bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Life history trade‐offs and stress tolerance in green hydra (Hydra viridissima Pallas 1766): the importance of nutritional status and perceived population density
Authors: Tökölyi Jácint , Rosa Márta E. , Bradács Flóra , Barta Zoltán
Published: July 2014

Clonally reproducing animals, such as freshwater hydra, can achieve very quick population growth, potentially resulting in high density when dispersal is limited. The reproductive value of any offspring produced clonally in such a high density population is low because of the strong competition for food. Therefore, animals experiencing such conditions should allocate their resources to self‐maintenance, to increase survival chances. Increased allocation to self‐maintenance in turn should enable animals to withstand higher levels of genotoxic stress. To test this prediction, we exposed green hydra (Hydra viridissima Pallas 1766) to a perceived high density (by keeping them in crowded culture medium) or low density (fresh culture medium) without altering food availability. We also manipulated nutritional status (by starving animals for different time periods) and previous exposure to mild stress in a full factorial experimental design. At the end of the experiment we exposed animals to a high concentration of hydrogen‐peroxide and scored stress tolerance. We found that stress tolerance is greatly elevated in animals perceiving high density, confirming our prediction. Stress tolerance decreased in animals starved for a few days, suggesting that the ability to maintain an elevated stress tolerance function has nutritional costs and is possible only when resource availability is high. On the other hand, previous exposure to mild stress had a small effect on the ability to tolerate subsequent exposure to stress, and only in the low density treatment group. Thus, stress tolerance in hydra is dynamically modulated in response to social, environmental and nutritional cues.
Looking West to India: Asian education, intra-Asian renaissance, and the Nalanda revival
Authors: PINKNEY ANDREA MARION
Published: July 2014

More than 800 years ago—at approximately the same time as the founding of the first European universities—the renowned monastic institution known as the Nālandā Mahāvihāra disappeared from historical records. Since 2006, a transnational Asian initiative to revive ancient Nalanda as ‘Nalanda University’ in Bihar, India, has been embraced at the highest government and philanthropic levels by a consortium of South, Southeast, and East Asian nations. Nalanda, described as an ‘icon of Asian renaissance’, and the issues surrounding its revival raise important questions about how a new interest in ‘pan-Indo-Asianism’ and a newly imagined vision of ‘Asian’ education are seen as converging to promote Asian interests. First, I consider the ambivalent relationship of the revival and its pre-modern namesake against the Nālandā Mahāvihāra's known history. Then I characterize two kinds of discourse on the contemporary project: one that is ‘pan-Indo-Asian’ and frames the revival as serving transnational Asian goals; and another that is Indic and imagines Nalanda as advancing Indian national concerns. While, for the various stakeholders, serious fissures are evident in the symbolic values of Nalanda—as an exemplar of Asia and of India—both types of discourse, taken together, reveal important insights into the development of an alternative model of education that is both modern and ‘Asian’.
Travelling Leaders and Connecting Print Cultures: two conceptions of Twelver Shi‘i reformism in the Indian Ocean
Authors: MIRZA SHIREEN
Published: July 2014

This article explores Islamic networks, as constituted by migration of people, movement of saints and philanthropic institutional links, across the Indian Ocean. Linking Bombay, Hyderabad and the Muslim diasporas of East Africa, these transnational Shi‘i networks forge a print-based public sphere and determine routes for the circulation of media technology. Moreover, this article argues, that they deploy this technology to enable Islamic reformism in ways that are distinct to the local urban cultures in which they are set. The article examines two initiatives that apply technology towards different conceptions of Shi‘i reformism: while one reform initiative attempts to situate itself within a secular liberal public, another seeks to interrogate secular liberal assumptions by establishing an authentic Islamic society; both then, are underpinned by different goals, internal contestations and diverse trajectories. This article seeks to emphasize the ongoing impact of historically shaped networks of community migration and organisation: both the use of technology in mediating Islamic reform, and attempts to articulate a moral Islamic universalism, which have in practice been determined by these existing transnational networks.
A novel method based on combining ultrasonic-assisted dispersive solid-phase extraction and low-density solvent dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (UA-DSPE-LDS-DLLME) for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides in soil
Authors: Wang Qi , Yin Jianzhong , Pan Hongmei , Xu Fang , Yang Yaling
Published: July 2014

A new method of UA-DSPE-LDS-DLLME combining with GC-PFPD was developed to measure OPPs in soil.
A new method for screening aldose reductase inhibitors using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Hou Guangyue , Zhang Ruixing , Pi Zifeng , Song Fengrui , Liu Zhiqiang , Liu Shuying
Published: July 2014

Because aldose reductase as a key enzyme is closely related to diabetic complications, an ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for screening aldose reductase inhibitors in this study.
The effect of chicken extract on ERK/CREB signaling is ApoE isoform-dependent
Authors: Yong Shan-May , Ong Qi-Rui , Siew Bei-En , Wong Boon-Seng
Published: July 2014

It is unclear how the nutritional supplement chicken extract (CE) enhances cognition.
A study to initiate development of sustainable Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalyst for hydrogen production from steam reforming of biomass-derived glycerol
Authors: Sadanandam Gullapelli , Ramya Kasala , Kishore Donthamsetti Bhanu , Durgakumari Valluri , Subrahmanyam Machiraju , Chary Komandur V. R.
Published: July 2014

Glycerol steam reforming, a potential technology for hydrogen production in fuel-cell applications, is of great interest to researchers in recent years.
Electrically tunable spin filtering for electron tunneling between spin-resolved quantum Hall edge states and a quantum dot
Authors: Kiyama H. , Fujita T. , Teraoka S. , Oiwa A. , Tarucha S.
Published: July 2014

Spin filtering with electrically tunable efficiency is achieved for electron tunneling between a quantum dot and spin-resolved quantum Hall edge states by locally gating the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) leads near the tunnel junction to the dot. The local gating can change the potential gradient in the 2DEG and consequently the edge state separation. We use this technique to electrically control the ratio of the dot–edge state tunnel coupling between opposite spins and finally increase spin filtering efficiency up to 91%, the highest ever reported, by optimizing the local gating.
Communication: DMRG-SCF study of the singlet, triplet, and quintet states of oxo-Mn(Salen)
Authors: Wouters Sebastian , Bogaerts Thomas , Van Der Voort Pascal , Van Speybroeck Veronique , Van Neck Dimitri
Published: July 2014

We use CheMPS2, our free open-source spin-adapted implementation of the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) [S. Wouters, W. Poelmans, P. W. Ayers, and D. Van Neck, Comput. Phys. Commun. 185, 1501 (2014)], to study the lowest singlet, triplet, and quintet states of the oxo-Mn(Salen) complex. We describe how an initial approximate DMRG calculation in a large active space around the Fermi level can be used to obtain a good set of starting orbitals for subsequent complete-active-space or DMRG self-consistent field calculations. This procedure mitigates the need for a localization procedure, followed by a manual selection of the active space. Per multiplicity, the same active space of 28 electrons in 22 orbitals (28e, 22o) is obtained with the 6-31G*, cc-pVDZ, and ANO-RCC-VDZP basis sets (the latter with DKH2 scalar relativistic corrections). Our calculations provide new insight into the electronic structure of the quintet.
The floating microfluidic probe: Distance control between probe and sample using hydrodynamic levitation
Authors: Hitzbleck Martina , Kaigala Govind V. , Delamarche Emmanuel , Lovchik Robert D.
Published: July 2014

Microfluidic probes (MFPs) are an emerging class of non-contact scanning devices used to perform local chemical reactions on surfaces covered with liquid. Typically, the probe is scanned at a distance between 10 μm and 50 μm over the surface. For proper functioning, the distance between the probe and the surface needs to be kept stable. Here, we present a self-regulating distance control for a microfluidic probe based on hydrodynamic levitation, and we call the device the “floating MFP.” By injecting a liquid between the probe head and the surface (flow rates: 5–500 μl min−1), we were able to achieve levitation heights up to 15 μm without perturbation of the probe function. We provide an analytical solution describing the levitation, which fits well with the experimental data. This work helps in the design and implementation of distance control in MFPs for a broad range of applications.
Modified analytical method for evaluation of unpatterned double-barrier magnetic tunnel junctions
Authors: Lee Sangho , Bae Taejin , Hong Jongill
Published: July 2014

A current-in-plane tunneling measurement is a superb solution for evaluating a magnetic tunnel junction's properties because it does not require the series of patterning processes in a clean room that have frustrated many researchers because of the damage and side effects frequently induced by these processes. We found that previously proposed current-in-plane tunneling analysis for double-barrier magnetic tunnel junctions (DMTJs) accurately predicts their electrical properties but often fails to provide other detailed properties of DMTJs. Here, we propose and demonstrate a modified analytic method that can provide an excellent estimate of the electrical and magnetic properties of DMTJs by considering the intermediate magnetization state between parallel and antiparallel states, which has previously been ignored. We found that considering this intermediate state is necessary and sufficient for evaluating the tunneling properties. We also prove that our method is valid even for DMTJs with two identical barriers and even without knowledge of any of the initial properties of their layers, a challenging task for previous methods. We believe that our analytic method yields the correct results when evaluating the properties of DMTJs and will be particularly useful for those who cannot access the well-maintained clean-room facilities needed to make tunnel patterns.
Numerical simulations used for a validity check on the laser induced photo-detachment diagnostic method in electronegative plasmas
Authors: Oudini N. , Taccogna F. , Bendib A. , Aanesland A.
Published: July 2014

Laser photo-detachment is used as a method to measure or determine the negative ion density and temperature in electronegative plasmas. In essence, the method consists of producing an electropositive channel (negative ion free region) via pulsed laser photo-detachment within an electronegative plasma bulk. Electrostatic probes placed in this channel measure the change in the electron density. A second pulse might be used to track the negative ion recovery. From this, the negative ion density and temperature can be determined. We study the formation and relaxation of the electropositive channel via a two-dimensional Particle-In-Cell/Mote Carlo collision model. The simulation is mainly carried out in a Hydrogen plasma with an electronegativity of α = 1, with a parametric study for α up to 20. The temporal and spatial evolution of the plasma potential and the electron densities shows the formation of a double layer (DL) confining the photo-detached electrons within the electropositive channel. This DL evolves into two fronts that move in the opposite directions inside and outside of the laser spot region. As a consequence, within the laser spot region, the background and photo-detached electron energy distribution function relaxes/thermalizes via collisionless effects such as Fermi acceleration and Landau damping. Moreover, the simulations show that collisional effects and the DL electric field strength might play a non-negligible role in the negative ion recovery within the laser spot region, leading to a two-temperature negative ion distribution. The latter result might have important effects in the determination of the negative ion density and temperature from laser photo detachment diagnostic.
Ultrafast electron diffraction from an ultracold source
Authors: Wilson R. Mark
Published: July 2014

Femtosecond electron bunches extracted from a laser-cooled gas cloud could become a powerful tool for macromolecular studies.
Isotopes tell the story of lead in ancient Rome
Authors: Miller Johanna L.
Published: July 2014

The toxic element leached out of pipes into the water and left its record in harbor sediments.
Lasers will shine in future warfare
Authors: Kramer David
Published: July 2014

High-power radio and microwave beams join cost-effective, solid-state lasers on US military’s horizon.
How much will it cost to destroy stockpiled US plutonium?
Authors: Kramer David
Published: July 2014

Lawmakers reject the Obama administration’s plan to suspend construction of a South Carolina plant for fabricating mixed-oxide nuclear fuel.
A more fundamental International System of Units
Authors: Newell David B.
Published: July 2014

The universally accepted method of expressing physical measurements for world commerce, industry, and science is about to get a facelift, thanks to our improved knowledge of fundamental constants.
The Antarctic ozone hole: An update
Authors: Douglass Anne R. , Newman Paul A. , Solomon Susan
Published: July 2014

In the 30 years since the ozone hole was discovered, our understanding of the polar atmosphere has become much more complete. The worldwide response to the discovery was fast, but the recovery is slow.
Asymmetric Michael Addition Using Bifunctional Bicyclic Guanidine Organocatalyst: A Theoretical Perspective
Authors: Wong Ming Wah , Ng Aik Meng Eugene
Published: July 2014

To illustrate the general principle of asymmetric organocatalysis of chiral bicyclic guanidine, a density functional theory study was carried out to examine the catalytic mechanism, activation mode, origin of stereoselectivity of a [5,5]-bicyclic guanidine-catalyzed Michael addition of dimethyl malonate to 2-cyclopenten-1-one. Two types of bifunctional activation modes were examined: Brønsted acid and Brønsted-Lewis acid. The calculated enantioselectivity (ee), based on eight C–C bond forming transition states and their pre-transition state complexes, is in excellent accord with experimental result. The ternary pre-transition state complexes are stable species, which strongly influence the stereoselectivity. Similar to enzyme catalysis, the bicyclic guanidinium catalyst plays an essential recognition role in assembling the substrates together via hydrogen bonds, multiple C–H···O interactions (as oxyanion hole), donor–acceptor, and electrostatic interactions.
Pygo2 regulates β-catenin–induced activation of hair follicle stem/progenitor cells and skin hyperplasia
Authors: Sun Peng , Watanabe Kazuhide , Fallahi Magid , Lee Briana , Afetian Megan E. , Rheaume Catherine , Wu Di , Horsley Valerie , Dai Xing
Published: July 2014

Significance

Stem cells in the hair follicle are quiescent when the follicle is resting, but rapidly expand and differentiate upon proper cues to fuel hair regeneration, skin repair, and even cancer formation. Here we identify an important regulator of this activation process, namely Pygopus homolog 2 (Pygo2), a protein that acts in Wnt/β-catenin signaling and has chromatin regulatory activity. When Pygo2 is absent, overactive β-catenin signaling or hair depilation can no longer efficiently induce stem cell activation and follicular regeneration; expression of Wnt/β-catenin target genes decreases, and follicular hyperplasia subsides. Interestingly, Pygo2 works with β-catenin to increase the level and activation of tumor suppressor protein p53. These findings provide important insights into the regulation of skin regeneration and tumorigenesis.
Quantum cluster algebras and quantum nilpotent algebras
Authors: Goodearl Kenneth R. , Yakimov Milen T.
Published: July 2014

Significance

Cluster algebras are used to study in a unified fashion phenomena from many areas of mathematics. In this paper, we present a new approach to cluster algebras based on noncommutative ring theory. It deals with large, axiomatically defined classes of algebras and does not require initial combinatorial data. Because of this, it has a broad range of applications to open problems on constructing cluster algebra structures on coordinate rings and their quantum counterparts.
Malaria-induced changes in host odors enhance mosquito attraction
Authors: De Moraes Consuelo M. , Stanczyk Nina M. , Betz Heike S. , Pulido Hannier , Sim Derek G. , Read Andrew F. , Mescher Mark C.
Published: July 2014

Significance

Recent research suggests that vector-borne pathogens may frequently manipulate host odors to influence vector attraction. Such effects could have implications for the use of olfactory lures or repellents to disrupt vector transmission, as well as for disease diagnosis. We observed enhanced attraction of mosquitoes to mice infected by the rodent malaria parasite
Plasmodium chabaudii
during a key period after the subsidence of acute malaria symptoms but during which mice remained highly infectious. This attraction appears to be mediated by an overall elevation of volatile emissions from infected individuals and characteristic changes in the levels of individual compounds. Furthermore, clear differences in the odor profiles of healthy and infected individuals persist throughout the course of infection.
Using species distribution models to optimize vector control in the framework of the tsetse eradication campaign in Senegal
Authors: Dicko Ahmadou H. , Lancelot Renaud , Seck Momar T. , Guerrini Laure , Sall Baba , Lo Mbargou , Vreysen Marc J. B. , Lefrançois Thierry , Fonta William M. , Peck Steven L. , Bouyer Jérémy
Published: July 2014

Significance

Tsetse flies transmit human and animal trypanosomoses in sub-Saharan Africa, respectively a major neglected disease and the most important constraint to cattle production in infested countries. They are the target of the Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC). Here we show how distribution models can be used to optimize a tsetse eradication campaign in Senegal. Our results allow a better understanding of the relationships between tsetse presence and various environmental parameters measured by remote sensing. Furthermore, we argue that the methodology developed should be integrated into future tsetse control efforts that are planned under the umbrella of the PATTEC initiative. The results have a generic value for vector and pest control campaigns, especially when eradication is contemplated.
Mesoscale molecular network formation in amorphous organic materials
Authors: Savoie Brett M. , Kohlstedt Kevin L. , Jackson Nicholas E. , Chen Lin X. , Olvera de la Cruz Monica , Schatz George C. , Marks Tobin J. , Ratner Mark A.
Published: July 2014

Significance

Rapid and robust charge transport in soft matter semiconductors enables technologies such as photovoltaics, transistors, and light-emitting diodes. However, even at a conceptual level it remains unresolved what transport limitations are engendered by the structural disorder typical of soft materials. A graph methodology has been developed to quantify the mesoscopic electrical connectivity of clusters of molecules and its susceptibility to structural disorder. It is observed that some materials exhibit the capacity to regularly form conductive networks that percolate the material volume, even in the absence of periodic order. Moreover, the network properties of electrically percolating materials are qualitatively distinguished from nonpercolating materials, although both are comprised of ostensibly similar molecular units in terms of chemical structure, energy levels, and dimensionality.
The
Tn7
transposition regulator TnsC interacts with the transposase subunit TnsB and target selector TnsD
Authors: Choi Ki Young , Spencer Jeanelle M. , Craig Nancy L.
Published: July 2014

Significance

DNA cut-and-paste transposons are discrete DNA segments that move from place to place within genomes via excision from a donor site by double-strand DNA breaks and insertion into a target site. These events are mediated by nucleoprotein complexes whose assembly regulates and coordinates breakage and joining. Multiple protein–protein and protein–DNA interactions are involved in assembly of these nucleoprotein complexes. The nucleoprotein complexes that mediate the movement of the bacterial transposon Tn7 are particularly elaborate, requiring four Tn7-encoded proteins. Here we define specific protein–protein interactions between the central regulator of Tn7 transposition, TnsC, and both the transposase that carries out the chemical steps of transposition and the target-selecting protein.
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
Authors: Hulstijn Jan H.
Published: July 2014

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR, Council of Europe, 2001) currently functions as an instrument for educational policy and practice. The view of language proficiency on which it is based and the six proficiency levels it defines lack empirical support from language-use data. Several issues need to be investigated collaboratively by researchers working in the fields of first and second language acquisition, corpus linguistics and language assessment. These issues are concerned with (i) the CEFR’s failure to consistently distinguish between levels of language proficiency (static aspect) and language development (dynamic aspect), (ii) with the CEFR’s confounding of levels of language proficiency and intellectual abilities, and (iii) the potential problem of mismatches between second-language learners’ communicative and linguistic competences. Furthermore, from a more theoretical perspective, this paper proposes (iv) to investigate which CEFR proficiency levels are attainable by native speakers and (v) to empirically delineate the lexical, morpho-syntactic and pragmatic knowledge shared by all native speakers (called Basic Language Cognition).
Defining the kinetochore’s rules of engagement
Authors: Short Ben
Published: July 2014

Quantitative analyses and computer modeling reveal how a “molecular lawn” fine-tunes the interactions between kinetochores and microtubules.
TPL2 mediates autoimmune inflammation through activation of the TAK1 axis of IL-17 signaling
Authors: Xiao Yichuan , Jin Jin , Chang Mikyoung , Nakaya Mako , Hu Hongbo , Zou Qiang , Zhou Xiaofei , Brittain George C. , Cheng Xuhong , Sun Shao-Cong
Published: July 2014

Development of autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), involves the inflammatory action of Th1 and Th17 cells, but the underlying signaling mechanism is incompletely understood. We show that the kinase TPL2 is a crucial mediator of EAE and is required for the pathological action of Th17 cells. TPL2 serves as a master kinase mediating the activation of multiple downstream pathways stimulated by the Th17 signature cytokine IL-17. TPL2 acts by linking the IL-17 receptor signal to the activation of TAK1, which involves a dynamic mechanism of TPL2–TAK1 interaction and TPL2-mediated phosphorylation and catalytic activation of TAK1. These results suggest that TPL2 mediates TAK1 axis of IL-17 signaling, thereby promoting autoimmune neuroinflammation.
High-resolution coupled physics solvers for analysing fine-scale nuclear reactor design problems
Authors: Mahadevan Vijay S. , Merzari Elia , Tautges Timothy , Jain Rajeev , Obabko Aleksandr , Smith Michael , Fischer Paul
Published: July 2014

An integrated multi-physics simulation capability for the design and analysis of current and future nuclear reactor models is being investigated, to tightly couple neutron transport and thermal-hydraulics physics under the SHARP framework. Over several years, high-fidelity, validated mono-physics solvers with proven scalability on petascale architectures have been developed independently. Based on a unified component-based architecture, these existing codes can be coupled with a mesh-data backplane and a flexible coupling-strategy-based driver suite to produce a viable tool for analysts. The goal of the SHARP framework is to perform fully resolved coupled physics analysis of a reactor on heterogeneous geometry, in order to reduce the overall numerical uncertainty while leveraging available computational resources. The coupling methodology and software interfaces of the framework are presented, along with verification studies on two representative fast sodium-cooled reactor demonstration problems to prove the usability of the SHARP framework.
Human Cancer Growth and Therapy in Immunodeficient Mouse Models
Authors: Shultz Leonard D. , Goodwin Neal , Ishikawa Fumihiko , Hosur Vishnu , Lyons Bonnie L. , Greiner Dale L.
Published: July 2014

Since the discovery of the “nude” mouse more than 40 years ago, investigators have attempted to model human tumor growth in immunodeficient mice. Here, we summarize how the field has advanced over the ensuing years owing to improvements in the murine recipients of human tumors. These improvements include the discovery of thescidmutation and development of targeted mutations in the recombination-activating genes 1 and 2 (Rag1null,Rag2null) that severely cripple the adaptive immune response of the murine host. More recently, mice deficient in adaptive immunity have been crossed with mice bearing targeted mutations designed to weaken the innate immune system, ultimately leading to the development of immunodeficient mice bearing a targeted mutation in the gene encoding the interleukin 2 (IL2) receptor common γ chain (IL2rgnull, also known in humans as cytokine receptor common subunit γ). TheIL2rgnullmutation has been used to develop several immunodeficient strains of mice, including the NOD-scid IL2rgnull(NSG) strain. Using NSG mice as human xenograft recipients, it is now possible to grow almost all types of primary human tumors in vivo, including most solid tumors and hematological malignancies that maintain characteristics of the primary tumor in the patient. Programs to optimize patient-specific therapy using patient-derived xenograft tumor growth in NSG mice have been established at several institutions, including The Jackson Laboratory. Moreover, NSG mice can be engrafted with functional human immune systems, permitting for the first time the potential to study primary human tumors in vivo in the presence of a human immune system.
Pneumopericardium and pneumothorax due to right atrial permanent pacemaker lead perforation
Authors: Baird Andrew , Gandhi Mitesh
Published: July 2014

A 75‐year‐old man presented with a spontaneous right pneumothorax and pneumopericardium following right atrial pacemaker lead perforation, which is a rare complication, with only two case reports being documented in the literature to the authors' knowledge. It is important that radiologists be aware of cardiac lead perforations, as they may be the first to diagnose this complication.
Expression of platelet‐derived growth factor receptor β is maintained by Prox1 in lymphatic endothelial cells and is required for tumor lymphangiogenesis
Authors: Miyazaki Hideki , Yoshimatsu Yasuhiro , Akatsu Yuichi , Mishima Koichi , Fukayama Masashi , Watabe Tetsuro , Miyazono Kohei
Published: July 2014

The lymphatic system plays important roles not only in the physiological processes, such as maintenance of tissue fluid homeostasis, but also in pathological processes including the lymph node metastasis of tumor cells. Therefore, understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying lymphatic vessel formation is crucial. Previous studies have shown that proliferation and migration of lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) are activated by multiple types of signals mediated by tyrosine kinase receptors such as vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) 3. Although signals mediated by platelet‐derived growth factor receptor β (PDGFRβ) have been implicated in lymphangiogenesis, the mechanisms explaining how PDGFRβ expression is maintained in LECs remain to be fully elucidated. In the present study, we show that PDGFRβ expression in LECs is maintained by Prox1 transcription factor. Knockdown of Prox1 expression in human dermal LECs decreased the expression of PDGFRβ, leading to the lowered migration of human dermal LECs towards PDGF‐BB. Furthermore, we found that PDGF signals play important roles in inflammatory lymphangiogenesis in a chronic aseptic peritonitis model. Intraperitoneal administration of imatinib, a potent inhibitor of PDGFRβ, and transduction of PDGFRβ/Fc chimeric protein by an adenoviral system both reduced inflammatory lymphangiogenesis induced by thioglycollate in mice. We also found that the expression of PDGFRβ/Fc reduced tumor lymphangiogenesis in a BxPC3 human pancreatic cancer xenograft model. These findings suggest that PDGFRβ is one of the key mediators of lymphatic vessel formation acting downstream of Prox1.
Neue und altbewährte Therapieoptionen bei Mycosis fungoides und Sézary‐Syndrom – eine aktuelle Bestandsaufnahme
Authors: Dugas‐Breit Susanne , Schulze Hans‐Joachim , Hallermann Christian
Published: July 2014

Primär kutane Lymphome sind zum Zeitpunkt der Diagnosestellung auf die Haut begrenzt, wobei mit mindestens zwei Dritteln die T‐Zell‐Lymphome, und als häufigste Vertreter die Mycosis fungoides und das Sézary‐Syndrom, überwiegen. Eine exakte Einteilung, die nach klinischen, histologischen, immunhistologischen und molekularbiologischen Kriterien in Stadien erfolgt, ist meist entscheidend zur Wahl einer adäquaten Therapieform. Da eine kurative Therapie nur in Ausnahmefällen möglich ist, bleibt das Ziel jeder Behandlung die Abheilung der Hautläsionen, Minimierung von Rückfällen, Verhinderung einer Progression sowie Erhaltung der Lebensqualität. Kommen in den Anfangsstadien der Erkrankung zunächst hautgerichtete Therapieformen zum Einsatz, so treten in den späteren Stadien die Systemtherapien in den Vordergrund. Diese Arbeit soll einen Überblick ermöglichen über bewährte und neue Therapieformen zur Behandlung der Mycosis fungoides und des Sézary‐ Syndroms.
A new staging system to predict prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma in an era of novel therapeutic agents
Authors: Iriuchishima Hirono , Saitoh Takayuki , Handa Hiroshi , Isoda Atsushi , Matsumoto Morio , Sawamura Morio , Iwasaki Atsushi , Ushie Chiaki , Hattori Hikaru , Sasaki Yoshiko , Mitsui Takeki , Yokohama Akihiko , Tsukamoto Norifumi , Murakami Hirokazu , Nojima Yoshihisa
Published: July 2014

Various prognostic markers for multiple myeloma (MM) have been identified, and stratification using these markers is considered important to optimize treatment strategies. The international staging system (ISS) is now a widely accepted prognostic staging system for MM patients; however, its validity is controversial in the era of new therapeutic regimens, since ISS had been established before introduction of new agents. We retrospectively reviewed prognostic factors in order to seek out an alternative staging system more suitably applied to MM patients treated with novel agents. We analyzed 178 newly diagnosed MM patients who received either conventional chemotherapy without novel agents (CT; n = 79) or chemotherapy with novel agents (NT; n = 99). Although median overall survival (OS) of patients treated with CT is significantly different depending on stages of ISS, ISS had no effect on OS among patients treated with NT. Meanwhile, we identified hemoglobin (Hb) and plasmacytoma as independent risk factors for OS in patients who received NT. Using these two parameters, we stratified NT patients into three stages; stage 1 (Hb≥10 g/dL and absence of plasmacytoma), stage 2 (not stage 1 or 3), and stage 3 (Hb <10 g/dL and presence of plasmacytoma). We found that there were significant differences in median OS among the three stages (8.13, 5.95, and 2.45 yr for stages 1, 2, and 3, respectively). This preliminary study suggests that this alternative staging system based on Hb and plasmacytoma is a simple and useful way to predict prognosis of MM patients in the novel agent era.
Three dimensional distribution of Propionibacterium acnes biofilms in human skin
Authors: Jahns Anika C. , Alexeyev Oleg A.
Published: July 2014

Propionibacterium acnes is regarded as a common member of the human skin microbiota, often occurring in biofilms. Little is known about the size of bacterial biofilms in hair follicles as a few sections of biopsy tissue are routinely evaluated. Transversal sectioning provides a better opportunity for histological analyses of hair follicles which can be followed through the different morphological levels. Direct visualization of P. acnes biofilms in hundreds of consecutive sections allowed insight into the 3D distribution in human hair follicles as well as investigating the depth of biofilm distribution within hair follicles. Four distinct colonization patterns of P. acnes biofilms were revealed. Results have shown that an individual P. acnes biofilm can spread for 1900 μm in a terminal hair follicle. This information can be of help while designing potential antibiofilm treatment.
Investigating the antiviral role of cell death‐inducing DFF45‐like effector B in HCV replication
Authors: Singaravelu Ragunath , Delcorde Julie , Lyn Rodney K. , Steenbergen Rineke H. , Jones Daniel M. , Tyrrell David Lorne , Russell Rodney S. , Pezacki John P.
Published: July 2014

Cell‐death‐inducing DFF45‐like effector B (CIDEB) is an apoptotic host factor, which was recently found to also regulate hepatic lipid homeostasis. Herein we delineate the relevance of these dual roles of CIDEB in apoptosis and lipid metabolism in the context of hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication. We demonstrate that HCV upregulates CIDEB expression in human serum differentiated hepatoma cells. CIDEB overexpression inhibits HCV replication in HCV replicon expressing Huh7.5 cells, while small interfering RNA knockdown of CIDEB expression in human serum differentiated hepatoma cells promotes HCV replication and secretion of viral proteins. Furthermore, we characterize a CIDEB mutant, KRRA, which is deficient in lipid droplet clustering and fusion and demonstrate that CIDEB‐mediated inhibition of HCV is independent of the protein's lipid droplet fusogenic role. Our results suggest that higher levels of CIDEB expression, which favour an apoptotic role for the host factor, inhibit HCV. Collectively, our data demonstrate that CIDEB can act as an anti‐HCV host factor and contribute to altered triglyceride homeostasis.
Quantification of creep stresses within HAZ in welded branch junctions
Authors: Han J.‐J. , Kim Y.‐J. , Jerng D. W. , Nikbin K. , Dean D.
Published: July 2014

This paper quantifies the mismatch effect in creep properties on creep stresses in the heat‐affected zone of welded branches using systematic elastic‐creep finite element analysis. It is found that the section‐averaged normalized stresses in the heat‐affected zone can be uniquely characterized by the mismatch factor in creep. The relationship is almost linear and is not so sensitive to the loading condition. Implication to practical creep life assessment of welded branch components is discussed in the context of the R5 procedure.
Neonatal liver failure owing to gestational alloimmune liver disease without iron overload
Authors: Tsunoda Tomoyuki , Inui Ayano , Kawamoto Manari , Sogo Tsuyoshi , Komatsu Haruki , Kasahara Mureo , Nakazawa Atsuko , Fujisawa Tomoo
Published: July 2014

Although neonatal hemochromatosis (NH) is a well‐known cause of liver failure during the neonatal period and iron deposition in extrahepatic tissues is considered essential in the diagnosis of NH, there is no consensus regarding the pathology or diagnostic criteria of NH. Recent studies of immunohistochemical assays have shown that the C5b‐9 complex (the terminal membrane attack complement complex) is strongly expressed in the liver of NH cases, suggesting that a gestational alloimmune mechanism is the cause of liver injury. The patient was a low birthweight primiparous male born at 37 weeks of gestation by vaginal delivery. Blood tests 3 h after birth showed signs of liver failure, including high transferrin saturation, resembling the clinical characteristics of NH. However, magnetic resonance imaging and a lip biopsy showed no obvious iron deposition outside the liver. The patient was refractory to exchange transfusion and immunoglobulin therapy but was successfully treated by liver transplantation. Histologically, the explanted liver showed established cirrhosis, with large amounts of human C5b‐9 in the residual hepatocytes, suggesting the alloimmune mechanism of liver injury was the cause of his liver failure. Liver failure caused by a gestational alloimmune mechanism should be considered in patients with antenatal liver failure, even without obvious extrahepatic siderosis.
“Like a Fanciful Kind ofHalfBeing”: Mary Wollstonecraft's Criticism of Jean‐Jacques Rousseau
Authors: Reuter Martina
Published: July 2014

The article investigates the philosophical foundations and details of Mary Wollstonecraft's criticism of Jean‐Jacques Rousseau's views on the education and nature of women. I argue that Wollstonecraft's criticism must not be understood as a constructionist critique of biological reductionism. The first section analyzes the differences between Wollstonecraft's and Rousseau's views on the possibility of a true civilization and shows how these differences connect to their respective conceptions of moral psychology. The section shows that Wollstonecraft's disagreement with Rousseau's views on women was rooted in a broad scope of philosophical disagreement. The second section focuses on Rousseau's concept of nature, and I argue that Rousseau was neither a biological determinist nor a functionalist who denied that nature had any normative significance. The section ends with a discussion of Wollstonecraft's criticism of Rousseau's application of the distinction between the natural and the artificial. The third section focuses on Wollstonecraft's critique of Rousseau's claim that there are different standards for the perfectibility of men and women. The article concludes with a critical discussion of the claim that Aristotle would have provided Wollstonecraft with the philosophical tools she needed for her criticism of Rousseau.
Scientific Brain Drain and Human Capital Formation After the End of the Soviet Union
Authors: Ganguli Ina
Published: July 2014

This article provides new empirical evidence on the impact of emigration on human capital formation by drawing upon the exodus of Russian scientists after the end of the Soviet Union. I create a novel panel data set based on scientific publications to identify former Soviet scientist émigrés and official Russian statistics on the production of PhDs aggregated at the regional and scientific field levels. I show that the emigration of scientists in the post‐Soviet period is associated with lower production of PhDs measured by admissions, graduates, and the number of students. The results suggest that emigration is not increasing investment in human capital at the PhD level. Possible explanations are that there is a lack of mentors to train the next generation of PhD students and that émigrés are acting as a channel for the younger generation to pursue PhD studies abroad.
Further Observations on the Inhibition of Histamine Release by 2‐Deoxyglucose
Authors: Chakravarty Nirmal
Published: July 2014

Chakravarty, N. Further observations on the inhibition of histamine release by 2‐deoxyglucose. Acta physiol. scand. 1968. 72. 425–432.

The effect of 2‐deoxyglucose (2‐DG) on histamine release from rat mast cells induced by compound 48/80 and antigen‐antibody reaction has been studied. In a glucose‐free oxygenated medium 2‐DG has no effect on compound 48/80‐induced histamine release and inhibits anaphylactic release only in high concentrations. Cyanide inhibition of both compound 48/80‐induced and anaphylactic histamine release is however potentiated by a low concentration (5 mM) of 2‐DG. When glucose is used to restore histamine release blocked by cyanide, 2‐DG (5 mM) markedly inhibits the release. Iodoacetate, fluoride and oxamate have a similar blocking effect on the glucose‐sustained histamine release in presence of cyanide. The findings are explained on the basis of a predominant inhibitory effect of 2‐DG on the glycolytic pathway in rat mast cells.
The Effect of Synthetic Secretin on the External Pancreatic Secretion in Dogs
Authors: Henriksen F. W.
Published: July 2014

Henriksen, F. W. The effect of synthetic secretin on the external pancreatic secretion in dogs. Acta physiol. scand. 1968. 72. 433–440.

The effect of synthetic secretin on the external pancreatic secretion was investigated in three dogs with Thomas fistulas and gastrostomies. The dose‐response curve was determined in two dogs. The maximal secretory capacity equalled that obtained with other secretin preparations. Supramaximal doses of synthetic secretin did not depress the secretion of fluid or bicarbonate. A short‐lasting increase in the protein secretion after injection of synthetic secretin is explained as a “wash‐out” phenomenon.
Considerations on the Cause of Disappearance of the Adrenergic Transmitter in Uterine Nerves during Pregnancy
Authors: Sjöberg Nils‐Otto
Published: July 2014

Sjöberg, N.‐O. Considerations on the cause of disappearance of the adrenergic transmitter in uterine nerves during pregnancy. Acta physiol. scand. 1968. 72. 510–517.

With a combination of fluorescence histochemical and fluorimetric techniques it has been demonstrated that the smooth muscle coats of the guinea‐pig uterus have a fairly rich supply of short adrenergic neurons, i.e. neurons arising in the vicinity of the organ, emitting a green fluorescence owing to their noradrenaline content. During the last period of pregnancy the neuronal fluorescence as well as the uterine noradrenaline disappears. Using animals with unilateral pregnancy it has been possible to establish that despite a marked difference in weight and distention between the two horns there is no difference in the reaction of the adrenergic nerves during the period of pregnancy studied (32–63 days of gestation). Hence, it seems probable that the marked changes in transmitter content found during the latter part of pregnancy are due to a humoral rather than to a mechanical factor.
Changes in the Filtration Fractions in the Superficial and Deep Venous Drainage Area of the Gat Kidney due to Fluid Loading
Authors: Nissen O. I.
Published: July 2014

The effect of Ringer and mannitol loading on the filtration fractions of plasma entering the superficial and the deep part of the cortex was investigated by comparing the plasma concentrations of inulin and protein in the blood leaving the two venous drainage areas with the concentrations in arterial blood. The ratio between the deep and the superficial filtration fraction (FFD/FFs) decreased by some 20 per cent mainly due to a decrease in FFD. Inside the juxtamedullary glomeruli, which constitute a part of the glomeruli of the deep area, short‐circuits between the afferent and the efferent arterioles have been described, which cause the medullary blood supply to partly by‐pass the sites of ultrafiltration. The blood leaves the juxtamedullary glomeruli via relatively thick muscular efferent arterioles which regulate the medullary blood flow. The decrease in FFDmay result from a preferential augmentation of the flow through the medulla,viz. this indicates that the overall filtration fraction of the deep drainage area to a larger degree is governed by the presumably low filtration fraction of the juxtamedullary glomeruli.
Temperature Effects on the Viscosity of Blood and the Aorta Distension from a Hibernator, Erinaceus Europaeus L
Authors: Kirkebö Arne
Published: July 2014

Hedgehog blood at all temperatures showed higher apparent viscosity than most other mammals and exhibited pseudoplastic characters at low rates of shear. In contrast, serum never showed shear rate dependence. Red cells in serum or Ringer's solution had less shear rate dependence than did blood corpuscles suspended in plasma. The apparent viscosity of a sample doubled when the temperature fell from 34° to 6° C. The change in viscosity found in different blood samples withdrawn at 6°, 20° and 34° C during arousal from hibernation, was greater than the reduction found in one sample over the same temperature range. The cross‐section of the aorta increased with falling temperatures from 34° to 6° C, but the elastic properties of the vessel remained relatively unchanged. A deviation from Hooke's law is evident, but it was not great within the normal homeostatic pressure range. Distension with increasing pressure was a little larger for vessels from non‐hibernating than for hibernating animals. The hindrance of the aorta in the hibernating state was increased by a factor of 1.9 compared to the value of the non‐hibernating state. If there hypothetically was no distension with falling temperature, the increase in hindrance would be about 2.5.
Cardiovascular Investigations on Hedgehogs during Arousal from the Hibernating State
Authors: Kirkebö Arne
Published: July 2014

Haemodynamical changes were followed in hedgehogs during arousal from the hibernating state. The temperature in the anterior part of the body increased prior to the temperature in the posterior part. Cardiac output—measured with implanted electromagnetic probes—rose faster than the heart rate in early arousal, but slower in the later phases. Arterial pressures reached maxima at a temperature of 20—30° C in the neck. The decrease in peripheral resistance was greatest in the first part of arousal and was largely due to the fall in blood viscosity with temperature. There is usually no further decrease in hindrance above 15—20° C. The dilation of posterior vessels were compensated by constrictions in regions already warmed. Due to the fall in viscosity of blood with temperature, warmer organs are more easily circulated than colder portions. This and other autoregulatory effects of a physical nature are discussed.
The Excitability of Frog's Isolated Muscle Spindles during Repetitive Stretches
Authors: Jahn Samia Al Azharia
Published: July 2014

In trains of stretches lasting 1 sec the minimum interval for response to all stretches (deformation: 1—2 times threshold stretch (T), rise time: 2 and 5 msec) was about twice the shortest interval for responses to a pair of stretches. When the trains lasted 3—6 sec and the stretches had the critical size only a few failed to evoke a response. The stretch which evoked a response to every stimulus of a train increased linearly with frequency (6—70/sec). At high frequencies, when adaptation had occurred, the rate of afferent discharges varied little with frequency, the discharge rate being about half the highest obtainable and increasing linearly with the size of the stretch. Spontaneous intrafusal contractions facilitated the response to a train of stretches too small to evoke a response to every stimulus. The facilitation lasted as long as the contraction of an intrafusal muscle fibre. After a train of stretches (3 sec in duration) spontaneous afferent firing ceased. The silent period increased linearly with the number of afferent discharges independent of the frequncy of strtches (35—70/sec) and of the size of the stretch (1.5—2.5 × T). The intervals between the spontaneous afferent discharges were prolonged for several seconds after a train.