bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FINDING DICING PLANS FOR MULTIPLE PROJECT WAFERS FABRICATED WITH SHUTTLE MASK
Authors: WU MENG-CHIOU , LIN RUNG-BIN
Published: July 2008

Multiple project wafers (MPWs) containing different chip designs from many customers serves as an important vehicle for gaining access to advanced semiconductor process technology for prototyping innovative designs or low-volume production. In this paper, a comprehensive study on the methods for determining dicing plans for MPW was carried out. Dicing plans can be used to determine the number of MPWs needed to be fabricated before chip fabrication and employed to saw the wafers after fabrication. Several methods based on integer linear programming formulation and a heuristic based on simulated annealing was proposed. Through conducting experiments with industrial test cases, these proposed methods can achieve up to 50% wafer reduction in some cases and on average 18% and 38% reduction for low- and high-volume production, respectively. This study makes a contribution to MPW dicing and is also instrumental in developing better reticle floorplanning methods.
A WAVELET-BASED BLIND IMAGE DATA EMBEDDING ALGORITHM
Authors: YASEIN MOHAMED S. , AGATHOKLIS PAN
Published: July 2008

In this paper, an algorithm for data embedding in images is proposed. The algorithm is based on using the Discrete Wavelet Transform domain to embed digital data into images. In order to increase the algorithm robustness and ensure the authentication of the data extracted, error detection/correction coding techniques are used to encode the embedded data. The proposed algorithm is blind, i.e., the embedded data are extracted and authenticated without any reference to the original image or data. Experimental results demonstrate the low perceptibility of distortions caused by the data embedding and the high algorithm robustness against several common image-processing operations.
INTEGRATED CIRCUIT DESIGN RESEARCH RANKING FOR WORLDWIDE UNIVERSITIES
Authors: YEO KIAT-SENG , KONG ZHI-HUI , NISHANT NUKALA , FU HAITAO , ZENG WEI
Published: July 2008

The proliferation of integrated circuits (ICs) in the present technological era has brought forth revolutionary digital modernization that has ultimately transformed the history and lifestyle of humankind. ICs have become the heart of practically all state-of-the-art electronic devices such as computers, cell phones, video game consoles, and cameras. This ever-flourishing IC design industry is knowledge-intensive, which in turn translates into a huge appetite for technically precocious talents. Hence, in an effort to fuel and further foster the industry with more highly skilled manpower and at the same time to vie for a share of the burgeoning industry, higher educational institutions and universities from all around the globe are placing greater than ever emphasis on IC design research. Most importantly, strenuous efforts in a holistic manner are being made by each university in order to elicit outstanding and top-notch research in IC design. The authors have conducted a detailed and extensive survey to rank the various universities of the world in the field of IC design based on their research performance. In fact, assessments in the form of ranking have gained prominence over the recent years captivating the attention of a large number of students and universities. It helps the students in knowing how each university is progressing in a particular field and in turn helps the universities in analyzing their positions globally to remain competitive. Three ranking indicators, namely the Number of Publications, Citation Counts, and Cites per Paper have been chosen. The methodology used in ranking is also reported. The universities occupying the top echelons in IC design research are identified and a proven three-pronged approach for eliciting outstanding research performance is discussed.
INTERACTING CONSTITUENTS IN COSMOLOGY
Authors: ALDROVANDI R. , CUZINATTO R. R. , MEDEIROS L. G.
Published: July 2008

Universe evolution, as described by Friedmann's equations, is determined by source terms fixed by the choice of pressure × energy density equations of state p(ρ). The usual approach in cosmology considers equations of state accounting only for kinematic terms, ignoring the contribution from the interactions between the particles constituting the source fluid. In this work the importance of these neglected terms is emphasized. A systematic method, based on the statistical mechanics of real fluids, is proposed to include them. A toy model is presented which shows how such interaction terms could be applied to engender significant cosmological effects.
TIME SCALES FOR ACHIEVING ASTRONOMICAL CONSENSUS
Authors: TRIMBLE VIRGINIA
Published: July 2008

The history of science can be recounted in many ways: by addressing the work of one person or school; by starting with the ancients and working chronologically up to the present; by focusing on a particular century; or by tracing a particular important idea as far back and forward as it can be found. The present discussion does none of these. Rather, it adopts the ordering of a standard introductory astronomy textbook, from the solar system via stars and galaxies, to the universe as a whole, and in each regime picks out a few issues that were controversial or wrongly decided for a long time. For each, I attempt to identify a duration of the period of uncertainty or error and some of the causes of the confusion. This is surely not an original idea, though I am not aware of having encountered it elsewhere, and it is not one that is likely to appeal to most 21st century historians of science, for whom the question "Who first got it right?" is not necessarily an important, or even appropriate, one. Some of the stories have been told as historical introductions to conferences and are here summarized and brought up to date. Others I had not previously addressed.
Making place for clutter and other ideas of home
Authors: Swan Laurel , Taylor Alex S. , Harper Richard
Published: July 2008

In this article, we examine the containment of clutter in family homes and, from this, outline considerations for design. Selected materials from an ethnographically informed study of home life are used to detail the ways in which families contain their clutter in bowls and drawers. Clutter, within these containers, is found to be made up of a heterogeneous collection of things that, for all manner of reasons, hold an ambiguous status in the home. It is shown that bowls and drawers provide a “safe” site of containment for clutter, giving the miscellany of content the “space” to be properly dealt with and classified, or to be left unresolved. The shared but idiosyncratic practices families use to contain their clutter are seen to be one of the ways in which the home, or at least the
idea
of home, is collectively produced. It is also part of the means by which families come to make their homes distinct and unique. These findings are used to consider what it might mean to design for the home, and to do so in ways that are sensitive to the idiosyncratic systems of household organization. In conclusion, thought is given to how we design for people's ideas of home, and how we might build sites of uncertainty into homes, where physical as well as digital things might coalesce.
A practical approach to formal software verification by static analysis
Authors: Venet Arnaud
Published: July 2008

Static analysis by Abstract Interpretation is a promising way for conducting formal verification of large software applications. In spite of recent successes in the verification of aerospace codes, this approach has limited industrial applicability due to the level of expertise required to engineer static analyzers. In this paper we investigate a pragmatic approach that consists of focusing on the most critical components of the application first. In this approach the user provides a description of the usage of functionalities in the critical component via a simple specification language, which is used to drive a fully automated static analysis engine. We present experimental results of the application of this approach to the verification of absence of buffer overflows in a critical library of the OpenSSH distribution.
Overexpression of progesterone receptor B increases sensitivity of human colon muscle cells to progesterone
Authors: Cheng Ling , Pricolo Victor , Biancani Piero , Behar Jose
Published: July 2008

Colon muscle strips and cells from female patients with slow-transit constipation (STC) exhibit impaired motility, signal transduction abnormalities characterized by downregulation of Gq/11and upregulation of Gsproteins, decreased cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and thromboxane (Tx)B2levels, increased COX-2 and PGE2levels, and overexpression of progesterone receptors (PGR). Progesterone (P4) treatment of normal cells reproduced these motility and signal transduction abnormalities. The purpose of the study was to examine whether overexpression of PGR-B reproduces these abnormalities by rendering the cells more sensitive to physiological concentrations of P4. Cultured human colon muscle was transfected with a plasmid DNA expressing PGR-B. The mRNAs of PGR, COX-1, COX-2, and Gq/11were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Their protein expression was determined by Western blot, and prostaglandins were measured by radioimmunoassay. Cultured muscle cells maintained their phenotypic features determined with myosin light chain (MLC) and h-caldesmon antibodies. Control and transfected muscle cells responded to 10−6M P4. In contrast, muscle cells transfected with PGR-B responded to lower P4concentration (10−7M). This P4concentration reduced MLC phosphorylation induced by CCK-8 (10−8M), downregulated Gq/11, and decreased COX-1 and TxB2levels. It upregulated Gsproteins. It also increased COX-2 and PGE2levels. We conclude that overexpression of PGR-B renders the cells more sensitive to physiological concentrations of P4. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that overexpression of PGR-B contributes to the motility and signal transduction abnormalities observed in female patients with STC and normal serum levels of P4.
Hepatic macrophage iron aggravates experimental alcoholic steatohepatitis
Authors: Xiong Shigang , She Hongyun , Zhang An-Sheng , Wang Jiaohong , Mkrtchyan Hasmik , Dynnyk Alla , Gordeuk Victor R. , French Samuel W. , Enns Caroline A. , Tsukamoto Hidekazu
Published: July 2008

One prime feature of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is iron accumulation in hepatic macrophages/Kupffer cells (KC) associated with enhanced NF-κB activation. Our recent work demonstrates a peroxynitrite-mediated transient rise in intracellular labile iron (ILI) as novel signaling for endotoxin-induced IKK and NF-κB activation in rodent KC. The present study investigated the mechanism of KC iron accumulation and its effects on ILI response in experimental ALD. We also tested ILI response in human blood monocytes. Chronic alcohol feeding in rats results in increased expression of transferrin (Tf) receptor-1 and hemochromatosis gene (HFE), enhanced iron uptake, an increase in nonheme iron content, and accentuated ILI response for NF-κB activation in KC. Ex vivo treatment of these KC with an iron chelator abrogates the increment of iron content, ILI response, and NF-κB activation. The ILI response is evident in macrophages derived from human blood monocytes by PMA treatment but not in vehicle-treated monocytes, and this differentiation-associated phenomenon is essential for maximal TNF-α release. PMA-induced macrophages load iron dextran and enhance ILI response and TNF-α release. These effects are reproduced in KC selectively loaded in vivo with iron dextran in mice and more importantly aggravate experimental ALD. Our results suggest enhanced iron uptake as a mechanism of KC iron loading in ALD and demonstrate the ILI response as a function acquired by differentiated macrophages in humans and as a priming mechanism for ALD.
QT interval variability and cardiac norepinephrine spillover in patients with depression and panic disorder
Authors: Baumert Mathias , Lambert Gavin W. , Dawood Tye , Lambert Elisabeth A. , Esler Murray D. , McGrane Mariee , Barton David , Nalivaiko Eugene
Published: July 2008

Suggestions were made that increased myocardial sympathetic activity is reflected by elevated QT variability (dynamic changes in QT interval duration). However, the relationship between QT variability and the amount of norepinephrine released from the cardiac sympathetic terminals is unknown. We thus attempted to assess this relationship. The study was performed in 17 subjects (12 with major depressive disorder and 5 with panic disorder). Cardiac norepinephrine spillover (measured by direct catheter technique coupled with norepinephrine isotope dilution methodology) was assessed before and 4 mo after treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants. The distribution of the cardiac norepinephrine spillover was bimodal, with the majority of patients having values of ≤10 ng/min. There was a positive correlation between cardiac norepinephrine spillover and corrected QT interval ( r = 0.7, P = 0.03) but not with any of the QT variability measures. However, in a subgroup of five patients who had high levels of cardiac norepinephrine spillover (>20 ng/min) a tendency for a strong positive correlation with variance of QT intervals ( r = 0.9, P = 0.08) was observed. There were significant correlations between the severity of depression and QT variability indexes normalized to the heart rate [QTVi and QT interval/R-R interval (QT/RR) coherence] and between the severity of anxiety and the QT/RR residual and regression coefficient, respectively. Treatment with SSRI antidepressants substantially reduced depression score but did not affect any of the QT variability indexes. We conclude that in depression/panic disorder patients with near-normal cardiac norepinephrine levels QT variability is not correlated with cardiac norepinephrine spillover and is not affected by treatment with SSRI.
Acid-sensing ion and epithelial sodium channels do not contribute to the mechanoreceptor component of the exercise pressor reflex
Authors: McCord Jennifer L. , Hayes Shawn G. , Kaufman Marc P.
Published: July 2008

Amiloride, injected into the popliteal artery, has been reported to attenuate the reflex pressor response to static contraction of the triceps surae muscles. Both mechanical and metabolic stimuli arising in contracting skeletal muscle are believed to evoke this effect, which has been named the exercise pressor reflex. Amiloride blocks both acid-sensing ion channels, as well as epithelial sodium channels. Nevertheless, amiloride is thought to block the metabolic stimulus to the reflex, because this agent has been shown to attenuate the reflex pressor response to injection of lactic acid into the arterial supply of skeletal muscle. The possibility exists, however, that amiloride may also block mechanical stimuli evoking the exercise pressor reflex. The mechanical component of the reflex can be assessed by measuring renal sympathetic nerve activity during the first 2–5 s of contraction. During this period of time, the sudden tension developed by contraction onset briskly discharges mechanoreceptors, whereas it has little effect on the discharge of metaboreceptors. We, therefore, examined the effect of amiloride (0.5 μg/kg) injected into the popliteal artery on the renal sympathetic and pressor responses to static contraction of the triceps surae muscles in decerebrated cats. We found that amiloride significantly attenuated the pressor and renal sympathetic responses to contraction; for the latter variable, the attenuation started 10 s after the onset of contraction. Our findings lead us to conclude that acid-sensing ion channels and epithelial sodium channels play little, if any, role in evoking the mechanical component of the exercise pressor reflex.
Cardiac ErbB-1/ErbB-2 mutant expression in young adult mice leads to cardiac dysfunction
Authors: Rajagopalan Viswanathan , Zucker Irving H. , Jones Jocelyn A. , Carlson Michaela , Ma Ying J.
Published: July 2008

Multiple factors lead to the development and maintenance of chronic heart failure. Blockade of ErbB-2 or ErbB-4 tyrosine kinase receptor signaling leads to dilated cardiomyopathy. ErbB-1 may protect the heart against stress-induced injury and its ligand; epidermal growth factor (EGF) increases myocardial contractility, whereas heparin-binding EGF is essential for normal cardiac function. However, the role of ErbB-1 in control of cardiac function is not clear. We hypothesized that ErbB-1 is essential for maintaining adult cardiac function. Using the ecdysone-inducible gene expression system, we expressed humanized cardiomyocyte-specific dominant-negative ErbB-1 mutant receptors (hErbB-1-mut) in young adult mice that block endogenous cardiac ErbB-1 signaling. Molecular, morphological, and physiological tests (under anesthesia) were performed. As a result, hErbB-1-mut was expressed selectively in cardiomyocytes leading to the blockade of endogenous ErbB-1 phosphorylation and ErbB-2 transphosphorylation. An increase in left ventricular mass, atrial natriuretic factor expression, and histological changes were indicative of cardiac hypertrophy. Cardiac dilation, numerous cardiac lesions, and the loss of the clear boundary between cardiac fibrils were noted histologically. Early and long-term hErbB-1-mut induction led to a significant decrease in fractional shortening and to significant increases in left ventricular end-systolic diameter and volume. The treatment of adenylyl cyclase activator (forskolin analog) normalized the depressed cardiac function. Resting cardiac function returned to normal after reversing mutant expression. A 4-day survival rate of transverse-aortic constricted hErbB-1-mut mice was only 20% compared with 100% in controls. In conclusion, these observations indicate that the blockade of cardiac ErbB-1 signaling leads to the blockade of ErbB-2 signaling and that together they result in cardiac dysfunction.
Age-related differences in skeletal muscle insulin signaling: the role of stress kinases and heat shock proteins
Authors: Gupte Anisha A. , Bomhoff Gregory L. , Geiger Paige C.
Published: July 2008

Aging is associated with an increase in insulin resistance in skeletal muscle, yet the underlying mechanism is not well established. We hypothesize that with aging, a chronic increase in stress kinase activation, coupled with a decrease in oxidative capacity, leads to insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. In aged (24 mo old) and young (3 mo old) Fischer 344 rats, 2-deoxyglucose uptake and insulin signaling [as measured by phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), Akt (protein kinase B), and Akt substrate of 160 kDa (AS160)] decreased significantly with age. Activation of, c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), glycogen serine kinase-3β (GSK-3β), and degradation of IκBα by the upstream inhibitor of kappa B kinase (IKKβ), as measured by Western blot analysis, were increased with age in both soleus and epitrochlearis (Epi) muscles. However, much higher activation of these kinases in Epi muscles from young rats compared with soleus results in a greater effect of these kinases on insulin signaling in fast-twitch muscle with age. Heat shock protein (HSP) 72 expression and phosphorylation of HSP25 were higher in soleus compared with Epi muscles, and both parameters decreased with age. Age and fiber type differences in cytochrome oxidase activity are consistent with observed changes in HSP expression and activation. Our results demonstrate a significant difference in the ability of slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscles to respond to insulin and regulate glucose with age. A greater constitutive HSP expression and lower stress kinase activation may account for the ability of slow-twitch muscles to preserve the capacity to respond to insulin and maintain glucose homeostasis with age.
The principle of upper airway unidirectional flow facilitates breathing in humans
Authors: Jiang Yandong , Liang Yafen , Kacmarek Robert M.
Published: July 2008

Upper airway unidirectional breathing, nose in and mouth out, is used by panting dogs to facilitate heat removal via water evaporation from the respiratory system. Why some humans instinctively employ the same breathing pattern during respiratory distress is still open to question. We hypothesized that 1) humans unconsciously perform unidirectional breathing because it improves breathing efficiency, 2) such an improvement is achieved by bypassing upper airway dead space, and 3) the magnitude of the improvement is inversely proportional to the tidal volume. Four breathing patterns were performed in random order in 10 healthy volunteers first with normal breathing effort, then with variable tidal volumes: mouth in and mouth out (MMB); nose in and nose out (NNB); nose in and mouth out (NMB); and mouth in and nose out (MNB). We found that unidirectional breathing bypasses anatomical dead space and improves breathing efficiency. At tidal volumes of ∼380 ml, the functional anatomical dead space during NMB (81 ± 31 ml) or MNB (101 ± 20 ml) was significantly lower than that during MMB (148 ± 15 ml) or NNB (130 ± 13 ml) (all P < 0.001), and the breathing efficiency obtained with NMB (78 ± 9%) or MNB (73 ± 6%) was significantly higher than that with MMB (61 ± 6%) or NNB (66 ± 3%) (all P < 0.001). The improvement in breathing efficiency increased as tidal volume decreased. Unidirectional breathing results in a significant reduction in functional anatomical dead space and improvement in breathing efficiency. We suggest this may be the reason that such a breathing pattern is preferred during respiratory distress.
Saireito and Saikosaponin D Prevent Urinary Protein Excretion via Glucocorticoid Receptor in Adrenalectomized WKY Rats with Heterologous-Phase Anti-GBM Nephritis
Authors: Hattori Tomohisa , Nishimura Hiroaki , Kase Yoshio , Takeda Shuichi
Published: July 2008

Aims: In order to clarify the antinephritic mechanisms of saireito, the glucocorticoid receptor agonistic effect of saireito was evaluated in adrenalectomized rats with anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) nephritis.Methods: Rats with anti-GBM nephritis were subjected to adrenalectomy to exclude the effects of endogenous steroid hormones to investigate effects of saireito on the nephritis. The suppressive effects of saireito and saikosaponin D on the production of cytokines were investigated in vitro andin vivo. Results: Administration of saireito or saikosaponin D significantly suppressed the increase of urinary protein excretion and histopathological changes in adrenalectomized nephritic rats. Coadministration of saireito or saikosaponin D and RU-38486, a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, did not suppress the increase of urinary protein excretion. Saikosaponin D inhibited the glucocorticoid receptor binding of [3H]dexamethasone in anin vitro assay (IC50 ratio 5.8 µmol/l). The IC50 values of saikosaponin D for the release of IL-2 and IL-10 were 13.4 and 12.3 µmol/l, respectively. Administration of saireito and saikosaponin D prevented an increase in IL-2 levels in the renal cortex of anti-GBM nephritic rats. Conclusion: These results suggest that the antinephritic effects of saireito may be partly attributable to an agonistic action on the glucocorticoid receptor by saikosaponin D, a component of saireito.
Preventive Wrapping of the Fragile Tracheobronchial Wall Using a Flap of Latissimus Dorsi Muscle during Esophagectomy after Chemoradiotherapy
Authors: Sato Y. , Motoyama S. , Maruyama K. , Hayashi K. , Usami S. , Minamiya Y. , Saito H. , Kitamura M. , Saito R. , Ogawa J.
Published: July 2008

Background: Thanks to significant recent progress in the application of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in the treatment of esophageal cancer, the numbers of operations on patients who have undergone preoperative CRT are increasing. In these patients, preoperative CRT often leads to formation of an unstable, scleroid layer comprised of what appears to be scar tissue around the tracheobronchial wall. This scleroid layer must be removed with the tumor, thereby weakening the wall. Method: We performed preventive intrathoracic transposition of a pedicled latissimus dorsi muscle flap on 6 patients with clinically T4 esophageal cancer (6 males; age: 63–75 years). All 6 patients had undergone preoperative CRT (median, 43.0 Gy; range, 32.0–60.0 Gy; with cisplatin + 5-fluorouracil infusion) to relieve direct invasion of the airway. Results: In 6 patients, preventive use of a pedicled latissimus dorsi muscle flap resulted in uneventful recovery from the tracheobronchial wall weakness. Anastomotic leakage, recurrent nerve paralysis and pneumonia occurred in 2 patients each (33.3%); there were no life-threatening complications or operation-related deaths, however. Conclusions: When performing an esophagectomy for thoracic esophageal squamous-cell cancer in patients who have received preoperative CRT, the weakened tracheobronchial wall can potentially be reinforced using a pedicled latissimus dorsi muscle flap.
Identifying Target Areas of Treatment for Depressed Early Inflammatory Arthritis Patients
Authors: Dobkin Patricia L. , Filipski Marta , Looper Karl , Schieir Orit , Baron Murray
Published: July 2008

Background: The goal of this study was to identify target areas for psychosocial intervention for depressed patients with earlyinflammatory arthritis. Methods:One hundred and sixty-five patients with early inflammatory arthritis (≧1 joint with synovitis for ≧6 weeks and <1 year with a diagnosis of either rheumatoid or undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis) were referred to the McGill Early Arthritis Registry (McEAR) by their rheumatologist. McEAR patients agree to periodic physical exams and to completing questionnaires. Demographic, disease and psychosocial factors were compared between patients screening positive and negative for depression using independent samples t tests and Pearson’s χ2 test and then were entered into a logistic regression model examining the likelihood of screening positive for depression. Results: Thirty-eight (23%) patients screened positive for depressive symptoms. Patients with symptoms of depression had significantly worse disease severity, disability, and pain, engaged in more emotional preoccupation coping, had less self-efficacy for pain and other arthritis-related symptoms, smaller social networks and were less satisfied with social support than the nondepressed group. In logistic regression analyses, pain and emotional preoccupation coping were positively related to the likelihood of screening positive for depression, while satisfaction with social support was negatively related to the likelihood of screening positive for depression Conclusion: Higher pain levels, emotional preoccupation coping and dissatisfaction with social support were related to depressive symptoms in this study. This suggests that the optimal care of depressed patients with inflammatory arthritis would include a psychosocial approach that addresses these specific target areas.
Comparative Study of Gastrointestinal Tract and Liver Toxicity of Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Amino Chelate and Iron Polymaltose Complex in Normal Rats
Authors: Toblli Jorge E. , Cao Gabriel , Olivieri Leda , Angerosa Margarita
Published: July 2008

Iron deficiency is a common worldwide problem leading to several morbidities including anemia. Although oral iron is the first choice in iron deficiency therapy, it may produce gastrointestinal (GI) and liver disorders. The aim of our study was to evaluate: (1) acute toxicity (LD50) in different oral iron compounds such as ferrous sulfate (FS), iron amino chelate (AC) and iron polymaltose complex (IPC) and (2) possible differences in early and late toxicity in the GI tract and liver between them. Methods: Hematological variables, liver enzymes, oxidative stress markers (thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substances, reduced glutathione, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, CuZn superoxide dysmutase) in intestinal mucosa and liver homogenates, and morphological parameters (gross anatomy, histology) were evaluated in non-anemic rats. Results: LD50 was lower (p < 0.01) in FS versus iron AC and IPC. The liver enzymes were increased in the FS group (p < 0.05). The FS group presented gastric mucosal erosions and the iron AC group showed submucosal hemorrhages in the lower GI tract (colon and rectum) versus the IPC and control groups. In the small intestine, the villi/crypt ratio and goblet cells per villus were significantly (p < 0.01) reduced in the FS and iron AC groups versus IPC. The eosinophils per villus were increased (p < 0.01) in the FS and iron AC groups versus the IPC and control groups. Ferritin was elevated (p < 0.01) in the IPC group versus FS and iron AC in the small intestine and liver. The oxidative stress markers were all significantly (p < 0.01) altered in the FS and iron AC groups versus the IPC and control groups in the intestinal mucosa and liver. Conclusion: FS exhibited important acute toxicity as well as early and late GI tract and liver toxicity. Despite showing similar LD50 as IPC, iron AC presented differences regarding early and late GI tract and liver toxicity versus IPC.
Proteolytic Cleavage of High Mobility Group Box 1 Protein by Thrombin-Thrombomodulin Complexes
Authors: Ito Takashi , Kawahara Ko-ichi , Okamoto Kohji , Yamada Shingo , Yasuda Minetsugu , Imaizumi Hitoshi , Nawa Yuko , Meng Xiaojie , Shrestha Binita , Hashiguchi Teruto , Maruyama Ikuro
Published: July 2008

Objective—

High mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) was identified as a mediator of endotoxin lethality. We previously reported that thrombomodulin (TM), an endothelial thrombin-binding protein, bound to HMGB1, thereby protecting mice from lethal endotoxemia. However, the fate of HMGB1 bound to TM remains to be elucidated.

Methods and Results—

TM enhanced thrombin-mediated cleavage of HMGB1. N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of the HMGB1 degradation product demonstrated that thrombin cleaved HMGB1 at the Arg10-Gly11 bond. Concomitant with the cleavage of the N-terminal domain of HMGB1, proinflammatory activity of HMGB1 was significantly decreased (
P
<0.01). HMGB1 degradation products were detected in the serum of endotoxemic mice and in the plasma of septic patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), indicating that HMGB1 could be degraded under conditions in which proteases were activated in the systemic circulation.

Conclusions—

TM not only binds to HMGB1 but also aids the proteolytic cleavage of HMGB1 by thrombin. These findings highlight the novel antiinflammatory role of TM, in which thrombin-TM complexes degrade HMGB1 to a less proinflammatory form.
Coronary Artery Disease–Associated Locus on Chromosome 9p21 and Early Markers of Atherosclerosis
Authors: Samani Nilesh J. , Raitakari Olli T. , Sipilä Kalle , Tobin Martin D. , Schunkert Heribert , Juonala Markus , Braund Peter S. , Erdmann Jeanette , Viikari Jorma , Moilanen Leena , Taittonen Leena , Jula Antti , Jokinen Eero , Laitinen Tomi , Hutri-Kähönen Nina , Nieminen Markku S. , Kesäniemi Y. Antero , Hall Alistair S. , Hulkkonen Janne , Kähönen Mika , Lehtimäki Terho
Published: July 2008

Background—

Genome-wide association studies have recently identified a locus on chromosome 9p21 that influences risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). The effect of the locus on early markers of atherosclerosis is unknown. We examined its association with carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and brachial flow-mediated dilatation (FMD).

Methods and Results—

We genotyped 2277 individuals, age 24 to 39 years, from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study with CIMT and FMD measurements and 1295 individuals, age 46 to 76 years, from the Health 2000 Survey with CIMT for rs1333049, the chromosome 9p21 variant showing the strongest association with CAD. Both mean and maximum CIMT were significantly higher (
P
<0.001) in the older subjects of the Health 2000 Survey compared with the Young Finns Study. However, there was no association of the rs1333049 genotype with either mean or maximum CIMT at either age (
P
=0.959 and 0.977 for the 2 phenotypes in the Young Finns Study and
P
=0.714 and 0.725 in the Health 2000 Survey). Similarly, there was no association of the locus with variation in FMD in the Young Finns cohort (
P
=0.521).

Conclusions—

The chromosome 9p21 locus does not influence CAD risk through a mechanism that also affects CIMT or induces early changes in FMD.
Enhancing Mitochondrial Ca
2+
Uptake in Myocytes From Failing Hearts Restores Energy Supply and Demand Matching
Authors: Liu Ting , O'Rourke Brian
Published: July 2008

Mitochondrial ATP production is continually adjusted to energy demand through coordinated increases in oxidative phosphorylation and NADH production mediated by mitochondrial Ca
2+
([Ca
2+
]
m
). Elevated cytosolic Na
+
impairs [Ca
2+
]
m
accumulation during rapid pacing of myocytes, resulting in a decrease in NADH/NAD
+
redox potential. Here, we determined 1) if accentuating [Ca
2+
]
m
accumulation prevents the impaired NADH response at high [Na
+
]
i
; 2) if [Ca
2+
]
m
handling and NADH/NAD
+
balance during stimulation is impaired with heart failure (induced by aortic constriction); and 3) if inhibiting [Ca
2+
]
m
efflux improves NADH/NAD
+
balance in heart failure. [Ca
2+
]
m
and NADH were recorded in cells at rest and during voltage clamp stimulation (4Hz) with either 5 or 15 mmol/L [Na
+
]
i
. Fast [Ca
2+
]
m
transients and a rise in diastolic [Ca
2+
]
m
were observed during electric stimulation. [Ca
2+
]
m
accumulation was [Na
+
]
i
-dependent; less [Ca
2+
]
m
accumulated in cells with 15 Na
+
versus 5 mmol/L Na
+
and NADH oxidation was evident at 15 mmol/L Na
+
, but not at 5 mmol/L Na
+
. Treatment with either the mitochondrial Na
+
/Ca
2+
exchange inhibitor CGP-37157 (1 μmol/L) or raising cytosolic P
i
(2 mmol/L) enhanced [Ca
2+
]
m
accumulation and prevented the NADH oxidation at 15 mmol/L [Na
+
]
i
. In heart failure myocytes, resting [Na
+
]
i
increased from 5.2±1.4 to 16.8±3.1mmol/L and net NADH oxidation was observed during pacing, whereas NADH was well matched in controls. Treatment with CGP-37157 or lowering [Na
+
]
i
prevented the impaired NADH response in heart failure. We conclude that high [Na
+
]
i
(at levels observed in heart failure) has detrimental effects on mitochondrial bioenergetics, and this impairment can be prevented by inhibiting the mitochondrial Na
+
/Ca
2+
exchanger.
Regulation of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase and Postnatal Angiogenesis by Rac1
Authors: Sawada Naoki , Salomone Salvatore , Kim Hyung-Hwan , Kwiatkowski David J. , Liao James K.
Published: July 2008

Diminished bioavailability of nitric oxide is a hallmark of endothelial dysfunction and is associated with a broad spectrum of vascular disorders such as impaired angiogenesis. Because Rac1, a Rho family member, mediates cellular motility and generation of reactive oxygen species, it could be involved in the regulation of endothelial nitric oxide production. However, the pathophysiological consequences of postnatal endothelial Rac1 deletion on endothelial function have not been determined. We generated endothelial-specific Rac1 haploinsufficient mice (EC-Rac1
+/−
) using Cre-loxP technology. The EC-Rac1
+/−
mice have decreased expression and activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), impaired endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation, and mild hypertension compared with control (Rac1
+/flox
) mice. Hind limb ischemia model and aortic capillary sprouting assay showed that eNOS activity and angiogenesis was impaired in EC-Rac1
+/−
mice. Indeed, Rac1 promotes eNOS gene transcription through p21-activated kinase but not NADPH oxidase, increases eNOS mRNA stability, and enhances eNOS activity by promoting endothelial uptake of
l
-arginine. These findings indicate that endothelial Rac1 is essential for endothelium-dependent vasomotor response and ischemia-induced angiogenesis. These effects of Rac1 on endothelial function are largely due to the upregulation of eNOS through multiple mechanisms that are mediated, in part, by p21-activated kinase. Therapeutic strategies to enhance Rac1 function, therefore, may be important for preventing endothelial dysfunction.
Protein Kinase A–Mediated Phosphorylation of cMyBP-C Increases Proximity of Myosin Heads to Actin in Resting Myocardium
Authors: Colson Brett A. , Bekyarova Tanya , Locher Matthew R. , Fitzsimons Daniel P. , Irving Thomas C. , Moss Richard L.
Published: July 2008

Protein kinase A–mediated (PKA) phosphorylation of cardiac myosin binding protein C (cMyBP-C) accelerates the kinetics of cross-bridge cycling and may relieve the tether-like constraint of myosin heads imposed by cMyBP-C. We favor a mechanism in which cMyBP-C modulates cross-bridge cycling kinetics by regulating the proximity and interaction of myosin and actin. To test this idea, we used synchrotron low-angle x-ray diffraction to measure interthick filament lattice spacing and the equatorial intensity ratio, I
11
/I
10
, in skinned trabeculae isolated from wild-type and cMyBP-C null (cMyBP-C
−/−
) mice. In wild-type myocardium, PKA treatment appeared to result in radial or azimuthal displacement of cross-bridges away from the thick filaments as indicated by an increase (approximately 50%) in I
11
/I
10
(0.22±0.03 versus 0.33±0.03). Conversely, PKA treatment did not affect cross-bridge disposition in mice lacking cMyBP-C, because there was no difference in I
11
/I
10
between untreated and PKA-treated cMyBP-C
−/−
myocardium (0.40±0.06 versus 0.42±0.05). Although lattice spacing did not change after treatment in wild-type (45.68±0.84 nm versus 45.64±0.64 nm), treatment of cMyBP-C
−/−
myocardium increased lattice spacing (46.80±0.92 nm versus 49.61±0.59 nm). This result is consistent with the idea that the myofilament lattice expands after PKA phosphorylation of cardiac troponin I, and when present, cMyBP-C, may stabilize the lattice. These data support our hypothesis that tethering of cross-bridges by cMyBP-C is relieved by phosphorylation of PKA sites in cMyBP-C, thereby increasing the proximity of cross-bridges to actin and increasing the probability of interaction with actin on contraction.
The Economic Predicament of Italian Renaissance Ambassadors
Authors: Dover Paul
Published: July 2008

This article examines the character and sources of the many complaints about money heard in the dispatches of ambassadors in the second half of the fifteenth century in Italy. In a period when ambassadors increasingly served for long periods of time as residents in a single locale, infrequency of regular remuneration became commonplace, as Italian states, with their lengthening list of pecuniary obligations, were notoriously unreliable paymasters. This article suggests that the language of complaint reflected the dynamics of Renaissance patron-client relationships and the rhetorical conventions that were shaped both by the medieval ars dictaminis and humanistic topoi. While the laments could reflect real deprivation, ambassadorial service often provided a real path to office, influence and enrichment. It also demonstrates that the financial concerns of ambassadors differed whether they were short-term or long-term ambassadors, and whether they were sent by princely or republican regimes. Based on diplomatic correspondence of ambassadors from several Italian states, the essay argues that the economic situation of these diplomatic envoys is analogous to that of condottieri: both served the cash-strapped Renaissance territorial state in areas of activity where institutions were becoming permanent.
Magic Naturalized? Negotiating Science and Occult Experience in Aleister Crowley's Scientific Illuminism La Magie “naturalisée”? De la négociation entre science et expérience occulte dans l'illuminisme scientifique d'Aleister Crowley
Authors: Asprem Egil
Published: July 2008

L'une des questions centrales qui se posent en matière d'ésotérisme occidental moderne porte sur l'attrait persistant de la magie; comment la magie a-t-elle survécu au “désenchantement du monde”? Une explication tentante a été que l'émergence de la “magie occultiste”, fondée sur les écrits d'Eliphas Lévi (1810-1875) et les enseignements de l'Ordre Hermétique de la Golden Dawn (créé en 1888) en particulier, ont eu pour effet une “psychologisation” de la magie. Le fait d'interpréter les pratiques magiques comme des techniques psychologiques, et le commerce avec des entités ésotériques comme une manipulation d'états intérieurs, psychologiques, plutôt que comme un commerce avec des êtres spirituels existant réellement, a permis à des modernes possédant une bonne culture et appartenant à une classe supérieure à la classe moyenne, de maintenir à la fois leur croyance à la magie, et leur intégrité rationnelle. En présentant une étude de cas, celui d'un des occultistes modernes ayant exercé le plus d'influence, à savoir Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), cet article cherche à montrer que “la thèse de la psychologisation” ne résiste pas entièrement à l'examen. Feront l'objet d'une mention particulière le système magique de Crowley, présenté comme un “Illuminisme scientifique”, ainsi que le rôle et à l'attrait de la science dans ce système. Contrairement à la thèse de la psychologisation, laquelle, comme on en traitera, représente une sorte d' “escapisme psychologique”, Crowley ne cherchait pas à dissocier ses croyances magiques de ses croyances rationnelles en les faisant passer dans le champ de la psychologie et des états intérieurs; au lieu de cela, influencé qu'il était par les idéaux du naturalisme scientifique il a cherché à concevoir une méthode naturaliste permettant de critiquer, de tester et de raffiner rationnellement la pratique magique. En somme, on s'attachera à montrer que le système de Crowley représente un pas en direction de la naturalisation plutôt que vers la psychologisation de la magie. On présentera une lecture serrée de certaines des idées de Crowley portant sur le rapport entre science et magie, et on procédera aussi à une contextualisation historique dans laquelle on s'attachera spécialement à traiter des rapports entretenus par Crowley avec des courants intellectuels marquants au sein desquels on s'intéressait à cette question (notamment, la Society for Psychical Research, Sir James Frazer, ainsi que des philosophes naturalistes—de T.H. Huxley à Henry Maudsley).
“Éloquence magique”, ou descriptions des mondes de l'au-delà explorés par le magnétisme animal: Au carrefour de la Naturphilosophie romantique et de la théosophie chrétienne (première moitié du XIXème siècle) “Magic Eloquence”, or Descriptions of the Worlds of the Beyond Explored by Animal Magnetism: At the Crossroad of Romantic Naturphilosophie and Christian Theosophy (first half of the 19th century)
Authors: Faivre Antoine
Published: July 2008

The article opens with a distinction between three kinds of “clairvoyance” phenomena. 1) A faculty of seeing/hearing things which are normally outside the reach of the clairvoyant's five senses (like being able to read sentences from a book although it is closed), but which do not extend beyond the domain of our common reality. 2) A “higher” faculty, which consists in seeing/hearing entities like spirits of the dead, angels, demons, etc., and occasionally in having a personal contact with them. 3) A “highest” faculty, of a noetic (“gnostic”) character, which extends beyond the first two and consists in being able to have acess to some sorts of “ultimate realities”: the visions thus imparted to the subject bear on ontological mysteries that concern, for example, the divine world, the cosmos, the hidden sides of Nature, etc. The author bestows the name “magic eloquence” on the narratives of visions pertaining to that third kind of clairvoyance, which are documented in the literature of Christian theosophy (see Jacob Boehme's and Swedenborg' vivions, for instance) and of animal magnetism. After presenting a few examples of magic eloquence chosen in the literature of animal magnetism in the first half of the 19the century, the article discusses the interpretations thereof put forward in the same period by a number of representatives of some German romantic Naturphilosophen who were both interested in animal magnetism and influenced by Christian theosophy. Their interpretations were based, on the one hand, upon the theosophical version of the myth of Fall and Reintegration; on the other hand, upon the “traditional” tripartition spirit/soul/body. On that basis, they constructed a series of heuristic tools successively, around notions like “ethereal light-substance”, “ganglionic system”, and Nervengeist. In the latter, they eventually came to see the cornerstone of the “physicopsycho-spiritual” structure (made of five constitutive elements) of the human being as they imagined it. Moreover, if considered as such, the Nervengeist appears to be the key for understanding the physico-spiritual procedures that undergird the production of magic eloquence. Finally, after presenting a few relevant examples in the literature of fiction inspired by animal magnetism, and some considerations devoted to the continuation of magical eloquence in later spiritual movements, the article draws a parallel between two anthropological “constructs” of the “soul” – namely, by the Naturphilosophie discussed above; and by psychoanalysis.
The Shasu "Bedouin"
Authors: Ward William A.
Published: July 2008

The people whom the Egyptians called "the Shasu" are one of the enigmas in the struggle between Egypt and her neighbours during the Empire. They appear time and again in Egyptian texts and are frequently portrayed on temple walls, yet they have remained an elusive group for all the seeming importance accorded them in the extant documents. Were they an ethnic group or social class, a political entity or scattered tribes, a major enemy or sometime foe? Raphael
Some Reports Concerning Mecca
Authors: Kister M.J.
Published: July 2008

Information about the conditions in Mecca in the period preceding
Notes On Taxation in Early Islam
Authors: Duri 'ABDAL 'AZIZ
Published: July 2008

This is not a survey, but an attempt to raise certain points and to reconsider some issues. A study of a system requires due consideration of its origins and evolution with an appreciation of the source material available. Account has been taken of modern research, but this is hardly the place for detailed study; thus ideas and findings are given only briefly as notes*.
Elite Lineages and the T'O-Pa Accommodation: a Study of the Edict of 495
Authors: Dien Albert E.
Published: July 2008

An examination of the scanty material directly bearing on social class in the state of Northern Wei in the late 5th century suggests that the system for delineating family status outlined in an edict of 495 was elitist rather than aristocratic and that its roots are to be found in Chinese society, not in the Hsien-pei tribal structure. The T'o-pa rulers may have instituted the system in order to systematize and bureaucratize social custom so as to control entry into the elite and thus ensure adequate T'o-pa representation in civil offices. The edict of 495 is also interesting for the information it offers about what may be termed bureaucratic segmentation of lineage; and finally one may infer from the wording of the edict that the T'o-pa clan structure was of the conical type.