bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Xenotransplantation: immunological barriers and strategies to overcome them
Authors: Schwinzer R. , Plege A.
Published: September 2010

Hyperacute and acute vascular rejection of xenografts are well defined barriers to clinical pig‐to‐human xenotransplantation. Enormous progress has been made in recent years to overcome these immunological barriers. For example, transgenic expression of human complement regulatory molecules (e.g. CD46, CD55) in pigs has been shown to be an effective strategy to prevent hyperacute rejection in pre‐clinical models of xenotransplantation. Alpha1,3‐galactosyltransferase knock‐out pigs are available and provide a second possibility to avoid hyperacute rejection mediated by pre‐existing antibodies. Furthermore, transfer of protective genes (e.g. A20, HO‐1) to endothelial cells is expected to reduce their susceptibility to effector mechanisms leading to acute vascular rejection. In addition, the efficiency of strategies to avoid coagulation/thrombosis after pig‐to‐human xenotransplantation (e.g. transgenic expression of human thrombomodulin, CD39) is currently tested. Thus, for further development of clinical xenotransplantation immunological concepts are now required facilitating the control of human anti‐pig cellular immune responses. Our group focuses on the inhibition of human anti‐pig T cell responses by targeting “negative” costimulatory pathways. We tested the hypothesis that overexpression of the human negative costimulatory ligands PD‐L1 and PD‐L2 on pig antigen presenting cells will result in reduced human anti‐pig T cell responses. The data so far show that (i) human CD4+ T cells respond with reduced proliferation and cytokine synthesis to PD‐L1/PD‐L2 expressing pig cells, (ii) PD‐L1/PD‐L2 pig transfectants induce human regulatory T cells (Treg) which suppress the activation of conventional T cells, and (iii) PD‐L1/PD‐L2 expressing pig cells are protected from lysis mediated by CD8+ human cells. Together these observations support the assumption that transgenic expression of human PD‐L1 and/or PD‐L2 in pig cells and tissues could be an approach to prevent T cell reactivity after pig‐to‐human xenotransplantation.

Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Transregio Forschergruppe “Xenotransplantation”, FOR 535).
Prolonged survival of pig islets xenograft by adenovirus‐mediated expression of either the membrane‐bound human FasL or the human decoy Fas antigen gene
Authors: Kawamoto Koichi , Tanemura Masahiro , Ito Toshinori , Deguchi Takashi , Machida Tomohiko , Nishida Toshirou , Doki Yuichiro , Mori Masaki , Sawa Yoshiki
Published: September 2010

Abstract:  Background:  Pig islets are considered an attractive alternative treatment for patients with Type 1 diabetes. However, pig islet xenografts, transplanted into non‐human primates, are directly rejected by cell‐mediated processes. We have previously reported that cell‐mediated xenograft‐rejections, and especially human CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL)‐mediated cytotoxicity, are highly detrimental to pig xenograft cells. Moreover, we have explored novel strategies for the prevention of CTL killing by overexpression of either human decoy Fas antigen or membrane‐bound human FasL in pig endothelial cells. In this study, we assessed the cytoprotective effects of these molecules for pig islets both in vitro and in vivo.

Materials and methods:  Pig islets were freshly isolated by modified Ricordi’s methods. Subsequently, these islets were transfected with an adenoviral expression vector containing the DNA fragments of either membrane‐bound human FasL or human decoy Fas. Transfected islets were transplanted into preimmunized diabetic rats under the kidney capsule. Control pig islets (i.e., MOCK), which were transfected with an adenoviral expression vector containing only the enhanced green fluorescent protein gene, were also transplanted.

Results:  Efficiency of adenoviral expressions of these molecules in pig islets was approximately 80% at a multiplicity of infection of 100. In an in vitro assay, approximately 80% suppression of cytotoxicity was observed in membrane‐bound human FasL‐expressing pig islets and 60% inhibition of CTL killing was displayed in decoy Fas expression pig islets. In an in vivo transplant model, prolonged survival of pig islets xenografts, expressing either membrane‐bound human FasL or human decoy Fas genes, was elicited in comparison with that of control islets xenografts.

Conclusion:  The extracellular remodeling of either death receptor or death ligand genes by adenoviral expression was effective for the prevention of CTL‐mediated xenocytotoxicity in pig islets.
Identification of a quantitative trait locus for resistance to Sitodiplosis mosellana (Géhin), the orange wheat blossom midge, in spring wheat
Authors: Blake N. K. , Stougaard R. N. , Weaver D. K. , Sherman J. D. , Lanning S. P. , Naruoka Y. , Xue Q. , Martin J. M. , Talbert L. E.
Published: September 2010

With 3 figures and 3 tables

Sitodiplosis mosellana (Géhin), the orange wheat blossom midge (OWBM), causes sporadic damage to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) throughout the northern hemisphere. Cultivars have been shown to differ in levels of OWBM infestation. In this experiment, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between cultivars representing extremes of OWBM infestation was tested for 2 years in Creston MT. Parental cultivar ‘Reeder’ showed average infestation levels approximately three times less than ‘Conan’ in both years. The RIL population showed significant variation, with heritability of 0.75 in 2008 and 0.26 in 2009. A genetic map of the population identified a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 1A (QSm.mst‐1A), controlling 17% and 34% of the variation in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Near isogenic lines developed for this QTL in three backgrounds showed a significant effect of the QTL, with the ‘Reeder’ allele reducing infestation by approximately 42%. Differential infestation conferred by the QTL QSm.mst‐1A may complement previously identified resistance due to antibiosis.
Effects of some integrated management options on parthenium interference in sorghum
Authors: TADESSE BESUFEKAD , DAS TAPAS K. , YADURAJU NANJAPUR T.
Published: September 2010

Parthenium is widely distributed across the uncropped areas of the tropics. It has slowly encroached into many crops and causes considerable yield loss. It heavily infests sorghum, which is widely cultivated by the resource‐poor farmers in Africa and Asia. Its interference and management in sorghum in these cropping systems is not well understood. Therefore, this experiment was undertaken to determine the appropriate parthenium management techniques to use in sorghum crops. All the studied weeds, in combination with parthenium, offered greater competition to sorghum than parthenium alone. Similarly, under a composite stand of weeds, parthenium was inferior in competitiveness to the other weeds until 60 days after sowing (DAS); by 90 DAS, it could accumulate a higher dry weight due to its consistent growth. A pre‐emergence treatment of atrazine (0.75 kg ha‐1) with wheat straw mulch (5.0 t ha−1) brought about a consistent and significant reduction in the parthenium growth and, consequently, increased the sorghum yield by 90.8%. Cowpea intercropping with and without pendimethalin (1.0 kg ha−1) as a pre‐emergence treatment could not control parthenium between 0 and 60 DAS, but could reduce the parthenium growth during the later period of 60–90 DAS, which resulted in a significant increase in sorghum growth. These intercropping treatments increased the sorghum grain yield by 156.2% and 142.4%, respectively, over the unweeded control and by 18.5% and 12.1%, respectively, over the weed‐free control. These treatments also promoted a higher uptake of N, P, and K by the sorghum crop. Thus, cowpea intercropping was the most effective method for parthenium management vis‐à‐vis sorghum yield improvement, followed by cowpea intercropping with pendimethalin and then by atrazine as a pre‐emergence treatment with wheat straw mulch.
Are there any cross‐ethnic differences in menstrual profiles? A pilot comparative study on Australian and Chinese women with primary dysmenorrhea
Authors: Zhu Xiaoshu , Wong Felix , Bensoussan Alan , Lo Sing Kai , Zhou Chunxiang , Yu Jin
Published: September 2010

Aim:  To explore and compare the features of menstruation, perception and management of menstrual pain between two cohorts of Australian and Chinese women.

Methods:  A pilot comparison study was carried out using modified valid menstrual questionnaires. The study included 120 Australian women and 122 Chinese women aged from 18 to 45 years with primary dysmenorrhea.

Results:  Australian women rated menstrual pain as more intense than Chinese women (8.5 ± 1.5 on a 10‐point pain scale vs 7.3 ± 1.8, P < 0.001), duration of pain was 36% longer (3.0 ± 2.5 vs 2.2 ± 0.9 days, P = 0.002) and menarche commenced earlier (12.7 ± 1.5 vs 14.2 ± 1.4 years, P < 0.001). The mean reported menstrual interval was also shorter (29.2 ± 5.3 vs 30.52 ± 3.7, P = 0.020) with heavier overall menstrual flow (P = 0.002) and fewer clots in menstrual blood (83% vs 95.8%, P = 0.001). There was no significant difference in duration of menstruation (5.2 ± 1.3 vs 5.4 ± 1.1 days; P = 0.180). Correlations were found between earlier menarche and increased intensity of menstrual pain (r = −0.16, P = 0.011), and between heavier menstrual flow and increased intensity of menstrual pain (r = 0.19, P = 0.003).

Conclusion:  Evidence from this pilot study suggested that the clinical menstrual presentations in the cohorts of Australian and Chinese women were different. Although the findings are preliminary, evaluating ethnic differences in menstruation and experimental menstrual pain models may not only provide some information about underlying mechanisms but may also predict or explain group differences.
Long‐term follow up of cervical cancer patients with unexplained squamous cell carcinoma antigen elevation after post‐therapy surveillance using positron emission tomography
Authors: Jao Mei‐Shan , Chang Ting‐Chang , Chang Hsiu‐Ping , Wu Tzu‐I. , Chao Angel , Lai Chyong‐Huey
Published: September 2010

Aim:  We aimed to define the long‐term follow‐up results in cervical cancer patients with unexplained squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC‐Ag) elevation (negative conventional imaging studies, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging) after definitive treatment using positron emission tomography (PET).

Methods:  Of the 27 women with unexplained SCC‐Ag elevation, 13 died or were alive with disease (12 PET true‐positive, one PET false‐negative) in our previous report. In this study, we reported long‐term follow‐up results for all the 14 patients remaining cancer‐free at cut‐off of our previous analysis (seven with true‐negative PET and two with false‐positive PET, and five with true‐positive PET having received successful curative salvage therapy).

Results:  The seven patients with true‐negative PET studies remained recurrence‐free (median follow up, 70 months; range, 11–84). Two patients had pelvic inflammatory disease; their SCC‐Ag levels returned to the normal range after eradication of infection. Two other patients had recurrent cystitis, and their SCC‐Ag levels normalized at 5 and 36 months, respectively. The two patients with false‐positive PET/computed tomography were disease‐free 73.5 and 70 months from original PET studies, respectively. In contrast, of the five patients with successful salvage, two are alive without disease (at 80 and 86.7 months), one died of radiation cystitis at 54 months, and two died of their cancer subsequent to previous analysis.

Conclusion:  Cystitis or pelvic inflammatory disease may cause unexplained elevation of SCC‐Ag after definitive treatment. A negative PET study usually indicates absence of disease. PET is a useful tool to identify curable recurrences, especially when SCC‐Ag < 4 ng/mL.
Significant effects of lymph and blood vascular invasion on the prognosis of early‐stage cervical squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Zhang Yanna , Yan Ming , He Jiehua , Sun Jinrui , Sun Xueming
Published: September 2010

Aim:  In the past 10 years, therapeutic advances have led to improved short‐term efficacy for cervical carcinoma; however, the 5‐year survival rate was not significantly enhanced. To investigate the effects of blood vessel invasion (BVI) and lymph vessel invasion (LVI) on the prognosis of early‐stage cervical squamous carcinoma, we carried out immunohistochemical staining to distinguish blood and lymph vessels.

Methods:  Specimens from 111 IB‐stage or IIA‐stage cervical squamous carcinoma cases were examined for BVI and LVI by streptavidin‐peroxidase immunohistochemistry using CD‐34 and D2‐40 monoclonal antibodies. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 13.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA) statistical software. The survival rate and survival curve were derived by using the life table method and the Kaplan–Meier method, respectively. Multivariate prognosis analysis was conducted with Cox regression model, and prognosis was evaluated by measuring overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS).

Results:  BVI/LVI double positivity was an independent prognostic factor for both OS and PFS, whereas lymph node metastasis and surgical margin positivity affected only PFS. Patients inflicted with either BVI or LVI displayed no significant difference in survival time. Lymph‐vascular space invasion (LVSI), referring to blood and/or lymph vessel invasion correlated with lymph node metastasis, surgical margin positivity, depth of cervical interstitial invasion, squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SccAg) and age. LVSI was a risk factor for both recurrence (P = 0.013, relative risk 3.060) and death (P = 0.005, relative risk 4.512). Post‐operation auxiliary external radiation did not improve survival for LVSI‐positive cases.

Conclusion:  BVI/LVI double positivity constitutes an independent prognostic factor for early‐stage cervical squamous carcinoma.
Rubella outbreak on Tokunoshima Island in 2004: A population‐based study of pregnant women
Authors: Kusumoto Kazumi , Kaneko Masatoki , Sameshima Hiroshi , Minematsu Toshio , Furuta Ken , Ikenoue Tsuyomu
Published: September 2010

Aim:  The purpose of this study was to clarify the risk of rubella infection for pregnant women in the outbreak area.

Material & Methods:  We performed a retrospective, population‐based study on all 232 pregnant women during the rubella outbreak period in Tokunoshima Island. All women had a rubella hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titer drawn during their current pregnancy. In 61 women, HI titers were compared between the current and past pregnancies. Rubella IgG antibody titers were measured and IgG avidity index (AI) was calculated for 92 non‐infected pregnant women.

Results:  Of the 232 candidates, 22 pregnant women contracted rubella infection (congenitally infected infants: 2). Seventeen of 61 pregnant women showed a four‐fold or greater elevation in HI titer when compared with previous titers. Their previous HI titers were all ≤64. Low IgG AIs (<30%) were only observed in women with a HI titer of ≤64 (92 non‐infected women).

Conclusions:  The risk of maternal rubella infection in the outbreak was as follows: non‐immunized pregnant woman and pregnant woman with a rubella HI antibody titer ≤64 and low IgG AI.
Tonic GABAergic control of mouse dentate granule cells during postnatal development
Authors: Holter Nadine I. , Zylla Maura M. , Zuber Nadine , Bruehl Claus , Draguhn Andreas
Published: September 2010

The dentate gyrus is the main hippocampal input structure receiving strong excitatory cortical afferents via the perforant path. Therefore, inhibition at this ‘hippocampal gate’ is important, particularly during postnatal development, when the hippocampal network is prone to seizures. The present study describes the development of tonic GABAergic inhibition in mouse dentate gyrus. A prominent tonic GABAergic component was already present at early postnatal stages (postnatal day 3), in contrast to the slowly developing phasic postsynaptic GABAergic currents. Tonic currents were mediated by GABAA receptors containing α5‐ and δ‐subunits, which are sensitive to low ambient GABA concentrations. The extracellular GABA level was determined by synaptic GABA release and GABA uptake via the GABA transporter 1. The contribution of these main regulatory components was surprisingly stable during postnatal granule cell maturation. Throughout postnatal development, tonic GABAergic signals were inhibitory. They increased the action potential threshold of granule cells and reduced network excitability, starting as early as postnatal day 3. Thus, tonic inhibition is already functional at early developmental stages and plays a key role in regulating the excitation/inhibition balance of both the adult and the maturing dentate gyrus.
Individual differences in error monitoring in healthy adults: psychological symptoms and antisocial personality characteristics
Authors: Chang Wen‐Pin , Davies Patricia L. , Gavin William J.
Published: September 2010

Recent studies have investigated the relationship between psychological symptoms and personality traits and error monitoring measured by error‐related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe) event‐related potential (ERP) components, yet there remains a paucity of studies examining the collective simultaneous effects of psychological symptoms and personality traits on error monitoring. This present study, therefore, examined whether measures of hyperactivity–impulsivity, depression, anxiety and antisocial personality characteristics could collectively account for significant interindividual variability of both ERN and Pe amplitudes, in 29 healthy adults with no known disorders, ages 18–30 years. The bivariate zero‐order correlation analyses found that only the anxiety measure was significantly related to both ERN and Pe amplitudes. However, multiple regression analyses that included all four characteristic measures while controlling for number of segments in the ERP average revealed that both depression and antisocial personality characteristics were significant predictors for the ERN amplitudes whereas antisocial personality was the only significant predictor for the Pe amplitude. These findings suggest that psychological symptoms and personality traits are associated with individual variations in error monitoring in healthy adults, and future studies should consider these variables when comparing group difference in error monitoring between adults with and without disabilities.
Passive vs. active touch‐induced activity in the developing whisker pathway
Authors: Mosconi Tony , Woolsey Thomas A. , Jacquin Mark F.
Published: September 2010

The mouse trigeminal (V) system undergoes significant postnatal structural and functional developmental changes. Histological modules (barrelettes, barreloids and barrels) in the brainstem, thalamus and cortex related to actively moved (whisking) tactile hairs (vibrissae) on the face allow detailed studies of development. High‐resolution [3H]2‐deoxyglucose (2DG) emulsion autoradiography with cytochrome oxidase histochemistry was used to analyze neuronal activity changes related to specific whisker modules in the developing and mature mouse V system provoked by passive (experimenter‐induced) and active (animal‐induced) displacements of a single whisker (D4). We tested the hypothesis that neuronal activity patterns change in relation to the onset of active touch (whisking) on postnatal day (P)14. Quantitative image analyses revealed: (i) on P7, when whisker‐like patterns of modules are clear, heightened 2DG activity in all appropriate modules in the brainstem, thalamus and cortex; (ii) on P14, a transitory activity pattern coincident with the emergence of whisking behavior that presages (iii) strong labeling of the spinal V subnucleus interpolaris and barrel cortex produced by single‐whisker‐mediated active touch in adults and (iv) at all above‐listed ages and structures, significant suppression of baseline activity in some modules surrounding those representing the stimulated whisker. Differences in activity patterns before and after the onset of whisking behavior may be caused by neuronal activity induced by whisking, and by strengthening of modulatory projections that alter the activity of subcortical inputs produced by whisking behavior during active touch.
Morphology, molecular phenotypes and distribution of neurons in developing human corpus callosum
Authors: Jovanov‐Milošević Nataša , Petanjek Zdravko , Petrović Davor , Judaš Miloš , Kostović Ivica
Published: September 2010

The aim of this study was to investigate the morphology, molecular phenotypes, distribution and developmental history of interstitial neurons in the human corpus callosum, here defined as intracallosal neurons. We analysed 26 fetuses, three newborns, five infants and children, and eight adults [age range – 15 weeks postconception (PCW) to 59 years] by means of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) histochemistry and immunohistochemistry for neuron markers (MAP2, NeuN, NPY, calretinin and calbindin). We found a heterogeneous neuron population, positioned within the callosal trunk itself (aside from neurons present in the transient midline structures such as callosal sling, septa or subcallosal zone), which was most numerous during the second half of gestation and early postnatal years. We named these cells intracallosal neurons. At 15 PCW, the intracallosal neuron population consisted of poorly differentiated, small fusiform or bipolar, migratory‐like MAP2‐ or calretinin‐positive neurons which could be observed until mid‐gestation. Later the population comprised morphologically diverse, predominantly well‐differentiated MAP2‐, NPY‐, calbindin‐ and AChE‐positive neurons. The morphological differentiation of intracallosal neurons culminated in the newborns and remained pronounced in infants and children. In the adult brain, the intracallosal neurons were found only sporadically, with small somata and poorly stained dendrites. Thus, intracallosal neurons form part of a transitory neuron population with a developmental peak contemporaneous to the critical period of callosal formation. Therefore, they may be involved in processes such as axon guiding or elongation, withdrawal of exuberant axons, fasciculation, or functional tuning, which occur at that time.
The effects of stabilisation on humanitarian action in Haiti
Authors: Muggah Robert
Published: September 2010

Haiti is routinely characterised as an archetypical fragile state. In spite of considerable donor investment in security promotion, real and perceived safety have proven frustratingly elusive. In the years before the devastating earthquake of 12 January 2010, the country's capital, Port‐au‐Prince, was also the site of considerable experimentation to promote security and stability. T his paper reviews the discourse, practice and outcomes associated with three parallel stabilisation initiatives undertaken in Haiti between 2007 and 2009. Although they shared many similar objectives, the paper describes how these separate interventions mobilised very different approaches. The specific focus is on United States, United Nations and combined Brazilian, Canadian and Norwegian stabilisation efforts and their implications for humanitarian actors, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières. The paper concludes with some reflections on the implications of stabilisation before and after the country's most recent natural disaster.
‘A tradition of forgetting’: stabilisation and humanitarian action in historical perspective
Authors: Barakat Sultan , Deely Seán , Zyck Steven A.
Published: September 2010

While subject to increasing articulation and institutionalisation, stabilisation is a long‐standing concept and practice that has consistently engaged with and, at times, conflicted with varied understandings of humanitarianism and humanitarian action. Reviewing selected historical experiences, including the Philippines (1898–1902), Algeria (1956–62), Vietnam (1967–75) and El Salvador (1980–92), this paper argues that contemporary models of stabilisation build on and repeat mistakes of the past, particularly the overt securitisation of aid and the perception that humanitarian and development actors are able to purchase security effectively. Where current stabilisation differs from its earlier incarnations, as in the introduction of the private sector and incorporation of humanitarian action into war‐fighting strategies, the implications are shown to be troubling if not outright disastrous. T his examination of historical experience, which includes many failures and few, if any, successes, raises the likelihood that it is not solely the design or implementation of individual stability operations that require modification but perhaps the entire concept of stabilisation itself.
The United Kingdom's stabilisation model and Afghanistan: the impact on humanitarian actors
Authors: Gordon Stuart
Published: September 2010

‘Stabilisation’ has emerged as a powerful policy framework since 2004. The United Kingdom has been at the forefront of states adopting and developing a ‘stabilisation’ model and has adapted government policy, processes and structures in its efforts to deliver ‘stability’ in Afghanistan's Helmand Province and Iraq—as well as elsewhere, such as in Nepal and Sudan. The experience acquired in Helmand in particular is likely to shape both future UK approaches and those of other donor states. The paper argues that the UK's model has evolved significantly since 2006, from a reconstruction strategy towards one that is based on supporting host‐nation governance arrangements. Consequently, this paper addresses three principal themes: the origins and conceptualisation of the stabilisation discourse (and its relationship with state‐building and early recovery concepts); the role of the UK's experience in Helmand in shaping the British approach; and the impact of the stabilisation model on the humanitarian community.
Aid and stability in Pakistan: lessons from the 2005 earthquake response
Authors: Wilder Andrew
Published: September 2010

United States foreign assistance to Pakistan has always been driven by security considerations. By 2010, US counter‐terrorism and stabilisation objectives resulted in Pakistan becoming the second largest recipient of US foreign aid globally. Given the policy impact of the assumption that aid promotes US security objectives in Pakistan, there is surprisingly little analysis or evidence of its effectiveness in this regard. This paper helps to address this gap by first reviewing the history and assumptions underpinning current US aid and stabilisation policies. It then uses field research on the 2005 earthquake relief efforts in northern Pakistan to assess the impact of the ‘War on Terror’ on the humanitarian response. In particular, it examines the assumption of influential US policymakers that humanitarian aid following the earthquake was an effective way to promote US security objectives by ‘winning hearts and minds’—an assumption that has been used to justify all subsequent major US foreign aid commitments to Pakistan.
GEORGE MURPHY'S CHIASMIC COSMOLOGY: AS IF GOD WERE NOT GIVEN
Authors: Hummel Leonard M.
Published: September 2010

Abstract. In his work The Cosmos in Light of the Cross physicist and Lutheran pastor George L. Murphy extends the religious rationales of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Eberhard Jüngel to argue specifically for a nonreligious, scientific study of and appreciation for the world. In doing so, Murphy offers a clear and coherent theology of the cosmos within the bounds of piety alone. Like Calvin and Schleiermacher before him who strove to stay within these bounds, Murphy shares their endpoint of a practical theology—that is, faithful reflections that will encourage wise and faithful existence. In doing so, Murphy has written a brilliant and extraordinarily readable account of a chiasmic cosmos. He also quite practically and indeed pastorally offers suggestions for how the God of that cosmos may be not only understood but also worshiped and adored.
GENETIC FRONTIERS: CHALLENGES FOR HUMANITY AND OUR RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS
Authors: Hefner Philip
Published: September 2010

Genetic research and its applications pose a significant challenge today, in particular to religious communities. The most critical challenge is to our understanding of human nature and values. This article surveys the challenges and the resources that the monotheistic religions can bring to bear in response. It is important for those religious communities to communicate to the larger society both their common beliefs and values and the diversity among them.
THE SCIENTIST AS STATESMAN: BIOLOGISTS AND THIRD WORLD HEALTH
Authors: Carvalho John J.
Published: September 2010

One of the most threatening problems the world faces is the growing poverty crisis and the related human rights inequalities and the spread of diseases in underprivileged areas. Human rights and relief organizations try hard to contain the devastation of these interconnected difficulties. What is the role of the biomedical scientist in this endeavor? The challenges that biomedical scientists face in their research lead us to question whether scientists can go beyond the time‐consuming realm of experimental investigation and engage the issues of society in a more public way. I suggest how the scientist's role can be expanded in our complex and precarious world, introducing the idea of the modern biomedical researcher as scientist, scholar‐philosopher, and statesman for the scientific community and the larger human rights community. I provide examples of where the scientist can interface with human rights organizations, medical doctors, political and civic leaders, and the science‐religion dialogue. My argument reveals the emerging role of the biomedical scientist as one of public service in addition to and beyond the realm of the experimental investigator. This role, however, is formidable, and I list some of the obstacles it entails.
MYTHIC RELIGIOUS NATURALISM
Authors: Rottschaefer William A.
Published: September 2010

In his book Religion Is Not About God, Loyal Rue presents an evolutionarily based explanation of religion as a means to further the personal and social fulfillment of human beings. Rue argues that religions in the form of myths, adaptive falsities, provide an account of the connection between what is (facts) and what matters (values). Myths are false because they attribute subjectively based values to valueless facts, but adaptive because they motivate personally and socially beneficial actions. He maintains that the current crises of humankind, evidenced by both social conflict and environmental degradation, indicate that the major religious traditions—all of which project values onto some transcendent reality—are failing to serve humanity. To overcome these crises, Rue maintains that we need a new, scientifically based naturalized religion, one that attributes subjectively based values to Nature instead of a transcendent reality. I accept Rue's naturalism about values but reject his subjectivist account of them. Contrary to Rue, I show that the naturalistic fallacy sets no barrier to the existence of objective moral values. Modeling my view on the selection theories used in biology and psychology, I offer a scientifically based explanation of the origin and existence of objective values and support it with empirical findings from developmental psychology. Whether this account can count as religious, I do not address.
Beyond the Sociobiological Dilemma: Social Emotions and the Evolution of Morality
Authors: Rosas Alejandro
Published: September 2010

Is morality biologically altruistic? Does it imply a disadvantage in the struggle for existence? A positive answer puts morality at odds with natural selection, unless natural selection operates at the level of groups. In this case, a trait that is good for groups though bad (reproductively) for individuals can evolve. Sociobiologists reject group selection and have adopted one of two horns of a dilemma. Either morality is based on an egoistic calculus, compatible with natural selection; or morality continues tied to psychological and biological altruism but not as a product of natural selection. The dilemma denies a third possibility—that psychological altruism evolves as a biologically selfish trait. I discuss the classical treatments of the paradox by Charles Darwin ([1871] 1989) and Robert Trivers (1971), focusing on the role they attribute to social emotions. The upshot is that both Darwin and Trivers sketch a natural‐selection process relying on innate emotional mechanisms that render morality adaptive for individuals as well as for groups. I give additional reasons for viewing it as a form of natural, instead of only cultural, selection.
Colonial and Post‐Colonial Elaborations of Avataric Evolutionism
Authors: Brown C. Mackenzie
Published: September 2010

Avataric evolutionism is the idea that ancient Hindu myths of Vishnu's ten incarnations foreshadowed Darwinian evolution. In a previous essay I examined the late nineteenth‐century origins of the theory in the works of Keshub Chunder Sen and Madame Blavatsky. Here I consider two major figures in the history of avataric evolutionism in the early twentieth century, N. B. Pavgee, a Marathi Brahmin deeply involved in the question of Aryan origins, and Aurobindo Ghose, political activist turned mystic. Pavgee, unlike Keshub, used avataric evolutionism in expounding his nationalistic goals for an independent India. His rationale was bolstered by the idea that India was the fountainhead of all science and civilization. Aurobindo saw in avataric evolutionism a possible key to understanding the involution and evolution of the supreme spirit in the realm of matter as taught in traditional Vedanta. This material‐spiritual evolution represented for Aurobindo the necessary knowledge for the true liberation of India, transcending purely political independence. Such knowledge he also saw as the means for the spiritual liberation of the whole of humankind. The processes of involution and evolution he claimed were not in conflict with modern science, and Western evolutionary thinking seems to have inspired many of his own evolutionary reflections, even though in the end he rejected the Darwinian transmutation of species. I conclude with an overview and assessment of recent, post‐colonial Hindu assimilations of avataric evolutionism.
Negative Transfer From Spanish and English to Portuguese Pronunciation: The Roles of Inhibition and Working Memory
Authors: Trude Alison M. , Tokowicz Natasha
Published: September 2010

We examined negative transfer from English and Spanish to Portuguese pronunciation. Participants were native English speakers, some of whom spoke Spanish. Participants completed a computer‐based Portuguese pronunciation tutorial and then pronounced trained letter‐to‐sound correspondences in unfamiliar Portuguese words; some shared orthographic form with their translation in Spanish or Spanish and English. Spanish‐speaking participants were more accurate and made more Spanish‐like than English‐like errors. Contrary to predictions, non‐Spanish speakers made more Spanish‐like than English‐like errors on cognates. Participants with higher working memory were more accurate and made more Spanish‐sounding errors on cognates. The results suggest that the first language is inhibited during second‐language production and that higher working memory is associated with an improved ability to inhibit the first language.
Deliberate Learning and Vocabulary Acquisition in a Second Language
Authors: Elgort Irina
Published: September 2010

This study investigates outcomes of deliberate learning on vocabulary acquisition in a second language (L2). Acquisition of 48 pseudowords was measured using the lexical decision task with visually presented stimuli. The experiments drew on form priming, masked repetition priming, and automatic semantic priming procedures. Data analyses revealed a prime lexicality effect (Experiment 1), repetition priming effect (Experiment 2), and semantic priming effect (Experiment 3) for the deliberately learned pseudowords. The outcomes of deliberate learning were further examined using a coefficient of variability (CVRT) calculated for the participants’ response latencies in Experiments 2 and 3. The results showed that the learned pseudowords were processed with a higher degree of automaticity than nonwords and low‐frequency L2 words. Taken together, the findings provide evidence that deliberate learning triggered the acquisition of representational and functional aspects of vocabulary knowledge.
A study of the structure‐activity relationships present in skin active agents
Authors: HAGAN D. B. , PARROTT D. T. , TAYLOR A. P.
Published: September 2010

Synopsis

The effects of aqueous solutions of 2‐hydroxyalkanoic acids and analogous materials on the extensibility of an in vitro model for human stratum corneum have been investigated. The increase in extensibility of stratum corneum caused by treatment with 2‐hydroxy acid solutions reaches a peak at C8 in the case of the saturated molecules. Introducing unsaturation into the hydrocarbon chain shifts the point of maximum efficacy to a longer chain length. Further modifications to the molecular backbone, such as the replacement of a methylene group by heteroatoms, can improve significantly the relative plasticization obtained from aqueous treatment. Alteration of the acidic head group markedly influences the elasticity increase. The free acid is the most efficacious species. An increase in the pKa of HCA by the addition of polyol increases the extensibility improvement. Movement of the hydroxyl group from C‐2 is not advantageous, but replacement with a 2‐thio derivative is beneficial in terms of increased plasticization. The best systems for improving extensibility have a strong affinity for protein.

Nous avons analysé les effets de solutions aqueuses d'acides 2‐hydroxyalkanoïques et de matériaux similaires sur l'extensibilité in vitro d'un échantillon de stratum corneum humain. L'augmentation de l'extensibilité du stratum corneum générée par le traitement aux solutions des acides 2‐hydroxy atteint un pic à C8 dans le cas de molécules saturées. L'introduction d'une insaturation au niveau de la chaîne d'hydrocarbone amène le point d'efficacité maximum à une chaîne plus longue. Des modifications apportées aux molécules principales, telles que le remplacement du groupe méthylène par des hétéroatomes peuvent améliorer de façon significative la plasticité relative obtenue par un traitement aqueux. L'altération du groupe acide de tête influence de façon notable l'augmentation de l'élasticité. L'acide libre est la plus efficace. Une augmentation du pKa de l'acide 2‐hydroxy caprylique par addition de polyol accroît l'amélioration de l'extensibilité. Le deplacement du groupe hydroxy de C‐2 n'est pas efficace mais le remplacement par des dérivés 2‐thio améliore la plasticité. Les systémes qui améliorent au maximum l'extensibilité ont une affinité importante avec les protéines.
Association of Linear Growth Impairment in Pediatric Crohn's Disease and a Known Height Locus: A Pilot Study
Authors: Lee Jessica J. , Essers Jonah B. , Kugathasan Subra , Escher Johanna C. , Lettre Guillaume , Butler Johannah L. , Stephens Michael C. , Ramoni Marco F. , Grand Richard J. , Hirschhorn Joel
Published: September 2010

The etiology of growth impairment in Crohn's disease (CD) has been inadequately explained by nutritional, hormonal, and/or disease‐related factors, suggesting that genetics may be an additional contributor. The aim of this cross‐sectional study was to investigate genetic variants associated with linear growth in pediatric‐onset CD. We genotyped 951 subjects (317 CD patient–parent trios) for 64 polymorphisms within 14 CD‐susceptibility and 23 stature‐associated loci. Patient height‐for‐age Z‐score < −1.64 was used to dichotomize probands into growth‐impaired and nongrowth‐impaired groups. The transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) was used to study association to growth impairment. There was a significant association between growth impairment in CD (height‐for‐age Z‐score < −1.64) and a stature‐related polymorphism in the dymeclin gene DYM (rs8099594) (OR = 3.2, CI [1.57–6.51], p = 0.0007). In addition, there was nominal over‐transmission of two CD‐susceptibility alleles, 10q21.1 intergenic region (rs10761659) and ATG16L1 (rs10210302), in growth‐impaired CD children (OR = 2.36, CI [1.26–4.41] p = 0.0056 and OR = 2.45, CI [1.22–4.95] p = 0.0094, respectively). Our data indicate that genetic influences due to stature‐associated and possibly CD risk alleles may predispose CD patients to alterations in linear growth. This is the first report of a link between a stature‐associated locus and growth impairment in CD.
Soluble forms of the cell adhesion molecule L1 produced by insect and baculovirus‐transduced mammalian cells enhance Schwann cell motility
Authors: Lavdas Alexandros A. , Efrose Rodica , Douris Vassilis , Gaitanou Maria , Papastefanaki Florentia , Swevers Luc , Thomaidou Dimitra , Iatrou Kostas , Matsas Rebecca
Published: September 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 115, 1137–1149.

For biotechnological applications, insect cell lines are primarily known as hosts for the baculovirus expression system that is capable to direct synthesis of high levels of recombinant proteins through use of powerful viral promoters. Here, we demonstrate the implementation of two alternative approaches based on the baculovirus system for production of a mammalian recombinant glycoprotein, comprising the extracellular part of the cell adhesion molecule L1, with potential important therapeutic applications in nervous system repair. In the first approach, the extracellular part of L1 bearing a myc tag is produced in permanently transformed insect cell lines and purified by affinity chromatography. In the second approach, recombinant baculoviruses that express L1‐Fc chimeric protein, derived from fusion of the extracellular part of L1 with the Fc part of human IgG1, under the control of a mammalian promoter are used to infect mammalian HEK293 and primary Schwann cells. Both the extracellular part of L1 bearing a myc tag accumulating in the supernatants of insect cultures as well as L1‐Fc secreted by transduced HEK293 or Schwann cells are capable of increasing the motility of Schwann cells with similar efficiency in a gap bridging bioassay. In addition, baculovirus‐transduced Schwann cells show enhanced motility when grafted on organotypic cultures of neonatal brain slices while they retain their ability to myelinate CNS axons. This proof‐of‐concept that the migratory properties of myelin‐forming cells can be modulated by recombinant protein produced in insect culture as well as by means of baculovirus‐mediated adhesion molecule expression in mammalian cells may have beneficial applications in the field of CNS therapies.
Mammalian endemism, range size and conservation status in the southern temperate zone
Authors: Lamoreux John F. , Lacher Thomas E.
Published: September 2010

Aim  To examine the taxonomic uniqueness, range sizes, endemism and conservation status of southern temperate zone mammals and how factors impacting their conservation differ across hemispheres.

Location  Land surfaces of all continents (with the exception of Antarctica) and continental islands with an emphasis on the southern temperate hemisphere (land south of the Tropic of Capricorn).

Methods  We used data from the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species to characterize conservation status, threats and range sizes to compare northern and southern temperate zone mammals. We assessed the taxonomic uniqueness of the two regions as derived from the EDGE programme. We also conducted a gap analysis by overlapping mammal ranges with protected area coverages for temperate regions.

Results  Southern temperate species are phylogenetically more unique than in the Northern Hemisphere. The endemics have significantly smaller range sizes and are at a significantly greater risk of extinction (about 50% greater, with 24.7% of species being threatened versus 15.6% in the Northern Hemisphere). Finally, southern temperate endemics are significantly more likely to exist outside protected areas (13.38% versus 3.65%).

Main conclusions  The southern temperate zone harbours a unique fauna, attributed to the long isolation from the northern temperate zone. Temperate regions are heavily exploited for human activities, especially grazing and agriculture. The Southern Hemisphere is particularly susceptible to disturbance, given the small range sizes of its species and the low degree of protected area coverage. The scenario now is one of regions with numerous endemics under high threat from human activities.
Non‐native salmonids affect amphibian occupancy at multiple spatial scales
Authors: Pilliod David S. , Hossack Blake R. , Bahls Peter F. , Bull Evelyn L. , Corn Paul Stephen , Hokit Grant , Maxell Bryce A. , Munger James C. , Wyrick Aimee
Published: September 2010

Aim  The introduction of non‐native species into aquatic environments has been linked with local extinctions and altered distributions of native species. We investigated the effect of non‐native salmonids on the occupancy of two native amphibians, the long‐toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) and Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris), across three spatial scales: water bodies, small catchments and large catchments.

Location  Mountain lakes at ≥ 1500 m elevation were surveyed across the northern Rocky Mountains, USA.

Methods  We surveyed 2267 water bodies for amphibian occupancy (based on evidence of reproduction) and fish presence between 1986 and 2002 and modelled the probability of amphibian occupancy at each spatial scale in relation to habitat availability and quality and fish presence.

Results  After accounting for habitat features, we estimated that A. macrodactylum was 2.3 times more likely to breed in fishless water bodies than in water bodies with fish. Ambystoma macrodactylum also was more likely to occupy small catchments where none of the water bodies contained fish than in catchments where at least one water body contained fish. However, the probability of salamander occupancy in small catchments was also influenced by habitat availability (i.e. the number of water bodies within a catchment) and suitability of remaining fishless water bodies. We found no relationship between fish presence and salamander occupancy at the large‐catchment scale, probably because of increased habitat availability. In contrast to A. macrodactylum, we found no relationship between fish presence and R. luteiventris occupancy at any scale.

Main conclusions  Our results suggest that the negative effects of non‐native salmonids can extend beyond the boundaries of individual water bodies and increase A. macrodactylum extinction risk at landscape scales. We suspect that niche overlap between non‐native fish and A. macrodactylum at higher elevations in the northern Rocky Mountains may lead to extinction in catchments with limited suitable habitat.