ÉVA , BAGYÁNSZKI MÁRIA 
Published: February 2012

Please cite this paper as: Bódi N, Talapka P, Poles MZ, Hermesz E, Jancsó Z, Katarova Z, Izbéki F, Wittmann T, Fekete É, Bagyánszki M. Gut region‐specific diabetic damage to the capillary endothelium adjacent to the myenteric plexus. Microcirculation 19: 316–326, 2012.AbstractObjective:  Damage in the capillaries supplying the MP has been proposed as a critical factor in the development of diabetic enteric neuropathy. We therefore investigated connections between STZ‐induced diabetes and the BM morphology, the size of caveolar compartments, the width of TJs, the transport of albumin, and the quantitative features of Cav‐1 and eNOS expression in these microvessels.Methods:  Gut segments from diabetic rats were compared with those from insulin‐treated diabetics and those from controls. The effects of diabetes on the BM, the caveolar compartments, and the TJs were evaluated morphometrically. The quantitative features of the albumin transport were investigated by postembedding immunohistochemistry. The diabetes‐related changes in Cav‐1 and eNOS expression were assessed by postembedding immunohistochemistry and molecular method.Results:  Thickening of the BM, enlargement of the caveolar compartments, opening of the junctions, enhanced transport of albumin, and overexpression of Cav‐1 and eNOS were documented in diabetic animals. Insulin replacement in certain gut segments prevented the development of these alterations.Conclusions:  These data provide morphological, functional, and molecular evidence that the endothelial cells in capillaries adjacent to the MP is a target of diabetic damage in a regional manner.
Characteristics and outcome of brachial plexus birth palsy in neonates
Authors: Lindqvist Pelle G , Erichs Kristina , Molnar Cecilia , Gudmundsson Saemundur , Dahlin Lars B 
Published: February 2012

AbstractAim:  To relate pregnancy characteristics to extent and reversibility of brachial plexus birth palsy (BPBP) in neonates.Methods:  Retrospective case–control study: newborns with a registered diagnosis of BPBP (n = 168) 1990–2005 were compared to data from a randomly selected control group (n = 1000). Characteristics were related to the level of injury, reversibility and outcome.Results:  Among 51 841 newborns, 168 cases with BPBP were found (incidence 3.2/1000 newborns/year). Extent and reversibility of lesion did not differ with respect to characteristics of mothers, foetuses or deliveries. Children with C5–C6 and C5–C6–C7 injuries had complete recovery in 86% and 38%, respectively. Global injuries (C5‐Th1) always had permanent disability. Accelerators (foetal weight gain >35 g/day after 32 weeks of gestation) and foetuses with estimated weight deviation ≥ +22% at 32 weeks were at seven‐ and ninefold increased risk of BPBP. Parous women were at doubled risk as compared to nulliparous women.Conclusion:  Maternal and foetal characteristics influence risk of BPBP, but not the extent of injury or reversibility of injury. Because of the high risk of permanent disability and modest risk of low Apgar or pH among newborns with BPBP, the recommendation of prompt delivery may need to be re‐evaluated.