bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dealing With Task Interruptions in Complex Dynamic Environments
Authors: Tremblay Sébastien , Vachon François , Lafond Daniel , Kramer Chelsea 
Published: December 2011

Objective: This study examined whether teaming up mitigates individual vulnerability to task interruptions in complex dynamic situations. Background: Omnipresent in everyday multitasking environments, task interruptions are usually detrimental to individual performance. This is particularly crucial in dynamic command and control (C2) safety-critical contexts because of the additional challenge imposed by the continually evolving situation during the interruption. Method: We employed a firefighting microworld to simulate C2 in the context of supervisory control to examine the relative impact of interruptions on participants working in a functional dyad versus operators working alone. Results: Although task interruption was detrimental to participants’ efficacy of monitoring resources, the negative impact of interruption was reduced for those working in teams. Teaming up translated into faster resumption time, but only if both teammates were interrupted simultaneously. Interrupting only one team member was associated with increased postinterruption communications and slower resumption time. Conclusion: These findings suggest that in complex dynamic situations working in a small team confers more resistance to task interruption than working alone by virtue of the reduced individual workload typical of teamwork. The benefit of collaborative work seems nevertheless mediated by the coordination and communication overhead associated with teamwork. Application: The present findings have practical implications for operators dealing with unexpected events such as task interruptions in C2 environments.
Detection of Affective States From Text and Speech for Real-Time Human–Computer Interaction
Authors: Calix Ricardo A. , Javadpour Leili , Knapp Gerald M. 
Published: December 2011

Objective: The goal of this work is to develop and test an automated system methodology that can detect emotion from text and speech features. Background: Affective human–computer interaction will be critical for the success of new systems that will be prevalent in the 21st century. Such systems will need to properly deduce human emotional state before they can determine how to best interact with people. Method: Corpora and machine learning classification models are used to train and test a methodology for emotion detection. The methodology uses a stepwise approach to detect sentiment in sentences by first filtering out neutral sentences, then distinguishing among positive, negative, and five emotion classes. Results: Results of the classification between emotion and neutral sentences achieved recall accuracies as high as 77% in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) corpus and 61% in the Louisiana State University medical drama (LSU-MD) corpus for emotion samples. Once neutral sentences were filtered out, the methodology achieved accuracy scores for detecting negative sentences as high as 92.3%. Conclusion: Results of the feature analysis indicate that speech spectral features are better than speech prosodic features for emotion detection. Accumulated sentiment composition text features appear to be very important as well. This work contributes to the study of human communication by providing a better understanding of how language factors help to best convey human emotion and how to best automate this process. Application: Results of this study can be used to develop better automated assistive systems that interpret human language and respond to emotions through 3-D computer graphics.
A new textile-based approach to assess the antimicrobial activity of volatiles
Authors: Liebminger Stefan , Aichner Martin , Oberauner Lisa , Fürnkranz Michael , Cardinale Massimiliano , Berg Gabriele 
Published: December 2011

Textiles with antimicrobial properties are required in many areas but it is difficult to assess the effect with current assays based on the cultivation of microorganisms. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) we observed that the complex matrix of textiles provides an ideal niche for the adhesion of microorganisms because polyester fibres showed a high number of irregularly appearing notches. In another experiment with green fluorescent protein-labelled Staphylococcus epidermidis cells were found in these notches, tightly bound to the fibres. Staphylococcus cells shielded in the textile were not killed by conventional decontamination techniques like UV irradiation. Cultivation-dependent evaluation of bacterial survival after 10 minutes of irradiation indicated a good reduction of more than 99%, whereas fluorescent viability staining of cells, in combination with CLSM, displayed more than 5% survival. This latter sensitive assay can also be used to assess the activity of volatile antimicrobials. It was shown that volatiles produced by plant-associated bacteria ( Pseudomonas chlororaphis and Paenibacillus polymyxa) irreversibly inhibited the growth of human-associated pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans on textiles. This new approach enables the detection and evaluation of new volatile antimicrobials for their use in disinfection of garments.
Black Thoughts, Black Activism
Authors: Saunders Tanya L. 
Published: December 2011

A study of the symbols employed by the Cuban underground hip-hop movement based on ethnographic data gathered in Havana from 1998 to 2006 situates the movement as one of a number of transnational Afro-diasporic cultural movements for social equality. Afro-Cuban young people’s commitment to socially conscious hip-hop links them to a larger history of African and Afro-diasporic activism in the arts. Un estudio de los símbolos utilizados por el movimiento underground del hip-hop cubano, basado en datos recolectados en la Habana de 1998 a 2006, sitúa dicho movimiento dentro de una serie de corrientes culturales que, producidas por la diáspora africana transnacional, se desenvuelven a favor de la igualdad social. La entrega de la juventud afrocubana a la conciencia social del hip-hop se articula a una historia más amplia de activismo africano y la diaspora africana en las artes.
A systematic evaluation of the effect of thumb opponens splints on hand function in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy
Authors: Ten Berge Sabine R , Boonstra Anne M , Dijkstra Pieter U , Hadders-Algra Mijna , Haga Nienke , Maathuis Carel GB 
Published: December 2011

Objective: To examine the effects of a neoprene thumb opponens splint on hand function during a self-selected activities of daily living task in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy with thumb-in-palm position of the affected hand. Design: Systematic evaluation of seven cases using a multiple baseline design across individuals. Setting: Outpatient clinic. Subjects: Seven children with unilateral cerebral palsy (2–7 years old), Manual Ability Classification System level 2–3 participated in the study. Interventions: Neoprene thumb opponens splints (McKie splint) were used. Children were followed for about four months. Baseline period ranged from 4 to 9 weeks, intervention period was two months and duration of follow-up one month. Main measures: Hand function was assessed using goal attainment scaling and visual analogue scales. Data was assessed visually. Results: In four children goal attainment scaling and/or visual analogue scale scores increased after introducing the splint. These effects remained when splints were not worn. Two children only benefited from the splint when it was worn. Thumb opponens splints were tolerated well by all children who participated in this study. Conclusions: Thumb opponens splints may have a positive effect on hand function in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy.
Renal transplantation in lupus nephritis: a Brazilian cohort
Authors: Oliveira CS , d`Oliveira I , Bacchiega ABS , Klumb EM , Albuquerque EMM , Souza E , Suassuna JHS , Ribeiro FM 
Published: December 2011

Objective: To determine the epidemiological profile and outcome of patients with lupus nephritis (LN) undergoing renal transplantation. Methods: The archival records of 50 patients with LN and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) treated by kidney transplantation from March 1992 to December 2010 were reviewed. All patients met the American College of Rheumatology criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Results: Fourteen patients were included in the study. The majority were women (85.7%) and non-Caucasian (85.7%); the mean age at diagnosis of SLE and LN was 24 ± 8 and 25 ± 8 years, respectively. Renal biopsy was performed in 12 patients, with 75% of them showing proliferative lesions (class III and IV according to the World Health Organization and International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society classification). Thirteen patients (93%) underwent intermittent hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis before transplantation. The median time between the start of dialysis and transplantation was 30 months (range 3–103 months); 67% of the procedures involved deceased donors and 33% involved living-related donors. The graft survival rates were 93.3%, 90.9%, and 85.7% at 1, 5 and 10 years, respectively. Post-transplant immunosuppressive agents were mycophenolate mofetil (84%), azathioprine (17%), tacrolimus (25%), sirolimus (58%) and cyclosporine (8%). Eight episodes of acute rejection were noted in six patients. There was a graft loss due to renal vein thrombosis in the one patient with secondary antiphospholipid syndrome. The mean SLICC by the time of kidney transplantation was 5 ± 2. In total, 13 patients (92.8%) developed at least one infectious event during the follow-up, with one dying in the immediate post-transplant period because of sepsis. Two patients (14%) had a lupus flare. There was no clinical or histological evidence of LN recurrence. Conclusion: LN is the major cause of morbidity in SLE, with progression to ESRD in 10–22% of cases. Despite concerns about LN recurrence after renal transplantation, the data obtained in our sample indicate this procedure as a safe alternative therapy for ESRD in this population.
Comparison of QuantiFERON-TB Gold test and tuberculin skin test for the identification of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in lupus patients
Authors: Yilmaz N , Zehra Aydin S , Inanc N , Karakurt S , Direskeneli H , Yavuz S 
Published: December 2011

The tuberculin skin test (TST) has low sensitivity for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT-G) is an IFN-gamma-release assay that measures the release of interferon-gamma after stimulation in vitro by Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens using ELISA. The main advantage of this assay compared with TST is the lack of cross-reaction with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) as well as most of non-tuberculous mycobacteria. The aim of our study is to compare QFT-G with TST for the detection of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods: Seventy-eight patients with SLE and 49 healthy subjects (HCs) participated in the study. All patients and controls were interviewed for a history of TB then BCG vaccinations were recorded and chest X-rays were examined for a sign of TB infection. QTF-G and TST were performed on both patients and controls. QTF-G results were recorded as positive, negative or indeterminate. A positive TST for SLE was defined as ≥5 mm. Results: Seventy-six SLE patients (97.4%) had been BCG vaccinated. Similar to the HC (28.5%), 19 of 78 (24.3%) SLE patients had positive QTF-G. Two patients had an indeterminate result. The agreement between QTF-G and TST was 49/76 (64.4%) (κ = 0.33). There were fewer positive QFT-G test results than positive TST results (24.3% vs. 50%; p < 0.01). Twenty-two (28.9%) patients were TST(+)/QTF-G(−) while only 3(3.9%) patients were TST(−)/QTF-G(+). When the positive TST was defined as ≥10 mm indurations, which is the cut-off in screening for LTBI in Turkey, the agreement between two tests increased up to 58/76 (76.3%) with a κ value of 0.47. The mean TST measurements was higher in QTF-G positive patients (13.4 ± 8.8 mm) than the QTF-G negative patients (4 ± 5.3 mm) ( p < 0.001). Discussion: In a TB-endemic and BCG vaccinated population, the QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay seemed to be a more accurate test for the detection of LTBI in SLE patients. Although 5 mm is usually accepted to be the standard cut-off for TST in immunocompromised patients such as SLE, the level of agreement between QTF-G and TST was better with a 10 mm cut-off in our population.
The Relationship Between Knee Arthroplasty and Foot Loading
Authors: Voronov Michael L. , Pinzur Michael S. , Havey Robert M. , Carandang Gerard , Gil Joseph A. , Hopkinson William J. 
Published: December 2011

Surgeons have questioned whether foot deformity applies abnormal loading on a knee implant. A total of 24 patients with mild knee deformity underwent a static recording of foot loading prior to and at 3 months following knee replacement. Of these patients, 13 had a preoperative varus deformity. The recorded postoperative to preoperative loading in all 6 geographic sites was decreased by an average of 10%. The largest changes were observed in the hallux and lesser toe masks, whereas the postoperative to preoperative foot pressure ratio in the metatarsal head (lateral and medial), heel, and midfoot masks was 0.94. This preliminary investigation reveals a minimal change in geographic foot loading following total knee arthroplasty in patients with mild knee deformity. Levels of Evidence: Therapeutic, Level IV
Adoptive immunotherapy with unselected or EBV-specific T cells for biopsy-proven EBV+ lymphomas after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation
Authors: Doubrovina Ekaterina , Oflaz-Sozmen Banu , Prockop Susan E. , Kernan Nancy A. , Abramson Sara , Teruya-Feldstein Julie , Hedvat Cyrus , Chou Joanne F. , Heller Glenn , Barker Juliet N. , Boulad Farid , Castro-Malaspina Hugo , George Diane , Jakubowski Ann , Koehne Guenther , Papadopoulos Esperanza B. , Scaradavou Andromachi , Small Trudy N. , Khalaf Ramzi , Young James W. , O'Reilly Richard J. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractWe evaluated HLA-compatible donor leukocyte infusions (DLIs) and HLA-compatible or HLA-disparate EBV-specific T cells (EBV-CTLs) in 49 hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients with biopsy-proven EBV-lymphoproliferative disease (EBV-LPD). DLIs and EBV-CTLs each induced durable complete or partial remissions in 73% and 68% of treated patients including 74% and 72% of patients surviving ≥ 8 days after infusion, respectively. Reversible acute GVHD occurred in recipients of DLIs (17%) but not EBV-CTLs. The probability of complete response was significantly lower among patients with multiorgan involvement. In responders, DLIs and EBV-CTLs regularly induced exponential increases in EBV-specific CTL precursor (EBV-CTLp) frequencies within 7-14 days, with subsequent clearance of EBV viremia and resolution of disease. In nonresponders, EBV-CTLps did not increase and EBV viremia persisted. Treatment failures were correlated with impaired T-cell recognition of tumor targets. Either donor-derived EBV-CTLs that had been sensitized with autologous BLCLs transformed by EBV strain B95.8 could not lyse spontaneous donor-derived EBV-transformed BLCLs expanded from the patient's blood or biopsied tumor or they failed to lyse their targets because they were selectively restricted by HLA alleles not shared by the EBV-LPD. Therefore, either unselected DLIs or EBV-specific CTLs can eradicate both untreated and Rituxan-resistant lymphomatous EBV-LPD, with failures ascribable to impaired T-cell recognition of tumor-associated viral antigens or their presenting HLA alleles.
Platelet TGF-β1 contributions to plasma TGF-β1, cardiac fibrosis, and systolic dysfunction in a mouse model of pressure overload
Authors: Meyer Alexander , Wang Wei , Qu Jiaxiang , Croft Lori , Degen Jay L. , Coller Barry S. , Ahamed Jasimuddin 
Published: December 2011

AbstractCirculating platelets contain high concentrations of TGF-β1 in their α-granules and release it on platelet adhesion/activation. We hypothesized that uncontrolled in vitro release of platelet TGF-β1 may confound measurement of plasma TGF-β1 in mice and that in vivo release and activation may contribute to cardiac pathology in response to constriction of the transverse aorta, which produces both high shear and cardiac pressure overload. Plasma TGF-β1 levels in blood collected from C57Bl/6 mice by the standard retro-bulbar technique were much higher than those obtained when prostaglandin E1 was added to inhibit release or when blood was collected percutaneously from the left ventricle under ultrasound guidance. Even with optimal blood drawing, plasma TGF-β1 was lower in mice rendered profoundly thrombocytopenic or mice with selectively low levels of platelet TGF-β1 because of megakaryocytespecific disruption of their TGF-β1 gene (Tgfb1flox). Tgfb1flox mice were also partially protected from developing cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and systolic dysfunction in response to transverse aortic constriction. These studies demonstrate that plasma TGF-β1 levels can be assessed accurately, but it requires special precautions; that platelet TGF-β1 contributes to plasma levels of TGF-β1; and that platelet TGF-β1 contributes to the pathologic cardiac changes that occur in response to aortic constriction.
Effect of pulmonary exacerbations on long-term lung function decline in cystic fibrosis
Authors: Waters Valerie , Stanojevic Sanja , Atenafu Eshetu G. , Lu Annie , Yau Yvonne , Tullis Elizabeth , Ratjen Felix 
Published: December 2011

It is unknown what proportion of long-term lung function decline in cystic fibrosis (CF) is explained by pulmonary exacerbations. The aim of this study was to determine how exacerbations requiring hospitalisation contribute to the course of CF lung disease.This was a retrospective cohort study. The primary outcome was the rate of decline of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) % predicted.Out of 851 subjects, 415 (48.8%) subjects had ≥1 exacerbation. After adjustment for confounders, the annual rate of FEV1decline in those without an exacerbation was 1.2% per yr (95% CI 1.0–1.5), compared with 2.5% per yr (95% CI 2.1–2.8) in those with an exacerbation. The proportion of overall FEV1decline associated with ≥1 exacerbation was 52% (95% CI 35.0–68.9). For a given number of exacerbations, the annual rate of FEV1decline was greatest in subjects with ≤6 months between exacerbations.Half of FEV1decline seen in CF patients was associated with pulmonary exacerbations. Time between exacerbations, specifically ≤6 months between exacerbations, plays an important contribution to overall lung function decline. These findings support using time to next exacerbation as a clinical end-point for CF trials.
Micro-RNAs as diagnostic or prognostic markers in human epithelial malignancies
Authors: Hui Angela , How Christine , Ito Emma , Liu Fei-Fei 
Published: December 2011

AbstractMicro-RNAs (miRs) are important regulators of mRNA and protein expression; the ability of miR expression profilings to distinguish different cancer types and classify their sub-types has been well-described. They also represent a novel biological entity with potential value as tumour biomarkers, which can improve diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of treatment response for human cancers. This endeavour has been greatly facilitated by the stability of miRs in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues, and their detection in circulation. This review will summarize some of the key dysregulated miRs described to date in human epithelial malignancies, and their potential value as molecular bio-markers in FFPE tissues and blood samples. There remain many challenges in this domain, however, with the evolution of different platforms, the complexities of normalizing miR profiling data, and the importance of evaluating sufficiently-powered training and validation cohorts. Nonetheless, well-conducted miR profiling studies should contribute important insights into the molecular aberrations driving human cancer development and progression.
Expression of recombinant multi-coloured fluorescent antibodies in gor -/trxB- E. colicytoplasm
Authors: Markiv Anatoliy , Beatson Richard , Burchell Joy , Durvasula Ravi V , Kang Angray S 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBackgroundAntibody-fluorophore conjugates are invaluable reagents used in contemporary molecular cell biology for imaging, cell sorting and tracking intracellular events. However they suffer in some cases from batch to batch variation, partial loss of binding and susceptibility to photo-bleaching. In theory, these issues can all be addressed by using recombinant antibody fused directly to genetically encoded fluorescent reporters. However, single-chain fragment variable domains linked by long flexible linkers are themselves prone to disassociation and aggregation, and in some cases with isoelectric points incompatible with use in physiologically relevant milieu. Here we describe a general approach that permits fully functional intracellular production of a range of coloured fluorescent recombinant antibodies with optimally orientated VH/VLinterfaces and isoelectric points compatible for use in physiological solutions at pH 7.4 with a binding site to fluorophore stoichiometry of 1:1.ResultsHere we report the design, assembly, intracellular bacterial production and purification of a panel of novel antibody fluorescent protein fusion constructs. The insertion of monomeric fluorescent protein derived from eitherDiscosomaorAequoreain-between the variable regions of anti-p185HER2-ECDantibody 4D5-8 resulted in optimal VH/VLinterface interactions to create soluble coloured antibodies each with a single binding site, with isoelectric points of 6.5- 6. The fluorescent antibodies used in cell staining studies with SK-BR-3 cells retained the fluorophore properties and antibody specificity functions, whereas the conventional 4D5-8 single chain antibody with a (Gly4Ser)3linker precipitated at physiological pH 7.4.ConclusionsThis modular monomeric recombinant fluorescent antibody platform may be used to create a range of recombinant coloured antibody molecules for quantitativein situ, in vivoandex vivoimaging, cell sorting and cell trafficking studies. Assembling the single chain antibody with monomeric fluorescent protein linker facilitates optimal variable domain pairing and alters the isoelectric point of the recombinant 4D5-8 protein conferring solubility at physiological pH 7.4. The efficient intracellular expression of these functional molecules opens up the possibility of developing an alternative approach for tagging intracellular targets with fluorescent proteins for a range of molecular cell biology imaging studies.