bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Glaciogenic reservoirs and hydrocarbon systems: an introduction
Authors: Huuse M. , Le Heron D. P. , Dixon R. , Redfern J. , Moscariello A. , Craig J.
Published: November 2012

Glaciogenic reservoirs host important hydrocarbon and groundwater resources across the globe. Their complexity and importance for exploration and palaeoclimate reconstruction have made glaciogenic successions popular subjects for study. In this paper we provide an overview of the palaeoclimatic and tectonic setting for Earth glaciation and a chronological account of glaciogenic deposits since
c.
750 Ma, with particular emphasis on their reservoir potential and associated hydrocarbon systems. Hydrocarbon accumulations within glaciogenic reservoirs occur principally in Palaeozoic (Late Ordovician and Permo-Carboniferous) sandstones in South America, Australia, North Africa and the Middle East, with relatively minor occurrences of shallow gas hosted in Pleistocene deposits in the North Sea and Canada. Groundwater reserves occur within glaciogenic sandstones across the northern European lowland and in North America. The main glaciogenic environments range from subglacial to glacier front to proglacial and deglacial. Rapidly changing environments, hydrodynamic regimes and glacier-front and subglacial deformation often result in very complex glaciogenic sequences with significant challenges for reconstruction of their origin and resource importance, which this volume seeks to address.
Constructing nearly orthogonal latin hypercubes for any nonsaturated run-variable combination
Authors: Hernandez Alejandro S. , Lucas Thomas W. , Carlyle Matthew
Published: November 2012

We present a new method for constructing nearly orthogonal Latin hypercubes that greatly expands their availability to experimenters. Latin hypercube designs have proven useful for exploring complex, high-dimensional computational models, but can be plagued with unacceptable correlations among input variables. To improve upon their effectiveness, many researchers have developed algorithms that generate orthogonal and nearly orthogonal Latin hypercubes. Unfortunately, these methodologies can have strict limitations on the feasible number of experimental runs and variables. To overcome these restrictions, we develop a mixed integer programming algorithm that generates Latin hypercubes with little or no correlation among their columns for most any determinate run-variable combination—including fully saturated designs. Moreover, many designs can be constructed for a specified number of runs and factors—thereby providing experimenters with a choice of several designs. In addition, our algorithm can be used to quickly adapt to changing experimental conditions by augmenting existing designs by adding new variables or generating new designs to accommodate a change in runs.
Painless programming combining reduction and search
Authors: Sheard Timothy E.
Published: November 2012

We describe the Funlogic system which extends a functional language with existentially quantified declarations. An existential declaration introduces a variable and a set of constraints that its value should meet. Existential variables are bound to conforming values by a decision procedure. Funlogic embeds multiple external decision procedures using a common framework. Design principles for embedding decision procedures are developed and illustrated for three different decision procedures from widely varying domains.
Efficient lookup-table protocol in secure multiparty computation
Authors: Launchbury John , Diatchki Iavor S. , DuBuisson Thomas , Adams-Moran Andy
Published: November 2012

Secure multiparty computation (SMC) permits a collection of parties to compute a collaborative result, without any of the parties gaining any knowledge about the inputs provided by other parties. Specifications for SMC are commonly presented as boolean circuits, where optimizations come mostly from reducing the number of multiply-operations (including
and
-gates) - these are the operations which incur significant cost, either in computation overhead or in communication between the parties. Instead, we take a language-oriented approach, and consequently are able to explore many other kinds of optimizations. We present an efficient and general purpose SMC table-lookup algorithm that can serve as a direct alternative to circuits. Looking up a private (i.e. shared, or encrypted)
n
-bit argument in a public table requires
log(n)
parallel-and operations. We use the advanced encryption standard algorithm (AES) as a driving motivation, and by introducing different kinds of parallelization techniques, produce the fastest current SMC implementation of AES, improving the best previously reported results by well over an order of magnitude.
Explicitly heterogeneous metaprogramming with MetaHaskell
Authors: Mainland Geoffrey
Published: November 2012

Languages with support for metaprogramming, like MetaOCaml, offer a principled approach to code generation by guaranteeing that well-typed metaprograms produce well-typed programs. However, many problem domains where metaprogramming can fruitfully be applied require generating code in languages like C, CUDA, or assembly. Rather than resorting to add-hoc code generation techniques, these applications should be directly supported by
explicitly heterogeneous
metaprogramming languages.

We present MetaHaskell, an extension of Haskell 98 that provides modular syntactic and type system support for type safe metaprogramming with multiple object languages. Adding a new object language to MetaHaskell requires only minor modifications to the host language to support type-level quantification over object language types and propagation of type equality constraints. We demonstrate the flexibility of our approach through three object languages: a core ML language, a linear variant of the core ML language, and a subset of C. All three languages support metaprogramming with open terms and guarantee that well-typed MetaHaskell programs will only produce closed object terms that are well-typed. The essence of MetaHaskell is captured in a type system for a simplified metalanguage. MetaHaskell, as well as all three object languages, are fully implemented in the mhc bytecode compiler.
Modular and verified automatic program repair
Authors: Logozzo Francesco , Ball Thomas
Published: November 2012

We study the problem of suggesting code repairs at design time, based on the warnings issued by modular program verifiers. We introduce the concept of a verified repair, a change to a program's source that removes bad execution traces while increasing the number of good traces, where the bad/good traces form a partition of all the traces of a program. Repairs are property-specific. We demonstrate our framework in the context of warnings produced by the modular cccheck (a.k.a. Clousot) abstract interpreter, and generate repairs for missing contracts, incorrect locals and objects initialization, wrong conditionals, buffer overruns, arithmetic overflow and incorrect floating point comparisons. We report our experience with automatically generating repairs for the .NET framework libraries, generating verified repairs for over 80% of the warnings generated by cccheck.
Adaptive multi-level compilation in a trace-based Java JIT compiler
Authors: Inoue Hiroshi , Hayashizaki Hiroshige , Wu Peng , Nakatani Toshio
Published: November 2012

This paper describes our multi-level compilation techniques implemented in a trace-based Java JIT compiler (trace-JIT). Like existing multi-level compilation for method-based compilers, we start JIT compilation with a small compilation scope and a low optimization level so the program can start running quickly. Then we identify hot paths with a timer-based sampling profiler, generate long traces that capture the hot paths, and recompile them with a high optimization level to improve the peak performance. A key to high performance is selecting long traces that effectively capture the entire hot paths for upgrade recompilations. To do this, we introduce a new technique to generate a directed graph representing the control flow, a TTgraph, and use the TTgraph in the trace selection engine to efficiently select long traces. We show that our multi-level compilation improves the peak performance of programs by up to 58.5% and 22.2% on average compared to compiling all of the traces only at a low optimization level. Comparing the performance with our multi-level compilation to the performance when compiling all of the traces at a high optimization level, our technique can reduce the startup times of programs by up to 61.1% and 31.3% on average without significant reduction in the peak performance. Our results show that our adaptive multi-level compilation can balance the peak performance and startup time by taking advantage of different optimization levels.
Maple
Authors: Yu Jie , Narayanasamy Satish , Pereira Cristiano , Pokam Gilles
Published: November 2012

Testing multithreaded programs is a hard problem, because it is challenging to expose those rare interleavings that can trigger a concurrency bug. We propose a new thread interleaving coverage-driven testing tool called Maple that seeks to expose untested thread interleavings as much as possible. It memoizes tested interleavings and actively seeks to expose untested interleavings for a given test input to increase interleaving coverage. We discuss several solutions to realize the above goal. First, we discuss a coverage metric based on a set of interleaving idioms. Second, we discuss an online technique to predict untested interleavings that can potentially be exposed for a given test input. Finally, the predicted untested interleavings are exposed by actively controlling the thread schedule while executing for the test input. We discuss our experiences in using the tool to expose several known and unknown bugs in real-world applications such as Apache and MySQL.
Scaling symbolic execution using ranged analysis
Authors: Siddiqui Junaid Haroon , Khurshid Sarfraz
Published: November 2012

This paper introduces a novel approach to scale symbolic execution --- a program analysis technique for systematic exploration of bounded execution paths---for test input generation. While the foundations of symbolic execution were developed over three decades ago, recent years have seen a real resurgence of the technique, specifically for systematic bug finding. However, scaling symbolic execution remains a primary technical challenge due to the inherent complexity of the path-based exploration that lies at core of the technique.

Our key insight is that the state of the analysis can be represented highly compactly: a test input is all that is needed to effectively encode the state of a symbolic execution run. We present ranged symbolic execution, which embodies this insight and uses two test inputs to define a range, i.e., the beginning and end, for a symbolic execution run. As an application of our approach, we show how it enables scalability by distributing the path exploration---both in a sequential setting with a single worker node and in a parallel setting with multiple workers. As an enabling technology, we leverage the open-source, state-of-the-art symbolic execution tool KLEE. Experimental results using 71 programs chosen from the widely deployed GNU Coreutils set of Unix utilities show that our approach provides a significant speedup over KLEE. For example, using 10 worker cores, we achieve an average speed-up of 6.6X for the 71 programs.
An empirical study of the influence of static type systems on the usability of undocumented software
Authors: Mayer Clemens , Hanenberg Stefan , Robbes Romain , Tanter Éric , Stefik Andreas
Published: November 2012

Abstract Although the study of static and dynamic type systems plays a major role in research, relatively little is known about the impact of type systems on software development. Perhaps one of the more common arguments for static type systems in languages such as Java or C++ is that they require developers to annotate their code with type names, which is thus claimed to improve the documentation of software. In contrast, one common argument against static type systems is that they decrease flexibility, which may make them harder to use. While these arguments are found in the literature, rigorous empirical evidence is lacking. We report on a controlled experiment where 27 subjects performed programming tasks on an undocumented API with a static type system (requiring type annotations) as well as a dynamic type system (which does not). Our results show that for some tasks, programmers had faster completion times using a static type system, while for others, the opposite held. We conduct an exploratory study to try and theorize why.
Functional Avidity: A Measure to Predict the Efficacy of Effector T Cells?
Authors: Viganò Selena , Utzschneider Daniel T. , Perreau Matthieu , Pantaleo Giuseppe , Zehn Dietmar , Harari Alexandre
Published: November 2012

The functional avidity is determined by exposing T-cell populationsin vitroto different amounts of cognate antigen. T-cells with high functional avidity respond to low antigen doses. Thisin vitromeasure is thought to correlate well with thein vivoeffector capacity of T-cells. We here present the multifaceted factors determining and influencing the functional avidity of T-cells. We outline how changes in the functional avidity can occur over the course of an infection. This process, known as avidity maturation, can occur despite the fact that T-cells express a fixed TCR. Furthermore, examples are provided illustrating the importance of generating T-cell populations that exhibit a high functional avidity when responding to an infection or tumors. Furthermore, we discuss whether criteria based on which we evaluate an effective T-cell response to acute infections can also be applied to chronic infections such as HIV. Finally, we also focus on observations that high-avidity T-cells show higher signs of exhaustion and facilitate the emergence of virus escape variants. The review summarizes our current understanding of how this may occur as well as how T-cells of different functional avidity contribute to antiviral and anti-tumor immunity. Enhancing our knowledge in this field is relevant for tumor immunotherapy and vaccines design.
Protection against Cancer with Medicinal Herbs via Activation of Tumor Suppressor
Authors: Kitagishi Yasuko , Kobayashi Mayumi , Matsuda Satoru
Published: November 2012

Cancer remains a major cause of death, although research is ongoing for the development of more effective drugs. Some herbs have shown potential in preventing the occurrence and/or progression of cancer and other chronic diseases. They are being screened comprehensively to explore the possibility of development of feasible anticancer drugs. However, more information is required about the response to and the molecular target for specific herbs. It seems that there is a relationship between some medicinal herbs and tumor suppressor molecules which protect a cell from cancer. In this paper, we summarize the progress of recent research on herbs, with a particular focus on its anticancer role and molecular mechanisms underlying the cancer prevention property, supporting design for further research in this field.
Characterizing T Cells in SCID Patients Presenting with Reactive or Residual T Lymphocytes
Authors: Lev Atar , Simon Amos J. , Trakhtenbrot Luba , Goldstein Itamar , Nagar Meital , Stepensky Polina , Rechavi Gideon , Amariglio Ninette , Somech Raz
Published: November 2012

Introduction. Patients with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) may present with residual circulating T cells. While all cells are functionally deficient, resulting in high susceptibility to infections, only some of these cells are causing autoimmune symptoms.Methods. Here we compared T-cell functions including the number of circulating CD3+T cells,in vitroresponses to mitogens, T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire, TCR excision circles (TREC) levels, and regulatory T cells (Tregs) enumeration in several immunodeficinecy subtypes, clinically presenting with nonreactive residual cells (MHC-II deficiency) or reactive cells. The latter includes patients with autoreactive clonal expanded T cell and patients with alloreactive transplacentally maternal T cells.Results. MHC-II deficient patients had slightly reduced T-cell function, normal TRECs, TCR repertoires, and normal Tregs enumeration. In contrast, patients with reactive T cells exhibited poor T-cell differentiation and activity. While the autoreactive cells displayed significantly reduced Tregs numbers, the alloreactive transplacentally acquired maternal lymphocytes had high functional Tregs.Conclusion. SCID patients presenting with circulating T cells show different patterns of T-cell activity and regulatory T cells enumeration that dictates the immunodeficient and autoimmune manifestations. We suggest that a high-tolerance capacity of the alloreactive transplacentally acquired maternal lymphocytes represents a toleration advantage, yet still associated with severe immunodeficiency.
Conditioned Medium from Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Induces CD4+FOXP3+ Cells and Increases IL-10 Secretion
Authors: Ivanova-Todorova Ekaterina , Bochev Ivan , Dimitrov Rumen , Belemezova Kalina , Mourdjeva Milena , Kyurkchiev Stanimir , Kinov Plamen , Altankova Iskra , Kyurkchiev Dobroslav
Published: November 2012

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a new and promising tool for therapy of autoimmune disorders. In recent years their possibility to take part in the modulation of the immune response is discussed. The exact mechanisms for immunoregulation realized by MSCs are not clear yet, but interactions with other immunoregulatory cells may be involved in this process. The investigation of the influence of MSCs on the expression of FoxP3 and cytokine secretion by T helper cells was the aim of this study. T helper cells were isolated from PBMCs by magnetic separation and MSCs were isolated from human adipose tissue, and CD4+ T cells were cultured with conditional medium of MSCs. The methods which were used include flow cytometry, ELISA, and Human Proteome profiler kits. The results demonstrated that secretory factors in MSCs conditional medium lead to increased expression of FoxP3 and increased secretion of IL-10 by T helpers. The obtained results give us opportunity to discuss the interaction between two kinds of immunoregulatory cells: MSCs and FoxP3+ T helpers. We suppose that this interaction leads to increased number of immunosuppressive helpers which secrete IL-10. MSCs provide some of their immunosuppressive functions acting on T regulatory cells, and we believe that IL-6 secreted by MSCs is involved in this process.
Ultrastructural Evidence of Exosome Secretion by Progenitor Cells in Adult Mouse Myocardium and Adult Human Cardiospheres
Authors: Barile Lucio , Gherghiceanu Mihaela , Popescu Laurentiu M. , Moccetti Tiziano , Vassalli Giuseppe
Published: November 2012

The demonstration of beneficial effects of cell therapy despite the persistence of only few transplanted cellsin vivosuggests secreted factors may be the active component of this treatment. This so-called paracrine hypothesis is supported by observations that culture media conditioned by progenitor cells contain growth factors that mediate proangiogenic and cytoprotective effects. Cardiac progenitor cells in semi-suspension culture form spherical clusters (cardiospheres) that deliver paracrine signals to neighboring cells. A key component of paracrine secretion is exosomes, membrane vesicles that are stored intracellularly in endosomal compartments and are secreted when these structures fuse with the cell plasma membrane. Exosomes have been identified as the active component of proangiogenic effects of bone marrow CD34+stem cells in mice and the regenerative effects of embryonic mesenchymal stem cells in infarcted hearts in pigs and mice. Here, we provide electron microscopic evidence of exosome secretion by progenitor cells in mouse myocardium and human cardiospheres. Exosomes are emerging as an attractive vector of paracrine signals delivered by progenitor cells. They can be stored as an “off-the-shelf” product. As such, exosomes have the potential for circumventing many of the limitations of viable cells for therapeutic applications in regenerative medicine.
Genetics of SLE: Functional Relevance for Monocytes/Macrophages in Disease
Authors: Byrne Jennifer C. , Ní Gabhann Joan , Lazzari Elisa , Mahony Rebecca , Smith Siobhán , Stacey Kevin , Wynne Claire , Jefferies Caroline A.
Published: November 2012

Genetic studies in the last 5 years have greatly facilitated our understanding of how the dysregulation of diverse components of the innate immune system contributes to pathophysiology of SLE. A role for macrophages in the pathogenesis of SLE was first proposed as early as the 1980s following the discovery that SLE macrophages were defective in their ability to clear apoptotic cell debris, thus prolonging exposure of potential autoantigens to the adaptive immune response. More recently, there is an emerging appreciation of the contribution both monocytes and macrophages play in orchestrating immune responses with perturbations in their activation or regulation leading to immune dysregulation. This paper will focus on understanding the relevance of genes identified as being associated with innate immune function of monocytes and macrophages and development of SLE, particularly with respect to their role in (1) immune complex (IC) recognition and clearance, (2) nucleic acid recognition via toll-like receptors (TLRs) and downstream signalling, and (3) interferon signalling. Particular attention will be paid to the functional consequences these genetic associations have for disease susceptibility or pathogenesis.
Expression and Cellular Distribution of INHA and INHB before and afterIn VitroCultivation of Porcine Oocytes Isolated from Follicles of Different Size
Authors: Kempisty Bartosz , Jackowska Marta , Woźna Magdalena , Antosik Paweł , Piotrowska Hanna , Zawierucha Piotr , Bukowska Dorota , Jaśkowski Jędrzej M. , Nowicki Michał , Brüssow Klaus P.
Published: November 2012

Cumulus-oocyte-complexes (COCs) were collected from small (<3 mm), medium (3–5 mm), and large (>5 mm) porcine follicles, and the INHA and INHB expression and cellular localization were studied. Developmentally competent (BCB+) COCs were cultured for 44 h. Samples of mRNA were isolated before and afterin vitromaturation (IVM) from oocytes collected from follicles of different size for RQ-PCR assay. The INHA and INHB protein distribution within the oocytes was observed by confocal microscopy. INHA mRNA expression was increased in oocytes from large compared to medium and small follicles before IVM (P<0.001), and to oocytes of small follicles after IVM (P<0.001). The INHB expression was not different before IVM, but the IHNB mRNA level was gradually higher in oocytes from large follicles after IVM (P<0.01). INHA was not differently expressed before IVM; however, in large follicle oocytes the protein was distributed in the peripheral area of the cytoplasm; in oocytes from small follicles it was in the entire cytoplasm. After IVM, INHA was strongly expressed in oocytes from small follicles and distributed particularly in thezona pellucida(ZP). Similarly and both before and after IVM, INHB protein was highly expressed in small follicle oocytes and within the cytoplasm. In summary, INHs can be recognized as a marker of porcine oocyte quality.
From Occasional Choices to Inevitable Musts: A Computational Model of Nicotine Addiction
Authors: Metin Selin , Sengor N. Serap
Published: November 2012

Although, there are considerable works on the neural mechanisms of reward-based learning and decision making, and most of them mention that addiction can be explained by malfunctioning in these cognitive processes, there are very few computational models. This paper focuses on nicotine addiction, and a computational model for nicotine addiction is proposed based on the neurophysiological basis of addiction. The model compromises different levels ranging from molecular basis to systems level, and it demonstrates three different possible behavioral patterns which are addict, nonaddict, and indecisive. The dynamical behavior of the proposed model is investigated with tools used in analyzing nonlinear dynamical systems, and the relation between the behavioral patterns and the dynamics of the system is discussed.
Autoantibodies to Apolipoprotein A-1 in Cardiovascular Diseases: Current Perspectives
Authors: Teixeira P. C. , Cutler P. , Vuilleumier N.
Published: November 2012

Immune-mediated inflammation plays a major role in atherosclerosis and atherothrombosis, two essential features for cardiovascular disease (CVD) development, currently considered as the leading cause of death in the western world. There is accumulating evidence showing that humoral autoimmunity might play an important role in CVD and that some autoantibodies could represent emerging cardiovascular risk factors. Recent studies demonstrate that IgG autoantibodies against apolipoprotein A-1 (apoA-1) are raised in many diseases associated with a high cardiovascular risk, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, acute coronary syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, severe carotid stenosis, and end-stage renal disease. In this work, we aimed at reviewing current data in the literature pointing to anti-apolipoprotein A-1 antibodies (anti-apoA-1 IgG) as a possible prognostic and diagnostic biomarker of cardiovascular risk and appraising their potential role as active mediators of atherogenesis.
Toeplitz Operators on the Dirichlet Space of 𝔹n
Authors: Lin HongZhao , Lu YuFeng
Published: November 2012

We study the algebraic properties of Toeplitz operators on the Dirichlet
space of the unit ball 𝔹n. We characterize pluriharmonic symbol for which the corresponding
Toeplitz operator is normal or isometric. We also obtain descriptions of conjugate holomorphic
symbols of commuting Toeplitz operators. Finally, the commuting problem of Toeplitz operators
whose symbols are of the form is studied.
Sphingosine Kinase 1 Overexpression Contributes to Cetuximab Resistance in Human Colorectal Cancer Models
Authors: Rosa Roberta , Marciano Roberta , Malapelle Umberto , Formisano Luigi , Nappi Lucia , D'Amato Claudia , D'Amato Valentina , Damiano Vincenzo , Marfè Gabriella , Del Vecchio Silvana , Zannetti Antonella , Greco Adelaide , De Stefano Alfonso , Carlomagno Chiara , Veneziani Bianca Maria , Troncone Giancarlo , De Placido Sabino , Bianco Roberto
Published: November 2012

Purpose: Although the anti–EGF receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibody cetuximab is an effective strategy in colorectal cancer therapy, its clinical use is limited by intrinsic or acquired resistance. Alterations in the “sphingolipid rheostat”—the balance between the proapoptotic molecule ceramide and the mitogenic factor sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)—due to sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) overactivation have been involved in resistance to anticancer-targeted agents. Moreover, cross-talks between SphK1 and EGFR-dependent signaling pathways have been described.

Experimental design: We investigated SphK1 contribution to cetuximab resistance in colorectal cancer, in preclinical in vitro/in vivo models, and in tumor specimens from patients.

Results: SphK1 was found overexpressed and overactivated in colorectal cancer cells with intrinsic or acquired resistance to cetuximab. SphK1 contribution to resistance was supported by the demonstration that SphK1 inhibition by N,N-dimethyl-sphingosine or silencing via siRNA in resistant cells restores sensitivity to cetuximab, whereas exogenous SphK1 overexpression in sensitive cells confers resistance to these agents. Moreover, treatment of resistant cells with fingolimod (FTY720), a S1P receptor (S1PR) antagonist, resulted in resensitization to cetuximab both in vitro and in vivo, with inhibition of tumor growth, interference with signal transduction, induction of cancer cells apoptosis, and prolongation of mice survival. Finally, a correlation between SphK1 expression and cetuximab response was found in colorectal cancer patients. Clin Cancer Res; 19(1); 138–47. ©2012 AACR.
A Thickened Formula Does Not Reduce Apneas Related to Gastroesophageal Reflux in Preterm Infants
Authors: Corvaglia Luigi , Spizzichino Monica , Aceti Arianna , Legnani Elena , Mariani Elisa , Martini Silvia , Battistini Barbara , Faldella Giacomo
Published: November 2012

Background: Apnea of prematurity (AOP) occurs frequently in preterm infants and a variable proportion of AOP can be induced by gastroesophageal reflux (GER). Conservative treatment, including dietary modifications, should be the first-line approach for both GER and GER-related apneas in this population. Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of a starch-thickened preterm formula (PF) in reducing the frequency of apneas related to GER. Methods: Preterm infants with AOP were studied by combined impedance and pH monitoring and polysomnography. The 6-hour study period included two feeds, one of a commercially available PF and one of the same formula thickened with amylopectin (TPF). GER indexes, apneas and GER-related apneas detected after TPF and PF feeds were compared by Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: 24 infants were studied. During 140 h of registration, 289 apneas (147 after TPF and 142 after PF; p = 0.876), and 861 GER episodes (400 after TPF and 461 after PF; p = 0.465) were recorded. No difference in the number of AOP was found between TPF and PF. A significant reduction in acid exposure was found after TPF; there was no influence on non-acid GER indexes. The frequency of GER-related apneas did not differ between TPF and PF. Conclusions: A formula thickened with amylopectin did not reduce the number of AOP or GER-related apneas. It reduced acid GER features but had no effect on non-acid GER indexes. Future research should focus on exploring different conservative strategies to treat GER-related apneas in preterm infants.
Micronutrients in Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Authors: Aslam Tariq , Delcourt Cécile , Silva Rufino , Holz Frank G. , Leys Anita , Garcià Layana Alfredo , Souied Eric
Published: November 2012

Several lines of evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies suggest that specific micronutrients may have beneficial effects in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Such effects appear to be complex and may include filtering short wavelength light and attenuating oxidative and inflammatory damage as well as other structural and physiological factors. There is clinical evidence for potential benefits from vitamin C, β-carotene, vitamin E and zinc, as well as emerging epidemiological and clinical data for the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin and for omega-3 fatty acids. A survey of the literature suggests that some specific micronutrients may be of value in treating or preventing AMD, but further prospective studies are needed to further identify and characterize their effects and place in therapy.
Exome Sequencing and High-Density Microarray Testing in Monozygotic Twin Pairs Discordant for Features of VACTERL Association
Authors: Solomon B.D. , Pineda-Alvarez D.E. , Hadley D.W. , Hansen N.F. , Kamat A. , Donovan F.X. , Chandrasekharappa S.C. , Hong S.-K. , Roessler E. , Mullikin J.C. ,   NISC Comparative Sequencing Program
Published: November 2012

Exome sequencing offers an efficient and affordable method to interrogate genetic factors involved in human disease. Performing exome sequencing of monozygotic twins discordant for VACTERL (Vertebral anomalies, Anal atresia, Cardiac malformations, Tracheo-Esophageal fistula, Renal anomalies, and Limb abnormalities) association-type congenital malformations was hypothesized to potentially reveal discordant variants that could demonstrate disease cause(s). After demonstrating monozygosity, we applied high-density microarrays and exome sequencing to 2 twin pairs in which 1 twin had features of VACTERL association while the other was phenotypically normal (demonstrated through comprehensive clinical and radiological evaluation). No obvious discordant genotypic results were found that would explain phenotypic discordance. We conclude that VACTERL association is a complex disease, and while performing microarray analysis and exome sequencing on phenotypically discordant monozygotic twins may hypothetically reveal genetic causes of disorders, challenges remain in applying these methods in this circumstance.
Substantial Reduction in Single Sympathetic Nerve Firing After Renal Denervation in Patients With Resistant Hypertension
Authors: Hering Dagmara , Lambert Elisabeth A. , Marusic Petra , Walton Antony S. , Krum Henry , Lambert Gavin W. , Esler Murray D. , Schlaich Markus P.
Published: November 2012

Renal denervation (RDN) has been shown to reduce blood pressure (BP) and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in patients with resistant hypertension. The mechanisms underlying sympathetic neural inhibition are unknown. We examined whether RDN differentially influences the sympathetic discharge pattern of vasoconstrictor neurons in patients with resistant hypertension. Standardized office BP, single-unit MSNA, and multi-unit MSNA were obtained at baseline and at 3-month follow-up in 35 patients with resistant hypertension. Twenty-five patients underwent RDN, and 10 patients underwent repeated measurements without RDN (non-RDN). Baseline BP averaged 164/93 mm Hg (RDN) and 164/87 mm Hg (non-RDN) despite use of an average of 4.8±0.4 and 4.4±0.5 antihypertensive drugs, respectively. Mean office BP decreased significantly by −13/−6 mm Hg for systolic BP (
P
<0.001) and diastolic BP (
P
<0.05) with RDN but not in non-RDN at 3-month follow-up. RDN moderately decreased multi-unit MSNA (79±3 versus 73±4 bursts/100 heartbeats;
P
<0.05), whereas all properties of single-unit MSNA including firing rates of individual vasoconstrictor fibers (43±5 versus 27±3 spikes/100 heartbeats;
P
<0.01), firing probability (30±2 versus 22±2% per heartbeat;
P
<0.02), and multiple firing incidence of single units within a cardiac cycle (8±1 versus 4±1% per heartbeat;
P
<0.05) were substantially reduced at follow-up. BP, single-unit MSNA, and multi-unit MSNA remained unaltered in the non-RDN cohort at follow-up. RDN results in the substantial and rapid reduction in firing properties of single sympathetic vasoconstrictor fibers, this being more pronounced than multi-unit MSNA inhibition. Whether the earlier changes in single-unit firing patterns may predict long-term BP response to RDN warrants further exploration.
EC Readmission Agreements: A Prime Instrument of the External Dimension of the EU’s Fight against Irregular Immigration. An Assessment after Ten Years of Practice
Authors: Billet Carole
Published: November 2012

As the EU becomes the focal point of immigration in the world, it faces a growing number of irregular immigrants in addition to regular immigrants. In order to improve the management of its external borders, the EU tries to cooperate with the migrants’ countries of origin and of transit. Among the legal instruments available, one of the foremost are the so-called “readmission agreements” which facilitate the removal of migrants who are irregularly present on the parties’ soil. This article assesses the use of EC readmission agreements as a prime instrument of the external dimension of the EU’s fight against irregular immigration and argues that these agreements have become instruments of first importance but without necessarily being of greatest relevance. The analysis starts with a systematic approach, looking at readmission agreements in the context of the other existing tools used by the EU institutions and also in the context of the readmission cooperation existing with third states. Then, the analysis considers the legal issues relating to the conclusion of EC readmission agreements and the challenges highlighted by the determination of their contents. This article also discusses the question of the outcome of the implementation of these agreements.
Meditation and Atonement in the Art of Marc Chagall
Authors: Jeffrey David Lyle
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Chagall’s crucifixion paintings, long a delicate subject among art historians, are best contextualized in the light of his life-long repatriation of Christian iconography to its Jewish foundation. Chagall reverses typological sequences familiar to Christians, so that instead of the Old Testament being seen as prefiguring the events of the Gospels, in his work the New Testament refers back to the Hebrew Scriptures in such a way as to illuminate the universal in Jewish experience. InSolitude(1933) andThe Yellow Crucifixion(1943) we see how Chagall achieves a remarkable fusion of Jewish and Christian understandings of meditation and visual commentary on the Scriptures, prophetically calling both traditions to repentance and reconciliation.
The Earliest Manuscript Title of Matthew’s Gospel (BnF Suppl. gr. 1120 ii 3 / 𝔓4)
Authors: Gathercole Simon
Published: November 2012

Abstract

A flyleaf bearing the title of Matthew’s gospel, found with the Luke fragments of 𝔓4 (henceforth P4), has been neglected in studies of P4 as well as in editions of the Greek New Testament. This article publishes for the first time a photograph of the flyleaf, and seeks to provide an accurate transcription of the often misspelled title. It also discusses the various factors impinging upon the date of the fragment, such as the Philo codex in which it was found and the apostrophe in the middle of Matthew’s name. A date in the late second or early third century makes best sense of the evidence, making this neglected flyfleaf the earliest manuscript title of Matthew’s gospel.
Barnacles (Cirripedia, Thoracica) and associated epibionts from sea turtles in the central Mediterranean
Authors: Casale P. , D’Addario M. , Freggi D. , Argano R.
Published: November 2012

The association patterns and ecology of sea turtle epibionts, and especially obligate epibionts, are still poorly known. Epibiont communities were investigated in the central Mediterranean Sea in relation to the host habitat and seven species of barnacles, three amphipods, one crab, and one tanaid were found on 117 loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta. Particular attention was given to barnacles, some of them being obligate turtle epibionts, with a total of 3330 individuals examined, among which high intraspecific aggregation was observed. Results indicate that (i) the species composition of barnacles varies among turtles frequenting not only different geographic areas but also different habitats in the same area, (ii) different species have marked preferences for hosts frequenting pelagic vs. benthic habitats, and also (iii) for body parts of the host representing microhabitats with different features and trophic opportunities, (iv) settlement is favoured by the presence of conspecific individuals and possibly also (v) by individuals of related species, notably Chelonibia testudinaria that may act as a pioneer species, and finally (vi) barnacles show rapid turnover on turtles, with relatively short lives, rapid growth, and high juvenile mortality.
Monetisation and the Genesis of the Western Subject
Authors: Seaford Richard
Published: November 2012

Abstract

This paper searches early Greek texts (Homer, Herakleitos, Parmenides, Plato) for the genesis of the idea of the individual mind or soul as a unitary site of consciousness, and explores the relation of this genesis to the first monetisation in history. Money simultaneously promotes the isolated autonomy of the individual and provides a model (the unification of diversity by semi-abstract substance) that shapes both the unity of individual consciousness and the presocratic conception of the cosmos as constituted by a single semi-abstract substance. The argument confirms and develops the importance accorded by Alfred Sohn-Rethel to the ‘real abstraction’ of commodity-exchange in the origins of Greek philosophy.
Anchoring Democracy in Indigenous African Institutions 1
Authors: AYANA DANIEL
Published: November 2012

Scholars have suggested the importance of integrating African democratization process with grassroots institutions for longterm consolidation. However, the major problem remained the inadequacy of secularism in disentangling the religious from the non-religious intertwined in indigenous African institutions. This essay reconsiders the Burckhardtian notion of secularism for a recalibrated definition that embraces a trajectory of transposed values. Debunking the Burckhardtian notion opens up an analytic terrain relegated to the "religious." Thus indigenous African religions are re-conceptualized as civic religions to shed light on their public aspects. The essay then identifies collective ceremonies and the attendant secular/civic rituals as the grassroots institutions "housed" in indigenous African religions. The analysis also locates the disjuncture between independent African states and the grassroots institutions at this level of collective ceremonies, perceived as "sacral" or "irrational." The objective is to harness them as African building blocks for democratic consolidation.
How Good is the South African Media for Democracy?
Authors: JACOBS SEAN
Published: November 2012

This article argues that media are not merely conduits for the government, political parties or citizens in post-apartheid South Africa, but have emerged as autonomous power centres in competition with other power centres. The transformation of the South African media since the demise of apartheid has taken the form of significant changes in the media's environment. There is now freedom to criticise the government, unprecedented access to state-held information, and the state's monopoly over broadcasting and diversification of commercial print media has been broken. Yet these developments have not in themselves had very many positive effects on democratic participation, and the media have not engaged in an effective critique of the country's continuing high levels of social and economic inequality or the structural constraints on the democratisation of its political life. Jacob examines the nature of South Africa's political transition from white-domination and apartheid regime to negotiated and "mediated democracy" that has adopted neoliberal economic policies to ascertain the reasons for this seemingly contradictory outcome.
Dowry and Dowry Harassment in India: An Assessment Based on Modified Capitalist Patriarchy*
Authors: SAMUEL EDITH
Published: November 2012

Listen to the many women

Listen to the many voices

Spoken and unspoken1

On March 27, 1984, "The Times of India" reported that in Delhi, "a bride is burnt to death every twelve hours." 2 The number of dowry deaths has steadily increased in the 1980s and 1990s. Even though the official number of dowry deaths rose from 6,758 in 1996 to 7,543 in 1997,3 unofficial estimates of dowry deaths figure around a staggering 25,000 annually. 4 Classical socialist feminist traditions have inadequately addressed the widespread prevalence of this social practice. Drawing from primary and secondary sources, this article reconceptualizes and reframes the "legitimate" practice of dowry from a modified socialist feminist perspective. A modified capitalist patriarchal approach that includes caste and religion is necessary to expound the primacy of the phenomenon. As well, this critique suggests recommendations for social change. For: Through the eyes of women It is another way of seeing It is another way of knowing 5
Demographic Changes in Iran's Officially Recognized Religious Minority Populations since the Islamic Revolution
Authors: HEMMASI MOHAMMAD , PROROK CAROLYN V.
Published: November 2012

Besides Islam, Iran is home to adherents of three of the world's oldest religions: Zoroastrianism, Judaism and Christianity, and to one of the youngest, Baha'i. Significant changes have occurred in the size, composition, and spatial distribution of Iran's officially recognized religious minority populations since the 1970s. This study analyzes these demographic changes with a particular emphasis on their characteristics relative to the preand post-1979 Revolution. Overall, religious minority populations of Iran have drastically declined in number, and they have become increasingly concentrated in several urban areas during the last two decades. In comparison to Muslims, they have lower fertility, mortality, gender and dependency ratios, greater emigration, and a greater proportion of their populations is elderly. Both historic and contemporary socio-political and economic circumstances at the national level are the root causes of these demographic changes.
Un muḥaddiṯ muʿ tazilite zaydite : Abū Saʿ d al-Sammān al-Rāzī et ses Amālī*
Authors: Ansari Hassan
Published: November 2012

Résumé

Abū Saʿd Ismāʿīl b. ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn al-Sammān al-Rāzī l-Ḥāfiẓ (m. 445/1053) était un transmetteur de ḥadīṯs (muḥaddiṯ) avec un attachement muʿtazilite. Il était un disciple de Qāḍī ʿAbd al-Ğabbār al-Hamaḏānī (m. 415/1025), et vivait à Rayy. Sa particularité la plus importante tient au fait que, malgré son appartenance au courant muʿtazilite, il était à la fois célèbre parmi les autorités de Ḥadīṯ sunnites – qui étaient naturellement adversaires des muʿtazilites –, grâce à ses profondes connaissances du Ḥadīṯ et grâce à ses nombreux voyages effectués dans des villes différentes pour entendre et apprendre des traditions prophétiques auprès de différents transmetteurs. Il a composé un recueil de ḥadīṯs sous le titre Amālī.
Apparitions and Apparatuses: On the Framing and Staging of Religious Events
Authors: Jackson Peter
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Two assumptions associated with the burgeoning field of cultural studies—the indeterminacy of meaning and the strategic play of power determining the limits of knowledge—are often prescribed as antidotes to the delusions of religion and scientific realism. We need not wholeheartedly subscribe to this epistemic relativism to acknowledge that similar assumptions could also apply to situations that are overtly framed and staged within culture so as to invite momentary participation. Despite the occasional insistence on unconditional faith and adherence, this seems especially true of religious behaviour. In demonstrating how such assumptions can be productively redescribed as focal concerns of religious participation, this paper endeavors to remove religion from some of the dichotomous sets (e.g., belief/disbelief, rationality/irrationality, obligation/freedom, agency/chance) in which it often gets entangled.
Der Zoroastrismus als iranische religion und die Semantik von ,Iran' in der zoroastrischen religionsgeschichte
Authors: Stausberg Michael
Published: November 2012

Zoroastrianism, one of the three recognized religious minorities in the Islamic Republic, can claim a specific linkage with Iran since the Avestan Vendidād and its other primary religious documents were written in Iranian languages and its history has for the most part unfolded in Iran (in a larger geographical sense). The term Aryan is used in inscriptions by the Achaemenian king Darius I as a way to gloss the name of the deity Ahura Mazdā (the 'God of the Aryans'). In the Sasanian period, Iran became the name of the empire. Zoroastrian literature written under Islamic rule, reaffirms the idea of a unity between kingship and (Zoroastrian) religion, but transposes its realization into the eschatological future. After centuries of decline and discrimination, twentieth-century modernization entailed the prospect of societal reintegration for Zoroastrians; an unachieved hope under the Pahlavis, this prospect has become even more remote under the political conditions imposed by the Islamic Republic, where Zoroastrians now use the vocabulary of martyrdom to express their commitment to their homeland.