bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Laforgue's ‘Dimanches’ (Derniers Vers, III)
Authors: Scott Clive
Published: October 2011

This chapter discusses Lafogue, a free-verse poet of the line, where the subject contains conflicting tonal and expressive impulses, where the textual is frequently undermined by the verbal and non-textual, where rhythmic coherence is dismantled by the different kinds of metrical impropriety: fragmentation, equivocation, and divigation. In this chapter, Laforgue's Dimanche is studied and analyzed in terms of syllabication, rhyme, and scansion.
Claudel's ‘L₼Esprit et l₼eau’ (Cinq Grands Odes)
Authors: Scott Clive
Published: October 2011

This chapter discusses Claudel's verset of Cinq Grands Odes and L'Esprit et l'eau. In this chapter, the two poems of Claudel are studied by an examination of their prosodic context and accent; and their unaccentuated syllables and intraphrasal accents, rhythm, scansion, and embajament.
Content and Characters
Authors: Lamarque Peter , Olsen Stein Haugom
Published: October 2011

Works of fiction might, of course, elicit any kind of response from their readers. These might be utterly idiosyncratic, resting on associations of ideas, personal recollections, emotional and psychological reactions; they might be dictated by expectations of genre and tradition, and in general they might involve different degrees of understanding and misunderstanding. In certain respects there might also be gender-relative and culture-relative responses. This chapter distinguishes those responses constitutive of fiction per se from those merely connected causally to particular works or those associated with specific genres or specific kinds of readers. It aims to characterize those responses conventionally determined by the practice of fiction, responses ‘appropriate’ to fiction.
Metaphysics and Fictions
Authors: Lamarque Peter , Olsen Stein Haugom
Published: October 2011

This chapter considers pressures of a metaphysical nature, suggesting how they might be resisted sufficiently to retain both the distinctiveness of the practice of storytelling and the substance of our later view about literature and its relation to truth. The discussion focuses on certain attempts to extend the idea of fictionality such that not only do all discourses turn out to be fictional but their subject-matters too, the objects and facts of which they speak.
Literary Practice
Authors: Lamarque Peter , Olsen Stein Haugom
Published: October 2011

Literary practice is part of a family of social practices, including that of fictive story-telling, which can be characterized through their constitutive concepts and conventions. The concept of literature itself as well as the literary stance can be characterized and explained only with reference to this framework. The literary stance is an attitude made possible by the defining concepts and conventions of literary practice in the approach to a text. Only by using these concepts and conventions can the reader identify the features of a literary work construed as a literary work within the practice. This chapter looks at the concepts and conventions which define literary practice in order to explore the differences between the concepts of fiction and literature.
Literature as Philosophy
Authors: Lamarque Peter , Olsen Stein Haugom
Published: October 2011

Literary works cannot be construed simply as one among other discourses with the primary intention of advancing truths. This argument, along with the argument against the Theory of Novelistic Truth, is based on a conception of truth and truth-telling which is located within a nexus of activities such as making judgements, reasoning, providing evidence, questioning, debating, falsifying, and so forth: within a practice, as we have called it, of enquiry. There is clearly a conceptual link between this notion of truth and that of knowledge. What is known is true, and what is not true does not constitute knowledge but mere opinion. Knowledge is achieved by marshalling evidence supporting whatever truth-claim is being made. These conceptions of knowledge and truth are basic to the concept of science and they guarantee what may be called the cognitive value of the insights achieved in science. This is so not merely in the natural sciences, but also in the social sciences and in history. The doubts that have been raised about the scientific status of these latter disciplines concern just the applicability in these disciplines of these notions of truth and knowledge. And what has been established so far in this discussion is that they cannot simply be presumed to explain the cognitive status of literature. There are two possible ways out of this impasse. One is to redefine the concepts of knowledge and truth-seeking, at least loosening the connection with supportive evidence and argument. The other is a more radical redefinition of the whole notion of cognitive value, severing any necessary connection with the concepts of knowledge and truth. This chapter focuses on the first alternative.
Radical Needs and Moderate Reforms
Authors: Sen Amartya
Published: October 2011

This chapter presents an analysis of the persistence of endemic deprivation in India, and of the role of public action in addressing that problem. It emphasizes the need to go beyond the narrow focus of current policy debates on the issue of market-oriented reforms aimed at accelerating the rate of economic growth. These reforms can contribute to the elimination of basic deprivations in India, but they need to be supported and supplemented by a far more active involvement in the provision of basic education, health care, social security, and related fields.
Uttar Pradesh: The Burden of Inertia
Authors: Drèze Jean , Gazdar Haris
Published: October 2011

This chapter discusses the problem of economic and social backwardness in Uttar Pradesh and its causal antecedents. Among these are the disastrous functioning of public services in rural areas, the persistence of widespread illiteracy, and the suppression of women's agency in society. This chapter also talks about the social and political circumstances underlying these diverse failures.
Mortality, Fertility and Gender Bias in India: A District-level Analysis
Authors: Murthi Mamta , Guio Anne-Catherine , Drèze Jean
Published: October 2011

This chapter evaluates inter-district patterns of fertility, child mortality, and gender bias in India using data from the 1981 census. The findings highlight the powerful effects of variables relating to women's agency on mortality and fertility. Further, higher levels of female literacy and female labour-force participation are associated with significantly lower levels of female disadvantage in child survival. On the other hand, variables relating to the general level of development and modernization have relative weak effects on demographic outcomes.
Philo'sDe Vita Contemplativain Historical Context
Authors: Taylor Joan E.
Published: October 2011

What we know about Philo 2,000 years after his birth is little more than what Eusebius tells us at the beginning of the fourth century. We gain a greater understanding of Philo and his works when we place him within the context of the city in which he lived. Some understanding of Alexandria and the problems facing the Jewish community of this city helps further to illuminate the man himself and the terrible events in which he found himself embroiled, and also helps to explain the context in which De Vita Contemplativa was written. Eusebius concluded that Philo was describing early Christians in the work and quoted extensively from it, assuming everyone would recognize the similarities between the practices of Philo's ‘Therapeutae’ and Christians. Philo is clearly much concerned with expounding virtue in Contempl., and all historical information is put at the service of this fundamental objective. The historical context of Contempl. would be the bitter hostilities between Jews and ‘Greeks’ in the city of Alexandria.
Identity: The Name ‘Therapeutae’ and the Essenes
Authors: Taylor Joan E.
Published: October 2011

It is important to recognize at the very start that our information about the community described by Philo in De Vita Contemplativa is embedded in rhetoric. It is usual in scholarship to refer to the group Philo describes in Contempl. as a particular Jewish sect that can be designated by the Latinized term ‘Therapeutae’. Modern scholarship has often associated the group Philo describes in Contempl. with the Essenes, who embraced contemplation. Philo's project is to illustrate the active and contemplative philosophical lives by illustrations from Judaism that ultimately would prove how virtue is found within the community he represents. In the group outside Alexandria, women have adopted the contemplative life, ‘having the same zeal and purpose’ as the men. Whether Philo's description of the Essenes or the ‘Therapeutae’ near Alexandria is accurate is not the issue; what is important is that Philo himself describes them as being definitively different on a main, distinctive feature relating to the groups: the admission of women.
A Solar Calendar
Authors: Taylor Joan E.
Published: October 2011

Egypt was a land of sun-worshippers, whose calendar was organized on the basis of the sun and the Nile River. In De Vita Contemplativa, Philo notes that the Mareotic group prays every sunrise and sunset and that at the dawn of the fiftieth day they stand with eyes and their whole bodies tuned to the east. In the understanding of the Mareotic group, the physical sun is seen to symbolize the divine light behind the sun, but in praying in the direction of the sun, and seeing a new day beginning with its rising, the group might appear to show some influence from the Egyptian culture surrounding them. Based on evidence from both Alexandria and Heliopolis, the continuation of the old solar calendar appears to have been particularly endorsed by some of the Jews of Egypt. As refugees and emigrants from Judaea, they preserved an old pentecontad calendar. The usual feasts of Judaism were celebrated in accordance with this reckoning of time.
Women and Sex in De Vita Contemplativa
Authors: Taylor Joan E.
Published: October 2011

In describing the women specifically in the Mareotic group, Philo's chief rhetorical aim was to present them as ‘the good’, along with all other elements. In De Vita Contemplativa, however, Philo had constructed a theory of woman and the feminine which would dictate how he saw real women. Philo also had to deal with the ‘Sexy Babe’ paradigm. Perhaps Philo's fundamental problem may be expressed as: how could the therapeutrides, the female attendants of God, be presented in a way that would not only surpass the paradigms of good women philosophers but also conform to his own gender theory? This chapter examines women and sex in Contempl., Philo's metaphorical constructions of female and male in the soul, his perceptions of gender relations in the world around about him, and his theory of ‘woman’. It also considers women as students of Moses, women philosophers in Alexandria, their role as ‘mothers’ of the congregation, and the celibacy of women.
Suppression of fungal and nematode plant pathogens through arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
Authors: Veresoglou Stavros D. , Rillig Matthias C.
Published: October 2011

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi represent ubiquitous mutualists of terrestrial plants. Through the symbiosis, plant hosts, among other benefits, receive protection from pathogens. A meta-analysis was conducted on 106 articles to determine whether, following pathogen infection of AM-colonized plants, the identity of the organisms involved (pathogens, AM fungi and host plants) had implications for the extent of the AM-induced pathogen suppression. Data on fungal and nematode pathogens were analysed separately. Although we found no differences in AM effectiveness with respect to the identity of the plant pathogen, the identity of the AM isolate had a dramatic effect on the level of pathogen protection. AM efficiency differences with respect to nematode pathogens were mainly limited to the number of AM isolates present; by contrast, modification of the ability to suppress fungal pathogens could occur even through changing the identity of the Glomeraceae isolate applied. N-fixing plants received more protection from fungal pathogens than non-N-fixing dicotyledons; this was attributed to the more intense AM colonization in N-fixing plants. Results have implications for understanding mycorrhizal ecology and agronomic applications.
Secreted, receptor-associated bone morphogenetic protein regulators reduce stochastic noise intrinsic to many extracellular morphogen distributions
Authors: Karim Mohammad Shahriar , Buzzard Gregery T. , Umulis David M.
Published: October 2011

Morphogens are secreted molecules that specify cell-fate organization in developing tissues. Patterns of gene expression or signalling immediately downstream of many morphogens such as the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) decapentaplegic (Dpp) are highly reproducible and robust to perturbations. This contrasts starkly with our expectation of a noisy interpretation that would arise out of the experimentally determined low concentration (approximately picomolar) range of Dpp activity, tight receptor binding and very slow kinetic rates. To investigate mechanisms by which the intrinsic noise can be attenuated in Dpp signalling, we focus on a class of secreted proteins that bind to Dpp in the extracellular environment and play an active role in regulating Dpp/receptor interactions. We developed a stochastic model of Dpp signalling inDrosophila melanogasterand used the model to quantify the extent that stochastic fluctuations would lead to errors in spatial patterning and extended the model to investigate how a surface-associated BMP-binding protein (SBP) such as Crossveinless-2 (Cv-2) may buffer out signalling noise. In the presence of SBPs, fluctuations in the level of ligand-bound receptor can be reduced by more than twofold depending on parameter values for the intermediate transition states. Regulation of receptor–ligand interactions by SBPs may also increase the frequency of stochastic fluctuations providing a separation of timescales between high-frequency receptor equilibration and slower morphogen patterning. High-frequency noise generated by SBP regulation is easily attenuated by the intracellular network creating a system that imitates the performance of a simple low-pass filter common in audio and communication applications. Together, these data indicate that one of the benefits of receptor–ligand regulation by secreted non-receptors may be greater reliability of morphogen patterning mechanisms.
Shedding new light on opsin evolution
Authors: Porter Megan L. , Blasic Joseph R. , Bok Michael J. , Cameron Evan G. , Pringle Thomas , Cronin Thomas W. , Robinson Phyllis R.
Published: October 2011

Opsin proteins are essential molecules in mediating the ability of animals to detect and use light for diverse biological functions. Therefore, understanding the evolutionary history of opsins is key to understanding the evolution of light detection and photoreception in animals. As genomic data have appeared and rapidly expanded in quantity, it has become possible to analyse opsins that functionally and histologically are less well characterized, and thus to examine opsin evolution strictly from a genetic perspective. We have incorporated these new data into a large-scale, genome-based analysis of opsin evolution. We use an extensive phylogeny of currently known opsin sequence diversity as a foundation for examining the evolutionary distributions of key functional features within the opsin clade. This new analysis illustrates the lability of opsin protein-expression patterns, site-specific functionality (i.e. counterion position) and G-protein binding interactions. Further, it demonstrates the limitations of current model organisms, and highlights the need for further characterization of many of the opsin sequence groups with unknown function.
Profiles of Biomarkers of Excess Alcohol Consumption in Patients Undergoing Total Hip Replacement: Correlation with Function
Authors: Jenkins Paul J. , Duckworth Andrew D. , Robertson Francis P. C. , Howie Colin R. , Huntley James S.
Published: October 2011

Aims. Patients who misuse alcohol may be at increased risk of surgical complications and poorer function following hip replacement. Identification and intervention may lead to harm reduction and improve the outcomes of surgery. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of biomarker elevation in patients undergoing hip replacement and to investigate any correlation with functional scores and complications.Methods. We performed a retrospective study that examined the profile of biomarkers of alcohol misuse in 1049 patients undergoing hip replacement.Results. Gamma-glutamyltransferase was elevated in 150 (17.6%), and mean corpuscular volume was elevated in 23 (4%). At one year general physical health was poorer where there was elevation ofγGT, and the mental health and hip function was poorer with elevation of MCV. There were no differences in complications.Discussion. Raised biomarkers can alert clinicians to potential problems. They also provide an opportunity to perform further investigation and offer intervention. Future research should focus on the use in orthopaedic practice of validated screening questionnaires and more sensitive biomarkers of alcohol misuse.Conclusion. This study demonstrates a potential substantial proportion of unrecognised alcohol misuse that is associated with poorer functional scores in patients after total hip replacement.
Cell-Oriented Modeling of Angiogenesis
Authors: Guidolin Diego , Rebuffat Piera , Albertin Giovanna
Published: October 2011

Due to its significant involvement in various physiological and pathological conditions, angiogenesis (the development of new blood vessels from an existing vasculature) represents an important area of the actual biological research and a field in which mathematical modeling proved particularly useful in supporting the experimental work. In this paper, we focus on a specific modeling strategy, known as “cell-centered” approach. This type of mathematical models work at a “mesoscopic scale,” assuming the cell as the natural level of abstraction for computational modeling of development. They treat cells phenomenologically, considering their essential behaviors to study how tissue structure and organization emerge from the collective dynamics of multiple cells. The main contributions of the cell-oriented approach to the study of the angiogenic process will be described. From one side, they have generated “basic science understanding” about the process of capillary assembly during development, growth, and pathology. On the other side, models were also developed supporting “applied biomedical research” for the purpose of identifying new therapeutic targets and clinically relevant approaches for either inhibiting or stimulating angiogenesis.
The Cyclin K/Cdk12 complex maintains genomic stability via regulation of expression of DNA damage response genes
Authors: Blazek Dalibor , Kohoutek Jiri , Bartholomeeusen Koen , Johansen Eric , Hulinkova Petra , Luo Zeping , Cimermancic Peter , Ule Jernej , Peterlin B. Matija
Published: October 2011

Various cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) complexes have been implicated in the regulation of transcription. In this study, we identified a 70-kDa Cyclin K (CycK) that binds Cdk12 and Cdk13 to form two different complexes (CycK/Cdk12 or CycK/Cdk13) in human cells. The CycK/Cdk12 complex regulates phosphorylation of Ser2 in the C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II and expression of a small subset of human genes, as revealed in expression microarrays. Depletion of CycK/Cdk12 results in decreased expression of predominantly long genes with high numbers of exons. The most prominent group of down-regulated genes are the DNA damage response genes, including the critical regulators of genomic stability: BRCA1 (breast and ovarian cancer type 1 susceptibility protein 1), ATR (ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related), FANCI, and FANCD2. We show that CycK/Cdk12, rather than CycK/Cdk13, is necessary for their expression. Nuclear run-on assays and chromatin immunoprecipitations with RNA polymerase II on the BRCA1 and FANCI genes suggest a transcriptional defect in the absence of CycK/Cdk12. Consistent with these findings, cells without CycK/Cdk12 induce spontaneous DNA damage and are sensitive to a variety of DNA damage agents. We conclude that through regulation of expression of DNA damage response genes, CycK/Cdk12 protects cells from genomic instability. The essential role of CycK for organisms in vivo is further supported by the result that genetic inactivation of CycK in mice causes early embryonic lethality.
Genome-wide identification of microRNA targets in human ES cells reveals a role for miR-302 in modulating BMP response
Authors: Lipchina Inna , Elkabetz Yechiel , Hafner Markus , Sheridan Robert , Mihailovic Aleksandra , Tuschl Thomas , Sander Chris , Studer Lorenz , Betel Doron
Published: October 2011

MicroRNAs are important regulators in many cellular processes, including stem cell self-renewal. Recent studies demonstrated their function as pluripotency factors with the capacity for somatic cell reprogramming. However, their role in human embryonic stem (ES) cells (hESCs) remains poorly understood, partially due to the lack of genome-wide strategies to identify their targets. Here, we performed comprehensive microRNA profiling in hESCs and in purified neural and mesenchymal derivatives. Using a combination of AGO cross-linking and microRNA perturbation experiments, together with computational prediction, we identified the targets of the miR-302/367 cluster, the most abundant microRNAs in hESCs. Functional studies identified novel roles of miR-302/367 in maintaining pluripotency and regulating hESC differentiation. We show that in addition to its role in TGF-β signaling, miR-302/367 promotes bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling by targeting BMP inhibitors TOB2, DAZAP2, and SLAIN1. This study broadens our understanding of microRNA function in hESCs and is a valuable resource for future studies in this area.
Stress puts TIA on TOP: Figure 1.
Authors: Ivanov Pavel , Kedersha Nancy , Anderson Paul
Published: October 2011

Under conditions of limited nutrients, eukaryotic cells reprogram protein expression in a way that slows growth but enhances survival. Recent data implicate stress granules, discrete cytoplasmic foci into which untranslated mRNPs are assembled during stress, in this process. In the October 1, 2011, issue of Genes & Development, Damgaard and Lykke-Andersen (p. 2057–2068) provide mechanistic insights into the regulation of a specific subset of mRNAs bearing 5′-terminal oligopyrimidine tracts (5′TOPs) by the structurally related stress granule proteins TIA-1 and TIAR.
Compensation for differences in gene copy number among yeast ribosomal proteins is encoded within their promoters
Authors: Zeevi Danny , Sharon Eilon , Lotan-Pompan Maya , Lubling Yaniv , Shipony Zohar , Raveh-Sadka Tali , Keren Leeat , Levo Michal , Weinberger Adina , Segal Eran
Published: October 2011

Coordinate regulation of ribosomal protein (RP) genes is key for controlling cell growth. In yeast, it is unclear how this regulation achieves the required equimolar amounts of the different RP components, given that some RP genes exist in duplicate copies, while others have only one copy. Here, we tested whether the solution to this challenge is partly encoded within the DNA sequence of the RP promoters, by fusing 110 different RP promoters to a fluorescent gene reporter, allowing us to robustly detect differences in their promoter activities that are as small as ∼10%. We found that single-copy RP promoters have significantly higher activities, suggesting that proper RP stoichiometry is indeed partly encoded within the RP promoters. Notably, we also partially uncovered how this regulation is encoded by finding that RP promoters with higher activity have more nucleosome-disfavoring sequences and characteristic spatial organizations of these sequences and of binding sites for key RP regulators. Mutations in these elements result in a significant decrease of RP promoter activity. Thus, our results suggest that intrinsic (DNA-dependent) nucleosome organization may be a key mechanism by which genomes encode biologically meaningful promoter activities. Our approach can readily be applied to uncover how transcriptional programs of other promoters are encoded.
Fusobacterium nucleatum infection is prevalent in human colorectal carcinoma
Authors: Castellarin Mauro , Warren René L. , Freeman J. Douglas , Dreolini Lisa , Krzywinski Martin , Strauss Jaclyn , Barnes Rebecca , Watson Peter , Allen-Vercoe Emma , Moore Richard A. , Holt Robert A.
Published: October 2011

An estimated 15% or more of the cancer burden worldwide is attributable to known infectious agents. We screened colorectal carcinoma and matched normal tissue specimens using RNA-seq followed by host sequence subtraction and found marked over-representation of Fusobacterium nucleatum sequences in tumors relative to control specimens. F. nucleatum is an invasive anaerobe that has been linked previously to periodontitis and appendicitis, but not to cancer. Fusobacteria are rare constituents of the fecal microbiota, but have been cultured previously from biopsies of inflamed gut mucosa. We obtained a Fusobacterium isolate from a frozen tumor specimen; this showed highest sequence similarity to a known gut mucosa isolate and was confirmed to be invasive. We verified overabundance of Fusobacterium sequences in tumor versus matched normal control tissue by quantitative PCR analysis from a total of 99 subjects (p = 2.5 × 10−6), and we observed a positive association with lymph node metastasis.
Critical role of CD40‐mediated autocrine tumor necrosis factor‐alpha in potentiation of cisplatin‐induced cytotoxicity in cancer cells
Authors: Sun Hong , Zhong Ying‐Jia , Zheng Xue‐Lian , Wang Qiong , Yang Lan , Shi Fang , Yan Jia‐Qi , He Fan , Liao Lin‐Chuan , Lin Yong , Zhang Lin , Wang Xia
Published: October 2011

Activation of CD40, a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNF‐R) family, results in growth inhibition or apoptosis in some tumor cells, making CD40 a potential antitumor therapeutic target. Although it is known that CD40 is able to induce tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) secretion and potentiate cisplatin’s anticancer activity, whether TNF‐α induction is involved in sensitizing cisplatin by CD40 has not been addressed. In this report, we provide evidence substantiating an important role of autocrine TNF‐α in potentiation of cisplatin‐induced apoptosis by recombinant soluble CD40 ligand (rsCD40L) in different human cancer cell lines. Activation of CD40 by rsCD40L induces two phases of autocrine TNF‐α: the rapid early phase involving p38 MAP kinase and the robust and persistent late phase through enhanced tnf‐α gene transcription. Blocking TNF‐α with either a specific TNFR1 siRNA or a neutralizing anti‐TNF‐α antibody dramatically attenuated the potentiation effect of rsCD40L on cisplatin‐induced cancer cell death. These results reveal an important role of TNF‐α induction in CD40’s chemosensitization activity and suggest that modulating TNF‐α autocrine from cancer cells is an effective option for increasing the anticancer value of chemotherapeutics such as cisplatin. (Cancer Sci 2012; 103: 197–202)
Activation of mTOR by human T‐cell leukemia virus type 1 Tax is important for the transformation of mouse T cells to interleukin‐2‐independent growth
Authors: Yoshita Manami , Higuchi Masaya , Takahashi Masahiko , Oie Masayasu , Tanaka Yuetsu , Fujii Masahiro
Published: October 2011

Human T‐cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV‐1) is a causative agent of adult T‐cell leukemia, and it immortalizes and transforms human T cells in both an interleukin (IL)‐2‐dependent and ‐independent manner. HTLV‐1 encodes Tax, which plays crucial roles in HTLV‐1‐mediated immortalization and transformation of human T cells. A previous study showed that Tax can transform a mouse T‐cell line, CTLL‐2, from having IL‐2‐dependent growth to IL‐2‐independent growth. Given that the Akt/mTOR pathway is essential for IL‐2‐induced cell growth in T cells, we examined whether the Akt/mTOR pathway is involved in Tax‐induced transformation to IL‐2‐independent growth. The stable and transient expression of Tax in CTLL‐2 induced the phosphorylation of p70S6 kinase and ribosomal protein S6, downstream targets of the mTOR kinase, whereas that of Akt was only minimally induced. Studies with Tax mutants indicated that the activation of mTOR by Tax was correlated with the transformation of CTLL‐2 cells to IL‐2‐independent growth. Rapamycin, an inhibitor of mTOR kinase, reduced the growth of Tax‐transformed CTLL‐2 cells. Moreover, the transduction of a constitutively active form of Akt in the CTLL‐2 cells also induced IL‐2‐independent growth. Like CTLL‐2/Tax, constitutive phosphorylation of p70S6 kinase was detected in the absence of IL‐2 in all of the HTLV‐1‐infected human T‐cell lines. These results suggest that Tax activates the mTOR pathway in T cells, and that this activation plays a crucial role in the growth of HTLV‐1‐infected T cells when a limited amount of IL‐2 is available. (Cancer Sci 2012; 103: 369–374)
A single nucleotide polymorphism on chromosome 10 is highly predictive for the polled phenotype in Australian Merino sheep
Authors: Dominik S. , Henshall J. M. , Hayes B. J.
Published: October 2011

The aim of this study was to fine map the genomic location of the Horns locus in the Australian Merino sheep population and to identify markers that can be used to predict the horn phenotype. A linkage disequilibrium analysis of horn data from Australian Merino sheep mapped the Horns locus to a small region on chromosome 10. A single nucleotide polymorphism in the region was found to be highly predictive for the polled phenotype in an experimental population of Merino sheep. This was owing to a dominance effect of one of the alleles when inherited maternally. It was suggested that a genetic test would provide a good predictor of the polled phenotype. Finally, an evaluation of industry data showed that the SNP is at very different frequencies in Poll Merino sheep that have been bred for polledness (based on phenotype alone) compared with the Merino sheep breed.
Detection of quantitative trait loci for growth‐ and fatness‐related traits in a large‐scale White Duroc × Erhualian intercross pig population
Authors: Ai H. , Ren J. , Zhang Z. , Ma J. , Guo Y. , Yang B. , Huang L.
Published: October 2011

Growth and fatness are economically important traits in pigs. In this study, a genome scan was performed to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) for 14 growth and fatness traits related to body weight, backfat thickness and fat weight in a large‐scale White Duroc × Erhualian F2 intercross. A total of 76 genome‐wide significant QTL were mapped to 16 chromosomes. The most significant QTL was found on pig chromosome (SSC) 7 for fatness with unexpectedly small confidence intervals of ∼2 cM, providing an excellent starting point to identify causal variants. Common QTL for both fatness and growth traits were found on SSC4, 5, 7 and 8, and shared QTL for fat deposition were detected on SSC1, 2 and X. Time‐series analysis of QTL for body weight at six growth stages revealed the continuously significant effects of the QTL on SSC4 at the fattening period and the temporal‐specific expression of the QTL on SSC7 at the foetus and fattening stages. For fatness traits, Chinese Erhualian alleles were associated with increased fat deposition except that at the major QTL on SSC7. For growth traits, most of White Duroc alleles enhanced growth rates except for those at three significant QTL on SSC6, 7 and 9. The results confirmed many previously reported QTL and also detected novel QTL, revealing the complexity of the genetic basis of growth and fatness in pigs.
Gram‐positive bacteria on grass pollen exhibit adjuvant activity inducing inflammatory T cell responses
Authors: Heydenreich B. , Bellinghausen I. , König B. , Becker W.‐M. , Grabbe S. , Petersen A. , Saloga J.
Published: October 2011

Background

Recently, it has been established that pollen grains contain Th2‐enhancing activities besides allergens.

Objective

The aim of this study was to analyse whether pollen carry additional adjuvant factors like microbes and what immunological effects they may exert.

Methods

Timothy pollen grains were collected and disseminated on agar plates, and the growing microorganisms were cultivated and defined. Furthermore, the immunologic effects of microbial products on DC and T cell responses were analysed.

Results

A complex mixture of bacteria and moulds was detected on grass pollen. Besides Gram‐negative bacteria that are known to favour Th1‐directed immune responses, moulds were identified as being sources of allergens themselves. Herein, we focused on Gram‐positive bacteria that were found in high numbers, e.g. Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis. Contact of immature dendritic cells (DC) from grass pollen allergic donors with supernatants of homogenized Gram‐positive bacteria induced maturation of DC as measured by up‐regulation of CD80, CD83 and CD86 and by enhanced production of IL‐6, IL‐12p40 and TNF‐α, which was less pronounced compared with effects induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Consequently, stimulation of autologous CD4+ T cells with supernatants of homogenized Gram‐positive bacteria plus grass pollen allergen‐pulsed DC led to an enhanced proliferation and production of IL‐4, IL‐13, IL‐10, IL‐17, IL‐22 and IFN‐γ production compared with T cells that were stimulated with allergen‐pulsed immature DC alone, whereas production of the transcription factor for regulatory T cells FoxP3 was not significantly affected.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

These data indicate that grass pollen is colonized by several microorganisms that influence the immune response differently. Similar to LPS, supernatants of homogenized Gram‐positive bacteria may serve as adjuvants by augmenting DC maturation and inflammatory Th1, Th2 and Th17 responses helping to initiate allergic immune responses.
Monitoring dental pulp sensibility and blood flow in patients receiving mandibular orthognathic surgery
Authors: Chen E. , Goonewardene M. , Abbott P.
Published: October 2011

Chen E, Goonewardene M, Abbott P. Monitoring dental pulp sensibility and blood flow in patients receiving mandibular orthognathic surgery. International Endodontic Journal, 45, 215–233, 2012.

Aim  To investigate the effect of orthognathic surgery, in particular genioplasty, on pulp sensibility and pulp blood flow (PBF).

Methodology  Pulp blood flow monitoring and CO2 pulp sensibility testing were performed on 101 mandibular anterior teeth from 17 subjects who received mandibular bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) with or without genioplasty and other maxillary surgical procedures combined with orthodontic treatment. A laser Doppler flowmeter was used to monitor PBF using customized acrylic splints for each subject. Preoperative baseline scores were recorded from up to 1 week preoperatively, and subsequently monitored for up to 18–28 weeks postoperatively. The data were analysed by RMANOVA and pairwise comparisons. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05.

Results  The average PBF in subjects who received genioplasty was not significantly different to those who received no genioplasty (F = 0.076, P = 0.784). In both groups, PBF decreased significantly postoperatively (F = 23.323, P = 0.000) and remained significantly lower (P = 0.000) than preoperative values at all times. PBF decreased markedly for 1–2 weeks postoperatively in patients who received genioplasty. However, there were no statistical differences between the PBF values at any time postoperatively for either group (P > 0.05). All teeth in both groups responded to CO2 preoperatively. The average number of teeth that responded to CO2 postoperatively in the genioplasty group was lower without significant difference when compared to the group without genioplasty (binomial distribution F = 2.63, P = 0.1256, normal distribution F = 2.98, P = 0.1048). At each progressive period after 1–2 weeks following surgery, the number of teeth responding to CO2 increased significantly (P < 0.001) in both groups. At the end of the study, in the genioplasty group 81.1% of teeth responded to CO2 compared to all teeth in the group without genioplasty.

Conclusion  Pulp blood flow decreased and remained significantly lower than preoperative values in mandibular anterior teeth postoperatively with or without genioplasty. At no time was the absence of PBF recorded. The number of teeth that responded to CO2 decreased markedly postoperatively but recovered significantly over time. All teeth regained sensibility in the group without genioplasty at the end of the study. There were neither common trends nor coincidence in the recovery of PBF and pulp sensibility.
Odontoblast‐like cell numbers and reparative dentine thickness after direct pulp capping with platelet‐rich plasma and enamel matrix derivative: a histomorphometric evaluation
Authors: Orhan E. O. , Maden M. , Senguüven B.
Published: October 2011

Orhan EO, Maden M, Senguüven B. Odontoblast‐like cell numbers and reparative dentine thickness after direct pulp capping with platelet‐rich plasma and enamel matrix derivative: a histomorphometric evaluation. International Endodontic Journal, 45, 317–325, 2012.

Aim  To collect quantitative information about the numbers of odontoblast‐like cells and reparative dentine thickness after direct pulp capping with platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) and enamel matrix derivative (EMD).

Methodology  The experiment was conducted on 36 Wistar albino rats and a total of 144 incisor teeth. Calcium hydroxide, mineral trioxide aggregate, PRP and EMD were applied as direct capping agents on the pulps of 96 incisors (n = 24). Positive and negative control groups were created on the remaining 48 incisors. The teeth were extracted on the 7th and 28th days. After routine histological preparation, cross‐sections were stained with haematoxylin and eosin. The numbers of the odontoblast‐like cells were measured histomorphometrically on day 7 and day 28. The thickness of the reparative dentine was also measured. The number of odontoblast‐like cells was also measured beneath the dentine bridge. The normal distribution of all data was tested with the Mann–Whitney U test. The statistical differences between groups were analysed using the Kruskal–Wallis test.

Results  The mean number of odontoblast‐like cells increased between day 7 and 28 following pulp exposure (P > 0.01) in all groups except for the EMD group (P < 0.01), when compared with both the experimental and negative control groups (P < 0.01). Reparative dentine formation was observed in all groups of teeth (P > 0.01).

Conclusions  Reparative dentine formation was observed, but with no significant difference between the groups. Odontoblast‐like cells were observed in association with the outcome of pulps capped with PRP and EMD. PRP and EMD are possible capping agents that influence the thickness of reparative dentine formation.
Sexual problems in women during the first postpartum year and related conditions
Authors: Acele Elif Özge , Karaçam Zekiye
Published: October 2011

Aim.  The aim of this study was to evaluate the sexual problems in women during the first postpartum year and related conditions.

Background.  In the postpartum period, women encounter numerous physical, psychological and sociocultural factors. These factors negatively affect both the sexual function and the quality of life of woman.

Design.  A descriptive survey.

Methods.  In this study, 230 women were included. The study was conducted between September 2007 and December 2008 in Izmir, Turkey. A questionnaire form developed by authors, the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale‐female version and the Beck depression inventory were applied for participants.

Results.  The women began to have sexual intercourse within 7·06 weeks after delivery. Of the women, 58·3% reported that they had dyspareunia in the postpartum period. According to Arizona Sexual Experience Scale, the total score was ≥11 in 91·3% of women and they had sexual problems in the first postpartum year. The results of the multivariate analysis revealed that the increase in age, the presence of sexual problems during pregnancy and the increase in time after delivery significantly increased the possibility of postpartum sexual problems.

Conclusion.  This study revealed that the majority of the women had postpartum sexual problems and the possibility of postpartum sexual problems increased with the increase in age, the presence of sexual problems during pregnancy and the increase in time after delivery.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Healthcare professionals should evaluate women in terms of their sexual functions during both pregnancy and postpartum period. Health education, counselling, referral services for early diagnosis and treatment might contribute to the protection and improvement of the sexual health of women during the postpartum period.
Enhancing e‐learning quality through the application of the AKUE procedure model
Authors: Bremer C.
Published: October 2011

The paper describes the procedure model AKUE, which aims at the improvement and assurance of quality and cost efficiency in the context of the introduction of e‐learning and the development of digital learning material. AKUE divides the whole planning and implementation process into four different phases: analysis, conception, implementation, and evaluation. AKUE analyses at which level of the organization or curriculum decisions have to be made. Accordingly, it differentiates various types of projects for which different planning methods and quality criteria are applied. For each step, specific worksheets and procedures are applied in order to support planning and decision making. Through the definition of outcomes and feedback loops at each step, quality standards and cost efficiency can be achieved.
Higher education scholars' participation and practices on Twitter
Authors: Veletsianos G.
Published: October 2011

Scholars participate in online social networks for professional purposes. In such networks, learning takes the form of participation and identity formation through engagement in and contribution to networked practices. While current literature describes the possible benefits of online participation, empirical research on scholars' use of online social networks in the educational technology literature is negligible. The purpose of this paper is to understand scholars' naturalistic practices in social networks in general, and on Twitter in particular. Tweets from 45 scholars were analysed qualitatively to arrive at dominant themes describing online social network practice. Findings indicate that scholars participating on Twitter (1) shared information, resources, and media relating to their professional practice; (2) shared information about their classroom and their students; (3) requested assistance from and offered suggestions to others; (4) engaged in social commentary; (5) engaged in digital identity and impression management; (6) sought to network and make connections with others; and (7) highlighted their participation in online networks other than Twitter. These findings assist the field in understanding the emerging practice of scholarly participation in online networks.
The importance of lipid solubility and receptor selectivity of β‐adrenoceptor blocking drugs for the occurrence of symptoms and side‐effects in out‐patients
Authors: THEODORSEN L. , BRORS O.
Published: October 2011

Abstract Theodorsen L, Brørs O (Department of Pharmacotherapeutics. University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway). The importance of lipid solubility and receptor selectivity of β‐adrenoceptor blocking drugs for the occurrence of symptoms and side‐effects in out‐patients.

Short‐term studies indicate that the side‐effects of adrenergic β‐receptor blockade may be influenced by lipid solubility and receptor selectivity of the blockers. The aim of the present study was to investigate the extent to which lipid solubility and receptor selectivity are related to the occurrence of symptoms during ordinary β‐blocker treatment in out‐patients. Two hundred and five patients (mean age 60 years) on β‐blockade were interviewed about their symptoms. Eighty‐five per cent of the patients had been on β‐blocker treatment for more than 1 year. The blockers most commonly used were atenolol (51.0%). timolol (20.0%). propranolol (18.5%) and metoprolol (7.8%). β‐Blocker treatment was associated with a significantly increased frequency of central nervous system and peripheral symptoms. The increase in central nervous system symptoms was significantly smaller in those on β‐blockers with low rather than with intermediate (P = 0.015) or high lipid solubility (P = 0.007). The increase in peripheral symptoms was not significantly different with β1‐selective and non‐selective blockers. The results indicate that the liability of β‐blockers to cause side‐effects on the central nervous system is determined partly by their lipid solubility, and that receptor selectivity has only a small impact on their tendency to cause peripheral side‐effects.
Cod liver oil does not reduce ventricular extrasystoles after myocardial infarction
Authors: HARDARSON T. , KRISTINSSON Å. , SKÚLADÓTTIR G. , ÁSVALDSDÓTTIR H. , SNORRASON S. P.
Published: October 2011

Abstract Hardarson T. Kristinsson Å, Skúladóttir G. Åsvaldsdóttir H. Snorrason SP (Department of Medicine, National University Hospital, Landspitalinn. and the Science Institute of University of Iceland. Reykjavik, Iceland). Cod liver oil does not reduce ventricular extrasystoles after myocardial infarction.

Previous work has shown that in experimental animal models a lower incidence of arrhythmias and sudden death was observed if the animals were fed cod liver oil or fish oil. After a 48‐h control period starting, on average, 8 days after the onset of symptoms, 18 men who were recovering from acute myocardial infarction were given 20 ml d−1 cod liver oil for 6 weeks, either immediately after the control period, weeks 0–6 (n = 10). or during weeks 6–12 (n = 8). Forty‐eight‐hour Holter monitoring was carried out before cod liver oil administration and at the end of weeks 6 and 12. The eicosapentaenoic acid content of plasma phospholipids was increased by 230% during cod liver oil administration. However, no signficant change was observed in the 24‐h prevalence of ventricular extrasystoles or other arrhythmias during the study period. The mean In number of ventricular extrasystoles was 2.95 ± 0.51 (± SEM) during cod liver oil ingestion and 2.63 ± 0.30 when not taking cod liver oil.
Simultaneous neuroinfection with cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus in an immunocompetent adult
Authors: LARSEN J. K. , MELGAARD B.
Published: October 2011

AbstractLarsen JK, Melgaard B (Department of Neurology, Centralsygehuset, Slagelse, Denmark). Simultaneous neuroinfection with cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus in an immunocompetent adult.

An immunocompetent adult developed Guillain‐Barré Syndrome and encephalitis simultaneously. Serological and cerebrospinal fluid analyses provided evidence of both cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus infections. The patient recovered with only moderate sequelae following acyclovir treatment.