bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Living on the Edge of Queer Theory and Canada’s Uncanny Pluralism: Queer Religious Bodies as Constitutional Strangers
Authors: Blanc Nicolas
Published: May 2014

This paper investigates alternative critical insights into the conflict of religion and queerness in Canadian constitutional law, through the tools offered by Queer Theories. In Canada, this implies the adoption of a critical phenomenology of pluralism as the object of Queer Theory. Adjudicating pluralism becomes a sovereign performance, and publicness a zone of national intimacy. The conflict of rights produces a typology of queer religious bodies as constitutional strangers through a range of capacities that a body can or cannot do. Will be argued that the norm of religious citizenship is heteronormativity, and the norm of queer citizenship deciphers the ascendency of male whiteness.
Supra-sentence levels
Authors: Altmann Gabriel
Published: May 2014

Sentence is the highest linguistic level for a grammarian. However, a text may be subdivided in units which may but need not consist of sentences. The article concerns the intermediate space between text and sentence and searches for possible supra-sentence entities. At the same time, it shows their interrelations whose mathematization could lead to a special aspect of text theory.
Gegen-: Zur Gesetzmäßigkeit der Ausbreitung einer Wortkonstituente
Authors: Best Karl-Heinz
Published: May 2014

The purpose of this paper is to present some further evidence for the validity of the logistic law in language change. To this end we test some data on the increase of the constituent
Diachrone Perspektiven im Historischen deutschen Valenzwörterbuch
Authors: Greule Albrecht
Published: May 2014

The Historic German Valency Dictionary should not be only a synchronic description of the valency of a selection of Old High German, Middle High German and Early Hew High German verbs, but also illustrate the history of valency (diachronic) of these verbs within a semantic field. This paper gives an overview of the previous research undertaken in the field of the history of valency. Based on a case study, it develops a method to illustrate the history of valency by the comparison of synchronic historic cross-sections.
Quantitative analysis of Chinese characters system based on a tree model
Authors: Hu Jiajia , Wang Ning
Published: May 2014

As an ideographic system, Chinese writing is not based on the irreducible elements used in speaking (e.g., syllabic or alphabetic elements) as in phonetic systems. Consequently, there is a misperception that in Chinese writing, each character is treated as a separate symbol, which makes it seem very difficult to learn Chinese writing. In the modern study of Chinese ideography, the elements of Chinese writing are called components, which can play a quadruple role in composing characters. Based on this understanding of components, this paper uses the mathematical tree model to analyse the structure of Chinese characters and create a computational description of all of the character structures explained in
Synthesis of novel oxepine-containing polycyclic-fused quinoline systems
Authors: Gao Wentao , Nie Chengming , Xu Liangyu , Zhao Binbin , Li Yang
Published: May 2014

In the present investigation, the incorporation of the oxepine ring into a polycyclic-fused quinoline system leading to a series of structurally novel hybrids benzo[h]areno[6,7]oxepino[3,4-b]quinolin-8(14H)-ones has been achieved through a simple, and economical two-step procedure that involves the one-pot synthesis of 2-(aryloxymethyl)benzo[h]quinoline-3-carboxylic acids followed by intramolecular Friedel-Crafts acylation reaction using Eaton’s reagent.
Facile one-pot synthesis of chromeno[4,3-b]quinoline derivatives catalyzed by Cu(II)-Schiff base/SBA-15
Authors: Motamedi Radineh , Bardajee Ghasem Rezanejade , Shakeri Somaye
Published: May 2014

A novel, one-pot, simple, environmentally benign and efficient protocol has been employed for the synthesis of chromeno[4,3-b]quinoline derivatives in the presence of catalytic amounts of Cu(II)-Schiff base/SBA-15 under solvent-free conditions in excellent yields and rates.
Synthesis of pyridine derivatives as potential antagonists of chemokine receptor type 4
Authors: Mooring Suazette Reid , Gaines Theresa , Liang Zhongxing , Shim Hyunsuk
Published: May 2014

A series of pyridine derivatives were synthesized as potential inhibitors of chemokine receptor type 4. This chemokine receptor has been linked to various disease pathways including HIV-1 proliferation, autoimmune disorders, inflammatory diseases, and cancer metastasis. The compounds were tested for activity using an affinity binding assay and an assay that tests the ability to inhibit cell invasion. Two hit compounds (2b and 2j) have been identified for further evaluation that inhibit cell invasion by at least 50% and have an effective concentration of less than 100 nm in the binding affinity assay. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by spectral data.
Design and synthesis of novel active phosphonate esters and their application in preparation of ceftriaxone
Authors: Ren Hui-xue , Sun You-min , Wu Dao-ji , Ma Yong-shan , Ying Han-jie , Ma Yan
Published: May 2014

For a series of active phosphonate esters, the anhydride abbreviated as ANPTA (6a) exhibits the highest reactivity in the preparation of ceftriaxone. The synthesis of ceftriaxone was optimized with the pilot-scale yield reaching 95.7%. The results were explained from the structural viewpoint and supported by analysis of the calculated Mulliken atomic charge distribution.
Synthesis and reactivity of heterocyclic hydroxylamine-O-sulfonates
Authors: Sączewski Jarosław , Korcz Martyna
Published: May 2014

The heterocyclic hydroxylamine-O-sulfonates constitute a novel family of formal O-substituted hydroxyguanidines and hydroxyamidines that serve as functional precursors to a variety of fused heterocyclic ring systems incorporating N-N, N-O, N-S, or N-N+ moiety. They are readily accessible from the reaction of 2-chloroazoles, 2-chloroazines, and 2-chlorodiazines with hydroxylamine-O-sulfonic acid. They have a rich chemistry exemplified by tandem reactions, such as nucleophilic addition-electrophilic amination, nucleophilic addition-electrophilic 5-endo-trig cyclization or fluorogenic Mannich-electrophilic amination reaction. The heterocyclic hydroxylamine-O-sulfonates have significant potential for use in synthesis of anticancer, antiviral, and antimicrobial agents. The newly discovered fluorogenic reaction and fluorescent dyes (Safirinium-P and Safirinium-Q) have found applications in fluorescent detection and labeling.
New strategy for firm ventricular wall tap
Authors: Hayashi Toshiaki , Tominaga Teiji
Published: May 2014

Purpose: We report the effectiveness of a new strategy for ventricular cannulation that allows for easy insertion into the firm ventricular wall.

Method: The new ventricular needle consisting of an outer needle, a dull inner needle, and a sharp inner needle was used for a firm ventricular wall tap in five patients. The dull inner needle was used for the brain mantle tap, whereas the sharp needle was used for penetrating the ventricular wall. The outer needle with the insertion of the dull inner needle was set for initial puncture. If the operator felt that the ventricular wall was firm or confirmed that the tip of the cannula indented the wall of the ventricle using real-time ultrasound monitoring before penetrating the ventricle wall, then the inner needle was changed to the sharp one to penetrate the ventricular wall. After confirming that the trajectory was now passing into the ventricle, the ventricular catheter was placed using the trajectory.

Result: There was no perioperative complication associated with insertion of the device. All catheters were inserted with a single pass through the brain mantle.

Conclusion: The new ventricular tap strategy is safe and effective for firm ventricular wall tap and ventricular catheter insertions.
Water scarcity, water reuse, and environmental safety
Authors: Shevah Yehuda
Published: May 2014

In the arid and semi-arid regions, being the most water-deprived regions of the world, water scarcity is the most pressing challenge. The dry climate and the effects of the global warming are leading to increased pressure on the meager water resources causing a rapid quality degradation of chronically depleted water resources, while the use and disposal of numerous biological and chemical pollutants endangers the water bodies to a degree that part of the resources are not safe to use for human consumption, posing a health risk to the population. The degradation of water resources is magnified by the fast-growing population and the increase in domestic and irrigation water demand, which is impossible to meet from available natural resources. Such adverse development is already apparent in the Near East region (Israel, Palestine, and Jordan) where the shared water resources are already in a deteriorated state unable to satisfy the basic needs. To satisfy current and future needs, a new water resources management strategy is suggested, aiming at the sustainable use of available water resources, supplemented by the development of water reuse and desalination of brackish groundwater and seawater, cautiously considering the associated health and environmental safety, as discussed herewith.
Amyloid β in hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis-Dutch type
Authors: Kamp Juliette A. , Moursel Laure Grand , Haan Joost , Terwindt Gisela M. , Lesnik Oberstein Saskia A.M.J. , van Duinen Sjoerd G. , van Roon-Mom Willeke M.C.
Published: May 2014

Hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis – Dutch type is an autosomal dominant hereditary disease caused by a point mutation in the amyloid precursor protein gene on chromosome 21. The mutation causes an amino acid substitution at codon 693 (E22Q), the ‘Dutch mutation’. Amyloid β, the product after cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein, is secreted into the extracellular space. The Dutch mutation leads to altered amyloid β cleavage and secretion, enhanced aggregation properties, higher proteolysis resistance, lowered brain efflux transporter affinity, and enhanced cell surfaces binding. All these result in amyloid β accumulation in cerebral vessel walls, causing cell death and vessel wall integrity loss, making cerebral vessel walls in hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis-Dutch type more prone to rupture and obstruction, leading to hemorrhages and infarcts. Studying the effects of altered amyloid β metabolism due to mutations like the ‘Dutch’ provides us with a better understanding of amyloid β toxicity, also in other amyloid β diseases like sporadic cerebral amyloid angiopathy and Alzheimer’s disease.
A polynomial algorithm for the quadratic programming problem
Authors: Bereznev Valentin A.
Published: May 2014

An approach based on projection of a vector onto a pointed convex polyhedral cone is proposed for solving the quadratic programming problem with a positive definite matrix of the quadratic form. It is proved that this method has polynomial complexity. A method is said to be of polynomial computational complexity if the solution to the problem can be obtained in N
Energy equation for certain approximate models of long-wave hydrodynamics
Authors: Fedotova Zinaida I. , Khakimzyanov Gayaz S. , Dutykh Denys
Published: May 2014

A new derivation of completely nonlinear weakly-dispersive shallow water equations is given without assumption of flow potentiality. Boussinesq type equations are derived for weakly nonlinear waves above a moving bottom. It is established that the total energy balance condition holds for all nonlinear dispersion models obtained here.
Simulation of a kink movement in homogeneous and heterogeneous DNA sequences taking into account the dissipation
Authors: Yakushevich Ludmila V. , Grinevich Andrey A. , Ryasik Artem A.
Published: May 2014

The problem of modelling the movement of a nonlinear conformational perturbation (i.e., kink) along a DNA molecule is considered taking into account the dissipation. The study of movement peculiarities is performed using a homogeneous sequence of nucleotides and a heterogeneous one consisting of two homogeneous parts separated by a boundary. Using analytic and numerical methods, it is shown that the effect of dissipation leads to a decrease of the energy of kink E, its velocity v, and the mass M. It is also shown that the consideration of the dissipation near the boundary leads to a smoothing of kink motion trajectories in the plane {z, t} in comparison with trajectories calculated without taking into account the dissipation and characterized by a sharp bend on the boundary caused by effects of reflection from the boundary or by a passage through the boundary with an increase or decrease of motion velocity.
Asymptotic results for the regression function estimate on continuous time stationary and ergodic data
Authors: Didi Sultana , Louani Djamal
Published: May 2014

This paper is devoted to the study of asymptotic properties of the
regression function kernel estimate in the setting of continuous time
stationary and ergodic data. More precisely, considering the Nadaraya–Watson
type estimator, say m̂
T
(x), of the l-indexed regression function m(x) =𝔼 (l(Y)|X = x) built upon continuous time stationary and ergodic data (X

t
, Y

t
)0≤t≤T
, we establish its pointwise and uniform, over a dilative compact set, convergences with rates. Notice that the ergodic setting covers and completes various situations as compared to the mixing case and stands as more convenient to use in practice.
Prediction of regionalized car insurance risks based on control variates
Authors: Christiansen Marcus C. , Hirsch Christian , Schmidt Volker
Published: May 2014

We show how regional prediction of car insurance risks can be
improved for finer subregions by combining explanatory modeling
with phenomenological models from industrial practice. Motivated
by the control-variates technique, we propose a suitable combined
predictor when claims data are available for regions but not for
subregions. We provide explicit conditions which imply that the
mean squared error of the combined predictor is smaller than the
mean squared error of the standard predictor currently used in
industry and smaller than predictors from explanatory modeling.
We also discuss how a non-parametric random forest approach may be
used to practically compute such predictors and consider an
application to German car insurance data.
Vergleich der Scan-Performance bei
Nanopositioniersystemen mit großem
Bewegungsbereich
Authors: Zschäck Stephan , Hesse Steffen , Amthor Arvid , Katzschmann Michael , Schäffel Christoph , Ament Christoph
Published: May 2014

In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden zwei Nanopositioniersysteme in Bezug auf
ihre Positioniergenauigkeit während der Bewegung verglichen. Beide
Systeme besitzen einen planaren Bewegungsbereich von ≥ 100 mm, werden
durch Linearmotoren angetrieben und die Position wird durch
Laserinterferometer gemessen. Große Unterschiede existieren jedoch im
mechanischen Aufbau. Das erste Positioniersystem ist ein zweiachsiger
Demonstrator dessen zwei Läufer auf Wälzkörpern gelagert sind.
Dies führt zu dem Problem der besonders im Nanometerbereich stark
nichtlinearen Reibung. Bei dem zweiten Positioniersystem kommen Luftlager
zum Einsatz und darüber hinaus handelt es sich nur um einen Läufer,
welcher drei Freiheitsgrade besitzt. Es wird gezeigt, dass durch
regelungstechnische Methoden der Reibkraftkompensation die
Positioniergenauigkeit beider Systeme bis zu einer Geschwindigkeit von ca.
1 mm/s vergleichbar ist.
Bestimmung der Auslenkung von Mikrotastern mit optischen Methoden
Authors: Dierke Hanno , Fischer Marc , Schrader Christian , Nitsche Jan Erik , Abd-Elmageed Alaa-Eldin , Tutsch Rainer
Published: May 2014

Zur Verringerung des Aufwands bei der Erfassung mikromechanischer Merkmale mit taktilen Messgeräten werden mehrere in einem Array angeordnete Taststifte benutzt, um mehrere gleichartige, auf einem Wafer angeordnete, Strukturen gleichzeitig zu messen. Normalerweise erfolgt das Auslesen des Sensorsignals elektrisch. In den hier beschriebenen Untersuchungen wurden verschiedene optische Methoden verwendet, um die spiegelnde Rückseite des Tasterarrays zu beobachten und die Auslenkung der Taststifte simultan zu detektieren. Dazu wurden ein Hartmann-Shack-Wellenfrontsensor sowie die Auswertung über Streifenprojektionsverfahren genutzt. In beiden Fällen führt eine Auslenkung der Taststifte zu einer Deformation der spiegelnden Rückseite des Tasterarrays und damit zu einer sichtbaren Veränderung im optischen Signal. Durch Vergleich mit einem Bild des unverformten Arrays als Referenz kann die Auslenkung der Taststifte bestimmt werden.
Ultra-präzise Lageregelung mittels interferometrischer
Positionsdetektion und Tauchspulenantrieb
Authors: Köchert Paul , Flügge Jens , Köning Rainer , Weichert Christoph , Manske Eberhard
Published: May 2014

Dieser Beitrag beschreibt ein Mess- und Regelungssystem für einachsige
Positionieranwendungen mit Stabilitäten im Sub-Nanometerbereich. Das
Positioniersystem besteht aus einem luftgelagerten Linearschlitten, welcher
mit einer Tauchspule gestellt, dessen Position laser-interferometrisch
gemessen und unter Verwendung einer FPGA-gestützten Lageregelung mit
hoher Bandbreite geregelt wird. Eine selbstentwickelte Auswerteelektronik
zur Phasendemodulation wurde realisiert, um Positionen hochgenau zu
detektieren und dem Regelungssystem mit geringer Verzögerung bereit zu
stellen. Erste Messungen ergaben Positionsstabilitäten im Bereich von
0.1 nm.
Quasistatisch-resonanter Mikroscanner zur adaptiven
Auflösungssteuerung einer 3D ToF-Kamera
Authors: Sandner Thilo , Grasshoff Thomas , Schrödter Richard , Schwarzenberg Markus
Published: May 2014

Um zukünftig eine aktive, teilautonome Interaktion
von Robotern mit ihrer Umgebung zu gewährleisten, werden neuartige
3D-Sensoren benötigt, die eine hinreichend genaue Erfassung ihrer
Umgebung in Echtzeit ermöglichen und sich durch hohe Robustheit und
Miniaturisierung auszeichnen. Laserscanner ermöglichen zwar eine
präzise und robuste Entfernungsmessung über große Entfernungen
sind aber bzgl. ihrer Messrate auf etwa 1 MVoxel/s begrenzt. In diesem
Beitrag wird eine neuartige MEMS basierte 3D-Kamera vorgestellt, die durch
den Einsatz von quasistatisch-resonanten Mikroscannern eine schnelle und
situationsbezogene Steuerung der Scanbewegung und somit in Analogie zum
menschlichen Auge eine adaptive Anpassung der räumlichen Auflösung
im Scanbereich ermöglicht.
False Recall Is Reduced by Damage to the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex: Implications for Understanding the Neural Correlates of Schematic Memory
Authors: Warren David E. , Jones Samuel H. , Duff Melissa C. , Tranel Daniel
Published: May 2014

Schematic memory, or contextual knowledge derived from experience (Bartlett, 1932), benefits memory function by enhancing retention and speeding learning of related information (Bransford and Johnson, 1972; Tse et al., 2007). However, schematic memory can also promote memory errors, producing false memories. One demonstration is the “false memory effect” of the Deese–Roediger–McDermott (DRM) paradigm (Roediger and McDermott, 1995): studying words that fit a common schema (e.g., cold, blizzard, winter) often produces memory for a nonstudied word (e.g., snow). We propose that frontal lobe regions that contribute to complex decision-making processes by weighting various alternatives, such as ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), may also contribute to memory processes by weighting the influence of schematic knowledge. We investigated the role of human vmPFC in false memory by combining a neuropsychological approach with the DRM task. Patients with vmPFC lesions (n= 7) and healthy comparison participants (n= 14) studied word lists that excluded a common associate (the critical item). Recall and recognition tests revealed expected high levels of false recall and recognition of critical items by healthy participants. In contrast, vmPFC patients showed consistently reduced false recall, with significantly fewer intrusions of critical items. False recognition was also marginally reduced among vmPFC patients. Our findings suggest that vmPFC increases the influence of schematically congruent memories, a contribution that may be related to the role of the vmPFC in decision making. These novel neuropsychological results highlight a role for the vmPFC as part of a memory network including the medial temporal lobes and hippocampus (Andrews-Hanna et al., 2010).
Neuromodulation of Whisking Related Neural Activity in Superior Colliculus
Authors: Bezdudnaya Tatiana , Castro-Alamancos Manuel A.
Published: May 2014

The superior colliculus is part of a broader neural network that can decode whisker movements in air and on objects, which is a strategy used by behaving rats to sense the environment. The intermediate layers of the superior colliculus receive whisker-related excitatory afferents from the trigeminal complex and barrel cortex, inhibitory afferents from extrinsic and intrinsic sources, and neuromodulatory afferents from cholinergic and monoaminergic nuclei. However, it is not well known how these inputs regulate whisker-related activity in the superior colliculus. We found that barrel cortex afferents drive the superior colliculus during the middle portion of the rising phase of the whisker movement protraction elicited by artificial (fictive) whisking in anesthetized rats. In addition, both spontaneous and whisker-related neural activities in the superior colliculus are under strong inhibitory and neuromodulator control. Cholinergic stimulation activates the superior colliculus by increasing spontaneous firing and, in some cells, whisker-evoked responses. Monoaminergic stimulation has the opposite effects. The actions of neuromodulator and inhibitory afferents may be the basis of the different firing rates and sensory responsiveness observed in the superior colliculus of behaving animals during distinct behavioral states.
Enriched Expression of GluD1 in Higher Brain Regions and Its Involvement in Parallel Fiber–Interneuron Synapse Formation in the Cerebellum
Authors: Konno Kohtarou , Matsuda Keiko , Nakamoto Chihiro , Uchigashima Motokazu , Miyazaki Taisuke , Yamasaki Miwako , Sakimura Kenji , Yuzaki Michisuke , Watanabe Masahiko
Published: May 2014

Of the two members of the δ subfamily of ionotropic glutamate receptors, GluD2 is exclusively expressed at parallel fiber–Purkinje cell (PF–PC) synapses in the cerebellum and regulates their structural and functional connectivity. However, little is known to date regarding cellular and synaptic expression of GluD1 and its role in synaptic circuit formation. In the present study, we investigated this issue by producing specific and sensitive histochemical probes for GluD1 and analyzing cerebellar synaptic circuits in GluD1-knock-out mice. GluD1 was widely expressed in the adult mouse brain, with high levels in higher brain regions, including the cerebral cortex, striatum, limbic regions (hippocampus, nucleus accumbens, lateral septum, bed nucleus stria terminalis, lateral habenula, and central nucleus of the amygdala), and cerebellar cortex. In the cerebellar cortex, GluD1 mRNA was expressed at the highest level in molecular layer interneurons and its immunoreactivity was concentrated at PF synapses on interneuron somata. In GluD1-knock-out mice, the density of PF synapses on interneuron somata was significantly reduced and the size and number of interneurons were significantly diminished. Therefore, GluD1 is common to GluD2 in expression at PF synapses, but distinct from GluD2 in neuronal expression in the cerebellar cortex; that is, GluD1 in interneurons and GluD2 in PCs. Furthermore, GluD1 regulates the connectivity of PF–interneuron synapses and promotes the differentiation and/or survival of molecular layer interneurons. These results suggest that GluD1 works in concert with GluD2 for the construction of cerebellar synaptic wiring through distinct neuronal and synaptic expressions and also their shared synapse-connecting function.
Reinstatement of Associative Memories in Early Visual Cortex Is Signaled by the Hippocampus
Authors: Bosch Sander E. , Jehee Janneke F. M. , Fernández Guillén , Doeller Christian F.
Published: May 2014

The cortical reinstatement hypothesis of memory retrieval posits that content-specific cortical activity at encoding is reinstated at retrieval. Evidence for cortical reinstatement was found in higher-order sensory regions, reflecting reactivation of complex object-based information. However, it remains unclear whether the same detailed sensory, feature-based information perceived during encoding is subsequently reinstated in early sensory cortex and what the role of the hippocampus is in this process. In this study, we used a combination of visual psychophysics, functional neuroimaging, multivoxel pattern analysis, and a well controlled cued recall paradigm to address this issue. We found that the visual information human participants were retrieving could be predicted by the activation patterns in early visual cortex. Importantly, this reinstatement resembled the neural pattern elicited when participants viewed the visual stimuli passively, indicating shared representations between stimulus-driven activity and memory. Furthermore, hippocampal activity covaried with the strength of stimulus-specific cortical reinstatement on a trial-by-trial level during cued recall. These findings provide evidence for reinstatement of unique associative memories in early visual cortex and suggest that the hippocampus modulates the mnemonic strength of this reinstatement.
Motor Inhibition Affects the Speed But Not Accuracy of Aimed Limb Movements in an Insect
Authors: Calas-List Delphine , Clare Anthony J. , Komissarova Alexandra , Nielsen Thomas A. , Matheson Thomas
Published: May 2014

When reaching toward a target, human subjects use slower movements to achieve higher accuracy, and this can be accompanied by increased limb impedance (stiffness, viscosity) that stabilizes movements against motor noise and external perturbation. In arthropods, the activity of common inhibitory motor neurons influences limb impedance, so we hypothesized that this might provide a mechanism for speed and accuracy control of aimed movements in insects. We recorded simultaneously from excitatory leg motor neurons and from an identified common inhibitory motor neuron (CI1) in locusts that performed natural aimed scratching movements. We related limb movement kinematics to recorded motor activity and demonstrate that imposed alterations in the activity of CI1influenced these kinematics. We manipulated the activity of CI1by injecting depolarizing or hyperpolarizing current or killing the cell using laser photoablation. Naturally higher levels of inhibitory activity accompanied faster movements. Experimentally biasing the firing rate downward, or stopping firing completely, led to slower movements mediated by changes at several joints of the limb. Despite this, we found no effect on overall movement accuracy. We conclude that inhibitory modulation of joint stiffness has effects across most of the working range of the insect limb, with a pronounced effect on the overall velocity of natural movements independent of their accuracy. Passive joint forces that are greatest at extreme joint angles may enhance accuracy and are not affected by motor inhibition.
Multiple Spatial and Kinetic Subpopulations of CaMKII in Spines and Dendrites as Resolved by Single-Molecule Tracking PALM
Authors: Lu Hsiangmin E. , MacGillavry Harold D. , Frost Nicholas A. , Blanpied Thomas A.
Published: May 2014

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is essential for synaptic plasticity underlying memory formation. Some functions of CaMKII are mediated by interactions with synaptic proteins, and activity-triggered translocation of CaMKII to synapses has been heavily studied. However, CaMKII actions away from the postsynaptic density (PSD) remain poorly understood, in part because of the difficulty in discerning where CaMKII binds in live cells. We used photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM) in rat hippocampal neurons to track single molecules of CaMKIIα, mapping its spatial and kinetic heterogeneity at high resolution. We found that CaMKIIα exhibits at least three kinetic subpopulations, even within individual spines. Latrunculin application or coexpression of CaMKIIβ carrying its actin-binding domain strongly modulated CaMKII diffusion, indicating that a major subpopulation is regulated by the actin cytoskeleton. CaMKII in spines was typically more slowly mobile than in dendrites, consistent with presence of a higher density of binding partners or obstacles. Importantly, NMDA receptor stimulation that triggered CaMKII activation prompted the immobilization and presumed binding of CaMKII in spines not only at PSDs but also at other points up to several hundred nanometers away, suggesting that activated kinase does not target only the PSD. Consistent with this, single endogenous activated CaMKII molecules detected via STORM immunocytochemistry were concentrated in spines both at the PSD and at points quite distant from the synapse. Together, these results indicate that CaMKII mobility within spines is determined by association with multiple interacting proteins, even outside the PSD, suggesting diverse mechanisms by which CaMKII may regulate synaptic transmission.
Grb2-Associated Binder-1 Is Required for Neuregulin-1-Induced Peripheral Nerve Myelination
Authors: Shin Yoon Kyung , Jang So Young , Park So Young , Park Joo Youn , Kim Jong Kuk , Kim Jong Phil , Suh Duk Joon , Lee Hye Jeong , Park Hwan Tae
Published: May 2014

Grb2-associated binders (Gabs) are scaffolding proteins implicated in cell signaling via receptor tyrosine kinases including neuregulin-1(NRG1)-ErbB receptor signaling, which is essential for peripheral nerve myelination. Here, we show that the conditional removal of Gab1 from Schwann cells resulted in hypomyelination and abnormal development of Remak bundles. In contrast, hypomyelination was not observed in conventional Gab2 knock-out mice. Tyrosine phosphorylation of Gab1, but not Gab2, in sciatic nerves was upregulated during the myelination period and was found to be suppressed in NRG1-type III(+/−) mice, which display a hypomyelinated phenotype similar to that observed in Gab1 knock-out mice. Gab1 knock-out and NRG1-type III(+/−) mice both exhibited reduced extracellular signal-regulated kinase activity in myelinating nerves. In addition, Krox20, a transcription factor that is critical for myelination, has been identified as a target of the NRG1-Gab1 pathway during the myelination process. Our findings suggest that Gab1 is an essential component of NRG1-type III signaling during peripheral nerve development.
Enhancement of Extinction Learning Attenuates Ethanol-Seeking Behavior and Alters Plasticity in the Prefrontal Cortex
Authors: Gass Justin T. , Trantham-Davidson Heather , Kassab Amanda S. , Glen William B. , Olive M. Foster , Chandler L. Judson
Published: May 2014

Addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder in which relapse is often initiated by exposure to drug-related cues. The present study examined the effects of mGluR5 activation on extinction of ethanol-cue-maintained responding, relapse-like behavior, and neuronal plasticity. Rats were trained to self-administer ethanol and then exposed to extinction training during which they were administered either vehicle or the mGluR5 positive allosteric modulator 3-cyano-N-(1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl) or CDPPB. CDPPB treatment reduced active lever responding during extinction, decreased the total number of extinction sessions required to meet criteria, and attenuated cue-induced reinstatement of ethanol seeking. CDPPB facilitation of extinction was blocked by the local infusion of the mGluR5 antagonist 3-((2-methyl-4-thiazolyl)ethynyl) pyridine into the infralimbic (IfL) cortex, but had no effect when infused into the prelimbic (PrL) cortex. Analysis of dendritic spines revealed alterations in structural plasticity, whereas electrophysiological recordings demonstrated differential alterations in glutamatergic neurotransmission in the PrL and IfL cortex. Extinction was associated with increased amplitude of evoked synaptic PrL and IfL NMDA currents but reduced amplitude of PrL AMPA currents. Treatment with CDPPB prevented the extinction-induced enhancement of NMDA currents in PrL without affecting NMDA currents in the IfL. Whereas CDPPB treatment did not alter the amplitude of PrL or IfL AMPA currents, it did promote the expression of IfL calcium-permeable GluR2-lacking receptors in both abstinence- and extinction-trained rats, but had no effect in ethanol-naive rats. These results confirm changes in the PrL and IfL cortex in glutamatergic neurotransmission during extinction learning and demonstrate that manipulation of mGluR5 facilitates extinction of ethanol cues in association with neuronal plasticity.
Food Justice and the Challenge to Neoliberalism
Authors: Alkon Alison Hope
Published: May 2014

As popular interest in food and agriculture has grown, so have an array of social movements intent on improving the ways we grow, raise, process, sell, and consume our sustenance. While scholars tend to agree with activists’ critical assessments of the failures of the industrial, corporate, chemically intensive food system, they often wonder whether the sustainable, local alternatives that activists recommend are sufficient for broad social transformation. Two scholarly critiques of US alternative food systems revolve around issues of food justice, meaning the ways that race, class, and gender affect who can produce and consume what kinds of foods, and neoliberalism, which refers to activists’ privileging of voluntary, market-centric strategies over those that appeal to the regulatory power of the state. This paper lays out three strategies through which the work of US food justice activists can address both critiques. These include cooperative ownership, organizing labor, and pushing to outlaw risky technologies. However, rather than being at odds with the alternative foods market, each strategy makes use of it as a venue from which to draw targeted support.
Taste – In an Age of Surfeit
Authors: Finkelstein Joanne
Published: May 2014

Societies always have hierarchies that rank individuals and groups based on a presumed shared platform of values. Often material possessions have supported these judgments. Taste as a demonstrable quality has also been used as a measure that transcends the simple value of financial cost; thus taste has become a vital ingredient in the aura of luxury and branded goods, certain entertainments, and styles of living. Increasingly, however, the exercise of taste has become more ambiguous in cultures where goods and services are in abundance. The use of other capitals, such as cultural, symbolic, and social capitals, has further shifted the scales of judgment. Where we eat, with whom, at what time of the day, and what we wear, at what cost and with obvious designer labels, how we travel to our vacation destinations, our exercise regimes and diet have become part of a currency through which we demonstrate a public identity that is increasingly ambiguous. The use of taste as a means to judge others and define ourselves may have increased in importance but, ironically, at the same time, the reliability of its indices (i.e., possessions, wealth, style) have weakened. As a result, we assume we know what it means to drink Peroni and wear a text tattoo, but the person looking at us probably does not.
From Oysters to Olives at the Olympia Café
Authors: Risson Toni
Published: May 2014

Greek cafés were a feature of Australian cities and country towns from the 1910s to the 1960s. Anglophile Australians, who knew the Greeks as dagos, were possessed of culinary imaginations that did not countenance the likes of olive oil, garlic, or lemon juice. As a result, Greek cafés catered to Australian tastes and became the social hubs of their communities. After establishing the diverse and evolving nature of food offered in Greek shops since their origins in the late nineteenth century – oyster saloons, cafés, fish shops, fruit shops, milk bars, snack bars, confectioneries – this article uses the concepts of “disgust” and “hunger” to offer new insights about food and identity in Australia’s Greek community and in the wider Australian culinary landscape. In particular, it applies Ghassan Hage’s work on nostalgia among Lebanese immigrants to the situation of Greek proprietors and reveals how memories of a lost homeland allowed café families to feel “at home” in Australia. In a land of “meat-n-three-veg,” a moussaka recipe the family had known for generations offered both a sense of identity and the comfort of familiarity, and Greek cafés, because they represented hope and opportunity, were familial spaces where feelings of nostalgia were affective building blocks with which Greeks engaged in homebuilding in a new land. And although their cafés did not serve Greek food, Greek proprietors and their families did eventually play a role in introducing the Australian palette to Mediterranean foods and foodways.
Preoperative octreotide treatment of acromegaly: long-term results of a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Fougner S L , Bollerslev J , Svartberg J , Øksnes M , Cooper J , Carlsen S M
Published: May 2014

Objective

Randomised studies have demonstrated a beneficial effect of pre-surgical treatment with somatostatin analogues (SSA) in acromegaly when evaluated early postoperatively. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term surgical cure rates.

Methods

Newly diagnosed patients were randomised to direct surgery (n=30) or 6-month pretreatment with octreotide LAR (n=32). The patients were evaluated 1 and 5 years postoperatively. Cure was defined as normal IGF1 levels and by normal IGF1 level combined with nadir GH <2 mU/l in an oral glucose tolerance test, all without additional post-operative treatment. A meta-analysis using the other published randomised study with long-term analyses on preoperative SSA treatment was performed.

Results

The proportion of patients receiving post-operative acromegaly treatment was equal in the two groups. When using the combined criteria for cure, 10/26 (38%) macroadenomas were cured in the pretreatment group compared with 6/25 (24%) in the direct surgery group 1 year postoperatively (P=0.27), and 9/22 (41%) vs 6/22 (27%) macroadenomas, respectively, 5 years postoperatively (P=0.34). In the meta-analysis, 16/45 (36%) macroadenomas were cured using combined criteria in the pretreatment group vs 8/45 (18%) in the direct surgery group after 6–12 months (P=0.06), and 15/41 (37%) vs 8/42 (19%), respectively, in the long-term (P=0.08).

Conclusion

This study does not prove a beneficial effect of SSA pre-surgical treatment, but in the meta-analysis a trend towards significance can be claimed. A potential favourable, clinically relevant response cannot be excluded.
MOLECULAR EVOLUTION OF GPCRS: Melanocortin/melanocortin receptors
Authors: Dores Robert M , Londraville Richard L , Prokop Jeremy , Davis Perry , Dewey Nathan , Lesinski Natalie
Published: May 2014

The melanocortin receptors (MCRs) are a family of G protein-coupled receptors that are activated by melanocortin ligands derived from the proprotein, proopiomelanocortin (POMC). During the radiation of the gnathostomes, the five receptors have become functionally segregated (i.e. melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R), pigmentation regulation; MC2R, glucocorticoid synthesis; MC3R and MC4R, energy homeostasis; and MC5R, exocrine gland physiology). A focus of this review is the role that ligand selectivity plays in the hypothalamus/pituitary/adrenal–interrenal (HPA–I) axis of teleosts and tetrapods as a result of the exclusive ligand selectivity of MC2R for the ligand ACTH. A second focal point of this review is the roles that the accessory proteins melanocortin 2 receptor accessory protein 1 (MRAP1) and MRAP2 are playing in, respectively, the HPA–I axis (MC2R) and the regulation of energy homeostasis by neurons in the hypothalamus (MC4R) of teleosts and tetrapods. In addition, observations are presented on trends in the ligand selectivity parameters of cartilaginous fish, teleost, and tetrapod MC1R, MC3R, MC4R, and MC5R paralogs, and the modeling of the HFRW motif of ACTH(1–24) when compared with α-MSH. The radiation of the MCRs during the evolution of the gnathostomes provides examples of how the physiology of endocrine and neuronal circuits can be shaped by ligand selectivity, the intersession of reverse agonists (agouti-related peptides (AGRPs)), and interactions with accessory proteins (MRAPs).
Inactivation of the adrenergic receptor β2 disrupts glucose homeostasis in mice
Authors: Fernandes Gustavo W , Ueta Cintia B , Fonseca Tatiane L , Gouveia Cecilia H A , Lancellotti Carmen L , Brum Patrícia C , Christoffolete Marcelo A , Bianco Antonio C , Ribeiro Miriam O
Published: May 2014

Three types of beta adrenergic receptors (ARβ1–3) mediate the sympathetic activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT), the key thermogenic site for mice which is also present in adult humans. In this study, we evaluated adaptive thermogenesis and metabolic profile of a mouse withArβ2knockout (ARβ2KO). At room temperature, ARβ2KO mice have normal core temperature and, upon acute cold exposure (4 °C for 4 h), ARβ2KO mice accelerate energy expenditure normally and attempt to maintain body temperature. ARβ2KO mice also exhibited normal interscapular BAT thermal profiles during a 30-min infusion of norepinephrine or dobutamine, possibly due to marked elevation of interscapular BAT (iBAT) and ofArβ1, andArβ3mRNA levels. In addition, ARβ2KO mice exhibit similar body weight, adiposity, fasting plasma glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides when compared with WT controls, but exhibit marked fasting hyperinsulinemia and elevation in hepaticPepck(Pck1) mRNA levels. The animals were fed a high-fat diet (40% fat) for 6 weeks, ARβ2KO mice doubled their caloric intake, accelerated energy expenditure, and inducedUcp1expression in a manner similar to WT controls, exhibiting a similar body weight gain and increase in the size of white adipocytes to the WT controls. However, ARβ2KO mice maintain fasting hyperglycemia as compared with WT controls despite very elevated insulin levels, but similar degrees of liver steatosis and hyperlipidemia. In conclusion, inactivation of the ARβ2KO pathway preserves cold- and diet-induced adaptive thermogenesis but disrupts glucose homeostasis possibly by accelerating hepatic glucose production and insulin secretion. Feeding on a high-fat diet worsens the metabolic imbalance, with significant fasting hyperglycemia but similar liver structure and lipid profile to the WT controls.
The deadweight cost of war: An illustrative CGE
Authors: Gilbert John , Linananda Krit , Takahiko Tanigawa , Tower Edward , Tuncharoenlarp Alongkorn
Published: May 2014

War is costly both because of the resources used up and because of the inefficiency introduced by the higher taxes necessary to finance them. War has been justified by its ability to help an economy achieve full employment. Robert Barro argues that war increases employment because folks work harder to smooth consumption and take advantage of the higher interest rates caused by the scarcity that accompanies war. In his view, it does not reflect putting previously wasted resources to work. This article describes the simulations of a small-scale intertemporal computable general equilibrium model. It illustrates that the cost of war depends on how it is financed, and that the increase in employment that it generates may be explained by the logic that Barro offers. Our model can be loaded into GAMS, a program which is available free of charge online, so readers can themselves simulate variations of the model.
Insurgency, crime, and agricultural labor expenditure: Evidence from Punjab, 1978-1990
Authors: Singh Prakarsh
Published: May 2014

Using micro-level farmer expenditure surveys, this article studies the insurgency in the Punjab region of India, thought to have cost over 20,000 lives. It finds that the violence is statistically associated with an 11.4 percent decline in spending on permanent agricultural labor but did not have a statistically significant effect on the use of temporary labor. Moreover, insurgency-related violence likely signaled an increase in future kidnappings of farm labor and may have incentivized labor away from longer duration contracts. Richer farmsteads appear to be more sensitive to insurgent violence than poorer ones in reducing their labor spending.
Armed conflict, terrorism, and the allocation of foreign aid
Authors: Lis Piotr
Published: May 2014

Armed conflict and terrorism damage economic development through disruption of economic activity, trade, and the destruction of human and physical resources. They also can affect foreign aid allocation, but the likely net effect of this is not obvious. On the one hand, donors may be discouraged and reduce aid. On the other hand, donors may provide more aid, for instance as a reimbursement for counter-terrorism efforts that benefit the donor country. This article aims to identify the net effect using data for a panel of countries. It finds that armed conflict does have a large and negative effect on bilateral and multilateral aid, but that bilateral donors seem to turn a blind eye to violence occurring in oil-exporting countries. Further, the article finds that while transnational terrorism tends to increase bilateral aid, bilateral donors seem indifferent to domestic terrorism. In contrast, multilateral aid is found not to react to transnational terrorism, but does react to domestic terrorism.
A spatial-temporal analysis of civil war: The case of Nepal
Authors: Silwal Shikha
Published: May 2014

The study models the spread of Nepal's civil war across geography and over time. The potential effects of poverty, geography, caste, and prewar election outcomes on the spread and intensity of war-violence is examined, using data from the 1996 to 2006 Nepalese-Maoist civil war. Results suggest, first, that proximity to war-affected area is the key determinant of whether or not war spreads to another area and, second, that the intensity of violence increases as time elapses. Once proximity to areas already affected by war is accounted for, socioeconomic conditions related to poverty and geography are statistically insignificant in explaining either the spread of war or its escalation in intensity.
Mapping of Strain Tensor Components in Polycrystalline Samples using EBSD.
Authors: Dingley David J , Meaden Graham , Suzuki Seiichi , Fukino Tatsuya
Published: May 2014

The advance in Electron Backscatter Diffraction known as High Resolution EBSD has permitted the strain tensor components and neighbour disorientation measurements to be mapped at resolutions better than 2 parts in 10000. Following earlier research into this technique which was focused on verifying the sensitivity and accuracy of the measurements, recent studies have involved investigations on semiconductor and metallic polycrystalline materials. In particular observations of localized regions where residual strains exceeded the macroscopic yield stress have been thoroughly investigated to eliminate experimental error as a possible explanation. No such cause was found. Strain measurements on polycrystalline steels in uniaxial tension and during thermal stress relieving thermal treatment have also been carried out. Maps of the strain distribution during elastic loading and early stages of plastic flow showed hot spots of high strain as in the static tests but overall the measured elastic strain was equal to the applied strain.