bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reforms and Entry: Some Evidence from the Indian Manufacturing Sector
Authors: Bhaumik Sumon Kumar , Gangopadhyay Shubhashis , Krishnan Shagun
Published: August 2009

Traditional research in the context of product market entry has explored the strategic reactions of incumbent firms when threatened by the possibility of entry, and have identified industry‐specific factors that affect entry rates. However, following de Soto (1989), there has been increasing emphasis on regulatory and institutional factors governing entry rates, especially in the context of developing countries. Using three‐digit industry‐level data from India, for the 1984–97 period, we examine the phenomenon of entry in the Indian context. Our empirical results suggest that during the 1980s industry‐level factors largely explained variations in entry rates, but that, following the economic federalism brought about by the post‐1991 reforms, variations in entry rates during the 1990s were explained largely by state‐level institutional and legacy factors. Past productivity growth affects net entry rates as well.
Auctioning Immigration Visas
Authors: Collie David R.
Published: August 2009

Freeman (2006) suggested that auctioning immigration visas and redistributing the revenue to native residents in the host country would increase migration from low‐income to high‐income countries. The effect of the auctioning of immigration visas, in the Ricardian model from Findlay (1982), on the optimal level of immigration for the host country is considered. It is shown that auctioning immigration visas will lead to a positive level of immigration only if the initial wage difference between the host country and the source country is substantial. The cost of the immigration visa is more than half the earnings of the immigrant worker.
Capital Services Growth in the UK: 1950 to 2006*
Authors: Wallis Gavin
Published: August 2009

This paper describes a capital services dataset for the United Kingdom developed for use in empirical work, and some of its key features. The estimates are consistent with National Accounts output estimates, making them ideal for use in growth‐accounting or business‐cycle analysis. The divergence between the volume of capital services and the volume of the capital stock after 1980 is highlighted. This divergence is driven by a shift in investment towards short‐lived and more productive information and communication technology assets for which the flow of capital services is high. Standard capital stock measures understate growth in the productive input of capital, especially after 1990.
Freedom and Necessity: Spinoza's Impact on Lessing
Authors: Crowther Louise
Published: August 2009

Benedict de Spinoza (1632–77) was an undeniably significant and pivotal figure not only during his own lifetime but also during the Enlightenment. The over‐arching purpose of this paper is to consider how Lessing dealt with the impact of Spinozist thought and its consequences and to analyse the extent to which he can be said to exemplify a post‐Spinozist mentality in dealing with the relationship between freedom and necessity. It aims to prove not that Lessing was a direct disciple of Spinoza, but that he was influenced by the post‐Spinozist climate pervading the eighteenth‐century intellectual world. In particular, this paper examines Lessing's exploration of a nexus of causality which has been set out by Spinoza's ideas on freedom and necessity. In a similar manner to Spinoza, he demonstrates that man's subjection to external causes is balanced by his ability to exert a degree of free necessity, that is, freedom within the necessary constraints of the order of nature and the designs of Providence. Furthermore, he parallels Spinoza's thinking in arguing for a necessary causal relationship between virtue, necessity and freedom.
Aber in Spanien schon tausend und drei: Perpetuelle Vertragsbrüche in Schillers Abfall der Niederlande1
Authors: Nilges Yvonne
Published: August 2009

Der vorliegende Beitrag widmet sich Schillers Rechtsauffassung in der Geschichte des Abfalls der vereinigten Niederlande von der Spanischen Regierung (1788). Ausgehend von dem notorischen ‘Verrat am Vertrag’ des spanischen Königs Philipp II. entwickelt Schiller als Historiograph eine naturrechtliche Darstellung des Rechts auf Widerstand und des humanitären Völkerrechts. Dem grundlegenden Einfluss Hugo Grotius’ auf Schiller wird im Folgenden zum ersten Male nachgegangen, ebenso Schillers Vertrautheit mit dem Menschenrechtsdiskurs im Advent der Französischen Revolution. Im Abfall der Niederlande offenbart sich Schiller als ein engagierter Zeitbürger, der rechtlich betrachtet bereits unverkennbar auf dem Weg in die Moderne ist. Das erste Geschichtswerk Schillers figuriert als seine ganz persönliche Geburt des Rechtsstaats aus dem Geiste der Historie, die ihrer Zeit erstaunlich weit voraus ist und tatsächlich freiheitsrechtliche Grundthemen des 20. Jahrhunderts schon naturrechtlich antizipiert.
Wilhelm Simon Guttmann, 1891–1990: A Documentary Portrait
Authors: Jacobs Nicholas , Kerbs Diethart
Published: August 2009

In his collection of biographical essays, Lebenslinien – Deutsche Biographien aus dem 20. Jahrhundert (Essen 2007), Diethart Kerbs gave the first tentative portrait of Simon Guttmann as one of the founders of photo‐journalism. As an emeritus professor of the History of Photography Kerbs based his study on his personal acquaintance with Guttmann and on his photographic associates in London, as well as on research and contacts in Germany. The aim of the present study is to document as fully as possible Guttmann's development from literature, through the politics of the German revolutionary period of 1918/19, to his influential career in photography in Berlin and, eventually, in London. To do this, Nicholas Jacobs has augmented Kerb's essay with his own records of conversations with Guttmann (some undated), and with new critical material now available.
Bombed and Silenced: Foreign Witnesses of the Air War in Germany
Authors: Lubrich Oliver
Published: August 2009

Non‐German accounts of the air war from inside Germany, 1939–1945, offer perspectives and evidence that are very distinct from what most German authors have been able to contribute. Yet they have not been registered in the recent debates about representations of German suffering in testimonies and literature (initiated by W. G. Sebald ten years ago). By looking at five issues specific to non‐German writing, the present article proposes to open up the debate to these new voices: (1) Foreign experiences are distinctively sudden, open, ambivalent, dynamic and, by contrast, sharper in perception. (2) International reports are historical documents that have a particular value for understanding contemporary expectations, relative information and shifting judgments on the Allied bombing campaign. (3) Writers like Curzio Malaparte, Louis‐Ferdinand Céline, Kurt Vonnegut or Marie Vassiltchikov developed rhetorical and poetical means for representing the destruction without succumbing to the faults that Sebald diagnosed in most German writers, who repressed, stylised or banalised it. (4) Unlike many of their contemporary German counterparts, most international authors dealt with the uncanny aesthetics of an air raid without aestheticising it. (5) Finally, the article attempts an explanation for why international witnesses have not been heard in the politicised German debates. Their tendency to overemphasise introspection and moralism over comparative philology and historiography may have made many Germans deaf to the voices of foreigners.
‘Der Wechsel von einem vertrauten Element in das andere, fremde’: Das Schwimm‐Motiv in der deutschen Gegenwartsliteratur
Authors: Bartl Andrea
Published: August 2009

In der deutschsprachigen Gegenwartsliteratur häuft sich das Motiv des Schwimmens. Es wird als Tätigkeit des Grenzgangs mit Fragen nach Integration und Synthese, Erinnerung und Narration verbunden, ohne jedoch die Brüchigkeit solcher utopischer Konzepte zu leugnen. Der Akt des Schwimmens setzt diese und weitere Fragen präzise ins Bild. Gerade in der zeitgenössischen Kunst wird das Schwimm‐Motiv zum paradigmatischen Zeichen für eine behutsame Suche nach neuen Orientierungen und Verortungen.
No. 3 Vol. 42, No. 4, pp. 297–304, 2008 Development of pre‐paration solubilized coenzyme Q10 with polyglycerol fatty acid esters and application for cosmetics
Authors: Fukuhara T. , Oouchi T. , Kamata T. , Inoue K. , Tsuji S. , Iwanaga T.
Published: August 2009

Polyglycerol fatty acid esters (PGFE) , a food grade emulsifier has been used in cosmetic products in recent years due to its safety and low stimulation of skin. Cosmetic formulation containing CoQ1O to provide a stable and clear pre‐paration is difficult because it has a high crystalline property. We have tried the development of CoQ10‐soluble pre‐paration with PGFE applied for cosmetics. The present study is summarized as follows: This CoQ10‐soluble pre‐paration has a bicontinuous microemulsion structure that provides high solubilization capacity and thermodynamic stability. Cosmetics using this CoQ1O soluble pre‐paration tend to improve the skin permeability and also to involve the change in skin conditions (moisturization and elasticity), compared to the non‐bicontinuous microemulsion pre‐paration.

Keywords:  coenzyme Q10, solubilization, bicontinuous, microemulsion, polyglycerol fatty acid ester, cosmetics, food, emulsifier, safety, low stimulation, skin, moisturization, elasticity
No. 4 Vol. 42, No. 4, pp. 305–312, 2008 The Reaction of Oxidative Hair Dyes in Cuticle Layers
Authors: Imai T. , Niwa M. , Hasegawa T. , Kawamura H. , Umemura T. , Kimura M. , Nakano T. , Haraguchi H.
Published: August 2009

The mechanism of oxidative hair dyes (permanent hair color) in cuticle layers of human hair was studied. In general, it is considered that the oxidative hair dye deposits monomer into the cortex, and is polymerized with coloring in there. It was confirmed that not only cortex but also cuticle layers were dyed with the permanent hair color, through observation with the thin cross‐section of the dyed hair. There were exogenous metals in the cuticle layers from tap water etc., and the transition metals increased the dyeing and decreased the bleaching. It was thought that the activity of oxidation reaction with hydrogen peroxide was increased in the cuticle layers, and permeability to the cortex was decreased. Furthermore, TEM findings suggested that the oxidation hair dyes mainly reacted in the β‐layer/ δ‐layer interface in the cuticle layers, unevenly distributing the metals in the β‐layer of cuticular CMC.

Keywords:  hair, oxidative hair dye, hair color, bleach, cuticle, transition metal, ultrastructure, CMC, β‐layer, oxidative reaction
No. 5 Vol 42, No. 4, pp. 313–318, 2008 A New Water‐in‐Powder Technology A Novel Structure for Creating Unique Cosmetic  Products
Authors: Igarashi K. , Sagara K. , Egawa J.
Published: August 2009

A Water‐in‐Powder cosmetic is one encapsulating a large amount of water with powders. In this study we explain why the cosmetic is possible. First we focused on hydrophilic and hydrophobic balance of nano‐sized powder surface. We looked into the surface state of powders with the gas adsorption test and discovered the functional powders that have the optimized balance of hydrorepellency due to fractal surface and hydrophilicity due to free hydroxyl groups. By using this material, we created a new powder technology that can encapsulate a large quantity of water stably. We also looked into how the powders encapsulated water by observation with wet‐SEM and how the encapsulated water is stabilized by measuring water mobility with 17Q‐M\IJR As a result, we developed a new technology with water and powder. By encapsulating a large amount of water, we achieved a cosmetic with many unique characteristics : the powder cosmetic can change into liquid by application of friction on skin, it gives us comfort in use and provides a watery, cool feel. It also provides excellent makeup function by spreading smoothly on skin to form a uniform makeup coating.

Keywords:  water‐in‐powder, hydrorepellency, hydrophilicity, fractal, encapsulate, technology
Topical 3.0% diclofenac in 2.5% hyaluronic acid gel induces regression of cancerous transformation in actinic keratoses
Authors: Dirschka T , Bierhoff E , Pflugfelder A , Garbe C
Published: August 2009

Background  Actinic keratoses (AKs) are frequently diagnosed in dermatological patients. As they represent in situ carcinomas, effective treatment is required.

Objectives  We investigated the effect of topical 3.0% diclofenac in 2.5% hyaluronic acid gel on AK.

Methods  Sixty‐five patients with AKs were clinically evaluated before and after 3 months’ treatment with topical 3.0% diclofenac in 2.5% hyaluronic gel. Biopsy specimens were taken and stained with haematoxylin‐eosin and immunohistological markers. Specimens were evaluated for histological type of AKs using the AK classification scheme suggested by Röwert‐Huber et al. [(early) in situ squamous cell carcinoma type AK Grade I–III], number of mitoses per high‐power field and expression of immunohistological markers.

Results  Complete clinical resolution was observed in 11 patients (16.9%). A significant (P < 0.001) downgrading of AK grade was observed. Complete histological resolution was achieved in 15 patients (23.1%). The number of mitoses per high‐power field was reduced significantly (P < 0.001). The expression of anti‐p53‐antibody decreased significantly (P = 0.009), as did the expression of anti‐MiB‐1 antibody (P = 0.021).

Conclusions  3.0% diclofenac in 2.5% hyaluronic acid gel causes regression of signs of cancerous transformation after 3 months’ therapy.
Serum and salivary desmoglein 1 and 3 enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay in pemphigus vulgaris: correlation with phenotype and severity
Authors: Hallaji Z , Mortazavi H , Lajevardi V , Tamizifar B , AmirZargar A , Daneshpazhooh M , Chams‐Davatchi C
Published: August 2009

Background  To the best of our knowledge there is only one report about salivary desmoglein (Dsg) 1 and 3 enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in pemphigus vulgaris (PV), whereas several studies have been performed on serum.

Aims  To find the sensitivity of serum and salivary anti‐Dsg1 and 3 antibodies in the diagnosis of PV, and to determine the relationship between disease severity and phenotype with antibody levels.

Methods  Fifty new patients with PV were included in this study. The diagnosis of PV was confirmed by histopathology and direct immunofluorescence. Demographical data, disease severity and phenotypes were recorded on questionnaire sheets. Dsg1 and Dsg3 ELISA were performed on serum and salivary samples of patients and controls.

Results  Thirty‐seven patients had mucocutaneous phenotype; whereas mucosal dominant and cutaneous dominant phenotypes were seen in 11 and 2 patients respectively. The sensitivities of serum anti‐Dsg3 and anti‐Dsg1 were 94% and 72% respectively. The sensitivities of salivary anti‐Dsg3 and anti‐Dsg1 antibodies were accordingly 94% and 70%. Compared with mucosal phenotype, serum and salivary anti‐Dsg1 antibodies were significantly higher in the patients with mucocutaneous phenotype. Serum Dsg1 antibodies were related with cutaneous and serum Dsg3 antibodies with mucosal severity scores. Salivary Dsg1 antibodies were significantly correlated with mucosal severity (P = 0.00); however there was no correlation between this antibody and cutaneous severity (P = 0.07). Salivary Dsg3 antibodies were not correlated with mucosal severity (P = 0.16).

Conclusion  Saliva Dsg ELISA could be used for diagnosis of PV. Salivary Dsg1 antibodies had a significant correlation with mucosal severity.
Effects of prior knowledge and response bias upon recognition memory for a story: Implications for children's eyewitness testimony
Authors: Mori Toshiaki , Sugimura Tomoko , Minami Manabu
Published: August 2009

Abstract: The present study was designed to evaluate the integration hypothesis and the response bias hypothesis for explaining the fragility of children's eyewitness memory, by varying the plausibility of postevent information and the strength of response bias in recognition tests. Preschool children were told a story in which a boy named Ken saw a housebreaker stealing various objects and the postevent information was also incorporated into the story. The first recognition test was administered immediately following the presentation of an interpolated story, and the second recognition test was administered 10 weeks later. The results indicated that high‐plausibility objects tended to be recognized as the stolen objects in the second recognition test, and that recognition accuracy was higher for a new‐distractor condition than for a misleading‐distractor condition. These findings were interpreted as suggesting that the memory representation of the story might be changed through the integration processes and/or rendered inaccessible in terms of the response bias.
Helping behavior following a failure experience1
Authors: YAGI YASUKI , SHIMIZU TAKANORI
Published: August 2009

Abstract: A study was conducted to reconcile two conflicting models on the relationship of shame to helping. According to the negative‐mood relief model, ashamed people try to help others to relieve a negative mood induced by a shameful experience. The self‐esteem maintenance model suggests, however, that people whose self‐esteem is threatened utilize helping behavior instrumentally to restore self‐esteem. In the present study, 84 male subjects took an alleged intelligence test and received fictitious poor results, and in the next experimental stage, set up by a male experimenter who was not an observer of the subject's failure in the former stage, they were requested to help a person also unaware of subject's failure. On the basis of this paradigm for the shame‐helping relation, the “ability” of the target person compared to the subject (superior vs. inferior) and the content of helping (meaningful vs. not meaningful) were manipulated. One level of each experimental variable was supposed to serve as an obstacle to maintaining self‐esteem. Besides this 2 times 2 factorial design, subjects were classified as high or low in self‐esteem; a control condition (with 16 subjects) was also included. The results provided unequivocal support for the self‐esteem maintenance model: ashamed subjects were helpful only in the inferior‐target/meaningful‐help condition. This result did not interact with the relative levels of self‐esteem; the lack of this interaction is explained in terms of self‐esteem being trait.
A new experimental method to identify the process of logical reasoning
Authors: HATTOR MASASI , NAKAGAWA MASANORI
Published: August 2009

Abstract: A new method to identify the process of logical reasoning is presented. In spite of its indispensability and importance, we have had few methods to identify a subject's reasoning process, except that of using verbal protocol data. In this paper, for the purpose of objective identification of the reasoning process, we propose a new method to obtain the subject's reasoning process, in terms of a resolution tree for a task of which the logical structure can be written by first‐order predicate logic. The results of an experiment using this method are presented. They revealed some interesting features of human reasoning such as, large differences between subjects, remarkable parallel processes, and the existence of subgoals for each subject.
A factor related to the strength of an “Aha!” experience
Authors: MORI NOBUYUKI
Published: August 2009

Abstract:It is natural to assume that the strength of an “Aha!” becomes stronger when an unexpected solution is correct. In this study, this assumption is examined experimentally through a list of possible correct solutions. In the experiment, subjects listed the possible correct solutions before solving the problems, and evaluated the strength of their “Aha!” experience after they solved the problems. It was shown that the strength of the “Aha!” experience was strongest if the correct answer had not been included in the list of possible correct solutions; if included, the strength of the “Aha!” experience corresponded to the answer's position in the list, that is, the later the correct solution listed, the stronger the feeling became. It is suggested that the strength of an “Aha!” experience can be used as an error function in the learning process.
Light‐induced inhibition in a delayed matching task with rhesus monkeys: Effects of point of illumination during the delay1
Authors: TAKAHASHI MASAHARU
Published: August 2009

Abstract: Using a delayed matching‐to‐sample task with samples of color, two experiments investigated the effects of light presented during a delay interval on matching accuracy in two monkeys. In Experiment 1, 5 s of light during a delay interval of 24 s produced deficits in matching accuracy (retroactive inhibition), and placement of 5 s of light at the end of a 24‐s delay tended to lead to slightly larger deficits than placement at the beginning (the beginning‐end effect). These findings were replicated in Experiment 2. The pooled data from the two experiments indicated that both effects were significant. Additionally, it was shown in Experiment 2 that performances were better on trials with a 24‐s delay with 5‐s illumination at the beginning than on trials with a 5‐s delay filled with illumination. These results seem to be more in line with a theoretical mechanism in which illumination produces retroactive inhibition by making memory traces temporarily inaccessible, and partial recovery of accessibility of the memory trace occurs during a period of darkness following exposure to illumination.
Category size and judgments of variability: The effects of seeing the trees in the forest1
Authors: KARASAWA MINORU , BREWER MARILYNN B.
Published: August 2009

Abstract: Competing predictions about the effects of category size on judgments of category variability were examined in two studies involving the presentation of exemplars of two artificial social groups. In contrast to predictions of some exemplar‐based models, Experiment 1 demonstrated that a numerically smaller group was perceived to be more variable than a larger group on the standard deviation measure of frequency distribution estimates. The result was interpreted to be an effect of differential information load. Experiment 2 revealed that variability judgments were influenced by prior expectations about the central tendencies as well as by practice in retrieving information about category exemplars. When frequency distribution estimates were made subsequent to abstract tasks, expectations about the numerical majority reduced perceived variability, while this influence was mitigated when memory measures preceded the frequency estimates.
High proportion of protected minke whales sold on Japanese markets is due to illegal, unreported or unregulated exploitation
Authors: Lukoschek V. , Funahashi N. , Lavery S. , Dalebout M. L. , Cipriano F. , Baker C. S.
Published: August 2009

Whale meat products sold on Japanese markets originate from two stocks of North Pacific (NP) minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata scammoni: the depleted J‐stock, which has been protected since 1986 but continues to be killed as fisheries ‘bycatch’, and the more abundant O‐stock, which is hunted under special permit (scientific whaling). We investigated the geographic distribution and temporal changes in stock composition of NP minke whale products sold on Japanese markets between December 1997 and June 2004. From nearly 1200 ‘whale meat’ products purchased during this time, 250 were identified as NP minke whales by phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences. The 250 NP minke whale products were found to represent 201 unique ‘market individuals’ after exclusion of replicate products using microsatellite genotypes. Market individuals were further classified into four mtDNA haplogroups, three of which are characteristic of the J‐stock (J‐type) and one characteristic of the O‐stock (O‐type). There were moderate differences in the proportions of J‐type individuals found in coastal prefectures, perhaps reflecting regional differences in the sale of local bycatch, but no significant difference across time. The absence of a change over time was inconsistent with the four‐ to fivefold increase in reported bycatch, from an average of 25–122 whales year−1, following a 2001 regulation allowing commercial sale of whales taken as bycatch. Using a mixed‐stock analysis based on haplogroup frequencies over the entire survey period, we estimated that 46.1% (se, 4.2%) of all market individuals originated from the J‐stock. This estimate of illegal, unreported or unregulated (IUU) exploitation is higher than expected from the officially reported bycatch, suggesting either large‐scale under‐reporting and/or unrecognized takes of J‐stock minke whales from Pacific coastal waters by the scientific hunt. Our estimates of the true level of IUU exploitation have important implications for recovery of this depleted coastal stock.
The Plantar Response in Infants and Children
Authors: HOLT K. S.
Published: August 2009

The extensor plantar, or Babinski response consists of dorsiflexion of the great toe and fanning of the other toes, produced by firm painful stroking of the sole of the foot. This response is not always associated with an anatomical lesion of the pyramidal tract, as was thought for a long time, but it is a very useful clinical sign indicating at least functional disturbance of the central nervous system. In all small babies the plantar response is extensor and can be elicited from a wide receptive zone. This zone diminishes as the infant grows older until towards the second year of age, when the normal response is flexor. The significance of the plantar response in cerebral palsy would bear careful re‐examination.

La réponse plantaire dans Ľinfirmité motrice cérébrate

La réponse plantaire en extension, dite de Babinski, consiste en la flexion dorsale du gros orteil et en Ľétalement des autres orteils par suite ďattouchements fermes et douloureux de la plante du pied. Cette réponse n'est pas toujours associée à une lesion anatomique du système pyramidal comme on le crut longtemps mais est une indication clinique très utile, tout au moins en ce qui concerne les troubles fonctionnels du systeme nerveux central. Chez tous les jeunes bébés, la réponse plantaire est en extension et peut être suscitée sur une zone réceptive étendue. Cette zone diminue au fur et à mesure que Ľenfant grandit jusque vers deux ans, âge où la réponse normale est en flexion. Le sens à donner á la réponse plantaire, dans Ľinfirmité motrice cérébrale, aurait besoin ďêtre réexaminé avec soin.

Die Fusssohlenantwort bei Zerebrallähmung

Die Fusssohlenantwort in Streckung oder Babinskisches Phänomen besteht aus Dorsi‐flexion der grossen Zehe und Spreizung der anderen Zehen nach festem und schmerz erregendem Bestreichen der Fusssohle. Diese Antwort ist nicht immer mit einer anatomischen Schädigung der Pyramidalbahn verbunden, wie man es lange geglaubt hat, ist aber ein sehr nützliches Klinisches Zeichen, wenigstens für die funktionnellen Störungen des Zentralnervensystems. Bei alien Säuglingen ist die Fusssohlenantwort in Streckung und kann auf einem ausgedehnten empfänglichen Gebiete hervorgerufen werden. Dieses Gebiet nimmt, während das kind wächst, nach und nach ab, bis um das zweite Lebensjahr, wo die normale Antwort Beugung wird. Es wäre notig, die Bedeutung der Fusssohlenantwort bei Zerebrallähmung von Neuem eingehend zu studieren.
Brain Function and the 5‐Hydroxyindoles*
Authors: SANDLER M.
Published: August 2009

A review of the 5‐hydroxyindole pathways of tryptophan metabolism is presented and evidence pertaining to their role in normal brain function is examined.

A possible connection between disordered mental function and disturbance in these metabolic pathways is discussed, with special reference to phenylketonuria, in which a decreased production of 5‐hydroxytryptamine has been detected, and to other forms of mental defect, in which an increased production has been described. Assay of serum 5‐hydroxytryptamine levels may prove a useful test in the early diagnosis of mental handicap in children.

The inter‐relationship between 5‐hydroxytryptamine and other amines present in the brain is stressed.

Lafonction cérébrate et les 5‐hydroxy indoles

Présentation des cheminements du 5‐hydroxyindole dans le métabolisme du tryptophan, et examen des preuves de son rôle dans la fonction cérébrale normale.

Une relation possible entre les troubles de la fonction mentale et les troubles du chemine‐ment dans ce métabolisme est discutée, avec étude spéciale de la phénylcétonurie, au cours de laquelle a été décelée une diminution de la sécrétion de la 5‐hydroxytryptamine, ainsi que ďautres formes de déficience mentale dans lesquelles une augmentation de la sécrétion était constatée. Des déterminations des taux de la 5‐hydroxytryptamine sérique peuvent se révéler utiles dans le diagnostic précoce des handicaps mentaux chez les enfants.

Ľauteur souligne Ľinterrelation qui existe entre la 5‐hydroxytryptamine et les autres amines présentes dans le cerveau.

Die Hirnfimktion und die 5‐Hydroxyindole

Ubersicht der 5‐Hydroxyindole des Tryptophanstoffwechsels und Untersuchung der Beweise ihrer Rolle in der normalen Hirnfunktion.

Ein eventualer Zusammenhang zwischen den Störungen der geistigen Tätigkeit und den Störungen in diesem Stoffwechselwandel werden erörtert mit spezieller Verweisung auf Phenylketonuria, bei der eine Verminderung der 5‐Hydroxytriptaminerzeugung entdeckt wurde, sowie auf andere Schwachsinnformen, bei denen eine Zunahme der Sekretion beschrieben wurde. Prüfungen des 5‐Hydroxytryptamingehalts im Serum können sich für frühzeitige Diagnose der geistigen Defekte bei Kindern nützlich erweisen.

Die gegenseitigen Beziehungen zwischen 5‐Hydroxytryptamin und anderen im Gehirn vorhandenen Aminen werden betont.
Adaptation of neuronal cells to chronic oxidative stress is associated with altered cholesterol and sphingolipid homeostasis and lysosomal function
Authors: Clement Angela B. , Gamerdinger Martin , Tamboli Irfan Y. , Lütjohann Dieter , Walter Jochen , Greeve Isabell , Gimpl Gerald , Behl Christian
Published: August 2009

Chronic oxidative stress has been causally linked to several neurodegenerative disorders. As sensitivity for oxidative stress greatly differs between brain regions and neuronal cell types, specific cellular mechanisms of adaptation to chronic oxidative stress should exist. Our objective was to identify molecular mechanisms of adaptation of neuronal cells after applying chronic sublethal oxidative stress. We demonstrate that cells resistant to oxidative stress exhibit altered cholesterol and sphingomyelin metabolisms. Stress‐resistant cells showed reduced levels of molecules involved in cholesterol trafficking and intracellular accumulation of cholesterol, cholesterol precursors, and metabolites. Moreover, stress‐resistant cells exhibited reduced SMase activity. The altered lipid metabolism was associated with enhanced autophagy. Treatment of stress‐resistant cells with neutral SMase reversed the stress‐resistant phenotype, whereas it could be mimicked by treatment of neuronal cells with a specific inhibitor of neutral SMase. Analysis of hippocampal and cerebellar tissue of mouse brains revealed that the obtained cell culture data reflect the in vivo situation. Stress‐resistant cells in vitro showed similar features as the less vulnerable cerebellum in mice, whereas stress‐sensitive cells resembled the highly sensitive hippocampal area. These findings suggest an important role of the cell type‐specific lipid profile for differential vulnerabilities of different brain areas toward chronic oxidative stress.
Knockdown of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor attenuates excitotoxicity and enhances NMDA‐induced BDNF expression in cortical neurons
Authors: Lin Chun‐Hua , Chen Chien‐Chang , Chou Chih‐Ming , Wang Chen‐Yu , Hung Chia‐Chi , Chen Julia Y. , Chang Heng‐Wei , Chen Yung‐Chuan , Yeh Gean Chan , Lee Yi‐Hsuan
Published: August 2009

NMDA receptors play dual and opposing roles in neuronal survival by mediating the activity‐dependent neurotrophic signaling and excitotoxic cell death via synaptic and extrasynaptic receptors, respectively. In this study, we demonstrate that the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), also known as the dioxin receptor, is involved in the expression and the opposing activities of NMDA receptors. In primary cultured cortical neurons, we found that NMDA excitotoxicity is significantly enhanced by an AhR agonist 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin, and AhR knockdown with small interfering RNA significantly reduces NMDA excitotoxicity. AhR knockdown also significantly reduces NMDA‐increases intracellular calcium concentration, NMDA receptor expression and surface presentation, and moderately decreases the NMDA receptor‐mediated spontaneous as well as miniature excitatory post‐synaptic currents. However, AhR knockdown significantly enhances the bath NMDA application– but not synaptic NMDA receptor‐induced brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene expression, and activating AhR reduces the bath NMDA‐induced BDNF expression. Furthermore, AhR knockdown reveals the calcium dependency of NMDA‐induced BDNF expression and the binding activity of cAMP‐responsive element binding protein (CREB) and its calcium‐dependent coactivator CREB binding protein (CBP) to the BDNF promoter upon NMDA treatment. Together, our results suggest that AhR opposingly regulates NMDA receptor‐mediated excitotoxicity and neurotrophism possibly by differentially regulating the expression of synaptic and extrasynaptic NMDA receptors.
Mass spectrometry analysis of the phospholipase A2 activity of snake pre‐synaptic neurotoxins in cultured neurons
Authors: Paoli Marco , Rigoni Michela , Koster Grielof , Rossetto Ornella , Montecucco Cesare , Postle Anthony D.
Published: August 2009

Snake pre‐synaptic phospholipase A2 neurotoxins paralyse the neuromuscular junction by releasing phospholipid hydrolysis products that alter curvature and permeability of the pre‐synaptic membrane. Here, we report results deriving from the first chemical analysis of the action of these neurotoxic phospholipases in neurons, made possible by the use of high sensitivity mass spectrometry. The time–course of the phospholipase A2 activity (PLA2) hydrolysis of notexin, β‐bungarotoxin, taipoxin and textilotoxin acting in cultured neurons was determined. At variance from their enzymatic activities in vitro, these neurotoxins display comparable kinetics of lysophospholipid release in neurons, reconciling the large discrepancy between their in vivo toxicities and their in vitro enzymatic activities. The ratios of the lyso derivatives of phosphatidyl choline, ethanolamine and serine obtained here together with the known distribution of these phospholipids among cell membranes, suggest that most PLA2 hydrolysis takes place on the cell surface. Although these toxins were recently shown to enter neurons, their intracellular hydrolytic action and the activation of intracellular PLA2s appear to contribute little, if any, to the phospholipid hydrolysis measured here.
High‐accuracy photogrammetric technique for human spine measurement
Authors: Chong Albert K. , Milburn Peter , Newsham‐West Richard , Voert Marieketer
Published: August 2009

Close range photogrammetry has been recognised as an essential tool for the capture of high‐accuracy spatial data for medical applications, in particular work involving dynamic human body parts such as limbs. Offline and online photogrammetric systems are readily available for a number of common applications. However, off‐the‐shelf systems are not always appropriate because of project site conditions. To achieve high measurement accuracy in a field environment, a modified field camera calibration technique was introduced. The technique is particularly important where each camera is limited to one captured image during calibration, as the camera and the calibration testfield are in fixed positions. In this paper a custom‐built imaging system designed for the study of the human spine in an outdoor environment is introduced. The discussion addresses: (1) imaging system design; (2) modified field calibration techniques; and (3) a case study on human spines. Two field camera calibration techniques were evaluated, both of which improved the accuracy of the prototype system, the use of a detachable target board offering the best results. This modified camera calibration procedure has improved the 3D measurement accuracy from 1·25 ± 0·3 mm to 0·43 ± 0·1 mm. The improvement is at a level achievable in the laboratory. The technique is considered to provide accurate and reliable anthropometric landmark measurement at low cost. This was evaluated in a clinical setting where diurnal changes in spine length and contour were measured in a cohort of 30 university students. The capability of the technique to measure sagittal and frontal angular changes provides a novel way of examining changes in spine shape.
Precise, automatic and fast method for vanishing point detection
Authors: Kalantari Mahzad , Jung Franck , Guedon Jeanpierre
Published: August 2009

A new automated approach for vanishing point detection in images of urban scenes is described. This method is based on the theorem of Thales. The main contribution of this paper is the automatic and simultaneous detection of all vanishing points of the image, achieved by converting this problem into the detection of circles in a complex cloud of points, in which each point corresponds to a segment and is associated with an uncertainty. This extraction of circles uses a RANSAC method, modified to improve its speed by using accumulation techniques (Hough transform or otherwise). This robust estimation is then refined by least squares error propagation using the individual variances of each segment. The algorithm is robust, its accuracy is optimised and it is entirely automatic. Its successful operation has been tested on a large number of images of varied urban scenes.
Recent Trends in Utilization of Implantable Cardioverter‐Defibrillators in Survivors of Cardiac Arrest in the United States
Authors: SABA SAMIR , RAVIPATI LAKSHMI PRASAD , VOIGT ANDREW
Published: August 2009

Background:

Cardiac arrest (CA) is a class I indication for implantable defibrillator (ICD) therapy. We studied the trend of ICD utilization in survivors of CA in the US population between 2002 and 2006.

Methods:

We searched the National Hospital Discharge Survey for patients admitted with the primary diagnosis of CA who survived to hospital discharge. Patients with a concomitant diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction or previous ICD implantation were excluded.

Results:

From 2002 to 2006, 758 patients were surveyed representing 88,920 discharges. Of those, 396 (52.2%) representing 48,098 discharges did not survive to hospital discharge. Of the remaining 362 (representing 38,855) patients, 38.4% received an ICD prior to discharge. Independent predictors of in‐hospital mortality included older age, female gender, black race, smaller hospital of discharge, and a higher number of organ failures (P < 0.001 for all). Using logistic regression, patients who were discharged with an ICD were more likely to have been discharged from a larger hospital (odds ratio = 2.35 for each additional 100 beds, P < 0.001) and to be less sick (odds ratio = 0.85 for each additional organ failure, P < 0.001). There was no gender or racial discrepancy in the ICD utilization after CA.

Conclusions:

Despite their class I indication after CA, ICDs continue to be underutilized, but the previously documented racial gaps have disappeared. Our data reveal a large discrepancy in ICD utilization by the size of the discharge hospital, which may suggest regional influences and gaps in resource allocations. Future studies looking into the root causes of these discrepancies and possible remedies are warranted.
Effects of severe dentoalveolar trauma on the quality‐of‐life of children and parents
Authors: Berger Teresa D. , Kenny David J. , Casas Michael J. , Barrett Edward J. , Lawrence Herenia P.
Published: August 2009

Abstract –  Background/Aim: This investigation assessed the effects of dental trauma on the perception of pain and quality of life (QoL) of patient‐parent pairs for a year following severe injuries. Sample: A visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess the pain of injury and treatment for 27 individuals 8–20 years and their parents. The Child Oral Health Quality of Life (COHQoL) survey was used to assess the effects of dental injuries on the QoL of 23 children aged 8–14 and their parents. Results: Mean VAS scores revealed that all patients and parents perceived the pain of initial injury to be significantly greater than pain of splint removal (P ≤ 0.05) and that pain decreased in a stepwise manner from injury through emergency treatment to splint removal. The COHQoL questionnaire demonstrated a profound and continuing effect on children and their parent's QoL following severe dental injury. The initial parental COHQoL score was significantly greater than the 12‐month score (P ≤ 0.05) in both 8–10 and 11‐14‐ year‐olds. The COHQoL results indicated a measurable reduction in the QoL of patients and parents was still present 12‐months after the injuries. At the end of one‐year children were still affected by the social and well‐being aspects of the injury yet parents exclusively reported that one‐year effects were limited to their children's oral symptoms and functional limitations. Conclusions: Severe dental injuries produce initial and ongoing pain. Detrimental effects on the QoL of both children and parents are still present at one‐year and these long‐term effects are different for children and parents.
Calpain‐mediated degradation of reversibly oxidized protein‐tyrosine phosphatase 1B
Authors: Trümpler Antje , Schlott Bernhard , Herrlich Peter , Greer Peter A. , Böhmer Frank‐D.
Published: August 2009

Protein‐tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are regulated by reversible inactivating oxidation of the catalytic‐site cysteine. We have previously shown that reversible oxidation upon UVA irradiation is followed by calpain‐mediated PTP degradation. Here, we address the mechanism of regulated cleavage and the physiological function of PTP degradation. Reversible oxidation of PTP1B in vitro strongly facilitated the association with calpain and led to greatly increased calpain‐dependent inactivating cleavage. Both oxidation‐induced association and cleavage depended exclusively on the presence of the catalytic (reversibly oxidized) cysteine residue 215. A major cleavage site was identified preceding amino acid position Ala77. In calpain‐deficient cells, insulin signaling was apparently diminished, consistent with a possible role for calpain in removing a negative regulator of insulin signaling. Reversibly oxidized PTP1B may be a target of calpain in this context.

Structured digital abstract

 MINT‐7234580: Calpain 4 (uniprotkb:P04632) and Calpain 1 (uniprotkb:P07384) physically interact (MI:0915) with PTP1B (uniprotkb:P18031) by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (MI:0411)

 MINT‐7234562, MINT‐7234481: Calpain 4 (uniprotkb:P04632) and Calpain 1 (uniprotkb:P07384) cleave (MI:0194) PTP1B (uniprotkb:P18031) by protease assay (MI:0435)
FORMULATING A NEW PASSION FRUIT JUICE BEVERAGE WITH DIFFERENT SWEETENER SYSTEMS
Authors: DE MARCHI RENATA , MCDANIEL MINA R. , BOLINI HELENA MARIA ANDRE
Published: August 2009

The aim of this work was to optimize the acceptability of a natural passion fruit beverage using different levels of passion fruit pulp and sucrose, and to determine the equi‐sweet concentrations of aspartame, sucralose, and a blend of 80% aspartame + 20% acesulfame‐K for the optimized formula. A 22 central composite design was used to optimize the acceptability of the sucrose‐sweetened beverage, which was accessed using a 9‐point structured hedonic scale. Acceptability data were fitted to a second‐order model equation provided in the design. The selected pulp content and sucrose concentration were, respectively, 2.5°Brix and 10%. Measurements of sweetness equivalence were accomplished using two types of sensory methods: magnitude estimation and difference‐from‐control tests. The concentrations of aspartame, sucralose and a blend of 80% aspartame + 20% acesulfame‐K found as equi‐sweet to 10% sucrose in the studied passion fruit beverage were, respectively, 0.043, 0.016 and 0.026%.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

This article deals with formulating a new passion fruit juice beverage with different sweetener systems. The research makes a very important contribution to the literature on sensory science used on product development by demonstrating the necessity to study the substitution of sucrose by high‐intensity sweeteners every time a formulation is changed or a new product is developed.
CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE OF COW'S MILK VERSUS SOY BEVERAGES: IMPACT OF ETHNICITY, LACTOSE TOLERANCE AND SENSORY PREFERENCE SEGMENTATION
Authors: PALACIOS O.M. , BADRAN J. , DRAKE M. ANNE , REISNER M. , MOSKOWITZ H.R.
Published: August 2009

In a large‐scale study of milk and milk‐substitute beverages appropriate for individuals with lactose intolerance, a total of 893 consumers rated reduced‐fat (2%) cow's milk the highest, followed by fat‐free cow's milk, and in turn, followed by soy‐based milk‐substitute beverages. No interactive effect on overall liking was found for ethnicity, age or gender, or lactose tolerance/intolerance, with the pattern of liking following that established for the total panel of 893 participants. Two sensory preference segments emerged – sweet seekers (37%) and cream seekers (63%), respectively. These segments transcended conventional geo‐demographics and lactose tolerance. Both segments assigned higher liking ratings to white milk products than to white soy products. However, the sweet seekers liked the reduced‐fat and fat‐free cow's milk products about equally, while the cream seekers preferred the reduced‐fat cow's milk product.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Cow's milk is recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans because of its unique nutrient package. Because of beliefs about lactose intolerance, nondairy beverages are being recommended for those with lactose intolerance, including dairy substitutes in federal feeding programs. As there have been limited studies regarding the acceptance of substitute beverages, we conducted a study to determine “white” milk and milk‐substitute beverage product liking among consumers. Findings indicated that lactose‐free cow's milk is significantly better accepted than all tested soy‐based beverages. Furthermore, the lactose‐free, reduced‐fat cow's milk is better accepted than the lactose‐free, fat‐free cow's milk. Thus, the practical application of this research is to provide new information to health professionals and other stakeholders about taste preferences for milk, and substitute beverages to aid in making recommendations for obtaining dairy nutrients for those with lactose intolerance.