bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Trans‐sialidase inhibition assay for the detection of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in blood donor samples from Argentina
Authors: Blejer J. L. , Sartor P. A. , Bottasso O. , Salamone H. J. , Leguizamón M. S. 
Published: July 2008

Background and Objectives  Conventional serology tests for Trypanosoma cruzi blood banks screening are neither sensitive nor specific enough, and currently no gold standard assay is available. Trans‐sialidase inhibition assay (TIA) detects neutralizing antibodies against T. cruzi trans‐sialidase. Conventional serology inconclusive, positive and negative blood donor samples were evaluated by employing TIA as a supplementary test.Materials and Methods  Three hundred and twenty‐one blood donor samples were tested using a combination of assays. Based on the results of testing, these were divided into a number of groups. All samples were tested by TIA.Results  In conventional serology inconclusive samples 48·1% were TIA‐positive, 1/54 conventional serology positive samples was TIA‐negative. All negative samples from donors without epidemiological risks were TIA‐negative; 1/48 was positive in those with epidemiological risk.Conclusion  Trans‐sialidase inhibition assay application in blood banks may be useful to resolve inconclusive samples, and thus improves donor counseling and allows individual re‐entry. The use of TIA in samples from negative conventional test donors but positive epidemiological antecedents may contribute to decrease transfusional risk.
Validation of the Chinese version of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire in a psychiatric population in Hong Kong
Authors: Chung Ka‐Fai , Tso Kwok‐Chu , Cheung Erik , Wong Michael 
Published: July 2008

Aims:  The aim of the present study was to determine the validity of a Chinese version of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) as a screening instrument for bipolar disorder in a psychiatric outpatient population in Hong Kong.Methods:  A total of 185 patients primarily being treated for mood disorders were asked to fill in the Chinese MDQ and supply other personal data during their scheduled clinic visit. The mean age was 43.0 years and 65.9% were female. A subsample of 102 randomly selected subjects, stratified by the MDQ symptom score, received a telephone‐based Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV (SCID). Sixty‐two patients (60.8%) were suffering from bipolar disorder (bipolar I, n = 48; bipolar II, n = 9; bipolar disorder not otherwise specified, n = 5), 35 (34.3%) from depressive disorder, and one (1.0%) from substance dependence, while four (3.9%) were unaffected by either mood or alcohol/substance use disorder. The internal consistency, factor structure and operating characteristics of the Chinese MDQ were analyzed.Results:  The internal consistency of the Chinese MDQ, evaluated using Cronbach alpha, was 0.82. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation indicated an ‘energized‐activity’ factor and an ‘irritability‐racing thoughts’ factor, which explained 47.2% of the rotated variance. The optimal cut‐off was seven or more manic symptoms occurring within the same time period, which yielded a sensitivity of 0.73 and a specificity of 0.88 for detecting bipolar disorder. An additional criterion that the symptoms cause impairment resulted in significant loss of sensitivity.Conclusion:  The Chinese MDQ is a valid screening instrument for bipolar disorder in a psychiatric outpatient population.
Systematic placement of the recently discovered beetle family Meruidae (Coleoptera: Dytiscoidea) based on molecular data
Authors: Balke Michael , Ribera Ignacio , Beutel Rolf , Viloria Angel , Garcia Mauricio , Vogler Alfried P 
Published: July 2008

The family Meruidae has been established recently for the newly discovered species Meru phyllisae Spangler & Steiner, 2005 from Southern Venezuela. These beetles are morphologically highly distinct and at a body length of 0.8 mm represent the perhaps smallest individuals of Adephaga. Here, we use DNA sequence data to place this enigmatic taxon relative to other aquatic groups in this suborder. Meruidae was most closely associated with Noteridae, supporting a previous analysis of morphological structures which had suggested this sister relationship, albeit with weak support. While different alignment strategies did not affect the topology, the precise placement of Meruidae was affected by the choice of tree reconstruction method. Bayesian inference suggests a sister relationship of Meruidae + Noteridae, while parsimony analyses retrieve Meruidae + Notomicrus (a basal noterid genus), which combined are the sister group of all remaining Noteridae. Considering morphological evidence, the former placement appears more plausible.
A phylogenetic perspective on 160 years of troubled taxonomy of Niphargus (Crustacea: Amphipoda)
Authors: Fišer Cene , Sket Boris , Trontelj Peter 
Published: July 2008

Niphargus is the largest genus of freshwater amphipods. Its systematics from the species to the family level has always been problematic. This study is the first comprehensive phylogenetic treatment of the chiefly subterranean group in 160 years of its taxonomic history. It includes 103 niphargid species plus outgroups, representing about one‐third of all nominal species. The samples originated mainly from type localities or adjacent sites and covered most of the morphological variability of the genus. Character sampling included nuclear 28S and mitochondrial 12S rDNA sequences, and 122 morphological characters. Quantitative morphological traits were coded using two alternative methods. The first one searches for gaps in the variability range of each character, while the second one uses absolute differences between the standardized raw data as weights. Different data sets yielded alternative topologies. All data support the monophyly of Niphargidae, while Niphargopsis— another niphargid genus — was consistently nested within Niphargus, loosing justification for its separate status. We predict a similar fate for all or most of the remaining six small niphargid genera, which were not yet scrutinized phylogenetically. Different topologies agreed in species composition of five large, well‐supported clades, although the hierarchic relationships between them remain unresolved. These clades reject all previously proposed taxonomic subdivisions of Niphargus, implying a high degree of morphological homoplasy that renders any morphology‐based groups questionable. The clade members are distributed within well‐established zoogeographical regions that do not exceed 1300 km across the longest diagonal. These results provide a framework for future studies on niphargid systematics, the evolution of endemism and cryptic diversity in subterranean environments, the mechanisms leading to exceptional morphological heterogeneity, historical biogeography, and applied ecological issues.
Multinational Corporations and Patterns of Local Knowledge Transfer in Costa Rican High‐Tech Industries
Authors: Giuliani Elisa 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTOver recent decades, governments in industrializing countries have promoted policies to attract foreign investors, anticipating the benefits of technology transfer to host economies. During the 1990s, Costa Rica adopted an industrialization strategy based on attracting high‐tech multinational companies (MNCs). Using an original survey of a sample of high‐tech MNC subsidiaries, this article shows that the new wave of efficiency‐seeking subsidiaries tend not to transfer knowledge to domestic firms even when they establish backward linkages with them. Instead, most of the knowledge transfer occurs between high‐tech foreign subsidiaries. This has clear policy implications for host country governments.
Bridging the Social and Digital Divides in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala: A Capabilities Approach
Authors: Thomas Jayan Jose , Parayil Govindan 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTCombining empirical evidence with Amartya Sen's concept of capabilities, this article argues that the digital divide is not merely a problem of access to ICTs. It is part of a larger developmental problem in which vast sections of the world's population are deprived of the capabilities to use ICTs, acquire information and convert information into useful knowledge. Fieldwork research including sample surveys conducted in rural locations in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh in India shows that these capabilities can only be created through large‐scale complementary interventions in economic and social development.
Possibilism: An Approach to Problem‐Solving Derived from the Life and Work of Albert O. Hirschman
Authors: Lepenies Philipp H. 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTAlbert O. Hirschman is the author of seminal, but prima facie unconnected contributions to the social sciences (‘exit–voice’, ‘linkages’). Yet, his main originality lies in his general approach to problem‐solving which is hidden behind the complexity of hisoeuvre. This article intends to disentangle the intricacies of his work and to reveal his specific mode of investigation by making the multifaceted biographical influences on Hirschman's scholarly writings visible. Exhibiting the influence that decisive moments in his life had on his work not only allows us to identify and define his method of ‘possibilism’: it also shows that this approach remains a valid and useful multidisciplinary tool for unorthodox contemporary social analysis.
Subsidizing Technological Innovations in the Presence of R&D Spillovers
Authors: Helm Carsten , Schöttner Anja 
Published: July 2008

Abstract
We analyze a situation where a principal wants to induce two firms to produce an output, for example electricity from renewable energy sources. Firms can undertake non-contractible investments to reduce production cost of the output. Part of these investments spills over and also reduces production cost of the other firm. Comparing a general price subsidy and an innovation tournament, we find that the principal’s expected cost of implementing a given expected output is always higher under the tournament, even though this scheme may lead to more innovation.
On the Competition of Asymmetric Agents
Authors: Harbring Christine , Lünser Gabriele K. 
Published: July 2008

Abstract
Rank-order tournaments are usually implemented in organizations to provide incentives for eliciting employees’ effort and/or to identify the agent with the higher ability, for example in promotion tournaments. We close a gap in the literature by experimentally analyzing a ceteris paribus variation of the prize spread - being the major design feature of tournaments - in a symmetric and an asymmetric setting. We find that effort significantly increases with the prize spread as predicted by standard theory. However, only for sufficiently large prize spreads weak players competing against strong players strain themselves all the more and sorting of agents is feasible.
Temporal profiling of changes in phosphatidylinositol 4,5‐bisphosphate, inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate and diacylglycerol allows comprehensive analysis of phospholipase C‐initiated signalling in single neurons1
Authors: Nelson Carl P. , Nahorski Stefan R. , Challiss R. A. John 
Published: July 2008

AbstractPhosphatidylinositol 4,5‐bisphosphate (PIP2) fulfils vital signalling roles in an array of cellular processes, yet until recently it has not been possible selectively to visualize real‐time changes in PIP2 levels within living cells. Green fluorescent protein (GFP)‐labelled Tubby protein (GFP‐Tubby) enriches to the plasma membrane at rest and translocates to the cytosol following activation of endogenous Gαq/11‐coupled muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in both SH‐SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells and primary rat hippocampal neurons. GFP‐Tubby translocation is independent of changes in cytosolic inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate and instead reports dynamic changes in levels of plasma membrane PIP2. In contrast, enhanced GFP (eGFP)‐tagged pleckstrin homology domain of phospholipase C (PLCδ1) (eGFP‐PH) translocation reports increases in cytosolic inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate. Comparison of GFP‐Tubby, eGFP‐PH and the eGFP‐tagged C12 domain of protein kinase C‐γ [eGFP‐C1(2); to detect diacylglycerol] allowed a selective and comprehensive analysis of PLC‐initiated signalling in living cells. Manipulating intracellular Ca2+ concentrations in the nanomolar range established that GFP‐Tubby responses to a muscarinic agonist were sensitive to intracellular Ca2+ up to 100–200 nM in SH‐SY5Y cells, demonstrating the exquisite sensitivity of agonist‐mediated PLC activity within the range of physiological resting Ca2+ concentrations. We have also exploited GFP‐Tubby selectively to visualize, for the first time, real‐time changes in PIP2 in hippocampal neurons.
Intracellular signaling pathways involved in post‐mitotic dopaminergic PC12 cell death induced by 6‐hydroxydopamine
Authors: Rodriguez‐Blanco Jezabel , Martín Vanesa , Herrera Federico , García‐Santos Guillermo , Antolín Isaac , Rodriguez Carmen 
Published: July 2008

AbstractOxidative stress has been shown to mediate neuron damage in Parkinson’s disease (PD). In the present report, we intend to clarify the intracellular pathways mediating dopaminergic neuron death after oxidative stress production using post‐mitotic PC12 cells treated with the neurotoxin 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA). The use of post‐mitotic cells is crucial, because one of the suggested intracellular pathways implicated in neuron death relates to the re‐entry of neurons (post‐mitotic cells) in the cell cycle. We find that 6‐OHDA sequentially increases intracellular oxidants, functional cell damage and caspase‐3 activation, leading to cell death after 12 h of incubation. Prevention of cell damage by different antioxidants supports the implication of oxidative stress in the observed neurotoxicity. Oxidative stress‐dependent phosphorylation of the MAPK JNK and oxidative stress‐independent PKB/Akt dephosphorylation are involved in 6‐OHDA neurotoxicity. Decrease in p21WAF1/CIP1and cyclin‐D1 expression, disappearance of the non‐phosphorylated band of retinoblastoma protein (pRb), and expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, not present in PC12 post‐mitotic cells, suggest a re‐entry of differentiated cells into cell cycle. Our results indicate that such a re‐entry is mediated by oxidative stress and is involved in 6‐OHDA‐induced cell death. We conclude that at least three intracellular pathways are involved in 6‐OHDA‐induced cell death in differentiated PC12 cells: JNK activation, cell cycle progression (both oxidative stress‐dependent), and Akt dephosphorylation (not related to the increase of oxidants); the three pathways are necessary for the cells to die, since blocking one of them is sufficient to keep the cells alive.
Mesenchymal stem cells therapy exerts neuroprotection in a progressive animal model of Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Park Hyun Jung , Lee Phil Hyu , Bang Oh Young , Lee Gwang , Ahn Young Hwan 
Published: July 2008

AbstractParkinson’s disease is a common progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. We investigated whether cell therapy with human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) had a protective effect on progressive dopaminergic neuronal loss in vitro and in vivo. In primary mesencephalic cultures, hMSCs treatment significantly decreased MG‐132‐induced dopaminergic neuronal loss with a significant reduction of caspase‐3 activity. In rats received systemic injection of MG‐132, hMSCs treatment in MG‐132‐treated rats dramatically reduced the decline in the number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)‐immunoreactive cells, showing an approximately 50% increase in the survival of TH‐immunoreactive cells in the substantia nigra compared with the MG‐132‐treated group. Additionally, hMSC treatment significantly decreased OX‐6 immunoreactivity and caspase‐3 activity. Histological analysis showed that the number of NuMA‐positive cells was 1.7% of total injected hMSCs and 35.7% of these cells were double‐stained with NuMA and TH. Adhesive‐removal test showed that hMSCs administration in MG‐132‐treated rats had a tendency to decrease in the mean removal time. This study demonstrates that hMSCs treatment had a protective effect on progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons induced by MG‐132 in vitro and in vivo. Complex mechanisms mediated by trophic effects of hMSCs and differentiation of hMSCs into functional TH‐immunoreactive neurons may work in the neuroprotective process.
Slogans and graffiti: Postmemory among youth in the Italo–Slovenian borderland
Authors: MIKLAVCIC ALESSANDRA 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTIn this article, I look at the ways in which contested memories, imagined communities, and social ressentiment are embraced and filtered by Slovenian and Italian youth as postmemory and transformed into symbolic weapons that exclude, make demands, or simply provoke. Drawing on fieldwork conducted in the Italo–Slovenian border area of Trieste, I analyze two settings in which these symbols are used: a soccer match between Slovenia and Italy played in the summer of 2002 at which a mysterious banner provoked diplomatic tensions and the everyday graffiti war waged on the walls of the city of Trieste. [political symbols, memories, youth, Italy, Slovenia, soccer match, graffiti]
Abnormal connexin43 in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy caused by plakophilin‐2 mutations
Authors: Fidler Lee M. , Wilson Gregory J. , Liu Fanfan , Cui Xuezhi , Scherer Stephen W. , Taylor Glenn P. , Hamilton Robert M. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractArrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a disorder of cardiomyocyte intercalated disk proteins causing sudden death. Heterozygous mutations of the desmosomal protein plakophilin‐2 (PKP‐2) are the commonest genetic cause of ARVC. Abnormal gap junction connexin43 expression has been reported in autosomal dominant forms of ARVC (Naxos and Carvajal disease) caused by homozygous mutations of desmosomal plakoglobin and desmoplakin. In tissue culture, suppression of PKP‐2 results in decreased expression of connexin43. We sought to characterize the expression and localization of connexin43 in patients with ARVC secondary to heterozygous PKP‐2 mutations. Complete PKP‐2 gene sequencing of 27 ARVC patients was utilized to identify mutant genotypes. Endomyocardial biopsies of identified carriers were then assessed by immunofluorescence to visualize intercalated disk proteins. N‐cadherin was targeted to highlight intercalated disks, followed by counterstaining for PKP‐2 or connexin43 using confocal double immunofluorescence microscopy. Immunofluorescence was quantified using an Adobe® Photoshop protocol, and colocalization coefficients were determined. PKP‐2 siRNA experiments were performed in mouse cardiomyocyte (HL1) cell culture with Western blot analysis to assess connexin43 expression following PKP‐2 suppression. Missense and frameshift mutations of the PKP‐2 gene were found in four patients with biopsy material available for analysis. Immunofluorescent studies showed PKP‐2 localization to the intercalated disk despite mutations, but associated with decreased connexin43 expression and abnormal colocalization. PKP‐2 siRNA in HL1 culture confirmed decreased connexin43 expression. Reduced connexin43 expression and localization to the intercalated disk occurs in heterozygous human PKP‐2 mutations, potentially explaining the delayed conduction and propensity to develop arrhythmias seen in this disease.
Features of cardiomyocyte proliferation and its potential for cardiac regeneration
Authors: van Amerongen Machteld J. , Engel Felix B. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractThe human heart does not regenerate. Instead, following injury, human hearts scar. The loss of contractile tissue contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality. In contrast to humans, zebrafish and newts faithfully regenerate their hearts. Interestingly, regeneration is in both cases based on cardiomyocyte proliferation. In addition, mammalian cardiomyocytes proliferate during foetal development. Their proliferation reaches its maximum around chamber formation, stops shortly after birth, and subsequent heart growth is mostly achieved by an increase in cardiomyocyte size (hypertrophy). The underlying mechanisms that regulate cell cycle arrest and the switch from proliferation to hypertrophy are unclear. In this review, we highlight features of dividing cardiomyocytes, summarize the attempts to induce mammalian cardiomyocyte proliferation, critically discuss methods commonly used for its detection, and explore the potential and problems of inducing cardiomyocyte proliferation to improve function in diseased hearts.
Sonic hedgehog regulates angiogenesis and myogenesis during post‐natal skeletal muscle regeneration
Authors: Straface Giuseppe , Aprahamian Tamar , Flex Andrea , Gaetani Eleonora , Biscetti Federico , Smith Roy C. , Pecorini Giovanni , Pola Enrico , Angelini Flavia , Stigliano Egidio , Castellot Jr. John J. , Losordo Douglas W. , Pola Roberto 
Published: July 2008

AbstractSonic hedgehog (Shh) is a morphogen‐regulating crucial epithelial‐mesenchymal interactions during embryonic development, but its signalling pathway is considered generally silent in post‐natal life. In this study, we demonstrate that Shh is de novo expressed after injury and during regeneration of the adult skeletal muscle. Shh expression is followed by significant up‐regulation of its receptor and target gene Ptc1 in injured and regenerating muscles. The reactivation of the Shh signalling pathway has an important regulatory role on injury‐induced angiogenesis, as inhibition of Shh function results in impaired up‐regulation of prototypical angiogenic agents, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and stromal‐derived factor (SDF)‐1alpha, decreased muscle blood flow and reduced capillary density after injury. In addition, Shh reactivation plays a regulatory role on myogenesis, as its inhibition impairs the activation of the myogenic regulatory factors Myf‐5 and MyoD, decreases the up‐regulation of insulin‐like growth factor (IGF)‐1 and reduces the number of myogenic satellite cells at injured site. Finally, Shh inhibition results in muscle fibrosis, increased inflammatory reaction and compromised motor functional recovery after injury. These data demonstrate that the Shh pathway is functionally important for adult skeletal muscle regeneration and displays pleiotropic angiogenic and myogenic potentials in post‐natal life. These findings might constitute the foundation for new therapeutic approaches for muscular diseases in humans.