bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Medical Support for the 2009 World Police and Fire Games: A Descriptive Analysis of a Large-Scale Participation Event and its Impact
Authors: Gutman Samuel J. , Lund Adam , Turris Sheila A.
Published: March 2011

Introduction: In the summer of 2009, British Columbia hosted the World Police and Fire Games (WPFG). The event brought together 10,599 athletes from 55 countries. In this descriptive, Canadian study, the composition of the medical team is analyzed, the unique challenges faced are discussed, and an analysis of the illness and injury rates is presented. This event occurred during a labor dispute affecting the sole provider of emergency ambulance service in the jurisdiction, which necessitated additional planning and resource allocation. As such, the context of this event as it relates to the literature on mass gathering medicine is discussed with a focus on how large-scale public events can impact emergency services for the community.

Methods: This is a case report study.

Results: There were 1,462 patient encounters. The majority involved musculo-skeletal injuries (53.8%). The patient presentation rate (PPR) was 109.40/1,000. The medical transfer rate (MTR) was 2.32/1,000. The ambulance transfer rate (ATR) for the 2009 WPFG was 0.52/1,000. In total, 31 patients were transported to the hospital, the majority for diagnostic evaluation. Only seven calls were placed to 9-1-1 for emergency ambulance service.

Conclusions: The 2009 WPFG was a mass-gathering sporting event that presented specific challenges in relation to medical support. Despite relatively high patient presentation rates, the widely spread geography of the event, and a reduced ability to depend on 9-1-1 emergency medical services, there was minimal impact on local emergency services. Adequate planning and preparation is crucial for events that have the potential to degrade existing public resources and access to emergency health services for participants and the public at large.
Debating Allison on Transcendental Idealism
Authors: Wood Allen , Guyer Paul , Allison Henry E.
Published: March 2011

People talk about rats deserting a sinking ship, but they don't usually ask where the rats go. Perhaps this is only because the answer is so obvious: of course, most of the rats climb aboard the sounder ships, the ships that ride high in the water despite being laden with rich cargoes of cheese and grain and other things rats love, the ships that bring prosperity to ports like eighteenth-century Königsberg and firms such as Green & Motherby. By making the insulting comparison - as I am in the course of doing – between us Kant scholars and a horde of noxious vermin, my more or less transparent aim is to mitigate, or at least to distract attention from, the collective immodesty of what I am saying about us. For my point is that, in the past half-century or so, Kant studies has become a very prosperous ship indeed. Its success has even been the chief thing that has buoyed all its sister ships in the fleet of modern philosophy, most of which are also doing very well.
The Cultivation of Sensibility in Kant's Moral Philosophy
Authors: Papish Laura
Published: March 2011

In his later moral writings Kant claims that we have a duty to cultivate certain aspects of our sensuous nature. This claim is surprising for three reasons. First, given Kant's ‘incorporation thesis’ – which states that the only sensible states capable of determining our actions are those that we willingly introduce and integrate into our maxims – it would seem that the content of our inclinations is morally irrelevant. Second, the exclusivity between the passivity that is characteristic of sensibility and the spontaneous quality of our free will that operates throughout Kant's philosophy seems to preclude that any such cultivation is possible. Third, Kant's specific arguments concerning why we are obliged to cultivate our sensible nature are unclear. The goal of this paper is to address each of these three concerns and thus fully explain Kant's theory of the moral necessity of cultivation.
Individual and Collective Flourishing in Kant's Philosophy
Authors: Denis Lara
Published: March 2011

In ‘Happiness and Human Flourishing’, Thomas E. Hill, Jr, contrasts Kant's notion of happiness with that of human flourishing, explains the role of happiness in Kant's ethics, and suggests some reasons why Kant portrays happiness rather than flourishing as the non-moral good of the individual. While there is much I agree with in Hill's essay, I disagree with Hill on how best to conceive of human flourishing in Kant's philosophy, and on the importance of human flourishing in Kant's ethics. Comparing my views with Hill's is not what chiefly interests me, however. After section 1, I make little explicit reference to ‘Happiness and Human Flourishing’. Instead, I seek to expand the discussion begun there by Hill of ‘how happiness and human flourishing are (or are not) relevant to [Kantian] ethics’ (HHF 164).
The Juridical Significance of Kant's ‘Supposed Right to Lie’
Authors: Weinrib Jacob
Published: March 2011

In his ‘On a Supposed Right to Lie from Philanthropy’ (SRL) Kant makes the astonishing claim that one is not entitled to lie even to save a friend from a murderer. This claim has been an embarrassment for Kant's defenders and an indication of Kant's excessive rigour for his detractors. Responses to SRL fall into three main groups. The first of these groups, that of Kant's critics, claim that SRL demonstrates that Kant's ethical views are so rigorous that they become abhorrent in practice. The second group, Kant's defenders, argues that Kant's conclusions in SRL do not follow from his own ethical principles. The third group, made up of scholars who are generally sympathetic to Kant's position, attempts to explain why a liar is responsible (but an honest person is not) for all the bad consequences that follow from his act by providing an account of Kant's theory of imputation.
Kant's Critique of Right
Authors: Banham Gary
Published: March 2011

This article has two objectives: first, to bring to the fore Kant's neglected distinction between ‘critique’ and ‘doctrine’ and, second, to relate this distinction to Kant's notion of a philosophy of right. Kant's culminating contribution to practical philosophy, the Metaphysics of Morals, contains a doctrine of right and this ‘doctrine’ has received relatively little attention thus far in English-language writing on Kant. One of the reasons for this relative neglect is, I believe, due to the prevalent attention provided to Kant's practical critique at the expense of his practical doctrine. I aim to provide an account of Kant's critique of right in order to enable an understanding of Kant's doctrine of right to be provided with some initial orientation. I will be suggesting that this critique of right is presented in Toward Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch.
Kant's Taxonomy of the Emotions
Authors: Sorensen Kelly D.
Published: March 2011

If there is to be any progress in the debate about what sort of positive moral status Kant can give the emotions, we need a taxonomy of the terms Kant uses for these concepts. It used to be thought that Kant had little room for emotions in his ethics. In the past three decades, Marcia Baron, Paul Guyer, Barbara Herman, Nancy Sherman, Allen Wood and others have argued otherwise. Contrary to what a cursory reading of the Groundwork may indicate, Kant thinks the emotions play an important role in the moral life. I want to extend the work of Baron, Guyer, Herman, Sherman and Wood in three ways. First, I will set out in a diagram Kant's taxonomy of feelings and emotions. Agreement on such a taxonomy should make it easier to evaluate debates about Kant and the emotions. Second, I will focus on a certain subclass of emotions – reason-caused affects – that have previously received little attention, even from these Kant scholars. Third, these scholars base much of their defence of Kant on his later works – especially the Metaphysics of Morals (1797) and the Anthropology (1798) – but Kant's fairly rich taxonomy of the emotions, including reason-caused affects, is clearly in place at least as early as the Critique of Judgment (1790). I believe that the Critique of Judgment is an importantly ignored resource for understanding the moral role of the emotions for Kant. The third Critique makes positive, philosophically interesting claims about the emotions and morality. Kant emphasizes certain roles for emotions in this work that he develops to the same extent nowhere else. Nevertheless, the Critique of Judgment goes all but unmentioned by many who write on these issues. In what follows, I will defend as many of my claims as possible using the third Critique.
Three Remarks on the Interpretation of Kant on Incongruent Counterparts
Authors: Severo Rogério Passos
Published: March 2011

In recent times, a number of authors have systematically criticized Kant's 1768 ‘proof’ of the reality of absolute space. Peter Remnant may have been the first do to so, but many others have since joined him, either challenging the argument itself or showing how relationist conceptions of space can account for incongruent counterparts just as well as absolutist conceptions. In fact, Kant himself abandoned his main conclusion soon after publication, favouring instead the doctrine of transcendental idealism. I do not see how the 1768 proof can be saved, nor will I defend it here. However, in dismissing it some critics seem to have gone too far, and either failed to fully acknowledge Kant's contribution, or attributed to him thoughts he is unlikely to have had. Kant's treatment of incongruent counterparts in hisDissertationof 1770 has also met strong opposition. In particular, his claim that the difference between a pair of incongruent counterparts cannot be apprehended by means of concepts alone has been taken to be a mathematical falsehood. Indeed, incongruent counterparts have been shown to be mathematically distinguishable, with no intuitions needed for that purpose.
Transcendental Realism, Empirical Realism and Transcendental Idealism
Authors: Allison Henry E.
Published: March 2011

The debate regarding the interpretation of Kant's idealism is usually seen as turning on the best way to understand his transcendental distinction between appearances and things in themselves: that it marks either a contrast between two types of thing (the ‘two-object’ or ‘two-world’ view) or one between two sides or aspects of ordinary empirical objects (the ‘two-aspect’ view). But, even though I have long been associated with the latter camp, I have also thought for many years that this is not the most helpful way to frame the issue. The problem lies in an ambiguity inherent in the two-aspect view. It can be understood either metaphysically, as a thesis about the kinds of properties attributable to empirical objects, that is, as a form of property dualism in which these objects are assigned both phenomenal and noumenal properties, or methodologically, as a contrast between two ways in which such objects can be considered in a philosophical reflection on the conditions of their cognition. Accordingly, I take the fundamental question to be whether transcendental idealism is to be understood in the latter way or as a form of metaphysical dualism (whether as a thing or a property dualism being a matter of relative indifference). And I have further thought that the best way of addressingthatquestion is through a consideration of the view which Kant opposes to transcendental idealism, namely, transcendental realism. If this realism is identified with a particular metaphysical doctrine then transcendental idealism must be as well; but if, as I maintain, transcendental realism cannot be so understood, then neither can Kant's idealism.
De la formation et de l'emploi des Infirmières
Authors: von Corval
Published: March 2011

L'Association des dames badoises,, placée sous lé patronage de S. A. la grande duchesse Louise, a déployé une grande activité pendant l'année qui vient de s'écouler.
Essai sur les points fondamentaux de la médecine militaire par M. Le Dr Weinmann
Authors: Schnyder
Published: March 2011

Nous venons de parcourir l'Essai populaire sur l'hygiène militaire à l'usage des officiers et des soldats de l'armée suisse, sorti récemment de la plume de notre collègue M. le Dr Weinmann, médecin de division à Winterthur.
La Société suédoise en 1876
Authors: Leijonhufvud A.-G. , von Heyne Axel
Published: March 2011

Le Comité central suédois nous envoie le compte rendu suivaut qu'il a présenté à l'assemblée générale du 11 décembre 1876 :

Plus d'une année s'est écoulée depuis le 1er novembre 1875, époque où, pour la dernière fois, les membres de la Société se sont réunis, afin d'entendre le rapport du Comité-directeur sur l'activité de la Société, l'administration et l'emploi des fonds recueillis. Durant toute cette année, la paix n'a cessé de répandre ses bénédictions sur la Suède; mais, en revanche, dans certaines parties de l'Europe, la guerre a s´vi de manière à émouvoir tous les cœurs qui compatissent aux souffrances de l'humanité.
La Croix Rouge italienne aux grandes manœuvres de l'armée Royale
Authors: Maggiorani Vincenzo
Published: March 2011

J'ai l'honneur de présenter au Comité-central un rapport sur la participation de la Croix rouge italienne aux grandes manœuvres de 1880, aupràs du premier corps de l'armée, dans le Haut-Novarais.
Délégations régionales de la Société française
Authors: d'Arlandes Th. Vernes
Published: March 2011

L'investissement de Paris, loin d'être une cause de ralentissement dans la marche de la guerre, étant devenu, au contraire, le point de départ d'une extension considérable des opérations militaires, les membres du Comité central, délégués par lui sur les différentes parties du territoire, et les Comités sectionnaires, malheureusement alors en petit nombre, qui devaient seconder leur action, se trouv`rent placés en face de nécessités urgentes et d'innombrables besoins, auxquels il y avait à pourvoir dans le plus bref délai. Plus que jamais il fallait se hâter de rechercher les moyens les plus efficaces de disputer à la guerre la multitude de victimes qui tombent sur les champs de bataille, mais que la mort n'a pas encore moissonnées.
Le Congès d'hygiène et de sauvetage
Authors: Dr Appia
Published: March 2011

Je ne voudrais pas que le prochain Bulletin parût sans une lettre de votre délégué au Congrès de Bruxelles; mais le temps qui me presse ne me permettra peut-être pas d'entrer dans beaucoup de détails.
Les chiens du service de santé
Authors: F.
Published: March 2011

Sous ce titre, le Dr Fritz Ask i ésume dans le Caducée, un mémoire paru dans le Tidskrift i militär Hälsovard sur l'emploi qu'on peut faire des chiens pour la recherche des blessés sur le champ de bataille.
La huitième conférence internationale des Sociétés de la Croix-Rouge
Authors: Odier E. , Moynier G. , Ador Gustave
Published: March 2011

Selon une tradition dès longtemps acceptée et que la dernière Conférence de St-Pétersbourg a confirmée à son tour, il appartient au Comité international de se préoccuper en temps opportun de la réunion des assises internationales qui rassemblent périodiquement les délégués de toutes les Sociétés nationales de la Croix-Rouge.
Personnel du Comité international (Cent-cinquante-sixième Circulaire aux Comités Centraux)
Authors: Ador Gustave
Published: March 2011

Au cours des dernières années et tout récemment encore, la mort ayant creusé des vides au sein du Comité international, ce dernier a été appelé à les combler.
How can cells in the anterior medial face patch be viewpoint invariant?
Authors: Leibo Joel , Mutch Jim , Poggio Tomaso
Published: March 2011

In a recent paper, Freiwald and Tsao (2010) found evidence that the responses of cells in the macaque anterior medial (AM) face patch are invariant to significant changes in viewpoint. The monkey subjects had no prior experience with the individuals depicted in the stimuli and were never given an opportunity to view the same individual from different viewpoints sequentially. These results cannot be explained by a mechanism based on temporal association of experienced views. Employing a biologically plausible model of object recognition (software available at cbcl.mit.edu), we show two mechanisms which could account for these results. First, we show that hair style and skin color provide sufficient information to enable viewpoint recognition without resorting to any mechanism that associates images across views. It is likely that a large part of the effect described in patch AM is attributable to these cues. Separately, we show that it is possible to further improve view-invariance using class-specific features (see Vetter 1997). Faces, as a class, transform under 3D rotation in similar enough ways that it is possible to use previously viewed example faces to learn a general model of how all faces rotate. Novel faces can be encoded relative to these previously encountered “template” faces and thus recognized with some degree of invariance to 3D rotation. Since each object class transforms differently under 3D rotation, it follows that invariant recognition from a single view requires a recognition architecture with a detection step determining the class of an object (e.g. face or non-face) prior to a subsequent identification stage utilizing the appropriate class-specific features.
Pressure dependent mechanistic branching in the formation pathways of secondary organic aerosol from cyclic-alkene gas-phase ozonolysis
Authors: Wolf Jan Lennard , Richters Stefanie , Pecher Lisa , Zeuch Thomas
Published: March 2011

Pressure shows a strong influence on aerosol yields from the gas phase ozonolysis of terpenes and other cyclic alkenes.
A brief history of TOR
Authors: Loewith Robbie
Published: March 2011

The TOR (target of rapamycin) serine/threonine kinases are fascinating in that they influence many different aspects of eukaryote physiology including processes often dysregulated in disease. Beginning with the initial characterization of rapamycin as an antifungal agent, studies with yeast have contributed greatly to our understanding of the molecular pathways in which TORs operate. Recently, building on advances in quantitative MS, the rapamycin-dependent phosphoproteome in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was elucidated. These studies emphasize the central importance of TOR and highlight its many previously unrecognized functions. One of these, the regulation of intermediary metabolism, is discussed.
Signalling by amino acid nutrients
Authors: Yan Lijun , Lamb Richard F.
Published: March 2011

It is clear that mTORC1 (mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1) is regulated by the presence of ambient amino acid nutrients. However, the mechanism by which amino acids regulate mTORC1 is still open to question, despite extensive efforts. Our recent work has revealed that PR61ϵ, a B56 family regulatory subunit of PP2A (protein phosphatase 2A), associates with and regulates the activity of MAP4K3 (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase 3), a protein kinase regulated by amino acid sufficiency that acts upstream of mTORC1. In searching for a physiological process regulated by amino acids, we have demonstrated recently that arginine plays a role in the activation of LPS (lipopolysaccharide)-induced MEK [MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase)/ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) kinase]/ERK signalling in macrophages. PP2A similarly associates with the upstream regulator of MEK in this signalling pathway, TPL-2 (tumour progression locus-2), in response to arginine availability. Thus PP2A is a negative regulator of both MAP4K3 and TPL-2 in both mTORC1 and MEK/ERK signalling pathways.
Differing effects of rapamycin and mTOR kinase inhibitors on protein synthesis
Authors: Huo Yilin , Iadevaia Valentina , Proud Christopher G.
Published: March 2011

mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) forms two distinct types of complex, mTORC (mTOR complex) 1 and 2. Rapamycin inhibits some of the functions of mTORC1, whereas newly developed mTOR kinase inhibitors interfere with the actions of both types of complex. We have explored the effects of rapamycin and mTOR kinase inhibitors on general protein synthesis and, using a new stable isotope-labelling method, the synthesis of specific proteins. In HeLa cells, rapamycin only had a modest effect on total protein synthesis, whereas mTOR kinase inhibitors decreased protein synthesis by approx. 30%. This does not seem to be due to the ability of mTOR kinase inhibitors to block the binding of eIFs (eukaryotic initiation factors) eIF4G and eIF4E. Analysis of the effects of the inhibitors on the synthesis of specific proteins showed a spectrum of behaviours. As expected, synthesis of proteins encoded by mRNAs that contain a 5′-TOP (5′-terminal oligopyrimidine tract) was impaired by rapamycin, but more strongly by mTOR kinase inhibition. Several proteins not known to be encoded by 5′-TOP mRNAs also showed similar behaviour. Synthesis of proteins encoded by ‘non-TOP’ mRNAs was less inhibited by mTOR kinase inhibitors and especially by rapamycin. The implications of our findings are discussed.
Benefits of mTOR kinase targeting in oncology: pre-clinical evidence with AZD8055
Authors: Marshall Gayle , Howard Zoe , Dry Jonathan , Fenton Sarah , Heathcote Dan , Gray Neil , Keen Heather , Logie Armelle , Holt Sarah , Smith Paul , Guichard Sylvie M.
Published: March 2011

AZD8055 is a small-molecule inhibitor of mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) kinase activity. The present review highlights molecular and phenotypic differences between AZD8055 and allosteric inhibitors of mTOR such as rapamycin. Biomarkers, some of which are applicable to clinical studies, as well as biological effects such as autophagy, growth inhibition and cell death are compared between AZD8055 and rapamycin. Potential ways to develop rational combinations with mTOR kinase inhibitors are also discussed. Overall, AZD8055 may provide a better therapeutic strategy than rapamycin and analogues.
Regulation of plant growth and metabolism by the TOR kinase
Authors: Dobrenel Thomas , Marchive Chloé , Sormani Rodnay , Moreau Manon , Mozzo Milena , Montané Marie-Hélène , Menand Benoît , Robaglia Christophe , Meyer Christian
Published: March 2011

The TOR (target of rapamycin) kinase is present in nearly all eukaryotic organisms and regulates a wealth of biological processes collectively contributing to cell growth. The genome of the model plant Arabidopsis contains a single TOR gene and two RAPTOR (regulatory associated protein of TOR)/KOG1 (Kontroller of growth 1) and GβL/LST8 (G-protein β-subunit-like/lethal with Sec thirteen 8) genes but, in contrast with other organisms, plants appear to be resistant to rapamycin. Disruption of the RAPTOR1 and TOR genes in Arabidopsis results in an early arrest of embryo development. Plants that overexpress the TOR mRNA accumulate more leaf and root biomass, produce more seeds and are more resistant to stress. Conversely, the down-regulation of TOR by constitutive or inducible RNAi (RNA interference) leads to a reduced organ growth, to an early senescence and to severe transcriptomic and metabolic perturbations, including accumulation of sugars and amino acids. It thus seems that plant growth is correlated to the level of TOR expression. We have also investigated the effect of reduced TOR expression on tissue organization and cell division. We suggest that, like in other eukaryotes, the plant TOR kinase could be one of the main contributors to the link between environmental cues and growth processes.
Tetraspanins in cellular immunity
Authors: Jones Eleanor Livingston , Demaria Maria C. , Wright Mark D.
Published: March 2011

Tetraspanins are a superfamily of integral membrane proteins involved in the organization of microdomains that consist of both cell membrane proteins and cytoplasmic signalling molecules. These microdomains are important in regulating molecular recognition at the cell surface and subsequent signal transduction processes central to the generation of an efficient immune response. Tetraspanins, both immune-cell-specific, such as CD37, and ubiquitously expressed, such as CD81, have been shown to be imp-ortant in both innate and adaptive cellular immunity. This is via their molecular interaction with important immune cell-surface molecules such as antigen-presenting MHC proteins, T-cell co-receptors CD4 and CD8, as well as cytoplasmic molecules such as Lck and PKC (protein kinase C). Moreover, the generation of tetraspanin-deficient mice has enabled the study of these proteins in immunity. A variety of tetraspanins have a role in the regulation of pattern recognition, antigen presentation and T-cell proliferation. Recent studies have also begun to elucidate roles for tetraspanins in macrophages, NK cells (natural killer cells) and granulocytes.
Tetraspanin microdomains: fine-tuning platelet function
Authors: Haining Elizabeth J. , Yang Jing , Tomlinson Michael G.
Published: March 2011

Platelets are crucial for preventing excessive blood loss at sites of injury by plugging holes in damaged blood vessels through thrombus formation. Platelet thrombi can, however, cause heart attack or stroke by blocking diseased vessels upon rupture of atherosclerotic plaques. Current anti-platelet therapy is not effective in all patients and carries a risk of bleeding. As such, a major goal in platelet research is to identify new drug targets to specifically inhibit platelets in disease processes. Tetraspanins are potential candidates because of their capacity to regulate other proteins in microdomains, and their defined roles in cell adhesion and signalling. In the last 6 years, analyses of tetraspanin-deficient mice have suggested that tetraspanins are indeed important for fine-tuning platelet responses. The future characterization of novel regulatory mechanisms in tetraspanin microdomains may lead to new drug targets for the prevention and treatment of heart attack and stroke.
Single-molecule FRET reveals nucleotide-driven conformational changes in molecular machines and their link to RNA unwinding and DNA supercoiling
Authors: Klostermeier Dagmar
Published: March 2011

Many complex cellular processes in the cell are catalysed at the expense of ATP hydrolysis. The enzymes involved bind and hydrolyse ATP and couple ATP hydrolysis to the catalysed process via cycles of nucleotide-driven conformational changes. In this review, I illustrate how smFRET (single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer) can define the underlying conformational changes that drive ATP-dependent molecular machines. The first example is a DEAD-box helicase that alternates between two different conformations in its catalytic cycle during RNA unwinding, and the second is DNA gyrase, a topoisomerase that undergoes a set of concerted conformational changes during negative supercoiling of DNA.
Intermediates in serine recombinase-mediated site-specific recombination
Authors: Marshall Stark W. , Boocock Martin R. , Olorunniji Femi J. , Rowland Sally-J.
Published: March 2011

Site-specific recombinases are enzymes that promote precise rearrangements of DNA sequences. They do this by cutting and rejoining the DNA strands at specific positions within a pair of target sites recognized and bound by the recombinase. One group of these enzymes, the serine recombinases, initiates strand exchange by making double-strand breaks in the DNA of the two sites, in an intermediate built around a catalytic tetramer of recombinase subunits. However, these catalytic steps are only the culmination of a complex pathway that begins when recombinase subunits recognize and bind to their target sites as dimers. To form the tetramer-containing reaction intermediate, two dimer-bound sites are brought together by protein dimer–dimer interactions. During or after this initial synapsis step, the recombinase subunit and tetramer conformations change dramatically by repositioning of component subdomains, bringing about a transformation of the enzyme from an inactive to an active configuration. In natural serine recombinase systems, these steps are subject to elaborate regulatory mechanisms in order to ensure that cleavage and rejoining of DNA strands only happen when and where they should, but we and others have identified recombinase mutants that have lost dependence on this regulation, thus facilitating the study of the basic steps leading to catalysis. We describe how our studies on activated mutants of two serine recombinases, Tn3 resolvase and Sin, are providing us with insights into the structural changes that occur before catalysis of strand exchange, and how these steps in the reaction pathway are regulated.
Tribbles: ‘puzzling’ regulators of cell signalling
Authors: Kiss-Toth Endre
Published: March 2011

Sensing and interpreting extracellular signals in response to changes in the environment has been a fundamental feature of all life forms from the very beginning of evolution. To fulfil this function, networks of proteins have evolved, forming the intracellular signal transduction machinery. Whereas the appropriate control of these signal transduction systems is essential to homoeostasis, dysregulation of signalling leads to disease and often the death of the organism. The tribbles family of pseudokinases have emerged in recent years as key controllers of signal transduction via their interactions with several key kinases, ubiquitin ligases and transcription factors. In line with their role in regulating fundamentally important signalling pathways, members of the tribbles family have been implicated in the development of a range of human diseases. Whereas our mechanistic understanding of how these proteins contribute to disease is far from complete, the present paper attempts to summarize some of the most important recent developments in this field of research.
Inflammation: a role for NR4A orphan nuclear receptors?
Authors: McMorrow Jason P. , Murphy Evelyn P.
Published: March 2011

Inflammation is paradoxical; it is essential for protection following biological, chemical or physical stimuli, but inappropriate or misdirected inflammation is responsible for tissue injury in a variety of inflammatory diseases. The polarization of immune cells is critical in controlling the stages of inflammatory response. The acute phase of inflammation is characterized by a T-lymphocyte:Th2 cytokine profile and involves a co-ordinated migration of immune cells to the site of injury where production of cytokines and acute-phase proteins brings about healing. However, persistent inflammation can result in inappropriate and prolonged T-lymphocyte:Th1 cytokine-mediated action and reaction of self-molecules, leading to a chronic phase in diseases such as RA (rheumatoid arthritis), Ps (psoriasis) and atherosclerosis. The inflammatory response is also controlled by activated macrophage cells, with classically activated (M1) cells producing a wide variety of pro-inflammatory mediators, while alternatively activated (M2) macrophages participate in anti-inflammatory response. Members of the NR4A subfamily (NR4A1/NUR77, NR4A2/NURR1 and NR4A3/NOR1) of orphan NRs (nuclear receptors) have emerged as key transcriptional regulators of cytokine and growth factor action in diseases affecting our aging population. As ligand-independent and constitutively active receptors, the activity of these transcription factors is tightly controlled at the level of expression, post-translational modification and subcellular localization. NR4A subfamily members are aberrantly expressed in inflamed human synovial tissue, psoriatic skin, atherosclerotic lesions, lung and colorectal cancer cells. Significantly, prolonged or inappropriate inflammatory responses contribute to the pathogenesis of these diseases. In activated cells, NR4A receptors are rapidly and potently induced, suggesting that these receptors may act as important transcriptional mediators of inflammatory signals. NR4A receptors may contribute to the cellular processes that control inflammation, playing a critical part in the contribution of chronic inflammation or they may have a protective role, where they may mediate pro-resolution responses. Here, we will review the contribution of the NR4A orphan NRs to integration of cytokine signalling in inflammatory disorders.
Modeling the charge decay mechanism in nitrogen-rich silicon nitride films
Authors: Ren Yongling , Weber Klaus J. , Nursam Natalita M.
Published: March 2011

The stability of negative charge in nitrogen-rich silicon nitride films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition is investigated by analyzing the influence of storage temperature, postdeposition thermal annealing, and the presence of a tunnel oxide. The results are compared to a charge decay model. Comparison of experimental and modeled results indicates that (i) the tunnel oxide is almost entirely responsible for charge retention in samples with an oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) structure, with the trap properties playing an insignificant role; (ii) thermionic emission over the tunnel oxide barrier is the limiting charge decay mechanism; and (iii) thermal annealing of the films at 800 °C leads to an increase in the oxide-nitride barrier height by ∼0.22 eV, which results in a significant increase in the charge stability. Annealed ONO samples are predicted to maintain a negative charge density of >5×1012 cm−2 for well in excess of 100 years at a storage temperature of 100 °C.
Angle and polarization independent narrow-band thermal emitter made of metallic disk on SiO2
Authors: Abbas Mohammed Nadhim , Cheng Cheng-Wen , Chang Yia-Chung , Shih Min-Hsiung , Chen Hung-Hsin , Lee Si-Chen
Published: March 2011

It is shown that the metallic disk structure can be used as an efficient narrow-band thermal emitter in the IR region. The absorption spectra of such structure are investigated both theoretically and experimentally. Calculations of thermal radiation properties of the metallic disk show that the metallic disk is a perfect emitter at a specific wavelength, which can be tuned by varying the diameter of the disk. The metallic disk exhibits only one significant localized surface plasmon polariton (LSPP) mode for both TM and TE polarizations simultaneously. The LSPP mode can be tuned by either varying the disk diameter or the spacer (made of SiO2).
Wooden poles can provide habitat connectivity for a gliding mammal
Authors: Goldingay Ross L. , Taylor Brendan D. , Ball Tina
Published: March 2011

Gliding mammals may be susceptible to habitat fragmentation due to increased vulnerability to predators and road mortality if forced to cross roads and other canopy gaps on the ground. We document three trials where 6–12-m-high wooden poles, also known as glide poles, were installed to provide a link for gliding mammals across 50–75-m-wide canopy gaps, over open pasture or over roads. We used hair-traps over periods of 10–42 months to determine whether squirrel gliders (Petaurus norfolcensis) used the poles. Squirrel glider hair was detected on at least one pole during 69–100% of sampling sessions. At two road locations where poles were installed on wildlife land-bridges, hair was detected on poles in the middle of the bridge in 7–18 sessions, suggesting that complete crossings may have occurred. At one road location a camera-trap recorded a squirrel glider ascending a middle pole on five of 20 nights. Repeated use of the wooden poles by squirrel gliders at three locations suggests that tall wooden poles can restore habitat connectivity for a gliding mammal. We recommend further trials to extend our knowledge of the usefulness of this management tool for a range of gliding mammal species.
Pseudantechinus mimulus: a little known dasyurid marsupial
Authors: Woolley P. A.
Published: March 2011

Information has been gathered from a small number of specimens currently recognised as Pseudantechinus mimulus, 18 of which are registered in museum collections. The distribution of these specimens has been mapped and a more defined area than Alexandria Station proposed as the locality of collection of the holotype. Dental characteristics of P. mimulus, by which it was distinguished from P. macdonnellensis, have been examined and found to be more variable than previously thought. A difference between the two species was found in the morphology of the upper fourth molar. P. mimulus appears to be a seasonal breeder. Birth of the young probably occurs in August and September. The penis of P. mimulus is superficially similar to that of P. macdonnellensis. Both species have an appendage on the penis, but in P. mimulus the appendage may be shorter than that of its congener.
Droughts, floods and freshwater ecosystems: evaluating climate change impacts and developing adaptation strategies
Authors: Aldous Allison , Fitzsimons James , Richter Brian , Bach Leslie
Published: March 2011

Climate change is expected to have significant impacts on hydrologic regimes and freshwater ecosystems, and yet few basins have adequate numerical models to guide the development of freshwater climate adaptation strategies. Such strategies can build on existing freshwater conservation activities, and incorporate predicted climate change impacts. We illustrate this concept with three case studies. In the Upper Klamath Basin of the western USA, a shift in land management practices would buffer this landscape from a declining snowpack. In the Murray–Darling Basin of south-eastern Australia, identifying the requirements of flood-dependent natural values would better inform the delivery of environmental water in response to reduced runoff and less water. In the Savannah Basin of the south-eastern USA, dam managers are considering technological and engineering upgrades in response to more severe floods and droughts, which would also improve the implementation of recommended environmental flows. Even though the three case studies are in different landscapes, they all contain significant freshwater biodiversity values. These values are threatened by water allocation problems that will be exacerbated by climate change, and yet all provide opportunities for the development of effective climate adaptation strategies.
River conservation in a changing world: invertebrate diversity and spatial prioritisation in south-eastern coastal Australia
Authors: Turak E. , Marchant R. , Barmuta L. A. , Davis J. , Choy S. , Metzeling L.
Published: March 2011

Concentration of human populations with likely impacts of climate change present major challenges for river conservation in the south-eastern coastal region of Australia. Quantitative methods for spatial prioritisation of conservation actions can play a major role in meeting these challenges. We examined how these methods may be applied to help plan for potential impacts of climate change in the region, using macroinvertebrate assemblages as surrogates of river biodiversity. Environmental gradients explaining broad-scale patterns in the composition of macroinvertebrate assemblages are well represented in protected areas; however, their effectiveness for conserving river biodiversity with climate change depends on linking management inside and outside protected areas. Projected increases in temperature and sea level may be used to prioritise conservation to counter likely major impacts in high-altitude zones and the coastal fringes, whereas elsewhere, considerable uncertainty remains in the absence of better downscaled projections of rainfall. Applying such spatial prioritisations using biodiversity surrogates could help river-focussed conservation around the world.
Integration of environmental flow assessment and freshwater conservation planning: a new era in catchment management
Authors: Nel J. L. , Turak E. , Linke S. , Brown C.
Published: March 2011

Integrated water resources management offers an ideal platform for addressing the goals of freshwater conservation and climate change adaptation. Environmental flow assessment and systematic conservation planning have evolved separately in respective aquatic and terrestrial realms, and both are central to freshwater conservation and can inform integrated water resources management. Integrating these two approaches is mutually beneficial. Environmental flow assessment considers dynamic flow regimes, measuring social, economic and ecological costs of development scenarios. Conservation planning systematically produces different conservation scenarios that can be used in assessing these costs. Integration also presents opportunities to examine impacts of climate change on conservation of freshwater ecosystems. We review progress in environmental flow assessment and freshwater conservation planning, exploring the mutual benefits of integration and potential ways that this can be achieved. Integration can be accomplished by using freshwater conservation planning outputs to develop conservation scenarios for assessment against different scenarios, and by assessing the extent to which each scenario achieves conservation targets. New tools that maximise complementarity by achieving conservation and flow targets simultaneously should also be developed.
Dam reoperation in an era of climate change
Authors: Watts R. J. , Richter B. D. , Opperman J. J. , Bowmer K. H.
Published: March 2011

Climate change is predicted to affect the future supply and demand for water resources. Current water-management practices may not adequately cope with the impacts of climate change on the reliability of water supply, flood risk, health, agriculture, energy generation and aquatic ecosystems. Water managers can adapt to climate variability by structural change, such as increasing the size or number of dams, building desalination plants and transferring water between catchments; however, a broader set of alternatives with multiple beneficial outcomes for society and the environment should be explored. We discuss how modifying dam operations, ‘dam reoperation’, can assist with adaptation to climate change and help restore ecosystems. The main operating purpose of a dam (e.g. flood management, hydropower or water supply) will influence dam reoperation strategies. Reoperation may require integration across sectors or involve multiple dams, enhancing benefits such as water supply or hydropower while simultaneously achieving ecosystem restoration. We provide examples of lessons learned during extreme scenarios (e.g. floods and droughts), where operational flexibility has been demonstrated. We contrast structural climate-change adaptation strategies (e.g. building new dams) and their resulting detrimental environmental outcomes with dam reoperation, which can maximise benefits for ecosystems and society.
Temporary cropping in semi-arid shrublands increases native perennial grasses
Authors: Alemseged Y. , Hacker R. B. , Smith W. J. , Melville G. J.
Published: March 2011

Thickening of native shrubs is a major problem in many ‘semi-arid woodlands’ as significant increase in shrub density is often negatively correlated with herbaceous vegetation and leads to reduced pasture production and soil erosion. This project aimed to test the hypothesis that temporary cropping (up to three crops in 15 years) consistently increases the density of native perennial grasses following the removal of shrubs. A total of 30 paddocks that had been cropped during the last 20 years were randomly selected using a satellite-based database that documented annual clearing and cropping history from 1987 to 2003. Paddocks were classified into four types based on clearing and cropping history and grazing management – not cleared (shrubs), regrowth (re-invaded by shrubs), set stocked (cropped and grazed), light/rotationally grazed (cropped and grazed). The responses of vegetation and soil (chemical and physical) properties to clearing and cropping were evaluated. Results indicated that ground cover, native perennial grass cover and standing dry matter were highest under light/rotationally grazed conditions.
The shrub state represents a stable state within the Cobar pediplain brought about due to land-use change in the form of overgrazing and/or the removal of fire from the system. An alternative stable state was achieved as a result of disturbance in the form of clearing, cropping and grazing management thereby directly altering the shrub population. The resilience of this state is largely dependent on the grazing management system used and on the prevention of shrub from re-establishing while failure to control shrubs could lead to the re-emergence of the Shrub State. We conclude that native grasslands do regenerate following cropping after removal of shrubs. The importance of grazing management for restoring perennial ground cover following removal of shrubs and temporary cropping has been clearly demonstrated by the study.
Effects of defoliation and competition on the post-fire response of Poa ligularis Ness. in semi-arid central Argentina
Authors: Peláez Daniel V. , Elia Omar R. , Blázquez Francisco R.
Published: March 2011

The objectives of the study were to evaluate the effects of defoliation on tiller growth of Poa ligularis Ness. at two different intervals after fire as well as how recovery is affected by different levels of herbaceous interspecific competition during the subsequent growing season. Early post-fire defoliation (6 months after burning) reduced (P < 0.05) the height, number of green leaves and total green length of tillers on P. ligularis in comparison to Control plants. Late post-fire defoliation (12 months after burning) did not affect any of these growth attributes. Burnt plants of P. ligularis exposed to the no competition treatment (NC) had a higher number of green tillers per plant than plants exposed to the total competition treatment (TC). Moreover, the burnt plants exposed to the NC were significantly taller (P < 0.05) than plants exposed to TC. The highest (P < 0.05) above- and belowground biomass was recorded in those burnt P. ligularis plants growing in the NC treatment. Our results provide some evidence to show that early defoliation and interspecific competition after fire reduce the tiller growth and also the above- and belowground biomass of P. ligularis plants.
Lsh, chromatin remodeling family member, modulates genome-wide cytosine methylation patterns at nonrepeat sequences
Authors: Tao Yongguang , Xi Sichuan , Shan Jigui , Maunakea Alika , Che Anney , Briones Victorino , Lee Eunice Y. , Geiman Theresa , Huang Jiaqiang , Stephens Robert , Leighty Robert M. , Zhao Keji , Muegge Kathrin
Published: March 2011

DNA methylation is critical for normal development and plays important roles in genome organization and transcriptional regulation. Although DNA methyltransferases have been identified, the factors that establish and contribute to genome-wide methylation patterns remain elusive. Here, we report a high-resolution cytosine methylation map of the murine genome modulated by Lsh, a chromatin remodeling family member that has previously been shown to regulate CpG methylation at repetitive sequences. We provide evidence that Lsh also controls genome-wide cytosine methylation at nonrepeat sequences and relate those changes to alterations in H4K4me3 modification and gene expression. Deletion of Lsh alters the allocation of cytosine methylation in chromosomal regions of 50 kb to 2 Mb and, in addition, leads to changes in the methylation profile at the 5′ end of genes. Furthermore, we demonstrate that loss of Lsh promotes—as well as prevents—cytosine methylation. Our data indicate that Lsh is an epigenetic modulator that is critical for normal distribution of cytosine methylation throughout the murine genome.