bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cortico‐basal ganglia pathways are essential for the recall of well–established visuomotor associations
Authors: Nixon Philip D. , McDonald Kathryn R. , Gough Patricia M. , Alexander Iona H. , Passingham Richard E. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractRecent human neuroimaging studies, supported by lesion studies with nonhuman primates, have suggested that learning arbitrary associations between sensory cues and behavioural responses requires interactions between the infero‐temporal, prefrontal and premotor cortices. We directly tested the hypothesis suggested from our neuroimaging experiments that functional links between the basal ganglia and premotor cortex are involved in the process via which task performance becomes automatic. We made unilateral excitotoxic lesions, centred on the internal pallidum, in four macaques previously given extensive experience on the associations between nonspatial visual cues and movements of a joystick. The basal ganglia lesion was later combined with a premotor cortical lesion in the opposite hemisphere so as to interrupt the connections between them. Three of the animals were subsequently found to be impaired in relearning pre‐operatively acquired associations; they eventually succeeded but made three‐times as many errors. A fourth animal was unimpaired but its premotor cortex lesion was later found to be incomplete. Response times were only marginally increased and the learning of novel associations appeared relatively unaffected by these lesions. As a control, the effects of a unilateral premotor cortex lesion were assessed with two additional animals but this lesion did not result in a relearning impairment. We therefore suggest that when visuomotor associations have become well established through over‐training, performance depends on connections between the basal ganglia and premotor cortex.
The exercise of the object: issues in resource reusability and reuse
Authors: Malcolm Mary 
Published: December 2004

AbstractWhat is to be captured and how it is to be reused are issues that currently dominate a learning object discourse constructed around the potential for technology to enable learning resource management through the collection and reuse and learning objects. Efficiency and quality gains are promised for institutions that engage with the learning object economy. This account of the issues surrounding current conceptions of the reusability and reuse of learning resources questions whether object‐based resource reuse can simultaneously achieve gains in both areas, and whether a learning object economy will sustain institutional development and diversity for those HEIs that participate in it.
Neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects of the neuregulin glial growth factor‐2 on dopaminergic neurons in rat primary midbrain cultures
Authors: Zhang Lixin , Fletcher‐Turner Anita , Marchionni Mark A. , Apparsundaram Subbu , Lundgren Kerstin H. , Yurek David M. , Seroogy Kim B. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractGlial growth factor‐2 (GGF2) and other neuregulin (NRG) isoforms have been shown to play important roles in survival, migration, and differentiation of certain neural and non‐neural cells. Because midbrain dopamine (DA) cells express the NRG receptor, ErbB4, the present study examined the potential neurotrophic and/or neuroprotective effects of GGF2 on cultured primary dopaminergic neurons. Embryonic day 14 rat mesencephalic cell cultures were maintained in serum‐free medium and treated with GGF2 or vehicle. The number of tyrosine hydroxylase‐positive (TH+) neurons and high‐affinity [3H]DA uptake were assessed at day in vitro (DIV) 9. Separate midbrain cultures were treated with 100 ng/mL GGF2 on DIV 0 and exposed to the catecholamine‐specific neurotoxin 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA) on DIV 4. GGF2 treatment significantly increased DA uptake, the number of TH+ neurons, and neurite outgrowth when compared to the controls in both the serum‐free and the 6‐OHDA‐challenged cultures. Furthermore, three NRG receptors were detected in the midbrain cultures by western blot analysis. Immunostaining for glial fibrillary acidic protein revealed that GGF2 also weakly promoted mesencephalic glial proliferation in the midbrain cultures. These results indicate that GGF2 is neurotrophic and neuroprotective for developing dopaminergic neurons and suggest a role for NRGs in repair of the damaged nigrostriatal system that occurs in Parkinson's disease.
Managing the Second Stage of Labor: Using Evidence to Guide Practice
Authors: Cesario Sandra K. 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT Objective: The primary objectives of this exploratory study were: (1) review the literature to identify evidence‐based labor management interventions, (2) re‐evaluate the “average” length of labor associated with good childbirth outcomes, and (3) determine if there is a consensus among labor and delivery nurse managers regarding the need to revise the Friedman's Labor Curve. Design: This pilot study utilized a comprehensive literature review and an anonymous cross‐sectional survey design. Surveys were mailed to 500 maternity care agencies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico with a return rate of 17.8% (n = 89). Each participating agency was asked to submit five patient cases to be included in the analysis. Sample and Setting: The sample of patient cases (n = 419) was drawn from randomly selected maternity care agencies throughout North America representing all sizes of agencies and geographic locations. The cases submitted for analysis represented women 14 to 44 years of age with varying ethnicities who received no regional anesthesia or oxytocin augmentation or induction. Results: The average length of the second stage of labor for women today is similar to the length described by Friedman in 1954. However, a wider range of “normal” was found in the current study. A review of literature suggests non‐directive pushing and a greater variety of birthing positions improves second‐stage labor outcomes. Most (87.6%) nurse managers believed that Friedman's Labor Curve should be revised to meet the needs of current patient populations, technological advances, and nursing responsibilities. Conclusions: The parameters, assessments, and interventions currently employed during the second stage of labor need to be re‐evaluated to incorporate the most recent evidence to support best practices.
Realizing APN‐Level Evidence‐Based Practice Efforts: A Multiple‐Skill Development Model
Authors: Hopkins Clare M 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT Objective: To test a nursing education model to facilitate development of the multiple research‐related critiquing, implementation, and entrepreneurial skills needed by master's students to promote effective EBP efforts. Design: Piloting a two‐course research experience model, students honed critiquing skills for evaluating evidence through an integrated literature review, developed implementation skills by designing and presenting an EBP‐change proposal to health care personnel (HCP), and developing entrepreneurial skills for promoting agency adoption of the change through an agency assessment and an evaluation of post‐presentation HCP responses. Population: Graduate nursing students in a Southwestern Pennsylvania college. Method: Teaching/learning strategies included didactic methods to summarize topics, interactive group work to hone collaborative and entrepreneurial skills, and assignments to hone critical‐thinking and presentation skills prior to presenting the proposal to HCP. A wrap‐up session was used to discuss the process and realities of attempts to implement EBP change. Findings: Using this model, examples of students' EBP change efforts included both fall‐risk assessment and prevention strategies and staff hand‐washing techniques/education in long‐term care facilities, self‐scheduling in an ICU, acrylic nail use by hospital HCP, and efforts to create NP roles in a same‐day surgery unit and a specialty plastic surgery practice. Conclusions: To realize EBP efforts, graduate students must develop a range of research‐related skills. The use of one nursing education model that added entrepreneurial skills to facilitate agency “buy‐in” for EBP change has been found to increase student interest both in evaluating research findings and in conducting EBP efforts. The model has been implemented as a capstone experience in the pilot institution. Implications: Advanced practice nurses play a pivotal role in bringing research into clinical practice. Nurse educators can facilitate APN student development into this role through the use of models that teach multiple research‐related skills for evaluating and selling EBP to HCP.
A Collaborative Practice Model Reduces Indwelling Urinary Catheter Use and Risk for Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infections
Authors: Conklin Sandra Maddux 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT Objectives: (1) Decrease use of indwelling urinary catheters. (2) Limit the number of overall catheter days. Design: Prospective cohort study. Population, Sample, Setting, and Years: Patients requiring indwelling urinary catheters admitted to general medical units at Yale‐New Haven Hospital were included. Patients with chronic catheters were excluded. Data were collected in spring 2002 and repeated in spring 2003. Intervention and Outcome: A physician–nurse protocol was developed to allow physicians to select, via a computerized order‐entry system, one the following options: (1) discontinue catheter, (2) maintain catheter for 48 hours, or (3) maintain chronic device. The protocol permits nurses to independently remove urinary catheters for patients meeting established criteria. Outcome measures included calculated device days (CDD), calculated infection rates (CIR), and device utilization ratio (DUR). Methods: During 53 consecutive days in 2002, all patients (n = 883) were assessed for occurrence, duration, and appropriateness of catheter use. Patients with catheters were assessed for infection. This procedure was repeated 1 year later postintervention (n = 894). Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings: Compared to baseline, there was a 51% reduction in catheter use post intervention (164 versus 81) among all four patient units. Although the outcome variables were not statistically significant, they were clinically significant. The CDD declined from 892 to 521 days, a 42% reduction, while the CIR decreased from 36 of 1000 to 19 of 1000 patient days (47% reduction). The DUR (device days/all patient days) fell from 16% to 10%. One unit demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in CIR (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Results of this study demonstrate that use of a collaborative practice model reduces indwelling urinary catheter use and risk for nosocomial urinary tract infections. Implications: This protocol will heighten clinicians' awareness of the appropriate use of catheters and parameters to guide decision‐making regarding their removal.
Australian Research Translation Models for Reducing the Gap Between Research and Practice
Authors: Bucknall Tracey K. 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT Objective: Significant findings in many disciplines have demonstrated that decision making and organizational change are context dependent. The implications of this knowledge in implementing evidence‐based practice are that no one model fits all situations. Hence two models of translation science were selected for analysis in this presentation to demonstrate a range of outcomes within the Australian health care context. Approach: The National Institute of Clinical Studies, a federally funded organization established to improve health care by closing the gaps between best available evidence and current clinical practice, and the Victorian Centre for Nursing Practice Research Clinical Research Fellowship (CRF), a state‐based program, have been drawn upon to demonstrate critical themes in research translation. Findings: The analysis reveals several factors critical for the transfer of research into practice. These include: the importance of the type and nature of evidence to be implemented; an understanding of stakeholder drivers; capacity and outcome needs at the political, organizational, clinician, and patient levels; and the ability of the various change agent roles to promote and legitimize the changes required. Conclusion: Implementing research evidence into clinical practice is a complex and dynamic process. Critical analysis of research evidence, current practice, and the potential benefits from multidisciplinary perspectives is necessary. As change proceeds, information exchange, concurrent review, evaluation, and modification of practice need to occur. Measurement and feedback are integral to the dynamic process if adjustment and system change are to occur in a sustainable way. Implications: Political, organizational, clinician, and patient implications will be discussed in the presentation.
Pyruvate Oxidase Is a Determinant of Avery's Rough Morphology
Authors: Belanger Aimee E. , Clague Melissa J. , Glass John I. , LeBlanc Donald J. 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT

In pioneering studies, Avery et al. identified DNA as the hereditary material (A. T. Avery, C. M. MacLeod, and M. McCarty, J. Exp. Med.
79
:137-158, 1944). They demonstrated, by means of variation in colony morphology, that this substance could transform their rough type 2
Streptococcus pneumoniae
strain R36A into a smooth type 3 strain. It has become accepted as fact, from modern textbook accounts of these experiments, that smooth pneumococci make capsule, while rough strains do not. We found that rough-to-smooth morphology conversion did not occur in rough strains R36A and R6 when the ability to synthesize native type 2 capsule was restored. The continued rough morphology of these encapsulated strains was attributed to a second, since-forgotten, morphology-affecting mutation that was sustained by R36A during strain development. We used a new genome-PCR-based approach to identify
spxB
, the gene encoding pyruvate oxidase, as the mutated locus in R36A and R6 that, with unencapsulation, gives rise to rough colony morphology, as we know it. The variant
spxB
allele of R36A and R6 is associated with increased cellular pyruvate oxidase activity relative to the ancestral strain D39. Increased pyruvate oxidase activity alters colony shape by mediating cell death. R36A requires a wild-type
spxB
allele for the expression of smooth type 2 morphology but not for the expression of smooth type 3 morphology, the phenotype monitored by Avery et al. Thus, the mutated
spxB
allele did not impact their use of smooth morphology to identify the transforming principle.
HMW1 Is Required for Stability and Localization of HMW2 to the Attachment Organelle of
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Authors: Willby Melisa J. , Balish Mitchell F. , Ross Stephanie M. , Lee Kyungok K. , Jordan Jarrat L. , Krause Duncan C. 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT

The cytoskeletal proteins HMW1 and HMW2 are components of the terminal organelle of the cell wall-less bacterium
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
. HMW1 is required for a tapered, filamentous morphology but exhibits accelerated turnover in the absence of HMW2. Here, we report that a reciprocal dependency exists between HMW1 and HMW2, with HMW2 subject to accelerated turnover with the loss of HMW1. Furthermore, the instability of HMW2 correlated with its failure to localize to the attachment organelle. The C-terminal domain of HMW1 is essential for both function and its accelerated turnover in the absence of HMW2. We constructed HMW1 deletion derivatives lacking portions of this domain and examined each for stability and function. The C-terminal 41 residues were particularly important for proper localization and function in cell morphology and P1 localization, but the entire C-terminal domain was required to stabilize HMW2. The significance of these findings in the context of attachment organelle assembly is considered.
Genetic Evidence that Catabolites of the Entner-Doudoroff Pathway Signal C Source Repression of the σ54PuPromoter ofPseudomonas putida
Authors: Velázquez Francisco , di Bartolo Ilaria , de Lorenzo Víctor 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACTGlucose and other C sources exert an atypical form of catabolic repression on the σ54-dependent promoterPu, which drives transcription of an operon form-xylene degradation encoded by the TOL plasmid pWW0 inPseudomonas putida. We have used a genetic approach to identify the catabolite(s) shared by all known repressive C sources that appears to act as the intracellular signal that triggers downregulation ofPu. To this end, we reconstructed from genomic data the pathways for metabolism of repressor (glucose, gluconate) and nonrepressor (fructose) C sources. SinceP. putidalacks fructose-6-phosphate kinase, glucose and gluconate appear to be metabolized exclusively by the Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway, while fructose can be channeled through the Embden-Meyerhof (EM) route. An insertion in the genefda(encoding fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase) that forces fructose metabolism to be routed exclusively to the ED pathway makes this sugar inhibitory forPu. On the contrary, acrcmutation known to stimulate expression of the ED enzymes causes the promoter to be less sensitive to glucose. Interrupting the ED pathway by knocking outeda(encoding 2-dehydro-3-deoxyphosphogluconate aldolase) exacerbates the inhibitory effect of glucose inPu. These observations pinpoint the key catabolites of the ED route, 6-phosphogluconate and/or 2-dehydro-3-deoxyphosphogluconate, as the intermediates that signalPurepression. This notion is strengthened by the observation that 2-ketogluconate, which enters the ED pathway by conversion into these compounds, is a strong repressor of thePupromoter.
Isolation of
Escherichia coli
Bacteriophages from the Stool of Pediatric Diarrhea Patients in Bangladesh
Authors: Chibani-Chennoufi Sandra , Sidoti Josette , Bruttin Anne , Dillmann Marie-Lise , Kutter Elizabeth , Qadri Firdausi , Sarker Shafiqul Alam , Brüssow Harald 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT

A 3-week coliphage survey was conducted in stool samples from 140 Bangladeshi children hospitalized with severe diarrhea. On the
Escherichia coli
indicator strain K803, all but one phage isolate had 170-kb genomes and the morphology of T4 phage. In spot tests, the individual T4-like phages infected up to 27 out of 40 diarrhea-associated
E. coli,
representing 22 O serotypes and various virulence factors; only five of them were not infected by any of these new phages. A combination of diagnostic PCR based on
g32
(DNA binding) and
g23
(major capsid protein) and Southern hybridization revealed that half were T-even phages sensu strictu, while the other half were pseudo-T-even or even more distantly related T4-like phages that failed to cross-hybridize with T4 or between each other. Nineteen percent of the acute stool samples yielded T4-like phages, and the prevalence was lower in convalescent stool samples. T4-like phages were also isolated from environmental and sewage water, but with low frequency and low titers. On the enteropathogenic
E. coli
strain O127:K63, 14% of the patients yielded phage, all of which were members of the phage family
Siphoviridae
with 50-kb genomes, showing the morphology of Jersey- and beta-4 like phages and narrow lytic patterns on
E. coli
O serotypes. Three siphovirus types could be differentiated by lack of cross-hybridization. Only a few stool samples were positive on both indicator strains. Phages with closely related restriction patterns and, in the case of T4-like phages, identical
g23
gene sequences were isolated from different patients, suggesting epidemiological links between the patients.
Isolation and Expression of the
xynB
Gene and Its Product, XynB, a Consistent Component of the
Clostridium cellulovorans
Cellulosome
Authors: Han Sung Ok , Yukawa Hideaki , Inui Masayuki , Doi Roy H. 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT

The nucleotide sequence of the
Clostridium cellulovorans xynB
gene, which encodes the XynB xylanase, consists of 1,821 bp and encodes a protein of 607 amino acids with a molecular weight of 65,976. XynB contains a typical N-terminal signal peptide of 29 amino acid residues, followed by a 147-amino-acid sequence that is homologous to the family 4-9 (subfamily 9 in family 4) carbohydrate-binding domain. Downstream of this domain is a family 10 catalytic domain of glycosyl hydrolase. The C terminus separated from the catalytic domain by a short linker sequence contains a dockerin domain responsible for cellulosome assembly. The XynB sequence from mass spectrometry and N-terminal amino acid sequence analyses agreed with that deduced from the nucleotide sequence. XynB was highly active toward xylan, but not active toward carboxymethyl cellulose. The enzyme was optimally active at 40°C and pH 5.0. Northern hybridizations revealed that
xynB
is transcribed as a monocistronic 1.9-kb mRNA. RNA ligase-mediated rapid amplification of 5′ cDNA ends by PCR (RLM-5′RACE PCR) analysis of
C. cellulovorans
RNA identified a single transcriptional start site of
xynB
located 47 bp upstream from the first nucleotide of the translation initiation codon. Alignment of the
xynB
promoter region provided evidence for highly conserved sequences that exhibited strong similarity to the σ
A
consensus promoter sequences of gram-positive bacteria. Expression of
xynB
mRNA increased from early to middle exponential phase and decreased during the early stationary phase when the cells were grown on cellobiose. No alternative promoter was observed by RLM-5′RACE PCR and reverse transcriptase PCR analyses during expression. The analysis of the products from xylan hydrolysis by thin-layer chromatography indicated its endoxylanase activity. The results suggest that XynB is a consistent and major cellulosomal enzyme during growth on cellulose or xylan.
Transcriptomic and Proteomic Characterization of the Fur Modulon in the Metal-Reducing Bacterium
Shewanella oneidensis
Authors: Wan Xiu-Feng , VerBerkmoes Nathan C. , McCue Lee Ann , Stanek Dawn , Connelly Heather , Hauser Loren J. , Wu Liyou , Liu Xueduan , Yan Tingfen , Leaphart Adam , Hettich Robert L. , Zhou Jizhong , Thompson Dorothea K. 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT

The availability of the complete genome sequence for
Shewanella oneidensis
MR-1 has permitted a comprehensive characterization of the ferric uptake regulator (Fur) modulon in this dissimilatory metal-reducing bacterium. We have employed targeted gene mutagenesis, DNA microarrays, proteomic analysis using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and computational motif discovery tools to define the
S. oneidensis
Fur regulon. Using this integrated approach, we identified nine probable operons (containing 24 genes) and 15 individual open reading frames (ORFs), either with unknown functions or encoding products annotated as transport or binding proteins, that are predicted to be direct targets of Fur-mediated repression. This study suggested, for the first time, possible roles for four operons and eight ORFs with unknown functions in iron metabolism or iron transport-related functions. Proteomic analysis clearly identified a number of transporters, binding proteins, and receptors related to iron uptake that were up-regulated in response to a
fur
deletion and verified the expression of nine genes originally annotated as pseudogenes. Comparison of the transcriptome and proteome data revealed strong correlation for genes shown to be undergoing large changes at the transcript level. A number of genes encoding components of the electron transport system were also differentially expressed in a
fur
deletion mutant. The gene
omcA
(SO1779), which encodes a decaheme cytochrome
c
, exhibited significant decreases in both mRNA and protein abundance in the
fur
mutant and possessed a strong candidate Fur-binding site in its upstream region, thus suggesting that
omcA
may be a direct target of Fur activation.