bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fracture‐ and Indentation‐Induced Structural Changes of Sodium Borosilicate Glasses
Authors: Yoshida Satoshi , Nishikubo Yoshinari , Konno Akiko , Sugawara Toru , Miura Yoshinari , Matsuoka Jun 
Published: February 2012

It is known that indentation using a diamond indenter induces permanent densification to result in plastic or inelastic deformation of glass. However, it is still unclear whether a high tensile stress causes such a structural change or not. In this study, fracture‐ and indentation‐induced structural changes of glasses with the compositions of 20 Na2O − 40x B2O3 – (80−40x) SiO2 (in mol%, x = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5) are investigated. Two‐point bending tests of the glass fibers are performed to apply a high tensile stress to the glasses, and Vickers indentation tests of the glasses are also carried out for comparison. The structural change of the glass is evaluated by using Raman spectroscopy. It is elucidated that a tensile side of the fractured fiber for every composition shows a permanent structural change, which is characterized by a lower wave number shift of Raman peak assigned to the Si‐O‐Si bending vibration mode. It is also found that the behaviors of Raman peaks of the fractured fiber are opposite to those of the indented glass under a high compressive stress.
Implementation Strategies of Measurement Instruments and Their Validity as Adopted in Italian Hospital Nursing Practice: An Italian Cross‐Sectional Study
Authors: Palese Alvisa , Colognese Stefano , Pellicciari Cecilia , Mecugni Daniela ,   in the name of VISPA's group
Published: February 2012

PURPOSE.  The purpose of this study was to describe the implementation strategies of measurement instruments and their validity as adopted in Italian hospital nursing practice.METHOD.  A descriptive, regionally based study was adopted in 2008. Eight public hospitals were included. After collecting the available instruments used by nurses and/or patients in the measurement of patients' problems or perceptions of those problems (actual and/or potential), the researchers conducted two structured interviews per ward: the first with the chief nurse, the second with a clinical nurse. The interviews focused on each measurement instrument collected, on the implementation strategies adopted for the instruments, and on the perceived usefulness and appropriateness of each instrument.FINDINGS.  Overall, 70 wards were included; 18 (25.7%) of the wards did not use any instrument. In the remaining 52 wards, 156 instruments were collected (from 1 to 10 per ward) evaluating 55 different actual or potential patient problems. Of the instruments adopted, 70.9% were not formally validated. Hospital administration primarily determined which instruments were to be used (67, 42.9%), and introduction to staff was mainly supported by continuing education courses (92, 59%). The level of appropriateness and usefulness of the instruments, as perceived by the clinical nurses and chief nurses, was high (>8 on a scale of 0–10, where 0 = not at all appropriate/useful and 10 = very appropriate/useful).CONCLUSION.  Despite the increasing demands for reliable nursing data as a basis for measuring nursing effects on nursing outcomes and safety, a number of wards used no measurement instruments at all; within wards that used measurement tools, many instruments had not been validated.IMPLICATIONS.  The introduction of nonvalidated instruments in Italian hospitals needs to be restricted because of the short‐ and long‐term negative effects these nonvalidated instruments may have. A national consensus on approved and validated instruments for nursing assessment should be made available in the wards as a priority.
Using Nucleic Acid Microarrays To Perform Molecular Epidemiology and Detect Novel β-Lactamases: a Snapshot of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases throughout the World
Authors: Lascols Christine , Hackel Meredith , Hujer Andrea M. , Marshall Steven H. , Bouchillon Sam K. , Hoban Daryl J. , Hawser Stephen P. , Badal Robert E. , Bonomo Robert A. 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACT

The worldwide dissemination of extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL)- and carbapenemase-producing
Enterobacteriaceae
is a major concern in both hospital and community settings. Rapid identification of these resistant pathogens and the genetic determinants they possess is needed to assist in clinical practice and epidemiological studies. A collection of
Escherichia coli
,
Klebsiella pneumoniae
,
Klebsiella oxytoca
, and
Proteus mirabilis
isolates, including phenotypically ESBL-positive (
n
= 1,093) and ESBL-negative isolates (
n
= 59), obtained in 2008–2009 from a longitudinal surveillance study (SMART) was examined using an
in vitro
nucleic acid-based microarray. This approach was used to detect and identify
bla
ESBL
(
bla
SHV
,
bla
TEM
, and
bla
CTX-M
genes of groups 1, 2, 9, and 8/25) and
bla
KPC
genes and was combined with selective PCR amplification and DNA sequencing for complete characterization of the
bla
ESBL
and
bla
KPC
genes. Of the 1,093 phenotypically ESBL-positive isolates, 1,041 were identified as possessing at least one
bla
ESBL
gene (95.2% concordance), and 59 phenotypically ESBL-negative isolates, used as negative controls, were negative. Several ESBL variants of
bla
TEM
(
n
= 5),
bla
SHV
(
n
= 11),
bla
CTX-M
(
n
= 19), and
bla
KPC
(
n
= 3) were detected. A new
bla
SHV
variant,
bla
SHV-129
, and a new
bla
KPC
variant,
bla
KPC-11
, were also identified. The most common
bla
genes found in this study were
bla
CTX-M-15
,
bla
CTX-M-14
, and
bla
SHV-12
. Using nucleic acid microarrays, we obtained a “molecular snapshot” of
bla
ESBL
genes in a current global population; we report that CTX-M-15 is still the dominant ESBL and provide the first report of the new β-lactamase variants
bla
SHV-129
and
bla
KPC-11
.
Nuclear Export and Expression of Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1
tax
/
rex
mRNA Are RxRE/Rex Dependent
Authors: Bai X. T. , Sinha-Datta U. , Ko N. L. , Bellon M. , Nicot C. 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACT

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a complex retrovirus associated with the lymphoproliferative disease adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and the neurodegenerative disorder tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM). Replication of HTLV-1 is under the control of two major
trans
-acting proteins, Tax and Rex. Previous studies suggested that Tax activates transcription from the viral long terminal repeat (LTR) through recruitment of cellular CREB and transcriptional coactivators. Other studies reported that Rex acts posttranscriptionally and allows the cytoplasmic export of unspliced or incompletely spliced viral mRNAs carrying
gag/pol
and
env
only. As opposed to HIV's Rev-responsive element (RRE), the Rex-responsive element (RxRE) is present in all viral mRNAs in HTLV-1. However, based on indirect observations, it is believed that nuclear export and expression of the doubly spliced
tax/rex
RNA are Rex independent. In this study, we demonstrate that Rex does stimulate Tax expression, through nuclear-cytoplasmic export of the
tax
/
rex
RNA, even though a Rex-independent basal export mechanism exists. This effect was dependent upon the RxRE element and the RNA-binding activity of Rex. In addition, Rex-mediated export of
tax
/
rex
RNA was CRM1 dependent and inhibited by leptomycin B treatment. RNA immunoprecipitation (RNA-IP) experiments confirmed Rex binding to the
tax
/
rex
RNA in both transfected cells with HTLV-1 molecular clones and HTLV-1-infected T cells. Since both Rex and p30 interact with the
tax/rex
RNA and with one another, this may offer a temporal and dynamic regulation of HTLV-1 replication. Our results shed light on HTLV-1 replication and reveal a more complex regulatory network than previously anticipated.
Nonstructural Proteins 7 and 8 of Feline Coronavirus Form a 2:1 Heterotrimer That Exhibits Primer-Independent RNA Polymerase Activity
Authors: Xiao Yibei , Ma Qingjun , Restle Tobias , Shang Weifeng , Svergun Dmitri I. , Ponnusamy Rajesh , Sczakiel Georg , Hilgenfeld Rolf 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACT

Nonstructural proteins 7 and 8 of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) have previously been shown by X-ray crystallography to form an 8:8 hexadecamer. In addition, it has been demonstrated that N-terminally His
6
-tagged SARS-CoV Nsp8 is a primase able to synthesize RNA oligonucleotides with a length of up to 6 nucleotides. We present here the 2.6-Å crystal structure of the feline coronavirus (FCoV) Nsp7:Nsp8 complex, which is a 2:1 heterotrimer containing two copies of the α-helical Nsp7 with conformational differences between them, and one copy of Nsp8 that consists of an α/β domain and a long-α-helix domain. The same stoichiometry is found for the Nsp7:Nsp8 complex in solution, as demonstrated by chemical cross-linking, size exclusion chromatography, and small-angle X-ray scattering. Furthermore, we show that FCoV Nsp8, like its SARS-CoV counterpart, is able to synthesize short oligoribonucleotides of up to 6 nucleotides in length when carrying an N-terminal His
6
tag. Remarkably, the same protein harboring the sequence GPLG instead of the His
6
tag at its N terminus exhibits a substantially increased, primer-independent RNA polymerase activity. Upon addition of Nsp7, the RNA polymerase activity is further enhanced so that RNA up to template length (67 nucleotides) can be synthesized. Further, we show that the unprocessed intermediate polyprotein Nsp7-10 of human coronavirus (HCoV) 229E is also capable of synthesizing oligoribonucleotides up to a chain length of six. These results indicate that in case of FCoV as well as of HCoV 229E, the formation of a hexadecameric Nsp7:Nsp8 complex is not necessary for RNA polymerase activity. Further, the FCoV Nsp7:Nsp8 complex functions as a noncanonical RNA polymerase capable of synthesizing RNA of up to template length.
The Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Matrix Protein Is Required for Maturation of Viral Filaments
Authors: Mitra Ruchira , Baviskar Pradyumna , Duncan-Decocq Rebecca R. , Patel Darshna , Oomens Antonius G. P. 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACT
An experimental system was developed to generate infectious human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) lacking matrix (M) protein expression (M-null virus) from cDNA. The role of the M protein in virus assembly was then examined by infecting HEp-2 and Vero cells with the M-null virus and assessing the impact on infectious virus production and viral protein trafficking. In the absence of M, the production of infectious progeny was strongly impaired. Immunofluorescence (IF) microscopy analysis using antibodies against the nucleoprotein (N), attachment protein (G), and fusion protein (F) failed to detect the characteristic virus-induced cell surface filaments, which are believed to represent infectious virions. In addition, a large proportion of the N protein was detected in viral replication factories termed inclusion bodies (IBs). High-resolution analysis of the surface of M-null virus-infected cells by field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the presence of large areas with densely packed, uniformly short filaments. Although unusually short, these filaments were otherwise similar to those induced by an M-containing control virus, including the presence of the viral G and F proteins. The abundance of the short, stunted filaments in the absence of M indicates that M is not required for the initial stages of filament formation but plays an important role in the maturation or elongation of these structures. In addition, the absence of mature viral filaments and the simultaneous increase in the level of the N protein within IBs suggest that the M protein is involved in the transport of viral ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes from cytoplasmic IBs to sites of budding.
Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Reduce HIV Production in Elite Controllers
Authors: Machmach K. , Leal M. , Gras C. , Viciana P. , Genebat M. , Franco E. , Boufassa F. , Lambotte O. , Herbeuval J. P. , Ruiz-Mateos E. 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACT

HIV elite controllers (EC) are a rare group of HIV-infected patients who are able to maintain undetectable viral loads during a long period of time in the absence of antiretroviral treatment. Adaptive immunity and host genetic factors, although implicated, do not entirely explain this phenomenon. On the other hand, plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are the principal type I interferon (IFN) producers in response to viral infection, and it is unknown whether pDCs are involved in the control of HIV infection in EC. In our study, we analyzed peripheral pDC levels and IFN-α production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in EC compared to other groups of HIV-infected patients, the ability of pDCs to reduce HIV production
in vitro
, and the mechanisms potentially involved. We showed preserved pDC counts and IFN-α production in EC. We also observed a higher capacity of pDCs from EC to reduce HIV production and to induce T cell apoptosis, whereas pDCs from viremic patients barely responded without previous Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR-9) stimulus. The preserved functionality of pDCs from EC to reduce viral production may be one of the mechanisms involved in the control of HIV viremia in these subjects. These results demonstrate the importance of innate immunity in HIV pathogenesis, and an understanding of pDC mechanisms would be helpful for the design of new therapies.
Live Attenuated Herpes Simplex Virus 2 Glycoprotein E Deletion Mutant as a Vaccine Candidate Defective in Neuronal Spread
Authors: Awasthi Sita , Zumbrun Elizabeth E. , Si Huaxin , Wang Fushan , Shaw Carolyn E. , Cai Michael , Lubinski John M. , Barrett Shana M. , Balliet John W. , Flynn Jessica A. , Casimiro Danilo R. , Bryan Janine T. , Friedman Harvey M. 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACT
A herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) glycoprotein E deletion mutant (gE2-del virus) was evaluated as a replication-competent, attenuated live virus vaccine candidate. The gE2-del virus is defective in epithelial cell-to-axon spread and in anterograde transport from the neuron cell body to the axon terminus. In BALB/c and SCID mice, the gE2-del virus caused no death or disease after vaginal, intravascular, or intramuscular inoculation and was 5 orders of magnitude less virulent than wild-type virus when inoculated directly into the brain. No infectious gE2-del virus was recovered from dorsal root ganglia (DRG) after multiple routes of inoculation; however, gE2-del DNA was detected by PCR in lumbosacral DRG at a low copy number in some mice. Importantly, no recurrent vaginal shedding of gE2-del DNA was detected in immunized guinea pigs. Intramuscular immunization outperformed subcutaneous immunization in all parameters evaluated, although individual differences were not significant, and two intramuscular immunizations were more protective than one. Immunized animals had reduced vaginal disease, vaginal titers, DRG infection, recurrent genital lesions, and recurrent vaginal shedding of HSV-2 DNA; however, protection was incomplete. A combined modality immunization using live virus and HSV-2 glycoprotein C and D subunit antigens in guinea pigs did not totally eliminate recurrent lesions or recurrent vaginal shedding of HSV-2 DNA. The gE2-del virus used as an immunotherapeutic vaccine in previously HSV-2-infected guinea pigs greatly reduced the frequency of recurrent genital lesions. Therefore, the gE2-del virus is safe, other than when injected at high titer into the brain, and is efficacious as a prophylactic and immunotherapeutic vaccine.
PB1-F2 Modulates Early Host Responses but Does Not Affect the Pathogenesis of H1N1 Seasonal Influenza Virus
Authors: Meunier Isabelle , von Messling Veronika 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACT

In the context of infections with highly pathogenic influenza A viruses, the PB1-F2 protein contributes to virulence and enhances lung inflammation. In contrast, its role in the pathogenesis of seasonal influenza viral strains is less clear, especially in the H1N1 subtype, where strains can have a full-length 87- to 90-amino-acid protein, a truncated 57-amino-acid version, or lack the protein altogether. Toward this, we introduced the full-length 1918 PB1-F2, or prevented PB1-F2 expression, in H1N1 A/USSR/90/77, a seasonal strain that naturally expresses a truncated PB1-F2. All viruses replicated with similar efficiency in ferret or macaque
ex vivo
lung cultures and elicited similar cytokine mRNA profiles. In contrast, the virus expressing the 1918 PB1-F2 protein caused a delay of proinflammatory responses in ferret blood-derived macrophages, while the PB1-F2 knockout virus resulted in a more rapid response. A similar but less pronounced delay in innate immune activation was also observed in the nasal wash cells of ferrets infected with the 1918 PB1-F2-expressing virus. However, the three viruses did not differ in their virulence or clinical course in ferrets, supporting speculations that PB1-F2 is of limited importance for the pathogenesis of primary viral infection with human seasonal H1N1 viruses.
OBSERVATION OF NONLINEAR VERTICUM-TYPE SYSTEMS APPLIED TO ECOLOGICAL MONITORING
Authors: MOLNÁR S. , GÁMEZ M. , LÓPEZ I. 
Published: February 2012

In this paper the concept of a nonlinear verticum-type observation system is introduced. These systems are composed from several "subsystems" connected sequentially in a particular way: a part of the state variables of each "subsystem" also appears in the next "subsystem" as an "exogenous variable" which can also be interpreted as a control generated by an "exosystem". Therefore, these "subsystems" are not observation systems, but formally can be considered as control-observation systems. The problem of observability of such systems can be reduced to rank conditions on the "subsystems". Indeed, under the condition of Lyapunov stability of an equilibrium of the "large", verticum-type system, it is shown that the Kalman rank condition on the linearization of the "subsystems" implies the observability of the original, nonlinear verticum-type system. For an illustration of the above linearization result, a stage-structured fishery model with reserve area is considered. Observability for this system is obtained by applying the above linearization and decomposition approach. Furthermore, it is also shown that, applying an appropriate observer design method to each subsystem, from the observation of the biomass densities of the adult (harvested) stage, in both areas, the biomass densities of the pre-recruit stage can be efficiently estimated.
Frequency of Driver Mutations in Lung Adenocarcinoma from Female Never-Smokers Varies with Histologic Subtypes and Age at Diagnosis
Authors: Zhang Yang , Sun Yihua , Pan Yunjian , Li Chenguang , Shen Lei , Li Yuan , Luo Xiaoyang , Ye Ting , Wang Rui , Hu Haichuan , Li Hang , Wang Lei , Pao William , Chen Haiquan 
Published: February 2012

Abstract
Purpose: Our previous study revealed that 90% [47 of 52; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.79–0.96] of Chinese never-smokers with lung adenocarcinoma harbor known oncogenic driver mutations in just four genes EGFR, ALK, HER2, and KRAS. Here, we examined the status of known driver mutations specifically in female never-smokers with lung adenocarcinoma.
Experimental Design: Tumors were genotyped for mutations in EGFR, KRAS, ALK, HER2, and BRAF. Data on age, stage, tumor differentiation, histologic subtypes, and molecular alterations were recorded from 349 resected lung adenocarcinomas from female never-smokers. We further compared the clinicopathologic parameters according to mutational status of these genes.
Results: Two hundred and sixty-six (76.2%) tumors harbored EGFR mutations, 16 (4.6%) HER2 mutations, 15 (4.3%) EML4-ALK fusions, seven (2.0%) KRAS mutations, and two (0.6%) BRAF mutations. In univariate analysis, patients harboring EGFR mutations were significantly older (P &lt; 0.001), whereas patients harboring HER2 mutations were significantly younger (P = 0.036). Higher prevalence of KRAS (P = 0.028) and HER2 (P = 0.021) mutations was found in invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (IMA). The frequency of EGFR mutations was positively correlated with acinar predominant tumors (P = 0.002). Multivariate analysis revealed that older age at diagnosis (P = 0.013) and acinar predominant subtype (P = 0.005) were independent predictors of EGFR mutations. Independent predictors of HER2 mutations included younger age (P = 0.030) and IMA (P = 0.017). IMA (P = 0.006) and poor differentiation (P = 0.028) were independently associated with KRAS mutations.
Conclusions: The frequency of driver mutations in never-smoking female lung adenocarcinoma varies with histologic subtypes and age at diagnosis. These data have implications for both clinical trial design and therapeutic strategies. Clin Cancer Res; 18(7); 1947–53. ©2012 AACR.
Ischemic Conditioning Protects the Uremic Heart in a Rodent Model of Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Byrne Conor J. , McCafferty Kieran , Kieswich Julius , Harwood Steven , Andrikopoulos Petros , Raftery Martin , Thiemermann Christoph , Yaqoob Muhammad M. 
Published: February 2012

Background—
Outcomes after acute myocardial infarction in patients with chronic kidney disease are extremely poor. Ischemic conditioning techniques are among the most powerful cytoprotective strategies discovered to date. However, experimental data suggest that comorbidity may attenuate the protective effects of ischemic conditioning.

Methods and Results—

We conducted investigations into the effects of chronic uremia on myocardial infarct size and the protective effects of ischemic preconditioning (IPC), remote ischemic preconditioning, and ischemic postconditioning in 2 rodent models of chronic uremia. In addition, a limited investigation into the signaling mechanisms involved in cardioprotection after IPC was performed in both uremic and nonuremic animals. Myocardial infarct size was increased in uremic animals, but all 3 conditioning strategies (IPC, remote IPC, ischemic postconditioning) proved highly efficacious in reducing myocardial infarct size (relative reduction, 86%, 39%, and 65% [
P
<0.005,
P
<0.05, and
P
<0.05], respectively). Moreover, some protocols (IPC and ischemic postconditioning) appeared to be more effective in uremic than in sham (nonuremic) animals. Analysis of the signaling mechanisms revealed that components of both the reperfusion injury salvage kinase and survivor activating factor enhancement pathways were similarly upregulated in both uremic and nonuremic animals after an IPC stimulus.

Conclusion—
Conditioning strategies may present the best opportunity to improve outcomes for patients with chronic kidney disease after an acute coronary syndrome.