bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
miRNA proxy approach reveals hidden functions of glycosylation
Authors: Kurcon Tomasz , Liu Zhongyin , Paradkar Anika V. , Vaiana Christopher A. , Koppolu Sujeethraj , Agrawal Praveen , Mahal Lara K.
Published: May 2015

Significance

Carbohydrates hold an unprecedented capacity for altering biological function, but determining which glycans and underlying enzymes are crucial for a specific biological pathway is a major impediment to our understanding of this posttranslational modification. Here we demonstrate that the mRNA target networks of microRNA (miRNA), small noncoding RNA, identify glycosylation enzymes acting as regulatory elements within a biological pathway. Leveraging the miRNA-200 family (miR-200f), regulators of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), we identify multiple promesenchymal glycosylation enzymes. Silencing miR-200f–targeted glycogenes phenocopies the effect of miR-200f, inducing mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition. These enzymes are upregulated in TGF-β–induced EMT, suggesting tight integration within the signaling network. Our work indicates that miRNA networks can be used to identify crucial glycosylation enzymes driving disease states.
Conditional steroidogenic cell-targeted deletion of TSPO unveils a crucial role in viability and hormone-dependent steroid formation
Authors: Fan Jinjiang , Campioli Enrico , Midzak Andrew , Culty Martine , Papadopoulos Vassilios
Published: May 2015

Significance

Cholesterol-derived steroid hormones are critical mediators in development, reproduction, behavior, and stress response. Steroid biosynthesis occurs in hormone-dependent steroidogenic cells, which are defined by their ability to cleave cholesterol to pregnenolone in mitochondria, the adrenal cortex, and gonads. The rate-limiting step in steroid biosynthesis is the transport of cholesterol from intracellular stores into mitochondria. Translocator protein (TSPO) is a high-affinity drug- and cholesterol-binding protein important for cholesterol import into mitochondria. Two distinct genetically engineered
Tspo
mouse mutants were generated to induce gonadal and steroidogenic cell-specific
Tspo
deletion. Our studies show the importance of TSPO for murine development as well as for hormone-induced steroidogenesis, suggesting a key role for TSPO in the development and function of the mammalian acute stress response.
Synthesis of refractory organic matter in the ionized gas phase of the solar nebula
Authors: Kuga Maïa , Marty Bernard , Marrocchi Yves , Tissandier Laurent
Published: May 2015

Significance

Refractory organics are the main hosts of carbon, nitrogen, and other biogenic elements in primitive solar system material. We have synthesized refractory organics by ionizing a gas mixture reminiscent of the composition of the protosolar nebula, at temperatures up to 1,000 K in a plasma. Synthesized compounds share chemical and structural features with chondritic organics, and trapped noble gases reproduce well the elemental and isotopic characteristics of meteoritic noble gases. Our study suggests that organosynthesis took place in the solar system, including in its warm regions, and was ubiquitous anywhere the nebular gas was subject to ionization.
Neural Hedgehog signaling maintains stem cell renewal in the sensory touch dome epithelium
Authors: Xiao Ying , Thoresen Daniel T. , Williams Jonathan S. , Wang Chaochen , Perna James , Petrova Ralitsa , Brownell Isaac
Published: May 2015

Significance

The role of nerves in regulating stem cells is largely unknown. Here, we use the touch dome epithelium in skin as a model to study neural regulation of adult stem cells. We find that sensory nerves trophically maintain the touch dome epithelium by signaling with Sonic hedgehog (Shh) to lineage-specific stem cells. This novel aspect of touch dome innervation demonstrates retrograde paracrine signaling to sensory epithelium progenitors by afferent sensory neurons. Indeed, neural Shh is a key regulatory factor in the perineural niche required for long-term renewal of touch dome stem cells. We further demonstrate that Hedgehog upregulation alone is not sufficient to drive malignant expansion of mouse Merkel cells, despite reports of active Hedgehog signaling in Merkel cell carcinoma.
The disordered P granule protein LAF-1 drives phase separation into droplets with tunable viscosity and dynamics
Authors: Elbaum-Garfinkle Shana , Kim Younghoon , Szczepaniak Krzysztof , Chen Carlos Chih-Hsiung , Eckmann Christian R. , Myong Sua , Brangwynne Clifford P.
Published: May 2015

Significance

Phase transitions have recently emerged as a key mechanism for intracellular organization. However, the underlying molecular interactions and nature of the resulting condensed phases are poorly understood. Here, we identify a role for LAF-1 in the liquid phase separation of P granules—RNA/protein assemblies implicated in germ-line maintenance. We adapt microrheology techniques to measure precise viscoelastic properties of LAF-1 liquid droplets. Our experiments reveal that electrostatic disordered protein interactions give rise to droplets with tunable material properties. RNA can fluidize protein droplets by decreasing the viscosity and increasing internal molecular dynamics. Our results provide insight into the mechanism by which molecular level interactions can give rise to liquid phase organelles with tunable material properties, potentially underlying biologically adaptable functions.
Netrin-1 exerts oncogenic activities through enhancing Yes-associated protein stability
Authors: Qi Qi , Li Dean Y. , Luo Hongbo R. , Guan Kun-Liang , Ye Keqiang
Published: May 2015

Significance

Netrin-1 has been considered a pro-oncogene due to its oncogenic activity. However, the mechanism by which netrin-1 modulates cancer progression is not well understood. Here, we show that netrin-1 promotes cancer cell proliferation and migration through up-regulating Yes-associated protein (YAP), a downstream target of the Hippo signaling pathway. Further studies suggest that, via uncoordinated-5 homolog B (UNC5B)/deleted in colorectal cancer receptors, netrin-1 enhances YAP stability via promoting phosphatase 1A-induced YAP dephosphorylation, leading to high levels of YAP activity. These results provide a mechanism of netrin-1 oncogenic activity and identify a cross-talk between the Hippo pathway and netrin signaling.
Progressive maturation of silent synapses governs the duration of a critical period
Authors: Huang Xiaojie , Stodieck Sophia K. , Goetze Bianka , Cui Lei , Wong Man Ho , Wenzel Colin , Hosang Leon , Dong Yan , Löwel Siegrid , Schlüter Oliver M.
Published: May 2015

Significance

During critical periods, cortical neural circuits are refined to optimize their functional properties. The prevailing notion is that the balance between excitation and inhibition determines the onset and closure of critical periods. Here, we show that postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95)–dependent maturation of silent glutamatergic synapses onto principal neurons was sufficient to govern the duration of the critical period for ocular dominance plasticity (ODP) in the visual cortex of mice. Loss of PSD-95 before the onset of CPs resulted in lifelong ODP, loss after CP closure reinstated silent synapses, and ODP. Thus, PSD-95–dependent silent synapse maturation terminates the critical period of ODP, and in general, once silent synapses are consolidated in any neural circuit, critical periods may end.
Sorafenib and its derivative SC-1 exhibit antifibrotic effects through signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 inhibition
Authors: Su Tung-Hung , Shiau Chung-Wai , Jao Ping , Liu Chen-Hua , Liu Chun-Jen , Tai Wei-Tien , Jeng Yung-Ming , Yang Hung-Chih , Tseng Tai-Chung , Huang Hsiang-Po , Cheng Huei-Ru , Chen Pei-Jer , Chen Kuen-Feng , Kao Jia-Horng , Chen Ding-Shinn
Published: May 2015

Significance

The role of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) remains unclear. Using sorafenib and its derivative SC-1, we demonstrated the significant role of STAT3 pathway in liver fibrogenesis. We further found that STAT3 pathway of HSCs overexpressed in chronic hepatitis B patients with advanced fibrosis, therefore STAT3 may serve as a promising fibrotic biomarker and target. Furthermore, SHP-1 phosphatase-direct STAT3 inhibition may represent a previously unidentified strategy for antifibrotic drug discovery.
Metformin increases degradation of phospholamban via autophagy in cardiomyocytes
Authors: Teng Allen C. T. , Miyake Tetsuaki , Yokoe Shunichi , Zhang Liyong , Rezende Luís Mário , Sharma Parveen , MacLennan David H. , Liu Peter P. , Gramolini Anthony O.
Published: May 2015

Significance

Phospholamban (PLN) can regulate Ca
2+
uptake rates in the sarcoplasmic reticulum in cardiomyocytes. However, the mechanisms that control PLN levels are not fully understood. This study shows that PLN degradation depends on ubiquitinylation of its lysine 3 residue and p62-mediated selective autophagy. Metformin was shown to accelerate autophagy and to induce PLN degradation, resulting in increased Ca
2+
uptake. These results suggest that changes in PLN degradation could account for the cardiac inotropic effects of metformin.
Efficacy of Portable PIT Detectors for Tracking Long-Term Movement of Colorado River Cutthroat Trout in a Small Montane Stream
Authors: Hodge Brian W. , Henderson Richard , Rogers Kevin B. , Battige Kyle D.
Published: May 2015

We evaluated the efficacy of portable PIT detectors for tracking long-term fish movement in an open stream environment. In June and October of 2012, we PIT-tagged a total of 190 Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus (CRCT) in a 1.7-km segment of a small, montane stream. In the summers of 2012–2013 (15 total occasions), we relocated PIT-tagged trout using portable PIT detectors. The maximum detection distance of 23-mm PIT tags ranged from 6 to 56 cm and varied with detector, detection plane, and tag orientation. Of the CRCT tagged, 38% were never detected and 43% were detected on two or more occasions. Mean detection efficiencies of PIT-tagged trout were 34% and 45% in 2012 and 2013, respectively, and were generally lower than in evaluations of closed systems and less mobile fishes. We observed a smaller range of CRCT than has been observed by others using radiotelemetry, a difference that could be explained by the spatial and temporal limitations of portable PIT detection we encountered. We conclude that portable PIT detector surveys have value but also drawbacks for tracking the movement of relatively mobile fishes in montane streams.

Received September 27, 2014; accepted January 21, 2015
Effectiveness of Two Commercial Rotenone Formulations in the Eradication of Virile Crayfish Orconectes virilis
Authors: Recsetar Matthew S. , Bonar Scott A.
Published: May 2015

The virile or northern crayfish Orconectes virilis is an invasive species throughout much of the USA, damaging aquatic communities where it is introduced. Therefore, identification of effective methods for its eradication from areas in which it is unwanted is important. We studied the effectiveness of two commercial formulations of rotenone, Chem Fish Regular and CFT Legumine, for virile crayfish control. Although both formulations were effective for fish eradication, earlier observations by fisheries managers suggested that the relative effectiveness of the two formulations differs for crayfish. The only noteworthy difference between the formulations is that the former contains a synergist. In our first experiment, we tested each toxicant at the maximum labeled dosage (5 ppm) and found CFT Legumine to be 100% ineffective (0% mortality), while the Chem Fish Regular treatment resulted in 12.5% mortality. After we deemed Chem Fish Regular to be the only toxicant with any effectiveness against virile crayfish, we tested concentrations from 5 to 50 ppm and found 10 times the maximum labeled dosage (50 ppm rotenone) was needed to kill all virile crayfish. Because crayfish burrow and can leave water, and because 100% eradication is usually desired, rotenone applied at the labeled rates will not be effective for crayfish control. However, treating a body of water with CFT Legumine to eradicate invasive fish while leaving desirable crayfish unharmed is possible.

Received May 16, 2014; accepted February 4, 2015
Numerical and Economic Contributions of Wild and Hatchery Pink Salmon to Commercial Catches in Japan Estimated from Mass Otolith Markings
Authors: Ohnuki Tsutomu , Morita Kentaro , Tokuda Hiroshi , Okamoto Yasutaka , Ohkuma Kazumasa
Published: May 2015

Evaluating the contribution of wild and hatchery fish to a fishery is essential to understand economic feasibility as well as the impact of hatchery fish on the ecosystem. However, a precise estimate of this contribution is often difficult to obtain, particularly when hatchery and wild fish are mixed in the catch. In this study, we quantified the contribution of hatchery and wild Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha to the mixed-stock commercial fishery in Japan by identifying the ratio of otolith-marked hatchery fish to unmarked and presumably wild fish. The contribution of hatchery fish to the total coastal catch of Pink Salmon in Japan was estimated to be 16.6% and 26.4% in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Thus, the majority of the commercial salmon catch originated from naturally spawned wild fish. Economic yield per release by Japanese hatcheries was 2.2 yen (¥2.2) (≈US$0.022) and ¥1.5 in 2011 and 2012.

Received October 5, 2014; accepted February 7, 2015
Comparison of Fish Communities at Random and Nonrandom Locations in a Sand-Bed River
Authors: Archdeacon Thomas P. , Henderson Kjetil R. , Austring Tristan J. , Cook Rebecca L.
Published: May 2015

Surveys based on nonrandom site selection, or convenience samples, are often a necessary part of large-scale monitoring programs to help minimize costs. The reliability of convenience samples to inform managers about distributions or population status of imperiled species is questionable, however, because the samples may not be representative of the whole population. We compared fish community data from 20 nonrandom, long-term monitoring sites for Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Hybognathus amarus with those from 20 randomly chosen samples collected during two surveys (one in summer, one in autumn) in the Rio Grande, New Mexico. We compared the species richness, community composition, and the catch per unit effort (CPUE). Fish species compositions, which were similar between both sets of summer and autumn surveys, were nearly identical in the autumn surveys. Similarly, we found consistent Rio Grande Silvery Minnow CPUE between surveys; summer random surveys estimated 0.32 fish/100 m2 sampled, whereas summer nonrandom surveys estimated 0.37 fish/100 m2 sampled. In autumn, both surveys showed a marked decline in Rio Grande Silvery Minnow; random surveys found 0.08 fish/100 m2 sampled (95% confidence interval 0.04–0.18), whereas the nonrandom surveys failed to collect any Rio Grande Silvery Minnow. Both surveys showed a reduction in species richness between summer and autumn with a corresponding increase in dominance by Red Shiner Cyprinella lutrensis and a decline in Rio Grande Silvery Minnow. We failed to find any meaningful differences in either fish community or Rio Grande Silvery Minnow CPUE between random and nonrandom sites, suggesting that the long-term, nonrandom locations currently used to monitor the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow population are representative of the middle Rio Grande. We believe our results are applicable to many monitoring programs in systems with a homogeneous distribution of mesohabitats; nonetheless, we recommend that managers assess potential bias in monitoring programs based on convenience samples.
Preparation of Lentinula edodes polysaccharide-calcium complex and its immunoactivity
Authors: Cui Yujiao , Yan Huidan , Zhang Xuewu
Published: May 2015

Polysaccharide is a major bioactive component of mushrooms. In this study, for the first time, starting from a new Lentinula edodes polysaccharide L2, we prepared a novel L2–calcium complex and the process was optimized. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier Transform infrared spectrometry were used for characterization. The immunostimulating activities of L2 and L2–calcium complex were measured by enhancing the production of two cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 in RAW264.7 cells. While L2–calcium complex significantly stimulates the secretions of TNF-α and IL-6 compared with the control, complex with calcium ion decreased the secretion of them. These facts indicate that calcium ion can modulate immune stimulating activity of Lentinula edodes polysaccharide L2.
Attempts to Improve Survivorship and Condition of Pond-Reared Hybrid Striped Bass during Live Transport
Authors: Barry Kelli , Bowzer John , Trushenski Jesse T
Published: May 2015

Anecdotal information from fish growers in Illinois has suggested that pond-reared hybrid Striped Bass (White Bass Morone chrysops × Striped Bass M. saxatilis) are more vulnerable to transportation-related stressors than are cage-reared fish. We conducted two simulated transport experiments to verify these reports and explored ameliorative strategies. In experiment 1, we evaluated changes in blood chemistry and water quality during transport of pond- versus cage-reared hybrid Striped Bass. Replicate trials were conducted on 4 d in August 2013. For each trial, market-size fish (weight = 650 ± 13 g, mean ± SE) were harvested from earthen ponds and floating cages, stocked in a two-compartment, semibaffled, insulated, aluminum live hauler supplied with supplemental oxygenation (density = 97 ± 3 g/L), and held for 8 h. Changes in circulating cortisol, glucose, lactate, and osmolality indicated all fish underwent an acute stress response following harvest and transport, but subtle differences in performance and conditions experienced by pond- versus cage-reared fish suggested greater CO2 accumulation during transport of pond-reared fish may be problematic. Accordingly, in experiment 2, we evaluated changes in blood chemistry and water quality occurring during transport of pond-reared hybrid Striped Bass with or without agitation. The same hauler was fitted with “bull-style” agitators and stocked with market-size, pond-reared fish (weight = 812 ± 12 g, density = 106 ± 3 g/L), and replicate trials were conducted on 4 d in April–May 2014 in a manner otherwise identical to experiment 1. Although agitation mitigated CO2 accumulation and stabilized pH, total ammonia nitrogen equilibrium shifted in favor of un-ionized ammonia nitrogen. Minor differences in blood chemistry were noted, but the use of agitators did not substantially attenuate the stress response observed. Harvest may be a greater stressor than others experienced during transport, and seining may contribute to poorer condition of pond-reared fish during and after transport.
Food Transit Time and Site of Absorption of Nutrients in Gulf of Mexico Sturgeon
Authors: Venero Jesus A , Miles Richard D , Chapman Frank A
Published: May 2015

We determined that the average gastrointestinal tract length of 8–11-month-old Gulf of Mexico Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi, a subspecies of Atlantic Sturgeon A. oxyrinchus, was approximately 82% of its fork length. The time required for digesta to pass through the digestive tract was approximately 32 h. Defecation was initiated between 8 and 16 h after feeding. The main site for digestion and absorption of energy, dry matter, and crude protein was the spiral valve region of the intestine, as determined by apparent digestibility coefficients. By the time digesta had reached the lower spiral valve most of the energy, dry matter, and crude protein had been absorbed. Morphological examination of the intestine, including the spiral valve region, revealed a highly developed mucosal surface area, which is essential for efficient nutrient digestion and absorption during the extended period required for the digesta to move through the digestive tract.
Explicit lower bounds for linear forms
Authors: Leppälä Kalle
Published: May 2015

Let

I

\mathbb {I}

be the field of rational numbers or an imaginary quadratic field and

Z

I

\mathbb {Z}_\mathbb {I}

its ring of integers. We study some general lemmas that produce lower bounds
\[
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="StartAbsoluteValue upper B 0 plus upper B 1 theta 1 plus midline-horizontal-ellipsis plus upper B Subscript r Baseline theta Subscript r Baseline EndAbsoluteValue greater-than-or-equal-to StartFraction 1 Over max left-brace StartAbsoluteValue upper B 1 EndAbsoluteValue comma ellipsis comma StartAbsoluteValue upper B Subscript r Baseline EndAbsoluteValue right-brace Superscript mu Baseline EndFraction">

|

B
0

+

B
1

θ
1

+
⋯
+

B
r

θ
r

|
≥

1

max
{
|

B
1

|
,
…
,
|

B
r

|

}
μ

\lvert B_0+B_1\theta _1+\cdots +B_r\theta _r\rvert \ge \frac {1}{\max \{\lvert B_1 \rvert ,\ldots ,\lvert B_r \rvert \}^\mu }

\]
for all

B
0

,
…
,

B
r

∈

Z

I

B_0,\ldots ,B_r \in \mathbb {Z}_{\mathbb {I}}

,

max
{
|

B
1

|
,
…
,
|

B
r

|
}
≥

H
0

\max \{\lvert B_1 \rvert ,\ldots ,\lvert B_r \rvert \} \ge H_0

, given suitable simultaneous approximating sequences of the numbers

θ
1

,
…
,

θ
r

\theta _1,\ldots ,\theta _r

. We manage to replace the lower bound with

1

/

max
{
|

B
1

|

μ
1

,
…
,
|

B
r

|

μ
r

}

1/{\max \{\lvert B_1 \rvert ^{\mu _1},\ldots ,\lvert B_r \rvert ^{\mu _r}\}}

for all

B
0

,
…
,

B
r

∈

Z

I

B_0,\ldots ,B_r \in \mathbb {Z}_{\mathbb {I}}

,

max
{
|

B
1

|

μ
1

,
…
,
|

B
r

|

μ
r

}
≥

H
0

\max \{\lvert B_1 \rvert ^{\mu _1},\ldots ,\lvert B_r \rvert ^{\mu _r}\} \ge H_0

, where the exponents

μ
1

,
…
,

μ
r

\mu _1,\ldots ,\mu _r

are different when the given type II approximating sequences approximate some of the numbers

θ
1

,
…
,

θ
r

\theta _1,\ldots ,\theta _r

better than the others. As an application we research certain linear forms in logarithms. Our results are completely explicit.
Hopf algebras having a dense big cell
Authors: Bichon Julien , Riche Simon
Published: May 2015

We discuss some axioms that ensure that a Hopf algebra has its simple comodules classified using an analogue of the Borel–Weil construction. More precisely we show that a Hopf algebra having a dense big cell satisfies the above requirement. This method has its roots in the work of Parshall and Wang in the case of

q
q

-deformed quantum groups

GL

\textrm {GL}

and

SL

\textrm {SL}

. Here we examine the example of universal cosovereign Hopf algebras, for which the weight group is the free group on two generators.
French Bioethics
Authors: Orfali Kristina
Published: May 2015

This chapter focuses on French bioethics, which is considered to have a strong rhetoric of nationalization, self-appointed mission, and explicit opposition to the outside forces of US and Anglo-Saxon bioethics values and models. It describes French bioethics as a centralized state and trusted in the Jacobin tradition as the appropriate defender of the public good that implements human dignity and solidarity. French bioethics has a strongly paternalistic medical profession, which is highly trusted by society to take ethical responsibility for decisions.
Bioethics in the United States
Authors: Jennings Bruce , Moreno Jonathan D.
Published: May 2015

This chapter considers bioethics in the United States as a political terrain for competing visions of American liberalism. In accordance with the U.S. belief in moral progress, a key social function of U.S. bioethics is to be an agent of progress in respecting individual rights and interests; dedication to reasonable compromise and mutual accommodation; and optimism about individual privacy, free choice, equal opportunity, and liberty ordered by law. U.S. bioethics has become a new discipline and profession because of its ideological service to mainstream American liberalism's public philosophy, advancing the social ideal of the self-sovereign individual.
Interlude
Authors: Barz Gregory
Published: May 2015

This chapter argues that we should move beyond medical models in order to approach culturally bound frameworks for understanding HIV/AIDS in localized African contexts. Drawing on case studies in Uganda, it demonstrates how multiple meanings often accompany the indigenization of AIDS in a population. By positioning interventions within the domain of general care and treatment, it highlights the importance of artistic responses to HIV/AIDS. It explores the use of music as medical intervention among women’s groups and its role in reducing HIV infection rates in both rural and urban areas of Uganda. The chapter provides a background on Ugandan music and the appearance of songs about HIV/AIDS in a cross-section of local languages. It shows that singing and dancing have been among the earliest interventions directed at HIV in the country. In both songs and dramas, Ugandans educate, care for, and console one another through music, as they have done for decades.
Born in Africa (1990)
Authors: Zaritsky John , Storring Virginia , Cohen Judah M.
Published: May 2015

This chapter presents a transcript of John Zaritsky’s 1990 film Born In Africa, the first extended documentary report exploring expressive culture and HIV/AIDS in Africa. Born In Africa chronicles the final tour of Philly Lutaaya, a popular singer from Uganda, whose song “Alone” became an anthem for many within the Ugandan AIDS care community. Lutaaya himself became recognized as the first Ugandan of any significant status to declare himself HIV positive. The transcript offers early insight into the poetics of observation of HIV/AIDS, focusing on how the restrictions and caution exercised on the film crew by the only sub-Saharan African government to acknowledge an AIDS crisis at the time might affect what we see. In this way, Zaritsky’s work offers a window into a relatively nascent network of HIV/AIDS-based non-governmental organizations; of early attempts to “sing” the disease in Africa; and of the role of international health initiatives in addressing local HIV/AIDS agendas.
Singing in the Shadow of Death
Authors: Eller-Isaacs Jonah
Published: May 2015

This chapter explores the role of music in the fight against HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing on short interviews during several months traveling throughout Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda in 2004, the chapter presents the stories of musicians and how they responded to the AIDS pandemic with songs that express sorrow, resistance, advocacy, and hope. It paints an evocative picture of the landscape of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, presented through a lens that moves fluidly between verbal and musical communication, so that those in other parts of the world can understand the experience of living in the midst of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Faced with this scourge, the people of Africa have turned to music as a form of creative resistance and as a way to tap into the imaginative spark that compels change.
Music, HIV/AIDS, and Social Change in Nairobi, Kenya
Authors: Van Buren Kathleen J.
Published: May 2015

This chapter explores how music is playing an integral role in HIV/AIDS interventions and an agent of social change in Nairobi, Kenya. It begins with a review of the history and status of HIV/AIDS in Kenya before turning to a discussion of HIV/AIDS music performances in Nairobi. In particular, it considers the challenges facing musicians who wish to respond to HIV/AIDS, and how they can produce music the populace will want to hear, while at the same time living in a society that regulates messages about HIV/AIDS. It also looks at how music is used in numerous schools, children’s centers, and youth programs, with particular emphasis on the Kenya Music Festival, to speak about AIDS and other concerns within their communities. Finally, it offers some suggestions on the possibilities and problems of using music for HIV/AIDS programs.
Interlude
Authors: Allison E. Jackson
Published: May 2015

This chapter, written by a medical doctor who specializes in emergency medicine and public health, reflects on two episodes of arts-based health intervention in Malawi. As a Peace Corps volunteer in the late 1960s, the author used his musical talents to develop a series of experimental recordings and public outreach puppet shows promoting better health practices. This chapter presents the six songs (in English and Chichewa) that he wrote, at the request of Project HOPE, in cooperation and collaboration with Peace Corps/Malawi and the Malawian government. He performed the songs in concert in Malawi and released as an album in 1995. One of the songs talks about compassion, care, and love for people with HIV/AIDS.
“C’est Le Wake Up! Africa”
Authors: Reed Daniel B.
Published: May 2015

This chapter describes a pair of HIV/AIDS edutainment campaigns in Côte d’Ivoire. Though implemented in West Africa, both initiatives were initially researched and financed largely through France-based foundations. The chapter explores the meeting points between the local and international in the implementation of an AIDS-based media campaign, while also offering insight into how these campaigns developed a specifically West African approach to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment starting in the 1990s. For these media campaigns, music emerges as a particularly effective means of interweaving local and international discourses and of expressing edutainment campaign messages in emotionally affective, accessible forms. One of the earliest multipronged, anti-HIV/AIDS initiatives in Francophone Africa was “Chaussez Capote” (“Put on a Condom”), launched in 1991 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The second case study is the Wake Up! Africa campaign, a regional initiative that uses a variety of popular artistic forms to disseminate is message and primarily targets urban youth.
“What Shall We Do?”
Authors: Kyker Jennifer W.
Published: May 2015

This chapter offers a close reading of Oliver Mtukudzi’s song lyrics about HIV/AIDS. Mtukudzi, one of Zimbabwe’s most popular musicians, is known for his distinctive musical style and for the perceptive social commentary in his lyrics. The chapter examines Mtukudzi’s dilemmas of self-representation as well as his compelling personal narrative and deep understanding of linguistic nuance. It suggests that Mtukudzi’s lyrics often resist the pat messages some have considered appropriate for use in HIV/AIDS campaigns. Thus, while Mtukudzi’s music remains popular, it also contributes to a dialogue about the expectations of HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns, the allowance of individual expression, and the question of effectively addressing anti-AIDS messages to the public. The chapter discusses four of Mtukudzi’s songs: “Todii,” “Mabasa,” “Akoromoka Awa,” and “Ndakuyambira,” all of which illustrate his multifaceted musical portrayal of HIV/AIDS in an environment where issues such as the languaging of HIV/AIDS and the relationship between gender and agency have been tainted with politics.
Swahili AIDS Plays
Authors: Mutembei Aldin K.
Published: May 2015

This chapter examines the contributions of individual playwrights in the fight against AIDS in Tanzania. It analyzes two Swahili AIDS-themed plays, Ushuhuda wa Mifupa (The Skeleton’s Testimony, 1990) and Kilio Chetu (Our Lament, 1996), using an Aristotelian framework. It argues that the Aristotelian theory on tragedy presents several challenges for the portrayal of AIDS within Swahili drama. In addition to changing narrative forms, the chapter shows how individual playwrights speak to their audiences through culturally specific dramatic metaphors, providing a critical local gloss on HIV/AIDS and its constituent discourses. It also highlights similarities between the themes of the mid-1970s and the current theme of AIDS in Swahili literature and concludes by raising questions that will require further research into the social ramifications of this pandemic.
Siphithemba—We Give Hope
Authors: Okigbo Austin Chinagorom
Published: May 2015

This chapter focuses on the Siphithemba choir from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Originally affiliated with a mission hospital in the area, Siphithemba includes members who are HIV-positive, and who present themselves as both agents of hope and partners in health to local and international audiences. The chapter shows how the Siphithemba choir’s communal approach to dealing with the exigencies of HIV/AIDS is indicative of an attitude of resilience in the face of the perceived odds of living with this disease. It also examines the group’s songs and activities that demonstrate how its members have adopted Nelson Mandela’s message of AIDS as the “next struggle” into its social, religious, and musical activities. Siphithemba members also use these values as the basis for mutual support and self-determination, thus helping them cope with the challenges of their own lives.
Singing as Social Order
Authors: Cohen Judah M.
Published: May 2015

This chapter presents an account of the drama group at the Mbarara chapter of The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) in Uganda, with particular emphasis on the complex terrains of access that membership involves. It shows how, in a setting where new health resources often come at a premium, performative forms of HIV/AIDS advocacy can offer members important opportunities for access to medical treatment, receiving international aid, high-profile exposure, attention from foreigners, travel possibilities, and increased self-worth. It argues that any of these benefits could potentially lead to prolonged life, but they also involve negotiating a broad series of religious, moral, social, and cultural norms, each of which brings with it its own competitive resources and pressures. It also highlights the potential of music to help bring doctors more intimately into the cultures and lives of the people they so much want to help.
“I’m a Rich Man, How Can I Die?”
Authors: Niederstadt Leah
Published: May 2015

This chapter focuses on the role of circuses as a means of HIV/AIDS education in Ethiopia. Circus as a form of performance was nearly unknown when the first troupe was established in Ethiopia in 1991. Dozens of circuses now operate throughout the country, and several Ethiopian troupes have performed throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. The chapter first presents a historical overview of the circus movement in Ethiopia, as well as the country’s HIV/AIDS profile, before exploring several key performances to illustrate how Ethiopian circuses attempt to educate their audiences about HIV/AIDS. It also considers two types of educational messages provided by Ethiopian circus performances: first, they reinforce federal, regional, and state government rhetoric about the importance of ethnic diversity in the construction of a national identity; second, circus shows provide information about a range of health and development issues, and suggest how specific challenges can be resolved.
Interlude
Authors: Barz Gregory , Wandera Vincent
Published: May 2015

This chapter presents an interview with the Youth Drama Group of the Voluntary Service Trust Team in Uganda. Conducted in August 2001, the interview reveals the role played by music in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in the community where the Youth Drama Group performs. The group members also talk about what they feel when they sing about HIV/AIDS, how their music and drama can help those people who are suffering or dying from the disease, why they target young people, and other AIDS prevention measures that are available locally in their community.
Representing HIV/AIDS in Africa
Authors: Bleiker Roland , Kay Amy
Published: May 2015

This chapter explores the nature and political consequences of using photographs to represent HIV/AIDS in Africa. It first considers Western media constructions of stereotypes before turning to three photographic methods of representing HIV/AIDS—naturalist, humanist, and pluralist—and the ways they embody different ideologies through which we give meaning to political phenomena. It then examines an iconographic photograph portraying HIV/AIDS in Uganda during the mid-1980s and a series of photographs taken more recently by Ethiopian children affected by AIDS. It explains how attempts to present “natural” images of HIV/AIDS cultures end up cohering more to colonialist, exotic imaginings of Africa. The chapter suggests that photographic representations either contribute to or break with stereotypical portrayals of HIV/AIDS and highlights the potential of pluralist photography as an active catalyst for local empowerment and as a medium for challenging some of the deeply entrenched and extremely problematic taboos and stigmas that are associated with HIV/AIDS.
Finances
Authors: Tagg Barbara M.
Published: May 2015

This chapter suggests ways a nonprofit children’s choir or youth choir organization can successfully navigate the financial world. When a new choir is established, artistic planning should be accompanied by responsible financial planning while a solid financial structure is necessary to sustain it. Managing balance sheets, revenue streams, grant writings, audits, and annual budgets is important in securing a strong financial structure for the choral organization. The founding director will likely have a good understanding of what specific resources will be needed because he knows what the vision will be for the choir.
Musical Matters
Authors: Tagg Barbara M.
Published: May 2015

This chapter focuses on the ways of organizing the musical matters of the choir. These include the musical requirements of an audition; how to organize a music library, the structure of rehearsals, first rehearsals, voicing the choir, the seating arrangement to maximize vocal development, and effective music planning for choristers’ summer and day camps. Awards may be presented to choristers annually for excellence in various categories or specific accomplishments. The recognition system of honors and awards for singers may be established by each choir, which determines the appropriate time to make these presentations.
Promotion and Fundraising
Authors: Tagg Barbara M.
Published: May 2015

This chapter discusses the role of promotion in achieving choir excellence. Promotion means supporting, encouraging, and publicizing the choir. Setting up the choir to become part of the cultural fabric of the community may be done through the media, on the Internet, through mailings, through personal connections, through performances, or through advocacy for choral music education for all children. Other marketing strategies include press releases; promotional videos; interviews; complimentary tickets sent to local newspaper arts editors, and advertising. The chapter also describes fundraising opportunities, such as seeking donors who may contribute to the ongoing work of the choir.
Building Community
Authors: Tagg Barbara M.
Published: May 2015

This chapter presents selected ways in which a children’s choir may reach beyond its own organization to collaborate with others and build community. These include singing with choirs of different ages and types, joining with other children and youth choirs for festivals, collaborating with a puppet theater and a children’s author, collaborating with composers to commission new works, and collaborating with folk dancers, ethnic music ensembles, and others. These events will give the choir an opportunity to extend its awareness in the community by interacting with different types of organizations.
In the Words of Others
Authors: Tagg Barbara M.
Published: May 2015

This chapter features essays written by composers, conductors, symphony orchestra conductors, an organizational consultant, and leaders in the choral field regarding children’s choirs. Two topics are discussed: why organizational excellence is as important as striving for musical excellence, and the importance of children’s choirs for the future of choral singing in America. The chapter also includes biographies of the contributors.
Suggested Treble Repertoire
Authors: Tagg Barbara M.
Published: May 2015

This chapter lists possible titles for treble choirs. The seven hundred titles are listed alphabetically by voicing, composer/arranger, title, and publisher. Repertoire is the heart and soul of the music-making of a choir, and what the artist-teacher chooses for the singers to sing, study, practice, analyze, in classroom, festival, school, church, or community may reflect a variety of languages, styles, cultures, and musical challenges.
A Preliminary Study of Biomonitoring for Bisphenol-A in Human Sweat
Authors: Porucznik Christina A. , Cox Kyley J. , Wilkins Diana G. , Anderson David J. , Bailey Nicole M. , Szczotka Kathryn M. , Stanford Joseph B.
Published: May 2015

Measurement of human exposure to the endocrine disruptor bisphenol-A (BPA) is hampered by the ubiquitous but transient exposure for most individuals, coupled with a short metabolic half-life which leads to high inter- and intra-individual variability. We investigated the possibility of measuring multiday exposure to BPA in human sweat among volunteer participants with the goal of identifying an exposure assessment method less affected by temporal variability. We recruited 50 participants to wear a sweat collection patch (PharmChek®) for 7 days with concurrent collection of daily first-morning urine. Urines and sweat patch extracts were analyzed with quantitative LC–MS-MS using a method we previously validated. In addition, a human volunteer consumed one can of commercially available soup (16 oz, 473 cm3) daily for 3 days and collected urine. Sweat patches (n = 2, 1 per arm) were worn for the 3 days of the study. BPA was detected in quality control specimens prepared by fortification of BPA to sweat patches, but was only detected at 5× above average background on three participant patches. Although the highest measured urine BPA concentration was 195 ng/mL for an individual with deliberate exposure, no BPA was detected above background in the corresponding sweat patches. In this preliminary investigation, the use of sweat patches primarily worn on the upper-outer arm did not detect BPA exposures that were documented by urine monitoring. The absence of BPA in sweat patches may be due to several factors, including insufficient quantity of specimen per patch, or extremely low concentrations of BPA in naturally occurring sweat, among others.
RDP4: Detection and analysis of recombination patterns in virus genomes
Authors: Martin Darren P. , Murrell Ben , Golden Michael , Khoosal Arjun , Muhire Brejnev
Published: May 2015

RDP4 is the latest version of recombination detection program (RDP), a Windows computer program that implements an extensive array of methods for detecting and visualising recombination in, and stripping evidence of recombination from, virus genome sequence alignments. RDP4 is capable of analysing twice as many sequences (up to 2,500) that are up to three times longer (up to 10 Mb) than those that could be analysed by older versions of the program. RDP4 is therefore also applicable to the analysis of bacterial full-genome sequence datasets. Other novelties in RDP4 include (1) the capacity to differentiate between recombination and genome segment reassortment, (2) the estimation of recombination breakpoint confidence intervals, (3) a variety of ‘recombination aware’ phylogenetic tree construction and comparison tools, (4) new matrix-based visualisation tools for examining both individual recombination events and the overall phylogenetic impacts of multiple recombination events and (5) new tests to detect the influences of gene arrangements, encoded protein structure, nucleic acid secondary structure, nucleotide composition, and nucleotide diversity on recombination breakpoint patterns. The key feature of RDP4 that differentiates it from other recombination detection tools is its flexibility. It can be run either in fully automated mode from the command line interface or with a graphically rich user interface that enables detailed exploration of both individual recombination events and overall recombination patterns.
Or47b
-neurons promote male-mating success in
Drosophila
Authors: Lone Shahnaz Rahman , Venkataraman Archana , Srivastava Manishi , Potdar Sheetal , Sharma Vijay Kumar
Published: May 2015

Drosophila
performs elaborate well-defined rituals of courtship, which involve several types of sensory inputs. Here, we report that
Or47b
-neurons promote male-mating success. Males with
Or47b-
neurons silenced/ablated exhibit reduced copulation frequency and increased copulation latency. Copulation latency of
Or47b
-manipulated flies increased proportionately with size of the assay arena, whereas in controls it remained unchanged. While competing for mates,
Or47b
-ablated males are outperformed by intact controls. These results suggest the role of
Or47b
-neurons in promoting male-mating success.
Tissue growth controlled by geometric boundary conditions: a simple model recapitulating aspects of callus formation and bone healing
Authors: Fischer F. Dieter , Zickler Gerald A. , Dunlop John W. C. , Fratzl Peter
Published: May 2015

The shape of tissues arises from a subtle interplay between biochemical driving forces, leading to cell growth, division and extracellular matrix formation, and the physical constraints of the surrounding environment, giving rise to mechanical signals for the cells. Despite the inherent complexity of such systems, much can still be learnt by treating tissues that constantly remodel as simple fluids. In this approach, remodelling relaxes all internal stresses except for the pressure which is counterbalanced by the surface stress. Our model is used to investigate how wettable substrates influence the stability of tissue nodules. It turns out for a growing tissue nodule in free space, the model predicts only two states: either the tissue shrinks and disappears, or it keeps growing indefinitely. However, as soon as the tissue wets a substrate, stable equilibrium configurations become possible. Furthermore, by investigating more complex substrate geometries, such as tissue growing at the end of a hollow cylinder, we see features reminiscent of healing processes in long bones, such as the existence of a critical gap size above which healing does not occur. Despite its simplicity, the model may be useful in describing various aspects related to tissue growth, including biofilm formation and cancer metastases.
Adsorption of bovine serum albumin onto synthetic Fe-doped geomimetic chrysotile
Authors: Adamiano Alessio , Lesci Isidoro Giorgio , Fabbri Daniele , Roveri Norberto
Published: May 2015

Synthetic stoichiometric and Fe-doped geomimetic chrysotile nanocrystals represent a reference standard to investigate the health hazard associated with mineral asbestos fibres. Experimental evidence suggests that the generation of reactive oxygen species and other radicals, catalysed by iron ions at the fibre surface, plays an important role in asbestos-induced cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. In this study, structural modification of bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorbed onto synthetic chrysotile doped with different amounts of Fe has been investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and analytical pyrolysis coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. FT-IR data evidenced a marked increase in disordered structures like random coil and β-turn of BSA–nanocrystal adduct with 0.52 wt% of Fe doped. The TGA profile of the BSA revealed that its interaction with the synthetic chrysotile surface was strongly affected by the substitution of Fe into the chrysotile structure. The 2,5-diketopiperazine yields, formed upon thermal degradation of the polypeptide chain (pyrolysis–gas chromatography), changed when the BSA was adsorbed on the nanofibres. In general, results suggested that minute amount (less than 1 wt%) of Fe doping in chrysotile affected the protein–nanofibre interactions, supporting the role that this element may play in asbestos toxicity. The catalytic role of iron and the consequent unfolding of protein due to the structural surface modification of nanofibres were also evaluated.