bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transport and uptake of nateglinide in Caco‐2 cells and its inhibitory effect on human monocarboxylate transporter MCT1
Authors: Okamura Atsuko , Emoto Akiko , Koyabu Noriko , Ohtani Hisakazu , Sawada Yasufumi
Published: September 2002

Nateglinide, a novel oral hypoglycemic agent, rapidly reaches the maximum serum concentration after oral administration, suggesting that it is rapidly absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of this work is to clarify the intestinal absorption mechanism of nateglinide by means of in vitro studies.

We examined the transcellular transport and the apical uptake of [14C]nateglinide in a human colon carcinoma cell line (Caco‐2). We also examined whether nateglinide is transported via monocarboxylate transport‐1 (MCT1) by means of an uptake study using MCT1‐expressing Xenopus laevis oocytes.

In Caco‐2 cells, the transcellular transport of [14C]nateglinide from the apical to basolateral side was greater than that in the opposite direction. The uptake of [14C]nateglinide from the apical side was concentration–dependent, H+‐dependent, and Na+‐independent. Kinetic analysis revealed that the Kt and Jmax values of the initial uptake rate of [14C]nateglinide were 448 μM and 43.2 nmol mg protein−1 5 min−1, respectively. Various monocarboxylates, including salicylic acid and valproic acid, and glibenclamide significantly inhibited the uptake of [14C]nateglinide.

The uptake study using MCT1‐expressing oocytes showed that nateglinide inhibits the MCT1‐mediated uptake of [14C]L‐lactic acid, though nateglinide itself is not transported by MCT1.

Taken together, these results suggest that the uptake of nateglinide from the apical membranes of Caco‐2 cells is, at least in part, mediated by a proton‐dependent transport system(s) distinct from MCT1.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2002) 137, 391–399. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0704875
The Kettering Diabetic Monitoring Programme: twelve months experience of an optometric practice‐based scheme
Authors: Pointer J.S. , Baranyovits P. , O'Malley B. P.
Published: September 2002

Over recent years the British Government has pursued a policy encouraging the integration of primary and secondary health care. This drive to promote the efficient delivery of primary care at local centres has seen the forging of co‐operative alliances between various healthcare practitioners. A notable development has been the growth of optometric practice‐based schemes for monitoring the eyecare of diabetic patients. This paper reports on the first twelve months operation (April 1995–March 1996, inclusive) of such a ‘collaborative care’ scheme operating in the Kettering Health Area of Northamptonshire. With the co‐operation of their general medical practitioner (GMP) and under the case‐review of the hospital‐based specialist, diabetic patients attended participating optometric practices for an annual sight test and eye examination including mandatory fundus assessment under mydriasis. A brief ‘ticked menu’ report was subsequently forwarded to the patient's GMP for filing or action as necessary. A copy was also sent to the hospital clinic to enable updating of the diabetic patient database and for the authorisation of the supplementary fee payable to the examining optometrist.

An audit of the first year of operation has indicated that those 92% of optometrists in the locality who participated in the programme logged 34% of the projected diabetic population of the Kettering Health Area. Of these individuals, 10.8% were identified as requiring referral for ophthalmological assessment, including 0.7% who needed urgent intervention. Approximately 80% of the referrals were assessed in the Ophthalmology Clinic within the twelve month timeframe of this first year audit; one‐third of these patients received treatment and/or a second review over this period, the net outcome being that one‐half of the original referrals were returned to the programme for continued routine annual screening. The scheme has received a funding allocation for a further financial year, with the possibility of its extension county‐wide being kept under review.
The semaphorin receptor plexin-B1 signals through a direct interaction with the Rho-specific nucleotide exchange factor, LARG
Authors: Aurandt Jennifer , Vikis Haris G. , Gutkind J. Silvio , Ahn Natalie , Guan Kun-Liang
Published: September 2002

Semaphorins are axon guidance molecules that signal through the plexin family of receptors. Semaphorins also play a role in other processes such as immune regulation and tumorigenesis. However, the molecular signaling mechanisms downstream of plexin receptors have not been elucidated. Semaphorin 4D is the ligand for the plexin-B1 receptor and stimulation of the plexin-B1 receptor activates the small GTPase RhoA. Using the intracellular domain of plexin-B1 as an affinity ligand, two Rho-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factors, leukemia-associated Rho GEF (LARG; GEF, guanine nucleotide exchange factors) and PSD-95/Dlg/ZO-1 homology (PDZ)-RhoGEF, were isolated from mouse brain as plexin-B1-specific interacting proteins. LARG and PDZ-RhoGEF contain several functional domains, including a PDZ domain. Biochemical characterizations showed that the PDZ domain of LARG is directly involved in the interaction with the carboxy-terminal sequence of plexin-B1. Mutation of either the PDZ domain in LARG or the PDZ binding site in plexin-B1 eliminates the interaction. The interaction between plexin-B1 and LARG is specific for the PDZ domain of LARG and LARG does not interact with plexin-A1. A LARG-interaction defective mutant of the plexin-B1 receptor was created and was unable to stimulate RhoA activation. The data in this report suggest that LARG plays a critical role in plexin-B1 signaling to stimulate Rho activation and cytoskeletal reorganization.
Crystal structure of DhbE, an archetype for aryl acid activating domains of modular nonribosomal peptide synthetases
Authors: May Jürgen J. , Kessler Nadine , Marahiel Mohamed A. , Stubbs Milton T.
Published: September 2002

The synthesis of the catecholic siderophore bacillibactin is accomplished by the nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) encoded by the
dhb
operon. DhbE is responsible for the initial step in bacillibactin synthesis, the activation of the aryl acid 2,3-dihydroxybenzoate (DHB). The stand-alone adenylation (A) domain DhbE, the structure of which is presented here, exhibits greatest homology to other NRPS A-domains, acyl-CoA ligases and luciferases. It's structure is solved in three different states, without the ligands ATP and DHB (native state), with the product DHB-AMP (adenylate state) and with the hydrolyzed product AMP and DHB (hydrolyzed state). The 59.9-kDa protein folds into two domains, with the active site at the interface between them. In contrast to previous proposals of a major reorientation of the large and small domains on substrate binding, we observe only local structural rearrangements. The structure of the phosphate binding loop could be determined, a motif common to many adenylate-forming enzymes, as well as with bound DHB-adenylate and the hydrolyzed product DHB*AMP. Based on the structure and amino acid sequence alignments, an adapted specificity conferring code for aryl acid activating domains is proposed, allowing assignment of substrate specificity to gene products of previously unknown function.
Identification of a human telomerase reverse transcriptase peptide of low affinity for HLA A2.1 that induces cytotoxic T lymphocytes and mediates lysis of tumor cells
Authors: Hernández Javier , García-Pons Francisco , Lone Yu Chun , Firat Huseyin , Schmidt Joseph D. , Langlade-Demoyen Pierre , Zanetti Maurizio
Published: September 2002

Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TRT) is a tumor-associated antigen expressed in the vast majority of human tumors and is presently one of the most promising target candidates for a therapeutic cancer vaccine. TRT is also expressed at low level in selected tissues and should be considered a self antigen. In the present study we sought to develop cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) responses directed against human (h)TRT peptides with low relative affinity for which the available repertoire is to be preferentially spared from tolerance. This was accomplished by using analogue peptides of hTRT whose relative affinity for the MHC was increased by a targeted (→Tyr) substitution in position one. By immunizing HLA A2.1 transgenic mice with these analogue peptides, we identified one such low relative affinity peptide (p572) that is endogenously processed and presented by HLA A2.1 in tumor cells, and is recognized by specific CTL. We used the highly immunogenic analogue peptide to successfully induce TRT-specific CTL in cancer patients and normal donors. CTL against p572-lysed human and mouse tumor cells but not activated autologous B cells. This peptide represents, therefore, an important candidate component of a cancer vaccine based on a TRT substrate and validates the strategy of targeting peptides with low affinity for the MHC for cancer immunotherapy.
A conserved mechanism for extracellular signaling in eukaryotes and prokaryotes
Authors: Gallio Marco , Sturgill Gwen , Rather Philip , Kylsten Per
Published: September 2002

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr) is a key mediator of cell communication during animal development and homeostasis. In
Drosophila
, the signaling event is commonly regulated by the polytopic membrane protein Rhomboid (RHO), which mediates the proteolytic activation of EGFr ligands, allowing the secretion of the active signal. Until very recently, the biochemical function of RHO had remained elusive. It is now believed that
Drosophila
RHO is the founder member of a previously undescribed family of serine proteases, and that it could be directly responsible for the unusual, intramembranous cleavage of EGFr ligands. Here we show that the function of RHO is conserved in Gram-negative bacteria. AarA, a
Providencia stuartii
RHO-related protein, is active in
Drosophila
on the fly EGFr ligands. Vice versa,
Drosophila
RHO-1 can effectively rescue the bacterium's ability to produce or release the signal that activates density-dependent gene regulation (or quorum sensing). This study provides the first evidence that prokaryotic and eukaryotic RHOs could have a conserved role in cell communication and that their biochemical properties could be more similar than previously anticipated.
Integrated classification of lung tumors and cell lines by expression profiling
Authors: Virtanen Carl , Ishikawa Yuichi , Honjoh Daisuke , Kimura Mami , Shimane Miyuki , Miyoshi Tatsu , Nomura Hitoshi , Jones Michael H.
Published: September 2002

The utility of cancer cell lines depends largely on their accurate classification, commonly based on histopathological diagnosis of the cancers from which they were derived. However, because cancer is often heterogeneous, the cell line, which also has the opportunity to alter
in vitro
, may not be representative. Yet without the overall architecture used in histopathological diagnosis of fresh samples, reclassification of cell lines has been difficult. Gene-expression profiling accurately reproduces histopathological classification and is readily applicable to cell lines. Here, we compare the gene-expression profiles of 41 cell lines with 44 tumors from lung cancer. These profiles were generated after hybridization of samples to four replicate 7,685-element cDNA microarrays. After removal of genes that were uniformly up- or down-regulated in fresh compared with cell-line samples, cluster analysis produced four major branch groups. Within these major branches, fresh tumor samples essentially clustered according to pathological type, and further subclusters were seen for both adenocarcinoma (AC) and small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). Four of eight squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell lines clustered with fresh SCC, and 11 of 13 SCLC cell lines grouped with fresh SCLC. In contrast, although none of the 11 AC cell lines clustered with AC tumors, three clustered with SCC tumors and six with SCLC tumors. Although it is possible that preexisting SCC or SCLC cells are being selected from AC tumors after establishment of cell lines, we propose that, even
in situ
, AC will ultimately progress toward one of two poorly differentiated phenotypes with expression profiles resembling SCC or SCLC.
Chronic treatment with nitric oxide-releasing aspirin reduces plasma low-density lipoprotein oxidation and oxidative stress, arterial oxidation-specific epitopes, and atherogenesis in hypercholesterolemic mice
Authors: Napoli Claudio , Ackah Eric , de Nigris Filomena , Del Soldato Piero , D'Armiento Francesco P. , Crimi Ettore , Condorelli Mario , Sessa William C.
Published: September 2002

The effects of chronic treatment with nitric oxide-containing aspirin (NO-aspirin, NCX-4016) in comparison with regular aspirin or placebo on the development of a chronic disease such as atherosclerosis were investigated in hypercholesterolemic low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-receptor-deficient mice. Male mice were assigned randomly to receive in a volume of 10 ml/kg either placebo (
n
= 10), 30 mg/kg/day NO-aspirin (
n
= 10), or 18 mg/kg/day of regular aspirin (
n
= 10). After 12 weeks of treatment, the computer-assisted imaging analysis revealed that NO-aspirin reduced the aortic cumulative lesion area by 39.8 ± 12.3% compared with that of the placebo (
P
< 0.001). Regular aspirin did not reduce significantly aortic lesions (−5.1 ± 2.3%) compared with the placebo [
P
= 0.867, not significant (NS)]. Furthermore, NO-aspirin reduced significantly plasma LDL oxidation compared with aspirin and placebo, as shown by the significant reduction of malondialdehyde content (
P
< 0.001) as well as by the prolongation of lag-time (
P
< 0.01). Similarly, systemic oxidative stress, measured by plasma isoprostanes, was significantly reduced by treatment with NCX-4016 (
P
< 0.05). More importantly, mice treated with NO-aspirin revealed by immunohistochemical analysis of aortic serial sections a significant decrease in the intimal presence of oxidation-specific epitopes of oxLDL (E06 monoclonal antibody,
P
< 0.01), and macrophages–derived foam cells (F4/80 monoclonal antibody,
P
< 0.05), compared with placebo or aspirin. These data indicate that enhanced NO release by chronic treatment with the NO-containing aspirin has antiatherosclerotic and antioxidant effects in the arterial wall of hypercholesterolemic mice.
8-Oxoguanine rearranges the active site of human topoisomerase I
Authors: Lesher Diem-Thu Thieu , Pommier Yves , Stewart Lance , Redinbo Matthew R.
Published: September 2002

7,8-Dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) is the most common form of oxidative DNA damage in human cells. Biochemical studies have shown that 8-oxoG decreases the DNA cleavage activity of human topoisomerase I, an enzyme vital to DNA metabolism and stability. We present the 3.1-Å crystal structure of human topoisomerase I in noncovalent complex with a DNA oligonucleotide containing 8-oxoG at the +1 position in the scissile strand. We find that 8-oxoG reorganizes the active site of human topoisomerase I into an inactive conformation relative to the structures of topoisomerase I–DNA complexes elucidated previously. The catalytic Tyr-723–Phe rotates away from the DNA cleavage site and packs into the body of the molecule. A second active-site residue, Arg-590, becomes disordered and is not observed in the structure. The docked, inactive conformation of Tyr-723–Phe is reminiscent of the related tyrosine recombinase family of integrases and recombinases, suggesting a common regulatory mechanism. We propose that human topoisomerase I binds to DNA first in an inactive conformation and then rearranges its active site for catalysis. 8-OxoG appears to impact topoisomerase I by stabilizing the inactive, DNA-bound state.
A simple method for probing the mechanical unfolding pathway of proteins in detail
Authors: Best Robert B. , Fowler Susan B. , Toca-Herrera José L. , Clarke Jane
Published: September 2002

Atomic force microscopy is an exciting new single-molecule technique to add to the toolbox of protein (un)folding methods. However, detailed analysis of the unfolding of proteins on application of force has, to date, relied on protein molecular dynamics simulations or a qualitative interpretation of mutant data. Here we describe how protein engineering Φ value analysis can be adapted to characterize the transition states for mechanical unfolding of proteins. Single-molecule studies also have an advantage over bulk experiments, in that partial Φ values arising from partial structure in the transition state can be clearly distinguished from those averaged over alternate pathways. We show that unfolding rate constants derived in the standard way by using Monte Carlo simulations are not reliable because of the errors involved. However, it is possible to circumvent these problems, providing the unfolding mechanism is not changed by mutation, either by a modification of the Monte Carlo procedure or by comparing mutant and wild-type data directly. The applicability of the method is tested on simulated data sets and experimental data for mutants of titin I27.
Mouse transferrin receptor 1 is the cell entry receptor for mouse mammary tumor virus
Authors: Ross Susan R. , Schofield Jason J. , Farr Christine J. , Bucan Maja
Published: September 2002

Enveloped viruses enter cells by binding to their entry receptors and fusing with the membrane at the cell surface or after trafficking through acidic endosomal compartments. Species-specific virus tropism is usually determined by these entry receptors. Because mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) is unable to infect Chinese hamster cells, we used phenotypic screening of the T31 mouse/hamster radiation hybrid panel to map the MMTV cell entry receptor gene and subsequently found that it is transferrin receptor 1. MMTV-resistant human cells that expressed mouse transferrin receptor 1 became susceptible to MMTV infection, and treatment of mouse cells with a monoclonal antibody that down-regulated cell surface expression of the receptor blocked infection. MMTV, like vesicular stomatitis virus, depended on acid pH for infection. MMTV may use transferrin receptor 1, a membrane protein that is endocytosed via clathrin-coated pits and traffics through the acidic endosomes, to rapidly get to a compartment where acid pH triggers the conformational changes in envelope protein required for membrane fusion.
The binding protein of corticotropin-releasing factor: Ligand-binding site and subunit structure
Authors: Jahn Olaf , Eckart Klaus , Brauns Olaf , Tezval Hossein , Spiess Joachim
Published: September 2002

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), recognized as an important stress factor, binds to a CRF receptor and a CRF-binding protein (CRFBP) that represents a reservoir of endogenous CRF. Although CRFBP was observed to dimerize, at least in part, the ligand was found to be exclusively bound to the monomer—as indicated by photoaffinity labeling. We localized the CRF binding site by using photoaffinity labeling in combination with different mass spectrometric techniques. The amino acid residues Arg-23 and Arg-36 of CRFBP were identified as the sites of photoincorporation of monofunctional and bifunctional photoprobes designed on the basis of the amino acid sequence of human/rat CRF
6–33
. It was, therefore, concluded that the sequence of amino acid residues 23–36 of CRFBP is involved in ligand binding. Our data are in support of an antiparallel alignment of the photoprobe with the amino acid residues 23–36 of the CRFBP monomer.
The influence of traditional culture on attitudes towards work among Kuwaiti women employees in the public sector
Authors: Metle Mesh’al Kh.
Published: September 2002

This study explores the relationship between Kuwaiti traditional culture and job satisfaction among Kuwaiti women employees in the Kuwaiti public government sector. The analysis is focused on the responses of the female employees to their own jobs as indicated by their level of job satisfaction. This study differs from previous investigations of job satisfaction in two principal ways: in dealing with the public sector (rather than the more common private sector in studies of the Middle East), in incorporating the environment as well as traditional culture in the public sector work setting. The major findings of this research indicate that a much broader approach towards increasing satisfaction than focusing on the job itself is required. The study shows that traditional culture is of substantial importance in predicting and affecting job satisfaction.
HIGH ENERGY BEHAVIOR OF THE SM AT UNITARY GAUGE
Authors: LI BING AN
Published: September 2002

It is shown that in an axial-vector field theory the axial-vector field is always accompanied by a spin-0 field which has negative metric. Therefore, the theory has problem of negative probability and unitarity is broken. The same results are found in a theory of charged vector fields which are coupled to two fermions whose masses are different. These results are applied to the SM. It is found that both Z and W fields contain spin-0 component. Their masses are mϕ0 = mte28.4 = 3.78 × 1014 GeV and mϕ± = mte27 = 9.31 × 1013 GeV respectively. A new perturbation theory of the SM is proposed. The propagators of Z and W fields in this new perturbation theory are derived in "unitary gauge." A minus sign is obtained in front of the scalar part of the propagators of W and Z fields. The minus sign indicates that the scalar fields have negative metric which leads to negative probability. Therefore, the unitarity of the SM is broken at about ~ 1014 GeV.
ON THE MULTIFRACTAL DISTRIBUTION OF INSURED PROPERTY
Authors: LANTSMAN Y. , MAJOR J. A. , MANGANO J. J.
Published: September 2002

Natural disasters — earthquakes, hurricanes and other storms — cause substantial property damage and loss of life in many parts of the world. The relative infrequency and importance of extreme cases leads to a preferential use of simulation models over historical statistical/actuarial models in studying the impact of such catastrophes on insurance systems. Given the increasing awareness of the highly intermittent nature of geophysical phenomena, modelers need to revisit their assumptions not only of the geophysical fields, but also of the geographical distribution of insured property as well. This paper explores the distribution of insured property through the lens of multifractal theory.
DIFFUSIVE AND ANOMALOUS MAGNETIC FIELD LINES TRANSPORT IN ANISOTROPIC TURBULENCE
Authors: POMMOIS P. , VELTRI P. , ZIMBARDO G.
Published: September 2002

The transport of magnetic field lines is investigated numerically considering the possible presence of anomalous regimes. We study transport transversal to the magnetic field in a self-similar spectrum, reproducing the solar wind turbulence, for various levels of fluctuations. When the level of fluctuations is low and the anisotropy of the correlation lengths in the plane perpendicular to the mean magnetic field is high enough, we obtain a superdiffusive regime, with occurrence of Lévy flights along the direction of the lower correlation length, corresponding to non-Gaussian dynamics. For higher fluctuation levels, when the diffusive regime is reached, the direction of faster transport is inverted, and the diffusion coefficients are proportional to the correlation lengths. Also, the higher the anisotropy of the correlation lengths, the higher the fluctuation level which is needed to reach the Gaussian diffusion regime.
A NOTE ON A SELF-SIMILAR TILING GENERATED BY THE MINIMAL PISOT NUMBER
Authors: LUO JUN
Published: September 2002

This note considers a self-similar tiling [Formula: see text] of the complex plane generated by the minimal Pisot number β. It will show that the boundary of every tile in [Formula: see text] is a simple closed curve, hence each tile is homeomorphic to the unit disk.
SCALE INVARIANCE AND STRATIFICATION: THE UNIFIED MULTIFRACTAL MODEL OF HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY
Authors: TCHIGUIRINSKAIA I.
Published: September 2002

A fairly large body of observational evidence shows that the hydraulic conductivity is an extremely heterogeneous physical phenomenon that exhibits wide variability over a broad range of horizontal and vertical scales. Stochastic multifractals that result from continuous dynamic cascades are suggested as an appropriate model to capture the scale-invariance and stratification of the Columbus site hydraulic conductivity. Then, observed interrelations between estimates of multifractal parameters, those characterize vertical and horizontal scaling regimes, are interpreted by the unified multifractal model.
SELF-ORGANIZED CRITICALITY: A NEW PARADIGM FOR THE MAGNETOTAIL DYNAMICS
Authors: CONSOLINI GIUSEPPE
Published: September 2002

The Earth's magnetosphere is an extended, complex system, usually far from equilibrium, that displays a very complex dynamics as a response to the solar wind input. Here, using the auroral electrojet index (AE) as a primary diagnostics of the energy flow released from the magnetosphere during the substorms, we investigated the existence of scaling laws for the "burst size" and "lifetime" distributions, and for the power spectral density (PSD). In particular, the "burst size" and "lifetime" distributions show a power-law dependence over many decades, characterized by scaling exponents near ≈ 3/2. Moreover, the PSD is characterized by a 1/f spectrum at lower frequencies. These results are discussed in the framework of a self-organized critical configuration for the Earth's magnetosphere and compared with similar results of numerical simulations on sandpile cellular automata.
FRACTAL MICRO-ROUGHNESS MODEL AND OPTICAL EMISSIVITY PROPERTIES OF METALLIC SURFACES
Authors: MAURICE G. , PIGEAT Ph. , CHAGROUNE L. , WEBER B. , THOMAS A.
Published: September 2002

The goal of the reported research is to test the accuracy of a fractal micro-roughness model applied to an oxide layer on a metallic surface, using some physical properties such as the optical emissivity. Inversely, the results should be applied to improve the optical models which use rather rough morphological models.
FRACTAL GEOMETRY OF LIQUID JETS UNDER BREAKUP
Authors: SHAVIT URI , CHIGIER NORMAN
Published: September 2002

Fractal dimension of gas-liquid interfaces was measured in the breakup region of disintegrating liquid jets. The liquid jet is surrounded by an annular gas jet, and both are injected through an airblast coaxial atomizer. The gas-liquid interface is categorized by a fractal set with dimensions and cutoffs that were found to be related to the physical processes of atomization. The fractal dimension was measured as a function of axial location and a range of air and liquid velocities. It was found that the peak fractal dimension and the breakup point are approximately at the same axial location and a good correlation exists between the peak value of the fractal dimension and the average drop size measured in the core of the spray.
IDENTIFICATION OF TEMPORAL SCALING BEHAVIOUR OF FLOOD: A STUDY OF FRACTALS
Authors: WU BOXIAN , LYE LEONARD M.
Published: September 2002

In this paper, the temporal scaling behaviour of floods is analysed using the functional box counting procedure. The probability of exceeding a threshold is then related to the scale of measurement (time intervals) giving a family of such curves at various thresholds. The results for the longest daily flow records (107 years) of the Yichan Station on the Yangtze River, China reveal that: (1) for a specific range of time intervals, the number of flood exceedances which occur at a given threshold has a distribution which produces a power law behaviour which is different from that obtained from an independent Poisson process for any interval of time; (2) physically meaningful results can be inferred from the saturation and break-points observed in probability-scale-threshold family of curves.
SHADOWING ON FRACTALS
Authors: BOTELHO FERNANDA , GARZON MAX
Published: September 2002

We consider several families of continous dynamical systems on Cantor sets arising, in particular, from computer simulation and modeling of neural networks by discrete and/or finite approximations (such as cellular automata). It is shown that such approximations are always observable (have the shadowing property), in the sense that pseudo-orbits obtained by small perturbations of an orbit are approximated by actual orbits. It follows that the true behavior of locally defined dynamical systems can be observed exactly on computer simulations, despite unavoidable discretization and approximation errors.
Self-Complexation of a Poly-Conjugated Donor Molecule with a Cyclic Acceptor
Authors: Naka Kensuke , Uemura Takashi , Chujo Yoshiki
Published: September 2002

The mixing of 2-benzylidene-4-phenyl-1,3-dithiole and cyclobis[4,4′-bipyridinium-1,1′-diyl-1,4-phenylenebis-(methylene)] as a cyclic acceptor in DMSO produced a green-brown solution, which showed a charge-transfer (CT) absorption band with a peak at 616 nm. The 1H NMR spectrum of the dithiole, after adding the cyclic acceptor in DMSO-d6, showed upfield shifts of the peaks for the dithiafulvene moiety. These facts indicated that an insertion of the dithiole into the cyclic acceptor by a CT interaction led to the formation of a pseudorotaxane. The self-assembly of π-conjugated dithiafulvene polymers and the cyclic acceptor by a CT interaction gave pseudopolyrotaxanes in DMSO. The UV-vis and 1H NMR spectra of the pseudopolyrotaxanes suggest that the incorporation ratio of the cyclic acceptors into the polymers depends on the molecular weights of the polymers. The polymers with lower molecular weights seem to be more favorable for polyrotaxane formation. After self-complexation of the polymer with the cyclic acceptor, an anodic shift of the oxidation potential of the dithiafulvene unit was observed in the cyclic voltammogram. In addition, the effective CT interaction between the dithiafulvene unit and the cyclic acceptor afforded a high conductivity of the pseudopolyrotaxane.
The Effect of Additives on the Radiation-Induced Coloration of Photochromic Dithienylethene Derivatives
Authors: Irie Setsuko , Irie Masahiro
Published: September 2002

The effect of the addition of metal complexes and aromatic compounds on the radiation-induced coloration of polystyrene films containing 1,2-bis(2-methyl-5-phenyl-3-thienyl)perfluorocyclopentene was examined to develop a sensitive reusable color plastic dosimeter. By the addition of metal complexes, the radiation sensitivity increased along with an increase in the atomic numbers. When aromatic compounds, such as naphthalene, biphenyl, and acenaphthene, were added to the polymer film, the coloration sensitivity increased, while the addition of anthracene and pyrene decreased the sensitivity. Excitation energy transfer from the sensitizers to the dithienylethene is considered to play an important role in the radiation-induced coloration in polystyrene films containing the additives.
Circumcision
Authors: Merli Claudia
Published: January 2024

Genital cutting is a well‐researched bodily practice in anthropology, often associated with the formation of gender, personhood, and self in different cosmologies. Early anthropology focused on male initiation rituals, blood sacrifices, and masculinity. As more women anthropologists conducted fieldwork on reproductive health, practices that male anthropologists were previously precluded from, the attention moved progressively to female genital cutting and modifications. Diverging ethical discussions on human rights and health, as well as a range of religious, political, and medical stances, invest the two practices, which should be considered together. They are also at the center of opposite global health strategies and interventions by international health organizations, for example the World Health Organization. Recent developments highlight the issue of bodily integrity also for male children. The topic becomes politicized in relation to migration health, gendered violence, and worldviews in the new country of residence. Circumcision calls into question our ability to claim cultural relativism.
Urban Anthropology: Sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Werthmann Katja
Published: January 2024

Anthropologists have undertaken fieldwork in cities of sub‐Saharan Africa since the 1930s. Before the seminal works from the Rhodes‐Livingstone Institute on the Copperbelt cities during the 1950s, female South African anthropologists had already worked in “townships.” French anthropologists also studied rural–urban migration in the 1950s. Until the 1960s, changes in kinship, marriage, and family life, as well as the significance of ethnic categorization, were recurring themes of urban ethnographies. Since then, anthropologists have studied various topics in small and big cities, including everyday life, self‐built living spaces, economic activities, power and politics, gender and youth, consumption, and infrastructures.
Graphic Ethnography
Authors: Theodossopoulos Dimitrios
Published: January 2024

The entry explores the growing social scientific field of graphic ethnography. It locates its development in the second decade of the twenty‐first century and outlines some of its incipient characteristics. The entry also reviews the variation in structure and form of graphic‐ethnographic practice and identifies some of its multiple affordances. This examination is undertaken with an eye toward evaluating the analytical versus descriptive potential of the emerging set of practices and its contribution to popularizing anthropology.
Anthropologists as Digital Influencers
Authors: Muro Sophie , Colwell Chip
Published: January 2024

Since their advent in the early 2000s, social media platforms have become an important tool for forming connections, community, and facilitating global discourse regarding current events and trends. More recently, anthropologists have identified new ways to incorporate the resources that these digital platforms can provide, as a means of democratizing scholarship, relationship building, and engaging in community‐based practices. The idea that these resources can support the growth of anthropology as a field is explored via a comprehensive evaluation of the history of outreach within the field of anthropology, as well as an investigation using specific examples to explain how social media is currently being used by anthropologists. From this inquiry, a discussion regarding how social media platforms may grow, enhance, and nourish anthropological work begins to emerge, with special consideration given to the capacity for these platforms to respond to social justice movements.
Peel, John (1941–2015)
Authors: Barber Karin
Published: January 2024

John Peel was a British social anthropologist whose lifelong ethnographic and archival work on the Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria achieved seamless integration of anthropology and history, and proposed a form of comparatism that gave culture, and especially religion, a central place. His first degree was in classics and he held a series of academic posts in sociology departments, before taking up a chair in anthropology and sociology at the School of Oriental and African Studies. This trajectory gave him an unusual span of interests and expertise, from the broad social theory canon to close reading of original textual sources and exploration of narrative as the mainspring of humans' interpretation of experience. Central to his oeuvre is a trilogy of groundbreaking works on Yoruba Christianity and its encounters with Indigenous religion and Islam, and a rich ethnographic history of identity and politics in a former Yoruba kingdom as it became incorporated into the Nigerian state.
Aspasia
Authors: Kennedy Rebecca Futo
Published: January 2024

Aspasia was an immigrant to Athens from a prominent family in Miletos. Her sister was

married to an Athenian aristocrat while she married the Athenian general Pericles. Her relationship to Perikles made her a frequent target on the comic stage in the fifth century, often through sexual innuendos and explicit name calling. Numerous Socratic dialogues feature her as a teacher of rhetoric and intellectual. In the second century
ce
, these traditions combined to turn her image into that of a sophisticated elite courtesan, one that has endured to modern times, despite being historically unlikely.
Pausanias, Spartan regent
Authors: Fornis César
Published: January 2024

Pausanias the Regent (ca. 510/505–ca. 470/465
bce
) was a Spartan dynast belonging to the Agiad royal house who commanded the Greek army in the decisive battle of Plataia (479) in the Second Persian War. His subsequent activity in the Hellespont, of uncertain chronology and apparently marked by personal interests, led him to be accused of Medism and pursue tyranny, ultimately costing him his throne and his life.
Phokion (Phocion)
Authors: Bearzot Cinzia , Fornis César , Plácido Domingo
Published: January 2024

Phokion (402/1–318
bce
), called “the Good,” was an Athenian general and politician. A disciple of Plato's Academy, Phokion had a conservative ideology critical of democratic structures. He first hid this behind a suspiciously pacifist attitude to the growing Macedonian interference in Greece and later, after the Lamian War and the surrender of Athens to Antipater, he made it explicit by becoming the face of the oligarchy established by the Macedonians in Athens. In his old age, Phokion was condemned to death during the brief democratic restoration endorsed by Polyperchon.
Common Peace (
Koine Eirene
)
Authors: Fornis César
Published: January 2024

The
koine eirene
(common or general peace) is a diplomatic construct typical of the fourth century
bce
. Several such overarching treaties applied in the Greek world between 387/6 and 338/7 in order to build a lasting and stable peace. In the hands of the mighty
poleis
, however, these treaties, which were based on the principle that all cities, small or big, were free and independent, in fact became instruments of imperialism designed to secure them the hegemony in the Greek world.
Phlegon of Tralles
Authors: Brodersen Kai , Popescu Valentina
Published: January 2024

Phlegon of Tralles (
FGrH
257) was a Greek writer in the time of the emperor Hadrian (117–138
ce
). His main surviving work,
On Marvels
, is a paradoxographic work focused on compiling reports on marvels related to the human body, including ghost stories, sudden sex changes, monstrous births, giants, and hippocentaurs.
Petronius
Authors: Vannini Giulio
Published: January 2024

Petronius, a Roman author traditionally identified as the “arbiter of elegance” at Nero's court, wrote the
Satyrica
, a partially extant prosimetric novel that may have originally consisted of 24 books. The protagonist and narrator, Encolpius, is in love with the younger Giton, and they face various adventures together. The story is set in southern Italy and features well‐crafted prose with different levels and registers of language.
Gaza (Hellenistic to Late Antiquity)
Authors: Saliou Catherine
Published: January 2024

From Hellenistic times to Late Antiquity Gaza was a prosperous commercial hub. Known in the fourth century
ce
for its adherence to traditional cults, it became in the fifth–sixth centuries a shining cultural center, through its school of rhetoric and the rise of monastic life in its territory.
Heqet (Heket)
Authors: Ikram Salima
Published: January 2024

The goddess Heqet was associated with birth and generation and was attested from the Early Dynastic through the Greco‐Roman eras.
Honos
Authors: Dowling Melissa Barden
Published: January 2024

Honos personified male Roman political and military success and received cult temples and rituals. Frequently associated with Virtus (military prowess), Honos appeared in the third century
bce
and continued through the Imperial period in a broad range of sources (literature, inscriptions, coins, sculpture, etc.). No mythology or genealogy was connected to the cult.
Equites
, republic and empire
Authors: Owens E. J.
Published: January 2024

Eques
(pl.
Equites
), translates as horseman. The origins of the Equestrians as a distinct social category lay in the military organization of early Rome. During the republican period, they became a wealthy, socially eminent class, which exploited the business interests of the Roman Empire, and a political pressure group. Augustus reformed the
Equites
(
Ordo Equester
) and employed them as a second tier of administration. Their responsibilities grew, until under Diocletian they were appointed to all senior administrative and military positions. Social and administrative developments degraded the order, and they disappeared as a distinct class by the end of the fourth century
ce
.
Choirilos (Choerilus) of Samos
Authors: Nudell Joshua P.
Published: January 2024

Choirilos of Samos was a fifth‐century
bce
poet famed for developing a new genre of historical epic. He was particularly noted for a poem on the Persian wars that the Athenian Assembly ordered to be performed annually at the Panathenaia. Choirilos found employment not only in Athens, but also in Lysander's entourage and Macedonia, where he died.
Theokritos (Theocritus) of Chios
Authors: Nudell Joshua P.
Published: January 2024

Theokritos was a fourth‐century
bce
politician and sophist on Chios. Despite his local importance to his native island, his reputation stems from his caustic wit. He had bitter disputes with his rival Theopompos and was a critic of Alexander the Great, among others. Ill‐timed comments about Antigonos Monophthalmos led to his death.
Tissaphernes
Authors: Nudell Joshua P.
Published: January 2024

A Persian satrap in western Anatolia, Tissaphernes is an enigmatic figure who became known in Greco‐Roman sources as the “bitterest” enemy of the Greeks. He restored Persian rule in Ionia and oversaw the involvement in the late stages of the Peloponnesian War before feuding with Cyrus the Younger and subsequently resisting Spartan invasions of Anatolia before Achaemenid court intrigues led to his execution.
Sextus Pompeius (Consul of 14
ce
)
Authors: Westphal Heiko
Published: January 2024

Sextus Pompeius was a Roman politician as well as a patron of literature during the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius.
Injectable Responsive Hydrogel Delivery Platform: Enabling High Tissue Penetration and Sonogenetic‐Like Potentiating Anti‐Tumor Immunotherapy
Authors: Dai Zideng , Li Xiaohong , Chen Qian , Zhu Yutong , Shi Zhangpeng , Deng Xi , Wang Chen , Chen Hangrong
Published: January 2024

The characteristics of malignant solid tumors with dense extracellular matrix (ECM) and immunosuppressive microenvironment (IME) seriously restrict the high efficacy and precise treatment of tumors, leading to increased susceptibility to malignant recurrence and metastasis. Herein, an ultrasound‐mediated hydrogel delivery platform HA‐F127@Ti‐MOF‐Au/PEG‐TK‐DOX/PFD (abbr. HFTiDP) based on a “sonogenetic‐like technology” is developed, which encapsulates sonosensitizer (Ti‐MOF‐Au), chemotherapeutic prodrug (PEG‐TK‐DOX), and ECM‐solubilizing drug pirfenidone (PFD), to achieve high tissue penetration and endogenous intracellular regulation of IME. More importantly, exogenous ultrasound stimulation combined with a hydrogel delivery platform can affect drug resistance‐related gene/protein expressions and influence signal transduction pathways in the immune microenvironment, leading to promoting TAAs release to activate immunity, achieving high efficacy in either pancreatic or triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC), and remarkably inhibiting lung metastasis and splenomegaly. Overall, this work provides a novel strategy for an ultrasound‐mediated niche‐like delivery platform that offers high efficacy and biosafety in localized cancer therapy.
Perylene‐Mediated Cytoskeletal Dysfunction Remodels Cancer‐Associated Fibroblasts to Augment Antitumor Immunotherapy
Authors: Shi Bing , Lou Xue , Ma Feiyan , Nie Yanling , Chen Haoxing , Huang Yongwei , Zhang Wei , Wang Tie
Published: January 2024

Targeted reprogramming of cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) is one of the most essential cancer therapies. However, how to reprogram active CAFs toward deactivated state still remains immense challenge. To tackle this challenge, herein, one perylene N, N'‐bis(2‐((dimethylammonium)ethylene)‐2‐(methoxylethyl))‐1, 6, 7, 12‐tetrachloroperylene‐3, 4, 9, 10‐tetracarboxylic diimide (PDIC‐OC) is prepared, which can trigger endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst to result in cytoskeletal dysfunction and cell apoptosis so that suppress transforming growth factor β (TGF‐β) production. As a result, PDIC‐OC can reprogram the activated CAFs and relieve immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment by efficient polarization of M2‐typed macrophages into M1‐typed ones, downregulation of alpha‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA), alleviation of hypoxic state to promote infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and ultimately realizes outstanding antitumor performance on B16F10 tumor‐xenografted and lung‐metastatic mouse model even at low concentration of 1 mg kg−1 body weight. This work thus presents a novel strategy that cytoskeleton dysfunction and cell apoptosis cooperatively suppress the secretion of TGF‐β to reprogram CAFs and meanwhile clarifies intrinsic mechanism for perylene‐triggered chemo‐immunotherapy against hypoxic tumors.
Emerging Antiferromagnets for Spintronics
Authors: Chen Hongyu , Liu Li , Zhou Xiaorong , Meng Ziang , Wang Xiaoning , Duan Zhiyuan , Zhao Guojian , Yan Han , Qin Peixin , Liu Zhiqi
Published: January 2024

Antiferromagnets constitute promising contender materials for next‐generation spintronic devices with superior stability, scalability, and dynamics. Nevertheless, the perception of well‐established ferromagnetic spintronics underpinned by spontaneous magnetization seemed to indicate the inadequacy of antiferromagnets for spintronics—their compensated magnetization has been perceived to result in uncontrollable antiferromagnetic order and subtle magnetoelectronic responses. However, remarkable advancements have been achieved in antiferromagnetic spintronics in recent years, with consecutive unanticipated discoveries substantiating the feasibility of antiferromagnet‐centered spintronic devices. It is emphasized that, distinct from ferromagnets, the richness in complex antiferromagnetic crystal structures is the unique and essential virtue of antiferromagnets that can open up their endless possibilities of novel phenomena and functionality for spintronics. In this Perspective, the recent progress in antiferromagnetic spintronics is reviewed, with a particular focus on that based on several kinds of antiferromagnets with special antiferromagnetic crystal structures. The latest developments in efficiently manipulating antiferromagnetic order, exploring novel antiferromagnetic physical responses, and demonstrating prototype antiferromagnetic spintronic devices are discussed. An outlook on future research directions is also provided. It is hoped that this Perspective can serve as guidance for readers who are interested in this field and encourage unprecedented studies on antiferromagnetic spintronic materials, phenomena, and devices.