bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The advantages of frontotemporal degeneration drug development (part 2 of frontotemporal degeneration: The next therapeutic frontier)
Authors: Boxer Adam L. , Gold Michael , Huey Edward , Hu William T. , Rosen Howard , Kramer Joel , Gao Fen‐Biao , Burton Edward A. , Chow Tiffany , Kao Aimee , Leavitt Blair R. , Lamb Bruce , Grether Megan , Knopman David , Cairns Nigel J. , Mackenzie Ian R. , Mitic Laura , Roberson Erik D. , Van Kammen Daniel , Cantillon Marc , Zahs Kathleen , Jackson George , Salloway Stephen , Morris John , Tong Gary , Feldman Howard , Fillit Howard , Dickinson Susan , Khachaturian Zaven S. , Sutherland Margaret , Abushakra Susan , Lewcock Joseph , Farese Robert , Kenet Robert O. , LaFerla Frank , Perrin Steve , Whitaker Steve , Honig Lawrence , Mesulam Marsel M. , Boeve Brad , Grossman Murray , Miller Bruce L. , Cummings Jeffrey L.
Published: October 2012

Frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) encompasses a spectrum of related neurodegenerative disorders with behavioral, language, and motor phenotypes for which there are currently no effective therapies. This is the second of two articles that summarize the presentations and discussions that occurred at two symposia in 2011 sponsored by the Frontotemporal Degeneration Treatment Study Group, a collaborative group of academic and industry researchers that is devoted to developing treatments for FTD. This article discusses the current status of FTD clinical research that is relevant to the conduct of clinical trials, and why FTD research may be an attractive pathway for developing therapies for neurodegenerative disorders. The clinical and molecular features of FTD, including rapid disease progression and relatively pure molecular pathology, suggest that there are advantages to developing drugs for FTD as compared with other dementias. FTD qualifies as orphan indication, providing additional advantages for drug development. Two recent sets of consensus diagnostic criteria will facilitate the identification of patients with FTD, and a variety of neuropsychological, functional, and behavioral scales have been shown to be sensitive to disease progression. Moreover, quantitative neuroimaging measurements demonstrate progressive brain atrophy in FTD at rates that may surpass Alzheimer's disease. Finally, the similarities between FTD and other neurodegenerative diseases with drug development efforts already underway suggest that FTD researchers will be able to draw on this experience to create a road map for FTD drug development. We conclude that FTD research has reached sufficient maturity to pursue clinical development of specific FTD therapies.
Use of Human Remains Detection Dogs for Wide Area Search After Wildfire: A New Experience for Texas Task Force 1 Search and Rescue Resources
Authors: Migala Alexandre F. , Brown Susann E.
Published: October 2012

In September 2011, wildfires in Bastrop County, TX, were the most destructive in the state's history, consuming more than 34 000 acres (13 759 hectares) and more than 1600 homes in the process. The wildfires began by consuming more than 30 homes across 2 miles (3.2 km) in 17 minutes, raising the fear that local residents may not have had sufficient time to escape the conflagration. Texas Task Force 1 deployed for a new mission, the search and recovery of human remains. Although there have been other larger and more widespread fires in the past, it was the speed at which this fire spread that created the environment requiring such a search. The mission was focused primarily on human detection, searching an area almost 72 square miles (186 km2) between September 7 and 11, 2011. To our knowledge, never before have human remains detection dogs been tasked with such an undertaking. Lessons learned from this event will educate all levels of government agencies, emergency medical services, fire departments, law enforcement, utilities, veterinary services, and search and rescue/recovery activities in the future. The utilization of human remains detection canines integrated with search teams trained in larger scale events is one such area that will benefit from this experience, with a final area searched of 15 598 acres (6312 hectares).
Dietary intake of fish and PUFA, and clinical depressive and anxiety disorders in women
Authors: Jacka Felice N. , Pasco Julie A. , Williams Lana J. , Meyer Barbara J. , Digger Rebecca , Berk Michael
Published: October 2012

Fish and PUFA consumption are thought to play a role in mental health; however, many studies do not take into account multiple sources of PUFA. The present study analysed data from a sample of 935 randomly selected, population-based women aged 20–93 years. A validated and comprehensive dietary questionnaire ascertained the consumption of n-3 and n-6 PUFA. Another assessed fish and energy intake and provided data for a dietary quality score. The General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) measured psychological symptoms and a clinical interview (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Research Version, Non-patient edition) assessed depressive and anxiety disorders. Median dietary intakes of long-chain n-3 fatty acids (310 mg/d) were below suggested dietary target levels. The only PUFA related to categorical depressive and anxiety disorders was DHA. There was a non-linear relationship between DHA intake and depression; those in the second tertile of DHA intake were nearly 70 % less likely to report a current depressive disorder compared to those in the first tertile. The relationship of DHA to anxiety disorders was linear; for those in the highest tertile of DHA intake, the odds for anxiety disorders were reduced by nearly 50 % after adjustments, including adjustment for diet quality scores, compared to the lowest tertile. Those who ate fish less than once per week had higher GHQ-12 scores, and this relationship was particularly obvious in smokers. These are the first observational data to indicate a role for DHA in anxiety disorders, but suggest that the relationship between DHA and depressive disorders may be non-linear.
Dietary intake, glucose metabolism and sex hormones in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) compared with women with non-PCOS-related infertility
Authors: Tsai Ya-Hui , Wang Ting-Wen , Wei Hsiao-Jui , Hsu Chien-Yeh , Ho Hsin-Jung , Chen Wen-Hua , Young Robert , Liaw Chian-Mey , Chao Jane C.-J.
Published: October 2012

The present study investigated dietary intake, glucose metabolism and sex hormones in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A total of forty-five women (aged 25–40 years) with PCOS and 161 control women (aged 25–43 years) with non-PCOS-related infertility were recruited. Anthropometry, glucose tolerance and sex hormones were determined and dietary intake was assessed. Women with PCOS had lower serum sex hormone-binding globulin and increased BMI, waist:hip ratio, luteinising hormone, ratio of luteinising hormone:follicle-stimulating hormone, testosterone and free androgen index (FAI). Postprandial glucose, fasting insulin and insulin resistance were elevated in women with PCOS. Women with PCOS had reduced energy and carbohydrate intake but higher fat intake. Serum sex hormone-binding globulin level was negatively associated with BMI in both groups and negatively correlated with macronutrient intake in the PCOS group with hyperandrogenism. However, FAI was positively correlated with BMI, waist circumference and glucose metabolic parameters in both groups. Therefore, women with PCOS consume lower energy and carbohydrate compared with those with non-PCOS-related infertility and macronutrient intake is only negatively associated with serum sex hormone-binding globulin level in the PCOS group with hyperandrogenism.
There Can Be No Compromise: Institutional Inclusiveness, Fractionalization and Domestic Terrorism
Authors: Foster Dennis M. , Braithwaite Alex , Sobek David
Published: October 2012

Research on terrorism in democracies borrows from the literature on civil war and rebellion to argue that more proportional representation decreases the likelihood of terrorist violence. However, theories of broader social mobilization may be ill-suited to predicting the occurrence of terrorism. This article proposes that proportionalism's institutionalization of small minority groups as legitimate but relatively insignificant political actors leads to militancy. Analyses of the Global Terrorism Database on domestic terrorist attacks across all democracies in 1975–2007 provide broad support for this argument. The presence and greater degrees of proportionalism are significantly associated with greater levels of domestic terrorism when ethnic fractionalization within a given society increases. Moreover, domestic terrorism increases as the number of small parties represented in the legislature increases.
The Politics of Private Foreign Aid: Humanitarian Principles, Economic Development Objectives, and Organizational Interests in NGO Private Aid Allocation
Authors: Büthe Tim , Major Solomon , Souza André de Mello e
Published: October 2012

A large and increasing share of international humanitarian and development aid is raised from nongovernmental sources, allocated by transnational NGOs. We know little about this private foreign aid, not even how it is distributed across recipient countries, much less what explains the allocation. This article presents an original data set, based on detailed financial records from most of the major U.S.-based humanitarian and development NGOs, which allows us for the first time to map and analyze the allocation of U.S. private aid. We find no support for the common claim that aid NGOs systematically prioritize their organizational self-interest when they allocate private aid, and we find only limited support for the hypothesis that expected aid effectiveness drives aid allocation. By contrast, we find strong support for the argument that the deeply rooted humanitarian discourse within and among aid NGOs drives their aid allocation, consistent with a view of aid NGOs as principled actors and constructivist theories of international relations. Recipients' humanitarian need is substantively and statistically the most significant determinant of U.S. private aid allocation (beyond a regional effect in favor of Latin American countries). Materialist concerns do not crowd out ethical norms among these NGOs.
International Organizations as Policy Advisors
Authors: Fang Songying , Stone Randall W.
Published: October 2012

How can international organizations persuade governments to adopt policy recommendations that are based on private information when their interests conflict? We develop a game-theoretic model of persuasion that applies regardless of regime type and does not rely on the existence of domestic constituency constraints. In the model, an international organization (IO) and a domestic expert have private information about a crisis, but their preferences diverge from those of the government, which must choose whether to delegate decision making to the expert. Persuasion can take place if the international institution is able to send a credible signal. We find that this can take place only if the preferences of the IO and the domestic expert diverge and the institution holds the more moderate policy position. This result contrasts with conventional wisdom, which holds that the necessary condition for IOs to exert influence is support from a domestic constituency with aligned preferences. Our model suggests that, far from being an obstacle to international cooperation, polarized domestic politics may be a necessary condition for IOs to exert effective influence.
The life cycle and geographical distribution of the monorchiidProctotrema bartolii(Digenea) in the clamDarina solenoidesfrom the Patagonian coast, Argentina
Authors: Gilardoni C. , Carballo M.C. , Cremonte F.
Published: October 2012

The life cycle ofProctotrema bartoliiCarballo, Laurenti & Cremonte 2011 (Digenea: Monorchiidae) at Fracasso Beach (the type locality) (42°25′S, 64°07′W), Península Valdés, Argentina, was investigated. This digenean uses the clamDarina solenoides(Mactridae) as both the first and second intermediate hosts in the natural environment. The metacercariae were located mainly at the tip of the incurrent siphon, with an infection prevalence of 100%. Experimental infections in other macroinvertebrates, such as the clamTellina petitianaand the polychaeteGlycera americana, were successful, but these and other invertebrates are not naturally infected. SilversidesOdontesthes smittiandOdontesthesnigricans(Pisces: Atherinopsidae) and the mulletEleginops maclovinus(Eleginopidae) act as the definitive hosts of both experimentally and naturally obtained adults. Fish acquire infection by eating either the siphon or the entire clam.Proctotrema bartoliiseems to be endemic to the Magellan Region and is distributed where its intermediate clam host is present, from the San José Gulf in Península Valdés to the southern tip of South America.
Parasitoses of the human central nervous system
Authors: Finsterer J. , Auer H.
Published: October 2012

Cerebral involvement in parasitoses is an important clinical manifestation of most of the human parasitoses. Parasites that have been described to affect the central nervous system (CNS), either as the dominant or as a collateral feature, include cestodes (Taenia solium (neurocysticerciasis), Echinococcus granulosus (cerebral cystic echinococcosis), E. multilocularis (cerebral alveolar echinococcosis), Spirometra mansoni (neurosparganosis)), nematodes (Toxocara canis and T. cati (neurotoxocariasis), Trichinella spiralis (neurotrichinelliasis), Angiostrongylus cantonensis and A. costaricensis (neuroangiostrongyliasis), Gnathostoma spinigerum (gnathostomiasis)), trematodes (Schistosoma mansoni (cerebral bilharziosis), Paragonimus westermani (neuroparagonimiasis)), or protozoa (Toxoplasma gondii (neurotoxoplasmosis), Acanthamoeba spp. or Balamuthia mandrillaris (granulomatous amoebic encephalitis), Naegleria (primary amoebic meningo-encephalitis), Entamoeba histolytica (brain abscess), Plasmodium falciparum (cerebral malaria), Trypanosoma brucei gambiense/rhodesiense (sleeping sickness) or Trypanosoma cruzi (cerebral Chagas disease)). Adults or larvae of helminths or protozoa enter the CNS and cause meningitis, encephalitis, ventriculitis, myelitis, ischaemic stroke, bleeding, venous thrombosis or cerebral abscess, clinically manifesting as headache, epilepsy, weakness, cognitive decline, impaired consciousness, confusion, coma or focal neurological deficits. Diagnosis of cerebral parasitoses is dependent on the causative agent. Available diagnostic tools include clinical presentation, blood tests (eosinophilia, plasmodia in blood smear, antibodies against the parasite), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) investigations, imaging findings and occasionally cerebral biopsy. Treatment relies on drugs and sometimes surgery. Outcome of cerebral parasitoses is highly variable, depending on the effect of drugs, whether they are self-limiting (e.g. Angiostrongylus costaricensis) or whether they remain undetected or asymptomatic, like 25% of neurocysticerciasis cases.
Messenger RNAs in metaphase II oocytes correlate with successful embryo development to the blastocyst stage
Authors: Biase Fernando Henrique , Everts Robin Edward , Oliveira Rosane , Santos-Biase Weruska Karyna Freitas , Fonseca Merighe Giovana Krempel , Smith Lawrence Charles , Martelli Lúcia , Lewin Harris , Meirelles Flávio Vieira
Published: October 2012

The mRNAs accumulated in oocytes provide support for embryo development until embryo genomic activation. We hypothesized that the maternal mRNA stock present in bovine oocytes is associated with embryo development until the blastocyst stage. To test our hypothesis, we analyzed the transcriptome of the oocyte and correlated the results with the embryo development. Our goal was to identify genes expressed in the oocyte that correlate with its ability to develop to the blastocyst stage. A fraction of oocyte cytoplasm was biopsied using micro-aspiration and stored for further expression analysis. Oocytes were activated chemically, cultured individually and classified according to their capacity to developin vitroto the blastocyst stage. Microarray analysis was performed on mRNA extracted from the oocyte cytoplasm fractions and correlated with its ability to develop to the blastocyst stage (good quality oocyte) or arrest at the 8–16-cell stage (bad quality oocyte). The expression of 4320 annotated genes was detected in the fractions of cytoplasm that had been collected from oocytes maturedin vitro.Gene ontology classification revealed that enriched gene expression of genes was associated with certain biological processes: ‘RNA processing’, ‘translation’ and ‘mRNA metabolic process’. Genes that are important to the molecular functions of ‘RNA binding’ and ‘translation factor activity, RNA binding’ were also enriched in oocytes. We identified 29 genes with differential expression between the two groups of oocytes compared (good versus bad quality). The content of mRNAs expressed in metaphase II oocytes influences the activation of the embryonic genome and enables further develop to the blastocyst stage.
Care for the cancer caregiver: A systematic review
Authors: Applebaum Allison J. , Breitbart William
Published: October 2012

Objective:

Informal caregivers (ICs) are relatives, friends, and partners who have a significant relationship with and provide assistance (i.e., physical, emotional) to a patient with a life- threatening, incurable illness. The multidimensional burden that results from providing care to a patient with cancer is well documented, and as a result, a growing number of psychosocial interventions have been developed specifically to address this burden. The purpose of the present study was to characterize the state of the science of psychosocial interventions for informal cancer caregivers.

Method:

A comprehensive systematic review of interventions for cancer caregivers was conducted via an electronic literature search of publications between 1980 and January 13, 2011. A final sample of 49 interventions was reviewed in detail.

Results:

The interventions, which varied in terms of modality and patient population, fell into the following eight categories: psychoeducation, problem-solving/skills building interventions, supportive therapy, family/couples therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, complementary and alternative medicine interventions, and existential therapy. Benefits and disadvantages of each of the categories are discussed, with special attention given to studies that produced null findings.

Significance of results:

Beyond specific techniques, structured, goal-oriented, and time-limited interventions that are integrative appear to be the most feasible and offer the greatest benefits for ICs of cancer patients. Future studies are needed to examine the specific benefits and challenges of delivering interventions in alternative modalities (Internet, Skype) so that the needs of a greater number of ICs may be addressed.
A different sense of humanity: occupation in Francis Lieber's Code
Authors: Giladi Rotem
Published: October 2012

Accounts narrating the history of the modern law of occupation display ambivalence to the 1863 Lieber Code. At times, they mark the humanity of its provisions on occupied territories; at others, they find its concept of humanity in occupation limited compared to subsequent developments. A broader reading of the Code against Lieber's published works, teaching, and correspondence reveals a unique – and disconcerting –sense of humanity pervading through its provisions. Lieber's different sense of humanity, not directed at individuals, throws light on the history of the law governing occupied territories today and paves the way for critical reflections on its conceptual bases.
Task Switching, Modality Compatibility, and the Supra-Modal Function of Eye Movements
Authors: Stephan Denise Nadine , Koch Iring , Hendler Jessica , Huestegge Lynn
Published: October 2012

Previous research suggested that specific pairings of stimulus and response modalities (visual-manual and auditory-vocal tasks) lead to better dual-task performance than other pairings (visual-vocal and auditory-manual tasks). In the present task-switching study, we further examined this modality compatibility effect and investigated the role of response modality by additionally studying oculomotor responses as an alternative to manual responses. Interestingly, the switch cost pattern revealed a much stronger modality compatibility effect for groups in which vocal and manual responses were combined as compared to a group involving vocal and oculomotor responses, where the modality compatibility effect was largely abolished. We suggest that in the vocal-manual response groups the modality compatibility effect is based on cross-talk of central processing codes due to preferred stimulus-response modality processing pathways, whereas the oculomotor response modality may be shielded against cross-talk due to the supra-modal functional importance of visual orientation.
When Seeing a Dog Activates the Bark
Authors: Brunel Lionel , Goldstone Robert L. , Vallet Guillaume , Riou Benoit , Versace Rémy
Published: October 2012

The goal of the present study was to find evidence for a multisensory generalization effect (i.e., generalization from one sensory modality to another sensory modality). The authors used an innovative paradigm (adapted from Brunel, Labeye, Lesourd, & Versace, 2009 ) involving three phases: a learning phase, consisting in the categorization of geometrical shapes, which manipulated the rules of association between shapes and a sound feature, and two test phases. The first of these was designed to examine the priming effect of the geometrical shapes seen in the learning phase on target tones (i.e., priming task), while the aim of the second was to examine the probability of recognizing the previously learned geometrical shapes (i.e., recognition task). When a shape category was mostly presented with a sound during learning, all of the primes (including those not presented with a sound in the learning phase) enhanced target processing compared to a condition in which the primes were mostly seen without a sound during learning. A pattern of results consistent with this initial finding was also observed during recognition, with the participants being unable to pick out the shape seen without a sound during the learning phase. Experiment 1 revealed a multisensory generalization effect across the members of a category when the objects belonging to the same category share the same value on the shape dimension. However, a distinctiveness effect was observed when a salient feature distinguished the objects within the category (Experiment 2a vs. 2b).
When Audition Dominates Vision
Authors: Robinson Christopher W. , Sloutsky Vladimir M.
Published: October 2012

Presenting information to multiple sensory modalities sometimes facilitates and sometimes interferes with processing of this information. Research examining interference effects shows that auditory input often interferes with processing of visual input in young children (i.e., auditory dominance effect), whereas visual input often interferes with auditory processing in adults (i.e., visual dominance effect). The current study used a cross-modal statistical learning task to examine modality dominance in adults. Participants ably learned auditory and visual statistics when auditory and visual sequences were presented unimodally and when auditory and visual sequences were correlated during training. However, increasing task demands resulted in an important asymmetry: Increased task demands attenuated visual statistical learning, while having no effect on auditory statistical learning. These findings are consistent with auditory dominance effects reported in young children and have important implications for our understanding of how sensory modalities interact while learning the structure of cross-modal information.
Influence of Gaze Observation on Random Number Generation
Authors: Grade Stéphane , Lefèvre Nathalie , Pesenti Mauro
Published: October 2012

Recent findings suggest that number processing is intimately linked to space and attention orienting processes. For example, processing numbers induces shifts of spatial attention, with small numbers causing leftward shifts and large numbers causing rightward shifts, suggesting that number magnitude might be represented on a left-to-right mental number line. However, whether inducing spatial attention shifts would in turn influence number production, and whether such influence, if observed, would be restricted to the left-to-right orientation or would extend to an up-to-down orientation in space, remains a matter of debate. The present study assessed whether observing gaze movements, known to moderate spatial attention, was able to influence a random number generation task, and how different directions of the gaze moderated this influence. Participants were asked to randomly produce a number between 1 and 10 after they observed either a horizontal or a vertical eye gaze, or after they observed color changes as a control condition. The results revealed that number production was influenced by the prior presentation of specific gaze changes. Observing leftward or downward gaze led participants to produce more small than large numbers, whereas observing gaze oriented rightward and upward or observing color changes did not influence the magnitude of the numbers produced. These results show that the characteristics of the observed gaze changes primed number magnitude, but that this only held true for some movements, and these were not restricted to the left-to-right axis.
Can Restoring Incomplete Microcirculatory Reperfusion Improve Stroke Outcome after Thrombolysis?
Authors: Dalkara Turgay , Arsava Ethem Murat
Published: October 2012

Substantial experimental data and recent clinical evidence suggesting that tissue reperfusion is a better predictor of outcome after thrombolysis than recanalization necessitate that patency of microcirculation after recanalization should be reevaluated. If indeed microcirculatory blood flow cannot be sufficiently reinstituted despite complete recanalization as commonly observed in coronary circulation, it may be one of the factors contributing to low efficacy of thrombolysis in stroke. Although microvascular no-reflow is considered an irreversible process that prevents tissue recovery from injury, emerging evidence suggests that it might be reversed with pharmacological agents administered early during recanalization. Therefore, therapeutic approaches aiming at reducing microvascular obstructions may improve success rate of recanalization therapies. Importantly, promoting oxygen delivery to the tissue, where entrapped erythrocytes cannot circulate in capillaries, with ongoing serum flow may improve survival of the underreperfused tissue. Altogether, these developments bring about the exciting possibility that benefit of reperfusion therapies can be further improved by restoring microcirculatory function because survival in the penumbra critically depends on adequate blood supply. Here, we review the available evidence suggesting presence of an ‘incomplete microcirculatory reperfusion’ (IMR) after focal cerebral ischemia and discuss potential means that may help investigate IMR in stroke patients after recanalization therapies despite technical limitations.
Robust Digital Holography For Ultracold Atom Trapping
Authors: Gaunt Alexander L. , Hadzibabic Zoran
Published: October 2012

We have formulated and experimentally demonstrated an improved algorithm for design of arbitrary two-dimensional holographic traps for ultracold atoms. Our method builds on the best previously available algorithm, MRAF and improves on it in two ways. First, it allows for creation of holographic atom traps with a well defined background potential. Second, we experimentally show that for creating trapping potentials free of fringing artifacts it is important to go beyond the Fourier approximation in modelling light propagation. To this end, we incorporate full Helmholtz propagation into our calculations.
Synthesis and binding affinities for sst receptors of cyclic peptoid SRIF-mimetics
Authors: Caumes Cécile , Hjelmgaard Thomas , Roy Olivier , Reynaud Morgane , Servent Denis , Taillefumier Claude , Faure Sophie
Published: October 2012

Synthesis of the first all-peptoid SRIF (Somatotropin Release-Inhibiting Factor) analogues and evaluation of their binding affinities for the five human somatostatin receptors (hsst1–5).
From Loom to Machine: Tibetan Aprons and the Configuration of Place
Authors: Harris Tina
Published: October 2012

In this paper I examine how objects become connected to place in complex and contradictory ways. Over the past ten to fifteen years, rapid transformations in Chinese manufacturing and transportation networks have significantly altered the production, marketing, and consumption of commodities made in the Tibet Autonomous Region and traded in Kalimpong, India, and Kathmandu, Nepal. In an attempt to connect the ethnographic study of material culture with more macrolevel processes of geoeconomic change, I begin the piece with an examination of the changing production, materials, and styles of a very specific commodity, the Tibetan women's apron. I then explore traders' narratives about the values of handmade, machine-made, wool, and synthetic commodities, arguing that we ought to look beyond dichotomies of ‘old’ versus ‘new’ or ‘authentic’ versus ‘inauthentic’ objects to show in detail how the attachment of commodities to representations of place figures importantly in the contemporary study both of globalization and uneven development. Finally, I suggest that Karl Marx's notion of dead labor is useful in analyzing the recent move towards the revitalization of Tibetan wool for both the domestic Chinese industry and the global tourist industry.
Illegality in Settlement Heterotopias: A Study of Frontier Governance in the Brazilian Amazon
Authors: Otsuki Kei
Published: October 2012

It is often argued that various forms of illegality persist in the Brazilian Amazon because of weak frontier governance. However, very little is understood about how this governance can be strengthened in the context of social and spatial change in a way that will counter illegality. Drawing on the concept of heterotopias, as discussed by Michel Foucault, and the life history of an illegal logger in an agrarian reform settlement project in the state of Pará, this paper approaches frontier governance by conceptualising the ‘settlement heterotopia’ as a real, lived-in place in which the space that makes up various state and nonstate actors' sites of action interact and continually rearrange power relations. This rearrangement process may or may not work to legitimise illegality and, therefore, strengthening frontier governance involves a process by which collaborative power relations emerge and residents decide to work with the state instead of alongside illegality.
‘Worlds of Justification’ in the Politics and Practices of Urban Regeneration
Authors: Fuller Crispian
Published: October 2012

A considerable body of research has developed on processes of neoliberal urban regeneration and gentrification. On the one hand, there are many political economy accounts emphasising the role of economic capital in processes of urban change and gentrification. On the other hand, there is a wealth of governmentality studies on the art of government that fail to explain how ungovernable subjects develop. Similarly, within gentrification studies there are many accounts on the role of changing consumer lifestyles and defining gentrification, but less concern with the governance processes between actors in urban regeneration and gentrification. Yet such issues are of considerable importance given the role of the state in urban regeneration and dependence on private capital. This paper utilises the French Pragmatist approach of Boltanski and Thévenot to examine a case study state-led gentrification project. Boltanski and Thévenot argue that social coordination occurs by way of actors working through broader value-laden ‘worlds of justification’ that underpin processes of argumentation and coordination. The examined case study is a deprived area within an English city where a major state-led gentrification programme has been introduced. The rationale for the programme is based on the assumption that reducing deprivation relies upon substantially increasing the number of higher income earners. The paper concludes that market values have overridden broader civic values in the negotiation process, with this intensifying as the state internalised market crisis tendencies within the project. More broadly, there is a need for French Pragmatism to be more sensitive to the spatial processes of social coordination, which can be achieved through critical engagement with recent concepts of ‘assemblages’.
Dwelling as Marking and Claiming
Authors: Rose Mitch
Published: October 2012

The aim of this paper is to put forth a conception of dwelling as a practice of marking and claiming. By this I mean that dwelling does not designate a passive condition but a mode of human practice. By suggesting that dwelling is marking I am highlighting the intimate relationship between dwelling and building. While in “Building dwelling thinking” (in Poetry, Language, Thought 1971, Harper and Row, New York) Heidegger encourages the reader to look beyond building in order to see how it is grounded in dwelling, his emphasis on techne in other work illustrates that he sees building and dwelling as two sides of the same coin. Not only must we dwell in order to build, but we must build in order to dwell. To dwell means to build and building is how we constitute our dwelling. At the same time, I argue that dwelling is only ever a claim. While Heidegger always understands human action as limited by our temporal situation (beings that are thrown and that face death), his later work elaborates this context through the conception of the fourfold. The fourfold emphasises how marking (as building) is always undermined and overwhelmed by the spatial/temporal unfolding of the world itself. Thus, while mortals must build in order to dwell, all such buildings are claims—that is, assertions, allegations, and wagers announced in the face of a relentlessly moving world. The argument is developed by examining three Heideggerian concepts—the Augenblick, techne, and the fourfold—each of which contributes to this particular notion of dwelling.
Mapping Children's Politics: The Promise of Articulation and the Limits of Nonrepresentational Theory
Authors: Mitchell Katharyne , Elwood Sarah
Published: October 2012

Reflecting wider debates in the discipline, recent scholarship in children's geographies has focused attention on the meanings of the political. While supportive of work that opens up new avenues for conceptualizing politics beyond the liberal rational subject, we provide a critique of research methods which delink politics from historical context and relations of power. Focusing on the use of nonrepresentational theory as a research methodology, the paper points to the limits of this approach for children's political formation as well as for sustained scholarly collaboration. We argue instead for a politics of articulation, in the double sense of communication and connection. An empirical case study is used as an illustrative example.
State Encounters
Authors: Jones Rhys
Published: October 2012

Much has been made in recent years of the need to promote anthropological understandings of ‘the state’. Work in this area has tended to focus on either (1) the peopled aspects of state bureaucracies or (2) the effect of ‘the state’ on the everyday lives of its citizens. Some authors have also begun to move beyond these concerns by examining the ways in which the actions of state agents can affect the everyday lives of citizens and how citizens can reach back to influence the peopled qualities of ‘the state’. My aim in this paper is to examine the sociospatial encounters between what may be considered as state agents and citizens. In doing so I seek to: undermine the idea that there is a fixed boundary between what is considered to be ‘the state’ and what is viewed as civil society; illustrate how the identities of state agents and citizens are forged in relation to one another; show how these peopled encounters can be used by state elites as a means of promoting neoliberal agendas. As a way of grounding these conceptual concerns, I draw on some recent empirical work that I have conducted on Citizens Advice, the organisation that has worked since 1939 as a provider of all manner of welfare advice to the citizens of the UK. I conclude by emphasising that states—commonly conceived of as stable and enduring organisations that structure everyday life—are, in fact, in a continual state of emergence.
Phylogeny and proposed circumscription of Breynia, Sauropus and Synostemon (Phyllanthaceae), based on chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequences
Authors: Pruesapan Kanchana , Telford Ian R. H. , Bruhl Jeremy J. , van Welzen Peter C.
Published: October 2012

Previous estimates of phylogeny in the Phyllanthaceae, Phyllantheae, have been hampered by undersampling of species from morphologically distinctive groups and using too few gene regions. To increase the phylogenetic resolution, sequences of two nuclear (ITS1–5.8S–ITS2) and Phytochrome C (PHYC)) and two non-coding chloroplast (accD–psaI, trnS–trnG) DNA markers were analysed using maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference with expanded sampling in Breynia, Glochidion, Sauropus and Synostemon. Our results supported reinstatement of Synostemon, previously included in Sauropus s.str., to generic rank, and provided evidence towards its future infrageneric classification. The results also indicated expansion of Breynia to include Sauropus s.str.; this combined monophyletic group consists of two strongly supported clades. Finally, we showed monophyly for Glochidion, which is sister to Phyllanthus subg. Phyllanthodendron, both still remaining undersampled. Morphological features characteristic of Breynia, Sauropus and Synostemon are discussed, as well as the desirability of dividing Phyllanthus into smaller genera.
Flower biology and subspecies concepts in Micropholis guyanensis (Sapotaceae): evidence of ephemeral flowers in the family
Authors: Terra-Araujo Mário Henrique , Donisete de Faria Aparecida , Ribeiro José Eduardo Lahoz da Silva , Swenson Ulf
Published: October 2012

Micropholis guyanensis (A.DC.) Pierre is a tree from the rainforests of tropical South America and includes two recognised and one informal subspecies. The species has a wide geographic distribution from Central America, northern and western South America to Amazonia and Bolivia, and is morphologically variable. All subspecies occur in the Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke just outside Manaus, Amazonas State in Brazil, and it can be questioned how they can grow in sympatry and retain their identity. We have studied vegetative variation, flower morphology and, to some degree, reproductive barriers. The species is dioecious, has five-merous, cream to greenish flowers that produce pollen, nectar and scent to attract pollinators. The flowering period is between June and October, and the plants set fruits, one seed in each, between November and April. There was no overlap in flowering period in the study area between two of the presumed subspecies, but both have similar floral morphology and are pollinated by the same species of butterflies and bees. We are not able to find any clear distributional or morphological discontinuities between the subspecies and we, therefore, suggest that M. guyanensis should be considered a variable species without formally recognised subspecies. Flowers of M. guyanensis are highly ephemeral and persist only for 1 day (~27 h) before falling to the ground. We predict that this is typical for many species of Sapotaceae, which can explain why the corolla is missing from the majority of herbarium specimens that at first sight have flowers.
Associations between early life adversity and executive function in children adopted internationally from orphanages
Authors: Hostinar Camelia E. , Stellern Sarah A. , Schaefer Catherine , Carlson Stephanie M. , Gunnar Megan R.
Published: October 2012

Executive function (EF) abilities are increasingly recognized as an important protective factor for children experiencing adversity, promoting better stress and emotion regulation as well as social and academic adjustment. We provide evidence that early life adversity is associated with significant reductions in EF performance on a developmentally sensitive battery of laboratory EF tasks that measured cognitive flexibility, working memory, and inhibitory control. Animal models also suggest that early adversity has a negative impact on the development of prefrontal cortex-based cognitive functions. In this study, we report EF performance 1 y after adoption in 2.5- to 4-y-old children who had experienced institutional care in orphanages overseas compared with a group of age-matched nonadopted children. To our knowledge, this is the youngest age and the soonest after adoption that reduced EF performance has been shown using laboratory measures in this population. EF reductions in performance were significant above and beyond differences in intelligence quotient. Within the adopted sample, current EF was associated with measures of early deprivation after controlling for intelligence quotient, with less time spent in the birth family before placement in an institution and lower quality of physical/social care in institutions predicting poorer performance on the EF battery.
In vivo, Pikfyve generates PI(3,5)P
2
, which serves as both a signaling lipid and the major precursor for PI5P
Authors: Zolov Sergey N. , Bridges Dave , Zhang Yanling , Lee Wei-Wei , Riehle Ellen , Verma Rakesh , Lenk Guy M. , Converso-Baran Kimber , Weide Thomas , Albin Roger L. , Saltiel Alan R. , Meisler Miriam H. , Russell Mark W. , Weisman Lois S.
Published: October 2012

Mutations that cause defects in levels of the signaling lipid phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate [PI(3,5)P
2
] lead to profound neurodegeneration in mice. Moreover, mutations in human FIG4 predicted to lower PI(3,5)P
2
levels underlie Charcot–Marie–Tooth type 4J neuropathy and are present in selected cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In yeast and mammals, PI(3,5)P
2
is generated by a protein complex that includes the lipid kinase Fab1/Pikfyve, the scaffolding protein Vac14, and the lipid phosphatase Fig4. Fibroblasts cultured from
Vac14
−/−
and Fig4
−/−
mouse mutants have a 50% reduction in the levels of PI(3,5)P
2
, suggesting that there may be PIKfyve-independent pathways that generate this lipid. Here, we characterize a
Pikfyve
gene-trap mouse (
Pikfyve

β
-geo/
β
-geo

), a hypomorph with ∼10% of the normal level of Pikfyve protein. shRNA silencing of the residual
Pikfyve
transcript in fibroblasts demonstrated that Pikfyve is required to generate all of the PI(3,5)P
2
pool. Surprisingly, Pikfyve also is responsible for nearly all of the phosphatidylinositol-5-phosphate (PI5P) pool. We show that PI5P is generated directly from PI(3,5)P
2
, likely via 3′-phosphatase activity. Analysis of tissues from the
Pikfyve

β
-geo/
β
-geo

mouse mutants reveals that Pikfyve is critical in neural tissues, heart, lung, kidney, thymus, and spleen. Thus, PI(3,5)P
2
and PI5P have major roles in multiple organs. Understanding the regulation of these lipids may provide insights into therapies for multiple diseases.
Interleukin 7 (IL-7) selectively promotes mouse and human IL-17–producing γδ cells
Authors: Michel Marie-Laure , Pang Dick J. , Haque Syeda F. Y. , Potocnik Alexandre J. , Pennington Daniel J. , Hayday Adrian C.
Published: October 2012

IL-17–producing CD27−γδ cells (γδ27−cells) are widely viewed as innate immune cells that make critical contributions to host protection and autoimmunity. However, factors that promote them over IFN-γ–producing γδ27+cells are poorly elucidated. Moreover, although human IL-17–producing γδ cells are commonly implicated in inflammation, such cells themselves have proved difficult to isolate and characterize. Here, murine γδ27−T cells and thymocytes are shown to be rapidly and substantially expanded by IL-7 in vitro and in vivo. This selectivity owes in substantial part to the capacity of IL-7 to activate STAT3 in such cells. Additionally, IL-7 promotes strong responses of IL-17–producing γδ cells to TCR agonists, thus reemphasizing the cells’ adaptive and innate potentials. Moreover, human IL-17–producing γδ cells are also substantially expanded by IL-7 plus TCR agonists. Hence, IL-7 has a conserved potential to preferentially regulate IL-17–producing γδ cells, with both biological and clinical implications.
Therapeutic inhibition of the miR-34 family attenuates pathological cardiac remodeling and improves heart function
Authors: Bernardo Bianca C. , Gao Xiao-Ming , Winbanks Catherine E. , Boey Esther J. H. , Tham Yow Keat , Kiriazis Helen , Gregorevic Paul , Obad Susanna , Kauppinen Sakari , Du Xiao-Jun , Lin Ruby C. Y. , McMullen Julie R.
Published: October 2012

MicroRNAs are dysregulated in a setting of heart disease and have emerged as promising therapeutic targets. MicroRNA-34 family members (miR-34a, -34b, and -34c) are up-regulated in the heart in response to stress. In this study, we assessed whether inhibition of the miR-34 family using an s.c.-delivered seed-targeting 8-mer locked nucleic acid (LNA)-modified antimiR (LNA-antimiR-34) can provide therapeutic benefit in mice with preexisting pathological cardiac remodeling and dysfunction due to myocardial infarction (MI) or pressure overload via transverse aortic constriction (TAC). An additional cohort of mice subjected to MI was given LNA-antimiR-34a (15-mer) to inhibit miR-34a alone as a comparison for LNA-antimiR-34. LNA-antimiR-34 (8-mer) efficiently silenced all three miR-34 family members in both cardiac stress models and attenuated cardiac remodeling and atrial enlargement. In contrast, inhibition of miR-34a alone with LNA-antimiR-34a (15-mer) provided no benefit in the MI model. In mice subjected to pressure overload, LNA-antimiR-34 improved systolic function and attenuated lung congestion, associated with reduced cardiac fibrosis, increased angiogenesis, increased Akt activity, decreased atrial natriuretic peptide gene expression, and maintenance of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca
2+
ATPase gene expression. Improved outcome in LNA-antimiR-34–treated MI and TAC mice was accompanied by up-regulation of several direct miR-34 targets, including vascular endothelial growth factors, vinculin, protein
O
-fucosyltranferase 1, Notch1, and semaphorin 4B. Our results provide evidence that silencing of the entire miR-34 family can protect the heart against pathological cardiac remodeling and improve function. Furthermore, these data underscore the utility of seed-targeting 8-mer LNA-antimiRs in the development of new therapeutic approaches for pharmacologic inhibition of disease-implicated miRNA seed families.
Human serum protein enhances HIV-1 replication and up-regulates the transcription factor AP-1
Authors: Perdomo Maria F. , Hosia Waltteri , Jejcic Alenka , Corthals Garry L. , Vahlne Anders
Published: October 2012

In vitro studies on HIV (HIV-1) replication and neutralization are usually performed in human cell cultures supplemented with FBS instead of human serum (HS). Here we show that in contrast to FBS, addition of increasing amounts of human serum from noninfected donors to the cell culture directly correlates with an increase in HIV-1 replication in vitro. This effect is independent of cell line, virus strain, or batch of pooled human serum used. We found that human serum affects viral transcription in a dose-dependent manner by activating the activator protein-1 (AP-1) member proteins c-FOS, JunD, and JunB in TZM-bl cells. Analysis of the human serum component responsible for this effect indicates that it is a protein having a molecular mass between 250 and 300 kDa. This serum protein, HIV-1 enhancing serum protein (HESP), might promote viral transcription in vivo and consequently play a role in disease progression.