bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Toward 1-mGal accuracy in global marine gravity from CryoSat-2, Envisat, and Jason-1
Authors: Sandwell David , Garcia Emmanuel , Soofi Khalid , Wessel Paul , Chandler Michael , Smith Walter H. F.
Published: August 2013

More than 60% of the Earth's land and shallow marine areas are covered by > 2 km of sediments and sedimentary rocks, with the thickest accumulations on rifted continental margins (Figure 1). Free-air marine gravity anomalies derived from Geosat and ERS-1 satellite altimetry (Fairhead et al., 2001; Sandwell and Smith, 2009; Andersen et al., 2009) outline most of these major basins with remarkable precision. Moreover, gravity and bathymetry data derived from altimetry are used to identify current and paleo-submarine canyons, faults, and local recent uplifts. These geomorphic features provide clues to where to look for large deposits of sediments. While current altimeter data delineate large offshore basins and major structures, they do not resolve some of the smaller geomorphic features and basins (Yale et al., 1998; Fairhead et al., 2001). Improved accuracy and resolution is desirable: to facilitate comparisons between continental margins; as an exploration tool and to permit extrapolation of known structures from well-surveyed areas; to follow fracture zones out of the deep-ocean basin into antecedent continental structures, to define and compare segmentation of margins along strike and identify the position of the continent-ocean boundary; and to study mass anomalies (e.g., sediment type and distribution) and isostatic compensation at continental margins. In this article, we assess the accuracy of a new global marine gravity model based on a wealth of new radar altimetry data and demonstrate that these gravity data are superior in quality to the majority of publicly available academic and government ship gravity data.
Reviews
Authors: McCormack Michael D.
Published: August 2013

Numerical Modeling of Seismic Wave Propagation: Gridded Two-Way Wave-Equation Methods, edited by J. O. A. Robertsson, J. O. Blanch, K. Nihei, and J. Tromp, ISBN 978-1-56080-290-7, SEG, 2012, 114 pp., US $129 (e-book $59)
Estrogen, Predominantly via Estrogen Receptor α, Attenuates Postpartum-Induced Anxiety- and Depression-Like Behaviors in Female Rats
Authors: Furuta Miyako , Numakawa Tadahiro , Chiba Shuichi , Ninomiya Midori , Kajiyama Yu , Adachi Naoki , Akema Tatsuo , Kunugi Hiroshi
Published: August 2013

Contributions from estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes (ERα and ERβ) to postpartum anxiogenic and depressive responses remain unresolved in rats. Using the elevated-plus maze (EPM) and forced swim (FS) tests, we confirmed that primiparous rats exhibited anxiogenic and depressive responses 3 weeks postpartum, improved 5 weeks postpartum (EPM), and recovered at 5 (FS) or 10 weeks postpartum (EPM) compared with diestrus nulliparous females. Immunohistochemistry suggested that these behavioral changes were temporally associated with decreased ERα but not ERβ expression in the medial amygdala (MEA). Additionally, ERα expression in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) significantly increased 10 weeks postpartum. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression was significantly elevated in the MEA 3 weeks postpartum. BDNF receptor tropomyosin-related kinase expression was significantly elevated in the MEA at 3 and 10 weeks but not at 5 weeks postpartum. The phosphorylation of ERK (pERK)-2 in the MEA, MPOA, and hippocampal CA1 region was significantly elevated 3 and 5 weeks postpartum. The effects of single daily sc injections of the ERα-selective agonist, propyl pyrazoletriol (PPT); ERβ-selective agonist, diarylpropionitrile; 17β-estradiol (E2); and vehicle for 6 days in primiparous rats were assessed. PPT and E2 significantly produced anxiolytic and antidepressant actions in the EPM and FS tests but PPT to a lesser degree than E2 in the EPM test. Diarylpropionitrile affected the EPM test but was not significantly different from vehicle. BDNF expression was significantly increased 3 weeks postpartum by all treatments in the MPOA but not the CA1 and MEA. E2 and PPT treatment significantly increased tropomyosin-related kinase and pERK1/2 expression in the MEA and MPOA and increased pERK1/2 expression in the CA1. The onset of anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in postpartum rats may be partly caused by a complex estrogen-mediated mechanism; nevertheless, changes in the ERα-related system, likely in the MEA, are predominantly involved.
Rapid Impact of Progesterone on the Neuronal Growth Cone
Authors: Olbrich Laura , Wessel Lisa , Balakrishnan-Renuka Ajeesh , Böing Marion , Brand-Saberi Beate , Theiss Carsten
Published: August 2013

In the last two decades, sensory neurons and Schwann cells in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) were shown to express the rate-limiting enzyme of the steroid synthesis, cytochrome P450 side-chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc), as well as the key enzyme of progesterone synthesis, 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD). Thus, it was well justified to consider that DRG neurons similarly are able to synthesize progesterone de novo from cholesterol. Because direct progesterone effects on axonal outgrowth in peripheral neurons have not been investigated up to now, the present study provides the first insights into the impact of exogenous progesterone on axonal outgrowth in DRG neurons. Our studies including microinjection and laser scanning microscopy demonstrate morphological changes especially in the neuronal growth cones after progesterone treatment. Furthermore, we were able to detect a distinctly enhanced motility only a few minutes after the start of progesterone treatment using time-lapse imaging. Investigation of the cytoskeletal distribution in the neuronal growth cone before, during, and after progesterone incubation revealed a rapid reorganization of actin filaments. To get a closer idea of the underlying receptor mechanisms, we further studied the expression of progesterone receptors in DRG neurons using RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Thus, we could demonstrate for the first time that classical progesterone receptor (PR) A and B and the recently described progesterone receptor membrane component 1 (PGRMC1) are expressed in DRG neurons. Antagonism of the classical progesterone receptors by mifepristone revealed that the observed progesterone effects are transmitted through PR-A and PR-B.
Socialism and Political Identity: Eugène Fournière and Intellectual Militancy in the Third Republic
Authors: Wright Julian
Published: August 2013

The French socialist movement developed out of an eclectic mixture of ideas and militant groupings in the late nineteenth century. As party unity developed, many theoretical positions were sidelined. The strand of thinking exemplified by the working-class journalist Eugène Fournière, an advanced form of economic federalism that drew on the writings of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, found it difficult to identify itself clearly in twentieth-century socialism; yet this strand has remained a source of fruitful discussion. This article attempts to unpack the relationship between the intellectual history of these forms of socialism and the issues of political identity faced by militants who were attempting to forge a clear identity. Using Fournière as a case study, this article suggests that a fresh examination of the political culture of the socialist movement will give a stronger basis for understanding how dissidence and libertarianism have been vital elements in French socialism.

Le mouvement socialiste français s’est développé au sein d’une nébuleuse d’idées et de groupements militants à la fin du dix-neuvième siècle. Dès l’achèvement du parti socialiste unifié (1905), plusieurs des courants théoriques qui avaient joué un role important ont été écartés dans l’intérêt général du parti. Le journaliste ouvrier Eugène Fournière prônait un fédéralisme économique inspiré des théories de Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, mais ce courant était difficile à reconnaître dans le nouveau contexte du monde socialiste. Cependant, ce courant est demeuré un important lieu de débat idéologique au vingtième siècle, surtout quand l’orthodoxie du parti a été la cible d’attaques provenant de la gauche libertaire. L’article analyse les relations entre l’histoire intellectuelle de ces socialismes et les problèmes d’identité politique éprouvés par les militants. Le cas Fournière est analysé pour mieux comprendre pourquoi le mouvement socialiste éprouve autant de difficultés à assimiler ses propres traditions socialistes. L’article suggère une nouvelle perspective sur la culture politique du mouvement socialiste pour mieux comprendre les façons dont la dissidence et le questionnement libertaire ont fonctionné comme un élément central de l’activité et de la pensée militante du socialisme en France.
Fluid motion mediates biochemical composition and physiological aspects in the green alga Dunaliella primolecta Butcher
Authors: Chengala Anwar , Hondzo Miki , Mashek Douglas G.
Published: August 2013

Lay Abstract

Experiments were conducted in a laboratory bioreactor to study the effect of small‐scale fluid motion on the composition of some key biochemical compounds and physiological processes of the microalga Dunaliella primolecta Butcher. The bioreactor with submersible speakers generated nearly homogeneous and isotropic turbulence. Fluid flow was the only systematically controlled experimental variable, with other environmental conditions, including light intensity, temperature, initial salinity, and nutrient concentration, nearly similar during the experimental measurements. The growth, protein, and fatty acid accumulation of D. primolecta were enhanced by the moving fluid flow in the bioreactor. Conversely, no significant increases in these variables were observed under stagnant fluid conditions. The results could have important implications for the design and operation of natural and engineered bioreactors under specified fluid flow conditions for efficient bioenergy production from microalgae.
Functional coupling between large-conductance potassium channels and Cav3.2 voltage-dependent calcium channels participates in prostate cancer cell growth
Authors: Gackière Florian , Warnier Marine , Katsogiannou Maria , Derouiche Sandra , Delcourt Philippe , Dewailly Etienne , Slomianny Christian , Humez Sandrine , Prevarskaya Natalia , Roudbaraki Morad , Mariot Pascal
Published: August 2013

It is strongly suspected that potassium (K+) channels are involved in various aspects of prostate cancer development, such as cell growth. However, the molecular nature of those K+ channels implicated in prostate cancer cell proliferation and the mechanisms through which they control proliferation are still unknown. This study uses pharmacological, biophysical and molecular approaches to show that the main voltage-dependent K+ current in prostate cancer LNCaP cells is carried by large-conductance BK channels. Indeed, most of the voltage-dependent current was inhibited by inhibitors of BK channels (paxillin and iberiotoxin) and by siRNA targeting BK channels. In addition, we reveal that BK channels constitute the main K+ channel family involved in setting the resting membrane potential in LNCaP cells at around −40 mV. This consequently promotes a constitutive calcium entry through T-type Cav3.2 calcium channels. We demonstrate, using single-channel recording, confocal imaging and co-immunoprecipitation approaches, that both channels form macromolecular complexes. Finally, using flow cytometry cell cycle measurements, cell survival assays and Ki67 immunofluorescent staining, we show that both BK and Cav3.2 channels participate in the proliferation of prostate cancer cells.
Dpp signaling inhibits proliferation in the Drosophila wing by Omb-dependent regional control of bantam
Authors: Zhang Xubo , Luo Dan , Pflugfelder Gert O. , Shen Jie
Published: August 2013

The control of organ growth is a fundamental aspect of animal development but remains poorly understood. The morphogen Dpp has long been considered as a general promoter of cell proliferation during Drosophila wing development. It is an ongoing debate whether the Dpp gradient is required for the uniform cell proliferation observed in the wing imaginal disc. Here, we investigated how the Dpp signaling pathway regulates proliferation during wing development. By systematic manipulation of Dpp signaling we observed that it controls proliferation in a region-specific manner: Dpp, via omb, promoted proliferation in the lateral and repressed proliferation in the medial wing disc. Omb controlled the regional proliferation rate by oppositely regulating transcription of the microRNA gene bantam in medial versus lateral wing disc. However, neither the Dpp nor Omb gradient was essential for uniform proliferation along the anteroposterior axis.
Rab5 Activation Promotes Focal Adhesion Disassembly, Migration and Invasiveness of Tumor Cells
Authors: Mendoza Pablo , Ortiz Rina , Díaz Jorge , Quest Andrew F. G. , Leyton Lisette , Stupack Dwayne , Torres Vicente A.
Published: August 2013

Migration and invasion are essential steps associated with tumor cell metastasis and increasing evidence points towards endosome trafficking being essential in this process. Indeed, the small GTPase Rab5, a critical regulator of early endosome dynamics, promotes cell migration in vitro and in vivo. Precisely how Rab5 participates in these events remains to be determined. Considering that focal adhesions represent structures crucial to cell migration, we specifically asked whether Rab5 activation promoted focal adhesion disassembly and thereby facilitated migration and invasion of metastatic cancer cells. Pull-down and biosensor assays revealed that Rab5-GTP loading increased at the leading edge of migrating tumor cells. Additionally, Rab5 targeting by different shRNA sequences, but not control shRNA decreased Rab5-GTP levels, leading to reduced cell spreading, migration and invasiveness. Re-expression in knock-down cells of wild-type Rab5, but not the S34N mutant (GDP-bound) restored these properties. Importantly, Rab5 association with the focal adhesion proteins vinculin and paxillin increased during migration and expression of wild-type, but not GDP-bound Rab5, accelerated focal adhesion disassembly, as well as FAK dephosphorylation on tyrosine-397. Finally, Rab5-driven invasiveness required focal adhesion disassembly, as treatment with the FAK Inhibitor #14 prevented matrigel invasion and matrix metalloproteinase release. Taken together, these observations show that Rab5 activation is required to enhance cancer cell migration and invasion by promoting focal adhesion disassembly.
Sorting receptor SORLA – a trafficking path to avoid Alzheimer disease
Authors: Willnow Thomas E. , Andersen Olav M.
Published: August 2013

Excessive proteolytic breakdown of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) to neurotoxic amyloid β peptides (Aβ) by secretases in the brain is a molecular cause of Alzheimer disease (AD). According to current concepts, the complex route whereby APP moves between the secretory compartment, the cell surface and endosomes to encounter the various secretases determines its processing fate. However, the molecular mechanisms that control the intracellular trafficking of APP in neurons and their contribution to AD remain poorly understood. Here, we describe the functional elucidation of a new sorting receptor SORLA that emerges as a central regulator of trafficking and processing of APP. SORLA interacts with distinct sets of cytosolic adaptors for anterograde and retrograde movement of APP between the trans-Golgi network and early endosomes, thereby restricting delivery of the precursor to endocytic compartments that favor amyloidogenic breakdown. Defects in SORLA and its interacting adaptors result in transport defects and enhanced amyloidogenic processing of APP, and represent important risk factors for AD in patients. As discussed here, these findings uncovered a unique regulatory pathway for the control of neuronal protein transport, and provide clues as to why defects in this pathway cause neurodegenerative disease.
Fission yeast Any1, β-arrestin-like protein, is involved in TSC-Rheb signaling and the regulation of amino acid transporters
Authors: Nakase Yukiko , Nakase Mai , Kashiwazaki Jun , Murai Tomoka , Otsubo Yoko , Mabuchi Issei , Yamamoto Masayuki , Takegawa Kaoru , Matsumoto Tomohiro
Published: August 2013

Rheb GTPase and the Tsc1-Tsc2 protein complex, which serves as a GTPase-activating protein for Rheb, play critical roles in the regulation of cell growth in response to extracellular conditions. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Rheb and Tsc1-Tsc2 regulate cell cycle progression, the onset of meiosis, and the uptake of amino acids. In cells lacking Tsc2 (Δtsc2), the amino acid transporter Aat1, which is normally expressed on the plasma membrane under starvation conditions, is confined to the Golgi. Here, we show that the loss of either pub1+, encoding an E3 ubiquitin ligase, or any1+, encoding a β-arrestin-like protein, allows constitutive expression of Aat1 on the plasma membrane in Δtsc2 cells, suggesting that Pub1 and Any1 are required for localization of Aat1 to the Golgi. Subsequent analysis revealed that in the Golgi, Pub1 and Any1 form a complex that ubiquitinates Aat1. Physical interaction of Pub1 and Any1 is more stable in Δtsc2 than in wild-type cells and is independent of Tor2 activity. These results indicate that the TSC-Rheb signaling pathway regulates localization of amino acid transporters via Pub1 and Any1 in Tor2-independent manner. Our study demonstrates that unlike budding yeast in which Rsp5 and ARTs, a pair of proteins analogous to Pub1 and Any1, respectively, primarily act to reduce expression of the transporters on PM when nutrients are abundant, the primary role of fission yeast Pub1 and Any1 is to store the transporter in the Golgi under nutrient-rich conditions.
Scribble regulates an EMT–polarity pathway through modulation of MAPK-ERK signaling to mediate junction formation
Authors: Elsum Imogen A , Martin Claire , Humbert Patrick O
Published: August 2013

The crucial role the Crumbs and Par polarity complexes play in tight junction integrity has long been established, however very few studies have investigated the role of the Scribble polarity module. Here we use MCF10A cells, which fail to form tight junctions and express very little endogenous Crumbs3, to show that inducing expression of the polarity protein Scribble is sufficient to promote tight junction formation. We show this occurs through an epithelial to mesenchymal (EMT) pathway that involves Scribble suppressing ERK phosphorylation, leading to down regulation of the EMT inducer ZEB. Inhibition of ZEB relieves the repression on Crumbs3, resulting in increased expression of this crucial tight junction regulator. The combined effect of this Scribble mediated pathway is the upregulation of a number of junctional proteins and the formation of functional tight junctions. These data suggests a novel role for Scribble in positively regulating tight junction assembly through transcriptional regulation of an EMT signaling program.
Biomechanics and energetics of walking on uneven terrain
Authors: Voloshina Alexandra S. , Kuo Arthur D. , Daley Monica A , Ferris Daniel P.
Published: August 2013

Walking on uneven terrain is more energetically costly than walking on smooth ground, but the biomechanical factors that contribute to this increase are unknown. To identify possible factors, we constructed an uneven terrain treadmill that allowed us to record biomechanical, electromyographic, and metabolic energetics data from human subjects. We hypothesized that walking on uneven terrain would increase step width and length variability, joint mechanical work, and muscle co-activation compared to walking on smooth terrain. We tested healthy subjects (N=11) walking at 1.0 m/s, and found that, when walking on uneven terrain with up to 2.5 cm variation, subjects decreased their step length by 4% and did not significantly change their step width, while both step length and width variability increased significantly (22% and 36%, respectively; p<0.05). Uneven terrain walking caused a 28% and 62% increase in positive knee and hip work, and a 26% greater magnitude of negative knee work (0.0106, 0.1078, and 0.0425 J/kg, respectively; p<0.05). Mean muscle activity increased in seven muscles in the lower leg and thigh (p<0.05). These changes caused overall net metabolic energy expenditure to increase by 0.73 W/kg (28%; p<0.0001). Much of that increase could be explained by the increased mechanical work observed at the knee and hip. Greater muscle co-activation could also contribute to increased energetic cost but to unknown degree. The findings provide insight into how lower limb muscles are used differently for natural terrain compared to laboratory conditions.
RNA-Seq reveals early distinctions and late convergence of gene expression between diapause and quiescence in the Asian tiger mosquito,Aedes albopictus
Authors: Poelchau Monica F. , Reynolds Julie A. , Elsik Christine G. , Denlinger David L. , Armbruster Peter A.
Published: August 2013

Dormancy is a critical adaptation allowing insects to withstand harsh environmental conditions. The pre-programmed developmental arrest of diapause is a form of dormancy that is distinct from quiescence, in which development arrests in immediate response to hardship. Much progress has been made in understanding the environmental and hormonal controls of diapause. However, studies identifying transcriptional changes unique to diapause, rather than quiescence, are lacking, making it difficult to disentangle the transcriptional profiles of diapause from dormancy in general. The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, presents an ideal model for such a study, as diapausing and quiescent eggs can be staged and collected for global gene expression profiling using a newly developed transcriptome. Here, we use RNA-Seq to contrast gene expression during diapause with quiescence to identify transcriptional changes specific to the diapause response. We identify global trends in gene expression that show gradual convergence of diapause gene expression upon gene expression during quiescence. Functionally, early diapause Ae. albopictus show strong expression differences of genes involved in metabolism, which diminish over time. Of these, only expression of lipid metabolism genes remained distinct in late diapause. We identify several genes putatively related to hormonal control of development that are persistently differentially expressed throughout diapause, suggesting these might be involved in the maintenance of diapause. Our results identify key biological differences between diapausing and quiescent pharate larvae, and suggest candidate pathways for studying metabolism and the hormonal control of development during diapause in other species.
The spatiotemporal dynamics of rheotactic behavior depends on flow speed and available sensory information
Authors: Bak-Coleman Joseph , Court Autumn , Paley Derek A. , Coombs Sheryl
Published: August 2013

Rheotaxis is a robust, multisensory behavior with many potential benefits for fish and other aquatic organisms. Visual (optic flow) cues appear to be sufficient for rheotaxis, but other sensory cues can clearly compensate for the loss of vision. Nevertheless, the nature of multisensory interactions and the relative contributions of different senses under varying conditions are poorly understood — largely because there is so little description of the actual behavior. Here we examine the effects of different flow speeds and different sensory conditions on the spatiotemporal dynamics of rheotaxis. Although the overall ability of giant danio (Devario aequipinnatus) to head upstream is largely unaffected by either unimodal or bimodal deprivation of visual and/or lateral line senses, the spatiotemporal form of the behavior is altered in subtle ways. When deprived of vision, fish move further upstream, but the angular accuracy of the upstream heading is reduced. In addition, visually-deprived fish exhibit left/right sweeping movements near the upstream barrier at low flow speeds. Sweeping movements are abolished when these fish are additionally deprived of lateral line information. These results indicate that fish adopt different sensorimotor strategies to compensate for the loss of one or more senses and that the nature of multisensory interactions is a complex function of flow speed.
Cost, effectiveness and environmental relevance of multidrug transporters in sea urchin embryos
Authors: Cole Bryan J. , Hamdoun Amro , Epel David
Published: August 2013

ATP Binding Cassette transporters protect cells via efflux of xenobiotics and endogenous byproducts of detoxification. While the cost of this ATP-dependent extrusion is known at the molecular level, i.e. the ATP used for each efflux event, the overall cost to a cell or organism of operating this defense is unclear, especially as the cost of efflux changes depending on environmental conditions. During prolonged exposure to xenobiotics, multidrug transporter activity could be costly and ineffective because effluxed substrate molecules are not modified in the process and could thus undergo repeated cycles of efflux and re-entry. Here we use embryos of the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, as a model to determine transport costs and benefits under environmentally relevant xenobiotic concentrations. Strikingly, our results show that efflux transporter activity costs less than 0.2% of total ATP usage, as a proportion of oxygen consumption. The benefits of transport, defined as the reduction in substrate accumulation due to transporter activity, depended largely, but not entirely, on the rate of passive flux of each substrate across the plasma membrane. One of the substrates tested exhibited rapid membrane permeation coupled with high rates of efflux, thus inducing rapid and futile cycles of efflux followed by re-entry of the substrate. This combination significantly reduced transporter effectiveness as a defense and increased costs even at relatively low substrate concentrations. Despite these effects with certain substrates, our results show that efflux transporters are a remarkably effective and low-cost first line of defense against exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of xenobiotics.
Experimental relationships between levels of corticosterone in plasma and feathers in a free-living bird
Authors: Fairhurst Graham D. , Marchant Tracy A. , Soos Catherine , Machin Karen L. , Clark Robert G.
Published: August 2013

Integrated measures of corticosterone (CORT), such as from feathers (CORTf), have intuitive appeal because they incorporate both the duration and amplitude of glucocorticoid secretion. An association between CORTf and plasma CORT has never been shown in wild birds, and it is unclear as to when and if these measures should be correlated, given that they are fundamentally different yet related measures of physiology. We hypothesized that CORTf should correlate with instantaneous measurements of plasma CORT when the latter reflect sustained changes in the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. To test this, we experimentally manipulated levels of plasma CORT in wild nestling tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) using 5-day time-release CORT pellets, and measured plasma CORT and growth parameters before, during, and at the end of hormone manipulation (days 7, 9, and 11 post-hatch, respectively). CORTf and plasma CORT were significantly positively related only when the latter was at its highest and most variable among individuals (day 9). A similar relationship was expected at day 11, but plasma CORT had returned to near original levels. Nestlings with higher CORTf were smaller, lighter, and less likely to fledge, but we did not detect seasonal effects on CORTf. Our results clearly demonstrate that CORTf from free-living birds can reflect plasma CORT, but correlations may not always be expected, especially if elevations in plasma CORT are relatively modest and of short duration. Our work suggests that CORTf is best used to study activity of the HPA axis over relatively long time frames and can be used effectively to advance avian ecology.
Discovery of a novel neurophysin-associated neuropeptide that triggers cardiac stomach contraction and retraction in starfish
Authors: Semmens Dean C. , Dane Robyn E. , Pancholi Mahesh R. , Slade Susan E. , Scrivens James H. , Elphick Maurice R.
Published: August 2013

Feeding in starfish is a remarkable process in which the cardiac stomach is everted over prey and then retracted when prey tissue has been resorbed. Previous studies have revealed that SALMFamide-type neuropeptides trigger cardiac stomach relaxation and eversion in the starfish Asterias rubens. We hypothesised, therefore, that a counteracting neuropeptide system controls cardiac stomach contraction and retraction. Members of the NG peptide family cause muscle contraction in other echinoderms (e.g. NGFFFamide in sea urchins and NGIWYamide in sea cucumbers), so we investigated NG peptides as candidate regulators of cardiac stomach retraction in starfish. Generation and analysis of neural transcriptome sequence data from Asterias rubens revealed a precursor protein comprising two copies of a novel NG peptide, NGFFYamide, which was confirmed by mass spectrometry. A noteworthy feature of the NGFFYamide precursor is a C-terminal neurophysin domain, indicative of a common ancestry with vasopressin/oxytocin-type neuropeptide precursors. Interestingly, in precursors of other NG peptides the neurophysin domain has been retained (e.g. NGFFFamide) or lost (e.g. NGIWYamide and human neuropeptide S) and its functional significance remains to be determined. Investigation of the pharmacological actions of NGFFYamide in starfish revealed that it is a potent stimulator of cardiac stomach contraction in vitro and that it triggers cardiac stomach retraction in vivo. Thus, discovery of NGFFYamide provides a novel insight on neural regulation of cardiac stomach retraction as well as a rationale for chemically based strategies to control starfish that feed on economically important shellfish (e.g. mussels) or protected marine fauna (e.g. coral).
The simple ears of noctuoid moths are tuned to the calls of their sympatric bat community
Authors: ter Hofstede Hannah M. , Goerlitz Holger R. , Ratcliffe John M. , Holderied Marc W. , Surlykke Annemarie
Published: August 2013

Insects with bat-detecting ears are ideal animals for investigating sensory system adaptations to predator cues. Noctuid moths have two auditory receptors (A1 and A2) sensitive to the ultrasonic echolocation calls of insectivorous bats. Larger moths are detected at greater distances by bats than smaller moths. Larger moths also have lower A1 best thresholds, allowing them to detect bats at greater distances and possibly compensating for their increased conspicuousness. Interestingly, the sound frequency at the lowest threshold is lower in larger than smaller moths, suggesting that the relationship between threshold and size might vary across frequencies used by different bat species. Here, we demonstrate that the relationships between threshold and size in moths were only significant at some frequencies, and these frequencies differed between three locations (UK, Canada, Denmark). The relationships were more likely to be significant at call frequencies used by proportionately more bat species in the moths’ specific bat community, suggesting an association between the tuning of moth ears and the cues provided by sympatric predators. Additionally, we found that the best threshold and best frequency of the less sensitive A2 receptor are also related to size, and that these relationships hold when controlling for evolutionary relationships. The slopes of best threshold vs. size differ, however, such that the difference in threshold between A1 and A2 is greater for larger than smaller moths. The shorter time from A1 to A2 excitation in smaller than larger moths could potentially compensate for shorter absolute detection distances in smaller moths.
Context-Dependent Preferences and Innovation Strategy
Authors: Chen Yuxin , Turut Özge
Published: August 2013

Disruptive innovations introduce a new performance dimension into a product category, but often suffer from inferior performance on key performance dimensions of their existing substitutes. Hence, the followers of these innovations face an important decision to make: they must choose to improve the new technology either on the key performance dimension shared with the old technology or on the new performance dimension. This paper investigates which path firms should choose when they face such a dilemma in the absence of any cost or capability issues. In doing so, we integrate customer response into the theory of technological evolution and allow preferences on the product choices to be context dependent. We show that context-dependent preferences may encourage the follower to improve the new technology on the new performance dimension. Later, we extend our game to a dynamic one and show that the context-dependent preferences may cause the pioneer to innovate less.

This paper was accepted by J. Miguel Villas-Boas, marketing.
Uncertainty, Risk, and Incentives: Theory and Evidence
Authors: He Zhiguo , Li Si , Wei Bin , Yu Jianfeng
Published: August 2013

Uncertainty has qualitatively different implications than risk in studying executive incentives. We study the interplay between profitability uncertainty and moral hazard, where profitability is multiplicative with managerial effort. Investors who face greater uncertainty desire faster learning, and consequently offer higher managerial incentives to induce higher effort from the manager. In contrast to the standard negative risk-incentive trade-off, this “learning-by-doing” effect generates a positive relation between profitability uncertainty and incentives. We document empirical support for this prediction.

This paper was accepted by Wei Jiang, finance.
Peri-acetabular bone mineral density in total hip replacement
Authors: Gauthier L. , Dinh L. , Beaulé P. E.
Published: August 2013

Objectives

To quantify and compare peri-acetabular bone mineral density (BMD) between a monoblock acetabular component using a metal-on-metal (MoM) bearing and a modular titanium shell with a polyethylene (PE) insert. The secondary outcome was to measure patient-reported clinical function.

Methods

A total of 50 patients (25 per group) were randomised to MoM or metal-on-polyethlene (MoP). There were 27 women (11 MoM) and 23 men (14 MoM) with a mean age of 61.6 years (47.7 to 73.2). Measurements of peri-prosthetic acetabular and contralateral hip (covariate) BMD were performed at baseline and at one and two years’ follow-up. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC), University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) activity score, Harris hip score, and RAND-36 were also completed at these intervals.

Results

At two years, only zone 1 showed a loss in BMD (-2.5%) in MoM group compared with a gain in the MoP group (+2.2%). Zone 2 showed loss in both groups (-2.2% for MoM; -3.9% for MoP) and zones 3 and 4 a gain in both groups (+0.1% for MoM; +3.3% for MoP). No other between-group differences were detected. When adjusting for BMD of the contralateral hip, no differences in BMD were observed. The only significant differences in functional scores at two years were higher UCLA activity (7.3 (sd 1.2) vs 6.1 (sd 1.5); p = 0.01) and RAND-36 physical function (82.1 (sd 13.0) vs 64.5 (sd 26.4); p = 0.02) for MoM bearings versus MoP. One revision was performed in the MoM group, for aseptic acetabular loosening at 11 months.

Conclusions

When controlling for systemic BMD, there were no significant differences between MoM and MoP groups in peri-acetabular BMD. However, increasing reports of adverse tissue reactions with large head MoM THR have restricted the use of the monoblock acetabular component to resurfacing only.
‘The Tower and the Quest’: A storytelling space for avatars
Authors: Ayiter Elif , Dahslveen Heidi
Published: August 2013

In this article, we discuss a project that was co-authored by a storyteller and a visual artist in the metaverse of Second Life in 2009. The aim of the project was to create a storytelling space that would be used by its visitors to create their own unique narratives, as well as their own original performances, all of which would take their trajectories by being immersed in a virtual architecture/landscape, through avatar costumes and a substantial library of dramatic poses and animations that were put at their disposal by the authors at the location of the event. The project wove together several concepts: these are Roy Ascott’s tenets of ‘distributed authorship’ and ‘participatory poesis’, which were brought together with a term that was coined by Axel Bruns to describe novel collaborative electronic forms of creative output in which the roles of the ‘user’ and the ‘producer’ have become merged, manifesting as a novel type of online behaviour that the author defines as ‘Produsage’. These primary concepts were substantiated by research that combined the fields of performance art, storytelling, memory arts and the usage of mnemonic devices, including the Renaissance notion of the ‘memory theatre’ with Cyberpsychology, particularly in relation to avatar studies.
Cybernetic Bacteria 2.0: Investigating the sublime in bacterial and digital communication
Authors: Dumitriu Anna
Published: August 2013

Cybernetic Bacteria is an ongoing transdisciplinary investigation that brings together art, philosophy, microbiology and digital technology to examine the relationship of the emerging science of bacterial communication to our own digital communications networks, looking in particular at ‘packet data’ and bacterial quorum sensing. The project seeks to compare philosophical notions of the sublime with a kind of bacterial sublime, demonstrating the greater complexity of the interactions taking place at a microscopic level, when compared to human communication technologies such as the World Wide Web (with particular focus on scale-free networks). The first artwork in the series employed a clear plastic tube of liquid agar jelly planted into earth to allow the soil bacteria beneath to grow upwards and become visible. A total of 100 µL of Homoserine Lactone, a hormone used by bacteria for quorum sensing (a form of bacterial communication), was then added by the artist as part of a performance lecture, with her in effect saying: ‘I’m here’ to the bacteria below. The microbes that have been communicated to then pass the signal on to their neighbours and so on. In theory this enables the signal to travel around the planet. However, the main issue with this work is one of Hermeneutics; the bacteria, which receive the communication, will not identify the artist as human – simply as another (albeit very large) bacterium. The project has subsequently evolved into a multiple screen digital artwork showing network traffic taking place in real time (web traffic, RFID and Bluetooth), a film of bacterial communication in progress (using two strains of genetically modified bacteria) and an interactive conceptualisation of the data from both sources generated using artificial life. The project continues.
‘Ode to Paraphernalia’: Bricolage as a design approach for electronic performance tools
Authors: Mauro-Flude Nancy
Published: August 2013

This critical analysis is to addresses the implications about emerging design approaches in Human Computing Interfaces (HCI), and Human Interface Devices (HID). A reflection about custom-built interfaces invigorates a wider discussion about the meaningful contexts in which their use is activated. The specific aim is to re-imagine, redefine and explore the potentiality and limitations of electronic performance tools, namely, how the choice of this tool and interface nearly always gives rise to new situations that must be tackled. Therefore, addressing the material aesthetics of performance tools used in contemporary electronic performance, by artists who engage with such technologies, this article aims to critically analyse and historically place artistic engagement with tools and interfaces in contemporary performance settings and to indicate where there is room for new design approaches and hence new (and forgotten) modes of engagement to unfold. To amplify the relationship between performer and the spectator when using the emerging technologies of real-time performance tools, I refer to ‘Ode to Paraphernalia’, a set of self-crafted electronic performance tools and a performance. This project opens a pathway for a larger proposal that asks: what are the ways in which we can engineer interfaces that validate the circulation of subjugated knowledges in meaningful sets and settings?
Technoheroines: Transhuman resistances to technoscientific control
Authors: Tornero Paz
Published: August 2013

Technoscience is increasingly present in our daily lives, establishing new social rules and patterns of communication and interaction in a physical space, which implements electronic devices and telematic systems in its design. In the race for scientific progress, the goal is making man a God, like Nietzsche’s Superman, without determining how the new human morphology will be fitted. This paradigm is treated by artists who warn of the possible fate of humanity while the technoscientific, as if he or she was Prometheus, dares to defy the laws of nature. Art exposes the actual course of science, and some artists complain that the false promises of scientific discourse, which is dominated by male vision, fail to be aware of the impossibility that technology is going to improve the moral dimension of human being. Some artists say that the science sermon does not deal with humanity and that the building of our future is merely phallocentric, an excessive anthropocentric vision.
Towards the (Strategic) Management of Intellectual Property: Retrospective and Prospective
Authors: Al-Aali Abdulrahman Y. , Teece David J.
Published: August 2013

The systematic integrated management of intellectual property (IP) is a recent phenomenon. This is despite the fact that intellectual property has been around for several centuries. Today, matters are more complicated, and integrated IP management is required. By integrated IP management we mean not only that the various forms of intellectual property (patents, trade secrets, trademarks, copyright) are managed together, but that intellectual property management is in turn integrated with overall business model design and corporate strategy. Integrated management is more than simply establishing a licensing model, or manufacturing a product that incorporates new invention.
IL6 sensitizes prostate cancer to the antiproliferative effect of IFNα2 through IRF9
Authors: Erb Holger H H , Langlechner Regina V , Moser Patrizia L , Handle Florian , Casneuf Tineke , Verstraeten Karin , Schlick Bettina , Schäfer Georg , Hall Brett , Sasser Kate , Culig Zoran , Santer Frédéric R
Published: August 2013

Development and progression of prostate cancer (PCa) are associated with chronic inflammation. The cytokine interleukin 6 (IL6) can influence progression, differentiation, survival, and angiogenesis of PCa. To identify novel pathways that are triggered by IL6, we performed a gene expression profiling of two PCa cell lines, LNCaP and MDA PCa 2b, treated with 5 ng/ml IL6. Interferon (IFN) regulatory factor 9 (IRF9) was identified as one of the most prevalent IL6-regulated genes in both cell lines. IRF9 is a mediator of type I IFN signaling and acts together with STAT1 and 2 to activate transcription of IFN-responsive genes. The IL6 regulation of IRF9 was confirmed at mRNA and protein levels by quantitative real-time PCR and western blot respectively in both cell lines and could be blocked by the anti-IL6 antibody Siltuximab. Three PCa cell lines, PC3, Du-145, and LNCaP-IL6+, with an autocrine IL6 loop displayed high expression of IRF9. A tissue microarray with 36 PCa tissues showed that IRF9 protein expression is moderately elevated in malignant areas and positively correlates with the tissue expression of IL6. Downregulation and overexpression of IRF9 provided evidence for an IFN-independent role of IRF9 in cellular proliferation of different PCa cell lines. Furthermore, expression of IRF9 was essential to mediate the antiproliferative effects of IFNα2. We concluded that IL6 is an inducer of IRF9 expression in PCa and a sensitizer for the antiproliferative effects of IFNα2.
Fabrication and Evaluation of Conducting Polymer Nanowire Heterostructures
Authors: Berdichevsky Yevgeny , Lo Y.-H.
Published: August 2013

Conducting polymer nanostructures such as nanofibers and nanotubes have potential uses in a variety of applications including electronic and photonic devices and sensors. Conducting polymers have also been used as artificial muscles. In this work, template synthesis method for fabricating solid polypyrrole nanowires and polypyrrole-gold nanowire heterostructures is demonstrated to explore suitability of these structures as nano-artificial muscles or nanoactuators. Polypyrrole nanowires are evaluated in an aqueous electrolyte to see if they retain the ability to expand and contract under electrochemical cycling. Template synthesis is then used to alternatively electroplate gold and electropolymerize polypyrrole in the pores of an alumina membrane to create layered polypyrrole-gold nanowires.
Aspectos gerais das septicemias e bacteriemias estafilocócicas no adulto
Authors: Gonçalves Adrelirio J. R. , G. Neto Francisco Duarte , Brasil Maria Helena Silva , Santos Vitorino Modesto dos , Henrique Sílvio , Saldanha Leopoldo F. , Souza Filho Albino J. , Suzuki Lúcia Emi
Published: August 2013

São apresentados 25 casos de infecções sistêmicas por estafilococos por pacientes adultos. Foram incluídos somente os casos em que houve concordância entre os achados bacteriológicos e clínicos. O Staphylccoceus aureus foi o mais encontrado em hemoculturas (17 casos). Dezoito casos comportaram-se verdadeiramente como septicemias caracterizadas por lesões metastáticas principalmente pulmonares, configurando os quadros clássicos de infartos pulmonares sépticos múltiplos. As principais complicações cardiovasculares foram a miocardite, endocardite, choque e o cor pulmonale agudo. As complicações neurológicas mais freqüentes foram meningite, coma e convulsões, tôdas seguidas de óbito. A porta de entrada mais freqüente foi através de infecção cutânea presente em 48% dos casos, seguida do aparelho genital feminino em conseqüência do abôrto provocado (20%). É apresentado estudo anátomo-patológico de 4 casos. Na discussão são apresentadas características biológicas do germe no sentido de facilitar o entendimento da fisiopatologia destas infecções sistêmicas assim como de esclarecer o quadro clínico exibido pelos pacientes. Breves considerações são realizadas no que concerne a patogenia e o quadro clínico nestas infecções e aspectos gerais de conduta terapêutica são assinalados.
Avaliação do poder seletivo do meio de Rappaport para diversas espécies de enterobactérias
Authors: Falcão Deise P. , Suassuna Italo , Suassuna Ivone R.
Published: August 2013

Foi feita uma avaliação dos mecanismos de seletividade e inibição do meio de Rappaport em relação a espécies representativas de enterobactérias. O meio hipertônico original, com 3,6% de cloreto de magnésio demonstrou-se inibidor para Salmonella typhimurium, a qual foi ainda inibida à concentração de 3,1%. Não se verificou crescimento de tôdas as espécies de Shigella, a partir da concentração de 1,8%, Escherichia coli a partir de 2,2%, Enterobacter a partir de 3,1% e Proteus mirabilis só com 3,6%. O verde malaquita na concentração original de 0,012% demonstra capacidade de inibição do crescimento de todas as espécies testadas, com a exceção de Enterobacter e S. typhimurium. A substituição do fosfato diácido de potássio pelo correspondente sal de sódio, atenua o poder inibidor do meio para tôdas as espécies bacterianas estudadas. As shigelas revelaram-se as enterobactérias mais sensíveis em relação a êsse meio, sendo igualmente inibidas pelos meios à base do tiosulfado de cálcio ou de magnésio, também inspirados no emprêgo de soluções hipertônicas.